Blue White Illustrated

W R E S T L I N G THE MAIN EVENT Two of the sport���s all-time best prepare for a potential showdown | H ey, it might not even happen. If history has taught us anything, it���s that you never know what to expect at the NCAA Wrestling Championships. But history has never seen anything like this. In an age of social media and websites devoted specifically to nationwide coverage of wrestling, there have never been two college wrestlers in the same weight class who are as decorated and as publicized as Penn State junior David Taylor and Cornell senior Kyle Dake. Sure, there will be 31 other wrestlers in the 165-pound bracket, and they aren���t traveling to Des Moines, Iowa, just for a front-row view. They will be trying to displace either Taylor or Dake in the final round. That, however, is easier written than accomplished. If ever there were two wrestlers destined to meet in the NCAA final, it is Taylor and Dake. Taylor has spent the season ranked No. 2 by IntermatWrestle.com, while Dake has sat at No. 1. The only time either was even challenged was when they faced each other in January ��� a controversial 3-2 victory in favor of Dake. Otherwise, Taylor���s closest match was a seven-point win; Dake���s was by three. Intermat senior writer T.R. Foley recently wrote that compared to the rest of the 165-pound field, ���they���re on that different planet, and unless they suffer a catastrophic injury in training, they���ll be the two in the finals.��� Foley was an All-American at Virginia and an assistant coach at Columbia while studying for his master���s degree in journalism. He���s traveled the globe to write about the world���s different wrestling styles and is as vetted as they get when it comes to wrestling journalists. He���s got a pretty good idea what he���s talking about. What���s not so definite, however, is the outcome. Sure, Dake has won the three previous meetings. But each bout was more tightly contested than the last, keeping members of the Taylor Gang confident that the next bout ��� the most important one ��� will favor Penn State. Last April, Dake and Taylor ran into each other during the quarterfinal round of the U.S. Olympic freestyle Tony Rotundo/Wrestlers Are Warriors team trials. Dake won with a secondperiod pin. They met again in November as part of the National Wrestling Coaches Association All-Star Classic, and the outcome was closer. Dake won the exhibition match in overtime, 2-1. When they met in January at the Southern Scuffle final, it counted, and the result was tighter than ever. Dake held on for the 3-2 decision and gave Taylor his first career regular-season loss. However, there were two disputable officiating calls in the third period that, had they gone in Taylor���s favor, would have helped him win the match. The contentious finish has helped inspire confidence inside the Lorenzo Wrestling Complex that Taylor will get the last laugh. Taylor is especially confident of it.

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