InterMat Staff

2x CKLV champion Mikey Labriola (photo courtesy of Sam Janicki; SJanickiPhoto.com) 2022 Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational Placewinners Championship Finals 125 lbs - Richie Figueroa (Arizona State) dec Matt Ramos (Purdue) 3-2 133 lbs - Vito Arujau (Cornell) dec Michael McGee (Arizona State) 6-1 141 lbs - Brock Hardy (Nebraska) dec Cael Happel (Northern Iowa) 6-1 149 lbs - Sammy Sasso (Ohio State) dec Kyle Parco (Arizona State) 6-2 157 lbs - Peyton Robb (Nebraska) dec Kendall Coleman (Purdue) 7-3 165 lbs - Julian Ramirez (Cornell) tech Tanner Cook (South Dakota State) 17-1 174 lbs - Mikey Labriola (Nebraska) dec Mekhi Lewis (Virginia Tech) 3-1SV 184 lbs - Trent Hidlay (NC State) dec Parker Keckeisen (Northern Iowa) 8-2 197 lbs - Isaac Trumble (NC State) dec Tanner Harvey (Oregon State) 6-4 285 lbs - Mason Parris (Michigan) dec Lucas Davison (Northwestern) 6-4 Third Place Bouts 125 - Liam Cronin (Nebraska) dec Brandon Kaylor (Oregon State) 4-2 133 - Kyle Biscoglia (Northern Iowa) MedFFT Jason Shaner (Oregon State) 141 - Ryan Jack (NC State) fall Josh Koderhandt (Navy) 5:16 149 - Yahya Thomas (Northwestern) dec Jonathan Millner (Appalachian State) 2-1 157 - Ed Scott (NC State) InjDef Will Lewan (Michigan) 165 - Matt Olguin (Oregon State) fall Bubba Wilson (Nebraska) 5:41 174 - Chris Foca (Cornell) dec Cade DeVos (South Dakota State) 6-4 184 - Hunter Bolen (Virginia Tech) dec Kaleb Romero (Ohio State) 3-1SV 197 - Tanner Sloan (South Dakota State) dec Evan Bockman (Utah Valley) 4-3 285 - Yaraslau Slavikouski (Harvard) MedFFT Wyatt Hendrickson (Air Force) Fifth Place Bouts 125 - Malik Heinselman (Ohio State) dec Tanner Jordan (South Dakota State) 11-5 133 - Dylan Ragusin (Michigan) dec Sam Latona (Virginia Tech) 3-1 141 - Tom Crook (Virginia Tech) MedFFT Clay Carlson (South Dakota State) 149 - Jackson Arrington (NC State) dec Alec Hagan (Ohio) 5-2 157 - Trevor Chumbley (Northwestern) dec Cael Swensen (South Dakota State) 6-2 165 - Josh Ogunsanya (Columbia) MedFFT Austin Yant (Northern Iowa) 174 - Troy Fisher (Northwestern) MedFFT Demetrius Romero (Utah Valley) 184 - Cade King (South Dakota State) fall Lenny Pinto (Nebraska) 1:17 197 - Silas Allred (Nebraska) MedFFT Andy Smith (Virginia Tech) 285 - Tyrell Gordon (Northern Iowa) dec AJ Nevills (South Dakota State) 3-1SV Seventh Place Bouts 125 - Brett Ungar (Cornell) MedFFT Kurt McHenry (Michigan) 133 - Chance Rich (CSU Bakersfield) InjDef Chris Cannon (Northwestern) 141 - Parker Filius (Purdue) dec Dylan D'Emilio (Ohio State) 12-6 149 - Chance Lamer (Michigan) tech Colin Realbuto (Northern Iowa) 18-2 157 - Cesar Alvan (Columbia) fall Tommy Askey (Appalachian State) 4:02 165 - Will Formato (Appalachian State) MedFFT Carson Kharchla (Ohio State) 174 - Aaron Olmos (Oregon State) dec Alex Faison (NC State) 3-1SV 184 - Matt Finesilver (Michigan) MedFFT Trey Munoz (Oregon State) 197 - Jacob Koser (Navy) MedFFT Kendall Norfleet (Arizona State) 285 - Owen Trephan (NC State) MedFFT Cohlton Schultz Team Scores 1. Nebraska 137.5 2. NC State 127.5 3. South Dakota State 123 4. Michigan 96.5 5. Northern Iowa 96 6. Arizona State 89 7. Cornell 83.5 8. Ohio State 82.5 8. Oregon State 82.5 10. Northwestern 81.5

All-American's Patrick Glory (left) and Eric Barnett (photos courtesy of Sam Janicki; SJanickiPhoto.com) This weekend is just loaded with great wrestling events. Friday saw the Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational kick-off and it will continue into Saturday. Sunday features our Dual of the Week, but also the Garden State Grapple from the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey. Four Big Ten schools will square off with four EIWA teams with conference bragging rights on the line in a two-round of prearranged duals. This should be a treat for the home fans as two of the three New Jersey DI schools (Princeton and Rutgers) will be in attendance and Penn featured a handful of wrestlers from the Garden State. In attendance will be four programs that appear in InterMat's rankings in some form or fashion. With those caliber schools competing there are sure to be plenty of notable individual matchups. Below, we've targeted ten potential matchups to keep an eye on. There are plenty of other quality matches possible throughout the eight duals, plus we've only mentioned wrestlers that we expect to compete. 125 lbs - #2 Patrick Glory (Princeton) vs. #9 Eric Barnett (Wisconsin) This is quite possibly the best possible match of the day and the only one between returning All-Americans. Actually, multiple-time AA's as both have made the NCAA podium twice. Hopefully, it comes to fruition, as Glory did not wrestle two weeks ago during Princeton's dual with Indiana. Though both are returning All-Americans, they have not met in college. Neither is shy about putting points on the board, so it should be an entertaining affair, as well. Glory was tested twice in week one as he won the Princeton Open, while Barnett suffered a loss in his 2022-23 season debut. 125 lbs - #17 Ryan Miller (Penn) vs. #20 Dylan Shawver/Dean Peterson (Rutgers) Above we mentioned that Patrick Glory was pushed twice in his first outing of the year. Rutgers tandem of Dylan Shawver and Dean Peterson were responsible for testing their in-state rival. The Scarlet Knights are still sorting out the starting role at 125, as both Shawver and Peterson seem capable of winning matches at nationals. Since this is a tougher of Rutgers' two duals on the day, maybe we get an insight into how this battle is progressing by the starter of the Penn dual. Ryan Miller is a returning third-place finisher and a good gauge of how the Rutgers pair stacks up. Both Shawver and Peterson suffered close losses to returning AA Brandon Kaylor (Oregon State) at the Roadrunner Open. Miller went into Iowa and came away with a dual win via tech in the Quakers loss to the Hawkeyes. 133 lbs - #10 Michael Colaiocco (Penn) vs. #14 Joe Heilmann (Rutgers) The event is called the “Garden State Grapple” so it's appropriate to have a pair of Jersey natives squaring off as we'll likely see at 133 lbs. Michael Colaiocco has gotten off to a good start with his only two losses of the year coming to returning All-Americans. Colaiocco got a dual victory in Iowa over the Hawkeyes Cullan Schriever and is now 6-2. The graduate transfer from North Carolina, Joe Heilmann, is coming off a Roadrunner Open title, where he notched bonus points in four of five bouts. Heilmann's only loss on the year came to Arizona State's Michael McGee, someone who beat Colaiocco too. 133 lbs - #10 Michael Colaiocco (Penn) vs. #16 Taylor LaMont (Wisconsin) Colaiocco has his hands full Sunday with a pair of matches against top-16 opponents. His second match of the afternoon is slated to be against 2021 NCAA All-American Taylor LaMont. LaMont's first month competing for the Badgers hasn't gone exactly as planned, with losses in half of his four matches. He was upset by Zach Redding (Iowa State) at the Battle at the River City and was majored by Vito Arujau (Cornell) two weeks later. Earlier in the day, LaMont will hopefully stop his two-match losing skid against Princeton, then will a pair against the 2022 EIWA champion. 149 lbs - #10 Doug Zapf (Penn) vs. #2 Austin Gomez (Wisconsin) The last time we saw Austin Gomez on a wrestling mat he sent shockwaves throughout the wrestling world with a stunning 9-3 victory over three-time national champion Yianni Diakomihalis (Cornell). Not only did Gomez hit a four-point move on Diakomihalis, but he also added a pair of additional takedowns for good measure. He remains one of the most dangerous wrestlers in the sport. Having the unenviable task of trying to slow down Gomez is Doug Zapf. A week ago, Zapf was involved in one of the weekend's most high-profile matches as his bout against Max Murin was targeted as a swing match in Penn's upset big against Iowa. The match itself lived up to the hype and Zapf was defeated in sudden victory after a prolonged scramble. Zapf has wrestled one of the most difficult schedules in the country thus far, as a match with Gomez would be his fourth against a top-ten opponent (in ten tries). 157 lbs - #1 Quincy Monday (Princeton) vs. #14 Garrett Model (Wisconsin) In a weekend that shaping up to be challenging for #1's, top-ranked 157 lber Quincy Monday has a pair of capable top-15 opponents to deal with. Monday has only seen action in one official bout this season, downing Indiana's Derek Gilcher, 8-4. He also participated in the All-Star Classic and competed against 2021 national champion David Carr (Iowa State) the third-ranked 165 lber. After a month of action, name the only Wisconsin starter with a perfect record? I'm sure you probably answered Garrett Model, right? Model is 4-0 with four hard-fought wins coming via regular decision. To be fair to his teammates, Model hasn't faced any ranked wrestlers yet. Now he has to deal with #1 (plus a tough Anthony Artalona). 157 lbs - #1 Quincy Monday (Princeton) vs. #15 Chase Saldate (Michigan State) After getting tested by Model, Monday will have to contend with 2021 Big Ten fourth-place finisher Chase Saldate. The two-time national qualifier for the Spartans comes to New Jersey sporting a 6-1 record. The only blemish came to red-hot Peyton Robb (Nebraska) at the Navy Classic. Though the competition isn't quite on par with Monday, Saldate has registered bonus points in all of his previous wins this season. 197 lbs - #19 Luke Stout (Princeton) vs. #20 Braxton Amos (Wisconsin) The next Princeton Tiger to have a pair of top-20 opponents from the Big Ten to deal with is Luke Stout. Stout was a 2022 EIWA Runner-up, as a freshman, in a deep 197 lb weight class. His only loss this season is to the now-famous Ethan Laird (Rider) by a point in the Princeton Open finals. Laird made news last night as he knocked off 2022 national champion Max Dean (Penn State). Stout's first opponent Sunday will be Greco-Roman world team member Braxton Amos. The highly-anticipated freshmen year for Amos was solid; however, didn't live up to his out-of-this-world expectations. With a season in Madison under his belt and more times getting down to 197 lbs, I'd expect a better year out of the Badger star. Amos showed that may be the case when he put together a 2-0 victory over #22 Jacob Cardenas (Cornell) that was instrumental in Wisconsin's upset of Cornell. 197 lbs - #19 Luke Stout (Princeton) vs. #17 Cam Caffey (Michigan State) In the nightcap, Stout has to deal with Michigan State's Cam Caffey. Though he hasn't faced any top contenders yet this year, Caffey is 3-0 with two techs and a fall. Last season, Caffey was responsible for the only loss on Max Dean's record during a national title-winning campaign. Caffey is looking to become an NCAA All-American for the first time in his tenure in East Lansing. Three times he's been seeded in the top ten at the NCAA Championships. Once he went out in the Round of 12 and in 2020 he was named an NWCA All-American. 197 lbs - #7 Louie DePrez (Binghamton) vs. #17 Cam Caffey (Michigan State) Before getting to Stout, Caffey will have to deal with the defending EIWA champion at this weight, Louie DePrez. Actually, DePrez's title was the third in his career. He's looking to get back to the NCAA podium after taking eighth in 2021 and coming up a match shy in Detroit. There's plenty of familiarity between the two as DePrez has beaten Caffey twice at the NCAA Tournament over the years. The first time came in 2019 and the most recent was in last year's Round of 16. With a sneaky-tough Binghamton team likely pushing Michigan State for the first time this year, this bout could have massive ramifications on the team score.

Sammy Sasso and Yahya Thomas (right) at the 2021 Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational (photo courtesy of Sam Janicki; SJanickiPhoto.com) In a few hours, the 2022 Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational will kick off its second day of action with the semifinals. On day one, there were plenty of upsets and incredible matches. The championship bracket will start at the semifinals, with lots of great potential matchups. Some of these competitors are meeting for the first time, while others have plenty of familiarity with each other. Below, with the assistance of the great website WrestleStat , are past collegiate meetings between CKLV Invitational semifinalists: 125 lbs Tanner Jordan (South Dakota State) vs. Richie Figueroa (Arizona State) - No Previous Meeting #10 Brandon Kaylor (Oregon State) vs. #8 Matt Ramos (Purdue) - No Previous Meeting 133 lbs #3 Vito Arujau (Cornell) vs. #9 Sam Latona (Virginia Tech) - Arujau 1-0 - 2021 College Duals (12-2 Arujau) #4 Michael McGee (Arizona State) vs. #5 Dylan Ragusin (Michigan) - McGee 2-0 - 2021-22 Dual Meet/ECM (10-0 McGee) - 2022 NCAA Quarterfinals (8-7 McGee) 141 lbs #17 Brock Hardy (Nebraska) vs. #14 Ryan Jack (NC State) - Jack 1-0 - 2022 WrangleMania (9-7 Jack) #11 Clay Carlson (South Dakota State) vs. #22 Cael Happel (Northern Iowa) - Split 1-1 - 2021-22 Dual Meet (11-4 Carlson) - 2022 Daktronics Open (8-6 Happel) 149 lbs #3 Sammy Sasso (Ohio State) vs. #7 Yahya Thomas (Northwestern) - Sasso 3-0 - 2020 Big Ten Championships (5-4TB Sasso) - 2021 NCAA Quarterfinals (8-3 Sasso) - 2021 CKLV Semifinals (6-4 Sasso) #4 Jonathan Millner (Appalachian State) vs. #5 Kyle Parco (Arizona State) - Parco 2-1 - 2021 NCAA Consolation Quarterfinals (9-5 Parco) - 2021 Mountaineer Invitational (Fall Parco) - 2022 NCAA Consolation Quarterfinals (9-4 Millner) 157 lbs #3 Will Lewan (Michigan) vs. #11 Kendall Coleman (Purdue) - Coleman 1-0 - 2019 Michigan State Open (Coleman 3-1 SV) #4 Peyton Robb (Nebraska) vs. #9 Ed Scott (NC State) - Robb 2-0 - 2022 NCAA Round of 12 (Robb Fall) - 2022 WrangleMania (Robb 8-2) 165 lbs #12 Austin Yant (Northern Iowa) vs. #26 Tanner Cook (South Dakota State) - Cook 1-0 - 2019-20 Dual Meet (Cook Fall) #8 Julian Ramirez (Cornell) vs. #10 Josh Ogunsanya (Columbia) - Split 2-2 - 2021 CKLV Consolations (Ramirez 13-5) - 2021-22 Dual Meet (Ogunsanya Injury Default) - 2021-22 EIWA Semifinals (Ogunsanya 6-4) - 2022 NCAA Consolation Round of 24 (Ramirez 14-3) 174 lbs #2 Mekhi Lewis (Virginia Tech) vs. #9 Chris Foca (Cornell) - Lewis 1-0 - 2021 Collegiate Duals (Lewis 3-1 TB) #3 Mikey Labriola (Nebraska) vs. #5 Demetrius Romero (Utah Valley) - Labriola 1-0 - 2021 NCAA Consolation Semifinals (Labriola 5-4) 184 lbs #2 Parker Keckeisen (Northern Iowa) vs. Lenny Pinto (Nebraska) - No Previous Meeting #3 Trent Hidlay (NC State) vs. #4 Kaleb Romero (Ohio State) - Hidlay 1-0 - 2022 NCAA 5th Place Match (Hidlay 3-2) 197 lbs #21 Tanner Harvey (Oregon State) vs. #32 Andy Smith (Virginia Tech) - No Previous Meeting #14 Isaac Trumble (NC State) vs. #23 Silas Allred (Nebraska) - Trumble 1-0 - 2022 WrangleMania (Trumble 9-2) 285 #4 Lucas Davison (Northwestern) vs. #14 AJ Nevills (South Dakota State) - Davison 1-0 - 2021 CKLV Invitational (Davison Fall) #3 Mason Parris (Michigan) vs. #8 Wyatt Henderickson (Air Force) - No Previous Meeting

