InterMat Staff

There are always some standout statistical performances at the big summer tournaments, but the recent U23 Nationals event appeared to really turn some heads. The following looks at some of the top performances and some other odd statistical occurrences. Point Differential After a big tournament, point differential is often one of the most interesting metrics to look at, because it measures both a wrestler’s offensive and defensive performance simultaneously. In most cases, the top performers in terms of point differential have had the most impressive tournaments. That is certainly the case when looking at this past weekend’s U23 freestyle nationals. The heavyweight champion Lucas Stoddard averaged 4.92 points per minute while allowing his opponents to only score 0.07. His resulting +4.85 point differential was the highest across the tournament by a pretty wide margin. This past season as a freshman at Army West Point, Stoddard went 22-16 and qualified for the NCAA tournament. He came up short in his quest to become an All-American as he dropped both of his NCAA matches against veterans Lucas Davison (Michigan) and Hunter Catka (Virginia Tech). Stoddard’s performance in freestyle paints the picture of a competitor ready to take another step forward. The Black Knight wrestler entered the event as the 30th seed, but he was still able to win all seven of his matches by superiority. He allowed only a single match point in the event. That point came against Logan Shephard in the quarterfinals. In the first 30 seconds of the match, the Bucknell wrestler was able to get to a standing single. It looked like he was going to be able to finish the hold, but Stoddard held his whizzer, and Shephard was forced to settle for a step out. Stoddard then took over. By the time the buzzer sounded for the end of the first period, he was up 11-1, and the match was over. In the finals, Stoddard faced off against a familiar opponent. This past college season, he faced off twice against conference rival Nathan Taylor of Lehigh. Their first meeting came in early November. Taylor scored a 19-3 technical fall with nearly two minutes left in the bout. They rematched in February, and the Lehigh wrestler was slightly less dominant and walked away with a 15-3 major decision. Perhaps Stoddard learned something from those encounters, he has an edge in freestyle or both. This past weekend, it was entirely one-way traffic in the opposite direction. Stoddard scored a pair of 10-0 victories, and Taylor failed to even make it out of the first period. Top Five Point Differentials 125 kg: Lucas Stoddard +4.85 79 kg: Patrick Kennedy +3.63 86 kg: John Gunderson +3.51 61 kg: Drake Ayala +3.11 61 kg: Nic Bouzakis +2.71 Points per Minute East Stroudsburg wrestler Luke Ciampa went 26-10 this past season but came up short of qualifying for the NCAA Division II tournament. He has one year left to try to earn a trip to the national tournament. If his performance at U23 nationals is any indication, he will not be afraid to go for it. He finished only 2-2 at 86 kg in the event, but all of his matches were fast and decisive. Both of Ciampa’s victories were finished inside the first period. He scored a 13-2 superiority victory over Luke Justice and pinned Jet Galbreath while leading by a 10-2 score. On the other side of the equation, both of his losses were shutout 10-0 victories in under a minute. Interestingly, all of the quick matches left him with the highest scoring rate of the entire tournament. He averaged 5.17 points per minute, which slightly outpaced Stoddard. Even with the high scoring rate, his boom-or-bust style left him with a substandard point differential. He actually finished with a negative point differential (-0.22) as his opponents average 5.39 points per minute Top Five Points per Minute 86 kg: Luke Ciampa 5.17 125 kg: Lucas Stoddard 4.92 70 kg: Samuel Hillegas 4.66 79 kg: Brendon Abdon 4.56 65 kg: Carter Schmidt 4.55 Points Against per Minute As previously established, Stoddard allowed only one point on his way to the title at 125 kg. However, he surprisingly did not have the best points against per minute rate. That honor belongs to Massoma Endene. Like Stoddard, he only allowed a single point on his path to the title at 97 kg. However, he had slightly less match time, so he finished with 0.05 points against per minute rate, which eclipses Stoddard’s 0.07. The score against Endene came in the semifinals where he faced off against Stanford’s Nick Stemmet. While holding a 7-0 lead, Endene avoided a hard charge from Stemmet. He held off the takedown, but he did step out in the scramble. That was the only point he allowed in the tournament. For the last two seasons, Endene was wrestling for Wartburg. He was 54-1 and captured a pair of Division III national titles at 197 pounds. This past season, he transferred to Wisconsin, and he is expected to start for the Badgers in the brutal Big Ten conference. Top Five Points Against Per Minute 97 kg: Massoma Endene 0.05 125 kg: Lucas Stoddard 0.07 92 kg: Jacob Cardenas 0.14 65 kg: Roman De La Cruz 0.17 79 kg: Patrick Kennedy 0.20 Highest Scoring Match In some big tournaments like this, wrestlers will drop out of the event once they hit the consolation bracket. Some other wrestlers will end up in shootouts and fill up the scoreboard. Benjamin Mower and Mikey Squires met in the 86 kg consolation Round of 16 and ended up combining for a whopping 52 points, which was the most of the tournament. It was clear from the start that it was going to be a high-scoring match. Mower scored a step out in the first five seconds of the contest. He then scored a takedown and a pair of gut wrenches to go up 7-0. However, Squires scored a reversal of his own and followed that up with a turn. After multiple scrambles and reviews, the two went to the break with Mower leading by a 14-13 score. The second period was more of the same as both wrestlers continued to get to their offense. Eventually, Mower was able to take over late in the contest. He held a 23-21 lead with 1:16 left in the bout. He spun behind for a takedown and then went to work on top with a pair of gut wrenches. That put him up 29-21. When the match returned to its feet, Squires was visibly exhausted, and Mower got behind for another score. The match was finally over. Top Four Highest Scoring Matches 86 kg: Benjamin Mower defeated Mikey Squires 31-21 79 kg: Brodie Porter defeated Brady Schuh 26-20 74 kg: Christopher Earnest defeated Tyler Swiderski 21-19 61 kg: Kevin Honas defeated Genaro De La Garza 20-19 Will Lewan Most Match Time Award The large brackets can also make for some extensive runs through the consolation bracket. Nobody in the tournament spent more time on the mats than Oklahoma State’s Brayden Thomspon. The redshirt freshman lost against Maximus Hale in the Round of 16, but he fought all the way back to a sixth-place finish. Along the way, Thompson wrestled nine matches and collected 47:55 of match time. Multiple wrestlers had 10 matches in the bracket, but nobody spent more time wrestling than Thompson. Victory From the Mouth of Defeat With the ability to win by fall, a wrestler is never technically out of a match until the final buzzer. That was likely never more true than it was for Cole Handlovic. The Cornell wrestler was trailing West Virginia wrestler Samuel Hillegas by an 8-0 score when he reversed a chest wrap and locked up the fall. He scored the victory despite trailing 8-2 on the scoreboard. Across the event, there were 14 matches where the trailing wrestler won by fall, but nobody accomplished this with a greater deficit than Handlovic did against Hillegas.

