A couple surprises? I know Cornel finished well last year, but number one is a surprise until you take a look at who they have on their team. Check out the rankings and let us know what you think. WIN will put out more rankings again in October once the coaches announce what weights everyone will be wrestling at officially.

Date Ranked:09/22/2010
Ranked By W.I.N. Magazine

WIN’S 2010-11 PRESEASON NCAA DIVISION I
TOURNAMENT POWER INDEX (TPI)
(September 22, 2010)
Rank School Top 8 TPI
1 Cornell 6 82
2 Boise State 5 73
3 Oklahoma State 6 71.5
4 Minnesota 5 55.5
5 Wisconsin 3 50.5
6 Penn State 5 40
7 Oklahoma 3 39
8 Central Michigan 3 36
9 Illinois 2 33.5
10 Ohio State 3 32
11 Iowa 1 28
12 Missouri 2 26.5
13t Michigan 2 25.5
13t Purdue 2 25.5
15 Edinboro 2 25
16t Arizona State 2 24.5
16t Northwestern 2 24.5
16t Pittsburgh 2 24.5
19 Lehigh 1 22
20 Virginia 1 21.5
21t Binghamton 1 20
21t NC State 1 20
21t Wyoming 1 20
24 Nebraska 1 19.5
25 Kent State 1 18.5
26 Virginia Tech 2 17
27 Penn 1 16.5
28t Iowa State 2 16
28t Cal Poly 1 16
30 Indiana 1 15.5
31 Oregon State 1 15
32 American 1 14.5
33 Maryland 1 14
34 Ohio 1 13.5
35 Stanford 1 12
36 Rutgers 1 11.5
37 West Virginia 1 11
38t Bucknell 1 10
38t No. Colorado 1 10
40 Buffalo 1 9.5
41 Hofstra 0 6.5
42 Utah Valley 0 4.5
43t Cal St. Bakersfield 0 3.5
43t UNC-Greensboro 0 3.5
45 Michigan State 0 3
46 Chattanooga 0 2.5
47t Appalachian State 0 2
47t Navy 0 2
47t North Carolina 0 2
47t Old Dominion 0 2
47t Rider 0 2
52t Boston U. 0 1.5
52t Columbia 0 1.5
52t CS Fullerton 0 1.5
52t Drexel 0 1.5
52t Harvard 0 1.5
52t Lock Haven 0 1.5
52t No. Iowa 0 1.5
59t Citadel 0 1
59t Clarion 0 1
59t Eastern Michigan 0 1
59t George Mason 0 1
59t Liberty 0 1

WIN’s 2010-11 NCAA Division I Preseason Individual Rankings

125 pounds
Rk. Name School Year 2009-10
1. Matt McDonough Iowa Sophomore 1st
2. Brandon Precin Northwestern Senior RS
3. Zach Sanders Minnesota Junior 5th
4. Cashe Quiroga Purdue Sophomore 6th
5. Anthony Robles Arizona State Senior 7th
6. Nikko Triggas Ohio State Junior 8th
7. Brad Pataky Penn State Senior NQ
8. Jarrod Garnett Virginia Tech Junior NQ
9. Rollie Peterkin Penn Senior RS
10. Mike Martinez Wyoming Junior NQ
11. James Nicholson Old Dominion Senior NQ
12. Ben Kjar Utah Valley Senior NQ
13. Frank Perrelli Cornell Junior
14. Nic Bedelyon Kent State Junior RS
15. Joey Fio Boise State Junior Transfer
16. Fred Santiate Boston U. Sophomore NQ
17. Jarrod Patterson Oklahoma Sophomore NQ
18. Jason Lara Oregon State Junior NQ
19. Ryan Mango Stanford Sophomore NQ
20. Frank Lomas CS Bakersfield Junior NQ

133 pounds
Rk Name School Year 2009-10
1. Jordan Oliver Oklahoma State Sophomore 4th
2. Andrew Hochstrasser Boise State Senior
3. Tyler Graff Wisconsin Sophomore 5th
4. Boris Novachkov Cal Poly Junior 7th
5. Mike Grey Cornell Senior NQ
6. Ian Paddock Ohio State Sophomore NQ
7. Kendric Maple Oklahoma Sophomore NQ
8. Kelly Kubec Oregon State Junior NQ
9. Lou Ruggirello Hofstra Senior RS
10. Scotti Sentes Central Michigan Junior NQ
11. Ben Ashmore Arizona State Senior NQ
12. Bryan Ortenzio Penn Junior NQ
13. John Trumbetti Lock Haven Senior NQ
14. Billy Ashnault Rutgers Senior NQ
15. Flint Ray Utah Valley Senior NQ
16. Kevin Smith Buffalo Junior NQ
17. Colin Johnston West Virginia Junior
18. Nate Moore Iowa Junior
19. Zac Stevens Michigan Junior NQ
20. Jimmy Kircher Rider Junior NQ