Rider 197 lber Ethan Laird (photo courtesy of Tony DiMarco/FantasyCollegeWrestling) Friday's Dual Results George Mason 28 Bloomsburg 15 125 - Markel Baker (George Mason) dec Bronson Garber (Bloomsburg) 10-4 133 - Cole Rhone (Bloomsburg) dec Josh Jones (George Mason) 6-4 141 - Josh Mason (Bloomsburg) fall Michael Rapuano (George Mason) 2:47 149 - Nathan Higley (George Mason) fall William Morrow (Bloomsburg) :43 157 - Peter Pappas (George Mason) maj Cade Balestrini (Bloomsburg) 10-1 165 - Drew Dickson (George Mason) tech Josh Bonomo (Bloomsburg) 16-0 174 - Logan Messer (George Mason) dec Matt Benedetti (Bloomsburg) 3-2 184 - Malachi Duvall (George Mason) maj Bruno Stolfi (Bloomsburg) 14-1 197 - Jon List (George Mason) dec Tanner Culver (Bloomsburg) 10-3 285 - Shane Noonan (Bloomsburg) fall Donovan Sprouse (George Mason) 2:28 Gardner-Webb 27 Bloomsburg 10 125 - Drew West (Gardner-Webb) fall Bronson Garber (Bloomsburg) 6:11 133 - Todd Carter (Gardner-Webb) dec Cole Rhone (Bloomsburg) 4-2 141 - Josh Mason (Bloomsburg) maj Tyler Lamon (Gardner-Webb) 8-0 149 - Corbin Dion (Gardner-Webb) dec William Morrow (Bloomsburg) 11-6 157 - Cade Balestrini (Bloomsburg) dec Tyler Brignola (Gardner-Webb) 4-3 165 - Rodrick Mosley (Gardner-Webb) tech Josh Bonomo (Bloomsburg) 18-2 174 - Andrew Wilson (Gardner-Webb) dec Anthony DeRosa (Bloomsburg) 3-2 184 - Jha'Quan Anderson (Gardner-Webb) maj David Tuttle (Bloomsburg) 11-3 197 - Samuel Mora (Gardner-Webb) dec Tanner Culver (Bloomsburg) 5-1 285 - Shane Noonan (Bloomsburg) dec Abraham Preston (Gardner-Webb) 8-1 George Mason 22 Gardner-Webb 10 125 - Drew West (Gardner-Webb) dec Markel Baker (George Mason) 9-7 133 - Todd Carter (Gardner-Webb) maj Josh Jones (George Mason) 11-2 141 - Anthony Glasl (George Mason) dec Tyler Lamon (Gardner-Webb) 7-1 149 - DJ McGee (George Mason) dec Corbin Dion (Gardner-Webb) 7-4 157 - Peter Pappas (George Mason) maj Tyler Brignola (Gardner-Webb) 20-9 165 - Rodrick Mosley (Gardner-Webb) dec Drew Dickson (George Mason) 10-5 174 - Logan Messer (George Mason) dec Andrew Wilson (Gardner-Webb) 9-5 184 - Malachi Duvall (George Mason) dec Jha'Quan Anderson (Gardner-Webb) 3-2 197 - Tyler Kocak (George Mason) dec Samuel Mora (Gardner-Webb) 3-2 285 - Jon List (George Mason) dec Abraham Preston (Gardner-Webb) 3-2 Missouri 38 West Virginia 3 125 - Peyton Moore (Missouri) fall Colton Drousias (West Virginia) 1:16 133 - Connor Brown (Missouri) fall Davin Rhoads (West Virginia) 4:25 141 - Allan Hart (Missouri) maj Jordan Titus (West Virginia) 11-2 149 - Brock Mauller (Missouri) maj Sam Hillegas (West Virginia) 10-2 157 - Jarrett Jacques (Missouri) dec Alex Hornfeck (West Virginia) 4-3 165 - Keegan O'Toole (Missouri) dec Peyton Hall (West Virginia) 3-0 174 - Peyton Mocco (Missouri) dec Scott Joll (West Virginia) 10-4 184 - Sean Harman (Missouri) FFT 197 - Austin Cooley (West Virginia) dec Colton Hawks (Missouri) 3-1 285 - Zach Elam (Missouri) dec Michael Wolfgram (West Virginia) 6-3 Buffalo 25 Gannon 16 125 - Jose Diaz (Gannon) dec Patrick Adams (Buffalo) 7-2 133 - Chase McLaughlin (Gannon) fall Tommy Maddox (Buffalo) 1:12 141 - James Ryan (Gannon) maj Jack Marlow (Buffalo) 11-2 149 - Nick Young (Gannon) dec Kaleb Burgess (Buffalo) 8-1 157 - Michael Petite (Buffalo) dec Dom Means (Gannon) 10-9 165 - Ty Raines (Buffalo) tech Robert Boley (Gannon) 28-13 174 - Jay Nivison (Buffalo) dec Cole Casilio (Gannon) 3-2TB 184 - Guiseppe Hoose (Buffalo) tech Anthony Glessner (Gannon) 27-9 197 - Eli Sheeran (Buffalo) fall Eddie Farrell (Gannon) 1:58 285 - Greg Hodulick (Buffalo) dec Ely Reese (Gannon) 4-3 Virginia 44 Queens 6 125 - Patrick McCormick (Virginia) maj Ashton Thompson (Queens) 15-3 133 - Erik Roggie (Virginia) fall Griffen Gonzales (Queens) 141 - Dylan Cedeno (Virginia) maj Melvin Rubio (Queens) 13-4 149 - Jarod Verkleeren (Virginia) tech Nico D'Amico (Queens) 19-1 157 - Denton Spencer (Virginia) tech David Makupson (Queens) 16-0 165 - Justin McCoy (Virginia) fall Caleb Moore (Queens) 174 - Justin Phillips (Virginia) maj JT Skalecki (Queens) 13-1 184 - Neil Antrassian (Virginia) tech D'Andree Hunt (Queens) 16-1 197 - Michael Battista (Virginia) tech Riley Kuhn (Queens) 22-5 285 - Jamikael Lytle (Queens) InjDef Ethan Weatherspoon (Virginia) Presbyterian 41 Truett-McConnell 0 125 - Dominic Chavez (Presbyterian) tech Brandon Navixay (Truett-McConnell) 21-6 133 - Khalid Brinkley (Presbyterian) maj Frankie Salcedo (Truett-McConnell) 12-4 141 - Jacob Brasseur (Presbyterian) tech Joshua Bledsoe (Truett-McConnell) 20-5 149 - Trenton Donahue (Presbyterian) dec Leonel Silvestre (Truett-McConnell) 5-3 157 - Michael Ramirez (Presbyterian) fall Breighton Flores (Truett-McConnell) 4:48 165 - Ty Chittum (Presbyterian) maj Spencer Fields (Truett-McConnell) 13-3 174 - Reed Douglass (Presbyterian) dec Ian James (Truett-McConnell) 9-3 184 - Cordell Duhart (Presbyterian) maj Hans Evatt (Truett-McConnell) 18-6 197 - Malcolm Wiley (Presbyterian) maj Nathan Cook (Truett-McConnell) 10-2 285 - Will Leonard (Presbyterian) dec Phillip Terrell (Truett-McConnell) 7-5SV Penn State 37 Rider 3 125 - Gary Steen (Penn State) dec Tyler Klinsky (Rider) 6-4 133 - Roman Bravo-Young (Penn State) maj Richie Koehler (Rider) 23-9 141 - Beau Bartlett (Penn State) fall McKenzie Bell (Rider) 6:08 149 - Shayne Van Ness (Penn State) dec Quinn Kinner (Rider) 11-6 157 - Terrell Barraclough (Penn State) InjDef Jake Silverstein (Rider) 165 - Alex Facundo (Penn State) maj Hunter Mays (Rider) 13-4 174 - Carter Starocci (Penn State) maj Shane Reitsma (Rider) 18-6 184 - Donovan Ball (Penn State) dec Asa Terrell (Rider) 9-3 197 - Ethan Laird (Rider) dec Max Dean (Penn State) 3-1SV 285 - Greg Kerkvliet (Penn State) maj David Szuba (Rider) 11-1

2022 CKLV Invitational semifinalist Cael Happel (photo courtesy of Sam Janicki; SJanickiPhoto.com) 125 lbs Tanner Jordan (South Dakota State) dec Caleb Smith (Appalachian State) 8-6 Richie Figueroa (Arizona State) dec Brett Ungar (Cornell) 6-2 Brandon Kaylor (Oregon State) dec Eddie Ventresca (Virginia Tech) 6-4 Matt Ramos (Purdue) dec Jake Ferri (Kent State) 6-2 133 lbs Vito Arujau (Cornell) maj Cody Phippen (Air Force) 16-4 Sam Latona (Virginia Tech) dec Chris Cannon (Northwestern) 7-2 Dylan Ragusin (Michigan) dec Chance Rich (CSU Bakersfield) 6-1 Michael McGee (Arizona State) maj Kai Orine (NC State) 18-4 141 lbs Brock Hardy (Nebraska) fall Cole Mattin (Michigan) :39 Ryan Jack (NC State) dec Cleveland Belton (Oregon State) 6-1 Cael Happel (Northern Iowa) dec Tom Crook (Virginia Tech) 7-1 Clay Carlson (South Dakota State) dec Vince Cornella (Cornell) 3-1 149 lbs Sammy Sasso (Ohio State) fall Alec Hagan (Ohio) 2:51 Yahya Thomas (Northwestern) dec Colin Realbuto (Northern Iowa) 5-2 Kyle Parco (Arizona State) dec Chance Lamer (Oregon State) 4-1 Jonathan Millner (Appalachian State) dec Jackson Arrington (NC State) 6-0 157 lbs Will Lewan (Michigan) dec Tommy Askey (Appalachian State) 8-2 Kendall Coleman (Purdue) dec Trevor Chumbley (Northwestern) 6-5 Ed Scott (NC State) dec Cael Swensen (South Dakota State) 4-0 Peyton Robb (Nebraska) tech Peyten Keller (Ohio) 15-0 165 lbs Tanner Cook (South Dakota State) fall Carson Kharchla (Ohio State) :37 Austin Yant (Northern Iowa) maj Tony Negron (Arizona State) 11-2 Josh Ogunsanya (Columbia) dec Matthew Olguin (Oregon State) 5-2 Julian Ramirez (Cornell) dec Will Formato (Appalachian State) 6-1 174 lbs Mekhi Lewis (Virginia Tech) fall Cade DeVos (South Dakota State) 1:51 Chris Foca (Cornell) dec Ethan Smith (Ohio State) 8-4 Demetrius Romero (Utah Valley) fall Phil Conigliaro (Harvard) 5:44 Mikey Labriola (Nebraska) dec Sal Perrine (Ohio) 9-2 184 lbs Parker Keckeisen (Northern Iowa) dec Anthony Montalvo (Arizona State) 5-3 Lenny Pinto (Nebraska) dec Trent Munoz (Oregon State) 5-4 Kaleb Romero (Ohio State) dec Hunter Bolen (Virginia Tech) 3-2 Trent Hidlay (NC State) dec Matt Finesilver (Michigan) 7-3 197 lbs Andy Smith (Virginia Tech) dec Tanner Sloan (South Dakota State) 5-2 Tanner Harvey (Oregon State) dec Kordell Norfleet (Arizona State) 5-2 Silas Allred (Nebraska) dec Gavin Hoffman (Ohio State) 5-2 Isaac Trumble (NC State) fall Jake Koser (Navy) 5:49 285 lbs AJ Nevills (South Dakota State) dec Cohlton Schultz (Arizona State) 5-2 Lucas Davison (Northwestern) dec Tyrell Gordon (Northern Iowa) 6-1 Wyatt Hendrickson (Air Force) maj Yaraslau Slavikouski (Harvard) 10-2 Mason Parris (Michigan) dec Owen Trephan (NC State) 8-1

All-Americans Yonger Bastida (left) and Jacob Warner at the 2021 CyHawk Dual (photos courtesy of Mark Lundy; LutteLens.com) Recently, Iowa has dominated the annual Cy-Hawk rivalry match against their in-state rivals. The Hawkeyes are favored once again this year, but Iowa State is probably closer than they have been in several seasons. The following is a match-by-match preview of the dual. Will Iowa State finally get a win or will it be 18 straight victories for Iowa? 125: Aidan Harris (Iowa) vs. No. 19 Kysen Terukina (Iowa State) The good news for Iowa is that they have the top-ranked 125-pound wrestler in the country on their roster. The bad news is that he is still on the comeback from injury and was not listed as probable for this dual. Harris has been filling in so far this season. This is his first year with the Hawkeyes after spending two years at Iowa Central, where he was an NJCAA All-American. So far this season, he has lost all four of his matches and given up bonus points twice. Terukina is in his third season as a starter for the Cyclones, and he has qualified for the last two NCAA tournaments. This season has gotten off to an interesting start. In his very first match of the year, he upset No. 9 Eric Barnett (Wisconsin) in sudden victory. However, the following week, Terukina dropped a decision against No. 32 Eli Griffin (California Baptist). Based on the early season results, Terukina will be the heavy favorite in this contest. The Cyclones would love to tack on some bonus points here as well. However, Terukina has only been able to win with bonus against three Division I opponents in his career. While Harris was listed, don't totally rule out a return by Spencer Lee. If the dual is close and 125 ends up being one of the final weights, I could see Lee making his season debut. Prediction: For the full article, Subscribe to InterMat's Rokfin Page

The 2022 NCAA Championships (photos courtesy of Sam Janicki; SJanickiPhoto.com) 125 lbs Tanner Jordan (South Dakota State) vs. Caleb Smith (Appalachian State) Richie Figueroa (Arizona State) vs. Brett Ungar (Cornell) Brandon Kaylor (Oregon State) vs. Eddie Ventresca (Virginia Tech) Jake Ferri (Kent State) vs. Matt Ramos (Purdue) 133 lbs Vito Arujau (Cornell) vs. Cody Phippen (Air Force) Sam Latona (Virginia Tech) vs. Chris Cannon (Northwestern) Dylan Ragusin (Michigan) vs. Chance Rich (CSU Bakersfield) Kai Orine (NC State) vs. Michael McGee (Arizona State) 141 lbs Cole Mattin (Michigan) vs. Brock Hardy (Nebraska) Cleveland Belton (Oregon State) vs. Ryan Jack (NC State) Tom Crook (Virginia Tech) vs. Cael Happel (Northern Iowa) Vince Cornella (Cornell) vs. Clay Carlson (South Dakota State) 149 lbs Sammy Sasso (Ohio State) vs. Alec Hagan (Ohio) Colin Realbuto (Northern Iowa) vs. Yahya Thomas (Northwestern) Kyle Parco (Arizona State) vs. Chance Lamer (Michigan) Jackson Arrington (NC State) vs. Jonathan Millner (Appalachian State) 157 lbs Will Lewan (Michigan) vs. Tommy Askey (Appalachian State) Trevor Chumbley (Northwestern) vs. Kendall Coleman (Purdue) Ed Scott (NC State) vs. Cael Swensen (South Dakota State) Peyten Keller (Ohio) vs. Peyton Robb (Nebraska) 165 lbs Carson Kharchla (Ohio State) vs. Tanner Cook (South Dakota State) Tony Negron (Arizona State) vs. Austin Yant (Northern Iowa) Josh Ogunsanya (Columbia) vs. Matthew Olguin (Oregon State) Will Formato (Appalachian State) vs. Julian Ramirez (Cornell) 174 lbs Mekhi Lewis (Virginia Tech) vs. Cade DeVos (South Dakota State) Chris Foca (Cornell) vs. Ethan Smith (Ohio State) Demetrius Romero (Utah Valley) vs. Phil Conigliaro (Harvard) Sal Perrine (Ohio) vs. Mikey Labriola (Nebraska) 184 lbs Parker Keckeisen (Northern Iowa) vs. Anthony Montalvo (Arizona State) Lenny Pinto (Nebraska) vs. Trent Munoz (Oregon State) Kaleb Romero (Ohio State) vs. Hunter Bolen (Virginia Tech) Matt Finesilver (Michigan) vs. Trent Hidlay (NC State) 197 lbs Tanner Sloan (South Dakota State) vs. Andy Smith (Virginia Tech) Tanner Harvey (Oregon State) vs. Kordell Norfleet (Arizona State) Gavin Hoffman (Ohio State) vs. Silas Allred (Nebraska) Jake Koser (Navy) vs. Isaac Trumble (NC State) 285 lbs Cohlton Schultz (Arizona State) vs. AJ Nevills (South Dakota State) Tyrell Gordon (Northern Iowa) vs. Lucas Davison (Northwestern) Yaraslau Slavikouski (Harvard) vs. Wyatt Hendrickson (Air Force) Owen Trephan (NC State) vs. Mason Parris (Michigan)

