We spoke with Lock Haven head coach Scott Moore previewing the program for the 2026-27 season. Although they lost some longtime starters, Lock Haven appears ready to reload and has a strong team heading into the season. Coach Moore talks some emerging leaders, getting Wyatt Henson on the podium (and sticking around), along with their challenging schedule. Of course, we had to ask about coaching against his twin brother, Josh, head coach at Kent State.

Recently, we previewed the Lock Haven team for the 2026-27 - that can be found here

With just under two months until the college regular season starts, we’ll turn most of our focus to the collegiate wrestling world. There will be lots of previews and content to get fans ready for the upcoming 2026-27 season.

Today, we’ll focus on a Lock Haven team that went 13-5 last season and finished second at the MAC Championships. Four Bald Eagle wrestlers qualified for nationals and the team put one wrestler on the NCAA podium. They accomplished that feat in three out of the last four seasons.

Lock Haven is led by Scott Moore, who begins his 14th season at the helm for the Bald Eagles. During the 2025-26 campaign, Moore picked up his 100th career win as a head coach. In his 13 years with Lock Haven, Moore has seen six different wrestlers combine to earn All-American honors on eight occasions.

In 2026-27, Lock Haven can feature a lineup that includes three wrestlers with past NCAA experience and a handful of others who have been on the cusp of NCAA qualification status. As usual, Lock Haven should be in the hunt or perhaps favored to win the 2027 MAC title.

Here’s a look at a projected lineup for Lock Haven along with additional information needed for the 2026-27 season.

125 lbs - Curtis Nelson

The Bald Eagles return their 125 lb starter from a year ago in Curtis Nelson. Nelson got the call as a true freshman and went 7-17 and 0-2 at the MAC Championships. Looking deeper at his results, Nelson generally was in most matches and even against some of the better opponents on his schedule. That leads one to believe that with an offseason of growth in the LHU room, he can flip some of those close losses into wins. Nelson came to Lock Haven after earning a pair of state medals for Ridley High School - as a junior, he made the PIAA AAA finals at 114 lbs. Even though he didn’t compete as a senior, he was still deemed a top-200 recruit by MatScouts.

133 lbs - Patrick O'Keefe/ Chris Noto

Lock Haven’s 2025-26 starter and three-time national qualifier, Gable Strickland, is gone; however, there are two promising youngsters ready to step in at 133 lbs. Patrick O’Keefe redshirted in 2025-26 and went 9-7. Perhaps his most interesting result was a 4-3 loss to All-American Ryan Crookham at the Bloomsburg Open. O’Keefe did get to see action in dual meets on two occasions. He split those matches with a win against Bloomsburg and a loss to national qualifier Will Betancourt.

The other option here is a familiar name - Chris Noto. The younger brother of Lock Haven’s two-time All-American Anthony Noto, Chris comes to Lock Haven after placing fifth at the Ironman and winning NHSCA Senior Nationals last season. Noto was a two-time New York state champion and three-time finalist.

Both O’Keefe (#127) and Noto (#76) were the highest-ranked recruits in Lock Haven’s past two recruiting classes.

141 lbs - Hunter Gould/Jake Zaltsman

At a second consecutive weight, Lock Haven is looking to replace a longtime, highly decorated starter. This time they’ll try to replace All-American Wyatt Henson at 141 lbs. The top two candidates to do so are Hunter Gould and Jake Zaltsman. Gould went 17-13 as a redshirt freshman in 2025-26. He saw action in two duals and suffered close losses in both. He finished the season with a tournament title at the Mat-Town Open II, teching all three opponents he faced.

You’d have to think that Gould would have a leg up in the battle based on the 2025-26 results. Last season, he had two wins over Jake Zaltsman in open tournament competition. Despite those losses, Zaltsman still finished with a winning record, at 12-11. Zaltsman was a high school teammate of O’Keefe at New Jersey’s St. John Vianney and got on the state podium during his final two seasons.

149 lbs - Lucas Kapusta

Junior Lucas Kapusta is fresh off his first appearance at the NCAA Championships. He entered the national tournament with a 25-4 record after capturing a MAC title, which gave him the #17 seed in Cleveland. Kapusta might have made nationals as a redshirt freshman in 2024-25, had he finished with a better showing at the MAC Championships (sixth place). Throughout his first two years competing attached for Lock Haven, Kapusta has amassed 48 wins against only 17 losses. To win his MAC championship, Kapusta pulled out a tight win over previously unbeaten Caleb Tyus.

Now that Kapusta has his first taste of NCAA competition, I could see him stepping up to fill the void left by Henson and perhaps challenge for a spot on the podium.

157 lbs - Nick Kunstek

Last year, the Nick’s in the middle of the Lock Haven lineup handled the 157 and 165 lb weights. Nick Stampoulos was at 157 and Nick Kunstek was at 165 lbs. The pair will swap weights for 2026-27. Nick Kunstek was a fifth-place finisher at the 2026 MAC Championships and ended his redshirt freshman year with a 22-16 record. Kunstek had a tough November last season, losing seven times, but generally was much more consistent during the remainder of the season. Throughout his freshman year, Kunstek picked up two wins over opponents that ended up qualifying for nationals (Ryan Burgos, Cody Walsh)

165 lbs - Nick Stampoulos/ Caden Dobbins

Lock Haven has two solid options here at 165 lbs. As mentioned before, Stampoulos moves up from 157 lbs. He is trying to get back to the national tournament - in 2024, he qualified while wrestling for Buffalo. Despite missing out on nationals, Stampoulos has won a combined 55 matches over the last two seasons. Last year, he came up a bit short, finishing sixth in a MAC weight class that automatically qualified four for NCAA’s. One of his highlights from 2025-26 was a dual win over returning All-American Gavin Drexler.

Last year was Caden Dobbins’ second with the Lock Haven program. He started his career at Bloomsburg, but transferred prior to the 2024-25 school year. Dobbins was Lock Haven’s starter and entrant at the 2025 MAC Championships, but did not compete at all in 2025-26. In 2025, Dobbins fell in a true-second place match to narrowly lose out on an NCAA qualification opportunity.

However it shakes out, Lock Haven should be in solid hands at this weight.

174 lbs - Connor Wetzel/ Ousmane Duncanson

Connor Wetzel is another member of the high school Class of 2025 who appeared on the MatScouts Big Board and redshirted for Lock Haven in 2025-26. Wetzel went 13-7 in his first year on campus and claimed a title at the Mat-Town Open II. It’s an encouraging sign that Wetzel only gave up bonus points once and had three one-point losses.

Redshirt sophomore Ousmane Duncanson moves up from 165 lbs and will challenge Wetzel for the starting role at 174 lbs. Duncanson did not get the class in the postseason; however, he still managed to appear in nine duals last season. He also went unbeaten in his bracket at the Journeymen Collegiate Classic.

184 lbs - Sam Gautreau/ Cole Bartram

One of the better revelations of 2025-26 for Lock Haven was the development of Sam Gautreau. Gautreau initially went to Maryland and was a 165 lber while redshirting. He moved up to 174 midway through his first year and started the 2025-26 campaign at that weight. In December, Gautreau moved up to 184 lbs and assumed the starting role at that weight. He broke into the national rankings and finished the year on a 10-match winning streak. Gautreau ended up fourth in a MAC weight that was allocated three automatic qualifiers.

Contributing here and potentially at 197 lbs is Cole Bartram. Bartram is coming off a redshirt freshman year where he went 7-4 and appeared in two duals. He was a two-time PIAA state finalist in high school and was mentioned on MatScouts Big Board.

I’m expecting a huge year out of Gautreau. With a full offseason of preparation for 184 lbs, he should be difficult to deal with. Should Bartram unseat him, it would still be a good situation for Lock Haven.

197 lbs - Tucker Hogan/ Cole Bartram

Tucker Hogan is looking to get back to the NCAA Tournament again. He qualified in 2025, as a true freshman but missed out on going in 2026. Hogan was the centerpiece of Lock Haven’s 2024 recruiting class ranked #20 in the country by InterMat. He was also the highest-ranked signee for Lock Haven (#27 overall) during the Moore-era. Just by the way things broke, Lock Haven wrestled a schedule that featured plenty of tough 197-pounders last season and Hogan was tested early and often. He ended up fourth at the conference tournament and wasn’t able to earn an at-large berth to nationals.

With 197 lbs clearing out a bit this year, Hogan should start the year in the national rankings and be positioned to return to St. Louis.

285 lbs - Kade Sottolano

Kade Sottolano is there to hold down the back end of the Lock Haven lineup. He’s coming off back-to-back 20-win seasons, but is still looking for his first nationals berth. Sottolano finished sixth in the MAC last year, but should be one of the contenders in 2026-27, as three of the wrestlers who placed above him have graduated. Like 197 lbs, heavyweight has cleared out nationally too, so Sottolano could be someone who takes advantage and moves up. Despite his experience, last year was his first time starting in the postseason, so he now has a taste of wrestling under the big lights in March.

New Faces: As mentioned above, Chris Noto was a top 100 recruit who signed with the Bald Eagles in 2026. He leads the group of incoming freshmen. Typically, Lock Haven’s recruiting classes are very Pennsylvania-heavy. There’s still plenty of in-state representation; however, the trend of New Jersey recruits continues. Moore and his staff has built a reputation on taking overlooked recruits and turning them into quality collegiate wrestlers, so there are probably some names you might not be familiar with right now, but will know in two or three years.

Key Dates: Lock Haven will travel to the Navy Classic, the Journeymen Collegiate Classic, the Keystone Classic, the F&M Open, and the Davidson Duals.

They will also host an open tournament in November and in February.

Perhaps the biggest date on the calendar is when Iowa State comes to town on January 24th. Other non-conference duals include: Bucknell, New Mexico Highlands, and West Virginia. The Davidson Duals should feature a few more. Additionally, on the day before the Journeymen Collegiate Classic, Lock Haven will square off with Appalachian State and Indiana at WrangleMania.

John Hangey has been named deputy athletic director at Rider University, taking on expanded responsibility for the day-to-day operations of Athletics.

In the role, Hangey will work closely with Christine Brown & Partners, the firm supporting Rider with leadership consultation, operational assessment and strategic planning, as the University evaluates the department and its needs.

To focus fully on these responsibilities, Hangey will temporarily step away from his duties as wrestling head coach. The wrestling program will be led by associate head coach Nic Bedelyon, with support from assistant coaches Doug Umbehauer and Tyler Klinsky.

Liz Sapudar has also been named interim senior woman administrator for Athletics. She will take on the additional leadership responsibility while continuing in her current position as academic coordinator for Athletics.

"We are grateful to John, Liz and Nic for their willingness to take on these expanded responsibilities and for their continued commitment to our student-athletes, coaches and staff," says Rider University President John R. Loyack, CPA, MBA. "We will continue to keep the Rider community informed as our work to shape the future of Rider Athletics moves forward."

Ohio University announced its newest assistant coaching hire and it’s a familiar face. Eric Morrill will join the Bobcat staff as an assistant coach. Morrill previously was an assistant at Ohio from 2015-18.

He has spent the last four years at California Baptist as an assistant. Morrill became available once the California Baptist administration announced that they will drop the program following the 2025-26 season.

Morrill has developed a reputation of an under-the-radar star on the recruiting front. During his stint at California Baptist, the Lancers were mentioned twice in InterMat’s recruiting rankings. They received an honorable mention in 2023 and were tabbed as #24 in the nation in 2024.

While at California Baptist, Morrill assisted with two wrestlers earning NCAA berths after the program’s transition from DII status. Both were lightweights who presumably worked closely with Morrill.

Before moving out west, Morrill spent time on staff at Bucknell and saw Zach Hartman become the Bison’s first All-American in 10 years.

During his previous stint in Athens, Morrill helped the Bobcats put one wrestler on the NCAA podium (Cody Walters), another capture a MAC title (Shakur Laney), and the program set a record for most NCAA qualifiers (7 in 2016).

Morrill’s collegiate coaching career started at Virginia Tech, where he was a volunteer assistant from 2011-15. While in Blacksburg, the Hokies claimed a pair of ACC titles and had the first NCAA finalist in program history.

Morrill wrestled collegiately at Edinboro and qualified for the NCAA Tournament on two occasions. As a senior, he captured an EWL title at 133 lbs.

Last week, SIUE made it official and announced Daryl Thomas as the program's next head coach. 2025-26 was a transition season as the previous head coach announced he was stepping down at the end of the year and Thomas would take over.

The 2025-26 season was very strong from an SIUE perspective with an 11-2 dual record, a third-place finish at the MAC Championships, a wrestler ranked #2 in the nation and more. Coach Thomas talks about appreciating those accomplishments along with the future. He also talks about some of his previous head coaches and what he learned from each. 

2026 MAC Championships Final Results

Final Team Scores

1. Rider  102

2. Lock Haven 100

3. SIU Edwardsville  88

4. Edinboro  83

5. Northern Illinois  75.5

6. Central Michigan  65.5

7. Ohio  64.5

8. George Mason  61.5

9. Kent State  43

10. Bloomsburg  39.5

11. Buffalo  24.5

12. Clarion  22

125 lbs

Championship Finals: Tyler Klinsky (Rider) maj Chris Vargo (Edinboro)  11-3

Third Place Match: Jace Schafer (Bloomsburg) fall Blake West (Northern Illinois)  5:27

Fifth Place Match: Archer Anderson (Central Michigan) fall Drew Davis (SIU Edwardsville)  :59

True Second Place: Jace Schafer (Bloomsburg) dec Chris Vargo (Edinboro)  5-1
 

133 lbs

Championship Finals: Markel Baker (Northern Illinois) dec Will Betancourt (Rider)  2-1

Third Place Match: Gable Strickland (Lock Haven) dec Andrew Austin (Central Michigan)  4-1SV

Fifth Place Match: Marcel Lopez (SIU Edwardsville) dec Nick Molchak (Kent State)  5-1
 

141 lbs

Championship Finals: Wyatt Henson (Lock Haven) dec Eli Griffin (Rider)  4-1SV

Third Place Match: Charles Curtis (Northern Illinois) dec Jacob Brenneman (Edinboro)  4-2

Fifth Place Match: Ben Lunn (SIU Edwardsville) tech Tate Hisey (George Mason)  15-0

True Second Place: Eli Griffin (Rider) maj Charles Curtis (Northern Illinois)   15-2

149 lbs

Championship Finals: Lucas Kapusta (Lock Haven) dec Caleb Tyus (SIU Edwardsville)  2-1

Third Place Match: Dylan Layton (Rider) maj Ryan Michaels (Edinboro)  12-2

Fifth Place Match: Sam Ewing (Buffalo) dec Jimmy Nugent (Central Michigan)  4-2

True Fourth Place: Ryan Michaels (Edinboro) dec Sam Ewing (Buffalo)   8-1
 

157 lbs

Championship Finals: Derek Raike (Ohio) dec Garrett McChesney (Edinboro)  2-1TB

Third Place Match: DJ McGee (George Mason) maj Kaleb Burgess (Buffalo)  12-2

Fifth Place Match: Mason Shrader (Central Michigan) dec Nick Stampoulos (Lock Haven)  5-0

True Fourth Place: Kaleb Burgess (Buffalo) dec Mason Shrader (Central Michigan)  5-4
 

165 lbs

Championship Finals: Chris Earnest (Kent State) dec Brett Smith (Northern Illinois)  2-0

Third Place Match: Brock Woodcock (SIU Edwardsville) fall Chandler Amaker (Central Michigan)  :51

Fifth Place Match: Nick Kunstek (Lock Haven) dec Alejandro Herrera-Rondon (Clarion)  4-1SV

True Second Place: Brock Woodcock (SIU Edwardsville) dec Brett Smith (Northern Illinois)  9-3
 

174 lbs

Championship Finals: Logan Messer (George Mason) maj Enrique Munguia (Rider)  13-5

Third Place Match: Garrett Thompson (Ohio) dec Tate Geiser (Edinboro)  1-0

Fifth Place Match: Dominic Lopez (SIU Edwardsville) MedFFT Avery Bassett (Lock Haven)

True Second Place: Garrett Thompson (Ohio) dec Enrique Munguia (Rider)  9-4

184 lbs

Championship Finals: Sal Perrine (Ohio) maj Malachi DuVall (George Mason)  12-3

Third Place Match: Jared McGill (Edinboro) dec Sam Gautreau (Lock Haven)  5-1

Fifth Place Match: Braidon Woodward (Bloomsburg) dec Ian Smith (Northern Illinois)  1-1RTTB
 

197 lbs

Championship Finals: Zayne Lehman (Ohio) dec Blake Schaffer (Kent State)  5-4

Third Place Match: Brock Zurawski (Rider) dec Tucker Hogan (Lock Haven)  6-4

Fifth Place Match: Nick Nosler (SIU Edwardsville) dec Brody Evans (Edinboro)  5-3
 

285 lbs

Championship Finals: Devon Dawson (Northern Illinois) dec Bryson Bunk (SIU Edwardsville)  12-8

Third Place Match: Mason Rebuck (Bloomsburg) dec John Meyers (Clarion)  4-1

Fifth Place Match: Bryan Caves (Central Michigan) maj Kade Sottolano (Lock Haven)  10-0

True Second Place: Mason Rebuck (Bloomsburg) dec Bryson Bunk (SIU Edwardsville)  11-8

NCAA Qualifiers

Bloomsburg: Schafer (125), Rebuck (285)

Buffalo: Burgess (157)

Central Michigan: Austin (133)

Edinboro: Michaels (149), McChesney (157), McGill (184)

George Mason: McGee (157), Messer (174), DuVall (184)

Kent State: Earnest (165), Schaffer (197)

Lock Haven: Strickland (133), Henson (141), Kapusta (149)

Northern Illinois: Baker (133), Dawson (285)

Ohio: Raike (157), Thompson (174), Perrine (184), Lehman (197)

Rider: Klinsky (125), Betancourt (133), Griffin (141), Layton (149)

SIU Edwardsville: Tyus (149), Woodcock (165)

Team Scores

1. Rider  85.5

2. Lock Haven 64

3. SIU Edwardsville  53.5

4. Northern Illinois  52.5

5. Ohio  51

6. Edinboro  47

7. George Mason  45.5

8. Kent State  34.5

9. Central Michigan  29.5

10. Clarion  18.5

11. Bloomsburg  15.5

12. Buffalo  12.5

Semifinal Results

125 lbs

Tyler Klinsky (Rider) tech Archer Anderson (Central Michigan)  18-2

Chris Vargo (Edinboro) dec Drew Davis (SIU Edwardsville)  4-1SV

133 lbs

Markel Baker (Northern Illinois) dec Gable Strickland (Lock Haven)  7-0

Will Betancourt (Rider) dec Marcel Lopez (SIU Edwardsville)  4-1SV

141 lbs

Eli Griffin (Rider) tech Jacob Brenneman (Edinboro)  19-4

Wyatt Henson (Lock Haven) maj Charles Curtis (Northern Illinois)  15-5

149 lbs

Caleb Tyus (SIU Edwardsville) dec Dylan Layton (Rider)  2-1TB

Lucas Kapusta (Lock Haven) dec Jimmy Nugent (Central Michigan)  1-0

157 lbs

Garrett McChesney (Edinboro) maj Kaleb Burgess (Buffalo)  9-1

Derek Raike (Ohio) dec DJ McGee (George Mason)  4-2

165 lbs

Chris Earnest (Kent State) dec Brock Woodcock (SIU Edwardsville)  5-3

Brett Smith (Northern Illinois) dec Alejandro Herrera-Rondon (Clarion)  5-2SV

174 lbs

Enrique Munguia (Rider) MedFFT Avery Bassett (Lock Haven)

Logan Messer (George Mason) dec Garrett Thompson (Ohio)  7-6

184 lbs

Sal Perrine (Ohio) dec Sammy Gatreau (Lock Haven)  7-1

Malachi DuVall (George Mason) dec Jared McGill (Edinboro)  7-4SV

197 lbs

Blake Schaffer (Kent State) dec Brock Zurawski (Rider)  12-11

Zayne Lehman (Ohio) dec Tucker Hogan (Lock Haven)  7-2

285 lbs

Devon Dawson (Northern Illinois) fall Mason Rebuck (Bloomsburg)  :31

Bryson Bukh (SIU Edwardsville) dec John Meyers (Clarion)  2-1SV

The MAC Championships will take place Friday and Saturday from Buffalo, New York. Here are the preseeds and allocations on the line at each weight. 
 

125 lbs (2 allocations)

1. Tyler Klinsky (Rider)

2. Blake West (Northern Illinois)

3. Travis Clawson (Clarion)

4. Archer Anderson (Central Michigan)

5. Ben Monn (George Mason)

6. Chris Vargo (Edinboro)

7. Drew Davis (SIU Edwardsville)

8. Jace Schafer (Bloomsburg)
 

133 lbs (4 allocations)

1. Markel Baker (Northern Illinois)

2. Marcel Lopez (SIU Edwardsville)

3. Will Betancourt (Rider)

4. Gable Strickland (Lock Haven)

5. Joey Fischer (Clarion)

6. Nick Molchak (Kent State)

7. Anthony Lucchiani (George Mason)

8. Andrew Austin (Central Michigan)
 

141 lbs (2 allocations)

1. Eli Griffin (Rider)

2. Wyatt Henson (Lock Haven)

3. Charles Curtis (Northern Illinois)

4. Tate Hisey (George Mason)

5. Jacob Brenneman (Edinboro)

6. Ben Lunn (SIU Edwardsville)

7. Tyler Roark (Buffalo)

8. Nick Blackburn (Central Michigan)
 

149 lbs (4 allocations)

1. Caleb Tyus (SIU Edwardsville)

2. Lucas Kapusta (Lock Haven)

3. Kaden Cassidy (George Mason)

4. Dylan Layton (Rider)

5. Ryan Michaels (Edinboro)

6. Jimmy Nugent (Central Michigan)

7. Sam Ewing (Buffalo)

8. Oliver Fairchild (Clarion)
 

157 lbs (4 allocations)

1. Mason Shrader (Central Michigan)

2. Derek Raike (Ohio)

3. DJ McGee (George Mason)

4. Kaleb Burgess (Buffalo)

5. Nick Stampoulos (Lock Haven)

6. James Farina (Rider)

7. Hayden Whidden (SIU Edwardsville)

8. Garrett McChesney (Edinboro)
 

165 lbs (2 allocations)

1. Brock Woodcock (SIU Edwardsville)

2. Ryan Burgos (Edinboro)

3. Brett Smith (Northern Illinois)

4. Chandler Amaker (Central Michigan)

5. Chris Earnest (Kent State)

6. Kelin Laffey (Buffalo)

7. Alejandro Herrera-Rondon (Clarion)

8. Brendon Abdon (Rider)
 

174 lbs (2 allocations)

1. Avery Bassett (Lock Haven)

2. Garrett Thompson (Ohio)

3. Logan Messer (George Mason)

4. Enrique Munguia (Rider)

5. Tommy Bennett (Northern Illinois)

6. Rafael Knapp (Buffalo)

7. Tate Geiser (Edinboro)

8. Dominic Lopez (SIU Edwardsville)
 

184 lbs (3 allocations)

1. Sal Perrine (Ohio)

2. Jared McGill (Edinboro)

3. Malachi DuVall (George Mason)

4. Deron Pulliam (SIU Edwardsville)

5. Sammy Gautreau (Lock Haven)

6. Adrian Gacek (Clarion)

7. Wyatt Ferguson (Central Michigan)

8. Marcus Petite (Buffalo)
 

197 lbs (2 allocations)

1. Brock Zurawski (Rider)

2. Zayne Lehman (Ohio)

3. Tucker Hogan (Lock Haven)

4. Blake Schaffer (Kent State)

5. Luke Cochran (Central Michigan)

6. Brody Evans (Edinboro)

7. Jack Kelly (George Mason)

8. Connor Jacobs (Buffalo)
 

285 lbs (2 allocations)

1. Devon Dawson (Northern Illinois)

2. Bryan Caves (Central Michigan)

3. Bryson Buhk (SIU Edwardsville)

4. Magnus Bibla (Buffalo)

5. Mason Rebuck (Bloomsburg)

6. Hogan Swenski (Rider)

7. John Meyers (Clarion)

8. Kade Sottolano (Lock Haven)

EDWARDSVILLE, Ill. - SIUE wrestling is preparing for a new era as Vice Chancellor / Director of Athletics Andrew Gavin announced that Daryl Thomas will be elevated to head coach beginning in the 2026-27 season. Thomas, currently the program's associate head coach, officially will take the reins of the program on April 1, 2026.  

Thomas will take the helm of the program from Jeremy Spates, who has served as head coach of SIUE wrestling since the 2013-14 season. Spates intends to remain a member of the Cougars' coaching staff.  

"This is exciting news for SIUE wrestling as we look towards the future of the program," Gavin said. "Today we embark on a new era for the Cougars under Coach Thomas, while also celebrating the hard work and dedication of Coach Spates. They have worked admirably together to put the program on a trajectory of growth and success, setting the stage for a successful transition for our student-athletes on and off the mat." 

Thomas, an Edwardsville native, has spent the past four seasons on the Cougars' coaching staff. His well-rounded leadership in support of Spates has propelled the program to recent success in recruiting and competition.  With an ambitious and effective recruiting strategy, Thomas has led recruiting efforts that have built a roster that spans from Florida to California, while also securing standout talent in the region from Illinois and Missouri. On the mat, that roster delivered results as the 2023–24 season produced seven dual victories—the program's most in a single season since 2003–04. 

"Stepping into the role of Head Coach for SIUE wrestling in my hometown is both a great honor and the realization of a lifelong dream," Thomas said. "I'm incredibly grateful to Chancellor Minor, Andrew Gavin, Mark Izquierdo and everyone involved for providing me with this opportunity. I'm especially thankful to Jeremy Spates for his persistence in bringing me home and confidence in me to continue to build on the foundation he's laid. I look forward to fostering an environment for our student-athletes that breeds success with individuals of high character that are gritty, smart and dependable. The future is bright, and the best is yet to come."  

"I've been so impressed to see Coach Thomas put his imprint on this program over the past few seasons," Gavin said. "He's proven to be an excellent recruiter, coach and mentor of young men. We look forward to supporting his continued growth and success as he transitions to our head coach." 

Coach Spates has served more than a decade as the Cougars' head coach. Under his direction, SIUE has had 22 NCAA Division I Tournament qualifiers. During the 2016-17 season, Jake Residori became SIUE's first NCAA Division I All-American since Tim Wright in 1987. In 2023-24, Spates guided the Cougars to their first .500 or better dual season since 1991-92.   

"I love our athletes, this program, the university and community," Spates said. "I want to sincerely thank everyone that has helped me get this program to where we are today. I want to thank all the alumni and boosters who have taken my family in as part of their families. Coach Thomas is one of the best up and coming coaches in wrestling. I have seen his vision for the future, and I am excited to be a part of it. I want to thank our administration, Andrew Gavin and Chancellor Minor for helping to make this vision a reality."  

"We're grateful to Coach Spates for his long service and efforts leading SIUE wrestling," Gavin said. "He has helped put Coach Thomas and this program in position for continued progress, and we're excited he'll still be part of its success. Most importantly, we commend Coach Spates for his leadership and mentorship on and off the mat and the impact he has made on the young men that have represented SIUE wrestling."  

