Tuesday, September 26, 2017

PRESEASON NCAA PREDICTIONS

125
1. Nathan Tomasello senior Ohio State
2. Zeke Moisey junior West Virginia
3. Darian Cruz senior Lehigh
4. Nick Suriano sophomore Rutgers
5. Ethan Lizak junior Minnesota
6. Nick Piccininni sophomore Oklahoma State
7. Jack Mueller sophomore Virginia
8. Sean Russell sophomore Edinboro
R12 Ryan Millhof junior Arizona State
R12 Ronnie Bresser junior Oregon State
R12 Barlow McGhee senior Missouri
R12 Josh Terao junior American

133
1. Kaid Brock sophomore Oklahoma State
2. Seth Gross junior South Dakota State
3. Stevan Micic sophomore Michigan
4. Emilio Saavedra junior Fresno State
5. Conor Schram senior Stanford
6. Dom Forys senior Pittsburgh
7. Mitch McKee sophomore Minnesota
8. Luke Welch senior Purdue
R12 John Erneste sophomore Missouri
R12 Scott Parker senior Lehigh
R12 Corey Keener senior Penn State
R12 Brian Lantry junior Buffalo

141
1. Dean Heil senior Oklahoma State
2. Anthony Ashnault senior Rutgers
3. Kevin Jack senior North Carolina State
4. Bryce Meredith senior Wyoming
5. George Fisher senior Michigan
6. Jared Prince sophomore Navy
7. Tommy Thorn junior Minnesota
8. Russell Rohlfing sophomore Bakersfield
R12 Ronny Perry senior Lock Haven
R12 Jaydin Eierman sophomore Missouri
R12 Ke-Shawn Hayes junior Ohio State
R12 Mike Pongracz senior Chattanooga

149
1. Zain Retherford senior Penn State
2. Solomon Chishko junior Virginia Tech
3. Brandon Sorensen senior Iowa
4. Steve Bleise junior Minnesota
5. Mike Kolodzik sophomore Princeton
6. Josh Shields sophomore Arizona State
7. Justin Oliver junior Central Michigan
8. Josh Reyes junior Fresno State
R12 Max Thomsen junior Northern Iowa
R12 Geo Martinez senior Oklahoma State
R12 Joey Galasso senior Cornell
R12 Matt Zovistoski junior Appalachian State

157
1. Jason Tsirtsis senior Arizona State
2. Jason Nolf junior Penn State
3. B.J. Clagon senior Rider
4. Joey LaVallee senior Missouri
5. Mike Kemerer sophomore Iowa
6. Tyler Berger junior Nebraska
7. Joey Smith junior Oklahoma State
8. Markus Schiedel senior Columbia
R12 Paul Fox senior Stanford
R12 Alec Pantaleo junior Michigan
R12 Kyle Langenderfer senior Illinois
R12 Micah Jordan junior Ohio State

165
1. Isaiah Martinez senior Illinois
2. Logan Massa sophomore Michigan
3. Vincenzo Joseph sophomore Penn State
4. Anthony Valencia sophomore Arizona State
5. Daniel McFadden sophomore Virginia Tech
6. Chad Walsh senior Rider
7. Chandler Rogers sophomore Oklahoma State
8. Chance Marstellar senior Lock Haven
R12 Alex Marinelli freshman Iowa
R12 Lorenzo De La Cruz sophomore Bakersfield
R12 Keaton Subjeck senior Stanford
R12 Mitch Finesilver Duke

174
1. Zahid Valencia sophomore Arizona State
2. Bo Jordan senior Ohio State
3. Mark Hall sophomore Penn State
4. Myles Amine sophomore Michigan
5. Ethan Ramos senior North Carolina
6. Daniel Lewis junior Missouri
7. Taylor Lujan junior Northern Iowa
8. Brandon Womack junior Cornell
R12 Ryan Preisch sophomore Lehigh
R12 Jonathan Schleifer senior Princeton
R12 David Kocer senior South Dakota State
R12 Jacobe Smith junior Oklahoma State

184
1. Domenic Abounader senior Michigan
2. Bo Nickal junior Penn State
3. Myles Martin junior Ohio State
4. Zach Zavatsky junior Virginia Tech
5. Patrick Downey senior Iowa
6. Drew Foster junior Northern Iowa
7. Steve Schneider senior Binghamton
8. Nick Gravina senior Rutgers
R12 Emery Parker junior Illinois
R12 Jordan Ellingwood senior Central Michigan
R12 Forrest Przbysz senior Appalachian State
R12 Andrew Marsden freshman Oklahoma State

197
1. Peter Renda senior North Carolina State
2. Jake Smith senior West Virginia
3. Willie Miklus senior Missouri
4. Kevin Beazley senior Michigan
5. Matt McCutcheon senior Penn State
6. Frank Mattiace senior Pennsylvania
7. Preston Weigel junior Oklahoma State
8. Jared Haught senior Virginia Tech
R12 Kollin Moore sophomore Ohio State
R12 Matt Williams senior Bakersfield
R12 Ricky Robertson junior Wisconsin
R12 Cash Wilcke sophomore Iowa

HWT
1. Kyle Snyder senior Ohio State
2. Adam Coon senior Michigan
3. Jacob Kasper senior Duke
4. Brooks Black senior Illinois
5. Nathan Butler senior Stanford
6. Tanner Hall junior Arizona State
7. Nick Nevills junior Penn State
8. Amaveer Dhesi junior Oregon State
R12 Billy Miller junior Edinboro
R12 Sam Stoll junior Iowa
R12 Garrett Ryan junior Columbia
R12 Gage Hutchinson senior Eastern Michigan

TEAMS

1. Michigan
2. Penn State
3. Ohio State
4. Arizona State
5. Oklahoma State
6. Virginia Tech
7. Missouri
8. Iowa
9. Illinois
10. North Carolina State
11. Minnesota
12. Rutgers
13. Stanford
14. Rider
15. South Dakota State

Monday, September 25, 2017

Preseason EWL Predictions

125

1. Sean Russell junior Edinboro
2. Jake Gromacki junior Clarion

133

1. Korbin Myers sophomore Edinboro

141

1. Ronnie Perry senior Lock Haven
2. Brock Zacherl junior Clarion
3. Tyson Dippery senior Rider

149

1. Kyle Shoop sophomore Edinboro

157

1. B.J. Clagon senior Rider

165

1. Chad Walsh senior Rider
2. Chance Marstellar senior Lock Haven

174

1. Ty Schoffstall senior Edinboro

184

1. Dakota Greer sophomore Edinboro

197

1. Tristan Sponseller junior Lock Haven

HWT

1. Billy Miller junior Edinboro
2. Thomas Haines junior Lock Haven


TEAM
1. Edinboro
2. Lock Haven
3. Rider
4. Clarion
5. George Mason
6. Cleveland State
7. Bloomsburg

