fishbane

I don't think so regarding 145. He fought at 135 early in his MMA career before cutting down to 125 where he fought for most of his career. He had a surprise win over Demetrius Johnson to win the title at 125. Then TJ Dillshaw cut down to fight him at 125 and rumors were that Dana White wanted to get rid of 125lbs because it's not a money maker and that Dillshaw was expected to win the belt and then go back up and continue fighting at 135 at which time the UFC would eliminate 125. It was the opposite that happened. Cejudo beat Dillshaw at 125lbs then he moved up and won the title at 135 I don't think he has fought above 135lbs. This is all a little unrelated to the original discussion which was perhaps off topic to begin with. I think there could a first weight effect going on at 125. One reason there are elder statesmen at for example 74kg is because wrestlers like Frank Chamizo and Chetag Tsabolov who have had success and won world titles at lower weights have moved up later in their career. So now at 32 they are still wrestling. At 57kg guys size-out as they age so they move up but there is no feeder weight below it which could depress the average age. Guys who are too small for 57kg don't have anywhere to wrestle and retire/stop competing. I don't know if there is an age difference between 57kg and the other weights that it is due to accumulated wear and tear/loss of speed and athleticism any more than at heavier weights or that there is no weight class below it. It would be interesting to look and see if there was a significant change in the average age of competitors at 57kg/55kg back when there were lower weights like 52kg and 48kg compared with now that it's the lowest weight.

In wrestling? He hasn't wrestled since 2015 and that was kind of a one off possibly at a catchweight. Earlier this year he fought in MMA at 135lbs at 37 years old.

I think the examples that 29 is old for a light weight are similarly anecdotal. It would be interesting to see the data. I'm sure people size out of the weight with time and unlike other weights no one really sizes into it. Still there are plenty of examples of older wrestlers finding success. Cejudo was our youngest Olympic champion in men's freestyle. Before he won the spot our rep at world was Sammie Henson was who won bronze in 2006 at 35 years old. After Cejudo won the Olympics in 2008 he took some time off. The US was represented by 35 year old Danny Felix at 55kg in 2009. The oldest freestyle world champ of the past two quads is Yowlys Bonne who won worlds at 61kg in 2018 a week or two shy of his 35th birthday. That same year a 33 year old Adam Batirov had a huge lead in the world final at 70kg until the wheels came off. Team USA's oldest freestyle world champions have been Baumgartner 35, Burroughs 34, and Bill Zadick 33. Zadick won at 66kg.

One of the oldest men's freestyle Olympic champions is Valentin Yordanov who won the 1996 games at 36 years old. He also won worlds in 1993, 1994, and 1995. All of those were at 52kg. Not sure why some posters are saying 29 is old for a lightweight.

Right and there is some merit to that. It could also be said of Nokhodi beating Burroughs.

If he beats DT tomorrow I am sure Ghassempour will be feeling pretty good.

Not currently, no.

Obtuse? lol. I asked you what NCAA wrestling event being streamed by Flo this season you are _most_ looking forward to watching? You then answered with every dual Flo has on the schedule this week. As if you are planning to watch every one and can't pick between them. My overall point is that Flo's NCAA wrestling offerings are 3rd rate and a poor value. I thought by asking you that question you'd figure it out for yourself. Apparently you got derailed when you couldn't figure out if you're more jazzed to watch Iowa wrestle Oregon State or Indiana take on Cal Poly.

Lol you listed every match they're streaming this week. I don't really think any of those are their best events, but if they do it for you then it might be worth $30/month. Their best NCAA event in my opinion is CKLV. Their other major tournaments are the Southern Scuffle and the EIWA tournament. But the EIWA tournament without the Ivies only features one top 25 team and could be the 5th or 6th most compelling tournament that weekend. Their only duals featuring two top ten dual teams come courtesy of #10 Northern Iowa. #3 Nebraska at #10 Northern Iowa #4 OSU at #10 Northern Iowa #7 ISU at #10 Northern Iowa Those are good events, but probably not in the ten best duals of the season. For Flo's college coverage to move the needle you either have to be an EIWA, Pac-12 or PSAC fan, and after conference realignment there are fewer of those than ever before, or follow a lower division. For everyone else Flo's NCAA coverage will be decidedly third rate far behind ESPN/ESPN+ and BTN/BTN+ and just ahead of Rokfin and UFC fight pass.

Which NCAA event streaming on Flo are you most looking forward to this season?

If at this point you don't expect Flo to mess up the coverage then I don't know what to tell you. There is an old saying in Tennessee. I know it's in Texas. It's probably in Tennessee. Fool me once shame on... shame on you. Fool me... you can't get fooled again. Yet somehow you have been fooled again. If you're not already a Flo subscriber a UWW+ pass for the world championships is only 8 Euros and all you need is a VPN to sign up. Much cheaper than a month of flo. The only real reason to subscriber to Flo are the USAW events and domestic youth tournaments.

Not on twitter and no need to tag me when mentioning a fact like that. Sanderson/Gable should be tagged if anyone.

I kind of hope that he is literally the last top 50 recruit in the class of 2026 to commit. Still whittling down his list August 2026. Who saw that coming?