The timing of this transition adds even more excitement for Cougar wrestling. The 2026-27 season will not only mark Coach Thomas' first year at the helm but also bring the Mid-American Conference Championship to SIUE's campus for the first time, giving Cougar fans the chance to pack the stands and support their team on their home mat. Just weeks later, the NCAA Championships return to St. Louis, creating a rare opportunity for the program and its community to be at the center of college wrestling's biggest stages. 

WHAT THEY ARE SAYING 

Alan Grammer, SIUE wrestling alum, SIUE Athletics Hall of Famer and former SIUE Assistant Coach 

"I have known Daryl since he wrestled under Coach Wagner. He is a quality individual off the mat and fierce competitor on the mat. He certainly has the fire to continue and go to the next level. It will be exciting to see this transpire. This is very exciting news." 

Scotti Sentes, Executive Director of Wrestlers in Business Network. Former Campbell University Head Coach  

"Daryl Thomas is an absolute professional with every skill you'd want in a CEO, and I have no doubt he will lead SIUE wrestling to new levels. It was an honor to work alongside him; his ability to teach technique, recruit talent, plan, motivate, and organize is unmatched. More than that, Daryl is one of the best people I've ever had the privilege to work with, and I'm excited to watch him build something special for the program and the athletes who follow him." 

Steve Martin, Former Old Dominion University Head Coach  

"Daryl Thomas is the perfect choice to take SIUE wrestling to the next level. He is not only an unbelievable recruiter, but he also knows how to coach student athletes to achieve above their potential on and off the mat. During the time I spent with him at ODU it was obvious to me that he would eventually be a D1 Head Coach.  He is super prepared for this job as he has paid the price coaching at four different Mid Major programs. We look forward in the 757 to not only following him but watching him put student-athletes on the podium at the NCAA Wrestling Championships." 

Jim Heffernan, Former Illinois Head coach  

"I'm extremely excited for Daryl. He's passionate about coaching, has paid his dues and earned this opportunity.  I know he'll do an outstanding job as the next SIUE Head Coach." 

Jordan Blanton, 3x NCAA All American at Illinois, Co-Head Coach: Marian Central Catholic (Woodstock, Co-head Coach: Relentless Training Center) 

"I'm thrilled for Daryl Thomas being named the next SIUE Head Wrestling Coach. His passion, leadership, and deep understanding of the wrestling community and local communities alike make him the perfect choice to lead the Cougars. Coach Spates began the process of Restoring the program to Glory, and I have no doubt Coach Thomas will lead them to new and greater heights. It's not just a win for them, but for the entire wrestling community in Illinois." 

Jon Wagner, SIUE wrestling alum, current Edwardsville High School wrestling head coach 

"Daryl Thomas is a showpiece of excellence in handling the day-to-day grind of wrestling and enjoying this process and journey. I am so excited to see Coach Thomas' consistent hard work and enthusiasm be rewarded, setting the stage to make prideful champions in our Cougar wrestling program. Thank you to Coach Spates for cultivating a winning atmosphere in the Cougar wrestling program and instilling great pride. The program made great progress under his guidance." 

Mark Izquierdo, SIUE Associate Athletics Director & Wrestling Sport Administrator 

"Coach Spates has been the steady hand guiding SIUE wrestling through more than a decade of growth. His commitment to building a competitive program while developing young men of character has created a lasting foundation. We're grateful for his leadership and the mark he's made on Cougar wrestling, and we look forward to seeing both Coach Spates and Coach Thomas continue to elevate the program to heights greater than ever before." 

New Kent State head coach Josh Moore’s first coaching staff is starting to round out as the school has announced a pair of hires this week. Both are familiar faces for those who have followed Moore’s career. 

On Monday, the Golden Flashes announced that Fred Garcia would join Moore on the Kent State staff. Garcia has spent the past two seasons assisting Moore at Cleveland State. During Garcia’s tenure at CSU, he helped heavyweight Daniel Bucknavich to a pair of NCAA berths and a runner-up finish at the MAC Championships. His 197 lber, Ben Smith, was a conference champion in 2024. 

Before coming to Cleveland State, Garcia spent five years coaching at Binghamton. While at Binghamton, the Bearcats had 17 wrestlers qualify for the NCAA Tournament and three earned EIWA titles. He was on the bench as Louie DePrez got on the NCAA podium in 2021 and earned NWCA First-Team All-American honors the prior year. 

Garcia wrestled collegiately for Moore’s twin brother, Scott, at Lock Haven. He qualified for the NCAA Championships three times after finishing as a three-time EWL runner-up. 

Not only did KSU announce Garcia’s hiring this week, but they also added Devin Schroder to the coaching staff on Tuesday. 

Schroder reunites with Moore as the two coached together at Cleveland State during the 2022-23 season. Since then, Schroder has been on the Wyoming staff. While in Laramie, Schroder worked closely with 125 lber Jore Volk. Volk was a Big 12 champion and an NCAA fourth-place finisher in 2024. He was injured and missed most of the 2024-25 campaign. 

During his two years at Wyoming, Schroder oversaw eight wrestlers earning trips to the NCAA tournament - two of which ended up making the NCAA podium. 

In addition to the assistant coaching duties, Schorder will also be the recruiting coordinator for Kent State. His Wyoming squad is coming off a #19 national recruiting ranking from InterMat.

KENT, Ohio – Kent State Vice President and Director of Athletics Randale L. Richmond announced today the hiring of Josh Moore as the seventh head coach in Golden Flashes wrestling history. Moore, who previously served as head coach at Cleveland State University for seven years, returns to Kent State, where he began his coaching career as an assistant coach from 2004-2015.

"We are very excited to welcome Josh and his family back to Kent State," said Richmond. "His deep connection to our program and his proven track record of developing championship caliber wrestlers on the mat, in the classroom, and throughout the community makes him the ideal leader for the next era of Golden Flashes wrestling."

Moore brings 21 years of Division I coaching experience to the position, including impressive achievements at Kent State and Cleveland State. During his tenure as head coach at Cleveland State, he guided the program to national recognition, helping the Vikings achieve one of the top team GPAs in the nation over the past five years while leading the MAC in Individual Academic All-Americans.

His coaching accomplishments include mentoring 10 All-Americans and 69 NCAA Division I qualifiers throughout his career. At Kent State, Moore was instrumental in developing the program's first-ever NCAA champion, Dustin Kilgore, and helped guide the Golden Flashes to four top-25 team finishes at the NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships.

"Coming back to Kent State as the Head Coach is truly a dream come true for my family and me," said Moore. "I'm incredibly grateful for this opportunity and fired up to bring the energy, passion, and purpose every single day. Ohio wrestling family, Let's build something special-together!"

Beyond his coaching success, Moore has demonstrated exceptional leadership in academic achievement and community engagement. He helped Cleveland State Wrestling earn a perfect 1000 Academic Progress Rate (APR) in 2023-2024 and has been instrumental in maintaining team GPAs above 3.25 throughout his career. His fundraising efforts have generated significant support for wrestling programs, including leading Cleveland State as the top Giving Day Ambassador and securing over $200,000.

As a competitor, Moore was a two-time NCAA All-American at Penn State University, finishing as the 2004 NCAA runner-up and 2003 third-place finisher. He set several career records at Penn State and was a two-time NWCA First Team Academic All-American.

Moore earned his bachelor's degree in Crime, Law & Justice from Penn State University in 2004 and his master's degree in Sports Management from Kent State University in 2009. 

This afternoon, the Kent State athletic department announced that longtime head coach Jim Andrassy will step down and retire from his post as head coach of the Golden Flashes wrestling team. Andrassy, a Kent State alum, has led the program since the 2003-04 season and was an assistant coach for the nine years prior. 

During his tenure as head coach, Andrassy amassed a 203-197 career dual record. Under his direction, seven Golden Flash wrestlers combined to earn NCAA All-American honors on 12 occasions. Andrassy’s first All-American’s in 2009 (Nic Bedelyon and Jermail Porter) snapped a 23-year All-American-less drought at the school. 

In 2011, 197 lber Dustin Kilgore pinned Oklahoma State’s Clayton Foster to become the program’s first national champion. Two years later, Kilgore became the program’s first three-time All-American. Three years after that, Ian Miller also became a three-time All-American. 

As a team, Kent State finished atop the MAC or tied for a share of the regular season title on three occasions. At the MAC Championships, the Golden Flashes finished as conference runner-up seven times. 

Kent State will conduct a national search for Andrassy’s successor.

The team is coming off a 1-15 dual season and was 11th at the MAC Championships with 43 points.

2025 MAC Championship Final Results

Final Team Scores

1. Lock Haven 121.5
2. Central Michigan 113
3. Edinboro 97.5
4. George Mason 94.0
5. Rider 92.5
6. Ohio 62
7. Northern Illinois 49.5
8. SIU Edwardsville 46.5
9. Buffalo 39
10. Cleveland State 38.5
11. Kent State 29.5
12. Clarion 20.5
13. Bloomsburg 3

Championship Finals

125 - Blake West (Northern Illinois) maj. Travis Clason (Clarion) 14-2

133 - Anthony Noto (Lock Haven) dec. Sean Spidle (Central Michigan) 5-1

141 - Wyatt Henson (Lock Haven) tech. Andrew Austin (Central Michigan) 23-3, 7:00

149 - Sammy Alvarez (Rider) maj. Mason Shrader (Central Michigan) 13-4

157 - DJ McGee (George Mason) dec. Johnny Lovett (Central Michigan) 8-1, SV

165 - Enrique Munguia (Rider) dec. Chandler Amaker (Central Michigan) 6-0

174 - Garrett Thompson (Ohio) maj. Alex Cramer (Central Michigan) 14-0

184 - Isaac Dean (Rider) dec. Jared McGill (Edinboro) 4-1, SV

197 - Brock Zurawski (Rider) dec. Tucker Hogan (Lock Haven) 7-4

HWT - Gavin Hoffman (Lock Haven) dec. Jordan Greer (Ohio) 8-3

Third Place Bouts

125 - Drew Davis (SIU Edwardsville) dec. Ben Monn (George Mason) 2-1

133 - Colton Camacho (Edinboro) fall Markel Baker (Northern Illinois) 2:17

141 - Danny Martinez (SIU Edwardsville) maj. Anthony Ferraro (Edinboro) 11-0

149 - Kaden Cassidy (George Mason) dec. Ryan Michaels (Edinboro) 5-4

157 - Landen Johnson (Northern Illinois) dec. Ryan Burgos (Edinboro) 12-6

165 - Caden Dobbins (Lock Haven) def. Hunter Shaut (Buffalo) 6-3, SV

174 - Avery Bassett (Lock Haven) dec. Michael Wilson (Rider) 10-4

184 - Malachi DuVall (George Mason) fall Colin Fegley (Lock Haven) 4:12

197 - Luke Cochran (Central Michigan) dec. Blake Schaffer (Kent State) 5-3

HWT - Daniel Bucknavich (Cleveland State) dec. James Blackman (George Mason) 7-1

True Second Place Matches

165 - Chandler Amaker (Central Michigan) dec. Caden Dobbins (Lock Haven) 2-0

NCAA Qualifiers

Central Michigan: Sean Spidle (133), Mason Shrader (149), Johnny Lovett (157), Chandler Amaker (165), Alex Cramer (174)

Cleveland State: Daniel Bucknavich (HWT)

Edinboro: Colton Camacho (133), Jared McGill (184)

George Mason: Kaden Cassidy (149), DJ McGee (157), Malachi DuVall (184)

Lock Haven: Anthony Noto (133), Wyatt Henson (141), Avery Bassett (174), Gavin Hoffman (HWT)

Northern Illinois: Blake West (125), Landen Johnson (157)

Ohio: Garrett Thompson (174), Jordan Greer (HWT)

Rider: Sammy Alvarez (149), Enrique Munguia (165), Isaac Dean (184), Brock Zurawski (197)

The 2025 MAC Championships are coming to Trenton, New Jersey and they will take place Friday and Saturday. Wrestlers at ten weight classes will battle for 23 automatic berths in the 2025 NCAA Championships two weeks from today. 

Last season, one of the running themes of the regular season was, “Who will win the MAC?” Ultimately, it was Central Michigan. This year, it appears as if Lock Haven has the inside track to win a third title in four years. The 2024 Lock Haven team was very star-driven and top-heavy, featuring three conference champions, but no other NCAA qualifiers. This version of the Bald Eagles still has the top-end talent but is also much deeper and balanced. 

That might spell bad news for contenders like Central Michigan and Rider. Both of those teams have multiple top seeds heading into the tournament. Despite Lock Haven being the favorite, either of these two schools could have a good day and come away with the trophy on Saturday. Hey, maybe George Mason gets into the title fray. They have outperformed their pre-tournament rankings, of late. 

Before getting to the action, check out our weight-by-weight preview of the action and some picks for the finals and the wrestlers who we think will come away with the precious NCAA berths. 

125 lbs

1 allocation

1. Blake West (Northern Illinois)

2. Noah Michaels (Rider)

3. Ben Aranda (Cleveland State)

4. Drew Davis (SIU Edwardsville)

5. Chris Vargo (Edinboro)

6. Ben Monn (George Mason)

7. Travis Clawson (Clarion)

8. Max Elton (Buffalo)

With three-time MAC champion Anthony Noto moving to 133 lbs, this weight class seemed up for grabs at the beginning of the season. 2024 national qualifier Blake West quickly seized control of the weight. He showed he was the class of the league after making the Midlands finals and pushing undefeated, top-ranked Matt Ramos in a one-point loss. Not only has West gone undefeated in MAC duals, but he was only held to a regular decision on one occasion. 

After West, this weight is wide open. Noah Michaels is the second seed. He also has a perfect dual record and comes into the postseason on a five-match winning streak. Also on the bottom half of the bracket are veterans Ben Aranda and Ben Monn. Aranda currently holds the third seed, but has lost to Monn this year. After the second seed, it can get a little tricky, as a lot of these guys have exchanged wins with each other. 

On West’s half of the bracket are freshmen Drew Davis and Chris Vargo. Davis hit the ground running and knocked off national qualifier Ramazan Attasauov (Illinois) in his collegiate debut. Since then, he’s had some up-and-down moments, but he’s capable of playing spoiler here. Vargo has also had a typical season for a true freshman. He’s had a few unforeseen losses but has had some good moments as well. 

Finals Pick: Blake West (Northern Illinois) over Ben Monn (George Mason)

Qualifier projection: West

133 lbs

3 allocations

1. Anthony Noto (Lock Haven)

2. Sean Spidle (Central Michigan)

3. Markel Baker (Northern Illinois)

4. Colton Camacho (Edinboro)

5. Nick Molchak (Cleveland State)

6. Marcel Lopez (SIU Edwardsville)

7. Scott Johnson (Clarion)

8. Will Betancourt (Rider)

We mentioned Anthony Noto already once - he’ll be at 133 lbs aiming for his fourth consecutive MAC title. Noto’s track record has been he might lose a strange match or two during the regular season, but he brings it in March. In addition to his three MAC titles, he has also finished third and fourth at the past two NCAA Tournaments. Noto did not lose to a MAC opponent this year and earned bonus points against all of them. 

As you would expect with three bids handing in the balance, there are quite a few potential candidates to get the other two - assuming Noto gets one. 

The bottom half of the bracket is formidable with Sean Spidle and Markel Baker. Spidle has progressively gotten better each year in Mount Pleasant. He comes in red-hot. Spidle’s most recent loss came in the consolation semifinals at the Midlands (he took fifth). He’s reeled off 12 straight wins since then. Baker nearly made the national tournament as a true freshman while he was at George Mason. Lost by a point to Noto in the semis and ended up in fourth. He’s also on a hot streak, having won his last six straight - including one over CKLV champion Zeth Romney of Cal Poly. Don’t write a Spidle/Baker semifinal in pen just yet! Sixth-seeded Marcel Lopez finished his regular season with one-point losses to both wrestlers. 

Alongside Noto on the top half of the bracket is Colton Camacho and Nick Molchak. Camacho is a veteran that has nearly made the national tournament on a couple of occasions. He lost in the fifth-place bout at the Midlands to Spidle 10-5, but closed the gap to two points in their late-season dual. Molchak was Cleveland State’s entry at the 2024 MAC Championships and went 0-2. He’s steadily improved this season and sports a 15-9 record. 

Finals Pick: Anthony Noto (Lock Haven) over Sean Spidle (Central Michigan)

Qualifier projections: Noto, Spidle, Camacho

141 lbs

1 allocation

1. Wyatt Henson (Lock Haven)

2. Andrew Austin (Central Michigan)

3. Jordan Decatur (Kent State)

4. Danny Martinez (SIU Edwardsville)

5. Jacob Brya (Northern Illinois)

6. Anthony Ferraro (Edinboro)

7. Ethan Mitchell (Cleveland State)

8. Dom Hargrove (George Mason)

Since coming to the MAC Wyatt Henson has been a force of nature. He hasn’t lost to a MAC opponent in either of his two years in the league and, more often than not, has won via tech fall. Henson hasn’t lost since the calendar flipped to 2025 and is currently riding a 13-match winning streak. 

Coming in as the second seed is Andrew Austin, who is another Central Michigan wrestler who has been coming into his own. Austin has losses at 133 lbs to MAC opponents and another one that’s not in this field; however, at the same time, he has head-to-head wins over the three wrestlers behind him in the seeds. Austin is a remarkable story, as he has found his place in the CMU lineup after seeing time at 133 and 149 this season. 

The third seed belongs to Jordan Decatur. Once regarded as one of the top recruits in the nation, Decatur has settled into the starting lineup at KSU and has seen more mat time than ever in his collegiate career. A one-point loss to Austin, late in the season, snapped his modest four-match winning streak. 

Unfortunately, two wrestlers that have been (or currently are) in the national rankings at this weight enter the tournament as the four and five seeds - which is the same side as Henson. Jacob Brya was an NCAA alternate this year and started the season nationally ranked. He generally has a solid resume, but didn’t compete much through the first month of the year. Martinez is a freshman who turned heads at the Midlands when he majored Brya and NCAA qualifier Eli Griffin (California Baptist) on his way to taking fifth place. These two didn’t meet again in the regular season. 

Finals Pick: Wyatt Henson (Lock Haven) over Jordan Decatur (Kent State)

Qualifier projections: Henson

149 lbs

3 allocations

1. Sammy Alvarez (Rider)

2. Mason Shrader (Central Michigan)

3. Kaden Cassidy (George Mason)

4. Billy Meiszner (Kent State)

5. Lucas Kapusta (Lock Haven)

6. Derek Raike (Ohio)

7. Hayden Whidden (SIU Edwardsville)

8. Kyle Schickel (Clarion)

This is another weight with three qualifiers and, provided there aren’t too many upsets at other tournaments, I could see another at-large berth coming from this bracket. With the Big 12 losing two, there are now six available. In his final year of eligibility, Sammy Alvarez came back to his home state and has thrived at Rider. He has been very consistent and has generally only lost to All-American types. At the CKLV, he finished sixth in a weight that featured four All-Americans ahead of him. He hasn’t lost to a MAC foe and holds a seventh-match winning streak and has got his hand raised in 10 of his 11 matches post-Vegas. 

The second through fourth seeds are all veterans who have taken their game to the next level and could be ready to qualify for their first national tournament. Mason Shrader will get his first opportunity to compete in the postseason after sitting behind some high-quality teammates earlier in his career. Shrader was seventh at the Midlands and closed his dual campaign with wins over in-state rivals from Michigan and Michigan State. 

Kaden Cassidy made the MAC semifinals last year in a bracket that had three allocations, but ended up in fifth place. About a month into the 2024-25 season, he solidified his spot in the rankings with a win over returning qualifier Kal Miller of Maryland. 

Meiszner won the Navy Classic and followed it up with a dual win over returning national qualifier Andrew Clark (Rutgers) in his next appearance. He got off to a rough start, but has only lost once since the second week of the season. 

Redshirt freshman Lucas Kapusta has had a great initial year in the Bald Eagles starting lineup. He also put himself on the map with an early-season win over Clark. Kapusta also grabbed ahold of the starting role for Lock Haven with two wins over teammate DeShawn Farber - a former national qualifier. 

Finals Pick: Sammy Alvarez (Rider) over Mason Shrader (Central Michigan)

Qualifier projections: Alvarez, Shrader, Cassidy

157 lbs

3 allocations

1. Johnny Lovett (Central Michigan)

2. Colton Washleski (Rider)

3. DJ McGee (George Mason)

4. Nick Stampoulos (Lock Haven)

5. Landen Johnson (Northern Illinois)

6. Kaleb Burgess (Buffalo)

7. Eric Almarinez (SIU Edwardsville)

8. Carson Miller (Kent State)

Three more allocations here in a bracket that contains four returning national qualifiers. Four-time national qualifier Johnny Lovett is looking for his second MAC title and is in the midst of his best season in a CMU singlet. He was a runner-up at the Keystone Classic and a champion at the Midlands. He boasts a 12-match winning streak and has won 16 of his last 17. 

One conference opponent who has been a thorn in Lovett’s side is George Mason’s DJ McGee. They’ve met at the Midlands in each of the last two seasons, where they’ve split victories. Even in this year’s win, McGee pushed Lovett to tiebreakers. McGee also downed Lovett in the semifinals of the 2024 MAC Championships. 

Before we get another chapter in the Lovett/McGee rivalry, McGee will have to get through Colton Washleski in the semifinals. Washleski and McGee’s matches have been toss-up’s, as well. McGee got the best of him last season, but Washleski prevailed in sudden victory in this year’s dual. 

Behind the big three is Nick Stampoulos, who qualified for nationals last year at Buffalo when he finished fourth in this weight class. Stampoulos punched his ticket to Kansas City with a win over Washleski. He did the same in 2024-25 with a late-season dual win over Washleski. 

Stampoulos’ former Buffalo teammate Kaleb Burgess could be in position to pull an upset as the sixth seed. Burgess posted a career-high 26 wins this year and was a champion at the Big Red Invitational. He drops to the sixth seed after a sudden victory loss to Landen Johnson in February. The seventh seed at this weight, Eric Almarinez, also has a win over Johnson, so this bracket could see its share of upsets. 

Finals Pick: Johnny Lovett (Central Michigan) over DJ McGee (George Mason)

Qualifier projections: Lovett, McGee, Burgess

165 lbs

2 allocations

1. Enrique Munguia (Rider)

2. Evan Maag (George Mason)

3. Tate Geiser (Cleveland State)

4. Jack Lledo (Ohio)

5. Ethan Barr (Kent State)

6. Chandler Amaker (Central Michigan)

7. Caden Dobbins (Lock Haven)

8. Hunter Shaut (Buffalo)

One of the big upsets from the 2024 MAC Championships was when Evan Maag pinned Garrett Thompson to win the title at 165 lbs. Maag is back and looking for title number two. He’s as dangerous as ever with eight falls on the year, amongst his 21 wins. The only blemish on Maag’s MAC record this year is the loss via injury default to Rider’s Enrique Munguia. Munguia was a conference finalist in 2023; however, he was in a 165 lb weight class that only had one allocation and had to stay home. That shouldn’t be the case in 2025, as Munguia has earned an allocation for the conference after a 19-6 regular season that includes no MAC losses. He heads into the postseason a winner of eight straight matches. 

Behind the big two is Tate Geiser, who ended the regular season with a loss to Munguia in sudden victory. Geiser was actually seeded second at the 2024 tournament but ended up in fifth place. The fourth seed is Jack Lledo who doesn’t have a great record this season (10-15) but is wrestling his best with five wins in his last six matches. 

Finals Pick: Enrique Munguia (Rider) over Evan Maag (George Mason)

Qualifier projections: Munguia, Maag

174 lbs

3 allocations

1. Alex Cramer (Central Michigan)

2. Garrett Thompson (Ohio)

3. Avery Bassett (Lock Haven)

4. John Worthing (Clarion)

5. Logan Messer (George Mason)

6. Michael Wilson (Rider)

7. Tommy Bennett (Northern Illinois)

8. Brody Evans (Edinboro)

With three allocations, four past national qualifiers, and two wrestlers currently ranked in the top-ten nationally, this is probably the best weight in the conference. The top-two have already met three times this season with Alex Cramer prevailing 1-0 at the National Duals and in sudden victory at the Michigan State Open and Garrett Thompson returning the favor in a 13-1 major decision in their conference dual. Cramer has been excellent with a title at the MSU Open, a fourth-place finish at the Midlands, and a win over All-American and Big 12 champion Cade DeVos on the 2024-25 resume. Thompson was third at the CKLV Invitational - his second time placing top-five at that prestigious event. Aside from each other, neither have lost to another MAC opponent this year. 

The other two returning qualifiers in the field are fourth-seeded John Worthing and sixth-seeded Michael Wilson. The pair met last year in a true second-place match where the winner got a berth in the Big Dance. Wilson ended up prevailing in an 11-2 major decision. These two have not met this year, as Worthing competed sparingly in the second half of the season. When their teams met in dual action, Wilson teched Worthing’s brother, Brady. 

The other two top-five seeds in this field are #5 Logan Messer and his former George Mason teammate #3 Avery Bassett. Both are looking for their first NCAA berth after narrowly missing out in the past. Bassett was third at the 2023 tournament. Messer has finished fourth and sixth during his first two MAC appearances. When these two squared off in dual meet competition, Bassett got the 7-3 win. 

Finals Pick: Alex Cramer (Central Michigan) over Garrett Thompson (Ohio)

Qualifier projections: Cramer, Thompson, Bassett

184 lbs

3 allocations

1. Isaac Dean (Rider)

2. Colin Fegley (Lock Haven)

3. Malachi DuVall (George Mason)

4. Marcus Petite (Buffalo)

5. Jeremy Olszko (Ohio)

6. Adrien Cramer (Central Michigan)

7. Jared McGill (Edinboro)

8. Holden Martin (Kent State)

The veteran breakout star of the conference this year has been Rider’s Isaac Dean. Dean forced the nation to pay attention in Vegas when he upset All-American Bennett Berge (South Dakota State), on his way to a fifth-place finish. In his next outing, Dean picked up wins over top-15 foes Jaxon Smith (Maryland) and Reece Heller (Pittsburgh). Dean did have a slip-up in-conference as he fell to Malachi DuVall by a point in their dual. DuVall is the returning champion at this weight. He won the 2024 tournament as the sixth seed. Dean ended up eighth. 

Coming in as the second seed is Lock Haven’s Colin Fegley. Fegley has been fourth at the last two MAC Tournaments. His head-to-head win over DuVall gives him the edge seeding-wise. 

After the three who earned allocations are Marcus Petite, Jeremy Olszko, Adrien Cramer, and Jared McGill. These four have all been in the national rankings, or on the cusp of them, at times this year. Each is capable of getting an unexpected win or two propelling them to Philly. Petite took seven losses within the first month but has been very good since then. Olszko is a freshman who forced the conference to take notice when he teched DuVall. Cramer is a Midlands eighth-place finisher and McGill has been a threat whenever he’s been to stay on the mat. 

With the depth of this weight class and the uncertainty of this weight nationwide, I could see an addition at-large (or perhaps two) coming from this conference. 

Finals Pick: Isaac Dean (Rider) over Malachi DuVall (George Mason)

Qualifier projections: Dean, DuVall, Petite

197 lbs

1 allocation

1. Tucker Hogan (Lock Haven)

2. Luke Cochran (Central Michigan)

3. Brock Zurawski (Rider)

4. Tyler Kocak (George Mason)

5. Blake Schaffer (Kent State)

6. Nick Nosler (SIU Edwardsville)

7. Sean Carroll (Northern Illinois)

8. Joey Lyons (Cleveland State)

Tucker Hogan has been one of the biggest recruits to ink with Lock Haven in some time and has certainly lived up to his pre-collegiate hype. The word on Hogan coming into college was that he was a beast from the top position. That’s proven to be the case with seven tech falls, most coming after he racked up a boatload of points from the mat. 

