2021 NCAA champion Roman Bravo-Young (photo courtesy of Sam Janicki; SJanickiPhoto.com)Monday marks the opening dual of the first Collegiate Wrestling Duals, presented by Journeymen. 12 teams from six conferences have been divided into two pools for competition. On Monday, each team will wrestle a pair of prearranged duals. Based on the results, teams from the same pool will meet each other on Tuesday.
This event features six of the top ten dual teams in the country and seven of the top-11, so many of the best teams and individuals will be in action. Our second preview will focus on wrestlers from the Blue Pool. We've already looked at the Red Pool .
The Blue pool features four ranked teams, including #2 Penn State. The other group of three has one of the most anticipated matches on Monday, as #6 Arizona State meets #9 Virginia Tech Provided rankings hold up, one of those squads could meet Penn State the following day.
Below are potential lineups for each Blue Pool dual on Monday, along with notes about each dual, and a projected team score.
Hofstra vs. #9 Virginia Tech
125 - Jacob Moon/Dylan Acevedo vs. #16 Sam Latona
133 - Ty Cymmerman vs #4 Korbin Myers
141 - Justin Hoyle vs. Collin Gerardi
149 - Michael Leandrou vs. #6 Bryce Andonian
157 - Joe McGinty vs. #22 Connor Brady
165 - Ricky Stamm vs. Clayton Ulrey
174 - Ross McFarland vs. #4 Mekhi Lewis
184 - #25 Charles Small vs. #9 Hunter Bolen
197 - #26 Trey Rogers vs. Dakota Howard
285 - #20 Zachary Knighton-Ward vs. #14 Nathan Traxler
Due to injuries and just the way things have played out, the back end of Hofstra's lineup is its strength. Of their three wrestlers currently in the rankings, all are between 184-285. Also, they have gotten strong, consistent results from 157 and up.
165 lber Ricky Stamm was an NCAA qualifier last year and started the season in the rankings. He'll have an opportunity to shine as Clayton Ulrey is one of three Tech starters not currently in the top-33. Ulrey is 1-3 in dual competition, though he did come up with a win in sudden victory during the Hokies rout of Northern Iowa.
Up at 184 lbs, Charles Small has already pulled off a big win this year when he knocked off past Round of 12 finisher Chris Weiler (Wisconsin) in dual competition. Small's only dual loss came at the hands of 2021 AA John Poznanski (Rutgers). He'll have to contend with another All-American in Hunter Bolen, the #2 seed at the 2021 NCAA Championships.
Perhaps the most competitive matches of this dual will come at 197 and 285 lbs. Trey Rogers made headlines earlier this year when he handed Junior World Champion Braxton Amos his first (and only) collegiate loss. Dakota Howard was an NCAA qualifier last year at 174 lbs and is as gritty as they come. He has a gas tank that can go for days. The big men at 285 lbs are both returning national qualifiers. Nathan Traxler's only loss this season came to Tate Orndorff (Ohio State), an opponent that majored Zachary Knighton-Ward at the 2021 national tournament. With that being said, I'd expect a close bout between these two.
Pick: Virginia Tech (32-6)
Hofstra vs. #6 Arizona State
125 - Jacob Moon/Dylan Acevedo vs. #3 Brandon Courtney
133 - Ty Cymmerman vs. #14 Michael McGee
141 - Justin Hoyle vs. #15 Jesse Vasquez
149 - Michael Leandrou vs. #5 Kyle Parco
157 - Joe McGinty vs. #3 Jacori Teemer
165 - Ricky Stamm vs. #6 Anthony Valencia
174 - Ross McFarland vs. Zane Coleman
184 - #25 Charles Small vs. Josh Nummer
197 - #26 Trey Rogers vs. #8 Kordell Norfleet
285 - #20 Zachary Knighton-Ward vs. #3 Cohlton Schultz
Arizona State is a loaded team with eight of their ten potential starters ranked in the top-15. But, their two unranked weights are ones in which Hofstra can capitalize. At 174, Hofstra has Ross McFarland, who is 7-7 since the start of the 2021 campaign. He'll be in a close one with Zane Coleman. Coleman is 7-3 but has been majored by teammate Cael Valencia and Oklahoma's Anthony Mantanona. Charles Small is in a good position at the next weight class up. He'll face Josh Nummer comes in with a 3-5 record.
