blueandgold

When it comes to the world of college wrestling, if you ask who the GOAT is, chances are you’ll hear Cael Sanderson’s name 95% of the time as he was a four-time champion who never lost a match, and that feels like it doesn’t do him justice, because not only did he win, but he dominated nearly every match. However, as of late, I feel as if Kyle Dake’s feat is equally, if not more impressive when considering what he did and who he did it against. Yes, Dake lost four matches in his career, but he also won a national championship in FOUR different weight classes, and all four of his finals opponents were finalists once more after facing him, three of whom ended up being crowned national champions the next year after facing Dake. So, if the GOAT debate stops at record, Cael is undisputed. However, all things considered, I think Dake makes a case.

Real negativity >>>>>

So, I stole my star rating scale from Jim Cornette and Weasel Dooley. When they would review pro wrestling matches, they said they only did four stars because that’s what the TV Guide used to do for the movies. A zero-star would be known as a “dud,” a one-star was crappy, two stars was average, three was pretty good, and four stars meant they tore the house down. The five-star match rating was introduced when Terry Funk and Jerry Lawler had a blow away match in the 1970s and they deemed it superior to anything they’d ever seen. Over time, Dave Meltzer picked up the concept and added half and quarter-star ratings to the scale. So, I retained the half and quarter-star thing, but added in certain factors to make separation clear, those being story, ranking, competitiveness, talent level, and stage. On my scale, anything 4 and above is outstanding, but 4.5-5 range means it’s more memorable to me and has something specific that took it to that level. A 5-star match also just means without a doubt it’s the best match I’ve seen. What held a match like Yianni and Joey McKenna back from being five stars was because of the questionable call that put a sour taste on the match or the extremely long injury time for Ramos and Lee. It’s really nitpicking at a certain point, but it works for my brain. I hope I explained that decently.

Where my previous thread was focused towards seasons that didn’t end with a title, which wrestler, all things considered, is the best to never have walked away with an NCAA title? I’ve got a couple of candidates. Jamill Kelly (Oklahoma State) 2004 Athens Olympic Silver Medal 2004 U.S. Olympic Team Trials Champion 2004 U.S. National Champion 2× NCAA Qualifier 3× Varsity letter-winner Stevan Micic (Michigan) 2023 Belgrade UWW World Champion 2022 Belgrade UWW World Bronze Medal 2020 Tokyo Olympian 2019 NCAA All-American – Third Place 2018 NCAA Finalist 2018 Big Ten Champion

Drop your top rated matches here or any match that you would consider the best you have ever seen... I have a few matches rated on a five-star scale with a criteria that factors story, competitiveness, talent, ranking, and stage. I've got a few to share. Five Star Matches (Greatest of All Time) Lincoln McIlravy vs. Gerry Abas 3/20/1993 Ames, IA - NCAA Division I Championships, 142 lb. championship Mark Ironside vs. Cary Kolat 1/29/1996 Iowa City, IA - NWCA All-Star Classic, 134 lb. match Darrion Caldwell vs. Brent Metcalf 3/21/2009 St. Louis, MO - NCAA Division I Championships, 149 lb. championship Jayson Ness vs. Daniel Dennis 3/20/2010 Omaha, NE - NCAA Division I Championships, 133 lb. championship 4.75 Star Matches (Near-Perfect) Kyle Dake vs. David Taylor 1/2/2013 Chattanooga, TN - Southern Scuffle, 165 lb. championship Isaiah Martinez vs. Jason Nolf 3/6/2016 Iowa City, IA - Big Ten Championships, 157 lb. championship Isaiah Martinez vs. Jason Nolf 3/19/2016 New York City, NY - NCAA Division I Championships, 157 lb. final Seth Gross vs. Tariq Wilson 3/16/2018 Cleveland, OH - NCAA Division I Championships, 133 lb. semifinal Nick Suriano vs. Daton Fix 3/23/2019 Pittsburgh, PA - NCAA Division I Championships, 133 lb. championship Yianni Diakomihalis vs. Joey McKenna 3/23/2019 Pittsburgh, PA - NCAA Division I Championships, 141 lb. championship Matt Ramos vs. Spencer Lee 3/17/2023 Tulsa, OK - NCAA Division I Championships, 125 lb. semifinal 4.5 Star Matches (Instant Classic) Kyle Dake vs. David Taylor 11/3/2012 Washington D.C. - NWCA All-Star Classic, 165 lb. match Logan Stieber vs. Tony Ramos 3/23/2013 Des Moines, IA - NCAA Division I Championships, 133 lb. Championship Kyle Dake vs. David Taylor 3/23/2013 Des Moines, IA - NCAA Division I Championships, 165 lb. championship Zain Retherford vs. Logan Stieber 12/15/2013 State College, PA - Penn State vs. Ohio State Dual, 141 lb. match Isaiah Martinez vs. Dylan Ness 3/8/2015 Columbus, OH - Big Ten Championships, 157 lb. championship Myles Martin vs. Bo Nickal 3/19/2016 New York City, NY - NCAA Division I Championships, 174 lb. championship Kyle Snyder vs. Nick Gwiazdowski 3/19/2016 New York City, NY - NCAA Division I Championships, 285 lb. championship Yianni Diakomihalis vs. Jaydin Eierman 3/16/2018 Cleveland, OH - NCAA Division I Championships, 141 lb. semifinal Yianni Diakomihalis vs. Bryce Meredith 3/17/2018 Cleveland, OH - NCAA Division I Championships, 141 lb. championship Gable Steveson vs. Mason Parris 3/8/2020 Piscataway, NJ - Big Ten Championships, 285 lb. championship There are so many more I'm missing, but I'm having a brain fart and can't think right now. Drop yours here.

