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Ironic that after years of being criticized for not having enough offense, Bartlett may have just taken down Carter Starocci and Cael Sanderson simultaneously.

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

Coach Robie exenmplifying the VT motto “This is Home”.

My brother was a survivor of Dr. Strauss and an ongoing victim of Ohio State (stealing a line from the doc). I was a mediocre wrestler at Oregon State. My brother is 6 years younger than me and was highly recruited. I had not heard good things about Coach Hellickson from people I trusted and tried to talk him out of going to Ohio State. He had friends there, and he really loved Coach Jordan. He is not interviewed in the documentary, but his name does appear prominently during the portion of the doc where they are highlighting the names of the guys being interviewed on the original lawsuit filing, below Coleman's name. He was warned by some of his teammates and fellow plaintiffs not to watch it. But he was at kid nationals in Iowa and his roommate fell asleep watching HBO. My brother woke up to the documentary about 10 minutes in. Called me in the middle of the night completely falling apart. After all, he was going to be in the UNI-Dome the next day with scores of people he knew. He got through that OK, although there was one guy who kept harassing him about it, "It wasn't really that bad. Why didn't you just kick his ass, etc." One of my brother's people got rid of that guy. The suffering continues for these men. The current administration at Ohio State is trying to wash their hands of it: "it happened before we were here...statute of limitations...etc." But they continued to take actions to cover it up, because they knew it went deeper than the 177 original plaintiffs. Now for my mea culpa: My brother went from a star student committed to a championship lifestyle to struggling with school and substance abuse. For years, I resented him for "wasting" the talent and all his hard work. He continued to wrestle, NAIA AA, OTC Athlete, etc. but was a shadow of himself. I blamed him for it, and of course, we all make our choices. Like I tell my athletes, "There are reasons for things not excuses." I mostly cut him out of my life for a handful of years. Fortunately, a sports psychologist at the OTC recognized there was something else going on with him and he got help, even though it wasn't until years later that he unearthed the horrors he endured. He came to watch my son compete in Pocatello in 2012 and it was the first time he had anything to do with wrestling in years. He is now a great coach and mentor to kids. We are closer than we have ever been but I will never forgive myself for my lack of empathy and anger toward him. There are hundreds and hundreds of stories like his. Strauss destroyed what these men could have been. Ohio State could have stopped it. It is on record that the athletic administration, and Coach Hellickson, knew about it before my brother enrolled in Columbus. They could have stopped it. They could have warned him. But they didn't. I have a special distaste for Congressman Jordan. But, as my mental health professional wife once pointed out, it is quite possible that Jim was a victim as well. Yes, he went to U of Wisc. but he was an Ohio phenom and I am sure he spent plenty of time in Columbus.

Seems like a stretch, what with Bo having his senior high school season next year...

Feels like Steve Neal should be the poster boy for this. Placed 4th as a senior in HS in 1994 (only time he placed), goes to CSU Bakersfield where he proceeds to go 4,2,1,1 at NCAAs (last 2 seasons undefeated), wins US Open, Pan Ams, and a World Championship in 1999, and second at 2000 Olympic Trials. Switches to football and becomes a 3x Super Bowl Champ with the Patriots. Who woulda thunk it? Nothing short of spectacular! ...There's also Anthony Cassar...

We as a community should fear indifference to bad, evil, or incompetence just as much - if not more - than the acts themselves. Bad is bad. Evil is evil. Incompetence is incompetence. Once a certain line is crossed, it’s unacceptable by any standard. Letting a wrestler stick their thumb up a training partner’s keester is simply bad. Grooming underage people - regardless of gender - is unequivocally evil. Failing to follow proper procedures to ensure a thorough investigation is the definition of incompetence. To act as if these things are not bad, evil, or incompetent is just as damaging as committing the act itself, because you are verbally excusing the acts. Words have value, and so does our courage to call out what’s truly wrong. Yes, there’s a legal process that must play out to determine guilt. But even before that, defending any of these actions - or trying to claim they aren’t evil, bad, or incompetent - is phucking abhorrent.

God is always asking for cash so that tracks.

Hope both men have successful surgeries. Prayers up. The Latona's have been a part of VT wrestling for nearly a decade. Everyone knows Sam, but his older brother Dom started wrestling at VT in 2016. The Brothers have always been hard working, humble and selfless. Sam sacrificed a couple years with a severe cut to help VT get the best lineup on the mat. Nice to see the family receive a wonderful gift from Coach Robie. VT Wrestling Tweet

I'm not surprised that Penn State isn't doing this. I'm a little surprised at what salty b I t c h e s some of the fans are being about the event daring to exist.