For this dual (and others), be aware of Anthony Valencia at 165 lbs. Saturday, he is competing in the Mexican National Team Trials, but is still set on coming back to Florida for the duals. Hopefully, the travel treats him well, but you can see where there may be a hiccup waiting to happen. I'm not quite sure who the Sun Devils turn to if Valencia is not available. Both 165's behind him are currently in redshirt. Hofstra also has Stamm ready to go, so if anyone aside from Valencia is on the mat, he'll be a favorite.
At 197 lbs, we'll see a rematch of the first round at the NCAA Championships. There Kordell Norfleet majored Trey Rogers, 12-3. We've already seen an improved version of Rogers this season, so we have every reason to think he's closed the gap.
Pick: Arizona State (32-6)
#6 Arizona State vs. #9 Virginia Tech
125 - #3 Brandon Courtney vs. #16 Sam Latona
133 - #14 Michael McGee vs. #4 Korbin Myers
141 - #15 Jesse Vasquez vs. Collin Gerardi
149 - #5 Kyle Parco vs. #6 Bryce Andonian
157 - #3 Jacori Teemer vs. #22 Connor Brady
165 - #6 Anthony Valencia vs. Clayton Ulrey
174 - Zane Coleman vs. #4 Mekhi Lewis
184 - Josh Nummer vs. #9 Hunter Bolen
197 - #8 Kordell Norfleet vs. Dakota Howard
285 - #3 Cohlton Schultz vs. #14 Nathan Traxler
Along with Missouri/NC State and Cornell/Penn State, this was one dual that everyone noticed immediately in the pool stage as being very competitive and overall a "must-watch." Right off the bat, we have a pair of returning All-Americans at 125 lbs. Sam Latona has not been able to replicate his success from 2021 and is 3-4 thus far. Brandon Courtney has yet to taste defeat and has an 8-3 win over Latona's former teammate Joey Prata (Oklahoma) on his resume. Since there will be plenty of time between this match and the weigh-ins, I expect to see the best version of Latona possible.
Once again, we have a pair of returning All-Americans set to clash at 133 lbs. Korbin Myers has been excellent over the past year and a half for Virginia Tech at this weight class. He is 19-2 during that time span and has not lost this season. In that period, Myers' only setbacks came at the hands of Roman Bravo-Young (Penn State) and Austin DeSanto (Iowa). Michael McGee was sixth in the nation last season, though he did not meet up with Myers. He dropped in the rankings a few weeks ago after suffering a one-point loss to Job Greenwood (Wyoming) at the Cowboy Open. Aside from that match, McGee has dominated in 2021-22.
We should get a good gauge on where freshman Jesse Vasquez is at this event. Vasquez won his Arizona State debut at the Mountaineer Invitational and followed that up with a dual victory, but hasn't been in action since mid-November. The former four-time California state champion could be an integral part of another trophy-winning team for the Sun Devils, if he can maintain that level of output. We expect to see Collin Gerardi get the call for Virginia Tech. A 2020 NCAA qualifier, Gerardi and teammate Sam Hillegas seem to be neck-and-neck; however, Hillegas was banged up and missed some time early in the year. He may not be ready for Florida. Gerardi might be able to slow down Vasquez and steal one for the Hokies.
Perhaps the match of this dual and one of the most entertaining ones all tournament will take place here at 149 with All-American Kyle Parco and Bryce Andonian. Parco quietly worked his way to a sixth-place finish at nationals last year for Fresno State. Since moving over to ASU, Parco has been excellent, beating AA Jonathan Miller (Arizona State) and former Hokie Mitch Moore (Oklahoma) during the first month of the year. Andonian is simply one of the most dangerous wrestlers in all of college. He is typically looking for big moves, throws, or just ways to get the opponent onto their back.
All-American Jacori Teemer will attempt to hold off a rapidly improving Connor Brady at 157 lbs. Brady is 7-1 this year and downed a top-15 opponent (Jarrett Jacques - Missouri) during his most recent outing. Teemer's offense has really opened up this year. He has yet to be held in single digits during any of his five matches this season.
Probably the biggest mismatch (on paper) in favor of the Sun Devils comes at 165 lbs, when Anthony Valencia takes on Clayton Ulrey. Valencia is a sixth-year senior that finally broke through and made the All-American podium, after coming close in years past and generally being a longtime AA contender. He has stacked bonus points in all but one match this year, so I'd expect him to make a push for it here.
