Elevator

He might not need our wisdom. Anyone think he and his posse are reading our posts hoping for our guidance?

I think Joy's NCAA tourney was an aberration. He is as likely as anyone to win it at 157 - although 157 has quality and depth.

For the Quakers, interested in seeing: who wins the spots at 133 and 165 - Hwt? A lot of uncertainty, but like the depth and interesting young wrestlers that may get a shot which of the new guys and 2nd years guys win a spot and have an impact? will the team qualify 8 or more for NCAA's? I think it is possible if aspirational - feel very good about 7. Can they get 4 or even 5 guys to the round of 12? I think possible and feel good about three! Can they get 2 AA's? I think they will! A young team, but enough leaders and experienced guys that they should be solid. Hard to see them knocking off Cornell. Should be quite a battle with Princeton who looks pretty good this year from what I read.

I see Angelo is back and ranked 3rd at 184. Are the other two expected to compete in NCAA wrestling this year, or is team Ferrari down to one brother for this season? Anyone know them?

Seven years is a long time to chase NCAA wrestling glory. Not commenting on any specific wrestler, but I assume NIL money and perhaps graduate degree opportunities often are a big part of the reason that wrestlers stay so long. Also, the sport and specific program cultures can be hard to quit.

No idea who will be at 141 for PSU at NCAA's, but will take the over on a 9th place. Its a heck of a team again with off-the-charts depth at 8 of 10 weights. The B team would probably finish top ten.

"Tumult" and "carousel" take is silly. With Cruz, he is still in the Penn wrestling ecosystem and featured on the front page of the PRTC web page. https://www.pennsylvaniartc.org/ The new PRTC Director/Coach is his old college coach, Pat Santoro. They have not lost Cruz, they gained Byrd. A strong culture and program and should be a fun year. Keystone coming up is going to be a very strong field.

The talent and work it takes to get to the NCAA semis and finals in the last 20 years is a very high hurdle. My view is that the guys nominated for this award from recent years would have done even better 40 years ago. The depth of strong competition at each weight has trended up - my opinion and no way to measure with any precision.

Thanks for sharing insight on this thread - interesting stuff. As to the highlighted portion, time to get on board and support organized labor?

I've heard Rutgers will be back and pretty sure at least regulars Harvard and Drexel will return. No certainty that teams will send all starters but sure hope so and some may send more than starters.

He is an outstanding announcer!

Penn's best is probably Slay. Lehigh's might be Trenge. Cornell's might be Shapiro. Penn State's could be Duke, or Kasak, or Ono, or maybe VanNess?

Same. Also, the Ivies compete with each other and to some extent similar schools like Stanford and maybe some Patriot League schools and this healthy competition has led to pretty aggressive financial aid packages with higher grants and only modest loans. I think admitted students can often negotiate based on other awards to do a little better - or so I have heard. These need based aid awards and packages are all separate from NIL considerations. So, can be a pretty good financial deal for all Ivies if the need is there and the need is there far above $100k parent income.

AI disagrees: If parents make $100,000 per year would this exclude the child from financial aid at Cornell in Ithaca? An annual family income of $100,000 does not exclude a child from financial aid at Cornell. Cornell meets 100% of demonstrated financial need for all admitted undergraduates, and families at that income level generally qualify for substantial grant aid. Cornell's Aid Policy for a $100,000 Family Income Tuition Coverage / Grants: Undergraduates from families earning up to $125,000 with typical assets generally receive Cornell Grant aid that covers full tuition. This is gift aid that does not need to be repaid. Low Student Loans: For families earning between $75,001 and $125,000, Cornell caps student loan packaging at a maximum of $2,000 per year, covering the remaining need with grant aid and work-study opportunities. While income is a primary factor, total financial aid eligibility is also calculated using CSS Profile and FAFSA details, including household assets, family size, and the number of children enrolled in college. What is the aid policy for $175,000 per year parent income? For a total parent annual income of $175,000, a student remains eligible for need-based financial aid at Cornell. Cornell guarantees to meet 100% of demonstrated financial need for all admitted undergraduates, and families at this income tier typically qualify for a package containing grant aid, work-study, and low student loans. Financial Aid Breakdown for a $175,000 Income Tier Grant Aid: Families earning around $175,000 with typical assets generally receive substantial need-based grant aid to help cover the estimated cost of attendance. Grant aid is gift aid that does not need to be repaid. Loan Cap: For families in the $125,001 to $175,000 income bracket, Cornell limits the student loan component in a financial aid offer to a maximum of $4,000 per year. For incomes slightly above $175,000, student loans are capped at $6,000 per year. Self-Help Expectation: A standard aid offer includes a $5,000 work-study award alongside reasonable student and parent contributions. Key Factors That Affect Final Aid Amounts While income level provides a strong benchmark, Cornell determines demonstrated need using both the CSS Profile and FAFSA. Other factors influencing the exact award include: Assets: Savings, real estate, and investments outside of primary home equity or retirement accounts. Family Size & Siblings: Having multiple children enrolled in college simultaneously increases demonstrated need significantly. NY State Residency: Students attending Cornell’s state-assisted contract colleges (e.g., CALS, Human Ecology, ILR) pay lower in-state tuition rates, which shifts the calculated need structure relative to the endowed colleges.

