As a Penn State fan I used to root against IMAR, and I’m not gonna lie that I’ve rooted for Joseph in the finals the last two years, but his interviews and his grace in losing have made me a true fan. Wishing him the best of luck in the future
Totally agree. The two of them have a mutual respect for each other. That is one of the things I love about our sport. We beat the hell out of each other, then as soon as it's over we thank the other guy. I remember at freestyle tournament in high school. Me and this guy in the finals both were nursing injuries. Whistle blows we both shoot and clang heads. We got our composure and it was on. Afterwards we're both siting by the stands with multiple ice packs. We checked to see if each other were alright. Then I say we gotta do this again next week. He laughed and said sure thing.
Most if us don't understand the commitment and sacrifice it takes to be an ncaa champ, we go through our week waiting for the next episode of whatever show we are following at the time. These athletes have one burning desire that culminates in the finals. Most ARE happy to be in top 2. He's not, and the level of disappointment must be mind numbing. Yet here he is taking an interview....
Robert Hogue... Well said, exactly what I thought. All of them are exceptional athletes, not just physically gifted but more importantly, in mental attitude, confidence, dealing with hardship, and poise.
I still think I Mar is the better wrestler. I Mar still has more wins and be is a 4 time Big 10 champion, knocking off Joseph two times in Big 10 and once in dual meets. I Mar also knocked off Marinelli, the wrestler who beat Vincenzo. His match against Isaiah White in Big 10's was more one sided than Cenzo's NCAA match against Isaiah White. Regardless, Cenzo did earn his NCAA titles fair and square...but I still think I Mar would win at least 13 out of 20 matches against Vincenzo if they wrestled 20 times. Also, tipping the hat off to Cenzo. He's a tough and great athlete.
Cenzo lost the match against marinelli on a throw. he was otherwise winning it. He's, at this time, still a better wrestler than Marinelli, but Marinelli has a lot of time to build skills - he's good. Crowded weight class this year. I'm a penn state alum, but I will tune in to watch Spencer Lee and Alex Marinelli.
I’ve beaten 2 state champions, yet I was never a state champion. You can’t go by that logic. Vincenzo is the champ because he can perform under the pressure. Kudos to both of them though.
IMAR is the better wrestler, but he lost in the finals twice...An argument of who the better wrestler is, would be Nickal vs Martin. Martin beats Nickal in the finals but has lost 7 out of 9. Joseph as a Senior vs IMAR as a Senior, who you got? When it mattered Joseph won.
Lee Joseph is in his 2nd year and still hasn't one a Big 10 Championship. He can't say he's a Big 10 champ like I Mar yet. Sure, that may not matter as much as NCAA, but it's still a big league in the Big 10 schools. Again, it's my opinion that I still think I Mar is the better wrestler. You don't have to agree with me. 3-2 over Joseph and being a 4 time Big 10 champ is more impressive to me while Joseph still hasn't gotten a Big 10 championship yet.
You have good points and I respect your opinion. It's certainly close between the two, but IMAR lost at the most important times. How about NATO vs Spencer Lee? It's 2-1 in favor of Lee. To me Spencer is better. NATO was controlled on bottom the entire first match, I didn't see the second but I know NATO won 2-1 but Lee pinned NATO at NCAAs.
Problem IMAR has with Joseph is he focuses TO much on his left arm, unhook shuck, and gets lured into a trip. He's GOT to open his offense up more, Its the reason for so many close matches the last few years. And in my OWN opinion, Nolf would have taken him apart. And he's the major reason he moved to 65. Nolf is such a dominate wrestler, at so many different angles/technics/styles. He, Retherford, Hall, and Bo are why Josephs improved so much the last couple years.
After Imar lost to Anthony Valencia in the junior Freestyle trials, he completely improved. Anthony Valencia since then, stayed the same and Imar has dominated him throughout college. I foresee Imar learning from these losses and really embracing 74kg in Freestyle. BUT he's gotta beat JB....
To be completely honest I think imar is better than cenzo. He still wins the series between them 3-2 and honestly Cenzo kinda wrestles like Dean heil. He doesn't get after it the same way imar does. Cenzo just has a major style advantage and didn't have to do anything after getting a lead.
Derek The Sneak Yes. Like I said his style helps him a lot against imar. If you look at common opponents imar seems much more dominant and seems to be able to do more against them.
I hope this dude wins a world championship. He's young and Burroughs is getting older so if he can get himself to be a solid #2 by the time Burroughs retires he will be positioned nicely to take the spot. Look what chasing Burroughs has done for Dake and Taylor. They destroy world champs all the time.
Anthony- Don't whine over the "head butt." Wrestling is physical. IMAR didn't blame the official. He is a true warrior. He has my respect and the respect of the wrestling community.
I believe there is a lot of respect between the two. I am not necessarily an IMAR fan, but I do admire his interview. I am a Nebraska alum, and I was sure hoping Berger could pull the upset over Joseph: almost.
Congrats Isaiah on a phenomenal college career
Very Very true.
As a Penn State fan I used to root against IMAR, and I’m not gonna lie that I’ve rooted for Joseph in the finals the last two years, but his interviews and his grace in losing have made me a true fan. Wishing him the best of luck in the future
Got to agree
Well said, I felt the same way. Imar is a class act. He owns up
YES, SAME HERE!!!
