BruceyB

We can only hope.

MFF after all. Shane Sparks just announced that was what he was told.

Shane Sparks just said 184 was going to be a MFF.

I agree Incontrera was handled in that match, but I really think Norman is just a problem in neutral. He outwrestled Hamiti in neutral in the CKLV finals as well. That misdirect that he hit in the second was so fast and smooth. His bottom wrestling is a big concern when it comes to KOT, Haines, and Hamiti.. but he looks like he could be the clear #4 in the country after seeing what Hamiti did to Wolak, and what he just did against Incontrera. I'd pick Norman over anyone not in the top 3 at 174.

A notable asterisk considering they did, in fact, wrestle for same team. Goofy Ivy League rules surrounding covid definitely played a role in this. It's not like Max committed to another school.

Just curious to hear some throwbacks of some of the top siblings that competed and had notable college careers, but wrestled for different schools. I can think of a number of siblings that were NQ or lower AAs but just curious to get some other names thrown in. I think Mark (Iowa) and Chris Perry (OKST) are the most notable given their backgrounds and both becoming 2x champs. Jason (Northwestern) and Alex Tsirtsis (Iowa) were both high school standouts with Jason winning a notional title and Alex becoming an AA. Any others come to mind? It's rare that brothers with similar accomplishments coming out of high school end up attending different college programs. The Blaze brothers are a future candidate for this topic.

I've readjusted my position on the topic. You're not the only one to mention the bad look for Iowa forfeiting a finals match in their own tournament. In my mind, the SS is nothing more than a glorified open at this point. If it is meant to be essentially a mid-season open, I don't think you need to wrestle the bout, but if what Iowa is hoping to do is make it into a mainstay regular season tournament that actually attracts quality competition, then I would flip my opinion and agree that you can't voluntarily forfeit a finals match in your tournament.

Very very close haha.

I defer the match summaries to you, good sir.

133 was an awesome match. Knox is very funky, Shawver in several times, but could only convert once. Probably half the match at least was in scramble positions. 3-3, Shawver with 1:04 RT with about 30 seconds to go. Knox shoots off the whistle and Shawver wasn't ready for it.. Knox finishes with Shawver on his back for a final of 10-3

Leg lace position called potentially dangerous when Knox was in decent position? I didn't see the PD there.. Would have liked to see the situation play out.

I agree. I think at the end of the day, the reviews that the new coaching staff gets from the guys in the room this year, as well as their impressions from RTC practices will be the most important thing moving forward. If the guys are happy and feel like they're making jumps, OKST will be an increasingly attractive place to land, especially considering the log jam of guys with multiple years left of eligibility at PSU.

To be clear, he committed to John Smith and Oklahoma State. As a Stillwater High wrestler, he's not going to decommit and lose training opportunities while still in Stillwater by flipping on Ok St. Hopefully he stays home and continues to help build up the program, but it's worth noting that he didn't make it commitment to DT.

I'd agree that something close to your suggestion is probably the best move. I'm with you on the matside weigh-ins. I've never understood the popularity. I can't imagine being in the middle of a tournament and having to "check my weight" in between matches, or even possibly in between drinks of water. I'm sure there is a system that could potentially work.. but the whole idea just seems like a hassle for everyone involved. I love the direction wrestling seems to be going with a lot of guys pulling much less weight than even 10-15 years ago, along with the frequency that guys are willing to move up a weight class, but if things were moved to matside weigh-ins.. could you imagine trying to fill a roster around everyone's ideal walking around weight?

Sorry, I should have clarified better. There is no reason to have Arnold and Ferrari wrestle in the finals unless the spot is on the line, and you are going to pull Ferrari's RS if he wins. Otherwise you just had your starter in Arnold go out and lose to the guy in RS in front of the country for no reason. The match in itself obviously doesn't burn the RS, but I don't understand why you wrestle it unless the spot is on the line. I felt similarly when tOSU had Davino and Bouzakis wrestle earlier this season. I don't see anyway that match was beneficial for Bouzakis this season. He took a pointless loss.

That is fair. I disagree with the Jimmy Johnson way as well.

There's no reason for this match to occur. That is why I would be shocked if it did. Why would you burn a year of Ferrari's eligibility with Keckeisen and Starocci in the field when he could potentially be a title threat as a freshman next year?

Remember when a certain NCAA finalist was kicked out of ISU for inappropriate conduct, and found a new home at PSU? Remember when a freshman national champion got into some trouble and found his way (albeit briefly) to Iowa? If we're going to pretend like a kid hitting a vape pen while underage is the same as being arrested twice in a calendar year for intoxication related charges is the same, then yes, quite the hypocrisy.

While not relevant to the brackets of the Soldier Salute, Spencer's outburst is not even on the radar of funniest moment when compared to the event of last year. Edit: typo

57 kg (125 lbs) 61 kg (134 lbs) (non-Olympic class) 65 kg (143 lbs) 70 kg (154 lbs) (non-Olympic class) 74 kg (163 lbs) 79 kg (174 lbs) (non-Olympic class) 86 kg (190 lbs) 92 kg (203 lbs) (non-Olympic class) 97 kg (214 lbs) 125 kg (276 lbs) 4 weights between from 190 to 276 is the problem with international wrestling. 40% of the roster allocations reserved for athletes that walk around at 200+ pounds is never going to help the sport. Argue about shifting college weights all you want, but I would never trade our current weights for international. Essentially with the shifting you are eliminating the 149 pound to add 214. Take a poll on who thinks that is best for the sport.

This is exactly what I have been saying the entire time. Everything in your post is the sentiment I was coming from.

To put it simply, I think guys who spend RS at another school, but never actually wrestled a season there (Kerk and Mesenbrink) is a slightly different case than we're talking about. All of Iowa's transfers were already AA's when they stepped on campus. But regardless, the difference between Iowa and PSU is what their lineups look like if you take away transfers. 125: Lilledahl 133: Davis 141: Bartlett 149: SVN 157: Kasak 165: Facundo 174: Haines 184: Starocci 197: Barr 285: Nevills would have never left (or they'd probably have a hole here presuming they wouldn't have landed a recruit since 2020). Feel free to share Iowa's lineup without transfers.

What caveat did I use? I went back to 2019 because that is the last year that still has relevance this season, and I'm not including bringing in transfers as developing your own AA. And yes, Little Rock has produced more All-Americans than Iowa in this stretch. Paying for another school's AA to wear your singlet doesn't give you credit for developing an AA. But hey, if failing to develop recruits and then shelling out money to stay relevant is your idea of success, then rock on Iowa.

Maybe I'm missing something obvious, but I can't find a schedule for Midlands anywhere. Not on track, not on flo.. anyone have a link? Are they done for the day or doing quarters tonight?

I don't doubt it, but tOSU has four top two finishes (one title) since 2010, and Iowa has three top two finishes (one title) in the same time frame. I'm sorry if you'd like the results of Iowa from 15+ years ago to hold significant weight in this discussion. Let's go back to 2002-2025 and use that to explain about how great John Smith was in the 2020s.. They haven't had a National Champion in a weight above 133 since 2013.