(142-149 lbs.) G.O.A.T. MATNESS: NCAA Champs
Final results:
🥇 - Cary Kolat '97 (LH) 25-0 (111-7)
🥈 - Yianni Diakomihalis '22 (COR) 28-0 (5FALLS) (111-2)
🥉 - Zain Retherford '18 (PSU) 31-0 (17FALLS) (128-3)
Cary Kolat (55%) over Yianni Diakomihalis
Final matchup and semifinals results:
Yianni Diakomihalis '22 (COR) 28-0 (5FALLS) (111-2) VS. Cary Kolat '97 (LH) 25-0 (111-7)
Yianni Diakomihalis (96%) over Jesse Jantzen
Cary Kolat (51%) over Zain Retherford
Semifinal matchups and quarterfinals results:
Yianni Diakomihalis '22 (COR) 28-0 (5FALLS) (111-2) VS. Jesse Jantzen '04 (HARV) 38-1 (10FALLS) (131-13)
Cary Kolat '97 (LH) 25-0 (111-7) VS. Zain Retherford '18 (PSU) 31-0 (17FALLS) (128-3)
Yianni Diakomihalis (88%) over T.J. Williams
Jesse Jantzen (53%) over Eric Larkin
Cary Kolat (74%) over Brent Metcalf
Zain Retherford (100%) over Andre Metzger
Quarterfinal matchups and 2nd Round results:
Yianni Diakomihalis '22 (COR) 28-0 (5FALLS) (111-2) VS. T.J. Williams '99 (IOWA) 40-0 (6FALLS) (98-1)
Eric Larkin '03 (ASU) 34-0 (120-12) VS. Jesse Jantzen '04 (HARV) 38-1 (10FALLS) (131-13)
Brent Metcalf '08 (IOWA) 39-1 (11FALLS) (112-3) VS. Cary Kolat '97 (LH) 25-0 (111-7)
Andre Metzger '81 (OU) 27-1 (12FALLS) (114-14-2) VS. Zain Retherford '18 (PSU) 31-0 (17FALLS) (128-3)
Yianni Diakomihalis (92%) over Troy Steiner
T.J. Williams (54%) over Pat Santoro
Eric Larkin (56%) over Gregor Gillespie
Jesse Jantzen (62%) over Anthony Ashnault
Brent Metcalf (100%) over Frank Molinaro
Cary Kolat (97%) over Larry Owings
Andre Metzger (72%) over Dan Hicks
Zain Retherford (97%) over Alan Fried
2nd Round matchups and 1st Round results:
Yianni Diakomihalis '22 (COR) 28-0 (5FALLS) (111-2) VS. Troy Steiner '92 (IOWA) 42-0 (9FALLS) (148-12-1)
T.J. Williams '99 (IOWA) 40-0 (6FALLS) (98-1) VS. Pat Santoro '88 (PITT) 48-0 (18FALLS) (167-13)
Gregor Gillespie '07 (BORO) 34-2 (117-13) VS. Eric Larkin '03 (ASU) 34-0 (120-12)
Jesse Jantzen '04 (HARV) 38-1 (10FALLS) (131-13) VS. Anthony Ashnault '19 (RUT) 32-0 (8FALLS) (130-21)
Brent Metcalf '08 (IOWA) 39-1 (11FALLS) (112-3) VS. Frank Molinaro '12 (PSU) 33-0 (4FALLS) (121-29)
Larry Owings '70 (WASH) 30-1 (17FALLS) (87-4) VS. Cary Kolat '97 (LH) 25-0 (111-7)
Andre Metzger '81 (OU) 27-1 (12FALLS) (114-14-2) VS. Dan Hicks '78 (ORST) 45-0-2 (17FALLS) (74-3-3)
Alan Fried '94 (OKST) 31-0 (129-6) VS. Zain Retherford '18 (PSU) 31-0 (17FALLS) (128-3)
Yianni Diakomihalis (97%) over Tony Davis
Troy Steiner (71%) over Zach Esposito
T.J. Williams (94%) over Joe Gibbons
Pat Santoro (100%) over Stephen Barrett
Gregor Gillespie (51%) over Darryl Burley
Eric Larkin (76%) over John Hughes
Jesse Jantzen (75%) over Jared Lawrence
Anthony Ashnault (59%) over Darrell Keller
Brent Metcalf (97%) over Kevin Dresser
Frank Molinaro (56%) over Darrion Caldwell
Larry Owings (87%) over Rich Lawinger
Cary Kolat (98%) over Jason Tsirtsis
Andre Metzger (64%) over Dustin Schlatter
Dan Hicks (89%) over Peter Yozzo
Alan Fried (92%) over Adam Tirapelle
Zain Retherford (98%) over Lee Roy Smith
Okay, here we go! We here at Wrestle MATNESS found ourselves twiddling our thumbs, bored stiff with inactivity this off-season, so we dreamed up a way to get the MATNESS firing again. We’ve created a new “fantasy” event format in which our users will determine the outcome through their popular votes. And for our first fantasy event…., G.O.A.T. MATNESS!
