#WrestleSTL: Popolizio Preview – Part 1
3/12/2017 10:12:00 AM | Wrestling
Raleigh, N.C. – With a school-record 10 NCAA Qualifiers set to compete at the 2017 NCAA Championships starting Thursday, head coach Pat Popolizio previews the Pack's squad that will be competing in St. Louis.
Today, we look at 125-157 pounds.
Q: How impressive of a feat is it for a school to get 10 NCAA Qualifiers?
A: I think it is a pretty big break through for where this program is at. To sit here and say every guy in your lineup is getting an opportunity to compete at the NCAAs, that is momentum for this program and it helps in a lot of different aspects. The ultimate goal is to win a national title and multiple guys place at the national tournament. We are one step closer to doing that when you bring all 10 of your guys.
Q: Three guys (Sean Fausz, Jamal Morris and Kevin Jack) are back for a second straight year at NCAAs, and Sam Speno returns for his third trip. How important is it to have that prior trip under your belt?
A: It is extremely valuable for those guys, because they know what to expect in that environment. Those guys have been there and done it, they know the schedule and the routine. They know what to expect from the standpoint of the huge crowd, with all the different mats going on at once. At the end of the day though, wrestling is wrestling.
Q: On the opposite side, six will be making their NCAA Championships debut. How do you balance that out?
A: On the other side of having guys that have gone before, you get the newcomers who really walk in not knowing anything about that type of environment. They might not know what to expect, but they bring a different kind of excitement to it. Hopefully our six are fired up for that, to have that first opportunity and to bring a lot of energy. All those new guys, especially our two freshmen we have going, have wrestled in big tournaments their whole lives. This will hopefully be nothing different for all six. It is still wrestling at the end of the day. New or experienced, we must bring the energy with all 10 guys.
Popolizio Breakdown of @PackWrestle:
• #12 seed R-So. Sean Fausz (125 pounds)
It has been extremely valuable to our team to get Sean down to 125 pounds. He made a big commitment to our program, and more importantly to himself in doing so. He knows that for him to accomplish his goals, 125 pounds is the right weight for him. He is very disciplined, and doing everything he needs to do to put himself in a position to compete for a national title. He is a guy that is very dangerous at his weight. He hasn't been down there all year, and he got the experience of wrestling bigger guys when he was at 133 pounds at the start of the year. I think right now it shows when he is out there competing, he is bigger and stronger then a lot of his opponents and it shows in different aspects of his wrestling.
• #15 seed R-So. Jamal Morris (133 pounds)
I think Jamal enters with a lot of confidence, beating two guys in the ACC Championship that he lost to in duals this year. He is a tournament-guy. The last two years he has picked it up at the end of the year in the postseason. Throughout the season there were some peeks and valleys, now it is all about peeking and he has showed that with his two wins at the ACCs, which speaks volumes for him entering his second straight NCAAs. He got a tech fall against UNC who he lost to in the dual at their place, then he controlled the match against UVA to get into the finals. It was big for him, and he now needs to carry that into the national tournament.
• #2 seed Jr. Kevin Jack (141 pounds)
Kevin has grown a lot as a person. I think last year was an extremely valuable experience, something where hopefully now he is reevaluating and saying you can't take things for granted because of the success you experienced the year before. He carries a chip on his shoulder now. He is in control of his destiny right now, and I think you will see the best wrestling of him coming up. He is very relaxed, very confident, and technically he is one of the best guys I have ever been around. His composer is great. He has matured mentally and physically a ton this year, it's really night and day from last year. That is not just wrestling, but it's off the mat with school and he has become a great leader for this team. I feel like we are at where we are at as a team, because a guy like Kevin has stepped up to the plate in regards to being a complete student-athlete.
• #12 seed R-Sr. Sam Speno (149 pounds)
Sam is a guy that might not get mentioned all the time at NC State, but he was here from Day 1, five years in the program. He is one of the main core guys that has helped build us to where we are at today. When he first came here, NC State was not at the competitive level to where we are today, and a guy like Sam has done everything we have asked him to do and he has helped raise our level as a program. He has been at three different weight classes, not just here at NC State but advancing to three at the NCAAs. That is a team player right there. He is a guy that has done phenomenal behind the scenes with his academics work and is leaving here with his degree and that spring boards him to a lot of different opportunities. At the end of the day, he deserves to accomplish his goals for the time and effort he has put into this program and his commitment to the sport. I am excited to see him go out and have that opportunity in his final season.
• Fr. Thomas Bullard (157 pounds)
It has been and interesting year for Thomas. The plan was for him to redshirt, but obviously things changed early in the season. He has made big improvements. The jump from high school to college is big, and to be competitive right away shows where he is at to be a top-20 guy this late in the year. He has had some big wins over so high level guys. It has ben a bit inconsistent for him, but you see that in most true freshman in this sport. It is a new season for him, and his style of wrestling is very dangerous. It doesn't matter who he is wrestling, seeded or unseeded, I think you are going to see some exciting wrestling from him at the NCAAs.