MANHEIM, PA - The National Wrestling Coaches Association announces the inaugural honorees for the Trailblazer Award, honoring those who have championed the sport of women's wrestling in the collegiate space. Gary Abbott, Clarissa Chun and Ashley Flavin are the 2024 Trailblazer Award honorees, as nominated by the NWCA's member women's wrestling coaches. The Leadership Group members from both the NCAA and NAIA then voted on the honorees, with Abbott, Chun and Flavin rising to the top of those nominated. "There is so much great work that has been done to lay the foundation for the growth of women's wrestling and it is bolstering our sport overall," NWCA President Tony Ersland said. "Honoring these individuals for their part in building our sport is something the NWCA is proud and excited to do." Gary Abbott, Director of Communications and Special Projects at USA Wrestling, has been involved with the promotion and development of women's wrestling since its inception, nationally and internationally, in the late 1980s. In his 35 years serving the sport, Gary has provided coverage of all United States Women's World and Olympic teams, as well as every women's collegiate national championship. He also created both the North American women's collegiate wrestling rankings as well as the ASICS Girls High School All-American Team. A National Wrestling Hall of Fame Order of Merit honoree in 2020, Abbott also received the NWCA Meritorious Service Award in 2005. He has also served on the Committee for the Advancement of Women's Wrestling, the National Collegiate Women's Wrestling Championship committee, and is a liaison for the women's collegiate wrestling coalition to the NCAA Committee on Women's Athletics to champion women's wrestling as an NCAA championship sport. Clarissa Chun, the first women's wrestling coach at Power 5 institution and head coach of the 2024 NCWWC Champions in the Iowa Hawkeyes, was the first girl's high school wrestling state champion in Hawaii in 1998. After a collegiate career at Missouri Valley College, she went on to represent the United States at 48 kilograms at both the 2008 Beijing and 2012 London Olympics. Chun won the bronze medal in London, and also wrestled at five Senior World Championships, taking the gold medal at the 2008 Worlds in Tokyo. One of only four females to earn Distinguished Member honors as a National Wrestling Hall of Fame inductee, Chun won five U.S. Open titles. She was a 2011 Pan American Games silver medalist and won four gold medals at the Pan American Championships. She was a runner-up at four U.S. World Team Trials and three U.S. Opens, in a career which spanned 18 years competing at the Senior level. After retiring from competition, Chun became an assistant coach for the USA Wrestling women's national team from 2017-2021, helping lead the US to 17 World medals, including seven gold, four silver and six bronzes, as well as an Olympic gold, Olympic silver and two Olympic bronzes. Ashley Flavin, the first woman to win an NWCA Coach of the Year honor, is the current head coach at perennial NAIA powerhouse Life University. She was a state champion for Lake Worth (Florida) High School in 2001, and spent five years as a resident athlete at the United States Olympic Training Center. She was a runner-up at the Women's College Wrestling Championships for Oklahoma City University, a 2008 Olympic Team Trials Qualifier, 2008 US Open Bronze Medalist, and a US Open Bronze Medalist and World Team Trials Qualifier in 2011. The first woman to lead a program to a National title, Flavin did so with the 2022 NWCA National Duals championship won by the Running Eagles. During her decade at the helm of the Life program she has produced two team national championships, five individual National Champions, more than 30 All-Americans, five Olympic Team Trials Qualifiers, 11 World Team Trials Qualifiers and a World Team Member. The 2024 Trailblazer Awards will be presented at the Celebration of Women in Wrestling, July 27, as a part of the 2024 NWCA Convention in Ponte Vedra Beach, Fla.

