125: Sebastian Rivera (Northwestern)
On coming from behind to win…
"You kind of tell yourself when you're down, you ain't gonna lose. And then good things start happening. I was not losing that match, I was not walking out of here a loser. My dad is right here and I'm not walking out of here a loser. There's no way. No way."
What he's most excited for heading to the NCAAs…
"Those matches, let's have some fun. That's our love, you see this crowd, you see how loud it was in here? That was awesome, let's do that again."
On the 125 matchup…
"He came to battle this time and he came out ready to fight. It was definitely a different match than the last one. I got to my leg attacks more today, so it was a much different match for both of us."
133: Nick Suriano (Rutgers)
On what is most rewarding in becoming a champion…
"Oh man, just never quitting and never giving up, no matter what the injuries are or the faults. And I'm here healthy, and I finally got it."
On battling mental demons…
"You get them every day. I just had to keep persevering and training hard. I wasn't happy with my performance but I got it done."
141: Joey McKenna (Ohio State)
On how he stays cool under pressure on big stages…
"A lot of it right now is just staying calm, cool and collected. I know I'm a really good wrestler, and I just need to trust in God, trust in my preparation, and just go out there and let everything happen. I've held too much back before so right now I'm just trying to let it all out there and unleash."
On the biggest difference for him between this season and last season…
"I just know what I need to get to. I'm a lot more focused on my wrestling and less on what guys are going to do, a little less scouting. Just focused on me and what I can do out there, and just let wrestling happen."
On whether or not it comes down to individual performance…
"Yeah, of course, but every time I step out onto the mat I am a Buckeye and I'm wrestling for my team. They have a lot of faith in me, I have a lot of faith in them, so I go out there to represent myself but also to represent my program, my teammates, and my coaches. Whether we take first, second, or third, it doesn't matter because I am proud to be a Buckeye."
149: Anthony Ashnault (Rutgers)
On what makes this title unique after winning three times…
"I got to do it with a teammate that did it at 133. First time that's happened at Rutgers, two-time champs. Jordan's a great opponent, I mean, I had to wrestle a really good match to get that W. I'm excited but the goal is to be a national champ."
On what it's like to be the face of Rutgers wrestling…
"Eyes are always on you. When you think no one's watching, that's when you gotta be doing things a little bit better, and I think it has added up over my career. Doing extra stuff here and there, and the extra work got me to this point."
On two Rutgers being Big Ten champs and having the chance to be national champs…
"It's awesome, it's huge for team points on the national level. Our goal has been since I got in school to be in the top 10, and it's huge for that. It'd be huge for us to have a national champ. We've really wanted it and it's something we've worked really hard for, and it's something we want to accomplish this year."
Jason Nolf and Alex Marinelli (Photo/Mark Lundy, Lutte-Lens.com)157: Jason Nolf (Penn State)
On how he deals with nerves and anxiety…
"I just pray that God turns my nerves into energy and I feel that spirit. I'm just grateful to compete here and I want to win every time. I'm really happy to be in the position that I'm in, around the coaches that I'm around and around the teammates I'm around."
Of his many accolades (all-time PSU pins leader, two-time Big Ten champion, two-time national champion), is there one he's most proud of?...
"Not really. I'm just excited to compete."
On the next two weeks…
"I'll be doing the same thing I have been doing at this point and stay focused. I'll continue to do the same thing and if I am not doing something right someone will point it out to me and I'll fix it and that's what I'll focus on doing as always."
165: Alex Marinelli (Iowa)
On his game plan…
"The match was won by my attacks, not (Joseph's). I don't care what he has, I care what I have. That was the game plan. I don't really know what's going on, but that was the game plan."
On what the title means to him (200th in Iowa history)...
"Means everything. That's for [Eli Stickley], you know. First match, when I wrestled, as soon as I looked at that Eli patch, it gave me motivation throughout the whole meet."
On what it means to come away with the title after last year…
"It means everything. I've learned a lot. I've learned how to be smart in positions that you have to be smart in. Coming away with a Big Ten Title after last year, losing the first match, I mean that's terrible you never want to feel that feeling again."
