The weekend has already proven to be crazy in the realm of collegiate wrestling, and the Penn State Open hasn't even started yet. The Cliff Keen Invitational in Las Vegas has been a source of major upsets so far, and the finals haven't even been wrestled yet.
141: Hunter Stieber of Ohio State knocked off the returning national champ #1 Kellen Russell 6-5. To make things more exciting at this weight, 2011 finalist Borislav Novachkov was beaten by Oregon State's Michael Mangrum 4-3. In a rematch of last year's final, Russell beat Boris 3-3 TB in order to advance to the 3rd place match.
149: The top seed #3 Tyler Nauman out of Pitt was knocked off the the unranked number nine seed David Habat from Edinboro 5-2.
157: The second seed #7 Walter Peppelman lost by medical forfeit.
165: Another #1 went down when Nick Amuchastegui also lost by medical forfeit. I don't know the extent of the injury at this time.
BREAKING NEWS
Unrelated to the invitational. Last night Iowa downed Illinois in a dual meet, however #1 Matt McDonough was defeated by #15 Jesse Delago 11-7 OT. This is the first dual meet loss McDonough has ever suffered.
Saturday, December 3, 2011
Sunday, November 20, 2011
Why PSU Fans Should Be Excited
Undoubtedly many PSU fans leaving the Minnesota dual will be disheartened and believing the worse about this team. I on the other hand am very excited to report that I believe Penn State will repeat as national champions. I may be getting ahead of myself here. First let's analyze what was learned today.
125: I don't see how you can come out of this match without feeling good about Nico. As a true freshman in his second collegiate match ever he went toe to toe with the #2 ranked Sanders and held his own. Not only did he hold his own but he was on the attack and close to securing a takedown at the end of the match. Sanders was not able to hold Nico down, which is one of Sanders's primary weapons. Most importantly Nico went full speed for the whole match and at note point seemed to mentally buckle.
133: People seem to think Martellotti will be PSU's savior at 133 but he is completely untested at this weight. Either way this weight should only improve as the year goes on.
141: Sherlock needs confidence. He was going toe to toe at the beginning of the match and even got in on a good shot, but as soon as he gave up a takedown he became a whole different wrestler.
149: Tank got a bit too comfortable here. Ness has an awesome ankle shot and wasn't nearly as tired as I think Molinaro assumed he was. Still, Molinaro dominated a very good opponent.
157: Dylan looked great for the first minute or so, then exhausted for the rest. He clearly had Deitchler outclassed on his feet when at full energy. I don't think this is any reason to panic because Dylan has all season to work on it. Really it's not fair for me to sit and criticize conditioning when every wrestler is in the room busting their hump day in and day out.
165: Taylor wrestled a very talented grappler in Yohn today and he had absolutely no problem getting the tech fall (was actually a pin). I'm pretty sure Taylor could have had the tech in the first period if he wanted to.
174: Ruth looked fresh and aggressive. Apparently the cradle still works too.
184: I have no doubt people are dissing Wright, but notice that Steinhaus didn't get too excited about beating the returning national qualifier. Until you beat Wright in one of the tournaments, you haven't really beaten Wright. Was it disappointing? Sure, but this should be what we have come to expect.
197: I can't say enough good things about this match. McIntosh lost but he didn't have to. Credit to Yohn for taking advantage of the moment to get his takedown, but McIntosh is going to be a force to be reckoned with. Put the nation on notice.
HWT: Wade being Wade...HWT's are inconsistent at best. There's really nothing to be learned here.
I say hold your judgements until the Southern Scuffle. Give the news kids in the lineup a chance to get comfortable. Penn State is a much better tournament team right now than dual team. Two true freshman in the lineup today showed they could be a source of big points come tournament time. Guys like Sherlock need a tournament like the Southern Scuffle to build some confidence. It's hard to go in cold turkey against a top 10 wrestler. So before the negative talk starts, please just wait until we actually know what this team is going to be.
125: I don't see how you can come out of this match without feeling good about Nico. As a true freshman in his second collegiate match ever he went toe to toe with the #2 ranked Sanders and held his own. Not only did he hold his own but he was on the attack and close to securing a takedown at the end of the match. Sanders was not able to hold Nico down, which is one of Sanders's primary weapons. Most importantly Nico went full speed for the whole match and at note point seemed to mentally buckle.
133: People seem to think Martellotti will be PSU's savior at 133 but he is completely untested at this weight. Either way this weight should only improve as the year goes on.
141: Sherlock needs confidence. He was going toe to toe at the beginning of the match and even got in on a good shot, but as soon as he gave up a takedown he became a whole different wrestler.
149: Tank got a bit too comfortable here. Ness has an awesome ankle shot and wasn't nearly as tired as I think Molinaro assumed he was. Still, Molinaro dominated a very good opponent.
157: Dylan looked great for the first minute or so, then exhausted for the rest. He clearly had Deitchler outclassed on his feet when at full energy. I don't think this is any reason to panic because Dylan has all season to work on it. Really it's not fair for me to sit and criticize conditioning when every wrestler is in the room busting their hump day in and day out.
165: Taylor wrestled a very talented grappler in Yohn today and he had absolutely no problem getting the tech fall (was actually a pin). I'm pretty sure Taylor could have had the tech in the first period if he wanted to.
174: Ruth looked fresh and aggressive. Apparently the cradle still works too.
184: I have no doubt people are dissing Wright, but notice that Steinhaus didn't get too excited about beating the returning national qualifier. Until you beat Wright in one of the tournaments, you haven't really beaten Wright. Was it disappointing? Sure, but this should be what we have come to expect.
197: I can't say enough good things about this match. McIntosh lost but he didn't have to. Credit to Yohn for taking advantage of the moment to get his takedown, but McIntosh is going to be a force to be reckoned with. Put the nation on notice.
HWT: Wade being Wade...HWT's are inconsistent at best. There's really nothing to be learned here.
I say hold your judgements until the Southern Scuffle. Give the news kids in the lineup a chance to get comfortable. Penn State is a much better tournament team right now than dual team. Two true freshman in the lineup today showed they could be a source of big points come tournament time. Guys like Sherlock need a tournament like the Southern Scuffle to build some confidence. It's hard to go in cold turkey against a top 10 wrestler. So before the negative talk starts, please just wait until we actually know what this team is going to be.
Five Nittany Lions Win at Mercyhurst Laker Open
Nine Penn State grapplers made the trip to the Mercyhurst Laker Open. Seven placed in the top three and five won individual titles.
Kyle Moran (141) - Champ
Seth Beitz (149) - Champ
Rex Lutz (165)
Matt Brown (174) - Champ
Andrew Church (174) - Finalist
Brandon Phillips (174)
Justin Ortega (197) - Champ
John Gingrich (HWT) - Champ
Collin Campbell (HWT) - 3rd
Kyle Moran (141) - Champ
Seth Beitz (149) - Champ
Rex Lutz (165)
Matt Brown (174) - Champ
Andrew Church (174) - Finalist
Brandon Phillips (174)
Justin Ortega (197) - Champ
John Gingrich (HWT) - Champ
Collin Campbell (HWT) - 3rd
Sunday, November 13, 2011
PREVIEW: Bloomsburg at Penn State
This will be both Penn State's and Bloom's first official duals of the season. Any way you slice it, Penn State looks to roll over Bloom. Last year I believe Bloom took one bout in their dual (I'd guess 197), but this year Penn State looks to blank Bloom. Expected Penn State lineup below.
125: #18 Nico Megaludis
133: Derek Reber
141: Sam Sherlock
149: #1 Frank Molinaro
157: #12 Dylan Alton
165: #1 David Taylor
174: #2 Ed Ruth
184: #1 Quentin Wright
197: #10 Morgan McIntosh
HWT: #5 Cameron Wade**
**Wade was injured preseason and did not participate in the wrestle-off despite going live in the room. I expect Wade to wrestle but it may be Gingrich or Campbell since they can win without Wade.
I'm eager about this match in order to find out how the true freshman and unknowns are going to perform in their first real action. I think a lot of Penn State fans are especially anxious about Reber and Sherlock since they are wrestling at weights that were big for the Nittany Lions last season. Below is the "best guess" at the Bloomsburg lineup.
125: Sean Boylan So. 0-0
133: Craig Barker So. 0-0
OR Nick Wilcox So. 0-0
141: Matt Rappo Fr. 0-0
149: Bryce Busler Jr. 0-0
OR Josh Roosa Jr. 0-0
157: #14 Frank Hickman Jr. 0-0
165: Kevin Hartnett So. 0-0
OR Chris Smith So. 0-0
174: #20 Mike Dessino Jr. 0-0
184: Mike Mirra Fr. 0-0
197: Richard Perry So. 0-0
HWT: Zach Walsh So. 0-0
The first thing to notice is how young Bloom's team is. They are fielding no seniors and potentially three juniors. The rest are all Sophomores and a few freshman. The marquee match of the dual is undoubtedly at 157 where #12 Alton squares off with #14 Hickman. This will be a great first test for Alton since Hickman already has a couple years of experience under his belt on the college level. The other ranked match comes between #2 Ed Ruth and #20 Mike Dessino, although I don't see this as much of a match.
