Wrestling [2016-2017]

This has most if not all of the dual, starting at 125. I haven't watched yet. [youtu.be]

ugarte
This has most if not all of the dual, starting at 125. I haven't watched yet. [youtu.be]

Thanks!

I watched the parts of Noah's match that I missed. His TD was a simple go behind; nice, but nothing spectacular. What was impressive was his ride out to close the last 43 seconds of the second after his TD and then the full third period.

mountainred

ugarte
This has most if not all of the dual, starting at 125. I haven't watched yet. [youtu.be]

Thanks!

I watched the parts of Noah's match that I missed. His TD was a simple go behind; nice, but nothing spectacular. What was impressive was his ride out to close the last 43 seconds of the second after his TD and then the full third period.

I really liked Womack-Burcher too. Damn shame they burned the challenge since it was rejected and Womack won anyway.

Micah Jordan looked two weight classes larger than Furnas. How is that possible?

The automatic bids for each conference at each weight came out and Cornell has a lot of challenges to qualify. There are multiple weights where our guys will have to outperform their seed at the EIWA conference tournament (Easterns) next week to get an automatic bid. Some may still get wild cards if they come up short but the fewer bids a weight class has, the tougher it will be.

Weight - # of AQ:
(Coaches' ranking)
125 - 2. - Baughman (32) is the third ranked wrestler in the conference in a two-bid weight. Terao (10) is going to be the 2 seed, though Baughman beat him earlier this year. Finishing in third would give him a very good shot at a wild card.

133 - 4. Grey (20) is third in the conference and will qualify if he wrestles to seed. He's actually 11th in RPI, so he is a prime candidate for an at-large even if he stumbles.

141 - 5. Koll is in a deep weight class - unranked himself but with 6 ranked wrestlers ahead if him. He's 33d in RPI and might qualify for a wild card but his best bet is to get in by the tournament. He's definitely capable of a run to the top 5.

149 - 3. Galasso (30) is the #4 wrestler in the conference but injuries have kept him from qualifying for an RPI ranking (minimum of 17 bouts at a weight). Given his limited reps, he's a tough call for a wild card. If injury means Furnas has to go he's unlikely to qualify on the mat and has no chance at a wild card.

157 - 4. Palacio started the year #2 but skipped the first semester and spent most of his return at 165. He's unranked because he has barely been on the mat. He's apparently wrestling tomorrow at a tournament not many national qualifiers attend. It's unclear why but probably to shake off the mat rust and give the committee a reason to give him a WC if he gets upset at Easterns. He'd be the one seed at Easterns if he had wrestled all year.

165 - 3. With Palacio returning to his best weight, Womack (19) is now set to be our guy at 165. He's probably going to be the top seed at Easterns. At #11 in RPI he probably gets a WC even if he has a bad tournament.

174 - 6. Realbuto (2) should have no trouble qualifying with only one wrestler even in his range (Lehigh's Preisch) despite it being one if the deepest weight classes in the conference. He's #1 in RPI to boot. Just don't get hurt, Brian.

184 - 7. Dean (1) is going to qualify unless he gets injured and will try to pin everyone as he tries to get the Hodge trophy for Outstanding Wrestler at NCAAs.

197 - 4. Honis (31) is only 6th in the conference despite being nationally ranked. His win over Harner (14) a few weeks ago shows that he has the stuff to place top 4. He's also 22 in RPI so even if he only wrestles to seed he may come in by WC. At this point I predict Honis has replaced Owen Scott in the lineup butif he wrestled Scott reasonably could finish top four if given the chance but would be unlikely to get a WC.

285 - 4. With only three ranked wrestlers this was a generous number of AQ slots. I could definitely see Craig Scott, if healthy, winning one despite not being ranked. If Scott is still hurt, Sweany was awarded a WC injury replacement last year after Lehigh's guy hurt himself in his final match. He hasn't shown that he could win his way in this year. Tough to get a WC from either guy if they don't finish top 4.

I think we get 6 or 7 guys in. Will be tough to keep Lehigh from taking the title from us but if we can sweep 157 - 184 it could happen. Fingers crossed. Let's go Red!

Thanks for the summary, ugarte. I'm not quite as bullish on Koll's chances. He's capable, but he's on a 3-11 skid where he seems to wrestle just well enough to drop a close one. If the Koll who battles top 5 guys shows up, you may be right.

If things click, I really could see 7 finalists (Baughman, Palacio, Womack, Realbuto, Dean, Craig Scott and whoever goes at 197). Cornell should out bonus point Lehigh. How healthy is Lehigh's Kulter? I'm talking myself into thinking title 11 could happen.

mountainred
I'm not quite as bullish on Koll's chances. He's capable, but he's on a 3-11 skid where he seems to wrestle just well enough to drop a close one. If the Koll who battles top 5 guys shows up, you may be right.

The harvard and columbia losses worry me a little but the close losses against princeton and ohio state were encouraging. I didn't realize what a bad run he's on but I feel like it's time to make a run.

Pre-seeds are out for Easterns (preseeds are the seeds based on a poll of all the coaches. Final seeds will be determined by a coaches meeting today, but they will look very much like the preseeds). I thought I would do ugarte a favor by sharing the preseeds.

EDIT: Brackets are out and these look like the final seeds. If anyone, regardless of team, changed seeds, I can't find it.

125: Baughman is #4. That means a projected quarterfinal against a Binghamton wrestler he lost to in SV back in November and a projected semi against Cruz of Lehigh (who teched Noah in the dual match). I like Noah to win the quarter, but Cruz may be a bridge too far. If doesn't beat Cruz, he'll have to earn style points to get a wild card to the NCAA.

133: Grey is #4, which means a projected quarter against D'Arcy of Princeton (who beat him 6-0 in the dual). I have a bad feeling at this weight.

141: Koll is #7. His projected quarter is against Darian Cruz of Lehigh, who beat him 1-0 in the dual. If Will gets that upset, he should qualify for NCAAs, otherwise he will need to fight through wrestlebacks.

149: It's Furnas and he's seeded #4. His projected quarter is a Harvard wrestler that Jon has beaten twice this season, including 12-6 in the dual. I will take a 4th place finish and be happy.

157: Palacio is #4, but if any Cornell wrestler is moved at the Coaches Meeting it will be Dylan. His lack of matches makes him hard to seed. If he stays #4, that means a projected semi-final versus Lehigh's Kulter who is ranked in the top 5 nationally. Huge team title implications in that bout.

165: Womack is #1. He'll have a dangerous semi against Brown's Viruet (who upset Dylan in the dual) or Drexel's Rose.

174: Realbuto is #1 and, unless he gets injured, should have no problems reaching the final where he is likely to meet fellow title contender Preisch from Lehigh. BReal pinned Preisch in the regular season dual.

184: Dean was the easiest #1 in the tourney. Barring injury, the only question is how many bonus points does he earn for the Big Red in route to his 4th EIWA title.

197: Honis is the call and he's #5. That would mean a quarter final bout with Navy. 197 is filled with good, not great, wrestlers and Honis could make a nice run.