Now we move into a run of two matches where Virginia Tech All-Americans take on unranked ASU grapplers. 2019 NCAA champion Mekhi Lewis and Hunter Bolen should have the opportunity to run up the score and help their team with bonus points at 174 and 184, against Zane Coleman and Josh Nummer, respectively.
The pendulum swings back towards Arizona State as we close out the dual with 197 lbs and 285. At 197, the Sun Devils will send out three-time Pac-12 champion Kordell Norfleet. While he's a heavy favorite, he'll need to wrestle the full seven minutes to deal with the relentless Dakota Howard.
The heavyweights are no strangers to each other, as this will be a rematch of the 2021 Pac-12 Championships, won by Cohlton Schultz, 3-1. He and Nathan Traxler met again in the NCAA Round of 12. That time there was no such drama as the ASU big man ended it quickly with a first-period fall. Since then, Traxler has graduated from Stanford and transferred to Virginia Tech.
Pick: Arizona State (20-14)
Northern Iowa vs. #11 Cornell
125 - #10 Brody Teske vs. #5 (133) Vito Arujau/Greg Diakomihalis
133 - #31 Kyle Biscoglia vs. #5 Vito Arujau/Dom Lajoie
141 - #26 Cael Happel vs. Cole Handlovic
149 - #28 Tristan Lara vs. #1 Yianni Diakomihalis
157 - Cayd Lara/Derek Holschlag vs. Colton Yapoujian/Adam Santoro
165 - #23 Austin Yant vs. #9 Julian Ramirez
174 - Pat Schoenfelder vs. #12 Chris Foca
184 - #4 Parker Keckeisen vs. #15 Jonathan Loew
197 - Noah Glaser vs. #19 Jacob Cardenas
285 - Tyrell Gordon vs. Drew Flynn
At first glance and judging by rankings, you may be quick to hand the dual win to Cornell. But, not so fast; this should be a close competitive dual, as Northern Iowa matches up well with the Big Red. We expect to see Vito Arujau down at 125 lbs for Florida, so that would set up an enticing match with 2021 Big 12 champion Brody Teske. In Teske's last appearance, he logged a pair of top-20 wins. Arujau's only competition of the year took place at 133 lbs, when he majored Stanford's Jackson DiSario.
Provided Arujau is at 125, Northern Iowa has a pair of ranked wrestlers, #31 Kyle Biscoglia and #26 Cael Happel, against unranked Cornell wrestlers.
165 has suddenly become a match to watch as Julian Ramirez has flown up the rankings after his controversial win over 2021 NCAA champion Shane Griffith. Ramirez showed he was no fluke after finishing fourth at the Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational. In Vegas, Ramirez earned a win over 2021 All-American Cameron Amine (Michigan). Northern Iowa counters with Austin Yant, who was fifth in the Big 12 last season and a national qualifier. He's gone 6-2 against a solid schedule, with one of those losses coming via injury default.
Up a weight, 174 lbs might be more competitive than the rankings indicate. Pat Schoenfelder has amassed a 9-4 record this year, with his most significant win being an 11-9 upset of Peyton Mocco (Missouri), who was ranked in the top ten at the time. Chris Foca was an upset victim himself in the second round at the CKLV Invitational, but fought back to claim third place. He started the year with a title at the Bearcat Open.
There's a challenging round-robin at 184 lbs between Cornell/Northern Iowa/Penn State. This edition will feature returning All-American Parker Keckeisen against Jonathan Loew. Keckeisen was third in the nation as a freshman and hasn't been seriously threatened yet this season. Loew is another Cornell wrestler that was third in Vegas. Loew downed three returning national qualifiers at the CKLV and another ranked opponent.
Pick: Cornell (19-12)
Northern Iowa vs. #2 Penn State
125 - #10 Brody Teske vs. Baylor Shunk
133 - #31 Kyle Biscoglia vs. #1 Roman Bravo-Young
141 - #26 Cael Happel vs. #1 Nick Lee
149 - #28 Tristan Lara vs. #22 Beau Bartlett
157 - Cayd Lara/Derek Holschlag vs. Tony Negron/Terrell Barraclough
165 - #23 Austin Yant vs. #26 Creighton Edsell
174 - Pat Schoenfelder vs. #1 Carter Starocci
184 - #4 Parker Keckeisen vs. #1 Aaron Brooks
197 - Noah Glaser vs. #3 Max Dean
285 - Tyrell Gordon vs. #4 Greg Kerkvliet
This dual gets kicked off, with Brody Teske facing his old team. I'm sure he'll be fired up for this one and ready to tally bonus points, if possible.
