2022 NCAA WRESTLING CHAMPIONSHIP

March 16, 2022

Myles Amine

Roman Bravo-Young

Yianni Diakomihalis

David Carr

Gable Steveson

Media Conference

Q. This is for you, Myles. Obviously, the Amine name is well known with Michigan. Can you talk about what it does mean to you, to your family, memories you have had growing up, the things that your father shared, other members of your family that have shared with you?

MYLES AMINE: Yeah. It's obviously a pretty special moment being here in Detroit. I was actually at the Palace of Auburn Hills back in 2008, I think, when I watched Josh Churella wrestle in the NCAA finals there I remember as a kid.

You know, just my family, obviously, and the state of Michigan, University of Michigan, six of us have came through the program, and it's been really special kind of being able to be on a team with my brother, my older cousin, and my younger cousin. I'm like Father Time in that aspect, but just trying to keep all that stuff kind of the news stories and for the press try to make it as much -- just another wrestling tournament, kind of my own wrestling journey.

Even my dad has told me that several times. It's important that there's a legacy in the family, but when you go out there and wrestle, you're wrestling for yourself. That's really all there is to it. Just trying to keep it what it is, just a wrestling match, and not thinking too much about the legacy, but when the season is over and maybe a couple of months from now, I'll think about that and I'll have a different answer for you.

Q. Gable, I'm wondering when you were making your decision after the Olympic trials about your career path, was there any consideration to stick with wrestling and trying to win more Olympic golds and world championships than anybody else and then maybe go to the WWE when you were, like, 28 or was that -- was it something that you thought about?

GABLE STEVESON: Me and my family as a whole thought about the possibilities that we can make. I think a good choice for me was to come back to the NCAA tournament and try to win this special thing again and then go to the WWE, and I got a three-year deal with them, so it comes around about 2024, 2025-ish, so you know what I'm trying to get at. Who knows?

Q. Yianni, I would just like to get your thought about being in this tournament. It's been a few years, right? I mean, you've had an Olympic run that you made, and then last year, the conference didn't allow you guys to wrestle. What's it like for you to go through the season and come here to go after another title?

YIANNI DIAKOMIHALIS: Yeah, I mean, it's definitely been a while. My last NCAA tournament was 2019, so that was three years ago. You know, the season is tough. It's a grind. I feel like my coaches prepared me really well and coming into this weekend, I feel really confident, and I think we have a great team, and I feel as good as I can, so feeling good.

Q. David, I want to ask you the same question I asked Myles. You have a family legacy with Iowa State. Can you share some of the memories you may have had with your dad when he talked about his Iowa State days and when you finally made that decision?

DAVID CARR: We were just working out the other day talking about his NCAA match and the intensity of it, and it was just really cool. It was really special. I'm just blessed to be able to wear a Cyclone singlet being that I have had so many family members do it. It's awesome to represent. I love competing.

This is like I'm in a candy shop, and it's all gummy Bears at the NCAA tournament. This is awesome. So many good competitors. I'm super pumped to go out there and compete, and add onto the legacy, but, like he said, it's about wrestling for yourself, but I'm wrestling for God, my family, and having fun.

Q. Roman, can you talk about the team race and just how focused you and your teammates are on getting that championship again?

ROMAN BRAVO-YOUNG: You know, it's going to be a fun team race. We really don't know what's going to happen, but the way I look at it is I can control what I can control and do my part, and the everyone else do their parts, everything will come together. It is going to be a fun one, and the fans are in for a good weekend of wrestling, and I'm excited for it.

Q. Another question for you, Roman. You talked about before the Big Ten tournament about how you guys were looking to accomplish a little bit more. What are your expectations for your time here in Detroit?

ROMAN BRAVO-YOUNG: Our expectation is always to win, right? I think that's everyone who steps on the mat. Everyone wants to win. No one wants to lose. Just enjoying ourselves, enjoying the moment. This comes and goes. Just take one match at a time. Most importantly, have fun, and it's just grateful to be here and the opportunity. You know you don't get many opportunities like this to go out there and wrestle in a big arena, fans, people rooting for you, so I think just take one match at a time and just control what I can control and enjoy it, and whatever happens, get the next best thing.

Q. Question for David. You have one loss in your career. It's to Ryan Deakin. You guys are the top two seeds here. That loss was early in your freshman campaign. Just contrast how different you are from that point and how much do you think about that potential rematch?