Yeah. I don’t see why we couldn’t. The 2020 season fits the question.

What wrestlers had an incredible year that included anything from most ranked wins, most bonus point wins, most wins overall, and everything in between only for it to not end with a championship?

If the NCAA Wrestling Championships were decided in a dual meet format, how would you go about having qualifiers and how would you adjust the individual championships or extend the season?

Who are some wrestlers who won the title in their lone trip to the NCAA tournament?

Sadulaev was at 86 kg in 2016

2010s Big Ten All-Decade Team 125: Nathan Tomasello (Ohio State) - 4× Big Ten Champion, 2015 NCAA Champion 133: Tony Ramos (Iowa) - 2014 Big Ten Champion, 2014 NCAA Champion 141: Logan Stieber (Ohio State) - 4× Big Ten Champion, 4× NCAA Champion, 2015 Hodge Trophy 149: Zain Retherford (Penn State) - 3× Big Ten Champion, 3× NCAA Champion, 2× Hodge Trophy 157: Isaiah Martinez (Illinois) - 4× Big Ten Champion, 2× NCAA Champion 165: David Taylor (Penn State) - 4× Big Ten Champion, 2× NCAA Champion, 2× Hodge Trophy 174: Ed Ruth (Penn State) - 4× Big Ten Champion, 3× NCAA Champion 184: Bo Nickal (Penn State) - 3× Big Ten Champion, 3× NCAA Champion, 2019 Hodge Trophy 197: Kollin Moore (Ohio State) - 3× Big Ten Champion, 2019 NCAA Finalist 285: Kyle Snyder (Ohio State) - 3× Big Ten Champion, 3× NCAA Champion Quick Notes Spencer Lee wasn't chosen at 125 due to his dominance being more closely associated with the 2020s decade as he wrestled in 2020, 2021, and 2023 as opposed to 2018 and 2019. 133 was the most inconsistent weight as far as repeat champions go. Stieber was a repeat champion, but he was selected for 141. Ultimately, it came down to Tony Ramos, Cory Clark, and Nick Suriano, and ultimately, I went with Ramos as he won the Big Ten and NCAA titles his senior year; Clark was runner-up in the Big Ten as a senior when he won his NCAA title and Suriano could be considered for the next decade as he won another Big Ten and NCAA Championship in 2022. Isaiah Martinez got the nod at 157 over Jason Nolf for having more Big Ten Championships and a head-to-head win. Ed Ruth got the nod at 174 for having two championships at the weight, same with Bo Nickal at 184. Kollin Moore got the nod at 197 over Morgan McIntosh for being a three-time Big Ten Champion at 197, although both won twice within the decade. 2023 NCAA Champions 125: Patrick Glory (Princeton) - 4× All-American, 3× EIWA Champion 133: Vito Arujau (Cornell) - 3× All-American, 2× EIWA Champion 141: Andrew Alirez (Northern Colorado) - 2023 NCAA Champion, 2× Big 12 Champion 149: Yianni Diakomihalis (Cornell) - 4× NCAA Champion, 4× EIWA Champion 157: Austin O'Connor (North Carolina) - 2× NCAA Champion, 3× ACC Champion 165: Keegan O'Toole (Missouri) - 2× NCAA Champion, 2022 Big 12 Champion 174: Carter Starocci (Penn State) - 3× NCAA Champion, 2× Big Ten Champion 184: Aaron Brooks (Penn State) - 3× NCAA Champion, 3× Big Ten Champion 197: Nino Bonaccorsi (Pittsburgh) - 2× All-American, 3× ACC Champion 285: Mason Parris (Michigan) - 4× All-American, 2023 Big Ten Champion In this hypothetical match-up we'll probably never see, who ya got?

