Tanner Orndorff celebrates after knocking off No. 5 Tanner Sloan of South Dakota State (Photo/UVU Athletics)This past weekend in NCAA Division I wrestling brought some surprises both in dual meets and tournaments. Let's examine 10 notable upsets from this past weekend.
Friday
197: Tanner Orndorff (Utah Valley) dec. No. 5 Tanner Sloan (South Dakota State), 5-3
When/Where: Friday dual meet at Utah Valley
After going 2-2 at last year's NCAAs competing at 197 pounds, Utah Valley's Tanner Orndorff made the move down to 184 pounds this season. He struggled early, compiling a 2-3 record over his first five matches. In addition to losing by fall to two-time NCAA champion Zahid Valencia of Arizona State (no shame), he was beaten 12-2 by Max Lyon of Purdue and 6-1 by Chris Weiler of Lehigh. Orndorff moved back up to 197 pounds this past weekend and knocked off No. 5 Tanner Sloan of South Dakota State, 5-3, in his return to his old weight class. He rode out Sloan the entire second period and picked up a takedown in the final period to earn the victory.
197: Kordell Norfleet (Arizona State) dec. No. 7 Kyle Conel (Penn State), 10-4
When/Where: Friday dual meet at Arizona State
Based on rankings, this was a pretty big upset and came at a critical time in a tightly contested dual meet. However, Conel has been underwhelming this season. The Kent State graduate transfer started his season by sneaking past Jake Koser of Navy, 4-3. The next weekend, Conel took a surprising loss to Aaron Bolo of Central Michigan at the Black Knight Invitational before defaulting out of the tournament. His No. 7 ranking entering this past weekend appears to have been inflated. Norfleet was an NCAA qualifier two seasons ago as a true freshman before missing the second half of last season due to injury. He made his season debut against Conel and look strong, claiming a 10-4 decision.
Columbia's Joe Manchio defeated No. 14 Gabriel Townsell of Stanford (Photo/Chris Mora, Tech-Fall.com)Saturday
125: Joe Manchio (Columbia) dec. No. 14 Gabriel Townsell (Stanford), 6-3
When/Where: Saturday dual meet at Stanford
Manchio, a sophomore who compiled a 20-15 record last season but failed to qualify for the NCAAs, entered the weekend having won five of his first six matches this season. On Saturday, he faced No. 14 Gabriel Townsell, who was making his season debut after competing at the U23 World Championships. Manchio went on to win the Roadrunner Open on Sunday.
184: No. 12 Trent Hidlay (NC State) dec. No. 5 Ben Darmstadt (Cornell)
When/Where: Saturday dual meet at Cornell
Expectations have been high for Trent Hidlay, the younger brother of multiple-time All-American Hayden Hidlay. He won a bronze medal at the Junior World Championships and compiled a 17-2 record as a redshirt. On Saturday afternoon, the redshirt freshman got his first major test in college when he met Cornell All-American Ben Darmstadt. Late in the match, with the score 4-4 and Darmstadt having riding time secured, Hidlay scored a takedown and held on to beat the fifth-ranked Darmstadt, 7-5.
184: No. 12 Trent Hidlay (NC State) dec. No. 4 Lou DePrez (Binghamton)
When/Where: Saturday dual meet at Binghamton
After beating Darmstadt on Saturday afternoon, Hidlay met his second top-five opponent on Saturday night, No. 4 Lou DePrez of Binghamton. The two wrestlers battled to a 1-1 score in regulation, sending the match to sudden victory. Neither wrestler was able to score in sudden victory, which sent it to tiebreakers, where Hidlay rode out DePrez in the first 30 seconds, and then escaped in the finals 30 seconds to earn a 2-1 win.
141: No. 16 Josh Heil (Campbell) dec. No. 6 Kyle Shoop (Lock Haven)
When/Where: Saturday at Navy Classic
Lock Haven's Shoop is a returning All-American who led the nation in technical falls in each of the last two seasons. He made his season debut this past weekend at the Navy Classic. Seeded No. 1, Shoop reached the finals where he faced Josh Heil, a returning NCAA qualifier who moved down a weight this season. Heil was able to edge Shoop, 2-1, in a match that saw no takedowns scored.
Sunday
149: No. 18 Collin Purinton (Nebraska) dec. No. 3 Max Thomsen (Northern Iowa)
When/Where: Sunday dual meet at Northern Iowa
Thomsen entered the weekend ranked No. 3 after winning his first four matches this season, which included a 12-7 win over All-American Jarrett Degen of Iowa State. On Sunday, Thomsen met senior Collin Purinton of Nebraska, ranked No. 19. Thomsen led 3-2 after the opening period and extended his lead to 6-3 after two periods. But Purinton battled back and eventually sent the match to sudden victory with the score tied 7-7. In sudden victory, Purinton wasted little time getting to Thomsen's leg and put him down a match-winning takedown.
157: No. 11 David Carr (Iowa State) dec. No. 2 Kaleb Young (Iowa)
When/Where: Sunday dual meet at Iowa State
After Carr's impressive run to gold at the Junior World Championships this past summer, few would consider this much of an upset. But Young is a returning All-American who entered Sunday's match ranked No. 2 at 157 pounds, while the freshman Carr held a No. 11 ranking with no notable college victories. It was Carr's first major test in college wrestling … and he showed why wrestling fans all over the nation have been buzzing about the Cyclone freshman. After a scoreless first period, Carr and Young traded escapes and the match was tied 1-1 late. With just over 30 seconds left, Carr fired off a shot and used a single leg to lock up a cradle, scoring a takedown and nearfall points to earn a 6-1 victory.
Purdue's Griffin Parriott defeated Clarion's Brock Zacherl at the Boilermaker Duals (Photo/Purdue Athletics)149: No. 13 Griffin Parriott (Purdue) dec. No. 7 Brock Zacherl (Clarion), 4-2
When/Where: Sunday at Boilermaker Duals
Zacherl is a three-time NCAA qualifier who suffered a season-ending injury last season. He was eligible for a medical hardship and earned an extra year of eligibility. Zacherl opened the season by winning the Clarion Open. He was then pushed by George Mason's Colston DiBlasi on Nov. 17, but prevailed in sudden victory, 4-2. Zacherl, ranked No. 7 at 149 pounds, faced No. 13 Griffin Parriott of Purdue on Sunday at the Boilermaker Duals. Parriott, an NCAA qualifier last season at 157 pounds, used a first-period takedown and two escapes to defeat Zacherl. Parriott improved his record to 6-0 this season, while Zacherl fell to 5-1.
157: Matt Zovstoski (Appalachian State) dec. No. 8 Anthony Artalona (Penn)
When/Where: Sunday at Keystone Classic
Artalona, the nation's No. 18 senior recruit in 2018, won a conference title as a true freshman and reached the round of 12 at the NCAAs. He moved up a weight class this season to 157 pounds and came into the weekend with just one blemish on his record this season, a 10-7 loss to Purdue undefeated freshman Kendall Coleman, ranked No. 8, at the Michigan State Open. Seeded No. 1 at Sunday's Keystone Classic, Artalona reached the semifinals before being edged by Appalachian State's Matt Zovstoski, a returning NCAA qualifier, 3-2. What makes this result particularly interesting is that the two wrestlers met at last year's NCAAs, with Artalona getting a 16-1 technical fall.
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