37 Key Matches to Watch This Weekend (Starting Tonight)

As is typically the case during conference dual season, this weekend will be jam-packed with great duals and excellent individual matchups within those duals. Truthfully, there are probably too many to count. However, for brevity’s sake, we’ve singled out 37 individual matches to keep an eye on over the next three days. Remember, to get those iPads and extra devices charged up. 125 lbs #1 Matt Ramos (Purdue) vs. #2 Eric Barnett (Wisconsin) This will be the second #1 vs #2 matchup for Matt Ramos within the last two weeks. He resumed possession of the top spot nationally after winning that clash with Drake Ayala (Iowa). Now up is Eric Barnett, who started the season with a weird match-up loss to Kysen Terukina (Iowa State), but has proceeded to win 15 of his last 16 matches. In an odd weight class, he’s been relatively consistent. Last year, Ramos prevailed 4-3 in this dual. #5 Drake Ayala (Iowa) vs. #12 Michael DeAugustino (Michigan) The first bout in the Iowa/Michigan dual is one of the best with All-American contenders Drake Ayala and Michael DeAugustino. Both performed well last weekend after suffering a loss during the previous one. Ayala notched a pair of wins via tech fall, while DeAugustino had one in his only dual. These two met during the 2021-22 campaign and Ayala prevailed by a point during his true freshman season. #7 Noah Surtin (Missouri) vs. #20 Troy Spratley (Oklahoma State) The Big 12 is very deep at 125 lbs with eight of its wrestlers currently ranked in the top-33 nationally. None of them have stood out as the solid favorite; however, Surtin could be on his way to establishing himself as one. He’s won 12 of 13 matches, losing only to Virginia Tech’s Cooper Flynn in sudden victory. In each of the last two weeks, Surtin’s logged a win over the Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational finalists (Nico Provo/Brett Ungar). Troy Spratley has generally been excellent for Oklahoma State. His highlights include handing true freshman Luke Stanich his only loss of the year and downing previous #1 ranked Jakob Camacho. He’s also suffered four losses along the way, which hinder him from a higher ranking. #11 Richie Figueroa (Arizona State) vs. #19 Brandon Kaylor (Oregon State) It’ll be a big weekend for Arizona State’s star lightweight Richie Figueroa. Because of injuries, Figueroa has missed a lot of time this year and doesn’t have too many quality wins under his belt. That could change with Brandon Kaylor and Spratley. Kaylor is looking to rebound after getting stunned by Jeremiah Reno (Little Rock) last weekend. The previous week it was he who notched a significant win via fall over Spratley. Earlier this season, Figueroa met Kaylor’s teammate Caleb Coyle at the Reno Tournament of Champions - we’ll see if the Beaver staff has a game plan for their guy. #11 Richie Figueroa (Arizona State) vs. #20 Troy Spratley (Oklahoma State) Oklahoma State and Arizona State have a nice late-season, non-conference dual lined up and it should start with plenty of action from some talented young lightweights. Figueroa will be looking to finish his regular season on a strong note after most of the first half of his season was disrupted via injuries. A dual against Spratley should get him ready for a Pac-12 slate that is very deep with talented 125’s. Remember, last year, Figueroa went 14-0 splitting time with All-American Brandon Courtney. 133 lbs #5 Aaron Nagao (Penn State) vs. #12 Nic Bouzakis (Ohio State) A week after a major decision loss to Dylan Ragusin (Michigan), things don’t get any easier for Nic Bouzakis, as he draws returning Big Ten runner-up and All-American Aaron Nagao. The big-time recruit, Bouzkais, is looking for a breakout win to help him climb into the top ten as a redshirt freshman. During the Ragusin loss, he did demonstrate he could hang with the upper echelon, at least for a portion of the match. Nagao did not wrestle last weekend after going 1-1 during the Michigan swing. He was pinned in a non-control situation in sudden victory by Ragusin, then picked up a tech fall at Michigan State two days later. #7 Nasir Bailey (Little Rock) vs. #9 Zeth Romney (Cal Poly) Admit it, in November you probably didn’t have this match circled as a “must-watch.” That being said, both Nasir Bailey and Zeth