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In the interim between the B1G regular season and the B1G conference tournament, I couldn’t figure out what to write about. Then I thought, everyone loves awards and categories (everyone does, this is not up for debate), so that’s what I’m giving you. Will these awards be repeated next year? Who knows! Are there physical awards being handed out? Absolutely not! Will the winners be telling their grandkids about this? Most definitely. Let’s get right to it! Breakout star - This award goes to Ryder Rogotzke of Ohio State. There were several strong candidates for this award, but I can’t get past Ryder “Ride or Die” Rogotzke and his ability to seemingly beat anyone at any given time. The Buckeye true freshman started the season by losing his challenge match to Seth Shumate, but has finished the season by earning the coveted “Black Shirt” status, and compiling a 15-6 record (13 pins and one technical fall, which if my math checks out, means that he had 1 actual decision victory on the year). There has been some exciting action from newcomers this season, but none as consistently exciting as Ryder. He’s ready to get weird with it, so be ready to watch it all unfold. B1G Wrestler of the Year - People think that wrestlers go through a grind during the college wrestling season. I’m not saying that they don’t, but don’t underestimate the grind and laborious nature of picking the B1G Wrestler of the Year. So many Nittany Lions to choose from! Do we go with the most wins? I can’t bring myself to do that. Despite Beau Bartlett having the most wins, he was less dominant than many of his high-profile teammates. I can’t use winning percentage, because there are too many guys who remain undefeated on the team (the aforementioned Beau Bartlett, Levi Haines, Mitchell Mesenbrink, Carter Starocci, Aaron Brooks, and Greg Kerkvliet). All of those guys also have won more than half of their matches by bonus points, but Aaron Brooks has an absurd 92.86% bonus point winning percentage (shoutout WrestleStat). Of his 14 wins, 13 have been by bonus points. In fact, to this point in the season, the only person to hold him to a regular decision was Zach Glazier of Iowa (5-1 decision) the 3 seed at 197 for the B1G tournament. It’s hard to argue that someone this dominant isn’t the B1G Wrestler of the Year. So congratulations Aaron Brooks! You did it! B1G Match of the Year - This is kind of a legacy award for me, but these two deserve it. I love the Wisconsin v Minnesota battles, and most specifically, the 125 pounders. We have been so lucky to watch Pat McKee and Eric Barnett battle so many times, and despite the head-to-head record being slightly in favor of McKee (6-4 McKee > Barnett to this point), the matches always seem to be insane and exciting to watch. I was genuinely bummed to see that McKee and Barnett weren’t on the same side of the B1G tournament brackets, but I truly hope they either both make the finals, or meet on the backside, because it’s straight-fire watching these two battle. It’s like the Game of Thrones episode “Battle of the Bastards”, but a wrestling match. This season, in McKee’s last home dual of his career, it started with a takedown for Barnett (who at this point held a 3-1 regular season win total over McKee) and an eventual 4-1 lead after an escape in the second. McKee however gets a shot of his own, culminating in a wild scramble, and an eventual figure four on the head of Barnett, ending up in a pin for the Golden Gopher. You’d think that maybe an overtime match or something else would win this award, but not this year. Congratulations to Barnett and McKee for this match, and the battles over the years. B1G Dual of the Year - There was a lot of build-up headed into Michigan v Ohio State, and it absolutely delivered. The Buckeyes hosted the Wolverines in this season's installment of the continued rivalry. The dual started in just about complete control for the road team, as they won four of the first five matches. Sadly, we missed out on a potentially awesome match at 141, as Sergio Lemley did not pass the skin check. I don’t know when it will happen, but Mendez v Lemley will eventually be so much fun for us all. I hope it happens sooner rather than later. The Buckeyes win their first match of the dual at 165 with a late takedown for Bryce Hepner to take the 12-10 win over Beau Mantanona. Shane Griffith gets the 2-1 win at 174 over another stud freshman in Rocco Welsh, bringing the Wolverine lead to 19-9. With three matches left, two of which Michigan was favored in, it felt like the dual was essentially over. At this point, Michigan had won all of the actual matches except for one. This is when Ohio State turned up the heat, with a huge 21-0 technical fall for Ryder Rogotzke over Jaden Bullock followed by a decision for Luke Geog over Rylan Rogers. Two matches and eight team points later, we enter heavyweight with freshman Nick Feldman taking on Lucas Davison, the multiple-time All-American transfer from Northwestern. Feldman stepped up big at home for his team, and sealed the dual victory with a 4-3 victory over Davison, declaring to the NCAA field that he is as dangerous as they come. It was a wild dual to watch when it happened, and kind of more wild to recap after the fact. Congratulations to the Ohio State Buckeyes on winning dual of the year. B1G Coach of the Year - This award I had to break up and share between two coaches. Cael Sanderson is undoubtedly one of those recipients. He just continues to win! Sure, he was expected to win with this roster and some of the recent transfers, but this has been especially impressive. Messenbrink is probably somehow better than we thought (and I thought he was going to be a super freak, but this is nuts), Starocci and Brooks' dominance has been great. Kerkvliet in a field without Parris or Steveson has clearly shown that he’s head and shoulders above the competition, and they even seemingly broke the curse of 125 with a beast in Braeden Davis. All of this deserves recognition and a share of the Coach of the Year award. But this is what was expected on some level right? We thought this team was going to be amazing, and it turns out that they’ve delivered on those expectations. What was a little surprising to me was just what Nebraska and coach Mark Manning have done. We knew that there were some returning studs in guys like Hardy, Lovett, Robb, and Allred, but what to expect from the rest of the Cornhusker team? Well, it turns out the answer was a lot. Caleb Smith has shown the ability to beat some of the nation's best as he transferred in from the SoCon, Antrell Taylor has beaten All-Americans and is clearly a guy to watch out for, they even got a 300+ pound defensive tackle from the football team to cut weight and be their Heavyweight. They currently sit in third place in both the Intermat dual and tournament rankings, and I don’t know if even the biggest Husker fan would have predicted that at the beginning of this season. Also, Lenny Pinto has clearly jumped levels this year and has a bright future for this squad. So congratulations to both Mark Manning and Cael Sanderson on your shared B1G Coach of the Year award.

We're officially in the second half of the collegiate wrestling season and have a full schedule of DI duals this week. A total of 45 duals will be contested. Since it can be difficult to figure out where and when to watch all of these events, InterMat has put together a list of all of the live-streamed events occurring this week. Below are the dates/times and how to watch each match (with links). All times listed are Eastern. Friday, January 26: George Mason at Bloomsburg 7:00 PM PSAC Digital Network Ohio at Cleveland State 7:00 PM FloWrestling Virginia at Duke 7:00 PM ACC Network Extra Wisconsin at Michigan State 7:00 PM B1G+ Michigan at Ohio State 7:00 PM Big Ten Network NC State at PIttsburgh 7:00 PM ACC Network Columbia at Princeton 7:00 PM ESPN+ Lock Haven at Rider 7:00 PM ESPN+ North Carolina at Virginia Tech 7:00 PM ESPN+ Missouri at West Virginia 7:00 PM ESPN+ Wyoming at Northern Colorado 8:00 PM FloWrestling Nebraska at Northwestern 8:00 PM B1G+ Iowa State at Oklahoma 8:00 PM ESPN+ Northern Iowa at Oklahoma State 8:00 PM ESPN+ Air Force at South Dakota State 8:00 PM FloWrestling Iowa at Illinois 9:00 PM Big Ten Network Little Rock vs. Oregon State at Hillsboro, OR 9:00 PM Saturday, January 27: Appalachian State at Appalachian Open 9:00 AM Harvard at Cornell 12:00 PM ESPN+ LIU at Hofstra 1:00 PM Hofstra Pride YouTube Minnesota at Rutgers 1:00 PM B1G+ Brown at Cornell 2:00 PM ESPN+ Central Michigan at Northern Illinois 2:00 PM NIU All-Access Harvard at Binghamton 5:30 PM ESPN+ Army West Point at Bucknell 6:00 PM Bucknell Athletics YouTube Purdue at Indiana 7:00 PM B1G+ Iowa State at Oklahoma State 7:00 PM ESPN+ Franklin & Marshall at Sacred Heart 7:00 PM NEC Front Row Brown at Binghamton 7:30 PM ESPN+ Northern Iowa at Oklahoma 8:00 PM ESPN+ Sunday, January 28: Queens at Newberry Open 8:00 AM Lock Haven at Mat Town Open II, hosted by Lock Haven 9:30 AM Penn State at Maryland 12:00 PM Big Ten Network Virginia at American 1:00 PM ESPN+ Gardner-Webb at Bellarmine 1:00 PM ESPN+ Missouri at Cornell 1:00 PM ESPN+ Bucknell at Drexel 1:00 PM FloWrestling Clarion at Edinboro 1:00 PM FloWrestling Columbia at Penn 1:00 PM ESPN+ Air Force at North Dakota State 1:30 PM NDSU All-Access Davidson at Chattanooga 2:00 PM ESPN+ Bloomsburg at Rider 2:00 PM ESPN+ Central Michigan at SIU Edwardsville 2:00 PM ESPN+ VMI at The Citadel 2:00 PM ESPN+ Nebraska at Wisconsin 2:00 PM Big Ten Network West Virginia at Morgan State 3:00 PM Morgan State All-Access Navy at North Carolina 3:00 PM ESPN+ Iowa at Northwestern 3:00 PM B1G+ Little Rock at Stanford 6:00 PM Pac-12 Network

I imagine you’ve seen a movie or TV show where the main character finds themselves in a precarious predicament and says “You’re probably wondering how I got here.” Or perhaps that’s made it across your screen in a meme format. Either way, that character usually narrates all of the events that led up to the mess they find themselves in. Well, for more than two months now, wrestling fans/coaches/media members have lamented about how crazy the 125 lb weight class has been this year. InterMat has gone through four different #1’s this year and has gone back to the original one (for now) in Matt Ramos. Other sites have had two and three other #1’s. #2’s have suffered a similar fate. Luke Stanich ascending to the second spot this week makes six different wrestlers who have held that ranking for some length of time. The craziness isn’t limited to the top of the weight class, they’ve happened up and down the entire weight class. I stopped being shocked at anything this weight had to offer a few weeks ago. That leads us to the question I’m seeking to answer today. “You’re probably wondering how we got here.” In my 16 years of covering collegiate wrestling, I’ve never seen a weight class like this. How did we get to the point where chaos and unpredictability are well, predictable? photo courtesy of Tony Rotundo; WrestlersAreWarriors.com Graduation Hopefully, we never have to endure a similar situation as was presented to the world and the wrestling community as we did in 2020 and 2021 during the COVID era. The NCAA mandated that athletes retaining eligibility during the 2020-21 school year would have a “free year” of eligibility. That was good for the student-athletes impacted by the Covid shutdown, but it’s created a backlog of athletes, which we are still feeling the impact. For the purposes of this article, we will use the terms “seniors” and “graduation” to indicate a wrestler's final year of eligibility and them exhausting said eligibility. We understand that some of those seniors may have already technically graduated. For proof of this backlog, look no further than the 125 lb weight class at the 2023 NCAA Championships. It featured five seniors who ended up on the NCAA podium. Five sounds like a lot, huh? For context, 125 lbs has never had five seniors earn All-American honors in the history of the weight class; which dates back to 1999. You’d have to go back to when the smallest weight class was 118 lbs in 1994 to find such a year. For context, two of the All-Americans that year, Sammie Henson and Kevin Roberts, have sons who are currently ranked wrestlers (Wyatt and Drew) in 2024. Basically, we haven’t seen a similar exodus of top-tier talent from 125 lbs in 30 years. And not just any seniors, wrestlers like Patrick Glory and Spencer Lee, who were penciled in at or near the top of the national rankings for their entire careers. Though he had a few ups and downs, Brandon Courtney was a constant at the top of the weight for much of the last three seasons. Liam Cronin really took the next step in his final year at Nebraska and was very consistent in 2022-23. Killian Cardinale was generally consistent too; however, he missed significant time throughout his final two years because of injuries. When you have a wrestler or two of the caliber of the graduated seniors from 2023, they’ll push the rest of the weight class down a notch or two and suddenly, a wrestler that’s ranked sixth in the nation getting upset doesn’t seem as severe as number two losing. photo courtesy of Tony Rotundo; WrestlersAreWarriors.com Recruiting If you look back at the last eight NCAA champions at 125 lbs, you’ll notice a slight trend. Excluding, Darian Cruz in 2017, all of the champions since 2015 at this weight class have been blue-chip recruits. Like the top of the top. Cruz wasn’t shabby either at #37 in the Class of 2013. The others: Patrick Glory #17 in 2018 Spencer Lee #2 in 2017 Nico Megaludis #3 in 2011 Nathan Tomasello #6 in 2013 Everyone loves a good underdog story and seeing an unheralded recruit develop into a super-stud in college. But the reality is that the vast majority of wrestlers competing for DI national titles were at the top of their respective graduating classes and were ready to compete in college from day one. Looking at the NCAA finals from 2023, 12 of the 20 finalists were ranked in the top ten of their recruiting classes. Four others were between 12-20. Two more came in between 21-30. Finally, there were two wrestlers who didn’t appear in the final MatScouts big board during their senior year of high school (Matt Ramos and Tanner Sloan at 197 lbs). So, how does that impact the current crop of 125 lber? Well, there just aren’t that many blue, blue-chip 125’s running around these days. The Class of 2023 only had one projected 125 lber amongst MatScouts top-30 seniors. That was Marc-Anthony McGowan who inked with Princeton. McGowan was injured in the preseason and has deferred enrollment until fall 2024. The Class of 2022 only had one projected 125 lber amongst MatScouts top-30 seniors. That was Troy Spratley, who originally signed and redshirted at Minnesota before transferring and assuming the starting role at Oklahoma State this season. Now getting really elite, the only wrestlers in the top-ten of their recruiting class and who have competed at 125 lbs in high school since the Lee/Vito Arujau year of 2017 are Richie Figueroa, Drake Ayala,, and Dean Peterson. Those three came in at three, four, and ten, respectively, in the Class of 2021. So, within the last four years, we haven’t had any freshmen Levi Haines’, Carter Starocci’s, Keegan O’Toole’s, or AJ Ferrari’s at 125 lbs. Those are all wrestlers who came in and immediately declared themselves national title threats, as freshmen. Of this bunch, only Starocci redshirted. Looking at the 125 lb All-American list since the Covid-restart in 2021, the only freshmen that have made the national podium during those three NCAA tournaments are Eddie Ventresca and Sam Latona; coincidentally, both from Virginia Tech. That’s the list. Most people assume that because of the size, freshmen are more likely to win earlier at 125 lbs. To really compete at nationals, individually and as a team, you have to have the horses. One problem with this weight is there isn’t a consistent number of thoroughbreds coming into college each year. For comparison’s sake, three times since the loaded Class of 2017, has the top overall recruit been a heavyweight (Nick Feldman/’22, Greg Kerkvliet/’19, Gable Steveson/’18). Other top-three recruits in that span include Cohlton Schultz/’19 and Mason Parris/’18. Is it a surprise that 285 lbs has been as good as ever in the past few years? It’s no secret that finding a four-year starter (and a star) at 125 lbs remains one of the hardest commodities on the market for collegiate coaches. Which brings us to: photo courtesy of Tony Rotundo; WrestlersAreWarriors.com Logjams Coaches know that finding a four-year starter at 125 lbs is a difficult proposition so they tend to take as many swings at the pinata as possible. We’ll address moving up to 133 lbs next, but that’s always a possibility, so you need a contingency plan. If a 157 lber suddenly can’t make the weight, you can bump up 149’s or even 141’s in a pinch. That’s not the case at 125. That problem leads to some logjams at 125. One of Penn State’s breakout stars this season has been true freshman Braeden Davis. With Davis in the starting lineup, the Nittany Lions now have Robbie Howard, Kurt McHenry, and Gary Steen on the bench. Would those three be All-Americans this year? Probably not; however, if they were at another school, they would likely represent upgrades from their current 125 lb situation. Cornell also has Greg Diakomihalis, Ohio State got to redshirt Vinny Kilkeary after Brendan McCrone’s emergence, and Virginia Tech has the Cooper Flynn/Ventresca tandem. The two went back-and-forth for the majority of the 2022-23 season when Ventresca was healthy. In addition to Jakob Camacho, NC State has 2023 ACC champion Jarrett Trombley and Troy Hohman, who has wins over two ranked 125’s. Though Luke Stanich has been a standout for Lehigh, Sheldon Seymour has gotten a lot of work and owns a 12-3 record. Looking back at the 2022-23 season, there were three wrestlers, currently ranked in the top-20, who sat behind All-Americans. Flynn with Ventresca, Richie Figueroa behind Brandon Courtney, and Spratley who was behind Patrick McKee at Minnesota. This isn’t the number one factor; however, were some of these wrestlers spread out amongst 125 lb-needy schools, it could lead to more stability at the weight. photo courtesy of Tony Rotundo; WrestlersAreWarriors.com Moving Up It’s no secret - expecting 19 to 23-year-old young men to make 125 lbs 16 different times (as Matt Ramos did) in a year is brutal. It’s more common at 125 than any other collegiate weight, that a wrestler will need to move up at some point in their collegiate careers. Looking at the current national rankings, there are nine ranked 133 lbers that started their collegiate careers wrestling at 125. They are: Vito Arujau (Cornell), Dylan Shawver (Rutgers), Michael Colaiocco (Penn), Sam Latona (Virginia Tech), Brody Teske (Iowa), Jacob Van Dee (Nebraska), Braxton Brown (Maryland), Dom Zaccone (Campbell), Mason Leiphart (F&M) The first four wrestlers are ranked in the top-11 at 133 lbs. Arujau and Latona have both placed in the top-six at 125 lbs; along with earning All-American honors at 133. Could wrestlers of their caliber, not to mention the five below them, held 125 (and done so in a healthy/productive manner) they would be top contenders at the weight, making the top-tier look much less volatile. Shawver could qualify for this category and the “logjam” mention as he moved up to 133 after losing a wrestle-off to Dean Peterson last season. Looking at InterMat’s current rankings, you’ll find a pair of true freshmen in the top-five at 125 lbs with #2 Luke Stanich and #4 Braeden Davis. That could mean more stability in the future, right? Not necessarily. There are already rumblings out of Bethlehem that Stanich could end up as a 141 lber at some point during his collegiate career. If you pay attention, you’ll notice Lehigh’s staff has been very deliberate about his usage at the weight. Like Stanich, some initially saw Davis as a 133 lber. That makes sense as his fourth Michigan State title was won at 138 lbs. Top high seniors of Davis’ caliber often bump up in weight for team purposes or for comfort, so that likely wasn’t his ideal weight class. Yet, at the same time, it’s hard to imagine him staying at 125 for another three seasons. On the opposite end of the spectrum, there were a pair of notable 133’s that moved down to 125 this season. Brayden Palmer (Chattanooga) and Jack Maida (American) both qualified for nationals at 133 last season. Both have had their moments at 125, but also some unusual losses. And some strategic times out of the lineup. If the weight cut goes well, both will be bigger and stronger than most opponents. If it doesn’t, they could be in trouble. Which obviously could lead to unpredictable results. photo courtesy of Tony Rotundo; WrestlersAreWarriors.com Styles Clash This is something that only really applies to a couple key members of this weight class; however, it can’t be totally overlooked. Who are the only two multiple-time All-Americans currently at 125 lbs? Correct, seniors Eric Barnett (Wisconsin) and Patrick McKee. Both are highly decorated and capable of ending up on the top step of the podium in mid-March. At the same time, neither will ever go undefeated. In theory and in practice (as both already have multiple losses this year). Both Barnett and McKee are the type of wrestlers that are fun for fans to watch. They both have the mindset of possibly surrendering a takedown if it puts them in position to earn back points. Against most opponents, they’ll have the talent and experience to prevail in precarious situations. Or come back from a deficit. However, there are a couple occasions where time runs out during a frantic comeback or they’ve dug themselves too big of a hole. As I said earlier, I wouldn’t be shocked if either of them won an NCAA title. But over the course of a season, each will go up and down in the rankings, a bit. That’s different from other weight classes where the most credentialed members rarely drop from the top-four and don’t generally lose to wrestlers from outside of that group. photo courtesy of Tony Rotundo; WrestlersAreWarriors.com Injuries Wrestling in college is brutal. That’s not new news for anyone reading this. It’s particularly bad at 125 lbs when you have a wrestler who’s likely cutting more weight than you probably should. Heavyweights know not to take errant shots for fear of a 260 lb man dropping down on their head and neck. 125’s typically attack more, leading them to getting overextended on shots and getting into gnarly scrambles where knees are twisted in directions they’re not intended to bend. We went through a stretch in the late 2000’s-early 2010’s where the NCAA title was won by an underclassman, however, they were too beaten down as seniors to go out on top. Angel Escobedo, Troy Nickerson, Matt McDonogh, Jesse Delgado all fit the bill. Spencer Lee’s entire career was marred by injuries, though it was difficult to tell because of his dominance. I don’t have the stats to back this up and most wrestlers and coaches don’t necessarily want to talk about injuries while they’re still active, but it “seems” like they have taken a toll on elite 125’s more than any other weight. We might have to wait until late-March or April, to find out more about the injury status of some of today’s 125 lbers. That being said, one promising 125 lber, still active, whose career has been derailed by injuries is Penn State’s Robbie Howard. Howard was a very highly touted recruit for the Nittany Lions who made the 2021 national tournament as a true freshman. During that abridged season, he logged wins over Dylan Ragusin, Dylan Shawver, Malik Heinselman, and Jack Medley. Had he not spent two years away from collegiate competition, he may have been someone near the top of the rankings today and Davis would be in the midst of a redshirt season. One other potential contender who’s dealt with his fair share of injuries has been Michael DeAugustino. In 2019-20, as a redshirt freshman, the previously unheralded DeAugustino finished third in the Big Ten, earning a ninth seed at the ill-fated 2020 national tournament. He’d receive first-team All-American honors from the NWCA. Since then, DeAugustino has spent significant time away from the mat and in the training room. Last year, he only saw action in nine matches before going to the Last Chance Open on the final weekend of the regular season. DeAugustino made the semifinals of the 2023 Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational before suffering an apparent knee injury against Brett Ungar (Cornell). He just returned to the mat on January 12th. Another wrestler assumed to be a contender at 125 lbs this year has dealt with injuries. Richie Figueroa has been sidelined on two separate occasions this year. We’ll see if that has any long-term impact on the 2024 national tournament and his career. Summary Those are some of the reasons why we are where we are at 125 lbs today. Remember, it isn’t something that happened overnight or when the calendar turned to November and the 2023-24 season began. This has been in the works for a few years now. It was easy to overlook these past couple of years when you have Spencer Lee, Nick Suriano, and Patrick Glory atop the rankings. Because of the reasons stated above, I don’t foresee this changing for the remainder of the season. A good sign for the future is that six of the top-ten wrestlers at the weight are either freshmen or sophomores. As they get more experience, consistency may follow. Also, looking ahead to next season, the top recruit in the Class of 2024 Luke Lilledahl, is projected to compete at 125 lbs. Of course, he’s signed with Penn State, so maybe that leads to more logjam-type issues, though redshirts could be used. In 2025, Cornell commit Anthony Knox is currently ranked fourth in his class and could stay at 125. But until then, enjoy the rest of this action-packed movie that we call 125 lbs, it’s a roller coaster ride!

Between Ironman, Hall of Fame Duals, a couple Husker duals, and Blair-Sem-Delbarton, I’ve spent about 10 days at home in the last 40. For the first time in quite a while, I can sit back, relax, and get totally immersed in college wrestling this week. And it’s a robust slate. Let’s get into it… 5. It’s Conference Time From here on out, the majority of the college schedule is in-conference competition. With those matches being critical for seeding at qualifiers coupled with the low match counts for dozens of prominent contenders, I’m hoping it results in a drastic reduction of ‘ducking’ and/or high-profile matchups not materializing. 4. How Good is 2024 Michael DeAugustino? Two years ago, then at Northwestern, DeAugustino posted a terrific season that culminated in a 4th place finish at NCAA’s. But he’s been oft-injured and quite an enigma since. He was just 9-9 last year with highs (a win over Matt Ramos) and lows (a loss to Blake West). To start the year, he defaulted out of CKLV and stands at just 6-1 on the year. Well here’s a big spot for him. This weekend he gets #14 Braeden Davis (PSU) and #13 Dean Peterson (RU). If he gets through both, he’s once again a player in March and in a weight that’s totally up for grabs. 3. And More 125 In this topsy-turvy world of 125, Drake Ayala is the new #1 in the country. On Friday, he’ll face #2-Matt Ramos as the Hawks dual Purdue. 2. My (Other) Favorite Head-to-Heads #1 Ryan Crookham (LEH) vs. #10 Michael Colaiocco (PENN) No Previous Meetings #6 Dylan Ragusin (MICH) vs. #8 Dylan Shawver (RU) Ragusin won 4-1 a couple weeks ago at Midlands. #3 Peyton Robb (NEB) vs. #10 Michael Blockhus (MINN) Blockhus is fresh off a 5-4 win over #2-Jared Franek, who beat Robb last week. #9 Mitch Mesenbrink (PSU) vs. #10 Caleb Fish (MSU) Fish is coming off a win over #7 Cam Amine, who Mesenbrink wrestles Friday. #2 Dustin Plott (OKST) vs. #4 Trey Munoz (ORST) No Previous Meetings #3 Lenny Pinto (NEB) vs. #10 Isaiah Salazar (MINN) Salazar won 7-6 in last year’s dual. #5 Cohlton Schultz (ASU) vs. #12 Dayton Pitzer (Pitt) Pitzer won 4-0 over Schultz at Midlands last season. 1. Almost All of PSU-Michigan Penn State is #1, Michigan #5. And on an individual level, there are so many good matchups and questions to be answered. Let’s start with PSU’s freshmen, which are all undefeated. Braeden Davis takes on veteran #5 Michael DeAugustino. Ty Kasak takes on super senior #6 Austin Gomez. Mitch Mesenbrink will face perennial All-American Cam Amine. 133 is a #4 vs. #6 matchup between Nagao and Ragusin.174 pits two NCAA Champions: Carter Starocci and Shane Griffith. And 285 has #1 Kerkvliet vs. #4 Davidson. That’s it for me this week. It’s going to be a fun one. And I get to watch every second of it from my own couch. Also - don’t forget to tune in to one of the best atmospheres in wrestling as Buchanan hosts Clovis tonight live on MatScouts.

We’ve turned the corner in the college wrestling season. Mid-January means almost all attention is on in-conference duals. We’ll see #2 vs. #3 in the Big Ten and the end of an era in the EIWA. Both are among the five big things I’m focusing on this weekend. 5. Adds With classes starting in Iowa City next Tuesday, will anyone be added to the team? Amid months of speculation, Iowa skipper Tom Brands spoke at a press conference Tuesday and, when asked if the team would have any roster additions this semester he said, ‘We do not, at this moment.’ It’s not crystal clear, but it’s an indication that neither Anthony nor AJ Ferrari will be joining the Hawks after that seemed to be a foregone conclusion throughout the offseason, fall semester, and over the holidays. There have also been rumors and mixed messages regarding a possible Gable Steveson return. 4. Drops Does Daton or Vito drop to 125? With the Olympic Team Trials (April 19th) in such close proximity to NCAA’s (March 23rd), it could make sense for either to shrink down well ahead of time. Increasing the intrigue and plausibility for this to happen was Daton purportedly weighing in well under 133lbs for his dual last week against NC State, and Vito’s absence from the Big Red lineup. Vito hasn’t competed since December 18th and could be avoiding weigh-ins until he can make a weight that allows him to go 125 based on the descent plan formula. Recent quotes from Mike Grey indicate that Vito plans to remain at 133. 3. Mean Dean vs. The King Slayer Rutgers visits Purdue this week and it should be a good dual. But the marquee match will be last week’s #2 at 125, Dean Peterson, vs. this week’s #2, Matt Ramos. Other than what follows below, it could be the biggest individual bout of the weekend. 2. Huskers & Hawks Iowa hasn’t lost to Nebraska since Jim Zelesky’s last year at the helm. The next year, Tom Brands took over and the Hawks have won 14 straight vs. The Huskers. But Iowa lost six starters from last year’s dual lineup and Nebraska is reinforced with #1-Ridge Lovett off redshirt. The Huskers have a real shot to beat their neighbors to the east this year. It’s the premier dual of the week and will be televised on The Big Ten Network on Friday night. Here’s the projected lineups; picks in BOLD: 125: #5-Drake Ayala (I) vs. #7-Caleb Smith (N) History: Ayala beat Smith in 2022, 5-2. The Pick: Smith is much improved and could certainly win but I’m going with precedence. 133: #7-Brody Teske (I) vs. #30-Jacob Van Dee (N) History: Teske beat Van Dee two weeks ago 5-4. The Pick: They traded takedowns. Van Dee can win, but like 125, Teske is the safe pick. 141: #1-Real Woods (I) vs. #7-Brock Hardy (N) History: Woods beat Hardy 6-4 in the Big Ten Finals and then majored him at NCAA’s. The Pick: Hardy gave Real a good go in the B1G finals while the lopsided win at NCAA’s came in a match where Hardy broke his ribs. Gimme Real in a regular decision. 149: #12-Caleb Rathjen (I) vs. #1-Ridge Lovett (N) History: Never met The Pick: I like Rathjen. But with three-point takedowns and four-point nearfall, I think this is on the verge of bonus. Gimme a regular decision though. Something like 8-2. 157: #2-Jared Franek (I) vs. #3-Peyton Robb (N) History: Robb beat Franek last year in a dual while Franek returned the favor at NCAA’s. The Pick: On one hand, Robb won a controlling 7-4 bout in the regular season and Franek’s win came when PRobb had, literally, a flesh-eating skin infection. On the other hand, Robb just got beat by #12 Ryder Downey of UNI. It’s tough to call. I think maybe the Downey loss gets Robb refocused. I’ll take him by a takedown. 165: #7-Mikey Caliendo (I) vs. #19-Antrell Taylor (N) History: Never met The Pick: Taylor is one of the nation’s brightest freshmen stars. He wrestles fearlessly, so he’ll certainly give himself scoring opportunities. But Caliendo is seasoned- a returning AA and proven commodity. Caliendo is the pick. 174: NR-Patrick Kennedy or Gabe Arnold (I) vs. #30-Bubba Wilson (N) History: Kennedy majored Wilson in last year’s dual. The Pick: While I think Iowa may consider Gabe, it might not make much sense in this spot. Kennedy already proved he can get the win (and bonus), and both he and Gabe would be an underdog to Pinto at 184. 184: NR-Aiden Riggins or NR-Gabe Arnold (I) vs. #3-Lenny Pinto (N) History: Never met The Pick: If Iowa is in trouble in the dual, I could see them using Gabe, who, unlike Riggins in my opinion, has a shot to win vs. Pinto. That being said, I’d take Pinto over either. 197: #16-Zach Glazier (I) vs. #11-Silas Allred (N) History: Never met The Pick: Silas was the Big Ten Champ as a freshman last year with two wins over the defending national champ. WrestleStat has a major for Allred, but I’ll call it a regular decision. 285: NR-Bradley Hill or NR-Ben Kueter (I) vs. NR-Harley Andrews or NR-Nash Hutmacher (N) History: Never met The Pick: I think it’s going to be Hill vs. Hutmacher. Kueter’s probably not up to speed yet after his bowl game. I’d take Hutmacher over either, but feel Kueter gives them a better chance. Overall Thoughts: I have it 5-5 with Iowa winning the first two and Nebraska winning the last three. But beyond the individual match picks, many of which are toss-ups, I think Iowa pulls it out. The intangibles, ya know. Iowa always seems to get it done. 1. End of an Era Since 2002 only two schools have won the EIWA tournament: Cornell, thirteen times; Lehigh nine times. Their duals have been heated and often filled with twists and turns and the unexpected. The two may continue their rivalry in duals going forward, but with the Ivy League starting their own league this is the last dance under the EIWA banner. And you should tune in not just for the nostalgia - this dual is loaded with great bouts. At 125 Brett Ungar could see Luke Stanich, who just won Midlands. At 133, we could possibly see a rematch from the earth-shaking Crookham-over-Vito result from November, though Grey’s recent statement seems to lean towards Vito being out for another week or two. At 141, Hines and Cornella are ranked 16 & 17. Cardenas and Beard are #7 and #9 at 197, respectively. And #10-Taylor will face #19-Fernandes at heavyweight.

We're getting ready to start the first week of the 2023-24 season, but have a semi-full schedule of DI duals whis week. A total of 35 duals will be contested. Since it can be difficult to figure out where and when to watch all of these events, InterMat has put together a list of all of the live-streamed events occurring this week. Below are the dates/times and how to watch each match (with links). All times are eastern Wednesday, November 1: Brockport at Buffalo 1:00 PM UB Bulls YouTube Seton Hill at Buffalo 2:30 PM UB Bulls YouTube Niagara County CC at Buffalo 4:00 PM UB Bulls YouTube Army West Point vs. Campbell at Fort Liberty, NC 5:00 PM UFC Fight Pass Glenville State at Buffalo 5:30 PM UB Bulls YouTube Allen at The Citadel 6:00 PM ESPN+ NC State vs. Presbyterian at Fort Liberty, NC 7:30 PM UFC Fight Pass Montreat at The Citadel 7:30 PM ESPN+ Carl Albert at Little Rock 8:00 PM Little Rock Sports Network Thursday, November 2: Greensboro at North Carolina 1:00 PM ACC Network Extra Oregon State vs. Queens at North Carolina 1:00 PM Queens at North Carolina 3:00 PM ACC Network Extra Oregon State vs. Greensboro at North Carolina 3:00 PM Oregon State at North Carolina 5:00 PM ACC Network Extra Queens vs. Greensboro at North Carolina 5:00 PM Maryland at American 7:00 PM ESPN+ SIU Edwardsville at Illinois 7:00 PM BTN+ Friday, November 3: Lindenwood vs. St. Ambrose at Northern Illinois 4:00 PM St. Ambrose at Northern Illinois 5:30 PM NIU All-Access NC State at Appalachian State 7:00 PM AppState Facebook, YouTube, Twitch Duke vs. Rutgers at Cal Poly 7:00 PM Fort Hays State at Northern Colorado 7:00 PM FloWrestling Lindenwood at Northern Illinois 7:00 PM NIU All-Access Duke at Cal Poly 9:00 PM Cal Poly All-Access New Mexico Highlands at Northern Colorado 9:00 PM FloWrestling Rutgers at Cal Poly 10:30 PM Cal Poly All-Access Saturday, November 4: Bellarmine at Patriot Open, hosted by Cumberlands 9:00 AM Campbell, Chattanooga, Davidson, Franklin & Marshall, Morgan State, Ohio, Oregon State, Utah Valley, Virginia, Virginia Tech, VMI, West Virginia at Southeast Open, hosted by Roanoke 9:00 AM FloWrestling SIU Edwardsville at Kaufman/Brand/Bayly Open, St. Louis, MO 10:00 AM Cal Poly, CSU Bakersfield at Menlo Open 12:00 PM FloWrestling Navy at Illinois, 2:00 PM BTN+ Nebraska at North Dakota State 3:00 PM NDSU All-Access Duke at Stanford 7:00 PM Western Colorado at Air Force 8:00 PM FloWrestling Iowa at California Baptist 9:00 PM FloWrestling Colorado State-Pueblo at Air Force 9:30 PM FloWrestling Sunday, November 5: Brown, Buffalo, Clarion, Columbia, Edinboro, Gardner-Webb, Kent State, Michigan State, Ohio State, Pittsburgh, Purdue at Clarion Open 9:00 AM FloWrestling Army West Point, Bloomsburg, Hofstra, Lehigh, Lock Haven, Princeton, Rider at Princeton Open 9:00 AM ESPN+ American, Appalachian State, Drexel, George Mason, Indiana, The Citadel at Battle at the Citadel 9:00 AM Utah Valley at Rookie Open, hosted by Colorado School of Mines 12:00 PM Cleveland State vs. Iowa State at Massillon, OH, 2:00 PM UFC Fight Pass Lindenwood at Wisconsin 2:00 PM BTN+ Western Wyoming at Wyoming 3:00 PM FloWrestling

