Now for a look at the 133 lbs weight class & all of the seniors that I followed the past 4 to 5 years.
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SETH GROSS
WISCONSIN
Career Record: 129-23
NCAA: 17'2nd 18'1st
BIG 12: 16'2nd, 17'1st, 18'1st
BIG 10: 20'3rd
MIDLANDS: 16'R12, 17'3rd, 18'1st, 20'1st
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I followed Gross since his days at Apple Valley & really admired how he made the most of a second chance, after he had made some wrongs at Iowa. He took responsibility for his actions & went above and beyond. It's easy to cheer a kid like that. It was fun watching him have all the success he had, especially when he became South Dakota State's first ever Division I All American in 2017 & then their first ever Division I NCAA champion in 2018.
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CHAS TUCKER
CORNELL
Career Record: 83-18
NCAA: Three time NCAA qualifier
EIWA: 18'2nd, 19'2nd, 20'1st
CKLV: 19'7th, 20'1st |
I have no doubt in my mind that if the 2020 NCAA tournament would have taken place that Tucker would have finally came through & made the award stand. A two time EIWA champ, as well as a CKLV champion, I hope that Tucker is remembered as he should be. A great wrestler. 32-0 in his last season as a member of the BIG RED.
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TRAVIS PIOTROWSKI
ILLINOIS
Career Record: 86-41
NCAA: Four time Qualifier
BIG 10: 17'4th, 18'9th, 19'5th, 20'5th
MIDLANDS: 18'R12, 19'5th, 20'3rd |
A workhorse that the Illini could always count on in duals & tournaments. It was rewarding to see him have an outstanding Midlands tournament back in December. It's a Hell of a chore to call yourself a four time NCAA qualifier, especially in a conference as tough as the BIG 10.
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NOAH GONSER
CAMPBELL
Career Record: 96-48
NCAA: Three time NCAA Qualifier
MAC: 17'WC
SOCON: 19'2nd, 20'1st
CKLV: 17'5th
MIDLANDS: 19'2nd, 20'5th |
The debate I've often had over the years is whether coaches recruit wrestlers & then develop their talent or if they simply recruit wrestlers and rely on the talent they already have. In the case of Cary Kolat, their is absolutely no question in my mind it is the latter. After Eastern Michigan dropped their wrestling program, you wondered where a guy like Gonser was going to end up. He found his way to Campbell & it was a real treat to watch how much he improved wrestling for Kolat. He's a coach that truly gets his athletes to perform at their best & Gonser was another example of it.
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KAID BROCK
OKLAHOMA STATE
Career Record: 101-19
NCAA: 17'5th, 18'5th, 19'R12
BIG 12: 17'2nd, 18'2nd, 19'2nd
RENO: 19'1st
SOUTHERN SCUFFLE: 16'6th, 17'1st, 19'R12 |
After three years runner-up, I was ready for Brock to finally win a BIG 12 title. After he finished one match shy of All American last season, I was hoping that he'd come locked & loaded and fire pistols of Pete on his way to an NCAA title. Wasn't meant to be I guess. Another victim of the lonely train of injury. Considering he missed his entire senior season, winning over 100 matches is quite notable.
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CAM SYKORA
NORTH DAKOTA STATE
Career Record: 92-39
NCAA: Four time NCAA qualifier
BIG 12: 17'3rd, 18'5th, 19'7th, 20'1st
RENO: 18'5th
CKLV: 19'8th
SOUTHERN SCUFFLE: 20'2nd |
I don't know if anyone rocked the five o'clock shadow the way Cam Sykora did. The five time Minnesota state champ may not have had the career he wanted to have but I still think he had a story book ending worth celebrating. As a wrestling fan it is always rewarding to me to see a guy redeem himself after a disappointment. I know his seventh place finish at the BIG 12's was not how he wanted things to go. To see him come in and win the BIG 12 title this year as a senior was very rewarding.
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TIM ROONEY
KENT STATE
Career Record: 112-76
NCAA: Two Time NCAA Qualifier
MAC: 19'3rd, 20'1st
CKLV: 20'8th |
Right in line with Sykora, another bearded grappler I've enjoyed the past two seasons has been Golden Flash Tim Rooney. I didn't become familiar with Rooney until his junior season of 2018-2019. His father sometimes frequents the same internet wrestling hangouts that I do & it was hard to not become a fan of a guy whose father supports in such an enthusiastic & respectable way. He had a great CKLV tournament placing eighth in a loaded bracket & even more impressive was how intelligent & strategic he wrestled at this year's MAC championships.