285: Craig Scott is #6, because of lack of matches, and I like him to beat that seed. His projected quarter is against Ryan of Columbia, who he's beaten this year. That would mean a likely semi with Lehigh's Vollaro, who is good but not all-world. Like 197, the EIWA heavies are solid, but there are no top 10 guys.

If seeds hold (they won't of course) Lehigh is projected for 20-ish more points, but Cornell should earn more bonus points (you get bonus for major decisions, tech falls, and pins). This could be very close.

Just walked with some of the kids as they were shopping at PC before getting on the bus to head down today. very excited..

EIWA First Round:

125: Baughman was up 19-7 and cruising to a major decision (+8 win) when, in an effort to get a technical fall (+15 mercy rule), he took a bad shot and almost got pinned. He held on. W 20-14.

133: Grey WBF in 1:16.

141: Koll WTF 18-1.

149: Furnas gave up a takedown with under 10 seconds left and lost 4-3.

157: Palacio WBF in 0:15. That is not a typo.

165: Womack WBF in 0:44.

174: Realbuto WBF in 0:24. This is getting ridiculous.

184: Dean WBF 0:36. Disappointing.

197: Honis WMD 12-3.

285: Scott W 4-1.

9-1 with 7 bonus point wins after the first session. Furnas's consy match coming soon.

149: Furnas WMD 14-6. Moves to consolation quarters. Everyone on the team contributed at least one point.

Quarterfinals start at 6PM.

Team race: Cornell 23 Lehigh 19.5. Two of Lehigh's wrestlers are done. But the quarterfinals could be very, very good for Hawkineers.

mountainred
Team race: Cornell 23 Lehigh 19.5. Two of Lehigh's wrestlers are done. But the quarterfinals could be very, very good for Hawkineers.

Most of the first round was chalk. The biggest exception was at 157, where Ian Kutler, the #1 seed from Lehigh (and a top 5 wrestler nationally) failed to weigh in because of an injury.

125: Lehigh (1) Cornell (4) (line up for SF)
133: Lehigh (1) Cornell (4) (line up for SF)
141: Lehigh (2) Cornell (7) (meet in the QF)
149: Lehigh (1) Cornell (4) (Cornell is in the consy bracket already)
157: Lehigh (1) Cornell (4) (Lehigh forfeited out)
165: Lehigh (2) Cornell (1) (line up for F)
174: Lehigh (2) Cornell (1) (line up for F)
184: Lehigh (U) Cornell (1) (Lehigh out)
197: Lehigh (6) Cornell (5) (Cornell's opponent is unseeded after a first round upset)
285: Lehigh (2) Cornell (6) (line up for SF)

Lehigh is expected to get 7 wins in the QF; we're slated for 7 as well. We have only one head-to-head matchup but if chalk holds, the semis are going to be a mini-dual.

ugarte

Lehigh is expected to get 7 wins in the QF; we're slated for 7 as well. We have only one head-to-head matchup but if chalk holds, the semis are going to be a mini-dual.

Lehigh's chalk feels a bit chalkier though, as Noah and Mark are facing guys who beat them earlier this season. Both are more than capable of avenging the loss, but avenging they must do. Palacio looked good, but he only beat May Bethea (his quarter opponent) by a point in last year's Easterns. Honis' opponent (Army's Caywood) may be unseeded, but Honis only beat him 4-3 earlier this season and Caywood has been ranked. He's very dangerous.

On the other hand, Bama majored his quarter opponent in Vegas, Brian teched his opponent 16-0, and Dean's opponent refused to wrestle him in the Penn dual (he may have been hurt, but I want to spin Penn's forfeit my way). Scott beat Ryan by a solid 6-2 score in the Columbia dual. And Koll only lost to D. Cruz 1-0 in the Lehigh dual. A win there for the Big Red would be enormous. I know I pointed out his skid, but Koll has battled some top 10 guys very tough.

Agreed on all, MR.

mountainred
I know I pointed out his skid, but Koll has battled some top 10 guys very tough.

That's why I didn't notice his skid! (Though I did see him get whipped by Macalalooy in NYC.)

Scott absolutely broke Ryan that same day.

ugarte
Agreed on all, MR.

mountainred
I know I pointed out his skid, but Koll has battled some top 10 guys very tough.

That's why I didn't notice his skid! (Though I did see him get whipped by Macalalooy in NYC.)

Scott absolutely broke Ryan that same day.

'

Noah and Mark with gutty wins, but Will still can't score against Cruz. In the Wrestlebacks, he'll get a Bingo wrestler he majored back in November.

6 Cornell wrestlers get through to the semis (Baughman, Grey, Palacio, Womack, Realbuto and Dean). Honis drops his quarterfinal 4-3 and the star-crossed Craig Scott injures his leg and has to default out.

Some wrestlebacks still to come tonight: Koll and Honis will be favored. Furnas is a toss-up. As tough as he is, I'd be shocked if Scott can go.

mountainred
6 Cornell wrestlers get through to the semis (Baughman, Grey, Palacio, Womack, Realbuto and Dean). Honis drops his quarterfinal 4-3 and the star-crossed Craig Scott injures his leg and has to default out.

Some wrestlebacks still to come tonight: Koll and Honis will be favored. Furnas is a toss-up. As tough as he is, I'd be shocked if Scott can go.

Honis pins. Furnas and Scott win. Koll loses.

Very good second session for the Big Red. After two rounds, Cornell has only lost one wrestler - Will Koll at 141. Furnas, Honis and Scott all won their consolation matches to stay alive.

Meanwhile, Cornell got a boost in the team competition when the 2 seed at 165 from Lehigh lost in the QF. Lehigh was also eliminated at 197. Bonus points are coming in bunches and Cornell now leads Lehigh 81.5 - 69.5 with Princeton on Lehigh's heels at 64.5.

Tomorrow's semis are a big, big deal.

QF:

125: Baughman W 8-2. Will face the 1 seed from Lehigh.

133: Grey W 3-1. Will face the 1 seed from Lehigh.

141: Koll L 6-0.

157: Palacio W 5-1. Will face the 8 seed from Brown.

165: Womack W 3-0. Will face the 4 seed from Brown.

174: Realbuto WTF 16-1. Will face the 4 seed from Navy.

184: Dean WTF 21-6. Will face the 4 seed from Army.

197: Honis L 4-3.

285: Scott L Injury Default.

Consolation R12:

141: Koll L 8-1. Eliminated.

149: Furnas WMD 12-2. Will face the 7 seed from Binghamton.

197: Honis WBF 1:49. Will face the 8 seed from Binghamton

285: Scott W 3-2. Awesome. Will face the 7 seed from Binghamton.

I knew Craig was tough, but just wow. The way the trainers were working on his leg, it just didn't look possible he could go later in the night. Much respect to you, Mr. Scott.

SF:
125: Baughman LBF to Lehigh
133: Grey LMD to Lehigh

Not unexpected but also not good. Both probably have to win their next match to qualify; Baughman probably needs to win two.

