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Duke: The Blue Devils notched their first two dual wins of the season over Cleveland State (19-16) and Kent State (24-17) in Morgantown; they fell to WVU but picked up a huge individual win in the process. Gaetano Console earned a fall over All-American Peyton Hall at 165 in what is the best individual win of the season-to-date for Duke. I said going into the weekend that was going to be a great measuring stick for Duke and they performed very well. Console was 2-0 on the day while Logan Agin, Connor Becker, Logan Ferrero, Jarred Papscy, and Jack Wimmer all went 2-1 on the weekend. The Blue Devils are back in action this weekend at the Keystone Classic in Philadelphia. North Carolina: The Tar Heels were in Pennsylvania for the Journeymen WrangleMania Duals where they faced Buffalo and Arizona State. They had a solid performance in both duals and were 2-0 on the day. They opened with a 32-7 win over Buffalo before topping the #9 Sun Devils 22-16. The Heels were led by Spencer Moore, Lachlan McNeil, Max Shaw, and Cade Lautt all going 2-0 on the day. Lautt made his debut at 285 on the weekend and looks very comfortable up a weight. Marisol Nugent captured an individual title at the Princeton Open this weekend for the Tar Heels as well. She will compete at the Bill Ferrell this weekend. They travel to Illinois for Sunday duals against Central Michigan and Illinois. North Carolina State: The Wolfpack competed in both days of the Journeymen WrangleMania event last weekend with dual wins over Bloomsburg and Purdue, followed by individual round-robin action on Sunday. They went 18-2 in dual matches, dropping only one match in each dual beating Bloomsburg 45-4 and Purdue 37-3. Jakob Camacho earned a huge win against NCAA finalist Matt Ramos in a controlling decision. Kai Orine and Dylan Fishback also picked up ranked wins against Purdue. NC State has headed back north again this week, this time to a New York homecoming for Coach Pop. They wrestled a dual at Army last night, picking up a 34-6 win in West Point. They will wrestle in the Armbar at the Armory event on Friday against Sacred Heart and Binghamton. I really like the idea of this event Frank Poplizio put together for Journeymen, inviting teams with NY coaching ties. Fellow New Yorker Steve Garland will be bringing UVA up for the event as well. Pittsburgh: The Panthers had their first dual action of the year last weekend, traveling to Annapolis for duals against VMI, Morgan State, and Navy. They went 2-1 on the day with shutout wins over VMI 47-0 and Morgan State 54-0. The Panthers lost the dual to Navy in a down performance where they dropped several close matches. Finn Solomon, Holden Heller, Luca Augustine, and Mac Stout were all 3-0 on the day. The Panthers will be on the road this weekend. They will face Lehigh on Sunday afternoon and Maryland on Monday night. Virginia: The Hoos traveled south to the Appalachian Invite/Open in Boone last weekend. They had a much better performance across the board than opening weekend. They crowned several champions in both divisions. Marlon Yarbrough (133), Jack Gioffre (141), Justin McCoy (174), and Colden Dorfman (197) earned Invite titles while Evan Buchanan (133) and Griffin Gammell (184) earned them in the Open division. Kyle Montaperto (125), Michael Gioffre (149), and Dylan Cedeno (157) were also finalists while Gable Porter (133), Michael Murphy (165), and Ethan Weatherspoon (197) finished in 3rd. The Hoos will travel to New York for the Armbar at the Armory on Friday where they will open dual competition against LIU and Buffalo. Virginia Tech: The Hokies had an up-and-down weekend, dropping a top-10 dual to Ohio State 24-12 on Friday and putting up a lopsided win over American 39-4 on Sunday. Coach Robie felt the team underperformed in a big dual and took away some important things for the team to focus on. They responded well to the adjustments and we saw a very focused team on Sunday. Sam Latona, Caleb Henson, Bryce Andonian, and Mekhi Lewis all had big ranked wins on Friday and also won in the Sunday dual. The Hokies are on the road this weekend and will face another tough test against a scrappy Rutgers squad in Piscataway on Friday night. They will also send most of their starters to the Keystone Classic this weekend.

Every week during the 2023-24 season, the InterMat staff will submit their picks for some of the most high-profile or competitive dual meets. As the season progresses, we'll keep track of records for bragging rights or as ammunition for when we mock each other. No, we'd never do that, it's all in good fun (right?). Results through week two 8-3: Nick Z, Bob Dole 7-4: Earl, Morgan, James, Jagger, Tony, Dysen 6-5: Willie, Robbie, Ryan, Kevin, Austin, Rachel, Richard Below are the picks for week three. Two of the duals take place tonight!

