Penn State wrestling regular season superlatives: Most dominant, best move, biggest change, and more

[GregPickel]

Was clicking around various wrestling articles and what not waiting for the weekend, so thought what better way to spark some conversation and pass the time then to pick some superlatives from the regular season.

Where am I right or wrong, and what categories should I have added? Looking forward to the conversation!

Penn State wrestling regular season superlatives: Most dominant, best move, biggest change, and more

Penn State heads to the Big Ten tournament this week. We're passing the time between with a final look back at the regular season.

www.on3.com

 

[Tom McAndrew]

A lot of tough choices, @GregPickel.

The article got me to thinking about the best match by a PSU wrestler, and you're lucky you didn't try to figure that out. So many great candidates:

- AB vs. Amine
- N. Lee vs. Eierman
- RBY vs. DeSanto
- Beau vs. Murin; vs. Sasso; vs. Van Brill; vs. Parco; vs. Artalona
- Bearclaw vs. Peyton; vs. K. Young; vs. Saldate
- Edsell vs. Wilson; vs. Ramirez; vs. Meyer
- Berge vs. C. Amine
- CStar vs. Kemerer; vs Massa; vs. Foca
- Dean vs. Hoffman; vs. Warner; vs. Caffey; vs. Brucki
- Kerk vs. Parris
- Beard vs. Schultz; vs. Caffey

I'd be hard pressed to pick from the above list, and I probably forgot a few that should be under consideration.

 

[AK1967]

A lot of tough choices, @GregPickel.

The article got me to thinking about the best match by a PSU wrestler, and you're lucky you didn't try to figure that out. So many great candidates:

- AB vs. Amine
- N. Lee vs. Eierman
- RBY vs. DeSanto
- Beau vs. Murin; vs. Sasso; vs. Van Brill; vs. Parco; vs. Artalona
- Bearclas vs. Peyton; vs. K. Young; vs. Saldate
- Edsell vs. Wilson; vs. Ramirez; vs. Meyer
- Berge vs. C. Amine
- CStar vs. Kemerer; vs Massa; vs. Foca
- Dean vs. Hoffman; vs. Warner; vs. Caffey; vs. Brucki
- Kerk vs. Parris
- Beard vs. Schultz; vs. Caffey

I'd be hard pressed to pick from the above list, and I probably forgot a few that should be under consideration.

Rivera is looking really tough at 141 this year. Nick didn’t wrestle him this year yet. Rivera will get Eierman in the semifinals. Rooting for Rivera so Iowa don’t get the points. Theirs gonna be insane matches at every weight. Need a ton of bonus points. Can’t wait till Saturday at 11:00.

 

[AK1967]

When is our team leaving for Nebraska ?

 

[SonnyAbeFan]

All right, Greg. I'll bite. Thanks for providing a mental exercise to ready me for this weekend.

Most Dominant: I'm going with a subjective eye-test rather than the objective numbers (although this guy is up there). I'm going with AB. He was always in control and never really in true danger of losing, while facing strong competition. I'm going solely off memory, and I recall his toughest test being Keck from UNI. Aaron had an early takedown, as I recall, but that was it and had to fight off Keck a few times. Truthfully, given last season's one takedown win in that national semis, I won't be thrilled if Aaron has to face him again - just worry about upset possibility. But that was the biggest "scare" - he was in control of all others.

Best Move: Based solely on the volume of my scream when it occurred, Max Dean vs. Iowa

Biggest Change: Hildebrandt. I just wish he could've been with us for a full season or more. Just seems like a perfect fit in this program. I wonder if there'd be mutual interest in NLWC, as perhaps he competes or just trains with top-level guys (like Conaway). He's also got a nice connection, of course, to the women's side, which should be growing for NLWC.

Biggest Win: I'm going with Iowa like you, even though I really want to say ASU. ASU ultimately was overhyped a bit, but Penn State (man)handled them like a championship team. And kudos to Kerk in that dual for dealing with a significant gash around his eye, as I recall, to get a fairly easy win and for not forfeiting the match. He could've easily sat it out (as his originally scheduled opponent did).

Biggest Upset: Still to come. It's going to be Bartlett at NCAAs, and if they meet again, I'm taking Beau over Yianni. I was wrong the first time, but that only strengthens my resolve for the second time!

 

[GregPickel]

A lot of tough choices, @GregPickel.

The article got me to thinking about the best match by a PSU wrestler, and you're lucky you didn't try to figure that out. So many great candidates:

- AB vs. Amine
- N. Lee vs. Eierman
- RBY vs. DeSanto
- Beau vs. Murin; vs. Sasso; vs. Van Brill; vs. Parco; vs. Artalona
- Bearclas vs. Peyton; vs. K. Young; vs. Saldate
- Edsell vs. Wilson; vs. Ramirez; vs. Meyer
- Berge vs. C. Amine
- CStar vs. Kemerer; vs Massa; vs. Foca
- Dean vs. Hoffman; vs. Warner; vs. Caffey; vs. Brucki
- Kerk vs. Parris
- Beard vs. Schultz; vs. Caffey

I'd be hard pressed to pick from the above list, and I probably forgot a few that should be under consideration.

Truthfully, it was on the list but I could not narrow it down so bounced it out of the article. And now reading it again, I still don't know, ha. My first thought was Kerk vs. Parris and then the more I thought about it, not sure how you toss any of the other first three you list, or most of the others, for that matter.

 

[GregPickel]

When is our team leaving for Nebraska ?

Sorry, I don't have an immediate answer for that, but will see if I can find out.

 

[GregPickel]

All right, Greg. I'll bite. Thanks for providing a mental exercise to ready me for this weekend.

Most Dominant: I'm going with a subjective eye-test rather than the objective numbers (although this guy is up there). I'm going with AB. He was always in control and never really in true danger of losing, while facing strong competition. I'm going solely off memory, and I recall his toughest test being Keck from UNI. Aaron had an early takedown, as I recall, but that was it and had to fight off Keck a few times. Truthfully, given last season's one takedown win in that national semis, I won't be thrilled if Aaron has to face him again - just worry about upset possibility. But that was the biggest "scare" - he was in control of all others.

Best Move: Based solely on the volume of my scream when it occurred, Max Dean vs. Iowa

Biggest Change: Hildebrandt. I just wish he could've been with us for a full season or more. Just seems like a perfect fit in this program. I wonder if there'd be mutual interest in NLWC, as perhaps he competes or just trains with top-level guys (like Conaway). He's also got a nice connection, of course, to the women's side, which should be growing for NLWC.

Biggest Win: I'm going with Iowa like you, even though I really want to say ASU. ASU ultimately was overhyped a bit, but Penn State (man)handled them like a championship team. And kudos to Kerk in that dual for dealing with a significant gash around his eye, as I recall, to get a fairly easy win and for not forfeiting the match. He could've easily sat it out (as his originally scheduled opponent did).

Biggest Upset: Still to come. It's going to be Bartlett at NCAAs, and if they meet again, I'm taking Beau over Yianni. I was wrong the first time, but that only strengthens my resolve for the second time!

I had ASU typed in until just before posting it. Was proofreading and changed my mind at the last second, but man, it is such a close call.

Here ya on the Dean thing, too. If I was grading this solely off of the number of times my phone buzzed in the resulting five minutes, it would have been a runaway winner.

 

[SonnyAbeFan]

A lot of tough choices, @GregPickel.

The article got me to thinking about the best match by a PSU wrestler, and you're lucky you didn't try to figure that out. So many great candidates:

- AB vs. Amine
- N. Lee vs. Eierman
- RBY vs. DeSanto
- Beau vs. Murin; vs. Sasso; vs. Van Brill; vs. Parco; vs. Artalona
- Bearclas vs. Peyton; vs. K. Young; vs. Saldate
- Edsell vs. Wilson; vs. Ramirez; vs. Meyer
- Berge vs. C. Amine
- CStar vs. Kemerer; vs Massa; vs. Foca
- Dean vs. Hoffman; vs. Warner; vs. Caffey; vs. Brucki
- Kerk vs. Parris
- Beard vs. Schultz; vs. Caffey

I'd be hard pressed to pick from the above list, and I probably forgot a few that should be under consideration.

Match of the Year: Dean over Warner. Dean sealed the dual VS. IOWA. As I somewhat recall, his late takedown or reversal tied it and then the "Scream Heard Round The World" (Warner's, not mine) sealed it. Gotta be match of the year!

 

[AK1967]

Sorry, I don't have an immediate answer for that, but will see if I can find out.

Thanks Greg. Are you making the trip to the Big Ten tournament and Nationals ?

 

[GregPickel]

Thanks Greg. Are you making the trip to the Big Ten tournament and Nationals ?

Not this year, unfortunately, but have no fear, we'll have it covered from every angle starting this weekend.

 

[JBott]

Rivera is looking really tough at 141 this year. Nick didn’t wrestle him this year yet. Rivera will get Eierman in the semifinals. Rooting for Rivera so Iowa don’t get the points. Theirs gonna be insane matches at every weight. Need a ton of bonus points. Can’t wait till Saturday at 11:00.

I was told that Rivera had knee surgery(meniscus) last week and will probably default out of the Big 10's to get more time to heal for NCAA's. How will that affect the seeding at the NCAA tournament?

 

[AK1967]

I was told that Rivera had knee surgery(meniscus) last week and will probably default out of the Big 10's to get more time to heal for NCAA's. How will that affect the seeding at the NCAA tournament?

Geez. I don’t think it would affect his seeding much if any at all if true.

 

[JBott]

Geez. I don’t think it would affect his seeding much if any at all if true.

So you think he could still be the #3 seed at NCAA’s?
The committee didn’t think like that when they seeded Nolf 3rd when he injury defaulted to 6th at Big 10’s. They seeded the returning national champion 3rd!

 

[Tom McAndrew]

I was told that Rivera had knee surgery(meniscus) last week and will probably default out of the Big 10's to get more time to heal for NCAA's. How will that affect the seeding at the NCAA tournament?

There is an article in the Articles for Thursday (3/3/22) post that speaks to this, to some degree. Nobody can give you an exact answer, as NCAA seeding is always full of surprises.

 

[AK1967]

So you think he could still be the #3 seed at NCAA’s?
The committee didn’t think like that when they seeded Nolf 3rd when he injury defaulted to 6th at Big 10’s. They seeded the returning national champion 3rd!

Yea true. Who knows but that would just be fair going off past practice.