By Mark Walters
ST. LOUIS-It was a tournament to remember. Despite the Pride’s day two collapse that saw four All-American hopefuls get denied, the 79th annual NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships did not disappoint in terms of excitement, energy, storylines and man hugs.
It was my second straight trip to the “Show Me State” to cover Hofstra Wrestling in the championships, and I had a tough time leaving Sunday morning to say the least.
It is a beautiful sport and one that does not get nearly the attention it deserves. Sure, it’s a sport that can be ugly, but that’s exactly what makes it so beautiful. From the weight-cutting and cauliflower ear to the aforementioned man hugs and some of the strongest and toughest athletes in the country running off the mat in tears, wrestling is a sport that has gone from catching my interest to filling my heart.
Like I said, leaving this year was anything but easy. Unlike last year, I left St. Louis this year not knowing where I will be next year. Who knows if I’ll be back? The championships will be in Omaha, Nebraska, and I can only hope that I can say the same of myself.
As I emerge into this sport and its media outlets, I’m realizing more and more that this is my calling, and this is how I want to make a living.
Where else can I witness Anthony Robles, a red-shirt sophomore from Arizona State, earn his first All-American trophy. I guess now would be the appropriate time to mention that Robles was born without a right leg. He crutches his way to the mat and hobbles out to the center, instantly getting low once the whistle sounds.
Watching Robles on the 125-pound podium was moving as the record crowd gave him the largest and loudest ovation. Judging by his smile, it had to be the happiest moment of his life.
Then you got Pride sophomore Ryan Patrovich, unseeded, drawing Cornell’s Mack Lewnes, the No. 1 seed at 165 pounds, in the first round. The two had met previously this year in a dual match at Hofstra. Lewnes decided Patrovich 3-1 with a last-second takedown in sudden victory overtime, but Patrovich was undeterred as he knocked off the top seed 5-3 in front of thousands at Scottrade Center. Patrovich went from Hofstra upstart to talk of the town Thursday afternoon as he advanced to the quarterfinals.
It had to be tough for Patrovich to watch Edinboro’s Jarrod King being crowned the 165-pound champion. Patrovich defeated King on Edinboro’s mat back in February. That’s just part of the craziness that is the NCAA Wrestling Championships.
If it’s upsets you want, there were plenty in St. Louis. Robles, seeded 12th, knocked off a 4, 5, and 11 seed en route to finishing 4th. Seeded 9th at 133 pounds, Lou Ruggirello pinned the 8th seed to make the quarters. Duke University, better known for its basketball program, had its first finalist in school history. While sophomore Konrad Dudziak lost in the 285-pound finals to Missouri’s Mark Ellis, Dudziak will likely be taken a lot less lightly next year.
You want more upsets? For only the third time in tournament history, the 10 champions hailed from 10 different institutions. Only four champions were top seeds.
Like most sports, collegiat wrestling is experiencing a leveling of the playing field, as the team race was much closer this year than last. The Iowa Hawkeyes won their second consecutive title and 22nd total, but unlike last year, it wasn’t decided before the final day. The Hawkeyes didn’t win without some trouble from the Buckeyes of Ohio State. As a Penn State football fan, it was tough to hear the “O-H! I-O!” right behind my seat on press row, but the Bucks lost to Iowa by only 4.5 points, and it was great for the sport to see the black and gold of Iowa be threatened. Last year Iowa beat second place Ohio State by 38.5. Perhaps the greatest upset of them all came during the 149-pound title bout. Iowa’s Brent Metcalf came in as the defending champ, the 2008 Hodge Trophy winner, and the guy who everyone, myself included, thought was a lock to win his weight class. Enter North Carolina State’s Darrion Caldwell, ironically the last guy to beat Metcalf.
Caldwell snapped Metcalf’s 69-match win streak as he shot at Metcalf right from the whistle, taking down his once thought unstoppable opponent twice in the first period. He fought off a couple near falls, and as time expired, ran around and did a cartwheel into a back flip that was stopped abruptly by Metcalf shoving him to the mat. Since time had expired Iowa was penalized a point, nearly costing the Hawks their team title.
It’s safe to say that Caldwell was the only person who thought he stood a chance.
“He’s human,” Caldwell said in the interview room after his huge win. “It’s not like he had a gun and I had a knife.”
It was probably the biggest upset of this decade, and watching it, well, it’s something I’ll never forget.
It was one of many things that made this past weekend unforgettably great, and I can only hope I’ll be in Omaha next year with a pen and a press credential.