The penultimate weekend of the 2023-24 regular season is officially in the books. We only have a week left of duals before moving on to conference tournaments and the NCAA’s in Kansas City. So we’ll this will be the second to last recap on the top ten dual teams. The past week featured two matchups between top-ten teams, #1 Penn State and #4 Nebraska, along with #7 NC State and #8 Cornell. In both instances, the higher-ranked team prevailed; however, there’s still plenty to be learned about all four squads. Here’s the look back at the last week in the top-ten and what’s coming up next on the dual front…if anything. 1. Penn State On Sunday afternoon, Penn State held off #4 Nebraska to finish the 2023-24 campaign a perfect 8-0 in Big Ten competition. Two noteworthy performances came from Nittany Lion wrestlers who were facing familiar opponents. At 141 lbs, with his team in a 7-0 hole, #1 Beau Bartlett dispatched #7 Brock Hardy 9-6 after notching takedowns in each of the first two periods. Hardy defeated Bartlett in the 2023 Big Ten semifinals, one of Bartlett’s three losses during that season. Two matches later, it was a Big Ten finals and NCAA semifinal rematch between #1 Levi Haines and #7 Peyton Robb. This meeting was nothing like it’s predecessors. Haines tallied three takedowns in a 10-3 thumping. Despite losing their first two matches of the dual, Penn State won six of the finals eight to take the dual, 22-13. Top ranked Carter Starocci, Aaron Brooks, and Greg Kerkvliet all chipped in with bonus point wins. Next: Penn State wraps up their regular season schedule with a home dual against 2-11 Edinboro on Sunday. 2. Oklahoma State The second installment of the Bedlam series took place on Saturday night and it ended very similarly to the first version. Oklahoma State dominated to the tune of 34-9 in historic Gallagher-Iba Arena. Earlier this year, they went to enemy soil and beat Oklahoma, 28-9. This meeting saw the Cowboys win seven of ten bouts with a pair of fall and a triumvirate of techs. Troy Spratley (125) and Tagen Jamison (141) supplied the pins, while Daton Fix (133), Dustin Plott (184), and Luke Surber (197) were responsible for the tech falls. In the first round of this year’s Bedlam Duals, Oklahoma State did not have Fix or Surber at their disposal. Next: The Cowboys conclude the regular season with a non-conference dual against Iowa, at home. Oklahoma State is seeking to snap a three-match losing streak to the rivals from the Big Ten. The Cowboys last win against Iowa came in February of 2019, which was the memorable dual when Nick Piccininni pinned Spencer Lee. This year’s version of the dual could feature three meetings between top-ten ranked wrestlers. 3. Iowa Also on Sunday afternoon, Iowa concluded its Big Ten dual slate with a 34-7 win over Wisconsin. It was a much needed, one-sided win for the Hawkeyes, who were on a modest two-match losing streak heading into the dual. From an Iowa standpoint, the two most significant takeaways from the win came at 149 and 184 lbs. At 149, Caleb Rathjen continued to get it done against a quality foe in two-time national qualifier Joe Zargo. He prevailed with an 8-1 decision. 184 lb saw Gabe Arnold make the final appearance of his redshirt year. Arnold edged Midlands champion and #16 ranked Shane Liegel, 8-6. Every other Hawkeye that got their hands raised on Sunday did so with some sort of bonus points. Leading the way was NCAA runner-up, #2 Real Woods, who locked up a fall as he was about to win via tech. Next: As mentioned above, Iowa was a huge non-conference dual at Oklahoma State to end the dual season. A win by the Hawkeyes would avoid the team’s first three-loss season since 2017-18. 4. Nebraska Nebraska concluded their Big Ten schedule with a 22-13 loss to top-ranked Penn State. I’m sure Mark Manning and his staff aren’t in the mood for moral victories, but the Cornhuskers are the only team in 2023-24 to score more than ten points against the Nittany Lions. They also have to be encouraged by the 141 lb bout. Though Beau Bartlett won, there was a controversial “injury time” taken by Bartlett as Brock Hardy was close to finishing a takedown. Hardy made things interesting in the final stanza and gave the impression that he could defeat Bartlett should they meet in the postseason. The dual got kicked off by Caleb Smith stunning freshman star Braeden Davis at 125 lbs with an 11-3 major decision. 125 has been absolutely bonkers and unable to predict all year. Later this week, we may dive into some Big Ten seeding predictions. They may not necessarily matter at 125, as much as other weights, but beating Davis certainly helped on that front. Nebraska also got wins from Jacob Van Dee (133), Ridge Lovett (149), and Lenny Pinto (184). Van Dee continues to impress with a late-season surge, while Lovett survived and remained undefeated against a tough true freshman. Pinto held of three-time All-American Bernie Truax to take a six-match winning streak into the postseason. Next: Before the B1G Championships, Nebraska heads out west for a non-conference dual with Arizona State. The Sun Devils boast a pair of multi-time All-Americans in the middle of their lineup, which should make for intriguing matchups against Lovett and Peyton Robb. 5. Iowa State The Cyclones were off this week in preparation for their season finale against #9 Missouri. This dual could pit two pair of undefeated wrestlers up against each other at 165 and 285 lbs. Many fans had the 165 lb contest between national champions David Carr and Keegan O’Toole circled the day the schedules were released. Last year, Carr won the dual and Big 12 finals matchup; while O’Toole took the big one in the NCAA finals. 6. Ohio State Not only did Ohio State wrap up their Big Ten slate with a 38-7 win over Michigan State, but they also finished their regular season. The Buckeyes are done with duals and have turned their attention to the Big Ten Championships at the University of Maryland. Ohio State’s win over Michigan State including wins in eight of ten matches and bonus points in six of those contests. Nic Bouzakis (133), Ryder Rogotzke (184), and Nick Feldman (285) led the way with falls. Rogotzke’s pin of #15 Layne Malczewski featured him reaching back in a manner which you’d probably yell at your middle school son for doing; however, he’s perfected those types of situations and has made himself one of the most dangerous guys at 184 lbs. A tip of the hat is in order to Tom Ryan and the Buckeye staff. They’ve been hammered with injuries this year and haven’t blinked. Despite missing a chunk of projected starters, the Buckeyes have grabbed wins over top-ten teams like Cornell and Michigan. 7. NC State NC State went away from the ACC norm of Friday night conference duals at this time of year when they hosted Cornell in a much-anticipated non-conference clash. Former Wolfpack coach Donnie Vinson and NC State legend Nick Gwiazdowski returned on the bench for Cornell. A few Cornell stars that didn’t wrestle led this to be a rather lopsided 24-9 win for the Wolfpack. Even so, there were some good moments. The NC State staff has to be encouraged with a 5-1 win from Jakob Camacho over #13 Brett Ungar at 125 lbs. Camacho had some time off after a rough patch. in late-December/January, but looks like he’s the guy for Pat Popolizio’s team coming down the home stretch. At 184 lbs, freshman Dylan Fishback downed 2023 All-American Chris Foca in one of the best matches of the weekend, 6-4. That bout could go a long way towards NCAA seeding in a weight that is relatively wide-open after the top two. Next: It’s time for one of the best new rivalries in the sport, NC State versus Virginia Tech. This dual has frequently decided the ACC regular season title-winning team and typically comes down to the last match; regardless of records or rankings. NC State will play host this year and is looking to get one back after the Hokies took last season’s dual, 16-14. 8. Cornell Cornell took a trip down south to face off with a pair of teams that were conference champions in 2023, with NC State on Friday night and Appalachian State on Sunday. One of the highlights of the loss to NC State was Big Red super-freshman Meyer Shapiro cruising to a 7-2 win over dangerous All-American Ed Scott. Two matches later, Benny Baker notched an 8-4 victory over #28 Alex Faison. Baker could be tough out for the rest of the conference at the EIWA Championships. Cornell got back on the winning track with a 36-6 win over Appalachian State two days later. Once again, Shapiro was responsible for the biggest win of the dual when he teched the 2023 SoCon champion Tommy Askey. Next: Sunday marks the end of the dual season for Cornell as they’ll host a very underrated Binghamton squad in their EIWA finale. The back of Binghamton’s lineup is particularly strong and should make for some interesting matchups with Cornell. 9. Missouri After a week off, Missouri got back into competition as they traveled up north to face both Dakota schools. North Dakota State on Friday and South Dakota State on Sunday. The North Dakota State dual didn’t provide much in the way of surprising results. The Tigers pounced for a 32-6 win. Half of their starters came away with bonus point wins. Mizzou was pushed two days later by a very solid SDSU squad, but prevailed 21-19 due to some late-match heroics from heavyweight Zach Elam. A match after his younger brother, Rocky, was pinned - Zach took the mat with Mizzou trailing 19-15. Just winning wouldn’t simply cut it from a team standpoint. The elder Elam didn’t even give the SDSU faithful a glimpse of hope as he needed only :33 seconds to pin Luke Rasmussen and give his team the winning six points. Two other notable win for Mizzou against SDSU include Noah Surtin (125) and Brock Mauller (157). Surtin posted a 14-6 major decision against a ranked opponent (#15 Tanner Jordan), showing that he might be one of the few consistent 125 lber in an otherwise tumultuous weight class. Mauller grinded out a 4-1 win over #16 Cael Swensen. 157 lbs is so deep with talent that a loss by Mauller could have been devastating from a Big 12 and NCAA seeding standpoint. Next: Missouri is ending the season in a strong manner. They hit the road to Iowa for a pair of duals against top-20 teams with #17 Northern Iowa on Friday and #5 Iowa State on Sunday. 10. Michigan Friday saw Michigan conclude its Big Ten schedule with a 30-6 win at Indiana. The Wolverines took eight of ten matches and saw three of their wrestlers earn bonus points. Perhaps the highlight of the night was Indiana-native Joseph Walker filling in for #3 Shane Griffith at 174 lbs. Walker knocked off #21 Donnell Washington, 4-3. They’ll finish the year with a 5-3 mark in conference duals. All three losses came to teams currently ranked in the top-seven. Next: Sean Bormet’s team will finish the regular season by traveling to in-state foe Central Michigan for a dual on Sunday. CMU’s best grapplers are in the middle of their lineup, so we’ll probably get to witness a pair of good matchups for Austin Gomez and Will Lewan.

Friday’s Dual Results Binghamton 31 Hofstra 6 125 - Carson Wagner (Binghamton) dec Dylan Acevedo-Switzer (Hofstra) 8-2 133 - Micah Roes (Binghamton) dec Dylan Ryder (Hofstra) 4-1 141 - Nate Lucier (Binghamton) dec Alex Turley (Hofstra) 5-2 149 - Noah Tapia (Hofstra) dec Michael Zarif (Binghamton) 11-6 157 - Jurius Clark (Hofstra) dec Fin Nadeau (Binghamton) 4-1 165 - Brevin Cassella (Binghamton) tech Joe McGinty (Hofstra) 15-0 174 - Dimitri Gamkrelidze (Binghamton) dec Ross McFarland (Hofstra) 7-3 184 - Jacob Nolan (Binghamton) tech Ericson Velasquez (Hofstra) 15-0 197 - Louie DePrez (Binghamton) tech Gavin Proffitt (Hofstra) 19-2 285 - Cory Day (Binghamton) maj Keaton Kluever (Hofstra) 9-0 Chattanooga 47 Presbyterian 4 125 - Chaz McDonald (Chattanooga) FFT 133 - Blake Boarman (Chattanooga) fall Brayden Adams (Presbyterian) 1:36 141 - Isaiah Power (Chattanooga) FFT 149 - Noah Castillo (Chattanooga) FFT 157 - Lincoln Heck (Chattanooga) tech Eli Holiday (Presbyterian) 18-0 165 - Kamdyn Munro (Chattanooga) maj Michael Ramirez (Presbyterian) 13-3 174 - Sergio Desiante (Chattanooga) tech Joshua Roe (Presbyterian) 16-1 184 - Caleb Roe (Presbyterian) maj Logan Webster (Chattanooga) 19-6 197 - Ryan Stein (Chattanooga) tech George Hopkins (Presbyterian) 17-0 285 - Kaleb Snodgrass (Chattanooga) maj Morvens Saint Jean (Presbyterian) 11-3 Campbell 35 The Citadel 6 125 - Anthony Molton (Campbell) fall Malik Hardy (The Citadel) 2:54 133 - Dom Zaccone (Campbell) tech George Rosas (The Citadel) 19-4 141 - Jacob Silka (The Citadel) dec Wynton Denkins (Campbell) 8-7 149 - Jeffrey Boyd (The Citadel) dec Justin Rivera (Campbell) 2-1 157 - Chris Earnest (Campbell) dec Hayden Watson (The Citadel) 10-8 165 - Dom Baker (Campbell) dec Ben Haubert (The Citadel) 8-5 174 - Austin Murphy (Campbell) maj Brodie Porter (The Citadel) 17-4 184 - Caleb Hopkins (Campbell) fall Adam Ortega (The Citadel) 2:36 197 - Levi Hopkins (Campbell) dec Patrick Brophy (The Citadel) 9-4 285 - Taye Ghadiali (Campbell) tech Ben Stemmet (The Citadel) 17-2 VMI 25 Bellarmine 11 125 - Damion Ryan (Bellarmine) dec Tony Burke( VMI) 3-2 133 - Dyson Dunham (VMI) dec Trayce Eckman (Bellarmine) 10-3 141 - Patrick Jordon (VMI) dec AJ Rallo (Bellarmine) 11-8SV 149 - Ryan Vigil (VMI) dec Zac Cowan (Bellarmine) 7-6 157 - Josh Yost (VMI) dec Jeb Prechtel (Bellarmine) 14-7 165 - Grant O’Dell (Bellarmine) maj Luke Hart (VMI) 12-3 174 - Braxton Lewis (VMI) dec Cole Nance (Bellarmine) 9-3 184 - Toby Schoffstall (VMI) maj Sam Schroeder (Bellarmine) 11-2 197 - Andrew Liber (Bellarmine) maj Josh Evans (VMI) 8-0 285 - Tyler Mousaw (VMI) fall William Muckler (Bellarmine) 4:25 Long Island 28 Bellarmine 12 125 - Robbie Sagaris (Long Island) dec Damion Ryan (Bellarmine) 5-2 133 - Trayce Eckman (Bellarmine) dec Kaelen Francois (Long Island) 8-4 141 - Devin Matthews (Long Island) dec Chase Hall (Bellarmine) 9-4 149 - Zac Cowan (Bellarmine) fall Drew Witham (Long Island) 6:45 157 - Rhise Royster (Long Island) maj Jeb Prechtel (Bellarmine) 8-0 165 - Grant O’Dell (Bellarmine) dec James Johnston (Long Island) 9-5 174 - Donavan Smith (Long Island) maj Cole Nance (Bellarmine) 12-4 184 - Anthony D’Alesio (Long Island) tech Sam Schroeder (Bellarmine) 22-7 197 - John Dusza (Long Island) maj Justin Hoffer (Bellarmine) 14-5 285 - Aeden Begue (Long Island) tech William Muckler (Bellarmine) 19-4 VMI 19 Bellarmine 18 125 - Robbie Sagaris (Long Island) dec Tony Burke (VMI) 5-1 133 - Dyson Dunham (VMI) dec Kaelen Francois (Long Island) 8-3 141 - Patrick Jordon (VMI) dec Devin Matthews (Long Island) 10-8 149 - Ryan Vigil (VMI) dec Drew Witham (Long Island) 5-3 157 - Rhise Royster (Long Island) maj Josh Yost (VMI) 15-7 165 - James Johnston (Long Island) dec Luke Hart (VMI) 9-3 174 - Braxton Lewis (VMI) maj Donavan Smith (Long Island) 11-2 184 - Anthony D’Alesio (Long Island) maj Toby Schoffstall (VMI) 18-8 197 - John Dusza (Long Island) maj Josh Evans (VMI) 11-3 285 - Tyler Mousaw (VMI) fall Aeden Begue (Long Island) 2:34 Cleveland State 38 Edinboro 6 125 - Ben Aranda (Cleveland State) maj Caleb Edwards (Edinboro) 14-4 133 - Nick Molchak (Cleveland State) fall Eamonn Jimenez (Edinboro) 3:33 141 - Dylan Layton (Cleveland State) fall Jacob Brennaman (Edinboro) 2:22 149 - Colin Roberts (Edinboro) dec Douglas Terry (Cleveland State) 3-1 157 - Marcus Robinson (Cleveland State) tech Logan Jaquay (Edinboro) 21-5 165 - Daniel Patten (Cleveland State) fall Max Kirby (Edinboro) 2:26 174 - DeAndre Nassar (Cleveland State) maj Joey Arnold (Edinboro) 11-1 184 - Brody Evans (Edinboro) dec Joey Lyons (Cleveland State) 4-2 197 - Ben Smith (Cleveland State) dec Jack Kilner (Edinboro) 4-1 285 - Daniel Bucknavich (Cleveland State) maj Nick Lodato (Edinboro) 13-0 Gardner-Webb 25 Davidson 18 125 - Drew West (Gardner-Webb) FFT 133 - Brady Joling (Davidson) dec Aedyn Concepcion (Gardner-Webb) 11-6 141 - Todd Carter (Gardner-Webb) tech Josh Viarengo (Davidson) 15-0 149 - Zach Price (Gardner-Webb) dec Tyler McKnight (Davidson) 3-2TB 157 - Tanner Peake (Davidson) dec Dominic DiTullo (Gardner-Webb) 8-2 165 - Bryce Sanderlin (Davidson) fall Andrew Wilson (Gardner-Webb) 3:20 174 - Samuel Mora (Gardner-Webb) maj Jaden Hardrick (Davidson) 8-0 184 - Jha’Quan Anderson (Gardner-Webb) maj Wyatt Ferguson (Davidson) 16-3 197 - Josh McCutheon (Gardner-Webb) dec Dylan Smith (Davidson) 8-1 285 - Jake Fernicola (Davidson) fall Peyton McComas (Gardner-Webb) 5:30 Ohio 34 Kent State 15 125 - Adan Benavidez (Kent State) maj Bryce Skinner (Ohio) 16-4 133 - Pablo Castro (Kent State) fall Malachi O’Leary (Ohio) 2:26 141 - Billy Meiszner (Kent State) tech Aidan Waszak (Ohio) 21-2 149 - Derek Raike (Ohio) dec Matt Ryan (Kent State) 12-9 157 - Peyten Kellar (Ohio) tech Keegan Knapp (Kent State) 18-2 165 - Garrett Thompsno (Ohio) dec Aaron Ferguson (Kent State) 10-7 174 - Sal Perrine (Ohio) fall AJ Burkhart (Kent State) 4:36 184 - Zayne Lehman (Ohio) tech Mitchell Broskie (Kent State) 16-0 197 - Austin Starr (Ohio) fall Blake Schaffer (Kent State) 4:09 285 - Jordan Greer (Ohio) fall Josh Boggan (Kent State) 2:47 Northern Illinois 22 Lock Haven 15 125 - Blake West (Northern Illinois) dec Logan Sallot (Lock Haven) 9-5 133 - Gable Strickland (Lock Haven) dec Mikey Kaminski (Northern Illinois) 5-4 141 - Wyatt Henson (Lock Haven) tech Jacob Brya (Northern Illinois) 22-6 149 - Jaivon Jones (Northern Illinois) fall Nick Stonechek (Lock Haven) 2:22 157 - Munkhtulga Zuunbayan (Northern Illinois) maj DaShawn Farber (Lock Haven) 9-1 165 - Eric Alderfer (Lock Haven) maj Tommy Bennett (Northern Illinois) 12-1 174 - Tyler Stotlzfus (Lock Haven) dec Ricardo Salin (Northern Illinois) 11-4 184 - Matt Zuber (Northern Illinois) dec Colin Fegley (Lock Haven) 10-3 197 - Sean Carroll (Northern Illinois) dec Cael Black (Lock Haven) 7-1SV 285 - Jacob Christiansen (Northern Illinois) dec Ethan Miller (Lock Haven) 4-1 Air Force 23 Utah Valley 18 125 - Tucker Owens (Air Force) dec Yusief Lillie (Utah Valley) 9-2 133 - Kase Mauger (Utah Valley) tech Robert Wright (Air Force) 19-1 141 - Haiden Drury (Utah Valley) dec Garrett Kuchan (Air Force) 7-1 149 - Isaiah Delgado (Utah Valley) dec Joe Fernau (Air Force) 13-8 157 - Alex Emmer (Utah Valley) dec Brooks Gable (Air Force) 3-0 165 - Giano Petrucelli (Air Force) tech Tanner Lofthouse (Utah Valley) 20-4 174 - Noah Blake (Air Force) fall Caleb Uhlenhopp (Utah Valley) 2:09 184 - Sam Wolf (Air Force) dec Mahonri Rushton (Utah Valley) 9-5 197 - Evan Bockman (Utah Valley) maj Calvin Sund (Air Force) 11-1 285 - Wyatt Hendrickson (Air Force) fall Jack Forbes (Utah Valley) 1:26 Northern Iowa 39 California Baptist 9 125 - Trever Anderson (Northern Iowa) fall Eli Griffin (California Baptist) 6:15 133 - Julian Farber (Northern Iowa) dec Hunter Leake (California Baptist) 8-6 141 - Darren Green (California Baptist) dec Connor Thorpe (Northern Iowa) 4-1SV 149 - Adam Allard (Northern Iowa) dec Dayne Morton (California Baptist) 2-0 157 - Chaz Hallmark (California Baptist) fall Kaleb Olejniczak (Northern Iowa) 6:04 165 - RJ Weston (Northern Iowa) maj Mateo De La Pena (California Baptist) 11-1 174 - Jared Simma (Northern Iowa) tech Peter Acciardi (California Baptist) 17-2 184 - Parker Keckeisen (Northern Iowa) maj Nathan Haas (California Baptist) 17-5 197 - Wyatt Voelker (Northern Iowa) tech Eli Sheeran (California Baptist) 15-0 285 - Tyrell Gordon (Northern Iowa) fall Chris Island (California Baptist) 1:26 Purdue 29 Northwestern 11 125 - Matt Ramos (Purdue) dec Massey Odiotti (Northwestern) 11-4 133 - Dustin Norris (Purdue) maj Patrick Adams (Northwestern) 9-1 141 - Christian White (Purdue) maj Kolby McClain (Northwestern) 12-4 149 - Sam Cartella (Northwestern) tech Marcos Polanco (Purdue) 15-0 157 - Joey Blaze (Purdue) dec Trevor Chumbley (Northwestern) 4-1SV 165 - Stoney Buell (Purdue) FFT 174 - Brody Baumann (Purdue) fall David Ferrante (Northwestern) 1:30 184 - James Rowley (Purdue) dec Jon Halvorsen (Northwestern) 3-1 197 - Evan Bates (Northwestern) dec Ben Vanadia (Purdue) 11-4 285 - Jack Jessen (Northwestern) dec Tristian Ruhlman (Purdue) 7-2 Arizona State 34 Cal Poly 4 125 - Richie Figueroa (Arizona State) dec Dominic Mendez (Cal Poly) 8-2 133 - Julian Chlebove (Arizona State) tech Koda Hoelman (Cal Poly) 18-2 141 - Jesse Vasquez (Arizona State) tech Abraham Hinrichsen (Cal Poly) 20-4 149 - Kyle Parco (Arizona State) dec Chance Lamer (Cal Poly) 4-3 157 - Jacori Teemer (Arizona State) dec Legend Lamer (Cal Poly) 10-7 165 - Chance McLane (Arizona State) maj Michael Goldfeder (Cal Poly) 11-2 174 - Cael Valencia (Arizona State) maj Daniel Vizcarra (Cal Poly) 21-8 184 - Tony Negron (Arizona State) dec Kendall LaRosa (Cal Poly) 6-3 197 - Jarad Priest (Cal Poly) maj Jacob Meissner (Arizona State) 11-3 285 - Cohlton Schultz (Arizona State) maj Cole Jackson (Cal Poly) 16-2 Cornell 35 Princeton 3 125 - Brett Ungar (Cornell) maj Drew Heethuis (Princeton) 11-2 133 - Vito Arujau (Cornell) tech Sean Pierson (Princeton) 19-4 141 - Mark Botello (Cornell) dec Christopher Martino (Princeton) 5-2 149 - Ethan Fernandez (Cornell) dec Eligh Rivera (Princeton) 11-7 157 - Meyer Shapiro (Cornell) tech Rocco Camillaci (Princeton) 21-5 165 - Julian Ramirez (Cornell) maj Blaine Bergey (Princeton) 15-3 174 - Mikey Squires (Princeton) dec Evan Canoyer (Cornell) 5-1 184 - Chris Foca (Cornell) maj Nate Dugan (Princeton) 17-4 197 - Jacob Cardneas (Cornell) dec Luke Stout (Princeton) 4-2 285 - Lewis Fernandes (Cornell) maj Matthew Cover (Princeton) 8-0 North Carolina 22 Pittsburgh 12 125 - Spencer Moore (North Carolina) dec Colton Camacho (Pittsburgh) 1-0 133 - Derek Guanajuato (North Carolina) dec Vince Santaniello (Pittsburgh) 4-1 141 - Cole Matthews (Pittsburgh) dec Lachlan McNeil (North Carolina) 6-2 149 - Jayden Scott (North Carolina) dec Finn Solomon (Pittsburgh) 3-2 157 - Sonny Santiago (North Carolina) dec Jared Keslar (Pittsburgh) 11-4 165 - Holden Heller (Pittsburgh) fall Isaias Estrada (North Carolina) 1:47 174 - Tyler Eischens (North Carolina) dec Luca Augustine (Pittsburgh) 3-1 184 - Reece Heller (Pittsburgh) dec Sabino Portella (North Carolina) 5-2 197 - Max Shaw (North Carolina) dec Mac Stout (Pittsburgh) 5-4 285 - Cade Lautt (North Carolina) maj Geoff Magain (Pittsburgh) 15-6 Minnesota 28 Illinois 12 125 - Justin Cardani (Illinois) dec Brandon Morvari (Minnesota) 7-6TB 133 - Tony Madrigal (Illinois) dec Tyler Wells (Minnesota) 4-0 141 - Danny Pucino (Illinois) dec Vance Vombaur (Minnesota) 8-5 149 - Drew Roberts (Minnesota) maj Jake Harrier (Illinois) 15-3 157 - Michael Blockhus (Minnesota) fall Joe Roberts (Illinois) 2:28 165 - Blaine Brenner (Minnesota) dec Chris Moore (Illinois) 8-2 174 - Edmond Ruth (Illinois) dec Andrew Sparks (Minnesota) 7-1 184 - Isaiah Salazar (Minnesota) dec Dylan Connell (Illinois) 6-0 197 - Garrett Joles (Minnesota) fall Isaiah Pettigrew (Illinois) 2:25 285 - Bennett Tabor (Minnesota) fall Peter Marinopoulos (Illinois) 2:35 South Dakota State 20 Oklahoma 13 125 - Tanner Jordan (South Dakota State) dec Conrad Hendriksen (Oklahoma) 4-0 133 - Jace Koelzer (Oklahoma) dec Derrick Cardinal (South Dakota State) 1-0 141 - Clay Carlson (South Dakota State) tech Carter Schmidt (Oklahoma) 15-0 149 - Willie McDougald (Oklahoma) dec Alek Martin (South Dakota State) 4-1 157 - Cael Swensen (South Dakota State) dec Jared Hill (Oklahoma) 4-1SV 165 - Gerrit Nijenhuis (Oklahoma) dec Connor Gaynor (South Dakota State) 6-4 174 - Cade DeVos (South Dakota State) dec Tate Picklo (Oklahoma) 8-5 184 - Bennett Berge (South Dakota State) dec Giuseppe Hoose (Oklahoma) 7-2 197 - Tanner Sloan (South Dakota State) dec Stephen Buchanan (Oklahoma) 4-1 285 - Josh Heindselman (Oklahoma) maj Luke Rasmussen (South Dakota State) 14-6 Lehigh 31 Bucknell 11 125 - Luke Stanich (Lehigh) tech Kade Davidheiser (Bucknell) 18-1 133 - Kurt Phipps (Bucknell) dec Sheldon Seymour (Lehigh) 1-0 141 - Malyke Hines (Lehigh) tech Dylan Chappell (Bucknell) 21-6 149 - Kelvin Griffin (Lehigh) dec Riley Bower (Bucknell) 3-1 157 - Max Brignola (Lehigh) tech Aiden Davis (Bucknell) 20-5 165 - Jake Logan (Lehigh) dec Noah Mulvaney (Bucknell) 9-8 174 - Myles Takats (Bucknell) tech Connor Herceg (Lehigh) 18-3 184 - Mikey Bartush (Bucknell) dec Jack Wilt (Lehigh) 7-1 197 - Michael Beard (Lehigh) tech Logan Deacetis (Bucknell) 21-6 285 - Nathan Taylor (Lehigh) tech Dorian Crosby (Bucknell) 17-2 Virginia Tech 45 Duke 0 125 - Cooper Flynn (Virginia Tech) maj Logan Agin (Duke) 16-4 133 - Sam Latona (Virginia Tech) tech Raymond Adams (Duke) 18-3 141 - Tom Crook (Virginia Tech) tech Christian Colman (Duke) 16-1 149 - Luke Robie (Virginia Tech) dec Jarred Papscy (Duke) 5-1 157 - Clayton Ulrey (Virginia Tech) tech Logan Ferraro (Duke) 19-4 165 - Connor Brady (Virginia Tech) dec Gaetano Console (Duke) 8-2 174 - Mekhi Lewis (Virginia Tech) tech David Hussey (Duke) 17-2 184 - Dakota Howard (Virginia Tech) tech Conor Becker (Duke) 18-2 197 - Andy Smith (Virginia Tech) tech Kwasi Bonsu (Duke) 19-4 285 - Hunter Catka (Virginia Tech) tech Connor Barket (Duke) 17-2 NC State 38 Virginia 3 125 - Jakob Camacho (NC State) tech Kyle Montaperto (Virginia) 21-6 133 - Kai Orine (NC State) fall Marlon Yarbrough (Virginia) 3:48 141 - Ryan Jack (NC State) maj Jack Gioffre (Virginia) 13-2 149 - Jackson Arrington (NC State) tech Kyren Butler (Virginia) 15-0 157 - Ed Scott (NC State) maj Nick Sanko (Virginia) 9-1 165 - Derek Fields (NC State) dec Nick Hamilton (Virginia) 11-7 174 - Justin McCoy (Virginia) dec Alex Faison (NC State) 3-0 184 - Dylan Fishback (NC State) dec Ethan Weatherspoon (Virginia) 5-1 197 - Trent Hidlay (NC State) maj Krystian Kinsey (Virginia) 18-4 285 - Owen Trephan (NC State) maj Ryan Catka (Virginia) 12-4 Nebraska 25 Michigan 7 125 - Caleb Smith (Nebraska) dec Michael DeAugustino (Michigan) 8-5 133 - Jacob Van Dee (Nebraska) dec Dylan Ragusin (Michigan) 3-2 141 - Brock Hardy (Nebraska) dec Sergio Lemley (Michigan) 13-9 149 - Ridge Lovett (Nebraska) dec Austin Gomez (Michigan) 11-4 157 - Peyton Robb (Nebraska) dec Will Lewan (Michigan) 2-1 165 - Antrell Taylor (Nebraska) dec Cam Amine (Michigan) 3-2TB 174 - Shane Griffith (Michigan) dec Bubba Wilson (Nebraska) 1-0 184 - Lenny Pinto (Nebraska) dec Jaden Bullock (Michigan) 10-4 197 - Silas Allred (Nebraska) maj Bobby Striggow (Michigan) 14-2 285 - Lucas Davison (Michigan) maj Nash Hutmacher (Nebraska) 8-0 Penn State 29 Iowa 6 125 - Drake Ayala (Iowa) dec Braeden Davis (Penn State) 4-2 133 - Aaron Nagao (Penn State) maj Cullan Schriever (Iowa) 11-0 141 - Beau Bartlett (Penn State) dec Real Woods (Iowa) 7-2 149 - Caleb Rathjen (Iowa) dec Tyler Kasak (Penn State) 11-8SV 157 - Levi Haines (Penn State) maj Jared Franek (Iowa) 12-0 165 - Mitchell Mesenbrink (Penn State) dec Michael Caliendo (Iowa) 12-6 174 - Carter Starocci (Penn State) maj Patrick Kennedy (Iowa) 13-5 184 - Bernie Truax (Penn State) maj Aiden Riggins (Iowa) 8-0 197 - Aaron Brooks (Penn State) dec Zach Glazier (Iowa) 5-1 285 - Greg Kerkvliet (Penn State) maj Ben Kueter (Iowa) 9-1

Michigan is coming off one of the biggest wins of the season and will look to continue that momentum into Lincoln, NE on Friday night when they face the Cornhuskers. For Nebraska, it will be Senior Night and it’s no secret they’d like to send Peyton Robb, Brandyn Van Tassell, and Nash Hutmacher off with a win. But it won’t be easy as the Wolverines have a loaded lineup that just won seven of the 10 bouts against the Hawkeyes last week. Let’s not forget, the Huskers, who are currently on a five-dual winning streak, outplaced Michigan earlier this year at the Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invite where they came in third as a team while the Wolverines finished eighth. However, that was a very different Michigan team back then. They didn’t have Dylan Ragusin or Austin Gomez in the lineup at 133 and 149, respectively, and Shane Griffith was still having some growing pains as he was getting things started in his new weight class of 174. These three will certainly be huge difference-makers this time around, especially Gomez. Also, for the sake of creating a co-main and main event style card, I hope the dual starts at 157. But for this preview, I will run through it straight up. 125 – No. 13 Caleb Smith (16-5) or Alan Koehler (7-1) vs No. 6 Michael DeAugustino (9-2) I’m predicting that Caleb Smith takes the mat here to face Michael DeAugustino. The matchup between the two was supposed to happen at CKLV, however, DeAugustino medically forfeited in the consolation semifinals to Smith keeping it from going down. Smith was having an incredible tournament that day and has shown that he can go with some of the best. DeAugustino just had a huge win over Drake Ayala where he literally clung on to victory in the final seconds. The advantage is certainly on DeAugustino’s side, but if Smith brings the same explosiveness and movement we’ve seen from him so far this season, I can see him taking it. DeAugustino dec. Smith (Michigan, 3-0) 133 – No. 19 Jacob Van Dee (15-6) or Kyle Burwick (7-3) vs No. 4 Dylan Ragusin (20-0) I’d imagine it would be Jacob Van Dee facing Dylan Ragusin here. Van Dee will be looking to bounce back from an unexpected loss to Tony Madrigal, but he’s going to have a tough hill to climb to make that happen. No matter what, I think Ragusin gets bonus. He’s been on another level this year which is apparent from the 20-0 record. Ragusin md Van Dee (Michigan, 7-0) 141 – No. 7 Brock Hardy (13-5) vs No. 10 Sergio Lemley (13-4) After last week, this is now an extremely close second for the matchup of the night. Sergio Lemley really put the weight class on notice with his dominant win over Real Woods. And now he’s up against another tough opponent in Brock Hardy. Hardy has been a tough task for just about everyone as the returning Big Ten runner-up looks to get back on the NCAA podium again this year. He comes into the match holding the No. 7 ranking and has collected wins in the last two duals after taking a little break from the lineup a few weeks ago. I think Hardy cools off the red-hot true freshman with a very close decision. Hardy dec. Lemley (Michigan, 7-3) 149 – No. 1 Ridge Lovett (19-0) vs No. 6 Austin Gomez (5-0) This is the premier bout of the night. So far this season Lovett has been the top dog and proved as much as he’s gone unbeaten. On the other hand, there have been some people who think Gomez is the best in the weight class. He will have the opportunity to prove those people right. I think this will be a fireball of a match. Both these guys are going to let it fly and I expect at least one shot at a throw. So far this year, we’ve seen top-ranked guys at the first three weights go down and it’s very possible this could be the fourth. Gomez dec. Lovett (Michigan, 10-3) 157 – No. 7 Peyton Robb (15-4) or Ethan Stiles (15-2) vs No. 10 Will Lewan (8-4) Will Lewan is one of the stingiest wrestlers. And he couples that with an extremely low attack rate. He put both of those into action to get a win over Jared Franek a week ago. Across the mat is Peyton Robb who will be getting his Senior Day honors to start the night. Robb just returned to the lineup last week after a three-match losing streak. He got back to his winning ways with a 10-1 major decision against Illinois. He’s going to need to bring his best offense to get through that stingy defense from Lewan. If it goes to overtime I won’t be surprised, but I expect it to be a low-scoring bout. Robb dec. Lewan (Michigan, 10-6) 165 – No. 16 Antrell Taylor (15-4) vs No. 10 Cameron Amine (8-4) The last few weeks it’s been Beau Manatanona in the lineup instead of Cam Amine, but Amine will probably be making his return this week to take on Antrell Taylor. Amine’s last showing was an OT win in the Rutgers dual a few weeks ago. That came off the heels of a rough outing against Penn State. So look for Amine to get back in the mix this weekend. Taylor has great attacks and can get to just about anyone’s legs. This should be a good matchup. Amine dec. Taylor (Michigan, 13-6) 174 – No. 33 Bubba Wilson (11-8) or Christopher Minto (16-4) vs No. 3 Shane Griffith (11-2) Shane Griffith looked to be hitting his stride last week with his win over Patrick Kennedy. He had some early season struggles but has come out of it and looked his best a week ago. Bubba Wilson has moved into the spot at 174 after the Huskers had some questions about who will step up here. Wilson started the season as a potential 165 but made the move after Taylor proved to be the guy there. So, while Wilson has become the best option here, it’s still a tough spot to fill. Griffith md Wilson (Michigan, 17-6) 184 – No. 3 Lenny Pinto (16-3) vs No. 18 Jaden Bullock (13-7) If there is any chance for Nebraska to get the win, Pinto is going to need to get bonus here. For Michigan, we’ve seen Bullock here as well as Joseph Walker, who took the mat against Iowa. No matter who is out there for the Wolverines, I think Pinto can come out with the needed bonus points here. Pinto md Bullock (Michigan, 17-10) 197 – No. 13 Silas Allred (18-4) vs Bobby Striggow (5-7) or Rylan Rogers (4-4) Michigan has struggled to get a guy here that truly holds down the weight class. Unfortunately for UM, Nebraska has the returning Big Ten champ here. I think that Allred comes out of this with bonus as well. Allred fall Striggow (Michigan, 17-16) HWT – Harley Andrews (10-9) or Nash Hutmacher (4-1) vs No. 6 Lucas Davison (11-3) And now we are down to heavyweight. There’s no guarantee that we see Hutmacher against Davision. It would be Davision’s athleticism against the brute strength and size of the defensive lineman. It’s Davison's world here. He comes through to get the win and give Michigan the dual. Davision dec. Hutmacher (Michigan wins 20-16)

We're coming down the home stretch of the collegiate wrestling season and have a full schedule of DI duals this week. A total of 49 duals will be contested. Since it can be difficult to figure out where and when to watch all of these events, InterMat has put together a list of all of the live-streamed events occurring this week. Below are the dates/times and how to watch each match (with links). All times listed are Eastern. Thursday, February 8: Clarion at Buffalo 7:00 PM ESPN+ Friday, February 9: LIU at VMI 1:00 PM LIU vs. Bellarmine at VMI 3:00 PM Bellarmine at VMI 5:00 PM Binghamton at Hofstra 6:00 PM Hofstra Pride YouTube The Citadel at Campbell 7:00 PM Presbyterian at Chattanooga 7:00 PM ESPN+ Edinboro at Cleveland State 7:00 PM FloWrestling Davidson at Gardner-Webb 7:00 PM ESPN+ Ohio at Kent State 7:00 PM Bucknell at Lehigh 7:00 PM FloWrestling Virginia at NC State 7:00 PM ACC Network Extra Michigan at Nebraska 7:00 PM Big Ten Network Pittsburgh at North Carolina 7:00 PM ACC Network Extra Duke at Virginia Tech 7:00 PM ACC Network Cornell at Princeton 7:30 PM ESPN+ Minnesota at Illinois 8:00 PM B1G+ Lock Haven at Northern Illinois 8:00 PM NIU All-Access Purdue at Northwestern 8:00 PM B1G+ South Dakota State at Oklahoma 8:00 PM ESPN+ Utah Valley at Air Force 9:00 PM FloWrestling Northern Iowa at California Baptist 9:00 PM FloWrestling Penn State at Iowa 9:00 PM Big Ten Network Arizona State at Cal Poly 10:00 PM FloWrestling Saturday, February 10: Franklin & Marshall at Messiah Open 9:00 AM Bloomsburg at Edinboro 1:00 PM FloWrestling Binghamton at Princeton 1:00 PM ESPN+ George Mason at Virginia Tech 3:00 PM ESPN+ Drexel at Brown 7:00 PM ESPN+ South Dakota State at Oklahoma State 7:00 PM ESPN+ Cornell at Penn 7:00 PM ESPN+ Utah Valley at Northern Colorado 8:00 PM FloWrestling Oregon State at Wyoming 6:00 PM FloWrestling Sunday, February 11 CSU Bakersfield vs. SIU Edwardsville at Little Rock 11:30 AM Little Rock Sports Network Indiana at Ohio State 12:00 PM B1G+ Minnesota at Purdue 12:00 PM B1G+ Campbell at Bellarmine 1:00 PM ESPN+ CSU Bakersfield at Little Rock 1:00 PM Little Rock Sports Network Michigan State at Maryland 1:00 PM B1G+ Illinois at Wisconsin 1:00 PM B1G+ Buffalo at Central Michigan 2:00 PM ESPN+ Appalachian State at Chattanooga 2:00 PM ESPN+ Queens at Morgan State 2:00 PM Morgan State All-Access Gardner-Webb at Presbyterian 2:00 PM ESPN+ Cal Poly at Stanford 2:00 PM Pac-12 Live Davidson at The Citadel 2:00 PM ESPN+ SIU Edwardsville at Little Rock 2:30 PM Little Rock Sports Network American at Air Force 3:00 PM FloWrestling Northern Iowa at Iowa State 3:00 PM ESPN+ Sacred Heart at Morgan State 4:00 PM Morgan State All-Access