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

Wow

"What kind of whore?" ~Kyle Snyder

Hasn't been discussed here, but this officially came down the pipe this morning. https://lehighsports.com/news/2025/5/27/lehigh-university-adds-womens-wrestling-as-26th-varsity-sport Sixth D1 to add the sport, joining Iowa, Presbyterian, Sacred Heart, Lindenwood and Delaware State. Among NCAA schools, that's now 116 teams. As of this moment, there's 37 Division II schools with the sport and 74 Division III. Definitely a plus since the academic profile of Lehigh is a draw.

This one is short, so I will translate it https://www.khabarvarzeshi.com/news/482369/پیام-ویژه-حسن-یزدانی-برای-دیوید-تیلور In the past years, having a great competitor such as you has been the biggest motivation to compete in any condition, which is the key to success. I wish you success in your new journey, and I hope that you enjoy every segment in your path.

Another thing about Stanich... he stayed home. he didn't go to a private school with the best partners ever single day. in other words, he wasn't maxed out in HS. it also doesn't hurt that he's a hard worker and a masochist. dude grinds.

People being caught up on the figure of money in items which may have been stolen out of all of this is really throwing me off.

In response to my returning points thread, someone on 34andcounting asked what kind of points could a freshman be expected to score at the NCAA Tournament. Using Willie's Big Board data I decided to take a look. One huge caveat is that the numbers below are fitted lines through some VERY noisy data. The first thing I looked at was the odds of qualifying for the tournament based on BB rank. There are 12 years worth of graduating classes in the data (2013 - 2023) that have completed true freshman and redshirt freshman years. For these calcs I am including true freshmen and redshirt freshmen for each high school graduating year. For example, for 2022 grads I include 2023 true freshmen plus 2024 redshirt freshmen. 80% of Success is Showing Up 100% of #1 Big Boarders qualified for the tournament as either a true freshman or a redshirt freshman. These are your only sure things. By the time you get to the #10 BB it is a 50/50 proposition whether they even qualify for the tournament, never mind score once they get there. No Participation Points But you can't just show up. Once a freshman makes the tournament they still need to score. Combining scoring with probability of making the tournament steepens the curve somewhat. At almost 18 points per, #1 BB can be expected to score in the high teens in their freshmen year (true or redshirt). But that is it. No other rank cracks double digits. And by the time you get to the #10 ranked freshman recruit you are looking at about 4 points. Bring in da' Noise, Bring in da' Funk That really should be Mitchell Mesenbrink's walk out music. Remember what I said about the noise in the data? Mesenbrink is the physical embodiment of that noise (and he was trained by the Master of Funk). As the #59 ranked wrestler in his class, the line above suggests he is good for about a half a point in his freshman year. Well, at 19.5 points he is what we would call an outlier. And the reason you should take this with a grain of salt.

The USA was one of the first to explicitly set up a *separation* of church and state in the constitution to allow folks to follow or not follow whatever they want.

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.

