InterMat Staff

NC State's NCAA runner-up Trent Hidlay (photo courtesy of Sam Janicki; SJanickiPhoto.com) Duke: The Blue Devils were off this week--they will host Citadel and Bloomsburg next week. North Carolina: The #20 Tar Heels were off this week--they return to action with a dual at App State next week. North Carolina State: The Wolfpack traveled to Boone to meet the Appalachian State Mountaineers on Sunday for an in-state dual. The Wolfpack and Mountaineers traded matches through 165, then NC State took control for the remainder of the dual, winning the next four bouts, three by bonus. Wolfpack 25--Mountaineers 10. They return to action next Monday in the first annual National Collegiate Duals in Florida. They will take on Binghamton and #10 Mizzou on day one and cross over to face either #21 Lehigh, Central Michigan or #1 Iowa on day two. 125: #5 Jakob Camacho vs. #30 Caleb Smith--Camacho looked to be in control throughout, but this was a great match. I was impressed by what I saw from Smith. Camacho got takedowns in the first and third periods to separate himself and pick up the decision. 133: Jarrett Trombley vs. Sean Carter--App State sent out Carter over #24 Codi Russell and he was able to deliver. This was a pretty slow-paced match with only escapes for scoring in regulation. Carter picked up a takedown in sudden victory to take the win. 141: #18 Ryan Jack vs. Anthony Brito--Jack continued his strong start to the year with a very controlling major decision. He scored a pair of takedowns in the first two periods in addition to an escape and earning two-plus minutes of riding time. 149: Matt Fields vs. #7 John Millner--Millner showed how he earned All-American status in a dominating major decision over Matt Fields in his first match of the season. 157: #25 Ed Scott vs. Cody Bond--Scott looked phenomenal again in this match. He has been attacking and finishing at a high rate, and that continued here. He had a 12-point first period and cruised to an 18-7 major decision. 165: #15 Thomas Bullard vs. #26 Will Formato--Formato replicated his result from last year's dual in a match that he controlled. Bullard did not wrestle up to his level in this match and it showed in the result, with Formato winning 6-1. 174: #5 Hayden Hidlay vs. Thomas Flitz--Hayden came out guns blazing and locked up a cradle off his first shot. Were it not for Flitz getting his other leg caught underneath him, Hidlay would have had a first-period pin. Instead, he opened with a six-point move and continued to control the match for the next six minutes to pick up the 14-4 major. 184: #3 Trent Hidlay vs. Barrett Blakely--Little brother saw the result and matched it--point for point. Trent showed off some explosive shots and controlled the match from whistle to whistle to pick up his bonus points in a 14-4 major. 197: #15 Isaac Trumble vs. Mason Fiscella--Trumble joined the major decision parade and brought his saddle with him. He picked up over three minutes of riding time--and four stalling calls--in a dominating 12-2 major. 285: Deonte Wilson vs. Michael Burchell--Deonte Wilson got the nod to finish out the in-state dual for the Wolfpack. The match started slow, then Wilson piled on the offense in the final three minutes to pick up a 7-2 decision. Pittsburgh: The #22 Panthers had a road test on Sunday, traveling to #7 Ohio State for the third match between ACC teams and the Buckeyes this season. Ohio State took control of the dual early and didn't relinquish it. The Buckeyes have a very solid dual team and it was on display on Sunday. Micky Phillippi earned a solid major decision and Nino Bonaccorsi picked up a ranked win for the Panthers. Panthers 7--Buckeyes 30. Pittsburgh will have a short break and return to action at The Midlands at the end of December. 125: #24 Gage Curry vs. #14 Malik Heinselman--Heinselman continued his impressive start to the season. The match was pretty even early and the Buckeye pulled away with a takedown in the second and third. 133: #6 Micky Phillippi vs. Brady Koontz--Phillippi controlled the match from the first whistle. He grabbed two takedowns in the first and, following a quiet second period, scored two takedowns and a set of back points to finish the major decision 14-3. Phillippi looked back to his old self this match; it was great to see. 141: #16 Cole Matthews vs. #24 Dylan D'Emilio--I said from the outset that this would be a tight match. Matthews and D'Emilio traded escapes in the second and third before D'Emilio snagged a takedown in the third to take the lead and grabbed the 4-3 decision. 149: Luke Kemerer vs. #2 Sammy Sasso--Sasso was impressive. Not much more to say here. He looked phenomenal and earned a 22-6 tech fall. 157: #30 Elijah Curry vs. Jashon Hubbard--In the lowest scoring bout of the evening, Hubbard and Curry traded escapes, but Hubbard was able to collect a riding time point to win 2-1 over his former teammate. 165: #9 Jake Wentzel vs. #8 Carson Kharchla--In the marquee match of the evening, Kharchla's offense was on display against a very tough to score on Wentzel. Kharchla tallied a takedown late in the first with a quick escape by Wentzel to go 2-1 into the second. Wentzel escaped for the only point in the second. Kharchla made the strategic choice not to go under Wentzel in the third and it paid off for him. He grabbed another takedown midway through the third to lead 4-3 and was able to hold off Wentzel's late shot attempts to earn the decision. 174: Hunter Kernan vs. #6 Ethan Smith--Smith showed off his offensive skills in this match. He ran through the first period with multiple takedowns and back points to take a 12-4 lead into the second. He continued this offensive onslaught and worked his way to 26-8 tech fall. 184: #31 Gregg Harvey vs. #10 Kaleb Romero--Romero looked great after a strong CKLV tournament last weekend. Romero was the aggressor and was able to control the match on his way to a 10-2 major decision. 197: #2 Nino Bonaccorsi vs. #21 Gavin Hoffman--Nino continued his methodical start to the season. He controlled the match and was the aggressor throughout. He took an early lead in the first and never looked back, working his way to a 10-4 decision. 285: #31 Jake Slinger vs. #13 Tate Orndorff--Orndorff made this match much less competitive than I expected. He got an early takedown and rideout in the first and did the same after a quick escape in the second. Orndorff pulled away more as the match went on and was able to pick up the major decision to close out the dual for the Buckeyes. Virginia: The Cavaliers were off this week--they return to action at The Midlands. Virginia Tech: The #9 Hokies were off this week and will face Hofstra, #6 Arizona State on day one and will cross over to face either Northern Iowa, #11 Cornell, or #2 Penn State on day two at the Collegiate Duals in Florida on December 20-21.

Michigan All-American Logan Massa (photo courtesy of Sam Janicki; SJanickiPhoto.com) Each Monday, Big Ten correspondent Cody Goodwin recaps the biggest results from around the Big Ten Conference. Michigan - He's baaaaaaaack Michigan sent some dudes to the Cleveland State Open and the most notable was, of course, Logan Massa, who left the 174-pound bracket in a pile of ashes by going 5-0 with two technical falls, a pin and a major decision. He outscored his opponents 65-14. He scored 20 takedowns and gave up one. He didn't really wrestle anybody super significant (sorry guys), but the fact that he's back means he'll likely join Michigan's starting lineup soon, which means the Wolverines could look like this next semester: 125: Nick Suriano 133: Dylan Ragusin 141: Stevan Micic 149: Kanen Storr 157: Will Lewan 165: Cam Amine 174: Logan Massa 184: Myles Amine 197: Pat Brucki 285: Mason Parris So that's … *checks notes* … seven All-Americans, including three past NCAA finalists and, at the top of the lineup, a national champion. A salty lineup just got saltier, and maybe - just maybe! - we're looking at a three-team stampede come March, between Iowa, Penn State and now Michigan. Just maybe! Indiana - The Hoosiers also sent dudes to the Cleveland State Open, and four came away champions: Jacob Moran (125), Derek Gilcher (157), D.J. Washington (184) and Nick Willham (197). Washington continued his torrid run this season by going 4-0 with three pins, pushing him to 9-0 overall with eight pins this season. He's no longer on pace to pin everybody this season - sad face - by virtue of his 16-11 win over Kent State's Colin McCracken in the finals. Still, if he pins everybody else this season, the Hodge Trophy might go to Bloomington. We'll keep an eye out. Of his nine pins this season, six have come in the first period of the match, which is pretty cool. Maryland - Beat Navy, 18-16, to improve to 3-2 overall and is now above .500 after multiple duals for the first time since the 2017-18 season, which was also the last time the Terps won at least three duals in a season. The Terps have also won three in a row for the first time since … wait for it … '17-18. Before these last three victories, Maryland had lost 23 in a row dating back to the '19-20 season - 13-straight to close '19-20, lost all eight duals last year, then the first two again this season. Against Navy, Maryland rallied from down 16-6 thanks to victories in the final four matches, a run highlighted by a pair of overtime wins from Dom Solis, 8-6 over Shane Finney at 174, and Zach Schrader, 3-1 over Riley Smith at heavyweight. Overall, Maryland went 4-0 in matches decided by two points or fewer against Navy after going a combined 2-8 in those matches in their first four duals. That, my friends, is progress. Ohio State - Blitzed Pittsburgh, 30-7, an effort punctuated by Carson Kharchla's 4-3 win over returning NCAA finalist Jake Wentzel at 165 pounds. And honestly, it wasn't even that close. Kharchla out-shot Wentzel by a lot, but only finished two of them by utilizing the danger-rule, which was smart. Kharchla has now wrestled the two returning NCAA finalists, in Wentzel and Stanford's Shane Griffith. He beat Wentzel, obviously, and led Griffith before losing, 5-4, in the semifinals of the CKLV. This weight is so much fun. Anyways, the rest of the dual was basically all Buckeyes, as the score suggests. Sammy Sasso (149) and Ethan Smith (174) both put up 20+ points in technical fall wins, and both Kaleb Romero (184) and Tate Orndorff both scored 10 in major decision victories. At 157, Jashon Hubbard registered a 2-1 win over Elijah Cleary, who won 55 matches in five seasons with the Buckeyes before transferring this offseason. At 141, Dylan D'Emilio muscled out a 4-3 win over Cole Matthews, perhaps solidifying his starting spot from here forward. Nino Bonaccorsi (197) and Micky Phillippi (133) both won for Pitt. Rutgers - Thumped Army, 26-9, to move to 10-0 this season, which is the best start in program history, which dates back to 1930. The Scarlet Knights won 7-of-10 to defeat the Black Knights, and are now 82-18 in individual matches during this 10-dual win streak. Of those 82 wins, Rutgers wrestlers have recorded 17 major decisions, 14 pins, 13 technical falls and, get this, are 3-0 in overtime matches. Pretty good! Michigan State - Took down Gardner-Webb, 29-12. The good news: the Spartans scored six bonus-point wins! The tougher news: they only won six matches! A dub is a dub, to be sure, but just something to keep in mind. Gardner-Webb won two of the first three matches and four of the first seven, but Michigan State took a 10-6 lead on Peyton Omania's injury-default victory at 149 pounds and never gave it back. Rayvon Foley (125), Chase Saldate (157) and Cam Caffey (197) all scored major decisions, while Layne Malczewski (184) added a technical fall and Brad Wilton (285) ended the dual with a third-period fall. The Spartans are now 3-0, and the Gardner-Webb Runnin' Bulldogs are now 1-3 but still own one of the cooler nicknames in college sports. Minnesota - Sent a handful of guys to the UNI Open in Cedar Falls. Four went home champions: Pat McKee (125), Jake Bergeland (141), Brayton Lee (157), Michial Foy (197). McKee topped Iowa true freshman Drake Ayala, 8-4, in a de-facto title match. Bergeland beat Northern Iowa's Cael Happel, 11-9, and is now 3-0 all-time against Lisbon (IA) graduates, having beaten Cael, older brother Carter Happel and also Cobe Siebrecht over the last three years. Lee beat Mizzou's Jarrett Jacques, 6-3, thanks to a pair of takedowns. Foy might be a Certified Dude™️ after majoring his way through this field. Michael Blockhus (149) and Cael Carlson (165) both took second. Blockhus, who transferred from Northern Iowa, lost to current Panther wrestler Colin Realbuto, 5-3, in a match that made wrestling fans in Cedar Falls feel all kinds of ways. Illinois - Went 2-0 this weekend with wins over Chattanooga, 19-12, and SIUE, 35-6, to improve to 2-0 this season. Had to really muscle through Chattanooga, who won four of the first five weights for a 12-3 lead. Illinois won the final five to prevail, but the Mocs won a couple of close matches early - Franco Valdes over We Rachal 4-3 at 141, Noah Castillo over Christian Kanzler 6-4 at 149 - to make it interesting. Against SIUE, Illinois rolled thanks to three forfeit wins and a couple of major decisions from Kanzler and Zac Braunagel (184). Iowa, Nebraska, Northwestern, Purdue, Penn State and Wisconsin did not compete this weekend.

Spencer Lee winning the third of his three Ironman titles (photo courtesy of Sam Janicki; SJanickiPhoto.com) By now you've probably seen the key matches at the Walsh Ironman, perused through the brackets and checked out how your favorite school's recruits fared at the toughest in-season high school tournament in the country. If not, here's the place to track them. Hopefully, you've also seen some of the research that our pal Jason Bryant has done at Mat-Talk Online regarding the history of the tournament. In that vein, we've gone back and tracked how the champions of the event (from 2013-17) fared in college. Why that timeframe? Well, there was no tournament in 2020 and champions from 2018 and 2019 are still in the infancy of their collegiate careers (for the most part). So after looking at Jason's historical data, you'll notice that many of the recent greats of our sport have found success at the Ironman. Spencer Lee, Zahid Valencia, Bo Nickal, all excelled at the early-season tournament in Akron. But is winning the Ironman the "be-all, end-all?" Not, necessarily! Just going back to 2013, there are plenty of winners that didn't see the same level of success in college, for various reasons. While, at the same time, some did. 2017 Champions 106 lbs - Jacob Decatur (CVCA, OH) Ohio State University: Redshirted; 0-1 career record, Transferred to Baldwin Wallace and currently ranked #1 in DIII. 113 lbs - Trevor Mastrogiovanni (Blair Academy, NJ) Oklahoma State University: 2021; NCAA Qualifier, 15-6 record, Big 12 fifth-place, Currently ranked #12 at 125 lbs 120 lbs - Michael Colaiocco (Blair Academy, NJ) University of Pennsylvania: 2020 NCAA Qualifier, 2020 NWCA 2nd Team All-American, 23-7 record, Currently ranked #13 at 133 lbs 126 lbs - Malik Johnson (Christian Brothers, MO) University of Missouri; Transferred to Central Methodist University; Currently at Cowley College 132 lbs - Joey Silva (Lake Highland Prep, FL) University of Michigan; Redshirted; 6-3 record in 2019-20; Not currently on a roster 138 lbs - JD Stickley (Graham, OH) Ohio State University; Redshirted; 9-5 career record; Not currently on a roster 145 lbs - Brock Hardy (Box Elder, UT) University of Nebraska; Two-year mission; 5-3 record 2021 152 lbs - David Carr (Massillon Perry, OH) Iowa State University; 2x Big 12 champion, 2021 NWCA 1st Team All-American, 2021 NCAA Champion, 45-1 career record; 2018 Junior World Champion, Currently ranked #1 at 157 lbs 160 lbs - Ryan Thomas (Graham, OH) University of Minnesota; redshirted; 11-11 career record, Not currently on a roster 170 lbs - Rocky Jordan (Graham, OH) Ohio State University; redshirted; 2x NCAA qualifier, 2021 NCAA Round of 12 finisher, 44-21 career record 182 lbs - AJ Ferrari (Allen, TX) Oklahoma State University; 2021 Big 12 Champion, 2021 NCAA Champion, 24-1 career record; Currently ranked #1 at 197 lbs 195 lbs - Michael Beard (Malvern Prep, PA) Penn State University; 2021 Big Ten sixth-place, 2021 NCAA seventh-place, 13-6 career record 220 lbs - Braxton Amos (Parkersburg South, WV) University of Wisconsin; 2021 Junior World Champion (freestyle), 2021 Junior World bronze (Greco-Roman), 7-1 career record, Currently ranked #30 at 197 lbs 285 lbs - Cohlton Schultz (Ponderosa, CO) Arizona State University; 2021 Pac-12 Champion, 2021 NCAA fourth-place, 25-2 career record, Currently ranked #3 at 285 lbs, 2017 Cadet World Champion, 2x Junior World Medalist 2016 Champions 106 lbs - Julian Tagg (Brecksville, OH) University of North Carolina; 1-1 career record 113 lbs - Gabe Tagg (Brecksville, OH) University of North Carolina; redshirted; Not currently on a roster 120 lbs - Beau Bartlett (Wyoming Seminary, PA) Penn State University; 12-4 career record; Currently ranked #23 at 149 lbs 126 lbs - Spencer Lee (Franklin Regional, PA) University of Iowa; 3x NCAA Champion, 2x Big Ten Champion, 2x Hodge Trophy Winner, 75-5 career record; Currently ranked #1 at 125 lbs 132 lbs - Zack Donathan (Mason, OH) Has been on the roster for Lincoln College, Iowa Central, and Ellsworth 138 lbs - Moises Guillen (Perrysburg, OH) Ohio University; Redshirted and went 6-7 at Ohio; Currently on the roster for Lourdes University 145 lbs - Sammy Sasso (Nazareth, PA) Ohio State University; 2021 NCAA runner-up, 2021 Big Ten Champion, 2020 NWCA 1st Team All-American, 52-5 career record; Currently ranked #2 at 149 lbs 152 lbs - Quentin Hovis (Poway, CA) United State Naval Academy; 28-19 career record 160 lbs - Georgio Poullas (Canfield, OH) Cleveland State University; 16-15 record, Rider University; 8-9 record; Not currently on a roster 170 lbs - Mike Labriola (Bethlehem Catholic, PA) University of Nebraska; 2x NCAA All-American, 2020 NWCA Second-Team All-American, 2021 Big Ten third place, 77-21 career record; Currently ranked #3 at 174 lbs 182 lbs - Michael Beard (Malvern Prep, PA) Penn State University; 2021 Big Ten sixth-place, 2021 NCAA seventh-place, 13-6 career record 195 lbs - Jacob Warner (Washington, IL) University of Iowa; 2x NCAA All-American, 2020 NWCA First-Team All-American; 3x Big Ten third-place finisher, 58-15 career record; Currently ranked #7 at 197 lbs 220 lbs - Chase Singletary (Blair Academy, NJ) Ohio State University; 2019 NCAA Qualifier, 28-10 career record; Not currently on a roster 285 lbs - Niko Camacho (Bethlehem Catholic, PA) American University; 33-29 career record 2015 Champions 106 lbs - Nate Keaton (Circleville, OH) Wheeling Jesuit University/West Liberty University 113 lbs - Real Woods (Montini Catholic, IL) Stanford University; 2020 Pac-12 Champion, 2020 NWCA First-Team All-American, 2021 NCAA Round of 12 finisher; 25-4 career record 120 lbs - Jack Mueller (Trinity Catholic, TX) University of Virginia; 2x NCAA All-American, 2020 NWCA 1st Team All-American, 2019 ACC Champion, 85-14 career record 126 lbs - Tariq Wilson (Steubenville, OH) NC State University; 2x NCAA 3rd Place finisher, 2020 NWCA Honorable Mention AA, 2021 ACC Champion, 84-22 career record, Currently ranked #3 at 149 lbs 132 lbs - Dylan Duncan (Montini Catholic, IL) University of Illinois; 2021 NCAA fifth-place finisher, 2018 Big Ten third place, 65-39 career record, Currently ranked #5 at 141 lbs 138 lbs - Hunter Ladnier (St. Edward, OH) Harvard University; 2017 NCAA Qualifier, 2017 EIWA runner-up; 83-46 career record 145 lbs - David Carr (Massillon Perry, OH) Iowa State University; 2x Big 12 champion, 2021 NWCA 1st Team All-American, 2021 NCAA Champion, 45-1 career record; 2018 Junior World Champion, Currently ranked #1 at 157 lbs 152 lbs - Mason Manville (Wyoming Seminary, PA) Penn State University; 10-11 career record; 2017 Greco-Roman World Team 160 lbs - Alex Marinelli (Graham, OH) University of Iowa; 2x NCAA All-American; 2020 NWCA First-Team All-American, 3x Big Ten champion, 3x NCAA #1 seed; 80-10 career record, Currently ranked #1 at 165 lbs 170 lbs - Austin Bell (Belle Vernon, PA) University of Pittsburgh; Lock Haven University; 52-49 career record 182 lbs - Nick Reenan (Wyoming Seminary, PA) NC State University; 3x NCAA qualifier, 54-29 career record; 2018 Final X participant 195 lbs - Chase Singletary (Blair Academy, NJ) Ohio State University; 2019 NCAA Qualifier, 28-10 career record; Not currently on a roster 220 lbs - Matt Stencel (Oregon Clay, OH) Central Michigan University; 2019 NCAA seventh-place finisher, 4x NCAA Qualifier, 4x MAC champion, 104-28 career record; Currently ranked #9 at 285 lbs 285 lbs - Kameron Teacher (Central Crossing, OH) Notre Dame College/St. Cloud State University, 2021 NCAA DII National Champion, Four-time DII All-American, Currently ranked #2 at 285 lbs in DII 2014 Champions 106 lbs - Cade Olivas (St. John Bosco, CA) Never wrestled in college 113 lbs - Mitch Moore (Graham, OH) Virginia Tech/University of Oklahoma; 2021 Big 12 runner-up, 2019 ACC runner-up, 3x NCAA qualifier, 2021 NCAA Round of 12 finisher, Currently ranked #15 at 149 lbs 120 lbs - Spencer Lee (Franklin Regional, PA) University of Iowa; 3x NCAA Champion, 2x Big Ten Champion, 2x Hodge Trophy Winner, 75-5 career record; Currently ranked #1 at 125 lbs 126 lbs - Eli Seipel (Graham, OH) University of Pittsburgh; Did not appear for Pitt 132 lbs - Cameron Kelly (Bellbrook, OH) Ohio University; 3x NCAA qualifier, 87-32 career record 138 lbs - Davion Jeffries (Broken Arrow, OK) University of Oklahoma; 4x NCAA qualifier, 2x Big 12 runner-up, 89-58 career record 145 lbs - Michael Kemerer (Franklin Regional, PA) University of Iowa; 3x NCAA All-American, 2020 NWCA First-Team All-American, 2021 Big Ten Champion, 86-8 career record, Currently ranked #2 at 174 lbs 152 lbs - Isaiah White (Oak Park-River Forest, IL) Notre Dame College/University of Nebraska; DII National Champion, 3x NCAA qualifier, 2019 NCAA fifth-place, 2020 NWCA First-Team All-American; 70-21 career record 160 lbs - Alex Marinelli (Graham, OH) University of Iowa; 2x NCAA All-American; 2020 NWCA First-Team All-American, 3x Big Ten champion, 3x NCAA #1 seed; 80-10 career record, Currently ranked #1 at 165 lbs 170 lbs - Anthony Valencia (St. John Bosco, CA) Arizona State University; 2021 NCAA eighth-place finisher, 4x Pac-12 Champion, 4x NCAA qualifier, 107-26 career record; Currently ranked #6 at 165 lbs 182 lbs - Zahid Valencia (St. John Bosco, CA) Arizona State University; 2x NCAA Champion, 3x NCAA All-American, 3x Pac-12 Champion, 121-3 career record 195 lbs - Dylan Reynolds (Saegertown, PA) Edinboro University; 76-55 career record 220 lbs - David Showunmi (Blair Academy, NJ) Stanford University; 40-28 career record 285 lbs - Kevin Vough (Elyria, OH) South Dakota State University; Redshirted in 2017-18 2013 Champions 106 lbs - Tyler Warner (Claymont, OH) Wheeling Jesuit/Pitt-Johnstown/West Liberty University; 2x NCAA DII National Champion, 3x DII All-American; 74-12 career record; Currently ranked #2 at 133 lbs in DII 113 lbs - Spencer Lee (Franklin Regional, PA) University of Iowa; 3x NCAA Champion, 2x Big Ten Champion, 2x Hodge Trophy Winner, 75-5 career record; Currently ranked #1 at 125 lbs 120 lbs - Ke-Shawn Hayes (Park Hill, MO) Ohio State University, 2x NCAA Qualifier, 20108 NCAA Round of 12 finisher, 58-21 career record 126 lbs - Matt Kolodzik (Blair Academy, NJ) Princeton University, 3x NCAA All-American, 2020 NWCA First-Team All-American, 3x EIWA Champion, 99-15 career record 132 lbs - Zahid Valencia (St. John Bosco, CA) Arizona State University; 2x NCAA Champion, 3x NCAA All-American, 3x Pac-12 Champion, 121-3 career record 138 lbs - Joey McKenna (Blair Academy, NJ) Stanford University/Ohio State University; 3x NCAA All-American; 2x Big Ten Champion, 2x Pac-12 Champion, 105-11 career record 145 lbs - Micah Jordan (Graham, OH) Ohio State University; 3x NCAA All-American, 3x Big Ten runner-up, 115-21 career record 152 lbs - Jacob Danishek (Dayton Christian, OH) Indiana University; 2017 NCAA Qualifier, 73-48 career record 160 lbs - Dylan Milonas (Blair Academy, NJ) Lehigh University; 3-0 career record 170 lbs - Anthony Valencia (St. John Bosco, CA) Arizona State University; 2021 NCAA eighth-place finisher, 4x Pac-12 Champion, 4x NCAA qualifier, 107-26 career record; Currently ranked #6 at 165 lbs 182 lbs - Bo Nickal (Allen, TX) Penn State University, 3x NCAA Champion, 4x NCAA finalist, 2019 Hodge Trophy winner, 3x Big Ten champion, 120-3 career record 195 lbs - Derek White (Edmond North, OK) University of Nebraska/Oklahoma State University, 2019 NCAA runner-up, 2x Big 12 Champion, 83-18 career record 220 lbs - Edgar Ruano (Montini Catholic, IL) Clarion University; 23-42 career record 285 lbs - Michael Johnson (Montini Catholic, IL) Yale University football/Duke University; 8-5 career record

