Let's examine 10 questions heading into the Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational.
Zahid Valencia celebrates after winning the NCAA title (Photo/Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWarriors.com)Is Zahid Valencia the Hodge Trophy frontrunner?
Valencia, a two-time returning NCAA champion, has lost just two matches in the regular season in his entire NCAA wrestling career. Valencia was a silver medalist at the Junior World Championships in 2017 and remains an outside threat to contend for an Olympic spot at 86 kilograms. With all four of last year's Hodge Trophy finalists gone (three graduated, one Olympic redshirting), Valencia is one of the favorites to win this year's Hodge. One of this year's preseason Hodge Trophy favorites, Seth Gross of Wisconsin, fell to Iowa's Austin DeSanto on Sunday night. Valencia is 8-0 and has had only one competitive match, an 8-7 victory over Nebraska's Taylor Venz. Venz will be in Las Vegas, along with several other ranked 184-pounders. Will Valencia dominate the field and lay claim to being the Hodge Trophy favorite? Or will this weekend hinder his Hodge Trophy chances?
Sammy Sasso gets his hand raised after a win over Stanford's Requir van der Merwe (Photo/Sam Janicki,SJanickiPhoto.com)Is freshman Sammy Sasso a national title threat at 149 pounds?
Sasso, a top-10 recruit in the Class of 2018, entered the season with a lot of hype after a strong redshirt season. Last season, Sasso compiled a 19-2 record as a redshirt and had multiple wins over All-Americans. He started this season by winning the Michigan State Open, earning bonus points in every match. He followed it up with a close win (3-1) over Stanford's Requir van der Merwe. Two matches later, Sasso was pinned in the first period by Virginia Tech's Brent Moore. On Sunday, Sasso looked strong early against Cornell's Hunter Richard. He led 5-2 after the opening period and 7-3 after the second. He extended his lead to 10-5 in the third period before fading late and holding on to win 12-9. Eleven ranked 149-pounders will be in Las Vegas, including six ranked above Sasso.
Purdue freshman Kendall Coleman won the Michigan State Open at 157 pounds (Photo/Sam Janicki,SJanickiPhoto.com)Who are potential freshman All-Americans?
The aforementioned Sasso is one of 11 ranked freshmen competing in Las Vegas this weekend. While Vegas might not reveal the nation's No. 1 freshman (since several will not be in Las Vegas), it will reveal potential freshman All-Americans. Last year, Minnesota's Gable Steveson claimed a Vegas title as a freshman at heavyweight and went on to become an All-American with a third-place finish at the NCAAs. Virginia Tech's Mekhi Lewis reached the Vegas finals last year as a freshman before going on to win a national title a few months later. In addition to Sasso, other freshmen ranked in the top 10 competing in Las Vegas include Minnesota's Brayton Lee (149), Iowa State's David Carr (157), Purdue's Kendall Coleman (157) and NC State's Trent Hidlay (184).
No. 4 Mitch McKee of Minnesota after getting a pin against Rider (Photo/Mark Beshey, The Guillotine)Where does Minnesota stand this season?
With All-American and Olympic hopeful Gable Steveson still suspended, Minnesota has struggled to a 1-2 in dual meet record and No. 19 ranking in both the tournament and dual meet rankings. The Gophers have four ranked wrestlers, with Mitch McKee (141) being the highest ranked Minnesota wrestler at No. 4. What's Minnesota's ceiling this season? That will largely depend on whether Steveson returns to the Gopher lineup. This weekend will help shed some light into the potential ceiling for a Gable-less Gopher team.
Is Arizona State more than a one-hit wonder?
Coach Zeke Jones and the Arizona State Sun Devils sent shock waves through the wrestling world when they knocked off Penn State in a home dual meet on Nov. 22, ending the Nittany Lions' 60-match dual meet win streak. ASU enters Las Vegas ranked No. 6 in the tournament rankings rankings and No. 4 in the dual meet rankings. Was the Sun Devils' victory over the Nittany Lions an aberration? Or did it signal that ASU could be a force to be reckoned with this season? With six of the nation's top 10 tournament teams in Las Vegas, this weekend will provide a good test for the red-hot Sun Devils.
Ohio State's Luke Pletcher lifts Oklahoma's Dom Demas in the finals of the Michigan State Open (Photo/Sam Janicki,SJanickiPhoto.com)Who is the nation's top 141-pounder?