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D.J. FEHLMAN
LOCK HAVEN
Career Record: 118-50
NCAA: Three time Qualifier
EWL: 17'2nd, 19'1st
MAC: 20'5th
SOUTHERN SCUFFLE: 20'5th |
What a monster on top. I've always been a fan of wrestlers that can tilt, turn & cradle their way to victories & Fehlman, as are a lot of Lock Haven wrestlers under Coach Scott Moore, did not disappoint.
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PAUL GLYNN
IOWA
Career Record: 43-34
MIDLANDS: 19'5th |
The one thing I admire about Tom & Terry Brands the most & the Iowa Hawkeye wrestling program is that they have made it a point to showcase their entire wrestling program, not just those in the limelight. Paul Glynn is one of those guys that never wrestled in a BIG 10 tournament but is still celebrated as a member of the Hawkeye wrestling team & to me that is the coolest thing. I don't know if all wrestling fans realize just how competitive NCAA Division I wrestling is & just how difficult it is to crack a varsity lineup, let alone achieve anything after that. We have less than 80 teams. It's a tall order. I don't know if wrestling fans realize just how good some of these backups are. Some of the toughest competition a guy like Austin DeSanto will face all season is in his own practice room. Paul Glynn may have never been Iowa's main starter, but he has wins over various NCAA qualifiers & he placed fifth at the Midlands.
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GARRETT PEPPLE
MICHIGAN STATE
Career Record: 68-68 |
I honestly didn't realize that Garrett Pepple had another year of eligibility left on his career. I thought he was a senior LAST season when he was still at Indiana. It was a funny thing. I got up one morning, saw I had a friend request on facebook & it was Garrett Pepple of Michigan State. I'm always under the impression that other than entertaining myself, the only people who ever read any of my stuff are old out of shape ex-wrestlers like myself. It was pretty rewarding to know that a DI wrestler obviously does read my stuff. I was really hoping that Pepple would have a breakout year & he did have some great moments. The Navy Classic was as loaded as I've ever seen it in 19 years of following the sport & he finished third. He also finished third in a fairly tough Cougar Clash. I'd say the biggest highlight of his final season was a 6-2 victory over Southern Scuffle champ Sammy Alvarez. He also pinned D.J. Fehlman & defeated Paul Bianchi 5-2. I consider both of those wins noteworthy.
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AUSTIN ASSAD
MICHIGAN
Career Record: 39-20 |
Guys like Austin Assad are why I write blogs like this one. Collegiate wrestling careers don't always turn out like they should & despite hardships that may come I still think a wrestler deserves to be remembered. A three time Ohio state runner-up in high school, I really thought that Assad was one of those wrestlers that would go on to have an outstanding collegiate career despite never winning a state title. In his redshirt campaign he looked great going 18-3 with titles at the Michigan State Open, the Cleveland State Open & finishing sixth at the Southern Scuffle. I just wish I knew what in the world happened to him after that.
In 2017 he won the Eastern Michigan Open & then just fell off the face of the earth. I'm assuming that he ended up injured but I never heard anything after that. All I know is that he won 18 matches in his redshirt year. Some of which may I add were very impressive. 7-5 over Noah Gonser, 4-0 over four time NCAA qualifier Elijah Oliver of Indiana, 5-2 over Central Michigan's Drew Hildebrandt, 10-2 over Indiana's R12 Brock Hudkins. Then the next four years combined, he only won a total of 21 matches.
I don't know if the wrestling community realizes how many great wrestlers we lose year in and year out due to injuries. There are many. Assad was one of them.
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GABRIEL TOWNSELL
STANFORD
Career Record: 61-42
NCAA: Three Time NCAA Qualifier
PAC 12: 17'WC, 18'4th, 19'3rd
SOUTHERN SCUFFLE: 17'5th, 18'7th, 19'8th |
I was excited to see Townsell finally win the PAC-12 title I was certain he would gain this season as well as a fourth medal at the Southern Scuffle. Unfortunately another victim of injury. Fun wrestler to watch. Always wrestled with a lot of energy & intensity.