Although Penn State's top-ranked wrestlers at 133 and 141 lbs are facing ranked competition, don't be surprised if Roman-Bravo Young and Nick Lee still find a way to grab bonus points.
One of the toss-up bouts of the dual comes at 149 lbs as #28 Tristan Lara takes on highly acclaimed Beau Bartlett. As a true freshman, Bartlett was thrust into the starting role at 149 lbs and may have been undersized and didn't end up qualifying for nationals. This year, Bartlett is 4-1 with wins over three past national qualifiers. Lara's only competition of the season came at the Daktronics Open, where he went 3-1.
At 165 lbs, we'll get another test for Penn State's Creighton Edsell. Edsell has surprisingly grabbed ahold of the starting role and has not tasted defeat in 2021-22. However, meeting Austin Yant will represent his toughest test of the young season.
184 lbs will represent the main event of this dual. Returning NCAA third-place finisher Parker Keckeisen is 27-1 in his career. The only loss? That came to Penn State's NCAA Champion Aaron Brooks, 6-4, in the national semifinals last season. That six-point output for Brooks was one of the lowest of his title-winning campaign. This year, Brooks has blitzed the field with a major decision, tech, and pin in three matches.
Pick: Penn State (28-7)
by Richard Mann
#2 Penn State vs. #11 Cornell
125: Baylor Shunk (Penn State) vs. Greg Diakomihalis/Vitali Arujau (Cornell)
Shunk has been pressed into service after an injury has kept last year's starter, Robbie Howard, out of action. He may not be in service much longer, with former Central Michigan All-American Drew Hildebrandt waiting in the wings in the second semester. Shunk has gone 2-2 on the year, with his victories coming over Kyle Randall (Sacred Heart) and Ryan Chauvin (Army).
The younger Diakomihalis brother got the start at 125 pounds in Cornell's only dual of the year, and dropped a 3-1 decision against Logan Ashton (Stanford). He lost both of his matches at the CKLV Invitational against Malik Heinselman (Ohio State) and Jeremiah Reno (Nebraska). Arujau was expected to be one of the top contenders at this weight this year, but his only action so far has been at 133 pounds.
This match likely favors Cornell no matter which wrestler they send out. However, Arujau would likely be hoping to pick up bonus points against Shunk. During his redshirt season in 2020, he gave up bonus points in four of his nine losses, and this would represent a big step up in competition. Arujau down at 125 pounds is more exciting for the overall dual, so let's go with that.
Prediction: Arujau technical fall over Shunk
133: No. 1 Roman Bravo-Young (Penn State) vs. No. 5 Vitali Arujau/Dom LaJoie (Cornell)
After knocking off No. 2 Daton Fix (Oklahoma State) in overtime at last year's NCAA final, Bravo-Young is back looking for another title in what he says will be his final year of collegiate wrestling. Bravo-Young has won all four of his matches on the year and picked up bonus in three. The only wrestler to escape giving up bonus points was Jason Shaner Jr. (Oregon State), who dropped an 8-3 decision.
Arujau finished fourth at 125 pounds in 2019 as a freshman to become an All-American. He then missed the next two seasons after taking a redshirt and dealing with the pandemic. As previously stated, Arujau's only action this year came in the Stanford dual. In that match, he scored a 14-3 major decision over Jackson DiSario.
If Arujau was to make his way back down, the likely starter here would be LaJoie. During the 2020 season, LaJoie filled in at 125 pounds and qualified for the NCAA tournament. This year, he has wrestled already this season at the Jonathan Kaloust Bearcat Open and the CKLV Invitational. He holds a 4-3 record.
While Arujau down at 125 pounds might make for a more exciting dual meet, this match would certainly be more high profile with him here. Considering the size advantage Bravo-Young would have over Arujau, he would be the favorite in both matches. If LaJoie gets the start, Penn State would certainly be hoping for bonus points.
Prediction: Bravo-Young major decision over Lajoie
141: No. 1 Nick Lee (Penn State) vs. Cole Handlovic (Cornell)
Lee avenged his only defeat last season in the NCAA finals. His lone loss came against No. 2 Jaydin Eierman (Iowa) at the Big Ten tournament, but Lee got the win back in sudden victory with the NCAA title on the line. This year, he missed the dual against Army, but he is 4-0 on the year. In his last outing, Lee scored a 13-6 decision over Connor McGonagle (Lehigh).
