Wrestling 2015-16

[ugarte]

Tonight's schedule:

Championship:

133: #1 Garrett v #4 Brewer (Oklahoma) Brewer is the defending national champ. Brewer was #1 early in the year before Garrett beat him and took the top spot away. Brewer lost again to a wrestler at Oklahoma State who would have been one of Garrett's top challengers but for a season-ending injury.

184: #1 Dean v #13 Renda (NC State) They've never faced each other.

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157: #5 Palacio v #7 Pack (South Dakota State) Winner gets AA. They've never faced each other.

[dag14]

Garrett gets the pin in 21 seconds to advance to the finals.  It was ridiculous!

[ugarte]

And then Dylan Palacio dominates Cody Pack to move into the finals with a 10-3 win. Inexplicably, up 10-1 with 5 seconds left in the match, he let Pack up and then ran away so obviously that he got hit with a second stalling call, which cost him a Major Decision.

[dag14]

That was Dylan hot-dogging it.  He did the same thing after his last win but didn't blow the MD in the process.  I am going to guess that he is getting an earful from his coach....

[ugarte]

125: Garrett with a shot right off the whistle, grabs two ankles and takes Brewer right to his back for a quick 6 points, and almost a pin. It looks like Brewer might get out but Garrett grabs him again, throws him to his back again and flattens him out for the fall in an amazing 21 SECONDS.

In the final he faces #2 Corey Clark (Iowa). They've never faced each other.

184: Dean dominates #13 Renda (NC State). Easy 9-4 win. Back to the finals for the second year in a row. Amazing.

In the final he'll be against #7 Dudley (Nebraska). Last year, Dean faced Dudley in the QF and Dudley had him on the ropes but got gassed in the third period. Dean was barely able to beat the clock for a one-point win. Earlier this year, at MSG, Dean won by MD.

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157: Wrestling for his first All-American honors, Palacio did his usual thing: scoring off of his opponent's attempts to score. Pack took a deep shot and as he tried to convert, Palacio took control from a defensive position and exposed Pack's back for 4 points as the first period ended. He scored another takedown with two NF as the second period ended, again from a neutral position that started with Pack's offense. As I wrote above, Palacio gave away the MD by throwing away two points. I'd kind of like an explanation for that but, to be honest, it doesn't matter that much. It would have been worth another half-point in the team score.

His next match will be against #6 Smith (Oklahoma State), who he beat earlier this year, making clear that he was all the way back from his first semester illness.

DYLAN PALACIO PINS SMITH! Again, Palacio scores from a defensive position. he was literally leaning backwards into Smith first for a reversal and then was able to push him to the mat for the Fall. Palacio is always fun to watch.

[ugarte]

That was Dylan hot-dogging it.  He did the same thing after his last win but didn't blow the MD in the process.  I am going to guess that he is getting an earful from his coach....

But why even let him up? He could have just sat on him until the end.

[ugarte]

What a GREAT session. 4-0 for the Big Red. Two in the finals (Garrett and Dean), one in the consolation semis where he can finish no worse than 6th (Palacio).

125: #1 Garrett v #2 Clark (Iowa)
184: #1 Dean v #7 Dudley (Nebraska)

157: #5 Palacio v #4 Miller (Kent State) - Miller may be looking for revenge against anyone in a Big Red singlet. He lost the QF to Realbuto last year on an error by the scorer's table.

Heading into tomorrow here are the team standings:
[Team - Points (Finals / 3d/5th/7th)
1. Penn State 114 (5/1)
2. Oklahoma State 79.5 (2/4)
3. Iowa 78.5 (3/3)
4. Virginia Tech 69.5 (0/6)
5. Ohio State 68 (2/2)
6. Missouri 58.5 (1/3)
7. Nebraska 56 (1/2)
8. Cornell 53.5 (2/1)
9. NC State 43 (1/2)
10. Illinois 42 (1/2)
12. Lehigh 30 (0/3)
18. Penn 20 (0/1)
28. Princeton 12.5 (0/1)

[CU77]

Garrett's win is #5 in the ESPN Sports Center top 10! They show the whole 20.6 seconds, speeded up.

[shasta1]

Garrett is an awesome wrestler but even greater person!

[jkahn]

Nashon Garrett is NCAA champ with a 7-5 win!

[ugarte]

Dylan Palacio advanced to the consolation final when Miller took a medical forfeit. Miller hurt himself late in his semifinal match. He still almost pulled off the win against defending champ Isaiah Martinez but couldn't quite convert a late takedown. My guess is that he'd have been willing to go in the final, but wasn't going to risk injury for third place since he was already an All American.

In the third place match, Palacio was pretty passive. He lost 4-1 without really taking an offensive shot. That said, finishing 4th and finally getting the spot on the podium that poorly-timed injuries stole from him the last two years was fantastic. Great to see him get All-American honors.

[jkahn]

Gabe Dean makes it 2 for 2 for the Big Red in the finals.

[ugarte]

Nashon Garrett is NCAA champ with a 7-5 win!

It said 7-6 on the scoreboard after a late, dubious stall call but I can't quite add up those points. For a close score it was a dominant win. Garrett's points came on three takedowns and an escape. Clark's points all came on escapes or stalling calls he never came close to scoring on offense.

This caps an amazing career for Garrett:

2013: Wrestling at 125, Garrett won his first EIWA championship. Seeded #6, he finished in 3rd, earning his first AA. His only loss at NCAAs was in the semis to eventual the eventual champion, Jesse Delgado. In the third place match, he beat the #1 seed 6-1. He finished 43-5 with no losses to any wrestler ranked lower than #4 in the country.

2014: He won his second EIWA championship. Returning to the NCAAs as the #2 seed. He lost in the finals, again to Jesse Delgado, earning his second AA. Finishing the year at 33-2, his only 2 losses were to Delgado.

2015: Again at 125, Garrett won his third EIWA championship. Struggling a bit with weight, his junior year was a disappointment but the kind of disappointment that only comes from national title expectations. A 5th place finish and third AA.

2016: Unsure of how Garrett would adjust to his new weight, the rankings started him at (IIRC) 5th. After blazing through the early season schedule, he met returning national champ and top-ranked Cody Brewer... and won 14-9, dominating the third period. He was moved up to #1 and never looked back, capping a 37-0 season with his fourth EIWA title and first NCAA championship. Along the way, he met Brewer again... and pinned him in 21 seconds. An amazing run. I'm really going to miss him.

[ugarte]

Gabe Dean makes it 2 for 2 for the Big Red in the finals.

Amazing match, never in doubt. 5-3 win in a tournament where he was never seriously challenged. Second national title in three years. Gabe Dean is amazing and I can't wait to see him again next year.

Cornell as a team finished in 7th place with three All-Americans and two titles. An up and down year that ended so well*. So fucking well.

* With the exception of Brian Realbuto's injury; I hope to hell he's OK for next year, for himself and for the team.

[shasta1]

I am a Garrett fan and he will be sorely missed! Congrats to Gabe Dean as well!