This Week in Women’s Wrestling (January 30 - February 5) Key Takeaways from the week As teams begin winding down their duals before regionals begin, there are some exciting matchups and a good look at how starters will look against top-rated opponents at Nationals. 1. The University of the Cumberlands keeps it close with Life In one of the more exciting ranked dual matchups left this season, the University of the Cumberlands walked away with a few match wins, but couldn’t keep up with the Running Eagles. The Patriots started with a big win from #5 Elizabeth Dosado getting the pin over #10 Devyn Gomez. Life’s #4 Diana Gonzalez took care of business at 109 lbs, after giving up the first pushout point to #11 Gracie Elliot, she turned up the offense and got the 10-3 decision. Next, in one of the closest ranked matchups of the night, the points were flying between #6 Presley Anderson for Cumberlands against #9 Ariana Martinez. Anderson scored an early four-point takedown, followed by two unanswered takedowns to go up 8-0 in the first. In the second, Martinez gets a similar set of moves herself to tie things up. With little time remaining, Anderson finds her move and secures the 10-8 win. Life takes the next two weights with big pins from #6 Anna Krejsa and #10 Riley Dalrymple. At 136 lbs, we saw #19 Angie Prado take on an unranked opponent and get the pin for the Running Eagles. The McBryde sisters then competed in their usual order, but all up a weight class for this dual. While #5 Zaynah McBryde was wrestling tough against #6 Micah Fisher and went up by eight points early, Fisher got a takedown of her own to make it 8-2 going into the second. Fisher then hit a big move that landed McBryde on her back as she worked for the pin to bring the team score for the Patriots just two points shy of the Running Eagles. However, as we have seen consistently this season, the latter half of the Life lineup is a tough matchup for even the most talented teams. #5 Jamilah McBryde got a pin against her opponent, #2 Latifah followed it up with a tech and #7 Madeline Welch closed out the dual with a 6-3 upset win over #6 MaQuoia Bernabe. Life has had dominant dual results this season, but a few upsets with certain team members at tournaments. However, I think that is a reflection of their rigorous schedule that often has them competing against schools in other divisions and therefore continually wrestling top-ranked opponents. As they begin regional and then national competition, I think fans will see how Coach Flavin’s approach to finding her team competitive matches throughout the season, will have them well prepared for similar matches they’ll see now at the end of the season. 2. Grand View Open hosts exciting ranked matchups The Grand View Open saw champs from a wide range of schools and RTCs. While not many schools brought their full lineup of ranked competitors, there were still some great matchups. One of the most impressive showings in my opinion was at 101 lbs where #8 (NAIA) Kayla McKinley-Johnson of Menlo took a first-place finish over several ranked opponents. She defeated #12 (NAIA) ranked Jalen Bets of Grand View with a 10-0 tech fall. McKinley-Johnson then had a semifinal matchup against #3 (NAIA) Esther Walker of Midland. McKinley-Johnson was already up 11-2 at the end of the first period. She punched her ticket to the finals with a big four-point takedown to get the 14-2 upset tech. Her finals matchup was no break from tough competition as she faced #4 (NAIA) Alyssa Quezaire of a highly competitive Missouri Baptist team. The match was close throughout the first as the pair exchanged strong moves back and forth, however, McKinley-Johnson really put a definitive stamp on her performance with a second-period pin to claim the top spot. Menlo had a great overall performance on the day, but McKinley-Johnson certainly outwrestled her rank in a dominant fashion, and should be looking to keep up that pace at regionals. Another Menlo performance to mention was from unranked Alexandra Lopez who wrestled back after a first-round loss and went on to beat four ranked wrestlers (#4, #11, #8, and #6) on the consolation side to come back all the way to third place. That is surely the type of performance the Oaks are looking to see out of their team come tournament season. That grittiness on the back side of brackets is what builds up the team points necessary to get a team trophy. From Baker University, #7 (NAIA) Katherine Heath's third-place finish, had an impressive third-place finish, especially considering Baker’s limited participation in open tournaments. Heath won four of her five matches at 116 lbs with two upsets against #6 Presley Anderson of the University of the Cumberlands and #4 Alejandra Corral of Menlo. In fact, her only loss on the day was against #3 (at 123 lbs; NCAA) Felicity Taylor. It is also interesting to note Taylor’s change of weight here. Taylor won her four championship titles at 116 lbs for McKendree, and competes at 53kg which is closer to 116 lbs than 123 lbs when she is doing any international competition. This could be a temporary change for this tournament just to get a feel for it, but I will be curious to see if it sticks headed into end-of-season tournaments. 3. Pan Am Qualifier Results Over the weekend, wrestlers competed for three spots to compete at the Pan Am Olympic Qualifier at the end of February. College wrestling fans had eyes on the competition at 68kg where two-time World champion Amit Elor was set to compete against 2023 World Team member Emma Bruntil. Bruntil battled injuries during her highly successful college career and had announced late last year that she’d be returning in the new year to finish out her college eligibility at McKendree. However, after weighing in to compete, Bruntil medically defaulted out of the tournament before competing. Elor went on to win the weight over World bronze medalist Mallory Velte and will compete at the Pan Am Qualifier. This does leave a question as to whether Bruntil will be able to return to college wrestling, as she had previously planned, and compete in the remaining season. Dom Parrish won the spot to the Qualifier at 53 kg and Kayla Miracle will compete for the U.S. at 62 kg. Pan Ams allows countries to send wrestlers to weights where they have not already qualified a wrestler for the Olympics. The semifinal winners from the Pan American Olympic Games Qualifier in each weight class qualify their nation to compete at the Olympic Games at that weight class. Each wrestler the U.S. qualified here has a good chance to dominate Pan Am competition and get one step closer to competing for the U.S. in the Olympic Games in Paris. Results this week in major NCAA, NCWA, and NAIA competitions January 31: #1 (NCAA) Iowa (39) vs University of Sioux Falls (7) January 31: #20 (NAIA) Central Methodist (33) vs William Woods (4) February 1: #4 (NCAA) McKendree (38) vs #10 (NAIA) Missouri Baptist (9) February 2: #3 (NAIA) Grand View (38) over Avila (9) February 3: Grand View Open VIEW BRACKETS Upcoming Events: February 6: #1 (NCAA) North Central vs #7 (NCAA) Aurora February 7: #12 (NAIA) University of the Cumberlands vs #7 (NAIA) Campbellsville February 9: #5 (NAIA) Southern Oregon vs #4 (NAIA) University of Providence February 10: Life Duals February 10: #12 (NAIA) University of the Cumberlands vs Montreat College February 10: #6 (NAIA) Texas Wesleyan vs Texas Woman's University

A few weeks ago, we took a deep dive into the 125 lb weight class and discovered that during the last six or seven years, there haven’t been “that” many elite-elite recruits at the weight class. That could be a reason for some of the chaos that we’ve seen on a weekly basis. With that in mind, I thought it may be pertinent to look at every single weight class and how their wrestlers were ranked coming out of high school. Higher or lower than 125? For this exercise, we’ve used MatScouts final Big Board rankings for each class. Not all classes had the same number of wrestlers on the Big Board, so that may lead to some unusual-looking “Not Ranked” labels from the Class of 2019. This also looks at just wrestlers who are in InterMat’s rankings as of January 30th. Rankings will be updated tomorrow to account for the action occurring over the weekend. Don’t focus on that as much as the pre-collegiate rankings. The weight class with the most “top-five” ranked recruits was, not surprisingly, 285 lbs (three). However, 174 lbs also had that same number; though two are true freshmen. Going down a notch, 149 and 165 had the most top-ten recruits (five). For shear depth, 133 and 141 had the most top-100 recruits (22). 125 lbs 1. Matt Ramos (Purdue/Minnesota) - Not Ranked: Class of 2019 2. Eric Barnett (Wisconsin) - #36: Class of 2019 3. Braeden Davis (Penn State) - #46: Class of 2023 4. Luke Stanich (Lehigh) - #74: Class of 2023 5. Drake Ayala (Iowa) - #4: Class of 2021 6. Cooper Flynn (Virginia Tech) - #20: Class of 2021 7. Noah Surtin (Missouri) - Not Ranked: Class of 2019 8. Anthony Noto (Lock Haven/NC State) - #131: Class of 2020 9. Stevo Poulin (Northern Colorado/NC State) - #30: Class of 2021 10. Jore Volk (Wyoming) - #64: Class of 2022 11. Richie Figueroa (Arizona State) - #3: Class of 2021 12. Michael DeAugustino (Michigan/Northwestern) - Not Ranked: Class of 2018 13. Dean Peterson (Rutgers) - #10: Class of 2021 14. Patrick McKee (Minnesota) - #38: Class of 2018 15. Caleb Smith (Nebraska/Appalachian State) - Not Ranked: Class of 2019 16. Brett Ungar (Cornell) - #26: Class of 2021 17. Tanner Jordan (South Dakota State) - Not Ranked: Class of 2020 18. Nico Provo (Stanford) - #82: Class of 2021 19. Brandon Kaylor (Oregon State) - Not Ranked: Class of 2018 20. Troy Spratley (Oklahoma State/Minnesota) - #15: Class of 2022 21. Diego Sotelo (Harvard) - #98: Class of 2021 22. Jakob Camacho (NC State) - #23: Class of 2018 23. Brayden Palmer (Chattanooga/Clarion) - #66: Class of 2019 24. Brendan McCrone (Ohio State) - Not Ranked: Class of 2022 25. Kysen Terukina (Iowa State) - #102: Class of 2020 26. Anthony Molton (Campbell/Old Dominion/Fresno State) - Not Ranked: Class of 2019 27. Eli Griffin (California Baptist) - #160: Class of 2021 28. Jack Maida (American) - Not Ranked: Class of 2021 29. Spencer Moore (North Carolina) - #64: Class of 2021 30. Dominic Mendez (Cal Poly) - #48: Class of 2022 31. Ethan Berginc (Army West Point) - #273: Class of 2021 32. Blake West (Northern Illinois) - #63: Class of 2021 33. Conrad Hendriksen (Oklahoma) - Not Ranked: Class of 2023 # of Top 5 Recruits: 2 # of Top 10 Recruits: 3 # of Top 25 Recruits: 6 # of Top 50 Recruits: 12 # of Top 100 Recruits: 19 Not Ranked: 7 133 lbs 1. Ryan Crookham (Lehigh) - #20: Class of 2022 2. Vito Arujau (Cornell) - #4: Class of 2017 3. Daton Fix (Oklahoma State) - #1: Class of 2017 4. Dylan Ragusin (Michigan) - #68: Class of 2020 5. Aaron Nagao (Penn State/Minnesota) - #77 Class of 2020 6. Kai Orine (NC State) - #49: Class of 2019 7. Nasir Bailey (Little Rock) - #21: Class of 2023 8. Evan Frost (Iowa State) - #206: Class of 2022 9. Zeth Romney (Cal Poly) - #99: Class of 2022 10. Michael Colaiocco (Penn) - #19: Class of 2019 11. Sam Latona (Virginia Tech) - #41: Class of 2019 12. Nic Bouzakis (Ohio State) - #5: Class of 2022 13. Dylan Shawver (Rutgers) - #73: Class of 2020 14. Kurt Phipps (Bucknell) - #75: Class of 2020 15. Dominick Serrano (Northern Colorado/Nebraska) - #12: Class of 2020 16. Derrick Cardinal (South Dakota State) - #59: Class of 2021 17. Jacob Van Dee (Nebraska) - #84: Class of 2022 18. Cullan Schriever (Iowa) - #57: Class of 2020 19. Angelo Rini (Columbia) - Not Ranked: Class of 2019 20. Tyler Wells (Minnesota) - Not Ranked: Class of 2023 21. Braxton Brown (Maryland) - #70: Class of 2021 22. Kade Moore (Missouri) - #129: Class of 2022 23. Vince Santaniello (Pittsburgh/Navy Prep) - #121: Class of 2021 24. Dom Zaccone (Campbell/Illinois) - Not Ranked: Class of 2019 25. Julian Farber (Northern Iowa) - #104: Class of 2020 26. Julian Chlebove (Arizona State) - #7: Class of 2019 27. Ethan Oakley (Appalachian State) - Not Ranked: Class of 2020 28. Mason Leiphart (Franklin & Marshall) - #171: Class of 2022 29. Braden Basile (Army West Point) - #89: Class of 2022 30. Micah Roes (Binghamton) - Not Ranked: Class of 2020 31. Brendan Ferretti (Navy) - #154: Class of 2021 32. Gabe Whisenhunt (Oregon State) - #45: Class of 2022 33. Tony Madrigal (Illinois/Oklahoma) - #88: Class of 2018 # of Top 5 Recruits: 3 # of Top 10 Recruits: 4 # of Top 25 Recruits: 8 # of Top 50 Recruits: 11 # of Top 100 Recruits: 22 Not Ranked: 5 141 lbs 1. Real Woods (Iowa/Stanford) - #21: Class of 2018 2. Beau Bartlett (Penn State) - #7: Class of 2020 3. Jesse Mendez (Ohio State) - #4: Class of 2022 4. Ryan Jack (NC State) - #17: Class of 2020 5. Lachlan McNeil (North Carolina) - #11: Class of 2020 6. Cael Happel (Northern Iowa) - #22: Class of 2020 7. Brock Hardy (Nebraska) - #9: Class of 2018 8. Tagen Jamison (Oklahoma State/Minnesota) - #47: Class of 2021 9. Anthony Echemendia (Iowa State/Ohio State) - Not Listed 10. Jordan Titus (West Virginia) - #41: Class of 2021 11. Wyatt Henson (Iowa/Oklahoma/Lock Haven) - #16: Class of 2021 12. Vince Cornella (Cornell) - #50: Class of 2021 13. Tom Crook (Virginia Tech) - #81: Class of 2022 14. Josh Koderhandt (Navy) - #106: Class of 2021 15. Malyke Hines (Lehigh) - #68: Class of 2019 16. CJ Composto (Penn) - Not Ranked: Class of 2020 17. Kal Miller (Maryland) - #47: Class of 2022 18. Cleveland Belton (Oregon State/Arizona State) - Not Ranked: Class of 2019 19. Sergio Lemley (Michigan) - #11: Class of 2023 20. Mitch Moore (Rutgers/Oklahoma/Virginia Tech) - #87: Class of 2018 21. Vance Vombaur (Minnesota) - #92: Class of 2021 22. Cole Matthews (Pittsburgh) - #79: Class of 2018 23. Mosha Schwartz (Oklahoma/Northern Colorado) - #57: Class of 2019 24. Danny Fongaro (Indiana/Columbia) - Not Ranked: Class of 2018 25. Clay Carlson (South Dakota State) - Not Ranked: Class of 2018 26. Joshua Edmond (Missouri) - #39: Class of 2020 27. Danny Pucino (Illinois) - #132: Class of 2020 28. Gavin Drexler (North Dakota State) - #126: Class of 2022 29. Nathan Higley (George Mason) - Not Ranked: Class of 2021 30. Jordan Hamdan (Michigan State) - Not Ranked: Class of 2019 31. Jason Miranda (Stanford) - #172: Class of 2020 32. Greyson Clark (Purdue) - #29: Class of 2023 33. Isaiah Powe (Chattanooga) - #99: Class of 2023 # of Top 5 Recruits: 1 # of Top 10 Recruits: 3 # of Top 25 Recruits: 9 # of Top 50 Recruits: 15 # of Top 100 Recruits: 22 Not Ranked: 6 149 lbs 1. Ridge Lovett (Nebraska) - #16: Class of 2019 2. Caleb Henson (Virginia Tech) - #16: Class of 2022 3. Jackson Arrington (NC State) - #28: Class of 2022 4. Kyle Parco (Arizona State) - #71: Class of 2019 5. Chance Lamer (Cal Poly/Michigan) - #8: Class of 2021 6. Austin Gomez (Michigan/Wisconsin/Iowa State) - #11: Class of 2017 7. Ty Watters (West Virginia) - #32: Class of 2023 8. Kannon Webster (Illinois) - #10: Class of 2023 9. Dylan D’Emilio (Ohio State) - #32: Class of 2019 10. Casey Swiderski (Iowa State) - #3: Class of 2022 11. Caleb Rathjen (Iowa) - #49: Class of 2021 12. Tyler Kasak (Penn State) - #9: Class of 2023 13. Drew Roberts (Minnesota) - #67: Class of 2021 14. Ethen Miller (Maryland) - #43: Class of 2021 15. Graham Rooks (Indiana) - Not Ranked: Class of 2018 16. Corbyn Munson (Central Michigan) - Not Ranked: Class of 2018 17. Sammy Alvarez (Oklahoma State/Rutgers/NC State) - #34: Class of 2019 18. Nash Singleton (Oregon State) - #105: Class of 2022 19. Alek Martin (South Dakota State) - #14: Class of 2021 20. Caleb Tyus (SIU Edwardsville) - #211: Class of 2021 21. Jaden Abas (Stanford) - #8: Class of 2019 22. Joe Zargo (Wisconsin) - #60: Class of 2020 23. Gabe Willochell (Wyoming/Edinboro) - #105: Class of 2020 24. Logan Gioffre (Missouri) - Not Ranked: Class of 2020 25. Eligh Rivera (Princeton) - #71: Class of 2023 26. Ethan Fernandez (Cornell) - #294: Class of 2021 27. Cody Bond (Appalachian State) - Not Ranked: Class of 2017 28. Finn Solomon (Pittsburgh/NC State) - #111: Class of 2022 29. Noah Castillo (Chattanooga) - #67: Class of 2020 30. Willie McDougald (Oklahoma) - #175: Class of 2020 31. Matthew Williams (Army West Point) - Not Ranked: Class of 2020 32. Nick Stonecheck (Lock Haven) - Not Ranked: Class of 2021 33. Quinn Kinner (Rider/Ohio State) - #15: Class of 2018 # of Top 5 Recruits: 1 # of Top 10 Recruits: 5 # of Top 25 Recruits: 9 # of Top 50 Recruits: 16 # of Top 100 Recruits: 21 Not Ranked: 6 157 lbs 1. Levi Haines (Penn State) - #7: Class of 2022 2. Jared Franek (Iowa) - #48: Class of 2018 3. Vince Zerban (Northern Colorado) - #105: Class of 2021 4. Jacori Teemer (Arizona State) - #8: Class of 2018 5. Michael Blockhus (Minnesota/Northern Iowa) - #44: Class of 2018 6. Ed Scott (NC State) - #18: Class of 2020 7. Meyer Shapiro (Cornell) - #1: Class of 2023 8. Bryce Andonian (Virginia Tech) - #28: Class of 2019 9. Peyton Robb (Nebraska) - #31: Class of 2018 10. Brock Mauller (Missouri) - #73: Class of 2018 11. Daniel Cardenas (Stanford) - #2: Class of 2022 12. Will Lewan (Michigan) - #28: Class of 2018 13. Cody Chittum (Iowa State) - Not Listed 14. Ryder Downey (Northern Iowa) - Not Ranked: Class of 2022 15. Cael Swensen (South Dakota State) - #71: Class of 2021 16. Peyton Kellar (Ohio) - #115: Class of 2021 17. Teague Travis (Oklahoma State) - #142: Class of 2021 18. Trevor Chumbley (Northwestern) - #74: Class of 2019 19. Brayton Lee (Indiana/Minnesota) - #13: Class of 2018 20. Joey Blaze (Purdue) - #17: Class of 2023 21. Chase Saldate (Michigan State) - #14: Class of 2020 22. Tommy Askey (Appalachian State) - #176: Class of 2020 23. Lucas Revano (Penn) - #63: Class of 2019 24. Max Brignola (Lehigh) - Not Ranked: Class of 2021 25. DJ McGee (George Mason) - Not Ranked: Class of 2022 26. Johnny Lovett (Central Michigan) - Not Ranked: Class of 2019 27. Dylan Cedeno (Virginia) - #107: Class of 2020 28. Colton Washleski (Rider) - Not Ranked: Class of 2021 29. Isaac Wilcox (Ohio State) - #50: Class of 2019 30. Jared Hill (Oklahoma) - #118: Class of 2021 31. Matt Bianchi (Little Rock) - #48: Class of 2021 32. Legend Lamer (Cal Poly) - #87: Class of 2019 33. Michael North (Maryland) - #67: Class of 2019 # of Top 5 Recruits: 2 # of Top 10 Recruits: 4 # of Top 25 Recruits: 8 # of Top 50 Recruits: 14 # of Top 100 Recruits: 21 Not Ranked: 5 165 lbs 1. Keegan O’Toole (Missouri) - #5: Class of 2020 2. David Carr (Iowa State) - #5: Class of 2018 3. Izzak Olejnik (Oklahoma State/Northern Illinois) - Not Ranked: Class of 2018 4. Julian Ramirez (Cornell) - #10: Class of 2019 5. Dean Hamiti (Wisconsin) - #6: Class of 2021 6. Michael Caliendo (Iowa/North Dakota State) - #73: Class of 2021 7. Mitchell Mesenbrink (Penn State/California Baptist) - #59: Class of 2022 8. Peyton Hall (West Virginia) - #45: Class of 2020 9. Caleb Fish (Michigan State) - #137: Class of 2020 10. Cam Amine (Michigan) - #17: Class of 2019 11. Garrett Thompson (Ohio) - Not Ranked: Class of 2021 12. Noah Mulvaney (Bucknell) - #107: Class of 2023 13. Matthew Olguin (Oregon State) - #12: Class of 2019 14. Derek Fields (NC State) - #32: Class of 2021 15. Holden Heller (Pittsburgh/Hofstra) - Not Ranked: Class of 2018 16. Giano Petrucelli (Air Force) - #56: Class of 2020 17. Antrell Taylor (Nebraska) - #25: Class of 2022 18. Andrew Cerniglia (Navy) - #13: Class of 2020 19. Brevin Cassella (Binghamton) - Not Ranked: Class of 2020 20. Bryce Hepner (Ohio State) - #159: Class of 2020 21. Maxx Mayfield (Northwestern) - #72: Class of 2020 22. Connor Brady (Virginia Tech) - #13: Class of 2019 23. Tyler Lillard (Indiana) - #69: Class of 2022 24. Gunner Filipowicz (Army West Point) - #143: Class of 2022 25. Joey Bianchi (Little Rock) - Not Ranked: Class of 2019 26. Hunter Garvin (Stanford) - #9: Class of 2022 27. Cael Carlson (Oklahoma/Minnesota) - Not Ranked: Class of 2019 28. Blaine Brenner (Minnesota) - #65: Class of 2021 29. Will Miller (Appalachian State) - Not Ranked: Class of 2021 30. Chris Moore (Illinois) - #111: Class of 2023 31. Joshua Kim (Harvard) - #83: Class of 2018 32. Dom Baker (Campbell) - #140: Class of 2022 33. Jake Logan (Lehigh) - #45: Class of 2019 # of Top 5 Recruits: 2 # of Top 10 Recruits: 5 # of Top 25 Recruits: 10 # of Top 50 Recruits: 13 # of Top 100 Recruits: 20 Not Ranked: 7 174 lbs 1. Carter Starocci (Penn State) - #9: Class of 2019 2. Mekhi Lewis (Virginia Tech) - #19: Class of 2017 3. Shane Griffith (Michigan/Stanford) - #19: Class of 2018 4. Cade DeVos (South Dakota State) - #76: Class of 2019 5. Peyton Mocco (Missouri) - #39: Class of 2018 6. Nick Incontrera (Penn) - Not Ranked: Class of 2019 7. Phil Congiliaro (Harvard) - #76: Class of 2018 8. Patrick Kennedy (Iowa) - #4: Class of 2020 9. Edmond Ruth (Illinois/Lehigh) - #62: Class of 2019 10. Adam Kemp (Cal Poly/Fresno State) - Not Ranked: Class of 2018 11. Rocco Welsh (Ohio State) - #3: Class of 2023 12. Max Maylor (Wisconsin/Michigan) - Not Ranked: Class of 2018 13. Jackson Turley (Rutgers) - #43: Class of 2019 14. Justin McCoy (Virginia) - #92: Class of 2018 15. Donnell Washington (Indiana) - Not Ranked: Class of 2019 16. Ben Pasiuk (Army West Point) - Not Ranked: Class of 2019 17. Brody Conley (West Virginia) - #27: Class of 2022 18. Sal Perrine (Ohio) - #131: Class of 2021 19. Lorenzo Norman (Stanford) - #36: Class of 2023 20. Lennox Wolak (Columbia) - Not Ranked: Class of 2019 21. Luca Augustine (Pittsburgh) - #35: Class of 2021 22. MJ Gaitan (Iowa State) - #14: Class of 2022 23. Gaven Sax (North Dakota State) - #93: Class of 2020 24. Tyler Brennan (Little Rock) - Not Ranked: Class of 2019 25. Brayden Thompson (Oklahoma State) - #5: Class of 2023 26. Austin Murphy (Campbell) - Not Ranked: Class of 2018 27. Alex Faison (NC State) - Not Ranked: Class of 2018 28. Alex Cramer (Central MIchigan) - #75: Class of 2019 29. Tyler Eischens (North Carolina/Stanford) - #99: Class of 2018 30. Danny Wask (Navy) - #18: Class of 2022 31. Jared Simma (Northern Iowa) - #124: Class of 2021 32. Brody Baumann (Purdue) - #122: Class of 2022 33. Bubba Wilson (Nebraska) - Not Ranked: Class of 2019 # of Top 5 Recruits: 3 # of Top 10 Recruits: 4 # of Top 25 Recruits: 8 # of Top 50 Recruits: 13 # of Top 100 Recruits: 20 Not Ranked: 10 184 lbs 1. Parker Keckeisen (Northern Iowa) - #14: Class of 2019 2. Dustin Plott (Oklahoma State) - #2: Class of 2020 3. Lenny Pinto (Nebraska) - #7: Class of 2021 4. Trey Munoz (Oregon State/Arizona State) - #35: Class of 2019 5. Bernie Truax (Penn State/Cal Poly) - Not Ranked: Class of 2018 6. Isaiah Salazar (Minnesota) - #30: Class of 2020 7. Chris Foca (Cornell) - #21: Class of 2019 8. Will Feldkamp (Iowa State/Clarion/Northern Illinois) - Not Ranked: Class of 2017 9. Reece Heller (Pittsburgh/Hofstra) - Not Ranked: Class of 2019 10. Dylan Fishback (NC State) - #6: Class of 2022 11. Jacob Nolan (Binghamton) - Not Ranked: Class of 2019 12. Bennett Berge (South Dakota State) - #35: Class of 2022 13. Sam Wolf (Air Force) - Not Ranked: Class of 2019 14. Clayton Whiting (Missouri) - #40: Class of 2022 15. Layne Malczewski (Michigan State) - Not Ranked: Class of 2018 16. Shane Leigel (Wisconsin/Loras) - Not Ranked: Class of 2019 17. Max Hale (Penn) - #174: Class of 2020 18. James Conway (Franklin & Marshall) - Not Ranked: Class of 2021 19. Jaden Bullock (Michigan) - #204: Class of 2020 20. Sam Fisher (Virginia Tech) - #86: Class of 2020 21. Brian Soldano (Rutgers) - #12: Class of 2022 22. Nathan Dugan (Princeton) - #97: Class of 2019 23. Gavin Kane (North Carolina) - #31: Class of 2021 24. Zayne Lehman (Ohio) - #176: Class of 2021 25. Tony Negron (Arizona State/Penn State) - Not Ranked: Class of 2018 26. Jacob Armstrong (Utah Valley) - #89 - Class of 2015 27. Jha’Quan Anderson (Gardner-Webb) - Not Ranked: Class of 2019 28. Dylan Connell (Illinois) - #129: Class of 2021 29. Aaron Ayzerov (Columbia) - #87: Class of 2021 30. Dennis Robin (West Virginia) - Not Ranked: Class of 2020 31. Seth Shumate (Ohio State) - #51: Class of 2022 32. Cameron Pine (Clarion/Campbell) - Not Ranked: Class of 2018 33. Troy Fisher (Northwestern) - #53: Class of 2019 # of Top 5 Recruits: 1 # of Top 10 Recruits: 3 # of Top 25 Recruits: 6 # of Top 50 Recruits: 11 # of Top 100 Recruits: 17 Not Ranked: 11 197 lbs 1. Aaron Brooks (Penn State) - #2: Class of 2018 2. Stephen Buchanan (Oklahoma/Wyoming) - Not Ranked: Class of 2019 3. Trent Hidlay (NC State) - #18: Class of 2018 4. Michael Beard (Lehigh/Penn State) - #11: Class of 2018 5. Jaxon Smith (Maryland) - #36: Class of 2021 6. Tanner Sloan (South Dakota State) - Not Ranked: Class of 2018 7. Jacob Cardenas (Cornell) - #15: Class of 2019 8. Rocky Elam (Missouri) - #9: Class of 2020 9. Stephen Little (Little Rock) - #161: Class of 2022 10. Louie DePrez (Binghamton) - #8: Class of 2017 11. Zach Glazier (Iowa) - #83: Class of 2019 12. John Poznanski (Rutgers) - #16: Class of 2020 13. Luke Stout (Princeton) - #24: Class of 2020 14. Silas Allred (Nebraska) - #15: Class of 2020 15. Mac Stout (Pittsburgh) - #34: Class of 2022 16. Luke Surber (Oklahoma State) - #43: Class of 2020 17. Evan Bockman (Utah Valley) - Not Ranked: Class of 2018 18. Nick Stemmet (Stanford) - #161: Class of 2020 19. Levi Hopkins (Campbell) - Not Ranked: Class of 2019 20. Joey Novak (Wyoming) - #55: Class of 2023 21. Garrett Joles (Minnesota) - Not Ranked: Class of 2018 22. Luke Geog (Ohio State) - #22: Class of 2022 23. Wyatt Voelker (Northern Iowa) - #70: Class of 2022 24. Cole Urbas (Penn) - #85: Class of 2019 25. Andy Smith (Virginia Tech) - Not Ranked: Class of 2019 26. Max Shaw (North Carolina) - #73: Class of 2019 27. Jack Wehmeyer (Columbia) - #91: Class of 2022 28. Justin Rademacher (Oregon State) - #56: Class of 2023 29. Kael Wisler (Michigan State) - Not Ranked: Class of 2022 30. Julien Broderson (Iowa State) - #89: Class of 2019 31. John Crawford (Franklin & Marshall) - Not Ranked: Class of 2019 32. Sam Mitchell (Buffalo) - Not Ranked: Class of 2019 33. Ben Smith (Cleveland State) - Not Ranked: Class of 2018 # of Top 5 Recruits: 1 # of Top 10 Recruits: 3 # of Top 25 Recruits: 10 # of Top 50 Recruits: 13 # of Top 100 Recruits: 21 Not Ranked: 10 285 lbs 1. Greg Kerkvliet (Penn State/Ohio State) - #1: Class of 2019 2. Wyatt Hendrickson (Air Force) - #40: Class of 2019 3. Yonger Bastida (Iowa State) - Not Listed 4. Cohlton Schultz (Arizona State) - #2: Class of 2019 5. Zach Elam (Missouri) - #54: Class of 2018 6. Lucas Davison (Michigan/Northwestern) - #49: Class of 2018 7. Yaraslau Slavikouski (Rutgers/Harvard) - Not Listed 8. Nathan Taylor (Lehigh) - #177: Class of 2021 9. Konner Doucet (Oklahoma State) - #110: Class of 2020 10. Taye Ghadiali (Campbell) - Not Ranked: Class of 2019 11. Josh Heindselman (Oklahoma) - Not Ranked: Class of 2019 12. Nick Feldman (Ohio State) - #1: Class of 2022 13. Dayton Pitzer (Pittsburgh) - #41: Class of 2022 14. Luke Luffman (Illinois) - #39: Class of 2019 15. Owen Trephan (NC State) - #72: Class of 2019 16. Tyrell Gordon (Northern Iowa) - Not Ranked: Class of 2018 17. Lewis Fernandes (Cornell) - #61: Class of 2019 18. Cory Day (Binghamton) - Not Ranked: Class of 2019 19. Grady Griess (Navy) - #111: Class of 2020 20. Hunter Catka (Virginia Tech) - #6: Class of 2020 21. Keaton Kluever (Hofstra/Minnesota/North Carolina) - Not Ranked: Class of 2018 22. Trevor Tinker (Cal Poly) - Not Ranked: Class of 2020 23. Boone McDermott (Oregon State/Rutgers) - Not Ranked: Class of 2018 24. Daniel Bucknavich (Cleveland State) - Not Ranked: Class of 2020 25. Seth Nevills (Maryland/Penn State) - #22: Class of 2018 26. Lucas Stoddard (Army West Point) - Not Ranked: Class of 2022 27. Dorian Crosby (Bucknell) - #114: Class of 2020 28. Bradley Hill (Iowa) - #112: Class of 2022 29. Bennett Tabor (Minnesota) - #22: Class of 2021 30. Matthew Cover (Princeton) - Not Ranked: Class of 2019 31. Jacobi Jackson (Northern Illinois) - Not Ranked: Class of 2021 32. David Szuba (Rider) - #27: Class of 2021 33. Ryan Catka (Virginia/Navy) - #128: Class of 2021 # of Top 5 Recruits: 3 # of Top 10 Recruits: 4 # of Top 25 Recruits: 7 # of Top 50 Recruits: 11 # of Top 100 Recruits: 14 Not Ranked: 10

