Mango brothers both battling in World Team Trials Greco-Roman field at 55 kg/121 lbs.
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by Michael Carnes
Ryan Mango (in red) battles Sam Hazewinkel on Saturday morning. Photo by Larry Slater.
COUNCIL BLUFFS, Iowa - Dinner the night before a big tournament is always a good opportunity for wrestlers and their families to talk.
At the Mango dinner table Friday night, the topic of discussion was the possibility of a semifinal matchup in the Greco-Roman 55 kilogram division at the U.S. World Team Trials between 2008 Olympian Spenser Mango and his younger brother, Stanford recruit Ryan Mango.
The brothers both said their mother didn't want them to wrestle each other, but neither was willing to commit to a forfeit for the sake of family peace.
"My mom doesn't want us to wrestle each other, but Ryan was like, 'I'm not gonna forfeit' and I was like, 'I'm not gonna forfeit, either,' so we would have had to wrestle," the elder Mango brother said.
"I said I was ready if he was," Ryan Mango added. "Mom doesn't want us to wrestle, but we would've wrestled and I could definitely learn from it."
Fortunately, for Mrs. Mango's peace of mind, that match never materialized. Spenser Mango dominated Max Nowry, while his younger brother came up on the short end of the stick against Sam Hazewinkel.
The elder Mango, who represented the United States in the 2008 Olympics at 55 kilograms, moved up a weight class for U.S. Nationals, but came back down a weight class in an effort to represent his nation at the World Championships Sept. 21-27 at Herning, Denmark.
Spenser Mango admitted that he was a little distracted in his match with Nowry, as his younger brother was competing with Hazewinkel on adjacent mats.
"I went to my corner after the first period, and my coach said I needed to be more aggressive," he said. "I kind of realized then that I was a little distracted and was watching his match instead of wrestling my own."
Spenser was in Ryan's corner for his consolation match against Jonathan Pattison, a match Ryan won in dominating fashion.
"He's always coaching me and we work together, and having him in my corner really pumps me up," Ryan Mango said.
No doubt the younger brother will have a close eye on his older brother when he battles Hazewinkel in the semifinals Saturday afternoon, a matchup that has become a familiar one in recent years. Mango beat Hazewinkel to earn a spot on the Olympic Team, and also beat him with a last-second turn in the finals of the Dave Schultz Memorial International.
"We've wrestled quite a few times, so it should be exciting," Spenser Mango said. "I didn't get much from watching my brother wrestle him, but we know each other well enough pretty well already, so it should be a good match.
COUNCIL BLUFFS, Iowa - Dinner the night before a big tournament is always a good opportunity for wrestlers and their families to talk.
At the Mango dinner table Friday night, the topic of discussion was the possibility of a semifinal matchup in the Greco-Roman 55 kilogram division at the U.S. World Team Trials between 2008 Olympian Spenser Mango and his younger brother, Stanford recruit Ryan Mango.
The brothers both said their mother didn't want them to wrestle each other, but neither was willing to commit to a forfeit for the sake of family peace.
"My mom doesn't want us to wrestle each other, but Ryan was like, 'I'm not gonna forfeit' and I was like, 'I'm not gonna forfeit, either,' so we would have had to wrestle," the elder Mango brother said.
"I said I was ready if he was," Ryan Mango added. "Mom doesn't want us to wrestle, but we would've wrestled and I could definitely learn from it."
Fortunately, for Mrs. Mango's peace of mind, that match never materialized. Spenser Mango dominated Max Nowry, while his younger brother came up on the short end of the stick against Sam Hazewinkel.
The elder Mango, who represented the United States in the 2008 Olympics at 55 kilograms, moved up a weight class for U.S. Nationals, but came back down a weight class in an effort to represent his nation at the World Championships Sept. 21-27 at Herning, Denmark.
Spenser Mango admitted that he was a little distracted in his match with Nowry, as his younger brother was competing with Hazewinkel on adjacent mats.
"I went to my corner after the first period, and my coach said I needed to be more aggressive," he said. "I kind of realized then that I was a little distracted and was watching his match instead of wrestling my own."
Spenser was in Ryan's corner for his consolation match against Jonathan Pattison, a match Ryan won in dominating fashion.
"He's always coaching me and we work together, and having him in my corner really pumps me up," Ryan Mango said.
No doubt the younger brother will have a close eye on his older brother when he battles Hazewinkel in the semifinals Saturday afternoon, a matchup that has become a familiar one in recent years. Mango beat Hazewinkel to earn a spot on the Olympic Team, and also beat him with a last-second turn in the finals of the Dave Schultz Memorial International.
"We've wrestled quite a few times, so it should be exciting," Spenser Mango said. "I didn't get much from watching my brother wrestle him, but we know each other well enough pretty well already, so it should be a good match.
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