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always knew he'd be behind bars one way or another

When looking for Greg's obituary I came across this tweet about him that I really enjoyed, so thought I would share.

I think AJ's always been religious. The only thing that's changed recently is he no longer believes that he's God.

As much as everyone seems to hate his wrestling style... I think this should go to Beau Bartlett. Last year he was a micron away from being a NCAA champ but lost to Mendez and he still walked off the mat smiling and head held high. Mendez beats him again this year OT (just barely) after Bartlett beat him twice in the regular season and Big 10s. Bartlett fights back to finish 3rd. Finishes his career never a champ, and wrestled up a weight for his team for two seasons. Guy always has a smile on his face and never says anything negative. Great attitude, great sportsman....someone to be admired.

He’s always been a greedy bastard. 159 for me. None for you.

Lehigh's Rob Rohn was trailing 14-2 late in the third period and mixered OK's Josh Lambrecht for the fall in 2002. 4 pins in a row in the NCAA championships.

I need to get this one out of the way a little early this year as I have a few things coming up that will distract me from the forum for a bit. Once, Twice, Three Times.... The great Lionel Ritchie said it best. Who will be a "timer" this year? Possible Two-Timers (not that kind, the good kind): 125 - Richie Figueroa 141 - Jesse Mendez 141 - Andrew Alirez 149 - Caleb Henson 174 - Levi Haines 184 - Parker Keckeisen 197 - AJ Ferrari 285 - Greg Kerkvliet Possible Three-Timers (As Easy As 1, 2, ...) 174 - Keegan O'Toole 285 - Gable Steveson Possible Five-Timer ("There Can Be Only One") 184 - Carter Starocci Movin On Up I have tracked the highest scoring wrestlers in NCAA history (using current scoring rules) down to number 234. To make the list you need to meet, or exceed Ed Peery's 59 total points. There are a handful of wrestlers who have a shot at moving onto the list, and a few who will move up the list (barring catastrophe). The Possible Newbies (* denotes fifth year) Ridge Lovett currently on 31 points Beau Bartlett currently on 35.5 points* Kyle Parco currently on 40 points* Stephen Buchanan currently on 40 points Wyatt Hendrickson currently on 48.5 points* Cohlton Schultz currently on 58 points* Going To A Deluxe Apartment In The Sky? Who are the guys already on the list that have a chance to move on up? For reference, the top 5 scorers in NCAA history are: Cael Sanderson (107.5) Logan Stieber (103.5) Ed Banach (102.5) Mark Churella (99.5) David Taylor (99) A Toast To The Most? We are Americans. We like the most of everything. Do I want fries with that? Silly question. I want all the fries. Bigger, Higher, Better. There are at least two possible mosts on the line. Team Points Who knows what is happening with Josh Barr? Perhaps only Nick Suriano. But, assuming he is healthy, and assuming Braeden Davis can stay out of scrambles, PSU has a very real shot at decimating the team points record that has stood the test of time. As long as by time you mean 12 months. I will update my projection for them some time after seeds come out, but based on post-conference rankings they could be as high as 199 points. Though I highly doubt that. Losses We all know about Carter Starocci and his pursuit of the most NCAA titles, thanks to the NCAA decision to grant as many years as it takes. But there is another side to that coin. With more opportunity to win comes more opportunity to lose. And sadly there is a wrestler who has the chance to become the losing-est wrestler in NCAA tournament history. But don't take that statement as a judgement (as many on the forums are want to do), because to attain that title a wrestler needs to be a winner first, and foremost. Oh, the irony. The only way to rack up loses is to win. Finishing 6th or 8th gets you three loses. That's an All-American, baby. So shout out to Kyle Parco. Having finished 6th, 8th, 4th, and 5th he has 10 total loses (3+3+2+2). If he finishes with 2 more loses (fourth or worse), the record is his, and his alone. With an asterisk, of course. The current holders of the title, with 11 total loses, are Kirk Mammen (Oklahoma State 6th, 6th, 5th, 8th) and Ben Bennett (Central Michigan 6th, 8th, 6th, 4th). Long may you ride. If I have left anything out, please add to the list.