Take that haters that think NIL will be the death of all the smaller programs

OK. So who won? Well, its complicated. There are at least three ways you can answer that question, so let's look at all three, shall we. Most Correct Matches You can only get ten right. So in the name of symmetry there were ten posters who got ten right. I want to thank @TylerDurden, @Techfall, @PortaJohn, @Nittanychris, @ionel, @CGriff, @AZ_wrestling, @666, PSUWrestling2425 (on HVI) and psu0408 (HVI) for keeping things neat and tidy. But wait. It turns out you can get ten correct and still not get them all right. psu0408 was feeling his oats a bit and added an eleventh category (which he got wrong - sorry, no points deductions - EXCEPT FORE YOU), so I am sorry, but he is eliminated from the competition. The True Iowa Homer Award goes to... Lets pause a moment to recognize a true individualist. In this age of social media driven peer pressures it can be so difficult to swim against the tide of popular opinion. So when a true hero emerges, we must celebrate him. While @Mr. PeanutButter may have lost this particular competition by traditional standards, he is not a hidebound traditionalist. His bravery has won over the heart of every true Iowa wrestling fan. And what could be more important than that? Well, bragging rights, of course. But "True Iowa Homer" is probably second best? It Is A Team Sport, Dummy (I have heard so many times. Mostly the dummy part but...) Award At the end of the day it comes down to the team score. So who was closest to the pin? As previously reported, our own TylerDurden takes the prize. Seer of seers, prognosticator of prognosticators. For the rest of the year all his predictions have the weight of law. He shall not be questioned. When his statements contradict known facts, it is the known fact that shall give way. Look on TylerDurden's Works, ye Mighty, and despair! The Lee Corso Award For Attention To Detail (or maybe it will be named the Two Wrongs Don't Make A Right Award) Award Ya know...about this team thing....isn't the final score the sum of the individual scores? And shouldn't we see who came closest there? Lee and I are glad you asked., If we sum of the individual deviations we get a better sense of who was "right" by not allowing two wrong answers to offset each other. @Techfall, step to the front of the class and take your bow. Wisdom (?) Of The Crowds Not so much. Unlike in years past the crowd was not very wise this year. With a final predicted score of 25.5 to 7.7 the Iowa portion was fine, but lack of faith in PSU to ring the bonus point cash register is frankly disappointing. Anyone using us to bet the spread (20.5, I think) would have taken a big L on the bet. We promise to do better next time. And as always, thank you all who participated. The Crowd not previously mentioned: @VakAttack @Spencerlee @PSUDad97 @MidwestMan @meZYNbrink @JPack @Interviewed_at_Weehawken @Hillbilly Jim @Gage @Dogbone @BruceyB @BIGTENFANBOY @BarSeries @BAC @Truzzcat @RawDog @Ragu @Pish @Pinnacle @nhs67 @Le duke @Jimmy Cinnabon @Husker_Du (though you made me work for it) @Gus @Gene Mills Fan @flyingcement @fishbane @CHROMEBIRD @bnwtwg @BloodRound @Barracuda141 @1032004 @RandolphTJones Same time next year (B1G schedule permitting)?

Yea he took 3rd his senior yr losing in the semis to the legendary Paul Finn who is the only guy in NJ history to go undefeated with all pins for an entire season .. that weight class was pretty wild , Baumgartner beat future pro wrestler bam bam Bigelow in that tournament , also jim Jeffcoat who played 15 years for the Dallas cowboys and won 2 superbowls lost on the otherside to Finn

Do you think its a wrestling-specific problem? Or a problem that exists in power dynamics everywhere. It's a genuine question.

Please go away.

I noticed Basch didn't make an infographic yet so I thought I'd help him out

Willie… maybe he really had no idea what was happening. Basch on the other hand. Fuk that guy. He was supposedly tight with Beau and he acted like nothing bad was happening just to protect Cael and the program. He is a PR guy disguised as a media member. Disgusting behavior from him.

I don't this doesn't come out as off-putting, but IMO we should just keep this thread to actual updates on Ben's health while avoiding playing doctor by trying to explain why, how, or what is going to come of Ben's current situation. I know that we are all on the same team, but we should stick to what we know based on the information that has been made public. I know that's not typically the spirit of a forum, but in this critical time, I don't think any of us want to give "opinion" on what may or may not be transpiring. This is an absolutely horrible situation, and I think we would all be best giving it space. Please continue to share updates, but let's not bring opinions or speculation into the picture anymore than necessary.

Jagger off the top rope with an all-timer

Shut up, virgin.

Unfortunately I couldn't beat a guy named Cael Sanderson. Lost to him in the 1991 Western Regional freestyle final (Boise, Idaho). Lost to him again at the NCAA tournament in 2001. The only solace is that he apparently beat everyone he wrestled.

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.”

