With nothing better to do than sleep at 2:45 a.m., I figured I’d jot a few lines about what’s been happening this evening.

 

I’m packed up and ready to head to Omaha. Yes, I’m heading out on Thursday. Like tomorrow. For those of you sleeping under a rock, there are more national tournaments than “the big one” in Omaha next weekend. After finishing up with the Division III championships, I’m making a six-hour run from the Twin Cities to Omaha in preparation for the Division II championships hosted at UNO.

 

I had a chance to write a rather lengthy preview today (you can read it on TheMat.com) and I’m excited for the tournament. UNO, despite my posturing that it’s anyone’s tournament, is the heavy, heavy favorite.

 

I sat down this afternoon in between boiling ziti and working on some dinner, to fill out roughly half of the Division II brackets. I’ll fill out the rest of them tomorrow (well, later today) and post them here for people to pick apart.

 

Now, while I’m gearing up for the Division II tournament, Wednesday was the big day for college wrestling fans, as they found out not only the at-large berths into the Division I championships, but the brackets as well. Already, Thursday Morning Quarterbacks (if that is a term, well, it is if you’re a MAC Football fan) are filling out brackets, boldly picking upsets and posturing their opinions as to who will be the ultimate sleeper in Omaha at the Qwest Center.

 

I again, will be filling out the complete bracket and posting it here for you guys to throw darts at. Why? I dunno, I guess I’m just a glutton for punishment.

 

Anyway, if you go to TheMat.com, you’ll see the Division I Championship Special Section. In that section, you’ll find some breakdowns with facts and figures provided to me by Pat Tocci at the NWCA. He’s the guy who told you who was in the tournament on the NCAA webcast. He works tirelessly, and I do mean tirelessly, for the sport of wrestling. With my pending marriage coming up in two months, I wonder how Pat’s stayed married all this time, because he puts mountains of effort into promoting and working with factions to help improve the sport and its visibility.

 

Now, enough about my old boss … I wonder why my sleeping habits are messed up. Could it be the eight years working nights at a daily newspaper? Too much time at Brendee’s in Lancaster shooting darts and watching “just one more inning” of a Mets-Phillies game? Or perhaps the video editing from last year’s Wrestling 411 finally caught up to me.

 

Nah, it’s that whole glutton for punishment thing again. Sorting, fact-finding and posting information in the wee hours of the morning is nothing new. But it’s not for me to admire, it’s for you, the wrestling fan, to feast upon. So have a look at the coverage section and check out some interesting notes – like a breakdown of the home states (Pennsylvania has the most) and hometowns (guess who’s No. 1 there?) and of course, the brother combos and a breakdown by win percentage.

 

We’ll be creating the Division II special section tomorrow, as Craig Sesker and I arrive in Omaha.

 

More updates when we get there, but I’ve gotta be up and out the door in about four hours. Ack. It’s now 2:55 a.m. … do you know where your brackets are?

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It was finally over.

 

At approximately 12:12 a.m. Mountain Time on Monday, March 22, my 19-day journey through the wrestling heartland wrapped up. And when I say wrestling “heartland,” I’m referring specifically to geography, not any quote by a current Penn State coach. So press conference quotes notwithstanding, here’s some things by the numbers.

 

I drove approximately 2,300 miles, and my trusty Trailblazer eclipsed the 40,000-mile mark somewhere in the middle of Kansas. In all, there were over 1,100 bouts contested across three NCAA championship events. Kyle Klingman and I manned the NCAA.com webcast for roughly 25 hours of competition and I spent 11 glorious days in Omaha.

 

In recapping all the action, I want to focus on Omaha as the site for the NCAA Division I Championships, because it was the first time the Qwest Center and the city of Omaha had hosted the tournament.

 

I drove from Colorado, so my issues in travel were limited. Those flying in, as in, those who flew in and had gotten their flight arrangements early enough to land at tiny Eppley Field (tiny considering the size of the city), had a short drive to get to the venue. There were a handful of hotels within walking distance to the Qwest Center, including my own digs at the Courtyard, which was the official media hotel of the championships.

 

Anything’s better than where I stayed for the Division II championships, a run down dive of a hotel called the Carol Hotel. Apparently, when Clarion dumped it, the new owners just re-arranged some letters, painted over the “sun” logo and kept all the same letterhead. Takedown Radio’s Caleb Nemmers started to get worried when I told the world via Facebook how bad the place was. Nemmers had to stay there for a night or two.

