Quick Reactions from the 2023 CKLV Invitational
Much was made about how difficult and deep this tournament was. Without hyperbole, it’s accurate to say it was the best regular-season collegiate tournament since perhaps the 2014 Southern Scuffle. I discussed this with the FloWrestling personnel and we came up with the 2014 tournament as the best comparison. That tournament featured the teams that would end up finishing top-three at the NCAA Tournament that same season. Penn State, Minnesota, and Oklahoma State. That tournament may have had more top-end star power; with three eventual NCAA champions; however, this field was likely deeper.
An example of this is the 184 lb weight class that had four All-Americans miss the podium.
Iowa State won the tournament and finished with seven medalists (1 champion and 2 runner’s-up).
The only two past NCAA champions in this tournament (David Carr - Shane Griffith) both failed to make the finals.
David Carr was beaten in the CKLV semifinals by Cornell’s Julian Ramirez. Both of Carr’s regular-season losses have come in the semifinals of this tournament. The previous one came in 2019 to Northwestern’s Ryan Deakin.
The finals only had one matchup featuring two wrestles that previously met in college; 157 lbs. Like the previous meeting, Peyton Robb prevailed over Jacori Teemer.
The only finals match that featured wrestlers from the same conference was 184 lbs with Parker Keckeisen (Northern Iowa) and Will Feldkamp (Iowa State).
The finals had a pair of wrestlers that used to be teammates at Northern Illinois University. Izzak Olejnik at 165 lbs and Feldkamp.
Perhaps the most surprising team performance was Stanford. The Cardinal finished with a champion (Nico Provo - 125 lbs) and five other placewinners. Five of their six placewinners were either freshmen or sophomores.
Stanford’s talent (and youth) makes their move to the ACC an even more interesting proposition. The ACC seems to get better and better each year. Now throw a young, star-studded Stanford team into the mix and you have a mini-meat grinder.
Speaking of conferences, the Big 12 produced the most champions with four. (Olejnik, DeVos, Keckeisen, and Bastida). The Big Ten was next with three (Mendez, Lovett, Robb).
The 2023 tournament marked the first time that Michigan went without a champion since 2015 (There was no 2020 tournament).
The 125 lb final featured a pair of wrestlers that originally committed to Cornell. Provo defeated current Big Red starter, Brett Ungar.
Nebraska’s Peyton Robb was named the tournament’s Outstanding Wrestling. His win at one of the tournament’s most difficult weights was reason enough for the award. It’s more staggering when you consider that he nearly lost his leg in the days following the 2023 NCAA Tournament.
The 2023 CKLV Invitational featured three champions who moved up in weight from the 2022-23 campaign. Jesse Mendez (133/141), Trent Hidlay (184/197), and Yonger Bastida (197/285).
This year’s finals saw a pair of wrestlers win their second titles (Peyton Robb - 157 and Trent Hidlay - 197). Two other champions had the opportunity to repeat in Brock Hardy (Nebraska) and Julian Ramirez (Cornell). Hardy finished sixth and Ramirez was the runner-up at 165 lbs.
Stanford’s Tyler Knox (5th - 133), Virginia Tech’s Sonny Sasso (6th - 197), Stanford’s Lorenzo Norman (7th - 174), and Joey Novak (8th - 197) were the only true freshmen that found their way onto the CKLV podium.
Much was made about upsets and deservedly so. However, 141, 149, and 165 all saw the top four seeds make the semifinals. Additionally, 197 and 285 had the top three seeds, plus the fifth seed.
The Ironman award goes to Nic Bouzakis at 133 lbs. Bouzakis fell in the opening round to Knox of Stanford and proceeded to win seven straight bouts to take third. During that run, he had three falls, two techs and a major decision before defeating #14 Dom Zaccone (Campbell) for third place.
Runner-up in the Ironman category is Ed Scott who lost in the second round then won six straight to take third at 157 lbs. His run through the backside included wins over All-Americans in his final two matches.