Oklahoma State All-American Wyatt Sheets (photo courtesy of Tony Rotundo; WrestlersAreWarriors.com) Saturday's Dual Results Lock Haven 41 Messiah 3 125 - Anthony Noto (Lock Haven) tech Hunter Rinehart (Messiah) 17-2 133 - Gable Strickland (Lock Haven) maj Jordan Floward (Messiah) 8-0 141 - Josiah Gehr (Messiah) dec Nick Stonecheck (Lock Haven) 16-11 149 - Connor Eck (Lock Haven) dec Jake Coniglio (Messiah) 7-5 157 - Ben Barton (Lock Haven) dec Nick Barnhart (Messiah) 11-5 165 - Ashton Eyler (Lock Haven) tech Zach Needles (Messiah) 17-1 174 - Tyler Stoltzfus (Lock Haven) fall Jared Butler (Messiah) 5:26 184 - Thomas Dressler (Lock Haven) maj Ryder Slayton (Messiah) 8-0 197 - Parker McClellan (Lock Haven) fall Joe Embleton (Messiah) 2:39 285 - Colby Whitehill (Lock Haven) fall Carter Urich (Messiah) 1:04 Lock Haven 36 Stevens 11 125 - Anthony Noto (Lock Haven) tech Akhil Vega (Stevens) 16-1 133 - Gable Strickland (Lock Haven) tech Arjun Khatri (Stevens) 20-2 141 - Kyle Slendorn (Stevens) fall Nick Stonecheck (Lock Haven) 149 - Brett Kaliner (Stevens) tech Connor Eck (Lock Haven) 16-1 157 - Ben Barton (Lock Haven) dec Nick Boggiano (Stevens) 16-11 165 - Ashton Eyler (Lock Haven) maj Harrison Hinojosa (Stevens) 8-0 174 - Tyler Stoltzfus (Lock Haven) tech Blaise Wagner (Stevens) 16-0 184 - Colin Fegley (Lock Haven) maj Brendan Newbury (Stevens) 18-7 197 - Parker McClellan (Lock Haven) maj Michael Dooley (Stevens) 8-0 285 - Colby Whitehill (Lock Haven) fall Joseph Russell (Stevens) Lock Haven 33 Millersville 15 125 - Anthony Noto (Lock Haven) fall Bryce Beatty (Millersville) 1:30 133 - Devin Flannery (Millersville) fall Gable Strickland (Lock Haven) 141 - Tyler Dilley (Lock Haven) fall Joshua Tuckey (Millersville) 5:00 149 - Dashawn Farber (Lock Haven) tech Alex Bendinelli (Millersville) 17-1 157 - Ben Barton (Lock Haven) dec Jonathan Parrilla (Millersville) 3-1 165 - Ashton Eyler (Lock Haven) dec Brandon Connor (Millersville) 5-2 174 - Anthony Yacovetti (Millersville) dec Tyler Stoltzfus (Lock Haven) 6-3 184 - Colin Fegley (Lock Haven) maj Patrick Johnson (Millersville) 15-4 197 - Parker McClellan (Lock Haven) fall Bruce Vaughan (Millersville) 1:34 285 - Bishop McCoy (Millersville) fall Kaleb Snodgrass (Lock Haven) 2:58 Clarion 36 Stevens 14 125 - Joey Fischer (Clarion) fall Andrew Finateri (Stevens) 4:04 133 - Luke Hoerle (Stevens) dec Mason Prinkey (Clarion) 7-5 141 - Seth Koleno (Clarion) maj Kyle Slendorn (Stevens) 17-7 149 - Brett Kaliner (Stevens) tech Lavinsky Collins (Clarion) 15-0 157 - Hunter Gutierrez (Stevens) fall Jalin Hankerson (Clarion) 3:00 165 - Cameron Pine (Clarion) tech James Snyder (Stevens) 17-2 174 - Caleb Hetrick (Clarion) InjDef Frank Medina (Stevens) 184 - Max Wohlabaugh (Clarion) fall Brendan Newbury (Stevens) 4:00 197 - Brett Wittmann (Clarion) dec Michael Dooley (Stevens) 3-2 285 - Austin Chapman (Clarion) fall Joseph Russell (Stevens) 2:11 Clarion 35 Messiah 15 125 - Logan Mazzeo (Clarion) fall Hunter Rinehart (Messiah) 1:08 133 - Mason Prinkey (Clarion) dec Jordan Howard (Messiah) 7-3 141 - Josiah Gehr (Messiah) fall Seth Koleno (Clarion) 1:22 149 - Jake Coniglio (Messiah) dec Lavinsky Collins (Clarion) 5-4 157 - Garret Cornell (Messiah) fall Chanz Shearer (Clarion) 5:28 165 - Cameron Pine (Clarion) tech Zach Needles (Messiah) 21-2 174 - Caleb Hetrick (Clarion) tech Tyler Riley (Messiah) 17-2 184 - Ryan Weinzen (Clarion) maj Ryder Slaton (Messiah) 10-1 197 - Will Feldkamp (Clarion) fall Chris Cratsley (Messiah) 1:31 285 - Austin Chapman (Clarion) fall Carter Urich (Messiah) 4:15 Illinois 19 Chattanooga 12 125 - Fabian Gutierrez (Chattanooga) dec Justin Cardani (Illinois) 6-0 133 - Lucas Byrd (Illinois) dec Brayden Palmer (Chattanooga) 13-10 141 - Franco Valdes (Chattanooga) dec We Rachal (Illinois) 4-3 149 - Noah Castillo (Chattanooga) dec Christian Kanzler (Illinois) 6-4 157 - Weston Wichman (Chattanooga) dec Joe Roberts (Illinois) 6-1 165 - Danny Braunagel (Illinois) dec Drew Nicholson (Chattanooga) 6-2 174 - DJ Shannon (Illinois) dec Carial Tarter (Chattanooga) 3-1 184 - Zac Braunagel (Illinois) dec Matthew Waddell (Chattanooga) 5-2 197 - Nikita Nepomnyaschiy (Illinois) maj Thomas Sell (Chattanooga) 12-2 285 - Luke Luffman (Illinois) dec Grayson Walthall (Chattanooga) 6-1 Chattanooga 30 SIU Edwardsville 12 125 - Fabian Gutierrez (Chattanooga) FFT 133 - Brayden Palmer (Chattanooga) FFT 141 - Saul Ervin (SIU Edwardsville) dec Franco Valdes (Chattanooga) 3-1 149 - Noah Castillo (Chattanooga) dec Caine Tyus (SIU Edwardsville) 8-5 157 - Weston Wichman (Chattanooga) fall Max Kristoff (SIU Edwardsville) 3:43 165 - Drew Nicholson (Chattanooga) FFT 174 - Kevin Gschwendtner (SIU Edwardsville) dec Carial Tarter (Chattanooga) 7-4 184 - Matthew Waddell (Chattanooga) dec Sergio Villalobos (SIU Edwardsville) 7-2 197 - Ryan Yarnell (SIU Edwardsville) dec Thomas Sell (Chattanooga) 4-2 285 - Colton McKiernan (SIU Edwardsville) dec Matthias Ervin (Chattanooga) 3-0 Illinois 34 SIU Edwardsville 6 125 - Justin Cardani (Illinois) FFT 133 - Lucas Byrd (Illinois) FFT 141 - Saul Ervin (SIU Edwardsville) dec We Rachal (Illinois) 3-2 149 - Christian Kanzler (Illinois) maj Caine Tyus (SIU Edwardsville) 13-5 157 - Joe Roberts (Illinois) dec Max Kristoff (SIU Edwardsville) 8-2 165 - Danny Braunagel (Illinois) FFT 174 - DJ Shannon (Illinois) dec Kevin Gschwendtner (SIU Edwardsville) 7-6 184 - Zac Braunagel (Illinois) maj Sergio Villalobos (SIU Edwardsville) 13-5 197 - Ryan Yarnell (SIU Edwardsville) dec Nikita Nepomnyaschiy (Illinois) 3-0 285 - Luke Luffman (Illinois) dec Colton McKiernan (SIU Edwardsville) 8-3 Ohio 50 Bellarmine 0 125 - Oscar Sanchez (Ohio) FFT 133 - Gio DiSabato (Ohio) tech Max Dansereau (Bellarmine) 19-3 141 - Kyran Hagan (Ohio) FFT 149 - Alec Hagan (Ohio) fall Mitch Collica (Bellarmine) 1:51 157 - Jordan Slivka (Ohio) fall Alex Rhine (Bellarmine) 4:28 165 - Sean O'Dwyer (Ohio) dec Devan Hendricks (Bellarmine) 4-1 174 - Sal Perrine (Ohio) dec Eric Beck (Bellarmine) 10-6 184 - Logan Stanley (Ohio) dec Sam Schroeder (Bellarmine) 5-3 197 - Carson Brewer (Ohio) fall Charlie Cadell (Bellarmine) 1:27 285 - Jordan Earnest (Ohio) fall Bryant Wilkinson (Bellarmine) 2:24 North Dakota State 34 Buffalo 7 125 - Tristan Daugherty (Buffalo) dec Ryan Henningson (North Dakota State) 7-5 133 - Kellyn March (North Dakota State) dec Derek Spann (Buffalo) 6-0 141 - Dylan Droegemueller (North Dakota State) fall Ben Freeman (Buffalo) 4:32 149 - John Arceri (Buffalo) maj Gaven Sax (North Dakota State) 10-2 157 - Jared Franek (North Dakota State) dec Ty Raines (Buffalo) 10-4 165 - Luke Weber (North Dakota State) fall Noah Grover (Buffalo) 6:24 174 - Riley Habisch (North Dakota State) dec Giuseppe Hoose (Buffalo) 3-2 184 - DJ Parker (North Dakota State) dec Peter Acciardi (Buffalo) 11-7 197 - Owen Pentz (North Dakota State) fall Sam Mitchell (Buffalo) 1:40 285 - Brandon Metz (North Dakota State) maj Toby Cahill (Buffalo) 12-3 Michigan State 29 Gardner-Webb 12 125 - Aedyn Concepcion (Gardner-Webb) dec Julian Saldana (Michigan State) 7-4 133 - Rayvon Foley (Michigan State) maj Todd Carter (Gardner-Webb) 13-5 141 - Trevon Majette (Gardner-Webb) dec Matt Santos (Michigan State) 5-4 149 - Peyton Omania (Michigan State) FFT 157 - Chase Saldate (Michigan State) maj Taylor Parks (Gardner-Webb) 13-0 165 - RJ Mosley (Gardner-Webb) dec Caleb Fish (Michigan State) 11-9 174 - Evan Schenk (Gardner-Webb) dec Nate Jimenez (Michigan State) 5-3 184 - Layne Malczewski (Michigan State) tech Jha'Quan Anderson (Gardner-Webb) 15-0 197 - Cameron Caffey (Michigan State) maj Anthony Perrine (Gardner-Webb) 11-2 285 - Brad Wilton (Michigan State) fall Peyton McComas (Gardner-Webb) 6:35 Maryland 18 Navy 16 125 - Jacob Allen (Navy) tech Zach Spence (Maryland) 19-2 133 - Josh Koderhandt (Navy) dec King Sandoval (Maryland) 7-1 141 - Danny Bertoni (Maryland) dec Tyler Hunt (Navy) 7-3 149 - Michael North (Maryland) dec PJ Crane (Navy) 3-2 157 - Andrew Cerniglia (Navy) maj Lucas Cordio (Maryland) 13-4 165 - Val Park (Navy) maj Gaven Bell (Maryland) 10-2 174 - Dom Solis (Maryland) dec Shane Finney (Navy) 8-6SV 184 - Kyle Cochran (Maryland) dec David Key (Navy) 8-3 197 - Jaron Smith (Maryland) dec Jake Koser (Navy) 7-5 285 - Zach Schrader (Maryland) dec Riley Smith (Navy) 3-1SV Sunday's Dual Results Ohio State 30 Pittsburgh 7 125 - Malik Heinselman (Ohio State) dec Gage Curry (Pittsburgh) 5-2 133 - Micky Phillipi (Pittsburgh) maj Dylan Koontz (Ohio State) 14-3 141 - Dylan D'Emilio (Ohio State) dec Cole Matthews (Pittsburgh) 4-3 149 - Sammy Sasso (Ohio State) tech Luke Kemerer (Pittsburgh) 22-6 157 - Jashon Hubbard (Ohio State) dec Elijah Cleary (Pittsburgh) 2-1 165 - Carson Kharchla (Ohio State) dec Jake Wentzel (Pittsburgh) 4-3 174 - Ethan Smith (Ohio State) tech Hunter Kernan (Pittsburgh) 26-8 184 - Kaleb Romero (Ohio State) maj Gregg Harvey (Pittsburgh) 10-2 197 - Nino Bonaccorsi (Pittsburgh) dec Gavin Hoffman (Ohio State) 10-4 285 - Tate Orndorff (Ohio State) maj Jake Slinger (Pittsburgh) 10-2 West Virginia 36 VMI 3 125 - Colton Drousias (West Virginia) maj Sam Congleton (VMI) 11-0 133 - Michael Dolan (West Virginia) dec Mike Tandurella (VMI) 6-2 141 - Caleb Rea (West Virginia) dec Freddy Junko (VMI) 8-1 149 - Jeffrey Boyd (West Virginia) maj Luke Hart (VMI) 15-4 157 - Alex Hornfeck (West Virginia) maj Riley Simon (VMI) 12-1 165 - Peyton Hall (West Virginia) tech River Carroll (VMI) 21-6 174 - Scott Joll (West Virginia) dec Jon Hoover (VMI) 4-1 184 - Anthony Carman (West Virginia) maj Max Gourley (VMI) 13-1 197 - Tyler Mousaw (VMI) dec Jackson Moomau (West Virginia) 6-4 285 - Michael Wolfgram (West Virginia) fall Isaac Dolph (VMI) 2:20 NC State 25 Appalachian State 10 125 - Jakob Camacho (NC State) dec Caleb Smith (Appalachian State) 5-3 133 - Sean Carter (Appalachian State) dec Jarrett Trombley (NC State) 3-1SV 141 - Ryan Jack (NC State) dec Anthony Brito (Appalachian State) 10-3 149 - Jonathan Millner (Appalachian State) maj Matt Fields (NC State) 12-3 157 - Ed Scott (NC State) maj Cody Bond (Appalachian State) 18-7 165 - Will Formato (Appalachian State) dec Thomas Bullard (NC State) 6-1 174 - Hayden Hidlay (NC State) maj Thomas Flitz (Appalachian State) 14-4 184 - Trent Hidlay (NC State) maj Barrett Blakely (Appalachian State) 14-4 197 - Isaac Trumble (NC State) maj Mason Fiscella (Appalachian State) 12-2 285 - Deonte Wilson (NC State) dec Mike Burchell (Appalachian State) 7-2 Oklahoma State 31 Oklahoma 3 125 - Travis Mastrogiovanni (Oklahoma State) dec Joey Prata (Oklahoma) 6-4 133 - Daton Fix (Oklahoma State) fall Tony Madrigal (Oklahoma) 6:20 141 - Carter Young (Oklahoma State) dec Jacob Butler (Oklahoma) 9-4 149 - Kaden Gfeller (Oklahoma State) dec Dom Demas (Oklahoma) 9-3 157 - Wyatt Sheets (Oklahoma State) dec Justin Thomas (Oklahoma) 4-2SV 165 - Travis Wittlake (Oklahoma State) dec Joe Grello (Oklahoma) 8-4 174 - Dustin Plott (Oklahoma State) maj Anthony Mantanona (Oklahoma) 10-2 184 - Dakota Geer (Oklahoma State) dec Darrien Roberts (Oklahoma) 8-2 197 - AJ Ferrari (Oklahoma State) dec Jake Woodley (Oklahoma) 6-3 285 - Josh Heindselman (Oklahoma) dec Luke Surber (Oklahoma State) 3-1SV

