NCAA Wrestling

[dsdoubled]

On the greco side, major props to Josef Rau. If my memory serves, he won the trials in 2016 but failed to qualify the weight. Now he just beat a Cuban to win the trials. But I believe he and quite a few others in greco and freestyle need to qualify the weight. I fear we will have more than one guy come up short. Just like Jordan Oliver did in 2020(1).

 

[Dr J]

But on the other hand, if you can defeat Taylor and make it look easy, you've got to be considered the favorite to win gold.

Agree. He’ll have a target on his back—especially once his “No false prophets, no Muhammed” speech from last year makes its way to Iran and the rest of the Muslim world.

 

[Fluffernutter]

Yazdani is going to wake up to the news of Taylor losing with a big smile on his face. The last time he lost to a guy not named Taylor, Aaron Brooks was probably 14 years-old.

I was thinking the same thing.

It's odd to think that the #2 guy in the US is the guy to more likely earn a gold.

 

[Fluffernutter]

Odd question: how many matches within the tournament were between training partners?

 

[ChickenBrother]

Watched some of the trials matches with my 8 year old son who started wrestling last year. He only got introduced to freestyle about a month ago (after the kids folkstyle season ended) but I explained who some of the big names were. His comments on some of the matches:

Helen Maroulis "looks cool" and is "a really well-built woman." She's his "favorite female wrestler" and he was glad she won.

Jordan Burroughs "looks way cooler" than Jason Nolf, who looks dumpy. Nolf also "looked dumpy" against Dake and he was "wearing a red singlet so he probably sucks."

He was glad Dake won because he "looks cool and is now his favorite male wrestler." Previously his favorite wrestler was either Jordan Burroughs or Kyle Snyder but Burroughs lost and apparently Snyder doesn't look as cool as Kyle Dake.

Sarah Hildebrandt vs. Audrey Jimenez at 50 kg was not of interest because "110 lbs is too small. That's even smaller than grandma."

Parris winning at 125 kg was "perfect because his last name is already Parris and he's going to Paris."

Coon vs. Schultz at 130 kg was not of interest because "those guys look fat and dumpy."

 

[dsdoubled]

Q

Odd question: how many matches within the tournament were between training partners?

Quite a few.
Zain Retherford vs Nick Lee
Kyle Dake vs Jason Nolf
Taylor vs Brooks

These 3 finals featured all Nittany Lions (PSU).

Gilman vs Spencer Lee are former teammates. And there were probably several more scattered throughout. Penn State is so insanely talent-rich it's just unavoidable.

 

[Dr J]

Odd question: how many matches within the tournament were between training partners?

Q

Quite a few.
Zain Retherford vs Nick Lee
Kyle Dake vs Jason Nolf
Taylor vs Brooks

These 3 finals featured all Nittany Lions (PSU).

Gilman vs Spencer Lee are former teammates. And there were probably several more scattered throughout. Penn State is so insanely talent-rich it's just unavoidable.

Mark Hall vs Max Dean is the only other that comes to mind.