Don’t we all love to debate who’s the best ever? For GOAT MATNESS, we’ve gone and seeded the top NCAA champions from 1970 to the present day, based on what we consider to be their prime year and weight of competition. The criteria used to determine seeding was, in this order of importance:
# of NCAA titles
# of outstanding wrestler and/or Hodge trophies
Additional finals appearances
Additional AA’s placed (highest to lowest)
Prime season record
Prime season number of FALLS
Career Record
It’s been absolutely exhilarating taking the deep-dive into the stats of the NCAA’s all-time greats, getting a 10,000ft view of the historical landscape of the sport we love. The first criteria is the years of eligibility. We settled on 1970-present, the post-Gable era, for a couple of reasons. This timespan allots for enough eligible champions to fill a 32 man bracket. Also, 1970 is the year the NCAA went to 10 weight classes that directly correlate with the present day weight classes that came to be in 1999. It’s a bit of a challenge finding accurate stats for some of the wrestlers from the 70’s, although the NCAA HoF website has been a godsend. Some schools keep better records than others and their sites help to fill in holes, but we quickly learned that some stats, like falls, were not officially kept by the NCAA in the 70’s, so accuracy is not guaranteed. In fact, through our research, we learned Gene Mills’s fall record is self-proclaimed and Wade Schalles is still the certified record holder at 106 career falls.
We noticed some other interesting trends through our research as well. Pins seemed to “fall” out of favor (get it?) in the late 80’s, through the 90’s and into the early 2000’s. However, during this same time period we see an uptick in overall bout totals in their career records.
Start thinking of your picks and be sure you Join the MATNESS to receive an email when G.O.A.T MATNESS is ready to go!
Here is the list of competitors and 1st round matchups:
—Seed/Wrestler’s Name/‘Year (College) Season Record (#FALLS)(Career Record)—
Yianni Diakomihalis '22 (COR) 28-0 (5FALLS) (111-2) VS. Tony Davis '00 (NIU) 27-1 (5FALLS) (46-5)
If we’re competing for the best mustache and chest hair combo, Tony Davis might take it but let’s keep it to wrestling for now. Therefore, it’s a bit higher of a hill to climb for this Panther from Northern Iowa. Although, Davis is more than up to the task, as he took out both Jared Lawrence (🐐) and Adam Tirapelle (🐐) en route to his NCAA title in 2000, he’s up against an all-time great and 4X NCAA Champ Yianni Diakomihalis. Yianni is like Madonna, Prince, Tiger, and Cael who can be referred to by one name like all legends of the highest stature. Yianni is an artist on the mat, using creativity and flexibility to score points and defend in ways we haven’t seen before. Perhaps winning G.O.A.T. MATNESS in which he is favored, will be his greatest masterpiece.
