Who impressed you the most? Penn State @ the NCAAs

[Cali_Nittany]

All of this has been discussed across several different threads but hey, I don't think enough positive things can be said about their performances.

133 - Keener
Bummer that his run ended so quickly. At least he beat Lemon's sour 0-2 prediction. Hats off to Keener for coming in and qualifying this weight which would most likely not have happened if he wasn't here.

141 - Lee
After shockingly getting pinned by Diehl back to back with Keener getting pinned, there were a couple of people ready to throw in the towel. Lee, of course, was not having any of that. Lee navigated through 5 wrestlers (including #9, 10, 16 and 12 seeds) on the backside and picked up a couple majors along the way to clinch AA. Following a loss to Eierman, he gave a few of us heart palpitations upsetting #5 seed Jack for 5th place.

149 - Zain
Zain took care of business. There never really was any doubt that he would get his 3rd title. What an awesome champion and great ambassador for Penn State wrestling! He led Penn State wrestlers in bonus points for the tourney.

157 - Nolf
Nolf was a tactician this tournament. Especially how he took apart Jordan. I did feel bad for Kemerer. That should've been the title match. It was great to see his knee recovered enough to keep his drive for 3 NCs alive.

165 - Joseph
In the toughest weight class, Joseph proved that last year was no fluke. He got into IMar's head. Yes, these are the backpoints I'm looking for. 165 is still loaded again next year but that will just make Joseph's 3rd title that much sweeter.

174 - Hall
Just 1 of our 2 wrestlers that didn't end on a win. However, he still had the 2nd most bonus points on the team. Decking Lewis in the semis was especially exciting. Zahid is an incredible wrestler and I really hope he moves up a weight before Anthony starts gnawing on his own fingers.

184 - Martin wins the matches against Nickal when they count the most. Oh wait... What more can be said about Nickal that hasn't already been said by him? Bo knows winning and giving great post-match interviews.

197 - Rasheed had a couple matches slip away (losing to the eventual champ) but did end on a win and had 3 majors. Maybe he needs a haircut.

H - Nevills finished lower than expected but never gave up and also finished out on a win. He also had the first pin for the team.

I allowed unlimited choices so that Roar can vote for the whole team.

 

[dbldoofus]

Cenzo. Bo did what Bo does. Cenzo didn’t surprise me, but winning that weight class is impressive.

 

[BigFreddy]

Mark Hall impressed me the most. Immediately following what had to be a crushing loss given his stated personal goals, he demonstratwd genuine excitement and joy for Bo's win and the team title. In his interviews after the finals, he was incredibly thoughtful, gracious and level-headed. i was just blown away by it.

 

[El-Jefe]

None of the above.
Signed, Mike Evans

 

[TangSoo]

Tough call for me. Nick Lee, Jason on one good knee, Bo knows drama. But I went with Cenzo winning a very tough weight class and convincingly beating an all-timer in the final.

 

[Lyons212]

For PSU, Cenzo, he absolutely controlled IMar the entire match. Everybody else, Spencer Lee, dominated the entire weight class, never threatened by Suriano and he demolished Tomasello. Left no doubt who the best wrestler in the weight class was. Yianni's win over Meredith also very impressive, give up the TD with about 40 seconds left and then patiently set up a cradle for the winning TD and 2 NF.

 

[Notsure75]

Mark Hall impressed me the most. Immediately following what had to be a crushing loss given his stated personal goals, he demonstratwd genuine excitement and joy for Bo's win and the team title. In his interviews after the finals, he was incredibly thoughtful, gracious and level-headed. i was just blown away by it.

If Hall would have won the mentally disturbed Hawkeye fans would have been calling Hall childish names like they were calling Bo Nickal.

 

[dunkej01]

I couldnt pick one, so I picked 3

Cenzo; toughest bracket in my mind and came out on top yet again. Mr. Brightlights

NLee: perseverance personified. Seniors let alone a 18-19 yo freshman fold up and go home after a bad loss at the NCAA tournament, but lee didnt and came all the way back to make the podium.

Nolf: The only person better than jason nolf on one leg is jason nolf on two legs. he was great on the mat, but the work he put in off the mat is what contributed the most to his hand being raised.

 

[RoarLions1]

I couldnt pick one, so I picked 3

Cenzo; toughest bracket in my mind and came out on top yet again. Mr. Brightlights

NLee: perseverance personified. Seniors let alone a 18-19 yo freshman fold up and go home after a bad loss at the NCAA tournament, but lee didnt and came all the way back to make the podium.

Nolf: The only person better than jason nolf on one leg is jason nolf on two legs. he was great on the mat, but the work he put in off the mat is what contributed the most to his hand being raised.

Re. Nolf, and other injured/tweaked/hurt wrestlers before him...Dan Monthly and the medical team are among the best in the business. They can't heal broken bones, but they can treat soft tissue injuries and get guys as ready as possible. Not quite Miyagi-like, that's too mysterious to me, but it's close .

Oh, and I couldn't pick just one either. In fact, I couldn't even pick 3. Love the team aspect under Cael's tutelage, sorry Cali...

 

[Diego Badman]

Lee, Nolf, and Joseph. Each finished above his seeding.

Of course, we might suggest that Nolf's seeding was inaccurate, but he showed us that he was able to intelligently adapt his style to compensate for his injury. He probably was only about 85% (though I think he said he was 100%). I imagine that wearing that leg brace would knock a 100% wrestler down to about 80 - 90%. Just a guess.

