InterMat Staff

After Saturday the Senior World team is intact and we’ll have 11 wrestlers making their Senior World debuts in Belgrade, Serbia in September. Here’s a little bit more about these first-timers and their path to the world team. Zane Richards (57 kg Men’s Freestyle) The veteran made his first world team SIX years after his final collegiate bout for the University of Illinois. Prior to his 2023 US Open championship, Richards best finish at the Open came in 2019 when he was third. He earned his slot on the world team the hard way, downing one of the domestic favorites, Nick Suriano, in the Open finals, 3-3 on the strength of a late takedown. Then he took out 2021 world champion Thomas Gilman in two straight bouts. In both bouts, Richards used a score around the :30 mark to win each bout against Gilman. Richards was a four-time NCAA qualifier and two-time All-American for Illinois. In 2016, he made the Big Ten finals for the only time. Vito Arujau (61 kg Men’s Freestyle) NCAA champion Vito Arujau continued his tear through 2023 with a berth on the world team. Arujau made college wrestling fans take notice with one-sided wins over Daton Fix and Roman Bravo-Young in Tulsa at NCAA’s. He continued to roll with a quick tech fall over Austin DeSanto in the US Open finals, earning a spot in Final X. Arujau wound up taking on fellow Cornell national champion Nahshon Garrett in Newark. A four-point takedown late in the first period of the opening match paced Arujau against Garrett. In the second match, the two engaged in the highest-scoring match at any of the previous Final X’s (13-10) Though Arujau got on the board first, Garrett led 8-4 after one period. Arujau poured it on in the second and got his hand raised. While this is Arujau’s first Senior team, he does have plenty of international experience with world silver medals at the Cadet and Junior level, along with an appearance on the 2022 U23 team, as well. Nick Lee (65 kg Men’s Freestyle) It seemed like Nick Lee’s chances for the 2023 World Team were done after the US Open semifinals when he appeared to lose to fellow Nittany Lion Wrestling Club teammate Beau Bartlett. Their 10-10 match actually belonged to Lee although Bartlett got his hand raised. From there, Lee had a second-period comeback against Joey McKenna, which gave him a US Open title and allowed him to face returning world silver medalist Yianni Diakomihalis. Lee and Diakomihalis were no strangers as the pair met in the Olympic Trials and the two-time champ from Penn State was the winner. That continued to be the case on Saturday as Lee swept the series with a pair of highly entertaining, action-packed wins (7-6, 8-8). The United States has had a decent track record with first-timer world teamer’s having success since the rest of the world doesn’t have a “book” on them yet. I could see this being the case with Lee and he beat a world medalist in Diakomihalis, so that says something. Chance Marsteller (79 kg Men’s Freestyle) It was a comeback story for the ages as Chance Marsteller knocked off seven-time World/Olympic champion Jordan Burroughs in three matches Saturday night. One of the best high schooler’s ever to come out of wrestling-rich Pennsylvania, Marsteller initially went to Oklahoma State before transferring to Lock Haven and AA’ing twice. Along the way, Marsteller suffered from various addictions. Since getting sober, Marsteller has led a thriving kids club and has become the wrestler that most envisioned while he was 15 or 16. Last year, we got a taste of Marsteller’s potential with a win over Burroughs, though he ultimately fell in their three-match series. This time, Marsteller could have won the opening bout, but was called for a controversial singlet pull late in the third period. After winning the second match, there was another questionable sequence in the latter stages of the deciding bout. Burroughs doubled Marsteller out of bounds for an apparent four points; however, upon review, it was deemed to be four in Marsteller’s favor. He’d go on to win, 8-3. Some may question Marsteller's medal capabilities, compared to Burroughs; however, Burroughs is the returning world champion at the weight. Marsteller has some good international wins under his belt, so he should be a serious medal threat. Zahid Valencia (92 kg Men’s Freestyle) It seemed like it was “wait till next year” for Zahid Valencia after losing in the US Open finals to Aaron Brooks. After his loss, Valencia moved up from 86 kg to wrestle in the World Team Trials at 92 kg, which he won convincingly defeating Tanner Sloan and Kollin Moore in the process. I was concerned about how the undersized Valencia would do against the horsepower of US Open champion Mike Macchiavello, someone who’s put together solid results up at 97 kg. That didn’t prove to be a problem as Valencia scored in the first :30 of both bouts and ran up seven-point first-period leads in both instances. The two-time NCAA champion from Arizona State has performed well overseas this year (at 86 kg), taking bronze at the Ranking Series event in Croatia and silver at the event in Egypt. Jennifer Page (59 kg Women’s Freestyle) It was a similar story for Jennifer Page who fell in the US Open finals to Adaugo Nwachukwo, but then dropped down to 59 kg for the World Team Trials. Though she had a tough bracket at the WTT’s, featuring two past Final X participants and a world team member (Maya Nelson), Page didn’t have a match closer than seven points. Page was perhaps even more impressive at Final X as she turned in a pair of 11-0 tech’s against Open champion Michaela Beck. This shouldn’t be that surprising considering Page took a match off Kayla Miracle last year in their special post-Final X wrestle-off. Granted, Miracle was trying to get back from an injury; however, there aren’t many women in the world who have beaten Miracle under any circumstances these past few years. Page was fifth at Junior World’s in 2012 and went on to wrestle collegiately at Oklahoma City. She’s moved on to the Nittany Lion Wrestling Club and taken her game to another level, even battling through multiple knee injuries. If the weight isn’t a problem, I could see Page being a problem for the rest of the world. Macey Kilty (65 kg Women’s Freestyle) We finally got to see a healthy Macey Kilty throughout a Trials process and she responded with two-straight wins over returning World bronze medalist Mallory Velte. Kilty defeated Emma Bruntil in the US Open finals, which led to Bruntil moving up for a run at Final X (and ultimately, winning a spot). In match one against Velte, Kilty pulled ahead with a late takedown, then pinned Velte with ten seconds remaining in the contest. In the second match, the two were again embroiled in a tight one and Kilty secured a takedown, then transitioned to a lace to extend her lead. She’d win 6-5. Kilty has a staggering five age-group world medals to her name. She was a Cadet world champion in 2018 and has made the world finals on four occasions. With a pair of wins over Velte and her experience, it’s safe to say Kilty will be a factor at the world level this year. Emma Bruntil (68 kg Women’s Freestyle) Like Valencia and Rogers, Emma Bruntil fell in the US Open finals and immediately made her mind up to give it another shot, at a different weight class, in the WTT’s. Bruntil moved up and crushed past Final X participant Alex Glaude for the right to compete in Newark. That put Bruntil in Final X opposite 2021 World bronze medalist Forrest Molinari. As anyone who follows women’s wrestling may have expected, this was the most physical of any of the women’s series’ and it was the only one that went the full three matches. Bruntil has been a part of the last two U23 World Team’s so she won’t be phased by international competition. She’s also moved to the USOPTC after leaving McKendree. Barring an upset at 57 kg, she’ll be the only first-timer on the women’s side competing in an Olympic weight, so qualifying the weight is of the utmost importance. Brady Koontz (55 kg Greco-Roman) The third time's the charm for Brady Koontz, who has lost in two previous appearances at Final X. That didn’t mean his Saturday wasn’t stress-filled. Wrestling in the very first official Final X matchup of the event, Koontz was teched by Dalton Duffield and found himself with his back against the wall. Koontz never wavered and grinded out a pair of wins (4-1, 7-4) to earn his first shot on the world stage at the Senior level. Koontz is no stranger to the international scene, as he’s made world team’s at the U23, Junior and Cadet levels. In addition, he captured Pan-American gold last year. Xavier Johnson (63 kg Greco-Roman) X gonna give it to ya! My award for favorite walk-out song of the day went to Xavier Johnson, who used DMX’s play on his first name to get hyped up for his second Final X appearance. It worked as he put together two tech falls over US Open champion Hayden Tuma to make the world team. Johnson got to the US Open semifinals before forfeiting out due to an injury, before his match with top-seeded Sammy Jones. The two would end up hitting in the finals of the WTT’s and Johnson prevailed 7-4 over the two-time world team member. This is his first world team experience at any age group. Zac Braunagel (87 kg Greco-Roman) The only current Big Ten wrestler on the 2023 World Team? That’s right, it’s Zac Braunagel! It was the 2023 US Open where we got a hint that Braunagel may be ready to make an impact right away. That’s where he pinned 2022 Final X participant Timothy Young for third place. At the WTT’s, Braunagel teched Young to make the finals. He’s advanced to Newark after taking out Richard Carlson. At Final X, Braunagel was crushed by Vera, 11-0. In their second match, Vera led by six in the first period, but Braunagel clawed his way back in. Vera was repeatedly cautioned, to the point where he was cautioned out of the second match. An injury contributed to Vera’s second-period fade and led him to forfeit out of the third bout, conceding the spot to Braunagel. Coming from a strong youth Greco scene and training with one of the best coaches in the country (Bryan Medlin), it’s not a huge surprise that Braunagel has developed so quickly in Greco. He was a Junior world teamer in 2021 and won a Junior national title in Fargo.

