[matshark]

Just wanted to see who all was going to be there.

I should be there with some of the HS kiddos i coached at LCA. I think maybe 9 or 10 of us.

any FF groupies should def. come say hi!

[Sly Fox]

Here's a preview from the SIDs ....

Regional Ready with Katz and Smith

March 3, 2008
Lynchburg, Va.

As Liberty University prepares to host its first-ever NCAA Championship event this Sunday in the Vines Center, LibertyFlames.com will be continuing a series throughout the week where wrestling fans can get to know better their starting 10 grapplers.

The Flames enter the NCAA East Regional Championship as the event’s defending champion, taking the team title during the program’s first year back on the wrestling mats. Liberty had four wrestlers win their weight classes during last year’s event (Christian Smith at 125 pounds, Tim Harner at 141 pounds, Chad Porter at 165 pounds and Patrick Walker at heavyweight), with the quartet advancing to the national championship.

Liberty’s wrestlers, along with grapplers from Delaware State, Duquesne, Gardner-Webb, Millersville and Wagner, will be looking to claim victory in their individual weight classes and punch their tickets to the NCAA National Championship, in St. Louis, Mo.

Click Here for Full Story Including Q&As with Katz & Smith

[krh44]

Any updates from today?

[matshark]

LU put 7 guys in finals.

Christian Smith 133
Tim Harner 141
Shaun Smith 157
Chad Porter 165
Aaron Kelley 174
Chris Dagget 184
Patrick Walker 285

6 guys won and punched tickets to Nationals

Smith*
Harner*
Porter*
Kelley
Dagget
Walker*
*Repeat Champions from 2007

LU wins East Regional Team Title
LU 108.5
Gardner-Webb 67.5
Duquesne 63.5
Millersville 62.5
Delaware St. 44.0
Wagner 13.5

[Stevewalt]

That is awesome! Great job by the guys. That is unreal to have 6 qualifiers from this meet.

[bigsmooth]

great stuff!! congrats to coach castro and the guys!

[fan00]

Apparently some of the other VA colleges are not so happy about how easily LU can qualify for nationals. We are in an easy region (though we are looking to add more teams) in which the winner gets an automatic bid to nationals. The ACC, CAA, and other "tougher" conferences are also only able to automatically qualify the champion of their conferences as well. Schools like ODU, who is by far the best team in VA this year, will not qualify wrestlers who have beaten our wreslters easily in some cases.
However, the national qualifying seems biased all around if you ask me. I think the Big 10 gets to send place winners 1-7 and the Big 12 gets to send 1-5. Additionally, the Big Ten and Big 12 are not allowed to wrestle each other in the first round therefore, everyone else is left to wrestle the nationally ranked wrestlers in the first round. These rules are based on "tradition" but how would the "tradition" change when these schools are going to get the big recruits (since the recruits aren't stupid and know they have a better shot at going to nationals when there are 7 places up for grabs in each weight class instead of one) and they are able to advance farther in the tournament. Seems like an unfair situation all around.

[Sly Fox]

All we can do is operate in the system that is in place. And the fact that we can get six guys to nationals certainly is enhancing our recruiting efforts.

[matshark]

well the qualifying process would seem unfair, however, the big 10 and big 12 have historically had the best wrestlers in the country go there.

when you look at the level of recruits that go to the iowa, iowa st, ohio st, perdue, minnesota, OU, OSU, etc... It's a tough argument that they deserve to only have a conf. champ go to nationals.

also, wrestling tournies are double elim. so regardless of who you get first round, you've still got a chance to continue.

I would have a bigger problem with big 10 and big 12 teams not being able to wrestle each other 1st round, because IMO the seedings should work themselves out and 1/16 should happen regardless of what school or conf.

Moneywise, it is a smart move for the NCAA to restrict first round matches like that because most of the people ging to the tournament are from the midwest (i.e. big 10/big 12 country), BUT if they are going to use the argument that the best wrestlers in the country are in those two conferences, and thus they should get more, then I don't see how not allowing them to wrestle each other in the first round furthers the goal of having the best competition possible. The winner still has to beat the competition, so why should they artifically inflate those schools team points by allowing them to have easy(er) first round matches and pick up extra points.

If you are going to bracket it with seeds, you should respect the seeding process.

If ODU doesn't like the regional system, why don't they join the Eastern Regional? Oh right, they like the benefits of the CAA.

They could just take the top 64 wrestlers in each weight class and have them compete for the national title. Then the only arguments are about numbers 50-64, and they wont be a factor in the finals anyways... problem solved.