 

No, there weren’t any crack pipes or anything, but it was just a hole. Don’t stay there. It’s cheap … and you get what you pay for. The Courtyard … ah, nice for the five hours of sleep a night I was reluctant to get.

 

I thought the intimacy of the Qwest Center was an immediate plus. Granted, my seats were down at the press table AND up in the sixth floor press box. My sight lines from way up top, just above a large section of Iowa State fans, were pretty good. I didn’t have to squint too hard to see the clocks, although the green numbers on the outer mats were tough to see at times.

 

I wasn’t privy to complaints about seat size, because I was standing much of the tournament. But I do know it can be annoying if your knees are always jacked against hard plastic for hours on end. I can’t comment there, because I didn’t experience it. I thought the facility itself was good. I think sellouts are good for the sport of wrestling, but maybe a thousand more seats could have made this a real winner.

 

Speaking of winners, Omaha’s support for the event was a real plus. The Omaha World Herald covered the event better than any local paper I’d seen in the last nine years. St. Louis does a fantastic job hosting the event, but if you’re in STL and not there for wrestling, you wouldn’t know it was going on too much if you read the papers. Omaha – you couldn’t miss it. So a big shout out to the World Herald for their coverage – and especially the sports front picture with Iowa’s Jay Borschel after his semifinal victory over Chris Henrich. That picture captured the entire spirit of the sport of wrestling. The exhilarating victory coupled with a beaten opponent.

 

The press areas were wide, and there was none of this “schootching” in constantly to let other reporters by. Laurie Cannon at the NCAA, now in her third year in the middle of this wrestling thing, was super helpful and super easy to work with. She deserves a tip of the proverbial cap.

 

What about the competition? Well, you read enough about that all weekend.

 

The Old Market area was cool, although I think a lot of fans were let down by the early last call … and subsequent 1 a.m. shutdown. I’m sure the “establishments” in Iowa welcomed the rush of traffic over the bridge around … 12:55.

 

There was some good food down there, although I lost eight pounds on the trip, no thanks to some less than stellar vittles later in the tournament. I know a few other members of the media spent some of their days near some porcelain.

 

Spaghetti Works was solid, as was Rock Bottom. Their Prime Rib sandwich and tables with taps made St. Patrick’s Day pretty solid. As did Jake Herbert’s green tuxedo t-shirt, which said, I like to be formal, but I’m kinda Irish too.

 

A lot of things to really take in from the tournament, but Omaha, in my opinion, was a solid place to have this event. I would like to get more prophetic and descriptive, but I’m packing for another flight – Oklahoma City this weekend for girls folkstyle nationals. Webcast on TheMat.com!

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As the Division II tournament came to a close on Saturday night, I looked down at the clock on my computer and it read 11:38 p.m. I’d finished up with interviews of all the champions and was rushing back up to the second level press area to edit and upload. I was worn out.

 

The finals started at 8 p.m., which I believe was just a bit late to start. As Craig Sesker and I finished our work, surrounded by hard-working SID’s from Upper Iowa, Minnesota State and the Northern Sun Conference, Nebraska-Omaha head coach Mike Denney grabbed the microphone.

 

This shouldn’t be much of a surprise for folks familiar with UNO and its wrestling program. Denney is the father figure. He instructs things, without a commanding demeanor, but one you respect. The UNO staff had ordered Chipotle and had a spread ready to serve for the parents, alumni and wrestlers … and they did it on the raised stage.

 

The finals mat was on a raised platform, so after the wrestlers rolled up the mats, they grabbed some tables and a bunch of chairs and listened to Denney talk about his team and thank his parents, volunteers and alumni. I was listening to all of it, while waiting for videos to finish uploading.

 

People not from dynasty-like programs seem to not like teams that always win. But when you’re talking about UNO, despite the fact they’ve won five of the last seven Division II championships, there’s a lot of reasons to like the program. Friendly, respectful and humble. Mike Denney exemplifies all those things.

 

So as we finished up, Craig and I split a pizza and some wings with Waterloo Courier wrestling writer Jim Nelson at his hotel. We walked by the sixth floor meeting room where Minnesota State-Mankato coach Jim Makovsky was giving a speech to fans, parents and wrestlers for his team. Makvosky is another guy I would have no problems having my kids wrestle for – when/if I ever have kids. He, like Denney, serves not just as a wrestling coach, but a life coach as well. We had a chance to get to know Jim a lot last year when Kyle Klingman and I were working with Wrestling 411. It’s hard to find two better guys in this sport than Mike Denney and Jim Makovsky.

