does anyone know what happened to bell dietrich and wenztle who were starting at the beginning of the season.
fresmen wrestlers
- Thread starter Warriordan
- Start date
Wentzel has been injured most of the season. Bell stepped in once Cody was booted, but he got injured, too.
This blog post suggests the futures of both Dietrich & Bell are in the air. McAfee/Jacobson weren't ever seeing serious Dual action before Midlands...
This blog post suggests the futures of both Dietrich & Bell are in the air. McAfee/Jacobson weren't ever seeing serious Dual action before Midlands...
This was a typical performance by Pitt in the ACCs, with only the finals tonight left. Solomon wrestled like he knows he can't beat Ty Walz, so why bother trying. In two matches, he failed to take a single shot. He won his consolation match with a riding time point and an escape.
Bruce managed to get himself pinned while in control and with a 2-0 lead. Not easy to do but he did it. Maybe a good coach would have taught him that when you ride too high and almost get put on your back once, don't try it twice. He did. Rizzo finished an incredibly disappointing career by disappointing once again. Lee wrestled like he was a practice dummy. Bentley and Zanetta exerted an effort but both have limited skill. Jacobsen has zero skill and wrestled that way.
Duke, UNC AND UVA each have had at least one unseeded (4-6) wrestler who has pulled off upsets. Pitt had Rahmani, seeded #3, beat the #2 seed. But no low seeded wrestlers did anything. And Solomon has sleepwalked his way to the consolation final, with no thought of trying to help the team score. He lost his first match to a Hwt who can't weigh 200. The guy wrestled at 184 two years ago.
That being said, UVA, which I think is more talented, might well finish behind us. VT appears on its way to a runaway win as NC State had 3 wrestlers lose to lower seeds. I think we are tied with UNC for third going into the finals. If this were basketball or baseball that would be okay but in wrestling it's embarrassing.
The program simply is in terrible shape. Even worse if the rumor is true that Bell and Dietrich won't be part of the future.
Bruce managed to get himself pinned while in control and with a 2-0 lead. Not easy to do but he did it. Maybe a good coach would have taught him that when you ride too high and almost get put on your back once, don't try it twice. He did. Rizzo finished an incredibly disappointing career by disappointing once again. Lee wrestled like he was a practice dummy. Bentley and Zanetta exerted an effort but both have limited skill. Jacobsen has zero skill and wrestled that way.
Duke, UNC AND UVA each have had at least one unseeded (4-6) wrestler who has pulled off upsets. Pitt had Rahmani, seeded #3, beat the #2 seed. But no low seeded wrestlers did anything. And Solomon has sleepwalked his way to the consolation final, with no thought of trying to help the team score. He lost his first match to a Hwt who can't weigh 200. The guy wrestled at 184 two years ago.
That being said, UVA, which I think is more talented, might well finish behind us. VT appears on its way to a runaway win as NC State had 3 wrestlers lose to lower seeds. I think we are tied with UNC for third going into the finals. If this were basketball or baseball that would be okay but in wrestling it's embarrassing.
The program simply is in terrible shape. Even worse if the rumor is true that Bell and Dietrich won't be part of the future.
First of all, congratulations to the 2017 team and coaches for a remarkable performance at the ACC tournament. Their wrestling yesterday should make any Pitt panther proud. In all reality, they placed as high as possible. They were not going to knock off the #2 and #8 teams in the country.
Secondly, congratulations to Mike412 for being the biggest troll on Pantherlair. Since the forum began I have sat back and watched you and your other troll friends take pot shots at the team, the coaches and most despicably, the wrestlers. You all make it your yearly task to besmirch Coach Stottlemyer's name, yet, like spoiled children, never give him credit for holding the line on the program so that it was not cut, like men's golf, gymnastics, tennis, volleyball and water polo, and the 41 Division 1 wrestling programs cut since 1988. My sources tell me that Pitt's wrestling program was on the chopping block a number of times. Coach was always fighting for the program, always putting it before himself and his family's needs.
You call yourselves supporters, yet you brag about how you withhold money from the program. Between your not contributing and the university not funding the program, you still expected Coach Stottlemyer to perform miracles with both hands tied behind his back. At least the university always appreciated his work. Walk the Cathedral of Learning walkway and you will see 34 years of his success. My guess is that during that time there are more wrestlers on that walkway than any other male sport, both for outstanding athletic performance and academics. If you were truthful, you would realize that for many of those years the wrestling team was the most successful program at Pitt.
