National Duals: Ten Questions With Andrew Hipps
The Wrestling Mall Columnist Has Some Questions He Wants Answered This Weekend
By Andrew Hipps “Staff Writer
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With the NWCA/Cliff Keen National Duals set to begin this weekend on the campus of Cleveland State University, there are 10 questions I would like answered.
1. Is it Oklahoma State”¦ and then everyone else?
Much of the talk in the early part of the season centered around which what team would give Oklahoma State the biggest scare. Lehigh, the perennial power of the east coast, was expected to be the biggest threat to dethrone the two-time defending national champion Cowboys. But after Lehigh dropped a November dual to Hofstra, 23-10, that talk began to silence. It appears that the top-ranked Cowboys have finally solidified their lineup as they head down the home stretch in their quest for a third consecutive national title. Illinois, fresh off winning the Midlands title, is wrestling as well as any team in the country. Michigan might have the best middle weight core in the country, but do they have enough strength up top to challenge? Or will it be a race for second this year at the NCAA Tournament? The National Duals should help clear up the picture.
2. Is Kyle Ott now healthy and ready to challenge for a national title?
Ott, the returning NCAA runner-up at 125 for Illinois, has been held out of most of the first half of the season as a precautionary measure for a knee problem that he has battled throughout his career. He has wrestled only six matches this season, with his most recent being an underwhelming 4-2 victory over Garrett Cummings of North Carolina State last Saturday. Assuming both Illinois and Oklahoma win their opening round matches, as both are expected to do, Ott will see top-ranked and undefeated Sam Hazewinkel in the quarterfinals. Although Hazewinkel finished third at last year’s NCAA Tournament, one spot below Ott, they have yet to wrestle against each other in college.
3. Who is the best freshman in the country?
This year’s freshman class is loaded. I can’t recall a year in recent memory that comes close to measuring up to it. But since only the top programs in the country will be competing in the National Duals (and the ones that accepted invitations), not all the top freshmen in the country will be in action this weekend. Noticeably absent will be the Iowa Hawkeyes, a team that features five freshmen in their lineup. Nevertheless, though, there will be many top freshmen showcasing their talents. True freshman Nathan Morgan of Oklahoma State is 19-0 this season competing at 133. And assuming both Oklahoma State and Cornell win their opening round matches (which they should), Morgan will see second-ranked Travis Lee of Cornell in the quarterfinals, which will be his first major test. Other top freshmen ranked in the top-10 competing in Cleveland this weekend include Mack Reiter (ranked fifth at 133) and Roger Kish of Minnesota (7th at 184) as well as Josh Churella (7th at 141) and Eric Tannenbaum of Michigan (7th at 149).
4. Will Central Michigan upset Minnesota in the first round?
The Chippewas certainly have the potential to beat the Gophers, but whether or not they will is another question in itself. The Chippewas are 6-1 this season and ranked 13th in the country. Their only loss this season came to Michigan, 24-15, in Ann Arbor on January 2nd. But aside from that minor hiccup, the Chippewas have completely dominated their competition. In December, they thumped intrastate rival Michigan State, 25-10, in East Lansing. Minnesota comes in with a 2-3 dual meet record after dropping their last two matches to Nebraska and Iowa State. Against the Gophers, the Chippewas match up fairly well, but will still need to key some upsets to have a chance. While it appears the Gophers will have a slight advantage in this dual, almost all the matches could be considered toss-ups, so bonus points will be crucial.
5. Who is the better pound-for-pound wrestler, Troy Letters or Greg Jones?
Is that even a fair question to ask? Letters and Jones, both Pennsylvania products, are phenomenal athletes and you can almost count their combined career losses in college on one hand (in case you were actually counting, it’s three for Letters and four for Jones). Letters is a strong, explosive wrestler that can dominate on his feet and on the mat. Jones, on the other hand, combines his athleticism with strength, quickness, and extraordinary technique. When it’s all said and done, both will likely be three-time NCAA Champions. I got an idea, since they are only two weight classes apart (Letters at 165 and Jones and 184), why don’t they meet in the middle and stage an exhibition at 174. I can dream, can’t I?
