184 U: Cornell's Big Men Pass The Test
184 U: Cornell's Big Men Pass The Test
FloWrestling reviews each weight class over the past 15 years, with the Cornell Big Red winning the title of 184 U.
FloWrestling's multi-part analysis to determine which Division I school is the best in each weight class over the past 15 years has reached 184 pounds. Cornell is the clear king of the hill at the weight and claims the title of 184 U with a two-time defending champion still on its roster.
There has been strong support among the wrestling community that this has been the toughest weight at NCAAs for a few years now, but that does not seem to concern the Big Red as they have built up a huge lead. Gabe Dean is No. 1 at this weight and will likely cement Cornell's hold over it for the next few years.
The Series So Far:
125U | 133U | 141U | 149U | 157U | 165U | 174U
Since 2002, Big Red coach Rob Koll has produced 11 All-Americans from this weight. Second to the boys in Ithaca, New York, was Iowa, which is the only other school in double digits with 10 podium placings over the past 15 years.
Yet again, our good friend Andew Spey aka @JaroslavWrestle was a huge help in putting this information together. His data and the graphs provided provide a better picture of just how good some of these schools are at 184 pounds.
The state of Iowa has had a noticeable run of qualifiers here: Iowa sent a guy to the tournament every year, Iowa State only missed one season, and Northern Iowa even worked its way in nine times. Cornell is fallible as it missed one time, and Illinois also finishes with 14 qualifiers. The Illini's three All-Americans were Brian Glynn (sixth place in 2004, 3rd in 2005), Pete Friedl (third in 2006), and John Dergo (fifth in 2010).
Penn State is one of five teams who put 13 in the tournament over this span. While not quite as pronounced as at 174, there was an uptick in production at this weight when head coach Cael Sanderson came to Happy Valley. The Nittany Lions had two guys AA a total of three times pre-Cael, and then won three titles with four finals appearances between Quentin Wright and Ed Ruth.
Although 184 has been considered a tough weight class for a while, that doesn't preclude a school like Cornell from consistently putting hammers on the mat. The Big Red have six straight years of not finishing below fourth place thanks to Steve Bosak and Dean, and they started off this time period with two AAs from Clint Wattenberg. But Cornell won this weight also in large part due to guys like Josh Arnone (eighth in 2007), Tyler Baier (second in 2005), and Joe Mazzurco (sixth in 2006).
Iowa finishes second at 184 without even having a finalist. The Hawkeyes had six different guys land on the podium, with three of them placing twice. The ones who placed once -- moving pieces who Iowa always seem to extract the most out of at the end of the year -- include Sammy Brooks (eighth this past year), Ethen Lofthouse (fifth in 2013), and Grant Gambrall, who as a No. 12 seed got a bronze medal in 2011 in Philadelphia.
Spey used the following system to break down the points here: 18 points for first place; 16 pts for second; 13 pts for third; 12 pts for fourth; 10 pts for fifth; nine pts for sixth; six pts for seventh; five pts for eighth; three pts for making the round of 12; two pts for making the round of 16; and one pt for making the round of 24.
2) Iowa
3) Penn State
4) Lehigh
5) Missouri
6) Minnesota
7) Oklahoma State
8) Ohio State
9) Nebraska
10) Illinois
Steve Bosak (2011-13): 4th, 3rd, 1st
Gabe Dean (2014-16): 3rd, 1st, 1st
Paul Bradley (2004-05) 4th, 5th
Phil Keddy (2008-10) 6th, 4th, 8th
Quentin Wright (2011-12): 1st, 2nd
Ed Ruth (2013-14): 1st, 1st
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There has been strong support among the wrestling community that this has been the toughest weight at NCAAs for a few years now, but that does not seem to concern the Big Red as they have built up a huge lead. Gabe Dean is No. 1 at this weight and will likely cement Cornell's hold over it for the next few years.
The Series So Far:
125U | 133U | 141U | 149U | 157U | 165U | 174USince 2002, Big Red coach Rob Koll has produced 11 All-Americans from this weight. Second to the boys in Ithaca, New York, was Iowa, which is the only other school in double digits with 10 podium placings over the past 15 years.
Yet again, our good friend Andew Spey aka @JaroslavWrestle was a huge help in putting this information together. His data and the graphs provided provide a better picture of just how good some of these schools are at 184 pounds.
NCAA Qualifiers and Placings (2002-16)
The state of Iowa has had a noticeable run of qualifiers here: Iowa sent a guy to the tournament every year, Iowa State only missed one season, and Northern Iowa even worked its way in nine times. Cornell is fallible as it missed one time, and Illinois also finishes with 14 qualifiers. The Illini's three All-Americans were Brian Glynn (sixth place in 2004, 3rd in 2005), Pete Friedl (third in 2006), and John Dergo (fifth in 2010).
Penn State is one of five teams who put 13 in the tournament over this span. While not quite as pronounced as at 174, there was an uptick in production at this weight when head coach Cael Sanderson came to Happy Valley. The Nittany Lions had two guys AA a total of three times pre-Cael, and then won three titles with four finals appearances between Quentin Wright and Ed Ruth.
NCAA Points Accrued (2002-16)
Although 184 has been considered a tough weight class for a while, that doesn't preclude a school like Cornell from consistently putting hammers on the mat. The Big Red have six straight years of not finishing below fourth place thanks to Steve Bosak and Dean, and they started off this time period with two AAs from Clint Wattenberg. But Cornell won this weight also in large part due to guys like Josh Arnone (eighth in 2007), Tyler Baier (second in 2005), and Joe Mazzurco (sixth in 2006).
Iowa finishes second at 184 without even having a finalist. The Hawkeyes had six different guys land on the podium, with three of them placing twice. The ones who placed once -- moving pieces who Iowa always seem to extract the most out of at the end of the year -- include Sammy Brooks (eighth this past year), Ethen Lofthouse (fifth in 2013), and Grant Gambrall, who as a No. 12 seed got a bronze medal in 2011 in Philadelphia.
Spey used the following system to break down the points here: 18 points for first place; 16 pts for second; 13 pts for third; 12 pts for fourth; 10 pts for fifth; nine pts for sixth; six pts for seventh; five pts for eighth; three pts for making the round of 12; two pts for making the round of 16; and one pt for making the round of 24.
Top-10 Teams at 184lbs
1) Cornell2) Iowa
3) Penn State
4) Lehigh
5) Missouri
6) Minnesota
7) Oklahoma State
8) Ohio State
9) Nebraska
10) Illinois
Key Scorers For Cornell
Clint Wattenberg (2002-03): 6th, 5thSteve Bosak (2011-13): 4th, 3rd, 1st
Gabe Dean (2014-16): 3rd, 1st, 1st
Key Scorers For Iowa
Jessman Smith (2002-03): 3rd, 4thPaul Bradley (2004-05) 4th, 5th
Phil Keddy (2008-10) 6th, 4th, 8th
Key Scorers For Penn State
Eric Bradley (2005-06): 4th, 8thQuentin Wright (2011-12): 1st, 2nd
Ed Ruth (2013-14): 1st, 1st
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