After a tumultuous week filled with upsets, we head to a Week 3 slate largely headlined, already, by high-profile duals. Here are five big things The Brain will be monitoring. 5. What Will Mizzou @ ASU Look Like? When you see Missouri vs. ASU, you immediately think, ‘Awesome!’ Intermat’s tournament rankings have The Tigers at #5 and the Flaming Forks #6. Without a doubt, it’s a must-watch dual for any college wrestling fan. However, we might be in for a bit of a letdown. First of all, ASU is a much better tournament team - especially until they get some weights figured out. Intermat has them at just #16 in a dual setting with Missouri all the way up at #3. And who knows what personnel ASU will have available. Neither #2 Richie Figs (125) nor #4 Cohlton Schultz have wrestled yet this year and Jesse Vazquez (141) and Jacori Teemer (157) got pretty banged up in competition last week. The results of the matches and the dual, of course, will be interesting to follow. But the status of some of the Sun Devils is interesting in its own right. 4. Mesenbrink Watch Word came out of the Penn State camp yesterday that Alex Facundo will redshirt and that it will be Mitch Mesenbrink manning the 165 spot for the Nittany Lions this year. He went undefeated last week at Journeymen and there will continue to be eyes on him this week as he suits up for Army’s Black Knight Invitational. 3. Sign Me Up For Duals in Barns I spoke with Campbell HC Scotti Sentes last week in Nebraska. If you’ve seen their duals on the Army base the last two years, you know how awesomely unique it was. Well, Scotti said their dual at Wyoming - The Battle In The Barn - on UFC Fight Pass, might even be a cooler setup. 2. Oregon State Visits Carver This is such a sneaky good dual. Last week, I said Navy at Pitt would be a good one and this one stacks up similarly but with the added bonuses of 1) being in a sold-out, raucous Carver-Hawkeye Arena, 2) being the first high-profile dual of the year for the Hawks, 3) featuring a lineup that has been perhaps the most discussed in the history of college wrestling’s offseason. While it’s a long shot, The Beavers bring in a squad that could knock off the perennial power. Let’s break it down: 125: Drake Ayala is a favorite over All-American Brandon Kaylor who has taken some not-great losses recently. Still, a Kaylor win wouldn’t be earth-shattering. 133: Brody Teske or Jace Rhodes vs. Gabe Whisenunt Whisenhunt was a guy I highlighted in a previous ‘Best New Starters’ article. I think he’d be neck-and-neck with Teske, who might be out for this dual. I’d take Whisenhunt over Rhodes. 141: Real Woods vs. Cleveland Belton This is the clearest pick of the dual. Woods should post bonus. 149: Victor Voinovich vs. Noah Tolentino Voinovich is a favorite here but 1) he wrestles really tight matches and 2) Tolentino is a good young prospect from powerhouse Poway, California. For comparative purposes, they have one common opponent: Voinovich beat Baptist’s Dayne Morton 2-1; Tolentino beat him 8-2. If Tolentino can hold his own on bottom - or better yet, get out - we could have a good bout on our hands. 157: Jared Franek vs. Murphy Menke Franek is among the best in the country at 157 and a real title contender. With the 3pt. Takedown, he could approach bonus. 165: Michael Caliendo vs. Matt Olguin Caliendo is a slight favorite. This was a Round of 16 match at NCAA’s won by Caliendo, 9-8. Duals have a way of going off-script quickly, but a pre-match assessment suggests this is a must-have for Oregon State. 174: Gabe Arnold or Aiden Riggins vs. Travis Wittlake Arnold recently won a tournament where Riggins was also in the bracket. With the new five-match rule for redshirts, you’d think Iowa would utilize this spot for Arnold - a blue-chip true freshman. Wittlake is a super senior and former AA who is finally at his perfect weight. While an Arnold win wouldn’t shock anyone, the conservative pick would probably be to go with Wittlake and his riding ability. 