Romney have earned their top-ten rankings. Bailey is amongst the nation’s leaders in tech falls with nine in 19 wins. He’s slick on his feet, but his tilts can end a match quickly. Romney really broke out with a third-place showing at the Midlands. There he posted wins over two-time All-American Sam Latona (Virginia Tech) and EIWA champion Michael Colaiocco (Penn). Since the Midlands, Romney is 5-0 with two falls and a tech. #12 Nic Bouzakis (Ohio State) vs. #13 Dylan Shawver (Rutgers) This match could end up playing a critical role in Big Ten seeding as Nic Bouzakis and Dylan Shawver are both the third and fourth-highest B1G wrestlers in the national rankings and currently reside next to one another. Shawver is looking to snap out of a minor two-match losing streak, his only such one of the season. Bouzakis will be coming off a tough match on Friday night against Nagao. Another loss by either could potentially send them into a tailspin. 141 lbs #2 Beau Bartlett (Penn State) vs. #3 Jesse Mendez (Ohio State) It doesn’t matter what weight they start at - this is the main event of the Penn State/Ohio State dual. Undefeated second-ranked Beau Barlett against a one-loss CKLV champion Jesse Mendez. Since Mendez moved up from 133 lbs last year, we haven’t seen this matchup at the collegiate level. Bartlett had a few close calls lately, but really impressed in his last outing when he majored #17 Kal Miller (Maryland). In back-to-back Fridays, Bartlett will have Mendez, then top-ranked Real Woods (Iowa). The move up in weight, combined with his second year in Columbus has proven to be fruitful for Mendez who has tallied bonus points in more than 85% of his matches. #4 Ryan Jack (NC State) vs. #5 Lachlan McNeil (North Carolina) A big one for ACC supremacy here; actually maybe not, as Cole Matthews (Pittsburgh) asserted himself again last weekend by beating Ryan Jack and reminding us that he’d ruled this weight in the ACC for the better part of two years. Lachlan McNeil also suffered an ACC loss last weekend at the hands of Tom Crook. However, this one plays out, good luck trying to seed the ACC Tournament at this weight. Though McNeil got on the NCAA podium last year and Jack didn’t, the Wolfpack wrestler has beaten McNeil in their last three meetings. The most recent came at the 2023 CKLV Invitational. #6 Cael Happel (Northern Iowa) vs. #10 Jordan Titus (West Virginia) What a weekend for West Virginia’s Jordan Titus! He’ll have duals against two of the top-nine 141 lbers in the nation. Titus has had a breakout year in 2023-24 with a Midlands title and only one loss in 18 matches prior to February. Last weekend, Titus had to grind out a win over #26 Josh Edmond (Missouri) in tiebreakers. Cael Happel is coming off a successful trip through Oklahoma with a pair of wins over opponents from both Big 12 schools. Most notable is a 4-2 win over Tagen Jamison (Oklahoma State), the wrestler responsible for Titus’ only loss. #9 Anthony Echemendia (Iowa State) vs. #10 Jordan Titus (West Virginia) Before facing Happel, Titus will have to contend with Anthony Echemendia on Friday. Echemendia lost on Saturday night to Jamison. Both matches featuring Titus this weekend could go a long way to figuring out Big 12 seeding at this weight. Really it could turn out to be a mess. Echemendia’s loss to Jamison snapped an eight-match winning streak, where all of his victories included bonus points. #11 Wyatt Henson (Lock Haven) vs. #14 Josh Koderhandt (Navy) Looking ahead to NCAA seeding, Wyatt Henson could provide quite the conundrum. While he holds a sparkling 28-1 record, Henson has yet to face an opponent in the top-ten. His only loss came to a wrestler who is redshirting (Joey Olivieri - Rutgers) and Koderhandt represents his last significant test before NCAA’s. Not only has Henson racked up wins, but he’s been utterly dominant. Headed into Thursday’s dual with Clarion, Henson has had nine straight tech falls. Koderhandt is a two-time national qualifier who picked up a pair of quality wins in January (2x AA Clay Carlson/Malyke Hines). 