#3 ranked 184 lber Trent Hidlay (photos courtesy of Sam Janicki; SJanickiPhoto.com) Duke: The Blue Devils head a couple hours north to face Franklin & Marshall and VMI in Lexington, VA on Sunday. #21 Jonah Neisenbaum will look to add to his 9-1 start with matches against Josh Evans (VMI) and Franklin & Marshall. North Carolina: The Tar Heels are off this week and will return to action on 12/15 against Appalachian State. North Carolina State: The Wolfpack shift to tournament mode as they head to Vegas for the CKLV. They send a full lineup with one minor change from what we have seen in duals thus far. Alex Faison will get the nod at 174 as they continue to determine the starter for the weight. #29 Jarrett Trombley--9 Seed at 125 #24 Kai Orine--11 seed at 133 #14 Ryan Jack--4 seed at 141 #22 Jackson Arrington--7 seed at 149 #9 Ed Scott--4 seed at 157 Donald Cates--165 Alex Faison--174 #3 Trent Hidlay--2 seed at 184 #14 Isaac Trumble--2 seed at 197 #19 Owen Trephan--10 seed at 285 Check out Earl's article for a full CKLV preview #21 Pittsburgh: The Panthers travel to Illinois for a Saturday showdown with the #27 Illini. There will be a few big matches between ranked wrestlers and several toss-up matches of pretty evenly paired wrestlers. This has the potential to be a very entertaining dual. Big matches to keep an eye on: 125: Colton Camacho v #24 Justin Cardani 133: #11 Micky Phillippi v #6 Lucas Byrd 165: #14 Holden Heller v #19 Danny Braunagel 174: #33 Luca Augustine v #10 Edmond Ruth 197: #8 Nino Bonaccorsi v #15 Zac Braunagel Virginia: The Hoos travel to North Carolina for a pair of duals against Queens and Campbell. UVA is heavily favored over Queens, a program making their transition into D1 competition. The dual against Campbell last year was excellent, and I expect another good one in Buies Creek. Looking through the lineups, there should be some fun matchups in this one. 133: Erik Roggie v #28 Gabe Hixenbaugh 141: Dylan Cedeno v Shannon Hanna 149: #29 Jarod Verkleeren v Callum Sitek 157: #26 Jake Keating v #33 Troy Nation 165: #9 Justin McCoy v Riley Augustine 184: #30 Neil Antrassian v #18 Caleb Hopkins 285: Gabe Christenson v #13 Taye Ghadiali Virginia Tech: The Hokies will also head west to compete in the CKLV. Virginia Tech will have a limited roster for the CKLV, but will have some heavy hitters in the lineup. Here are the Hokies making the trip: #16 Eddie Ventresca--5 seed at 125 #9 Sam Latona--5 seed at 133 #13 Tom Crook--3 seed at 141 Drew Nicholson--165 #2 Mekhi Lewis--1 seed at 174 #9 Hunter Bolen--6 seed at 184 #32 Andy Smith--9 seed at197 Check out Earl's article for a full CKLV preview

Arizona State 125 lber Richie Figueroa (photo courtesy of Sam Janicki; SJanickiPhoto.com) Welcome all to Jagger Bag 1000 here at Intermat. What's that? It's only like my 45th? Oh. My bad. I had a whole speech ready and everything. Forget it, there's a lot going on so I'll get right to the questions. Is there a better event this weekend than the Garden State Grapple at the Prudential Center in Newark, NJ? Representing the Big Ten are Rutgers, Wisconsin, Michigan State, and Indiana. EIWA reps include Binghamton, Drexel, Penn, and Princeton. Mike Abromitis Gee, I don't know. There's some tough competition this weekend. The CKLV is the first major tournament of the year and sets the tone for the next few months. The good news for fans is that they aren't on the same day, so it's not a problem. Now the annual CYHawk dual on Sunday is a bit of an issue. But one dual first, multiple good duals at one location? I‘ll have to side with The Grapple on that one and catch up on Cyhawk later. I think the GSG is a great event and I love that they hold it in North Jersey. We have plenty of fans up here and the closest we can go to see matches are to travel to South Jersey. Something no self-respecting North Jerseyan ever wants to do unless it's out of necessity. Best place for a post-match meal in Newark? Kevin McGuigan I'm no expert on the fine dining of Newark, but...they are quite known for their Rodizio restaurants that are near the Prudential Center, so I'd recommend looking into that. Get your Ironbound Section on while enjoying various meats and some pineapple. You can thank me later. Who will be the breakout star from the CKLV? Jim Dutrow Vince Cornella of House Cornell at 141. The murkiest weight class will get even murkier when the Corndog rips it up in Vegas. Also, keep an eye on Richie Figueroa at 125. Figs might be the best wrestler in college who doesn't have a starting spot. Or maybe he is the starter, we simply have no idea what's going on with Courtney. How's the new pup? Please include a new picture. 184 at Cliff Keen who do you like for the win? Lana Mockler Rowley Sylvie is doing well! She seems to have made herself comfortable quickly, but we need to work on the chewing of wires! Thanks for asking! I'll tell you what, I'll tweet out a pic when this mailbag comes out. It's a little tough to go against a Hidlay-Keckeisen final, but I'll go out on a limb and pick Matt FInesilver simply because he hasn't been mentioned here today and it's in my contract to do so. Should Russian wrestlers be allowed to compete internationally again? Eric Asselin Of course, they should be allowed. And the sooner the better. The world is a messed up place and unfortunately, these things sometimes get caught up in the mess. I just hope these guys aren't getting thrown into uniform right now to fight a war that they likely don't give a hoot about. CKLV, Scuffle, or Midlands. Which one would you want to go to? Mat Jerms Podcast Cliff Keen without hesitation. It's the best location. One of these years the Las Vegas Raiders will be good and I'll make my way out there for the tournament and a game. Hopefully to see them mollywhop the Chiefs for a perfect weekend. Who loses first amongst the PSU big four? Dean, RBY, Starocci, or Brooks? Bonus question, did you miss me? Jkos11 Of course, I missed you! Why do you think I can barely do this column every week now? It's very depressing without you here. As far as your real question goes, that's a tough one. We may not know the answer until March, if there's an answer at all. I feel that Roman and Brooks have the toughest weights, but they've proven in the last two years that it doesn't really matter and they're virtually unbeatable at this point. You can pretty much say the same for Carter Starocci after his second win over Mekhi Lewis. By default, I have to say Max Dean. Simply because it's the deepest weight class of the four in my opinion. We just saw Rocky Elam dismantle Warner, Yonger Bastida continues to improve, and Louie Deprez and Braxton Amos, both now have a year of adjustment to the class after coming up and coming down, respectively. I realize Amos didn't wrestle heavyweight, but everyone knows it was a tough cut last year. What does the Spotify Wrapped look like? Jagcast coming soon? CEO of Italians Back in my day, we didn't care about how many minutes of music or what songs we listened to the most. You kids these days are just too weird for me. I don't see any podcasts coming any time soon. I'm better off as a guest and I don't even want to do that. Pulp or no pulp in your Orange Juice? Tsabolov Brands In this house, we eat the orange. But when in liquid form, I do prefer no pulp. Should Rhino have to use a roster spot for Gable? The Big Sleezy Yes, the DLMT fantasy league is still doing their draft a month into the season. As commish of the league, I've read the portents and the portents state that he's allowed to be rostered in a designated, non-roster spot along with any other wrestler with eligibility who is not on a current roster. Some guys like to tease that they're coming back after the sacred tradition of leaving shoes on the mat, other guys take gap years, and some are currently selling socks in Florida. The fact is, they all have eligibility left and should be able to be reserved in fantasy without penalty. Worse owner: Daniel Snyder or Rhino in the DLMT dynasty fantasy league? Rhino You may be a lot of things. Internet troll. Vague tweeter of sporting events. Doctor who I would never let operate on me. Patriots fan. Fosterer of dogs. Shrinker of the sport of wrestling. Meme God. But worse owner than one of the worst humans on the face of the Earth? Don't be so down on yourself. Jagger, how did you get so damn good-looking?Johnstown Steel It's all about the hair. If you got it, flaunt it. Huge weekend coming up! Forget about the Christmas lights. They can wait. Check the viewer guide for streams and watch some wrestling. Jags out.

Two-time All-American Stephen Buchanan (photo courtesy of Tony Rotundo; WrestlersAreWarriors.com) Two days ago, the #2 ranked 197 lber, Stephen Buchanan, put his name into the transfer portal. Today, he announced via social media his intention to transfer from Wyoming to Oklahoma. Buchanan has earned All-American honors twice during his three years competing for the Cowboys. In 2021-22, Buchanan went 28-3 and captured his first Big 12 championship, on his way to a third-place finish in Detroit. Earlier in the season, Buchanan became the first Wyoming wrestler to win the Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational since Shane Onufer and Joe LeBlanc did so in 2011. That led to a second seed for Buchanan at the 2022 national tournament. In 2021-22, Buchanan was a conference runner-up before finishing eighth in the nation. Buchanan has not competed at all during the 2022-23 campaign and does have a redshirt year available. He competed right out of the gate for Wyoming in 2019-20. Should he choose to use them, Buchanan could have two additional years of eligibility, as well. Oklahoma currently has #26, Keegan Moore, at 197 lbs. Moore is in his last year of eligibility. Buchanan will join a familiar face in Norman as former Wyoming assistant coach Teyon Ware returned to his alma mater in the offseason and has assumed a role on the Sooner sidelines.

Lock Haven 174 lber Tyler Stoltzfus (photo courtesy of Sam Janicki; SJanickiPhoto.com) Maybe it's fitting that one of the slowest weeks in competition for the season occurred during the week of the most gluttonous holidays. Most of it, a snoozefest. Either by the lack of usual duals and tournaments, or because of the tryptophan. Maybe both. That doesn't mean it didn't have its moments. Penn at Iowa lived up to the billing (to me at least), and some fantasy wrestlers made some strides up the leaderboards. Unless you picked up in the transfer portal correctly, chances are your Week 4 scoreboard looked something like mine: a win, 6 Fpts to 3 (take THAT, JR Hewitt!). But there were a few standout stars on the tournament circuit. 174 Tyler Stoltzfus of Lock Haven went with four straight pins to get the high weekly score of 24 Fpts. Followed by his teammate (and probably practice-partner) 165 Avery Bassett, who himself had three pins for 18 Fpts. Tied for second, with three pins of his own (and a win by MFF), was 184 James Lledo (PITT) and Cornell's 149 JJ Wilson was one point shy with 17 Fpts in five matches. In the overall Fantasy Wrestler Standings, 285 Mason Parris (MICH) added a pin to bring his season total to 41 Fpts, but slipped from #1 to #4 thanks to some tourney performances by 149 John Millner (APP) and 157 Peyten Keller (OHIO), both with 45 Fpts but Millner having the better Points-Per-Match of 4.5 to 3.5, respectively. Army's 125 Ethen “the C is Silent” Berginc had 5 matches in Week 3 (18 Fpts) which helped him keep the #3 spot, despite not wrestling in Week 4. On to Week 5 It's Vegas week, which means for another year I get to post a favorite song of mine (with the star of the show, direct from the bar - Dean Martin). Of last year's Top-20 Teams, 18 will be in competitions this week as well as 73 of the 80 D1 teams. Most teams will be at CKLV (10 of last season's Top-20 teams and 33 of the D1 teams). Cliff Keen Las Vegas has become one of the top tournaments during the regular season, even if some teams decide to Triple-S (Strategically Sit for Seeding) or because of injury or because, who the hell knows why. Outside of CKLV, a couple other tournaments to keep an eye on include the Cougar Clash and Patriot Open. Both these tournaments should have a good number of D1 schools participating to allow for a good Fantasy scoring opportunity. Other than the typical duals, The Garden State Grapple (EIWA/Big Ten Challenge) will be throwing down in Taylor Ham country, which will give those selected teams two duals on the day. See all upcoming tournaments HERE on WrestleStat. Tournament entries continue to update the closer to registration cut-off/day of the event, and we don't want to make an "ass out of u and me" with teams and entries, so be sure to check back and turn those notifications "ON" for our updates and news. A reminder of some important rules: Wrestlers entered at a weight must compete at that weight or else their results will not be counted. Wrestlers in the "Floater" spots can compete at ANY weight and accumulate Fantasy points. A wrestler will LOCK on your roster at 12pm ET on the day of their first competition for the week. (refer to the Master Team Schedule, Week 2 Visual, or SHP's Weekly Preview) Only results against D1 competition (starters, backups, and redshirts) will count towards Fantasy Points. Check your league settings to know how many add/drops are permitted per week. Have a question, concern, suggestions, or just want to chat about Fantasy Wrestling? Hit us up on Twitter or head over to the InterMat Forums where we have a Fantasy Wrestling dedicated Forum page! Be sure to listen to the #FCWpodcast as well for other hidden nuggets and detailed discussion on these wrestlers (and deeper, riskier picks) to help you win the week! Wrestlers I Like This Week Wrestler (School)- competition for the week [Proj Score] *organized by tournament name first, then by school name* 125 Richie Figueroa (ASU)- CKLV Michael DeAugustino (NW)- CKLV Brandon Kaylor (ORST)- CKLV Matt Ramos (PUR)- CKLV Anthony Noto (LHU)- Vs Davidson [+5], Patriot Open Pat Glory (PRIN)- Garden State Grapple (WISC & MSU) [+7] Dylan Shawver/Dean Perterson (RUT)- Garden State Grapple (PENN & DREX) [+7] Kysen Terukina (ISU)- @ Iowa [+5] Noah Surtin (MIZZ)- Vs West Virginia [+5] Ethan Berginc (ARMY)- @ American [+3] Carter Bailey (LEH)- Vs Penn State [+3] 133 Michael McGee (ASU)- CKLV Vito Arujau (COR)- CKLV Roman Bravo-Young (PSU)- @ Rider, @ Lehigh [+9] Lucas Byrd (ILL)- Vs Pittsburgh, Vs Chattanooga [+7] Henry Porter (IND)- Garden State Grapple (BING & DREX) [+7] Rayvon Foley (MSU)- Garden State Grapple (BING & PRIN) [+7] Cole Rhone (BU)- Patriot Duals [+6] Michael Colaiocco (PENN)- Garden State Grapple (RUT & WISC) [+6] Daton Fix (OKST)- Vs Minnesota [+4] Connor Brown (MIZZ)- Vs West Virginia [+3] 141 Vince Cornella (COR)- CKLV Brock Hardy (NEB)- CKLV Ryan Jack (NCST)- CKLV Zach Price (GWU)- Patriot Duals [+7] , Patriot Open Sammy Alvarez (RUT)- Garden State Grapple (PENN & DREX) [+8] Beau Bartlett (PSU)- @ Rider, @ Lehigh [+7] Joseph Zargo (WISC)- Garden State Grapple (PENN & PRIN) [+6] Julian Sanchez (ARMY)- @ American [+3] Jake Bergeland (MINN)- @ Oklahoma State [+3] Cole Matthews (PITT)- @ Illinois [+3] 149 John Millner (APP)- CKLV Kyle Parco (ASU)- CKLV Sammy Sasso (OHST)- CKLV James Latona (NAVY)- Patriot Open Jarrod Verkleeren (UVA)- @ Queens , @ Campbell [+9] Austin Gomez (WISC)- Garden State Grapple (PENN & PRIN) [+7] Graham Rooks (IND)- Garden State Grapple (BING & DREX) [+6] Brock Mauller (MIZZ)- Vs West Virginia [+4] 157 Will Lewan (MICH)- CKLV Peyton Robb (NEB)- CKLV Ed Scott (NCST)- CKLV Paddy Gallagher (OHST)- CKLV Clayton Ulrey (VT)- Patriot Open Peter Pappas (GMU)- Patriot Duals [+6] , Patriot Open Ashton Eyler (LHU)- Vs Davidson [+3], Patriot Open Quincy Monday (PRIN)- Garden State Grapple (WISC & MSU) [+7] Anthony Artalona (PENN)- Garden State Grapple (RUT & WISC) [+6] Nathan Lukez (ARMY)- @ American [+3] Josh Humphreys (LEH)- Vs Penn State [+3] Brayton Lee (MINN)- @ Oklahoma State [+3] Jarrett Jacques (MIZZ)- Vs West Virginia [+3] Dazjon Casto (PITT)- @ Illinois [+3] 165 Julian Ramirez (COR)- CKLV Carson Kharchla (OHST)- CKLV Roderick Mosley (GWU)- Patriot Duals [+7] , Patriot Open Avery Bassett (LHU)- Vs Davidson [+4], Patriot Open Justin McCoy (UVA)- @ Queens, @ Campbell [+10] Dean Hamiti (WISC)- Garden State Grapple (PENN & PRIN) [+9] Evan Barczak (DREX)- Garden State Grapple (IND & RUT) [+8] Caleb Fish (MSU)- Garden State Grapple (BING & PRIN) [+8] Dalton Harkins (ARMY)- @ American [+3] Keegan O'Toole (MIZZ)- Vs West Virginia [+3] 174 Michael Labriola (NEB)- CKLV Mekhi Lewis (VT)- CKLV Logan Messer (GMU)- Patriot Duals [+8] , Patriot Open Tyler Stoltzfus (LHU)- Vs Davidson [+4], Patriot Open Carter Starocci (PSU)- @ Rider, @ Lehigh [+9] Donnell Washington (IND)- Garden State Grapple (BING & DREX) [+7] Edmond Ruth (ILL)- Vs Chattanooga , Vs Pittsburgh [+6] Nick Incontrera (PENN)- Garden State Grapple (RUT & WISC) [+6] Ben Pasuik (ARMY)- @ American [+3] Peyton Mocco (MIZZ)- Vs West Virginia [+3] Dustin Plott (OKST)- Vs Minnesota [+3] 184 Trent Hidlay (NEB)- CKLV Parker Keckeisen (UNI)- CKLV Kaleb Romero (OHST)- CKLV Trey Munoz (ORST)- CKLV Malachi Duvall (GMU)- Patriot Duals [+7] , Patriot Open Sam Fisher (VT)- Patriot Open Brian Soldano (RUT)- Garden State Grapple (PENN & DREX) [+10] Aaron Brooks (PSU)- @ Rider, @ Lehigh [+8] Layne Malczewski (MSU)- Garden State Grapple (BING & PRIN) [+7] Sahm AbdulRazzaq (ARMY)- @ American [+3] Sean Harman/Colton Hawks (MIZZ)- Vs West Virginia [+3] Reece Heller (PITT)- @ Illinois [+3] 197 Issac Trumble (NCST)- CKLV Tanner Sloan (SDSU)- CKLV Max Dean (PSU)- @ Rider, @ Lehigh [+6] Lou DePrez (BING)- Garden State Grapple (MSU & IND) [+7] Tyler Mousaw (VMI)- Vs Duke, Vs Franklin & Marshall [+7] Rocky Elam (MIZZ)- Vs West Virginia [+4] Nino Bonaccorsi (PITT)- @ Illinois [+3] 285 Cohlton Schultz (ASU)- CKLV Mason Parris (MICH)- CKLV Yaraslau Slavilouski (HARV)- CKLV Triston Norris (APP)- Patriot Open Issac Reid (LHU)- Vs Davidson [+4], Patriot Open Greg Kerkvliet (PSU)- @ Rider, @ Lehigh [+9] Joshua Neisenbaum (DUKE)- Vs Franklin & Marshall, @ VMI [+6] Trent Hillger (WISC)- Garden State Grapple (PENN & PRIN) [+6] Taye Ghadiali (CAMP)- Vs Virginia [+4] Anthony Cassioppi (IOWA)- Vs Iowa State [+4] Zach Elam (MIZZ)- Vs West Virginia [+3]

