I'm going to post the transcripts below of the interviews with the wrestlers and then the coaches.
NCAA Wednesday Press Conference
- Thread starter tikk10
- Start date
NCAA Wrestling Championship
Wednesday, March 20, 2019
Yianni Diakomihalis
Derek White
Myles Martin
Bo Nickal
Jason Nolf
Press Conference
THE MODERATOR: From your left to right, we're joined by Bo Nickal from Penn State, Jason Nolf from Penn State, Yianni Diakomihalis from Cornell, Myles Martin from Ohio State and Derek White from Oklahoma State. Questions?
Q. Myles, this is the first year you've really gone from the hunter to the hunted. Has that changed your approach at all in how you wrestle?
MYLES MARTIN: No, I'm just going to continue to wrestle and just kind of keep it simple and just compete as hard as I can. Nothing really changes. Just treat it like any other match or tournament.
Q. Jason, you're a local guy from Kittanning. I was wondering what you think about having the championships here in your backyard. It's become almost a hub now for wrestling and a lot of great wrestlers came out of this area.
JASON NOLF: It's cool. A lot of friends and family can come watch. But, again, like Myles said, it's just another tournament and we're here to compete. Doesn't really matter where we're at. We're going to compete at our best level. So that's what we're focused on.
Q. College wrestling has had a lot of transfers as you well know. Also, like at Penn State and Oklahoma State, guys that were two-time all-Americans weren't even good enough to make this, the varsity for the postseason. Is what's happening with college wrestling, do you ever feel like it's limited, that guys are being forced to transfer? And is transferring good for the sport right now?
BO NICKAL: That's something that I've never really thought about personally because I love where I'm at. I feel like at the end of the day if a kid isn't happy with his choices, then if he wants to change schools, that's kind of on him. For me I felt like choosing Penn State was the best decision I've ever made. So I kind of never looked back from there.
YIANNI DIAKOMIHALIS: Kind of the same thing. I think that sometimes people make decisions that they regret or they didn't fully understand what was going on when they made the decision. And I get that. And obviously I would never leave Cornell. I love it at Cornell.
But I do understand there are circumstances where people want to or need to transfer, even beyond wrestling. There's more to it. There's life decisions, and I get that. So if someone feels like they need to leave their school and go somewhere else and they have a valid reason, then that's fine with me.
DEREK WHITE: As a competitor, you've gotta do whatever is best for you. I actually transferred from Nebraska to Oklahoma State. And that was probably the best thing I could have done so, yeah.
Q. Bo, could you talk a little bit about the change in weight class and if there were any challenges for you, because your results have been very good? And, also, just the ability of you to pin people has been really on display this year in your competitions. Talk a little bit about, in your mindset, how you're able to get in the position where you're able to get so many pins.
BO NICKAL: Well, the change of weight was something that, I think, just kind of happened naturally. I don't like cutting weight too much. I moved up from 74 to 84 and 84 to 97. So it's something that I've never really been afraid of.
And I think that it was good just for my body, not having to cut weight this year and stuff is nice. And it's made things more enjoyable. As far as getting pins and stuff like that, that's just something that I've always done. It's something that I just look for. And I feel like it's just a great testament to my coaches and the people that have raised me.
Growing up, my dad always really reinforced that, and it was something that was a big deal to him. And personally I just enjoy scoring a lot of points for my team. So that's the best thing I can do for my team. And I try to do that every match.
Q. Jason, everybody says you're going to win. You're going to be a three-time champion. And it's assumed that you're going to win. How do you overcome that assumption and wrestle at your best?
JASON NOLF: I don't really think I have to overcome that assumption, but I'm not focused on what others are saying and what other people think. I'm focusing on my first match and I take it one at a time. I think when you start thinking about what other people think it becomes a distraction. And I don't think anybody deserves anything. I think you have to go earn it. And that's what I'm looking forward to do.
Q. Bo, last tournament of your college career, and more than just Bo, but does it feel any different, the emotions? I know you're probably locked in, ready to go like normal, but is there a different feeling now knowing that it's kind of at the end?
BO NICKAL: Coming into this, I thought there would be a different feeling, but there really hasn't been a different feeling. I think that just has a lot to do with the fact that I'm going to continue to compete after this. This isn't my last time ever wrestling, so I've got a lot more matches to go, a lot more tournaments to go. I'm just excited for the opportunity like every single match that I get.
Q. Yianni, you're surrounded by seniors up on the stage; you're the only sophomore. In the way that you won your national title last year, overcoming an ACL tear during the tournament, coming back this year and being healthier, did that kind of change your perspective on wrestling at all, like, hey, although I may have more tournaments left than these guys, this tournament, any tournament could be my last? Did that kind of change anything for you?
YIANNI DIAKOMIHALIS: Honestly for me getting hurt last year -- it's the first time I've ever thought about it being career-ending, by the way -- but for me I feel like it just showed me that anytime you're facing something or it's not going the way you want it to or the way you thought it would, that you can overcome it. And at least I could overcome it. And it was good confidence for me.
It was like if I could do that with a torn ACL I could do anything healthy. It was good for my confidence almost being able to do it when I was hurt.
Q. Derek, coming into the year, there was a lot of talk about heavyweight division obviously with the departure of Kyle Snyder and Adam Coon. Who could step up and fill that role? (Indiscernible) on the year, wins over the ACC, Big Ten, (indiscernible) champ. Do you still feel like you're kind of slept on when people talk about who could win this weight?
DEREK WHITE: I don't worry about what other people are thinking. Just go out there and take it one match at a time. That's all I can do.
Q. Yianni, we've had several questions from a couple fans on social media. And they want to know what your stance on blueberry waffles is and how it ranks among your top 10 breakfast foods?
YIANNI DIAKOMIHALIS: Pancakes are better than waffles. Just throwing that out there. And if I was going to have a pancake or a waffle, I would rather have it have like chocolate or peanut butter on it. And it's a stupid question. (Laughter)
Q. Bo and Jason, you guys are kind of the leaders for the Hodge Trophy, and I just wonder if there's a friendly competition between you two this seen going for it?
BO NICKAL: What are you talking about? The Hodge Trophy. I've heard of that, I think. But, no, I don't think that there's any, like, friendly competition. We're just both out there trying to do our best. Me at least. I don't know about you.
JASON NOLF: That's all we talk about. (Laughter)
Q. Myles, the Ohio State program the last couple of years has put out a number of (indiscernible), competitors, Kyle Snyder, yourself and guys kind of below you. How often do you get the time to maybe look back on maybe what your legacy is in the program and what you learned from those guys and kind of what you pass down to those guys? And does that ever kind of take you away from doing the very basic thing of, hey, I've got to win five matches this weekend?
MYLES MARTIN: I usually don't look back a whole lot. I just try to continue. I don't know, my life just goes on. As far as like the guys under me, like freshmen and stuff like that, I just help them whenever I feel like they want my help or if they come up to me ask for just questions about technique, I just do it because I love them and they're my teammates and brothers.
So it's not really hard to do it just because we're all kind of close. And Kyle, they all do that to me, Logan, those guys do that to me. I asked them for questions. And the little guys do that with me. I don't know, I don't reminisce or think about it or try to put pressure on myself in a sense where I have to compete for myself. I'm kind of selfless in the sense.
I think it helps making our team better. A lot of guys on our team are pretty selfless. So it just helps, I think.
Q. Bo and Jason, Penn State has dominated this event throughout this decade with seven national championships. What is it about the culture and your program that allows that to happen?
BO NICKAL: I think we're just -- I can't really speak for other programs, but I know we're grateful for the opportunity to be here and we love to compete and we peak at the right time. And we're just ready to go. And I think that's all it is to it is, we want to compete because we want to and no other reason. And we want to win because we want to, no other reason.
Q. Derek, following up on that last question, it's kind of assumed that Penn State will win the team title. Oklahoma State is one of those that can threaten. Is that something you guys talk about? Is that something you guys are working toward?
DEREK WHITE: We're not really worried about that. Anything can happen this weekend. So, like I said, earlier take it one match at a time and wrestle to us. That's all I've got.
Q. Bo and Myles, one thing that's unique about this sport is you can get two guys who have had a past with each other, both positives and negatives. Do each of you, when you leave your career, will you ever think about those moments? Do you look at each other differently? How does the sport allow this to happen? Do you take it personal?
