Nahshon Steals the Show in Vegas

It's nice when a match as anticipated as #1 Cody Brewer (Oklahoma) vs Nahshon Garrett (Cornell) absolutely lives up to the billing. The finals of the 133 lb weight class gave us an early front runner for match of the season. Garrett got the first takedown, but Brewer responded with a double-overhook 6-point throw. That was just the beginning though as Garrett, displaying an amazing gas tank, stormed back for a 14-9 win. 

The Missouri Tigers ran away with the team title in an impressive show of strength led by J'Den Cox & Lavion Mayes winning titles. Cornell took 2nd with Brian Realbuto & Gabe Dean joining Garrett on top of the podium. The triumvirate of Cornell is dangerous, but last week's NE Duals proved they will need more help from the rest of the lineup. Minnesota quietly took 3rd with three finalists as they try to improve on a disastrous start to the season.   

Eight of the ten weight classes were won by the #1 seeds which is kind of strange for the such a big tournament, but there were a lot of finalists from different schools which is appreciated on a competitive level. 

The stall calls, or inconsistency with them, were on full display. The 125 final saw a couple interesting calls against Joey Dance (Virginia Tech). Earlier in the tournament Davonte Mahomes (Michigan) was leading 10-8 Weatherspoon (Iowa State) and two stalls in the last ten seconds tied the match. The calls were about 2 seconds apart as the first one was authentic and then the second one was when Weatherspoon drove a single leg out of bounds. These calls are improving making the boundary not a safe space, but they are creating a wide inconsistency of very important points. Hopefully the referees will continue to improve on what is retreating out of bounds versus what is normal wrestling action. 

Team Standings
1. Missouri 154
2. Cornell 113
3. Minnesota 105
4. Oklahoma 102
5. Ohio State 96.5
6. Virginia Tech 91
7. Michigan 76
8. Kent State 65
9. CSU Bakersfield 62.5
10. Bucknell 62

Finals Results
125 lbs. – No. 1 Nathan Tomasello (Ohio State) dec. No. 2 Joey Dance (Virginia Tech), 5-4
133 lbs. – No. 2 Nahshon Garrett (Cornell) dec. No. 1 Cody Brewer (Oklahoma), 14-9
141 lbs. – No. 5 Micah Jordan (Ohio State) dec. No. 3 Todd Preston (Harvard), 7-3
149 lbs. – No. 1 Lavion Mayes (Missouri) dec. No. 11 Jake Short (Minnesota), 8-6
157 lbs. – No. 1 Ian Miller (Kent State) dec. No. 6 John Boyle (American), 6-2
165 lbs. – No. 1 Isaac Jordan (Wisconsin) dec. No. 10 Chad Welch (Purdue), 5-3
174 lbs. – No. 1 Brian Realbuto (Cornell) maj. dec. No. 6 Bryce Hammond (CSU- Bakersfield), 11-1
184 lbs. – No. 1 Gabe Dean (Cornell) maj. dec. No. 6 Domenic Abounader (Michigan), 15-6
197 lbs. – No. 1 J’Den Cox (Missouri) dec. No. 3 Brett Pfarr (Minnesota), 4-1
285 lbs. – No. 1 Ty Walz (Virginia Tech) dec. No. 2 Michael Kroells (Minnesota), 5-3