As always what an outstanding tournament! Full of great action and exciting wrestling! When you follow the sport as closely and passionately as I do, you can't help but get caught up in all of the great stories that make this sport magical. Some that define triumph and success. Other that define heartbreak and disappointment. In some regards it is the most rewarding environment these kids will ever take part in and to others the most unforgiving.
First off a huge congratulations to the six wrestlers who capped off their careers as four time All Americans. That in my opinion is the toughest thing to do in NCAA Division I wrestling.
Anthony Ashnault of Rutgers 8th-4th-6th-1st
Willie Miklus of Iowa State 7th-6th-8th-6th
Jason Nolf of Penn State 2nd-1st-1st-1st
Myles Martin of Ohio State 1st-5th-2nd-3rd
Bo Nickal of Penn State 2nd-1st-1st-1st
Daniel Lewis of Missouri 4th-6th-4th-4th
It should be noted that three of Miklus' honors were achieved while wrestling for Missouri and that of all four time All Americans, he now passes Oklahoma State's Kirk Mammen who was 6th-6th-5th-8th during his career as the four time All American with the lowest finishes. All other four time All Americans have placed 4th or higher at some point.
Very happy to see Iowa's Spencer Lee crowned his second NCAA title. Kid is a class act and along with Alex Marinelli (who I'll get to in a second) he's what Iowa wrestling should be all about. Intensity on the mat. Prove who you are on the mat. He's all about that. With that said, he'll get a ton of flack in the off season. "Never had to face Piccininni" and "Never had to face Rivera." Trust me we'll hear plenty of that between now and the beginning of next season.
Heart goes out to Zeke Moisey of Nebraska. God, I hate injuries with a passion. Injuries are about the only thing I hate about this sport. Hate to see a guy with such talent and passion go out like that.
Special shout out to Indiana's Elijah Oliver. While I've done various writing assignments during my life and I've interviewed wrestlers/coaches over the phone/via email, he was the first wrestler I ever interviewed live. Class act. Treated me with a ton of respect and dignity. Loved seeing him take his #10 seeding at the BIG 10 tournament and turn it around into a fourth place finish. Wished he'd have had a little better NCAA.
Rutger's became a wrestling school tonight! They've been preaching it for quite some time now, but tonight I think it became official. Crowned their first and second NCAA champion tonight. History is now.
You know I'm almost positive that the day will come when a school is home to more than one four time NCAA champion. Honestly, I did not think that school would be Cornell though. The way things look, Diakomihalis could soon enough join Kyle Dake.
I get a lot of flack for the opinion I'm about to state, and I'm cool with it. I feel that we put too much emphasis on the NCAA tournament and I hate the mentality that it is the only thing that matters in NCAA DI wrestling. You can't take a guy's career like Northern Iowa's Josh Alber's and conclude that it didn't amount to much just because he never made All American. I don't buy that, not for a second. He was 5th-2nd-5th at CKLV, 3rd-3rd at the Scuffle, 2nd-1st at Midlands, 3rd-3rd at MAC and 3rd at BIG XII's. Not to mention all of the vast talent he defeated.
Oklahoma State fans will get angry with me over this, but I'd like to see Kaid Brock transfer out and wrestle 133 lbs for another school. I really would. He's not a 141 lbs'er and it shows. He was 5th-5th as a freshman and sophomore and I wanna see him back on the award stand next year as a senior. Maybe he's too big anymore for 133, but he doesn't look that way to me.
Navy's Jared Prince has officially cemented himself as the best wrestler yet to be an All American during his career headed into the 2019-2020 season. Others might give a run as well, but looking over his career for all seniors next season, he has the most impressive credentials/accomplishments.
I'm going to miss Michigan's Alec Pantaleo. He was a lot of fun to watch. I have said for close to twenty years that Andy Hrovat has the best double leg of any Wolverine who ever wrestled. I think Pantaleo's is just as good, if not better.
The first time I ever saw Steve Bleise wrestle as a freshman, I thought to myself as long as this guy stays small and doesn't get injured he'll be an All American. Well guess what? He didn't stay small and he did get injured and yet he still almost made All American!! One match shy. So freakin' close. A heartbreaker.
Gotta list Ohio State's Joey McKenna as 3rd-R12-3rd-2nd as one of the best to never win an NCAA title don't we?
I am still trying to figure out exactly what the strategy was with Joe Smith of Oklahoma State this year. Wrestling 184 and 174 and then last second 165. Whatever it was, it was detrimental to his success. Hopefully next season it's all figured out and he'll earn his third All American honor.
As to Marinelli he had a bad tournament. It happens. As said earlier, this can be an unforgiving tournament. Nevertheless he STILL finished seventh and he beat Logan Massa to do so. I think he needs to learn to be a consolation wrestler. While I want to see him win an NCAA title before his career is said and done, he seems to struggle in the consolations. Iowa can preach till the cows come home about individual titles, beat team points add up when you're hungry for third.
North Carolina's Chip Ness takes home the "anything can happen at the NCAA tournament" award. Failed to place at CKLV this season and takes fourth at the ACC, only to capture his second AA award with a sixth place finish.
Watching Ben Honis of Cornell make All American status was a treat for me. Wasn't even supposed to be this year's starter for the Big Red and then Ben Darmstadt ends up getting hurt. Honis fills in and caps off a great season with an eighth place finish. Just goes to show you that some of the best guys in the country, aren't even varsity.
I said at the beginning of the year that I thought Oklahoma State's Preston Weigel could be an NCAA champion this year. Seeing how disappointing his season was last year, ending due to a crappy injury, it was awesome seeing him take home a third place finish this year.
Happy to see Youssif Hemida make All American status. Maryland needed it.
Last thought even though I have 10,000 more is that it made my night to see Northern Iowa's Drew Foster win a national title. To see a kid who never won a state title win a national title is really special. It's magical. It truly is. It's no secret to anyone that on a personal level I'm not a big Doug Schwab fan, but hat's off to him and he has my stamp of approval because he not only recruits guys, he develops them. He got inside Foster's head and it showed out on the mat. Even cooler that Mediapolis, Iowa isn't all that far from where I grew up.
Till next year. I'm excited already.
Already thought of more I could say as I read over this again.
ReplyDeleteHow about Christian Pagdilao of Arizona State. Talk about a guy with commitment. Wins a PAC-12 title as a true freshman and then has to sit the majority of his career. You know I think a lot of guys would have done one of three things. Quit, transferred or allowed themselves to become discouraged. He didn't. Kept a good attitude and believed that hard work would pay off in his earning his spot back.
Not only does he claim 157 lbs again for the sundevils but he wins his second PAC-12 title and earns All American honors.
What a great example he sets for others out there in the same predicament.