Congrats TnT and Co.
- Thread starter TherealGrip220
- Start date
I love everything about Buchanans defense. Of course his offense is obvious. Trials will be the changing of the guard by Buchanan hopefully. Desanto is close and thankfully he isn’t even close to his best yet.
I’ve been one that’s down on the HWC. I love the results from this tournament, but let’s not act like one good tournament and all the sudden are club is the cream of the crop. I’ve we can get at least 2 of those three on the next world team I’ll be tickled pink! With Dennis being a no show there hopefully it’s a sign that Terry is taking the club over after this season.
Probably on steroids. I think.
Point of Sale, obviously
I was thinking piece of **** but we can go with the steroid one either way the dude is a lunatic stuck on repeat
^ this all the people who are acting like the criticism over the past X number of years wasn't justified because of three really good results this week is stupid. Hopefully this is just the start of building. Also, HWC success this week isn't distracting me from ills of the collegiate program.
I agree our guys will be ready for march gonna be great
it means Piece Of Sheet!!!! The POS ncaa has F**CKed college sports up but for good!!!! The stats are ALARMING!!!! The COLLAPSE is all but here!!!
NOT sure if you all are following??? Football, something like 30-40% of ALL players in the portal!?!?!? DUKE just lost their 2 best players to Miami. It is NOT PRO where they at least TRY to make some kind of rules!!!! Some sports/teams already can't draw any fans. You start taking away EVERYTHING a coach does to try and build and......
You see everyone pointing to INDIANA- "oh gee golly, take a look at what they did......????" and just a quick look, WOW just bring in a good coach and "YOU TWOOOOO can have a championship!?!?!?'
RIGHT?????
WRONG!!!!!!
$$$$MONEY$$$$$ BOTTOM LINE!!! Team was ON AVERAGE something like 23 years old!!!! THIS<<<<<<< is COLLEGE?????
There are 2 small D1 Programs out my way. I would LOVE to support them and in the past I have!!! I honestly could not tell you one thing about the programs EXCEPT, I know they ALREADY CUT BUDGET!!! Example, team use to go to the Cliff Keen, NOT anymore!!! I am reading the writing on the walls and I have to believe these programs days are numbered!?!?!?
Once the HAMMER starts to fall on these programs, well lets just say, you aint bringing them back!!! What is the current D1 count? 70 or so?
Lets ask ourselves this. How many teams outside the B1G programs(to include OAK st) have ANYONE who has a SHOT a POS ncaa title right now? ADD to this, how many will have a shot next year, year after etc..... FINALIST??? HOPE for something good? Maybe someone from CORNELL???
I mean I watched FU F*** st vs Michigan and Michigan is a DISGRACE!!! Here is a place with PLENTY of $$$$$ a B1G skool, alumni etc..... yet NOTHING going on!?!?!? You know how I looked at the match??? GEEE who might IOWA be able to take from this CRAP program????
What happened to Northwestern???? What future does the program have? LOOK at the B1G ten!!!! LOOK at the skools IN the B1G ten WITHOUT a wrestling program and NO chance!!!! READ IT!!!! ZERO chance of them adding WRESTLING ZIP NADA, !!!!!
What a GE8 opportunity LOST!!! GONE 4 EVER!!! USC, UCLA, IN Cali!!!! GREAT wrestling state!!!! OREGON, WASHINGTON SHEET oh my!!!!!
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Well they better be. They sure as hell weren't ready for January or February!
we got them just where we want them
At this point you have to be a troll or a Brands.
Tom could make up the difference from his salary, but asking Tom to take a pay cut and bring in an up and coming future head coach to share coaching duties with doesn’t sound like something he would be interested in.
Google AI gave me this for the years 2015 through 2026:
The data reflects medals won at the Olympic, Senior World, U23 World, U20 World, and U17 World levels. Note that while some wrestlers like Thomas Gilman moved to the Nittany Lion Wrestling Club (NLWC) later in their careers, they are credited to their undergraduate institution (Iowa) for this comparison.
Penn State Medalists & Representatives (2015–2026)
| Wrestler | Level(s) | Gold | Silver | Bronze |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| David Taylor | Senior | 4 | 1 | 1 |
| Luke Lilledahl | U23, U20, U17 | 3 | 2 | 0 |
| Marcus Blaze | U20, U17 | 2 | 0 | 1 |
| Mitchell Mesenbrink | U23, U20 | 2 | 1 | 1 |
| Aaron Brooks | Senior, U23, U20, U17 | 2 | 1 | 1 |
| Zain Retherford | Senior | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| Levi Haines | Senior, U23 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| PJ Duke | U20, U17 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Bo Nickal | U23 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Joe Sealey | U17 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| William Henckel | U20 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Josh Barr | U20 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Rocco Welsh | U20 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Alex Facundo | U17 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| Connor Mirasola | U20 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Cole Mirasola | U20 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Frank Molinaro | Senior | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| GRAND TOTAL | — | 18 | 10 | 9 |
Iowa Medalists & Representatives (2015–2026)
| Wrestler | Level(s) | Gold | Silver | Bronze |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spencer Lee | Senior, U20 | 2 | 1 | 0 |
| Thomas Gilman | Senior | 1 | 2 | 1 |
| Ben Kueter | U20 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| Tony Cassioppi | U23 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Paul Kenny | U17 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Jacob Warner | U23, U20, U17 | 0 | 1 | 2 |
| Drake Ayala | U17 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Fred Bachmann | U17 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Joe Bachmann | U17 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| Daniel Dennis | Senior | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Tony Ramos | Senior | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Brent Metcalf | Senior | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Patrick Kennedy | U23 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Gabe Arnold | U20 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Angelo Ferrari | U20 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Leo DeLuca | U17 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| GRAND TOTAL | — | 6 | 7 | 6 |
Key Takeaways
- The Medal Gap: Penn State alumni have earned 3x as many Gold medals (18 vs. 6) as Iowa alumni in this window.