This was probably difficult to seed. Even top-seeded Hogan has a loss to George Mason’s Tyler Kocak.  Coincidentally, the pair could meet in the semis. Kocak is a returning sixth-place finisher in the conference, but is down at the fourth seed based on a pair of regular-season losses to Brock Zurawski. Zurawski, like second-seeded Luke Cochran, is perfect in-conference, aside from a loss to Hogan. The second and third seeds did not end up meeting during the regular season. 

Someone who could be dangerous from the fifth seed is veteran Blake Schaffer. Schaffer was a match away from NCAA qualification last season, as he fell to Sam Mitchell in a true second-place match. That year he tallied 26 wins against 11 losses. This year hasn’t been as prolific from a wins standpoint, but he still should not be overlooked. 

Finals Pick: Tucker Hogan (Lock Haven) over Luke Cochran (Central Michigan)

Qualifier projections: Hogan

285 lbs

3 allocations

1. Jordan Greer (Ohio)

2. Gavin Hoffman (Lock Haven)

3. Daniel Bucknavich (Cleveland State)

4. Austin Chapman (Clarion)

5. James Blackman (George Mason)

6. Bryan Caves (Central Michigan)

7. Brentan Simmerman (Kent State)

8. Aden Roe (Edinboro)

Heavyweight tends to be a strong bracket in the MAC and this year is no different. With three allocations on the line and plenty of tough competitors in the field, the action should be intense. This weight features a pair of wrestlers that come into the week unbeaten in the MAC - Jordan Greer and Gavin Hoffman. I assume since Greer has wins over nine MAC opponents; as opposed to three from Hoffman, he gets the nod. Greer has quietly gone 20-4 with only one loss coming since the CKLV in early-December. Greer was seeded sixth at the 2024 MAC Championships, but wrestled his way into the national tournament with a third-place finish. 

Hoffman came to Lock Haven to take a coaching role, but returned to competition to use his final year of eligibility, and has moved to heavyweight. The 2021 All-American has had a seamless transition back to the match and won 15 of 17 matches, including one over Binghamton’s multiple-time qualifier, Cory Day, in his heavyweight debut. 

In what could be Cleveland State’s final MAC Tournament, Daniel Bucknavich probably represents the Vikings best shot at a conference title. Bucknavich was a conference runner-up last season and earned a win at his first NCAA Tournament. He’s 22-4 on the year but has a loss to Greer and George Mason’s James Blackman on the ledger. Blackman is a true freshman and a local product for the Patriots, who has been a great find from the GMU staff. Along with Bucknavich, he also had a win over Wyoming’s national qualifier Sam Mitchell. Blackman will be seeded fifth. 

Coming in as the fourth seed is Austin Chapman. Chapman is a veteran who only has conference losses to Greer and Hoffman. His quarterfinal with Blackman should be a good one. 

Seeded sixth is a wrestler who spent a significant amount of the season in the rankings - Bryan Caves. Caves was the opponent that Greer defeated with an NCAA berth on the line in the 2024 MAC consolation finals. He’s been solid for the year, but not always consistent. With three allocations available, he could threaten for one and will also make for a difficult quarterfinal for Bucknavich. 

Finals Pick: Jordan Greer (Ohio) over Daniel Bucknavich (Cleveland State)

Qualifier projections: Greer, Bucknavich, Hoffman

CLEVELAND, Ohio (Jan. 23, 2025) — Cleveland State University (CSU) has announced it will discontinue its three NCAA sport programs in wrestling, women’s golf and softball, following the approval of the CSU Board of Trustees at their meeting on January 23, 2025. CSU made the difficult decision to discontinue these sport programs at the conclusion of their respective seasons this academic year as part of a strategic effort, which began in 2023, to address budgetary shortfalls across the University. In addition to the discontinued programs, the CSU Board of Trustees approved relocating the University’s Esports program from CSU Athletics to CSU’s Washkewicz College of Engineering.

These recommendations resulted from a thorough review of CSU Athletics programs by a working group comprised of representatives from CSU Athletics, CSU faculty and the Cleveland community. The difficult decision to discontinue programs was made after careful consideration in keeping with the guiding principles that the working group identified, including aligning with CSU’s commitment to upholding a transformational student-athlete experience and positioning CSU Athletics for long-term success in the classroom, in the community and in competition.

“Over the past several years, one of our primary goals has been to restructure our financial model and to evaluate where our students are engaged academically, socially and competitively,” said CSU President Laura Bloomberg, PhD. “As a result, our athletics department, like many other departments at CSU, has had to make difficult decisions regarding the programs we offer.”

CSU has assured the impacted student-athletes that they will retain their athletic financial aid while they are students at CSU, and CSU Athletics will support student-athletes as they navigate this transition. Prior to the discontinuation of these three sport programs, CSU provided proportional athletics participation opportunities and expects to continue to do so after these changes.

“It is a tough day for Cleveland State Athletics,” said Kelsie Gory Harkey, director of CSU Athletics. “The student-athletes and coaches in the impacted programs have been an important part of the Cleveland State community, and the decision today is not a reflection of the commitment or passion they, our staff or our alumni have to our program.” She added that CSU will be doing everything it can to assist and support the student-athletes in deciding what is best for them to meet their academic and athletic needs.

Cleveland State has no plans to discontinue any of its remaining 15 athletic programs. CSU is an active, engaged member of the Horizon League athletic conference and is committed to participating in Division I Athletics.

###

About Cleveland State University
Founded in 1964, Cleveland State University is a public research institution located in the heart of Northeast Ohio with 14,000-plus students, ten colleges and schools, and more than 175 academic programs. Find more information at csuohio.edu or contact pr@csuohio.edu.

Frequently Asked Questions

Which sports have been discontinued? What does it mean if my sport has been “discontinued?”
CSU has announced it will discontinue NCAA sport programs in wrestling, women’s golf and softball. These sports will no longer be offered at CSU after their seasons in the 2024-25 academic year, and CSU will not recruit student-athletes into these sports moving forward.

Why is CSU discontinuing three sports?
Since 2023, Cleveland State University has been evaluating its program offerings in areas including academic affairs, student services and athletics, in an effort to address budgetary shortfalls across the University. CSU made the difficult decision to discontinue three athletic programs in order to align with its commitment to upholding a transformational student-athlete experience and positioning CSU Athletics for long-term success in the classroom, in the community and in competition.

Prior to the discontinuation of these three sport programs, CSU provided proportional athletics participation opportunities and expects to continue to do so after these changes.

How was this decision made?
This decision was made after a thorough review of CSU Athletics programs by representatives from CSU Athletics, CSU faculty and the Cleveland community. Following that review, recommended changes to CSU Athletics were approved by President Laura Bloomberg and the CSU Board of Trustees.

Why was this decision announced now?
CSU made the announcement now in order to provide as much time as it could to impacted student-athletes and coaches as they consider their next steps. CSU announced the discontinuation of these sport programs on the day that the CSU Board of Trustees approved these actions.

How many student-athletes and coaches are impacted by the decision to discontinue programs?
Approximately 60 student-athletes and seven coaches are impacted by this decision.

How is CSU providing support to impacted student-athletes?
Staff in CSU Athletics will assist impacted students in navigating this transition, including the transfer process. Impacted students who receive athletic financial aid will continue to receive aid while they remain students at CSU through current degree completion.

What will happen to the coaches and staff in impacted sports?
CSU’s Department of Human Resources will work with all impacted employees to address their needs and support their career transitions. CSU is grateful for the time, energy and enthusiasm of our coaches and athletic staff.

How will this decision impact incoming students in discontinued sport programs?
Staff in CSU Athletics will assist incoming students whose sports have been discontinued. Impacted incoming students will receive their athletic financial aid while they remain students at CSU through current degree completion.

Will CSU discontinue more sports?
Cleveland State University has no further plans to discontinue any additional athletic programs at this time.

If my sport has been discontinued, can I still compete?
Yes, student-athletes in discontinued sport programs will compete in their seasons as planned.

Can CSU and CSU Athletics fundraise to keep these sport programs?
Gifts to CSU and CSU Athletics are always appreciated and welcome. However, each sport program requires annual funding in perpetuity. The decision to discontinue these programs is final and would not be impacted by additional funding.

Why is Esports moving to the Washkewicz College of Engineering?
Due to its academic focus and emphasis on innovation, the Washkewicz College of Engineering is best positioned to support students in CSU’s Esports program.

Tell a friend to tell a friend, she’s baaaaack, and so is the MACtion. There has been a lot of wrestling this past month. So, let’s get into it!

George Mason remains undefeated, 6-0

George Mason is 6-0 on the season, remaining undefeated. They’re the only undefeated team in the country to have six duals under them this early into the season. This is their second-best start to a season. Yes, they did even better than this back in the 22-23 season when they opened their season going 8-0. George Mason has beaten Bloomsburg (42-0), Millersville (54-0), Williams College (37-6), Edinboro (21-18), Clarion (26-9), and SIUE (32-8).  

Ohio beats B1G opponent Wisconsin on Nov. 1, 25-14

Both redshirt junior and 2024 All-American, Peyten Kellar and redshirt freshman Kaden Jett won tough overtime matches. At 141 pounds, Jett won 5-2, while Kellar had a close 8-7 victory at 157 pounds. Before redshirt sophomore Austin Starr gave Ohio a decisive 15-1 major decision at 197 pounds, the Bobcats and Badgers were close. The team's win was cemented when redshirt senior Jordan Greer defeated Gannon Rosenfeld of Wisconsin by a major decision of 13-4 at 285 pounds. 

Lock Haven shuts out Bloomsburg, 48-0

It was Lock Haven's first shutout since the 2018–19 season. All ten matches were won by the Bald Eagles, who also won six of seven with bonus points. Anthony Noto (133), Wyatt Henson (141), and Lucas Kapusta (149) all had consecutive technical falls. Nick Stampoulos (157), Caden Dobbins (165), and James Lledo (197) all prevailed by major decision, while Ethan Miller ended the evening with a decision at 285. Lock Haven also benefited from three forfeits that evening, Sean Logue, (125), Tyler Stoltzfus (174), and Colin Fegley (184). Additionally, it was the tenth consecutive victory over the Huskies.

NIU defeats Rider for the first time in program history, 20-19

The last two matches were the deciding factor. The Huskies lost the next five matches to the Broncs after winning the first three, which included two bonus points. The Huskies were within two points at 19-17 after Spencer Mooberry earned a victory by fall, and Jacob Christensen held out for a 3-1 decision to give NIU the W. 

Rider wins first dual of the season over Wisconsin, 28-12

Steyn De Lange set the tone for the dual at 197 pounds by defeating Niccolo Colucci 4-3 after a fierce battle. McKenzie Bell, at 141 pounds, started things off by defeating Brock Bobzien 10-4. Both Isaac Dean and Sammy Alvarez performed takedown clinics, earning tech falls. At 157 pounds, Colton Washleski earned a pin against Luke Mechler. At 165 pounds, Enrique Munguia maintained the Broncs' momentum by defeating Cale Anderson via major decision, 9-0. After an exciting comeback against Luke Condon, Michael Wilson, weighing 174 pounds, sealed the dual for the Broncs. After falling behind 9-3, Wilson went double under to win 10-9 and formally seal the Rider win. 

Clarion’s standout, John Worthing 

John Worthing (174) of Clarion is their standout wrestler. He is their only wrestler in the starting lineup with one loss thus far in the season, currently sitting at 5-1. His lone loss to Michigan’s Joseph Walker. Worthing ended his 23-24 season going 19-10, placing third at the MAC tournament. He was also an NCAA qualifier from the 2023 tournament. 

Lock Haven Knows Wrestling

The Bald Eagles have had winners at every tournament they’ve entered thus far this season. Connor Eck (157) went undefeated at Journeymen and won the Millersville Open. They ended the Princeton Open with one winner, Wyatt Henson (141), and five finalists, Anthony Noto (133), Lucas Kapusta (149), Nick Stampoulos (157), Colin Fegley (184), and Tucker Hogan (197). Lock Haven also won the PRTC team title with 149.5 points. Noto, Bassett (165), Fegley, and Hogan were all champions with 11 other placers. 

To start December, Lock Haven’s Gable Strickland wrestled unattached and won the Mat-Town Open (hosted by Lock Haven). 

Rider’s standout, Isaac Dean

Isaac Dean (184) of Rider is one of their standouts. The Broncs hosted the West Virginia Mountaineers on Nov. 14 at Rider. Dean beat WVU’s Ian Bush who at the time was ranked #22, 4-2. Dean is now in the Intermat rankings at 31st in the country. Dean went 13-14 on the 23-24 season. He is currently 6-2 on the season.

MAC Wrestlers in the rankings

133 

#14 Anthony Noto (Lock Haven)

141

#23 Wyatt Henson (Lock Haven)

149

#22 Sammy Alvarez (Rider)

#26 Ryan Burgos (Edinboro)

157

#5 Peyten Kellar (Ohio)

#17 Johnny Lovett (Central Michigan

#20 Colton Washleski (Rider)

#25 DJ McGee (George Mason)

#33 Nick Stampoulos (Lock Haven)

165

#24 Evan Maag (George Mason)

#32 Enrique Munguia (Rider)

174

#17 Alex Cramer (Central Michigan)

#23 Garett Thompson (Ohio)

#32 John Worthing (Clarion)

#33 Tyler Stoltzfus (Lock Haven)

184

#24 Malachi DuVall (George Mason)

#28 Colin Fegley (Lock Haven)

#31 Isaac Dean (Rider)

285

#19 Daniel Bucknavich (Cleveland State)

#22 Jordan Greer (Ohio)

#24 Bryan Caves (Central Michigan)

#31 Jacobi Jackson (Northern Illinois)

As we head into the Thanksgiving break, there were a handful of MAC wrestlers who feasted on their opponents over the last weekend. A trio of teams got to sit at the grown-up’s table, while other teams gorged themselves at individual tournaments. There are no turkeys here this week as we celebrate some of the best MAC performances of the week. 

Northern Illinois

The talk of the MAC, at least on Sunday, was Rider. And we’ll get to Rider shortly; however, Rider did suffer a loss last week. It was to conference opponent Northern Illinois on Friday night, 20-19. 

The light and heavyweights for the Huskies took care of business. None of NIU’s wins against Rider came from 149-184. 

One of the toss-up matches of the dual came at 141 lbs with NCAA qualifier McKenzie Bell of Rider and NCAA alternate Jacob Brya of Northern Illinois. Brya was making his season debut and his mat wrestling made the difference. A pair of reversals pushed him past Bell in a 7-5 victory. 

Heading into the 197 lb bout, the path to victory for the Huskies seemed slim. They were down by eight points with another toss-up match between Spencer Mooberry and Rider’s Steyn De Lange. De Lange held a slim 3-2 lead with two minutes of wrestling remaining and the choice to wrestle from the bottom position. DeLange got a relatively quick stand-up to increase his lead to 4-2

Shortly after the escape, Mooberry got in on a low attack and De Lange started a prolonged scramble. The Rider wrestler tried to roll through after a takedown was awarded to Mooberry and was caught on his back. Mooberry never let him leave his back and chaos erupted after a fall was called by the official. 

Now, with a match remaining, Northern Illinois trailed by two points. Heavyweight Jacob Christensen clinched the win for NIU with a 3-1 victory over freshman Collin French. Christensen was buoyed by an escape point and two points for stalling on French. 

The win was the first in program history over Rider. 

Northern Illinois will take some time off over Thanksgiving only to reemerge at SIU Edwardsville’s Cougar Clash on December 7th. 
 

Rider

After the tough conference loss on Friday night, Rider had no time to lick their wounds. The team traveled north to Wisconsin for a Sunday dual with the Badgers of the Big Ten. 

The bout started at 197 lbs which saw De Lange get a close 4-3 win over Nico Colucci; however, the next three would go in favor of the hosts, putting Rider at a 12-3 disadvantage. 

That nine-point hole didn’t matter as John Hangey’s team won the remaining six matches to blow through the Badgers, 28-12. 

Bell got the run started with a 10-4 win over Brock Bobzien; however, it was Sammy Alvarez at 149 lbs that began a streak of bonus points in three straight matches. His 21-4 tech fall, was followed by a second-period pin by Colton Washleski at 157 lbs and Enrique Munguia threw a 9-0 shutout to completely take control of the dual. 

Michael Wilson (174) and Isaac Dean (184) closed things out with a 10-9 win and a 20-6 major decision, respectively. 

The Broncs move up to 1-2 on the year after the close loss to NIU and loss last week to #20 West Virginia. 

You’ll be able to see Rider in action at the toughest tournament in the country as they head to Vegas for the Cliff Keen Invitational on December 6th and 7th. 
 

George Mason

To close out the dual portion of our recap, George Mason quietly went to 6-0 in all competitions and 4-0 in the MAC with a 32-8 win over SIU Edwardsville. The Cougars make take issues with the term quietly as Mason was able to tally bonus points in half of their eight wins. 

Stalwarts DJ McGee (157) and Evan Maag (165) had a major decision and fall, respectively. Veteran Logan Messer was dominating before an injury default and true freshman James Blackman continues to impress with a 13-4 major decision at 285 lbs. 

In addition to lighting up the scoreboard, the Patriots also had to grind out three close wins. 125 lber Ben Monn prevailed over Davian Guanajuato in sudden victory, while  Charlie Bunting notched a 4-1 win over Marcel Lopez at 133 lbs, and Malachi DuVall slipped by Deron Pulliam 1-0 at 184 lbs. 

Finally, at 149 lbs Kaden Cassidy maintained his perfect record and has a chance to potentially break into the national rankings. 

This marks the second time in three years that Frank Beasley’s team has started the year with six straight dual wins. 

George Mason will look to extend that to eight wins as they’ll take on MAC foe Buffalo and Long Island on December 6th. 

Editor's Note: Long Island has taken this match off of their schedule - so it will just be a dual between George Mason and Buffalo. The dual will be held in George Mason's "Johnson Center" the food court in the student union. 
 

Keystone Classic

Half of the champions from the Keystone Classic came from the MAC. 

The first of the titles came from one of the usual suspects, while others may have been a bit more surprising. Anthony Noto’s title at 133 lbs came after back-to-back wins over solid opponents from the host school, Penn (Ryan Miller and Alex Almeyda). 

Central Michigan got a second title as Chandler Amaker won the 165 lb weight class following Lovett. From a MAC standpoint, Amaker’s most significant win came in the semifinals when he downed Lock Haven’s Caden Dobbins, 5-2. 

It was an all-Lock Haven affair in the 174 lb finals as Avery Bassett scored early and often in an 11-3 major decision over teammate Tyler Stoltzfus. It was the first loss of the year for Stoltzfus and Bassett ran his record to 7-1. 

Another Lock Haven wrestler claimed a title at 184 lbs when Colin Fegley locked up a last-minute takedown to defeat Adrien Cramer of Central Michigan, 4-1. In the semis, Fegley had a very solid win over Virginia Tech’s Sam Fisher - someone who has been ranked in the past, but is behind All-American TJ Stewart. Fegley made his way into the national rankings last week, for the first time in his career, and doesn’t appear to be leaving them soon after a Keystone title. 

Lock Haven’s top recruit from the Class of 2024, Tucker Hogan, showed why he was so highly regarded in his title run at 197 lbs. In three bouts, Hogan amassed 46 points. Hogan has been noted as an excellent wrestler from the top - he displayed this with five sets of nearfall points across his three wins. 
 

Kent State at the Navy Classic

The Golden Flashes crowned a champion at the Navy Classic as Billy Meiszner won the 149 lb bracket. Meiszner was unseeded but ended up winning the top half of the bracket. In the quarterfinals, Meiszner picked off Nebraska’s Scott Robertson, 11-4. Robertson had just knocked off the top seed in the weight class, Kaeman Smith of Navy. 

Meiszner finished his tournament with wins over Ayden Garver (Oregon State) and Carson DesRosier (The Citadel). 

Though none of his wins came over ranked opposition, hopefully, this tournament title sparks Meiszner and helps him to continue his winning ways once he meets that caliber of opponents. 

Kent State will be back in dual action on December 5th against Lake Erie, before heading to the Cleveland State Open on the 7th. 

The Big Red Invite

A pair of MAC teams were in Ithaca for Cornell’s Big Red Invite, Buffalo, and Clarion. Wrestlers were sorted into round-robin groups and were able to get at least three matches per wrestler. 

Leading the way for Buffalo was 157 lber Kaleb Burgess. Burgess had falls in three of his four matches and defeated teammate Brady Ungar, 8-1, in the only match that went the full seven minutes. 

Lonnell Owens-Pabon (197) took second in his group. He posted two falls and had an 8-1 decision victory over Brown’s Thomas Sandoval. 

The only Clarion wrestler to win his bracket was Wesley Barnes, who won the 165 lb “B” grouping. Barnes had a pair of falls among his five wins.

Kyle Schickel (149/A), Scott Johnson (133/B), Judah Aybar (149/B), Gavin Wilmoth (174/B), Ethan Wiant (197/B), and Lucas Thomas (285/B) all finished second in their respective groupings. 

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. 

Bloomsburg got their guy! And it’s a very familiar face - former Husky head coach John Stutzman will be back to lead their wrestling program after holding the same position from 2005-13. 

Earlier this week, Davidson announced that Stutzman had joined their coaching staff for the 2024-25 season; however, there has been a pivot and Stutzman will be headed back to his old stomping grounds at Bloomsburg. 

During his first tenure, Stutzman amassed a 97-56-1 with three third place finishes at the old EWL Championships. Stutzman also saw his wrestlers get onto the NCAA podium on three occasions, with Mike Spaid finishing eighth in 2007 and Matt Moley AA’ing twice (8th in 2008 - 6th in 2009). 

The 2012-13 season saw Bloomsburg go 17-3 in dual action including a perfect 5-0 record in conference duals. It was the first outright conference championship in school history and the team finished the season ranked 15th in the nation. The 17 wins remain a high for the program. 

After the 2013 NCAA Tournament, Stutzman left to take the reins at his alma mater, Buffalo. Stutzman coached at Buffalo from 2013 until the spring of 2024. At Buffalo, Stutzman pushed 25 wrestlers to the NCAA Tournament and put together a 89-107 dual record. 

Four times in his career, Stutzman has been named his respective conference’s Coach of the Year. Three times in the EWL and once in the MAC. 

Stutzman’s trademark at Bloomsburg was putting together highly competitive teams that were largely composed of wrestlers that were developed in the room and not necessarily considered blue-chip recruits. 

He’ll inherit a team that has won four duals in each of the last two seasons. The Huskies did not have a national qualifier in 2024, but sent Josh Mason in 2023. Bloomsburg had been led by Marcus Gordon for the last eight years.

Fargo aka 16U and Junior Nationals is upon us. The largest wrestling tournament in the world is set to kick off on Saturday with the women’s freestyle portion of the tournament. Last year’s version of Fargo included over 7,000 participants! 

To get ready for Fargo, we’re looking at the tournament from a collegiate perspective. A recruiting perspective. Over the next few days, we’ll go conference-by-conference to look at recruits from each school who have signed up for the tournament. 

Next up is the MAC. The MAC had one of its teams in the top-20 of InterMat's 2024 Recruiting Rankings (Lock Haven #20). During the collegiate season, we saw Central Michigan unseat Lock Haven in winning at the MAC Championships. At nationals, three different schools produced an All-American. Two additional schools had AA's in 2023. That's a welcome improvement over 2022 when the conference had zero. With more talent coming into the conference there should be more AA's in the pipeline. 

Recruits have been grouped by team. They are listed alphabetically alongside the weight listed in USA Wrestling’s registration, the state they represent, and their graduating class. The # next to a wrestler’s name denotes their MatScouts Big Board ranking in their respective class. 

We’ve sorted through six or seven thousand entries to bring you these previews, so there could be a recruit or two that slipped through the cracks. If that’s the case, please let me know. Earl@matscouts.com 

Additionally, no preview or historical analysis for anything Fargo-related could be done without some assistance from Jason Bryant’s massive Fargo Guide. There’s still time to get yours!

Clarion

132 lbs: Travis Clawson (Pennsylvania) - Class of 2024

126 lbs: Easton Mull (Pennsylvania) - Class of 2025

Clarion will be represented by a pair of state placewinners. Incoming freshman Travis Clawson was a two-time AAA state qualifier and and was seventh as a senior. Easton Mull has qualified for the AA state tournament three times and was fourth in 2024. Also during his junior season, Mull was eighth at the Powerade. 
 

George Mason

132 lbs: Geoff Whelan (Virginia) - Class of 2024

In-state recruit, Geoff Whelan, was a four-time Virginia state placewinner. He made the 5A state finals in 2022 and never finished lower than fourth place. After his final state tournament, Whelan was seventh at NHSCA Senior Nationals. Whelan has also captured state titles in each of the last two years in Junior Greco. Last year, he was a runner-up in freestyle and this year he was third. 
 

Lock Haven

144 lbs: Griffin Walizer (Pennsylvania) - Class of 2024

Local product Griffin Walizer was a member of Lock Haven’s #20 ranked recruiting class. Walizer was a three-time Pennsylvania AAA state medalist (6,5,8) for nearby Central Mountain High School. He earned a spot in Fargo with a title at a Pennsylvania qualifier in Greco-Roman and was third in freestyle. 
 

Northern Illinois

215 lbs: Dominic Heim (Minnesota) - Class of 2024

215 lbs: #211 Ian Smith (Wisconsin) - Class of 2024

Northern Illinois has a pair of talented big men on the way to Dekalb, but before then, a pair of 215 lbers will compete in Fargo. Ian Smith has already made the Fargo medal stand twice, both times in Greco and once in each age group. Last year, he was third in Junior Greco. This year, Smith won a state title in Greco and was a runner-up in freestyle. 

Dominic Heim was a four-time Minnesota state medalist who finished third at the AAA state tournament in each of his last two years. Heim comes into Fargo on the strength of a Minnesota Junior state title in freestyle. 

 

Ohio

285 lbs: Wyatt Schmitt (Illinois) - Class of 2024

165 lbs: Charles Spinning (Oregon) - Class of 2024

Heavyweight prospect Wyatt Schmitt was a 16U Greco-Roman finalist in 2022. Back in Illinois, Schmitt was a Greco state champion (for the second time) and a runner-up in freestyle. In high school, Schmitt was a one-time Illinois 3A state placewinner - taking fourth in 2023. 

Charles Spinning is a two-time Oregon state champion and three-time finalist. Last summer, he was a state champion in freestyle and a runner-up in Greco-Roman. 

Rider

175 lbs: Jacob Zearfoss (New Jersey) - Class of 2024

In-state product Jacob Zearfoss is a two-time New Jersey state placewinner (4,6) and three-time state qualifier. Zearfoss has placed at the NHSCA grade-level tournament in each of the last two years (6,7). 

SIU Edwardsville

215 lbs: Jake Fernandez (Missouri) - Class of 2024

Last-signee Jake Fernandez captured a pair of Missouri state titles and is a two-time Missouri Junior freestyle state finalist (winning in 2024). Fernandez was a member of Missouri’s Junior Duals team and went 3-2 in that event. 

