Welp, that's one more thing I was looking forward to seeing, that I won't be.
No Red-White wrestle-offs
The Coaching staff has decided that there will not be an inter-squad scrimmage this year. We will be using the performance at the early season tournaments to determine who will be representing the Badger Team during the dual meet season. It is far more important to see who performs the best against other teams than who wrestles best against a teammate. That doesn't mean that a wrestle-off later in the year couldn't happen. Our job is to determine the best line-up possible to represent the University of Wisconsin and this is what we believe is the best way to do it.
While I "get it," I lament the fact that the coaching staff abandons one of the seminal aspects of the sport of wrestling - proving you are better by actually beating the other guy. It's one of those embedded prinicples of wrestling - you beat the guy - you are better.
Quote from: npope on September 20, 2016, 04:29:25 PM
While I "get it," I lament the fact that the coaching staff abandons one of the seminal aspects of the sport of wrestling - proving you are better by actually beating the other guy. It's one of those embedded prinicples of wrestling - you beat the guy - you are better.
I dig it, Pope. But styles matter. UM has done the tourney method for years rather than in the room determinations.
Wrestle off are another way of promoting your team and something the Badgers seem to have little to no interest in doing
Quote from: Ivan Stankowski on September 20, 2016, 05:26:01 PM
Wrestle off are another way of promoting your team and something the Badgers seem to have little to no interest in doing
1. Quit looking for an reason why you can't support/watch the program instead of looking to see how you can.
Ex:
"We will be having a pre-season cookout again this year at the Kalscheur Farm on Saturday, October 29. There will be a Team practice/scrimmage in the late morning followed by an afternoon cookout from 2-4pm."
2. Practice/Scrimmage sounds like the same thing without a starting spot associated with it because they want to do the tourney method. Plus a cookout at a great facility with interactions with the coaches and athletes. Seems like no interest to me too...
Nothing more fair than winning the wrestle off to determine who is better.
That is why wrestling is so pure, you can prove it on the mat and leave no doubt.
Wrestling is not a "judgement call".
Quote from: fightfightfight on September 20, 2016, 06:29:54 PM
Quote from: Ivan Stankowski on September 20, 2016, 05:26:01 PM
Wrestle off are another way of promoting your team and something the Badgers seem to have little to no interest in doing
1. Quit looking for an reason why you can't support/watch the program instead of looking to see how you can.
Ex:
"We will be having a pre-season cookout again this year at the Kalscheur Farm on Saturday, October 29. There will be a Team practice/scrimmage in the late morning followed by an afternoon cookout from 2-4pm."
2. Practice/Scrimmage sounds like the same thing without a starting spot associated with it because they want to do the tourney method. Plus a cookout at a great facility with interactions with the coaches and athletes. Seems like no interest to me too...
Where did I say I don't watch or support? You read that into my post, sorry i think it is a missed opportunity, Just my opinion, doesn't make it right or wrong, solely mine. But to get that I don't watch or support the program out of my post is just wow!!
I think the scrimmage was a good PR move. Not sure what the harm is.
I get the wrestle off isn't always the best scenario compared to wrestling "with the lights on" against outside opponents. Some guys are better "in the room" and then struggle against guys they aren't familiar with.
I guess I get it both ways. Even if it's not to decide positions, I think it is a good idea to wrestle in front of your fan base as much as possible.
It's a long season, they probably don't want to get the guys banged up early.
Glad they made this decision. Sounds like the scrimmage and cookout will be a lot more enjoyable for everyone. The wrestle-offs were no fun from the wrestler's perspective. And honestly kind of a waste of a training day.
I agree with Hammen. Anyone who has been around wrestling knows that simply because wrestler "A" can beat wrestler "B" does NOT mean that wrestler "A" is the better wrestler. You may just have someones number or your styles are of which where you don't match up well. I think there is much more in judging talent than head to head, but rather how you compete against common opponents.
Is there a scrimmage at the cookout?
LOL! That was good, Rodbender!
