Leaderboard

In the sense of setting your fantasy lineup, Week 4 was a snoozefest. But we did have some action which caused a shift in the current #FCW24 Overall Fantasy Standings. Week 3: The Fantasy Wrestler of Week 3 was 157 Vince Zerban (UNCO) who scored 28 Fpts in six matches, beating out Princeton’s 125 Drew Heethuis (26 Fpts). Two other big name 157 lbers, Peyton Robb (NEB) and Bryce Andonian (VT) tied for third with 25 Fpts and a PPM of 5.00. 165 Peyton Hall wrestled six matches in Week 3, but because two were non D1 competition, only four of them counted towards his score of 23 Fpts (PPM of 5.80, the highest out of any week 3 wrestler with three or more matches). Dominick Serrano of Northern Colorado wrestled seven matches in Week 3 with two duals and competing in the Black Knight Invite. He went 7-1, accumulating 23 Fpts. Week 4: Thanks in large part to the Mat-Town Open 1 (hosted by Lock Haven), Cornell ran away in the Week 4 leaderboard taking five of the Top-10 spots. 157 Gage McClenahan was the Week 4 leader with 18 Fpts in 5 matches, followed by Big Red teammate 174 Benny Baker with 17 Fpts. Joshua Saunders (12 Fpts) finished 5th and Greg Diakomihalis (11 Fpts) at 6th. Surprisingly, Chris Foca, a newcomer to the 184 weight class had 10 Fpts for 10th place in the Week 3 leaderboard. 149 Ty Linsenbigler (LHU) finished with 14 Fpts, one better than 4th place Carter Baer of Binghamton in the 157 weight class. Overall Leaderboard: With help from the Keystone Classic, several Virginia Tech wrestlers made a jump up the leaderboard. In particular, 149 Caleb Henson (VT) currently sits atop the standings with 54 Fpts. In second place, 11 Fpts behind, is 165 Peyton Hall (WVU). Previous Overall leader, Trent Hidlay (NCST), was busing winning freestyle matches and slipped to 4th place with a current total of 37 Fpts. Sneaking in at #3 is Army’s Thomas Deck (149 weight class) with 39 Fpts. To see the FULL Week 3, Week 4, and OVERALL #FCW24 Leaderboards, click HERE. On to Week 5: Every year at this time, I pour a glass of Jack Daniels and listen to Dean’Martin’s “Vegas Medley”: "I Love Vegas, every moment, It's my favorite atmosphere… I love Vegas, why do I, do I love Vegas? Because my money's here" I’m not going to talk at you for seven minutes about why the Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invite, the unquestioned best in-season tournament for several years running, is going to be absolutely bonkers. Just look at the pre-seeds and possible Rd16 matchups if seeds hold (you can see that HERE) Since we didn't have out Week 5 #FCWpodcast episode, here’s our picks for champs: Tony: Matt Ramos, Daton Fix, Brock Hardy, Caleb Henson, Peyton Robb, David Carr, Shane Griffith, Parker Keckeisen, Trent Hidlay, Yonger Bastida Todd: Brett Ungar, Daton Fix, Jesse Mendez, Ridge Lovett, Meyer Shapiro, David Carr, Shane Griffith, Parker Keckeisen, Trent Hidlay, Lucas Davison Most of the eyes and attention will be on the Pacific Time Zone, but Week 5 has several other tournaments to keep track of and tri/quad meets that can really boost your fantasy lineup. The Cougar Clash has several starters entered at each weight, as well as the Patriots Open down in Virginia or Storm Open in Ohio. Other tournaments like the Drury Open, Jim Koch Open, and Duane Open have some sparse D1 entrants, but remember that non-D1 matches do not count towards your team’s weekly Fpt total. A reminder of some important rules: Wrestlers entered at a weight must compete at that weight or else their results will not be counted. Wrestlers in the “Floater” spots can compete at ANY weight and accumulate Fantasy points. A wrestler will LOCK on your roster at 12pm ET on the day of their first competition for the week (refer to the SHP’s Week Preview). Only results against D1 competition (starters, backups, and redshirts) will count towards Fantasy Points. Check your league settings to know how many add/drops are permitted per week. As usual, entries are still coming in for each of these tournaments, so keep the notifications on for @FantasyD1Wrestl as updates will be posted to the InterMat Forum Fantasy Wrestling Board Wrestlers I Like This Week Wrestler (School)- competition for the week [Proj Score] *organized by most potential points to least, then by school alphabetically”: 125: Ethan Berginc (ARMY)- Cougar Clash Blake West (NIU)- Cougar Clash Tyler Klinsky (RDI)- Patriots Open Tristan Lujan (MSU)- @ Franklin & Marshall, Vs Bloomsburg, Vs Presbyterian [+13] Jack Maida (AMER)- Vs