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

For me.....46th NCAA Championship dating back to 1972 (Maryland).....this will be 40 in a row, dating back to 1985 (Oklahoma City)....before I retired, it was a vacation, today.....it's still a vacation....lol. Some day I plan on being the last man standing....oh, and by the way, I can prove I've been to each of those NCAA's!!!

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

Maybe Vinesh just phogat to check her weight.

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.

Brooks trains in Holywater

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.

He's a kid, he's allowed to be dumb, the fact that Flo is running with it is embarassing.

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)?

the irony...

less dodge ball more cradle defense

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

I was just thinking how great it was not watching someone ride a leg on top for 4 minutes without turning his opponent.

57 KG Spencer wins gold on a last second TD on Micic. He was up 9-0, then down 10-9 and Spencer gets that last second takedown when everyone had wrote him off as dead. 65 KG Zain pulls off at least two B&A on his way to Gold over... duhn duhn duhnnnnn... GOMEZ, who tossed him for four twice and still loses via Tech. 74 KG Dake wins via Dake Bomb in the Gold Medal match over Chamizo and doesn't allow a single point the entire tournament. 86 KG Brooks is drawn in to face Yazdani Round 1, similar to DT's first Worlds and BLAMMO: Brooks takes him out. Brooks then loses to Kurugliev. Yazdani doesn't medal. Kurugliev then loses to Amine. Brooks doesn't medal. Amine then beats Dauletbekov for Gold. I watch as the ultimate proverbial 'F-U' is delivered to my screen as Dieringer carries Amine around the mat on his shoulders and I slam three gallons of Captain Morgan and fifteen Natty Daddy's. 97 KG Snyder wins every match ~5-1 on the way to Gold. 125 KG Parris bears Zare via Pinfellery in 1M17S.

Tracy McGrady once told a story about Kobe. One offseason, apparently at a hotel, McGrady told Kobe that he was going to go work out. Kobe responded by acting like he was crazy. “What are you going to work out for? We’re in the offseason. You don’t need to work out.” McGrady eventually accepted that idea, went back to his room, changed, and relaxed for a bit. But after a short while he got antsy and decided to go lift. And once he got in the weight room, he saw Kobe lifting.

The likelihood of me trying to wrestle goes up 10% with each .01 increase in BAC after .10

It isn't mentioned but the Willie figurine is actually life sized.

calling her takes stupid or race baiting is fine, sure i get it....calling her a b**** and c*** its past the line. It baffles me that you people cannot see where the line is with basic human decency.

Imagine how fun this thread would be if we were talking about transfer portal news and not all this other crap...

…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.