Quote from: Ivan Stankowski on September 20, 2016, 09:37:00 PM
Quote from: fightfightfight on September 20, 2016, 06:29:54 PM
Quote from: Ivan Stankowski on September 20, 2016, 05:26:01 PM
Wrestle off are another way of promoting your team and something the Badgers seem to have little to no interest in doing
1. Quit looking for an reason why you can't support/watch the program instead of looking to see how you can.
Ex:
"We will be having a pre-season cookout again this year at the Kalscheur Farm on Saturday, October 29. There will be a Team practice/scrimmage in the late morning followed by an afternoon cookout from 2-4pm."
2. Practice/Scrimmage sounds like the same thing without a starting spot associated with it because they want to do the tourney method. Plus a cookout at a great facility with interactions with the coaches and athletes. Seems like no interest to me too...
Where did I say I don't watch or support? You read that into my post, sorry i think it is a missed opportunity, Just my opinion, doesn't make it right or wrong, solely mine. But to get that I don't watch or support the program out of my post is just wow!!
Sorry I didn't mean so much watch/support and more to pointing out the fact that you said the Badgers have little to no interest in promoting the team. I was simply pointing out the fact that there is (around the same time) a cookout, meet and greet, practice/scrimmage, all at a great facility. Which seems like even more interest than a wrestle off since it interacts with the fans even more.
I think the intersquad benefits the freshmen. Gives them a no-pressure chance at wrestling within the environment that is different than practice. I got a real eye opener my freshman year with it. You get the chance to put on the singlet and warmups. Get on the mat and prepare like you would for a dual. Wrestle with a clock, referee, coaches, mat decisions, etc that just can not be reproduced in a practice setting no matter how much you try to. It also gives the wrestlers a chance to make weight in a no-pressure environment, where if they don't actually make it there is no big deal. So I see benefits in it. it also gives your table workers and meet managers a chance to work out their bugs too before it becomes real.
Using this method to start the season works ok. The starter is determined based on who finishes higher in the first open tourney. At Augsburg one thing I didn't like is if two Auggie wrestlers ended up in the same placing match they didn't wrestle them off there. That's where subjectivity can come in. The starter can lose his spot through the year though if the backup outperforms him in another open tourney.
Difference in DIII though is they wrestle a lot of opens so there are several opportunities to win that spot if you had one bad tourney. DI don't wrestle as many opens.
For my boy's junior year he finished 5th in the first open. Teammate finished second so was the starter. Another teammate did not place but there was a like competitor that the other guy met earlier that eliminated him from the tourney. My boy was pinned by this guy and the teammate lost a major.... My boy finishes as the number 3 guy on the team.
Advance a few weeks to another open, my boy and the #2 guy meet in an open match and do wrestle. My boy wins and gets the #2 spot.
Advance another few weeks my boy and the starter meet head to head in an open. Starter wins... no change
Advance another couple weeks, starter leaves the team. My boy takes starter spot and career climbs from there.
Point is, even after not being a starter at the beginning (actually 3rd string) you can still end up a national qualifier using this method.
I was looking forward to the red vs. white this year. I think it's a great promotional tool for the program. Get the guys who are not gonna crack the lineup a chance to wrestle in front of a crowd. Give the fans a sneak peak at the redshirt guys. Have your varsity guys working the crowd , giving the younger kids high fives, taking photos and signing t shirts, etc.. Have your biggest name guys ( Medbury and Jordan) coaching? bring in a couple of the football or even the basketball guys to coach? How entertaining would that be?
Nigel Hayes would definitely do it, in fact, I believe he would step out on the mat and wrestle (which would show that it is not a mockery).
Nigel vs Connor
Nigel would get smoked. ;)
I know he would which would give us some great exposure. Then you could have Jordan vs Nigel on the court....publicity.
Nigel went on Twitter ast year saying the hoops team/him would take on any team/ind.
Great idea having basketball guys coach! Let's make a mockery of the wrestling team!
