Below are 10 notable results from this year's instrasquad matches open to the public.
Note: Some programs have not yet conducted intrasquad matches, while other programs have closed wrestle-offs. These results come from public intrasquad matches only.
Josh Shields over Jason Tsirtsis (157, Arizona State)
Arizona State has four very capable wrestlers at 157 pounds in Shields, Tsirtsis, Oliver Pierce and Christian Pagdilao. This past Friday, Shields defeated Pagdilao, while Tsirtsis topped Pierce. On Saturday, Shields, a retuning Pac-12 champion, edged the 2013 NCAA champion Tsirtsis 3-2. Shields begins the season ranked No. 14 at 157 pounds. Both Tsirtsis and Pagdilao have wrestled at 149 pounds in the past. While Shields certainly appears to be in the driver's seat for the starting spot, don't count out the others. Also, don't be surprised to see one or more move down to 149 pounds and challenge Josh Maruca for the starting spot.
Joey McKenna splits with Ke-Shawn Hayes (Ohio State, 141)
McKenna has been one of the nation's top 141-pounders over the last three seasons. After becoming an All-American in 2016 with a third-place finish, McKenna entered the 2017 NCAAs as the No. 3 seed. A disappointing performance in St. Louis kept him off the podium. He has since transferred to Ohio State. The Buckeyes also have a very talented sophomore in Hayes at 141 pounds, and the plan was for the loser of the wrestle-off at 141 pounds to go up to 149 pounds. They met in a best-of-three on Oct. 19, with McKenna winning the opening match in tiebreaker. In the second match, McKenna suffered an injury and Hayes won by injury default. The severity of McKenna's injury is not yet known, and it remains to be seen what the Buckeyes do going forward at 141 pounds and 149 pounds.
Drew Mattin over Austin Assad (Michigan, 125)
Heading into this season, most expected Assad to take hold of the starting spot at 125 pounds for the No. 3 Wolverines. He was Michigan's starter last season at 125 pounds before suffering a season-ending injury in mid-January. Mattin was a three-time Ohio state champion who claimed a Fargo freestyle title this past summer. The two Ohio natives met in a best-of-three series, with Mattin winning the final two matches to take the series.
Myles Amine over Garrett Sutton (Michigan, 174)
Amine is coming off an impressive redshirt freshman season in which he became an All-American with a fourth-place finish at 174 pounds. Sutton was an NCAA qualifier as a true freshman in 2015 and redshirted last season. The two wrestled a best-of-three, with Sutton taking the first match. Amine came back to win the second match in the second tiebreaker. In the third and deciding match, Sutton struck first with a takedown, but Amine battled back to win 4-2 on the strength of a third-period takedown.
Jackson Striggow rides Kevin Beazley on his way to a 7-6 victory (Photo/Sam Janicki)Jackson Striggow over Kevin Beazley (Michigan, 197)
Beazley, a returning All-American, graduated from Old Dominion in the spring with one season of eligibility remaining. The Michigan native enrolled at the University of Michigan as a graduate student, and earned a No. 6 preseason ranking at 197 pounds. At Michigan's intrasquad, returning starter Jackson Striggow, who failed to qualify for the NCAAs after going 1-2 at the Big Tens, notched two straight victories over Beazley. Striggow pinned Beazley off a scramble before claiming a 7-6 victory in their final match.
Javier Gasca over Austin Eicher (Michigan State, 141)
Eicher and Gasca were both NCAA qualifiers for the Spartans this past March. Eicher, a MAC champion for Northern Illinois in 2016, transferred to MSU last year and qualified for the NCAAs at 133 pounds. Gasca has qualified for the NCAAs in each of the last two seasons. Eicher moved up a weight class this season to challenge Gasca for the starting spot at 141 pounds. They met last Thursday, with Gasca cruising to a 6-1 victory.
Cole Martin over Eli Stickley (Wisconsin, 141)
Stickley had a solid redshirt freshman campaign for the Badgers last season, going 20-19 at 133 pounds and notching wins over multiple NCAA qualifiers, including the aforementioned Eicher and round of 12 finisher Bryan Lantry of Buffalo. Martin qualified for the NCAAs at 141 pounds as a redshirt freshman last season. Stickley moved up a weight class this season, and the two met last Thursday, with Martin winning the match by fall in the third period.
Hunter Ritter over Mason Reinhardt (Wisconsin, 197)
With multiple-time NCAA qualifier Ricky Robertson moving back down to 184 pounds, NCAA qualifier Ritter made the move up from 184 pounds to 197 pounds. The Badgers also have a solid wrestler in Reinhardt at 197 pounds. He went 11-4 last season as a redshirt freshman and won a title at the Journeyman Classic. The two squared off last week, with Ritter picking up a 5-3 victory.
Beau Breske over Mikey Labriola (Nebraska, 174)
Breske and Labriola were both highly ranked recruits coming out of high school. Breske, a three-time state champion, was the No. 12 recruit in the Class of 2016. He redshirted last season at Nebraska. Labriola, a two-time state champion, was the No. 9 recruit in the Class of 2017 and finished the season ranked No. 1 nationally at 170 pounds. They faced off at Nebraska's intrasquad on Friday, with Breske winning narrowly 2-1 in tiebreaker.
Yoanse Mejias over Anthony Mantanona (Oklahoma, 174)
Mejias, a two-time junior college national champion, stepped into Oklahoma's lineup last season at 165 pounds. He had an up-and-down season, notching some quality and taking some unexpected losses. He qualified for the NCAAs at 165 pounds, finishing 2-2 in St. Louis. Mantanona, a California state champion, was a top-40 recruit in the Class of 2017. He's expected to redshirt this season, but faced Mejias in Oklahoma's scrimmage. It was all Mejias from start to finish. He raced out to a 7-4 lead in the opening period, and added three more takedowns and a riding time point in the final two periods to win 14-6.
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