While there is fuss about 65 kilograms in freestyle, I'm most interested to see what comes at heavyweight. Tervel Dlagnev retired and Zack Rey the heir apparent, but can any of the other dominant heavyweights from the collegiate ranks make an impact? Will Nick Gwiazdowski find his groove? Does Dom Bradley make a run? I'm not 100 percent certain of the outcome (I predict Rey will prevail) but I think that it'll be telling for the freestyle team's future on who fills out the top eight.
Also of note is the entirety of the women's wrestling competition. The growth of the US women's program has been tremendous. With Helen Maroulis getting the USA over the Olympic gold medal hump, Team USA might be the next dynasty in women's wrestling. This U.S. Open will give us a peek at the junior-level wrestlers who are slowly graduating to the senior level.
Like most of you I'm looking forward to the action, and likely, the drama.
To your questions …
Q: Who is your pick to win 65 kilograms in freestyle at the U.S. Open?
-- Mike C.
Zain Retherford defeated James Green at the U.S. Olympic Team Trials (Photo/Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWarriors.com)Foley: I'm on the Zain Train, but if he's in the finals with Frank Molinaro there is a familiarity there that favors the older, wiser and coach-ier Molinaro.
Q: I hate to say it but Boise State is just a continuation of the trend. Don't you foresee there being about 25-30 programs that compete in the future? Look at it now. There are about five superpowers, some middle guys and then the bottom feeders I'd say budget wise. The bottom feeders will be dropped and the middle guys who are at universities with a lot of money will either continue to compete because they have enough money or just drop due to not caring. Money and alumni boosters seem to be what matters. Look at Bucknell. If they didn't have that big money donor it would be gone. PSU really didn't care until recently, but they've always had a lot of alumni support. It's kind of the way America is going. Everything is large corporations and college sports are no different.
-- Steve M.
Foley: While I agree there is a trend, I don't think that wrestling will bottom out at 30 programs. The real trend here is the hostage-taking of programs by administrators keen to earn some more money from their non-profit sports, or else rid their schools of the drama in favor of something potentially profit making (baseball).
One possible positive outcome is Boise State wrestling's rich uncle emerges from his hidden vault of gold coins to endow the program and set them free of the administration's haggling. Another possible semi-positive outcome would see a group of alumni scrape together a filler season giving them time to put together a long-term plan for sustainability. The third, most likely and least pleasant outcome is that signatures are submitted a few tens of thousands of dollars gets raised and the issue is forgotten in six months.
On a positive note, I think that there are roughly 40-50 financially stable programs in the United States ... programs that raise money annually, have an endowment of some size, and have a larger base of support among alumni and friends of the program.
Q: Do you have a prediction on a potential meeting between Jordan Burroughs and Kyle Dake at the U.S. Open this weekend?
-- Mike C.
Foley: The sexy pick is Kyle Dake. He's been tearing up some competition and rather than being defensive as he had been for the last few years, he's been extra-offensive and crisp in his techniques. Impressive as he's been, Dake hasn't faced a Burroughs-type opponent during his most recent win streak.
Though Dake is an attractive choice, I'm sticking with Burroughs, mostly because I'm not selling him after one bad performance, but also because I think he'll be motivated to compete with more vigor. He looked good at the World Cup (not great) but at home, and in a somewhat familiar setting, I'm expecting double the fireworks.
Also note that Dake could have to make his way past Alex Dieringer in the semifinals. Yes, he cruised past the Oklahoma State alum in Paris, but I doubt we'd see that type of ease at the Open.
MULTIMEDIA HALFTIME
Check out the African Championships Cadet highlights. Not used to seeing those, I'm sure!
Q: Has the NCWA reached out to Boise State concerning the wrestling cut? Honestly a student fee hike is something I'm confident would be apropos and I am certain a substantial amount of money could also be raised. If the program doesn't need to be cut to add baseball there has to be reasonable options to keep wrestling. If Boise State goes, won't more schools take this route to add other sports? Thank you! #keepwrestling
-- Mike S.
Foley: I'd love to see Boise State keep wrestling, but raising student fees should not be the solution. There is already a tremendous financial burden being placed on students to attend college and I think the existing $120 per semester fee at Boise State is more than enough for them to fund an athletics program.
Again, I want there to be a political or financial solution, but adding extra dollars to students is not a viable solution. In that scenario the school is really just holding the students hostage and that feels equally unfair.
Q: Is a wrestler allowed to compete in both the junior and senior level competitions, such as the World Team Trials, in the same year?
-- Randy B.
Foley: Yes, though I'm sure that would depend on the dates they are being hosted by USA Wrestling. From an international perspective the only qualification for wrestling at the senior level is that you are 18 years of age. The junior qualification caps at 21 and the U-23 caps at, well, 23.
Zach Epperly before his NCAA quarterfinal match against Mark Hall (Photo/John Sachs, Tech-Fall.com)Q: Zach Epperly announced his will not be using his final season of eligibility at Virginia Tech. Were you surprised by this news? Has a multiple-time All-American ever walked away from the sport before his senior season?
-- Mike C.
Foley: I can't think of another wrestler of his caliber who has walked away. From reading his interview it sounds like he still loves the sport and will be an assistant coach at a local high school while launching a real estate business.
Wrestling is demanding on the mind and body, but when it's your whole life it can corrupt the personal life. With Epperly engaged I'm sure he's thinking about supporting his wife and building their life together. If the man has finished his work, the man certainly has my blessing to take the next step forward in his life's journey.
Good luck, Zach!
COMMENT OF THE WEEK
By S.B.
You said in last week's mailbag that Detroit didn't work for NCAAs the last time it was in Detroit. There is a big difference this time. Last time was at The Palace in Auburn Hills which is a suburb with nothing within walking distance. Not a great place for the NCAAs. The next time the finals will be held in the brand new Little Caesars Arena in downtown Detroit which is where the Pistons and Red Wings will play.
Whatever you've heard about Detroit, don't believe the hype. Downtown Detroit has undergone quite a renaissance. You'll be shocked if you haven't been to downtown Detroit recently. There are excellent restaurants, cool bars, and it's really nice these days. Several casinos (MGM Grand, Greektown, Motor City) very close by. Walking distance really. It's near Comerica Park and Ford Field. Trust me … Detroit will be an excellent place for the tournament.
Furthermore, Metro Detroit is actually where most of the talent from Michigan comes from so it's a little unfair to say that it isn't a great wrestling city. Last I checked the University of Michigan was pretty good at wrestling and Ann Arbor is just 20 miles from Detroit. It might not be as quite as much of a hotbed as Cleveland or Pittsburgh, but it's every bit as much of one as St. Louis or Minneapolis.
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