DAVID CARR: Super excited to be able to wrestle him again. I've just changed so much. I've become a different wrestler. I've gotten a lot better thankful to my coaches. My coaches spend a lot of time with me. My dad spends a lot of time with me, just truly blessed to have a coaching staff to help me and teammates that are great that help me get better every day.

I feel like I've gotten a lot better, and every match I feel like I get better, so it's exciting to wrestle this tournament and hopefully have that rematch. It should be fun.

Q. Myles, Michigan is the host here. First Big Ten title for you since '73. What would it mean to you for Michigan to win that team title?

MYLES AMINE: It would be really special, and I'm going to kind of steal from what Roman said. For me, I'm kind of just focused on kind of taking care of what I have to take care of, controlling what I can control. I think then for the team, it's Team 100, and Sean Bormet has done a great job since he has been at Michigan and taken over, kind of led the helm.

For our fans, obviously, that's something that they're just in for a show this week. No matter what happens, I think we have come prepared. Michigan I think it's going to be an exciting weekend. That's all I can really say.

Q. Question for David. You as an individual, you reaching your goals. When you came to Iowa State to bring Iowa State back in the top ten, this year, what are some of the -- coming into the tournament, what are the goals for the team?

DAVID CARR: For sure we want to try get that top five spot, top four spot, but everyone just has to do their part. We have some phenomenal wrestlers on our team. I love these guys. We're a family, and they're my brothers. I want to see everyone do well, and everyone's goal is to go out there and do their best. I'm going to try to do my best just like everyone else, and we're going to wrestle hard. That's what I expect for my team and things like that.

Q. Gable, you talked a little bit about what you are to going be going on in the WWE in the future, but I'm just curious about how you have trained yourself for that level of becoming a performer and entertainer, that type of thing? Who has helped you the most with that? Do you have to change an image at all? Right now, you're the good guy who gets standing ovations, the gold medalist. What will Gable Steveson look like in five to ten years?

GABLE STEVESON: That's a great question. I think Gable Steveson in five to ten years will probably be in my eyes -- I think he will be a big superstar that has changed the amateur sport of wrestling and pro wrestling in the long run.

The decisions I made are to make my family's needs better and make myself better too, and so I think to be able to go out there and have the best variety of options with Vince McMahon and Triple-H has been a real leader for me too where, there are so many people that I can put my stardom on and who has helped me a lot, and I think Paul Heyman, Brock Lesnar, those guys have really stepped in and put both feet in with me and to lead me in this direction is crazy to see.

A lot of people grow up watching WWE and UFC, and they want this to be that superstar, and I have a chance to be the next Rock, and that's what I'm going to do.

Q. This question is for both Myles and Gable. I mean, not too many people have had an opportunity to go and win a medal at the Olympic games and then come to the NCAA tournament. Very small amount of people have gone through that experience.

Just curious, both of you guys, what's it like returning to school after having the experience in Tokyo?

MYLES AMINE: I think that it was all positive things coming back from Tokyo. I mean, just being able to wrestle on that high of a stage, that world stage, and come home with a medal, I think it brought a lot of confidence back to Ann Arbor for me. Coming back and just knowing that I've wrestled on the highest stages in the world and been able to compete and win matches and win the big matches, that was really important for my confidence, but also, just it kind of puts it into perspective that college wrestling is a lot of fun.

I think Gable can probably attribute to this too, but I think coming back just shows that it's very competitive, and the fan base and just the kind of energy that is surrounded around college wrestling is second to none. Even in the world, you can go to any place in the world, but the NCAA tournament especially is one of the most exciting events I've ever been a part of, so coming back was an easy decision for me just because of that factor of the energy and the competitiveness between the teams and really just having the opportunity to compete. That's really what it comes down to. I love it.

GABLE STEVESON: I think going off what he said too, it's a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to go out there and put on a good show in front of 20,000 people. At the Olympic games, even wrestling in a gold medal match, I probably had 50 people watching. 90% of them are USA fans screaming loud and cheering for me, which is a cool thing, which everybody wants as a kid growing up.

And so to go out there and in Little Caesars Arena, dominate the field and come out as a champ is what we all want. It's what these five guys want. They are not going to tell you that because they're humble. I'm going to speak for them. We all know what everyone on this podium wants. We're going to go out there and put on a good show and do a good job. At the end of the day, we want to walk out with the national championship trophy right here to the right of me.

