NCAA Wrestling Finals Giveaway!
I’m still psyched after watching the NCAA Wrestling Finals yesterday…
There were so many great matches… but 2 of them really stuck with me.
Bubba Jenkins, 157 lb Champion from Arizona State was the first match that I was literally screaming and yelling at the TV Screen in my Living Room. That’s because I was Bubba’s Physical Education Teacher when he was in Middle School.
He was so gifted even as a Middle School athlete. The kid had so much energy, and would literally run up the side of the gym wall as we would head outside for whatever game we were going to play that day. There was no sport or chance for some competition with the rest of the class (of whom most were very good wrestlers) that he didn’t want to get involved in…
In fact, it was watching Bubba as both a Teacher and Coach that I originally got the idea to create my 6 Minute Conditioning for Wrestler program. (The DVD is going to be re-released next week… look for it!!)
I’m very happy for his victory in the NCAA Finals.
Now… the second match that had my fullest attention was watching Anthony Robles of Arizona State.
Born with one leg, he became an NCAA Champion… UNBELIEVABLE!! Also, the kid has a great attitude, heart and spirit. He’s my new hero!
Here’s a little clip of Anthony:
I feel so inspired after watching all of the great wrestling in the NCAA’s…
Do me a favor, and leave a post telling me what you liked best about the NCAA Finals. This Wednesday, March 23rd at 5:00 pm I’m going to put all of your names in a hat and draw 3 winners:
1st Prize – Lifetime Membership to Wrestling Performance!
2nd Prize – A copy of my Ultimate Wrestling Strength program!
3rd Prize – A copy of my Ultimate Wrestling Power Body Weight program!
I really want to hear from you guys who watched… Just leave a cool post about the Finals and then check back Wednesday at 5:00 Eastern time to read the winners!
Steve
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UPDATE WEDNESDAY, 3/23 – RESULTS OF NCAA FINALS GIVEAWAY!!
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Thank you to all who posted those awesome, educated, insightful comments regarding the NCAA Wrestling Finals! It was a great tournament, to say the least!!
I added all of the comments to my famous New York Yankees baseball cap tonight, and picked out the 3 winners…
… and the winners are:
1. First Prize “Lifetime Membership to WrestlingPerformance.com” – Jeromy Henning
2. Second Prize “Ultimate Wrestling Strength ebook program” – Tanner Schultz
3. Third Prize “Ultimate Wrestling Power ebook program” - Davis Fleming
I sent out an email to each of you with information to claim your prizes. If you didn’t receive them, just send me an email to:
webmaster@wrestlingperformance.com
Thank you to all who participated…
Look for another mini-contest soon!!
Steve
March 21st, 2011 at 4:14 am
The NCAA’S this year where pretty exciting, I would have to say one of the best matches was the young man from Arizona State . To see him out there competeing the way he did and winning a National Title and with only one leg had me pumping up cheering! The Cornell kid was another great match he was such a great technical wrestler. I am a hard core Iowa Guy have been my whole life, but it was great to see Penn State win a National Title, I have had people say to me how can you say that when you wrestled at Iowa but its like I tell them I want our sport to grow and when the same team wins all the time thats not helping our sport! Gable will tell you the same thing.
March 21st, 2011 at 4:30 am
Hi
I think it takes a lot of guts to do what Anthony is doing and will with your permission use this clips to show our wrestlers to get them focused.
Johann
March 21st, 2011 at 4:39 am
The NCAA’s were amazing this year! The come from behind victories, which shows the heart of a champion, were so exciting. And of course, Mr. Robles exemplified my life time belief, that CHAMPIONS ARE MADE, NOT BORN. Gratz to all competitors for reaching that stage of honor.
March 21st, 2011 at 5:20 am
I thought the finals were amazing, the guys from Arizona state with one leg was awesome, very inspiring, I also thought a lot of the other matches were great too like the Hwt, 157, and 149!
March 21st, 2011 at 6:14 am
I have enjoyed wrestling for many years, but this years NCAA’a were special. Not just because of the great competition and heart shown by so many. Not because of the inspirational story of Mr. Robles. Not even because of the team effort of Penn State, but because this year I got to share them with my son after his first year as a high school wrestler. To me Wrestling has always been a family effort and to be sharing the lessons with my son has only made it better.