184: Brennan Swafford vs. Trey Munoz This is another bout where there is a clear pick in returning All-American Munoz. However, Swafford is a seasoned veteran who wrestles hard as hell and making his second career start ever and his first in Carver. He’s going to be fired up. 197: Zach Glazier vs. Justin Rademacher Glazier was my #83 overall prospect in 2019 who had to wait to get into starting action behind 5x All-American Jacob Warner. Rademacher placed everywhere in high school and is a true freshman who I tabbed #56 in this year’s class. I view it as a toss-up match, perhaps favoring the veteran, especially in his home gym. 285: Brad Hill vs. Boone McDermott Like 197, HWT presents another weight for the Hawks where their mainstay, Tony Cassioppi, is gone. In steps Brad Hill, the #112 ranked prospect of 2022. His opponent will be Iowa native Boone McDermott. I think most handicappers would give Boone the slight edge due to his experience, but I think anything goes in this bout. Big Picture: Oregon State needs 133 and 165 to make this a thing. If they do, we have a dual on our hands. If they don’t, it could get ugly. They are big ‘ifs’; but it could get fun. Possible upset? Yeah. Probable? No. And in Carver. Too many things have to go right and even a 5-5 split would spell a Hawks win with bonus potential at 41 and 57. Gimme the Hawks 20-13. 1. Pork Roll (Taylor Ham) Week For The Hokies On Jagger Night Earl sent me the duals for this week’s pick ‘ems and I quickly, too quickly, took Virginia Tech. Looking at it closer, RU really has a shot in this dual. Two weeks ago, Ventresca would have been a slight favorite over Mean Dean Peterson in a 125lb matchup of two Garden State natives. But Eddie is in a rut. Dean needs to get it done for 1) Me, his fantasy owner and 2) Jagger, his greatest fan. All-American Sam Latona should be considered a favorite over a bumped up Dylan Shawver, but Sam has a history of early-season losses and Shawver has got some dawg in him. Transfer Mitch Moore gives the Knights a favorite at 141. But here comes Tech’s wheelhouse where Henson and Andonian could both bonus. Toss up at 165 with Anthony White and Connor Brady. I’ll take White in a mild upset. Mekhi is favored over Turley at 174, but then RU is favored, albeit slightly, in the final three bouts. Big Picture: I think Rutgers can get to five, but they’ll have to limit the bonus in some spots to get the dual victory. Oh, wait, I forgot. It’s Jagger Night. Rutgers by a million!

Before we begin the show, I just want to wish the happiest of birthdays to my man Earl Smith. Tonight’s VT-Rutgers matchup was actually supposed to be Earl Night, but he has a soccer game or something to go to. That mistake aside, I’m proud to call Virginia’s second favorite son not only my captain, but also my friend. So have a day, my man. You’ve earned it. Now let’s see if I can sneak an F Word in here somewhere. If Tom Brands ever decides to step down, who would Iowa need to go after to compete with PSU?? Who could they actually get? Dean Wrestling First off, I don’t think Tom Brands knows the words step down/retire/quit. But if there ever was to be a change, there’s no shortage of candidates of Hawkeye alumni. Spencer Lee has always been discussed as the future man in charge and I don’t disagree. But the point is moot for now because Brands is not going anywhere any time soon. Who is really #1 at 133? Madison Hollenbeck If you asked me 20 years ago I’d say Nelly. Because two is not a winner and three nobody remembers. But it’s not 20 years ago and there are no St. Lunatics here. By the time this hits the newsstands, you’ll have heard every argument about it and I’m not sure what else I can add to it except for what I’m about to say to the next question. For the record, I still think Vitali Arujau is the best wrestler at the weight until further notice. Are rankings just actually for clicks? Derek Conrad Well, I think everything is for clicks in some aspect. The point is to draw traffic to your site and sell ad space. As you can see, I have no ads because I write the dumbest column in the history of the sport. But rankings are just one person’s opinion and of course, it will vary from site to site. Flo has a formula they use and so does InterMat. WrestleStat has an algorithm that sometimes makes for some strange movement, but those guys constantly tinker to try and get it right. My advice is to take them all with a grain of salt and just as a reference tool for matching guys up. Did Flo put Crookham at number one to juice the conversation for the week and maybe get ahead of the curve if he really does end up on top at the end? Maybe they did. But that’s the business we are in. Clicks and conversation are what fuel us. Am I mentioning