jross Posted November 29, 2022 Posted November 29, 2022 Which bracket had the most number of credentialed wrestlers? [e.g., four unique wrestlers were national champions] Which bracket had the most credentials across its wrestlers? [e.g., one wrestler had four national championships] Using your judgment, what is your pick for the best bracket ever? Requirements The list of wrestlers must come from single bracket weight and year Credentials can come from College, World, and Olympic championships Credentials can come from any period (before, during, or post-NCAA bracket) Credentials can list other facts like 'never taken down,' Hodge Award, pinned everyone in the bracket, etc. ...Think about Steve Fraser, who AAed twice in college and later won a Greco-Roman Olympic Championship (first ever for the USA). Even the NCAA bracket he failed to medal in would become tough as nails with a two-time AA and Olympic Champion in it.
11986 Posted November 29, 2022 Posted November 29, 2022 (edited) Not saying the best but for consideration as I have always been a fan of this group of wrestlers - 1989 126 bracket. 4 guys who won an NCAA title at some point - Jim Martin, Kendall Cross, Tom Brands, and Jason Kelber. Tom Brands with 3 titles. Those 4 alone also combined for 14 AA honors (pretty sure anyway). Tom Brands eventual World and Olympic champ, Cross eventual Olympic champ. Edited November 29, 2022 by 11986 More
jchapman Posted November 29, 2022 Posted November 29, 2022 (edited) Probably going to be one of JB's brackets (2008 149?). Edited November 29, 2022 by jchapman 2 Craig Henning got screwed in the 2007 NCAA Finals.
Wrestleknownothing Posted November 29, 2022 Posted November 29, 2022 2018 had a couple strong ones. 125 - Four wrestlers who would go on to win 7 titles (with a shot at an 8th) in Spencer Lee(3, maybe 4), Nick Suriano (2), Nathan Tomasello (1), and Darian Cruz (1) 141 - Three wrestlers who would win 7 titles (with a shot at an 8th) with each taking multiple titles in Diakomihalis (3, maybe 4), Heil (2), and Lee (2). 1 Drowning in data, but thirsting for knowledge
jchapman Posted November 29, 2022 Posted November 29, 2022 How about the Unlimited bracket from 1981? Two Olympic champs ( Baumgartner and Banach) with three total Olympic golds. Gonna be hard to beat three Olympic golds in one NCAA bracket. 1 Craig Henning got screwed in the 2007 NCAA Finals.
Antitroll2828 Posted November 29, 2022 Posted November 29, 2022 49 minutes ago, Wrestleknownothing said: 2018 had a couple strong ones. 125 - Four wrestlers who would go on to win 7 titles (with a shot at an 8th) in Spencer Lee(3, maybe 4), Nick Suriano (2), Nathan Tomasello (1), and Darian Cruz (1) 141 - Three wrestlers who would win 7 titles (with a shot at an 8th) with each taking multiple titles in Diakomihalis (3, maybe 4), Heil (2), and Lee (2). That 125 bracket also had 2 other ncaa finalists moisey and Lizak , multiple time high AAs Seabass ,micheal McGhee and Picc, and AAs Ramon Foley, Taylor Lamont , Ronnie bressler, Louie Hayes , Sean Russell, Ryan milhof, ….that’s a lot of depth in one weight
Fadzaev2 Posted November 29, 2022 Posted November 29, 2022 21 minutes ago, jchapman said: How about the Unlimited bracket from 1981? Two Olympic champs ( Baumgartner and Banach) with three total Olympic golds. Gonna be hard to beat three Olympic golds in one NCAA bracket. Now that you mention it, how about 1982 177 pound bracket ....one of the most epic matches of all time Mark Schultz.....3 time NCAA Champion Olympic Champion and 2 time World Champion vs. Ed Banach ......3 time NCAA Champion as well as Olympic Champion. 1
Fadzaev2 Posted November 29, 2022 Posted November 29, 2022 21 minutes ago, Fadzaev2 said: 45 minutes ago, jchapman said: How about the Unlimited bracket from 1981? Two Olympic champs ( Baumgartner and Banach) with three total Olympic golds. Gonna be hard to beat three Olympic golds in one NCAA bracket. Now that you mention it, how about 1982 177 pound bracket ....one of the most epic matches of all time Mark Schultz.....3 time NCAA Champion Olympic Champion and 2 time World Champion vs. Ed Banach ......3 time NCAA Champion as well as Olympic Champion. Also in the weight...Jim Scherr Nebraska NCAA Champion and 2 time world silver medalist, Perry Hummel ISU NCAA 4-4-4 and Ed Potokar Ohio State NCAA 8-3 with 151 wins 1
jagger712 Posted November 30, 2022 Posted November 30, 2022 While maybe not the best, but I love that the late 70's, early 80's heavyweight brackets are filled with guys who either became Olympic champs, NFL players, pro wrestlers, or actors
pcostilow Posted November 30, 2022 Posted November 30, 2022 The 1982 118 pound weight class had 4 future world finalists in it, Bobby Weaver, Barry Davis, Joe McFarland, and Kevin Darkus. 1
jchapman Posted November 30, 2022 Posted November 30, 2022 1 hour ago, pcostilow said: The 1982 118 pound weight class had 4 future world finalists in it, Bobby Weaver, Barry Davis, Joe McFarland, and Kevin Darkus. Three future world finalists and four total world finalists, as Weaver was already a former World Finalist by 1982 (Silver in 1979). Craig Henning got screwed in the 2007 NCAA Finals.