BO NICKAL: I think that when you get to wrestle a great competitor it's just exciting. That's the matches that I get most excited for, when I'm wrestling good competition and stuff. I'm just appreciative of that. Being able to wrestle the best wrestlers in the world is something that excites me. And that's something that -- that's the reason I do it because it's fun.
And it's one thing to just go out and throw a guy down and pin him but that's not really as satisfying as wrestling somebody that's a good competitor and that's more fun to me. So I think that's something that I'll appreciate.
MYLES MARTIN: Yeah, I agree with him. I think I just appreciate wrestling really good guys. And it's always exciting just for the fans as well for you guys and for just people who just really have a lot of respect for this sport, and I respect it as well. I don't look at it as like a negative situation because it's wrestling and I like to keep it simple. It's not like life-changing stuff.
But, yeah, I just have a lot of respect for the sport and a lot of respect for my opponent. Especially when I wrestle really good wrestlers, it's just fun and exciting.
Q. Derek and Jason, you both mentioned that you're just focused on the first match. When the brackets come out, we fans and media go crazy. We love it, eat it up, spend a bunch of hours poring through all the possible matchups. Do either of you allow yourself to look beyond that first match in the bracket to see who you might face in the round two or the quarterfinals?
DEREK WHITE: No, I really don't look forward later in the bracket. You never know what's going to happen. I just take it one match at a time.
JASON NOLF: Yeah, what he said.
Q. One of the more unique things about wrestling is you've got the individual part of it but also the team part of it. So during the tournament, just curious if you're so locked in on your own stuff or if you're paying any attention to the team standings or anything like that, whether it's Penn State or Ohio State or Oklahoma State, just how that's working? How much do you, I guess, during the tournament, if Ohio State's got a chance to win the national title as a team. Are you tracked into that or are you just kind of locked in on to your next opponent, that sort of thing?
MYLES MARTIN: I usually just take it one match at a time, just like Derek said. You can't really focus on what -- the things that you can't control. You can control how you prepare for your match and what you can do for yourself and then hopefully that accumulates for the team. So it's hard to say.
JASON NOLF: I think we just focused on going out there and scoring as many points as possible ourselves and that's the best thing that you can do for your team. Kind of like Myles said. When you start to focus on other things you can't control, you kind of lose energy and focus.
As long as you focus on your next match and go out and try to score points they start to add up eventually.
DEREK WHITE: Same thing he said.
Q. Guys, first time ever went to the nationals it was just amazing. I think there's a lot of wrestling fans that know what the nationals mean. But what does it mean to you? This event is so special -- five matches and you're a champion. Explain some of your feelings of how you feel especially on a Saturday night?
BO NICKAL: Well, I've been coming to the nationals since I think maybe like since I was in the sixth or seventh grade. It's something I enjoyed whether I was competing or watching. There's a lot of energy in the arena and it's just exciting times for wrestling.
If you see 20,000 people getting ready for one place for just one night, that's pretty awesome just to see that, the fans and how much they enjoy it. For me that's where I want to be at the end -- that's my favorite place to be is just with the pressure on, lights on, and that's just something that has been really exciting for me to have done. And I'm just very grateful for those opportunities.
JASON NOLF: Like you know it's time for a big night whenever you start to feel all the jitters and you start to feel nervous and a lot of people think that's a bad thing. But for me I feel spirited whenever it comes to national tournament.
I really love this tournament. It's where we're supposed to peak and I think we do as a team and as individuals and we're just looking forward to competing.
Q. Yianni, why do you love wrestling?
YIANNI DIAKOMIHALIS: There's a lot to that. But I think that it's something -- it's been my whole life. I started wrestling when I was six. I'm 19 now. I've been wrestling more than I've been not wrestling, and I think it's the pursuit of something greater. You know what I mean? It's the pursuit of being better than I was the day before and being better than -- everything I do I just want to be great at the things that I take pride in.
And there's nothing I take more pride in than this. And therefore I pretty much have dedicated my life to it. And it's something that I honestly couldn't put into words why I love it. But I do. And I couldn't not love it now.
Q. Jason, growing up in this area, which has become such a hotbed for wrestling, what was the benefit of that as a kid just not having to travel all over the place to find great competition?
JASON NOLF: So I drove about an hour and a half back and forth to practice every day because I kind of live an hour from here but I would drive to Franklin Regional or Latrobe to practice. And one benefit is I think there are amazing coaches everywhere.
But the biggest thing for me, I think, was finding really good partners and coaches to facilitate that. And I had amazing coaches in (indiscernible) and Coach Waller and Isaac Greeley, but there were so many partners, I know like Cameron Shields, Veruca, Krivus, Pletcher -- I could name a million people.
But I think that's our generation kind of grew up with each other and we're always competing against each other. I think that's why that group of guys kind of became so good is because we had each other.
Q. Jason, going back to your year-long competition with Bo for the Hodge, the other thing people have been talking about is the Penn State pins record that you have right now. I believe you're up three on Bo right now. Do you think you need one or two more in this tournament to secure that or do you think you have it in the bag?
JASON NOLF: I would need at least probably five.
Q. Bo, any chance to catch him?
BO NICKAL: Well, I have five matches. He's only up three. So, if he gets five and I get five, I'm not very good at math, but, yeah.
(Laughter)
Q. Yianni, we were talking about the brackets coming out and everybody looks at them. Aside from 41, do you look at this as a fan at all and look at the brackets and what might happen? And if so, do you have a favorite weight class other than 41?
YIANNI DIAKOMIHALIS: This was much harder for me last year because as a kid I watched nationals every year. I grew up watching NCAAs. It's what I did. Brackets came out, it's, like, oh, let's see who's wrestling. I remember last year brackets came out and I started doing it. And I'm, like, I've got to stop; I'm in the tournament now. You know what I mean?
So second time through I have a better idea of it. But obviously I like to see how my Cornell guys are going to do and where our guys sit in the bracket. But once it starts I'm not going to put any mind to it. Just let it play out as it goes and see how that goes for me.
Q. Yianni, obviously you assess your wrestling; you're very specific to what it takes to win. How much better do you feel you've gotten in the last year? And talk about the challenge of continuing to improve, because no one sits still in wrestling, right?
YIANNI DIAKOMIHALIS: I mean, I'd like to think I've been getting better. We have tournaments like these to see if that's true or not. And for me, I guess, it's a challenge, but it's not, because it's something that I want to do. It's not like I have to force myself to want to get better.
The difficult part is actually getting better. And finding the little things that you're doing wrong and being very self-critical. And I think it's something I just enjoy, I don't know why, I just really enjoy analyzing what I do and thinking about what I do and trying to get better results for myself.
So I wouldn't say it's a challenge as much as it is something I look forward to doing and look forward to finding things I can work on.
Q. Bo, my hearing is still bad from last year's finals. Have you ever heard a louder crowd than you ignited at Cleveland last year?
BO NICKAL: Honestly, I didn't really hear much. I just went and kind of wanted to go run over and hug my coaches. That was an awesome moment and something that I'm appreciative of. But as far as louder crowds, I don't even really know. That was kind of all a blur. It all happened really quickly. Maybe Rec Hall a few times. It gets pretty loud in there. But that's about it.
THE MODERATOR: Thank you.
FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports
Wednesday, March 20, 2019
Yianni Diakomihalis
Derek White
Myles Martin
Bo Nickal
Jason Nolf
Press Conference
THE MODERATOR: From your left to right, we're joined by Bo Nickal from Penn State, Jason Nolf from Penn State, Yianni Diakomihalis from Cornell, Myles Martin from Ohio State and Derek White from Oklahoma State. Questions?
Q. Myles, this is the first year you've really gone from the hunter to the hunted. Has that changed your approach at all in how you wrestle?
MYLES MARTIN: No, I'm just going to continue to wrestle and just kind of keep it simple and just compete as hard as I can. Nothing really changes. Just treat it like any other match or tournament.
Q. Jason, you're a local guy from Kittanning. I was wondering what you think about having the championships here in your backyard. It's become almost a hub now for wrestling and a lot of great wrestlers came out of this area.
JASON NOLF: It's cool. A lot of friends and family can come watch. But, again, like Myles said, it's just another tournament and we're here to compete. Doesn't really matter where we're at. We're going to compete at our best level. So that's what we're focused on.
Q. College wrestling has had a lot of transfers as you well know. Also, like at Penn State and Oklahoma State, guys that were two-time all-Americans weren't even good enough to make this, the varsity for the postseason. Is what's happening with college wrestling, do you ever feel like it's limited, that guys are being forced to transfer? And is transferring good for the sport right now?