Davidson [+6] Drew West (GWU)- Vs Kent State, Vs Buffalo [+6] Dean Peterson (RUT)- @ Edinboro [+5] Eric Barnett (WISC)- Vs Bucknell [+5] Noah Surtin (MIZZ)_ Vs Oklahoma [+3] 133: Zeke Seltzer (MIZZ)- Vs Oklahoma, Cougar Clash Dominick Serrano (UNCO)- Cougar Clash Braxton Brown (MARY)- Patriots Open Mason Leiphart (F&M)- Vs Bloomsburg, Michigan State, Vs VMI [+11] Nasir Bailey (LR)- @ Drexel, Vs Clarion [+7] Max Leete (AMER)- Vs Davidson [+6] Dylan Shawver (RUT)- @ Edinboro [+4] Kurt Phipps (BUCK)- @ Wisconsin [+3] Cayden Rooks (IND)- @ Princeton [+3] 141: Nathan Higley (GMU)- @ Davidson, Vs Cleveland State, Patriots Open Josh Edmond (MIZZ)- Vs Oklahoma, Cougar Clash Benjamin Alanis (UNCO)- Cougar Clash Michael Schiffhauer (BELL)- @ Lindenwood, @ Queens [+7] Todd Carter (GWU)- Vs Kent State, Vs Buffalo [+6] Real Woods (IOWA)- @ Penn [+4] Mitch Moore (RUT)- @ Edinboro [+4] * listed as -OR- in preview, risky play Cole Matthews (PITT)- Vs Illinois [+3] Danny Fongaro (IND)- @ Princeton [+3] 149: Thomas Deck (ARMY)- Cougar Clash Drew Roberts (MINN)- Cougar Clash Caleb Tyus (SIUE)- Cougar Clash Zac Cowan (BELL)- @ Lindenwood, @ Queens [+7] Kaden Cassify (GMU)- @ Davidson, Vs Cleveland State [+7] Noah Castillo (CHAT)- Vs Kent State, Vs Buffalo (@GWU) [+6] Zach Price (GWU)- Vs Kent State, Vs Buffalo [+6] Shayne Van Ness (PSU)- Vs Lehigh [+5] Finn Solomon (PITT)- Vs Illinois [+4] Graham Rooks (IND)- @ Princeton [+3] 157: Cam Steed (MIZZ)- Cougar Clash Vince Zerban (UNCO)- Cougar Clash Chase Saldate (MSU)- @ Franklin & Marshall, Vs Bloomsburg, Vs Presbyterian [+15] DJ McGee (GMU)- @ Davidson, Vs Cleveland State [+7] Brock Mauller (MIZZ)- Vs Oklahoma [+4] Levi Haines (PSU)- Vs Lehigh [+4] Al DeSantis (RUT)- @ Edinboro [+4] Nick Delp (BUCK)- @ Wisconsin [+3] Jared Franek (IOWA)- @ Penn [+3] 165: Evan Maag (GMU)- @ Davidson, Vs Cleveland State, Patriots Open Dalton Harkins (ARMY)- Cougar Clash Blaine Brenner (MINN)- Cougar Clash Tanner Cook (SDSU)- Patriots Open Caleb Fish (MSU)- @ Franklin & Marshall, Vs Bloomsburg, Vs Presbyterian [+15] Mitchell Mesenbrink (PSU)- Vs Lehigh [+5] Keegan O’Toole (MIZZ)- Vs Oklahoma [+4] Holden Heller (PITT)- Vs Illinois [+4] Michael Caliendo (IOWA)- @ Penn [+4] Anthony White (RUT)- @ Edinboro [+4] Dean Hamiti (WISC)- Vs Bucknell [+4] Derek Gilcher (IND)- @ Princeton [+3] Nick Hamilton (UVA)- @ North Dakota State [+3] Peyton Hall (WVU)- Vs Oklahoma [+3] 174: Andrew Sparks (MINN)- Cougar Clash Carter Starocci (PSU)- Vs Lehigh [+5] Jay Nivison (BUFF)- @ Gardner-Webb, Vs Chattanooga, Vs Kent State [+4] Jackson Turley (RUT)- @ Edinboro [+4] * Listed as -OR- in preview, risky play Justin McCoy (UVA)- @ North Dakota State [+4] Myles Takats (BUCK)- @ Wisconsin [+3] Edmond Ruth (ILL) @ Pittsburgh [+3] Donnell Washington (IND)- @ Princeton [+3] 184: Max McEnelly (MINN)- Cougar Clash Isaiah Salazar (MINN)- Cougar Clash Sean Harman (MIZZ)- Cougar Clash Colton Hawks (MIZZ)- Cougar Clash Bennett Berge (SDSU)- Patriots Open Layne Malczewski (MSU)- @ Franklin & Marshall, Vs Bloomsburg, Vs Presbyterian [+11] *if wrestles, last match was a loss by INJ Malachi Duvall (GMU)- Vs Cleveland State, Vs Davidson [+6] James Conway (F&M)- Vs Bloomsburg, Michigan State, Vs VMI [+4] Clayton Whiting (MIZZ)- Vs Oklahoma [+4] Bernie Truax (PSU)- Vs Lehigh [+4] Brian Soldano (RUT)- @ Edinboro [+4] Hudson Stewart (UVA)- @ North Dakota State [+4] Connor Bourne (AMER)- Vs Davidson [+3] Reece Heller (PITT)- Vs Illinois [+3] Dennis Robin (WVU)- Vs Oklahoma [+3] 197: Rocky Elam (MIZZ)- Cougar Clash *Questionable if wrestles the OU Dual Sonny Sasso (VT)- Patriots Open Stephen Buchanan (OU)- @ Missouri, @ West Virginia [+8] Stephen Little (LR)- @ Drexel, Vs Clarion [+8] Ben Smith (CSU)- Vs George Mason (@DAV) [+4] Mac Stout (PITT)- Vs Illinois [+4] Luke Stout (PRIN)- Vs Indiana [+4] John Poznanski (RUT)- @ Edinboro [+4] Aaron Brooks (PSU)- Vs Lehigh [+3] 285: Chad Nix (GMU)- @ Davidson, Vs Cleveland State, Patriots Open Zach Elam (MIZZ)- Vs Oklahoma, Cougar Clash Bennett Tabor (MINN)- Cougar Clash Chase Horne (NCST)- Patriots Open Josh Terrill (MSU)- @ Franklin & Marshall, Vs Bloomsburg, Vs Presbyterian [+9] William Jarrell (AMER)- Vs Davidson [+4] Dorian Crosby (BUCK)- @ Wisconsin [+4] Yaraslau Slavikouski (RUT)- @ Edinboro [+4] Greg Kerkvliet (PSU)- Vs Lehigh [+3] Ryan Catka (UVA)- @ North Dakota State [+3]