Ohio State recruit Nick Feldman (left) and Iowa recruit Kolby Franklin (photo courtesy of Sam Janicki; SJanickiPhoto.com) Friday and Saturday the Walsh Ironman took place in Akron, Ohio. The Ironman marks the unofficial kickoff to the high school wrestling season. It has become commonly known as the toughest in-season high school tournament. Dozens of ranked wrestlers marked most of the 14 weight classes. As always, plenty of upsets occurred and stars were made. Below is a list of colleges that already have commitments from wrestlers that placed in the top-eight at the Ironman. Army West Point Braden Basile (Tampa Jesuit, FL) -- 3rd at 132 lbs Bucknell Murphy Menke (Ponderosa, CO) -- 4th at 157 lbs Logan Shephard (Massillon Perry, OH) -- 2nd at 215 lbs Campbell Dom Baker (New Kent, VA) -- 3rd at 165 lbs Clarion Nate Burnett (Elyria, OH) -- 4th at 138 lbs Columbia Richard Fedalen (McDonogh, MD) -- 2nd at 150 lbs Harvard Dante Frinzi (Bethlehem Catholic, PA) -- 6th at 126 lbs Illinois Kannon Webster (Washington, IL) -- 2nd at 126 lbs (Class of 2023) Indiana Tyler Lillard (Aurora, OH) -- 4th at 165 lbs Iowa Kolby Franklin (Wyoming Seminary, PA) -- 2nd at 285 lbs Iowa State Connor Euton (Westerville North, OH) -- 5th at 157 lbs Little Rock Brendon Abdon (Lake Gibson, FL) -- 7th at 157 lbs Kyle Dutton (Liberty, MO) -- 2nd at 144 lbs Stephen Little (Union County, KY) -- 5th at 190 lbs Brennan Van Hoecke (Palmetto Ridge, FL) -- 3rd at 138 lbs Maryland Kal Miller (Park Hill, MO) -- 4th at 144 lbs Mercyhurst Billy Smith (Sandusky Perkins, OH) -- 6th at 113 lbs Michigan Rylan Rogers (Coeur d'Alene, ID) -- 2nd at 190 lbs Missouri Ryan Boersma (Mt. Carmel, IL) -- 5th at 285 lbs Navy Nick Vafiadis (New Kent, VA) -- 6th at 157 lbs Danny Wask (Blair Academy, NJ) -- 4th at 175 lbs NC State Dylan Fishback (Aurora, OH) -- 1st at 190 lbs North Carolina Nasir Bailey (Rich Township, IL) -- 1st at 132 lbs (Class of 2023) Danny Nini (Lake Highland Prep, FL) -- 3rd at 144 lbs Northern Colorado Andrew Donahue (Olentangy Liberty, OH) -- 8th at 190 lbs Ohio Derek Raike (Point Pleasant, WV) -- 3rd at 150 lbs Ohio State Gavin Brown (Legacy Christian Academy, OH) -- 8th at 150 lbs Nick Feldman (Malvern Prep, PA) -- 1st at 285 lbs Luke Geog (St. Edward, OH) -- 3rd at 175 lbs Brendan McCrone (Lake Catholic, OH) -- 7th at 120 lbs Seth Shumate (Dublin Coffman, OH) -- 4th at 190 lbs Rocco Welsh (Waynesburg, PA) -- 1st at 165 lbs Oklahoma Christian Forbes (Broken Arrow, OK) -- 6th at 106 lbs Oregon State Gabe Whisenhunt (Crescent Valley, OR) -- 5th at 126 lbs Penn Evan Bennett (St. Edward, OH) -- 6th at 165 lbs Princeton Christopher Martino (Bishop Kelly, ID) -- 6th at 132 lbs Purdue Joey Blaze (Perrysburg, OH) -- 5th Place at 144 lbs (Class of 2023) Stanford Daniel Cardenas (Pomona, CO) -- 1st at 150 lbs Jack Darrah (Wyoming Seminary, PA) -- 3rd at 215 lbs Wyatt Richter (St. Edward, OH) -- 8th at 113 lbs Virginia: Peyton Fenton (Elyria, OH) --6th at 120 lbs Virginia Tech Mac Church (Waynesburg, PA) -- 2nd at 132 lbs (Class of 2023) Tom Crook (Tampa Jesuit, FL) -- 7th at 138 lbs TJ Stewart (Blair Academy, NJ) -- 1st at 215 lbs West Virginia Brody Conley (Tiffin Columbian, OH) -- 1st at 175 lbs Wisconsin James Rowley (Crescent Valley, OR) -- 2nd at 175 lbs Wyoming Logan Ours (Beaver Local, OH) -- 2nd at 157 lbs

NC State 125 lber Jakob Camacho (photo courtesy of Tony Rotundo; WrestlersAreWarriors.com) Duke: The Blue Devils are off this week--they will host Citadel and Bloomsburg next week. North Carolina: The Tar Heels are off this week--they return to action with a dual at App State next week. North Carolina State: The Wolfpack travels to Boone to meet the Appalachian State Mountaineers on Sunday. 125: #5 Jakob Camacho vs. #30 Caleb Smith--Should be a fun match, but Camacho has been on a different level lately. His offense has been very impressive. 133: Jarrett Trombley vs. #24 Codi Russell--Trombley isn't ranked because he's been splitting time with #17 Kai Orine, who is 7-0. Russell is a two-time SOCON champ who spent his redshirt year at NC State before transferring to Boone. This could be one of the better matches of the dual--at least in terms of both guys being competitive. 141: #18 Ryan Jack vs. Anthony Brito--Jack has started the year 9-1 and has looked solid every time he's stepped on the mat. He's providing some helpful consistency for the Wolfpack. 149: Matt Fields vs. #7 John Millner--Unfortunately, we will not see #3, Tariq Wilson, this week against All-American John Millner; we will see sophomore Matt Fields making his season debut. Not sure what to expect from Fields, but Millner is a two-time SOCON champ and placed 8th at the NCAA Championships last year. 157: #25 Ed Scott vs. Cody Bond--Ed Scott has been a force this year. He is 11-1 with 10 bonus point wins, including five pins already this season. His lone loss is to teammate AJ Kovacs and his only non-bonus point match is to another teammate-Derek Fields. I expect Scott to continue his impressive start and add some more bonus points for the Wolfpack. 165: #15 Thomas Bullard vs. #26 Will Formato--One of our two ranked versus ranked matchups is a match we've seen several times before. Bullard holds a 3-1 record against Formato, with his last win in the opening round of the NCAA tournament last year. Bullard is 5-1 on the year with all wins by bonus points. Formato is 5-2 with four bonus-point wins. We should see some points on the board in this match! 174: #5 Hayden Hidlay vs. Thomas Flitz--We will see Hayden for the second time this year. In his first match, he picked up a 20-3 tech fall against WVU. This should be a good tune-up match for him to get some mat time prior to the Collegiate Duals next week. Expect bonus points for Hidlay. 184: #3 Trent Hidlay vs. Barrett Blakely--Speaking of bonus points for Hidlay…we should see another set here for Trent. Hidlay has wrestled two matches but less than seven minutes total--grabbing a 0:23 second pin and a 3rd-period tech fall. We should see Trent put on a scoring display and raise the roof in Boone. 197: #15 Isaac Trumble vs. Mason Fiscella--Trumble is also off to an excellent start for the Wolfpack. He has started the year 10-0 and has seven wins by bonus points. After a slow start at the Citadel Open, Trumble has been putting points up in bunches. I'd expect to see the same here and more possible bonus points for NC State. 285: #27 Owen Trephan/Deonte Wilson vs. Michael Burchell--In the one match that NC State hasn't released a starter, they are favored with either option. Trephan holds the edge in head-to-head matches and they have traded starts in duals for the Wolfpack. Both are 5-2 and are dangerous when they get their offense going. I would expect a win for the Wolfpack but wouldn't pencil in bonus points. Pittsburgh: The Panthers are heading to Columbus for a dual against the Ohio State Buckeyes on Sunday. 125: #24 Gage Curry vs. #14 Malik Heinselman--Curry gets the nod this week to face Heinselman. Curry is 6-1 and has been trading dual starts with Colton Camacho, while Heinselman has started 9-1, suffering his first loss last week at CKLV. Both wrestlers are positionally sound and don't give up a lot of points, so look for a low-scoring bout. 133: #6 Micky Phillippi vs. Brady Koontz--Phillippi looks to build some momentum moving into break and The Midlands. Phillippi has started 3-1 in his dual appearances, with his lone defeat on a last-second defensive pin. Koontz is 3-5 on the season and Phillippi should be able to control the match and look for bonus points. 141: #16 Cole Matthews vs. #24 Dylan D'Emilio--D'Emilio has had a busy season so far. He has started the season 13-3 while Matthews only has two matches under his belt at 2-0. These guys are pretty evenly matched and I would consider this a toss-up with a slight edge to Matthews in his ability to control the match. I would expect a low-scoring bout and probably no bonus. 149: Luke Kemerer vs. #2 Sammy Sasso--The goal for everyone who has wrestled Sasso is to slow him down and minimize damage. He is a very dangerous wrestler who scores in bunches and is always looking for a pin. Sasso is 11-1 with his one loss to some guy from Ithaca named Yianni. Kemerer is 2-2 on the year and will be looking to minimize team points. 157: #30 Elijah Curry vs. #26 Bryce Hepner--Cleary makes his return to Columbus after transferring to Pittsburgh this season. Cleary has started 3-1 while Hepner is 11-4. Looking at results, Hepner has put up a lot of points against lower-tier competition, but has struggled against ranked guys. Cleary controls the match and looks to win low-scoring matches in most cases. I think this will be one of those low-scoring bouts and give the edge to Cleary based on his experience in these situations. 165: #9 Jake Wentzel vs. #8 Carson Kharchla--This is a match where we can learn a lot about both wrestlers. Wentzel is an NCAA finalist but hasn't looked as strong or controlling as he did last year. Kharchla is a highly touted recruit who took his first college loss last week in the CKLV finals to National Champion Shane Griffith in a 5-4 bout. This will very much be a clash of styles and whoever is able to control the match with their style will take the win. This is an opportunity for Wentzel to make the statement that he is in the mix for a title again this year. 174: Hunter Kernan vs. #6 Ethan Smith--Kernan started the year off on a 7-0 run, but has lost his last two matches and is looking to get back on track. Ethan Smith will be a very difficult opponent to get back on track against, however. Smith was an All-American last year and has looked even more impressive--and more offensive this season. Kernan will look to minimize damage here, but Smith will be hunting for as many bonus points as possible. 184: #31 Gregg Harvey vs. #10 Kaleb Romero--Romero returned to the lineup last week and won the CKLV over Tate Samuelson of Wyoming. Harvey picked up a win over Lehigh in his only appearance this year. He will have a tough assignment for match number two as Romero looks to continue his undefeated season. Harvey has the skills to keep this close, but I think Romero takes it in a lopsided decision. 197: #2 Nino Bonaccorsi vs. #21 Gavin Hoffman--The Panthers will have a chance to get some points back after two tough matches before. Nino is 2-0 in his limited bouts after returning from the U23 World Championships, while Hoffman is 6-2 to start the year. I think Nino controls this match and looks for bonus points--he has six and seven-point decisions on the year, so he hasn't quite earned bonus points. 285: #31 Jake Slinger vs. #13 Tate Orndorff--Slinger is 6-2 to start the year, including three pins and an ACC Wrestler of the week honor after sealing two wins for the Panthers. Orndorff is 10-2, taking two losses last week in Vegas. This will be a low-scoring affair with both big guys trying to control the mat and score at the end to win. The edge goes to Orndorff, but this is a great chance for Slinger to get a statement win. Virginia: The Cavaliers are off this week--they return to action at The Midlands. Virginia Tech: The Hokies are off this week and will face Hofstra, Arizona State and one opponent TBD at the Collegiate Duals in Florida on December 20-21.

Jake Wentzel (left) and Carson Kharchla (photo courtesy of Sam Janicki; SJanickiPhoto.com) On Sunday afternoon, the #7 Ohio State will host the #22 Pittsburgh Panthers in yet another challenging out-of-conference dual for the Buckeyes. In the first month-plus of the year, Ohio State has done battle with three ranked ACC opponents. Thus far, they have come out unscathed with wins over #9 Virginia Tech (17-13) and #20 North Carolina (23-12). While the Buckeyes have frequently wrestled Virginia Tech, it seems like the right time to plant the seeds for an ongoing rivalry with Pittsburgh. Only about 160 miles separate the two school's and each has reminders of the other's home state. Three Pennsylvania natives are expected to be in Ohio State's starting lineup Sunday, including one (Ethan Smith - 174 lbs) from Pittsburgh's backyard. Additionally, two of the Buckeyes Class of 2023 recruits are from Western Pennsylvania, one of the most fertile recruiting grounds in the nation. On the Pittsburgh bench is volunteer assistant Luke Pletcher, a two-time NCAA All-American for the Buckeyes, who graduated in 2020. The Panthers also have an Ohio State transfer expected to start, but we'll get to him later. The spotlight bout for this dual will come at 165 lbs as Ohio State's Carson Kharchla will face a stern test from returning NCAA runner-up Jake Wentzel. Kharchla comes into this meeting fresh off a third-place finish at the Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational. His bracket was one of the deepest in the tournament and contained two of the top-four wrestlers in the country. Kharchla's only loss of the event came to 2021 NCAA champion Shane Griffith (Stanford), the wrestler that downed Wentzel in the national finals, 6-2. Kharchla was able to get an early takedown on Griffith, but it wasn't enough to hold up, as the Cardinal fought back for a 5-4 win. In Vegas, Kharchla picked up notable wins over #10 Julian Ramirez x2 (Cornell) and #16 Phil Conigliaro (Harvard). A two-time Ohio state champion and a Junior National freestyle champ, Kharchla was considered one of the top recruits in the high school class of 2019. He redshirted during his initial year in Columbus and amassed an impressive 16-0 record. Hopes were high for Kharchla heading into the 2021 season; however, he suffered a knee injury that ended his season before it started. Kharchla has generally seen no lingering effects from his knee injury and compiled a 7-0 record, prior to Vegas. Now at 12-1 and ranked eighth in the country, Kharchla has shown he can compete against the best 165 lbs has to offer and could be a title threat this season. Before turning his full attention to the brutal Big Ten schedule, Kharchla has a unique challenge from Wentzel. Typically Kharchla does his damage with an impressive array of attacks from his feet. At this point, his mat wrestling is not on the same level as his neutral offense. Wentzel is a bit of the opposite. He is brutal from the top position and is capable of getting a point from riding time on almost anyone in the country. The Panther senior can also score with a shoulder-ripping powerhalf. Whose strength will prevail? Wentzel comes into Columbus sporting a 3-1 record this season. His lone loss came to #28 Brian Meyer, during the Panther's uncharacteristically down performance against Lehigh. Not only is Wentzel good on the mat, but he's also stingy defensively. The four points Meyer scored in his 4-3 win over Wentzel, represents the highest scoring match he's been involved with this season. Last year, Wentzel went 13-2 and captured his second consecutive ACC crown, which resulted in the #3 seed at the NCAA Championships. Wentzel tore through a tough 165 lb bracket, that included a 4-2 win over Kharchla's teammate, Ethan Smith, in the national semifinals. This match represents a significant step up in competition for Wentzel. Meyer is the only ranked opponent that he has faced thus far. The loss to Meyer dropped the Pitt vet in the rankings and he currently sits right behind Kharchla at #9. The rest of the card 125 - #25 Gage Curry (Pittsburgh) vs. #14 Malik Heinselman (Ohio State) Graduate transfer Gage Curry returned to his hometown to finish his collegiate career. Curry qualified for the NCAA Championships on four occasions while competing for American University. Malik Heinselman is off to his best start despite suffering an upset loss in the quarterfinals at Vegas. Heinselman's 5-2 win over Virginia Tech All-American Sam Latona, helped set the tone for a tense dual between top-ten teams. 133 - #6 Micky Phillipi (Pittsburgh) vs. Dylan Koontz (Ohio State) The two-time ACC champion, is one of Pittsburgh's most dangerous grapplers. He is adept defensively and is an excellent scrambler. Phillipi is another Panther wrestler capable of blowing the match open from the top position. Koontz is coming off a 1-2 showing at the Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational. He did push #15 Chance Rich (CSU Bakersfield) to sudden victory, before giving up a match-deciding takedown. Koontz has been the victim of a demanding schedule and has already dropped matches to three top-15 opponents. 141 - #16 Cole Matthews (Pittsburgh) vs. #24 Dylan D'Emilio (Ohio State) Expect to see one of the most up-for-grabs matches of this dual here at 141 lbs. Pittsburgh is expected to send out Cole Matthews, a two-time NCAA qualifier. Matthews missed the first couple weeks of competition, but returned to pick up dual wins over Lehigh and Maryland during his most recent outing. D'Emilio sports a 13-3 record, which features a tournament title at the Ohio Intercollegiate Open and a 5-1 performance at the Michigan State Open. Perhaps D'Emilio's best sign of things to come, was a 3-2 loss to three-time NCAA All-American Chad Red Jr. (Nebraska) in Vegas. 149 - Luke Kemerer/Dan Mancini (Pittsburgh) vs. #2 Sammy Sasso (Ohio State) Pittsburgh sent out Luke Kemerer and Dan Mancini during their four duals this season. Mancini got the first two and went winless, while Kemerer split the most recent meets. Whoever Pitt head coach Keith Gavin sends out, is likely to have their hands full with 2021 NCAA runner-up Sammy Sasso. Sasso looks to get back on the winning track after suffering his first loss of the year in the Vegas finals to two-time NCAA champion Yianni Diakomihalis (Cornell). The 2021 Big Ten champion will look to tack on bonus points here, something he's done in â…” of his bouts this season. 157 - #30 Elijah Cleary (Pittsburgh) vs. #26 Bryce Hepner (Ohio State) Pittsburgh's 157 lber will be a familiar face to the Ohio State bench. Elijah Cleary is a graduate transfer from Ohio State, who competed in the Big Ten Championships twice for the Buckeyes. Cleary has always been solid, but is still seeking his first trip to the national tournament. His transition to Pitt has been smooth, as he is 3-1, with his only loss coming to #10 Josh Humphreys (Lehigh). Ohio State counters with freshman Bryce Hepner, who is 11-4 this season. Expect this to be a tentative low-scoring affair as both of these two are likely familiar with the other's style and tendencies. 174 - Hunter Kernan (Pittsburgh) vs. #6 Ethan Smith (Ohio State) Hunter Kernan has been a nice development for the Panthers this season. Coming into the year, Kernan had only seen action in three dual meets and had a 14-10 career record. He grabbed ahold of the 174 lb spot by winning the Clarion Open the first week of the year, then his first two duals. Now Kernan's looking to snap a two-match dual losing streak and he'll do so against a formidable opponent, 2021 NCAA fifth-place finisher, Ethan Smith. So far in 2021-22, Smith has a pair of losses; however, they were both two-point defeats to #3 and #4 wrestlers in the country. He is as steady as they come and is fresh off a runner-up finish in Vegas. 184 - #31 Gregg Harvey/James Lledo (Pittsburgh) vs. #10 Kaleb Romero (Ohio State) So far, Pittsburgh has gone between Gregg Harvey and James Lledo at 184 lbs. Harvey's only action of the year resulted in a 5-2 win during the Panthers dual with Lehigh. Lledo has gone 10-5, but is still seeking his first win in dual competition. Last week, at the CKLV Invitational, Kaleb Romero made his season debut and his first career appearance at 184 lbs. The new weight proved to be a non-factor as Romero grinded his way to a title with decision wins in his final three matches. For the title, he downed All-American and four-time Vegas placer, Taylor Venz (Nebraska). 197 - #2 Nino Bonaccorsi (Pittsburgh) vs. #21 Gavin Hoffman (Ohio State) The second of two returning NCAA finalists for Pittsburgh is Nino Bonaccorsi. Nino isn't your typical 197 lber. He is a high-volume shooter that is always looking for an opening. Bonaccorsi's collegiate season was delayed as he earned a spot on the U23 world team and traveled to Serbia for the competition. The second-ranked Panther has put up double-digits in both of his 2021-22 matches. His opponent will be Gavin Hoffman. A highly regarded recruit out of Pennsylvania, Hoffman is starting to show the promise he flashed in high school. In Vegas, Hoffman started with a huge win over Tanner Sloan (South Dakota State), but a deep bracket got the best of him and he lost his next two bouts to top-eight finishers. 285 - #31 Jake Slinger (Pittsburgh) vs. #13 Tate Orndorff (Ohio State) Twice Jake Slinger has taken the mat for Pittsburgh this season, with the match hanging in the balance, and both times he's come through with a pin. Not only has Slinger been able to end matches via fall, but he's also come through in tight matches. In his most recent bout, Slinger prevailed over a ranked opponent (Zach Schrader - Maryland) in sudden victory. Hoping that it doesn't come down to extra time is 2021 NCAA eighth-place finisher, Tate Orndorff. Recently, Orndorff placed fourth in Vegas, which marked the third time in his career he was top-four at that meatgrinder of a tournament. Orndoff came up big himself in the Buckeyes dual with Virginia Tech. His 3-2 win over Nathan Traxler sealed the deal for his team.