Final X has concluded for 2023 (save for Helen Maroulis/Xochitl Mota-Pettis) and will likely not return until 2025, after the Olympic year. With this edition in the books, it marks four iterations of Final X (2018, 2019, 2022, and 2023). That seems to be enough to start and tabulate some records from the action. With that in mind, we’ve created the Final X record book. All of the normal records you’d associate with wrestlers and a reoccurring event within the sport. Keep in mind that the very first edition of Final X did not include Greco-Roman wrestlers, as of now, most of the records have a heavy influence of freestyle wrestlers. So, enjoy and keep these numbers in mind as Final X rolls around in 2025! Most Series Wins 4 - Kyle Dake 4 - Sarah Hildebrandt 4 - Kyle Snyder 4 - Jacarra Winchester ***These four also have the most individual matches won with 8. Highest Winning Percentage (Minimum 6 matches wrestled) 1.000 - Kyle Dake 1.000 - Adeline Gray 1.000 - Sarah Hildebrandt 1.000 - Tamyra Mensah-Stock 1.000 - Kyle Snyder 1.000 - David Taylor Most Individual Matches Wrestled 11 - Jordan Burroughs 11 - Forrest Molinari 10 - Kayla Miracle 10 - Mallory Velte 9 - Thomas Gilman 9 - Pat Smith Most Losses (Individual Matches) 6 - Mallory Velte 5 - Daton Fix 5 - Brady Koontz 5 - Forrest Molinari Most Falls 3 - Adeline Gray 1 - Multiple Most Techs 5 - Tamyra Mensah-Stock 4 - Amit Elor 4 - Helen Maroulis 3 - Kamal Bey 3 - Sarah Hildebrandt 3 - Kyle Snyder 3 - David Taylor 3 - Jacarra Winchester Quickest Fall 1:00 - Alan Vera/Timothy Young: (2022) 1:04 - Adeline Gray/Korinahe Bullock (2018) 1:54 - Dom Parrish/Katie Gomez (2023) 1:57 - Whitney Conder/Victoria Anthony (2019) Largest Margin of Victory 12 points - Nahshon Garrett/Joe Colon: 12-0 (Match 3 - 2018) 12 points - Thomas Gilman/Vito Arujau: 14-2 (Match 2 - 2022) 12 points - Helen Maroulis/Alex Hedrick: 12-0 (Match 2 - 2018) Largest Cumulative Series Deficit in a Victory -6 points - Erin Clodgo: vs Rachel Watters: 4-2, 0-8, 4-4 (2018) -4 points - Spencer Woods: vs Ryan Epps: 3-3, 0-9, 5-0 (2023) -4 points - Hayden Zillmer: vs Nick Gwiazdowski: 0-5, 4-3, 5-5 (2022) -1 point - Brady Koontz: vs Dalton Duffield: 0-8, 4-1, 7-3 (2023) *** Zac Braunagel had a negative -9 margin but won his final bout by forfeit (2023) ***Ildar Hafizov won match one via fall, lost 9-0, and won 2-1 in match three (2023) Highest Scoring Individual Match 23 points - Vito Arujau/Nahshon Garrett: 13-10 (Match 2 - 2023) 20 points - Yianni Diakomihalis/Evan Henderson: 11-9 (Match 1 - 2022) 19 points - Alex Sancho/Alston Nutter: 10-9 (Match 1 - 2022) 18 points - Yianni Diakomihalis/Evan Henderson: 14-4 (Match 2 - 2022) 18 points - Ildar Hafizov/Dalton Roberts: 11-7 (Match 1 - 2022) Highest Scoring Two-Match Series 38 points - Yianni Diakomihalis/Evan Henderson: 11-9, 14-4 (2022) 34 points - Vito Arujau/Nahshon Garrett: 6-5, 13-10 (2023) 30 points - Thomas Gilman/Vito Arujau: 12-2, 14-2 (2022) Highest Scoring Three-Match Series 39 points - Nahshon Garrett/Joe Colon: 5-7, 10-5, 12-0 (2018) 37 points - Kayla Miracle/Jennifer Page: 2-13, 12-2, 5-3 (2022) 33 points - Seth Gross/Daton Fix: 5-5, 5-4, 9-5 (2022) 31 points - Whitney Conder/Victoria Anthony: 10-4, 2-4, 11-0 (2018) Lowest Scoring Two-Match Series (No Falls/FFT) 4 points - Max Nowry/Brady Koontz: 1-1, 1-1 (2022) 5 points - James Green/Jason Chamberlain: 2-0, 2-1 (2018) Lowest Scoring Three-Match Series (No Falls/FFT) 12 points - Jordan Burroughs/Chance Marsteller: 4-0, 2-2, 5-0 (2022) 14 points - J’den Cox/Nate Jackson: 4-2, 2-3, 3-0 (2022) 19 points - Emma Bruntil/Forrest Molinari: 6-3, 2-3, 3-2 (2023) Fewest Amount of Points Surrendered (Minimum 6 matches wrestled) 0 points - Sarah Hildebrandt (8 matches) 3 points - Tamyra Mensah-Stock (6 matches) 5 points - Kyle Snyder (6 matches) 8 points - David Taylor (6 matches) 9 points - J’den Cox (7 matches) 10 points - Kyle Dake (8 matches) Number of Weight Classes Wrestled 3 - Jenna Burkert (59 kg/2018, 57 kg/2019, 55 kg/2022) 3 - Zahid Valencia (79 kg/2018, 86 kg/2022, 92 kg/2023) Most Series’ Against an Opponent 2 - Jordan Burroughs/Isaiah Martinez (2018-19) 2 - Whitney Conder/Victoria Anthony (2018-2019) 2 - Kyle Dake/Jason Nolf (2022-23) 2 - Daton Fix/Thomas Gilman (2018-19) 2 - Ildar Hafizov/Dalton Roberts (2022-23) 2 - Helen Maroulis/Alex Hedrick (2018, 2022) 2 - Chance Marsteller/Jordan Burroughs (2022-23) 2 - Kayla Miracle/Mallory Velte (2018-19) 2 - Cohlton Schultz/Adam Coon (2019, 2023) 2 - Kyle Snyder/Kyven Gadson (2018-19) Year with Most Three-Match Series’ 10 - 2022 7 - 2023 5 - 2019 Three-Match Series Wins 2 - Jordan Burroughs (2019, 2022) 2 - Ildar Hafizov (2022-23) 2 - Pat Smith (2019, 2023) 2 - Mallory Velte (2018, 2022) Lost the First Match and Won the Series 2 - Pat Smith (2019, 2023) 1 - Multiple Most Matches Won Without a Series Victory 2 - Joe Colon (1-2; 2018, 1-2; 2019) 2 - Dalton Roberts (1-2; 2022, 1-2; 2023)