March 21st, 2011 at 6:24 am
I enjoyed watching the NCAA it was very motivating to me. I liked that one School got their first National Champion. Was excited by the upsets to prove you wrestle to the very last minute and give it your all. The one legged wrestler I have mixed thoughts on. I believe it takes courage to do what he does but I believe those who wrestle are at a disadvantage beause they cannot take him down due to his stance. As a young wrestler I got alot out of watching the competitors.
March 21st, 2011 at 6:37 am
There was a lot of great wrestling this Saturday! First off I’m a Penn state fan and I’m so glad we got the team championship. Anothony Robles story is so inspiring and even though I love McD I’m glad Anthony won. Kyle Dake put on an amazing show (even though I wish Frank molinaro would have won) 6:17 riding!?!?! Great job! Then at 157 I was truely shocked. I thought David Taylor was goingto win this match no contest, boy was I wrong! But great job to everyone this saturday, it was another great NCAA tournament.
March 21st, 2011 at 6:53 am
I got to go the the championships on Sat…great wrestling. Robles is a great kid, a great athlete but not the only star of the show. It’s a heart warming story to talk about the kid with one leg wrestling so well but for us who have known about this young man it’s a bit too much. I think it makes good news but it bothers me a bit to see Kyle Dake, Quentin Wright, Jordan Oliver, Jordan Burroughs and the other great wrestlers receive so much less attention relative to AR. This is the press running with its lead story that touched people and sounded warm and fuzzy. Of course it is great! But another great story was Ben Kjar of Utah Valley making it to the semis! Penn State’s first team win since 1953 was another! Anyway, not to be nasty, “wrestles with one leg” is one thing I don’t want to hear for a while! Over all a great weekend of wrestling. Congrats to All these great athletes…March Madness on the Mats was great this year!
March 21st, 2011 at 6:56 am
This was so inspiring! I loved every second of it!!
March 21st, 2011 at 6:59 am
Great coverage by ESPN. The match of the tournament was Babba Jenkin’s fall over Taylor. I really thought Taylor was wrestling so much better heading into the match and I was in shock when he cradled Taylor up and stuck him. Wowsers!
March 21st, 2011 at 7:00 am
Hi Steve
Hi Steve
My own son is in a school where there is a lot of disable kids and if you see them compete it feels like you want to take them all and give them Gold medals
What a wonderful gift of GOD is the will power of these kids
I will definitely use this video next week to show them that with a will and the power of the almighty everything can be achieved
This boy is just an example of an ultimate warrior
My He be blessed for the years to come and thanks for the Video
Ruben
Coach
Harties Wrestling
South Africa
March 21st, 2011 at 7:17 am
I love wrestling period! When the post season tournaments come it is simply amazing. These athletes dont get the attention and respect they deserve. The discipline and dedication these men display is incredible. As a dad of two kids and a owner of a training facility in NJ I use wrestling as a way to motivate and show my athletes and my kids if you want something (any goal in the life) watch the way these men go after it. My favorite moment taking Robles out of it was Wright. As a huge Penn State fan watching the ups and downs in overcame this season was amazing. What a great lesson to teach our youth to stay focused on that goal and dont give up!. What a awesome sport and to you Steve thanks for all your great info and keep up the outstanding work!
Thank you Brian
March 21st, 2011 at 7:28 am
What I took from the tournament is what hard work and sheer determination will do. Never give up on any points and keep going no matter how tired you may be. Putting in the hard work pays off on the mat
March 21st, 2011 at 7:30 am
Hey Steve
It was great that wrestling was covered more than it ever was. My favorite match was Bubba Jenkins pinning David Taylor. Considering how dominant David was in every facet up to that match, it was even that much more impressive seeing Bubba pin him.
March 21st, 2011 at 7:33 am
The wrestlers looked looser in the finals then I have ever seen and they opened up. A lot more scoring than usual.
March 21st, 2011 at 7:51 am
Hi Steve,
First off. I love your website and your e-mails. My son has relied on these e-mails all season long. My son is a junior in high school and has been wrestling since he was 5yrs old. This is the first year he has ever had to worry about cutting weight and he has struggled, to say the least. Your e-mails have kept him on track. t is almost as if you know what we are thinking. We were trying to decide what the best thing to eat after a weigh-in was and within 2hrs we recieved your e-mail about that particular topic.
As far as the NCAA Tournament goes. There were 2 matches that I was particuarly interested in. 125 & 157. My son is so inspired by Mr Robles’ performance. He was a little disappointed that David Taylor lost his final.
I just want to thank you for what you are doing with this website. The workouts you post as well as the diets and weight loss strategies are great.
Thanks again,
Mike Milner
March 21st, 2011 at 7:52 am
ROBLES IS A BEAST!!!!! CUT AND DRY. TO OVERCOME ADVERSITY IS WHAT THIS SPORT IS ABOUT. 3 YEARS AGO WHEN HE STARTED TO REALLY BECOME A HOUSEHOLD NAME, I KNEW THERE WAS SOMETHING SPECIAL ABOUT HIM. WELL DESERVED CHAMPION AT ALL LEVELS OF SPORTS. LOVED THE NEW JERSEY REPRESENTATION. LAST AND FOREMOST “WE ARE PENN STATE”. COULDN’T HAVE SCRIPTED IT ANY BETTER THAN CROWNING A CHAMPION IN A NUMBER 9 SEED QUINTON WRIGHT AND TAKING THE TEAM NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP TO UNSEAT POWERHOUSE IOWA HERE IN PHILADELPHIA. SOUTH JERSEY WRESTLING FOREVER
March 21st, 2011 at 8:03 am
Sounds like the concensus is the same! Robles is very impressive. What great strength and determination to accomplish what that young man did on Saturday. His mother was so very proud and it brought tears to my eyes to see him and listen to him speak afterward. His mother has been his rock. His upper body strength must be amazing! Great to watch!
March 21st, 2011 at 8:04 am
The positive of this young mans accomplishment is that it is drawing attention to wrestling. Here in our town other sports take all the attention. Our team won the district match and I did not see any news in our community paper, or news stations. It is sad that wrestlers who work hard are not given support by the community. I’m glad for this wrestler and hope that the other stories at the national level bring just as much attention in other medias in their home towns.
March 21st, 2011 at 8:11 am
I thought the finals were very inspiring and give out a positive vibe on that you can do ANYTHING if you try. Was awesome to watch the one match with the one guy that the school took off their team to make room for the other one, and him ending up winning against that guy.
March 21st, 2011 at 8:12 am
I think that one of the best parts about the NCAAs was the post match interviews. All the wrestlers showed great class and showed the country what a class act wrestlers are in general.
March 21st, 2011 at 8:18 am
I have to agree, the wrestling was amazing and very much inspired my son to move further and strive for more in the future. I was amazed by many of the wreslters and what they are capable of. Was very impressed by Penn State’s showing as well.
March 21st, 2011 at 9:00 am
So many great moments at this years NCAA Wrestling Tournament. Anthony Robles is awesome. He has a great story. His story is great for the sport, but my favorite moment was when Dustin Kilgore kept fighting hard and found a way to win the match! He did what all coaches preach, fight hard for every second of the match. That gave him a chance to win. To cap it off, he earned a fall in the finals! The team race was close, but I remember Penn State picking up a lot of bonus points. That is how you win big tournaments. Cornell had quite a few matches with bonus points as well, but Penn State just got the job done. It was a great tournament.
March 21st, 2011 at 9:07 am
The NCAA tournament was amazing! The wrestling was great and very inspirational.
March 21st, 2011 at 9:10 am
It was very exciting this year. My favorite part was probably Bubba’s cradle. Also i enjoyed jordan oliver’s match very much.
March 21st, 2011 at 9:11 am
Streve,
Besides many inspirational personal stories, starting with Robles/McDonough and ending with Rey/Flores, the thing I liked best about the finals was the degree of flexibility the wrestlers demonstrated. As a coach, I have been frustrated about getting the wrestlers on our team to take stretching seriously. In match after match during the entire tournament, and especially during the finals, the extraordinary combination of strength, speed, and flexibility displayed by both winning and losing wrestlers was amazing — and a perfect illustration of why stretching and flexibility ought to be a focus for athletes who want to excel in this sport. I’d like to see more emphasis on this from you too, as I think it would enrich an already valuable resource.
March 21st, 2011 at 9:25 am
Very exciting as always but it was even more meaningful to see my son who is a youth wrestler so interested. It was also great to see Penn State win a title as our town’s most successful high school wrestler was a 2x All American there and all the youth wrestlers look up to him. Very inspiring for our younger guys.
March 21st, 2011 at 9:40 am
i loved watching the intensty these guys brought to the mat, it was very inspiring and inspirational due to the fact i have never wrestled myself but wished i have. this was the first wrestling match i have ever seen, and i thought it was the best to experience first hand. Robles is a role model and Jenkins and Boroughs are amazing, these 3 are also very explosive athletes they had to be my favorites for the night!
March 21st, 2011 at 9:44 am
The whole tourny was amazing there were alot of exciting matches. the finals where exciting it was nice to see some kids from New Jersey to win it.
March 21st, 2011 at 10:26 am
Very inspirational. Glad to see wrestling thriving, with Eastern schools making a renewed presence.I was also glad to hear about the accomplishments of the scholar athletes in academics. I love stressing to the students I coach that excellence in wrestling and academics are not totally exclusive.
March 21st, 2011 at 10:34 am
The NCAA’s were great and ESPN U did a great job televising the Quarters, Semis, Medal, and Final rounds. After watching some very inspirational young men this past weekend, it saddens me to think of the future of wrestling in the NCAA. With the recent situation at UNO and drop of the program at UNC-G, I wonder what the sport will look like at the collegiate level in 20 years.
Congrats to Penn State, parody is a great thing in any sport, although I’m not sure how much parody there will be with Cael having them rolling. But Iowa will be back, you can count on that. Oklahoma State will always be in the hunt and Cornell continues to improve each year.
The skill and flexibility of today’s wrestlers is what amazes me the most. The stereo type of a muscle head wrestler who can’t touch their toes is certainly innacurate. Great weekend of wrestling, sad to see the end of the season come!
March 21st, 2011 at 10:35 am
I particularly enjoyed watching Jordan Burroughs. The man is a take down machine! And what about that 6 1/2 minute ride by Dake?! I think the Tank’s ego got the best of him when he went against the coach and chose bottom. I’m a huge fan of Taylor’s but you have to give props to Bubba. No one has come close to Taylor all season and Jenkins made it look as if it were another day in the office. Sweet revenge for him…
March 21st, 2011 at 10:39 am
Good tournament, enjoyed watching all the athletes compete, especially with my youngest son who is just finishing up his little guy season.
March 21st, 2011 at 10:45 am
To me the biggest stories came from Arizona State. Robles, what an inspiration to all kids out there whether wrestling or some other sport. To dominate the defending champion the way he did was special. I wrestled a kid in high school that had polio when he was young and wasn’t able to wrestle on his feet and the extra strength he had built up in his upper body was enormous so I know how hard it is to wrestle someone like him. But he deserves all the credit he gets because of all the obstacles he has had to endure. The other story to me was Bubba Jenkins with the background he had with Penn State and Cael and even getting a chance to wrestle them in the finals. I really thought Taylor was a shoe-in because he just doesn’t make mistakes but as always in wrestling anything can happen and it did. I just love to see all the upsets because its could motivation for my kids as I always tell them anyone can be beat.
March 21st, 2011 at 11:15 am
i loved the match with kyle dake and frank molinaro. kyle is my wrestling idol!!! the way he flawlessly tookdown frank in the 1st and kept him down the entire match. he dominated him and rode him all day. he’s gonna be 149 or 157 next year( that’s when ill be freshman and i can’t wait to be able to wrestle him, his match was inspirational. it was a perfect match and would have been major if not for the penalty. untouched in the finals, flawless
March 21st, 2011 at 11:18 am
I thoroughly enjoyed the few matches I got to watch. Quentin Wright at 184 was my favorite because he came from the 9th seed to win it all. His semi-finals match was a thing of beauty! I have a hard time getting inspired by Robles. Props to him for his courage and accomplishments, but totally unfair to every opponent who has to face him. Think about it. Not only does he have the upperbody size and strength of 145 pounders, but everyone who wrestles him has to forget about their best moves and strategies and do things that are totally new. His opponents are at a huge disadvantage!! I don’t know the solution, because it is good to give everyone opportunities regardless of disabilities, but it shouldn’t be at the expense of the other competitors.
March 21st, 2011 at 11:52 am
I wrestled at the NCWA Nationals in Georgia, it’s been a great year for college wrestling. It was nice to see Reader get a title. Kyle Dake had the best match of the finals, he executed everything perfectly and stayed tough. I’m glad Michigan had a champion, it’s good for the state to keep wrestlers wanting to stay here.
March 21st, 2011 at 12:24 pm
I was in philly watching the entire tournament. It was unfortunate that Taylor lost to Jenkins. Taylor is better and would have won if he had not gotten caught. The two most outstanding wrestlers in this tournament were Dake from Cornell and Wright from Penn St.
