tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5355814540499076912024-03-12T19:39:08.630-07:00The Pitt Wrestling BlogUnknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger12125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-535581454049907691.post-42098426045307780692017-06-11T13:46:00.001-07:002017-06-11T15:54:52.622-07:00World Team Trials Opinions Piece <b>By Stephen Patrick</b><br />
<br />
Opinions (Everyone has them)<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5RMmGLkL_Ipat44hl16MjX2VikNrj6NK23VaAgO2scUUyHrqLC3He17mosw4m8u8FovjJa41-v1TXZOAWcSOnOuvlW3za4U9mmFYjEQuCr7N9IGJvXQDoQ3RmZR4QFflY_vysz02QCTk/s1600/worldteam.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="554" data-original-width="834" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5RMmGLkL_Ipat44hl16MjX2VikNrj6NK23VaAgO2scUUyHrqLC3He17mosw4m8u8FovjJa41-v1TXZOAWcSOnOuvlW3za4U9mmFYjEQuCr7N9IGJvXQDoQ3RmZR4QFflY_vysz02QCTk/s400/worldteam.PNG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Tony Rotundo</td></tr>
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<ul>
<li>With Tony Ramos making the World Team straight out of college in 2014 and again in 2015, followed by Dan Dennis making the Olympic Team in 2016, Iowa wrestlers have controlled the 57kg weight class for the past three years, and it appears they may continue to do so for a long time. Thomas Gilman made his first senior level World team on Saturday, defeating Ramos in the finals. Besides those two most likely owning the weight for the next two or three years, Iowa has a freshman coming in next year who will surely compete at 57 at the senior level. He has a cadet and two junior World titles. In case you forgot, his name is Spencer Lee. </li>
<li>So, it's a reasonable bet Iowa Hawkeyes could possess sole ownership of 57 kilograms from 2014 to 2020 and beyond.</li>
<li>Thomas Gilman beat four different NCAA champions on his way to making the team, including Ramos twice in a row. The only match he didn't beat a champ was the quarterfinals where he faced the 1 seed, Tyler Graff. </li>
<li>In those matches against champs, he outscored Darian Cruz, Nico Megaludis, Nathan Tomasello, and Tony Ramos (twice) by a combined score of 37-9. Watch out Paris.</li>
<li>David Taylor and Kyle Dake still have not made a World team. </li>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgp7VqCtROtMAIoc52LSrynFr1BaTDK90_z6sLPsyojDq9peFT-ybLrWG1KIJ8vJyrTHshiaV5BywXr3dWyeyJ3BziCH03mBmeebp7Me04n0-Ftf42gb0SEDzH-GCGtEK08rUr7XepoMqM/s1600/dakeburrougsh.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="620" data-original-width="933" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgp7VqCtROtMAIoc52LSrynFr1BaTDK90_z6sLPsyojDq9peFT-ybLrWG1KIJ8vJyrTHshiaV5BywXr3dWyeyJ3BziCH03mBmeebp7Me04n0-Ftf42gb0SEDzH-GCGtEK08rUr7XepoMqM/s400/dakeburrougsh.PNG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Tony Rotundo</td></tr>
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<li>Who would have thought "Kid Dynamite", class of 2013, and the "Magic Man", class of 2014, would be 4 and 3 years out of college without representing the US at a World tournament. </li>
<li>Jordan Burroughs has defeated both Dake and Taylor in the trials finals. Dake has knocked Taylor out in the challenge tournament finals. And J'den Cox has knocked both out after losing the first match and winning the next two in the best 2 out of 3. </li>
<li>You shouldn't perceive the last few bullets as a knock on Dake or Taylor, but rather a testament to how tough it is to make a senior level World team. It also shows you how good Jordan Burroughs and J'den Cox are. </li>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjelEI6hBz_OxlMFSh4IAFMU8IJZ79HIS9XJEORIqN1pcMet0iEHbNnw3Rt8RK0_BKkkbnKPq6kVK6dQcgoCJHiEy0cYy4b3-ILybFQ583HOB0BHuet6iXn5BLs40Je3fEt_onBQAtQ6Cg/s1600/burroughswins.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="573" data-original-width="861" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjelEI6hBz_OxlMFSh4IAFMU8IJZ79HIS9XJEORIqN1pcMet0iEHbNnw3Rt8RK0_BKkkbnKPq6kVK6dQcgoCJHiEy0cYy4b3-ILybFQ583HOB0BHuet6iXn5BLs40Je3fEt_onBQAtQ6Cg/s400/burroughswins.PNG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Tony Rotundo</td></tr>
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<li>Winning the US Open or medaling at the previous years World/Olypmic championships gives you a bye to the finals of the trials. The benefit of that was readily apparent at 74 and 86 kg. </li>
<li>Sticking with Dake, Taylor, Burroughs, and Cox, it was readily apparent that by the third match of the finals, Dake and Taylor had run out of gas against JB and J'den. And for good reason. </li>
<li>In the challenge tournament Dake had to wrestle Isaiah Martinez and Alex Dieringer. </li>
<li>Taylor had to go through Joe Rau, Pat Downey, and an extremely tough match vs Nick Heflin. </li>
<li>Even with Cox hyperextending his knee in the third match of the finals, Taylor still couldn't score and even gave up a few pushout points. In the second period of the third match vs Burroughs, Dake got to his legs on multiple shots but didn't come close to finishing. They were tired.</li>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsb0IJVPoA_aSFqhS3wTsgWmggI9vBShlYhwP0DACn3nkcIrsWJqGIIi4wUXC8Q8AX0NNncfph07wHb-5-tmMkgBLiMp0Bc8ibTbOxHNxIPXIgy33sf4LGNgoDuh9CnfWMLb0eO7WH8Lo/s1600/coxtaylor.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="572" data-original-width="860" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsb0IJVPoA_aSFqhS3wTsgWmggI9vBShlYhwP0DACn3nkcIrsWJqGIIi4wUXC8Q8AX0NNncfph07wHb-5-tmMkgBLiMp0Bc8ibTbOxHNxIPXIgy33sf4LGNgoDuh9CnfWMLb0eO7WH8Lo/s400/coxtaylor.PNG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Tony Rotundo</td></tr>
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<li>One of the best parts about these types of tournaments isn't even the finals. It's the early rounds and consolations that often feature NCAA champions fighting to not go 0-2. Once college wrestling fans realize they can watch Cody Brewer vs Jayson Ness in the quarterfinals or Jason Chamberlain vs Jason Nolf in the consolations, the popularity of freestyle will quickly explode. </li>
<li>The US Senior Freestyle National Team (top three at each weight) for 2017: </li>
<ul>
<li>57: Thomas Gilman, Tony Ramos, Nathan Tomasello</li>
<li>61: Logan Stieber, Kendric Maple, Brandon Wright </li>
<li>65: Zain Retherford, Frank Molinaro, BJ Futrell</li>
<li>70: James Green, Jimmy Kennedy, Jason Nolf</li>
<li>74: Jordan Burroughs, Kyle Dake, Alex Dieringer</li>
<li>86: J'den Cox, David Taylor, Nick Heflin</li>
<li>97: Kyle Snyder, Kyven Gadson, Hayden Zillmer</li>
<li>125: Nick Gwiazdowski, Dom Bradley, Tony Nelson</li>
</ul>
<li>What colleges did these fine gentlemen attend/are attending?</li>
<ul>
<li>57: Iowa, Iowa, Ohio State</li>
<li>61: Ohio State, Oklahoma, Grand View </li>
<li>65: Penn State, Penn State, Illinois</li>
<li>70: Nebraska, Illinois, Penn State</li>
<li>74: Nebraska, Cornell, Oklahoma State</li>
<li>86: Missouri, Penn State, Ohio State</li>
<li>97: Ohio State, Iowa State, North Dakota State</li>
<li>125: North Carolina State, Missouri, Minnesota </li>
</ul>
<li>In graph form:</li>
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<li>Looks kind of like the NCAA standings, huh?</li>
<li>Big Ten schools account for 15/24 = 62.5 %</li>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcJBSFnyk_3QTXMk3rQo2yWPklMIbOiD7rOp_Qu55ginY2f_5NoZ2sBW-Pb7Oqs8tUo9wNht5dCC3Helvm6MXNkwMhelkI0LJY1Q-aTh1pGJXjlreq5B0w9I4xKz30qsHfbZKvy3rIWuA/s1600/zainbloody.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="573" data-original-width="863" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcJBSFnyk_3QTXMk3rQo2yWPklMIbOiD7rOp_Qu55ginY2f_5NoZ2sBW-Pb7Oqs8tUo9wNht5dCC3Helvm6MXNkwMhelkI0LJY1Q-aTh1pGJXjlreq5B0w9I4xKz30qsHfbZKvy3rIWuA/s400/zainbloody.PNG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Tony Rotundo</td></tr>
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<li>Dom Bradley finished 3rd at the World/Olympic trials in 2009, 10, 11, 15, and 16. He finished 2nd on Saturday. </li>
<li>An important part of senior level freestyle that is often neglected in the States is athletes' previous age level accomplishments, meaning juniors and cadets. According to this well organized <a href="https://twitter.com/WillieAtFLO">tweet</a> from Willie Saylor, here are our senior teams' finishes in junior and cadet Worlds: </li>
<ul>
<li>Gilman placed 10th as a Cadet and 8th and 3rd as a Junior</li>
<li>Stieber got 2nd as a Junior</li>
<li>Zain won as a Cadet </li>
<li>Green did not compete </li>
<li>Burroughs placed 10th as a Junior</li>
<li>J'den did not compete</li>
<li>Snyder earned Bronze and Gold as a Junior</li>
<li>Gwiz did not compete</li>
</ul>
<li>Gives you an interesting perspective</li>
<li>Here are some random results from the tournament that stood out to me, and go along with my earlier point of college fans appreciating freestyle more:</li>
<ul>
<li>Alan Waters over Nahshon Garrett 18-6</li>
<li>Tyler Graff over Alan Waters 16-5</li>
<li>Nathan Tomasello over Tyler Graff 8-2</li>
<li>Cody Brewer over Jayson Ness 14-13</li>
<li>Brandon Wright over Seth Gross 13-11</li>
<li>Brandon Wright over Josh Kindig 10-4</li>
<li>Joe Colon over Seth Gross 11-5</li>
<li>Cody Brewer over Joe Colon 20-10</li>
<li>Brandon Wright over Cody Brewer 14-4</li>
<li>Nick Dardanes over Dean Heil 10-0</li>
<li>Chance Marsteller over Anthony Valencia 6-1</li>
<li>Isaiah Martinez over Chance Marsteller 9-6</li>
</ul>
<li>Call me crazy but that is just as, or more, exciting than an NCAA tournament </li>
<li>Lastly, let's talk medal potential for Paris. I'm going to rank them as Low, Medium, High, and Guaranteed. These are purely subjective, and obviously nothing is guaranteed. Also, I don't believe in jinxes:</li>
<ul>
<li>Gilman: Medium</li>
<li>Stieber: High</li>
<li>Retherford: Medium</li>
<li>Green: High</li>
<li>Burroughs: High</li>
<li>Cox: Guaranteed</li>
<li>Snyder: Guaranteed</li>
<li>Gwiazdowski: Medium</li>
</ul>
<li>57 won't be the strongest weight class this year but Gilman has never competed at the Senior level. He did handle Ramos though...</li>
<li>Stieber is the returning World champ but 61 is being infused with talent from other weight classes as well as the returning competitors. Winning will be hard, but medaling definitely possible </li>
<li>Retherford has also never competed at the Senior level but his pace, conditioning, hand fighting, position, mat control and relentless style will prove difficult for the best foreigners</li>
<li>After medaling in his home country in 2015, Green missed out last year. He looked great at the trials and should find himself on the podium again </li>
<li>Similarly, after winning in Vegas, Burroughs had a disappointing Rio. He'll be looking to reassert himself in France </li>
<li>David Taylor recently teched and pinned Olympic gold medalists. J'den Cox just beat him 2 out of 3 matches. With Sadulaev moving up to 97, 86 is ripe for the taking, and J'den looks to be in a position to do it. I expect no less than a finals appearance from the 3x NCAA champ</li>
<li>Kyle Snyder will wrestle Abdulrashid Sadulaev in the finals at 97kg. It will be one of the most anticipated wrestling matches of all time. Snyder will be going for his 3rd World title as a 21 year old and Sadulaev going for his 4th as a 21 year old. With 5 combined Gold medals before their 22nd birthday, these two may not even be in their primes yet. This year could be the start of many years of epic 97kg finals matches.</li>
<li>I was torn between medium and low for Gwiz. As good as he is, this will also be his first senior level world tournament and 125kg has a few guys on top that will be nearly impossible to beat. With Taha Akgul (Turkey) and Geno Petriashvilli (Georgia) surely locking up the top two spots, that leaves two Bronze medals up for grabs. <a href="http://www.flowrestling.org/ranking/2717-akgul-stands-alone/2017-06-02/125-kg">FloWrestling </a>has Gwiz ranked 16th in the World, although he has beaten 4th ranked Khomeil Ghasemi (Iran). So, I stuck with medium. </li>
<li>Here's hoping for 8 Golds. </li>
</ul>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-535581454049907691.post-17649385169054402882017-06-04T07:02:00.001-07:002017-06-04T07:02:16.427-07:00A Conversation with Mark Schultz<b>By Stephen Patrick</b><br />
<br />
A few months ago I had the privilege of interviewing 3x NCAA, 2x World, and Olympic Champion, Mark Schultz. Mark is known for his unique life story, well documented in his book <i>Foxcatcher</i>, as well as his many athletic accomplishments. He is an ambassador for the sport of wrestling, and is often considered (along with his brother Dave) one of the top 10 American wrestlers of all time.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBdaE13U7qT-RgTCTR4l3nsYKN4akqA7tjPlelLNXBULKao8Qqd8vJysWywiv5auRdo7Vn8ubxXbvwXzUpu41e7KPvwYysYi3dQQe-tlCpafLiZrcMb2j76MhUey2_g0RPFeDIIERY_S4/s1600/markanddave.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="560" data-original-width="634" height="352" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBdaE13U7qT-RgTCTR4l3nsYKN4akqA7tjPlelLNXBULKao8Qqd8vJysWywiv5auRdo7Vn8ubxXbvwXzUpu41e7KPvwYysYi3dQQe-tlCpafLiZrcMb2j76MhUey2_g0RPFeDIIERY_S4/s400/markanddave.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;">Dave (L) and Mark (R) Schultz admiring their Gold medals after the 1984 Olympics. <a href="http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2844392/I-easily-snapped-neck-Olympic-wrestler-Mark-Schultz-reveals-plotted-kill-John-du-Pont-feels-sorry-millionaire-killed-brother-details-real-story-movie-Foxcatcher.html">Daily Mail</a></td></tr>
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At the time of our interview the political atmosphere in our country was still very heated from the election, the fate of the US freestyle team competing in the World Cup was still unknown, and Jason Peters had recently been fired from Pitt. Mark routinely takes to Twitter to discuss world events, politics, wrestling, and life in general. Around this time he had also tweeted about the head coaching vacancy at Pitt, lobbying on his own behalf. This prompted me to direct message him and set up the interview.<br />
<br />
We discussed international relations with Iran, the US converting to freestyle, how wrestling could improve diplomacy, the Pitt coaching search, and one of Mark's favorite topics, the Federal Reserve. What follows here is a summary of our discussion along with some of my personal stories from the 2015 World Championships in Las Vegas, where I happened to talk an Iranian gentleman about some of the same issues.<br />
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"I think wrestling is going to play a big part of the US and Iran becoming friends or allies in the future just because there’s no prejudice when it comes to wrestling."<br />
<br />
Mark is adamant that the sport of wrestling can transcend political and cultural differences and help break down the diplomatic barriers between these two diametrically opposed countries. There is a stigma that exists in our country about Iran, and for good reason. They've been involved in some of the biggest political controversies in our history. But Mark notes there is a distinct difference between the people and the government: "The government of Iran, they’re so anti American, but the people of Iran are actually pro American." Continuing, "I don’t think there’s any prejudice between Americans and Iranians as far as the people go. It’s all government."<br />