From left: Dylan Ragusin, Vito Arujau, and Michael McGee (photos courtesy of Tony Rotundo; WrestlersAreWarriors.com) One of the major landmarks of the collegiate wrestling season is the Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational which is normally held during the first weekend in December. There's about a month of action underway before the tournament so we typically have a feel for who's who at each weight. Vegas is a large, individually bracketed tournament that features plenty of top teams, so it provides even more clarity once the smoke clears on Saturday evening. The 2022 CKLV is expected to include one of the top-ranked wrestlers at his respective weight and nine of the top 20 tournament teams in the nation. Below is a weight-by-weight preview of the action along with picks for the semifinals and finals at all ten weights, along with a final team race projection. 125 Ranked Wrestlers: #3 Michael DeAugustino (Northwestern), #8 Matt Ramos (Purdue), #10 Brandon Kaylor (Oregon State), #11 Malik Heinselman (Ohio State), #16 Eddie Ventresca (Virginia Tech), #22 Jake Ferri (Kent State), #23 Caleb Smith (Appalachian State), #27 Liam Cronin (Nebraska), #29 Jarrett Trombley (NC State), #31 Kase Mauger (Utah Valley), #33 Kurt McHenry (Michigan) Others: Richie Figueroa (Arizona State) Action gets underway with the 125 lb weight class that features a pair of returning All-Americans, three top-ten wrestlers and a third of the top 33. A 2019 third-place CKLV finisher, Michael DeAugustino will look to claim his first tournament title here and starts as the top seed. A pair of Big Ten foes should be in the mix, as well with Matt Ramos and Malik Heinselman. Both have finished eighth in this tournament at one time or another. Ramos last year at 133 lbs and Heinselman in 2019. Heinselman and DeAugustino could square off in the semifinals. This is a series that the Wildcat has dominated taking two wins from Heinselman, though the Buckeye did earn a win while DeAugustino was a redshirting freshman. The other half of the bracket features Ramos and 2021 CKLV third-place finisher Brandon Kaylor. A win over Heinselman at last year's tournament was the spark for a breakout performance from Kaylor. Going deeper into the bracket, Kurt McHenry comes in at #11 in the preseeds, but has looked well in the early going. He's getting his first extended opportunity to start for the Wolverines and is responding well. This tournament could see him make a significant jump. Don't be surprised if unseeded Richie Figueroa shakes up this entire bracket. He has been impressive filling in for 2021 NCAA finalist Brandon Courtney. Figueroa already has three wins over top-20 opponents this year. Semifinal Projection: For the full article, Subscribe to InterMat's Rokfin Page

The 2022 NCAA Championships (photos courtesy of Sam Janicki; SJanickiPhoto.com) We're back!!! After the light Thanksgiving holiday weekend, we're back into a normal routine with some great duals and tournaments. 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 weekend. Below are the dates/times and how to watch each match (with links). All times are eastern Wednesday, November 30: Belmont Abbey at Queens - 7:00 PM Queens Sports Network YouTube Thursday, December 1: Davidson at Lock Haven - 7:00 PM PSAC Sports Digital Network Augustana at Minnesota - 8:00 PM B1G+ Friday, December 2: Air Force, Appalachian State, Arizona State, Bucknell, Cal Poly, California Baptist, Clarion, Columbia, Cornell, CSU Bakersfield, Edinboro, Harvard, Hofstra, Kent State, LIU, Michigan, Navy, NC State, Nebraska, Northern Iowa, Northwestern, Ohio, Ohio State, Oregon State, Purdue, Sacred Heart, South Dakota State, The Citadel, Utah Valley, Virginia Tech, Wyoming at Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational - 12:00 PM FloWrestling Bloomsburg at George Mason - 4:00 PM ESPN+ Bloomsburg vs. Gardner-Webb at George Mason - 5:30 PM West Virginia at Missouri - 6:30 PM FloWrestling Gannon at Buffalo - 7:00 PM ESPN+ Gardner-Webb at George Mason - 7:00 PM ESPN+ Virginia at Queens - 7:00 PM ESPN+ Presbyterian at Truett McConnell - 7:00 PM Penn State vs. Rider at Trenton, NJ, - 7:30 PM FloWrestling Saturday, December 3: Lindenwood at Drury Open - 10:00 AM Air Force, Appalachian State, Arizona State, Bucknell, Cal Poly, California Baptist, Clarion, Columbia, Cornell, CSU Bakersfield, Edinboro, Harvard, Hofstra, Kent State, LIU, Michigan, Navy, NC State, Nebraska, Northern Iowa, Northwestern, Ohio, Ohio State, Oregon State, Purdue, Sacred Heart, South Dakota State, The Citadel, Utah Valley, Virginia Tech, Wyoming at Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational - 12:00 PM FloWrestling Army West Point at American - 1:00 PM ESPN+ Chattanooga at Illinois - 2:00 PM B1G+ Pittsburgh at Illinois - 4:00 PM B1G+ Sunday, December 4: Davidson, George Mason, Lock Haven at ARMS Software Patriot Open, hosted by George Mason - 10:00 AM FloWrestling Cleveland State at Storm Open, hosted by Lake Erie - 10:00 AM Lindenwood, Little Rock, Northern Colorado, Northern Illinois, SIU Edwardsville at Cougar Clash - 11:00 AM Franklin & Marshall at VMI - 11:00 AM ESPN+ Duke vs. Franklin & Marshall at VMI - 1:00 PM Penn State at Lehigh - 2:00 PM FloWrestling Iowa State at Iowa - 2:30 PM Big Ten Network (TV) Minnesota at Oklahoma State - 3:00 PM ESPN+ Duke at VMI - 3:00 PM ESPN+ Virginia at Campbell - 4:00 PM ESPN+ Mount Olive at Presbyterian - 4:00 PM ESPN+ Garden State Grapple Binghamton vs. Michigan State - 2:00 PM B1G+ Drexel vs. Indiana - 2:00 PM B1G+ Penn vs. Rutgers - 2:00 PM B1G+ Princeton vs. Wisconsin - 2:00 PM B1G+ Binghamton vs. Indiana - 4:00 PM B1G+ Drexel vs. Rutgers - 4:00 PM B1G+ Michigan State vs. Princeton - 4:00 PM B1G+ Penn vs. Wisconsin - 4:00 PM B1G+

3x CKLV champion Kollin Moore (photo courtesy of Tony Rotundo; WrestlersAreWarriors.com) It's Vegas Week! That means the Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational is on the horizon and will get underway Friday. The CKLV typically has one of the strongest fields and this year is no exception. Later in the week we'll have an actual preview of the action, but before then, let's take a look back at some history at the event. We've gone back to 2010 to find out who had the most champions, placewinner, and other vital information. Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational Champions (2010-21) Ohio State (19) - Kaleb Romero (184 - 2021), Luke Pletcher (141 - 2019, 133 - 2017), Kollin Moore (197 - 2019, 197 - 2018, 197 - 2017), Joey McKenna (141 - 2018), Myles Martin (184 - 2018, 184 - 2017), Nathan Tomasello (133 - 2016, 125 - 2015), Micah Jordan (149 - 2016, 141 - 2015), Logan Stieber (141 - 2014, 141 - 2013, 133 - 2012, 133 - 2011), Johnni DiJulius (133 - 2013), Hunter Stieber (141 - 2012) Cornell (16) - Yianni Diakomihalis (149 - 2021, 141 - 2017), Chaz Tucker (133 - 2019), Gabe Dean (184 - 2016, 184 - 2015, 184 - 2013), Nahshon Garrett (133 - 2015, 125 - 2014, 125 - 2013), Brian Realbuto (174 - 2015), Chris Villalonga (149 - 2014), Kyle Dake (165 - 2012, 157 - 2011), Mack Lewnes (174 - 2010), Steve Bosak (184 - 2010), Cam Simaz (197 - 2010) Michigan (9) - Dylan Ragusin (133 - 2021), Mason Parris (285 - 2019), Myles Amine (174 - 2018), Alec Pantaleo (157 - 2017), Adam Coon (285 - 2017, 285 - 2013), Logan Massa (165 - 2016), Eric Grajales (149 - 2011), Kellen Russell (141 - 2010) Nebraska (7) - Mikey Labriola (174 - 2021), Isaiah White (165 - 2019, 165 - 2018), Robert Kokesh (174 - 2014, 174 - 2012), James Green (157 - 2013), Josh Ihnen (184 - 2012) Minnesota (6) - Brayton Lee (149 - 2019), Gable Steveson (285 - 2018), Jake Short (157 - 2016), Brett Pfarr (197 - 2016), Chris Dardanes (133 - 2014), Dylan Ness (157 - 2014) Arizona State (5) - Zahid Valencia (184 - 2019, 174 - 2017, 174 - 2016), Blake Stauffer (184 - 2014), Anthony Robles (2010 - 125) Boise State (4) - Jason Chamberlain (149 - 2012, 149 - 2010), Andrew Hochstrasser (2010 - 133), Adam Hall (2010 - 157) Missouri (4) - Lavion Mayes (149 - 2015), J'den Cox (197 - 2015), Alan Waters (125 - 2012), Dom Bradley (285 - 2012) Northwestern (4) - Ryan Deakin (157 - 2021, 157 - 2019, 157 - 2018), Sebastian Rivera (125 - 2018) Oklahoma (4) - Kendric Maple (149 - 2013), Andrew Howe (174 - 2013), Travis Rutt (197 - 2013), Nathan Fernandez (285 - 2010) Oregon State (4) - Gary Traub (285 - 2021), RJ Pena (157 - 2012), Michael Mangrum (141 - 2011), Clayton Jack (285 - 2011) Kent State (3) - Ian Miller (157 - 2015), Dustin Kilgore (197 - 2012), Nic Bedelyon (125 - 2011) Virginia (3) - Jack Mueller (125 - 2019), Nick Sulzer (165 - 2014, 165 - 2013) Virginia Tech (3) - David McFadden (165 - 2017), Joey Dance (125 - 2016), Ty Walz (285 - 2015) Wisconsin (3) - Connor Medbery (285 - 2016), Isaac Jordan (165 - 2015), Andrew Howe (165 - 2010) Wyoming (3) - Stephen Buchanan (197 - 2021), Shane Onufer (165 - 2011), Joe LeBlanc (184 - 2011) Cal Poly (2) - Evan Wick (165 - 2021), Ryan DesRoches (174 - 2011) Rutgers (2) - Nick Suriano (125 - 2018), Anthony Ashnault (149 - 2018) Central Michigan (1) - Justin Oliver (149 - 2017) Edinboro (1) - Chris Honeycutt (197 - 2011) Iowa State (1) - Kyven Gadson (197 - 2014) NC State (1) - Nick Gwiazdowski (285 - 2014) Princeton (1) - Patrick Glory (125 - 2021) Purdue (1) - Dylan Lydy (174 - 2019 South Dakota State (1) - Clay Carlson (141 - 2021) Stanford (1) - Joey McKenna (141 - 2016) Utah Valley (1) - Taylor LaMont (125 - 2017) Multiple-Time Champions (competing between 2010-21) 4x Champions: Logan Stieber - Ohio State (2011-14) 3x Champions: Ryan Deakin - Northwestern (2018-19, 2021), Kollin Moore - Ohio State (2017-2019), Zahid Valencia - Arizona State (2016-17, 2019), Gabe Dean - Cornell (2013, 2015-16), Nahshon Garrett (2013-15), Andrew Howe - Wisconsin/Oklahoma (2009-10, 2013), Mack Lewnes - Cornell (2008-10) 2x Champions: Yianni Diakomihalis - Cornell (2017, 2021), Isaiah White - Nebraska (2018-19), Luke Pletcher - Ohio State (2017, 2019), Adam Coon - Michigan (2013, 2017), Joey McKenna - Ohio State/Stanford (2016, 2018), Myles Martin - Ohio State (2017-18), Nathan Tomasello (2015-16), Micah Jordan - Ohio State (2015-16), Nick Sulzer - Virginia (2013-14), Robert Kokesh (2012, 2014), Kyle Dake - Cornell (2011-12), Jason Chamberlain - Boise State (2010, 2012) CKLV and NCAA Title in Same Season (2010 - 2021) 2021-22: Yianni Diakomihalis - Cornell (149), Ryan Deakin - Northwestern (157) 2018-19: Nick Suriano - Rutgers (133), Anthony Ashnault - Rutgers (149) 2017-18: Yianni Diakomihalis - Cornell (141), Zahid Valencia - Arizona State (174) 2015-16: Nahshon Garrett - Cornell (133), Gabe Dean - Cornell (184), J'den Cox - Missouri (197) 2014-15: Logan Stieber - Ohio State (141), Kyven Gadson - Iowa State (197), Nick Gwiazdowski - NC State (285) 2013-14: Logan Stieber - Ohio State (141) 2012-13: Logan Stieber - Ohio State (133), Kyle Dake - Cornell (165) 2011-12: Logan Stieber - Ohio State (133), Kyle Dake - Cornell (157) 2010-11: Anthony Robles - Arizona State (125), Kellen Russell - Michigan (141) Freshmen in the Top-3 2021: Haiden Drury (Utah Valley; 133/3rd); Carson Kharchla (Ohio State; 165/3rd) 2019: Michael DeAugustino (Northwestern; 125/3rd), Ridge Lovett (Nebraska; 133/3rd), Brayton Lee (Minnesota; 149/1st), Sammy Sasso (Ohio State; 149/2nd), David Carr (Iowa State; 157/3rd), Trent Hidlay (NC State; 184/2nd) 2018: Micky Phillippi (Pittsburgh; 133/2nd), Austin O'Connor (North Carolina; 149/3rd), Mekhi Lewis (Virginia Tech; 165/3rd), Gable Steveson (Minnesota; 285/1st), Tate Orndorff (Utah Valley; 285/2nd), Zach Elam (Missouri; 285/3rd) 2017: Taylor LaMont (Utah Valley; 125/1st), Yianni Diakomihalis (Cornell; 141/1st), Evan Wick (Wisconsin; 165/2nd), Taylor Venz (Nebraska; 184/3rd) 2016: Jose Rodriguez (Ohio State; 125/2nd), Stevan Micic (Michigan; 133/2nd), Cole Martin (Wisconsin; 141/3rd), Logan Massa (Michigan; 165/1st), Zahid Valencia (Arizona State; 174/2nd), Myles Amine (Michigan; 174/3rd), Kollin Moore (Ohio State; 197/3rd) 2015: Micah Jordan (Ohio State; 141/1st), Tommy Thorn (Minnesota; 141/3rd), Daniel Lewis (Missouri; 165/3rd), Zack Zavatsky (Virginia Tech; 184/3rd) 2014: Nathan Tomasello (Ohio State; 125/3rd), Alec Pantaleo (Michigan; 149/2nd), Kyle Snyder (Ohio State; 197/3rd) 2013: Brian Realbuto (Cornell; 157/2nd), Gabe Dean (Cornell; 184/1st), TJ Dudley (Nebraska; 184/2nd), Adam Coon (Michigan; 285/1st) 2012: Nahshon Garrett (Cornell; 125/2nd), Josh Martinez (Air Force; 125/3rd), Devon Lotito (Cal Poly; 133/3rd), Blake Stauffer (Arizona State; 174/3rd) 2011: Logan Stieber (Ohio State; 133/1st), AJ Schopp (Edinboro; 133/2nd), Hunter Stieber (Ohio State; 141/2nd), David Habat (Edinboro; 149/3rd); James Green (Nebraska; 157/3rd), Robert Kokesh (Nebraska; 165/3rd) Finalists by School 28 - Ohio State 22 - Cornell 17 - Michigan 16 - Nebraska 12 - Virginia Tech 11 - Minnesota 9 - Arizona State 8 - Missouri, Oklahoma, Oregon State 7 - Purdue, Wisconsin 6 - Wyoming 5 - Boise State, Northwestern, Virginia 4 - Edinboro 3 - American, Cal Poly, Central Michigan, Harvard, Kent State, NC State 2 - Indiana, Iowa State, Northern Iowa, Princeton, Rutgers, Stanford, Utah Valley 1 - Air Force, CSU Bakersfield, Hofstra, Nebraska-Kearney, North Carolina, North Dakota State, Northern Colorado, Pittsburgh, South Dakota State (1) Placewinners by School: 67: Ohio State 50: Nebraska 49: Michigan 48: Cornell 38: Virginia Tech 31: Northern Iowa 30: Minnesota, Wyoming 29: Arizona State, Oregon State 28: Oklahoma 26: Purdue 23: Iowa State, Wisconsin 21: CSU Bakersfield 20: Navy, Virginia 19: Missouri 16: Boise State, Utah Valley 14: North Dakota State 13: Cal Poly, Pittsburgh 12: Northern Colorado, Stanford 11: Air Force, Central Michigan, Harvard, Hofstra, Kent State, Northwestern 10: American, Illinois, NC State 9: West Virginia 8: Army West Point, Binghamton 9: Edinboro 7: Drexel, North Carolina 6: Bucknell, Indiana 5: Rutgers 4: Brown, Clarion, Columbia, Princeton, The Citadel 3: California Baptist, Nebraska-Kearney, South Dakota State, UNC Greensboro 2: Duke, Eastern Michigan 1: Campbell, CSU Pueblo, Fresno State, North Idaho CC, San Francisco State Team Title History: 2021: Champion - Nebraska (125), Runner-Up - Ohio State (104) 2019: Champion - Nebraska (118), Runner-Up - Ohio State (109.5) 2018: Champion - Ohio State (148), Runner-Up - Missouri (115.5) 2017: Champion - Ohio State (155), Runner-Up - Michigan (140) 2016: Champion - Ohio State (118.5), Runner-Up - Wisconsin (113.5) 2015: Champion - Missouri (154), Runner-Up - Cornell (113) 2014: Champion - Minnesota (146), Runner-Up - Ohio State (120) 2013: Champion - Oklahoma (154.5), Runner-Up - Nebraska (130.5) 2012: Champion - Ohio State (124.5), Runner-Up - Missouri (123.5) 2011: Champion - Ohio State (129), Runner-Up - Michigan (116) 2010: Champion - Cornell (140), Runner-Up - Wisconsin (101.5)

