Ten Burning Questions for the MAC in 2024-25
As we see a new NCAA season on the horizon, it’s time to make our way around the country and look at the future for each conference. Today we’re focusing on the MAC. In 2024, the conference produced three All-Americans, two of which return. Two MAC schools were identified in InterMat’s preseason tournament rankings (Ohio 23-T and Lock Haven 25-T). In addition, the MAC led the way with the most head coaching changes.
All of that will make for a fun year in the conference. Plenty of new-look teams. Some teams that we know are good and others we might learn about later. We spent the entire 2023-24 season wondering who would win the conference, will it be so uncertain in 2024-25?
That is the basis for one of the ten questions we have below that we’ll use to preview the 2024-25 season from the MAC standpoint.
1. Can we get a roll call for the new head coaches?
A few weeks ago, we did a feature on the new DI head coaches for the 2024-25 season. Three of the seven come from the MAC. We won’t totally rehash that article, but those coaches are John Stutzman (Bloomsburg), Donnie Vinson (Buffalo), and Ben Bennett (Central Michigan).
Within a year or two, I’d expect strong improvements from the Bloomsburg and Buffalo programs. Both of these coaches and their staff have hit the recruiting trail hard. Bloomsburg already has a handful of commitments for the Class of 2025 and even one from the Class of 2026. Vinson’s staff at Buffalo has had plenty of highly ranked wrestlers on campus and appears to be ready to keep many of New York’s best, in-state.
As you might expect, in the near future it could be tough for both Stutzman and Vinson. Both programs were hit hard by the transfer portal when their respective vacancies opened. Soon enough, both will be in a better place.
Of course, you probably remember that Stutzman spent over a decade as the head man at Buffalo and is returning to a Bloomsburg program where he made a name for himself by putting together a nationally ranked squad that was largely composed of overlooked recruits.
Bennett takes over for the legendary Tom Borrelli after Borrelli stepped down following the 2024 NCAA Championships. Bennett is no stranger to the CMU program, having earned All-American honors four times for CMU and serving on the staff since his career ended in 2013.
For the most part, I think that new leadership and fresh voices can provide a positive jolt for a wrestling program. Having three new head coaches in the conference is a good thing. There should be renewed enthusiasm within each school’s fanbase and donor list, which is essential in this era of college sports.
2. Will Central Michigan repeat?
All throughout the 2023-24 season, a common theme when looking at the MAC was “Who’s going to win the conference title?” Lock Haven came in as the favorite and looked like they may be able to pull it off. Central Michigan had their moments, as did Rider and Northern Illinois. After the conference brackets were released, I thought there was a way that Cleveland State might be able to shock the league.
Ultimately, it was probably the most consistent team that shined when it counted and that was Central Michigan. It was truly a team event for the Chippewas as only Alex Cramer (174) came away with a conference crown. Corbyn Munson (149) made the finals. Jimmy Nugent (141), Johnny Lovett (157), and Tyler Swiderski (165) were third. Sean Spidle (125), Cameron Wood (197) and Bryan Caves (285) were fourth.
CMU is in a decent position to repeat. Of that group of top-four finishers, only Munson is gone. Spidle will move up to 133 and battle with Vince Perez and Andrew Austin for the starting role. Whoever emerges from that trio should push for a spot in the national rankings.
Filling in for Munson at 149 lbs is Mason Shrader. During the 2023-24 season, Shrader amassed a 21-5 record mainly competing at 157 lbs (even a few bouts at 165) behind Lovett. Depending on how the weight cut goes, the drop-off from Munson to Shrader may not be very severe.
At 141 lbs, Nugent is expected to get pushed by redshirt freshman Kellan Aure. Aure was 6-4 last season in limited open tournaments. However, that competition turns out, CMU should be in good shape.
The other returns just need to continue their development and CMU could field a very solid lineup without any significant holes.
3. Can Lock Haven climb back into the top spot?
After winning MAC titles in 2022 and 2023, Lock Haven slipped back to fourth place in 2024. On the way to the 2024 MAC Championships, we knew the Lock Haven lightweights would carry them, but just how far was the question. The Bald Eagles swept the first three weights with MAC titles from Anthony Noto (125), Gable Strickland (133), and Wyatt Henson (141).