The Arizona 125 pounder is a good story for people who know nothing about wrestling, but he has an unfair advantage over the other kids. He has the body of a 157 pounder and is going against little kids.
Burroughs is quite amazing as well. He did what ever he wanted to do throughout the tournament.
March 21st, 2011 at 12:34 pm
Robles is not only an inspiration for the wrestling community, but about acheiving goals in life. Life-long lessons………..an attribute to both wrestling and Robles.
March 21st, 2011 at 1:11 pm
I liked the 157 Final with Jenkins pinning Taylor. I never expected that to happen,plus both wrestlers had the Penn State conection
March 21st, 2011 at 1:31 pm
This year’s NCAA Div I Wrestling Tournament reinforced the number one reason that I love wrestling: Anybody can compete! There was no specific race, creed, color, or body-type out on the mats dominating anybody else. Sure, there were certain programs or conferences with more placers than others but all in all, everybody had a shot at the title. We had kids from small schools win it all and kids from big schools walk away with nothing except the experience. A kid with one leg dominating and a kid with zero losses for the year got pinned. Some were tall, while others were short. Some had huge arms while other looked toned but not necessarily remarkable in physique. All had heart, drive, and an amazing work ethic. In Basketball, talls guys dominate. In football, size strength and speed dominate. In wrestling, it’s hard work, experience, and technique that wins the day. All of your personal equipment can fit in a small bag except for the heart and desire necessary to win…Except for maybe gymnastics, no other college sport requires the discipline of diet, excercise, and year-round drilling and competing like wrestling. It is also one of the few sports that is dominated at the olympic level by men in their late 20′s and 30′s because one can never really master the sport. You can only work longer and harder to improve…
March 21st, 2011 at 1:33 pm
I have 3 children in wrestling and we all love to sit and watch all the matches we can find on TV! It’s an amazing sport! it’s great motivation for my kids to watch!
March 21st, 2011 at 1:51 pm
I thought the ncaa’s this year were very inspirational. With Anthony Robles’ dominating performance in the finals, Jordan Burroughs’ coming back from a knee injury last year to win it all, and Bubba Jenkins’ cradle to pin the unbeaten freshman David Taylor. This just shows that anything can happen in the long run if you really believe in yourself. You can do pretty much anything as long as you put everything you have towards those goals.
March 21st, 2011 at 2:57 pm
My favorite match of the Night was Kyle Dake from Cornell. We are huge Big red fans. so the house was going crazy when he was beating Penn St. Molinaro pretty handedly in the finals.
March 21st, 2011 at 2:57 pm
It was great to see technique “in action.” As I was watching, I was trying to acknowledge which muscles were being used the most and if their application of force was explosive or static. Not that you don’t already provide us this information, but at least for me, things makes more sense when I witness their use visually. Maybe now, when I follow my “burpees” up with “wall sits,” I’ll have a bit extra motivation to stick it out!
March 21st, 2011 at 3:20 pm
Anthony Robles had to be the best part of the finals. Like the announcers said “everybody in the house, no matter what team you cheered for, had to appreciate what he just did”. The man went after his dream and accomplish his lifetime goal. He should be a great inspirational speaker after college.
March 21st, 2011 at 3:22 pm
I watched the NCAA Wrestling on Saturday night, I didn’t get to watch the final last night.. I did get to see Anthony Robles of Arizona State, I watched with my husband and our grandson age15 ( who wrestles for Colton High School), my grandson stood and watched Robles and said I guess you can really do anything you set your mind too!
My son also wrestled for Colton High School 1994-1998. High School wrestling has changed alot since then…with the preseason, league/season, post season and summer league/season… I think it great…
March 21st, 2011 at 3:25 pm
This was my first trip to the NCAAs and I will definitely be going back. The energy in the arena could not be paralleled. The level of wrestling was so impressive. I most enjoyed watching kids battle back from tough losses and injuries to find their way onto the podium. It was also something to watch low seeds and kids from unheard of schools like Utah Valley tear it up. Those kids were kind of adopted by the fans and gained a lot of support.
March 21st, 2011 at 3:38 pm
This years NCAA Tournament was great! I would have to say the best finals matches to me were: Robles beating my favorite Matt McDonough with my move the ball and chain, Kilgore with his upset pin. Burroughs with his unstoppable double, Jenkins with his upset pin, and Wright battling from a 9th seed to the number 1 spot.
