Camaraderie. Teamwork. Tight-knit. These are the words that Hofstra wrestling head coach Dennis Papadatos used to describe the 2019-2020 group that he believes has already jelled together as one unit.

“We have one big clique,” Papadatos said. “It only took about a week and it seems like everyone has been together forever. It has been very enjoyable to this point.”

After last year’s campaign went sour, as Papadatos described it, the returning starters and newcomers look to get healthy and stay healthy throughout the season. To do that, Papadatos is taking a different approach to training.

Every Friday, Papadatos and the rest of the coaching staff come into the wrestling room, but only meet with four wrestlers at a time so that they each get more individualized critiques on their technique. This is new this year and Papadatos says the wrestlers enjoy the more individualized attention.

He also gives his team days off during the week so the wrestlers can stay fresh and recover properly. When they’re in the room they work hard, he said, so they can earn those days off and recover.

That’s how the team is preparing for the Princeton Open, which kicks off this year’s schedule on Sunday, Nov. 3. The schedule is loaded with home events and tough competition throughout the year.

“We’re excited about our schedule,” Papadatos said.

In particular, he added, they are excited for the Army Invitational on Sunday, Nov. 17, which includes competition from the University of Michigan and four-time reigning national champions Penn State, two very successful Big 10 programs.

Papadatos also listed North Carolina State University and Long Island University as the two premier home matches this season.

But Papadatos is not looking too far ahead on the schedule.

“My whole theme on the year is … taking it week by week,” he said. “We are trying to be as close to optimal peak performance every single week.”

The team has been officially practicing for their season opener at Princeton University for a few weeks, and Papadatos has been very impressed with what he’s seen on the mat so far.

“I’ve seen an overall good mindset,” he said. “It’s a pretty tight-knit group and I wouldn’t normally say that. The whole team gets along, the whole team likes each other, the whole team pushes each other. I’ve seen a lot of camaraderie and teamwork and effort.”

That mentality is crucial in any team sport, but wrestling in particular is as much a mental sport as it is physical.

The storyline of last season was the barrage of injuries and setbacks the team faced. Vinny Vespa, Sage Heller and Dylan Ryder were all significant wrestlers who missed time due to injury last year.

Vespa could not even practice at all last year due to an undisclosed injury, but Papadatos has been amazed with how he has recovered.

“[Vespa] looks as focused as he’s ever looked,” Papadatos said. “I was very concerned on the nature of his injury … on how he would recover … as if maybe he would never be able to recover, and he might look as good as he’s ever looked.”

Sage Heller also missed most of last season, so he and Vespa both received medical redshirt years and did not lose any NCAA eligibility.

“[Sage Heller] looked great all summer,” Papadatos said. “He was cleared in April and he looks really good right now.”

Ryder, who was injured at the end of the season, had surgery this offseason and will be back and healthy at the Princeton Open to build off a very successful freshman year.

The newcomers on this team have fit in incredibly well, Papadatos said, and he has high expectations for many of them. Some newcomers will be taking a redshirt year, but some wrestlers like freshman Reece Heller (yes, another Heller) and transfer junior Charles Small could crack the opening-day lineup.

Reece Heller will likely step in at 157 pounds and Small will fill in at 184, as sophomore Trey Rogers is bumping up to the 197-pound weight class, Papadatos said.

Small comes to Hofstra with championship experience as he earned the National Junior College Athletic Association Championship this past year while he was at Northwest Kansas Technical College.

Papadatos said this experience has helped Small become a leader in the wrestling room.

Although the team may not select official captains this season, Papadatos pointed out that along with Small, Sage Heller, Ryder, Rogers and senior Jacob Martin have all filled the role as captains in the room. In particular, Papadatos added, Sage Heller has taken the reigns.

“[Sage Heller] has been the verbal leader. Guys are listening to him,” Papadatos said. “If you asked the team to pick one captain, I think [Sage Heller] would be unanimously picked right now.”

Although Papadatos is taking the season week by week, it is important to recognize the challenges that lie ahead at the Eastern Intercollegiate Wrestling Association (EIWA) tournament, which will be held at Lehigh University this year.

“Every team just seems to get better every year,” Papadatos said.

“As you get better, [other teams] get better. It’s like, ‘Man, is anyone not going to get better? This is annoying,’” he added with a laugh.

Lehigh, Cornell University and Princeton usually take up the top spots in the EIWA, which is consistently a premier conference in the nation. But Papadatos just sees the rankings and predictions as a distraction.

“In the past, I’ve looked at all that,” he said. “[This year], I really haven’t paid attention to it. I’m really focusing in on us and our guys and what we can do to be the best that we can.”

Overall, Papadatos is impressed with the attitude and mentality of this new-look Hofstra wrestling team. He said the team is focused more on their short-term goals right now, but there is one long-term goal that he wants to accomplish this year: “I want everyone to feel satisfied when the year is over. I just want the season to be over and all the coaches and guys feel like they gave it all they had.”

Papadatos feels confident that with the 10 guys he’ll be sending out on the mat throughout the season, that goal, and others that will undoubtedly come up as the year progresses, are attainable for this Hofstra wrestling squad.

Images courtesy of Hofstra Athletics and Anthony Roberts