Seems to be doing a great job for someone with limited experience. Great chemistry with Sparks. Knowledgeable about techniques, tactics, and strategy. Good anecdotes. Knows wrestlers from across the nation and from all the weights, not just his own. Maybe as the night went on, he did a little play by play when he shouldn't have. The thing that impressed me the most was that he didn't get overly excited or disappointed when his current/former teammates were involved in close matches. If you didn't know he wrestled for NC State a year ago, you wouldn't have been able to guess his alma mater. Compare that to Dan Gable who hasn't coached Iowa in almost 30 years when he is doing commentary and a Hawkeye is wrestling.

Brands challenging a stall call.

You don't see a program and their feeder school both on the hot seat very often.

Good luck to all the wrestlers and may you all have a tournament full of fun & cheer! ‘Twas the night before weigh-ins, and all through the gym, Not a wrestler was eating, not even a slim. The singlets were hung in the lockers with care, In hopes that tomorrow, a win would be there. The coaches were nestled all snug in their beds, While visions of takedowns danced in their heads. And I in my warm-ups, my headphones on blast, Had just settled in for a cut that must last. When out in the hallway there rose such a clatter, I sprang from my bench to see what was the matter. Away to the door, I moved in a flash, Tripped over my headgear and fell with a crash. The fluorescent lights cast a bright, eerie glow, Illuminating the shadows that danced down below. When what to my tired, sore eyes should appear, But Cael Sanderclaus, with a smirk ear to ear. “Get rest,” he commanded, his voice low and deep, “For tomorrow, you battle—the title to keep. Your training is done, your mindset is right, Now dream of that podium and wrestle with might.” Then back to my spot, I walked with a yawn, Knowing the tournament soon would be on. I whispered to myself as I lay down my head, “I’ll leave it all on the mat—no regrets when I’m dead.”

…is the only person that beat Michael Caliendo in an attached match, that hasn’t won a NCAA title? Looked into Kharchla’s wrestlestat after Rocco Welsh claimed he needed better partners. In 2023 he beat Michael Caliendo at NCAA’s, although Kharchla only finished R12 and Caliendo got 7th. But I noticed that since his redshirt year, Caliendo has had 14 losses. They were to: Mitchell Mesenbrink 6x Keegan O’Toole 3x Shane Griffith 2x Dean Hamiti David Carr and Carson Kharchla. That’s got to be some sort of record for most # + highest % of total losses to eventual National Champs right?

... some of Porta's best work:

The official Iowa State position on the exodus

I'm also going to throw out the bald duo of Brock Hardy and Parker Keckeisen. You're never going to hear anyone say anything bad about those two because they are great dudes who show respect to all their competition. Mendez said as much in his post-match interview and his presser later on. I was also quite impressed with Gable Steveson on the podium.

reporter: "is this the last of Steve Mocco?" Mocco: "I didn't take my f*cking shoes off..."

There are only two of us on this forum that if a person said back in October "Illinois is going to have 1 Big Ten champion, 2 finalists, and at least 8 qualifiers" that we would have nodded our head and said "Poeta 1, Jombo zero. See ya in March." This one was for him.

My favorite part was where AJ Ferrari boasted about getting his “vanity” under control… while wearing an AJ Ferrari shirt.

Volk to Minnesota Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

This was an obvious choice, no matter how stupid Bo nickal gets.

In case you're dragging. . . can't watch this one enough! Jacob Butler | @sebastiannriveraa is overrated #wrestling #wrestletok #wrestlingmemes #ncaawrestling | Instagram

The Wasteland Invitational became an instant classic

FWIW I truly believe Tom Ryan is one of the most genuine and caring coaches in our sport. I've listened to enough interviews over the past 15 or so years to know that he has always been extremely consistent in the brand he preaches and his core values. He cares about his athletes, he cares about cultivating meaningful relationships with these athletes, and he cares as much about stewarding his wrestlers towards being good men after they are done wrestling as he does about the on the mat results. Maybe I am forgetting, but I can't think of any tOSU athletes being controversial on or off the mat (other than Tessari who then was removed from the program). I do think he can get animated and throw a fit, but I think that's just more of an embarrassing heat of the moment reaction than a depiction of who he is as a coach, mentor, and man. Obviously this is from the outside looking in, but I think if I were to pick a program purely for the environment that I think would most help my son develop as both a wrestler and a young man, Ohio State would be my first choice given their track record.