Unfortunately, those were the only three national qualifiers for Lock Haven in 2024. Who can step up to help the big three in 2024-25? Lock Haven added a qualifier from Buffalo in the transfer portal, as Nick Stampoulos is now on track to start at 157 lbs and carries a preseason national ranking of #31. They’ll also have Tyler Stoltzfus at 174 lbs. Stoltzfus fought through an injury-plagued season and was a far cry from the wrestlers who went 31-14 the previous season and earned a trip to nationals.
Another familiar face for Lock Haven fans is 149 lber Nick Stonecheck. At times, Stonecheck was ranked at 149 lbs and was close to the NCAA qualification bubble. Unfortunately, Stonecheck went 1-1 at the MAC Tournament before injury defaulting out. During the regular season, Stonecheck picked up a win over eventual All-American Quinn Kinner (Rider).
Lock Haven could also receive a boost from the #20 overall recruiting class in the country. This class was very deep and is headed up by Tucker Hogan, who was considered the #27 overall prospect in the nation. We’ll have more on him shortly.
Once again, Lock Haven will be led by their lightweights. Wyatt Henson was a bonus-point machine in 2023-24 and that should occur again this season and is very important in tournaments. Unless the injury bug arrives, they seem to have enough big guns, along with potential contributors to knock off CMU.
4. Who are some of the freshmen to watch?
We briefly mentioned Hogan. It appears that he’ll be Lock Haven’s starter at 197 lbs right out of the gate. Hogan is a massive get for Scott Moore’s team. He was third at the Super 32 and fifth in Junior freestyle in Fargo in 2023. In Pennsylvania, Hogan won a pair of AAA state titles and finished third as a sophomore.
There are plenty of freshmen who have the potential to start for MAC teams in 2024-25; however, we’re only going to name those that appear to have the biggest impact.
Chris Vargo made national news during his senior year at Pennsylvania’s Bentworth High School when he defeated U17 world champion Jax Forrest in the AA Southwest Regional final. Although Forrest returned the favor in the state finals, not many wrestlers in any style, at any age group have beaten Forrest during his high school career. Vargo would finish his high school career with four state medals and two appearances in the finals.
Vargo had already inked with Edinboro and it was clear that Fighting Scots head coach Matt Hill might have found a diamond in the rough. It looks like Vargo will go for Edinboro right away at 125 lbs. Having four-time All-American AJ Schopp as a new assistant coach should be huge for Vargo’s transition to college.
A redshirt freshman you may not be as familiar with, but need to be, is SIU Edwardsville’s 197 lber Nick Nosler. Over the summer, Nosler made the best-of-three finals in the U20 World Team Trials in Greco-Roman. That finals berth allowed him to travel to Peru and represent the USA at the U20 Pan-American Championships. An experience like that should be invaluable to Nosler as he prepares for the 2024-25 season.
While redshirting, Nosler amassed a 21-12 record and went 1-1 in dual competition. Although the bulk of his wins came against non-DI competition, Nosler did notch a winning record against DI opposition.
5. Give me some good news from the transfer portal
The transfer portal isn’t always a negative thing. There were plenty of schools that improved themselves via the transfer portal and some of them came from the MAC.
The most notable addition to the conference comes in the form of Sammy Alvarez who is currently ranked #24 in the nation at 149 lbs for Rider. Of course, Alvarez has the talent to finish much higher than that, but he hasn’t had much action in the last few years. During his only full season as a starter (2019-20), Alvarez finished sixth in the Big Ten and was seeded #10 at the 2020 NCAA Championships. Rider has been a place where veterans have been able to transfer into and thrive (Jesse Dellavecchia and Quinn Kinner), so maybe Alvarez can reach his full potential back in his home state.
Other teams that made gains through the portal include Edinboro (Colton Camacho/133 and Ryan Michaels/157),
Lock Haven (Nick Stampoulos/157 and Caden Dobbins/165), Northern Illinois (Markel Baker/133 and Spencer Mooberry/197), along with SIU Edwardsville (Ben Lunn/141, Luke Odom/165, and Griffin Ray/174).
Camacho has been close to NCAA qualification status multiple times in the past.
Lock Haven’s Stampoulos was a qualifier last year for Buffalo and Dobbins’ presence could allow the Bald Eagles to redshirt Avery Bassett.
Baker was close to qualifying for nationals at George Mason, while at 125 lbs in 2022-23.
All three of SIU Edwardsville’s transfers come over from Big Ten programs.
