Hawkeyes at U20/23's
- Thread starter jrod65
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Kennedy had been back wrestling full time for 6+ weeks prior to the match. That isn’t “coming off injury.”
You make good points about Kennedy. Like I said, we will see. My mind has never been closed to it. I appreciate looking at things from multiple angles.
iirc ramirez knocked him out of the tournament two years ago
PK-Caliendo isn’t a question. Based on this weekend, PK-Arnold would be very tight. I expect to see PK challenge for that spot if Caliendo doesn’t move down.
When PK signed 4+ years ago, I figured that if he was the recruit we thought he was, that he would be able to name what weight he would go at for his entire career.
I love both PK and Gabe and wish there was an easy way to fit them both into the lineup, but knowing where they both are at the respective points in their careers, if Gabe is the guy we hope he is, it will be a small disappointment if PK beats him out
Hard to base anything off this weekend, imo.
Kennedy didn't wrestle otoole that was caliendo and Kennedys beat the 5th seed who was drastically overseeded after he himselg was upset round one. Gabe beat multiple all Americans year one. And will get better
Really gotta find a way to have a combo of Parco, caliendo, pk, gabe all starting.
Where was our head and associate head coaches? I noticed Cael, Casey and DT made their athletes important enough to be there. Kids notice that stuff.
I don't think it's a given Gabe beats out PK at 174. I hope MC can make 157 and they all fit. I think Gabe has the speed and power to be special but with his lack of height it won't happen until he can master how to get in on people and finish at a high volume. Until that switch flips he will have a lot of closer low scoring matches.
He only needs to study Caliendo - guy gets in on everyone
6 weeks back off an injury to wrestle and beat a well-conditioned attacker like Caliendo (in a tournament setting as the 4th maych of the day)....how is that NOT "coming off an injury"? If you recall, Kennedy looked like shit a few weeks earlier wrestling UPenn, ISU etc. He was clearly not yet in shape! His only other loses last year (other than Caliendo and UPenn) were basically Griffith, Starocci, M Lewis and Rocco Welch. The top 4 in the country. 4 of his 6 losses last year were to high AAs.
He had 2 bad losses all season. One off an injury, one at NCAAs. And again, not at his ideal weight.
And he lost in OT to a national finalist (Welch), by one point to Griffith (after getting majored earlier in the season).
Kennedy is a title contender next year any way you slice it. And he's having a great off season.
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PK had a great U23's and an overall solid season last year. The Incontrera loss is excusable based on coming back off an injury. Losing to Tyler Eischens (who lost to Jared Simma and Danny Wask at NCAA's) is a terrible loss and one a title contender does not lose.
Kennedy will be the starting 174 pounder for the Hawks.
When’s he going to put on weight at this point in the year, BK seems stuck between 97 and hwt and doing 2 sports isn’t leaving much room to grow.
You’ve already found it (the order you listed). Formidable stack of middleweights heading into Brands / AJ / Kueter. All depends on Mikey Calorie-ndo
, and how many he needs to maintain his proven excellence.The UNI kid who beat Brands at Last Chance had another monster tournament. UNI has 3 very good guys for 184/197: Keckeisen, Gunderson, Voelker. How do we think that shakes out?
Some very impressive upper weight development over there. Pugh seems like a name to keep an eye on. He's turned two non-elite recruits into champs already.
Some very impressive upper weight development over there. Pugh seems like a name to keep an eye on. He's turned two non-elite recruits into champs already.
He lost last year to Griffith (graduated), Lewis (graduated), Welch (finalist), Caliendo (ranked #2 at 165), one excusable loss off injury, Starocci (up to 197)....so yes, a title contender. High AA is a title contender in my mind. Feel free to disagree. With easy wins over Ed Ruth, and Coniglio. He lost 13-5 to a healthy Starocci, which was one of his closest matches and a Hodge favorite at the time. Hopefully he fills out a bit more, but I see him at one of the top 5 in the weight class. It's his last run, so I'd expect his best effort this season.
Again, I'm only offering this opinion in response to everyone "giving" Gabe the spot. I love Gabe but he did lose to a HS senior this weekend (albeit a great one). So before you dismiss Kennedy, consider all the facts.
Low AA would be more realistic goal given the history of the last four years, eh?
His match with Caliendo was over a month after the ISU match. He was able to beat Gaitan but over a month later and after 6 weeks going full he wasn’t recovered enough to wrestle Caliendo? That dog don’t hunt. How many weeks or months of practice does one need before that? 3? 6? Maybe a full year? I also enjoy that you conveniently ignored his NCAAs loss to Tyler Eischens. That was Eischens’ only win in the tournament. He was a 9 loss guy wrestling an ACC schedule.
You had me yesterday. I was with you. He will no doubt be tough to beat for the 174 lb starting job at Iowa. But “title contender”? Now you’re just taking crazy.
I have no idea where they get their pool of referees from, but very few of them appear to have ever competed/ coached in the sport. It’s tough to watch sometimes.
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PK is very easy to root for and I know I wrongly picked him over Caliendo last year. Him competing so well up at 173.8 is encouraging. Seems like Gabe and him are going to have a dog fight for 174. That is quite the contrast in styles. I think I’d lean towards Gabe with his insane defense at this point.
Not ignored. I called it out as his one bad loss. And 6 weeks coming off an injury is different than 6 weeks of going full throttle. His early season matches were nothing more than to get him into shape for the 2nd half of the season. And to squarely answer your question, no, 6 weeks is not enough to have the conditioning on your 4th match of the day.
And title contender means nothing more than high All American. Did you think Welch was a title contender last year?
Gabe will go from losing to a high school senior to AA? Again he was up a weight in the toughest weight class in the nation.
And I can give you another 50 of 2x AAs not placing the following year.
And I love Gabe. He has a bright future. Just let's not annoint him before he even wrestles varsity
No doubt. He's a stud. It will be a dog fight. I've never said otherwise.
And you probably should not annoit PK as a title threat until he has a 3-6th place finish....
Strange things certainly happen in March. Who predicted Drake in the finals vs Figs and Ramos, McKee and Davis not even getting on the podium?
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