Toughest weight bracket, all-time at the NCAA's

[fadzaev2 98]

There is talk of the 133 pound weight  class being the greatest of all-time, and I was willing to think it might just be, until yesterday when I was talking to a few good buddies.  A couple of wt. class brackets popped up from the past, and I researched them and here's what I found....

2008 149 pounds

1.   Metcalf  1st 2nd 1st

2.  Jenkins   2nd  and 1st at 157 (we all know how that worked out)

3.  Burroughs    3rd  1st and 1st, both at 157

4. J. Churella  8th  2nd 4th

5.  Darrion Caldwell    5th  1st

6.  JP O'Connor  5th, 6th and 1st

7.  Dustin Schlatter  1st, 3rd, 7th

8.  Lance Palmer  4th, 8th, 4th, 2nd

 

8 NCAA CHAMPIONS

22 All-americans

All 8 guys were multiple time All-Americans

 

Another wt. class that came to mind in terms of most NCAA titles in the wt. class

1994 158 pounds  (Most NCAA titles in the wt. class?)

1.  Pat Smith  1 1 1 1

2.  Sean Bormet  3 2

3. Earl  Walker  3

4.  Dan Alar  4

5.  Marcus Mollica  1 5 1 4

6.  Aaron Moran  6

7.  Joe Williams  7 1 1 1

8.  Dan Wirnsberger  4  8  2  

 

9 NCAA CHAMPIONS

20 All Americans

 

Maybe someone top one of these, or both!!!  Could be lot's more????

 

Only 6 more days 'til the BIG DANCE, as Ed Aliverti used to say "The Greatest Show on Earth",  about 10 years ago, tired of watching Bball between session, and hearing the term March Madness way too many times, I started saying what about March Matness ©!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[pennsyrules 185]

Tough to beat the 149 you displayed!

[MSU158 1,264]

133 will likely surpass even 149 when all their careers are done and Gross isn’t even in this year’s bracket. Fix has 3 more years left. Suriano has another. DeSanto has 2 more.  Micic has another year. Phillipi is only a freshman. Wilson has 2 more left.  Pletcher has another. Gomez and RBY are both freshmen as well. 

Simply put, there are a ton of guys that are going to be 3x AA’s if not 4.  If some of them move weights(which is inevitable), they should increase the amount of Championships as well. 

[yonz_g 36]

Don't overlook [2014 125 lbs.]

1st: Jesse Delgado -  2x Champ, 3x all-american

2nd: Nahshon Garrett - 1x Champ, 4x all-american, 2x Finalist

3rd: Nico Megaludis - 1x Champ, 4x all-american, 3x Finalist

4th: Joey Dance - 2x all-american

5th: Cory Clark - 1x Champ, 4x all-american, 3x Finalist

6th: Dylan Peters - 2x all-american

7th: Darian Cruz - 1x Champ, 3x all-american

8th:  Earl Hall - 2x all-american

6 NCAA Champions

24 All Americans

11 Finals Appearences

[2td3nf 434]

Don't have the stats in front of me and don't even have the year, but the year Tirapelle won 149 was a brutal bracket.

Again, don't have the stats so don't know how the numbers compare to the above comparisons.

[fadzaev2 98]

39 minutes ago, MSU158 said:

133 will likely surpass even 149 when all their careers are done and Gross isn’t even in this year’s bracket. Fix has 3 more years left. Suriano has another. DeSanto has 2 more.  Micic has another year. Phillipi is only a freshman. Wilson has 2 more left.  Pletcher has another. Gomez and RBY are both freshmen as well. 

Simply put, there are a ton of guys that are going to be 3x AA’s if not 4.  If some of them move weights(which is inevitable), they should increase the amount of Championships as well. 

I thought of that.....not going to disagree with you....but at present!!!!!

[BigTenFanboy 1,513]

In 2008 most of those accomplishments had not yet taken place. - 6 previous AA placements with 2 of them outside the top 4.

Metcalf was not yet an AA

Lance Palmer was a 1x AA returning 4

JB not yet an AA

Caldwell not yet an AA

Schlatter 2x AA 1 and Returning 3

Churella 2x AA 8 and returning 2

Jenkins not yet an AA

O'connor a 1x AA returning 5

 

Compared to this years 133 - 7 previous AA placements all within the top 4.

Miccic 2x AA 4 AND returning 2

Lizak 2x AA 2 and returning 4

Suriano returning 2

Pletcher returning 4

Wilson returning 3

The 2008 bracket went on to do some amazing things, but you cant give credit for how tough a bracket is form things they haven't yet accomplished.

 

 

 

 

[fudge_tunnel 106]

1 hour ago, 2td3nf said:

Don't have the stats in front of me and don't even have the year, but the year Tirapelle won 149 was a brutal bracket.

