SocraTease

Ach!. Gomez makes a big comeback and wins 22-12. Nick uncharacteristically faded bad. Looks like 65KG will not be qualified here for the US. One last chance at the Last Chance. Disappointing.

Lee vs. Gomez now! Mat B

The big upcoming match in the quarters is Nick Lee vs. Austin Gomez. Winner goes to semis and very likely the finals for an Olympic berth. Lee wrestled Gomez at Worlds last year and pinned him after leading ... something like 7-3 but Gomez was and is dangerous. Lee can go upper body however and has some length on Gomez, which helps. Below is a link to their match at Worlds if you can access it: https://www.flowrestling.org/events/11049592-2023-senior-world-championships/videos?playing=11251702

RBY looks really sucked down. Thin. The cut must be really tough to 57kg

Yes, it's him. He looks bad so far after being down 8-0 ... but rallies with a pin. Dylan Palacio (now of Uruguay and former folkstyle wrestler) looked terrible at 74 KG. He lost 12-2 to a guy from Brazil. He didn't do much and kind of appeared lost on the mat. RBY took care of business quickly in his first match.

This thread reads like a few nervous Dads pacing and waiting for a child to be born.

There are masterpieces ... and then there are disaster-pieces. Centralia belongs to the latter category like Three Mile Island and Chernobyl but, hey, property taxes and rents there are probably pretty low, right?

"There will be Blood":

Reminds me of a remark by another former wrestler and also a piece of ______: "Reports that say that something hasn't happened are always interesting to me, because as we know, there are known knowns; there are things we know we know. We also know there are known unknowns; that is to say we know there are some things we do not know. But there are also unknown unknowns—the ones we don't know we don't know. And if one looks throughout the history of our country and other free countries, it is the latter category that tends to be the difficult ones"

Falls Leaders thru 2/26/2024 NAME/INSTITUTION/WEIGHT/# OF FALLS/TIME DIVISION I MEN Wyatt Hendrickson Air Force 285 14 21:23

Most Dominant Leaders thru 2/26/2024 DIVISION I MEN Wyatt Hendrickson Air Force 285 5.5 Trent Hidlay NC State 197 4.77 Mitchell Mesenbrink Penn State 165 4.63 Dean Hamiti Wisconsin 165 4.6 Michael Beard Lehigh 197 4.43 Vinny Zerban Northern Colorado 157 4.42 Stephen Buchanan Oklahoma 197 4.42 Parker Keckeisen Northern Iowa 197 4.35 David Carr Iowa State 165 4.3 Taye Ghadiali Campbell 285 4.25

Seduced and Abandoned !! All the vacuous hype around 165 and 285.

Suriano seems to have stalled or regressed in his development. Don't see him winning the 57KG slot.

I think he's decided just to focus on the Olympic Qualifier next weekend. A big weight cut two weekends in a row probably isn't going to help him. He isn't ducking Lee. The goal is to qualify. He has a reasonable chance of beating Richards if they are on the same side of the bracket. If not, there is always a last chance Qualifier

Carr won the first two matches and lost the third. His record against KOT below: #1 O'Toole, Keegan 03/16/23 L DEC 8-2 #1 O'Toole, Keegan 03/04/23 W FALL 7:38 #1 O'Toole, Keegan 02/15/23 W DEC 7-2

