maligned

Brackets for nationals came out tonight: 
 
Indiana natives:
C. Rooks, #32
Lemley, #8
Mendez, #1
G. Rooks, #17
Lee, #11
Baumann, #32
Bates, #33
Allred, #10
Davison, #10
Willham, #32
 
Others from Purdue:
Ramos #4
Clark #29
Blaze #23
Buell #24
 
Others from IU:
Fongaro #23
Lillard #17
 

Hey there everyone! Pardon the 3rd person description, I just wanted to give you a heads up that I will be covering the USA Wrestling Olympic Trials at Penn State.
 
I'm briefly stepping out of retirement to attend the Trials as an approved media member and I wanted to give folks an opportunity to suggest/request questions I can ask the athletes participating, particularly those with Indiana ties. I haven't done this in the past, but what the heck!
 
I'll have more information and articles to come, but please feel free to shoot me question ideas, even if they are ridiculous
 
Thank you and I look forward to sharing this journey with anyone interested.
 

If we want to dig even deeper into this point: I think our whole culture teaches us that being happy is the meaning of life. Which is all well and good. But the way happiness is defined nowadays has evolved into this: "obsessively chase what you think should be yours so you can be happy for you." That's a counterfeit happiness--it's a rigid individualism and potentially narcissism. True happiness doesn't happen on an island. It happens in relationships and in respect of community. Relationships involve self-sacrifice--the opposite of "get mine for me." As a parent, I'm trying to learn better how to teach "chase your dreams" in a way that also involves celebrating others' successes. It's tough to do!!

It's official. Northwestern in 2025; Penn St. in 2026 
 
https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.pennlive.com/penn-state-wrestling/2024/03/penn-state-wrestler-carter-starocci-earns-at-large-bid-to-ncaas-nittany-lions-to-host-big-tens-in-2026.html%3foutputType=amp

Tentative rotation:
 
2024 Maryland
2025 Northwestern
2026 Penn St. (brought back in after only 5 years bc of no-fan covid edition in 2021)
2027 Purdue
2028 Illinois
2029 Wisconsin
2030 Ohio State
2031 Iowa
2032 Indiana
2033 Michigan State
2034 Minnesota
2035 Rutgers
2036 Nebraska
2037 Michigan

If we want to dig even deeper into this point: I think our whole culture teaches us that being happy is the meaning of life. Which is all well and good. But the way happiness is defined nowadays has evolved into this: "obsessively chase what you think should be yours so you can be happy for you." That's a counterfeit happiness--it's a rigid individualism and potentially narcissism. True happiness doesn't happen on an island. It happens in relationships and in respect of community. Relationships involve self-sacrifice--the opposite of "get mine for me." As a parent, I'm trying to learn better how to teach "chase your dreams" in a way that also involves celebrating others' successes. It's tough to do!!

If we want to dig even deeper into this point: I think our whole culture teaches us that being happy is the meaning of life. Which is all well and good. But the way happiness is defined nowadays has evolved into this: "obsessively chase what you think should be yours so you can be happy for you." That's a counterfeit happiness--it's a rigid individualism and potentially narcissism. True happiness doesn't happen on an island. It happens in relationships and in respect of community. Relationships involve self-sacrifice--the opposite of "get mine for me." As a parent, I'm trying to learn better how to teach "chase your dreams" in a way that also involves celebrating others' successes. It's tough to do!!

Conference tournament status for our 18 Indiana natives as of 1:50pm ET:
 
Alive for an automatic berth:
Boarman 1-1
Allred 1-0
Bates 1-0
Baumann 0-1
Davison 1-0
Filipovich 0-1
C. Rooks 0-1
G. Rooks 1-1
Sollars 0-1
Washington 0-1
Willham 1-0
Barket (tomorrow)
 
Alive for an at-large berth, but eliminated from an automatic bid:
 
Eliminated from NCAAs entirely:
Wilson 0-1
Porter 0-1
Watson 0-1
 
Advanced to NCAAs:
Lee 2-0
Lemley 2-0
Mendez 1-0
 

100% agree.
 
Starting with him winning one of his losses, there are actually about 12 scenarios around the country that would have gotten Boarman in if he indeed misses out.

Sadly, Blake Boarman, Chattanooga (Evansville Mater Dei) 133, got put to his back and pinned when he was leading 8-0 in a match that he needed to secure a spot at NCAA nationals this weekend. Double sadly, even though he was in a good spot in the Coaches' ranking and RPI to get an at-large bid if he lost, the 133 results went haywire across the country.  A full 8 of the 27 guys at that weight who earned automatic allocations for their conferences did not earn the automatic bids. There are only 6 at-large bids to be handed out, and, as it turns out, among those 8 unlucky losers, Blake is ranked 7th. He would be the final guy not to get into the tournament at 133 if the committee decides to stick to its pre-tournament assessments. Several of the other "losers" were ranked near him, and I'm not sure what's happening with the injury situation of Wells from Minnesota, so not all is lost. But it's not looking great.
 
So here's a twist: In the Big Ten, Bouzakis of Ohio St. and Wells of Minnesota didn't earn their allocations and stand in front of Boarman in the line for that last NCAAs bid. One of the things that happened there was a seeding glitch: Brody Teske of Iowa didn't get a seed (well..automatically fell to 14th) because he won the Iowa wrestle-off too late for his information to be submitted for a seed. He takes out 3-seed Bouzakis, who falls into the wrestle backs and loses to 4-seed Van Dee. If Teske had been seeded, he would have been the #6, and he would have had a first round match with Cayden Rooks, who would have dropped a line from his given #10 to #11. Even if Cayden had wrestled lights out, he would have arguably lost that match to the hot Teske. Making a long story short...Bouzakis would have likely gotten 4th to 6th, even with how he wrestled this weekend; Teske would have placed about the same as he did; and Rooks would have had to face Van Dee of Nebraska in the Consi 2nd Round. Assuming he'd lost that match as he did this weekend (11-6), Bouzakis would have gotten the automatic bid and Rooks wouldn't have.  ....And Blake Boarman would be sitting in the final NCAAs bid position instead of one spot out. 
 
Obviously, Cayden Rooks earned his spot, and Indiana wrestling fans who know his story--among whom I am one--are ecstatic. And obviously Blake Boarman put himself where he is by not finishing the job on Saturday. But what a twist of fate that one Indiana native who just lost 9-8 to another Indiana native just a couple weeks ago might have subbed in to his NCAAs spot in his last-gasp year--in part because of a seeding rule technicality!

If we want to dig even deeper into this point: I think our whole culture teaches us that being happy is the meaning of life. Which is all well and good. But the way happiness is defined nowadays has evolved into this: "obsessively chase what you think should be yours so you can be happy for you." That's a counterfeit happiness--it's a rigid individualism and potentially narcissism. True happiness doesn't happen on an island. It happens in relationships and in respect of community. Relationships involve self-sacrifice--the opposite of "get mine for me." As a parent, I'm trying to learn better how to teach "chase your dreams" in a way that also involves celebrating others' successes. It's tough to do!!

He's so physical. I did not expect that he'd become such a physically dominating 141. It feels like the sky's the limit for him.

If we want to dig even deeper into this point: I think our whole culture teaches us that being happy is the meaning of life. Which is all well and good. But the way happiness is defined nowadays has evolved into this: "obsessively chase what you think should be yours so you can be happy for you." That's a counterfeit happiness--it's a rigid individualism and potentially narcissism. True happiness doesn't happen on an island. It happens in relationships and in respect of community. Relationships involve self-sacrifice--the opposite of "get mine for me." As a parent, I'm trying to learn better how to teach "chase your dreams" in a way that also involves celebrating others' successes. It's tough to do!!

Sadly, Blake Boarman, Chattanooga (Evansville Mater Dei) 133, got put to his back and pinned when he was leading 8-0 in a match that he needed to secure a spot at NCAA nationals this weekend. Double sadly, even though he was in a good spot in the Coaches' ranking and RPI to get an at-large bid if he lost, the 133 results went haywire across the country.  A full 8 of the 27 guys at that weight who earned automatic allocations for their conferences did not earn the automatic bids. There are only 6 at-large bids to be handed out, and, as it turns out, among those 8 unlucky losers, Blake is ranked 7th. He would be the final guy not to get into the tournament at 133 if the committee decides to stick to its pre-tournament assessments. Several of the other "losers" were ranked near him, and I'm not sure what's happening with the injury situation of Wells from Minnesota, so not all is lost. But it's not looking great.
 