Q. Myles, I'm curious, after going up against Aaron Brooks in the Big Ten, you had a tough one there against him, but ultimately came out on top. What kind of challenges does he pose, and if you get the chance, what, I guess going up against him again in that hypothetical, what makes him a tough wrestler as well as having to beat somebody a second time?

MYLES AMINE: He is just a great competitor. I knew that even before wrestling him. I watched him wrestle in the past, and I respect the way he wrestles. He likes to score points just like me, and I always love to go out there and have a guy that's going to come forward at you and that's how he wrestles.

So I always look forward to those deep water battles. That's kind of what -- why I train is to wrestle guys that are going to push you to that last 30 seconds in the third period and you're in kind of a dog fight, and you have to figure it out. That's what makes it fun for the fans, not just the wrestlers.

I think for me I just -- I got to focus on one match at a time. That's really the cliche statement, but realistically if you want to perform at your best, you don't want to overlook anybody, so I'm going to focus on my first match tomorrow. And obviously, that match is in the back of my head. And if it does happen, I'll be excited to just go out there and put on a show. I'm sure it's the same for him.

Q. This question is for Roman. In 2019, after securing All American, you hung out in the tunnel on Saturday night watching Nolf, Nickal, Cenzo, Hall and Cassar prep for the finals, what did you take away from those early observations?

ROMAN BRAVO-YOUNG: I think I could have done a lot better. It's my first time at a NCAA tournament, and I was just thrown in the fire. Over the years, I've just grown a lot. Really changed a lot of things, just the way I trained and my mental approach to wrestling and stuff like that.

Yeah, definitely feel like I've jumped levels over the years, but it sucked not watching -- or not being with those guys wrestling and just watching. Especially that whole year, they were just dominating everyone, and at ease too, and I'm just, like, struggling. I'm taking my losses, but I think I figured it out, but I just have grown up a lot over the past couple of years as a person on and off the mat.

Q. I'm just a wrestling fan. How did those teammates help you when you were struggling with those losses? I'm curious.

ROMAN BRAVO-YOUNG: You know, they are just always there for me, and even today in the wrestling room, they were cheering me on. I look up to those guys. They've been here, done it. Done it multiple times too, so just being in that room is just -- it's just hard not wanting to get better and keep it going. That room is just special, and every day in practice, I go in there wanting to find new ways to get better, but, yeah, I look up to every single one of those guys. Nolf, Cenzo, Cassar, I'm still close with all of them. They're all good dudes.

Q. This is for Gable. You've dominated a class of excellent heavyweights these past two years. Could you describe for us the different feels you get from Cass versus Kerk versus Parris?

GABLE STEVESON: All of them are really great wrestlers. I grew up wrestling Kerk, Lee, Cassioppi. I think the first time I wrestled Cassioppi I was probably 12 years old. Just to wrestle those guys has a different feel. You have to adapt to how everyone is going to come at you. There's a target on your back. Everyone wants to hit that target, and my job is to make sure that I'm outperforming and outworking everybody on the back end too.

And so I mean, three great competitors, three top heavyweights. And each person you said is going to finish on the podium, and so it's weird to think about how good the Big Ten heavyweights are and how productive all the coaches are being with them.

Q. This is for Gable and Roman. This is the first year with NIL deals. Let's talk a little bit about that. How it's influenced your season?

THE MODERATOR: Gable, you want to take.

GABLE STEVESON: Roman can take it first.

ROMAN BRAVO-YOUNG: NIL, it's a cool thing. It's more money coming in that we didn't have. I think big thing to understand, though, for wrestling, it's not a whole lot of money compared to college football. You know, these big star college football players get a lot of money coming in. And Gable is different. He has a lot -- he has a lot of money coming in. He has those chains and stuff.

I have more money in my pockets than I've ever had before the NIL deal, and I'm grateful and thankful for it, but, yeah, I think it's definitely cool. I think the biggest thing just other wrestlers growing up, don't be afraid to put yourself out there and social media is a new way of money, so I think -- I know some coaches don't like it, but I think if you know how to do it and don't let it be a distraction, it's a good thing.

For me this whole process, just me growing my brand, I want to fight one day, so just enjoying it, but, yeah, definitely a lot more money than I've ever had and Gable can finish it out.