 

So as it relates to my last blog, how did I do with my Division II picks? I’d say I did ok, but nothing to write home about (yet, something to write a blog about).

 

I hit 13 of the 20 finalists correctly, but only correctly picked two champions, which would put me near the bottom of any pick’em contest in Division II. I correctly picked Craig Becker of UW-Parkside and Nebraska-Kearney’s Marty Usman as champions, but that’s all I had.

 

By the numbers, of the 80 All-Americans, I correctly pegged 17 wrestlers exactly where they placed. I picked 61 of the 80 overall All-Americans. My best weight class was 125, 141, and 285, where I had seven of the eight All-Americans correctly picked (but again, not in the right order). Admittedly, with a 16-man bracket, it’s a bit easier to do than a 33-man bracket, like we’ll see at Division I.

 

Sunday was a recovery day. I was straight up tired. I watched The Amazing Race, Undercover Boss, and the roundball selection show. My alma mater Old Dominion plays Notre Dame in the opening round. I had dinner down by the Qwest Center at a place called the Old Mattress Factory, it was good stuff.

 

Wrestling fans will be happy to know there are plenty of great spots to eat and drink within walking distance from the Qwest … and I’m sure St. Patty’s Day will be a zoo.

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With the humbling experiment that was my Division II picks, why not subject myself to even more punishment by going round-by-round and picking things for the NCAA Division I championships. I mean, really, everyone has just as much of a chance to get more picks right based on their own favorite teams and personal associations than any of the “experts,” but we do it because it’s fun.

 

I spent time Monday night at my less than stellar digs at the Carol Hotel in Omaha filling out Division I brackets. I looked at the possibility of an upset, because they happen, and how things might shake out. Do I have reasons for things? I’d like to think so, but here’s my full view of how I think things could end up when we kick off the tournament.

 

 

Am I crazy? Have I lost it with some of these? Log-in and leave your opinions below.

 

 

 

125

1. Angel Escobedo (Indiana)

2. Troy Nickerson (Cornell)

3. Anthony Robles (Arizona State)

4. Matt McDonough (Iowa)

5. Zach Sanders (Minnesota)

6. Brad Pataky (Penn State)

7. James Nicholson (Old Dominion)

8. Andrew Long (Iowa State)

 

Quarters

Escobedo over Pataky

Robles over Long

McDonough over Sanders

Nickerson over Nicholson

 

Semis

Escobedo over Robles

Nickerson over McDonough

 

Round of 12

Sanders over Kjar

Nicholson over Garnett

Pataky over Notte

Long over Martinez

 

133 pounds

1. Jayson Ness (Minnesota)

2. Franklin Gomez (Michigan State)

3. Daniel Dennis (Iowa)

4. Mike Grey (Cornell)

5. Jordan Oliver (Oklahoma State)

6. Tyler Graff (Wisconsin)

7. Steve Mytych (Drexel)

8. Boris Novachkov (Cal Poly)

 

Quarters

Ness over Graff

Oliver over Mytych

Gomez over Fisk

Grey over Dennis

 

Semis

Ness over Oliver

Gomez over Grey

 

Round of 12

Novachkov over Fisk

Dennis over Bell

Graff over Sentes

Mytych over Mitcheff

 

141 pounds

1. Reece Humphrey (Ohio State)

2. Jamal Parks (Oklahoma State)

3. Alex Krom (Maryland)

4. Montell Marion (Iowa)

5. Chris Diaz (Virginia Tech)

6. Tyler Nauman (Pittsburgh)

7. Mike Thorn (Minnesota)

8. Elijah Nacita (Cal State-Bakersfield)

 

Quarters

Krom over Nacita

Humphrey over Bailey

Diaz over Thorn

Parks over Nauman

 

Semis

Humphrey over Krom

Parks over Diaz

 

Round of 12

Thorn over Mangrum

Nauman over Lipp

Nacita over Novachkov

Marion over Bailey

 

149 pounds

1. Brent Metcalf (Iowa)

2. Kyle Ruschell (Wisconsin)

3. Lance Palmer (Ohio State)

4. Frank Molinaro (Penn State)

5. Matt Kyler (Army)

6. Kyle Terry (Oklahoma)

7. Kyle Borshoff (American)

8. Kevin LeValley (Bucknell)

 

