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NCAA WRESTLING CHAMPIONSHIP

March 22, 2019

Tyler Berger

Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

157 Pounds

THE MODERATOR: Congratulations. Talk about the feelings you have heading to the national championship match tomorrow night.

TYLER BERGER: Yeah, excited, and a lot of anticipation, I think, for this match. But I'm really relaxed, mentally, physically, just enjoying this time to just -- it's the last time I get to put on a Husky wrestling singlet, so I'm taking it in.

Just now I took the time to look around the arena. I wanted to look at every section. I'm going to look back on this 20, 30 years from now, and if I'm not enjoying it, I think I'm going to have some regrets. So I think going into that match it's just going to be taking in the moment, wrestling free and wrestling hard.

Q. Tyler, what have you learned about yourself since the last two weeks since you wrestled Jason? And will you be as free tomorrow night?
TYLER BERGER: Yeah, I think that's one thing -- I wasn't too upset about the loss. It was how I wrestled is what -- that's what made me kind of take it hard. It wasn't characteristic of myself to wrestle in that way, very hesitant.

You know, maybe it was just a new environment, never been in the Big Ten finals, so I think I was trying to calm myself down, and I need to get a little bit more fired up.

But usually in the past I would take those two weeks and obsess over film, over, I mean, every little thing, my diet, making sure everything is perfect, but I really got away from the sport the last couple weeks. I made sure I made time each and every day to clear my head, have my time by myself. I'm a man of faith, so just time in the Word and just meditating on certain things, and it's really helped me perform at a higher level, I think. So I think that's what's been key.

Q. Are you a guy that likes to study a lot of video and stuff? Your opponent just had a real tough match, almost went the other way at the end. Will you watch that or just focus on the things that help you get ready?
TYLER BERGER: Yeah, I think I've put in enough work for Jason Nolf to understand what he's doing. I've actually had my coaches tell me I need to stop. I need to stop watching so much film. I need to get away. That's part of the reason I've had to step away from the sport of wrestling so much.

But no, I mean, I've wrestled the guy eight, nine times. I know what he's good at. I've studied him a lot. I have books full of Jason Nolf. So I'm going to stay away. I'm going to relax, get fueled up, make my way, and probably spend a lot of time with family and just lay down and get ready for my match.

Q. I think it's kind of interesting because you ended your high school career wrestling Jason at the Pittsburgh wrestling class --
TYLER BERGER: I remember.

Q. I'm sure you do. You're ending it almost the same way, wrestling him, obviously a little bit more at stake. How does that play into your head? Just talk about that feeling of having to wrestle the same guy over and over and over again like you just said.
TYLER BERGER: It's almost poetic, right? You know what, yeah, I thought about that exact thing. Wrestling him -- I'm pretty sure it was in Pittsburgh. Yeah.

I mean, I think we've been 1 and 2 for a long time, and he's a great wrestler, and I think it's going to be a fun way to end our collegiate careers together the same way we did it when we were in high school. I respect him a lot, but I'm not going to wrestle him passive. I'm going to go out there to tear his head off, and I'm sure he's going to do the same with me. I would expect nothing less.

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports

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