VakAttack

Foca's season long implosion is nearly complete.

I'm not sure Starocci will wrestle out if he loses. ETA: But there's nothing in that match that tells me Kennedy will even get that far.

Kennedy tried to stall the entire third period out with that RT point, he deserved to lose. Gross.

Mesenbrink looked a little out of sorts to start (first NCAA jitters?) but has settled in nicely. Tough to see anybody on that bottom side coming close to him.

Simma looking like Benny Baker on Mat 1.

Starocci immediately bailed when.Sparks grabbed the injured leg. We'll see what it looks like against better guys, BUT he does look ok. He could definitely win (I was more doubtful of him because of the injury than most). I'm rooting for him, but that was nerve wracking when Sparks grabbed that leg.

I'm going to look stupid when Blaze beats Franek, lol.

Can Penn State get only peak the superstars? The answer may surprise you.

Rathjen should have finished that. Incredible defense and counter by Williams.

Can anyone tell me why Miller didn't get the TD? It's on the opposite side of the arena.

No, NOW we can stop the count!

Iowa tied for the lead. STOP THE COUNT!

Can neither confirm nor deny whether Cael has started negotiations from matside with a potential Nagao replacement....

Hit me up. Tomorrow, I'm going to bed, lol.

What seed was he?

"Name a wrestler who murdered a Vak fantasy team."

I distinctly remember Joe LeBlanc from Wyoming missing weight, but on Day 3.

I feel like we got crosswise here, where I'm mostly talking about the previous Suriano situation whereas you're debating the current Starocci situation, so I apologize for being unclear. I don't think there's anything particularly untoward about the Starocci situation at present, pending whatever happens on Thursday; I fully expect Starocci will wrestle, but I believe he will be a diminished version (though I hope I'm wrong.)

So what happens when the sport continues to erode?

Wilson is secondary to this question to me. I don't care. As I believe @nhs67 said, don't go 16-12 and place 9th at B1Gs. As to the former Penn State wrestlers, I would say it's more a combination of "defending their program" and "playing with language." Your portraying it as if anyone saying opposite them is claiming a gran conspiracy by them. It's relatively straightforward and doesn't involve any sort of planning. Everybody knew, at the time, that there was no way Suriano was going to be able to wrestle. It was discussed on forums, in media, on socials, etc. he broke his ankle. Cael and Penn State waited to the last second to pull him because it kept Picc on in Gilman's quarter because after a certain point, they wouldn't reseed. It was gamesmanship, and it worked. It also made the actual tournament a little more lame.

Because Oklahoma State was a potential threat to a team title. Just because the team score ended up lopsided, they don't know the team score beforehand. and the best teams, even when expected to win, are always looking for edges. Look at the Patriots in the NFL. Obviously New England crossed a line a couple of times, and I'm NOT saying Penn State has crossed a line; I don't think they've done anything against the rules. From my perspective, it's a question of "right thing" and individual's responsibility to a struggling sport vs. responsibility solely to their team.

I'm not relying on Manning, this has been a known and discussed issue since when it happened. There's a reason it's literally a running joke in wrestling circles about "he's downstairs drilling right now."

I'd be interested to hear @Husker_Du's thoughts, since we know he has friends and connections with both programs, and is not afraid to let his voice be heard on difficult subjects.

To play devil's advocate, where does responsibility to the sport come in? Because it's not like wrestling is a vibrant, thriving sport, and there is no overarching body that cares directly for the health of NCAA wrestling. There are outside bodies that try to promote, like NWCA or USA Wrestling, but if our sport is slowly dying, do the coaches have some responsibility to maximize the product so that it's around for decades, or is their only responsibility to try to win each year?

I agree. In my head the arguments are separate.