Saturday’s Dual Results Chattanooga 29 Gardner-Webb 14 125 - Brayden Palmer (Chattanooga) maj Drew West (Gardner-Webb) 15-3 133 - Blake Boarman (Chattanooga) dec Tyson Lane (Gardner-Webb) 13-7 141 - Isaiah Powe (Chattanooga) fall Todd Carter (Gardner-Webb) 4:51 149 - Zach Price (Gardner-Webb) dec Matthew Williams (Chattanooga) 5-1 157 - Lincoln Heck (Chattanooga) dec Joseph Giordano (Gardner-Webb) 5-1 165 - Kamdyn Munro (Chattanooga) maj Andrew Wilson (Gardner-Webb) 13-4 174 - Sergio Desiante (Chattanooga) dec Samuel Mora (Gardner-Webb) 6-3 184 - Jha’Quan Anderson (Gardner-Webb) tech Ryan Stein (Chattanooga) 17-1 197 - Josh McCutheon (Gardner-Webb) fall David Harper (Chattanooga) 3:52 285 - Kaleb Snodgrass (Chattanooga) fall Peyton McComas (Gardner-Webb) 3:29 VMI 46 Presbyterian 6 125 - Tony Burke (VMI) FFT 133 - Dyson Dunham (VMI) tech Brayden Adams (Presbyterian) 19-1 141 - Patrick Jordon (VMI) FFT 149 - Ryan Vigil (VMI) FFT 157 - Eli Holiday (Presbyterian) dec Josh Yost (VMI) 9-6SV 165 - Michael Ramirez (Presbyterian) dec Luke Hart (VMI) 6-2 174 - Braxton Lewis (VMI) fall Brandon Jacoby (Presbyterian) 2:42 184 - Toby Schoffstall (VMI) fall Nathan Fuman (Presbyterian) 3:33 197 - Josh Evans (VMI) fall George Hopkins (Presbyterian) 4:53 285 - Tyler Mousaw (VMI) tech Morvens Saint Jean (Presbyterian) 21-3 Northern Illinois 18 Buffalo 16 125 - Blake West (Northern Illinois) tech Max Elton (Buffalo) 17-2 133 - Tommy Maddox (Buffalo) maj Mikey Kaminski (Northern Illinois) 17-9 141 - Jacob Brya (Northern Illinois) dec Caleb Brooks (Buffalo) 4-0 149 - Jaivon Jones (Northern Illinois) dec Kaleb Burgess (Buffalo) 6-1 157 - Nick Stampoulos (Buffalo) dec Brett Smith (Northern Illinois) 7-2 165 - Hunter Shaut (Buffalo) dec Tommy Bennett (Northern Illinois) 4-2 174 - Jay Nivison (Buffalo) dec Ricardo Salin (Northern Illinois) 7-3 184 - Matt Zuber (Northern Illinois) dec Chase Kranitz (Buffalo) 6-1 197 - Sam Mitchell (Buffalo) dec Sean Carroll (Northern Illinois) 4-1 285 - Jacobi Jackson (Northern Illinois) maj Lonnell Owens-Pabon (Buffalo) 12-3 Princeton 20 Harvard 16 125 - Diego Sotelo (Harvard) dec Drew Heethuis (Princeton) 2-0 133 - Sean Pierson (Princeton) dec Coleman Nogle (Harvard) 10-7 141 - Michael Jaffe (Harvard) dec Tyler Vasquez (Princeton) 8-6 149 - Jack Crook (Harvard) dec Eligh Rivera (Princeton) 14-12 157 - Rocco Camillaci (Princeton) dec Jimmy Harrington (Harvard) 4-1SV 165 - Joshua Kim (Harvard) dec Blaine Bergey (Princeton) 8-2 174 - Phil Conigliaro (Harvard) maj Mikey Squires (Princeton) 15-3 184 - Nate Dugan (Princeton) dec Leo Tarantino (Harvard) 7-3 197 - Luke Stout (Princeton) tech Alex Whitworth (Harvard) 18-2 285 - Matthew Cover (Princeton) fall Nick Marcenelle (Harvard) 2:20 Drexel 20 Rider 16 125 - Tyler Klinsky (Rider) dec Desmond Pleasant (Drexel) 7-3 133 - John Hildebrandt (Drexel) dec Richie Koehler (Rider) 5-2 141 - Jordan Soriano (Drexel) dec Will Betancourt (Rider) 2-0 149 - Quinn Kinner (Rider) dec Dom Findora (Drexel) 5-3 157 - Colton Washleski (Rider) dec Tyler Williams (Drexel) 6-2 165 - Cody Walsh (Drexel) dec Jake Silverstein (Rider) 1-0 174 - Michael Wilson (Rider) dec Jack Janda (Drexel) 4-1SV 184 - Ethan Wilson (Drexel) fall Isaac Dean (Rider) 3:44 197 - Ibrahim Ameer (Drexel) fall Azeem Bell (Rider) 4:56 285 - David Szuba (Rider) maj Santino Morina (Drexel) 18-4 California Baptist 21 Air Force 15 125 - Eli Griffin (California Baptist) dec Tucker Owens (Air Force) 6-4 133 - Hunter Leake (California Baptist) dec Robert Wright (Air Force) 2-1 141 - Darren Green (California Baptist) dec Garrett Kuchan (Air Force) 8-5SV 149 - Dayne Morton (California Baptist) dec Joe Fernau (Air Force) 12-5 157 - Chaz Hallmark (California Baptist) tech Brooks Gable (Air Force) 22-5 165 - Giano Petrucelli (Air Force) dec Carter Schubert (California Baptist) 5-0 174 - Noah Blake (Air Force) dec Justin Phillips (California Baptist) 4-2 184 - Sam Wolf (Air Force) dec Nathan Haas (California Baptist) 7-0 197 - Eli Sheeran (California Baptist) maj Calvin Sund (Air Force) 11-0 285 - Wyatt Hendrickson (Air Force) fall Chris Island (California Baptist) 1:38 Little Rock 21 Cal Poly 12 125 - Dominic Mendez (Cal Poly) dec Jeremiah Reno (Little Rock) 10-5 133 - Nasir Bailey (Little Rock) dec Zeth Romney (Cal Poly) 7-1 141 - Brennan Van Hoecke (Little Rock) dec Abe Hinrichsen (Cal Poly) 4-1SV 149 - Chance Lamer (Cal Poly) InjDef Kyle Dutton (Little Rock) 157 - Matt Bianchi (Little Rock) dec Legend Lamer (Cal Poly) 4-1SV 165 - Joey Bianchi (Little Rock) dec Michael Goldfeder (Cal Poly) 7-1 174 - Adam Kemp (Cal Poly) dec Tyler Brennan (Little Rock) 3-2 184 - Triston Wills (Little Rock) dec Kendall LaRosa (Cal Poly) 8-6 197 - Stephen Little (Little Rock) dec Jarad Priest (Cal Poly) 7-2 285 - Josiah Hill (Little Rock) dec Trevor Tinker (Cal Poly) 4-2 Sacred Heart 31 Bloomsburg 11 125 - Jack Ice (Sacred Heart) dec Bronson Garber (Bloomsburg) 4-0 133 - Andrew Fallon (Sacred Heart) fall Major Lewis (Bloomsburg) 2:29 141 - Jake Carlucci (Sacred Heart) FFT 149 - Vincent Milazzo (Sacred Heart) maj Nik Antonelli (Bloomsburg) 8-0 157 - William Morrow (Bloomsburg) maj Connor MacDonald (Sacred Heart) 17-3 165 - Macon Myers (Bloomsburg) maj Calvin Pineda (Sacred Heart) 16-5 174 - Nolen Zeigler (Bloomsburg) dec Owen Ayotte (Sacred Heart) 14-8 184 - Nicky Eboli (Sacred Heart) dec Anthony DeRosa (Bloomsburg) 7-4 197 - Hunter Perez (Sacred Heart) fall David Tuttle (Bloomsburg) :56 285 - Marc Berisha (Sacred Heart) dec Tyler McCarhan (Bloomsburg) 4-1SV Kent State 37 Bloomsburg 5 125 - Adan Benavidez (Kent State) maj Bronson Garber (Bloomsburg) 11-3 133 - Pablo Castro (Kent State) maj Major Lewis (Bloomsburg) 17-4 141 - Billy Meiszner (Kent State) FFT 149 - Matt Ryan (Kent State) maj Nik Antonelli (Bloomsburg) 17-5 157 - Keegan Knapp (Kent State) dec William Morrow (Bloomsburg) 5-1 165 - Aaron Ferguson (Kent State) dec Macon Myers (Bloomsburg) 5-0 174 - AJ Burkhart (Kent State) tech Nolen Zeigler (Bloomsburg) 17-1 184 - Tanner Culver (Bloomsburg) tech Mitchell Broskie (Kent State) 17-1 197 - Blake Schaffer (Kent State) tech David Tuttle (Bloomsburg) 23-6 285 - Josh Boggan (Kent State) dec Tyler McCarhan (Bloomsburg) 6-3 Penn 39 Brown 0 125 - Max Gallagher (Penn) dec Michael Joyce (Brown) 5-1 133 - Ryan Miller (Penn) maj Hunter Adrian (Brown) 10-2 141 - CJ Composto (Penn) dec Ian Oswalt (Brown) 8-4 149 - Andy Troczynski (Penn) maj Nicholas Romero (Brown) 11-1 157 - Lucas Revano (Penn) maj Blake Saito (Brown) 18-6 165 - Kaya Sement (Penn) dec Dom Frontino (Brown) 5-0 174 - Nick Incontrera (Penn) maj Jonathan Conrad (Brown) 16-2 184 - Max Hale (Penn) tech Nick Olivieri (Brown) 21-5 197 - Martin Cosgrove (Penn) InjDef James Araneo (Brown) 285 - John Stout (Penn) dec Alex Semenenko (Brown) 4-1 Navy 34 Bucknell 7 125 - Kade Davidheiser (Bucknell) dec Grant Treaster (Navy) 4-1SV 133 - Brendan Ferretti (Navy) dec Kurt Phipps (Bucknell) 3-1TB 141 - Josh Koderhandt (Navy) maj Dylan Chappell (Bucknell) 13-2 149 - Kaemen Smith (Navy) dec Riley Bower (Bucknell) 5-2SV 157 - Charlie Evans (Navy) fall Aiden Davis (Bucknell) 6:57 165 - Andrew Cerniglia (Navy) fall Noah Mulvaney (Bucknell) 2:00 174 - Danny Wask (Navy) dec Myles Takats (Bucknell) 6-2 184 - David Key (Navy) fall Michael Bartush (Bucknell) 4:30 197 - Logan Deacetis (Bucknell) maj Daniel Williams (Navy) 11-2 285 - Jamier Ferere (Navy) dec Dorian Crosby (Bucknell) 6-4 South Dakota State 33 Utah Valley 3 125 - Tanner Jordan (South Dakota State) dec Yusief Lillie (Utah Valley) 5-0 133 - Derrick Cardinal (South Dakota State) dec Kase Mauger (Utah Valley) 8-3 141 - Haiden Drury (Utah Valley) dec Caleb Gross (South Dakota State) 2-0 149 - Alek Martin (South Dakota State) dec Isaiah Delgado (Utah Valley) 7-3 157 - Cael Swensen (South Dakota State) dec Alex Emmer (Utah Valley) 5-1 165 - Tanner Cook (South Dakota State) fall Tanner Lofthouse (Utah Valley) :16 174 - Cade DeVos (South Dakota State) tech Caleb Uhlenhopp (Utah Valley) 18-2 184 - Bennett Berge (South Dakota State) maj Mahonri Rushton (Utah Valley) 14-4 197 - Tanner Sloan (South Dakota State) dec Evan Bockman (Utah Valley) 5-0 285 - Luke Rasmussen (South Dakota State) dec Chase Trussell (Utah Valley) 4-2 Sunday’s Dual Results Penn 34 Harvard 6 125 - Max Gallagher (Penn) fall Isaiah Adams (Harvard) 2:24 133 - Michael Colaiocco (Penn) dec Coleman Nogle (Harvard) 8-4 141 - CJ Composto (Penn) dec Michael Jaffe (Havard) 19-12 149 - Jude Swisher (Penn) fall Jack Crook (Harvard) :30 157 - Lucas Revano (Penn) maj Joe Cangro (Havard) 10-2 165 - Joshua Kim (Harvard) dec Kaya Sement (Penn) 8-3 174 - Phil Conigliaro (Harvard) dec Nick Incontrera (Penn) 4-2 184 - Max Hale (Penn) fall Leo Tarantino (Harvard) 2:36 197 - Cole Urbas (Penn) dec Alex Whitworth (Harvard) 3-0 285 - John Stout (Penn) dec Nick Marcenelle (Harvard) 7-2 Drexel 43 Morgan State 0 125 - Desmond Pleasant (Drexel) tech Julian Dawson (Morgan State) 20-3 133 - John Hildebrandt (Drexel) dec Kevin Lopez (Morgan State) 11-6 141 - Jordan Soriano (Drexel) tech Thomas Fierro (Morgan State) 18-1 149 - Dom Findora (Drexel) tech Aaron Turner (Morgan State) 17-2 157 - Tyler Williams (Drexel) tech Joshua Greenwood (Morgan State) 16-0 165 - Cody Walsh (Drexel) dec Jake Marsh (Morgan State) 8-3 174 - Jack Janda (Drexel) dec Cort Vann (Morgan State) 4-0 184 - Ethan Wilson (Drexel) dec Kyle Grey (Morgan State) 4-2 197 - Ibrahim Ameer (Drexel) tech Nathanic Kendricks (Morgan State) 24-4 285 - Santino Morina (Drexel) fall Tyler Stewart (Morgan State) 6:05 Drexel 31 American 6 125 - Desmond Pleasant (Drexel) maj Shamil Kalmatov (American) 14-3 133 - Jaxon Maroney (Drexel) fall Max Leete (American) 7:55SV 141 - Jordan Soriano (Drexel) dec Cael McIntyre (American) 6-4 149 - Dom Findora (Drexel) dec Gage Owen (American) 9-2 157 - Kaden Milheim (American) dec Tyler Williams (Drexel) 3-1 165 - Cody Walsh (Drexel) tech Ryan Zimmerman (American) 17-2 174 - Jack Janda (Drexel) dec Lucas White (American) 4-1SV 184 - Ethan Wilson (Drexel) maj Brad Kata (American) 10-1 197 - Ibrahim Ameer (Drexel) dec Liam Volk-Klos (American) 11-5 285 - Will Jarrell (American) dec Santino Morina (Drexel) 3-0 American 29 Morgan State 13 125 - Julian Dawson (Morgan State) dec Shamil Kalmatov (American) 8-6 133 - Max Leete (American) fall Kevin Lopez (Morgan State) 1:18 141 - Cael McIntyre (American) fall Tommy Fierro (Morgan State) :12 149 - Ethan Szerencsits (American) maj Aaron Turner (Morgan State) 11-2 157 - Kaden Milheim (American) maj Joshua Greenwood (Morgan State) 10-1 165 - Jake Marsh (Morgan State) dec Ryan Zimmerman (American) 7-1 174 - Lucas White (American) dec Cort Vann (Morgan State) 7-1 184 - Kyle Grey (Morgan State) maj Brad Kata (American) 17-4 197 - Nathanic Kendricks (Morgan State) dec Caleb Beaty (American) 6-5 285 - Will Jarrell (American) fall Tyler Stewart (Morgan State) 3:52 Wisconsin 24 Purdue 15 125 - Matt Ramos (Purdue) dec Eric Barnett (Wisconsin) 4-1 133 - Nicolar Rivera (Wisconsin) dec Dustin Norris (Purdue) 10-7SV 141 - Christian White (Purdue) dec Zan Fugitt (Wisconsin) 4-3 149 - Joe Zargo (Wisconsin) dec Marcos Polanco (Purdue) 11-5 157 - Isaac Ruble (Purdue) dec Cody Goebel (Wisconsin) 14-12 165 - Dean Hamiti (Wisconsin) fall Stoney Buell (Purdue) 1:06 174 - Max Maylor (Wisconsin) dec Brody Baumann (Purdue) 19-16SV 184 - Shane Liegel (Wisconsin) dec James Rowley (Purdue) 5-2 197 - Ben Vanadia (Purdue) fall Lucas Condon (Wisconsin) 1:44 285 - Gannon Rosenfeld (Wisconsin) fall Triston Ruhlman (Purdue) 4:10 Indiana 23 Michigan State 18 125 - Michael Spangler (Indiana) dec Tristan Lujan (Michigan State) 10-8 133 - Cayden Rooks (Indiana) tech Andrew Hampton (Michigan State) 19-3 141 - Danny Fongaro (Indiana) dec Jordan Hamden (Michigan State) 6-4 149 - Graham Rooks (Indiana) fall Clayton Jones (Michigan State) 4:36 157 - Chase Saldate (Michigan State) fall Zack Rotkvich (Indiana) 4:12 165 - Caleb Fish (Michigan State) FFT 174 - DJ Shannon (Michigan State) dec Donnell Washington (Indiana) 4-1 184 - Layne Malczewski (Michigan State) dec Roman Rogotzke (Indiana) 5-2 197 - Gabe Sollars (Indiana) dec Kael Wisler (Michigan State) 8-5 285 - Nick Willham (Indiana) dec Josh Terrill (Michigan State) 4-3TB Ohio State 22 Rutgers 12 125 - Brendan McCrone (Ohio State) dec Dean Peterson (Rutgers) 7-1 133 - Dylan Shawver (Rutgers) dec Nic Bouzakis (Ohio State) 5-4 141 - Jesse Mendez (Ohio State) dec Mitch Moore (Rutgers) 5-0 149 - Michael Cetta (Rutgers) dec Dylan D’Emilio (Ohio State) 12-9SV 157 - Isaac Wilcox (Ohio State) maj Jacob Butler (Rutgers) 19-6 165 - Bryce Hepner (Ohio State) dec Anthony White (Rutgers) 5-0 174 - Rocco Welsh (Ohio State) dec Jackson Turley (Rutgers) 4-3 184 - Brian Soldano (Rutgers) fall Ryder Rogotzke (Ohio State) 4:24 197 - Luke Geog (Ohio State) dec John Poznanski (Rutgers) 4-3 285 - Nick Feldman (Ohio State) dec Yaraslau Slavikouski (Rutgers) 4-2 The Citadel 27 Bellarmine 3 125 - Malik Hardy (The Citadel) dec Damion Ryan (Bellarmine) 5-1TB 133 - Trayce Eckman (Bellarmine) dec George Rosas (The Citadel) 3-2 141 - Jacob Silka (The Citadel) dec AJ Rallo (Bellarmine) 6-4 149 - Jeffrey Boyd (The Citadel) dec Zac Cowan (Bellarmine) 7-4SV 157 - Hayden Watson (The Citadel) dec Gray Ortis (Bellarmine) 2-0 165 - Ben Haubert (The Citadel) dec Grant O’Dell (Bellarmine) 3-2SV 174 - Brodie Porter (The Citadel) dec Cole Nance (Bellarmine) 9-8 184 - Adam Ortega (The Citadel) dec Sam Schroeder (Bellarmine) 8-5 197 - Patrick Brophy (The Citadel) dec Andrew Liber (Bellarmine) 6-4 285 - Ben Stemmet (The Citadel) dec Thadd Huff (Bellarmine) 5-2 Rider 29 George Mason 9 125 - Tyler Klinsky (Rider) tech JB Dragovich (George Mason) 18-3 133 - Richie Koehler (Rider) fall Brandon Wittenberg (George Mason) 1:34 141 - Dominic Hargrove (George Mason) dec Will Betancourt (Rider) 4-1SV 149 - Quinn Kinner (Rider) dec Kaden Cassidy (George Mason) 4-0 157 - DJ McGee (George Mason) dec Colton Washleski (Rider) 4-2 165 - Jake Silverstein (Rider) dec Evan Maag (George Mason) 12-9 174 - Michael Wilson (Rider) dec Paul Pierce (George Mason) 9-7 184 - Malachi Duvall (George Mason) dec Isaac Dean (Rider) 4-1SV 197 - Azeem Bell (Rider) maj Nick Foster (George Mason) 14-4 285 - David Szuba (Rider) tech Donovan Sprouse (George Mason) 22-5 Appalachian State 32 VMI 7 125 - Chad Bellis (Appalachian State) maj Tony Burke (VMI) 13-2 133 - Dyson Dunham (VMI) dec Noah Luna (Appalachian State) 9-5 141 - Isaac Byers (Appalachian State) dec Patrick Jordon (VMI) 2-1TB 149 - Cody Bond (Appalachian State) dec Ryan Vigil (VMI) 6-3 157 - Tommy Askey (Appalachian State) tech Josh Yost (VMI) 19-3 165 - Will Miller (Appalachian State) tech Luke Hart (VMI) 16-1 174 - Braxton Lewis (VMI) maj Logan Eller (Appalachian State) 13-0 184 - Tomas Brooker (Appalachian State) dec Toby Schoffstall (VMI) 8-1 197 - Carson Floyd (Appalachian State) fall Josh Evans (VMI) 1:44 285 - Jacob Sartorio (Appalachian State) dec Tyler Mousaw (VMI) 16-14 Campbell 43 Gardner-Webb 3 125 - Anthony Molton (Campbell) tech Drew West (Gardner-Webb) 16-1 133 - Dom Zaccone (Campbell) tech Tyson Lane (Gardner-Webb) 22-5 141 - Todd Carter (Gardner-Webb) dec Wynton Denkins (Campbell) 9-6 149 - Justin Rivera (Campbell) dec Zach Price (Gardner-Webb) 4-1SV 157 - Chris Earnest (Campbell) fall Parker Corwin (Gardner-Webb) 3:34 165 - Dom Baker (Campbell) tech Andrew Wilson (Gardner-Webb) 19-4 174 - Austin Murphy (Campbell) tech Samuel Mora (Gardner-Webb) 17-2 184 - Caleb Hopkins (Campbell) dec Jha’Quan Anderson (Gardner-Webb) 1-0 197 - Levi Hopkins (Campbell) tech Joshua McCutheon (Gardner-Webb) 18-3 285 - Taye Ghadiali (Campbell) fall Peyton McComas (Gardner-Webb) 1:34 Wyoming 30 North Dakota State 13 125 - Jore Volk (Wyoming) tech Ryan Henningson (North Dakota State) 21-5 133 - Garrett Ricks (Wyoming) dec Fernando Barreto (North Dakota State) 12-8 141 - Cole Brooks (Wyoming) tech Gavin Drexler (North Dakota State) 17-2 149 - Max Petersen (North Dakota State) tech Gabe Willochell (Wyoming) 19-4 157 - Sloan Swan (Wyoming) fall Landon Johnson (North Dakota State) 2:06 165 - Cooper Voorhees (Wyoming) dec Brendan Howes (North Dakota State) 9-5 174 - Gaven Sax (North Dakota State) tech Quayin Short (Wyoming) 17-0 184 - Ethan Ducca (Wyoming) maj Adam Cherne (North Dakota State) 12-3 197 - Joey Novak (Wyoming) maj Spencer Mooberry (North Dakota State) 13-1 285 - Devon Dawson (North Dakota State) dec Kevin Zimmer (Wyoming) 9-4 Lehigh 21 Army West Point 16 125 - Sheldon Seymour (Lehigh) dec Ethan Berginc (Army West Point) 4-1 133 - Conor Collins (Army West Point) tech Ethan Smith (Lehigh) 16-1 141 - Malyke Hines (Lehigh) dec Richard Treanor (Army West Point) 9-4 149 - Matthew Williams (Army West Point) dec Kelvin Griffin (Lehigh) 6-4 157 - Max Brignola (Lehigh) dec Nate Lukez (Army West Point) 7-6 165 - Dalton Harkins (Army West Point) maj Jake Logan (Lehigh) 12-2 174 - Ben Pasiuk (Army West Point) maj Connor Herceg (Lehigh) 16-6 184 - Jack Wilt (Lehigh) dec Dillon Sheehy (Army West Point) 8-5SV 197 - Michael Beard (Lehigh) tech Wolfgang Frable (Army West Point) 20-2 285 - Nathan Taylor (Lehigh) maj Lucas Stoddard (Army West Point) 15-3 Minnesota 39 Northwestern 0 125 - Patrick McKee (Minnesota) dec Massey Odiotti (Northwestern) 18-12 133 - Tyler Wells (Minnesota) tech Patrick Adams (Northwestern) 21-5 141 - Vance VomBaur (Minnesota) tech Kolby McClain (Northwestern) 18-2 149 - Drew Roberts (Minnesota) tech Aiden Vandenbush (Northwestern) 17-2 157 - Michael Blockhus (Minnesota) dec Trevor Chumbley (Northwestern) 8-5 165 - Blaine Brenner (Minnesota) FFT 174 - Andrew Sparks (Minnesota) dec Joseph Martin (Northwestern) 7-1 184 - Isaiah Salazar (Minnesota) dec Troy Fisher (Northwestern) 8-3 197 - Garrett Joles (Minnesota) dec Evan Bates (Northwestern) 9-4 285 - Bennett Tabor (Minnesota) dec Jack Jessen (Northwestern) 8-3 Oklahoma State 24 Missouri 10 125 - Troy Spratley (Oklahoma State) dec Noah Surtin (Missouri) 4-1SV 133 - Sam Smith (Oklahoma State) FFT 141 - Daton Fix (Oklahoma State) dec Josh Edmond (Missouri) 2-1 149 - Jordan Williams (Oklahoma State) dec Joel Mylin (Missouri) 10-3 157 - Teague Travis (Oklahoma State) dec Brock Mauller (Missouri) 4-2 165 - Keegan O’Toole (Missouri) dec Izzak Olejnik (Oklahoma State) 5-1 174 - Brayden Thompson (Oklahoma State) dec Peyton Mocco (Missouri) 8-1SV 184 - Dustin Plott (Oklahoma State) dec Clayton Whiting (Missouri) 8-2 197 - Rocky Elam (Missouri) maj Kyle Haas (Oklahoma State) 8-0 285 - Zach Elam (Missouri) dec Konner Doucet (Oklahoma State) 1-0 Princeton 34 Brown 13 125 - Drew Heethuis (Princeton) fall Michael Joyce (Brown) 6:16 133 - Sean Pierson (Princeton) maj Hunter Adrian (Princeton) 11-2 141 - Ian Oswalt (Brown) dec Tyler Vasquez (Princeton) 11-6 149 - Eligh Rivera (Princeton) tech Sam McMonagle (Brown) 20-3 157 - Blake Saito (Brown) maj Rocco Camillaci (Princeton) 11-1 165 - Blaine Bergey (Princeton) dec Keegan Rothrock (Brown) 9-2 174 - Mikey Squires (Princeton) InjDef Dom Frontino (Brown) 184 - Jonathan Conrad (Brown) fall Nathan Stefanik (Princeton) 2:57 197 - Luke Stout (Princeton) fall Nick Olivieri (Brown) 3:53 285 - Matthew Cover (Princeton) maj Alex Semenenko (Brown) 9-0 Central Michigan 28 Ohio 9 125 - Sean Spidle (Central Michigan) tech Ryan Meek (Ohio) 20-3 133 - Vince Perez (Central Michigan) tech Malachi O’Leary (Ohio) 17-1 141 - Jimmy Nugent (Central Michigan) dec Kaden Jett (Ohio) 6-3 149 - Corbyn Munson (Central Michigan) dec Derek Raike (Ohio) 8-7 157 - Peyten Kellar (Ohio) dec Johnny Lovett (Central Michigan) 6-0 165 - Garrett Thompson (Ohio) dec Tyler Swiderski (Central Michigan) 1-0 174 - Alex Cramer (Central Michigan) dec Sal Perrine (Ohio) 4-1SV 184 - Zayne Lehman (Ohio) dec Adrien Cramer (Central Michigan) 5-2 197 - Cameron Wood (Central Michigan) dec Austin Starr (Ohio) 7-4 285 - Bryan Caves (Central Michigan) fall Jacob Padilla (Ohio) 2:10 Columbia 25 Bucknell 13 125 - Nick Babin (Columbia) tech Kade Davidheiser (Bucknell) 18-0 133 - Kurt Phipps (Bucknell) dec Sulayman Bah (Columbia) 8-2 141 - Kai Owen (Columbia) dec Braden Bower (Bucknell) 9-4 149 - Riley Bower (Bucknell) dec Richard Fedalen (Columbia) 4-1SV 157 - Aiden Davis (Bucknell) dec Tyler Barrett (Columbia) 4-1SV 165 - Andrew Garr (Columbia) tech Dylan McCullough (Columbia) 19-4 174 - Lennox Wolak (Columbia) dec Myles Takats (Bucknell) 5-3 184 - Aaron Ayzerov (Columbia) fall Michael Bartush (Bucknell) 3:22 197 - Jack Wehmeyer (Columbia) dec Logan Deacetis (Bucknell) 6-3 285 - Dorian Crosby (Bucknell) maj Adam Haselius (Columbia) 18-4 Arizona State 19 Oregon State 17 125 - Maximo Renteria (Oregon State) dec Richie Figueroa (Arizona State) 9-5 133 - Julian Chlebove (Arizona State) dec Gabe Whisenhunt (Oregon State) 8-2 141 - Cleveland Belton (Oregon State) tech Cody Foote (Arizona State) 20-4 149 - Kyle Parco (Arizona State) dec Nash Singleton (Oregon State) 9-3 157 - Jacori Teemer (Arizona State) maj Isaiah Crosby (Oregon State) 20-6 165 - Chance McLane (Arizona State) dec Kekana Fouret (Oregon State) 5-1 174 - Nicco Ruiz (Arizona State) dec Matthew Olguin (Oregon State) 6-3 184 - Trey Munoz (Oregon State) tech Shay Addison (Arizona State) 25-8 197 - Justin Rademacher (Oregon State) maj Jacob Meissner (Arizona State) 15-3 285 - Cohlton Schultz (Arizona State) dec Boone McDermott (Oregon State) 5-2 Northern Iowa 26 West Virginia 12 125 - Jett Strickenberger (West Virginia) dec Trever Anderson (Northern Iowa) 9-6 133 - Julian Farber (Northern Iowa) tech Mason Mills (West Virginia) 22-5 141 - Cael Happel (Northern Iowa) maj Jordan Titus (West Virginia) 11-3 149 - Ty Watters (West Virginia) maj Cael Rahnavardi (Northern Iowa) 8-0 157 - Ryder Downey (Northern Iowa) dec Alex Hornfeck (West Virginia) 5-3 165 - Peyton Hall (West Virginia) tech RJ Weston (Northern Iowa) 20-5 174 - Jared Simma (Northern Iowa) dec Brody Conley (West Virginia) 5-4 184 - Parker Keckeisen (Northern Iowa) tech Dennis Robin (West Virginia) 18-3 197 - Wyatt Voelker (Northern Iowa) dec Austin Cooley (West Virginia) 8-1 285 - Tyrell Gordon (Northern Iowa) dec Tristan Kemp (West Virginia) 6-1SV Nebraska 29 Illinois 9 125 - Caleb Smith (Nebraska) dec Justin Cardani (Illinois) 9-2 133 - Tony Madrigal (Illinois) dec Jacob Van Dee (Nebraska) 8-3 141 - Brock Hardy (Nebraska) fall Danny Pucino (Illinois) 4:40 149 - Jake Harrier (Illinois) dec Blake Cushing (Nebraska) 4-1SV 157 - Peyton Robb (Nebraska) maj Joe Roberts (Illinois) 10-1 165 - Antrell Taylor (Nebraska) dec Chris Moore (Illinois) 4-1SV 174 - Edmond Ruth (Illinois) dec Bubba Wilson (Nebraska) 4-0 184 - Lenny Pinto (Nebraska) maj Dylan Connell (Illinois) 18-6 197 - Silas Allred (Nebraska) fall Chase Waggoner (Illinois) 4:10 285 - Nash Hutmacher (Nebraska) dec Peter Marinopoulos (Illinois) 12-9 Stanford 38 CSU Bakersfield 9 125 - Richard Castro-Sandoval (CSU Bakersfield) fall Suhas Chundi (Stanford) 1:39 133 - Dom Lajoie (Stanford) dec Romeo McNeal (CSU Bakersfield) 5-3 141 - Jason Miranda (Stanford) fall Luis Ramos (CSU Bakersfield) 1:09 149 - Jaden Abas (Stanford) dec Brock Rogers (CSU Bakersfield) 12-6 157 - Daniel Cardenas (Stanford) tech Devyn Flores-Che (CSU Bakersfield) 19-4 165 - Hunter Gavin (Stanford) tech Guillermo Escobedo (CSU Bakersfield) 20-4 174 - Zach Hanson (Stanford) tech Ryder Dearborn (CSU Bakersfield) 19-4 184 - Jack Darrah (Stanford) tech Braden Smelser (CSU Bakersfield) 15-0 197 - Nick Stemmet (Stanford) fall Khristian Dove (CSU Bakersfield) :49 285 - Jake Andrews (CSU Bakersfield) dec Jackson Mankowski (Stanford) 6-0

This week, Jagger decided to change things up for the mailbag! Instead of its customary written format, it'll be in video form. Topics addressed are Olympic redshirts, his introduction to college wrestling, wrestling snacks, Trent Hidlay in a Royal Rumble, MMA, the all-important question, "Is Jagger a Swiftie?" and more. Have fun, subscribe to our YouTube channel and let Jagger know what you think about the video format.

We're coming down the home stretch of the collegiate wrestling season and have a full schedule of DI duals this week. A total of 53 duals will be contested. Since it can be difficult to figure out where and when to watch all of these events, InterMat has put together a list of all of the live-streamed events occurring this week. Below are the dates/times and how to watch each match (with links). All times listed are Eastern. Thursday, February 1: The Citadel at Chattanooga 5:00 PM Clarion at Lock Haven 7:00 PM PSAC Digital Network South Dakota State at Wyoming 8:00 PM FloWrestling Friday, February 2: Columbia at Cornell 6:30 PM ESPN+ Ohio State at Penn State 6:30 PM Big Ten Network Appalachian State at Campbell 7:00 PM UFC FightPass Bellarmine at Davidson 7:00 PM FloWrestling Pittsburgh at Duke 7:00 PM ACC Network Extra Virginia Tech at Virginia 7:00 PM ACC Network Extra Lock Haven at Navy 7:30 PM Navy Athletics YouTube LIU at Franklin & Marshall 8:00 PM Centennial Conference Digital Network Michigan State at Illinois 8:00 PM B1G+ West Virginia at Iowa State 8:00 PM ESPN+ Maryland at Minnesota 8:00 PM B1G+ Arizona State at Oklahoma State 8:00 PM ESPN+ North Dakota State at Utah Valley 8:00 PM GoUVU YouTube Northwestern at Wisconsin 8:00 PM B1G+ Iowa at Michigan 8:30 PM Big Ten Network North Carolina at NC State 8:30 PM ACC Network Saturday, February 3: Binghamton, Cleveland State, Edinboro, Hofstra at Edinboro Open 9:00 AM Lindenwood at Missouri Valley Open 10:00 AM Chattanooga at Gardner-Webb 12:00 PM ESPN+ Princeton at Harvard 12:00 PM ESPN+ Sacred Heart at Bloomsburg 1:00 PM PSAC Digital Network Penn at Brown 1:00 PM ESPN+ Northern Illinois at Buffalo 1:00 PM ESPN+ Cal Poly at Little Rock 1:00 PM Little Rock Sports Network Rider at Drexel 2:00 PM FloWrestling VMI at Presbyterian 2:00 PM California Baptist at Air Force 3:00 PM FloWrestling Kent State at Bloomsburg 3:00 PM PSAC Digital Network Bucknell at Navy 7:30 PM ESPN+ South Dakota State at Utah Valley 8:00 PM GoUVU YouTube Sunday, February 4: Bellarmine, SIU Edwardsville at Greyhound Open (Indianapolis) 10:00 AM Drexel vs. Morgan State at American 11:00 AM ESPN+ Penn at Harvard 12:00 PM ESPN+ Michigan State at Indiana 12:00 PM Big Ten Network Drexel at American 1:00 PM ESPN+ Princeton at Brown 1:00 PM Bucknell at Columbia 1:00 PM ESPN+ Rider at George Mason 1:00 PM ESPN+ Wisconsin at Purdue 1:00 PM B1G+ Ohio State at Rutgers 1:00 PM B1G+ VMI at Appalachian State 2:00 PM AppState Sports YouTube Lehigh at Army West Point 2:00 PM Army WP Athletics YouTube Gardner-Webb at Campbell 2:00 PM Campbell Mall Ohio at Central Michigan 2:00 PM ESPN+ Northwestern at Minnesota 2:00 PM Big Ten Network Oklahoma State at Missouri 2:00 PM FloWrestling Bellarmine at The Citadel 2:00 PM ESPN+ Morgan State at American 3:00 PM ESPN+ Oregon State at Arizona State 3:00 PM Pac-12 Oregon Illinois at Nebraska 3:00 PM B1G+ West Virginia at Northern Iowa 3:00 PM FloWrestling North Dakota State at Wyoming 3:00 PM FloWrestling CSU Bakersfield at Stanford 7:00 PM Pac-12 Stanford

Welcome back, all. Sorry about missing last week but some things came up, so my crawl to 100 mailbags took a little pit stop. Some say I ducked but I assure you I was banged up and Earl needs to rest me for the stretch run. I only have so many words in me and it would be foolhardy to use them in the middle of January. But I managed to scrape some together this week like the grinder that I am and you can read them now. Such a strange thing that we live in a world of text now and nobody seems to actually speak to each other anymore. Yet we listen to podcasts and watch people play video games for some reason. Tell you what, growing up in my day when you had to watch your brother play a video game for however long and patiently wait your turn, you’d take umbrage with that whole industry like I do. But that’s neither here nor there. Let’s do some questions. Going weight by weight and seeing how many wrestlers each conference has in the top 10, how close would you say the B12 and others are to catching the B10? Is the gap closing? Jayson Hildreth Fine, I’ll crunch the numbers. Ok, numbers crunched. And I’m not exactly sure what to make of them. It seems the B12 has a pretty solid stronghold on the upper weights with four guys ranked in the top ten at 165, 184, and 285. Three at 197 and only two at 174 puts 17 out of 50 overall for the guys who wrestle after intermission. So just about one-third. That’s not bad. The lightweights only clock in with two at each weight, except 141, which has four. Since I have no other data to compare to, or don’t feel like searching for, it’s hard to tell if a gap has been closed. But it does seem like it. Missouri is as good as anybody in the non-PSU division, Iowa State has reemerged as a powerhouse, Oklahoma State is Oklahoma State, and UNI and South Dakota State are no one to be trifled with. It certainly feels like a more well-rounded conference right now than the Big Ten. I’ll admit that much. I also admit that a few Big Ten teams seem a bit down this year on account of injuries and transfers. Should be fun to see how things shake out in about two months. Who does wrestling Twitter hate the most: AJ Ferrari, Jimmy Cinnabon, or all the ducks? I'll hang up and quack now. Thicccholas Depends on the week. I actually don’t see much chatter on the X about Cinnabon, nor do I know if he’s out there somewhere. Jimmy certainly gets them riled up on the forum, though. If you know, you know. If you don’t, go check out the forum just a click away at the top of the page. But finish reading this first. I’m not doing Ferrari today. There’s just nothing more to discuss right now. We will go through the motions again next year. It’s definitely the ducking situation for lack of a better term. I try to give the benefit of the doubt when it happens but it seems to be getting tougher to justify. The good news is that the lack of marquee matchups during the regular season makes March just that much more exciting. Jags, my brilliant friend, it's been over 46 years since the last @RUWrestling vs Florida dual. When are those golf cart jockeys going to give us a chance to settle the score? Salty Walkon They’d have to get a team first. So…never? Shocking that I wasn’t alive when that happened since I’ve been alive for almost everything. But seriously, there’s no reason why the entire state of Florida can’t have a good three D1 teams at least. I bet they wouldn’t even have to travel. Every team would just want to go there instead. What is the significance of 712 to you? Are you actually representing western Iowa area code, 712? Best unorthodox bracket format for 125 this year? Best of 3 finals, round robin. Do we include feats of strength, Dance offs, or slam poetry readings to crown 125? Burger King of Kings No significance at all. But I dig that it’s an area code in Iowa. Many moons ago in the early days of the internet, I needed an email so I chose Jagger711. Jagger because I’d occasionally crush some Coors Lights and start doing Mick Jagger impressions. 711 was for our family’s race car number. Then for some reason, I needed another email and just went one number up. As the 21st century went on and we needed usernames for everything from online poker to Xbox, it just became my de facto name. That’s it. That’s the story. Truly exhilarating stuff. As far as 125 is concerned, there’s only one answer. Royal Rumble. 33 enter, one leaves with the belt. Speaking of which… How is anyone going to get Omos over the top rope?????? Rhino It’s Rumble weekend! Look, I know there's still some beef from the real wrestling crowd to the scripted stuff, but the Rumble is fun. It’s the only WWE event I even watch anymore. And we have a pool going! I dropped 30 Willie bucks for three lousy numbers where one will certainly be Omos. Then the announcers will act like he can win because he’s seven feet tall and I’ll get all excited before he inevitably gets eliminated by Rey Mysterio or a nostalgia entrant like The Sandman or something. I’ll still pop for it. 30 pops, baby! Go nuts for every guy no matter what! Don't want to talk about "hot seats", Some coaches are reaching retirement age. Gable retired at 50, Nichols at 68. Does John Smith (58), Brands (55), Manning (65?), Koll (58?), Dresser (61), Zeke (57), retire first? Burger King of Questions You would think Manning strictly by age but who knows. I just feel like it’s a new generation and these guys don’t feel as old as their age would indicate. I don’t feel as old as my age indicates. It’s just the times we live in. And do they want to retire anytime soon? Each one of them has put in a lifetime of work to get to where they are. It’s what they do. It’s how they’re programmed. Other than maybe John Smith, I can see all these guys doing it until they’re 70 and riding off into the sunset. Which is exactly what I’m going to do right now. Have a great weekend!

Dual meets, dual meets and more dual meets. As we go into another weekend of B1G Ten dual meets, we look back at last week’s matchups. We had some duals that lived up to some of our expectations, a few guys whose stock is going up and another that’s going down and Claunch delves into his experience on the call for Michigan’s dual last week. Stock up: Michael Blockhus; Stock down: Peyton Robb There might not be anyone having a better start of the new year than Michael Blockhus. He returned with one goal in mind and so far it looks like he’s on the right track. Last week he took out Jared Franek with a last minute takedown then followed it up with a dominating win over Peyton Robb four days later. Now he’s jumped to No. 6 in the rankings. Earlier this week, I got to catch up with Blockhus to talk about his big wins, returning to the Gophers’ lineup for his final year, and his fighting future. On the opposite side is Robb who didn’t just take a loss to Blockhus last week, but was pinned by Joey Blaze of Purdue. That notched Robb’s fourth straight loss. This weekend the Huskers head to Evanston, IL to face Northwestern where Robb will look to get back to his winning ways. A Curse at 125 Ends … We all know what kind of powerhouse Penn State has been for the last million years, but a spot in Coach Cael Sanderson’s lineup that hasn’t been at the championship level is at 125-pounds. As mentioned in the season preview, Nico Megaludis was the last guy in this weight class to sport a Nittany Lion singlet and make the podium. All of that could be over as freshman Braeden Davis has been a very bright, and so far undefeated, presence in their line up. It took a bit for him to stand above PSU’s other options here, but now he’s manning the spot in the line up and in the No. 4 spot in the rankings. He’s also the only guy in the weight class who hasn’t taken a loss yet this season. … And Another Curse at 125 Continues It seems like ages ago when we would occasionally get a No. 1 versus No. 2 battle in the regular season. It doesn’t always happen, but it certainly feels like it used to happen more often than it has of late. Last Friday night, we were lucky enough to see it with Purdue’s Matt Ramos, then ranked second in the country at 125, facing off against Iowa’s No. 1 ranked Drake Ayala in Carver-Hawkeye Arena. Purdue, as a team, wasn’t expected to win the dual meet as a whole, but in what was clearly the biggest match of the night, the Boilermaker got a solid win and once again beat a top ranked Hawkeye in a big moment. Was it purposeful that they wore the silver and gold singlets that were worn on that fateful night last March? Probably right? Either way Iowa ran away with the majority of the other matches as expected. Shoutout to Joey Blaze wrestling tough against Jared Franek, and James Rowley getting the win at 184, but Iowa as a unit is still proving to be one of the toughest teams in the country. Iowa will be traveling to Illinois this weekend as they take on the Fighting Illini this Friday, and Northwestern this Sunday. Purdue, as referenced above, will be taking on the Hoosiers in Bloomington Saturday night. Terrapins v Hoosiers did not disappoint Two weeks ago we released our top B1G duals list for the season, and I’m sure some of you scoffed at my assertion that this dual was worthy of your time and energy. Well, those of you who trust my judgment were rewarded, and those who don’t still have time to watch what was a back and forth exciting affair from start to finish. Maryland won three of the first four matches, with their predictable and consistent studs from 133 through 149 providing a lot of that firepower. Brayton Lee jumped in for Indiana at 157, and looked like the Brayton Lee of old, racking up a ton of points on his way to a 15-4 major decision. Indiana took the lead with four straight wins headed into 197, where Jaxon Smith was able to get the overtime win to bring it to the last match. The Hoosiers at home stepped up and didn’t allow this dual to go to criteria for the second straight year. Nick Willham at Heavyweight got a gritty win with a late takedown to get away with a 4-2 victory and seal it for the Hoosiers. Next up Indiana will host Purdue this Saturday to see which team owns the state of Indiana, while Maryland hosts Penn State this Sunday. Calling a dual is super fun I figured it would be, but I greatly underestimated how much fun I was going to have calling the Michigan vs Rutgers dual last Sunday. Shoutout to Malik Amine for being the calming and veteran presence on the mic with me, and his professionalism as he prepared his notes ahead of time and walked me through what we were going to do to get going. The dual itself really made it easy though. From beginning to end, there were some close and exciting matches and ranked wrestlers up and down the lineup. Michigan got the better end of the lower weights, with wins at 125 through 141 to start the dual, in a series of ranked matches. The most exciting being the true freshman in Sergio Lemley, who needed three different match winning takedowns to get the win over the veteran Mitch Moore. The gritty Scarlet Knights got on the board with a win at 149, and eventually again at 197 as Poznanski took out redshirt freshman Rylan Rogers. Lucas Davison finished things off with a solid win over the transfer from Harvard, Yaraslau Slavikouski, in a top 10 matchup. Michigan wrestles Ohio State this Friday, as Rutgers hosts Minnesota this Saturday afternoon. Bonus Points Check out this week’s Conference Crossover Conversation as Holmes, Claunch, Wendell and Sommer discuss all of the latest happenings in the collegiate wrestling world. The foursome also hit on Minnesota/Nebraska, Penn State/Michigan, coaches rankings and much more.