Yesterday, we wrote about the vacant Bloomsburg head coaching position and tried to provide some clarity regarding the future of the program and the intentions of its administrators. 

Now, we’re moving on to potential candidates for the vacancy. As always, with these exercises, we’ve tried to stick with candidates who make some sense for the opening. 

Before getting to the candidates, we’ll look at the team itself. Bloomsburg is coming off back-to-back 13th-place finishes in the MAC and has gone a combined 8-28 in dual competition over the last two years. Four of the wrestlers who competed at the 2024 MAC Championships will return in 2024-25 and a couple of others are in the transfer portal. Bloomsburg’s most recent NCAA representative was Josh Mason who made the tournament in 2022 and 2023. 

We’ve broken down the categories of candidates to veterans, new coaching blood, and will close with a special one-of-a-kind category. 
 

Veterans

John Hughes

This name would make sense to those who follow the Bloomsburg program as John Hughes’ twin brother, Russ, has been on the Bloomsburg staff since 2016. Could the brother join forces to lead the Huskies going forward? Since this would be John’s first college head coaching gig, having his twin brother so familiar with the landscape of the school and athletic department would be a huge bonus. 

Hughes spent 11+ years coaching at Lehigh under Pat Santoro. Before coming to Lehigh, Hughes was an assistant at his alma mater, Penn State. Hughes was also heavily involved in notable recruiting classes for both schools.

As an athlete, Hughes was a three-time All-American for the Nittany Lions - winning a Big Ten and NCAA title in 1995. 

Bloomsburg is only a short drive from the Hughes’ hometown of Stillwater. With that type of home-field advantage and John’s long-time knowledge of the Pennsylvania wrestling landscape, he should be able to do well recruiting. At least initially, a school like Bloomsburg will need to unearth some diamonds in the rough, so someone with a deep knowledge of the high school/club scene is very important. 

Hughes has been out of collegiate coaching since November of 2019 when he left the Lehigh staff for personal reasons. That’s something that would have to be addressed and the Bloomsburg athletic department would be comfortable with it before moving forward. With that being said, Hughes is extremely respected within the coaching ranks. 

Kerry Regner

Make no mistake, despite the renewed excitement surrounding the Bloomsburg program, a rebuild will not be easy. Getting the Huskies back to a competitive level in DI will not happen overnight. With that in mind, why not someone who has experience building programs from the ground up. That’s exactly what Kerry Regner did at NAIA Williams Baptist. He took a brand-new program and won a pair of conference titles in his three years on the job and produced six All-Americans and a national champion. 

That success at Williams Baptist led to his current position which is head coach at Millersville. As we mentioned in part one, Millersville is a PSAC school that previously competed at the DI level, but dropped down to DII. In year one at Millersville, Regner produced the school’s first All-American in over 25 years. A year later, 165 lber Shane Ruhnke claimed the school’s first national title in 39 years. 

Regner’s success at Millersville helped him land a job with the NWCA as their Director of Coaching Development. Regner’s current job also probably helped him become a more well-rounded coach, himself. 

Regner graduated from Northern Michigan and has a strong background in Greco-Roman. He is a past national team member and has trained out of the Olympic Training Center. 

The experience at Millersville, a school with a similar profile to Bloomsburg, and his knowledge of Pennsylvania wrestling could be attractive for the Huskie athletic department. 
 

Steve Mytych

Last month, we spoke to Rutgers assistant coach Steve Mytych right before recruiting class rankings were released. While he characterized Rutgers recruiting as a team effort, Mytych is very in touch with the recruiting scene and has largely been responsible for the Scarlet Knights breaking into Pennsylvania with some regularity. 

Rutgers’ fourth-ranked recruiting class features three top-100 recruits from Pennsylvania and another one is aboard for 2025. Some work will have to be done for Bloomsburg to sign multiple top-100 recruits, regardless of state; however, the fact remains that Mytych is very connected to the Pennsylvania scene. He’d likely improve the Bloomsburg recruiting profile immediately. 

Mytych’s roots go back to Pennsylvania’s fabled District XI as he graduated from Northampton High School before starring at Drexel. Mytych qualified for NCAA’s four times and finished with a CAA title, as a senior, and advanced to the NCAA Round of 12. 

While Kemerer and Hidlay may have more name-brand recognition amongst wrestling fans, Mytych may be the type of hire that ends up being just as productive for Bloomsburg. 

New Coaching Blood

Michael Kemerer

With a rebuilding job like the one in front of Bloomsburg, you may best be served by turning to a candidate who is younger and more energetic. After all, even with the potential for more help, a coach at Bloomsburg will have to be more resourceful and more involved with every minor detail of a wrestling program - rather than being able to delegate certain tasks at a Big Ten school. 

So, as we’re talking about younger candidates, how about the guy they called “grandpa” in Iowa, Michael Kemerer. Kemerer earned the name at the end of a decorated seven-year career with the Hawkeyes that saw him get on the NCAA podium four times (3,4,2,4), winning a Big Ten title, and become a leader of a national championship-winning team in 2021. 

Kemerer has since made the transition into coaching. After his career at Iowa was done, he moved to Cornell to train and coach with Spartan Combat RTC for a year before joining the staff at Brown University. 

Brown is in a rebuilding phase of their own so the good work of the current staff hasn’t been able to translate onto the mat - just yet; however, they have crushed it on the recruiting trail. Brown inked three wrestlers who appeared on the 2024 Big Board and have commitments from five currently on the 2025 Big Board. That’s a huge improvement from years past. 

Looking closely at those commitments, Brown has six during the 2024 and 2025 recruiting cycle from Pennsylvania. It’s hard to say exactly who’s responsible for those, but I’d imagine Kemerer has “something” to do with them. 

Kemerer’s name recognition from his time at Iowa and his great high school career in Pennsylvania, his youth, and the respect from his peers should be enticing for the Bloomsburg brass. 

Hayden Hidlay

Just about two weeks ago, Stanford announced that they had hired Hayden Hidlay as an assistant coach. The Cardinal won the sweepstakes for one of the hottest young coaching candidates in the country. A handful of notable programs had either reached out to express interest or interviewed Hidlay for vacancies. Ultimately, an impressive young core in Palo Alto and some of the best weather in the country won out and Hidlay is headed west. 

Hidlay is two years removed from college, and coincidentally, wrestled Kemerer in their final NCAA bout. After the 2022 NCAA Tournament, Hidlay quickly transitioned into NC State’s “Student-Athlete Development Coordinator.” Before the 2023-24 campaign, Hidlay rejoined his former assistant coach, Obe Blanc, at North Dakota State for a spot on Blanc’s first staff. 

Because of the coaching turnover at NDSU, the Bison were in a rebuilding phase of their own in 2023-24. However, 174 lber Gaven Sax - someone who likely worked closely with Hidlay made the Big 12 finals and advanced to the NCAA Round of 12. 

In the grand scheme of things, Hidlay’s hometown (Lewistown) is pretty close to the Bloomsburg campus - less than 75 miles away. Hidlay and younger brother, Trent, are well-known nationally, but even moreso, in Pennsylvania. Like Kemerer, Hidlay seems to have done well at recruiting in Pennsylvania with a very small sample size. He likely played a role in a pair of Pennsylvania upperweights that signed with NDSU in 2024. 

We’ve seen earlier this year with Oklahoma State hiring David Taylor; if you think a candidate is “the one” you go get them, regardless of whether or not they have a long track record of coaching experience. If you like a Hidlay or Kemerer - both of which could be considered future stars in the coaching game - and have the opportunity to get them, you do it. 

Chance Marsteller

The timing may not necessarily be right for this one, but let’s work through it. Chance Marsteller made the 2023 World Team at 79 kg, unseating the legendary Jordan Burroughs. He moved up to 86 kg for the 2024 Olympic Team Trials and was unsuccessful in his bid to make the Olympic team. Does Marsteller want to move back down to 79 kg for the non-Olympic weight trials in September? Does he want to continue competing? Marsteller is approaching 30 years old, so he may be thinking of hanging up the shoes - or at least for competitive purposes. 

For the last few years, Marsteller has run his own club in Pennsylvania “Stellar Trained.” It’s become one of the best in the state and is among some of the best in the country. Like the aforementioned David Taylor, Marsteller has competed at a high level and done well on the club circuit, but doesn’t have any official collegiate coaching experience. 

Marsteller has an incredible story of redemption and is now a revered figure in the wrestling community. Even so, you have to wonder how an administration would view his troubled years in college and shortly thereafter. If they can get past that, Marsteller could be an excellent candidate. He’s one of the best to ever do it amongst Pennsylvania high schoolers, has multiple All-American honors at Lock Haven, and the Senior-level success, combined with a rapidly growing club. Should he get the job (or any collegiate opportunity), Marsteller would be able to tap into his former club pupils or others he’s encountered on the club scene. 
 

Run-it-Back

John Stutzman

John Stutzman is back on the market after spending a decade at his alma mater Buffalo. The very reason Stutzman was an attractive prospect for Buffalo was because of his success at Bloomsburg. Stutzman spent eight years leading the Bloomsburg program and amassed 95 wins which is good for third on the school’s all-time list. 

During his time with Bloomsburg, Stutzman was named EWL Coach of the Year on three occasions and produced 33 national qualifiers, who went on to earn All-American honors three times. His wrestlers captured eight EWL individual titles. 

In his final year at Bloomsburg, six Huskie wrestlers qualified for nationals and the team notched 17 dual wins (most in the school history) and finished with a #15 national ranking by the NWCA. 

Stutzman’s Bloomsburg teams typically featured wrestlers who were underrecruited, but developed into hard-nosed, tough DI competitors. 

Though Stutzman never approached similar levels of success at Buffalo, he is extremely well-respected by Bloomsburg alums. Do they run it back and try something that worked well in the past?

One of the more overlooked stories of this collegiate offseason is the coaching situation at Bloomsburg University. On or around May 8th, head coach Marcus Gordon resigned from his post leading the Huskie wrestling program. That move may have slipped under the radar as the school never made an official announcement regarding the change. 

Those closest to the program were aware of the change and without any acknowledgment of the situation from the school, began to fear the worse. 

In today’s climate for big-time collegiate athletics, the Power Five (now four) DI conferences appear to be running away from the rest of the country in hopes of building the biggest collegiate football league possible. There will be hundreds of millions of dollars, even billions, in this venture for the lucky few - however, the have-nots are left to fight for scraps and a place at the table. 

With that in mind, colleges around the country are tightening their financial belts in the event that they’ll receive less money from TV and football revenue. Many schools have been in this mode since Covid. 

Those financial concerns have been front and center in Pennsylvania, primarily the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC), a DII conference in the state. Bloomsburg, along with Clarion, Edinboro, and Lock Haven are members of the PSAC and are DII schools that compete at the DI level in wrestling. Mercyhurst left the conference in 2024 to join the Northeast Conference as they transition to full-time DI status for their athletic department. 

Dwindling enrollment numbers have even forced some of these schools to band together. Clarion and Edinboro are technically known as Penn West University Clarion or Edinboro, along with Penn West University California. 

So, with the combination of a lack of funds - for entire institutions (not just wrestling programs), a team that went 8-28 over the past two years, the cost to compete in DI wrestling nowadays (with NIL and more), plus a coach stepping down and not being publicly acknowledged by the school, fans of Bloomsburg wrestling and the sport, in general, feared the worst. 

The worst being the program would be cut and a “not terrible” alternative would be the Bloomsburg wrestling program dropping to DII status. East Stroudsburg and Millersville are two PSAC programs that previously wrestled at the DI level, but have moved down to DII within the last 15 years. I assume most wrestling fans would prefer to have as many DI programs as possible; however, you’d rather see a program drop to DII rather than being cut altogether. 

Those rumors of a change in direction regarding the Bloomsburg wrestling program and athletic department were not ignored by InterMat, as we’ve been doing some digging on the topic. 

What we’ve found is some rare good news on the subject.

There were concerns from the athletic department on the status of the program, which led to an internal evaluation. The athletic department has made a decision to renew its commitment to wrestling by increasing coaching salaries in hopes of landing the best possible candidate. 

Just as important, the uncertainty surrounding the program has led alums and friends of the program to be reinvigorated, reenergized, and committed to more involvement going forward. 

Along the same lines, there have been some new and significant donors who have stepped up to help the program. 

The head coaching position has been advertised and the school will accept applications until July 11th. 

So, with increased support and an athletic department that is set on increasing the profile of its program, who will Bloomsburg hire? 

In part two, we’ll look at some candidates that have expressed interest or make sense for an opening like this.

George Mason announced a huge hiring today as they have brought out two-time NCAA champion Dean Heil as the team's head assistant coach. 

Heil got his coaching career off to a start in 2019-20 as a volunteer assistant on the Campbell staff, while his younger brother, Josh, was competing for the Camels. Once Cary Kolat left to take the head coaching position at the Naval Academy, Heil followed to train out of the Navy-Marine Corps RTC. Heil originally came to Campbell as the team’s Director of Operations in 2018. 

Despite finishing his collegiate career in 2018, Heil has been very active on the Senior level and last competed next to the campus of George Mason University at the 2024 Last Chance Qualifier for the Olympic Team Trials. Heil earned a spot in the World Team Trials in 2021 and was seventh at the US Open in 2022. He qualified for the WTT's on four occasions, along with the 2016 Olympic Trials. 

Heil wrestled collegiately at Oklahoma State University where he was a three-time All-American and two-time champion. As a freshman, Heil took fourth in the 141 lb bracket at the 2015 national tournament. A year later, he grabbed his first national championship by defeating Bryce Meredith, then repeated in 2017 being George DiCamillo. He would miss out on the podium as a senior losing to freshman Yianni Diakomihalis in the NCAA quarterfinals. 

George Mason is coming off a third place finish in the MAC (112.5 points) and sent three wrestlers to Kansas City for the NCAA Championships. All three are slated to return in 2024-25. The Patriots are led by Frank Beasley who is entering his eighth season at the helm for GMU.

In our new series, “The Never Too Early Lineup Look,” we’ll preview a potential lineup for a particular school. Since we’re a few months away from even the preseason, there will likely be plenty of moving parts at most schools. And that’s okay. Fans enjoy debating how their favorite teams (or rivals) could look in the upcoming season. 

Today, we’re checking out Lock Haven University. The Bald Eagles are led by head coach Scott Moore who is entering his 12th season at the helm. 

Lock Haven is looking to return to the top of the MAC Conference after finishing fourth in 2024. Three individual conference champions weren’t enough to put them within 30 points of champion Central Michigan. Lock Haven had previously won the previous two MAC Tournaments. 

The leader of the Bald Eagles is their 125 lber Anthony Noto, who made the NCAA podium for a second straight year. Lock Haven also had All-Americans in back-to-back years under Moore in 2018 and 2019. 

For the 2024-25 season, if they get a few breaks and fewer injuries, the starting ten for Lock Haven could be very tough and worthy of a dual ranking. With a potential high NCAA finish from Noto and perhaps a few others pushing for the podium, Lock Haven could break into the top-20 again. They last hit that mark in 2019 when they finished 18th in the country, behind two All-Americans. 

Hallmarks of Lock Haven teams under Moore have been physicality and toughness. He typically gets the most out of overlooked recruits. There are some elements to this in 2024-25; however, Lock Haven will be included in our recruiting rankings for the Class of 2024 (due later this week), so there are some talented youngsters in the pipeline (some of which could make an impact in 2024-25). 

This Lock Haven team will include five wrestlers with prior NCAA experience, a few others who have been on the cusp of qualification, and some hungry freshmen. 

2x NCAA All-American Anthony Noto; Photo courtesy of Sam Janicki; SJanickiPhoto.com

125 lbs - Anthony Noto/Dean Houser/Lucas Fye

The centerpiece and mainstay of the Lock Haven lineup has been Anthony Noto - now a two-time NCAA All-American. Though he started the 2024 NCAA Tournament as the 12th seed, Noto advanced to the national semifinals and settled in with a third-place finish. To lock up All-American honors, Noto knocked off the returning national runner-up, Matt Ramos, in sudden victory in the quarters. 

Through three years at Lock Haven, Noto has amassed an 85-10 career record. He has won MAC titles in each of the last three seasons - making him Lock Haven’s first three-time conference champion since 1995-97. Noto did spend time holding the #1 ranking at this crazy weight class on two occasions this season. Over the past two years, Noto has taken an unusual loss or two during the regular season; however, he comes to wrestle in the postseason. 

We’ll talk more about Noto in a moment, but there are a couple of true freshmen who could see time at 125 lbs this year. Dean Houser was a three-time Pennsylvania AAA state medalist (2,5,6) and ranked #130 overall in the Class of 2024. Lucas Fye finished fifth in Pennsylvania’s AA tournament on two occasions for the local Bald Eagle Area. 
 

133 lbs - Gable Strickland/Anthony Noto

Last weekend, we saw Noto compete at 61 kg at the U23 National Championships where he compiled a 6-2 record and finished in seventh place. There’s a chance we see him move up for the 2024-25 season, but at this time, the plan is to go 125. 

Having Noto back at 125 lbs gives Lock Haven its best lineup as it gives Gable Strickland a spot in the lineup. Strickland is a two-time MAC champion who went 1-2 at the big show last year. In the first consolation round, Strickland pulled a slight upset with a sudden victory win over #11 Zeth Romney (Cal Poly). 

Strickland has been one of the most durable competitors in the nation over the past two years. In 2023-24, Strickland saw action in 46 matches, winning 33. 

Strickland competed immediately for Lock Haven during the 2021-22 season so he does have a redshirt at his disposal. Should Noto move up, Strickland could use one this year. 
 

141 lbs - Wyatt Henson/Conner Heckman

Like Noto, someone that we recently saw in action and posting plenty of wins was Wyatt Henson who was the U23 runner-up at 65 kg. Henson started his collegiate career at Iowa but transferred to Oklahoma after a redshirt season. He earned a trip to nationals with Oklahoma, but then transferred to Lock Haven before the 2023-24 season. 

There were some questions surrounding Henson’s eligibility, so he couldn’t compete attached for the Bald Eagles until January. While hitting the open circuit, Henson claimed four tournament titles and won 28 of his first 29 matches. In the process, Henson lit up the scoreboard earning bonus points in just under 70% of his bouts. All of Henson’s conference duals and MAC Tournament matches ended with bonus points. 

Henson did have a rough showing in Kansas City, losing both of his NCAA Tournament matches despite entering the tournament with the #12 seed. 

Another option for Lock Haven at 141 is redshirt freshman Conner Heckman. Heckman was in the starting lineup for WrangleMania, but was injured in his second dual and didn’t wrestle for over two months. Overall, he finished the year with a 10-6 record, though he didn’t have any signature wins. 

Returning 149 lb starter Nick Stonecheck; Photo courtesy of Sam Janicki; SJanickiPhoto.com

149 lbs - Nick Stonecheck/Lucas Kapusta

Over the past two years, Nick Stonecheck has been a solid contributor for Lock Haven and in each year he’s spent some time in the national rankings. 2024-25 should be the year he takes the next step and firmly cements himself as a national qualifier. During the 2023-24 regular season, Stonecheck picked up a win over the eventual conference champion and NCAA All-American Quinn Kinner (Rider). But in the postseason, he went 1-2 and wasn’t able to place at one of the MAC’s deepest weights. 

Stonecheck has been able to put together a 42-23 record in his last two seasons. For this upcoming year, he’ll need to continue some of the long winning streaks he’s been able to string together, yet cut down on the losing skids that have seemed to follow. 

Right on Stonecheck’s heels is redshirt freshman Lucas Kapusta. Kapusta is coming off a 19-8 redshirt campaign that saw him compete primarily in open tournaments. During his only dual appearance of the year, Kapusta downed Navy’s Kaemen Smith, 10-3. He also picked up a win over Buffalo’s national qualifier Nick Stampoulos, who we’ll mention shortly. 
 

157 lbs - Nick Stampoulos/Connor Eck

Like most of the lineup, Lock Haven has another 2023-24 starter returning in Conner Eck. Eck spent the first month and a half of the season competing in open tournaments, but broke into the Lock Haven lineup at the Collegiate Duals. He started the 2024 calendar year strongly, but ended in a slump that saw him lose his final four duals and then Eck went 0-2 at the MAC Championships. After three years with Lock Haven, Eck has a 48-42 record. 

Lock Haven has typically been active in the transfer portal and this offseason was no exception. With the Buffalo coaching change, Nick Stampoulos put his name in the portal and decided to stay in the MAC and wrestle for the Bald Eagles. Stampoulos started the 2023-24 season at 149 lbs, but wisely moved up to 157 and went on a late-season run at the new weight. His second match at 157 lbs was a 7-3 victory over Eck. Despite coming into the MAC Tournament unseeded, Stampoulos managed to take out a pair of top-five seeds to make the semifinals. An 11-1 major decision in the consolations, over former qualifier Marcus Robinson, ensured Stampoulos would finish in the top-four and qualify for nationals. At his first NCAA Tournament, Stampoulos went 0-2 - losing to a wrestler he beat at the MAC Championships, Colton Washleski. 
 

165 lbs - Avery Bassett/Caden Dobbins

Like 157 lbs, we have an incumbent that could get pushed by a transfer. Avery Bassett has started for three years in the MAC and accumulated a 53-20 record, spending his freshman year at George Mason and moving to Lock Haven before the 2022-23 season. Despite a 19-5 record and a third-place finish in 2023, Bassett was unable to secure a trip to the NCAA Tournament. Last year, Bassett spent time in the national rankings but dropped out after some early losses. Bassett was injured during the Little Rock dual in mid-January and was lost for the year. To that point, his most significant win of the season was a fall over Bubba Wilson (Nebraska), a returning national qualifier, at the Navy Classic. 

Provided he’s healthy, Bassett seems like a logical breakout candidate for 2024-25 and a threat to make his first national tournament. 

Helping out at 165 lbs will be Bloomsburg transfer Caden Dobbins. Dobbins was likely the Huskies top grappler in 2023-24 with a 19-13 record and a fourth-place finish at the MAC Tournament. During his conference tournament run, Dobbins was able to record wins over the second and fifth seeds. Now in a room with a deeper talent pool, Dobbins may develop at a quicker pace and be ready to unseat Bassett as the projected starter. 

Both wrestlers do have a redshirt year available, so if a starter emerges early on, we could see Coach Moore going the redshirt route with the other. 

2023 NCAA Qualifier Tyler Stoltzfus; Photo courtesy of Sam Janicki; SJanickiPhoto.com

174 lbs - Tyler Stoltzfus/Ousmane Duncanson

Before this year’s recruiting class, one of the most highly-ranked signees for Coach Moore’s team was Tyler Stoltzfus, who was ranked #55 in the Class of 2020. Stoltzfus went 21-14 as a freshman, then 31-14 the following year to qualify for the 2023 NCAA Championships. Stoltzfus’ 2023-24 campaign never really got off the ground, as he missed the first month-plus of the season and went 1-2 at his debut - the Collegiate Duals. 

Stoltzfus never could build any momentum and ended up finishing in sixth place in a MAC weight class that was only allocated two spots at nationals. If back to his 2022-23 form, Stoltzfus could help make this a rock-solid Lock Haven lineup. 

Don’t be surprised to see true freshman Ousmane Duncanson get some reps in dual competitions during the first semester. Duncanson is a New York state champion who was ranked #200 overall in the Class of 2024. In each of the last two years, Duncanson has reached the fifth-place bout at the NHSCA grade-level tournament. 

184 lbs - Colin Fegley/James Lledo

A couple of veterans will fight it out to see who gets the starting spot at 184 lbs. The returning starter is sixth-year senior Colin Fegley. Fegley has won 16 matches or more in each of the last two seasons and has been Lock Haven’s entry in the postseason for the last four. Fegley has finished in fourth place at the last two MAC Tournaments. During the 2023-24 regular season, Fegley notched a win over the Naval Academy’s David Key, who went on to earn All-American honors later in the year. 

Another new addition to the Lock Haven lineup is Pittsburgh transfer James Lledo. Lledo saw significant action during the 2021-22 and 2022-23 season’s though he was never the Panthers long-term starter. One of his best performances came at the 2021 Clarion Open, where Lledo won four of his five bouts, defeating Key and Fegley, along with Maryland’s Kyle Cochran. Lledo did not get any mat time in 2023-24, so it’s difficult to judge exactly where he’s at right now, though a wrestle-off between the pair is likely tight. 

#27 overall recruit Tucker Hogan at the Pittsburgh Wrestling Classic; Photo courtesy of Sam Janicki; SJanickiPhoto.com

197 lbs - Tucker Hogan/Cole Bartram

Coach Moore really wanted to add some talent to the upperweights and that’s what they have at 197 lbs with a pair of true freshmen that could find their way into the lineup immediately in year one. Tucker Hogan is a massive recruit for the Bald Eagles, coming in at #27 overall in the Class of 2024. Hogan won a pair of AAA Pennsylvania state titles and did so by defeating……Cole Bartram both times. Hogan was also a two-time Fargo All-American, both in freestyle, and once per age division, to go along with a fifth-place finish at the Super 32. After winning his second state title, Hogan was selected to represent Team Pennsylvania at the Pittsburgh Wrestling Classic. 

Bartram is a three-time Pennsylvania state placewinner and was third in the country at NHSCA Sophomore Nationals in 2022. He has been listed as a 184/197 lb recruit, so his 2024-25 weight could be decided once he hits the Lock Haven campus in the fall. Ideally, you’d like to have Hogan take the 197 lb by storm and redshirt Bartram for his first year, then have a potent 1-2 punch at the back of the LHU lineup. 
 

285 lbs - Ethan Miller

It appeared as if veteran Isaac Reid would be the starter for the 2023-24 season; however, he was unavailable and Ethan Miller was thrust into the Lock Haven lineup and fought to a 6-22 record. Miller ended up going 0-2 at his first MAC Tournament. 

Aside from your top, blue-chip athletes, heavyweights tend to take longer to develop and physically mature to handle the rigors of DI wrestling. That could be the case here for Miller. With another year in the Lock Haven room and some young talented training partners, maybe we will see a big step forward in 2024-25. 

Previous “Never Too Early Lineup Look:” 

Oregon State

Lock Haven head coach Scott Moore made a strong addition to his coaching staff today as the school announced the hiring of former Ohio State All-American Gavin Hoffman as the team’s volunteer assistant for the 2024-25 campaign. 

Hoffman saw his Ohio State career end prematurely in 2023-24 as he suffered a season-ending injury and didn’t compete after early January. Ironically, Hoffman’s final win came at the Collegiate Duals against Lock Haven’s Colin Fegley. His Buckeye career ended with a 66-43 record; highlighted by an incredible run at the 2022 NCAA Tournament. As the 21st seed, Hoffman’s tournament started with three straight wins over higher-ranked opponents (#12 Tanner Sloan, #5 Nino Bonaccorsi, #13 Jake Woodley) and it landed him in the NCAA semis. He would end up dropping that match to Max Dean of Penn State and settling for sixth place. 

Hoffman qualified for the NCAA Championships on two occasions, both coming at 197 lbs, and his best Big Ten finish was an eighth-place showing in 2022. He came to Columbus after a remarkable high school career, winning three PIAA AA state titles for Montoursville and earning the #10 overall ranking in the high school Class of 2018. 

Lock Haven in 2024-25 will feature a squad that sent three wrestlers to the 2024 NCAA Championships, led by third-place finisher Anthony Noto. They have also added another national qualifier from Buffalo via the transfer portal. 

The move to Lock Haven will bring Hoffman close to home as Montoursville is just over 30 miles away from Lock Haven’s campus. 

