Chicks Heart Fights

I didn’t take many notes today, so this is all from memory. 

•  How about my Tigers? Thank goodness we came back like that. Marable, Jordan and Askren all gave fantastic performances after yesterday was pretty much awful.
• Fanthorpe and Baker’s match had UFC-style blood. Both of their heads were wrapped, but both wraps were soaked with blood. 
• Dear Cyler Sanderson - please go outside and get yourself some sun. Signed, the Chick.
• ESPNU’s crew interviewed Brandon Sinnott during his twin brother’s match. The poor guy clearly wanted to just go and support his brother.
• One of my favorite wrestlers, the precious Jimmy Kennedy, took fourth after a great win over Mack Reiter. Jimmy had a tough time with Franklin Gomez, but he has some fantastic experience for next year. 

Check them out here. My quick take:

• How does Gabe Flores (Illinois) get a six seed with eight losses?
• My pick to win 133, Nick Fanthorpe, gets a 5 seed, and he’ll have to get through Slaton in the quarters, and Gomez in the semis. Nevertheless, he is still my pick… which means that he is probably doomed to go two and out.
• Also at 133, no offense to my favorite Illini parent, but precious Jimmy Kennedy lost to Coleman Scott. Scott should have gotten the 2 seed.
• During the first round of 149, Darrion Caldwell (NC State) better watch out for the upset special, Mike Roberts, the fierce Terrier of Boston University. I’m sure that BU will want to improve on last year’s finish and score more than a half point.
• Deja vu all over again - at 157, Cyler Sanderson (Iowa St.) and Michael Chandler (Mizzou) are set to meet in the second round, assuming that they will get through their first matches. This will be their third match-up this year.
• I’m not going to say anything about 197’s seeding because I don’t want to jinx my favorite Tiger younger brother of a two-time national champion.
• In the heavyweight bracket, Bubba Gritter is called Ryan. Does that mean that we won’t hear “Bubba Gritter” at all during NCAAs? Sad.

When coaching at UNC-Greensboro, I’m not sure if Tom Shifflet had a vision of turning the Southern Scuffle into a great tournament that serves as an alternative to Midlands, or if he just didn’t feel like traveling during the holidays. Regardless of his motives, the Southern Scuffle has grown into an event that attracts some of the country’s best teams. In contrast to Midlands, it offers nicer weather and easier travel for East Coast teams, but of course, it’s not in the best city ever.

This year, Shifflet, now coaching at Hofstra, will return with seven seeded wrestlers, including three wrestlers with a #1 seed. Continue Reading »

Some of wrestling’s best will gather just north of Chicago on December 29 and 30 for the 45th Annual Midlands Tournament. I’ve been watching Midlands, whether on TV or live from the stands, since I was a little girl. I still remember seeing Joe Williams, a wrestler I had watched dominate in high school, dominate Midlands. Though the tournament has lost some of its luster, it’s still an exciting tournament held in my hometown. Pre-seeds were released, and after the jump are some of the matches I’m most looking forward to: Continue Reading »

First, let me get this out of the way - the BCS sucks. Sucks. Sucks. Sucks. This is not something that is open to discussion with me - the BCS sucks.

Anyway, what a weekend for college wrestling! Minnesota vs. Iowa State, Oklahoma State vs. Oklahoma, the Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invite… Something that I love about college wrestling is that the top teams wrestle consistently wrestle each other. One versus two happens pretty much every season, and how often do we see that in college football or men’s basketball? (Of course, last week, we got to see #4 beat #2, but for some reason, the #4 who beat the #2 is not in a BCS game, but the #2 who lost is. I digress.)

First, Minnesota/Iowa State at Minny. Continue Reading »