We’re nearing February and The NCAA released statistical award leaders last week for falls and tech falls. Wyatt Hendrickson (Air Force/285) had two pins this weekend to tie for the DI lead with Indiana 197lber Gabe Sollars. Two alumni of Malvern Prep (Pa.) lead the country in technical falls. Michael Beard (Lehigh, 197) came into the weekend with one more than Nick Feldman (Ohio St., 285). Beard posted one more while Feldman teched both of last weekend’s opponents. Their DI-high mark stands at 11 each. Additionally, lead InterMat Editor, Earl Smith, dove into undefeated wrestlers and their chances of remaining unscathed (based on remaining schedule). And while stewing on the dominance and offensive proliferation of Penn State’s Mitch Mesenbrink (he’s scored double-digit points in every bout but one this year), I went down the rabbit hole of ‘dominance,’ and didn’t stop until I ran the numbers for every remaining undefeated DI wrestler remaining (sans redshirts). The NCAA will eventually come out with its own ‘most dominant’ list. But for my purposes, I’m defining it as ‘most team points per bout’. There are a few guidelines to note: 1. I did not count the All-Star Classic. Wrestlers with a loss at that event have an asterisk. 2. I counted matches against all divisions, not just D1 vs. D1. 3. I counted matches against teammates. 4. Forfeits are not included. So here are the results listed by the highest team point average per bout. 1. Wyatt Hendrickson, Air Force, 285* - 5.6 pts. per bout 2. Parker Keckeisen, Northern Iowa - 5.5 3. Aaron Brooks, Penn St., 197 - 5.4 4. Carter Starocci, Penn St., 174 - 5.3 5. (tie) Keegan O’Toole, Missouri, 165 - 5 5. (tie) Stephen Buchanan, Oklahoma, 197 - 5 7. (tie) Trent Hidlay, NC State, 197 - 4.9 7. (tie) Vinny Zerban, Northern Colorado, 157 - 4.9 9. (tie) Dylan Ragusin, Michigan, 133 - 4.8 9. (tie) Mitch Mesenbrink, Penn St., 165 - 4.8 9. (tie) Zach Elam, Missouri, 285 - 4.8 12. Daton Fix, Oklahoma St., 133 - 4.5 13. (tie) Ridge Lovett, Nebraska, 149 - 4.3 13. (tie) Jon Poznanski, Rutgers, 197 - 4.3 15. (tie) Beau Bartlett, Penn St., 141 - 4.2 15. (tie) Levi Haines, Penn St., 157 - 4.2 15. (tie) Zach Glazier, Iowa, 197 - 4.2 Note: Glazier includes 6pts for Ferrari DQ 18. Younger Bastida, Iowa St., 285 - 4.1 19. Ryan Crookham, Lehigh, 133 - 4 20. (tie) Real Woods, Iowa, 141 - 3.9 20. (tie), Mekhi Lewis, Virginia Tech, 174* - 3.9 20. (tie) Greg Kerkvliet, Penn St., 285 - 3.9 23. Braeden Davis, Penn St., 125 - 3.9 24. Rocky Elam, Missouri, 197 - 3.6 Some observations: Hendrickson has eleven pins in fourteen matches with one decision, one major, and one tech. Two of his falls were against non-DI opponents. But the man is as close to perfect as can be fathomed. 5.6!? That’s ridiculous. You might think it’s crazy that we’re almost in February and PSU still has seven undefeated wrestlers. But that number goes to eight if you include 149lber Tyler Kasak whose only loss was to teammate Beau Bartlett. It should be noted that Penn State’s match count is lower than most other programs. Their team leader in wins is Mesenbrink with 13 and four of their seven undefeated guys have less than ten bouts wrestled. In addition to the three Penn State freshmen who remain undefeated, Lehigh’s Ryan Crookham is the fourth, and, of course, with the win over returning NCAA Champion Arujau, the only freshman ranked #1 in the country. Stephen Buchanan has been a machine. While averaging a tech worth of points thru 19 bouts, he’s recorded seven techs and seven pins. (Three of those came vs. non-DI.) Two wrestlers who lost in the All Star Classic are otherwise undefeated. Wyatt Hendrickson (to Kerkvliet) and Mekhi Lewis (to Carter Starocci). The Elam brothers close the door for the Mizzou Tigers at 197 and 285 and neither has suffered a loss this season.

We're officially in the second half of the collegiate wrestling season and have a full schedule of DI duals this week. A total of 50 duals will be contested. Since it can be difficult to figure out where and when to watch all of these events, InterMat has put together a list of all of the live-streamed events occurring this week. Below are the dates/times and how to watch each match (with links). At this time there is no link for the Cal Poly/Oregon State match on Friday night. We'll monitor and update this if will be on the Pac-12 Network. All times listed are Eastern. Friday, January 19: Chattanooga at Duke 6:00 PM ACC Network Extra Penn State at Michigan 6:00 PM Big Ten Network Rutgers at Michigan State 6:00 PM B1G+ Presbyterian at Bellarmine 7:00 PM ESPN+ Morgan State at Bucknell 7:00 PM ESPN+ Northern Illinois at Cleveland State 7:00 PM FloWrestling Penn at Lehigh 7:00 PM FloWrestling Buffalo at Lock Haven 7:00 PM PSAC Digital Network George Mason at Ohio 7:00 PM ESPN+ Maryland at Ohio State 7:00 PM B1G+ Drexel at Princeton 7:00 PM ESPN+ Purdue at Iowa 8:00 PM Big Ten Network Arizona State at Little Rock 8:00 PM Little Rock Sports Network Northern Colorado at South Dakota State 8:00 PM FloWrestling Cal Poly at Oregon State 9:00 PM Pac-12 Network (Digital??) Nebraska at Minnesota 10:00 PM Big Ten Network Saturday, January 20: Sacred Heart at Harvard 2:00 PM ESPN+ Navy at Lehigh 2:00 PM FloWrestling Northwestern at Illinois 3:00 PM B1G+ California Baptist at North Dakota State 8:00 PM NDSU All-Access Wyoming at Utah Valley 8:00 PM UVU Live YouTube Sunday, January 21: Kent State at Clarion 12:00 PM FloWrestling LIU vs. Morgan State at Clarion 12:00 PM Stanford at Penn 12:00 PM ESPN+ Edinboro at Central Michigan 12:00 PM ESPN+ Lock Haven at Bloomsburg 1:00 PM PSAC Digital Network Rutgers at Michigan 1:00 PM B1G+ Penn State at Michigan State 1:00 PM B1G+ Chattanooga at VMI 1:00 PM ESPN+ The Citadel at Appalachian State 2:00 PM AppStateSports YouTube Navy at Binghamton 2:00 PM ESPN+ American at Bucknell 2:00 PM ESPN+ LIU at Clarion 2:00 PM FloWrestling Kent State vs. Morgan State at Clarion 2:00 PM Maryland at Indiana 2:00 PM B1G+ Purdue at Nebraska 2:00 PM B1G+ Northern Colorado at North Dakota State 2:00 PM NDSU All-Access Arizona State at Pittsburgh 2:00 PM ACC Network Extra Hofstra at Franklin & Marshall 3:00 PM Centennial Conference TV Oregon State at Oklahoma State 3:00 PM ESPN+ Queens at Presbyterian 3:00 PM ESPN+ California Baptist at South Dakota State 3:00 PM FloWrestling Ohio State at Wisconsin 3:00 PM Big Ten Network Greensboro at Appalachian State 3:30 PM AppStateSports YouTube Army West Point at Binghamton 4:00 PM ESPN+ Morgan State at Clarion 4:00 PM FloWrestling Kent State vs. LIU at Clarion 4:00 PM Stanford at Drexel 4:30 PM FloWrestling CSU Bakersfield at Cal Poly 6:00 PM FloWrestling Campbell at Davidson 6:00 PM FloWrestling

Little Rock has become anything but a little program during the 2023-24 season. Although Little Rock’s program is still taking baby steps, the program has been setting records each week. “There is a big gratitude for all the guys for believing in what we are doing and they have bought in so many different ways,” coach Neil Erisman said. “We always believed we could be this type of team and it’s fun to see it come together.” Little Rock’s achievements have come in various ways, including nine dual wins and counting, being ranked top 25 for the first time, finishing top 10 at multiple tournaments, and more. The Trojans have been able to create these records while competing in its fifth season. “It starts with the quality and character of the kids we are recruiting,” Erisman said. “We get the right guys who love what we talk about, what we believe in, and jump wholeheartedly into it.” Even though Little Rock continues to rise, it was not always smooth sailing for the Trojans. First, Erisman and the squad had to celebrate the small victories. “It started with celebrating that we didn’t get tech falled in a match,” Erisman said. “Through that, it gave the guys a real sense of gratefulness.” In addition, Erisman and his staff had to make sure to keep confidence flowing high despite tough times. Lastly, Erisman stated the toughest thing about building Little Rock is having no mentors for the wrestlers. “In the end, the culture of your team is who they are when the coaches are not around,” Erisman said. “When you have a group of young kids coming in and buying into a dream, they don’t know it and haven’t been through it. Everything they were doing, they were learning for the first time.” Luckily, Joseph Bianchi, Tyler Brennan, and a couple of other Trojans have continued to build a culture since the first day on campus. “They didn’t quit, which goes a long way,” Erisman said. “I have some guys who stayed the course when it looked like it wasn’t possible and now they are showing these young guys. I can’t be grateful enough for the old guys who were mentally and physically strong enough to survive what we had gone through.” In addition, Little Rock’s underclassmen have provided a spark. “It’s not a greater feeling than a young guy helping change the culture towards a higher level of success,” Erisman said. “Nasir Bailey and Stephen Little have elevated the mentality and expectations. They bet on themselves and it gave some of the other guys confidence.” Bailey currently ranks 13th at 133 pounds with a 16-2 record. He is the first Little Rock freshman to win Pac-12 Wrestler of the Week, to be ranked and upset a ranked wrestler. Little ranks 11th with a record of 11-2. The redshirt freshman defeated a top 5 ranked wrestler and was the first Trojan to be ranked top 10. “You can get hyped up that Nasir and Stephen will be in a match they can win,” Erisman said. “Last year, we got our first-ranked wins. It shows things are possible.” As the postseason is arriving, Little Rock’s final goal is to finish in the top 25 in the country. In addition, they have the confidence to shock their rivals and win a Pac-12 title. Although Erisman is still looking to build Little Rock into the next powerhouse, he is grateful for the first five years at Little Rock. “I have enjoyed doing this journey with all these guys, especially seeing the older guys mature,” Erisman said. “I saw some pictures and videos and they were babies when they got here. I am grateful for them because we have been through a lot together.”

No. 2 Iowa has maintained their spot in the dual rankings so far this year with victories over Cal Baptist, No. 16 Oregon State, No. 5 Iowa State, No. 20 Penn, and Columbia. This Friday, they will take on their toughest test of the season to date in their Big Ten opener against Nebraska. The Cornhuskers are also undefeated in duals after sneaking out an 18-17 victory over Northern Iowa last weekend. The match between the Hawkeyes and the Cornhuskers could feature as many as 16 ranked wrestlers. The following is a match-by-match preview of the event. 125: No. 7 Caleb Smith (Nebraska) vs. No. 5 Drake Ayala (Iowa) If the dual starts at 125 pounds, it could begin with one of the key swing matches. Smith and Ayala wrestled previously at the 2022 Southern Scuffle. In that bout, Ayala scored the only two takedowns of the contest and walked away with a 5-2 score. So far this season, Smith has gone 14-2 with both of his losses coming against No. 6 Jore Volk (Wyoming). However, he has secured himself a spot in the top 10 of the wild 125-pound rankings due to a victory over No. 2 Matt Ramos (Purdue). Ayala has gone 13-1 so far this season with his only defeat coming against No. 15 Brandon Kaylor (Oregon State). At the recent Soldier Salute tournament, the Iowa wrestler won first place and picked up victories over Volk and his rival No. 18 Patrick McKee (Minnesota). Ayala and McKee have already wrestled five times in college. While the final score of their match from the 2022 Scuffle was somewhat close, the match was mostly one-sided. Smith was able to get his escapes, but he never really came close to finishing a takedown. Ayala should still have the advantage on the feet, and the three-point takedown will just make the job that much more difficult for Smith. Prediction: Ayala major decision over Smith (4-0 Iowa) 133: No. 30 Jacob Van Dee (Nebraska) vs. No. 7 Brody Teske (Iowa) The 133-pound match is also expected to be a rematch. Van Dee and Teske wrestled in the finals of the recent Soldier Salute. Van Dee started the scoring with a takedown less than 40 seconds into the bout. After fighting through multiple scrambles, Teske scored his own takedown to finish the first period up 4-3. Neither wrestler was able to ride or get to their offense in the final two periods, and Teske took the 5-4 victory. Outside of that loss to Teske, Van Dee is actually 3-0 against Iowa wrestlers as he bested Jace Rhodes, Jesse Ybarra, and Cullan Scheiver to make the finals of the Soldier Salute. Overall on the season, he holds an 11-5 record. Van Dee enters this dual after dropping a decision last weekend against No. 22 Julian Farber (Northern Iowa) last weekend. Last year, Teske moved up to 133 pounds and qualified for his third NCAA tournament. He has gone 8-1 to start this season with his only loss coming against No. 6 Evan Frost (Iowa State). After giving up the early takedown, he appeared to be in the driver’s seat against Van Dee. Teske struggled to finish clean, but he was able to finish with persistence. This might be a close match, but the Iowa wrestler should be able to pull it out once again. Prediction: Teske decision over Van Dee (7-0 Iowa) 141: No. 7 Brock Hardy (Nebraska) vs. No. 1 Real Woods (Iowa) Despite never meeting prior to last season, Hardy and Woods have developed quite the history. They met three times during the 2022-2023 season, and Woods won all three contests. However, that does not tell the entire story. Their first meeting came in a dual meet match in late January. Woods won the tight contest by a 6-4 score. The two rematched in the finals of the Big Ten tournament. Once again, Woods was able to hold on for a 2-1 victory. He needed every ounce of his outstanding defense as Hardy nearly finished a scramble in the final seconds of the bout. Their third bout came in the semifinals of the NCAA tournament. This time Woods was shot out of a cannon. He got to his offense in all positions and finished with an 11-1 major decision. Hardy appeared to suffer a rib injury during the contest and eventually forfeited the fifth-place match. After finishing sixth at the last NCAA tournament, many expected Hardy to take another step and contend for the 141-pound title this season. The path has been somewhat rocky so far this year. Hardy holds a 10-4 record with most of the blemishes coming from an extremely tough run at the Cliff Keen Invitational. At the event, he dropped matches to No. 8 Tagen Jamison (Oklahoma State), No. 6 Cael Happel (Northern Iowa), and No. 3 Jesse Mendez (Ohio State). This past weekend he got a chance to reverse the result against Happel, but he once again dropped a decision, this time in sudden victory. Woods has one last chance to make it to the top of the podium after finishing just short last season. He has started his final campaign with a 9-0 record that includes signature victories over No. 10 Anthony Echemendia (Iowa State) and No. 5 Lachlan McNeil (North Carolina). Prediction: Woods decision over Hardy (10-0 Iowa) 149: No. 1 Ridge Lovett (Nebraska) vs. No. 12 Caleb Rathjen (Iowa) Lovett has not lost a college wrestling match since falling against Yianni Diakomihalis in the finals of the 2022 NCAA finals. After redshirting last year and competing in only one open tournament, he has won all 14 of his matches to start this season. Along the way, he has scored wins over the likes of No. 5 Dylan D’Emilio (Ohio State) and No. 2 Caleb Henson (Virginia Tech). Iowa started the season with Oklahoma State transfer Victor Voinovich at 149 pounds. However, the Hawkeyes sent out Rathjen against Columbia, and he scored a decision victory over Richard Fedalen. He followed up that starting performance with a tournament title at the Soldier Salute that saw him defeat Voinovich and possible future teammate Anthony Ferrari. Regardless of who Iowa sends out to face Lovett, the mission will likely be to avoid giving up bonus points. That should be a tough task. Lovett has a strong bonus rate so far this season (64%), and he has scored bonus points against some of his toughest opposition to date. Prediction: Lovett major decision over Rathjen (10-4 Iowa) 157: No. 3 Peyton Robb (Nebraska) vs. No. 2 Jared Franek (Iowa) Some coaches like to start their wrestlers off with a light touch early in the season, but this was certainly not the case for these two competitors last year. In the first match of the 2022-2023 season for both wrestlers, Robb and Franek faced off. As one would expect, it was a close contest that Robb ultimately won via a 7-4 score. The two rematched in the consolation semifinals of the NCAA tournament, and this time Franek won a 3-1 decision in sudden victory. Robb started this season on quite a run. He won his first 14 matches and picked up key victories over No. 5 Jacori Teemer (Arizona State) and No. 9 Will Lewan (Michigan). However, last weekend he dropped his first bout of the season as he was upset by No. 12 Ryder Downey (Northern Iowa) in a 6-5 match. In the offseason, Franek relocated to Iowa City, but he is still likely to find himself in another match against Robb. He has gone 14-0 for the Hawkeyes with his biggest win coming over No. 15 Cody Chittum (Iowa State) in a match that was about as close as it gets. Franek held on to the lead as Chittum nearly scored in the very last second of the contest. Franek showed at the NCAA tournament that he can slow this match down and win a close one. If Robb is able to get to his offense and turn this into a higher-scoring contest, it will favor him. However, that will likely be easier said than done. Prediction: Franek decision over Robb (13-4 Iowa) 165: No. 19 Antrell Taylor (Nebraska) vs. No. 7 Michael Caliendo (Iowa) Taylor went only 4-5 last season as a redshirt, but he has had a solid first year in the lineup for the Cornhuskers. His season record currently stands at 11-2, and he has worked his way into the rankings thanks to victories over No. 12 Garrett Thompson (Ohio), No. 18 Giano Petrucelli (Air Force) and Tanner Cook (South Dakota State). Caliendo was a somewhat surprising All-American for North Dakota State last season and then transferred to Iowa. So far this season, he has gone 13-1 with his only defeat coming against No. 4 David Carr (Iowa State). In his last action, he won the Soldier Salute tournament and scored a win over No. 30 Blaine Brenner (Minnesota). Taylor has been a good story for Nebraska so far this season, but he will be in a tough spot here against Caliendo. The Iowa wrestler seems to still be unheralded, and he has a chance to earn some respect in the upcoming Big Ten conference schedule. Prediction: Caliendo decision over Taylor (16-4 Iowa) 174: No. 30 Bubba Wilson (Nebraska) vs. Patrick Kennedy (Iowa) These two faced off when Nebraska and Iowa met in a dual last January. The bout took place down at 165 pounds, and it was not much of a contest. Kennedy was in control throughout the bout and won a 12-4 major decision. Wilson moved up to 174 pounds for this season and has 10-4 to start the season. The two-time NCAA qualifier suffered a loss against Tyler Eischens (North Carolina) at the Soldier Salute, but bounced back with back-to-back wins over Kevin Anderson (Wyoming) and No. 31 Jared Simma (Northern Iowa) last weekend. Despite starting Iowa’s last three duals at 174 pounds, Kennedy surprisingly entered the Soldier Salute at 165 pounds. He won three matches in the event but suffered his second loss of the season against teammate Caliendo. Kennedy made his season debut against Iowa State and picked up a key win over the Cyclones’ No. 22 MJ Gaitan. The weight situation for Kennedy is a bit confusing, and his gas tank has been an issue at times this season. However, considering their match last season, Wilson would appear to need to make huge strides to win the rematch. While he has looked improved at times this year, the gap might still be too wide. Prediction: Kennedy decision over Wilson (19-4 Iowa) 184: No. 4 Lenny Pinto (Nebraska) vs. Aiden Riggins (Iowa) Pinto was an NCAA qualifier as a freshman last year, and he has returned to the starting spot at 184 pounds for his second campaign. His season has started with an 11-2 run that includes a first-place finish at the Navy Classic. Pinto’s only two losses on the year came against No. 2 Dustin Plott (Oklahoma State) and No. 1 Parker Keckeisen (Northern Iowa) at the Cliff Keen Invitational. Last weekend, the Nebraska wrestler picked up an impressive 8-2 victory over No. 14 Bennett Berge (South Dakota State). Riggins has gotten the nod in three of Iowa’s five duals to start this season. Against Oregon State, the Hawkeyes went with Brennan Swafford, and currently redshirting freshman Gabe Arnold won a key match in the dual against rival Iowa State. However, Riggins returned to the spot for matches against Penn and Columbia. On the season, Riggins has gone 8-6 with three of his wins coming against non-Division I opposition. Prediction: Pinto major decision over Riggins (19-8 Iowa) 197: No. 11 Silas Allred (Nebraska) vs. No. 16 Zach Glazier (Iowa) Allred appeared to be peaking at the right time last season. He won the Big Ten tournament and defeated returning champion Max Dean. However, he surprisingly went 2-2 at the NCAA tournament and failed to reach All-American status. He has returned this season and so far gone 13-3. Last weekend, Allred picked up a pair of falls over No. 21 Joey Novak (Wyoming) and No. 19 Wyatt Voelker (Northern Iowa). Iowa fans might not have expected much from Glazier at the start of this season, but he has been a bright spot at 197 pounds. He maintained his undefeated record at the Soldier Salute after seemingly losing in sudden victory against former champion AJ Ferrari. He has also picked up victories over No. 24 Garrett Joles (Minnesota), No. 27 Julien Broderson (Iowa State), No. 28 Jack Wehmeyer (Columbia) and No. 30 Justin Rademacher (Oregon State). This should be an opportunity for Nebraska to pick up bonus points. Allred is dangerous in a scramble and can often find himself with an opponent on their back. Glazier has been a revelation for the Hawkeyes so far this year, so he will likely be able to keep it close. However, Allred might just have too much offense. Prediction: Allred major decision over Glazier (19-12 Iowa) 285: Nash Hutmacher (Nebraska) vs. Bradley Hill (Iowa) Hutmacher just finished his junior season of football for the Cornhuskers. He started 12 games on the defensive line and was named honorable mention All-Big Ten. Hutmacher made his collegiate wrestling debut last weekend and scored a first-period fall over Mason Ding (Wyoming). On the high school level, Hutmacher was a four-time South Dakota state champion and was a Fargo champion. Hill’s season got off to a bit of a rough start as he lost a match against Division III All-American Tyler Kim (Augsburg) at the Luther College Open. However, in the end, that match might say more about Kim than anything. For the year, Hill has gone 8-3 and won three of his five dual meet matches. If Hutmacher focused exclusively on wrestling since leaving high school, the odds would certainly be on him winning this match by fall. However, football has been his main focus for the past several years. With that being said, he looked about as dominant as possible last weekend. During his collegiate career, Hill has only been pinned once, and the fall was accomplished by teammate Gage Marty in an open tournament. Nebraska really would like to score bonus points in this match, and in the end, Hutmacher’s physical gifts might just be enough to get it done. Prediction: Hutmacher fall over Hill Dual Prediction: Iowa 19, Nebraska 18

Key Takeaways from NWCA National Duals National Duals over the weekend were filled with nonstop exciting wrestling moments for fans of both NAIA and NCAA schools. Teams brought strong lineups to compete for a coveted team title, and these wrestlers showed out. Here are some big moments from the weekend across the two competitions. NAIA 1. Life Reclaims Top Spot The #1 Life University Running Eagles went on a run to claim the team title at the tournament winning over #2 Menlo in the finals. This dual had several exciting ranked matchups, including an upset at 101 lbs when Menlo’s #10 Kayla McKinley-Johnson took out #4 Devyn Gomez in a 4-1 decision. Life had a quick response at 109 lbs when Diana Gonzalez got a quick pin to cap off her impressive tournament showing. Fans also saw Menlo’s #11 at 123 lbs Ajayzee Zaballos, move down a weight for this dual and win a slow-starting match with three second-period takedowns to win against #6 Ariana Martinez at 116 lbs. A pin from Menlo’s #8 Alana Vivas at 123 lbs had the two teams tied after the first 5 bouts. However, at 130 lbs, #2 Sarah Savidge continued her impressive tournament with a first-period pin. From there, the three McBryde sisters all earned impressive wins to lock up the dual for the Running Eagles. Not to be dismayed, Menlo ended their day with two ranked wins in the final two matches including freshman #3 Kalila Shrive getting the tech against #4 Margaret Graham and #1 Tavia Heidelberg-Tillotson getting the win over #6 Madeline Welch. Throughout the day, we saw big matches at 101 lbs where #4 Devyn Gomez had a tough draw wrestling against the #1, #7, and #10 wrestlers at the weight and losing in each of these matches. Similar to the ups and downs of 125 lbs in men’s college wrestling right now, this 101lb weight class is anyone’s game. Gomez will certainly see these wrestlers again in March and could certainly change the results as she has previously - she beat #7 Quezaire at last year’s Grand View Open. Gomez is typically an aggressive and high-scoring wrestler with a number of tech falls over opponents. It seemed like a bit of an off day, but could also speak to the depth of talent at this weight. The driving force for Life’s success over the weekend definitely came from the center of the lineup led by Sarah Savidge and the McBryde sisters. Savidge went 3-0 with two techs and a pin. The McBryde sisters won 10 out of 12 matches including winning all 3 ranked matchups they had against a tough Menlo team. 2. Texas Wesleyan Battles Back Texas Wesleyan earned the 3rd place finish at the tournament after being seeded at #6. In their second matchup in the tournament, they pulled the upset over the No. 3 seed Grand View. Starting with an upset win from unranked Julie Lucas for Texas Wesleyan over #13 Jalen Bets, the Rams followed it up with a fall and tech fall from #6 Jasmine Howard and #3 Camille Fournier. The Rams dropped their first match at 123 lbs, but #3 Elizabeth Duvall quickly got those points back and then some with a tech of her own. After dropping 136 lbs, the Rams’ #4 Mea Mohler gets another pivotal decision followed by the same from #6 Tayden Khamjoi. Even after dropping the last two matches of the dual, the Rams had the points to send them forward in the tournament. The semifinal dual between Texas Wesleyan and Menlo was possibly the most exciting dual of the entire weekend. Almost every matchup was ranked, with just one upset coming at 130 lbs when #4 Louisa Schwab of Menlo defeated #3 Elizabeth Duvall of Texas Wesleyan. This match truly came down to one more win for Menlo than Texas Wesleyan as they each exchanged pins, techs, and decisions. In the third-place match, the Rams won eight out of ten matches with seven pins and one tech fall to make the final score a dominant 39-10 victory over the University of Providence. All that to say, Texas Wesleyan is showing themselves to be a force far beyond their powerhouse competitors like #3 Camille Fournier and #4 Mea Mohler. I expect to see most of the wrestlers they send to the individual tournament return as All-Americans. This is a team of individuals who have what it takes to compete at a high level throughout a tournament. NCAA Hawkeyes Crowned in Cedar Falls The Iowa Hawkeyes claimed the NCAA Championship at this year’s National Duals over the #1 seed North Central with a 21-20 final team score. Iowa forged their path to the finals in dominant fashion with a 49-1 win over Adrian College, 39-4 win over #13 Presbyterian, and 31-8 win over #3 King University. In the finals, almost every matchup was ranked and the atmosphere when these two teams were competing was electric. #2 Sterling Dias got things started with a big tech fall 11-0 over #4 Madison Avila of North Central. At 109 lbs, Jaslynn Gallegos got the start against #2 Ava Bayless instead of teammate Kendra Ryan, who has a recent win over Bayless. This match is one of the ones that could have easily swung the dual the other way, as it ended 5-5 with Bayless having criteria over her opponent. It’s unclear if Gallegos knew she needed to score or assumed she had the criteria instead. North Central returned in a big way with five straight wins at 116 lbs, 123 lbs, 130 lbs, 136 lbs, and 143 lbs. Probably the biggest win from these matches was Alara Boyd over #1 Reese Larramendy by a 9-4 decision. The Hawkeyes came back with a pin from #1 Marlynne Deede over London Houston at 155 lbs and a super exciting win from #1 Kylie Welker over the three-time champ Yelena Makoyed who is back for her final semester. In the final match at 191 lbs, Traeh Haynes had control of the match over Jaycee Foeller of Iowa, but gave up a shot clock point in the second period to give Iowa a single point in that loss. It is hard to say that any single match was the deciding factor, as Iowa scored at least one point in every single match. A tie would have gone to North Central given their total number of matches, but that just shows how important scoring points even in matches you lose can be for team score. It speaks to the discipline and grittiness of this new Iowa squad. While not the flashiest dual win as we’ve seen against other teams, they did exactly what they needed to do to get the win. The North Central squad they competed against is so tough this season. They had a surprisingly lopsided semifinals match against former champs McKendree, and were so close to closing this gap and overtaking the Hawkeyes. You can see a pretty clear path where many of these matches could be finals matchups at NCWWCs in March. #1 vs #1 Later This Month Fans do not have to wait long to watch #1 Life vs #1 Iowa in a dual meet after their dominant performances over the weekend. The two will compete at the Iowa duals at Carver-Hawkeye on January 21. Results this week in major NCAA, NWCA, and NAIA competitions NWCA National Duals VIEW BRACKETS NUWAY Combat Women’s Open VIEW BRACKETS Upcoming Events January 11: Central Methodist vs William Penn January 12: Southern Oregon vs Menlo January 12: Cumberlands vs Siena Heights January 12: Cumberlands vs Lourdes January 13: York Open January 13: Golden Bear Open January 14: Tornado Open January 14: Presbyterian vs Campbellsville January 14: Lakeland Scramble

From time to time, during the middle or end of a season, you may hear a coach say something like, “They aren’t freshmen anymore.” However, the phrase is uttered, it’s meant to illustrate the fact that they’ve been with the team, practicing for months, experienced multiple competitions, and need to come up big for the team. Maybe some mental and physical errors early on in their season can be tolerated and learned from, but at some point coaches need results. It just so happened that a handful of talented freshmen earned huge wins over the last week. Wins that may change the trajectory of their entire careers. After beating an All-American (or a ranked wrestler), beating another one doesn’t seem like such a daunting task. They have that tangible evidence that the work they’ve put in has paid off, in terms of wins and losses. Not everyone is in that same boat. Some freshmen were thought to be really good, but just didn’t have a high-level opponent to validate such expectations. The schedule finally broke right so they got tested. However the scenario, during the last week of action, plenty of freshmen shined brighter than ever before in the 2023-24 season. And they all did it during a couple of day span. Here’s more about their big wins: Cody Chittum (Iowa State) In our “27 Key Matches to Watch This Weekend” article, we stated that “Chittum has been good thus far, but is still looking for a first signature win.” I think beating two-time All-American Jacori Teemer (Arizona State) qualifies as a “signature win.” Chittum finished his weekend with a football-score victory over California Baptist’s Chaz Hallmark (31-11). That loss was Teemer's first in a dual setting since January 2021 and only the fourth of his career. Braeden Davis (Penn State) It’s been well-documented that Penn State hasn’t been able to find a long-term answer at 125 lb since the graduation of Nico Megaludis in 2016. Maybe, just maybe, they’ve found it with Michigan native Braeden Davis. Davis came into the weekend with an 8-0 record and had passed every test presented to him. That trend continued and he even took it up a notch with an 11-6 victory over 2022 NCAA All-American Brandon Kaylor (Oregon State). We’re approaching Davis’ fifth date of competition so a decision about his status as the Nittany Lions starter should come soon. TK Davis (Gardner-Webb) The rest of the wrestlers we’ll mention are already in the rankings and/or were huge nationally-ranked recruits. TK Davis is a true freshman for Gardner-Webb who appears to be in the midst of a redshirt season. He entered the weekend with a 4-7 record competing only in tournaments. In Davis’ dual debut for Gardner-Webb, he stunned #28 Marlon Yarbrough (Virginia) with a first-period fall. That victory put Gardner-Webb up 9-0 after two matches against the Cavaliers. Ryder Downey (Northern Iowa) The Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational was the site for Ryder Downey’s breakout when he earned wins over Paddy Gallagher (Ohio State) and Trevor Chumbley (Northwestern). He took it up a notch over the weekend and defeated CKLV champion Peyton Robb, 6-5. It was Robb’s first regular season loss since February 2022. Tyler Kasak (Penn State) With the injury to All-American Shayne Van Ness, Penn State had a hole in the middle of the lineup at 149 lbs. In steps true freshman Tyler Kasak, for now, possibly for the rest of the season. Kasak competed in the Black Knight Invitational at 141 lbs, but has moved up for two duals since then. The most recent came at Oregon State, where Kasak knocked off redshirt freshman Nash Singleton, who was a sixth-place finisher at the CKLV. Sergio Lemley (Michigan) Thursday night saw Michigan travel to the Sanford Pentagon to take on South Dakota State for the first time in program history. Though the dual was ultimately a loss for Michigan, one of the bright spots was the performance of the Wolverines' two true freshmen. The first of which was Sergio Lemley who used a late score to knock off two-time All-American Clay Carlson. Since his debut, Lemley’s only losses have come to opponents ranked in the top ten. Mitchell Mesenbrink (Penn State) Friday night the rest of the 165 lb weight class was put on notice by redshirt freshman Mitchell Mesenbrink. Coming into Friday’s dual, Mesenbrink had a perfect 9-0 record; however, he hadn’t faced anyone ranked higher than 16th in the nation. That changed as a match against the defending Pac-12 champion, #10 Matt Olguin (Oregon State), hung in the balance. Mesenbrink wasted no time racking up 17 points in a tech fall that took only 3:46 to amass. Mesenbrink is now solidified as a contender at 165 lbs. Meyer Shapiro (Cornell) We’ve had some glimpses at just how good Meyer Shapiro could be thus far, but on Friday night the picture became much clearer. Shapiro crushed #12 Paddy Gallagher with a 15-0 tech fall. Two days later, was the rematch of his much-anticipated CKLV bout against two-time All-American Bryce Andonian (Virginia Tech). Unfortunately, this match ended prematurely as Andonian suffered a gruesome-looking injury during a prolonged scramble. Troy Spratley (Oklahoma State) One of the sparks for Oklahoma State during their 22-12 win over NC State Friday night came from leadoff hitter Troy Spratley. Spratley got the Cowboys on the board with a 7-3 win over Jakob Camacho, who has spent time as the number one-ranked wrestler in the nation at 125 lbs. Before beating Camacho, Spratley’s signature win was handing Midlands champion Luke Stanich his only loss of the year. Brayden Thompson (Oklahoma State) The true freshman that shine for Oklahoma State was their 174 lber Brayden Thompson. At the time of the 174 lb bout, the NC State dual was still in question with the Cowboys holding a 13-7 lead. Thompson and the Wolfpack’s Alex Faison were involved with a seven-minute stalemate, of sorts. Each wrestler had an escape after nine minutes of wrestling and needed rideouts to decide the bout. Thompson got another escape and appeared to have a takedown, via cradle, and potentially backpoints; however, that was deemed after the whistle. He would ride Faison long enough to get riding time on his side in the second :30 period.

It’s not a super busy week in the ACC, but there are some high-level duals on tap within the conference. Duke and UNC are off this week and Pitt has sent some starters to the F&M Open. UVA will “host” a tri with Gardner-Webb and George Mason at the ARMS Duals at St. Christopher’s School in Richmond on Saturday--I will preview some matches to watch once I get the final lineups. The biggest matchups will be on Friday and Sunday with two top-10 duals. On Sunday, the Hokies (#11 Dual #10 Tourney) will travel to New York to face Cornell (#8 Dual #8 Tourney); we will break that dual down later this weekend. The big one on tap for this evening will be NC State (#7 Dual #2 Tourney) hosting Oklahoma State (#10 Dual #6 Tourney) to open their home slate at Reynolds Coliseum. If we see both teams at full strength, there could be 10 ranked versus ranked matchups, including top-10 matchups at 133, 141, and 184. Though this time of year between injuries and illnesses, we seem to have several “OR”s listed on the probable lineups. Regardless of the final lineups, this dual will have fireworks from the opening whistle. 125: #17 Jakob Camacho OR Jarrett Trombley v #20 Troy Spratley OR Sam Smith Camacho is looking to bounce back from a rough showing at the Collegiate Duals and a scrappy Troy Spratley would be a good place to start. 133: #5 Kai Orine v #3 Daton Fix OR Reece Witcraft Orine has looked better every time he has stepped onto the mat this year. Fix only has two matches this season, but as we well know, he is one of the best wrestlers in the country. I would love to see these two get after it, it has absolute fireworks potential. 141: #4 Ryan Jack v #7 Tagen Jamison OR Sammy Alvarez Jack has quietly put together an impressive season, as has Jamison. Contrasting styles but this will be an important bout for the Pack to get some momentum. 149: #3 Jackson Arrington v #19 Jordan Williams Arrington continues to impress. He has incredible poise and mat presence for being a true sophomore. Williams can be explosive and dangerous, but I think Arrington is able to avoid being phased by that. 157: #5 Ed Scott v #23 Teague Travis After a slower start to the season, Ed Scott has been on a tear. He is looking to continue that run against Teague Travis. 165: #18 Derek Fields OR AJ Kovacs v #2 Izzak Olejnik OR Joey Sanchez A double “OR” at 165. I’m hopeful we get to see Olejnik, he is so fun to watch and will be a very tough test for whoever the Pack sends out. 174: #31 Alex Faison v #28 Brayden Thompson This is a big toss-up match and could have major implications on how this dual shakes out. The Pack will be looking to the veteran Faison for a big win in his home debut this season. 184: #5 Dylan Fishback OR Brock Delsignore v #3 Dustin Plott This is the match I have had circled. Fishback has put together an incredible redshirt freshman campaign but will face a very tough and experienced Dustin Plott. I actually like the style matchup in favor of Fishback, he is relentless, but Plott can be tough to score on and finds ways to win tight matches. 197: #4 Trent Hidlay v #12 Luke Surber OR Jersey Robb The soon-to-be mayor of Raleigh, Trent Hidlay, will be looking for a big win to open his final season at home for the Pack. We have come to expect Hidlay to be in the hunt for bonus points in every bout, I don’t see this one any differently. 285: #16 Owen Trephan OR Isaac Trumble v #11 Konnor Doucet I wondered if this one would be listed as an option for the Pack. Isaac Trumble has been in redshirt, opening 197 for Hidlay for his final season. Trumble has been wrestling on the freestyle circuit--winning a U23 World Championship at 97kg. He is coming off winning the Midlands title at 285 last week. As it stands, he is still in redshirt… The Pack has a solid starter in Trephan who was an ACC Champion and NCAA qualifier last year. I like this matchup for Trephan and it could be a big win for him if he is able to take out Doucet. I’m very pumped for this dual, the atmosphere at Reynolds is always amazing and they will have a sell-out crowd tonight. I’m about to hit the road to Raleigh myself so I can see this one in person.

