InterMat Staff

The 2022 Junior and 16U National Championships aka Fargo (photo courtesy of Tony Rotundo; WrestlersAreWarriors.com) Here's your one stop for links to all of our Fargo conference recruiting previews: ACC Big 12 Big Ten EIWA MAC Pac-12 SoCon

VMI signee Dyson Dunham (photo courtesy of Jason Dunham) Our final conference preview is here. We're wrapping up by focusing on the SoCon recruits that are set to scrap in Fargo. The SoCon is a league on the rise with teams like Appalachian State and Campbell, who have managed to find their way into the national rankings over the past few years. Both schools have recruited well and continue to do so. After those two, the rest of the league has seemingly raised their recruiting efforts, as well, which bodes well for the future. Speaking of the future, below are some future stars of the SoCon. They have registered to compete in Fargo. Keep track of them and note their past accomplishments before they take the mat. Appalachian State Carson Floyd, North Carolina (285) Kaden Keiser, South Dakota (145) Ethan Shell, North Carolina (138) There is a trio of future Mountaineers ready to compete in Fargo, two of which happen to be in-state products. Carson Floyd has the most national-level credentials of the group as he was an NHSCA Senior National runner-up and also finished seventh at the Super 32. The other local product is Ethan Shell, a four-time North Carolina finalist and three-time champion. The Appalachian State staff went all the way to South Dakota to sign Kaden Keiser who won state titles in each year of high school. Campbell Mike Kinzel - Ohio (182) - Class of 2023 Campbell is off to an excellent start with their Class of 2023, receiving verbals from a pair of top-100 recruits from Ohio. A third wrestler from Ohio has committed, Mike Kinzel, and he'll compete in Fargo. Kinzel was a DII eighth-place finisher in 2022 and a state qualifier last year. Chattanooga Jeremy Paradice - Georgia (160) One of the best SoCon recruits in Fargo is Jeremy Paradice, who won a pair of Georgia state titles and made three finals appearances. Paradice also placed at NHSCA's grade level tournament three times, with a high placement coming as a senior when he was third. The only time he did not place at the event was in 2020 when it was canceled. Davidson Christian Rutherford, Rhode Island (160) Davidson when all the way up to New England to find Christian Rutherford who was a Rhode Island state finalist as a senior. Rutherford was also a match away from placing at the New England Championships. VMI Dyson Dunham, Virginia (132) Austin Zehring, Virginia (126) VMI has inked a pair of in-state products that will compete in the FargoDome. Two-time National Prep placer (5th, 6th) Dyson Dunham leads the way. Dunham finished the folkstyle portion of his high school career with a third-place finish at NHSCA SR's. Austin Zehring was a two-time 6A state placewinner, taking sixth in each of his final two years of high school.

Oklahoma recruit KJ Evans (photo courtesy of Tony Rotundo; WrestlersAreWarriors.com) We are just a few days away from the first whistle blowing at the FargoDome as the Junior/16U National Championships will occur. The event returned in 2021, after it was canceled in 2020, and had an incredibly deep field. This year's group looks even better. Over the next couple of days, we'll go conference-by-conference to preview recruits from each school and their chances for success. We have only included recruits that have been tabbed to participate in one of the tournaments. We're moving on to the Big 12. The Big 12 is home to three of the top-ten classes from 2022 with #2 Iowa State, #4 Missouri, and #6 Oklahoma State. In addition, schools like Northern Iowa, North Dakota State, Oklahoma, South Dakota State, and Wyoming have been in the national rankings recently. What it comes down to is there's a lot of young talent coming into the Big 12. Below are the Big 12 recruits that are scheduled to appear in Fargo: Air Force Mike Avelar, Arizona (160) - Class of 2023 EJ Beloncik, Oklahoma (160) - Class of 2023 Josh Cordio, Massachusetts (182) - Class of 2023 Soren Herzog, Minnesota (195) - Class of 2023 Trason Oehme, South Dakota (145) - Class of 2023 Competition has really intensified during the past few years in regards to high-level recruiting with the service academies. Air Force is no different as the Falcons have verbals from a #115 Soren Herzog and two others close to the Big Board with Josh Cordio and Trason Oehme. Last year, Herzog placed in both styles at the 16U level. His high was a runner-up finish in Greco-Roman. That was the same placement for him this spring at the UWW Cadet Trials. It marked the second time he broke the top-eight at that event in Greco. New England champion Josh Cordio also earned NHSCA Junior National All-American honors in April. Finally, we have Trason Oehme, who was a Fargo All-American in 2019 after finishing eighth in 16U Greco-Roman. Iowa State Evan Frost, Iowa (132) Jacob Frost, Iowa (138) Tate Naaktgeboren, Iowa (182) - Class of 2023 We mentioned in an earlier preview that Team Iowa will be one to beat in Junior freestyle and three future Cyclones will help in those efforts. The Frost twins have not AA'ed yet in Fargo, but have both finished on the podium at the Super 32. Both were also state freestyle champions this year. Also seeking his first All-American honor here is Tate Naaktgeboren. Last year, Naaktgeboren was sixth in UWW Cadet freestyle and has a pair of state titles to his credit. Missouri J Conway, Indiana (160) Easton Hilton, Missouri (145) Carter McCallister, Missouri (138) - Class of 2023 Zeke Seltzer, Indiana (138) The Mizzou Tigers had a massive Class of 2022 that ended with a number four ranking from Intermat. One of the key components of that class was Zeke Seltzer, a three-time Indiana state champion. Seltzer has placed in the freestyle portion of Fargo in each of the last three years. He was second and sixth in 16U and fifth last summer at the Junior level. Fellow, multiple-time Indiana champion J Conway is seeking to make his best mark nationally. Moving along to the in-state prospects, Carter McCallister was third in 2019 in 16U and Easton Hilton, a Missouri state champion as a freshman and a freestyle champ this year. North Dakota State Walker Bents, Minnesota (138) Gavin Drexler, Wisconsin (145) Boeden Greenley, North Dakota (152) Brendan Howes, Minnesota (152) Landen Johnson, Minnesota (152) Maxwell Peterson, Minnesota (145) As always, the Bison have the home field advantage as the tournament is held on their campus. Not surprisingly, North Dakota State has a large, strong group of entrants. Gavin Drexler is the only one in the crew that has past experience on the podium. In 2019, he was a 16U runner-up in Greco. There is a trio of Minnesota state champions in the fold, with Walker Bents, Landen Johnson, and Maxwell Peterson. Expect them to excel in both styles. Northern Iowa Trever Anderson, Iowa (126) Garrett Funk, Iowa (132) Cory Land, Alabama (132) Garret Rinken, Iowa (120) - Class of 2023 Wyatt Voelker, Iowa (195) The 2022 Northern Iowa recruiting class just slipped into our rankings this year by taking over the #25 slot. Most of the parties responsible for such a ranking have entered the tournament. The highest ranked of the bunch is Alabama star Cory Land. While Fargo took place in 2021, Land was in Budapest, where he picked up a Cadet World silver medal in Greco. With that in mind and three top-three finishes at the Super 32, he'll be in the title mix, in both styles here. The same can be said for Wyatt Voelker, who has been a double AA in both 2019 and 2021. Last year, Voelker took home the big stop sign in Greco and was eighth in freestyle. Lightweight Trever Anderson has some history in the FargoDome with an eighth place finish in 2019 in 16U freestyle. Both Garrett Funk and Class of 2023 recruit, Garret Rinken, and have had success at small schools in-state, but are looking for some national-level accolades. Oklahoma KJ Evans, Oklahoma (152) - Class of 2023 AJ Heeg, Oklahoma (182) - Class of 2023 Dylan Newsome, Ohio (170) - Class of 2023 Dylan Russo, Ohio (220) - Class of 2023 Anthony Santaniello, New Jersey (138) - Class of 2023 Lou Rosselli and staff have amassed an incredible Class of 2023 on the recruiting front and most of the key players are expected to compete in Fargo. They'll have five top-100 wrestlers from that class take the match, with #29 KJ Evans leading the way. Evans has been remarkably consistent in his results at massive freestyle/Greco tourneys. Last year, he was a runner-up in 16U freestyle and fourth in Greco. That was the exact same placement for Evans at UWW Cadets this year. Rosselli and staff went back to his old stomping grounds, Ohio, and picked up a pair of high-quality big men named Dylan. Newsome and Russo. Both were NHSCA Junior National Champions earlier this year. At the other end of the lineup is Anthony Santaniello, a three-time New Jersey state finalist and one-time champ. Finally, you have AJ Heeg, an Oklahoma state champion at a deep weight class. Oklahoma State Cael Hughes, Oklahoma (132) - Class of 2023 Jersey Robb, Oklahoma (195) - Class of 2023 Cutter Sheets, Oklahoma (152) Sam Smith, Oklahoma (120) - Class of 2023 With all of the seniors removed from national rankings, Cael Hughes has ascended to the top spot at 132 lbs. He'll attempt to justify such lofty billing by winning his second career Fargo title. In 2019, Hughes was a finalist in 16U in both styles, coming away with the win in 94 lb freestyle. In April, Hughes took fourth in UWW Cadet freestyle. Also getting on the podium at Cadet's was Jersey Robb, who finished seventh at 92 kg. Robb has won a pair of state titles in the 6A classification. Cutter Sheets and Sam Smith were both state runner's-up this year and are sons of two of the best OSU wrestlers ever (Mike and John). South Dakota State Thomas Dineen, Minnesota (195) - Class of 2023 Brock Fettig, North Dakota (170) Luke Rasmussen, South Dakota (220) Caleb Thoennes, Minnesota (132) Kail Wynia, Minnesota (220) While South Dakota State has a solid group heading to Fargo, Caleb Thoennes is the only one with prior placement at the tournament. Thoennes was a 16U national champion in Greco three years ago and fifth in freestyle. He's grown significantly since then, as those results came at 88 lbs. Even without Fargo credentials, the rest of the group has been able to make an impact nationally throughout their high school careers. This spring both Thomas Dineen and Luke Rasmussen captured NHSCA grade level titles. Dineen's came at the Junior level and Rasmussen's was at Seniors. Kail Wynia had a sixth-place showing at the Super 32 last fall that put him on the map. Brock Fettig is a two-time North Dakota state champion and a three-time finalist. Utah Valley Luke Van Orden, Nevada (145) The Wolverines will be represented by Luke Van Orden, a Nevada state champion who has claimed Western Regional championships in both styles. West Virginia Matthew Dolan, West Virginia (113) - Class of 2023 An in-state stud will be the representative for West Virginia in Matthew Dolan. A two-time state champion, Dolan also won an NHSCA Junior National title this spring. Wyoming Cole Brooks, Oklahoma (145) - Class of 2023 Brayden Sonnentag, Wisconsin (126) - Class of 2023 Last year, Wyoming shocked the conference and nation by hauling in the #13 overall recruiting class. The Cowboy staff has already shown that this wasn't just a "one-year" outlier. Wyoming already has verbals from a pair of top-60 recruits in the Class of 2023, one of which will be in action in Fargo. He is Cole Brooks, a two-time Oklahoma state champion. Joining Brooks is Brayden Sonnentag, who is a past Fargo AA. Sonnentag was seventh in 2019 in 16U Greco-Roman. This year he was sixth at NHSCA JR's.