Adding a young upperweight coach seems like a smart move for Moore who has an incoming freshman class that features a couple of excellent 184-197 lb prospects. According to MatScouts’ recently released final Big Board for 2024, Tucker Hogan (Daniel Boone, PA) comes in at #27 and Cole Bartram (Northern York, PA) is #112. The two actually met in the AAA 189 lb state finals in each of the last two years, with Hogan winning both matchups. 

Here is Lock Haven’s full Class of 2024. 

Last week, we found out that AJ Schopp was coming home to Edinboro - the same school that Schopp earned three All-American honors while wrestling for and helped lead to a third-place finish at the 2015 NCAA Championships. Schopp sat down with us to discuss the rationale to leave Purdue and return to his home state. He also discusses the close bond between the Edinboro alums in the coaching ranks and with the fanbase, as well. We close by talking about his memorable run through the consolations at the 2015 NCAA Championships - seven straight wins, four of which came via fall. 

For the full interview:

One of Edinboro’s all-time greats is coming back home and joining the Fighting Scots coaching staff. This afternoon Edinboro announced that three-time NCAA All-American AJ Schopp will join the staff at his alma mater as the team’s head assistant coach. 

Schopp has spent the last seven seasons on the Purdue Boilermakers coaching staff. A career 133 lber, Schopp undoubtedly had to work closely with Purdue’s 2023 NCAA finalist Matt Ramos and two-time Big Ten runner-up Devin Schroder - both of whom were 125 lbers. During his time in West Lafayette, Purdue sent 47 wrestlers to the NCAA Tournament. Ramos’ 2023 run accounted for the only All-American finish; however, Schroeder and three other teammates were named NWCA first-team All-Americans after the 2020 tournament was canceled. 

Quickly after his career at Edinboro was finished, Schopp got into the coaching ranks by spending two years as an assistant at South Dakota State. While with the Jackrabbits, 133 lber Seth Gross captured the program’s first Big 12 championship and advanced to the NCAA finals. 

As a student-athlete at Edinboro, Schopp amassed a career record of 133-17. His winning percentage (.887) remains second in school history. During each of his final three seasons at Edinboro Schopp got on the NCAA podium finishing fourth twice, before ending his career in third. 

That third-place finish occurred the hard way, as Schopp was upset in the first round and reeled off seven straight wins (four via fall) to finish third. He finished his tournament with a 4-3 win over the top-seeded Big Ten champion Chris Dardanes of Minnesota. Schopp's barrage of bonus points in the consolation bracket helped lead Edinboro to a team trophy and a third-place finish at the 2015 NCAA Tournament. 

Schopp also claimed EWL championships in each of his first three seasons and was an NCAA Round of 12 finisher as a freshman. 

Schopp’s experience coaching in the Big Ten, coupled with his name recognition within the Fighting Scots program, will be invaluable to an Edinboro squad that went 2-12 in 2023-24 and did not have an NCAA qualifier. Edinboro does have a very talented lightweight joining the fold in the fall as the team has signed two-time Pennsylvania finalist Chris Vargo of Bentworth High School. Vargo made national headlines by defeating Jax Forrest in the regional tournament.

After spending 11 years on the Central Michigan coaching staff and five years as a wrestler, Ben Bennett has gotten the call to replace the legendary Tom Borrelli as the Central Michigan's next head coach. Bennett was one of the best wrestlers in CMU history, winning four MAC titles and becoming the program's first four-time All-American. 

Bennett sits down with Kevin Claunch to discuss his new role, when it came to be, what he learned from Coach Borrelli, what's special about Mount Pleasant and much more: 

For the full interview:

On Sunday, the University at Buffalo announced that they had hired Cornell Associate Head Coach Donnie Vinson to lead their program. Yesterday he was introduced to the team and the local media. Today, Vinson spoke with InterMat. Coach Vinson lets us know what was attractive about the Buffalo program, his coaching influences, future plans at Buffalo, and an obligatory Scott Green story. 

For the full interview:

The Central Michigan Chippewas got their guy and they didn’t have to look far to find him! The successor to legendary, longtime head coach Tom Borrelli will be his right-hand man, associate head coach Ben Bennett. The CMU athletic department announced that Bennett will move up to assume head coaching duties on Tuesday morning.  

Bennett has been on the Central Michigan staff for the past 11 years and has overseen CMU winning a pair of MAC regular season titles, along with the 2024 MAC Championships. During that time, seven Central Michigan wrestlers have combined to win 14 conference titles and four wrestlers have earned a spot on the NCAA podium. Additionally, three others were named first or second-team All-Americans following the 2019-20 season, in which the NCAA Tournament was canceled. 

As a competitor, Bennett is one of the most decorated wrestlers in CMU history. He was a top-100 recruit who stayed in-state and became the program’s first, and only, four-time All-American (6,8,6,4). Bennett is one of only three CMU wrestlers to have won four MAC titles. As a junior, Bennett was seeded third in the country at nationals and he earned the second seed as a senior. Bennett’s 121 career wins rank seventh on the school’s all-time wins list. After his first season of competition, Bennett was named the MAC Freshman of the Year. In three of his four years, Bennett earned CMU’s Most Valuable Wrestler honors. 

In 2023, Bennett was named to the CMU Athletics Hall of Fame. 

Bennett will inherit a Central Michigan team that had three national qualifiers in 2024. At this time, it’s unclear who will return or not, only one of them (Corbyn Munson) has exhausted his eligibility. Should Johnny Lovett and Alex Cramer return, CMU could trot out a lineup that features nine of ten returning starters from their MAC-winning squad. Cramer was a conference champion, while Lovett advanced to the bloodround in a brutal 157 lb weight class. 

In dual competition, Central Michigan was 8-8 in 2023-24, but 6-1 against MAC opponents. 

Bennett will be the sixth head coach in Central Michigan wrestling history. 

With Bennett’s promotion, there are now four CMU graduates who are current DI head coaches. He joins Jason Borrelli (American), Luke Smith (CSU Bakersfield), and Scotti Sentes (Campbell). 

Donnie Vinson (left) photo courtesy of Tony Rotundo; WrestlersAreWarriors.com

The University at Buffalo could not contain their excitement. A day ago their wrestling teams’ Twitter indicated that they would announce their new head coach on Monday. Well, they couldn’t wait for Monday, so the school announced they are hiring Cornell’s associate head coach, Donnie Vinson, as their next head coach. It will be Vinson’s first head coaching position. 

No stranger to the state, Vinson comes over after spending the last three seasons assisting the national power from the Ivy League. In each of the last two seasons, Cornell has come away from the NCAA Tournament with a team trophy (2nd in 2024 and 3rd in 2023).

During his time at Cornell, Vinson worked with Yianni Diakomihalis - who put the finishing touches on a legendary career with his fourth NCAA title in 2023 and Vito Arujau, who just completed his stay in Cornell with a pair of national titles. In addition, Arujau was named the Outstanding Wrestler at the 2023 NCAA Tournament and went on to capture a Senior World Championship at 61 kg, a few months later. 

This was Vinson’s second stint on the Cornell coaching staff. He was a volunteer assistant from 2014-17, before leaving for NC State. While in Raleigh, Vinson was a part of a Wolfpack staff that oversaw an NCAA trophy-winning season in 2018 and an individual national champion in the same year. In addition to conference titles during each year of his tenure. 

Vinson started his coaching career at his alma mater, Binghamton, as a graduate assistant in 2013-14. As a student-athlete, Vinson set the school record for wins (132) and made the CAA finals in each of his four seasons - winning as a junior and senior. 

In 2012, Vinson finished third at the NCAA Championships. He came into the tournament seeded fourth, but was upset in the first round. From there he battled back the hard way and won seven straight bouts to take third. His placement remains the highest in the DI history of Binghamton wrestling.

He’s also a New York native who was a two-time state runner-up and a top-100 recruit coming out of Whitney Point High School. 

Vinson takes over a Buffalo team that moved on from head coach John Stutzman after 11 years at the helm for the Bulls. As is typically the case during a transition like this, Buffalo has multiple wrestlers in the transfer portal and their two 2024 national qualifiers have already committed to different institutions. Nick Stampoulos (Lock Haven) and Sam Mitchell (Wyoming).

In 2023-24, Buffalo went 10-12 in dual competition. They would go on to finish fifth in the MAC with 85.5 points. 

Buffalo fans should be pleased as the administration quickly moved to get a rising star in the coaching world - and one with in-state ties, as well.

The 2023-24 season is in the record books, but before moving on, it’s time to salute the top performers in each conference. Yesterday, we started with the Big 12 conference; now, onto the MAC. 

MAC Wrestler of the Year: Anthony Noto (Lock Haven)

This makes for the third consecutive year that Anthony Noto has been honored in our year-end awards. He was named the conference wrestler of the year in 2023, and in 2022, the freshman (newcomer) of the year. 

Noto came into the 2023-24 season ranked second in the preseason after a fourth-place finish in 2023. At two points during this year, Noto held the number one spot in the nation. A few weeks after competing in the All-Star Classic, Noto defeated the eventual ACC champion, Jakob Camacho (NC State), who was ranked #1 in the country, at the time. 

At the 2024 MAC Championships, Noto used a 13-5 major decision over Blake West to claim his third consecutive conference title. In doing so, Noto became the first Lock Haven wrestler to win three conference championships since 1997. 

Despite dominating the MAC, Noto was given the 12th seed in Kansas City. That set him up for a first-round match against All-American Brandon Kaylor (Oregon State), the only first-round meeting between two All-Americans in the tournament. Noto won that bout 5-3 and another over Diego Sotelo (Harvard) to make the quarterfinals. In the quarters, Noto used an overtime takedown to defeat returning NCAA runner-up, Matt Ramos (Purdue). Ramos was the opponent who defeated Noto in the All-Star Classic. 

After a close, one-point loss to the eventual national champion (Richie Figueroa - Arizona State) in the semifinals, Noto bounced back with wins over Big Ten opponents, Caleb Smith (Nebraska) then Eric Barnett (Wisconsin) to claim third place. 

With at least another year of eligibility remaining, Noto holds an 84-10 career record and will be considered one of the top title contenders at a turbulent 125 lb weight class. 

photo courtesy of George Mason athletics

MAC Freshman of the Year: DJ McGee (George Mason)

For the second year in a row, George Mason has the conference Freshman of the Year. This season’s honor goes to 157 lber DJ McGee, who finished with a 25-7 record. That was a bit unexpected after McGee went 7-3 during his redshirt season. 

McGee started the year with a nine-match winning streak - one that included a title at the Battle at the Citadel and a shocking upset over returning All-American Michael Blockhus of Minnesota. McGee proved his Blockhus win was no fluke as he finished fourth at the Midlands just over a month later. 

After the new year, McGee closed out the dual season with wins in five of his last six bouts. His only loss during that stretch came against eventual All-American Peyten Kellar (Ohio). McGee saw Kellar again in the MAC finals, but still fell 2-0. McGee ended up as the runner-up in the conference’s deepest weight class. In the MAC semis, McGee posted his second win of the season over eventual Round of 12 finisher Johnny Lovett (Central Michigan). 

In Kansas City, McGee went 1-2 in a brutal 157 lbs weight class. His lone win came at the expense of North Carolina’s Sonny Santiago by a 4-2 score. The two opponents who defeated McGee were seeded in the top-11. 

photo courtesy of Tony Rotundo; WrestlersAreWarriiors.com

MAC Coach of the Year: Tom Borrelli (Central Michigan)

Just two days after winning his 15th MAC title, Tom Borrelli announced he would step down from his post as Central Michigan’s head coach after 33 years at the helm for the Chippewas. In his final campaign with CMU, Borrelli’s squad went 8-8 with a 6-1 record in the conference. Three Central Michigan wrestlers earned a trip to nationals in Kansas City, led by 174 lb MAC champion Alex Cramer. 

At his final national tournament, Borrelli saw Cramer go 2-2 and Lovett advanced to the bloodround before coming up a match shy of earning All-American status. Lovett suffered a first-round loss, but bounced back with wins over three opponents seeded higher than him to make the Round of 12. 

The 2023-24 dual season brought Borrelli’s career record to 368-179. He ended up coaching 45 All-Americans and 93 MAC champions. Borrelli had a national champion (Casey Cunningham - 1999) and three top-ten finishes at the NCAA Tournament. CMU’s fifth-place finish in 1998 represented the highwater mark for Borrelli and the Chippewas. 

As of now, three of his former wrestlers are current DI head coaches. 

Previous Award Winners

MAC Wrestler of the Year

2023: Anthony Noto (Lock Haven)

2022: Matt Stencel (Central Michigan)

MAC Freshman of the Year

2023: Nathan Higley (George Mason)

2022: Anthony Noto (Lock Haven)

MAC Coach of the Year

2023: Keith Ferraro (Clarion)

2022: Scott Moore (Lock Haven)

News broke today out of Buffalo, New York today that John Stutzman will not return as the head coach at the University at Buffalo. Stutzman, a UB alum, had led Buffalo since the 2013-14 campaign. During his tenure as head coach, Stutzman went 89-109 in dual meets and sent 25 wrestlers to the NCAA Championships. Four of his wrestlers earned MAC Championships. 

This year Buffalo went 10-12 in duals and finished fifth in the conference. Two Bulls wrestlers, Nick Stampoulos and Sam Mitchell, qualified for nationals; Mitchell went 1-2 while Stampoulos went 0-2. Buffalo logged quality wins over Lock Haven, Ohio, and Clarion, but also suffered losses to Long Island, SIU Edwardsville, and Chattanooga. 

Stutzman’s best season in Buffalo came in 2018-19 when the Bulls finished second in the MAC, sending six wrestlers to nationals and crowning two conference champions. For his efforts, Stutzman was named the MAC Coach of the Year. That season, Buffalo notched 12 dual wins, a total they would match in the 2021-22 season, as well. 

Prior to taking the Buffalo job, Stuztman amassed a 97-56-1 record at Bloomsburg and coached three All-Americans. 

With an opening at Buffalo, there are now two head coaching vacancies in the MAC as Central Michigan is looking for a successor to Tom Borrelli.

On March 11th, news broke that longtime Central Michigan head coach Tom Borrelli would step down from his post following the 2024 NCAA Championships. Borrelli spent 33 years as head coach of the Chippewas and coached one national champion, 45 All-Americans, and 93 MAC champions. CMU finished in the top ten at the NCAA Tournament on three occasions, topping out at fifth in 1998. 

Now that the 2023-24 season is over, we can ask the question, who will replace Tom Borrelli? 

The world out of Mount Pleasant is that heavy consideration will be given to candidates with a link to Borrelli and the program. 

With that in mind, we’ve narrowed the list to some candidates that fit the bill (for the most part) and could be realistic hires. Saying CMU should hire Jordan Burroughs or David Taylor is fun, but not realistic. Also, we understand that CMU’s more prominent wrestling alum, Casey Cunningham, is not an option at this time. 

So, here’s a group of potential candidates with a little bit about their background and why they may stand out from the others on the list.  

Ben Bennett - Central Michigan Associate Head Coach

While Coach Borrelli was a fixture on the CMU bench, his right-hand man Ben Bennett, is getting close to that status himself. Bennett was a top-100 recruit from the Class of 2008 who chose to stay in-state and Central Michigan, then proceeded to capture four MAC titles and earn All-American honors in each of his four years in the Chippewa lineup (6,8.6,4). Bennett is the only wrestler in school history to finish as an All-American four times and is one of only three four-time MAC champs.

Immediately upon graduation, Bennett was appointed to the CMU coaching staff and just finished his 11th year. While on staff, four CMU wrestlers have earned All-American honors with the highest being Drew Hildebrandt’s fourth-place finish in 2021. Also, seven wrestlers have combined to win 14 MAC titles - headlined by Matt Stencel’s five at 285 lbs. 

During Bennett’s 11 years on staff, Central Michigan has won the MAC regular season title on two occasions and recently captured the 2024 MAC Championship. This year, Central Michigan had three national qualifiers and saw 157 lber, Johnny Lovett, advance to the bloodround. 

In a program that has had such continuity for decades, promoting Ben Bennett seems like a logical choice. With coach Borrelli stepping down, I’d assume he still has the ear of the athletic administration, so I’d imagine he vouches for his longtime assistant. 
 

Jon Reader - University of Wisconsin Associate Head Coach

As a prep wrestler at Davison High School, Jon Reader was one of the top recruits in the Class of 2006 and went to Iowa State. Reader earned All-American honors on three occasions and finished his career as an undefeated national champion in 2011. He was also a starter on two NCAA team trophy-winning teams for the Cyclones, as they took third in 2009 and 2010. 

Reader’s coaching career got underway at his alma mater with a two-year stint as a volunteer assistant. In the summer of 2014, Reader joined fellow Cyclone alum, Chris Bono, on the South Dakota State coaching staff. While at SDSU, Reader helped lay the foundation for a Jackrabbit team that is regularly in the top 15 nationally. During his final year in Brookings, the Jackrabbits finished 12th in the nation on the strength of a national championship from Seth Gross. 

While at SDSU, Reader was still active and competed at the 2016 Olympic Team Trials. 

Since moving to Wisconsin, Reader has been a part of a squad that has finished in the top 20 in each of the last three seasons. While at Wisconsin, Reader has overseen five different wrestlers combined to earn All-American honors on ten occasions. Also, Wisconsin had three wrestlers named first-team All-Americans in 2020. 

Reader has also been very influential in the Badgers recruiting efforts. They have inked top-25 classes in each of the last three seasons (25,14,14). 

Getting a coach of Reader’s pedigree would be a coup for the Chippewas. Reader’s name often comes up during coaching vacancies and he is very respected amongst the coaching community. He has great name-brand recognition, plus in-state roots, to boot.
 

Wynn Michalak - Campbell University Associate Head Coach

Like Bennett, Wynn Michalak is a Central Michigan alum and one of the best to ever come out of Borrelli’s program. Michalak won every MAC title between 2005-08 at 197 lbs and earned All-American honors three times along the way. Michalak's best NCAA finish was during his senior season when he made the NCAA finals and finished as a runner-up to Penn State’s Phil Davis. He remains the last Chippewa wrestler to earn the #1 seed at nationals (2006). 

After his collegiate career was over, Michalak had a decorated Senior-level career. He competed at a pair of Olympic Trials and was a Senior National champion in 2015. 

Michalak joined the coaching ranks as a member of the CMU staff in a volunteer assistant capacity. He did stints in the Big Ten at Illinois and Michigan State before moving to Campbell. 

Last week, at the NCAA Tournament, Campbell had just their second All-American in school history, Taye Ghadiali at 285 lbs. One would think that Ghadiali worked closely with Michalak during the past couple of years. 

During the regular season, Campbell went 14-3 in dual competitions and crushed the rest of the SoCon. They finished the dual season ranked #22 in the nation by InterMat. Ghadiali ended up being one of six national qualifiers for the Camels and one of three conference champions in 2024.  

Michalak might have the most complete resume of the bunch. He fits the bill as being from the Borrelli coaching tree, has high-level experience as an athlete, and has coached a variety of schools - with a mix of sizes and stature. 
 

Jason Borrelli - Head Coach American University

We couldn’t end without mentioning Tom Borrelli’s son, Jason, the current head coach at American University. The younger Borrelli just finished his third season at the helm in Washington DC. Borrelli has had an NCAA qualifier in each of the last two seasons, after inheriting a difficult situation at American following the Covid pandemic. 

Prior to coming to American, Borrelli was named the 2021 WIN Magazine National Coach of the Year at Stanford after leading Shane Griffith to a national title during the push to save Stanford Wrestling. Borrelli spent 13 years at Stanford and was named the Pac-12 Coach of the Year in 2019 after guiding the Cardinal to their first Pac-12 Championship in school history. 

Borrelli’s highwater mark at Stanford was an 11th-place finish at the NCAA Championships in 2011. That year the Cardinal had three All-Americans and amassed 44 team points, a school high. 

Before being named Stanford’s head coach, Borrelli served on Kerry McCoy’s Stanford staff. He also has experience on the CMU bench. 

Jason Borrelli is the only person on this list with head coaching experience which would give him a leg up on anyone in the group. He also has the family connection at the school - in addition to it being his alma mater. 

You have to wonder if Borrelli is interested in making another move just three years after going cross-country from Palo Alto, California to DC. Under his direction, American has been recruiting well and recently broke ground on a new state-of-the-art facility. 

Two days after leading the Central Michigan wrestling team to its 15th MAC Championship under his watch, head coach Tom Borrelli announced he would be stepping down at the conclusion of the 2024 NCAA Championships. The announcement was first posted on the Central Michigan athletics site. 

CMU took the 2024 MAC title on the strength of a conference championship from Alex Cramer, at 174 lbs, and a finals appearance from 149 lber Corbyn Munson. As of Monday, three Chippewa wrestlers have qualified to compete at nationals in Kansas City (157 lber Johnny Lovett is the other). 

During his tenure in Mount Pleasant, Coach Borrelli amassed a 368-179 dual record. He coached one national champion (Casey Cunningham - 1999), who was one of 45 All-Americans and 93 MAC champions for CMU. Ten times his wrestlers earned MAC Wrestler of the Year honors - most recently Matt Stencel, who earned the honor in 2020 and 2022. 

While at Central Michigan, the Chippewas finished in the top-ten at the NCAA Championships on three occasions - topping out at fifth in 1998. The following year they were seventh with five All-Americans - a highwater mark under Borrelli. 

Not only has Borrelli had success in the win-loss category, but he has had a knack for developing coaches, as well. Three current DI head coaches are CMU alums and wrestled under Borrelli. Campbell’s Scotti Sentes, CSU Bakersfield’s Luke Smith, and American’s Jason Borrelli - son of Tom. 

Coach Borrelli’s successor will not inherit a bare cupboard. Of the Chippewa’s starters, only Munson has exhausted his eligibility, so CMU should likely be in the driver’s seat for the MAC in 2024-25. 

2024 MAC Championships Final Results

Team Scores

1. Central Michigan  131

2. Rider  114.5

3. George Mason  112.5

4. Lock Haven  93

5. Buffalo  85.5

6. Ohio  82

7. Northern Illinois  74.5

8. SIU Edwardsville  69

9. Clarion  68

10. Cleveland State  64.5

11. Kent State  43

12. Edinboro  17

13. Bloomsburg  16.5
 

Championship Finals

125 - Anthony Noto (Lock Haven) maj Blake West (Northern Illinois)  13-5

133 - Gable Strickland (Lock Haven) dec Richie Koehler (Rider)  4-3

141 - Wyatt Henson (Lock Haven) tech Jacob Brya (Northern Illinois)  21-6

149 - Quinn Kinner (Rider) maj Corbyn Munson (Central Michigan)  18-5

157 - Peyten Kellar (Ohio) dec DJ McGee (George Mason)  2-0

165 - Evan Maag (George Mason) fall Garrett Thompson (Ohio)  2:49

174 - Alex Cramer (Central Michigan) tech Michael Wilson (Rider)  16-1

184 - Malachi DuVall (George Mason) dec Cam Pine (Clarion)  7-4

197 - Ben Smith (Cleveland State) dec Sam Mitchell (Buffalo)  8-3

285 - David Szuba (Rider) dec Daniel Bucknavich (Cleveland State)  7-3

Third Place Bouts

125 - Tyler Klinsky (Rider) dec Sean Spidle (Central Michigan)  3-2

133 - Marcel Lopez (SIU Edwardsville) dec Tommy Maddox (Buffalo)  6-4

141 - Jimmy Nugent (Central Michigan) dec Eric Almarinez (SIU Edwardsville)  6-3

149 - Caleb Tyus (SIU Edwardsville) dec Jaivon Jones (Northern Illinois)  2-1TB

157 - Johnny Lovett (Central Michigan) dec Nick Stampoulos (Buffalo)  2-0

165 - Tyler Swiderski (Central Michigan) dec Caden Dobbins (Bloomsburg)  7-2

174 - John Worthing (Clarion) dec Sal Perrine (Ohio)  12-7

184 - Chase Kranitz (Buffalo) dec Colin Fegley (Lock Haven)  7-3

197 - Blake Schaffer (Kent State) dec Cameron Wood (Central Michigan)  6-3

285 - Jordan Greer (Ohio) dec Bryan Caves (Central Michigan)  5-0

Fifth Place Bouts

125 - Davian Guanajuato (SIU Edwardsville) MedFFT Joey Fischer (Clarion)

133 - Mikey Kaminsky (Northern Illinois) dec Pablo Castro (Kent State)  7-2

141 - Dominic Hargrove (George Mason) MedFFT Ryan Sullivan (Clarion)

149 - Kaden Cassidy (George Mason) tech Derek Raike (Ohio)  19-4

157 - Colton Washleski (Rider) dec Marcus Robinson (Cleveland State)  7-4

165 - Tate Geiser (Cleveland State) dec Aaron Ferguson (Kent State)  5-2

174 - Jay Nivison (Buffalo) dec Tyler Stoltzfus (Lock Haven)  7-3

184 - Deron Pulliam (SIU Edwardsville) dec Matt Zuber (Northern Illinois)  4-1SV

197 - Azeem Bell (Rider) dec Tyler Kocak (George Mason)  8-2

285 - Lonnell Owens-Pabon (Buffalo) dec Donovan Sprouse (George Mason)  5-3

Seventh Place Bouts

125 - Ben Aranda (Cleveland State) maj JB Dragovich (George Mason)  8-0

133 - Vince Perez (Central Michigan) dec Brandon Wittenberg (George Mason)  10-7

141 - Caleb Brooks (Buffalo) dec Jacob Brenneman (Edinboro)  11-5

149 - Matthew Ryan (Buffalo) InjDef Kyle Schickel (Clarion)

157 - Munktulga Zuunbayan (Northern Illinois) dec William Morrow (Bloomsburg)  7-3

165 - Hunter Shaut (Buffalo) dec Tommy Bennett (Northern Illinois)  13-8

174 - Dominic Lopez (SIU Edwardsville) dec AJ Burkhart (Kent State)  7-5

184 - Zayne Lehman (Ohio) dec Isaac Dean (Rider)  8-1

197 - Ethan Wiant (Clarion) dec Jack Kilner (Edinboro)  4-1SV

285 - Nicholas Lodato (Edinboro) dec John Meyers (Clarion)  10-5

True Second Place Bouts

174 - Michael Wilson (Rider) maj John Worthing (Clarion)  11-2

197 - Sam Mitchell (Buffalo) dec Blake Schaffer (Kent State)  5-3
 

NCAA Qualifiers

Buffalo - Nick Stampoulos (157), Sam Mitchell (197)

Central Michigan - Corbyn Munson (149), Johnny Lovett (157), Alex Cramer (174)

Clarion - Cam Pine (184)

Cleveland State - Ben Smith (197), Daniel Bucknavich (285)

George Mason - DJ McGee (157), Evan Maag (165), Malachi DuVall (184)

Lock Haven - Anthony Noto (125), Gable Strickland (133), Wyatt Henson (141)

Northern Illinois - Blake West (125)

Ohio - Peyten Kellar (157), Jordan Greer (285)

Rider - Quinn Kinner (149), Colton Washleski (157), Michael Wilson (174), David Szuba (285)

SIU Edwardsville - Caleb Tyus (149)

125

#1 Anthony Noto (Lock Haven) dec #5 Sean Spidle (Central Michigan)  8-6

#2 Blake West (Northern Illinois) maj #3 Tyler Klinsky (Rider)  8-0

133

#1 Gable Strickland (Lock Haven) tech #6 Tommy Maddox (Buffalo)  18-3

#2 Richie Koehler (Rider) dec #6 Pablo Castro (Kent State)  8-1

141

#1 Wyatt Henson (Lock Haven) fall #4 Eric Almarinez (SIU Edwardsville)  6:23

#2 Jacob Brya (Northern Illinois) dec #3 Jimmy Nugent (Central Michigan)  6-0

149

#1 Corbyn Munson (Central Michigan) dec #4 Jaivon Jones (Northern Illinois)  4-3

#2 Quinn Kinner (Rider) dec Kaden Cassidy (George Mason)  8-5

157

#1 Peyten Kellar (Ohio) fall Nick Stampoulos (Buffalo)  3:59

#2 DJ McGee (George Mason) dec #3 Johnny Lovett (Central Michigan)  4-3
 

165

#1 Garrett Thompson (Ohio) dec #4 Caden Dobbins (Bloomsburg)  5-0

#3 Evan Maag (George Mason) dec Tyler Swiderski (Central Michigan)  5-3

174

#1 Alex Cramer (Central Michigan) maj #5 John Worthing (Clarion)  11-0

#3 Michael Wilson (Rider) dec #2 Sal Perrine (Ohio)  7-6TB

184

#1 Cam Pine (Clarion) dec #4 Chase Kranitz (Buffalo)  13-8

#6 Malachi DuVall (George Mason) fall #7 Deron Pulliam (SIU Edwardsville)  4:15

197

#1 Sam Mitchell (Buffalo) maj #4 Cameron Wood (Central Michigan)  9-1

#2 Ben Smith (Cleveland State) dec #3 Blake Schaffer (Kent State)  8-3

285

#1 Daniel Bucknavich (Cleveland State) maj Bryan Caves (Central Michigan)  13-0

#2 David Szuba (Rider) maj Jordan Greer (Ohio)  13-1
 

Team Scores

1. Central Michigan  97.5

2. Rider  91

3. George Mason  84.5

4. Lock Haven  67.5

5. Buffalo  62

5. Northern Illinois  62

The DI postseason kicks off on Friday as two of the seven conferences will hold their two-day conference tournaments on the eighth, as well as Saturday, the ninth. The. conference we’re looking at now is the MAC which has 22 allocations on the lineup. 