Zach Esposito '05 (OKST) 35-1 (4FALLS) (120-12) VS. Troy Steiner '92 (IOWA) 42-0 (9FALLS) (148-12-1)
A classic OKIE ST./ IOWA matchup here. As soon as Troy Steiner, along with twin brother and (🐐) Terry stepped onto Iowa’s campus, they started winning, individually and as a team. Steiner, a big part of 3 consecutive team titles, also rung up 4 AA’s, 2 finals appearances, and a 1992 title. It’s hard to pinpoint what makes BOTH Steiners stand out, except they were just tough to beat. And that’s exactly the challenge Zack Esposito faces. The Cowboy is prolific on his feet so one might think he wins the position, but Steiner’s tough to score on if he’s not on the reattack. Esposito has a solid ride, but Steiner always manages to get out from bottom. Esposito ranks 10th in the Oklahoma State’s historical program for career wins (120), but Steiner had 143 wins…, geez, I give up, who knows who wins this one?!
T.J. Williams '99 (IOWA) 40-0 (6FALLS) (98-1) VS. Joe Gibbons '85 (ISU) 50-3 (124-20-3)
Holding the record for the highest winning percentage (98.9%) in IOWA wrestling history is quite the accomplishment. That’s T.J. WIlliams, who went 98-1 in his 3 years as a Hawkeye. His only loss, was in OT, in the NCAA semifinals and T.J. battled back for 3rd. Williams’ other two seasons were perfect, capped off with NCAA 🥇 both years. “Just don’t make T.J. mad” - Jim Gibbons (🐐). Ironically, perhaps that’s the advice Jim would give his brother Joe in this tussle of 🐐’s. Joe Gibbons never stood lower than 4th at the NCAA tournament, winning it his junior year in 1985. When it’s all said and done, Gibbons could end up holding the record for most single-season wins (50) in Cyclones history forever. This is a gritty matchup, but something’s gotta give when Gibbons goes for his patented “backbreaker”. He’ll either score big points or make T.J. mad.
Stephen Barrett '77 (OKST) 21-2-1 (8FALLS) (87-11-2) VS. Pat Santoro '88 (PITT) 48-0 (18FALLS) (167-13)
Pat Santoro is the G.O.A.T. (🐐) of PITT wrestling with his 3 finals appearances, 2 titles, 4 All-American bids, and the most wins (167) in school history. His ‘88 junior year proved to be his most dominant, securing the “perfect season” with a 48-0 record to go along with a title. He’s aggressive, always on the attack, looking to score and/or get the FALL and doesn’t slow in that pursuit due to his huge gas tank. But if aggression is the name of the game, then Santoro’s 1st round foe just might be “his huckleberry”. Oklahoma State’s Stephen Barrett, the #1 seed of the tournament his junior year, learned after losing in the quarters, to not fear losing and cherish the chance to wrestle. The Cowboy went on to place 3rd that tournament, scorching the competition, including a FALL over defending NCAA champion Don Rohn (🐐) in the consolation semi’s and putting up a 20 spot in the consolation finals. He followed it up the next season by living up to the #1 seed, winning it all in ‘77. Time to let it fly boys.
Darryl Burley '83 (LEH) 26-0 (10FALLS) (94-5-1) VS. Gregor Gillespie '07 (BORO) 34-2 (117-13)
Lehigh’s Darryl Burley is one of only 2 Mountain Hawks to All-American 4 times. The astounding piece to this, is that he made the finals in all of those campaigns, winning the title twice. Burley is a takedown machine, ranking 2nd (375) in school history, while also landing on the the top 5 list for winning %, bonus wins, and career FALLS. Burley will need every last bit of his scoring proficiency when facing this 1st round opponent. Gregor Gillespie puts the “fight” in Fighting Scot. Gillespie took his New York State grit to the BORO, where he also made All-American 4 times. He is Edinboro’s leader in career wins and winning %, where he honed that tenacious mindset that allowed him to compete and beat the competition that might have had more pedigree. This bout should come down to who can score the last and maybe only takedown.