BO NICKAL: That's something that I've never really thought about personally because I love where I'm at. I feel like at the end of the day if a kid isn't happy with his choices, then if he wants to change schools, that's kind of on him. For me I felt like choosing Penn State was the best decision I've ever made. So I kind of never looked back from there.
YIANNI DIAKOMIHALIS: Kind of the same thing. I think that sometimes people make decisions that they regret or they didn't fully understand what was going on when they made the decision. And I get that. And obviously I would never leave Cornell. I love it at Cornell.
But I do understand there are circumstances where people want to or need to transfer, even beyond wrestling. There's more to it. There's life decisions, and I get that. So if someone feels like they need to leave their school and go somewhere else and they have a valid reason, then that's fine with me.
DEREK WHITE: As a competitor, you've gotta do whatever is best for you. I actually transferred from Nebraska to Oklahoma State. And that was probably the best thing I could have done so, yeah.
Q. Bo, could you talk a little bit about the change in weight class and if there were any challenges for you, because your results have been very good? And, also, just the ability of you to pin people has been really on display this year in your competitions. Talk a little bit about, in your mindset, how you're able to get in the position where you're able to get so many pins.
BO NICKAL: Well, the change of weight was something that, I think, just kind of happened naturally. I don't like cutting weight too much. I moved up from 74 to 84 and 84 to 97. So it's something that I've never really been afraid of.
And I think that it was good just for my body, not having to cut weight this year and stuff is nice. And it's made things more enjoyable. As far as getting pins and stuff like that, that's just something that I've always done. It's something that I just look for. And I feel like it's just a great testament to my coaches and the people that have raised me.
Growing up, my dad always really reinforced that, and it was something that was a big deal to him. And personally I just enjoy scoring a lot of points for my team. So that's the best thing I can do for my team. And I try to do that every match.
Q. Jason, everybody says you're going to win. You're going to be a three-time champion. And it's assumed that you're going to win. How do you overcome that assumption and wrestle at your best?
JASON NOLF: I don't really think I have to overcome that assumption, but I'm not focused on what others are saying and what other people think. I'm focusing on my first match and I take it one at a time. I think when you start thinking about what other people think it becomes a distraction. And I don't think anybody deserves anything. I think you have to go earn it. And that's what I'm looking forward to do.
Q. Bo, last tournament of your college career, and more than just Bo, but does it feel any different, the emotions? I know you're probably locked in, ready to go like normal, but is there a different feeling now knowing that it's kind of at the end?
BO NICKAL: Coming into this, I thought there would be a different feeling, but there really hasn't been a different feeling. I think that just has a lot to do with the fact that I'm going to continue to compete after this. This isn't my last time ever wrestling, so I've got a lot more matches to go, a lot more tournaments to go. I'm just excited for the opportunity like every single match that I get.
Q. Yianni, you're surrounded by seniors up on the stage; you're the only sophomore. In the way that you won your national title last year, overcoming an ACL tear during the tournament, coming back this year and being healthier, did that kind of change your perspective on wrestling at all, like, hey, although I may have more tournaments left than these guys, this tournament, any tournament could be my last? Did that kind of change anything for you?
YIANNI DIAKOMIHALIS: Honestly for me getting hurt last year -- it's the first time I've ever thought about it being career-ending, by the way -- but for me I feel like it just showed me that anytime you're facing something or it's not going the way you want it to or the way you thought it would, that you can overcome it. And at least I could overcome it. And it was good confidence for me.
It was like if I could do that with a torn ACL I could do anything healthy. It was good for my confidence almost being able to do it when I was hurt.
Q. Derek, coming into the year, there was a lot of talk about heavyweight division obviously with the departure of Kyle Snyder and Adam Coon. Who could step up and fill that role? (Indiscernible) on the year, wins over the ACC, Big Ten, (indiscernible) champ. Do you still feel like you're kind of slept on when people talk about who could win this weight?
DEREK WHITE: I don't worry about what other people are thinking. Just go out there and take it one match at a time. That's all I can do.
Q. Yianni, we've had several questions from a couple fans on social media. And they want to know what your stance on blueberry waffles is and how it ranks among your top 10 breakfast foods?
YIANNI DIAKOMIHALIS: Pancakes are better than waffles. Just throwing that out there. And if I was going to have a pancake or a waffle, I would rather have it have like chocolate or peanut butter on it. And it's a stupid question. (Laughter)
Q. Bo and Jason, you guys are kind of the leaders for the Hodge Trophy, and I just wonder if there's a friendly competition between you two this seen going for it?
BO NICKAL: What are you talking about? The Hodge Trophy. I've heard of that, I think. But, no, I don't think that there's any, like, friendly competition. We're just both out there trying to do our best. Me at least. I don't know about you.
JASON NOLF: That's all we talk about. (Laughter)
Q. Myles, the Ohio State program the last couple of years has put out a number of (indiscernible), competitors, Kyle Snyder, yourself and guys kind of below you. How often do you get the time to maybe look back on maybe what your legacy is in the program and what you learned from those guys and kind of what you pass down to those guys? And does that ever kind of take you away from doing the very basic thing of, hey, I've got to win five matches this weekend?
MYLES MARTIN: I usually don't look back a whole lot. I just try to continue. I don't know, my life just goes on. As far as like the guys under me, like freshmen and stuff like that, I just help them whenever I feel like they want my help or if they come up to me ask for just questions about technique, I just do it because I love them and they're my teammates and brothers.
So it's not really hard to do it just because we're all kind of close. And Kyle, they all do that to me, Logan, those guys do that to me. I asked them for questions. And the little guys do that with me. I don't know, I don't reminisce or think about it or try to put pressure on myself in a sense where I have to compete for myself. I'm kind of selfless in the sense.
I think it helps making our team better. A lot of guys on our team are pretty selfless. So it just helps, I think.
Q. Bo and Jason, Penn State has dominated this event throughout this decade with seven national championships. What is it about the culture and your program that allows that to happen?
BO NICKAL: I think we're just -- I can't really speak for other programs, but I know we're grateful for the opportunity to be here and we love to compete and we peak at the right time. And we're just ready to go. And I think that's all it is to it is, we want to compete because we want to and no other reason. And we want to win because we want to, no other reason.
Q. Derek, following up on that last question, it's kind of assumed that Penn State will win the team title. Oklahoma State is one of those that can threaten. Is that something you guys talk about? Is that something you guys are working toward?
DEREK WHITE: We're not really worried about that. Anything can happen this weekend. So, like I said, earlier take it one match at a time and wrestle to us. That's all I've got.
Q. Bo and Myles, one thing that's unique about this sport is you can get two guys who have had a past with each other, both positives and negatives. Do each of you, when you leave your career, will you ever think about those moments? Do you look at each other differently? How does the sport allow this to happen? Do you take it personal?
BO NICKAL: I think that when you get to wrestle a great competitor it's just exciting. That's the matches that I get most excited for, when I'm wrestling good competition and stuff. I'm just appreciative of that. Being able to wrestle the best wrestlers in the world is something that excites me. And that's something that -- that's the reason I do it because it's fun.
And it's one thing to just go out and throw a guy down and pin him but that's not really as satisfying as wrestling somebody that's a good competitor and that's more fun to me. So I think that's something that I'll appreciate.
MYLES MARTIN: Yeah, I agree with him. I think I just appreciate wrestling really good guys. And it's always exciting just for the fans as well for you guys and for just people who just really have a lot of respect for this sport, and I respect it as well. I don't look at it as like a negative situation because it's wrestling and I like to keep it simple. It's not like life-changing stuff.
But, yeah, I just have a lot of respect for the sport and a lot of respect for my opponent. Especially when I wrestle really good wrestlers, it's just fun and exciting.
Q. Derek and Jason, you both mentioned that you're just focused on the first match. When the brackets come out, we fans and media go crazy. We love it, eat it up, spend a bunch of hours poring through all the possible matchups. Do either of you allow yourself to look beyond that first match in the bracket to see who you might face in the round two or the quarterfinals?
DEREK WHITE: No, I really don't look forward later in the bracket. You never know what's going to happen. I just take it one match at a time.
JASON NOLF: Yeah, what he said.
Q. One of the more unique things about wrestling is you've got the individual part of it but also the team part of it. So during the tournament, just curious if you're so locked in on your own stuff or if you're paying any attention to the team standings or anything like that, whether it's Penn State or Ohio State or Oklahoma State, just how that's working? How much do you, I guess, during the tournament, if Ohio State's got a chance to win the national title as a team. Are you tracked into that or are you just kind of locked in on to your next opponent, that sort of thing?