Prediction:
125: #18 Megaludis Dec. Boylan (3-0)
133: Reber Dec. Barker/Wilcox (6-0)
141: Sherlock Maj. Dec. Rappo (10-0)
149: #1 Molinaro Maj. Dec. Busler (14-0)
157: #12 Alton Dec. #14 Hickman (17-0)
165: #1 Taylor Pin Hartnett/Smith (23-0)
174: #2 Ruth Pin Dessino (29-0)
184: #1 Wright Pin Mirra (33-0)
197: #10 McIntosh Maj. Dec. Perry (36-0)
HWT: #5 Wade Pin Walsh (42-0)
125: #18 Nico Megaludis
133: Derek Reber
141: Sam Sherlock
149: #1 Frank Molinaro
157: #12 Dylan Alton
165: #1 David Taylor
174: #2 Ed Ruth
184: #1 Quentin Wright
197: #10 Morgan McIntosh
HWT: #5 Cameron Wade**
**Wade was injured preseason and did not participate in the wrestle-off despite going live in the room. I expect Wade to wrestle but it may be Gingrich or Campbell since they can win without Wade.
I'm eager about this match in order to find out how the true freshman and unknowns are going to perform in their first real action. I think a lot of Penn State fans are especially anxious about Reber and Sherlock since they are wrestling at weights that were big for the Nittany Lions last season. Below is the "best guess" at the Bloomsburg lineup.
125: Sean Boylan So. 0-0
133: Craig Barker So. 0-0
OR Nick Wilcox So. 0-0
141: Matt Rappo Fr. 0-0
149: Bryce Busler Jr. 0-0
OR Josh Roosa Jr. 0-0
157: #14 Frank Hickman Jr. 0-0
165: Kevin Hartnett So. 0-0
OR Chris Smith So. 0-0
174: #20 Mike Dessino Jr. 0-0
184: Mike Mirra Fr. 0-0
197: Richard Perry So. 0-0
HWT: Zach Walsh So. 0-0
The first thing to notice is how young Bloom's team is. They are fielding no seniors and potentially three juniors. The rest are all Sophomores and a few freshman. The marquee match of the dual is undoubtedly at 157 where #12 Alton squares off with #14 Hickman. This will be a great first test for Alton since Hickman already has a couple years of experience under his belt on the college level. The other ranked match comes between #2 Ed Ruth and #20 Mike Dessino, although I don't see this as much of a match.
Prediction:
125: #18 Megaludis Dec. Boylan (3-0)
133: Reber Dec. Barker/Wilcox (6-0)
141: Sherlock Maj. Dec. Rappo (10-0)
149: #1 Molinaro Maj. Dec. Busler (14-0)
157: #12 Alton Dec. #14 Hickman (17-0)
165: #1 Taylor Pin Hartnett/Smith (23-0)
174: #2 Ruth Pin Dessino (29-0)
184: #1 Wright Pin Mirra (33-0)
197: #10 McIntosh Maj. Dec. Perry (36-0)
HWT: #5 Wade Pin Walsh (42-0)
#18 Pitt Edges #6 Lehigh
Pitt shocked Lehigh's home crowd by snapping their 26 home dual win streak with an 18-16 upset. Perhaps this was doing Lehigh a favor though since PSU will visiting their gym this year.
There were three ranked grapplers that did not participate in the dual. For Lehigh, #6 Stephen Dutton at 141 has been out after getting hurt at the Clarion Open (although he may have been red shirting anyway). For Pitt, neither of the Thomusseit brothers wrestled, Max being #18 at 184 and Zac #15 at HWT. Looking at the results of the dual I have to believe Lehigh having Dutton back in the lineup more or less guarantees them the win. The only thing I think the Thomusseit brothers would achieve is giving Lehigh less points. Despite missing Dutton, Lehigh still had chances to win, especially at 149 where unranked Rosser took #3 Nauman the distance and only lost 7-6.
The marquee matchup of the event was at 197 where #7 (Pitt) faced off against #9. Wilps and Kennedy already wrestled once this season, with Wilps eeking out a win.
Penn State will visit Lehigh on December 9th, for their historic 100th dual.
Results:
125 - #19 Anthony Zanetta (Pitt) dec. Mason Beckman (Lehigh) 9-2
133 - Shelton Mack (Pitt) dec. Chris Dinnien (Lehigh) 10-5
141 - Travis Shaffer (Pitt) dec. Alex Abreu (Lehigh) 3-0
149 - #3 Tyler Nauman (Pitt) dec. Kyle Rosser (Lehigh) 7-6
157 - Donnie Tasser (Pitt) dec. Shane Welsh (Lehigh) 6-2
165 - #4 Brandon Hatchett (Lehigh) dec. Tyler Wilps (Pitt) 7-4
174 - Nate Brown (Lehigh) dec. P.J. Tasser (Pitt) 4-3
184 - #2 Robert Hamlin (Lehigh) major dec. Andy Vaughan (Pitt) 18-6
197 - #7 Matt Wilps (Pitt) dec. #9 Joe Kennedy (Lehigh) 4-3
285 - #1 Zach Rey (Lehigh) pinned Joel Yahner (Pitt) 1:01
There were three ranked grapplers that did not participate in the dual. For Lehigh, #6 Stephen Dutton at 141 has been out after getting hurt at the Clarion Open (although he may have been red shirting anyway). For Pitt, neither of the Thomusseit brothers wrestled, Max being #18 at 184 and Zac #15 at HWT. Looking at the results of the dual I have to believe Lehigh having Dutton back in the lineup more or less guarantees them the win. The only thing I think the Thomusseit brothers would achieve is giving Lehigh less points. Despite missing Dutton, Lehigh still had chances to win, especially at 149 where unranked Rosser took #3 Nauman the distance and only lost 7-6.
The marquee matchup of the event was at 197 where #7 (Pitt) faced off against #9. Wilps and Kennedy already wrestled once this season, with Wilps eeking out a win.
Penn State will visit Lehigh on December 9th, for their historic 100th dual.
Results:
125 - #19 Anthony Zanetta (Pitt) dec. Mason Beckman (Lehigh) 9-2
133 - Shelton Mack (Pitt) dec. Chris Dinnien (Lehigh) 10-5
141 - Travis Shaffer (Pitt) dec. Alex Abreu (Lehigh) 3-0
149 - #3 Tyler Nauman (Pitt) dec. Kyle Rosser (Lehigh) 7-6
157 - Donnie Tasser (Pitt) dec. Shane Welsh (Lehigh) 6-2
165 - #4 Brandon Hatchett (Lehigh) dec. Tyler Wilps (Pitt) 7-4
174 - Nate Brown (Lehigh) dec. P.J. Tasser (Pitt) 4-3
184 - #2 Robert Hamlin (Lehigh) major dec. Andy Vaughan (Pitt) 18-6
197 - #7 Matt Wilps (Pitt) dec. #9 Joe Kennedy (Lehigh) 4-3
285 - #1 Zach Rey (Lehigh) pinned Joel Yahner (Pitt) 1:01
Sunday, November 6, 2011
#19 Northwestern Thrashes #14 Stanford
I suppose credit should be given to Stanford for upping their schedule strength by adding a Big Ten team. However if they thought Northwestern was going to be a pushover they were sorely mistaken. In fact the only two people to pick up wins for Stanford were their ranked grapplers.
Final Score: 27 - 8 Northwestern
Bout by bout:
125: #16 Levi Mele (Northwestern) maj dec. Matt Sencenbaugh (Stanford), 13-3, NU leads 4-0
133: #7 Ryan Mango (Stanford) maj dec. Jameson Oster (Northwestern), 12-4, Dual tied 4-4
141: Colin Shober (Northwestern) maj dec. Donovan Halpin (Stanford), 12-3, NU leads 8-4
149: #20 Kaleb Friedley (Northwestern) dec. Timmy Boone (Stanford), 6-2, NU leads 11-4
157: #3 Jason Welch (Northwestern) dec. Mike Kent (Stanford), 6-1, NU leads 14-4
165: Kevin Mialka (Northwestern) dec. Matt Schneider (Stanford), 8-2, NU leads 17-4
174: #1 Nick Amuchastegui (Stanford) maj dec. #10 Lee Munster (Northwestern), 9-1, NU leads 17-8
184: Brian Roddy (Northwestern) dec. Spence Patrick (Stanford), 6-4, NU leads 20-8
197: Alex Polizzi (Northwestern) maj dec. Alan Yen (Stanford), 13-3, NU leads 24-8
Hwt.: #11 Mike McMullan (Northwestern) dec. Dan Scherer (Stanford), 6-2, NU wins 27-8
Important things to note:
Amuchastegui, who every Penn State fan should remember, got his season off and rolling with an impressive 9-1 major over the top ten ranked Lee Munster. Perhaps Amuchastegui has gained some swagger after his finals appearance last year?