Today, we look at 125-157 pounds.
Q: How impressive of a feat is it for a school to get 10 NCAA Qualifiers?
A: I think it is a pretty big break through for where this program is at. To sit here and say every guy in your lineup is getting an opportunity to compete at the NCAAs, that is momentum for this program and it helps in a lot of different aspects. The ultimate goal is to win a national title and multiple guys place at the national tournament. We are one step closer to doing that when you bring all 10 of your guys.
Q: Three guys (Sean Fausz, Jamal Morris and Kevin Jack) are back for a second straight year at NCAAs, and Sam Speno returns for his third trip. How important is it to have that prior trip under your belt?
A: It is extremely valuable for those guys, because they know what to expect in that environment. Those guys have been there and done it, they know the schedule and the routine. They know what to expect from the standpoint of the huge crowd, with all the different mats going on at once. At the end of the day though, wrestling is wrestling.
Q: On the opposite side, six will be making their NCAA Championships debut. How do you balance that out?
A: On the other side of having guys that have gone before, you get the newcomers who really walk in not knowing anything about that type of environment. They might not know what to expect, but they bring a different kind of excitement to it. Hopefully our six are fired up for that, to have that first opportunity and to bring a lot of energy. All those new guys, especially our two freshmen we have going, have wrestled in big tournaments their whole lives. This will hopefully be nothing different for all six. It is still wrestling at the end of the day. New or experienced, we must bring the energy with all 10 guys.
Popolizio Breakdown of @PackWrestle:
• #12 seed R-So. Sean Fausz (125 pounds)
It has been extremely valuable to our team to get Sean down to 125 pounds. He made a big commitment to our program, and more importantly to himself in doing so. He knows that for him to accomplish his goals, 125 pounds is the right weight for him. He is very disciplined, and doing everything he needs to do to put himself in a position to compete for a national title. He is a guy that is very dangerous at his weight. He hasn't been down there all year, and he got the experience of wrestling bigger guys when he was at 133 pounds at the start of the year. I think right now it shows when he is out there competing, he is bigger and stronger then a lot of his opponents and it shows in different aspects of his wrestling.
• #15 seed R-So. Jamal Morris (133 pounds)
I think Jamal enters with a lot of confidence, beating two guys in the ACC Championship that he lost to in duals this year. He is a tournament-guy. The last two years he has picked it up at the end of the year in the postseason. Throughout the season there were some peeks and valleys, now it is all about peeking and he has showed that with his two wins at the ACCs, which speaks volumes for him entering his second straight NCAAs. He got a tech fall against UNC who he lost to in the dual at their place, then he controlled the match against UVA to get into the finals. It was big for him, and he now needs to carry that into the national tournament.
• #2 seed Jr. Kevin Jack (141 pounds)
Kevin has grown a lot as a person. I think last year was an extremely valuable experience, something where hopefully now he is reevaluating and saying you can't take things for granted because of the success you experienced the year before. He carries a chip on his shoulder now. He is in control of his destiny right now, and I think you will see the best wrestling of him coming up. He is very relaxed, very confident, and technically he is one of the best guys I have ever been around. His composer is great. He has matured mentally and physically a ton this year, it's really night and day from last year. That is not just wrestling, but it's off the mat with school and he has become a great leader for this team. I feel like we are at where we are at as a team, because a guy like Kevin has stepped up to the plate in regards to being a complete student-athlete.
• #12 seed R-Sr. Sam Speno (149 pounds)
Sam is a guy that might not get mentioned all the time at NC State, but he was here from Day 1, five years in the program. He is one of the main core guys that has helped build us to where we are at today. When he first came here, NC State was not at the competitive level to where we are today, and a guy like Sam has done everything we have asked him to do and he has helped raise our level as a program. He has been at three different weight classes, not just here at NC State but advancing to three at the NCAAs. That is a team player right there. He is a guy that has done phenomenal behind the scenes with his academics work and is leaving here with his degree and that spring boards him to a lot of different opportunities. At the end of the day, he deserves to accomplish his goals for the time and effort he has put into this program and his commitment to the sport. I am excited to see him go out and have that opportunity in his final season.
• Fr. Thomas Bullard (157 pounds)
It has been and interesting year for Thomas. The plan was for him to redshirt, but obviously things changed early in the season. He has made big improvements. The jump from high school to college is big, and to be competitive right away shows where he is at to be a top-20 guy this late in the year. He has had some big wins over so high level guys. It has ben a bit inconsistent for him, but you see that in most true freshman in this sport. It is a new season for him, and his style of wrestling is very dangerous. It doesn't matter who he is wrestling, seeded or unseeded, I think you are going to see some exciting wrestling from him at the NCAAs.
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