Since the completion of the U20 World Team Trials, on Saturday afternoon, we’ve spoken at length about the potential of the U20 men’s freestyle team. And for good reason. They have two returning U20 world finalists and six wrestlers that have age-group world medals to their credit. But the men’s freestyle is only one-third of the contingent headed to Spain in early September. The Greco-Roman team was also decided in Ohio and the women’s freestyle squad had already been established in mid-April. Both of those teams have plenty of potential, as well. The women’s freestyle team has three wrestlers with past U20 world team experience and three team members with age-group world medals. It’s no secret that Greco-Roman has lagged behind its freestyle counterparts at all age groups, but this appears to be one of the better American Greco squads recently assembled. Heavyweight Aden Attao anchors the team and has made his third U20 world team. In 2022, he came away with a bronze medal. Counting Attao, there are three wrestlers amongst this year’s contingent that have prior age-group world medals. Below are the three teams. Each wrestler is noted at their respective weight class with their home state featured beside their name - plus their best international credentials. Men’s Freestyle 57 kg - Luke Lilledahl (Missouri) - 2022 U17 World Champion, 2023 U20 World silver medalist, 2021 U17 World silver medalist 61 kg - Marcus Blaze (Ohio) - 2023 U17 World Champion 65 kg - Bo Bassett (Pennsylvania) - 2021 U17 World Champion 70 kg - PJ Duke (New York) 74 kg - Ladarion Lockett (Oklahoma) - 2023 U17 World Champion 79 kg - Zack Ryder (New York) - 2x U17 World bronze medalist 86 kg - Josh Barr (Michigan) 92 kg - Connor Mirasola (Wisconsin) 97 kg - Justin Rademacher (Oregon) 125 kg - Ben Kueter (Iowa) - 2022 U20 World Champion Greco-Roman 55 kg - Isaiah Cortez (California) - 2021 U17 Pan-American gold medalist 60 kg - Cory Land (Alabama) - 2021 U17 World silver medalist, 2x U17 World Team member 63 kg - Otto Black (Colorado) - 2021 U17 World Team member (5th place) 67 kg - Joel Adams (Nebraska) - 2022 U17 World champion, 2023 U20 World Team member 72 kg - Patrick Brackett (Colorado) 77 kg - Aydin Rix-McElhinney (Maine) 82 kg - Arian Khosravy (California) 87 kg - Ryder Rogotzke (Minnesota) - 2021 U17 World Team member 97 kg - Soren Herzog (Minnesota) 130 kg - Aden Attao (Idaho) - 2022 U20 World bronze medalist, 2x U20 World Team member Women’s Freestyle 50 kg - Anaya Falcon (California) 53 kg - Brianna Gonzalez (California) - 2021 U17 Pan-American gold medalist 55 kg - Cristelle Rodriguez (California) - 2019 Cadet World silver medalist, 2023 U20 World Team member 57 kg - Carissa Qureshi (California) 59 kg - Alexis Janiak (Illinois) - 2023 U20 World bronze medalist 62 kg - Cadence Diduch (Illinois) - 2023 U20 Pan-American gold medalist 65 kg - Reese Larramendy (Nevada) - 2022 U20 World Team (5th Place) 68 kg - Caitlyn Davis (South Carolina) 72 kg - Jasmine Robinson (Texas) - 2023 U17 World bronze medalist, 2x U17 World Team member 76 kg - Naomi Simon (Iowa)

One of the mainstays of spring wrestling is the Beat the Streets Gala from New York City. Over the years, this event has raised large amounts of money to benefit young wrestlers in the Big Apple. This year’s event was a bit different as it was on the heels of the 2024 Olympic Team Trials. In lieu of a card full of matches, the event featured guest speakers Neal DeGrasse Tyson, Tim Ferriss, and the legendary Jordan Burroughs. As is typically the case, there were a few matches that involved local wrestlers affiliated with Beat the Streets NYC. The main event did feature a pair of familiar faces - Jesse Mendez and Andrew Alirez; the two most recent national champions at 141 lbs. Both recently competed at the Olympic Team Trials, though they did not clash in State College. The Mendez/Alirez clash was the main event of the evening from the Ziegfeld Ballroom in Manhattan. As high-profile matches can produce - the bout was filled with handfighting and some hesitancy from both parties regarding taking a committed attack. With that being the case, Alirez was put on the shot clock and could not score, giving Mendez a 1-0 lead at the break. In the second stanza, the roles were reversed and Alirez got on the board after Mendez’s inability to score on the shot clock. Alirez’s lead was short-lived as Mendez quickly responded by shooting Alirez off the edge for a step-out point. 2-1 is the way the match would go heading into the final :15 seconds. At that point, Alirez turned up the intensity and frequency of his attacks. Desperate for a takedown, Alirez appeared to go for a last-ditch throw effort; however, that was thwarted by Mendez for a takedown of his own. Shortly after, the final buzzer sounded and Mendez got his hand raised after a 4-1 victory. While the actual action during the main event left fans wanting more and hoping for a rematch between these two offensive-minded grapplers, the event served its purpose and generated plenty of money which will be used to benefit the young wrestlers of New York City. Hats off to Mendez and Alirez for taking the bout, on short notice, and likely not in peak condition considering the quick turnaround from the Olympic Trials.

The guys are back and they have plenty to talk about this week. Coaching changes at Princeton and Utah Valley. Still more transfer news, specifically All-American's Cam Amine and Kyle Parco. Ben Kueter committing to wrestling. Gable Steveson going to the NFL. revenue sharing coming to college athletics and more: For the full show:

Delta

Mukwonago

Canton

Shikellamy

The U20 World Team Trials have come and gone but there’s plenty to discuss and dissect in the months leading up to the actual U20 World Championships (early September). After looking at the results from the U20 freestyle finals and the team that they produced, there were plenty of fun facts and trends that emerged. Here are those along with a few others that have to do with the performance of the U20 men’s freestyle team at the World Championships. With Jesse Mendez’s NCAA finals win over Beau Bartlett it marks the fifth time that former U20/Junior World teammates have met in the national championship match dating back to the 2007 team (2019 - Aaron Brooks/Trent Hidlay; 2016/17 Mark Hall/Zahid Valencia; 2014 Kyle Snyder/Adam Coon; 2009 Jordan Oliver/Jason Chamberlain; 2007 David Taylor/Bubba Jenkins). Last year’s U20 WTT’s saw four wrestlers who lost in the finals go on to earn NCAA All-American honors in 2024. Tyler Kasak (65 kg), Antrell Taylor (70 kg), Hunter Garvin (74 kg), and Stephen Little (92 kg). The 2023 team had two wrestlers who went on to make the 2024 NCAA finals - Jesse Mendez (1st/141) and Mitchell Mesenbrink (2nd/165). There were none in 2022 and one in 2021 - Keegan O’Toole (1st/165). Gabe Arnold is the only wrestler to lose in the 2023 and 2024 U20 World Team finals. This year’s Trials only had one series go the full three matches. 74 kg with Ladarion Lockett and Beau Mantanona. Last year, there were two and four in 2022. Justin Rademacher is the first Oregon native to make the U20 men’s freestyle team since Tyrell Fortune did so in 2009. Wisconsin has the longest active streak with at least one U20 world team member in men’s freestyle. They’ve had at least one native on the team in each of the last four years. The previous three have made the world finals. Mitchell Mesenbrink Gold/23, Silver/22; Keegan O’Toole Gold/21. Half of the 2024 team has links to Penn State. Josh Barr (86 kg) redshirted the 2023-24 season, while Luke Lilledahl (57 kg), Zack Ryder (79 kg), and Connor Mirasola (92 kg) are incoming freshmen. PJ Duke (70 kg) is a commit from the Class of 2025. Ladarion Lockett is the first Oklahoma native to make the U20 world team since Daton Fix’s third appearance in 2018. The last four times a wrestler from Oklahoma was on the team they came away with a medal. Fix (18/Bronze, 17/Gold, 16/Bronze) and Chris Perry (2010/Bronze). Three members of the 2023 U17 World team have made the 2024 U20 team. Marcus Blaze, Lockett, and Ryder. Six of the ten team members have won a world medal at either the U17 or U20 team. Those six wrestlers have combined to win nine world medals. Of the first-time U20 team members, Blaze, Bo Bassett, and Lockett were all U17 world champions. Ben Kueter is the first Iowa native wrestling for the Hawkeyes to make the U20 men’s freestyle steam since Thomas Gilman captured bronze in 2014. Kueter also has a chance at becoming our first U20 men’s freestyler to win two gold medals since Mark Hall did so in 2016 and 2017. Despite having some very talented heavyweights, the US has gone without a medal at the last three World Championships at 125 kg. Mason Parris’ gold medal in 2019 is the most recent. Since then, Wyatt Hendrickson, Nick Feldman, and Christian Carroll have come away empty-handed. Kueter’s world title came at 97 kg. Conversely, America has been excellent at 74 kg. We’ve won the gold medal in six of the last seven tournaments. Mesenbrink/23, O’Toole/21, David Carr/19, Mekhi Lewis/18, Hall 16/17. The only year during that span without a champion was in 2022 with Alex Facundo, who took 16th. There are two returning wrestlers with U20 experience (Lilledahl and Kueter). A third lost in the best-of-three finals as Rademacher defeated 2023 U20 World bronze medalist Camden McDanel. Each of the last four U20 men’s freestyle teams have produced at least two world champions. Over the last 15 tournaments, the American men’s U20 freestyle team is 19-16 in gold medal matches. During that same span, they are 25-14 in bronze medal matches. That’s good for a 44-30 record in medal matches.

Two days after winning the U20 World Team Trials at 125 kg in freestyle, Ben Kueter took to social media to outline his plans for the future. Iowa’s two-sport specialist will put aside football for the next ten months to focus on winning “a world title, an NCAA title, and a NCAA team title.” There were some questions about Kueter’s plans as the U20 World Championships take place in early September during the same weekend of the Iowa-Iowa State football game. In his statement, Kueter reiterates that “this is not the end of my football career.” Kueter was named the sixth overall recruit in the Class of 2023. He spent the first half of the 2023-24 wrestling season on the gridiron for the Hawkeyes. Once the football season was over and Kueter worked his way into wrestling shape, he saw action in four duals for Iowa. Kueter went 3-1 with the lone loss coming to eventual NCAA champion Greg Kerkvliet of Penn State (9-1). His most significant win was a 5-1 victory over Konner Doucet in the Hawkeyes win over Oklahoma State. With a full offseason in the Hawkeye wrestling room plus a normal preseason, the prospects for Kueter during the 2024-25 are extremely intriguing. This will be Kueter’s second U20 World Championship event. In 2022, he captured a gold medal at 97 kg with a pin in the world finals. 2024 will mark his first international event at 125 kg. Here’s Kueter's interview after winning the U20 Trials on Saturday.