PRESEASON SOCON PREDICTIONS

125

1. Alonzo Allen sophomore Chattanooga

133

1. Nathan Boston junior Campbell
2. Chris Debien sophomore Chattanooga

141

1. Michael Pongracz senior Chattanooga

149

1. Chris Vassar sophomore Gardner Webb
2. Matt Zovistoski junior Appalachian State

157

1. Neal Richards junior VMI

165

1. Tyler Marinelli junior Gardner Webb

174

1. Justin Lampe senior Chattanooga

184

1. Forest Przbysz senior Appalachian State
2. Bryce Carr Senior Chattanooga

197

1. Scottie Boykin senior Chattanooga

HWT

1. Jake McKiernan junior SIU-Edwardsville
2. Jere Heino junior Campbell



TEAM

1. Chattanooga
2. Gardner Webb
3. Appalachian State
4. Campbell
5. SIU-Edwardsville
6. VMI
7. The Citadel
8. Davidson

PRESEASON PAC 12 PREDICTIONS

125

1. Ronnie Bresser junior Oregon State
2. Ryan Millhof junior Oklahoma
3. Gabriel Townsell sophomore Stanford

133

1. Conor Schram senior Stanford
2. Ali Naser junior Arizona State
3. Keagan Calkins junior Oregon State

141

1. Russell Rohlfing sophomore Bakersfield
2. Jack Hathaway senior Oregon State
3. Christian Pagdilao senior Arizona State
4. Colton Schilling senior Cal Poly

149

1. Josh Shields sophomore Arizona State
2. Cole Hammond  senior Bakersfield

157

1. Jason Tsirtsis senior Arizona State
2. Paul Fox junior Stanford
3. A.J. Fierro senior Bakersfield

165

1. Anthony Valencia sophomore Arizona State
2. Lorenzo De La Riva sophomore Bakersfield
3. Keaton Subjeck senior Stanford

174

1. Zahid Valencia sophomore Arizona State

184

1. Lane Thomas sophomore Cal Poly

197

1. Matt Williams senior Bakersfield
2. Corey Griego junior Oregon State

HWT

1. Nathan Butler senior Stanford
2. Tanner Hall junior Arizona State
3. Amaveer Dhesi junior Oregon State


TEAM

1. Arizona State
2. Bakersfield
3. Stanford
4. Oregon State
5. Cal Poly


Preseason MAC Predictions

125

1. Barlow McGhee senior Missouri
2. Brock Hudkins sophomore Northern Illinois
3. Shakur Laney junior Ohio
4. Kyle Akins junior Buffalo
5. Noah Gonsor sophomore Eastern Michigan


133

1. John Erneste junior Missouri
2. Brian Lantry  junior Buffalo
3. Anthony Tutolo junior Kent State
4. Cam Kelly junior Ohio

141

1. Jaydin Eierman sophomore Missouri

149

1. Justin Oliver junior Central Michigan

157

1. Joey LaVallee senior Missouri
2. Colin Heffernan senior Central Michigan
3. Casey Sparkman senior Kent State

165

1. Seldon Wright junior Old Dominion
2. Dakota Jaurez junior Eastern Michigan

174

1. Daniel Lewis junior Missouri
2. C.J. Brucki junior Central Michigan

184

1. Jordan Ellingwood senior Central Michigan
2. Dylan Wisman sophomore Missouri

197

1. Willie Miklus junior Missouri
2. Kyle Conel junior Kent State

HWT

1. Gage Hutchinson senior Eastern Michigan

TEAMS

1. Missouri
2. Central Michigan
3. Eastern Michigan
4. Kent State
5. Buffalo
6. Old Dominion
7. Ohio
8. Northern Illinois

Preseason EIWA Predictions

125

1. Darian Cruz senior Lehigh
2. Josh Terao junior American
3. Zach Fuentes senior Drexel
4. Noah Baughman sophomore Cornell
5. Ty Agaisse sophomore Princeton

133

1. Scott Parker senior Lehigh
2. Pat D'Arcy junior Princeton

141

1. Jared Prince sophomore Navy
2. Tyler Smith senior Bucknell
3. Cortland Schuyler junior Lehigh
4. Will Koll junior Cornell

149

1. Matt Kolodzik sophomore Princeton
2. Joey Galasso senior Cornell
3. Conner Prince sophomore Navy

157

1. Markus Scheidel senior Columbia
2. Justin Staudenmayer senior Brown
3. Fredy Stroker sophomore Cornell
4. May Bethea senior Pennsylvania
5. Garrett Hammond senior Drexel

165

1. Jordan Kutler sophomore Lehigh
2. Tyrell White senior Columbia

174

1. Brandon Womack junior Cornell
2. Ryan Preisch junior Lehigh
3. Jonathan Schleifer senior Princeton
4. Jadaen Bernstein senior Navy
5. Andrew LaBrie senior Brown
6. Ben Harvey sophomore Army

184

1. Steve Schneider senior Binghamton

197

1. Frank Mattiace senior Pennsylvania
2. Tom Sleigh junior Bucknell
3. Rocco Caywood junior Army
4. Jeric Kasnuic senior American
5. Ben Honis junior Cornell

HWT

1. Garrett Ryan senior Columbia
2. Mike Hughes senior Hofstra
3. Joey Goodhart junior Drexel
4. Jordan Wood freshman Lehigh


TEAM

1. Lehigh
2. Cornell
3. Princeton
4. Columbia
5. Navy
6. Drexel
7. Pennsylvania
8. Bucknell
9. Brown
10. American
11. Army
12. Binghamton
13. Hofstra
14. Harvard
15. Franklin and Marshall
16. Sacred Heart

Preseason ACC Predictions

125

1. Jack Mueller sophomore Virginia
2. Dalton Macri junior North Carolina
3. Sean Fausz junior North Carolina State
4. Kyle Norstrem freshman Virginia Tech
5. L.J. Bentley junior Pittsburgh

