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The Hoos are looking to improve after a difficult season last year. The team will look much different with a massive turnover from graduation. The extra year of eligibility for much of their starting lineup last year allowed the Cavaliers to redshirt their entire highly-ranked recruiting Class of 2022. We will see those redshirts step in to start at many of the weights this season, and personally, I think they are going to make a lot of noise this year. Due to some changes late in the scheduling process, the Hoos will have a lighter dual schedule this year. They will get solid competition at the Midlands and the Virginia Duals before opening conference duals. I think they are under the radar right now with such a young lineup, but there is a lot of talent and a lot of motivation coming out of that room, and I expect to see a scrappy UVA squad every time they hit the mat. TOP RETURNERS Justin McCoy will be back for his final year of eligibility and is looking to build on his ACC championship run last season. He has been a consistent leader on and off the mat for the Hoos and will play a crucial role as a veteran on a very young team. McCoy is a three-time ACC finalist and was able to break through last season to win his first title. He is also a four-time NCAA qualifier, making the bloodround in 2022 and falling in the round of 16 last year. There will be a big change for Juddy this season though, as he moves up to 174 for his final run. Dylan Cedeno will also be changing weight classes this season, and from the size he’s put on, he’s enjoying that opportunity. Cedeno is moving up from 141 to 157 and I have been very impressed with what I’ve seen from him at the new weight. I think it will be a good change for him physically and mentally as the weight cut has been a challenge for him. He is a one-time NCAA qualifier and will be fighting to earn his way to Kansas City. KEY DEPARTURES Thanks to extra eligibility from the COVID year, UVA had an abnormally large graduating class last year and several multi-year starters completed their time on Grounds. Patrick McCormick was a three-year starter and two-time NCAA qualifier. Brian Courtney is the first (and likely only) wrestler to ever be included on this list twice! Courtney was a two-time NCAA qualifier and made the bloodround during his senior year in 2022. He decided to return to Charlottesville to use his final year of eligibility last season. This was an incredible undertaking by Courtney and the UVA coaching staff to make this work; Courtney balanced a full load of grad classes, while still working full-time as a teacher and worked his “sick days”--with the support of his administration--to compete during 2nd semester. Unfortunately, after a strong return, Courtney tore his pec in the dual against American and cut short his return to the mat. Jarod Verkleeren made the most of his time in Charlottesville after transferring from Penn State. He was a two-year starter for the Hoos and made the NCAA tournament last year after a third-place finish at the ACC Championships. Verkleeren was also the inaugural Intermat ACC #BaldHero Award winner and will forever be etched in the annals of history. Denton Spencer spent a lot of time in the starting lineup and was one of the more explosive wrestlers to come through Charlottesville racking up 32 pins in his five years at UVA. Jake Keating was an ACC Runner-Up and two-time NCAA qualifier who quietly put together an impressive resume. Vic Marcelli was a one-time NCAA qualifier Neil Antrassian only had one year in Charlottesville but made a mark in that season. He was a Midlands third-place finisher and qualified for his first NCAA tournament while navigating the deepest weight in the conference. Michael Battista showed incredible growth in his time at UVA. He went from a sub .500 record his first year as a starter to ending his career with a 41-21 record and two trips to the NCAA tournament over his final two years. NEWCOMERS Ryan Catka comes to Charlottesville via the Naval Academy and will challenge for the starting spot at heavyweight. He is the brother of Virginia Tech heavyweight Hunter Catka. Sammy Hayes joins the Hoos after a season in Illinois. He adds some depth and talent at the lower weights and will be someone to watch at 125 or 133. His brother Louie was an All-American for UVA in 2021 at 133. WRESTLER(S) TO WATCH With all the new faces in the UVA lineup, it’s tough to pick one to watch, so let’s go with a group. Keep an eye on the redshirt freshmen who will be stepping into the lineup this year. The Hoos put together a top-10 recruiting class nationally in 2022 and that crew has been chomping at the bit to get into the fray. Kyle Montaperto won the Southeast Open and had a strong open season, but was 0-3 in dual action; I expect a year of maturity will pay off big for Kyle and he can be a dangerous offensive threat to open the lineup. The Gioffre brothers have all the tools to make a major impact nationally. Jack was 4-2 in an injury-shortened redshirt season and picked up a dual win over Northwestern. Michael ended his redshirt year at 12-5, picking up a 5th place finish at the Southern Scuffle, which included a win over All-American Jaden Abas and was 3-1 in dual action. Both were California state champs and are very technically sound in all positions. One more to watch is Nick Hamilton. He is one of the Iowa/Nebraska recruits that have made their way to the East Coast with the help of the Paulson Brothers’ recruiting. Hamilton was a three-time state champ; twice in Iowa, once in Nebraska; and had a phenomenal redshirt season. He went 13-2, winning the Southeast Open