Indiana University Athletics
Relive the Title: Joe Dubuque
3/24/2006 12:00:00 AM | Wrestling
March 24, 2006
Senior 125-pounder Joe Dubuque sat down with IUHOOSIERS.com and relived the final day of the 2006 NCAA Championships, from waking up that morning to how it felt to experience his career at Indiana. Dubuque is IU's only back-to-back national champion and the second Hoosier grappler to earn two titles in his career.
How did you feel the day of the championship bout?
JD: "I woke up that morning relaxed. One thing that was different for me this year was that I had already been in this position. I have already been to the final bout and won. I was just enjoying it now. Last year, the pressure was on to try and prove everyone wrong. I had my critics who thought that I couldn't do it. There were even those people who didn't know who I was until the championships last year. With all that behind me, I felt like this year I was relaxed and thought if I won a championship great, if not, I had fun getting here."
What did you do to prepare for the match?
JD: "Nothing different from what I always do. I got up that morning and got ready for weigh-ins. I watched my teammate Brandon Becker win seventh. After that, I took a nap and ate my normal baby food and Pedialyte pre-match meal and was ready to go. The rest is history. I got on the mat and stuck to my game plan. Troy Nickerson is a young kid and a true freshman, and I knew he was going to be a little nervous and a little tense. I think that was the big difference in the match. This is his first year, I am a fifth-year senior and have been there before. There is a lot of wrestling between those years. I definitely wanted to go out on my terms. I was going to get in there and give it all I had. I did and came out a national champion."
How did you bounce back from a third-pace finish at Big Tens?
JD: "I took a big blow in the Big Ten. I really wanted the Big Ten championship. I sat down and talked with my coaches and regrouped. Are people going to remember a Big Ten champion or a national champion? I really took that to heart and rededicated myself for the training for nationals. I worked hard and came in and gave it my best shot."
Did you know anything about Troy Nickerson (Cornell) before the match?
JD: "I knew that he was a 125-pounder and that he was good. He defeated the 2006 Big Ten champion Nick Simmons (Michigan State) in the semifinals. The guy was obviously good. That did not matter to me. It did not matter who I faced in the final, I was going to go in and give it my best shot."
What do you think about Troy Nickerson after wrestling him?
JD: "He is going to be great. I expect him to be in four national championship bouts in his career. I told him that after the match. Today was just my day. The guy has three more years to be in that position."
How does it feel to be Indiana's only back-to-back national champion?
JD: "Winning the first one was definitely harder because I hadn't been there before. I always shine in the spotlight anyway, but there were a lot more nerves. With this one, it was just wrestling my last match. So I just had fun out there. I am glad that I chose IU. I would not have wanted to experience all this and have wrestled my career with any other coaches or at any other school. It's the best environment I've ever been in."
