This week, perhaps more than any other week required me to really work and think long and hard about the 10 biggest upsets of the week. This list could easily be 20 deep or beyond. As expected, with everyone competing in their conferences, many unexpected wins/losses went down.
10) 184 - #14 Mat Miller, Navy over #2 Nate Brown, Lehigh
This one looks like a larger upset on paper than it is in reality. Miller has been great the 2nd half of the season and is among the most dangerous pinners in the country. This one was wild with the Navy contingent going crazy for their guy!
9) 174 - Josef Johnson, Harvard over #9 Casey Kent, Penn
I knew very little about Johnson prior to his win over Kent. Kent had a fairly disastrous EIWA showing and nearly made this list twice for his lost to Rustin Barrick.
8) 184 - #15 Lorenzo Thomas, Penn over #2 Nate Brown, Lehigh
This speaks more to the strength of the EIWA at 184 than anything. In most (if not all) conferences an elite guy drops his semi, he'll have an easy path to 3rd. Brown had an All American. Brown had been very successful against Thomas prior to this match.
7) 149 - #16 Michael DePalma, Kent State over #4 Lavion Mayes, Missouri
DePalma is very interesting. Over the course of a few years, if you stack up his wins you'd think he'd be among the best in the country. So in many ways this win is not terribly surprising. The talent has always been there. Wins over Richardson, Habat, Grajales and now Mayes suggests he should never be taken lightly.
6) 197 - Preston Weigel, Ok State over #11 Nate Rotert, SDSU
Big 12 197 was all over the place. Downey takes out Smith and Noon, Weigel takes down Downey and Rotert. Weigel, like many Cowboys have before him is starting to come on when it matters most.
5) 141 - Danny Sabatello, Purdue over #9 Tommy Thorn, Minnesota
The move up to 141 hadn't been very kind to Sabatello this year. He put it all together here and took out a red hot Tommy Thorn. Great feel, counters and scrambling enabled the Boilermaker to take out the 2 seed at Big 10's!
4) 184 - Jordan Ellingwood, CMU over #10 Willie Miklus, Missouri
Jordan Ellingwood blew this entire bracket up beating both Miklus and Dechow consecutively. MIklus just notched a big win over TJ Dudley 2 weeks ago and then drops this one to Ellingwood from out of nowhere!
3) 197 - Josh Dasilveira, ASU over #9 Reuben Franklin, CSU Bakersfield
Match ups matter! Reuben Franklin has been great this year. Meanwhile, Dasilveira has had some serious struggles. That said, this is now the 2nd time Dasilveira has taken out Franklin.
2) 141 - Jimmy Gulibon, PSU over #7 Micah Jordan, Ohio State
If you watched their first meeting, you knew Micah could at least make this one interesting. He put it all together strategically to take out the Big 10's top seed and guarantee a trip to NCAA's.
1) 174 - Lelund Weatherspoon, ISU over #4 Chandler Rogers, Ok State
Weatherspoon came from unranked to beat a top 4 guy in the country. Weatherspoon was on fire all tournament long as he also took out a top 15 Matt Reed from OU. Weatherspoon has been up and down since cutting to 184, but is looking ready to make a run at NCAA's.
10) 184 - #14 Mat Miller, Navy over #2 Nate Brown, Lehigh
This one looks like a larger upset on paper than it is in reality. Miller has been great the 2nd half of the season and is among the most dangerous pinners in the country. This one was wild with the Navy contingent going crazy for their guy!
9) 174 - Josef Johnson, Harvard over #9 Casey Kent, Penn
I knew very little about Johnson prior to his win over Kent. Kent had a fairly disastrous EIWA showing and nearly made this list twice for his lost to Rustin Barrick.
8) 184 - #15 Lorenzo Thomas, Penn over #2 Nate Brown, Lehigh
This speaks more to the strength of the EIWA at 184 than anything. In most (if not all) conferences an elite guy drops his semi, he'll have an easy path to 3rd. Brown had an All American. Brown had been very successful against Thomas prior to this match.
7) 149 - #16 Michael DePalma, Kent State over #4 Lavion Mayes, Missouri
DePalma is very interesting. Over the course of a few years, if you stack up his wins you'd think he'd be among the best in the country. So in many ways this win is not terribly surprising. The talent has always been there. Wins over Richardson, Habat, Grajales and now Mayes suggests he should never be taken lightly.
6) 197 - Preston Weigel, Ok State over #11 Nate Rotert, SDSU
Big 12 197 was all over the place. Downey takes out Smith and Noon, Weigel takes down Downey and Rotert. Weigel, like many Cowboys have before him is starting to come on when it matters most.
5) 141 - Danny Sabatello, Purdue over #9 Tommy Thorn, Minnesota
The move up to 141 hadn't been very kind to Sabatello this year. He put it all together here and took out a red hot Tommy Thorn. Great feel, counters and scrambling enabled the Boilermaker to take out the 2 seed at Big 10's!
4) 184 - Jordan Ellingwood, CMU over #10 Willie Miklus, Missouri
Jordan Ellingwood blew this entire bracket up beating both Miklus and Dechow consecutively. MIklus just notched a big win over TJ Dudley 2 weeks ago and then drops this one to Ellingwood from out of nowhere!
3) 197 - Josh Dasilveira, ASU over #9 Reuben Franklin, CSU Bakersfield
Match ups matter! Reuben Franklin has been great this year. Meanwhile, Dasilveira has had some serious struggles. That said, this is now the 2nd time Dasilveira has taken out Franklin.
2) 141 - Jimmy Gulibon, PSU over #7 Micah Jordan, Ohio State
If you watched their first meeting, you knew Micah could at least make this one interesting. He put it all together strategically to take out the Big 10's top seed and guarantee a trip to NCAA's.
1) 174 - Lelund Weatherspoon, ISU over #4 Chandler Rogers, Ok State
Weatherspoon came from unranked to beat a top 4 guy in the country. Weatherspoon was on fire all tournament long as he also took out a top 15 Matt Reed from OU. Weatherspoon has been up and down since cutting to 184, but is looking ready to make a run at NCAA's.