- Historical Context: While Iowa had high representation early in the decade (Metcalf, Ramos, Dennis), they struggled to reach the podium. Penn State’s surge is driven by high-efficiency scoring from stars like David Taylor and the emergence of "Triple Crown" age-group champions like Luke Lilledahl.
- Spencer Lee's Impact: Lee remains Iowa's most successful international bridge, having won World titles in the 2015-2016 window before his 2024 Olympic Silver.
Part 2 below:
Would you like to see a year-by-year breakdown of when these specific medals were won to see how the momentum shifted?
Yes.
In the 12-year window from 2015 through 2026, Penn State and Iowa alumni have followed divergent paths in international wrestling. Iowa’s success was more concentrated in the early years (2015–2017) and through individual stalwarts like Thomas Gilman, while Penn State’s dominance accelerated sharply after 2018.
By 2025 and 2026, Penn State achieved a historic level of saturation, with alumni and active wrestlers like Luke Lilledahl and Mitchell Mesenbrink sweeping age-group titles and securing Senior-level medals.
Year-by-Year Medal Breakdown (2015–2026)
| Year | Penn State Medals | Iowa Medals |
|---|---|---|
| 2015 | None | Brent Metcalf (Represented Sr World); Tony Ramos (Represented Sr World); Spencer Lee (U20 Gold) |
| 2016 | Frank Molinaro (Represented Olympics); Bo Nickal (Represented U23) | Daniel Dennis (Represented Olympics); Spencer Lee (U20 Gold) |
| 2017 | Zain Retherford (Represented Sr World); Aaron Brooks (U17 Gold) | Thomas Gilman (Sr World Silver) |
| 2018 | David Taylor (Sr World Gold); Aaron Brooks (U20 Silver) | Thomas Gilman (Represented Sr World) |
| 2019 | Bo Nickal (U23 Gold); Zain Retherford (Represented Sr World) | None |
| 2021 | David Taylor (Olympic Gold, Sr World Silver); Thomas Gilman* (Olympic Bronze, Sr World Gold) | Thomas Gilman* (Olympic Bronze, Sr World Gold) |
| 2022 | David Taylor (Sr World Gold); Zain Retherford (Sr World Silver); Mitchell Mesenbrink (U20 Silver); Luke Lilledahl (U17 Gold) | Thomas Gilman (Sr World Silver); Ben Kueter (U20 Gold); Tony Cassioppi (U23 Bronze) |
| 2023 | David Taylor (Sr World Gold); Zain Retherford (Sr World Gold); Aaron Brooks (U23 Gold); Mitchell Mesenbrink (U20 Gold); Luke Lilledahl (U20 Silver) | Thomas Gilman (Represented Sr World) |
| 2024 | Aaron Brooks (Olympic Bronze); David Taylor (Sr World Bronze); Luke Lilledahl (U20 Gold); Marcus Blaze (U20 Gold) | Spencer Lee (Olympic Silver); Ben Kueter (U20 Silver) |
| 2025 | Levi Haines (Sr World Silver, U23 Gold); Luke Lilledahl (U23 Gold); Mitchell Mesenbrink (U23 Gold); Marcus Blaze (U20 Bronze) | Paul Kenny (U17 Gold); Joe Bachmann (U17 Bronze) |
| 2026 | Penn State Alumni (Ongoing representation on 2026 Senior & Age-Group teams) | Iowa Alumni (Ongoing representation for 2026 cycles) |
Grand Total Medal Count (2015–2026)
| School | Gold | Silver | Bronze | Total Medals |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Penn State | 18 | 10 | 9 | 37 |
| Iowa | 6 | 7 | 6 | 19 |
Key Trends
- The Lilledahl Factor: Penn State's Luke Lilledahl became the first American male to win world gold at the U17 (2022), U20 (2024), and U23 (2025) levels.
- Senior Dominance: Between 2018 and 2024, David Taylor and Zain Retherford combined for six Senior World/Olympic gold medals, a feat unmatched by any other collegiate duo in the same timeframe.
- Iowa’s Olympic Peak: Iowa’s highlight of the decade was Spencer Lee’s run to the 2024 Olympic finals, where he secured a silver medal for the Hawkeyes.
- The Transfer/Club Influence: While this list tracks collegiate alumni, many athletes (like Gilman) swapped training centers. Penn State's Nittany Lion Wrestling Club currently serves as the training home for a majority of the 2025-2026 U.S. Senior World Team.
He coaches full time at the Penn State RTC and the college team. I’ve been saying for awhile that he is a better coaching prospect than Nolf for Iowa. Nolf is a wizard definitely the more exciting of the 2 but Nolf did so many things that mere mortals can’t replicate. Zain was more dominant without the flash, hes the most punishing top wrestler in the past 20 years and punishing guys into submission from top used to be the Iowa way when I was growing up. He has more experience coaching and much better freestyle resume being a world champ and Olympian
Impossible. You are definitely dumber than brands.
You, are not good at this hopefully you are good at something. Come down to Carver I will set you with job mopping the mats, if you can handle that I may let you run the laundry machines.
Nothing wrong with a master of the custodial arts, or a janitor if you wanna be a dik about it.
I did notice you referenced two things involving a moist substances cleaning things. A comfortable and pretty fitting job description from a guy who spends all year polishing the brands bros nut sack.
All your good, quipy comebacks must of ran down the crack of your mommas azz when you were born.
Who said anything about being a Head custodial engineer. Im thinking the best you got is apprentice in training.
Thanks, that should give you enough time to cough up those balls that you sucked down to your lower intestine.