Wrestling gets season underway Saturday

INDIANOLA, Iowa – Second-year head coach Nate Hansen and the Simpson wrestling team begins the 2013-14 season at the Luther Open on Saturday.

Season Preview
The Storm return eight of 11 letterwinners from last year's team that went 1-14 and 0-7 in the Iowa Conference. Hansen brought in 15 newcomers this season and looks to make strides in his second year at the helm.

A trio of seniors will provide leadership for the young team. Jared Bevins (184/197, Creston, Iowa), Jeff Sand (141, Waukee, Iowa) and Taylor Witzel (174/184, Aurelia, Iowa) are all three-year letterwinners with lots of mat experience. Bevins went 8-14 a year ago but hopes for a season more like the one he experienced in 2011-12 when he went 19-17. Sand went 9-14 last year and owns a team-best 51 career wins entering the season. Witzel hopes to improve upon his 5-25 mark from last season.

The team's lone junior, Greg Harlow (165, Lincoln, Calif) went 7-23 last year.

The team's top returner is 174-pound sophomore Brett Roberts (Ottumwa, Iowa), who went 12-10 a year ago but saw his season cut short due to injury. Another sophomore, Jason Clark (Waukee, Iowa) went 11-16 at 149.