133

1. Dom Forys senior Pittsburgh
2. Jamal Morris junior North Carolina State
3. Dennis Gustafson senior Virginia Tech

141

1. Kevin Jack senior North Carolina State
2. Nick Zanetta senior Pittsburgh
3. A.C. Headlee sophomore North Carolina

149 

1. Solomon Chishko junior Virginia Tech
2. Troy Heilman senior North Carolina State
3. Zach Finesilver junior Duke

157

1. Andrew Atkinson senior Virginia
2. Hayden Hidlay freshman North Carolina State

165

1. Daniel McFadden sophomore Virginia Tech
2. Mitch Finesilver junior Duke
3. Taleb Rahmani sophomore Pittsburgh
4. Brian Hamann senior North Carolina State

174

1. Ethan Ramos senior North Carolina

184

1. Zach Zavatsky junior Virginia Tech
2. Matt Macchiavello senior North Carolina State
3. Chip Ness senior North Carolina

197

1. Peter Renda Senior North Carolina State
2. Jared Haught senior Virginia Tech

HWT 

1. Jacob Kasper senior Duke
2. Ryan Solomon senior Pittsburgh
3. Michael Boykin senior North Carolina State


TEAM 

1. North Carolina State
2. Virginia Tech
3. Pittsburgh
4. North Carolina
5. Duke
6. Virginia

Preseason BIG 12 Predictions

125

1. Zeke Moisey junior West Virginia
2. Nick Piccininni sophomore Oklahoma State
3. Drew Templeman senior Wyoming
4. Christian Moody sophomore Oklahoma

133

1. Kaid Brock sophomore Oklahoma State
2. Seth Gross junior South Dakota State
3. Emilio Saavedra junior Fresno State
4. Markus Simmons sophomore Iowa State

141

1. Dean Heil senior Oklahoma State
2. Bryce Meredith senior Wyoming
3. Josh Alber junior Northern Iowa
4. Mike Longo senior Oklahoma
5. Kanen Storr freshman Iowa State
6. Mitch Bengston senior North Dakota State

149

1. Max Thomsen junior Northern Iowa
2. Josh Reyes junior Fresno State
3. Geo Martinez senior Oklahoma State
4. Davion Jeffries junior Oklahoma

157

1. Joe Smith junior Oklahoma State
2. Colston DiBlasi sophomore Iowa State
3. Clayton Ream senior South Dakota State
4. Archie Colgan senior Wyoming
5. DeWaylon Barnes senior Oklahoma
6. Sam Kreimier senior Air Force
7. Raider Lofthouse senior Utah Valley

165

1. Chandler Rogers junior Oklahoma State
2. Bryce Steiert junior Northern Iowa
3. Keilan Torres senior Northern Colorado
4. Yoanse Mejias senior Oklahoma
5. Branson Ashworth junior Wyoming
6. Andrew Fogarty sophomore North Dakota State
8. Alex Lopouchanski senior Air Force
9. Skyler St John junior Iowa State

174
1. Taylor Lujan junior Northern Iowa
2. Jacobe Smith junior Oklahoma State
3. David Kocer senior South Dakota State
4. Dane Pestano senior Iowa State

184
1. Drew Foster junior Northern Iowa
2. Austin Marsden junior Oklahoma State
3. Dylan Gabel junior Northern Colorado

197
1. Jake Smith Senior West Virginia
2. Preston Weigel junior Oklahoma State
3. Nate Rotert senior South Dakota State
4. Tanner Orndorff sophomore Utah Valley

HWT
1. Carter Isley freshman Northern Iowa
2. Marcus Harrington sophomore Iowa State


TEAM

1. Oklahoma State
2. Northern Iowa
3. Iowa State
4. South Dakota State
5. Oklahoma
6. Wyoming
7. West Virginia
8. Northern Colorado
9. Utah Valley
10. North Dakota State
11. Air Force


Sunday, September 24, 2017

Preseason BIG 10 Predictions

125

1.  Nathan Tomasello senior Ohio State
2. Nick Suriano sophomore Rutgers
3. Ethan Lizak junior Minnesota
4. Elijah Oliver junior Indiana
5. Travis Piotrowski sophomore Illinois
6. Ben Thornton senior Purdue
7. Johnny Jimenez senior Wisconsin
8. Sebastian Rivera freshman Northwestern
9. Austin Assad sophomore Michigan
10. Kris Williams sophomore Nebraska

133

1. Stevan Micic sophomore Michigan
2. Mitch Mckee sophomore Minnesota
3. Luke Welch senior Purdue
4. Corey Keener senior Penn State
5. Scott DelVecchio senior Rutgers
6. Luke Pletcher sophomore Ohio State
7.  Philip Laux senior Iowa
8. Eli Stickley sophomore Wisconsin
9. Austin Eicher junior Michigan State

141 

1. Anthony Ashnault senior Rutgers
2. George Fisher senior Michigan
3. Tommy Thorn junior Minnesota
4. Ke-Shawn Hayes sophomore Ohio State
5. Jered Cortez junior Penn State
6. Javier Gasca senior Michigan State
7. Chad Red freshman Nebraska
8. Cole Martin junior Wisconsin
9. Carter Happel freshman Iowa

149

1. Zain Retherford senior Penn State
2. Brandon Sorensen senior Iowa
3. Steve Bleise junior Minnesota
4. Baby J Bannister junior Maryland
5. Zac Hall junior Michigan
6. Andrew Crone senior Wisconsin
7. Colton McCrystal senior Nebraska
8. Eleazar DeLuca senior Rutgers
9. Ryan Deakin freshman Northwestern

157

1. Jason Nolf junior Penn State
2. Tyler Berger junior Nebraska
3. Michael Kemerer sophomore Iowa
4. Alec Pantaleo junior Michigan
5. Micah Jordan junior Ohio State
6. Kyle Langenderfer senior Illinois
7. Jake Short senior Minnesota
8. Richie Lewis senior Rutgers
9. Jake Danishek junior Indiana

165

1. Isaiah Martinez senior Illinois
2. Logan Massa sophomore Michigan
3. Vincenzo Joseph sophomore Penn State
4. Alex Marinelli freshman Iowa
5. Te'Shan Campbell junior Ohio State
6. Jack Van Brill junior Rutgers
7. Nick Wanzek senior Minnesota
8. Johnny Sebastian sophomore Northwestern

174

1. Bo Jordan senior Ohio State
2. Mark Hall sophomore Penn State
3. Myles Amine sophomore Michigan
4. Jacob Morrissey senior Purdue
5. Devin Skatzka sophomore Indiana
6. Ryan Christensen junior Wisconsin
7. Drew Hughes sophomore Michigan State
8. Kaleb Young freshman Iowa

184

1. Domenic Abounader senior Michigan
2. Bo Nickal junior Penn State
3. Myles Martin junior Ohio State
4. Patrick Downey senior Iowa
5. Nick Gravina senior Rutgers
6. Emery Parker junior Illinois
7. Hunter Ritter sophomore Wisconsin
8. Mitch Sliga senior Northwestern

197

1. Kevin Beazley senior Michigan
2. Matt McCutcheon senior Penn State
3. Kollin Moore sophomore Ohio State
4. Ricky Robertson sophomore Wisconsin
5. Cash Wilcke sophomore Iowa

HWT 

1. Kyle Snyder senior Ohio State
2. Adam Coon senior Michigan
3. Brooks Black senior Illinois
4. Nick Nevills junior Penn State
5. Sam Stoll junior Iowa
6. Youssif Hemida junior Maryland
7. Conan Jennings junior Northwestern


1. Michigan
2. Penn State
3. Ohio State
4. Iowa
5. Minnesota
6. Rutgers
7. Illinois
8. Wisconsin
9. Purdue
10. Nebraska
11. Indiana
12. Mayland
13. Northwestern
14. Michigan State

Sunday, September 17, 2017

Conference Championships Won by Schools That No Longer Have Wrestling Programs

SEC





PAC-12




BIG 12






EIWA







MAC





SOCON






Rocky Mountain 





BIG SKY


MASON DIXON 




*NOTE - I realize that this list is missing some information. For example Team Champions from The East Regional.  I know Duquense, Liberty and Slippery Rock all won championships. However I was unable to find a history of the conference as a whole.  I also know that SIU-Carbondale won a series of titles in the conference they participated in as well. I was also unable to find more information about that. If you have information to be added to this blog, please contact me and let me know.  Thank you. 







We Are Not The Only Sport In The Fight:

Ask yourself this question: Are you a college sports fan? 

Obviously you are or you wouldn't be reading this blog.  Yet what does that term mean, "College sports fan?"  For most Americans it means that you watch and follow Football and Men's basketball. In this particular case, it most likely also means you are a wrestling fan. 

What other sports? 

You may have added a few sports to the list and if you did, may I commend you for that. If you didn't, don't feel bad. If you count up all of the sports that the NCAA offers to men, women and coed the number comes out to 37. The majority of Americans only follow two of them.  Only 5% of the available sports to spectate, and people consider themselves diehard and passionate "sports fans."  And before you call hypocrisy, I'll be the first to admit that I'm no better.  37 sports, and the only two I pay attention to are wrestling and baseball.  Trust me, I speak to myself as much as I speak to anyone. 

What is my point? Why am I bringing this up? 

We as a wrestling community strive. We strive for attention. We strive for recognition. We strive for survival. For over forty years we have fought those who have misused and perverted Title IX. We have fought greedy and selfish administrations, athletic directors and University/College presidents. We've struggled against budget cuts. We have continuously worked to grow our sport and popularize it. 

Truth is, we're not alone. There are so many other sports besides wrestling that are going through the same trials and tribulations that we are.  Why all of these sports choose to fight this battle alone makes no sense. 

Maybe you don't care about other sports.  Maybe what has happened and continues to happen to Men's gymnastics, Men's Swimming and Diving, Baseball, Men's Tennis and many other sports is of no concern to you.  

They should be. 

We want people to care about wrestling. We want people to be as upset as we are when a wrestling program is cut from a school's athletics program.  Yet how can we expect someone else to give a hoot about wrestlers and wrestling teams, if we don't give a hoot about them in return? 

This isn't a didactic speech, preaching that you should suddenly start attending the Gymnastics events at the  closest college near you or that you should suddenly bookmark the NCAA's official fencing website. 

What it means is that you should have enough of an understanding that other sports, their athletes, their coaches and their fans are going through the same things that we are. 

I imagine that some of you that are reading this probably know Penn State football fans who do not follow wrestling. Would it bother you if these fans didn't have the slightest clue of Penn State's wrestling success? I would hope that it would.  Yet, as a Penn State wrestling fan yourself, are you aware that the Nittany Lions won three Men's Gymnastics titles in the last 17 years? 

And speaking of Men's Gymnastics, did you know that eight of the teams that have won the NCAA Division I team title since the first championships were held in 1932, have since dropped their Men's Gymnastics team?   This includes Chicago, Temple, Florida State, USC, SIU-Carbondale, UCLA, Arizona State and three time champs Iowa State. 

Have you seen Mike Houston's post about how the numbers are down for high school wrestling participation?  In 1977 3,655 high schools in the United States had boy's gymnastics teams, with 84,943 participants. By 2001, 1,629 high schools and 21,620 participants. 

In 1982, there were 79 NCAA Men's Gymnastics teams.  By 2001, that number had dwindled to 21. 

We are not the only sport in the fight. 

Bruce Baumgartner, and we can certainly name more. Great World and Olympic wrestlers that achieved great success, that come from schools that no longer offer wrestling programs.  Steve McCain, gymnast at the 2000 Olympic Games, competed for UCLA during his college days, which no longer has a men's Gymnastics team. 

We are not the only sport in the fight. 

Mike Moyer and the NWCA work relentlessly to grow collegiate wrestling, looking for every opportunity they can get, as they recognize the issues of Title IX.  Talk to Ron Gailmore Senior Program Director at USA Gymnastics, you'll find out that they are doing the same with their sport. 

We are not the only sport in the fight. 

We all know someone that went to a school to wrestle and had to deal with the news of the wrestling program being cut. We all know a coach who poured his heart and soul into his team, only to be told that the program is getting cut. We know how disheartening and depressing that is. 

"It's a dagger through the heart" - Rutger's Team Captain Bobby Daplyn when asked how he felt about the Scarlet Knights decision to eliminate Men's Swimming and Diving.

We are not the only sport in the fight. 

Are you irritated with reading that line over and over again yet?  I hope not as irritated as you are with Boise State's decision to discontinue wrestling. 

Darton State, Radford, Daytona State and the University of North Dakota who all had Men's Swimming and Diving programs last year, will not be participating in the sport this year.  

We are not the only sport in the fight. 

Did it tick you off when administrators at Boston University said that one of the reasons that Terrier wrestling was cut was because the program could not sustain itself?  It ticked off Maryland when they were told that there Men's Swimming and Diving was cut in 2012 for the same reason. 

We are not the only sport in the fight. 

Iowa State dropped Men's Swimming and Diving, Men's Gymnastics and Baseball in 2001. According to 141 lbs wrestler Benji Winegarden, head Coach Bobby Douglas told the team to recognize that at many other schools making cuts, wrestling would have been on the chopping block. That it was important to recognize that someone else's dreams, hopes and opportunities had been stripped for them. To be empathetic and supportive of these individuals and what had been taken away from them.