[/quote]
What ideas do you have to get more butts in seats? How would taking a star athlete from a highly televised sport and getting him involved to shine the light on the team "make a mockery"?
Having an interested and involved student section attend a wrestling meet would be awesome!
Penn State, Iowa and Ohio State have now called off their wrestle offs to follow the Badgers lead.
Everybody agrees it is better to keep the fans in the dark. No reason to give the fans something
to see or talk about.
Quote from: jw52 on September 22, 2016, 08:19:56 PM
bring in a couple of the football or even the basketball guys to coach? How entertaining would that be?
About as exciting as Barry Davis attempting to coach basketball or football. In other words, not entertaining at all.
What "coaching" do you expect football or basketball guys to bring to wrestling?
Quote from: stp on September 26, 2016, 09:40:01 AM
Quote from: jw52 on September 22, 2016, 08:19:56 PM
bring in a couple of the football or even the basketball guys to coach? How entertaining would that be?
About as exciting as Barry Davis attempting to coach basketball or football. In other words, not entertaining at all.
What "coaching" do you expect football or basketball guys to bring to wrestling?
Wouldn't be about the coaching, obviously. It would be about the fanfare, having the wrestling crowd and student-athletes get to interact with big time athletes of other Badger powerhouses, and be a real positive setting for badger fans. With wrestling being very under appreciated in almost every college nationwide, programs need to consistently think outside the box if they want to appeal to many fans, and not just the wrestling faithful.
I doubt Nigel or Corey Clement will be shouting technique ::)
You need to bring in popular people to draw a crowd and see wrestling. Maybe they will enjoy it and come back next time.
Better than trying to offer students a free hot dog to show up.
Prior to the scrimmage have the basketball team compete against the wrestling team in dodgeball on the mat.
Make it fun and bring in more fans. Otherwise you have a free hot dog and some crickets.
While this may seem like a great idea, it isn't always the "fairest".
The draws in the tournaments aren't always equal, and the luckier of the teammates gets the pass to the medals, and the other draws the returning AA(s).
Both are defeated in similar fashion but one has the benefit of the higher placing. This looks good to most fans/supporters of the program, but those in the know see what's happening.
I still advocate for the full-sized mat wrestle-off ( NO WRESTLE-OFFS in the room because it is not a real situation) with an official not connected with UW in any way, shape or form.
In all the wrestle offs I had in college I never heard one word of complaint.
The winner won and the loser lost. The pecking order was fair with no complaints.
The coach obviously has a very good idea who the best guys are at each weight.
However, Gable tells the story of a freshman kid that destroyed the guy he thought
would win the wrestle off and even had them do it a second time. Evidently the kid
could really perform at a higher level than he showed in practice.
There is something wrong when the supposed "best" wrestler cannot win the wrestle off. And the excuse of styles is so infrequent that it is not worth canceling wrestle-offs.
I will tell you that when all parents complain about the coach and playing time in other sports I always tell them that is why wrestling is so great. The person that wins the wrestle off is the best and gets to wrestle varsity- as long as grades are up and behavior and attendance are fine.
No subjectivity. No favoritism.
Quote from: billymurphy on September 26, 2016, 03:57:01 PM
In all the wrestle offs I had in college I never heard one word of complaint.
The winner won and the loser lost. The pecking order was fair with no complaints.
The coach obviously has a very good idea who the best guys are at each weight.
However, Gable tells the story of a freshman kid that destroyed the guy he thought
would win the wrestle off and even had them do it a second time. Evidently the kid
could really perform at a higher level than he showed in practice.
Ya, his name was Randy Lewis!!
Correct.
Agreed!
Quote from: DocWrestling on September 26, 2016, 04:19:52 PM
There is something wrong when the supposed "best" wrestler cannot win the wrestle off. And the excuse of styles is so infrequent that it is not worth canceling wrestle-offs.
I will tell you that when all parents complain about the coach and playing time in other sports I always tell them that is why wrestling is so great. The person that wins the wrestle off is the best and gets to wrestle varsity- as long as grades are up and behavior and attendance are fine.