The Cliff Keen Invitational in Las Vegas is regularly one of the top tournaments of the year, and that is certainly true this season. The field includes 35 teams and some of the top wrestlers in the country. Not all teams are sending everyone, but there will still be plenty of high-level and interesting contests. The following is a look at the top potential match at each weight. 125: No. 2 Matt Ramos (Purdue) vs. No. 5 Michael DeAugustino (Michigan) The top of the 125-pound rankings has been a bit of an adventure so far this season. Ramos started the year ranked number one after finishing second at the last NCAA tournament. Since then he has lost to high schooler Marcus Blaze and No. 1 Jakob Camacho (NC State). At the same time, he also bested then-top-ranked No. 3 Anthony Noto (Lock Haven). There was potential for a rematch between Ramos and Camacho in this tournament, but the NC State wrestler was not included in the pre-seeds. In that case, the most interesting potential match for Ramos becomes DeAugustino. The transfer from Northwestern was a four-time NCAA qualifier for the Wildcats and finished fourth at the 2022 NCAA tournament. He has wrestled only once since transferring to Michigan and picked up an 8-1 decision over No. 24 Nick Babin (Columbia). 133: No. 1 Daton Fix (Oklahoma State) vs. No. 4 Kai Orine (NC State) The next chapter in the rivalry between Fix and returning champion No. 2 Vito Arujau (Cornell) will need to wait. After an incredibly impressive summer wrestling freestyle, Arujau has only competed in the Journeymen Classic, where he lost a surprising decision against No. 5 Ryan Crookham (Lehigh). At this time, he is not entered. Fix is back for one final year of college wrestling after finishing second three times and fourth once, he is looking to finally end up on the top of the podium. In his only match this season, he scored a fall over No. 21 Kurt Phipps (Bucknell). Orine represents a tough early-season test for Fix. The two wrestled at the 2022 NCAA tournament, and the Oklahoma State wrestler scored a 7-4 decision. 141: No. 3 Lachlan McNeil (North Carolina) vs. No. 4 Brock Hardy (Minnesota) As a redshirt freshman last season, McNeil finished fourth at 141 pounds to become an All-American. The Tar Heel has also competed extensively internationally in freestyle for Canada and collected a silver medal at the 2022 Commonwealth Games. McNeil has won all six of his matches to start his sophomore campaign, and all six of those victories have come with bonus points. After a tough start to last season, Hardy settled down and turned himself into a contender at this weight. He ended up finishing sixth at the NCAA tournament in his first trip to the event. These two wrestled in that tournament where McNeil scored a 5-2 decision victory. 149: No. 1 Ridge Lovett (Nebraska) vs. No. 4 Caleb Henson (Virginia Tech) Lovett was a finalist at this weight in the 2022 NCAA tournament. After a redshirt year last season, he has returned to form this year. He is undefeated through six matches and won the title at the Navy Classic. Lovett’s run to start the year includes an 11-1 major decision over No. 11 Kellyn March (North Dakota State) and a 48-second fall over No. 31 Dylan Chappell (Bucknell). Henson started basically the whole way as a true freshman last season. He finished fifth at this weight to become an All-American. His quest to return to the podium has gotten off to an undefeated 12-0 start. Already this season, Henson has won both the Southeast Open and the Keystone Classic. His biggest victory so far was a 10-5 decision over No. 5 Dylan D’Emilio earlier this month. 157: No. 3 Peyton Robb (Nebraska) vs. No. 5 Bryce Andonian (Virginia Tech) Entering his senior season, Robb already has quite the resume. He is a four-time NCAA qualifier and a two-time All-American. Last season, he finished sixth at the NCAA tournament and will be looking to improve on that this year. Robb has won all seven of his matches to date. At the Navy Classic, he claimed the tournament title with six victories and five coming with bonus points. Andonian wrestled somewhat sparingly to start last season, and he finished the year with only 16 matches. Despite the lack of competition, he still finished seventh at the NCAA tournament to earn All-American status for the second straight season. Andonian has already wrestled seven matches to start this season, and he has won them all. In his season debut, he scored a 7-4 decision over No. 16 Paddy Gallagher (Ohio State) and recently won the Keystone Classic. 