Since seeding is such a big topic around here the last couple days, figured I would give you guys this chart that shows the count of how many times a seed has finished in each place (or not placed) for D1. *Note-This isn't perfect as there are years where I don't have all the seeds. Left column is the seed (blue) and top column is the place (orange). NS=No Seed & DNP = Did Not Place Seed/Place 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 DNP 1 406 143 97 39 25 10 10 1 63 2 164 236 99 76 40 20 9 6 135 3 72 137 139 105 60 49 26 7 191 4 49 65 122 110 69 61 27 15 255 5 21 33 79 73 70 58 43 14 291 6 24 43 57 54 62 61 32 21 332 7 3 25 22 34 54 45 45 35 301 8 11 12 16 27 41 34 56 35 330 9 3 6 15 18 26 26 36 38 318 10 1 7 6 25 21 31 29 28 335 11 1 4 6 13 18 22 20 43 329 12 1 1 6 9 8 16 18 37 355 13 1 2 1 2 3 6 131 14 1 1 2 5 1 4 131 15 2 1 1 2 5 6 3 125 16 1 1 4 131 17 2 2 1 56 18 1 59 19 1 59 20 1 59 21 1 1 58 22 60 23 1 59 24 60 25 1 1 58 26 1 1 2 56 27 1 59 28 1 59 29 60 30 60 31 60 32 60 33 1 57 NS 132 174 221 207 115 164 84 142 14225

@ILLINIWrestlingBlog

Let's GO!!!!!!!!

If you watched any of Steveson's WWE work you would know how horrible he was at staged/scripted wrestling which is all the proof you need to know that Hendrickson's win was 100% legit.

Please Hamiti, don't hurt 'em

I’m a UNC fan and have to say- Trent is incredible. He’s been professional, fair to every wrestler, and hasn’t shown any bias towards his past teammates. He also has done a great job breaking the action down for people that may not fully understand what’s happening. Shane has also done a great job this weekend helping Trent find his voice. Matcast has been really, really enjoyable.

Having watched and now gone many times, I think the session rank is pretty clear, but I'll hear from others. 1. Session 4 (Semi/blood round) 2. Session 6 (Finals) 3. Session 3 (Quarterfinals) 4. Session 2 (Round 2) 5. Session 5 (Medal matches) 6. Session 1 (Session 1)

Calling ryan a POS for one outburst is beyond uncharitable. He runs a great program and has improved the lives of hundreds of kids. Did you all forget that these are D1 coaches who ALL lose their sh*t at one point or another? These are the most competitive, prominent people in the sport. T&T tell the world and everyone in it to f*ck itself every dual meet, but ryan has one outburst and you want to hang him from a lamppost?

Gabe Arnold gets a lot of stick on this and other forums. Some of it deserved given his penchant for calling out Starocci without backing it up (sometimes not his fault, sometimes his fault). And some of it is completely undeserved, as grown men being childish and investing way too much of their self-worth in how someone else performs at a sport. So I wanted to point out something I noticed last night. During the 197 final Arnold was waiting with the other podium finishers at 184 on the far side of the floor. Rather than hang in the designated area at the opposite side of the floor, he asked for, and was granted permission to be near the mat where the 197 final was happening so he could cheer on his teammate. No one else from any other team thought to do something like this the rest of the night (or they were denied permission if they did). To be clear, he needed to be escorted there by a credentialed worker as it was off limits for anyone without credentials. So let's give it up for Arnold being a great teammate in that moment.

Terrible news to begin the week that we have lost one of our own. Hope you're having a blast with those Sunday comics in the sky because you will be missed down here.

