The last time Zac Taylor competed at the NCAA Tournament, he was known as the best 167-pounder in the nation. In 1995, he posted a perfect 15-0 dual meet record as a sophomore. His relentless, no-nonsense attitude earned him a No. 1 seed, and he appeared to be unstoppable.
After a year off, and a frustrating regular season, Taylor returns to the NCAA’s this week in hopes of regaining his title as the best in the nation, and reliving his glory days at No. 1.
“I have good and bad feelings about this season,” Taylor said. “But none of that matters now. The only thing that matters is this tournament.”
Taylor, a junior, left the Gophers team last year to fulfill Olympic commitments. After placing eighth at the Olympic Trials, Taylor returned this year to compete in his final two seasons with Minnesota.
Taylor dropped in the national rankings from No. 4 early in the season, to his current position at No. 6. Robinson feels that perhaps Taylor, with his competitive mentality, has over-immersed himself in the pressure to succeed.
“He’s right there,” Gophers coach J Robinson said. “What he needs to do before this tournament is relax and take it easy. Sometimes people just put too much pressure on themselves.”
Taylor finished fourth at Big Tens after suffering two upsetting losses to Iowa’s Mike Uker.
“Zac had a couple close matches at Big Tens,” Robinson said. “I think confidence wise it bothered him, he suffered a few mental lapses, but now he’s doing fine.”
Even though his performance at Big Tens was less than convincing, Taylor knows he’s capable of holding his own against the toughest 167- pounders at the NCAA tournament.
“I have the potential to win a national title,” Taylor said.
Taylor has already met four of the top five wrestlers in his weight class this season. He was defeated by Oklahoma State’s Mark Branch (No. 1) and Wisconsin’s Kevin Wilmot (No. 2), but he beat Penn State’s Glenn Pritzlaff (No. 3) and Michigan’s Jeff Catrabone (No. 4).
His brewing potential needs to release itself at nationals, in order for Taylor to stay alive among NCAA title contenders. This week’s national tournament offers Taylor a chance to create a satisfying outcome to an otherwise frustrating season.
“Zac’s got to let the bad things go. They don’t matter anymore,” Robinson said. “He’s got to go into the tournament believing he’s the best.”