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NCAA WRESTLING CHAMPIONSHIPMarch 20, 2015Nathaniel BrownST. LOUIS, MISSOURI THE MODERATOR: We have from Lehigh the 184 pound finalist, start us off with an opening statement talking about your match tonight. NATHANIEL BROWN: I'm just really grateful for the opportunity to be here. Three years ago it was taken away from me, and having the ability to come here and compete in the sport that I love is fulfillment enough. I'm really grateful, and I want to thank God for that. Q. Give me a history lesson. You said it was taken away from you three years ago. Can you explain more about what that means? NATHANIEL BROWN: Yeah, I qualified (Indiscernible) EIWAs, won the match, and right before the end of the match the guy from Cornell kneed me in the face and knocked me out cold. So I won the match. I was in for third and fourth in top 5 go. Then I wasn't able to compete because of the concussion. That was three years ago. Then the following year I came out unseeded. I didn't perform well in the last year. Q. Speaking of Cornell, I'm not sure what's going on here, but if you face Dean, you must have a history with him. Can you talk about that? NATHANIEL BROWN: Yeah, Dean's beaten me three times this year. He's a really good competitor. Lot of people talk about him being one of the best guys in the country. That's what the sport is about. In order for me to be at my best, I need Gabe to be at his best or Victor. It's getting really close here. We'll see what happens. But I'm really excited to compete. I just really want to go. Q. We talked a little yesterday about the special place that wrestling has at Lehigh and the tradition and everything. You've got a chance to be another champion for Lehigh now at The Nationals. Talk about what that would mean to you. You certainly talked with respect for the program that you're representing. NATHANIEL BROWN: That would be a great honor. I'm really excited to go out there and just compete and have fun. This sport's supposed to be fun, and to go to such a great place with great people around our program from the head down, from our big donors to our coaches, to our staff and recruits, and the fans and families around the program, it's something that's not like any other school and you won't find it anywhere else. That's really what makes it special. We have a wrestling school. Show me another school that's a wrestling school, Hokie State football, Iowa football, Penn State football. Q. Just a follow‑up on the match. I mean, talk about your opponent and what it took to win tonight's match. Obviously to win this tournament you had to get through the semis. Yeah, just tell us what was key to your victory. NATHANIEL BROWN: My biggest thing at Lehigh has been getting tougher and doing the work. The key to that match is toughness and doing the work. Riding them out on top. Going toe to toe on my feet with them. Kenny is really good on his feet, and I knew that coming in. So just forcing pace and letting him break. That's what he did. Q. Talk about going into this, and obviously he beat some guys. Did it ever put doubt in your mind seeing what he was able to do? NATHANIEL BROWN: No, I don't think the seeds are very good at all. Q. Explain that. NATHANIEL BROWN: I don't know how you go from third to 7 and then Kenny was ranked top 12. I mean, that kid Miklas ranked top 9 all year, and the seeds are a little deceiving, I think. I'm the central PA guy. I know Kenny Courts. I know how good he is. He won two straight titles and probably would have won three if he didn't blow his knee out. I've seen Kenny come in. It wasn't really a shock to me. I think Kenny is really, really good. Q. Can you talk about what getting to the final means to you after you've been here a couple of times and how you're feeling going into tomorrow night's match? NATHANIEL BROWN: Honestly, it hasn't hit me yet that I'm in the finals of the NCAAs. It hasn't hit me that I'm an All‑American yet either. I remember watching Barone an Oklahoma guy. I was sitting on the couch and I remember telling my dad I want to wrestle for Lehigh one day. I didn't know what it meant. I was probably six, seven. I don't know, what year was that? 2000? I distinctly remember it, though. Because my dad called me in, actually, because he was talking about that he was going to be‑‑ Kale was going for his fourth right after, right? He was like, Hey, come in and see this. This guy's going for his fourth national title. He's undefeated. That was right at the end of '84. I saw Rod Barone hit it, and I said I want to go there, man. Those guys are awesome. Q. So we know it's Dean now. Are you looking forward to another shot at him? I know you weren't happy in the way it went in the EIWA finals. I know you've had really good at‑bats with him before. NATHANIEL BROWN: One thing I love about Gabe is he'll wrestle. He's not one of those people that's going to try to sneak one by you. He's going to try to dictate his offense, and that excites me. That's what the sport is about. He's a really nice kid and great competitor. Like I said earlier, we need each other. That really elevates sports, like really high‑level sports psychology. I need Gabe Dean to be his best so I can rise to my best.     