2008 Olympic gold medalist Henry Cejudo (photo courtesy of Tony Rotundo; WrestlersAreWarriors.com) Wrestling is one of, if not the, strongest bases for MMA. The current wrestlers of today will likely be the dominant fighters of the next generation. This weekend USA Wrestling will host their Junior (under 18) national tournament affectionately known to wrestling fans as Fargo. The following looks at some of the MMA fighters who were able to place in the Junior division in freestyle during their prep days. 1995 Josh Hendricks 4th at 220 and Chael Sonnen 8th at 178 After finishing seventh in 1994, Hendricks returned to Fargo and finished fourth at heavyweight. The winner of the weight class was eventual Iowa standout heavyweight Wes Hand. Hendricks would spend his collegiate days at Ashland where he was a two-time Division II All-American. He made his professional MMA debut in 2002 and made it to the UFC in 2008. In his lone Octagon fight, he lost to title challenger Gabriel Gonzaga. Hendricks last fought in 2014 and holds a 19-11 record as a professional. Despite focusing mostly on Greco in terms of the international styles, Sonnen did place on the freestyle side at Fargo. Following an All-American career at Oregon, Sonnen did continue to wrestle on the Greco scene before eventually making his MMA debut in 1997. In 2009, he signed with the UFC for the second time and challenged for a title three times. However, he came up short all three times. In recent years, Sonnen has become a semi-ubiquitous talking head in the MMA space. 1996 Mark Munoz 2nd at 178, Sean Salmon 3rd at 178 and Nathan Coy 8th at 154 After high school, Munoz moved on to Oklahoma State where he became a two-time All-American and won the NCAA title at 197 pounds in 2001. He turned to MMA in 2007 and made his UFC debut a little less than two years later. Munoz went 9-6 in the promotion before retiring from the sport in 2015. He holds the unique distinction of being part of the first-ever five-round non-title fight in UFC history. In that bout, Munoz bested Chris Leben via second-round stoppage. MMA fans likely remember Salmon from the high-profile knockout he suffered against fellow wrestler Rashad Evans in his UFC debut. However, he was quite a wrestler before ever turning to MMA. After finishing third at Fargo, he continued to wrestle at Ohio State. He had a strong freshman season that saw him ranked at multiple points throughout the season. Salmon then dropped out of school. He turned to MMA in 2005 and won nine of his first 10 fights to earn a call from the UFC. Unfortunately, he lost both of his UFC fights. Salmon finished his career in 2013 on a 12-fight losing streak. Coy went on to become an All-American at Oregon State and finished his collegiate career with an 85-42 record. In 2007, he made his professional MMA debut, and he fought in Strikeforce less than a year later. During his career, he faced off against fellow former wrestlers Tyron Woodley and Paul Bradley. In 2015 Coy finally made his UFC debut after competing on the 21st season of "The Ultimate Fighter." The 43-year-old fighter has not fought since 2017 and has a 15-7 professional record. 1997 Daniel Cormier 4th at 220 and Nathan Coy 5th at 165 After a pair of junior college national championships, Cormier took his talents to Oklahoma State. There he was an All-American and finished second to Cael Sanderson at 184 pounds in 2001. Following college, he was a regular on the freestyle ladder and qualified for multiple World and Olympic teams. In 2009, Cormier signed with Strikeforce for his MMA debut. He won his first seven bouts before entering the promotion's heavyweight tournament as a reserve fighter. Cormier surprisingly won the bracket over several more experienced fighters. In 2013, Cormier moved to the UFC and in 2015, he defeated Anthony Johnson for the light heavyweight title. Three years later, he vacated the belt and moved up to heavyweight and defeated Stipe Miocic. Cormier retired in 2020 after back-to-back losses to Miocic. He was recently inducted into the UFC Hall of Fame. 1998 Eric Larkin 1st at 132, Nik Fekete 1st at 191.5, Gray Maynard 2nd at 154, Jerrod Sanders 3rd at 132, Steve Mocco 4th at 275 and Gerald Harris 6th at 165 Larkin was one of the more decorated wrestlers to make the move to MMA, when he debuted in 2010. During his collegiate days at Arizona State, he was a four-time All-American. As a senior in 2003, he won the title at 149 pounds and brought home the Hodge Trophy. Seven years later, he made his MMA debut on a small regional show. After a pair of wins, he signed with Bellator that same year. He won his promotional debut, but lost a follow-up fight against Kenny Foster. Larkin never returned to the cage and finished his run with a 3-1 record. Fekete went on to become an All-American for Michigan State in 2001. He won his first four fights before signing with Bellator in 2011. Fekete went 1-1 with the promotion. He then competed on the 17th season of "The Ultimate Fighter" but lost early in the competition. Fekete last fought in 2017 and has a 7-1 MMA record. Maynard also spent his collegiate days at Michigan State where he was a multiple-time All-American. When he completed his eligibility in 2003, his 106 career wins ranked 11th in school history. Maynard turned to MMA in 2006 and won his first two fights before entering the fifth season of "The Ultimate Fighter" and joining the UFC. In 2011 he faced off against fellow former wrestler Frankie Edgar for the UFC lightweight title in a fight that went to a draw. After going undefeated through his first 12 fights, Maynard won only three of his last 10 fights and has not competed since leaving the UFC in 2018. Sanders wrestled collegiately for Oklahoma State. After cracking the starting lineup in 2012 as a junior, he became an All-American in 2003 as part of the Cowboy's national championship team. Sanders made his MMA debut in 2010. He won 14 of his first 15 fights and signed with the UFC in 2014. He won one of his three fights with the promotion before leaving in 2016. Sanders last fought in 2018 and has a 16-4 record. Mocco was a two-time NCAA champion and four-time All-American who split his collegiate time between Iowa and Oklahoma State. Following school, he competed on the international scene for years and represented the U.S. at the 2008 Olympics. Mocco got a late start in his MMA career as he made his debut in 2012. He went 5-1 and stopped competing after a 2015 victory. Mocco still coaches at American Top Team and can be regularly seen in the corner of several top fighters. Harris spent his collegiate days at Cleveland State where he was a three-time NCAA qualifier and finished his career as the winningest wrestler in program history. He made his MMA debut in 2006 and signed with the UFC in 2010. Harris went 3-1 in the promotion that year before exiting. He continued to compete on smaller shows before signing with Bellator in 2018. He last fought in 2019 and has a 26-8-1 professional record. Harris has continued to be active in the wrestling world as he recently competed on the Masters level and wrestled in the main event of the second StaleMates Street League show. 1999 Steve Mocco 1st at 275, Marcus LeVesseur 2nd at 143, Cole Province 5th at 132, Frankie Saenz 6th at 132 LeVesseur went on to wrestle at Division III Augsburg, where he became a four-time NCAA champion. He actually had an MMA fight in 2003 after winning his first collegiate title. After finishing school in 2006, he returned to the cage. LeVesseur competed mostly on small shows in Minnesota before signing with the UFC in 2012. He went 1-2 in the Octagon with a victory over Carlo Prater. LeVesseur last fought in 2012 and finished with a 22-7 record. After this fifth-place finish at Fargo, Province went on to wrestle for Central Oklahoma on the Division II level. He won four-straight national titles. He has since been inducted into both the UCO and Division II Wrestling Hall of Fame. Province made his MMA debut in 2007 and won his first five fights before signing with WEC in 2008. He last fought in 2010 when he dropped a fight against title challenger Mike Thomas Brown. Province finished with a 6-2 record. Saenz spent time at both Arizona State and Northern Colorado while in college. He transitioned to MMA in 2010. Four years later, he made his MMA debut. From 2014 to 2020, Saenz was a regular in the UFC's bantamweight division. He faced a pair of former WEC champions in Urijah Faber and Eddie Wineland and last fought in 2020. His professional MMA record currently stands at 12-7. 2000 Steve Mocco 1st at 275, Jake Rosholt 1st at 178, Marcus LeVesseur 3rd at 143, Tyron Woodley 3rd at 165, Shawn Bunch 3rd at 114.5, Cain Velasquez 4th at 275 and Johny Hendricks 7th at 154 Rosholt's Fargo championship was a springboard to future college success. He was a three-time NCAA champion and a four-time All-American for Oklahoma State and a major contributor on multiple tournament championship teams. Following school, Rosholt signed with an innovative management group called Team Takedown that provided an early salary based on the anticipated future success. He joined the WEC in 2008 after only four fights on the independent circuit. The following year he signed with the UFC, but he went only 1-2 and was released. Rosholt continued to fight until 2012 and finished with a 12-5 MMA record. After a boxing loss to YouTube personality Jake Paul, Woodley's fighting career appears to be nearing the end. However, he certainly had his high points after an impressive wrestling career at Missouri where he was a two-time All-American. Woodley signed with Strikeforce in 2009 after making his MMA debut earlier that year. He started his career with 10-straight wins and signed with the UFC in 2013. In 2016, Woodley defeated Robbie Lawler to claim the welterweight title and defended it four times before dropping it in 2019. Bunch went on to become a two-time All-American at Edinboro and made the finals in 2005. He continued wrestling on the freestyle circuit and was a member of the 2009 world team. In 2012, Bunch made the transition to MMA and made his debut in Bellator. In two different stints with the company, he went 8-4 with a victory over former world champion Joe Warren. The 39-year-old wrestler fought twice earlier this year, as he split a pair of bouts for Khabib Nurmagomedov's Eagle FC promotion. Velasquez is perhaps one of the most successful former wrestlers on this list. After a stint at junior college, he transferred to Arizona State where he became a two-time All-American in an era stacked with top heavyweights. Less than a year after his collegiate wrestling career ended, Velasquez made his MMA debut. He signed with the UFC after only two professional fights. In his ninth fight, Velasquez defeated Brock Lesnar for the heavyweight championship. He won the belt back from Junior dos Santos in 2012. Velasquez retired from MMA after dropping a fight against current heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou in 2019. Hendricks was a two-time champion and a four-time All-American at Oklahoma State. He joined fellow teammate Rosholt as a founding member of Team Takedown. Hendricks made his MMA debut in 2007 and signed with the UFC in 2009. He won 15 of his first 15 fights and earned a title shot against legend Georges St. Pierre in 2013. Despite seemingly doing enough against "GSP", he dropped a decision. Hendricks would bounce back and defeat Robbie Lawler for the vacant title in his next bout. However, after winning the title, Hendricks went 2-6 to finish his career and last fought in 2017. 2001 Steve Mocco 1st at 275, Johny Hendricks 1st at 165, Cain Velasquez 2nd at 275, Jake Rosholt 3rd at 191.5, Marcus LeVesseur 4th at 154, Ben Askren 4th at 165 and Cole Konrad 4th at 275 Askren was a four-time finalist and two-time NCAA champion at Missouri. He continued to compete on the freestyle scene despite having a seemingly folkstyle-based approach. Askren earned a spot on the 2008 Olympic team. He then made the move to MMA in 2009. After three victories on small shows, he joined Bellator in 2010. After long stints in Bellator and One Championship, Askren signed with the UFC in 2019 with an undefeated 19-0 record. In his UFC debut, he defeated former welterweight champion Robbie Lawler. However, Askren then dropped his last two fights and retired from MMA. He came out of retirement to box Jake Paul and suffered a knockout in less than two minutes. Konrad's rivalry with Mocco was one of the best in heavyweight history. The Minnesota wrestler finished his career as a four-time All-American and two-time champion. Konrad made his professional MMA debut in 2010 after Brock Lesnar had previously brought him in as a training partner. In his seventh fight, Konrad became the inaugural Bellator heavyweight champion. However, he chose to retire after two more fights to focus on becoming a commodities broker. Konrad finished his career with an undefeated 9-0 record. 2002 Cole Konrad 1st at 285, Ben Askren 1st at 171, Johny Hendricks 1st at 160, Phil Davis 8th at 189 and Chad Mendes 8th at 119 Despite never winning a state championship in high school, Davis went on to become a four-time All-American at Penn State. As a senior in 2008, he broke through and won the NCAA title at 197 pounds. Later that same year, he made his MMA debut and signed with the UFC in 2010. Davis went 9-2 with the promotion before leaving and signing with Bellator. In 2016, he defeated Liam McGeary to claim the company's light heavyweight title. Davis dropped the belt against fellow wrestler Ryan Bader in his next fight. He remains active and picked up a victory over Julius Anglickas this past March. His professional record stands at 24-6. Mendes was a two-time All-American and one-time finalist for Cal Poly. He finished his collegiate eligibility in 2008 and made his MMA debut later that year. Mendes quickly established himself as one of the top featherweights in the world and fought for the UFC featherweight title on three occasions. He remains under UFC contract, but he has not fought in the Octagon since 2018. Earlier this year, he had a bare-knuckle boxing match against a rapper named "Famez" and won by fourth-round knockout. 2003 Brandon Halsey 6th at 215, Jake O'Brien 7th at 215 and TJ Dillashaw 7th at 112 Halsey originally signed with Fresno State coming out of college, but transferred to Cal State Bakersfield after the Bulldogs dropped their program. At the new school, he finished seventh at the 2009 NCAA tournament to become an All-American. Halsey made his MMA debut in 2012 and signed with Bellator the following year after a pair of victories. In his eighth professional fight, he defeated Alexander Shlemenko to become the promotion's middleweight champion. He last fought in 2018 and dropped a fight against current UFC light heavyweight champion Jiri Prochazka. Halsey might still be looking for some competition as he entered the U.S. Open in freestyle this year at heavyweight. O'Brien spent one year in the starting lineup for Purdue, but he was unable to qualify for the NCAA tournament. He made the transition to MMA in 2005. O'Brien earned a call-up to the UFC in 2006 after building an undefeated 7-0 record. He won his first three fights in the Octagon including an upset over former Pride FC fighter Heath Herring. However, O'Brien would win only one of his next four fights and exit the promotion. He last fought in 2012, but during his career, he did face three UFC champions including Jon Jones, Andrei Arlovski and Cain Velasquez. Dillashaw was a three-time NCAA qualifier, but he failed to win a single tournament match in those three trips. A year after finishing his collegiate career, Dillashaw made his MMA debut in 2010. After four victories, he entered "The Ultimate Fighter" and made the finals before coming up short against John Dodson. Despite the loss, he earned a spot in the UFC. In 2014, he defeated Renan Barao to become the UFC bantamweight champion. After losing the belt two years later, Dillashaw bounced back in 2017 and won the belt again from Cody Garbrandt. Dillashaw returned last year from a drug test suspension and put himself back in title contention. 2004 Henry Cejudo 1st at 112, Brandon Halsey 1st at 215, Jared Rosholt 2nd at 215 and Gregor Gillespie 4th at 145 Cejudo never wrestled in college, but he did make the 2008 Olympic team four years after this Fargo medal. He surprisingly fought his way through the field and brought home a gold medal at the age of 21. Cejudo eventually made his MMA debut in 2013 and signed with the UFC the following year after going 6-0 on smaller shows. Two years later, Cejudo faced off against Demetrious Johnson for the flyweight title but came up short. He fought his way back to the title and bested Johnson for the belt in 2018. In 2019, Cejudo moved up in weight and defeated Marlon Moraes for the vacant bantamweight title. After one defense, he retired from MMA and has been focused on coaching. However, it seems likely he will return to the sport in the near future. The younger and larger Rosholt followed his brother to Oklahoma State and then into MMA. At the college level, he was a three-time All-American and a one-time finalist. He turned professional in MMA in 2011 and signed with the UFC in 2013. Rosholt went 6-2 in the promotion, but was released following a loss to Roy Nelson in 2016. Since that release, Rosholt has entered multiple PFL tournaments, but he has not fought since falling against former European Championships gold medalist Ali Isaev in the finals of the 2019 PFL heavyweight tournament. Gillespie was a four-time All-American and one-time champion at Edinboro. He finished his collegiate career in 2009 with a fourth-place finish at 157 pounds. After dealing with some personal issues, Gillespie returned to active competition and made his MMA debut in 2014. He won his first seven fights and received an invitation from the UFC. Gillespie has been a regular competitor in the Octagon, and his scrambling wrestling style has helped him win seven of his eight UFC fights. He has not fought since defeating Carlos Diego Ferreira in 2021, but reportedly remains signed with the promotion. 2005 Boris Novachkov 1st at 98, Jared Rosholt 2nd at 285, Lance Palmer 3rd at 140, Darrion Caldwell 4th at 135 and Sonny Yohn 4th at 189 Novachkov was a three-time finalist for Cal Poly. He ended his collegiate career with a third-place finish at the 2012 NCAA tournament. Following school, he chose to represent Bulgaria on the international scene where he won a silver and bronze medal at the European Championships. He made his MMA debut for Bellator in 2019 but dropped a decision. He bounced back with a pair of victories in 2021 on smaller shows. Palmer was a four-time All-American at Ohio State. As a senior in 2010, he made the finals before dropping a bout against rival Brent Metcalf. Palmer made his professional MMA debut in 2011. After going 6-0 on small shows he signed with the World Series of Fighting, which is now known as the Professional Fighters League. He has held the WSOF belt twice and won a pair of PFL tournaments. This past June, Palmer defeated kickboxer Sheymon Moraes. Caldwell famously upset Metcalf in the finals of the 2009 NCAA tournament. After a redshirt year, he returned to the tournament in 2011 but bowed out with an injury. He finished his career at North Carolina State as a two-time All-American. In 2012, he made his MMA debut and signed with Bellator in 2014. He won 13 of his first 14 fights and claimed the Bellator bantamweight title in 2017. However, since winning the title, Caldwell has gone only 4-5 and is currently riding a three-fight losing streak. Yohn was a three-time All-American for Minnesota during his collegiate days. He made his professional MMA debut in 2016 and currently holds a 3-2 record. Yohn has not fought since scoring a second-round submission over Omar Acosta in 2017. 2006 Jamal Parks 1st at 135, Boris Novachkov 2nd at 112, Sonny Yohn 2nd at 189, Lance Palmer 3rd at 140, Colby Covington 4th at 171, Deron Winn 4th at 189, Darrion Caldwell 5th at 152 and Jamelle Jones 6th at 189 Parks finished fifth at the 2011 NCAA tournament to become an All-American. He then made the move to MMA in 2013. He started his career with five-straight wins, but he has not fought since dropping a fight against Raoni Barcelos in 2015. Of course, this is likely due to issues outside of the cage. Before he was one of the most polarizing fighters in the world, Covington was a top wrestling prospect. After winning a junior college national championship at Iowa Central, Covington transferred to Oregon State, where he finished as an All-American in 2011. He made his MMA debut the following year. In 2014, he signed with the UFC and quickly made a name for himself with three wins in a row. In 2018, Covington won the interim welterweight title over Rafael dos Anjos, but he has been unable to claim the full version of the belt. Covington has faced off against former Division II wrestler Kamaru Usman, but dropped both fights for the title. Winn started his collegiate wrestling career at the junior college level where he was a two-time champion. He then finished his career with an NAIA All-American performance for Lindenwood in 2011. Winn remained in the wrestling world for multiple years and made the freestyle national team. He made his MMA debut in 2017 and signed with the UFC in 2019. He has gone 2-3 and is coming off a loss against fellow wrestler Phil Hawes. Much like Winn, Jones was an NJCAA champion before transferring to Campbellsville where he was an NAIA All-American. He currently holds a 12-8 record in MMA. He recently entered the PFL heavyweight tournament but dropped his first fight against Renan Ferreira. 2007 Sonny Yohn 1st at 189, Boris Novachkov 2nd at 125, Cody Yohn 2nd at 171. Tyrell Fortune 3rd at 215 and Jarod Trice 4th at 285 Cody Yohn, like his brother, was also an All-American for Minnesota. He made his professional MMA debut in 2016 and surprisingly lost his first fight. However, he bounced back with four-straight victories. Despite the winning streak, Yohn has not fought since defeating Mike Jones by a split decision in 2017. Fortune was a two-time NJCAA champion at Clackamas and eventually won an NCAA Division II title at Grand Canyon. He was a regular on the freestyle ladder for a few years until signing with Bellator for his MMA debut in 2016. Fortune has spent his entire career with the company and currently holds a 12-2 record. This past April, he picked up a first-round knockout over Rakim Cleveland at Bellator 277. Like Fortune, Trice also signed with Bellator before ever having an MMA fight. The former Central Michigan All-American made his debut with the company and won his first four fights. Despite the wins, the promotion released him following a 2018 victory. Trice returned to action on a smaller show last year and bested Tommie Britton by decision. 2008 Tyrell Fortune 1st at 215 2009 Niko Bogojevic 3rd at 285*, Alex Polizzi 4th at 215 and Johnny Eblen 8th at 189 This one might not count since professional wrestling is only real to a select group of people. Bogojevic wrestled collegiately for both Augsburg and Colorado State Pueblo but mostly focused on Greco Roman. He is currently performing with WWE as Otis. Polizzi was a three-time NCAA qualifier for Northwestern, who finished his collegiate eligibility in 2015. He made his professional MMA debut in 2018 and won his first five fights before signing with Bellator. In his first fight with the promotion, Polizzi defeated former middleweight champion Rafael Carvalho. In his last fight, he took a step up in competition and last via third-round knockout against Olympic silver medalist wrestler Yoel Romero. Eblen was a multiple-year starter at Missouri. As a senior in 2015, he won the MAC conference championship and qualified for the NCAA tournament. In 2017, he made his MMA debut. After four wins on the independent circuit, he signed with Bellator. Ebeln continued the winning streak in Bellator and earned a shot against middleweight champion Gegard Mousasi last month. Eblen shocked the world by dominating the fight and taking the middleweight title. 2010 Logan Storley 1st at 171, Edwin Cooper 2nd at 140, Mark Grey 5th at 125, Mike England 5th at 171, Alex Polizzi 6th at 215 and Kyle Crutchmer 6th at 160 Storley was a four-time All-American at Minnesota. He finished his career with a fourth-place finish at the 2015 NCAA tournament. Later that year, Storley made his professional MMA debut. After starting his run with five-straight victories, he signed with Bellator in 2017. He has won nine of his 10 bouts in the promotion. In his last fight, Storley defeated Michael Page to claim the interim welterweight title. The bout sets up a rematch against full champion Yaroslav Amosov who took time off to help with the national defense of his native Ukraine. Amosov has handed Storely his only MMA loss to date. Cooper won an NJCAA title and finished second at the NCAA Division II tournament before joining the Iowa program in 2014. He qualified for the NCAA tournament as a senior in 2016. Cooper made his professional MMA debut in 2018. He currently holds a 6-1 record. In his last fight, Cooper scored a unanimous decision on the PFL challenger's series but was not awarded a contract with the promotion. Grey was a three-time NCAA qualifier during his time at Cornell. This past April, he made his professional MMA debut and scored a third-round stoppage over Hector Iglesias. Grey had won four-straight amateur bouts before turning professional. England started his collegiate career at Iowa State before transferring to Missouri. At the new school, he was a multiple-time NCAA qualifier and made the round of 12 in 2015. England made his professional MMA debut in 2020 and currently holds a 6-1 record. He is set to return to action this July against Lucas Batista. England has not strayed too far from his wrestling roots as he is also a regular on the StaleMates Street League shows. Crutchmer was a two-time All-American for Oklahoma State. He exhausted his eligibility in 2017 and moved to American Kickboxing Academy to train under fellow former Cowboy Daniel Cormier. Crutchmer turned professional in 2018 and won four-straight fights for an Oklahoma-based promotion before signing with Bellator in 2019. He has gone 5-1 with the promotion. In his last fight, Crutchmer scored a decision victory over Michael Lombardo at Bellator 277. 2011 Pat Downey 1st at 171, Jarred Brooks 2nd at 112, Edwin Cooper 2nd at 152, Mark Martin 4th at 160 and Kyle Crutchmer 4th at 171 Downey spent time at multiple colleges during his colorful career. He won an NJCAA title for Iowa Central and finished fifth at the NCAA tournament while attending Iowa State to become an All-American. Downey has competed extensively on the freestyle scene and represented the U.S. at the 2019 World Championships. He was set to make his professional MMA debut this past April but was reportedly forced to pull out with "red skin syndrome." Downey is now scheduled to make his debut at Bellator 284 on August 12. Brooks never really wrestled on the collegiate level, but he has relied on his wrestling background in MMA. He made his professional MMA debut in 2014 and currently holds a 19-2 record. He went 2-2 in the UFC from 2017 to 2018 before being released. At times during his career, Brooks has been considered the top strawweight (115 pounds) fighter in the world. However, many of the top promotions don't sponsor the weight class. Brooks recently won a One Championship title shot and is expected to fight for the belt later this year. Martin was a multiple-time NCAA qualifier during his time at Ohio State. He finished his eligibility in 2016 and made his professional MMA debut the following year. Martin currently holds a 7-2 record and recently earned a shot in the PFL. However, the bout did not go as planned, and Martin suffered a devastating eye injury in the bout against Dilano Taylor and will likely need time to recover. 2012 Kyle Crutchmer 1st at 170