But I digress. Back to Mike412's award. Either you really watch the team through a negative lens or you intentionally deceive your little group of minions. You mention your unhappiness with 2 of Ryan's matches, yet you fail to mention his technical fall in his first match; and the wrestler you mocked him for losing to is currently ranked #5 in the country, and was ranked #3 at the time Ryan beat him 2 weeks ago. It is pretty clear that your agenda is to put a negative spin on everything pertaining to Pitt wrestling. Did you wrestle for Penn State?
I could go on and on, however, I will mention only 2 more positives you failed to mention: this team, which has been through a lot this year, went out and earned 8 bonus points yesterday, avenged 2 individual losses and 1 team loss. That's something to be very proud of accomplishing. Matt, Drew and Tyler have done a hell of a job since they took over. If you came to matches then you would see the intensity with which the wrestlers are wrestling now. If you knew as much as you think you know then you would understand why it has been so hard to recruit the last 3 years. And, if all of you had any sense you would be begging Pitt to hire these guys now and forget the national search.
One last thing, since Coach Stottlemyer is terminally ill, it would be really classy of you to stop dragging his name through the mud, or better yet, just go away.
Secondly, congratulations to Mike412 for being the biggest troll on Pantherlair. Since the forum began I have sat back and watched you and your other troll friends take pot shots at the team, the coaches and most despicably, the wrestlers. You all make it your yearly task to besmirch Coach Stottlemyer's name, yet, like spoiled children, never give him credit for holding the line on the program so that it was not cut, like men's golf, gymnastics, tennis, volleyball and water polo, and the 41 Division 1 wrestling programs cut since 1988. My sources tell me that Pitt's wrestling program was on the chopping block a number of times. Coach was always fighting for the program, always putting it before himself and his family's needs.
You call yourselves supporters, yet you brag about how you withhold money from the program. Between your not contributing and the university not funding the program, you still expected Coach Stottlemyer to perform miracles with both hands tied behind his back. At least the university always appreciated his work. Walk the Cathedral of Learning walkway and you will see 34 years of his success. My guess is that during that time there are more wrestlers on that walkway than any other male sport, both for outstanding athletic performance and academics. If you were truthful, you would realize that for many of those years the wrestling team was the most successful program at Pitt.
But I digress. Back to Mike412's award. Either you really watch the team through a negative lens or you intentionally deceive your little group of minions. You mention your unhappiness with 2 of Ryan's matches, yet you fail to mention his technical fall in his first match; and the wrestler you mocked him for losing to is currently ranked #5 in the country, and was ranked #3 at the time Ryan beat him 2 weeks ago. It is pretty clear that your agenda is to put a negative spin on everything pertaining to Pitt wrestling. Did you wrestle for Penn State?
I could go on and on, however, I will mention only 2 more positives you failed to mention: this team, which has been through a lot this year, went out and earned 8 bonus points yesterday, avenged 2 individual losses and 1 team loss. That's something to be very proud of accomplishing. Matt, Drew and Tyler have done a hell of a job since they took over. If you came to matches then you would see the intensity with which the wrestlers are wrestling now. If you knew as much as you think you know then you would understand why it has been so hard to recruit the last 3 years. And, if all of you had any sense you would be begging Pitt to hire these guys now and forget the national search.
One last thing, since Coach Stottlemyer is terminally ill, it would be really classy of you to stop dragging his name through the mud, or better yet, just go away.
- Very sorry to hear about Coach Stottlemyer ..... I met him a couple times and he is a really nice guy and a class act .... best wishes to he and his family !
- Agree that the team has wrestled better since Coach Peters was let go and they did have a very good ACC Tournament IMO ..... kudos to the interim coaches !
- Many on here are passionate about Pitt wrestling and want to see the program prosper despite what you wrote about posters ...... many feel that with all the great high school wrestlers in Pa. and surrounding states that we should be a wrestling power and have lost that opportunity for decades now ..... I think there is more frustration with the University Administration then anything else for not supporting the program more fully ...... we need to have more support for wrestling to meet our full potential.