FastScripts by ASAP Sports An interview with: NATHANIEL BROWN THE MODERATOR: We welcome 184 pound finalist, Gabe Dean of Cornell. First off, Gabe, please start us off with an opening statement talking about your match tonight. NATHANIEL BROWN: Real tough kid. Great competitor. He's in the semifinals for a reason. So staying focused and just keeping calm and mentally just plugging away. My coaches got me ready for it, and we won, so it's awesome. Q. Gabe, you said you wrestled him in New York. I think I saw the match and it was really close, and this time it was really close. How hard is it to get in those really close matches that go down to tiebreakers and things like that when normally you're the guy that goes out and scores? NATHANIEL BROWN: It's tough. Again, it goes back to your mental focus and preparation. Not letting everything get in your head, and just keep wrestling and keep moving forward. That's pretty much it. You try not to get distracted by all the things going on around you. Q. That was quite an emotional hug you had there from your mother. Could you tell us what was said? NATHANIEL BROWN: I think it just defined how important my family is to me. You know, my little brother has been battling adversity all year with a broken wrist and not being able to compete. He gave me the best advice that I could ever take with me on and off the mat: Gabe, never take competing for granted. I lost a year of high school competing to a broken wrist from football. And, you know, that's really carried through with me this whole time. My mom has always been there no matter what, win or lose. And, you know, I'm just super close with my family, so it pretty much shows how close I am with them. Q. So you weren't surprised the way she reacted there? NATHANIEL BROWN: No, I knew she'd be emotional. We all were. But we've got one more tomorrow night and then we can laugh and cry and do all that kind of stuff. Q. You've got a well‑known opponent tomorrow night in the name of. Now you've had some real close ones and you've kind of stretched it a little bit at the EIWA finals. What are you expecting him to bring since you've competed with him a lot? NATHANIEL BROWN: He's a great competitor. He comes ready to wrestle every single time. I'm going to have to bring my A‑game. He's tough. Good kid. Really good in all positions. It's going to be fun. It's going to be a fun match tomorrow night. I seriously feel like I'm in a dream right now by the way. I still‑‑ it hasn't hit me yet. Q. You don't want to wake up? NATHANIEL BROWN: I do want to wake up for tomorrow. Tomorrow if an NCAA title comes for tomorrow, then we can go to sleep and do whatever the heck we want. But you dream about this moment and competing on Saturday night your whole life, and now it's really here. It just feels like it hasn't set in yet. Q. Cornell stuck in there. You guys are in the top three right now I believe. Just talk about your team, the character it has, and what it would take to get Cornell to win this thing, because you guys are always in it. NATHANIEL BROWN: You know, you look at the kids on the team and you see just fighters, man. That is the definition of what I see in our team. Just kids that don't quit, and even if they win or lose they'll give you everything they've got, starting from top to bottom. Nahshon Garrett, battling his way back. Mark Grey, tough as nails, one of my best friends. Chris Villalonga, a senior, never an All‑American before, gets to the semifinals and competes so hard. I guarantee he'll wrestle as hard as he can tomorrow to place third. Brian Realbuto, obviously you know how good he is. Bill Palacio wrestling through a ton of adversity with injuries and playing soccer after the year and just a tough as nails kid. Duke picket, gives you everything he's got every time he steps on the Matt. Jace Bennett, senior going out and doing everything he can for the team. Even our heavyweight just qualifying for here and picking up a match is huge. You don't expect anything out of those guys. I say our team is just made up of fighters. Q. They may have asked you this already, and if they did I don't need an answer because I'll get it on the transcript. But you beat Nate in the I W A final, and how that match is relevant to what's going to happen tomorrow night? NATHANIEL BROWN: It's not really relevant. It's a new match. It's a new time and a new place and a new atmosphere. I'm not going to think about any past matches or things that have gone down with him. Like I said, he's a really tough kid and he'll come ready to wrestle tomorrow night. It's going to be fun, I guarantee you that. FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports |
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