Totally agree. The two of them have a mutual respect for each other. That is one of the things I love about our sport. We beat the hell out of each other, then as soon as it's over we thank the other guy. I remember at freestyle tournament in high school. Me and this guy in the finals both were nursing injuries. Whistle blows we both shoot and clang heads. We got our composure and it was on. Afterwards we're both siting by the stands with multiple ice packs. We checked to see if each other were alright. Then I say we gotta do this again next week. He laughed and said sure thing.
Most if us don't understand the commitment and sacrifice it takes to be an ncaa champ, we go through our week waiting for the next episode of whatever show we are following at the time. These athletes have one burning desire that culminates in the finals. Most ARE happy to be in top 2. He's not, and the level of disappointment must be mind numbing. Yet here he is taking an interview....
Robert Hogue... Well said, exactly what I thought. All of them are exceptional athletes, not just physically gifted but more importantly, in mental attitude, confidence, dealing with hardship, and poise.
I still think I Mar is the better wrestler. I Mar still has more wins and be is a 4 time Big 10 champion, knocking off Joseph two times in Big 10 and once in dual meets. I Mar also knocked off Marinelli, the wrestler who beat Vincenzo. His match against Isaiah White in Big 10's was more one sided than Cenzo's NCAA match against Isaiah White. Regardless, Cenzo did earn his NCAA titles fair and square...but I still think I Mar would win at least 13 out of 20 matches against Vincenzo if they wrestled 20 times. Also, tipping the hat off to Cenzo. He's a tough and great athlete.
Cenzo lost the match against marinelli on a throw. he was otherwise winning it. He's, at this time, still a better wrestler than Marinelli, but Marinelli has a lot of time to build skills - he's good. Crowded weight class this year.
I'm a penn state alum, but I will tune in to watch Spencer Lee and Alex Marinelli.
I’ve beaten 2 state champions, yet I was never a state champion. You can’t go by that logic. Vincenzo is the champ because he can perform under the pressure. Kudos to both of them though.
IMAR is the better wrestler, but he lost in the finals twice...An argument of who the better wrestler is, would be Nickal vs Martin. Martin beats Nickal in the finals but has lost 7 out of 9. Joseph as a Senior vs IMAR as a Senior, who you got? When it mattered Joseph won.
Lee Joseph is in his 2nd year and still hasn't one a Big 10 Championship. He can't say he's a Big 10 champ like I Mar yet. Sure, that may not matter as much as NCAA, but it's still a big league in the Big 10 schools. Again, it's my opinion that I still think I Mar is the better wrestler. You don't have to agree with me. 3-2 over Joseph and being a 4 time Big 10 champ is more impressive to me while Joseph still hasn't gotten a Big 10 championship yet.
You have good points and I respect your opinion. It's certainly close between the two, but IMAR lost at the most important times. How about NATO vs Spencer Lee? It's 2-1 in favor of Lee. To me Spencer is better. NATO was controlled on bottom the entire first match, I didn't see the second but I know NATO won 2-1 but Lee pinned NATO at NCAAs.
He’s so bummed ... man
Problem IMAR has with Joseph is he focuses TO much on his left arm, unhook shuck, and gets lured into a trip. He's GOT to open his offense up more, Its the reason for so many close matches the last few years. And in my OWN opinion, Nolf would have taken him apart. And he's the major reason he moved to 65. Nolf is such a dominate wrestler, at so many different angles/technics/styles. He, Retherford, Hall, and Bo are why Josephs improved so much the last couple years.
Jeff Darnell considering what you said about Nolf, this didn’t age well
What a Champ gotta love this guy.
After Imar lost to Anthony Valencia in the junior Freestyle trials, he completely improved. Anthony Valencia since then, stayed the same and Imar has dominated him throughout college. I foresee Imar learning from these losses and really embracing 74kg in Freestyle. BUT he's gotta beat JB....
Humble in victory and defeat
To be completely honest I think imar is better than cenzo. He still wins the series between them 3-2 and honestly Cenzo kinda wrestles like Dean heil. He doesn't get after it the same way imar does. Cenzo just has a major style advantage and didn't have to do anything after getting a lead.
Derek The Sneak Yes. Like I said his style helps him a lot against imar. If you look at common opponents imar seems much more dominant and seems to be able to do more against them.
This loss reminded me of taking second it sucks this loss was pretty upsetting the only ncaa champ i didnt predict was cenzo
What a great match great luck isiah in your life pursuits
Captain underhook was tripped by Lord Overhook
I hope this dude wins a world championship. He's young and Burroughs is getting older so if he can get himself to be a solid #2 by the time Burroughs retires he will be positioned nicely to take the spot. Look what chasing Burroughs has done for Dake and Taylor. They destroy world champs all the time.
class act
Excellent wrestler. Classy guy. Needs to be in better condition!
Vin is the true number one and I hope everyone knows it now
Looks like your boy ain't gonna be the next 4 timer after all! Maybe you shouldn't talk so big next time...3/23/19
If you head but you own it! Don’t be a punk
Anthony- Don't whine over the "head butt." Wrestling is physical. IMAR didn't blame the official. He is a true warrior. He has my respect and the respect of the wrestling community.
I believe there is a lot of respect between the two. I am not necessarily an IMAR fan, but I do admire his interview. I am a Nebraska alum, and I was sure hoping Berger could pull the upset over Joseph: almost.