What you just watched was the biggest amateur wrestling heavyweight battle in more than a half century. The pedigree of these athletes goes unparalleled in recent wrestling memory.
Ohio State sophomore Kyle Snyder recently became the youngest American world champion ever at the tender age of 19. His opponent: North Carolina State senior Nick Gwiazdowski–the No. 1 seed in the entire tournament with a perfect record of 33-0 and an 88-match winning streak, the nation’s longest. My God.
A sold out Madison Square Garden packed in to watch Snyder–who weighed in about 30 pounds lighter than his competitor–secure a 7-5 overtime victory in the 2016 NCAA Division I Wrestling Championship. The two goliath’s are occasional practice partners, as they are both preparing to make the U.S. Olympic Team is different weight divisions this year.
Congrats to Ohio State's Kyle Snyder who won the 2016 NCAA wrestling championship in the heavy weight division pic.twitter.com/dUMHd65EMa
— The Buckeye Nut (@TheBuckeyeNut) March 20, 2016
Snyder originally planned to take a redshirt season to concentrate on training for the 2016 Olympics, but had a change of heart midway through the season, and entered as a heavyweight to win the Super Bowl of college wrestling. Beast mode.
The #WrestleNYC experience will end tomorrow at 285.
Nick Gwiazdowski: 88-straight vs. Kyle Snyder: World champion.https://t.co/LSVbblIywB
— NCAA Wrestling (@NCAAWrestling) March 19, 2016