The wear and tear caused by vast amounts of time on the road has long been the enemy of athletic teams visiting other schools and arenas. In many cases, extended and frequent travel times can be more tiring on a group than the athletic competitions themselves.

This weekend, long distances and a large amount of travel led to a frustrating set of matches for Eastern’s Wrestling team. After traveling to Northern Illinois on Friday, the Panther wrestling squad headed to Northern Iowa for a triangular meet also featuring Wyoming.

In one of their poorest showings of the year, Eastern fell 42-3 to Northern Illinois, with Matt Veach claiming a singles victory, the team moved on to Northern Iowa, losing 39-0.

“It was a frustrating weekend,” Eastern assistant coach Tony Vaughn said. “We have about a week and a half to train and refocus on basics.”

The team has only one meet remaining, a dual meet at Purdue held on Feb. 22. After this last bit of traveling, the Panthers will try to get excited and concentrate on their Regional NCAA Qualifier to be held at Eastern March 8. The home qualifying meet is a welcome change from the large amount of traveling the Panthers have done as of late.

“We’ve got to get our game plan set,” Vaughn said. “We’re going to try to pump the team up to finish strong and hopefully reach our peak in time for the regional.”

After traveling to Purdue, the team will have about 10 to 12 days to focus for the qualifier. They will try to ignite their emotions after an aggravating and at times disappointing season to perform at the highest level. The Panthers hope to get a boost from hosting the Regionals.