165: No. 2 David Carr (Iowa State) vs. No. 3 Cam Amine (Michigan) Carr appeared to be the clear favorite at 165 pounds last year as he dominated the field and scored a pair of victories over No. 1 Keegan O’Toole (Missouri) prior to the NCAA tournament. Unfortunately for him, in the final match of the year, the Missouri wrestler pulled off the upset and claimed the title. He has returned to his dominant way to start the year. In his four victories this season, he has already picked up wins over No. 5 Dean Hamiti (Wisconsin) and No. 6 Michael Caliendo (Iowa). At the end of the last three seasons, Amine has found himself on the All-American podium. Last season, he matched his previous year with a fourth-place finish. Amine has wrestled only twice so far this season, but he has won both of those matches via bonus. In his season debut, he scored an 18-6 major decision over Andrew Garr (Columbia) and followed that up with a third-period technical fall over Cole McComas (Rider). 174: No. 3 Shane Griffith (Michigan) vs. No. 5 Carson Kharchla (Ohio State) Griffith made the move to Michigan this past offseason after four seasons at Stanford. At this previous stop, he made the All-American podium three times and won the title at 165 pounds in 2021. So far at his new school and his new weight, Griffith has won both of his matches over Garrett Bilgrav (Columbia) and Michael Wilson (Rider). A potential match against Kharchla is interesting for a variety of reasons. The Ohio State wrestler has consistently dealt with injuries during his college career, and he pulled out of the Clarion Open earlier this month. However, since then, he has gotten back on track with wins in his last four bouts. Griffith and Kharchla wrestled in the 2021 edition of this tournament, and Griffth escaped with a 5-4 decision. Expect another close decision if this one happens again. 184: No. 1 Parker Keckeisen (Northern Iowa) vs. No. 4 Chris Foca (Cornell) After two third-place finishes and a runner-up performance at the NCAA tournament, Keckeisen enters this year as the favorite at 184 pounds. So far, he has looked the part. He has won all four of his matches including a 17-3 major decision over Iowa State freshman Tate Naakgeboren. However, his most impressive win this year came at the All-Star Classic where he bested No. 2 Bernie Truax (Penn State) in the exhibition match. Foca has moved up to 184 pounds this year after finishing third one weight down last year. It should be an interesting first-time match if he ends up facing Keckeisen. This season, Foca went 3-0 at the Mat Town Open and scored a 40-second fall over Sacred Heart’s Logan Michael. 197: No. 5 Trent Hidlay (NC State) vs. No. 3 Tanner Sloan (South Dakota State) Last week, Hidlay took a little break from the college season to enter the Bill Farrell. He entered the freestyle event at 86 kg hoping to secure a spot in the upcoming Olympic Trials. Hidlay not only won the event, but in the finals, he picked up a 2-1 victory over former Hodge Trophy winner Alex Dieringer. This tournament will mark his return to folkstyle. In his last season of college wrestling, he has started 7-0 with all bonus-point victories. He is looking to make one final run at an NCAA title after finishing fourth last season. If Hidlay hopes to keep his winning streak alive, he will likely need to get past Sloan. The South Dakota State wrestler made the finals at this weight last season before coming up short against Pittsburgh’s Nino Bonaccorsi. So far this year, he has won both of his official matches. Sloan did drop an exhibition match against three-time NCAA champion No. 1 Aaron Brooks (Penn State), who has moved up to 197 pounds this year, at the NWCA All-Star Classic. 285: No. 2 Wyatt Hendrickson (Air Force) vs. No. 7 Yonger Bastida (Iowa State) Hendrickson had a bit of a coming-out party last season. After two seasons of qualifying for the NCAA tournament, he broke out with a third-place finish at the NCAA tournament. His only losses throughout the season were to eventual champion Mason Parris and No. 1 Greg Kerkvliet (Penn State). Over the summer, Hendrickson took it to another level with a gold medal performance at the U23 World Championships. In his only action so far this year, Hendrickson dropped a match against Kerkvliet at the All-Star Classic. There was speculation that he would sit out this event due to injury, but he has registered for the tournament. There might be higher-ranked heavyweights in this tournament, but it is hard to ignore the intrigue around Bastida. This will be the fourth season of folkstyle wrestling for the freestyle convert, and it will be his first at heavyweight. So far the results have been outstanding as he has won all four of his matches with bonus points. He started the year with three-straight technical falls and then majored Iowa’s Bradley Hill last weekend. This will be his first real shot at high-level heavyweight opposition.

