A look at five All-Americans who cannot be counted out

Every season there are All-Americans who return with their sights set on going undefeated and finishing on top of the podium at the NCAAs. But things do not always go as expected. There are unexpected bumps in the road for some.

Here is a look at five returning All-Americans whose regular seasons did not go quite as expected, but who should not be counted out this postseason.

Ryan Mango (Stanford, 125)

Ryan Mango went through some ups and downs at 133 pounds this season, but recently won a Pac-12 title and now looks primed and ready to contend for an NCAA title at 125 pounds (Photo/Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWarriors.com)

Mango's season synopsis: Mango, a returning All-American at 125 pounds, wrestled at 133 pounds for the first three months of the season to help his team, and took some unexpected losses. He was the No. 2 seed at the Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational in early December, and was upset by unseeded Zach Zehner of Wyoming in the second round. Mango took another loss in the consolation bracket in Vegas to Harvard's Steven Keith. In late December he finished sixth at the Midlands Championships, losing three times.

Why not to count him out: Mango returned to his more natural weight class of 125 pounds in late January. He dominated his competition at the Pac-12 Championships this past Sunday, winning by pin in the semifinals and by major decision, 14-3, in the finals. Mango has shown that he can compete with the nation's best at 125 pounds. Last season he had wins over Missouri's Alan Waters, Oklahoma's Jarrod Patterson, and Illinois' Jesse Delgado.

Zack Kemmerer (Penn, 141)

Kemmerer's season synopsis: Kemmerer was ranked as high as No. 2 in the country at 141 pounds this season after winning his first 10 matches heading into the Midlands Championships. He entered the Midlands as the No. 2 seed and was upset by unseeded freshman Luke Goettl of Iowa State in the second round. Kemmerer was then dominated in the consolation bracket at the Midlands by Virginia Tech's Zach Neibert, 12-5, and wound up finishing seventh. In late January he took an unexpected loss to unranked Luke Vaith of Hofstra. Kemmerer enters this weekend's EIWA Championships ranked No. 12.

Why not to count him out: Kemmerer has been wrestling well since his disappointing Midlands performance. Over his last five matches he has beaten two ranked wrestlers and outscored his opposition 38-11. He has beaten several quality opponents throughout his collegiate wrestling career, including Oregon State's Mike Mangrum, Virginia's Nick Nelson, Oklahoma State's Josh Kindig, and Penn State's Andrew Alton.

P.J. Gillespie (Hofstra, 165)

P.J. Gillespie is currently ranked No. 19 at 165 pounds (Photo/Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWarriors.com)

Gillespie's season synopsis: Gillespie, who placed eighth at the NCAAs last season, has had an up-and-down senior season. He climbed to No. 3 in the country at 165 pounds earlier this season after winning 11 of his first 12 matches. Gillespie, though, had a forgettable Southern Scuffle performance in early January, where he lost three matches to wrestlers ranked below him. He also took an unexpected loss to unranked Tristan Warner of Old Dominion on Jan. 21.

Why not to count him out: Gillespie, a three-time NCAA qualifier, enters the postseason riding a nine-match winning streak. He may get a chance to avenge losses to Joe Booth of Drexel and Warner at the CAA Championships. Gillespie earned All-American honors last season after entering the NCAAs unseeded, so he cannot be counted out in March.

Grant Gambrall (Iowa, 184)

Gambrall's season synopsis: Gambrall missed some time earlier this season because of a concussion he suffered last summer. When he did return to the Hawkeye lineup it was at 197 pounds, up from 184 pounds last season. His first major test this season came at the Midlands Championships, where he finished seventh. Following the Midlands, Gambrall dropped five of his next six matches, before making the decision to move back down to 184 pounds. He will take a .500 record into the postseason.

Why not to count him out: Last season Gambrall showed that can beat the nation's best 184-pounders when it counts by finishing third at the NCAAs. He has defeated three of the nation's top five wrestlers at 184 pounds, including No. 1 Joe LeBlanc of Wyoming and No. 2 Quentin Wright of Penn State. Gambrall made his 184-pound season debut at the NWCA/Cliff Keen National Duals in Stillwater, Okla., and went 1-1, which included a 3-1 loss to Kevin Steinhaus of Minnesota and a 10-2 major decision victory over Tony Dallago of Illinois.

Spencer Myers (Maryland, 285)

Spencer Myers is the No. 1 seed for the ACC Championships (Photo/Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWarriors.com)

Myers' season synopsis: Myers had a rough start to his season, losing five times from Nov. 6 to Dec. 4. (One of those five losses was an unofficial loss at the NWCA All-Star Classic.) Since then he has suffered only one loss, but has not beaten a wrestler currently ranked in the top 20.

Why not to count him out: Myers is coached by one of the greatest American heavyweights ever in Kerry McCoy, who won 131 of his last 132 matches as a collegiate competitor at Penn State. Last year Myers shined brightest in the postseason, winning an ACC title and earning All-American honors at the NCAAs in Philadelphia. At the NCAAs Myers lost in overtime in the opening round before reeling off five straight victories. His final victory at the NCAAs came over Minnesota's Tony Nelson, who is currently ranked third.

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