Sesker's Slant: Talking National Duals, Pico, Worlds, World Cup
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by Craig Sesker USA Wrestling
Iowa's Cory Clark takes control during the National Duals Regional on Sunday. Darren Miller photo.
I’ve always been a big fan and a big proponent of the National Duals.
The dual-meet concept has always been great for promoting the team aspect of wrestling.
And it’s exciting for the spectators.
Who doesn’t love to see a close, hard-fought dual come down to a battle in the final match?
I am glad to see coaches like Ohio State’s Tom Ryan and Minnesota’s J Robinson trying to come up with a plan to maximize a National Duals.
I covered the National Duals Regional in Iowa City on Sunday, one of eight regionals held around the country. I also will be covering the eight-team National Duals this weekend at Carver-Hawkeye Arena.
I like the concept of this format and there is going to be some fantastic wrestling this weekend with some great team matchups. It will be exciting to see No. 1 Iowa, No. 2 Missouri, No. 3 Ohio State, No. 4 Minnesota and No. 5 Cornell all competing in the same venue.
How about a Minnesota-Cornell quarterfinal and a possible Iowa-Minnesota rematch in the semifinals? Or an Iowa-Cornell semifinal? That would be awesome to see. And then a possible Missouri-Ohio State rematch in the semis? Not to mention the great matchup we will inevitably have in the finals. Don’t forget about Illinois. The Fighting Illini are wrestling well and will be ready to challenge neighboring Missouri in the quarters.
I will reserve my full judgment on the National Duals until after this weekend, but I’m excited we get to see some great wrestling. And happy to see it’s going to get some exposure on the Big Ten Network.
At this point, my biggest issue with this event is the timing.
I would prefer the event will be held in the middle of the season, in January, like it was in the past. I also liked having the Division I National Duals being held alongside the duals in all the other collegiate divisions. That was a cool event and fun for the smaller schools to wrestle alongside the big boys.
The other issue with having this event late in the year is with a team’s health.
The college season is a grind and every team has guys who are less than 100 percent with the usual injuries, and bumps and bruises.
Having the National Duals late in the year means teams have to peak for another event in addition to the conference and national tournaments over the next month.
And some teams right now are simply trying to get their athletes healthy for the conference tournaments.
I know some of the best minds in the sport have come together to try to find the best way to hold a National Duals, and their efforts should be applauded and appreciated.
I’m looking forward to a great event this weekend, and if you have an opportunity try to get over to Carver-Hawkeye on Saturday and Sunday.
I still think the national team champion should be determined at the NCAA Championships. The team component is what makes that three-day event a sellout each year and an event that fans don’t want to miss.
But we can certainly have a National Duals champion as well.
I just wish all of the top teams were there. Penn State and Oklahoma State need to be in this event as well. It hurts college wrestling when the best teams refuse to take part in this.
The reason the National Duals are being held in Iowa City is so the athletes can wrestle in front of big crowds, and that’s what these elite wrestlers deserve.
Young stars making big splash on international tours
Four American freestyle wrestlers captured titles at the Cerro Pelado International this past weekend in Havana, Cuba.
And two of them were teenagers.
18-year-old Aaron Pico and 19-year-old Joey McKenna each won championships for the United States in Cuba. Pico earned an impressive win over two-time World Team member Reece Humphrey in the finals.
U.S. Assistant National Coach Brandon Slay said that’s the best he’s ever seen Pico wrestle. That’s saying something because Pico is a Cadet World champion and Junior World silver medalist.
And Pico beat 2013 World champion David Safaryan of Armenia earlier this season.
65 kilos is going to be crazy at the U.S. Open and U.S. World Team Trials with Pico, three-time World Team member Brent Metcalf, Junior World medalists Jordan Oliver and Logan Stieber, Frank Molinaro, Humphrey, Kellen Russell and others. It’s going to be a battle.
McKenna won the title at 61 kg/134 lbs., earning wins over two strong Cuban wrestlers. He’s another very good young prospect. He also won a Junior World silver medal in 2014.
McKenna will be in the mix to make the Senior World Team at 61 kilos this year.
That may be the first time in U.S. history that two American teenagers have ever won the same international tournament in men’s freestyle.
Young women’s standout Victoria Anthony also looks primed to take over the 48 kilos weight class in the U.S. Anthony beat World champion and Olympic medalist Clarissa Chun to win the Dave Schultz Memorial and then came back two weeks late to pin two-time World medalist Alyssa Lampe en route to winning the Cerro Pelado.
Anthony is a very explosive and dangerous wrestler who is thriving under the tutelage of Coach Valentin Kalika, who also works with Aaron Pico.
Anthony is a two-time Junior World champion who nearly made the finals of the Senior World Championships in 2013 despite wrestling up a weight class.
Anthony has the potential to win a World title this year.
Don’t wait to buy your tickets for Worlds, World Cup
Tickets are now on sale for two awesome events, the World Championships and the World Cup. Both will be held in the U.S. in the same year for the first time since 2003.
The World Cup will be held in Los Angeles on April 11-12 and the World Championships will be held in Las Vegas on Sept. 7-12.
The World Championships will be a sellout, so don’t wait to get your tickets. It’s an amazing event and an important event with it being the main qualifier for the 2016 Olympic Games.
I’ve been to nine World Championships and believe me it’s an event you don’t want to miss.
You can order tickets by going to wrestlingworldcup.com and vegasworlds2015.com, or by checking TheMat.com for more information.