Bellarmine 125 lber Jack Parker (photo courtesy of Sam Janicki; SJanickiPhoto.com) Hey friends, Welcome to another week of #SoConWR action - we've got a weekend full of wrestling that surely won't disappoint! Check out the streaming schedule and how to watch below: Saturday, Dec 11 Chattanooga vs. SIUE @ 1:00pm Chattanooga vs. Illinois @ 2:30pm Updates: via @UTCWrestling on Twitter Bellarmine vs. Ohio University @ 5:00pm Streaming: BU Knights Sports Network Gardner Webb vs. Michigan State @ 6:00pm Streaming: ESPN+ Sunday, Dec 12 VMI vs. WVU @ 2:00pm Streaming: ESPN+ App State vs. NC State @ 3:00pm Streaming: The Grind (Rokfin) If you can't make it out to any of these events this weekend - please check them out online. I'll be making the trek up to Boone for the Old Timer's Match this Sunday, I'm so excited to see everyone!! And as always: don't be shy, come say hi! xoxo, Rachel G

The Brown University staff (photo courtesy of Sam Janicki; SJanickiPhoto.com) Thursday's Dual Result Brown 20 Hofstra 15 125 - Hunter Adrian (Brown) dec Jacob Moon (Hofstra) 5-2 133 - Nicky Cabanillas (Brown) maj Dylan Acevedo (Hofstra) 9-1 141 - Justin Hoyle (Hofstra) dec Timothy Levine (Brown) 11-4 149 - Blake Saito (Brown) maj Michael Leandrou (Hofstra) 12-1 157 - Jack Bokina (Brown) dec Joe McGinty (Hofstra) 14-9 165 - Harrison Trahan (Brown) dec Ricky Stamm (Hofstra) 11-5 174 - AJ Pedro (Brown) dec Ross McFarland (Hofstra) 5-2 184 - Charles Small (Hofstra) dec James Araneo (Brown) 5-2 197 - Trey Rogers (Hofstra) tech Cade Wilson (Brown) 25-10 285 - Zachary Knighton-Ward (Hofstra) maj Lear Quinton (Brown) 13-5 Friday's Dual Results North Dakota State 34 Edinboro 9 125 - Logan Jaquay (Edinboro) FFT 133 - Kellyn March (North Dakota State) fall Clayton Bashor (Edinboro) :12 141 - Dylan Droegemueller (North Dakota State) dec Gabe Willochell (Edinboro) 8-5 149 - Gaven Sax (North Dakota State) maj Ryan Burgos (Edinboro) 13-5 157 - Jared Franek (North Dakota State) tech Alex Garee (Edinboro) 15-0 165 - Luke Weber (North Dakota State) fall Dylan Kohn (Edinboro) 1:03 174 - Austin Brenner (North Dakota State) maj Joey Arnold (Edinboro) 9-1 184 - Ethan Ducca (Edinboro) dec DJ Parker (North Dakota State) 3-2 197 - Owen Pentz (North Dakota State) dec Cody Mulligan (Edinboro) 8-3 285 - Brandon Metz (North Dakota State) dec Max Millin (Edinboro) 6-1 North Dakota State 27 Binghamton 12 125 - Micah Roes (Binghamton) dec Ryan Henningson (North Dakota State) 6-3 133 - Kellyn March (North Dakota State) fall Anthony Sobotker (Binghamton) 1:12 141 - Dylan Droegemueller (North Dakota State) dec Michael Zarif (Binghamton) 4-3 149 - Nick Lombard (Binghamton) dec Gaven Sax (North Dakota State) 9-2 157 - Jared Franek (North Dakota State) maj Logan Gumble (Binghamton) 14-0 165 - Luke Weber (North Dakota State) fall Brevin Cassella (Binghamton) 6:42 174 - Austin Brenner (North Dakota State) dec Jacob Nolan (Binghamton) 3-1 184 - DJ Parker (North Dakota State) tech Sam DePrez (Binghamton) 17-2 197 - Louie DePrez (Binghamton) dec Owen Pentz (North Dakota State) 8-5 285 - Joe Doyle (Binghamton) dec Brandon Metz (North Dakota State) 8-4 Binghamton 29 Edinboro 12 125 - Logan Jaquay (Edinboro) maj Nick Curley (Binghamton) 10-1 133 - Anthony Sobotker (Binghamton) fall Clayton Bashor (Edinboro) 2:29 141 - Gabe Willochell (Edinboro) tech Michael Zarif (Binghamton) 15-0 149 - Nick Lombard (Binghamton) maj Ryan Burgos (Edinboro) 12-4 157 - Logan Gumble (Binghamton) dec PJ Gohn (Edinboro) 4-2 165 - Brevin Cassella (Binghamton) dec Dylan Kohn (Edinboro) 11-4 174 - Jacob Nolan (Binghamton) dec Joey Arnold (Edinboro) 4-0 184 - Ethan Ducca (Edinboro) dec Sam DePrez (Binghamton) 3-2 197 - Louie DePrez (Binghamton) InjDef Cody Mulligan (Edinboro) 285 - Joe Doyle (Binghamton) maj Max Millin (Edinboro) 9-0 Franklin & Marshall 48 Ursinus 4 125 - Franco Mazza (Ursinus) maj Eli Wallace (F&M) 12-4 133 - Pat Phillips (F&M) fall Jagger Clapsadle (Ursinus) 1:59 141 - Wil Gil (F&M) fall Scott Weinkowitz (Ursinus) 1:31 149 - Cristiaan Dailey (F&M) FFT 157 - Chase McCollum (F&M) tech Stone Franczyk (Ursinus) 17-2 165 - Crew Fullerton (F&M) tech Jonathan Gherman (Ursinus) 16-0 174 - John Crawford (F&M) maj Jackson Brandt (Ursinus) 10-1 184 - James Conway (F&M) fall Connor Fritsch (Ursinus) 1:48 197 - Mike Wazen (F&M) FFT 285 - Cenzo Pelusi (F&M) maj Jake Ahmed (Ursinus) 14-3 Rutgers 26 Army West Point 9 125 - Dylan Shawver (Rutgers) dec Ryan Chauvin (Army West Point) 8-6 133 - Sammy Alvarez (Rutgers) maj Dominic Carone (Army West Point) 17-4 141 - Sebastian Rivera (Rutgers) tech Corey Shie (Army West Point) 17-1 149 - Mike Van Brill (Rutgers) dec Zach Keal (Army West Point) 8-3 157 - Markus Hartman (Army West Point) dec Robert Kanniard (Rutgers) 6-1 165 - Dalton Harkins (Army West Point) dec Andrew Clark (Rutgers) 4-2 174 - Clayton Fielden (Army West Point) dec Connor O'Neill (Rutgers) 5-3 184 - John Poznanski (Rutgers) maj Brad Laughlin (Army West Point) 13-4 197 - Greg Bulsak (Rutgers) maj JT Brown (Army West Point) 17-4 285 - Boone McDermott (Rutgers) dec Ben Sullivan (Army West Point) 3-1SV West Virginia 40 Glenville State 3 125 - Colton Drousias (West Virginia) maj Kevin Meloni (Glenville State) 13-2 133 - Michael Dolan (West Virginia) tech Devin Easton (Glenville State) 20-5 141 - Caleb Rea (West Virginia) dec Ethan Hardy (Glenville State) 6-4 149 - Jeffrey Boyd (West Virginia) dec Gavin Quiocho (Glenville State) 9-5 157 - Alex Hornfeck (West Virginia) FFT 165 - Peyton Hall (West Virginia) fall Hunter Jones (Glenville State) 2:13 174 - Scott Joll (West Virginia) dec Hunter DeLong (Glenville State) 10-4 184 - Anthony Carman (West Virginia) fall Cole Houser (Glenville State) 1:44 197 - Jordan Williams (Glenville State) dec Jace Bradbury (West Virginia) 8-5 285 - Michael Wolfgram (West Virginia) maj Gavin Shamblin (Glenville State) 13-3

New members of the WWE NIL team, AJ Ferrari (left) and Gable Steveson (photo courtesy of Tony Rotundo; WrestlersAreWarriors.com) By the time you read this, the Walsh Ironman is already underway and all I have to say is welcome back high school wrestling! It's been too long since we had a proper HS season and I can't wait to get back into it and see who's next in this golden era we found ourselves in. The Beast is right around the corner, followed by Powerade and the Doc Buchanan, where they give cowboy hats to the winners. I want to find terrible feeds of dual meets. I want to peruse local box scores. I want to see rivalries renewed among private schools, which I'm sure definitely don't recruit. Just kidding, of course they do, and who cares. It's not like they're sending them to Vietnam; it's just wrestling, get over it. Who's the next big star? How long before you see a familiar last name and ask if they're related to so and so? Another year for growth in girls high school wrestling to look forward to. Also, does anyone know the weights? Eh, I'll figure it out, but 144 sounds weird and I'll never get used to it. Anyway, you have Christmas shopping to do so let's get to it. Who is your sleepiest sleeper pick that you think will make a deep run in March? @PhilSlotsofnumbersafternisname Ryan Anderson of Binghamton. Heck, he's not even doing that well this year yet; that's how super sleepy he is. I know 2019 seems like ancient history, but Ryan was one of the top high school wrestlers in the country who's now found his way to D1. I trust that the talent is still there and with some experience, he should still be able to compete at a high level. Finally at his proper weight, don't be surprised if he makes some noise in March. Billy Baldwin might need his ascot to clean himself up if it happens. Bonus points for being another Jersey kid who went to PA to dominate high school. Is very cold in Dagestan. How do I rock awesome cut-off jeans on cold weather? @russia_jd I'll admit I've come around on this stupid parody account. I'm not going to bother answering your question, but I will admit you make me laugh with some of your replies. Keep it up. When Preparing to spend time with a weekend Wrestling event, What are your Go to Snacks, Meals, Or Crockpot items? @MichWrestlinRef Are those all the questions you guys have for me this week? You fools need to step it up or I'll be bagging groceries. Sure, that one guy below in the comments who tells me, “I suck,” will be happy about it, but we can't have Jagger pushing carts at the Stop and Shop in downtown Carlstadt. Sorry about the one-day delay, but admit it, it goes pretty good with your Saturday morning coffee. Almost forgot, I like a good meat and cheese tray with my weekend wrestling. What stipulation gets put on the future WWE match between Mr. Fast Twitch and Gable? @Rhino184 How about that for a classic WWE swerve! Just as Gable restarts his college career after signing with WWE, they turn right around and ink the next hottest free agent on the market and the guy who's been hounding him with smack talk for a year now in AJ Ferrari! Does this deal mean AJ gets in the squared circle after his college days are over? There's no way to know. He hinted at it in an emoji-filled post, so it's very possible. Wrestlemania main event. AJ vs. Gable. 665-pound title belt in the middle of the ring. The guy who deadlifts it and touches all four corners uninterrupted is crowned champion. Is Gable still a Paul Heyman guy at this point? Has Paul turned on him for the Next Next Big Thing in Mr. Fast Twitch? Does Bobby Steveson get involved? Do the Creed Brothers use their insane mental strength to steal the title themselves? I know pro wrestling and real wrestling have had a contentious relationship in the past, but this feud between two college wrestling lightning rods has a very legit chance at playing out on Monday Night Raw in the future. (minus the ginormous belt) WWE wouldn't be where they are if they didn't know what they were doing and they've longed for the acceptance of real wrestling fans and with this NIL situation, they have a chance to capitalize on not only the best young athletes in America but to have their name all over the college game where they've long been shunned. Buckle up; this is only the beginning. Between Scuffle and Midlands, which tournament are you looking forward to most and which is the better tourney this year? @DutrowJim You really can't go wrong with either, but I am partial to the Scuffle this year because I'm just very interested in this Cornell team and want to see them butt heads with the cream of the ACC and Oklahoma State. Midlands also rocking a strong field, though with some hot Big Ten on Big Ten action that will inevitably lead to forfeits that ruin the field, but does have two strong Ivy schools in Princeton and Penn looking to test their mettle. All I know is it's four days of wrestling over a five-day period on the heels of the Collegiate Duals in what's sure to be a monster late-December. Buy some extra TV's on whatever dumb name they have for post-Christmas sales and get to work setting up your own watch party.

(photo courtesy of Roanoke athletics)  "My wife grew up in Roanoke and in all the years we lived around here she  always said that Roanoke College would be a great job and they could have  an amazing program if they ever started one," Nate Yetzer. Yetzer was named the inaugural head coach of the Roanoke College Maroons in March 2020 and they enter their first year of competition this season. "The administration here has been phenomenal. They are fully on board with the program and are willing to invest in us to be successful," said Yetzer. They currently have two coaches on staff and are hoping to add a third this spring. Forty-five wrestlers make up the initial lineup, "I'm impressed none of them have dropped off," said Assistant Coach Blake Rosenbaum, "we were expecting a few, but these guys have been tough and are ready to scrap." Yetzer is excited to take on the challenge of building another program. He was the Head Coach at Ferrum College and built that program from the ground up in his eight years at the helm. Yetzer was an All-American at Edinboro and was an assistant coach at Virginia Tech. He was an integral part of the emergence of the Hokie program prior to taking the new position at Ferrum. When touring the campus and facilities at Roanoke, it's hard to not be impressed. The campus is a community in itself and showcases the beauty of the Blue Ridge mountain setting. The facilities rival those of many D1 programs. The wrestling room houses a full three-mat setup, with bikes and equipment on the far side of the mats. The competition arena will hold 1500 fans around the mat and up to 2000 fans on the walkway and in suites above the seating. There is an attached field house where Roanoke hosts the Southeast Open and the Star City Classic that can hold 12 mats. All of this within two blocks of the best calzone in Virginia (Mac and Bob's) and where you will find Jason Bryant when he ventures back to this part of the Commonwealth. Yetzer has proven himself to be a great coach and an amazing program builder. I'm looking forward to seeing what he can build in Roanoke. Roanoke will be in action next Saturday at the Gator Boot Duals in Nashville, Tennessee.

2021 All-American John Poznanski (photo courtesy of Sam Janicki; SJanickiPhoto.com) On Friday evening, the nation's winningest team for 2021-22 will host perhaps the gutsiest team in the country, as Army West Point makes the short trek to Rutgers for a non-conference dual. While many teams front-load their schedule with open tournaments or individual bracket tourneys, Rutgers has wrestled duals after duals after duals. Their 9-0 mark in dual meets is far and away best in the nation. Among Big Ten and top-25 schools, only Purdue's 6-0 record comes remotely close. That may be a wise move from Scarlet Knight head coach Scott Goodale, as Rutgers generally has an experienced team that may not need the wear-and-tear associated with tournament action. The Scarlet Knights come into Friday with a #12 ranking on the dual meet front and have a solid lineup with no significant holes. Even with a returning All-American out of the lineup for the bulk of the season, Rutgers has not missed a beat and outscored their nine opponents by a margin of 321-49. In comes an Army West Point team that captured the imagination of the wrestling community two weeks ago by agreeing to a dual meet with top-ranked Iowa on less than 48 hours' notice. Head Coach Kevin Ward and his team were in Iowa to meet Iowa State on Saturday and participate in the school's Cyclone Open on Sunday. The Hawkeyes were slated to host #23 Oregon State, but post-Thanksgiving travel repeatedly delayed the OSU team and eventually prevented them from making the trip. Ward and did not balk at the daunting task of meeting the defending champs in a hostile Carver-Hawkeye Arena. Though the scoreboard was lopsided in Iowa's favor (36-7), the Black Knights won the respect of Iowa head coach Tom Brands, Iowa fans, and fans around the county. The dual against Iowa was just another high hurdle on a daunting schedule for Army West Point in 2021-22. The Black Knights already traveled to #2 Penn State in November. They will be the only non-conference school in the country that wrestled duals at both Iowa and Penn State. Now they have a date with #12 Rutgers looming. Rutgers is a team with three returning All-Americans and nine of the ten starters currently ranked in the top-33. Here's a quick look at the potential matchups for tonight's tilt between Army West Point and Rutgers. 125: Ryan Chauvin (Army West Point) vs. #24 Dylan Shawver (Rutgers) Don't be deceived by Chauvin's unsightly 1-4 record. He has been close with most of his opponents and took Iowa's Jesse Ybarra to sudden victory. Shawver is perfect at 8-0. The Scarlet Knight 125 lber has been the opposite and managed to win a handful of close bouts. He has one sudden victory win on his resume and has prevailed in bouts with two-point margins, or less, on three occasions. 133: Mark Montgomery (Army West Point) vs. #12 Sammy Alvarez (Rutgers) Montgomery started the year by wrestling close matches with a pair of top-25 opponents, but ultimately coming up short. He struggled a bit during the Iowa trip with a major decision loss at Iowa State, then two other setbacks at the Cyclone Open. Trying to get back on the winning track against #12 Sammy Alvarez might be a tough ask. Alvarez has bonus points in four of his six wins this year and sports a 35-11 career record. 141: #29 Corey Shie (Army West Point) vs. #4 Sebastian Rivera (Rutgers) Army West Point has an extremely deep bench and may turn to someone other than Corey Shie here. If it's Shie who gets the nod, it will be an experienced veteran who is 3-2 on the year and a 2019 NCAA qualifier. Both of Shie's 2021-22 losses have come to top-12 opponents and he is as steady as they come. Rivera is a three-time NCAA All-American that has a pair of Big Ten titles to his credit. On two occasions, Rivera has earned the #1 seed at the NCAA Championships. Every time Rivera has stepped on the mat this season, he's come away with bonus points and a 9-1 major decision represents his “closest” match. 149: #24 PJ Ogunsanya (Army West Point) vs. #21 Mike Van Brill (Rutgers) This is perhaps the match of the night, as one of Army West Point's top grapplers will face a solid competitor in Mike Van Brill. Both are ranked in the same range and it should be a close contest. Ogunsanya was the lone Black Knight wrestler that emerged from Iowa with a pair of wins. During the Iowa State dual, he recorded a close, 4-3 win, over All-American Jarrett Degen. Van Brill had an excellent showing at the 2021 Big Ten Championships and left with third place and a #10 seed at nationals in St. Louis. Unfortunately, Van Brill went 0-2 in his first trip to the “Big Dance.” Thus far, in 2021-22, Van Brill has been perfect and notched a pair of wins over past national qualifiers. 157: #29 Markus Hartman (Army West Point) vs. #32 Robert Kanniard (Rutgers) This is one of the few matchups where Army holds the advantage, albeit a slim one. Don't let Markus Hartman's 2-4 record fool you. His two losses in Iowa came to a returning National Champion (David Carr - Iowa State) and a two-time All-American (Kaleb Young - Iowa). The high point of his season, thus far, has been a 9-0 major decision win over Penn State's Terrell Barraclough. Hartman is a two-time NCAA qualifier that was third in the conference in 2020. Robert Kanniard makes his way back to the rankings after a win via tech fall against American University in his last outing. Kanniard has captured bonus points in four of his five wins this season. 165: Dalton Harkins/Christian Hunt (Army West Point) vs. Andrew Clark (Rutgers) Lots of options for Army West Point here. Their most impressive 165 lber has been Dalton Harkins, who has amassed a 16-3 record primarily in open tournament competition. He did get the go-ahead against Iowa State and responded with an 11-6 win. Hunt has seen action in duals this year and is 1-4. Andrew Clark has gone 7-7 during his first extended run as a starter for the Scarlet Knights. His most significant win of the year came in his last bout, when he edged returning national qualifier, Tim Fitzpatrick (American), by a point. Clark and Harkins have already met once this year, at the Shorty Hitchcock Open, and Harkins pitched a 3-0 shutout. 174: #25 Ben Pasiuk/Clayton Fielden (Army West Point) vs. Connor O'Neill (Rutgers) We're not exactly sure what to expect at 174 lbs. Both teams have a prominent starter that could end up on the bench Friday night. 2021 EIWA champion Ben Pasiuk went 1-2 during Army's first event of the year on November 14th, but has not seen action since. 165 lber Clayton Fielden has moved up and seen action in all of the team's duals at 174 lbs. He's still looking for his first victory of the year in dual competition. Rutgers also has a starter that probably doesn't go Friday, in All-American Jackson Turley. Turley suffered an uncharacteristic loss that same weekend and has been on the shelf since. In his stead, Connor O'Neill has handled the action at 174. O'Neill has acquitted himself well, going 5-3, and being “in” every match, even the losses. Expect more of the same effort here. 184: #30 Brad Laughlin (Army West Point) vs. #5 John Poznanski (Rutgers) There was some uncertainty as to who may emerge as Army's 184 lber, but Brad Laughlin seems to have quelled any questions surrounding the weight, by winning the Journeymen Collegiate Classic in his first outing of the year. Since, Laughlin has run into a formidable gauntlet of opponents and suffered three consecutive dual losses. It doesn't get any easier for Laughlin, as one of Rutgers' best wrestlers will stand across from him Friday night. John Poznanski became the first true freshman to earn All-American honors last season, when he was fourth in the nation. Poznanski has shown no signs of slowing down this year with a 9-0 start and bonus points in five of those contests. A third of those wins have come against competition with prior NCAA experience. 197: #27 JT Brown (Army West Point) vs. #13 Greg Bulsak (Rutgers) One of the most experienced wrestlers in the Army lineup is their 197 lber JT Brown. In each of the last two seasons, Brown has qualified for the NCAA Championships. In fact, last year, Brown claimed a win at nationals over Rutgers' entrant, Billy Janzer. Brown was one of two Black Knights that left Carver-Hawkeye Arena with a win, as he took out Zach Glazier, 4-1. Replacing Janzer is Clarion graduate transfer Greg Bulsak. Bulsak has proven to be a spectacular addition, going 7-0 with wins over three past national qualifiers. During his time at Clarion, Bulsak qualified for the NCAA Championships four times and won a MAC title in 2020. That year he was seeded tenth at the national tournament. 285: Ben Sullivan (Army West Point) vs. #25 Boone McDermott (Rutgers) Senior Ben Sullivan has been in-and-out of the starting lineup during his tenure in West Point. He has been the team's entrant at the EIWA Championships on two occasions and is seeking his first trip to the national tournament. Sullivan has a solid career record of 39-24. He was turned to at the Iowa State dual and responded with a win in sudden victory. Rutgers has another transfer at the end of their lineup as 2020 Junior College national champion Boone McDermott has grabbed ahold of the starting role. The Iowa native is 6-1 and has proven to be a stabilizing figure at a weight class that gave them some problems in 2021.