Friday marks the start of one of the tentpole events of the collegiate regular season, the Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational. Typically, the CKLV has an argument for being the toughest in-season tournament in the country. This year there’s no argument. Seven of the top-ten tournament teams in the country will attend. Going further, the field includes 14 of the top-20 teams. From an individual standpoint, five weights have a wrestler that ranked either number one or number two at their respective weights. It’s no exaggeration when someone says that this is like a mini-National Tournament. Last year’s tournament featured six wrestlers who went on to wrestle in the NCAA finals. With an even stronger field expected, that number could rise in 2023. Here’s a weight-by-weight look at the CKLV. In each weight, we’ve noted the ranked wrestlers that are expected to compete, along with analysis, new faces to watch, potential spoilers, and picks for the semifinals and finals. Since this tournament (and the preview) is so large, we’ll break it into two parts. Part one focused on 125-157. 165 lbs Ranked Wrestlers: #2 David Carr (Iowa State), #3 Cam Amine (Michigan), #6 Izzak Olejnik (Oklahoma State), #7 Julian Ramirez (Cornell), #8 Matthew Olguin (Oregon State), #10 Antrell Taylor (Nebraska), #17 Maxx Mayfield (Northwestern), #19 Garrett Thompson (Ohio), #20 Connor Brady (Virginia Tech), #21 Brevin Cassella (Binghamton), #25 Giano Petrucelli (Air Force), #29 Hunter Garvin (Stanford), #30 Stoney Buell (Purdue), #33 Jack Thomsen (Northern Iowa) The first/last/only regular season loss of David Carr’s career came back in December of 2019 at the CKLV semifinals (to Ryan Deakin). A CKLV title is about the only collegiate accomplishment missing from Carr’s lengthy resume. Though he’s only wrestled four matches so far this season, Carr already has two wins over 2023 All-Americans. His most recent one came in a dominating 16-4 major decision over Michael Caliendo at the Cy-Hawk Dual. Carr’s primary competition will come from three-time All-American Cam Amine. Though he and Carr were on the 2023 NCAA podium at this weight, the two have yet to meet. Amine has a chunk of his 2022-23 season disrupted due to injury; however, he’s looked very good during his limited action this season. Interestingly enough, the other All-American at this weight, Izzak Olejnik, did not meet Carr or Amine last year. He did meet Amine at the 2022 national tournament and Amine prevailed, 4-2. That result may not mean much to Olejnik, one of the stars of the All-Star Classic. He reversed a 2023 NCAA result against two-time AA Dean Hamiti in State College. The move to Stillwater may already have paid dividends. This weight also has a pair of veterans who are potential high-finishers here and in Kansas City despite not having made the NCAA, yet. Julian Ramirez is a two-time Bloodround finisher for Cornell. He earned the fourth seed at the 2023 national tournament after winning his first EIWA title. Ramirez was the CKLV champion last year. Coming in third in that bracket was Matthew Olguin. After Vegas, Olguin went on to capture a Pac-12 title by upsetting past national champion Shane Griffith. That led to an eighth seed at nationals; however, Olguin went 1-2. New face(s): The beauty of college wrestling is sometimes we have freshmen that everyone expects to be good and other times some come out of nowhere. Antrell Taylor is someone most pundits assumed would be very good for Nebraska, provided he found a spot in their crowded lineup. Ohio’s Garrett Thompson is one that most didn’t see coming. While not a freshman, Thompson is a new face on the national scene and announced his presence with a win over All-American Peyton Hall (West Virginia) on the way to a Southeast Open title the first week of the season. He would finish as a runner-up to Taylor at the Navy Classic. Taylor unseated incumbent, Bubba Wilson, to take Nebraska’s starting spot at 165 lbs and has been very impressive thus far. Potential Spoiler: We’re not necessarily sure how 165 lbs will shake out for Ohio State. Isaac Wilcox has gotten the bulk of the work thus far, but Bryce Hepner is very solid and in the rankings. Wilcox certainly