No subjectivity. No favoritism.
Can we have WiWrestling Alumni wrestle-offs instead ? :-)
Quote from: MNbadger on September 27, 2016, 07:18:01 AM
Agreed!
Quote from: DocWrestling on September 26, 2016, 04:19:52 PM
There is something wrong when the supposed "best" wrestler cannot win the wrestle off. And the excuse of styles is so infrequent that it is not worth canceling wrestle-offs.
I will tell you that when all parents complain about the coach and playing time in other sports I always tell them that is why wrestling is so great. The person that wins the wrestle off is the best and gets to wrestle varsity- as long as grades are up and behavior and attendance are fine.
No subjectivity. No favoritism.
I figured there would be more of a split on the efficacy of wrestle-offs, but I guess I'm one of the few who doesn't really believe in them. I think I've written and deleted this in one form or another without posting it about five times, since I'm sick of arguing with people who confuse opinions with facts. If you use wrestle-offs and swear by them, I'm not ragging on you for it. That's your philosophy (opinion), and this is mine.
Wrestle-offs are kind of like picking a quarterback based on which one completes more passes during 7-on-7. It shows you who can make the best reads, but it doesn't show who can do it the best under pressure (both mental pressure of the game and the physical pressure of the pass rush) or against a non-scout D (teammates). Yeah, if one quarterback competes 9/10 while the other throws three interceptions (or one wrestler tech falls the other) you might know something (but nothing you shouldn't have already known). Anything short of that, I think there are much better ways for a coach to evaluate the situation and determine the best possible line-up. Wrestle-offs can be sort of a cop-out for coaches (see below) who don't want to take heat for making tough decisions and/or aren't confident in their own judgement.
Why would I want my starter sloughing off in practice, since he knows he can win in a wrestle-off over his back-up?
Why would I want my starter avoiding wrestling with his back-up (or not practicing his go-to moves against him) in practice, because he doesn't want his back-up to learn his stuff and/or get better?
I only do the "show" of a wrestle-off when I want to put an underclassman in the line-up over a senior (Me copping-out to avoid heat/ giving the senior closure); otherwise, I tell the team every warm-up, every drill, every live go, every sprint, every time I tell them to wash the mats, is a wrestle-off. If I'm not certain of whom I want to start, as a last resort, I will watch one of their 2-2-2's in a practice without telling them and keep score in my head (They already know everything in practice could be a wrestle-off, so they better be going hard or risk losing their spot). I'd rather have that competition in the room every day, not just every couple of weeks in a wrestle-off.
(Not to mention the friction between teammates, extra weight-cuts, lost practice time, etc. that I've found come with wrestle-offs.)
Quote from: Ty Clark on September 29, 2016, 07:37:04 PM
Quote from: MNbadger on September 27, 2016, 07:18:01 AM
Agreed!
Quote from: DocWrestling on September 26, 2016, 04:19:52 PM
There is something wrong when the supposed "best" wrestler cannot win the wrestle off. And the excuse of styles is so infrequent that it is not worth canceling wrestle-offs.
I will tell you that when all parents complain about the coach and playing time in other sports I always tell them that is why wrestling is so great. The person that wins the wrestle off is the best and gets to wrestle varsity- as long as grades are up and behavior and attendance are fine.
No subjectivity. No favoritism.
I figured there would be more of a split on the efficacy of wrestle-offs, but I guess I'm one of the few who doesn't really believe in them. I think I've written and deleted this in one form or another without posting it about five times, since I'm sick of arguing with people who confuse opinions with facts. If you use wrestle-offs and swear by them, I'm not ragging on you for it. That's your philosophy (opinion), and this is mine.