11986 Posted November 30, 2022 Posted November 30, 2022 3 hours ago, pcostilow said: The 1982 118 pound weight class had 4 future world finalists in it, Bobby Weaver, Barry Davis, Joe McFarland, and Kevin Darkus. Every guy Barry Davis beat in NCAA final eventually made a world freestyle final 1
11986 Posted November 30, 2022 Posted November 30, 2022 16 hours ago, Fadzaev2 said: Now that you mention it, how about 1982 177 pound bracket ....one of the most epic matches of all time Mark Schultz.....3 time NCAA Champion Olympic Champion and 2 time World Champion vs. Ed Banach ......3 time NCAA Champion as well as Olympic Champion. 15 hours ago, Fadzaev2 said: Also in the weight...Jim Scherr Nebraska NCAA Champion and 2 time world silver medalist, Perry Hummel ISU NCAA 4-4-4 and Ed Potokar Ohio State NCAA 8-3 with 151 wins Charlie Heller was also in that bracket, better credentials than Potokar going 4-2-3 at NCAA. Hummel went 2-4-4 losing to Reiss in '80 NCAA final and Reiss was also in the '82 177 bracket. Hummel was also a very tough matchup for Mark Schultz. In '81 he beat Schultz in '81 Big 8 finals, then lost to him in NCAA semi in OT. In '82 he lost to Schultz in Big 8 final in OT, and then again in NCAA semi 2-1. 1
jross Posted November 30, 2022 Author Posted November 30, 2022 (edited) 1982 118 lbs World (note: World or Olympic, excluding World Cup) 5 Senior World Team Members Kevin Darkus 1985 57kg World Senior FS 2nd Barry Davis 1988 57kg Senior Olympic dnp 1987 57kg Senior World 2nd 1986 57kg Senior World 2nd 1984 57kg Senior Olympic FS 2nd 1983 57kg Senior World FS dnp Joe McFarland 1986 62kg Senior World FS 2nd Bobby Weaver 1984 48kg Senior Olympic FS 1st 1983 48kg Senior World FS 5th 1980 48kg Senior Olympic FS dnc 1979 48kg Senior World FS 2nd Mike Erb 1986 52kg Senior World FS 9th NCAA 17 All-Americans with 31 total AA achievements at the NCAAs 4 National Champions Another 6 with a best finish of 2nd or 3rd (one loss) Below is a table of All Americans from the bracket. The WC columns represent the count of placement: gold/silver/bronze. NCAA Bracket Place Name College Distinct Count of College AA Count Sum of Place Best Place Worst Place Distinct Count of Weight Last AA Year First AA Year Cadet WC Junior WC U23 WC Senior WC Senior Team Member 1982 - 118 1 Barry Davis Iowa 1 4 10 1 7 2 1985 1981 0 0 0 3 5 1982 - 118 2 Kevin Darkus Iowa State 1 3 8 1 5 2 1984 1982 0 0 0 1 1 1982 - 118 3 Bobby Weaver Lehigh 1 1 3 3 3 1 1982 1982 0 0 0 2 4 1982 - 118 4 Bob Monaghan North Carolina 1 1 4 4 4 1 1982 1982 0 0 0 0 0 1982 - 118 5 Randy Willingham Oklahoma State 1 2 8 3 5 1 1982 1981 0 0 0 0 0 1982 - 118 6 Joe McFarland Michigan 1 4 15 2 6 2 1985 1981 0 0 0 1 1 1982 - 118 7 Bob Dickman Indiana State 1 2 10 3 7 1 1983 1982 0 0 0 0 0 1982 - 118 8 Charlie Heard Tennessee-Chattanooga 1 3 17 2 8 1 1984 1982 0 0 0 0 0 1982 - 118 Mike Erb Oregon 1 1 7 7 7 1 1983 1983 0 0 0 0 1 1982 - 118 David Jones Cal State-Fullerton 1 2 8 4 4 1 1991 1990 0 0 0 0 0 1982 - 118 Tony Calderaio Slippery Rock 1 2 14 6 8 1 1983 1981 0 0 0 0 0 1982 - 118 Adam Cuestas Cal State-Bakersfield 1 1 1 1 1 1 1983 1983 0 0 0 0 0 1982 - 118 Carl DeStefanis Penn State 1 1 1 1 1 1 1984 1984 0 0 0 0 0 1982 - 118 Ed Giese Minnesota 1 1 3 3 3 1 1986 1986 0 0 0 0 0 1982 - 118 Brad Gustafson Brigham Young 1 1 4 4 4 1 1986 1986 0 0 0 0 0 1982 - 118 Al Gutierrez Cal Poly-SLO 1 1 8 8 8 1 1983 1983 0 0 0 0 0 1982 - 118 Gary Bairos Arizona State 1 1 8 8 8 1 1985 1985 0 0 0 0 0 Edited November 30, 2022 by jross