March 21st, 2011 at 4:09 pm
Ok honestly i would first like to thank robles he has completely motivated me i am the captain of my wrestling team and i will show my team this video he has changed my mentality. To win the ncaa championship is a great thing but to do it with one leg he is an inspiration
March 21st, 2011 at 4:35 pm
this is great. This shows wrestlers as well as the average Joe that if you put 100% into your work than good things will come . But this is not the first time a wrestler had a disadvantage. Rohan Murphy of Penn state had a even less advantage he had both of his legs removed when he was little. I give respect to both wrestlers because they show that even when the odds are not in your favor , with hard work, hart, and determination anything can happen !!!!!!!!!
March 21st, 2011 at 6:11 pm
This is amazing and shows that wrestling is a sport that any one can excel at. He get it his all and became the NCAA champ. I thought it was great that they showed it on espn because im tired of it only being on late on sunday nights.
March 21st, 2011 at 6:37 pm
This years NCAA’s was all about youth and amazing combacks! Robles accomplished his dream, Kent State gets it’s first NCAA champion, Jordan Burroughs what a star, I still would have liked to see him wrestle Howe, and of course the injury to Caldwell ended the collision with Dake! Reader looked unbeatable, Bubba Jenkins pulls off the unthinkable! I liked all the offense this year! The scrambles were wicked sick. I was still a little annoyed with some of the “playing the edge” strategy, but the edge played a huge part for those athletes still wrestling, and not looking to escape. All in All! Fabulous!
March 21st, 2011 at 6:44 pm
As my husband and sons were in Philly watching it LIVE, I sat at home and watched it on ESPN. I truly enjoyed watching Anthony Robles as he is just a beast and defies the true meaning of adversity. I also enjoyed watching Jordan Oliver win as he is from our neighboring town, Easton, PA. Can’t wait til next year’s finals!
March 21st, 2011 at 6:46 pm
Steve
This was the first year I was really able to watch the finals as it was the first year I was able to get them on TV. I thought ESPN did a great job of coverage and having it on channels that were available to many viewers. There was a lot of great wrestling, upsets and just plain old dog fights. As a young high school wrestler I always enjoying watching great college wrestling and and enjoy how the best wrestler are winning by sticking to basic fundamental wrestling.
Thanks
March 21st, 2011 at 6:47 pm
Robles was awsome his upper body strength is like none other he would be very tough to wrestle do a switch sit out look for the leg and its not there that would throw any good wrestler off for a second.
March 21st, 2011 at 7:41 pm
My favorite part of the NCAAs was that anthony robles won the national championship. just watching him beat a guy like montell marrion in almost a dominating fashion was real inspirational. Just gives a wrestler like me, no excuse to whine about my body type or just anything at all. I also loved the win by kyle dake. He’s always a pleasure to watch.
Disliked the fact that montel marrion didn’t make it to the finals. He’s worked so so hard, and I just wished he coulda made it. But..thats wrestlng.
March 21st, 2011 at 7:51 pm
wow that is really something i want to see more of his wrestling!
March 21st, 2011 at 7:57 pm
I think it is amazing. It is awesome for someone with only one leg to win a wrestling match!
March 21st, 2011 at 8:11 pm
Anthony Robles is an amazing person. Its great to see he win, and he is humble both on and off the mat. I brought several wrestlers to an intensive camp in Payson, AZ two years ago and Anthony worked with them for seven days, and on the last day of the camp there was a 7 miles trek each way, walk down to the bottom of a canyon to a swimming hole. Not only did Anthony join them down the rocky, steep trail, the kids ran back up and he beat over 80% of them on his crutches! Truly a one of a kind. There are so many stories about the guys in the finals, like Bubba leaving PSU and the next ‘Cael’ he had to beat to win that weight. Also some weights #1 and #2 both undefeated did not make the finals. I make sure I tell my boys stepping on the mat at the state meet against the undefeated number 1 they do lose! Winners make a decision to win-I got that from Nick Purler.
I wish the NCAA would do more ‘Rocky’ type stories from each of the finalist because there are so many trails and tribulation stories from guys who have preserved through and are truly inspiring to us all. Maybe someone should pitch that to the network guys!
March 21st, 2011 at 9:36 pm
I am a new Penn state fan! I had the opportunity to work with Cody Sanderson at Utah valley when he started the program. They are a great family. To see what the Sanderson family has done for this great sport is inspiring, and they still turn heads and strive for excellence in whatever roll they take.
