I was checking out themat.com to see if there was any outrage in the wrestling press about the D-III "play up" rule. Nothing there (though they certainly have plenty about Title IX). But I did find this:
http://www.azcentral.com/community/scottsdale/articles/0811sr-hooker11Z8.html
How are we in wrestling these days? I seem to recall we had a very strong program when I was a student (early 80's), then it dropped off about the same time our crew teams did, and then it rebounded (crew didn't).
We have an excellent program. We qualified wrestlers for the NCAA's in 8 of 10 weight classes and finished 10th overall at the NCAAs. In addition we got All-American performances from three wrestlers:
Travis Lee '05 won the national championships at 125 (he was seeded 2d). He was also undefeated on the season.
Dustin Manotti '06 finished 8th at 149 (he was seeded 10th).
Clint Wattenberg '03 finished 5th at 184 (he was seeded 3d). He had been ranked #2 most of the year, and was as high as #1 after defeated the then-#1 ranked wrestler.
Obviously Lee and Manotti will be back, so the program will be strong again.
[Q]Obviously Lee and Manotti will be back, so the program will be strong again.[/Q]
Obviously? Haven't we learned that you can't just assume that underclassmen will be back? What more does Travis have to accomplish at the college level? And the risk of injury? Don't be surprised if the lure of big bucks is too strong and he bolts to the professional ranks. After all, he can always finish his degree during the summers.
Oh wait...
If they wrestled at "adult-size" weights, maybe there would be a future. . .
http://www.collegesports.com/sports/m-footbl/uwire/050803aac.html