By Joe Vanden Acker
Lawrence Today magazine, Summer 2002
Athletes call it The Zone.
Players like Michael Jordan and Tiger Woods visit it. It is a place where an athlete stands at the top of his or her game.
Andy Kazik, '02, visited just such a place during wrestling season. He entered The Zone as a senior wrestler ranked No. 1 in the country back in November. He never left it, running roughshod over top competition for nearly five months, posting a perfect 40-0 record, and winning Lawrence University's first national champion-ship in wrestling.
"Winning a national title has been my goal since I came to college," says Kazik, a De Pere native who finished with a career record of 129-18. "I knew from the beginning of this season that if I wanted it enough and if I wrestled hard, there was no one who could beat me."
Not only could no one beat Kazik, they had difficulty just taking him down. In 40 matches, he gave up just two takedowns. Lawrence head coach Dave Novickis says Kazik's season just gets better the more he thinks about it.
"Not only was he a national champ, but to go 40-0 was impressive by itself," Novickis says. "I've never seen a wrestler who was so in control, from the start of the season to the end of it."
When Novickis tells others about the amazing two-takedown statistic, jaws drop.
"People ask me, 'Two at the national tournament?' And I say, 'No, two period,'" Novickis says.
Trying to put Kazik's achievement into a sports context to which non-wrestling fans can relate, the coach says: "Think of Joe DiMaggio's 56-game hitting streak or Ted Williams hitting .400."
Kazik entered the NCAA Division III Championships as the top seed at 184 pounds. He was untouchable in his first two matches, routing Wes Koteski of Washington and Jefferson 4-4 in the first round and downing Ben Dusina of Ohio Northern 7-1 in the quarterfinals.
Those two matches sent Kazik's confidence soaring. He had barely scraped by the previous week in the regional tournament, the qualifying event for the NCAA meet, scoring a takedown in the final ten seconds to reverse a 3-2 deficit and beat Ryan Jones of Pacific University 4-3 in the championship match.
"That was the only time I've felt I might lose a match," Kazik says. "In four years at college, I've never wrestled well at regionals."
The toughest match for the former West De Pere High School star came in the NCAA tournament semifinals. He scored the only takedown of the match, which lifted him to a 3-1 win over Loras' Paul Cleary, advancing Kazik to face Augsburg's Ricky Crone in the title match. After a scoreless first period, Kazik scored a reversal with about a minute left in the second period to go up 2-0. He let Crone go, showing the confidence he has on his feet.
"That's where I pride myself -- on my feet," Kazik says. He took Crone down with about 35 seconds remaining in the second period for a 4-1 lead. The match was never in doubt after that, and Kazik went on to a 4-2 win.
What followed was a flood of congratulations, hugs, slaps on the back, and handshakes from family, friends, teammates, and fans who had made the tournament trek to Wilkes Barre, Pennsylvania.
It still hasn't hit him: national champion, perfect season, two-time All-American.
"I don't know if it's even sunk in yet," Kazik says. "I've been so busy with school. I got back and must have been in the library every single night from 7:00 to midnight trying to get ready for finals."
Kazik graduates in June with a degree in environmental science and plans to be a teacher and coach, with his sights set ultimately on being a school administrator.
His contributions to the Lawrence wrestling program not quite over, Kazik plans to work as an assistant coach next season, helping to mold Lawrence's next national champion.