There is frequent discussion on various boards about the best individual NCAA tournament runs (Bruce Kinseth is my favorite). However, some of my favorite wrestling performances have been the guys who came back hard in consolations. Here are some of my favorites (OF COURSE I"M A HAWKEYE FAN!)
1993 John Oostendorp beats Billy Pierce and Rulon Gardner to finish 3rd.
1997 Eleventh-seeded Mike Uker scores a couple of falls on his way to 5th.
2000 Jody Stritmatter and Doug Schwab score enough bonus points in their consolation matches to put the Hawks in position to win the title.
2001 After the emotional upset of #1 seed Reggie Wright, Mike Zadick loses to Jared Frayer (who he had absolutely humiliated earlier in the year). He then comes back to beat Maldonado, Schmiesing, Lawrence and FRAYER to finish 3rd.
Was is Manotti from Cornell who lost in the first round a few years ago and then came back to win third? I liked that. And Matt Pell winning the Gorrarrian and taking third last year.
Chris Rodrigues as a freshman in 2002 - Comes into the tournament and loses a first round match to Shawn Bunch by a score of 9-4 or something along those lines. He comes back, win's his first match and then wins by Fall over A.J. Grant of Michigan the returning 4th place finisher. Next he keeps 3 time All American LeRoy Vega from becoming a 4 time All American by sneaking a 3-2 win. Last but not least, in the match to place he is behind 8-3 to Shaun Williams of Oregon and nails a throw to secure the Fall with only 1 second left to go in the match. He lost the next two matches and finished in 8th place.
Dustin Monotti as a senior in 2006. He loses first round to Tony Hook of Oregon State 13-5. Then he has the run of his career in the consolations. He starts it off with a win over the returning 7th place finisher Matt Lebe, then nails another win over another top dog who's name I forget, only to run into Alex Tirapelle a 2 time All American in the round to place. He defeats Tirapelle 5-3, and then whips his way to a 3rd place finish. Very impressive.
Johnny Thompson as a senior in 2004 - Thompson was a two time defending national champion and lost in the quarterfinals to redhot Josh Moore 8-7. Thompson battled his way back to a 3rd place finish in fashion. He defeated Scott Jorgeson 3-2, Stuck Mark Jayne(who had beaten Thompson earlier in the season) Travis Lee(whom many said owned Thompson but clearly did not) 10-8, and Darrel Vasquez 6-3(who had also had a win over Thompson earlier in the season). Thompson being one of my all time favorites I would have of course loved to have seen him walk out a 3 time National Champion, but in some ways it was surprisingly rewarding to see him take 3rd. I say this because had he beaten Moore, he then would have had to wrestle Vasquez, and then Roberson in the finals. I know that someone somewhere would be saying how, "well Thompson didn't have to wrestle Lee", and they'd hold the win Lee had over him to this day.
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"Within all of us there burns a passion of fire. Forever feel the heat from the flames of your desire"
JD Bergman hasn't won a match in the championship bracket at NCAA's yet, and he has a third his freshman year, and then a third again (might have been a fourth) last year.
JD Bergman hasn't won a match in the championship bracket at NCAA's yet, and he has a third his freshman year, and then a third again (might have been a fourth) last year.
You know I mentioned that on the other forum. Bergman actually placed 4th, as he lost the 3rd place match to Chris Weidman of Hofstra. Had he won, to my knowledge he'd be the only person in history to ever come back from a first round lost twice, and take 3rd.
Was there another?
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"Within all of us there burns a passion of fire. Forever feel the heat from the flames of your desire"
I am only recent to the blog board as this will be my third season and so I can really only speak to Manotti's incredible run. That was an overshadowed story I believe throughout the tournament other than fans of Cornell until he took the podium and I believe it was announced how he fought his way back to 3rd place.
__________________ " Life can only be understood backwards; but it must be lived forwards. "
A couple off the top of my head (PAC10), both of these were back in my days, early/mid 90's. A kid from Fullerton, named Grubs lost to Aiken 1st round, fought back to conso semis and lost to Aiken again, took 5th with 2 close matches with Aiken. (I think this was in Ames)
This one for sure was at North Carolina. Jake Gaier, tougher than snot, from SLO, got upset 1st match and came back through with 6 wins in consos for the bronze.
I am only recent to the blog board as this will be my third season and so I can really only speak to Manotti's incredible run. That was an overshadowed story I believe throughout the tournament other than fans of Cornell until he took the podium and I believe it was announced how he fought his way back to 3rd place.
Every coach in the world should memorize the story about Manotti, so that they can use it when their kids lose.
Every coach in the world should memorize the story about Manotti, so that they can use it when their kids lose.
My kids don't lose... if they did, I would tell them that story.
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I will smash your face into a car windshield and then take your mother, Dorothy Mantooth, out to a nice seafood dinner and never call her again!
Tell me about it, this morning, I woke up and I shit a squirrel, but what I can't get is the damn thing is still alive. So now, I've got a shit covered squirrel running around my office and I don't know what to name it.
I agree with Bluestater as to the impressive run by Matt Pell last year.
But I think that the all time Ironman may be Larry Quissel of Boise State:lost his first match as the 4th seed 3-4 and then went:
14-4
3.36
3-1
4-0
2;16
6-3
4:39
and then beat Brian Snyder 8-2 for 3rd place
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The Art of living is more like wrestling than dancing.
Who had the best runs in consolations? 
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