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Just 36 hours ago, 330 of the best collegiate wrestlers took the mats in Cleveland with hopes of becoming a national champion. Now, 210 have been eliminated from the tournament. Only 40 still have a shot at that national title, with another 80 fighting for All-American status.
The “All-American” title sticks with you for the rest of your life. It’s highly coveted. And for the 80 survivors in the consolation bracket, they’re just one win away. But only half of them will be rewarded with it. The other half, who fought hard and made it this far, walk away with nothing but the cuts and bruises, and that most painful of memories: almost.
Win, you live. Lose, you die. Welcome to Session 4. There’s no better spectacle in sports.
TEAM STANDINGS
| PLACE | TEAM | POINTS | SEMIS | R12 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | Ohio State | 80.5 | 6 | 3 |
| 2nd | Penn State | 67.0 | 5 | 3 |
| 3rd | Michigan | 59.5 | 5 | 0 |
| 4th | Iowa | 53.5 | 2 | 4 |
| 5th | NC State | 44.0 | 3 | 2 |
Let’s punch all 8 thru to the podium, and see where PSU stands around 11:00pmET tonight.
SESSION FOUR MATCH-UPS
| ROUND | NITTANY LION | WT | OPPONENT |
|---|---|---|---|
| R12 | 8-Maverick | 141 | 12-Smith (BUCK) |
| SEMI | 1-ZPain | 149 | 4-Heilmann (UNC) |
| SEMI | 3-Nolf | 157 | 7-Jordan (OHST) |
| SEMI | 3-Meatball | 165 | 2-McFadden (VATECH) |
| SEMI | 2-Marky | 174 | 3-Lewis (MIZZ) |
| SEMI | 1-Bo | 184 | 5-Abounader (MICH) |
| R12 | 5-Sugar | 197 | 7-Mattiace (UPENN) |
| R12 | 3-Nick | 285 | UN-Heino (CAMP) |
Really wish Tyler Smith (Bucknell via Franklin Regional) had drawn someone, anyone, other than Nick Lee. Smith’s a 5th-year senior, making his 3rd appearance in the “blood round”, having come up painfully short the previous two trips.
Fun Facts Section
- 170 unseeded wrestlers began the tournament yesterday morning. Amazingly, 16 remain, including 2 in the semifinals. If you picked 133-Tariq Wilson (NCST) or 197-Kyle Conel (KENT) in our BSD Pick ‘Em contest, collect your winnings.
- 56 (of 160) seeded wrestlers have been eliminated, including 5 top-8 seeds.
- All 9 undefeated wrestlers at the start of the tournament are still undefeated, though 2 meet in the semis (125: Cruz vs Suriano).
- 18 of the 40 semifinalists are from 4 B1G schools: PSU (5), OHST (6), MICH (5), and IOWA (2). The four schools have 33 still wrestling.
Other Stuff
- Like the quarters this morning, each semi-final win is worth 7 team points: 1 for advancing to the final, plus 6 for placing no worse than 2nd. So - let’s win some semi-finals.
- In the first round of consolations, a win is worth 3.5 team points: 0.5 for advancing, plus 3 points for finishing no worse than 8th.
- Your link to Ironhead Byers radio here.
- Your link to ESPN3 here.
- Your link to TrackWrestling dashboard of mat assignments here.
- Your link to Penn State Wrestling Club here
Alright, friends. Let’s have some fun.