Is 159 Ws out of reach within the current/future construct? This assumes we go back to our 2019 type of schedule. [[[Dont ask when the 2021 -22 schedule is coming out either. ]]]]

Anyone want to give an opinion or an opinion of fact of what it might take over the next 3 seasons for AB who is currently 28-1 with 21 Ws in a row w 3 years left....

Or

C* is 14-2 on the year with 4 matches won in a row. But he has 4 more years to compete.

Is it possible????

A) win 159 in a row

B) win 159 matches total

Might it just be a record that is just out of reach???...???

Jimmy martin has the psu record with 155

Modern day Kerry McCoy has 150

Since wrestling was invented ER has 136

Most recent 100 win club member marky mark has 116

To be fresh in march it just may not be something we see attempted in a psu singlet.

I'm setting this up the night before, so I have one less thing to do Thursday morning. Is this the best three days of the year?

Please use this for all pre-session, in-session, and post-session discussions. If you're replying to another post, please use the Quote function.

When:
Thursday, March 18, 11 am EDT

Where:
St. Louis, MO

TV:
ESPNU

Video Stream:
EPSN3 -- they'll have coverage on all 8 mats. You can watch multiple mats simultaneously on your computer, or watch only 1 mat -- you decide.

Audio Stream:
Jeff Byers's radio PBP will be streamed. The pre-session/tournament segment will start at 10:40 am EDT, with the wrestling coverage starting at 11 am EDT. You can access the audio stream at:


PBP:
I'll provide coverage of as many PSU matches as I can (basically, all of them, unless two PSUers end up wrestling at the same time).

Team Scoring:
The best place, IMHO, to get updated team scoring is the Penn State Wrestling Club's web site. You can access the virtual team scoring at:


Mat Assignments:
I post upcoming PSU mat assignments as I learn of them. Others do as well; we try to help each other out during NCAAs. The best sources I have found for mat assignments in past Nationals were TrackWrestling (go to their dashboard) or the Twitter account of Penn State Wresting (@pennstateWREST).

It will be interesting seeing posts from members of the community that traditionally attend Nationals every year.

As always, this should be fun.

I love my classes!
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I was disappointed in the selection. I get the "heart warming" story with Stanford and I give the kid a ton of credit. I look at OW wrestlers as the wrestler who exceeds expectations. If Courtney had beat Lee, that is an easy call but it did not happen. If Parris had beat Gable, that was an easy call but it did not happen. I then really think CStar was probably the third biggest underdog. Really surprised he didn't get it. Redshirt Freshman underdog beating a 6th year senior who beat him handily at the Big 10's.

It looks like Iowa has 5 of its 10 starters listed as seniors. Is this a free legibility year for these wrestlers because if Covid like football is or is Iowa losing half of their lineup?

a post on Iowa's board on the same subject for them got me thinking of how long PSU has gone, per weight, since a national championship or since an AA finish.

using the history records on the Penn State Wrestling Club's web site, below is how long it appears PSU has gone since a Championship or an AA finish at each weight class.

a clarification: weight classes have been tweaked a bit by the NCAA over the years, so some of those listed won at a weight that was very close to the weight listed, but not identical.

After 2015 Nationals

National Champ
125: Jeremy Hunter - 2000
133: Scott Lynch - 1984
141: John Hughes - 1995
149: Tank - 2012
157: Never
165: DT - 2014
174: Matt Brown - 2015
184: Ed Ruth - 2014
197: Q - 2013
285: Kerry McCoy - 1997

AAs
125: Jordan Conaway- 2015
133: Jimmy Gulibon - 2015
141: Zain Retherford - 2014
149: James English - 2014
157: Dylan Alton - 2012
165: DT - 2014
174: Matt Brown - 2015
184: Ed Ruth - 2014
197: Morgan McIntosh - 2015
285: Jimmy Lawson - 2015

Seems as though the only weight at which PSU has never had a champ was 157. DT finished 2nd in 2011, and Clint Musser finished 2nd in 1999.

133 is the weight where the longest gap is for a national champ. Since Scott Lynch's title in 1984, Cary Kolat finished 2nd in 1993 (134), and 3rd in 1994 (134), Josh Moore finished 3rd in 2003 and 2nd in 2004, and Andrew Long finished 3rd in 2011. (Jake Strayer finished 7th in 2007 and Jimmy G finished 5th in 2015.)