Jason Welch's performance could perhaps be called underwhelming considering his is the #3 guy at 157 right now. But to be fair three or four of the best grapplers at that weight either graduated or moved up a weight plus Welch was never one to blow guys out of the water often.
Levi Mele wrestled at 133 for Northwestern last season. Apparently 125 is the more natural fit except when Brandon Precin was standing in the way. This takes some depth away from an already skimpy Big Ten 133 weight class and adds more depth to the deep Big Ten 125 weight class.
Should this put the Big Ten on notice about Northwestern? Not necessarily.
Final Score: 27 - 8 Northwestern
Bout by bout:
125: #16 Levi Mele (Northwestern) maj dec. Matt Sencenbaugh (Stanford), 13-3, NU leads 4-0
133: #7 Ryan Mango (Stanford) maj dec. Jameson Oster (Northwestern), 12-4, Dual tied 4-4
141: Colin Shober (Northwestern) maj dec. Donovan Halpin (Stanford), 12-3, NU leads 8-4
149: #20 Kaleb Friedley (Northwestern) dec. Timmy Boone (Stanford), 6-2, NU leads 11-4
157: #3 Jason Welch (Northwestern) dec. Mike Kent (Stanford), 6-1, NU leads 14-4
165: Kevin Mialka (Northwestern) dec. Matt Schneider (Stanford), 8-2, NU leads 17-4
174: #1 Nick Amuchastegui (Stanford) maj dec. #10 Lee Munster (Northwestern), 9-1, NU leads 17-8
184: Brian Roddy (Northwestern) dec. Spence Patrick (Stanford), 6-4, NU leads 20-8
197: Alex Polizzi (Northwestern) maj dec. Alan Yen (Stanford), 13-3, NU leads 24-8
Hwt.: #11 Mike McMullan (Northwestern) dec. Dan Scherer (Stanford), 6-2, NU wins 27-8
Important things to note:
Amuchastegui, who every Penn State fan should remember, got his season off and rolling with an impressive 9-1 major over the top ten ranked Lee Munster. Perhaps Amuchastegui has gained some swagger after his finals appearance last year?
Jason Welch's performance could perhaps be called underwhelming considering his is the #3 guy at 157 right now. But to be fair three or four of the best grapplers at that weight either graduated or moved up a weight plus Welch was never one to blow guys out of the water often.
Levi Mele wrestled at 133 for Northwestern last season. Apparently 125 is the more natural fit except when Brandon Precin was standing in the way. This takes some depth away from an already skimpy Big Ten 133 weight class and adds more depth to the deep Big Ten 125 weight class.
Should this put the Big Ten on notice about Northwestern? Not necessarily.
Wednesday, October 12, 2011
Big Ten Preview: Minnesota
We just want our wrestling props, we're golden for crying out loud
In all honesty Minnesota is coming off a disappointing season. After capturing a national title not to long ago, they have held expectations to be in the hunt year in and year out, but 2011 saw them finish outside of the top 5. The Gopher squad was a young one though, and seven of their starters will be returning for the 2012 campaign. A strong 2010 recruiting class should help further bolster the ranks as some come off red shirt seasons to push Minnesota further up the ladder. The loss of Mike Thorn is a huge one, however if they can't put themselves in the title hunt this season then their coaching staff should be bent over a knee and violently spanked.
2011 Summary
The Golden Gophers put an impressive nine wrestlers into the NCAA tournament and achieved five All Americans. Despite having more wrestlers and All Americans than many of the top teams, most of Minnesota's All Americans finished in the bottom four of the All American ladder which made for the disappointing finish.
Name: Zach Sanders (125)
Record: 34 - 6
Status: Senior
Big Ten place: 3rd
NCAA place: All American 5th
Notable win(s): none
Season ended when: Won two, lost to Ben Kjar (Utah Valley, 3-5), won two more, lost to Brandon Precin (Northwestern, 4-5) then beat Ryan Mango (Standford, 6-2) for 5th
Vs. PSU: Beat Pataky 10-8
Name: David Thorn (133)
Record: 15 - 12
Status: Sophomore
Big Ten place: Seventh
NCAA place: Round of 16
Notable win(s): none
Season ended when: Won one, lost to Andrew Long (PSU, SV 5-7), won one more then eliminated by Tony Ramos (Iowa, SV 5-7)
Vs. PSU: Lost to Long twice 4-14 and SV 5-7
Name: Mike Thorn (141)
Record: 39 - 5
Status: Graduated
Big Ten place: 2nd
NCAA place: All American 3rd
Notable win(s): none
Season ended when: Won three, lost to Borislav Novachkov (Cal Poly, 3-9), pinned Jimmy Kennedy then beat Montell Marion (Iowa, 4-3)
Vs. PSU: Beat Alton 4-1
Name: Dan Zilverberg (149)
Record: 19 - 15
Status: Sophomore
Big Ten place: 6th
NCAA place: Round of 32
Notable win(s): none
Season ended when: Lost two straight to Jamal Parks (OSU, 3-5) and Desi Green (Buffalo, 5-8)
Vs. PSU: Lost to Molinaro twice 5-6 and 0-9
Name: Cody Yohn (165)
Record: 28 - 13
Status: Junior
Big Ten place: 4th
NCAA place: Round of 24
Notable win(s): none
Season ended when: Lost to Eren Civan (Columbia, Fall) then late to Brandon Hatchett (Lehigh, 3-8)
Vs. PSU: Beat Kemerer 8-0
Name: Scott Glasser (174)
Record: 31 - 13
Status: Graduated
Big Ten place: 5th
NCAA place: Round of 16
Notable win(s): none
Season ended when: Won one, lost to Ed Ruth (PSU, 3-5) then eventually lost to Nick Heflin (Ohio St, 2-4)
Vs. PSU: Lost to Ruth twice 5-12 and 3-5
Name: Kevin Steinhaus (184)
Record: 34 - 12
Status: Sophomore
Big Ten place: 2nd
NCAA place: All American 8th
Notable win(s): Quentin Wright (10-1)
Season ended when: Won one, lost to Quentin Wright (PSU, 4-8), won three, lost to Joe LeBlanc (Wy, 9-11) and Travis Rutt (Wisc, 2-4)
Vs. PSU: Beat Wright 10-1, lost twice 3-4 and 4-8
Name: Sonny Yohn (197)
Record: 18 - 7
Status: Senior
Big Ten place: 5th
NCAA place: All American 7th
Notable win(s): none
Season ended when: Won one, lost to Matt Powless (Ind, SV 3-5), won three more, lost to Zack Giesen (Standford, 2-3) then beat Matt Powless 5-2 for 7th
Vs. PSU: Beat Ruggear 10-2
Name: Tony Nelson (HWT)
Record: 34 - 8
Status: Sophomore
Big Ten place: 2nd
NCAA place: All American 7th
Notable win(s): none
Season ended when: Won one, lost to Cameron Wade (PSU, 1-4), won three more, lost to Spencer Myers (Maryland, TB 1-2) then beat Levi Cooper (ASU, Fall)
Vs. PSU: Beat Wade 3-0, lost 0-2 and 1-4
The most important thing to note from all of this is that only one of five All Americans has graduated. Thorn was their highest placing All American but expect to see Steinhaus and Nelson to finish even higher in 2012 considering they were only freshman in 2011. If this these wrestlers develop well, they could be a feared tournament team in the coming season.
2011 Summary
The Golden Gophers put an impressive nine wrestlers into the NCAA tournament and achieved five All Americans. Despite having more wrestlers and All Americans than many of the top teams, most of Minnesota's All Americans finished in the bottom four of the All American ladder which made for the disappointing finish.
Record: 34 - 6
Status: Senior
Big Ten place: 3rd
NCAA place: All American 5th
Notable win(s): none
Season ended when: Won two, lost to Ben Kjar (Utah Valley, 3-5), won two more, lost to Brandon Precin (Northwestern, 4-5) then beat Ryan Mango (Standford, 6-2) for 5th
Vs. PSU: Beat Pataky 10-8
Record: 15 - 12
Status: Sophomore
Big Ten place: Seventh
NCAA place: Round of 16
Notable win(s): none
Season ended when: Won one, lost to Andrew Long (PSU, SV 5-7), won one more then eliminated by Tony Ramos (Iowa, SV 5-7)
Vs. PSU: Lost to Long twice 4-14 and SV 5-7
Name: Mike Thorn (141)Record: 39 - 5
Status: Graduated
Big Ten place: 2nd
NCAA place: All American 3rd
Notable win(s): none
Season ended when: Won three, lost to Borislav Novachkov (Cal Poly, 3-9), pinned Jimmy Kennedy then beat Montell Marion (Iowa, 4-3)
Vs. PSU: Beat Alton 4-1
Record: 19 - 15
Status: Sophomore
Big Ten place: 6th
NCAA place: Round of 32
Notable win(s): none
Season ended when: Lost two straight to Jamal Parks (OSU, 3-5) and Desi Green (Buffalo, 5-8)
Vs. PSU: Lost to Molinaro twice 5-6 and 0-9
Record: 28 - 13
Status: Junior
Big Ten place: 4th
NCAA place: Round of 24
Notable win(s): none
Season ended when: Lost to Eren Civan (Columbia, Fall) then late to Brandon Hatchett (Lehigh, 3-8)
Vs. PSU: Beat Kemerer 8-0
Record: 31 - 13
Status: Graduated
Big Ten place: 5th
NCAA place: Round of 16
Notable win(s): none
Season ended when: Won one, lost to Ed Ruth (PSU, 3-5) then eventually lost to Nick Heflin (Ohio St, 2-4)
Vs. PSU: Lost to Ruth twice 5-12 and 3-5
Record: 34 - 12
Status: Sophomore
Big Ten place: 2nd
NCAA place: All American 8th
Notable win(s): Quentin Wright (10-1)
Season ended when: Won one, lost to Quentin Wright (PSU, 4-8), won three, lost to Joe LeBlanc (Wy, 9-11) and Travis Rutt (Wisc, 2-4)
Vs. PSU: Beat Wright 10-1, lost twice 3-4 and 4-8
Record: 18 - 7
Status: Senior
Big Ten place: 5th
NCAA place: All American 7th
Notable win(s): none
Season ended when: Won one, lost to Matt Powless (Ind, SV 3-5), won three more, lost to Zack Giesen (Standford, 2-3) then beat Matt Powless 5-2 for 7th
Vs. PSU: Beat Ruggear 10-2
Record: 34 - 8
Status: Sophomore
Big Ten place: 2nd
NCAA place: All American 7th
Notable win(s): none
Season ended when: Won one, lost to Cameron Wade (PSU, 1-4), won three more, lost to Spencer Myers (Maryland, TB 1-2) then beat Levi Cooper (ASU, Fall)
Vs. PSU: Beat Wade 3-0, lost 0-2 and 1-4
The most important thing to note from all of this is that only one of five All Americans has graduated. Thorn was their highest placing All American but expect to see Steinhaus and Nelson to finish even higher in 2012 considering they were only freshman in 2011. If this these wrestlers develop well, they could be a feared tournament team in the coming season.
2011 Team Stats
Dual Record: 15 - 4 - 1 (6 - 2 - 1 Big Ten)
Big Ten Championship: 3rd
NCAA Championship: 7th
Southern Scuffle: 5th
Individual Record: 507 - 251
Pins: 102
Tech. Falls: 21
Major Decisions: 101
Vs. PSU: Tie 18-18
Recruiting
The Golden Gopher 2011 recruiting class included the #5, #76, #79 and #138 recruits (d1wrestling.com). The only big gain there (and it is a big gain) was #5 Logan Storley (174lb). This class won't be enough to put the gold in the Golden Gophers (eh, see what I did there? Extremely dorky). Anything the 2011 class lacked they are trying very hard to make up for in the 2012 class. Minnesota already has commitments from the Intermat preseason #56, #48 and #6 recruits. Currently this is not a lineup in need of a lot of new talent, so look for them to continue trying to fill holes as they come rather than bring in one monster class.
2012 Outlook
Perhaps the depressing thing for Minnesota wrestling fans is that the only teams who finished ahead of them in the Big Ten are only expected to get better. Robinson and his staff put together a challenging 2011 schedule that included duals against Central Michigan, Oklahoma State, Nebraska, Boise State and Cornell. They keep the pressure on in the 2012 season with duals against Cornell, Central Michigan, Oklahoma State and Iowa State. They will once again travel to the Southern Scuffle and participate in the National Duals.
Realistically Minnesota's goal should be to crack the top 5. Unless a couple of the wrestlers step up big time, a national championship is simply out of reach for them. They will still be a very tough dual team and make a lot of noise through the season. For the immediate future, Minnesota will continue to be the vanguard into the elite of the Big Ten.
Tech. Falls: 21
Major Decisions: 101
Vs. PSU: Tie 18-18
Recruiting
The Golden Gopher 2011 recruiting class included the #5, #76, #79 and #138 recruits (d1wrestling.com). The only big gain there (and it is a big gain) was #5 Logan Storley (174lb). This class won't be enough to put the gold in the Golden Gophers (eh, see what I did there? Extremely dorky). Anything the 2011 class lacked they are trying very hard to make up for in the 2012 class. Minnesota already has commitments from the Intermat preseason #56, #48 and #6 recruits. Currently this is not a lineup in need of a lot of new talent, so look for them to continue trying to fill holes as they come rather than bring in one monster class.
2012 Outlook
Perhaps the depressing thing for Minnesota wrestling fans is that the only teams who finished ahead of them in the Big Ten are only expected to get better. Robinson and his staff put together a challenging 2011 schedule that included duals against Central Michigan, Oklahoma State, Nebraska, Boise State and Cornell. They keep the pressure on in the 2012 season with duals against Cornell, Central Michigan, Oklahoma State and Iowa State. They will once again travel to the Southern Scuffle and participate in the National Duals.
Realistically Minnesota's goal should be to crack the top 5. Unless a couple of the wrestlers step up big time, a national championship is simply out of reach for them. They will still be a very tough dual team and make a lot of noise through the season. For the immediate future, Minnesota will continue to be the vanguard into the elite of the Big Ten.
Tuesday, September 27, 2011
Big Ten Preview: Wisconsin
Badger badger badger badger - mushroom mushroom
For anyone who doesn't understand the above reference, see this link (http://www.badgerbadgerbadger.com/). The 2011 season for the Badgers was one plagued by snake bites (if you watched the above never ending video, there is a nice snake reference) and under achievement. Despite all of that, the Wisconsin squad still managed a top 10 NCAA finish with the help of some very good tournament wrestlers. However I look into my crystal ball and see a grim outlook in the not-to-distant future (I can't actually afford real crystal so the ball is just made of belly lint). Olympic red shirts and coaching losses will have this Badger squad taking a pounding in 2012. Strong recruiting and the return of the red shirts (sounds like a bad movie title) will make for a stud 2013 squad, but will they be able to maintain the program after that with the coaching fallout? More to come!
2011 Summary
Wisconsin put seven wrestlers into the NCAA tournament and had excellent results with four of them achieving All American status (remember, good tournament wrestling, stinky-smelly dual wrestling).
Name: Tyler Graff (133)
Record: 37 - 5
Status: Junior (Olympic Red Shirt)
Big Ten place: 2nd
NCAA place: All American 5th
Notable win(s): none
Season ended when: Won three straight then met a freight train named Jordan Oliver (OSU, 2-5), lost to Scotti Sentes (CM, 0-5) then beat Mike grey (Cornell, 7-2) for 5th
Vs. PSU: Whooped by Long twice 5-12 and SV 3-7
Name: Cole Schmitt (149)
Record: 24 - 13
Status: Junior
Big Ten place: 8th
NCAA place: Round of 24
Notable win(s): Ganbayar Sanjaa (American, 4-3)
Season ended when: Won one then got sha-lacked by Ganbayar Sanjaa (American, fall) and eliminated by Cole Dallaserra (Wy, 5-15)
Vs. PSU: Lost to Molinaro 1-9
Name: Andrew Howe (165)
Record: 27 - 3
Status: Senior (Olympic Red Shirt)
Big Ten place: Champion
NCAA place: All American 3rd
Notable win(s): none
Season ended when: Won three, lost to Tyler Caldwell (Ok, SV 3-2) then beat Josh Asper (Maryland, 3-1) and Colt Sponseller (Oh St., 6-4) for 3rd
Vs. PSU: Beat Vollrath 19-6
Name: Ben Jordan (174)
Record: 20 - 13
Status: Junior
Big Ten place: 6th
NCAA place: Round of 32
Notable win(s): none
Season ended when: Two straight losses to Nick Amuchastegui (Standford, 1-13) and Rob Morrison (Rider, 7-9)
Vs. PSU: Lost to Ruth 5-8
Name: Travis Rutt (184)
Record: 37 - 4
Status: Senior
Big Ten place: 3rd
NCAA place: All American 7th
Notable win(s): Robert Hamlin (Lehigh, 6-4)
Season ended when: Won two, lost to Grant Gambrall (Iowa, TB2 2-4), won one, lost to Chris Honeycutt (Edinboro, 5-6) then beat Kevin Steinhaus (Minn, 4-2) for 3rd
Vs. PSU: Split with Wright win by fall, lost 3-4
Name: Trevor Brandvold (197)
Record: 18 - 2
Status: Graduated
Big Ten place: Champion
NCAA place: All American 4th
Notable win(s): none
Season ended when: Won three, lost to Clayton Foster (OSU, 3-4), beat Luke Lofthouse then lost to Cam Simaz (Cornell, 2-5) for 4th
Vs. PSU: Pinned Ruggear
Name: Eric Bugenhagen (HWT)
Record: 29 - 13
Status: Graduated
Big Ten place: 3rd
NCAA place: Round of 24
Notable win(s): none
Season ended when: Won one, then lost two straight to Dominique Bradley (Missouri, RT TB2) and Spencer Myers (Maryland, 2-3)
Vs. PSU: Split with Wade 2-5 and 4-3
With two of their qualifiers graduating and three more taking Olympic Red Shirts, only two will be returning to the lineup this Fall. This is basically like an entire football team quitting except for the cheerleaders (we've got spirit!). Unlike Nebraska the Badgers don't have three potential studs coming off unattached seasons either. Apparently the badger has been muzzled. Wait the coaching situation is a mess? The strong recruiting class will help though right? Uh oh...