Since we appear to have hit a wall, I will post the "final" results. Some Accounting Turns out I am a bad accountant. I miscounted. There are only 49 entries. But I will let you keep the cash prize @Ragu for the 50th entry. Here is what I have for each of the 49 entries. If anyone feels their entry is in error, please let me know. There are 40 Intermat entries (an all time high), and 6 HVI and 1 HR (both all time lows), to go along with one from Twitter, and Willie's prediction. Wisdom Of The Crowds If you believe in that sort of stuff, the final score prediction is...... Spread 'Em On HVI I saw someone say they saw a betting line of Iowa +21.5. With our WOTC Predicted spread of 17.5, maybe it is time to take Iowa and the points (not gambling advice). The distribution of differences looks like this: Who You Calling a Lier? Nobody. I said outlier. Settle down. As you can see there are a few outliers in the stack. @Mr. PeanutButter wins the Hawkeyed Cockeyed Optimist Award for greatest Iowa fan. But he is a singular bird of that feather. I am frankly shocked and disappointed at the practicality of the rest of Hawkeye nation. Two thirds of PBJ sees Iowa taking 6 of 10. Nobody else could talk themselves into even 5 wins for Brands' Boys. For goodness sake, even the greatest four three time champ in Hawk History (@Spencerlee) has the Nittany Lyings Lions winning by 14. For shame. On the flip side, who woulda thunk it? We have a Wolverine in Lions' clothing. At 37-0, @nhs67 exposes the lie. He can claim to be a Michigan fan all he wants. We know better. Only baccafarmer (HVI, no duh), Kale_yeah (guess where), @Pish (who hides as psih69 on HVI), and your faithful author could also see PSU hitting the triple decade. What Abouts The Bouts? But enough about us. What about the wrestlers? Glad you asked. Kerkvliet, Haines, and Bartlett are the only unanimous choices. Iowa is favored in 3 matches with Ayala the biggest favorite, followed by Buchanon and Teemer. Teemer v Kasak appears to be the most interesting match of the night at a near 50/50 split. But I feel like Buchanon v Barr should be given the 22 points in 1:19 onslaught we witnessed last week. But come on. Don't be stupid. It has to be the match that will end with a beheading, right? Two bold statements have been made. The first one turned out to be silly. But now we get a chance to see one of them actually backed up. Or sorta backed up. I do not expect an actual beheading. He Shoots. He Scores. From a scoring perspective things move around a bit. While Mikey Caliendo got one vote of confidence (we see you @RawDog) the expectation is that Mesenbrink will do more damage than a Lion in an aviary. And in a shocker, Beau "One Shot, Everyone Knows The Rules" Bartlett is the collective second favorite to take a second shot. Or maybe you guys just like him for the back points (aka near pinfall points)? At the other end of the spectrum is the one, if we are really being honest, we are tuning in to see. Two Brands. Two Team Point Deductions. Too bad Vegas doesn't offer a prop bet. I have told the wife every night this week what I am planning to do on Friday night. Come join me. I think I will crack open some spirits for the big event. But if clean living is your thing, then God Bless.

A great champion like David Taylor deserved to go out with a good win like this. Congratulations to him

I thought it was weird I'd never seen John Smith's complete FS stats/match records. Same goes for the other US GOATs. Tom Brands, Dan Gable, Cael Sanderson, etc. Turns out they didn't exist. Until today. I created a database with stats/match records for all "pro" wrestlers. Idk if anyone cares, but I thought it was cool. You can check out John Smith's record here: https://wrestlingrecords.com/wrestler/john-smith/

I see a lot of holier than thou takes on Williams , a lot of grown ass adults judging this kid but the reality is the kids father is in prison , his mother isn’t in his life and he doesn’t have much guidance , Coleman Scott and his wife were his support system last year and checked on him daily to try and keep him in line then after one year at school his support system is gone , I would bet 95 percent of you have no idea what’s it’s like to be 18 and have no parents to help you and no support system ( nevermind while wrestling D1 at one of the most prestigious programs in the sport) ,save your judgements and just hope this young man finds a place where he can get it right because the talent is there and he’s a great kid overall

It's more likely God blessed him with the strength of 1000 men to solely strike down Yazdani and the false prophets he represents.

