2014 US Open

The Return of McD at the US Open

The Return of McD at the US Open

Apr 11, 2014 by Christian Pyles
The Return of McD at the US Open
U.S. Open-McD’s Return
Christian Pyles

It’s not how I would have remembered him. The embattled warrior whose body just didn’t hold up. Matt McDonough had a rough conclusion to his college career. After placing 1st, 2nd and 1st in his first 3 years of competition, McDonough fell to Nahshon Garrett in the quarters, then Trent Sprenkle in the round of 12.

No hardware. Nothing. There’s no participation award here. The Hawkeye hammer just had to walk off the mat with nothing but memories.

Now he's back.  Registered for Freestyle at 61 KG at the US Open, we'll get to see McDonough put in on the line once again.   McDonough had tried his luck at the Dave Schultz and Medved tournaments earlier this year where he saw limited success. Now McD will look to get  back on track in the Sin City. 

McDonough has taken the better part of the year to get surgery and recover. Now he’s back on the mat and ready to remind you what made him so great. McDonough is probably a bit of a “tweener” as far as Olympic weights are concerned. Watching McDonough roll around with the guys at NCAA’s it was clear he had put some size on. The cut was always rumored to be a brutal one for McDonough, so it was great to see him a little bit thicker.

If McD is on the level we are used to seeing him, don’t be surprised if he becomes a mainstay for 61kg. His offense was never pretty, nor terribly efficient. It was not uncommon to see McD completely extended on a single, horse it in and get the finish. Will that aspect of his game need tweaking? Perhaps, but let’s not forget that he can get some cheap points as well, punishing opponents for getting out of position or taking a less-than-perfect attack. His relentless pace and leverage will make him a handful for anyone he faces. 

His most notable competition for the weekend will likely come from Tyler Graff, Jimmy Kennedy and Joe Colon. How he will stack up remains to be seen, but I won’t be surprised if many see the McD that closely resembles his first 3 years of competition. That’s my expectation anyways.