Below is where we currently see ourselves. By ourselves, fighting the battles, going through the war alone. This is where the other sports that fit the same descriptions that we do seem themselves too. This isn't how it should be. 






Image result for NCAA Sports Symbols wrestling




This is how it should be.....








All of us non-revenue, most of us Olympic sports, coming together, working together to hold on to and build the programs we already have.  To help one another out in the face of danger, whatever that may be from budget cuts to foolish decisions to the perverters of Title IX.  To help one another get new programs at schools and to help one another grow and popularize the athletics that we love.

Because in case you didn't read it the first six times....

We are not the only sport in the fight.








Thursday, September 14, 2017

Solving The Mystery That Was SEC (Southeastern Conference) Wrestling.

Image result for SEC
Southeastern Conference 

The Southeastern Conference aka The SEC, arguably the most popular conference in collegiate sports today. Mainly due to the fact that the conference has won 29 NCAA Division I Football titles, and 9 of those titles have been in the last 16 years. Wrestling fans are well aware of the fact that the SEC does not sponsor wrestling as an official sport of their conference, and that the only team currently in the SEC that has a wrestling program is Missouri (Which competes in the MidAmerican Conference for wrestling).

Now what many fans are aware of is that the SEC at one time did have wrestling. Yet what that looked like and who all was a part of it, remains a mystery for many.  With this blog today, I hope to answer a lot of questions.

The first couple of questions are:

When did it start?
How long did it last?
How did it start and why?
How did it end and why?

SEC wrestling started in the 1969-1970 wrestling season. It was the brainchild of long time Auburn head wrestling coach Arnold Umbach (who coached the Tigers from 1943-1973) and a few others who wanted to grow wrestling in the south.  Many top wrestlers from the "wrestling" states were brought in including Tom Milkovich to take over Auburn, Larry Sciacchatano to take over Louisiana State, Gary Schneider to take over Florida and eventually Fletcher Carr who took over Kentucky.

It is also important to note that the SEC hasn't always looked as it does today.

Georgia Tech who at one time was a part of the SEC conference as a school, did have a wrestling program from 1949-1989, but never competed in the SEC for wrestling.

Texas A&M who joined the SEC as a school in 2012, also had a wrestling program in the mid 1950's.

The University of the South who at one time was also a part of the SEC, also had a wrestling program throughout its history, but they too never participated in the SEC for wrestling.

Vanderbilt had wrestling, but dropped sometime in the 50's.

 Arkansas, South Carolina, Tulane, Mississippi and Mississippi State, all SEC conference members never had a varsity wrestling program.

According to Umbach, when Mississippi and Mississippi State were approached with the idea of adding wrestling programs to their schools, both replied with a very quick and very stern, "No!"


SEC Wrestling lasted from 1970-1981

As to why SEC wrestling ended, that is most likely due to a couple of different factors.  In the opinion of the late Dale Ketelsen who coached at Louisiana State from 1968 until he was replaced by Sciacchantano in 1979, it had to do with an inability to recruit locally. He and athletic director Carl Maddot did not see eye to eye on how to build LSU wrestling. Ketelsen believed the key was to recruit local kids from Louisiana and surrounding states, whereas Maddot believed the answer was to recruit top talent from the "wrestling states" up north. Maddot won out and Sciacchantano was hired.

Umbach also voiced his sentiment with this reasoning by stating that high school wrestling in many of these SEC states was still in its infancy which made it difficult to recruit local kids and try and build a top team at the same time.

By 1981, the conference had dwindled down to five teams, and with the announcement of Auburn discontinuing their wrestling program, the conference officially dropped wrestling as a sport.  The remaining four teams, Kentucky, Louisiana State, Tennessee and Georgia held on for a few more years, joining other conferences before they too eventually dropped their programs.  Georgia dropped shortly after Auburn, with Kentucky holding on through the 1983 season, Louisiana State dropping after the 1985 season and finally the university of Tennessee being the last SEC school with a wrestling program to drop after the 1986 season.

Now comes the fun part.

How did SEC wrestling do in the NCAA?  How did they compete team wise?  How many NCAA qualifiers did they produce? How Many All Americans?

In the short 12 year existence of SEC conference wrestling, an SEC team placed in the top ten on three occasions.  Kentucky captured 10th place at both the 1977 and 1980 NCAA championships and the final year of SEC wrestling in 1981, Auburn placed 9th.

It should also be noted that Auburn is the only SEC Conference wrestling team to host the NCAA Division I tournament, when they hosted in 1971.


In the 12 year existence of SEC wrestling, the conference produced 163 NCAA Division I Qualifiers


SEC Wrestling Produced 23 All Americans.
Let's take a look at this by Year

1970 - 9 NCAA Qualifiers - No All Americans
Auburn - 2
Alabama - 1
Louisiana State - 5
Tennessee - 1

1971 - 7 NCAA Qualifiers - No All Americans

 
Auburn - 4
Alabama - 2
Louisiana State - 1

1972 - 10 NCAA Qualifiers - No All Americans
Auburn - 4
Alabama - 2
Louisiana State - 4

1973 - 10 NCAA Qualifiers - No All Americans
Auburn - 5
Alabama - 4
Florida - 1

1974 - 9 NCAA Qualifiers - No All Americans

 
Auburn - 4
Alabama - 2
Florida - 1
Tennessee - 2

NOTE: Kentucky joins the SEC in 1975, which is also their first year of varsity wrestling.

1975 - 9 NCAA Qualifiers - Two All Americans
Alabama - 1
Florida - 2
Louisiana State - 2
Tennessee - 3
Kentucky - 4 (2 of which were All Americans)



1976 - 14 NCAA Qualifiers - Two All Americans
Alabama - 3
Florida - 3
Louisiana State - 2
Tennessee - 1
Kentucky - 5 (2 of which were All Americans)


1977 - 20 NCAA Qualifiers - Six All Americans
Auburn - 1
Alabama - 3
Florida - 6
Tennessee - 3 (2 of which were All Americans)
Kentucky - 7 (4 of which were All Americans)

1978 - 22 NCAA qualifiers - Two All Americans

 
Auburn - 3
Alabama - 3
Florida - 6 (Which one was an All American)
Louisiana State - 4 (Which one was an All American)
Tennessee - 2
Kentucky - 4

1979 - 21 NCAA Qualifiers - One All American
Auburn - 6
Alabama - 1
Georgia - 2
Florida - 3
Louisiana State - 8 (Which one was an All American)
Tennessee - 1

1980 - 18 NCAA Qualifiers - Five All Americans
Auburn - 6 (1 is an All American)
Georgia - 2
Louisiana State - 4 (1 is an All American)
Kentucky - 4 (1 is an All American)
Tennessee - 2 (2 of which were All Americans)

NOTE: Florida and Alabama both drop their wrestling programs after the 1979-1980 season

1981 - 13 NCAA Qualifiers - Four All Americans
Auburn - 5 (Two of which were All Americans)
Louisiana State  - 6 (One of Which was an All American)
Kentucky - 2 (One of which was an All American)


And I know it is a question that is weighing heavily on your mind and here is the answer to that question....