Cornell recruit Mason Gibson (photo courtesy of Tony Rotundo; WrestlersAreWarriors.com) We often think of the Big Ten and, of late, the ACC when it comes to recruiting, but the EIWA has staked its claim to dominating the recruiting scene. For proof, five EIWA teams cracked the top 25 from InterMat this year, with another receiving an honorable mention. The Ivy League in particular has been impressive, as they accounted for three of those top-25 accolades. Those three, Cornell, Penn, and Princeton all have large groups of recruits set to compete. Each has recruits with past success in Fargo, and others capable of shining. Here are the EIWA recruits, by team, to follow once the action gets underway in Fargo. Army West Point Samuel Cartella, Ohio (145) - Class of 2023 Andrew Christie, Pennsylvania (160) - Class of 2023 Cooper Haase, Florida (138) - Class of 2023 Chris Murphy, Connecticut (220) Army West Point has been incredibly busy on the recruiting trail and will have a couple of studs on display. From the Class of 2022 is Chris Murphy, a fifth-place finisher at NHSCA Senior Nationals. The Class of 2023 will have a pair of top-200 recruits in Samuel Cartella and Cooper Haase, along with Andrew Christie. Cartella has placed three times at the National Prep Championships, highlighted by a runner-up finish this year. Florida state champion Cooper Haase shined this spring with a championship at NHSCA Juniors. Finally, Andrew Christie is a two-time Pennsylvania state qualifier who made the AA finals this year. Bucknell Michael Bartush, Connecticut (220) Kade Davidheiser, Pennsylvania (126) - Class of 2023 Aiden Davis, Michigan (145) - Class of 2023 Michael Duggan, Pennsylvania (152) - Class of 2023 Noah Mulvaney, Wisconsin (170) - Class of 2023 Myles Takats, Ohio (170) - Class of 2023 You might have overlooked it by focusing on the Big Ten schools, but Bucknell has really done an excellent job with their Class of 2023. The Bison staff has landed four top-100 recruits and three are expected to battle in Fargo. Most have excellent in-state credentials and are looking to make their first big splash nationally. The highest ranked is two-time Wisconsin state runner-up Noah Mulvaney. Noah was a freestyle state champion this spring. In 2021, Kade Davidheiser was a National Prep Open champion for The Hill School, becoming the first wrestler in 20 years to accomplish the feat. Aiden Davis is a two-time Michigan state champion and three-time finalist. Michael Duggan has finished third at Pennsylvania's AA level in each of the last two years. Ohio's Myles Takats made the jump from 126 to 170 between his sophomore and junior seasons and landed in the DI state finals. Representing the Bison in the Class of 2022 is Michael Bartush who finished his high school folkstyle career in the NHSCA Senior National finals. Columbia Richard Fedalen, Maryland (145) Nolan Neves, Ohio (285) The recruiting efforts at Columbia continue to shine year after year. This season the Lions were noted in InterMat's honorable mention section of the recruiting rankings. Two of the key components of head coach Zach Tanelli's Class of 2022, Richard Fedalen and Nolan Neves will be in Fargo. Fedalen is well-round, but has shined brightest in Greco. Fedalen was a UWW Junior Open champion in Greco this year and also reserved a spot on the Junior World team. Earlier this month, Fedalen won a Pan-American gold medal in U20. Fedalen also is strong in freestyle with four Fargo AA honors to his name, with two coming in each style. Nolan Neves won an Ohio DII state title this season after finishing third in 2021. During the regular season, Neves was fourth at the Walsh Ironman. Cornell Michael Dellagatta, New Jersey (195) - Class of 2023 Tyler Ferrera, New York (126) - Class of 2023 Mason Gibson, Pennsylvania (126) - Class of 2023 Kingsley Menifee, Virginia (195) - Class of 2023 Simon Ruiz (170) - Class of 2023 Ben Shvartsman, Illinois (160) One of the largest groups of recruits heading to Fargo in the EIWA belongs to Cornell. They also have some of the wrestlers most likely to make deep bracket runs. One of the fastest risers in the national rankings, after a strong National Duals performance, is two-time New Jersey state third-place finisher Michael Dellagatta. Also from Jersey in the Class of 2023 is two-time finalist and one-time state champion Simon Ruiz. The most accomplished, to date, from this group, is Mason Gibson, who won a 16U Greco title last year and was third in freestyle. Gibson has also placed twice at UWW Cadets in freestyle. Recent commit, Kingsley Menifee of Virginia, was fourth in 16U Greco last year and had the same placement in UWW Cadets in Greco. Tyler Ferrera won his first New York title in 2022, after making the finals two years ago. The lone member of Cornell's Class of 2022 is Ben Shvartsman, who was an undefeated Illinois 2A state champion, as a senior. Drexel Jordan Soriano, New York (138) Drexel will be represented by Jordan Soriano, a 2022 New York State champion and a 2021 winner of the New York Open Championship. After the 2021 season, Soriano was third at NHSCA Junior Nationals. Franklin & Marshall Aidan O'Shea, Pennsylvania (132) F&M has a recruit in Fargo with Aidan O'Shea, a 2022 AAA state qualifier. O'Shea went 35-9 as a senior and finished third in the region, allowing for his first state berth. Lehigh Kimo Leia, California (145) Jared Schoppe, New Jersey (182) - Class of 2023 Luke Stanich, New Jersey (120) - Class of 2023 A pair of New Jersey state finalists have committed to Lehigh and will comprise the Mountain Hawks representation for the Class of 2023 in Fargo. Both Jared Schoppe and Luke Stanich are three-time New Jersey state placewinners, who make their first finals appearances in 2022. Schoppe was an All-American here last summer with a third-place finish in the 16U freestyle bracket. California state fourth-place finisher Kimo Leia is an incoming freshman for Lehigh, who has had past success in the FargoDome. He was fourth in Junior freestyle last year. Navy Dylan Elmore, Kansas (160) - Class of 2023 Ryder Rogotzke, Minnesota (182) - Class of 2023 The Class of 2023 is shaping up to be excellent for Cary Kolat and crew at the Naval Academy. We'll get a preview of some of their notables with Ryder Rogotzke and Dylan Elmore. Rogotzke was a 16U Greco All-American, with a sixth place finish in 2019. Last year, he made the Cadet Greco World Team and finished third in the freestyle trials. Rogotzke is currently ranked #12 overall in the Class of 2023. Elmore was fourth at UWW Cadet in Greco last year, then went on to take eighth in Junior freestyle. It wouldn't be a shock to see fourth All-American honors between these two. Penn Spencer Barnhart, Pennsylvania (138) - Class of 2023 Louis Colaiocco, New Jersey (152) Matthew Cruise, Pennsylvania (285) Zach Delsanter, Ohio (220) - Class of 2023 Reed Fullmer, Pennsylvania (152) Jackson Polo, New York (145) Brady Pruett, Maryland (126) Jude Swisher, Pennsylvania (138) Initially, it looked as if Penn's contingent would consist solely of their #18 ranked recruiting Class of 2022. Then the Quakers received a pair of recent verbals from Spencer Barnhart and Zach Delsanter, both rising seniors. Barnhart was a National Prep Open champion in 2021 and a runner-up in 2022. Delsanter was fourth in Ohio's largest classification wrestling for perennial power, St. Ed's. Of the incoming freshmen, Jude Swisher was an All-American last year, taking fifth in Junior freestyle. He and Matthew Cruise are both top-three finishers from Pennsylvania's AAA classification. From the National Prep ranks, Brady Pruett and Reed Fullmer are both multi-time placers, while Louis Colaiocco did so for powerhouse Blair Academy in 2021. Finally, New York state champion Jackson Polo's best national-level credential is a third-place finish at NHSCA Sr's. Princeton Holden Garcia, Pennsylvania (170) - Class of 2023 Drew Heethuis, Michigan (126) - Class of 2023 Christopher Martino, Idaho (138) Zander Silva, New Jersey (160) - Class of 2023 Ty Whalen, New Jersey (152) The Tigers have a good mix of recruits from both the 2022 and ‘23 classes ready to pounce in Fargo. Christopher Martino has as much experience in the FargoDome as anyone. He has AA'ed five times during his high school career. The first four came at 88-94 lbs in 2018-19, while the most recent was at Junior 132 in 2021. His classmate, Ty Whalen, was third in Junior freestyle last summer, which happened to match his eventual placements at the Super 32 and Beast of the East. Though in the Class of 2023, Holden Garcia already has a Junior freestyle accolade next to his name. He was seventh at 160 last year. Garcia also finished eighth at UWW Cadet in Greco in 2021. Drew Heethuis is also a returning Junior AA, having placed seventh at 113 in freestyle last year. Though he doesn't have any past history of success in Fargo on his resume, a third-place finish at the 2022 New Jersey state tournament indicates that Zander Silva should do just fine.

Ohio State recruit Vinny Kilkeary (photo courtesy of Tony Rotundo; WrestlersAreWarriors.com) We are just a few days away from the first whistle blowing at the FargoDome as the Junior/16U National Championships will occur. The event returned in 2021, after it was canceled in 2020, and had an incredibly deep field. This year's group looks even better. Over the next couple of days, we'll go conference-by-conference to preview recruits from each school and their chances for success. We have only included recruits that have been tabbed to participate in one of the tournaments. Next on the list is the Big Ten! Illinois Will Baysingar, Illinois (138) - Class of 2023 Kole Brower, Illinois (138) Kannon Webster, Illinois (132) - Class of 2023 With the new staff in place at Illinois, in-state recruiting has been a huge focus. In just over a year at the helm for Illinois, Mike Poeta and staff have been able to retain some of their home state's best. First and foremost is 2021 Junior freestyle national champion, Kannon Webster. Webster has not finished lower than third in any style during his two trips to Fargo. A fellow top-50 recruit from the Class of 2023, Will Baysingar, could also make the podium and was second and third at the Illinois state tournament. The incoming freshman of the group, Kole Brower, was eighth in Junior freestyle last year. Brower is a 2022 state champion that will compete in the same bracket as Baysingar. Indiana Sam Goin, Indiana (160) - Class of 2023 Tyler Lillard, Ohio (160) Gabe Sollars - Indiana (195) Reinforcements are on the way for Angel Escobedo and staff as #69 Tyler Lillard and #123 Gabe Sollars are a part of the Hoosier's 2022 recruiting class. Lillard was fourth in U16 freestyle back in 2019 at 152 lbs. He's a fixture at national-level events and will be in the mix here, as well. Sollars got on the podium last year in Junior Greco-Roman, finishing sixth. He followed that up with a fourth-place showing at the Super 32 and has a pair of Indiana state titles. Another Hoosier that decided to stay in-state was undefeated state champion, Sam Goin. A strong showing from Goin could catapult him into the top 100 nationally, as he currently sits at #103 in the Class of 2023. Iowa Ryder Block, Iowa (138) - Class of 2023 Easton Fleshman, Iowa (285) Kolby Franklin, Iowa (220) Bradley Hill, Iowa (220) Joel Jesuroga, Iowa (145) Nate Jesuroga, Iowa (120) - Class of 2023 Carson Martinson, Iowa (160) Carter Martinson, Iowa (152) Drake Rhodes, Montana (170) Jace Rhodes, Iowa (132) Aiden Riggins, Iowa (160) A large portion of the Team Iowa that won back-to-back Junior Duals titles is ready to head to Iowa City as a part of the Hawkeye's #11 ranked recruiting class. Standouts include Kolby Franklin, who made 16U finals in both styles in both of his previous competitions at that age group. Last year, he was fourth in Junior freestyle. Sticking with the big men, Bradley Hill was a finalist at the UWW Cadet World Team Trials last year at 110 kgs. As was Aiden Riggins, who went on to make the Junior freestyle finals in Fargo. This year he'll attempt to get one step higher on the podium. The remainder of the incoming freshmen are all capable of getting hot and challenging for All-American status. Looking ahead to the Class of 2023, Nate Jesuroga has to be on the short list of favorites at 120 lbs. Jesuroga was a Cadet World bronze medalist last year and fell in the best-of-three finals for a slot on the team this year. Jesuroga has also made the finals at the last two Super 32's and won the belt in 2021. Maryland Dario Lemus, California (138) - Class of 2023 With a top-ten recruiting class in 2021, Maryland has certainly upped their recruiting profile under the leadership of Alex Clemsen. Now they've gone cross-country to get a verbal from a top-50 rising senior in Dario Lemus. The California state runner-up took fourth at the most recent Super 32 and was a finalist at the Doc Buchanan Invitational. Lemus will certainly be a factor in Fargo. Michigan Cam Catrabone, New York (138) - Class of 2024 Dylan Gilcher, Michigan (145) - Class of 2023 Caden Horwath, Michigan (120) - Class of 2023 Nathan Jerore, Michigan (138) Codei Khawaja, Indiana (182) Beau Mantanona, California (145) - Class of 2023 Hayden Walters, Oregon (195) - Class of 2023 The Wolverines have an early argument for the top recruiting class of 2023 and that talented group will be on display in Fargo. Four top-50 recruits are slated to compete. #10 Beau Mantanona and #14 Dylan Gilcher will both compete in the 145 lb bracket. Mantanona was top-five in both styles, at the 16U level, in 2019. Last year, he didn't go because he was busy with the Cadet World Championships. Gilcher is a two-time Super 32 placewinner, who was fourth at UWW Cadets in 2021. Fellow Michigan native, Caden Horwath, was an All-American here in 2021 and a 16U national champion in freestyle in 2019. One of the favorites in a loaded Junior 195 lb weight class will be Hayden Walters, who was third at 182 in Junior freestyle last year. Looking at Michigan's incoming freshmen, even though Codei Khawaja never placed at the Indiana State Tournament, he did All-American in both styles last year at the Junior level. He was sixth in both. Nathan Jerore finished his senior year as a Michigan state champion. Nebraska Ismael Ayoub, Ohio (138) Weston Dalton, Colorado (145) - Class of 2023 Alan Koehler, Minnesota (120) - Class of 2023 Kael Lauridsen, Nebraska (120) - Class of 2023 Late commit Ismael Ayoub is the only incoming freshman that will compete for the Huskers. He was fourth in 2019 in 16U freestyle. The bulk of the future Huskers in action will be comprised of wrestlers from the Class of 2023. Like many Minnesota wrestlers, Alan Koehler is strong in both international styles and has proven it in Fargo. He's AA'ed in each of the last two tournaments, in both styles, never finishing lower than fourth. Kael Lauridsen won the 16U Greco title last year and was fourth in freestyle. This year he took third in UWW Cadet Greco and sixth in freestyle. Weston Dalton is a two-time Colorado state champion who was third in Junior Greco last year. Don't be surprised if all four Husker recruits come back with some sort of hardware. Northwestern Joseph Martin, California (182) 2022 California state champion Joseph Martin is expected to be the lone future Wildcat in the field. He previously placed at the Super 32 and has three top-six finishes at the Doc Buchanan, highlighted by a win, as a senior. Ohio State Vinny Kilkeary, Pennsylvania (113) - Class of 2023 Rocco Welsh, Pennsylvania (160) - Class of 2023 The 2022 recruiting class for the Buckeye took home honors as best in the nation. That group will not be in action, but two big components from their next class are expected to compete and stand out. Rocco Welsh, one of the top-ten recruits in this class, was third in Junior freestyle last year and fifth at 16U in 2019. He's ready to take the next step and take home the big stop sign. Another Pennsylvania native will be crossing the border and competing for Ohio State, in Vinny Kilkeary. A 2020 Super 32 champion, Kilkeary was third in 16U freestyle last year at the same weight class. Both are serious title threats. Penn State Josh Barr, Michigan (170) - Class of 2023 Braeden Davis, Michigan (120) - Class of 2023 A pair of rising juniors from Michigan will account for Penn State's contingent in Fargo. Though there are only two of them, they both are capable of making a huge impact on the center mat. Josh Barr wrestled there last year as he captured a Junior freestyle title. He's looking to repeat and put himself in elite company as a two-timer. The same can be said for Davis who won Junior freestyle at 113 lbs. These could be the next two Nittany Lion superstars. Purdue Brody Baumann, Indiana (170) Joey Blaze, Ohio (160) - Class of 2023 Brac Hooper, Indiana (138) The first commit from the Boilermakers Class of 2023, Joey Blaze, is ready for a podium run in Fargo. Though he hasn't cracked the top-eight yet, Blaze has finished fifth at the Ironman and eighth at the Super 32. Two-time Indiana state champion, Brody Baumann, cracked the top-eight last year by taking fifth in Junior freestyle. He's back at the same 170 lb weight class. Two-time state qualifier Brac Hooper rounds out the Boilermaker crew. Rutgers Joe Fongaro, New Jersey (145) Luke Gayer, California (170) Max Hermes, Ohio (120) - Class of 2023 Just last week, Rutgers received their first commitment from the Class of 2023 as Ohio state champion Max Hermes verballed. Hermes is looking to make his national breakthrough with a big showing in Fargo. Another out-of-state recruit for Rutgers, Luke Gayer, is a California state runner-up that is capable of a podium finish. Gayer was four at the Super 32 last fall. The lone New Jersey native in this group is Joe Fongaro, who made the leap from sixth in the state to a champion, between his junior and senior seasons. Wisconsin Greyson Clark, Wisconsin (132) - Class of 2023 With former champion Nicolar Rivera scratching, Greyson Clark is the only Badger recruit set to compete in Fargo. Clark, was an All-American last year with an eighth-place finish in Junior freestyle. He also placed in both styles in 2019, while in the 16U division. Before Fargo last year, Clark was seventh in freestyle at the UWW Cadet WTT's

SIU Edwardsville recruit Bradley Gillum (photo courtesy of John Sachs; Tech-Fall.com) We are just a few days away from the first whistle blowing at the FargoDome as the Junior/16U National Championships will occur. The event returned in 2021, after it was canceled in 2020, and had an incredibly deep field. This year's group looks even better. Over the next couple of days, we'll go conference-by-conference to preview recruits from each school and their chances for success. We have only included recruits that have been tabbed to participate in one of the tournaments. Next on the list is the MAC! The 2021-22 season was an uncharacteristically rough one for the MAC. The league did not have any All-Americans crowned. While each coaching staff is looking to improve their current wrestlers, they also have some promising talent in the pipeline and ready to compete in Fargo. Below are the MAC recruits set to take the mat in the FargoDome. Buffalo Sam Ewing, Missouri (138) - Class of 2023 Dylan Schell, New York (170) Buffalo's latest commitment, Sam Ewing of Missouri, is one of two future Bulls that will compete in the FargoDome. Ewing has won a Missouri state title in each of his first three years of high school and was fourth in Greco and third in freestyle at the 2022 Southeast Regional. Incoming freshman, Dylan Schell, capped off his high school career with an undefeated, state-title-winning season, before making the finals at NHSCA Senior Nationals. Clarion Chase Cordia, Missouri (182) Typically, Clarion gets a lot of in-state recruits, but one of their incoming freshmen, from out-of-state, is set to compete in Fargo in Chase Cordia. Chase was a two-time Missouri state champion and finished in the top three in each of his final three years of high school. This spring, Cordia won a freestyle state championship at 182 lbs. Cleveland State Nick Abounader, Ohio (160) Local star, Nick Abounader, has decided to stay in Cleveland and will be a Viking this fall. He was a fourth-place finisher at the DII state tournament in Ohio this year at 150 lbs. George Mason Markel Baker, Illinois (132) JB Dragovich, Virginia (126) Traditional power Illinois is filled with contenders in both the Greco and freestyle ranks. That's why it's a big deal for George Mason to nab Markel Baker, a 2022 2A state champion. Baker also won the open state title last year. In April, Baker was third at the USAW Folkstyle National Showcase and was victorious at the Illinois state freestyle meet. He could be a medal threat that some may overlook. From inside the Commonwealth, George Mason has JB Dragovich, who closed his career with a 3A state title after finishing in the top three in his first three seasons. Kent State Billy Meiszner, Illinois (132) Kyle Snider, Ohio (220) - Class of 2023 Once again, we have a battle-tested kid from Illinois in Billy Meiszner. Billy was fourth at the state tournament in Illinois' largest classification this year. In 2021, he was a runner-up at the open state tournament. Leading up to Fargo, Meiszner was sixth at the Northern Plains Regional in freestyle. Kent State's 2023 recruit, Kyle Snider, might be the most highly regarded in the conference. This season, Snider was third in a brutal Ohio DII 215 lb weight class. Last year, Snider was a state champ at the same weight. While competing in folkstyle, Snider took sixth at the 2021 Walsh Ironman. Lock Haven Eric Alderfer, Pennsylvania (152) Sean Logue, Pennsylvania (126) Lock Haven tends to have a usual formula for recruiting and their two signees in Fargo fit the bill. Sean Logue is a AAA kid that placed twice at the state tournament (4th and 7th) and has a big upside. Eric Alderfer was a standout at the AA level, placing three times in Hershey and making the finals as a senior. Alderfer's biggest national-type credential is a seventh-place finish at this year's Powerade. These two are sure to be a tough out for anyone. Northern Illinois Tommy Bennett, Illinois (182) Eli Rocha, Missouri (138) Northern Illinois kept Tommy Bennett at home after he captured a 2A state title at 170 lbs this winter. In doing so, he became only the third wrestler in Brother Rice history to stand on top of the state podium. One of the few recruits in the conference with a track record at Fargo is Eli Rocha. A 2022 state runner-up, Rocha, was eighth in 16U freestyle in 2019. Rider Raymond Weed, New Jersey (182) Brock Zurawski, New Jersey (182) - Class of 2023 Rider typically goes heavy on the in-state recruits and here is no different. Incoming freshman, Raymond Weed, is a two-time state qualifier who was seventh in 2021. He'll compete at the same weight as his future teammate Brock Zurawski. The top-150 recruit Zurawski was eighth in the state at 165 lbs in 2022. Before his junior year, Zurawski was eighth at the Super 32 and once the high school season got underway, he was seventh at the Beast of the East. SIU Edwardsville Bradley Gillum, Illinois (170) Antonio Torres, Illinois (182) Without a question, the wrestler with the longest track record of success in Fargo, amongst MAC recruits, is Bradley Gillum. In 2019, Gillum was a double 16U All-American finishing seventh in freestyle and winning the Greco tournament. Last year, he made the Greco podium with a seventh-place finish. He'll likely be amongst the title contenders in Greco and an AA threat in freestyle. Also in competition is Antonio Torres, who was a two-time Illinois state placewinner, taking fourth as a senior.