March 21st, 2011 at 10:14 pm
There was just too much awesomeness in this NCAA tournament to make a comment on. First off is Robles. Despite the fact that he has one leg, he finishes off an incredible undefeated season while at the same time defeating the defending national champ. To me, the most exciting weights to watch were 149 and 157. The weight classes were just stacked with studs. Not only were the finals great matches, but the semis were also spectacular. Even though he didn’t win, I would say Steve Fittery from American is one of the best wrestlers to watch. Not only is he an animal on the mat, but he is also the humblest wrestler I have ever seen. Great tourney overall. Good to see Iowa knocked off the top. Hopefully next year someone else will take home the trophy.
March 21st, 2011 at 10:52 pm
Wrestling is all about overcoming challenges, pain, limitations. This year’s championships illustrated that better than I have seen in a long time. I must admit that the best part is seeing the excitement in my wrestler’s eyes describing what they had seen to me today in the halls.
I just gotta figure a way to watch them that doesn’t upset my wife from all the shouting.
March 22nd, 2011 at 8:52 am
The finals were awesome! I love seeing the intensity of every match. the jubilation of winning and the devastation of losing. So many champions referenced the difficulty of training and the grind of the season, yet they pushed on to their ultimate goal. Incredible!
March 22nd, 2011 at 9:35 am
I thought the NCAAs this year was amazing, i couldn’t make it due to school and other work but next year I will be there. Congrats to the sun devils wrestler anthony robles, he is truly an inspiration
March 22nd, 2011 at 10:40 am
I will be bias, being from utah and watching utah valley threw their probation period and finally being able to compete last year at the ncaa’s it was awesome. To see Coach Williams build on the foundation of Cody Sanderson and having been Kjar become Utah Valley’s first AA it watched his matches over and over. He use to compete against one of my wrestlers back in high school, it was amazing even though he didn’t finish 1st he knocked off 3 seeded wrestlers and become an AA. Wrestling is awesome.
March 22nd, 2011 at 11:55 am
I was very inspired by Robles!!! He helped me realize that anything is possible!It takes hard work dedication and how bad you want it!! He was awesome! I was also glad to see Reader from ISU win!!
March 22nd, 2011 at 1:32 pm
I loved seeing Bubba Jenkins get the pin in the 157lb final match. Bubba went to school in my town when he was younger, before he moved to Pennsylvania. He wrestled in the local little league program, and it was really cool for me to see someone from that area bring home a national title.
March 22nd, 2011 at 1:49 pm
What an ispiration to all, I think that this should be shown to all kids that maybe have the passion and drive and put there time in on the mat!!! But as you can see it doesn’t matter what the obsticles are you are facing, training and preparation off the mat is what makes the difference at the end of the your journey!!! Way to go Anthony, He has been my Driver this week!
HWR
March 22nd, 2011 at 2:55 pm
Boy! If any tourney could preach the power of hard work and of believing in yourself, this one could.
This inspiration will keep me going for awhile.
- EKG
March 22nd, 2011 at 2:56 pm
This year was probably the most exciting of all the years for me. I was able to watch almost every match due to the internet and ESPNU. This gave me a chance to really get to know the back stories of a lot of the athletes (in my opinion, the best part about the tournament). My 4 year old son also got into it. He kept asking me if Anthony Robles was going to wrestle. I taped the Semis and Finals so I probably watched his 2 matches about 5 times each.
I was also inspired by Stanford’s Nick Amuchastegui who had the ability to combine dominant wrestling with an unbelievable work ethic. To win the Super 88 two years in a row, AND become a 2X AA is something that should motivate the young wrestlers that they can be top notch in the classroom as well as top notch on the mat.
March 22nd, 2011 at 3:01 pm
I’ve been wrestling for about 5 years now. I had dreams at being a national champion in college but doubted myself many times because I come from public school city wrestling and I’m often looked down on by WPIAL schools. This video gave me the exact inspiration i needed to pursue my dream no matter what. I’m glad I watched it.
March 22nd, 2011 at 3:28 pm
Watching this weekend was great, not just Robles, but all the champions. I really liked seeing Oliver, Dake, Borroughs, Quentin Wright, and Penn State take it all home. Had to love Bubba Jenkins’ celebration too! I couldnt stop watching the matches, this weekend was great and one one to be remembered for a long time.
