InterMat Staff

I was going to celebrate my 100th mailbag this week then I realized I’m still nearly a year away so scratch that for now. Labor Day is in the books and results will start trickling in. Who’s Number One was a great opener and next up is the Senior World Championships. The granddaddy of ‘em all. I’ll never be up at the right time to watch, but I’m sure it will still be fun. Alright, there are plenty more words for you to read below this so get to it! If Gable skips Worlds but wrestles college this season, is it the ultimate troll job to make the greatest heel turn ever? Thicccholas I have no idea what it is. And quite frankly, I don’t even care anymore. If I had my druthers, Gable would dominate the world for the next decade. Looks like I’m all out of druthers. Should/will the Illini bypass redshirt for any of this year’s unbelievable recruiting class? FSL Illini I think the trend of true frosh starting and having success will only be enhanced in the future simply based on the lawlessness of the transfer portal. And that’s not to say anything will happen at Illinois, but I think most coaches now have to think about how long they may have certain guys on the roster. You can’t just assume you have five years for four seasons anymore. Add to that the five-date rule or whatever it is and you’re now able to give guys a soft opening and make the best decision that you see fit. Is a guy like Kannon Webster ready? They basically have the first two months of the season to find out. Levi Haines and the redshirt-pull had a whole will they/won’t they for months last year and he ended up in the finals. Has it been released what duals will be on the Jagger Night slate this season? And what promo items will Rutgers be giving out for those nights? Fantasy College Wrestling I don’t choose Jagger Night. Jagger Night chooses me. That’s actually true. Many things have to fall into place for me to get down there. Plus, they only had like four home duals last year, so it was slim pickings. This year, I’m happy to report that Coach Goodale saw the power of Jagger Night and that they never lose when I attend so he went and loaded up the home sked this year and is tempting me to buy season tickets. Do I try to make a few more duals? Do I risk the streak a little more than normal? Does Tom Ryan want to see Jagger walking through that door when they do their East Coast swing? Was Swing the worst music genre of the last thirty years? Is anyone still reading this? Which NCAA wrestler most reminds you of the Detroit Lions? This question is going to age very well or very badly by Friday. Kevin Claunch I’m not sure I even know how to answer this. At least without insulting many of our fine college athletes. For answering purposes, we will use this current Lions team and compare them to a current team. Detroit is a young team with talent that is finally ready to prove that they are serious about hanging with the big boys. With a fairly new first-time head coach in the fiery Dan Campbell, Detroit is ready to run through a brick wall. This reminds me of Alex Clemsen, also of the fiery variety, and the Maryland Terps. Coach Clemsen has now had the time to put his stamp on the team and just like the Lions, had some very exciting battles last season. Perhaps this is the year they both breakthrough? Who is wrestling’s most insufferable gatekeeper? Jeffrey I also don’t know how to answer this without insulting anyone. But it’s probably Rhino. Do the guys at Spectrum think I’m just some dumb hick? Rhino For those not aware, Spectrum and Disney are in a spat. Apparently, Disney pulled all their channels right as the college football season started. Basically putting the horse head in the producer’s bed. What are they fighting about? I have no idea. I just know it will cost you more money while Disney starts a sportsbook through ESPN in the near future. That's right. Mickey Mouse is your new bookie. Don’t pay up and Goofy will break your legs. How far down the list of Jersey greats did they go when attempting to rename the Colonia service area before they realized nobody wanted their name attached to that Wawa? Salty Walkon Buddy, that is John Poznanski Country and you need to treat it with respect. Perhaps I’ll lend my name to the rest stop if nobody else wants it. Let me check out this Wawa first. I’m not very good at math. Can you please explain Kyle Schwarber’s baseball stats? I can’t tell if they’re good or bad. Kevin McGuigan He's quite the anomaly. He can't hit his own weight yet his OBP is more than Daniel Vogelbach’s weight. And that’s about all the baseball stuff I care to discuss. McGuigan, I got a feeling your whole team is going down.

Prior to a few years ago, I had never seen a single Harry Potter movie. The wife eventually wore me down, and we embarked on a quest to binge all of the films. For the most part, the overarching narrative is solid young-adult fantasy. Sure, there are a variety of absurd things like dancing chocolate frogs, but for the most part, viewers can accept these absurdities as part of the wizarding world. However, there is one aspect that is simply too preposterous to handle, and that aspect is Quidditch. For the uninitiated, Quidditch is a game similar to hockey, but the competitors fly around on brooms. While most players are trying to score goals, one select competitor from each team tries to track down something called the “Snitch.” Goals are worth only 10 points, but catching the snitch nets a team a whopping 150 points. Naturally, this makes very little sense, and Harry Potter creator JK Rowling even admits that she created a sport with an unrealistic scoring system partially to infuriate men since she was having an issue with her boyfriend at the time. Believe it or not, people actually try to play Quidditch in real life. Of course, the rules needed to be slightly adjusted since flying brooms are not actually a practical reality. The scoring was also modified to make it a somewhat sensical competition. Under Major League Quadball rules, catching the snitch is worth only 35 instead of the ridiculous 150. If you are still reading, you are probably wondering why you just encountered three paragraphs about a made-up sport. It is now time to get to the point. While scoring in sports is always somewhat arbitrary, there comes a time when the point system needs to be adjusted. If you were living under a rock this past offseason, you likely missed that the NCAA Playing Rules Oversight Panel approved the three-point takedown. The idea being “that increasing the scoring for takedowns by an additional point will enhance the sport by rewarding offensive actions and risk-taking.” In theory, incentivizing takedowns by awarding an additional point will motivate wrestlers to be more offensive. While this makes intuitive sense, it has rarely been tested. The NCAA implemented a potentially drastic change without really looking at the potential impacts or unintended consequences. While the point value was likely not assigned specifically to infuriate people like Rowling’s Quidditch, saying the implementation is myopic or shortsighted would be fair criticism. Nobody really knows how the new takedown rule will change the sport. This season will be a petri dish of sorts. We will learn how the sport has changed while college wrestlers try to write their names in the record books. This past weekend, fans got their first taste of the new scoring in action. Flo hosted the annual Who’s Number One (WNO) event. It features some of the top high school wrestlers in the country, but it uses college rules. Obviously, this is an entirely too small sample size to draw any major conclusions. At the same time, we are all excited for the start of the upcoming season, and it is a fun thought exercise. Points per Match This is a bit of a given. The point value associated with the most common type of scoring went from two to three points, so obviously the number of points scored in a match would go up. However, it might not have increased as dramatically as one might have expected. Across the 12 matches wrestled at the 2022 WNO, there were 126 points scored or 10.5 points per match. In the 10 matches from 2023, there were 117 points scored, or 11.7 points per match. Takedowns per Match This is the big one. In the committee’s own words, the goal of the rule change was to incentivize takedowns. The early results are mostly mixed. In 2022, there were 25 takedowns across the 12 matches for an average of 2.08 takedowns per match. With the additional point, the rate of takedowns per match increased only slightly to 2.30. RT Points There did seem to be a rather significant decrease in matches that ended with riding time. There were seven matches with riding time in 2022, and that number dropped to four in 2023. Advocates for the three-point takedown would likely cite this as evidence that wrestlers were more interested in scoring points on the feet instead of riding. It will be interesting to see if this trend continues into the season. Three-Point Near Fall In addition to the three-point takedown, there was another change to the scoring of collegiate matches. For the last few seasons, a wrestler could earn two points by exposing their opponent’s back to the mat for a two-second count and four points for a four-second count. For this season, a three-point near fall for a three-second count was added. At the 2023 WNO, only one match featured a three-point near fall, and the number of near falls decreased significantly from six in 2022 to three in 2023. Conclusion As previously stated, this really is too small of a sample size to say anything about the effectiveness or impact of the three-point takedown. On top of that, WNO is an all-star event and therefore features some of the best high school wrestlers in the country. My guess is that there will not be a large difference in competitive matches. I find it extremely hard to believe that wrestlers were thinking things like, “I would go for a takedown, but it is worth only two measly points.” The downside of going for takedowns is that it opens a wrestler up for counters. A defended takedown can easily turn into points for the other competitor. I would postulate that this risk is more responsible for tentative neutral wrestling than the point value associated with takedowns. Increasing the value of a takedown does not really address the potential risk associated with going for takedowns. The incentive has increased, but the risk has also increased. Where I think we will see a difference will come in less competitive contests. Those wide decisions will more easily become major decisions, and major decisions will more easily become technical falls. Perhaps this variation will make duals more exciting, but it could also just as easily turn blowouts into bigger blowouts. Rules can be adjusted. If the three-point takedown does not produce the desired result or it has some unintended negative impact, the rules committee can simply revert to the two-point takedown or make another rule change. While it is a big change, it is not nearly as absurd as the 150-point snitch in the fictional game of Quidditch. However, I would highly recommend using events such as WNO to test these changes before implementation.

Don Bosco Prep

Apple Valley

Once the action gets underway from Belgrade, Serbia on September 16th at the 2023 World Championships competitors from around the world will be in search of coveted gold medals and world titles. Below are the wrestlers that have successfully earned world championships over the last ten years. Who is next to inscribe their name onto the list below? Note: Weights have shifted at times since 2013, so wrestlers have been included at the current weight closest to their world championship win. Men’s Freestyle 57 kg 2022 - Zelimkhan Abakarov (Albania) 2021 - Thomas Gilman (USA) 2019 - Zaur Uguev (Russia) 2018 - Zaur Uguev (Russia) 2017 - Yuki Takahashi (Japan) 2015 - Vladimer Khinchegashvili (Georgia) 2014 - Yang Kyong-Il (North Korea) 2013 - Hassan Rahimi (Iran) - 55 kg 61 kg 2022 - Rei Higuchi (Japan) 2021 - Abasgadzhi Magomedov (Russia) 2019 - Beka Lomtadze (Georgia) 2018 - Yowlys Bonne Rodriguez (Cuba) 2017 - Haji Aliyev (Azerbaijan) 2016 - Logan Stieber (USA) 2015 - Haji Aliyev (Azerbaijan) 2014 - Haji Aliyev (Azerbaijan) 2013 - Bekkhan Goygereev (Russia) - 60 kg 65 kg 2022 - Rahman Amouzad (Iran) 2021 - Zagir Shakhiev (Russia) 2019 - Gadzhimurad Rashidov (Russia) 2018 - Takuto Otoguro (Japan) 2017 - Zurabi Iakobishvili (Georgia) 2015 - Frank Chamizo (Italy) 2014 - Soslan Ramonov (Russia) 2013 - David Safaryan (Armenia) - 66 kg 70 kg 2022 - Taishi Narikuni (Japan) 2021 - Magomedmurad Gadzhiev (Poland) 2019 - David Baez (Russia) 2018 - Magomedrasul Gazimagomedov (Russia) 2017 - Frank Chamizo (Italy) 2016 - Magomed Kurbanaliev (Russia) 2015 - Magomedrasul Gazimagomedov (Russia) 2014 - Khetag Tsabolov (Russia) 74 kg 2022 - Kyle Dake (USA) 2021 - Kyle Dake (USA) 2019 - Zaurbek Sidakov (Russia) 2018 - Zaurbek Sidakov (Russia) 2017 - Jordan Burroughs (USA) 2015 - Jordan Burroughs (USA) 2014 - Denis Tsargush (Russia) 2013 - Jordan Burroughs (USA) 79 kg 2022 - Jordan Burroughs (USA) 2021 - Jordan Burroughs (USA) 2019 - Kyle Dake (USA) 2018 - Kyle Dake (USA) 86 kg 2022 - David Taylor (USA) 2021 - Hassan Yazdani (Iran) 2019 - Hassan Yazdani (Iran) 2018 - David Taylor (USA) 2017 - Hassan Yazdani (Iran) 2015 - Abdulrashid Sadulaev (Russia) 2014 - Abdulrashid Sadulaev (Russia) 2013 - Ibragim Aldatov (Ukraine) - 84 kg 92 kg 2022 - Kamran Ghasempour (Iran) 2021 - Kamran Ghasempour (Iran) 2019 - J’den Cox (USA) 2018 - J’den Cox (USA) 97 kg 2022 - Kyle Snyder (USA) 2021 - Abdulrashid Sadulaev (Russia) 2019 - Abdulrashid Sadulaev (Russia) 2018 - Abdulrashid Sadulaev (Russia) 2017 - Kyle Snyder (USA) 2015 - Kyle Snyder (USA) 2014 - Abdusalam Gadisov (Russia) 2013 - Reza Yazdani (Iran) - 96 kg 125 kg 2022 - Taha Akgul (Turkey) 2021 - Amir Zare (Iran) 2019 - Geno Petriashvili (Georgia) 2018 - Geno Petriashvili (Georgia) 2017 - Geno Petriashvili (Georgia) 2015 - Taha Akgul (Turkey) 2014 - Taha Akgul (Turkey) 2013 - Khadzhimurat Gatsalov (Russia) - 120 kg Women’s Freestyle 50 kg 2022 - Yui Susaki (Japan) 2021 - Remina Yoshimoto (Japan) 2019 - Mariya Stadnik (Azerbaijan) 2018 - Yui Susaki (Japan) 2017 - Yui Susaki (Japan) - 48 kg 2015 - Eri Tosaka (Japan) - 48 kg 2014 - Eri Tosaka (Japan) - 48 kg 2013 - Eri Tosaka (Japan) - 48 kg 53 kg 2022 - Dom Parrish (USA) 2021 - Akari Fujinami (Japan) 2019 - Pak Yong-Mi (North Korea) 2018 - Haruna Okuno (Japan) 2017 - Vanesa Kaladzinskaya (Belarus) 2015 - Saori Yoshida (Japan) 2014 - Saori Yoshida (Japan) 2013 - Yanan Sun (China) - 51 kg 55 kg 2022 - Mayu Shidochi (Japan) 2021 - Tsugumi Sakurai (Japan) 2019 - Jacarra Winchester (USA) 2018 - Mayu Mukaida (Japan) 2017 - Haruna Okuno (Japan) 2016 - Mayu Mukaida (Japan) 2015 - Helen Maroulis (USA) 2014 - Chiho Hamada (Japan) 2013 - Saori Yoshida (Japan) 57 kg 2022 - Tsugumi Sakurai (Japan) 2021 - Helen Maroulis (USA) 2019 - Risako Kawai (Japan) 2018 - Ningning Rong (China) 2017 - Helen Maroulis (USA) - 58 kg 2015 - Kaori Icho (Japan) - 58 kg 2014 - Kaori Icho (Japan) - 58 kg 59 kg 2022 - Anastasia Nichita (Moldova) 2021 - Bilyana Dudova (Bulgaria) 2019 - Linda Morais (Canada) 2018 - Risako Kawai (Japan) 2017 - Risako Kawai (Japan) - 60 kg 2016 - Xingru Pei (China) - 60 kg 2015 - Oksana Herhel (Ukraine) - 60 kg 2014 - Sukheegiin Tserenchimed (Mongolia) - 60 kg 2013 - Marianna Sastin (Hungary) 62 kg 2022 - Nonoka Ozaki (Japan) 2021 - Aisuluu Tynybekova (Kyrgyzstan) 2019 - Aisuluu Tynybekova (Kyrgyzstan) 2018 - Taybe Yusein (Bulgaria) 2017 - Purevdorjiin Orkhon (Mongolia) - 63 kg 2015 - Soronzonboldyn Battsetseg (Mongolia) - 63 kg 2014 - Yuliya Tkach (Ukraine) - 63 kg 2013 - Kaori Icho (Japan) - 63 kg 65 kg 2022 - Miwa Morikawa (Japan) 2021 - Irina Ringaci (Moldova) 2019 - Inna Trazhukova (Russia) 2018 - Petra Olli (Finland) 68 kg 2022 - Tamyra Mensah-Stock (USA) 2021 - Meerim Zhumanazarova (Kyrgyzstan) 2019 - Tamyra Mensah-Stock (USA) 2018 - Alla Cherkasova (Ukraine) 2017 - Sara Dosho (Japan) - 69 kg 2015 - Natalia Vorobieva (Russia) - 69 kg 2014 - Aline Focken (Germany) - 69 kg 2013 - Alina Stadnyk (Ukraine) - 67 kg 72 kg 2022 - Amit Elor (USA) 2021 - Masako Furuichi (Japan) 2019 - Natalia Vorobieva (Russia) 2018 - Justina DiStasio (Canada) 2013 - Fengliu Zhang (China) 76 kg 2022 - Yasemin Adar (Turkey) 2021 - Adeline Gray (USA) 2019 - Adeline Gray (USA) 2018 - Adeline Gray (USA) 2017 - Yasemin Adar (Turkey) - 75 kg 2015 - Adeline Gray (USA) - 75 kg 2014 - Adeline Gray (USA) - 75 kg Men’s Greco-Roman 55 kg 2022 - Eldaniz Azizli (Azerbaijan) 2021 - Ken Matsui (Japan) 2019 - Nugzari Tsurtsumia (Georgia) 2018 - Eldaniz Azizli (Azerbaijan) 2013 - Yun Won-Chol (North Korea) 60 kg 2022 - Zholaman Sharshenbekov (Kyrgyzstan) 2021 - Victor Ciobanu (Moldova) 2019 - Kenichiro Fumita (Japan) 2018 - Sergey Emelin (Russia) 2017 - Kenichiro Fumita (Japan) - 59 kg 2015 - Ismael Borrero Molina (Cuba) - 59 kg 2014 - Hamid Sourian (Iran) - 59 kg 2013 - Ivo Angelov (Bulgaria) 63 kg 2022 - Sebastian Nad (Serbia) 2021 - Meisam Dalkhani (Iran) 2019 - Shinobu Ota (Japan) 2018 - Stepan Maryanyan (Russia) 67 kg 2022 - Mate Nemes (Serbia) 2021 - Mohammad Geraei (Iran) 2019 - Ismael Borrero Molina (Cuba) 2018 - Artem Surkov (Russia) 2017 - Han-Su Ryu (South Korea) - 66 kg 2015 - Frank Stabler (Germany) - 66 kg 2014 - Davor Stefanek (Serbia) - 66 kg 2013 - Han-Su Ryu (South Korea) - 66 kg 72 kg 2022 - Ali Arsalan (Serbia) 2021 - Malkhas Amoyan (Armenia) 2019 - Abuyazid Mantsigov (Russia) 2018 - Frank Stabler (Germany) 2017 - Frank Stabler (Germany) - 71 kg 2016 - Balint Korpasi (Hungary) - 71 kg 2015 - Rasul Chunayev (Azerbaijan) - 71 kg 2014 - Chingiz Labazanov (Russia) - 71 kg 2013 - Hyeon-Woo Kimg (South Korea) - 74 kg 77 kg 2022 - Akzhol Makhmudov (Kyrgyzstan) 2021 - Roman Vlasov (Russia) 2019 - Tamas Lorincz (Hungary) 2018 - Aleksandr Chekhirkin (Russia) 2017 - Viktor Nemes (Serbia) - 75 kg 2015 - Roman Vlasov (Russia) - 75 kg 2014 - Arsen Julfalakyan (Armenia) - 75 kg 82 kg 2022 - Burhan Akbudak (Turkey) 2021 - Rafig Huseynov (Azerbaijan) 2019 - Lasha Gobadze (Georgia) 2018 - Peter Bacsi (Hungary) 2017 - Maksim Manukyan (Armenia) - 80 kg 2016 - Ramazan Abacharaev (Russia) - 80 kg 2015 - Selcuk Cebi (Turkey) - 80 kg 2014 - Peter Bacsi (Hungary) - 80 kg 2013 - Taleb Nematpour (Iran) - 84 kg 87 kg 2022 - Zurabi Datunashvili (Serbia) 2021 - Zurabi Datunashvili (Serbia) 2019 - Zhan Beleniuk (Ukraine) 2018 - Metehan Basar (Turkey) 2017 - Metehan Basar (Turkey) - 85 kg 2015 - Zhan Beleniuk (Ukraine) - 85 kg 2014 - Melonin Noumonvi (France) - 85 kg 97 kg 2022 - Artur Aleksanyan (Armenia) 2021 - Mohammad Saravi (Iran) 2019 - Musa Evloev (Russia) 2018 - Musa Evloev (Russia) 2017 - Artur Aleksanyan (Armenia) - 98 kg 2015 - Artur Aleksanyan (Armenia) - 98 kg 2014 - Artur Aleksanyan (Armenia) - 98 kg 2013 - Nikita Melnikov (Russia) - 96 kg 130 kg 2022 - Riza Kayaalp (Turkey) 2021 - Ali Akbar Yousefi (Iran) 2019 - Riza Kayaalp (Turkey) 2018 - Sergey Semenov (Russia) 2017 - Riza Kayaalp (Turkey) 2015 - Riza Kayaalp (Turkey) 2014 - Mijain Lopez (Cuba) 2013 - Heiki Nabi (Estonia) - 120 kg

Stillwater

In less than two weeks, the Senior World Championships will get underway and the United States will do battle with the rest of the world in search of medals and Olympic qualification. Before we get to actual weight class previews, let's take a look at some past results. We’re taking a different approach today in reviewing the US team’s past performance head-to-head against other nations, in all three styles. InterMat has gone through results from Olympic/World events dating back to the 2016 Olympics to get a decent enough sample size. However, any further and we’re looking at results that largely don’t include anyone competing in 2023. Seven years is a long time for international wrestling. Many wrestlers have come and gone. Some countries have undergone massive changes to their coaching staff, funding, and infrastructure during that time. Below are the head-to-head records for each of the three American teams, divided by style. The numbers on the left-hand side are head-to-head records for the United States against that respective country. Does anything stand out? Men’s Freestyle Team 19-6: Iran 12-3: Azerbaijan 10-4: Georgia 8-1: Belarus, Mongolia, Poland 8-2: Italy 8-10: Russia 6-0: Canada, Germany, India, Ukraine 6-1: Bulgaria 5-2: Uzbekistan 5-4: Japan, Turkey 4-0: Hungary, Kyrgyzstan, North Macedonia 4-1: Kazakhstan, Slovakia 4-2: Cuba 3-0: France, Moldova 2-0: Puerto Rico, South Korea, Turkmenistan 2-1: China 2-3: Armenia 1-0: Algeria, American Samoa, Australia, Colombia, Finland, Guinea-Bissau, North Korea, Romania, San Marino, Slovenia, Switzerland 0-1: Albania, Bahrain Women’s Freestyle 11-3: Ukraine 11-4: Mongolia 8-17: Japan 7-1: Canada, Turkey 6-0: India 6-1: Germany 6-2: Russia 6-3: Kazakhstan 6-8: China 5-0: Bulgaria 4-0: Brazil, Sweden 4-1: Hungary 3-0: Colombia, Italy, Vietnam 3-4: Belarus 2-0: Czech Republic, Estonia, Greece, Romania, South Korea, Tunisia 2-1: Cuba, France, Kyrgyzstan, Nigeria 2-2: Azerbaijan, Poland 1-4: North Korea 1-0: Austria, Chinese Taipei, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Egypt, Latvia, Moldova, Netherlands, New Zealand, Uzbekistan Men’s Greco-Roman 5-4: Germany 3-1: India 2-0: Czech Republic 2-1: Poland 2-4: China, Turkey, Ukraine 1-0: Algeria, Brazil, Colombia, Congo, Guatemala, Lithuania, Morocco, Slovakia, South Korea 1-1: Cuba, Iran, Japan, Sweden 1-2: Bulgaria, Kazakhstan, Serbia 1-4: Armenia 0-1: Belarus, Chile, Denmark, Norway, Portugal, Romania, Uzbekistan, Venezuela 0-2: Croatia, France, Moldova 0-3: Georgia, Kyrgyzstan 0-4: Russia 0-6: Azerbaijan, Hungary

Johns Creek

There’s a big change at the biggest weight class for the 2023 United States Senior Men’s Freestyle team. 2020(1) Olympic Gold Medalist, Gable Steveson, has informed USA Wrestling that he will not compete at the upcoming World Championships ten days from now. Final X runner-up Mason Parris will take his place. Steveson left his shoes in the center of the mat after winning his second NCAA title for the University of Minnesota in 2022. At the time, he was focusing on getting a WWE career off the ground. Steveson returned to the mat in April, at the US Open, where he had little trouble in running through a talented field for the title and a spot in Final X. In Newark, Steveson looked as good as ever dispatching Parris in two-straight matches, 5-2 and 5-0. Steveson has also made comments that have fueled speculation that he’ll return to collegiate wrestling, as well. He just needed approval from the WWE. Now, Steveson is out of the 2023 World Championships. The United States gets to display its excellent depth at the 125 kg weight class with Parris. In 2019, Parris pinned Iranian Amir Zare to win a Junior world championship. Zare has gone on to win a world title at the Senior level and owns three Senior World/Olympic medals. Parris, knowing this was a possibility, recently went to Hungary and grabbed a gold medal at the Ranking Series event. Earlier this year, Parris wrapped up his collegiate career at the University of Michigan and was awarded the Hodge Trophy after winning an elusive national title. Parris’ Hodge Trophy hopes were bolstered by a 33-0 record that featured 21 bonus-point wins; including 11 falls. Each of the final three wrestlers that Parris defeated in Tulsa were age-group world medalists. With Parris’ addition, the 2023 men’s freestyle squad now has six first-time world team members.

The Pac-12 conference has dropped to two teams as Stanford and California will be heading cross country to the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) next season. With Arizona State and Stanford’s departure, the Pac-12 wrestling conference is down to four teams next season. In order to receive allocations as a conference, the Pac-12 would need to add two new teams to it. Although it sounds easy, it is not. Therefore, let’s look at all the potential options that can happen next season with the four teams remaining. Hybrid Conference Since it seems no Pac-12 teams will be wrestling in the conference next season, the affiliates can create a hybrid conference. Currently, California Baptist and Utah Valley are the only wrestling teams in the Western Athletic Conference. The WAC can also try to bring in the other California schools, Cal Poly and Cal State Bakersfield. In addition, the conference can try to recruit Air Force and Northern Colorado. Both, along with Wyoming, are current affiliate members for other sports. Pac-12 turns to Mountain West The most recent news states the Mountain West Conference has reached out to Oregon State and Washington State at the end of August. If the two teams move to the conference, it can be a great way to create wrestling in that conference. Similar to the WAC, the Mountain West can revamp former programs and attempt to bring a program to Washington State. Plus, they can extend invitations to the current Pac-12 affiliates to join the conference. Go Independent If the four Pac-12 teams remaining went independent, their programs would head in separate directions. Oregon State’s funding, prominence, and history can keep them afloat. The Beavers would most likely be able to retain a status in the West, compete in large tournaments and get bids into the NCAA tournament. However, the recruiting pool can become smaller and the schedule can become lighter than before. Cal Poly has been trending upwards. The Mustangs could find themselves in a similar situation as Cal Baptist. The Mustangs can pickup an invitation to another program or compete by creating their own schedule. The reason why the Mustangs can survive is they raise funds, the consistency within the program, stability and recent success under Jon Sioredas. Therefore, Cal Poly can find itself in a decent spot as an independent. Cal State Bakersfield would be on the low end of the stick. The Roadrunners could see its wrestling program dwindle as the recruiting pool falls, funds drop and the competition is scarce. Therefore, an independent route for CSUB can hurt them tremendously. Little Rock is questionable. The Trojans can try and sneak into the Big 12 or SoCon as an affiliate since it's rising each season. However, Little Rock’s short-term history hurts them as a strong provider for a conference. If they remained independent, it can be tough to get recruits, draw funds and competition too. Big Ten becomes 14 (or whatever number we’re at) The Big 10 is the top NCAA wrestling conference in the country. Although the Big 10 has no plans to reach out to the Beavers or Cougars, it could make the four Pac-12 teams become affiliates. Although the travel will be painful and the programs stand little chance for similar success as the Pac-12, it provides short-term stability for the programs. If it happens, it will come with many hurdles and potentially starting new or resurrecting old programs. This idea doesn’t seem as likely as the Big Ten doesn’t currently have any affiliate members for wrestling.

On Friday morning, multiple sports outlets reported that California and Stanford were leaving the Pac-12 to join the ACC, along with SMU. From a wrestling standpoint, Stanford is the school we’re paying attention to, since neither of the two other new additions sponsor wrestling. So, how does an ACC that includes Stanford look? How does Stanford look compared with the existing members of the league? For now, let's take the giant elephant in the room which is the location of the ACC opposed to Stanford and set it aside. The ACC has some excellent academic institutions. Some that are very close to Stanford’s league. The league has been on the rise for most of the last decade-plus and adds a Stanford team that has been strong, but could be on the upswing, too. Stanford has had an All-American in each of the last three years, two of which featured multiple All-Americans. The 2020 season netted a pair of First Team NWCA All-Americans and a second-teamer. Since 2019, Stanford has sent 28 wrestlers to the NCAA Tournament. Eight Cardinal wrestlers have claimed Pac-12 titles. Today, we’re looking at some recent results to see how Stanford has fared against the ACC. Not only are we weighing the Cardinal against the rest of the conference on the mat, but also the recruiting trail. Here’s the record for Stanford wrestlers at the last five NCAA Championships while competing against ACC foes. 2023: 1-2 2022: 1-2 2021: 3-2 2019: 1-1 2018: 0-0 These are Stanford’s NCAA qualifiers for the 2022-23 campaign and how they competed against ACC competition. Nico Provo (125) - 2022/23: 2-0 (Win’s over Kyle Montapero/Cooper Flynn) Jaden Abas (149) - 2022/23: 2-2 (Win’s over Denton Spencer/Patrick Rowland) (Losses to Caleb Henson; Michael Gioffre) Daniel Cardenas (157) - 2022/23: 2-1 (Wins over Jake Keating, Clayton Ulrey) (Loss to Ed Scott) Shane Griffith (165) - 2022/23: 2-0 (Wins over Justin McCoy, Connor Brady) Tyler Eischens (174) - 2022/23: 2-1 (Win over Vic Marcelli, Alex Faison) (Loss to Mekhi Lewis) Nick Stemmet (197) - 2022/23: 3-2 (Wins over Andy Smith, TJ Stewart x2) (Loss to Michael Battista, Isaac Trumble) With Stanford’s performance last year, they likely could have slip in front of North Carolina and Virginia for fourth place at the 2023 ACC Championships. 2021 national champion Shane Griffith had a victory over the eventual champion Justin McCoy, so it’s not a stretch to think he could have won a conference crown. Pac-12 Freshman of the Year, Daniel Cardenas, suffered a loss at NCAA’s to Ed Scott of NC State. While Cardenas is extremely talented, it’s hard to project him higher than fourth in a 2023 ACC bracket that featured three All-Americans. It’s not out of the picture to think that both Jaden Abas and Tyler Eischens could have worked their way in to the conference championship match. That production probably isn’t enough to catch a Pittsburgh team that boasted two champions and a second-place finisher. Below are the dual results for Stanford against ACC schools since 2017-18. 2022-23 Virginia Tech (L) 22-12 2019-20 North Carolina (W) 21-11 2017-18 Virginia Tech (L) 22-12 Here are some of Stanford’s recent NCAA finishes compared to the new conference competition. 2022: Stanford (#19 - 31.5 points). Virginia Tech (#8 - 52.5 points), NC State (#10 - 49 points), North Carolina (#18 - 32 points) 2021: Stanford (#17 - 35.5 points). NC State (#6 - 68 points), Pittsburgh (#11 - 40.5 points), Virginia Tech (#15 - 36.5 points), North Carolina (#16 - 36 points) 2016: Stanford (#19 - 24 points). Virginia Tech (#4 - 82 points), NC State (#11 - 49 points) Stanford has become a recruiting juggernaut under Rob Koll. They have finished in the top-eight in each of the last two seasons. Another one could be in the works. Stanford has a huge group of verbals from the Class of 2024; however, they may not end up signing with the Cardinal after the coaching change. Here’s how Stanford and their ACC contemporaries have done in InterMat’s recruiting rankings during that time. 2023: #8 Stanford, #9 Virginia Tech, #18 NC State, #24 Pittsburgh 2022: #3 NC State, #5 Stanford, #7 Virginia Tech, #9 Virginia, #15 Pittsburgh, #16 North Carolina Because of the extra year of eligibility, as a result Covid, there are quite a handful of projected starters from the 2023-24 squad, that should have eligibility remaining when the school joins the ACC in 2024-25. However, we’ve seen a handful of quality wrestlers transfer out after graduating because of the difficult entry into the school’s graduate programs. That being said, every projected starter, aside from Jackson DiSario (133 lbs), could have a year of eligibility remaining in 2024-25.

EIWA correspondent Austin Sommer catches up with 2023 NCAA champion Patrick Glory of Princeton. Glory talks about his transition from the wrestling world to a job on Wall Street. For now, his wrestling career is "on pause", however, that could change. Glory also discusses how Princeton alumni connections have helped his get such a prominent job, along with taking his wrestling mindset to the workforce. glory.mp4

How Micky Phillippi and Nino Bonaccorsi helped transform Pitt’s wrestling culture by putting everything they had into their craft. Pitt teammates Micky Phillippi and Nino Bonaccorsi shared one of the most compelling moments of last spring’s NCAA tournament when Phillippi was spotted crying tears of joy after Bonaccorsi won his 197-pound NCAA title. Phillippi was celebrated for the investment he made in Bonaccorsi’s success, but that moment was also a picture-perfect representation of the culture they helped create in Pitt’s room. Bonaccorsi’s title meant more to Phillippi than the depth of his own heartache after he fell short of the NCAA podium in his final try. Those two were like-minded teammates and program leaders who arrived during a season of change in Pittsburgh along with coach Keith Gavin in 2017. The foundation of Gavin’s thinking was to build a team of wrestlers who loved to work and get better, which was simple in concept but harder to execute. The fact that Pitt continues to trend in that direction can be directly attributed to Bonaccorsi, who arrived just before Gavin from nearby Bethel Park High School, and to Phillippi, a three-time PA state champ from Derry Area, which sits about 40 miles from the city. They were hometown kids who had zero ego and were wrestling for a Pitt alum in Gavin which made them a near-perfect trio in light of the mess surrounding the firing of previous coach Jason Peters. Peters was relieved of his duties in 2017 after wrestlers were found to have consumed alcohol and used a website to invite suspected prostitutes to their hotel at the Midlands Championships, according to the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. “The year Keith started as head coach was my first year as a freshman,” Bonaccorsi said. “I felt like it was a turning point for our program. It was a real culture change. We had Keith. We had me and Micky, and we had great recruits coming in. We really tried to implement this culture of winning, trying to get better, and just being in love with the sport." Micky Phillippi in a 2021-22 dual meet; Photo courtesy of Sam Janicki; SJanickiPhoto.com Phillippi said Pitt’s reputation when he was being recruited out of Derry Area didn’t sit well with him, so his decision to transfer from Virginia to Pitt came as a bit of a surprise to those close to him. Homesickness was a factor, but Phillippi was also looking for the culture that he and Bonaccorsi eventually helped to create. He wanted to be around other wrestlers who ate, slept, and breathed the sport and wanted to get better as badly as he did. Phillippi had plenty of respect for Virginia and its wrestling program, but he just didn’t get the same feeling he sought at Pitt. At the time he made his choice, Phillippi was very much buying into Gavin, who recruited him at Virginia, and to former Pitt assistant Jordan Leen, who took the head job at Brown last summer and hired Phillippi as an assistant. Gavin and Leen sold a vision to Phillippi and took concrete steps to fulfill it. “I knew Keith, the kind of person he was,” Phillippi said. “And Jordan, I mean, he did the prayer at my wedding. He's one of the best people I've ever met.” Just as Pitt ultimately proved to be the perfect place for Phillippi to develop, he was the right kid at the right time for Gavin and his staff to build as quickly as they did. As a three-time state champ with a terrific reputation locally, Phillippi’s return home added a hefty dose of credibility to what Gavin, Leen, and the Pitt staff were trying to do. And with that, Pitt’s early nucleus started coming together. “It was a bit of a leap of faith on his part, and I was super grateful he took it,” Gavin said. “When he did, I think it showed other people in the area that like, ‘All right, make us believe in what can happen here.’ That went a long way because he's a well-known kid from Western PA.” The leap of faith was people-driven for Phillippi, in addition to the allure of getting back to his hometown roots with friends and family members around to support him. And not long after he made that choice, wrestling at Pitt became even more people-driven when he met Bonaccorsi, whose mindset was what he always wanted in a teammate. Phillippi found the bizarro version of himself. “We were at the welcome picnic, and his mom is talking to my girlfriend at the time, who's now my wife,” Phillippi said. “I don't know how it came up. It was something about not drinking, because Nino doesn't drink. And Marissa is like, ‘Oh my gosh, it looks like Micky found his friend.’” Micky and Nino found friends in each other, but also teammates who would rather show up to empty wrestling rooms at odd hours than go take down a six-pack. They went on that journey together and were leaders of a team that started to follow their example. NCAA All-American Cole Matthews fit right into the mode of thinking as the first recruit Gavin signed during his time at Pitt. He, too, has been on the grind for everything he’s gotten, including an All-America finish two years ago and a U23 world team trials win. Matthews saw the same thing everyone else did, which was the closeness of Phillippi and Bonaccorsi and what they stood for as people and wrestlers. They were natural in their ability to inspire others to make a deeper commitment to the sport. “Micky and Nino, if they didn't have their own girlfriends, you'd think they would be together, you know,” Matthews laughed. “I stepped into a good culture. So I never really had to set an example for someone or try to be someone I wasn't. I stepped in and I was just being myself. Then just being myself here was enough for me to develop.” Pitt’s ability to recruit its own backyard and build with blue-collar Western PA kids is a big part of getting like-minded wrestlers who are ready to work. But Gavin thinks that a hardworking, winning culture has great appeal across the country. So, while the Panthers will always try to lock down their region on the recruiting trail, they’re also still thinking bigger. “Ultimately, you want to get kids that are coming to college because they want to win nationals,” Gavin said. “I think we're proving that we have guys who can do that, in a short period of time. We’ve only been here for five NCAA tournaments. So, I think that the bigger deal is nationally. You're showing these kids from all around that you can come to Pitt and win a national title.” The success of Bonaccorsi and Phillippi is a big step in the process of trying to build that national reputation and climb higher in the NCAA team standings. But those guys also helped set a tone about investment and what can happen when hard work meets selflessness. That was the profound message sent by the visual of Phillippi celebrating Bonaccorsi’s NCAA title as if it were his own. The fact that Phillippi had just suffered a crushing blood-round loss for the fourth time in his career made the moment even more powerful. “Even as freshmen, we wanted to be national champions,” Bonaccorsi said. “That was our goal. I haven't met someone quite like Micky, who is so determined and so giving, so that was a special moment between us. It was like we finally did it. Regardless if it was me or him, it was a mutual thing.” Nino Bonaccorsi before a 2021-22 dual meet; Photo courtesy of Sam Janicki; SJanickiPhoto.com

For the 11th straight year, the FloWrestling’s Who’s #1 dual meet took place, this time on the campus of Wisconsin-Parkside. Who’s #1 is a dual that features matchups between the top two wrestlers at a particular weight in order to determine who is the best in the nation at that weight class. If we want to get technical, that wasn’t necessarily the case at some weights, but still, there was plenty of great action up and down the card. Also, for the third straight year, there was a full girls card, as well. Prior to 2021, there were girls matches sprinkled in dating back to the 2017 edition. The 2023 version had ten matches. Below are the full results from Saturday night’s Who’s #1 card. Boys Results 113 lbs - Christian Castillo (Arizona) over Paul Kenny (New Jersey) 4-1SV 120 lbs - Anthony Knox (New Jersey) over Leo DeLuca (New Jersey) 9-3 126 lbs - Jax Forrest (Pennsylvania) over Jordyn Raney (Kentucky) 18-15SV 132 lbs - Ben Davino (Illinois) over Kyler Larkin (Arizona) 4-2 138 lbs - Daniel Zepeda (California) over Bo Bassett (Pennsylvania) Fall 6:27 145 lbs - Pierson Manville (Pennsylvania) over Kollin Rath (Pennsylvania) 2-0 160 lbs - Joe Sealey (Pennsylvania) over Will Henckel (New Jersey) 4-2 170 lbs - Angelo Ferrari (Texas) over Ty Eise (Colorado) 5-1 195 lbs - Aeoden Sinclair (Wisconsin) over Connor Mirasola (Wisconsin) 5-1 220 lbs - Cody Merrill (California) over Sawyer Bartelt (Florida) 14-3 Girls Results 94 lbs - Audrey Jimenez (Arizona) over Anaya Falcon (California) 11-0 100 lbs - Madison Nieuwenhuis (Michigan) over Rianne Murphy (Indiana) 2-2 112 lbs - Gabriella Gomez (Illinois) over Clare Booe (Florida) 7-1 117 lbs - Isabella Marie Gonzales (California) over Karlee Brooks (Arizona) 4-4 122 lbs - Everest Leydecker (Arizona) over Aubre Krazer (Pennsylvania) 6-2 127 lbs - Taina Fernandez (Maryland) over Carley Ceshker (Wisconsin) 10-0 132 lbs - Haylie Jaffe (Pennsylvania) over Cadence Diduch (Illinois) 10-2 138 lbs - Kaidance Gerg (Idaho) over Valerie Hamilton (Illinois) 6-4 144 lbs - Nebi Tsarni (Maryland) over May Prado (Georgia) 10-4 164 lbs - Naomi Simon (Iowa) over Alexandri Alli (Ohio) Fall 1:12

Cass

Stanford has been the center of news in the collegiate wrestling world this week. Just yesterday afternoon, news was made public that Stanford head coach Rob Koll was leaving his post in Palo Alto to accept the head coaching position at his alma mater, North Carolina. Today, multiple reports have surfaced that the ACC (home of North Carolina) has voted to extend invitationals for membership to Stanford, along with California and Southern Methodist (neither of which has wrestling programs). The move is expected to take place for the 2024-25 school year. It remains to be seen how this move will impact wrestling. With Stanford’s departure, Oregon State would be the lone remaining member of the Pac-12 with a wrestling program. Cal Poly, CSU Bakersfield, and Little Rock are all affiliate members of the conference. As it stands now, Oregon State and Washington State are the only Pac-12 schools without a home. For wrestling purposes, Stanford will join an ACC that boasts three teams featured in the top-15 of InterMat’s preseason dual rankings (#4 Virginia Tech, #6 NC State, #15 Pittsburgh). Additionally, North Carolina was #26 and Stanford #23. Competing with ACC teams isn’t totally a foreign concept for Stanford. Last season, Stanford hosted Virginia Tech and is slated to travel to Blacksburg to wrestle the Hokies. Conference realignment is the number one story today in collegiate athletics, so there will be more on this topic as it develops. On a wrestling front, we'll also monitor the search for Koll's replacement at Stanford.

Recently I’ve done something I never thought I would do. I quit fantasy football. Never thought it would happen. For over twenty years I’ve been doing this. It’s just become too much. I don’t have the time to keep up with everything and I’m not the player I used to be, so maybe it’s time for a break. Perhaps I’ll return but for now, I want to enjoy my Sunday without the aggravation. But what will football be like for me without any skin in the game? Will I care? Do I dabble in daily fantasy for a bit? Only time will tell. People always say the last thing someone wants to hear about is someone else’s fantasy team. Even more than that, nobody wants to hear about someone quitting fantasy football. So let’s get to the mailbag! What MAC wrestling preseason content has you most fired up? Also, any Big Ten storylines you are excited about in early September? Kevin Claunch All of it? With football now out of the way, I can devote more time to reading all the great previews and insights that this site provides. I have to be honest, I don’t have the slightest idea what goes on in the MAC other than that Zeb Miller loves it. I will try to remedy that this year. In the Big Ten, it’s all eyes on Iowa. After a whirlwind offseason where they got in with the Ferraris, dabbled in Gable, and had a gambling scandal, they also revamped their roster with a ton of transfers. What will the Hawkeyes look like post-Spencer Lee? Iowa seems to have had the same team for a decade. It will be very interesting to see some fresh faces out there but I will miss Max Murin’s bruised and battered face. What country would you like to see have a very sustainable wrestling team? Mat Jerms Media I often wonder why England doesn’t have a legit team. I don’t even know if they have a team at all. One would think that a country so rich in the history of combat sports would field a legitimate wrestling team. From Queensbury Rules boxing to Catch-as-Catch-Can Wrestling, You would think the lads would have a rich history in Freestyle and Greco-Roman. Well, they do have a rich history but it’s just that. History. England needs to fire up the Snake Pit in Wigan and get in the game so we can just kick their asses like we always do. How many tournaments do you think Journeyman Wrestling could run in one full calendar year if he didn’t have to tend to the animals on his farm? Kevin McGuigan All of them? Although I worry the alliterative names of the tournaments will quickly jump the shark with overkill. It’s not easy to do proper alliteration. Armbar At The Armory? Excellent title. The Scrap In Sicily? Not so much. Maybe Sizzle In Sicily works better. Either way, you can’t deny the work that Frank Popilizio has put in. A true man’s man, who could kick my ass. I only have one question. When do we get Fury On The Farm? You get out of your time machine in 1986. You have enough money for one ticket. Left field line, nine rows up, five seats in. Do you buy Game 6 or Game 7? Salty Walkon Game seven, easily. I was already at game six so I know how that goes down. Unfortunately, a time machine is the only way I’m gonna see the Mets win a title. Just a brutal season. And now, all I hear about is how Phillies fans, who claim to be so tough that they boo Santa Claus, yapping about how they saved Trea Turner with juice boxes and belly rubs. What has this world come to? Ok you Jagoffs, it’s September and the wrestling is about to start heating up. Who’s Number One is this weekend and it should be good. Also, in case you were wondering, I’m number one. It used to be Nelly and now it’s me.

Earlier this afternoon, the University of North Carolina announced that they have hired former Stanford and Cornell head coach Rob Koll to be the successor to Coleman Scott, who stepped down from his post two weeks ago. Koll is no stranger to Chapel Hill as he starred at UNC and became the school’s first four-time All-American. He also was only the second Tar Heel wrestler to win an NCAA title. He appeared to have plenty of momentum at Stanford, but coming back to your alma mater is a special opportunity. With Koll’s hire by UNC, it now makes 19 DI programs led by alumni. Zeke Jones (Arizona State) While at Arizona State, Zeke Jones earned All-American honors on three occasions highlighted by an NCAA runner-up finish at 118 lbs in 1990. Jones also captured three Pac-10 titles. John Stutzman (Buffalo) When John Stutzman finished up his career at Buffalo he was the school’s all-time wins leader with 95 against 27 losses. As a junior, Stutzman’s 35 wins tied the Buffalo single-season record. His .897 winning percentage that season remains fourth fourth-highest on the Bulls all-time list. Mike Grey (Cornell) Mike Grey bookended his career at Cornell with sixth-place finishes as a freshman and senior. In both of the seasons where he missed the podium, Grey advanced to the NCAA Bloodround. As a junior and senior, Grey won EIWA titles and helped lead Cornell to NCAA team runner-up trophies. Matt Hill (Edinboro) During his career at Edinboro, Matt Hill amassed 105 wins and qualified for the NCAA Tournament on three occasions, each time at 157 lbs. As a junior, he finished third in the EWL. Hill’s senior season saw him earn the #12 seed at NCAA’s. Daniel Elliott (Gardner-Webb) Daniel Elliott was an East Regional champion in each of his final two seasons competing for the Runnin’ Bulldogs and competed at the national tournament both years. In 2006, Elliott was named the Most Outstanding Wrestler at the East Regional. Dennis Papadatos (Hofstra) A two-time national qualifier for Hofstra, Dennis Papadatos had his deepest NCAA Tournament run in 2000, when he went 2-2 at the 157 lb weight class. As a senior, Papadatos captured an ECWA conference title. During his career at Hofstra, Papadatos won 95 matches for a young head coach in Tom Ryan. Mike Poeta (Illinois) One of the top wrestlers in the high school Class of 2004, Mike Poeta stayed in-state to wrestle for the Fighting Illini. Poeta never finished lower than fourth in the Big Ten (with two titles) and finished in the top three at nationals in each of his final three seasons. Poeta made the national finals as both a junior and senior. Angel Escobedo (Indiana) Right after two-time NCAA champion Joe Dubuque finished up at Indiana, Angel Escobedo took the reins at the 125 lb weight class and didn’t seem to miss a beat. Escobedo finished fourth in the nation as a freshman and won a national title a year later. He would capture the Big Ten championship in each of his final three years competing for the Hoosiers. Twice the number one seed at nationals. Escobedo was the first and, to this day, only four-time All-American in program history. Tom Brands (Iowa) 1996 Olympic gold medalist Tom Brands remains one of the most legendary athletes to come from an Iowa program that has produced its fair share of greats. Brands won three Big Ten and NCAA titles during his time as a competitor in Iowa City. His career mark at Iowa was 158-7-2, which was bolstered by a 45-0 junior campaign. Jim Andrassy (Kent State) A two-time national qualifier for Kent State, Jim Andrassy amassed a 106-25-1 record during his time competing for the Golden Flashes. As a junior, Andrassy claimed his only MAC title. A year later, he advanced to the NCAA Round of 12 before getting pinned by young Iowa star Joe Williams to come up a match shy of All-American status. Joe Patrovich (Long Island/CW Post) The school now known as Long Island was previously known as LIU Post and, before that, CW Post. Joe Patrovich attended the school at that time and played football and wrestled, as well. Sean Bormet (Michigan) While at Michigan, Sean Bormet earned All-American honors as a junior and senior. He compiled a 125-21 record and was third as a junior and an NCAA runner-up as a senior. During that final season, Bormet downed the aforementioned Joe Williams in the NCAA quarterfinals. His runner-up finish came to Oklahoma State’s Pat Smith as Smith became the first DI wrestler to win four national championships. Brandon Eggum (Minnesota) In his career at Minnesota, Brandon Eggum earned All-American honors three times and racked up 115 wins. Eggum was fifth in the nation at 177 lbs in 1998 before moving up to 184 lbs the following season and making the national finals. He finished up by taking third in 1999. Both years at 184 lbs saw Eggum come away with Big Ten titles. John Smith (Oklahoma State) Before going on to put together an international career that saw John Smith win six consecutive World/Olympic titles, he captured a pair of national titles for Oklahoma State. Technically, the international and collegiate accolades overlapped, as Smith won his first world title in 1987, a few months after winning his first collegiate crown. Smith’s record at OSU was 154-7-2 and he finished his collegiate career with 90 straight wins. Roger Reina (Penn) Roger Reina was Penn’s EIWA representative on four occasions during his career which spanned from 1980-84. He did not place in the top six during any of those instances. Keith Gavin (Pittsburgh) Prior to Nino Bonaccorsi’s national title earlier this year, Keith Gavin was Pittsburgh’s most recent national champion (2008). After redshirting in 2006, Gavin returned to the Panther lineup and made the national finals in each of his final two seasons. Gavin was also a two-time EWL champion and his 120 career wins still find him amongst the top ten at Pitt. John Hangey (Rider) John Hangey remains one of the top competitors in the history of Rider wrestling. As a senior, in 1993, Hangey finished fourth in the country at 190 lbs. He qualified for nationals three times after winning three conference titles. Hangey remains the first, and only, Rider wrestler to win the Midlands. Steve Garland (Virginia) A three-time national qualifier for Virginia, Steve Garland pulled off a stunning during his senior season when he knocked off top-ranked Jody Strittmatter of Iowa in the national quarterfinals. He would go on to make the NCAA finals as an eighth seed and became only the second Virginia wrestler to make the national championship match.

Just about two weeks ago, news leaked out of North Carolina that Coleman Scott was stepping down as head coach of the Tar Heel wrestling program. It wasn’t the best-kept secret in the world that Scott would likely end up at his alma mater Oklahoma State as an assistant coach. The second half of that situation came to fruition on Monday as OSU announced Scott’s hiring. Now, the dominos have fallen and UNC has found Scott’s successor. It’s a familiar face for longtime Tar Heel fans in 1988 national champion Rob Koll. Koll has spent the past two years as the head coach at Stanford University. Additionally, Koll established his reputation as a program builder at Cornell, where he led the Big Red into a consistent national contender, despite competing in the Ivy League. During his time at Stanford, Koll saw a pair of wrestlers combine for three All-American finishes in Palo Alto. In year one, Koll’s Stanford team finished 22nd in the nation and saw Shane Griffith make the national finals. The Cardinal also blossomed on the recruiting trail with Koll’s leadership. Under his direction, Stanford has finished in the top eight of InterMat’s recruiting rankings (2023 - 8th; 2022 - 5th). Currently, eight top-100 prospects from the Class of 2024 have verballed to the Cardinal. Koll’s 28-year tenure at Cornell featured 11 EIWA championships and 16 NCAA champions. His Cornell teams finished in the top ten at nationals 15 times including runner-up finishes in 2011 and 2012. Not only did Koll’s team’s have success at Cornell against collegiate competition, but also on the international front. Prized pupil Kyle Dake has won four world titles and an Olympic bronze. More Koll recruits Yianni Diakomihalis and Vito Arujau have shined internationally. Diakomihalis captured a silver medal at world’s in 2022 and Arujau has a spot on the 2023 team. During the long history of DI wrestling, only five wrestlers have been able to capture four NCAA titles. Two of them wrestled at Cornell under Koll; Dake and Diakomihalis. As a competitor at North Carolina, Koll earned All-American honors four times (1,3,3,8) and was a part of two top-ten finishes at nationals. He would win three ACC titles and was named on the conference’s 50th anniversary team. When he left Chapel Hill, in 1988, Koll was the school leader in career (155) and season (47) wins. Those two records still hold up, to this day. Koll inherits a UNC program that has finished in the top 20 at each of the last five NCAA tournaments. The 2023 team was led to a 12th-place finish by two-time national champion Austin O’Connor. The team’s other two All-Americans from 2023 (Lachlan McNeil and Gavin Kane) and will be prominently featured in InterMat’s upcoming preseason rankings. At this time, it is expected that interim head coach Tony Ramos will stay in North Carolina to assist with Koll’s transition. Now, we'll turn our attention to the Stanford program and who ends up replacing Koll in Palo Alto.

And finally, after each weight has been calculated, reviewed, and evaluated, this is what we are left with. The Top-33 Overall wrestlers for the 2023 Season: I hope you have enjoyed this stroll through memory lane and you’ve taken notes along the way. If not, here are the links to each weight Top-20 again. Previous 2023 Top-20 Articles: Top-20 Fantasy Wrestlers at 125 Top-20 Fantasy Wrestlers at 133 Top-20 Fantasy Wrestlers at 141 Top-20 Fantasy Wrestlers at 149 Top-20 Fantasy Wrestlers at 157 Top-20 Fantasy Wrestlers at 165 Top-20 Fantasy Wrestlers at 174 Top-20 Fantasy Wrestlers at 184 Top-20 Fantasy Wrestlers at 197 Top-20 Fantasy Wrestlers at 285 The #FCW24 season is only a couple months away. Be on the lookout for the WrestleStat notifications and get your league ready!

California Baptist's Chaz Hallmark; Photo courtesy of Tony Rotundo; WrestlersAreWarriors.com Many young men, 18-22 years old, you come across in life are built similarly - seeking to find their independence and dealing with life’s challenges the best way they know how. Unlike most of their peers, however, there are certain wrestlers who have spent their college careers not only taking on rigorous academics but also competing as athletes, sometimes even nationally ranked, and preparing to serve their country in the United States Military. From the East Coast all the way to the West Coast, wrestlers are making their marks on the mat at the collegiate levels. In order to fund their education, many student-athletes apply for ROTC scholarships. These are awarded for a certain amount of years to give the student-athlete the support they may need for their education. There are parallels between training, the mental toughness you develop as a wrestler, and the discipline needed to become a soldier. There is a serious commitment that comes with accepting these scholarships. Wrestlers often feel a pull between wrestling and ROTC while recognizing the need to perform academically. The physical and mental exhaustion can challenge their time management skills resulting in early mornings and late nights. It is all about finding a balance. Wrestlers hope to positively impact people’s lives and maintain their three facets of college life - academics, athletics, and military service - paving the way for others to face similar challenges and find similar successes. These student-athletes picking this particular path can be commissioned as an officer in any branch their school offers unless they are actively serving already while attending school or enrolled in a specific military school. Wrestlers in ROTC Programs Army Darian Huff (Bellarmine) Thadd Huff (Bellarmine) Grant O’Dell (Bellarmine) Chaz Hallmark (California Baptist) Timothy Cowan (California Baptist) Jack Kilner (PennWest Edinboro) Nick Lodato (PennWest Edinboro) Parker Corwin (Gardner Webb) Sam Harris (Gardner Webb) Jackson Lusk (Gardner Webb) Isaiah Adams (Harvard) Ethan Miller (Lock Haven) Wyatt Fox (Lock Haven) Braden Stauffenberg (Michigan State) Manny Laguna (Michigan State) Theo Cha (Minnesota) Matt Zuber (Northern Illinois) Mike Kaminksi (Northern Illinois) Jimmy Brown (Virginia Tech) Marine Corps Nick Marcenelle (Harvard)

The 2023-24 season is right around the corner! We have evidence of this as InterMat hit the road for the first time in the preseason and did a bit of a college visit yesterday. The University of Maryland held their Fall Media Day and included wrestling in the mix. Terps head coach Alex Clemsen and NCAA Round of 12 finisher Jaxon Smith were made available for interviews along with coaches and athletes from a handful of other sports. Maryland is coming off a 2022-23 season that saw a freshman-laden team amass a 10-9 record with wins over Oklahoma and Pittsburgh, along with the program's first Big Ten win (Purdue) since the 2016-17 season. That also marked the first conference victory during Clemsen's tenure as head coach. Maryland sent five wrestlers to the NCAA Championships in Tulsa; four of which were freshmen. Big Ten third place finisher, Smith, was the Terrapin that advanced the farthest, coming up a match shy of All-American status. The 2022-23 season has provided Maryland supporters with plenty of reason for optimism as the team's four freshman qualifiers are back, along with a national qualifier from 2022 and an impact transfer at heavyweight. Yesterday also saw InterMat release our first edition of preseason rankings. Those rankings saw six Maryland wrestlers featured. Looking ahead to March, the school will host the Big Ten Championships for the first time. While proud of the progress his team has made, Clemsen and his team still feel as if they have plenty to accomplish in 2023-24 and beyond. Hear from Clemsen and Smith on a variety of topics surrounding the upcoming season.

Waynesburg

OREM, Utah — Utah Valley University head wrestling coach, Greg Williams, has announced that he will retire following the upcoming 2023-24 campaign, his 18th season leading the program. "Working at UVU has been a wonderful experience for me and my family. We are grateful for the opportunities provided at this progressive institution," remarked Williams. "It has been an amazing experience working with the outstanding student-athletes that have come through the program. I also am very appreciative of the current coaching staff (Ethen Lofthouse and Erkin Tadzhimetov). Working with these two men, whose commitment, dedication and wrestling knowledge would be hard to match, have truly been a blessing. I want to thank President Tuminez, Dr. Sumsion, and all the other athletic administration and staff that have been so supportive of this program." Only the second coach in the program's 20-year history, Williams has led the Wolverines to over 100 dual victories and five NCAA All-America honors. He took over the program in May of 2006 with three years remaining in the school's transition from junior college to D1 status. He coached through a stint in the Western Wrestling Conference (WWC) before leading the program through its transition to the Big 12 Conference. "I am deeply grateful to Coach Williams for nearly two decades of building our program and mentoring our outstanding wrestlers. He leaves behind a major legacy," said UVU President Dr. Astrid S. Tuminez. "Personally, it has been a delight for me to support him and the entire team." "Greg Williams has poured his heart and soul into this program and we're grateful and appreciative of the mark he and his family will have left on Utah Valley University wrestling," said UVU Athletic Director Dr. Jared Sumsion. "His dedication to developing these young men as student-athletes and for preparing them for life after wrestling is extraordinary. I know he's looking forward to spending more time with his wife, Kristin, and their daughters' families and grandchildren, and we wish them the best in retirement. The Williams family will forever be a part of Utah Valley wrestling." During the 14 years of the Wolverine's post-season eligibility, Williams coached the first five All-Americans in program history, including all-time wins leader Ben Kjar, who became the first to achieve the feat when he reached the semifinals and placed fourth at the NCAA Championships in 2011. Jade Rauser (2016), Tate Orndorff (2020), Taylor LaMont (2021), and Demetrius Romero (2021) also earned All-America status under Williams' tutelage. In 2021, LaMont and Romero became the first multiple semifinalists and All-Americans in the same season in program history. In all, 45 NCAA qualifiers have come out of the program in the 14 years of post-season Williams has coached. The first three came in the very first year of post-season eligibility in 2010 as Kjar, Flint Ray and Brad Darrington all earned berths and won matches at the NCAA Championships. Williams has also coached three four-time NCAA qualifiers in Rauser, LaMont and Romero. In the 2015-16 season, Williams led the Wolverines into a new era as the program joined the Big 12 Conference, consistently the second toughest conference in the country (usually trailing only the Big 10 in NCAA qualifiers and All-Americans each year). During the first year in its new conference, UVU knocked off No. 18 Oregon State, earning them the program's first-ever votes in the top 25 polls. During the Big 12 era, Williams and his staff coached Romero to two Big 12 titles. In 2021, the year of Romero's second title, UVU had multiple finalists for the first time the same year at the Big 12 Championships when LaMont also made it to the championship bout. In total, UVU has had eight conference champions, the two Romero won at the Big 12's and Ray (2x), Josh Wilson, Adam Fager, Avery Garner and Rauser all in the WWC. With a philosophy to compete against the top teams every year, to provide the wrestlers more opportunities to prepare for post-season, the program consistently faced a tough schedule under Williams' leadership. In the 14 years of post season eligibility, the program wrestled 59 ranked teams. Seven times the Wolverines upset top ranked teams, with one top 10 win over No. 8 Boise State, three top 15 wins, and four top 20 wins. The success against ranked teams stood out during the 2018-19 season. After losing a close 19-18 match to No. 12 Nebraska in its opening weekend, UVU defeated No. 15 Big 10 foe Rutgers later that day, winning seven of the 10 matches for a 24-14 win. The team later went on to defeat another Big 10 opponent, No. 13 Purdue, also winning seven of 10 matches for a 28-11 win. In all, the Wolverines wrestled 10 ranked teams that year, including five Big 10 programs and ACC powerhouse NC State. Williams' strategy seemed to pay off that year as the program earned its first top 25 ranking, reaching as high as No. 21 during the season. They also set a program record with six NCAA qualifiers and finished with a school best 6th place finish at the Big 12 Championships. "Some highlights for me when I look back at my time here will be how our student-athletes' consistently represented our school, our program and themselves with integrity, their ability to respond to tough schedules and obstacles throughout each season to be prepared for post-season, our academic successes and our mentor program," Williams stated. Academically, Williams' teams have consistently excelled among the best in the country. His wrestlers have earned 119 Academic All-Conference awards overall, with 97 earned from the Big 12, and 52 Commissioner's Honor Roll recognitions. His teams have earned 14 National Wrestling Coaches Association Team Academic Awards including nine top 10 and five top six recognitions. Individually, Williams' student-athletes have earned 43 NWCA Scholar All-America honors including one Elite 90 recipient (top GPA of all NCAA qualifiers) when Matt Findlay was awarded the honor in 2019. In 2016, with the help of a close friend of the program, Williams helped establish the UVU Wrestling Mentor program. Top level professionals were recruited from various career fields to mentor and provide opportunities to all the wrestlers going out in similar careers. Mentors gave talks to the team, in addition to setting up job shadowing, networking, internships and job interviews for their wrestler. The mentor program has been instrumental in providing career opportunities for dozens of the wrestling program's student-athletes. "We have never looked at our student-athletes as just wrestlers," Williams said. "Our goal has always been to develop these young men in all areas of their lives. I will be moving on with confidence that the program will continue to grow and reach new heights. It will be my plan, along with my family, to continue to support UVU in general and specifically the wrestling program in any way that we can. We look forward to the future successes of both".

Preseason NCAA rankings have been released! With just over two months until the first competitions, the season will be here in no time. Since there are 330 wrestlers in the rankings and two sets of team rankings, sifting through them can be a task. Alongside the rankings, we have a companion piece detailing some of the changes you may have overlooked for each weight class. One note regarding multiple weight classes; Wrestlers implicated in the Iowa/Iowa State gambling probe have not been included. This has already been a lengthy investigation with no clear end in sight. Should those wrestlers be cleared and/or allowed to wrestle, they will be inserted into their respective weight classes. This was a difficult decision to make; however, leaving those wrestlers in the rankings could have resulted in a significantly inaccurate view of those weights (and team standings). 125 lbs This is a new-look weight class without Spencer Lee looming over the bracket. The order of wrestlers #4-12 is as difficult as any weight this year. There are hundreds of ways to interpret these wins and losses. 125 is extremely deep and should only get deeper as any true freshmen emerge as starters. There are at least five or six other wrestlers who could make a case for the top-33 at this time. Returning: Jakob Camacho (NC State), Justin Cardani (Illinois), Kysen Terukina (Iowa State), Robbie Howard (Penn State) Various injuries sidelined all of the past NCAA qualifiers during the 2022-23 campaign. Each will add even more depth to an already strong weight class. Moving Weights: Jack Maida (American) Maida had an excellent postseason that saw him finish fifth in the EIWA and even picked up a win in Tulsa while competing at 133 lbs. His EIWA rally made Maida the first qualifier for the Eagles during the Jason Borrelli era. True Freshmen: Vinny Kilkeary (Ohio State), Marc-Anthony McGowan (Princeton) Ohio State has never been shy about starting true freshmen if they are the best option. The Buckeyes also have Brendan McCrone and Peyton Fenton here, but don’t be surprised if Kilkeary ends up as “the guy.” Princeton loses NCAA champion Patrick Glory but has one of the top recruits from the Class of 2023 coming in with Marc-Anthony McGowan. He’s on our watch list for freshmen that could have an early impact at this weight class. 133 lbs This weight was hit hard as the second and third-place finishers moved up, while the sixth-place finisher moved up to 141 lbs. There are a lot of new faces near the bottom of the rankings that are making their debuts in the top-33. Returning: Connor McGonagle (Lehigh), Haiden Drury (Utah Valley), Sean Carter (Appalachian State) Some excellent regular season wins and an injury default resulted in a #11 seed at the NCAA Championships for Connor McGonagle. He likely would have garnered a higher seed had he finished the conference tournament. It didn’t end up mattering as McGonagle was unable to compete and had to pull out of the NCAA Tournament. This year he’ll get pushed by redshirt freshman Ryan Crookham, too. There’s a chance that McGonagle/Malyke Hines both move up to make room for Crookham. Appalachian State has a pair of past national qualifiers here with Carter and Ethan Oakley. Possible Redshirt: Henry Porter (Indiana) Look for Indiana to try and redshirt Henry Porter. In his absence, Angel Escobedo’s team will likely turn to either true freshman Cheaney Schoeff or redshirt freshman Isaac Thornton. 141 lbs The top of this weight class is really strong with the top-six finishers all returning, an All-American moving up from 133 lbs and another returning from a year off. That leaves us with nine past AA’s which is an incredibly strong number, especially as we move farther away from extended eligibility from Covid. Returning: CJ Composto (Penn) The All-American who we alluded to that took the 2022-23 season off was CJ Composto. He had a limited competition schedule while wrestling for the Pennsylvania RTC, so he didn’t face many of these top competitors. Moving Weights: Jesse Mendez (Ohio State), Dylan Ragusin (Michigan), Mitch Moore (Rutgers), Zach Redding (Iowa State), Josh Edmond (Missouri), Dylan Chappell (Bucknell), Wyatt Henson (Lock Haven) Jesse Mendez is the most notable wrestler moving here, as he starts a chain reaction of bumping at Ohio State. In addition to wrestlers moving up from 133, Dylan Chappel and Mitch Moore were at 149 last season and are coming down. Michigan is still in the process of sorting out 133 and 141. Both Chris Cannon and Dylan Ragusin were 133’s last season. Ragusin has a redshirt to use if needed. There’s the possibility that the lineup looks like we have it in the rankings, but it could be reversed. Or Ragusin could redshirt and true freshman Sergio Lemley could get the call at 141. Possible Redshirt: Tom Crook (Virginia Tech) Tom Crook stepped into the Virginia Tech lineup last year as a true freshman and unseated a returning qualifier (Collin Gerardi) to solidify his spot in the starting ten. This time, Crook likely steps aside and gives one of the top-100 true freshmen, Mac Church or Hunter Mason, a shot. Virginia Tech probably hopes one will emerge as the starter early and they can preserve a redshirt for the other. True Freshmen: Mac Church/Hunter Mason (Virginia Tech) 149 lbs Barring any drastic weight changes, we’ll likely see a first-time champion at 149 lbs after the departure of Yianni Diakomihalis. This will continue to be a class that looks tougher and tougher as the year progresses. The top-12 only has three seniors and half of the top-20 are sophomores. Returning: Ridge Lovett (Nebraska), Willie McDougald (Oklahoma), Cody Bond (Appalachian State) The 2022 NCAA runner-up Ridge Lovett is back after redshirting last season. He assumes the top spot at 149 lbs and hopes to win Nebraska’s first national title since 2011. Willie McDougald gives Oklahoma an All-American threat in the middle of the lineup in year one for Roger Kish. Cody Bond is back from injury and also down a weight for App State. Bond was a 2021 national qualifier for the Mountaineers. Moving Weights: Dylan D’Emilio (Ohio State), Casey Swiderski (Iowa State), Joe Zargo (Wisconsin), Jacob Butler (Rutgers) Dylan D’Emilio is another part of the lineup shift for the Buckeyes. Casey Swiderski was initially thought to redshirt this season, but he’ll move up with the uncertainty surrounding Paniro Johnson. Jacob Butler has competed at 141 and 157 lbs, so he may as well go 149, too. Possible Redshirt: Colin Realbuto (Northern Iowa) Colin Realbuto has competed for Team Italy at the U23 and Senior World Championships, and the European Championships and attempted to qualify for the Olympics in 2021. He’s omitted here because we expect him to use an Olympic Year to try and qualify for the 2024 Games. Other: Manzona Bryant (Northern Colorado) Initially, Manzona Bryant was slated to transfer to Northern Colorado. That fell through, so he won’t be competing for the Bears in 2023-24. 157 lbs Another weight class where a first-time national champion is very likely. Once you get past the initial wave of contenders, there are a lot of new faces in the bottom half of the rankings. Returning: Michael Blockhus (Minnesota), Jacori Teemer (Arizona State) He made us do some last-minute modifications to the rankings at 157 lbs, but that’s where we expect 2023 All-American and Big Ten runner-up Michael Blockhus. With his return, All-American Brayton Lee has entered the portal. We’ll see where he ends up. Jacori Teemer missed the entire 2022-23 season due to injury and if he’s anyone near his pre-injury ability level; he’ll challenge for a national title. Possible Redshirt: Cesar Alvan (Columbia) 2023 NCAA qualifier Cesar Alvan will be using an Olympic redshirt for the season. Alvan was a 2022 Pan-American bronze medalist wrestling for Brazil. True Freshmen: Meyer Shapiro (Cornell) Meyer Shapiro was named the #1 overall recruit in the Class of 2023 and showed why at the U20 World Championships. He isn’t in the rankings because we don’t rank true freshmen until they hit the mat, but needless to say, we expect him to be a significant factor wherever he wrestles. As of now, that is sort of unclear. Initially, it appeared as if he’d be a 149 lber, but after seeing him compete at 70 kg, it looks like 152 may be his spot. However, it shakes out, Shapiro and Cole Handlovic are expected to handle duties at 149/157 lbs. Other: Sammy Sasso (Ohio State) As of two weeks ago, we expected Sammy Sasso to move up to 157 lbs and challenge for an elusive national title. His status is now in question after a horrific carjacking and shooting. The entire wrestling community supports Sasso in his battle to rehab and recover from the terrible injuries suffered during this incident. 165 lbs 165 was perhaps the most anticipated bracket in 2023 and not much should change this season. A pair of past national champions inhabit the number one and number two slots. Graduation and weight movement make the top tier of contenders slightly more manageable than a year ago. Even so, this is a really strong weight. Returning: Justin Ruffin (SIU Edwardsville) At this time last year, we were disappointed to hear that Justin Ruffin’s career was potentially over after suffering a preseason injury. Ruffin is back for SIUE and up a weight class. If back to full strength, Ruffin should be a favorite for a MAC title. Moving Weights: Andrew Cerniglia (Navy) Possible Redshirt: Matty Singleton (NC State) We last saw Matty Singleton capturing a U20 World bronze medal less than two weeks ago in Amman, Jordan. Singleton is a likely redshirt in 2023-24, as he had his pulled late in the year last season and came up just short of qualifying for nationals. 174 lbs Three of the top four finishers from 2023 return and are joined by 2021 NCAA champion Shane Griffith who bumps up after transferring from Stanford. Those four form a formidable quartet at the top of this weight. After that group, there’s a noticeable difference between the rest of this weight. That should result in at least a few first-time All-Americans. Going down the top-33 there are a lot of new faces towards the bottom. Moving Weights: Shane Griffith (Michigan), Carson Kharchla (Ohio State), Justin McCoy (Virginia), Andrew Sparks (Minnesota), Adam Kemp (Cal Poly) In addition to Griffith, 2022 All-American Carson Kharchla and Round of 12 finisher Justin McCoy are also podium threats. True Freshmen: Brayden Thompson (Oklahoma State) With no Oklahoma State wrestler mentioned in the rankings at 174 lbs, it means we may see true freshman Brayden Thompson emerge as the year-one starter for the Cowboys. Thompson is accustomed to having success against older competition, as he was a U20 World Team member in 2022, before his senior year of high school. 184 lbs It’s a new-look 184 lb weight class with three-time national champion Aaron Brooks expected to move up to 197 lbs. Graduation and weight changes have opened this weight class significantly. As the year progresses, I’d expect a lot of movement between #8 and #24 as a lot of wrestlers in this range have beaten each other before and there isn’t much that separates them from each other. Returning: Jonathan Loew (Cornell) 2022 All-American Jonathan Loew is back after an injury-plagued campaign last year. If he’s back to his past form, Loew could be an X-factor that helps Cornell win another NCAA team trophy. Moving Weights: Bernie Truax (Penn State), Dustin Plott (Oklahoma State), Troy Fisher (Northwestern), Cael Valencia (Arizona State), Triston Wills (Little Rock) This weight class gets a shot in the arm from Bernie Truax and Dustin Plott, one who is moving up (Plott) and another who is moving down (Truax). As of now, Truax is the only wrestler in this weight class with a career win over #1 Parker Keckeisen. 2023 was a breakout year for Northwestern’s Troy Fisher, as he earned a top-20 seed at nationals and picked up a pair of NCAA wins. He’ll move up for the Wildcats and become another possible threat in a relatively even Big Ten weight class. Other: Travis Wittlake (Oklahoma State) Dustin Plott is slated to move up to 184 lbs as Travis Wittlake is reportedly done for Oklahoma State. 197 lbs One NCAA champion is gone (Nino Bonaccorsi) but another one has appeared (Aaron Brooks) to make this weight extremely tough again. 197 is a weight that tends to have a lot of turnover and new All-American threats emerge. That may not be the case with the star power returning in 2023-24. Returning: Stephen Buchanan (Oklahoma) After redshirting and transferring to Oklahoma, two-time All-American Stephen Buchanan is back and should play a prominent role in the national title hunt at 197 lbs. Buchanan has wins over the returning NCAA runner-up (Tanner Sloan) and the third-place finisher (Rocky Elam) as he slides into a #2 ranking. All three are in the Big 12 and should have entertaining scraps all year long. Possible Redshirt: Isaac Trumble (NC State), Braxton Amos (Wisconsin) An injury to Braxton Amos at the 2023 NCAA Championships and the 2024 Olympic Games looming, both lead Amos to redshirt this year. NC State’s weight changes and success on the freestyle circuit allow Isaac Trumble to take the year off, as well. Moving Weights: Aaron Brooks (Penn State), Trent Hidlay (NC State), John Poznanski (Rutgers), Anthony Montalvo (Arizona State) In addition to Aaron Brooks, other past All-Americans moving up from 184 lbs include Trent Hidlay and John Poznanski. Hidlay is a past NCAA finalist and has been able to hold Brooks in check (as much as anyone can). He’ll have some new fun matchups with the Big 12 contenders at this weight. 285 lbs Little by little, the 285 lb class is thinning out every year. Just two years ago, it was one of the most star-studded weight classes ever. This year’s version should be really strong (and could get even stronger; winky-eye emoji). Returning: Luke Luffman (Illinois), Lewis Fernandes (Cornell) After competing and having success for a few years without a redshirt, Luke Luffman took off the 2022-23 season. He’ll find the Big Ten and the overall weight class slightly more manageable than it was in the past and could earn All-American honors for the first time. Lewis Fernandes had his season cut short due to injuries. He’s close to All-American range, as well. Moving Weights: Owen Pentz (Nebraska) The coaching change at North Dakota State led to a handful of veterans moving on, one of whom was Owen Pentz, who has resurfaced at Nebraska. Pentz introduced himself on a national stage back in 2021 when he pinned then-number two-seeded Eric Schultz (Nebraska) in the first round at nationals. Now he’s a Cornhusker. Other: Jonah Niesenbaum (Duke) Duke’s lone national qualifier from 2023, ACC runner-up Jonah Niesenbaum, will not return to the Blue Devils. Niesenbaum has an interesting employment option that our ACC correspondent, Robbie Wendell, will detail in the coming weeks or months.