NCAA WRESTLING CHAMPIONSHIPS NOTEBOOK

 

Each year, the argument rages at the NCAA Wrestling Championship about which state is the best at producing national All-Americans.  Iowans and Oklahomans think their states are the best and, if you look at team and individual championships, they make a good case.

 

But the northeast States of Pennsylvania, New Jersey and New York need not take a backseat to anyone.  And the numbers bear that out.

 

Of the 330 qualifiers, 55 are from the Keystone State, 23 more than second place New Jersey with 32.  Ohio and California tied for third with 31 each.  New York is fifth with 17 followed by Iowa’s 15, Oklahoma 12 and Illinois, Michigan and Minnesota with 11 each.

 

Pennsylvania produced 14 of the 80 All-Americans.  Ohio was next with 11.  New Jersey was in third with 8, Oklahoma 4th with 7 and Iowa fifth with five. 

 

New York has three with Jesse Jantzen, Harvard winning the NCAA Championships and Outstanding Wrestler Award.  John Clark, Ohio State was 5th and a two time All-American.  Kyle Cerminara, Buffalo University, became Buffalo’s first All-American for Coach Jim Beichner.

 

Josh Ruff of SUNY Binghamton may be the last wrestler to wear a Binghamton singlet. 

 

The Bearcats have announced that the wrestling program will be discontinued after the current season.  Ruff finished the tournament 2-2.

 

Billy Baldwin, screen actor and former Binghamton wrestler along with 25 members of the Save BU Wrestling Committee, made a passionate effort to the wrestling community to support their efforts of reversing the decision to drop wrestling next year.

 

The Border States of New York with PA, NJ and Ohio dominate the sport of college wrestling with developing a huge number of Division 1 athletes. With over 500 High School Programs in New York State we should be doing better in producing NCAA All-Americans and entries in the NCAA Championships.

 

If you have some positive comments on what New York State needs to do to improve its’ standing and enter the elite level of high school wrestling, please send your recommendations to the editor@nywrestling.com.  We will post some of the e-mails with your initials and hometown.

Comments: Last updated 3/24/04 6:20PM
 

NY Wrestling:

 

I think there is still a big emphasis on weight loss in NY state. Many top athletes do not want to wrestle because they have heard they have to lose weight. If a top athlete weighed 143 almost every coach in NY would look to have him wrestle at 135 or 140 at the most. However, top athletes may already have low body fat and grow during wrestling season. I think the emphasis should be learning how to wrestle and getting stronger through weight training. How about if they wrestle at what the weigh after two weeks of practice?

 

If you could open up wrestling to all of NYC high schools, instead of 20 out of 100, and you marketed the sport you would find some top athletes as well.

 

Sincerely,

 

K.R., KEW GARDENS, NY

 

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