SPORTS

Scott Bradley - Staff Reporter

Maybe it stems from his experience as a utility baseball player in high school or his leadership as the school's starting quarterback. Whatever it is, Tim Hartung has quietly found his role on the Gophers wrestling team.

It was only several months ago when Minnesota coach J Robinson decided to place Hartung in the starting lineup at 177 pounds. A freshman from a rural town outside Eau Claire, Wis., Hartung gladly accepted the challenge.

"He's been having a good year," Robinson said. "He began as a starter this year and has done well at a national level so far."

Between wrestling seasons in high school, Hartung managed to play football in the fall and baseball in the spring. In fact, he was his school's starting quarterback for three years. As a senior, he passed for over 1,500 yards and came within two pass attempts of the school's all-time record.

"We ran the run-and-shoot so we passed the ball a lot," he said. "We didn't have a good line or good running backs. Wrestling was always my best sport as far as expectations go. Football and baseball were just fun sports for me."

But he was good enough in football to earn a full scholarship offer from St. Cloud State to wrestle and play football. Those offers were tempting, but he always wanted to compete at a higher level.

"I knew wrestling would be my ticket to a Division I school," he said.

And Hartung has no regrets so far about choosing Minnesota.

Because All-American Brett Colombini used up his eligibility last season and junior Zac Taylor is trying out for the U.S. Olympic team, Hartung was given a chance to start for the Gophers.

Filling Taylor's void at 167 is junior Gerald Carr, who transferred to Minnesota this season from a junior college in California. The lineup changes left the opening at 177.

Hartung has a 19-9 record including four pins heading into Minnesota's dual meet with No. 15 Michigan this Sunday. And he's feeling ready for the Big Ten Championships less than one month away.

Hartung has provided the Gophers with some strong performances during its current losing skid of four consecutive dual meets. His latest victory came on Friday when he pinned Iowa State's Matt Mulvihill.

Robinson said Hartung is progressing steadily, but still has room for improvement.

"His only downfall is that he doesn't quite believe in himself yet," Robinson said. "The day, the match, the meet, or whenever he starts looking at himself as a bona fide All-American is when he'll be there."

Hartung's roommate, Josh Dodd, a freshman from Northwood, Iowa, believes Hartung is talented enough to continue wrestling as a starter next season. That's saying a lot since Taylor and Carr will likely be the top athletes at 167 and 177 respectively.

"I have the most confidence in Tim that he'll be in the lineup next year too," Dodd said. "I think it's going to be a thing where Carr and Taylor will really be battling for the spot at 167."

Regardless of what happens next season, Robinson is pleased with Hartung's performance this season.

"Tim can do a lot of things other wrestlers can't," Robinson said. "He can wrestle when he is tired. But he holds back. The minute he goes out there and doesn't hold back is the time he realizes how good he is."

Hartung is hopeful he can place in the top five at the Big Ten tournament, which would qualify him for the NCAA tournament next month. Before he can reach that feat, however, Hartung must face Michigan's No. 4 Jesse Rawls.

Despite the team's poor dual-meet record as of late, Hartung said the Gophers are close to where they need to be for the tournaments.

"Individually and as a team we are right where we need to be," he said. "We just need to step it up in time for Big Tens."