How many former NCAA champs lost this year?

[Jimmy Cinnabon]

I feel like Carter isn’t getting as much attention as he deserves for being a 5x champion. Think of all the former NCAA Champs that did not win this year

 

Figueroa

Alirez

Henson

Keck

Haines

KOT

Ferrari

Kerk

Steveson

 

am i forgetting anyone?

[scourge165]

Mitchell Mesenbrink? (I said what I said).

But really, lets also add finalists.

Just how hard it is to go through the grind 5 YEARS in a row.

In this other thread about where he ranks...and i don't have a strong opinion, I just find the "he's too conservative," argument to be disingenuous and then the "if you'd have given the other 4X Champs another year, they would have won."

 

Yeah, lets stop assuming that sans Cael. There is just TOO much talent and you had a loaded weight class and you had Parker Keckiesen. He wrestled an absolute STUD in McEnelly.

Keckisen had 7 losses, all at the NCAAs but for one loss to Brooks(I believe).

3rd-Lost to Aaron Brooks(4X Champ) 6-4
3rd-Lost to Bernie Truax(3X 4th, 5th) 6-5 came back and beat him.
2nd-Lost to Hidlay(2/5/4/2)beat him 3 weeks later) Brooks in the finals
1st-Majored 2 TFs, 3 Majored Plott 14-5 in the finals, undefeated

Lost to Carter Starocci TWICE

Meanwhile you have guys like Spencer Lee, GABLE Stevenson, Yiannis lost his Sr year to Gomez, Stieber lost to Retherford, Smith had 6-5 matches or very close matches enroute to his 4th Title, but...is he beating him the next year?

Dake...AWESOME Wrestler, but he did lost 4X

 

Starocci really went 105-2 and loss to Washington in his first match. He's won that...7, 8X since.
He lost as a Freshmen in the B1Gs to a guy who went 3/4/2/4 and then beat him for his first title.

 

You're NOT guaranteed to win again as we've seen...arguably the best HWT in NCAA History AND arguably the best 125er who lost in their final years. 

 

To dominate and not really come close to losing in his final 4 years...I think he's getting the attention, but not the respect. 

If ever there should be a split Hodge winner, it should be he and Wyatt(with Wyatt given the edge, but the Hodge IS a career achievement award just like the Heisman is an offensive award despite be the "best player" in the Country.

 

Starocci will get the credit he deserves, but I don't think it'll come for a few years. 

[scourge165]

**And yes, this is as serious as I'll ever take a Jimmy thread!

[peanut]

Great points about the difficulty of repeating as champ — much less repeating four times.

So many factors come into play: getting scouted well, losing motivation, injuries, bad calls, bad luck, evolving techniques, surging new competitors, etc. Winning five in a row without losing on the mat for more than four years is remarkable.

I’d add that this year, CStar had a higher bonus rate than Hendrickson, he beat one of the weight class’s best in Ferrari without being sure he would even face him, and he beat an extremely tough Keck who was a Hodge candidate last year.

IMO CStar is insanely good. Now I wonder whether he’ll pursue freestyle, MMA, or something else.