<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcf_JKnZ_1D1xd5b9k1qR0_PaM4l1-BZH3TEo7IpnDwe7EM6HicW0IwASq7zTSTi_QzZ6mnnmXCdqqjxBDgzTyISIE77R0VWmrrw7pgo6Gqc34DZ0uWeVd6o27ud9zgLJ07UOTx1UKqCo/s1600/jordanburroughs.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="579" data-original-width="640" height="361" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcf_JKnZ_1D1xd5b9k1qR0_PaM4l1-BZH3TEo7IpnDwe7EM6HicW0IwASq7zTSTi_QzZ6mnnmXCdqqjxBDgzTyISIE77R0VWmrrw7pgo6Gqc34DZ0uWeVd6o27ud9zgLJ07UOTx1UKqCo/s400/jordanburroughs.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;">Jordan Burroughs shakes hands with Iranian fans at the 2013 World Cup in Tehran. <a href="https://www.capitalgrio.com/sites/news/312504-freestyle-wrestling-world-cup-american-team-shake-hands-with-iranian-president-ahmadinejad-in-tehran.html">CapitalBay </a></td></tr>
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But what does wrestling have to do with diplomacy? I don't mean for this article to get too political, but those topics dominated our conversation, and I found the connection between wrestling and politics to be stronger than I had ever realized, especially as a lot of the things Mark told me matched exactly what Yousef (the Iranian from Vegas) told me as well.<br />
<br />
Yousef, who immigrated to the United States fifteen years ago owns a wrestling and jiu-jitsu gym in Texas. He noted during our 45 minute cab line conversation that if we (Americans) would travel to Iran we would find a friendly, welcoming people and a beautiful country. We would be treated like rock stars, and once the native Iranians found out we were wrestlers, they would compete among themselves to show us the most hospitality.<br />
<br />
Another prominent American wrestler featured in the above picture (perhaps you've heard of him) wrote a blog on this very subject on April 4th. Noticing a pattern here? More on the Champ later...<br />
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<u><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">____________________________</span></u></div>
<br />
It's not just American wrestlers that share this sentiment towards Iranians; the inverse is true as well. There is a mutual respect and reciprocation of decency from our Persian counterparts. Besides the fans practically falling out of the stands in the above picture, Hassan Yazdani, Iran's 74kg rep to the Rio Olympics, made international headlines before the 2016 World Cup by reaching out to an American.<br />
<br />
Burroughs withdrew from the competition to be with his wife during the birth of their daughter. Though Yazdani (who would go on to win Gold in Rio) vs Burroughs was slated to be a super-match and ultimately didn't happen, the young Iranian star responded with an incredible act of sportsmanship. He bestowed the Burroughs family - Jordan, Lauren, Beacon, and baby Ora - with a Termeh, a hand-woven Persian cloth. Truly <a href="https://www.facebook.com/unitedworldwrestling/photos/a.10150571458905167.657014.353196850166/10156920676185167/?type=3">beautiful</a>.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2B5uuVNKKUZ6gS3OLWfjDwpZYc44OcMeVOWawhhyFFI8bOdI7-lJkwcAPBAFM2Rv4DHgCGFbS6_rpXO1Ez4_zcRTmLHslaYlLjAWJt-wHFghyyucCJuyoAQwdZgxLvFGqeD9W3NZVjMg/s1600/yaz.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2B5uuVNKKUZ6gS3OLWfjDwpZYc44OcMeVOWawhhyFFI8bOdI7-lJkwcAPBAFM2Rv4DHgCGFbS6_rpXO1Ez4_zcRTmLHslaYlLjAWJt-wHFghyyucCJuyoAQwdZgxLvFGqeD9W3NZVjMg/s400/yaz.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;">Yazdani with his Gold Medal in Rio. <a href="http://iranthisway.com/2016/08/20/yazdani-gold-medal-rio-2016/">IranThisWay</a></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
As pol<span style="font-family: inherit;">iticia</span>ns can't seem to make any progress with diplomacy, perhaps Mark is more right than one would think: "If there’s going to be a bridge I think wrestling is going to play a part of that, a big part."<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<u><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">____________________________</span></u></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<u><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></u></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
Just as "Little Yaz", as he's known, reached out to the Burroughs family, Mark has also reached out to Iranians. <br />
<br />
"I helped Mansour Barzegar immigrate to the United States". Barzegar, Iran's first world champion and Olympic silver medalist, wanted to move to the United States to be closer with his daughter. Mark wrote a letter to Barzegar's attorney, stating his case for why he should be allowed to move to the US. Additionally, Ardeshir Asgari, whom Mark considers one of his "first really good Iranian friends", also wanted to come to the western hemisphere but for slightly different reasons.<br />
<br />
Being threatened with death by his own father for leaving Islam, Asgari escaped to the Venezuelan embassy, which eventually handed him over to the US. Once he became established in the States, he took over the head coaching job at Cal State Fullerton. Now Mark believes he is the president of the Nicaraguan wrestling association, although he isn't sure.<br />
<br />
Since landing in the United States, Asgari has had an interesting time. While training for the 1988 Olympics, in which he wanted to wrestle for the United States, he was arrested for possessing a pound of heroin. While in jail before his trial, he missed the opportunity to make the team. However, the jury found that he was framed by the Iranian government and awarded him 3.3 million dollars.<br />
<br />
While being interviewed by <a href="http://www.cnn.com/US/9803/07/wronged.wrestler/">CNN</a>, Asgari responded "I love this country."<br />
<br />
Both of these examples, along with Yazdani, show the mutual respect between American and Iranian wrestlers. If only the powers-that-be would notice.<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<u><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">____________________________</span></u></div>
<br />
Another topic of conversation in my interview with Mark, and one that may or may not have bearing on international relations, involved the US converting to freestyle. In the interest of full disclosure, before the interview I was 100% in favor of switching from folk to free, however Mark made some convincing counterpoints. </div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
"I don't think it's a good idea to hand over control of an American controlled style to an international governing body that we have no control over." Mark believes United World Wrestling (UWW) would not prioritize American interests the way USA Wrestling or the NCAA does. Now, it is not UWW's job to help Americans as they are in charge of the entire world's freestyle and greco wrestling operations, but Mark believes it would be easier and more beneficial to keep the status quo intact and adjust accordingly, rather than a wholesale switch with abrupt and disruptive changes. </div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
"Collegiate style and freestyle are so similar in nature anyway that it really doesn't take much to make that transition."<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiD8bfU7vs5gdaHOuvkL6thJGJBu4bZns83KVMd4wAQNt0a-_pqCam8la1_024QlVeXkNR26ueCYcrqlBXkViugg9QxQ07iUPyglucRmL6NIBOuRBloF4pnmICI9BQG9MXlalJMQVMmqqg/s1600/markanddave2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="425" data-original-width="634" height="267" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiD8bfU7vs5gdaHOuvkL6thJGJBu4bZns83KVMd4wAQNt0a-_pqCam8la1_024QlVeXkNR26ueCYcrqlBXkViugg9QxQ07iUPyglucRmL6NIBOuRBloF4pnmICI9BQG9MXlalJMQVMmqqg/s400/markanddave2.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;">Daily Mail</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
This is an area I disagree with. It's actually the main reason I want the US to change. If you watch senior level international wrestling, you'll probably notice a distinct style difference between the US and other world powers. The US often relies on traditional techniques, strong defense, and unparalleled conditioning whereas Russia (and the other Soviet states) and Iran routinely hit "bigger" moves, throws, trips, and creative feet-to-back scores that you would never see in the States. Now the US finished 2nd at the most recent World Cup and 3rd at the Rio Olympics. Maybe our style isn't so bad after all. But call me greedy; I want to win.</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br />
An additional con to changing to freestyle would be upsetting the established order, or in other words, the entire wrestling system in the United States from youth to high school throughout the sport's history in our country. Might not go over well with a few people. It would be an arduous process and would have to start in college and work its way down to youth. It would require educating our nation's high school and middle school coaches. It would take time, money and organization. I believe it would be worth it.<br />
<br />
There are rumblings in the wrestling world regarding potential rule changes in college to allow for push-out points and nearfall points from the feet. These two rules would not undermine the idea of folkstyle, but it looks more like a soft transition to freestyle rather than a simple modification of folk.<br />
<br />
Another aspect of having a style that differs from the rest of the world, and from that of major international competitions, is the individual athlete having to adjust to the rule and style changes right after the college season ends. Some people think that transition is harder than others. Just take it from Mark: "All you have to do to switch from one style to the other is just tell yourself 'this is the style I’m going to be wrestling now.'" Wise words.<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<u><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">____________________________</span></u></div>
<div>
<br />
Read this excerpt from Jordan Burroughs' blog and tell me that he, Yousef and Mark - all completely independent of each other - don't prove the exact same point:<br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">"Upon touchdown in Kermanshah, Iran, all of our fears and concerns regarding safety were immediately alleviated as we were welcomed with open arms. Reporters lined the airport runway to greet us with television cameras. Fans lined the inside of the terminal in hopes to get close enough to snap a photo. We were well protected with security guards during our entire trip. We were escorted to and from the venue and hotel by police vehicles. Security details stayed by our sides until we were safely back to our hotel rooms each night. But in all seriousness, the only thing that I needed protection from was the overwhelming showering of kisses from adoring fans each day. The Iranian people are some of the most gracious and loving, especially to wrestlers. Their passion and knowledge of the sport of wrestling is incredible. Being in an arena with Iranian fans is electric, emotional, and almost indescribable. Every senior level wrestler should experience what it is like to compete in Iran."</span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">If you're still a doubter, check out these articles: </span></div>
</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<a href="http://news.theopenmat.com/international-wrestling/met-iranians-international-wrestling-brings-people-together/61647">When I Met the Iranians</a></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<a href="http://uk.reuters.com/article/us-iran-nuclear-wrestling-idUKBRE91P0H220130226">Wrestling diplomacy cuts tension at nuclear talks with Iran</a></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<a href="https://www.capitalgrio.com/sites/news/312504-freestyle-wrestling-world-cup-american-team-shake-hands-with-iranian-president-ahmadinejad-in-tehran.html">American team shake hands with Iranian President Ahmadinejad in Tehran</a></div>
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<u><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">____________________________</span></u></div>
<br />
The last time an American showed strength towards Iran it worked out well. The Iranian hostage crisis was magically resolved just minutes after our 40th President was sworn into office. Perhaps if we beat Iran at its own game - made their strength our strength - they would be more open to listening. After all, "wrestling is such an important part of Iranian culture."<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
Who was our 40th President again?<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiv7psF_xaSBw8ZvWAdyrOuNGScWg6D3tPXCvo1mLKXb6W2IRaDnxb8eeNQr8XNVq0kQ-pYs8E4NXo6N6K6kUdHJXQK29NBEXp2FpjdVeZ2RXHi5ZvmWjYUzH9Q1qMw3PZ3HHy30vaFN4/s1600/reagan-schultz.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="723" data-original-width="746" height="386" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiv7psF_xaSBw8ZvWAdyrOuNGScWg6D3tPXCvo1mLKXb6W2IRaDnxb8eeNQr8XNVq0kQ-pYs8E4NXo6N6K6kUdHJXQK29NBEXp2FpjdVeZ2RXHi5ZvmWjYUzH9Q1qMw3PZ3HHy30vaFN4/s400/reagan-schultz.PNG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;">Dutton Books</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-535581454049907691.post-56903057794243142852017-04-13T21:02:00.000-07:002017-04-14T17:54:15.062-07:00Keith Gavin to be Pitt's Next Head Wrestling Coach<h3>
Plus, a reflection on 2017 and a preview of 2018</h3>
<div>
<br /></div>
<b>By Stephen Patrick</b><br />
<br />
KEITH GAVIN will be Pitt Wrestling's next Head Coach.<br />
<br />
Gavin, Pitt's most recent NCAA Champion, will officially take over from Jason Peters as the next Head Coach. Matt Kocher and Drew Headlee were serving as co-head Coaches after Peters got fired, but only for the interim. Their fate is currently unknown.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOXW1FqwopJNh-8qMvjxht1TdWtDj3qyxWOjE2Rd2-esAwa_2rwhkE9RO_q974S1rVqmT2tnUCsy33bITr6e9vKVNGseqC7cvC9V2mIyKNZ5nfLqcpnla-GhANLvSyglh_9XT7YteFLjU/s1600/keith+gavin.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOXW1FqwopJNh-8qMvjxht1TdWtDj3qyxWOjE2Rd2-esAwa_2rwhkE9RO_q974S1rVqmT2tnUCsy33bITr6e9vKVNGseqC7cvC9V2mIyKNZ5nfLqcpnla-GhANLvSyglh_9XT7YteFLjU/s1600/keith+gavin.PNG" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Latrobe Wrestling</td></tr>
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This will be Gavin's first head coaching job, after previously serving as an assistant to Steve Garland at Virginia for two seasons, and most recently to Lou Rosselli at Oklahoma. In addition to coaching under well respected and highly accomplished coaches, Gavin brings with him an outstanding freestyle resume.<br />
<br />
Keith placed no worse than 3rd at six consecutive World Team Trials spanning 2010-2015. In 2013, he was the United States' rep to the World Championships in Budapest, Hungary. He's also competed at the Yasar Dogu International and Pan American Championships. Some of his domestic freestyle wins include victories over Clayton Foster, Ed Ruth, Jon Reader, and Quentin Wright. <br />
<br />