The SEC never did produce an NCAA individual National Champion.

Now some might point that Dale McNair won the 1953 HWT championship for Auburn, but remember that we a talking specifically about the years that SEC officially sponsored wrestling, so that title would not count in this list. The same goes for Chris Edmond of Tennessee who won an NCAA Division I title in 1985 at 167 lbs.


SEC CONFERENCE CHAMPIONSHIPS
Auburn - 4
Louisiana State - 5
Kentucky - 2
Florida - 1


Here are the 1970 through 1981 SEC Team results.


1970
1. Louisiana State
2. Auburn
3. Alabama
4. Georgia
5. Tennessee
6. Florida

1971
1. Louisiana State
2. Auburn
3. Alabama
4. Georgia
5. Tennessee
6. Florida

1972
1. Louisiana State
2. Auburn
3. Georgia
4. Auburn
5. Florida
6. Tennessee

1973
1. Auburn
2. Louisiana State
3. Alabama
4. Florida
5. Tennessee
6. Georgia

1974
1. Auburn
2. Alabama
3. Florida
4. Louisiana State
5. Tennesee
6. Georgia

1975

 
1. Auburn
2. Florida
3. Alabama
4. Tennessee
5. Kentucky
6. Louisiana State
7. Georgia

1976
1. Florida
2. Kentucky
3. Tennessee
4. Alabama
5. Auburn
6. Louisiana State
7. Georgia

1977
1. Kentucky
2. Florida
3. Alabama
4. Tennessee
5. Auburn
6. Louisiana State
7. Georgia

1978
1. Kentucky
2. Florida
3. Tennessee
4. Alabama
5. Louisiana State
6. Georgia
7. Auburn

1979

 
1. Louisiana State
2. Florida
3. Auburn
4. Alabama
5. Tennessee
6. Kentucky
7. Georgia

1980

 
1. Louisiana State
2. Auburn
3. Florida
4. Kentucky
5. Alabama
6. Tennessee
7. Georgia

1981

 
1. Auburn
2. Kentucky
3. Louisiana State
4. Tennessee
5. Georgia


And that in a nutshell is the history of SEC Wrestling.

Will we ever seen wrestling back in the SEC again? Never say never, and I hate being pessimistic but it does not look promising.  The SEC, and college sports in general, especially at the NCAA Division I level have all become about the almighty dollar. At this point, while wrestling continues to grow on many levels it is still a non-revenue sport, along with the other 21 of 23 sports in the NCAA that fit that description.

With the vast amount of talent that Florida produces, as well as Georgia both teams would benefit their local high schools by fielding teams and Tennessee could stand to finally give Chattanooga some company in the volunteer state.



Thursday, September 7, 2017

2017-2018 Currently Ranked Wrestlers From State With No Division I Wrestling Opportunities



Where to start with an article like this?  This certainly doesn't prove that any of these wrestlers would have chosen to wrestle in their home state. They still might have ended up at the schools they ended up at. What it does prove is that if they had the opportunity to wrestle Division I in their home state they could have. 

Some states obviously deserve more scrutiny than others.  Out of the nine states without Division I college wrestling that are represented on this list, one thing is unarguable, one thing is indisputable, these states produce top tier Division I caliber wrestlers.  AND these states should all have opportunities for there wrestlers to compete in their state. 

Georgia - 5 currently ranked wrestlers 
Florida - 3 Currently ranked wrestlers 
Texas - 2 Currently ranked wrestlers 
Kentucky - 2 Currently ranked Wrestlers 
Kansas - 2 Currently ranked wrestlers 
Alabama - 1 Currently ranked wrestler
Hawaii - 1 Currently ranked wrestler 
Idaho - 1 Currently ranked wrestler 
Nevada - 1 Currently ranked wrestler 
Washington - 1 Currently ranked wrestler 

***NOTE: WIN Rankings Were Used***
The State of Georgia has 7  Division I Schools, none of which have wrestling.  3 of these schools used to have wrestling programs at one time. There are five schools in Georgia among the smaller Divisions that currently have varsity wrestling.

Florida has 13 Division I schools, none of which have wrestling. 8 of these Schools used to have wrestling programs at one time. There is currently only one school in Florida that has a varsity wrestling program.

Texas has 23 Division I Schools, none of which have wrestling. To my knowledge, 3 of these schools used to have wrestling programs at one time. There is currently 1 varsity wrestling program in the state. (Although I've heard rumor that Huston Tillotson is considering adding a varsity program.)

Kentucky has 7 Division I Schools, none of which have wrestling. To my knowledge, 1 of these schools used to have a wrestling program. There are currently five schools in Kentucky in the smaller divisions with varsity wrestling.

Kansas has 3 Division I Schools, none of which have wrestling. 2 of these schools had wrestling programs at one time. Currently in other Divisions, Kansas has 11 varsity programs.

Alabama has has 9 Division I Schools, none of which have wrestling. 3 of these schools had wrestling programs at one time.  Currently Alabama has 1 varsity wrestling program in the state.

Hawaii has 1 Division I program, it doesn't have wrestling. It did at one time. No colleges in Hawaii currently have varsity wrestling.

Idaho (it pains me so much to have to add this state to the list this year) has 3 Division I programs, none of which have wrestling. All had wrestling at one time. There is currently one 1 varsity wrestling program in the state.

Nevada has 2 Division I programs, none of which have wrestling. To my knowledge one had a wrestling program at one time. There is currently no varsity wrestling at the collegiate level in Nevada.

Washington has 5 Division I programs, none of which have wrestling. 3 of these schools had wrestling programs at one time. The state of Washington currently has two varsity wrestling programs in the state at smaller divisions.

Quick shout out to Mike Moyer and the NWCA who have worked endlessly, tirelessly and thanklessly to grow collegiate wrestling around the country. If not for their dedication and passion, we wouldn't have the 10 programs we do have in Georgia and Arkansas respectively.