We have a Senior World Team set! Or at least 29 of 30 team members after Final X in Newark, New Jersey on Saturday. Final X provided us with some exciting matches, controversial moments, historic performances and much more. After evaluating the world team for each of the three styles and looking over the results, we’ve found some fun facts, trends, and random “other stuff.” So, let’s get down to it! Men’s freestyle had seven wrestlers with a bye through to Final X, based on winning a world medal. Three of those were beaten. In the remaining three weights, the US Open champion did not prevail, only at 92 kg. Women’s freestyle had four winners that had to go through World Team Trials. Greco-Roman had five World Team Trials winners go on to take the world team spot. Men’s Freestyle Zane Richards is the first Illinois alum to make a freestyle world team since Jimmy Kennedy in 2014. It was a good showing for the Illini, who also had Zac Braunagel make the Greco team. Penn State has three alums on the men’s freestyle team with: Nick Lee, Zain Retherford, and David Taylor. The last time three current/former members of the same school were on the men’s team was in 2007 with Mike Zadick, Doug Schwab, and Joe Williams. (You could include the 2008 Olympic Team with Zadick, Schwab, and Steve Mocco). Zahid Valencia is the first Arizona State alum to make the men’s freestyle team since Danny Felix in 2009. Lock Haven alum Chance Marsteller is the first wrestler with LHU roots to make the team since Obe Blanc in 2010. Coincidentally, Marsteller transferred to Lock Haven from Oklahoma State; while Blanc went from Lock Haven to Oklahoma State. This is the first world team without any alums from Nebraska schools on it since 2008. Jordan Burroughs made every world team from 2011-22, along with James Green (2015-16, 2017-19, 2021). Before Burroughs, Nebraska-Omaha’s Les Sigman made the team in 2010 and Nebraska-Kearney’s Tervel Dlagnev made the 2009 team. The men’s freestyle team has five first-time World/Olympic team members (Richards, Vito Arujau, Nick Lee, Chance Marsteller, Valencia). The last time we had that many was in 2010 (Blanc, Brent Metcalf, Travis Paulson, JD Bergman, Sigman). Richards is the first Illinois native on a freestyle world team since Tony Ramos in 2015. Illinois-native Dan Dennis was also on the 2016 Olympic team. Lee is the first Indiana native to make the men’s freestyle team since Reece Humphrey in 2015. Since Cael Sanderson arrived at Penn State, Nick Lee is now the fifth Nittany Lion alum to make a World/Olympic Team (Lee, Retherford, David Taylor, Ed Ruth, Frank Molinaro). With Arujau making the team, every men’s freestyle World/Olympic team since 2019 has had at least one wrestler with collegiate eligibility remaining. Arujau’s 13-10 win over Nahshon Garrett is the highest-scoring single match in Final X history. It broke a record set by Arujau’s teammate Yianni Diakomihalis and one of Garrett’s LVWC coaches, Evan Henderson, last year (11-9). With Retherford and Marsteller on the team, it marks the first time since 1990 that PA has had two wrestlers on the world team. They were Nate Carr and Rob Koll. (There were two on the 2012 Olympic Team with Coleman Scott and Jake Herbert). The most experienced member of this team is Kyle Snyder who’s making his ninth World/Olympic appearance. He has made every World/Olympic team since 2015. At 61 kg, Arujau made his first world team. That makes a different representative at 61 kg for every world tournament since 2017. 17/Logan Stieber, 18/Joe Colon, 19/Tyler Graff, 21/Daton Fix, 22/Seth Gross. The HS Class of 2017 continues to impress. With Arujau and Lee making the world team debuts, it will make four wrestlers from that class that have already made world teams (Fix/Yianni Diakomihalis). Chance Marsteller, Brady Koontz, Pat Smith, and Zac Braunagel all lost their first match, but came back to win their series. Women’s Freestyle Jennifer Page is the first wrestler from Oklahoma City to make the world team since Becka Leathers in 2017. Sarah Hildebrandt kept her impressive scoreless Final X streak alive. She’s the only wrestler to participate in every iteration of the event and has held her opponent's score in all eight matches. She won by a combined score of 56-0. With her series-clinching fall, Adeline Gray got her third career Final X fall. She’s the only wrestler with more than one in her career. Two of the women’s freestyle world teamers changed weights after a loss at the US Open finals. Page from 62 kg to 59. Emma Bruntil from 65 kg to 68. Page at 59 kg is the fifth different woman to appear for the United States at the last five world championships. (22/Abby Nette, 21/Maya Nelson, 19/Alli Ragan, 18/Jenna Burkert). Bruntil is the first wrestler that wrestled at McKendree to make a Senior world team. As usual, California is well-represented on the women’s world team. There will be five women from California on the 2023 squad with Dom Parrish/53, Jacarra Winchester/55, Page/59, Amit Elor/72. The 2023 team will have at least three first-time world team members with Page, Kilty, and Bruntil. Two of the first-timers downed past world medalists to earn their place on the squad. Kilty defeated Mallory Velte and Bruntil knocked off Forrest Molinari. The two wrestlers surrounding Kayla Miracle in the lineup; Page (59 kg) and Kilty (65 kg), both have lost to Miracle in a Final X or Olympic Trials final. Adeline Gray is the senior member of the team having made her 12th World/Olympic squad. Greco-Roman Brady Koontz and Spencer Woods both won three-match series’ though they were cumulatively outscored by their respective opponents. Dalton Duffield had an 8-0 tech of Koontz in match one and ultimately outscored him, 12-11. Ryan Epps teched Woods in match two 9-0 and had a cumulative lead of 12-8. Koontz started his Final X “career” with five consecutive losses (2x 2019/2x 2022) before rallying to beat Duffield in matches two and three. Pat Smith is now 3-for-3, wrestling three-match series’ in each of his three Final X appearances. This was the second one he won. Smith downed Kamal Bey in 2019 and lost to Benji Peak last year. Joe Rau made the world team at a third different weight. 80 kg in 2014, 87 kg in 2019, and 97 in 2023. Xavier Johnson is the first wrestler from the Carolinas (South) to make a world/Olympic team in any style since Dremiel Byers (North) did so at 120 kg in Greco in 2012. Speaking of heavyweights, after Cohlton Schultz made his third consecutive team, it extended a streak that’s seen only four wrestlers make a World/Olympic team at Greco’s highest weight dating back to 2005. Byers made the team from 05-2012. Robby Smith took over from 2013-17, and Adam Coon in 2018-19 (who also won the 2020 Trials). Ildar Hafizov and Smith are the veteran members of this team with four world/Olympic team appearances each. (Hafizov has more wrestling for Uzbekistan).