141 pounds
Rk Name School Year 2009-10
1. Jimmy Kennedy Illinois Senior RS
2. Kellen Russell Michigan Junior RS
3. Zack Bailey Oklahoma Senior 4th
4. Tyler Nauman Pittsburgh Junior 5th
5. Germane Lindsey Ohio Senior 6th
6. Mike Thorn Minnesota Senior 7th
7. Chris Diaz Virginia Tech Senior 8th
8. Levi Jones Boise State Senior NQ
9. Filip Novachkov Cal Poly Senior NQ
10. Jamal Parks Oklahoma State Junior NQ
11. Mike Mangrum Oregon State Sophomore NQ
12. Chris Drouin Iowa State Senior NQ
13. Juan Archuleta Purdue Senior NQ
14. Todd Schavrien Missouri Senior NQ
15. Corey Jantzen Harvard Junior RS
16. Nick Nelson Virginia Junior RS
17. Elijah Nacita CS Bakersfield Senior NQ
18. Cole Schmitt Wisconsin Sophomore NQ
19. Anwar Goeres Binghamton Senior NQ
20. Ivan Lopouchanski UNC-Greensboro Sophomore NQ

149 pounds
Rk. Name School Year 2009-10
1. Darrion Caldwell North Carolina State Senior Injured
2. Kyle Dake Cornell Sophomore 1st at 141
3. Frank Molinaro Penn State Junior 5th
4. Torsten Gillespie Edinboro Senior 6th
5. Kevin LeValley Bucknell Senior 7th
6. Jason Chamberlain Boise State Junior NQ
7. Andrew Nadhir Northwestern Senior NQ
8. Desmond Green Buffalo Junior NQ
9. David Cheza Michigan State Junior NQ
10. Mario Mason Rutgers Sophomore NQ
11. Eric Grajales Michigan RS Freshman
12. Brian Stephens Virginia Tech Sophomore NQ
13. Don Vinson Binghamton Sophomore NQ
14. Dean Pavlou Chattanooga Sophomore NQ
15. Nick Fisher Cal Poly Sophomore NQ
16. R.J. Pena Oregon State Sophomore
17. Justin Accordino Hofstra Junior RS
18. Scott Clymer Liberty Junior
19. Ganbayar Sanjaa American Junior
20. Matt Lester Oklahoma RS Freshman

157 pounds
Rk. Name School Year 2009-10
1. Adam Hall Boise State Senior 3rd
2. Justin Lister Binghamton Junior 4th
3. Steve Fittery American Senior 5th
4. Bubba Jenkins Arizona State Senior Transfer
5. Justin Gaethje No. Colorado Senior 7th
6. Kurt Kinser Indiana Senior NQ
7. David Taylor Penn State RS Freshman
8. Jake Deitchler Minnesota Sophomore
9. Jason Welch Northwestern Sophomore RS
10. Kyle John Maryland Sophomore NQ
11. Bryce Saddoris Navy Senior NQ
12. Derek St. John Iowa RS Freshman
13. Colton Salazar Purdue Senior NQ
14. Joe Booth Drexel Sophomore NQ
15. Daryl Cocozzo Rutgers Senior NQ
16. Neil Erisman Oklahoma State Senior NQ
17. Peter Yates Virginia Tech Sophomore
18. Shawn Harris Virginia Junior NQ at 149
19. James Fleming Clarion Sophomore NQ
20. Anthony Jones Michigan State Senior NQ

165 pounds
Rk. Name School Year 2009-10
1. Andrew Howe Wisconsin Junior 1st
2. Jordan Burroughs Nebraska Senior Injured
3. Tyler Caldwell Oklahoma Sophomore 5th
4. Colt Sponseller Ohio State Senior NQ
5. Josh Asper Maryland Sophomore NQ
6. Justin Kerber Cornell Senior NQ
7. Alex Meade Oklahoma State Sophomore NQ
8. Mike Miller Central Michigan Senior NQ at 184
9. Paul Young Indiana Senior NQ
10. Cody Yohn Minnesota Sophomore NQ
11. Shane Onufer Wyoming Junior NQ
12. P.J. Gillespie Hofstra Junior NQ
13. John-Martin Cannon Buffalo Junior NQ
14. Ross Tice Kent State Sophomore NQ
15. Matt Kaylor Binghamton Junior NQ
16. Eren Civan Columbia Junior NQ
17. Thomas Scotton North Carolina Senior NQ at 157
18. Brandon Hatchett Lehigh Junior NQ
19. Donnie Jones West Virginia Senior NQ
20. Gabe Burak Penn Senior NQ

174 pounds
Rk. Name School Year 2009-10
1. Mack Lewnes Cornell Senior 2nd
2. Chris Henrich Virginia Senior 3rd
3. Jordan Blanton Illinois Junior 5th
4. Ben Bennett Central Michigan Sophomore 6th
5. Scott Giffin Penn Senior 7th
6. Nick Amuchastegui Stanford Junior 4th at 165
7. Mike Benefiel Oklahoma State Junior NQ
8. Jon Reader Iowa State Senior NQ at 165
9. Luke Manuel Purdue Senior NQ
10. Colby Covington Oregon State Senior NQ
11. Mike Letts Maryland Senior RS
12. Scott Glasser Minnesota Senior NQ
13. Dorian Henderson Missouri Junior NQ
14. Ed Ruth Penn State RS Freshman
15. Ethen Lofthouse Iowa RS Freshman
16. Ryan Patrovich Hofstra Junior RS
17. Justin Zeerip Michigan Junior NQ
18. Brad Darrington Utah Valley Junior NQ
19. Bagna Tovuujav George Mason Junior NQ
20. Byron Sigmon UNC-Greensboro Senior NQ

