Wrestling NCAA Wrestling

Marcus Blaze just beat Matt Ramos in the semis of the Clarion open. Pretty crazy—a junior in high school beating a returning NCAA finalist and #1 wrestler in the country.

Bo Bassett is another high schooler also into the finals at 133.
 
Ironically, Blaze picks up the best individual win of his career against Matt Ramos in the semis and then loses the finals.

Bo Bassett wins it.
 
Frank Mir’s daughter is wrestling for the Hawkeyes. Doesn’t look like she’s starting yet, though.
She completed in an overseas tournament for USA Wrestling a couple of weeks ago.

I wonder if she will focus on tournaments in the US unattached to keep eligibility.

By having women's NCAA wrestling freestyle, we may see more compete during Olympic years, rather than red shirt.
 
Sacred Heart: although the men's team is frequently near the bottom of the standings for men's wrestling, their women's team is ranked in the top ten
 
Just got back from Iowa vs Oregon State. Iowa is going to struggle this year—at least until the Ferraris enroll. Fans are talking about Ayala being in title contention this year. I think he’d be lucky to AA from what I just saw. Teske and 184-HWT are also glaring weak spots. Victor Voinovich won in SV but certainly doesn’t look like a top 10 team wrestler. I’ll be surprised if he doesn’t get beat out by Anthony Ferrari later in the year (already lost to him at the Luther Open in one of the most boring matches in recent memory).

On the flip side, Gabe Arnold made his debut and looked great. I’ll be surprised if the burn his redshirt, but the team looks pretty desperate. He beat #11 Travis Whittlake. His defense looks superb, but I’d like to see more offensive output from him.
 
Just got back from Iowa vs Oregon State. Iowa is going to struggle this year—at least until the Ferraris enroll. Fans are talking about Ayala being in title contention this year. I think he’d be lucky to AA from what I just saw. Teske and 184-HWT are also glaring weak spots. Victor Voinovich won in SV but certainly doesn’t look like a top 10 team wrestler. I’ll be surprised if he doesn’t get beat out by Anthony Ferrari later in the year (already lost to him at the Luther Open in one of the most boring matches in recent memory).

On the flip side, Gabe Arnold made his debut and looked great. I’ll be surprised if the burn his redshirt, but the team looks pretty desperate. He beat #11 Travis Whittlake. His defense looks superb, but I’d like to see more offensive output from him.
Would Iowa be top 5 in March if they didn't have to deal with a gambling scandal?
 
Would Iowa be top 5 in March if they didn't have to deal with a gambling scandal?
Top 3 most likely. No one is touching Penn State, and Michigan really hit the portal hard. Cornell loses Yianni, but Meyer Shapiro could pick right up where he left off. Iowa State is going to be tough, too. Iowa lost Cassioppi and Brands who were both top 5 last season, so that’s rough. Assad at least qualifies and wins a couple matches at NCAAs. I’m not sure they’re even qualifying at 184 from what I saw today.

Top 5 is still achievable but much tougher. Woods and Ferrari (strong rumors he’s in next semester) would be favored to be finalists. Franek will be in contention for a title (though having Robb and Haines in the Big 10 could see him seeded lower than last year and mess that up). Kennedy is only suspended for a few matches, but Caliendo is a like-for-like swap. Hawks should AA there this season. Gabe Arnold looks legit and is a solid Brands replacement if they pull his red shirt. He could see the podium, but I’m not sure he’s finishing top 5 this season. Ben Kueter possibly sees the podium at heavy if they pull his shirt, as well. I’d rather Iowa to sit them both this season, but something tells me Brands is under some pressure and does what’s best for him and not the future.
 


He looked fantastic leading up to the finals. I’d have loved to see him beat Nico more convincingly, but it doesn’t look like he’s struggling with an injury. Fingers crossed he can stay healthy.

A. Nico is defensively top tier.
B. They've been training together for a decade+ and have a good degree of familiarity.
 
I was trying to watch the duals while at a wrestling meet for my kids. Iowa pulled it off, but it was ugly. I have to watch a replay, but I thought Real got beat at the buzzer. Franek almost lost it at the buzzer as well. Kudos to Brands for bumping Kennedy to 174 and Arnold to 184. Huge win for the true freshman wrestling up against the #6 guy in the country.
 
What's the deal with these high schoolers beating NCAA DI wrestlers? It used to be once in a blue moon. Now, it seems a weekly occurrence.

- High schoolers training at RTCs, so they get the feel of a college wrestling room?
- NCAA wrestlers training to not peak until March?
- Year round training for the high schoolers while the NCAA wrestlers have specific "when you can train" rules to follow?
- Nagging injuries within the NCAA population?
 
Ivy going it's own way.

Does this mean Yale brings back it's team and Dartmouth starts one?
 
What's the deal with these high schoolers beating NCAA DI wrestlers? It used to be once in a blue moon. Now, it seems a weekly occurrence.

- High schoolers training at RTCs, so they get the feel of a college wrestling room?
- NCAA wrestlers training to not peak until March?
- Year round training for the high schoolers while the NCAA wrestlers have specific "when you can train" rules to follow?
- Nagging injuries within the NCAA population?
Last decade USAW is taking the age-groups much more seriously. These cadets and juniors are getting international experience while still in high school. Some of the regional clubs, like the one Daniel Cormier runs, are getting regular exposure to top tier Russian talent. The strategy is paying dividends at every level.
 
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