Sunday saw the second day of the U23 National Championships take place in Geneva, Ohio. This tournament is slightly different from the U20 tournament - which is a true World Team Trials event. At some weights in U23, wrestlers who made the national team at the 2024 US Olympic Team Trials have first dibs on a berth on the U23 team. The winners of this event will have the opportunity to compete internationally at the 2024 U23 Pan-American Championships, June 21-22nd, in Colombia. The U20 brackets were small because wrestlers needed to qualify for the tournament; however, that wasn’t the case at the U23 tournament, so there were some huge brackets. With more competitors comes more opportunities for upsets and previously unheralded stars to shine. That’s what we’re focusing on today - wrestlers whose hypothetical stocks rose after their showing at the U23 national tournament, primarily focusing on freestyle. Max Gallagher (Penn) 2023 NCAA qualifier Max Gallagher was the champion at 57 kg and did so by sweeping Army West Point’s Charlie Farmer 8-4 and 6-3 in two straight bouts. Gallagher’s most impressive win came in the semifinals when he defeated Stevo Poulin (Northern Colorado) in the semifinals. Poulin was a runner-up at last year’s U23 competition and was a 2023 Big 12 champion and a two-time NCAA Round of 12 finisher. Last year, Gallagher was fifth in the EIWA and 0-2 at nationals. His performance in Ohio indicates he might be ready for a breakout season in 2024-25. Greg Diakomihalis (Cornell) One of the best non-starters in the country at 125 lbs last season was Greg Diakomihalis. Despite wins over Diego Sotelo (Harvard) and Kysen Terukina (Iowa State), Diakomihalis was stuck behind teammate Brett Ungar. It appears as if Ungar might move up to 133, clearing a path for Diakomihalis. Diakomihalis had a strong weekend of his own at 57 kg when he took third in the challenge tournament bracket. His only loss of the tournament came to Poulin, in the quarterfinals, and he’d avenge that loss in the third-place bout. Because he lost in the semifinals, Diakomihalis had to win seven matches to get third! Kurtis Phipps (Bucknell) You don’t have to win the tournament to get a “stock-up” mention, as evidenced by Diakomihalis and a few others on this list. Kurtis Phipps fell in the finals to Nic Bouzakis (Ohio State) but got to the championship match after an incredible run that included consecutive wins over Kase Mauger (Utah Valley), Drake Ayala (Iowa), Ryan Miller (Penn), and Aaron Nagao (Penn State). In the win over NCAA runner-up, Ayala, Phipps was up 10-2 and withstood a late rally from the Hawkeye. Against Aaron Nagao, Phipps exposed Nagao during a scramble and appeared to get the fall call (though Arena has it listed as an injury default - Nagao was injured during the sequence). Phipps is someone who has gotten better and better each year with Bucknell. He was a qualifier for the first time in 2023 and made the Round of 12 last season. We’ll see if that upward trajectory continues in 2024-25. Joshua Saunders (Cornell) A blue-chip recruit in the Class of 2020 (#8 overall), Joshua Saunders, was expected to be the next big thing for Cornell wrestling. At that time, he had competed in the Cadet and Junior World Championships in 2018. As of 2024, injuries and a stacked lineup have prevented Saunders from fully seizing a consistent spot in Cornell’s lineup. A 65 kg title at U23’s might be a sign that Saunders is ready to show the potential that made him one of the top recruits in a loaded Class of 2020. Saunders got to the finals in dominant fashion, shutting out four of his first five opponents. The lone foe that was able to score on him was 2024 All-American Ryan Jack (NC State). Saunders scored six first-period points to hold off the Wolfpack star, 6-5. A round later, he needed just over a minute to dispose of former NCAA Round of 12 finisher Zach Redding (Iowa State). Saunders would carry that momentum into the finals where he teched Wyatt Henson (Lock Haven) in the first matchup and won a one-point decision in the series-clinching bout. Paniro Johnson (Iowa State) It’s been a good couple of weeks for Paniro Johnson as he recently found out he’d be able to compete during the 2024-25 - minus a two-date suspension. Johnson was not able to wrestle last season as he was singled out during the Iowa/Iowa State gambling probe. He also learned that he could use a redshirt for the 2023-24 campaign. Johnson celebrated by running through the gauntlet at 70 kg. Just to make the finals, Johnson had to knock off a pair of past All-Americans Daniel Cardenas (Stanford) and Ed Scott (NC State) - along with national qualifier Caleb Rathjen (Iowa). In the finals, Johnson took a pair of close bouts from John Wiley (Oklahoma), 2-2 and 6-2. During his freshman year, Wiley had defeated Johnson 6-4 in a dual. Hunter Garvin (Stanford) Usually, “stock-up” means a wrestler who was slightly unheralded doing something that improves their standing. Typically, you don’t look at a returning All-American in that light. But, very few All-Americans, if any, could do what Garvin did over the weekend. He started with a Greco-Roman title at 77 kg. His closest match pre-finals in Greco was a 7-2 victory. For the stop sign he took out Brendon Abdon (Little Rock) in two straight matches. But that wasn’t enough. Not only did Garvin enter the freestyle tournament, but he won that too! In freestyle, Garvin had very little trouble en route to the finals. In the