I am NOT worried about Virginia Tech wrestling because it has developed into a regular top 10 (nearly top 5) program; the incoming classes suggest that trend will continue; and the new assistant coaches are giving credibility to VT and SERTC as a destination for top talent with freestyle aspirations during and beyond college. As hard as this might be to believe, considering that Kevin Dresser was NCAA Coach of the Year just two seasons ago, I don't think this new coaching staff under Robie has or will miss a beat. They have been great right out of the gate.

So I am not a downer at all regarding Virginia Tech wrestling - quite the opposite. The program is so good right now that I think it is becoming a point of pride for the school and the Commonwealth.

But that doesn't mean that there aren't significant problems for NCAA wrestling overall. I'm not a pessimist about the economy, but Title IX has put an ongoing damper on all men's sports that aren't football or basketball, and universities are always looking for new ways to balance budgets. (Hello, VT men's lacrosse team in the lacrosse-rich Mid-Atlantic region???) Which leads to the point that HokieLifer raised about haves and have nots. That is a real problem, sort of always has been that way for wrestling, and the rising importance of RTCs may only exaggerate the issue further. If VT hadn't gotten its SERTC going when they did, they may have been left in the dust. Luckily, I think it got going and was building right when it needed to be. Loved seeing the SERTC singlets last week!