149 lbs #1 Ridge Lovett (Nebraska) vs. #8 Kannon Webster (Illinois) After taking a redshirt year in 2022-23, Ridge Lovett assumed the top-billing at 149 lbs and has lived up to the hype. Lovett has been a perfect 19-0 with six falls - three in a row coming into this match. He has tournament titles at the Navy Classic and the CKLV. Kannon Webster was one of the top recruits in the Class of 2023 and has been as good as advertised. Webster only has one loss to date and downed All-American Dylan D’Emililo in mid-January. #4 Kyle Parco (Arizona State) vs. #17 Jordan Williams/Sammy Alvarez (Oklahoma State) Earlier this week, we published an article about some ongoing positional battles. One of them was Oklahoma State at 149 lbs between Jordan Williams and Sammy Alvarez. We might find out the thought process in the Oklahoma State brain trust by seeing who they send out in this dual. On the other side of the mat from the Cowboy duo is three-time All-American Kyle Parco. Parco was third in a loaded CKLV weight class earlier this year. It was his second top-three finish at the tournament in as many years. #6 Austin Gomez (Michigan) vs. #11 Caleb Rathjen (Iowa) If Michigan is able to pull the upset on Iowa, they’ll probably need to get bonus points from their latest addition, Austin Gomez. He was able to deliver last weekend against a top-ten opponent in Dylan D’Emilio and is now 4-0 on the year. Caleb Rathjen appears to have taken control of the 149 lb weight class for the Hawkeyes. Last weekend, Rathjen dropped an overtime decision to Webster and won via fall against Northwestern. #7 Ty Watters (West Virginia) vs. #10 Casey Swiderski (Iowa State) West Virginia has been one of the more pleasant surprises team-wise and true freshman Ty Watters has contributed to their improvement. He’s only lost three times in 22 matches and quickly flew up the rankings. Watters has only lost once in dual action and has compiled ten falls. Casey Swiderski had a rough true freshman season but turned it on in the postseason with a run to the NCAA Round of 12. He’s moved up to 149 lbs in the offseason and built off of that momentum. Swiderski was fifth in Vegas, but suffered an injury there and didn’t compete for over almost two months. When he returned last weekend, Swiderski didn’t appear to miss a beat with wins over national qualifiers Sammy Alvarez and Willie McDougald (Oklahoma). McDougald is the one wrestler to defeat Watters in dual competition. #9 Dylan D’Emilio (Ohio State) vs. #12 Tyler Kasak (Penn State) Penn State fans have been patiently waiting for a big-time test for one of their blue-chip true freshmen, Tyler Kasak. It appears they’ll get it tonight with 2023 All-American Dylan D’Emilio. Kasak has passed every test thus far since taking over for injured All-American Shayne Van Ness. His biggest win thus far is a 16-0 tech fall over bloodround finisher Graham Rooks (Indiana). Two weeks ago, D’Emilio posted two major decision wins over national qualifiers; however, D’Emilio met that same fate against Austin Gomez last week. #13 Drew Roberts (Minnesota) vs. #14 Ethen Miller (Maryland) After the top ten or twelve wrestlers at 149 lbs, there are a lot of new names that you may not necessarily expect to see in the rankings. Or perhaps, there are some wrestlers who have taken some unusual losses along the way. Both Drew Roberts and Ethen Miller have a few head-scratching losses, but have also been very solid for their respective Big Ten institutes. Whoever prevails in this matchup will continue to prove they belong in the top half of the rankings at this weight class. 157 #2 Jared Franek (Iowa) vs. #12 Will Lewan (Michigan) If you’re going through potential upset scenarios for the University of Michigan against second-ranked Iowa, this would be one that they need and a match that’s certainly realistic for them to win. Both Jared Franek and Will Lewan tend to engage in low-scoring contests, especially when facing top competition. That statement held true last season when the pair met in the NCAA consi quarters and Franek prevailed, 3-2. #4 Jacori Teemer (Arizona State) vs. #17 Teague Travis (Oklahoma State) As a starter for Oklahoma State, Teague Travis won his first seven collegiate duals and was unbeaten at 157 lbs. That streak ended last weekend with a loss to UNI’s Ryder Downey. It doesn’t get any easier for Travis this week as he’ll square off with two-time All-American Jacori Teemer. It’ll represent the first of two, multiple-time AA’s he’ll face this weekend (Brock Mauller/Sunday). Teemer, a Midlands champion and CKLV finalist, lost during his first 