Wrestling has fun names too!

I was actually planning on doing this before Thump did his thing, but I had to wait for the national field to be released. So, as decided by your wrestling writers’ staff, here are the best names in this year’s NCAA tournament:

Happy to be here:

33. Nino Bonaccorsi (197 pounds, Pittsburgh)

32. Paniro Johnson (149, Iowa State)

31. Rocky Jordan (184, Chattanooga)

30. Boone McDermott (285, Rutgers)

29. Jarrett Jacques (157, Mizzou)

28. Owen Pentz (197, NDSU)

27. Mosha Schwartz (141, Oklahoma)

26. Matt Finesilver (184, Michigan)

25. Hunter Catka (285, Virginia Tech)

24. Silas Allred (197, Nebraska)

23. McGwire Midkiff (133, NDSU)

22. Carson Kharchla (165, Ohio State)

21. Vitali Arujau (133, Cornell)

A couple thoughts through these: I don’t think we value names like Silas Allred (24th) or Vince Cornella (NR) enough. All-Red wrestles at Nebraska. Cornell-a wrestles at Cornell. It’s fate. Later, Real Woods will be mentioned, but I just think his name was so much better when he was at Stanford. Also, I noticed that at least two of these twelve are from Iowa (McDermott and Midkiff).

20. Parker Keckeisen (184, Northern Iowa)

19. Lenny Pinto (184, Nebraska)

18. Maxx Mayfield (165, Northwestern)

17. Tony Cassioppi (285, Iowa)

16. Michael Wolfgram (285, West Virginia)

Lenny Pinto just makes think of Lenny from Of Mice and Men. Everyone loves a double x name. Big Tony Cassioppi is the second very-Italian name on this list.

15. Yaraslau Slavikouski (285, Harvard)

14. Peyton Mocco (174, Mizzou)

13. Yianni Diakomihalis (149, Cornell)

12. Pat Glory (125, Princeton)

11. Quincy Monday (165, Princeton)

That’s a lot of Ivy representation. Slavikouski and Diakomihalis both fall into the “hard to say, but fun to say once you learn” category for me. Pat Glory is just such a fucking winner’s name. Mocco is wrestling name, as were Rocky Jordan and Boone McDermott. Just dudes that you couldn’t imagine not wrestling.

10. Rocky Elam (184, Mizzou)

9. Guiseppe Hoose (184, Buffalo)

When the brackets came out, Hoose’s name was one I was hoping to find so that I could put him on this list. G.oose.

8. Johnny Lovett (149, Central Michigan)

Another f***ing winner’s name (I’ve been doing this for three years and still can’t remember if I can swear on here).

7. Brock Mauller (149, Mizzou)

Another obvious wrestler’s name.

6. Roman Bravo-Young (133, Penn State)

He’s got three names, and they’re all great.

5. Noah Surtin (125, Mizzou)

I have been rooting for Surtin since he got to Mizzou, and it’s in part because of his name (but he also shows flashes of brilliance sometimes).

4. Paddy Gallagher (157, Ohio State)

The Ohio State middleweight moonlights as a Northwestern linebacker.

3. Yonger Bastida (197, Iowa State)

2. Real Woods (141, Iowa)

Again, should’ve left the name at Stanford. Glad you came to Iowa though!

1. bROCK HARDy (141, Nebraska)