semifinals, he defeated Derek Gilcher (Indiana) via 14-4 tech. In the best-of-three series, Garvin held off a late rally from 2023 NCAA Round of 12 finisher, Cael Swensen (South Dakota State), to take the first match, 10-9. Swensen never got a chance for a comeback in the second match, a 14-1 tech. All told, Garvin wrestled in and won 13 matches in two styles without a single setback. That’s something you see in the middle and high school levels, but not at U20 or U23. Derek Gilcher (Indiana) Even at fifth place, things are looking good for Derek Gilcher. An NCAA qualifier in 2023, Gilcher was injured in late December last season and was lost for the year. He was back and looking good at the 74 kg weight class with quality wins over DJ McGee (George Mason) and Big 12 champion Ryder Downey (Northern Iowa). Gilcher’s only losses came to Garvin and Jack Thomsen (Northern Iowa), an opponent he defeated earlier in the tournament. Hopefully, this is a positive sign for Gilcher and Indiana as they look ahead to 2024-25. John Gunderson (Northern Iowa) Northern Iowa has been a tough place to crack the lineup at 184 lbs since Parker Keckeisen has manned that weight for the past four years. That left John Gunderson to wrestle at 197 and even heavyweight as needed for UNI. Well, back at his ideal weight, Gunderson shocked the field at 86 kg. In the quarterfinals, Gunderson teched former U20 Open champion Sam Fisher (Virginia Tech) and then in the closing seconds of the semifinals, exposed Dylan Fishback (NC State) to lead 8-8 on criteria. Fishback’s corner challenged the ruling and lost, making the final score, 9-8. Gunderson claimed the title by teching Penn State’s Lucas Cochran in the first match of their series. He’d win after Cochran was unable to compete in the second bout. Cochran came into the finals red-hot himself after wins over Lenny Pinto (Nebraska), DJ Washington (Indiana), and Reece Heller (Pittsburgh). We’d be remiss not to mention Gunderson’s UNI teammate Wyatt Voelker, as well. Voelker almost doubled up like Hunter Garvin. He captured the Greco-Roman title at 97 kg and made the freestyle finals at 92 kg. In the quarterfinals, Voelker notched a one-point win over Big Ten runner-up Zach Glazier (Iowa). The only opponent able to stop him in either style was two-time NCAA All-American and three-time U23 national champion Jacob Cardenas. Christian Carroll (Oklahoma State) Part of the “stock-up” or win for Christian Carroll was just making 92 kg. Carroll won the Last Chance Qualifier at 97 kg and stated his intention to go 197 lbs for Oklahoma State in the 2024-25 season. With the recent transfer of two-time All-American Wyatt Hendrickson at 285 lbs, it appears as if Carroll would need to drop to 197 to find a spot in the lineup. 92 kg is just over 203 lbs, so he has some more work to do to get to 197, but he’s on his way. As someone who stood next to Carroll at the Last Chance Qualifier, it didn’t look like he had the extra weight to lose to get to 197 lbs. As for action, Carroll picked up a win over two-time All-American Trey Munoz (Oregon State) in the quarterfinals and downed multi-time national qualifier Levi Hopkins (Campbell) in the consolation semi’s, but cruising to third place. His only loss during the U23 tournament was via a point to Voelker. Massoma Endene (Wartburg/Wisconsin) Last season, Wisconsin head coach Chris Bono was able to fill a potential hole with the transfer of a DIII stud in Shane Liegel. Liegel handled the rigors of DI wrestling, made the national tournament and picked up a win in Kansas City. This year he’s done it again with two-time DIII champion Massoma Endene. Endene took the title at 97 kg - a run that was highlighted by a 7-1 victory over last year’s U23 champion Nick Stemmet (Stanford). In the final series, Endene led 2024 NCAA Round of 12 finisher Andy Smith (Virginia Tech) before it was stopped due to injury. With wins like that, there shouldn’t be any questions as to whether Endene can compete at the DI level. Lucas Stoddard (Army West Point) Looking at the wrestlers on his half of the bracket, it’s not a surprise that Lucas Stoddard made it to the best-of-three-finals. He beat opponents you’d expect him to - despite his #30 seed. However, once Stoddard got to the finals, he pulled a massive upset. At the same time, it was so dominant that it didn’t look like an upset. With the U23 national title hanging in the balance, Stoddard faced an opponent who had defeated him twice in the 2023-24 season by the combined score of 34-6. That was Nathan Taylor (Lehigh) the eventual EIWA champion and the fifth seed at the 2024 NCAA Tournament. Stoddard turned the tables and teched Taylor twice and neither of the matches needed a second period.

