The University Nationals will be held this weekend at Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois. Some of the best wrestlers in the country will travel to the event and compete in freestyle and Greco Roman. This year, there is a University World Championships tournament and the winner of this weekend’s tournament gets first crack at representing the U.S.A. So we should see some of our best young wrestlers there to duke it out.
Also, it always interests me to see who shows up at which weight, since it is an out of season event and the weight classes are fewer and further between. Last year, this event is where we saw Matt Pell debut and look like a monster at 163 lbs. Pell had wrestled at 184 lbs. last college season and was wrestling against some college 157 lb. wrestlers at this event. As you know, Pell didn’t repeat as an All-American this year after moving down two weight classes. We’ll see if he is back at the lower weight this weekend.
We could also see some other interesting battles. There are only eight weight divisions at the University level and that is counting 110 lbs. So basically, most of your college guys get squeezed into seven weights, rather than the normal ten. It does at times create some mismatches, but also some great matches we normally wouldn’t see. Also, with the shorter periods and current rules, size may not be as big a factor as is in a longer, more grinding seven minute match. We shall see. This event also showcases some of the top high school talent as the FILA Cadet tourney is held at the same venue. Recruiters will get an early look at some of the top sophomores and juniors mixing it up.
Virginia Tech did what many were speculating they would do, denied granting releases to their current athletes and signees seeking transfer waivers. The school did say they would grant releases after this upcoming season for those who still want to transfer. The kids are still free to leave; they will have to sit out the upcoming year though. The bad blood over this ordeal is just heating up. For Virginia Tech, this most likely allows them to put a competitive team on the mat, something they did not do this past year. It will also give the new staff a chance to work with the kids and show what they can do. For the kids, it puts them in a tough spot to have to make a hard decision. What it does more than likely mean though, is that Brent Metcalf will not be wrestling for Iowa next year. It may not have been a foregone conclusion anyway, but now it appears that it won’t happen at least for another year.
Speaking of Virginia Tech, rumors are circulating about the makeup of their staff. It is supposed to be announced very shortly. Rumors are flying that some of the old staff may stay on. Wes Hand was hired by Iowa earlier this week so that would leave Doug Schwab and Lee Fulhart as possibilities.
In an ironic twist, University of Iowa athletic director Bob Bowlsby resigned this week to take a similar position at Stanford. I am not making this up. What a strange turn of events. Hopefully, Stanford will increase their support for the program. Bowslby does come from a wrestling background and a place where wrestling is a big deal. This could be a good thing for Kerry McCoy and his staff as he tries to build the program.
Until next time.
Butch
Butch Irons accepts feedback at [email protected].
Wrestling Gear