As the popularity of freestyle increases among high school standouts, this could prove a vital asset to recruiting. Don't think for a second that training under Terry Brands to make the 2020 Olympic team isn't an ulterior motive for Spencer Lee going to Iowa. Of course he wants to win NCAA titles, but top notch high school kids with cadet and junior freestyle experience, like Lee and Daton Fix and Gable Steveson, most certainly consider a program's freestyle accolades as well as its folkstyle. And word is, Gavin could bring in some heavy hitters as assistants, all with tremendous international experience.<br />
<br />
<b>The Search</b><br />
<b><br /></b>
Pitt's search for its next coach after Jason Peters was fired on January 19th of this year has been, well, interesting to say the least. It all started with Pat Santoro, Pitt's only 4x All American. As has been well documented on the inter-webs, Santoro opted to stay at Lehigh for one reason or another. There is no point in dwelling on why. He would have made a fantastic coach at Pitt, he is a fantastic coach at Lehigh, and I look forward to watching his and Gavin's teams competing against each other for the foreseeable future.<br />
<br />
Other candidates included Edinboro's Tim Flynn and South Dakota State's Chris Bono. Again, the rumors have been discussed at length on twitter and other wrestling forums. Although a certain string of tweets netted me over 120 followers, and I stick by what I said, the best thing for Pitt Wrestling now is to look forward, focus on recruiting, and make sure next season won't be the third straight without an All American. While Gavin may not have the pressure on him to succeed immediately like a Santoro or Bono would, he will have pressure to put together a good staff and to start recruiting immediately. Pitt has missed out on most of the top WPIAL recruits in recent years, and reversing this trend will assuredly be the cornerstone of Gavin's plan to revitalize the program. <br />
<br />
<b>2017 wrap-up</b></div>
<div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Pitt started its season well. The Panthers went 2-0 at the Mountaineer Duals defeating Ohio and Campbell. Then, staying on the road, Pitt took out long-time EWL rival Edinboro, on the backs of upset wins by TeShan Campbell and Ryan Solomon. Upon returning to the Fitzgerald Field House the Panthers suffered their first loss to longtime rival Lehigh. Coached by Pitt great Pat Santoro, the Mountain Hawks dominated, taking 8 of the 10 matches. To add insult to injury, then No. 8 Dom Forys defeated then No. 18 Scotty Parker handily 9-4. Of course, Parker would go on to All American, and Forys would lose in the round of 16, two matches shy. </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Pitt bounced back well though, taking second place at the Keystone Classic, losing only to eventual National Champion Penn State. After the annual trip to the Palestra, the roller coaster continued. The next dual match Pitt got brutally shut out by Oklahoma State for the second year in a row. Remember it was only four years ago that Pitt beat OSU. Now they’re 0-20 in the last two duals with 11 of those losses by way of bonus points. The ups and downs rolled on with Pitt returning home and defeating old time rival - for all sports - West Virginia. Although the Mountaineers were missing Zeke Moisey and Dylan Cottrell, it was a nice way for Pitt to get back in the win column. </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
However, right on cue, the roller coaster dove again, this time in Evanston, Illinois. It would be an unproductive use of time in recapping what happened on or off the mat at Midlands, as none of it was good for Pitt (save Nick Zanetta as I wrote in a previous <a href="http://pittwrestling.blogspot.com/2017/01/sad-somber-week-for-pitt-coaching-staff.html">blog</a>). Like the double-dip on the Jackrabbit at Kennywood, right after Pitt experienced its lowest point of the season, it shot straight back up. The Panthers went 3-0 at the Pitt Duals destroying Franklin & Marshall, Davidson, and Bloomsburg by a combined score of 123-6. </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Has the pattern been established yet? The next contest on Pitt’s schedule was against top conference foe Virginia Tech. With many members of the starting lineup suspended, Pitt forfeited the first two weight classes and sent out backups at 149, 157, and 184. Continuing their trip through the Commonwealth of Virginia, you guessed it, the Panthers won their next match in dominant fashion taking out VMI 37-6. </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Without hesitation, the coaster, now representative of the rapidly oscillating last stretch of the Phantom's Revenge, took another downward turn as Pitt lost two straight conference matches to North Carolina and North Carolina State. It’s worth noting, Pitt actually wrestled well against NCST with Solomon beating Mike Kosoy in overtime, Forys majoring Jamal Morris, Mikey Racciato pinning Beau Donahue, and Taleb Rahmani pushing Thomas Bullard to overtime. And Rahmani probably should have won if not for a bad call by the ref.<br />
<br />
The cliched roller coaster continued its ascent through Iowa State, Virginia, Duke and even ACCs. Alas, this coaster would not end pointed upwards. The last downward turn it would take came in St. Louis at NCAAs. While it certainly didn't take a Pittsburgh Plunge as all 4 of Pitt's entrants finished top 16, it also certainly lacked a Thunderbolt worthy exciting ending as none of Pitt's delegation finished top 8.<br />
<br />
<b>Looking Forward </b><br />
<br />
What an exciting time to be alive for Pitt wrestling fans. Besides a new era coaching wise, Pitt will return 7 of 10 starters and 3 of 4 NCAA qualifiers next season. While Mikey Racciato and John Rizzo are departing via graduation, TeShan Campbell will be doing so via transfer. The rising junior from Penn Hills is heading westward to compete for Tom Ryan's Buckeyes. On the surface it's hard to blame Campbell. After all the last three seasons Ohio State has finished 1st, 3rd, and 2nd as a team at NCAAs. His practice partners will include the likes of Bo Jordan, Myles Martin and Kaleb Romero. The University is building a brand new wrestling-only <a href="https://intermatwrestle.com/articles/14797">facility</a>. Nonetheless, I wonder what he'll think of how Gavin runs the program, and if he'll regret leaving. Columbus is quite a further drive than Oakland.<br />
<br />
In addition to most of the starters returning, Pitt will be getting freshmen Jake Wentzel, Austin Bell, and Christian Dietrich back next season. I had postulated in a previous blog that an established coach like Tim Flynn could bring transfers from his current school. While I don't see that happening with Gavin, especially not all the way from Oklahoma, I do think the new coaching staff will be able to establish a strong recruiting territory.<br />
<br />
Even if Pitt does not receive any transfers, it appears most of the pieces are already in place to send out a solid lineup. My predictions, weight class by weight class:<br />
<br />
125: LJ Bentley<br />
133: KJ Fenstermacher<br />
141: Dom Forys<br />
149: Nick Zanetta<br />
157: Jake Wentzel<br />
165: Taleb Rahmani<br />
174: Austin Bell<br />
184: Nino Bonaccorsi<br />
197: Zach Bruce<br />
285: Ryan Solomon<br />
<br />
Something tells me Forys is going up to 141. That leaves 133 wide open for incoming Northampton grad Fenstermacher. Zanetta started over Robert Lee at 141 this year so one would assume that will carry over to next season. 157 is a good problem to have. Rahmani absolutely exceeded expectations this season and had an awesome stretch run through ACCs and NCAAs. However, one would be remiss to forget that Wentzel majored him in the Blue-Gold match. Bell and Dietrich will battle for 174 but I see Bell winning that one. With Rizzo graduating, it seems likely for Bruce to resume his duties at 197. That leaves an opening for incoming Bethel Park grad Nino <a href="http://pittwrestling.blogspot.com/2017/03/for-nino-pitt-just-too-close-to-home.html">Bonaccorsi</a>. And of course, Solomon closing it out.<br />
<br />
It's a thought provoking lineup. It's not going to beat Penn State. It probably won't beat Lehigh. It's spread pretty evenly between classes. It will have true freshmen. It's probably a touch worse than this seasons'. But it's a good building block for Gavin. There are no overt weaknesses and there are some seasoned veterans with serious potential to make All American as seniors in Dom Forys and Ryan Solomon.</div>
<div>
<br />
<b>Opinions (Everyone has them)</b><br />
<br />
<ul>
<li>It isn't everyday FloWrestling shows your twitter account on their <a href="http://www.flowrestling.org/video/1166109-frl-193-united-customer-service-willies-legal-issues-and-new-weigh-in-rules">podcast</a>. </li>
<li>My tweets generated controversy surrounding the coaching search. I'm not mentioning this to toot my own horn, but rather to lay to rest any lingering questions. I nearly tripled my twitter followers and have received dozens of private messages, many of which from people I have never met. National media followed me. Local media requested to interview me (stay tuned). It was an exciting week to say the least. </li>
<li>I never want anyone to think I did that to disparage Heather Lyke. She had not been on the job for very long and clearly, from an outside perspective, something was wrong. But then, I wasn't on the outside. A close source tipped me off on some of the inner-workings of the coaching search and I had to go public with it. I stand by everything I said. </li>
<li>I head Pat Santoro's <a href="http://intermatwrestle.com/articles/18105?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=twitter">interview</a> on Takedown Wrestling on April 11th. Although he described the rumors circulating about his interest in the job as "in depth" and denied ever receiving a contract offer, nothing he said directly contradicts what I reported. I said the committee running the athletic department had the contract drawn up before Lyke took over. Not the same as offering it to Santoro. </li>
<li>I know I said earlier there is no point in dwelling on any of this, but no one from Pitt has contacted me or refuted anything I've said, so I'm left with the assumption that I was right. </li>
<li>Now that that's over, let's move on. </li>
<li>It has been <a href="https://twitter.com/KnopsKnotes/status/852568929339936768">reported </a>that Pitt wants to clean house. </li>
<li>How will Keith Gavin fire these two?</li>
</ul>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifE31tMx1MlRxnntEGGGPU-eyer4ec_oqweiGlb9BGFNPwIPV0UU28fGSxtlB6-hgSB7VS9zRYmUwS2B1iBfxXwk4wfPJ7pK2hJJUaQQF7mTUXHNOW9bgDEgjcZKB1J-k9QYDasVq6y9M/s1600/gavinheadleekocher2.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifE31tMx1MlRxnntEGGGPU-eyer4ec_oqweiGlb9BGFNPwIPV0UU28fGSxtlB6-hgSB7VS9zRYmUwS2B1iBfxXwk4wfPJ7pK2hJJUaQQF7mTUXHNOW9bgDEgjcZKB1J-k9QYDasVq6y9M/s400/gavinheadleekocher2.PNG" width="317" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Pitt Athletics</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<br />
<ul>
<li>Not to mention, Kocher coached him at the Olympic Trials last <a href="https://twitter.com/Pitt_WRES/status/719217719669821440">summer</a>.</li>
<li>How he chooses to complete his staff will definitely be intriguing.</li>
<li>This will most likely be my last folkstyle/college blog for a while... It's freestyle season!</li>
<li>If you're not from Pittsburgh, those roller coaster references are from Kennywood Park</li>
<li>As always, please share and thanks for reading.</li>
</ul>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg94nQedP0O2S0qvD1YQZqzj4DiulOR4rwCvq9VNZeXvXkAJzz7wLeNKQbhyphenhypheneqYo023k6bIQcj_o4vryw427aIKVCBkYy1b65Dzd8UNopSnlEBnGkuU8Vrtfdh1594cIQ3eSKOXzM6uois/s1600/keithgavin.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg94nQedP0O2S0qvD1YQZqzj4DiulOR4rwCvq9VNZeXvXkAJzz7wLeNKQbhyphenhypheneqYo023k6bIQcj_o4vryw427aIKVCBkYy1b65Dzd8UNopSnlEBnGkuU8Vrtfdh1594cIQ3eSKOXzM6uois/s400/keithgavin.PNG" width="396" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Pitt Athletics</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</div>
</div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-535581454049907691.post-70801696615500613172017-03-30T18:25:00.000-07:002017-04-02T13:47:27.573-07:00For 'Nino', Pitt just too Close to Home<b>By Stephen Patrick</b><br />
<br />
Santino 'Nino' Bonaccorsi ended his official high school career by losing in the state finals for the second year in a row. This season, he was defeated by Nazareth senior Travis Stefanik. His previous such loss came at the hands of Bethlehem Catholic standout Michael Labriola. All three of these wrestlers have something in common, besides occupying the top two spots on the Hershey podium for the past two seasons: Each of these well accomplished Pennsylvania seniors had the honor to represent Team Pennsylvania in the Pittsburgh Wrestling <a href="http://wrestlingreport.com/wrestlingclassic.com/index.html" target="_blank">Classic</a> this past weekend, Classic XLIII.<br />
<br />
While Stefanik will take his talents east to Princeton, and Labriola west to Nebraska, Bonaccorsi will be staying right here. And why wouldn't he? The roots run just too deep.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2bjVvw-oFUV734zVvmXHwxlhN7Thyphenhyphen9T8dgazEMk4RrWSyS_7TnG9OKEprpjQMI0M5GnQyCq3jT7G5s2EvvKr6Ktan2MImlScmBjCCq7PoFuVy-GRYRblCeB6E7tYGHC9JWD8V4n-sQpk/s1600/nino+classic.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="248" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2bjVvw-oFUV734zVvmXHwxlhN7Thyphenhyphen9T8dgazEMk4RrWSyS_7TnG9OKEprpjQMI0M5GnQyCq3jT7G5s2EvvKr6Ktan2MImlScmBjCCq7PoFuVy-GRYRblCeB6E7tYGHC9JWD8V4n-sQpk/s400/nino+classic.PNG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">credit: <a href="https://twitter.com/blreeger" target="_blank">Barry Reeger Photo</a></td></tr>
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As you may recall, it hasn't been long since a Bonaccorsi stepped on the mat at the Fitzgerald Field House. Just last year, Nino's older brother Nick was finishing his career for the Panthers. Next year, the younger of the siblings will be continuing his legacy. Or, perhaps, he will be starting his own.<br />
<br />
"It was definitely cool seeing Nick wrestle here" Nino started when asked if he was looking to follow Nick's footsteps or forge his own path. He seemed to pause for a second though, his voice growing with excitement. "I was itching to get on that mat".<br />
<i><br /></i>
<i>That </i>mat.<br />
<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPsb24HgZST4FhU6-g0YEWo13kjyzWVMq-zndXHpf8DzX3Fcblv4irV1QkcvvVFJWkgs5o9kwFCGDbVchruupjfvWPlrIzjvS6M6Z72D0z7SH51zGfzXhCgcwmJtF-gM4X1ggJInGx82w/s1600/pittmat.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPsb24HgZST4FhU6-g0YEWo13kjyzWVMq-zndXHpf8DzX3Fcblv4irV1QkcvvVFJWkgs5o9kwFCGDbVchruupjfvWPlrIzjvS6M6Z72D0z7SH51zGfzXhCgcwmJtF-gM4X1ggJInGx82w/s400/pittmat.PNG" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<b>How do you explain it?</b><br />
<b><br /></b>
Nino finished his illustrious career with no state titles. No, not how do you explain that. How do you explain how someone with no state titles could major someone with four. Is Pennsylvania that good? West Virginia, where his opponent Jacob Hart hails, borders PA on the southern and western fronts. Does the imaginary line drawn by politicians of generations past magically prevent talent from diffusing across state lines? Of course not. How do you explain one time PA champ Austin DeSanto majoring 4x California champ Justin Mejia? And California only has one division! How do you explain Darian Cruz, Zain Retherford, Jason Nolf and Vincenzo Joseph taking 40% of the NCAA titles this year? I guess Pennsylvania really is that good.<br />