could have a national ranking himself. His win over NCAA qualifier Connor Brady was instrumental in the Buckeyes early season win over Virginia Tech. He probably won’t get a great seed, but is definitely a tough matchup waiting to happen. Semifinal Projection: David Carr (Iowa State) vs Julian Ramirez (Cornell); Cam Amine (Michigan) vs. Antrell Taylor (Nebraska) Finals Pick: David Carr (Iowa State) over Cam Amine (Michigan) 174 lbs Ranked Wrestlers: #3 Shane Griffith (Michigan), #5 Carson Kharchla (Ohio State), #7 Cade DeVos (South Dakota State), #12 Travis Wittlake (Oregon State), #13 Adam Kemp (Cal Poly), #21 MJ Gaitan (Iowa State), #22 Austin Murphy (Campbell), #23 Alex Faison (NC State), #24 Lennox Wolak (Columbia), #28 Lance Runyon (Northern Iowa), #30 Danny Wask (Navy), #33 Brody Baumann (Purdue) The top two wrestlers at this weight, we’ve seen before, but not 100% the same situation. Shane Griffith and Carson Kharchla clashed in the 2021 CKLV semifinals for their only career meeting. While Griffith prevailed, it was only the 11th match in an Ohio State singlet for Kharchla. A close loss to the returning national champion indicated he may be a contender immediately. That proved to be the case and Kharchla finished seventh and Griffith returned to the national finals. Since then, both wrestlers have moved up in weight and Griffith has moved on as a graduate transfer from Stanford to Michigan. The move likely serves both well as Griffith is tall and long, while Kharchla is a ball of muscle. This could be the first of three or four meetings between these two, who are now Big Ten rivals. The only returning All-American outside of Griffith/Kharchla in this bracket is Travis Wittlake, who has also changed schools in the offseason from one OSU to another. Wittlake might finally be at an optimal weight class after bouncing from 165 to 184 during the previous two seasons. After the All-Americans, three others have gotten onto the CKLV podium in the past; Cade DeVos, Adam Kemp, and Alex Faison. DeVos was fourth at each of the last two tournaments and comes in as the third seed this time. He also was a match shy of All-American status last season. Kemp used the 2021 tournament as a breakout, of sorts. That year he went on to make the Pac-12 finals and went 1-2 at nationals. He’s looking to return to the big show in 2024. Faison’s eighth-place showing last year helped solidify a starting role in the NC State lineup. He’d take advantage of his opportunity by making the ACC finals and his first trip to nationals. There are some other veterans who have a strong chance at the podium in Austin Murphy, Lennox Wolak, and Lance Runyon. The only blemish on Murphy’s record this year is a one-point loss to Wittlake at the Southeast Open. Wolak was a third-place finisher at the 2023 EIWA Championships and was 1-2 at his first NCAA Tournament. Runyon has been a NCAA podium contender, but battled injuries over the last two years. New face(s)/Potential Spoilers: We’re combining these as I think they can apply here. In Sunday’s Cy-Hawk meet, we saw how MJ Gaitan is a goer and can wrestle an entire seven minutes. That could benefit him in the later rounds if he makes a deep run. Danny Wask has been a tough out for some highly-ranked foes, but then he got on the winning track by cruising through the Navy Classic. Brody Baumann has been solid in the early going for Purdue and has generally beaten the guys you’d expect him to beat. Finally, Oklahoma State’s true freshman Brayden Thompson will come in unseeded. Thompson has a great pre-collegiate pedigree; however, he defaulted out of his Cowboy debut. Semifinal Projection: Shane Griffith (Michigan) vs. Travis Wittlake (Oregon State), Carson Kharchla (Ohio State) vs. Cade DeVos (South Dakota State) Finals Pick: Shane Griffith (Michigan) over Carson Kharchla (Ohio State) 184 lbs Ranked Wrestlers: #1 Parker Keckeisen (Northern Iowa), #3 Trey Munoz (Oregon State), #4 Chris Foca (Cornell), #5 Dustin Plott (Oklahoma State), #7 Lenny Pinto (Nebraska), #8 Gavin Hoffman (Ohio State), #9 Will Feldkamp (Iowa State), #10 Gavin Kane (North Carolina), #13 Troy Fisher (Northwestern), #14 David Key (Navy), #18 Sam Fisher (Virginia Tech), #20 Dylan Fishback (NC State), #21 Jacob Nolan (Binghamton), #24 Caleb Hopkins (Campbell), #27 Sam Wolf (Air Force), #30 Tony Negron (Arizona State), #31 Zayne Lehman (Ohio), #33 Jacob Armstrong (Utah Valley) After 157 lbs, this is my favorite weight in Vegas with six of the top-eight and eight of the top-ten