Now you're probably wondering, who are the wrestlers currently ranked in Division I that are from states without Division I wrestling opportunities!

Here they are......

















Jack  Mueller
Jack Mueller - Virginia
#5 @ 125 lbs
Texas
Sean Russell
Sean Russell - Edinboro
#6 @ 125 lbs
Georgia


Sean Fausz
Sean Fausz - North Carolina State
#8 @ 125 lbs
Kentucky

Image result for josh terao wrestling
Josh Terao - American
#9 @ 125 lbs
Hawaii



Nathan Boston
Nathan Boston - Campbell (Sorry can only find ISU pics of him)
#14 @ 133 lbs
Kentucky
Ryan Millhof 1964042
Ryan Millhof - Arizona State (Again Sorry can only find Oklahoma pics of him)
#15 @ 133 lbs
Georgia


Jared  Prince
Jared Prince - Navy
#11 @ 141 lbs
Florida
Jamal Morris
Jamal Morris
#19 @ 149 lbs
Florida



Joey Lavallee
Joey Lavallee
#2 @ 157 lbs
Nevada
Brandon Womack
Brandon Womack - Cornell
#7 @ 165
Alabama
Yoanse Mejias 2908868
Yoanse Mejias - Oklahoma
#17 @ 165 lbs
Florida
Taylor Lujan
Taylor Lujan - Northern Iowa
#8 @ 174 lbs
Georgia
Ryan Christensen
Ryan Christensen - Wisconsin
#12 @ 174 lbs
Washington 
Forrest Przybysz
Forrest Przbysz - Appalachian State
#17 @ 174 lbs
Georgia


Bo  Nickal
Bo Nickal - Penn State
#1 @ 184 lbs
Texas


Bryce Carr
Bryce Carr - Chattanooga
#11 @ 184 lbs
Georgia


Preston Weigel - Oklahoma State
#3 @ 197 lbs
Kansas
Tanner Hall
Tanner Hall - Arizona State
#4 @ HWT
Idaho
Nathan Butler
Nathan Butler - Stanford
#10 @ HWT
Kansas


Wednesday, September 6, 2017

2018: The Year of The Transfer


Nick Suriano is no longer a Nittany Lion of Penn State. He has traded in the white and blue for scarlet as he'll now contend for both BIG 10 and NCAA titles wrestling for Rutgers. His transfer is the hottest topic in wrestling at the moment, but it is far from the only.

The 2017-2018 year looks to have a ton of transfers that will have a significant impact both on the team they left and the team they came to. An odd statistic to look into, there are eighteen (maybe more) wrestlers that could have a stellar season this year competing at a school they did not start out at.

Might as well start out with Suriano.


Nick Suriano
Penn State to Rutgers

If this were a game of pirates, Rutgers found the gold in this pick up. Fans are super excited, as they should be. While three time All American Anthony Ashnault hopes to become the Scarlet Knights first NCAA Division I Champion, he may have to hope that the 141 lbs weight class is wrestled before the 125. Owning a 8-6 victory last season over NCAA runner-up Ethan Lizak of Minnesota, Suriano looks to contend.


Dalton Macri
Dalton Macri
Cornell to North Carolina
Another transfer at 125 lbs to keep an eye on is former Cornell Big Red 125 lbs wrestler Dalton Macri, who will be competing for North Carolina this season. Among his notable victories include a 6-5 tiebreaker victory over Ronnie Bresser of Oregon State and a 7-6 victory over Missouri's Barlow McGhee. It should also be noted that two weeks prior to David Terao's miraculous run at the 2016 NCAA championships were he finished in fourth place, Macri controlled him steadily in a 4-0 victory at the EIWA championships. Macri will challenge Virginia's Jack Mueller for this year's ACC title.

Ryan Millhof
Oklahoma to Arizona State
2016 NCAA 7th place finisher for the Oklahoma Sooners, Ryan Millhof will compete for the Arizona State Sun Devils this season. Among victories that he had two seasons ago, most noteworthy is a 4-2 sudden victory over last year's NCAA champion Darian Cruz of Lehigh. He also owns victories over All American's Zeke Moisey (2-1) of West Virginia and Edinboro's Sean Russell (1-0).  He'll have to contend with Oregon State's Ronnie Bresser, whom he has yet to defeat for a PAC-12 Title.




Image result for Nathan Boston Iowa State
Nathan Boston
Iowa State to Campbell
Sometimes a change of scenery is the best medicine that can be prescribed to a wrestler and that could be the case for former Cyclone Nathan Boston, who is now a Camel of Campbell. Much like his predecessor Nathan Krassier who left North Carolina to come to Campbell, Boston looks to head coach Cary Kolat to lead him to the success that eluded him in Ames. Currently under the radar, Boston's 5-4 loss to MAC Champion John Erneste at the Southern Scuffle sticks out most in illustrating the potential that good coaching mixed with confidence could lead to.
Corey  Keener
Corey Keener
Central Michigan to Penn State 
After having spent most of his career at Central Michigan, 133 lbs wrestler Corey Keener will wrestle his final season at Penn State. At the moment among the loaded and stacked weight class, Keener doesn't seem much of a threat. Yet it should be kept in mind that Keener even at the moment is a contender for third place at the BIG 10 tournament, and with Sanderson in his ear for motivation, he could even contend for second. Knocking off Michigan's Stevan Micic for a title is most likely out of the question, but in the fight to win the team title, those points still add up.




Stevan Micic
Northwestern to Michigan
Considering that he has wrestled his entire varsity career at the University of Michigan, some might feel that Micic does not belong on such a list. Nevertheless he did start out at Northwestern and that will be pointed out for two distinct reasons. First off he is one of two former Wildcats that could win an NCAA title this season.  Secondly, the 2017-2018 Wolverine squad could be the best in history of the program, and why wouldn't you point out that he is one of two starters this season that started off at another school?  With no real competition standing in his way, Micic ought to own the BIG 10 and contend for an NCAA title against South Dakota State's Seth Gross and Oklahoma State's Kaid Brock.



