At 125 pounds, dripping wet, Tommy Hoang does not look the part of a varsity athlete wearing anything other than his uniform. But inside the ring, the smallest member of the Duke wrestling team is probably its most dangerous competitor.
Hoang enters his redshirt junior campaign following a season in which he finished second in the ACC and pulled a significant upset in the NCAA tournament by defeating fourth-ranked Jason Powell of Nebraska.
"[The NCAAs] gave me a lot of confidence," Hoang said. "I knew I had the ability to beat those kids. The scary part is not knowing what the top guys have. You know you're good, but you don't know how good they are. I told myself I was going to give everything I had, and it worked out."
Hoang's performance is particularly impressive because he regularly competes against opponents who drop from as heavy as 150 pounds down to his weight class.
"I'm still too small for my weight class," he said. "But there is nothing I can do about that. I can lift weights, but I'm still genetically smaller. I'm right around 125. I don't have to cut weight. So, I've got to improve everything else. I've got to be quicker, I've got to wrestle smarter and I've got to have more determination."
This season has opened well for Hoang, as he has amassed a 10-4 record. At the Wendy's Invitational last weekend, he won two decisions, but was pinned by Chris Fleeger from Purdue.
"It shouldn't have been a pin," Hoang said. "It's really ironic, the only kid I really wanted to wrestle at the meet--and I got stuck in a move early in the match. But everything I do is building towards ACCs and nationals. I know that I didn't go into that match with the right toughness. Wrestling is a tough sport, you have to go in ready to bang heads."
If he is to improve on last year's second-place finish in the conference, Hoang will have to fight his way through some stiff competition.
"Every year it seems like I get the toughest weight class," he said. "I've got George Cintron from N.C. State, who beat me in the ACC Tournament last year and Chris Rodriguez from North Carolina, who is new, but will be very tough."
Hoang felt that his biggest advantage this season is the increased intensity and talent of the entire Duke team.
"Every year this team is getting tougher," he said. "Before, you would hear somebody scream, and everyone would stop. Now, everybody is going crazy in practice. We know we have to show something if we want to get support from fans and from the University. We're the ground breakers. We have to show that we can compete and that we deserve scholarships."
With better preparation, and the experience of last year under his belt, Hoang has a legitimate chance to be an NCAA All-American by finishing in the top eight at nationals.
"I'm realistic," he said. "Stephen Abas, [the two-time national champion and world-team member from Fresno State]--I don't think anyone in the nation can beat him. But at the same time, anyone can be beaten. But he is seemingly invincible. But if I see him, I'll do my best. Past him, I don't want to sound cocky, but I know I can beat anyone. Nationals reassured me of that. I feel bad for the guys I'm going to wrestle later on [this season]. I'm going to kill them."
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