All year I’ve gone back and forth between who I thought would prevail in this MAC team race. We’re in early March, only two days away from the first whistle being blown and I don’t have much more clarity. Lock Haven has won the last two MAC titles and has the firepower in the front of their lineup with three number-one seeds. Rider navigated the dual season without a conference loss and has some big guns that could make for a deep run. Ohio has emerged as a threat in large tournaments. They have potential champions at 157-184 lbs, which may be enough to propel them. Perennial power Central Michigan looks tough and capable. Digging deeper, Cleveland State could have multiple champions and should everything come together; could take home the title. 

Here’s a weight-by-weight look at the conference along with predictions for the top four at each weight class (except 157 lbs) and picks for the team race. 

125 lbs

2 allocations

We start at a weight with a clear-cut favorite in Anthony Noto (Lock Haven) who is the only MAC wrestler to have assumed the #1 ranking nationally this year. Noto has won each of the last two MAC titles at this weight. Earlier this year, Noto suffered his first loss to a MAC opponent when he was beaten by Joey Fischer (Clarion). Fischer has traditionally been close with Noto - taking him to sudden victory at the 2022 MAC Tournament. 

Most are assuming that Noto gets one of the two allocations at this weight. After him, there are a handful of capable competitors who could grab the other one on their best day. Northern Illinois’ Blake West is responsible for earning that second allocation and has been very consistent all year. Last season, West went 24-9 and fell in the true second-place match with a berth in Tulsa on the line. West comes into Kent a winner of his last seven matches. His most recent loss came in the fifth-place bout at the Midlands in late December. 

Tyler Klinsky had one of the biggest wins of any MAC 125 lber when he knocked off then-#2 Dean Peterson (Rutgers). Klinsky hasn’t necessarily been consistent outside of the conference, but he’s only lost to Noto and West in-conference. 

The wrestler responsible for West’s only MAC loss is Central Michigan’s Sean Spidle. Spidle got the best of West at the Michigan State Open; however, West turned the tables in dual competition. Spidle finished the regular season with dual wins over Fischer and past qualifier Tristan Lujan (Michigan State). 

Along with Fischer, one of the others capable of crashing the top two is Cleveland State’s Ben Aranda. Aranda has wrestled better in the second half of the year and has a win over Fischer and took Klinsky to sudden victory during the final weekend of the regular season. 

Predictions

1st) Anthony Noto (Lock Haven)

2nd) Blake West (Northern Illinois)

3rd) Joey Fischer (Clarion)

4th) Tyler Klinsky (Rider)

133 lbs

1 allocation

Just like last year, 133 lbs only has one allocation. And like last year, it was Gable Strickland who earned it. Strickland ended up winning the MAC and was the only wrestler from the conference to compete at 133 lbs in Tulsa. This year, Strickland has racked up the wins (28 total), but had a few head-scratching losses along the way. While he has the gaudy win totals, history on his side, and the allocation, he isn’t without a few conference blemishes. He’s taken two losses to MAC opponents this year, a sudden victory loss to Richie Koehler (Rider) and in mid-February he was pinned by Nick Molchak (Cleveland State). 

Koehler is the only one in the field with just one conference loss on the year. He’s beaten Strickland but lost to SIU Edwardsville’s Marcel Lopez - though that was in sudden victory at the Midlands, a few months after he had majored Lopez in a dual. Aside from Strickland, Koehler is the only wrestler in this field with past NCAA experience. He qualified in both 2021 and 2022. 

While Strickland/Koehler are the prohibitive favorites, this weight is still more wide-open than most and could have four or five other title contenders. 

Each of the remaining contenders has a good win or two under their respective belts, yet they have also a couple of losses, likely to each other. Molchak has also beaten Koehler, but has a loss to Bloomsburg’s Bronson Garber. Lopez split matches with Koehler but has also lost to Mikey Kaminski (Northern Illinois). Kaminski has a Lopez win but has fallen to Tommy Maddox (Buffalo). Maddox has split matches with Pablo Castro (Kent State). Pay attention, there will be a test on this later!

I don’t envy anyone trying to make sense out of this weight for seeding purposes. 

Predictions

1st) Richie Koehler (Rider)

2nd) Gable Strickland (Lock Haven)

3rd) Nick Molchak (Cleveland State)

4th) Marcel Lopez (SIU Edwardsville) 

141 lbs

1 allocation

Like 133 lbs, this weight only has one automatic bid available and it was earned by a Lock Haven wrestler. This time it’s Wyatt Henson. Henson competed for the first half of the year unattached while straightening out NCAA eligibility issues. He suffered a loss in the season-opening Princeton Open, then proceeded to win four straight open tournaments and racked up bonus points more often than not. Once Henson made his way into the Bald Eagle lineup he won 12 of 13 duals and posted tech falls in his first seven contested bouts. Unlike 133 lbs, this weight has a clear-cut favorite in Henson. Any result other than him taking the title would be pretty surprising. 

After Henson it gets kind of fuzzy. Jacob Brya has not lost to anyone in the conference after Henson. The redshirt freshman from Northern Illinois has only seen action in 13 bouts, but has been very solid. He has no real puzzling losses. 

Similar to Brya, Clarion’s Ryan Sullivan is someone who has impressed in small doses. Aside from Henson, Sullivan is the only entrant in the bracket with past NCAA experience. He qualified for West Virginia in 2021. Sullivan is 9-2 on the year with losses to Henson and Central Michigan’s Jimmy Nugent. 

Nugent is expected to get the third seed after a really solid sophomore year. As a true freshman, in 2022-23, Nugent went 7-16 including a 1-2 showing at the MAC meet. This year he’s 17-9 with wins over Sullivan and Dylan Layton (Cleveland State), among others. Outside of the MAC, Nugent scored a win against Virginia’s Jack Gioffre, who is someone who earned an AQ for the ACC. 

Layton appeared to be on his way to qualifying for nationals last season before his season was cut short via an injury. This year hasn’t been quite as smooth, though he did take eighth at the Midlands. 

Others to watch in this bracket include Eric Almarinez (SIU Edwardsville) and Billy Meiszner (Kent State). Alarminez has a win over Nugent and Meiszner is approaching the 20-win mark. 

Predictions

1st) Wyatt Henson (Lock Haven)

2nd) Jimmy Nugent (Central Michigan)

3rd) Jacob Brya (Northern Illinois)

4th) Dylan Layton (Cleveland State)

149 lbs

3 allocations

Now we’re cooking! It’s a weight class with three allocations. 149 lbs is a weight class with a handful of veterans who have already been to the big show multiple times, along with a few others who have been on the cusp of going. 

Most notable is Corbyn Munson, who finished the year ranked 14th in the nation and who has qualified for nationals twice. Even so, Munson is still seeking his first MAC finals appearance. He has placed fourth and third in the past two postseasons. Munson and teammate Johnny Lovett have flip-flopped between 149 and 157 lbs during the past three years. He was at 149 in 2022 and 157 last season. Munson did not lose to a MAC opponent this season and his last overall loss came in the third-place bout at the Midlands. 

The only MAC foe that even pushed Munson to extra time was SIU Edwardsville’s Caleb Tyus. That happened at the Midlands, though Munson prevailed by two points in regular time in dual competition. Tyus would go on to place seventh at the Midlands. Last year, Tyus was the MAC’s top seed at this weight class, but fell short of qualification with his sixth-place finish and needed an at-large berth. 

Also likely on the bottom half of the bracket is three-time national qualifier Quinn Kinner. Kinner likely gets the second seed based off of his head-to-head win over Tyus in the second week of the season. Kinner doesn’t have the consistency he’s had in years past, but is still very dangerous. He’s looking to get back to the top of the MAC podium, a feat he achieved at 141 lbs in 2022. 

The wrestler responsible for Kinner’s only MAC loss of 2023-24 was Lock Haven’s Nick Stonecheck. Last season, Stonecheck seemed to be a decent candidate for an at-large berth but was hampered by a 1-2 MAC tournament. This time around he’s probably not in as good of a position as last year, but is capable of going on a run resulting in an NCAA berth. After injury defaulting out of the Navy Classic, Stonecheck hit a rough patch in December, but rallied to finish the year winning 10 of his last 11 duals. 

The only wrestler to defeat Stonecheck during his late-season surge was Jaivon Jones of Northern Illinois. Jones is only 10-5 on the year, with four of those losses coming to wrestlers expected to assume the top-three seeds in this tournament. Though he’s looking for his first NCAA berth, Jones has posted winning seasons every year of his career. 

You could probably go eight or nine deep with wrestlers who are capable of making a run and grabbing that third qualifying spot. Kaleb Burgess (Buffalo), Derek Raike (Ohio), Douglas Terry (Cleveland State), Kyle Schickel (Clarion), and Kaden Cassidy (George Mason) have all shown flashes of that type of potential. All they need to do is channel that potential for three or four matches this week. 

Predictions

1st) Corbyn Munson (Central Michigan)

2nd) Quinn Kinner (Rider)

3rd) Caleb Tyus (SIU Edwardsville)

4th) Nick Stonecheck (Lock Haven)

157 lbs

5 allocations

157 lbs is easily the deepest in the MAC and the only one with five automatic allocations. Last year, the weight had four. Even with two seniors leaving, others in the weight have stepped up to maintain a high level of competition here and nationally. 

Leading the charge is Peyten Keller, a third-place finisher as a freshman for Ohio in 2023. Kellar comes into Kent with an 18-2 record and is ranked #17 at an extremely deep 157 lb weight class. His only two losses this season came via one point and in sudden victory at the CKLV Invitational. Kellar is riding a ten-match winning streak that dates back to early-December and only had one conference bout within a three-point margin. 

The other veteran at this weight is Central Michigan’s Johnny Lovett. Lovett has been a two-time MAC finalist - winning the title in 2023 at 149 lbs. He’s looking to get back on the winning track after a couple of non-conference losses to top-20 opponents during the final weekend of the regular season. Lovett started his 2023-24 campaign with six-straight wins a span that included a title at the Michigan State Open. 

The highest of the three MAC placewinners at the Midlands was George Mason’s redshirt freshman DJ McGee. McGee posted a head-to-head victory over Lovett on his way to a fourth-place finish. Lovett was right behind him at fifth and Rider’s Colton Washleski was sixth. McGee started his year with seven straight wins and posted a huge upset of Minnesota All-American Michael Blockhus. It remains the only blemish on the record of the returning Big Ten finalist. 

The aforementioned Washleski has been an excellent revelation for the Broncs. He doesn’t have any bad losses on his resume and has only had one defeat since the calendar changed to 2024. Expect him as the fourth seed. The fifth automatic qualifying bid was earned by Clarion’s Alejandro Herrera-Rondon. Herrera-Rondon has an 18-6 record and hasn’t lost since going 2-2 at the Southern Scuffle on the first two days of the year. Since the Scuffle, Herrera-Rondon has only been held to a regular decision on one occasion. 

Lurking somewhere after the top five is two-time national qualifier Marcus Robinson of Cleveland State. Robinson only has five total matches on the year and is 4-1 in those contests. His lone loss came via a one-point decision to Washleski. If healthy and near top form, he could be a major player here. 

Others to look out for are SIU Edwardsville’s true freshman Brock Woodcock and Northern Illinois’ Munkhtulga Zuunbayan. Both have solid conference records without any bad losses; however, they also lack signature wins. 

Predictions

1st) Peyten Kellar (Ohio)

2nd) Johnny Lovett (Central Michigan)

3rd) DJ McGee (George Mason)

4th) Marcus Robinson (Cleveland State)

5th) Colton Washleski (Rider)

6th) Alejandro Herrera-Rondon (Clarion)

165 lbs

1 allocation

157 lbs was the start of an imposing run for Ohio and that continues with top-seeded Garrett Thompson. Thompson’s emergence has been one of the pleasant surprises for the conference this year. After going 14-9 primary in open competition as a redshirt freshman, Thompson turned it up in 2023-24 with a 23-5 overall record. Thompson announced his presence with a title during the opening weekend of the year, at the Southeast Open, but his signature performance was a fifth-place finish at the CKLV. We’ll see if Thompson is vulnerable at the MAC Championships, as he was undefeated against conference competition; however, he did wrestle some close bouts down the stretch. 

One of those close matches came against George Mason’s Evan Maag. Maag finished the regular season of his redshirt freshman year with a nice 23-9 record, almost a third of which came via falls. Maag will probably have to settle for the third seed behind Cleveland State’s Tate Geiser. In December, Geiser notched a 10-3 win over Maag. His only loss against a wrestler in this field is to Thompson; however, Geiser does have three losses to MAC wrestlers that are not entered here. 

This is the weight where we’ll likely have the highest-seeded Bloomsburg wrestler in Caden Dobbins. Dobbins is 16-11 on the year and has head-to-head wins over a handful of wrestlers who could be seeded in his vicinity. 

The only wrestler in this bracket with past NCAA experience is Rider’s Jake Silverstein who was selected for an at-large berth in 2021. Silverstein holds a win this year over Maag and Clarion’s Eli Brinsky.

Predictions

1st) Garrett Thompson (Ohio)

2nd) Evan Maag (George Mason)

3rd) Jake Silverstein (Rider)

4th) Tate Geiser (Cleveland State)

174 lbs

2 allocations

174 is an odd weight class with incredible depth. Seven entrants at this weight have qualified for nationals at one time or another in their careers. Now, not every one of them had their best year, based on the fact that only two allocations were awarded to this weight. 

Alex Cramer (Central Michigan) and Sal Perrine (Ohio) are responsible for the AQ’s. Perrine had some massive wins on his way to a fifth-place finish at the CKLV. He defeated two returning qualifiers along with a pair of promising true freshmen. Cramer’s big tournament finish was a seventh-place showing at the Midlands. When these two clashed it was Cramer who prevailed with a takedown in sudden victory. 

Despite the past credentials of the rest of the field, I’d expect Rider’s Michael Wilson to get the third seed. Wilson's only loss to a conference competitor came to Cramer. On the other side of the ledger, he has wins over past NQ’s Tyler Stoltzfus (Lock Haven) and DeAndre Nassar (Cleveland State). Stoltzfus has missed significant time this year due to injuries, while Nassar is adjusting to a new weight. He’s down at 174 after spending the previous four seasons competing at 184 lbs. 

The story of this weight class in 2023 was unseeded John Worthing’s run to the finals and an NCAA berth. Worthing suffered his share of losses this year and had to injury default out of a bout with Stoltzfus in early-February and hasn’t competed since. It’s unclear how effective he’ll be. 

The other past qualifiers in this bracket are AJ Burkhart (Kent State) and Jay Nivison (Buffalo). Burkhart is just barely above .500, but comes in off of a win over Nassar in the final weekend of the regular season. Nivison's impact has been limited as he’s only seen the mat in ten duals this year. He could be trending in the right direction as he won four straight matches before closing the dual season with very tight losses to Perrine and Cramer. 

Predictions

1st) Alex Cramer (Central Michigan)

2nd) Sal Perrine (Ohio)

3rd) John Worthing (Clarion)

4th) Michael Wilson (Rider)

184 lbs

2 allocations

I enjoy weights like this one where we’ve come into the postseason and some top contenders have not met each other this season. That level of uncertainty can make for an entertaining tournament. The returning runner-up at this weight is Zayne Lehman (Ohio), who made the finals and went on to compete at his first national tournament. Lehman doesn’t have any MAC losses this year and hasn’t lost since early January. Though he didn’t place at the CKLV, Lehman did rack up three wins, and two over ranked opponents. 

Even though Lehman has a longer track record, he didn’t earn an allocation at this weight, Cam Pine (Clarion) and Matt Zuber (Northern Illinois) did. Pine jumped up two weights in the offseason and has been better than ever at 184 lbs. After a loss in the Southern Scuffle finals, Pine has reeled off nine straight wins, only two of which came via regular decision. With a 21-7 record headed into the MAC Tournament last season, Pine could have been on the qualification bubble - before he went on to finish seventh. Zuber was under .500 last year - his first as a full-time starter, however, he’s reversed that and comes in with an 18-6 mark. Despite his excellent record, Zuber does have a pair of losses to MAC competitors in Isaac Dean (Rider) and Deron Pulliam (SIU Edwardsville). That could leave him with the third seed. 

Right behind the big three is George Mason’s Malachi Duvall. Duvall has only lost to Pine and Lehman this year, within the conference. He does own an overtime win over Dean along with Lock Haven’s Colin Fegley. 

At this point, the brackets could get difficult to project. Chase Krantiz (Buffalo), Pulliam, Dean, and Adrien Cramer (Central Michigan) all have a good win or two, but also a loss or losses that could ding them seeding-wise. 

Predictions

1st) Zayne Lehman (Ohio)

2nd) Cam Pine (Clarion)

3rd) Matt Zuber (Northern Illinois)

4th) Malachi Duvall (George Mason)

197 lbs

2 allocations

Like 184 lbs, we have multiple allocations available and a pair of veterans who are the frontrunners for them and neither has met during the 2023-24 campaign. Both Sam Mitchell (Buffalo) and Ben Smith (Cleveland State) finished the year in the national rankings and each earned an AQ for the conference. While they didn’t meet this year, they have an extensive history. Smith beat Mitchell in the 2021-22 season and even farther back, in 2019-20. Other than a mental edge, I’m not sure if either result is really relevant at this point. Since early-December, Mitchell is 11-2 with his two losses coming to former All-Americans. Smith is on a similar run, having won 14 of 16; however, one of his defeats came to an unranked wrestler, which briefly knocked him out of the top-33. 

This weight could provide the best opportunity for the host Golden Flashes to get a national qualifier with Blake Schaffer. The sophomore is 22-9 with only two MAC losses on the year. One came to Smith and the other was from Austin Starr (Ohio). Starr has had a solid redshirt freshman year and has been very competitive. In the same vein as Schaffer, Jack Kilner may represent Edinboro’s best shot at a national qualifier. The veteran has a handful of conference losses; however, most have been one-takedown affairs. 

One long shot to monitor is Central Michigan’s Cameron Wood. The sophomore has a record under .500 but most of his losses have come out of the MAC. He has wins over Starr and Kilner. 

Predictions

1st) Ben Smith (Cleveland State)

2nd) Sam Mitchell (Buffalo)

3rd) Blake Schaffer (Kent State)

4th) Cameron Wood (Central Michigan)

285 lbs

3 allocations

We’ll close things out with a strong heavyweight crop that will be fighting for three allocations. Coming into the final weekend of the regular season, Daniel Bucknavich (Cleveland State) was your clear-cut favorite. At that time, he hadn't lost since the Navy Classic in mid-November. That winning streak came to an abrupt halt when he was majored by Rider’s David Szuba. Szuba is a junior who has been solid for his entire career and was close to qualifying for nationals, yet is still looking for his first trip. Barring a stunning chain of events, Szuba is looking like a good bet to be in Kansas City after the Bucknavich win and a nine-match unbeaten streak to finish the regular season. 

Of course, seeding will be difficult at this weight as Szuba’s only MAC loss is to Jacobi Jackson (Northern Illinois), someone who Bucknavich edged, 2-1. Jackson has been an excellent revelation for the Huskies and garnered an AQ for the conference after going 12-4. His loss to Bucknavich and an early-season setback to Bryan Caves (Central Michigan) account for his only MAC losses. Jackson was able to get a measure of revenge with a 4-1 dual win in late-January. 

Caves likely gets the fourth seed. He was third in the MAC last season, as a redshirt freshman, and appeared ready to take another step forward in 2023-24. That hasn’t necessarily happened and Caves comes in with an 11-13 record. Still, the regular season is in the rearview mirror and Caves could certainly grab that third spot. 

Others who could throw a wrench into this bracket are Jordan Greer (Ohio) and John Meyers (Clarion). Greer’s only MAC loss was a close decision to Bucknavich; however, he’s lacking in the significant win category. Meyers started the year with a win over a returning national qualifier at the Clarion Open, but went into a slump for all of December. 

Predictions

1st) Daniel Bucknavich (Cleveland State)

2nd) David Szuba (Rider)

3rd) Jacobi Jackson (Northern Illinois)

4th) Bryan Caves (Central Michigan)

Team Race Projection

1st) Central Michigan

2nd) Ohio

3rd) Rider

4th) Lock Haven

5th) Cleveland State

6th) Northern Illinois

In our season preview for the MAC, the first question that we asked was “Can anyone threaten Lock Haven?” The Bald Eagles have won each of the last two MAC Championships and lost one conference dual per year, along the way. With an All-American and four other past national qualifiers returning, it seemed like Lock Haven would be in the driver’s seat for a third consecutive title. 

A conference tournament and dual success are two different animals, especially in a league as big as the MAC. Lock Haven has proven that three or four stars can carry them to a title and their balanced lineup will propel them through most MAC duals. 

That may not be the case in 2024. On Friday, Lock Haven dropped their third conference dual meet and their tenth overall. So, if it isn’t Lock Haven’s year, then who? 

In our preseason article, we mentioned perennial threat Central Michigan. The Chippewas have three veterans who will compete for MAC titles and have qualified for nationals in the past. CMU certainly remains a viable contender. 

Another team we mentioned was Clarion, especially in a dual format. While Clarion generally is tough in dual meets, they haven’t taken that next step to be a favorite or as we labeled CMU, a viable contender. 

How about Rider? The Broncs are unbeaten in conference duals, which is a plus; however, their overall profile isn’t great with out-of-conference losses to Drexel and Princeton. 

Here’s a team that you (and I) may have overlooked and probably shouldn’t have…..Northern Illinois. 

The Huskies moved to an impressive 12-2 mark with their 22-15 win over Lock Haven on Friday. Last weekend, they edged Buffalo, 18-16, and before that, they downed Central Michigan 22-10. The win over the Chippewas was only the second win for NIU over Central Michigan in the last 21 seasons. 

Friday’s win over Lock Haven pushed the Huskies to 12 wins a mark that the team has hit only nine times in program history. The most recent occurrence was during the 2019-20 season when they amassed 13. 

In mid-December, Northern Illinois downed in-state foe Northwestern, 18-17. That marked the first time since December of 2009 that the Huskies had beaten that Big Ten school. That same day, NIU head coach Ryan Ludwig earned his 100th career dual victory. 

All year we’ve bemoaned how unpredictable the 125 lb weight class has been nationally. That hasn’t been the case for NIU, who has the services of Blake West, who is now 23-5 on the year and unbeaten in MAC duals. During the CMU dual, West was able to reverse one of those five losses. West narrowly missed out on NCAA qualification last year. He compiled a 24-9 record and fell by a single point to Jake Ferri (Kent State) in a true second-place bout at the MAC Championships. 

Another familiar face that has stepped up in 2023-24 is Jaivon Jones at 149 lbs. Jones made an impact on the Lock Haven win as he pinned #33 Nick Stonecheck in the opening stanza. Against Cleveland State and Ohio, Jones earned wins over some of the best wrestlers from both squads. His record is now 11-4 on the year.

Ludwig and staff have also been getting contributions from some wrestlers who may have previously been unknown commodities outside of Dekalb. Heavyweight Jacobi Jackson is currently in the rankings, while Matt Zuber at 184 lbs has spent time in the top-33, as well. 141 lber Jacob Brya is an impressive redshirt freshman that garners consideration, as well. Zuber was a 10-3 winner over Colin Fegley in the Lock Haven win. Jackson is 9-1 in dual competition and holds a ranked win over Rider’s David Szuba. 

One of the NIU wrestlers I was anticipating most coming into this year was 157 lber Munkhtulga Zuunbayan. In 2021, he had a great season debut at the Michigan State Open. Zuunbayan has shared starting duties this season, but has come on lately with solid wins against Cleveland State and a major decision in Friday’s win over Lock Haven. 

Northern Illinois has a week off before finishing the 2023-24 regular season against SIU Edwardsville. They have a good shot at matching 2019-20 total of 13 dual wins. The only blemishes on the record for Ludwig’s team this season are an early-season loss to Purdue and a one-point setback to Rider in early-January. A week later, they rebounded to defeat another team I felt like could contend in the MAC, Ohio. 

Unfortunately, at the DI level, our sport doesn’t provide many rewards for being good in dual competition. To really turn heads, the Huskies will have to shine in Kent, Ohio at the MAC Championships. Once again, a team with a few superstars will typically outshine a balanced attack. Northern Illinois has proven that they are a very solid dual lineup, they’ll just need their big guns to perform up to their capabilities, have an upset or two, and who knows what happens?

However the rest of the season plays out, it has been a very strong campaign for Ludwig and his team and they do deserve recognition. 

This weekend was an odd one for the MAC. There were a couple of key duals on Friday with nothing on Saturday and a quad taking center stage on Sunday. The upcoming weeks should have more MAC-action and fewer breaks. 

Even so, there was plenty to be learned from the action that did take place. Among them, a huge individual matchup, the defending champions taking a loss, and a MAC dual nestled inside Sunday’s quad. 

Though we didn’t get in-depth on the Northern Illinois/Cleveland State dual (28-15 NIU), the Huskies lightweights led the way with wins at the first five weights. 

Ohio takes control at 157 lbs

In our “32 Key Matches to Watch the Weekend” article the lone MAC match highlighted was the 157 lb tilt between #17 Peyten Keller (Ohio) and #25 DJ McGee (George Mason). The dual itself featured a pair of MAC squads that may be overlooked and seemingly had the potential to be outside threats for a conference title. 

