Kellen Russell NATIONAL CHAMP!!!
3x-Big Ten Champ, 3x-national qualifier, 2-time all-American, and 2011 National Champ
Can't wait to watch his senior season!
With those accolades I'm surprised he doesn't leave early and enter the pro-wrestling draft.
./s
good for him. I knew that guy he beat, Borislav was a beast in Bay Area wrestling and I'm sure is a very good college wrestler. GO BLUE!!!
When he got that takedown, I yelled so loud that my wife came running, thinking the house was on fire. Great finish to the wrestling season.
about wrestling, watch the 157 final. There is a true freshman from Penn State (Taylor) facing a former Penn State wrestler (Jenkins). Also, the 165 wrestler (Burroughs) from Nebraska might just be the best wrestler at any weight. And the 174 from Iowa State (Reader) is unbeaten and is from Davison, Michigan.
Burroughs is an animal out there
38 - 0
I was wondering; was Kellen 38-0 before the final? Is he now 39-0? What a great story.
Go Blue, Kellen!
(Nice that the NCAA wrestling announcer correctly announced Kellen's singlet color as "maize and blue.")
March 19th, 2011 at 10:57 PM ^
After the final. Go Kellen and Go Blue!
As a wrestling coach, it's awesome to see all these elite wrestlers going at it. People have no idea just how good these kids are at what they do.
March 19th, 2011 at 10:31 PM ^
Hey Chunkums, what I have always been curious about is at the elite levels, how can one indivdual dominate so much. Take Kellen as an example, 38 matches in one year, 38-0. You would think through all that there would be at least one loss. And this happens on a regular basis. One of my friends in college (granted D3), won 3 NC and his only loss in 4 years was in the championship match as a freshman. I would think at this level, there would be a little more balance. Thanks for any insight.
March 19th, 2011 at 11:03 PM ^
The big things that separate the very good from the elite are mental toughness and precision. In high school and college, the best wrestlers are the ones who live it, rather than just doing it as a sport. To these people, precision execution of moves just becomes instinctive and they know the exact move to do immediately when presented with a new situation without even thinking. Also, there's something to be said for natural literacy of the sport. Some people are just really naturally good at using their weight to add to all the work you put in.
With the mental toughness thing, the best wrestlers know they are the best. A lot of times the big difference between who wins a scramble and who loses is just a matter of who is willing to push harder to get there. Elite wrestlers see no option other than winning, and do not have mental breakdowns in matches.
March 19th, 2011 at 11:19 PM ^
Thanks for the reply. It's something I have noticed over the years. I've always played team sports and I think that is one of the big differences between individual and team sports. It's almost impossible to get a whole team to have that focus and attitude for a sustained period of time.
March 19th, 2011 at 11:47 PM ^
Brent Metcalf of Iowa (Davison, Michigan). There was a kid tonight who won a title, Bubba Jenkins. Anyways, Metcalf DOMINTAED him throughout college. One time, Jenkins scored the first takedown. Metcalf escaped real fast and when he got up, he just looked angry. He then scored 10 takedowns or so on Jenkins and still looked unhappy. That's the difference. He KNEW he was better because he trained like he was for his entire life.
That was a great match. Always good to see Michigan representing,
Anthony Robles from ASU won the national championship. What's even more amazing is he doesn't have a right leg. Props to him for being the national champion!
http://www.azcentral.com/sports/asu/articles/2011/03/19/20110319asu-ant…
I was wondering if he won, what a great story.
I've had class with this kid a few times in Arizona and he's an awesome person. Not having a leg has not stopped him from doing anything.
The same why they determine the weight class for every other guy in the tourney. He stands on a scale. Yes Anthony has a much bigger upper body than any other 125 pounder thus has a stronger upper body... BUT HE HAS ONE LEG!
March 19th, 2011 at 11:06 PM ^
The importance of legs in wrestling can not be stressed enough in wrestling, which is one of the most balance-centric sports out there. I can't tell you how many times I had to tell my wrestlers to watch their balance and keep a wide base throughout the year.
March 20th, 2011 at 12:25 AM ^
that Robles went undefeated and won the national title. Props to him for winning!
Congratulations to Kellen Russell, my heart went out to him when he got that injury. The sheer guts and fortitude he showed deserved nothing less than the national championship, which thank God he won.
and GO BLUE!
GO BLUE
Amazing! Congrats to Kellen.
Congrats to Kellen! What a great representative for Michigan. This should help recruiting for wrestling along with the new state of the art practice facility.
Things are looking bright for all of the Michigan sports teams. It's GREAT to be a Michigan Wolverine!
March 19th, 2011 at 11:00 PM ^
Would be sweet to go undefeated on the way as well. Good Luck next year and to the rest of the wrestling Wolverines!
God I'm so proud of him, such a great result for him and the future of Michigan wrestling. Hopefully we're a program to be reckoned with in the future.
March 20th, 2011 at 12:37 PM ^
Another great Michigan National Champion! Well done Mr. Russell!
Undefeated National Champion. Gotta like the sound of that.
Hail and congrats to Kellen.
March 21st, 2011 at 12:26 PM ^
on a big year........nice to see Michigan being discussed when it comes to wrestling.