The Wasteland Invitational became an instant classic

All times Eastern, with local times in parenthesis. *-indicates event is believed to be eligible for a one-pound weight allowance Please note that schedules for Central Michigan and Bellarmine are not yet available. Thursday, October 31: Campbell vs. Wyoming at Cheyenne, WY, 8:00 PM (6:00 PM) Friday, November 1: Pitt-Bradford at Edinboro, 12:00 PM Seton Hill at Edinboro, 3:00 PM North Dakota State at Virginia, 4:00 PM Purdue at Gardner-Webb, 6:00 PM Chattanooga vs. Virginia Tech at Roanoke, 6:00 PM CSU Bakersfield vs. Utah Valley at Stanford, 6:00 PM (3:00 PM) Utah Valley at Stanford, 8:00 PM (5:00 PM) Ohio vs. Wisconsin at UW-La Crosse, 8:00 PM (7:00 PM) CSU Bakersfield at Stanford, 10:00 PM (7:00 PM) Indiana at California Baptist, 10:30 PM (7:30 PM) Saturday, November 2: *Campbell, Chattanooga, Davidson, Franklin & Marshall, Gardner-Webb, Morgan State, North Carolina, North Dakota State, Virginia, Virginia Tech, VMI, West Virginia at Southeast Open, hosted by Roanoke, 9:00 AM *Cal Poly, CSU Bakersfield, Utah Valley at Menlo Invitational, hosted by Menlo, 10:00 AM (7:00 PM) Michigan State at American, 1:00 PM Navy at Pittsburgh, 2:00 PM Illinois at SIU Edwardsville, 7:00 PM (6:00 PM) Missouri at Northern Colorado, 8:00 PM (6:00 PM) Iowa at Oregon State, 10:00 PM (7:00 PM) Sunday, November 3: *Bloomsburg, Buffalo, Clarion, Edinboro, Mercyhurst, Michigan, Navy, Ohio State, Pittsburgh at Clarion Open, hosted by Clarion, 9:00 AM Army West Point, Columbia, Drexel, Hofstra, Lehigh, Lock Haven, Princeton, Rider at Princeton Open, hosted by Princeton, 9:00 AM Air Force, Appalachian State, Duke, George Mason, NC State, The Citadel at Battle at The Citadel, hosted by The Citadel, 9:00 AM LIU at ESU Open, hosted by East Stroudsburg, 10:00 AM Bucknell vs. Kent State at Maryland, 12:00 PM Central Missouri at Little Rock, 1:00 PM (12:00 PM) Sacred Heart at Presbyterian, 1:00 PM Kent State at Maryland, 2:00 PM Nebraska-Kearney at Little Rock, 2:30 PM (1:30 PM) Indiana at Cal Poly, 4:00 PM (1:00 PM) Bucknell at Maryland, 4:00 PM