MYLES MARTIN: I usually just take it one match at a time, just like Derek said. You can't really focus on what -- the things that you can't control. You can control how you prepare for your match and what you can do for yourself and then hopefully that accumulates for the team. So it's hard to say.
JASON NOLF: I think we just focused on going out there and scoring as many points as possible ourselves and that's the best thing that you can do for your team. Kind of like Myles said. When you start to focus on other things you can't control, you kind of lose energy and focus.
As long as you focus on your next match and go out and try to score points they start to add up eventually.
DEREK WHITE: Same thing he said.
Q. Guys, first time ever went to the nationals it was just amazing. I think there's a lot of wrestling fans that know what the nationals mean. But what does it mean to you? This event is so special -- five matches and you're a champion. Explain some of your feelings of how you feel especially on a Saturday night?
BO NICKAL: Well, I've been coming to the nationals since I think maybe like since I was in the sixth or seventh grade. It's something I enjoyed whether I was competing or watching. There's a lot of energy in the arena and it's just exciting times for wrestling.
If you see 20,000 people getting ready for one place for just one night, that's pretty awesome just to see that, the fans and how much they enjoy it. For me that's where I want to be at the end -- that's my favorite place to be is just with the pressure on, lights on, and that's just something that has been really exciting for me to have done. And I'm just very grateful for those opportunities.
JASON NOLF: Like you know it's time for a big night whenever you start to feel all the jitters and you start to feel nervous and a lot of people think that's a bad thing. But for me I feel spirited whenever it comes to national tournament.
I really love this tournament. It's where we're supposed to peak and I think we do as a team and as individuals and we're just looking forward to competing.
Q. Yianni, why do you love wrestling?
YIANNI DIAKOMIHALIS: There's a lot to that. But I think that it's something -- it's been my whole life. I started wrestling when I was six. I'm 19 now. I've been wrestling more than I've been not wrestling, and I think it's the pursuit of something greater. You know what I mean? It's the pursuit of being better than I was the day before and being better than -- everything I do I just want to be great at the things that I take pride in.
And there's nothing I take more pride in than this. And therefore I pretty much have dedicated my life to it. And it's something that I honestly couldn't put into words why I love it. But I do. And I couldn't not love it now.
Q. Jason, growing up in this area, which has become such a hotbed for wrestling, what was the benefit of that as a kid just not having to travel all over the place to find great competition?
JASON NOLF: So I drove about an hour and a half back and forth to practice every day because I kind of live an hour from here but I would drive to Franklin Regional or Latrobe to practice. And one benefit is I think there are amazing coaches everywhere.
But the biggest thing for me, I think, was finding really good partners and coaches to facilitate that. And I had amazing coaches in (indiscernible) and Coach Waller and Isaac Greeley, but there were so many partners, I know like Cameron Shields, Veruca, Krivus, Pletcher -- I could name a million people.
But I think that's our generation kind of grew up with each other and we're always competing against each other. I think that's why that group of guys kind of became so good is because we had each other.
Q. Jason, going back to your year-long competition with Bo for the Hodge, the other thing people have been talking about is the Penn State pins record that you have right now. I believe you're up three on Bo right now. Do you think you need one or two more in this tournament to secure that or do you think you have it in the bag?
JASON NOLF: I would need at least probably five.
Q. Bo, any chance to catch him?
BO NICKAL: Well, I have five matches. He's only up three. So, if he gets five and I get five, I'm not very good at math, but, yeah.
(Laughter)
Q. Yianni, we were talking about the brackets coming out and everybody looks at them. Aside from 41, do you look at this as a fan at all and look at the brackets and what might happen? And if so, do you have a favorite weight class other than 41?
YIANNI DIAKOMIHALIS: This was much harder for me last year because as a kid I watched nationals every year. I grew up watching NCAAs. It's what I did. Brackets came out, it's, like, oh, let's see who's wrestling. I remember last year brackets came out and I started doing it. And I'm, like, I've got to stop; I'm in the tournament now. You know what I mean?
So second time through I have a better idea of it. But obviously I like to see how my Cornell guys are going to do and where our guys sit in the bracket. But once it starts I'm not going to put any mind to it. Just let it play out as it goes and see how that goes for me.
Q. Yianni, obviously you assess your wrestling; you're very specific to what it takes to win. How much better do you feel you've gotten in the last year? And talk about the challenge of continuing to improve, because no one sits still in wrestling, right?
YIANNI DIAKOMIHALIS: I mean, I'd like to think I've been getting better. We have tournaments like these to see if that's true or not. And for me, I guess, it's a challenge, but it's not, because it's something that I want to do. It's not like I have to force myself to want to get better.
The difficult part is actually getting better. And finding the little things that you're doing wrong and being very self-critical. And I think it's something I just enjoy, I don't know why, I just really enjoy analyzing what I do and thinking about what I do and trying to get better results for myself.
So I wouldn't say it's a challenge as much as it is something I look forward to doing and look forward to finding things I can work on.
Q. Bo, my hearing is still bad from last year's finals. Have you ever heard a louder crowd than you ignited at Cleveland last year?
BO NICKAL: Honestly, I didn't really hear much. I just went and kind of wanted to go run over and hug my coaches. That was an awesome moment and something that I'm appreciative of. But as far as louder crowds, I don't even really know. That was kind of all a blur. It all happened really quickly. Maybe Rec Hall a few times. It gets pretty loud in there. But that's about it.
THE MODERATOR: Thank you.
FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports
NCAA Wrestling Championship
Wednesday, March 20, 2019
Cael Sanderson
Tom Ryan
John Smith
Keith Gavin
Tom Brands
Press Conference
THE MODERATOR: We're joined from left to right by Tom Ryan, head coach at Ohio State; Cael Sanderson, head coach Penn State; Tom Brands, head coach at Iowa; John Smith, head coach at Oklahoma State; and Keith Gavin, head coach at Pittsburgh. Coach Ryan.
TOM RYAN: Great to be in Pittsburgh at the National Championships. I know as a young kid growing up, I was a big Steelers fan, '75, '76, '79 and '80. They won the championship. My brother was a Cowboy fan, so I loved making fun of him at the time. But I love the city.
We've got three guys that are from this area in Luke Pletcher at 33, Te'Shan Campbell at 65 and Ethan Smith at 74. So it's good for those guys to have an opportunity to compete in the home area. And looking forward to getting the weekend underway.
CAEL SANDERSON: I don't really have a statement. I'd just say we're happy to be here and thank you all for being here.
TOM BRANDS: Fired up to compete. I'm speaking for our guys, and they're fired up as well. And like Tom Ryan said, we have some local flavor here as well.
JOHN SMITH: Just looking forward to it. Kind of neat that we're having the championships here. I think it's a great place to have them. And I'm sure it's going to be a great show.
KEITH GAVIN: We're excited to have it here in Pittsburgh, obviously. It's a special opportunity for our guys. Most of our team is from Pittsburgh. So, yeah, we're all excited.
THE MODERATOR: Questions?
Q. For all of you, but Keith especially, how important is it to recruit this area of Pennsylvania, this District 7 area? And, Keith, how important is it for you to get guys to stay home here?
KEITH GAVIN: For us, it's really important. If we're not getting guys around here, we're going to struggle. So one of our advantages is certainly location. We're very close to northeast Ohio, too, and that's another strong area. It's probably the most important thing we do.
TOM RYAN: Pennsylvania is a great state for wrestling. This region, we have three on our team from this region. I'm excited for Keith and what he's doing for the program. He was with Ohio State in our regional training center for a couple of years and got to know him really well and excited for what he's doing here.
Recruiting is a huge part of compiling a team that's got a chance to compete for a title every year. It's a great region and we've got to be in this region.
Q. Coach Smith, you obviously had to do a little lineup shuffling at the end of the year. What went into the decisions and when were those decisions made?
JOHN SMITH: Well, we had some injuries throughout the year. And that was really part of the reason why we had to shuffle our lineup. Other than that, trying to win dual meets and putting our strongest team out.
We at one time really thought everybody would stay up and we thought Preston Weigel would be out for the season. And just a miraculous recovery that he had. All of a sudden in February he's back. And we didn't plan on that.
So just some challenges that unfortunately the rules that are in place today didn't really acknowledge some of those challenges that coaches have with weight issues, with guys getting injured, moving guys around, trying to fill a team. We like to win dual meets, so we're going to try to put our best team out.
