The No. 7 Ohio State wrestling team begins its 2001-02 season at two different open tournaments. Most wrestlers will travel to East Lansing, Mich., for the Michigan State Open tomorrow and Sunday, while a select few will travel to St. Louis for the Missouri Open on Sunday.

Coach Russ Hellickson, whose Buckeyes finished in 16th place at the NCAA championship tournament in March, hopes the team will be more successful than last year.

“Finishing 16th would be pretty disappointing this year,” Hellickson said. “We are a team that should be in the Top 5 by the end of the season.”

The team has to continue training hard and staying focused on their high goals. Hellickson said they have been the most committed team he has ever coach.

“They have been running on Friday and Saturday nights at 11 p.m. for a number of weeks,” he said. “They want to do something extra to feel they deserve to win when they walk onto the wrestling mat.”

Last year the Buckeyes qualified all 10 of their starting wrestlers for the NCAA championship tournament. The team is returning nine of last year’s 10 starters. Sophomore Jesse Leng (125), who started in the 1999-00 season but was redshirted last year, will be the tenth starter this year.

Hellickson said qualifying all 10 wrestlers is a minimal goal for everyone on the team, but injuries and other setbacks can prevent that from happening.

“There were only three teams in the nation to qualify all 10 starters last year,” Hellickson said. “It’s a hard thing to guarantee, but I think we are good enough to repeat that feat.”

OSU won a program-record 15 consecutive duals, finishing the 2000-01 season 15-3. The teams only losses were to Michigan, Iowa and Illinois all on the road. The Buckeyes do not wrestle Illinois this season, but they do wrestle Michigan and Iowa at home.

Hellickson said he does not design the team’s schedule to avoid losses, but rather to help prepare his wrestlers for the NCAA tournament.

“I set up my schedule so that my wrestlers have an opportunity to compete against the best people in the country,” Hellickson said.

Buckeye Tommy Rowlands, the national runner-up last year in the heavyweight division as a freshman, is ranked No. 2 in the preseason polls. His focus is on winning the national tournament, not on any particular opponent, he said.

“I don’t think I am going to be happy with anything less than first place,” Rowlands said.

He said the Buckeyes can compete with any team in the country by working hard and sticking with their goals.

“The sky is the limit for our team,” Rowlands said. “If everyone lives up to their potential, great things are going to happen at the end of the year.”

Rowlands said he is looking forward to the National Duals on Jan. 19-20 at St. John Arena. The event will bring together 16 of the nation’s top wrestling teams.

“This is a stepping stone during the season,” Rowlands said. “What really matters is how we perform in March at the NCAA’s.”

Senior Josh Janson (157) is ranked No. 10 in the preseason polls. He finished last season one match short of becoming an All-American at the NCAA championship.

“I competed with the best wrestlers in the nation last year,” Janson said. “I got stronger in the offseason so that I can be an All-American this year.”

The Buckeyes can be more successful than last year if they are confident, Janson said.

“We have what it takes skill wise and strength wise,” he said.

Junior Keaton Anderson (149), who is ranked No. 7 in the preseason polls and had a record of 15-1 in dual matches in 2000-01, said he and his team are in good shape and determined to do better than last year.

“I am coming in ready to dominate,” Anderson said. “I feel strong and am ready to jump up in the rankings quickly.”

Anderson did not place in last year’s NCAA tournament, that has been his motivation during the off-season he said.

“This whole summer killed me,” Anderson said. “I had trouble falling asleep because it was bothering me so much.”