GABLE STEVESON: I think the NIL is a great thing. You know, kids nowadays have money in their pockets. They can go to the store and get what they need and make sure they're living healthy too. Just going out there and, like Roman said, social media is our tool now. If we want to have pictures and you go out there and I'm wearing ScrapLife gear right now, and I appreciate everybody who has bought it, especially the shoes that come out, the preorder came through, and so if you want to show some more love to me, I mean, I would love it if you all do.

Just it's opened so many doors for college athletes to stay in college too, especially with basketball and football. Guys are going one and done in basketball. And if they can't go one and done, NIL helps them out. If they can't go three and out in football, they can go an extra year and go out and perform well. And maybe they get to lead the next year.

There's so much variety that comes with the NIL. WWE has the next in line program that we're all -- that many people even, Mason Paris and Ferrari here are involved in, so it's cool to see the legacy growing with college sports and things are opening up and many doors are going to keep growing for us too.

Q. Hi, Gable. Just want to make sure you can hear me before I go?

I'm just curious, what does it mean to you to go out as a two-time NCAA champion after winning at every level in this sport, and then to have your season end potentially undefeated?

GABLE STEVESON: It would mean a lot to go out on top. I could speak for every guy in these chairs right here, everybody wants to go out with that first place trophy, like I mentioned before. We're going to put our best -- both feet forward and just go out there and enjoy our time. A lot of people don't understand that we come out in tournaments, and so many people are expecting so much from us, and we just want to go out there and just enjoy our five matches and literally just put on a good show for the people that pay so much money to sit in them suites and sit in the front row, and we want to make sure you guys have the best time possible.

I'm trying to speak for all of us here, and if anyone wants to chime in, we just love the sport of wrestling. Wrestling has made me a better human, better wrestler, better everything for me being at home, for me being with people I hang out with, from everything, kids I interact with.

What people don't see in the limelight doesn't go unnoticed, and I just try to make sure I put my good heart out there and soul so that, I don't know, so people can really see who Gable Steveson is because I guess a lot of people really don't know who he is, and I'm trying to put out that message that Gable is a figure for these little kids that are going to come and watch.

The older people that are going to come and watch and the middle-aged people that are going to come and watch, there's the variety that I'm trying to hit is something special. And I hope that one day 20 years later, they're going to look back on me Saturday night or whenever I'm done and they're going to look back and be Gable did what he was supposed to do, and that's make wrestling a bigger sport as a whole.

Q. This is for Yianni, I was wondering if you and the rest of the guys will really will tune into the Super Match. Will you watch that while you're relaxing?

YIANNI DIAKOMIHALIS: If I'm going to be honest, I'm a pretty big wrestling nerd, so if I had any kind of free time, I would be watching wrestling. There's definitely a chance I sign in. I don't know about you guys, but I'll definitely be watching those matches if I can.

Q. What's it going to mean to wrestle in front of fans again? I know it's about been a couple of years, and what are your first impressions of Little Caesars Arena?

MYLES AMINE: It means the world. All these guys said it. That's why part of the reason why we do it is we want to put on a show. And for me, it's extra special. It's in Detroit. Yeah, last year, it was weird that we didn't have fans, thinking about it, the NCAAs and Big Tens. It felt right ten days ago in Nebraska, that environment. It's going to be even better here, so I'm excited.

ROMAN BRAVO-YOUNG: I don't know if this is my last NCAA tournament yet or not, but I'm going to enjoy it. My family is going to be here, and, yeah, with the fans, it's going to be awesome. That's why we do it. I consider myself an entertainer, so I want to go out there and put on a show. And most importantly, we all need each other to grow this sport, so it's going to be good all weekend.

YIANNI DIAKOMIHALIS: Any opportunity you can get to wrestle the best guys in the country, you've got to take it, and you have to enjoy it, right?

I feel like for all of us, we want that competition. We want to wrestle the best guys, and this is the chance to get ahold of everyone who thinks they have a chance. This is really exciting, and I'm really excited to compete.

DAVID CARR: Just grateful for the opportunity. I mean, there's a lot of fans out there that want to watch us wrestle, and wrestling is just so much fun. I just think about when I was a little kid just watching this tournament, just all the great wrestling that happened. I'm honored to be able to wrestle in this tournament again and have some more fun and go out there and wrestle and be an entertainer.

GABLE STEVESON: It's bittersweet. It's my last NCAA tournament. Just want to make sure everybody ends on a good note and make sure everybody watches a good show. When the lights hit, Gable hits better.