Here are five takeaways from this past weekend (Jan. 22-24) in college wrestling.
Iowa's elite "one-two punch" is scary
While I don't want to make it a habit of putting Iowa as my first takeaway every week, I feel that it is a necessity now. For the second straight week, Spencer Lee, Iowa's two-time NCAA champion, had a first period pin. Additionally, his training partner, 133-pounder Austin DeSanto put up a technical fall, scoring more than 20 points in his individual bout for the second straight match. While I don't expect this duo to score pins and technical falls every time they take the mat, I do expect them to continue their success. With that, the Pennsylvania preps will play a large part in helping Iowa to an undefeated dual meet record and a 2021 Big Ten title. They are as potent of a one-two punch as anyone can ask for in college wrestling. And it doesn't hurt that they have an equally accomplished starting lineup behind them. In their 35-4 decision against Minnesota on Friday night, Iowa won nine of 10 matches.
Isaac Trumble of NC State knocked off No. 5 Nino Bonaccorsi of Pitt (Photo/NC State Athletics)A noteworthy upset: Isaac Trumble (NC State) defeats No. 5 Nino Bonaccorsi (Pitt)
Upsets are a part of competition. Some upsets can be expected, while others are shocking and unforeseen. Week 4 saw a myriad of upsets, including some that were certainly unexpected. One upset that caught my eye happened Friday night between ACC rivals Pitt and NC State.
While Pitt was beat handily by the reigning 2020 ACC champs NC State on Friday, one bout that didn't go as planned, yielding a shocking result, was at 197 pounds between No. 5 Nino Bonaccorsi and an unranked Isaac Trumble of NC State.
While this bout in particular did not determine the dual meet score, it was one of the biggest individual upsets of the week. In the bout, Nino Bonaccorsi, the No. 5 197-pounder, was dominated by an unranked NC State foe, Isaac Trumble. In the match, Trumble was able to secure a four-point nearfall, an escape, and a riding time point, in his 6-1 decision over Bonaccorsi. For the Pitt Panther, his lone point of the match came via a locked hands call against Trumble in the second period. With the loss, No. 5 Bonaccorsi falls to 4-1 on the young season.
Penn State's much awaited debut is put on hold … again
For the second straight week, COVID-19 issues prevented No. 3 Penn State from getting on the mat. While this is unfortunate, I don't think the Nittany Lion faithful need to hit the panic button just yet.
Yes, the PSU starting lineup is young. To that end, during the last five years, Penn State has never had set of starters with as few NCAA tournament appearances or podium finishes as the group of starters they're expected to send out this year. For instance, Roman Bravo-Young, Nick Lee, and Brady Berge are the only athletes who have wrestled at an NCAA Championships, and only RBY and Lee have stood on the podium.
However, despite the inexperience, Penn State has been here in the past. The last time they went with a starting lineup without any returning champs was the 2015-2016 season. That year, the Blue and White put five in the finals, had two NCAA champs, and won a team title by 25.5 points.
While I'm not saying that this 2021 season will be a repeat of the 2015-2016 campaign for PSU, I am saying that despite some growing pains, expect PSU to be a force to be reckoned with this season. Whenever they open the season, they are likely a top team and a definite NCAA title- contender.
Hopefully, Penn State's match with Big Ten foe Northwestern, originally scheduled for Jan. 30, will not be impacted by the recent string of PSU COVID-19-related cancellations.
Moore ousted at American
American University wrestling coach Teague Moore has departed from American University, effective immediately, after nine seasons on the job.
Over the last nine seasons at American, the Eagles went 60-71 in dual meets with a 24-41 mark in EIWA matches. These teams featured five All-Americans, 32 NCAA qualifiers and 47 place-winners at the EIWA Championships.
Personally, I don't hate the decision, but I don't completely support it either. My biggest gripe comes with the timing of the coaching change. I will admit that I'm not particularly close to the situation, so there could be reasons for this choice beyond my understanding.
However, I never support a midseason coaching adjustment in any sport, wrestling included. To me, such a spontaneous and abrupt decision only causes disarray and dysfunction in a program.
Moving forward, the American Department of Athletics will conduct a national search for a new head coach. In the meantime, former AU wrestler Jason Grimes will serve as the program's interim coach and take on the leadership role in the wrestling room.
Whether the Eagles stick with Grimes or elect to go in a different direction regarding the leader of the American program, I hope they act swiftly in finding a replacement, whomever it may be.
We've heard the phrase "This is a fluid and unprecedented situation"
Since last March, society (and the sports world) has been operating under uncertainty. Whether teams will be able to play their season schedules as previously planned remains a mystery. In other weeks, we have seen a dual meet canceled due to coronavirus concerns, but this weekend we saw something very different. West Virginia University, who was supposed to have the weekend free from competition, scheduled a match with Cleveland State, less than 24 hours prior to the match itself. In the impromptu dual, WVU earned an 18-15 victory. While the particulars of the dual itself aren't crucial, this occurrence shows that the entirety of the NCAA wrestling ecosystem is constantly working to give fans (and student-athletes) as much college wrestling as can be safely accommodated, even if it is unpredictable. These efforts should be commended and appreciated.
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