The Bobcats made a statement early and often with wins in the first three matches. After a pin by George Mason’s Kaden Cassidy at 149 lbs, the stage was set for the big battle at 157 lbs. Kellar and McGee were scoreless through the first period. The OU star started the second period on the bottom and within the first minute earned a reversal after McGee was a little loose on his leg ride. Kellar proceeded to ride McGee for the remainder of the second stanza and generated enough riding time to earn a point. He would choose neutral in the final period and neither wrestler was able to score. Kellar’s win puts him in the driver’s seat in a strong MAC weight class that also features 2023 champion Johnny Lovett (Central Michigan). At the Midlands, McGee edged Lovett, 3-2. 

The second half of the dual played out similar to the first with Ohio sweeping the remaining bouts. At 165 and 174 lbs, the Bobcats won a pair of two-point bouts, which preceded a 15-0 tech fall from Zayne Lehman at 184 lbs. Lehman’s victim, Malachi Duvall, was named the conference’s wrestler of the week for the previous week’s worth of action. 

Ohio closed the dual with a slight upset at 285 lbs as Jordan Greer defeated the previously ranked Chad Nix, 4-2. When the smoke cleared, it was a 29-6 win for Ohio and they took nine of ten bouts from the Patriots. Joel Greenlee’s team earned their first MAC win of the season and now move to 5-3 overall. That surpasses the win total from the 2022-23 squad with about a month’s worth of action still ahead. 

This week Ohio will travel to take on in-state rival Cleveland State. George Mason is also on the road as they’ll head up to Pennsylvania to face Lock Haven and Bloomsburg. 

Buffalo Stampede

With apologies to our football fans in Western New York, the best performance from a Buffalo team over the past three days belonged to the men on the mat Friday night. John Stutzman’s Bulls traveled to two-time defending MAC champion Lock Haven’s gym and came away with a rather surprisingly lopsided victory, 23-12. 

Lock Haven flexed their muscles in the early going with wins in three of the first four matches resulting in a 12-4 lead. That’s all the Bald Eagles could muster as Buffalo swept the final six weight classes. 

The 174 lb bout featured a pair of past national qualifiers clashing and it was Buffalo’s Jay Nivison who got his hand raised after the hard-fought 3-2 victory. A match earlier, Hunter Shaut got by Eric Alderfer 7-4 in sudden victory. 

Buffalo’s big men proved to be two of their highest-scoring team members on the night. Sam Mitchell cruised to a 15-3 major decision at 197 lbs, while Magnus Bibla racked up 11 points on Ethan Miller to finalize the 23-12 win. 

The win was the third for Buffalo in the MAC this year and the eighth overall. Buffalo will be off next weekend, while Lock Haven has a busy week that includes duals with George Mason, Rider, and the Mat-Town Open. 

Clarion Goes 3-0

The notable event for the conference on Sunday was the quad at Clarion. The hosts went a perfect 3-0 on the day downing Kent State, Long Island, and Morgan State. Of the 30 matches contested between those three duals, Clarion was victorious in 25 of those. 

While there were many standouts for Clarion, Alejandro Herrera-Rondon was the only Golden Eagle wrestler to amass bonus points in all three of his matches. Herrera-Rondon ran the gambit on bonus point wins with a major decision, a tech, and a fall. His three wins brought his season record up to 15-6. 

The most important of the three wins for Keith Ferraro’s squad was the 24-10 victory against MAC opponent Kent State. His team now moves to 3-1 in the conference. 

The Golden Flashes saw Pablo Castro (133), Aaron Ferguson (165), and Blake Schaffer (197) grab wins against Clarion. Schaffer did so via major decision and improved to 19-7 on the year.  

It’ll be nothing but conference duals from here on out for Clarion. Next week’s challenger is Edinboro, who is looking to bounce back after a 44-0 loss against one of the league’s favorites, Central Michigan. 

Kent State has the week off before traveling back to Pennsylvania for a dual with Bloomsburg on February 3rd.

Here are some of the notable happenings from the last week in the MAC. 

George Mason over Virginia

On Saturday, George Mason did something that hasn’t been done by the Patriot wrestling program since 1991, when they snapped a 10-match losing streak against the University of Virginia, 18-17. GMU handed Virginia their first loss of the season in a neutral-site dual at St. Christopher’s High School in Richmond, VA. These two teams tangled almost a year ago, to the day, at the same venue and Virginia prevailed 26-6. 

The dual didn’t appear as if it was going GMU’s way as they lost the first three bouts and found themselves in a 10-0 hole. The Patriots middleweights helped turn the tide with three consecutive wins by Kaden Cassidy, DJ McGee, and Evan Maag at 149-165 lbs. Virginia extended their lead to 14-9 after a major decision at 174; however, 184 lber Malachi Duvall struck the biggest blow of the contest when he pinned UVA’s Griffin Gammel late in the first period to give the Patriots their first lead of the day (15-14). At 197 lbs, Tyler Kocak extended that advantage with a 15-10 win over Colden Dorfman. Though Virginia won the heavyweight contest, it was via a regular decision and the Patriots held on to win 18-17. 

The Duvall pin led to him earning MAC Co-East Wrestler of the Week honors from the conference. His fall was the only bonus point win for George Mason. 

George Mason will be back in action this weekend with a pair of home duals. They’ll host MAC rival Edinboro on Saturday and Hofstra in a non-conference tilt on Sunday. 

The Hofstra dual will feature marquee matches at 149 lbs and heavyweight. Those have been Hofstra’s two best weights and they are strengths for GMU, as well. 

SIU Edwardsville Picks Up Two Conference Wins

The Friday/Sunday swing saw SIU Edwardsville notch a pair of conference wins as they downed Edinboro 23-9, before beating Buffalo 24-9. Both of which occurred on the road. 

Six Cougar wrestlers earned wins in both duals. Davian Guanajuato (125), Marcel Lopez (133), Eric Almarinez (141), Brock Woodcock (157), Deron Pulliam (184), and Bryson Buhk (285) all went 2-0 on the weekend. Woodcock won via tech fall in the Edinboro dual and received a forfeit at Buffalo. 

Almarinez, a redshirt freshman, was named the MAC Co-West Wrestler of the Week after his 2-0 showing. His 15-3 major decision over the Bulls Caleb Brooks gave Almarinez the team lead with 15 wins on the season. 

The Cougars will be back in action on Sunday at home against Lindenwood. 

Tyler Klinsky over Dean Peterson

All year we’ve lamented the chaos that is 125 lbs, nationally. The MAC did their part contributing to that topsy-turvy weight class when Tyler Klinsky defeated then-number two ranked Dean Peterson on Sunday. Peterson came into the bout a perfect 6-0 and had beaten Penn’s national qualifier Ryan Miller the night before. 

Down 5-1 after the first period, Klinsky used a reversal, then a takedown to even the score at six a-piece during the second stanza. He would add three more in the final period to win 9-6. 

The win brings Klinsky’s season record to an even 9-9. Though he recently went 1-2 at the Midlands, Klinsky did knock off Jett Strickenberger (West Virginia) who was ranked at the time. 

With the unexpected being the norm at 125 lbs this season, Klinsky could be rounding into form at the right time and has the potential to make some noise at the MAC Tournament. 

Before then, Klinsky has matches with Princeton’s Drew Heethius and Edinboro’s Caleb Edwards on the docket. During the last week of January, he’ll face top-ranked Anthony Noto (Lock Haven) and attempt to notch his second top-five upset of the year. Last year the two met twice and wrestled close bouts in both instances. At the 2023 MAC Championships, the pair met in the quarterfinals and Noto prevailed, 3-2.

We’re into a strange part of the college wrestling season. A week-plus removed from the Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational, so some teams sat the weekend out after a brutal tournament. Many schools are in the process of final exams, so their focus is on the classroom. Then the holidays are right around the corner. 

After that we have the traditional tournaments Midlands/Scuffle and get into a more regular dual schedule. But for now, there are weekends like this past one, where some teams are in action, while others are idle. 

That was the case for the MAC who didn’t have a full slate of competition for the week. Even so, there were enough MAC teams in action to produce some impressive performances. 

Here are five that stood out from this last weekend of action:

Sean Spidle (Central Michigan) 

For the most part, the strength of the Central Michigan lineup has resided in the middle with veterans like Corbyn Munson, Johnny Lovett, and Alex Cramer. That being said, the Chips leadoff hitter, 125 lber Sean Spidle, has started to show some consistency and has begun to string solid wins together. On Saturday, he staked CMU to an early lead with his 2-1 victory in a defensive struggle against Indiana’s Michael Spangler. The win marked his second consecutive triumph over a Big Ten opponent. In his last outing, Spidle shut out Illinois’ national qualifier Justin Cardani. In Saturday’s dual against the undefeated Hoosiers, Spidle and 133 lber Vince Perez turned in back-to-back wins, which brought the prospect of an upset into reality. Unfortunately, a fall in the 141 lb bout and a win by Indiana in the highly anticipated 149 lb contest, put the momentum back in the Hoosiers favor. Spidle should get tested in CMU’s next outing, The Midlands, where over a dozen ranked 125 lbers could enter. 

Hosts winning the Cleveland State Open

The biggest tournament on the DI calendar this weekend was the Cleveland State Open, a tournament that had a handful of full DI teams on its entry list, along with some high-profile redshirts from Big Ten programs. The host school finished with an impressive three champions. Doug Terry (149 lbs), Ben Smith (197 lbs), and Daniel Bucknavich (285 lbs) all finished the day unbeaten and atop their respective brackets. 

Terry was tested early with decision wins in his first two matches; however, he turned it on as the tournament progressed and closed the day with back-to-back major decisions. In the semis, he blanked Samuel Cartella (Northwestern), a top-100 recruit in 2023 for the Wildcats. For the title, Terry dominated Matthew Williams (Army West Point), an opponent who had previously appeared in the national rankings. 

The 32nd-ranked Smith took care of business as you would expect him to against a field of unranked competitors. Like Terry, Smith’s first match of the day was his closest. A third-period takedown propelled him past MAC opponent Jack Kilner (Edinboro). From there, the rout was on. In Smith’s final three matches, he won via major decision. He is now 9-3 on the season. 

The Vikings big man, Bucknavich, closed the tournament with a title. His path to the title was different from his fellow champions. Bucknavich had to grind out close wins in each of his final three matches. In the quarters, he prevailed 2-1 over Central Michigan’s Caden Ferris. A match later he got by Ira Jenkins (Michigan), 2-0. For the championship, Bucknavich needed some last-second heroics, as he got a takedown and backpoints in the closing seconds to get by Lucas Stoddard (Army West Point), 9-5. Stoddard was the second seed and is on the cusp of breaking into the national rankings. 

The Vikings will squeeze one more dual into 2023, as they’ll face MAC foe Clarion. These three wrestlers should all face significant tests from the Golden Eagles. After that dual, they’ll close out the year at the Midlands. 

Wyatt Henson (Lock Haven)

Lock Haven sent Wyatt Henson to the Cleveland State Open wrestling unattached and plenty of football teams would have been jealous of Henson’s scoring output. Henson came away with the title at 141 lbs and did so in a very impressive fashion. In five matches, Henson accrued an even 100 points and tallied four tech falls. Henson’s biggest scare came in the quarterfinals when he emerged from a 7-4 first-period hole to prevail 13-12. In about where both wrestlers earned three takedowns, it was riding time that made the difference for Henson. 

After the close call in the quarterfinals, Henson cruised with a 22-4 tech over Patrick Jordon (VMI) in the semis and a 25-9 tech over Logan Brown (Army West Point). 

Henson has yet to officially compete for Lock Haven. All of his damage, and there’s been a lot of it, has been done in the open tournaments. At this time, the school is working through some eligibility issues. For the year, Henson has amassed a 15-1 record with three tournament titles (Shorty Hitchcock and Mat-Town Open’s). 

Sal Perrine (Ohio)

Two-time national qualifier Sal Perrine got off to a slow start this season with a 2-2 day at the season-opening Southeast Open. He’d finish November off with a dual loss, then a single win at the Navy Classic. December has been a different story for Perrine. Perrine posted an excellent fifth-place finish at the Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational during the first two days of the month. In Vegas, he avenged a loss at the Southeast Open (Austin Murphy - Campbell), then took out a pair of impressive rookies (Lorenzo Norman - Stanford and Brayden Thompson - Oklahoma State). 

They say “What happens in Vegas stays in Vegas,” but the momentum created by the Bobcat junior carried over through this weekend. Perrine was able to knock off #20 Danny Wask (Navy) during Sunday’s dual between Ohio and the Midshipmen. Though the two didn’t meet, Wask finished a step above Perrine on the CKLV podium, in fourth place. 

Looking at Ohio’s schedule, Perrine has tune-ups against Drexel and Gardner-Webb, before finishing 2023 at the Midlands. Though the Midlands field is expected to be very stout, Perrine could be a bracket-buster if his current winning ways continue.

Colton Washleski and Jake Silverstein (Rider)

During Saturday’s dual with #29 Wisconsin, Rider had upset on their minds and almost pulled it off. The Broncs were in a position to pull the stunner after the work of their middleweights, specifically, Colton Washleski and Jake Silverstein at 157 and 165 lbs, respectively. Through the first four bouts, Wisconsin appeared to be running away with the dual; leading 11-3. Major decisions at the first two weights gave the Badgers a healthy lead. Washleski and Silverstein responded with majors of their own to tie the bout at 11, which gave the Broncs upperweights a chance to win. 

Washleski downed Luke Mechler 12-4 and Silverstein was a 10-2 winner over Gavin Model. Ultimately, an overtime loss at 184 lbs and a 197 lb match that was much closer than the 13-5 score indicates sealed Rider’s fate. 

This year has been a breakout for Washleski, who was 6-16 last season as a redshirt freshman. So far, he’s 12-2 with a title at the Patriot Open to his name. Silverstein was a national qualifier in 2021 and is looking to get back in his final year of eligibility. He started the year at 157 lbs (and lost to Washleski at the Princeton Open), but now appears to have found a home at 165 lbs. 

Rider is off for the remainder of 2023, but will ring in the New Year with a Friday/Sunday series against Northern Illinois and Rutgers. Though the Bronc’s current 1-3 record might be unsightly, all three of their losses have come against Big Ten competition. They will likely benefit from those contests once they get into the thick of the MAC schedule.

The second week of the college wrestling season saw the majority of the MAC in action, in dual competition. A couple of tournaments were thrown in for good measure, too. There were even a couple of conference duals. In those instances, Clarion defeated George Mason and Rider downed SIU Edwardsville. There’s no reason to panic for the team’s on the wrong side of those results as we still have four full months of the regular season. 

Below are some of the individuals (for the most part) that stood out during week two. 

Kyle Schickel (Clarion - 149)  

The Golden Eagles had a weird Saturday with close losses to American and The Citadel, both of which would be considered upsets, but squeezed in a conference win over George Mason in between the losses. The only Clarion wrestler to make it through the weekend with a 3-0 record was 149 lber, Kyle Schickel. Not only did Schickel win, but he also put up bonus points along the way. Schickel pinned American’s Ryan Zimmerman and majored George Mason’s Kaden Cassidy, before edging Jeffrey Boyd of The Citadel, 8-7. 

Ben Monn (George Mason - 125) 

George Mason appears to be redshirting their 2023 starter at 125 lbs, Markel Baker. That has proven to be possible because of the solid production from new leadoff hitter Ben Monn. Monn saw the mat in two of GMU’s three duals Saturday, garnering wins in both appearances. Both happened to go to extra time and Monn prevailed each time. The win over Clarion’s Joey Fischer will likely loom large once March rolls around and it’s conference seeding season. 

DJ McGee (George Mason - 157)

Shhhh! Don’t look now but George Mason’s 157 lber, DJ McGee, is unbeaten with a 6-0 record after two weeks. After winning The Battle of the Citadel in week one, McGee kept his hot streak alive by posting identical 4-2 decisions over Thomas Snipes (The Citadel) and Alejandro Herrera Rondon (Clarion). McGee capped his weekend off by receiving a forfeit from Williams College. 

Richie Koehler (Rider - 133) 

Rider traveled to the midwest for a meeting with the Big Ten’s Indiana before picking up a conference dual against SIU Edwardsville on the way home. While the Hoosiers prevailed, there were quite a few bright spots for John Hangey’s team. 133 lber Richie Koehler won both of his duals, the first of which came against fellow NCAA qualifier Cayden Rooks. That win came via a 6-5 decision; however, two days later, Koehler prevailed in a more comfortable 9-0 major decision against Marcel Lopez of SIUE. 

Quinn Kinner (Rider - 149) 

Two matches after Koehler defeated Cayden Rooks, Quinn Kinner pulled a big upset by downing Cayden’s brother, Graham. A 2023 NCAA Round of 12 finisher, Graham Rooks was ranked sixth in the nation at the time of the match. A pair of first-period takedowns staked Kinner to a 6-2 lead, one that he never relinquished. Kinner would go on to win 8-2. Two days later, Kinner defeated his second national qualifier of the weekend when he got by Caleb Tyus (SIU Edwardsville), 5-4. 

Hunter Shaut (Buffalo - 165) 

One of the few bright spots from Buffalo’s day at WrangleMania was their 165 lber Hunter Shaut. Shaut was the only Bulls wrestler who grabbed multiple wins at the dual event in Bethlehem. In Buffalo’s loss to Long Island, Shaut’s 4-1 victory over James Johnstone pulled the Bulls to within three points. During the second dual, Shaut posted a solid 10-5 decision over North Carolina’s Isaias Estrada. He was one of only two Buffalo wrestlers to get their hands raised against UNC. 

Pablo Castro (Kent State - 133)

Sunday saw a pair of MAC teams travel to Morgantown to participate in West Virginia’s quad. Kent State was one of those two and saw their first action in dual competition. Amongst an 0-2 showing from the Golden Flashes was a perfect day from their 133 lber Pablo Casto. Against the host Mountaineers, Castro was the only KSU wrestler to emerge victorious. Castro was responsible for the “3” in a 44-3 setback as he defeated Davin Rhoads, 6-2. Earlier in the day, Casto tallied bonus points when he majored Duke’s Raymond Adams, 13-1. For the season, Castro is now 7-1 with his only setbacks coming to #13 Vince Santaniello (Pittsburgh). He’s probably one signature win away from cracking the national rankings. 

Anthony Noto (Lock Haven - 125) 

The top-ranked 125 lber in the land made his season debut on Saturday at WrangleMania and looked every bit the part. Fans expected to see a #1 vs. #2 clash with Anthony Noto and Richie Figueroa (Arizona State) as their schools met in dual competition. That didn’t happen as Figueroa was out with a minor injury. Max Brewster took his place and was on the wrong side of an 18-3 tech fall loss. Noto added a second tech fall when he overwhelmed 2023 NCAA qualifier Ethan Berginc (Army West Point) in Lock Haven’s second dual of the day. Noto was the only Bald Eagle wrestler to win both of his bouts and LHU went 0-2. They did push an undermanned Arizona State team in the first dual, but ultimately fell, 23-18. 

Will Morrow (Bloomsburg - 157)  

Bloomsburg also participated in WrangleMania and the Journeymen Collegiate Classic. The Huskies went 1-1 with an ugly loss to #5 NC State and a 28-18 win over Sacred Heart. The only wrestler to exit unscathed from BU’s dual with NC State was 157 lber Will Morrow. Morrow poured a 13-3 major decision on Wolfpack redshirt freshman Aaron Faison. When Morrow stepped on the mat against Sacred Heart, his team was trailing 8-7. A 25-10 tech fall from Morrow put Bloomsburg ahead and they’d never look back. On Sunday, Morrow went 2-1 with another win over Faison. 

Cleveland State Trio (Jake Manley/Ben Smith/Daniel Bucknavich)

Also in Morgantown for Sunday's duals were the Cleveland State Vikings. Josh Moore’s team lost by a narrow 19-16 score to Duke, then were beaten badly by the hosts (33-9). The only CSU wrestlers to win against West Virginia were the Manley/Smith/Bucknanvich trio. Both Smith and Bucknavich needed to knock off ranked wrestlers for their wins. The big three was also victorious against Duke, along with 141 lber Dylan Layton. Manley managed a major decision while Layton chipped in with a pin. After Layton’s fall, Duke posted five consecutive wins to take control of the dual. 

Central Michigan 

The Chippewas had their first dual meet of the season on Thursday then headed across the state to compete at the Michigan State Open on Saturday. The Chips fell 29-11 to Oklahoma in dual competition, with only Corbyn Munson (149 lbs), Johnny Lovett (157 lbs), and Alex Cramer (174 lbs) notching wins. Munson and Cramer’s opponents were ranked, while Lovett’s is now ranked. On Saturday, Munson and Lovett won titles at the MSU Open. Munson had three falls in four matches, while Lovett had another win over his nemesis from Oklahoma along his way to the title. 

Cramer, Sean Spidle (125), Ja’Kerion Merritt (141), Mason Shrader (157), and Bryan Caves (285) all advanced to the finals in the Open division. 

Looking ahead, CMU has a pair of ranked opponents on the schedule this weekend with #25 North Carolina and #28 Illinois.

College Wrestling is back! We just experienced the first week of the 2023-24 season and what a week it was. The MAC was very busy with 12 of its 13 teams in action, many of which attended a variety of open tournaments. Below, we’ll highlight some team results and best performances from MAC wrestlers last week. 

Clarion

Some of the weekend’s biggest fireworks took place at the Clarion Open, so let’s start with the hosts. A trio of Golden Eagles made the championship finals at their respective weights with Alejandro Herrera-Rondon (157 lbs), Cam Pine (184 lbs) and John Meyers (285 lbs). Pine’s biggest win came in the semifinals when he downed Class of 2022 blue-chip recruit James Rowley (Purdue), 5-2. The Seton Hill transfer, Meyers, didn’t miss a beat in his DI debut, knocking off #24 Dorian Crosby (Bucknell), a 2023 national qualifier, in the semifinals. Herrera-Rondon’s Clarion debut was a good one as he had bonus point wins in his first two contests, then downed Pittsburgh’s starter, Jared Keslar, in the semifinals.

Another standout for Clarion was #19 John Worthing (Clarion), who took third at 174 lbs. Worthing notched three solid wins before falling to Ohio State stud freshman Rocco Welsh in the semis. 

Clarion will be on the road next weekend, traveling to MAC foe George Mason. While in Virginia, they’ll take on non-conference opponents, American and The Citadel. 

Buffalo 

The Bulls were the first DI team to hit the mat in the 2023-24 season hosting a quad on November 1st. Buffalo prevailed handily over its three non-DI opponents by a combined score of 168-26. They only dropped six of the 40 matches on the day. 

Buffalo also sent a contingent to the Clarion Open. Hunter Shaut (165) and Sam Mitchell (197) both advanced to the fifth-place match. Of his five wins, Shaut’s most impressive was a 4-1 victory over Pittsburgh’s Grant MacKay. Mitchell rebounded from a one-point loss to Lucas Daly by downing two of his Michigan State teammates. 

Next up for Buffalo is WrangleMania in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. The Bulls have duals with North Carolina and Long Island on the docket. 

Kent State

The only placewinner for the Golden Flashes at the Clarion Open was 133 lber Pablo Castro who made the fifth-place bout. He and his opponent, Andre Gonzales, were unable to wrestle their fifth-place match as both hit the single-day match limit. Casto lost in the Round of 16 but reeled off four consecutive wins to earn a spot in the top six. His final victory came at the expense of Scott Johnson (Clarion), a promising freshman for the host school and possibly their starter in 2023-24. 

We’ll get our first full glimpse of Kent State in dual action this weekend as they travel to West Virginia for a dual with the Mountaineers and the ACC’s Duke. 

Edinboro

The Fighting Scots were not able to see any of their wrestlers break into the top six at the Clarion Open, but did have some solid performances. Max Kirby (165) led the way with four wins, three of which came via major decision. 

Jacob Brenneman (133), Jack Kilner (197), and Nick Lodato (197) all won three matches. Each was able to pick up at least one win over an opponent from a MAC school. 

Edinboro is back in action Sunday as they host #7 Ohio State. With a lineup full of top recruits and highly-ranked wrestlers, Edinboro will be in a dogfight at every single weight. 

Lock Haven

The defending conference champions decided not to get familiar matchups at Clarion in favor of the Princeton Open. The Bald Eagles had one finalist and it was a bit of a surprising one for such a strong lineup like LHU can roll out. Redshirt freshman Johnny Miller made the 174 lb finals after a 10-1 major decision over Kent McComas in the semis. In the championship bout, Miller fell to McComas’ teammate Gunner Filipowicz, 6-2. 

The 141 lb bracket saw both Wyatt Henson and Ty Linsenbigler advance to the third-place match. Neither wrestled and the match was considered a “no-contest.” Henson picked up a very solid win over Lehigh’s Carter Bailey, 11-4. 

Also in third for Lock Haven was the wrestler that takes the mat before Henson/Linsenbigler, Gable Strickland at 133 lbs. Strickland was beaten by Lehigh super-freshman, Ryan Crookham, 11-3 in the semifinals. He’d finish strong by beating Daniel Uhorchuk (Army West Point), 8-3 for third. 

One of the better brackets at Princeton was the heavyweight class. There Isaac Reid suffered a 5-1 loss to the returning EIWA champion, Nathan Taylor, in the semifinals. He did not wrestle in the third-place match. Earlier in the tournament, Reid majored PSAC/MAC opponent Shane Noonan (Bloomsburg), 17-7. Reid was able to put up double-digits in both of his prior meetings with Noonan in 2022-23. 

Lock Haven has a busy and challenging weekend ahead. On Saturday, they’ll face Army West Point and Arizona State at WrangleMania. They’ll stay in Bethlehem for the Journeymen Collegiate Classic on Sunday, as well. 

Rider

Rider didn’t have to travel far from home to see their first action in the 2023-24 campaign. The Broncs stayed in Jersey and competed at the Princeton Open. Richie Koehler (133) and Colton Washleski (157) were the two finalists for Rider. Koehler had three tight wins in order to make the 133 lb finals. His last win came over Daniel Uhorchuk, 8-4 in the semis. Though they both place in the same weight class, Koehler and Lock Haven’s Gable Strickland did not meet. Like Strickland, Koehler was majored in the finals by Crookham. 

Colton Washleski stormed through the first three rounds of the tournament with two major decisions and a tech fall. Both majors came over MAC opposition, Will Morrow (Bloomsburg) in the Round of 16 and Connor Eck (Lock Haven) in the quarterfinals. In the semis, Washleski ran into the top-seed, teammate Jake Silverstein. Washleski ended up prevailing after a takedown during the second sudden victory period. He’d end up losing via major decision to Max Brignola (Lehigh) in the championship. Silverstein did not wrestle in the third-place bout. 

Another wrestler in the top-three for the Broncs was Azeem Bell at 197 lbs. Bell scored a 5-1 win over Rutgers freshman Hayden Packer in the third-place bout. There’s some uncertainty as to who will represent Rider at 197 lbs, so Bell’s performance might give him the early lead. 

Rider will leave the comfy confines of New Jersey for a pair of duals this week. On Friday, they’ll kick off the dual season by meeting #25 Indiana. Sunday, they’ll partake in their first MAC dual of the year when they take on SIU Edwardsville. 