Feel free to provide any feedback to me at csesker@usawrestling.org or to my Twitter account @csesker
I’ve always been a big fan and a big proponent of the National Duals.
The dual-meet concept has always been great for promoting the team aspect of wrestling.
And it’s exciting for the spectators.
Who doesn’t love to see a close, hard-fought dual come down to a battle in the final match?
I am glad to see coaches like Ohio State’s Tom Ryan and Minnesota’s J Robinson trying to come up with a plan to maximize a National Duals.
I covered the National Duals Regional in Iowa City on Sunday, one of eight regionals held around the country. I also will be covering the eight-team National Duals this weekend at Carver-Hawkeye Arena.
I like the concept of this format and there is going to be some fantastic wrestling this weekend with some great team matchups. It will be exciting to see No. 1 Iowa, No. 2 Missouri, No. 3 Ohio State, No. 4 Minnesota and No. 5 Cornell all competing in the same venue.
How about a Minnesota-Cornell quarterfinal and a possible Iowa-Minnesota rematch in the semifinals? Or an Iowa-Cornell semifinal? That would be awesome to see. And then a possible Missouri-Ohio State rematch in the semis? Not to mention the great matchup we will inevitably have in the finals. Don’t forget about Illinois. The Fighting Illini are wrestling well and will be ready to challenge neighboring Missouri in the quarters.
I will reserve my full judgment on the National Duals until after this weekend, but I’m excited we get to see some great wrestling. And happy to see it’s going to get some exposure on the Big Ten Network.
At this point, my biggest issue with this event is the timing.
I would prefer the event will be held in the middle of the season, in January, like it was in the past. I also liked having the Division I National Duals being held alongside the duals in all the other collegiate divisions. That was a cool event and fun for the smaller schools to wrestle alongside the big boys.
The other issue with having this event late in the year is with a team’s health.
The college season is a grind and every team has guys who are less than 100 percent with the usual injuries, and bumps and bruises.
Having the National Duals late in the year means teams have to peak for another event in addition to the conference and national tournaments over the next month.
And some teams right now are simply trying to get their athletes healthy for the conference tournaments.
I know some of the best minds in the sport have come together to try to find the best way to hold a National Duals, and their efforts should be applauded and appreciated.
I’m looking forward to a great event this weekend, and if you have an opportunity try to get over to Carver-Hawkeye on Saturday and Sunday.
I still think the national team champion should be determined at the NCAA Championships. The team component is what makes that three-day event a sellout each year and an event that fans don’t want to miss.
But we can certainly have a National Duals champion as well.
I just wish all of the top teams were there. Penn State and Oklahoma State need to be in this event as well. It hurts college wrestling when the best teams refuse to take part in this.
The reason the National Duals are being held in Iowa City is so the athletes can wrestle in front of big crowds, and that’s what these elite wrestlers deserve.
Young stars making big splash on international tours
Four American freestyle wrestlers captured titles at the Cerro Pelado International this past weekend in Havana, Cuba.
And two of them were teenagers.
18-year-old Aaron Pico and 19-year-old Joey McKenna each won championships for the United States in Cuba. Pico earned an impressive win over two-time World Team member Reece Humphrey in the finals.
U.S. Assistant National Coach Brandon Slay said that’s the best he’s ever seen Pico wrestle. That’s saying something because Pico is a Cadet World champion and Junior World silver medalist.
And Pico beat 2013 World champion David Safaryan of Armenia earlier this season.
65 kilos is going to be crazy at the U.S. Open and U.S. World Team Trials with Pico, three-time World Team member Brent Metcalf, Junior World medalists Jordan Oliver and Logan Stieber, Frank Molinaro, Humphrey, Kellen Russell and others. It’s going to be a battle.
McKenna won the title at 61 kg/134 lbs., earning wins over two strong Cuban wrestlers. He’s another very good young prospect. He also won a Junior World silver medal in 2014.
McKenna will be in the mix to make the Senior World Team at 61 kilos this year.
That may be the first time in U.S. history that two American teenagers have ever won the same international tournament in men’s freestyle.
Young women’s standout Victoria Anthony also looks primed to take over the 48 kilos weight class in the U.S. Anthony beat World champion and Olympic medalist Clarissa Chun to win the Dave Schultz Memorial and then came back two weeks late to pin two-time World medalist Alyssa Lampe en route to winning the Cerro Pelado.
Anthony is a very explosive and dangerous wrestler who is thriving under the tutelage of Coach Valentin Kalika, who also works with Aaron Pico.
Anthony is a two-time Junior World champion who nearly made the finals of the Senior World Championships in 2013 despite wrestling up a weight class.
Anthony has the potential to win a World title this year.
Don’t wait to buy your tickets for Worlds, World Cup
Tickets are now on sale for two awesome events, the World Championships and the World Cup. Both will be held in the U.S. in the same year for the first time since 2003.
The World Cup will be held in Los Angeles on April 11-12 and the World Championships will be held in Las Vegas on Sept. 7-12.
The World Championships will be a sellout, so don’t wait to get your tickets. It’s an amazing event and an important event with it being the main qualifier for the 2016 Olympic Games.
I’ve been to nine World Championships and believe me it’s an event you don’t want to miss.
You can order tickets by going to wrestlingworldcup.com and vegasworlds2015.com, or by checking TheMat.com for more information.
Feel free to provide any feedback to me at csesker@usawrestling.org or to my Twitter account @csesker
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