184 pounds
Rk. Name School Year 2009-10
1. Kirk Smith Boise State Senior 2nd
2. Joe LeBlanc Wyoming Junior 4th
3. Dustin Kilgore Kent State Sophomore 7th
4. Chris Honeycutt Edinboro Junior RS
5. Chris Perry Oklahoma State RS Freshman
6. Jerome Ward Iowa State Junior NQ
7. Quentin Wright Penn State Sophomore RS
8. Steve Bosak Cornell Sophomore NQ
9. Grant Gambrall Iowa Sophomore
10. Jeff James Oklahoma Senior NQ
11. Tommy Spellman Virginia Tech Senior NQ
12. Austin Trotman Appalachian State Junior NQ
13. Nick Purdue Ohio Junior NQ
14. A.J. Kissel Purdue Junior RS
15. Josh Ihnen Nebraska Sophomore NQ
16. Andrew Saunders UNC-Greensboro Senior NQ
17. Jason McCroskey Chattanooga Sophomore NQ
18. Eric Cameron Indiana Senior NQ
19. Zac Thomusseit Pitt Junior NQ
20. James Hamel Buffalo Senior NQ at 197

197 pounds
Rk. Name School Year 2009-10
1. Cam Simaz Cornell Junior 3rd
2. Trevor Brandvold Wisconsin Senior 6th
3. Sonny Yohn Minnesota Junior 8th
4. Clayton Foster Oklahoma State Senior 6th at 184
5. Brent Haynes Missouri Sophomore NQ
6. Matt Wilps Pitt Junior NQ
7. Logan Brown Purdue Senior NQ
8. Anthony Biondo Michigan Senior NQ
9. Matt Powless Indiana Junior NQ
10. Zack Giesen Stanford Senior NQ at 184
11. Mike Salopek Virginia Sophomore NQ at 184
12. Erik Schuth Ohio Senior NQ
13. Cody Mangrum Ohio State Sophomore NQ
14. Micah Burak Penn Sophomore NQ
15. Riley Orozco CS Bakersfield Senior NQ
16. Luke Lofthouse Iowa Senior
17. Chad Hanke Oregon State Junior
18. Joe Kennedy Lehigh Junior NQ
19. Tyler Smith Rider Junior NQ
20. Matt Casperson Boise State Senior NQ

Heavyweight
Rk. Name School Year 2009-10
1. Zach Rey Lehigh Junior 3rd
2. Jarod Trice Central Michigan Junior 8th
3. Dom Bradley Missouri Junior
4. Alan Gelogaev Oklahoma State Junior 7th at 197
5. Ben Berhow Minnesota Senior NQ
6. Brandon Williamson West Virginia Senior NQ
7. D.J. Russo Rutgers Senior NQ
8. Cameron Wade Penn State Junior NQ
9. Brendan Barlow Kent State Sophomore NQ
10. Ryan Tomei Pittsburgh Senior NQ
11. Clayton Jack Oregon State Junior NQ
12. Tucker Lane Nebraska Junior NQ
13. Nathan Fernandez Oklahoma Senior NQ
14. Christian Brantley No. Iowa Junior NQ
15. Ricardo Alcala Indiana Senior NQ
16. Kurt Klimek CS Fullerton Senior NQ
17. Ziad Haddad North Carolina Sophomore NQ
18. John Danilkowicz Virginia Senior NQ
19. David Wade Eastern Michigan Senior NQ
20. Odie Delaney The Citadel Junior NQ

The event will be held outdoors on the flight deck on the USS Intrepid, an aircraft carrier which is docked on the west side of Manhattan in New York City. Thousands of wrestling fans packed the area around the mat, with the city skyline in the background.

Each year, the Beat the Streets Gala is held to celebrate wrestling and raise funds for Beat the Streets Wrestling, Inc., the successful program which has provided wrestling opportunities for thousands of middle school and high school students in New York City.

“We have raised over $900,000 tonight,” said Mike Novogratz, organizer of the event and the U.S. Freestyle World Team Leader. “All of the money will go to send kids to camp and to support our coaches.”

Metcalf, from the Univ. of Iowa, met Bubba Jenkins, then at Penn State, four times in college, winning each time. Included was a victory in the 2008 NCAA finals. Metcalf’s college career has ended with two NCAA titles and a runner-up finish. Jenkins will be a senior next year at Arizona State.

It was the first time that Metcalf and Jenkins met in freestyle. Both have great freestyle backgrounds. Metcalf was a 2009 U.S. Open runner-up, and Jenkins was a 2007 Junior World Champion.