Daton Fix and Tony Madrigal at the 2021 Big 12 finals (photo courtesy of Mark Lundy; LutteLens.com) Friday 12/10 Edinboro vs. North Dakota State at Binghamton, 2:00 PM North Dakota State at Binghamton, 3:30 PM Saturday 12/11 Iowa State, Northern Iowa, at UNI Open, hosted by Northern Iowa, 10:00 AM (9:00 AM) North Dakota State at Buffalo, 7:00 PM Sunday 12/5 West Virginia at VMI, 2:00 PM Oklahoma State at Oklahoma, 6:00 PM-ESPNU **All times Eastern** A lot of schools with finals this week, so a light week for the Big 12. What I'm Most Excited For: Bedlam. We had an exciting rivalry match last weekend at Iowa State and who knows what will happen here? It's hard to see Oklahoma make this competitive. Dom Demas has not made a start yet at 141 and Mitch Moore went down with an injury at the Cliff Keen tournament this weekend. If those two are out, there's no way I could really see OU pulling this off. If they're in, here's the most realistic path for OU. 125: Prata over Mastrogiovianni 141: Demas over Young 149: Moore over Gfeller 157: Thomas over Sheets 174: Mantanona over Plott 285: Heindselman over Surber A few of those would be upsets, but it's realistic to say OU “could” win those. In some instances, they have won them before and in some they would be favored. If they can pull that off, they win the dual. If they can just get five of those and some bonus, they could win the dual. But the general feeling around this matchup is that OSU is a pretty solid favorite that many expect to win here. Big rivalries are always fun, and you can't beat nationally televised wrestling (ESPNU). It's important as fans, that if we want more wrestling on TV, we watch what we do get.

Edinboro 184 lber Ethan Ducca (photo courtesy of Edinboro athletics) Friday, December 10th, 2021 Edinboro vs. North Dakota at Binghamton (2:00pm) Edinboro vs. Binghamton (5:00pm) Saturday, December 11th, 2021 Cleveland State Open: Central Michigan, Cleveland State, Indiana, and Kent State (9:30am) Clarion vs. Stevens at Messiah (10:00am) Lock Haven vs. Messiah (10:00am) Clarion vs. Messiah (11:30am) Lock Haven vs. Stevens at Messiah (11:30am) SIU Edwardsville vs. Chattanooga (12:00pm) SIU Edwardsville vs. Illinois (3:00pm) Ohio vs. Bellarmine (5:00pm) Buffalo vs. North Dakota State (7:00pm) #MACinsider Thoughts: This weekend, nine MAC schools are back in action across the eastern portion of the country. On Friday, I'm hoping to see Edinboro pick up two more team wins; topping both North Dakota State and Binghamton. Although both matches will be tough, their lineup runs deep and I'm confident that they can get the job done. On Saturday, the Cleveland State Open will be a great opportunity for interconference matchups between Cleveland State, Central Michigan, and Kent State. Let's see who the real dogs are! At Messiah, I'm excited for both Clarion and Lock Haven to potentially grab up two more team wins against both Messiah and Stevens. SIUE also has the potential to add two more victories to their season by defeating Chattanooga and Illinois. Ohio will travel to Bellarmine where they will look to win their second dual meet of the season. To wrap up the weekend, Buffalo will be facing North Dakota State at home in Alumni Arena as they are looking to secure their fifth dual meet win of the season. Good luck to all of the MAC schools competing this weekend!

Brown 149 lber Blake Saito (photo courtesy of Sam Janicki; SJanickiPhoto.com) Thursday 12/9 Brown vs Hofstra – Providence, RI (7PM) Friday 12/10 Army @ Rutgers (#12) – Piscataway, NJ (7PM) Binghamton vs. North Dakota State & Edinboro – Vestal, NY (3:30PM & 5PM) Saturday 12/11 Navy @ Maryland – College Park, MD (6PM) *ALL STARTING TIMES ARE LISTED IN EST* What I'm Most Excited For: It looks like a majority of the EIWA is taking next weekend off for finals / holiday break / training cycles / whatever other reason. The only all-EIWA match up is Thursday night where Hofstra visits Brown. Army vs Rutgers may have some good match-ups to watch on Friday night. I am interested in the Navy vs Maryland dual, as Maryland wrestled a handful of EIWA teams less than a week ago. It will help get some insight as to where this Navy team stacks up in the conference. Where you'll find me: I will be taking the weekend off to stay home and relax this weekend. I'm sure I'll be watching as much wrestling as I can from my couch!

Navy's Jacob Allen (photo courtesy of Tony Rotundo; WrestlersAreWarriors.com) Once again, Austin Sommer sits atop the leaderboard for our conference correspondent staff with an impressive 22-5 record after five weeks. But, his lead has diminished within the last seven days, partially because of the perfect week from Rachel Gallardo, who is now within a game of Austin. Along with Rachel, Robbie Wendell also had a flawless week picking games. His repeated ACC-homerism finally paid off as Virginia Tech upset Missouri. The only other member of the team that picked the Hokies was Darius Levan, who is still in the cellar with a 17-10 record. But, Darius has company now, as Earl has an identical record. This week's slate of matches shouldn't impact the standings too much. There were two matches where everyone agreed on a winner and Cody Goodwin stuck with the Big Ten and picked Maryland over Navy. He was the only one to do so. The only match with strong opinions on both sides is Binghamton/Edinboro.

(photo courtesy of Tony Rotundo; WrestlersAreWarriors.com) Although DI wrestling moves into December, we've got a small slate of duals and tournaments. 22 duals and a few open tournaments will be going on during the remainder of this week. Since it can be difficult to figure out where and when to watch all of these events, InterMat has put together a list of all of the live-streamed events occurring this weekend. Below are the dates/times and how to watch each match. All times Eastern Thursday, December 9: Hofstra at Brown, 7:00 PM ESPN+ Friday, December 10: Edinboro vs. North Dakota State at Binghamton, 2:00 PM North Dakota State at Binghamton, 3:30 PM ESPN+ Edinboro at Binghamton, 5:00 PM ESPN+ Ursinus at Franklin & Marshall, 7:00 PM Centennial Conference Digital Network Army West Point at Rutgers, 7:00 PM BIG+ Glenville State at West Virginia, 7:00 PM ESPN+ Saturday, December 11: Central Michigan, Cleveland State, Indiana, Kent State at Cleveland State Open 9:30 AM Clarion vs. Stevens at Messiah, 10:00 AM GoMessiah Mat 2 Lock Haven at Messiah, 10:00 AM GoMessiah Iowa State, Minnesota, Northern Iowa, Wisconsin at UNI Open, 10:00 AM FloWrestling Clarion at Messiah, 11:30 AM GoMessiah Lock Haven vs. Stevens at Messiah, 11:30 AM GoMessiah Mat 2 Chattanooga at SIU Edwardsville, 1:00 PM Chattanooga vs. Illinois at SIU Edwardsville, 2:30 PM Illinois at SIU Edwardsville, 4:00 PM Ohio at Bellarmine, 5:00 PM Michigan State at Gardner-Webb, 6:00 PM ESPN+ Navy at Maryland, 6:00 PM BIG+ North Dakota State at Buffalo, 7:00 PM ESPN+ Sunday, December 12: Pittsburgh at Ohio State, 1:00 PM BIG+ West Virginia at VMI, 2:00 PM ESPN+ NC State at Appalachian State, 3:00 PM The Grind (Rokfin) Oklahoma State at Oklahoma, 6:00 PM ESPNU

2021 CKLV runner-up Quincy Monday (Photo/Sam Janicki; SJanickiPhoto.com) EIWA Rankings - as of December 9th, 2021

Oregon State 125 lber Brandon Kaylor (Photo/Tony Rotundo; WrestlersAreWarriors.com) Friday and Saturday saw college wrestling return to Las Vegas as the Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational was contested for the 39th time. The tournament returned after a hiatus in 2020 due to modifications made to the collegiate wrestling season amid the spread of Covid-19. One of the hallmarks of the event is that it is typically a place for freshmen to shine for the first time. This year's version of the CKLV was different than usual, in that no freshmen captured titles, a feat that hasn't happened since the 2014 tournament. While the tournament was devoid of any unexpected championship runs from freshmen, there were still some breakout performances from younger wrestlers. So, how do we define breakout? All of the wrestlers we've noted were either ranked lower than #25 or not mentioned at all prior to the tournament. While heavyweight champion “Gas Tank” Gary Traub fits that bill, he is generally a household name due to his exploits in the 2019-20 season for Ohio State. Only one of this bunch has previous NCAA experience (though he didn't pick up a win there). This group of five is hoping to go against the old axiom “What happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas,” as they look to build off of their momentum during the rest of the season. Brandon Kaylor (Oregon State) Entering Vegas with the #26 ranking at 125 lbs, Brandon Kaylor was given the sixth seed at the Cliff Keen. Kaylor was an NCAA qualifier for Oregon State in 2021 after taking third place in the Pac-12 and receiving an at-large berth. He did not post a win in his inaugural nationals appearance and finished the year 9-7. In 2021-22, Kaylor started the year with a loss to the defending EIWA champion Jaret Lane (Lehigh). He only competed two other times before Vegas and was a winner in both contests. From the get-go, Kaylor was putting up points in the Las Vegas Convention Center. He totaled 11 in his opening match against 2021 NCAA qualifier Jake Ferri (Kent State). That set the stage for a quarterfinal contest with then-#9 Malik Heinselman (Ohio State), the third seed. Kaylor wasted little time and struck a little over a minute into the bout with a takedown. Early in the third period, he added a second to ice the bout, 5-3. In the semifinals, against the defending runner-up Devin Schroder (Purdue), Kaylor tallied a pair of first-period takedowns and even led 6-5 after two periods. Schroder was able to prevail 8-6 and moved into the championship bout. Despite the semifinal loss, Kaylor was undeterred and majored Jake Svihel (Wyoming) and notched a solid, 7-1 victory over 2020 national qualifier Jack Medley (Michigan) to claim third. The wins over three returning national qualifiers and a top-ten opponent, have boosted Kaylor into the number #13 slot at the 125 lb weight class. Haiden Drury (Utah Valley) After Fresno State dropped their program (again!) following the 2021 season, Haiden Drury moved on to Utah Valley. Drury started his career with the Wolverines by going 3-1 at a series of duals hosted by Big 12 foe Northern Colorado. The lone loss at that event came to the Bears starting 133 lber Mosha Schwartz. Less than two weeks later, Drury claimed two wins in dual competition against Cal Baptist and CSU Bakersfield. That same weekend, Drury went 4-0 and came away with the Roadrunner Open title. A gaudy 10-1 record was still only good enough for the seventh seed in Vegas. No worries, though, as Drury started his tournament with an 11-3 major decision over Binghamton's dangerous Anthony Sobotker. Unfortunately, Drury didn't get the opportunity to clash with the #2 seed as Chance Rich (CSU Bakersfield) medically forfeited in the quarters. The forfeit set up a semifinal contest with third-seeded Dylan Ragusin (Michigan). Though Drury lost, his 4-3 setback was the closest match of the tournament for the Ragusin in a battle of Wolverines. After the Ragusin loss, Drury showed his clutchness with sudden victory wins over ranked opponents Jake Gliva (Minnesota) and Devan Turner (Oregon State). The two-time Pac-12 champion, Turner, was ranked #20 in the nation and seeded fourth at the tournament. Adam Kemp (Cal Poly) Incredibly, the second former Fresno State wrestler on this list is Adam Kemp. A few weeks ago, our friend Corby Van Deventer, co-host of MatScouts “The First Word,” took a trip to Cal Poly and saw Kemp working out with three-time All-American Evan Wick. Corby was extremely impressed by Kemp and had been singing his praises, as a possible darkhorse, ever since. He was proven correct by Kemp in Vegas. In his opening bout, Kemp was tasked with an imposing opponent in Chris Foca (Cornell), who was ranked ninth at the time and the tournament's third seed. Only :14 seconds into the first period, Kemp got on the scoreboard with a takedown. That ended up being the difference-maker, as Kemp held on to win, 3-2. His upset was one of the most significant of the tournament. Next up in the quarterfinals was #19 Troy Fisher (Northwestern). This bout ended up being distinctly different from Kemp's previous match. Fisher and Kemp battled for over nine minutes before the Mustang secured a takedown during their first : 30-second tiebreaker. Kemp only surrendered an escape in the second tiebreaker and prevailed 4-2. In the semis, the competition was turned up a few notches as returning All-American #6 Ethan Smith (Ohio State) stood across from Kemp. Despite the disparities in the rankings and resumes, Kemp proved he belonged with someone of Smith's caliber. The Buckeye star grabbed an early takedown and ended up with a 3-2 win. That wasn't without a hard charge from Kemp, who pushed the entire match. Kemp's two notable victories, combined with his performance against Smith, led to one of the greatest rankings jumps of the week. He went from #31 at 174 lbs, to #10. Josh Koderhandt (Navy) We already mentioned how this was the first time since 2014 that no freshmen had captured titles at this tournament. That isn't to say that some freshmen didn't make a name for themselves, because Josh Koderhandt certainly fits the bill at 133 lbs. Koderhandt started his collegiate career with a tournament title at the Clarion Open the first week of this season. He then went 2-2 at the Bearcat Open and made the finals of the Navy Classic. Those performances warranted some consideration for a place in the national rankings, but still left a little to be desired. Not so, after Vegas. Unseeded, Koderhandt made his presence felt immediately and earned a 7-2 win over a ranked opponent (then-#24 Matt Ramos - Purdue). In his next contest, Koderhandt was utterly dominant as he pinned Brendon Fenton (Kent State), while leading by 15. Koderhandt ran into the eventual champion, Dylan Ragusin (Michigan), in the quarterfinals and was sent to the consolations. For a place amongst the top eight, Koderhandt put together a solid, 12-5 win over Wyoming's Job Greenwood. A week earlier, Greenwood won the Cowboy Open, by downing returning All-American Michael McGee (Arizona State). In the next round, Koderhandt shutout Ramos for his second victory of the tournament over the young Boilermaker. He dropped to the fifth-place bout after losing a heartbreaker to Devan Turner in sudden victory. For fifth-place, Koderhandt sealed the deal with a second-period fall over Minnesota's Jake Gliva. Josh Ogunsanya (Columbia) A title at the season-opening Southeast Open over a field that was decent, but not spectacular, was a slight hint that Josh Ogunsanya was probably “for real.” In Columbia's only dual thus far, Ogunsanya squared off with returning All-American Cameron Amine (Michigan) and acquitted himself well in a 3-1 loss. Ogunsanya had a difficult draw as the #10 seed at 165 lbs. He was tasked with facing the seventh-seed, Tanner Cook (South Dakota State), one of the most dangerous pinners in the nation in his first match. It didn't come as a surprise that Ogunsanya got his hand raised, but the score, combined with the high-caliber opponent, made you double and triple-take. The Lion registered a 20-3, first-period tech fall over Cook. Four takedowns, along with four sets of four-point nearfalls, were enough to do the job. A major decision win over Brady Chrisman (Kent State), sandwiched between losses to Shane Griffith (Stanford) and Julian Ramirez (Cornell), put Ogunsanya in the seventh-place bout. While trailing Bubba Wilson (Nebraska), 4-3 in the third period, Ogunsanya got a takedown and nearfall before pinning his Husker counterpart. After starting the week ranked #31, Ogunsanya gets a modest bump to #25.

2021 Big 12 champion Luke Weber (Photo/Mark Lundy; LutteLens.com) Just like the hangover in the morning, the exhaustion after a grueling day of work, or the walk of shame home from a night of debauchery, sometimes after a day/week filled with so much adrenaline, we as humans require an equal and opposite reaction for the week ahead. And that's what we have. After the craziness that was the Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational, we roll into a week where less than half the D1 teams are in scheduled competition, and only eight of those are from the Top-20 teams of last season's NCAA Tournament. It's kinda the break we need.. Time to cool off and digest what just happened. You know that scenario after your fantasy football draft is completed and you find out that week 11 has seven of your starters on "Bye Week?" That's basically what we are dealing with; only the whole league is dealing with it too. Every point matters, so choose wisely and adjust accordingly. I'll keep it short and sweet. We all have holiday gifts to buy that won't arrive in time, so we have to print out a picture of it and put it in a wrapped box to fake like you thought the gift through and didn't rush it, but your printer is out of color ink and low on black ink so it comes out kinda gray with white streaks but with still enough detail that you can pretty much make out that it's a comforter set and not a Wegman's pumpkin roll… Anywhoo… on to Week 6. Only two tournaments are slated officially on D1 schedules: The Cleveland State Open and The UNI Open. As of the writing of this article, entries are few to comment on now, but keep the notification "ON" to @FatnasyD1Wrestl for updates. Teams locking during the week: Thursday 12/9: Brown and Hofstra Friday 12/10: Army, Bringhamton, Edinboro, Franklin & Marshall, and Rutgers Wrestlers I Like This Week: Wrestler (School)- competition for the week [Proj Score] *organized by projected score first, then by school name* 125: Justin Cardani (Illinois)- Vs Chattanooga, Vs SIU-Edwardsville (@SIUE) [+6] Tristan Lujan (Michigan State)- @ Gardner-Webb [+4] Jacob Allen (Navy)- @ Maryland [+4] Hunter Adrian (Brown)- Vs Hofstra [+3] Jakob Camacho (NC State)- @ Appalachian State [+3] Oscar Sanchez (Ohio)- @ Bellarmine [+3] Malik Heinselman (Ohio State)- Vs Pittsburgh [+3] Dylan Shawver (Rutgers)- Vs Army [+3] 133: Lucas Byrd (Illinois)- Vs Chattanooga, Vs SIU-Edwardsville (@SIUE) [+7] Rayvon Foley (Michigan State)- @ Gardner-Webb [+4] Gio Disabato (Ohio)- @ Bellarmine [+4] Daton Fix (Oklahoma State)- @ Oklahoma [+4] Derek Spann (Buffalo)- Vs North Dakota State [+3] Micky Phillippi (Pittsburgh)- @ Ohio State [+3] Sammy Alvarez (Rutgers)- Vs Army [+3] 141: Saul Ervin (SIU-Edwardsville)- Vs Chattanooga, Vs Illinois [+6] Kyran Hagan (Ohio)- @ Bellarmine [+4] Sebastian Rivera (Rutgers)- Vs Army [+4] Danny Bertoni (Maryland)- Vs Navy [+3] Carter Young (Oklahoma State)- @ Oklahoma [+3] 149: Alec Hagan (Ohio)- @ Bellarmine [+5] Sammy Sasso (Ohio State)- Vs Pittsburgh [+5] Peyton Omania (Michigan State)- @ Gardner-Webb [+4] PJ Ogunsanya (Army)- @ Rutgers [+3] Tariq Wilson (NC State)- @ Appalachian State [+3] Kaden Gfeller (Oklahoma State)- @ Oklahoma [+3] 157: Jared Franek (North Dakota State)- @ Binghamton, @ Buffalo, @ Edinboro [+12] Andrew Cerniglia (Navy)- @ Maryland [+5] Chase Saldate (Michigan State)- @ Gardner-Webb [+5] Ed Scott (NC State)- @ Appalachian State [+3] Jordan Slivka (Ohio)- @ Bellarmine [+3] 165: Luke Weber (North Dakota State)- @ Binghamton, @ Buffalo, @ Edinboro [+12] Danny Braunagel Illinois)- Vs Chattanooga, Vs SIU-Edwardsville (@SIUE) [+6] Dalton Harkins (Army)- @ Rutgers [+3] Ricky Stamm (Hofstra)- @ Brown [+3] Colt Yinger (Ohio)- @ Bellarmine [+3] Travis Wittlake (Oklahoma State)- @ Oklahoma [+3] Peyton Hall (West Virginia)- @ VMI [+3] 174: Hayden Hidlay (NC State)- @ Appalachian State [+4] Ethan Smith (Ohio State)- Vs Pittsburgh [+4] Ben Pasuik (Army)- @ Rutgers [+3] 184: Ethan Ducca (Edinboro)- Vs Binghamton, Vs North Dakota State (@BING) [+7] Layne Malczewski (Michigan State)- @ Gardner-Webb [+4] Trent Hidlay (NC State)- @ Appalachian State [+4] Zayne Kehman (Ohio)- @ Bellarmine [+4] Dakota Geer (Oklahoma State)- @ Oklahoma [+4] John Poznanski (Rutgers)- Vs Army [+4] Peter Acciardi (Buffalo)- Vs North Dakota State [+3] Charles Small (Hofstra)- @ Brown [+3] Kaleb Romero (Ohio State)- Vs Pittsburgh [+3] 197: Louie DePrez (Binghamton)- Vs Edinboro, Vs North Dakota State [+7] Owen Pentz (North Dakota State)- @ Binghamton, @ Buffalo, @ Edinboro [+7] * Issac Trumble (NC State)- @ Appalachian State [+5] Cam Caffey (Michigan State)- @ Gardner-Webb [+4] Tyler Mousaw (VMI)- Vs West Virginia [+4] Trey Rodgers (Hofstra)- @ Brown [+3] Jordan Greer (Ohio)- @ Bellarmine [+3] AJ Ferarri (Oklahoma State)- @ Oklahoma [+3] Nino Bonaccorsi (Pittsburgh)- @ Ohio State [+3] Greg Bulsak (Rutgers)- Army [+3] 285: Zachary Knighton-Ward (Hofstra)- @ Brown [+4] Zach Schrader (Maryland)- Vs Navy [+3] Jordan Ernest (Ohio)- @ Bellarmine [+3] Tate Orndorff (Ohio State)- Vs Pittsburgh [+3] Michael Wolfgram (West Virginia)- @ VMI [+3] Think I missed someone? Disagree with someone on the list or their projection? Want to know our thoughts on a matchup? Let me know! Win the week!