<b><br /></b>
<b>Next level</b><br />
<br />
Academically and socially college is a step up from high school. In fact, in just about every aspect of life college is a step up from high school. With athletics though, it's even more than that. "It's another level".<br />
<br />
I didn't wrestle in college. My brother did. All of my coaches did. A lot of my friends did. Seeing the product on the mat is one thing, the physicality, the intensity, but hearing the first hand accounts of practice and summer workouts and match preparation adds a deeper appreciation for the sport. Being behind the scenes in St. Louis I was privy to the warmup area and had the opportunity to watch some national champions before their matches. Their focus could cut diamonds. No, not before the finals; the first round, the second round, the quarters. There's no easy match in college. A first round match at NCAAs could feature two two-time state champs. An All-Star match in high school could be a 197 pound match in an Edinboro-Bloomsburg dual where the meet is already decided. Nino seems to appreciate the incoming challenge.<br />
<br />
"It's another level...get a little tougher, little meaner on the mat".<br />
<br />
He certainly has the right idea. While one would be hard pressed to qualify Nino's performance at the classic as "soft" or "nice", I've never heard stories of Bethel Park wrestlers breaking their ulna off the back of their drill partners head for not working hard enough like a certain national finalist once <a href="http://www.flowrestling.org/video/752228-wilps-goes-hard-with-1-arm#.WOFjFDsrKM8" target="_blank">did</a>. "Another level".<br />
<br />
<b>Connections</b><br />
<b><br /></b>
In addition to the aforementioned older brother recently graduating from Pitt, Nino has plenty more reasons to stay close to home. Nick will be staying close to Pitt's campus as he completes the police academy program. His parents still reside in Bethel Park. His cousin, Marc Allemang is the head coach at Mt. Lebanon.<br />
<br />
Throughout his early years Nino could be seen training at Iron Horse wrestling club headed by Bryan Stout, the Pittsburgh Wrestling Club, and any other place he could get a workout. His father, Mark, was there every step of the way. And he will continue to be there for the next four years. Oh, yeah, there's another reason Nino chose the school he did.<br />
<br />
"I love Pitt".<br />
<br />
<b>Opinions (Everyone has them)</b><br />
<ul>
<li>Read these next two questions with the one rhetorically answering the other, like those old Geico <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dtp_mq2fO24" target="_blank">commercials</a></li>
<li>Did Austin DeSanto have a chip on his shoulder after people questioned the legitimacy of his win over an ACL-deficient Spencer Lee? </li>
<li style="text-align: left;">Did Spencer Lee think this was a takedown? </li>
</ul>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijdq-6zQtU2iEOL8lAoj0w4qotDfKQKRPLzJqN-FU2j20jXq8IbHVfv3JFgAjXf9D4vla_aJpHxcpRTcNBxplkIIgKIThL2bXnFPmdQwY4bbtKE535_XHTrDChVvpZ8lDEI0jAiVyb8mk/s1600/spencerlee+2.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="283" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijdq-6zQtU2iEOL8lAoj0w4qotDfKQKRPLzJqN-FU2j20jXq8IbHVfv3JFgAjXf9D4vla_aJpHxcpRTcNBxplkIIgKIThL2bXnFPmdQwY4bbtKE535_XHTrDChVvpZ8lDEI0jAiVyb8mk/s400/spencerlee+2.PNG" width="400" /></a><br />
<br />
<ul>
<li>I don't know what was going through DeSanto's mind. But he was sure wrestling like he had something to prove </li>
<li>Where will Jarod Verkleeren end up now that he's been released by Iowa State</li>
<li>I doubt anywhere near Pitt</li>
<li>I bet we know who the Pitt coach is by the end of the day tomorrow</li>
<li>If it is someone from a different school, would any of his wrestlers transfer to Pitt to stay with their coach? Quite possibly</li>
<li>Would any high school seniors from the WPIAL, or anywhere for that matter, de-commit and switch to Pitt for the right coach? Quite possibly</li>
<li>Would any established college wrestlers having trouble breaking into the lineup at their respective school transfer to Pitt? Quite possibly</li>
<li>I was talking to my former coach, Coach Allemang, Nino's cousin, at the classic and his state final match came up. I said he has bigger things to accomplish now. He responded</li>
<li>"Yeah, like National titles" </li>
</ul>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-535581454049907691.post-26229104110367177202017-03-19T19:49:00.000-07:002017-03-23T17:28:27.795-07:00NCAA Wrestling Opinions Piece<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<b>By Stephen Patrick</b><br />
<br />
Opinions (Everyone has them)<br />
<ul>
<li><b>Cael Sanderson</b> pulled <b>Mark Hall's</b> redshirt late in the season because he thought Hall's additional team points compared to <b>Geno Morelli's</b> would be necessary to win the team title. He was clearly <a href="https://twitter.com/wrestlingnomad/status/843301622218407936" target="_blank">wrong</a>, as Penn State dominated the team standings, without <b>Nick Suriano</b>, without a 133 pounder, and without Gulibon and McCutcheon placing. Hall burns a year of eligibility and Geno sits the rest of his senior season on the bench. I don't like it. Especially considering they have 8/10 starters returning next year. What was the rush? I bet in four years Penn State will wish they had Mark Hall for another season</li>
<li>Cael Sanderson did another thing I didn't like. Although this is purely <a href="https://twitter.com/sockobuw/status/842075902397812736" target="_blank">speculative</a>, it certainly appears that he waited until after the deadline to announce Suriano wouldn't be wrestling in order to prevent the bracket from changing. This would have moved <b>Nick Piccininni</b> to the 7 <a href="https://twitter.com/CPyles8/status/842079068484956160" target="_blank">seed</a>, or in other words, on the opposite side of Gilman. With PSU clearly viewing Oklahoma State as one of their main challengers for the team title, it looks as though they wanted to prevent Piccininni from an easier path to the semis. Again, this is purely speculative, but it looks bad and it forced another kid to stay home</li>
<li>Don't think the 34th wrestler admitted to the bracket would do anything? <b>Cash Wilcke</b> of Iowa was on account of <b>Jake Smith's</b> injury, and he made it to the round of 12. His team points, and the points he may have prevented other teams from scoring, were crucial in helping Iowa to get a trophy. Cael absolutely did the right thing by Penn State - which is his job - but I would have much rather seen a full bracket at 125</li>
<li>Navy, Northern Illinois, SIUE, Oregon State, Old Dominion, Appalachian State, Princeton, Stanford, Central Michigan, Wyoming, Rider, Edinboro, Rutgers, Northern Iowa, NC State, South Dakota State, Virginia, Lehigh, Wisconsin, Arizona State, Illinois, Michigan, Nebraska, Cornell, Minnesota, Virginia Tech, Missouri, Iowa, Oklahoma State, Ohio State, and Penn State</li>
<li>Those are the teams that finished ahead of Pitt</li>
<li>Before the tournament I said <b>Darian Cruz</b> would be a tough match for Gilman based on conflicting styles. I didn't think he'd get two takedowns like that to win though. While I do feel bad for Gilman, he showed his true colors and good sportsmanship by coming out Saturday morning and beating <b>Joey Dance</b> in the consi-semis then almost majoring Piccininni in the 3rd place match. At the time, Iowa needed his team points, and he made his team proud. He also got a hearty, well deserved standing ovation</li>
<li>Gilman losing and Clark winning was the least probable outcome of Iowa's dynamic duo's semifinals. I would have easily predicted them both winning or Clark losing before that. Matness as they say</li>
<li>125 <b>Tim Lambert</b>, 133 <b>Mitch McKee</b>, 141 <b>Joey McKenna</b>, 149 <b>Anthony Collica</b>, 157 <b>Jake Short</b>, 165 <b>Anthony Valencia</b>, 174 <b>Zach Epperly</b>, 184 <b>Jack Dechow</b>, 197 <b>Matt McCutcheon</b>, 285 <b>Austin Schafer</b></li>
<li>If that was your team, do you think it'd be pretty good? Well, you would have finished with no All Americans, you would have scored 28.5 team points and you would have finished 16th in the team race. Not terrible, but with that lineup you would have easily been a favorite to place top 3. Just more proof of how tough this tournament is </li>
<li>What can you say about <b>Cory Clark's</b> toughness? I'm certainly not a good enough writer to quantify it with words, so let's listen to what the man himself had to say</li>
</ul>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguWN1Wpg7u6IEiV2gj4PCb0P0MkF5rFVoT8gS27AIACesf6AKnLX2j1GeVTeT3TfM5tWMRr8G6o42e8NGBiOsY6NZw2UOVbI5QbcrOWZH-ZveYNz1k4F6f7VWe_sHPPAyABomOAxgiT5E/s1600/cory+clark+quote.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="236" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguWN1Wpg7u6IEiV2gj4PCb0P0MkF5rFVoT8gS27AIACesf6AKnLX2j1GeVTeT3TfM5tWMRr8G6o42e8NGBiOsY6NZw2UOVbI5QbcrOWZH-ZveYNz1k4F6f7VWe_sHPPAyABomOAxgiT5E/s640/cory+clark+quote.PNG" width="640" /></a></div>
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<ul>
<li>Indiana, Maryland, Penn, Campbell, Buffalo, Bucknell, American, Michigan State, North Carolina, Cleveland State, Lock Haven, Northwestern, Gardner-Webb, North Dakota State, Northern Colorado, Purdue, Eastern Michigan, Ohio, Army, CSU Bakersfield, Drexel, Utah Valley, Binghamton, Clarion, Columbia, Iowa State, West Virginia, Cal Poly, George Mason, Harvard, Kent State, Boise State, Brown, The Citadel and Chattanooga</li>
<li>Those are the teams that finished behind Pitt</li>
<li><b>Zain Retherford</b> deserves, and will win the Hodge</li>
<li><b>Jason Nolf</b> isn't far behind</li>
<li><b>Vincenzo Joseph</b> was always one of my favorite wrestlers to watch in high school and I've always been very bullish on him. I predicted him to make the finals, and although I picked Martinez to win, I'm not surprised that he was able to pull off that <a href="https://www.facebook.com/ncaawrestling/videos/10154291985381044/" target="_blank">amazing</a> win</li>
<li><b>J'den Cox</b> may be one of the best NCAA wrestlers of all time. 1st, 5th, 1st, 1st and an Olympic medal in between</li>
<li>I hope<b> Kyle Snyder's</b> rib injury isn't too bad. Would hate if he missed any freestyle competitions this summer </li>
<li><b>Dom Forys</b>, <b>TeShan Campbell</b> and <b>Ryan Solomon</b> will each All American next year</li>
<li>I would say <b>Taleb Rahmani</b> would too but I seriously don't know how the lineup is going to shake out with him and <b>Jake Wentzel</b></li>
<li>This was my first trip to the NCAAs. During the finals they announced 3 gentlemen who have been to 65 straight NCAA tournaments. I hope to make 70</li>
<li>With his 5 champions, Cael moved past J Robinson (fired mid season) and Rob Koll on the active coaching leaders list. He is only behind John Smith. 32 to 18</li>
<li>Cael Sanderson is on his way to being the greatest coach in the history of NCAA wrestling</li>
<li>PA 40% of the champs. WPIAL 20% of the champs</li>
<li>Pitt's coaching search is ramping up...</li>
<li>Here are some pics I took</li>
</ul>
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKijRmdRjSBsZQUvcR1vzr5LDqvT55K_1tlohWw_hMWihKrOWeqMCJUQGNWNgq4NbYfNtkbQixZ1ftObC1JfE-AumR7Hg4BUqrrnA1xiTOjF-zqydQMcCX6CC4ghoG2gzJ3pywXRP8hHA/s1600/IMG_0547.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKijRmdRjSBsZQUvcR1vzr5LDqvT55K_1tlohWw_hMWihKrOWeqMCJUQGNWNgq4NbYfNtkbQixZ1ftObC1JfE-AumR7Hg4BUqrrnA1xiTOjF-zqydQMcCX6CC4ghoG2gzJ3pywXRP8hHA/s400/IMG_0547.JPG" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;">crowd waiting to get in before session 1<br />
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<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYsgx7vaDv7lZB-EVQKuIGgPGr-iCI1Ktdheqh2T4FZzuLfjR_Ufp_pY_7f6Ws7ww3BQ5u7jBEhAHYQf9_b9UQReV-Zqkyzf6rWBEzJYOaiB6tDt1G8ZWCK45lgZcrwLL2H5inf_CnmmI/s1600/IMG_0548.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYsgx7vaDv7lZB-EVQKuIGgPGr-iCI1Ktdheqh2T4FZzuLfjR_Ufp_pY_7f6Ws7ww3BQ5u7jBEhAHYQf9_b9UQReV-Zqkyzf6rWBEzJYOaiB6tDt1G8ZWCK45lgZcrwLL2H5inf_CnmmI/s400/IMG_0548.JPG" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;">warmups before session 1</td></tr>
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<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIEVYNTLLm07MBR7B5YUNQa-yZWGs5Rx4JqeUjhtiLo_dleTQRIlVEv8DvYDFIhWvw6wAYHXdtqIGR4Gq2wJ8v9syN-DoL-N4ylSxzlWfSyO18MOVPh8_-C3MnvfzQJy-cvKRWl51llsE/s1600/IMG_0555.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIEVYNTLLm07MBR7B5YUNQa-yZWGs5Rx4JqeUjhtiLo_dleTQRIlVEv8DvYDFIhWvw6wAYHXdtqIGR4Gq2wJ8v9syN-DoL-N4ylSxzlWfSyO18MOVPh8_-C3MnvfzQJy-cvKRWl51llsE/s400/IMG_0555.JPG" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;">closeup of warmups</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhusuEzB69dOVxE43-kGg8TFt_FYdINISmbmYtMrOX-qC6yGWR0s6mymrQf4AwBB-nkucEyUOBXNkr7DguQmuYl_cp32dlJjw6TAt5n9xkRcb1P0rqFMi9PGpztJT7_hmsq1uliXu37o0I/s1600/IMG_0551.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhusuEzB69dOVxE43-kGg8TFt_FYdINISmbmYtMrOX-qC6yGWR0s6mymrQf4AwBB-nkucEyUOBXNkr7DguQmuYl_cp32dlJjw6TAt5n9xkRcb1P0rqFMi9PGpztJT7_hmsq1uliXu37o0I/s400/IMG_0551.JPG" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">from the upper level</td></tr>
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<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLTJzInIBQAkNlwoGD_JCaYWW76TGJ4tXMxaFiQxhv_QiOkh_CtJbbLBJ848sOuTco-SrerRLPXi2KnLtTLFA-0Z86JSBwAGnAnNTv6GHiAcRmKqo5TzunvFtRQJZr4gzC70bKyLGFTCs/s1600/IMG_0557.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLTJzInIBQAkNlwoGD_JCaYWW76TGJ4tXMxaFiQxhv_QiOkh_CtJbbLBJ848sOuTco-SrerRLPXi2KnLtTLFA-0Z86JSBwAGnAnNTv6GHiAcRmKqo5TzunvFtRQJZr4gzC70bKyLGFTCs/s400/IMG_0557.JPG" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;">one of the early sessions from the press box<br />