157: Palacio WMD, punches his ticket to NCAA
165: Womack W, punches his ticket to NCAA

Also good news: Lehigh's 165, the 2 seed, list in the consolation bracket and is out.

174: Realbuto W. Advances to face Lehigh's guy in the final. Both are in the top 5 nationally. Critical for the team race at Easterns and NCAA seeding. Realbuto pinned him earlier this year but that doesn't reflect how close the march was.

184: Dean WBF 4:24, of course.

Consolation:
149: Furnas W
Good news is that one of Lehigh's top guys finally lost; bad news is that he's now in Furnas's way.

197: Honis WMD. He gets a rematch with Princeton's Harner, a returning All-American who he beat a couple of weeks ago. Winner gets an automatic bid to NCAA. Honis needs it more. Go get it, Ben.

285: Scott LBF Wrestled through an injury, which was the story of his career. Hell of an effort as a senior but he comes up short of the NCAAs.

Consolation Semi:
125: Baughman WBF 6:58 Not only does he get a last second TD to win over a higher seeded wrestler, he converts for the Fall. May need to win one more to earn a wild card but he'll be the favorite. Awesome.

133: Grey WBF 3:36. Punches his ticket to NCAA. Fantastic.

149: Furnas L 3-2. Close match as a heavy underdog against the top seed. He'll wrestle for 5th. Good job filing in for Galasso. Some wins, some bonus. He won't get a bid but he did well today.

197: Honis WBF 4:12. Huge win. He'll wrestle for third and may have earned a wild card to NCAA with this even if he loses.

7th Place
285: Scott WMD 8-0. Goddamn. I figured he was done after getting pinned but Scott came back to wrestle his 7th Place match and not only won but got bonus. What a fitting finish for his career. (If he gets a wild card to NCAA this will be wrong but I'll be so happy.)

ugarte

197: Honis WBF 4:12. Huge win. He'll wrestle for third and may have earned a wild card to NCAA with this even if he loses.

285: Scott WMD 8-0. Goddamn. I figured he was done after getting pinned but Scott came back to wrestle his 7th Place match and not only won but got bonus. What a fitting finish for his career. (If he gets a wild card to NCAA this will be wrong but I'll be so happy.)

Great summary, but aren't there 4 tickets at 197 (Meaning Honis has his AQ).

And seriously, Scott's a warrior.

By my count, Cornell has now clinched team title 11 in a row (even if my math is wrong, it would a final round disaster that would make the Falcons look clutch for Lehigh to win this thing).

mountainred
Great summary, but aren't there 4 tickets at 197 (Meaning Honis has his AQ).

You are correct. It IS a great summary. Also, the automatic bid thing.

Bids locked at 133, 157, 165, 174, 184, 197. Still a chance for an at-large at 125 that I think he gets with a win or maaaaybe with a loss in the 3d place match. 285 is very unlikely, 149 even less likely (even with 5th) and 141 is a hard no.

Medal rounds start at 4.

125: (4) Baughman v (8) Gessner (Bucknell) for 3rd
133: (4) Grey v (5) D'Arcy (Princeton) for 3rd - D'Arcy won at Princeton, Grey won in the QF.
149: (4) Furnas v (8) Sprague (American) for 5th
157: (4) Palacio v (2) Parsons (Army) for 1st - Palacio is probably really the favorite here despite the seeding.
165: (1) Womack v (7) Martino (Penn) for 1st
174: (1) Realbuto v (2) Preisch (Lehigh) for 1st - Matchup of the tournament
184: (1) Dean v (3) Coleman (Navy) for 1st
197: (5) Honis v (7) Kasunic (American) for 3rd

Team scores;
Cornell 139 with 4 going for the title and 4 for placement
Lehigh 107.5 with 4 going for the title and 2 for placement
Princeton 99 with 2 going for the title and 5 for placement

MR is probably right that another EIWA team title is locked up.

If Noah takes 3rd, and he's favored, I like his odds to make the NCAAs. He's ranked in the last coaches poll (i.e. the only that counts) and he has three wins over ranked opponents. For a freshman who wasn't supposed to start, that's tremendous.

Furnas and Scott probably won't make nationals, but they are the heroes of the team race (along with Ben Honis). The difference in the standings between the Big Red and Lehigh are their is their performance in the wrestlebacks.

mountainred
Furnas and Scott probably won't make nationals, but they are the heroes of the team race (along with Ben Honis). The difference in the standings between the Big Red and Lehigh are their is their performance in the wrestlebacks.

Give a ribbon to Kutler and Walter too lol.

125: Baughman WBF 2:58. Takes 3rd. He should get an at-large bid now. What a stunningly good season from a guy who was expected to spend the year watching Macri.

133: Grey W 8-3. Takes third. Wins his second in a row over a guy who beat him during the season.

149: Furnas L 4-3 (TB). Takes 6th. Couldn't get out from under during the match or in OT.

157: Palacio W 4-2. Finishes 1st. 2x EIWA champ. Told you he was the favorite. And his opponent was a top 10 guy.

165: Womack WTF 16-1. Finishes 1st. Hell of a tournament from Bama. May have earned himself a seed at NCAA.

174: Realbuto W 3-2. Finishes 1st. 3x EIWA champ. Beats Preisch again. He'll be seeded 2 or 3 at NCAA.

184: Dean WTF 24-9. Dominant as ever. 4x EIWA champ, Going for NCAA title #3.

197: Honis W 3-1 (SV). Great run to third place and an NCAA berth.

Fantastic. Fingers crossed that we get more in with at-large bids.

In the team competition, Cornell blew Lehigh's doors off, 163-117.5. Princeton had a great tournament, finishing right behind Lehigh.

12th EIWA title in a row for the Big Red, IIRC.

ugarte
In the team competition, Cornell blew Lehigh's doors off, 163-117.5. Princeton had a great tournament, finishing right behind Lehigh.

12th EIWA title in a row for the Big Red, IIRC.

Psst, it's just 11. For now.

mountainred

ugarte
In the team competition, Cornell blew Lehigh's doors off, 163-117.5. Princeton had a great tournament, finishing right behind Lehigh.

12th EIWA title in a row for the Big Red, IIRC.

Psst, it's just 11. For now.

that's what the first I is for!

ugarte

mountainred

ugarte
In the team competition, Cornell blew Lehigh's doors off, 163-117.5. Princeton had a great tournament, finishing right behind Lehigh.

12th EIWA title in a row for the Big Red, IIRC.

Psst, it's just 11. For now.

that's what the first I is for!

Or the final C.

ugarte
125: Baughman ... What a stunningly good season from a guy who was expected to spend the year watching Macri.

Fingers crossed that we get more in with at-large bids.

The full field gets announced tomorrow. Come on, smoke-filled room - give it to Noah.

Heads up, wrestling fans! The full field of qualifiers for the 2017 DI #NCAAwrestling Championships will be released tomorrow afternoon!

— NCAA Wrestling (@ncaawrestling) March 6, 2017

I discussed some of the possibilities here. I think his chances are good.

ugarte

ugarte
125: Baughman ... What a stunningly good season from a guy who was expected to spend the year watching Macri.