Wrestle-offs are kind of like picking a quarterback based on which one completes more passes during 7-on-7. It shows you who can make the best reads, but it doesn't show who can do it the best under pressure (both mental pressure of the game and the physical pressure of the pass rush) or against a non-scout D (teammates). Yeah, if one quarterback competes 9/10 while the other throws three interceptions (or one wrestler tech falls the other) you might know something (but nothing you shouldn't have already known). Anything short of that, I think there are much better ways for a coach to evaluate the situation and determine the best possible line-up. Wrestle-offs can be sort of a cop-out for coaches (see below) who don't want to take heat for making tough decisions and/or aren't confident in their own judgement.
Why would I want my starter sloughing off in practice, since he knows he can win in a wrestle-off over his back-up?
Why would I want my starter avoiding wrestling with his back-up (or not practicing his go-to moves against him) in practice, because he doesn't want his back-up to learn his stuff and/or get better?
I only do the "show" of a wrestle-off when I want to put an underclassman in the line-up over a senior (Me copping-out to avoid heat/ giving the senior closure); otherwise, I tell the team every warm-up, every drill, every live go, every sprint, every time I tell them to wash the mats, is a wrestle-off. If I'm not certain of whom I want to start, as a last resort, I will watch one of their 2-2-2's in a practice without telling them and keep score in my head (They already know everything in practice could be a wrestle-off, so they better be going hard or risk losing their spot). I'd rather have that competition in the room every day, not just every couple of weeks in a wrestle-off.
(Not to mention the friction between teammates, extra weight-cuts, lost practice time, etc. that I've found come with wrestle-offs.)
I have never heard this perspective before and you make many great points. The only problem I have with it is the favoritism I see in many other sports where there is definitely subjective decisions made, wrestling/track/swimming/golf were sports that could avoid that as a poster above said No subjectivity. No Favoritism. It sounds like you do use that thinking at times where it could like favoritism (underclassman vs Senior) and in most cases we can all tell who the better wrestler is.
Going with the quarterback analogy that Ty mentioned, each of the 10 weight classes are like picking a starting quarterback, especially in Division I. Sometimes it is clear who the starter should be, sometimes it is not. A competition against other teams many times determines the starter. You need to find out who does the best against outside competition.
Overall, I think I like wrestle-offs in high school, but probably lean toward no wrestle-offs in college (at Division I in particular) and use the open tournaments to determine the starter. If they are still close, then have a wrestle-off.
I also seen cases where wrestle-offs are ignored, and the winner of the wrestle-off does not get the varsity spot. That can create a controversy as well.
I can see your points and can see the difficulties in college at times. I don't like the QB analogy because it is not head to head.
Again you can have wrestle offs and use them for 9 out of 10 spots but maybe not one of the spots. The number of times that the best wrestler does not win the wrestle off is minimal at high school level and only a little more common maybe in college.
You don't abandon wrestle offs in my mind for a rare instance where the best wrestler maybe does not win and even then it is the coaches perogative to choose what wrestler takes the mat.
Tournaments are just as random. You can take college open tournaments and wrestle the same wrestlers every weekend and you will get differing results based on draw, injuries, results, etc.
I agree with Ty. It's hard to give a wrestler a slot just because they win 1 match. I view the whole season as a wrestle off. Does he put in the effort, whose winning during live goes, etc.
Quote from: wrastle63 on September 30, 2016, 01:03:46 PM
I agree with Ty. It's hard to give a wrestler a slot just because they win 1 match. I view the whole season as a wrestle off. Does he put in the effort, whose winning during live goes, etc.
I don't think anyone meant that 1 wrestle off guaranteed a spot all season. I do think wrestle offs are important and takes the politics out of the sport.
Quote from: aarons23 on September 30, 2016, 02:18:07 PM
Quote from: wrastle63 on September 30, 2016, 01:03:46 PM
I agree with Ty. It's hard to give a wrestler a slot just because they win 1 match. I view the whole season as a wrestle off. Does he put in the effort, whose winning during live goes, etc.
I don't think anyone meant that 1 wrestle off guaranteed a spot all season. I do think wrestle offs are important and takes the politics out of the sport.
Agreed. And if its a horse apiece, you have to wrestle-off for the sake of team morale. If the team knows that the coach is just going to pick anyway, it becomes just one more nail in the coffin.
