Screwed in 2020

[wrestle87]

Mark Hall and Vincenzo Joseph deserve to be on the short list of Penn State’s greatest of all time, but they don’t have that 4th year so nobody talks about them.

Those two college careers got absolutely kneecapped by 2020.

[RawDog]

I still don't understand how that happened. Why did the seniors that year get screwed out of a year and everyone else got a extra year? It makes no sense to me. 

[500 wrestler]

I thought about posting this very topic and never got around to it. My top three are: 

1) Moore

2) Seabass 

3) Pletcher

with honorary mention to the Hawkeyes (entire team)

In retrospect, the right thing to do would have been to grant an extra year of eligibility to everyone who competed in 2020. Or at least all qualifiers. Or maybe just senior qualifiers. What they did at the time ended up helping the wrong people. 
 

 

[flyingcement]

In hindsight it really screwed Sasso - he was on fire that season - vs his final season after he got shot...

[1032004]

  On 3/17/2025 at 2:40 AM, RawDog said:

I still don't understand how that happened. Why did the seniors that year get screwed out of a year and everyone else got an extra year? It makes no sense to me. 

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It’s been explained in other threads.

Me personally I think everyone from 2020 should have gotten another year.  But I understand why they didn’t, and the tricky part is that if someone didn’t qualify for NCAA’s, they didn’t miss anything.  So do you only grant another year to those who qualifyied?

In 2021, the reason it was a “free year” was because there was concern Covid might cancel another season, so they offered the free year as an incentive for everyone to compete.

[bnwtwg]

  On 3/17/2025 at 2:33 AM, wrestle87 said:

 Vincenzo Joseph...nobody talks about them.

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He made a deal with the devil to beat Imar. He came out ahead and I hope he's glad with his selfish decision to beat Imar 2x and in return he gave us all covid when the monkey's paw curled

[meZYNbrink]

I never understood why 21 was considered a free year of eligibility while seniors from 2020 (and everyone else who competed that season) got hosed. The only logic I've heard is that in order to incentivize wrestlers to compete in 21, when it was unsure if the championships would be held due to the ongoing pandemic, the NCAA offered it essentially as a preeminent mulligan. 

But if they were willing to give the free year for 21, why not 20 as well? Just seems arbitrary and capricious. Never sat well and still doesn't.

[wrestle87]

  On 3/17/2025 at 3:11 AM, bnwtwg said:

He made a deal with the devil to beat Imar. He came out ahead and I hope he's glad with his selfish decision to beat Imar 2x and in return he gave us all covid when the monkey's paw curled

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The inside trip heard ‘round the world.  Cenzo was the textbook definition of a gamer.  He had jake rosholt blood in him.

[BloodRound]

I remember Rutgers had a really good '97 pounder in Jordan Pagano that season.  Beat Pat Brucki a few weeks before things hit the fan, and looked poised to AA.  That would've been cool.

[Le duke]

Noah Adams is the obvious winner of this unfortunate contest.

Guy was 30-0 that year. Beat Buchanan and Sloan to win B12s. Was...good but not great the next year. 

Graduated and bounced, leaving two years on the table. 

Also, Iowa would have found a way to lose that year, so let's not give them any honorary titles, shall we?

[RawDog]

  On 3/17/2025 at 3:10 AM, 1032004 said:

It’s been explained in other threads.

Me personally I think everyone from 2020 should have gotten another year.  But I understand why they didn’t, and the tricky part is that if someone didn’t qualify for NCAA’s, they didn’t miss anything.  So do you only grant another year to those who qualifyied?

In 2021, the reason it was a “free year” was because there was concern Covid might cancel another season, so they offered the free year as an incentive for everyone to compete.

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Thanks. That explains the extra year but I wish they would have just gave an extra year to everyone.

[ugarles]

  On 3/17/2025 at 1:24 PM, RawDog said:

Thanks. That explains the extra year but I wish they would have just gave an extra year to everyone.

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it's college. move on with your life. all the guys getting free years are taking the spot from someone actually college-age.

 

Anyway my thoughts aren't with the lost titles but rather the lost opportunities. Noah Baughman comes to mind as a guy who just missed the tournament twice, dealt with losing his spot at 125 to talent (Vito/Tucker) and injury, then coming back as a senior at 141 to earn a bid only to see the season canceled. 

Edited March 17 by ugarles

[pcostilow]

  On 3/16/2025 at 11:29 PM, Kov88 said:

He was going to RS his freshman year and got put in the lineup at 41’ when he was a 33 pounder…. It’s escaping me who got injured that year at 41’ for tOSU

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Was that Keyshawn Hayes?

[jross]

  On 3/16/2025 at 9:57 PM, Gene Mills Fan said:

Iowa Hawkeyes Team Title!!!!

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They got the W in my universe.  Back to back in 2021.

[Spencerlee]

  On 3/17/2025 at 12:45 PM, Le duke said:

Noah Adams is the obvious winner of this unfortunate contest.

Guy was 30-0 that year. Beat Buchanan and Sloan to win B12s. Was...good but not great the next year. 

Graduated and bounced, leaving two years on the table. 

Also, Iowa would have found a way to lose that year, so let's not give them any honorary titles, shall we?

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Iowa destroyed PSU by over 50 pts at B1Gs. It wasn’t going to be close. 

[boilermaker5]

Not at the same level as there were no title favorites, but 2020 was Purdue's best Big Ten championships performance in years.  They were going to get multiple AAs.  Had four seeded in the top eight.