Max Murin (top) in sudden victory against Doug Zapf in Saturday's Dual (photo courtesy of Brian Ray/HawkeyesSports.com) The first month of the wrestling season is basically over. I always say that it flies by when you're not actually going through practices, cutting weight, and fighting off injuries. The Thanksgiving holiday led to a minuscule schedule, but even so, we still found a way to bring you "7 Big Stories from the Week in College Wrestling." Actually, this let us touch on every single dual meet (there were only three). Max Murin Shines For decades, the Iowa Hawkeyes have had some of the most iconic figures in our sport don a black singlet. As of late, Spencer Lee definitely fits the bill. Not quite on the same level, but still memorable are teammates Austin DeSanto, Jaydin Eierman, Alex Marinelli, and Michael Kemerer. Each finished their career with at least three All-American honors. Often overlooked in such a star-studded lineup has been stalwart Max Murin. Murin has put together a respectable 58-23 record and has ended his season in the Round of 12 for the last three NCAA tournaments. Even as he has been lost in the shuffle of some talented teams, Murin was front-and-center on Saturday. Anyone who broke down the Hawkeyes dual with #15 Penn probably pointed to #6 Murin's 149 lb match with #10 Doug Zapf as a toss-up that could end up deciding the entire dual. Without Lee, Brody Teske, and Real Woods, Penn had a chance to shock the Hawks. For the full article, Subscribe to InterMat's Rokfin Page

