Moza Fay, poor little farm kid, gratitude, JB vs BO drama, and more…

Hi Ya’ll 👋

Welcome to Week #25 of the Wrestling Snacks newsletter.

What a weekend it was in Kansas City, MO! I really hope everyone had the opportunity to watch the NCAA tournament last weekend (March 21-23).

I love attending that event. I feel like I’m stepping into a building full of "my people." It’s such a great environment and a tough tournament. If you were to wrestle that tournament over again, many of the placings and results could end up a lot differently. That's how competitive the tournament is. You've got guys who are multiple-time All-Americans not making the podium. Nothing is given at that tournament, and every year is different. Being a returning All-American doesn’t guarantee anything.

My favorite match of the event was the 133lbs finals (Vito vs. Fix). With all the stoppages, that match clocked in at 21 minutes! Hear me out... I don’t believe that match was good for the casual observer of the sport or for television. There were too many things going on with brick throws, points getting taken away, and blood stoppages that just didn’t make sense to someone who doesn't understand the sport of wrestling. But as a lifelong fan being at the event, that was my favorite match of the night. It had all the ingredients of great entertainment: drama, the crowd booing someone they labeled a villain, tons of action while the wrestling was taking place, cuts and blood, Vito yelling at the ref, etc. As a fan at the event, it was quite entertaining. Even the legend Bruce Baumgartner said he could watch 10 more matches like that (we sat by him), and I was in agreement.

Anyways, that's my two cents on the match. I thought it was fun and entertaining. Side note, I like Dayton Fix, and it’s unfortunate that he turned into the villain for the weekend. He got booed a few times throughout the tournament, which really isn’t a reflection of who he is as an individual. I think he's a humble and respectable competitor. But this is how sports go sometimes. His mom was sitting close to our location, and she was in front of the entire Cornell fan section. I actually felt really bad for her because her son was out there in front of 20,000 fans getting booed. I can only imagine what that’s like as a mother hearing the crowd boo your son. Either way, all love towards Vito and Fix. I enjoy watching both of them compete; it’s just what unfolded over the weekend.

I didn’t take too many pics, but here’s one before the session started:

Let’s GO 💪

News Bites

• 2024 NCAA Wrestling Championship Team Results:

  1 Penn State 172.5

  2 Cornell 72.5

  3 Michigan 71.0

  4 Iowa State 68.5

  5 Iowa 67.0

  6 Arizona State 64.5

  7 Virginia Tech 64.0

  8 Ohio State 62.0

  9 Nebraska 60.5

  10 Oklahoma State 56.0

• 2024 NCAA Wrestling Championships Individual Champions: 125 - Richard Figueroa (Arizona State), 133 - Vito Arujau (Cornell), 141 - Jesse Mendez (Ohio State), 149 - Caleb Henson (Virginia Tech), 157 - Levi Haines (Penn State), 165 - David Carr (Iowa State), 174 - Carter Starocci (Penn State), 184 - Parker Keckeisen (Northern Iowa), 197 - Aaron Brooks (Penn State), 285 - Greg Kerkvliet (Penn State)

• See all 80 All-Americans from the 2024 Division I wrestling tournament.

• Penn State Breaks NCAA Team Scoring Record and Crowns Two Four-time Champions.

• Stutzman Out as Head Coach at Buffalo.

• 2X All-American Transfer Dean Hamiti Commits To Oklahoma State.

• Haines, Starocci, Keckeisen, Brooks, Kerkvliet named Hodge Trophy finalists.

Snacks

This week's snacks come from Moza Fay: 2X NCAA All-American for the University of Northern Iowa, and 6X U.S. Open All-American.

Below are some excerpts from our conversation, along with key takeaways and tips that can be applied to improve yourself as a Coach, Athlete, or wrestling Parent.