Again, don't have the stats so don't know how the numbers compare to the above comparisons.

Only 1 other in that weight won a national title - Jared Lawrence.  Also had M Zadick, Dave Esposito, Jared Frayer.  All very tough and multiple time AA’s, but not at the level of the ‘08 149, ‘94 158 or ‘19 133

[tigerfan 97]

How about 2015 197?  Gadsen 3xAA/1 Champ, Snyder 4xAA/3xChamp, Cox 4xAA/3xChamp, Schiller 3xAA, Burak 3xAA, McIntosh 3xAA, Hartmann 3xAA and Huntley 1xAA

[Katie 535]

2016 heavyweight at least deserves a mention:

• Snyder (NCAA 3x champ, 4x AA) (UWW 3x gold medalist, 1x silver)
• Gwiz (NCAA 2x champ, 4x AA) (UWW 2x bronze medalist)
• Coon (NCAA 2x runner up, 3x AA) (UWW 1x silver medalist, 2x junior bronze medalist, 1x cadet gold medalist)
• Walz (NCAA 3x AA) (UWW U23 bronze medalist)
• Dhesi (NCAA 2x AA so far) (UWW junior gold medalist)

[luckysevens 1]

125 2018

Lee 

Suriano

Tomasello

Lizak

Cruz

Rivera

Bresser

Moisey

 

3  Champions

6 Finalists

15 all American placments.

 

That's by the end of the tournament and not taking into account future accomplishments.

[lu_alum 602]

Don't think it's right to count total number of titles earned - prefer to count the number of eventual titlists.  (e.g., Pat Smith's, Joe Williams', and Marcus Mollica's 9 combined titles over-inflates the value of the bracket).  Total AA honors for the group is okay, but I would stay away from total titles.

I find myself looking many of the 125 brackets from the Travis Lee to the Nico Megaluids eras.  Just listing eventual champs (many multi-time AAs as well - e.g., Simmons, Haze, Sanders, Precin, etc)...

• 2002: Abas, Powell (5), Lee (7)
• 2003: Lee, Powell (3)
• 2004: Powell, Valenti (5), Dubuque (8)
• 2005: Dubuque, Coleman Scott (8)
• 2006: Dubuque, Nickerson (2), Scott (5), Donahoe (R12)
• 2007: Donahue; Nickerson (3), Escobedo (4), Ness (5)
• 2008: Escobedo, Ness (2), Donahue (3), Robles (R12)
• 2009: Nickerson, Donahue (2), Robles (4), Escobedo (5)
• 2010: McBono, Escobedo (3), Nickerson (4), Robles (7)
• 2011: Robles, McBono (2)
• 2012: McBono, Megaludis (2), Delgado (7)
• 2013: Delgado, Megaludis (2), Garrett (3); McBono (R12)
• 2014: Delgado, Garrett (2), Megaludis (3), Clark (5), Cruz (7)
• 2015: Tomasello, Garrett (5)
• 2016: Megaludis, Gillman (2), Tomasello (3), Cruz (R12)

Edited March 16 by lu_alum

[fadzaev2 98]

4 hours ago, yonz_g said:

Don't overlook [2014 125 lbs.]

1st: Jesse Delgado -  2x Champ, 3x all-american

2nd: Nahshon Garrett - 1x Champ, 4x all-american, 2x Finalist

3rd: Nico Megaludis - 1x Champ, 4x all-american, 3x Finalist

4th: Joey Dance - 2x all-american

5th: Cory Clark - 1x Champ, 4x all-american, 3x Finalist

6th: Dylan Peters - 2x all-american

7th: Darian Cruz - 1x Champ, 3x all-american

8th:  Earl Hall - 2x all-american

6 NCAA Champions

24 All Americans

11 Finals Appearences

Good one, I like it!!!

[KTG119 748]

A favorite bracket of mine is the 126 class, 1989.  

Kendall Cross 3 x AA 1 time champ Oly Gold

Michael Stokes 1x AA 1x finalist

Jim Martin 4-2-1-3

Tom Brands 4-1-1-1 Workd and Oly Gold

Jason Keller 5-2-1

Peter Gonzales 2x AA 

Gary McCall 2x AA

John Epperly 2x AA

 

the 177 class with Schultz, Banach, Heller, Hummel, Scheer etc is another that comes mind. 

118 in 1982 pretty distinctive as well; top 8 included 4 guys who would go on to earn world/Oly Silver or Gold: Davis, Darkus, Weaver, McFarland. 

Edited March 16 by KTG119

[KingK0ng 162]

That 08 bracket also had Ryan Lang in it that had been 2nd the year before at a weight lower. He lost to Bubba on the front side then lost to Will "The Thrill" Rowe in a wild match on the backside. Though Will never made AA he was a very good wrestler, one of the few that had a victory over Darrion Caldwell by fall.