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<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsB5dtBSzN0wCRamkClyAYczcChYLKxRQi9f0CUFOfzacKh7XXBWI1xxHzA3kxA8_vUF-N1aTeFb3B4EMM8LT2frrhnOgQ3QWt_vDiDHHCzTbOPN1-VMVEcWsv1VctPRw9BBCUH9fwTfQ/s1600/IMG_0559.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsB5dtBSzN0wCRamkClyAYczcChYLKxRQi9f0CUFOfzacKh7XXBWI1xxHzA3kxA8_vUF-N1aTeFb3B4EMM8LT2frrhnOgQ3QWt_vDiDHHCzTbOPN1-VMVEcWsv1VctPRw9BBCUH9fwTfQ/s400/IMG_0559.JPG" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;">TV equipment</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiU0m8OjjYpJHbHMaTKLh_7peHzqWFiXnBttlfsq8Lx_ZLQnydf7KI0aZu38QUbmA70-HXuMUfvWRlh-9WtvX-8JhRkTsQphUs7RTMawxMb4fW5f-OFTPmhi1OWeOnmqpqK3myD3wmVvxQ/s1600/IMG_0569.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiU0m8OjjYpJHbHMaTKLh_7peHzqWFiXnBttlfsq8Lx_ZLQnydf7KI0aZu38QUbmA70-HXuMUfvWRlh-9WtvX-8JhRkTsQphUs7RTMawxMb4fW5f-OFTPmhi1OWeOnmqpqK3myD3wmVvxQ/s400/IMG_0569.JPG" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">trophies</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDF-VEeBqS2jG9WTSjuJbjHIvTBhNbQAO2O7W6QlG8jLgdo0lTdhs4o6X7YJj2pVbCoQplOV9aApJmrogcCwS0ICAnXQZGTIDLCMy40XUe29d7z2lqrOJqThPjFFuqPolcEPd9Jlf9q5w/s1600/IMG_0570.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDF-VEeBqS2jG9WTSjuJbjHIvTBhNbQAO2O7W6QlG8jLgdo0lTdhs4o6X7YJj2pVbCoQplOV9aApJmrogcCwS0ICAnXQZGTIDLCMy40XUe29d7z2lqrOJqThPjFFuqPolcEPd9Jlf9q5w/s400/IMG_0570.JPG" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">finals mat from the press box</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQ75fhvXXUgqYgRHmBUjomFHNHelhVTOw84kUchUC7CFG7owbYwx5i4PJs_txsbxs9LZ2C7EbIRNHafk02nWEIWX72c0opRISI9aIE3QxX0ySNejjYYFYKkawITv29rQMj0AAAJ58-078/s1600/IMG_0574.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQ75fhvXXUgqYgRHmBUjomFHNHelhVTOw84kUchUC7CFG7owbYwx5i4PJs_txsbxs9LZ2C7EbIRNHafk02nWEIWX72c0opRISI9aIE3QxX0ySNejjYYFYKkawITv29rQMj0AAAJ58-078/s400/IMG_0574.JPG" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Parade of All Americans from the press box</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPcDjsA88nzJwOPzWSb-5AIO5jIBcoukZA_EiEzgm5-s68AZEfK2ExYxSvtYJu4zAzh2AenUNgEKCJ0N0tMcHm0UMRypaHY-Ivu3cc1Xw4lKYlTvEDnSPNuKpQXkxV9Gt6Qat0iCR2Rl8/s1600/IMG_0553.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPcDjsA88nzJwOPzWSb-5AIO5jIBcoukZA_EiEzgm5-s68AZEfK2ExYxSvtYJu4zAzh2AenUNgEKCJ0N0tMcHm0UMRypaHY-Ivu3cc1Xw4lKYlTvEDnSPNuKpQXkxV9Gt6Qat0iCR2Rl8/s400/IMG_0553.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">St. Louis City Hall</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNx2PJMnxAj1u-3pJG9gfjEcZjrXvpfO6KH3LaJYd53qEdkN8QyhIoozv9pXWHns1ZWf3bxgEXoVn2XMdooUoOaRPOHmGkJFIwPNycfZmbjZbaddqQpr2Grqph-_Sd9r8KeCoQA4AhJJU/s1600/IMG_0552.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNx2PJMnxAj1u-3pJG9gfjEcZjrXvpfO6KH3LaJYd53qEdkN8QyhIoozv9pXWHns1ZWf3bxgEXoVn2XMdooUoOaRPOHmGkJFIwPNycfZmbjZbaddqQpr2Grqph-_Sd9r8KeCoQA4AhJJU/s400/IMG_0552.JPG" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">inside City Hall</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMenbmXyeRadVSuxNC5bXF3Y5lfsjjWg2V43hfZYtWKprZyL7OrO99RyxdbVWsfkMADCvejOpQ0mbNtjRhOEQz75asTwjYbRCLmGe8s94uoMbFJzlXU6qS1r7QYBNPhUrCFUjwOHHjvO0/s1600/IMG_0562.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMenbmXyeRadVSuxNC5bXF3Y5lfsjjWg2V43hfZYtWKprZyL7OrO99RyxdbVWsfkMADCvejOpQ0mbNtjRhOEQz75asTwjYbRCLmGe8s94uoMbFJzlXU6qS1r7QYBNPhUrCFUjwOHHjvO0/s400/IMG_0562.JPG" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">looking up at the arch</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg71c7t7ackaNT8FdMxLR16mlHtgNbKsZJZLddl8UkH5s6vyzfnEhFfzkRTfb-Wu326VIT2mbUmR00RcrWcqEPtX70Rl2R3b0385pN45Ax4hjl3-cuFFzhUmhCDsNVYOUK4LQMOiAhVBnw/s1600/IMG_0564.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg71c7t7ackaNT8FdMxLR16mlHtgNbKsZJZLddl8UkH5s6vyzfnEhFfzkRTfb-Wu326VIT2mbUmR00RcrWcqEPtX70Rl2R3b0385pN45Ax4hjl3-cuFFzhUmhCDsNVYOUK4LQMOiAhVBnw/s400/IMG_0564.JPG" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">the Arch from the 28th floor of the Courthouse</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRsElrWZeO9dtuUqpWcKGNLYzUUKl9kfh50YVpIFrO3LWdOm3Hu3eGz_BEd3JafIAy2lyxrf1pP-IXtuchX2XQto1PPwjaHPP3R_10adALiIE62m086-aPqtuUXm-UYrmCjAtKKEiI0l0/s1600/IMG_0563.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRsElrWZeO9dtuUqpWcKGNLYzUUKl9kfh50YVpIFrO3LWdOm3Hu3eGz_BEd3JafIAy2lyxrf1pP-IXtuchX2XQto1PPwjaHPP3R_10adALiIE62m086-aPqtuUXm-UYrmCjAtKKEiI0l0/s400/IMG_0563.JPG" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Busch Stadium from the same spot</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqJmYa6cQAGY9TYcCRHxC5I5WlmjH8nhK4rdDwmqPyJ2yLdVyNravjLjaaS7a9jcyAtbABhcyVuEcUszdOeW2rijti7LWWG7DLHlQ2ndwQKuXi1zo52sy8yVHZpiPQqnboHTdqVTzRGyw/s1600/IMG_0567.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqJmYa6cQAGY9TYcCRHxC5I5WlmjH8nhK4rdDwmqPyJ2yLdVyNravjLjaaS7a9jcyAtbABhcyVuEcUszdOeW2rijti7LWWG7DLHlQ2ndwQKuXi1zo52sy8yVHZpiPQqnboHTdqVTzRGyw/s400/IMG_0567.JPG" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">the "Great Hall" in the library</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSWUAYLpz_R0p1QsgoVVtgpZMLk85dvOYlC6esJTsiqUqjVDt-H97dQZP3Ughk074XWw-irlPPUVEFd3NLJ5TrMmJuUosHAV4-WbElQEdNIqVAL6xd8JiaB-nTIUMTihSAsJKFL3mZnDk/s1600/IMG_0575.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSWUAYLpz_R0p1QsgoVVtgpZMLk85dvOYlC6esJTsiqUqjVDt-H97dQZP3Ughk074XWw-irlPPUVEFd3NLJ5TrMmJuUosHAV4-WbElQEdNIqVAL6xd8JiaB-nTIUMTihSAsJKFL3mZnDk/s400/IMG_0575.JPG" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">the altar at the Christ Church Cathedral. It was built in 1908 in England and shipped to America in over 200 pieces, then reassembled.<br />
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<ul>
<li style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;">Thanks for reading...</span></li>
<li style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;">See you all in Cleveland!</span></li>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-535581454049907691.post-61641719895673243922017-03-16T21:29:00.000-07:002017-03-16T21:38:49.538-07:00All Consis Now for Panthers<h3>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Pitt Wrestlers each go 1 and 1 on Day 1</span></h3>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>Dom Forys</b>, <b>TeShan Campbell</b> and <b>Ryan Solomon</b> each won then lost. <b>Taleb Rahmani</b> lost then won. They're all in the same round now: three wins away from the podium.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<b><span style="font-family: inherit;">By Stephen Patrick </span></b><br />
<b><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></b>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Dom Forys, the 6 seed, started with the best chance to be Pitt's 77th All American. But as the clever switch of the "d" to the "t" in March Matness indicates, wrestling's post season is even more maddening than our winter sport counterparts'. Forget picking a perfect <a href="https://twitter.com/stevepatrickSPT/status/842120741793456134" target="_blank">bracket</a>, or ten. The 6 seed making it to the quarterfinals (or the 2 seed in <b>Anthony Collica's</b> case) is far from a guarantee. Hey, <b>Earl Hall</b> and <b>Conor Youtsey</b> are returning All Americans, and they both went 0-2! </span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh08xtKGR9YLTzETRnTCgrJUFjdx8kyImWhtTBFIF_QYuHMujR47MGytpJwg0laaABP1SFbZLrZ64HImUJj8unVslIP6bw-_bNE22w9B7kCw2GF5Z5okdUZtcBaFXebm6eltqt93yxpInQ/s1600/domfirstwin.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="195" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh08xtKGR9YLTzETRnTCgrJUFjdx8kyImWhtTBFIF_QYuHMujR47MGytpJwg0laaABP1SFbZLrZ64HImUJj8unVslIP6bw-_bNE22w9B7kCw2GF5Z5okdUZtcBaFXebm6eltqt93yxpInQ/s400/domfirstwin.PNG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">credit: Pitt Athletics</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: inherit;">Forys' work is cut out for him now. He will have a winnable match vs <b>Austin Eicher</b> (Michigan State) first, but then the uphill battle begins. Following that, he will face the winner of returning All American <b>Connor Schram</b> (Stanford) and freshman stud <b>Mitch McKee</b> (Minnesota). Assuming he wins that, he will have the loser of the 1 vs 8 </span>quarterfinal<span style="font-family: inherit;">, which is sure to be Illinois 4th place finisher <b>Zane Richards</b>. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Cliches exist for a reason. When athletes tell you they're going to take it "one match at a time" or "one inning at a time", they mean it. Without looking too far ahead, I asked c</span><span style="font-family: inherit;">o-Head Coach <b>Drew Headlee</b> for a scouting report on McKee and Schram.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">According to the Headlee, McKee is good with crab rides and also solid on top and bottom. He has a lot of freestyle experience and "he's got some throws". He added that McKee is a "dangerous" wrestler, and if you recall Forys' round of 12 match last year, he's </span>succumbed<span style="font-family: inherit;"> to throws before. Although Drew did not make the connection between McKee's and Earl Hall's style, (that was my analysis), he did contrast it with Schram's.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">"P</span>retty straight forward, shoots a lot of single legs, Western PA boy". Being a Western PA boy himself, Drew added he has seen Schram wrestle a lot. Schram went 1st, 2nd, 2nd, 1st in PA states, and now may be one of the road blocks for yet another Western PA boy to join the ranks of All Americans.<br />
<br />
<b>Rahmani's funk prevails again</b><br />
<b><br /></b>
When the 157 bracket got re-drawn after Michigan's <b>Brian Murphy</b> had to withdraw, Taleb <a href="https://twitter.com/stevepatrickSPT/status/840337733767819265" target="_blank">switched</a> from having the 11 seed to the 7 seed in the first round. Not a big deal on paper, but this year's 7 seed is <b>Dylan Palacio</b>, who won five straight matches in last year's tournament, before losing to take 4th. Palacio was injured for most of the year, and only wrestled 11 matches before NCAAs. This surely hurt his seed, and in turn, hurt Taleb. Although Rahmani gave him a tough match, and nearly caught him as time expired, ultimately Palacio would come away with the major decision.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmT_yonXYohTK2BuOeFGMBFJ9GSZAXRdl-_HG1UNmvzsul1o99fatWm7KAP4d42ZFC9LApXS11oZ8SsZtjQ04-UlUf2wIOT3Lrw1LridqzpxYv9aEWblzJaV19Izn7dJdCExT5s01aLbM/s1600/TalebNCAA.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="272" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmT_yonXYohTK2BuOeFGMBFJ9GSZAXRdl-_HG1UNmvzsul1o99fatWm7KAP4d42ZFC9LApXS11oZ8SsZtjQ04-UlUf2wIOT3Lrw1LridqzpxYv9aEWblzJaV19Izn7dJdCExT5s01aLbM/s400/TalebNCAA.PNG" width="400" /></a></div>
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This set up a rematch from the Virgnia dual between Taleb and <b>Andrew Atkinson</b>. A back and forth affair that saw Rahmani pull out the 10-8 OT victory in the first encounter, the second meeting of these two would be no less exciting. Today saw an impressive display in opening aggressiveness, with Taleb getting a takedown only seconds in to the match. The next six minutes and forty seconds or so saw multiple flurries, backpoints, the ref missing Taleb's pin, scrambles, the ref missing another pin, etc. It was quite exciting.<br />
<br />
His first match tomorrow will be a chance for revenge, as he'll square off against <b>Josh Shields</b> of Arizona State. Shields majored Taleb 12-3 at Midlands earlier this year, but a lot has changed since then. Taleb has been on quite a roll, and is an ACC champ. Drew Headlee agrees.<br />
<br />
"He's come a long way since then".<br />
<br />
<b>Campbell and Solomon both fall to higher seeds</b><br />
<b><br /></b>
After both winning solid 4-0 and 4-1 wins respectively, TeShan and Ryan lost to higher ranked foes in the second round. Campbell's loss came to 7 seed <b>Anthony Valencia</b> (Arizona State) and Solomon's to 2 seed <b>Connor Medbery</b> (Wisconsin).<br />
<br />
There isn't much to say about Solomon's loss: a 5-0 shutout in which neither wrestler took many shots or tried many moves. Although he kept good position and almost connected on a few snatch singles, in the end nothing would convert.<br />
<br />
Campbell on the other hand, had a more action filled match and almost took the lead in the third period with a series of tilts, but like his teammate, would be unable to complete the scoring attempts.<br />
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<b>Preparing for tomorrow </b><br />
<b><br /></b>
Friday is by far the biggest day of the NCAA tournament, featuring the quarterfinals, the Bloodround and the semifinals. In order to reach the coveted podium, all four Panthers will have to win three consecutive matches.<br />
<br />
"It's mostly about heart," Drew Headlee commented regarding the ability to pull off the aforementioned feat. "You came for one goal, to win a National title, and that dream is gone... and now you got to regroup and see what you're made of to come back and take third place".<br />
<br />
The team will be refocusing tonight, zeroing in on what they have to do to accomplish their dreams. And although this tournament is full of outstanding athletes and winning those three matches is going to be extremely difficult, hey, "someone's gotta do it".Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-535581454049907691.post-54686719575524176962017-03-08T10:22:00.000-08:002017-03-20T08:02:56.510-07:00Pitt Sends 4 to NCAAs<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><b><br /></b></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><b>Forys, Rahmani, Campbell win ACCs; Solomon qualifies</b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;"><br /></span></div>
<h2>
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;">Dom Forys</span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">, </span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;">Taleb Rahmani</span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small; font-weight: normal;"> and </span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;">TeShan Campbell</span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small; font-weight: normal;"> each won their first ACC tournament championship on Saturday and each automatically qualified for the NCAAs. </span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;">Ryan Solomon</span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small; font-weight: normal;"> also got an automatic bid after finishing third, the result of losing a dramatic overtime rematch with </span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;">Jacob Kasper</span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small; font-weight: normal;"> of Duke in the semifinals, then edging out two consolation victories over </span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;">Mike Kosoy</span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small; font-weight: normal;"> and </span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;">Cory Daniel</span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">. Of note, heavyweight had the most qualifiers in the ACC with five; 157 was second with four. </span></h2>
<div>
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small; font-weight: normal;"><br /></span></div>
<h2>
<span style="font-size: small;">By Stephen Patrick</span></h2>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcQkDYb_zTFYGSRS2MD97KU1_YU3YUn9tHr5EZolHKrkzCByB3s-OH238nszu0okuiYBOaOvE01b8QGySBvbUJ0yRZc8m2oFFNosApPNdnDZXxlROeOhhALhz3OhI8_AWWBDlm4-NEAQM/s1600/talebaccchamp.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcQkDYb_zTFYGSRS2MD97KU1_YU3YUn9tHr5EZolHKrkzCByB3s-OH238nszu0okuiYBOaOvE01b8QGySBvbUJ0yRZc8m2oFFNosApPNdnDZXxlROeOhhALhz3OhI8_AWWBDlm4-NEAQM/s400/talebaccchamp.PNG" width="332" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">credit: Pitt Wrestling Instagram</td></tr>