- I have donated a lot of money over decades to Pitt athletics and have never once talked about withholding donations ...... more to the point, "Nish67" recently on this board started an initiative to get posters to pledge to donate specifically to the wrestling program if Pitt would hire a nationally known wrestling coach ..... in other words, if the Pitt Administration steps up it's support of the wrestling program then we need to step up our support ..... many of the posters that you so strongly criticize have pledged to donate more money specifically to the wrestling program if the Administration does their part ...... we want to see the Pitt wrestling program improve, prosper, and be a top 5-10 program nationally and it can be somewhat frustrating that we aren't when it is certainly feasible that we could be ..... IMO we need to have better support from the University and fans ..... many posters on this board have pledged to financially contribute ..... hope you are ready to do the same.
- You seem to be either a former wrestler or at least close to the program ...... any information or discussion that you could bring to the board would be welcomed..... if you feel that certain points that posters make need to be challenged, please do so.
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Thoughts and Prayers Go Out to Randy. Do they have a Wrestling booster club or a way to stay involved? Maybe dedicate a scholarship to him.
Goalienan, which comes first, the chicken or the egg? Now people are promising money to the program; where were they all these years with their money, when second assistants were being offered $11,000 a year just a few years ago. You can't keep a Keith Gavin here on that kind of money. You blame the university because they won't spend the money on the program, but their boosters won't donate the money so how are they supposed to give money when it is being withheld, and I have seen posters in the past brag about holding back their donations to the program. My family has spent tens of thousands of dollars specifically on Pitt wrestling. When coach retired there was a scholarship drive that was quickly endowed. It has been handed out to one wrestler for each of the last 3 years. You mention that you will fund someone with a national name. Why, so he can leave us in the middle of the season like Kevin Dresser just did to Virginia Tech? Matt and Drew are incredible coaches who are loved and respected by their team, and who love this university. Pitt wrestling had never won an EWL tournament until Matt came on staff. As long as Coach Stottlemyer was their he kept things in balance; once he left, things spiraled out of control. Matt and Drew deserve the opportunity to deliver a top 10 team to the faithful Pitt fans, as I know they can. Only fools go out searching for gold when they have it in their own back yard.
People don't realize how poorly supported the Olympic sports at Pitt were compared to the peer schools these coaches were forced to compete against. Loyal alumni like Rande, George Dieffenbach, and Joe Luxbacher put up with squalid budgets, a lack of scholarships, terrible facilities, and outright indifference to their sports programs. No coach wants to compete with one hand and one leg tied behind his back all the time, but these coaches fought battle after battle and put up with hurdle after hurdle to keep the programs going at Pitt, largely only out of nothing more than a love of Pitt and their sport and a belief that their two loves should have a place for each other.
People just never seem to realize how financially troubled the athletic department has historically been. Every resource has been thrown at trying to keep football and men's basketball relevant in a world where Pitt competes with schools that have alumni, booster bases, and gate revenue 2 to 3 times its size. Because of the focus on its two "major" sports, Pitt's Olympic sports have suffered the consequence. For most of the last half century, the athletic department often appeared more like one that belonged in Division II for all but the two main revenue sports. And I'm not suggesting for a second that the reality of Pitt's financial situation allowed for it to operate in any other way. Regardless of whether one thinks Pitt could have had more success in these sports during their tenures, all these coaches deserved to retire on their own terms and they all deserve a tip of the hat for their service.
Now, Pitt has a little bit more financial breathing room thanks to the new ACC money, and there is a belief that if Pitt applied some of this money to wrestling, it could take a step towards regaining some of the national prominence it had during the Perry family era, particularly considering the talent pool for wrestling in Western Pennsylvania. However, one can't simply dismiss as unfounded the skepticism and show-me-first attitude of some considering how Pitt has historically treated these programs.
But just because Pitt is in the ACC with this new conference money doesn't mean it has gained ground financially on those it is competing against...namely other Power 5 conference schools. It still is at the bottom of its heap, although its heap is the top heap. In that top heap, everyone is making essentially the same revenue from its conference. What still separates athletic departments is still gate receipts and booster support, and Pitt is squarely at the bottom of the Power 5. It still has to prepare for future challenges, which is why I'm always an advocate of raising athletic endowments, because it is one source of perpetual revenue that could help narrow the difference in annual budgets with peer schools that will always outstrip it in traditional sales and fundraising. Otherwise, the potential burden of financial austerity will always fall on the Olympic sports. So with that said, I hope Pitt establishes some sort of Wrestling Excellence or endowment fund like it has with football that will make it easy for wrestling supporters to easily donate to the program's future. To really protect wrestling's future, Pitt needs 9 more Rande Stottlemeyer scholarship funds and probably an endowed coaching fund. Really, I believe a $20-30 million combined wrestling endowment would be absolutely game changing for the remainder of Pitt's wrestling history, and I'd take some of the new ACC money and use it as matching funds to get it off the ground.