2011 Summary
Wisconsin put seven wrestlers into the NCAA tournament and had excellent results with four of them achieving All American status (remember, good tournament wrestling, stinky-smelly dual wrestling).
Record: 37 - 5
Status: Junior (Olympic Red Shirt)
Big Ten place: 2nd
NCAA place: All American 5th
Notable win(s): none
Season ended when: Won three straight then met a freight train named Jordan Oliver (OSU, 2-5), lost to Scotti Sentes (CM, 0-5) then beat Mike grey (Cornell, 7-2) for 5th
Vs. PSU: Whooped by Long twice 5-12 and SV 3-7
Record: 24 - 13
Status: Junior
Big Ten place: 8th
NCAA place: Round of 24
Notable win(s): Ganbayar Sanjaa (American, 4-3)
Season ended when: Won one then got sha-lacked by Ganbayar Sanjaa (American, fall) and eliminated by Cole Dallaserra (Wy, 5-15)
Vs. PSU: Lost to Molinaro 1-9
Record: 27 - 3
Status: Senior (Olympic Red Shirt)
Big Ten place: Champion
NCAA place: All American 3rd
Notable win(s): none
Season ended when: Won three, lost to Tyler Caldwell (Ok, SV 3-2) then beat Josh Asper (Maryland, 3-1) and Colt Sponseller (Oh St., 6-4) for 3rd
Vs. PSU: Beat Vollrath 19-6
Name: Ben Jordan (174)Record: 20 - 13
Status: Junior
Big Ten place: 6th
NCAA place: Round of 32
Notable win(s): none
Season ended when: Two straight losses to Nick Amuchastegui (Standford, 1-13) and Rob Morrison (Rider, 7-9)
Vs. PSU: Lost to Ruth 5-8
Record: 37 - 4
Status: Senior
Big Ten place: 3rd
NCAA place: All American 7th
Notable win(s): Robert Hamlin (Lehigh, 6-4)
Season ended when: Won two, lost to Grant Gambrall (Iowa, TB2 2-4), won one, lost to Chris Honeycutt (Edinboro, 5-6) then beat Kevin Steinhaus (Minn, 4-2) for 3rd
Vs. PSU: Split with Wright win by fall, lost 3-4
Record: 18 - 2
Status: Graduated
Big Ten place: Champion
NCAA place: All American 4th
Notable win(s): none
Season ended when: Won three, lost to Clayton Foster (OSU, 3-4), beat Luke Lofthouse then lost to Cam Simaz (Cornell, 2-5) for 4th
Vs. PSU: Pinned Ruggear
Name: Eric Bugenhagen (HWT)Record: 29 - 13
Status: Graduated
Big Ten place: 3rd
NCAA place: Round of 24
Notable win(s): none
Season ended when: Won one, then lost two straight to Dominique Bradley (Missouri, RT TB2) and Spencer Myers (Maryland, 2-3)
Vs. PSU: Split with Wade 2-5 and 4-3
With two of their qualifiers graduating and three more taking Olympic Red Shirts, only two will be returning to the lineup this Fall. This is basically like an entire football team quitting except for the cheerleaders (we've got spirit!). Unlike Nebraska the Badgers don't have three potential studs coming off unattached seasons either. Apparently the badger has been muzzled. Wait the coaching situation is a mess? The strong recruiting class will help though right? Uh oh...
2011 Team Stats
Dual Record: 11 - 6 - 1 (3 - 5 - 1 in Big Ten)
Big Ten Championship: 4th
NCAA Championship: 10th
Cliff Keen Invitational: 2nd
Midlands: 2nd
Individual Record: 428 - 248
Pins: 73
Tech. Falls: 20
Major Decisions: 67
Vs. PSU: Loss 12-30
Recruiting
The Badgers looked downright rabid (full on mouth froth, like cupcake icing...it's always the frothy icing that tastes the best) as their 2011 recruiting class came together. Badger wrestling nation celebrated at the announcement that then #1 recruit in the nation Destin McCauley committed to Wisconsin. McCauley amassed a crazy 238-7 record through high school which included four Minnesota state championships as well as various national tournament titles. Furthermore they bagged the #4 recruit and Greco-Roman standout Jesse Thielke for who the argument could be made that his resume is just as impressive if not more so than McCauley's. The class also included the D1 Wrestling #62 and#84 recruits.
Excitement began to die down when McCauley suffered a huge loss at the Dapper Dan. Destin was dominated early by Mike Ottinger from Parkland, PA on his feet and on the ground. The future Badger's comeback attempt wasn't quite enough and Ottinger emerged the winner 6-4. There was almost unanimous agreement that Morgan McIntosh was the #1 recruit and Destin #2 after this (gasp!). As the summer progressed on the Badger fans would also learn that Destin McCauley and Jesse Thielke had qualified for the 2012 Olympics and would be spending a year training before enrolling at Wisconsin. The huge recruiting class went from outstanding to mediocre.
2012 Outlook
It came as a huge surprise to the wrestling community when Dan Pritzlaff and Jared Frayer left their assistant coaching jobs in back to back weeks. Eventually Pritzlaff landed in Michigan and Frayer joined the new staff at Oklahoma. Both were standout assistant coaches who will undoubtedly be head coaches some day, so the mysterious departures were very confusing at first. The eventual story that came out (short version...mmm, short cake) was that head coach Barry Davis told Pritzlaff that he was going to hand the program over in 3-5 years. Pritzlaff and Frayer helped build the program back up to a national power, which "surprisingly" reinvigorated Davis, who decided he wanted to stay on an additional 3-5 years. Feeling slighted, Pritzlaff departed after AD Barry Alvarez basically gave him the hairy finger. Being not a fan of the deuche slam that Pritzlaff took, Frayer departed as well, leaving a gaping hole in the staff. It will be felt even worse considering national champion Andrew Howe (who is taking an Olympic Red Shirt year) has said he will follow Pritzlaff to Michigan for his final year of eligibility. Basically the 2012 season will make this team look like a badger that has been muzzled, de-clawed and violated...many times.
Their only prestigious out of conference dual in 2011 was against Virginia Tech. In 2012 they don't even have that. The Badgers will once again travel to the Cliff Keen Invitational and Midlands tournaments. I would assume Davis was eager to promote his grapplers to take Olympic Red Shirts. If they can come back a year later and make a huge impact for the team, it will make Davis look like he has everything under control. He will hope that will be enough to keep recruiting up, but if it isn't then he can ride out the wave of good wrestlers and then hand the reigns of a failing program off to someone else. Expect this team to plummet in the Big Ten this season...like a badger falling off a cliff.
Excitement began to die down when McCauley suffered a huge loss at the Dapper Dan. Destin was dominated early by Mike Ottinger from Parkland, PA on his feet and on the ground. The future Badger's comeback attempt wasn't quite enough and Ottinger emerged the winner 6-4. There was almost unanimous agreement that Morgan McIntosh was the #1 recruit and Destin #2 after this (gasp!). As the summer progressed on the Badger fans would also learn that Destin McCauley and Jesse Thielke had qualified for the 2012 Olympics and would be spending a year training before enrolling at Wisconsin. The huge recruiting class went from outstanding to mediocre.
2012 Outlook
It came as a huge surprise to the wrestling community when Dan Pritzlaff and Jared Frayer left their assistant coaching jobs in back to back weeks. Eventually Pritzlaff landed in Michigan and Frayer joined the new staff at Oklahoma. Both were standout assistant coaches who will undoubtedly be head coaches some day, so the mysterious departures were very confusing at first. The eventual story that came out (short version...mmm, short cake) was that head coach Barry Davis told Pritzlaff that he was going to hand the program over in 3-5 years. Pritzlaff and Frayer helped build the program back up to a national power, which "surprisingly" reinvigorated Davis, who decided he wanted to stay on an additional 3-5 years. Feeling slighted, Pritzlaff departed after AD Barry Alvarez basically gave him the hairy finger. Being not a fan of the deuche slam that Pritzlaff took, Frayer departed as well, leaving a gaping hole in the staff. It will be felt even worse considering national champion Andrew Howe (who is taking an Olympic Red Shirt year) has said he will follow Pritzlaff to Michigan for his final year of eligibility. Basically the 2012 season will make this team look like a badger that has been muzzled, de-clawed and violated...many times.
Their only prestigious out of conference dual in 2011 was against Virginia Tech. In 2012 they don't even have that. The Badgers will once again travel to the Cliff Keen Invitational and Midlands tournaments. I would assume Davis was eager to promote his grapplers to take Olympic Red Shirts. If they can come back a year later and make a huge impact for the team, it will make Davis look like he has everything under control. He will hope that will be enough to keep recruiting up, but if it isn't then he can ride out the wave of good wrestlers and then hand the reigns of a failing program off to someone else. Expect this team to plummet in the Big Ten this season...like a badger falling off a cliff.