Legendary Rider head coach Gary Taylor Gary Taylor. A husband. A father. A wrestler. A coach. A friend. A true embodiment of what it means to bleed cranberry and grey at Rider University. Gary Taylor completely turned Rider's wrestling program upside down and one that was feared amongst its opponents during the 39 legendary years he spent as head coach of the program (1978-2017). Throughout those 39 years, he accomplished what many strive to, and can never quite achieve. But through Gary's persistence, determination, and love for the sport of wrestling, he left behind a legacy at Rider University that will forever hold a special place in the hearts and minds of those who knew him. Here are just some of the many accomplishments of Gary Taylor: His first All-American was Lou DiSerafino, who placed 3rd at 190lbs 17 Total All-American honors 15 Individual All-Americans (2 two-timers: John Carvalheira and Chad Walsh) In 1984, his team earned its 1st Conference Championship In 1997, his team was ranked 7th in the nation, and had 3 All-Americans 173 NCAA Qualifiers 14 Team Conference Championships 110 Individual Conference Champions And finally, Gary ended his career with 442 dual-meet victories (3rd all-time winningest Division I wrestling coach), and a powerful impact on those around him when he retired from the Broncs program in 2017. Just one year later, in 2018, Gary was awarded the Lifetime Service Award by the National Wrestling Hall of Fame New Jersey Chapter. Throughout his life, Gary was surrounded by people who shared an intense love of wrestling, including: Danica Taylor (daughter), Ron Taylor (brother), John Hangey (Rider University Head Coach), Lou DiSerafino (former wrestler and 1st All-American), Tim Morrison (former wrestler and 2nd All-American), Adam Derengowski (former wrestler), Rob Morrison (former wrestler), and TJ Morrison (former wrestler). From left: Danica Taylor, Rider President Greg Dell'Omo, Coach Taylor, Rider AD Don Harnum Danica Taylor What was Gary Taylor like as a father? He was truly the most incredible father anyone could have. My mom has health conditions and so she could no longer work many years ago. My Dad was the sole income. He always worked so hard to provide for our family. I remember in the evenings, he would read a story to me before bed. He would work a full day, sometimes coming home right before my bedtime, but would still make sure he read to me and with me before bed. Looking back, he was probably so exhausted, but I never knew it. He powered through to make sure he was able to provide for us while also being able to be home and spend time with his family. How did he separate "coach" from "father" at home? I feel like they were combined in the best ways and separated in the best ways. The ways they were combined were always making sure that I was working hard in school and understanding responsibility. The ways they were separate was in the way that he would shut off "work mode" at home and just be there to talk with me about my life, watch the TV show Dallas together, and read together before bed. What were some of the most important life lessons your father taught you? And how have you been able to implement them throughout your life? My father taught me that if you work hard, you will achieve your goals. The part about working hard included all the setbacks or problems that might arise while trying to achieve your goal. Instead of complaining, put that energy into finding a solution and always be relentless in the pursuit of your goals. My Dad was always a very humble person. He would never ever brag about his accomplishments. I am very much like him in that I am humble in my achievements. My achievements don't feel to me like these huge things that need fanfare. They are just what I worked hard for and so I accomplished them. To me, they are just the values he instilled in me. You work hard, you achieve. He showed me that you can have a quiet kind of pride. Your accomplishments and your heart will shine all on their own by your hard work, determination, and the good person that you are. These values he taught me are the reason I have a wonderful teaching job, own my own home, earned three masters, and started my own little fiber art business. What were the beginning years of your father's life like at Rider University? The beginning years for my Dad were difficult. When he started he told everyone that he wanted to bring both eastern and national recognition to the Rider Wrestling program and he was laughed at. It literally seemed impossible without the funding and resources needed to try to compete with the larger schools that were always in the spotlight. What made your father so successful at Rider University? While most people would have been discouraged by seemingly being up against impossible odds, that didn't stop him. He got busy finding a way to make it happen. To him, it was going to happen so that was his mindset and that is how he coached. For him, it was a realistic goal, but not for anyone else. You mentioned that your dad was more than a coach to the men in which he coached. Can you explain what he did that made him stand apart from the other Division I coaches? My Dad looked at his wrestlers as way more than athletes on his team. They were like the sons he never had. He cared so deeply about them on a personal level. If he felt that there was any way he could possibly help one of his wrestlers, whether it be building out his attic to give a wrestler a place to live off campus, helping with funds for tuition, listening and giving life advice, or giving some guitar lessons after practice, that was what he would do. My Dad was all about connections. He was such a caring person and always valued his connections and relationships with the people around him. How does your father relate to the term "underdog?" Well, my Dad would definitely have been considered an underdog when he started. He referred to the story of David and Goliath when explaining what he had done with the program. When he started out, he was David who seemed so very highly unlikely to be able to defeat Goliath. David couldn't compare in size and skill. No one would have put their money on David defeating Goliath in battle. I feel that this speaks to the values my Dad had that helped him build an incredible D1 program that seemed unlikely. Those values are having heart and courage, being committed to your purpose, always believing you can achieve, and being resilient when the setbacks happen. Favorite Memory: My Dad teaching me guitar on his mini Martin (because when he tried to teach me on a regular-sized guitar, I said my hands were too small for it). Those times, and that guitar, are so special to me. Funniest Memory: Whenever Paula Abdul's Straight Up song would come on, we would look at each other, and sing in a silly way to each other, the part that goes, "A ba ba ba ba ba ba ba ba ba." Ron Taylor What was Gary Taylor like as a brother? Gary was smart, compassionate, and very down to earth. He didn't make rash decisions. He was always someone our whole family depended on. He was the rock of our family, and was extremely thoughtful in everything he did. He would call me once a week to check up on me, and I'll miss that very much. What were some of the most important life lessons that Gary taught you? And how have you been able to implement those lessons throughout your life? He was very much like my father in that he believed in treating people with respect. The saying goes, "Treat people the way you want to be treated." But, if you took that as a weakness and you tried to bully him, that would be a mistake. He would cut to the chase. Growing up, you and Gary were inseparable. Can you describe those early years, and decades following? During the summer, we had 6-8 boys in our neighborhood and we would play baseball most of the day. We had our own field down across the railroad tracks. One of the parents from the neighborhood would mow the grass so we always had a fresh field to play in. Gary and I were both pitchers, so we would practice pitching daily. He would catch me, then I would catch him. When it got cold, we would play tackle football. Many times, Gary and I would be in the backyard playing tackle against each other. When we couldn't go outside, we would be upstairs wrestling each other. When we got to high school, we were each other's biggest fans. We spent many Sundays in our bathroom alongside the gas heaters. We would put all of our sweat gear on and work out with the heat as high as we could, so we could lose a couple of pounds. Once we lost the weight, we would go downstairs and eat something. Then, as we got older, we both got into coaching and would talk on the phone weekly about wrestling. What was so special about the brotherhood you shared with Gary, and how did it influence/impact your life? If I ever had a problem, Gary was the one I would call. He always had good sound advice. He was someone that I always looked up to because he had such a level-headed nature. I was, and still am, very impulsive. I try to be more like him. Sometimes I succeed, and sometimes I don't. He definitely has made me think more about what is important in life. Family was very important to Gary, and I feel that my family is more important to me every single day. I never thought I would lose my brother, but here we are, and I'm doing the best I can. You mentioned that Gary was mentally the toughest sibling. Can you explain why you believe that to be true? Gary wasn't afraid of anyone. He would go against anyone. He didn't get nervous. When he had to wrestle someone tough, I would always get so nervous that I couldn't always do my best. That stuff didn't bother Gary. He felt as though he could beat anyone he wrestled. Mentally, he didn't let his nerves get the best of him. Even when we were coaching, Gary always conveyed confidence, while I was always nervous. When he was coaching, he made his wrestlers think that they could beat anyone. Your dad stated, "Ron, that's the best friend you'll ever have." Can you explain the story in which that quote came about? And, what does that mean to you and future generations? I think I was either in 8th or 9th grade and my dad pulled me aside when I wasn't being very nice to Gary. My dad said, "Ron, that's the best friend you'll ever have" and of course, he was right. From that point on, Gary and I have been best friends. It taught me that no matter what, family is the most important thing. I've tried to convey this to all of my kids as well. Friends will come and go, but family will always be there for you. What were the beginning years of Gary's life like at Rider University? The biggest struggle was convincing the wrestlers that they were better than what they thought. He always had great confidence in his wrestlers abilities, and he conveyed that to his wrestlers in as many ways as possible. What made Gary so successful at Rider University? Gary had all the leadership qualities for the job at Rider. He was very decisive once he made a final decision because he did his homework before a decision had to be made. He also had a knack for picking really good wrestlers. We would go to Sections and Districts. Each of us would pick who we thought would win, and 90% of the time, Gary was right and I was wrong. Favorite Memory: I always loved listening to him play guitar and singing. But the most memorable experience was watching him be inducted into the Greenville Hall of Fame. All of our siblings were together and it was a special moment for us, and especially Gary. Funniest Memory: When Gary called me while he was at college. He told my mom and dad that he missed the Mercer Exit on Interstate 80. My dad asked where he was, and he said, "Las Vegas." Gary went to Clarion University, so Interstate 80 was the easiest easy to travel from home to the University. Needless to say, my dad was not happy. I thought it was funny though, and so did Gary. Favorite Gary-ism: "It is what it is." and "If it sounds too good to be true, it is." Coach John Hangey What did Gary Taylor mean to you as a coach? Gary was the exact kind of coach that knew how to motivate his wrestlers. He always cared and looked out for your best interest. He also had very high goals and aspirations for his athletes and he got you to buy into them! Coach Taylor was a coach that you wanted to do well for because of his commitment to you as an individual! What did Gary Taylor mean to you in your personal life? Gary was like a second father to me. He helped me develop into the person I am today and took no credit for any of it. He helped me become my best version of a student-athlete, a coach, a mentor, a friend, a husband and a father. What were some of the most influential experiences in which you shared? There were so many but here are a few. In 1997, we finished the dual meet season ranked 7th in the nation and to go through that season together was so impactful for a young coach and team development. In 1993, when I was an All-American, the hug we embraced was a culmination of time, effort, mutual respect and love for the process and each other. Naming our competition mat after him as a surprise was another great moment, being there for his 400th victory at home and his last-ever home match are moments I'll never forget! Do you believe that Gary has influenced your coaching style at Rider University, and if so, how? I am the coach I am today because of Coach Taylor. We have very similar personalities when it comes to coaching, so I tried to mirror my development after him. He emphasized the importance of relationships to be successful at a smaller school like Rider and that's the core of my coaching style. What does it mean to you to carry on the tradition of coaching at Rider University, given the knowledge and experience Gary has shared with you over the years? I take this responsibility very seriously. There is not a day that goes by that I don't think about what would Coach Taylor do in a specific situation. We had many talks weekly after his retirement in the wrestling office and he would always give me his thoughts and encouragement. It is my goal to further cement Coach Taylor's legacy here at Rider. Favorite Memory: When Jason Bryant announced Coach Taylor's retirement on the third day of the NCAA's when we finished the tournament with two All-Americans. He was so humble, yet honored, but never liked the attention. Chad Walsh had to make sure that he stayed and was properly recognized by the fans. Funniest Memory: When Coach Taylor and Adam Derengowski were bickering at the 1991 NCAA's in Iowa (Adam's Senior year when he placed 3rd) over the rental car and each other's driving skills. The whole travel party just sat back, listened and cracked up laughing at the exchange. Coach Taylor and current Rider head coach John Hangey Lou DiSerafino What did Gary Taylor mean to you as a coach? Gary was the reason that I became an All-American. Not only because of his immense technical wrestling technique knowledge, but mostly because he got me to believe in myself and my ability to beat the best in the country. What did Gary Taylor mean to you in your personal life? Gary became a long-time personal friend. I will miss him immensely. Gary sang "The Wedding Song" along with my Sister-in-law at my wedding. I would go to see him perform at local clubs in New Hope, PA after his Rider coaching retirement. Our relationship grew over time from Coach-Athlete to personal friends. We touched base once or twice a month on topics ranging from wrestling to his music career. Gary was always the one on who I would bounce my tough issues off of. His sound, right-to-the-point guidance, always served me well. He said the things that needed to be said, that maybe you didn't necessarily want to hear, but that you knew were true, and left you to make your decision. He did this in wrestling, and in life. What did Gary Taylor mean to you in the spiritual component of your life? Although he was not overt with his faith, Gary's faith was always there behind how he lived his life, coached his teams, and everything he did. He was appreciative of the gift of salvation, and challenged his teams and individuals to use all the talents and gifts they have been given to be their best, and would accept nothing less for them. Like Bach's philosophy in his work "Music's only purpose should be the glory of God and the recreation of the human spirit," I think Gary approached his work in this way. He was kind of like a sneaky preacher, weaving his faith into life lessons that applied to his coaching. His subtle, humorous, "take it or leave it" references to common sense or advice made you think that he was kind of cool, and surprisingly deep. Throughout the decades in which you were close, what were some of the most influential experiences in which you shared? Gary was such a close friend and shared some of my family's most intimate moments. My wife LeeAnn and I asked Gary to sing "The Wedding Song," along with my Brother Rob's wife Diane at our wedding ceremony. Gary has known my wife and children, and my Brother Rob's and was close to our parents too. On the wrestling side, I stayed at Rider for two years after graduation as an assistant coach, and got my MBA. That enabled me to experience the beginning of Gary's legacy at Rider with two more years of watching him work. What were some of the early years like for Gary as a coach? Gary had a vision when he came to Rider. Right during his interview, he made the bold statement that he was going to get Rider wrestling to a major power in the sport on a National level. Nobody believed that was possible for such a small school at the time. At his first conference tournament, he had three 1st seeds that year, in a conference where you had to take 1st place in your weight to get to the NCAA. Dave Doll, my Brother Rob, and I all were seeded 1st in three consecutive weight classes, and we all three lost in the finals, costing Gary his 1st trip to the NCAAs. Gary never wavered. He just doubled down on his commitment and the next year (Garry's 2nd year as Rider coach) got Rider its 1st wrestling All-American. What did/does it mean to you to become the 1st All-American for Gary Taylor? Being the 1st All-American for the Rider wrestling program is an honor that gains significance as the program grows and increases notoriety, with each new All-American added. I feel like that accomplishment was the start of something bigger than just an individual milestone, and rather marked the emergence of a program that had been developed and nurtured by our 1st coach Barry Burtnett (who started the program, and recruited me and my brother) and was now ready, with Gary, to burst onto the national NCAA wrestling scene. Quick story about being the 1st All-American. . . In 2011 the NCAA Wrestling Championships were at the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Rider was the host institution. I was asked to be one of the people to hand out the award medals to the All-Americans at the Championships ceremony. That year, Utah Valley had their 1st All-American, Ben Kjar at 125lbs. While handing out the medals I had a chance to speak with Ben when congratulating him. I shared with him about our common experience and told him that he had done something special, and would be forever remembered as the first at Utah Valley. How does Gary Taylor define the word "inspiration" or "leadership?" Gary was appreciative of his wrestlers who stepped up as examples, or who set a standard for their teammates, either as team captains or as individuals. Gary would support their role on the team, and the tough decisions that they sometimes made about the team standards and expectations. He allowed them to grow, make some mistakes, and develop into leadership roles. He recognized the value of leadership coming from the ranks vs. coming from the coaching staff and encouraged those willing to step into that role. Can you share your experience of leaving the sport for a short period of time, and how Gary impacted your decision in returning to the mat? Yes. I left wrestling after getting my MBA to start my career. I felt though that my wrestling career was unfinished and I still had more in me. I spoke to Gary about it and he said you have your whole career to make money, but only this time to know how far you can go in wrestling. So after two years of working I quit my job and tried out for the 1984 LA Olympics. I made it as far as the final US trials, placing fifth. Best decision I could have made. I had great experiences that year, met some lifelong friends, and got to travel representing the US team in many matches and tournaments. Also, I know that I tried for the Olympic spot and left nothing on the table in my career. I would have always wondered and regretted not trying. That would have been haunting. Gary's technical abilities were unmatched by other Division I coaches. Can you share some of the ways he expressed those technical abilities? Gary was very strong in his technical wrestling knowledge, understanding the impact of factors such as physics and leverage and angles and flexibility and strength. He also had a photographic visual memory and could recall very minute details of matches you were in, and subtle changes needed in specific positions that would change the outcome of the situation. He was like a savant for seeing a situation and knowing the exact modification required to win the situation or move. He was also super good at being able to transfer his knowledge to others who were willing to listen. Everything he advised technically worked, for a particular opponent, or for the best opponent, because his guidance was always based on physics and leverage. i.e. "If you move your hand down here, he won't be able to pull his leg back no matter what he tries. What principles did Gary instill in you and the other wrestlers which he coached, and how have they influenced your life? Accountability, not accepting less for yourself than the talents and gifts you were given will allow. I try to think about that and live up to the philosophy of doing everything worth doing "for the Glory of God." Otherwise, what's the point? Favorite Memory: When Dan and Tim Morrison (who were unknown at that time, coming from the NAIA) beat two multi-time All-Americans from Penn State and Clarion at the Penn State Tourney. Dan told the story at Gary's funeral about Gary's quick wit, from that tourney. Gary was wearing a 3-piece suit and the Clarion coach (who Gary wrestled for when he was a student at Clarion) tried to get into Gary's head, saying Gary you look like you're going to a funeral. Gary, without missing a beat replied. "I am, we're going to bury 2 All-Americans tonight." Dan and Tim both won that night. Tim had suffered 2 broken ribs in his quarterfinals match and still won the tournament. Funniest Memory: Gary was so young when he started coaching that he looked like one of his wrestlers. After a match at Bucknell, the Bucknell wrestlers were kind enough to invite us to their fraternity party, which we snuck out of the hotel and went to. Later that year at the conference tournament at Drexel, the Bucknell team manager sat next to me and Gary after weigh-ins and asked if our coach ever found out about sneaking out of the hotel to go to the frat party. Gary just said, "he has now." She was like "Whoops, sorry guys." Favorite Gary-ism: Gary was always pushing the envelope, sometimes getting in trouble for his uncompromising commitment to excellence. I remember him saying onetime "I don't care, they can fire me if they want. . . I was looking for a job when I found this one." I always tried to live up to that philosophy. Coach Taylor with Tim Morrison and his three sons Tim Morrison What did Gary Taylor mean to you as a coach? Gary Taylor was always a thoughtful listener, there aren't that many true listeners that still exist in today's society. In addition, Gary was a straight shooter, telling you how things were in a way that you couldn't even question his message. I can't remember him ever complaining about anything going on in his personal or professional life, never wanting to burden anyone else with his challenges. He was probably the most selfless person I've ever known. This man was loyal, truly loyal, wrestling was his life and even after retirement, he bled Rider wrestling. What did Gary Taylor mean to you in your personal life? I will miss his random calls just to check in with me and my family. He truly cared even after 40 years had passed. Throughout the decades in which you were close, what were some of the most influential experiences in which you shared? Well, it is pretty unique that all three of my sons were wrestlers and also all wrestled for Gary so we had 12 straight years of cheering them all on at Rider! What were some of the early years like for Gary as a coach (first 1-2 years)? Well, I didn't have issues with Gary as he knew how to inspire and get the best out of everyone. Also, it didn't hurt that I didn't lose many matches in my 3 years at Rider, just 9! Actually, I think that is my only record left that still stands, after Chad Walsh, just a few years ago, broke my pin record (of course he had 4 years to do it!!) The story of how you and Gary met is quite unique; some may even say it happened by chance. Can you please share the way in which you met? After wrestling my freshman year at Messiah College, I had transferred to Penn State, because I wanted to wrestle Division 1. Since I had already transferred to Penn State without being recruited, they weren't really interested in providing me with any scholarship or financial aid assistance. So while I was back home for Christmas 1979, I had gone up to my Reynolds High School wrestling room to workout with their upperweights. It just so happened that Gary Taylor was also at the Reynolds practice with a couple of his Rider Wrestlers getting in a workout on their way to the Wilkes Open tournament. The more we talked about my situation, Gary seemed more and more interested and told me to meet him early the next morning and fill out some paperwork and that he would call me in three days. As promised he called me and made me an offer that I couldn't refuse and I told him I would come to wrestle at Rider. Keep in mind this was 1979, with no internet, no iPhones, or MapQuest, in fact, I wasn't even sure how to spell Rider and only that it was in NJ. So I announced to my parents that I was going to go wrestle at Rider when I got off the phone. The next day I drove to PSU, withdrew from my classes and then got a map and drove to Rider and signed up for the Spring semester, the rest is history. What did/does it mean to you to become the 2nd All-American for Gary Taylor? It was definitely an honor, but not a surprise to Gary, he knew I was capable and instilled the confidence and mental preparation necessary for anyone to achieve the podium of the top 8 wrestlers in the nation. Favorite Memory: His demeanor and quirkiness, he was full of one-liners. Funniest Memory: He dropped me off at the Penn State hospital after winning in the semifinals to get my ribs x-rayed, then took the rest of the team to go eat and never came back to pick me up. So, I ended up hitchhiking a ride in the back of a Super Beetle to Rec Hall for the finals in which I wrestled with 2 broken ribs and beat an NCAA runner-up. Gary asked me how I got back to the gym, to which I replied, I have one more match to win today. Adam Derengowski What did Gary Taylor mean to you as a coach? Coach Taylor was always a sincere and authentic leader, so it was easy to build trust in him and the expectations he had for you. He was easy to laugh with the guys and I know he appreciated all the personalities we had on the team during my time. From a wrestling mindset perspective, Coach Taylor worked very hard to build my confidence over the five years I wrestled for him. It was the superpower I needed to be the best I could be, on my own, it was lacking. I appreciate that mental training investment more than any technique he shared. Throughout the decades in which you were close, what were some of the most influential experiences in which you shared? I know Coach Taylor felt the excitement of big wins and the pain of tough losses for all his guys over 39 years. There were two moments of big wins and the post-match hugs that I know he was just as pumped as I was during my time. The first was the NWCA All-Star match win and the second was after the 3rd place match at the NCAA's both during my senior year. There were many more post-match tough loss moments where he had to build me up again that led to those embraces and all were worth it. You and Gary shared a love of music, can you please explain what role he played in that particular aspect of your life? Three years after I graduated and moved back to New Jersey, Gary and I would find time to play music together. During that time, he would share songs that he wrote and I admired his ability to create original music. Our little jam sessions grew into a larger group and then a band. He was an awesome lead guitarist and could always drop an attention-getting solo in the cover songs that we played. During this time, I was inspired to write my first song and Gary set me up with a friend of his to record the song in a home studio. He also sang the harmony on that recording. Since that first original song, I've been able to create a few more for my wife and family over the years. He has always provided positive feedback on the music and I know he was proud. Gary taught you to have a mantra in your life, and you've continued that tradition within your own family. Can you share the mantra your family currently lives by, and what it means to you? "Best is yet to come", my wife and 4 kids all know it well. There is plenty of coaching that goes on as a parent and I think this phrase for our family is foundationally important. My wife Debbie and I have always coached our kids to have a base of hard work, dedication and persistence as a winning formula…you won't always get the best grade, get the top award or promotion, but if you live with those guiding principles you will eventually find success. The best is yet to come is about always having hope for the future and I think all of this started with what I learned from my coaches and especially Gary Taylor. Favorite Memory: I'm so grateful for my time at Rider University and especially with the wrestling team and Gary Taylor. My favorite moment was that special embrace after my last NCAA match in my senior year. I know he was happy for me, my family, the program and the school. Funniest Memory: I remember being packed in a rental car in a snowy Iowa City at the NCAA's in 1991 with Coach Taylor driving, John Hangey, Mike Bartholomew, our assistant coach, our trainer and all of the bags. I was complaining and asking if we could just rent a second car as I was covered with a bag in the back seat. At the time he was slightly irritated by me. This experience became funny after the fact and we have told the story many times and it always brings about a good belly laugh when discussed. Favorite Gary-ism: "Get in, get out, or get run over"...this was such an important phrase that he repeated with me. I Googled it and it seems to be an original Gary-ism. To me, it meant that I had to work hard and get better every day or else you will see your competitors race by you. Rob Morrison What did Gary Taylor mean to you as a coach? Besides the amount of knowledge, he was very good at telling you what you wanted to hear and what you needed to hear. Too many coaches are focused on constantly trying to make people feel good and not addressing how to make them better. He could walk that line like it was like second nature to him. Division 1 wrestling is tough and very transparent, you need to be lifted up and brought down at the right times. What did Gary Taylor mean to you in your personal life? In a lot of ways, he was like a grandfather. Coincidentally, I lost a huge role model my freshman year (my Pap) and he kind of filled that void for me. Mostly, it was because he was a really good listener and was always willing to share advice when he could. He wouldn't impose or plant the idea, he would lead you to it. It's all the stuff that you don't really learn to fully appreciate until you grow up a bit, but I couldn't have been luckier. He was a great man. Throughout the decades in which you were close, what were some of the most influential experiences in which you shared? I've known him for as long as I can remember. Growing up we always made it out for a couple Rider matches every year, he used to stay at our house when he was in the area, would take time to watch our matches and give feedback (which is hilarious looking back, because it'd be some random JH or Elem. matches, but he'd watch just as intently as if it was a college match), and of course, he recruited and coached our entire family. It would've been easier for him to not care and just expect to get another Morrison on the team, but he did care and it never stopped at any point (while being recruited, while a competitor, and now as a coach too). Favorite Memory: You always knew what kind of food you were getting after a competition by how well we did. If it was bad, we got Subway, if it was good, he'd take us somewhere legit (restaurant, hidden gems, etc.). It was after the Keystone Tournament and we did pretty well, so we ended up going somewhere good. I was scrambling to find my stuff to get off the bus and eat as much as I could for the next hour. I had these holey, torn jeans on and as I'm walking up to the place to go in he says "Hey Morrison, you have all them holes in your jeans. Next thing you know, you're going to lose your wallet and someone's going to have a new stereo!" Fast forward a couple months later, we're leaving Clarion and he takes us to a Steakhouse and when we get the check, he can't find his wallet (it was on the bus). So naturally, there were a lot of "Uh oh, looks like someone's getting a new stereo!" Also, there was my first college match and it was against a tough Lehigh team. The place was packed with Lehigh people, they packed the arena and were rowdy, and both TJ and I pinned our guys, which helped put the nail in the coffin for the match. It was just really cool to be able to start as a freshman, with my older brother on the same team, both of us pinning, with the coach that took a chance on our Dad over 25 years ago, and experiencing it again with us. Just a very cool moment. Funniest Memory: Basically, we didn't have a good weekend and he was wound up about it that following Monday. We're all in the room getting ready for practice and he storms in and yells "I'm taking over practice and we're doing it like the old days!"; someone replied, "Ahh, so like how the Dinosaurs did it?". The entire room erupts into laughter (including him) and then he proceeded to put us through about 2.5 hours of hell. There were some other things said that day, but it was just funny how he could laugh at the nonsense and then immediately get back to work. I'll never forget that smirk he had the whole time. Favorite Gary-ism: "What the hell is this music??" (this was frequent and valid), "You have to use your feet like another set of hands. Back in the day, they used to call me Terrible Toes!" TJ Morrison What did Gary Taylor mean to you as a coach? Gary Taylor taught me a lot about humility in how he dealt with athletes. He was very talented at seeing a wrestler from a bigger-picture situation, not reacting to mistakes or personal flaws in the moment. He handled situations with class and always gave his wrestlers an opportunity to improve their situations, whether it be personal or just going through a losing streak where they are not performing to their best. I think this was one of his top talents as a coach that allowed him to truly invest in his wrestlers. What did Gary Taylor mean to you in your personal life? This may be a little different, being from the Morrison family, but Gary Taylor was always an extension of our family. It felt like he was always personally part of our family. With that also came the responsibility to hold myself to a higher standard and deliver on the qualities and leadership that he expected from me over the 5 years I spent wrestling for him. Throughout the decades in which you were close, what were some of the most influential experiences in which you shared? I think the biggest influential experience that transcends into professional life for me is the mentality of losing is never fatal and winning is never final. He was extremely influential in making me understand to appreciate the process, when you lose - learn from it, when you win - continue getting better, there's more to accomplish. Favorite Memory: Team meetings were always the best, and you can only be a Rider Wrestler to truly know what I mean by this. You never knew what to expect when coming into those meetings. Funniest Memory: The time at VA Duals when we had one of our wrestlers who was being a little too soft in nursing an injury and he randomly fell down in the middle of a match. When he fell down, Gary was staring up into the stands. Hangey asked him what he was looking at, he simply replied: "I'm looking for the sniper, where is he?" It was a comical way to deal with a situation where a wrestler was being soft. He was always very good at having quippy one-liners and short sayings. Favorite Gary-ism: "The move works, you don't work." It's quite clear to see the immense impact, and overall legacy, that Gary Taylor left behind on those he had the opportunity to surround himself with throughout 39 incredible years at Rider University. His accomplishments and life experiences will forever be a part of the Broncs program, continuing to shape future generations of wrestlers. In remembering Gary, those he loved always recalled his quick wit and impeccable one-liners. Here are a few Gary-isms that will never be forgotten: "Get this one guy." "Spread out! If a bomb goes off, it will get all of you." "Cool, clear water." "They put a man on the moon AND they brought him back." "Train your brain for pain." "Now get on the bus! We're going to Pizza Hut." "Get in, Get out, or Get run over." "You're either getting better or you're getting worse, you do not stay the same." "My boy beat him." "Keep your head up!" "My boy will take him." "Age and experience: can't replace it." "The move works, you don't work." "I've forgotten more wrestling than you guys have ever known." Terrible toes." "If you put the cart before the horse, it doesn't go anywhere." In loving memory of Gary Taylor; a true wrestling underdog, and real-life hero.