There are plenty of additional transfers; however, these are the ones that might provide the most impact.
6. NCAA Finals….National Title…Could we see one (or two) from the MAC?
The last national champion from the MAC was J’den Cox in 2017, back when Missouri qualified through nationals through the conference. Aside from Mizzou wrestlers, the most recent MAC wrestler to win nationals was Dustin Kilgore (Kent State) in 2011. Could this be the year where a MAC wrestler breaks one of those streaks?
If you look at our preseason rankings, you’ll notice a couple of MAC wrestlers ranked very high - in weights that might be manageable to win. Anthony Noto (Lock Haven) comes in second at 125 lbs and Peyten Kellar (Ohio) is third at 157 lbs.
Noto dropped a one-point bout to Richie Figueroa (Arizona State) in the NCAA semifinals and Figueroa went on to win the national title. He’s the only one that sits above Noto in the preseason rankings.
As we saw last year, the 125 lb weight class was one of the most unpredictable brackets in recent memory. Noto spent multiple weeks at #1 and it wouldn’t be that far-fetched to think that he could navigate a tough bracket and reverse the result in a possible rematch against Figueroa.
Kellar wasn’t as much of a known commodity as Noto coming into the regular season or even at the NCAA Tournament. With his performance in Kansas City, Kellar introduced himself to the nation with a stunning performance that saw him finish fifth.
After a second-round loss to Jared Franek (Iowa), Kellar posted a major decision victory over Trevor Chumbley (Northwestern), edged #15 Cael Swensen (South Dakota State) 1-0, before pinning #4 Ed Scott (NC State) to secure All-American honors. Kellar wasn’t finished there. He won a 12-10 shootout over #8 Peyton Robb (Nebraska), before falling via pin to Daniel Cardenas (Stanford). Kellar finished with a fall over #12 Bryce Andonian (Virginia Tech) for fifth place.
Kellar starts the year ranked behind national runner-up Jacori Teemer (Iowa) and Meyer Shapiro (Cornell). He didn’t face either during the 2023-24 season; however, he’ll get an early test at the NWCA All-Star Classic in mid-November. Kasak moves up to 157 after an incredible NCAA run himself as a true freshman. He fell in the first round at nationals and battled all the way back for third at 149 lbs.
While Kellar may have been overlooked during the 2023-24 regular season, his total body of work was excellent. A 28-4 record with a title in the conference’s deepest weight and regular season losses to only Will Lewan (Michigan) and Paddy Gallagher (Ohio State).
There’s a lot of time between now and mid-March, but right now I think the conference has a pair of potential title threats.
7. How about an under-the-radar team to watch?
Let’s talk George Mason! The Patriots return a trio of NCAA qualifiers including conference champions Evan Maag (165) and Malachi DuVall (184), along with DJ McGee (157) who went 1-2 at NCAA’s and was a fourth-place finisher at the Midlands. That’s a good place to start. Each begins the preseason ranked in the top-25 at their respective weights.
In addition to GMU’s “Big Three,” they also have 174 lber Logan Messer coming off a redshirt year. Messer has been nationally ranked in the past and racked up a 52-18 during his first two years in Fairfax. Messer was close to NCAA qualification in 2023.
One wrestler that could really benefit from the new faces on the coaching staff is 149 lber Kaden Cassidy. He’ll get to work regularly with two-time national champion Dean Heil and All-American Max Murin, both new staff members from blue blood collegiate programs. Cassidy was 17-9 last year and finished fifth in a tough MAC weight class.
With those five and veterans like Ben Monn (125) or Tyler Kocak (197) potential continuing to develop, Frank Beasley’s team could be a tough-out against anyone and a significant factor in the MAC team race. After finishing third in 2024, two points behind Rider, it might be time to stop labeling George Mason as an “under-the-radar” team.
8. Which veterans take “the next step?”
Looking at the recent history of the conference, we’ve seen a handful of wrestlers that saw everything come together as they made the NCAA podium for the first time during their senior seasons.
Quinn Kinner, Izzak Olejnik, Will Feldkamp, Ethan Laird, Drew Hildebrandt, and Jesse Dellavecchia are some recent examples (I realize a few were granted an extra year and transferred outside of the conference).
So who is this year’s version of Quinn Kinner?
We’ve already talked about Sammy Alvarez, Kinner’s replacement, he might be the most logical answer. After Alvarez, how about Johnny Lovett of Central Michigan.