2021 NCAA Champion AJ Ferrari (photo courtesy of Tony Rotundo; WrestlersAreWarriors.com) Update Since this original article was posted more information came out regarding AJ Ferrari. Sources close to the team indicate that Ferrari was dismissed from the Oklahoma State team by July 1st. The Stillwater Police Department posted the following tweet in reference to an ongoing investigation regarding Ferrari. The incident in question was said to have occurred on July 2nd, 2022. Original article Today, the wrestling world learned that 2021 NCAA champion AJ Ferrari is no longer a member of the Oklahoma State wrestling team. As of this morning, Ferrari had not entered the transfer portal. Ferrari went 20-1 as a true freshman to capture the national title at 197 lbs for Oklahoma State. Since then, Ferrari maintained a perfect 10-0 record during the 2021-22 season, but had his campaign derailed due to an automobile accident in late January. Ferrari was unable to compete for the remainder of the season because of injuries suffered during the accident. Ferrari has also had success on the international scene, winning a bronze medal at the Cadet World Championships in 2018 and competing with an injury during the 2020 Olympic Team Trials. Where Ferrari may land is an interesting matter. Four of the top six teams in InterMat's summer rankings (Penn State, Iowa, Ohio State, Missouri) each bring back All-American 197 lbers. Ferrari may also have options outside of the college wrestling world. Like Gable Steveson, Ferrari was a part of the WWE's initial NIL (Next In Line) program and has shown plenty of interest in that direction, along with mixed martial arts. So, circling back to college wrestling, with options like the WWE and MMA, and a large social media following, Ferrari is likely to command a significant dollar amount, related to NIL figures. Looking at Oklahoma State for the 2022-23 season, without Ferrari, Gavin Stika is the only returning 197 lber on the roster. He went a respectable 16-10, but was 0-2 at the 2022 Big 12 Championships. There is a rumored series of weight bumps that could happen with the Cowboys, including Travis Wittlake going from 165 to 184 and possibly Kyle Haas moving to 197. This is certainly a developing story as Ferrari would provide an immediate title threat wherever he would enroll, but also could choose to take a different route.

NC State recruit Vincent Robinson (photo courtesy of Tony Rotundo; WrestlersAreWarriors.com) We are just a few days away from the first whistle blowing at the FargoDome as the Junior/16U National Championships will occur. The event returned in 2021, after it was canceled in 2020, and had an incredibly deep field. This year's group looks even better. Over the next couple of days, we'll go conference-by-conference to preview recruits from each school and their chances for success. We have only included recruits that have been tabbed to participate in one of the tournaments. We started with the Pac-12, now we're going across the country with the ACC. Little by little, over the past decade (maybe more) the ACC has turned into a recruiting power. Even with only six teams, the conference is generally well-represented in yearly recruiting rankings. 2022 was no different as three of the league's schools were recognized in the top ten (NC State, Virginia Tech, Virginia) and two more were amongst the top 16 (Pittsburgh, North Carolina). Across the board, most of the key recruits from the Class of 2022 will not make the trek to Fargo for the 16U and Junior National Championships. That's alright because these schools recruit well and have more in the pipeline. NC State boasts the largest number of the ACC schools, but North Carolina, Virginia, and Virginia Tech all have recruits that are capable of claiming All-American honors. All four schools have at least one returning All-American ready to scrap. Below are the future ACC stars to watch during the upcoming week in North Dakota. NC State Koy Buesgens, Minnesota (145) - Class of 2023 Jeremiah Price, North Carolina (138) - Class of 2023 Vincent Robinson, Illinois (132) - Class of 2023 Cheaney Schoeff, Indiana (138) - Class of 2023 There are no members of NC State's #3 ranked recruiting class schedule to take the mat, but that's alright, because the Wolfpack already has a large contingent committed from 2023 and four are slated to compete. Vincent Robinson was fifth in Junior freestyle last year and continued to impress at high-level tournaments. Robinson won the Ironman and was top-five at the Super 32 and Powerade. The other top-50 recruit for NC State and ready for action is Koy Buesgens, a runner-up at the 2021 Super 32. Buesgens has a pair of past top-eight finishes to his name in Fargo. He was sixth at 138 last year in Junior Greco and eighth in 16U freestyle in 2019. The other two recruits for NC State will be competing in the 138 lb bracket this year. Two-time Indiana runner-up, Cheaney Schoeff is a top-100 wrestler that could have an impact. The other 138 lber is Jeremiah Price, an in-state product who has won three NC titles. North Carolina Sabino Portella, New Jersey (170) - Class of 2023 Marco Tocci, Pennsylvania (113) - Class of 2023 The North Carolina contingent will consist of a pair of wrestlers from their Class of 2023 with Sabino Portella and Marco Tocci. Portella is back at the 170 lb weight class where he took seventh in Junior freestyle last year. Not a bad feat for an upperweight heading into his junior year of high school. A New Jersey runner-up in 2021, Portella went on to claim fourth last season. Tocci was seventh in Junior Greco-Roman last year at 113 lbs. He ended up qualifying for the Pennsylvania state tournament for the first time in 2022. Pittsburgh Dylan Evans, Pennsylvania (152) - Class of 2023 From right in their backyard the Panthers have a legit title contender at 152 lbs with Dylan Evans. Evans was third in both styles last year at the 16U level. This year he's already finished seventh at UWW Cadet in freestyle. The Pennsylvania AAA state champ is definitely one to watch! Virginia Gable Porter, Iowa (132) - Class of 2023 The Cavaliers had their best recruiting haul in quite some time, resulting in the #9 class in the nation in 2022. The 2023 Class got off to a bang with a verbal from three-time Iowa state finalist and two-time champion Gable Porter. Porter's best national-level results have come on the Greco front. Last summer, he was a finalist at the Junior level, after making the UWW Cadet finals, as well. While he's expected to be in the mix for a title in that style, also expect an impact in freestyle, too. Virginia Tech Parker Ferrell, Virginia (285) - Class of 2024 Logan Frazier, Indiana (126) - Class of 2023 Aiden Lacoma, Virginia (285) Last summer, the Hokies saw two eventual Hokie recruits capture stop signs at the Junior freestyle division with Caleb Henson and TJ Stewart. This year they'll be well-represented at heavyweight with current high school teammates Aiden Lacoma and Parker Ferrell. Lacoma won a state title at 285 for Christiansburg (VA), while Ferrell won at 220. Lacoma was sixth in Junior Greco last year and placed at the Super 32, Ironman, and Beast during the high school season. Ferrell was a double 16U AA last year, taking third in freestyle and fifth in Greco. Recently, Ferrell was third at UWW Cadet in freestyle at 110 kg. The Class of 2023 is represented by Indiana state champion Logan Frazier. Through each year of high school, Frazier has increased his state placement by one, so he could continue to improve and contend for a spot in the top eight here.

2021 NCAA Champion AJ Ferrari (photo courtesy of Tony Rotundo; WrestlersAreWarriors.com) Today, the wrestling world learned that 2021 NCAA champion AJ Ferrari is no longer a member of the Oklahoma State wrestling team. As of this morning, Ferrari had not entered the transfer portal. Ferrari went 20-1 as a true freshman to capture the national title at 197 lbs for Oklahoma State. Since then, Ferrari maintained a perfect 10-0 record during the 2021-22 season, but had his campaign derailed due to an automobile accident in late January. Ferrari was unable to compete for the remainder of the season because of injuries suffered during the accident. Ferrari has also had success on the international scene, winning a bronze medal at the Cadet World Championships in 2018 and competing with an injury during the 2020 Olympic Team Trials. Where Ferrari may land is an interesting matter. Four of the top six teams in InterMat's summer rankings (Penn State, Iowa, Ohio State, Missouri) each bring back All-American 197 lbers. Ferrari may also have options outside of the college wrestling world. Like Gable Steveson, Ferrari was a part of the WWE's initial NIL (Next In Line) program and has shown plenty of interest in that direction, along with mixed martial arts. So, circling back to college wrestling, with options like the WWE and MMA, and a large social media following, Ferrari is likely to command a significant dollar amount, related to NIL figures. Looking at Oklahoma State for the 2022-23 season, without Ferrari, Gavin Stika is the only returning 197 lber on the roster. He went a respectable 16-10, but was 0-2 at the 2022 Big 12 Championships. There is a rumored series of weight bumps that could happen with the Cowboys, including Travis Wittlake going from 165 to 184 and possibly Kyle Haas moving to 197. This is certainly a developing story as Ferrari would provide an immediate title threat wherever he would enroll, but also could choose to take a different route.

2021 16U freestyle runner-up and Stanford commit Aden Valencia (photo courtesy of Tony Rotundo; WrestlersAreWarriors.com) We are just a few days away from the first whistle blowing at the FargoDome as the Junior/16U National Championships will occur. The event returned in 2021, after it was canceled in 2020, and had an incredibly deep field. This year's group looks even better. Over the next couple of days, we'll go conference-by-conference to preview recruits from each school and their chances for success. We have only included recruits that have been tabbed to participate in one of the tournaments. We're starting out west with the Pac-12! This conference features a traditional recruiting power in Arizona State and one that has recently developed in Oregon State. Stanford missed out on most of the 2021 recruiting cycle during the year of uncertainty surrounding the program. The second-year staff has made up for it with an incredible group for 2022 and some great verbals from 2023 and even 2024. Here are the Pac-12 recruits to watch out for in the FargoDome. Arizona State Kaleb Larkin, Arizona (145) Jacob Meissner, Minnesota (195) Nicco Ruiz, California (160) - Class of 2023 Emilio Ysaguirre, Arizona (138) The Sun Devils have an experienced group of recruits that have generally tasted success in Fargo already. Emilio Ysaguirre was always well thought of before the 2021 tournament, but used a runner-up finish at last year's Junior freestyle tournament as a breakout. Fellow incoming freshman, Kaleb Larkin, is battle tested with the Valiant Prep program; however, he's seeking his first Junior freestyle placement. He was fourth in 16U Greco-Roman in 2019. Top-ranked Nicco Ruiz was fifth in Junior freestyle before his junior year of high school. Jacob Meissner is a Super 32 fifth-place finisher that could make a dent here. Cal Poly Lucas Condon, California (170) - Class of 2023 Nathan Glass, Nevada (220) Cash Stewart, Wisconsin (160) Wesley Wilson, California (195) Typically Cal Poly's recruiting classes are heavily composed of in-state natives and that's generally the case this year, as well. However, a couple of out-of-state recruits will be in action in Fargo. Nevada's Nathan Glass was an NHSCA Senior National AA (7th) at 285 lbs, while Cash Stewart was a two-time Wisconsin state finalist and a champion as a sophomore. From the Class of 2022, Wesley Wilson was a match shy of placing at the CIF tournament, but was third at this year's Doc Buchanan. The Class of 2023 is off to a good start with Lucas Condon, who was third at the state tournament last season. CSU Bakersfield Ryan Arrington, California (220) Wanderlei Whittington, California (145) - Class of 2023 CSU Bakersfield tends to be creative on the recruiting trail and seeks out gems before the rest of the country discovers them. Ryan Arrington was a fourth-place finisher in a really solid California state weight class. He also was sixth at NHSCA SR's. Wanderlei Whittington went 1-2 at the state tournament in a loaded weight with a pair of tough losses to quality opponents. Little Rock Brendon Abdon, Florida (152) Kodiak Cannedy, Tennessee (170) Chance Davis, Oklahoma (160) Kyle Dutton, Missouri (145) Cael Keck, Missouri (132) Stephen Little, Kentucky (195) Brennan Van Hoecke, Florida (138) Head Coach Neil Erisman has a large chunk of his 19th-ranked recruiting class locked in and ready to go for Fargo. This entire group is graduated seniors who look to finish their respective high school career's on a high note. Cael Keck is the only one that has placed twice in Fargo, as he was a double Junior AA at 100 lbs in 2019. Brennan Van Hoecke took third in 16U freestyle that same year. Kyle Dutton was also sixth in 16U Greco-Roman in 2019. The remainder of the class have strong national-level credentials, but haven't tasted the podium in the FargoDome. Brendon Abdon had an excellent senior campaign with top-eight finishes at the Super 32 and Ironman, before capping it off with a finals appearance at NHSCA's. Kentucky's Stephen Little was also an Ironman placer. Oregon State DJ Gillette, Oregon (138) - Class of 2023 CJ Hamblin, Washington (170) Justin Rademacher, Oregon (182) - Class of 2023 Nash Singleton, Oregon (132) Cade White, Idaho (152) - Class of 2023 Incredibly enough, all of these five recruits for OSU have at least one past All-American placement from Fargo on their respective resumes. Starting with incoming freshmen, CJ Hamblin used the 2019 tournament to break out with top-six finishes in both styles at the 16U level. Nash Singleton took fifth in Junior Greco last year and third in 16U freestyle in 2019. Looking ahead to the rising seniors, DJ Gillette has proven to be a standout in Greco with a third-place finish in 2019 at 94 lbs in the 16U division. Earlier this year, Gillette was seventh in UWW Cadet Greco. That's the same placement as Justin Rademacher, who was a couple weights higher at 80 kg. He was an impressive fourth in 16U freestyle in 2021. Cade White's best national finish was a sixth-place showing at 16U Greco last year. Don't be surprised to see a few future Beavers come back with some hardware. Stanford Jack Darrah, Missouri (195) Zach Hanson, Minnesota (145) - Class of 2023; Lorenzo Norman, New Jersey (170) - Class of 2023 Aden Valencia, California (126) - Class of 2024 Abe Wojcikiewicz, Illinois (182) - Class of 2023 Perhaps the most dangerous team in the league, from this tournament's standpoint and in the future, is Stanford. Incoming freshman Jack Darrah has had his best results in Greco. He was a 2019 Pan-American champion, as a Cadet, and placed top-three twice in Fargo in the 16U division. The 2023 Class boasts Zach Hanson, who was a double 16U national champion last year. In the spring, Hanson was top-four in both styles at UWW Cadet's 65 kg. He should be a favorite in both styles as he moves to the Junior division. Lorenzo Norman doesn't have a long list of credentials in international styles, but was a finalist at the Ironman and Powerade this year. Now looking waaay ahead to the Class of 2024, Aden Valencia has shined at various national-level tournaments and this one is no exception. He was a 16U runner-up in freestyle last year after making the finals in both styles at UWW Cadets. True to form, he also was a finalist at the Super 32, before taking third in California.