Fingers crossed that we get more in with at-large bids.

The full field gets announced tomorrow. Come on, smoke-filled room - give it to Noah.

... I think his chances are good.

But I was wrong. Passed over. There was one fewer spot available than anticipated and, while it was close, he was probably the first man out.

ugarte

ugarte

ugarte
125: Baughman ... What a stunningly good season from a guy who was expected to spend the year watching Macri.

Fingers crossed that we get more in with at-large bids.

The full field gets announced tomorrow. Come on, smoke-filled room - give it to Noah.

... I think his chances are good.

But I was wrong. Passed over. There was one fewer spot available than anticipated and, while it was close, he was probably the first man out.

Not that it matters, I was wrong with you. I really thought Noah's good wins would get him in.

mountainred

ugarte

ugarte

ugarte
125: Baughman ... What a stunningly good season from a guy who was expected to spend the year watching Macri.

Fingers crossed that we get more in with at-large bids.

The full field gets announced tomorrow. Come on, smoke-filled room - give it to Noah.

... I think his chances are good.

But I was wrong. Passed over. There was one fewer spot available than anticipated and, while it was close, he was probably the first man out.

Not that it matters, I was wrong with you. I really thought Noah's good wins would get him in.

The NCAA should release the calculations. We can probably figure most of it out once the final CR and RPI are released but there will still be open questions: what counts as a quality win? Is 3 wins over #20 worth more than 2 over #10? How do you handle the 25% assigned to H2H when Baughman hasn't wrestled anyone else on the Bronze list?

Townsell started the year in the toilet then got way too much credit for his (excellent) performance at the Scuffle but hasn't done shit since. I didn't think he was the one I'd be most upset about because his CR is so high it was inevitable he'd get in.

ugarte

mountainred

ugarte

ugarte

ugarte
125: Baughman ... What a stunningly good season from a guy who was expected to spend the year watching Macri.

Fingers crossed that we get more in with at-large bids.

The full field gets announced tomorrow. Come on, smoke-filled room - give it to Noah.

... I think his chances are good.

But I was wrong. Passed over. There was one fewer spot available than anticipated and, while it was close, he was probably the first man out.

Not that it matters, I was wrong with you. I really thought Noah's good wins would get him in.

The NCAA should release the calculations. We can probably figure most of it out once the final CR and RPI are released but there will still be open questions: what counts as a quality win? Is 3 wins over #20 worth more than 2 over #10? How do you handle the 25% assigned to H2H when Baughman hasn't wrestled anyone else on the Bronze list?

Townsell started the year in the toilet then got way too much credit for his (excellent) performance at the Scuffle but hasn't done shit since. I didn't think he was the one I'd be most upset about because his CR is so high it was inevitable he'd get in.

Please, if they did that, they might not be able to get every Big 10 wrestler they want into Nationals....

mountainred

ugarte

mountainred

ugarte

ugarte

ugarte
125: Baughman ... What a stunningly good season from a guy who was expected to spend the year watching Macri.

Fingers crossed that we get more in with at-large bids.

The full field gets announced tomorrow. Come on, smoke-filled room - give it to Noah.

... I think his chances are good.

But I was wrong. Passed over. There was one fewer spot available than anticipated and, while it was close, he was probably the first man out.

Not that it matters, I was wrong with you. I really thought Noah's good wins would get him in.

The NCAA should release the calculations. We can probably figure most of it out once the final CR and RPI are released but there will still be open questions: what counts as a quality win? Is 3 wins over #20 worth more than 2 over #10? How do you handle the 25% assigned to H2H when Baughman hasn't wrestled anyone else on the Bronze list?

Townsell started the year in the toilet then got way too much credit for his (excellent) performance at the Scuffle but hasn't done shit since. I didn't think he was the one I'd be most upset about because his CR is so high it was inevitable he'd get in.

Please, if they did that, they might not be able to get every Big 10 wrestler they want into Nationals....

I'm going to try to work out the matrix, as I understand it. From an old Flo podcast I now know the definition of QW for at-large bids (earned conference an AQ spot and kept it at the tournament, so not Suriano or Harner or Walter lol) and think I may be able to work out the rest.

The full seeds for NCAAs are released tomorrow but the #1 and #2 came out today. To nobody's surprise, Gabe Dean is #1 at 184 and Brian Realbuto is #2 at 174.

I think Palacio (157) will be around 5-8 and Womack will end up around 12-16. Grey (133) and Honis (194) probably don't get seeded.

Dean #1, BReal #2, Palacio #7, Womack #13, Grey, Honis unseeded.

Al DeFlorio
Dean #1, BReal #2, Palacio #7, Womack #13, Grey, Honis unseeded.

All reasonable. Given their seeds, the draws aren't too bad. Womack probably has the toughest road relative to the seed he earned. I'm looking forward to it.

Wrestling is my favorite game because it has lot of fight like war and this is real and i also like bodybuilding, and my favorite player is John Cena.

Roshaan
Wrestling is my favorite game because it has lot of fight like war and this is real and i also like bodybuilding, and my favorite player is John Cena.

Welcome to the forum Roshann! I used to watch professional wrestling back in the day as well. You'll find this is much more fast paced strategic battles. Also note, the rules are completely different. Finally, keep an eye out on this thread for weblinks - you can watch all the matches online, for free. And the finals are live on ESPN or ESPN2.

Full brackets are available: [i.turner.ncaa.com]

Grey (133) has a play-in match against Anthony Tutolo from Kent State. Is this just bad luck of the draw? Winner gets #7 seed Montoya from Nebraska.

Honis (197) gets #11 seed Shawn Scott from NIU.

KenP
Full brackets are available: [i.turner.ncaa.com]

Grey (133) has a play-in match against Anthony Tutolo from Kent State. Is this just bad luck of the draw? Winner gets #7 seed Montoya from Nebraska.

Honis (197) gets #11 seed Shawn Scott from NIU.

Luck of the draw. Getting the pigtail stinks because you have an extra match but all things considered Montoya isn't a terrible seeded wrestler to have to face. I wrote my thoughts on the bracket on another site; I'll copy them later and post here.

133: Grey's bracket isn't too bad. His pigtail is against a guy he pinned earlier in the year and Grey has a much better record against common opponents. His common opponent comparison with Montoya isn't as bad as you'd think either. His obviously an underdog but it could have been worse. After Montoya is Erneste who IIRC handled Grey pretty easily.

157: I like Palacio's draw. The third round is always going to be tough and I'd rather be on Kemerer's side of the bracket than Nolf's. Once you get to the QF everything is supposed to be tough, so whatever. Rahmani in the first round is a funky wrestler like Palacio but his defense is worse and Palacio is crazy strong.

165: Womack has a tough draw. First round against Gunther looks good but Isaac Jordan is, uh, Isaac Jordan. Even tougher is that if he loses to Jordan he's probably looking at Keaton Subjeck from Stanford (I like his chances, but it's tough) or, worse, Branson Ashworth. Or REALLY worse, Vincenzo Joseph.

