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Penn State not true National Champs


Smooth34

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It used to be that the Division II individual champs received automatic berths in the Division I tournament.  Why did it get taken away?

 

For example, Nick Walpole is Div. II national champ but his season is over.  In the old days it was possible for a Division II champ to move on and compete with the best.  The best example is Alan Grammer of Evansville Reitz.  In '85 and '86 he won two Div. II titles and then AA'd twice at Division I.

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My understanding is that it was over the lower divisions not having the same academic eligibility standards that the Division I schools have. Perhaps the best example was Carlton Haselrig. He was a heavyweight from Pitt-Johnstown. He was the only person ever to win six NCAA titles (three Div II and three Div I). Here is the really amazing fact: He won two Pennsylvania high school championships even though his school had no wrestling team so he only wrestled the state tournament each year, no regular season. Played six years in the NFL, too!

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It used to be that the Division II individual champs received automatic berths in the Division I tournament.  Why did it get taken away?

 

For example, Nick Walpole is Div. II national champ but his season is over.  In the old days it was possible for a Division II champ to move on and compete with the best.  The best example is Alan Grammer of Evansville Reitz.  In '85 and '86 he won two Div. II titles and then AA'd twice at Division I.

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Collegiate Divisions do not reflect on the quality of the athletes....the athletes actions do.  Just because someone is a D I wrestler does not mean they are the best. It is most likely true that a majority of the top guys go to larger D I schools but that is not always the case. Some athletes choose schools for more than just their athletic programs.

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Coach Tim Wright  (The only four-time NCAA Division II champion at SIUE and the first in NCAA history, Tim Wright was the lead wrestler in the Cougars' journey to three consecutive national championships from 1984 to 1986. His 1985-86 season record of 41-2 continues to hold the school record for winning percentage at .953.)

 

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