The first period was scoreless, and Jenkins won the ball pull and grabbed the leg on the clinch. Jenkins tried to get Metcalf down to the mat, but Metcalf scored a two-point counter crotch lift to win the period, 2-0.

The second period, Metcalf was in control more, scoring a takedown early, earning some exposure points, and winning by a 6-0 technical fall.

It was the final bout of a seven-match card, which included middle school and high school matches featuring New York City youth wrestlers, then also featured all three international styles.

Two members of the 2008 U.S. Olympic freestyle team won matches, Ben Askren (Tempe, Ariz./Sunkist Kids) at 74 kg/163 lbs. and Andy Hrovat (Colorado Springs, Colo./New York AC) at 96 kg/211.5 lbs.

Askren defeated Moza Fay (Colorado Springs, Colo./Gator WC), 2-0, 9-2. Askren had some amazing counters to come out with the first-period win, then was able to open up his offense in the second period for a technical fall.

Hrovat needed three periods to defeat Kyle Cerminara (Philadelphia, Pa./New York AC), 0-5, 2-1, 7-1. Cerminara won the upperbody positions to dominate the opening period, but Hrovat edged him in the second period to force a deciding third period. Hrovat was able to score exposure points from the mat to score a technical fall to win the match.

Perhaps the wildest match of the night was in Greco-Roman, when Ellis Coleman (Oak Park, Ill./New York AC) edged 2008 Olympian Spenser Mango (St. Louis, Mo./New York AC) in three periods, 5-3, 1-6, 2-1. Coleman won the first period on a five-point throw. Mango won the second period with two three-point throws. With Mango holding the edge in a 1-1 tie late in the third period, Coleman used a gymnastic twist move to score the winning takedown point to beat Mango. The athletes normally compete at different weight classes, with Coleman at 66 kg and Mango at 55 kg.

The women’s freestyle match ended in an exciting manner, when Leigh Jaynes (Colorado Springs, Colo./New York AC) suddenly pinned Kelsey Campbell (Colorado Springs, Colo./Sunkist Kids). Campbell won the first period 1-0, and was in on a shot in the second period when Jaynes countered for exposure and the fall.

The evening began with a pair of folkstyle matches featuring New York City talent. The Middle School match at 135 pounds went to Will Wilson of the Lions WC of Staten Island, who beat Shateek Palmer of Roosevelt Island Middle School in Manhattan. In the High School bout at 150 pounds, Jorge Jimenez of Herbert Lehman High School in the Bronx defeated Andre Antoine of Sheepshead Bay High School in Brooklyn, N.Y.

This is the seventh Beat the Streets Gala event, which have all been successful fundraisers for New York City wrestling. It was the first time that there was a wrestling card included with the event.

BEAT THE STREETS GALA
Battle on the Intrepid
At New York, N.Y., May 13, 2010

Middle School 135 lbs. –Will Wilson dec. Shateek Palmer
High School 150 lbs. – Jorge Jimenez dec. Andre Antoine
Women’s freestyle 59 kg – Leigh Jaynes pin Kelsey Campbell, 0-1, 0:41
Greco-Roman 66 kg –Ellis Coleman dec. Spenser Mango, 5-3, 1-6, 2-1
Men’s freestyle 74 kg – Ben Askren dec. Moza Fay, 2-0, 9-2
Men’s freestyle 96 kg – Andy Hrovat dec. Kyle Cerminara, 0-5, 2-1, 7-1

MAIN EVENT – Men’s freestyle 66 kg – Brent Metcalf dec. Bubba Jenkins, 2-0, 6-0

By Gary Abbott USA Wrestling 05/13/2010

It’s never going to leave, that painful image of defeat. Not in Dan Gable’s mind, not in this lifetime. He won’t allow it. He clings to it like a drowning man trying to stay afloat, because he understands what once had defeated him also made him a champion.

It doesn’t matter that it’s been 30 years. Time heals nothing, not the memory, not the legend and not the gap between the two men, Iowa State’s Dan Gable, the greatest wrestler of all time, and a confident University of Washington sophomore named Larry Owings.

“I don’t think he’s out of my head even today,” Gable said recently.

Their epic match 30 years ago altered the lives of both in ways not anticipated and provided the sport with a story to pass down through generations on the scope of a Biblical parable.

“People are still talking about it,” said Ron Good, editor of the Amateur Wrestling News. “It’s the biggest upset ever in the sport, and it’s a fascinating story.”

Owings and Gable, forever linked, met in the NCAA final for the 142-pound weight class. Gable never lost before he faced Owings in that match, nor after it. But in the final 30 seconds of a close, intense, exhausting match, Owings slipped underneath Gable’s arms for a leg lift or sweep, putting the erstwhile invincible Gable on his back for the winning points. “It was a move,” Owings said, “I had never done before or since.”

Gable was told Owings’ comment and said he didn’t realize the infamous leg sweep was not a practiced move.

“If he had never tried that before, then that tells me it’s desperate. Desperation is something that brings out unusual things,” Gable said. “I had never heard that before. That makes it worse now from my point of view. I kind of wish he had gotten me with his best move.”