2022 NCAA Champion Keegan O'Toole (photo courtesy of Sam Janicki; SJanickiPhoto.com) Welcome to a new, regular feature for InterMat! Every day, for the next few months, we'll look into the recent history of a DI wrestling program with our "Ten Years of…" feature. Even if you're a die-hard supporter of a particular school, there will be good information you may have forgotten. For others, it's a quick way to learn about a program you may not be familiar with. We're going in alphabetical order for this one, so next up is...Missouri! For past teams: Air Force American Appalachian State Arizona State Army West Point Binghamton Bloomsburg Brown Bucknell Buffalo Cal Poly Campbell Central Michigan Chattanooga Clarion Cleveland State Columbia Cornell CSU Bakersfield Davidson Drexel Duke Edinboro Franklin & Marshall Gardner-Webb George Mason Harvard Hofstra Illinois Indiana Iowa Iowa State Kent State Lehigh Lock Haven Maryland Michigan Michigan State Minnesota NCAA Qualifiers (90) 2022 125: Noah Surtin (#18); 141: Allan Hart (#9); 149: Josh Edmond (#26); 157: Jarrett Jacques (#25); 165: Keegan O'Toole (#2); 174: Peyton Mocco (#11); 184: Jeremiah Kent (#17); 197: Rocky Elam (#7); 285: Zach Elam (#16) 2021 125: Noah Surtin (#18); 133: Matt Schmitt (#6); 141: Allan Hart (#6); 149: Brock Mauller (#3); 157: Jarrett Jacques (#7); 165: Keegan O'Toole (#6); 174: Peyton Mocco (#10); 184: Jeremiah Kent (#9); 197: Rocky Elam (#7); 285: Zach Elam (#11) 2020 133: Allan Hart (#19); 141: Grant Leeth (#17); 149: Brock Mauller (#4); 157: Jarrett Jacques (#14); 165: Peyton Mocco (#30); 174: Connor Flynn (#20); 184: Dylan Wisman (#22); 197: Wyatt Koelling (#23) 2019 125: Dack Punke (#27); 133: John Erneste (#8); 141: Jaydin Eierman (#5); 149: Brock Mauller (#4); 157: Jarrett Jacques (#13); 165: Connor Flynn (#15); 174: Daniel Lewis (#2); 184: Dylan Wisman (#14); 285: Zach Elam (#20) 2018 125: Barlow McGee; 133: John Erneste (#5); 141: Jaydin Eierman (#2); 149: Grant Leeth (#3); 157: Joey Lavallee (#2); 165: Connor Flynn; 174: Daniel Lewis (#3); 184: Canten Marriott (#15); 197: Willie Miklus (#6) 2017 125: Barlow McGee; 133: John Erneste (#10); 141: Jaydin Eierman (#8); 149: Lavion Mayes (#8); 157: Joey Lavallee (#3); 165: Daniel Lewis (#6); 197: J'den Cox (#1); 285: Austin Myers 2016 125: Barlow McGee (#8); 133: Zach Synon; 141: Matt Manley (#5); 149: Lavion Mayes (#3); 157: Le'Roy Barnes; 165: Daniel Lewis (#4); 174: Blaise Butler (#3); 184: Willie Miklus (#14); 197: J'den Cox (#2) 2015 125: Alan Waters (#1); 133: Zach Synon; 141: Lavion Mayes (#3); 149: Drake Houdashelt (#1); 157: Joey Lavallee (#9); 165: Mike England; 174: John Eblen (#4); 184: Willie Miklus; 197: J'den Cox (#1); 285: Devin Mellon (#11) 2014 133: Matt Manley; 141: Lavion Mayes; 149: Drake Houdashelt (#1); 157: Joey Lavallee (#14); 165: Zach Toal; 174: Mike England; 197: J'den Cox (#2); 285: Devin Mellon 2013 125: Alan Waters (#1); 133: Nathan McCormick (#6); 141: Nick Hucke; 149: Drake Houdashelt; 157: Kyle Bradley; 165: Zach Toal; 174: Todd Porter; 184: Mike Larson (#11); 197: Brent Haynes (#12); 285: Dom Bradley (#1) National Champions Keegan O'Toole (165 - 2022) J'den Cox (197 - 2014, 2016, 2017) Drake Houdashelt (149 - 2015) NCAA All-Americans 2022: Keegan O'Toole (165 - 1st); Rocky Elam (197 - 4th) 2021: Brock Mauller (149 - 5th); Keegan O'Toole (165 - 3rd); Rocky Elam (197 - 5th) 2019: John Erneste (133 - 6th); Jaydin Eierman (141 - 3rd); Brock Mauller (149 - 6th); Daniel Lewis (174 - 4th) 2018: Jaydin Eierman (141 - 4th); Grant Leeth (149 - 6th); Daniel Lewis (174 - 4th); Willie Miklus (197 - 8th) 2017: Jaydin Eierman (141 - 5th); Lavion Mayes (149 - 2nd); Joey Lavallee (157 - 2nd); Daniel Lewis (165 - 6th); J'den Cox (197 - 1st) 2016: Lavion Mayes (149 -3rd); Daniel Lewis (165 - 4th); Willie Miklus (184 - 6th); J'den Cox (197 - 1st) 2015: Alan Waters (125 - 3rd); Lavion Mayes (141 - 7th); Drake Houdashelt (149 - 1st); Willie Miklus (184 - 7th); J'den Cox (197 - 5th) 2014: Drake Houdashelt (149 - 5th); J'den Cox (197 - 1st) 2013: Alan Waters (125 - 4th); Nathan McCormick (133 - 8th); Drake Houdashelt (149 - 6th); 184: Mike Larson (184 - 8th); 285: Dom Bradley (285 - 4th) NWCA All-Americans Brock Mauller (149 - First Team) Jarrett Jacques (157 - Honorable Mention) Round of 12 Finishers Noah Surtin (2022 - 125) Peyton Mocco (2022 - 174) Zach Elam (2019, 2022 - 285) Matt Schmitt (2021 - 133) Allan Hart (2021 - 141) Jarrett Jacques (2021 - 157) John Erneste (2018 - 133) Joey Lavallee (2014, 2018 - 157) Barlow McGee (2016 - 125) Blaise Butler (2016 - 174) Mike England (2015 - 165) Devin Mellon (2015 - 285) Todd Porter (2013 - 174) Conference Champions Big 12 2022: Keegan O'Toole (165) MAC 2021: Matt Schmitt (133); Brock Mauller (149); Keegan O'Toole (165); Rocky Elam (197) 2020: Brock Mauller (149) 2019: John Erneste (133); Jaydin Eierman (141); Brock Mauller (149); Jarrett Jacques (157); Daniel Lewis (174); Dylan Wisman (197) 2018: John Erneste (133); Jaydin Eierman (141); Grant Leeth (149); Joey Lavallee (157); Connor Flynn (165); Daniel Lewis (174); Willie Miklus (197) 2017: John Erneste (133); Jaydin Eierman (141); Lavion Mayes (149); Joey Lavallee (157); Daniel Lewis (165); J'den Cox (197) 2016: Barlow McGee (125); LeRoy Barnes (157); Daniel Lewis (165); Blaise Butler (174); J'den Cox (197) 2015: Alan Waters (125); Zach Synon (133); Drake Houdashelt (149); J'den Cox (197); Devin Mellon (285) 2014: Drake Houdashelt (149); J'den Cox (197) 2013: Alan Waters (125); Nathan McCormick (133); Drake Houdashelt (149); Dom Bradley (285) Dual Record 2021-22: 11-4 2021: 10-0 2019-20: 12-7 2018-19: 16-1 2017-18: 19-0 2016-17: 11-4 2015-16: 14-2 2014-15: 24-0 2013-14: 11-2 2012-13: 16-3 Conference Tournament Placement Big 12 2021-22: 1st MAC 2021: 1st 2019-20: 1st 2018-19: 1st 2017-18: 1st 2016-17: 1st 2015-16: 1st 2014-15: 1st 2013-14: 1st 2012-13: 1st NCAA Tournament Team Placement 2021-22: 9th (49.5 points) 2021: 7th (64 points) 2019-20: No Tournament 2018-19: 6th (62 points) 2017-18: 6th (61.5 points) 2016-17; 5th (86.5 points) 2015-16: 6th (74.5 points) 2014-15: 4th (73.5 points) 2013-14: 14th (40.5 points) 2012-13: 7th (56.5 points) Head Coaching History Brian Smith (1998-Present) Best Lineup (Comprised of wrestlers from 2013-22) 125 - Alan Waters: 4x NCAA Qualifier (#1 x2 and #3 seeds), 2x NCAA All-American (3rd, 4th), 3x MAC Champion 133 - John Erneste: 3x NCAA Qualifier (#5, #8, and #10 seeds), 2019 NCAA All-American (6th), 3x MAC Champion 141 - Jaydin Eierman: 5x NCAA Qualifier (#1, #2, #5, #8 and #10 seeds), 4x NCAA All-American (2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th), 3x MAC Champion and 1x Big Ten Champion 149 - Drake Houdashelt: 4x NCAA Qualifier (#1 seed x2), 2015 NCAA Champion, 3x NCAA All-American (1st, 5th, 6th), 4x Conference Champion 157 - Joey Lavallee: 4x NCAA Qualifier (#2, #3, #9 and #14 seeds), 2017 NCAA Runner-Up, 2x NCAA Round of 12 Finisher, 2x MAC Champion 165 - Keegan O'Toole: 2x NCAA Qualifier (#2 and #6 seeds), 2022 NCAA Champion, 2x NCAA All-American (2nd, 3rd), 2x Conference Champion 174 - Daniel Lewis: 4x NCAA Qualifier (#2, #3, #4 and #6 seeds), 2022 NCAA All-American (4th x3, 6th), 4x MAC Champion 184 - Willie Miklus: 4x NCAA Qualifier (#6 x2 and #14 seeds), 4x NCAA All-American (6th x2, 7th, 8th), 2018 MAC Champion 197 - J'den Cox: 3x NCAA Champion, 4x NCAA All-American (1st, 1st, 5th, 1st), 4x MA Champion 285 - Dom Bradley: 2x NCAA Qualifier (#1 and #5 seeds), 2x NCAA All-American (3rd, 4th), 2x Conference Champion Recruiting Number of Big Boarder's Per Year 2022: #21 Zeke Seltzer (IN); #35 Clayton Whiting (WI); #67 Ryan Boersma (IL); #107 Cameron Steed (OK); #129 Kade Moore (TX); #164 J Conway (IN); #221 Owen Uhls (MO); #229 Jerrdon Fisher (KS) 2021: #38 Korbin Shepherd (MO); #95 Nate Pulliam (MO) 2020: #1 Keegan O'Toole (WI); #11 Rocky Elam (MO); #22 Josh Edmond (MI); #96 Colton Hawks (MO); #145 Trey Crawford (MO); #162 Duwayne Villalpando (KS); #187 Seth Nitzel (KS) 2019: #77 Noah Surtin (IL); #87 Jace Punke (IL) 2018: #32 Malik Johnson (MO); #44 Zach Elam (MO); #54 Brock Mauller (MO); #60 Jeremiah Kent (MO); #80 Jarrett Jacques (MO); #96 Cevion Severado (MO) 2017: #37 Jared Campbell (OH); #69 Jacob Raschka (WI); #84 Allan Hart (OH) 2016: #76 Ethan Karsten (MO); #97 Wyatt Koelling (UT) 2015: #34 Jaydin Eierman (MO); #52 Will Roark (MO); #61 Dylan Wisman (VA); #76 Luke Fortuna (IL) 2014: #35 Daniel Lewis (MO) 2013: #7 J'den Cox (MO); #55 BJ Toal (OH); #57 Joey Lavallee (NV); #58 Parker Vonedigy (NC); #84 Barlow McGee (IL)

Matt Lindland (photo courtesy of Tony Rotundo; WrestlersAreWarriors.com) National Greco-Roman Coach Matt Lindland has resigned after eight years on the professional coaching staff at USA Wrestling. Lindland, a 2000 Olympic silver medalist and 2001 World silver medalist, served as National Greco-Roman Coach with the organization since May of 2014. “Coaching the athletes on the U.S. National Team for Greco-Roman has been an honor of a lifetime, and it remains work that I am immensely proud. I wish the program the best during the forthcoming transition. We have a great group of coaches and wrestlers working hard to get ready for the upcoming World Championships. I am excited to see the big things that they are capable of achieving,” said Lindland. Lindland not only coached the elite U.S. Senior Greco-Roman wrestlers, but also oversaw the development of the sport on the age-group levels. “I am especially proud of the progress made together in rebuilding the U.S. Greco-Roman program into an expanded grassroots youth network that integrates seamlessly with the various Senior-level World medals our athletes have earned,” said Lindland. During his tenure as National Coach, Lindland led the program to four World medals: two bronze medals by Andy Bisek (2014, 2015), a silver medal by Adam Coon (2018) and a bronze by G'Angelo Hancock (2021). The USA had three Pan American Games champions under Lindland, Andy Bisek and Jon Anderson in 2015 and Pat Smith in 2019. The United States qualified four athletes for the 2016 Olympics (Jesse Thielke, Andy Bisek, Ben Provisor, Robby Smith) and four athletes for the 2020 Olympics (Ildar Hafizov, Alejandro Sancho, John Stefanowicz, G'Angelo Hancock). “What makes Greco-Roman so special is the community of athletes, parents, coaches, alumni and administrative support staff that comprise our family, from across the grassroots to the Senior level. I have treasured those relationships and cherished the moments of medal triumphs. In the future, I remain committed to growing the Greco-Roman network as a priority for me to serve all of our athletes, parents and families in reaching their dreams of World and Olympic Championships,” said Lindland. Lindland was the fourth Greco-Roman National Coach in USA Wrestling, joining two-time Olympic medalist Dennis Koslowski, World champion Mike Houck and Olympic champion Steve Fraser in the position. In another change for the program, Mohammed Abdelfatah, the Assistant National Greco-Roman Coach is no longer a staff member with USA Wrestling. Abdelfatah, a World champion for Egypt, has served in a coaching role with USA Wrestling for many years. Ivan Ivanov will lead the U.S. Senior World Greco-Roman Team in Belgrade, Serbia in September. Ivanov, who was named to the new position of General Manager, Greco-Roman Programs in April 2022, directs all aspects of the USA Wrestling Greco-Roman program. He is responsible for the coaching of U.S. Greco-Roman athletes, working with the assistance of key volunteer coaches within the organization. Ivanov and USA Wrestling's High Performance staff will evaluate the coaching needs of the National Greco-Roman program leading up to the World Championships and beyond.

Jennifer Rogers (left) and Kayla Miracle (photos courtesy of Sam Janicki; SJanickiPhoto.com) The 2022 World Team wrestle-off at 62 kg in women's freestyle between Kayla Miracle and Jennifer Rogers will take place on Aug. 13 at 2 p.m. ET at J.P. McCaskey High School in Lancaster, Pa. Miracle, the returning World silver medalist at the weight and 2020 Olympian, was granted a delayed wrestle-off after sustaining an injury before June's Final X New York, the last step of the World Team selection process, where she was set to face World Team Trials champion Rogers. In addition to her Senior World silver, Miracle is also a 2019 U23 World runner-up and 2016 Junior World bronze medalist. She is competing for a spot on her third Senior World Team. Rogers is a 2013 Junior World bronze medalist and two-time Senior Pan American champion, who seeks a bid to her first Senior Worlds. The wrestle-off will feature a best-of-three series between Miracle and Rogers, with the first match at 2 p.m. ET. Match two will take place following 30 minutes of rest time as will match three, if needed. The winner of the series will represent the United States at the 2022 Senior World Championships in Belgrade, Serbia, Sept. 10-18. For information on World Championships hospitality, contact Morgan Rabine (mrabine@usawrestling.org). The wrestle-off, which is hosted by Beat the Streets Lancaster and Pennsylvania USA Wrestling, will be open to the public. Ticket information will be announced once it is released. Fans not able to attend can watch live on FloWrestling.org.

2x Junior Champion Sage Mortimer of King University (photo courtesy of John Sachs; Tech-Fall.com) Yesterday, we looked at the schools that had signed wrestlers who had won Junior National titles in Fargo in Men's Freestyle. Today, we're doing a similar exercise, but looking on the Junior Women's Freestyle side of things. The question remains the same? Which schools have signed the most Junior champions, since 2012? With the rapidly changing and growing landscape of women's collegiate wrestling, there are dozens of programs that exist today that were not available to young women in 2012, so this may not be a completely accurate representation of the current recruiting trends. Though they have yet to wrestle an official match and are not expected to do so full-time until 2023-24, Iowa already had three past champions signed. Expect that number to change by the end of next week and going forward. Perennial powers King, McKendree, Campbellsville, and Oklahoma City lead the way. Oklahoma City's titles have all come from over seven years ago, while King and McKendree have consistently been a force on the recruiting trail for most of the period observed. This will be a fun study to look at five years from now, to see if other powers emerge. Schools are listed alphabetically. The numbers in parentheses are the number of women they have signed during this period (2012-21) that have won Junior titles. Wrestlers that have won multiple titles were only counted once. Wrestlers are listed with the original school they signed with; transfers are not accounted for. Augsburg (3): Emily Shilson (2016, 2017, 2018 and 2019 - 97/100/106 lbs), Gabrielle Skidmore (2019 - 122 lbs), Vayle Rae Baker (2017, 2018 - 106/117 lbs) Aurora (1): Alexis Janiak (2021 - 127 lbs) Brewton-Parker (1): Abnelis Yambo (2018 - 132 lbs) Campbellsville (5): Alexandra Castillo (2017/2018 - 200 lbs), McKayla Campbell (2015 - 97 lbs), Steffanie Hampton (2013 - 117 lbs), Autumn Rux (2013 - 159 lbs), Kayla Miracle (2012 - 121 lbs) Colorado Mesa (1): Tristan Kelly (2018 - 164 lbs) Corban (1): Alexys Zepeda (2018 - 122 lbs) Eastern Oregon (1): Kaylee Moore (2019 - 132 lbs) Emmanuel (2): Kayla Marano (2016 - 148 lbs), Sara Kouba (2016 - 172 lbs) Grand View (1): Alexis Gomez (2017 - 152 lbs) Hartland (1): Eliana Bommarito (2021 - 225 lbs) Iowa (3): Brianna Gonzalez (2021 - 100 lbs), Kylie Welker (2021 - 164 lbs), Sam Calkins (2021 - 200 lbs) Iowa Wesleyan (1): Mia Palumbo (2018 - 106 lbs) Jamestown (1): Mary Westman (2012 - 159 lbs) King (12): Sage Mortimer (2019 and 2021 - 100/112 lbs), London Houston (2021 - 132 lbs), Montana Delawder (2019 - 112 lbs), Tiffani Baublitz (2019 - 152 lbs), Victoria Espinoza (2016 - 198 lbs), Marina Doi (2013, 2014 - 97 lbs), Regina Doi (2013, 2014 - 97 lbs), Gabby Garcia (2014 - 121 lbs), Rachel Hale (2013 - 121 lbs), Megan Black (2012 - 112 lbs), Evalyn Reyna (2012 - 125 lbs), Katie Germain (2012 - 130 lbs) Lakeland (1): Jayden Laurent (2017, 2018 - 144 lbs) Life (1): Gabrielle Hamilton (2019 - 200 lbs) Lyon (1): Kelani Corbett (2019 - 180 lbs) McKendree (8): Alara Boyd (2019 - 138 lbs), McKenzie Cook (2019 - 144 lbs), Felicity Taylor (2018 - 112 lbs), Emma Bruntil (2017, 2018 - 138 lbs), Sydnee Kimber (2017 - 164 lbs), Cameron Guerin (2016 - 112 lbs), Brenda Reyna (2016 - 117 lbs), Alexis Porter (2012, 2013, 2014 - 139/148 lbs) Menlo (2): Alleida Martinez (2016, 2017 - 105/117 lbs), Gracie Figueroa (2015, 2016, 2017 - 117/121/122 lbs) Oklahoma City (6): Rachel Watters (2015, 2016 - 159 lbs), Becka Leathers (2013, 2015 - 125/139 lbs), Monica Mason (2015 - 198 lbs), Marissa Birrueta (2014 - 112 lbs), Cody Pfau (2012, 2013 - 105 lbs), Natalia Hinojo (2012 - 148 lbs) Simon Fraser (1): Dominique Parrish (2014 - 117 lbs) Southern Oregon (1): Desiree Zavala (2014 - 139 lbs) Texas Wesleyan (1): Brittyn Corbishley (2021 - 180 lbs) The Cumberlands (1): Jesse Kirby (2018 - 180 lbs) Warner Pacific (1): Kiaya Van Scoyoc (2013, 2014 - 172/198 lbs) Wayland Baptist (2): Kierra Boyce (2012 - 198 lbs); Marissa Patterson (2017 - 180 lbs)