Stanford had a tough season, ending with a 6-7 dual season record, second at Pac-12 Championships and 26th at NCAAs. “Last year was the first losing season in my 33 years as coaching,” Coach Rob Koll said. “We had 17 or 18 kids in the room.” The Cardinal program has looked to find its rhythm after almost losing its program a few years ago. Although Stanford had its first losing season since the 2012-13 season, they showed some promise in the postseason. The main reason why Stanford has struggled is the lack of recruits and depth. “If you look at it, every other team has four years of recruits and we have three,” Koll said. “It’s massive because 25% of your team is not there and you can’t replace it in one year.” Since Koll has had less time to recruit, he struggled in certain weight classes. “Nobody was allowed to get hurt last year and we couldn’t rest guys because we didn’t have backups,” Koll said. “It was not ideal.” Stanford took one final loss this offseason when Shane Griffith transferred to Michigan. However, Koll is elated that Griffith is moving forward with his career and Koll looks to give his underclassmen the opportunity to grow. “We lost Shane but it wouldn’t have benefitted him to be here another year and getting another master’s in another program,” Koll said. “On the other side, it’s time to move on and develop the guys coming in. Our goal is to compete with trophies. With Shane, we maybe finish 10th or 11th instead of 20s.” Stanford will now focus on some of their top underclassmen to take over the program. 157-pound Daniel Cardenas won the Pac-12 Newcomer of the Year. Cardenas, a true freshman, was a Pac-12 champion, undefeated in duals, and reached the Round of 12 at NCAAs. Nico Provo showed flashes last season, starting off 13-2 before falling to 20-11 and going 0-2 in the 125-pound class at NCAAs. Hunter Garvin backed up Shane Griffith at 165 pounds. He finished 10-7 as a freshman and is fresh off a runner-up finish at U20s. Jack Darrah went 12-8 as a backup at 184 pounds. He represents the U20 U.S. freestyle squad at 92kg. With these young stars and a handful of recruits landing on campus, Koll hopes Stanford can return to prominence in two years. “It will take another year until we can get into the top 10 and above and succeed at dual meets,” Koll said. “There will be a few holes but for the first time we have flexibility and depth.” Koll wants to build Stanford the old-fashioned way with recruiting and developing compared to the transfer portal and NIL deals. “I don’t need to dip into the portal because we won’t lose guys,” Koll said. “I’m building a team, not buying a team like the Penn State, Iowa, and Michigan models.” Koll’s lone transfer is his former Cornell wrestler Dom LaJoie. LaJoie will be joining the lightweights after finishing 9-5 last season at Cornell. Instead of using the transfer portal, Koll will rely on his resources at Stanford. Besides amazing weather and campus, Koll will promote his RTC program, scholarships, and stipends that Stanford provides to the athletes. Once the resources are set and the recruits begin to take over the Stanford program, Stanford looks to aim for the top of the NCAA. “Next year is hard because we will have nine freshmen or sophomores on the team,” Koll said. “I’m not so concerned about next year. The following year we will contend for trophies and the top four. I’ve been there before and know what it requires.” Koll finished as runner-up at NCAAs twice at Cornell and eight top-five finishes too. The Stanford coaching staff, from left: Grant Leeth, Ryan Deakin, Koll, and Enock Francois

Interviews are being uploaded.....they will be added here as they are finalized. Men's Freestyle 57 kg - Zane Richards 61 kg - Vito Arujau 65 kg - Nick Lee 70 kg - Zain Retherford 74 kg - Kyle Dake 79 kg - Chance Marsteller 86 kg - David Taylor 92 kg - Zahid Valencia 97 kg - Kyle Snyder 125 kg - Gable Steveson Women's Freestyle 50 kg - Sarah Hildebrandt 53 kg - Dom Parrish 55 kg - Jacarra Winchester 59 kg - Jennifer Page 62 kg - Kayla Miracle 65 kg - Macey Kilty 68 kg - Emma Bruntil 72 kg - Amit Elor 76 kg - Adeline Gray Greco-Roman 55 kg - Brady Koontz 60 kg - Ildar Hafizov 63 kg - Xavier Johnson 67 kg - Alex Sancho 72 kg - Pat Smith 77 kg - Kamal Bey 82 kg - Spencer Woods 87 kg - Zac Braunagel 97 kg - Joe Rau 130 kg - Cohlton Schultz True-Third Place Winners 61 kg MFS - Daton Fix 70 kg MFS - Sammy Sasso 79 kg MFS - Alex Dieringer 92 kg MFS - Kollin Moore 63 kg MGR - Sammy Jones 82 kg MGR - Ben Provisor

