COLLEGE WRESTLING PREVIEW Breaking it down...
USA Wrestler looks into its crystal ball to see who is going to reach the top this season
By Jason Bryant and Craig Sesker The 2010-11 college wrestling season promises to be one of
the most evenly contested in recent years. The NCAAs are set for March in Philadelphia. USA Wrestler’s Jason Bryant and Craig Sesker take a closer
look at the season with a weight-by-weight breakdown and team predictions for the college season: 125 pounds
Bryant: Iowa’s Matt McDonough is the returning champion,
and he will be the favorite. But since we know that Sesker will be picking McDonough, let’s take the other angle. Anthony Robles of Arizona State provides probably the most difficult style matchup, and the two haven’t wrestled before. Brandon Precin of Northwestern is off redshirt and could see McDonough three times before the NCAA’s. Minnesota’s Zach Sanders could see McDonough twice, and of course, I have to mention Old Dominion’s James Nicholson, who is looking to finish off his career like Shane Webster, placing as a freshman and winning as a senior. Pick: Robles. Sesker: Of course I’m going to pick McDonough, and not just because he’s wearing the black and gold. His wide-open, attacking style was a refreshing addition to the college ranks last season. The kid has a motor and he gets after it. Robles has the upper body of a 165-pounder, so I agree he may be the top threat to keeping McDonough from repeating. I’m surprised Bryant didn’t go with the ODU homer pick in Nicholson. Where’s the loyalty JB? Pick: McDonough. 133 pounds
Bryant: To pretty much everyone’s surprise, Jordan Oliver of Oklahoma State is penciled in to go 133 again. The sophomore is talented enough to win, but will the year-long battle with weight be an issue? With Tyler Graff of Wisconsin back and Boise State’s Andrew Hochstrasser ready to come back, it should be a fun weight. Hochstrasser lost his second semester last year with unforeseen eligibility issues, which have made Hochstrasser very, very hungry. I like him here. Pick: Hochstrasser. Sesker:I can’t wait to see what happens here. Oliver and
Graff are two stud prospects in folkstyle and freestyle. Hochstrasser is a very solid and proven wrestler. Cal Poly’s Filip Novachkov, who drops down a weight class, also can’t be over- looked. I am a huge fan of the hard-charging style of Graff, who has a tremendous upside and continues to improve. Pick: Graff. 141 pounds
Bryant: The top three guys from last year are all gone – one
to graduation, one to discipline and one moves up a weight. With Jimmy Kennedy of Illinois and Kellen Russell of Michigan here after a redshirt year, it adds to the returning mix of Oklahoma’s Zack Bailey, Ohio’s Germane Lindsey, Pitt’s Tyler
8 USA Wrestler
Iowa’s Matt McDonough captured an NCAA championship as a freshman at 125 pounds in 2010. Larry Slater photo.
Nauman, Virginia Tech’s Chris Diaz, Minnesota’s Mike Thorn and Cal Poly’s Boris Novachkov, who is moving up from 133. Russell’s won two Big Ten championships and Kennedy’s placed in the NCAAs twice. Gut feeling here is Kennedy. Pick: Kennedy. Sesker: Kennedy looks like the favorite here, but Russell may
be poised to put together a strong run at NCAAs after previous disappointments. Novachkov has drawn high praise from Cal Poly co-head coach Mark Perry. I like Kennedy, but we agreed not to pick the same guy at any of the weight classes. Pick: Novachkov.
149 pounds Bryant: So who does one pick, a freshman champ from a
year ago moving up a weight in Cornell’s Kyle Dake or the elec- trifying champ from two years ago, Darrion Caldwell from N.C. State? No disrespect to returning All-Americans Torsten Gillespie (Edinboro) and Kevin LeValley (Bucknell), but this’ll be a two-horse race. Dake’s strength and never-say-die attitude is hard to pick against, but so is Caldwell’s high-energy style of wrestling. Both can chuck you to your back with the best of them. I like both, but since I’m sitting on the big blind … Pick: Caldwell. Sesker: Caldwell’s health, particularly his shoulder, may be
the biggest factor in how this division plays out. Kyle Dake is a tremendous talent as well. Dake is only a sophomore, but he definitely has a legitimate shot to become just the third four-time champion in NCAA history. A Caldwell-Dake finals match may
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