It happened March 28, 1970, at McGaw Hall, an 8,800-seat fieldhouse on the Northwestern University campus in Evanston, Ill.

Gable was (and is) the god of the sport, a no-nonsense, punishing force who may have been the world’s best-conditioned athlete. He would get up in the middle of the night to do pushups, knowing his opponent still slept.

His physical makeup was legendary, his results extraordinary. He went 64-0 at Waterloo (Iowa) West High School and 117-0 in three years at Iowa State (freshmen could not compete then) with NCAA titles at 130 and 137 pounds. He was going for his third title at 142 pounds, and virtually everyone thought he was a lock.

Michael Jordan is the Dan Gable of basketball.

“He was a good, solid all-around wrestler who did not make a lot of mistakes,” said Owings, now director of facilities for the Molalla (Ore.) School District. “He was in excellent condition. In that way, he and I were similar. Conditioning was a big part of my preparation.”

Owings ran three miles every morning around the Husky Stadium track, averaging six minutes a mile and sprinting the final quarter-mile in less than a minute. Then he would wrestle two hours a day. He was as relentless and as conditioned as Gable was.

Owings had one more thing Gable didn’t have – implacability. He was driven. The pair had met two years earlier, at the 1968 Olympic Trials when Owings was a senior at Canby (Ore.) High and Gable was a sophomore at Iowa State. Gable won 13-4 and went on; Owings never forgot.

“I knew who he was,” Owings said, somewhat disingenuously. If there was one code Owings lived by then, it was a desire to have a second chance against anyone who had beaten him. Gable was one of the few.

Owings had his first chance at the 1969 NCAA Championships but, as he would later regret, decided to wrestle at 130 pounds, avoiding Gable’s 137-pound class. That wouldn’t happen in 1970. Owings told UW Coach Jim Smith that he was aiming directly at the legend. He would drop down two weight classes, from 158 to 142, just to have a shot at Gable at the NCAAs. Smith would rather have Owings wrestle at 150 pounds.

Smith successfully argued with the seeding committee for his wrestler, who would finish 33-1 that year, to get the second seed behind Gable. It meant that when they met, it would be for the national title – Gable’s final college match.

Mike Gerald, who now lives in Austin, Texas, wrote a book on Owings when the two became acquainted in Oregon. He describes Owings as a “Charles Lindbergh persona, quietly confident,” who believed he could equal Gable’s strength and conditioning.

When Owings arrived, the mind games, so subtly important in this sport, began. He was interviewed by a Chicago newspaper about his chances against the invincible one, and Owings didn’t demur. “I’m not going to this tournament to be a national champion. I’m coming here to beat Gable,” he was quoted.

Gable said a teammate showed him the article. He was intrigued by Owings’ swagger. No one had ever said something that, at least no one who could back it up. He took notice of the young Husky, perhaps more than appropriately.

“When I got to the tournament, I still felt fine – that I could win and do everything I thought I could do,” Gable said. “But I was distracted by Larry Owings. It was a name I had not come across too much ahead of time, but I began paying more attention to him. I don’t know if he planned it or not, but he got inside my head.”

Gable began scouting Owings’ matches. He noticed that the UW wrestler was making “all kinds of mistakes but still ended up pinning his opponent.” The pins were accomplished by Owings’ best move, an inside reverse cradle that left his opponent unable to escape.

Lyle Ballew, a teammate of Owings’, reported back to Owings that during the Iowa State practices, Gable would work with teammates on every possible countermove to the cradle. “It was an indication,” Gerald said, “that Gable was taking him real seriously. He respected his pinning ability.”

Both wrestlers advanced through the tournament by pinning each of their opponents. However, Gable had to deal with more distractions than Owings. He was presented with the Man of the Year award during the championships, the media sought him out before and after every match, and he was struggling under the burden of a 181-match winning streak.

Then, just an hour before the match, ABC-TV convinced him to do a short promo advancing the telecast, which would be shown a week later, by having him tell the viewer to watch him finish his career 182-0. The promo never ran.

“There was probably not 10 people in that crowd of 9,000 or so who would have bet on Owings,” Oklahoma State Coach Myron Roderick said. “I thought it would be a contest. Larry was tough. He wasn’t scared and had nothing to lose. Dan had a lot of pressure on him. It’s hard to win a third NCAA title. Larry took the match to him.”

The house lights were dimmed, with only the overhead lights framing the mat in the center of McGaw Hall. The crowd edged forward. Owings wore a black singlet with white trim, while Gable was in cardinal and gold. Each wore white headgear and white kneepads. This was the featured match of the tournament. Of the century.

It was close throughout the three-period match, and the constant crowd noise was deafening. Within the first 30 seconds, Gable got up 2-0 with a takedown, but Owings came back on a takedown and escape to lead, 3-2. By the end of the second period, Owings had stretched the lead to 7-2 and the crowd was hysterical. Referee Pascal Perri described the noise as “comparable to Niagara Falls during the spring thaw.”