Final X is finally here! This is your place for updated results throughout the day. More results will be added as they occur: Final X Round One Men's Freestyle 57 kg - Zane Richards (Illinois RTC/Titan Mercury WC) over Thomas Gilman (Nittany Lion WC/Titan Mercury WC) 5-4 61 kg - Vito Arujau (Spartan Combat RTC/Titan Mercury WC) over Nahshon Garrett (Titan Mercury WC/Lehigh Valley WC) 6-5 65 kg - Nick Lee (Nittany Lion WC/Titan Mercury WC) over Yianni Diakomihalis (Spartan Combat WC/Titan Mercury WC) 7-6 70 kg - Zain Retherford (Nittany Lion WC/Titan Mercury WC over Tyler Berger (Pennsylvania RTC/Sunkist Kids) 11-2 74 kg - Kyle Dake (Nittany Lion WC/Titan Mercury WC) over Jason Nolf (Nittany Lion WC/ Titan Mercury WC) 6-0 79 kg - Jordan Burroughs (Pennsylvania RTC/Sunkist Kids) over Chance Marsteller (NJRTC/NYCRTC/TMWC) 3-3 86 kg - David Taylor (Nittany Lion WC/Titan Mercury WC) over Aaron Brooks (Nittany Lion WC/Titan Mercury WC) 6-0 92 kg - Zahid Valencia (Sunkist Kids) over Mike Macchiavello (Wolfpack WC/TMWC) 8-0 97 kg - Kyle Snyder (Nittany Lion WC/Titan Mercury WC) over J'den Cox (Cliff Keen WC/Titan Mercury WC) FFT 125 kg - Gable Steveson (Gopher WC) over Mason Parris (CKWC/Titan Mercury WC) 5-2 Women’s Freestyle 50 kg - Sarah Hildebrandt (NYAC) over Audrey Jimenez (Sunkist Kids) 8-0 53 kg - Dom Parrish (Sunkist Kids) over Katie Gomez (Sunkist Kids) Fall 1:54 55 kg - Jacarra Winchester (Titan Mercury WC) over Alisha Howk (Sunkist Kids) 10-0 59 kg - Jennifer Page (Nittany Lion WC/Titan Mercury WC) over Michaela Beck 11-0 62 kg - Kayla Miracle (Sunkist Kids) over Adaugo Nwachukwu (Titan Mercury WC) 6-1 65 kg - Macey Kilty (Sunkist Kids) over Mallory Velte (Beaver Dam RTC/Titan Mercury WC) Fall 5:50 68 kg - Emma Bruntil (USOPTC/Titan Mercury WC) over Forrest Molinari (Sunkist Kids) 6-3 72 kg - Amit Elor (NYC RTC/Titan Mercury WC) over Joye Levendusky (Southern Oregon RTC) 10-0 76 kg - Adeline Gray (NYAC/Beaver Dam RTC) over Kennedy Blades (Sunkist Kids) 7-5 Greco-Roman 55 kg - Dalton Duffield (Army WCAP) over Brady Koontz (Dubuque RTC/Titan Mercury WC) 8-0 60 kg - Ildar Hafizov (Army WCAP) over Dalton Roberts (Army WCAP) Fall 4:01 63 kg - Xavier Johnson (Army WCAP) over Hayden Tuma (Suples WC) 10-1 67kg - Alex Sancho (Army WCAP) over Robert Perez III (Sunkist Kids) 3-2 72 kg - Justus Scott (Army WCAP) over Patrick Smith (Minnesota Storm) 3-3 77 kg - Kamal Bey (Army WCAP) over Aliaksandr Kikiniou (NYAC) 9-0 82 kg - Spencer Woods (Army WCAP) over Ryan Epps (Army WCAP) 3-3 87 kg - Alan Vera (NYAC) over Zac Braunagel (Illinois RTC/Illinois WC) 10-0 97 kg - Joe Rau (Wildcat WC/Titan Mercury WC) over Christian Dulaney (Minnesota Storm) 3-2 130 kg - Cohlton Schultz (Sunkist Kids) over Adam Coon (CKWC) 3-0 Round Two Men's Freestyle 57 kg - Zane Richards (Illinois RTC/Titan Mercury WC) over Thomas Gilman (Nittany Lion WC/Titan Mercury WC) 8-6 61 kg - Vito Arujau (Spartan Combat RTC/Titan Mercury WC) over Nahshon Garrett (Titan Mercury WC/Lehigh Valley WC) 13-10 65 kg - Nick Lee (Nittany Lion WC/Titan Mercury WC) over Yianni Diakomihalis (Spartan Combat WC/Titan Mercury WC) 8-8 70 kg - Zain Retherford (Nittany Lion WC/Titan Mercury WC over Tyler Berger (Pennsylvania RTC/Sunkist Kids) 4-3 74 kg - Kyle Dake (Nittany Lion WC/Titan Mercury WC) over Jason Nolf (Nittany Lion WC/ Titan Mercury WC) 3-0 79 kg - Chance Marsteller (NJRTC/NYCRTC/TMWC) over Jordan Burroughs (Pennsylvania RTC/Sunkist Kids) 5-4 86 kg - David Taylor (Nittany Lion WC/Titan Mercury WC) over Aaron Brooks (Nittany Lion WC/Titan Mercury WC) 5-4 92 kg - Zahid Valencia (Sunkist Kids) over Mike Macchiavello (Wolfpack WC/TMWC) 9-2 97 kg - Kyle Snyder (Nittany Lion WC/Titan Mercury WC) over J'den Cox (Cliff Keen WC/Titan Mercury WC) FFT 125 kg - Gable Steveson (Gopher WC) over Mason Parris (CKWC/Titan Mercury WC) 5-0 Women’s Freestyle 50 kg - Sarah Hildebrandt (NYAC) over Audrey Jimenez (Sunkist Kids) 11-0 53 kg - Dom Parrish (Sunkist Kids) over Katie Gomez (Sunkist Kids) 5-0 55 kg - Jacarra Winchester (Titan Mercury WC) over Alisha Howk (Sunkist Kids) 11-0 59 kg - Jennifer Page (Nittany Lion WC/Titan Mercury WC) over Michaela Beck 11-0 62 kg - Kayla Miracle (Sunkist Kids) over Adaugo Nwachukwu (Titan Mercury WC) 10-3 65 kg - Macey Kilty (Sunkist Kids) over Mallory Velte (Beaver Dam RTC/Titan Mercury WC) 6-5 68 kg - Forrest Molinari (Sunkist Kids) over Emma Bruntil (USOPTC/Titan Mercury WC) 3-2 72 kg - Amit Elor (NYC RTC/Titan Mercury WC) over Joye Levendusky (Southern Oregon RTC) 10-0 76 kg - Adeline Gray (NYAC/Beaver Dam RTC) over Kennedy Blades (Sunkist Kids) Fall 4:38 Greco-Roman 55 kg - Brady Koontz (Dubuque RTC/Titan Mercury WC) over Dalton Duffield (Army WCAP) 4-1 60 kg - Dalton Roberts (Army WCAP) over Ildar Hafizov (Army WCAP) 9-0 63 kg - Xavier Johnson (Army WCAP) over Hayden Tuma (Suples WC) 10-0 67kg - Alex Sancho (Army WCAP) over Robert Perez III (Sunkist Kids) 5-1 72 kg - Patrick Smith (Minnesota Storm) over Justus Scott (Army WCAP) 5-4 77 kg - Kamal Bey (Army WCAP) over Aliaksandr Kikiniou (NYAC) 5-1 82 kg - Ryan Epps (Army WCAP) over Spencer Woods (Army WCAP) 9-0 87 kg - Zac Braunagel (Illinois RTC/Illinois WC) over Alan Vera (NYAC) 6-5 97 kg - Joe Rau (Wildcat WC/Titan Mercury WC) over Christian Dulaney (Minnesota Storm) 8-0 130 kg - Cohlton Schultz (Sunkist Kids) over Adam Coon (CKWC) 5-1 Round Three Men's Freestyle 79 kg - Chance Marsteller (NJRTC/NYCRTC/TMWC) over Jordan Burroughs (Pennsylvania RTC/Sunkist Kids) 8-3 Women’s Freestyle 68 kg - Emma Bruntil (USOPTC/Titan Mercury WC) over Forrest Molinari (Sunkist Kids) 3-2 Greco-Roman 55 kg - Brady Koontz (Dubuque RTC/Titan Mercury WC) over Dalton Duffield (Army WCAP) 7-3 60 kg - Ildar Hafizov (Army WCAP) over Dalton Roberts (Army WCAP) 2-1 72 kg - Patrick Smith (Minnesota Storm) over Justus Scott (Army WCAP) 7-5 82 kg - Spencer Woods (Army WCAP) over Ryan Epps (Army WCAP) 5-0 87 kg - Zac Braunagel (Illinois RTC/Illinois WC) over Alan Vera (NYAC) FFT True Third Place Matches Men's Freestyle 61 kg - Daton Fix (Cowboy RTC/Titan Mercury WC) over Austin DeSanto (Hawkeye WC/Titan Mercury WC) 9-0 65 kg - Joey McKenna (Pennsylvania RTC/Titan Mercury WC) over Matt Kolodzik (New York AC/NJRTC) 10-0 70 kg - Sammy Sasso (Ohio RTC/Titan Mercury WC) over Alec Pantaleo (Cliff Keen WC/Titan Mercury) 10-0 74 kg - Keegan O'Toole (Missouri) over Vincenzo Joseph (Sunkist Kids) FFT 79 kg - Alex Dieringer (Cliff Keen WC/Titan Mercury WC) over David McFadden (Virginia) 2-2 92 kg - Kollin Moore (Ohio RTC/Titan Mercury WC) over Nate Jackson (NJRTC) 11-8 Women’s Freestyle 50 kg - Erin Golston (NYAC) FFT Alyssa Lampe (Sunkist Kids) 53 kg - Samara Chavez (Team Tornado WC) fall Felicity Taylor (Iowa) 4:09 57 kg - Amanda Martinez (North Central/Titan Mercury WC) over Alex Hedrick (USOPTC/Titan Mercury WC) 5-3 59 kg - Maya Nelson (Sunkist Kids) over Brenda Reyna (Washington) 10-0 72 kg - Brooklyn Hayes (Utah Valley RTC) over Rose Cassioppi (NYAC) 9-8 76 kg - Kylie Welker (Wisconsin) over Dymond Guilford (USOPTC/Titan Mercury WC) 8-5 Greco-Roman 60 kg - Randon Miranda (Rise RTC) over Dylan Koontz (Dubuque RTC/Titan Mercury WC) 7-0 63 kg - Sammy Jones (Sunkist Kids) over Dylan Gregerson (Utah Valley RTC) 12-2 72 kg - Noah Wachsmuth (NYAC) over Michael Hooker (Army WCAP) 16-8 77 kg - RaVaughn Perkins (Colorado) over Payton Jacobson (Sunkist Kids) 3-1 82 kg - Ben Provisor (NYAC) over Barrett Stanghill (Minnesota Storm) 3-1 130 kg - Donny Longendyke (Minnesota Storm) over Brandon Metz (North Dakota) 6-4

