What RTC Cup Teaches Us About The NCAA Season
What RTC Cup Teaches Us About The NCAA Season
The RTC Cup was a senior level showcase, but a number of college guys balled out. Here's how last weekend changed our perspective for NCAAs.
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Last weekend's RTC Cup featured World medalists and Olympic hopefuls from a number of the country's top Regional Training Centers, and while the event gave us plenty to discuss in terms of senior level freestyle, it also allowed us to get a preseason look at several difference-makers in the upcoming NCAA Season. Here are a five big takeaways from the event.
Kharchla Is a Real Contender
Carson Kharchla's impressive high school resume has had Ohio State fans salivating about his NCAA potential, and while he went 16-0 as a true freshman, the competition he faced wasn't elite enough to get a true sense of his top-level potential. On top of that, his lone senior level event ended after he was injured in his one match with Tyler Berger.
Well his sample size against top flight talent grew this weekend, and he was a perfect 4-0. His two most impressive victories came against Tommy Gantt, who sits at #9 in the Domestic Men's Freestyle Rankings, and Mekhi Lewis, a 2019 NCAA champ and 2018 Junior World champ. Kharchla's incredible performance has given Buckeye fans a lot to be excited about at 165lbs.
We Need a Gable vs Parris Rematch
Before the RTC Cup, Gable Steveson made it clear that the only match he was interested in was the one against Nick Gwiazdowski. His focus on that bout paid off as he toppled the nation's #1 heavyweight in the final match of day one.
Earlier that evening, Mason Parris had his own match with Gwiazdowski in which he stormed out to an 8-0 lead before ultimately falling 18-8. Parris reversed that result with the dual on the line in the RTC Cup semifinals an incredible 10-7 shootout.
We did not see a rematch between Steveson and Parris at the RTC Cup as Gopher Wrestling Club opted to send out Tony Nelson to take on Parris. Mason is clearly hungry for another crack at Gable, and tweeted as much after the event concluded. We should get a chance to see these two world-class big men in action during the NCAA season in one of the most highly anticipated rematches of the year.
Can’t run forever. See you soon. ;) https://t.co/577JSrkEaq
— Mason Parris (@Parris58) December 6, 2020
Trent Hidlay Is Must-Watch Every Time
We didn't get the chance to find out how Trent Hidlay's freshman year would have finished after NCAAs were canceled, and some people may have forgotten about how good and how entertaining the younger Hidlay brother is.
For those who forgot, his undefeated weekend which included a win over Myles Amine, the #11 ranked wrestler in the world at 86kg, served as a reminder. Wolfpack fans should be hungry to see Hidlay all season long, and they'll be pulling for him to raise the roof on Saturday night in St. Louis.
Jakob Camacho's Power Is A Problem
NC State sophomore 125-pounder Jakob Camacho finished his freshman season with an ACC title that included a finals win over NCAA finalist Jack Mueller. He'll start the season ranked #3 in the country after Vito Arujau and Pat Glory are removed on the heels of the Ivy League's decision to cancel its institutions' winter sports.
Camacho will push for a spot in the NCAA finals, and he'll need his power to accomplish that feat. Even in defeat, that power was on display against Seth Gross in the RTC Cup semifinal dual, and Camacho looked especially impressive against Sean Russell during pool competition. The Wolfpack lightweight could be a serious difference-maker this year, and his performance over the weekend reminded everyone why.
We'll Have An Ivy League Shaped Hole In Our Hearts
While the RTC Cup mostly created excitement about the NCAA season, it also reminded us of the incredible Ivy League talent that we'll miss out on this year. Yianni Diakomihalis and Vito Arujau both went undefeated on the weekend. Yianni beat two-time World medalist James Green twice, and Vito got a pair of victories over 2018 Final X champion Nahshon Garrett.
Despite how strange 2020 has been, these Cornell stars have clearly been keeping their skills sharp, and the team's presence will be missed as will the presence of the rest of the Ivy League. Conversations about what this season will look like will constantly come back to the implications of talent we'll be missing in 2021.