2x NCAA qualifier Derek Spann (Photo/Sam Janicki; SJanickiPhoto.com) Buffalo: On Friday, the Bulls traveled to Edinboro, Pennsylvania, where they had a doubleheader against two opponents: Edinboro University and Gannon University. Just as my predictions stated, Buffalo swept both matches. The University at Buffalo trampled over the Fighting Scots 26-9, winning 7 out of the ten bouts. Next, the Bulls had a solid win over Gannon 30-9, again winning 7 out of ten matches. The following four wrestlers went 2-0 on the day: Derek Spann (133), Noah Grover (165), Giuseppe Hoose (174), and Sam Mitchell (197). The following six wrestlers at least had one win during the doubleheader: Tristan Daugherty (125), Ben Freeman (141), John Arceri (149), Ty Raines (157), Jake Lanning (184), and Toby Cahill (HWT). At the Storm Open, Jay Nivison had an incredible performance, taking the title at 165. The Bulls will wrestle on Saturday, December 11th at 7:00 pm against North Dakota State at Alumni Arena. Central Michigan: The Chippewas faced Rider University in an interconference battle, coming out on top 24-12 after winning six out of ten matches. Dresden Simon (141) posted a 10-8 win over Quinn Kinner, Johnny Lovett (157) secured a 6-2 win over Alec Bobchin, Tracy Hubbard (165) defeated Joe Casey by injury default, Bret Fedewa (174) reigned victorious over Shane Reitsma 9-6, Aaron Bolo (197) won by decision 10-4 over Matt Correnti, and Matt Stencel secured a fall over Dave Szuba at 1:28. The Chippewas will compete on Saturday, December 11th, at the Cleveland State Open. Clarion: The Golden Eagles posted a 25-12 win over Ohio University. The following wrestlers defeated their opponents to secure the win for Clarion: Joey Fischer, Seth Koleno, Brent Moore, Cam Pine, Will Feldkamp, and Austin Chapman. Clarion will wrestle Stevens Institute of Technology (10:00 am) and Messiah College (11:30 am) on Saturday, December 11th, in Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania. George Mason: The Patriots captured five wins in their dual against Long Island, winning 24-16. The following wrestlers helped to secure a victory: Kaden Cassidy (141) by FFT, Shawn Nonaka (149) by FFT, Avery Bassett (157) over James Johnston 13-7, Tyler Kocak (165) over Blake Bahna 6-4 in sudden victory, and Logan Messer (174) defeated Thomas DiGennaro by fall in 1:17. The Patriots will wrestle Ohio University on December 19th at 11:00 am in Fairfax, Virginia. Kent State: The Golden Flashes traveled to the Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational, where one wrestler secured a spot on the podium. Jake Ferri (125) placed 7th, after defeating Jacob Allen of Navy 11-8. The Golden Flashes will wrestle at the Cleveland State Open on Saturday, December 11th. Northern Illinois: The Huskies stayed in-state and competed at the Cougar Clash, hosted by SIUE. Mason Kauffman (174) and Brit Wilson (184) came away as winners for NIU. That helped the team finish with 129.5 points, good enough for second behind Wisconsin. Bryce West (125) and Izzak Olejnik (165) also were finalists for the Huskies. Northern Illinois is slated to compete at the Art Kraft Memorial in River Grove, Illinois on Saturday. Ohio University: The Bobcats traveled to West Virginia, where they reigned victorious, securing a 30-9 win on the road. The following eight wrestlers helped secure a wide margin victory: Oscar Sanchez (125) major decision over Colton Drousias 12-3, Gio DiSabato (133) defeated Garett Lautzenheiser by a 5-2 decision, Kyran Hagan (141) had a fall in 1:41 over Caleb Rea, Alec Hagan (149) teched Brayden Roberts 16-0, Jordan Slivka (157) had a close decision 3-0 over Alex Hornfeck, Sal Perrine (174) won by decision 11-6 over Dennis Robin, Zayne Lehman (184) defeated Anthony Carman 10-3, and Jordan Greer (197) was victorious over Jackson Moomau 6-2. The Bobcats will be back in action on Saturday, December 11th, where they will wrestle Bellarmine University at 5:00 pm. SIUE: The Cougars hosted the Cougar Clash on Saturday, December 4th, where they placed nine wrestlers on the podium. Matt Malavsky (133) placed 6th, Saul Ervin (141) placed 2nd, Cardeionte Wilson (165) placed 3th, Kevin Gschwendtner (174) placed 5th, Sergio Villallobos (184) placed 5th, placed 3th, Ryan Yarnell (197) placed 2nd, Austin Andres (197) placed 3rd, Aric Bohn (HWT) placed 5th, and Colton McKiernan (HWT). The Cougars will face Chattanooga (12:00 pm) and Illinois on Saturday (3:00 pm), December 11th.