ILLINI COACHES The ILLINI are coached by Mike Poeta, Jeremy Hunter for the wee ones, and IMAR and AOC for the bigguns. Do we need to spell out their full names, biographies and favorite movies? No. This is the best staff in the country. That's all you need to know. Add in Director of Operations Bryan Medlin and Christian Kanzler, starring as Director of Player Operations. We do wish athletic departments, and, yes, it is a problem with every single athletic department in this great country of ours, would not use the word "player" when referring to a "wrestler." Brian Swaw was the "Voice of the ILLINI" last year, and we hope he's back. He kept the student announcers from using "player" instead of "wrestler," and for that we are grateful. EARLY LOOK / TEAM RANKINGS This early look at the ILLINI Wrestling team is based on the lineup reported by Wrestlestat.com and the schedule provided by FightingILLINI.com. We do expect fire at any public or private wrestle-offs that may occur in the future. Moreover, the team has tournaments on the schedule that will allow multiple wrestlers from the same team at one weight. As a tournament team, ILLINOIS is ranked #19 by Wrestlestat.com and #14 as a dual squad. Intermat has the good guys as the #19 tournament team, #12 in duals. That shows a strong lineup with no "holes" or weak spots. FloWrestling has the Orange and Blue in the #23 spot as a tournament team. The individual rankings listed below are (Wrestlestat.com/Intermat/Flo). INDIVIDUAL STARTERS 125. Ramazan Attasauov (#21/#19/NR). The transfer from Iowa State has wrestled at 133 for the previous five years. Of course, the ILLINI already have Lucas Byrd at that weight, so his transfer was conditioned on wrestling at 125. He won the U23 National Tournament at 57kg back in 2020 beating RayVon Foley and Patrick Glory on the way to the title. He has qualified for NCAAs at 133. Ramazan will be huge at 125. He's already tall and strong. He is a super-quality wrestler that must answer two questions: (1) Can he be effective at 125, and (2) Russian-born, has he become fully integrated in Folkstyle wrestling? Our newest ILLINI looked good on picture day, so maybe he will be effective at 125. If things don't work out, the ILLINI have Caelan Riley and Joey Ruzic available. In fact, it might be wise to give Ramazan a few "weight breaks" over the season and let the young guys catch a dual or two. For a more detailed look at Attasauov, check out our previous story here. 133. Lucas Byrd (#7/#3/#9). Everybody loves to watch Lucas Byrd wrestle. The Byrd is the Wyrd! Out last year with an injury, he will be especially pissed off this season. A two-time All American (5,5), you always expect him to win. He didn't earn AA honors in his last NCAAs, but he still had a very strong tournament, losing to Daton Fix and Jesse Mendez by one point each, with the Mendez match going to TB-3. Lucas has the talent and ability to be a National Champion this year. He is right there. The question that remains is if he has completely healed from his injury. If so, watch out! We've seen pictures from his Media Day, and, wow, he looks like a tank. The ILLINI also have Kole Brower (occasional starter) and Brian Beers at this weight. Tony Madrigal graduated. Joey Ruzic will be on redshirt. The young feller who's ranked ahead of Byrd by FloWrestling and Wrestlestat.com but not Intermat, and who Lucas has beaten three out of four times, is the subject of this Wrestling Art, which we call "The World's Greatest Blood Round Takedown": 141. Danny Pucino (#36/#19/#21). Danny was a NCAA qualifier last season. He has beaten some serious All Americans on his journey so far, including Cole Matthews of Pittsburgh, Vance Vombaur of Minnesota, Parker Filius of Purdue and Dylan D'Emilio of Ohio State. He has a large repertoire of funky moves and a crazy misdirection ankle grab/single that are very entertaining. When he hits one of those, we like to say that his opponent got "PUCINO'D." Danny also has one of the best gas tanks in wrestling. He should have gotten a wild card to the Big Dance two years ago, even after having a poor B1G Tournament, but he improved and had a good BTT this past season. Will the improvement continue? He always seemed a little slight for the weight, but with age comes weight. Will the extra weight be an advantage or slow him down? The ILLINI could have a fantastic wrestle-off mini-tournament at this weight. Others at or near 141 include Will Baysingar and Hudson Goebel, two proven tough guys, as well as likely redshirts Jayden Colon, Jackson Herman and Olin Walker. 149. Kannon Webster (#9/#11/#12). ILLINI fans have been waiting for this addition to the lineup. We thought he was going to forego his redshirt last year. Coach Poeta and Kannon tricked us! The multiple Fargo winner and Pan Am Champion will be a force at this weight. We believe he is seriously undervalued thus far. He went 20-1 last year as a true Freshman. With wins in the Iowa and Ohio State duals. He won the Greyhound Open and Zingo Nationals last year. Heck, as a high school Senior, he won Kaufman Brand beating the Indiana University fourth-year starter in the finals. Also at this weight, the ILLINI have a previous starter and tough guy in Jake Harrier. Charlie Fifield is here as well, along with stud Ohio recruit Ryan Bennett. Webster finished third at the Midlands, with his one loss on the season to Ty Watters in a very controversial match. Watters ended up on the podium in the 4th position at NCAAs. Here is a Law and Order investigation into that controversial match: 157. Jason Kraisser (#29/#23/#24). The second transfer from Iowa State is there to fill the spot left by Joe Roberts, who has retired from wrestling because of injuries. Jason started out in college at Campbell where he was an all-SoCon Freshman with a 21-8 record. He transferred to ISU, and two years ago, qualified for the Big Dance as the #25 seed. He made it to the Round of 16. Kraisser ended up with a 22-15 record. Last year, it was only open tournaments and a 16-6 mark. He is a real leg-rider, which is not something the ILLINI has had in some time. For more detail, check out this earlier article. True Freshman Logan Swaw got the start last season after the injury to Roberts, but he is ready for a redshirt year. Danny Nini is a transfer from North Carolina. Antonio Alvarado and Tegan Chumbley fill out the roster at 157. 