PSU coaches Cody Sanderson and Cody Sanderson talk to Nick Lee during a dual vs. Michigan (Photo/Sam Janicki, SJanickiPhoto.com)The conference tournaments start this weekend with the EIWA, MAC, ACC, Pac-12 and SoCon all taking place.
The athletes have been through a tremendous season unlike any in the last 70 years and while there is tremendous frustration with the allocations and the number of matches everyone was able to wrestle, it's incredible that the sport has made it this far in 2021.
I had my doubts. Here and in private conversations I saw no way for the NCAA to allow football, much less wrestling, to compete in this school year. Part of that doubt was naivete about the NCAA's drive to see a financial return on their investment, and at least some part was not recognizing that fewer deaths was not seen as universally a good thing.
No matter the circumstances on how the season got its push to start, it was always on the athletes to follow the regulations to make sure that they could continue to compete. These young men were seeing friends, taking classes remotely, eating alone, training in pods, wearing masks everywhere, and in general being asked to sacrifice more than any other class before them.
And they succeeded.
There is plenty of on-the-mat action to consume this weekend and next, but before the first whistle blows take a moment and recognize just how sizable an accomplishment it was for these athletes to make it from the searing center of a plague to the mat at their conference tournament.
Bravo to them, their families, their coaches and their universities.
To your questions …
Q: With Penn State now adding Greg Kerkvliet, Beau Bartlett and Robbie Howard to the lineup, do you think the Nittany Lions can challenge Iowa?
-- Mike C.
Foley: Greg Kerkvliet re-emerged this weekend in a Penn State stomping of Big Ten foe Maryland. The heavyweight had an expectedly great performance and gave rise to the thought that Penn State would have enough horsepower to challenge top-ranked Iowa.
The addition of Kerkvliet is certainly a positive for the Nittany Lions, as are Bartlett and Howard, both of whom seem like top All-American candidates in 2021. If you look at the updated points as predicted by the InterMat rankings there is a 71-point difference in their expected outcomes. That might get chipped away with some top-level performances by the above trio, and maybe further whittled down by some bonus points. However, a 10-touchdown difference is extremely difficult to overcome.
The Big Ten weekend will be the test of each team's strengths and weaknesses, but from a higher perspective it would seem you should always favor the experienced winners over the newcomers. There are plenty of ways in which I can and probably will be proven wrong, but if you're putting money on the outcome of the NCAAs I think it's foolish to discount the Hawkeyes.
Q: Which college match that has not happened yet are most looking forward to this postseason?
-- Mike C.
Foley: Richard Mann wrote a great article this week on that topic. Check it out.
For me it'll be anytime there is a direct matchup between Penn State and Iowa, but also Daton Fix vs. RBY
MULTIMEDIA HALFTIME
Trailer for the Pellicone!
Q: What are you most looking forward to seeing at the Matteo Pellicone?
-- Mike C.
Foley: The Matteo Pellicone is the first Ranking Series tournament of the 2021 season. The outcome of the tournament won't impact the 2021 seeds or points, but it will influence the seeds at the world championships and who will end up winning the Ranking Series at the end of the season.
The Belgrade Individual World Cup last December has proven to be a success with few issues arising from the health protocols and efforts to create a bubble resulting in a safe environment. Now, with vaccines being rolled out around the world and in-airport testing becoming more prevalent, a number of the top wrestlers in the world are expected to compete in next week's competition.
More importantly, I'm finally being released to start covering events in person again and am looking forward to seeing the action on the mats and maybe tipping back a few glasses of Barolo.
The tournament itself is built around 74 kilograms and the expected matchup between Jordan Burroughs and Italy's own favorite adopted son, Frank Chamizo. The duo has met a number of times and each episode of their saga tells us something new about their outlook and techniques.
While I think that Burroughs is the favorite, what is most compelling to me is his eagerness to travel so close to the Olympic Trials. That will certainly mean it'll be a more cautious Burroughs on the mat, though he's certain to be as competitive as ever.
The weight class also features Franklin Gomez (Puerto Rico) and world bronze medalist Daniyar Kaisanov (Kazakhstan).
All eyes will be on 74 kilograms.
Q: The Capitol Cup this weekend will feature a women's Greco-Roman exhibition match between Xochitl Mota-Pettis and Koral Sugiyama. What do you think about this? Do you think women's Greco could have a future in the wrestling landscape?
-- Mike C.
Foley: I'm interested in seeing the response to the match. The Canadians had a program for some time, but didn't see a lot of excess interest in the sport. In Europe its essentially a non-starter for most federations as they think Greco-Roman is far too brutal for women to undertake. You might agree or disagree with that perspective, but the buy-in of the European and Asian nations is necessary for the sport to be undertaken in any meaningful manner.
The IOC is serious about sports accomplishing gender equity, and soon, equality. The 2022 YOG in Senegal were meant to be the first gender equal games. They are now postponed, but that is the direction the sporting landscape has taken into the future.
For wrestling, the pressure to be gender equal will almost certainly result in even more investment in beach wrestling. The sport is consumer friendly and can be practiced anywhere at any time. There is no necessary equipment and nations that might otherwise be disadvantaged in Olympic style might find growth and success in beach wrestling.
To me, beach wrestling has always been the answer. Greco-Roman on the men's side has faced issues for the better part of 40 years so I think it would be unwise for the sport to point in the direction of the past, rather than the future.
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