|
|||
|
|||
|
 |
|
|
NCAA WRESTLING CHAMPIONSHIPSMarch 16, 2012Matt McDonoughST. LOUIS, MISSOURI THE MODERATOR: We have Matt McDonough moving on to the finals tomorrow. First question, please. Q. This is your third final. How does this feel compared to the other two? MATT McDONOUGH: It feels better than the other two because it's the newest one. Have to always build on itself. This is my third time in this tournament, third time going to the finals. But it's a new season. As always, I'm still striving for the top.  There's no automatics. Q. Looked like you were really doing well on your takedowns in that match. MATT McDONOUGH: Definitely. That's where you start a match. You got to be ready to go from the starting whistles, got to be ready for takedowns. Two of the matches I got taken down first. That's not what you want. I want to come out there with a high pace. That's what I did. Really the goal is to dominate in every single position. I wasn't perfect. Gave up some offensive points I shouldn't have. But that's why you keep moving on and building because, you know, if he gets a takedown, you can't let it affect you. Q. In this national tournament, you looked very dominating, more so than during the season. Have you flipped a switch? Did something click in the past week? MATT McDONOUGH: Got to be a gamer. This is my favorite time of year. It's been like that since I started coming to these when I was in seventh grade. Spring break, everyone goes to Cancun. I go to the NCAA tournament. I get to watch tough wrestling. Now I get to live the dream, I get to do it. That's just rising to the occasion, being a Saturday‑nighter. Q. We don't know who you're going to wrestle yet. Two guys having a hot tournament. How prepared are you to face a guy like either one of these two? MATT McDONOUGH: I'm as prepared as I can be. That's pretty darn prepared. I mean, this is what you build for all year. I got to believe that I'm peaking, too. It's not just saying it, making myself believe it, it's knowing it. I feel like I'm peaking right now. Q. You have a second chance at your second national title. Do you go at it differently because you lost last year? MATT McDONOUGH: Yeah, you have to build on it. If there's one thing I can remember, it's that Sunday morning afterwards, how you feel. You're not going to let yourself go home like that again. That's one of the top motivations. But beyond that, just doing the very best you can. I mean, that's what you got to do. Q. The team competition has spread out a little bit. You're out there for yourself, but do you think about trying to get as many points as you can for the team at this point? MATT McDONOUGH: Absolutely. I'm trying to get, number one, as many points as I can for myself to show the rest of the country who Matt McDonough, what I'm about, how tough I am. But that team factor has to come into play. I could have stayed on top. I could have let him get a reversal and laid there on my belly, got a win, had a decision, felt decent about it. Or I could keep moving forward and go for that major, go for that pin. That's really what I'm trying to do every time out. But building points for yourself, number one, for who you are; number two, for your team. Q. You're talking about team points. Do you feel scoring all those points should be a catalyst for the rest of your teammates coming up? MATT McDONOUGH: For sure. I mean, I've heard it a million times, especially when I was a freshman, starting off being a fire starter, being a stick of dynamite for the team, getting things rolling. But you start to believe it. You got to come across with that good spirit to your teammates. We got to score some points. We got to come out here, have some fun, make it a show for the crowd. Q. We know your opponent now. MATT McDONOUGH: It's a chance I want back to wrestle him again, to improve on what I started on, but not just go off of what happened in the duel. The fact you said you think they're peaking, I think I'm peaking. That's what you live for, to get the chance to wrestle those tough opponents, wrestle for seven minutes. You know he's coming out to take your head off and you're going to do the same thing. THE MODERATOR: Thank you, Matt. FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports |
|
||||||||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
About ASAP Sports •
FastScripts Archive •
Recent Interviews •
Captioning •
Upcoming Events •
Contact Us
FastScripts | Events Covered | Our Clients | Other Services | ASAP in the News | Site Map | Job Opportunities | Links |
|
ASAP Sports, Inc. | T: 1.212 385 0297
|