So here's a twist: In the Big Ten, Bouzakis of Ohio St. and Wells of Minnesota didn't earn their allocations and stand in front of Boarman in the line for that last NCAAs bid. One of the things that happened there was a seeding glitch: Brody Teske of Iowa didn't get a seed (well..automatically fell to 14th) because he won the Iowa wrestle-off too late for his information to be submitted for a seed. He takes out 3-seed Bouzakis, who falls into the wrestle backs and loses to 4-seed Van Dee. If Teske had been seeded, he would have been the #6, and he would have had a first round match with Cayden Rooks, who would have dropped a line from his given #10 to #11. Even if Cayden had wrestled lights out, he would have arguably lost that match to the hot Teske. Making a long story short...Bouzakis would have likely gotten 4th to 6th, even with how he wrestled this weekend; Teske would have placed about the same as he did; and Rooks would have had to face Van Dee of Nebraska in the Consi 2nd Round. Assuming he'd lost that match as he did this weekend (11-6), Bouzakis would have gotten the automatic bid and Rooks wouldn't have.  ....And Blake Boarman would be sitting in the final NCAAs bid position instead of one spot out. 
 
Obviously, Cayden Rooks earned his spot, and Indiana wrestling fans who know his story--among whom I am one--are ecstatic. And obviously Blake Boarman put himself where he is by not finishing the job on Saturday. But what a twist of fate that one Indiana native who just lost 9-8 to another Indiana native just a couple weeks ago might have subbed in to his NCAAs spot in his last-gasp year--in part because of a seeding rule technicality!

If we want to dig even deeper into this point: I think our whole culture teaches us that being happy is the meaning of life. Which is all well and good. But the way happiness is defined nowadays has evolved into this: "obsessively chase what you think should be yours so you can be happy for you." That's a counterfeit happiness--it's a rigid individualism and potentially narcissism. True happiness doesn't happen on an island. It happens in relationships and in respect of community. Relationships involve self-sacrifice--the opposite of "get mine for me." As a parent, I'm trying to learn better how to teach "chase your dreams" in a way that also involves celebrating others' successes. It's tough to do!!

If we want to dig even deeper into this point: I think our whole culture teaches us that being happy is the meaning of life. Which is all well and good. But the way happiness is defined nowadays has evolved into this: "obsessively chase what you think should be yours so you can be happy for you." That's a counterfeit happiness--it's a rigid individualism and potentially narcissism. True happiness doesn't happen on an island. It happens in relationships and in respect of community. Relationships involve self-sacrifice--the opposite of "get mine for me." As a parent, I'm trying to learn better how to teach "chase your dreams" in a way that also involves celebrating others' successes. It's tough to do!!

I actually feel like a lot of good things are happening off the mat.  
 
This weekend was high emotion, and that breeds tension. 
 
I saw kids that were finished staying to watch placement matches. Many of these kids weren’t from the same school, club, region or semi-state. I saw kids that don’t know each other talk and interact and support each other. I saw parents hug their kids and tell them how proud they were. I saw coaches tell a kid how much they’ve grown. 
 
I would argue there is more of that than the opposite. Bad things get a lot of attention, but I think we should focus on all of the good stuff instead. 
 
The future is bright in Indiana for wrestling. This tournament seems to get tougher every year, and that’s awesome. 

If we want to dig even deeper into this point: I think our whole culture teaches us that being happy is the meaning of life. Which is all well and good. But the way happiness is defined nowadays has evolved into this: "obsessively chase what you think should be yours so you can be happy for you." That's a counterfeit happiness--it's a rigid individualism and potentially narcissism. True happiness doesn't happen on an island. It happens in relationships and in respect of community. Relationships involve self-sacrifice--the opposite of "get mine for me." As a parent, I'm trying to learn better how to teach "chase your dreams" in a way that also involves celebrating others' successes. It's tough to do!!