Gable, who admitted he was uncharacteristically worn down as the match dragged on, remembered telling himself, “Don’t get caught in the cradle. Don’t get caught in the cradle.” He could’t believe he was the one affected by his opponent’s reputation.

But Gable made a gritty comeback, as his fans expected him to, late in the match. With less than a minute remaining, the scoreboard showed Owings leading 9-8, but Gable actually had a 10-9 lead. He had two points in riding time that would be rewarded at the end by Perri.

Only 30 seconds remained in the match; and Gable, despite the fact that he could coast to a one-point win, continued to stand up and circle with Owings.

“I had two minutes more riding time, so I was pretty much in control of the match,” Gable said. “(But) I got greedy.”

He tried an arm-bar move, coming over Owings’ shoulder in an attempt to lock him up and take him down. This was Owings’ opportunity, the fateful moment when his never-used leg sweep caught Gable by surprise.

Gable said when Owings grabbed his leg “it was kind of like a slow-motion fall. I didn’t know how the referee would score it.”

Perri had given Owings two points for the takedown and two for a near-fall, as Gable’s shoulders were briefly exposed to the mat. The scorer had not seen the near-fall signal because a TV cameraman had jumped in the way, so Perri stopped the match to explain.

Iowa State Coach Harold Nichols protested. Gable, then and now, says the near-fall was “a judgment call.”

Perri brought the two wrestlers back with 17 seconds left for a final grab-and-hold.

“At that point, once I saw the score and only three seconds left, I knew he couldn’t get two points,” Owings said.

Owings had won, 13-11.

“Stunned was the word,” Owings said of his first moments as the giant-killer. “He (Gable) was dazed and confused. He was stunned he had lost. We were on our knees at the end of the match. We got up, and he offered me his hand and we shook.

“It was bedlam. They shut down the whole tournament for 15 minutes. The roar of the crowd was unbelievable. It was probably the match of the century. We went at it tooth and nail.”

Smith, a man not quite 5 feet tall, ran over and bear-hugged and hoisted his champion. Owings was the first UW wrestler to win an NCAA title, but what mattered was that he had upset a man the Russians reverently called “The Machine,” a man who had won 181 straight matches, 108 by pins.

The fans, said Roderick, “were in shock, as well as excited seeing history. A sophomore had beaten the giant.

“The American people like the underdog, but at the same time there was sadness. Gable was heartbroken. During the award ceremonies, his real feelings came out. Dan stood there crying. It was one of the most emotional scenes I can ever remember.”

Gable was given a four-minute standing ovation during his introduction as the ceremonies stopped.

Iowa State had won the national team championship, but Gable’s loss dominated the headlines. It also dominated him. He had a chance to face Owings again three weeks later, then again seven months later, but Owings lost in the preliminary round. Gable remembers wrestling an opponent while at the same time watching Owings lose on an adjacent mat.

The match at Northwestern had its impact on both wrestlers. Owings, who said, “I did not really realize the scope of what I accomplished,” never again won the championship, losing in the NCAA finals his final two years. He wrestled Gable one more time, in the 1972 Olympic Trials, losing 7-1. As lopsided as that score was, it was the only point allowed by Gable during the trials or the Olympics.

Owings briefly wrestled internationally and retired in 1973 to his home in Oregon. He coached for a while, then settled into obscurity of teaching and administrating.

Gable’s career soared. After his Olympic title, he coached the Iowa Hawkeyes to 21 consecutive Big Ten titles and 15 national championships in his 21 years as head coach, going 355-21-5. He now does university fund raising and works with the U.S. Olympic team.

“After that match, it took me a long time to really admit a lot of things,” Gable said. “I really didn’t want to see it or talk about it much. But I have to admit to this day that match made my career, not only the next two years. It had a tremendous impact on my entire coaching career.”

Gable said he learned not to take an opponent lightly, to eliminate distractions and accentuate an aura of invincibility and intimidation toward an opponent, just as Owings had done to him.

Gable is in the U.S. Wrestling Hall of Fame in Stillwater, Okla. Owings, despite a national title and an 87-4 record at Washington (52-1 in dual meets), is not.

“Probably some day,” said Roderick, who is president of the museum. “You can’t put someone in because of one match. If he had won two national championships it would be easier, but he never went to the Olympics and didn’t do much international wrestling.”

But Owings has a prominent spot in the Hall, with a large picture of the match and some mementos. It is annually the most viewed element in the Hall. Moderator: When I visited the Hall in 2006, Owings’ singlet worn in the match was on display, right next to Gable’s Iowa State uniform, right in the lobby.

Owings has not talked to Gable since 1980, and that was a brief conversation to ask him to consider looking at a wrestler in his district. During the conversation, neither mentioned the match. They haven’t talked to each other since.

These stats are kept meticulously even in high school. Some wrestlers go crazy for this information, and not just the recruiters. Programs scour the nation for people with large amounts of matches wrestled, massive amounts of pins, technical galore and so much more. Fans automatically are drawn to the wrestlers that have large numbers. Once they’re drawn in, they’ll start researching the numbers. Ask any wrestling fan that avidly follows a wrestler about the persons stats and they’ll be able to tell you how many wins they had, how many losses, how many of those wins were from pins, techs, how long the longest match lasted and how long the shortest match was.