Who is a wrestler who may have recorded the best individual year in history as a collegiate athlete? I have three potential candidates. Gable Steveson — 2021 Olympic Champion, 125 kilograms NCAA Heavyweight Champion Big Ten Heavyweight Champion Hodge Trophy Kyle Snyder — 2016 Olympic Champion, 97 kilograms NCAA Heavyweight Champion Big Ten Heavyweight Champion John Smith — 1987 or 1988 1988 Olympic Champion, 62 kilograms NCAA 134-pound Champion Big Eight 134-pound Champion 1987 World Champion, 62 kilograms Pan American Games Champion, 62 kilograms Pan American Champion, 62 kilograms NCAA 134-pound Champion Big Eight 134-pound Champion

Who are some names throughout history that were up and down or unfavorable for All-America honors during the season that ended up catching fire at the right time and making deep runs in the NCAA tournament?

Curious to know about any training opportunities for Greco-Roman wrestling. I was previously a wrestler in high school, was an individual state qualifier, and my career got cut short my first run in college. I gained over 200 pounds and fell into a rut before I got persuaded to coach a few years ago. Now, I’m a college student again, doing well academically, and want to regain the privilege of wrestling despite being past collegiate eligibility. I’m not looking to be a world champion or Olympian, but want to train and compete for physical and mental health reasons. I just want to continue my education in the sport along with using the structure wrestling provides to maintain discipline to keep myself healthy. I’m a native to the Midwest, but have the ability to travel as needed and just want to train with some older wrestlers in the sport who can provide me with some better match-ups and scenarios.

It all depends on the person. You can’t and shouldn’t decide or think you can decide when someone should walk away from something. You can’t tell them what they’re missing out on either. A lot of guys work and take care of their families while they wrestle as adults. It’s a very healthy thing. You will often see individuals practice and compete in jiu-jitsu tournaments no problem to continue their education in the martial art, and I think the same applies for a lot of people in wrestling. Not everyone competes to be a world team member, which sounds crazy to some, but it truly isn’t. This is what Reece Humphrey understood when he opened his practices to people of all ages. The elitist mindset in American wrestling culture kills the sport for many people.

I like this idea as well.

So, the funny thing is I changed Seattle to Vancouver for no reason other than it being a place where some NBA teams have been and because Simon Fraser University is a part of the NCAA, but overall, I just wanted to show that if there were multiple associations, this could potentially be the United States'. Where the other nations would come in would be like the UEFA and there would be a Champions League (the top four teams from the US association, the Canadian association, the Mexican association, Colombian, Cuban, Honduran, Nicaraguan, Panamanian, etc.) to determine a champion of the Americas. That is where it draws similarity to association football as each nation has their own league and system, but the top teams of each league qualify to play in the Champions League to determine the best football club in Europe.

