Week-End Salvo

[Oracle]

Brackets are out! Seeds have been issued 1 thru 33. Let the games begin.

Big Question for Lehigh fans: with 4 seeded top 5 (2,2,4,5) and projecting team points within the top 5 -- what will be the reaction if these numbers fall short??? A tournament, IMO, that's the most exciting in the world, where everyone has to qualify meaning they are good. So-called "upsets" are guaranteed to happen -- they do every year without fail. It's about the only thing fans can count on. Will Lehigh's top seeds be immune this year?

Back to that later.

Stanich should advance past #31 from Rider. Next he has a 2X AA in DeAugustino or a very good Caleb Smith from Nebraska to get to the quarters. Big match in R2. Then most likely either AA Barnett (who he beat at Midlands in a close bout) or trending Jakob Camacho fro NCSU. Either will be tough. Then if he makes it into the semis it'll be one of Ayala, Flynn, or Sprately. Actually, the upper bracket looks tougher to me but this is no thrill ride.

Crookham has Leete and should advance Then probably Teske, Iowa, who is rugged, in R2. The in the quarters either Nagao or Nazir Bailey -- toss up -- No easy quarters for our guy. IMO, Vito will survive to the semis - can't see him losing to Orine if reasonably healthy. That sets up Act 3 of this season-long battle.

Beard has 2 relatively easy bouts (the spoils of being a top 4 seed) and then most likely either Elam or Cardenas. Cardenas won earlier in the year but I sure hope Elam takes him out for Beard. Then Brooks in semis.

Taylor has a guy from Cal Poly he beat last year and should advance. Pitzer or Doucet -- both present problems in R2. If he advances, he most likely gets Fat Boy from ASU in the quarters, although I hope Nash Hutmacher takes him out in R1. If Taylor makes semis, he likely gets Kerkvliet.

Without even mentioning the other 4 LU qualifiers, one can see just what a mine field this tournament is.
Hines--if he can get by Vasquez, he sets himself up nicely on the backside. Still I don't see him R12 agaiun unless he's one of those guys who pops a huge upset. Griffin is the guy who should advance past Rooks (although Rooks is probably waiting for his chance to atone for his LBF) then an interesting bout with #1 Lovett. Let's hope they don't much about Griffin. Of the 'other 4' I like Griffin's chances the most. Max has a very tough R1 opponent from Minnesota. I don't see him advancing. Hopefully he wins a couple on the backside. Logan has a kid from UNI in the 165 pigtail. No clue how that will come out.

Back to 'expectations' -- after reading this summary, one can see just how easy it would be to have things fall apart. When you look at the projected team points, there isn't much room for error or misstep. We could fall to 15th or lower just like that! Or, we could wrestle to seed or better and be in the hunt for a trophy. It's why former Navy coach Ed Peery called this The Animal Show.

Have a great weekend everyone.

[George Porgie]

But one thing for sure, Penn St. will be #1 again. I kind of prefer not knowing. It takes the sport out of it for me when the same team wins it every year. It's probably a lot like when Iowa won it every year or when Okie St won it what like 5 years in a row. Maybe Penn St. could join Cornell, Princeton and Penn and the others. They could have their own little tournament. I just want the Lehigh guys to present themselves and do the best they can. This is a really good bunch that probably won't be 4th but will create some exciting moments. I think it's extraordinary that we have four top five seeds. I never thought I would be seeing this at the beginning of the season. I feel like we already sort of won something.

[Dad]

Great summary. I will be rooting for the boys hard next week but there is no way in hell we get top 5. Looking at these draws, my prediction is 3 AAs. Crookham and Beard. Than either Stanich or Taylor - I sure do hope they both get on the podium but I don’t think they both will. As for the others, can’t see it happening. Malyke would be the only maybe — based on EIWAs…don’t think so. But here’s hoping I’m wrong and we get 5.

[mookie]

Big Question for Lehigh fans: with 4 seeded top 5 (2,2,4,5) and projecting team points within the top 5 -- what will be the reaction if these numbers fall short???

Pissed off, of course. It's all about one weekend in March, baby. Everything else is practice. If they fall short, then they didn't practice hard enough!

[The Kid]

I agree with so many high seeds and tough brackets it’s more likely they fall, short, but there is always the possibility of matching or doing better. Blockhus withdrew from Bg 10 with injury, so he will likely be off. Don’t rule Brignola out there. In round two Ed Scott is obviously super tough but not as good as Meyer and known to take losses to lower ranked opponents. Any of the three other lower ranked are capable of surprising.

In the end, I guess it’s the highest ranked that will be essential for team scores and there is the potential huge loss from one or two bad turns. I think Beard will be more dominant against Cardenas. In the last match, Cardenas kept backing up, then shooting when Beard stepped in. This was new for him and he got in deep, but still failed to score again and again. I think Lehigh coaching will help with adjustments. As for the rest of the bookends, anything can happen. I think any top ten finish is something to be happy about. A top five finish, extremely happy. Podium, ecstatic.

[LU61]

To me,it’s a regrettable fallacy to go with “the whole dual meet season is practice for the big March tournament cheese” and its attempt to present these two radically different things as all one big schmeer. Does my whole life culminate in my birthday? Does the meaning of my life experiences reveal itself on election day? Do my lifetime achievements appear in my awards won? What bloody nonsense! This is thought-structure bent to the servitude of results-anxiety.

[FloridaGuy]

>>>>>>Wrestling is both a team and individual sport, but at it’s heart, I believe it’s an individual sport.

The beauty of the sport is that we can enjoy the dual season that included a huge win over cu this year and now enjoy the individual performances at the NCAA tournament

Wrestlers come to Lehigh with the goal of become All Americans and NCAA champs. Lehigh’s the coaching staff understands that the highs and lows of the dual season are steps toward the ultimate individual goal of a podium finish. The mantra of ‘keep working to improve and keep scoring points’ has produced better than anticipated results this year.

There will be upsets both for and against Lehigh guys at the NCAAs. It will be the classic rollercoaster with celebratory highs and gut wrenching lows.

Four All American with a top ten finish would, imo, put an exclamation mark on an extremely successful season.

[The Kid]

I am ready to enjoy the roller-coaster.

[1/2NELSON]

>>>>>>Wrestling is both a team and individual sport, but at it’s heart, I believe it’s an individual sport.

The beauty of the sport is that we can enjoy the dual season that included a huge win over cu this year and now enjoy the individual performances at the NCAA tournament

Wrestlers come to Lehigh with the goal of become All Americans and NCAA champs. Lehigh’s the coaching staff understands that the highs and lows of the dual season are steps toward the ultimate individual goal of a podium finish. The mantra of ‘keep working to improve and keep scoring points’ has produced better than anticipated results this year.

There will be upsets both for and against Lehigh guys at the NCAAs. It will be the classic rollercoaster with celebratory highs and gut wrenching lows.

Four All American with a top ten finish would, imo, put an exclamation mark on an extremely successful season.

Well said,..can't improve on THAT pal, my sentiments exactly! Onward..

[George Porgie]

To me,it’s a regrettable fallacy to go with “the whole dual meet season is practice for the big March tournament cheese” and its attempt to present these two radically different things as all one big schmeer. Does my whole life culminate in my birthday? Does the meaning of my life experiences reveal itself on election day? Do my lifetime achievements appear in my awards won? What bloody nonsense! This is thought-structure bent to the servitude of results-anxiety.

I agree 100% I go to the matches to see good wrestling and support my team. I rarely make it to Nationals. I want to see them win duals.