Nebraska outperformed expectations by the most. We didn't really need the math to know this. If you had eyes to see... But now we can assign a number to it. And you know it means nothing to me without a number assigned to it. Observations: Nebraska beat their expected points by a whopping 62%. Not the highest, but anyone with a higher % had a much lower starting point. All four podium teams outperformed their expectations. As it should be. In addition to Nebraska, Oklahoma State beat by 38%, PSU beat by 14%, and Iowa beat by 6%. After North Carolina State had possibly the worst tournament ever in 2024, they bounce back nicely in 2025 to beat their expectations by 60%. Call it the Hoagie Hidlay Bump. Anyone who was in the Dark Horse Derby is not surprised to see Indiana and Northwestern near the top of the outperformers list. On the other end, Virginia Tech has to be a little disappointed this morning. But as underperformance goes, it was not that extreme. Overall, teams scored 21.5 fewer points than my expectations, an average of about 0.3 points per team. Not too bad for the model.

My wife named our son after her trainer, first, middle, and last name, and it was just because she liked the name. The one part I never understood was why she added “Jr” at the end.

got pictures?

Tyler Caldwell's losses at NCAAs were to Andrew Howe, Jordan Burroughs, Kyle Dake, and David Taylor

Most dominant wrestler by far in the NCAA. Also undefeated. Also just had the most impressive win maybe of all time. Beat TWO champions on his way to winning it. Beat an unbeatable Olympic Gold medalist. The stuff of legends

Congratulations @CHROMEBIRD, winning by the smallest of margins over @flyingcement Two of the best posters on these forums are now the two finest judges of talent. And if you recall from the first post, CHROME took the second longest of shots. The sum of his ten wrestlers' seeds was 237, just one away from @GimJustafan's 238 high total. Let that be a lesson to all those who thought there was gold in the 17/18 hills. Like wrestling, this stuff is hard. So, thank you to all who participated. There is always next year. As for the Dark Horses who made this all possible, Northwestern's Trevor Chumbley shall rule them all. He didn't just put up the highest total, his total was more than the next two wrestlers combined. Coming soo - how each seed performed.

Do they let high schoolers wrestle in NCAA’s now?

We can say all we want. I rooted for captain america super hard. It was very cool of Steveson to actively encourage the crowd to cheer for hendrickson while they were on the awards stand. That is something his namesake is incapable of to this day. Imperfect, heel, what have you, he showed class and grace towards hendrickson in that moment, which was a big thing to do.

pyles is about to post an 18 minute video where he explains that he was surprised.

Freestyle sucks. Trust me. I have been watching wrestling for over a year now.

Good for the sport to see Kentucky wrestling having some success, Spencer Moore & Stephen Little looking to have great tournaments and Bellarmine will be the first Kentucky school at the ncaa tournament since the early 80’s I believe.

100% Sammy brooks interview when I think he won B10’s…. Comparing a big 10 championship to growing a mullet

I think you have to judge him by his entire body of work. Everyone gets caught up in the moment at times. Overall I think he does a really good job.

I admire Penn State's wrestling program, but I have to make an exception with Nickal. He's is often an example of things gone haywire and wrong. He exudes toxic "bro" culture and exaggerated macho-ness. He has a Texas-sized ego that often rivals Ferarri for it's wounded narcissism. (The two are from the same high school.) He is blindly ambitious in that sense made famous by Oscar Wilde's line, "Ambition is the last refuge of failure". He has no sense of proportion. Listen to the tone of his words as well as the content. He is hyperbolic and usually self-referential. He invokes Jesus as some kind of culture warrior, but clearly knows little to nothing about biblical history, the New Testament, or his occasional "hero's" life and words. He hitches a ride off the bluster, blatant jingoism, and authoritarianism of a dangerous politician who will remain unnamed. He has athletic talent but imagines he is the second coming of something special in MMA. He's not. When he gets plastered to the floor in MMA the way Askren got humbled, I expect we will hear a litany of excuses. As for his jealousy of David Taylor, Nickal shouldn't be mentioned in the same sentence.

In thinking about dark horses I originally wanted to limit it to guys outside of the top 8 as they are already ranked for AA. But then I got to thinking about the 9 - 12 group and how they are only a blood round win away (in theory), from AA. So I decided to limit myself to 13 and higher. The higher the darker. Then I looked for guys with some rankings momentum. Here is what I have: I love that there are guys from Northern Illinois, Central Michigan, Campbell, Bucknell, Navy, Army, and Bakersfield that are rallying into their conference tournaments. Those are the guys I am pulling hardest for.