Greens Farms Academy

Columbus Catholic

Osceola

Osceola

It’s almost here! We’re only a few days away from the best domestic event of the year during the freestyle and Greco-Roman season, Final X. For the first time since it was established in 2018, will all three styles be held at the same location on one day. Saturday’s winners will go on to Belgrade, Serbia in September to represent the United States at the 2023 World Championships. We’ll finish up our previews by looking at the Senior Men’s Greco-Roman matchups. The 2022 team was held without a medal and we could be looking at a transition of power as four world team representatives from 2022 are not competing in Final X this year. At least two weights will have a first-time world rep and two others had a recent U20 rep (2021/2022) win the Open. Before we get ahead of ourselves and look at Belgrade, we have a preview of the action in the ten weight classes, with information about each wrestler and their previous head-to-head matchups, if any. 55 kg - Brady Koontz vs. Dalton Duffield Max Nowry had made the last three world teams at 55 kg; however, he did not participate in the qualifying process, so we’ll have a new representative at the weight. A familiar face to viewers of Final X is Brady Koontz, who lost to Nowry in each of the last two editions of the event. Last year’s loss came via the thinnest of margins, as he lost both bouts, 1-1. Koontz seemed to separate himself from the rest of the 55 kg bracket at the US Open, when he captured three straight wins via a 9-0 score. That final US Open opponent for Koontz was Dalton Duffield. He was quite impressive, himself, getting to the finals with a pair of techs. That carried over to the World Team Trials where Duffield posted 10-0 techs against Jacob Cochran and Camden Russell. These two have represented the United States at the Pan-American Championships in each of the last two years. Both came home with gold, Koontz in 2022 and Duffield in May. Duffield was also fifth at the Zagreb Open earlier this year. Aside from the Open finals, this pair has tangled a handful of times over the past four years. Each has gone Koontz’s way and he’s tended to extend the margin of victory as time has progressed. Pick: Brady Koontz 60 kg - Dalton Roberts vs. Ildar Hafizov The only 2022 Final X rematch comes at 60 kg between Army WCAP teammates and training partners Dalton Roberts and Ildar Hafizov. It would be difficult to find a pair of wrestlers so evenly matches in this set of ten bouts. Since Roberts moved up to the Senior level, they’ve met 11 times, with seven bouts going the way of Roberts. These two also have fought to the third match in a three-match series three times, including last year’s Final X NYC meeting. I’d be surprised if Saturday wasn’t the fourth instance of this happening. Roberts got the first Final X bid based on his 7-6 win over Hafizov in the US Open finals. That match was an uncharacteristically one-sided affair; however, Hafizov tossed Roberts to his back late in the bout and almost garnered the fall. Both wrestlers are on another level from the rest of the weight class domestically. Roberts tech’ed all of his non-Hafizov opponents at the Open, while Hafizov’s closest pre-finals match was a 7-1 victory. After winning the Open, Roberts was selected to compete at the Pan-American Championships, which he won for the first time. Both he and Hafizov have combined to make the Senior World team on five occasions. Hafizov was our 2020(1) representative at the Olympic Games and also made the 2008 Olympics and three world teams wrestling for Uzbekistan. Pick: Dalton Roberts 63 kg - Hayden Tuma vs. Xavier Johnson This is the second and final weight where we are guaranteed to have a first-time world team member. After competing for most of his Senior level career at 66/67 kg, Hayden Tuma dropped down to 63 kg and won his first US Open title. To win his title, Tuma had to go through a pair of past Final X participants in the semis (Leslie Fuenffinger) and Sammy Jones (finals). Tuma is a two-time Bill Farrell Champion and a two-time Junior and Cadet World Team member. Xavier Johnson made Final X despite coming into the World Team Trials as the third seed in a four-man bracket. It’ll be his second appearance in Final X after losing to Ryan Mango in 2019. At the 2023 WTT’s, Johnson downed Dylan Gregerson and Sammy Jones to clinch a spot in Newark. He and Jones were slated to meet in the US Open semis; however, he did not wrestle due to an injury. Johnson hasn’t competed overseas in a few years, but he did capture a gold medal at Pan-Am’s in 2021, his most recent international tournament. You have to go back to 2019 to find a meeting between these two. On that occasion, at the Armed Forces Championships, Tuma scored an 8-0 tech over Johnson. Pick: Hayden Tuma 67 kg - Robert Perez III vs. Alex Sancho In our next two matches, we’ll see a young phenom against a past world team member and in both instances, it was the young wrestler who comes in as the US Open champion. The 67 kg bracket was in flux after the quarterfinals when top-seeded Alex Sancho was pinned by high school senior Joel Adams. A match later, Robert Perez III downed Adams, 6-3. Perez III would lock up a spot in Final X after he disposed of 2016 Olympian Jesse Thielke via tech, 8-0. Perez III went on to wrestle in the Pan-American Championships and had to settle for 12th place. He does have plenty of international experience, wrestling at U20 World’s last year and U17’s in 2019. 2020(1) Olympian and 2022 World Team member Sancho solidified his place in Final X with two wins at the WTT’s before receiving a forfeit from Thielke in the finals. Earlier this year, Sancho entered the Zagreb Open and was 11th. He traveled east last year and earned his trip to Belgrade after two wins over Alston Nutter in Final X NYC. These two have not met before, so there isn’t much to go off of. Can Perez knock off two past Olympians in less than two months? Pick: Alex Sancho 72 kg - Justus Scott vs. Patrick Smith Another matchup with a young upstart against a grizzled veteran takes place at 72 kg with Justus Scott and Patrick Smith. The two squared off in the US Open finals and it was Scott who shocked Smith with a 6-4 win. That meant that Scott took out the top-three seeds at the Open after coming in as the sixth seed. After edging Nolan Wachsmuth in the quarters, Smith downed 2022 Final X participant (77 kg) Britton Holmes 4-1. Scott, a 2022 U20 World Team member, proceeded to wrestle in the Pan-American Championships and came away with a gold medal. Smith has made three of world teams and is a two-time Final X participant, winning one (2019) and losing another (2022). In both instances, his series went the full three