If PSU makes it to 2/8/2025 without taking a home loss it will mark a decade since their last defeat in Happy Valley.

The 2012 win at Carver Hawkeye was significant. It snapped Iowa's 84 match unbeaten streak, which is tied for the longest in NCAA history with OSU. OSU went undefeated over 84 matches from 1959-1966 under Myron Roderick. During Iowa's unbeaten streak from 2008-2012 OSU was the team that prevented them from claiming several NCAA records. OSU broke Iowa's previous streak beating them on 1/5/2008. Then Iowa won 69 straight matches. This is the longest winning streak by a single head coach in D1. Brands is tied with two OSU coaches. OSU won 69 straight under Ed Gallagher from 1921-1932 and Smith duplicated the feat between 1996-1999. Iowa's 70th match match was against OSU in Stillwater and ended in a 15-15 tie. This kept Brands level with Smith and Gallagher and also prevented Iowa a chance at the overall win streak record of 76 (OSU 1937-1951). It was only OSU's win 1/5/2008, tie 1/16/2011, and win 1/7/2022 that kept OSU in first in these streaks. PSU is currently in the throes of a winning streak that dates back to 2020. In total it is 56 matches, which is 4 shy of the PSU record. That record was set between 2015 and 2019. If PSU wins all 15 matches they have scheduled this season that will be 5 straight undefeated seasons and break the record for the longest PSU win streak (60), longest win streak by a coach in D1 (69 Brands, Smith, Gallagher) and have PSU with the second longest winning streak by a team in NCAA history at 71 straight wins. Should that happen going into next season PSU will be within striking distance of the longest winning streak by a team (76 OSU) and longest unbeaten streak (84 OSU & Iowa). Since 2/15/2015 PSU is 122-2 with loses to ASU and Iowa in the 2019-2020 season. Both of those were road matches. PSU has not lost at home since Iowa 2/8/2015. That match was in the Bryce Jordan Center. PSU has not lost in Rec Hall since Minnesota 1/25/2015.

There is an argument to be made for 2021 Kemerer. He had beaten Mark Hall during 2019-2020. I think all of people would say that Mark Hall is better than Keckeisen's best win, which is probably Trent Hidlay. Although maybe not since Hidlay retired Mark Hall at the OTT this year. He also obviously beat 2021 Carter Starocci. Kemerer also dominated Bernie Truax 8-1 at NCAAs in 2021. The following year in 2022 Keckeisen split with Truax at NCAAs.

I think Sanderson closing in on Gable's for the most individual NCAA champs by a coach is the most significant record on the table. Staroocci getting 5 is really only significant if he doesn't get it done and the team points record depends on too many factors. Below are the top 20 coaches by number of individual NCAA champions. I compiled it myself and there could be errors or omissions, but I think it's pretty accurate.

Bonus points also became easier to get last year and Starocci didn't get any at NCAAs for the first time. This was after majoring the 4th place finisher 11-0 earlier that year at the NWCA All Star Classic. There are a lot of ways things can go, but his performance could improve from last year.

Before the injury last season he had scored bonus in every match except Rocco Welsh. Majored Mekhi Lewis at the NWCA All Star Classic too. I think there is some room for improvement for him.

There are several significant records within reach for the Nittany Lions this year. How many do they accomplish by the end of the season? 1) Most NCAA Championships by a single wrestler - current record 4 (Pat Smith, Cael Sanderson, Kyle Dake, Logan Stieber, Yianni Diakomihalis, Aaron Brooks, and Carter Starocci) Carter Starocci enters the season with 4 NCAA titles. Should he win again he will be the only person with 5. 2) Most individual NCAA champions by a single coach - current record 45 (Dan Gable) With 4 individual champions last season Sanderson moved past Ed Gallagher and Harold Nichols into second on the all-time list with 40 NCAA champs. If PSU gets 5 - a total they have done twice before - he will match Gable in only his 18th NCAA tournament as a head coach. It's on the table with PSU returning 3 NCAA champs and 2 runner-ups. 3) Most individual NCAA champions by a team in a single season - current record 5 (Iowa 1986, 1997; OSU 2005; PSU 2017, 2022). PSU returns 3 NCAA Champions (Haines, Starocci, and Kerkvliet), 2 runner-ups (Bartlett and Mesenbrink), 2 3rd place finishers (Van Ness and Kasak), and another wrestler who was the 1 seed at NCAA's last year (Davis). Five champs is a possibility. PSU will be the only team to do it for a 3rd time if it happens. 4) Most AAs by a team in a single season - current record 10 (Minnesota 2001) PSU could field returning AAs at 133, 141, 149, 157, 165, 174, 184, and 285. The remaining two weights, 125 and 197 are likely to feature freshman that have medaled at junior worlds. It could happen. 5) Most team points at the NCAA tournament - current record 172.5 (PSU 2024) This is largely the same team that set the record. They return 133 of the record setting point total and after adding Shayne Van Ness's 15.5 team points from 2023 this team returns 148.5. A better result at 125 and 133 along with more bonus points from a healthy Carter Starocci and it could happen. 6) Longest dual winning streak in Penn State history - current record 60 match (PSU 2015-2019) This PSU team enters the year on a 56 match winning streak going back to 2020. PSU opens with duals against Drexel, Lehigh, Wyoming, Binghamton, and Arkansas - Little Rock. They will be favored heavily in all 5. 7) Longest dual winning streak by a single coach - current record 69 matches (OSU/Ed Gallagher 1921-1932, OSU/John Smith 1996-1999, Iowa/Brands 2008-2011) PSU has 15 duals on the schedule and they will be favored in all of them. If they win the first 13 Sanderson/PSU will match the record. The Iowa duals is in the first 13 so Iowa has a chance to block them from doing this. If PSU keeps the winning streak going they will end the season with 71 straight wins and only 5 behind the longest winning streak by any school. It took OSU 14 years and two coaches to set that record when they won 76 sgtright matches between 1937 and 1951. They could also break the record for the longest unbeaten dual streak which is 84 (OSU/Roderick 1959-1966 and Iowa/Brands 2008-2012). That would require them to run the table this year and win at least the first 14 duals next year. Are there any other milestones Sanderson and Penn State could reach in the near term?