and the App State Open; and 3-2 at Midlands and 4-0 in dual action. Hamilton is positionally sound and can put up points in bunches; he is very poised and mature and that will play a big role in his success this year. REDSHIRT REPORT Kyle Montaperto 7-6 Jack Gioffre 4-2 Michael Gioffre 12-5; 5th Place Southern Scuffle Nick Sanko 8-3 Nick Hamilton 13-2 TOP OUT-OF-CONFERENCE DUAL The Hoos will make a trip out west to Fargo to face North Dakota State in early December. I think this will be a solid matchup of teams that have a lot of young talent and could be a back-and-forth dual. They will also face George Mason and Gardner-Webb on the campus of St. Christopher’s in Richmond in January. They faced GMU at this event last year and I’m glad to see it continue to grow. POTENTIAL LINEUP 125: Kyle Montaperto 7-6 (RS) Sammy Hayes 1-0 (RS Illinois) 133: Marlon Yarbrough 7-10 1-3 ACC Gable Porter True Freshman 141: #23 Jack Gioffre 4-2 (RS) 149: #18 Michael Gioffre 12-5 (RS) 157: Dylan Cedeno 10-9 (141) 1-2 ACC - NCAA Qualifier Nick Sanko 8-3 (RS) 165: #25 Nick Hamilton 13-2 (RS) 174: #9 Justin McCoy 21-6 4-1 ACC - ACC Champion - 3x ACC Finalist - 4x NCAA Qualifier 184: #29 Haydn Danals 14-5 Hudson Stewart 10-9 0-1 ACC 197: Colden Dorfman 7-5 285: Gabe Christensen 4-6 Ryan Catka 9-5 (Navy)

Welcome all on this chilly Friday morning to another edition of the mailbag. Teams are practicing and wrestleoffs are already being announced so the season is creeping up quickly. Today is my brother’s birthday and tomorrow is my other brother’s birthday. And while I know that neither is reading this, I still hope you both have a great day. In a few weeks, my other, other brother has a birthday. I have a lot of brothers. We’re like the Finejaggers over here. And we’re all getting old. But here’s to the three of you and many more birthdays for you all. Just remember, I’ll always be the tallest and best-looking. Now let’s get into this mailbag. Which are your favorite UFC Fight Pass wrestling events to be covered this season and why? Kevin Claunch I’m not sure I have any at the moment. The truth is that I didn’t get too excited over this whole endeavor because to me it’s just another service I have to subscribe to. For the sake of the sport, I suppose it’s a positive. MMA has a large fan base and with the success of recent wrestlers in the eight-sided circle, it makes sense to capitalize on that by trying to lure in some of that fan base. Streaming services need content. Wrestling has more than enough content to give and this does give a few teams who otherwise never get center stage a chance in the spotlight. And that's a good thing. If Carter Starocci goes like he is projected as a 5-time NCAA champ, where do you rank him all time? Jkos11 Probably the 1B to Cael’s 1A as the best-case scenario. In my mind, you can’t topple the guy who never lost for four straight years unless you do the same thing. But for argument’s sake, let’s break this down a little. For Sanderson it’s easy. 159 wins in a row. Carter is on pace for about 110 matches total with an extra year. Advantage: Cael. Both guys took a redshirt so there’s no true freshman factor here. Now if Starocci won the 2021 title as a true freshman with a couple of losses and then ran off four straight, without a loss, I might think differently about this. And what of that shortened season? Did Starocci have an advantage by not having to deal with the grind of the full season? Would it have mattered? Seeing that he’s won two more since, I’ll say it didn’t matter. He was the best guy that year regardless. The bottom line is, the potential five-time NCAA D1 championship quest is a special thing that will likely be the rarest feat ever accomplished if it happens. Factor in the guys he has beaten and would have to beat to get there, it puts him in the conversation as the best ever. I just don’t think I can put him over Cael. What venues should the NCAA announce the NCAA championships for the next cycle and why is one of them Boardwalk Hall. Aaron Bartlett Ha, that would be something. I’ve never actually been to Boardwalk Hall so I’m not sure if it is the best venue. Do they have suites? A couple of our more fancy fans enjoy the suites so they can look down on their minions for three days like Commodus in Gladiator. Lord knows that Atlantic City has plenty of hotels and a large surrounding fanbase so it’s not the worst idea. I just want to sit between the Brands brothers while they aggressively shout “Hit me” at the Blackjack table and slap each other senseless out of instinct. Short sample size, but does Jags like the expanded MLB playoff format with the first-round byes? Rhino It’s fine. Houston has no problem with it. Atlanta might have a problem with it. They certainly don’t have a problem with winning over 100 games to earn the bye. They just have a problem with winning three more after they earn it. But there is something to be said about sitting around for days while your opponent wins a series and gets to party and gain more confidence. I liken it to a guy losing early then storming through the backside and knocking off higher-ranked guys on the way to a good finish. Alright, maybe it’s not the same but you get my point. Am I fooling anybody with this combover? Salty Walkon Unless it’s 1984 and you’re a science teacher, just shave those scalp scraps and accept it. Will you be attending the UPenn v Rutgers match on January 6th in the Palestra? Asking for a friend. Kevin McGuigan Is that friend Matt Valenti? Thoughts and prayers to my fellow Mets fan for what he has to go through right now. I’m sure winning two NCAA titles was tough, but it’s not as tough as dealing with all this Phillies stuff.