2024 dual, but bounced back with a :16 second fall two days later. #5 Michael Blockhus (Minnesota) vs. #18 Trevor Chumbley (Northwestern) Michael Blockhus got off to a great start in the Big Ten dual season with wins over top-five opponents in each of his first two B1G duals. Northwestern’s Trevor Chumbley represents one of only two remaining ranked foes on the rest of Blockhus’ Big Ten slate. Could Blockhus be looking at an undefeated conference record and potentially a top-two seed in Maryland? Vegas placer (eighth) Trevor Chumbley obviously has different plans. He’s lost two of his three Big Ten duals and is looking to build momentum heading into the postseason. #19 Brayton Lee (Indiana) vs. #21 Chase Saldate (Michigan State) 157 lbs is loaded with plenty of top contenders. That’s not a secret - it’s been a fun weight class to follow all year. An x-factor or wild card at this weight is Indiana’s Brayton Lee. If healthy, Lee could be a high All-American. He’s only competed three times thus far, but looked good recently against Purdue’s super freshman Joey Blaze. Chase Saldate is a proven veteran who represents another test for Lee. Last season, while Lee was wrestling through injuries, he fell to Saldate, but defeated him twice in 2021. 165 lbs #1 Keegan O’Toole (Missouri) vs. #3 Izzak Olejnik (Oklahoma State) We’ve got a clash between one of the Hodge Trophy favorites and one of the most improved wrestlers in the nation. Keegan O’Toole has earned bonus points in 11 of 13 matches this season. One of those two regular decisions came up at 174 lbs and the other was last weekend against Peyton Hall. O’Toole went back to his string of dominant performances by posting a major decision over Julian Ramirez (Cornell) two days later. Izzak Olejnik defeated Ramirez in the CKLV finals which occurred amidst a 16-match winning streak to start the season. That doesn’t include a win over two-time All-American Dean Hamiti (Wisconsin) at the All-Star Classic. While Olejnik was an All-American last year at Northern Illinois, he’s taken the next step to become a title contender at Oklahoma State. #2 David Carr (Iowa State) vs. #8 Peyton Hall (West Virginia) Last weekend saw David Carr cruise to an 8-1 decision over the CKLV champion Olejnik. In Vegas, Carr suffered his first regular season loss since December of 2019. He has bounced back nicely placing third and racking up three falls and two techs in the seven matches that followed Vegas. Hall made the NCAA podium in 2022 but missed in 2023. Now he’s looking like a good bet to get back this season. He downed Olejnik in mid-January, then pushed O’Toole to the brink last weekend. #6 Michael Caliendo (Iowa) vs. #10 Cam Amine (Michigan) 2023’s Big 12 Freshman of the Year, Michael Caliendo, moved on from North Dakota State to Iowa in the offseason and has fit in quite well in his new surroundings. Caliendo has won 18 of 19 bouts in the customary black Hawkeye singlet, including 11 in a row. He’s expected to meet three-time All-American Cam Amine tonight. Amine didn’t wrestle last weekend against Ohio State, so there’s a chance he won’t go against the Hawkeyes. Despite both wrestlers making the NCAA podium at 165 lbs last season, they did not meet. 174 lbs #1 Carter Starocci (Penn State) vs. #11 Rocco Welsh (Ohio State) It’s the present versus the future with perhaps the best active wrestler in college (Carter Starocci) against one of the top recruits from the Class of 2023 (Rocco Welsh), one that has already notched some impressive collegiate wins. Welsh has had to step up with the injury to All-American Carson Kharchla and already has a pair of Big Ten dual victories under his belt. Maybe more impressive is his ability to compete with some of the best in the weight class - as Welsh has lost razor-thin decisions to Shane Griffith (Michigan) and Edmond Ruth (Illinois). Starocci recently picked up his 60th straight win, a streak that is tops amongst DI wrestlers. He’s captured bonus points in all of his 2023-24 matches contested and a 19-4 tech fall represents his “closest” match of the year. The three-time national champion has to be the clubhouse leader for the Hodge Trophy. #2 Mekhi Lewis (Virginia Tech) vs. #14 Justin McCoy (Virginia) The headline bout at the Commonwealth Clash is a meeting between a pair of 2023 ACC champions, Mekhi Lewis