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Discussion Topic: Colt Sponseller
Ken Maltry added to this discussion on March 18, 2008
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Sorry if this has already been discussed ad nauseum, but what happened to Colt?
He had an amazing year, especially after starting late due to injury, but he was 1-4 in his last 5 matches. Fatigue? Better competition? Did his opponents learn to counter his shuck/ankle pick move? Too bad he didn't make it to the NCAA's, he could have used the experience and the team could use some extra points.
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Discussion Topic: Colt Sponseller
Jack Muni added to this discussion on March 18, 2008
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I don't know the specific details, but I read in an interview with Tom Ryan he said Colt didn't feel good all week leading up to the Big Tens. I know it's hard to look at all the guys he beat that are in the NCAA tournament and not see his name in the brackets.
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Discussion Topic: Colt Sponseller
Dan Ransick added to this discussion on March 18, 2008
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Sponseller beat two of the seeds in the NCAA tournament. I have to believe that Sponseller was on the sick side like Ryan said. He was a force all year long since coming back from injury which makes it so hard to believe that Sponseller didn't get out.
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Discussion Topic: Colt Sponseller
Mark Niemann added to this discussion on March 18, 2008
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Where did Tom Ryan say this? Does anyone have a link??? I mainly ask because I haven't seen anything concerning the BigTen's as far as a report or the Buckeye Wrestling show.
Speaking of the Buckeye Wrestling Show... What's the hold up!?!?!?! Let's go! Some people would like to see a re-cap of the BigTen's and a look ahead to the NCAA's BEFORE THE NCAA'S HAPPEN!!!! But then again, they're probably a bit busy.
Did anybody get a word on Henning (Wisconsin)??? #2 in the nation and doesn't make it out!?!?!?! He must have been REAL sick, huh? ...I guess he could have been injured.
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Discussion Topic: Colt Sponseller
Jack Muni added to this discussion on March 18, 2008
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This was on the InterMat site under Big Ten coverage on notes & quotes after session 1:
Coach Tom Ryan's thoughts on Colt Sponseller getting knocked out of the tournament:
“Colt Sponseller is a machine and he hasn’t felt well all week long. It started early in the week and it is disappointing he won’t be wrestling at the national tournament. He is a warrior and it was really disappointing for him. That is the difficult side of coaching when you lose someone like that because he is a champion.”
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Discussion Topic: Colt Sponseller
Mark Niemann added to this discussion on March 18, 2008
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Discussion Topic: Colt Sponseller
Jack Muni added to this discussion on March 18, 2008
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It makes sense now, that he lost in OT to the Illinois kid. Overtime was always Colt's territory. For him to lose in OT didn't make sense to me, given the motor he's shown all year. And this was a guy Vondruska beat last year at the Big Tens. If you're sick, the longer the match goes, the worse you're going to feel.
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Discussion Topic: Colt Sponseller
Ken Ramsey Sr. added to this discussion on March 18, 2008
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Quote from Ken Maltry's post:
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"Sorry if this has already been discussed ad nauseum, but what happened to Colt?
He had an amazing year, especially after starting late due to injury, but he was 1-4 in his last 5 matches. Fatigue? Better competition? Did his opponents learn to counter his shuck/ankle pick move? Too bad he didn't make it to the NCAA's, he could have used the experience and the team could use some extra points."
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First let me state that I believe Colt is an outstanding talent and that I am not trying to down that talent, but the hype on him being a champion or AA as a freshman really got out of hand. He wrestled 1 top ten wrestler and lost 10-4 (Tannenbaum) and won bouts over the #12, #14 and #15 wrestlers (Final AWN poll) Coughlin 7-3, King 6-4 OT and Gross 8-5. When the chips were down late in the season he lost 5-2 Safratowich (MN), 6-2 Smith Bergsrud (IL) and 6-2 Manuel (PU). All of his last 3 matches were lost to non-rated wrestlers. So for the season he only wrestled 4 of the 20 wrestlers in the AWN Top 20 and only one of the top ten. He would have been better off if fans would not have put all that excess pressure on him, being a freshman in the Big 10 is enough.
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Discussion Topic: Colt Sponseller
Hank Kornblut added to this discussion on March 19, 2008
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In retrospect, KRsr is correct.
Illness, injury, etc... may well have played a role in Colt's demise. One thing of which I'm sure, however, is that opponents adjusted to Colt. Whenever a talented frosh comes on the scene, he often gets off to a hot start but then cools as his tendencies are discovered. Watch the tape of Colt's last several matches and notice how Colt's opponents do not allow him to use his underhook. It takes away a huge part of his offense.
I think Colt is a sensational young wrestler. I wish his season were still ongoing but he had a terrific year. Had he not been injured, it's possible he would have gone through an earlier period of adjustment that would have helped him. Kellen Russell got off to a great start then lost several matches. By Big Tens, he had made adjustments himself.
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Discussion Topic: Colt Sponseller
Ken Ramsey Sr. added to this discussion on March 19, 2008
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Quote from Hank Kornblut's post:
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"In retrospect, KRsr is correct.
Illness, injury, etc... may well have played a role in Colt's demise. One thing of which I'm sure, however, is that opponents adjusted to Colt. Whenever a talented frosh comes on the scene, he often gets off to a hot start but then cools as his tendencies are discovered. Watch the tape of Colt's last several matches and notice how Colt's opponents do not allow him to use his underhook. It takes away a huge part of his offense.
I think Colt is a sensational young wrestler. I wish his season were still ongoing but he had a terrific year. Had he not been injured, it's possible he would have gone through an earlier period of adjustment that would have helped him. Kellen Russell got off to a great start then lost several matches. By Big Tens, he had made adjustments himself."
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How true. Usually the very talented freshman get off to a great start, but it does not take long for the upperclassmen to learn they must adjust to the talent. With the quality of college officials and how coaches are able to manipulate their style(the official's), a less talented older wrestler just shuts down the freshman in the first period and wins on the mat where the older wrestler has the advantage. Until the officials develope the skills to call stalling properly, this will always happen.
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Discussion Topic: Colt Sponseller
Rex Holman added to this discussion on March 20, 2008
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Discussion Topic: Colt Sponseller
Gary Sommers added to this discussion on March 21, 2008
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Quote from Ken Ramsey Sr.'s post:
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"
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Quote from Ken Maltry's post:
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"Sorry if this has already been discussed ad nauseum, but what happened to Colt?
He had an amazing year, especially after starting late due to injury, but he was 1-4 in his last 5 matches. Fatigue? Better competition? Did his opponents learn to counter his shuck/ankle pick move? Too bad he didn't make it to the NCAA's, he could have used the experience and the team could use some extra points."
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First let me state that I believe Colt is an outstanding talent and that I am not trying to down that talent, but the hype on him being a champion or AA as a freshman really got out of hand. He wrestled 1 top ten wrestler and lost 10-4 (Tannenbaum) and won bouts over the #12, #14 and #15 wrestlers (Final AWN poll) Coughlin 7-3, King 6-4 OT and Gross 8-5. When the chips were down late in the season he lost 5-2 Safratowich (MN), 6-2 Smith Bergsrud (IL) and 6-2 Manuel (PU). All of his last 3 matches were lost to non-rated wrestlers. So for the season he only wrestled 4 of the 20 wrestlers in the AWN Top 20 and only one of the top ten. He would have been better off if fans would not have put all that excess pressure on him, being a freshman in the Big 10 is enough."
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GREAT post!
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