Pittsburgh 197 lber Nino Bonaccorsi (photo courtesy of Sam Janicki; SJanickiPhoto.com) The Panthers continue to grow and find success under the guidance of Coach Keith Gavin bringing home another top 25 finish at the NCAA tournament last season. Cole Matthews is the top returning placer, earning his first All-American accolades with a 5th place finish at 141 lbs. The Panthers had a heartbreaking Friday night at the NCAA tournament with three wrestlers falling in the bloodround. Micky Phillippi suffered his third loss in the Round of 12 while Jake Wentzel and Nino Bonaccorsi fell after appearances in the NCAA Finals the previous season; the bloodround is cruel. While there will be a strong core returning, there will be a lot of changes in Pittsburgh this season. Associate Head Coach Jordan Leen is no longer with the Panthers, as he accepted the head coaching position at Brown; this caused a shift in the staff with Luke Pletcher moving to assistant coach from the Volunteer position and recent grad Jake Wentzel has come on staff as the volunteer assistant. The Panthers graduated starters Gage Curry (125), Elijah Cleary (157), Jake Wentzel (165) and Gregg Harvey (184) but will still have a veteran-heavy lineup. Coach Gavin has used the transfer portal very well to add experience to the lineup. Last season, he added starters Gage Curry and Elijah Cleary, who provided stability and a veteran presence. This season he has gone back to the well to add four transfers to an already strong recruiting class. Dazjon Castro and Holden Heller are both previous NCAA qualifiers, with Casto making the bloodround last season; the Panthers also add a second Heller brother in Reece, who was previously a starter at Hofstra. The final “transfer” is coming in with his full slate of eligibility. Vincent Santaniello is joining the Panthers from Naval Academy Prep School, where he spent a year after a stellar high school career in New Jersey. He was a New Jersey state champion and a four-time placewinner, ending his career with a 133-10 record. Santaniello signed to Navy as a highly ranked recruit, but after a year at Navy Prep, he didn't feel it was the appropriate fit for him. He stated that Coach Kolat highly recommended Pitt and Coach Gavin, and Santaniello felt the school was a great fit after his visit. He competed at 133 last season, but he could potentially see time at either 125 or 133. Recruits Pitt brings in a solid class that is anchored by talent from Western PA. Gavin has done a phenomenal job keeping talent home and building the future of the program around local recruits. Their class comes in at #15-Intermat and #14-MatScouts and is comprised of six top-250 recruits, with three in the top 100. #34 Mac Stout (197) Mt. Lebanon, PA #41 Dayton Pitzer (285) Mt. Pleasant, PA #94 Jared Keslar (157) Connellsville, PA #137 Codie Cuerbo (125) Aurora, OH #150 Briar Priest (141/149) Hempfield, PA #231 Kelin Laffey (149/157) Pine Richland, PA NR Jack Pletcher (157) Greater Latrobe, PA NR Carson Miller (141/149) Palmetto Ridge, FL Transfers: Dazjon Casto (157) The Citadel; Holden Heller (165) Hofstra; Reece Heller (184) Hofstra; Vincent Santaniello (125/133) Navy Prep Here is what I see the Panthers rolling out for their lineup next year: 125: Colton Camacho Camacho was the starter in 2021 and was in competition for the starting spot last year with transfer Gage Curry. Camacho was 11-5 last season; he got the starting nod in a couple duals and performed very well in open competition. Camacho showed a lot of growth last season and is poised to have a solid year. 133: Micky Phillippi Yes, Micky is back. Phillippi has been one of the most consistent wrestlers in the country for the past five years and has come up just short of All-American status, falling in the bloodround in all three of the NCAA Championships in which he has wrestled. Phillippi has had quite the journey in his college experience; he started at UVA and transferred to Pitt when Coach Gavin was hired. He received a medical redshirt in his first season at Pitt, in addition to his redshirt year at UVA; add in the COVID eligibility year and you have Phillippi manning the 133 spot in his seventh season. I firmly believe that Phillippi gets over the hump this season and ends his career on the podium. Phillippi is also playing a huge role as a leader and a mentor for the incredible recruiting classes that have come to Pitt in the past few years. 141: Cole Matthews Matthews enters this season with a lot of hype after a breakout season last year that saw him placing fifth at the NCAA Championships. So long as Matthews doesn't overdo it on his partnership with Primanti Bros, he'll enter the season as the top-ranked wrestler at 141. Matthews gritted through a torn ACL in the 2021 season and qualified (and won a match) at the NCAA tournament. After surgery and rehab, he came out with a vengeance last season and put the country on notice. He is one of my favorite ACC wrestlers to watch--he is tenacious and looks to score in all situations. Matthews was 21-4 last season with three of those losses coming to other All-Americans; he lost to Kizhan Clarke in SV3 in the NCAA semifinals after giving Clarke his first loss of the season in their dual match. 149: Brock McMillen We will get the first glimpse of McMillen in the Panther lineup after posting a 6-1 record in his redshirt year. McMillen was a big recruit for the Panthers and was a three-time state champ and a four-time finalist. McMillen is fun to watch, he has great mat awareness and a lot of maturity for a young wrestler. Along with Luca Augustine, they will play a key role in the future of the Pitt program. 157: Dazjon Casto Casto joins the Panthers as a grad transfer from The Citadel after serving as an ACC slayer at the NCAA tournament last year with wins over Austin O'Connor, Connor Brady and Jake Keating before falling in the bloodround. Casto comes to Pitt with a career record of 82-44; he had a solid year last year, finishing at 23-8, winning the SOCON Championship and putting on an impressive performance in Detroit. The Panthers had success with a transfer at 157 last season in Elijah Cleary, and I think they will have another successful run with Casto. 165: Holden Heller Another transfer for the Panthers that can make an immediate impact--Heller comes to Pitt from Hofstra with his brother Reece, who will be in contention for the starting spot at 184. Holden was a three-year starter for Hofstra; he took a redshirt year last season and had a solid year, with some close matches against Peyton Hall and Izzak Olejnik. Holden was the EIWA Champion in 2021 and was a national qualifier. 174: Luca Augustine I'm very much looking forward to the debut of Augustine in the Pitt lineup. He had a strong redshirt year, finishing at 12-5 on the season. Augustine has received high praise from the coaching staff and they have high expectations for the freshman. Luca has a very high ceiling and will be a fun prospect to keep an eye on for the Panthers. 184: Reece Heller Heller joins from Hofstra where he went 12-5 as a redshirt last season. He has moved up weight classes every season and looks to do it again this season to fill the 184 spot after the graduation of Gregg Harvey. Heller was the starter for Hofstra his freshman season at 149. 197: Nino Bonaccorsi Nino has been a leader for the Panthers for the past four years and enters his final year as an NCAA finalist and two-time ACC Champion. Bonaccorsi fell in the bloodround last year in a wild 197 bracket. He enters this season as a persistent All-American threat that has shown he can beat anyone; I feel like often Nino doesn't get as much respect as he should for the impressive career that he has had. He may not be the flashiest wrestler, but he is incredibly dangerous and has an incredible ability to win close matches. 285: Jake Slinger Slinger had an up-and-down season last year and is looking to provide more consistency for the Panthers at the top of the lineup. He has shown the ability to win some clutch matches and can end matches quickly on top, picking up four pins last year, two that played a big role in team dual wins. I expect Slinger to finish much stronger in the ACC than he did last year.

2x Hodge Trophy winner Gable Steveson (photo courtesy of Tony Rotundo; WrestlersAreWarriors.com) Welcome to a new, regular feature for InterMat! Every day, for the next few months, we'll look into the recent history of a DI wrestling program with our "Ten Years of…" feature. Even if you're a die-hard supporter of a particular school, there will be good information you may have forgotten. For others, it's a quick way to learn about a program you may not be familiar with. We're going in alphabetical order for this one, so next up is...Minnesota! For past teams: Air Force American Appalachian State Arizona State Army West Point Binghamton Bloomsburg Brown Bucknell Buffalo Cal Poly Campbell Central Michigan Chattanooga Clarion Cleveland State Columbia Cornell CSU Bakersfield Davidson Drexel Duke Edinboro Franklin & Marshall Gardner-Webb George Mason Harvard Hofstra Illinois Indiana Iowa Iowa State Kent State Lehigh Lock Haven Maryland Michigan Michigan State NCAA Qualifiers (82) 2022 125: Patrick McKee (#8); 133: Jake Gliva (#29); 141: Jakob Bergeland (#10); 149: Michael Blockhus (#31); 165: Cael Carlson (#28); 174: Bailee O'Reilly (#21); 184: Isaiah Salazar (#19); 197: Michial Foy (#26): 285: Gable Steveson (#1) 2021 125: Patrick McKee (#15); 133: Boo Dryden (#23); 141: Marcos Polanco (#28); 149: Michael Blockhus (#14); 157: Brayton Lee (#6); 165: Andrew Sparks (#24); 174: Jake Allar (#24); 184: Owen Webster (#17); 285: Gable Steveson (#1) 2020 125: Patrick McKee (#24); 141: Mitch McKee (#10); 149: Brayton Lee (#7); 165: Bailee O'Reilly (#28); 174: Devin Skatzka (#7); 184: Owen Webster (#18); 197: Hunter Ritter (#29); 285: Gable Steveson (#1) 2019 125: Sean Russell (#6); 133: Ethan Lizak (#6); 141: Mitch McKee (#7); 149: Tommy Thorn (#20); 157: Steve Bleise (#10); 165: Carson Brolsma (#28); 174: Devin Skatzka (#9); 285: Gable Steveson (#3) 2018 125: Ethan Lizak (#8); 133: Mitch McKee (#16); 141: Tommy Thorn; 149: Steve Bleise; 157: Jake Short; 165: Nick Wanzek (#12); 184: Brandon Krone 2017 125: Ethan Lizak (#6); 133: Mitch McKee (#14); 141: Tommy Thorn (#14); 157: Jake Short (#8); 165: Nick Wanzek (#16); 174: Chris Pfarr; 184: Bobby Steveson; 197: Brett Pfarr (#2); 285: Michael Kroells (#8) 2016 141: Tommy Thorn (#11); 149: Jake Short; 174: Nick Wanzek; 197: Brett Pfarr (#3); 285: Michael Kroells (#9) 2015 125: Ethan Lizak; 133: Chris Dardanes (#1); 141: Nick Dardanes (#6); 157: Dylan Ness (#3); 174: Logan Storley (#6); 184: Brett Pfarr (#11); 197: Scott Schiller (#5); 285: Michael Kroells (#9) 2014 133: David Thorn (#8); 141: Chris Dardanes (#6): 149: Nick Dardanes (#2); 157: Dylan Ness (#9); 165: Danny Zilverberg (#15); 174: Logan Storley (#6); 184: Kevin Steinhaus (#7); 197: Scott Schiller (#4); 285: Tony Nelson (#1) 2013 125: David Thorn; 133: Chris Dardanes (#5); 141: Nick Dardanes (#8); 149: Dylan Ness (#6); 157: Danny Zilverberg; 165: Cody Yohn (#11); 174: Logan Storley (#6); 184: Kevin Steinhaus (#5); 197: Scott Schiller (#10); 285: Tony Nelson (#2) National Champions Gable Steveson (285 - 2021, 2022) Tony Nelson (285 - 2012, 2013) NCAA All-Americans 2022: Patrick McKee (125 - 5th); Jakob Bergeland (141 - 7th); Gable Steveson (285 - 1st) 2021: Patrick McKee (125 - 3rd); Brayton Lee (157 - 6th); Gable Steveson (285 - 1st) 2019: Ethan Lizak (125 - 7th); Mitch McKee (141 - 6th); Devin Skatzka (174 - 8th); Gable Steveson (285 - 3rd) 2018: Ethan Lizak (125 - 4th) 2017: Ethan Lizak (125 - 2nd); Tommy Thorn (141 - 8th); Brett Pfarr (197 - 2nd); Michael Kroells (285 - 7th) 2016: Brett Pfarr (197 - 3rd); Michael Kroells (285 - 7th) 2015: Chris Dardanes (133 - 4th); Dylan Ness (157 - 6th); Logan Storley (174 - 4th); Scott Schiller (197 - 4th); Michael Kroells (285 - 8th) 2014: David Thorn (133 - 5th); Dylan Ness (157 - 2nd); Danny Zilverberg (165 - 7th); Logan Storley (174 - 3rd); Kevin Steinhaus (184 - 5th); Scott Schiller (197 - 3rd); Tony Nelson (285 - 2nd) 2013: David Thorn (125 - 7th); Chris Dardanes (133 - 6th); Nick Dardanes (141 - 7th); Dylan Ness (149 - 4th); Cody Yohn (165 - 7th); Logan Storley (174 - 4th); Scott Schiller (197 - 5th) NWCA All-Americans Mitch McKee (141 - Second Team) Brayton Lee (149 - First Team) Devin Skatzka (174 - First Team) Gable Steveson (285 - First Team) Round of 12 Finishers Owen Webster (2021 - 184) Sean Russell (2019 - 125) Tommy Thorn (2019 - 149) Steve Bleise (2019 - 157) Mitch McKee (2017, 2018 - 133) Nick Wanzek (2017, 2018 - 165) Jake Short (2017 - 157) Chris Dardanes (2014 - 141) Kevin Steinhaus (2013 - 184) Big Ten Champions 2022: Gable Steveson (285) 2021: Gable Steveson (285) 2020: Gable Steveson (285) 2015: Chris Dardanes (133) 2014: Tony Nelson (285) 2013: Dylan Ness (149); Tony Nelson (285) Big Ten Runner's-Up 2019: Gable Steveson (285) 2018: Ethan Lizak (125) 2017: Brett Pfarr (197) 2015: Dylan Ness (157); Brett Pfarr (184) 2013: Kevin Steinhaus (184); Scott Schiller (197) Dual Record 2021-22: 4-6 2021: 7-2 2019-20: 9-8 2018-19: 14-3 2017-18: 10-8 2016-17: 7-5 2015-16: 10-8 2014-15: 12-3 2013-14: 14-1 2012-13: 16-2 Big Ten Tournament Placement 2021-22: 6th 2021: 5th 2019-20: 8th 2018-19: 4th 2017-18: 7th 2016-17: 5th 2015-16: 9th 2014-15: 3rd 2013-14: 3rd 2012-13: 2nd NCAA Tournament Team Placement 2021-22: 11th 2021: 7th-tie 2019-20: No Tournament 2018-19: 8th 2017-18: 17th 2016-17: 7th 2015-16: 17th 2014-15: 8th 2013-14: 2nd 2012-13: 3rd Head Coaching History Brandon Eggum (2016-Present) J Robinson (1986-2016) Best Lineup (comprised of wrestlers from 2013-22) 125 - Patrick McKee: 3x NCAA Qualifier (#8 and #15 seeds); 2x NCAA All-American (3rd, 5th) 133 - Ethan Lizak: 4x NCAA Qualifier (#6 x2 and #8 seeds); 3x NCAA All-American (2nd, 4th, 7th), 2018 Big Ten Runner-Up 141 - Chris Dardanes: 4x NCAA Qualifier (#1, #5, #6, and #10 seeds); 3x NCAA All-American (4th x2, 6th), 2015 Big Ten Champion 149 - Dylan Ness: 4x NCAA All-American (2nd x2, 4th, 6th); 2013 Big Ten Champion, 3x Big Ten finalist 157 - Brayton Lee: 2x NCAA Qualifier (#6 and #7 seeds); 2021 NCAA 6th Place 165 - Cody Yohn: 4x NCAA Qualifier (#10, #11, #12 seeds); 2013 NCAA 7th Place 174 - Logan Storley: 4x NCAA All-American (3rd, 4th x2, 6th); 2012 Big Ten Runner-Up 184 - Kevin Steinhaus: 4x NCAA Qualifier (#5 x2, #7 and #8 seeds); 2012 Big Ten Champion, 3x Big Ten finalist 197 - Brett Pfarr: 3x NCAA Qualifier (#2, #3, and #11 seeds); 2x NCAA All-American (2nd, 3rd); 2x Big Ten Runner-Up 285 - Gable Steveson: 4x NCAA Qualifier (#1 x3 and #3 seeds); 2x NCAA Champion; 3x NCAA All-American (1st, 1st, 3rd); 3x Big Ten Champion Recruiting Number of Big Boarder's Per Year 2022: #15 Troy Spratley (TX); #79 Hunter Lyden (MN); #195 Drayden Morten (MN) 2021: #22 Bennett Tabor (MN); #47 Tagen Jamison (TX); #65 Blaine Brenner (WI); #67 Drew Roberts (ID); #92 Vance Vombaur (CO); #117 Jager Eisch (WI); #153 Gabe Nagel (MN); #229 Mason Gehloff (MN) 2020: #39 Aaron Nagao (CA); #41 Andrew Sparks (CA); #45 Isaiah Salazar (CO); #142 Sam Skillings (WI) 2019: #28 Devin Winston (MO); #44 Matt Ramos (IL) 2018: #1 Gable Steveson (MN); #11 Brayton Lee (IN); #13 Patrick McKee (MN); #30 Ryan Thomas (OH); #84 Garrett Joles (WI) 2017: #25 Jake Allar (MN) 2016: #21 Mitchell McKee (MN); #37 Hunter Marko (WI); #101 Lucas Jeske (MN) 2015: #12 Bobby Steveson (MN); #20 Fredy Stroker (IA); #21 Larry Early (IL) 2014: #29 Tommy Thorn (MN); #37 Nathan Rose (MN); #60 Ethan Lizak (MN); #113 Jack Bass (VA); #141 Stephen Polkowski (IL) 2013: #18 Jake Short (MN); #23 Nick Wanzek (MN); #120 Judson Preskitt (TX)