2021 CKLV champion Patrick Glory (Photo/Tony Rotundo; WrestlersAreWarriors.com) Below is a recap of last week's EIWA action, with individual highlights worth noting. Notable News Jason Borrelli earned his first victory as Head Coach of American over Duke. Yianni Diakomihalis solidified his #1 ranking at his new weight class by winning the CKLV at 149lbs. Pat Glory of Princeton had a "GLORY-ous" weekend as he was the 125lb CKLV Champion. Yaraslau Slavikouski earned 2nd place at 285lb after an injury default in the finals of the Cliff Keen Invite. Anthony Artalona made his season debut for the Penn Quakers at 149lb. Matt Cover (of Princeton/NJRTC) won a Junior Pan Am Gold at 125kg. American The Eagles hosted Rutgers (#12) on Friday night. The Eagles then took on both Duke and Hofstra on Sunday. Jack Maida earned three wins on the weekend at 133lbs., with two bonus-point wins. At 125, Max Leete and Andy Fallon each earned a victory on Sunday. Isaac Righter sealed the deal for the team with his 5-2 win over Duke. Boxscores 125 - #23 Dylan Shawver (RU) dec. Andy Fallon (AU), 5-4 (RU 3-0) 133 - Jack Maida (AU) dec. Devon Britton (RU), 6-2 (Tied, 3-3) 141 - #4 Sebastian Rivera (RU) tech. fall Ethan Szerencsits (AU), 20-3 (RU 8-3) 149 - #25 Michael VanBrill (RU) pinned Patrick Ryan (AU), 4:35 (RU 14-3) 157 - Robert Kanniard (RU) tech. fall Antonio Segura (AU), 17-2 (RU 19-3) 165 - Andrew Clark (RU) dec. Tim Fitzpatrick (AU), 4-3 (RU 22-3) 174 - Connor O'Neill (RU) dec. Colin Shannon (AU), 10-7 (RU 25-3) 184 - #5 John Poznanski (RU) tech. fall Mervin Mancia (AU), 19-4 (RU 30-3) 197 - #13 Greg Bulsak (RU) tech. fall Carsten Rawls (AU), 16-0 (RU 35-3) 285 - #24 Boone McDermott (RU) wins by DQ of Isaac Righter (AU), 10-2 (RU 41-3) 125 - Andy Fallon (AU) dec. Logan Agin (Duke), 3-2 (AU 3-0) 133 - Jack Maida (AU) major dec. Drake Doolittle (Duke), 9-0 (AU 7-0) 141 - Ethan Szerencsits (AU) dec. Patrick Rowland (Duke), 7-4 (AU 10-0) 149 - #11 Josh Finesilver (Duke) major dec. Patrick Ryan (AU), 9-1 (AU 10-4) 157 - Wade Unger (Duke) major dec. Cole Painter (AU), 10-2 (AU 10-8) 165 - Breon Phifer (AU) wins by forfeit (AU 16-8) 174 - #7 Matt Finesilver (Duke) major dec. Colin Shannon (AU), 10-0 (AU 16-12) 184 - Tim Fitzpatrick (AU) dec. Vincent Baker (Duke), 6-3 (AU 19-12) 197 - Kaden Russell (Duke) pinned Will Jarrell (AU), 2:17 (AU 19-18) 285 - Isaac Righter (AU) dec. Jonah Niesenbaum (Duke), 5-3 (AU wins 22-18) 184 - #26 Charles Small (Hofstra) major dec. Ben Root (AU), 13-4 (Hofstra 4-0) 197 - #28 Trey Rogers (Hofstra) pinned Carsten Rawls (AU), 5:39 (Hofstra 10-0) 285 - #20 Zachary Knighton-Ward (Hofstra) dec. Isaac Righter (AU), 5-2 (Hofstra 13-0) 125 - Max Leete (AU) dec. Jacob Moon (Hofstra), 4-1 (Hofstra 13-3) 133 - Jack Maida (AU) pinned Ty Cymmerman (Hofstra), 1:54 (Hofstra 13-9) 141 - Justin Hoyle (Hofstra) dec. Ethan Szerencsits (AU), 10-4 (Hofstra 16-9) 149 - Patrick Ryan (AU) major dec. Michael Leandrou (Hofstra), 10-2 (Hofstra 16-13) 157 - Joe McGinty (Hofstra) dec. Antonio Segura (AU), 7-2 (Hofstra 19-13) 165 - Ricky Stamm (Hofstra) dec. Tim Fitzpatrick (AU), 2-1 TB2 (Hofstra 22-13) 174 - Ross McFarland (Hofstra) tech. fall Colin Shannon (AU), 18-3 (Hofstra 27-13) There was a bit of a sign of relief this weekend in D.C. - as Coach Borrelli earned his first win of the year, and his first as the head coach of American University. It looks like Jack Maida is coming into form with a 3-0 record this weekend. I am certain this team is going to keep improving. For what it's worth, American beat the same Duke team that defeated Drexel just a day prior. Army - no action last week Binghamton The Bearcats went to Las Vegas and wrestled at the Cliff Keen Invitational. Anthony Sobotker (#33 - 133) lost in the first round and wrestled back for a 7th place finish. He had two pins on the backside, with a win over Ramos (#24) of Purdue in his final match. At 197, Lou Deprez (#12) finished in 7th place also. Deprez came in as the 5th seed, losing in the quarters to Schultz (#10) of Nebraska. In the blood round, he earned a major over Koser (#19) of Navy. Lou's only losses came to the 2nd and 3rd place finishers. Joe Doyle walked away with 8th place at 285lb. He lost to top seed Orndorff (#6) of Ohio State in the quarters. He won his blood round match, then medically forfeited to 8th place. The Bearcats had a nice weekend in Las Vegas, although they may feel differently. Sobotker outperformed his 10th seed. Cassella at 165 had a tough draw but dropped two close matches. I do think this team is still very talented. They will be improving as the season progresses, so expect the momentum of three placers to continue into the Collegiate Duals and into the second semester. Brown The Bears traveled to Edwardsville, IL, to compete in the Cougar Clash. They placed 3rd overall, out of 6 teams. At 149lb, Blake Saito earned the gold medal after defeating Ricky Cabanillas in the finals by a 7-3 decision. At 141, Timothy Levine wrestled teammate Sam McMonagle in the finals and won 3-0. Justin Bierdumpfel went down with an injury default during his first match at 141lb. Jack Bokina competed for a silver medal at 157lb. He dropped his last match to Model of Wisconsin. At heavyweight, Lear Quinton earned a 4th place finish. The Bears had a few other place-finishers on the day, outside the top 4. Brown is one of the few teams who has not seen much (if any) EIWA action. It is hard to see where they rank in the conference. This week, they have a dual with Hofstra. This will help us determine where they land in the EIWA conference. Let's hope that Bierdumpfel's injury is not serious and will be back soon. Bucknell The Bison hosted Michigan State Friday night. Kolby DePron had the upset of the night for the Bison at 149lb when he defeated Omania (#33) in an exciting 28-point match. At 174, Jaden Fisher won by major decision. The Bison's final win was at heavyweight, where Luke Niemeyer won 11-5. Boxscores: Michigan State 23 - Bucknell 10 125: Julian Saldana (MSU) dec. over Brandon Seidman (BU) 4-2 (TB-2) 133: #10 Rayvon Foley (MSU) dec. over Kurt Phipps (BU) 7-0 141: Matt Santos (MSU) dec. over Chris Lanciano (BU) 9-2 149: Kolby DePron (BU) dec. over #33 Peyton Omania (MSU) 16-12 157: #22 Chase Saldate (MSU) maj. dec. over Nick Delp (BU) 11-1 165: Caleb Fish (MSU) dec. over #8 Zach Hartman (BU) 9-5 174: Jaden Fisher (BU) maj. dec. over Nathan Jimenez (MSU) 13-4 184: #27 Layne Malczewski (MSU) dec. over Logan Deacetis (BU) 9-6 197: #20 Cam Caffey (MSU) maj. dec. over Mason McCready (BU) 12-3 285: Luke Niemeyer (BU) dec. over Brad Wilton (MSU) 11-5 The Bison wrestled their Big Ten foe pretty tough. If the shocking upset of Hartman does not happen, and the 125lb match goes the other way, this is a very tight match. Bucknell seems to be right there with a solid team like Michigan State. Plus, their normal starter at 141lb was not in the lineup. I am excited to see the Bison compete again soon, as I think they have talent in their lineup. Columbia The Lions were at the Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational. They walked away with one place winner. Josh Ogunsanya was the lone placer for Columbia. He earned 7th place. His most impressive win was a technical fall over Cook (#18) of South Dakota State. His only two losses over the weekend were to Ramirez (#17) of Cornell and Griffith (#4) of Stanford. He jumped up seven spots in the rankings to #10. Unfortunately, Joe Manchio (#17 - 125) was forced to medically forfeit after a quarterfinal loss to Medley (#16) of Michigan. Kyle Mosher went 2-2 at 157lb, including a pin over Hepner (#25) of Ohio State. He winds up in this week's rankings as #33. The Lions finished in 20th place at the Cliff Keen. This is not their best performance, and I'm sure the coaching staff would agree with me. Obviously, an injury to Manchio prevented them from scoring more points. Ogunsanya is starting to become a force in the rankings after his outstanding performance. I am not worried, as this team will be much better second semester once they have some ranked veteran starters return to the lineup. Cornell (#11) The Big Red traveled to Las Vegas to compete in the CKLV Invitational. Yianni Diakomihalis (#1 - 149) defeated returning NCAA runner-up Sasso (#2) of Ohio State in the finals to capture 1st place. He had a close overtime victory over Lovett (#10) of Nebraska. At 174, Chris Foca (#11) took home a bronze finish. He beat DeVos (#12) of South Dakota State and Hastings (#14) of Wyoming in the consolations. Jonathan Loew (#15) also earned 3rd place at 184lb. Some ranked wins include Lyon (#20) of Purdue, Roberts (#18) of Oklahoma, and Samuelson (#17) of Wyoming. At 165, Julian Ramirez (#10) had a strong run, concluding with a 4th place finish. He lost to Kharchla (#8) of Ohio State, twice. But he had wins over Ogunsanya (#25) of Columbia and Amine (#11) of Michigan. We saw Jacob Cardenas (#19) at 197. He had two tough losses to Woodley (#11) of Oklahoma and Penola (#10) of Purdue, who finished 4th and 3rd, respectively. The Big Red finished in 7th place as a team at the CKLV. This was without Vito at 125/133. One would assume he would have been good for placement points at a minimum, which could have shot Cornell up into the top 5 team standings. Regardless, we have not seen much of this Cornell squad yet. Many people believe Vito is on his way back down to 125lb. We are not sure who their main guy will be at 197lb either. I believe we see their best lineup in Florida for the National Duals in two weeks. Drexel The Dragons were on the road Saturday. They had duals with Maryland and Duke. Evan Barczak (#33 - 165) was the only Dragon to go 2-0 on the day. He beat Best of Maryland to knock him out of the rankings, which gave Evan the 33rd spot. Parker Kropman (157), Jared Donohue (141), Antonio Mininno (125), Mickey O'Malley (174), and Bryan McLaughlin (184) all went 1-1 on the day. Boxscores: 125: Logan Agin fall (0:33) Antonio Mininno, 6-0 Duke 133: Deon Pleasant fall (2:30) Drake Doolittle, Tied 6-6 141: Jared Donahue major dec. (11-0) Patrick Rowland, 10-6 Drexel 149: Josh Finesilver major dec. (13-5) Tyler Williams, Tied 10-10 157: Wade Unger dec. (6-4) Parker Kropman, 13-10 Duke 165: Evan Barczak dec. (13-4) Brandon LaRue, 14-13 Drexel 174: Matt Finesilver dec. (6-2) Mickey O'Malley, 16-14 Duke 184: Bryan McLaughlin fall (2:30) Luke Chakonis, 20-16 Drexel 197: Kaden Russell dec. (7-1) Santino Morina, 20-19 Drexel 285: Jonah Niesenbaum fall (4:51) Liam Dietrich, 25-20 Duke 125: Antonio Mininno dec. (10-2) Zach Spence, 4-0 Drexel 133: King Sandoval fall (2:00) Deon Pleasant, 6-4 Maryland 141: Danny Bertoni dec. (6-0) Jared Donahue, 9-4 Maryland 149: Tyler Williams dec. (7-2) Michael North, 9-7 Maryland 157: Parker Kropman SV (14-12) Lucas Cordio, 10-9 Drexel 165: Evan Barczak dec. (7-6) No. 31 John Martin Best, 13-9 Drexel 174: Mickey O'Malley fall (4:51) Dom Solis, 19-9 Drexel 184: Kyle Cochran dec (8-5) Bryan McLaughlin, 19-12 Drexel 197: Jaron Smith tech fall (17-2, 7:00) Santino Morina, 19-17 Drexel 285: No.33 Zach Schrader major dec. (17-5) Eli Anthony, 21-19 Maryland I know that the Dragons are a little banged up with injuries. It is part of the sport, so some of their latest results may be surprising to the Drexel faithful. Backups at 133, 149, and 197 have been competing tough in their starts. I still firmly believe this team will find its way come March. They have five returning NCAA Qualifiers and can undoubtedly achieve this again, if healthy. Franklin & Marshall The Diplomats hosted both VMI and Long Island on Sunday. They won both matchups, bringing their dual record to 3-0 on the year. F&M had five wrestlers go 2-0 on the day. Pat Phillips, (133), Wil Gil (141), Christiaan Dailey (149), Noah Fox (174), and Cenzo Pelusi (285) all had perfect records for the day. Boxscores: Franklin & Marshall 24, VMI 12 125: Sam Congleton (VMI) WBF Eli Wallace (F&M); 2:23 (0-6) 133: Pat Phillips (F&M) dec. Michael Tandurella (VMI); 5-2 (3-6) 141: Wil Gil (F&M) dec. Frederick Junko (VMI); 7-3 (6-6) 149: Cristiaan Dailey (F&M) dec. Luke Hart (VMI); 7-3 (9-6) 157: Chase McCollum (F&M) dec. William Waldron (VMI); 6-2 (12-6) 165: Job Chishko (VMI) dec. Crew Fullerton (F&M); 6-2 (12-9) 174: Noah Fox (F&M) dec. Jon Hoover (VMI); 3-2 (15-9) 184: James Conway (F&M) inj. def. Zach Brown (VMI); 4:23 (21-9) 197: Tyler Mousaw (VMI) dec. Mike Waszen (F&M); 7-1 (21-12) 285: Cenzo Pelusi (F&M) dec. Isaac Dolph (VMI); 3-2 (24-12) Franklin & Marshall 32, LIU 16 125: Robert Sigaris (LIU) maj. Eli Wallace (F&M); 16-2 (0-4) 133: Pat Phillips (F&M) maj. Kaelan Francois (LIU); 9-0 (4-4) 141: Wil Gil (F&M) won by forfeit (10-4) 149: Cristiaan Dailey (F&M) won by forfeit (16-4) 157: James Johnston (LIU) dec. Chase McCollum (F&M); 8-6 (16-7) 165: Crew Fullerton (F&M) won by forfeit (22-7) 174: Noah Fox (F&M) maj. Michael Parrish (LIU); 10-0 (26-7) 184: James Langan (LIU) WBF James Conway (F&M); 1:10 (26-13) 197: Nunzio Crowley (LIU) dec. Mike Waszen (F&M); 6-1 (26-16) 285: Cenzo Pelusi (F&M) WBF Timothy Nagosky (LIU); 1:41 (32-16) There are some guys in this lineup that may be in the mix for the podium at EIWAs in March. We all know Gil will lead the way for this team. But young studs like Phillips, Conway and Fox are starting to get better on a weekly basis. Harvard The Crimson joined many other EIWA teams out in Las Vegas for the CKLV Invite. Overall, the Crimson had two placers. Many other wrestlers went 2-2 with close losses to higher-ranked opponents. Yaraslau Slavikouski (#12) was the highest placer. He was the runner-up at heavyweight. He knocked off Davison (#15) of Northwestern and Orndorff #13) before a knee injury forced him to end his finals bout early. It did not appear good, so let's hope he is okay and will make it back soon. At 165lb, Philip Conigliaro (#16) placed 6th. He had a solid win over Grello (#29) of Oklahoma. He had two sudden victory losses to Amine (#11), while also dropping a match to Kharchla (#8) of Ohio State. Beau Bayless (125) went 2-2 on the day with a 3-2 loss to Manchio (#19) and an overtime loss to Allen of Navy. Another solid performance was at 174lb, where Josh Kim (#28) had losses to Eischens (#27) of Stanford and Hastings (#14) of Wyoming. The Crimson are showing that they belong in the middle tier of the EIWA. Yara had a phenomenal performance out in Las Vegas, but that knee injury he suffered might be a season-ender. If this is the case, it would be a huge blow to their team standings. Conigliaro will have one of the deeper weights at EIWAs to navigate. Seeding will be important there. Kim is still in the rankings; expect him to keep climbing, while Bayless is wrestling very well lately. This is a fun team to watch. Hofstra The Pride took a trip to Washington D.C. to dual Duke and American. Hofstra returned home with two dual victories. Charles Small (#26 - 184) , Trey Rogers (#29 - 197) , and Zachary Knighton-Ward (#21 - 285) all came away with two wins each. In addition, Justin Hoyle (141), Joe McGinty (157), and Ricky Stamm (165) all defeated both of their opponents as well. Boxscores: Hofstra 25, Duke 19 184: #26 Charles Small (HOF) dec. Vincent Baker (DU), 4-3 197: #28 Trey Rogers (HOF) dec. Kaden Russell (DU), 7-4 285: #20 Zachary Knighton-Ward (HOF) WBF Jonah Niesenbaum (DU), 2:18 125: Logan Agin (DU) WBF Jacob Moon (HOF), 0:55 133: Drake Doolittle (DU) dec. Ty Cymmerman (HOF), 8-2 141: Justin Hoyle (HOF) maj. dec. Patrick Rowland (DU), 10-1 149: #11 Josh Finesilver tech fall Michael Leandrou (HOF), 19-4 157: Joe McGinty (HOF) dec. Wade Unger (DU), 11-9 (SV-1) 165: Ricky Stamm (HOF) win by forfeit 174: #7 Matt Finesilver (DU) tech fall Corey Langner (HOF), 15-0 Extra Matches 125: Dylan Acevedo-Switzer (HOF) dec. Ty Naquin (DU), 5-4 174: Conor Becker (DU) maj. dec. Ericson Velasquez (HOF), 11-0 174: Luke Chakonis (DU) tech fall James Watterson (HOF), 16-0 Hofstra 27, American 13 184: #26 Charles Small maj. dec. Ben Root (AU), 13-4 197: #28 Trey Rogers (HOF) WBF Carsten Rawls (AU), 5:39 285: #20 Zachary Knighton-Ward dec. Isaac Righter (AU), 5-2 125: Max Leete (AU) dec. Jacob Moon (HOF), 4-1 133: Jack Maida (AU) WBF Ty Cymmerman (HOF), 1:54 141: Justin Hoyle (HOF) dec. Ethan Szerencsits (AU), 10-4 149: Patrick Ryan maj. dec. Michael Leandrou (HOF), 10-2 157: Joe McGinty (HOF) dec. Antonio Segura (AU), 7-2 165: Ricky Stamm (HOF) dec. Tim Fitzpatrick, 2-1 (TB2) 174: Ross McFarland (HOF) tech fall Colin Shannon (AU), 18-3 Extra Matches 141: Shamil Kalmatov (AU) maj. dec. Mario Biancamano (HOF), 12-1 Hofstra is a sneaky good team. The upper third of their lineup is all ranked. In addition to them, Hofstra has middleweights that can knock off ranked opponents at any time. Stamm is a returning national qualifier. Guys like Hoyle, McGinty, and McFarland seem to be stepping up and winning matches left and right. The Hofstra Pride are set to surprise some people as the season continues - although it may not be a surprise to them. I cannot wait to see how good this team can be. Lehigh (#21) The Mountain Hawks were on the road this weekend, as they competed at Lock Haven on Saturday and Penn State on Sunday. Jaret Lane (#11 - 125), Manzona Braynt IV (#32 - 149), Josh Humphreys (#10 - 157), and Jordan Wood (#8 - 285) all won both matches over the weekend. #22 Lehigh 37, Lock Haven 3 125 - Jaret Lane (Lehigh) won by forfeit 133 - Gable Strickland (LHU) dec. Malyke Hines (Lehigh) 13-12 141 - Connor McGonagle (Lehigh) dec. Nick Stonecheck (LHU) 6-3 149 - Manzona Bryant IV (Lehigh) major dec. DaShawn Farber (LHU) 15-4 157 - Josh Humphreys (Lehigh) Fall Ben Barton (LHU) 2:06 165 - Brian Meyer (Lehigh) dec. Ashton Eyler (LHU) 6-5 174 - Jake Logan (Lehigh) dec. Tyler Stoltzfus (LHU) 5-4 184 - AJ Burkhart (Lehigh) dec. Thomas Dressler (LHU) 9-3 197 - JT Davis (Lehigh) dec. Parker McClellan (LHU) 5-0 285 - Jordan Wood (Lehigh) won by forfeit #2 Penn State 23, # 21 Lehigh 16 125 - Jaret Lane (Lehigh) major dec. Jake Campbell (PSU) 11-3 133 - Roman Bravo-Young (PSU) major dec. Sheldon Seymour (Lehigh) 19-7 141 - Nick Lee (PSU) dec. Connor McGonagle (Lehigh) 13-6 149 - Manzona Bryant IV (Lehigh) dec. Beau Bartlett (PSU) 6-5 157 - Josh Humphreys (Lehigh) dec. Tony Negron (PSU) 5-4 165 - Creighton Edsell (PSU) dec. Brian Meyer (Lehigh) 2-1 174 - Carter Starocci (PSU) major dec. Jake Logan (Lehigh) 13-3 184 - Donovan Ball (PSU) dec. AJ Burkhart (Lehigh) 5-3 197 - Max Dean (PSU) Fall JT Davis (Lehigh) 2:58 285 - Jordan Wood (Lehigh) won by forfeit Extra matches 149 - Joey Blumer (PSU) dec. Steven Storm (Lehigh) 5-1 157 - Terrell Barraclough (PSU) dec. Luca Frinzi (Lehigh) 7-2 The Mountain Hawks had a solid performance this weekend. Both matches went as one would expect. Lane is coming into form as of late. Bryant at 149 finally makes his way into the rankings after a win over #23 Bartlett of Penn State. The freshman is only going to improve from here. Lehigh is one of the favorites to be crowned EIWA team champions. We know they always come to perform at the end of the year; I expect this year to be no different. Long Island The Sharks traveled to Lancaster, PA, to take on Franklin & Marshall and VMI. They gave up three forfeits and found a way to be competitive against VMI - winning 5 of 7 bouts. At 125, Robbie Sagaris went 2-0 on the day with two major decisions. Nunzio Crowley also wrestled hard to go 2-0 with two decisions at 197lb. James Johnston (157) was the final wrestler to go 2-0. He had one fall on the day. Boxscores: VMI 24 - LIU 22 125 Robbie Sagaris (LIU) over Sameul Congleton (VMI) (MD 14-3) 133 Kaelan Francois (LIU) over Michael Tandurella (VMI) (Fall 6:49) 141 Frederick Junko (VMI) over Unknown (For.) 149 Luke Hart (VMI) over Unknown (For.) 157 James Johnston (LIU) over Riley Simon (VMI) (Fall 4:15) 165 Job Chishko (VMI) over Unknown (For.) 174 Justin Hart (VMI) over Tom DiGennaro (LIU) (Dec 3-2) 184 Zach Brown (VMI) over Gavin Claro (LIU) (Dec 3-0) 197 Nunzio Crowley (LIU) over Tyler Mousaw (VMI) (Dec 3-2) 285 Tim Nagosky (LIU) over Solomam Harris (VMI) (Dec 5-3) F&M 32 - LIU 16 125 Robbie Sagaris (LIU) over Elijah Wallace (Franklin & Marshall) (MD 16-2) 133 Pat Phillips (Franklin & Marshall) over Kaelan Francois (LIU) (MD 9-0) 141 Wilfredo Gil (Franklin & Marshall) over Unknown (For.) 149 Cristiaan Dailey (Franklin & Marshall) over Unknown (For.) 157 James Johnston (LIU) over Chase McCollum (Franklin & Marshall) (Dec 8-6) 165 Crew Fullerton (Franklin & Marshall) over Unknown (For.) 174 Noah Fox (Franklin & Marshall) over Mike Parrish (LIU) (MD 10-0) 184 James Langan (LIU) over James Conway (Franklin & Marshall) (Fall 1:10) 197 Nunzio Crowley (LIU) over Michael Waszen (Franklin & Marshall) (Dec 6-1) 285 Vincenzo Pelusi (Franklin & Marshall) over Tim Nagosky (LIU) (Fall 1:41) Long Island University competed well this weekend. It is a shame they had to start in a hole with three forfeits. I am interested to see how these matches would look if they had someone to fill in these spots. Crowley continues to impress, as he seems to be the guy with the most positive results on this squad. As I've stated before, this team is new to D1, so they will need some time (in terms of years) to develop further. Once this occurs, we should see them improve. I hope they can get healthy and bring a full lineup next time. I would love to see this team start seeing more success sooner rather than later. Navy The Midshipmen competed in Las Vegas at the CKLV Invite. They walked away with three placers. At 133lb, Josh Koderhandt (#24) had a fantastic weekend, finishing in 5th place. He had two wins over Ramos of Purdue, who was ranked #24 at the time. In his 5th place bout, he defeated Gliva (#28) of Minnesota. His two losses came to Ragusin (#8) of Michigan, and an overtime loss to Turner (#21) of Oregon State. Jacob Allen competed to an 8th place finish. He had a win over Bayless of Harvard. His notable losses came to Schroder (#7) of Purdue by 1-0 score and by decision to Lorenzo (#28) of Cal Poly. At 157lb, Andrew Cerniglia (#18) also earned an 8th place finish. All three losses were close 1 or 2 point matches to higher-ranked opponents in Lewan (#13) of Michigan, Thomas (#15) of Oklahoma, and Willits (#17) of Oregon State. He did have a ranked win over Casto (#31) of The Citadel. Another notable performance came from Val Park at 165lb. He finished with a 2-2 record, but had a close 4-2 score with the eventual champ, Wick (#2) of Cal Poly. Then he lost a match to Ramirez (#10) of Cornell. He did have a win over Ferrante of Northwestern, who was 23rd ranked at the time. Navy is a tough team from top to bottom. Many of the wrestlers who did not place were stuck with tough draws - even though that is not an excuse. I think it's safe to say this team slightly underperformed at the CKLV. I am excited to see this team compete in the second semester to see how they stack up against the rest of the EIWA. Penn The Quakers hosted (#2) Penn State to a dual on Friday night. The Quakers jumped out a 10-6 lead at the half; then, it was all Penn State from there. Anthony Artalona (#26 - 149) made his season debut against Bartlett (#23) of Penn State, losing in overtime. This was definitely the match of the night, in my eyes. At 141, Carmen Ferrante (#30) rode out returning NCAA Champion Nick Lee for the entire 3rd period, losing by a score of 6-3. Boxsore: #2 Penn State 20, Penn 16 125: Ryan Miller dec. Baylor Shunk (PSU), 8-2; Penn leads 3-0 133: #12 Michael Colaiocco maj. dec. Brandon Meredith (PSU), 10-2; Penn leads 7-0 141: #1 Nick Lee (PSU) dec. #28 Carmen Ferrante, 6-3; Penn leads 7-3 149: #20 Beau Bartlett (PSU) dec. #23 Anthony Artalona, 4-3 (TB); Penn leads 7-6 157: Doug Zapf dec. Terrell Barraclough (PSU), 4-2; Penn leads 10-6 165: #32 Creighton Edsell (PSU) dec. #33 Lucas Revano, 6-4 (SV), 10-9 174: #1 Carter Starocci (PSU) maj. dec. #21 Nick Incontrera, 13-3; Penn State leads 13-10 184: Donovon Ball (PSU) dec. Jesse Martinez, 11-4; Penn State leads 16-10 197: #4 Max Dean (PSU) maj. dec. Cole Urbas, 10-0; Penn State leads 20-10 285: Ben Goldin PENN win by forfeit; Penn State wins 20-16 Before this match started, I thought Penn would win five bouts. They were one tiebreaker match and one overtime match away from that prediction becoming a reality. This match outcome would have been totally different if that were the case. The atmosphere in the Palestra was electric on Friday night. There is something special happening at Penn, and the entire community is rallying around this team. The Quakers look to be ready to challenge Cornell, Lehigh, and Princeton at the top of the conference much earlier than I thought. Princeton The Tigers were another team to compete at the Las Vegas Cliff Keen Invitational. They walked away with four placewinners. Pat Glory (#2 - 125) was the champion of his bracket. His wins included 3-0 over Lorenzo (#28) of Cal Poly, 4-2 over Medley (#18), and then a major over Schroder (#7) of Purdue. He may not be in full form yet, as this was his first competition of the season. At 157, Quincy Monday (#5) earned a silver medal in his bracket. He defeated Lewan (#13) of Michigan and Robb (#6) of Nebraska before losing to Deakin (#2) of Northwestern. In the 197lb bracket, Luke Stout (#16) lost in the R16 to Deprez (#12). He stormed back in the consi's with wins over Davison (#32) of Northwestern, Hoffman (#21) of Ohio State, and Bockman (#23) of Utah Valley. Lastly, he beat Brucki (#9) of Michigan via medical forfeit. Travis Stefanik (#19 - 184) finished in 6th place due to a medical forfeit. His only ranked win was over Lyon (#20) of Purdue. In other non-NCAA news, Princeton's New Jersey Regional Training Center athlete, Matt Cover, won his Junior Pan-Am bracket at 125kg. He will be in the lineup come January. The Tigers finished the CKLV in 9th place, overall. It was good to see Glory and Monday do what they were expected to do. It's refreshing to see Stout jump levels (and rankings) week after week. Do not be surprised if he ends up in the top 10 by the season's completion. With a few missing pieces from their starting lineup, the Tigers will only get better come second semester to again challenge for that EIWA Title. Sacred Heart The Pioneers competed in Las Vegas, along with a few other EIWA teams. At 165, Scott Jarosz had a win on the backside over Speer of Citadel. Anthony Petrillo lost to Ramos of Purdue in the first round by a 4-1 decision, then had a win in the first round of consolations. For what it's worth, the Pioneers were without one of their returning NCAA qualifiers, Nick Palumbo (157), which would have made their performance a little better. Accousti at 184 is their other returning qualifier. Unfortunately, he wrestled Loew (#15) of Cornell off the bat, who is always a tough draw. But, knowing Coach Clark, he does not care for excuses. This team will bounce back after some more time in the room. I feel there are big things coming in the near future for this team.

2019 NCAA champion Mekhi Lewis (Photo/Mark Lundy; LutteLens.com) Duke: The Blue Devils had a double-double this weekend in Maryland and DC. They traveled to College Park on Saturday to face Drexel and Maryland. They beat the Dragons 25-20, led by #7 Matt Finesilver maintaining his undefeated start against #14 Mickey O'Malley at 174. Wade Unger had a big win at 157, knocking off #32 Parker Kropman. Against Drexel, Logan Agin picked up a pin at 125, while Jonah Niesenbaum did the same at 285. Duke rounded out with a major decision by #11 Josh Finesilver at 149 and a decision win by Kaden Russell at 197. The second match on the day was against former ACC foe Maryland. Logan Agin picked up his second pin of the day to start the action. Wade Unger picked up another decision and the Blue Devils got bonus points from both Finesilver brothers, who picked up major decisions. The dual went into heavyweight with Maryland holding a 3 point lead. Jonah Niesenbaum wrestled a tight match with #33 Zach Schrader, but fell in sudden victory and the Terps picked up a 23-17 win. This brought the Blue Devils to 3-2 in duals on the year. Duke stayed in the Capitol district overnight and traveled to American on Sunday to face Hofstra and AU. Sunday did not go as well for the Blue Devils. Duke fell to Hofstra 25-19. Logan Agin picked up his third pin on the weekend at 125, while Drake Doolittle earned a decision at 133. The Finesilver brothers paired up on bonus points again this dual, with #11 Josh earning a tech fall at 149 and #7 Matt doing the same at 174. In the final dual of the weekend, Duke fell to American 22-18. Kaden Russell got his second win of the weekend with a pin at 197 and Wade Unger picked up his third win with a major decision at 157. For the third dual in a row, the Finesilver brothers matched each other's results, with both picking up major decisions. Duke had a forfeit at 165 in both duals on Sunday and that 6 point deficit loomed large in both duals. The Blue Devils are off this week and will host home duals against The Citadel and Bloomsburg next week. North Carolina: The #20 Tar Heels were off this week after a very busy early season. They are off again this week and will travel to Appalachian State on 12/17. NC State: The #5 Wolfpack hosted in-state competition from Gardner-Webb on Thursday night. Dominant is an understatement for the performance they put on inside Reynolds Coliseum. The Wolf Pack went 10-0 and won 7 matches by bonus points to beat Gardner-Webb 45-(-1). Gardner-Webb lost a team point for "not shaking hands at 197," which is absurd on many levels--but can we all agree that docking team points is ridiculous? #5 Jakob Camacho led off the dual with a pin at 125, followed by decision wins from #17 Kai Orine and #18 Ryan Jack. #3 Tariq Wilson got a pin in 1:24 and looked very fast and very strong at 149; I think the move up will be great for him. #28 Ed Scott dominated his way to a tech fall at 157 and Donald Cates received a forfeit at 165 when Roderick Mosely didn't make weight. Alex Faison made the most of his time filling in for Hayden Hidlay at 174, earning a major decision. #3 Trent Hidlay looked phenomenal at 184. He was aggressive the entire match; blowing through double legs and hitting quick attacks-it was impressive. He worked his way to a 21-5 tech fall over NCAA qualifier Jha'Quan Anderson. #15 Isaac Trumble controlled his match against Anthony Perrine and took the 9-0 major and Deonte Wilson rounded out the dual with an 11-4 decision win. This Wolf Pack team is dangerous and I can't wait to see them at the Collegiate Duals in a few weeks taking on Binghamton and Mizzou. Pittsburgh: The #22 Panthers were off this week. They will travel to Columbus for a dual against #8 Ohio State next Sunday. Virginia: The Hoos were off this week and will be off until they travel to The Midlands at the end of December. Virginia Tech: The #10 Hokies traveled to hostile territory to face a scrappy #23 Northern Iowa and a very tough #4 Mizzou. The dual against UNI started with a tough loss for #12 Sam Latona, falling 7-4 to #11 Brody Teske. After that loss, it was all Hokies--they won the next 9 matches. #4 Korbin Myers won in sudden victory at 133, followed by Colin Gerardi upsetting #29 Cael Happel 3-2. At 149, #7 Bryce Andonian hit a ridiculous feet-to-back throw/trip and got the pin in 39 seconds-he had a phenomenal weekend; more on that later. #24 Connor Brady continues his impressive start to the year with a 3-2 decision. Clayton Ulrey showed his grit and fight against the Panthers and earned the sudden victory over Derek Holschlag at 165. #4 Mekhi Lewis saw the Andonian pin and decided he wanted to play too--Lewis got the pin in 1:21 and started a run of pins for the Hokies. #9 Hunter Bolen also got a pin in under two minutes at 184, then Dakota Howard put on a takedown clinic before joining the pin party with :04 left on the clock. #14 Nathan Traxler closed out the dual with a 4-3 decision and left the Hokies with a lot of momentum moving into their evening dual against Mizzou. The Tigers also handled the Panthers earlier in the day, but took a couple of upset losses. The atmosphere in the Hearnes Center was impressive as the #3 Tigers and #10 Hokies took the mat. #12 Sam Latona took his second loss on the weekend against #18 Noah Surtin--the match started high paced and had a long scramble where Surtin was able to stop Latona's movement in the worst possible position for the Hokie and pick up the fall. #4 Korbin Myers was more aggressive and dictated the match more against #27 Trey Crawford and won a lopsided decision 8-2. Colin Gerardi put up a great fight against #12 Allan Hart, controlling positions and showing incredible defense throughout. Hart was able to finish a takedown from a scramble in sudden victory to get the decision. #7 Bryce Andonian met a similar style wrestler in #19 Josh Edmond; the Tiger was able to get an early lead on a couple crisp shots. Andonian turned the tide when he backrolled through a double leg into his own takedown and back points. He didn't look back from there and put on an offensive display to win 10-4. #24 Connor Brady picked up his first ranked win on the season beating #11 Jarrett Jacques 3-2 to tie the team score 9-9 at the halfway point. Clayton Ulrey fought for the team to save points against a highly ranked wrestler at 165. #3 Keegan O'Toole was held to his lowest team points of the year in taking the major decision over Ulrey. #4 Mekhi Lewis took the early lead, then #10 Peyton Mocco was able to claw himself back into the match and force overtime. They were scoreless in the sudden victory period; in TB1 Lewis was able to get a reversal into back points to take a four-point lead before allowing the escape to win 9-6. Lewis moves to 8-0 on the year with two top-10 wins. #9 Hunter Bolen was able to control the pace and positioning in a top-10 match against #10 Jeremiah Kent to win a 6-3 decision. Dakota Howard again showed his heart and refusal to quit against #5 Rocky Elam at 197. Howard held Elam to his lowest point total on the year and was down 8-0 before rallying to get a last-second takedown to erase the bonus point for the Tigers. As predicted, the dual came down to heavyweight, with the Tigers holding a 16-15 lead going into the final match. #14 Nathan Traxler was able to get in on several shots against #13 Zach Elam but wasn't able to finish cleanly. They traded escapes in the second and third and went into sudden victory with the dual on the line. The pair got into a scramble and Traxler was able to hold Elam in danger to get the three-count and the takedown points for the win. This was an incredible showing for the Hokies this weekend, and they take a ton of momentum into a two-week break before facing Hofstra and Arizona State to kick off the Journeymen Collegiate Duals.