After 133, the next longest gap is 141. Since John Hughes' title in 1995, Jamarr Billman finished 5th in 1998 (142), Scott Moore finished 4th in 2003, Tank finished 8th in 2009, and the ZainTrain finished 5th in 2014.

The only other weight at which PSU hasn't had a champion this century is 285. Since McCoy's title in 1997, Pat Cummins finished 4th in 2003 and 2nd in 2004, Aaron Anspach finished 2nd in 2007, and LawDog finished 6th in 2015.

My apologies if any of the above data is incorrect. The PSWC records list DT as taking 1st place in 2012 at 157, so it would not surprise me if there are a few other mistakes in their records. I did not attempt to verify each of their records for names/weights I used in the above info.

It is interesting to project whether any of the gaps can be eliminated by the current team.

If Nolf can stay at 157 for a few years, he has a good shot at ending the 157 drought. If he can't hold the weight, Cenzo Joseph seems like the most likely candidate to end the drought, and/or Gary Dinmore might progress to that level as well.

At 133, Jimmy G may have had a shot at ending the drought if he had stayed at 133. Conaway should be in contention this year, though he doesn't enter the year as a top 1-2 guy at the weight. (Beyond that, it's probably dependent upon this year's and next year's recruiting class.)

If the ZainTrain had stayed at 141, I think he would have ended the drought at 141. It seems likely that he'll be at 149 this year. Whether Jimmy can up his game a bit at a new weight remains to be seen.

Lastly, at 285, we'll have to see how Nevills performs. He looked promising last year before he injured his foot. He should be among the elite guys at 285 over the next 4 years (assuming he stays healthy).

Anyway, it was fun to put this together. If there are corrections to be made, please let me know.

Enjoy

Nfm

What does everyone think the chances are of their being a spring game this year? I know it’s REALLY early but it would be nice to have something to do besides sit at home / go to work all the time like I’m living the movie Groundhogs day.

*

I'm setting this up in advance, as I have a lot on my plate later today and Saturday morning. Please use this thread for pre-Session I discussions, Session I discussions, and post-Session I discussion of the 2021 B1G Wrestling Tournament. As always, if you are replying to another post, please use the Quote function.

When
March 6, 10 am EST

Where
@ Penn State

TV
BTN will cover the action, though they choose which of the four mats they show

Video Streaming
BTN+ will have coverage of each mat, for those that are subscribers

Audio
Byers will have the audio PBP. The pre-tournament show will start at 9:30 am EST, with wrestling coverage commencing at 10 am. You can access the audio at:


PBP
I might be around for a few of the early matches, but I will miss most of the wrestling in Session I after 11:15 am. (I should be back for PBP in Session II, on Saturday evening.) Hopefully, one or more of you will step up and provide some PBP. As always, please remember to provide the score at the end of the match. Also, it's always helpful if folks can provide heads up on which mat a PSU wrestler will be on.

Team Scoring
The best source for team scoring throughout the tournament is the Penn State Wrestling Club. Their link for live team scoring is:

How an offensive player can “back down” the defender by pushing him backwards and that’s not a foul....has always made me scratch my head.
Yet, if the defender muscles up to prevent the offensive player running him over, it’s a foul.
🤷🏻‍♂️

OL

Was he hurt?

I’ve done some research but am far from an expert. Seems that Beau meets the minimum qualifications for an at-large bid. His win % is 80% over the required 70% and he was ranked 25th in second coaches poll. Still think a long shot as Murin will undoubtedly get one of the coveted spots but in this covid crazy world who else from the other conferences meet two criteria?

Will he wrestle at 149 or 157? I’m trying to figure out next years lineup.

FS boys and girls clubs coming April 16 to Nittany Valley Sports Centre.

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https://www.teamusa.org/USA-Wrestling/Features/2021/March/09/Ultimate-Club-Duals-coming-in-April

We all know the drill at the Big Ten Championships. It's awesome to win, and that's what the coaches and wrestlers want, but in the big picture scheme, it's more important to earn advancement to the big dance.

So I used the (Mr?) Fink post (https://bwi.forums.rivals.com/threads/first-crack-at-big-ten-seeds.290514/) as the basis for a review by weight class. I'll do this a couple weight classes at a time.

125
Howard at #10 or #11 gets him the #7 or #6 seed, respectively, in the first round. His possible opponents, Schroder (#6, PUR) and DeAugustino (#7, NU) are solid, strong wrestlers, and Schroder in particular as a talented 5th year senior will be a tough out. Howard matches up better vs DeAugustino imo, so this match-up gives the best chance of a first round win. DeAugustino will be favored, so I’m moving Howard to wrestlebacks. Note that 1 win against an NCAA qualifier is huge from a criteria standpoint if it comes down to at-large selection.