Maybe in the future we can consider the challenges coaches have with injuries and moving guys around. But honestly it was a tough year and tough decisions at the end.
Q. John and Cael, both of you were in situations where two-time all-Americans are not wrestling for your team. And I understand the nature of the sport how competitive it is. But could you talk to me about the limitations of the sport because of the situations where there's only so many spots, there are no reserves, and because of that there are a growing number of transfers in the sport? Is this good for the sport?
JOHN SMITH: I don't know how to answer that. I mean, we as a team, we knew the issue from the very beginning. It wasn't something like it snuck up on us. The nice thing about wrestling is you get to put the two guys out there and see who wins. You don't have to pick or choose necessarily. Both of them are high performers, or have been. It's just the way it is. I don't know if you can do anything about it.
Q. [Inaudible]?
JOHN SMITH: I think if the coaches wanted that, there was a big support for that, I don't see that being a disadvantage for the student-athlete.
Q. The nature of the sport, because you yourself have to re-- two-time all-Americans are not good enough -- is that good for the sport and there's a growing number of transfers --
CAEL SANDERSON: I think there are a lot of things that come into play with what you're saying. Generally speaking, wrestling needs more scholarships. I don't think the issue isn't that we have too many guys and can't get them all in the lineup. That happens occasionally. And obviously -- like for us heavyweight, it really -- it really is gleaming, right?
But heavyweight is just that weight class where there's nowhere else to go. They're not going up a weight because there's no other weight. And Nick Nevills is two-time All-American, great wrestler. We have a ton of confidence in him. If he was in the tournament I think he could do really well. But Cassar moved up and earned that spot. And that's wrestling. You get a chance to earn it.
Transfers, you're probably going to see more and more transfers. That's more on the NCAA and them trying to kind of bend to accommodate student-athletes. We'll see. We'll see. I think it will probably be a problem. It's probably not in the best interests of what sports are supposed to kind of teach you a little bit about commitment and when you give your word or something or you sign a contract, usually -- it's just tricky. Right?
So you can look at it from a lot of different perspectives and obviously I'm going to see from my perspective. But I think it will be a challenge. I think you're seeing that with other sports already.
But I think wrestling we're more on the other side where we should be fighting for more than 9.9 scholarships. We have ten weight classes. I don't know why that isn't brought up more. But this tournament, sold out. You can't get a ticket here. Dual meets are growing. The popularity in the sport's growing. We should be getting more scholarships. That would be in the best interests of wrestling, yeah.
Q. All five of you have had decorated wrestling careers of your own. Just being in this venue, what memories does it bring back for your time as a collegiate wrestler?
TOM BRANDS: Duplicate and exceed, that's what we want to do. We have a lot of coaches that did well in this sport. And we want our guys to find their own path and exceed what we've done. And it's never been about me or my experience except for how we mentor our guys and how we train them.
But this is about their path and we're really about how these guys are maturing and getting their own chance at what they want to attain at the sport at the highest level -- national, world and Olympic championships. And you can't separate that world and Olympic championship from the NCAAs, especially in the cross-section of the kids that we're all recruiting right here.
And that's who we're recruiting. We're recruiting guys that want to be national, world and Olympic champions. Duplicate and exceed, that's what we want for our guys. So, it's exciting.
It's a great venue, it's exciting when you walk in. It doesn't change anymore. It looks the same in Pittsburgh, Cleveland, Philadelphia and Des Moines. And so it's exciting, brings back good memories.
KEITH GAVIN: I think like Coach Brands said, I don't think about my experience that often because it's not about me. I'm just trying to encourage these guys and individually help them get their best performance. I mean it's all the same. And I think that they need to take it one match at a time and that's probably pretty cliché advice, but it's cliché for a reason. I think it's probably the way to do it.
Q. Keith, I think it was two years ago, your first day on the job was the day they announced the tournament would be here in Pittsburgh. Did you think about that back then and what might be happening two years later? And follow-up to that would be, what's it like for you and your wrestlers to have this event in Pittsburgh, which is considered a hotbed of high school wrestling?
KEITH GAVIN: When it was announced, I didn't really think too much about it. There was a lot going on at the time. I kind of played it off like I did this and got it here, but that wasn't the case.
But for our guys, like I said, a lot of them -- we have five qualifiers, three of them are from right here. It's special for them and it will never happen again for them. For them it's being grateful for this opportunity and making the most out of it.
Q. Coach Gavin, you had three guys in Meech Thomas, Micky Phillippi and Nino Bonaccorsi burst on the scene. When did you and the coaching staff know you had something special with those guys in particular?
KEITH GAVIN: They're all different cases. Micky was a transfer, and I've known Micky since he was a little kid. We kind of knew what we were getting there. And he's a very successful high school athlete and just a great kid all around.
Meech, we really didn't know. We needed a heavyweight, and found him in the NAIA and he was looking to transfer. We knew he had a lot of ability, but what we didn't know was he also has a really strong will. And I guess that's hard to find when you're just watching tape.
And Nino is similar to Micky. Nino grew up in the Pittsburgh Wrestling Club, and I knew his older brother who wrestled at Pitt. So you kind of know what you're getting with those two guys because we just had a relationship with them.
Q. Cael, eight, nine years ago you saw Jason Nolf probably for the first time. What made you think he was going to be so special, and how he's progressed through his career this coming weekend?
CAEL SANDERSON: I think Jason is special. You can tell just by the look in his eye. He's very confident. And the bigger the match, the better he wrestles. But, yeah, I think especially midway, kind of late into his high school career you could just kind of see that he was separating himself and a lot of that is his desire, his work ethic, his drive. It's just him wanting to be the best and believing that he can be that.
Q. Coach Brands, you have a pretty young team in terms of how many years of eligibility they have left. You've been coaching a long time. How would you compare maybe this team's level of maturity and leadership from some of the young guys to some of the other teams you've had in the past?
TOM BRANDS: That's a question that probably has a long answer to it, and a short answer would be these guys know what they want. They're excited to be here because they know that this is the most important time of the year. They feed off of each other like all good teams do.
And when you look at our season, how it went, we got whooped at the end. And sometimes when you get whipped at the end, you don't handle it well.
And we had 10 guys and 25 more at home that handled it pretty well. That's not just me making a prediction. There was hangover that first day at the Big Tens, that first round or whatever, and then maybe straightened out a little bit. But that's what this weekend is about. We'll answer that question through the weekend, and I'll let you know how it went.
Q. Coach Brands and Coach Sanderson, with the growth and development of regional training centers, how have you seen those make an impact on your college programs?
TOM BRANDS: It's been great. It's not a new frontier but it's a newer frontier. And I think that USA Wrestling has done a good job of managing it as we go forward into it more and more. They're becoming more popular and it's definitely made a difference with the development that's happening.
And not just young, like young athletes. The obvious benefit is for the young athletes but also for veterans. Veterans have gotten better. They can stay in the sport longer because of financial reasons, opportunities are there more than ever before. And not little money either, not just getting-by rent money. It can add up to significant income. It's been a good thing.
CAEL SANDERSON: I think Coach Brands pretty much said everything I would say. I think the proof's in the pudding. I think USA Wrestling is doing very well. I think all ages -- junior, cadet, senior, Senior World Team, so it's definitely working for USA Wrestling, and it's a great benefit if you take advantage of it.
We're trying to do the best we can taking advantage of it. And it's great for the kids on our team. Like Coach Brands said it's great for the senior-level guys. And I think that we're seeing that with the international success of USA Wrestling.
Q. Keith, since you're the only nonpower conference with the Big Ten and Big 12 up here, Pitt's been a member of the ACC going on a decade now -- 41 qualifiers, 60 percent of the conferences qualifying. When people say ACC they're starting to think good wrestling conference. What have you seen from your time being an assistant, being an athlete and being a head coach and seeing where the growth of the ACC is coming in wrestling?
KEITH GAVIN: Yeah, it's pretty fun to be part of. All the coaches in the ACC are doing a great job, obviously. And it's fun to be part of a competitive conference. I mean, when I was in college it wasn't that long ago and that was -- when you had an ACC guy you were pretty happy about it. We're now -- maybe that's not the case anymore.
So it's just fun to be part of a competitive conference. And our guys get tested throughout the year wrestling those duals and of course our championship, and they know they're ready for this.