If the United States and other nations in the Americas (North, Central, and South) introduced an association wrestling system the way we see with association football (soccer), how plausible is it that it could find success to some degree? I've been active in the sport of wrestling for over ten years now as a competitor, coach, and fan, and I've recently become a big association football fan, and I wonder if how well it would work if we borrowed their system for wrestling. In the United States, it seems we try to build cards like boxing, mixed martial arts, or professional wrestling when in reality it's hard to promote a freestyle match in the same vein as the aforementioned sports due to lack of perceived violence. From RPW to the recent Flo cards, the promotion and events are fine, but they don't click. So, what's next? Well, association wrestling. When people hear "professional wrestling", the term immediately makes one think of WWE, AEW, NWA, etc., so the first step is stepping out of the shadow of sports entertainment. Second, what would it look like in the USA? Here's a quick write-up I made borrowing some elements from both Premier League, La Liga, NBA, NFL, and the current NCAA wrestling system. The Name The League of American Wrestling Premier Division (Legal); American Premier League (Informal) Country United States of America Confederation Union of American Wrestling Associations (UAWA) Number of Teams 24 Level on Pyramid 1 Relegation to National Wrestling Championship of the United States (Legal); League II (Informal) Competition Format Each club wrestles a 20-match regular season schedule including six matches from a double round robin against the three other teams in their region. The top two teams from each region will qualify for the final stage bracket to determine a league champion. The top four teams based on record (total dual meet points used for tiebreaker) entering the final stage will automatically toggle the top four seeds and receive a bye, while the remaining teams will do battle in the Round of 16. Teams are ranked by record and dual meet points. Individual weight class champions are determined prior to the beginning of the final stage of the team tournament. The top 12 wrestlers from each weight (based on record and total points) will compete in a round robin of four pools, the winners from each of the four pools are then paired in a bracket to determine the individual champion. The top four wrestlers who make the final stage of the individual tournament will be named to the Iron League (compare to NBA All-Star or NFL Pro Bowl) while champions and runner-ups will also be named to the All-America first and second team (compare to All-NBA or NFL All-Pro). Weight Classes 126 lbs. 134 lbs. 142 lbs. 150 lbs. 155 lbs. 165 lbs. 175 lbs. 190 lbs. 225 lbs. 285 lbs. Rules and Scoring Two 4-minute periods Par terre optional only after a wrestler scores Takedown (three points of contact) = 2 Points Exposure = 2 Points Feet to Back = 4 Points Grand Amplitude Throw = 5 Points Reversal = 1 Point Passivity = 1 Point (2nd Warning), 2 Points (3rd Warning), Disqualification (4th Warning) No points awarded for push-outs Takedown can still be scored out of bounds as long as contact was previously established on the mat A match ends by technical fall when a wrestler is ahead by 15 points minimum Win Conditions and Point Totals Fall = 3 Points Technical Superiority = 2 Points Decision = 1 Point Disqualification = 1 Point A wrestler will receive 0 points for a loss and will be deducted 0.5 points for a disqualification. Teams (23 United States + 1 Canada) Arlington WC (Arlington, Texas) Atlanta WC (Atlanta, Georgia) Atlantic City WC (Atlantic City, New Jersey) Austin WC (Austin, Texas) Boston WC (Boston, Massachusetts) Carolina United WC (Charlotte, North Carolina) Cheyenne WC (Cheyenne, Wyoming) Chicago WC (Chicago, Illinois) Colorado Springs WC (Colorado Springs, Colorado) Detroit WC (Auburn Hills, Michigan) Indianapolis WC (Indianapolis, Indiana) Iowa City WC (Iowa City, Iowa) Las Vegas WC (Las Vegas, Nevada) Lincoln WC (Lincoln, Nebraska) Los Angeles WC (Los Angeles, California) New York WC (New York, New York) Orlando WC (Orlando, Florida) Philadelphia WC (Philadelphia, Pennsylvania) Portland WC (Portland, Oregon) Richmond WC (Richmond, Virginia) Sioux Falls WC (Sioux Falls, South Dakota) Tulsa WC (Tulsa, Oklahoma) Twin Cities WC (Minneapolis-St. Paul, Minnesota) Vancouver WC (Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada) Teams by Region East Atlantic City Boston New York Philadelphia Midwest Chicago Detroit Indianapolis Twin Cities Mountain West Cheyenne Iowa City Lincoln Sioux Falls Southeast Atlanta Carolina United Orlando Richmond Southwest Arlington Austin Colorado Springs Tulsa West Las Vegas Los Angeles Portland Vancouver

Not even close. 2017-18 Penn State had four national champions and eight All-Americans total to go with an undefeated 14-0 dual mark that included a dominant 28-13 win over Iowa. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk