As most wrestling fans recognize, Beat the Streets has been the single most successful wrestling charity in the history of the United States. They have helped thousands of young boys and girls pursue wrestling, and not only as means of escaping circumstances, but as a way to cultivate self-confidence and encourage them to pursue their academic and athletic goals.
The 2017 event in Los Angeles is also important as it is yet another signal into the power of women's wrestling to attract fans and create buzz. There is increasing name identification among wrestling fans worldwide, which means that this event has significance based on their achievements. For a program that started stateside in 1994 the recent growth has been nothing short of inspiring.
The BTS-LA all-star meet is a powerful moment in the sport's history. I encourage you to watch on Facebook, Livestream and Twitter, but also consider donating to BTS-LA in the ramp up to their gala. These are incredible women helping to represent one of the best wrestling charities on the planet. If you can find $10 or more, please consider donating to this year's gala. You can find the link here.
Wrestling is the world's oldest and toughest sport. Help our community recognize and celebrate its power to promote positive lifestyle choices and upward social mobility.
To your questions …
Q: Iowa State got a commitment from top recruit David Carr on Wednesday. Do they have a shot at the NCAA title by 2022?
-- Harold T.
Foley: Kevin Dresser needed seven years to get Virginia Tech onto the team podium. He had little national name ID, was rebuilding a program which saw many of its top stars transfer and operating in a conference that not many high school wrestlers considered a top contender.
Today, he leads a program which has won a team title and is based in a state which considers wrestling a top-tier sport. Dresser has hired three of the best coaches in the nation, has a building base of support among alumni, and is adored by fans and the media.
On top of this he is natural leader and an extraordinary coach.
Can they win it in all in 2022? Yes. Will they? I couldn't bet against the current powerhouses, but make no mistake that Dresser's hiring will signal a significant change to the power structure within NCAA wrestling.
Win or lose in 2022, Iowa State being a college wrestling powerhouse again is in the works.
Rob Koll with assistant Mike Grey coaching at the NCAAs (Photo/Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWarriors.com)Q: I saw InterMat's Division I rankings came out this week. I noticed Cornell is not ranked in the top 25 in the tournament rankings. Crazy to think about considering Cornell was a national championship contender a few years ago. I know they have some very talented wrestlers like true freshman Yianni Diakomihalis (ranked 12th at 141). Cornell has finished in the top 12 every year at the NCAAs since 2002. Where do you see the Big Red finishing in March?
-- Mike C.
Foley: The fact that Cornell won't have a top 25 team to start the season, or may not make top 12 as they have for 15 straight seasons, is certainly surprising but it also offers the opportunity to sit back and admire what they have accomplished.
Before Cornell's success in the early 2000's there wasn't much to indicate that an Ivy League school could compete at the national level year-in, year-out. They did. There wasn't a lot of recent history indicating that an Ivy League school could produce a single national champion, much less multiple-time national champions and All-Americans.
Cornell made both these ideas commonplace.
Rob Koll, who has been at Cornell for almost 30 years, coached Kyle Dake to four NCAA titles while simultaneously finding the energy to endow each of the coaching positions on his staff. Oh, and he was the first to have a stand-alone wrestling facility on campus!
Koll and Cornell have innovated and succeeded for decades. I suspect that despite a slow start to the season, we will be seeing Cornell well within the national top 25 by the end of the season.
Q: In your opinion, who will be the next four-time NCAA champion?
-- Gregg Y.
Foley: Mark Hall is the top pick for wrestler most likely to win four NCAA titles next. He's won his first NCAA title and is heading into the most difficult season as a favorite to repeat. While his opponents are certainly on the mat, Hall's Junior world championship is the type of offseason credential that indicates his considerable offseason improvement. It's tough to discount Zahid Valencia or Bo Jordan, but I like Hall's chances of making it through the difficult year.
By comparison, I think that Vincenzo Joseph will have a much tougher time converting in his second year on campus with a revenge-focused Imar in the wings.
Q: Will we see another matchup between Kyle Snyder and Abdulrashid Sadulaev anytime soon?
-- Don D.
Foley: As of now Sadualev is scheduled to compete at the 2018 Ivan Yarygin in Krasnoyarsk, Russia. From his Twitter comments it would also seem that Snyder will be in attendance. What will actually happen on the mats is anyone's guess, but Snyderlaev II is something that may actually occur.
Let us just hope that we can get the stream out of Siberia!
MULTIMEDIA HALFTIME
Old USA Wrestler magazines up for the taking!
How far we've come since '94. Women's wrestling on the verge of NCAA emerging sport status. pic.twitter.com/IytPc0ZL9W
— Jim Harshaw (@jimharshaw) October 20, 2017
Q: What percentage chance do you give each of the top-ranked wrestlers to win the NCAA title in March?
-- Mike C.
Foley: See percentages below.
125: Nathan Tomasello (30 percent). With Darian Cruz and Nick Suriano lingering it's a three-man race for the title. If Daton Fix decides to wrestle that percentage could drop.
133: Seth Gross (70 percent): Tough, capable and in a relatively open weight, Gross should find Bono's first NCAA champion at South Dakota State.
141: Dean Heil (85 percent): No reason to think he can't better the competition he's been topping for two seasons.
149: Zain Retherford (99 percent): Barring injury he's your NCAA champion.
157: Jason Nolf (99 percent): Repeat.
165: Vincenzo Joseph (40 percent): Imar is still here and after a disappointing finals performance I'm guessing the Illini star will be coming with new attacks and renewed sense of urgency in 2018. Also, Logan Massa is out there biding his time and could make this a tight three-man race.
174: Mark Hall (60 percent): Zahid Valencia. Bo Jordan. Tough road and it's still a bit better than a 50/50 chance he repeats.
184: Bo Nickal (65 percent): 2016 NCAA champion Myles Martin will look to regain his crown and that is a big hurdle.
197: Kollin Moore (80 percent): Jared Haught and Willie Miklus will have a certain amount of pushback, but Moore has the best training partner on the planet.
285: Kyle Snyder (100 percent): Only a nuclear winter could prevent a third title for Snyder.
Q: Is it is better to redshirt your freshman year or wrestle right away?
-- Gregg Y.
Foley: There are all types of 18-year-old wrestlers entering their first year on a college campus. Some are primed for the big time, with wide eyes and bad-ass intentions. Others are overwhelmed by the classes, the independence and the rigor of the mat and professorial demands. No matter where a first-year wrestler finds himself the solution for a productive career may be different. The stud may need to sit and the scared, young one may need to start. The options and reasoning are as varied as anything.
The one wrestler who definitely needs to redshirt is the one with subpar technical skills. The one who can't quite wrestle at that level, but nonetheless finds themselves in a room filled with stellar collegiate talents. I was absolutely one of these kids and while my redshirt journey isn't straightforward I know that the first year on the mats lead to a lot of development on and off the mat.
Give those less talented the opportunity to grow and those that have the talent the option to face their college career as the coach, parents and student see fit.
Q: All the national championship talk has centered around Penn State and Ohio State. Does Michigan have a real shot to win the title? The Wolverines have tons of talent!
-- Mike C.
Foley: No. I don't see a path to the NCAA title for the Wolverines, but I think that with six-plus All-Americans they have every chance to be third place, or potentially a spoiler for the runner-up spot.
The biggest issue the Wolverines face in accumulating enough points is sure-fire finalists and bonus points. While their AA total could rival that of Ohio State and Penn State, there doesn't seem to be a guy on the roster who will be a certain finalist, or a certain bonus-point machine. However, if third place seems like a downgrade, it's not. Penn State and Ohio State are loaded. Oklahoma State and Iowa have competitive teams with national finalists on the roster.
Michigan is in the conversation and that seems like the type of progress programs can use to recruit that next batch of top-level talent.
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