174: Brian Realbuto has a second seed's draw. Glad to see Hall on Valencia's side of the bracket. Otherwise, tough matches start at the QF as you'd expect. Can't say I'm upset that Realbuto wouldn't see Wetherspoon until the semis. That match broke my heart last year.

184: I don't give a shit about Dean's draw, really. It was pretty clear that Nickal/Brooks would be 2/3 and nothing else is interesting (knock on wood). I wouldn't have cared if Martin was on Dean's side of the bracket, though I don't mind the Big Ten slugging it out for a few rounds either. Looks like Dechow in the tournament for the third time in four years.

197: Honis has back to back tough matches. Still, he damn near beat Weigel and the way he handled Harner gives me hope that he can power through.

In case you needed another reason to dislike Penn State......it turns out their 125 pound wrestler -- who took an at-large slot -- can't go. Because the tournament starts tomorrow, the announcement is too late to allow a deserving 125 pound wrestler from another school into the draw.

Yes, I get why Penn State did it, but grrrrrrr. Noah really should be competing in St. Louis.

mountainred
In case you needed another reason to dislike Penn State......it turns out their 125 pound wrestler -- who took an at-large slot -- can't go. Because the tournament starts tomorrow, the announcement is too late to allow a deserving 125 pound wrestler from another school into the draw.

Yes, I get why Penn State did it, but grrrrrrr. Noah really should be competing in St. Louis.

It's infuriating.

First match is at noon, EDT. Mark Grey's is in the pigtail so IIRC his match should start with the opening whistle.

ugarte
First match is at noon, EDT. Mark Grey's is in the pigtail so IIRC his match should start with the opening whistle.

Where can I find a schedule to know what mat to watch?

nshapiro

ugarte
First match is at noon, EDT. Mark Grey's is in the pigtail so IIRC his match should start with the opening whistle.

Where can I find a schedule to know what mat to watch?

Try this: [s200.trackwrestling.com]

Mark Grey is on Mat #2

Thanks...
Can anybody explain the reason for pigtails in this tournament? Why is it necessary to have 33 wrestlers in each weight class, rather than 32 that would neatly fill the bracket?

nshapiro
Thanks...
Can anybody explain the reason for pigtails in this tournament? Why is it necessary to have 33 wrestlers in each weight class, rather than 32 that would neatly fill the bracket?

Tradition?

133: Grey WMD 12-3 in his pigtail but then has a quick turnaround and has to wrestle against the #7 wrestler and
L 6-1. He'll face Ott of Harvard next; he won that matchup earlier this year.

157: Palacio WMD 9-1. Almost gave up dumb points at the buzzer to cost himself the major but he was also trying to prevent a second stall call which also would have cost him the major. Fortunately, he held on. #10 Heffernan of CMU next.

165: Womack WMD 12-3 Dominant. Looked great. #4 Isaac Jordan of Wisconsin next. *tugs collar*

174: Realbuto WTF 19-4 Gets all those points in 3:12. Defense was a little sloppy - gave up a pair of takedowns - but was dominant on top and escaped easily from bottom. Up next #15 Engelkes from Northern Illinois. If he gets past that, his path opened up a little because the #7 guy lost in the first round.

184: Dean WMD 21-12 Dean, shockingly, did not look great. As if he felt the pressure to get a TF or a pin to win the Most Outstanding Wrestler. After a year in which he gave up only one takedown to the defending champ at 174, he gave up two to the guy he beat by Tech Fall just a couple of weeks ago at Easterns. Up next he's got Ellingwood from CMU, who he pinned earlier this year.

197 Honis L 9-2. Didn't look great. Has a promising matchup in the consolation though - a wrestler from Iowa State with a losing record.

Top 10 Team Scores:

                              CH   CO
1. 	Penn State 	16.0  8    1
2. 	Oklahoma State 	15.0  9    1
3. 	Ohio State 	14.0  7    2
4. 	Iowa 	        12.0  7    2
4. 	Lehigh 	        12.0  5    2
4. 	Missouri 	12.0  6    2
7. 	Minnesota 	11.0  6    3
8. 	Cornell 	10.5  4    2
9. 	Virginia Tech 	10.0  7    0
10. 	Nebraska 	 9.5  6    1

Next session is tonight at 7 EDT. R16 plus two consolation rounds.

I think Dean is competing against guys who know they are going to lose and have been told not to give up too many points. In his match this afternoon, he was clearly frustrated because his opponent wasn't wrestling and if a guy is basically lying on his stomach and moving as little as possible, even Gabe Dean can't always flip him for a pin. In his match tonight, he got 2 or 3 points when his opponent was repeatedly called for stalling.

R16:

157: #7 Palacio W 9-5 over #10 Heffernan (CMU). Good, fun match; he was too strong for his opponent. I think he may have been protecting his knee at the end. Up next is #2 Kemerer in the QF.

165: #13 Womack L 5-1 to #4 Jordan (Wisconsin) Jordan is a beast and he kept it close. That's pretty much all you can ask for. He looked tough on top in the third too. Up next is unseeded Hamman (NC St.) in the consy.

174: #2 Realbuto WTF 16-0 over #15 Engelkes (N. Ill.) Just crazy dominant. Almost finished it in the first period. Up next is #10 Brunson (Illinois) in the QF.

184: @1 Dean WMD 12-3 #16 Ellingwood (CMU) 11-3. Another kind of lackluster match. His opponents are running away but they always do that! He usually catches them. His shots aren't landing the way they usually do. (He didn't receive any points for stalling in either match.) Up next is #8 Dechow (ODU) in the QF; Dean beat him in the tournament last year and in the third place match 3 years ago.

Consy:

Grey WMD 10-2 over Ott (Harvard). Big win, well done. Up next is #9 Parker (Lehigh) who beat him 10-2 at Easterns.

Honis WMD 11-2 over Harrington (Iowa St.) I only saw the end of the third but Honis was on top and got a last-second tilt to score the major. Really nice. Up next is #12 Mattiace (Penn). He lost to Mattiace in February; Mattiace lost to Owen Scott, Cornell's other 197, at the dual meet.

Thanks ugarte, your summaries and analysis are much appreciated!

7th 6th after day 1. (Cornell says 6th but they're wrong - the trackwrestling site is adding Minnesota's score incorrectly).

PLACE 	TEAM 	        POINTS 	CH 	CONS 	
1	Penn St.	30.5	7	1	
2	Ohio St.	26	5	3	
3	Oklahoma St.	25.5	7	3	
4	Iowa	        24.5	6	3
5	Missouri	20	5	1	
6	Cornell	        19	3	3	
7	Minnesota	18.5	4	3
8	Virginia Tech	18	5	2	
9	Central Mich.	14.5	-	7	
10	Lehigh	        14	1	6
10	Nebraska	14	3       4

ugarte
7th after day 1. (Cornell says 6th but they're wrong - the trackwrestling site is adding Minnesota's score incorrectly).

