Foley: Five under-the-radar wrestlers to watch

Every wrestling season brings surprise performances from athletes who have been forgotten in the preseason hype. Some are true freshmen left out of preseason rankings and others are wrestlers coming off a redshirt season. Still more have suffered injuries, transferred, and served suspensions.

No matter the cause for their low-profile heading into the 2014 season, all five of these athletes will be contending for a spot on the podium in March at the NCAAs in Oklahoma City.

Joey Dance (Virginia Tech, 125, Freshman)

The No. 8 overall recruit last season, Dance shows sign of being the mixture of coaching and talent that results in lots of very big awards. The Virginia native will be an enormous asset for the Hokies. Coached at Christiansburg High School by Daryl Weber, Dance has learned the system of Hokies head wrestling coach Kevin Dresser since he first stepped on the mat. That's a huge advantage for any wrestler, but add in that Dance will be training with longtime teammate and friend Devin Carter (also from C-Burg) and you have the type of ready-to-place formula that is often missing for freshman.

"I am excited to see Joey Dance compete at the D1 level this year," says Weber. "He leaves everything on the mat no matter who he is wrestling and is very good at adjusting after a loss. I think he can go with any of the top guys and I am sure he is excited to do so."

Sam Sherlock (Clarion, 133, Junior)

Sam Sherlock

A University Nationals champion at 60 kilos in 2013, Sherlock is the rising star on Troy Letters' new-look Clarion program. Sherlock, who spent the first part of his college career at Penn State, recently broke into the InterMat rankings after a strong performance at the Clarion Open. After wrestling up in the offseason, Sherlock is going to be a big 133-pound wrestler, whose diet, according to Letters, will be key to his long-term success.

"Sammy has been cutting weight the right way since he won the University Nationals at 138.5," says Letters. "He is very explosive and strong at 133 and committed to staying within reach. He's doing it the right way by adjusting workouts, not food. If he stays consistent with the weight control he can wrestle with anyone in the country."

Should he stay on top of his weight, Letters believes that he can contend with the nation's best and and come away from NCAAs with hardware.

Ian Miller (Kent State, 157, Sophomore)

With 2012 wins over All-Americans Cam Tessari (Ohio State) and Kyle Bradley (Missouri), Ian Miller isn't as much of a dark horse as a young stud coming off redshirt. The Golden Flash sophomore was good enough in 2012 to earn the fifth seed at the NCAAs, which means that his goals in 2014 won't just be to make a run at All-American, but make the finals in Oklahoma City. According to head assistant coach Josh Moore, Miller should've found the podium in 2012 were it not for poor weight management.

"Ian had a few setbacks and missed portions of his freshman season which I believe hurt his weight management and progression as a wrestler," says Moore, a 2004 NCAA finalist for Penn State. "He was not disciplined with his weight and it cost him becoming an All American as a true freshman!"

"I would say he is the most dynamic wrestler at Kent State in my 10 years as a coach," continued Moore. "I believe he can beat anybody on a given day, and he is the bad draw, that's for sure! The scary part is that he continues to improve in areas that he isn't the strongest and come March, he will not be a dark horse, but a stallion on the podium!"

Corey Mock (Chattanooga, 165, Junior)

Corey Mock (Photo/Dale Rutemeyer)

After a year filled with challenges, Corey Mock has transferred to the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga (UTC) and is looking to make his first successful run at All-American honors in 2014. The son of UNC-Chapel Hill head wrestling coach C.D. Mock, the former 157-pound wrestler is moving up this season and hoping to challenge the best in the country. Solid on his feet and the type of mat wrestler that can earn extra points, Mock will need to stay focused and keep out of trouble to secure his place on the podium.

"Corey has been a great addition to our program," says UTC head wrestling coach Heath Eslinger. "He has wholeheartedly bought into being a part of this team and is going to have an immediate impact. He came here wanting a second chance and he has taken full advantage of that chance each and every day. We expect him to be on the podium in March and he expects that of himself."

Stephen Doty (Virginia, 174, Senior)

A leader on Steve Garland's Cavalier squad for the last few seasons, Doty is preparing for a run that he hopes will take him to the NCAA Championships and up the award stand. Strong, agile and with a history of giving excellent opponents all they could handle, Doty had a winning record last season, capped off with a surprising 2-2 at the NCAA tournament, including an almost-gotcha match with No. 8 seed Josh Ihnen of Nebraska that ended 7-5.

"Stephen is one of the toughest kids I have ever coached," says Garland of his starting 174-pounder. "He has always been a tireless worker, but frankly, he came in to college with a long way to go in terms of pure wrestling skills. The scary thing about him now is that he is still the same tough-as-nails kid, but now he has the tools to wrestle really well. It is a scary combination."

Garland might be right. Last season's late success seems to be converting to wins this season. Doty had an impressive opening weekend, going 3-0 in non-ACC action, including two falls.

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