March 22nd, 2011 at 3:44 pm
Finals were great. All the champions showed heart beyond belief. Shout outs go to Robles, Bubba Jenkins and all the Champs.
March 22nd, 2011 at 4:04 pm
The NCAA tournament this year was a lot of fun to watch! It was great, for one, to see it get t.v. exposure since you don’t get to see wrestling enough on any channel besides the big 10 network., so when i saw Anthony Robles in the #1 slot for the sports center top 10, i was thrilled. It’s really a great story of a person overcoming adversity to the max.
March 22nd, 2011 at 4:30 pm
i really enjoyed the ncaa d1 finals this year. But what i really enjoyed was the sense of determination, hard work and respectfulness felt by each wrestler. Even after a tuff amtch each gur came off ready to talk to the press with hesistation. And a common factor that they all shared seemed to be that hardworj is what gort them where they are today.
March 22nd, 2011 at 5:30 pm
Several matches from Saturday’s finals stick out in my mind. In weight order:
125 – After watching Robles win in the semis, I told my family and relatives that they had to watch his finals match the next day. Although some of my family know very little about wrestling, they all found it inspirational. However, being a college 125 pounder myself, I could feel McDonough’s pain and frustration from facing someone with such a constrasting body type.
149 – Kyle Dake was very impressive with his strength and the way he could ride – 6:17 of riding time in the finals! As one of the announcers mentioned during the semis, if Kyle goes into the second period tied 0-0, he considers himself ahead 2-0 because he knows he can escape from bottom and ride on top for the extra point. And this confidence is not unwarranted; the only point scored on him in the tournament was a one point penalty.
157 – Although David Taylor didn’t win, what I found astonishing is that Taylor was in my 105 lb. FS/GR brackets at Fargo just a few years ago! A great example of moving up in weight and still performing at the top.
165 – The speed and strength of Burroughs’s shots; that says it all…
174 – Nick Amuchastegui, although a runner-up, is at least as accomplished as any champ. The announcers said that he is a mechanical engineering major with a 3.98 GPA, from Stanford no less. Being a college wrestler majoring in engineering, I know how much of a balancing act that is.
184 – Quentin Wright’s great run from a #9 seed to NCAA Champ was phenomenal, especially his two feet to back moves in the semis. His finals opponent, Robert Hamlin, was a name I recognized from Steve’s interview with sports psychologist Brian Cain!
March 22nd, 2011 at 6:19 pm
The finals were awesome. Highlights were 125, 149, 157, 197. Great weight classes. Kyle Dake looked very impressive. I can’t believe how flexible he is. Robles is the big story of course, but what about Bubba Jenkins pinning David Taylor. That is probably the biggest win of his career. All in all, great NCAA tournament this year
March 22nd, 2011 at 6:58 pm
I watched the NCAA’s with my 10yr old wrestler and we were able to talk through a lot of techniques, styles and great moves. The most important thing we talked about was overcoming adversity. Whether it was 1 leg, transferring schools or a sprained ankle in the final match. I hope it brought home the fact that pain is temporary but a championship is forever!
March 22nd, 2011 at 8:14 pm
I really liked the exciting matches and great technique. Robles was truly an inspiration to watch, as he came so far from just starting wrestling in high school. It was also nice that a lot of teams were represented, not just one sweeping all the titles.
March 22nd, 2011 at 9:38 pm
I was there live watching the whole NCAA. It was great to see the team’s fans, mostly the top four fan base, PennState, Cornell, Iowa & Ok State. What great matches from top of the weight classes to the heavies. Bubba was at his best but Wright being a nine seed and winning was huge. Good time and can wait until next year.
March 23rd, 2011 at 9:15 am
the ncaa finals matches were great but my favorite one was 125 finals match with robles. he did an amazing great job and cant imagine how rough it is for him to wrestle like that.
March 23rd, 2011 at 9:51 am
awesome it looks really good, learn a few moves from there but havent quite mastered it yet but need to make sure i do, atmosphere looks electrifying (dont get that here in the UK, mostly boxing), my friends also took a look at it and got thier interest as they are into wrestling but are for more advanced than me
March 23rd, 2011 at 1:00 pm
Watching the NCAA’s as a family is a great tradition we have done for the past 10 years and the the matches this did not disappoint!! It was awesome to be able to follow all the action from the opening matches through the finals with espn3, espnu, espn and flowrestling.com.