After this weekend’s action in Geneva, Ohio our three U20 World Teams are set for action in the U20 World Championships in Pontevedra, Spain in early September. For now, we’re focusing on the U20 men’s freestyle team as it was finalized on Saturday and is mighty imposing. If you’d like to hear from each of these wrestlers, our interviews with them are posted here. As a reminder, the group we’re referencing is: 57 kg: Luke Lilledahl, 61 kg: Marcus Blaze, 65 kg: Bo Bassett, 70 kg: PJ Duke, 74 kg: Ladarion Lockett, 79 kg: Zack Ryder, 86 kg: Josh Barr, 92 kg: Connor Mirasola, 97 kg: Justin Rademacher, 125 kg: Ben Kueter Imposing might not even be the perfect adjective to describe the squad. How about “best ever"? Or at least in recent memory? There has been more and more competition as of late for spots on the U20 (formerly Junior) World Team, combined with the fact that wrestlers are more and more advanced at a younger age. With those two factors together, it makes for an absurd combination of talent. Below we’ve looked at U20/Junior World Team’s for the last 15 tournaments (there was none in 2020) to see which ones stood out the most and what is the proper barometer for this year’s team. We don’t have to go very far back to remember one of the greats, the 2023 team. That group returned with medals in eight of ten weights and two were of the gold variety. The 2021 squad had fewer overall medals (five) but featured three world champions. That was also the number of champions in 2017, but with seven total medalists and in an era where only eight weights were contested. The 2017 team might be the gold standard, for now, as we’ve watched their wrestlers exhaust their collegiate eligibility, while most of the 2023 team still has plenty of time left in college. The 2017 group is responsible for seven NCAA titles, 13 NCAA finals appearances, and has three wrestlers with Senior-level World/Olympic medals already. Those are some big shoes to fill for the 2024 team, but they are quite capable, even if young for this event. Seven of the ten wrestlers in this year’s crew have yet to start their collegiate wrestling careers. Only one (Justin Rademacher) has wrestled at the NCAA Tournament. Josh Barr and Ben Kueter redshirted during the 2023-24 campaign. Despite their youth, the 2024 team is experienced on an international stage. Kueter and Luke Lilledahl are the two with a previous U20 world team under their belts. Both have made a U20 final, with Kueter winning and Lilledahl finishing as a runner-up. Additionally, there are three U17 world champions in the bunch. Marcus Blaze, Bo Bassett, and Ladarion Lockett. Also, Zack Ryder has two U17 world bronze medals. From a recruiting standpoint, this is a “who’s who” of top recruits from a four-year span. Of the nine, only Rademacher was not a top-six overall recruit in their respective graduating classes. Lilledahl and PJ Duke are both #1’s. Bassett could grab that honor for the 2026 Class. The elephant in the room, from a collegiate perspective, is that this group is extremely Penn State-heavy. Barr is a current team member. Lilledahl, Ryder, and Mirasola have signed with the Nittany Lions and are a part of their star-studded 2024 Class. Duke, from 2025, has committed. For fans of other contenders, and parity in general, it’s a scary proposition thinking of these future studs finding their way into Cael Sanderson’s lineup. However, that’s a different discussion for a different day. Take a gander at the previous 15 U20/Junior World Teams and let us know which one you feel is the toughest. 2023 Team 57 kg - Luke Lilledahl (MO) - Silver 61 kg - Nic Bouzakis (FL) - Bronze 65 kg - Jesse Mendez (IN) - Silver 70 kg - Meyer Shapiro (MD) - Gold 74 kg - Mitchell Mesenbrink (WI) - Gold 79 kg - Matthew Singleton (GA) - Bronze 86 kg - Bennett Berge (MN) - Bronze 92 kg - Jack Darrah (MO) - 12th Place 97 kg - Camden McDanel (OH) - Bronze 125 kg - Christian Carroll (IN) - 10th Place 8 Medals; 2 World Champions 2022 Team 57 kg - Jore Volk (MN) - Gold 61 kg - Nic Bouzakis (FL) - 7th Place 65 kg - Vince Cornella (CO) - 5th Place 70 kg - Mitchell Mesenbrink (WI) - Silver 74 kg - Alex Facundo (MI) - 16th Place 79 kg - Brayden Thompson (IL) - 9th Place 86 kg - Bennett Berge (MN) - Silver 92 kg - Jaxon Smith (GA) - 5th Place 97 kg - Ben Kueter (IA) - Gold 125 kg - Nick Feldman (PA) - 5th Place 4 Medals; 2 World Champions 2021 Team 57 kg - Richie Figueroa (CA) - 12th Place 61 kg - Jesse Mendez (IN) - 8th Place 65 kg - Beau Bartlett (AZ) - Bronze 70 kg - Bryce Andonian (OH) - Bronze 74 kg - Keegan O’Toole (WI) - Gold 79 kg - DJ Washington (IN) - 11th Place 86 kg - Colton Hawks (MO) - 7th Place 92 kg - Rocky Elam (MO) - Gold 97 kg - Braxton Amos (WV) - Gold 125 kg - Wyatt Hendrickson (KS) - 5th Place 5 Medals; 3 World Champions 2019 Team 57 kg - Vito Arujau (NY) - Silver 61 kg - Gabe Tagg (OH) - Bronze 65 kg - Yahya Thomas (IL) - 12th Place 70 kg - Brayton Lee (IN) - 15th Place 74 kg - David Carr (OH) - Gold 79 kg - Aaron Brooks (MD) - 17th Place 86 kg - Trent Hidlay (PA) - Bronze 92 kg - Lucas Davison (IN) - Silver 97 kg - Tanner Sloan (IA) - 15th Place 125 kg - Mason Parris (IN) - Gold 6 Medals; 2 World Champions 2018 Team 57 kg - Daton Fix (OK) - Bronze 61 kg - Joshua Saunders (MO) - 8th Place 65 kg - Dom Demas (OH) - 9th Place 70 kg - Brady Berge (MN) - Bronze 74 kg - Mekhi Lewis (NJ) - Gold 79 kg - Aaron Brooks (MD) - Silver 86 kg - Louie DePrez (NY) - 9th Place 92 kg - Jacob Warner (IL) - 15th Place 97 kg - Zach Elam (MO) - Silver 125 kg - Gable Steveson (MN) - 8th Place 5 Medals; 1 World Champion 2017 Team 50 kg - Malik Heinselman (CO) - 8th Place 55 kg - Daton Fix (OK) - Gold 60 kg - Mitchell McKee (MN) - Silver 66 kg - Ryan Deakin (CO) - Silver 74 kg - Mark Hall (MN) - Gold 84 kg - Zahid Valencia (CA) - Silver 96 kg - Kollin Moore (OH) - Bronze 120 kg - Gable Steveson (MN) - Gold 7 Medals; 3 World Champions 2016 Team 50 kg - Spencer Lee (PA) - Gold 55 kg - Daton Fix (OK) - Bronze 60 kg - Seth Gross (MN) - 8th Place 66 kg - Alec Pantaleo (MI) - 10th Place 74 kg - Mark Hall (MN) - Gold 84 kg - Zahid Valencia (CA) - 7th Place 96 kg - Kollin Moore (OH) - 12th Place 120 kg - Jordan Wood (PA) - 11th Place 3 Medals; 2 World Champions 2015 Team 50 kg - Spencer Lee (PA) - Gold 55 kg - Stevan Micic (IN) - Bronze 60 kg - 66 kg - Aaron Pico (CA) - Bronze 74 kg - Mark