Takedown Report

Five teams that finished outside the top 20 to watch out for this NCAA season

BY MIKE WILLIS, USA WRESTLING | OCT. 09, 2019, 

Every year there are programs that make big leaps in the rankings. Here are five teams that finished outside the top 20 at last year’s NCAA tournament that are poised to make some noise in the 2019-2020 season.

Wisconsin Last year’s finish: 21
In Chris Bono’s first year as Wisconsin’s head coach, they finished one spot away from a top-20 placement. The Badgers have been red hot on the recruiting trail recently, picking up commitments from Braxton Amos and Joey Zargo, the No. 3 and No. 36 prospects in the class of 2020 (according to Flowrestling). Additionally, they’ve received commitments from ranked wrestlers in the class of 2021 including, No. 9 Hayden Copass and No. 48 Dean Hamiti. While these wrestlers won’t be on campus for the current season, the Badgers still look to be in good shape for the present as well as the future.

At 125 pounds, it’s very possible Wisconsin rolls out true freshman Eric Barnett. The Wisconsin native was the No. 36 recruit in the class of 2019.
In the offseason, 2018 NCAA champion and 2017 NCAA runner-up Seth Gross received a sixth year of eligibility after missing the entire 2018-2019 season. He transferred to Wisconsin from South Dakota State, Bono’s previous school, for his final year of eligibility. Gross will be one of the favorites to win a title at the weight class, especially with a lot of the top-tier talent eyeing Olympic redshirts.
141 pounds will most likely be redshirt junior Tristan Moran. A transfer from Oklahoma State, Moran finished in the round of 12 last season.
It looks like three-time NCAA qualifier Cole Martin will once again cover the 149 pound spot. Martin will look to become a four-time qualifier and punch through to earn his first All-American honors.
157 pounds is a weight class that might still be in contention. Zander Wick announced his retirement after having his last two seasons cut short due to injuries. When Wick went down last season, redshirt freshman Garrett Model took over and went 10-14. He did not qualify for the NCAA tournament.
165 pounds should feature two-time All-American Evan Wick. The past two seasons, Wick has finished fourth and third at the NCAA tournament. Rest of the teams and story at https://www.teamusa.org/USA-Wrestling/Features/2019/October/09/Five-teams-that-finished-outside-the-20-to-watch-out-for-this-NCAA-season?mc_cid=863baad934&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b

October 12, 2019 - Posted by The TakeDown Report | Uncategorized