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<h2 style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">Taleb Rahmani</span><span style="font-size: small; font-weight: normal;"> started his season getting majored by teammate </span><span style="font-size: small;">Jake Wentzel</span><span style="font-size: small; font-weight: normal;"> in the Blue-Gold match. On Saturday he won the ACC tournament and majored redshirt senior </span><span style="font-size: small;">Sal Mastriani</span><span style="font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">, then the No. 16 wrestler in the country. Rahmani, the redshirt freshman from Marysville, Ohio and 4x state placer in Ohio (and 1x champ), has come into his own during the final stretch of the season with marquee wins over </span><span style="font-size: small;">Andrew Atkinson</span><span style="font-size: small; font-weight: normal;"> and now Mastriani. In this weeks FloWrestling rankings, Taleb jumped to 17th, which is theoretically one spot out of a seed at nationals. I believe he will get the 16 seed, which is very important, as the 17 wrestlers not seeded in a bracket are randomly filled in. So, the difference between getting the 16 vs not seeded could be randomly getting the 33rd ranked wrestler in the first round or getting randomly put against </span><span style="font-size: small;">Jason Nolf</span><span style="font-size: small; font-weight: normal;"> in the first round. No matter where Taleb falls on the championship side of the bracket, if he wants to All American this year he'll most likely have to win in the round of 12. </span></h2>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">The top 6 seeds at 157 are sure to be Nolf, </span>Michael Kemerer<span style="font-weight: normal;">, </span>Joey Lavallee<span style="font-weight: normal;">, </span>Tyler Berger<span style="font-weight: normal;">, </span>Dylan Palacio<span style="font-weight: normal;">, and </span>Joe Smith<span style="font-weight: normal;">. The odds of avoiding those 6 in the quarterfinals are nearly impossible as in order to face the 7 or 8 seed in the quarters, he would have to beat the 1 or 2 in the round of 16. Of course, winning in the quarter finals is so important because if you're able to accomplish that, you can finish no worse than 6th. </span></span></h2>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">Hypothetically, some of the names Taleb could have to beat in the round of 12 include </span>Russell Parsons<span style="font-weight: normal;">, </span>Jake Short<span style="font-weight: normal;">, </span>Collin Heffernan<span style="font-weight: normal;">, </span>BJ Clagon<span style="font-weight: normal;"> and </span>Josh Shields<span style="font-weight: normal;">. All excellent, accomplished wrestlers, but also a slight tier below the upper class. Considering the way Taleb's been wrestling recently and with his "</span><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ahRcmOnHh6o&feature=youtu.be" style="font-weight: normal;">unorthodox</a><span style="font-weight: normal;">" improvisations, can anyone honestly count him out? I'm not.</span></span></h2>
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<b>Forys Continues Dominance </b><br />
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<span style="font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">Dom Forys went undefeated in ACC duals during the regular season and nothing changed in Raleigh. He shutout 18th ranked </span><span style="font-size: small;">Jamal Morris</span><span style="font-size: small; font-weight: normal;"> in the finals and majored him in the dual vs NC State. Dom is ranked 8th in every major wrestling rankings service, including the coaches poll and InterMat, whose rankings are used in this blog unless noted otherwise. The 9th ranked wrestler in that weight class is </span><span style="font-size: small;">Scotty Parker</span><span style="font-size: small; font-weight: normal;"> of Lehigh, whom Dom has already beat. Common sense dictates and my opinion agrees, that Dom is Pitt's best bet to All American next week. Although finishing as high as possible is obviously the goal, history doesn't remember if you finished 6th or 8th, it only remembers you for what you are, an All American. Though the individual athlete may disagree, once you're on the wall in Pitt's room, the height of the block you stood on is largely a moot point. Coincidentally, finishing better than 8th for Dom, will be extremely difficult. See, in descending order: </span><span style="font-size: small;">Eric Montoya</span><span style="font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">,</span><span style="font-size: small;"> Stevan Micic</span><span style="font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">, </span><span style="font-size: small;">Cory Clark</span><span style="font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">, </span><span style="font-size: small;">Kaid Brock</span><span style="font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">, </span><span style="font-size: small;">Seth Gross</span><span style="font-size: small; font-weight: normal;"> and </span><span style="font-size: small;">Nathan Tomasello</span><span style="font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">. </span></h2>
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Based on a conversation I had with Dom way back in August, he may just prove me wrong.<br />
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<b>Campbell Crowned</b> </div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">TeShan Campbell also continued his tear in the ACC, extending from the regular season to the post, earning a major decision over <b>Ray Bethea</b> in the semis and shutting out <b>Brian Hamann</b> in the finals. TeShan is currently ranked 11th in the country, the only ACC wrestler to crack the top 20. If his path to the podium treks through the Bloodround like I suspect it will, some fellow 165 pounders he may have to best include: <b>Dylan Cottrell</b>, <b>Chandler Rogers</b>, <b>Austin Matthews</b> (already beat), and <b>Brandon Womack</b>. TeShan only has two losses on the season, one to Rodgers, and the other to 3rd ranked <b>Vincenzo Joseph</b> in the Keystone Classic finals. I peg TeShan with the second best chance to All American for Pitt, and in order to do it, he's going to have to beat one person better than/equal to him. Doesn't sound that hard, but there's a reason why the round of 12's nickname starts with the word "Blood". </span></div>
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Opinions (Everyone has them)</div>
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<li><b>Nick Zanetta</b> must have been the last cut from 141. While the criteria is made public for at large selections, plugging in the numbers for every wrestler in the country would be a mammoth task. I don't know how much he missed by, but it couldn't have been much</li>
<li>Oklahoma State put all 10 of their starters in the Big 12 finals and all ten qualified for NCAAs. Additionally, a former Cowboy <a href="https://twitter.com/D1CW/status/839266251100803074" target="_blank">transfer</a>, <b>Keilan Torres</b> qualified from Northern Colorado </li>
<li>Ohio State won the Big Ten team title but Penn State was missing 1/10 of their lineup with <b>Nick Suriano</b> injury defaulting in the first round. If he's healthy for NCAAs (meaning he makes the finals like I think a healthy version of him would), Ohio State is going to have to make up the difference in order to repeat. They need Tomasello, <b>Bo Jordan</b> and <b>Kyle Snyder</b> to win. They need <b>Micah Jordan</b>, <b>Myles Martin</b> and <b>Kollin Moore</b> to place top 4. And they need top 12 performances from <b>Jose Rodriguez</b> and<b> Luke Pletcher</b>. Definitely possible</li>
<li><b>Gable Steveson</b>, a high school senior from Apple Valley, Mn, won his 3rd state title recently, pinning his opponent in 10 <a href="http://www.flowrestling.org/article/52947-no-1-gable-steveson-wins-3rd-minnesota-state-title#.WMBiWDsrKM9" target="_blank">seconds</a>. If there comes a point where the second best wrestler in your state can't last longer than ten seconds against you, you shouldn't be wrestling in high school. As a country, we need to get our top freestyle prospects (Steveson is a cadet world <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SorARNYFIZw" target="_blank">champ</a>) to the Olympic training center instead of wasting time in high school. Like Kyle Snyder. This would be a huge step towards climbing the world freestyle ladder. The US often places top 3 in Junior and Cadet Worlds but rarely in the Senior tournament. Somehow, somewhere, Russia and Iran are passing us, and close observation would lead me to believe it's in that 18-22 year old range. Draw your own conclusions </li>
<li>This blog will serve as my ACC recap/NCAA preview combo. I know the brackets aren't out until tonight but the basic gist won't change</li>
<li>As always, thanks for reading...</li>
<li>See you all in St. Louis!</li>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-535581454049907691.post-68016425038899244102017-02-19T16:10:00.000-08:002017-02-21T18:11:23.647-08:00Pitt Excites on Senior Night<h3>
<b>Racciato, Rizzo go out on top; Team dominates</b></h3>
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<b>Mikey Racciato</b> and <b>John Rizzo</b> ended their home careers on Saturday, and both left the Fitzgerald Field House for the last time after exciting wins. Racciato used two sets of nearfall points to take an 11-9 decision while Rizzo racked up riding time and used a slick takedown to win 5-0. My high school coach <b>Bill Lewis</b> (Pitt alumni) always used to say senior night is a "Bitter sweet" moment. While that sentiment definitely rang true on Saturday, both seniors still have business to take care of and goals to accomplish.<br />
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<b>By Stephen Patrick </b><br />
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<b>The Funk Master</b><br />
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Mikey Racciato was a three-time state champion in Pennsylvania. He's an ACC and Keystone classic champion in college. But perhaps the most exciting moment of his collegiate career was when he pinned <b>Josh Kindig</b> of Oklahoma State which set Pitt up to pull off the biggest upset in program history. Kindig was also multiple time state champion from PA and would go on to become an NCAA runner-up losing in the finals 3-1 (OT) to <b>Jason Tsirtsis</b> in 2014. Racciato gave up the early takedown in that match, but then did what he does best. As Kindig was working for a turn, Mikey swiveled his hips and came out on top with an unbreakable pinning combination. The rest was history. <b>PJ Tasser</b> sealed the dual with an OT upset of <b>Austin Marsden</b>, and here you can see Racciato celebrating that takedown and the team win. His pin was the deciding factor in that win, as the first criteria was tied 5-5 and the second criteria relies on number of pins. Well, Pitt led that category 1-0.<br />
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<b><span style="font-size: small;">Rizzo Reflects</span></b></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">When John Rizzo made the decision to transfer from Temple, and switch from football to wrestling, he did not make it lightly. He enjoyed "being the big guys on campus" and embraced the special bond with his team of 100 plus. At first the decision was "hard... to play football over wrestling," but as he learned during his freshman year, college football was more business like than high school. Although that was not a bad thing for the business student, he "really missed wrestling more than [he] anticipated". </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"> </span><span style="font-size: x-small;">Photo credit: Pitt Athletics</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;">Once the choice was made to make the big switch, he had his sights set on only two schools. Being from Johnstown, only Pitt or Penn State made sense in his eyes. He took official visits to both schools, but in the end, "Pitt just worked". There were a multitude of reasons that tipped the scale in Pitt's favor. One of them, logically, was that Pitt needed an upper weight. Another major factor was the coaching staff. Rizzo had nothing but glowing reviews of the various members of the staff during his tenure at Pitt. Everything from how they "interact with their families, to how they carry themselves in the wrestling room" helped make the transition easier. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">Although it was not all easy. Rizzo described his first year at Pitt as a "rough road" and noted he still has not achieved his goals of being an All American. Considering he was also a three time champ in PA, he set high expectations for himself and is looking forward to one last chance to meet them. "I'm still right there, in the mix". </span></div>
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<b><span style="font-size: small;">Solomon Makes a Statement</span></b></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><b>Ryan Solomon</b> also made headline worthy news on Saturday, beating 3rd ranked Jacob Kasper 4-3. Kasper was the one making news earlier in the year, majoring then 3rd ranked <b>Ty Walz</b> of Virginia Tech 15-7. </span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Photo credit: Pitt Athletics<br />
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<span style="font-size: small;">Kasper was able to major Solomon's biggest ACC rival by turning him multiple times in the third period. Pitt's redshirt junior was well aware of this. "We were watching film, he was tough on top," he assessed. Solomon knew he would have to get out of Kasper's leg ride, something he said he still needs to work on. Kasper came within inches of turning him and even got one swipe from the official. The two time state champion from Milton was able to keep his back just a hair shy of that dreaded 45 degree angle and seconds later, got loose and scored the reversal. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><br />This match was the second time Solomon has beaten a highly ranked wrestler. The previous instance of course was beating Ty Walz in the ACC semifinals two years ago at the Peterson Event Center, which guaranteed his automatic birth to NCAAs. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">Solomon was recruited as a 197 pounder but moved up to heavyweight when <b>Nick Bonaccorsi</b> moved to 197. Kasper has made a similar transition. You may remember him as <b>Max Thomusseits's</b> opponent in the ACC finals two years ago at 184! Kasper is by no means a big heavyweight, but in this day and age, that's a good thing. As we saw last year in the NCAA finals between <b>Nick Gwiazdowski</b> and <b>Kyle Snyder</b>, the largest and heaviest weight class is transforming into a smaller, quicker one. Solomon noted he tries to keep his weight between 230-240 pounds. He described this as an advantage and cited its importance in being "able to move your feet, be quick, you know get angles on some of these big guys". Getting that angle on a snatch single was what helped him beat Kasper with the match's only takedown. With his expectations now firmly set in stone, Solomon will settle for nothing less than All American. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">"That's what I'm shooting for". </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><b>Duke Domination</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">What would Mikey Racciato's last match at the Fitz be without a little excitement? Finding himself in that precarious position - you know, where you almost get pinned even though you're on top- multiple times, wasn't worrisome at all for the senior. "I've only been pinned one time like that" he responded when asked if he's comfortable in that position. Although his mother, who was sitting behind us was demonstrably NOT comfortable with that position, Mikey is going to wrestle how he always has, and will take that confidence into ACCs. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">"Every year I've wrestled in it, I've made the finals". This year should be no different in his eyes. </span><span style="font-size: small;">"They're all familiar foes." </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><b>Taleb Rahmani</b> got his 10th fall of the season over <b>Jake Faust</b>. This is another positive step for Rahmani's development and yet another impressive win. Faust was ranked as high as 12th last year at 165. Taleb fought off his shot for close to a minute and countered with a near cradle to get the pin in the first period. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">John Rizzo's shutout win saw him try to turn his opponent <b>Luke Farinaro</b> multiple times with a some variation of an arm bar. I asked him if that is his go to move and what his strategy is on top: "I score back points off that in the room, I like riding top, I like legs." One thing about those bars, once you're in one, it's nearly impossible to get out. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><b>Opinions (Everyone has them)</b></span></div>