Before we ring in the new year, let’s take a moment to rehash some of the key happenings that went down on Friday and Saturday at the Midlands and the Soldier Salute. Both tournaments featured some star power, combined with some unforeseen upsets, and plenty of action. Even some memorable, cringeworthy moments. Which brings us to: AJ Ferrari at the Soldier Salute As tends to be the case whenever he enters a tournament, AJ Ferrari stole the show at the Soldier Salute, and not necessarily for good reasons. Ferrari and younger brother, Anthony, moved to Iowa a few months ago to train, with the intention of enrolling in school at the University of Iowa. Their younger brother Angelo is a top recruit in the Class of 2024 who recently inked with the Hawkeyes. AJ’s tumultuous run at Oklahoma State ended in July of 2022 after winning a national title the previous year. He was unable to compete in the 2022 postseason after suffering severe injuries from a dangerous auto accident. Concerns regarding a sexual assault case that surfaced shortly after he was off the team at Oklahoma State prevented him from joining a collegiate roster last season. Those charges were eventually dropped in October of this year. After the charges were dropped it was expected that Ferrari would join the Hawkeye wrestling team. At that point, there was some uncertainty as to how the 197 lb weight class would shake out for Tom Brands' team. Since then, veteran Zach Glazier has emerged as a solid option at the weight class. Glazier won his first nine bouts of the year and was instrumental in Iowa holding off Iowa State during the Cy-Hawk dual. The Salute bracket worked out so that Glazier was in the finals against the wrestler that most assumed would end up taking his position, in Ferrari. The bulk of the match was largely uneventful, as Glazier couldn’t get through Ferrari’s tough defense; however, a stall call near the end of the third period tied the match at two. In sudden victory, Ferrari prevailed by getting a takedown in the waning seconds of the extra period. That’s where all the action started. Ferrari pushed Glazier down as he was getting up. Glazier didn’t take kindly to the action and grabbed Ferrari’s leg. The two exchanged shoves, which wasn't too out of the ordinary for a heated bout; however, then Ferrari threw a closed-fisted punch. Once both sides calmed down (slightly), the main official raised Glazier’s hand as Ferrari was hit with a flagrant misconduct call, disqualifying him from the match. After the decision and while Glazier received his award and posed for a picture with the military member on hand, Ferrari gave the booing crowd a one-fingered salute while doing the splits. It was something that would have been hard to believe had there not been photos and video evidence. Also relevant is in the 149 lb finals, Caleb Rathjen got a win over Anthony Ferrari. Plenty of Iowa fans have gone back and forth over who started it, but both gave some shoves and Rathjen did a “Ferrari-like” pose in Anthony’s face. Some defenders of the situation will point to how there’s plenty of physicality, hurt, and hard feelings behind closed doors in collegiate wrestling rooms. That’s true, but I think the Rathjen/Anthony Ferrari interaction may be representative of a bigger issue. Is that how the rest of the Iowa team feels about the Ferrari clan? Again, before someone corrects me, not everyone on college wrestling teams is best friends. There’s intense competition for starting spots and that can lend itself to rivalries and some level of division. Like everything associated with the Ferrari’s this is unlike most normal situations. It’s not far-fetched to think that the Rathjen action was representative of some one the team’s feelings toward the family. And not just the wrestlers competing against them for starting spots. I know plenty of Oklahoma State wrestlers were relieved when Ferrari was dismissed from the team. That generally doesn’t happen when a star athlete leaves a program. Coaches/athletes/fans tend to overlook faults for someone who can be a key contributor. Should he continue and enroll at Iowa, how he and Anthony impact the culture of the program is a storyline that bears following. As I’m writing this, AJ posted an apology for his actions on his Instagram account. That leads me to believe that his actions will not prevent him from joining the Iowa squad. I am anxious to see if the athletic department and administrators support such a move. One aspect of the story that was obscured by Ferrari’s post-match antics is his actual performance. I assume most people thought that Ferrari would immediately become an NCAA title threat at 197 lbs. He’s been away from high-level DI rooms for almost two years, without any competition. I’m sure rust is to be expected, but is it something that can be solved in the next two-plus months? Taking in a troubled wrestler who could be an NCAA champion is one thing, but taking that risk for someone who may not be able to compete at that same level is another. This is a story that is far from over and will likely have plenty of twists and turns over the course of the next few weeks and months. The 2023 CKLV is an aberration I spent a good chunk of time talking with friends over the last week about the “state of wrestling tournaments.” The holiday season used to be a key part of the season for wrestling fans. Midlands followed by the Southern Scuffle. One great tournament after another. Over the last 15 years, there were arguments about which of the three tournaments was the toughest. All three probably could have taken the title at one point or another. Now, the Midlands and Scuffle are way behind the CKLV. In fact, we also have another holiday tournament in the mix, the Soldier Salute, which was held on the same dates as the Midlands. The depth of the 2023 CKLV, combined with the lesser star power at the Midlands/Salute, made for a huge gap between the tournaments. If I had to bet, I’d say get used to it, provided our sport and NCAA qualification process stays the same. There are coaches who would rather not have their wrestlers come back from a very short Christmas break and cut weight for a tournament on the 29th. That tournament usually requires five or six matches for a spot on the podium. We also have conference dual season looming for most leagues. Those coaches would rather have their full complement of wrestlers available, if possible. As are many things in our sport. It makes sense on a micro level. I understand why a coach or a program decides to act this way. They’re looking for the best interests of their wrestlers and program. But when 10, 12, and 20 coaches all come to this conclusion it hurts the sport and the fans. It’s a shame that we have one marquee event in the collegiate wrestling season. That’s why I’ve been harping on the need for a dual tournament. This isn’t supposed to be a shot at anyone who competed at the Midlands and Salute or those who intend on wrestling at the Scuffle. At the same time, these are tournaments that once were considered stronger than the NCAA Tournament (the Midlands with post-grads) and featured matches like Dake/Taylor or were coming-out parties for Ed Ruth and Gabe Dean (Scuffle). Coming full circle to the 2023 CKLV, I think that it’s as tough as it’s going to get. My feelings are that the tournament was a bit “too tough.” I’d imagine some coaches will abstain from coming in 2024 because it was so loaded. Of course, I’d love to be wrong. Drake Ayala throws his hat in the ring Every sort of wrap-up or takeaway article I’ve done since the second week of the 2023-24 season has included some sort of tidbit referring to the 125 lb weight class. This one will be no different. One lightweight we haven’t mentioned too frequently yet is Iowa’s Drake Ayala. Ayala did his part in creating some chaos at the weight class when he lost to Brandon Kaylor (Oregon State) and a week later took out Kysen Terukina (Iowa State) at the Cy-Hawk dual. Aside from that week’s worth of action, Ayala has generally been outside of the ongoing fracas at 125 lbs. Since then, he’s earned wins over Ivy League opponents, Max Gallagher (Penn) and Nick Babin (Columbia), both are ranked wrestlers, but not necessarily considered contenders at this time. At the Salute, Ayala posted his two best wins of the season and showed that he should probably be talked about in the mix at 125 lbs. In the semifinals, Ayala downed two-time All-American Patrick McKee of neighboring Minnesota. That was the same McKee that held a 4-0 advantage against Ayala in past meetings. All four of those wins came during Ayala’s true freshman campaign. This time, Ayala flipped the script and got the victory, propelling himself into the finals. The championship match provided another significant barometer for those trying to measure just how good Ayala is this year. Volk was coming off a title at the Reno Tournament of Champions, a fifth-place finish at the CKLV, and was sporting a top-ten ranking (#7). Ayala grabbed a first-period takedown and never looked back in his 4-2 victory over the Wyoming grappler. The final minute of the last stanza saw the two engaged in an excellent scramble, where Ayala came close to being in trouble for neutral danger multiple times; however, he always avoided trouble and fended off the takedown attempt. About 20 days from now, we’ll have a better idea of where Ayala fits into the national (and Big Ten) conversation. His next three bouts are against #4 Caleb Smith (January 12th), McKee (January 15th), and #5 Matt Ramos (January 19th). Lehigh’s bright future Go back in time about 20 years ago and you’ll be smack dab in the middle of a Lehigh wrestling renaissance. Lehigh had finished fourth at the 2003 NCAA and tied for third in 2004. One of the leaders of that Lehigh team was Troy Letters who made the NCAA finals as a freshman in 2003. After the Midlands and seeing what has occurred during the first two months of the season, could we be on the precipice of another Lehigh resurgence? Getting third or fourth in the nation is probably a tough ask for the next year or two, but the point is, there’s plenty of young talent at the disposal for head coach Pat Santoro. The most obvious example is top-ranked Ryan Crookham, a true freshman who ascended to the number one ranking nationally after wins over returning national champion Vito Arujau and Big Ten finalist Aaron Nagao. Regardless of his 2024 finish, Crookham should be a national title favorite for the rest of his career. Joining Crookham as a promising young lightweight for Lehigh is true freshman Luke Stanich. The two-time New Jersey state finalist (one-time champ) had a good start to the year with a title at the Princeton Open and a 1-1 record in duals. That still wasn’t enough for him to be considered a favorite in a Midlands weight class that was pretty tough. Stanich ended up capturing the 125 lb title with wins over Diego Sotelo (Harvard), All-American Eric Barnett (Wisconsin), and #10 Cooper Flynn (Virginia Tech) prior to the finals. For the championship, Stanich outlasted a tough Eli Griffin (California Baptist) 8-7 in tiebreakers. We’ll have to see how the Lehigh staff responds to this outing from Stanich. The Mountain Hawks currently have Sheldon Seymour as the starter and he’s been solid with a 9-2 record. The volatility of the 125 lb weight class kind of makes it difficult to project the future for Stanich or anyone else, for that matter. Maybe he’s an All-American this year, maybe he goes 1-2 at nationals. Looking at an even bigger picture for Lehigh, their entire lineup is made up of wrestlers that have at least one more year of eligibility after the 2023-24 season. Another year with the lightweight tandem, plus All-American Michael Beard and notables like Malyke Hines, Nathan Taylor, Connor McGonagle, and Max Brignola makes for an imposing lineup. 133 lb madness 125 has received the most publicity for being extremely unpredictable during the first two months of the season. The weight has shown no hints of slowing down or becoming normal. Another relatively unusual weight is 133 lbs. Sure there are your mainstays like Arujau and Daton Fix, along with a newcomer in Crookham. As you move down past the top-eight there are a lot of names you’re not familiar with seeing that prominent in national rankings. After the Midlands/Salute (and likely the Scuffle) those rankings will have gotten shaken up again. The Midlands bracket was won by Michigan’s Dylan Ragusin, who is expected to remain in redshirt for the duration of the 2023-24 season. Ragusin winning that weight seems reasonable; however, after him, it was rather unpredictable. #26 Dylan Shawver (Rutgers) made the finals, while #31 Zeth Romney (Cal Poly) was third after a major decision over #11 Michael Colaiocco (Penn). Not only did Romney capture a bonus-point win over Colaiocco, but he also downed two-time All-American #5 Sam Latona (Virginia Tech). In sixth place was Franklin & Marshall’s Mason Leiphart, who only lost to the Romney/Colaiocco/Latona triumvirate. The Soldier Salute saw #10 Brody Teske came out on top; which wasn’t totally unexpected. His finals opponent was #32 Jacob Van Dee (Nebraska) who was seeded fourth. The third seed, #12 Angelo Rini (Columbia) fell in his opening match to Iowa true freshman Kale Peterson.

In January of 2023, Lou Deprez was injured in a match at the Southern Scuffle. Little did he know this injury was serious enough to end his final season of NCAA eligibility, and ultimately, his wrestling career. Because of his importance to the program, Head Coach Kyle Borshoff named Lou to the coaching staff immediately. He was very much a valued teammate on and off the mat. It was Borshoff’s intention to keep Lou around the program as much as possible, no matter the capacity. Fast forward almost a year later, Lou Deprez will return to the roster as a wrestler thanks to a medical redshirt. He brings one of the best resumes to ever step foot inside the Binghamton program. He is already a four-time NCAA qualifier and three-time EIWA champion while amassing an impressive 131 wins at the collegiate level. More importantly, he is the first two-time All-American in school history. He was selected as an NWCA All-American in the canceled 2020 tournament and finished 8th in 2021. In his last full season, he made the quarterfinals in 2022, failing to repeat as an All-American losing in the round of 12 – or infamously named the “Blood Round.” Deprez will compete at the 197 lbs weight class. Assuming he has not lost too much of a step, the Binghamton squad will now have a line-up containing four ranked wrestlers in addition to Brevin Cassella (165 lbs), Jacob Nolan (184 lbs), and Cory Day (285lbs). The opportunity will be a great chance for Deprez to earn another All-American honor while vastly filling a hole in the line-up in a major way. As a warm-up for the collegiate season, Lou decided to compete at the U.S. Senior Nationals freestyle event in Fort Worth, TX. He wrestled at 97 kgs – which equates to 213 lbs. He lost in the quarterfinals to the eventual champion, Kollin Moore, formally of Ohio State. He came back to earn eighth place in the star-studded bracket. In the final match, he injury defaulted. Yesterday, DePrez made his return to the collegiate scene yesterday at Lehigh’s Sheridan Invitational. There was very little rust as DePrez won the 197 lb bracket with four straight wins. He posted bonus points in his first three matches, then downed JT Davis (Lehigh) in the finals - 9-3. In our last rankings update, DePrez made his 2023-24 debut at #14.

The college-level Reno Tournament of Champions might not be as prestigious as the Cliff Keen Las Vegas or the Midlands, but it is a staple of the early college wrestling season. It is also becoming a bit of a throwback to a bygone era. While many of the season tournaments have moved away from including teams outside of NCAA Division I, the Reno event has continued to be a place where teams can get a shot at the big boys. Air Force, Arizona State, Cal State Bakersfield. Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, Oregon State, Utah Valley, and Wyoming are all scheduled to attend. They will be joined by 10 teams from NAIA, two from NJCAA, and one NCAA Division II team. The following looks at some of the top wrestlers from the teams outside Division I. 125: No. 1 (NAIA) Hunter Sparks (Eastern Oregon) Sparks was an Oregon state champion on the high school level and signed with Cal Poly. After spending a single season with the Mustangs, he transferred back to his home state to wrestle for Eastern Oregon. Last season, Sparks entered the NAIA tournament as the fourth seed. In the semifinals, he upset the top seed Esco Walker (Grand View) but ultimately lost in the finals against Life’s Brandon Orum. So far this season, he has remained one of the top competitors at the NAIA level, but he did drop a match against Iowa State’s Ethan Perryman at the Grand View Open. 133: No. 1 (NAIA) Carson Taylor (Grand View) This will be Taylor’s third straight year in the starting lineup for the Vikings. As a freshman in 2022, he finished third at the NAIA tournament. He returned last season and made the finals before coming up short against Gulomjon Abdullaev (Menlo) who has represented Uzbekistan on the international circuit and won a pair of silver medals at the Yasar Dogu tournament. So far this season Taylor has gone undefeated including a victory over Iowa State wrestler Garrett Grice. 141: No. 1 (NAIA) Evan Potter (Southern Oregon) Potter has moved up to 141 pounds this season after spending his sophomore year down at 133. Like Taylor, his only loss at the NAIA tournament came against Abdullaev. Already this season, Potter has knocked off Keiser’s Pat Gould who is the highest returning NAIA placer at this weight. 149: No. 10 (NCAA D2) Lawrence Saenz (San Francisco State) Saenz’s long road has eventually led him to San Francisco State. He began his wrestling career at Fresno State. He qualified for the NCAA tournament in 2020 and then transferred to Cal Poly. After three years with the Mustangs, he will spend his last season with the Gators. Things have gotten off to a strong start as he has gone 4-1 and worked his way into the Division II rankings. Last week, he scored a pair of victories over NAIA wrestlers Eric Smith-Williams (Menlo) and Tomas Jacobo (Simpson). 157: No. 7 (NAIA) Tanner Abbas (Grand View) Abbas takes over the 157-pound spot for the Vikings this year. Last season, Giovanni Bonilla held down the weight for Grand View and finished third at the NAIA tournament. Earlier this season, Abbas made the finals of the Grand View Open before dropping a major decision against RJ Weston (Northern Iowa). 165: No. 3 (NAIA) Keller Rock (Embry-Riddle) Rock enters his third season in the lineup for Embry-Riddle. In his first two seasons, he assembled a 51-13 record and qualified for the NAIA tournament twice. So far this season, Rock finished fourth at the Roadrunner Open and scored a major-decision victory over Mateo De la Pena in the team’s dual against Cal Baptist. 174: No. 2 (NAIA) NaKoda Siegel (Montana State-Northern) Siegel finished the last regular season with a 26-4 record and entered the NAIA tournament as the fourth seed. He dropped a pair of matches at the event and finished fourth. He is looking to improve on that in his last year of college wrestling. Earlier this season, Siegel was named NAIA wrestler of the week after winning the Grand View Open. In the finals, he scored a 4-1 victory over Iowa State’s Carter Schmidt in sudden victory. 184: No. 1 (NAIA) Isaiah Luellen (Grand View) Luellen started for the Vikings at 174 pounds last season and established himself as one of the top wrestlers in NAIA. He entered the final tournament with a 24-3 record and earned the number one seed. He made it to the finals before dropping a 3-1 sudden victory match against Vanguard’s Gerardo Hernandez. So far this season he has gone undefeated outside of a loss against No. 1 Parker Keckeisen (Northern Iowa). 197: No. 1 (NAIA) Owen Braungardt (Grand View) Braungardt is the returning NAIA champion at this weight. He entered the 2023 NAIA tournament as the three seed and made his way to the finals with three falls and a major decision. In the final match, he knocked off number-one-ranked Zane Lanham (Life) via a 6-1 score. Braungardt has been equally dominant this season as he has gone undefeated in three duals and picked up a pair of falls. 285: No. 1 (NAIA) Greg Hagan (Grand View) Last season Hagan put a stamp on the year as he scored a first-period fall over Austin Harris (Life) in the finals of the NAIA tournament. He enters this season as the clear favorite to repeat. To date, he has won a pair of open tournaments and gone undefeated on the season.

Last night, 2022 NCAA All-American and Big Ten champion Austin Gomez put the final pieces together in a puzzle that has been steadily developing for the past couple of months. Gomez used social media to post a picture of him in a University of Michigan singlet set to Eminem’s hit “Without Me.” The chorus of the song repeats the lyrics “Guess who’s back, back again.” Gomez had one of the most memorable moments of the 2022-23 season when he defeated then-three-time national champion Yianni Diakomihalis to halt the Cornell star’s 75-match winning streak. That bout occurred in mid-November and Gomez had his postseason disrupted by injuries. He had to default out of the Big Ten Championships before going 2-2 at nationals. After the 2023 NCAA Championships, Gomez moved on to the Cliff Keen Wrestling Club, based out of the University of Michigan. He said his focus was on freestyle wrestling despite having a year of eligibility remaining. With 2023’s 149 lb starter Chance Lamer transferring to Cal Poly, it left a potential hole at the weight. Later, Gomez would enter the transfer portal. More puzzle pieces fit into place this week as Gomez posted a document from the NCAA confirming he has a year of eligibility to use. Then yesterday’s posting. So that leads us to the question, what can Gomez bring to the Michigan lineup? In InterMat’s last update, the Wolverines sat in ninth place with 51.5 points. The current team tournament rankings are a jumble between the fifth and tenth spots. Oklahoma State currently is sitting in fifth with 54.5 points. Just four points behind the Cowboys are Arizona State and Virginia Tech, in a tie for tenth. Iowa, Iowa State, Cornell, and Michigan are all between those teams. Even the slightest boost could nudge the Wolverines into the top five. Were Gomez able to have a replay of his 2023 tournament, (2-2, with one championship win and two major decisions), his three and a half points would be enough to push Michigan past Oklahoma State in fifth place. A low All-American performance (6.5 points for seventh and 5.5 points for eighth; without bonus factored in) gets Michigan comfortably past the Cowboys for fifth. With Gomez’s propensity for bonus and considering the ease of bonus with three-point takedowns, getting up to Nebraska (4th with 63.5 points) is certainly in play. A mid-level All-American performance likely pushes Michigan ahead of the Cornhuskers. Now, getting into the top-three (team-wise) will be difficult as there is currently an 11-point gap between #3 Missouri (74.5 points) and Nebraska. That would require Gomez to make the finals or get third with a lot of bonus points along the way. So, is getting a high All-American finish possible for Gomez? If he’s at his peak, absolutely. Look no further than the top-ranked wrestler in the country, Ridge Lovett. He and Gomez clashed in the 2022 Big Ten semifinals and Gomez bullied Lovett with double-unders into throw and fall in only :20. For those that thing it was a fluke and a big move, Gomez also scored a 4-2 win over Lovett earlier that same season. Now, we can’t just rank Gomez number one and assume he’ll cruise to an NCAA title. The 2023-24 version of Lovett looks much better than the 2022 one. Gomez, well we’re not quite sure what he’ll look like this season. Could the years of injuries and the grind of yet another DI season take its toll on him? It’s possible. Looking at the rest of the field at 149 lbs, the weight class has some solid contenders, but overall is pretty young. Gomez lost to #3 Kyle Parco last year in the Round of 16 (6-3), but that wasn’t necessarily the best version of Gomez. Two matches after the Parco loss, Gomez was pinned and eliminated by then-Wolverine, Lamer. Also from the postseason, he suffered a one-point Big Ten loss to #14 Graham Rooks, but also majored #9 Kellyn March at nationals. What could Gomez’s schedule look like in the second half? After the new year, Michigan’s first dual is against South Dakota State. The Jackrabbits have Alek Martin who is not ranked, but could be a good barometer for a potentially rusty Gomez. A week later is #16 Ethen Miller of Maryland. That could be a match that Gomez has circled since he was injured against Miller at the 2023 Big Ten Tournament. His first potential top-ten opponent is returning All-American #4 Dylan D’Emilio on January 26th. A week later would be Michigan’s much-anticipated dual with Iowa and #8 Victor Voinovich. Seven days after Iowa is Nebraska and top-ranked Lovett. I’d say by the D’Emilio match, potentially his sixth for Michigan, we’ll have a grasp on how close he is to being the Gomez of 2022 or early 2023. Once the Lovett match rolls around, we’ll see if he’s ready to be considered a title favorite. So what does the addition of Gomez do for Michigan dual-wise? The Wolverines have an incredibly difficult Big Ten dual schedule. They have #1 Penn State, #4 Iowa, #6 Nebraska, and #8 Ohio State. They’re the only B1G school that wrestles all four of those teams. They also have #14 Rutgers, #22 Maryland, and #28 Indiana; plus a non-conference dual with #13 South Dakota State. For brevity’s sake, I’m going to focus on the Iowa, Nebraska, and Ohio State duals. Without Gomez in the lineup, WrestleStat projects Iowa to win 17-15. That projection includes a decision win for Voinovich over true freshman Dylan Gilcher. Of course, with the Ferrari brothers elephant in the room, Iowa’s lineup could be improved, as well. The Nebraska match is currently 21-14 in the Cornhuskers favor without Gomez. Now, flip that result (with a regular decision) and you still have an 18-17 match in Nebraska’s favor, so Michigan would still have more work to do to get the W. Currently, WrestleState has Ohio State beating Michigan 19-12 (though I may question a few of the results). Once again, give Gomez a regular decision and that’s still a one-point Ohio State win. Of course, matches aren’t wrestled on paper or through WrestleStat, so those are only educated guesses. Our conclusion, dual-wise, is that Michigan will be in tight matches with all of these top-ten teams, Gomez or no Gomez. Add him to the mix and there’s the potential to knock off one or more of those teams. However it all plays out, it’s great for Gomez to be back in the mix. For more Gomez-related content, check out the article that InterMat ran on him after the 2022-23 season, which included commentary on five of his top matches.

We're closing in on the holiday season and the end of semester so there's only a limited number of collegiate wrestling events this week. A total of 23 duals will be contested along with some a tournament. Since it can be difficult to figure out where and when to watch all of these events, InterMat has put together a list of all of the live-streamed events occurring this week. Below are the dates/times and how to watch each match (with links). All times are Eastern. FYI: With the Collegiate Duals Mon/Tues of next week, another guide will be posted on Monday: Friday, December 15: California Baptist at Northern Illinois 7:00 PM ESPN+ Oregon State at CSU Bakersfield 10:00 PM Roadrunners On-Demand Saturday, December 16: Sacred Heart at Davidson 11:00 AM Little Rock vs. Queens at Chattanooga 2:30 PM Little Rock at Chattanooga 4:00 PM ESPN+ Morgan State at North Carolina 5:00 PM ACC Network Extra Queens at Chattanooga 5:30 PM ESPN+ Drexel vs. Ohio at Vincent, OH 6:00 PM Michigan State at Clarion 7:00 PM FloWrestling South Dakota State at Nebraska 7:00 PM B1G+ Sunday, December 17: Buffalo at Bucknell 11:00 AM Bucknell Athletics YouTube California Baptist, CSU Bakersfield, Oklahoma, Utah Valley, Wyoming at Reno Tournament of Champions 12:00 PM FloWrestling Bloomsburg vs. Buffalo at Bucknell 12:30 PM Bucknell Athletics YouTube Kent State at Lindenwood 1:00 PM ESPN+ Stanford at Virginia Tech 1:00 PM ACC Network Extra Bloomsburg at Bucknell 2:00 PM Bucknell Athletics YouTube Air Force at Missouri 2:00 PM FloWrestling Otero JC at Northern Colorado 2:00 PM FloWrestling North Carolina at Appalachian State 3:00 PM App State Athletics YouTube California Baptist at SIU Edwardsville 3:00 PM ESPN+ North Idaho College at Northern Colorado 3:30 PM FloWrestling California Baptist vs. Kent State at SIU Edwardsville 4:30 PM Northwest Kansas Tech at Northern Colorado 5:00 PM FloWrestling Kent State at SIU Edwardsville 6:00 PM ESPN+

The 2023 Walsh Ironman began today and for over a decade now, it’s been considered the toughest in-season high school tournament in the nation. Since its inception in 1994, the Ironman’s alumni is a “who’s who” of great wrestlers. On that note, we’ve decided to take a look at which schools have inked the most Ironman champions over the last 10 tournaments (2012-2022). Below are past Ironman champions sorted out by the school they originally signed with out of high school. Though the 2022 tournament has been included, we did not list wrestlers that are still active in high school. American Niko Camacho (2016 - 285 lbs) Arizona State Richie Figueroa (2018 - 113 lbs) Cohlton Schultz (2017 - 285 lbs; 2018 - 285 lbs) Anthony Valencia (2013 - 170 lbs; 2014 - 170 lbs) Zahid Valencia (2012 - 113 lbs; 2013 - 132 lbs; 2014 - 182 lbs) Army West Point Dalton Harkins (2019 - 152 lbs) Russell Parsons (2012 - 152 lbs) Boise State Kevin Vough (2014 - 285 lbs) Central Michigan Matt Stencel (2015 - 220 lbs) Clarion Edgar Ruano (2013 - 220 lbs) Cleveland State Georgio Poullas (2016 - 160 lbs) Cornell Joshua Saunders (2018 - 138 lbs) Edinboro Dylan Reynolds (2014 - 195 lbs) Harvard Hunter Ladnier (2015 - 138 lbs) Eric Morris (2012 - 182 lbs) Illinois Brooks Black (2012 - 285 lbs) Dylan Duncan (2015 - 132 lbs) Kannon Webster (2022 - 138 lbs) Indiana Jake Danishek (2013 - 152 lbs) Iowa Michael Kemerer (2014 - 145 lbs) Spencer Lee (2013 - 113 lbs; 2014 - 120 lbs; 2016 - 126 lbs) Alex Marinelli (2014 - 160 lbs; 2015 - 160 lbs) Jacob Warner (2016 - 195 lbs) Iowa State David Carr (2015 - 145 lbs; 2017 - 152 lbs) Lehigh Dylan Milonas (2013 - 160 lbs) Drew Munch (2019 - 132 lbs) Little Rock Nasir Bailey (2021 - 132 lbs) Lock Haven Tyler Stoltzfus (2019 - 170 lbs) Maryland Cole Deery (2019 - 285 lbs) Michigan Rylan Rogers (2019 - 182 lbs) Joey Silva (2017 - 132 lbs) Minnesota Ryan Thomas (2017 - 160 lbs) Missouri Malik Johnson (2017 - 126 lbs) Navy Quentin Hovis (2016 - 152) NC State Dylan Fishback (2021 - 190 lbs) Nick Reenan (2015 - 182 lbs) Vince Robinson (2021 - 126 lbs) Tariq Wilson (2015 - 126 lbs) Nebraska Brock Hardy (2017 - 145 lbs) Mikey Labriola (2016 - 170 lbs) Ethan Stiles (2022 - 157 lbs) Derek White (2013 - 195 lbs) North Carolina Lachlan McNeil (2019 - 145 lbs) Gabe Tagg (2016 - 113 lbs) Julian Tagg (2016 - 106 lbs) Northwestern Frankie Tal-Shahar (2019 - 138 lbs) Ohio Moises Guillen (2016 - 138 lbs) Cameron Kelly (2014 - 132 lbs) Ohio State Nic Bouzakis (2019 - 126 lbs) Jacob Decatur (2017 - 106 lbs) Nick Feldman (2021 - 285 lbs) Paddy Gallagher (2019 - 160 lbs) Ke-Shawn Hayes (2013 - 120 lbs) Bo Jordan (2012 - 160 lbs) Micah Jordan (2013 - 145 lbs) Rocky Jordan (2017 - 170 lbs) Carson Kharchla (2018 - 170 lbs) Sammy Sasso (2016 - 145 lbs) Seth Shumate (2019 - 195 lbs) Chase Singletary (2015 - 195 lbs; 2016 - 220 lbs) Kyle Snyder (2012 - 220 lbs) JD Stickley (2017 - 138 lbs) Nathan Tomasello (2012 - 120 lbs) Rocco Welsh (2021 - 165 lbs) Oklahoma Sam Dover (2018 - 152 lbs) Davion Jeffries (2014 - 138 lbs) Darrien Roberts (2018 - 182 lbs) Oklahoma State AJ Ferrari (2017 - 182 lbs; 2018 - 195 lbs) Cael Hughes (2022 - 132 lbs) Trevor Mastrogiovanni (2017 - 113 lbs; 2018 - 120 lbs) Brayden Thompson (2022 - 190 lbs) Reece Witcraft (2018 - 126 lbs) Penn Michael Colaiocco (2017 - 120 lbs) Frank Mattiace (2012 - 195 lbs) Penn State Beau Bartlett (2016 - 120 lbs) Michael Beard (2016 - 182 lbs; 2017 - 195 lbs) Tyler Kasak (2021 - 138 lbs) Mason Manville (2015 - 152 lbs) Bo Nickal (2013 - 182 lbs) Zain Retherford (2012 - 138 lbs) Gary Steen (2019 - 113 lbs) Shayne Van Ness (2018 - 132 lbs) Pittsburgh Austin Bell (2015 - 170 lbs) Edgar Bright (2012 - 145 lbs) Eli Seipel (2014 - 126 lbs) Cody Wiercioch (2012 - 170 lbs) Princeton Matt Kolodzik (2013 - 126 lbs) Marc-Anthony McGowan (2019 - 106 lbs; 2021 - 120 lbs) Stanford Daniel Cardenas (2021 - 150 lbs) Joey McKenna (2013 - 138 lbs) Kyle Rowan (2018 - 106 lbs) David Shownumi (2014 - 220 lbs) Real Woods (2015 - 113 lbs) Virginia Jack Mueller (2016 - 120 lbs) Virginia Tech Connor Brady (2018 - 160 lbs) Mac Church (2022 - 144 lbs) Joey Dance (2012 - 126 lbs) Mitch Moore (2014 - 113 lbs) TJ Stewart (2021 - 215 lbs) West Virginia Brody Conley (2021 - 175 lbs) Jordan Titus (2019 - 120 lbs) Wisconsin Braxton Amos (2017 - 220 lbs; 2018 - 220 lbs; 2019 - 220 lbs) Eli Stickley (2012 - 106 lbs) Non-DI Centenary Ryan Anderson (2018 - 145 lbs) Notre Dame Kameron Teacher (2015 - 285 lbs) Isaiah White (2014 - 152 lbs) Wheeling Zack Donathan (2016 - 132 lbs) Nate Keaton (2015 - 106 lbs) Tyler Warner (2013 - 106 lbs)

Good morning, friends. Plenty of questions came in this week so I won’t even waste any time boring you with some anecdote or some other nonsense. We have more important things to discuss. Like this… Is the custody of Jagger match the biggest college wrestling stipulation in the annals of history? DR Rhino I kind of think it has to be. The balance of power in New Jersey is on the line here. He who possesses the Jagger possesses all the power in the Garden State. Not to mention the pork roll/Taylor Ham debate potentially being settled here. Much like the Dead Rabbits, the term that loses shall never be uttered again in these parts. I don’t even know which side of the debate the teams are on. Neither team is North Jersey proper and Princeton is not even in the realm, whereas Rutgers can at least claim to be the mythical Central Jersey. But newly minted Tigers coach Joe Dubuque is a card-carrying native of the north and Rutgers skipper Scott Goodale is a Jersey Shore guy. Both teams have a mix of north and south guys plus some out-of-staters who are probably confused about the entire ordeal. But who cares. We’re New Jersey and we don’t have to make sense. We never have and we never will, but you love us anyway. Give me your hottest Bedlam take. Rachel Gallardo Like a wild take on it or just a general take while looking absolutely dapper? Either way, I don’t really have one. New Sooners coach Roger Kish gets his first taste of this storied rivalry so maybe he has something up his sleeve. Daton Fix gets about his ninth taste of the rivalry but his status is up in the air at the moment. That certainly helps Oklahoma though Reece Witcraft is a very capable backup. I only wish ESPN did a Sunday Dual of the Week on one of their channels and aired this one. Seriously, why don’t they do that? Put it on ESPN2 or ESPNU but help us out here! If you weren’t doing the job you’re doing now, what would you be doing? Raquel Gallardo My day job? I have no idea because I prefer to not work at all. Thirty years is enough already but I don’t see retirement in my future. The truth is, I’ve always wanted to entertain folks in some capacity, but never actually acted on it aside from goofing with my friends. And that’s why I enjoy doing this so much and am grateful for the opportunity that was given to me here. It may be small and maybe only like fifteen people read it, but you're my fifteen people. And you all let me fulfill a dream in some small way. When it’s all over and I’m dead or fired, I can at least say I did take a chance for once and someone out there enjoyed it. Seriously though, I have no idea how any of this happened. We know what Willie’s watching, what is Jagger looking forward to watching this weekend? Dan Seifring Well, the opera wars are heating up on HBO’s The Gilded Age right now. Mrs. Astor is about to offer a deal to Bertha before she loses everyone to the new Metropolitan Opera House. Plus, the Pittsburgh strike seems to not be going away. But that's for Sunday Night. I also need to finish The Last Champion one of these days. I hear Jason Bryant has quite a love scene in the third act. And I suppose I’ll watch some wrestling in between. I like that Columbia is doing a weekend swing in Iowa. The Lions are spunky and should enjoy seeing some farmland instead of the usual harsh NYC streets. Is a singlet a good Christmas gift for a wife of 30 years? Mike Abromitis Not if you want to have a wife of 31 years. You’ll be dining at Lu Nello alone for the foreseeable future. Do you like Greco-Roman wrestling? Eric Asselin Sure, I respect it. Jags, a kid just emailed me a fugazi excuse for missing class. The thing is, I had completely forgotten to turn in the attendance until I got the email. Should I turn in the cut? Salty Walkon Since I just completed nine seasons of Suits recently, I think I can answer like a lawyer would. Your evidence is inadmissible since it was not entered into discovery. Therefore, the kid is safe for now. I would give the little brat a stern talking to and let him or her know you’re on to them. Did Ben Askren ever get his cyber truck? Richard Anderson Mann Yeah, we’re not doing Ben Askren today, and thanks for the call. And with that, I think we’ll put a wrap on this week’s bag. Crap, did I even mention a wrestler for the lucky mailbag cover boy of the week? Last week, we saw Peyton Robb make the cover and win Outstanding Wrestler at the CKLV. Let’s go with Rider’s Quinn Kinner and see if the Broncs can knock off Wisconsin.

Last week was the premier in-season college tournament. This week there’s the best in-season high school tournament. So while I’ll be at Ironman, I’ll also be keeping my eye on several key things going on at the DI level. 5. The Hangover CKLV was awesome, awesome, awesome. Nothing short of a mini NCAA’s. And several guys had out-of-this-world breakthroughs we couldn’t have imagined. But I PROMISE you some of those bubbles will be popped this weekend. The question is: whose? I’m on the lookout to see who will suffer a Vegas hangover and come back down to earth. 4. Pork Roll vs. Taylor Ham The battle of North Jersey vs. South Jersey as Princeton visits Rutgers. The Tigers graduated a bunch so Rutgers should probably win comfortably, but it’s a great dual in The Garden State between two programs on the rise. It should only gain more steam and fanfare going forward. Certainly, sign me up for Luke Stout vs. John Poznanski at 197. 3. Sneaky Good Head-to-Heads #11-Angelo Rini, Columbia vs. #9-Brody Teske, Iowa - Friday 8PM Why: Two Top 12 seniors here. Rini won Fargo after graduating from powerhouse St. Edward (OH). He’s coming off a win over Nic Bouzakis at the Clarion Open. Bouzakis was recently 3rd in Vegas. So for Teske, who has flirted with AA status in the past, a win here would take a little of the sting out of losing to Iowa State’s Evan Frost. As it turns out, Frost would go on to make the finals at CKLV, making the result not as disappointing as it may have initially been viewed. #15-Jore Volk, Wyoming vs. #16-Noah Surtin, Missouri - Friday 8PM Why: Two reasons. 1) 125 is wide open. Volk is coming off a 5th place showing in Vegas. Both guys are fringe podium contenders. 2) I’ve been saying all season that I’m watching the Missouri lightweights. If they can chip in some points, Mizzou can make a run at a team trophy. #14-Dylan Pitzer, Pitt vs. #18-Nick Feldman, Ohio State - Sunday Noon Why: We could be looking at the start of not only a new rivalry, but perhaps a preview of a future NCAA final. Of the 33 ranked heavyweights in the nation, 29 are Juniors or Seniors. Pitzer and Feldman are the only ranked Freshmen. #11-Garrett Thompson, Ohio vs. #27-Andrew Cerniglia, Navy - Sunday 2PM Why: Garrett Thompson has been on a roll. He beat All-American Peyton Hall earlier this year before taking 5th at CKLV. This is a guy who never even qualified for the state tournament in high school and who now is on the cusp of a Top 10 ranking. And he’s facing Cerniglia who was an absolute PA superstar - 2x State Champ and Ironman Champ. Cerniglia struggled his first couple of campaigns down at 157 but there’s hope he’s more himself up now that he’s not cutting as much. 2. They Call It Bedlam Princeton and Rutgers probably sit down for a nice bowl of fettuccine together after the dual. It’s a good in-state rivalry but it’s nothing like Oklahoma-Oklahoma State. There will be no breaking bread. The Cowboys needed late dramatics last year to win. With the dual tied at 15 in the last bout of the evening, Luke Surber pinned Keegan Moore. And the Sooners certainly don’t want to lose to their rivals in football and wrestling in the same season. WrestleStat has it as a 20-15 OKST win. But that’s a one-match flip from changing everything. 1. The Greatest Ever vs. The Hottest Name in Wrestling I might be setting myself (and y’all) up for disappointment. Daton Fix (@_Greatest_Ever1 on Twitter) is slated to face Ryan Crookham when Lehigh visits Gallagher Iba. So far this season Crookham has beaten NCAA Champ Vito Arujau and NCAA 5th placer Aaron Nagao. Whoever wins, is the unquestionable #1 in America. The problem is, Daton tweaked something just before the start of CKLV and had to scratch. Fingers crossed he’s healthy and we see this bout.

We're are officially through a month of the collegiate wrestling season! With CKLV last weekend, a bunch of schools are not in action so we have a relatively small slate of matches this weekend. A total of 24 duals will be contested along with some a tournament. Since it can be difficult to figure out where and when to watch all of these events, InterMat has put together a list of all of the live-streamed events occurring this week. Below are the dates/times and how to watch each match (with links). All times are Eastern. Thursday, December 7: Michigan State at Buffalo 7:00 PM ESPN+ Friday, December 8: VMI at Kent State 1:00 PM Gannon at Kent State 2:30 PM VMI vs. Mount Union at Kent State 2:30 PM Mount Union at Kent State 4:00 PM Princeton at Rutgers 6:00 PM B1G+ Duke at Davidson 7:00 PM Columbia at Iowa 8:00 PM B1G+ Wyoming at Missouri 8:00 PM FloWrestling Lehigh at Oklahoma State 8:00 PM ESPN+ West Virginia at Air Force 9:00 PM FloWrestling Saturday, December 9: Army West Point, Cleveland State, Kent State, Northwestern, VMI at Cleveland State Open 9:30 AM Wisconsin at Rider 12:00 PM ESPN+ Central Michigan at Indiana 2:00 PM B1G+ Bloomsburg at LIU 4:00 PM ESPN+ Wisconsin at Drexel 6:00 PM FloWrestling Sunday, December 10: Pittsburgh at Ohio State 12:00 PM Big Ten Network Hofstra at Penn State 1:00 PM B1G+ Navy vs. Ohio at Jefferson, PA 2:00 PM Buffalo at Rutgers 2:00 PM B1G+ North Dakota State at Minnesota 3:00 PM B1G+ Maryland at Morgan State 3:00 PM Morgan State All-Access West Virginia at Northern Colorado 3:00 PM FloWrestling Columbia at Northern Iowa 3:00 PM FloWrestling Oklahoma State at Oklahoma 3:00 PM ESPN+

Oregon State The Beavers led the pack with a fifth-place finish with 98.5 points. Oregon State’s Brandon Kaylor cruised to the quarterfinals before losing 2-1 to Brett Ungar. Kaylor bounced back and finished fourth, defeating Wyoming’s Jore Volk before losing to Nebraska’s Caleb Smith. Cleveland Belton was one match away from placing at 141 pounds. He lost to Cornell’s Vince Cornella and Iowa State’s Anthony Echemendia. Nash Singleton stunned the nation as an unranked wrestler who finished sixth at 149 pounds. Singleton lost his first match to Iowa State’s Casey Swiderski 13-4. However, he bounced back with wins over James Latona, Quinn Kinner, and Isaiah Delgado. Matthew Olguin finished seventh at 165 pounds with wins over Stoney Buell, Brevin Cassella, Brett McIntosh, and Isaac Wilcox. Travis Wittlake finished second at 174 pounds. Wittlake battled his first three matches, before falling 9-8 in the finals to South Dakota State’s Cade DeVos. No. 2 seed Trey Munoz was stunned with a 2-2 finish. His losses came to North Carolina State’s Dylan Fishback 9-6 and pinned by Iowa State’s Will Feldkamp. Lastly, Boone McDermott finished fourth at heavyweight. He defeated Seth Nevills, Lewis Fernandes, Owen Trephan, and two more, but lost to Campbell’s Taye Ghadiali. Stanford The Cardinal finished seventh with 85.5 points. No. 9 seed Nico Provo has started a debate for the best 125-pound wrestler in the country. Provo won the tournament over Matt Ramos, Kysen Terukina, Ungar, Volk, and Trever Anderson. Unranked true freshman Tyler Knox also turned heads with a fourth-place finish at 133 pounds. Knox upset Nic Bouzakis 11-3, Richie Koehler 8-4, and Reece Witcraft 2-1. He lost 2-1 to Evan Frost and 16-6 to Dominic Zaccone. Daniel Cardenas reached the semifinals at 157 pounds but fell to fifth place. After a dominant first round, Cardenas snuck past Cody Chittum 9-8 and Meyer Shaprio 8-5. However, he lost to Jacori Teemer and Bryce Andonian. Hunter Garvin lost in the round of 16. Yet, he responded with a sixth-place finish over Scott Jarosz, Isaac Wilcox, Giano Petrucelli and Cassella. True freshman Lorenzo Norman finished seventh at 174 pounds. He defeated former Cardinal national champion Shane Griffith, MJ Gaitan, Brayden Thompson, and Riley Davis. Nick Stemmet finished seventh at 197 pounds over Max Shaw, Calvin Sund, Joey Novak, and three more opponents. Arizona State The Sun Devils finished 14th with 51 points. Julian Chlebove entered the 133-pound division as the third seed but failed to place. He lost to Zaccone and Witcraft However, Kyle Parco finished third at 149 pounds and Jacori Teemer finished second at 157 pounds. Parco earned wins against Dylan D’Emilio, Marcos Polanco, Nash Singleton, Casey Swiderski, and Ethan Fernandes. Teemer defeated Daniel Cardenas 14-6, Brooks Gable 19-3, Chris Earnest 6-3, and Ryder Downey 7-2. Cal Poly The Mustangs finished 24th with 22.5 points. None of the wrestlers placed at the tournament. However, Dominic Mendez ended with a 3-2 record at 125 pounds and Chance Lamer went 2–1 with his loss coming to the eventual runner-up. CSU Bakersfield The Roadrunners finished 31st with 7 points. Richard Castro-Sandoval earned a couple of wins at 125 pounds over Kysen Terukina 7-4 and Evan Tallmadge 12-9. Santino Sanchez also earned two wins over Patrick Adams and Dylan Acevedo-Switzer. Little Rock The Trojans competed in the Cougar Clash Saturday and had three duals instead of making the trip to Las Vegas. Joshua Sarpy went 3-1 at 133 pounds with victories over Mikey Kaminski, Zeke Seltzer and Marcel Lopez. Joseph Bianchi went 3-2 at 165 pounds with victories over Blaine Brenner, Derek Matthews, and Jake Evans. Kodiak Cannedy also went 3-2 at 174 pounds with victories over Ricardo Salin, Dominic Lopez, and Antonio Torres. In dual competition, the Trojans went 2-0 in Drexel’s Dragon Duals. Nasir Bailey, Matt Bianchi, Tyler Brennan, Stephen Little, and Josiah Hill all went 2-0 individually.