That doesn’t mean anything. Your wife is that and she’s 190

57kg: Spencer is pretty clearly the best guy at the weight. 6 weeks ago I thought his toughest match would likely be RBY in the semis with Musa Mekhtikhanov, and Chonsong Han also being tough outs. RBY strikes me as the toughest stylistic matchup with his ability to create from space and his speed, they did hit at a ranking series and Spencer got up earlier and RBY socred late however those scores seemed more of a result of Spencer completely shutting it down. I really like RBY's trajectory but I do not see him beating Spencer. Musa Mekhtikhanov is very skilled but he does not have anything specific that makes me feel as though he can score enough or do enough to beat spencer and lastly Chongsong han who we have 4 matches to look at at the Asian championships but in those matches he looked very dynamic. He presents a similar style to Zhou that has historically given Spencer issues and he will come in unseeded. North Korea only sends guys they have supreme confidence in so in my mind Han has to be a threat to medal. Now I mentioned 2 months ago because Arsen Harutyunyan was previously expected to go 61kg, which is where he generally wrestles during none Olympic years but he has decided to make the cut to 57kg. Harutyunan is very very talented he is a 3x senior world bronze and 2x u23 world champ as well as winning senior euros last year and teching RBY. To me however he has always looked his best at 61kg. He will give Spencer all he can handle for the first 3 minutes, but if the match is close going into the second I expect the wheels to really fall off, he does not have particularly great cardio at 61kg and it seems to get significantly worse after the cut to 57kg. Predictions: (not accounting for full brackets) Gold: Spencer Silver: Harutyunan Bronze: RBY Bronze: Han 61kg: This weight is super deep, however it really lacks that final boss type guy at the top. Some people may look at Uguev as that guy but he has yet to win a medal at 61kg pacing 5th twice. Uguev and Suda are the two biggest on paper favorites going into this followed by a huge tier of guys who if they were to upset either would not be shocking Abakarov, Tairybek Uulu, Yessengeldi, Jax, Ahmad Javan, Udit. Now in my opinion I think Jax is going to win this weight, However I think his draw will be important. Uguev I believe is a great matchup for Jax. I do not think Uguevs high c is super effective against Jax he seems to almost always score off of guys own high c's and his head hands has improved immesely so if Uguev gets to it, it will likely because Jax was ready for it. The guys that worry me the most for Jax are Abakarov, Suda and Uulu. Abakarov has a great ability to counter score coupled with great strength and explosivity which are all qualities I think you need to beat Jax. Uulu shares these traits, and Suda seems like a mini Ono with less power but more length. Now I think Jax can beat all of these guys but in a bracket setting where he could potentially wrestle all 3 I think thats where things get very difficult. I am going to predict he either does not hit all 3 or beats them all probably because I'm biased and he's my favorite guy to watch but I truly believe he can get it done. Predictions: Gold: Jax silver: Suda bronze: Uguev bronze: Uulu 65kg: I have been pretty pessimistic about Real's chances at this weight. I think for his first full year training free he has been incredible, but I worry about him being able to get to his positions against some of these guys, and I still worry about the second period for him. Amouzad and Kiyooka are the returning Olympic finalists and have both looked the part this year not taking any losses. They are far and away the favorites to hit again in the finals. The next tier of guys are Sebasitan Rivera, Sujeet, Ibragimov, Tevanyan. I think Real can beat most of those guys, but with how the seed are he is going to have to more than likely wrestle one of Amouzad or Kiyooka first and then get drawn back in where he would more than likely need to beat at least two of these guys which I just do not see at this moment. If I were to pick 2 guys to unseat Kiyooka or Amouzad It would be Seabass or Sujeet. Seabass was very close to knocking off Kiyooka last year and I think has the arsenal and style to also potentially give Amouzad fits. Sujeet is very young but has most Indians do has a crazy motor and good offense if he can keep it close with Amouzad late I think he could take him out, I do not think he can beat Kiyooka. Sujeet could hit Amouzad in the quarters and Seabass could hit Kiyooka in the semis. Predictions: Gold: Kiyooka Silver: Amouzad Bronze: Seabass Bronze: Sujeet 70kg: This weight is very deep. Similarly to 65kg there are a ton of guys that can medal here and there are one or two top guys but they do seem beatable although Kaipanov could change the view of that very easily here. Kaipanov and Amir Yazdani are the two gold favorites to me followed by a huge tier 2 of Kazyrk (russian nats champ), Akmataliev, Rassadin, Aoyagi, Adreasyan, Dudaev, Gomez, Heybatov, Kemertelidze, Ochir, Duke. Needless to say PJ is going to have to battle out there. I think you can condense this list based off of the past years results though, Ochir has not looked great and neither has Dudaev. Adreasyan is very strong and does not break position but PJ will be in a match with him and if he can get a lead I feel confident he could hold on. Rassadin,Aoyagi,Akmataliev,Gomez are the ones I worry about for PJ. All of them are dynamic and will probably be able to hold up in the hand fight with him. Overall I think we are a year or two away from PJ medaling but this will be invaluable experience for him. Predictions: Gold: Kaipanov silver: Akmataliev Bronze: Aoyagi Bronze: Gomez 74kg: God this weight is awesome. Your gold favorites are Valiev, and Sidakov but to me this weight has 5 potential champs and 2 sleepers. Those 5 are Valiev,Sidakov,Carr,Salkazonov,Takahashi. The sleepers are Emami and Khaniev. Khaniev may be a bit off of peoples radar but he was the 70kg u23 champ last year and is super slick and creative. He struggled with Takahashis athleticism in the ranking series final and I think he would also struggle with Carr but I could see him potentially knocking off one of the other guys. Sidakov lost to Valiev at Euros in a crazy final sequence and then was thought to be out for the year but he was able to recover much quicker than expected. In his wrestle off I thought he looked good but certainly beatable. Valiev of course infamously lost after the match on a fleeing the hold call at the olympics which I have never seen before to the eventual champ Zhamolov. He has not lost since. So to me Valiev is probably a slight on paper favorite. That said the Japanese Burroughs amazes me every time he wrestles and David carr made him go life and death. If you wrestle this weight 10 times you probably either get Sidakov winning it 10 times or four different champs, and that is why I am so excited for it. Predictions: Gold: Takahashi Silver: Valiev Bronze: Sidakov Bronze: Carr 79kg: This weight is far more wide open than I originally thought. When levi lost to Kougi I was not very optimistic that he would medal but once I looked deeper into the entries I realized Kougi may just be one of the top 4 guys at the weight and I think that is a result Levi could potentially reverse. This weight has two very good guys at the top with Usmanov and Nohkodi and Usmanov is an absolute monster at 79kg historically but he looked pretty human at Euros. Nohkodi of course beat JB last year and is great as well but he missed nearly the entire year recovering from and Injury so I think it is possible that he is not quite at his best. After those two guys the medal contenders to me are Evloev, Kougi, Gamkrelidze, Levi, Mykhailov. To me these are all winnable matches for Levi. Evloev is super tricky, he is incredible in a crackdown and floats his hips super well but he has taken some bad losses and that is certainly a match levi can win, and Mykhailov lost to Ruiz a month ago so thats another guy I feel good about Levi going up against. Gamkrelidze is never a guy that impresses me a ton and perhaps I am underrating him but thats another match I feel ok about for Levi and we have seen the Kougi matchup and that seems winnable. Predictions: Gold: Nohkodi Silver: Usmanov Bronze: Levi Bronze: Gamkrelidze 86kg: This weight from a pure highlight reel standpoint is going to be asburd. Seems as though Ramazanov is out which is definitely a big deal although he would not have been my pick to win. Excluding Ramazonov my favorites for gold are Ghasempour, Kadiev, Zahid, Kadi. Throwing Kadi in may be a stretch but I would have included Ramazonov and Kadi had him dead in the water until his lungs stopped working so I am going to throw him in. The 4 guys I mentioned all have very contrasting styles. Ghas is a brick shit house thats going to push and pull and look for his high C. Kadiev has his own offense but really thrives when you are in on his legs and if you do not finish quickly he is probably going to score on you, he has an insane feel and crazy hips/rubber knee stuff. Zahid is going to use your pressure against you and can also blow through you from space, and Kadi is as explosive as they come, well at least for 4 minutes. Other medal contenders are Kentchadze (world gold at 79 last year), Dhizoev, Dauletbekov. (I do not think Ghas is going to be able to make the weight effectively that is factored into my predictions) Predictions: Gold: Zahid Silver: Kadiev Bronze: Ghas Bronze: Kadi 92kg: I could be foolish but to me this weight is a 2 horse race I think its Trent and Firouzpour. Of course 4 guys medal so the guys that could sneak in for Bronze to me would be Nurmagomedov,Kurugliev,Punia,Akturk. I really want to pick Trent the dude works so damn hard but I think that Firouzpour may be the most underrated guy in the world right now. Predictions: Gold: Firouzpour Silver: Trent Bronze: Kurugliev Bronze: Nurmagomedov 97kg: The battle we've wanted since 2023 Taz vs Sadulaev. As someone who once rooted for Sadulaevs downfall I am now really hoping he can get it done, it would be a great story. I will say I think Azarpira could have his say on if this matchup actually happens, but it is definitely and outside shot. Rounding out the medal threats are Snyder, Yoshida, and Magomedov. I view this weight as the big guys tier 1, Azarpira tier 2 and then Yoshida and Snyder tier 3. Predictions: Gold: Sadulaev Silver: Taz Bronze: Azarpira Bronze: Snyder 125kg: A lot of people seem to be writing Wyatt into the finals, I am definitely not that confident but I do think there is a world that his style gives Zare fits. If Wyatt makes the finals I think it could be a 50/50 matchup but I think navigating the bracket will be difficult for him. Zare is obviously the guy to beat. Then you have Wyatt, Munkthur, Meshvilidishvili, Sharipov. I like Wyatt to beat all of those guys, but they are all good enough that if he takes a risk and it results in a chain of points they could shut it down and it will be difficult for him. Munkthur is the biggest worry for me. Munkthur and mesh are same side so assuming Wyatt is on that side (lets hope) one of the two will not win bronze. Predictions: Gold: Zare Silver: Wyatt Bronze: Meshvilidishvili Bronze: Sharipov