John Hughes '95 (PSU) 33-3 (6FALLS) (121-26-2) VS. Eric Larkin '03 (ASU) 34-0 (120-12)
Eric Larkin was a dominant force at the turn of the century. The ASU Sun Devil is FUNKy-flexible, but only relies on these attributes as a bailout, for an offense executed with mathematical precision is his “A” game. He began at 133 lbs., placing 4th as a freshman, then bumping to 141 lbs. to place 3rd and 2nd respectively. Ultimately Larkin grew into a title at 149 lbs. his senior season, where he dominated (🐐) Jared Lawrence, claiming the Hodge and Outstanding Wrestler awards in the process. Speaking of “outstanding”, that’s exactly what John Hughes’ 1995 finals performance was. Up against the #1 seed in Gerry Abas (FRES), the PSU grappler proceeded to shut him out, dominating with bullish defense from his feet and almost 4 minutes of riding time. Hughes could experience issues with Larkin’s length and scrambling ability, but if he were to get in deep and finish fast, it’s hard to say what happens if Hughes gets on top.
Jesse Jantzen '04 (HARV) 38-1 (10FALLS) (131-13) VS. Jared Lawrence '02 (MINN) 34-3 (8FALLS) (130-23)
With a deadly crab ride/half nelson series, Jesse Jantzen was a lethal weapon from the TOP position. The Harvard grad was a 3X All-American and a National Champ in 2004. Jantzen’s season was among the most impressive ever as he only suffered one loss and that loss came at the hands of #1 Adam Tirapelle (🐐) early in the year whilst “bumping up” to 157 lbs. Jesse claimed the Outstanding Wrestler award at NCAA’s for his efforts. Across the meadow stands a 🐐 that simply wins when face to face. Jared “the Law” Lawrence is great on his feet, his down-block defense is well polished as he’ll typically force his opponents into the front-facelock position where he uses re-attacks and go-behinds via a slick short-arm shuck. Hailing from Minnesota, this gopher almost exclusively shoots single leg attacks and shows mat awareness finishing on the edge and dragging the two feet behind. Most wrestler’s who “went to Jared (Lawrence)” usually didn’t come away with GOLD.
Anthony Ashnault '19 (RUT) 32-0 (8FALLS) (130-21) VS. Darrell Keller '71 (OKST) 12-2 (3FALL) (27-3)
Anthony Ashnault had himself a storybook collegiate career, one in which he, the hometown hero stayed in-state to wrestle for and rejuvenate the Rutgers wrestling program, going on to win himself a national title. He holds the school record for wins, as well as being its only 4X All-American and 3X BIG 10 champion. The Scarlet Knight posted the coveted perfect season in 2019 with a 32-0 record, 8 of those by FALL. He’ll bring his methodical style to first round opponent, Darrell Keller. National champion at 134 lbs. in 1970, this Oklahoma State Cowboy bumped up to the 142 lbs. class the year after the infamous Gable/Owings match, to win a second title, taking the Outstanding Wrestler trophy home as well. Only 30 bouts total into his varsity career, Keller exudes quality over quantity with a 90% winning percentage to go with those two titles. Though, we’ll have to see if he has enough mat time to stave off Ashnault’s arsenal of offense.
Brent Metcalf '08 (IOWA) 39-1 (11FALLS) (112-3) VS. Kevin Dresser '86 (IOWA) 34-2-1 (16FALLS) (89-16-1)
Wowza! Proceed with caution folks as we have stumbled upon the elusive matchup of Head Coach 🐐 vs. Asst. Coach 🐐, both in their natural habitat. Brent Metcalf originally committed to Va. Tech and then followed Coach Brands who took the job in IOWA. Then, Kevin Dresser replaced Brands at Va. Tech. So close, yet these two were destined to be together nonetheless and I’m not referring to the staff at Iowa St, I’m talking about this G.O.A.T. bracket! Only (3) wrestlers in history have won the Hodge Trophy in their sophomore season, Cael Sanderson (🐐), David Taylor (🐐), and Brent Metcalf ‘08. This Hawkeye great is a 3X finalist, 2X NCAA champ who is stuck staring into headlights in the form of his current boss and the best chin in the business, Kevin Dresser. A former Hawkeye himself, Dresser won’t win using the IOWA style here, he’ll need to manufacture a big move or two… or three. Let’s go head hunting!
