From a pair of undefeated middleweights to a handful of little guys looking to make their first podium, here are InterMat's top 10 freshmen heading into the postseason.
1. Isaiah Martinez (Illinois, 157)
The top-ranked wrestler in the nation at 157 pounds, the hype on Martinez is starting to sound a lot more like Cael Sanderson and Logan Stieber than many would have expected in November. Ranked No. 1 in the nation and undefeated, Martinez is a wrestler that many believe could be on par scoring-wise with Ben Askren and David Taylor. He has an attack-first style that means he often puts up a lot of points and wins matches by football scores.
2. Bo Jordan (Ohio State, 165)
Also undefeated, Ohio State's Bo Jordan is getting the attention many believe he deserves. Ranked No. 5 in the country, Jordan has two wins over Michigan's Taylor Massa and put a beating on Iowa's Nick Moore 9-2. Though he hasn't faced any of the other top four there is no reason to believe that his foot will come off the pedal or that he couldn't handle Alex Dieringer, Michael Moreno or Nick Sulzer with his composure and talent.
3. Kyle Snyder (Ohio State, 197)
Everyone's favorite freshman phenom heading into the season Snyder, almost surprisingly, took some losses this season. Ranked No. 3 in the nation, Snyder owns wins over returning All-Americans Morgan McIntosh of Penn State and Scott Schiller of Minnesota. For Snyder to meet his goal of winning a national title he'll need to find a way past Missouri's J'den Cox, a wrestler who beat him during his high school days and a wrestler as capable of stymying attacks as he is launching them.
4. Brandon Sorensen (Iowa, 149)
Though he suffered a recent loss to Drake Houdashelt of Missouri, the season of Brandon Sorensen has been one of the most surprising storylines of the season. Ranked No. 5 in this week's InterMat rankings, Sorensen started the season as the expected backup to Grothus. Now the young grappler has a win over returning NCAA champion Jason Tsirtsis of Northwestern and has only taken losses to No. 1 Dave Habat of Edinboro and teammate Grothus.
5. Nathan Tomasello (Ohio State, 125)
At the center of any team championship run is a wrestler who can and will outperform expectations. While Ohio State has leaned on the mature styling of Kyle Snyder all season, their team title hopes may rest on Tomasello who at 24-4 has shown every inclination to beat some of the best wrestlers in the nation. Ranked No. 7 in the nation, Tomasello's only losses have come to the top guys, but with a motor that doesn't quit and an aggressive style he could very well work his way to a high position on the podium and help the Buckeyes make a run at the team title.
6. Willie Miklus (Missouri, 184)
The No. 16 wrestler in the nation, Miklus is coming off a big win against high school teammate and training partner Alex Meyer of Iowa. That win helped propel Missouri to the National Duals title and improve the young Tiger's outlook for postseason hardware. Miklus is 26-6 and placed sixth at the Southern Scuffle. Though not rotten with notable victories, he has a nice notch in his belt with a victory over ODU's returning All-American Jack Dechow.
7. Zach Epperly (Virginia Tech, 174)
Tough as a tank, Epperly has started his career for the Hokies by rattling off a 17-4 record with his only losses coming to Tanner Weatherman (Iowa State), Logan Storley (Minnesota) and Blaise Butler (Virginia). Ranked No. 7 in the nation Epperly crossed into big boy territory a few weeks ago when he upset Matt Wilps (Pittsburgh) a wrestler he's sure to see again at the ACC tournament.
8. Geordan Martinez (Boise State, 141)
Save an early season upset at the hands of Michael Ruiz (Great Falls (Mont.), Martinez is having a banner year in a stacked 141-pound weight class. Currently Ranked No. 6 in the nation, Martinez wasn't as publicized coming into college as many of the other wrestlers on the list. However, in his first season on the mats he has an impressive 25-4 record and every opportunity to find the podium in 2015.
9. Anthony Ashnault (Rutgers, 141)
The pride of new Jersey's prep wrestling scene, the ascension of Anthony Ashnault to a position of acclaim in NCAA wrestling has been quick. Currently ranked No. 9 in the nation, the tough young wrestler has a win over Martinez and Iowa's Josh Dziewa. However tough he is on the mats Ashnault has still dropped close matches, losing to Steven Rodrigues of Illinois, 2-0.
10. Ronnie Bresser (Oregon State, 125)
Repping an incredible 29 wins against only five losses, Bresser is having a statistically impressive year. Ranked No. 13 due to head-scratching losses, the young Oregon State wrestler will need a strong performance at the Pac-12 tournament to prove to himself and others that he can put together an impressive performance at the largest stage.
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