174: Mark Hall (Penn State)
On what motivates him…
"Just gotta wrestle hard. I like the target on my back. Being a top guy my whole life, with the group that I've been with, people in my class, the guys I wrestle every day. That's what we're wrestling for, wrestling to have fun, be the top dog, and to stay up there, because that's what keeps us motivated."
On what the biggest threat to his success is…
"Myself. There's no one can keep me from doing what I want to do unless I don't have the right mindset going into it. I keep a clear head, I train smart, train hard, wrestle hard, and there should be no one who can keep me from accomplishing my goals. I'm my biggest enemy, but at the same time, I'm my biggest asset, I've just got to wrestle hard and wrestle smart every time."
On winning two straight Big Ten Championships, this one being in his own home state…
"It feels okay. I kinda lost my focus near the end there. He got my leg in a really scary situation there. It's good that I won. I don't think there was anything wrong with that match except just my focus at the end."
184: Myles Martin (Ohio State)
On what it feels like to be a Big Ten champion…
"It's a pretty good feeling. It's not the same feeling as actually wrestling and winning the Big Ten title, it kind of feels like I just got handed the Big Ten title. I only wrestled two matches in this tournament, so it's a little weird, but I'll take it. Just looking forward to nationals now, excited about that."
On how he's elevated his performance this season…
"I've just gotta continue getting better. I told [assistant coach Tervel Dlagnev] and Kyle that I want to master the sport and I just want to get really, really good in a lot of positions. So I think when you watch me wrestle, I do a lot of different things, I try not to hit the same shot twice, and I want to be unpredictable. So I've just been working on being unpredictable, continuing to love the sport, and just focus on guys. I have pretty big goals in the sport of wrestling, I want to make a world team, make an Olympic team, win the Olympics, win worlds. So I think in order for me to do that I've got to just be different, be unpredictable, and just know who I am and the type of wrestler I am."
197: Bo Nickal (Penn State)
On today's matchup...
"It is hard to say, our last match was one scenario and then it ended, so this match was the first time I really got to get a feel for him. I knew he had good leg attacks, but I think that he was probably a little more weary and a little more aware of his position. He wrestled a good match, so hopefully I'll get to wrestle him again soon."
On having two more weeks left in his career at Penn State…
"I'm just excited for the opportunity. I think that the chance to go out and finish strong while focusing on collegiate wrestling for one more tournament makes me incredibly excited about it."
On what he and Nolf have done for the program…
"We've had a lot of success, but the program is definitely bigger than just us two. There are so many guys that continue to pour their heart and soul into the program, so I think both of us are just incredibly grateful and appreciative of the opportunities that Penn State has given us."
285: Anthony Cassar (Penn State)
On what he's most proud of…
"Just being consistent, and gratitude. I haven't been able to put this Penn State singlet on and wrestle at Big Tens or nationals, and that's been hard. I've been close numerous times, but I was able to do it today. So I was just grateful to God, and it's disrespectful to him and everyone who supports me if I don't give my best out there, so that's what I did."
On his resiliency and what's most satisfying in winning the title…
"Just consistency. I know over the past five years, I've worked harder and been more committed than anyone, and I want it more than anyone, so out here, I don't really think much, I just rely on that training and preparation, and that's what I did."
On both he and Gable Steveson being a high level wrestlers…
"Yeah, I think we are both big, strong high level wrestlers and this was more of a smarter match. If one of us gets underneath it can become a dangerous position for both of us because we are both quick and strong. It was a smart match, but I feel like I wrestled well."
On the respect between the two wrestlers…
"We have a ton of respect for each other. We have had a lot of similar opponents with similar results which meant we were pretty evenly matched, but it was good to get the win."
Coach: Cael Sanderson (Penn State)
Overall thoughts on how the team competed the past couple of days…
"It's a very tough tournament, as you know. Our guys wrestled well. You don't get too discouraged if we're not at our best or too excited if we win, because the big win is in a week and a half, but I think that these guys will show up then as well."
On Cassar's upset win…
"Yeah, he's done everything right. He's very disciplined, works very hard, even through a couple years of injuries, he stayed with it. Just a great example of a kid that does all the little things, so they make a difference. Very proud of him and happy for him."
What he's most excited about heading to NCAAs…
"Just to go compete. We're having a good time, just doing what we do, and these guys they can smile and just enjoy this opportunity and they'll do just fine."
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