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Freshman Chris Henrich has made a big progression this season. After a slow start, Henrich has run off 11-consecutive wins and has not lost in 2008. The Lansdale, Pa., native earned his first collegiate national ranking this week, debuting at No. 19 in the InterMat 174-pound rankings and No. 20 in the W.I.N. poll. Last week, he notched his first win over a ranked opponent, scoring a decision over then-No. 20 Eric Decker of Virginia Tech.
Tell us about your freshman season thus far.
Henrich: You’re going to have your ups and downs in a year and I started the year in a slump. It was just little things here and there that weren’t working out. I’ve come on strong in the second half of the season and I keep telling myself that the only things that matter are the ACCs and NCAAs. I keep that in mind at all times.
You just earned your first national ranking this week. Do rankings matter at all to you?
Henrich: It probably shouldn’t matter for me that would be the correct answer but at the same time it’s exciting to see your name in the top 20 national rankings as a true freshman. My family is really excited about it. It just provides a little motivation. You’ve got to use it the right way and not let it get to your head and think you can just go through the motions. I would like to use it as one steppingstone to work up to the next one.
What have you found to be challenging as freshman?
Henrich: Part of it is not being completely in the spotlight. Coming out of high school I was the the oldest and the team captain, and then you have to come any make the adjustment to college and being the new guy. But that is something that has made me work harder and harder.
What was last weekend like for you and competing in your first ACC dual matches?
Henrich: It was awesome, and not even so much the ACC duals but the whole dual-meet season has been unbelievable and so exciting this year. I see now why college wrestling is so much more exciting. Now we are into the conference season and we really want to win it. It’s a big thing for the program.
The team has been really successful so far. Is this what you envisioned when you decided to come to UVa?
Henrich: It’s been unbelievable. I still remember the first day I met Coach Garland when he came into my house to recruit me. He made all sorts of promises, and he’s either met those or exceeded every one of them. It has been a great experience.
Tell us about the battles in the wrestling room and how it is helping the program.
Henrich: Since we have such a large, talented freshman recruiting class, we have brought a lot competition into the room and that also provides that extra fire under everyone including us freshmen. There are a lot of older guys who have shown us the ropes so far. I can finally see us starting to adjust and everyone is getting this new kind of confidence and swagger. Coach Garland talks all the time that we have a new attitude in this program. I think the main source of that comes from how talented our coaches are and how good of a job they do.
For you, a lot of that competition comes from one of your sparring partners in practice, Rocco Caponi, who is ranked nationally at 184.
Henrich: Rocco has been great all year for me. He will work out with me anytime during the day whenever, wherever. Coach Garland actually has had to split us up since we go together so much during practice in order to give us a different feel from other guys. I owe a lot to Rocco as far as my success this year.
Coach Garland has had the team wrestle a lot more matches this season. Are you seeing the benefits of that?
Henrich: What I’ve learned in the past is that for me personally, I don’t know why but I never really peaked in the postseason. But I can see with the way our schedule is designed, the matches are set up so we peak at the right time. We have wrestled a lot already this season, but the key right now is getting experience and being ready for ACCs and NCAAs.
Do you have goals for the rest of the year or do you stick to the one match a time’ theory?
Henrich: I’m still in the one match at a time mindset, but my second semester I came in after the Southern Scuffle and said I didn’t want to lose another match the rest of the year. That was the last time I lost and I’d like to keep that up. I think that is a realistic goal.