Frank Molinaro '12 (PSU) 33-0 (4FALLS) (121-29) VS. Darrion Caldwell '09 (NCST) 33-1 (16FALLS) (89-12)
Keep an eye out for this matchup. Here you have another one of Penn State 🐐’s from under Cael’s reign, Frank Molinaro vs. the NCAA champion from NC State Darrion Caldwell who with confidence, feels he has the anwer. 4X All-American and 1X champ, Frank Molinaro, has a perfectly even style of gritty toughness and mat savviness. This helped him to secure a hard-fought silver falling to Kyle Dake (🐐) but then dominating the following year over Dylan Ness. All that experience and grit is gonna be key against Darrion Caldwell, who’s no stranger to upsets with his quick-twitch speed and aggression. He put on a stellar 11-6 performance over Iowa’s Brent Metcalf and WHO COULD FORGET the famous backflip!? We’ll all be flipping out over this one because you can be sure it’s gonna be action packed!
Larry Owings '70 (WASH) 30-1 (17FALLS) (87-4) VS. Rich Lawinger '74 (WISC) 39-1 (130-17-1)
If only there was something definitive that Larry Owings was known for 🤔, oh well. Mr. Owings won the 1970 NCAA Championship and was voted the “Most Outstanding Wrestler” of the tournament after defeating some guy named Dan… hold on, let me find it here… GABLE! Wow, the University of Washington might want to rename their mascot, from Harry to “Larry the Husky.” This 13-11 victory over the legendary IOWA coach is deemed one of the biggest UPSETS in sports history. However, I don’t think Rich Lawinger cares about any of that. The pride of the University of Wisconsin, Lawinger became the school’s 1st NCAA Champion in 1974. Known for his hard work and dedication, Rich was a 2X All-American, and resembled a Honey BADGER more than anything else. Whether it’s Owings, Gable or King Kong in the circle, he simply doesn’t care. In fact, given the seeds perhaps it’s time Lawinger plays the role of Buster Douglas in this matchup?
Jason Tsirtsis '14 (NW) 32-3 (3FALLS) (71-5) VS. Cary Kolat '97 (LH) 25-0 (111-7)
Very few people can say they’ve won All-American honors every year of their career, but when you’ve taken home no less than a bronze all 4 years, you’ve put yourself amongst the elites… and that’s the case for WPIAL-homegrown and PA legend Cary Kolat. He has no pushover in front of him though, he’ll be taking Jason Tsirtsis, who puts himself in a category of his own for his native school Northwestern. Tsirtsis took out another fellow PA native in Josh Kindig in an overtime thriller and took home only the 8th ever gold in NU history! The key to success for Kolat is gonna be to leave no doubt in every position. While it may look like Tsirtsis takes his foot off the gas, he’s actually lulling his opponents to sleep while waiting to capitalize on any mistake. Both men have to be crafty here, so calling a winner will be tough. The fans win though, that’s for sure!
Andre Metzger '81 (OU) 27-1 (12FALLS) (114-14-2) VS. Dustin Schlatter '06 (MINN) 42-1 (4FALLS) (114-10)
Dustin Schlatter, a 4X Ohio state champion and #1 ranked high school wrestler in ‘95, came storming on to the collegiate scene. Adorning the Minnesota campus, he became an instant contender, carrying a single loss and the #1 seed into the NCAA tournament as a true freshman, as he preceded to claim his first and only title. What looked like the beginning to a legendary career though was squashed at next year’s tournament, where (🐐) Gregor Gillespie upset the Gopher, leaving Schlatter to battle back through a brutal consolation bracket to take a respectable 3rd place. But that would be the last of his championship dominance as the seasons to come became riddled by injury. But remember, for this GOAT bracket, it’s 2006 Schlatter, the world beater, competing for a spot on the podium. The kicker is, he runs into a true innovator of the sport in the 1st round. Andre Metzger is so creative, he has a move named after him. The Oklahoma Sooner is synonymous with ‘80’s superstardom. A 4X All-American, 3X finalist, 2X champion, Metzger is always in the mix to win it all, and if the master technician can out-technique the upstart freshman, it shall be he who advances.