Q. To piggyback off of Taylor's earlier question, when you first got the job, you talked about the importance of building the Pitt Wrestling Club. You've got a guy in Megaludis, just went 3-1 at the World Cup, how has that come along and do you see that growing in your two years on the job?
KEITH GAVIN: It's been going really well. It wasn't done before at Pitt. So that was a lot of explaining what RTC was and what you had to do to get a fully functioning one. It's going well.
I think my time at Ohio State, at the Ohio RTC there it helped me a lot. I saw what Coach Ryan had to do and all the efforts that went into that and that was a great experience and trying to duplicate what we had going on there.
Q. Obviously you care about every one of your student-athletes that compete here. But for your seniors, this is their final college opportunity. And I think each one of you guys have some seniors that you're proud of and you'd like to see them have a successful NCAA Tournament when they're finishing up what they're doing as part of your program. I was just wondering if you could talk a little bit about the seniors on your team and individually your thoughts about some of these guys and what they've meant to your team?
TOM RYAN: We've got a couple of seniors on our team that been here for quite a while at Ohio State and some not as long. So the relationships that you build with them, you like to see them leave with what the ultimate goal was in their wrestling life.
I think the bigger thing, though, is as much as we want that for them and you visualize hoisting them up on Saturday night, you can play those scenarios over and over in your mind, but ultimately you're glad that you helped them suffer, that you've caused difficulties for them, that they've been through some things in a college wrestling room, whether winning, losing, just fighting the battle of being a college wrestler is very hard.
College wrestling is very hard. And you hope they leave and take things with them more than anything. But obviously I'm hoping to do some hoisting this weekend.
JOHN SMITH: I have several. Derek White, our heavyweight, his journey has been interesting, went to Nebraska, didn't work there for him, and ended up walking on Oklahoma State.
And two of his three years was a walk-on. This was his first year he's ever really, where we had the opportunity to give him money. He's been a nice story from the standpoint of didn't know if he was going to finish his career in the sport to here he is ranked number one in the country as a senior in likely his final tournament.
Jacobi Smith, another Oklahoma boy, both from Oklahoma, and Preston Weigel, 197-pounder, who has been challenged with a lot of injuries. He's found himself back in the lineup for his senior year.
And so it's pretty exciting. My seniors have gone through some different challenges, a little bit like Tom said, it's tough being a wrestler and sometimes it's challenging. And for my seniors, they've gone through the challenges and really been true leaders. Especially this season as we've gone through a lot of injuries, these guys really stepped up.
CAEL SANDERSON: I would just say there were, just like Coach Ryan said, we want these guys to be happy when they leave. We've had a very special group that are now seniors and you just want them to be smiling when the weekend's over and maybe this is the end for them. Maybe they'll keep wrestling depending on who it is.
But we want them to be happy. And obviously I can't do that for them. They've got to go out there and write this final few pages of their book or whatever, however you want to say it. But you want them to be happy. And we're grateful that we've had this time with them.
Q. Coach Brands, can you talk a little bit about Max Murin's development this season? He's been a little bit up and down but had a really good Big Ten tournament, talk about that momentum that he's feeling coming into this tournament?
TOM BRANDS: Biggest thing with Max Murin is that he fights hard. Wrestling's important to him. And he's learning as he goes. He's young. It's not an excuse. But sometimes when you're young it's not quite like you envisioned it, and he's wading through the adversity like everybody has to. And he's handled it with a very mature perspective.
We love Max Murin in our program. And we joke he leads with his face. And I don't mind guys like that.
Q. Coach Sanderson, we've heard a lot of wrestlers mention mental toughness as the biggest strides they've made since they came into the Penn State program. We've seen Bonnie Epstein travel with the program a lot more this year or I have in photos. I wondered if you could tell us a little bit about her role with the team and how she helps your wrestlers improve the psychology and the mental part of their game?
CAEL SANDERSON: Bonnie's been traveling with us for a while now, I think more than just a couple of years. I have all the confidence in the world in Bonnie. I met her when I was competing a long time ago, and when we had the chance to bring her on staff we did.
But just really honest, good advice. And I think -- we love having her and she's very good at what she does. But she's a counselor slash -- if you call her a sports psychologist she'd slap me. I don't know why. Still don't understand. It is counselor, whatever, it's all the same thing to me. But she's very valuable to us and she's part of the family and we love having her, yeah.
Q. Coach Sanderson, would you say your opinions on the conference tournament has maybe changed over the last few years?
CAEL SANDERSON: In what way?
Q. Conference tournaments, has your opinion changed --
CAEL SANDERSON: I don't think my opinion's changed. I guess I don't know what you're getting at. But it's a qualifier. It's a conference tournament. The Big Ten is very important to every team in there. You want to do well.
Obviously the bigger picture is to get your guys to the nationals and you want to be at your best this weekend. But doing well at the Big Ten Tournament is very important to your school and your community and your fans and the wrestlers. So I don't think anything's really changed unless there's something I'm missing, I don't know.
Q. Keith, with your experience in this tournament and everything, what kind of advice -- what have you told to a wrestler like Micky, a freshman, who's seeded as high as 4; he has a win over No. 1 seed -- just going into a tournament like this, in his hometown, that he's said he's looked up to a tournament like this all his life, what kind of advice have you told him going in to deal with the pressure?
KEITH GAVIN: Micky's experience is different than mine I think. He's in a very tough weight class where -- maybe one of the toughest ones that we've seen in a long time. So when I wrestled it wasn't necessarily that way. I had a couple guys that I had to be concerned with. But every round he's got to be ready to go.
I'm not really concerned with that with him. He's a true competitor and this is what he does best. He's best in moments like this. So just kind of remind him of that; this is who he is. Remind him of that and make sure he keeps it simple.
Q. Coach Gavin and Sanderson, what are the chances we could see a Penn State-Pitt home-and-home dual series the next couple of years?
KEITH GAVIN: Yeah, I'm good with that. They have a tougher -- because the Big Ten schedule -- we only have six teams in the ACC. So our schedule is a lot easier to work out. So I know those guys have a much tougher deal with that.
CAEL SANDERSON: I think there's been talk of that. But it's something that we've -- we wrestled Pitt every year, I think, the first however many years I was at Penn State. So it's not anything, any stretch of the imagination, obviously.
THE MODERATOR: Thank you.
FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports
Wednesday, March 20, 2019
Cael Sanderson
Tom Ryan
John Smith
Keith Gavin
Tom Brands
Press Conference
THE MODERATOR: We're joined from left to right by Tom Ryan, head coach at Ohio State; Cael Sanderson, head coach Penn State; Tom Brands, head coach at Iowa; John Smith, head coach at Oklahoma State; and Keith Gavin, head coach at Pittsburgh. Coach Ryan.
TOM RYAN: Great to be in Pittsburgh at the National Championships. I know as a young kid growing up, I was a big Steelers fan, '75, '76, '79 and '80. They won the championship. My brother was a Cowboy fan, so I loved making fun of him at the time. But I love the city.
We've got three guys that are from this area in Luke Pletcher at 33, Te'Shan Campbell at 65 and Ethan Smith at 74. So it's good for those guys to have an opportunity to compete in the home area. And looking forward to getting the weekend underway.
CAEL SANDERSON: I don't really have a statement. I'd just say we're happy to be here and thank you all for being here.
TOM BRANDS: Fired up to compete. I'm speaking for our guys, and they're fired up as well. And like Tom Ryan said, we have some local flavor here as well.
JOHN SMITH: Just looking forward to it. Kind of neat that we're having the championships here. I think it's a great place to have them. And I'm sure it's going to be a great show.
KEITH GAVIN: We're excited to have it here in Pittsburgh, obviously. It's a special opportunity for our guys. Most of our team is from Pittsburgh. So, yeah, we're all excited.
THE MODERATOR: Questions?
Q. For all of you, but Keith especially, how important is it to recruit this area of Pennsylvania, this District 7 area? And, Keith, how important is it for you to get guys to stay home here?
KEITH GAVIN: For us, it's really important. If we're not getting guys around here, we're going to struggle. So one of our advantages is certainly location. We're very close to northeast Ohio, too, and that's another strong area. It's probably the most important thing we do.
TOM RYAN: Pennsylvania is a great state for wrestling. This region, we have three on our team from this region. I'm excited for Keith and what he's doing for the program. He was with Ohio State in our regional training center for a couple of years and got to know him really well and excited for what he's doing here.
Recruiting is a huge part of compiling a team that's got a chance to compete for a title every year. It's a great region and we've got to be in this region.