Here’s where there’s an advantage to 10th seed, as the loser of 10 vs 7 gets a bye in the first round of wrestlebacks. The 11 vs 6 loser gets the 14 seed, so Howard could face the same Maryland wrestler he beat handily at the dual. Next up should be either Foley (#5, MSU) or Barnett (#8, WIS) -- Foley if Howard is the 11 seed, Barnett if he’s the 10 seed. Assuming the path goes as I suggest, this is the match that will earn Howard a trip to NCAA’s. Top-8 go at 125. 9th and/or 10th place finishers may get an at-large selection.

133
RBY will get a bye into the second round. With Micic not wrestling, move everyone up one place in Fink’s post. In round two, he would face the #8/#9 winner, which could be Medley if you go by the Coaches Ranking. RBY should easily move on, even if it’s not Medley, and will likely face the #4/#5 winner, Cannon or Byrd. Both are freshmen, and neither have a particularly impressive resume, so RBY all the way. Alvarez vs DeSanto could be an entertaining semi-final – they’ve never met so we’ll see if Alvarez’s length gives DeSanto problems. Guessing not and DeSanto’s motor wins out. Whoever it is, the winner will face RBY.

Of course, RBY could be the #2 seed. If so, he’ll have a similar bout in quarters, but facing Dryden instead, a bout RBY should handle. The semis would likely see a bout with Alvarez, a wrestler RBY has beaten twice, once in Sudden Victory. Win, which RBY should, and the finals match-up is the same. RBY will be in St. Louis.

SIAP
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I haven't seen the bracket yet but at some point steen will face Owen Reinsel from Brookville. That will probably be his toughest competition prior to the state tournament.

SIAP but saw a tweet earlier that made me think of this topic. What were the best individual high school rivalries that you witnessed.

Personally, being a NW/D9 native it has to be Kyle Cathcart (Clarion) vs Matt Wilcox (Maplewood) in the early 2000’s.

More recently in D6 - Jake Strayer vs Garret Scott (RIP).

best kept secrets. World Class Collection of Sports Cars never even knew about it until recently. If you get a chance check it out. Coolest thing was we were the only people in the museum and the man who created the collection happened to be there. Staff was gracious to answer every question we could pepper them with. Not a huge car guy, but going to watch Ford vs Ferrari tonight because the Shelby Cobra they have was the one that Carol Shelby and Ken Miles discussed building in 90 days. Absolutely Stunning cars.

The whole ride home the boys debated "if they could only have one, which car would it be.." We all were in agreement it was the Cobra.

Shalom

These are the comments I made prior to my decision to vote AGAINST the proposed $49 million Lasch Building renovations.

My fellow Trustees, I stand opposed to this resolution at this time. My reasons are twofold. The first financial while the second is more philosophical.

As Pennsylvania's only land grant university, Penn State has a broad mission of teaching, research, and public service. Our duty as university fiduciaries is, among other responsibilities, to ensure the affordable attainment of a PSU education.

No question but that athletics serves as the window through which our great University is seen by many. No doubt football occupies the largest pane. It is the engine that allows all 31 varsity sports to run.

However, as all of you know, we have a myriad of headwinds and uncertainties facing us over the next year.

First, and primarily, we have the challenge of the pandemic. Last year we lost ~$38 million in football ticket revenues not to mention the loss of gameday revenues. We filled some of that gap by allowing season ticket holders to roll their 2020 ticket purchases into 2021. Consequently, we have a large issue facing us this fall. How do we replace those revenues this year?

In addition, we seemingly lost 10% of our season ticketholder base by virtue of the way we handled the refund of 2020 season ticket purchases.

Finally, what happens if we can’t play football this fall in front of a a capacity crowd in Beaver Stadium?

Second, we don’t yet know the impact of recent image and likeness legislation on colleges and universities. What if the result of this is a drag on athletics revenues?

Finally, we seem to be deviating from our policy of philanthropic commitments in writing in hand before commencing. Instead, we intend to utilize $48.3 million of borrowings from a February 4, 2020 taxable bond offering. Moreover, does this approach not create a gender equity problem for us given our direction to the Women’s Field Hockey team?

Women’s Field Hockey would like to spend $9 million on a new venue. To date, they have received $7 million in committed gifts yet they have been told they cannot break ground without the full $9 million in hand.