There is a greater chance of a Giant Quasar swallowing the Third Rock from the Sun on Saturday before that happens. #2 Wyatt Hendrickson vs #23 Tyrell Gordon Next matchup: NA Head-to-Head: 3 - 0 WrestleStat Prediction: Wyatt Hendrickson over Tyrell Gordon 15 - 3 MD Wyatt Hendrickson vs common opponents 42 - 5 vs opponent 3 - 0 #172 Island, Christopher 02/03/24 W FALL 1:38 #68 Rasmussen, Luke 01/26/24 W FALL 2:01 #14 Heindselman, Josh 12/17/23 W MD 15 - 4 #54 Wolfgram, Michael 12/08/23 W TF5 15 - 0 1:21 #4 Cassioppi, Anthony 03/16/23 W FALL 4:16 #6 Davison, Lucas 03/16/23 W FALL 3:56 #7 Elam, Zach 03/16/23 W MD 17 - 8 #3 Kerkvliet, Greg 03/16/23 L DEC 4 - 2 #23 Doucet, Konner 03/04/23 W MD 12 - 3 #14 Nevills, AJ 03/04/23 W TF5 16 - 1 5:35 #8 Schuyler, Sam 03/04/23 W DEC 8 - 2 #107 Doolin, Xavier 02/19/23 W FALL 6:13 #28 Wolfgram, Michael 02/10/23 W FALL 0:37 #56 Mora, Juan 02/03/23 W MD 13 - 2 #14 Nevills, AJ 01/29/23 W TF5 16 - 1 6:46 #61 Trussell, Chase 01/27/23 W MD 15 - 4 #132 Island, Christopher 01/21/23 W FALL 0:54 #125 Swartz, Terren 12/10/22 W FALL 6:04 #19 Gordon, Tyrell 12/02/22 W DEC 7 - 2 #52 Knighton-Ward, Zachary 12/02/22 W FALL 3:15 #24 Nevills, AJ 03/17/22 W MD 13 - 1 #13 Orndorff, Tate 03/17/22 L DEC 9 - 5 #42 Heindselman, Josh 03/05/22 W DEC 11 - 5 #24 Nevills, AJ 03/05/22 W FALL 2:05 #57 Seely, Jacob 03/05/22 W FALL 2:04 #28 Surber, Luke 03/05/22 W MD 16 - 6 #110 Swartz, Terren 02/11/22 W TF5 18 - 3 7:00 #39 Schuyler, Sam 02/05/22 W FALL 2:58 #59 Gordon, Tyrell 02/04/22 W DEC 10 - 5 #116 Island, Christopher 01/27/22 W FALL 1:41 #59 Gordon, Tyrell 01/14/22 W DEC 8 - 4 #17 Fernandes, Lewis 01/01/22 W FALL 1:33 #60 Metz, Brandon 01/01/22 W MD 11 - 2 #6 Hillger, Trent 03/18/21 L DEC 6 - 3 #1 Steveson, Gable 03/18/21 L TF5 18-2 6:40 #24 Heindselman, Josh 03/06/21 W DEC 11 - 5 #43 Metz, Brandon 03/06/21 W FALL 1:48 #42 Wolfgram, Michael 03/06/21 W DEC 9 - 5 #121 McConville, Bowen 02/13/21 W FALL 4:12 #43 Metz, Brandon 02/13/21 W FALL 2:46 #42 Wolfgram, Michael 02/06/21 W TF5 18 - 3 5:00 #71 Doucet, Konner 01/22/21 W DEC 8 - 2 #89 Trenary, Spencer 01/17/21 W FALL 1:23 #40 Heindselman, Josh 02/29/20 W DEC 11 - 5 #99 Kluever, Keaton 02/29/20 W FALL 5:37 #109 Swartz, Terren 11/10/19 L FALL 2:37 #109 Swartz, Terren 11/02/19 W MD 13 - 3 Tyrell Gordon vs common opponents 23 - 30 vs opponent 0 - 3 #172 Island, Christopher 02/09/24 W FALL 1:26 #14 Heindselman, Josh 01/27/24 L SV-1 4 - 1 #15 Doucet, Konner 01/26/24 L TB-1 4 - 3 #4 Cassioppi, Anthony 03/16/23 L MD 9 - 0 #23 Doucet, Konner 03/16/23 W DEC 2 - 1 #107 Doolin, Xavier 03/04/23 W DEC 5 - 0 #7 Elam, Zach 03/04/23 L DEC 10 - 4 #21 Heindselman, Josh 03/04/23 W MD 10 - 2 #132 Island, Christopher 03/04/23 W DEC 2 - 0 #14 Nevills, AJ 03/04/23 W DEC 2 - 0 #8 Schuyler, Sam 03/04/23 L DEC 6 - 0 #11 Hillger, Trent 02/18/23 L DEC 2 - 1 #8 Schuyler, Sam 02/10/23 L DEC 4 - 1 #28 Wolfgram, Michael 02/05/23 L DEC 7 - 4 #132 Island, Christopher 02/03/23 W DEC 4 - 0 #21 Heindselman, Josh 01/29/23 L SV-1 4 - 2 #23 Doucet, Konner 01/28/23 W DEC 3 - 2 #61 Trussell, Chase 01/13/23 W DEC 3 - 1 #7 Elam, Zach 01/08/23 L SV-1 3 - 1 #12 Orndorff, Tate 12/19/22 W DEC 3 - 2 #2 Hendrickson, Wyatt 12/02/22 L DEC 7 - 2 #6 Davison, Lucas 12/02/22 L DEC 6 - 1 #14 Nevills, AJ 12/02/22 W SV-1 3 - 1 #12 Orndorff, Tate 12/02/22 W DEC 3 - 2 #75 McConville, Bowen 11/20/22 L SV-1 7 - 1 #47 Rasmussen, Luke 11/20/22 W DEC 4 - 2 #102 Trenary, Spencer 11/20/22 W DEC 4 - 0 #15 Hillger, Trent 03/17/22 L MD 8 - 0 #1 Steveson, Gable 03/17/22 L TF5 25 - 10 6:09 #42 Heindselman, Josh 03/05/22 L DEC 2 - 1 #28 Surber, Luke 03/05/22 L MD 13 - 3 #32 Wolfgram, Michael 02/05/22 L SV-1 3 - 1 #9 Hendrickson, Wyatt 02/04/22 L DEC 10 - 5 #42 Heindselman, Josh 01/30/22 L DEC 3 - 1 #28 Surber, Luke 01/29/22 W DEC 2 - 0 #60 Metz, Brandon 01/22/22 L DEC 3 - 2 #9 Hendrickson, Wyatt 01/14/22 L DEC 8 - 4 #24 Nevills, AJ 01/09/22 L DEC 4 - 3 #110 Swartz, Terren 01/09/22 W TB-1 2 - 1 #52 Knighton-Ward, Zachary 12/21/21 W DEC 4 - 2 #17 Fernandes, Lewis 12/20/21 L DEC 4 - 0 #2 Kerkvliet, Greg 12/20/21 L MD 12 - 1 #112 Kluever, Keaton 12/11/21 W MD 12 - 2 #91 McConville, Bowen 12/11/21 W FALL 6:44 #114 Mora, Juan 12/11/21 W DEC 6 - 5 #8 Elam, Zach 12/04/21 L DEC 5 - 2 #91 McConville, Bowen 11/28/21 L SV-1 5 - 3 #112 Kluever, Keaton 11/21/21 W DEC 4 - 2 #91 McConville, Bowen 11/21/21 W DEC 6 - 1 #91 McConville, Bowen 11/21/21 W FALL 0:30 #39 Schuyler, Sam 11/21/21 L DEC 9 - 3 #40 Surber, Luke 01/30/21 L DEC 3 - 1 #61 Seely, Jacob 01/25/19 L DEC 9 - 2