He's out!!!!

‘One time David didn’t hold the door for me and another time he made me pay full price at his wife’s juice shop…can you believe this guy?’ *Cassar nods* ‘totally bro’

"Should I air it all out?" screams "attention whore."

Here are the NCAA point totals as scored from the round of 32 using a 1.5 point TF for all 15 point wins and the current placement point allocation for all pairs of champs at back to back weights since 1970 inclusive. The 2000-present best Iowa 1-2s are also included. The list is ordered by combined team points first than year. The minimum number of team points from two champs is 40 (assuming no subtractions and zero bonus) and the maximum is 60 (all pinfalls). No one pair hit the maximum. The closest a single wrestler was to the max in the set was David Taylor in 2012 with 29.5. One pair hit the minimum - Steve Marianetti and Ernest Benion both won titles in 1995 without scoring a single bonus point. 2012: David Taylor (1st 165), Ed Ruth (1st 174); Total (29.5+26.5=56) 2017: Zain Retherford (1st 149), Jason Nolf (1st 157); Total (28+27=55) 1973: Wade Schalles (1st 158), Bill Simpson(1st 167); Total (28+24=52) 1983: Ed Banach (1st 190), Lou Banach (1st Unl); Total (25+27=52) 1992: Tom Brands (1st 134), Troy Steiner (1st 142); Total (25+26.5=51.5) 1972: Ben Peterson (1st 190), Chris Taylor (1st Unl); Total (27+24=51) 1986: Kevin Dresser (1st 142), Jim Heffernan (1st 150); Total (26+25=51) 2019: Bo Nickal (1st 197), Anthony Cassar (1st 285): Total (27+24=51) 1992: Terry Brands (1st 126), Tom Brands (1st 134); Total (25.5+25=50.5) 2005: Johny Hendricks (1st 165), Chris Pendleton (1st 174); Total (25+25.5=50.5) 2024: Aaron Brooks (1st 197), Greg Kerkvliet (1st 285); Total (27+23.5=50.5)* 2017: Jason Nolf (1st 157), Vincenzo Joseph (1st 165); Total (27+23=50) 2017: Mark Hall (1st 174), Bo Nickal (1st 184); Total (22.5+27.5=50) 1975: Chuck Yagla (1st 150), Pat Holm (1st 158); Total (25+24.5=49.5) 1997: Lincoln McIlravy (1st 150), Joe Williams (1st 158); Total (24+25.5=49.5) 1970: Jason Smith (1st 167), Chuck Jean (1st 177); Total (25+24=49) 1982: Dave Schultz (1st 167), Mark Schultz (1st 177); Total (24+25=49) 1970: Dwayne Keller (1st 126), Darrell Keller (1st 134); Total (25.5+23=48.5) 1990: Terry Brands (1st 126), Tom Brands (1st 134); Total (23.5+24.5=48) 2018: Zain Retherford (1st 149), Jason Nolf (1st 157); Total (25+23=48) 1980: Joe Gonzales (1st 118), John Azevedo (1st 118); Total (24.5+23=47.5) 1984: Jim Scherr (1st 177), Bill Scherr (1st 190); Total (20**+27.5=47.5) 1996: Joe Williams (1st 158), Daryl Weber (1st 167); Total (22.5+25=47.5) 1987: Tim Krieger (1st 150), Stewart Carter (1st 158); Total (22+25=47) 1998: Teague Moore (1st 118), Eric Guerrero (1st 126); Total (23+24=47) 2002: Jared Lawrence (1st, 149), Luke Becker (1st 157); Total (23+24=47) 1993: Lincoln McIlravy (1st 142), Terry Steiner (1st 150); Total (21.5+25=46.5) 2023: Carter Starocci (1st 174), Aaron Brooks (1st 184); Total (24+22.5=46.5) 1970: Dave