PLACE 	TEAM 	        POINTS 	CH 	CONS 	
1	Penn St.	30.5	7	1	
2	Ohio St.	26	5	3	
3	Oklahoma St.	25.5	7	3	
4	Iowa	        24.5	6	3
5	Missouri	20	5	1	
6	Minnesota	19.5	4	3	
7	Cornell	        19	3	3
8	Virginia Tech	18	5	2	
9	Central Mich.	14.5	-	7	
10	Lehigh	        14	1	6
10	Nebraska	14	3       4

ESPN also had Cornell at 6th last night, but I'll take your word for it!

scoop85

ugarte
7th after day 1. (Cornell says 6th but they're wrong - the trackwrestling site is adding Minnesota's score incorrectly).

PLACE 	TEAM 	        POINTS 	CH 	CONS 	
1	Penn St.	30.5	7	1	
2	Ohio St.	26	5	3	
3	Oklahoma St.	25.5	7	3	
4	Iowa	        24.5	6	3
5	Missouri	20	5	1	
6	Minnesota	19.5	4	3	
7	Cornell	        19	3	3
8	Virginia Tech	18	5	2	
9	Central Mich.	14.5	-	7	
10	Lehigh	        14	1	6
10	Nebraska	14	3       4

ESPN also had Cornell at 6th last night, but I'll take your word for it!

I'll be honest... after thinking about it, Minnesota was probably docked a team point for saying the ref fucks sheep or something and we're in sixth. I was hoping to look it up before anyone responded to my hasty post.

FWIW, the Minnesota wrestling twitter feed says 7th: "That's it for the 1st day at NCAAs. Minnesota sits in 7th place with 18.5 points, .5 behind Cornell and 1.5 behind Missouri."

In all, about as good a day as Cornell could realistically expect. Everyone is still alive, everyone scored bonus points, and no one was upset. Dylan has a big time challenge in front of him today, as does Mark, but either could pull an upset.

Found it on a Minnesota wrestling forum: an equipment violation.

QF:
157: Palacio WBF 3:28 over #2 Kemerer. Starting in the bottom position, he reaches back, grabs Kemerer's ankle and head and leans back into him to flatten him out for an amazing fall. He moves into the SF and is a 2x All-American. Amaaaaaaaaazing.

174: Realbuto WBF 1:12 Just amazing. Trips Brunson to his back and just pushes him down. BReal is a 3x All-American, in the semis for the third time. What an incredible match.

184: Dean W 4-3 TB1 Dean is in the semis but he is definitely off. He barely survived. Even though Dechow didn't try much offense, I've never seen Dean miss this many shots; his first TD was dubious and he was reversed immediately; he almost gave up a reversal in rideouts to lose. BUT he's a 4x All-American, in the semis for the 4th straight year.

Consy:

133: Grey L 6-3. He's out. Scotty Parker is just better. Sigh. Only saw the third period but Grey needed a TD and wasn't close. More after the tournament on his career.

165: Womack W 7-2. Great job; never really threatened. He spent almost the whole second period getting ridden but he pulled off a reversal with 10 seconds left to extend his lead. Sweet. To get AA he'll have to beat #12 Matthews (Edinboro) and #7 Valencia (Arizona St.) Really tough path but really about as good as you can hope for; it's never easy.
WBF 1:04 over Matthews! What a great match and what a tournament for Bama.

197: Honis LMD 9-1. He's out. Good first tournament for Honis but he didn't have it in this match. Mattiace blocked his shots and turned one into at TD+2NF.

You guys need to find a video of the interview Palacio gave with Quint immediately after the match.

semsox
You guys need to find a video of the interview Palacio gave with Quint immediately after the match.

Missed that, but I bet it was classic.

that was a crazy pin by Palacio

semsox
You guys need to find a video of the interview Palacio gave with Quint immediately after the match.

Found a low quality version on twitter:

This Dylan Palacio interview was just awesome ... pic.twitter.com/hKbO7foyvc

— Mitch Rupert (@Mitch_Rupert) March 17, 2017

Wow great interview. He seems like a really intense and dedicated guy. (which you have to be to compete at his level)

Gabe Dean keeps on winning but this was a bit of a nail-biter. And he gave up another takedown. Any thoughts or concerns?

KenP
Wow great interview. He seems like a really intense and dedicated guy. (which you have to be to compete at his level)

Gabe Dean keeps on winning but this was a bit of a nail-biter. And he gave up another takedown. Any thoughts or concerns?

1. Palacio is nuts. It's his charm.
2. I've been worried about Dean since early in the Coleman match. He definitely seems off; he may win his semi wrestling like this but I can't see him winning in the final against Nickal or Brooks. That said, he's still alive.

Tremendous results for the guys.

Regarding Dean, I wonder if the expectations are weighing on him at all -- lots of pressure for a guy in his situation.

KenP
Wow great interview. He seems like a really intense and dedicated guy. (which you have to be to compete at his level)

Gabe Dean keeps on winning but this was a bit of a nail-biter. And he gave up another takedown. Any thoughts or concerns?

Dylan wrestles like he interviews, which is why he has been so much fun to watch.

ugarte doesn't need my agreement, but Dean doesn't look right. If you are watching him for the first time, this is not the dominant wrestler we watched all year. Crazy thing to say about a national semi-finalist.

Given that the Hwt is a defending World and Olympic champion, and that ALL TEN weight classes have one undefeated wrestler, I don't think Gabe Dean is such a shoe-in for outstanding wrestler. I would hope he is not pressing over that.

This might end up being the most boring wrestling championships ever. I wonder what the highest number of #1 seeds to win in one year is?

nshapiro
Given that the Hwt is a defending World and Olympic champion, and that ALL TEN weight classes have one undefeated wrestler, I don't think Gabe Dean is such a shoe-in for outstanding wrestler. I would hope he is not pressing over that.

Before the tournament, Dean would have been odds on favorite to win the Hodge Trophy (assuming that he had continued his dominance from the regular season). Snyder, the heavyweight, has wrestled very few matches this year; Jason Nolf is in a relatively much weaker weight class; etc.

Now, it's going to be a much tighter race, even if Dean does manage to beat (in all likelihood) Bo Nickal in the finals. I personally think Dean is sick. He looks like he did the past couple years when he took his losses.

LGR14

nshapiro
Given that the Hwt is a defending World and Olympic champion, and that ALL TEN weight classes have one undefeated wrestler, I don't think Gabe Dean is such a shoe-in for outstanding wrestler. I would hope he is not pressing over that.

Before the tournament, Dean would have been odds on favorite to win the Hodge Trophy (assuming that he had continued his dominance from the regular season). Snyder, the heavyweight, has wrestled very few matches this year; Jason Nolf is in a relatively much weaker weight class; etc.

Now, it's going to be a much tighter race, even if Dean does manage to beat (in all likelihood) Bo Nickal in the finals. I personally think Dean is sick. He looks like he did the past couple years when he took his losses.

I think Snyder wrestled very few matches this year because he was out of the country winning Worlds

nshapiro

LGR14

nshapiro
Given that the Hwt is a defending World and Olympic champion, and that ALL TEN weight classes have one undefeated wrestler, I don't think Gabe Dean is such a shoe-in for outstanding wrestler. I would hope he is not pressing over that.