Interesting analysis. Hard to believe that the AD or key alum/donors would consider Cornell wrestling or its coach as underachieving - every wrestling program has some disappointing matches and tournaments (possibly with one notable exception in recent years).

Koll deserves big credit with what was built and the levels achieved - a very tough act to follow. Really very little chance for Grey or others to have more success with the Ivy/Cornell limitations. Still a very strong program and probably a great source of pride in the Cornell AD's office - notwithstanding some recent challenges. Just a guess, but I would assume that Cornell wrestling alums and donors overall remain very happy with the team leadership and program (because they are smart).

True that they had a bad tourney and some bad luck with concussions. But the program is fine and I doubt anyone at Cornell is lacking confidence in the direction and leadership of the program. Recruiting has been solid.

Will be interested to see if DeSena, Humphries, or Betz might make the list - I think they may be (?) incoming for Penn but not yet on the posted roster. Might be some others like Nathan Taylor (141ish) that are rostered as sophs but have frosh eligibility and could be impact? Hoping I am not hallucinating.

Flying Cement is probably right, but just for fun and assuming nobody takes a grey shirt with new rules it could look more like this? 125: Max 133: DiAndrea or Casey 141: Taylor or Motyka (probably Mougalian) 149: Cross 157: Swisher 165: DeSena 174: Humphries, Seefeldt, or Bellis 184: Bellis, Stein, or Humphries 197: Betz or Pardo 285: Cosgrove, Pardo, or Delsanter

Mindful that there is still potential portal activity and lineup uncertainties, does the success of Nebraska in the portal to an already tough squad elevate them to the top contender? Seems like they might be, but wondered what the smarter wrestle analysts on here were thinking?

I have not studied it, but guess a significant % of top 50 recruits and maybe top 100 in recent years would defer a year as frosh or sophs. I am guessing a much lower % will now do so. Maybe mostly younger HS seniors who can defer and still get 5? Aside from the immediate roster battles that will now be joined, I think it will make it more challenging for magnet programs to stockpile AA quality kids and juggle lineup spots in the ways we have observed. Probably a net gain for the sport that more top 20 or even top 25 teams get a larger share of Big Board recruits - assuming my brief informal analysis has some validity. NIL $$, great culture, great room, and being part of a top 5 program is a heck of a magnate for landing and keeping top recruits, but another factor is their chances at getting to use much of their 5 for 5 with a varsity spot. So my informal theory is - and I am too lazy to study it in any detail - that: (i) the rich are not going to get richer in the recruiting wars relative to recent years and may land relatively fewer numbers of top guys; and (ii) that the rich will get at least a little poorer from transfer portal exits for example where bona fide AA candidate wrestlers cannot get a lineup spot and do not want to squander their five chances. I could be wrong. We will see. Am I just stating the obvious?

Defer and preserve eligibility via redshirt or greyshirt.

I am assuming that the new 5 for 5 will drive less redshirt/greyshirt deferrals and more immediate challenges for roster spots. What true frosh will now make a bona fide challenge for roster spots? Am I overestimating the impact of 5 for 5 on undermining the rationale for a year one deferral of eligibility? Anyone aware of actual changes in wrestler plans from deferral to competing this year?

I wonder if the new rule will reset the deferral plans? Some who planned to defer might enroll and challenge for a spot in the lineup? Not just thinking of Cornell.

I would guess that even with NIL $$, the value compared to job market choices is not much, but getting a grad degree and one more shot at NCAA glory has a unique value of its own. Plenty of Ivy grads have done it over the years and I can think of Michigan, Virginia, Virginia Tech, Rutgers, and I think Stanford as recent landing spots. Good schools!