and Justin McCoy. Lewis is the incumbent, at 174 lbs, and McCoy has moved up from 165. Lewis is unbeaten on the year and has benefitted from three-point takedowns, as his bonus point percentage is above 60% for the first time. McCoy is a 2022 NCAA Round of 12 finisher who is looking to break through and get on the NCAA podium during his final year in Charlottesville. #3 Shane Griffith (Michigan) vs. #8 Patrick Kennedy (Iowa) Despite both of these wrestlers being key factors in the 2023 165 lb weight class, the two did not meet up last season. That’ll change this year, up at 174 lbs, and with Shane Griffith now in the Big Ten. The 2021 national champion recently grinded out a victory over impressive true freshman Rocco Welsh to bring his record to 10-2 wearing the Maize and Blue. Patrick Kennedy stated his case on Friday night with a win over then-third-ranked Edmond Ruth (Illinois). He followed that up with a major decision over Northwestern’s David Ferrante. #11 Rocco Welsh (Ohio State) vs. #13 Jackson Turley (Rutgers) After taking on the three-time national champion on Friday night, Welsh will have his hands full with past All-American Jackson Turley on Sunday. Turley is finally healthy and amidst his best stretch of sustained excellence at the collegiate level. He dropped his first two duals of the year (to top-ten opponents) and has won nine straight, including five Big Ten duals. 184 lbs #2 Dustin Plott (Oklahoma State) vs. #14 Clayton Whiting (Missouri) We’re a little light on the marquee matches at 184 lbs, so this bout between top-15 opponents should suffice. Dustin Plott moved up from 174 lbs in the offseason and has become a bona fide title threat. Plott suffered a setback last Friday to top-ranked Parker Keckeisen; however, he recovered nicely by nearly teching All-American Will Feldkamp (Iowa State). Clayton Whiting has emerged as the starter from a deep Mizzou room - one that includes two other quality 184’s. Whiting took only his second loss of the year on Sunday when he was majored by Cornell’s Chris Foca. 285 lbs #1 Greg Kerkvliet (Penn State) vs. #12 Nick Feldman (Ohio State) Here’s a fun matchup between two wrestlers that were tabbed the number-one overall recruit in their respective recruiting classes. Greg Kerkvliet in 2019 and Nick Feldman in 2022. Kerkvliet, the 2023 NCAA runner-up, has been as good as expected and comes in with a perfect 8-0 record. Nick Feldman is fresh off the biggest collegiate win of his young career. His 4-3 win over Lucas Davison clinched Ohio State’s improbable victory over the Wolverines last Friday night. Feldman has quietly gone 19-3 during his first full year as a starter for the Buckeyes. #5 Zach Elam (Missouri) vs. #9 Konner Doucet (Oklahoma State) I think most people are aware of the two undefeated wrestlers atop the 285 lb weight class in the Big 12 (Hendrickson/Bastida); however, Zach Elam is still perfect as of February. In addition to Elam’s nine dual wins, he has tournament titles this year from the TigerStyle Invite and the Cougar Clash. Even so, Konner Doucet would represent Elam’s toughest challenge thus far. Doucet has been extremely difficult to be in low-scoring overtime matches and even limited damage against Bastida on Saturday night. These two met twice last year with Elam winning both meetings; however, one went to tiebreakers and the other was via a two-point margin. #7 Yaraslau Slavikouski (Rutgers) vs. #12 Nick Feldman (Ohio State) The redshirt freshman Feldman gets another test on Sunday with Rutgers’ contender Yaraslau Slavikouski. Slavikouski has given the Scarlet Knights a podium contender at heavyweight and has been their most consistent wrestler. This match could have significant Big Ten seeding implications, as the winner could be the drivers seat for the third seed, away from Kerkvliet. #20 Hunter Catka (Virginia Tech) vs. #33 Ryan Catka (Virginia) Okay, this matchup doesn’t have the rankings-cache as the other matches do, but it’s brother-on-brother! What’s a mother and father to do? I’m sure they’ve seen this unofficial matchup hundreds of times, but not in a collegiate setting. Keep an eye on Ryan as he’s come on strong of late!

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37 Key Matches to Watch This Weekend (Starting Tonight)

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