Minnesota 133 lber Aaron Nagao (photo courtesy of Sam Janicki; SJanickiPhoto.com) Saturday's Dual Result Iowa 26 Penn 11 125 - Ryan Miller (Penn) tech Aidan Harris (Iowa) 20-5 133 - Michael Colaiocco (Penn) dec Cullan Schriever (Iowa) 6-0 141 - Carmen Ferrante (Penn) dec Drew Bennett (Iowa) 4-1 149 - Max Murin (Iowa) dec Doug Zapf (Penn) 6-4SV 157 - Cobe Siebrecht (Iowa) fall Anthony Artalona (Penn) 4:02 165 - Patrick Kennedy (Iowa) maj Lucas Revano (Penn) 14-5 174 - Nelson Brands (Iowa) dec Nick Incontrera (Penn) 5-1 184 - Abe Assad (Iowa) dec Max Hale (Penn) 5-0 197 - Jacob Warner (Iowa) dec Cole Urbas (Penn) 11-10 285 - Tony Cassioppi (Iowa) maj Ben Goldin (Penn) 9-0 Sunday's Dual Results Minnesota 19 South Dakota State 16 125 - Patrick McKee (Minnesota) dec Tanner Jordan (South Dakota State) 7-3 133 - Aaron Nagao (Minnesota) dec Derrick Cardinal (South Dakota State) 6-2 141 - Vance Vombaur (Minnesota) dec Clay Carlson (South Dakota State) 6-4 149 - Michael Blockhus (Minnesota) dec Alek Martin (South Dakota State) 4-1 157 - Cael Swensen (South Dakota State) dec Sebas Swiggum (Minnesota) 8-4 165 - Tanner Cook (South Dakota State) dec Andrew Sparks (Minnesota) 4-2SV 174 - Bailee O'Reilly (Minnesota) dec Cade DeVos (South Dakota State) 6-5 184 - Isaiah Salazar (Minnesota) maj Bennett Berge (South Dakota State) 12-0 197 - Tanner Sloan (South Dakota State) maj Garrett Joles (Minnesota) 12-2 285 - AJ Nevills (South Dakota State) fall Keaton Kluever (Minnesota) 2:33 Binghamton 22 Buffalo 9 125 - Micah Roes (Binghamton) dec Patrick Adams (Buffalo) 5-1 133 - Tommy Maddox (Buffalo) dec Anthony Sobotker (Binghamton) 10-5 141 - Nate Lucier (Binghamton) dec Matt Ryan (Buffalo) 3-2 149 - Michael Zarif (Binghamton) dec Kaleb Burgess (Buffalo) 3-2 157 - Michael Petite (Buffalo) dec Fin Nadeau (Binghamton) 3-2 165 - Will Ebert (Binghamton) dec Ty Raines (Buffalo) 6-5 174 - Sam DePrez (Binghamton) dec Jay Nivison (Buffalo) 2-0 184 - Guiseppe Hoose (Buffalo) dec Jacob Nolan (Binghamton) 5-3 197 - Louie DePrez (Binghamton) maj Eli Sheeran (Buffalo) 18-5 285 - Cory Day (Binghamton) dec Greg Hodulick (Buffalo) 5-0

Lehigh 197 lber Michael Beard (photo courtesy of Sam Janicki; SJanickiPhoto.com) From the outside, it may seem that the #1 wrestler at each weight is untouchable. However, as we have seen historically and most recently in the Yianni vs. Gomez match, sometimes it just takes the right matchup to take down #1. I took a look at every #1's remaining schedule and picked out what could be the best shot in taking them down. In many of these weights, the #1 guy will see other opponents ranked in the top 10. However, many of these guys have a history where the top guy has shown the ability to win repeatedly against them. So while some of these may be a reach, they are nonetheless going to be interesting matchups. 125: #1 Spencer Lee - #4 Patrick McKee These two wrestled in the 2021 season with Lee getting a first-period pin. McKee is known to have somewhat inconsistent regular season results, but has put it all together at NCAA's to finish high on the podium after running wild in consolations. Since that loss, Lee won his third title and McKee has finished third and fifth. At his best, McKee has taken out wrestlers like Eric Barnett, Brandon Courtney, and Michael DeAugustino. Lee hasn't lost since the 2019 season, but coming off double ACL surgery could be potentially vulnerable. 133: #1 Roman Bravo-Young - #13 Jesse Mendez Bravo-Young has looked mostly untouchable the past two seasons, and he's already beaten a majority of the ranked wrestlers on his schedule. However, there is a new name taking the mat this season that could present a new challenge. Mendez has already taken out two-time All-American Lucas Byrd early this season. Wrestling a Big Ten schedule ensures that the true freshman will be battle-tested by the time this match comes around. While it may be a stretch, it would take a lot for any wrestler to get close to RBY, so maybe a new face like Mendez could be a surprise. 141: #1 Cole Matthews - #12 Casey Swiderski One of four true freshmen on this list, Swiderski shows that it's evident there is an increasing number of wrestlers ready to start as soon as they step on campus. He is already 4-0 including a ranked win over #19 Joseph Zargo and should be considered a podium threat. In the most wide-open weight class, Matthews appears to be one of the more vulnerable number ones. This match is set for February, and who knows what the rankings may look like by then. However, Swiderski has the ability to come and take a top spot in his first year. 149: #1 Yianni Diakomihalis - #12 Caleb Henson Another true freshman, Henson has already taken out one former 149 finalist in Sammy Sasso. Up until the Austin Gomez match, Yianni looked untouchable and was one of the heaviest favorites to repeat. Yianni taking one loss was shocking, it's hard to conceive two in a single season. When this match happens, however, Henson is surely going to be after him the entire match. 157: #1 Quincy Monday - #8 Josh Humphreys Another matchup with plenty of history, Humphreys and Monday have wrestled five times already. With the first match back in the 2019 season, Humphreys leads Monday 3-2 in all-time wins. They haven't wrestled in two years, but Humphreys won 7-0 in the 2020 EIWA finals. While Monday made the finals last year, Humphreys has yet to make the podium. These two are likely to meet up just before EIWA's again, in a match that could have a significant impact on the late-season rankings. 165: #1 Keegan O'Toole - #3 David Carr While many of these matches aren't the number one vs the highest-ranked wrestler, this one was unavoidable. Both of these wrestlers have looked untouchable at times, but are in one of the toughest weights. These two could meet as many as four times this season between the Southern Scuffle, the dual, Big 12's, and NCAA's. In what could be a preview of the NCAA finals, anytime these two meet will be must-watch TV as to who's offense can get them the win. 174: #1 Carter Starocci - #17 Donnell Washington Washington is the lowest-ranked wrestler on this list, and Ethan Smith was almost put here instead. However, Washington and Starocci have a history. In his first match as a starter in the 2021 season, Starocci took a shocking loss to Washington in a 10-9 decision. While Starocci has gone on to win two titles, Washington has failed to make the podium at 174 or 184. At 174, Starocci is a heavy favorite over Washington, and for good reason. It will be interesting to see how different this match may look and see how both wrestlers have developed since that match. 184: #1 Aaron Brooks - #12 Brian Soldano Brooks' schedule is stacked with highly ranked opponents this season, including #4 Kaleb Romero, #6 Trey Munoz, and #10 Matt Finesilver. Brooks is coming off a dominating 12-8 win over #2 Parker Keckeisen at the All-Star Classic and looks like he may have jumped another level. With that, perhaps it will take another true freshman to potentially make things interesting? Currently, Soldano is 7-1 with a close 5-3 loss to Trey Munoz. Brooks isn't likely to put himself in dangerous positions against Soldano, but the freshman has a unique style that could surprise opponents. 197: #1 Max Dean - #9 Michael Beard Another PSU wrestler that has a stacked schedule of opponents, Dean could face a familiar opponent in Beard. While the two have never faced off in competition, a majority of wrestling fans know the story behind these two. Beard was an All-American for Penn State before Max Dean transferred from Cornell. Beard proceeded to spend the season on the bench while Dean won the 197lb title in 2022. Rumor was the matches in the room between these two were razor close. Now at Lehigh, Beard will have an opportunity to show that on the national stage. 285: #1 Cohlton Schultz - #6 Lucas Davison While most of these matches come from duals, this is a potential match if both wrestlers show up to Midlands this year. Schultz has some ranked dual matches, but this is one of the most intriguing regular season heavyweight matches. With his size and defense, Schultz may be one of the hardest opponents to score on at any weight. Davison has gone from a 197lber who made the round of 16 in 2021 to placing 6th last season. He also showed that he has a very dynamic offense at heavyweight, scoring takedowns on both Gable Steveson and Jordan Wood at NCAA's last year. If Davison is able to score against Schultz, this could end up being a barnburner heavyweight matchup.

Iowa 149 lber Max Murin (left) and Penn's Doug Zapf (photos courtesy of Sam Janicki; SJanickiPhoto.com) The Thanksgiving holiday has slowed down college wrestling this week as only three duals take place between today and Sunday. Luckily, we still have a fun dual to discuss for our “Dual of the Week,” as #2 Iowa hosts #15 Penn. Even with a balanced Quaker squad potentially suiting up nine returning qualifiers, most fans would likely give Iowa a relatively easy win. That won't be the case this afternoon. Tom Brands' team has been without three key starters (two of which are ranked top-two; #1 Spencer Lee/125 and #2 Real Woods/141) and are still trying to sort out a couple of other weights (133/157). Against a Penn team without any glaring holes, this could be a problem. Going match-by-match through the potential starters, there is a possible path to victory for Roger Reina's Quakers, as they need to sweep down low and limit bonus points up top. Of course, that's easier said than done against 184-285 lbers all ranked in the top eight nationally. Another factor has to be the location. Iowa fans will pack Carver-Hawkeye Arena in their first opportunity to see the 2022-23 Hawkeyes against a ranked foe. Giving Penn all of the toss-ups while competing on college wrestling's most challenging home mat seems like a foolish endeavor. We'll probably talk about the Hawkeyes again within the next week as Iowa hosts cross-state rival #9 Iowa State next weekend. Could Iowa get caught looking ahead to their date with the Cyclones? If so, that could spell upset today. Having witnessed Brands behind the Iowa bench for more than a decade and a half, that seems far-fetched. Penn also has some quality competition on the horizon (#12 Wisconsin and #25 Rutgers next Sunday), but this is the most high-profile opponent on their schedule. Below is a match-by-match breakdown of the “Dual of the Week,” between Penn and Iowa. 125 - #17 Ryan Miller (Penn) vs. Aidan Harris (Iowa) Assuming we start at 125 lbs, this weight should present the best opportunity for Penn to collect bonus points. 2022 national qualifier Ryan Miller has been solid in his second year starting for the Quakers and holds a 5-2 record. Neither loss was particularly bad and he's generally beaten the opponents you'd expect him to defeat. Miller has been able to post bonus points in two of his five wins this year, but only 17% of the time in 2021-22. Iowa likely sends out Iowa Central transfer Aidan Harris, who has seen action in three duals meets this year. Harris has surrendered a pin to Army West Point's Ethan Berginc and lost decisions over four and five points. Penn's best chance for pulling out a win assumes a big lead in the lowerweights, so they could gain plenty of momentum from an impressive result from Miller. For the full article, Subscribe to InterMat's Rokfin Page

NC State freshman 149 lber Jackson Arrington (photos courtesy of Sam Janicki; SJanickiPhoto.com) During the offseason, the NCAA enacted a handful of new measures that would impact the way that true freshmen would be used in wrestling, going forward. The key components of these changes included wrestlers being allowed to compete attached for five dates without using a year of eligibility. Also, true freshmen were not allowed to compete unattached at open tournaments during the first semester. With almost a month of action under our belts, there have been plenty of changes to the on-mat product in DI wrestling. And positive changes. There have been a handful of instances where a true freshman was inserted into a dual lineup, where in past years a team may have been forced to choose between burning that redshirt and a forfeit. These dates can also include attached tournaments like the Keystone Classic or the Journeymen Collegiate Challenge, events that previously did not include redshirting wrestlers. So, after about a month, how have teams used their freshmen? Below, we have the top 100 recruits from MatScouts Class of 2022 Big Board and the number of events they've entered and which events for each wrestler. Below the top 100 are wrestlers that are in the Ivy League (no redshirts), known to be grayshirting, are not affiliated with a DI program or at a military prep school. Note: Exercises like this are not possible without our friends at WrestleStat : #1 Nick Feldman (Ohio State) (1) Clarion Open #2 Daniel Cardenas (Stanford) (3) Menlo Open, Appalachian State Invite, Rutgers Dual #3 Casey Swiderski (Iowa State) (3) Battle at the River City, California Baptist Dual, Grand View Dual For the full article, Subscribe to InterMat's Rokfin Page

Keegan O'Toole at the 2022 All Star Classic (photo courtesy of Sam Janicki; SJanickiPhoto.com) North Dakota State-Highest D1 ranking ever In the most recent coaches' poll, NDSU achieved their highest ranking in program history at #15. That's an incredible feat for this staff and team. Oklahoma State-Tradition The Cowboys have an incredible history and tradition. Having covered them for years, fans can tend to look at the past and get frustrated that it's not what they see in front of them currently. But no program in any sport has a tradition and history like Oklahoma State. Sometimes it's fun to bask in it, even though the program isn't quite there currently. South Dakota State-Brand New Facilities In the college sports world, the facilities arms race plays a very significant role in the success of a program. South Dakota State is in a spot to have the best in the Big 12 for a while. That is an incredibly significant thing to have for them moving forward. Oklahoma-A recent Big 12 title In the time with no Missouri in the Big 12, the conference was dominated by Oklahoma State. No program seemed to be able to stop them and they won every conference crown from 2013-2021. One school was able to share a Big 12 title with the Cowboys, and it's their rival Oklahoma during that 2021 season. Northern Colorado-Andrew Alirez The Bears might have the early favorite to win an NCAA title this year at 141 with Alirez. Even if he doesn't reach the top of the podium this season, he's been an undeniably huge factor in building and developing this program out in Greeley. Utah Valley-A healthy Demetrius Romero After a year-long hiatus, Demetrius Romero returned to the Utah Valley lineup this past weekend for their Big 12 opener with California Baptist. They've got a few ranked guys this season but none as impactful as a healthy Demetrius Romero. Iowa State-A real shot to beat Iowa in a few weeks Iowa State and Iowa wrestle their rivalry dual on December 4th. This should be a great dual, and if ISU performs as they have in the first part of the season, this could be a very tight contest. Win a few toss-ups and Iowa State could leave Iowa City with the Cy-Hawk trophy. Air Force-Wyatt Hendrickson I followed Hendrickson pretty closely in his recruitment as he was just a few hours from Stillwater and on the Cowboys radar out of high school. He ultimately chose the Air Force Academy and will likely go down as one of their all-time greats. California Baptist-The Big 12 Something I found surprising to learn recently, the PAC-12 denied California Baptist entry into their conference. Everything about it makes geographic and regional sense, but for whatever reason, it was denied. They eventually applied for and found a home in the Big 12. Which is crucial for them in their transition into Division 1. West Virginia-Also, the Big 12 With all the crazy conference realignment stuff in the world of sports today, I had a random thought on West Virginia recently. Where would their wrestling program be without the Big 12 conference? Prior to entering the Big 12, they were in the now-defunct Eastern Wrestling League with the rest of their sports in the Big East. It's not a crazy hypothetical scenario to think that without their move to the Big 12, a sport that's always supported wrestling, their wrestling program could have found themselves without a conference and potentially dropped the sport. Missouri-Keegan O'Toole Hodge Trophy Watch (Maybe Favorite?) It's obviously early in the season, but you've got to have Keegan O'Toole in the Hodge conversation this year. I think you could argue he might be the favorite. 165 is a gauntlet with multiple returning NCAA champions, some he'll see during the regular season. Looking at that group, if he goes undefeated and wins the weight, you've got to give him the trophy, right? Wyoming-Stephen Buchanan This one is sort of comparable to Air Force and Wyatt Hendrickson, even though Buchanan is currently injured. You've got one of the all-time greats in your program on your roster right now. You've really got to sit back and appreciate that. Northern Iowa-Iowa wrestling When I say “Iowa wrestling” I don't mean the University of Iowa, I mean wrestling in the state of Iowa. This is a team stacked with local talent, and with respect to Iowa State and Iowa, they don't recruit, develop, and utilize the wrestlers from the state of Iowa at near the level we see from Northern Iowa.