wrestlers in the country. Top-ranked Parker Keckeisen is seeking to improve upon his runner-up finish from last year. Keckeisen was in action last week at the All-Star Classic and managed to come from behind to defeat #2 Bernie Truax in his new home gym. Not counting Keckeisen, the remainder of the weight class has six returning All-Americans. Each of the remaining wrestlers inside of the top ten, excluding Lenny Pinto, has gotten on the NCAA podium at least once. If seeds were to hold up, the quarterfinals could feature All-Americans clashing in three of the four bouts. This bracket got even tougher a few weeks ago as it was announced that 2023 NCAA third-place finisher at 174 lbs, Chris Foca, had planned to move up. Foca has been third at this tournament in each of the last two years. Also placing at 174 lbs in 2022 was Troy Fisher who took fifth. It’s not a stretch to say that the rankings at 184 lbs could be completely different at the conclusion of this tournament. Where this weight separates itself from others is the depth in addition to the top contenders. More than half of the ranked wrestlers at 184 lbs are scheduled to compete. New face(s): There isn’t necessarily room for a freshman to come in and knock off established veterans here. Some weights are more conducive to that than others. At the same time, I’m eager to see how Dylan Fishback fares against this type of competition. So far, he’s passed every test for the Wolfpack. During his last two appearances, Fishback has defeated Jacob Nolan and Ben Pasiuk, both of whom were EIWA finalists and national qualifiers last year. Potential Spoiler: Pay attention to the 10th seed David Key. A two-time national qualifier, Key isn’t someone who necessarily is under the radar, but he’s already notched some impressive wins, via fall this year. In Navy’s first two duals, he prevailed via fall over Dylan Connell (Illinois) and Reece Heller (Pittsburgh). Semifinal Projection: Parker Keckeisen (Northern Iowa) vs. Dustin Plott (Oklahoma State); Trey Munoz (Oregon State) vs. Chris Foca (Cornell) Finals Pick: Parker Keckeisen (Northern Iowa) over Chris Foca (Cornell) 197 lbs Ranked Wrestlers: #3 Tanner Sloan (South Dakota State), #5 Trent Hidlay (NC State), #6 Jacob Cardenas (Cornell), #8 Luke Surber (Oklahoma State), #9 Jaxon Smith (Maryland), #12 Silas Allred (Nebraska), #13 Nick Stemmet (Stanford), #14 Luke Geog (Ohio State), #16 Andy Smith (Virginia Tech), #18 Max Shaw (North Carolina), #20 Evan Bockman (Utah Valley), #21 Evan Bates (Northwestern), #23 Wyatt Voelker (Northern Iowa), #24 Julien Broderson (Iowa State), #25 Levi Hopkins (Campbell), #27 Carson Floyd (Appalachian State), #28 Bobby Striggow (Michigan), #29 Jack Wehmeyer (Columbia) Every once in a while, there’s a CKLV bracket that explodes, seeds go out the window, and nothing goes as expected. That was the case last year when the top half of the bracket featured the fifth and ninth seeds wrestling in the semifinals. The two and six were on the bottom half. When it was all said and done, NC State’s Isaac Trumble took the title. Looking at this year’s crop, could another Wolfpack wrestler win it all? Trent Hidlay comes in as the second seed. He’s moved up to 197 lbs for the first time after spending the remainder of his career at 184. Hidlay’s had plenty of luck in Vegas, winning the tournament in 2022 and finishing second as a freshman. The top seed in last year’s tournament, Tanner Sloan, is also the top seed in 2023. He was upset in the quarterfinals by ninth-seeded Andy Smith. It’s hard to believe but, barring a withdrawal, Smith is set to start the tournament as the ninth seed again. After losing to Smith, Sloan proceeded to go on a 20-match winning streak; taking third place and extending into the Big 12 finals. He’d also make the NCAA Championship match. The only other returning All-American in the bracket is Jacob Cardenas. Cardenas is seeking to place at CKLV for the first time. In 2021, he went 1-2 and last season he did not enter. There are also a pair of wrestlers that fell a match shy of All-American status last year that will be contenders with Jaxon Smith and Silas Allred. As a redshirt freshman, Smith defeated 2022 NCAA champion Max Dean on his way to third place in the Big Ten. Unfortunately, Dean returned the favor in the bloodround. Allred was a Big Ten champion last year but fell to the eventual champion, Nino Bonaccorsi, in the quarterfinals and the returning runner-up, Jacob Warner, in the bloodround. In his last outing, Allred