Thursday, September 15, 2011
Big Ten Preview: Nebraska
Welcome to Big Ten wrestling. Prepare to have your teeth kicked in.
This preview will be a bit different since 2012 will be the first year Nebraska participates in the Big Ten sports schedule. Really the only thing that will be different is it will be Big 12 places earned rather than Big Ten, and I'll try to be a little easier on them since they didn't wrestle a Big Ten schedule last season. Overall I think this is a good gain for Big Ten wrestling, plus having Big Ten competition should only boost recruiting and performance of the Cornhusker squad overall.
The 2011 season was a pretty good one for Nebraska. They almost broke the top 10 at the NCAA tournament while crowning a national champion in Jordan Burroughs who blew through the 165 field and is already representing the US at the world championships. A strong recruiting class promises that this is a squad primed to enter the Big Ten.
2011 Summary
The Cornhuskers qualified seven wrestlers for the NCAA tournament and produced one national champion with no additional All Americans. Things will look a lot different this year for Nebraska at the conference championship since there were only five teams in the Big 12 (only 5!? that's sad...which included Oklahoma State, Oklahoma, Iowa State, Missouri and Nebraska, so now only 4 teams). This means more qualifying spots for Nebraska, but also a lot more tough competition standing in the way. Unfortunately one of their qualifiers (David Klingsheim) has transferred so he can live in North Carolina closer to his family. On the other hand the 165 finalist Tyler Caldwell has transferred to Nebraska.
Name: David Klingsheim (125)
Record: 12 - 11
Status: TRANSFERRED
Big 12 place: Champion
NCAA place: Round of 32
Notable win(s): Jarrod Patterson (Oklahoma, 2-0)
Season ended when: Two straight losses to Sean Boyle (Michigan, 1-8) and Manuel Ramirez (NC Greensboro, 7-19)
Vs. PSU: none
Name: Ridge Kiley (133)
Record: 22 - 15
Status: Junior
Big 12 place: 4th
NCAA place: Round of 24
Notable win(s): none
Season ended when: Lost opening bout to Tyler Graff (Wisconsin, 6-19), won one then lost to Flint Ray (Utah Valley, 0-7)
Vs. PSU: none
Name: Mike Koehnlein (141)
Record: 17 - 15
Status: Graduated
Big 12 place: 4th
NCAA place: Round of 32
Notable win(s): none
Season ended when: Unlucky draw of Kellen Russell (Michigan, 1-3) then lost to Vincente Varela (Hofstra, 1-12)
Vs. PSU: none
Name: Tyler Caldwell (165)
Record: 32 - 6
Status: Junior (2012 Olympic Red Shirt)
Big 12 place: 2nd
NCAA place: All American 2nd
Notable win(s): Andrew Howe (Wisconsin, 3-2)
Season ended when: Beat by Jordan Burroughs for the third time that season in the NCAA finals (Nebraska, 3-11)
Vs. PSU: none
Name: Jordan Burroughs (165)
Record: 36 - 0
Status: Graduated
Big 12 place: Champion
NCAA place: Champion
Notable win(s): Many
Season ended when: Defeated Tyler Caldwell (Oklahoma, 11-3) to win the title
Vs. PSU: none
Name: Josh Ihnen (184)
Record: 28 - 10
Status: Junior
Big 12 place: 2nd
NCAA place: Round of 12
Notable win(s): none
Season ended when: Second round loss to Chris Perry (OSU, 2-5), won two then lost to Chris Honeycutt (Edinboro, 3-4)
Vs. PSU: none
Name: Andy Johnson (197)
Record: 28 - 13
Status: Senior
Big 12 place: 4th
NCAA place: Round of 16
Notable win(s): none
Season ended when: Second round loss to Cam Simaz (Cornell, 4-8), eliminated by Sonny Yahn (Minn, 1-3)
Vs. PSU: none
Name: Tucker Lane (HWT)
Record: 31 - 9
Status: Senior
Big 12 place: 3rd
NCAA place: Round of 12
Notable win(s): none
Season ended when: Won 2 then lost back to back to Ryan Flores (American, 2-5) and Spencer Myers (Maryland, 2-9)
Vs. PSU: none
At first glance Nebraska will certainly be hurting with their 2012 lineup. They lost Burroughs and their biggest impact wrestler in Tyler Caldwell is taking an Olympic Red Shirt year. While Klingsheim was young and hadn't performed particularly well, he was still a wrestler with NCAA experience under his belt. All in all this depletes the lineup pretty bad, leaving Lane, Johnson and Ihnen as the best chances for All Americans in 2012. However there are three wrestlers waiting in the wings that had great unattached seasons.
Spencer Johnson went 31-8 unattached at 184, James Nakashima went 32-5 at 184 and Robert Kokesh went 34-0 at 165. The impact these guys can have is unknown right now, which puts an interesting question mark on the team.
Spencer Johnson went 31-8 unattached at 184, James Nakashima went 32-5 at 184 and Robert Kokesh went 34-0 at 165. The impact these guys can have is unknown right now, which puts an interesting question mark on the team.
2011 Team Stats
Dual Record: 14 - 5 (1 - 2 vs Big Ten)
Big 12 Championship: 4th
NCAA Championship: 12th
Midlands: 9th
Individual Record: 517 - 288 (lots of Opens wrestled)
Pins: 98
Tech. Falls: 39
Major Decisions: 87
Vs. PSU: none
Recruiting
Nebraska had a great recruiting class in 2011 which included #16, #20, #22, #90 and #120 recruits. Include Tyler Caldwell into that list and you have a very good class for Nebraska. Being in the Big Ten now hopefully their recruiting will get even better.
2012 Outlook
Things are a bit of a mystery for Nebraska right now. With Burroughs and Klingsheim gone, as well as Caldwell taking an Olympic Red Shirt, its' hard to predict what kind of lineup shuffling will take place. This will still be a team good enough to challenge for a spot in the upper half of the Big Ten. I suspect they will be about on par with Michigan. Their first season in the Big Ten will be rough, but not terrible.
Their 2011 schedule included duals against Minnesota, Wisconsin, Pitt and Wyoming. The 2012 season starts with a strange trip to Bucknell for a dual. Other duals of note include Kent State, Boise State and Wyoming. They will also be traveling to the Las Vegas Invitational and participating in the National Duals. All in all it's not a terribly ambitious schedule, but still challenging enough for their first year in conference.
Tuesday, September 13, 2011
Big Ten Preview: Michigan
Napoleon Dynamite kills wolverines
Michigan? On the rise? I dare say it is so. A top half finish in the Big Ten and 15th at the NCAA tournament already shows the strides this program is taking. They recently revamped their wrestling facilities in order to show their renewed dedication to the sport. Michigan becoming a power is not a lock yet. The recent recruiting classes have been poor, yet a new coaching acquisition in Donny Pritzlaff may turn that around.
2011 Summary
Michigan put eight wrestlers into the NCAA tournament (distancing themselves easily from every other team covered so far). Of the eight only one made All American, who was also a national champion.
Name: Sean Boyle (125)
Record: 28 - 15
Status: Junior
Big Ten place: 4th
NCAA place: Round of 12
Notable win(s): none
Season ended when: Second round loss to Matt McDonough (Iowa, 4-14), won twice then lost to Jarrod Patterson (Oklahoma, 2-4)
Vs. PSU: Beat Patakay three times (11-3, 9-5, 8-1), beat Nate Morgan (6-2), lost to Pataky (2-8) and lost to Martellotti (3-9)
Name: Zac Stevens (133)
Record: 22 - 17
Status: Senior
Big Ten place: 5th
NCAA place: Round of 16
Notable win(s): Scotti Sentes (CM, 4-3)
Season ended when: Lost to Kyle Hunter (Old Dominion, 1-3) to start, won 2 then lost to Flint Ray (Utah Valley, fall)
Vs. PSU: Lsot to Long twice 3-12 and 6-16
Name: Kellen Russell (141)
Record: 38 - 0
Status: Senior
Big Ten place: Champion
NCAA place: Champion
Notable win(s): Too many to mention
Season ended when: Defeated Borislav Novachkov (Cal Poly, 3-2) for the national title
Vs. PSU: Beat Alton three times (4-3, 2-1, 3-1)
Name: Eric Grajales (149)
Record: 18 - 14
Status: Sophomore
Big Ten place: 2nd
NCAA place: Round of 12
Notable win(s): none
Season ended when: Back to back losses to Ganbayar Sanjaa (American, 3-10) and Derek Valenti (VA, 7-9)
Vs. PSU: Lost to Molinaro twice 3-8 and 0-3
Name: Dan Yates (165)
Record: 24 - 13
Status: Sophomore
Big Ten place: 5th
NCAA place: Round of 32
Notable win(s): none
Season ended when: Opened with back to back losses to Scott Winston (Rutgers, 2-4) and Bekzod Abdurakhmonov (Clarion, 4-6)
Vs. PSU: Beat Vollrath twice (8-2, SV 3-1) and Fischer once (5-2)
Name: Justin Zeerip (174)
Record: 16 - 15
Status: Senior
Big Ten place: 8th
NCAA place: Round of 32
Notable win(s): none
Season ended when: Painful opening draw of Jon Reader (Iowa State, 3-13) then lost to Ryan Patrovich (Hofstra, 1-3)
Vs. PSU: Lost to Ruth twice 3-11 and 6-13
Name: Anthony Biondo (197)
Record: 23 - 14
Status: Graduated
Big Ten place: DNP
NCAA place: Round of 24
Notable win(s): none
Season ended when: Lost to Sonny Yohn (Minn, 1-6) then later to John Hall (Boston U, 2-4)
Vs. PSU: Beat Ortega 9-4 and Ruggear 12-3
Name: Ben Apland (HWT)
Record: 18 - 16
Status: Junior
Big Ten place: 6th
NCAA place: Round of 24
Notable win(s): Jarod Trice (CM, 6-2)
Season ended when: Pinned by Ryan Flores (American), won one then lost to Anthony Nelson (Minn, 0-2)
Vs. PSU: Lost to Wade four times 2-4, 0-3, fall and 0-9
With the return of national champion Kellen Russell the Michigan squad looks to have good leadership with 6 of the other 7 NCAA qualifiers returning. Grajales did not look strong for most of the season, but with it being his first year of competition he apparently learned quickly and came on strong to take a second place finish at the Big Ten's after being seeded 6th. This should give him a big confidence boost heading into the 2012 campaign. Dan Yates and Ben Apland look to be the other wrestlers that could show big improvement, although Apland seemed to fizzle out as the 2011 season went on. Either way, not counting wrestler waiting in the wings, Michigan will once again field a strong squad in 2012.