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<ul>
<li><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">The officiating during </span><b style="font-family: inherit;">Zach Bruce's</b><span style="font-family: inherit;"> match left a lot to be desired. First there was a controversial locked hands call with a few seconds left that tied the score and stopped Zach's riding time at 58 seconds. This drew a reaction from Pitt's bench but wouldn't pale to what happened in overtime. Bruce was aggressively trying to score with double overs and while trying to take </span><b style="font-family: inherit;">Alec Schenk</b><span style="font-family: inherit;"> to his back, landed on his own back. Now even though Bruce was stuck underneath for a brief second, he still had control and the action never stopped. However, the ref saw this as control for Duke and signaled the takedown. </span><b style="font-family: inherit;">Drew Headlee</b><span style="font-family: inherit;"> had a lengthy discussion with both </span>officials<span style="font-family: inherit;">, and it seemed from the stands, the alternate official may have agreed with him. They reviewed it, but the call stood. Headlee could be seen after the dual still discussing this matter with the ref and I happen to agree with him. When two wrestlers are in those 50/50 gray areas, you have to let the action play out. Making a call too </span>quickly<span style="font-family: inherit;"> often leads to the wrong one</span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;">That was a tough loss for <b>Nick Zanetta</b>. He's ranked in the coach's poll but not the RPI. <b>Zach Finesilver</b> is ranked in the RPI but not the coach's poll. Could have major implications for an at-large bid to nationals</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Pitt will get between 1 and 3 All Americans this year. I think Forys is a lock. Solomon and Campbell have potential. Could </span>seriously<span style="font-family: inherit;"> alter the coaching search and recruiting for next year if they get 3</span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;">Mikey Racciato would like to stay in Pittsburgh and search for a job in sales or HR. John Rizzo will be completing his MBA in April and is deciding to explore the job market or go to law school</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;">Mrs. Racciato, if you read this, Mikey is well aware of your disapproval of his riding style </span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;">"I just feel very fortunate to be a Pitt Panther" - John Rizzo</span></li>
</ul>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-535581454049907691.post-50673940377088870432017-02-17T08:54:00.001-08:002017-02-17T08:54:53.613-08:00Panthers Impress for Alumni<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Pitt Beats Traditional Powerhouse Iowa State 22-15</b></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><b><br /></b></span>
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>By Stephen Patrick </b></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><b><br /></b></span>
<b>Dom Forys</b> got sweet revenge on Friday, taking out the "dream killer" <b>Earl Hall</b>. Hall of course prevented both Forys and <b>Anthony Zanetta</b> from attaining All American status by defeating them in the Bloodround in 2016 and 2014 respectively.<br />
<br />
"It felt good, if felt real good" Dom stated in regards to avenging his, to date, most devastating loss. He noted he has been thinking about that outcome and a potential rematch with Hall since the end of last season. He also mentioned that he and the coaching staff have been specifically game planning for Hall's higher powered offense.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-RIIRvKOCsAR5hUPNsyz4NcgD0ry8Xlirv4Ub_shHnHXNvsrCbMsGH0tuVAihEeyMLo3gMVbD41y7jF5n-zEtx8WkIl1rE1Nffz_0BU8lbLYXOaicCvEvnz8lWEsFK5mnR4_fCPNRuLs/s1600/domforys.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="326" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-RIIRvKOCsAR5hUPNsyz4NcgD0ry8Xlirv4Ub_shHnHXNvsrCbMsGH0tuVAihEeyMLo3gMVbD41y7jF5n-zEtx8WkIl1rE1Nffz_0BU8lbLYXOaicCvEvnz8lWEsFK5mnR4_fCPNRuLs/s400/domforys.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Photo credit: North Allegheny Athletics</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
"He was a big move guy," Dom reflected on getting head locked in the previous encounter. When preparing for the most recent bout he noted a "mutual respect" of staying away from the big moves. Specifically, not trying to score from underhooks, as that position would leave Dom susceptible to being caught in a headlock again.<br />
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To show the progress Forys has made since the round of 12 at the end of last season, at least in his mind, Dom was acutally "upset" that he was not able to get to his "shots more and didn't score more points". No matter how one looks at it, Friday night was a big win for Dom Forys, and may lend insight into expectations for March.</div>
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<br /></div>
<div>
<b>Good wins</b></div>
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<b><br /></b></div>
<div>
<b>Nick Zanetta</b>, <b>Taleb Rahmani</b>, <b>TeShan Campbell</b>,<b> Zach Bruce</b> and <b>Ryan Solomon</b> added up for the rest of Pitt's team points and every one of them had a solid win. After two matches in a row with pin or nearfall related controversy, Rahmani finally got the stick. Zanetta hit a nice mat return straight to a tilt for four back points. Campbell added to his bonus point totals with a 15 point major decision. Bruce rode his opponent hard and got the 4-0 shutout. Solomon notched a tactical win over a ranked opponent. </div>
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<br /></div>
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<b>Great Athlete, Disappointing (to some) Coach</b></div>
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<b><br /></b></div>
<div>
As news broke two weeks ago that <b>Kevin Jackson</b> would be stepping down as Iowa State's head Coach at the conclusion of this season, it appeared he fell into the category of being extremely acomplishd as an athlete in his given sport, but distinctively less so as a coach. But wait, just how well has he done as a coach? From a USA Wrestlig <a href="http://www.teamusa.org/USA-Wrestling/Features/2017/January/31/Iowa-State-head-coach-Kevin-Jackson-to-step-down-at-end-of-the-season" target="_blank">article</a>:</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Jackson coached four Cyclone NCAA champions, 14 All-Americans and nine Big 12 champions at Iowa State. His first ISU team finished third at the NCAA Championship and boasted two national champions (Jake Varner and David Zabriskie). His other two national champs were Jon Reader (2011) and Kyven Gadson (2015). Jackson's Iowa State dual record of 68-54 includes a 1-9 mark this season. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Not to shabby. We have seen examples of this phenomenon in other sports. Take <b>Patrick Roy</b> with the Colorado Avalanche for <a href="http://www.denverpost.com/2016/08/11/patrick-roy-out-colorado-avalanche-coach/" target="_blank">example</a>. Although I would go against the narrative and argue Jackson has done a fine job at ISU, obviously something is wrong. </span></div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7C46oV1dPFlxYnq4Oes2eDOMO_pwUWD2sPjuP3k9j_V6s3LYOaFyHwnQmK-jqa56ktt5lcJlrP5zkLpLzobBra1qOlaV3dQkNHNV-WOTPtKNDAeSfHdEiXHgGIwRoA2zzoRBu1Ca07wg/s1600/kevinjackson.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7C46oV1dPFlxYnq4Oes2eDOMO_pwUWD2sPjuP3k9j_V6s3LYOaFyHwnQmK-jqa56ktt5lcJlrP5zkLpLzobBra1qOlaV3dQkNHNV-WOTPtKNDAeSfHdEiXHgGIwRoA2zzoRBu1Ca07wg/s400/kevinjackson.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Photo credit: Sherdog forums</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />From that same article, he are some of Jackson's accomplishments as a wrestler:<br />
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"> A member of several national wrestling halls of fame, Jackson was the National Freestyle Coach for USA Wrestling (2001-08) prior to coming to Iowa State. Jackson is also in the Iowa State Athletics Hall of Fame. </span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">As a competitor, he is a former Olympic Gold Medalist (1992), World Champion (1991 and 1995) and NCAA Runner-up (1987, the last time Iowa State won the team championship). </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Moreover, in 1992 at 82kg, he was a member of one of the best US Olympic Teams of all time, with fellow memebrs including silver medalist <b>Zeke Jones</b> (52), gold medalist<b> John Smith</b> (62), silver medalist <b>Kenny Monday</b> (74), bronze medalist <b>Chris Campbell</b> (90), and gold medalist <b>Bruce Baumgartner</b> (130). </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>First Conference Win</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b><br /></b></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Pitt got its first conference win of the season in Charlottesville, VA this weekend defeating the Virginia Cavaliers 19-14.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>Mikey Racciato</b> impressed with a win over fellow PA stud <b>Sam Krivus</b>. Rahmani really impressed with a win over two time NCAA qualifier and 19th ranked <b>Andrew Atkinson</b>. Lastly, Zach Bruce had a solid performance with a tight 2-1 win over 32nd ranked Will Schany, which had major team score implications. Flip that and UVA wins 17-16. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>Opinions (Everyone has them)</b></span></div>
<div>
<ul>
<li>Speaking of alumni, one such former competitor informed me of a conversation he had with a member of the athletic department regarding the coaching search. He did not release any names, but he did say "you would know all the names on the list". Of course, that could mean <b>Drew Headlee</b> or <b>Matt Kocher</b></li>
<li>My friends and I learned when we were younger that it can be fun to throw gasoline on fires. Literally. Well, let's do it again (figuratively). I heard - threw the grapevine, from reliable sources, but threw the grapevine nonetheless - that <b>Terry Brands</b> is at least somewhat interested in the Pitt job and may have already applied</li>
<li>I also heard <b>Pat Santoro</b>, <b>Tim Flynn</b>, <b>Kerry McCoy</b>, <b>Zack Esposito</b> and <b>Damion Hahn</b>. If I had 1 million dollars I wouldn't bet a penny on any of them, you know how rumors fly. But if I only had 1 dollar, I'd bet it on one of them. I'm sensing a surprise in the near future and I'm sure I could get some good odds</li>
<li>Taleb Rahmani continues to impress and exceed expectations, espescially considering he was majored by <b>Jake Wentzel</b> in the Blue-Gold match </li>
<li>Dom Forys win All American this year</li>
<li>My predictions for Penn State vs Oklahoma State </li>
</ul>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgp5ErvuRodhrS044jiU7s4GhiM9qwzxH2SBLKIeXwullwPGeEI4_-mf_7nAPZFwfFHAxOjDNT9YD5PZ2ANaEyoCRh1j8rU9HVj8FhYgzJo8Ht4JWfyWxIzrR-uWXoX6igZfY5OPY3NzFo/s1600/psuokst.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgp5ErvuRodhrS044jiU7s4GhiM9qwzxH2SBLKIeXwullwPGeEI4_-mf_7nAPZFwfFHAxOjDNT9YD5PZ2ANaEyoCRh1j8rU9HVj8FhYgzJo8Ht4JWfyWxIzrR-uWXoX6igZfY5OPY3NzFo/s1600/psuokst.png" /></a></div>
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<ul><ul>
<li>165, 197, 285 are toss-ups</li>
<li>125, 174, 184 PSU slightly favored</li>
<li>133, 141, 149, 157 seem like locks</li>
</ul>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-535581454049907691.post-87607621083302301812017-02-10T19:43:00.000-08:002017-02-11T14:02:03.717-08:00Pitt loses conference matches to North Carolina, North Carolina State<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Pitt fell to 0-3 in the ACC after consecutive losses to UNC
and NC State. Of note, </span><b style="font-family: inherit;">Dom Forys</b><span style="font-family: inherit;"> had not returned to the lineup vs UNC. Conceivably,
he majors Lirette, an eight-point swing in the team score, and Pitt wins 20-16.
I suspect Pitt will finish higher than UNC at both the ACC and NCAA tournament.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Pitt also fought hard against the Wolf Pack of NC State.
While the team victory was slightly more out of reach, a few flip-flops here
and there and the Panthers may have had an upset on their hands (this will be
discussed more later). <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span style="font-family: inherit;">By Stephen Patrick </span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><img alt="Image result for brendan price wrestling" src="http://papowerwrestling.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/02/DSC04292.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" /></span></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Brendan Price in high school. Photo credit: PA Power Wrestling</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span style="font-family: inherit;">Social security
check? No thanks…</span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>Brendan Price</b> came out of retirement two weeks ago. And it
may have only been for that week. Price, the Canon-Mac graduate, is not listed
on Pitt’s roster any more now than he was at the start of the season. Although
he dropped a major decision to unranked <b>Nicholas Lirette</b> of North Carolina,
Price showed brief moments of what made him a multiple time section champion
and PowerAde place winner for the Big Macs. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">He hit several switches for flashy
reversals. One at the end of the period, sent UNC Head Coach <b>Coleman Scott</b> into
a fit of rage on the bench for his wrestler’s lack of mat awareness. He was
also very competitive on his feet, especially during the first period. However,
as the end of the match approached, it became clear Brendan’s conditioning
caught up with him. That’s not a knock on Brendan. Everyone that’s wrestled
appreciates the requisite conditioning to be able to compete and not practicing
for close to two full seasons certainly is not an optimal training strategy.