If we want to dig even deeper into this point: I think our whole culture teaches us that being happy is the meaning of life. Which is all well and good. But the way happiness is defined nowadays has evolved into this: "obsessively chase what you think should be yours so you can be happy for you." That's a counterfeit happiness--it's a rigid individualism and potentially narcissism. True happiness doesn't happen on an island. It happens in relationships and in respect of community. Relationships involve self-sacrifice--the opposite of "get mine for me." As a parent, I'm trying to learn better how to teach "chase your dreams" in a way that also involves celebrating others' successes. It's tough to do!!

If we want to dig even deeper into this point: I think our whole culture teaches us that being happy is the meaning of life. Which is all well and good. But the way happiness is defined nowadays has evolved into this: "obsessively chase what you think should be yours so you can be happy for you." That's a counterfeit happiness--it's a rigid individualism and potentially narcissism. True happiness doesn't happen on an island. It happens in relationships and in respect of community. Relationships involve self-sacrifice--the opposite of "get mine for me." As a parent, I'm trying to learn better how to teach "chase your dreams" in a way that also involves celebrating others' successes. It's tough to do!!

Relentless pressure from Mendez to claim that B1G title.

I'm keeping tabs on results and NCAA advancement status in the "Who Gets In?" article thread...please help me add results! They're coming hot and heavy

Conference tournament results for our 18 Indiana natives as of 2:45pm ET on Sunday:
 
Alive for an at-large berth, but eliminated from an automatic bid:
Boarman, 1-2 (As the 3-seed needing top 3, loses a 5-4 semi's heartbreaker to the #2 in the last minute...then was up 8-0 in the consi semi's and gets put to his back and pinned with 3 seconds left in the 2nd period. Both were guys he beat in the duals. He earned one of the 3 allocation slots for the SoCon, so he'll have a shot to get an at-large; but he'll be sweating it out for sure with a 1-2 SoCon performance. Sadly, he's one of 7 allocation guys that have lost so far at 133 nationally, and there are only 6 at-large bids. )
Washington, 0-2 (As the 8-seed, falls 10-5 to the 9-seed and 8-0 to the 7-seed. He came in #24 in the Coaches' Rank, but he's struggled so much recently and forfeited out of the 9th place round. It could be dicey for him on selection day.)
Sollars, 0-2 (As the 10-seed, falls 6-2 and 8-3 to the 7- and 8-seeds. He comes in #33 in the Coaches' rank and #31 in the RPI. The good news is that there's been a lot of chalk at 197 nationally, so he will be in the at-large discussion. But he's at the tail-end of that discussion, so he too will be sweating on selection day.)
Bates, 8th place (As the 8-seed, goes 2-3 to pick up 8th. He's 32 in the Coaches' Rank and 26 in the RPI, and he finished where he was expected in Big 10s, so he's squarely in the middle of the at-large discussion. He'll be hoping for chalk results in the last couple conference tournaments so he stays in a good position.)
 
Eliminated from NCAAs entirely:
Wilson, 1-2
Porter, 1-2
Watson, SoCon 4th
Filipovich, 0-2
Barket 0-1, needed Top 2
 
Advanced to NCAAs:
Lee, going for 5th
Lemley, going for 3rd
Mendez, going for 1st
Allred, going for 3rd
Davison, going for 3rd
Baumann, 8th place
G. Rooks, 7th place
C. Rooks, 7th place
Willham, 7th place

Conference tournament status for our 18 Indiana natives as of 1:50pm ET:
 
Alive for an automatic berth:
Boarman 1-1
Allred 1-0
Bates 1-0
Baumann 0-1
Davison 1-0
Filipovich 0-1
C. Rooks 0-1
G. Rooks 1-1
Sollars 0-1
Washington 0-1
Willham 1-0
Barket (tomorrow)
 
Alive for an at-large berth, but eliminated from an automatic bid:
 
Eliminated from NCAAs entirely:
Wilson 0-1
Porter 0-1
Watson 0-1
 
Advanced to NCAAs:
Lee 2-0
Lemley 2-0
Mendez 1-0
 

They put up a 9th place bracket at 174 now on Track. I think that could only be for the purpose of determining True 8th, since there are only 8 slots. DJ Washington really needs to win a couple matches. It's not looking good for him.