Bloomsburg

The Huskies were led by redshirt freshman 165 lber Caden Dobbins at the Princeton Open. Dobbins finished fourth and logged three wins on the day. Most impressive was a 4-1 decision over Class of 2023 top-100 recruit Holden Garcia (Princeton) in the quarterfinals. Last year, Dobbins went 4-3 while attending the Air Force Prep School. 

Bloomsburg will be in action this weekend at WrangleMania on Saturday and the Journeymen Collegiate Classic on Sunday. Saturday will feature duals against NC State and Sacred Heart. 

George Mason

The battle at The Citadel proved to be a promising opener for George Mason, as Frank Beasley’s team came back north with a pair of champions, DJ McGee (157) and Chad Nix (285). The heavyweight, Nix, made his GMU debut one to remember with his title-winning performance. In the semis, Nix earned a takedown against #31 Nick Willham (Indiana) which led to the Hoosier injury-defaulting out of the match. In the first-place bout, Nix hung three takedowns on the 2023 SoCon third-place finisher John Chesser (The Citadel). He’d win 10-6. 

McGee got into the finals after an overtime win over Indiana’s Nico Bolivar. That set up a finals contest against teammate Lorenzo Rajaonarivelo. An early, first-period takedown for McGee proved to be the difference-marker in a 4-1 victory. 

Up a weight, Evan Maag suffered a first-round loss, but wrestled back to third place with bonus points in four of his five straight wins. 

Two other Patriots made the finals, Kaden Cassidy (149) and Tyler Kocak (197). Both advanced to the championship match but fell to opponents from Indiana. 

GMU has a busy Saturday with a conference clash against Clarion, along with duals against The Citadel, Millersville, and Williams College. 

SIU Edwardsville

SIU Edwardsville started the year with a tough matchup against #24 Illinois of the Big Ten. The Cougars managed two wins in their 28-7 loss to their in-state foes. Marcel Lopez (133) and Caleb Tyus (149) were the two Cougar wrestlers who got their hands raised. Lopez downed Cole Brower 5-3, while Tyus added a bonus point after his 9-1 major decision over Jake Harrier. 

There were also a number of Cougar wrestlers that hit the Maryville Open on Saturday. Most were young, non-starters (for now). However, Justin Ruffin did make his return at 165 lbs. Ruffin earned a win over Shane Bates (Indianapolis) before a one-point loss to Cole Ritter (Maryland) in the semifinals. He’d medical forfeit down to sixth place. 

SIUE ended up with three runner’s-up at Maryville. Eric Almarinez (133), Jorden Johnson (157), and Nick Nosler (197). 

Jeremy Spates’ squad will see some good competition at the small individually bracketed, TigerStyle Invite on Saturday. Maryland, Missouri, Little Rock, Cal Poly, and Lindenwood are slated to attend. A day later, SIUE will host Rider in their MAC opener. 

Ohio

Ohio traveled to the Southeast Open and was able to crown a pair of champions in a very competitive open tournament. One of the surprises of the tournament was Garrett Thompson at 165 lbs. Thompson was a monster on the mat in his semifinal upset win over 2022 All-American Peyton Hall (West Virginia). In the second period, Thompson jumped ahead with a reversal and a pair of two-point near falls. Thompson won 8-5 despite not having a takedown. 

One weight down, Peyten Kellar was rather impressive. He tallied three falls in his five matches including one over Clayton Ulrey (Virginia Tech) in the finals. Before then, Kellar registered solid wins over Alex Hornfeck (West Virginia) and Dylan Cedeno (Virginia). 

Another notable showing for Ohio came at 149 lbs and redshirt freshman Derek Raike, who is already in the national rankings at #31. Raike majored #17 Michael Gioffre (Virginia) before falling to West Virginia true freshman, Ty Watters. For third place, Raike downed 2023 SoCon champion Shannon Hanna (Campbell). 

Northern Illinois

On Friday afternoon, Northern Illinois blanked a pair of opponents, 47-0 and 48-0. In their opener versus St. Ambrose, Jake Evans (165) and Jordan Summers (286) led the Huskies with pins. Blake West (125), Tommy Curran (149), and Ricardo Salinas (174) chipped in with tech falls. 

Curran, Kavan Troy (157), and Hayden Pummel (174) all had falls in the 48-0 win over Lindenwood. West, Tommy Curran, Matt Zuber (184), and Carter Grewe (197) were the only wrestlers that saw action in both dual for NIU. All four were unbeaten. 

The intensity will get ratcheted up for the Huskies in week two as they head north to the Michigan State Open and face a field that is sure to include plenty of opponents from the Big Ten. 

Cleveland State

Sunday was a day for Cleveland State to get plenty of experience and exposure. The Vikings and #10 Iowa State got together for a non-conference dual in Massillon, Ohio. The event took place at Perry High School, alma mater of the Cyclones 2021 national champion, David Carr. It allowed one of college wrestling’s superstars an opportunity to wrestle in front of plenty of friends and family. The dual was also broadcast on UFC FightPass.

The final result was lopsided in favor of Iowa State (43-3); however, the Vikings got a chance to compete against a lineup that featured All-Americans or All-American threats at each weight. Dylan Layton (141) was the lone CSU wrestler to notch a win. He prevailed in a 22-18 shootout against Jacob Frost. 

Cleveland State also travels to Morgantown for a pair of duals with Duke and West Virginia. For a team that was tabbed number three in the MAC, the West Virginia dual should be a good indicator of where Josh Moore’s team is at. They are very solid, yet not quite as stacked as Iowa State. 

Central Michigan

The Chippewas were the only MAC team that didn’t compete right away during week one. They’ll make up for it by hosting #13 Oklahoma on Thursday and traveling to the Michigan State Open on Saturday. The Oklahoma dual marks the debut of Michigan-native Roger Kish as the Sooners head coach. The Sooners have a lineup full of ranked wrestlers and makes for great matchups with CMU’s stars.

Last week we gave you answers to eight burning questions regarding the MAC for the 2023-24 preseason. It was relatively thorough, but at the same time, the MAC is a huge conference, so there is still more to talk about. Today, we have five more questions about the conference in the upcoming season. Get ready for some MAC-tion!

1) We’ve talked about a dark horse team. Who are some individual dark horses to watch?

First and foremost, we have to mention Bloomsburg’s Josh Mason. In each of the last two years, Mason has come into the MAC tournament, on the top half of the bracket, and made his way to the finals. Last season, he was seeded fourth and took out Jaivon Jones (Northern Illinois) a match after Jones knocked off top-seeded McKenzie Bell (Rider). In 2022, it was Mason doing the upsetting as he downed top-seeded Dresden Simon (Central Michigan) and #5 Gabe Willochell (Edinboro) on his way to the finals. Both years he’s beaten a wrestler that defeated him earlier in the regular season. While Mason starts the year outside of the national rankings, he can and has beaten the best in the conference. He’s also shown he can shake off some earlier losses and focus when the stakes are the highest. 

For another one, let’s look towards Clarion’s John Worthing. It’s probably not fair to label him a dark horse as he already has established himself, to an extent, and has made the big show and picked up two wins along the way. Worthing is someone who established himself during a breakout season in 2022-23 and, more specifically, at the MAC Championships. Worthing knocked off third-seeded Sal Perrine (Ohio) and second-seeded Tyler Stoltzfus (Lock Haven) to clinch a spot at nationals and make the conference finals. Interestingly enough, Worthing had defeated Stoltzfus during the regular season, but had a few extra conference losses on the resume. With some attrition at 174 lbs due to graduation, Worthing started the preseason ranked #19 at the weight. While he might not be a dark horse to MAC followers, should he continue to improve he could turn some heads nationally and get closer to All-American status. 

2) How many 149 lbers go to Kansas City?

Let’s face it. There are some thin weights in the MAC. It’s really rough having wrestlers from 13 teams vie for one or two NCAA berths. One bad match at the conference meet could even doom someone who earned an allocation.

The lack of qualifiers available at some weights can make fans feel good about seeing a weight like 149 lbs in the MAC. The conference was allocated five representatives at the weight before the MAC Championships. That makes it the highest total in the conference. Two other weights were allocated four slots. Because of upsets, when it was all said and done, six MAC wrestlers went to Tulsa at 149 lbs. 

The good news for followers of this conference is that four of those six return (Nathan Higley - George Mason; Quinn Kinner - Rider, Ryan Burgos - Edinboro, Caleb Tyus - SIU Edwardsville). In addition, Central Michigan’s 149 and 157 lbers have swapped places. Both were qualifiers in 2023 and are expected to contend for MAC titles in 2024, so it’s not a stretch to throw Corbyn Munson into the mix. 

In addition to those five, there are two others in the preseason rankings #31 Derek Raike (Ohio) and #32 Kyle Schickel (Clarion). If that isn’t enough, you have Nick Stonecheck (Lock Haven), who just missed out on qualifying last year. That’s eight right there and doesn’t account for anyone that emerges from the other conference schools. 

Now, let’s be realistic. With eight NCAA-level wrestlers in one weight class, they’ll likely exchange wins and generally beat each other up. It might be difficult for all of them to have good resumes at the end of the year. Ultimately, I think six is probably a safe number for this bracket again. 

3) Along with question two, can any other weights approach 149’s allocations/qualifiers?

As mentioned before, two other weights in the conference had four allocations in 2023; 157 and 174 lbs. In our preseason All-330 projections, we had both weights sending three wrestlers; however, in the “just missed” category both weights had two additional wrestlers from the MAC. Realistically, I don’t think any weight in the conference challenges 149, but those two weights have some good, safe bets for qualification amongst their three from the All-330, plus some strong secondary options.

Some other weights that may push for four qualifiers? I’d look at the bottom with 125 and 133. I view both weights very differently. 125 has a ton of depth between the wrestlers ranked #20-#33 and from #34-40, if a list existed. The difference between #28 and #40 at 125 lbs (nationally) is very small and that #40 ranked wrestler is certainly capable of racking up quality wins. 

So what does that mean for the MAC? They have a handful of those guys between #28-40 with #33 Blake West (Northern Illinois), UR Markel Baker (George Mason), and UR Joey Fischer (Clarion). Based on the information we have now, it would be hard to fathom two of those four getting at-larges or allocations. 

The good news is that it’s a new season and a bunch of wins by those wrestlers (or others) could completely change a preexisting narrative. 

133 is a weight that is very thin nationally after the #15-20 range. It would be much easier for a previously unheralded wrestler or two to make a mark and jump into the national ranking at 133. In the MAC, past qualifiers Gable Strickland (Lock Haven) and Richie Koehler (Rider) return, plus Virginia Tech transfer Brandon Wittenberg (George Mason) has made his weight into the preseason top-33. Again, with the composition of the weight class nationally, it isn’t far-fetched to think that another wrestler or two from the conference could make it four or five qualifiers.

4) You haven’t mentioned Rider much. Will they contend? 

I noticed that in part one! Rider seemed like a possible MAC Championship squad heading into the 2023 tournament, but didn’t have a great tournament. Only Quinn Kinner (149) and Ethan Laird (197) earned automatic qualifying bids. McKenzie Bell (141) was added as an at-large berth to bring their qualifiers to three. Laird went on to earn All-American honors, but has graduated and moved on, while Bell and Kinner return. Both could be considered favorites for conference titles. 

Other potential MAC championship threats for the Broncs include Richie Koehler (133) and David Szuba (285). Koehler and Jake Silverstein (157) are both past qualifiers that will make an impact again. 

A new face to keep an eye on is Will Betancourt at 125 lbs. Rider will likely redshirt 2023 starter Tyler Klinsky and give Betancourt a shot. Betancourt didn’t see the mat last season at Penn State, but went 15-6 in 2021-22 for Ohio State competing primarily unattached at 133 lbs. If the weight isn’t a factor, Betancourt surely could make an impact at 125. 

That means that 125-157 could be very solid for Rider in 2023-24. Should they get consistent production from 165-197, they might be a threat to Lock Haven/Central Michigan. Expected to see the mat for John Hangey’s team at those weights are Cole McComas (165), Michael Wilson (174), Isaac Dean/Brock Zurawski (184), and Asa Terrell/Azeem Bell (197). 

5) Have I missed any notable weight changes? 

Surprisingly there aren’t “that” many when it comes to NCAA qualifying contender types. Earlier, we mentioned that CMU’s middleweight tandem Corbyn Munson and Johnny Lovett are flipping weights. Munson is going back down to 149, while Lovett moves to 157. Both have had some success at those weights in the past. This should give both a chance to contend for All-American honors at their respective weights. Each is the highest-ranked MAC wrestler at their weight nationally. 

One you may have missed was Justin Ruffin for SIU Edwardsville. First of all, we were under the assumption that an injury cut short Ruffin’s career last season, so it’s great that he’s back and ready to compete for the Cougars. Ruffin has qualified for three national tournaments at 157 lbs; however, he’s only gotten to wrestling in one (2019). The 2020 tournament was cancelled and in 2021 he was awarded an at-large berth but couldn’t compete due to injury. 

Now Ruffin is back and will start the season at 165 lbs. A move up in weight is probably a good idea for a wrestler who has dealt with severe injuries like Ruffin. InterMat does understand that there’s a possibility that Ruffin might move back down to 157 at some point. 

Another change to mention is one that has Clarion’s Cam Pine going from 165 to 184. Pine has won 46 matches over the past two seasons against only 16 losses. At times last season, Pine was very close to breaking into the national rankings. With more experience and a good partner like Worthing at his disposal, Pine might be able to take the next step at a higher weight.

Today, it’s time to focus on the MAC! Last year was a bounce-back of sorts for the conference as they got back in the All-American round and saw a very slight increase in NCAA qualifiers. 

This MAC preview will consist of two parts one today and a second part next week. In this first part, we’ll answer eight burning questions related to the conference and its teams/wrestlers. 

1. Can anyone threaten Lock Haven?

In 2023, Lock Haven captured the MAC title by a slim, two-point over Central Michigan. With both teams generally returning the bulk of their respective nuclei, the answer is yes, right? Yes, but, this Lock Haven team should be stronger than the previous version. Four of their five 2023 national qualifiers return; however, they’ve added another in Wyatt Henson (141) and have two others who just missed out on qualification (Nick Stonecheck - 149 and Avery Bassett - 165). In addition, the Bald Eagles heavyweight, 2022 qualifier, Isaac Reid is back for a final season. An injury prevented Reid from hitting the mat until late January 2023 and he never seemed to get his feet under him. With a more normal campaign, Reid could be the top 15-type wrestler he looked like heading into the 2022-23 campaign. 

So, we’ve established that Lock Haven head coach Scott Moore should send out a team that features few, if any, holes. Which teams have enough firepower and depth to ground the Bald Eagles?

Central Michigan is the logical explanation. The Chippewas were close last year and return three 2023 national qualifiers. In addition, they have a promising pair of young big men (sophomores Cameron Wood and Bryan Caves; at 197/285, respectively) who gained valuable experience in 2022-23. Word around Mt. Pleasant is that 165 lber Tyler Swiderski has been very impressive and is pushing incumbent, Tracy Hubbard, himself a borderline national qualifier. The top of the CMU lineup has also been refortified with another Cramer brother. Adrien joins brother Alex (a national qualifier at 174) to man the 184 lb weight class. Adrien was 12-9 while redshirting for Maryland in 2021-22, but did not compete last season. Finally, CMU’s stars Corbyn Munson and Johnny Lovett have re-flipped weight classes, which could lead to both being at more comfortable weights and raising their respective ceilings. 

A team that may not have the consistent dual strength of CMU, but could be dangerous in a tournament situation to Lock Haven and the rest of the league is Cleveland State. Moore’s twin brother, Josh, has assembled a CSU team that has put five wrestlers in the preseason national rankings. Of those five, two are the highest-ranking MAC wrestlers (Ben Smith - 197 and Daniel Bucknavich - 285). Both Lock Haven and Central Michigan finished the conference tournament with a pair of MAC champions, so crowning two titlists should put you in the mix. 

From a dual standpoint, Clarion might be the most balanced team; outside of Lock Haven. While only two wrestlers made the preseason national rankings (Kyle Shickel - 149 and John Worthing - 174), Keith Ferraro’s team has a host of wrestlers that are on the cusp (Joey Fischer - 125, Alejandro Herrera-Rondon - 157, Cam Pine - 184). Additionally, Clarion is high on some new faces at 133 and 141. Former West Virginia national qualifier Ryan Sullivan is aboard at 141, while the Golden Eagles have true freshman Scott Johnson, Edinboro transfer Tye Varndall, and other joining returner Mason Prinkey. 

2. Who joins Anthony Noto on the medal stand?

Lock Haven 125 lber Anthony Noto is far and away the top wrestler in the conference this preseason. He finished fourth in the nation last year and enters the year ranked second at the weight. Noto was one of four MAC All-Americans during the 2023 NCAA Championships, which was a far cry from the 2022 tournament when no one from the conference broke into the top eight. 

During the offseason, two of those All-Americans, Izzak Olejnik and Will Feldkamp, moved on as graduate transfers to schools in the Big 12. Olejnik to Oklahoma State and Feldkamp to Iowa State. The fourth AA, Ethan Laird, graduated from Rider and is now a part of Maryland’s DMV RTC. 

So, who’s next? To be frank, there isn’t anyone that stands out immediately; however, the possibility exists for the conference to match last year’s number again. 

Let’s look at 133 lbs. Nationally, the weight is stacked up top, but after the top-ten or twelve, things drop off considerably. Does that open the door for a Gable Strickland (Lock Haven) or Richie Koehler (Rider)? Remember, to AA you don’t have to beat every guy ranked above you. Just one or two. Could they? Sure. 

Going up to 149 lbs, Corbyn Munson (Central Michigan) starts the year ranked #14 after an up-and-down campaign at 157. Provided the weight cut is fine, why not? Heck, Feldkamp was the 14th seed last year. And 149 has returning AA’s occupying the top-six spots. It’s a strong weight, but not loaded. 

At 157, Lovett is ranked in the same neighborhood as his teammate Munson (#15); however, 157 is a bit more stacked than 149. Looking at Lovett’s last year at 157 lbs (2021-22), he logged wins over two eventual All-Americans (Will Lewan - Michigan and Hunter Willits - Oregon State) and another over perennial contender (Doug Zapf - Penn), so he’s capable of a very slight upset or two at nationals. Or throughout the season he gets those wins and puts himself in the driver's seat in Kansas City. 

 Those are just a couple of the possibilities, but they were used to illustrate the fact that making the podium is hard, Let's not get it conflated, but at the same time, it can be done. Like Feldkamp, Olejnik was not seeded as an All-American (#12) he had to wrestle his way into the top-eight. 

3. Can the MAC increase its NCAA Qualifiers?

Questions two and three kind of go hand-in-hand. Your chances at All-American increase as you get more bodies at the national tournament. More wrestlers in Kansas City mean more chances at an upset or two or three. More chances to advance via unforeseen injuries defaults. More chances for a wrestler to become a weird stylistic matchup for a Big Ten opponent. 

In 2023, the MAC was allotted 23 spots at the tournament and added four more through at-large berths for a total of 27. That was the same number that competed in 2022; however, the conference was allotted only 22 spots initially. 

Part of this question works in conjunction with the Big Ten and Big 12. Those conferences are going to get a ton of allocations. At their conference tournaments, will upsets lead to even more? That ends up cutting into the other conferences. 

Looking at InterMat’s preseason rankings, 31 MAC wrestlers are mentioned among the top 33 at their respective weights. That’s a good thing and if that number were to hold would represent significant growth. Unfortunately, that number won’t hold. We’re not sure whether it grows or shrinks at this point; however, if I had to guess, I’d put my money on shrinking. 

Two reasons end up converging together as to why they could shrink. As of now, 11 wrestlers are ranked between #30-33. Should some stud freshmen (or overlooked veterans) work their way into the rankings, it’s not hard to fathom them bumping those MAC wrestlers out of the top-33. Those things happen every year at just about every weight class. 

Now if the MAC wrestlers take care of business and win matches, earn better spots in the rankings, away from the bubble, then they don’t need to worry about freshmen pushing them out of the top-33. 

Getting those allotments isn’t that, that hard either. One extra upset, being on the right side of a one-point loss or two, or dualing a top-flight team can do the trick and boost winning percentages, RPI’s, and rankings. 

If I was forced to guess, I’d think that the MAC will be able to move up from that 27 qualifier number in 2024. Throughout the conference, from top to bottom, there’s enough talent to increase the initial allotments and then steal five or six more spots. 

4. Does Ohio rebound from a tumultuous summer?

One of the most overlooked stories of the offseason, from a college wrestling standpoint, was the turmoil at Ohio University (and yes, overlooked by InterMat). Right after the 2023 NCAA Tournament, the Ohio staff was put on administrative leave as the school and local authorities investigated allegations of a physical assault during a practice. 

It wasn’t until August that the Athens City prosecutor's office announced that they had insufficient evidence to pursue criminal charges against the staff members. 

That meant that Joel Greenlee, a head coach at Ohio for 26 years, and his staff could resume activities with the Bobcat wrestling team. 

With the coaching staff away from the team for almost five months, how much damage has been done to the program? The current roster lists nine true freshmen which is actually a pretty decent number for a team that spent that much time in limbo. While veterans were said to be leading the team through offseason workouts, it likely pales in comparison to what the Bobcat staff had planned to accomplish. 

Hopefully, the mandated leave doesn’t impact a team that has the potential to be solid and make some noise at the conference tournament. Three NCAA qualifiers return (Peyten Kellar - 157, Sal Perrine - 174, and Zayne Lehman - 184), while a redshirt freshman (Derek Raike - 149) did enough last season to warrant a preseason ranking. That doesn’t include upperweights Austin Starr (197) and Jordan Greer (285), who showed promise last season and could be on the cusp of a breakout in 2023-24. 

The Bobcats will start the 2023-24 season at Virginia Tech’s Southeast Open on the first weekend of the regular season before dualing Chattanooga and Ashland the following weekend. 

We understand the need for Ohio University and the local authorities to do their due diligence with an investigation of this sort, but also glad to see Coach Greenlee back on the sideline as has long been a respected member of the coaching fraternity. 

5. When does Ludwig hit 100?

Earlier this preseason, InterMat posted an article about milestones to watch during the upcoming 2023-24 season. One of those that involved the MAC was Northern Illinois’ Ryan Ludwig who has 100 career dual meet victories well within his sights. As of now, Ludwig is sitting on 93 wins. His squad had six wins in back-to-back years, before going 8-5 in 2022-23. 

Looking at Northern Illinois’ schedule, they are very dual-heavy in the first half of the season. That bodes well for an early run at 100. The dates to circle are December 15th at Cal Baptist and December 19th for a quad hosted by the Huskies. If NIU is perfect in the first six matches, they’d be on the brink of 100 against the Lancers. Should they stumble in one of their first six dual (maybe against Purdue), win #100 could come at the quad that features Kent State, Northwestern, and Harper College. 

With seven MAC duals later in the schedule, here’s to the start of the next 100 for coach Ludwig. 

6. Who are new faces to watch?

True Freshman

Scott Johnson (Clarion - 133), Kyle Snider (Kent State - 184)

Redshirt Freshman

Jacob Brya (Northern Illinois - 141), Marcel Lopez (SIU Edwardsville - 133), Bradley Gillum (SIU Edwardsville - 165/174), Evan Maag (George Mason - 157), Chase Kranitz (Buffalo - 174), Raike

Transfers: 

Will Betancourt (Rider - 125), Wyatt Henson (Lock Haven - 141), Sullivan/Herrera-Rondon (Clarion), Adrien Cramer (Central Michigan), Brandon Wittenberg (George Mason - 133), Chad Nix (George Mason - 133), AJ Burkhart (Kent State - 174)

Going back to questions two and three. Only Raike, Henson, and Wittenberg are currently in the rankings. Should another couple of new faces prove to be high-quality starters, it would be even easier for the league to improve upon its 2023 qualifier numbers. 

7. What about a dark horse team? 

How about George Mason? Day one at the 2023 MAC Championships saw the host Patriots put together some magic that saw Nathan Higley and Peter Pappas advance to the conference finals. Higley became Mason’s first finalist since the school moved to the MAC, while Pappas ended up as GMU’s first champion during that span. Pappas has since traded his singlet for a whistle and slot on the Patriot coaching staff, but there is still plenty of talent in the revamped GMU room.

Like Clarion, George Mason has a few guys that are on the cusp of the preseason rankings. 125 lber Markel Baker would have been ranked #34 had we gone that high. Evan Maag redshirted at 149 lbs and amassed 22 victories, two of which came over past national qualifiers, and is now expected to start at 157. Malachi Duvall notched 23 wins in 2022-23 at 184 lbs (one of which was over an NQ). Tyler Kocak is expected to start at 197 a year after he saw action primarily at 184, but even wrestled heavyweight. Despite the changes, he won 17 of 30 matches. Finally, heavyweight Chad Nix was 11-7 at Campbell, after barely seeing the mat during his first two years. 

Frank Beasley’s team starts the year with Higley and Brandon Wittenberg ranked in the top-33. Wittenberg has been stuck behind multiple All-American lightweights at Virginia Tech, so we’re not totally sure of his ceiling. Last year, he did register wins over NCAA qualifiers Joe Manchio (Columbia) and Ethan Oakley (Appalachian State). 

Challenging Lock Haven or Central Michigan might be a bit ambitious in 2023-24, but George Mason certainly could shake things up if the stars align properly. 

8. What are the key dates outside of the MAC?

Out-of-Conference Duals

November 2nd: SIU Edwardsville at Illinois

November 5th: Cleveland State vs. Iowa State @ Massillon, OH

November 9th: Oklahoma at Central Michigan

November 10th: Rider at Indiana

November 11th: Lock Haven vs. Arizona State @ Bethlehem, PA

November 11th: NC State vs. Bloomsburg @ Bethlehem, PA

November 11th: North Carolina at Buffalo

November 12th: Edinboro at Ohio State

November 12th: Kent State at West Virginia

November 16th: West Virginia at Clarion

November 17th: Virginia at Buffalo

November 18th: Central Michigan at North Carolina

November 18th: Minnesota at George Mason

November 19th: Central Michigan at Illinois

November 19th: Michigan at Rider

November 19th: Northern Illinois at Purdue

December 1st: Rutgers at Edinboro

December 7th: Michigan State at Buffalo

December 9th: Central Michigan at Indiana

December 9th: Wisconsin at Rider

December 10th: Buffalo at Rutgers

December 16th: Michigan State at Clarion

December 19th: Lock Haven vs. Northern Iowa, NC State, Ohio State @ Nashville, Tennessee

December 19th: Northwestern at Northern Illinois

January 6th: Ohio at Michigan State

January 7th: Rider at Rutgers

January 11th: Little Rock at Cleveland State

January 11th: Princeton at Rider

January 14th: Campbell at Central Michigan

February 4th: Ohio at Central Michigan

February 10th: George Mason at Virginia Tech

February 17th: SIU Edwardsville at Ohio

February 22nd: Rider at Pittsburgh

February 23rd: Central Michigan at Michigan State

February 25th: Edinboro at Penn State

February 25th: Michigan at Central Michigan

Tournaments

November 18th: Navy Classic (Bloomsburg, Cleveland State, Edinboro, Kent State, Lock Haven, Ohio)

December 1/2: Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational (Ohio, Rider)

December 29/30: Midlands (Buffalo, Central Michigan, Cleveland State, George Mason, Northern Illinois, SIU Edwardsville)

January 1st/2: Southern Scuffle (Bloomsburg, Clarion)

January 12/13: Virginia Duals (Kent State)