People just never seem to realize how financially troubled the athletic department has historically been. Every resource has been thrown at trying to keep football and men's basketball relevant in a world where Pitt competes with schools that have alumni, booster bases, and gate revenue 2 to 3 times its size. Because of the focus on its two "major" sports, Pitt's Olympic sports have suffered the consequence. For most of the last half century, the athletic department often appeared more like one that belonged in Division II for all but the two main revenue sports. And I'm not suggesting for a second that the reality of Pitt's financial situation allowed for it to operate in any other way. Regardless of whether one thinks Pitt could have had more success in these sports during their tenures, all these coaches deserved to retire on their own terms and they all deserve a tip of the hat for their service.
Now, Pitt has a little bit more financial breathing room thanks to the new ACC money, and there is a belief that if Pitt applied some of this money to wrestling, it could take a step towards regaining some of the national prominence it had during the Perry family era, particularly considering the talent pool for wrestling in Western Pennsylvania. However, one can't simply dismiss as unfounded the skepticism and show-me-first attitude of some considering how Pitt has historically treated these programs.
But just because Pitt is in the ACC with this new conference money doesn't mean it has gained ground financially on those it is competing against...namely other Power 5 conference schools. It still is at the bottom of its heap, although its heap is the top heap. In that top heap, everyone is making essentially the same revenue from its conference. What still separates athletic departments is still gate receipts and booster support, and Pitt is squarely at the bottom of the Power 5. It still has to prepare for future challenges, which is why I'm always an advocate of raising athletic endowments, because it is one source of perpetual revenue that could help narrow the difference in annual budgets with peer schools that will always outstrip it in traditional sales and fundraising. Otherwise, the potential burden of financial austerity will always fall on the Olympic sports. So with that said, I hope Pitt establishes some sort of Wrestling Excellence or endowment fund like it has with football that will make it easy for wrestling supporters to easily donate to the program's future. To really protect wrestling's future, Pitt needs 9 more Rande Stottlemeyer scholarship funds and probably an endowed coaching fund. Really, I believe a $20-30 million combined wrestling endowment would be absolutely game changing for the remainder of Pitt's wrestling history, and I'd take some of the new ACC money and use it as matching funds to get it off the ground.
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2 obvious, but yet easy steps that you stated. First, set up an endowment fund that is easy to donate to and set a goal. What exactly is the money going towards. Second, you have to get the word out. It never hurts to ask. Something is better than nothing.
- Great post CrazyPaco ......
- Long term, the endowment idea is fantastic although I think we may have somewhat of a hard time raising 20-30 million dollars and that won't happen immediately unless some rich donor comes out of nowhere and funds a large portion.
- Since we are at a crossroads now with the imminent hiring of a new coach and the chance to immediately upgrade the program now, what would it take ?..... we will need a top level coaching staff, some increase in recruiting budget, and some facility upgrades..... and how much would that cost in the short run for the University?
- The average cost of a wrestling coaching staff at a DI-FBS school is about $300,000 (that's head coach and all assistants) ..... I think I saw that Peters was paid about $91,000 and with assistants, Pitt may be paying ~ $150,000 in coaching salaries ...... if we went up to $350,000 for coaching salaries that would mean an extra $200,000 in coaching salaries.
- Increase the recruiting budget by 25,000-50,000.
- The 9.9 wrestling scholarships are being funded annually as of now so no added expenditure there.
- Not sure what facility upgrades would cost over the next 2-3 years but for about an extra $250,000/year (or say even $300,000/year) plus facility upgrades which are going to be needed anyway if we are to continue the program, I think we could significantly upgrade the program immediately ...... not a massive expenditure for the University unless I left some expenses out.
- In the meantime, the endowment could be started to offset costs with time and secure the future of the program...... this overall plan would let the administration know how serious the fans are about supporting wrestling and at the same time show the fans that the Administration is serious about upgrading the program.
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