Snyder stakes claim as NCAA's top athlete
By Tim Warsinskey
The Plain Dealer
CLEVELAND, Ohio - Is there a more impressive NCAA athlete in the country than Ohio State sophomore Kyle Snyder? Regardless of sport, gender or skill – the answer is no.
Snyder won a Wrestling World Championship as a college freshman last September. He won the 213-pound weight class. That's a man's division. He was 19. No American that young had ever won a world wrestling gold medal.Saturday night in New York, Snyder won his first NCAA wrestling championship -- as a 226-pounder in the 285-pound weight class. In what is being hailed as one of the greatest NCAA finals in recent memory, Snyder beat two-time defending NCAA heavyweight champion Nick Gwiazdowski of North Carolina State, 7-5, in sudden-victory overtime.
Rarely, if ever, have a World champ and two-time NCAA champ squared off in an NCAA final.
The match – and the wrestlers – lived up to the hype. "Gwiz" was 33-0 and had the longest winning streak in the country (88 matches). He weighed in 28 pounds heavier than Snyder but was every bit as quick. Gwiazdowski had two takedowns and was leading, 5-2, with 62 seconds remaining, a comfortable margin in most matches. Snyder escaped and Gwiazdowski, who could have stalled his way to a win, remained engaged. Snyder quickly grabbed an ankle for a takedown to tie the match. More importantly, Snyder held Gwiazdowski down for the final 21 seconds to prevent an escape and force overtime.
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The Plain Dealer
CLEVELAND, Ohio - Is there a more impressive NCAA athlete in the country than Ohio State sophomore Kyle Snyder? Regardless of sport, gender or skill – the answer is no.
Snyder won a Wrestling World Championship as a college freshman last September. He won the 213-pound weight class. That's a man's division. He was 19. No American that young had ever won a world wrestling gold medal.Saturday night in New York, Snyder won his first NCAA wrestling championship -- as a 226-pounder in the 285-pound weight class. In what is being hailed as one of the greatest NCAA finals in recent memory, Snyder beat two-time defending NCAA heavyweight champion Nick Gwiazdowski of North Carolina State, 7-5, in sudden-victory overtime.
Rarely, if ever, have a World champ and two-time NCAA champ squared off in an NCAA final.
The match – and the wrestlers – lived up to the hype. "Gwiz" was 33-0 and had the longest winning streak in the country (88 matches). He weighed in 28 pounds heavier than Snyder but was every bit as quick. Gwiazdowski had two takedowns and was leading, 5-2, with 62 seconds remaining, a comfortable margin in most matches. Snyder escaped and Gwiazdowski, who could have stalled his way to a win, remained engaged. Snyder quickly grabbed an ankle for a takedown to tie the match. More importantly, Snyder held Gwiazdowski down for the final 21 seconds to prevent an escape and force overtime.
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