Recruiting
Michigan's 2011 recruiting class was rather bad. It had no ranked recruits in it, however with as young as Michigan's team is they most likely felt no need to be heavy on recruiting. Still even when a team doesn't need much they should at least go hard after one or two top tier recruits. However their 2012 recruiting class is shaping up to be a big one.
Early on in the pre-season recruiting #35 Jordan Thomas from Greenville, Michigan gave a verbal commitment. Jordan has a 172 - 3 record with a second place finish as a freshman and two state titles. He has participated in junior nationals freestyle but hasn't placed higher than 5th. Jordan is projected to wrestle at 174/184 in college.
Just recently Michigan landed an even bigger verbal commitment from #12 Rossi Bruno (Brandon, FL). Rossi has accrued a record of 228 - 3 over four state championships. In 2011 he was a champion at the prestigious Clash folkstyle tournament, an NHSCA Junior National folkstyle champion, a Junior Nationals greco-roman champion and a Junior nationals freestyle 3rd place finisher. Additionally in 2010 he finished second at the Super 32 Challenge. Rossi is projected to wrestle at 125/133 in college.
2012 Outlook
Michigan had a solid 2011 season and will look to repeat the performance in 2012. Kellen Russell is the favorite to repeat as a national title. Expect the Wolverines to be at the lower end of the top half of the Big Ten. Keep an eye on their 2012 recruiting class as it continues to build since it could be one of the best they have ever had.
Michigan's 2011 schedule included duals against Lehigh (twice), Central Michigan and Pitt along with a trip to the Southern Scuffle. In 2012 the Wolverines will have only three non-conference duals including Pitt and Central Michigan. Instead of going to the Southern Scuffle they will participate in the Cliff Keen Invitational as well as the Mat Town Invitational. Overall the schedule outside of the Big Ten is weaker, which is disappointing for a team that is supposedly trying to ramp up its program.
Vs. PSU: Lsot to Long twice 3-12 and 6-16
Record: 38 - 0
Status: Senior
Big Ten place: Champion
NCAA place: Champion
Notable win(s): Too many to mention
Season ended when: Defeated Borislav Novachkov (Cal Poly, 3-2) for the national title
Vs. PSU: Beat Alton three times (4-3, 2-1, 3-1)
Record: 18 - 14
Status: Sophomore
Big Ten place: 2nd
NCAA place: Round of 12
Notable win(s): none
Season ended when: Back to back losses to Ganbayar Sanjaa (American, 3-10) and Derek Valenti (VA, 7-9)
Vs. PSU: Lost to Molinaro twice 3-8 and 0-3
Record: 24 - 13
Status: Sophomore
Big Ten place: 5th
NCAA place: Round of 32
Notable win(s): none
Season ended when: Opened with back to back losses to Scott Winston (Rutgers, 2-4) and Bekzod Abdurakhmonov (Clarion, 4-6)
Vs. PSU: Beat Vollrath twice (8-2, SV 3-1) and Fischer once (5-2)
Record: 16 - 15
Status: Senior
Big Ten place: 8th
NCAA place: Round of 32
Notable win(s): none
Season ended when: Painful opening draw of Jon Reader (Iowa State, 3-13) then lost to Ryan Patrovich (Hofstra, 1-3)
Vs. PSU: Lost to Ruth twice 3-11 and 6-13
Record: 23 - 14
Status: Graduated
Big Ten place: DNP
NCAA place: Round of 24
Notable win(s): none
Season ended when: Lost to Sonny Yohn (Minn, 1-6) then later to John Hall (Boston U, 2-4)
Vs. PSU: Beat Ortega 9-4 and Ruggear 12-3
Record: 18 - 16
Status: Junior
Big Ten place: 6th
NCAA place: Round of 24
Notable win(s): Jarod Trice (CM, 6-2)
Season ended when: Pinned by Ryan Flores (American), won one then lost to Anthony Nelson (Minn, 0-2)
Vs. PSU: Lost to Wade four times 2-4, 0-3, fall and 0-9
With the return of national champion Kellen Russell the Michigan squad looks to have good leadership with 6 of the other 7 NCAA qualifiers returning. Grajales did not look strong for most of the season, but with it being his first year of competition he apparently learned quickly and came on strong to take a second place finish at the Big Ten's after being seeded 6th. This should give him a big confidence boost heading into the 2012 campaign. Dan Yates and Ben Apland look to be the other wrestlers that could show big improvement, although Apland seemed to fizzle out as the 2011 season went on. Either way, not counting wrestler waiting in the wings, Michigan will once again field a strong squad in 2012.
2011 Team Stats
Dual Record: 11 - 5 (6 - 4 in Big Ten)
Big Ten Championship: 5th
NCAA Championship: 15th
Southern Scuffle: 4th
Individual Record: 332 - 248
Pins: 49
Tech. Falls: 12
Major Decisions: 61
Vs. PSU: Lost twice 12-24, 13-28
Recruiting
Michigan's 2011 recruiting class was rather bad. It had no ranked recruits in it, however with as young as Michigan's team is they most likely felt no need to be heavy on recruiting. Still even when a team doesn't need much they should at least go hard after one or two top tier recruits. However their 2012 recruiting class is shaping up to be a big one.
Early on in the pre-season recruiting #35 Jordan Thomas from Greenville, Michigan gave a verbal commitment. Jordan has a 172 - 3 record with a second place finish as a freshman and two state titles. He has participated in junior nationals freestyle but hasn't placed higher than 5th. Jordan is projected to wrestle at 174/184 in college.
Just recently Michigan landed an even bigger verbal commitment from #12 Rossi Bruno (Brandon, FL). Rossi has accrued a record of 228 - 3 over four state championships. In 2011 he was a champion at the prestigious Clash folkstyle tournament, an NHSCA Junior National folkstyle champion, a Junior Nationals greco-roman champion and a Junior nationals freestyle 3rd place finisher. Additionally in 2010 he finished second at the Super 32 Challenge. Rossi is projected to wrestle at 125/133 in college.
2012 Outlook
Michigan had a solid 2011 season and will look to repeat the performance in 2012. Kellen Russell is the favorite to repeat as a national title. Expect the Wolverines to be at the lower end of the top half of the Big Ten. Keep an eye on their 2012 recruiting class as it continues to build since it could be one of the best they have ever had.
Michigan's 2011 schedule included duals against Lehigh (twice), Central Michigan and Pitt along with a trip to the Southern Scuffle. In 2012 the Wolverines will have only three non-conference duals including Pitt and Central Michigan. Instead of going to the Southern Scuffle they will participate in the Cliff Keen Invitational as well as the Mat Town Invitational. Overall the schedule outside of the Big Ten is weaker, which is disappointing for a team that is supposedly trying to ramp up its program.
Wednesday, September 7, 2011
Big Ten Preview: Illinois
We are good. Wait, Jimmy Kennedy graduated? Crap.
Illinois continues to be a team that has enough good wrestlers to stay in a dual, but not enough of a caliber that can make them a threat in tournaments. If their 2010 recruiting (#7, #25) is any sign of things to come, they will continue to be that type of team. Without one or two monster recruiting classes, Illinois will be a squad that has had enough wrestlers come through to make them a national champ, just not all quite at the same time.
2011 Summary
The Fighting Illini qualified five grapplers for the NCAA tournament and produced two All Americans.
