peanut

Haines with a crazy comeback. Cool as a cucumber during the matside interview.

Vito is indeed looking like world champ Vito from last year.

At 133, we’re going to see a 26 year old compete against a 24 year old tomorrow night for the title. Interesting!

Gomez is in his fourth post-season. Personally, I would distinguish between some in their fourth post-season versus someone in their fifth post-season.

For me.. 125- Ramos vs. Stanich 125- Davis vs. Volk 133- Nagao vs. Orine 149- Kasak vs. Arrington 165- Hamiti vs. Olejnik 197- Cardenas vs. Allred

125- (8) Figueroa- 3rd year 125- (12) Noto- 4th year 125- (3) Ayala- 3rd year 125- (10) Barnett- 5th year 133- (1) Fix- 7th year 133- (5) Ragusin- 4th year 133- (6) Arujau- 7th year 133- (2) Crookham- 2nd year 141- (1) Mendez- 2nd year 141- (5) Echemendia- 3rd year? 141- (6) McNeil- 4th year 141- (2) Bartlett- 4th year 149-(1) Lovett- 5th year 149- (4) Henson- 2nd year 149- (6) Gomez- 7th year 149- (2) Parco- 5th year 157- (1) Haines- 2nd year 157- (12) Andonian- 5th year 157- (6) Cardenas- 2nd year 157- (2) Teemer- 6th year 165- (1) O'Toole- 4th year 165- (4) Carr- 6th year 165- (6) Caliendo- 3rd year 165- (2) Mesenbrink- 2nd year 174- (9) Starocci- 5th year 174- (4) Griffith- 6th year 174- (6) Welsh- 1st year 174- (7) Wolak- 5th year 184- (1) Keckeisen- 5th year 184- (4) Munoz- 5th year 184- (3) Plott- 4th year 184- (2) Salazar- 4th year 197- (1) Brooks- 5th year 197- (12) Elam- 4th year 197- (3) Sloan- 6th year 197- (2) Hidlay- 6th year 285- (1) Kirkvliet- 5th year 285- (4) Schultz- 5th year 285- (3) Hendrickson- 5th year 285- (10) Davison- 6th year There may be mistakes in here, so be sure to verify everything before relying on it.

Brooks is just so good. Wow.

Starocci = Kobe

Mekhi is a defensive and counter wrestler. He's extremely tough to take down.

They are both absolute monsters (in a good way).

Vito's super looking tough.

There really needs to be a step-out rule. There are too many athletes playing the edge and running away when they have a slim lead.

“I would literally do anything to grow the sport of wrestling.” ”Would you listen to DC talk?” ”No.”

A step out rule is the courageous choice.

Some of these guys look banged up. Probably need a shorter season.

After studying the TikToks, I learned that some of the youths are revolted at the idea that people who walk among us were born in the 1900s. I guess I can see that, given that the typical college freshman was born in late 2004 or 2005. That means they remember virtually nothing that happened before 2010 or so. But then it got me thinking. Are there any active NCAA wrestlers who were born in the 1900s? I’m guessing there are few “seasoned” stragglers out there.

Brooks is world-medalist level right now. Not many NCAA champs ever even get close to that level.

Is there some way for Bastida to rep Puerto Rico or Mexico?

Crookham actually has a tough path to a title. Assuming higher seeds win, he’d have to go through: (31) Leete (15) Teske (7) Bailey (3) Orine (who’d have beaten reigning NCAA and world champ Arujau) (1) Fix (world silver medalist)

It would indeed be a feel-good story to see an injured kid who needed an at-large bid win it all.

The point of seeding is simply to spread out the wrestlers who are expected to perform the best. It doesn’t really matter how it gets done.

I get the criteria and all that. But putting Lewis and Starocci in the same quarter is silly. The committee should have used whatever discretion it had to put them in separate quarters or halves.

Brackets here.

Brackets here.

Brackets here.