6. Is Hofstra for real?
Since dropping their season opener to Nebraska, 21-17, Hofstra has been on fire. Coach Tom Ryan (along with assistants Rob Anspach and Donny Pritzlaff) has done a marvelous job turning the Hofstra program into a national power. In late November they knocked off then second ranked Lehigh. In December, they had a strong showing at the tough Cliff Keen Invitational in Las Vegas, placing third. And this month, they are off to a 3-0 start in duals. Two-time All-Amercian Chris Skretkowicz is wrestling as well as anyone in the country. But take away Skretkowicz and you’ll be hard pressed to find another serious national title contender in their lineup. They do, however, have a balanced lineup that features five wrestlers ranked among the top-20 in the country, which makes them a dangerous dual meet team. They enter the National Duals as the fifth seed, pitting them against Northern Iowa, a formidable opponent, in the first round. Assuming they pass that test, the Pride will be in line for a rematch against Lehigh in the quarterfinals.
7. Will Steve Mocco finally unleash his offense this weekend and dominate his competition?
When I received the news last summer that Mocco was transferring from Iowa to Oklahoma State (and having no allegiance to either program), I remember thinking ‘Good, we’ll finally see a more dominating, offensive Steve Mocco.’ I pictured Mocco hitting freight train double legs and scoring points at will, much like former Cal State Bakersfield star Stephen Neal. Surely there had to be a reason behind leaving the most dominant college program in the last 30 years, right? Now here we are in January and not much has changed. He has twice needed overtime (once at the Marines All-Star Classic) to defeat Minnesota’s Cole Konrad, while combining for only five points in those two matches. He defeated Ryan Allen of Division III Wisconsin LaCrosse, 4-2, and could only muster four points on Sunday against Iowa true freshman Matt Fields. Mocco is extremely talented. And from all accounts, he has a tireless work ethic. You combine those two things with great coaching and excellent work out partners and one would assume that you’d have one of the most dominating heavyweight in the history of college wrestling, right? Well, we haven’t seen it yet. So maybe this weekend at the National Duals, we’ll see a new Steve Mocco.
8. Is Mark Moos a legitimate All-American threat this season at 133?
Moos was on a roll this season wrestling at 125 for Michigan. Through December, he was 11-0, ranked fourth, and had won the prestigious Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational in a weight class that had four wrestlers ranked in the top-ten in the country. But at the start of the new year, it was announced that Moos was moving up to 133 because he had outgrown 125. Suddenly, almost overnight, Moos went from a sure-fire All-American candidate and possible national champion to a wrestler barely ranked in the top-20. In his first match at 133, Moos lost a 10-8 decision on Jason Borrelli of Central Michigan on January 2nd. Since that loss, however, Moos has won three straight and appears to be growing more comfortable in his weight class. He’ll likely see fifth-ranked Mack Reiter of Minnesota in the quarterfinals. And if the Wolverines are able to reach the semifinals, he could face second-ranked and former Saint Edwards (Ohio) teammate Mark Jayne of Illinois. If those matches materialize, we’ll have a better idea of whether or not Moos can compete with the best in the country at 133.
9. What’s up with The Citadel?
The Citadel (or Military College of South Carolina) is the least heralded team at the National Duals. They are not ranked among the top-25 and enter their first round match-up with top ranked Oklahoma State with a losing dual meet record. But props to Bulldogs coach Rob Hjerling for scheduling tough competitions. They wrestled in the Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational and the Southern Scuffle in December and now the National Duals. In fact, Hjerling is looking forward to the opportunity to see the top ranked Cowboys on Saturday.
“We’re very excited about facing Oklahoma State, “said Hjerling. “We are going to the National Duals so that we can face the top competition in the country. They’re ranked number one and the competition doesn’t get any better than that.”
Win or lose, The Citadel deserves credit for testing themselves against the nation’s best.
10. Can Oklahoma reach the finals?
Oklahoma, seeded seventh, might be the most underrated team in the country this season. They enter the National Duals with a dual meet record of 8-1, with their only loss coming to Oklahoma State, 21-16, in the Bedlam Dual. They have two legitimate national champion contenders in Sam Hazewinkel (125) and Teyon Ware (141) and six other wrestlers ranked in the top-20. They will likely see second-seeded Illinois in the quarterfinals. Oklahoma will be favored at 125, 141, 149, and HWT. Illinois will be expected to win 133, 157, 165, 184, and 197. And the 174 match between Illinois’ Pete Friedl, ranked fourth, and Oklahoma’s E.K. Waldhaus, ranked seventh, could go either way. If Oklahoma can rack up some extra bonus points, the Sooners might pull the first major upset of this year’s National Duals and make a run at reaching the finals.
Andrew Hipps also accepts feedback at [email protected]
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