matches. There’s a good shot that history could repeat itself. During Smith’s only international trip this year, he was 13th at the Zagreb Open. After the Open loss, he rebounded at the World Team Trials shutting out Michael Hooker and Wachsmuth to book the rematch with Scott. The Open finals match is the only prior meeting between these two. I could see the crafty veteran, Smith, coming up with a way to win the first match, but it ultimately going three. Pick: Justus Scott 77 kg - Kamal Bey vs. Aliaksandr Kikiniou 2022 marked the return of 2017 Junior World Champion, Kamal Bey, however, the return did not turn out as planned at the world level. Bey finished 31st at Belgrade in his first World Championship event since 2018. If the 2023 US Open is any indication, Bey might be creeping closer to the wrestler that won worlds in 2017. He teched all four of his opponents and outscored the field 38-1. A week later, Bey went and grabbed his first Pan-American gold medal. The opponent that Bey blitzed in the US Open finals was Aliaksandr Kikiniou whose performance was a stunning revelation. Kikiniou was a 2009 world bronze medalist for Belarus and wrestled for the bronze at the 2012 Olympics. He put on a display himself to get to the finals. Kikiniou needed less than two minutes to down Payton Jacobson in the semifinals. Despite Kikiniou’s dominance in his pre-finals matches and his history/pedigree, Bey rolled to a 9-0 tech in only :33 seconds. The Open win, combined with Pan-Am, gold can only help Bey’s confidence, which is a scary proposition. Kikiniou will have to go back to the drawing board and pull out every trick in the book if he hopes to slow down Bey. Pick: Kamal Bey 82 kg - Spencer Woods vs. Ryan Epps Last year, Spencer Woods got the late call and competed at the World Championships for the first time as a replacement for Ben Provisor. At Final X Stillwater, Woods fell 8-0 and 5-3 to Provisor. At the 2023 Open, Woods turned the tables on Provisor and captured the title with a 4-3 victory. Woods went on to strike gold in his first appearance at the Pan-American Championships. I’m sure many expected a Provisor/Woods rematch, but Ryan Epps had other plans. Epps was seeded sixth in a six-man World Team Trials weight class, but came out on top. He edged Tommy Bracket, then teched Andrew Berreyesa before meeting Provisor in the finals. Epps scored twice in the second period to upset the Olympian, 2-1. These two have not met in 2023, but clashed twice in 2022. In both instances, it was Woods who got his hand raised 8-1 at the Bill Farrell, then 8-0 a few weeks later at the Open. Pick: Spencer Woods 87 kg - Alan Vera vs. Zac Bruanagel Alan Vera has quickly established himself as a mainstay on the Greco world team with appearances on the squad in each of the last two teams. Vera teched his way through the 2023 US Open, his third win in Vegas in as many tries. The only wrestler that scored on Vera was U20/U23 national champion Mikey Altomer. In the semifinals, Vera teched his Final X opponent Zac Braunagel, 9-0. He finished his tournament by rolling through 2020(1) Olympian John Stefanowicz. After the Open, Vera went to the Pan-American Championships and came away with a bronze medal, his first medal at the event while representing the United States. Earlier in the year, he was 28th at the Zagreb Open. Braunagel, the collegiate star at Illinois, ended up third at the Open after teching Vera’s 2022 Final X opponent Timothy Young. The two would meet right away, in Brauangel’s next bout, at the World Team Trials. Once again, Braungel won via tech. For the berth in Final X, Braunagel shut out the Minnesota Storm’s Richard Carlson, 6-0. That win came a match after Carlson upset Stefanowicz. This year’s US Open win for Vera is the only past meeting between these two. Though still a collegiate wrestler, Braunagel has an excellent Greco background and a great coach (Bryan Medlin), so he could make things more interesting in this meeting. Pick: Alan Vera 97 kg - Joe Rau vs. Christian DuLaney Could we see Joe Rau make a world team at a third different weight? Rau has been up and down throughout the upperweights throughout his entire career. He’s made world teams at 80 and 87 kg, but is now up at 97. Rau spent 2015-17 competing in the old 98 kg weight class. After an incredible showing at the US Open, Rau is only two matches away from doing so. In four bouts, he put up three techs and a fall. A few weeks later, Rau went to the Pan-American Championships and won his third career gold medal at the event. Christian DuLaney comes to Newark on the strength of his title at the WTT’s. DuLaney defeated Brandon Marshall and Cade Lautt (8-0) to make Final X. He was sixth at the Open after losing 7-5 in the semis to Nicholas Boykin and defaulting out of the tournament. DuLaney gained some valuable international experience earlier this year with a 12th-place finish at Thor Masters. Despite the weight changes for both wrestlers, they do have a prior meeting. Back in 2020 at Senior Nationals, Rau teched DuLaney, 10-0 Pick: Joe Rau 130 kg - Cohlton Schultz vs. Adam Coon We’ll finish things off with one of the more interesting series’ of the evening, from a Greco standpoint. Adam Coon was “the guy” at 130 kg, capturing a world silver medal in 2018, making back-to-back world teams and winning the Olympic Team Trials. After the Trials and the weight qualification attempts, Coon turned his sights on making it in the NFL and spent time with the Tennessee Titans and Atlanta Falcons. Earlier this year, Coon announced his intentions to return to wrestling and to try and regain his spot atop the ladder at 130 kg. Coon’s first event in his return was the 2023 US Open. He seemed to cruise on his way to the finals, taking out 2022 Final X participant Tanner Farmer, 5-1 in the semis. That set up a finals match with young star Cohlton Schultz. Schultz stunned the big man from Michigan with an 11-0 tech, highlighted with a match-ending four-point throw. With Coon out of the picture, Schultz has made back-to-back world team appearances. He’s still searching for an elusive Senior World medal after winning three at the age-group level. With his US Open dominance, Schultz looks as good as ever posting a fall and three techs on his way to a title. Coon made Final X on the strength of two techs at the WTT’s, including one of veteran Donny Longendyke in the finals. Not only did these two meet in the Open finals, but they also clashed at Final X 2019 and the Olympic Trials finals. Along with the 2021 Matteo Pellicone. In all of those previous instances, Coon prevailed. With more mat time under his belt, could Coon be ready to assert himself, or has Schultz improved too much in the interim? Pick: Cohlton Schultz