Fadzaev2 Posted November 30, 2022 Posted November 30, 2022 24 minutes ago, 11986 said: Charlie Heller was also in that bracket, better credentials than Potokar going 4-2-3 at NCAA. Hummel went 2-4-4 losing to Reiss in '80 NCAA final and Reiss was also in the '82 177 bracket. Hummel was also a very tough matchup for Mark Schultz. In '81 he beat Schultz in '81 Big 8 finals, then lost to him in NCAA semi in OT. In '82 he lost to Schultz in Big 8 final in OT, and then again in NCAA semi 2-1. Wow, I forgot about Charlie Heller....tough dude and then, as I look at it, Joe Gormally (Northern Iowa) placed 4th in Div. 2 in '78, 2nd Div. /4th Div. 1 in '79, and 7th in Div. 1 in '82.......TOUGH WT. CLASS!!!! Thanks for the help!!!
RandolphTJones Posted November 30, 2022 Posted November 30, 2022 One bracket that always popped out to me was the 174 pound weight class 6-7ish years ago between Kokesh (Neb) Evans (Iowa) Storley (Iowa) Browns (PSU) amongst a few others. It seemed like every match was close in either duals, B10's and NCAA's with results commonly swapping. It was also an added bonus we got to enjoy this weight class 2-3 years. IMO: I would rank the following 4 in this overall order: 1) Brown 2) Kokesh 3)Evans 4) Storley
jross Posted November 30, 2022 Author Posted November 30, 2022 1999 184lbs World (note: World or Olympic, excluding World Cup) 4 Senior World Team Members Cael Sanderson 2011 World FS 84kg 5th 2004 Olympic FS 84kg 1st 2003 World FS 84kg 2nd 2002 World FS 84kg dnc (Iran concerns) Brandon Eggum 2001 World FS 85kg 2nd Brad Vering 2008 Olympic GR 84KG dnp 2007 World GR 84KG 2nd 2005 World GR 84KG dnp 2004 Olympic GR 84KG dnp 2003 World GR 84KG 5th 2002 World GR 84KG 5th Andy Hrovat 2008 Olympic FS 84kg dnp 2006 World FS 84kg dnp Cadet Cael Sanderson 1994 World FS 55kg bronze Junior Mark Munoz 1998 World FS 83kg silver NCAA 15 All-Americans with 33 total AA achievements at the NCAAs 3 National Champions Another 5 with a best finish of 2nd or 3rd (one loss) Misc Scott Coleman was a national champion in high school in 1998 out of Manhattan, Kansas. BYU shuttered wrestling, and he transferred to Iowa State, becoming an AA at heavyweight. Below is a table of All Americans from the bracket. The WC columns represent the count of placement: gold/silver/bronze. Bracket Place Name College AA Count Best Place Worst Place Last AA Year First AA Year Cadet WC Junior WC U23 WC Senior WC Senior Team Member 1999 - 184 1 Cael Sanderson Iowa State 4 1 1 2002 1999 1 0 0 2 4 1999 - 184 2 Brandon Eggum Minnesota 3 2 5 2000 1998 0 0 0 1 1 1999 - 184 3 Vertus Jones West Virginia 3 2 3 2000 1998 0 0 0 0 0 1999 - 184 4 Brad Vering Nebraska 3 1 7 2001 1999 0 0 0 1 6 1999 - 184 5 John Van Doren Lehigh 2 3 5 1999 1997 0 0 0 0 0 1999 - 184 6 Viktor Sveda Indiana 2 3 6 2001 1999 0 0 0 0 0 1999 - 184 7 Mike Greenfield Central Michigan 2 7 8 1999 1998 0 0 0 0 0 1999 - 184 8 Andy Hrovat Michigan 3 4 8 2002 1999 0 0 0 0 2 1999 - 184 Mark Munoz Oklahoma State 2 1 3 2001 2000 0 1 0 0 0 1999 - 184 Nick Preston Ohio State 2 3 5 2002 2000 0 0 0 0 0 1999 - 184 Doug Lee Oregon 1 4 4 2000 2000 0 0 0 0 0 1999 - 184 Casey Strand Arizona State 2 5 6 1998 1997 0 0 0 0 0 1999 - 184 Ross Thatcher Penn State 1 6 6 2000 2000 0 0 0 0 0 1999 - 184 Greg Gingeleskie Navy 1 7 7 1998 1998 0 0 0 0 0 1999 - 184 Scott Coleman BYU (Iowa State) 2 7 8 2005 2004 0 0 0 0 0