was upset by Luke Stout (Princeton) at the Navy Classic. Coincidentally, Smith’s last match was a win over Stout’s younger brother, Mac. New face(s): We mentioned earlier that Tanner Sloan and Andy Smith could meet again the the quarterfinals. That’s provided Smith gets by Ohio State’s Luke Geog. The two battled earlier in the year and Geog got the 11-7 victory. Aside from that bout, Geog has won his other three matches via tech. Another redshirt freshman to watch is Wyatt Voelker. Since UNI has not wrestled a dual yet, we’ve only seen Voelker once, at the Daktronics Open. Voelker came away with the title and bonus points in three of his fourth matches. Potential Spoiler: A national qualifier in 2021, Max Shaw struggled in 2022 and needed an at-large berth to make the NCAA tournament in 2023 - where he was seeded 32th. Shaw ended up with a pair of consolation wins before his elimination. He’s looked closer to his 2021 form this year and comes in with a spotless record. It wouldn’t be surprising if he made noise as the tenth seed. Semifinal Projection: Tanner Sloan (South Dakota State) vs. Jaxon Smith (Maryland); Trent Hidlay (NC State) vs. Jacob Cardenas (Cornell) Finals Pick: Trent Hidlay (NC State) over Tanner Sloan (South Dakota State) 285 lbs Ranked Wrestlers: #1 Wyatt Hendrickson (Air Force), #3 Lucas Davison (Michigan), #7 Yonger Bastida (Iowa State), #9 Tyrell Gordon (Northern Iowa), #10 Grady Griess (Navy), #13 Owen Trephan (NC State), #15 Taye Ghadiali (Campbell), #16 Konner Doucet (Oklahoma State), #17 Nick Feldman (Ohio State). #18 Hunter Catka (Virginia Tech), #19 Seth Nevills (Maryland), #20 Keaton Kluever (Hofstra), #21 Lewis Fernandes (Cornell), #22 Boone McDermott (Oregon State), #23 Cory Day (Binghamton), #24 Trevor Tinker (Cal Poly), #27 Hayden Copass (Purdue), #30 David Szuba (Rider), #33 Jonathan Chesser (The Citadel) Last year’s tournament ended with a Michigan heavyweight getting his hand raised in the finals - this year it’s possible as well. Hodge Trophy winner Mason Parris has moved on, but the Wolverines were able to add Lucas Davison from the transfer portal. In fact, it was Davison who Parris defeated while the former was at Northwestern. It was the second time that Davison has placed at this event; he was fifth in 2021. Aside from Davison, the only other All-Americans in this field are Wyatt Hendrickson and Yonger Bastida. Bastida got on the podium in 2021 at 197 lbs, but has moved up this year. Though he hasn’t wrestled the most difficult schedule, as of yet, Bastida has been an offensive juggernaut racking up 81 points in four matches. Hendrickson recently competed in the All-Star Classic and was soundly defeated by Greg Kerkvliet. I was unsure whether or not a knee injury from U23 Worlds was lingering and would prevent him from entering here. Hendrickson took four at CKLV last year. After the two All-Americans there are 2023 conference champions. Grady Griess (EIWA), Owen Trephan (ACC), and Taye Ghadiali (SoCon) won the respective leagues last season. Griess lost his first bout of the season to Illinois’ Luke Luffman, but is now on a seven-match winning streak. Trephan was seventh here in 2022; but had a rough go of things at the Journeymen Classic a few weeks ago, losing two matches. Ghadiali is 7-0 and pinned two NCAA qualifiers on his way to a Southeast Open title. The third seed is Tyrell Gordon who finished fifth at last year’s CKLV, but has yet to take the mat in 2023-24. He was also third in a deep Big 12 weight class that had eight automatic qualifiers for Tulsa. New face(s): One of the most anticipated freshmen to watch this season is Nick Feldman, the top recruit in the Class of 2022, who was injured and missed most of the 2022-23 campaign. Feldman is a perfect 9-0 with bonus points in seven of those contests. His best win to date has come over Virginia Tech’s national qualifier Hunter Catka. We’ll find out quickly where Feldman belongs in the pecking order of heavyweights, as he could have Konner Doucet in the Round of 16 and Wyatt Hendrickson in the quarterfinals. Potential Spoiler: With such a large group of seeded wrestlers, anyone could be a spoiler. Seth Nevills, Keaton Kluever, and Lewis Fernandes are all double digit seeds that are capable of knocking off higher ranked opponents. Semifinal Projection: Wyatt Hendrickson (Air Force) vs. Tyrell Gordon (Northern Iowa); Lucas Davison (Michigan) vs. Yonger Bastida (Iowa State) Finals Pick: Wyatt Hendrickson (Air Force) over Yonger Bastida (Iowa State)