Final X is finally here and I’m finally doing consecutive mailbags for the first time in an eternity. What do you want from me? It’s a slow period. But not this week! The powers that be put the pinnacle event of senior wrestling in the greatest state in the Union and I need to pull my weight. So while you’re driving to Jersey today, take a gander at this week’s mailbag. Feel free to read it out loud to anyone else in the car. What are your thoughts on the NCAA rule changes? What do you like and what don’t you like? Dan Seifring, WrestleStat and Tik Tok influencer I don’t really have an opinion until I see it all in action. Certainly, the three-point takedown is an entire shock to the system. Takedowns are the standard in folkstyle scoring and they’re worth two points. Always have been. It’s like randomly making a touchdown 11 points. Or a three-pointer into a six-pointer. You’re changing the entire dynamics of the sport. In the long run, it may be the right move but it’s simply going to take heat for a while from a fanbase that was raised on the shouts of “two!” from the crowd. Now don’t me wrong, eventually, there will be a match where someone storms back from a large deficit because of the change and I’m sure it will be exciting for all of us. But mostly I think it leads to more major decisions. For now, I’ll go in with an open mind but that doesn’t mean I won’t end up hating it. Baseball managers in college and pros wear the team’s uniform while coaching their teams in games. Should college and national team coaches wear their team’s singlet while coaching in their corners? Mike Abromitis People always make fun of the manager for wearing the uniform, but I love it. It makes the whole spectacle of arguing with the umpire even funnier when you’re throwing a tantrum and acting beyond the modicum of any sane human being while wearing tight baseball pants. Would it have the same comedic effect in wrestling? Probably even more so. And that’s why it’s probably not a good idea. What’s your favorite beer? Luke Kemerer I don’t always drink beer...but I used to. When I did I usually tapped the Rockies for the Silver Bullet. In a summer barbecue-type atmosphere, I usually go for Corona with a lime for that whole beach vibe. I kind of want a beer now, the Mets just blew another game? Make it a case. Who are your Men’s Freestyle picks? Earl in VA The problem with having such a great team is that it doesn’t leave much room for surprise in the qualifying portion. How do you pick against any of the seven returning medalists? I could see Zane Richards making things interesting, but Gilman is in his prime right now. Arujau has been the best wrestler in the entire country for the year of 2023, but Garrett looked as good as ever at trials. I’ll still take Vito two-nil to make his first Senior Team. He’s just too damn good right now. Yianni-Lee will be the best series of the event. I’ll take the four-timer in three very exciting matches. It’s straight chalk for the next four matches, but I do think 74 and 79 could possibly go to three matches. The Dake-Nolf dynamic is just fascinating and it’s fun to see how much Nolf closes the gap each year. Not to mention the whole being teammates thing. Chance has proven he can win, but I’ll pick someone other than Burroughs to make a world team the year after Burroughs retires. Aaron Brooks may be the future of 86 kilograms, but Saturday is a little too near future. 92 kg is obviously the biggest toss-up on the slate, but I’ll take Mike Macchiavello in three. I just don’t know if Zahid can keep going up in weight like this. He once wrestled at 103! The Burroughs rule also applies to Kyle Snyder, but he hasn’t been challenged for his world spot like this in some time. Snyder and Cox close the night with a third match that will bring the house down. Also, give me Gable as a sneaky pick to make the team. The brother of NXT Superstar Damon Kemp has shown a talent for the mat and could have a bright future if he sticks around. Well, the Canadian smoke seems to have cleared, could be some Jagger smoke lingering, but that won’t hurt you too much. Enjoy the Garden State and all its charms but get out of here as soon as possible. It’s plenty crowded already.

Farmington

Parkersburg South

Frazier

Starpoint

Wallenpaupack

Jesuit

Canon-McMillan

Dundee

Newburg

St. Joseph's Regional