Austin O'Connor at a 2021-22 dual (photos courtesy of Sam Janicki; SJanickiPhoto.com) Not much has gone to plan for North Carolina's Austin O'Connor over the past five months, but maybe it's all part of something bigger. O'Connor tore the anterior cruciate ligament, posterior cruciate ligament, and lateral collateral ligament in his right knee in February and wrestled through it to hit the podium at the NCAA Championships. He had surgery after the season and most recently underwent another procedure to remove scar tissue in the injured area. The injury zapped O'Connor of his explosiveness and limited his offense last postseason, when he slipped to eighth place at 157 pounds after winning his first NCAA title at 149 the season before. That showing then planted seeds of doubt across the college wrestling world about O'Connor's ability to get back to the top of the podium. The recent complications have since made the start of next season murkier as O'Connor races to get healthy, though he admits being ready for the Tar Heels' first action of the season might not be possible. O'Connor has opted to return for his sixth season to right the wrongs and work toward winning a second NCAA title. At the same time, he has shifted from his original plan to be a three-time NCAA champ to settling for a shot at No. 2 and refocusing on his next chapter, which includes getting a master's degree and later taking a grad assistant role at UNC. "I always had it in the back of my mind that I would come back because I just had an extra year of eligibility," O'Connor said. "Growing up, college was a big step for me and my wrestling career, so I always wanted to see how well I could do. I already got one national title, so I wanted to make it two and then three. Obviously, this year didn't work out as I planned, but I battled an injury and still got on the podium. "People are already starting to doubt me for next season. I want to show them that I should have won it last year if I was healthy, and I'm going to win it again." Austin O'Connor in the 2021 NCAA semifinals (photos courtesy of Sam Janicki; SJanickiPhoto.com) O'Connor debuted in Intermat's preseason national rankings at No. 7 at 157 pounds, which he said was more amusing than it was insulting. Working off results from late last season, the ranking made sense but might not have given O'Connor full credit for the injury and what he accomplished when he won an NCAA title in 2020-'21 and placed third in 2018-'19. The same could have been said about the No. 11 seed he got for last season's NCAA Championships. Either way, O'Connor isn't doing all this work and rehab to allow himself to get caught up with rankings because he believes the ball is in his own court. In his mind, if he gets healthy and wrestles the way he knows he can, another NCAA title is his for the taking. "I think it was funny that I was ranked No. 7," he said. "My coaches thought it was a little funny, too. This weekend at practice, they posted it on the wall and circled my name at No. 7. And it was just a little bit of a joke because, I mean, we all know that I'm better than that and that I'm going to perform when the time comes. All I've got to do is heal up a little bit first, and then it's on to start proving people wrong." In a way, O'Connor's decision to push through the knee injury - and certainly his decision to wrestle in the ACC Championships without a brace - is fueling those very doubts. If he would have medically forfeited to NC State's Ed Scott in the ACC finals, maybe his NCAA seeding would have been impacted less. Or maybe if he had taken the easier route and not competed at all, his reputation as an NCAA champ would have been better protected. Stepping away from a fight has never been in O'Connor's nature, though, and the 3-2 loss to Scott, who earned the No. 4 seed at NCAAs, in the ACC finals was a perfect example. And while he said he quite literally couldn't attempt a leg attack against Scott and lost a tight decision, O'Connor also got valuable experience that helped him wrestle back from a sudden-victory loss to Citadel's Dazjon Casto in the first round at NCAAs. "I feel like in the sport of wrestling, all wrestlers have battled adversity in the past," O'Connor said. "It was no different for me. I never really had the idea that I was going to sit out and let a kid have it. I'm going to make him fight for a win no matter if I'm injured or not." Austin O'Connor, with a large brace, in the first round at the 2022 NCAA Championships (photos courtesy of Sam Janicki; SJanickiPhoto.com) The inability to quit has clearly made O'Connor one of the premier wrestlers in the country and should serve him well no matter where life takes him in the future. But that physical and mental toughness might be an immediate asset if his current plan comes to fruition to move to California after graduation and start mixed martial arts training. Through Tar Heels coach Coleman Scott, O'Connor has forged a relationship with Ultimate Fighting Championship Hall of Famer and current color commentator Daniel Cormier, who was an NCAA finalist during his time at Oklahoma State. Cormier noticed O'Connor's temperament and style three years ago and reached out to Scott about him, though O'Connor said his coach kept the call from him until he independently asked to connect with Cormier. "The year before I even won NCAAs, he was calling up Coleman like, 'Hey, I love how this kid wrestles. He's a mean dude. What are his plans for after college?'" O'Connor said. "So, he's been on me for a while now, and I think he's excited to get me out there. He's always on the phone with me, telling me that he's ready to have me out there. I think it was a little difficult that I stayed in college another year - he wanted me out there training already - but he understood it and I think he'll be ready when I decide to come out there." O'Connor has spent time learning the ropes with Cormier and might have spent more time this summer on MMA training had he not been forced to rest and rehab his knee. That was all part of his series of recent first-hand experiences that were further confirmation that even the best-laid plans are bound to change, so O'Connor continues to build layers of contingencies for when his UNC career ends. He is set to start getting his master's in education, then plans to spend a year as a graduate assistant and volunteer coach, which should allow him to train for the 2024 Olympics. He is also well-positioned to launch an MMA career under the tutelage of a Hall of Famer. First thing is first, though. O'Connor is back at North Carolina for one thing only. "I'm doing everything I can to get my knee healthy and get back on the mat as soon as possible because I want to do big things next year," he said. "Not only do I want to go for a national title, I think I have a chance at getting a Hodge. That's something I would love to do." Austin O'Connor in the 2021 NCAA finals (photos courtesy of Sam Janicki; SJanickiPhoto.com)

Drake Ayala at the Junior finals in 2021 (photo courtesy of Tony Rotundo; WrestlersAreWarriors.com) In order for a team to make a significant impact at the NCAA Championships, they have to "have the horses." Recruiting is as important in wrestling as any other collegiate sport. The underdog, walk-on stories are nice, but more often than not, the guys who compete for national titles are ones that we noticed as stars in high school. This trend is evident when analyzing Fargo winners. The pinnacle of high school wrestling, especially in the international styles, are championships in Fargo's Junior division. Since wins on the Greco-Roman front don't always translate to folkstyle success, we're going to focus on Junior Men's Freestyle. Which schools end up signing the most Junior Freestyle national champions? We have the results below and they generally are in lockstep with programs that have won the most at NCAA's. Are they winning because they are signing superstars or are they signing superstars because they are winning? It's kind of a "chicken or the egg" argument, but one for a different day. Below are schools that have signed Junior Freestyle national champions since 2010, listed alphabetically. The number in parentheses is the number of individual champions they have signed. Some of these athletes may have ended up transferring later in their collegiate careers. Wrestlers with a * next to their name are from the Class of 2023 and haven't officially "signed" with that college yet, but have merely given verbal commitments. As with all Fargo-related content, Jason Bryant's Fargo Almanac is an incredible resource for any historical study. Arizona State (3): Brandon Courtney (2015 - 113 lbs), Tyler Liberatore (2010 - 130 lbs), Tanner Hall (2010 - 215 lbs) Boise State (1): Carson Kuhn (2010 - 119 lbs) Clarion (1): Joey Fischer (2018 - 100 lbs) Columbia (2): Angelo Rini (2019 - 126 lbs), Markus Schiedel (2013 - 160 lbs) Cornell (3): Joshua Saunders (2019 - 138 lbs), Ben Darmstadt (2016 - 195 lbs), Brian Realbuto (2011 - 145 lbs) Drexel (1): Ty Smith (2017 - 113 lbs) Fresno State (1): Jace Luchau (2019 - 152 lbs) Illinois (6): Kannon Webster (2021 - 120 lbs)*, Luke Luffman (2019 and 2020 - 285 lbs), Danny Braunagel (2018 - 160 lbs), Isaiah Martinez (2012 - 160 lbs), Zane Richards (2011 - 130 lbs), Zac Brunson (2011 - 152 lbs) Indiana (1): Elijah Oliver (2013 - 113 lbs) Iowa (12): Drake Ayala (2019 and 2021 - 113/126 lbs), Patrick Kennedy (2019 - 170 lbs), Abe Assad (2019 - 182 lbs), Cullan Schriever (2018 - 113 lbs), Tony Cassioppi (2017 and 2018 - 285 lbs), Jacob Warner (2017 - 195 lbs), Seth Gross (2013 - 132 lbs), Cory Clark (2012 - 126 lbs), Sam Brooks (2012 - 195 lbs), Thomas Gilman (2011 - 119 lbs), Jake Ballweg (2010 - 140 lbs), Nick Moore (2010 - 160 lbs) Iowa State (8): Manny Rojas (2021 - 170 lbs), David Carr (2017 - 160 lbs), Austin Gomez (2016 - 126 lbs); Ian Parker (2016 - 132 lbs), Sammy Colbray (2016 - 220 lbs), Gannon Gremmel (2016 - 285 lbs), Danny Vega (2014 - 106 lbs), Marcus Harrington (2014 - 220 lbs) Lehigh (1): Jordan Wood (2015 - 220 lbs) Michigan (5): Drew Mattin (2017 - 126 lbs), Ben Freeman (2017 - 138 lbs), Will Lewan (2017 - 152 lbs), Austin Assad (2015 and 2014 - 126/120 lbs), Adam Coon (2012 and 2013 - 285 lbs) Minnesota (11): Tagen Jamison (2021 - 138 lbs), Brayton Lee (2018 - 152 lbs), Patrick McKee (2017 - 120 lbs), Jake Allar (2016 - 160 lbs), Fredy Stroker (2015 - 145 lbs), Larry Early (2015 - 152 lbs), Mitch McKee (2014 - 126 lbs), Tommy Thorn (2012 and 2014 - 113/132 lbs), Bobby Steveson (2014 - 195 lbs), Hunter Marko (2013 - 106 lbs), Logan Storley (2010 - 171 lbs) Missouri (4): Keegan O'Toole (2018 - 138 lbs), Zach Elam (2017 - 220 lbs), Canten Marriott (2016 - 170), J'den Cox (2012 - 220 lbs) Navy (1): Atilano Escobar (2017 - 132 lbs) NC State (2): Dylan Fishback (2021 - 195 lbs), Nick Reenan (2015 - 182) Nebraska (3): Dominick Serrano (2019 - 132 lbs), Beau Breske (2015 - 170), Destin McCauley (2010 - 152) North Carolina (2): Nasir Bailey (2021 - 132 lbs), Wil Guida (2017 and 2018 - 100/106 lbs) Northern Colorado (1): Jacob Seely (2015 - 195 lbs) Northwestern (5): Jack Jessen (2018 - 182 lbs), Lucas Davison (2018 - 195 lbs), Mitch Sliga (2013 - 195 lbs), Bryce Brill (2012 - 138 lbs), Jason Tsirtsis (2011 - 140 lbs) Old Dominion (1): Anthony Molton (2019 - 120 lbs) Ohio State (8): Andre Gonzales (2019 - 106 lbs), Anthony Echemendia (2019 - 145 lbs), Paddy Gallagher (2019 - 160 lbs), Jordan Decatur (2018 - 132 lbs), Carson Kharchla (2018 - 170 lbs), Malik Heinselman (2016 - 100 lbs), Myles Martin (2014 - 182 lbs), Nathan Tomasello (2021, 2012 and 2013 - 112/120 lbs) Oklahoma State (10): Jordan Williams (2021 - 145 lbs), Daton Fix (2015 - 120 lbs), Joseph Smith (2015 - 160 lbs), Ryan Blees (2013 and 2014 - 152/160 lbs), Chandler Rogers (2014 - 170 lbs), Anthony Collica (2012/2013 - 145 lbs), Kyle Crutchmer (2012 - 170 lbs), Jordan Rogers (2012 - 182 lbs), Alex Dieringer (2010 and 2011 - 145/160 lbs), Eddie Klimara (2010 - 125 lbs) Penn (3): Christian Carroll (2021 - 220 lbs), Michael Colaiocco (2018 - 126 lbs), Anthony Artalona (2016 and 2017; 145 lbs) Penn State (10): Braeden Davis (2021 - 113 lbs)*, Josh Barr (2021 - 160 lbs)*, Aaron Brooks (2017 - 170 lbs), Gavin Teasdale (2016 - 120 lbs); Nick Lee (2016 - 138 lbs), Mason Manville (2014 - 152 lbs), Jared Cortez (2013 - 126 lbs), Bo Nickal (2013 - 170 lbs), Zain Retherford (2012 - 132 lbs), Morgan McIntosh (2010 and 2011 - 189/215 lbs) Presbyterian (1): Jonovan Smith (2019 - 195 lbs) Princeton (1): Matt Kolodzik (2015 - 138 lbs) Purdue (2): Max Lyon (2017 - 182 lbs), Griffin Parriott (2016 - 152 lbs) Rutgers (1): Nic Aguilar (2016 - 113 lbs) South Dakota State (1): Paul Mascarenas (2012 - 106 lbs) Stanford (1): Matt Garelli (2010 and 2011 - 98/105 lbs) Utah Valley (3): Taylor LaMont (2015 - 132 lbs), Matt Findlay (2014 - 138 lbs), Roy Nash (2013 - 220 lbs) Virginia (2): Louie Hayes (2015 - 106 lbs), Jack Mueller (2014 - 113 lbs) Virginia Tech (5): Caleb Henson (2021 - 152 lbs), TJ Stewart (2021 - 182 lbs), Bryce Andonian (2018 - 145 lbs), Sam Latona (2017 - 106 lbs), Joey Dance (2011 - 125 lbs) Wisconsin (3): Braxton Amos (2019 - 220 lbs), Eric Barnett (2018 - 120 lbs), Connor Medbery (2011 - 285 lbs) Augsburg (1): Owen Webster (2016 - 182 lbs) Iowa Lakes CC (1): Freddie Rodriguez (2010 - 112 lbs) Iowa Western (1): Devin Peterson (2011 - 195 lbs) Lindsey Wilson (1): Michael Pixley (2013 - 182 lbs) Notre Dame (1): Isaiah White (2014 - 145 lbs) UW LaCrosse (1): Ben Kawczynski (2021 - 285 lbs)

Arizona State All-American Jacori Teemer during the 2016 Cadet Freestyle finals (photo courtesy of John Sachs; Tech-Fall.com) We are under a week away from the 16U and Junior National Championships from the FargoDome in Fargo, North Dakota. The tournament affectionately called, simply "Fargo." Even with the proliferation of "national-level" tournaments seemingly every weekend, Fargo has stood the test of time and is in a league of it's own. Still the purest form of an "All-American" honor for the high school level, Fargo is the setting for many of tomorrow's stars. With that being said, many of the 2022 NCAA DI All-Americans also had success in Fargo. Just how much? Below are 2022 NCAA DI All-Americans who finished in the top-eight in at least one style/age group during their time in Fargo. As you can see, there are a high percentage of college AA's that were Fargo All-Americans. 125 lbs Patrick Glory (Princeton) - 2017 Junior Freestyle 3rd Place (120 lbs) Vito Arujau (Cornell) - 2014 Cadet Freestyle 3rd Place (120 lbs), 2015 Cadet Freestyle Champion (126 lbs) Patrick McKee (Minnesota) - 2014 Cadet Greco-Roman 2nd Place (88 lbs), 2014 Freestyle 4th Place (88 lbs), 2015 Cadet Freestyle 3rd Place (100 lbs); 2016 Junior Greco-Roman 3rd Place (113 lbs); 2016 Junior Freestyle 3rd Place (113 lbs); 2017 Junior Greco-Roman 4th Place (120 lbs); 2017 Junior Freestyle Champion (120 lbs); 2018 Junior Freestyle 3rd Place (126 lbs) Brandon Courtney (Arizona State) - 2015 Junior Freestyle Champion (113 lbs); 2016 Junior Freestyle 3rd Place (120) Eric Barnett (Wisconsin) - 2016 Cadet Freestyle 6th Place (100 lbs); 2017 Junior Greco-Roman 4th Place (113 lbs); 2018 Junior Greco-Roman 3rd Place (120 lbs); 2018 Junior Freestyle Champion (120 lbs) Brandon Kaylor (Oregon State) - 2014 Cadet Greco-Roman 5th Place (88 lbs), 2014 Cadet Freestyle 4th Place (88 lbs), 2016 Junior Greco-Roman 5th Place (106 lbs); 2016 Junior Freestyle 3rd Place (106 lbs); 2017 Junior Greco-Roman Champion (113 lbs); 2017 Junior Freestyle 2nd Place (113 lbs); 2018 Junior Greco-Roman 6th Place (120 lbs) 133 lbs Roman Bravo-Young (Penn State) - 2014 Cadet Greco-Roman Champion (100 lbs), 2014 Cadet Freestyle Champion, (100 lbs), 2015 Cadet Freestyle Champion (113 lbs) Daton Fix (Oklahoma State) - 2013 Cadet Freestyle Champion (113 lbs), 2014 Cadet Greco-Roman Champion (106 lbs), 2015 Junior Freestyle Champion (120 lbs) Lucas Byrd (Illinois) - 2015 Cadet Freestyle 3rd Place (88 lbs); 2016 Cadet Greco-Roman 2nd Place (100 lbs) Chris Cannon (Northwestern) - 2016 Cadet Freestyle 4th Place (126 lbs) 141 lbs Nick Lee (Penn State) - 2013 Cadet Freestyle 3rd Place (126 lbs), 2014 Cadet Freestyle Champion (132 lbs), 2016 Junior Freestyle Champion (138 lbs) Cole Matthews (Pittsburgh) - 2016 Cadet Freestyle 5th Place (138 lbs) Jake Bergeland (Minnesota) - 2014 Cadet Freestyle 8th Place (120 lbs), 2014 Cadet Freestyle 8th Place (120 lbs), 2017 Junior Freestyle 4th Place (138 lbs) 149 lbs Yianni Diakomihalis (Cornell) - 2014 Cadet Freestyle 2nd Place (120 lbs) Ridge Lovett (Nebraska) - 2015 Cadet Freestyle 2nd Place (88 lbs); 2016 Cadet Greco-Roman Champion (100 lbs); 2016 Cadet Freestyle 2nd Place (100 lbs); 2017 Junior Greco-Roman 3rd Place (120 lbs); 2017 Junior Freestyle 5th Place (120 lbs); 2018 Junior Greco-Roman Champion (132 lbs); 2018 Junior Greco-Roman Champion (132 lbs); 2019 Junior Greco-Roman Champion (138 lbs); 2019 Junior Freestyle 2nd Place (138 lbs) Bryce Andonian (Virginia Tech) - 2018 Junior Freestyle Champion (145 lbs) Austin Gomez (Wisconsin) - 2013 Cadet Greco-Roman Champion (94 lbs), 2013 Cadet Freestyle 2nd Place (94 lbs), 2014 Cadet Greco-Roman Champion (113 lbs), 2014 Cadet Freestyle Champion (113 lbs), 2015 Junior Freestyle 5th Place (120 lbs); 2016 Junior Freestyle Champion (126 lbs) Sammy Sasso (Ohio State) - 2015 Cadet Freestyle Champion (132 lbs); 2016 Cadet Greco-Roman 3rd Place (138 lbs); 2016 Cadet Freestyle 2nd Place (138 lbs); 2017 Junior Freestyle 5th Place (145 lbs) Kyle Parco (Arizona State) - 2018 Junior Freestyle Champion (138 lbs) 157 lbs Ryan Deakin (Northwestern) - 2014 Junior Greco-Roman 5th Place (120 lbs), 2015 Junior Greco-Roman 6th Place (132 lbs); 2016 Junior Greco-Roman Champion (145 lbs); 2016 Junior Freestyle 5th Place (145 lbs) Quincy Monday (Princeton) - 2015 Cadet Freestyle 7th Place (106 lbs) David Carr (Iowa State) - 2017 Junior Freestyle Champion (160 lbs) Peyton Robb (Nebraska) - 2016 Cadet Greco-Roman 5th Place (126 lbs); 2016 Cadet Freestyle 5th Place (126 lbs); 2017 Junior Greco-Roman Champion (152 lbs); 2017 Junior Freestyle 3rd Place (152 lbs) Will Lewan (Michigan) - 2015 Cadet Freestyle 3rd Place (120 lbs); 2016 Cadet Greco-Roman Champion (138 lbs); 2016 Cadet Freestyle 3rd Place (138 lbs); 2017 Junior Freestyle Champion (152 lbs) Jacori Teemer (Arizona State) - 2015 Cadet Freestyle 7th Place (120 lbs); 2016 Cadet Freestyle Champion (132 lbs) Hunter Willits (Oregon State) - 2014 Cadet Freestyle 7th Place (138 lbs), 2016 Junior Freestyle 7th Place (152 lbs) Austin O'Connor (North Carolina) - 2014 Cadet Greco-Roman 3rd Place (132 lbs), 2014 Cadet Freestyle 5th Place (132 lbs) 165 lbs Keegan O'Toole (Missouri) - 2016 Cadet Freestyle 7th Place (106 lbs); 2017 Cadet Freestyle 4th Place (126 lbs); 2018 Junior Freestyle Champion (138 lbs); 2019 Junior Freestyle 3rd Place (152 lbs) Shane Griffith (Stanford) - 2015 Cadet Freestyle 2nd Place (138 lbs) Evan Wick (Cal Poly) - 2015 Junior Freestyle 2nd Place (152 lbs); 2016 Junior Freestyle 6th Place (160 lbs) Cameron Amine (Michigan) - 2016 Cadet Greco-Roman 4th Place (138 lbs); 2016 Cadet Freestyle 7th Place (138 lbs); 2018 Junior Freestyle 6th Place (152 lbs) Dean Hamiti (Wisconsin) - 2019 Cadet Freestyle Champion (145 lbs) Carson Kharchla (Ohio State) - 2015 Cadet Freestyle 4th Place (132 lbs); 2017 Junior Freestyle 4th Place (160 lbs); 2018 Junior Freestyle Champion (170 lbs) 174 lbs Carter Starocci (Penn State) - 2016 Cadet Greco-Roman 8th Place (152 lbs); 2017 Cadet Greco-Roman Champion (160 lbs); 2017 Cadet Freestyle Champion (152 lbs); 2018 Junior Freestyle 4th Place (170 lbs) Hayden Hidlay (NC State) - 2013 Cadet Greco-Roman 2nd Place (126 lbs), 2013 Cadet Freestyle 2nd Place (126 lbs), 2014 Junior Greco-Roman 5th Place (145 lbs), 2015 Junior Freestyle 3rd Place (152 lbs) Michael Kemerer (Iowa) - 2014 Junior Freestyle 5th Place (145 lbs) Dustin Plott (Oklahoma State) - 2016 Cadet Freestyle 3rd Place (132 lbs); 2018 Junior Freestyle 2nd Place (170 lbs); 2019 Junior Freestyle 2nd Place (182 lbs) Clay Lautt (North Carolina) - 2015 Cadet Freestyle 4th Place (160 lbs); 2016 Junior Greco-Roman 5th Place (170 lbs) 184 lbs Aaron Brooks (Penn State) - 2016 Cadet Greco-Roman Champion (160 lbs); 2016 Cadet Freestyle Champion (160 lbs); 2017 Junior Freestyle Champion (170 lbs) Parker Keckeisen (Northern Iowa) - 2017 Junior Freestyle 3rd Place (170 lbs); 2018 Junior Freestyle 3rd Place (182 lbs) Bernie Truax (Cal Poly) - 2016 Cadet Greco-Roman 4th Place (126 lbs) Trent Hidlay (NC State) - 2015 Cadet Freestyle 8th Place (160 lbs); 2016 Junior Freestyle 7th Place (160 lbs); 2017 Junior Greco-Roman 2nd Place (170 lbs); 2017 Junior Freestyle 2nd Place (170 lbs) Marcus Coleman (Iowa State) - 2015 Cadet Freestyle 2nd Place (160 lbs) 197 lbs Jacob Warner (Iowa) - 2014 Cadet Greco-Roman 4th Place (160 lbs), 2014 Cadet Freestyle 5th Place (160 lbs); 2015 Cadet Freestyle Champion (170 lbs); 2017 Junior Greco-Roman Champion (195 lbs); 2017 Junior Freestyle Champion (195 lbs) Rocky Elam (Missouri) - 2017 Cadet Freestyle 6th Place (170 lbs); 2018 Cadet Freestyle Champion (182 lbs); 2019 Junior Freestyle 4th Place (182 lbs) Gavin Hoffman (Ohio State) - 2015 Cadet Freestyle 5th Place (182 lbs); 2016 Cadet Freestyle 2nd Place (220 lbs) 285 lbs Gable Steveson (Minnesota) - 2015 Cadet Freestyle Champion (220 lbs) Cohlton Schultz (Arizona State) - 2015 Cadet Freestyle Runner-Up (220 lbs); 2016 Cadet Greco-Roman 3rd Place (220 lbs); 2016 Cadet Freestyle Champion (220 lbs) Jordan Wood (Lehigh) - 2013 Cadet Greco-Roman 2nd Place (220 lbs), 2013 Cadet Freestyle 3rd Place (220 lbs), 2015 Junior Freestyle Champion (220 lbs) Greg Kerkvliet (Penn State) - 2016 Cadet Freestyle 3rd Place (195 lbs) Mason Parris (Michigan) - 2018 Junior Freestyle 3rd Place (285 lbs) Lucas Davison (Northwestern) - 2016 Cadet Greco-Roman 5th Place (182 lbs); 2016 Cadet Freestyle 2nd Place (182 lbs); 2017 Junior Greco-Roman 7th Place (182 lbs); 2017 Junior Freestyle 3rd Place (182 lbs); 2018 Junior Greco-Roman Champion (195 lbs); 2018 Junior Freestyle Champion (195 lbs) Tony Cassioppi (Iowa) - 2015 Cadet Freestyle 3rd Place (285 lbs); 2016 Junior Greco-Roman 3rd Place (285 lbs); 2016 Junior Freestyle 2nd Place (285 lbs); 2017 Junior Greco-Roman Champion (285 lbs); 2017 Junior Freestyle Champion (285 lbs); 2018 Junior Greco-Roman Champion (285 lbs); 2018 Junior Freestyle Champion (285 lbs)