Hall (MN) - 9th Place 84 kg - Zahid Valencia (CA) - 10th Place 96 kg - Anthony Cassar (NJ) - 8th Place 120 kg - Nathan Butler (KS) - Bronze 4 Medals; 1 World Champion 2014 Team 50 kg - Jabari Moody (IL) - 5th Place 55 kg - Thomas Gilman (IA) - Bronze 60 kg - Joey McKenna (NJ) - Silver 66 kg - Aaron Pico (CA) - Silver 74 kg - Anthony Valencia (CA) - 9th Place 84 kg - Gabe Dean (MI) - Bronze 96 kg - Kyle Snyder (MD) - Bronze 120 kg - Adam Coon (MI) - Bronze 6 Medals; 0 World Champions 2013 Team 50 kg - Ethan Lizak (PA) - 13th Place 55 kg - Thomas Gilman (IA) - 8th Place 60 kg - Mark Grey (NJ) - 5th Place 66 kg - Jason Tsirtsis (IN) - 7th Place 74 kg - Alex Dieringer (WI) - Silver 84 kg - Sam Brooks (IL) - 8th Place 96 kg - Kyle Snyder (MD) - Gold 120 kg - Austin Marsden (IL) - 16th Place 2 Medals; 1 World Champion 2012 Team 50 kg - Adrian Cordova (CO) - 19th Place 55 kg - Joey Dance (VA) - 11th Place 60 kg - Earl Hall (FL) - 17th Place 66 kg - Destin McCauley (MN) - 17th Place 74 kg - Alex Dieringer (WI) - 12th Place 84 kg - Pat Downey (MD) - Silver 96 kg - Tanner Hall (ID) - 9th Place 120 kg - Austin Marsden (IL) - 11th Place 1 Medal; 0 World Champions 2011 Team 50 kg - Nick Roberts (PA) - 20th Place 55 kg - Mark Grey (NJ) - 5th Place 60 kg - Logan Stieber (OH) - Silver 66 kg - Josh Kindig (PA) - 5th Place 74 kg - Taylor Massa (MI) - 18th Place 84 kg - Lee Munster (IL) - 16th Place 96 kg - Tanner Hall (ID) - 20th Place 120 kg - Dan Miller (MD) - 7th Place 1 Medal; 0 World Champions 2010 Team 50 kg - Nick Roberts (PA) - 5th Place 55 kg - Ryak Finch (AZ) - 27th Place 60 kg - Matt McDonough (IA) - 19th Place 66 kg - Jason Chamberlain (UT) - 5th Place 74 kg - Conrad Polz (IL) - 15th Place 84 kg - Chris Perry (OK) - Bronze 96 kg - Tyler Lehmann (ND) - 14th Place 120 kg - Jeremy Johnson (OH) - 5th Place 1 Medal; 0 World Champions 2009 Team 50 kg - Carson Kuhn (UT) - 20th Place 55 kg - Tony Ramos (IL) - 5th Place 60 kg - Jordan Oliver (PA) - Bronze 66 kg - Jason Chamberlain (UT) - 29th Place 74 kg - Andrew Howe (IN) - Bronze 84 kg - Chris Perry (OK) - 5th Place 96 kg - Tyrell Fortune (OR) - 7th Place 120 kg - Dom Bradley (MO) - Gold 3 Medals; 1 World Champion 2008 Team 50 kg - Mark Rappo (PA) - 13th Place 55 kg - Zach Sanders (MN) - 8th Place 60 kg - Tyler Graff (CO) - 13th Place 66 kg - Jordan Burroughs (NJ) - 10th Place 74 kg - Quentin Wright (PA) - Bronze 84 kg - Mike Letts (PA) - Bronze 96 kg - Clayton Foster (ID) - Bronze 120 kg - Clayton Jack (CA) - 5th Place 3 Medals; 0 World Champions

U23 Freestyle National Championships Championship Best-of-Three Finals 57 kg - Max Gallagher (Penn) over Charlie Farmer (Army West Point) 8-4, 6-3 61 kg - Nic Bouzakis (Ohio State) over Kurtis Phipps (Bucknell) 9-4, 10-5 65 kg - Joshua Saunders (Cornell) over Wyatt Henson (Lock Haven) 11-0, 3-2 70 kg - Paniro Johnson (Iowa State) over John Wiley (Oklahoma) 6-2, 2-2 74 kg - Hunter Garvin (Stanfod) over Cael Swensen (South Dakota State) 10-9, 14-1 79 kg - Patrick Kennedy (Iowa) over Julian Ramirez (Cornell) 10-0, 10-0 86 kg - John Gunderson (Northern Iowa) over Lucas Cochran (Penn State) 10-0, Injury Default 92 kg - Jacob Cardenas (Cornell) over Wyatt Voelker (Northern Iowa) 9-1, 8-0 97 kg - Massoma Endene (Warburg/Wisconsin) over Andy Smith (Virginia Tech) Injury Default 125 kg - Lucas Stoddard (Army West Point) dec Nathan Taylor (Lehigh) 10-0, 11-0 Third Place Bouts 57 kg - Greg Diakomihalis (Cornell) over Stevo Poulin (Northern Colorado) 3-3 61 kg - Drake Ayala (Iowa) over Dominick Serrano (Northern Colorado) 12-2 65 kg - Cael Happel (Northern Iowa) over Haiden Drury (Utah Valley) 7-0 70 kg - Daniel Cardenas (Stanford) over Ed Scott (NC State) 10-6 74 kg - Ryder Downey (Northern Iowa) over Jack Thomsen (Northern Iowa) FFt 79 kg - Clayton Whiting (Minnesota) over Will Miller (Appalachian State) 15-9 86 kg - Reece Heller (Pittsburgh) over Dylan Fishback (NC State) 10-6 92 kg - Christian Carroll (Oklahoma State) over Seth Shumate (Ohio State) 16-6 97 kg - Nick Stemmet (Stanford) over Kalob Runyon (Northern Iowa) 7-4 125 kg - Crew Howard (Nebraska-Kearney) over Kail Wynia (South Dakota State) 9-7 Fifth Place Bouts 57 kg - Trever Anderson (Northern Iowa) fall Alan Koehler (Nebraska) 1:36 61 kg - Stockton O’Brien (Wyoming) FFT Aaron Nagao (Penn State) 65 kg - Ryan Jack (NC State) fall Julian Tagg (South Dakota State) fall 4:11 70 kg - Caleb Rathjen (Iowa) over Chance Lamer (Cal Poly) 5-4 74 kg - Derek Gilcher (Indiana) over Matt Bianchi (Little Rock) 12-2 79 kg - Nick South (Indiana) over Tyler Lillard (Indiana) FFT 86 kg - Max Hale (Penn) over Brayden Thompson (Oklahoma State) 10-0 92 kg - Zach Glazier (Iowa) over Levi Hopkins (Campbell) 10-1 97 kg - Adam Ortega (The Citadel) dec Adam Ahrendsen (Northern Iowa) Fall 4:42 125 kg - Jacob Bullock (Indiana) over Jake Boley (Nebraska-Kearney) 12-4 Seventh Place Bouts 57 kg - Joey Cruz (Iowa) over Shane Corrigan (UW-Parkside) 10-0 61 kg - Anthony Noto (Lock Haven) over Tyler Ferrara (Cornell) 6-0 65 kg - Zach Redding (Iowa State) FFT Jacob Frost (Iowa State) 70 kg - Jaivon Jones (Little Rock) over Jackson Arrington (NC State) 7-4 74 kg - Drew Dickson (George Mason) over Grant O’Dell (Bellarmine) FFT 79 kg - Joey Bianchi (Little Rock) over Waylon Cressell 13-2 86 kg - DJ Washington (Indiana) over Lenny Pinto (Nebraska) Fall 2:18 92 kg - Trey Munoz (Oregon State) over Matt Zuber (Northern Illinois) 13-2 97 kg - Austin Kohlhofer (Army West Point) over Dakoda Rodgers (Pitt-Johnstown) 9-1 125 kg - Ashton Davis (Cornell) over Logan Shephard (Bucknell) 11-2