Name: B.J. Futrell (133)
Record: 27 - 10
Status: Junior
Big Ten place: 4th
NCAA place: All American 8th
Notable win(s): Tony Ramos (9-6)
Season ended when: Dropped into wrestleback with loss to Andrew Hochstrasser (Boise St, 2-10), won a match into All American, lost to Scotti Sentes (CM, 0-4) then lost the 7th/8th place match to Lou Ruggirello (Hofstra, 6-9)
Vs. PSU: Lost twice to Long 6-9 and 2-7
Name: Jimmy Kennedy (141)
Record: 23 - 4
Status: Graduated
Big Ten place: 3rd
NCAA place: 5th
Notable win(s): none
Season ended when: Lost to Montell Marion (Iowa, 7-8) early, won wrestlebacks until pinned by Michael Thorn (Minn), then beat Todd Schavrien (Missouri, 11-1) for 5th
Vs. PSU: Beat Alton twice 5-3 and 6-2
Name: Eric Terrazas (149)
Record: 26 - 11
Status: Senior
Big Ten place: 5th
NCAA place: Round of 16
Notable win(s): none
Season ended when: Put into wrestleback by Jamal Parks (OSU, 1-3), won one match then was eliminated by Torsten Gillespie (Edinboro, 3-6)
Vs. PSU: Lost to Molinaro twice 0-5 and 0-4
Name: Jackson Morse (157)
Record: 22 - 13
Status: Sophomore
Big Ten place: 7th
NCAA place: Round of 32
Notable win(s): none
Season ended when: Lost his first two bouts to Bryce Saddoris (Navy, 4-13) and Corey Mock (NC, 10-12)
Vs. PSU: Lost to Taylor 10-26
Name: Tony Dallago (184)
Record: 16 - 17
Status: Sophomore
Big Ten place: 6th
NCAA place: Round of 32
Notable win(s): Quentin Wright (PSU, 8-7)
Season ended when: Two straight losses to start the tournament to Chris Perry (OSU, 5-11) and Matt Ryan (West Virginia, 1-10)
Vs. PSU: Split matches with Wright 8-7 and 5-8
Jimmy Kennedy suffered an injury part way through the season but was still able to come back and finish an impressive season in the deepest weight class in the Big Ten and quite possibly the nation. Still he was undoubtedly the leader of the squad and having graduated they will need to look to someone else to step up and rally the Fighting Illini. I don't see any of these guys being that person. Futrell still has two years but his performance was inconsistent. This will be interesting to watch going forward.
Record: 22 - 13
Status: Sophomore
Big Ten place: 7th
NCAA place: Round of 32
Notable win(s): none
Season ended when: Lost his first two bouts to Bryce Saddoris (Navy, 4-13) and Corey Mock (NC, 10-12)
Vs. PSU: Lost to Taylor 10-26
Record: 16 - 17
Status: Sophomore
Big Ten place: 6th
NCAA place: Round of 32
Notable win(s): Quentin Wright (PSU, 8-7)
Season ended when: Two straight losses to start the tournament to Chris Perry (OSU, 5-11) and Matt Ryan (West Virginia, 1-10)
Vs. PSU: Split matches with Wright 8-7 and 5-8
Jimmy Kennedy suffered an injury part way through the season but was still able to come back and finish an impressive season in the deepest weight class in the Big Ten and quite possibly the nation. Still he was undoubtedly the leader of the squad and having graduated they will need to look to someone else to step up and rally the Fighting Illini. I don't see any of these guys being that person. Futrell still has two years but his performance was inconsistent. This will be interesting to watch going forward.
2011 Team Stats
Dual Record: 6 - 5 - 1 (3 - 4 - 1 in Big Ten)
Big Ten Championship: 6th
NCAA Championship: 22nd
Midlands: 10th
Individual Record: 227 - 179
Pins: 32
Tech. Falls: 13
Major Decisions: 46
Vs. PSU: Loss 13 - 23
Recruiting
The 2011 Fighting Illini class had #78 Caleb Ervin and #94 Chris Lopez so hopefully they didn't need much, because for a Big Ten school that is a bad recruiting class. Of note though is that the #11 Intermat recruit, Nikko Reyes, has verbally committed to the 2012 class. Reyes, from CA, has a current record of 155-14 with a 3rd place finish and a state championship. He also has NHSCA Junior Nationals Folkstyle champion.
2012 Outlook
Expect big things from this 2012 Fighting Illini squad...if big things for you aren't very big. Futrell will likely be the only grappler with a real shot of achieving All American unless some very talented freshman come out of the wings. They likely won't move far in either direction from their 6th place Big Ten finish in 2011.
The only potentially challenging non-conference duals on the 2011 schedule were Missouri and West Virginia. Overall it was a short and weak schedule. The 2012 schedule has not been released yet but hopefully it includes more events of a high caliber, otherwise Illinois isn't doing themselves any favors.
Monday, September 5, 2011
Big Ten Preview: Northwestern
We're not just doctors, you know. We wrestle too.
Northwestern wrestling has never exactly been stellar, and the 2011 season was an extension of that. Not good but not terrible. This is a team that finds themselves at a fork in the road. Northwestern's 2010 recruiting class was a big one including the #6, #14, #21, #47 and #73 recruits. Most of them took a red shirt in 2011 and will be entering the lineup in 2012. If Northwestern can achieve big success this year then they can look to keep a big boost to recruiting, going down the fork of a year-in year-out good Northwestern team. If the 2012 team fizzles out then they will sit back into relative obscurity, content to stay in the middle to bottom of the Big Ten.
2011 Summary
The Wildcats qualified 5 grapplers for the NCAA tournament and 3 of them attained All American status, giving them a big boost over the other mediocre teams in the Big Ten.
Name: Brandon Precin (125)
Record: 33 - 3
Status: Graduated
Big Ten place: 2nd
NCAA place: All American 3rd
Notable win(s): Matt McDonough (3-1)
Season ended when: McDonough beat him for the 3rd time (1-3), eventually beat Ben Kjar (Utah Valley, 5-0) for 3rd
Vs. PSU: none
Name: Levi Mele (133)
Record: 18 - 11
Status: Junior
Big Ten place: 8th
NCAA place: Round of 16
Notable win(s): none
Season ended when: Lost to Devin Carter (Va. Tech, 3-13)
Vs. PSU: none
Name: Caleb Friedley (141)
Record: 25 - 11
Status: Sophomore
Big Ten place: 6th
NCAA place: Round of 32
Notable win(s): none
Season ended when: Back to back losses to Matt Mariacher (American, 2-7) and Anwar Goeres (Binghamton, 8-11)
Vs. PSU: Lost to Alton 4-6
Name: Andrew Nadhir (149)
Record: 33 - 8
Status: Graduated
Big Ten place: 4th
NCAA place: All American 6th
Notable win(s): Kevin LeValley (Bucknell, 6-5)
Season ended when: Pinned in opening round by Joe Napoli (Lehigh), wrestleback wins until beaten by Ganbayar Sanjaa (American, 1-5) then beaten by Jamal Parks (OSU, 2-6) for 6th.
Vs. PSU: none
Name: Jason Welch (157)
Record: 29 - 7
Status: Junior
Big Ten place: 3rd
NCAA place: All American 6th
Notable win(s): Adam Hall (Boise St., 3-1)
Season ended when: Suffered three losses in a row to Bubba Jenkins (ASU, 5-8), Derek St. John (Iowa, 1-6) and Adam Hall (Boise St., 1-5)
Vs. PSU: none
The Wildcats are losing their two best wrestlers but are gaining a lot of strong freshman coming off red shirts as discussed at the top of the review. Welch will come back even better in 2012 and have an advantage if he can remain at 157 with both David Taylor and Derek St. John moving up to 165.
2011 Team Stats
Dual Record: 18 - 2 (6 - 2 in Big Ten)
Big Ten Championship: 7th
NCAA Championship: Tied for 13th
Midlands: Tied for 13th
Individual Record: 349 - 202
Pins: 74
Tech. Falls: 23
Major Decisions: 60
Vs. PSU: none
Recruiting
With the outstanding 2010 recruiting class, recruiting in 2011 was not a priority for Northwestern. They nabbed one top 150 recruit in #124 Jameson Oster. With a relatively young group don't look for the recruiting to be very heavy in 2012 either.
2012 Outlook
The Wildcats will most likely not perform as well in tournaments without Brandon Precin and Andrew Nadhir who both normally go very deep. However this loss will be counter balanced by the talented wrestlers coming into the lineup. Most likely they won't perform as well when faced with Big Ten competition, but give them a year to develop more and this could be a very good team. They will still be a tough dual team in 2012.
The Wildcats wrestled an astounding 20 duals in 2011, but the schedule strength left something to be desired. Most of the teams were bad to mediocre, but Stanford and Pitt were in the mix. Their two losses came to Iowa and Michigan. In 2012 Northwestern will once again travel to the Midlands. Their schedule strength is once again okay, with Stanford included in the non-conference duals. Northwestern will keep its spot in the Big Ten ladder through 2012, looking to 2013 to make a leap forward.
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