Some people may think that only a mathematician can handle so much numbers and what they mean, but wrestlers, coaches and fans seek them out. They crave them. The championships is no exception. I was able to make it out to Omaha this past year and everyone was talking about Metcalf, Palmer, Ohio, Iowa, Cornell… and their numbers. They talked about Jayson Ness, the 133 pounder from Minnesota who went undefeated the entire season, along with the eight others that came into the three day tournament with an undefeated record. On the way out, they were talking about the five seniors that completed four years as four-time All Americans and the five that became the only ones with an undefeated season.

If you still don’t believe me that wrestlers, fans and coaches are numbers driven, Mike Johnson, of Manassas, Virginia, has compiled an 18 page report of numbers from the NCAA championships in Omaha. I might not be that convincing, but that report will convince almost anyone.

So the chances of getting a full ride scholarship if you wrestle are pretty slim. The first thing I thought when I saw that was “Why?” Answer? Money. We all know that football brings in the most money for a college or university, so they are going to want willing be able to pour more money into that sport than others. Wrestling is at the bottom of the list for the same reason. Unless you are in wrestling state, wrestling just isn’t that big of a sport.

So what are some things that everyone can do to change that? Jim Brown has a blog that is awesome. If you haven’t checked it out, you have no reason not to. He has a ton of posts about what we can do as fans to build the sport. Some that I remember reading off the top of my head are to actually going to the meets. Get butts into the seats and stands. Bring a friend. When you’re there, make noise. And lots of it. Explain to the friend that you brought the techiniques that are being used and why different points are being scored.

Some may complain that there isn’t enough coverage of the sport. While this may be true, there are plenty of places to go to check it out. Again, Jim comes to the rescue with this awesome post about getting more college wrestling coverage. If you don’t listen to the podcasts that are out there, start now. Wrestling411.tv and TakeDownRadio.com both have AWESOME podcasts and they provide amazing coverage of the sport.

Support the print magazines that talk solely about wrestling. Three of the biggest ones are WIN magazine, Amateur Wrestling News and Wrestling USA. Get one or get all three! Help support those that are covering the sport. More importantly though, make it to as many meets as possible to support the actual wrestlers.

Thanks to Mat Siltala for letting me know about this image and steelathlete.com for the actual image.

The Famous Push in the 2009 NCAA wrestling championships

After winning the 2009 NCAA wrestling championship at 149 pounds, Darrion Caldwell earned a spot on the U.S. National Team this past summer. He traveled to many places all over the world and had the opportunity to wrestle with world champions. On Friday it was announced that due to a shoulder injury, Caldwell will have to undergo surgery on Oct. 5 and will miss the upcoming season. Recovery time is between four and six months.

Caldwell said that the shoulder injury happened last Labor Day weekend. “Basically I was goofing off with my girlfriend and rollerblading and I ended up falling. It was actually pretty funny — like a blooper or something,” he said.

Caldwell still has one year of eligibility left at N.C. State and will be wrestling for the Wolfpack again during the 2010-2011 season. Technician Deputy Sports Editor Jen Hankin had the opportunity to talk with defending champion Caldwell about his injury and future plans.

In the year that he is going to take off, you had better believe that he is not going to be very far from the wrestling room. “I can take this time and then get back on the road and get back on the cycle for 2012. I did get hurt though and I know that’s just a stepping stone. I feel like this is just getting me more mentally ready. With this break it’s just going to make me want it even more.”

Caldwell also shared that he would like to coach, “something I’ve always dreamed of doing,” he said.

Technician: What are your plans for the upcoming year and what do you think your first break from wrestling in such a long time will be like?

Caldwell: I have taken some steps back from wrestling and basically been getting my academics together. Last semester, during the national championship, my grades fell off a little bit. I feel with this here, I’m going to concentrate on my grades. I also feel grateful to be able to act more as a coach, which is something I’ve always dreamed of doing.” Caldwell also says that “now instead of going to practice to wrestle, I’ll be going to practice to actually help them improve. I’m basically playing a coach’s role. I really feel like it will be beneficial for the team, since I’ve seen most of the competition that they are going to face. This is modern day wrestling, it’s different from 10 to 15 years ago when the coaches were wrestling. I feel like I can help them with the little small things.”

Sanderson left his alma mater Iowa State to coach Penn State in the biggest wrestling states of the nation – second to Utah, according to Sanderson. The only undefeated four-time champion in NCAA history, and who went on to win an Olympic gold medal in 2004, took over the reins of the Nittany Lions just two months ago.

”With Cael being such a great competitor, it’s going to be a great draw,” Lehigh second-year head coach Pat Santoro said. ”He’s a big name, one of the biggest college wrestling has ever had and there’s always excitement around his name.”

This match is bound to be exciting; it’s the 98th meeting between two old rivalries. Lehigh will look to build on last year’s 17-16 win at Rec Hall, which stopped a four dual Nittany Lion winning streak in the series. Penn State finished ranking 15th last season while the Mountain Hawks finished 20th with 25 points. Who do you say will win the match-up?