Quote from: OneEyedFatMan on September 30, 2016, 02:24:32 PM
Quote from: aarons23 on September 30, 2016, 02:18:07 PM
Quote from: wrastle63 on September 30, 2016, 01:03:46 PM
I agree with Ty. It's hard to give a wrestler a slot just because they win 1 match. I view the whole season as a wrestle off. Does he put in the effort, whose winning during live goes, etc.
I don't think anyone meant that 1 wrestle off guaranteed a spot all season. I do think wrestle offs are important and takes the politics out of the sport.
Agreed. And if its a horse apiece, you have to wrestle-off for the sake of team morale. If the team knows that the coach is just going to pick anyway, it becomes just one more nail in the coffin.
Agree. Wrestle-offs should be a part of the process.
I've watched people throw the shot put. In practice they are amazing. Somehow under pressure the toe board becomes a real issue. It happens. I think it happens with wrestling too. However, by the time someone is in college that is either revealed or it will never go away. As the guy who hasn 't secured the spot, I had better want a wrestle off or work my but off in a tournament. Either way you if you know that is the determining factor you make the most of it. Plain and simple you earn the spot one way or another. As long as it's known ahead of time make no mistake about where you shine. I can live with either one as long as the whole season is a testing grounds.
Agreed as long as it is who is wrestling better. For example if at the open tournaments wrestler A takes 2 and second and wrestler B takes fourth and fifth then wrestler A is varsity even if B beats A head to head. If you can follow my thinking....haha
Quote from: Nearfall3 on September 26, 2016, 09:54:02 AM
Quote from: stp on September 26, 2016, 09:40:01 AM
Quote from: jw52 on September 22, 2016, 08:19:56 PM
bring in a couple of the football or even the basketball guys to coach? How entertaining would that be?
About as exciting as Barry Davis attempting to coach basketball or football. In other words, not entertaining at all.
What "coaching" do you expect football or basketball guys to bring to wrestling?
Wouldn't be about the coaching, obviously. It would be about the fanfare, having the wrestling crowd and student-athletes get to interact with big time athletes of other Badger powerhouses, and be a real positive setting for badger fans. With wrestling being very under appreciated in almost every college nationwide, programs need to consistently think outside the box if they want to appeal to many fans, and not just the wrestling faithful.
I doubt Nigel or Corey Clement will be shouting technique ::)
I understand the concept, just disagree with using coaches. One event I've heard of done at a larger HS in Columbus is called the "Beauty and the Beast" which is an event showcasing wrestling and gymnastics in the same gym, simultaneously.
Like this discussion on wrestle offs. In highschool I seem to remember quite a few of these, and the result was pretty predictable. I felt the better wrestler usually won. In college, there were guys that were great practice wrestlers, but couldn't perform under the lights. Kyle and Jordy... Now as a HS coach, I do allow wrestle offs occasionally, but I want the discretion to pick the best competitor.
Quote from: DocWrestling on September 30, 2016, 12:01:26 PM
I can see your points and can see the difficulties in college at times. I don't like the QB analogy because it is not head to head.
Again you can have wrestle offs and use them for 9 out of 10 spots but maybe not one of the spots. The number of times that the best wrestler does not win the wrestle off is minimal at high school level and only a little more common maybe in college.
You don't abandon wrestle offs in my mind for a rare instance where the best wrestler maybe does not win and even then it is the coaches perogative to choose what wrestler takes the mat.
Tournaments are just as random. You can take college open tournaments and wrestle the same wrestlers every weekend and you will get differing results based on draw, injuries, results, etc.
You do make a good point on some of these open tournaments, especially larger ones, whoever gets a better draw can have the advantage of placing higher. Eventually, if two wrestlers are close, wrestle-offs may be needed, which the Badgers mentioned in the original statement - "That doesn't mean that a wrestle-off later in the year couldn't happen."
I'm more open to saying wrestle offs are not the only determining factor. Everything is on the table. Make the team everytime you step out on the mat. You are always being evaluated, open tournament, practice, wrestle-off, in the classroom, etc.
