News of a change began to break last month when longtime head wrestling coach Dock Kelly abruptly retired to take the job at newly minted Lourdes University in Ohio.
On the local level the loss of a program in the south could hurt the growth of the sport. However, when seen on a national scale the loss of Anderson has been counteracted with the rapid growth of collegiate programs around the country. That said, were this a Division I program the impact may be wider felt since the programs tend to draw much more attention and act as the barometer of the sport's overall health.
If you're still depressed then look at Division III wrestling where five new programs will be added next year (Castleton, MacMurray, Nebraska Wesleyan, Otterbein, Thomas Moore), along with the maturation of Southern Virginia into full Division III status. That's 150 high school wrestlers who have the opportunity to stay in our sport for four more years, and possibly the rest of their life.
There are more programs being announced every month. While we should mourn those that have been eliminated, we have to see that in the big picture we are in the midst of an unprecedented upswing in collegiate participation -- and that's a good thing.
To your questions …
Q: Do you think some high school stud wrestlers just burn out when they go to college and don't have a parent pushing and driving them? Is that the case with Jimmy Gulibon and Chase Marsteller? Or is something else going on with them?
-- Tim M.
Foley: There are a lot of factors to consider when predicting which state champion wrestler will translate into a multiple-time All-American or national champion. Similarly there are a multitude of conclusions to come to if the athletes underperform. How we analyze and predict is often as much a reflection on us as it is on the wrestler.
When I look at changes in performance I tend to think first of weight, next of pressure and third of coaching.
With Gulibon there is a major weight difference between where he was successful in high school and where he currently competes in college. In my opinion his lack of strength and inability to understand the leverage of these taller and stronger opponents has negatively impacted his results. I don't think you have to dig deeper into expectations, and certainly not into coaching.
For Marstellar the weight has stayed pretty close to what he was in college even as his composition has matured. The success of Marstellar in high school had a lot to do with his strength, but in college he's finding that situations where he once used oomph are being rejected. This has crushed his confidence and when you add the weight of expectation from both the wrestling community at large and those in Stillwater, you get a boat with two holes that is taking on water. Even John Smith seems to be having trouble bailing out his star recruit.
Overall, I don't see the parental push as a main factor. NCAA wrestling is very competitive and the line between average and good can sometimes come down to a string of bad luck.
Q: On Twitter, is Mark Schultz overly concerned with the gallery scene in Foxcatcher?
-- @german663
Mark Schultz (Photo/Larry Slater)In many ways, Schultz is lucky; there is a documentary that he approves of, he's written an autobiography, and he has an online megaphone from which to straighten out the story. Other people who've had their lives put on screen haven't been as lucky.
Nobody blames Schultz for being thrown off-kilter by the re-examination of his life. The movie didn't make him a millionaire or give him closure. It likely only worked to dredge up a dark and unconquerable moment. There is no way to know what type of self-doubt he was left to contend with and how that might affect his current online behavior.
All the best to Mark Schultz in finding his peace. When he clears his head he has a lot to offer the sport of wrestling.
Q: Who will represent the U.S. in the Pan Am Olympic qualifier at 86 kilos? How is that decided? Who will represent the U.S. at the Pan Am Championships at that weight? How is that decided?
Will Jake Herbert necessarily be the No. 1 seed at the Olympic Team Trials as the defending World Team member? Or is it possible that Kyle Dake could get that seed?
Also, as there will not be not a 2015 World medalist competing at 86 kilos in the U.S. Olympic Team Trials, will the final be best 2 out of 3 matches and will it be on a separate day from the rest of the tournament along with the 2 out of 3 matches between the Trials champions and the 2015 World medalists?
-- Scott M.
Foley: For men's freestyle and Greco-Roman the current No. 1 wrestler has first hack at the qualification. The decision at 86 kilos will be a little different, if only because Herbert may not be ready to wrestle in early March, having sustained a labrum tear before the World Championships. If not, then it would go to coach's discretion on who to send to the qualifier.
The women's side is more complicated. Any world medalist can challenge down a weight for the right to qualify the spot. This means that Helen Maroulis can challenge Whitney Condor, Elena Pirozhkova can challenge Erin Clogdo and Leigh Jaynes can challenge Alli Ragan.
Wrestling for all best of three matches will happen on the same day as the challenge tournament.
MULTIMEDIA HALFTIME
Move of the Year
Nicest guy in jiu-jitsu and my professor (14:00 min)
These kids have better balance than you
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Posted by Хуйрнан Шуугигч on Sunday, January 3, 2016
Q: As I was scanning the brackets from the Viking-Warrior Open in Nebraska this weekend, I noticed an absolute epidemic of injury defaults. That is, more than one injury default in each and every weight class. I have never seen brackets so riddled with injury defaults before. Any idea what is going on there? Bad officiating? A greater readiness for coaches and wrestlers to default in tournaments? A change in scoring methods? I'm really perplexed. Can you shed any light on this?
-- Carney G.
Foley: Of course I don't know what would've caused each injury default, but I do believe that coaches are more mindful of resting athletes and preventing further losses. In part this is to protect postseason seeding, but can also be a way for them to ensure that a minor injury doesn't burst into something much more dramatic. As for a comparison to previous years, it would seem mostly anecdotal, though the NWCA may have taken a look at the issue.
Q: Dunkin' Donuts finally crossed the Mississippi. What do you think it will take for wrestling to do the same? We've had some real studs out West and some great programs, but we are nowhere near the East and Midwest.
-- Tim M.
Foley: First of all Dunkin' Donuts has satisfactory morning sandwiches and serviceable coffee, but I'm neither a patron nor a fan. Why? Styrofoam cups.
I'm annoyed that these are legal, much less used. I started the Stafford Elementary School Environmental Club in 1990 (still in existence) and am pretty sure that in our school play we mentioned the dangers of Styrofoam, and yet we are still pouring millions of coffee into a non-biodegradable item.
But to be honest, I don't want to get preachy and I don't think of the environment when I order coffee. What I hate, what makes me homicidal, is the way Styrofoam feels against my teeth and the way it sounds when you rub it against the cup holder. I'd rather chew razor blades.
Ultimately to challenge the East Coast in wrestling dominance the West will need more potable water, which would help drive population growth and density. Unfortunately, until that happens there won't be enough people living close enough together to help drive that competition and make the cowboys as dominant as those east of the Mississippi.
Q: What's your take on Andrew Long's performance from the Midlands? I think it was cool to see him back in action, but more so to read that he seems to be squaring away his life off the mat.
-- Nate T.
Foley: If his life is on track then I think we can all agree that is all that matters. He looked incredible at Midlands and just might be the best 141-pound wrestler in the nation.
COMMENT OF THE WEEK
By @WIScanlan
Is this (1992) possibly the most bad ass national champ lineup in history?
118: Jeff Prescott Penn State
126: Terry Brands, Iowa
134: Tom Brands, Iowa
142: Troy Steiner, Iowa
150: Matt Demaray, Wisconsin
158: Pat Smith, Oklahoma State
167: Charlie Jones, Purdue
177: Kevin Randleman, Ohio State
190: Mark Kerr, Syracuse
Heavyweight: Kurt Angle, Clarion
Through circumstance, luck and future name ID there is no better NCAA Division I championship class.
Two Olympic gold medals (Tom Brands, Kurt Angle), multiple World championships (Tom and Terry Brands), WWE superstardom, UFC heavyweight tournament winner (Kerr), UFC heavyweight champion (Randleman), and the first four-time NCAA champion (Smith).
I don't think you could make a better resume from any other championship year.
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