The 2022 NCAA Championships (photos courtesy of Sam Janicki; SJanickiPhoto.com) Due to the Thanksgiving holiday, we've got a very light slate of duals over the next week, which is the fourth week of the 2022-23 regular season. Only three duals are on the schedule for Thursday-Sunday. 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 weekend. Below are the dates/times and how to watch each match (with links). All times are eastern Saturday, November 26: Iowa State, Northern Iowa, Wisconsin at Cyclone Open - 10:00 AM Audio Feed Penn at Iowa - 3:00 PM B1G+ Sunday, November 27: Cornell, Lock Haven at Mat Town Open - 9:30 AM Minnesota at South Dakota State - 2:00 PM FloWrestling Binghamton at Buffalo - 7:00 PM ESPN+

Top-ranked 165 lber Josh Ogunsanya of Columbia (photo courtesy of Sam Janicki; SJanickiPhoto.com) 2022-23 EIWA Rankings (11/23/2022)

Andrew Alirez at the All-Star Classic (photo courtesy of Sam Janicki; SJanickiPhoto.com) All-Star Classic Results 125 - Patrick McKee (Minnesota) fall Kysen Terukina (Iowa State) 3:48 133 - Lucas Byrd (Illinois) dec Michael McGee (Arizona State) 3-2 157 - Will Lewan (Michigan) dec Bryce Andonian (Virginia Tech) 3-1 197 - Rocky Elam (Missouri) dec Jacob Warner (Iowa) 8-6SV 285 - Greg Kerkvliet (Penn State) dec Tony Cassioppi (Iowa) 8-5 191 - Sydnee Kimber (McKendree) VPO Kelani Corbett (Missouri Valley) 6-0 170 - Yelena Makoyed (North Central) VSU Jessie Lee (Life) 10-0 184 - Aaron Brooks (Penn State) dec Parker Keckeisen (Northern Iowa) 12-8 141 - Andrew Alirez (Northern Colorado) dec Cole Matthews (Pittsburgh) 4-2SV 143 - Adaugo Nwachukwu (Iowa Western) VPO Alara Boyd (McKendree) 6-0 109 - Emily Shilson (Augsburg) dec Peyton Prussin (Life) 8-4 165 - David Carr (Iowa State) dec Quincy Monday (Princeton) 2-1 165 - Keegan O'Toole (Missouri) dec Dean Hamiti (Wisconsin) 7-1 149 - Austin Gomez (Wisconsin) dec Sammy Sasso (Ohio State) 10-9 174 - Carter Starocci (Penn State) dec Mekhi Lewis (Virginia Tech) 2-0

Michigan 141 lber Cole Mattin (photo courtesy of Sam Janicki; SJanickiPhoto.com) This week in Big Ten wrestling action was highlighted by upsets. Maryland and Indiana – two teams that have perennially been at the bottom of the conference in recent years – both earned wins over ranked opponents in Pittsburgh and Princeton, respectively. And Wisconsin junior Austin Gomez pulled off the biggest individual upset of the season so far, handing Cornell senior Yianni Diakomihalis just the second loss of his career. Here are five things we learned from Week 3: Maryland: Road Warriors I tried to tell everyone that they were for real. Just last week, we recapped their success at the Tiger Style invite and touched on their wins over Bloomsburg, Duke, and American, but Pittsburgh was going to be a completely different challenge. This was going to be a measuring stick to see where this young team was early in the year, and boy did we. Pittsburgh came into this dual ranked 16th in the country, and for good reason. Most of their roster is ranked, including No. 1-ranked Cole Matthews who was going up against true freshman Kal Miller. Dual upsets require a lot, but one of those things is your true freshman going up against a top-ranked dude can't get destroyed, and that's what Kal did. He lost, but a regular decision with Matthews winning 5-1. What else do you need in upset dual wins? You need upsets, obviously. We got that with Michael North beating 11th-ranked Dazjon Casto in overtime 10-8. Another necessary ingredient for an upset win, is bonus points. You can't score more bonus points than you do with a pin, and that's what you got from Braxton Brown at 125 to get this thing rolling. This was the first ranked win for Maryland since 2013. This turnaround didn't happen overnight and it didn't come without the necessary effort and belief from the athletes and coaches. “To see our kids battle all night on the road in a hostile environment says a lot about who they are and what our program is made of,” Coach Alex Clemsen said after the dual. “Friday night was a great step for our program to show the country what we are capable of. I know our kids and staff are hungry for more nights like that and for more opportunities to showcase our work and growth.” Having followed Maryland very closely since Clemsen took over, I know every word of this to be true. Expect big things from these guys. This might be their first ranked win in a while, but there will be many more to come. Next up they'll have Navy in Annapolis on 12/11, followed by a trip to the Southern Scuffle, before getting their Big Ten Schedule started with Indiana on 1/9. On, Wisconsin! I know I wrote about both Maryland and Wisconsin last week, but they have wasted no time this season with getting into some big moments. If you're reading this, then you for sure know that Austin Gomez beat 3x defending NCAA Champion, and World Silver Medalist, Yianni Diakamaholis. It was as impressive an upset as I've ever seen. Gomez is comfortable in absolutely any position, and is ready and willing to get there. If someone was going to beat Yianni, it had to be someone who could score points in bunches and keep him from getting comfortable. Gomez had to be the guy, and I'll be damned, he did it. As it turns out, though, nine other matches were wrestled that day. Two weeks ago, I said that I wasn't worried about Wisconsin, despite being beaten by Iowa State. They had everything go wrong in that dual, which can happen sometimes. Other times, you can have everything go right, which is what happened this week. This week they showed up in Ithaca ready to throw fists. Cornell was ranked 6th going into the dual, and at home, I'm sure fully expected their first win of a promising season. Just like with Maryland, Wisconsin got some upset wins to come away with this one on the road. Zargo was upset at 141, but other than that they took all the matches that were toss-ups. Hamiti got bonus points in what was supposed to be a close match with him and Julian Ramirez at 165, then you had freshman James Rowley keep the match close with #9 Foca at 174. Tied 13-13 going into the final two matches, you had #21 Braxton Amos get the decision over 20th-ranked Jacob Cardenas, followed by another upset at HWY with #12 Trent Hilger beating #9 Lewis Fernandez to seal the dual at 19-13. This is why you schedule tough early-season duals. Wisconsin has been on both ends of some tough competition over the first three weeks, but they will be as battle tested as anyone going into the Big Ten schedule. Up next for them they head to Ames, Iowa for the Harold Nichols Cyclone Open this weekend before heading to New Jersey for the Garden State Grapple with Princeton and Penn. Scared money don't make money. Ohio State and Michigan are on a crash course towards each other These two teams will meet in Ann Arbor on Jan. 27 for what is always one of the more competitive and fun dual meets to watch. It often comes down to not only the final match, but a couple positions getting flipped around. Whether it's good, old-fashioned, high-intensity matches, or inexcusably bad calls (cough, Heflin v Zeerip, cough cough), something crazy always happens with these duals. Michigan has gotten the better of Ohio State the last couple of times, but not without some level of drama. I don't remember this being the case in previous seasons, but to this point, three of each of these teams' four chances to compete this season were either at the same tournament (MSU Open), or against the same teams (UNC and Columbia). Regardless of how much can happen between now and Jan. 27, I thought it would be a fun exercise to compare how they've done against these common opponents. Here's the UNC results: Ohio State 33 North Carolina 8 125 - Malik Heinselman (Ohio State) dec Jack Wagner (North Carolina) 3-1 133 - Jesse Mendez (Ohio State) fall Joey Melendez (North Carolina) 4:32 141 - Lachlan McNeil (North Carolina) dec Jordan Decatur (Ohio State) 9-7 149 - Sammy Sasso (Ohio State) fall Jayden Scott (North Carolina) 1:39 157 - Sincere Bailey (North Carolina) FFT 165 - Carson Kharchla (Ohio State) dec Nick Fea (North Carolina) 12-8 174 - Ethan Smith (Ohio State) dec Clay Lautt (North Carolina) 2-0 184 - Kaleb Romero (Ohio State) dec Gavin Kane (North Carolina) 5-4 197 - Gavin Hoffman (Ohio State) dec Max Shaw (North Carolina) 8-2 285 - Tate Orndorff (Ohio State) fall Brandon Whitman (North Carolina) 5:22 Michigan 23 North Carolina 12 125 - Jack Wagner (North Carolina) dec Jack Medley (Michigan) 5-4 133 - Dylan Ragusin (Michigan) tech Jaime Hernandez (North Carolina) 20-5 141 - Cole Mattin (Michigan) dec Lachlan McNeil (North Carolina) 9-3 149 - Chance Lamer (Michigan) dec Danny Nini (North Carolina) 6-3 157 - Will Lewan (Michigan) dec Sincere Bailey (North Carolina) 3-2 165 - Joey Mazzara (North Carolina) dec Zack Mattin (Michigan) 7-3 174 - Clay Lautt (North Carolina) dec Max Maylor (Michigan) 4-1 184 - Matt Finesilver (Michigan) dec Gavin Kane (North Carolina) 4-0 197 - Max Shaw (North Carolina) dec Jaden Bullock (Michigan) 3-2 285 - Mason Parris (Michigan) fall Brandon Whitman (North Carolina) 2:30 Here are the results against Columbia as well: Michigan 38 Columbia 6 125 - Kurt McHenry (Michigan) maj Nick Babin (Columbia) 15-7 133 - Dylan Ragusin (Michigan) tech Zack Witmer (Columbia) 22-5 141 - Cole Mattin (Michigan) fall Kai Owen (Columbia) 1:08 149 - Chance Lamer (Michigan) maj Richard Fedalen (Columbia) 12-1 157 - Will Lewan (Michigan) dec Andrew Garr (Columbia) 6-3 165 - Josh Ogunsanya (Columbia) fall Zack Mattin (Michigan) 4:13 174 - Joseph Walker (Michigan) dec Lenox Wolak (Columbia) 5-2 184 - Matt Finesilver (Michigan) maj Jack Wehmeyer (Columbia) 9-1 197 - Brendin Yatooma (Michigan) dec Javen Jovero (Columbia) 4-3 285 - Mason Parris (Michigan) fall Dan Conley (Columbia) 2:37 Ohio State 33 Columbia 6 125 - Malik Heinselman (Ohio State) maj Nick Babin (Columbia) 17-4 133 - Jesse Mendez (Ohio State) maj Angelo Rini (Columbia) 12-2 141 - Jordan Decatur (Ohio State) dec Matt Kazimir (Columbia) 3-1 149 - Danny Fongaro (Columbia) dec Klay Reeves (Ohio State) 7-4 157 - Paddy Gallagher (Ohio State) dec Andrew Garr (Columbia) 11-4 165 - Carson Kharchla (Ohio State) dec Josh Ogunsanya (Columbia) 6-3 174 - Lennox Wolak (Columbia) dec Ethan Smith (Ohio State) 8-6 184 - Kaleb Romero (Ohio State) tech Jack Wehmeyer (Columbia) 22-6 197 - Gavin Hoffman (Ohio State) tech Javen Jovero (Columbia) 27-8 285 - Tate Orndorff (Ohio State) fall Dan Conley (Columbia) 3:54 Both teams are figuring out some lineup pieces (125, 174, and 197 for Michigan, and 141 for Ohio State), and Cam Amine hasn't competed yet for the Wolverines, but both teams are strong where you would expect. All I know is that it's Nov. 21, and I am already getting excited for this dual. As should you. And guess what? Both of these teams' next competition, you guessed it, is at the Cliff Keen Las Vegas from Dec. 2-3. Did Sean Bormet and Tom Ryan sit down together to make these schedules? Seems like it a little bit, right? Hoosiers are starting off on the right foot Coach Angel Escobedo will be the first to admit that last year didn't live up to the standards that he, his wrestlers and Hoosier fans have for the program. But this year, he said, his team is looking for some redemption. While the season is still very young, Indiana has so far done what it has needed to do to get started on the right foot. Led by two-time NCAA qualifier D.J. Washington, the Hoosiers are 2–0, with a win over No. 24 Princeton – their first ranked win since Jan. 30, 2021 – and a tied-for-second-place finish this weekend at the Black Knight Invitational. Down at 174 pounds and healthy, Washington has been nothing but dominant so far. He cruised to the Black Knight title, outscoring his opponents 79-31, including a 16-9 win over Army West Point's No. 21 Ben Pasiuk in the final. Yes, it's early in the season and he doesn't yet have a signature win, but putting up big points against the opponents he should be dominating is setting the right tone for his young team. The Hoosiers brought in an 11-member freshman class this year. Leading that class, so far, is 133-pounder Henry Porter. Following junior Jacob Moran at 125, the pair bring a jolt of energy to the beginning of the Hoosiers' lineup. Porter was on a 5-0 bonus-point win streak heading into the Black Knight invite, where he placed fourth. Speaking of freshmen, Jacob Kaminski made a convincing argument this weekend for the starting spot at heavyweight, getting the win against Princeton and a fifth-place finish at the invite. It's much too early in the season to make any grand predictions for the Hoosiers. But the best thing that any team coming off of a disappointing season can do is to win the matches it's supposed to win, dominate the opponents it's supposed to dominate and create the type of energy that Indiana did last Friday night at its basketball arena at Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall in front of its esteemed alumni. And so far, the Hoosiers have done just that. Beau Bartlett has shown improvement at 141 pounds Beau Bartlett has greeted the media with a smile on his face and spring in his step this season – and it's for good reason. The Penn State junior says he's feeling more confident and prepared now that he's 8 pounds lighter and wrestling at 141. Bartlett jokingly referred to himself as a “defensive specialist” at the team's preseason media day a few weeks ago, acknowledging his struggles on offense during his first two collegiate seasons, competing at 149 pounds. It's been a different story so far this season. Bartlett hung 10 points on his Lock Haven opponent in his first match at 149 a week ago – his most points in a single bout since early February. He added to that number this past weekend at the Black Knight Invitational, racking up an 18-3 technical fall and a 20-7 major decision before closer bouts in the semis and finals en route to the title. The junior still has some improvements to make – having graded himself a C after his 10-0 performance against Lock Haven – but looks quicker and stronger on the mat, with the ability to force the action and get takedowns late in the period. “The guys are lighter. I feel like I can really move my opponents around a lot more efficiently,” he said Tuesday at his team's weekly media availability. “So that, along with my mentality that I want to attack more and that I know I have the ability to – those two things together, it's unstoppable.” Bartlett attributes his physical improvements to the fact that he's eating healthier now and is able to jump rope and go on the long runs he enjoys without having to worry about losing weight. He says this has benefitted his mental preparedness, as well. It's still early in the season, but if Bartlett continues to make improvements to his offense, it's reasonable to consider the 2022 NCAA qualifier a podium contender this season. If Bartlett can achieve All-American status this season, it will go a long way in helping his team retain its NCAA crown.