Q. Coach Smith, you obviously had to do a little lineup shuffling at the end of the year. What went into the decisions and when were those decisions made?
JOHN SMITH: Well, we had some injuries throughout the year. And that was really part of the reason why we had to shuffle our lineup. Other than that, trying to win dual meets and putting our strongest team out.
We at one time really thought everybody would stay up and we thought Preston Weigel would be out for the season. And just a miraculous recovery that he had. All of a sudden in February he's back. And we didn't plan on that.
So just some challenges that unfortunately the rules that are in place today didn't really acknowledge some of those challenges that coaches have with weight issues, with guys getting injured, moving guys around, trying to fill a team. We like to win dual meets, so we're going to try to put our best team out.
Maybe in the future we can consider the challenges coaches have with injuries and moving guys around. But honestly it was a tough year and tough decisions at the end.
Q. John and Cael, both of you were in situations where two-time all-Americans are not wrestling for your team. And I understand the nature of the sport how competitive it is. But could you talk to me about the limitations of the sport because of the situations where there's only so many spots, there are no reserves, and because of that there are a growing number of transfers in the sport? Is this good for the sport?
JOHN SMITH: I don't know how to answer that. I mean, we as a team, we knew the issue from the very beginning. It wasn't something like it snuck up on us. The nice thing about wrestling is you get to put the two guys out there and see who wins. You don't have to pick or choose necessarily. Both of them are high performers, or have been. It's just the way it is. I don't know if you can do anything about it.
Q. [Inaudible]?
JOHN SMITH: I think if the coaches wanted that, there was a big support for that, I don't see that being a disadvantage for the student-athlete.
Q. The nature of the sport, because you yourself have to re-- two-time all-Americans are not good enough -- is that good for the sport and there's a growing number of transfers --
CAEL SANDERSON: I think there are a lot of things that come into play with what you're saying. Generally speaking, wrestling needs more scholarships. I don't think the issue isn't that we have too many guys and can't get them all in the lineup. That happens occasionally. And obviously -- like for us heavyweight, it really -- it really is gleaming, right?
But heavyweight is just that weight class where there's nowhere else to go. They're not going up a weight because there's no other weight. And Nick Nevills is two-time All-American, great wrestler. We have a ton of confidence in him. If he was in the tournament I think he could do really well. But Cassar moved up and earned that spot. And that's wrestling. You get a chance to earn it.
Transfers, you're probably going to see more and more transfers. That's more on the NCAA and them trying to kind of bend to accommodate student-athletes. We'll see. We'll see. I think it will probably be a problem. It's probably not in the best interests of what sports are supposed to kind of teach you a little bit about commitment and when you give your word or something or you sign a contract, usually -- it's just tricky. Right?
So you can look at it from a lot of different perspectives and obviously I'm going to see from my perspective. But I think it will be a challenge. I think you're seeing that with other sports already.
But I think wrestling we're more on the other side where we should be fighting for more than 9.9 scholarships. We have ten weight classes. I don't know why that isn't brought up more. But this tournament, sold out. You can't get a ticket here. Dual meets are growing. The popularity in the sport's growing. We should be getting more scholarships. That would be in the best interests of wrestling, yeah.
Q. All five of you have had decorated wrestling careers of your own. Just being in this venue, what memories does it bring back for your time as a collegiate wrestler?
TOM BRANDS: Duplicate and exceed, that's what we want to do. We have a lot of coaches that did well in this sport. And we want our guys to find their own path and exceed what we've done. And it's never been about me or my experience except for how we mentor our guys and how we train them.
But this is about their path and we're really about how these guys are maturing and getting their own chance at what they want to attain at the sport at the highest level -- national, world and Olympic championships. And you can't separate that world and Olympic championship from the NCAAs, especially in the cross-section of the kids that we're all recruiting right here.
And that's who we're recruiting. We're recruiting guys that want to be national, world and Olympic champions. Duplicate and exceed, that's what we want for our guys. So, it's exciting.
It's a great venue, it's exciting when you walk in. It doesn't change anymore. It looks the same in Pittsburgh, Cleveland, Philadelphia and Des Moines. And so it's exciting, brings back good memories.
KEITH GAVIN: I think like Coach Brands said, I don't think about my experience that often because it's not about me. I'm just trying to encourage these guys and individually help them get their best performance. I mean it's all the same. And I think that they need to take it one match at a time and that's probably pretty cliché advice, but it's cliché for a reason. I think it's probably the way to do it.
Q. Keith, I think it was two years ago, your first day on the job was the day they announced the tournament would be here in Pittsburgh. Did you think about that back then and what might be happening two years later? And follow-up to that would be, what's it like for you and your wrestlers to have this event in Pittsburgh, which is considered a hotbed of high school wrestling?
KEITH GAVIN: When it was announced, I didn't really think too much about it. There was a lot going on at the time. I kind of played it off like I did this and got it here, but that wasn't the case.
But for our guys, like I said, a lot of them -- we have five qualifiers, three of them are from right here. It's special for them and it will never happen again for them. For them it's being grateful for this opportunity and making the most out of it.
Q. Coach Gavin, you had three guys in Meech Thomas, Micky Phillippi and Nino Bonaccorsi burst on the scene. When did you and the coaching staff know you had something special with those guys in particular?
KEITH GAVIN: They're all different cases. Micky was a transfer, and I've known Micky since he was a little kid. We kind of knew what we were getting there. And he's a very successful high school athlete and just a great kid all around.
Meech, we really didn't know. We needed a heavyweight, and found him in the NAIA and he was looking to transfer. We knew he had a lot of ability, but what we didn't know was he also has a really strong will. And I guess that's hard to find when you're just watching tape.
And Nino is similar to Micky. Nino grew up in the Pittsburgh Wrestling Club, and I knew his older brother who wrestled at Pitt. So you kind of know what you're getting with those two guys because we just had a relationship with them.
Q. Cael, eight, nine years ago you saw Jason Nolf probably for the first time. What made you think he was going to be so special, and how he's progressed through his career this coming weekend?
CAEL SANDERSON: I think Jason is special. You can tell just by the look in his eye. He's very confident. And the bigger the match, the better he wrestles. But, yeah, I think especially midway, kind of late into his high school career you could just kind of see that he was separating himself and a lot of that is his desire, his work ethic, his drive. It's just him wanting to be the best and believing that he can be that.
Q. Coach Brands, you have a pretty young team in terms of how many years of eligibility they have left. You've been coaching a long time. How would you compare maybe this team's level of maturity and leadership from some of the young guys to some of the other teams you've had in the past?
TOM BRANDS: That's a question that probably has a long answer to it, and a short answer would be these guys know what they want. They're excited to be here because they know that this is the most important time of the year. They feed off of each other like all good teams do.
And when you look at our season, how it went, we got whooped at the end. And sometimes when you get whipped at the end, you don't handle it well.
And we had 10 guys and 25 more at home that handled it pretty well. That's not just me making a prediction. There was hangover that first day at the Big Tens, that first round or whatever, and then maybe straightened out a little bit. But that's what this weekend is about. We'll answer that question through the weekend, and I'll let you know how it went.
Q. Coach Brands and Coach Sanderson, with the growth and development of regional training centers, how have you seen those make an impact on your college programs?
TOM BRANDS: It's been great. It's not a new frontier but it's a newer frontier. And I think that USA Wrestling has done a good job of managing it as we go forward into it more and more. They're becoming more popular and it's definitely made a difference with the development that's happening.
And not just young, like young athletes. The obvious benefit is for the young athletes but also for veterans. Veterans have gotten better. They can stay in the sport longer because of financial reasons, opportunities are there more than ever before. And not little money either, not just getting-by rent money. It can add up to significant income. It's been a good thing.
CAEL SANDERSON: I think Coach Brands pretty much said everything I would say. I think the proof's in the pudding. I think USA Wrestling is doing very well. I think all ages -- junior, cadet, senior, Senior World Team, so it's definitely working for USA Wrestling, and it's a great benefit if you take advantage of it.
We're trying to do the best we can taking advantage of it. And it's great for the kids on our team. Like Coach Brands said it's great for the senior-level guys. And I think that we're seeing that with the international success of USA Wrestling.
Q. Keith, since you're the only nonpower conference with the Big Ten and Big 12 up here, Pitt's been a member of the ACC going on a decade now -- 41 qualifiers, 60 percent of the conferences qualifying. When people say ACC they're starting to think good wrestling conference. What have you seen from your time being an assistant, being an athlete and being a head coach and seeing where the growth of the ACC is coming in wrestling?