Here's a video of Ackerman wrestling:

RBY and Gomez are apparently skipping Pan Am championships this weekend to focus on the Olympic Qualifier the following weekend.

Pan Am brackets are out for freestyle this weekend. It's not the Olympic qualifier but the Pan Am championships, just to be clear (in case there is confusion): https://uww.org/event/seniors-pan-american-championships/results

Olympic Trials are less than two months away. Does anyone who has an ear to the wall know which way Retherford is going? Up to 74KG or down to 65KG? He's surely made a decision and move by now. I seem to think there are a few others with this dilemma. I think Chance is going up. Green is going down. Dieringer is going up. Vito is going down. Cassiopi is going down. Cox will be at 97KG ... though I haven't heard much about him lately. Has anyone? Nashon ? (I suspect up) Shapiro? (I suspect up) Desanto (probably up) Others? Gross? The weight Yo Yo-ing is underway ... of course because the damn Olympic committee forces 10 weights into 6, which is a terrible crime

There are lots of problems with the Hodge voting. A guy can take an early or unusual loss and, yes, actually still be the best NCAA wrestler. Guys get caught or have a bad day or are sick or injured. That should be considered. If, for example, Brooks took an early loss in the season but came back to dominate should he be excluded from consideration? I say "no". The Hodge voting, like most of America, has this terrible tendency toward "purity" -- no losses with close wins and a weak division or schedule is construed as better than complete dominance over an entire season against great opponents ... with the possible exception of, say, one loss against a good opponent (or even moving up a weight for the team). The Hodge voting committee should clarify whether All Star matches count or not. A decision might affect ome of the best wrestlers who might elect not to wrestle those matches if they aren't ready or fear a loss. It can encourage avoidance. And is bad for the sport. The current Hodge procedures seem to discourage guys and teams from moving up a weight during a dual to win. That used to be an exciting element of wrestling. The long and short: take into consideration the important variables. Yes, criteria for the Hodge matter greatly, but make them (a) as clear as possible (prioritize the order or make them weighted as a percentage) and (b) make them reflect the reality of the sport "on the ground" so as to encourage competition rather than reflect narrow statistical goals or largely subjective, popular, fan-based voting.

And who are we speaking about here? Please name names

I probably put it in to grab some attention. You know . . . the way that Jonathan Swift immodestly included recipes for eating children in his "A Modest Proposal" as a form of extended irony in order to gain some interest in the issues he was raising about poverty, homelessness, the great need for adoption (reduction of unwanted babies), and the like. In his case at least, it worked.

It's my general sense that pins are likely down in number over the past few years. That is, that they are likely less common occurrences at the NCAA level as a whole. So, I'm wondering: 1. Is that in fact the case? What do the statistics actually say over a 3 year period? 5 year period. 10 or 20 year period? 2. If it is the case, what are the likely or possible reasons (causes)? More scrambling? More defensive wrestling? More emphasis on majors and tech falls? A change in levels of competition? Less emphasis by coaches? Something else? 3. If pins are (or should be) valued as the way to score the most points for a team and as the best and most reliable way to end a match in victory for individuals, what can be done to change this situation or trend if in fact it exist? To Wrestleknownothing (who seems to know quite a bit), do you have any data on this issue?

Steveson was an exception to the general rule. Look at the history of Hodge. Many are big pinners: Sanderson (3 times), Askren (two times), Taylor (2 times), Retherford (two times), etc. Last year, Mason Parris had 11 pins. None of the so-called Hodge candidates this year have anywhere near even that number, except Hendrickson (who is not even on some of the lists). If the powers-that-be want pinning to be de-emphasized, then revise the Hodge criteria. And make sure you check if Dan Hodge has rolled over in his grave. If you don't want to exhume him, then consult Ben Askren for his thoughts or even Wade Schalles. They will both chew the cauliflower ears off the wrestling community on this point about pinning.