165. Braeden Scoles (#50/NR/NR). Another rookie in the starting lineup is this Fargo winner and four-time Wisconsin state champion. He has the pedigree but a really tough weight in conference. The top three in the Wrestlestat.com rankings are all in conference and all on the ILLINOIS schedule (PSU, Iowa and OSU). Braeden was 10-4 last season, but that was in part due to battling injuries. Near the beginning of the year, he got the start against North Carolina and beat a National Qualifier. The ILLINI have a surfeit of riches at this weight with last year's true freshman starter and National Qualifier Chris Moore taking his redshirt, as well as tough guys Caden Ernd (occasional starter) and Cooper Wettig (occasional starter). Both Ernd and Wettig have filled in for injured ILLINI in the past even up a couple of weights. Scoles ended last season on a winning note with four straight wins, a championship and a "Jersey Chain" at the Zingo Nationals. Check out the original post to see Scoles in action and to find out what a "Jersey Chain" is. It's pretty funny. 174. Danny Braunagel (#14/#20/#10). The first twin in the lineup is a 3x NCAA Qualifier, 2x ILLINOIS State Champion, 3x Finalist and a Pan Am Champion with 63 career wins for the Orange and Blue. Our Christmas Wish this year is for Danny Braunagel to go through an entire season without a debilitating injury. He did it as a redshirt Freshman, finishing with a 23-9 record, while qualifying for the NCAA Tournament and earning Covid-year Honorable Mention All American honors. [LOOKING AT THE CAMERA] Is that too much to ask for? One year. No injuries. We've been good this yea--okay no more Deadpool--let's get back to the Brawlnagel. He has just finished up an Olympic redshirt year placing in the OTT Greco trials. He now knows as much about hand-fighting as Tony Stark knows about metals. You can bet he is ready to feast on some leg attacks. Over the years, Little Brawny has beaten a lot of great wrestlers, including Izzak Olejnik, Peyton Mocco, Kennedy Monday, Ethan Smith, Peyton Robb, Bubba Wilson and Gerrit Nijenhuis both by major, Holden Heller, Peyton Hall (x2), Caleb Fish, and he's undefeated against Cameron Amine (2-0). You can go back through his record and see exactly when the injuries occurred. As one example, he beats Maxx Mayfield 8-1 at Midlands. Less than three weeks later, he loses to the same wrestler 3-8. If he can get through the season uninjured, we expect him to AA again. Colin Kelly is the blue chip recruit waiting in the wings. Chris Moore (last year's starter and NCAA qualifier), Caden Ernd and Cooper Wettig can take a few dual matches if needed. 184. Edmond Ruth (#4/#8/#7). As a high schooler, he had a 105-1 record that included two Pennsylvania titles and three finals. On top of that, he was a 4x high school All American. Whereas Jason Kraisser was a high school state medalist in cross country, Edmond was a state qualifier in PA in the 4x400. It is not that hard to believe, then, where they get their extreme conditioning. The ILLINI started their next streak of All Americans last season with Edmond Ruth. He also won a Big Ten Championship and a Midlands Championship. Ruth has been the team leader in dual points for the last two seasons. His record over the last two years for ILLINOIS is 26-4 (7th) and the year before that 30-8 (R12). Moving up in weight this year, you can already see the additional muscle on his body from the media day pictures and his Instagram account. He is a master of mat wrestling, and his quickness and conditioning allow him to wear down opponents, even the ones who try to avoid his bear hugs. We think he challenges for a Championship this year. He will have a quickness advantage and almost certainly a conditioning advantage over all of the other challengers. On February 16, 2025, expect to see Edmond Ruth versus Carter Starocci. We can't wait! Tough guy and multi-year starter and National Qualifier Dylan Connell will get his chance at a wrestle off. Additionally, strongman Charlie Heydorn is available. 197. Zac Braunagel (#10/#10/#9). The second twin that everybody loves to root for is Big Brawny. He won Fargo and was a 2x ILLINOIS State Champion. Zac was an age group Pan Am Gold Medal winner, as well as an age group World Teamer. Last year, he was a Senior World Team member in Greco. He qualified for and placed at the OTT. In college, the Brawlnagel has been a four-time NCAA Tournament qualifier with a Round of 12 twice and earned a Covid-year Honorable Mention All American honor. He had an Olympic redshirt last season, so he now has a doctorate in hand-fighting. The year before that, he finished 25-9 at 197. Everybody in the world, including his opponents on the mat, are rooting for another AA honor this year for both Danny and Zac. Wrestlers like tough guys. The starter from last year is the mercurial and tough Isiah Pettigrew, who came back days after knee surgery to complete his season. We would love to see this wrestle-off, but, man, we absolutely don't want anybody to get hurt, so we don't know what to think. "Little Brother" Joey Braunagel is not on the roster this year, and that may have to do with his commitment to the United States Army, THE BEST ARMY IN THE ENTIRE WORLD! 285. Luke Luffman (#16/#13/#15). This ILLINI team has to be loved and enjoyed by all the fans, even the stinky and noisy fans of other teams. Another example: The big man in the middle, LUUUUUUKE Luffman, true blue fan favorite. In high school, Luke was a double Fargo winner in Freestyle and Greco. He won three State Championships, two at 220 and one at heavyweight. In college, he's been a 3x NCAA Qualifier and has been as high as #6 in the rankings. He's also had multiple dual-clinching wins for the Orange and Blue. He's coming off of a season-ending injury, so the question is whether he has fully recovered. He was well on his way to AA status last year, losing in the Midlands Finals by a single point to Isaac Trumble of NC State. Then, he got injured. During his college career, he's had wins over Luke Surber, Tate Orndorff, Trent Hilger, Taye Ghadiali, Josh Hokit, Christian Lance and Ben Goldin (x2). Filling in for an injured LUUUUKE last season was true Freshman Peter Marinopoulos, and he won a couple of duals for the good guys and also won the Lindenwood Open. Whether he goes 197 or 285 in the future will be the question, but he'll get his well-earned redshirt this season. Veteran Daniel Renshaw is available, as well as new recruit Marko Ivanisevic. TRUE FRESHMEN AND TRANSFERS The ILLINI brought in a strong class that runs from the wee folks to the big guy in the middle, including Anthony "Joey" Ruzic, Ryan Bennett, Jayden Colon, Colin Kelly, Jackson Herman (Father was a stud AA for ILLINOIS Wrestling), Olin Walker and Marko Ivanisevic. Besides Ramazan Attasauov and Jason Kraisser mentioned above -- both of who came from Iowa State -- the ILLINI also pulled in Danny Nini from North Carolina. NOTE: Originally posted at the ILLINI Wrestling Blog & Forum & Beyond. There you will find more videos as well as photographs and dual match scores. For video credits, please see YouTube.