Quarters

Palmer over Stephens

Ruschell over Molinaro

Kyler over Terry

Metcalf over D’Alie

 

Semis

Ruschell over Palmer

Metcalf over Kyler

 

Round of 12

Terry over Fleming

LeValley over D’Alie

Borshoff over Stephens

Molinaro over Chamberlain

 

157 pounds

1. J.P. O’Connor (Harvard)

2. Jesse Dong (Virginia Tech)

3. Cyler Sanderson (Penn State)

4. Adam Hall (Boise State)

5. Steve Fittery (American)

6. Chase Pami (Cal Poly)

7. Bryce Saddoris (Navy)

8. Dustin Schlatter (Minnesota)

 

Quarters

O’Connor over Saddoris

Sanderson over Fittery

Dong over Schlatter

Hall over Pami

 

Semis

O’Connor over Sanderson

Dong over Hall

 

Round of 12

Schlatter over Brown

Pami over Moley

Saddoris over Vernon

Fittery over Erisman

 

165 pounds

1. Andrew Howe (Wisconsin)

2. Dan Vallimont (Penn State)

3. Jonathan Reader (Iowa State)

4. Colt Sponseller (Ohio State)

5. Jarrod King (Edinboro)

6. Nick Marable (Missouri)

7. Andy Rendos (Bucknell)

8. Alex Meade (Oklahoma State)

 

Quarters

Howe over Rendos

Sponseller over Reader

Vallimont over Marable

King over Meade

 

Semis

Howe over Sponseller

Vallimont over King

 

Round of 12

Marable over Young

Meade over Grayson

Rendos over Morningstar

Reader over Schmelyun

 

174 pounds

1. Mack Lewnes (Cornell)

2. Jay Borschel (Iowa)

3. Stephen Dwyer (Nebraska)

4. Chris Henrich (Virginia)

5. Josh Patterson (Binghamton)

6. Ben Bennett (Central Michigan)

7. Colby Covington (Oregon State)

8. Mike Benefiel (Oklahoma State)

 

Quarters

Lewnes over Covington

Dwyer over Glasser

Henrich over Benefiel

Borschel over Bennett

 

Semis

Lewnes over Dwyer

Borschel over Henrich

 

Round of 12

Benefiel over Henderson

Bennett over Manuel

Covington over Blanton

Patterson over Glasser

 

184 pounds

1. Dustin Kilgore (Kent State)

2. Kirk Smith (Boise State)

3. John Dergo (Illinois)

4. Max Askren (Missouri)

5. Mike Cannon (American)

6. David Erwin (Penn State)

7. Louis Caputo (Harvard)

8. Phil Keddy (Iowa)

 

Quarters

Smith over Caputo

Cannon over Foster

Kilgore over Askren

Dergo over LeBlanc

 

Semis

Smith over Cannon

Kilgore over Dergo

 

Round of 12

Askren over Craig

Keddy over LeBlanc

Caputo over Pucillo

Erwin over Foster

 

197 pounds

1. Jake Varner (Iowa State)

2. Hudson Taylor (Maryland)

3. Craig Brester (Nebraska)

4. Jesse Strawn (Old Dominion)

5. Trevor Brandvold (Wisconsin)

6. Brent Jones (Virginia)

7. Cam Simaz (Cornell)

8. Eric Lapotsky (Oklahoma)

 

Quarters

Varner over Beatty

Jones over C. Simaz

Taylor over Lapotsky

Brester over Strawn

 

Semis

Varner over Jones

Taylor over Brester

 

Round of 12

Lapotsky over Haynes

Strawn over Orozco

Brandvold over Beatty

C. Simaz over Gelogaev

 

285 pounds

1. Dan Erekson (Iowa)

2. Mitch Montiero (Cal State-Bakersfield)

3. David Zabriskie (Iowa State)

4. Mark Ellis (Missouri)

5. Jared Rosholt (Oklahoma State)

6. Zach Rey (Lehigh)

7. Nathan Everhart (Indiana)

8. Jarod Trice (Central Michigan)

 

Quarters

Zabriskie over Ellis

Erekson over Dudziak

Montiero over Rey

Rosholt over Trice

 

Semis

Erekson over Zabriskie

Montiero over Rosholt

 

Round of 12

Rey over Steele

Trice over Berhow

Ellis over Brantley

Everhart over Dudziak

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