THE ILLINI & THE IRTC AT THE US OPEN (Day 3 -- Zane Wins!)

ZANE ************* RICHARDS! 

The ILLINI and the IRTC are having a spectacular US Open. This is the biggest tournament in years, and ILLINOIS is just rolling. Of course, the big news is that Zane Richards is your Senior US Open Freestyle National Champion at 57 kg! He will wrestle in Final X for the top spot on the World Team. 

It couldn't have happened to a better, more hard-working guy!

When Zane was down by two with a half-minute left, I knew he could do it. In fact, it was Nick Suriano who cracked under pressure. With little time left, the defensive-minded Suriano tried a double leg takedown, and Zane went to work. 

You know that Zane and Coaches Medlin and Hunter scouted that double. That has always been a big weapon for Suriano when he goes on offense. He used it in this tournament. 

This is what the counter and Zane's takedown looked like story board fashion:

Check out the video below for the bad FloWrestling camera angle of the counter and takedown sequence. You will also see some snippets from "The Joeys." 

The lead up to the match was surreal. Everywhere I looked, on Twitter, Instagram and other social media sites, there were posters showing the mugs of Spencer Lee and Nick Suriano. Below their faces there was usually something like, "Who ya got?" 

Well, mister, I got Zane Richards! 

Just as in his semifinal win, Zane wrestled a calm and smart match. He didn't have as many opportunities in this one to go on the offense, but as soon as he did, he made it count. He also scored with Suriano on the shot clock, fending off a suspiciously active tanned fellow. 

Another thing about the match: Coach Bryan Medlin is a Chaos Agent. Bricks are meant to be thrown! And he will keep throwing it as long as you give it back to him. I think Zane talked him down, and it was probably a good thing because the Mat Chairman seems to hate bricks. 

The atmosphere eventually got to Suriano. By the end of the match, he made mistakes, and, my goodness, he looked like a wild starved teenager who had been stranded on a deserted island for years. Compare that to the composure shown by Richards. That, my friends, might have been the reason that USA Wrestling chose Zane, and not Nick, to wrestle against Iran in the World Cup finals. 

After the match, Zane gave a well-spoken interview to Flo, which, along with the match itself, can be found on their site (subscription service). I took a screengrab from that interview for this:

THE JOEYS!

On top of the great news involving Zane Richards, the ILLINI had two place-winners in the U20 Greco division. Joey "JoJo" or "Bulldog" Braunagel finished second at 97 kg. A massive head-pinch of his is featured in the video below. That move was from the one match at the Open that he lost, but it was so **** good, it had to be included. 

The entire wrestling community will think they can breath a sigh of relief after Danny and Zac Brawlnagel graduate in a year. Haha! Guess what's in store for you? 

Additionally, Anthony "Joey" Ruzic, an ILLINI commit who is just a Junior in high school challenged himself by wrestling in the U20 Greco division. He met the challenge by finishing with the Bronze Medal. Congratulations to the Joeys! 

Now, check out some of what these heroes accomplished: