InterMat Staff

Morgan Kopitsky had the chance to speak with Southern Oregon head coach Gabrielle Weyhrich. Coach Weyhrich's was named the NAIA Women's Coach of the Year after leading her team to a national title in 2023 in her first year as a head coach. The two talk about this memorable season, along with individual performances along the way, the landscape of women's college wrestling, recruiting, and much more. For the full interview Click Here

We are just about at the turning point where last season’s results and memories start to fade into the WrestleStat archives and the general wrestling community ramps up the interest and speculation of the upcoming season. And when it comes to Fantasy College Wrestling, drafters need to start thinking about who they want to pick in their 2024 draft. One way to do this is to look at the results of the 2023 season. The 2023 FCW Top-20 at each weight can give you a good idea of who the top Fantasy wrestlers in the country are. Seeing who returns, who leaves, who outplaced who, what teams made these lists more than others… all important information and data to digest. Of course, things can change quickly in college wrestling. Wrestlers can transfer, injuries can happen, and new stars can emerge. But the 2023 FCW Top-20 is a good starting point for your fantasy draft preparation, as you will see some (many, actually) repeat names from the 2022 Top-20 articles and even 2021 Top-20 articles. Take for instance: Pat Glory (PRIN), Yianni Diakomihalis (COR), Keegan O’Toole (MIZZ), and Carter Starocci (PSU). That championship group scored 223 Fpts in the 2023 season. How about these names though: Caleb Smith (APP), McKenzie Bell (RID), Evan Barczak (DREX), and Tyler Stoltzfus (LHU). That group scored 313 Fpts, and none were All-Americans. As you look at the list, keep in mind that not all of the top performers are household names. Some of the wrestlers who scored the most points in 2023 were not All-Americans. This is just one of the things that makes fantasy sports so exciting and unpredictable. So start your draft preparation today by taking a look at the 2023 FCW Top-20. You might just find some hidden gems that can help you win your league in 2024. To compile these lists, we used standard WrestleStat Fantasy College Wrestling Data & Scoring. Just a reminder of how points were tallied in WrestleStat leagues: 1) The scoring used was Standard Team Scoring across all competitions (+3 for a win by decision, -4 for a loss by Major, etc) 2) Scoring only counted against D1 competition 3) Wins via Forfeits (FFT) would count as +6 towards a wrestler's point total 4) Wins or Losses by Medical Forfeit (MFF) did not count as + or - towards a wrestler's point total 5) Points were only accumulated during the regular season Notes: Every year, one weight seems to outshine the rest when it comes to Fantasy. This season, that weight was saved for the heaviest of weights. The race for king of the weight class, and what turned out to be the #1 Overall Ranking of the 2023 season, came down to the last day of competition. Mason Parris and Wyatt Hendrickson entered the last week of competition separated by four Fpts (Parris with 112 and Hendrickson with 108). All Parris had to do was win and he would be crowned the #1 Fantasy Wrestler of the year. Hendrickson would need to win by pin or tech and have Parris either not wrestle or lose. Hendrickson did his part by pinning Northern Colorado’s Xavier Doolin, but Parris also did his own part and won by major and thus is your #1 Fantasy Wrestler of 2023. Grady Greiss followed up his 2022 showing with another Top-3 finish, besting his 2022 score by 20 Fpts. SIUE’s Colton McKiernan makes his first Top-20, in fact making it as #5, with his best fantasy season in the past four years. The same goes for Duke’s Jonah Niesenbaum who eeks into the Top-10. And speaking of best fantasy years, it may surprise you that the 2023 version of Anthony Cassioppi was his best (2022 was #18, 2021 was #23, and 2020 was #12). Of his 19 matches, 10 were won by pin and one by DQ which helped boost him up the ranks to #4. Falling on the opposite end would be Greg Kerkvliet, who comes in just outside the Top-10 as opposed to his 2022 finish of #4 with just about the same number of matches wrestled. The 285 weight class had six wrestlers in the Overall Fantasy Ranks within the Top-20. No other weight had more than two in the Top-20. Who Missed The Cut: The only All-American to miss the cut was Trent Hillger, finishing at #34 with 24 Fpts. Six losses during the regular season, including one by pin, will do that. Boone McDermott (RUT) fell just under the Top-20 threshold, accumulating 37 Fpts in his 19 matches in the regular season. He edged out Ohio State’s Michael Misita by one Fpt who finished as the #22 fantasy wrestler at 285. Cal Poly’s Trevor Tinker tied Binghamton’s Cory Day on Fpts, with Tinker gaining the edge in PPM (1.6 to 1.4, respectively). They finished #23 and #24 in the 285 fantasy ranks. In the battle of True Freshmen redshirts, Harley Andrews (NEB) and Chase Horne (NCST) wrestled the same number of matches, with Andrews getting the better rank by one Fpt to finish #25. Other notables to miss the cut include Tate Orndorff (OHST) at #26 with 32 Fpts, Zachary Knighton-Ward (HOF) at #30 with 26 Fpts, Konnor Doucet (OKST) at #35, Ben Goldin (PENN) at #40 with 20 Fpts, and Dayton Pitzer (PITT) at #45 with 17 Fpts (in 10 matches). Don't see your favorite wrestler on the list? Let me know @FantasyD1Wrestl for the full stats. 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

Hunterdon Central

Bergen Catholic

York Suburban

Brick Memorial

Sunnyside

The Walsh Ironman has long held the title of "toughest regular season tournament " at the high school level. The tournament has released its teams for the 2023 Ironman and it will undoubtedly retain that title again. Here are the teams: Alliance (OH) Archbishop Moeller (OH) Archbold (OH) Aurora (OH) Barnesville (OH) Baylor School (TN) Bethlehem Catholic (PA) Bishop Hartley (OH) Bishop Kelly (ID) Bishop McCort (PA) Bishop Lynch (TX) Bishop Watterson (OH) Bixby (OK) Blackfoot (ID) Blair Academy (NJ) Brecksville (OH) Broken Arrow (OK) Brooke Point (VA) Brownsburg (IN) Buckeye (OH) Canon-McMillan (PA) Caraval Academy (DE) Cardinal Gibbons (FL) Center Grove (IN) Clay (OH) Conant (IL) Copley (OH) Corner Canyon (UT) Crestview (OH) Crown Point (IN) Cuyahoga Valley CA (OH) Davis (UT) Dublin Coffman (OH) Dublin Scioto (OH) Edgewood (OH) Edmond North (OK) Elyria (OH) Faith Christian Academy (PA) Father Ryan (TN) Fleming Island (FL) Frazier (PA) Fremont (UT) Genoa Area (OH) Gilman School (MD) Gonzaga Prep (WA) Gooding (ID) Greens Farms Academy (CT) Greeneville (TN) Gunnison (CO) Hallsville (MO) Herriman (UT) Highland (OH) Hillsboro (MO) Homewood-Flossmoor (IL) Hononegah (IL) IC Catholic Prep (IL) Iona Prep (NY) Jensen Beach (FL) Jesuit (LA) Joliet Catholic (IL) Kenston (OH) Keystone (OH) LaSalle (OH) Lake Catholic (OH) Lake Gibson (FL) Lake Highland Prep (FL) Lake Norman (NC) Lancaster (OH) Layton (UT) Legacy Christian Academy (OH) Liberty (MO) Liberty Center (OH) Louisville (OH) Loyola Academy (IL) Marist (IL) Marysville (OH) Malvern Prep (PA) Marmion Academy (IL) Massillon Perry (OH) Mayfield (OH) McDonogh School (MD) Melissa (TX) Mentor (OH) Meridian (ID) Mesa Ridge (CO) Millard West (NE) Minisink Valley (NY) Monroeville (OH) Montini Catholic (IL) Mount Carmel (IL) Mountain View (ID) Mullen (CO) Nixa (MO) Normal Community (IL) Notre Dame-Green Pond (PA) Olentangy Liberty (OH) Park Vista (FL) Parkersburg South (WV) Perkins (OH) Perrysburg (OH) Pleasant Grove (UT) Point Pleasant (WV) Pomona (CO) Ponaganset (RI) Ponderosa (CO) Poudre (CO) Reynolds (PA) Seckman (MO) Skutt Catholic (NE) South Summit (UT) SPIRE Academy (OH) Springboro (OH) St. Charles East (IL) St. Christopher's (VA) St. Edward (OH) St. Francis DeSales (OH) St. Michael the Archangel (MO) St. Paris Graham (OH) St. Plus X (MO) St Vincent/St. Mary's (OH) St. Xavier (OH) Staley (MO) State College (PA) Staunton River (VA) Steubenville (OH) Stillwater (OK) Sussex Central (DE) Sycamore (OH) Syracuse (UT) Trinity Christian (TX) Unity (IL) Union County (KY) University (WA) University (WV) Valiant College Prep (AZ) Viewmont (UT) Wadsworth (OH) Walsh Jesuit (OH) Warren Township (IL) Washington Community (IL) Western Reserve (OH) Westlake (UT) Whitfield (MO) Whitmer (OH) Winter Springs (FL) Woods Cross (UT) Wyoming Seminary (PA)

Dysen Gould is back with another great interview. Today, he has Iowa All-American Max Murin. Murin talks about his time competing for the Hawkeyes, the bond between wrestlers on the Iowa team, as well as finally getting onto the NCAA podium. Murin is now headed to Providence to coach at the Brown RTC. He discusses how that move came about and what he's looking forward to in Providence. Murin also has some excellent stories about members of the Iowa coaching staff and an update on his snake "Miss Hiss." For the interview check out InterMat's Rokfin Page (no paywall)

At the recent U20 world championships, Team USA brought home three gold medals across all three styles and came up 13 tournament points short of the team title in men’s freestyle. The following article looks at some of the top statistical performers for the squad and how the team performed collectively. Men’s Freestyle After redshirting last season at Cal Baptist, Mitchell Mesenbrink transferred to Penn State this past offseason. Based on his performance at the U20 World Championships, it looks like the Nittany Lions might have another star on their hands. On his way to the men's freestyle title at 74 kg, Mesenbrink scored a team-high 59 match points across his five matches. No other wrestler on Team USA came particularly close to that point total as the second-highest scorers were tied at 47 points. Mesenbrink scored at least three takedowns in all of his matches and scored a tournament-high five takedowns against Elkan Garayev of Azerbaijan in the round of 16. He was also equally dynamic on the ground as he scored five exposures via the gut wrench and another four with the leg lace. On his path to the finals, Mesenbrink allowed only a single match point. In the title match, Iran’s Hossein Mohammad Aghaei was able to score five points, but the U.S. wrestler still finished the bout via match termination. The takedown and leg lac scored by Aghaei were the only two-point scores Mesenbrink allowed in the entire tournament. Team USA’s other champion in men’s freestyle was the second-highest scorer on the team. Meyer Shapiro, who will join Cornell for the upcoming college season, scored 47 points and won the title at 70 kg. He averaged three takedowns per match and scored a personal high of four in his shootout title match against Iran’s Ali Rezaeian Ghazaleh. Shapiro allowed only 10 points across his five matches with six coming in the final against Ghazaleh. The Iranian scored the first four points of the bout with an arm spin takedown and a gut wrench. However, Shapiro was then able to pull away and take the match via an 11-6 score. Women’s Freestyle In women’s freestyle, the highest-scoring wrestler for Team USA was Amit Elor. The 72 kg champion scored 36 points despite only wrestling four matches. While she scored seven takedowns, Elor was devastating in par terre. She scored seven turns via the leg lace (four against Kazakhstan’s Shamshiyabanu Tastanbek and three against Bukrenaz Sert of Turkey), and she added a gut wrench against Japan’s Yuka Fujikura. Perhaps the most impressive aspect of Elor’s performance was that she was the only wrestler on Team USA to not surrender a single point in the tournament. Part of this is due to her offensive dominance as she finished all four of her matches prior to the full six minutes with three of those match terminations coming inside the first two minutes. However, Elor did showcase some impressive defense against Fujikura who won a gold medal at the 2022 U20 Asian championships. Greco Roman Team USA’s Greco-Roman squad failed to bring home a medal, but Northern Iowa’s Wyatt Voelker came quite close at 87 kg. He went 3-2 and came up short in one of the bronze medal matches. Across those five matches, he scored 20 points, which was the most by a U.S. Greco competitor. He scored three takedowns and added another eight points via four gut wrenches. Landon Drury who also finished just one match short of a medal down at 63 kg was the second-highest-scoring Greco wrestler with 19 points. Overall Team As a team, the U.S. outscored their opposition 638 to 399. Men’s freestyle had the largest edge with a 338 to 154 advantage, while the women’s freestyle team also edged their opponents 223 to 121. The Greco team was outscored 124 to 77. Takedowns are where Team USA really separated themselves from the opposition. Across the three styles, the team scored 160 takedowns while allowing only 79. Even though the Greco team was outscored, they still managed 11 takedowns while allowing only nine. Not to fuel any wild conspiracy theories, but the squad certainly got the short end of the stick when it came to cautions. The team was awarded with only six cautions, while the opposition collected 12 across all three styles. This edge was particularly evident in Greco where Team USA got cautioned six times without their opponents being penalized once. While American wrestlers usually dominate step-out points, that was not the case in men’s freestyle. The team scored a respectable 25 step-outs points but allowed opponents to score 28.

Mount Pisgah

Sometimes I have fun and exciting ideas for articles. Other times, I take other people’s great ideas, and make them into wrestling things. This is one of those times. Shea Serrano, one of my favorite writers and podcasters (if you like hip-hop, basketball, movies, pop culture, and funny stuff, then check him out) recently wrote the “Action Hero Scouting Report”, in which he has categories, a scoring system, and breakdowns of several movie action heroes. It’s essentially a scouting report for pro sports prospects, but he did it with characters from action movies. It was awesome and I loved it. So much so that I decided to tweak the idea for a B1G preview for this season. It’s already late August, and before you know it, September will be here. Despite what Green Day says, September will soon end and it’ll be Halloween, and then the MSU Open is here. It’s basically tomorrow. So with that in mind, let’s get to the B1G Wrestling Scouting Report. First things first. This is supposed to be a fun exercise. It’s largely subjective. It’s me making up categories and then assigning points to these wrestlers based on my own thoughts and feelings. I’ll try to justify the scores to some extent in each breakdown of the wrestler, but this is for fun, and in no way shape or form, do I have any lack of respect for any of these wrestlers, so please take this as simply a fun exercise. Secondly, it would be a lot to include every single wrestler from the B1G in here, so instead of that, I’m including the returning All-Americans in the B1G from last season, along with the returners from the Round of 12, or the Bloodround, if you will (I will). I will not be revisiting previous season AA’s who didn’t last year. No offense to any of those wrestlers, but this article can only be so long, for your sanity and mine. I will try to include AAs from other conferences who are transferring into the B1G, because they seem relevant to this season. Finally, this is broken into two parts because it’s really long and I have deadlines on when I need to turn things in to Earl. Lastly, let’s get to the categories. So just like Shea did, I am assigning points to each of my categories based on how heavily or lightly they should be weighed (again, subjectively how I feel they should be weighed). The total points would be 100 (an impossible score to achieve), which will be broken up into the 6 main categories. Another point is that because this is a scouting report, weight classes don’t really matter. So hypothetically someone from a much lower weight who placed 8th could score higher than someone who placed second at a much higher weight. Would the smaller wrestler beat the bigger wrestler in a match? Probably not, but that’s not what this is. Enough already Claunch, GET TO THE CATEGORIES!!! The categories are: Offensive Diversity - Since this is my list, I’m going to focus less on effective offense, and more on a diversity of attacks. You always hear about your “go-to” takedown, and that’s valuable, but I like when wrestlers can attack both sides of the body and score in a variety of ways. I also like when they can initiate their own offense and not simply counter-wrestle. I’m going to reward primarily counter wrestlers in a later category, so it’ll likely balance itself out, but for the sake of this category, a large toolbox of attacks will go a long way. Total points available here - 20 Showmanship - I turn 38 in September, which might sound old to some of you. Maybe it sounds young to others. Regardless, I feel like I’m far from being “Old Man Claunch'', so I like to see some charisma in my wrestlers. Work the crowd in home duals. Tell the away crowds to quiet down when you get a big win. Do some of the fun stuff that you only have so many opportunities in life to do. Spike your headgear! Admittedly, this doesn’t have as big a real effect on the wrestling, but it’s still fun. Total points available here - 5 Defensive/Scrambling versatility - Counter wrestlers are rewarded here. Along with those roly-poly dudes who just seem to be able to weasel their way out of those situations where they look dead to rights, and then somehow get a 3-point takedown from it (I know, it’s the first time I’ve written it and it seems weird). Being able to scramble is one thing, counter wrestling a second thing, but the wrestlers that hand fight like prime Tyson will also get rewarded here. If they can’t get past your head and hands, then they can’t score, so that’s rewarded here as well. Total points available here - 20 Wishnificance - This is directly pulled from Shea. He made up this word. He’s great. He describes it as “You know how sometimes when you’re watching a movie a thing happens inside of your chest where all of a sudden you kind of want to be someone from that movie? That’s what this is”. So essentially, when you’re watching someone wrestle, and you think “I should try that”, or you have to rewind a sequence to see what that person did, or you actually try to change your stance or approach based on what they are doing. That’s what this category is. How much does their style make you (or in this case, pretty much me), make you want to wrestle like them. Total points available here - 20 Upset alert - I heard an analogy about quarterbacks the other day. It was essentially, are you more worried about that quarterback if he is on your team, or playing against you. That’s kind of what this is. If your favorite team is wrestling this guy, and your wrestler on your team should win, how nervous does this guy make you? Some guys just have a way of getting up for big matches and pulling something off. Some guys you already know will absolutely not beat your guy. That doesn’t mean they’re bad wrestlers. Remember we’re scouting top 12 finishers, but some guys make you more nervous is all. That’s what this score is. Total points available here - 15 Top Game - You should be able to get out from the bottom. That’s not a category because these are adults who are trained to take chances and attack because getting out shouldn’t be that bad, and you can go try again. However, some guys on top are nightmares. It’s like in The Dark Knight Rises when Bruce Wayne has to climb out of the pit, and he falls over and over and it looks like the most awful soul-crushing thing. That’s what it must be like being underneath some of these dudes. For that matter, some of us might rather climb out of that pit than be underneath Patrick McKee. Total points available here - 20 Okay, that’s how this is set up and the scoring is clear. With each athlete, I’ll provide the score, and a brief breakdown of how I see them, including some justifying points. When possible, I’ll try to add some good stories or anecdotes, concluding the breakdown. This is going to be a marathon, but I am confident that you’ll have fun. Which sounds like not what happens in a marathon. Regardless, let’s begin. Matt Ramos - Purdue, 125, 2nd Offensive Diversity - 18, Showmanship - 4, Defensive/Scrambling Versatility - 14, Wishnificance - 18, Upset Alert - 15, Top Game - 16. Total score - 87 Breakdown: Matt Ramos spent all year being one of the most dangerous and exciting wrestlers the B1G could offer. I had referenced that if anyone was going to beat Spencer Lee before the finals, it would need to be a guy as dynamic and with icy-cold veins like Ramos. Then he did it. The dude is so good on his feet, has so many ways to attack, and seems completely ready to fire away because he trusts his ability to make it up later if he needs to. He was classy enough to not over celebrate in the semifinal win, but recognized the moment and celebrated to what I felt was to the right degree. Ramos gets the most points in the upset category because he got the most unthinkable upset. Also, he’s just nasty on top, and he showed many times that he can handle pressure. The aforementioned match with Lee, but also his quarterfinal match with Cardinale of WVU was down to the wire. Aaron Nagao - Penn State (Formerly Minnesota), 133, 5th Offensive Diversity - 15, Showmanship - 3, Defensive/Scrambling Versatility - 15, Wishnificance - 17, Upset Alert - 14, Top Game - 18. Total score - 82 Breakdown: Aaron Nagao was my preseason pick for breakout candidate at 133 last season. I think it’s safe to say that placing fifth in the country counts as “breaking out”. Nagao dealt with some injuries early in the season, wrestling in the B1G finals and competing strongly against RBY really showed what he can do. He backed up his performance in Ann Arbor by crushing things at NCAAs. His only two losses at NCAA were to Roman Bravo Young and to Daton Fix. Those guys are pretty good. After the season, Aaron entered the transfer portal and ended up jumping into the Nittany Lion wrestling room where he’ll have plenty of more opportunities to wrestle with RBY and continue to develop. The move was a little surprising to me, considering he seemed to be developing just fine, but regardless, Nagao proved last year that he is as talented and dangerous as it gets and I expect him to back that up in the Navy and White. Jesse Mendez - Ohio State, 133, 6th Offensive Diversity - 18, Showmanship - 3, Defensive/Scrambling Versatility - 16, Wishnificance - 14, Upset Alert - 16, Top Game - 16. Total Score - 83 Breakdown: Dude just won a U20 silver, so let’s take a moment to applaud those efforts. He’s the second-best person on the entire planet in that age and weight class. Bravo Jesse. Additionally, this dude is a gritty SOB. He managed to place the same in the NCAA tournament as he did at the B1G tournament (6th). He won three straight OT matches, and avenged a loss to Dylan Ragusin from the B1G Tournament, en route to an All-American finish. All signs point to him, and much of the Ohio State lineup, bumping up a weight class this season, but he is as prepared and ready to not simply repeat this performance, but likely improve on it. Jesse Mendez is picking up the phone when a fight is calling. Real Woods - Iowa, 141, 2nd Offensive Diversity - 17, Showmanship - 5, Defensive/Scrambling Versatility - 18, Wishnificance - 20, Upset Alert - 10, Top Game - 17. Total Score - 87 Breakdown: Real Woods was a beast in his first season for the Hawkeyes. It’s ridiculous to think that his goal was to take second in the country, but being that more people don’t win NCAA Championships than win one, I’m going to still celebrate this result. Real was stingy in close matches, and also able to get big wins against just about anyone else in the country. At NCAAs, he made his way to the finals by winning 3 of his 4 matches by major decision and is able to wrestle in just about any position. His top game really looked great all year, and in those close matches, was oftentimes a deciding factor. I had a chance to interview him at B1Gs, and he genuinely seemed like he was taking it all in stride and appreciating the moments. I like that about him, and as such, gave him a 20 in Wishnificance. Seems like getting a degree from Stanford, and following that up with wrestling home duals at Carver Hawkeye Arena, would be something I would want to experience for myself. Real Woods is real cool. Beau Bartlett - Penn State, 141, 3rd Offensive Diversity - 14, Showmanship - 5, Defensive/Scrambling Versatility - 20, Wishnificance - 15, Upset Alert - 12, Top Game - 15. Total Score - 81 Breakdown: Beau at the right weight class for him was way different than at the wrong weight class for him. Better different. You expect guys to get better (especially the PSU guys) to improve year over year, but this was a significantly better wrestler than the 149 version. His defense was unreal, and as a result, seems like he could have won any match he was in. His offense was good enough to beat who he should, but would struggle sometimes against the elite of the elite. The top game for all of the PSU guys is good, if not exciting. I also really enjoy Beau’s IG posts where he does crazy back handsprings off of a one-legged squat, or a variety of other wild things that crazy athletes can do and would cause me to break my neck. That impacted his showmanship score, even if he doesn’t necessarily dazzle on the mat. Can’t wait to see what he’s able to continue to develop into. Ridge Lovett - Nebraska, 149, 2nd in 2022 Offensive Diversity - 19, Showmanship - 5, Defensive/Scrambling Versatility - 19, Wishnificance - 18, Upset Alert - 14, Top Game - 18. Total Score - 93 Breakdown: I said I wasn’t including wrestlers that AA’s in other years but not last year, but Ridge AA’d in his most recent attempt, so he’s getting included here. Plus, who isn’t excited to watch Ridge Lovett wrestle again? After placing second in the country to Yianni Diakomihalis, through a loaded bracket in 2022, Ridge redshirted last season for the Corn Huskers. It was a bit of a hole in their lineup on the season, but he should be prepared to not only step right back into 149, but should be ranked #1 in the country, in my humble opinion. His offense is dynamic, he has the iconic and goofy pose after winning big matches, and he’s capable of pinning anyone in a variety of ways, as well as scrambling with the absolute best. I can’t think of a wrestler I’m more excited to see return other than Ridge Lovett (at least in the B1G, probably Johnny Lovett of CMU in the MAC. Lovett’s are great). Shayne Van Ness - Penn State, 149, 3rd Offensive Diversity - 16, Showmanship - 3, Defensive/Scrambling Versatility - 15, Wishnificance - 10, Upset Alert - 15, Top Game - 15. Total Score - 74 Breakdown: I’ll admit right away, that my score for SVN is clearly lower than where he placed last season. Let me defend myself for a moment. In my mind, Shayne was hovering in the teens (as far as rankings went) for most of the year, and had a good NCAAs. I also remember his first-round match with Ethen Miller of Maryland at NCAAs that he almost lost before pinning Miller (not a shot at Miller, an excellent wrestler, but just recalling how that match went). That memory though is misleading. Looking through the results, he had tech falled Miller only a couple of weeks before, avenged an earlier season loss to Paniro Johnson, and cruised into the semis where he gave Yianni a good match. By the end of the season, he was always in there during the tough matches, and appears to have gotten “over the hump” or “peaked” or “figured it out”, or whatever cliched phrase you’d like to attribute to the finish. His upset alert is up there because he should remain dangerous, despite his probable high early season ranking for 2023-2024. Will Lewan - Michigan, 157, 8th Offensive Diversity - 13, Showmanship - 2, Defensive/Scrambling Versatility - 20, Whishnificance - 16, Upset Alert - 14, Top Game - 17. Total Score - 82 Breakdown: The Will Lewan experience is something unlike any other. I remain objective in my media responsibilities and certainly don’t try to let my personal biases affect how I approach this, but I would be lying to you if I said that I wasn’t a Michigan fan. I grew up in Ann Arbor, so it’s hard to not develop that along the way. Anyway, Will Lewan does not fire off an array of offensive attacks, but he doesn’t need to. He has the ability to, and nothing is stopping him from attacking more, but he’s so good defensively and with scrambling, that he doesn’t need to unleash his arsenal until he needs to. The Wishnificance level is so high for him, because just once in my life I’d like to be out there with the confidence that this other guy isn’t going to take me down. When I wrestle, my attack rate is high because I don’t want the other person to attack, because I probably won’t be able to stop it. Not being able to stop someone’s attack has never even crossed Will Lewan’s mind. He’s supremely confident in his ability to systematically get to his offense, at his pace, and not you nor I is going to change that approach. He can beat anyone, or he could lose to someone he shouldn’t, but that’s the Will Lewan experience. It sure is something. Chase Saldate - Michigan State, 157, Bloodround Offensive Diversity - 14, Showmanship - 3, Defensive/Scrambling Versatility - 17, Wishnificance - 14, Upset Alert - 13, Top Game - 19. Total Score - 80 Breakdown: Chase was another one of my breakout candidates from last season. I watched him develop in his first couple of seasons with the Spartans, and he kept getting better each year. Kept adding more to his arsenal. The season before last he proved to be elite on top, and was always stingy enough on his feet to get things done. He had some big wins throughout last year, and proved to be a guy fighting for a podium spot. Despite a tough first-round loss at NCAAs, he still managed to battle back into the Bloodround before running into Bryce Andonian of Virginia Tech. He continues to be awesome on top, excellent defensively, and has added a couple of attacks that he can rely on when he needs to. I expect him to continue to get better next year and continue to establish himself as a legit contender. Cam Amine - Michigan, 165, 4th Offensive Diversity - 16, Showmanship - 4, Defensive/Scrambling Versatility - 16, Wishnificance - 19, Upset Alert - 15, Top Game - 15. Total Score - 85 Breakdown: I don’t think I’ll ever forget being on the floor and watching Cam get the overtime takedown against Marinelli to make the semis in 2022. That place erupted. Despite battling some injury issues last season, he made it back on the podium in what was one of the most loaded weights in recent memory. He appears to be the strongest man of all time, and I get that feeling based on the fact that oftentimes guys don’t wrestle him the way that they wrestle other people. You see high-octane offensive weapons shut down against him more than you see it happen most times. He has enough attacks of his own to get the job done, and is so stingy and tough that he makes guys get into deeper waters than they want to, and then they drown. Hand-fighting him looks miserable, and I think hand-fighting Cam Amine for 10 minutes should be a punishment that is handed out to criminals. It might be more of a deterrent than jail. Carter Starocci - Penn State, 174, 1st Offensive Diversity - 18, Showmanship - 5, Defensive/Scrambling Versatility - 18, Wishnificance - 16, Upset Alert - 12, Top Game - 19. Total Score - 88 Breakdown: Carter Starocci is as dangerous as it gets. The dude has won NCAA Championships in as many attempts as you get, and along the way has been constantly reminding everyone about it. I don’t intend for that to be a negative. If you back up what you say, then you get rewarded in this system. Since he was a freshman, he’s proven that he can fight with the best of them on his feet, scramble and defend like few can, and his top game is suffocating. He would have had a score in the nineties if I liked being the villain, which is an image I think he intentionally tries to cultivate. It's not an image I would want, but more power to him. I imagine most of these guys need to create some sort of an edge to power through practice and training. I know he has bigger goals (I know this because he told us he was going to win the Olympics in 2024, at which weight, I’m not sure), so I’m sure at this point he’s just chasing immortality in being a 4x NCAA Champion, but you still need an edge, which he certainly has. Nelson Brands - Iowa, 174, 5th Offensive Diversity - 14, Showmanship - 2, Defensive/Scrambling Versatility - 16, Wishnificance - 20, Upset Alert - 15, Top Game - 14. Total Score - 81 Breakdown: Let’s flashback to the beginning of last season real quick. Remember when Nelson Brands was in a car accident and broke his collarbone and had several other injuries to his elbow and forearm that would have caused any normal human being to wrap themselves in a protective bubble. However, Nelson chose to put his singlet on and battle with the toughest wrestlers in the country as he slowly but surely became more healthy (or at least matched the health of the people he was wrestling against). The Wishnificance factor is maxed out here because I love the idea of wrestling with a style like his, where winning the fight seems almost more important than winning the match. Nelson, more often than not, does an excellent job of doing both. He’s a brawler, with excellent technique, and a will to win. I genuinely feel like he can beat anyone in the country, and for that matter, I hope he does. Isaiah Salazar - Minnesota, 184, Bloodround Offensive Diversity - 16 - Showmanship - 3, Defensive/Scrambling Versatility - 17, Wishnificance - 17, Upset Alert - 13, Top Game - 16. Total Score - 82 Breakdown: Isaiah Salazar was super close to being my ‘breakout wrestler’ at 184 last season. He wasn’t, but he spent most of last season making me remember that week in and week out. He beat everyone he was supposed to all season and gave hell to anyone he was “supposed” to lose to. He lost to Feldkamp of Clarion (now of Iowa State) in the Bloodround, but if you ask me who would win if they wrestled 10x, I would take Salazar to win the majority of those matches. He proved to be a dangerous wrestler at a weight in the B1G with nothing but hammers. The B1G at 184 is only getting deeper, and that’s crazy with Aaron Brooks moving up a weight. Jaxon Smith - Maryland, 197, Bloodround Offensive Diversity - 17, Showmanship = 4, Defensive/Scrambling Versatility - 15, Wishnificance - 15, Upset Alert - 14, Top Game - 16. Total score - 81 Breakdown: Jaxon Smith entered his first season in the B1G with violence on his mind. He was far from concerned with your feelings, or anyone else's for that matter. He jumped into the fray with a third-place finish at the B1G tournament, out placing Jacob Warner, Braxton Amos, Zac Braunagel, and Cam Caffey. His NCAA Tournament was strong as well, with his only losses coming to Rocky Elam of Missouri, and NCAA Champion Max Dean in the Bloodround. I’ve had the pleasure of speaking with Jaxon a couple of times now, and the intensity in his eyes when he talks about his goals must be what the movie “clear and present danger” must have been named after. He’s ready and willing to bulldoze your dreams, assuming you weigh 197 pounds and wrestle in Division 1.

We are just about at the turning point where last season’s results and memories start to fade into the WrestleStat archives and the general wrestling community ramps up the interest and speculation of the upcoming season. And when it comes to Fantasy College Wrestling, drafters need to start thinking about who they want to pick in their 2024 draft. One way to do this is to look at the results of the 2023 season. The 2023 FCW Top-20 at each weight can give you a good idea of who the top Fantasy wrestlers in the country are. Seeing who returns, who leaves, who outplaced who, what teams made these lists more than others… all important information and data to digest. Of course, things can change quickly in college wrestling. Wrestlers can transfer, injuries can happen, and new stars can emerge. But the 2023 FCW Top-20 is a good starting point for your fantasy draft preparation, as you will see some (many, actually) repeat names from the 2022 Top-20 articles and even 2021 Top-20 articles. Take for instance: Pat Glory (PRIN), Yianni Diakomihalis (COR), Keegan O’Toole (MIZZ), and Carter Starocci (PSU). That championship group scored 223 Fpts in the 2023 season. How about these names though: Caleb Smith (APP), McKenzie Bell (RID), Evan Barczak (DREX), and Tyler Stoltzfus (LHU). That group scored 313 Fpts, and none were All-Americans. As you look at the list, keep in mind that not all of the top performers are household names. Some of the wrestlers who scored the most points in 2023 were not All-Americans. This is just one of the things that makes fantasy sports so exciting and unpredictable. So start your draft preparation today by taking a look at the 2023 FCW Top-20. You might just find some hidden gems that can help you win your league in 2024. To compile these lists, we used standard WrestleStat Fantasy College Wrestling Data & Scoring. Just a reminder of how points were tallied in WrestleStat leagues: 1) The scoring used was Standard Team Scoring across all competitions (+3 for a win by decision, -4 for a loss by Major, etc) 2) Scoring only counted against D1 competition 3) Wins via Forfeits (FFT) would count as +6 towards a wrestler's point total 4) Wins or Losses by Medical Forfeit (MFF) did not count as + or - towards a wrestler's point total 5) Points were only accumulated during the regular season Notes: This is the second time Tanner Sloan had been the #1 Fantasy Wrestler at 197, thanks in part to a 20-1 regular season Record. Oh, and with 15 of those wins being by bonus (four pins, one FFT, one win by injury default, two techs, and seven majors). His only loss on the season would be to Virginia Tech’s Andy Smith (who came in at #30 at 197). Last year's champion Max Dean finished as #2, an improvement to his 2022 rank of #8. Even though he wasn’t “allowed” to finish his roll-through on Ethan Laird, Dean did win in the battle of fantasy ranks, beating out Laird by three points, despite the regular season win by Laird. Coming off a double redshirt season, Silas Allred only had five regular season losses, and four of them were by two wrestlers (two by Issac Trumble and two by Tanner Sloan). 13 of his 28 matches were won by bonus, which helped him jump his season nemesis, Trumble, in the standings and secure the #4 spot. Michael Beard, Levi Hopkins, and Jake Kosar all finished within a decision of each other, and finished 6th, 7th, and 8th respectively. Interestingly enough, the better the rank, the fewer matches they wrestled to get those spots: Beard with 18 regular season matches, Hopkins with 29, and Kosar with 31. Making his second Top-20 in a row, Trey Rogers was also the highest-ranked Hofstra Wrestler in fantasy for the 2023 season. He finished one spot better than Jaxon Smith who had the same match total and same PPM as Rodgers, but fell one Fpt behind. Tyler Mousaw makes his return to the Fantasy Top-20, powered behind 33 matches, tied for the most by any 197 pounder in the 2023 Top-20. Now, when he was #3 in 2021, he only had 11 matches and a PPM of 3.8. Fast forward to a season not under COVID restrictions, he wrestled three times that previous season’s amount and fell three Fpts short of a Top-10 finish. National Champ Nino Bonaccorsi had the least number of regular season matches within the 197 Top-20, and only wrestled duals. It’s not always the number of matches you wrestle, but what you do with those matches that count in Fantasy Wrestling. Bonaccorsi would go on to win all fourteen of his matches and finish at #16. The Hawkeye most associated with not putting up big points finally breaks through and rounds out the Top-20. Jacob Warner had been on the outside looking in, but this year he put together just enough to be in the win column to beat out Luke Surber (OKST) via PPM. All this despite four of his 17 matches being losses (-12 Fpts). Who Missed The Cut: Three 2023 All-Americans missed out on the Top-20, with Bernie Truax (CP) being the best of them at #24 with 42 Fpts. Jacob Cardenas (COR) finished #26 with 36 Fpts, and Rocky Elam (MIZ) only wrestled eight matches for 22 Fpts to finish #39. As previously mentioned, Luke Surber tied #20 Jacob Warner but fell behind Warner in the standings due to PPM for the #21 spot. In fact, four wrestlers were tied with 43 Fpts. The #22 spot was actually shared by both Zac Braunagel (ILL) and Tanner Harvey (ORST) as they shared the same Fpts, matches wrestled, and PPM (of 1.7). Despite an injury mid-season, Louie DePrez (BING) still managed to almost crack the Top-20 with 12 matches and a point total of 37. Yonger Bastida (ISU) had a better PPM than Gavin Hoffman (OHST) (1.9 to Hoffman’s 1.8), but it was Hoffman who had the last laugh grabbing the #27 Spot with 35 Fpts. Bastida would conclude at #28, but had he won that match in Pittsburgh against Bonaccotsi, he would have been #25. A Senior redshirting is sometimes a rare sight, but that didn't stop Ben Smith (CSU) from taking his and still amassing some good fantasy stats. Only nine of his 12 wrestled matches count towards 2023 Fantasy, but he still put together 21 Fpts and finish at #43. Other notables include the Hokie duo of starter Andy Smith and redshirt TJ Stewart finishing almost identical with 32 Fpts and a PPM of 15, but Smith gets the rank boost doing it in fewer matches (21 matches wrestled from Smith compared to 22 by Stewart). Don't see your favorite wrestler on the list? Let me know @FantasyD1Wrestl for the full stats. 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

With the 2023 U20 World Championships finished and the United States with top-three finishes in both men’s and women’s freestyle, there were a whole lot of American medalists in Jordan. 18 to be exact. Those wrestlers will be able to call themselves U20 World medalists which is an incredible honor. They’ll be mentioned alongside some of the all-time greats of our sport. With that in mind, let’s take a look at the American medal winners at U20 (Junior) World’s since 2010. 2023 Men’s Freestyle 57 kg: Luke Lilledahl (Silver) 61 kg: Nic Bouzakis (Bronze) 65 kg: Jesse Mendez (Silver) 70 kg: Meyer Shapiro (Gold) 74 kg: Mitchell Mesenbrink (Gold) 79 kg: Matthew Singleton (Bronze) 86 kg: Bennett Berge (Bronze) 97 kg: Camden McDanel (Bronze) Women’s Freestyle 50 kg: Audrey Jimenez (Silver) 55 kg: Amani Jones (Bronze) 59 kg: Alexis Janiak (Bronze) 72 kg: Amit Elor (Gold) 76 kg: Kennedy Blades (Bronze) 2022 Men’s Freestyle 57 kg: Jore Volk (Gold) 70 kg: Mitchell Mesenbrink (Silver) 86 kg: Bennett Berge (Silver) 97 kg: Ben Kueter (Gold) Women’s Freestyle 50 kg: Audrey Jimenez (Silver) 53 kg: Katie Gomez (Bronze) 57 kg: Sofia Macaluso (Silver) 62 kg: Adaugo Nwachukwu (Bronze) 72 kg: Amit Elor (Gold) 76 kg: Tristan Kelly (Bronze) Greco-Roman 130 kg: Aden Attao (Bronze) 2021 Men’s Freestyle 65 kg: Beau Bartlett (Bronze) 70 kg: Bryce Andonian (Bronze) 74 kg: Keegan O’Toole (Gold) 92 kg: Rocky Elam (Gold) 97 kg: Braxton Amos (Gold) Women’s Freestyle 50 kg: Emily Shilson (Gold) 62 kg: Korina Blades (Bronze) 68 kg: Amit Elor (Gold) 72 kg: Kennedy Blades (Gold) 76 kg: Kylie Welker (Gold) Greco-Roman 97 kg: Braxton Amos (Bronze) 2019 Men’s Freestyle 57 kg: Vito Arujau (Silver) 61 kg: Gabe Tagg (Bronze) 74 kg: David Carr (Gold) 86 kg: Trent Hidlay (Bronze) 92 kg: Lucas Davison (Silver) 125 kg: Mason Parris (Gold) Women’s Freestyle 65 kg: Macey Kilty (Silver) Greco-Roman 63 kg: Alston Nutter (Bronze) 67 kg: Peyton Omania (Bronze) 130 kg: Cohlton Schultz (Silver) 2018 Men’s Freestyle 57 kg: Daton Fix (Bronze) 70 kg: Brady Berge (Bronze) 74 kg: Mekhi Lewis (Gold) 79 kg: Aaron Brooks (Silver) 97 kg: Zach Elam (Silver) Women’s Freestyle 68 kg: Macey Kilty (Silver) Greco-Roman 82 kg: Andrew Berreyesa (Silver) 130 kg: Cohlton Schultz (Bronze) 2017 Men’s Freestyle 55 kg: Daton Fix (Gold) 60 kg: Mitchell McKee (Silver) 66 kg: Ryan Deakin (Silver) 74 kg: Mark Hall (Gold) 84 kg: Zahid Valencia (Silver) 96 kg: Kollin Moore (Bronze) 120 kg: Gable Steveson (Gold) Women’s Freestyle 44 kg: Asia Ray (Bronze) 63 kg: Maya Nelson (Gold) Greco-Roman 50 kg: Cevion Severado (Silver) 74 kg: Kamal Bey (Gold) 2016 Men’s Freestyle 50 kg: Spencer Lee (Gold) 55 kg: Daton Fix (Bronze) 74 kg: Mark Hall (Gold) Women’s Freestyle 59 kg: Kayla Miracle (Bronze) 63 kg: Maya Nelson (Bronze) 67 kg: Alexis Porter (Bronze) Greco-Roman 60 kg: Taylor LaMont (Bronze) 96 kg: G’Angelo Hancock (Bronze) 2015 Men’s Freestyle 50 kg: Spencer Lee (Gold) 55 kg: Stevan Micic (Bronze) 66 kg: Aaron Pico (Bronze) 120 kg: Nathan Butler (Bronze) Women’s Freestyle 55 kg: Becka Leathers (Bronze) 2014 Men’s Freestyle 55 kg: Thomas Gilman (Bronze) 60 kg: Joey McKenna (Silver) 66 kg: Aaron Pico (Silver) 84 kg: Gabe Dean (Bronze) 96 kg: Kyle Snyder (Bronze) 120 kg: Adam Coon (Bronze) Women’s Freestyle 44 kg: Marina Doi (Bronze) 59 kg: Kayla Miracle (Bronze) 72 kg: Victoria Francis (Bronze) Greco-Roman 120 kg: Adam Coon (Bronze) 2013 Men’s Freestyle 74 kg: Alex Dieringer (Silver) 96 kg: Kyle Snyder (Gold) Women’s Freestyle 44 kg: Erin Golston (Silver) 63 kg: Jennifer Page (Bronze) Greco-Roman 120 kg: Sam Stoll (Bronze) 2012 Men’s Freestyle 84 kg: Patrick Downey (Silver) Women’s Freestyle 44 kg: Erin Golston (Bronze) 63 kg: Alli Ragan (Bronze) Greco-Roman 60 kg: Jesse Thielke (Bronze) 2011 Men’s Freestyle 60 kg: Logan Stieber (Silver) Women’s Freestyle 44 kg: Erin Golston (Bronze) 55 kg: Helen Maroulis (Silver) 63 kg: Alli Ragan (Bronze) 67 kg: Adeline Gray (Silver) Greco-Roman 66 kg: Ellis Coleman (Bronze) 120 kg: Toby Erickson (Bronze) 2010 Men’s Freestyle 84 kg: Chris Perry (Bronze) Women’s Freestyle 48 kg: Victoria Anthony (Gold) 51 kg: Amy Whitbeck (Bronze) 55 kg: Helen Maroulis (Bronze) Greco-Roman 66 kg: Ellis Coleman (Bronze)

Recruiting junkies can attest to the fact that recruiting at service academies has taken off within the last five years or so. Army West Point has made the top-25 in each of the last three editions of InterMat’s recruiting rankings. Navy made the cut in 2021 and 2022. The Air Force Academy was deemed to be #23 in InterMat’s rankings this year after receiving an honorable mention in 2021. The early indications from the Class of 2024 are that all three will fight for a spot in the 2024 rankings; however, we’re focusing on Air Force today, as their 2024 class is shaping up to be excellent. As of mid-August, Sam Barber’s team has verbal commitments from nine wrestlers in the Class of 2024, three of which are rankings on MatScouts Senior Big Board. Last week, the Falcons received a verbal from #77 Layton Schneider (Edmond North, OK), who comes in as their second-highest-ranked recruit thus far. Recently, Schneider finished seventh in Junior freestyle in Fargo. It marked the second time that Schneider has placed in Junior freestyle (he was sixth in 2022). The other top-100 recruits that have verbally committed to Air Force are #73 Karson Tompkins (Midlothian, TX) and #97 Gunner Cramblett (St. Paris Graham, OH). Additionally, Talon McCollom (Edmond North, OK) is currently ranked 15th at 170 lbs. Tompkins placed in both styles in Fargo and McCollom did so at the U16 level in 2021. When evaluating recruiting classes, especially early in the game, something I like to look at is the number of recruits. Especially, when we’re checking in on schools that aren’t your traditional national title contenders (Penn State/Iowa/Ohio State etc.). In those instances, the number of recruits is almost more important and telling than getting verbals from highly ranked recruits. The reasoning behind this is that seeing the general interest in a program that hasn’t won NCAA titles is still a very encouraging sign. Obviously, multiple recruits having committed to a particular program shows there is some belief in the vision that its respective coaching staff is pitching. And that belief isn’t just limited to one wrestler. On the opposite end of the spectrum, if there are no recruits committing early, are recruits and their families not sold on the direction of a program? Bringing that explanation back to Air Force wrestling, the Falcons have plenty of interest from the Class of 2024 and that has manifested itself into nine early verbal commitments (as of now). We had the opportunity to speak with Air Force assistant coach and recruiting coordinator, Chris Heilman, about their Class of 2024. Of course, Heilman can’t talk directly about the individual recruits, but he’s given us a general overview of this class of rising high school seniors. “Those that have committed to our program are ambitious guys. They want to do things that are uncommon for college-aged kids, and they want to make an impact after graduation. They aren’t afraid of hard work and understand that in order to become the best versions of themselves, they need a challenge. The Academy certainly provides that.” Air Force is coming off a year where they sent five wrestlers to the NCAA Championships, a number they haven’t hit since 1991. The Falcons also posted an NCAA team finish (18th place tie) that was the best in program history; one that tied perennial power Oklahoma State. A huge chunk of Air Force’s 28.5 team points were via their big man, Wyatt Hendrickson, who finished third at 285 lbs. Hendrickson became Air Force’s first All-American since fellow-heavyweight Kevin Hoy made the 2003 national finals. Along the way, Hendrickson also picked up NCAA awards for most falls (16), the Most Dominant Wrestler (for the second straight year), and the Gorriaran Award (most falls in least time at NCAA’s). Hendrickson’s success and dominance have brought the Air Force program into the national spotlight. That exposure has had to help from a recruiting standpoint. When asked about the correlation between Hendrickson’s accolades and more interest on the recruiting trail, here’s what Heilman said: “Wyatt has certainly elevated the exposure of our program to the masses. He’s an All-American and he wrestles an offensive style. He loves to go for the pin. People love to see that and it makes the sport exciting! But more so, he’s a down-to-Earth humble guy. He’s a great leader for our program and does well in his academics. He has high goals for himself in wrestling and all other areas of his life. I think recruits see that in interviews and on visits….that you can be an All-American-type wrestler and do well in school and become an outstanding leader.” In time, we’ll see whether or not any wrestlers from the Class of 2024 can come close to Hendrickson’s achievements with Air Force. What we know now is that the Air Force coaching staff will have plenty of talented wrestlers to work within the coming years. It should be noted that Hendrickson’s final Big Board ranking from the Class of 2019 was #40, so it’s not too far off from some of the recruits in 2024. While he was talented and highly-regarded, Hendrickson still needed to develop once on campus. Here are the student-athletes from the Class of 2024 that have committed to Air Force and some of their accomplishments. #73 Karson Tompkins (Midlothian, TX) - 2x Texas 5A State Champ, 2023 Junior National Freestyle 4th, 2023 Junior National Greco-Roman 5th, 2023 UWW U17 Freestyle 3rd, 2022 16U National Greco-Roman 5th #77 Layton Schneider (Edmond North, OK) - 2023 Oklahoma 6A State Champ, 2023 Junior National Freestyle 7th, 2022 Junior National Freestyle 6th, 2021 16U National Greco-Roman 6th #97 Gunner Cramblett (St. Paris Graham, OH) - 2023 Ohio DII State Champ, 2022 Walsh Ironman 6th, 2022 NHSCA Sophomore National 4th Logan Fowler (Cleveland, TN) - 2x Tennessee AA State Champ, 2023 NHSCA Junior National Champ Lincoln Gregersen (Ralston Valley, CO) - 2022 Colorado 5A State Finalist Charlie LaRocca (Center Grove, IN) - 2023 Indiana State Champ Gianni Maldonado (Lake Gibson, FL) - 2023 Florida 2A State Champ, 2022 16U National Greco-Roman 4th Talon McCollom (Edmond North, OK) - 2023 Oklahoma 6A State Champ, 2022 NHSCA Sophomore National 5th, 2021 16U National Freestyle 5th, 2021 16U National Greco-Roman 5th Carter Nogle (Mt. St. Joseph, MD) - 2x National Prep All-American (5th, 2nd), 2023 Junior National Greco-Roman 4th, 2022 Junior National Greco-Roman 2nd, 2022 UWW U17 Greco-Roman 3rd, 2021 16U Greco-Roman 4th Jesse Vanorden (Wantagh, NY) - 2023 New York DI State 3rd

A former Cowboy is making his way back home to Stillwater, OK. Last Thursday’s news cycle had everyone stirring as we got word that Coleman Scott was stepping down as the head coach at the University of North Carolina. Now, on his wife Jessica’s birthday, Oklahoma State has officially announced that Scott is headed back to his old stomping grounds to take the Associate Head Coach position. “All the great memories that we had here for 10 years through college, then post-college then coaching – just everything. I love Stillwater, we love Stillwater. The people here are awesome. Our friends are unbelievable. And I think it was the people more than anything else,” Scott said about returning to his alma mater. “I don’t know if I ever thought it would happen. Just even driving around today with Jessica, it’s just very surreal that I was given the opportunity and blessed enough and very fortunate to be in consideration and given a call.” Scott’s return to Cowboy country reunites him with his old coach, John Smith, who was in his corner for not just his NCAA finals win, but his Olympic bronze medal win in London in 2012 as well. “Being able to pick his brain and learn more is a great opportunity. In my mind, he’s the greatest wrestler and greatest coach,” Scott said. “I grew here. This is where I grew up and it was because of him and the way he led and did everything for us as a team. So, for me, it's nostalgic coming back here to learn from the greatest wrestler and coach that there is in this country. I’m excited about that, and I just want to get started and get things rolling.” Scott, who claimed his NCAA title in his final season at 133 would be looking to now coach Daton Fix to a title in the same weight class, in his final season, if he was to return to the OK State lineup this year. But outside of four-time AA Fix, there is a lot of talent that they have who are now becoming vets along with a powerful recruiting class. “I think that the staff is unbelievable. It’s a time where the roster is very deep,” he said about the Cowboys’ current talent. “But it’s hour zero per se because I haven’t been in the practice room yet, so I don’t know what’s there across the board, but I believe that they have some very special guys and it’s an opportunity to come in and raise the level. Some of the most special moments that I’ve had in my career is when we won NCAA team titles and that’s the goal – win as a team. And when you wrestle for the team, and you are a team, and you do things together it takes care of your individual goals. I think they’ve got some pieces to the puzzle that we can do that.” In 2015, Scott became the head coach at the University of North Carolina after joining the staff the year prior as the assistant coach. To say that he made an incredible impact in Chapel Hill would be a grand understatement. “[North] Carolina is a special place. They welcomed us with open arms. The community and the people. We made some lifelong friends that we’ll have forever. Our kids were in essence raised there. In the wrestling sense, the number one goal was to leave this place better than when I started whether that was two years, nine years or 30 years and I feel that I did that,” Scott said about his time in Chapel Hill. While at the helm, he led UNC to some of its best finishes since the 90’s as he coached Kizhan Clarke and Austin O’Connor to the NCAA Championship finals with O’Connor finishing his career as a four-time All-American and two-time Champion. “It was never about me, it was never about anything other than bettering the program,” Scott said. [North] Carolina wins a lot across the board, and it was all about the program. What are we going to do to put this program on the map, break the top 10, chase team trophies – that was the goal. It was never ‘What can I do for this place?’ it was always about how can we elevate what we want to do.” But the decision to leave where he got his first big opportunity as a coach wasn’t easy, even if it was for a place that means so much to him, like Stillwater, OK. “It was definitely hard,” he admitted. “The relationships and the guys and the people made it extremely hard. And I believe life’s about relationships and that’s what made this decision so tough. But at the end of the day, It’s home. Like I said, Stillwater is a place that helped me grow and made me who I am. It’s where my family started. So again, I’m just very, very fortunate to have the opportunity to even get a call from John. Again, it’s surreal right now, but I just want to get to work and better this place.”

Chattanooga's 149 lber Noah Castillo sits down with Rachel Gallardo to discuss his upcoming competition representing Puerto Rico at the U23 World Championships. Castillo discusses how the opportunity came about and his training throughout the summer. He also discusses what to expect from the Mocs during the 2023-24 campaign, his weight situation, and much more: noah castillo interview.mp4

Twin Valley

Before Cael Crebs ever stepped onto the Naval Academy - and before he ever stepped onto a wrestling mat - he was born to wrestle. With a name like Cael, that’s pretty evident. It may be more evident when you realize he has an older brother named Gable. It’s no surprise the Crebs family is a wrestling family. Naming his sons after wrestling legends, Cael and Gable’s Dad, Roger Crebs is a man of the sport. But, Roger Crebs is more than just some fan - he’s very well-known in the sport of wrestling, himself. Roger Crebs is the Head Wrestling Coach of Lycoming College. Lycoming is a small Division III school in the town of Williamsport, Pennsylvania. Mostly known for its annual Little League World Series, the town has developed a rich history of wrestling, due to Lycoming College and the success of the program. Coach Crebs took over in 1993 and has never looked back. Some of his accomplishments include a 442-149-2 dual record – which is 7th most all-time in D3 history and 20th all-time across all NWCA divisions. Another 15 wins this season will bring him into the top 15. He has multiple Hall of Fame inductions and has won a variety of “Coach of the Year” honors, sometimes winning the same award multiple times. He’s coached 10 national champions, and over 30 All-Americans during his reign. As a wrestler, he was a 3X league champion at Lycoming. His resume is impressive as a coach and athlete – his resume as a father is worth noting too. I first met Roger when I was maybe 6 or 7 years old. My uncle wrestled for him at Lycoming. Every time I would go to a match, Roger would take the time to talk to me and my family - plus other families in attendance. He’s one of the best guys in the sport. Interestingly, while still coaching, he has been assisting the head table at D1 NCAAs every year. His roles include tracking challenges, team point deductions, and whatever else gets thrown his way. His passion for the sport is easily noticeable. Roger’s oldest son, Gable, is currently on the Lycoming roster. He earned All-American honors in 2022, placing seventh at 197lbs wrestling for his father. “Of all the years coaching Gable, this was my favorite. I will never forget that moment.” With eligibility remaining for Gable, it is very possible a new favorite moment prevails - potentially a higher finish at NCAAs. A national title would just be icing on the cake for the duo. Lycoming was the right fit for Gable - not so much for Cael. Cael stated, “My dad didn’t really want us to wrestle for him. He wanted us at a higher level.” He continued, “Growing up, he was never my coach. But he was in my corner when I needed him.” Roger was always in Cael’s corner, however, figuratively. He was there for both of his sons. The boys, although butting heads often, were always great workout partners and pushed each other to outdo one another. The work ethic and determination were instilled in them at a young age, thanks to their father’s guidance. “He was so good at being a dad first, and a coach second,” Cael told me his dad pushed him from a distance, knowing he had to be self-motivated to find success in the sport. Once Cael started having success around his sophomore season of high school - he realized his dad may have been providing great advice all along - who would have thought! Cael smirked “Growing up, I never wanted him to be right. I thought I knew it all.” I asked Cael if he recalls any specific examples. He mentioned that his dad was telling him certain things he needed to work on in specific situations. To no one’s surprise, this was the same advice he heard from other coaches. Roger also stated Cael needed to “get out of his head and just wrestle.” I asked Cael about a memory where his dad’s advice really helped him. He discussed how he lost in the semifinals of a high school tournament, then continued to lose the next match 6-1 as he was nursing an injury. “My high school coach was very consoling, maybe making excuses for me because I was not 100%. healthy” Then Cael’s dad came up to him, as a father, and said “You need to figure it out. You cannot let a previous match affect you. You should have easily beaten that kid.” Of course, this is very father-like. But no one knows Cael like his own dad. When the time came to face that same kid at the state tournament later in the same season, Cael tech-pinned him. The match was not even close. Chalk that up as a win for Dad! Cael continued, “It really started to click when he said that my training for wrestling carried over into everyday life – my school work, my job, everything. You need to approach it all the same” Once Cael connected all these dots, things started improving for him. He smiled, “Maybe I should have listened sooner.” Later on, he mentioned having a father who is also a coach is a “blessing and a curse – but it’s 100% a blessing before it’s a curse. People come up to me and say ‘Hey, you’re Roger’s son’ and I have no clue who they are.” In all honesty, I agree that it’s a hidden blessing people know Cael and Gable through their father. It never hurts to have an extra set of eyes on you. It gives you extra support without even knowing it. Obviously, Cael and Gable were always surrounded by wrestling. His dad’s coaching career allowed him access to the sport that not many kids get the opportunity to have growing up. But, with this positive – the negative side of this is Roger’s schedule made it difficult to see his sons compete all the time. Cael understood he had to do this for his job. “I looked at it as his job was to be a coach – just like my job was to go out and wrestle. I did not mind him missing some of my events, as we were both doing what we loved.” There were times Cael did not expect to see his father at the match - but Roger made it happen, sometimes by surprise. This was a very astute observation from Cael. So, I challenged him to see if he remembers when he grasped this concept of how much his dad’s job meant to Roger. Cael instantly remembered watching D3 nationals on the computer and seeing his dad coach his guys – “watching the emotion he showed when those guys finally reached their goals – whether it was a national title or All-American honors.” Cael would stay up late on school nights watching with his mom. He continued, “Seeing that emotion on his face was something I wanted to give him through my success.” I think this is a fresh perspective, as Cael fully understands the emotion and commitment his coaches at Navy have for him and his success because of this. “My favorite moment for Cael, as a father and coach, was when he won the state title his senior year” Coach explained. Although Roger was not in Cael’s literal corner, he was doing a lot of work behind the scenes all weekend scouting opponents, working on game plans, and whatever else he felt was needed to help Cael achieve this goal. He could have easily stepped onto the mat with Cael, but chose to hang back and help in other ways. It just goes to show, it’s not about him when it comes to his son’s success. This is a refreshing take. This was the one time where the stars aligned perfectly for them. During Cael’s senior season, Roger’s Division 3 National Tournament was moved to a different weekend due to COVID. This made it possible for Roger to attend Cael’s state tournament for the first time ever - as his national tournament always fell on the same weekend. Roger was able to be in attendance and watch his son win a state title. Cael understood his dad could not always be there, but “when he did show up – it meant a lot because he made time to do so. Looking back, it meant the world to me.” Talking with Roger, he agreed with Cael regarding the “father first, coach second” philosophy. “It was never intentional. It just happened like that. I wanted them to find the love for the sport by themselves” Coach Crebs stated. He explained to me there was a time when Gable was not into wrestling during his middle school years. Roger took him on to play a team manager role at Lycoming – since he was too young to stay home by himself after school. “This really opened up Gable’s eyes and he fell in love with the sport again because of it.” Being with the team every day and on road trips was good for Gable. Even to this day, Roger claims “I am Gable’s father when he’s not on the mat. I am only his coach when he’s competing.” I am in agreement that the father/coach role needs to have a clear split – once they overlap, things can get messy. Lycoming, like most wrestling schools, hosts a summer camp every year. Attending this camp as a young wrestler growing up myself, and eventually working it as a counselor, I have become very close with the Crebs family. I have literally known Cael since he was in diapers, running around wrestling camp like a kid who had too much sugar. He loved it. Some of his favorite memories of the camp include staying in the dorm rooms with friends. It was like a sleepover every night for a week straight. Like most kids, he loved the live wrestling aspect of it. One no-so-fond memory was when Quentin Wright was a guest clinician and used Cael as a dummy partner. He lateral-dropped Cael while showing a move and gave Cael a concussion, Cael was forced to leave camp and that was the last time he was ever used as a dummy partner. Wrestling was always first, baseball and football came second. Cael explained, “I started to focus solely on wrestling come high school because I was getting hurt in other sports. I realized I cared way more about wrestling than these other sports. If I was getting injured, it kept me from achieving the highest goals I set for myself.” It was the right choice for him. He ended his high school career as a PIAA AA 3rd place finisher and a state champion at Montoursville High School. He amassed a record of 137-18. While being recruited, he was pretty set on leaving the area, and always had an interest in Navy. Unfortunately, that interest was a one-way street at first. Once Kolat and his staff took over, Navy became interested as his success became more prevalent. Cael couldn’t have been happier – even though it was picking up steam in January of his senior year. What’s the saying – “better late than never”? Cael is a political science major. Although he does not have much of an idea of what he wants to do after graduation. As of now, he’s leaning towards a military career with an interest in flying planes for the Marine Corps. He was still up in the air on what his ultimate career would be, but he loves to keep his options open. He talked about how he spent a week on a submarine this summer while in Connecticut. Also during the summer, he was at a Marine-focused training in North Carolina. Next summer, he plans to do two more training exercises – one with the Marine Corps and one for aviation. The future is an exciting time for Cael and the Crebs family. Cael was somewhat hesitant to say he wanted to follow in his dad’s footsteps and become a coach. Understandably, his post-graduation commitment to serve in the Navy takes precedence over anything else. “I’m not opposed to finding a coaching job while in the Navy to help give back to the wrestling community.” He was quick to volunteer his brother, Gable, to be a full-time coach, and even at Lycoming, potentially. Only time will tell if the Crebs legacy will take over the program and continue its success Roger has built for 30 years. It’s pretty common to see a wrestling coach’s son become a wrestler. Sometimes they wrestle for them – as Gable did at Lycoming with his dad. In the EIWA, we have a similar scenario where Cade Wirnsberger will be a freshman at Bucknell University, where his dad is the head coach. There is Caden Rogers at Lehigh, whose father is the head coach at Franklin & Marshall. There may be a time when they could be on opposite sides of the mat. There is always that curiosity as to whether the son chose to wrestle, or if the dad was a little pushy towards this sport over others. We all know the stories of the latter - and sometimes those stories do not turn out great. Thankfully, Roger did it right. He allowed his kids to choose the sport and grow to love it instead of despising it. Holidays always include conversations around wrestling, which has made their relationships stronger. To top it off, Cael said “I wouldn’t change a thing the way my dad raised us. It’s honestly been a blessing.”

Friday evening, two-time NCAA finalist Sammy Sasso of Ohio State University suffered a gunshot wound during an apparent robbery attempt Columbus’ WSYX reports. Sasso was airlifted from the scene and underwent surgery immediately and again on Saturday morning. He was reportedly shot in the stomach. The incident occurred at approximately 8:23 pm on Friday and, as of now, there are no suspects in custody. A witness on scene initially stated that the victim was an Ohio State wrestler from Pennsylvania and later it was determined to be Sasso. His condition was listed as serious.

The final day of women’s freestyle competition saw one of America’s brightest stars shine when Amit Elor was victorious at the 72 kg weight class. Elor captured her third U20 world championship in the past three years and was as dominant as ever in doing so. She was the lone American woman to capture gold at the 2023 tournament. A total of five women will leave Amman, Jordan with medals (1,1 silver, 3 bronze) which was good for third place, behind India and Japan. Elor’s gold medal match was the final bout of the women’s competition and she closed out the tournament in style. She needed only 1:46 to roll to a tech fall against Turkey’s Bukrenaz Sert. After earning three points with a takedown and step out, Elor was able to counter a Sert attack for a second takedown. She then moved into a leg lace and eventually turned Sert three times for the 11-0 win. With the win, Elor now has three U20 world championships and a stunning seven world titles across all age groups. Last year, she won gold at the U20, U23, and Senior levels. Elor will have the opportunity to replicate that feat again in 2023. She’ll shoot for the second leg of the trifecta next month in Belgrade, Serbia. This year’s title saw Elor navigate through the bracket without surrendering a single point. Elor outscored her competition by the score of 31-0 across four matches and that doesn’t include a quarterfinal fall. The only other US woman in action on Friday was Katie Gomez at 53 kg. Gomez attempted to win her second consecutive U20 world bronze medal; however, she was stopped by Azerbaijan’s Gultakin Shirinova. Gomez led early in the final period 4-2, but couldn’t hold off a Shirinova onslaught that saw her finish with seven consecutive points to win 9-4. Also on Friday, the men’s Greco-Roman competition got underway. Four of the five American wrestlers advanced to the quarterfinals; however, they all suffered losses in that round. Three Greco team members, Haiden Drury (63 kg), Derek Matthews (77 kg), and Wyatt Voelker (87 kg), all have medal hopes and were pulled back into repechage after their respective losses. The other two members of the Greco squad that have been eliminated, Zach Silvis (55 kg) and Aden Attao (130 kg) both picked up at least one win. The final five Greco wrestlers will start their tournaments on Saturday. Final Results Women’s Freestyle 53 kg Gold Medal Match: Antim (India) over Mariia Yefremova (Ukraine) 4-0 Bronze Medal Match: Gultakin Shirinova (Azerbaijan) over Katie Gomez (USA) 9-4 Bronze Medal Match: Xuejing Liang (China) over Polina Lukina (Russia - Individual Neutral Athlete) 7-4 57 kg Gold Medal Match: Alina Filipovych (Ukraine) over Ichika Arai (Japan) 5-3 Bronze Medal Match: Gerda Terek (Hungary) over Gabriela Cross (Canada) 12-2 Bronze Medal Match: Reena (India) over Shugyla Omirbek (Kazakhstan)) 9-4 62 kg Gold Medal Match: Savita (India) over Astrid Montero Chirinos (Venezuela) 10-0 Bronze Medal Match: Suzu Sasaki (Japan) over Iris Thiebaux (France) 10-0 Bronze Medal Match: Melanie Jimenez Villalba (Mexico) over Iryna Bondar (Ukraine) 3-3 65 kg Gold Medal Match: Eniko Elekes (Hungary) over Antim (India) 9-2 Bronze Medal Match: Martia Pantiru (Romania) over Ekaterina Koshkina (Russia - Individual Neutral Athlete) Fall 4:29 Bronze Medal Match: Khadija Jlassi (Tunisia) over Kseniya Tsiarenia (Belarus - Individual Neutral Athlete) Fall 5:44 72 kg Gold Medal Match: Amit Elor (USA) over Bukrenaz Sert (Turkey) 11-0 Bronze Medal Match: Harshita (India) over Emilia Crciun (Moldova) Fall 3:34 Bronze Medal Match: Yuka Fujikura (Japan) over Patrycja Cuber (Poland) 10-1 US Results Women’s Freestyle 53 kg Bronze Medal Match: Gultakin Shirinova (Azerbaijan) over Katie Gomez (USA) 9-4 72 kg Gold Medal Match: Amit Elor (USA) over Bukrenaz Sert (Turkey) 11-0 Greco-Roman 55 kg Round of 16: Zach Silvis (USA) over Dzianis Vitaroi (Belarus) Fall 5:58 Quarterfinals: Ali Ahmadi Vafa (Iran) over Zach Silvis (USA) 11-0 63 kg Round of 16: Landon Drury (USA) over Suhib Alhasanat (Jordan) 9-0 Quarterfinals: Zhantoro Mirzaliev (Kyrgyzstan) over Landon Drury (USA) 8-5 77 kg Round of 16: Alexandru Solovei (Moldova) over Derek Matthews (USA) 8-1 87 kg Qualification: Wyatt Voelker (USA) over Yhias Abdurazakov (Turkmenistan) 10-0 Round of 16: Wyatt Voelker (USA) over Mohit Khokhar (India) 6-3 Quarterfinals: Abolfazi Choubani (Iran) over Wyatt Voelker (USA) 7-1 130 kg Qualification: Aden Attao (USA) over Ayumu Iwasawa (Japan) 3-1 Round of 16: Aden Attao (USA) over Koppany Laszlo (Hungary) 8-7 Quarterfinals: Achilleas Chrysidis (Greece) over Aden Attao (USA) 6-4

Central Arkansas Christian

Howdy all and welcome to the InterMat Jagger Mailbag, brought to you by Carl’s Jr. I deeply regret missing last week but sometimes real life gets in the way. But now I have returned and I’m ready to start cranking out mailbags once again. A few of you reached out to me personally and I do thank you for that. As the wrestling world is focused on the U20 World Championships, some news from the college scene dominated the day so let’s get right into it. Should it be Tony time? Rhino Let’s just get into it, since this is big news for any time of year and it happened to come out in August. Perhaps even play a bit of devil’s advocate along the way. First and foremost, yes. Tony Ramos, who has already been named the North Carolina coach in the interim, seems like the logical successor to Coleman Scott. Continuity is important for a rising program and judging by some of the replies I got today, the team seems more than willing to support their new coach. So what of the Coleman Scott and OSU situation? Certainly, the timing is odd as we are roughly six weeks away from the start of practice. But I guess when the opportunity for a job that hasn’t been available in over thirty years you can’t just say you’re busy right now. That’s thirty years of John Smith disciples who at one point or another were likely mentioned as a possible successor. To end up being the name who is chosen to succeed John Smith is quite the honor, so I can’t fault someone for jumping at the chance. And what about this whole “coach-in-waiting angle?” Is the school on board with this? Did they give John W. carte blanche to pick his guy as long as he can mentor him on the staff? Will they pull the rug out from under them when the time comes? And when is that time? Is this the last year of John Smith? Two more years? Three? I guess we just have to wait and see. If you could pick one famous non-wrestling venue to host a dual or tourney what would it be? Mat Jerms Media That’s a good one and I’ll have to think about it for a minute. By non-wrestling you basically mean any non-sports venue. I thought that one dual at Moss Arts Center with Virginia Tech was pretty cool. I almost feel like watching matches from that vantage point is even better than some seat in a gym. Definitely nothing outdoors. I loathe all the outdoor gimmicks. Maybe have one in the office of Old Dominion President Brian O. Hemphill. Lord knows no wrestling goes on in that venue. (This joke has been approved by Jason Bryant) When taking the Lincoln Tunnel from New Jersey, why do they make it so incredibly difficult for travelers wishing to reach South Manhattan? If you don’t make it into the right lane, you get stuck going uptown. What’s the move here? Kevin McGuigan The move is to screw up the first time and never make the same mistake again. I plan my spot about two miles before the tollbooth depending on what direction I’m going, then stay as far that way as possible to avoid getting sucked into the hellscape funnel entering the tunnel and coming out on the wrong end. If you’re headed uptown stay to the left and if you’re going downtown then stay all the way to the right. Did you see the Michael Lorenzen no-hitter? What did you think about Westin Wilson's first MLB swing a home run? Mickadelphia This is actually why I needed a mental health day. What’s the O/U for number of times the feed cuts out during Helen’s series tomorrow? Thicccholas Hope you took the over. I’m new to InterMat so excuse the question. Why is California not represented at the top of the NCAA D1 stand each year? Michael C. I’m just gonna go ahead and excuse the question.

Thursday at the 2023 U23 World Championships saw the first medals awarded in women’s freestyle. After two days of competition, the United States squad sits in second place, behind India, but ahead of traditional superpower Japan. All five of the team members that started their tournaments yesterday, came into the medal round still in contention. Four left today’s final session with a world medal. The first weight class, 50 kg, featured returning U20 World silver medalist Audrey Jimenez who was the lone finalist for the American team on Thursday. Jimenez ran into a buzzsaw in China’s Yanrong Li and had to settle for silver once again. Jimenez was the aggressor and got into deep on an early leg attack; however, Li was able to expose Jimenez for the first points of the bout. During that same sequence, Li locked up a cradle and turned Jimenez three different times before securing a fall. The next American to take the mat was Amani Jones at 55 kg. Her opponent, Albina Rillia (Ukraine), struck first, but Jones was able to battle back and won a bronze medal after a 5-5 win on criteria. Yesterday, we detailed the controversial final sequence in the 59 kg semifinals where Alexis Janiak fell to Aurora Russo (Italy). After the final whistle, the Italian corner challenged the final sequence and a caution and one was awarded to Russo, which gave her a 9-8 victory. Nothing was left to the officials today as Janiak tore through Elena Kurova (Russia - Individual Neutral Athlete) for an 11-0 first-period tech. Janiak will leave with a bronze medal in her first world-level event. Russo went on to win gold. 2021 U20 World Champion Kennedy Blades didn’t look like herself during yesterday’s semifinal loss to India’s Priya. Blades was reportedly dealing with an illness during the lead-up to the tournament. She was able to fight through it during her bronze medal bout with Mariia Silina (Russia - Individual Neutral Athlete) and responded with a 6-2 victory. The lone member of the team that started on Wednesday and came away without a medal was Isabella Mir at 68 kg. Alina Shauchuk (Belarus - Individual Neutral Athlete) used a dominant first period to coast to an 8-1 victory over the American. Shauchuk got the bronze. The remainder of the women’s team started their respective tournaments on Thursday. Only one woman advanced to Friday’s final and there’s no surprise who it was. Amit Elor put herself in a position to win a third consecutive U20 world championship with another awesome showing. Elor started with a 10-0 tech and a first-period fall, before teching Japan’s Yuka Fujikura in the semifinals. Elor has yet to surrender a single point in her quest for U20 title number three. Aside from Elor, the only other woman from day two to still be in the medal hunt is Katie Gomez at 53 kg. Gomez, a 2022 U20 World bronze medalist, will have the opportunity to compete for bronze this time around, too. She advanced to the semifinals where she met Ukraine’s Mariia Yefremova (Ukraine). Early in the bout, Yefremova caught Gomez in a cradle and ended the bout in only 1:11. Final Results 50 kg Gold Medal Match - Yanrong Li (China) over Audrey Jimenez (USA) Fall 2:29 Bronze Medal Match - Miruko Sakane (Japan) over Reka Hegedus (Slovakia) 10-0 Bronze Medal Match - Viktoriia Slobodeniuk (Ukraine) over Svenja Jungo (Switzerland) Fall 5:19 55 kg Gold Medal Match - Aryna Martynava (Russia - Individual Neutral Athlete) over Georgiana Lirca (Romania) 10-0 Bronze Medal Match - Amani Jones (USA) over Albina Rillia (Ukraine) 5-5 Bronze Medal Match - Moe Kiyooka (Japan) over Roza Szenttamasi (Hungary) 10-0 59 kg Gold Medal Match - Aurora Russo (Italy) over Alesia Hetmanava (Belarus - Individual Neutral Athlete) 4-1 Bronze Medal Match - Kalmira Bilimbek Kyzy (Kyrgyzstan) over Sevin Akbas (Turkey) 11-0 Bronze Medal Match - Alexis Janiak (USA) over Elena Kurova (Russia - Individual Neutral Athlete) 11-0 68 kg Gold Medal Match - Ray Hoshino (Japan) over Elizaveta Petliakova (Russia - Individual Neutral Athlete) 4-3 Bronze Medal Match - Arju (India) over Elif Kurt (Turkey) 8-1 Bronze Medal Match - Alina Shauchuk (Belarus - Individual Neutral Athlete) over Isabella Mir (USA) 8-1 76 kg Gold Medal Match - Priya (India) over Laura Kuehn (Germany) 5-0 Bronze Medal Match - Kennedy Blades (USA) over Mariia Silina (Russia - Individual Neutral Athlete) 6-2 Bronze Medal Match - Veronika Niykos (Hungary) over Daniela Tkachuk (Poland) Fall 4:24 US Results 50 kg Gold Medal Match - Yanrong Li (China) over Audrey Jimenez (USA) Fall 2:29 53 kg Round of 16 - Katie Gomez (USA) over Carla Jaume Soler (Spain) 10-0 Quarterfinals - Katie Gomez (USA) over Altyn Shagayeva (Kazakhstan) 10-0 Semifinals - Mariia Yefremova (Ukraine) over Katie Gomez (USA) Fall 1:11 55 kg Bronze Medal Match - Amani Jones (USA) over Albina Rillia (Ukraine) 5-5 57 kg Round of 16 - Volha Hardzei (Belarus - Individual Neutral Athlete) over Cristelle Rodriguez (USA) 8-4 59 kg Bronze Medal Match - Alexis Janiak (USA) over Elena Kurova (Russia - Individual Neutral Athlete) 11-0 62 kg Round of 16 - Adaugo Nwachukwu (USA) over Ana Cretu (Moldova) 12-2 Quarterfinals - Melanie Jimenez Villalba (Mexico) over Adaugo Nwachukwu (USA) 9-7 65 kg Round of 16 - Kseniya Tsiarenia (Belarus - Individual Neutral Athlete) over Maddie Kubicki (USA) Fall 4:00 68 kg Bronze Medal Match - Alina Shauchuk (Belarus - Individual Neutral Athlete) over Isabella Mir (USA) 8-1 72 kg Round of 16 - Amit Elor (USA) over Shamshiyabanu Tastanbek (Kazakhstan) 10-0 Quarterfinals - Amit Elor (USA) over Patrycja Cuber (Poland) Fall 1:40 Semifinals - Amit Elor (USA) over Yuka Fujikura (Japan) 10-0 76 kg Bronze Medal Match - Kennedy Blades (USA) over Mariia Silina (Russia - Individual Neutral Athlete) 6-2

Huge news today on the college coaching front. University of North Carolina head coach Coleman Scott has stepped down from his position. Scott informed the team of his decision last night during a team meeting. There are sure to be many dominos that fall based on Scott leaving Chapel Hill. For the time being, Associate Head Coach Tony Ramos has been named the interim head coach. The school will conduct a national coaching search, with Ramos being one of the key applicants. North Carolina is sure to be an attractive destination as the Tar Heels have finished in the top-20 at the NCAA Tournament every year it has been held since 2018. Each year during that time frame they have improved, as well. The 2023 tournament saw Scott’s team put three wrestlers on the podium (for a second straight year), led by Austin O’Connor, who became a two-time national champion, the first for North Carolina since TJ Jaworsky’s three in 1993-95. Scott himself was once an interim head coach for a couple of months in 2015 before being named the full-time head coach in August of that year. He joined the UNC staff in 2014 as an assistant coach. We’ll monitor this situation and how it impacts the rest of the coaching landscape as a vacancy at North Carolina is sure to interest many coaches around the country. There is also plenty of speculation, much of it warranted, about Scott’s next move.