Ryan Loder (left) with Jason Welch at 2019 Senior Nationals Welcome to a new running feature that we'll use to keep track of ex-wrestlers who are now competing in MMA. As more fights are agreed upon, they will be added to this article. Dec. 1 Maverick MMA 25 (Internet PPV) Gavin Teasdale (Penn State/Iowa) vs. Eliab Evangelista Dec. 1 FAC 22 (Internet PPV) Mikey England (Street League) vs. Perry Stargel Alan Olivas (Missouri Valley) vs. Sam Paneitz James Buckhanan (Briar Cliff) vs. Tucker Eastwood Dec. 2 UFC Fight Night (ESPN+) Kelvin Gastelum (North Idaho) vs. Sean Brady Clay Guida vs. Joaquim Silva Cody Brundage (Newberry) vs. Zachary Reese Dec. 3 Fury FC 84 (UFC Fight Pass) Isaiah Diggs (CSU Pueblo/Clackamas) vs. Tony Toro Dec. 15 Karate Combat 43 (YouTube) Benson Henderson (Dana College) vs. Anthony Pettis* *Karate fight Dec. 15 CFFC 128 (UFC Fight Pass) Hunter Starner (VMI) vs. Riley Palmer Alonzo Turner (Findlay/Notre Dame OH) vs. Eric Nolan Dec. 15 United fight League 4 Ryan Loder (UNI) vs. Ty Gwerder Dec. 16 UFC 296 (ESPN+/PPV) Colby Covington (Oregon State) vs. Leon Edwards Tony Ferguson (Grand Valley State) vs. Paddy Pimblett Dec. 16 Cage Thunder 25 Mo Miller (Notre Dame OH) vs. Usama Rahman Chase Archangelo (Cleveland State) vs. Garrett Hershberger Dec. 16 Ohio Combat League 27 Jaden Mattox (Ohio State) vs. Toby Pee Vernell Hawkins (Mount St. Joseph) vs. Cody Clark

Welcome back all and I hope you all had a lovely holiday weekend even though the football was terrible. This will be a light mailbag since I’m not feeling too hot and only have a few questions that aren’t even wrestling-related. I’m not even sure how to work in a name so Earl can use a picture for the header. I’ll remedy that right now and so I can’t wait to see Peyton Robb back on the mat at the Calvin Klein Las Vegas in a few hours. I’ve yet to catch a Nebraska meet this year and I’m thrilled that the current All-Jagger 157 guy has recovered from all he’s been through. On that note, time to read the mail. Can you do audio responses to your questions this week? IndianaMat You mean like a podcast? Just answer all the questions on the air? I suppose I could and I can certainly elaborate more on the topics at hand since I’m not exactly a master of the written word. But what would the Jagoffs do on the bowl in the morning? Read about the real world? It’s way too depressing. As a person who has been in a long-term relationship, do you have any dating advice for Seton Hall Pirate? Willie “The Brain” Saylor Not really. Make them laugh. That’s all I can really offer. Women want a man that can make them laugh. So while you’re in Vegas, think of some funny one-liners for him to say and get Pirate his booty. Also, ladies don't like a guy who tries to correct them constantly and Pirate can be a little much with that. I just noticed today that our local sandwich guy has added “Taylor Ham” next to “Taylor Pork Roll” on the list of menu items. Not sure how to react to this. Any help would be much appreciated since I know there is no such thing as Taylor Ham. Kevin McGuigan Welcome to the revolution. You Philly guys should know a thing or two about that. We live in a world of extreme tolerance now and you just have to accept the fact that folks from North Jersey may travel to Philadelphia and we don’t want to feel ostracized by your strange lingo. Why am I even arguing this? The Taylor Ham/Pork Roll debate is a Jersey thing and not a Pennsylvania thing. This local sandwich guy deserves a statue if you ask me. Best "unorthodox" cig lighting technique? -Plumber torch-looks great, but burns up the cig. Gas stove? Ok. Electric stove? Looks pretty desperate. -are zippos still cool? -are matches too hipster? Burger King of Kings Finally, someone is asking the right questions. There’s a lot going on here so I’ll try to cover it all without getting too long-winded. Let’s start with the torch. Unless you’re Scud in Blade 2 you shouldn’t even bother. It’s dangerous and stupid. Plus, Scud turned on Blade before getting blown up so no need to emulate that guy. Certainly, the gas stove is a tried and true method but it reeks of desperation and can also be dangerous. I’ve never used an electric stove, but I reckon it’s similar to the classic car lighter. You kids know them now as power adapters. Are matches too hipster? I suppose that can be true if you’re doing a neo-50’s greaser vibe or something. Now Zippos, that’s where it’s at. Probably the greatest invention in American history.

This week is headlined by Cliff Keen Las Vegas with one of the best regular-season tournament fields we've seen in a while. The storylines there are innumerable and we hit on some of them below while sprinkling in some other not-so-obvious hot spots as well. Here's what I'm zoning in on for Week 4. 5. What Will Lehigh Do With McGonagle? Lehigh has a good problem on their hands. They have two of the undisputedly best 133lbers in the country. And I could say this every week until it gets resolved, but will we learn anything in their dual with Penn State this weekend? Who will start at 133? Can Malyke Hines move up to 149 creating a space for Crookham or McGonagle at 141? 4. SIU-Edwardsville Put Together a Heck of A Field While everyone is sure to be glued to CKLV, SIUE’s Cougar Clash is a must-follow, too. I have three things to really zero in on here: Can Missouri’s lightweights contribute - namely Noah Surtin, Zeke Seltzer, and Josh Edmond. Little Rock’s Promising Freshmen - Nasir Bailey, Kyle Dutton, and Stephen Little Minnesota Veterans: Pat McKee, Michael Blockhus, Andrew Sparks and Isaiah Salazar 3. The Mess That is 125 Nationally (At CKLV) 125 nationally has been a glorious mess with no definitively staking the claim as top dog and too many conflicting results to make sense of. The field at CKLV only has three former All-Americans - Matt Ramos, Michael DeAugustino, and Brandon Kaylor. But the weight is loaded with up-and-comers and guys that have been knocking on the door. Will the top seeds hold serve or will the revolving door at 125 continue? 2. How Good Can ISU Be This Year? Iowa State is coming off a heartbreaking loss to rival Iowa. But while they may have lost that battle, there are plenty of reasons to walk away optimistic. Evan Frost (133) and Casey Swiderski (149) beat proven veterans Brody Teske and Victor Voinovich. Anthony Echemendia (141) and Cody Chittum (157) took All Americans to the brink. The Cyclones are flirting with a Top 10 NCAA tournament projection and any uptick in performance from these four guys could push them into podium contender status. 1. CKLV Team Race Nebraska has only entered the last five CKLV tournaments. It was interesting timing as that is exactly when CKLV became the best regular-season tournament in the country, surpassing Midlands and Southern Scuffle. And they won it the last three years - and this tournament is objectively the toughest of those five. And while this field is the greatest in tournament history, it might be to Nebraska’s benefit. But how can that be? Because the deeper a tournament is, the more valuable the upper echelon is. And Nebraska has the most sure things with #4-Hardy, #1-Ridge, and #3-PRobb will all be top 2 seeds. The depth of the tournament actually helps Nebraska this year. And they lead the field with seven Top 6 seeds. Cornell, who is missing Vito Arajau for this tournament, has five in the Top 7 plus Meyer Shapiro who is regarded as the best incoming freshman in the country. Iowa State is another threat. They don’t have a lot of high seeds but they have six in the Top 8 and three new faces - Anthony Echemendia, Casey Swiderski, and Cody Chittum who are more than capable of reaching the podium both here and at NCAA’s.

Each week things get more and more intense and this week surely didn’t disappoint. As we get ready for some huge events like the All-Star Classic and Cliff Keen Las Vegas, we take a look at some of the biggest takeaways from last week. Gable Arnold Looks Poised in Carver-Hawkeye Debut In case you didn’t know, true freshman Gable Arnold is pretty good. How good is yet to be determined - at least on the college level - but so far, he’s been a nice spark plug for the Hawkeyes this year. On Sunday he made his first appearance in Carver and collected a 4-2 win over #11-ranked All-American Travis Wittlake. With the Hawks having some vets in their lineup due to suspension, the youngster is a welcome addition. He competed in the Luther Open earlier this season and was one of the eight champs Iowa had. It’s been a good start for the freshman so far. Wisconsin Takes a Big Non-Conference L The matchup at 165 pounds between NCAA Champion David Carr and multiple-time All-American Dean Hamiti may have been low-scoring, but it was still quite the battle. However, it was overshadowed by the 42-0 loss that the Badgers were sent home with. The Cyclones took the 26-6 win last year when the teams met around this same point in the season which obviously gave Wisconsin a bad taste, but this year it has people wondering what’s to come with the new faces in the lineup for coach Bono. It’s still early, so there’s a lot of room to grow, but it sure was an uncharacteristic performance from Wisconsin. Michigan Has Solid Trip On The Road The Wolverines traveled to the East Coast this weekend to take on Columbia and Rider in New York and New Jersey, respectively. This was the first competition for most of the Wolverine starters, but we’ve yet to see their full lineup as expected. Largely though, this was a solid trip. They came away from the weekend with two dual meet victories, and we got to see some of their youth in the lineup. Noteworthy was Sergio Lemley, who was one of seven Michigan wrestlers to go undefeated on this trip (Will Lewan, Cam Amine, Shane Griffith, Jaden Bullock, Bobby Striggow, and Lucas Davison being the others). Lemley’s wins were over the 33rd and 32nd ranked wrestlers in Kai Owen of Columbia and Mackenzie Bell of Rider, so certainly impressive for the true freshman. Also impressive was the way that Amine wrestled. He didn’t compete much early last season due to some injury concerns, so it’s great having him apparently healthy and he certainly competed that way. Sadly, Chris Cannon suffered a head injury in his first match as a Wolverine, but we are hoping for a quick recovery and return to the lineup. Up next, Vegas! Michigan State Vets Make Season Debut It’s been a busy start for the Spartans. This past weekend they competed at their third straight tournament of the year. First Clarion, followed by hosting the MSU Open, then the Black Knight Invite. This was a different tough because this was the first competition of the year for their vets. Positives were Chase Saldate taking second at 157 pounds and Kael Wissler taking first at 197. Saldate comes into the year as one of the Spartans with high expectations, and I’m sure he didn’t walk into this tournament hoping to take second, but a loss to a tough opponent in Vincent Zerban of Northern Colorado is not a bad loss and something he can use to propel his training as they continue through the non-conference portion of their schedule. Wisler winning the 197-pound title is impressive and he will be someone to watch develop as the season continues. Sadly, another senior – Layne Malczewski – had to default out of his first match due to injury. He’s battled injuries throughout his career, but always seems to come back ready to go. I hope this is just a minor blip in what will otherwise be a strong finish to his career. The Spartans compete next on December 3rd in duals with Franklin & Marshall, Bloomsburg, and Presbyterian. Ohio State Claims Perfect 20-0 Weekend You know what’s impressive? Shutting out a team in D1 wrestling is impressive. You know what’s more impressive than that? Shutting out three teams in seven days. To this point in the season, the only team to have won a match in a dual against the Buckeyes is Virginia Tech. Okay, so shutouts are neat. But dominant shutouts are even more special. Against Edinboro, Columbia, and Hofstra, Ohio State scored, 53, 49, and 51 respectively. Two decisions, three majors, and the rest were tech falls or pins. Also, they didn’t have their full lineup because Jesse Mendez was out competing at the Bill Farrell Invitational. Ohio State jumps right back into some tougher competition as they fly out to Vegas as well. Nice tuneup out East for them, but the real fun begins shortly. Viva Las Vegas!!! Bonus Points Listen to the second installment of the B1G Ten vs ACC breakdown with conference correspondents Ryan Holmes, Kevin Claunch, and Robbie Wendell.

Last week, Virginia Tech was at the center of our first-ever Big Ten/ACC dual breakdown. The Hokies are in the spotlight again after their 19-12 victory over #13 Rutgers on Friday night. Our Big Ten/ACC correspondent crew goes into detail about that dual. They also talk North Carolina - as the Tar Heels squared off with Illinois yesterday. The young Tar Heel squad acquitted themselves well, but ultimately fell to #28 Fighting Illini. Finally, they take a quick peek ahead to the Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational. For the full episode: Click Here

We're officially in the midst of the collegiate wrestling season and have a semi-full schedule of DI duals this week. A total of 43 duals will be contested. Since it can be difficult to figure out where and when to watch all of these events, InterMat has put together a list of all of the live-streamed events occurring this week. Below are the dates/times and how to watch each match (with links). Thursday, November 16: NC State at Army West Point 7:00 PM FloWrestling Minnesota at Bucknell 7:00 PM ESPN+ West Virginia at Clarion 7:00 PM FloWrestling Friday, November 17: Liberty at Lindenwood 5:00 PM Dakota Wesleyan at South Dakota State 6:00 PM Binghamton vs. NC State at Albany, NY 6:30 PM FloWrestling Buffalo vs. Northern Colorado at Albany, NY 6:30 PM FloWrestling LIU vs. Virginia at Albany, NY 6:30 PM FloWrestling Presbyterian vs. Sacred Heart at Albany, NY 6:30 PM FloWrestling Campbell vs. Wyoming at Centennial, WY 7:00 PM UFC FightPass Utah Valley at American 7:00 PM ESPN+ Michigan at Columbia 7:00 PM ESPN+ Virginia Tech at Rutgers 7:00 PM B1G+ California Baptist vs. Embry-Riddle at Vanguard 7:00 PM Northern State at South Dakota State 7:30 PM Oklahoma at Little Rock 8:00 PM Little Rock Sports Network Binghamton vs. LIU at Albany, NY 8:30 PM FloWrestling Buffalo vs. Virginia at Albany, NY 8:30 PM FloWrestling NC State vs. Sacred Heart at Albany, NY 8:30 PM FloWrestling Northern Colorado vs. Presbyterian at Albany, NY 8:30 PM FloWrestling Augustana at South Dakota State 9:00 PM California Baptist at Vanguard, 10:00 PM Vanguard Athletics Live Saturday, November 18: Bellarmine, Lindenwood, Little Rock, Northern Illinois, Northwestern, SIU Edwardsville at Lindenwood Open 10:00 AM Franklin & Marshall, West Virginia at Shorty Hitchcock Classic, hosted by Millersville 10:00 AM Air Force, American, Bloomsburg, Bucknell, Cleveland State, Davidson, Edinboro, Kent State, Lock Haven, Navy, Nebraska, Ohio, Princeton, The Citadel at Navy Classic, Owings Mills, MD 10:00 AM FloWrestling Sacred Heart at Cornell 12:00 PM ESPN+ Morgan State at George Mason 12:00 PM ESPN+ Minnesota vs. Morgan State at George Mason 1:30 PM ESPN+ Minnesota at George Mason 3:00 PM ESPN+ Sunday, November 19: Appalachian State, Drexel, Duke, Franklin & Marshall, Harvard, Indiana, Penn, Sacred Heart, Utah Valley, Virginia Tech at Keystone Classic, hosted by Penn, 9:30 AM FloWrestling Army West Point, Binghamton, Brown, Buffalo, Gardner-Webb, LIU, Michigan State, Northern Colorado, Penn State, Rutgers at Black Knight Invitational, hosted by Army West Point, 10:00 AM FloWrestling Ohio State at Columbia, 11:00 AM ESPN+ Minnesota, Northern Iowa, South Dakota State at Daktronics Open, hosted by South Dakota State, 11:00 AM FloWrestling Cal Poly, California Baptist, CSU Bakersfield at Roadrunner Open, hosted by CSU Bakersfield, 12:00 PM Indianapolis at Purdue 12:00 PM B1G+ Utah Valley at Spokane Open 12:00 PM Central Michigan vs. North Carolina at Illinois 1:00 PM B1G+ Oregon State at Iowa 1:00 PM B1G+ North Dakota State at Oklahoma 1:00 PM ESPN+ Pittsburgh at Lehigh 2:00 PM FloWrestling Arizona State at Missouri 2:00 PM FloWrestling Northern Illinois at Purdue 2:00 PM B1G+ Michigan at Rider 2:00 PM ESPN+ Limestone at VMI 2:00 PM ESPN+ Iowa State vs. Wisconsin at Humboldt, IA 3:00 PM UFC FightPass North Carolina at Illinois 3:00 PM B1G+ Ohio State at Hofstra 4:00 PM Hofstra Pride YouTube Northern Illinois vs. Indianapolis at Purdue 4:00 PM Central Michigan at Illinois 5:00 PM B1G+ Marymount at VMI 5:00 PM ESPN+

After a tumultuous week filled with upsets, we head to a Week 3 slate largely headlined, already, by high-profile duals. Here are five big things The Brain will be monitoring. 5. What Will Mizzou @ ASU Look Like? When you see Missouri vs. ASU, you immediately think, ‘Awesome!’ Intermat’s tournament rankings have The Tigers at #5 and the Flaming Forks #6. Without a doubt, it’s a must-watch dual for any college wrestling fan. However, we might be in for a bit of a letdown. First of all, ASU is a much better tournament team - especially until they get some weights figured out. Intermat has them at just #16 in a dual setting with Missouri all the way up at #3. And who knows what personnel ASU will have available. Neither #2 Richie Figs (125) nor #4 Cohlton Schultz have wrestled yet this year and Jesse Vazquez (141) and Jacori Teemer (157) got pretty banged up in competition last week. The results of the matches and the dual, of course, will be interesting to follow. But the status of some of the Sun Devils is interesting in its own right. 4. Mesenbrink Watch Word came out of the Penn State camp yesterday that Alex Facundo will redshirt and that it will be Mitch Mesenbrink manning the 165 spot for the Nittany Lions this year. He went undefeated last week at Journeymen and there will continue to be eyes on him this week as he suits up for Army’s Black Knight Invitational. 3. Sign Me Up For Duals in Barns I spoke with Campbell HC Scotti Sentes last week in Nebraska. If you’ve seen their duals on the Army base the last two years, you know how awesomely unique it was. Well, Scotti said their dual at Wyoming - The Battle In The Barn - on UFC Fight Pass, might even be a cooler setup. 2. Oregon State Visits Carver This is such a sneaky good dual. Last week, I said Navy at Pitt would be a good one and this one stacks up similarly but with the added bonuses of 1) being in a sold-out, raucous Carver-Hawkeye Arena, 2) being the first high-profile dual of the year for the Hawks, 3) featuring a lineup that has been perhaps the most discussed in the history of college wrestling’s offseason. While it’s a long shot, The Beavers bring in a squad that could knock off the perennial power. Let’s break it down: 125: Drake Ayala is a favorite over All-American Brandon Kaylor who has taken some not-great losses recently. Still, a Kaylor win wouldn’t be earth-shattering. 133: Brody Teske or Jace Rhodes vs. Gabe Whisenunt Whisenhunt was a guy I highlighted in a previous ‘Best New Starters’ article. I think he’d be neck-and-neck with Teske, who might be out for this dual. I’d take Whisenhunt over Rhodes. 141: Real Woods vs. Cleveland Belton This is the clearest pick of the dual. Woods should post bonus. 149: Victor Voinovich vs. Noah Tolentino Voinovich is a favorite here but 1) he wrestles really tight matches and 2) Tolentino is a good young prospect from powerhouse Poway, California. For comparative purposes, they have one common opponent: Voinovich beat Baptist’s Dayne Morton 2-1; Tolentino beat him 8-2. If Tolentino can hold his own on bottom - or better yet, get out - we could have a good bout on our hands. 157: Jared Franek vs. Murphy Menke Franek is among the best in the country at 157 and a real title contender. With the 3pt. Takedown, he could approach bonus. 165: Michael Caliendo vs. Matt Olguin Caliendo is a slight favorite. This was a Round of 16 match at NCAA’s won by Caliendo, 9-8. Duals have a way of going off-script quickly, but a pre-match assessment suggests this is a must-have for Oregon State. 174: Gabe Arnold or Aiden Riggins vs. Travis Wittlake Arnold recently won a tournament where Riggins was also in the bracket. With the new five-match rule for redshirts, you’d think Iowa would utilize this spot for Arnold - a blue-chip true freshman. Wittlake is a super senior and former AA who is finally at his perfect weight. While an Arnold win wouldn’t shock anyone, the conservative pick would probably be to go with Wittlake and his riding ability. 184: Brennan Swafford vs. Trey Munoz This is another bout where there is a clear pick in returning All-American Munoz. However, Swafford is a seasoned veteran who wrestles hard as hell and making his second career start ever and his first in Carver. He’s going to be fired up. 197: Zach Glazier vs. Justin Rademacher Glazier was my #83 overall prospect in 2019 who had to wait to get into starting action behind 5x All-American Jacob Warner. Rademacher placed everywhere in high school and is a true freshman who I tabbed #56 in this year’s class. I view it as a toss-up match, perhaps favoring the veteran, especially in his home gym. 285: Brad Hill vs. Boone McDermott Like 197, HWT presents another weight for the Hawks where their mainstay, Tony Cassioppi, is gone. In steps Brad Hill, the #112 ranked prospect of 2022. His opponent will be Iowa native Boone McDermott. I think most handicappers would give Boone the slight edge due to his experience, but I think anything goes in this bout. Big Picture: Oregon State needs 133 and 165 to make this a thing. If they do, we have a dual on our hands. If they don’t, it could get ugly. They are big ‘ifs’; but it could get fun. Possible upset? Yeah. Probable? No. And in Carver. Too many things have to go right and even a 5-5 split would spell a Hawks win with bonus potential at 41 and 57. Gimme the Hawks 20-13. 1. Pork Roll (Taylor Ham) Week For The Hokies On Jagger Night Earl sent me the duals for this week’s pick ‘ems and I quickly, too quickly, took Virginia Tech. Looking at it closer, RU really has a shot in this dual. Two weeks ago, Ventresca would have been a slight favorite over Mean Dean Peterson in a 125lb matchup of two Garden State natives. But Eddie is in a rut. Dean needs to get it done for 1) Me, his fantasy owner and 2) Jagger, his greatest fan. All-American Sam Latona should be considered a favorite over a bumped up Dylan Shawver, but Sam has a history of early-season losses and Shawver has got some dawg in him. Transfer Mitch Moore gives the Knights a favorite at 141. But here comes Tech’s wheelhouse where Henson and Andonian could both bonus. Toss up at 165 with Anthony White and Connor Brady. I’ll take White in a mild upset. Mekhi is favored over Turley at 174, but then RU is favored, albeit slightly, in the final three bouts. Big Picture: I think Rutgers can get to five, but they’ll have to limit the bonus in some spots to get the dual victory. Oh, wait, I forgot. It’s Jagger Night. Rutgers by a million!

So I started doing the whole doctor thing this week. That thing you do when you get old and have to actually put in an effort to stay alive. I don’t even know what else to say about that. It’s just this reluctant acceptance of the beginning of the later stage of life that has been on my mind lately. Then I think about how I want to live as many of those later years as I can. So why should I let the thought of it affect me negatively? I’d rather just enjoy life in the moment. I’m just getting warmed up, baby! It’s week two of wrestling and my football team fired that jobber Josh McDaniels. Things couldn’t be better. Now to your questions! Which weight class do you feel is the most wide open this season for a new NCAA champ? Kevin Claunch, Michigan Spymaster Well, I’ll narrow it down by picking any weight that doesn’t have a returning champ. So that takes out three, but I’ll just substitute 197 for 184 and make it four classes out. You can also toss out heavyweight because Kerk is a returning finalist and Gable apparently located his shoes. Let’s also toss out 141, 157, and the aforementioned 184 since they also have returning finalists in the mix. That leaves us with 125 and 149. And they are intriguing! 149 is a bit top-heavy but 125 is just a mess of guys. You’ve got a mix of guys who have gutted out the Spencer Lee-era and a nice crop of fresh faces ready to make the leap. Literally, any of the top ten guys can make the finals. And that’s not counting Brayden Palmer, who beat the high school kid, who just beat the top-ranked guy, who beat Spencer friggin’ Lee just under eight months ago! Noto-Figs-Ventresca-Peterson-Poulin-Ungar. These guys want to show everyone that they are the guys here now. Guys like Barnett, McKee, and DeAugustino have been stalwarts here for years and they know damn well they have a chance at that title this year. 125 will be the most wild and unpredictable bracket this March. Not a doubt in my mind. If takedowns are now three points, why aren’t escapes 1.5? Doesn’t the sport need more decimals? Regular Guy Good question. We do need more decimals. And more decibels while we’re at it. I’m still not sold on the new scoring, but there’s certainly more scores of 14-5 than there used to be. Which freshman debut most impressed you last week? Dr. Rhino None of them. Alright, maybe a few. For starters, I’m fully on the Rocco Welsh wagon. I actually wish I was Rocco Welsh. I also sometimes wish I was Raquel Welch. Rutgers freshman 133 Max Hermes also had a nice little run at the Princeton Open and put up 41 points in four wins while falling to Rider veteran Richie Koehler 6-2. Kannon Webster had a nice debut with a tech and folks will be certainly keeping an eye on his five-date redshirt rule thing or however that works. Of course, the big story was the performances of a trio of high school kids who had runs through the Clarion Open. In a record-setting 14-hour-long tournament without a break, Bo Bassett, Marcus Blaze, and Jax Forrest made it one of the most fun opening tournaments in years. My guess is that Bo probably slept in until about 5:15 on Monday morning. He certainly earned it. With the first women’s dual meet happening in Carver-Hawkeye, how long before we see a Scuffle/Midlands men’s and women’s division tournament? The Kid Smoke Drip Costanza Midlands had one last year, and would’ve had one the year before had they not canceled. Seton Hall Pirate Bad look for me. The Kid Smoke Drip Costanza Don’t beat yourself up over Pirate sticking his nose in there. The truth is that I forgot that they had it last year. But I also forgot what I had for lunch yesterday, so that might be a problem on my end. It’s possible I’ve also had too much smoke drip Costanza. I’m sure as the sport grows on the women’s side of the D1 level we will see more tournaments co-hosting them and even some more Opens of their own. Headed to England for the Phillies-Mets games next June? Kevin McGuigan Oh jeez, I don't even want to think about baseball and forgot this was even happening. Bryce Harper and Pete Alonso should show American unity by parading the Liberty Bell around the Brits like a trophy. Thoughts on Rutgers’ 2024 signing class. Dan Seifring Not bad. My guys are doing a good job hitting the other states and I’ve heard a lot of good things about Conner Harer. Alex Nini has always been a guy I thought had immense talent and should fit in nicely. Ryan Ford is Coach Dom trained. That’s good enough for me. Will Steveson get his head or his retired shoes cut off in the first episode of college duals? JP Pearson It would be funny if he just wrestled the entire season barefoot as a bit of a nod to the sacred tradition of leaving your shoes on the mat as a way of saying goodbye. Then he can still honor tradition while still wrestling. Sort of like a loophole. I also want multiple backflips after every match now. No more leaving us wanting more. It’s the last chance we will get to see the show. Give ‘em the works. These are my terms.

Penn State has been ruling the wrestling world for quite some time now. Year after year they’ve put multiple guys in the finals and on the podium. Just last season half of the finalists had the crowd chanting “We Are”. And with the way their lineup looks again this season, it could be another race for second place behind the perennial powerhouse in Kansas City, MO at the T-Mobile Center. But with all the firepower that will be talked about, there’s one question that remains: Will this be the year the Nittany Lions get back on the podium at 125? The last time they had someone claim All-America status was in 2016 when Nico Megaludis won the title. Since then, the best performance came from Robert Howard in 2021 when he went 2-2 as a freshman. They’ve had a number of guys in the lineup here, but haven’t had the PSU-style consistency we’ve seen from guys in the other weight classes. Top Returners Four of the five finalists are back this year with recently crowned U23 World Champ Aaron Brooks and Carter Starocci, who just recently announced he was coming back for one more year, leading the way as they look to join the rare class of four-time champs. Brooks will be making the move up to 197 this season, leaving that spot open for an All-American transfer you’ll hear about later in this preview. Also coming back are Levi Haines and Greg Kerkvliet who were runners-up last season at 157-pounds and heavyweight, respectively. It’s possible that we see Haines move up to 165 this year with a newcomer in at 157. Key Departures Roman Bravo-Young, who manned the spot at 133 for Coach Sanderson since 2018-19 finished his career as a five-time AA, three-time finalist, and two-time Champ. Along with Bravo-Young, they will also be without four-time AA and 2022 197-pound NCAA Champion, Max Dean. Newcomers The transfer portal was very good to PSU this year as All-Americans Aaron Nagao (133) and Bernie Truax (184) joined. Nagao, who placed 5th at NCAAs a season ago while at Minnesota, gave his predecessor RBY a tough bout in the quarterfinals last year and will now look to man that spot. Truax, who was fourth at 197 for Cal Poly last year, will be making the move back down to 184 where he competed in 2022 and finished in 4th place. In addition to Nagao and Truax, additional transfer Kurt McHenry, who was previously at Michigan, has made the move to State College, PA as well. Lastly, is Mitchell Mesenbrink. The true freshman could be coming into the lineup at 157, should we see returning NCAA finalists Haines move up to 165. Mesenbrink had a great summer in which he claimed a U20 title at 74kg. Wrestlers to Watch A pair of guys that could easily be part of the top returners section of this preview are Beau Bartlett and Shayne Van Ness at 141 and 149, respectively. The reason I put them here is because I believe that they are the next in line to make the finals and possibly win titles. Both guys gave last year’s eventual champs, Andrew Alirez and Yianni Diakomihalis, a tough task in the semifinals before each claimed third and honestly, they are a ton of fun to watch, and I don’t just mean on IG where we’ve all been entertained by Bartlett. I saved Robert Howard for last because I badly want to see him back in the lineup, and more than anything, have a completely healthy season. As I mentioned above, Howard was the last guy at 125 for PSU to have the best performance at the NCAA tournament since Megaludis in ’16. Howard went 2-2 in ’21 and since then has been plagued with injuries. As I said, my hope is that he’s 100% healthy because he can do some big things. Top out-of-conference event Penn State is kicking off their season at the Journeymen Collegiate Classic where there’s a ton of non-conference competition slated to be in attendance. The teams they might hit include NC State, Cornell, Arizona State, Penn, or Lock Haven. Lehigh will also be there, but they will face the Mountain Hawks on Dec. 3rd. Even if the competition isn’t the toughest, it’ll give us our first look at the returning champs.

Illinois - I’m excited to see what season three of Mike Poeta’s Fighting Illini looks like. I feel like season three for a head coach is where you can really start to see some of their recruiting efforts take form, as well as how their specific impact on their returning talent begins to develop. In addition to Poeta and company, they recently picked up 2x NCAA Champion Austin O’Connor, an Illinois prep product returning to his home state after a successful and dominant senior season with North Carolina. This squad has a handful of upperclassmen who were very close to some of their goals last year, including three bloodround finishers which we’ll discuss in a moment. Even where they didn’t have some qualifiers last year, I like the foundation of what they have and look forward to seeing how they develop. It doesn’t hurt either that they are building brand-new wrestling facilities as well. TOP RETURNERS When I think of Illinois wrestling, the first person who comes to mind is Lucas Byrd. The 2x All American enters his redshirt junior season ranked sixth in the country. Lucas Byrd has been exciting to watch since the moment he jumped on the scene and wrestles consistently in that he routinely beats who he is supposed to. Byrd had as impressive an NCAA run that you can have without being on the podium. He dropped a 3-2 quarterfinal match to Daton Fix, before dropping his Bloodround match to Jesse Mendez of Ohio State in tiebreakers. Mendez has since bumped to 141 and Byrd remains a dangerous and exciting podium threat. Edmond Ruth is entering his second full season for Illinois. He had a great first year with the squad, going 30-8 overall, and was one win away from being on the podium. He dropped his fifth place B1G championship match, as well as his NCAA bloodround match to Nelson Brands of Iowa. Ruth begins the season ranked 5th at a loaded 174, and if he’s able to add some more consistent attacks to his stingy defense, then he can beat almost anyone. Zac Braunagel had a great season for Illinois at 197. He also finished his season with a loss in the bloodround, but throughout the year had shown that he can hang with the best at the weight. He made the quarterfinals by beating Michael Beard, who was seeded 5th at the time, and dropped a close match to Ethan Laird of Rider (3-2), and then lost 6-4 to Jacob Cardenas of Cornell to end his season. The B1G has five 197 pounders between 7th and 12th in the rankings, and those guys are certainly going to trade regular season wins, but Braunagel is the one who looks the least fun to wrestle. KEY DEPARTURES Michael Carr stepped in for the Illini last season and helped them out with a 4-0 dual record, including a fall in the Maryland dual. He helped out where he could in his last year of eligibility, and ultimately ended his career by going 0-2 at the B1G tournament. That being said, 157 was a lot to ask of Carr. He had previously placed 2nd at the B1G tournament as a freshman at 141, and had been a strong competitor when healthy. Thankfully for Illinois, they will have most of their lineup back and ready to go. NEWCOMERS Replacing the aforementioned Michael Carr at 157 is expected to be Joe Roberts who transferred to Illinois from NC State. He was 11-16 in his first season with Illinois and 3-2 last year. I hope Roberts stays healthy and I expect him to have a good showing for the Fighting Illini. There is some additional depth behind Roberts at 157, so he’ll be pushed all year in the room to continue to improve and hold that spot. WRESTLER TO WATCH At 125 Illinois has Justin Cardani who is entering his senior season after not competing last year due to injury. He’s a 2x NCAA Qualifier, and should provide some senior leadership to the squad. He’s been someone who has shown that he can get some big wins. He has career wins over Eric Barnett, Michael DeAugustino, and Brock Hudkins, so he can beat some established guys. Additionally, he’s theoretically coming in healthy, so I’m excited to see how he develops. Danny Pucino had some super impressive results from last season. He struggled a bit at B1Gs and as a result, didn’t make it to NCAAs, but we shouldn’t forget what he was able to do in duals. He had pinned Parker Filius of Purdue in their dual, beat Frankie Tal-Shahar of Northwestern, beat Kal Miller of Maryland, and overall was 6-2 in their duals. He has shown he has the upside to compete with the best and I expect the disappointing end to last season will help fuel his fire to hit the ground running for the Fighting Illini. Never bet against Braunagels. For that reason, let’s highlight Danny Braunagel who is entering his last season with Illinois. He has been a 2x NCAA Qualifier to this point, and is expected to maintain his spot in the lineup at 165. For most of his career, he’s hovered in the rankings somewhere between 15 and 25, depending on recent results. He has yet to make it onto the podium, but final chances have a funny way of helping people to break through and finish strong. Dylan Connell is expected to remain the starter at 184 and build upon his 18-18 record from last season. He lost a close match to Brian Soldano of Rutgers at the B1G tournament before having to injury default against Lenny Pinto of Nebraska on the backside. He showed that he can be physical with these guys, and with 3 of the 4 B1G semi-finalists gone, I expect he’ll be able to assert himself as a strong young 184 to watch out for in the B1G. Heavyweight, Luke Luffman, is back for the Fighting Illini as well. He redshirted last season, but should come in refreshed and ready to reintroduce himself to the B1G field. He is already a 2x NCAA Qualifier, and he too will be trying to take that next step and All American. TOP OUT-OF-CONFERENCE DUAL Illinois begins the season off with a series of great out-of-conference duals. They start with SIUE followed by Navy two days later on 11/2 and 11/4 respectively. Next up is a tri-meet with Central Michigan and North Carolina on 11/19. Next, they travel to Pittsburgh for a dual with the Panthers on 12/3, which leads us to the real answer for Illinois. They travel to Missouri to take on Brian Smith and the Tigers. Missouri is currently the 3rd ranked dual team by Intermat, and they continue to produce some of the high-level talent. The best matchups in this dual will be at 174 with Edmond Ruth taking on Peyton Mocco, and at 197 with Zac Braunagel taking on Rocky Elam.