Handlovic has had an interesting first season so far. After grey shirting last year and competing for the Spartan Combat RTC, he has been the starter at 141 pounds. He brought a 5-1 record into the CKLV Invitational. Even though he lost both of his matches, he went to overtime with All-American No. 10 Chad Red (Nebraska) and dropped a one-point decision against former top recruit Frankie Tal-Shahar (Northwestern).
Prior to this season, this would probably look like an easy bonus-point opportunity for Lee. However, he has not been running up the score as much on his opponents so far this season. Handlovic has shown he can be competitive at this level, but he is still looking for that first signature win. It is unlikely to come here, but this match could be a little bit closer than many expect.
Prediction: Lee decision over Handlovic
149: No. 22 Beau Bartlett (Penn State) vs. No. 1 Yianni Diakomihalis (Cornell)
Bartlett was a somewhat unlikely starter for Penn State at 149 pounds last year. This year he looks to have grown more into the weight and had some impressive results. Already this season, Bartlett has scored overtime victories over No. 23 PJ Ogunsanya (Army) and No. 26 Anthony Artalona (Penn). However, he came back down to earth a bit in his last outing as he dropped a 6-5 decision against No. 30 Manzona Bryant (Lehigh).
After a two-year hiatus, the two-time NCAA champion is back with two years of eligibility. After focusing mostly on freestyle since the 2019 season, Diakomihalis has had to knock off some rust, but he has won all six of his matches so far. He took a 3-1 decision over No. 11 Jaden Abas (Stanford) and then won the CKLV Invitational. Diakomihalis needed overtime to best No. 10 Ridge Lovett (Nebraska), but he survived and also picked up a win over returning runner-up No. 2 Sammy Sasso (Ohio State).
Diakomihalis should be the heavy favorite in this match. His ability to score on the feet and turn an opponent's offense into points will give him a lot of chances to score. Bartlett has lost four matches to date, but he has not yet surrendered bonus points.
Prediction: Diakomihalis major decision over Bartlett
157: Terrell Barraclough (Penn State) vs. No. 25 Colton Yapoujian (Cornell)
Many expected Joe Lee to start at this weight for Penn State, but so far, it has mostly been Barraclough. He represented the squad against both Army and Penn but failed to win either of those matches. Barraclough picked up his first win of the season against Luca Frinzi (Lehigh) in an extra match as Tony Negron got the dual match. Penn State could easily send out Negron or Joey Blumer if Lee is still not ready to go.
Yapoujian was an NHSCA and Fargo champion on the high school level. As a freshman during the 2021 season, he went 12-3 and won both the Jonathan Kaloust Binghamton Open and the Cornell Open. So far this season, Yapoujian has gone 5-1, with his only defeat coming against No. 18 Andrew Cerniglia (Navy).
157 has been a struggle for Penn State this year. They have sent out three different wrestlers in duals and gone a combined 0-5 at the weight. Yapoujian has looked strong in his return from injury and should be able to dominate his way to a victory here.
Prediction: Yapoujian major decision over Barraclough
165: No. 26 Creighton Edsell (Penn State) vs. No. 9 Julian Ramirez (Cornell)
Edsell got a big vote of confidence this week as assistant coach Casey Cunningham told the Centre Daily Times that the current plan is for top recruit Alex Facundo to redshirt and Edsell to continue starting at 165 pounds. After splitting time at 174 and 184 pounds the last two years, Edsell stepped into the lineup at 165 this year. He has made the most of the opportunity as he has gone 5-0 and picked up a recent victory over Brian Meyer (Lehigh) that pushed him into the rankings.
The season got off to a bit of a shaky start for Ramirez as he dropped an 8-5 decision against Penn State backup Matt Lee at an open tournament. However, he bounced back in a big way with one of the biggest upsets of the year as he defeated returning NCAA champion Shane Griffith (Stanford). Since then, Ramirez has finished fourth at the CKLV, where he scored victories over the likes of No. 24 Josh Ogunsanya (Columbia) and No. 10 Cameron Amine (Michigan).
Edsell has been a solid starter so far this season, but Ramirez should be able to take this match. He has not been a prolific scorer against top opposition this year. However, he will likely have the cleaner technique on the feet. That should be enough to carry him to a victory here.