2021 Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational champion Mikey Labriola (Photo/Tony Rotundo; WrestlersAreWarriors.com) Starting this wrap a little differently, because six Big Ten teams were in action at the Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational on Friday and Saturday. We'll run through the team scores and then the weight-by-weight heat (or at least the results that interested me). First, Team Scores: 1. Nebraska, 125 2. Ohio State, 104 3. Michigan, 94.5 T4. Northwestern, 91.5 6. Purdue, 85.5 *16. Minnesota, 34 *Minnesota sent an abbreviated lineup because of contact tracing protocols and lineup adjustments. Nebraska won this again thanks to Mikey Labs winning at 174, Taylor Venz (184) and Eric Schultz (197) both making the finals, and Chad Red (141), Ridge Lovett (149) and Christian Lance (285) all taking third. Ohio State had four in the top three, led by Kaleb Romero's title at 184, and Dylan Ragusin won at 133 to lead Michigan. The Big Ten had four individual champs: Ragusin, Labs, Romero and Ryan Deakin (157); six other finalists: Venz, Schultz, Purdue's Devin Schroder (125), Northwestern's Chris Cannon (133), Ohio State's Sammy Sasso (149) and Ethan Smith (174); and 10 more finish in the top four at their respective weights. Pretty, pretty good. OK, weight-by-weight: 125: No huge surprises. Ohio State's Malik Heinselman, the 3-seed, lost to Oregon State's Brandon Kaylor, 5-3, in the quarterfinals. Kaylor went on to beat Michigan's Jack Medley for third. Medley lost to Princeton's Pat Glory in the semifinals, and Glory won it decisively, 13-0, over Schroder, who beat Kaylor, 8-6, in the other semifinal. 133: How about Dylan Ragusin? Went 4-0 and outscored those four opponents 39-13, including a 9-5 win over Cannon in the finals, thanks to a takedown and two backs in the final minute. 141: Chad Red and Parker Filius both reached the semifinals, but lost to Andrew Alirez and Clay Carlson, respectively. Red bounced back to take third, and notched wins over Ohio State's Dylan D'Emilio, Michigan's Cole Mattin and Oregon State's Grant Willits. 149: The highlight here was Yianni Diakomihalis beating Sammy Sasso, 6-2, in the finals. But Sasso ran through Oklahoma's Mitch Moore, 12-0, and Yahya Thomas, 6-4, to make the final. Ridge Lovett nearly beat Yianni in the semifinals, but wrestled back for third, beating Moore, Yahya and also Jaden Abas, 9-2, in the quarters. 157: Deakin was vintage Deakin this weekend: 5-0 with two pins and outscored his foes 34-6, including a win by fall over Purdue's Kendall Coleman in the semifinals and an impressive 8-3 victory over Quincy Monday in the final. Monday has picked off many Big Ten foes this year, first Iowa's Kaleb Young, 9-5, then over both Michigan's Will Lewan, 6-3, and Nebraska's Peyton Robb, 11-6, at CKLV. This weight is so fun. 165: Can the Big Ten still claim Evan Wick? He beat Cam Amine and Shane Griffith to take first here. The biggest revelation is Carson Kharchla as a certified Dude. Went 5-1 overall and took third. In his five wins, he put up 49 points and recorded a pin, a major and a technical fall. His only loss came to Griffith, 5-4 in the semifinals. 174: Mikey Labs topped Ethan Smith, 7-5 in overtime, to win this final. Labs was quite good this weekend, putting up 58 points in five matches — he scored 18 in two of his first three matches — and notched wins over Cade DeVos and Smith, who knocked off both Max Maylor and Gerrit Nijenhuis en route to the title match. 184: If we're going by the seeds, Romero technically pulled three upsets this weekend: 3-2 over Oklahoma's Darrin Roberts in the quarters, 6-3 over Wyoming's Tate Samuelson in the semifinals, then 7-3 over Venz in the finals. Not bad. Venz was pretty good this weekend, too, scoring two technical falls in three matches to reach the final. 197: Schultz ran through a gauntlet just to make the final here, beating Lou DePrez 2-0 in the quarters and Jake Woodley 6-2 in the semifinals. He ran into Wyoming's Stephen Buchanan in the final, and Buchanan won 7-3, a strong follow-up after he beat Michigan's Pat Brucki, 2-1, in the semifinals. Very quietly, Purdue's Thomas Penola won six in a row in the wrestlebacks to take third, which included: 3-1 overtime win over Jacob Cardenas, 7-5 over DePrez, then 6-5 over Woodley for third (plus an MFF win over Brucki). 285: Still reading? Bless you. Christian Lance beat Tate Orndorff, 9-4, for third, but old friend Gas Tank Gary took home heavyweight gold, winning three consecutive matches by the same 3-1 sudden victory result, first over Oklahoma's Josh Heindselman, then Wyoming's Brian Andrews in the quarters and Lance in the semifinals. Traub stormed out of the 10-spot to win CKLV, which isn't Big Ten related but still damn cool. *Deep breath* Ready for more? Cool. Let's go. Iowa - Registered the 17th-straight win over Iowa State in the annual Cy-Hawk wrestling dual, winning on Sunday, 22-11, in a dual that had the following: two double stall calls and a double technical violation … in the same match; a match end in a stalling disqualification because four stall warnings were given in less than two minutes; four matches decided by two points or fewer, another decided by three points, and another decided by four; more than 9,000 fans inside Hilton Coliseum and every single one of them screamed for stalling on the bad guys — and the refs generally obliged, doling out 18 total stall calls (12 on Iowa State, 6 on Iowa); an insanely awesome headgear spike, which cost Iowa State a team point; a post-dual shoving match, which cost Iowa a team point; Tom Brands high-fiving nearby Iowa fans; Terry Brands running to the Iowa State bench after the dual; Derek St. John making crybaby motion toward the Iowa bench; Austin DeSanto interrupting the broadcast: “COMMENTATE THAT!”; Kyven Gadson expertly navigating that interruption with a calm and collected response: “DeSanto, you want the mic, buddy?”; Am I missing anything? Oh, yeah. The dual. Iowa won six of 10 matches. Jaydin Eierman (141) and Alex Marinelli (165) recorded major decisions, Tony Cassioppi beat Sam Schuyler at heavyweight via stalling DQ, Max Murin and Ian Parker both made their season debuts and then Murin beat Parker 3-2 at 149 pounds (the refs tagged Murin for stalling twice in the final 30 seconds of the third period), and both Marcus Coleman (184) and Yonger Bastida (197) scored third-period takedowns to defeat Myles Wilson and Jacob Warner, respectively. OK. I think that's everything. Cy-Hawk was awesome. Onward. Maryland - The Terps are on the board! Collected their first two dual victories of the season on Saturday, 21-19 over Drexel, then 23-17 over Duke, marking their first back-to-back dual wins since 2017. Both duals were topsy-turvy. Maryland led Drexel 9-4, thanks to King Sandoval's first-period pin at 133, then trailed 19-9 after Drexel ripped off four-straight wins, then wins from Kyle Cochran (184), Jaron Smith (197) and Zach Schrader (285) helped the Terps rally for the dub. Nearly the same script unfolded against Duke, who led 17-12 after major decisions from the Finesilver boys (Josh at 149, Matt at 174), then Cochran, Smith and Schrader all won again for another come-from-behind victory. Penn State - Gutted out a couple of wins this weekend, 20-16 over Penn on Friday, then 23-16 over Lehigh on Sunday. The Nittany Lions did not have Roman Bravo-Young, Aaron Brooks, or Greg Kerkvliet for their dual against Penn, but managed to win six matches. Carter Starocci (174) and Max Dean (197) both scored major decisions, Beau Bartlett (149) and Creighton Edsell (165) both won in overtime, and Donovan Ball, in lieu of Brooks, stepped in at 184 and beat Jesse Martinez, 11-4. Against Lehigh, the Nittany Lions were again without Brooks and Kerkvliet, but RBY returned with a 19-7 major decision over Sheldon Seymour at 133; Nick Lee registered the 100th victory of his career with a 13-6 win over Connor McGonagle at 141; Edsell won another close match, 2-1 over Brian Meyer; and both Starocci and Dean scored bonus points again, Starocci with a 13-3 major decision, Dean with a first-period fall. Michigan State - Defeated Lock Haven, 19-17, on Thursday, then handily beat Bucknell, 23-10, on Friday in their first duals of the season. Against Lock Haven, the Spartans trailed 17-5 after seven weights, then rallied on a pin from Layne Malczewski at 184 and back-to-back major decisions from Cam Caffey (197) and Brad Wilton (285). They didn't hold a lead until Wilton's match went final. Gutsy performance. Against Bucknell, Michigan State won seven-of-10 and never trailed, and the dual was highlighted by Caleb Fish's 9-5 win over Zach Hartman at 165 pounds. Hartman led 5-1 after two takedowns in the first period and an escape in the second, then Fish took Hartman to his back near the edge for two plus a full set of back points, making it 7-5. He added a reversal in the third period to ice it. Caffey and Chase Saldate (157) added major decisions, and Julian Saldana bounced back from an overtime loss against Lock Haven's Luke Werner with an overtime win over Bucknell's Brandon Seidman. Gritty. Rutgers- Pounded American, 41-3, on Friday. Won 9-of-10 bouts. Sebastian Rivera (141), Robert Kanniard (157), John Poznanski (184) and Greg Bulsak (197) all recorded technical falls, Mike Van Brill (149) recorded a pin and Big Boone McDermott (285) won by penalty disqualification. Scarlet Knights are now 9-0 this season, and still lead the nation in overall dual victories. Wisconsin- Sent the starters to the Cougar Clash at SIUE and came away with a first-place team finish, if you're into that kind of thing. Seven Badger wrestlers took first, and there were really only a few notable results: Kyle Burwick beat Ethan Rotondo, 2-1 in the overtime tiebreaker, in the finals at 133 pounds; Dean Hamiti pinned Northern Illinois's 19th-ranked Izzak Olejnik in the finals at 165 (Hamiti led 5-4 in the third period after scoring two takedowns when he locked up the fall); Andrew McNally lost to Little Rock's Triston Wills, 9-6, in the first round at 174 and wrestled back for third; Northern Illinois's Brit Wilson beat Chris Weiler, 8-4, in the finals at 184; Braxton Amos looked like Braxton Amos, going 4-0 with three technical falls and outscoring his opponents 66-10; Wisconsin's other champs: Eric Barnett (125), Joey Zargo (141), Garrett Model (157) and Trent Hillger (285). Illinois and Indiana did not compete this weekend.

Kyle Snyder (left) and Jason Nolf (Nolf Photo/Sam Janicki; Snyder Photo/Tony Rotundo) After the action-packed Alrosa Cup that was highlighted by reigning Olympic champion Zaurbek Sidakov (RUS) successful in his rematch against #2 Magomedkhabib Kadimagomedov (BLR), Russia is back with another elite wrestling event only four days later, in the form of Wolnik 7. The Wolnik series of events have been an ongoing series in Russia headed by Zaur Kurbanov and feature domestic and international talents. The Wolnik series uses a modified rule system to encourage scoring, with the differences being a 15 point tech fall and match termination being caused by two four-point throws. After Wolnik 6 in October that saw elite competitors the likes of #5 (92) Vladislav Valiev (RUS), #7 (86) Javrail Shapiev (UZB), #3 (79), Gadzhi Nabiev (RUS), #4 (79) Radik Valiev (RUS), #7 (65) Akhmed Chakaev (RUS) and #10 (97) Alikhan Zhabrailov (RUS) compete, Wolnik will have their biggest international competitor compete in the form of 3x World/Olympic champion #2 (97) Kyle Snyder (USA). Snyder, competing along with his Nittany Lion Wrestling Club teammate Jason Nolf (USA), will take on European champion and 3x Russian Nationals champion #10 (97) Alikhan Zhabrailov (RUS), while Nolf will face off against 2017 world runner-up #18 (74) Khetag Tsabolov (SRB). Rounding out the card will be a rubber match between two-time world bronze medalist #7 (65) Akhmed Chakaev (RUS) and three-time Russian Nationals medalist Nachyn Kuular (RUS) at 70 KG. 97 KG- #2 Kyle Snyder (USA) vs. #10 Alikhan Zhabrailov (RUS) In one of the most interesting matches of the event, 2020 Olympic and World silver medalist #2 Kyle Snyder (USA) will face off against European champion #10 Alikhan Zhabrailov (RUS). Both men are extremely talented competitors, but are stuck behind seven-time World/Olympic champion #1 Abdulrashid Sadulaev (RUS), with Snyder being the second man to Sadulaev internationally and Zhabrailov domestically. This match presents a big opportunity for both men, as Snyder looks to cap off his year strong after the bitter defeat to Sadulaev in both the Olympic and World finals, while Zhabrailov looks to get the biggest win of his career against the former 3x World/Olympic champion Snyder. Kyle Snyder (USA) should be the favorite in this match as Zhabrailov has struggled in the past against physical wrestlers the likes of #2 (92) Magomed Kurbanov (RUS) and #14 (97) Alireza Karimimachiani (IRI), who bullied him from control ties like underhooks, front headlock or collar ties. Snyder should be able to follow and improve upon the template set by Kurbanov and Karimimachiani, but needs to be careful for the low shots and far side fireman's carry of Zhabrailov as the Chechen has excellent timing and is impeccable at shutting down opponent's offense once he gets a lead. 74 KG- #18 Khetag Tsabolov (SRB) vs. Jason Nolf (USA) Former Russian standout #18 Khetag Tsabolov (SRB) looks to regain momentum after a disastrous quarterfinals loss at the World Championships to #15 Azamat Nurikov (BLR) left him off the podium. Tsabolov has had a tumultuous past year, transferring to Serbia after finishing as the Russian Nationals runner-up in 2020 to #6 Razambek Zhamalov (RUS), where he upset Olympic champion #1 (P4P) Zaurbek Sidakov (RUS) and #8 Magomed Kurbanaliev (RUS). Tsabolov's performances while competing for Serbia have been lackluster as he's failed to place at the European and World championships and failed to qualify for the Olympics after having taken losses to #10 Avtandil Kentchadze (GEO), #15 Azamat Nurikov (BLR) and #17 Soner Demirtas (TUR). The match against Jason Nolf represents an opportunity for Tsabolov to regain his footing against an NCAA legend who has yet to quite find his footing internationally and is looking for his first standout international win. Jason Nolf (USA) was a legend for Penn State finishing his career as a 4x NCAA finalist and 3x NCAA champion. While Nolf was renowned for his offensive diversity and ability to dominate the elite of his weight class collegiately, Nolf has yet to break through internationally as he has been stuck behind the likes of US middleweight standouts three-time World champion #3 Kyle Dake (USA), six-time World/Olympic champion #1 (79) Jordan Burroughs (USA), #2 (79) Alex Dieringer (USA) and Isaiah Martinez (USA). While Nolf was able to take third at the US Olympic trials this year, he failed to place in his sole international competition of the year by losing in the opening round of the Ziolkowski memorial to two-time Asian champion Daniyar Kaisanov (KAZ). Nolf/Tsabolov is a very intriguing bout for what it means for both men. Nolf is given the shot against a divisional elite who has suffered with consistency issues, but shown himself capable of dominating the best in the world, while Tsabolov gets a chance at redemption after having fallen from the heights of the top pound-for-pound. While Tsabolov does have a history of slow starts in matches and being flat-footed, when he does attack, he has an absolutely incredible timing and finishing ability on a head outside single and fireman's carry and boasts a match ending leg lace that has put away even the best. Defensively Tsabolov is no pushover, as he's an incredible scrambler and has a notoriously tight shin whizzer that he's choked out opponents with in the past. Nolf looked much improved in his match against #1 (79) Jordan Burroughs in what was a losing effort; he still managed to show improved leg attack selection and finishing ability while standing up to the physicality of the American all-time great. This should be Tsabolov's match, but expect to see Nolf contend with him throughout. 70 KG- #7 (65) Akhmed Chakaev (RUS) vs. Nachyn Kuular (RUS) A standout rubber match between two lightweight standouts, #7 Akhmed Chakaev (RUS) is coming off a win at Wolnik 6 over Gitinomagomed Gadzhiev (AZE), while Kuular is coming off a runner-up finish at the Military World Championships to #16 Arman Andreasyan (ARM). The two men share a history with each other, as Kuular took their first match last year at the 2020 Yarygin over an injured Chakaev, with Chakaev returning the favor this year at Russian Nationals. Chakaev, a true veteran of the sport at 34 years old, with two world bronze medals to his name, has had a solid year but one defined by him falling to the next generation of talent as he took losses to #5 Kurban Shiraev (RUS) and #5 (65) Zagir Shakhiev (RUS) at Russian Nationals and the Russian World Team Wrestle-Offs. Three-time Russian Nationals medalist Nachyn Kuular (RUS) has had issues with consistency as well this year at 65 KG failing to place at Russian Nationals after a loss to Chakaev in the round of 16 and then taking an unexpected loss at the Yarygin to Dasha Sharastepanov (RUS) and then medical defaulting out. Kuular has since made the move up to 70 KG, where he's finished with a silver medal at the World Military Championships to #15 Arman Andreasyan (ARM). Chakaev should be seen as the frontrunner of this match as the Chechen has one of the most powerful underhook series in the world that he'll use to great effect against the counter-minded Kuular. Kuular himself is a great upper body technician, especially off of body locks. Both men also have strong leg attacks, with Chakaev favoring a head outside low single and Kuular's preference being an outside step high single. Expect a very close match between the two, with Chakaev coming out the victor.