That's not what I'm saying at all. There is significant risk for a top team to take him. And there is significant risk this could not work out at Bakersfield. Bakersfield just has a lot less to lose compared with PSU, Iowa, OSU, Ohio State, Cornell ect. There is also upside to bringing Ferrari in. The fact that he ended up at Bakersfield ranked 76/77 teams in D1 last season is evidence of the significant risk Ferrari brings with him. Somewhere around there is where the reward matches/exceeds the risk.

You're right again it could be worse, but let's not be so unimaginative that dropping the program is the worst thing that could happen. People could die. That car accident in Oklahoma could have killed someone. If he's learned nothing and continues driving in that manner he could kill someone in Bakersfield. I don't have any inside information, but from the outside it appears they are more than just bad. 2020-21: 0-2 2021-22: 2-10 2022-23: 1-11 2023-24: 0-12 Wrestlestat had them ranked 76 of 77 teams last year. They wrestled #67 American and got crushed 36-8. They wrestled #65 Hofstra and lost 29-9. That was the closest dial of the year. The thing about Hofstra and AU is that even though they are bottom 15 programs they win sometimes and they're good students. Both teams were in the top 20 in team GPA in D1. Bakersfield was not in the top 30 list published by the NWCA. With 77 teams in D1 it can be inferred that across D1 wrestling teams they have average to below average grades being ranked somewhere 31-77. Bakersfield's regular conference doesn't sponsor the sport and their wrestling affiliate conference has an uncertain future. I am sure it's an expensive problem to administer since it requires a lot of travel - only 4 schools in the state have teams at the D1 level, and I get the feeling they don't provide enough money to do it. No assistants coaches in mid October? That is crazy. I can't imagine the head coach suddenly thought they were unnecessary and could do it all himself. He's had assistants before so I suspect he either wasn't able to find anyone willing to do it for the compensation on offer or he eventually found someone, but the SID couldn't be bothered to update the website. Even the later isn't great. The team is such an after thought sports information doesn't update the website. But at the same time who could blame them? There is no recap of the 2024 PAC-12 championships on the website. You try writing a recap for a team where every wrestler went 0-3 (dead last) except one that went 1-2 and finished next to last. As I said before, taking Ferrari on is a risk vs reward proposition. The head coach would be best positioned to make that assessment and weigh the possibilities. He might be keeping him on a tight leash and plan to dismiss him at the first minor infraction so as to prevent a major issue that takes out the entire program. Or he may know that the program is currently circling the drain and will give Ferrari carte blanche to operate knowing that he might just win multiple NCAA titles, create a buzz on social media that leads to new recruits including possibly one of his brothers, and save the program. I can't think of an example where is a single student athlete has been blamed for a program being dropped, but I can think of one credited with saving a program.

I mean that's true, but you gotta look at the potential consequences of a toxic locker room. Toxic locker rooms make it difficult to retain and/or recruit talent. This is a non-factor. Toxic locker rooms can drag down the performance of the team. This is a non-factor. The only real threat is if Ferrari does something outright illegal and involves his teammates just a total implosion taking out multiple team members. It's a legit risk. So worst case you have to totally clean house and rebuild back to an 0-12 program. Sounds doable.

Clearly there is a risk/reward proposition in taking on Ferrari. Iowa missed out on Chittum by pursuing Anthony. Albert probably ended up at Bakersfield because there isn't a whole lot to lose. Who is going to leave? The assistant coaches? They won't have any. The wrestlers? All them went 0-3 to finish dead last (6th place) at their weight at the PAC-12 championships last year except 1 guy who finished in 5th going 1-2. These are replacement level wrestlers so they could easily be replaced. What's left? The head coach? He was 0-12 last year and 1-11 the year before.

Locker room probably wasn't great place before these transfers arrived. Team is coming off an 0-12 season and has 0 assistant coaches listed on the website. They were 1-11 the year before. Probably a decent chance these guys have a positive impact in the locker room and get guys doing more.