Additionally, the Student Food Pantry has been told that they must raise the $250,000 required for expansion that is so desperately needed. In a time when we have homeless students living in the HUB and showering in Rec Hall, what message are we sending with this decision?

With respect to my philosophical concerns, I have heard some of you as well as University leadership refer to an arms race as it pertains to football. Let me suggest that such a race is unwinnable and frankly, in my opinion, a fools errand.

Let me remind all of you that Penn State, between 2014-2018, ranked 7th in football related expenditures, averaging almost $41 million. In 2018, the spend in football was $48 million.

Alabama was #1 at almost $60.5 million, Florida State followed at almost $50 million. Ohio State was 4th at almost $43 million while Michigan was 5th at ~$41 million. Clemson followed at just under $40 million.

Interesting to note that Notre Dame (~$39.5 million), Georgia (~$39 million) and Oklahoma (~$37 million) all spent less on football than us yet all have reached the final four.

Parenthetically, Alabama is the 143rd ranked school in the most recent US News and World Report whereas Clemson ranks 73rd.

A very wise man many of us knew liked to quote a line from the poet Robert Browning.

“Ah, but a man’s reach should exceed his grasp, or what’s a heaven for?”

In my opinion, we would be wise to delay this project.

What is the weirdest movie or movies you have seen? I've seen a number over the years, but my guess is that people's standards concerning what is "weird" or "good" might vary considerably. I thought The Cook, the Thief, His Wife and her Lover was both crazy and bad. I also thought The Blair Witch Project was bad in a weird sort of way (with all of the POV shots of people whimpering in fear), and ended up rooting for the (never to be seen) witch. Invasion of the Body Snatchers (with Donald Sutherland) was mainly bad, but also weird. Seems like most weird movies are bad, but they can occasionally be good. The Gods Must Be Crazy was very offbeat, but I thought it was good.

How about you?

Using only a five-year history for pre-allocations in 2021 has led to some interesting situations affecting Big Ten wrestlers. Numbers shown are Big Ten only.

125
8 - pre-allocation/AQ spots
13 - wrestlers ranked top-25 according to Flo
12 - top-33 in Coaches Ranking

133
8 - pre-allocation/AQ spots
6 - wrestlers ranked top-25 according to Flo
7 - top-33 in Coaches Ranking

141
8 - pre-allocation/AQ spots
6 - wrestlers ranked top-25 according to Flo
8 - top-33 in Coaches Ranking

149
7 - pre-allocation/AQ spots
12 - wrestlers ranked top-25 according to Flo
12 - top-33 in Coaches Ranking

157
8 - pre-allocation/AQ spots
8 - wrestlers ranked top-25 according to Flo
9 - top-33 in Coaches Ranking

165
8 - pre-allocation/AQ spots
9 - wrestlers ranked top-25 according to Flo
10 - top-33 in Coaches Ranking

174
8 - pre-allocation/AQ spots
10 - wrestlers ranked top-25 according to Flo
11 - top-33 in Coaches Ranking

184
8 - pre-allocation/AQ spots
10 - wrestlers ranked top-25 according to Flo
10 - top-33 in Coaches Ranking

197
6 - pre-allocation/AQ spots
8 - wrestlers ranked top-25 according to Flo
8 - top-33 in Coaches Ranking

285
7 - pre-allocation/AQ spots
8 - wrestlers ranked top-25 according to Flo
8 - top-33 in Coaches Ranking

125 and 149 affected in a bad way, with a 4 or 5 wrestler difference. At-large will make up some of the difference surely, but doubtful the whole difference.

174, 184, and 197 are next, with a 2 or 3 wrestler difference currently. At-large can cover that difference.

133 and 141 appear to benefit with 1 or 2 more spots than there are ranked wrestlers.

It's not over yet, there's one more Coaches Ranking to be released after this weekend, which will change as guys get 4 matches. Still, the current difference at 125 and 149, and to a lesser degree 174, 184 and 197, may affect the chances of a couple of the currently-ranked guys making it to St. Louis.

Event kicks off at 6 PM with the more junior wrestlers followed by the senior guys.

Looks like Taylor is out due to being cautious.

Predictions for upsets?

How are NLWC guys going to perform?

Can Dake handle both Joseph and Nolf?

Will Nickal beat Dean again?

....anyone else ultra-impressed with how clean Bartlett's shots are? Almost like there is no shot & finish - it's jus one motion.... and it's over. It's from a combination of great technique, extreme quickness and 100% commitment to the shot.