Three of the nation's top four 141-pounders are expected to be in Las Vegas: No. 1 Luke Pletcher of Ohio State, No. 2 Dom Demas of Oklahoma and No. 4 Mitch McKee of Minnesota. Pletcher, a two-time All-American, moved up from 133 pounds this season and is undefeated. Preseason No. 1 Demas has just one loss, which came to Pletcher, 2-1, at the Michigan State Open. McKee, a returning All-American, enters this weekend undefeated at 11-0 but has not faced a ranked wrestler. If the expected seeds hold, McKee will face No. 2 Demas in the semifinals and No. 1 Pletcher in the finals. The 141-pound weight class in Las Vegas is also expected to include two-time All-American Chad Red of Nebraska and 2018 All-American Tariq Wilson of NC State, as well as ranked wrestlers Ian Parker of Iowa State and Mitch Moore of Virginia Tech.
Who is the nation's top 157-pounder?
The 157-pound weight class in Las Vegas will likely decide the No. 1-ranked wrestler in the nation at 157 pounds with the nation's top three 157-pounders expected to compete. Two-time All-American Hayden Hidlay of NC State is ranked No. 1. He is a perfect 8-0 but has been pushed in a couple matches this season. He scored a two-point win over ODU's Larry Early and a one-point victory over Appalachian State's Matt Zovistoski. Northwestern All-American Ryan Deakin, ranked No. 2, is a returning Las Vegas champion. He has wrestled just three matches this season, going 3-0 with one ranked win. Iowa State freshman David Carr climbed to No. 3 last week after beating previous No. 2 Kaleb Young of Iowa. Carr, the son of Cyclone great Nate Carr, won gold at the Junior World Championships this past summer. Purdue's Kendall Coleman is another wrestler who could contend for the title in Vegas. He is undefeated and ranked No. 8.
Who is the nation's top 184-pounder?
Like 141 pounds and 157 pounds, 184 pounds in Las Vegas is loaded with high-end talent and will likely decide who is No. 1 in the nation next Tuesday. Six of the top seven 184-pounders could be competing in Las Vegas. Two-time NCAA champion Zahid Valencia of Arizona State is the prohibitive favorite, but there are several highly ranked wrestlers looking to claim the No. 1 spot. No. 3 Taylor Lujan of Northern Iowa is undefeated and recently earned a 15-6 major decision over Nebraska's Taylor Venz, who will also be in Las Vegas. Venz gave Valencia his closest match this season, losing 8-7 at the Journeyman Collegiate Classic. The weight class also includes undefeated freshman Trent Hidlay of NC State, No. 5 Lou DePrez of Binghamton, 2018 All-American Ben Darmstadt of Cornell and No. 9 Hunter Bolen of Virginia Tech.
Michigan's Mason Parris is 3-0 against Central Michigan's Matt Stencel this season (Photo/Sam Janicki,SJanickiPhoto.com)Will Mason Parris continue his dominance at heavyweight?
Mason Parris won gold at the Junior World Championships in dominant fashion this past summer. He outscored his opposition 36-2. In the finals of Junior Worlds, Parris earned a first-period fall over Iran's Amir Zare, who recently defeated three-time reigning world champion Geno Petriashvili of Georgia. Parris has started this season with a perfect 10-0 record, which includes three wins over Central Michigan's Matt Stencel, a wrestler who pinned him twice last season. He outscored Stencel 17-3 in those matches. In addition, he dominated No. 8 Demetrius Thomas of Pitt, 14-3. In Las Vegas, Parris could see three other top-eight heavyweights: No. 5 Tate Orndorff Utah Valley, No. 6 Tanner Hall of Arizona State and No. 8 Chase Singletary of Ohio State. Will Parris continue his dominance and solidify his No. 2 ranking? Or will he suffer his first loss of the season?
Which unranked wrestlers will surprise in Las Vegas?
Every year there are unranked wrestlers who shine in Las Vegas and break into the rankings. Last year, 15 unranked wrestlers placed, with two reaching the finals, Purdue's Griffin Parriott and Nebraska's Eric Schultz. There will undoubtedly be some unranked wrestlers who make noise this year in Las Vegas and get on the national radar. Who will they be?
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