Peter Yozzo ‘87 (LEH) 17-2-1 (5FALLS) (96-13-3) VS. Dan Hicks '78 (ORST) 45-0-2 (17FALLS) (74-3-3)
We have two dark horses here in this 10 vs. 23 seed matchup. You have to be “in the know” or have a degree in NCAA wrestling history to have their names in your recall, but both could anchor ANY program’s middle of the lineup. Peter Yozzo stepped onto Lehigh’s campus just as fellow Moutain Hawk and GOAT (🐐) Darryl Burley was exiting to take over the latter’s weight class. The “Wizard of Yoz” did quite well filling the void. He always showed up big at The Tournament with 3 All-American bids, 2 finals appearances, and a title that impressively included a FALL over (🐐) Pat Santoro. Now the other little known contender might be “the best wrestler you never heard of before”. The Beavers of Oregon St. had quite a run in the ‘70’s, in large part thanks to Dan Hicks. In his back to back championship years, Hicks went 74-3-3, his junior season being the most dominant at 45-0-2 with 17 FALLS. Neither athlete can sneak up on the other, as both look to step out of the shadow of obscurity to stand on the GOAT podium.
Alan Fried '94 (OKST) 31-0 (129-6) VS. Adam Tirapelle '01 (ILL) 30-2 (10FALLS) (123-21)
When you’re touted as the “the greatest high school wrestler EVER”, one could imagine expectations were high when Alan Fried was recruited to wrestle in the orange and black of Oklahoma State. Fried lived up to expectations, making the finals at NCAA’s as a freshman and sophomore but ran into (🐐) Tom Brands both times (who I can say with confidence will podium in the 134/141 lbs. GOAT bracket). Unfortunately, the Cowboy’s 34-0 junior season was bluntly cut short due to an OKST postseason ban. He finally made good on all that potential by winning a title his senior year in dominating fashion. There’s NO holes in his game, but neutral position is his best and that’s the battle he’ll need to win when he squares up against Adam Tirapelle. The Illini wrestler was a hammer on top with the school record of 15 FALLS in his ‘00 campaign. Adam is a 3X AA, twice a finalist and a title in ‘01 helped Illinois to a 5th OA finish. This puts Tirapelle in the discussion for G.O.A.T. MATNESS glory, but he’ll need to stave off Fried’s leg attacks and go to work on the mat.
Lee Roy Smith '80 (OKST) 38-2 (10FALLS) (114-13-4) VS. Zain Retherford '18 (PSU) 31-0 (17FALLS) (128-3)
Lee Roy is the eldest of the legendary Smith brothers. In Stillwater, Lee Roy was a 3X All-American and a national champ for the Cowboys. He was integral for recruiting his brother John (🐐) and the rest is history. Speaking of history, Lee Roy Smith could be the largest contributor to our beloved G.O.A.T. Tournament due to running the National Wrestling Hall of Fame (NWHOF-our main source of research). Smith, a great man is deserving of at least a warning, that the ZAIN TRAIN is barreling down the tracks, headed straight for him. Zain Retherford is an absolute monster on the mat for the NIttany Lions. Zain is a 3X NCAA Champion and a 2X Hodge Trophy winner. Although well documented, I have a hard time believing the reports of how nice Retherford is off the mat because of how mean he is on it. The photo above is a great representation of what Zain does to every opponent when loading up his “Bow and Arrow”. True predator.