Warm Up Champ Posted November 30, 2022 Posted November 30, 2022 (edited) 2001, 184lbs. Cael Sanderson- GOAT Daniel Cormier-Olympian Andy Hrovat-Olympian Damion Hahn- 2x NCAA champ Rob Rohn-NCAA Champ Josh Lambrecht-NCAA runnerup Cash Edwards- 2x AA Victory Sveda- 2x AA Jessman Smith- 2x AA I know it's not the toughest ever, but it is under the radar tough.... Edited November 30, 2022 by Warm Up Champ 1
Scouts Honor Posted November 30, 2022 Posted November 30, 2022 this was done several years ago on the mat and didn't flo do some sort of special on it? its like 2009 149 or 157 i dont remember
MPhillips Posted December 1, 2022 Posted December 1, 2022 5 hours ago, Scouts Honor said: this was done several years ago on the mat and didn't flo do some sort of special on it? its like 2009 149 or 157 i dont remember It's done every year. A bit earlier than usual. I believe it was 2008 149. 1 .
jross Posted December 1, 2022 Author Posted December 1, 2022 2008 149 is the best, so I'm skipping its attention for some time.
jchapman Posted December 1, 2022 Posted December 1, 2022 The previous conclusions about 2008 149 were in the context of NCAA. The OP opens it up to additionally include future World and Olympic success. Craig Henning got screwed in the 2007 NCAA Finals.
Viratas Posted December 1, 2022 Posted December 1, 2022 Whatever Bracket M* was in, those brackets always had soooo much excitement. 1 That’s to keep your whining ass shut. You want off this ranch, you got it. I’ll drive your ass to the train station myself.
jross Posted December 5, 2022 Author Posted December 5, 2022 2008 149lbs World (note: World or Olympic, excluding World Cup) 4 Senior World Team Members Brent Metcalf Dustin Schlatter Bryce Saddoris Jordan Burroughs Junior Bubba Jenkins NCAA 6 National Champions Bubba Jenkins (2nd 2008, 1st 2011) Brent Metcalf (1st 2008, 2nd 2009, 1st 2010,) Jordan Burroughs (3rd 2008, 1st 2009, 1st 2011) Darrion Caldwell (5th 2008, 1st 2009) Dustin Schlatter (1st 2006, 3rd 2007, 7th 2008) J.P. O'Connor (5th 2007, 6th 2008, 1st 2010) Another 4 with a best finish of 2nd or 3rd (one loss) Ryan Lang Josh Churella Lance Palmer Adam Hall 13 All-Americans with 31 total AA achievements at the NCAAs. The other AAs not listed previously are Don Fisch Jake Patacsil Bryce Saddoris 2
jross Posted December 6, 2022 Author Posted December 6, 2022 On 11/30/2022 at 12:56 PM, Warm Up Champ said: 2001, 184lbs. Cael Sanderson- GOAT Daniel Cormier-Olympian Andy Hrovat-Olympian Damion Hahn- 2x NCAA champ Rob Rohn-NCAA Champ Josh Lambrecht-NCAA runnerup Cash Edwards- 2x AA Victory Sveda- 2x AA Jessman Smith- 2x AA I know it's not the toughest ever, but it is under the radar tough.... Adding a few notes 3 World Team Members Daniel was a 6x FS Senior team member, winning bronze in 2007. He won a bronze in GR Cadets in 1995. Andy was a 2x FS Senior team member Cael was a 4x FS Senior team member, winning gold and silver. He won a bronze in FS Cadets in 1994. 3 National Champs + 4 others with 2/3rd place finishes (one-loss) 28 All-America achievements across 13 wrestlers. AA's not listed before are Kyle Hansen (2x), Doug Lee, Tom Tanis, Shawn Scannell 1
Joel Friederichs Watertown-Mayer, Minnesota Class of 2026 Committed to Minnesota Projected Weight: 133
Titan Friederichs Watertown-Mayer, Minnesota Class of 2026 Committed to Minnesota Projected Weight: 141
Hunter Vander Heiden Freedom, Wisconsin Class of 2025 Committed to California Baptist Projected Weight: 285
Braden Priest Bakersfield, California Class of 2025 Committed to California Baptist Projected Weight: 157
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