The Gators’ wrestling team began practice on Tuesday, preparing to make a run at the National Championship when the season begins in early November.

Despite a turbulent offseason, difficulty signing recruits under the athletic program’s uncertainty, Coach Lars Jensen thinks the team has some good kids and would like to see them move back into the top ten in the nation.

“The offseason was very difficult because we couldn’t sign anyone,” said Jensen. “We didn’t know if we had money to offer in the form of scholarships and were hearing the whole program could’ve been dropped. We couldn’t sign anyone until real late. Our good reputation did help out.”

The excellent reputation and tradition of SF State’s wrestling program helped the Gators salvage the offseason and sign some good wrestlers. The team will count on the new recruits and returning starters to elevate the team back into the top ten. “Most of the returnees know what they need to do in the offseason to keep conditioned,” said Jensen.

The Gators will have 11 returning wrestlers and ten recruits. Six returning athletes started last season. Jensen is counting on returnees, Donald Lockett, 133-pounds, Pacifico Garcia, 141-pounds and Daren Murphy, 285-pounds to step up big. Four-year starter and All-American last season, Joey Bareng returns as an assistant coach this season and will help find someone to fill the hole he left in the 125-pound weight class.

“I want to come back and give my input to the program,” said Bareng. “I think we can do really well this year. We have to show the school and the city that we have a good program here. It’s worth saving.”

Jensen believes team leader, Lockett, last year’s national champion runner up, has a good chance at becoming SF State’s 12th National Champion. Lockett, a senior in his last year of eligibility, is willing and up to the challenge.

“My individual goals are to win the national title and go undefeated on the season,” said Lockett. “For the team, I hope we have guys who will step up and I hope we have a chance to place in the top five.”

In addition to hopes of ranking within the top ten in the nation, Jensen would like the entire team to be more competitive in dual meets and improve on last season’s 2-12 overall record.

“We were able to sign two wrestlers from New Mexico, who were state placers,” said Jensen, who added that there would be a dogfight for starting positions in the 165-167 weight classes. “At that weight it’s a toss up,” he explained.

Returnees and newcomers will have two months to condition for the long season and fine-tune their moves and holds before the Alumni Match that kicks off the season on Nov. 5 in The Swamp at 7 p.m.