Prediction: Ramirez decision over Edsell
174: No. 1 Carter Starocci (Penn State) vs. No. 12 Chris Foca (Cornell)
Starocci won an NCAA title in his first year in the lineup with a dramatic sudden victory upset over No. 2 Michael Kemerer (Iowa). This year, he has returned with a renewed confidence. Starocci has won all five of his matches and picked up bonus points in all as well. The opposition has not been the toughest so far this season with his best win likely coming over No. 23 Nick Incontrare (Penn).
After a 21-3 grey shirt year in 2020, Foca is finally getting a chance in the starting lineup. The former Bergen Catholic wrestler has started the year 13-1, with his only defeat coming via a 3-2 decision against No. 11 Adam Kemp (Cal Poly). That defeat came at the CKLV tournament, where he also picked up key victories over No. 15 Hayden Hastings (Wyoming) and No. 13 Cade DeVos (South Dakota State).
Foca has had a great showing so far this year, but this one might be too much too soon. Starocci proved himself to be one of the best wrestlers in college last year, and if anything, he has looked better this season.
Prediction: Starocci major decision over Foca
184: No. 1 Aaron Brooks (Penn State) vs. No. 15 Jonathan Loew (Cornell)
Brooks is the last of four returning NCAA champions for the Nittany Lions. In his first two seasons in the lineup for Penn State, Brooks went a combined 29-1, with his only defeat coming against No. 14 Taylor Venz (Nebraska). Since then, he has avenged that loss three times and cemented himself as the best 184-pound wrestler in the country. So far this year, Brooks has won all three of his matches with bonus points.
Loew qualified for the NCAA tournament through the EIWA as a freshman in 2020. He has returned this year and built a 9-1 record. Loew's lone defeat came against Venz in the semifinals of the CKLV tournament. He eventually finished third and claimed wins over No. 20 Max Lyon (Purdue) and No. 17 Tate Samuelson (Wyoming) in the bracket.
Loew has had a strong start to this season, but he really relies on having a physical edge over his opponents. Brooks is a very physical competitor in his own right, and he should be able to set up his attacks on the feet. That should put him in position to excel in this contest.
Prediction: Brooks major decision over Loew
197 No. 3 Max Dean (Penn State) vs. No. 19 Jacob Cardenas (Cornell)
Dean was a two-time All-American and NCAA runner-up for Cornell who transferred to Penn State this past offseason. There was some discussion that Dean would have to beat out last year's starter Michael Beard for the spot. However, Dean has been the wrestler at 197 pounds in all duals so far this year. He has been predictably dominant as he has scored a fall, three technical falls and a pair of major decisions. One of those technical falls came over No. 28 JT Brown (Army).
Cardenas has faced a tough schedule to start his first year in the lineup for Cornell. He has gone 6-3, with losses coming against No. 12 Louie DePrez (Binghamton), No. 11 Jake Woodley (Oklahoma) and No. 10 Thomas Penola (Purdue). Two of those three matches were decided by only a single point, and Cardenas forced overtime against Penola. On top of that, he already owns a pair of victories over ranked opponents No. 32. Nick Stemmet (Stanford) and No. 29 Jake Koser (Navy).
Cardenas has already been able to hang with some of the top wrestlers at this weight. In theory, that should make him primed for an upset here against the former Cornell wrestler. However, Dean has been showing some of the best offense of his career so far this year. If he is able to turn that on here against Cardenas, he will pick up the win over his former squad.
Prediction: Dean decision over Cardenas
285: Greg Kerkvliet (Penn State) vs. No. 18 Lewis Fernandes/Drew Flynn (Cornell)
There have been many starts and stops so far in the college career of Kerkvliet due to injury and illness. Despite that, he was still able to finish seventh as a freshman last year to become an All-American. This year, he started the first three duals, and picked up three-bonus-point victories, but then missed the previous two with illness.
Fernandes appeared to be the heavyweight for Cornell this season. However, he suffered an injury in the early portion of his bout in the Stanford dual, and he has not been back since. Fernandes was a two-time New Jersey state champion and one of the top recruits to come out of the state his senior year. If he can't go, Cornell likely will send out Drew Flynn, who is still looking for his first win on the season.
Kerkvliet defeated Fernandes via a 6-4 score back in 2020 when the current Cornell wrestler was greyshirting. This could be an interesting match for the dual. Kerkvliet is likely to be favored over both potential opponents if he is back in top form, but he would certainly be looking for bonus against Flynn.
Prediction: Kerkvliet fall over Flynn
Dual Prediction: Penn State over Cornell 24-16
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