I can't say enough about Lee. True freshman navigates a mine field of ranked wrestlers to finish 5th. I think he is undersized a bit at 141, but he has an energy level that is a fun thing to watch.

Joseph is a cool tactician who knows how to win. He's great on defense, and he knows when to pick his spots. Tough weight class that will be tough again next year.

 

[PSUoh90]

Nolf - Quickly erased any doubts. I can't speak to any discomfort he may have had, but you certainly wouldn't have known it. Tough road for him, but dominated from start to finish. None of his opponents threatened to score. Bo had the Heisman moment, but Nolf was OW, in my opinion (if not Spencer Lee).

 

[JohnnyHandsome]

My initial gut reaction was Joseph... maybe because he seemed vulnerable after his loss during the season against Marinelli and Imar in the Big10 championships

However, getting through a very tough weight class and especially how he handled Imar for the championship... just took me by surprise and was the more unexpected

 

[Afw6006]

I agree with most above. NLee's no-quit drive to battle back, Zain for going out on top and being a great ambassador for PSU and wrestling, Nolf winning it all on 1 leg, Joseph aka Mr. Bright Lights and/or Mr. Clutch, Hall getting the big pin in the semis and being a great teammate to congratulate Bo right after his own goal slipping away, Bo clinching the tournament in style.

I may be alone on this, but when it's all said and done I can't say that I had VJ in the driver seat of being a 4xer over Nolf, Nickal, Hall. He's not always the bonus point machine that Nolf and Nickal are and isn't as accomplished on the world stage like Hall but he just finds a way to win when it matters most. IMO he also stopped Imar from being a 4xer.

 

[Antaeus]

As a wrestler Cenzo. To put himself in line to potentially make PSU history as our first 4 timer, in arguably the toughest weight class - wow. If so, he will step to the front of the GOAT line IMO.

As a person Mark Hall. Can’t remember the last time I saw any athlete in any sport handle defeat with such class and selflessness.

 

[Cali_Nittany]

Re. Nolf, and other injured/tweaked/hurt wrestlers before him...Dan Monthly and the medical team are among the best in the business. They can't heal broken bones, but they can treat soft tissue injuries and get guys as ready as possible. Not quite Miyagi-like, that's too mysterious to me, but it's close .

Oh, and I couldn't pick just one either. In fact, I couldn't even pick 3. Love the team aspect under Cael's tutelage, sorry Cali...

Don't be sorry. That's why I left it as unlimited votes.

 

[Brian LB-U]

Zahid would have walked through this year's 197# weight class IMO, even at 174. Monster.

 

[purescurve]

What impressed me the most was the interaction between Casey and Zain in the tunnel before his semi match. (DTV) Casey doesn't get near enough credit for all he does for the program. That's just my humble opinion

 

[El-Jefe]

Jason completely reconfigured his style in less than one month.

Result: he won 6 postseason matches 56-12 plus the 7th match by fall, and gave up 1 takedown in March. On one leg. Simply amazing.

Scarier yet: his adjustment may have made him a better freestyle wrestler on feet.

 

[PSUranger]

for me, most impressive has many facets so I am going to have to go with... "the team."

Most impressive
Heart = Nick Lee refusing to go home early
Match = Nolf's complete dismantling of Jordan or Cenzo over Imar
Domination = Zain's team points (also most sentimental moment watching him leave the mat)
Moment = Bo's pin

Sure I am missing some but I am experiencing a bit of withdrawl this week.

 

[The Stan]

Jason completely reconfigured his style in less than one month.

Result: he won 6 postseason matches 56-12 plus the 7th match by fall, and gave up 1 takedown in March. On one leg. Simply amazing.

Scarier yet: his adjustment may have made him a better freestyle wrestler on feet.

This is why I voted Nolf. I think it also says volumes about the coaching staff that helped him make the change.

 

[7brwnpsu]

All 9!

 

[eddy line]

Nolf. IMO, none of the other 9 national champs would have won a title with Nolf's injury, let alone in such dominant fashion.

 

[tikk10]

Mark Hall really impressed me because I was pretty sure Daniel Lewis was going to give him problems. I don't see how Zahid made 174 all year because he looks as big as Shak, esp on Saturday night. His reach really makes a difference against Hall, who still looks like the only guy not cutting at 174. But I think Hall wrestled as well as he ever has for Penn State throughout the tournament.

 

[tabenn]

I thought for sure the winner at 165 would win OW---Very happy for BO--but dang 165 just stacked! and beating Imar !

 

[funkisfun12]

Thankfully we could vote for more than one wrestler. It would have been hard to not vote for Cenzo or Nick Lee after their performances. Bo, well what more can you say. He provided another great moment in PSU wrestling lore, but what Nolf was able to do simply amazed me. To be able to win a NC after what he'd been through, and to basically change his approach to do it, well, Burroughs was right. Nolf is not human. And I don't like to dehumanize these young men, heck, they have problems and emotions like the rest of us. Maybe it's better to state "Very few humans can do what Nolf did, and does."

 

[NittanyLion84]

I’ll vote for all the non-starters on the team. The commitment, dedication and hard work all these guys put forward, day in day out, with little recognition, is simply amazing. Our starters wouldn’t be able to do “what Penn State Wrestlers do”, without them.