Before the tournament, Dean would have been odds on favorite to win the Hodge Trophy (assuming that he had continued his dominance from the regular season). Snyder, the heavyweight, has wrestled very few matches this year; Jason Nolf is in a relatively much weaker weight class; etc.

Now, it's going to be a much tighter race, even if Dean does manage to beat (in all likelihood) Bo Nickal in the finals. I personally think Dean is sick. He looks like he did the past couple years when he took his losses.

I think Snyder wrestled very few matches this year because he was out of the country winning Worlds

Right, but his outside success is not part of the criteria for the Hodge. Given that Dean's status (again, if he wins out) will be that of a three-time champion, combined with his dominance (calculated by the NCAA), as well as the quality of competition he faces in the 184 pound weight class, I think the next closest contender is Nolf (and Bo Nickal, but Dean winning means Nickal losing at some point)

Five minutes of Dylan: [s200.trackwrestling.com]

semsox
You guys need to find a video of the interview Palacio gave with Quint immediately after the match.

Would like to find video of the match.

OK, with all of the Cornell matches completed for the session (see above) here's what tonight looks like:

SF:

157: #7 Palacio v #3 Levalley (Missouri)

174: #2 Realbuto v #3 Jordan (Ohio State) Rematch from the dual. BReal won that one 3-2 with the only TD of the match (though Jordan was close).

184: #1 Dean v #4 Boyd (Ok. State) Boyd gave Dean his only loss last year, during a midyear tournament. Dean has beaten him three times since then, including last year's NCAA QF and a New Year's Day tournament this year.

Blood Round (R12):

165: #13 Womack v #7 Valencia (Az. State) They met twice earlier this year and it was ugly for Bama - lost by TF and then by Fall. From people who watched, he was careless, taking shots that work against lesser wrestlers and getting caught for his trouble. Should be closer this time, with a wiser Womack. Winner is an All-American (that's why they call it the blood round).

The Big Red is sitting in 5th, a half-point behind Oklahoma State. I don't think there is anyone left who can catch us until tonight.

ugarte

165: #13 Womack v #7 Valencia (Az. State) They met twice earlier this year and it was ugly for Bama - lost by TF and then by Fall. From people who watched, he was careless, taking shots that work against lesser wrestlers and getting caught for his trouble.

I watched the first loss at Vegas. Bama was sitting 15-0 with six falls and a MD in his last seven matches and probably feeling invincible. Valencia vinced him. It was "only" 18-6, but your description was dead on. I missed the fall, but it was quick (:40). Brandon also lost in Vegas to Austin Matthews, which loss he avenged last round. Here's to the revenge tour continuing.

I also have a bad, bad feeling about Dean tonight. The Bear is as tough as they come though and wounded bears are dangerous.

I'm guessing LGR14 is right... maybe he has the flu or something. We'll probably hear tomorrow or Sunday after completion of his final two collegiate matches.

ugarte
QF:
157: Palacio WBF 3:28 over #2 Kemerer. Starting in the bottom position, he reaches back, grabs Kemerer's ankle and head and leans back into him to flatten him out for an amazing fall. He moves into the SF and is a 2x All-American. Amaaaaaaaaazing.

Here's the move

It was a thrilling quarterfinals round! Watch some of the best action again. #NCAAWrestling pic.twitter.com/xpF8DW8Mbm

— NCAA Wrestling (@ncaawrestling) March 17, 2017

It's a compilation that starts with Palacio's pin and has a lot of the wins from the QF, including Realbuto's.

SF:

157: #7 Palacio L 8-5 to #3 Levalley (Missouri) Palacio's counterattack based offense worked once, but too often Lavalley was able to get his foot clear and finish his shots. Lavalley was also smart enough not to try and ride Palacio, given that DP kept scoring from the bottom. Palacio falls into the consolation bracket where he will try for third place. He'll face #5 Smith (Ok. State), who he beat twice last year, including by fall at NCAAs (IIRC), for slotting in the third or fifth place match.

174: #2 Realbuto L 11-7 to #3 Jordan (Ohio State) Noooooooo! Realbuto was dominating the first two rounds. In the third he shifted into a defensive mode and got a stall called against him. Still, up 7-5 and with enough RT to withstand a (very) late TD, with about 30 seconds left, Realbuto blocked a shot from Jordan, got a front headlock and tried for a big throw. Instead, he ended up underneath. Not only did Jordan get the TD and erase the RT, but he also put Realbuto on his back for 4NF. Brutal finish. Up next is #9 Amine (Michigan) for slotting in the 3d or 5th place match.

184: #1 Dean W 9-3 over #4 Boyd (Ok. State) Now that's the Dean I know. Dominated from start to finish. Two TD in the first, a reversal in the second, a final takedown in the third. He looked good and strong. He'll face #2 Nickal (Penn St.) in the finals tomorrow. Nickal pinned two top 10 wrestlers in the QF and SF so he's on a run.

Blood Round (R12):

165: #13 Womack W 8-7 over #7 Valencia (Az. State) Womack makes a run to All-American. Awesome. And it was a wild and fun match, though I only saw the hairy end of the third period. Womack was winning 7-3 late when he gave up a TD+2NF but he was able to escape and hold an 8-7 lead. As time was running out, Valencia tried to vault over his back and take him down but Womack was able to defend it and win 8-7. All-American Brandon Womack!

In his next match, against #6 Lewis (Missouri) he got blanked, 10-0, so he's in the 7th place match against #5 Walsh (Rider).

Tough night overall - Palacio and Realbuto both lost matches that they could have won - but Dean overperformed expectations and Womack fought through the consolation bracket to get a well-earned spot on the podium.

Tough afternoon. Palacio lost twice and finished in 6th. Womack lost and finished in 8th. Realbuto got pinned in the 3/5 placement match but rebounded to pin his opponent in the 5th place match.

The team is sitting in 8th but we can finish in 6th if Dean wins tonight and Minnesota lose both of their finals (they are the underdog in both).

Dean just started his match live on ESPN right now

abmarks
Dean just started his match live on ESPN right now

i don't want to talk about it. sigh. i'll write more tomorrow.

I still don't really want to write about it but here you go anyway.

After an amazing string of wins in the quarterfinals, it went pretty much all to hell. There were a couple of bright spots but ... it was pretty bad.

157: Dylan Palacio finishes a strange and fascinating career at Cornell with a second trip to the podium as an All-American. His stunning pin over the 2 seed in the quarterfinals was amazing but it set up everything that followed. For the rest of the tournament, against the very top guys, being prepared for Palacio's counterattacking style was enough. He lost in the semis to the #3 seed 8-5, because he gave up leg attack after leg attack and only converted his classic countering move once. I thought the reffing was ungenerous to him (he should have had 2NF points and twice it seemed like he was on the verge of scoring when stalemate was called because of a dangerous position) but Lavalley was able to finish three takedowns and that was enough. In the consolation semifinal he faced the #5 seed - who he had beaten twice last year (including once by a pin like he got in the QF); this year he lost 10-0. I had a feeling that after losing in the semis, he'd have very little left in the tank emotionally and I think that was the case. He lost again in the 5th place match, 6-3 to the #4 seed, getting one takedown that was immediately reversed.

