The two freestyle weight classes are the focus of most fans and also the biggest concern. After his stunning set of upsets two weeks ago Frank Molinaro will head into the Ulaanbaatar event facing down arguably the most difficult weight class in the competition. Similarly, senior-level freestyle newcomer J'den Cox will take his 86-kilo upsets into the qualifier with a loaded field of opponents standing in his way.
Though he hasn't wrestled much freestyle, Cox's aggressive and explosive attack-style of wrestling will throw many of his opponents off their game plan. There is no way for most foreigners to prepare for Cox and that'll leave the first few of his opponents in a stunned state. Can he carry that to the finals, or at least to a true third? Of course. After his Olympic Trials performance who'd dare doubt him.
On the women's side, 55-kilo World champion Helen Maroulis is down to 53 kilos where she hopes to qualify. Assuming a solid weight cut she should be a lock to get the job done and focus on dethroning three-time champion Saori Yoshida. Tamyra Mensah (69 kilos) and Haley Augello (48 kilos) are also hoping to book their ticket. Mensah has shown incredible potential in the past year and with some coaching help should be able to place in the relatively light field. Augello, who has won a Cadet World title, will have a tougher road, but will need to work past top-level completion in North Korea, India and Mongolia. Kelsey Campbell is facing an uphill battle at 58 kilos with a slew of talented women entering the fray, including Grace Bullen of Norway, In Sun Jong of North Korea, and Natalia Golts of Russia.
The Greco-Roman results are already decided with everything available for review at unitedworldwrestling.org.
To your questions …
Q: We've seen how successful our Cadet/Junior World champs can be at a very young age (see Aaron Pico and Kyle Snyder at World Team Trials). Do you think that our two-time World champ Spencer Lee will be a threat to make the 2017 World Team? Or is he still a few years away?
-- Irv.
Foley: Weight class and strength both play significant factors when sizing up the opportunities of youngsters at the senior level. Pico, and some extent Henry Cejudo, have overcome those obstacles by being full-time in the sport. Snyder seems to already have man strength at his age (out of puberty) and through hard work has learned how to stay in position.
Spencer Lee, who this week committed to Iowa, is not done growing. That's good for Iowa, but bad for his chances of making a World team on the senior level any time soon. He'll need to specialize in the NCAA game, grow and find some man strength before he can compete with guys like Tony Ramos and Dan Dennis. However, I do like his chances of putting together a nice run in 2020, though I still think he'd have some filling out to do.
Q: In my opinion, Ian Miller has been one of if not the most exciting college wrestler to watch over the past few seasons. I think he's as dynamic from the neutral position as anyone in the country, including a lot of the senior level guys around his weight. (Jordan Burroughs is probably the lone exception.) Has there been any information regarding what his future plans in the sport are? I think he could absolutely be in the mix at 74 kilos, but his athletic ability and penchant for explosive moves could make for an interesting transition to MMA? What do you think?
-- James R.
Ian Miller battles Isaiah Martinez in the NCAA semifinals (Photo/Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWarriors.com)If I were his agent -- or running his life free of knowing personal responsibilities -- I'd advocate giving freestyle a real try. Move to the training center, get funding to wrestle overseas, and make the most of his talents on the mat. If after giving it two years he still isn't competing with top international guys he can raise his hand and be chosen by any number of fight teams around the country. There is no loss at starting MMA later, but there is almost no going back to wrestling after you slip on the gloves.
Q: I think Tom Brands should be on the hot seat at Iowa. He needs to recruit better and change his ways a bit to compete with Penn State. Like any biz, you need to adapt to the changes to compete.
-- Paul E.
Foley: In fairness you wrote this question before Brands landed top recruits Spencer Lee and Gavin Teasdale. Those guys are pretty sure bets for the podium, and one could assume that includes that top of the podium.
As for changing his ways … there you might have a point. If Brands can find the right balance between intensity and technique, he can win big with recruits like Lee and Teasdale.
Q: What is the pay for USA Wrestling athletes? In light of the recent institutional discrimination by USA Soccer, I want to know specifically what our women and men make when on the Olympic and World teams and in camp at the USOTC. Are travel and per diems standardized? Do world and Olympic medal bonuses pay identically? Are accommodations identical when on the road?
-- Nate H.
Foley: Each athlete on the ladder (top three) is paid the same stipend, with men and women receiving equal pay. The athletes are given increases to their stipend for winning tournaments like the World Championships, which means that Dan Dennis is not making the same monthly stipend as Adeline Gray -- not even close. The bonuses from Living the Dream Medal Fund pay the exact same amount to both men and women medalists, too. Accommodations on the road are exactly the same at any given tournament.
Q: I notice a larger public push for NCAA (male) athletes football and basketball players to be paid. If the push is successful do see it having adverse effects on college wrestling at the Division I level?
-- Marcus R.
Foley: Loaded question, but I don't think so. In fact, I think it'll be a boon. The NCAA is most likely going to allow athletes to sign endorsement deals while still in college. This means that the school won't assume any more financial burden and athletes across the board can make extra income. For example, Kyle Snyder could sign with Asics and maybe wear their shoes, or maybe even sing with Milwaukee Tools and do TV spots.