KEITH GAVIN: Yeah, it's pretty fun to be part of. All the coaches in the ACC are doing a great job, obviously. And it's fun to be part of a competitive conference. I mean, when I was in college it wasn't that long ago and that was -- when you had an ACC guy you were pretty happy about it. We're now -- maybe that's not the case anymore.
So it's just fun to be part of a competitive conference. And our guys get tested throughout the year wrestling those duals and of course our championship, and they know they're ready for this.
Q. To piggyback off of Taylor's earlier question, when you first got the job, you talked about the importance of building the Pitt Wrestling Club. You've got a guy in Megaludis, just went 3-1 at the World Cup, how has that come along and do you see that growing in your two years on the job?
KEITH GAVIN: It's been going really well. It wasn't done before at Pitt. So that was a lot of explaining what RTC was and what you had to do to get a fully functioning one. It's going well.
I think my time at Ohio State, at the Ohio RTC there it helped me a lot. I saw what Coach Ryan had to do and all the efforts that went into that and that was a great experience and trying to duplicate what we had going on there.
Q. Obviously you care about every one of your student-athletes that compete here. But for your seniors, this is their final college opportunity. And I think each one of you guys have some seniors that you're proud of and you'd like to see them have a successful NCAA Tournament when they're finishing up what they're doing as part of your program. I was just wondering if you could talk a little bit about the seniors on your team and individually your thoughts about some of these guys and what they've meant to your team?
TOM RYAN: We've got a couple of seniors on our team that been here for quite a while at Ohio State and some not as long. So the relationships that you build with them, you like to see them leave with what the ultimate goal was in their wrestling life.
I think the bigger thing, though, is as much as we want that for them and you visualize hoisting them up on Saturday night, you can play those scenarios over and over in your mind, but ultimately you're glad that you helped them suffer, that you've caused difficulties for them, that they've been through some things in a college wrestling room, whether winning, losing, just fighting the battle of being a college wrestler is very hard.
College wrestling is very hard. And you hope they leave and take things with them more than anything. But obviously I'm hoping to do some hoisting this weekend.
JOHN SMITH: I have several. Derek White, our heavyweight, his journey has been interesting, went to Nebraska, didn't work there for him, and ended up walking on Oklahoma State.
And two of his three years was a walk-on. This was his first year he's ever really, where we had the opportunity to give him money. He's been a nice story from the standpoint of didn't know if he was going to finish his career in the sport to here he is ranked number one in the country as a senior in likely his final tournament.
Jacobi Smith, another Oklahoma boy, both from Oklahoma, and Preston Weigel, 197-pounder, who has been challenged with a lot of injuries. He's found himself back in the lineup for his senior year.
And so it's pretty exciting. My seniors have gone through some different challenges, a little bit like Tom said, it's tough being a wrestler and sometimes it's challenging. And for my seniors, they've gone through the challenges and really been true leaders. Especially this season as we've gone through a lot of injuries, these guys really stepped up.
CAEL SANDERSON: I would just say there were, just like Coach Ryan said, we want these guys to be happy when they leave. We've had a very special group that are now seniors and you just want them to be smiling when the weekend's over and maybe this is the end for them. Maybe they'll keep wrestling depending on who it is.
But we want them to be happy. And obviously I can't do that for them. They've got to go out there and write this final few pages of their book or whatever, however you want to say it. But you want them to be happy. And we're grateful that we've had this time with them.
Q. Coach Brands, can you talk a little bit about Max Murin's development this season? He's been a little bit up and down but had a really good Big Ten tournament, talk about that momentum that he's feeling coming into this tournament?
TOM BRANDS: Biggest thing with Max Murin is that he fights hard. Wrestling's important to him. And he's learning as he goes. He's young. It's not an excuse. But sometimes when you're young it's not quite like you envisioned it, and he's wading through the adversity like everybody has to. And he's handled it with a very mature perspective.
We love Max Murin in our program. And we joke he leads with his face. And I don't mind guys like that.
Q. Coach Sanderson, we've heard a lot of wrestlers mention mental toughness as the biggest strides they've made since they came into the Penn State program. We've seen Bonnie Epstein travel with the program a lot more this year or I have in photos. I wondered if you could tell us a little bit about her role with the team and how she helps your wrestlers improve the psychology and the mental part of their game?
CAEL SANDERSON: Bonnie's been traveling with us for a while now, I think more than just a couple of years. I have all the confidence in the world in Bonnie. I met her when I was competing a long time ago, and when we had the chance to bring her on staff we did.
But just really honest, good advice. And I think -- we love having her and she's very good at what she does. But she's a counselor slash -- if you call her a sports psychologist she'd slap me. I don't know why. Still don't understand. It is counselor, whatever, it's all the same thing to me. But she's very valuable to us and she's part of the family and we love having her, yeah.
Q. Coach Sanderson, would you say your opinions on the conference tournament has maybe changed over the last few years?
CAEL SANDERSON: In what way?
Q. Conference tournaments, has your opinion changed --
CAEL SANDERSON: I don't think my opinion's changed. I guess I don't know what you're getting at. But it's a qualifier. It's a conference tournament. The Big Ten is very important to every team in there. You want to do well.
Obviously the bigger picture is to get your guys to the nationals and you want to be at your best this weekend. But doing well at the Big Ten Tournament is very important to your school and your community and your fans and the wrestlers. So I don't think anything's really changed unless there's something I'm missing, I don't know.
Q. Keith, with your experience in this tournament and everything, what kind of advice -- what have you told to a wrestler like Micky, a freshman, who's seeded as high as 4; he has a win over No. 1 seed -- just going into a tournament like this, in his hometown, that he's said he's looked up to a tournament like this all his life, what kind of advice have you told him going in to deal with the pressure?
KEITH GAVIN: Micky's experience is different than mine I think. He's in a very tough weight class where -- maybe one of the toughest ones that we've seen in a long time. So when I wrestled it wasn't necessarily that way. I had a couple guys that I had to be concerned with. But every round he's got to be ready to go.
I'm not really concerned with that with him. He's a true competitor and this is what he does best. He's best in moments like this. So just kind of remind him of that; this is who he is. Remind him of that and make sure he keeps it simple.
Q. Coach Gavin and Sanderson, what are the chances we could see a Penn State-Pitt home-and-home dual series the next couple of years?
KEITH GAVIN: Yeah, I'm good with that. They have a tougher -- because the Big Ten schedule -- we only have six teams in the ACC. So our schedule is a lot easier to work out. So I know those guys have a much tougher deal with that.
CAEL SANDERSON: I think there's been talk of that. But it's something that we've -- we wrestled Pitt every year, I think, the first however many years I was at Penn State. So it's not anything, any stretch of the imagination, obviously.
THE MODERATOR: Thank you.
FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports
Interesting coaches presser. One early question for Cael and John Smith was about if it’s bad for the sport to have very good wrestlers on the bench and if that has caused more transfers, for a second looked like Cael would brush it off, but then he gave one of the more in depth responses I’ve seen from him; saying wrestling deserves more scholarships based off of its successes, and that the new transfer rules could be teachings the athletes the wrong things. However.... later nomad asked Cael if his views of the conference championships have changed and Cael did not appreciate the question. Clearly nomad was trying to harp on his point hes been preaching about guys sitting out and not being penalized. Love flo but I personally find nomad to be insufferable, he can’t wait to rip on folk style at any chance, and really feels his opinions are very important. End rant
Nomad is T R Foley, Lite.
Walks around with his hipster act.
Pretends like he has a 160 IQ.
Wants to show everyone how smart he thinks he is.
Then on FRL NCAA previews, the lazy turd didn’t have predictions for half of the weights !!!!
Enough already.
At least Willie & CP have both (1) wrestled and (2) can be somewhat funny. Nomad is as funny as a bout of pneumonia.
Walks around with his hipster act.
Pretends like he has a 160 IQ.
Wants to show everyone how smart he thinks he is.
Then on FRL NCAA previews, the lazy turd didn’t have predictions for half of the weights !!!!
Enough already.
At least Willie & CP have both (1) wrestled and (2) can be somewhat funny. Nomad is as funny as a bout of pneumonia.
For anyone who watched, was this Nomad's "you've got a plan?" moment?
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Agree. Love Flo, but he comes across as not engaging his consumer, but just trying to show everyone he has a way deeper knowledge than everyone else. He may be right, but that doesn’t do anything to build the brand except to satisfy his personal opinion of himself.
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