Palacio was amazing to watch from his first day on the mat. He was a high-wire act unlike anyone else, willing to get into catastrophic positions because he had the strength to turn them around and the advantage of being crazy enough to try. As both a freshman and sophomore he was wrestling insanely well - as a 165 pounder - at the tournament when he was injured, knocking him out before he could get the AA he deserved. Sophomore year, in particular, effectively wrestling on one leg, he was in a stalemate position with the lead mere seconds away from the end of the match when the ref decided it was actually a takedown. That victory would have been his first AA. He came back from his tournament injuries down at 157, and rallied from an early NCAA tournament loss to take 4th place as a junior. This year, he had to deal in the first semester with the untimely death of his best friend before facing the more quotidian issue of making weight. He briefly bumped Womack from his spot at 165, but after a loss at Brown decided the better path - for him and the team - was at 157. It worked out for everyone.

I'll miss him. I hope he does take a shot at international glory. I'll cheer for this Long Island kid even if he's carrying the Uruguayan flag at the Olympics.

165: Brandon Womack came to Cornell from the not-a-wrestling-hotbed of Alabama, albeit as a 6 time state champion. He came into this season as the expected backup at 165 to elite recruit Dillon Artigliere. Instead, Womack outperformed him at the early season tournaments, including two wins against him. He clearly stole the starting job and then didn't stop winning, finishing the year with 11 Falls. His pinning had people very excited, very quickly, and it seemed like maybe we got ahead of ourselves at the Vegas tournament in December - he lost three times against the top competition, including two blowout losses to Arizona State freshman Valencia and Edinboro's Matthews. After resolving the weight class issue with Palacio, fixed as the starter, he won Easterns, earned a 13 seed and then, at the tournament, avenged both of his Las Vegas losses. He pinned Matthews in the Consolation QF and then won a wild match against Valencia - both seeded higher than him - to get to the podium. He fell to seventh with losses to the #6 and #5 wrestlers in the country, but Bama certainly made it known that he is going to be a contender for the next three years.

174: Brian Realbuto, like Palacio, had a career built on raw strength and risk taking. For his first two years, when he was wrestling at 157, he had his share of tournament controversy. As a freshman, he reached the semifinals after dominating the #2 wrestler in the quarters. In the semis, he was wrestling incredibly well against #1 Alex Dieringer when he wrecked his knee, costing him the match and leading to a pair of forfeits to finish in 6th. As a sophomore, his QF match will be talked about for years, as an error at the scorers table sent a match to overtime at 9-9 when actually Miller had a one-point lead. There's a butterfly effect to this, though, as Realbuto may have scored back points in the closing seconds if it mattered AND if he knew he had that extra point Miller probably would have wrestled differently. Be that as it may, Realbuto got the win then won his semifinal match as well, finishing in second for back-to-back All America honors. His junior year, despite moving up to 174, was an amazing run, with only 3 losses heading into the NCAA tournament. At the tournament, though, he had trouble in the first round with a much taller wrestler, took a chance more characteristic of his frosh year, and found himself losing by a lot, early. His attempt to come back ended when he basically shredded his own knee, trying to use his leg as a fulcrum to turn his opponent. I thought there was a chance that he was done for good but not only did he come back to wrestle in his consolation bout (he lost but only barely, despite limping around with a massive brace), but he returned this year as strong as ever. He beat then-#1 Bo Jordan in a dual meet to move up to #2 in the country and entered the tournament as a 2 seed. His loss to Jordan - after leading by 3 with under a minute to go - will stay with me for a while. I think he's the better wrestler and he shifted to a combination of extra-cautious and extra-risky and both backfired, leading to a stall call for backing up and then getting himself pancaked for the losing points with time running out while attempting a big throw.

Another amazing career - 3X All-American, national finalist - that could have been even better without injury. I'll miss him too most of all.

184: Gabe Dean was a monster from the moment he started wrestling for Cornell. As a freshman he shocked the world by beating the consensus #1, Senior Ed Ruth, handing him (IIRC) his first loss in two and a half years. His only losses that year were to Ruth and the other national finalist, finishing in third as a freshman. He won national titles as a soph and a junior. He lost three as a freshman, two as a sophomore and one as a junior, with the latter three losses all coming when it seemed like he probably had the flu. This year, he avoided his Christmas bug and steamed into NCAAs looking unstoppable. At the tournament, though, he looked very stoppable. Facing the same guy he'd thrown around the mat in the Eastern finals, Dean struggled, gave up offensive points, and while he won comfortably, he looked anything but comfortable. His second round was the same - he won by major decision, but he just didn't look like the same guy we'd seen all year. In the QF, facing a top 10 wrestler, he barely escaped with a controversial one-point win. Finally, in the SF he looked like himself, dominating a top-flight opponent, and the prospect of a third straight title seemed possible again. In the final, facing Bo Nickal - a truly great opponent, he scored the first points of the match, and it looked like he would reassert himself as the champ but it wasn't to be. Near the end of the first period, Nickal took a shot and grabbed one leg and, while sprawling out to protect his other leg, Dean reached back - maybe to try a similar move to Palacio's - and instead put his secondleg close enough to Nickal, that Nickal was able to wrap his own leg around it to score two. Without anyone scoring any more takedowns the rest of the way, that was enough to cost Dean the match. I can't say for sure that Dean was sick - and while he's hinted that it's true he's also made clear that he'll never come out and admit it - but he sure looked off. It was an unfortunate end to one of the best college careers I've gotten to witness.

Realbuto and Dean are apparently going to be sticking around to coach the greyshirts at Finger Lakes Wrestling Club next year. I don't really see an international future for Realbuto but I'd love to see Dean at the Olympics for the USA. Fingers crossed. I want to see Dean keep wrestling.

Four All-Americans and an eighth place finish is a strange thing to be disappointed in, but with three of those All-Americans graduating, it is. All signs point to a great future for the team - I'll talk about the incredible recruits in our future another time - but this senior class won't be forgotten soon, nor will how close they came to something truly amazing.

Really great write-up ugarte. Thanks for taking the time all season with providing your thoughts and insight.

Agreed, many thanks!

One question: did you agree with the TD call against Dean, the one that was changed after review?

CU77
Agreed, many thanks!

One question: did you agree with the TD call against Dean, the one that was changed after review?

Yeah, I guess, but it was a cheap two. Like Capone going down on a tax charge.

ugarte

Palacio was amazing to watch from his first day on the mat. He was a high-wire act unlike anyone else, willing to get into catastrophic positions because he had the strength to turn them around and the advantage of being crazy enough to try.

Only wrestler I remember that was a bigger risk-taker than Palacio was Cary Kolat from Penn State and then Lock Haven. His opponent would have one of Cary's legs up high, and Cary would do basically a back flip with a half twist, and get a double on his opponent's legs while suspended upside down.


Thanks for the great write-ups. Do you think that coach Koll feels as disappointed with the results as we do?