Any drama surrounding the team race in the men’s freestyle portion of the 2023 U23 World Championships was put to rest by the American squad on days one and two. Three champions and a bronze medalist proved to be too much for any other country to compete against. That meant there was no additional pressure on the final group of wrestlers who took the mat on Wednesday. The Americans got a fourth gold medal from NC State’s Isaac Trumble at 97 kg. Trumble was incredibly dominant on his run to the finals and nothing changed in the gold medal match. Early in the match, his opponent Radu Lefter (Moldova), went for the knockout blow and tried a headlock. That proved to be a costly mistake as Trumble took advantage for the first takedown of the contest. Trumble continued to put pressure on the Moldovan with underhooks. He threw them by later in the first and tossed in a half-nelson to expose Lefter before getting a takedown for a 4-0 lead. A step out combined with a caution and a defensive takedown made the score 8-0 in Trumble’s favor at the break. The second period saw Lefter get on the scoreboard with a takedown. He looked close to another; however, Trumble showed off his defense and exposed Lefter with a belly wrap. Trumble would end the match and lock up a gold medal after he thwarted another Lefter attack and spun for a takedown and the 12-2 victory. In his four matches, Trumble posted technical falls in each of the last three. The only match that lasted the full six minutes was his first and that was not particularly close either; Trumble prevailed 13-4. The NC State star outscored his competition 47-6 across four matches. Earlier in the afternoon, a pair of Americans wrestled for bronze medals, with opposite results. Nebraska All-American Brock Hardy outlasted Goga Otinashvili (Georgia) in a wild 8-5 victory. Otinashvili got the scoring started with a four-point arm-throw, but Hardy never wavered and wore the Georgian down in the second period. The other American who wrestled in a bronze medal match was Penn graduate Doug Zapf at 70 kg. Zapf was never able to totally solve the problems presented by Azerbaijan’s Kanan Heybatov. Heybatov ran up a 6-0 lead before Zapf was able to get on the board, with less than 90 seconds remaining in the bout. Wednesday also marked the first day of competition in women’s freestyle. After one day of action, two American women advanced to the finals, while the remaining three that started today were eliminated. At 50 kg, Audrey Jimenez made her second world final of the year. Earlier this summer, Jimenez was a silver medalist at the U20 World Championships. Jimenez posted a pair of tech’s before getting pushed in the semifinals by Elnura Mammadova (Azerbaijan). Mammadova held a 4-1 lead with under a minute remaining in the contest before a Jimenez rally. After a takedown, Jimenez got a reversal and immediately transitioned to a gut wrench tying the score at four, though Mammadova held criteria. Jimenez took the lead after a step-out point and iced the match by defending a frantic Mammadova and ducking under for a takedown and the 7-4 win. Also in tomorrow’s gold medal match is Kennedy Blades at 76 kg. Blades has yet to surrender a point this tournament. In three matches, Blades has not wrestled three total minutes. Blades has locked up her third age-group world medal and her second of 2023 (bronze at U20’s). Women’s Freestyle 50 kg Round of 16 - Audrey Jimenez over Rubio Torres (Spain) 10-0 Quarterfinals - Audrey Jimenez over Neelam Sirohi (India) 12-2 Semifinals - Audrey Jimenez over Elnura Mammadova (Azerbaijan) 7-4 Gold Medal Match - Audrey Jimenez vs. Umi Ito (Japan) 55 kg Round of 16 - Alisha Howk over Immacolata Danise (Italy) Fall 4:44 Quarterfinals - Aryna Martynava (AIN - Belarus) over Alisha Howk 10-0 59 kg Round of 16 - Nichole Moore over Wiktoria Karwowska (Poland) 9-0 Quarterfinals - Michaela Rankin (Canada) over Nichole Moore 7-0 68 kg Round of 16 - Vusala Parfianovich (AIN - Russia) over Katerina Lange 7-1 76 kg Round of 16 - Kennedy Blades over Patrycja Slomska (Poland) 10-0 Quarterfinals - Kennedy Blades over Inkara Zhanatayeva (Kazakhstan) 10-0 Semifinals - Kennedy Blades over Kamile Gaucaite (Lithuania) 10-0 Gold Medal Match - Kennedy Blades vs. Reetika Hooda (India) Men’s Freestyle 57 kg Repechage - Niklas Stechele (Germany) over Cooper Flynn 3-2 65 kg Repechage - Brock Hardy over Pavel Graur (Moldova) 7-4 Bronze Medal Match - Brock Hardy over Goga Otinashvili (Georgia) 8-5 70 kg Bronze Medal Match - Kanan Heybatov (Azerbaijan) over Doug Zapf 9-2 97 kg Gold Medal Match - Isaac Trumble over Radu Lefter (Moldova) 12-2

Michigan - This Wolverine squad is an interesting crew. This team is a mixture of returning talent paired with a strong contingent of All-American transfers. Michigan is one of the teams that has truly embraced the transfer portal and seems to have paired that with strong relationships to continuously position themselves in the hunt for a team trophy. Despite their big swings to bolster their lineup, this squad enters the year ranked 6th as a tournament team, and 9th in the dual rankings. I feel like this team is hell-bent on finishing the season in a much better position than 6th or 9th. TOP RETURNERS Dylan Ragusin - Ragusin had a solid season last year. He entered the NCAA tournament as the 11 seed, and was positioned for a solid run, before being upset in the first round. He battled through the backside only to drop a match to Jesse Mendez of Ohio State, whom he had beaten for fifth in the B1G a couple weeks prior. Ragusin, potentially bumping up to 141 this season, maybe redshirting, maybe 133. I don’t know yet! If he is in the lineup, consistency will be key for the incredibly talented and dynamic wrestler. Will Lewan - Lewan has been a consistent presence for Michigan for the last several years. This being his last season in Maize and Blue will be a fun one to watch. He’s elite defensively, can scramble with the best, has probably the best sitout in college wrestling, has punishing mat returns, and has shown a diverse enough offensive arsenal to pull away from opponents in tight matches. He enters the season ranked seventh by Intermat, but is certainly capable of beating anyone at the weight. Cam Amine - The strongest man on the planet. Watch his matches and tell me this isn’t the case. Very few look comfortable wrestling him, and I am of the firm belief that it’s because wrestling with him feels different than most people do. He’s already a three-time All-American, potentially the second Amine 5x All-American (Myles accomplished this feat in 2022), and he begins the season supposedly much healthier than he was much of last season. I recently saw an interview with him where he expressed just how different this preseason is from last year. Not to mention he has a new training partner in Shane Griffith. He’s the highest-ranked guy at 165 that hasn’t already won an NCAA Championship and looks to get over that hump this season. KEY DEPARTURES The Hodge Trophy Winner - Mason Parris! That seems significant. Thankfully for Michigan, they had Lucas Davison transfer in from Northwestern to take that heavyweight spot. We’ll talk more about him in a moment. They also lost Jack Medley at 125, Max Maylor at 174, and Matt Finesilver at 184 from the starting lineup. Those guys all graduated, and more power to them. Sadly though, Chance Lamer transferred to Cal Poly, seemingly to be close to his family (most of which also wrestles for Cal Poly). That was a tough loss, considering he made the Bloodround as a freshman. 149 will now be a weight to watch for the Wolverines. Cole Mattin was my breakout pick for 141 last season, and he competed strongly for Michigan, but he’s graduated and is onto Dental school. Those Mattin’s are a smart bunch. NEWCOMERS This list is fun. So unless you’ve been living under a rock, you’ve probably heard of the four big transfers coming to Ann Arbor this year. From Northwestern’s team, Michigan added Michael DeAugustino at 125, Chris Cannon likely at 133, and Lucas Davison (referenced above) at heavyweight. Davison was an All-American last season, and DeAugustino and Cannon were previously All-Americans in 2022. Both look to finish off their careers back on the podium and chasing down NCAA titles. Davison was clear in an interview with me (it’s on Intermat also, check it out), that an NCAA Title is in his sights. He is in a great room for training with heavyweights, and will hopefully enter the NCAA Championships a bit more healthy than he was last March. I’d be a fool to not mention the swirling rumors of Austin Gomez wrestling for Michigan at some point this season. He would be a tremendous addition, considering he is one of the few people on planet Earth to have beaten Yianni Diakamaholis. Injuries have haunted Austin, but a shortened season (likely wouldn’t compete until second semester), would help him be more healthy and ready to make a final run at the elusive NCAA Championship. WRESTLER TO WATCH I expect Rylan Rogers to step right in at 184 for the Wolverines and have an immediate impact. A big recruit out of Idaho, and cousins with Chandler Rogers, a personal favorite wrestler of mine. Rylan bumped up in duals twice last season for Michigan, losing close matches to Luke Surber of Oklahoma State, and to Gavin Hoffman of Ohio State. He also won the MSU Open, Purple Raider Open, and took third at the Cleveland State Open. I’m as big a Matt Finesilver fan as you’ll find, but I believe Rylan will be able to step right in and produce immediately in a similar fashion. TOP OUT-OF-CONFERENCE DUAL January 4th of 2024 the Michigan Wolverines travel to Sioux Falls, South Dakota to take on Damion Hahn and the South Dakota State University Jackrabbits. SDSU is currently ranked 17th in the country, and deservedly so. Coach Hahn has done excellent things with this program since taking over when Chris Bono went to Wisconsin. Last year, he had an NCAA Finalist in Tanner Sloan at 197, and brings back a very deep and dangerous lineup. Michigan matches up relatively well with just about anyone, but SDSU has studs up and down the lineup, so this might be closer than many would expect. A match to watch will be at 184 where the aforementioned Rylan Rogers will likely take on another outstanding redshirt freshman in Bennett Berge. Both of these guys were huge recruits and expect to be battling for National Titles in the future.

At the recent 2023 World Wrestling Championships, Team USA finished with four gold medals and 14 total medals, which was the most in the competition. The squad also brought home the team title in men’s freestyle. The following looks at the overall statistical performance of the squad and some of the top performers. As a whole, Team USA outscored their opposition 629 to 321 in individual match points. The biggest difference came in men’s freestyle where the team had a 295 to 119 edge. That 176-point advantage edged out the women’s freestyle team who more than doubled up on their opponents 262 to 104. It was a tough tournament for the Greco-Roman squad who were outscored 98 to 72 in the event. The largest single contributor to the men’s freestyle point total was Vito Arujau. On his way to the title at 61 kg, he scored 50 match points, which is 17% of the points scored by the team in that style. In women’s freestyle, 22-year-old Macey Kilty finished one match short of the title at 65 kg. However, she put up the most points for Team USA in the style. She scored 41 points in her first four matches before being shutout by Nonoka Ozaki in the finals. Kamal Bey went 2-2 in the 77-kg bracket in Greco-Roman. He dropped to the repechage after losing his second match and finished two wins away from a bronze medal. In those four matches, he scored 14 points. That was the most by any member of Team USA in Greco. Takedowns The distinction between a takedown and an exposure in the international styles is rarely relevant. At the end of the day, two points are the same as two points. However, for statistical tracking, it can be interesting to see how a wrestler racks up their points. In men’s freestyle, Team USA managed to score 164 of their 295 individual match points (56%) via takedowns. David Taylor was the largest contributor with 28 of his points coming via takedowns on his way to the championship at 86 kg. The women’s freestyle group scored the same proportion of points off of takedowns. As a team, they scored 146 of their 262 points from takedowns or 57%. Both Helen Maroulis, bronze medalist at 57 kg, and Amit Elor, gold medalist at 72 kg, scored 26 points off takedowns in the tournament. Perhaps more than ever, Greco has become a par terre sport. As a team, the American Greco squad scored only 18 points off takedowns and allowed only 22. Bey, Joe Rau, and Cohlton Schultz each scored four points from takedowns. Exposures In terms of exposures, men’s freestyle once again led the way with 86 points off of exposures. Arujau, the highest-scoring member of the team, scored 24 of those points. That total was far and away the most scored-off exposures for the team in that style. The next highest scorer via exposures was 74 kg runner-up Kyle Dake with 16. Points off exposures were an essential element of Grey’s run as well. She scored 28 points off exposures on her path to a bronze medal. Those 28 points were the most off exposures in women’s freestyle and for Team USA overall. Perhaps the best performance in Greco for Team USA belonged to Xavier Johnson. The veteran came up one match short of the bronze medal match. Along the way, he scored eight points on exposures, which was the most for the team in the style. Points Allowed Defense is always an essential part of wrestling, and in international tournaments, the best members of Team USA are usually quite stingy when it comes to allowing points. That was certainly the case for Elor. She allowed only four points in her four matches on the way to a gold medal. She allowed an exposure in a scramble against Kendra Dacher (France) in the semifinals before winning via a 12-2 score. In the finals, Enkh-Amaryn Davaanasan (Mongolia) was able to secure a takedown in the second period, but Elor closed out the win 8-2. No other champion for Team USA allowed fewer than the four points allowed by Elor. However, Taylor came close in men’s freestyle. The now four-time World/Olympic champion allowed only five points with three of those coming in the finals against rival Hassan Yazdani (Iran). Miscellaneous The new caution rule regarding fleeing the mat on the edge can introduce a level of randomness into matches. Officials seemingly do not call it consistently, and it can appear to run a one-point step out into a two-point move. However, there was little impact on Team USA in this tournament. The call was only made twice against Team USA, once each against Arujau and Zain Retherford. Opponents of Team USA were only called for it three times. Team USA was rather successful in the challenge department. The team scored 11 points off failed challenges while only allowing opponents three points. Perhaps coaches are more tactical in their application of challenges or winning matches resulting in more desperation from opponents. The squad was also extremely successful when it came to pushouts. The team, as a whole, scored 47 points on stepouts, while allowing only 17. While some fans are hesitant to embrace the idea of a step-out or push-out point in folkstyle, it seems likely that the background in folkstyle has helped the team do well in the international styles when it comes to step-outs.

The final medals were awarded at the 2023 World Championships on Sunday which put a bow on the marquee event on the Senior level calendar for this year. The United States men’s freestyle team took the title, while the women’s team finished as runner’s-up to Japan. Each team earned seven world medals (four of which were gold). A handful of the active legends on the American team added more hardware to their already impressive legacy. Tallying their career medal count led us to do so for each of the medalists at the 2023 World Championships; in all three styles. Below, you will find the milestones that each wrestler hit with their performance in Belgrade. Some became multi-time champions, while others multi-time medalists, or perhaps first-timer’s. Wrestlers have been grouped according to their career medal haul; with champions coming before medalists. For the ease of this exercise, we have combined Olympic and world medals. For instance, the first wrestler below, Yui Susaki won her fourth world title last week, to go along with a 2020(1) Olympic gold medal, so she’s alone in the 5x champion category. 5x Champion Yui Susaki (Japan) - 50 kg women’s freestyle 4x Champions Zaurbek Sidakov (Russia) - 74 kg men’s freestyle David Taylor (USA) - 86 kg men’s freestyle 3x Champions Eldaniz Azizli (Azerbaijan) - 55kg Greco-Roman Haruna Okuno (Japan) - 55 kg women’s freestyle Tsugsumi Sakurai (Japan) - 57 kg women’s freestyle Aisuluu Tynybekova (Kyrgyzstan) - 62 kg women’s freestyle 2x Champions Amit Elor (USA) - 72 kg women’s freestyle Akari Fujinami (Japan) - 53 kg women’s freestyle Rafig Huseynov (Azerbaijan) - 82 kg Greco-Roman Akzhol Makhmudov (Kyrgyzstan) - 77 kg Greco-Roman Luis Orta Sanchez (Cuba) - 67 kg Greco-Roman Nonoka Ozaki (Japan) - 65 kg women’s freestyle Zholaman Sharshenbekov (Kyrgyzstan) - 60 kg Greco-Roman Amir Zare (Iran) - 125 kg men’s freestyle First Time Champions Leri Abuladze (Georgia) - 63 kg Greco-Roman Rizabe Aitmukhan (Kazakhstan) - 92 kg men’s freestyle Vito Arujau (USA) - 61 kg men’s freestyle Ali Cengiz (Turkey) - 87 kg Greco-Roman Ibrahim Ghanem (France) - 72 kg Greco-Roman Yuka Kagami (Japan) - 76 kg women’s freestyle Stevan Micic (Serbia) - 57 kg men’s freestyle Amin Mirzazadeh (Iran) - 130 kg Greco-Roman Iszmail Muszukajev (Hungary) - 65 kg men’s freestyle Zain Retherford (USA) - 70 kg men’s freestyle Gabriel Rosillo-Kindelan (Cuba) - 97 kg Greco-Roman Akhmed Tazhudinov (Bahrain) - 97 kg men’s freestyle Buse Tosun (Turkey) - 68 kg women’s freestyle Akhmed Usmanov (Russia) - 79 kg men’s freestyle Qi Zhang (China) - 59 kg women’s freestyle 12x Medalist Riza Kayaalp (Turkey) - 130 Greco-Roman 10x Medalists Taha Akgul (Turkey) - 125 kg men’s freestyle Artur Aleksanyan (Armenia) - 97 kg Greco-Roman Adeline Gray (USA) - 76 kg women’s freestyle Geno Petriashvili (Georgia) - 125 kg men’s freestyle 9x Medalists Helen Maroulis (USA) - 57 kg women’s freestyle Kyle Snyder (USA) - 97 kg men’s freestyle Hassan Yazdani (Iran) - 86 kg men’s freestyle 7x Medalist Zhan Beleniuk (Ukraine) - 87 kg Greco-Roman 6x Medalist Kyle Dake (USA) - 74 kg men’s freestyle 5x Medalists Eldaniz Azizli (Azerbaijan) - 55kg Greco-Roman Kenichiro Fumita (Japan) - 60 kg Greco-Roman Sarah Hildebrandt (USA) - 50 kg women’s freestyle Yui Susaki (Japan) - 50 kg women’s freestyle David Taylor (USA) - 86 kg men’s freestyle Yuliya Tkach (Ukraine) - 59 kg women’s freestyle Nugzari Tsurtsumia (Georgia) - 55kg Greco-Roman Aisuluu Tynybekova (Kyrgyzstan) - 62 kg women’s freestyle 4x Medalists Odunayo Adekuoroye (Nigeria) - 57 kg women’s freestyle Mohammadreza Geraei (Iran) - 67 kg Greco-Roman Rafig Huseynov (Azerbaijan) - 82 kg Greco-Roman Vanesa Kaladzinskaya (Belarus) - 53 kg women’s freestyle Koumba Larroque (France) - 68 kg women’s freestyle Oscar Pino Hinds (Cuba) - 130 kg Greco-Roman Mohammadhadi Saravi (Iran) - 97 kg Greco-Roman Zholaman Sharshenbekov (Kyrgyzstan) - 60 kg Greco-Roman Zaurbek Sidakov (Russia) - 74 kg men’s freestyle Amir Zare (Iran) - 125 kg men’s freestyle 3x Medalists Leri Abuladze (Georgia) - 63 kg Greco-Roman Malkhas Amoyan (Armenia) - 77 kg Greco-Roman Zhamila Bakbergenova (Kazakhstan) - 72 kg women’s freestyle Otgonjargal Dolgorjav (Mongolia) - 50 kg women’s freestyle Arsen Harutyunyan (Armenia) - 57 kg men’s freestyle Rei Higuchi (Japan) - 57 kg men’s freestyle Iryna Koliadenko (Ukraine) - 62 kg women’s freestyle Akzhol Makhmudov (Kyrgyzstan) - 77 kg Greco-Roman Murad Mammadov (Azerbaijan) - 63 kg Greco-Roman Miwa Morikawa (Japan) - 72 kg women’s freestyle Iszmail Muszukajev (Hungary) - 65 kg men’s freestyle Mate Nemes (Serbia) - 67 kg Greco-Roman Mohammad Nokhodilarimi (Iran) - 79 kg men’s freestyle Osman Nurmagomedov (Azerbaijan) - 92 kg men’s freestyle Haruna Okuno (Japan) - 55 kg women’s freestyle Nonoka Ozaki (Japan) - 65 kg women’s freestyle Irina Ringaci (Moldova) - 68 kg women’s freestyle Tsugsumi Sakurai (Japan) - 57 kg women’s freestyle Buse Tosun (Turkey) - 68 kg women’s freestyle Khetik Tsabolov (Serbia) - 74 kg men’s freestyle 2x Medalists Zelimkhan Abakarov (Albania) - 57 kg men’s freestyle Myles Amine (San Marino) - 86 kg men’s freestyle Ali Arsalan (Serbia) - 72 kg Greco-Roman Grace Bullen (Norway) - 62 kg women’s freestyle Selcuk Can (Turkey) - 72 kg Greco-Roman Ali Cengiz (Turkey) - 87 kg Greco-Roman Azamat Dauletbekov (Kazakhstan) - 86 kg men’s freestyle Amit Elor (USA) - 72 kg women’s freestyle Yaroslav Filchakov (Ukraine) - 82 kg Greco-Roman Hasrat Jafarov (Azerbaijan) - 67 kg Greco-Roman Yuka Kagami (Japan) - 76 kg women’s freestyle David Losonczi (Hungary) - 87 kg Greco-Roman Abasgadzhi Magomedov (Russia) - 61 men’s freestyle Magomedkhan Magomedov (Azerbaijan) - 97 kg men’s freestyle Givi Matcharashvili (Georgia) - 97 kg men’s freestyle Aiperi Medet Kyzy (Kyrgyzstan) - 76 kg women’s freestyle Stevan Micic (Serbia) - 57 kg men’s freestyle Amin Mirzazadeh (Iran) - 130 kg Greco-Roman Sakura Motoki (Japan) - 62 kg women’s freestyle Anastasia Nichita (Moldova) - 57 kg women’s freestyle Luis Orta Sanchez (Cuba) - 67 kg Greco-Roman Jasurbek Ortikbekov (Uzbekistan) - 55 kg Greco-Roman Zain Retherford (USA) - 70 kg men’s freestyle Sanan Suleymanov (Azerbaijan) - 77 kg Greco-Roman Jacarra Winchester (USA) - 55 kg women’s freestyle Amir Yazdani (Iran) - 70 kg men’s freestyle Demeu Zhadrayev (Kazakhstan) - 77 kg Greco-Roman First Time Medalists Rizabe Aitmukhan (Kazakhstan) - 92 kg men’s freestyle Feyzullah Akturk (Turkey) - 92 kg men’s freestyle Arman Andreasyan (Armenia) - 70 kg women’s freestyle Vito Arujau (USA) - 61 kg men’s freestyle Islomjon Bakhramov (Uzbekistan) - 60 kg Greco-Roman Enes Basar (Turkey) - 63 kg Greco-Roman Anastasia Blayvas (Germany) - 55 kg women’s freestyle Liguo Cao (China) - 60 kg Greco-Roman Poya Dad Marz (Iran) - 55 kg Greco-Roman Mariana Dragutan (Moldova) - 55 kg women’s freestyle Delgermaa Enkhsaikhan (Mongolia) - 68 kg women’s freestyle Davaanasan Enkh Amar (Mongolia) - 72 kg women’s freestyle Ziqi Feng (China) - 50 kg women’s freestyle Robert Fritsch (Hungary) - 72 kg Greco-Roman Vladimeri Gamkrelidze (Georgia) - 79 kg men’s freestyle Ibrahim Ghanem (France) - 72 kg Greco-Roman Aues Gonibov (Russia) - 82 kg Greco-Roman Othelie Hoeie (Norway) - 59 kg women’s freestyle Mimi Hristova (Bulgaria) - 65 kg women’s freestyle Macey Kilty (USA) - 65 kg women’s freestyle Lili (China) - 65 kg women’s freestyle Shamil Mamedov (Russia) - 65 kg men’s freestyle Abdellatif Mohamed (Egypt) - 130 kg Greco-Roman Alireza Mohmadipiani (Iran) - 82 kg Greco-Roman Vasyl Mykhailov (Ukraine) - 79 kg men’s freestyle Semen Novikov (Bulgaria) - 87 kg Greco-Roman Artur Omarov (Czech Republic) - 97 kg Greco-Roman Antim Panghal (India) - 53 kg women’s freestyle Jennifer Page (USA) - 59 kg women’s freestyle Mason Parris (USA) - 125 kg men’s freestyle Shota Phartenadze (Georgia) - 61 kg men’s freestyle Ramazan Ramazanov (Bulgaria) - 70 kg men’s freestyle Tatiana Renteria (Colombia) - 76 kg women’s freestyle Sebastian Rivera (Puerto Rico) - 65 kg men’s freestyle Gabriel Rosillo-Kindelan (Cuba) - 97 kg Greco-Roman Daichi Takatani (Japan) - 74 kg men’s freestyle Vazgen Tevanyan (Armenia) - 65 kg men’s freestyle Georgij Tibilov (Serbia) - 63 kg Greco-Roman Akhmed Usmanov (Russia) - 79 kg men’s freestyle Zahid Valencia (USA) - 92 kg men’s freestyle Lucia Yepez Guzman (Colombia) - 53 kg women’s freestyle Qi Zhang (China) - 59 kg women’s freestyle Taiyrbek Zhumashbek (Kyrgyzstan) - 61 kg men’s freestyle

What a rollercoaster of a day for American wrestling fans! There were some great moments and some shocking ones, as well. The last American wrestler to take the mat on Monday was Kyle Dake, who was searching for his fifth world title against Russian, Zaurbek Sidakov, who came into the match with three World/Olympic gold medals. Though they were both in the 2020 74 kg Olympic weight class, the two had never previously met. The first period was largely uneventful as Dake was put on the shot clock; however, he managed to push Sidakov out of bounds to take a 1-0 lead. That would be the score after the first period. The second period is where things started to go sideways. Dake was put on the shot clock for a second time and Sidakov immediately attacked. He would finish the takedown near the edge with :01 on the shot clock. Once that final second ticked off, Sidakov led 3-1. Shortly after that exchange, Dake got in on a single leg and finished quickly to retake the lead 3-3. With under a minute remaining in the contest, Sidakov got in on a deep shot and was close to finishing. He and Dake took turns exposing each other's backs in a wild sequence. After a review, the score was deemed to be 8-7 in favor of Sidakov. During the final seconds of the contest, Dake tried to expose Sidakov, who was in on a leg again. While he was close, Sidakov never gave up his back. After a review, Sidakov was given two points to make the final score 10-7 in favor of the Russian. Both wrestlers have earned slots at the 2024 Olympics, so a Sidakov/Dake rematch suddenly becomes one of the most anticipated bouts on the horizon in Paris. The other American wrestling in a medal match on Monday was Zahid Valencia at 92 kg. As he’s been known to do, Valencia shot quickly off the opening whistle. Shortly afterwards, his opponent Arash Yoshida, locked up a front headlock and Valencia drug out of it for a takedown. Yoshida quickly escaped and the Japanese corner buzzed to challenge the sequence. A quick replay confirmed the call and gave Valencia a 3-0 lead for the challenge loss. With a 3-0 lead, Valencia continued to attack and scored with one of his best weapons a low double leg. Valencia held onto both legs and was able to quickly transition into a turn with what looked to be a low gut wrench. He would move down to the ankles and lock up a leg lace in the same sequence. Two turns later the match was over, 11-0. Valencia would win a bronze medal in a weight class he originally did not plan to compete in. After a loss to Aaron Brooks in the US Open finals, Valencia moved up to 92 kg from 86 and won the World Team Trials and Final X. One of the best moments of the day came from a competitor not wrestling for the United States, but one that American fans are extremely familiar with. Northwestern and Rutgers All-American, Sebastian Rivera wrestling for Puerto Rico, pulled off one of the best comebacks of the tournament to make the world finals at 65 kg. Rivera was trailing Vazgen Tevanyan (Armenia) 6-0 with under two minutes remaining in the bout. He was never flustered and got on the board with four points after a high finish from a leg attack. Rivera got within a point with only :15 seconds remaining after getting a takedown after changing directions multiple times in a front headlock situation. For the bulk of those :15 seconds, Rivera furiously worked to set up a leg lace. As the final two seconds ticked off the clock, Rivera finally was able to turn Tevanyan for two points and an 11-10 win. Rivera’s win also locked up a spot in the 2024 Olympic Games for Puerto Rico. He’ll face Iszmail Musukaev (Hungary) for a world title tomorrow. Down at 57 kg, another former collegiate star had a huge day. Michigan All-American Stevan Micic became the first Serbian wrestler to win a gold medal in freestyle. Micic had quite the road to the gold medal with wins over three past world champions, including Japan’s Rei Higuchi in the finals. Micic struck first with an early takedown, but was matched by Higuchi late in the first period. The two exchanged takedowns in the second period before Micic went ahead for good. Higuchi was ever-so-close to a takedown at the edge of the mat with only four seconds in the bout. No takedown was ruled; however, the Japanese corner did challenge. The initial call was upheld and Micic added a point, which made the final score 7-4. Micic’s win gives the University of Michigan three world medalists at this tournament. Myles Amine (San Marino) and Mason Parris both earned bronze medals. Perhaps the most shocking match of the day came in the 97 kg quarterfinals as 20-year-old Akhmed Tazhudinov (Albania) handled the legendary Kyle Snyder, 11-0. Tazhudinov took a surprising 4-0 lead after chest-wrapping Snyder and taking him feet-to-back in the opening period. Later in the period, Snyder continued to attack but couldn’t finish against Tazhudinov and the Albanian continued to add to his score. Another four-pointer, late in the opening period, was challenged by Snyder and his corner, which wasn’t overturned making the final score 11-0. After beating Snyder, Tazhudinov also handily defeated another Olympic champion, Abdulrashid Sadulaev (AIN - Russia), before Sadulaev injury defaulted out. Most expected a Snyder/Sadulaev rematch in the semis, but now there’s a chance it could happen tomorrow for a bronze medal, provided Snyder advances and Sadulaev can wrestle. Monday also marked the first day of competition for two weight classes in women’s freestyle. Both Americans, Jacarra Winchester (55 kg) and Jennifer Page (59 kg), advanced to the semifinals. Winchester would lock up her second world medal and a second berth in the world finals with her 11-0 tech fall victory over Anastasia Blayvas (Germany). Page was impressive in the quarterfinals downing 2021 World bronze medalist Sae Nanjo (Japan) in the quarterfinals, before getting shut down by Zhang Qi (China), 5-1 in the semis. Winchester will have to contend with 2x world champion Haruna Okuno in the world finals. Page will await the winner of a repechage contest that takes place tomorrow morning. The other American in action today was Nick Lee at 65 kg. Lee posted three impressive victories before running into 2022 world champion Rahman Amouzadkhalili (Iran). Though Amouzadkhalili controlled most of the bout, Lee did toss the Iranian to his back late in the contest and was close to securing a fall. Lee would be eliminated when Amouzadkhalili lost on a buzzer-beater in the semifinals. In order to guarantee a 65 kg representative at the 2024 Olympics, an American will need to place in the top-two at the 2024 Pan-American Championships or be forced to finish top-three at a World Qualifier. Final Results 57 kg Gold Medal Match: Stevan Micic (Serbia) over Rei Higuchi (Japan) 7-4 Bronze Medal Match: Arsen Harutyunyan (Armenia) over Meirambek Kartbay (Kazakhstan) 11-0 Bronze Medal Match: Zelimkhan Abakarov (Albania) over Zavur Uguev (AIN - Russia) 4-4 Olympic Quota Wrestle-Off: Zavur Uguev (AIN - Russia) over Meirambek Kartbay (Kazakhstan) 4-0 74 kg Gold Medal Match: Zaurbek Sidakov (AIN - Russia) over Kyle Dake (USA) 10-7 Bronze Medal Match: Daichi Takatani (Japan) over Georgios Kougioumtsidis (Greece) Fall 3:38 Bronze Medal Match: Khetig Tsabolov (Serbia) over Turan Bayramov (Azerbaijan) 6-4 Olympic Quota Wrestle-Off: Georgios Kougioumtsidis (Greece) over Turan Bayramov (Azerbaijan) 9-8 79 kg Gold Medal Match: Akhmed Usmanov (AIN - Russia) over Vladimeri Gamkrelidze (Georgia) 4-1 Bronze Medal Match: Mohammad Nokhodilarimi (Iran) over Orkhan Abasov (Azerbaijan) 10-0 Bronze Medal Match: Vasyl Mykhailov (Ukraine) over Bolat Sakayev (Kazakhstan) 3-1 92 kg Gold Medal Match: Rizabek Aitmukhan (Kazakhstan) over Osman Nurmagomedov (Azerbaijan) 5-2 Bronze Medal Match: Feyzullah Akturk (Turkey) over Miriani Maisuradze (Georgia) 5-3 Bronze Medal Match: Zahid Valencia (USA) over Arash Yoshida (Japan) 11-0 American Results Men’s Freestyle 65 kg Round of 64: Nick Lee (USA) over Krzysztof Bienkowski (Poland) 6-0 65 kg Round of 32: Nick Lee (USA) over Austin Gomez (Mexico) 3:56 65 kg Round of 16: Nick Lee (USA) over Umidjon Jalolov (Uzbekistan) 4-3 65 kg Quarterfinals: Rahman Amouzadkhalili (Iran) over Nick Lee (USA) 7-4 92 kg repechage: Zahid Valencia (USA) over Denys Sahaliuk (Ukraine) 6-0 92 kg Bronze Medal Match: Zahid Valencia (USA) over Arash Yoshida (Japan) 11-0 97 kg Round of 32: Kyle Snyder (USA) over Nishan Singh Randhawa (Canada) 11-0 97 kg Round of 16: Kyle Snyder (USA) over Radu Lefter (Moldova) 12-1 97 kg Quarterfinals: Akhmed Tazhudinov (Albania) over Kyle Snyder (USA) 11-0 Women’s Freestyle 55 kg Round of 16: Jacarra Winchester (USA) over Neha Sharma (UWW - India) 7-2 55 kg Quarterfinals: Jacarra Winchester (USA) over Mariia Vynnky (Ukraine) 11-1 55 kg Semifinals: Jacarra Winchester (USA) over Anastasia Blayvas (Germany) 11-0 59 kg Round of 16: Jennifer Page (USA) over Anjli (UWW - India) 11-0 59 kg Quarterfinals: Jennifer Page (USA) over Sae Nanjo (Japan) 6-4 59 kg Semifinals: Zhang Qi (China) over Jennifer Page (USA) 5-1

Day two for the US Men’s freestyle team at the 2023 World Championships had a bit of a rocky start but ended with a bang. Of the four weights that began competition on Sunday, only Kyle Dake at 74 kg made the World finals. Of the remaining three wrestlers, only Zahid Valencia is still alive in repechage. He’ll have to win two bouts tomorrow morning to secure a bronze medal at 92 kg. Zane Richards (57 kg) and Chance Marsteller (79 kg) were eliminated. Richards lost his only bout of the day, while Marsteller picked up a win before he was beaten. Sunday marked the first set of medals that were awarded and the Americans went four-for-four in those medal-round matches, including three with gold medals on the line. Vito Arujau got the medal madness started as he took on Abasgadzhii Magomedov (AIN - Russia), a 2021 world champion. Arujau got on the board first as he got in on a single leg and pushed Magomedov out of bounds for a point. Later in the first period, Magomedov got in on a low-leg attack and was chest-wrapped by Arujau. The two engaged in an extended scramble, one that saw each wrestler get exposed. The sequence was challenged by the Russian corner and Arujau was given three sets of exposure points, while Magomedov was given two sets. Leading 7-4 in the second period, the two were in another flurry on the edge of the mat. It was initially ruled that Magomedov got two points for exposure, however, Frank Perrelli hit the challenge buzzer on Arujau’s behalf. Although, it looked like the correct call to challenge, after a review, the initial call was upheld. That lost challenge knotted the bout at seven points; however, Magomedov held criteria. The Cornell national champion wasn’t worried and earned a takedown off of a snap down to lead 9-7. Arujau would add to his lead with a step out. During the waning seconds of the match, Arujau stepped out and was called for a caution and one, in addition to the step out. That only impacted the final score as Arujau fended off any further attacks from Magomedov to win 10-9. For the second consecutive year, Cornell has a wrestler with eligibility remaining who has captured a world medal. Yianni Diakomihalis was a world silver medalist in 2022. After a pair of bronze medal matches at 70 kg, Zain Retherford took the mat in search of his first world title. Retherford was a silver medal recipient in 2022. While Retherford broke the ice on the scoring front, his opponent, Amirmohammad Yazdani (Iran) locked up the first takedown to lead, 2-1. From that point, it was all Retherford, as he countered with a takedown of his own to go into the break, 3-2. Retherford added two more in the final stanza, along with a step out and got his hand raised in an 8-5 victory. Fellow Penn State great David Taylor was up next against another Yazdani, Hassan, a frequent opponent. The key sequence in the bout came late in the second period as Taylor got in on a double leg and as Yazdani was falling he locked up a chest wrap and flipped Taylor. The call on the mat was four points for Yazdani and a point for Taylor for a reversal. After Casey Cunningham and Taylor challenged, the call was overturned and Taylor was awarded four points and a point for the reversal, while Yazdani got two for exposure. Taylor extended his lead to 7-3 with another low double leg. There was no controversy this time as Taylor slowly built up for the finish. Late in the second period, Taylor continued to attack and got in on a swing single. Yazdani looked for the chest wrap again, but was not in position to finish and found himself on his back. Taylor took advantage and not only got the takedown, but also a fall in the waning seconds of the match. Taylor’s win puts him into rarified air with USA Wrestling. Taylor is now a four-time World/Olympic champion. The afternoon was capped off for the American team with a bronze medal-winning performance from heavyweight Mason Parris. Though he was a late replacement, Parris nearly knocked off three-time world champion Geno Petriashvili (Georgia) in the semifinals. In his bronze medal match, Parris wasted no time blitzing Abdulla Kurbanov (AIN - Russia) and rolling to a 12-2 tech. The 2023 Hodge Trophy winner blew the match open nearly midway through the first period when he tripped Kurbanov straight to his back for four points at the edge. Taylor and Parris, along with Kyle Dake who made the 74 kg finals, all have qualified the United States at the respective weights for the 2024 Olympics. Parris’ Michigan teammates Myles Amine (San Marino) and Stevan Micic (Serbia) both locked up medals and berths for their nation’s at the Olympics. Amine won a bronze medal match at 86 kg, while Micic upset 3x World/Olympic champion Zavur Uguev (AIN - Russia) in the semifinals. One of the highlights of tomorrow’s slate includes Dake against three-time World/Olympic champion Zaurbek Sidakov (AIN - Russia). The final two men’s freestyle team members (Nick Lee - 65 kg and Kyle Snyder - 97 kg) will also start their tournaments. Also, women’s freestyle will get underway with 55 kg (Jacarra Winchester) and 59 kg (Jennifer Page) hitting the mat. Final Results 61 kg Gold Medal Match - Vito Arujau (USA) over Abasgadzhi Magomedov (AIN - Russia) 10-9 Bronze Medal Match - Taiyrbek Zhumashbek Uulu (Kyrgyzstan) over Kodai Ogawa (Japan) 2-1 Bronze Medal Match - Shota Phartenadze (Georgia) over Valentyn Bliasetskyi (Ukraine) 5-5 70 kg Gold Medal Match - Zain Retherford (USA) over Amirmohammad Yazdani (Iran) 8-5 Bronze Medal Match - Ramazan Ramazanov (Bulgaria) over Ernazar Akmataliev (Kyrgyzstan) 8-6 Bronze Medal Match - Arman Andreasyan (Armenia) over Abhimanyou (UWW - India) 12-1 86 kg Gold Medal Match - David Taylor (USA) over Hassan Yazdani (Iran) 5:57 Bronze Medal Match - Myles Amine (San Marino) over Javrail Shapiev (Uzbekistan) 8-5 Bronze Medal Match - Azamat Dauletbekov (Kazakhstan) over Magomed Sharipov (Bahrain) 5-3 Olympic Quota Qualifying - Javrail Shapiev (Uzbekistan) over Magomed Sharipov (Bahrain) 3-1 125 kg Gold Medal Match - Amir Zare (Iran) over Geno Petriashvili (Georgia) 11-0 Bronze Medal Match - Taha Akgul (Turkey) over Daniel Ligeti (Hungary) 5-0 Bronze Medal Match - Mason Parris (USA) over Abdulla Kurbanov (AIN - Russia) 12-2 Olympic Quota Qualifying - Abdulla Kurbanov (AIN - Russia) over Daniel Ligeti (Hungary) 8-3 American Results 57 kg Qualification: Aliabas Rzazade (Azerbaijan) over Zane Richards (USA) 3-2 61 kg Gold Medal Match: Vito Arujau (USA) over Abasgadzhi Magomedov (AIN - Russia) 10-9 70 kg Gold Medal Match: Zain Retherford (USA) over Amirmohammad Yazdani (Iran) 8-5 74 kg Qualification: Kyle Dake (USA) over Magomet Evloev (Tajikistan) 12-2 74 kg Round of 16: Kyle Dake (USA) over Nurkozha Kaipanov (Kazakhstan) 9-4 74 kg Quarterfinals: Kyle Dake (USA) over Daichi Takatani (Japan) 6-4 74 kg Semifinals: Kyle Dake (USA) over Georgios Kougioumtsidis (Greece) 4-1 79 kg Round of 16: Chance Marsteller (USA) over Chems Fetairia (Algeria) 7-2 79 kg Quarterfinals: Orkhan Abasov (Azerbaijan) over Chance Marsteller (USA) 9-3 92 kg Round of 16: Zahid Valencia (USA) over Amirali Azarpira (Iran) 12-9 92 kg Quarterfinals: Osman Nurmagomedov (Azerbaijan) over Zahid Valencia 5-1 125 kg Bronze Medal Match: Mason Parris (USA) over Abdulla Kurbanov (AIN - Russia) 12-2