Lovett took his lumps throughout the regular season and had a few losses from wrestling in a conference that included Kellar and McGee. That’s understandable. The CMU 157 lber saved his best work for Kansas City as he lost to Kellar by a point in the opening round and proceeded to win three straight matches to make the NCAA bloodround. A notable win during that run came over long-time rival and multi-time All-American Will Lewan of Michigan.
Lovett starts the preseason ranked 16th in a weight class that is not quite as deep as the past two or three years. Why not Lovett?
Sticking with Central Michigan, maybe 174 lber Alex Cramer is the answer. Cramer won his second MAC title in 2024 and then pulled a slight upset in the first round of NCAA’s by pinning Big 12 finalist Gaven Sax. He picked up a second win in the consolations before getting eliminated by Iowa’s Patrick Kennedy.
Cramer starts the preseason ranked #21 in a deep 174 lb weight class; however, you don’t have to beat everyone in front of you to make the podium - perhaps just a guy or two.
9. What are some key out-of-conference events involving MAC teams?
There’s a fun new event taking place in conjunction with the NWCA National Duals that will feature a handful of MAC squads. Depending on where you look, it could be called the National Duals, the Elite Duals, the Mid-Major Duals, or maybe something we haven’t seen yet.
Whatever it’s called, it is designed to bring together schools that are not a part of Power Four conferences for a dual tournament. From the schedules we’ve seen thus far, George Mason, Ohio, and SIU Edwardsville are slated to compete. Ranked teams that we know are participating include #10 Northern Iowa, #16 Little Rock, #17 South Dakota State, and #25 Wyoming. The event could make for some interesting matchups - individually and as a team. With those types of teams in attendance, the MAC squads should have ample opportunities to take down ranked opponents.
Lock Haven has been a fixture at the Collegiate Duals. They’ll return for a third straight year and are slated to meet #7 Ohio State, #8 Iowa State, and #23 North Carolina in dual competition.
One of the staple events of November has been Journeymen Wrestling’s “WrangleMania.” Buffalo is the only MAC team on the docket. They’ll face Sacred Heart and California Baptist. A day later, also in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, is the Journeymen Collegiate Classic. Wrestlers get separated into pools and typically have three matches against similar competition. As of now, we see Clarion and Lock Haven in the field.
Take a look at our Master Schedule (updated regularly) for more detailed information about MAC teams at national events.
10. Does the conference meet or exceed the number of All-Americans (three) from 2024?
The MAC had three All-Americans in 2024 and two of those (Noto and Kellar) return. Quinn Kinner has graduated. Hitting that mark of three All-Americans or potentially exceeding it doesn’t seem like an unmanageable feat.
Neither Noto nor Kellar were flukes and will likely be considered favorites to at least match their 2024 NCAA placement.
That leaves us with another All-American or two. We’ve already mentioned names like Sammy Alvarez, Johnny Lovett, and Alex Cramer. Those are all three good options.
Looking back at Lock Haven, maybe Wyatt Henson is the answer. Henson dominated during the first semester while competing unattached. He finally got into the Lock Haven lineup and didn’t miss a beat, for the most part. At the NCAA Tournament, he was upset in the opening round, in sudden victory, before losing his first consolation match in a 10-9 shootout. Henson is probably closer to his NCAA seeding (#12) than his 0-2 showing at nationals. With Lock Haven’s schedule, he’ll have plenty of opportunities to meet strong competition and move up the ranks quickly.
If we’re talking Johnny Lovett, we can’t overlook DJ McGee who beat Lovett twice and downed Minnesota All-American Michael Blockhus. McGee was a surprise to most outside of the George Mason room, we’ll see if he can take another step forward this year.
Someone who is currently ranked within the All-American range (#8) is Ohio’s Garrett Thompson. Thompson also seemed to come out of nowhere last year and put together a great regular season - one that included a fifth-place finish at the Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational. Perhaps the length of the collegiate season got to Thompson as he faltered a bit down the stretch, with a loss in the MAC finals and a 1-2 showing at nationals. Looking at his season with a wide lens, Thompson went 27-8 and earned the #12 seed at NCAA’s.
That’s a decent amount of names and I don’t expect each and every one of them to make the NCAA podium. However, if two from that group step up and join Noto/Kellar, then the conference will outwrestle its NCAA performance from 2024.