Martin (1st 158), Jason Smith (1st 167); Total (21+25=46) 1985: Melvin Douglas (1st 177), Dan Chaid (1st 190); Total (22+23=46) 1987: Royce Alger (1st 167), Rico Chiapparelli (1st 177); Total (25+21=46) 1999: Doug Schwab (1st 141), TJ Williams (1st 149); Total (22+24=46) 2005: Jake Rosholt (1st 197), Steve Mocco (1st 285); Total (20+23=46) 2021: Roman Bravo-Young (1st 133), Nick Lee (1st 141); Total (22.5+23.5=46) 2022: Roman Bravo-Young (1st 133), Nick Lee (1st 141); Total (23+23=46) 2025: Ridge Lovett (1st 149),Antrell Taylor (1st 157); Total (22.5+23.5=46)* 1998: Mark Ironside (1st 134), Jeff McGinness (1st 142); Total (23.5+22=45.5) 2000: Juergens (1st 133), Schwab (3rd 141); Total (25+20.5=45.5)+ 2017: Vincenzo Joseph (1st 165), Mark Hall (1st 174); Total (23+22.5=45.5) 1994: Pat Smith (1st 158), Mark Branch (1st 167); Total (24+21=45) 2018: Jason Nolf (1st 157), Vincenzo Joseph (1st 165); Total (23+21=44) 2021: Lee (1st 125), DeSanto (3rd 133); Total (24.5+19.5=44)+ 2022: Carter Starocci (1st 174), Aaron Brooks (1st 184); Total (22+22=44) 2008: Perry (1st 165), Borschell (3rd 174); Total (25+18.5=43.5)+ 2012: McDonough (1st 125), Ramos (3rd 133); Total (26+17.5=43.5)+ 2012: Steve Bosak (1st 184), Cam Simaz (1st 197); Total (21+22.5=43.5) 2022: Aaron Brooks (1st 184), Max Dean (1st 197); Total (22+21.5=43.5) 1972: Greg Johnson (1st 118), Pat Milkovich (1st 126); Total (22+21=43) 1993: Markus Mollica (1st 158), Ray Miller (1st 167); Total (20+23=43) 1993: Kevin Randleman (1st 177), Rex Holman (1st 190); Total (20+23=43) 2000: Strittmatter (3rd 125), Juergens (1st 133); Total (18+25=43)+ 2001: Strittmatter (2nd 125), Juergens (1st 133); Total (20+22=42)+ 2010: Jake Varner (21st 197), David Zabriskie (1st 285); Total (22+20=42) 2021: Carter Starocci (1st 174), Aaron Brooks (1st 184); Total (20+21.5=41.5) 1976: Lee Kemp (1st 158), Pat Christenson (1st 167); Total (21+20=41) 2001: Juergens (1st 133), Schwab (2nd 141); Total (22+19=41)+ 1995: Steve Marianetti (1st 150), Ernest Benion (1st 158); Total (20+20=40) 2017: Gilman (3rd 125), Clark (1st 133); Total (19.5+20=39.5)+ 2010: McDonough (1st 125), Dennis (2nd 133); Total (23.5+16=39.5)+ 2010: Marion (2nd 141), Metcalf (1st 149); Total (16+23=39)+ 2016: Gilman (2nd 125), Clark (2nd 133); Total (21.5+16=37.5)++ 2007: Perry (1st 165), Luedke (3rd 174); Total (22+13.5=35.5)+ 2005: Johnston (2nd 157), Perry (2nd 165); Total (17+18=35)++ 2010: Dennis (2nd 133), Marion (2nd 141); Total (16+16=32)++ * 3 point TD ** Bye in the round of 32 + One non-champ in the duo ++ Two non-champs in the duo

Props to Bartlett and his wife for speaking openly and not behind an anonymous name. If more wrestlers/former teammates come out with similar allegations this could get ugly.

I just threw up a new database that has all ~40k matches that have taken place at the NCAA D1 championships. Check it out here. I just noticed the search and filter aren't working. I'm going to have to reach out to try and figure out why. Enjoy!