2024 Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational: Semifinal Preview

Day one is in the books from Vegas! In a few short hours, the wrestlers will take the mat again in the Las Vegas Convention Center for the semifinals at the 2024 Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational. The first few rounds produced plenty of upsets and surprises, while at the same time, some of the greats in our sport were able to show why they’re special. 

Below is a match-by-match preview of the semifinal round. Past history, if applicable, between the participants has been included and is easy to reference thanks to our pals at WrestleStat. 

Wrestling in the semifinals will resume at 1pm Eastern on FloWrestling. 

125 lbs

#2 Caleb Smith (Nebraska) vs. #11 Eddie Ventresca (Virginia Tech)

What a difference a year makes! In 2023 at the CKLV, Eddie Ventresca went 0-2 and got majored twice while dealing with an injury. This time around, Ventresca posted a pair of solid wins before notching two takedowns and adding back points to knock off returning All-American Tanner Jordan. Caleb Smith has been as good as you’d expect. He dealt with an early deficit in the Round of 16 and held off a tough Maximo Renteria, for the second time this year to make the semis. 

These two met twice while Smith was at Appalachian State and both times Smith prevailed.

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