 

A couple of other guys made AA the next year at this same weight in Bryce Saddoris and Jake Patacsil

[Housebuye 1,626]

16 hours ago, Katie said:

2016 heavyweight at least deserves a mention:

• Snyder (NCAA 3x champ, 4x AA) (UWW 3x gold medalist, 1x silver)
• Gwiz (NCAA 2x champ, 4x AA) (UWW 2x bronze medalist)
• Coon (NCAA 2x runner up, 3x AA) (UWW 1x silver medalist, 2x junior bronze medalist, 1x cadet gold medalist)
• Walz (NCAA 3x AA) (UWW U23 bronze medalist)
• Dhesi (NCAA 2x AA so far) (UWW junior gold medalist)

This weight may end up having 4 Olympians in 2020 (Dhesi for Canada). That has to be a record of some sort

[Cruocified 2]

17 hours ago, KTG119 said:

118 in 1982 pretty distinctive as well; top 8 included 4 guys who would go on to earn world/Oly Silver or Gold: Davis, Darkus, Weaver, McFarland. 

Weaver was already a silver world medalist in 1979 and made the Olympic team in 1980 at the time of this tournament, and then won Olympic gold in 84. He was a 48kg wrestler and was giving up a ton of weight in college, especially in the early 80s when guys were cutting a ridiculous amount, so he didn't accomplish much there, but was incredible at his natural weight.

[KTG119 748]

1 minute ago, Cruocified said:

Weaver was already a silver world medalist in 1979 and made the Olympic team in 1980 at the time of this tournament, and then won Olympic gold in 84. He was a 48kg wrestler and was giving up a ton of weight in college, especially in the early 80s when guys were cutting a ridiculous amount, so he didn't accomplish much there, but was incredible at his natural weight.

yep and with all that still manged to place 3rd this one time at NCAAs. one of his wins in this bracket was over McFarland an eventual world silver medalist at 136.  

[Bryan 45]

1 hour ago, Cruocified said:

Weaver was already a silver world medalist in 1979 and made the Olympic team in 1980 at the time of this tournament, and then won Olympic gold in 84. He was a 48kg wrestler and was giving up a ton of weight in college, especially in the early 80s when guys were cutting a ridiculous amount, so he didn't accomplish much there, but was incredible at his natural weight.

I would venture to guess that in 1982 the AA's at 118lb were naturally larger than the 125lb AA's in 2019.  It was nothing for them to be 5'7 and 150+ in the offseason.  

Edited March 17 by Bryan

[lu_alum 602]

31 minutes ago, Bryan said:

I would venture to guess that in 1982 the AA's at 118lb were naturally larger than the 125lb AA's in 2019.  It was nothing for them to be 5'7 and 150+ in the offseason.  

You ever hear stories about Gene Mills cutting weight?  I seem to recall one about his mounting an exercise bike in the van during a trip to a Lehigh dual.  

[fadzaev2 98]

2 hours ago, Cruocified said:

Weaver was already a silver world medalist in 1979 and made the Olympic team in 1980 at the time of this tournament, and then won Olympic gold in 84. He was a 48kg wrestler and was giving up a ton of weight in college, especially in the early 80s when guys were cutting a ridiculous amount, so he didn't accomplish much there, but was incredible at his natural weight.

Again, good stuff....I like it!!!!

[fadzaev2 98]

1 hour ago, Bryan said:

I would venture to guess that in 1982 the AA's at 118lb were naturally larger than the 125lb AA's in 2019.  It was nothing for them to be 5'7 and 150+ in the offseason.  

I remember talking to Jack Griffin and said he was quite a bit bigger than Zeke Jones for their finals match (night before weigh-in and Zeke wasn't huge for the weight class.

[cornercoach 447]

... great topic - some unbelievable statistics....

[pamela 856]

On 3/16/2019 at 9:17 AM, yonz_g said:

Don't overlook [2014 125 lbs.]

1st: Jesse Delgado -  2x Champ, 3x all-american

2nd: Nahshon Garrett - 1x Champ, 4x all-american, 2x Finalist

3rd: Nico Megaludis - 1x Champ, 4x all-american, 3x Finalist

4th: Joey Dance - 2x all-american

5th: Cory Clark - 1x Champ, 4x all-american, 3x Finalist

6th: Dylan Peters - 2x all-american

7th: Darian Cruz - 1x Champ, 3x all-american

8th:  Earl Hall - 2x all-american

6 NCAA Champions

24 All Americans

11 Finals Appearences

Alan Waters?

[Cruocified 2]

3 hours ago, Bryan said:

I would venture to guess that in 1982 the AA's at 118lb were naturally larger than the 125lb AA's in 2019.  It was nothing for them to be 5'7 and 150+ in the offseason.  

Barry looks like a 141 pounder in this 118 pound final.