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be worth the price of admission in Philly. Pick: Dake.
157 pounds
Bryant: Four All-Americans return at the weight from last year, then you factor in Arizona State transfer and past NCAA runner-up Bubba Jenkins. Adam Hall of Boise State and Justin Lister of Binghamton were third and fourth respec- tively and high-scoring Steve Fittery of American was fifth. Northern Colorado’s first All-American in 50 years returns with Justin Gaethje. Jenkins might be a trendy pick with his new surroundings. Hall is a grinder and has put in the time in the off- season. But I’d have to go with American’s Fittery. The kid can score from all positions and he would have placed higher if a late-season injury wouldn’t have slowed him down. Pick: Fittery.
Sesker: How will Jenkins adjust to moving up a weight class? ASU coach Shawn Charles raves about the leader- ship, focus and work ethic Jenkins has brought to the team. I am a big fan of how hard Fittery competes and I also love what Hall brings to the mat. If Jenkins stays on track - which is a big “if” - he could be standing on top of the podi- um in March. Pick: Jenkins. 165 pounds
Bryant: We all know that Craig Sesker, having spent sooo many years covering Husker wrestling is going to go with 2009 NCAA Champion Jordan Burroughs. It’s not even fair to contest with him. Returning champion Andrew Howe of Wisconsin had a stellar season, capping it with titles at the NCAA Championships and U.S. Open. He recently won the Sunkist Open. Just for the sake of discus- sion, I’m taking the Indiana native. Pick: Howe.
Sesker: Howe is one of my favorite wrestlers, but so is Burroughs. Both guys like to open it up, so let’s hope for some fireworks if they meet in the NCAA finals. JB is right, I have to go with Burroughs. He gains a late takedown, on a double- leg shot from his knees, to earn an 11-10 win over Howe in the finals. These guys could be battling for an Olympic berth in 2012. Pick: Burroughs.
174 pounds
Bryant: With six returning All- Americans and two more moving up from 165, 174 might be the deepest weight in the country. Returning runner-up Mack Lewnes of Cornell will be relied on heavi- ly if the Big Red look to claim their first NCAA championship. Chris Henrich looked one period away from giving Virginia its first finalist since coach Steve Garland made it in 1998. There’s depth
Nebraska’s Jordan Burroughs won a 2009 NCAA title at 157 pounds. Larry Slater photo.
and there’s very good kids throughout. Pick: Lewnes. Sesker: This is what happens when I let JB pick first. He takes Lewnes in this class. He must be good, if JB didn’t pick the Virginia kid to win it. You know Jason is from Virginia right? Henrich was very close to making the finals last year before Iowa’s Jay Borschel staged an improba- ble comeback to beat him. Pick: Henrich. 184 pounds
Bryant: The wild wild west is on dis- play with the top two returnees at 184 coming from Boise State and Wyoming. Kirk Smith was unbeaten until the finals last year for Greg Randall’s squad, while the lanky Joe LeBlanc could be Mark Branch’s first NCAA champion. Dustin Kilgore of Kent State will start the year at 197 and it remains to be seen if he’ll come down. Smith is vital to Boise’s tro- phy hopes. Pick: Smith. Sesker: Smith is a very tough wrestler who will be hungry to come back strong after last year’s finals loss to Missouri’s Max Askren. LeBlanc has wrestled well in the last two NCAA tournaments, and has a legitimate shot to win it all this season. Oklahoma State freshman Chris Perry, a 2010 Junior World bronze medalist, is a multi-talented newcomer who will make an immediate impact in this class. Perry’s brother, Mark, was an NCAA finalist as a freshman before winning titles as a junior and senior. Pick: Perry.
197 pounds
Bryant: Three All-Americans return, led by last year’s third-place finisher Cam Simaz of Cornell. Simaz seemed to bog-
gle the mind in some ways. He’s good, but was he “third place” good? Apparently so. Wisconsin’s Trevor Brandvold and Minnesota’s Sonny Yohn return at the weight, but Dustin Kilgore, as noted earli- er, could be the guy who causes the most problems. Again, just to keep it interest- ing and throw Sesker a bone… Pick: Kilgore.
Sesker: With Iowa State’s Jake Varner and Nebraska’s Craig Brester finished with college, this may be the most wide open weight class in the country. Yohn had a great summer wrestling freestyle, but does that automatically translate to folkstyle success? Tough to decide, so I will take the top-ranked guy. Pick: Simaz. 285 pounds
Bryant: With two returning All- Americans, on paper, it appears that Zach Rey of Lehigh and Jarod Trice of Central Michigan would be the easy favorites. But there’s 2009 Junior World champion Dom Bradley to contend with. Bradley’s got big wins in his time in the Mizzou lineup, including one over last year’s NCAA champion David Zabriskie of Iowa State. X-Factor here is Oklahoma State’s Alan Gelogaev. “Z” moves up from 197 and his throwing style and quickness could play a real role in how he matches up with bigger opponents. Pick: Gelogaev. Sesker: Bradley looked great in finish- ing third in the U.S. World Team Trials in June, and he’s been waiting a long time for this opportunity after being stuck behind NCAA champion Mark Ellis. The 6-foot-3 Gelogaev will be a tough matchup for anyone. Pick: Bradley. Team Race
Bryant: I’ll placate the fans from the
Central Time zone moving west with my alleged “East Coast Bias.” Since I’m from southeastern Virginia, I naturally have to pick the team from the East, right? So for the simple fact that I grew up 508 miles from Ithaca, N.Y. (a nine-hour drive) and 1,300 miles from Stillwater (a 22-hour- drive). Cornell is two and a half times more likely to win the NCAA champi- onship than Oklahoma State is, and two- times more likely to win it compared to Iowa, which is 1,054 miles away from my hometown. Wait, do I have to pick Penn State, which is 365 miles from Poquoson, Va.? But seriously... Pick: Cornell. Sesker: My hometown of Tipton is 23 miles from Cornell - well, Cornell College. My hometown also is 30 miles from Iowa City, but the Hawkeyes lost eight starters from the NCAA team champions. It is going to be a tight battle for the team title in Philadelphia. I like Rob Koll’s Cornell team a lot, but I really like John Smith’s team this year. Pick: Oklahoma State.
USA Wrestler 9
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