2019 NCAA All-American Patrick Glory (Photo/Tony Rotundo; WrestlersAreWarriors.com; Graphic/Anna-Lee Marie)Welcome to a new recurring feature from InterMat as we lead into the 2021-22 collegiate season. We are about 50 days away from the start of the new season, so what better way to ring in the new year than to use that time to count down the top-50 current collegiate wrestlers. Each day a new wrestler will be released.
These rankings have been compiled by members of the InterMat staff and used a combination of collegiate achievements, with 2021 accomplishments carrying more weight than past years, along with win-loss records and notable wins. While we are counting down the top-50 wrestlers based primarily on collegiate accomplishments, it is impossible to totally ignore achievements in the international settings, so they did factor in slightly, too.
Before getting to the next wrestler on the list, look at the wrestlers previously profiled:
#50 - Greg Kerkvliet (Penn State)
#49 - Ben Darmstadt (Cornell)
#48 - Dakota Geer (Oklahoma State)
#47 - Kaleb Young (Iowa)
#46 - Rocky Elam (Missouri)
#45 - Chad Red Jr. (Nebraska)
#44 - Brandon Courtney (Arizona State)
#43 - Brock Mauller (Missouri)
#42 - Cohlton Schultz (Arizona State)
#41 - John Poznanski (Rutgers)
#40 - Brayton Lee (Minnesota)
#39 - Travis Wittlake (Oklahoma State)
#38 - Parker Keckeisen (Northern Iowa)
#37 - Tariq Wilson (NC State)
#36 - Jacob Warner (Iowa)
#35 - Jacori Teemer (Arizona State)
#34 - Tony Cassioppi (Iowa)
#33 - Vito Arujau (Cornell)
Next is…
Patrick Glory (Princeton)
Weight: 125 lbs
Year: Junior
Career Record: 54-7
Hometown: Randolph, New Jersey
College Accomplishments: 2019 NCAA 6th Place, 2020 NWCA 1st Team All-American
2021-22 Preseason Ranking: #2 at 125 lbs
The success of blue-chip recruit Matt Kolodzik helped pave the way for a recruit the caliber of Patrick Glory to believe in the Princeton program. Glory, the #17 overall recruit in the Class of 2018, was ready to go in year one with the Tigers.
Glory's debut in the black and orange saw him rack up bonus points in four bouts on his way to a title at the Princeton Open. Things would get significantly tougher in his first dual meet, which came against defending NCAA champion, Spencer Lee (Iowa). The freshman was no match for Lee as he put up a technical fall, 18-2.
The freshman didn't have to wait long to get a rematch against Lee. The two clashed in the semifinals of the Midlands about a month and a half after their initial dual meeting. While Lee got his hand raised in this meeting too, Glory was able to limit Lee's damage and even amassed significant riding time late in the bout. Glory would go on to finish third at the tournament.
Shortly after the Midlands, Glory suffered number three at the hands of Oklahoma State veteran Nick Piccininni, 9-4. A few weeks later, in the dual season, Glory was dropped his first (and only) conference bout of the year. Cornell's Vito Arujau went back-and-forth with Glory before ending the match via fall.
Glory ran the table for the remainder of the dual season and carried a 24-4 record into his first EIWA Tournament. As expected, Glory and Arujau both advanced to the championship bout. Glory was able to pin two opponents along the way. The Tiger turned the tables on his fellow freshman from Cornell and emerged victorious in a 10-8 shootout. A conference title helped Glory to the #7 seventh seed at nationals in Pittsburgh.
Glory started his first NCAA Tournament quickly and teched his first opponent, Alonzo Allen (Chattanooga) 16-0 in just over one period. The Round of 16 saw Glory take down #10 Brent Fleetwood (North Dakota State) 10-0. That gave Glory another chance for revenge in the NCAA quarterfinals, opposite Piccininni. No such luck this time, as Piccininni won again, this time with a 9-5 score.
To clinch a place amongst the top-eight, Glory turned in a one-sided 7-1 win over Michael McGee (Old Dominion). He would keep that momentum going with a major decision win over Rayvon Foley (Michigan State) in his next bout. Glory was relegated to the fifth-place match after dropping his next contest to New Jersey rival Sebastian Rivera (Northwestern). With fifth-place on the line, Glory lost for the second time this tournament and the third time all year to Piccininni.
Glory became only the second Princeton freshman to garner All-American honors. He also finished the year at 30-7, with all seven losses coming to wrestlers that finished ahead of him at nationals.
Like his freshman year, Glory got the 2019-20 campaign off to a blazing start at the Princeton Open. There he achieved bonus point status in all four of his contests, with three techs and a fall. It didn't take long to see the improvements in a sophomore Glory. In the first week of December, he neutralized Piccininni during a 9-4 win.
Glory didn't have the opportunity to meet another top contender that defeated him multiple times as a freshman in Spencer Lee (Iowa), but that wasn't for a lack of trying. Lee did not wrestle during the school's dual meet and after day one at the Midlands. Glory captured his first title at the event by downing Michael DeAugustino (Northwestern) 4-0 in the championship match.
In the second half of the season, Glory was not seriously tested. He went 7-0 in dual competition and tallied bonus points in six of those contests. The EIWA Championships proved to be more of the same. Glory made the finals with two major decisions and a tech fall. In the first-place bout, Glory held off a surprising finalist in Joe Manchio (Columbia) 3-0 to capture his second EIWA title in as many tries.
A perfect regular season and the EIWA Championship helped Glory land the second seed at the 2020 NCAA Championships. Unfortunately, the tournament was cancelled due to the Covid pandemic. Glory was paired with #31 Christian Moody (Oklahoma) in the opening round. Notable top seeds on his half of the bracket included #3 Nick Piccininni (Oklahoma State), #6 Drew Hildebrandt (Central Michigan), #7 Brandon Paetzell (Lehigh), #10 Jakob Camacho (NC State).
After the season, Glory was named an NWCA First-Team All-American, the EIWA Wrestler of the Year and a Hodge Trophy finalist. He was the first Tiger wrestler to earn the EIWA distinction and the program's first Hodge nominee.
Glory was unable to compete during the 2021 campaign, as well, since the Ivy League did not allow any of their institutions to participate in winter sports.
In May of 2021, Glory swept All-American Taylor LaMont (Utah Valley) in two straight bouts to earn a spot on the U23 World Team.
Strengths: Aside from Spencer Lee, Glory is the best 125 lber from the top position. He can bust a match wide open from that position or simply grind an opponent into the mat. Glory also is very strong mentally and has the makeup to take down a wrestler of Lee's caliber.
2021-22 Outlook: As evidenced by his 2019-20 season, Glory is one of the elite 125's in the nation and is an NCAA finals threat. Glory's top game has made him closer to Spencer Lee than the rest of the competition. To pull an upset over Lee, you'll need to wear him down on the mat.
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