I sure hope you didn't read any of it. That makes you an accessory after the fact.

He's teaching his son a lesson that will prove valuable for the kid's therapist.

Entries have been published, and we can now know the prospective seeds from UWW's rankings for the 57kg and 65kg weights that Spencer Lee and Zain Retherford will endeavor to qualify. At 57, the potential seeds are among the clear favorites, so it's nice to see them separated. But 65 is a joke built on a broken ranking/seeding system, where none of the 4 seeds would be considered a favorite for one of the 3 available slots. Because only 4 are seeded and the rest of the bracket is random, these undeserving seeds leave open the possibility for what we've seen each of the last 2 cycles at 65kg at this event: Our guy in a loaded bracket half and someone undeserving qualifying from the other half. 57kg: 1) Aman, INDIA 2) Dingashvili, GEORGIA 3) Zandanbud, MONGOLIA 4) ?? (no other entrants ranked in UWW published Top 20) 65kg: 1) Sacultan, MOLDOVA 2) Finesilver, ISRAEL 3) Leutert, SWITZERLAND 4) Kudiev, TAJIKISTAN In Greco at 77kg, Kamal Bey should get a seed. Roberts and Coleman won't be seeded. Based on published seeding points/rankings: 1) #5 Gutu, MOLDOVA 2) #6 Lomadze, GEORGIA 3) #11 Kamal Bey, USA 4) #12 Levai, HUNGARY Kamal had a 2023 victory over Levai, 7-3, and a loss to Gutu, 3-3. Projected seeds for other freestyle weights: 74: 1) Chamizo, ITALY (automatic bc of the Azerbaijan euro qualifier debacle) 2) Salkazanov, SLOVAKIA 3) Demirtas, TURKEY 4) Kuramagomedov, HUNGARY 86: 1) Gocen, TURKEY 2) Sharipov, BAHRAIN 3) Ramazonov, BULGARIA 4) Greil, AUSTRIA 97: 1) Thiele, GERMANY 2) Baranowski, POLAND 3) Bajcajev, HUNGARY 4) Bataev, BULGARIA 125: 1) Ligeti, HUNGARY 2) Baran, POLAND 3) Lazarev, KYRGYZSTAN 4) Khotsianivskyi, UKRAINE