NCAA OW AWARD

[tabenn]

First I will say that I am very happy for Bo--he had a great tourney--and what a way to win in the finals! and in no way shape or form am I trying to be negative towards Bo or his achievements..

But I cant believe that the winner of 165 was not the OW! as everyone is aware that weight was STACKED! and for the most part it lived up to the hype---about all wrestlers at 165 performed well.

And for Cenzo to shut Imar down the way he did..WOW!

Im thinking that the dramatic finish at 184 was the deciding factor for the OW--again very happy that BO won just a little surprised that Cenzo didnt.

And yes, I would have the said the same if Imar or anyone else would have won the weight class​

 

[WildTurk]

Spencer Lee all day..

 

[seeyajohn]

Spencer would have been my choice too. But there were several worthy candidates.

 

[wrestlinPSU]

Under the greatest of pressures, Bo performed at the utmost level. He not only won but he won pinning. He won the championship.

 

[Ban Basketball]

Jacob Holschlag (although the cards fell perfectly into place for the finish that he had).

 

[Eastern HWT]

My vote would have also been Spencer. Two falls, two techs and a dominating victory over Rutgers in final...... plus one pin as NATO

 

[PSUbluTX]

My vote would have also been Spencer. Two falls, two techs and a dominating victory over Rutgers in final...... plus one pin as NATO

Wow, I’m even MORE impressed with Spencer Lee than before (didn’t think that was possible) knowing now that he not only dominated all his own matches, but actually filled in for NaTo one round to pin another kid! He indisputably deserved OW in light of that little known fact.

 

[MDAlum]

Bo did not rack up the bonus point wins until the final, but the OW awarded to him probably took into account that the team championship rested on the outcome of that one match. Hundreds of matches in the books and it comes down to Martin v Bo Nickal. Huge consequences to one bout. And what does Bo do? PIN!!!! Big stakes, big reward.

Individually Spencer Lee had an unbelievably dominant tournament. 125 was not an easy weight this year. No, it wasn't 165, but it had depth of talent. Top talent. Lee handled it all like they were training partners. I would not have objected to him getting OW.

Of course, that's just one man's opinion. It just happens to agree with the panel of coaches voting for OW.

 

[dunkej01]

spencer lee is the OW in my book. I loved Bos moment but a single moment shouldnt trump an entire tournaments effort.

#eastcoastbias

 

[El-Jefe]

Yianni and Spencer both had harder paths than Cenzo. Cenzo had a harder finals opponent.

Jason faced the biggest obstacle, had a difficult path for anyone else, and dominated.

I wouldn't have done this but was surprised Snyder didn't get a lifetime achievement OW, since he was promoted as the face of the tournament.

 

[RoarLions1]

Not the same, and just for an fyi...Spencer won The Hammer Award from Amateur Wrestling News.

 

[EPC FAN]

spencer lee is the OW in my book. I loved Bos moment but a single moment shouldnt trump an entire tournaments effort.

#eastcoastbias

East coast bias? Fargin' hilarious.

 

[jack66]

The NCAA team title on the line, mano-a-mano, do-or-die; and Bo won in spectacular fashion.

Perhaps a few others wrestled a more complete tourney, but the 2018 NCAA tournament will be forever identified by that throw.

Spencer will get his time in the sun, this was Bo's show.

 

[tikk10]

I think the two guys who had the best tournament overall were Lee and Yianni, though 141 got tougher earlier than 125 did. Yianni beat Heil, Eierman, and Meredith, all guys who are ranked #1 at some point (I think). Lee felled the biggest giant when he not only pinned NaTo but dominated him to that point. He pinned Piccinni in quarters, but Lizak tech'd Piccinni next match so I'm not sure that's as impressive as it looks on paper. But then Lee beat Suriano as easily as he's ever been beat. So I think Lee probably deserved it.

165 was stacked as well but Cenzo struggled with Isaiah White, who wound up falling off the podium. Beating IMar twice in the finals is extremely impressive but it's not as if he got lucky the first time.

Bo had a solid tournament but only two bonus wins, and in a weight class that may have been the relatively weakest from the 3rd seed down. 184 seemed like the safest chalk prediction and it delivered exactly that.

That said, Bo prevailed in a situation that involved more pressure than in any other class, and did so by going to his back and rolling an extremely good wrestler through for the pin and team title. No one can match that because the only other wrestler who had a chance to control the team title was Martin. I guess for some voters that moment and circumstances trumped the rest of the tournament.

I'd have gone Lee, I think, but I get why it was Bo. A few years from now no one will remember who won OW, but no one is forgetting any time soon what Bo did. What Lee and Yianni did was beyond impressive but neither created as many instant wrestling fans as Bo did on Saturday night.

 

[crazylegs2]

So who was OW last year? Does anyone remember Bo's path to the finals and him beating 2X Champ Gabe Dean?

 

[RoarLions1]

So who was OW last year? Does anyone remember Bo's path to the finals and him beating 2X Champ Gabe Dean?

Zain

 

[crazylegs2]

• Bo Nickal (Penn State) 26-1 won by tech fall over Mitch Sliga (Northwestern) (TF-1.5 3:21 (15-0))
• Bo Nickal (Penn State) 26-1 won by fall over Steven Schneider (Binghamton University) (Fall 5:34)
• Bo Nickal (Penn State) 26-1 won by fall over TJ Dudley (Nebraska) 33-5 (Fall 4:33)
• Bo Nickal (Penn State) 26-1 won by fall over Sammy Brooks (Iowa) 28-4 (Fall 1:02)
• Bo Nickal (Penn State) 26-1 won by decision over Gabe Dean (Cornell) 34-1 (Dec 4-3)

 

[Rhino80]

Probably would have voted for Lee but I get why Bo won. Could have seen Zain and Yanni winning also.

 

[oldcougar65]

Bo for the drama. If one were looking for a way to promote wrestling on a national scale, Bo's win was the way to do it. Then his high octane post-match interview added that much more to the overall effect of his win.

Bo's OW was for promoting the sport of wrestling on national tv. No one could deny the effect of his efforts on the crowd or the audience at home. It was totally electric.