More money in the system may only be the start. Once the NCAA moves closer to admitting these aren't amateurs they may open up the legal route to having the entirety of the system be challenged (again) in court.
Q: What is going on with Chance Marsteller? Is he done? Is he transferring?
-- Matthew R.
Foley: I don't know. There hasn't been any solid rumors and the guys I depend on for this information didn't know much as of two weeks ago.
Q: If you're the AD at Boise State, who are the coaches you're calling about the head coaching position?
-- Mike C.
Foley: There was a weird turn of events at Boise State with the wrestling program first parting ways with longtime assistant coach Chris Owens, and then Greg Randall getting fired. That tells me the administration learned of something they didn't like, or possibly that the team spoke up. I'd keep an eye on what happens next because that might tell us a lot about the future of the program. Yet, it could just be a lack of performance as they were 9-25-1 in the past three seasons.
You're going to see the same names applying here that you see for most jobs, but I don't have someone in mind that would be a shoe-in option. Randall was at that program for so long that I'd have to think of regional ties in order to fill that role. For me the best option may be Cody Sanderson.
MULTIMEDIA HALFTIME
Power of Sport
Cornish Wrestling
Q: Watching Anthony Valencia at the Last Chance Olympic Team Trials Qualifier reminded me of how stacked Arizona State will be next year. What do you think is their team's ceiling at the NCAAs? Can they win a trophy? Beat Penn State/Ohio State/VPI?
-- Irv.
Foley: I love that you called Virginia Tech "VPI." That feels like an old school dig from my Wahoo days, but I don't know that it is really anything more than their appropriate acronym.
No, Arizona State won't beat Penn State, but I do think that a well performing Zeke Jones squad is in the top ten. An incredible performance puts them in the top five. They certainly are showing signs of sparkle, but until these all-star recruits, namely the Valencia boys, start wading through the NCAA season you can't project their total impact. Case in point is judging the effect of Myles Martin midseason, or Chance Marstellar at the start.
Possessing promise is only part of the equation in a collegiate season that spans five months and 30-plus matches. In reality promise is mostly a handicap, especially if you find out that you have thin skin or delicate ears.
Q: Does Henry Cejudo have a legit shot at beating Mighty Mouse for the UFC title on Saturday night?
-- Mike C.
Foley: Mighty Mouse looks about as unbeatable an opponent as we've seen in the UFC. The smaller guys don't have as much knockout power, so Johnson can depend almost entirely on outpointing an opponent. While Cejudo has good striking he hasn't yet perfected it for the octagon in the same way as Johnson. He also lacks that KO power to even the fight or make Johnson honest in the pocket.
Most concerning for Cejudo is that Johnson's wrestling might be on the same level while in the octagon … seriously. The champ's techniques are adapted to the octagon and he's proven very difficult to take to the mat and hold down.
I'm pulling for Cejudo, but he's winning this fight, at most, two of ten times.
Q: The Madison Square Garden NCAA tournament was cool. I know the attendance wasn't quite as high, but I agree they need to put it on both coasts occasionally or even the South to grow the sport. What was not encouraging was the slight drop in the TV ratings. The common wisdom was that it would go up due to being in NYC. Two years ago Bob Bowlsby spoke to the Wrestlers in Business during the St. Louis NCAAs. He was very supportive of wrestling, but very frustrated at why they don't move the tourney back a week so it's not up against the opening week of NCAA men's basketball March Madness. This would be a great change and I was wondering if there is any traction for that move?
-- Mike S.
Foley: I think that the attendance was about as sold out as you're going to find. The numbers were lighter, but that was mostly based on the size of the arena. Money was made and crowds were joyous. Pretty much all you can ask for in terms of crowd size and makeup.
The international sports community loves to send tournaments to smaller countries because they are able to make money for their federation AND typically earn more medals (which usually results in more money from government officials). The NCAA model works differently. You need to have a large local fan base, or the accessibility of a major transportation hub like something in Dallas or Atlanta. Still, you run a risk of having light crowds, or worse still, unenthusiastic crowds.
The days of the tournament are silly. The NCAA controls that, though I think they would be responsive to pressure from a proposal, which outlined a benefit to student welfare and the bottom line. The larger matter is having the sport span two semesters. Solving that should be top priority, but not letting perfection be the enemy of good, I think that moving conference a week earlier (Pac-12) along with the NCAAs would be an easy solution and result in much more viewership.
Q: Is Aaron Pico done wrestling? I'm excited to see him compete in MMA.
-- Mike C.
Foley: I don't know. I think it would be foolish to give up when he still has another four years to travel the world, make the World team and generate a livable income. What's the pressure to go work on jiu-jitsu and boxing for three years when in that same time he can make more money and likely increase his name recognition. There is so much for him to learn about the sport of wrestling it would be a shame to see him leave.
Q: While watching the Olympic Team Trials, I started to wonder about something. When the weight classes are qualified and the team is officially set, do they practice in Colorado as a team or do they remain with their respective clubs and practice partners until competition time?
-- Derek O.
Foley: Both. There are team training camps that every wrestler must attend, including the second and third team members. When not at a training camp they will supplement with their respective clubs.
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