Ryan Crookham, right now, just so Earl can use his picture in the header? You’re damn right I am. It generates clicks. What is the appropriate date for Christmas music to start? Salty Walkon The day after Thanksgiving. Frankly, I just don’t know why businesses even do this before then. Trust me, nobody is yearning for Jingle Bells on November 17. We all want our Mariah Carey but don’t shove it down our throats. Go full bore on Black Friday and we will all accept it. I have to think of everything around here. I'm tired of it. Keys to victory for the Scarlet Knights to pull off this upset end keep the Jagger Night streak alive? Dysen Gould There are a few paths to victory here. The simplest is probably a 5/5 split with a Soldano pin to cover any bonus point losses. In that scenario, I have it 18-17 Rutgers. But even then, some of those proposed wins are still tossups that you absolutely have to win and you’re asking one of them to be via pin. Sure, Soldano is a pinner but sometimes it just doesn’t happen. I’ll say this much; the new takedown scoring may severely affect the way the wind blows in this one. If VT can pull majors in their most favorable matches then it’s likely because of the new scoring rules. On the flip side, Soldano may not get a pin but his style may lead to various seven-point moves that will be huge on the Rutgers end. 165 is the pivotal match in this one. VT should be the favorite on paper, but Tony White is no joke. A win here in the home opener against a team like this could be just the thing Tony needs to get to that next level. The whole dual is just fascinating and could be on the shortlist of best duals of the year when the season comes to an end. Or it could suck. Jags, back in 2004, I witnessed a guy smoking between matches at the Scranton Open. Was this you or someone you know? Richard Mann I wish. Coincidentally, I was living in Northeast PA about 45 minutes from Scranton in 2004, but I was tending bar rather than huffing Bogeys at open tournaments. That was also a miserable time in my life and I will speak no further of it. I wasted so much time of my life serving old men beer in one-dollar pilsner glasses during the day shift. Just miserable.

Thursday’s Dual Results NC State 34 Army West Point 6 125 - Jakob Camacho (NC State) maj Ethan Berginc (Army West Point) 9-1 133 - Jarrett Trombley (NC State) dec Braden Basile (Army West Point) 7-6 141 - Ryan Jack (NC State) tech Logan Brown (Army West Point) 19-4 149 - Jackson Arrington (NC State) tech Matthew Williams (Army West Point) 17-2 157 - Ed Scott (NC State) dec Nate Lukez (Army West Point) 14-8 165 - Dalton Harkins (Army West Point) dec AJ Kovacs (NC State) 4-1SV 174 - Gunner Filipowicz (Army West Point) dec Alex Faison (NC State) 4-2 184 - Dylan Fishback (NC State) dec Ben Pasiuk (Army West Point) 15-7 197 - Trent Hidlay (NC State) fall Daniel Lawrence (Army West Point) 4:31 285 - Owen Trephan (NC State) maj Lucas Stoddard (Army West Point) 17-4 West Virginia 32 Clarion 7 125 - Jett Strickenberger (West Virginia) dec Joey Fischer (Clarion) 8-4 133 - Scott Johnson (Clarion) dec Garhett Dickenson (West Virginia) 8-2 141 - Jordan Titus (West Virginia) maj David McClelland (Clarion) 11-2 149 - Ty Watters (West Virginia) fall Kyle Schickel (Clarion) 6:22 157 - Alejandro Herrera-Rondon (Clarion) maj Caleb Dowling (West Virginia) 10-0 165 - Peyton Hall (West Virginia) tech Trevor Elfvin (Clarion) 19-4 174 - Brody Conley (West Virginia) dec John Worthing (Clarion) 4-1SV 184 - Dennis Robin (West Virginia) maj Cameron Pine (Clarion) 13-5 197 - Austin Cooley (West Virginia) dec Ethan Wiant (Clarion) 6-2 285 - Michael Wolfgram (West Virginia) maj John Meyers (Clarion) 14-2 Minnesota 37 Bucknell 3 125 - Patrick McKee (Minnesota) fall Owen Bell (Bucknell) 1:52 133 - Tyler Wells (Minnesota) dec Kurt Phipps (Bucknell) 11-5 141 - Vance Vombaur (Minnesota) maj Braden Bower (Bucknell) 17-3 149 - Drew Roberts (Minnesota) dec Dylan Chappell (Bucknell) 2-1 157 - Michael Blockhus (Minnesota) dec Nick Delp (Bucknell) 7-1 165 - Noah Mulvaney (Bucknell) dec Blaine Brenner (Minnesota) 11-5 174 - Sam Skillings (Minnesota) maj Myles Takats (Bucknell) 10-2 184 - Isaiah Salazar (Minnesota) tech Mikey Bartush (Bucknell) 18-3 197 - Garrett Joles (Minnesota) dec Logan Deacetis (Bucknell) 8-3 285 - Bennett Tabor (Minnesota) fall Dorian Crosby (Bucknell) 7:21