Alex Marinelli defeated Vincenzo Joseph in the 2019 Big Ten finals (Photo/Mark Lundy, Lutte-Lens.com)One of the best parts of any college season are the matchups that occur and the rivalries that develop.
The 2019-20 season promises to bring more of the same.
It will be an interesting year with numerous wrestlers taking Olympic redshirts and that could create more intriguing matchup possibilities during the college campaign.
There are already some strong rivalries going collegiately with more expected to unfold over the next five months.
Feel free to agree or disagree, but here is my list of 10 intriguing potential NCAA matchups for the college season.
165: Vincenzo Joseph (Penn State) vs. Alex Marinelli (Iowa)
These two powerful wrestlers are expected to clash as many as three times this season. Joseph is a two-time NCAA champion and three-time finalist, but he is 0-2 against Marinelli. Joseph lost in the 2019 NCAA finals to Virginia Tech freshman Mekhi Lewis, who upset the top-seeded Marinelli earlier in the tournament. No doubt, Joseph will be motivated to battle Marinelli again while Marinelli will be driven to bounce back from a disappointing finish to his sophomore season.
157: Hayden Hidlay (North Carolina State) vs. David Carr (Iowa State)
Hidlay will be determined to win a title this season after dropping a close match to Penn State's Jason Nolf at the NCAAs before Nolf finished his career with a third title. Carr is one of the most exciting newcomers in the country. He won a Junior world title this past summer and lost just one match while wrestling collegiately in open tournaments as a redshirt. This match would be entertaining to see.
125: Spencer Lee (Iowa) vs. Sebastian Rivera (Northwestern)
Lee won his second NCAA title this past March, but he went 0-2 against Rivera during his sophomore season. Rivera won the most recent battle against Lee 6-4 in overtime in the finals of the Big Ten tournament. The top-seeded Rivera lost to Virginia's Jack Mueller 8-2 in the NCAA semifinals before Lee downed Mueller 5-0 in the championship match. Rivera came back to place third in the nation.
197: Kollin Moore (Ohio State) vs. Kyle Conel (Penn State)
Conel returns this season as a graduate transfer for Penn State after previously competing at Kent State. Conel was one of the big stories of the 2018 NCAA tournament when he knocked off Moore twice. The unseeded Conel pinned the top-seeded Moore in the first period of the quarterfinals. He later defeated Moore 5-3 in the third-place match. Moore is ranked No. 1 to start this season after placing second at NCAAs this past season. No doubt, this matchup is one everyone wants to see during the 2019-20 season.
285: Anthony Cassar (Penn State) vs. Gable Steveson (Minnesota)
Cassar wasn't a wrestler many people expected to win an NCAA title before last season, but he came through with a superb postseason. One of the wrestlers expected to contend for the crown was Steveson, who placed third as a freshman. Steveson is a tremendous talent who is virtually unstoppable when he stays aggressive. It will be interesting to see what happens. Cassar edged Steveson 4-3 in the 2019 NCAA semifinals.
Seth Gross and Austin DeSanto are expected to meet Dec. 1 in Iowa City (Photos/Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWarriors.com)133: Seth Gross (Wisconsin) vs. Austin DeSanto (Iowa)
Gross started his career at Iowa and he's had his share of battles against Hawkeye opponents. He fell to Iowa's Cory Clark in the 2017 national finals before Gross won an NCAA title in 2018 for South Dakota State. It will be interesting to see how Gross fares this season. He returns to the mat as a grad transfer for Wisconsin after missing last season with an injury. It will definitely be intriguing to see him face the hard-charging and fiery DeSanto, who was fifth in the nation at 133 last year. DeSanto's matches are never boring. It will be fun to see Gross and DeSanto square off this season.
125: Jack Mueller (Virginia) vs. Nick Piccininni (Oklahoma State)
This would be a matchup of a pair of proven veterans who are looking to close their careers with a championship. Mueller was second at NCAAs last year and Piccininni fifth. Piccininni did defeat Iowa's Spencer Lee last season before falling to him in the NCAA semifinals. Do one of these wrestlers have something special in mind for their final collegiate campaign? Mueller and Piccininni are definitely capable of making strong runs this season.
149: Austin O'Connor (North Carolina) vs. Brock Mauller (Missouri)
This is another weight class that has cleared out after last season. O'Connor is the highest returning finisher at 149 after taking third with Mauller being the next highest returning wrestler after finishing sixth. O'Connor edged Mauller 4-3 in the consolation semis at the 2019 NCAAs. Expect another close, hard-fought battle if they meet again this season.
174: Mark Hall (Penn State) vs. Michael Kemerer (Iowa)
Hall won NCAAs as a freshman before falling to Arizona State's Zahid Valencia the past two seasons. Hall is the favorite at 174 with Valencia bumping up to 184 this season. One of Hall's biggest challengers could be Kemerer, who was an All-American at 157 in 2017 and 2018 before missing last season with an injury. Kemerer is moving up two weight classes, but he was expected to go 174 last year before his injury so he should be fine at his new class. It will be interesting to see how Kemerer fares when he receives a chance to face Hall.
141: Dom Demas (Oklahoma) vs. Chad Red (Nebraska)
Demas and Red met this past weekend at the Journeymen Collegiate Classic, with Demas getting a first-period fall. Both exceeded their seeds at the 2019 NCAAs. Demas placed fourth after being a 9 seed and Red was eighth after being a 16 seed. These are two dynamic and explosive wrestlers with the capability of lighting up the scoreboard. This weight class is wide-open this season with most of the top finishers having graduated or taking Olympic redshirts. Demas and Red could move up on the podium with strong seasons at 141 pounds.
Craig Sesker has written about wrestling for more than three decades. He's covered three Olympic Games and is a two-time national wrestling writer of the year.
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