CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Josh Decatur hesitated as he digested the question to make sure his response would not take any focus away from the team.
After some prodding, Decatur reluctantly gave an honest answer when it came to how special the season has been for the Baldwin Wallace wrestling team and for himself.
"This season was really special, especially since I was out last season," said Decatur, a senior who wrestles at 141 pounds. "I had some ups and downs and I didn't win as much as I expected, but I was able to put together some wins to punch my ticket to the national tournament."
Decatur and three of his teammates qualified for this week's NCAA Division III National Tournament in La Crosse, Wisconsin. His teammates include sophomore Anthony Arroyo (165 pounds), junior Chris Doyle (125 pounds) and junior Gabe Mahoney (heavyweight).
The foursome are among 180 participants who will compete in the championships. Wrestlers qualified after they placed in the top three in their respective weight classes at one of the six NCAA regional tournaments last week. The Yellow Jackets, ranked No. 9 in the country, finished second in the Mideast Regional. Ready or not, the nationals are upon them.
"We're ready because we trust in our training process," Decatur said. "We work hard during the offseason and during the season preparing for moments like this. We're made for moments like this because we put our best effort forward in every meet."
This is Decatur's second trip to the national tournament. He advanced with a 5-0 record in the regional. He won all five matches by decision. Decatur has risen to a place coach Jamie Gibbs knew he could attain.
"He's had some academic issues but he remained committed to our program," said Gibbs, named Ohio Athletic Conference Coach of the Year. "It paid off for him ... he led our team in losses this year. Josh was one match away from becoming an All-American two years ago, so the talent was always there. It was just a matter of getting some consistency out of him."
As a team, the Yellow Jackets have been consistent for most of the season, which has led to their national ranking. This is the second straight season that the Yellow Jackets won the conference and the team set a new standard when it placed at the national duals for the first time in school history.
"It's been a good season," Gibbs said.
NCAA Division III Wrestling Championship
What: A total of 180 wrestlers will compete in the championships.
When: March 10 and 11
Where: La Crosse Center, La Crosse, Wisc.
Baldwin Wallace participants:
Name: Anthony Arroyo
Class: Sophomore
Weight class: 165 pounds
National qualifier: Arroyo qualified for the NCAA National Tournament when he placed third at the Mideast Regional to earn All-Mideast Region honors.
Honors: Named conference wrestler of the week on Dec. 19, 2016 and made first team OAC.
Record: 29-4, 15 pins, two technical falls.
Gibbs on Arroyo: "When he wrestles with all of his offense he's going to be tough to beat ... He's a dangerous dude. He's a complete wrestler."
Name: Josh Decatur
Class: Senior
Weight class: 141 pounds
National qualifier: Decatur qualified for the NCAA National Tournament when he won in his weight class at the Mideast Regional Tournament and earned All-Mideast Region honors.
Record: 21-13 and 2 pins.
Gibbs on Decatur: "He's one of our most talented guys. He's battled through some injuries this year."
Name: Chris Doyle
Class: Junior
Weight class: 125 pounds
National qualifier: Doyle qualified for the NCAA National Tournament when he placed third at the Mideast Regional Tournament to earn All-Mideast Region honors.
Record: 26-12, eight pins, two technical falls.
Gibbs on Doyle: "He had a rough patch during the year, stayed true to who he is and he's scoring points and not giving up points. He's not making careless mistakes out there."
Name:
Gabe Mahaney
Class:
Junior
Weight class:
Heavyweight
National qualifier:
Mahaney qualified for the NCAA National Tournament when he placed third at the Mideast Regional Tournament and earned All-Mideast Region honors.
Record:
27-6, seven pins, 1 technical fall.
Gibbs on Mahaney:
"Gabe has battled with injuries throughout the year. Right now he's as healthy has he's been all year. "