Michigan State All-American Rayvon Foley (photo courtesy of Sam Janicki; SJanickiPhoto.com) Welcome to a new, regular feature for InterMat! Every day, for the next few months, we'll look into the recent history of a DI wrestling program with our "Ten Years of…" feature. Even if you're a die-hard supporter of a particular school, there will be good information you may have forgotten. For others, it's a quick way to learn about a program you may not be familiar with. We're going in alphabetical order for this one, so next up is...Michigan State! For past teams: Air Force American Appalachian State Arizona State Army West Point Binghamton Bloomsburg Brown Bucknell Buffalo Cal Poly Campbell Central Michigan Chattanooga Clarion Cleveland State Columbia Cornell CSU Bakersfield Davidson Drexel Duke Edinboro Franklin & Marshall Gardner-Webb George Mason Harvard Hofstra Illinois Indiana Iowa Iowa State Kent State Lehigh Lock Haven Maryland Michigan NCAA Qualifiers (34) 2022 133 - Rayvon Foley (#8); 157 - Chase Saldate (#21); 165 - Caleb Fish (#31); 184 - Layne Malczewski (#22); 197 - Cameron Caffey (#9) 2021 125 - Rayvon Foley (#8); 133 - Jordan Hamdan (#30); 149 - Peyton Omania (#28); 157 - Chase Saldate (#15); 165 - Jake Tucker (#25); 174 - Drew Hughes (#32); 184 - Layne Malczewski (#15); 197 - Cameron Caffey (#10) 2020 125 - Logan Griffin (#30); 149 - Alex Hrisopoulos (#31); 157 - Jake Tucker (#20); 165 - Drew Hughes (#26); 174 - Layne Malczewski (#25); 184 - Cameron Caffey (#6) 2019 125 - Rayvon Foley (#9); 174 - Drew Hughes (#26); 184 - Cameron Caffey (#19) 2018 125 - Rayvon Foley 2017 133 - Austin Eicher; 141 - Javier Gasca (#13); 165 - Drew Hughes (#15) 2016 141 - Javier Gasca 2015 184 - John Rizqallah 2014 184 - John Rizqallah (#14); 285 - Mike McClure (#7) 2013 149 - Dan Osterman; 157 - Ryan Watts; 184 - John Rizqallah; 285 - Mike McClure (#8) National Champions None NCAA All-Americans 2019: Rayvon Foley (125 - 7th) 2014: Mike McClure (285 - 5th) NWCA All-Americans Cameron Caffey (184 - First Team) Round of 12 Finishers Cameron Caffey (2021 - 197) Drew Hughes (2017 - 165) Big Ten Champions None Big Ten Runner's Up 2020: Cameron Caffey (184) 2017: Javier Gasca (141) Dual Record 2021-22: 10-4 2021: 2-5 2019-20: 8-10 2018-19: 10-8 2017-18: 6-11 2016-17: 5-11 2015-16: 2-14 2014-15: 5-13 2013-14: 8-10 2012-13: 4-14 Big Ten Tournament Placement 2021-22: 12th 2021: 8th 2019-20: 10th 2018-19: 8th-tie 2017-18: 14th 2016-17: 10th 2015-16: 13th 2014-15: 13th 2013-14: 12th 2012-13: 12th NCAA Tournament Team Placement 2021-22: 40th 2021: 30th 2019-20: No Tournament 2018-19: 33rd 2017-18: 65th-tie 2016-17: 41st 2015-16: 69th-tie 2014-15: 69th 2013-14: 32nd 2012-13: 51st-tie Head Coaching History Roger Chandler (2016-Present) Tom Minkel (1991-2016) Best Lineup (comprised of wrestlers from 2013-22) 125 - Rayvon Foley: 4x NCAA Qualifier (#8 x2 and #9 seeds); 2019 NCAA All-American (7th); 2021 Big Ten 3rd Place 133 - Austin Eicher: 2017 NCAA Qualifier; 2016 NCAA Qualifier and MAC Champion for Northern Illinois 141 - Javier Gasca: 2x NCAA Qualifier (#13 seed); 2017 Big Ten Runner-Up 149 - Dan Osterman: 3x NCAA Qualifier 157 - Chase Saldate: 2x NCAA Qualifier (#15 seed) 165 - Jake Tucker: 2x NCAA Qualifier 174 - Drew Hughes: 4x NCAA Qualifier (#15 seed); 2017 NCAA Round of 12 Finisher 184 - John Rizqallah: 3x NCAA Qualifier (#14 seed) 197 - Cameron Caffey: 4x NCAA Qualifier (#6, #9, #10 seeds); 2020 NWCA First Team All-American; 2021 NCAA Round of 12 Finisher; 2020 Big Ten Runner-Up 285 - Mike McClure: 2x NCAA Qualifier (#7 and #8 seeds); 2014 NCAA All-American (5th) Recruiting Number of Big Boarder's Per Year 2022: #160 Caesar Garza (CA) 2020: #8 Chase Saldate (CA); #50 Tristan Lujan (CA); #148 Caleb Fish (MI); #194 Eddie Homrock (MI) 2019: #89 Jordan Crace (OH) 2018: #72 Peyton Omania (CA) 2017: #90 Jaden Enriquez (CA) 2016: #31 Drew Hughes (IN); #81 Jake Tucker (IL) 2013: #47 Christian Pagdilao (CA); #64 Javier Gasca (CA)

New Cal Baptist head coach Derek Moore (photo courtesy of Tony Rotundo; WrestlersAreWarriors.com) RIVERSIDE – California Baptist University wrestling has removed the interim tag and named Derek Moore the program's next head coach. Moore was named the Lancers' interim head coach after Lennie Zalesky resigned after 11 years at the helm for CBU back in April. Moore first joined CBU as an assistant coach in 2017 and was named the National Collegiate Open Co-Coach of the Year in 2020 when the Lancers produced five All-Americans at the event. "We are so excited for Derek Moore to lead our wrestling program into a very bright future," Director of Athletics Tyler Mariucci said. "Moore has proven himself as an outstanding leader in his five seasons here at CBU and in his short time in the interim role. He's earned this title and we can't wait to see what this program can accomplish in Division I and the Big 12 Conference." CBU officially joined the Big 12 Conference as an affiliate member in wrestling on July 1 for the 2022-23 season. The Lancers will join the other Big 12 wrestling members in a regular season scheduling alliance and will compete for the league's postseason title and automatic qualification into the NCAA championships. "I am overjoyed and honored to have the 'interim' title lifted and be named the next head coach here at CBU; God is so incredibly good to me," Moore said. "I want to thank President Dr. Ronald L. Ellis and Tyler Mariucci for their support and confidence in my ability to lead this program forward. I believe in this institution, I believe in this program and I believe in the young men who have committed to being part of this amazing story we are writing." Moore is an accomplished wrestler in his own right. He was named the Most Outstanding Wrestler with UC Davis at the NCAA Division I Championships in 2007 when he won the 141-pound national title. The move to Riverside reunited him with Zalesky, who he wrestled under at UC Davis from 2003-07. Over his career, Moore won two Pac-10 championships at his weight class. He was also crowned the Pac-10 Wrestler of the Year and UC Davis Male Athlete of the Year in 2007. Prior to CBU, Moore spent four seasons as an assistant coach at Sacred Heart University. He also served six years in the United States Army as a field artillery officer after college. During that time, he spent four years training at the Olympic Training Center with the Army's World Class Athlete Program. As a soldier-athlete, he represented the Army in World and Olympic competition and qualified for the 2012 freestyle Olympic trials at 60 kilograms.

2022 NCAA Champion Ryan Deakin (photo courtesy of Sam Janicki; SJanickiPhoto.com) The Stanford Cardinal solidified their coaching staff today with the addition of 2022 NCAA champion Ryan Deakin. Deakin is expected to assume the position left by Vincenzo Joseph, who has long been rumored to be leaving to pursue a competitive career on the Senior level. Deakin just completed a collegiate career that left him among the finest wrestlers ever to don a Northwestern singlet. Over five years, Deakin amassed a 114-15 record with three NCAA All-American finishes and a berth on the 2020 NWCA All-American first team. In both 2019-20 and 2021-22, Deakin ended the season unbeaten. He was the top seed in the ill-fated 2020 NCAA Tournament at 157 lbs. This year, Deakin became only the third Northwestern wrestler to claim three Big Ten titles. Deakin won his elusive NCAA title this year after a 9-2 decision over Quincy Monday of Princeton. In 2021-22, Deakin put up an 18-0 record win bonus points in half of those contests. During the regular season, Deakin picked up three titles at the Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational and another at the Midlands. Success for Deakin isn't just limited to the collegiate mats. During his redshirt year at Northwestern, Ryan earned a spot on the Junior World Team, in freestyle, and earned a silver medal at the World Championships. In 2019, Deakin downed 70 kg mainstay James Green in the US Open finals to lock up a spot at Final X. Last year, Deakin was fourth at the World Team Trials Challenge Tournament. There will be plenty of talented middleweights for Deakin to work with in the Cardinal wrestling room. First and foremost is two-time NCAA finalist and 2021 champion Shane Griffith at 165. Stanford is also bringing in a pair of top-ten recruits in the Class of 2022 in #2 Daniel Cardenas (149/157) and #9 Hunter Garvin (157/165). Stanford wrapped up their first year under legendary head coach Rob Koll with a 5-4 dual record and a top-20 finish (19th) at the 2022 NCAA Championships. In InterMat's summer rankings, the Cardinal came in at #21 in tournament projections.

New Lehigh 184 lber Tate Samuelson (Photo/Sam Janicki; SJanickiPhoto.com) There has been some offseason action in the EIWA, regarding wrestling transfers (in and out of the conference), coaching changes, and RTC athlete signings. In addition, there are some current open coaching positions and RTC-athlete openings at two schools. Below are a few different trackers that will be updated once a month to help all EIWA fans keep updated on some of these changes.

Yianni Diakomihalis at Final X NYC (Photo/Tony Rotundo; WrestlersAreWarriors.com) Hello there, friends! I hope you all had a happy and safe Fourth of July. I've seen, heard about, or been in enough accidents on the fourth that I just stay at home now and avoid catastrophe. Well, it's early July and nothing's going on, so I'm just going to rattle off some things I'd like to see in the near future. I want to see the return of RTC events. What the crap? You think because regular events are back you can just bail on new ventures? You can't. Who wouldn't be excited for some killer matches at a random event this weekend? Let's bring it back. I want to see Iowa wrestle Northern Iowa. Will Iowa win? More than likely. But who cares. Fans like seeing Iowa schools get feisty with each other. Come on Tom Brands, there's an Adam Fellers 27" brim in it for you if you take the match. I really need to see Yianni tear it up at Worlds. We all know the US hasn't medaled at 65kg since the flip phone and I predict that streak ends this year. I wouldn't mind seeing Bishop McCort freed this year. We get it PA. You made your point. But now you're in danger of losing some of your state's best talent for their whole careers. Alright, I have to answer questions about Matt Finesilver's facial hair so let's get to it. Which transfer are you most interested in following this season and why is it Handsome Matt FInesilver? @Rhino184 How's about no! He spurned Rutgers and robbed us of a Rhino/Jagger Night at Jersey Mike's Arena. I'll never get over this betrayal. I am interested in seeing what Stevo Poulin is up to at Northern Colorado. Some potential post-hype breakout there if you ask me. Follow up: Will he have to go with more facial hair to move up a weight? @coach_wendell And ruin his homage to Rhino's ridiculous profile pic? Sounds like Vice talk to me. Thoughts on the Phillies 11-0 victory over that team from DC? Did you also have a dream about The Movement like Earl Smith? Kevin McGuigan Brother, I got The Movement in my Twitter bio. It's always on my mind. Thoughts on the Phillies? Can't say that I have any. Atlanta is where my attention is. Is all this madness with the conferences gonna be bad for wrestling? New Hampshire Wrestling Fan I don't watch any other college sports, so I don't pay much attention to them. I don't think we will lose programs over it, but you can never trust these schools. I'm in favor of throwing away conferences and going to a regional-type qualifier anyway. Or maybe just one giant NCAA tournament where everyone goes and it takes three weeks to complete. Bring the round of 128 to college wrestling! Is Avril Lavigne still alive? @WorstYoungest Gotta ask a guy in West Virginia about that. Maybe the Mothman abducted her. Potatoes or pasta? Is Cornell not getting enough appreciation for the depth of the freestyle roster they have? Seth Petarra International Correspondent To avoid excommunication from the group I'll say pasta, but I do love a good baked potato with butter and bacon bits. I think they get enough appreciation. Just the other day, I overheard some dude in a deli say, "Yo T, I don't know what a Finger Lake is, but Cornell just churns out studs in freestyle." Then he ordered a veal parmesan for breakfast because….. New Jersey. As a dog person, what is your opinion on late, loud, obnoxious, fireworks? My dog hates them, so now I do, too. Jkos11 I hate them, but there's nothing you can do about it. Let's just keep it to one holiday a year. You don't need fireworks for Memorial Day or Labor Day. Give 'em an inch, and they blow up a mile. Is there a non-Power Five wrestling team you always keep your eye on? Wiems19 I love the Ivy schools. They have loads of talent and are easy to watch since they have a lot of Saturday afternoon matches on ESPN Plus. Any random dual could have a rematch of a New Jersey state final. How fast can you run? Oldest & Greatest I drive a car. Gave up running when people couldn't make me do laps anymore. And for how long without stopping. Joe Kania I can drive all night, baby. Would you rather fight Henry Cejudo or @worstyoungest and @oldestgreatest at the same time? Batting gloves are optional. No rules or weapons. @Gut_Bench69 And hurt my two favorite Jagoffs? Bring on Triple C and I'll wear batting gloves for some reason.