Every wrestling tournament, be it a youth tournament, a high school competition, or a college tournament, are chock-full of everything from thrilling matches to upsets to angst about seeding to complaints about officiating. For example, let’s look at the recent D1 Tournament held this past weekend in Kansas City for examples of the sports value and appeal.
In the 133-pound final two 26-year-olds wrestled for the championship. Vito Arujauk of Cornell battled Daton Fix of Oklahoma. Arujauk, a world champion in freestyle, defeated Fix who suffered his fourth loss in the D1 Finals, but showed poise, patience, and grace during his post-match interview. Arujauk graduated high school in 2017 and Fix was born in 1998, and they were not the only 26-year-olds to compete in the tournament. Perhaps the NCAA needs to re-evaluate its eligibility philosophy in order to give “true” freshmen a better chance to compete because an 18 year old is not as physically mature as a 26 year old man. I know that there are exceptions to be made for the span of eligibility, such as for Brock Hardy’s two-year LDS service in Brazil, but such exceptions should be far apart with few granted. As one commentator said, When I was 26 I had a job and a mortgage.
Scrambles! There were many, many exciting matches. As I watched them, I was always amazed by the athletic ability of all the wrestlers to turn and contort their limbs in order to gain control or prevent opponents from earning points. Such skill is the result of hard work in practice rooms. Even the large wrestlers possess this expertise.
Surprise moves. The quarterfinal match between Jesse Mendez of Ohio State and Brock Hardy of Nebraska was close in the 3rd period when Hardy tried to run a cradle, but Mendez broke Hardy’s grip and as he stood with Mendez across his back Mendez used what is taught as a counter move to all beginning wrestlers–a spladle. Brock lost and finished the match unable to be pinned but locked tight in a rather awkward position. However, he deserves much credit for coming back and placing 3rd in his weight division.
When Mendez wrestled in the finals, the Ohio State head coach, Tom Ryan, did not sit in the coach’s corner as is customary. He has outstanding assistants in J Jaggers, Bo Jordan, and Logan Stieber who coached Mendez from the corner seats while he sat mat-side with the Mendez family. What a touching and truthful gesture showing another component of the Buckeye team philosophy.
The tournament revealed many human touches, too: Caleb Henson, the 149 champion (4th seed) for Virginia Tech, exclaimed an f.bomb in his post-match interview when he told how much his teammates, who had swarmed him after his win, meant to him. He quickly apologized. In another post-win interview, one with Richard Figueroa, his mother is seen still tightly gripping her rosary as she had all of his match. Both show the tight knit of wrestling’s community.
But there are always UPSETS! Every tournament has matches when favored wrestlers lose for a variety of reasons. Since most tournaments are double elimination, a wrestler has the chance to bounce back from a loss, but as can be imagined, that is sometimes difficult, especially after a match is lost that should have been a win. The mental part of wrestling becomes paramount in these situations, and more than one good wrestler has lost again, when he should have won.
Thursday evening, match 71, number 7 seed at 149, Tyler Kasak of Penn State, loses to number 26 seed Jaden Abas of Stanford 4-2. Kasak had a long Thursday night to ponder his loss and in match 291 on Friday morning he defeated Drew Roberts of Minnesota in the wrestlebacks. He then pins Ethan Fernandez of Cornell in 0:37 and tech falls Graham Rooks (Indiana) before the morning is over. Friday evening sees him win over Jackson Arrington of North Carolina State and close his night with a win over Quinn Kinner of Rider. A wrestler not to be denied, Kasak began his Saturday session with a major decision over Ridge Lovett (Nebraska) the number 1 seed, and a decision (3-2) over Ty Walters (W VA) to capture 3rd place. 7 wins after a disastrous loss to become an All-American. Kasak’s team captured many more accolades during the tournament, but for me his achievement is as good of an example of mental and physical toughness as there is. What he did is outstanding, even without winning an individual championship.
All of this is present whether in a middle school event or the DI contests of the NCAA. The drama and grit and courage displayed in competition is what makes sport so valuable for participants and viewers. Even for those who place 3rd or the mothers who clutch their roseries during matches.
Southern Intersections 