Emilio Saavedra
Old Dominion to Fresno State
One of the perennial questions for this season is how will Fresno State do in their first season back since the program was dropped back in 2006? A major Division I program, in a state that has lost a significant amount of teams in the last ten years, a shift in reinstating wrestling at various schools could result depending on the success of the Bulldogs. When does that success start, and with whom? One of the answers to that question could be 133 lbs wrestler Emilio Saavedra who transfers in from Old Dominion. An inconsistent wrestler, how he'll perform is up in the air.  He won the 2016 Midlands title, but went 0-2 at the 2017 tournament. Having the two best 133 lbs wrestlers in the country, Seth Gross of South Dakota State and Kaid Brock of Oklahoma State in his conference, he'll most likely have to settle for a third place finish in the BIG 12. All American honors, and being Fresno State's first in the "new era" of Bulldog wrestling to achieve the status, is not at all out of Saavedra's capabilities.
Reyes, J.
Josh Reyes
Boise State to Clackamas Community College to Fresno State
Another hopeful candidate in helping Fresno State to achieve its goals is Josh Reyes who began his career at Boise State and then transferred to Clackamas Community college where he won an NJCAA title last season. Two victories, 8-3 and 5-1 over Geo Martinez another former wrestler of Boise State now competing for Oklahoma State, gives testimony to Reyes' All American hopes.

Geo Martinez
Boise State to Oklahoma State 
With an eighth place finish at the 2016 NCAA championships, Geo Martinez became the 31st All American in Boise State wrestling history. Unfortunately with the poor decision of Boise State's senile and vacuous President Bob Kustra eliminating the program, he might be the last. Nevertheless Martinez is no longer at Boise State and he now dawns an orange and black singlet of Oklahoma State. It certainly won't be a given, with the deep talent that is the 149 lbs weight class, but Martinez should add valuable points for the Cowboys at both the BIG 12 and NCAA tournaments.

Joey McKenna
Joey McKenna
Stanford to Ohio State
Next to Suriano, McKenna's move from Stanford to Ohio State is the hot topic in transfer news.  Nearly identical freshman and sophomore campaigns of 27-3 and 31-3 respectively, there is only one word to sum up his disappointing 2017 NCAA performance. Unfortunate.  Although no wrestler ever wants to endure such an experience, and so many work so hard to avoid one, most go through at least one nightmare during their career. McKenna's so happened to be the NCAA tournament of his sophomore year. If two back to back PAC-12 titles, and a third place finish at the 2016 NCAA tournament as a freshman aren't enough, take into consideration that McKenna stuck NCAA runner up DiCamillo in only a minute and six seconds in the third place match at last year's Southern Scuffle. He also owns a 4-0 victory over All American Matt Kolodzik and the last time he and two time NCAA champion Dean Heil of Oklahoma State met, Heil barely squeaked out a 2-1 tiebreaker victory.  In perhaps the most loaded conference bracket in the country, it'll be interesting to see where McKenna ends up at the BIG 10's as well as the NCAA's.

Image result for Patricio Lugo Edinboro
Patricio Lugo
Edinboro to Iowa 
Ironically enough, Lugo is not the only current Hawkeye this year to wrestle for another program last season. Seeing how Edinboro and Iowa are night and day different in an assortment of ways it'll be rather enthralling to see how Lugo fits in to The Brands brother's rather strict and conservative environment. Mirroring freshman and sophomore campaigns of 32-9 and 31-9, Lugo also finished in second place at last year's Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational. Like McKenna, he is in the BIG 10's, as well as arguably the entire nation's toughest conference bracket. Where he'll place is currently in question.
Steve Bleise
Steve Bleise
Northern Illinois to Minnesota
You'd think we'd be done talking about transfers that will be competing at the 149 lbs BIG 10 weight class this season, but we're not. We still have to discuss Steve Bleise, who transfers from Northern Illinois to Minnesota. A risk taker, who has been on both sides of the result that risk takers often take, Bleise has had a rather roller coaster of a career thus far. Finishing one match shy of All American status last season, perhaps the best thing for him is to tone and sharpen his skills under a new coaching staff. Under Coach Eggum, Becker, Schlatter and Sanders, his weaknesses should become strengths and his strengths should become stronger. Look for that round of twelve match to be a win instead of a loss this season.



Jason Tsirtsis
Northwestern to Arizona State
The wrestling world is full of motivating stories of inspiration and one that could be added to the storybook this season is that of Jason Tsirtsis. Having started his career at Northwestern where he won an NCAA title as a freshman and then finished third as a sophomore, Tsirtsis has a disappointing 2-2 tournament as a junior. After disappearing for a short time, Tsirtsis transferred to Arizona State last season where he competed at the Midland's championships, showing a mixture of signs of what to expect this season. He wrestled well enough to capture a fifth place finish, yet suffered a tough 11-2 loss to Iowa's Mike Kemmerer. Talent and ability to walk out of St. Louis with his second NCAA title, Tsirtsis could as easily fail to place. There are two Jason Tsirtsis's that we could see on the mat this season. We'll know which one soon enough.
Image result for Chance Marsteller
Chance Marstellar
Oklahoma State to Lock Haven 
Chance "One More Chance" Marstellar looks to right some wrongs and make up for lost time. He'll be starting fresh at Lock Haven. A 7-5 victory of North Carolina's Ethan Ramos and an 11-10 victory of Cornell's Dylan Palacio, Marsteller has shown he has the tools to do big things in Division I wrestling. He'll have to contend with Rider's Chad Walsh for a EWL title as he'll also battle for All American honors.
Image result for Kevin Beazley Old Dominion
Kevin Beazley
Old Dominion to Michigan 
Along with Micic, Kevin Beazley will be another transfer on the Michigan Wolverine roster this season. An All American for Old Dominion last year, Beazley could be the valuable points that Michigan needs to join Penn State, Ohio State and Iowa in the hunt for the BIG 10 team title. As far as winning an individual title, he'll have to contend with Penn State's Matt McCutcheon and Ohio State's Kollin Moore.
Image result for Patrick Downey Iowa State
Patrick Downey
Iowa State to Iowa 
Last but certainly not least is disputably NCAA Division I's most controversial figure, Patrick Downey. The former Cyclone who garnered 5th place All American honors at the 2016 NCAA tournament will now be a Hawkeye in his final season. Even more so than Lugo, it could unwind like a five star film to see how the cut-loose and free spirited Downey fits into the Hawkeye program. As long as he doesn't get into too much trouble and more importantly he wins big matches and brings home the right colored medals from tournaments it shouldn't be too much of an issue. It's in both Downey's nature and in Iowa's nature to carry a high since of confidence that they are the best. We'll see.



Other transfers to look out for:

Mike Longo of Oklahoma who wrestled for the Sooners last season and started his career off at Appalachian State.

Te'Shan Campbell last year's ACC champion at 165 lbs for Pittsburgh, who will compete this season for Ohio State.

Fredy Stroker who began his career at Minnesota, who is now at Cornell.