Think the UFC rivalry between Brock Lesnar and Frank Mir is intense?

A decade ago, the current UFC heavyweight champ had a powerful, ongoing rivalry as the University of Minnesota heavyweight vs Wes Hand of the University of Iowa.

In January 1999, Brock Lesnar burst onto the big-time college wrestling scene when the Bismarck State College big man started wrestling for Minnesota, one of the top-ranked NCAA Division I wrestling programs in the nation. He generated considerable buzz because of his muscular physique (6’3”, 265 pounds)… and for dominating opponents of similar poundage.

In that first month at Minnesota, Lesnar gained a headline-making victory that really put him on the radar of wrestling fans outside the upper Midwest. At the 1999 National Duals, held at Carver-Hawkeye Arena — the home for the Iowa Hawkeye wrestling program — Lesnar pinned Iowa’s Wes Hand in front of the home crowd… launching an intense mano a mano between the two warriors that lasted two years.

While Lesnar resembled a bigger, scarier version of blond movie muscleman Dolph Lundgren, Wes Hand looked more like the big, burly Iowa farm boy that he was. The dark-haired, hairy-chested Hawkeye stood 6’1” and tipped the scales at about 250 lbs.

Brock Lesnar’s college rival, Wes Hand of the University of Iowa, shown here with his singlet straps down.

The third mat meeting between Lesnar and Hand had some of the pre-match hype more like WWE or UFC 100 than a typical college dual meet, even between rival schools like Minnesota and Iowa. Before the meet – the last of the 2000 season — Hand had made some bold predictions about what he and the Hawkeyes would do to the Gophers… which riled up Lesnar, his team and its fans. Especially considering Hand had lost to Lesnar in their two previous matches.

On February 20, 2000, over 13,000 fans jammed Williams Arena at the University of Minnesota – at the time, the largest crowd ever to see a college dual meet on that campus. By the time of the heavyweight match – about halfway through the dual – the team score was 13-10 Gophers. The team that won the dual meet also won the Big Ten team title.

Here’s how the Minnesota Daily — the student paper at the University of Minnesota — described the action BEFORE any actual wrestling took place:

Tension in Sunday’s round began mounting before the two even stripped to their singlets. During pregame introductions, Hand walked over to Minnesota’s side of the mat waiting to shake Lesnar’s hand.

Lesnar emerged from behind his teammates and ran past Hand, making his way to center circle while indicating to Hand that center circle was where the two should meet. Hand went to center circle, acting like he would wish Lesnar good luck there and shake his hand.

In a 1999 match, Brock Lesnar (maroon singlet) throws Iowa’s Wes Hand

But Hand fooled all, running to center circle and right past Lesnar. The Gophers heavyweight simply waved good-bye.

It wasn’t all fun and games. In the first period, Wes Hand stunned everyone by scoring a takedown… then putting Lesnar on his back. The Hawkeye wasn’t able to pin his opponent, but held the gigantic Gopher long enough to score near-fall points, and rack up a 4-0 lead at the end of the opening period. Lesnar battled back, but was unable to grab the lead. The third-ranked Hand upset No. 1 Lesnar, 5-3.

Perhaps even more importantly, the rest of the Gophers line-up seemed to have been rocked by Lesnar’s loss, giving up their lead to ultimately lose the dual meet to Iowa 20-12 in their own gym. Thanks in large part to Wes Hand’s upset, the Iowa Hawkeyes won the 2000 Big Ten team title.

Brock Lesnar and Wes Hand wrestled two more times in college. Two weeks after the Minnesota-Iowa dual meet, the two met in the heavyweight finals at the 2000 Big Ten conference championships… with Lesnar avenging the loss, beating Hand, 2-1, in a bruising bout. Two weeks later, at the 2000 NCAA Division I championships at St. Louis, the two battled again, this time for the national heavyweight title. This time, the match went into overtime, but Lesnar came out on top, 3-2 OT.

Final score of the Lesnar-Hand rivalry: 4-1 for the Minnesota muscleman.

A few months after winning the NCAA crown, Brock Lesnar signed a developmental deal with the WWE… and, the rest is history.

Resources
Examiner.com: Brock Lesnar’s college days
Minnesota Daily write-up of the February 2000 Lesnar-Hand bout
Original post

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When I saw this, I think it’s one of the sickest KO’s I’ve seen. I think mostly because of the back history. Henderson is from the US. Bisbing is from the UK. They were the coaches on the ninth season of the TV reality show The Ultimate Fighter. The people from the show came up with the idea back in season one to have the coaches fight each other at the end of the season, so here’s the fight. Bisbing, though, has a big mouth; he said that he thought that American fighters weren’t tough (I’m paraphrazing the quote).

Henderson was asked after the fight about the second punch and if he knew that Bisbing was out. He replied that he knew that he was out, but he wanted to try to shut his mouth up for him, going back to the only comment Henderson said about Bisbing during season nine “I have the chance to shut his mouth with my fist.”

I think next time you better not open your mouth…