Nonetheless, during their post-match team huddle, the Panthers all
congratulated and hugged Brendan for stepping on the mat one more time and putting
the team ahead of self interest. It was well deserved and much appreciated. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
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<b>Team point? Thanks, Drew (no seriously)<o:p></o:p></b></div>
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<b><br /></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="font-family: inherit;">Drew Headlee </b><span style="font-family: inherit;">was 100% correct to cause a stink with the official in the NC State match two Saturdays ago. After the official blew a call and blew the challenge in the previous match that saw </span><b style="font-family: inherit;">Mikey Racciato</b><span style="font-family: inherit;"> pin </span><b style="font-family: inherit;">Beau Donahue</b><span style="font-family: inherit;">, the ref missed another call in </span><b style="font-family: inherit;">Taleb Rahmani’s</b><span style="font-family: inherit;"> match at 157. It cost the </span>redshirt<span style="font-family: inherit;"> freshman nearfall points that would have ended up propelling him to victory. This led to Headlee incessantly waving the challenge flag, and yelling at the ref form the scorer’s table. If Rahmani wins that match, Pitt does not lose a team point and the final score would have been 20-19 Wolf Pack. Maybe then <b>TeShan Campbell</b> works harder for a major decision. 20-20. Ok, NC State still would have won the dual on virtue of winning individual matches 6-4, the first tie breaker, but it would have made for serious drama, most likely given Pitt a small bump in the rankings, and helped Taleb for seeding at ACCs. According to a team source, <b>Matt Kocher</b> sent video of the specific instance in which Taleb’s nearfall points were over looked to the head ACC official, which shines light on the significance of the blunder in the coaching staff’s eyes.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span style="font-family: inherit;">Line-up notes<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">It appears <b>Zach Bruce</b> has returned to 184. This is a good
move for the Panthers and a solid tactical choice by co-head Coaches Headlee
and Kocher. As I famously stated in my last blog, “I still have no idea who Pitt’s
starter at 184 is”. This clearly made headlines and caused the coaching staff
to rearrange the upper weights.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Regardless of their
motives, Zach moving to 184 and <b>John Rizzo</b> sliding into 197 serves the team
better than Bruce being up at 197 and having a revolving door at 184. <b>Christian
Dietrich</b> and <b>Donovan McAfee</b> were clearly undersized at that weight and <b>Mat Carr</b>
simply was not getting the job done. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Speaking of Dietrich, with <b>Austin Bell</b> hurt (I don’t have any
inside info, I just saw him walking around with one of these on)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><img alt="Image result for acl brace" src="http://cdn3.volusion.com/mqnu5.mamc7/v/vspfiles/photos/11-0422-11-0453-2.jpg" height="200" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="182" /></span></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">photo credit: MMAR medical</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">it appears the battle for 174 is between the true freshman
from Wyoming Seminary and sophomore <b>Cam Jacobson</b>, as well
as McAfee. Jacobson got the start vs UNC, however McAfee
wrestled against North Carolina State. It seems I will now need to direct my
confusion towards 174.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span style="font-family: inherit;">Opinions (Everyone
has them)</span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
</div>
<ul>
<li>I mentioned Dietrich as a contender at 174 with Bell
injured. It now appears they *may* have both wrestled their last match for the
Panthers. For what it’s worth, they are both still listed on the roster. More on
this to come</li>
<li>I hope Pitt loses a team point every match if the officials
are going to be that stubborn. These types of cases are very confusing for
beginner fans, and quite frustrating for the experienced viewer</li>
<li>Taleb Rahmani is showing flashes of serious talent. I look
forward to watching him develop over the next 3 seasons</li>
<li>The brace in the picture is usually associated with an ACL
or MCL injury. Trust me, I’m <i style="font-family: inherit;">almost</i><span style="font-family: inherit;"> a
physical therapist</span></li>
<li>Zach Bruce was 9-18 last year. He’s 12-9 this year. Nothing
stellar, but a marked improvement</li>
<li>I, along with all other retired wrestlers, am quite jealous of the
opportunity Brendan Price had</li>
</ul>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-535581454049907691.post-58199464757269487222017-01-21T07:04:00.001-08:002017-02-11T06:39:54.183-08:00Sad, somber week for Pitt coaching staff<h2>
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First and foremost, <b>Matt Kocher's</b> wife<b> Lauren</b> recently had a seizure that led to the discovery of a brain tumor. She is now in the intensive care unit. Please consider donating to their gofundme:<br />
<br />
<a href="https://www.gofundme.com/help-support-the-kocher-family?rcid=f90553ff63d9402f81177a27eeb92f31">https://www.gofundme.com/help-support-the-kocher-family?rcid=f90553ff63d9402f81177a27eeb92f31</a><br />
<br />
<br />
<b>By Stephen Patrick </b><br />
<br />
As everyone now knows, <b>Jason Peters</b> was fired on Thursday. There is no point in dwelling on why, so let's look forward. Matt Kocher and <b>Drew Headlee</b> will co-coach the remainder of the season while the athletic director-less athletic department searches for a new Head Coach. Here are some pros and cons of potential candidates discussed online and that I have come up with.<br />
<br />
<b>Jody Strittmatter, co-founder of Young Guns wrestling club</b><br />
<b><br /></b>
<u>Pros</u>: Spencer Lee, Gavin Teasdale, Jason Nolf, Michael Kemerer, Luke Pletcher, Sam Krivus, Zach Zavatsky, Vincenzo Joseph, Josh Shields, Cam Coy, Jimmy Gulibon (just to name a few)<br />
<br />
<u>Cons</u>: Has already publicly stated he has "<a href="https://twitter.com/eric_knopsnyder/status/822186148495839233">zero</a>" interest in the job<br />
<br />
<b>Cary Kolat, Head Coach at Campbell </b><br />
<br />
<u>Pros</u>: Olympian, World medalist, WPIAL native, widely considered the best high school wrestler of all time<br />
<br />
<u>Cons</u>: For whatever reason, has not had a ton of success coaching at the collegiate level<br />
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<b>Sanshiro Abe, Head Coach at North Allegheny </b><br />
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<u>Pros</u>: Olympian, 2x NCAA champion, 4x All-American, decorated high school coach, former Pitt assistant coach<br />
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<u>Cons</u>: You could say he's mostly been a high school coach, but <b>Kevin Dresser</b> was mostly a high school coach before taking over Virginia Tech. Look what he's done<br />
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<b>Keith Gavin, Assistant Coach at Oklahoma </b><br />
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<u>Pros</u>: Pitt's most recent National Champ, 2x All-American, extensive freestyle experience, collegiate coaching experience at Virginia and now Oklahoma<br />
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<u>Cons</u>: Young and less experienced than most candidates<br />
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<b>Coleman Scott, Head Coach at North Carolina </b><br />
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<u>Pros</u>: Olympic medalist, NCAA champ, WPIAL native, coaching experience under <b>John Smith</b><br />
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<u>Cons</u>: With the Tarheel Wrestling Club growing rapidly under <b>Kenny Monday</b> and locking up great recruit after great recruit, why on earth would he leave UNC?<br />
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<b>Casey Cunningham, Head Assistant Coach at Penn State </b><br />
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<u>Pros</u>: NCAA champ, 2x All-American, 17 years DI coaching experience, <b>Cael Sanderson's</b> top assistant for years, widely recognized as one of the top assistant's in the nation<br />
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<u>Cons</u>: No head coaching experience. But then again Cael Sanderson, <b>Tom Ryan</b>, and John Smith didn't have any head coaching experience before their first head coaching job either<br />
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<b>Pat Santoro, Head Coach at Lehigh</b><br />
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<u>Pros</u>: 2x NCAA champ and Pitt's only 4x All-American, consistently gets top recruits, annually leads Lehigh to top 15 and often top 10 finishes, regularly produces All-Americans, just read his <a href="http://www.lehighsports.com/coaches.aspx?rc=1606">bio</a><br />
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<u>Cons</u>: Hasn't already accepted the job<br />
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Every candidate listed here could make an incredible Head Coach at the DI level. The last two options are my personal favorites. I have no idea if either are interested in the job, but based on their resumes, Pitt would be in fantastic hands should either take up the mantle.<br />
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<b>Midlands</b><br />
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I didn't write a blog after Midlands for various reasons. Nonetheless here are some of my thoughts.<br />
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Pitt finished 26th at Midlands which is terrible, but did not have the luxury of <b>Dom Forys</b>, <b>TeShan Campbell</b> and <b>Ryan Solomon</b>, their three highest ranked wrestlers, contributing team points. Nonetheless, performances from<b> LJ Bentley</b>, <b>Robert Lee</b>, <b>Mikey Racciato</b>, <b>Austin Bell</b>, <b>Zach Bruce</b>, and <b>John Rizzo</b> left something to be desired. Instead of focusing on the negatives, as anyone can look at the brackets and realize those athletes should have won matches they didn't, let us look at the positives.<br />
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<b>Nick Zanetta</b> placed 8th, higher than <b>Luke Pletcher</b>. One things sport fans love to do is look at results and extrapolate. For instance if A beat B and B beats C, then A definitely beats C right? While that's a precarious way to predict sporting events, especially wrestling (see, generally, the NCAA tournament every single year), let's assume it holds true for now.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeATWS02XrcOlL6wRo4pY7lcTqC2so3C8-L2qQF4SNfTDfddhpBnuTeUQHE7KdIWINN5pN-GZWJN5CzhF4s30pCpgDuJLlhD6zCaUJ9PKemJL_ixccAsaN-Gz3d604bXHuMNgfx2yOl4U/s1600/nick+brackets.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="328" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeATWS02XrcOlL6wRo4pY7lcTqC2so3C8-L2qQF4SNfTDfddhpBnuTeUQHE7KdIWINN5pN-GZWJN5CzhF4s30pCpgDuJLlhD6zCaUJ9PKemJL_ixccAsaN-Gz3d604bXHuMNgfx2yOl4U/s400/nick+brackets.PNG" width="400" /></a></div>
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Nick lost to <b>Kanen Storr </b>from Iowa State 3-1 in OT and Storr lost to <b>Anthony Ashnault</b> 2-1. However in the championship side of the bracket Nick lost to Ashnault 15-5. See how well our logic holds up? Anyway, Storr beat Pletcher (3x PIAA champ) 5-4 but only beat Nick 3-1. So, it is conceivable, Nick could beat Pletcher, who is currently ranked 13th. Long story short, Nick had a good tournament.<br />
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Let's apply this logic to <b>Jake Wentzel</b>.<br />
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Jake got teched by <b>Hayden Hidlay </b>of North Carolina State (future conference foe) 20-3 then had a decent run on the consolation side.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi56Mbxvad5GJEYru_3jc8nqrG96RwKmQ_Io2fkAluctYc_ipbKnCyEp6kFOcSk87YmuZzfup6ONs50BLM9HVAlptbB0ch6vrADzjxFyevTzrFfc4kmrL6cAmG2RRuVLLVzfgSrjDpb71o/s1600/jake+brackets.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi56Mbxvad5GJEYru_3jc8nqrG96RwKmQ_Io2fkAluctYc_ipbKnCyEp6kFOcSk87YmuZzfup6ONs50BLM9HVAlptbB0ch6vrADzjxFyevTzrFfc4kmrL6cAmG2RRuVLLVzfgSrjDpb71o/s640/jake+brackets.PNG" width="640" /></a></div>
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He was beating JuCo national champ <b>DaWaylon Barnes</b> of Oklahoma and lost with seconds to spare. Barnes then beat 27th ranked <b>Jake Danishek</b> of Indiana in OT who then lost to 14th ranked <b>John VanBrill</b> of Rutgers in a close match. Conceivably, Wentzel could have beat all of them. I expect big things out of him over the next few years.<br />
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<b>Opinions (Everyone has them)</b><br />
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I still have no idea who Pitt's starter at 184 is<br />
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<b>K.J. Fenstermacher</b> is becoming quite the recruit as he beat <b>Brian Courtney</b> in the Escape the Rock finals. You'll remember Courtney as the kid who beat a returning state champion in the quater-finals, semi-finals and finals at states last year. He was named The Open Mat's High School Wrestler of the <a href="http://news.theopenmat.com/high-school-wrestling/toms-high-school-wrestler-week-jan-16th-2017/61252">week</a><br />
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Not much to write about the Pitt Duals<br />
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Peculiar amount of starters did not wrestle against Virginia Tech<br />
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Jason Peters is a good man<br />
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Here it is again:<br />
<a href="https://www.gofundme.com/help-support-the-kocher-family?rcid=f90553ff63d9402f81177a27eeb92f31">https://www.gofundme.com/help-support-the-kocher-family?rcid=f90553ff63d9402f81177a27eeb92f31</a><br />
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<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-535581454049907691.post-3738368774391651312016-12-11T18:10:00.000-08:002017-04-04T17:35:02.159-07:00First Entry: Pitt Beats WVU<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Welcome, to the first edition of the Pitt Wrestling Blog.
That will be its name until I can think of a better one, or perhaps that is the
better one, and I just don’t know it yet. Anyway, the purpose of this blog is
to be different than the typical ‘newspaper’ style coverage that just
interviews one athlete and finds one storyline and runs with it. I want to get
more into the actual wrestling, and try to bring you the most inside and up to
date info on the Panthers. Sometimes I may do a match-by-match recap, and
sometimes I might focus on more specific details. Either way, my hope is for it
to be unique, informative and stimulating. If it can grow to the point where there
are discussions and arguments happening in the comment section, great. But
until then please email or retweet the links to all wrestling, and especially Pitt
wrestling fans you know. Thanks, Steve.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<img height="315" src="https://pbs.twimg.com/media/CzbtvaaXcAQ1mw2.jpg" width="640" /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Photo: Pitt Athletics </span><span style="font-size: x-small;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<b><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">No. 23 Pitt downs West Virginia in 62<sup>nd</sup>
Backyard Brawl 23-15<o:p></o:p></span></span></b></div>
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<b><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><br /></span></span></b></div>
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<b><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Injuries not a problem for Panthers vs
rival <o:p></o:p></span></span></b></div>
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<b><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">By Stephen Patrick <o:p></o:p></span></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">With both teams suffering injuries to some of their best
wrestlers, fans got to see some new faces Sunday. One of them was Pitt redshirt
sophomore <b>Taleb Rahmani</b>. In his
first home match in the varsity lineup, he didn’t wait long to impress the
crowd. “It’s called an eye-tooth. It seems like the only thing I can do on top”
he said with a wide grin. The “eye-tooth” (iTooth?) is of course referring to the
insane move he hit in the first 50 seconds, bringing the crowd to its feet, and
heavily shifting the momentum in Pitt’s favor. Local legend has it the
eye-tooth is a move invented by Pitt Assistant Coach Matt Kocher, although
those rumors have not been confirmed. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Line-up decisions<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Rahmani is wrestling in place of <b>Jake Wentzel</b>, a true freshman having a solid campaign. It appeared
during the Keystone Classic that Wentzel suffered some sort of injury, and has
yet to be in the line-up since. Running with this assumption, it may be the
prudent choice to red-shirt Wentzel this season, especially if the injury is
bad (Wentzel defeated
Rahmani 13-6 in the Blue vs Gold match). <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><b>Austin Bell</b> was
supposed to red-shirt this season and compete at 165 in open tournaments. That plan has
changed. With <b>Cody Wiercioch</b> no
longer being listed on Pitt’s roster and Bell starting the last few matches at
174, it appears he will be there for the long haul. “No they pulled it,” he
said referring to his red-shirt status at the beginning of the year. Wrestling
at the higher weight class has allowed Bell to focus on getting stronger and work
on his conditioning, according to the Iron Man and PowerAde champ. He was known in high-school for hitting big,
unconventional moves. He has shown glimpses of excitement thus far in college
and is having a decent season, although he has yet to recreate this! </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><a href="http://www.flowrestling.org/video/770568-thebellhop">http://www.flowrestling.org/video/770568-thebellhop</a><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<img alt="Image result for austin bell wrestling" src="http://blog.triblive.com/ipreps/wp-content/uploads/sites/34/2016/02/Belle-Vernons-Austin-Bell.jpg" height="548" width="640" /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;"> Photo:
TribLive. Austin Bell defeats Bethel Park's Nino Bonaccorsi in the PowerAde finals in 2015</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">(yes, this photo is ironic) <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">The biggest line-up question mark is at 184 however. There
is no clear starter right now. At the beginning of the season, Bloomsburg
transfer <b>Mat Carr</b> had been wrestling
but has been incognito the last few matches. True freshman <b>Christian Dietrich</b> competed there more recently, however was not
dressed against the Mountaineers. Both <b>Alex
Delp </b>and <b>Donovan McAfee </b>weighed
in at 184 but <b>Cam Jacobson </b>ended up
bumping from 174 to fill the slot. Hey, <b>Nino Bonaccorsi </b>will be there next
year, right?</span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"> </span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Coaching consistency<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><br /></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Another thing Bell talked about in our post-match interview
was the continuous streak of having <b>Tyler
Nauman</b> as one of his coaches. Nauman coached Bell at Belle Vernon and also
at <b>Team Nauman</b>, his personal club. “He’s
been a great coach and he’s got me to where I am today”. Of course he was also
a great wrestler for Pitt. Twice an NCAA semifinalist (2010 and 2012), he is
one of Pitt’s most recent multiple time All-Americans. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><a href="http://grfx.cstv.com/photos/schools/ncaa/sports/m-wrestl/auto_pdf/Wres-D1-2010Brackets.pdf">http://grfx.cstv.com/photos/schools/ncaa/sports/m-wrestl/auto_pdf/Wres-D1-2010Brackets.pdf</a><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><a href="http://www.ncaa.com/content/2012-di-wrestling-session6bracket">http://www.ncaa.com/content/2012-di-wrestling-session6bracket</a><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<img alt="Image result for tyler nauman" src="http://media.pennlive.com/patriotnewssports/photo/pitt-naumanjpg-f2b97d9cd6dd3f9b.jpg" height="425" width="640" /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;"> Photo: PennLive</span><span style="font-size: x-small;"><o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
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<b><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Opinions (Everyone
has them)</span></b><br />
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<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">What on earth happened </span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">to <b style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Devin Brown</b></span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: xx-small;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">? That was the third time I’ve seen him wrestle in
person (PowerAde and Dapper Dan) and he did not look like himself. Perhaps it’s
a size issue (WVU’s roster lists him at 5’2”); let’s hope it’s nothing worse.</span></span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><b>Mikey Racciato </b>showed
some aggressiveness on Sunday. That was refreshing.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><b>TeShan Campbell’s </b>6
minutes and some odd seconds of riding time, with only 4 points, did a great job showing why
freestyle is the superior one: ten seconds on the mat.. back on the feet.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Great to see <b>John
Rizzo </b>pull out the OT win. Nice guy. </span></li>
</ul>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0