Nothing against the Badgers belief of doing things, but I personally would not go to a school that did not
do the wrestle off. There are sports were it is subjective on who the best guy is, but not wrestling, you win the wrestle offs
and you have proven you are the best guy at the weight and have earned the right to represent your team
at that weight. The coach may have several wrestle offs during the season, but if you win them, it is end of discussion
on whether the coach wants to play favorites or not.
Quote from: billymurphy on October 17, 2016, 11:02:19 PM
Nothing against the Badgers belief of doing things, but I personally would not go to a school that did not
do the wrestle off. There are sports were it is subjective on who the best guy is, but not wrestling, you win the wrestle offs
and you have proven you are the best guy at the weight and have earned the right to represent your team
at that weight. The coach may have several wrestle offs during the season, but if you win them, it is end of discussion
on whether the coach wants to play favorites or not.
This is not a smart a** question I am truly asking because I do not know. Are there any D1 schools where the lineup is determined purely on wrestle offs? My understanding in talking with coaches and wrestlers is that wrestle offs are only part of the decision and ultimately the coaching staff makes the lineup decision based on what they believe is best for team.
I think you guys are losing sight of what is really going on. I'm sure there is still going to be wrestle-offs in the room. The coaching staff has decided that they are not having an event at the Field House.
I for one, have not been had a warm fuzzy feeling when leaving the Red-White dual the last couple years. It's hard to put on a real good show case when your in front of a crowd wrestling your teammate.
Quote from: Drop Step on October 19, 2016, 12:43:36 PM
I think you guys are losing sight of what is really going on. I'm sure there is still going to be wrestle-offs in the room. The coaching staff has decided that they are not having an event at the Field House.
I for one, have not been had a warm fuzzy feeling when leaving the Red-White dual the last couple years. It's hard to put on a real good show case when your in front of a crowd wrestling your teammate.
First Post:
QuoteNo Red-White wrestle-offs
The Coaching staff has decided that there will not be an inter-squad scrimmage this year. We will be using the performance at the early season tournaments to determine who will be representing the Badger Team during the dual meet season. It is far more important to see who performs the best against other teams than who wrestles best against a teammate. That doesn't mean that a wrestle-off later in the year couldn't happen. Our job is to determine the best line-up possible to represent the University of Wisconsin and this is what we believe is the best way to do it.
Follow-Up:
QuoteBelow is a preview of the roster this year and their projected weights. These are in alphabetical order, by weight, rather than based on starter. We will not have an inter-squad dual this season to establish our starting line-up. Instead the wrestlers will compete at the Steven's Point open in hopes that they wrestle in competition to decide the starter for the beginning of the year.
2016-2017 Roster
125: Mikey Cullen, Johnny Jimenez, Jenz Lantz
133: JJ McClelland, Eli Stickley
141: Cole Martin, Luke Rowh, Pat Spray
149: Andrew Crone, Gabe Grahek, Rylan Lubeck
157: Jarod Donar, Rylan Lubeck, Izaec Quintanilla, TJ Ruschell, Jared Scharenbrock, Eric Schmid, Zander Wick
165: Jacob Covaciu, Isaac Jordan, Seth Liegal, Evan Wick
174: Santonio Cathery, Ryan Christensen, Jacob Stilling
184: Hunter Ritter
197: Eric Peissig, Mason Reinhardt, Ricky Robertson
Hwt: Connor Medbery, Ben Stone, Brady Wetter
ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- The University of Michigan wrestling team will informally kick off its 2016-17 season on Sunday (Oct. 30) with the annual Maize and Blue Intrasquad at 1 p.m. at Cliff Keen Arena. Admission is free.
The Maize and Blue Intrasquad typically serves as the final round of wrestle-offs to determine the Wolverines' starting lineup. Preliminary matches and the first match of each weight's best-of-three final were held Thursday (Oct. 27) at the Bahna Wrestling Center.