Robles joins ESPN coverage of NCAAs
The 2012 NCAA Wrestling Championships will see a familiar face off the mats this year when former three-time All-American and the 2011 NCAA Wrestling Champion Anthony Robles returns as one of two analysts in ESPN’s 21st year of covering the event.
Robles, born without a right leg, has yet to let anything get in the way of his determination to succeed in life. His athletic achievements gained national notoriety last spring after a 36-0 senior year at Arizona State ended with his 125-pound title in March.
“Fresh off a spectacular career, Anthony will contribute a personal knowledge of both current wrestling techniques and student-athletes that is crucial to our telecasts of the sport,” said John Vassallo, ESPN senior coordinating producer. “We are impressed with both his awareness, poise and on-camera presence for someone in their first television role.”
ESPN previously recognized the stand-out athlete with Best Male Performance by an Athlete with a Disability at the ESPYs last year, in addition to ESPN’s Jimmy-V Award. The network’s newest NCAA analyst will enhance ESPN’s coverage of the quarterfinals, medal round and finals alongside veteran analyst Tim Johnson and play-by-play commentator Adam Amin. Additional insight will be provided throughout by reporter Quint Kessenich, a former two-time county wrestling champion at New York’s Lynbrook High School.
For the fourth year, ESPN3 will provide an exclusive four-screen, four-mat viewing experience unique to wrestling on the multi-screen sports network. Beginning Thursday, March 15, at noon, ESPN3 viewers will have the opportunity to view hundreds of individual matches throughout the three day tournament, utilizing the resource. Shawn Kenney and three-time All-American Jim Gibbons will voice sessions one and two on ESPN3.
For the sixth consecutive year, two of the four quarterfinals, as well as the semifinals, will be televised on ESPNU in a revised side-by-side format to maximize the HD viewing experience, allowing viewers to catch the action in two matches at the same time.
ESPNU will televise the Championship Medal Round and the individual weight class Championships on Saturday, March 17, with the Finals at 7:30 p.m. ET on ESPN. During the Finals, two referees per match will wear a microphone, providing fans with even more access and understanding of the action.
In total, ESPN will showcase more than 50 hours across multiple platforms to cover every angle of the 2012 NCAA Wrestling Championships.
Date
Time (ET)
Championship Round
Network
Thu, Mar 15
Noon
NCAA Wrestling Championship First Round (Session 1)
Shawn Kenney and Jim Gibbons
ESPN3
7:30 p.m.
NCAA Wrestling Championship Second Round (Session 2)
Shawn Kenney and Jim Gibbons
ESPN3
Fri, Mar 16
11 a.m.
NCAA Wrestling Championship Quarterfinals (Session 3)
Anthony Robles, Tim Johnson and Adam Amin
ESPNU/
ESPN3
7 p.m.
NCAA Wrestling Championship Semifinals (Session 4)
Anthony Robles, Tim Johnson and Adam Amin
ESPNU/
ESPN3
Sat, Mar 17
11 a.m.
NCAA Wrestling Championship Medal Round (Session 5)
Anthony Robles and Tim Johnson
ESPNU/
ESPN3
7:30 p.m.
NCAA Wrestling Championship Final (Session 6)
Anthony Robles, Tim Johnson and Adam Amin
ESPN/ ESPN3
About ESPN3
ESPN3 is ESPN’s live multi-screen sports network, a 24/7 destination that delivers thousands of global sports events annually and accessible online via WatchESPN.com. It is currently available to 72 million homes at no additional cost to fans who receive their high-speed Internet connection or video subscription from an affiliated service provider. The network is also available at no cost to approximately 21 million U.S. college students and U.S.-based military personnel via computers connected to on-campus educational networks and on-base military networks. It is also accessible through ESPN on Xbox LIVE to Gold members and on smartphones and tablets via the WatchESPN app through an affiliated provider.
ESPNU
The 24-hour college sports television network airs more than 650 live events annually and offers over 600 original studio shows. ESPNU has seen a steady increase since its inception on March 4, 2005 and is now in over 73 million households. The brand is also available in high definition on ESPNUHD, now in over 20 million homes. The network has long-term carriage agreements with all 10 of the top multichannel TV providers – Cablevision, Charter, Comcast, Cox, DirecTV (Channel 208), DISH Network (Channel 141), Mediacom, Time Warner Cable, Verizon FiOS TV and AT&T U-verse.
