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Every week during the 2023-24 season, the InterMat staff has submitted their picks for some of the most high-profile or competitive dual meets. As the season progressed, we've kept 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?). So, with only a few days left in the regular season, who will take the title? Records heading into this weekend: 51-24: Nick 50-25: Bob D.; Willie, Richard 49-26: Tony 48-27: Morgan 46-29: Kevin, Robbie 45-30: Earl, Dysen, Austin 44-31: Jagger, Rachel, Ryan 43-32: James Below are the picks for week 16:

Earlier today, Robbie Wendell posted his preview of the weekend in the ACC, a slate that’s headlined by one of the best rivalries in the sport, #7 NC State hosts #12 Virginia Tech. This is a rivalry that has really grown over the past decade which really coincides with the arrival of Pat Popolizio, who was hired by NC State in the spring of 2012. At that point, Virginia Tech was under the direction of Kevin Dresser and had just finished in a tie for 11th place at the 2012 NCAA Championships, which was the best in school history. The Hokies had a bit of a head start on their way to becoming a consistent power. NC State’s rise got a boost from Nick Gwiazdowski, who wrestled for a year at Binghamton under Popolizio. After Popolizio accepted the head coaching position at NC State, Gwiazdowski came aboard, redshirted, and then won back-to-back national titles. Though the Hokies were significantly better in dual and at the ACC Championships, the Wolfpack had a national champion in only Popolizio’s second year in Raleigh. Late in the 2016-17 season, Dresser left to take the head coaching position at Iowa State, and top assistant Tony Robie assumed the reins on an interim basis. The Hokies finished the year beating NC State, winning the ACC and slotting in at sixth at the NCAA Championships, which led to Robie earning the head coaching job on a full-time basis. Since Robie was elevated to the head coaching position, the rivalry only got stronger. Only once since 2017 has one of their duals had a margin of victory greater than six points. Rivalries take form because of the potential for both teams to win each time they collide. That’s proven to be the case with NC State and Virginia Tech. Since Popolizio’s arrival, Virginia Tech holds a 7-5 edge in dual meets (counting a forfeit). Speaking of the forfeit, as the world was crawling out of the grasp of COVID, the Hokies had a handful of starters who were not cleared to wrestle in January of 2022. NC State did not want to postpone the dual, so it was deemed a forfeit. The coaches were able to arrange a non-conference dual later in the season. Back to competitions, NC State has the edge at the ACC Championships, winning six under Popolizio and the last five. Virginia Tech has won four during that time period. While NC State has generally dominated at the ACC Tournament, Virginia Tech has gotten the best of NC State at the national tournament. Only twice during this time has NC State finished above Virginia Tech at nationals. Each team has captured an NCAA team trophy within the last ten years. One trend to keep in mind this year is that you have to go back to 2019 to find the last time that the road team has won in this series. In that meeting, NC State prevailed by a point in Blacksburg. Before watching the dual on the ACC Network this evening, check out some of the numbers related to this rivalry. Dual Results 1/20/2023 - Virginia Tech over NC State: 16-14 in Blacksburg 2/20/2022 - NC State over Virginia Tech: 21-10 in Raleigh (Technically a non-conference match) 1/21/2022 - NC State over Virginia Tech: Forfeit 2/5/2021 - Virginia Tech over NC State: 17-16 in Blacksburg 2/14/2020 - NC State over Virginia Tech: 21-18 in Raleigh 2/22/2019 - NC State over Virginia Tech: 17-16 in Blacksburg 2/16/2018 - NC State over Virginia Tech: 19-15 in Raleigh 2/11/2017 - Virginia Tech over NC State: 20-14 in Blacksburg 2/12/2016 - Virginia Tech over NC State: 19-14 in Raleigh 2/8/2015 - Virginia Tech over NC State: 29-9 in Blacksburg 1/26/2014 - Virginia Tech over NC State: 17-16 in Raleigh 1/20/2013 - Virginia Tech over NC State: 40-6 in Blacksburg ACC Championships 2023: NC State (1st - 101.5 points); Virginia Tech (2nd - 78 points) 2022: NC State (1st - 98.5 points); Virginia Tech (2nd - 76 points) 2021: NC State (1st - 89.5 points); Virginia Tech (2nd - 65.5 points) 2020: NC State (1st - 81 points); Virginia Tech (5th - 52 points) 2019: NC State (1st - 93.5 points); Virginia Tech (2nd - 86 points) 2018: Virginia Tech (1st - 81 points); NC State (2nd - 73 points) 2017: Virginia Tech (1st - 93 points); NC State (2nd - 64 points) 2016: NC State (1st - 90 points); Virginia Tech (2nd - 81.5 points) 2015: Virginia Tech (3rd - 59.5 points); NC State (6th - 31 points) 2014: Virginia Tech (1st - 87 points); NC State (6th - 33.5 points) 2013: Virginia Tech (1st - 95.5 points); NC State (5th - 30 points) NCAA Finish 2023: Virginia Tech (9th - 49 points); NC State (10th - 48 points) 2022: Virginia Tech (8th - 52.5 points); NC State (10th - 49 points) 2021: NC State (6th - 68 points); Virginia Tech (15th - 36.5 points) 2019: Virginia Tech (11th - 50 points); NC State (17th - 31.5 points) 2018: NC State (4th - 80 points); Virginia Tech (8th - 47.5 points) 2017: Virginia Tech (6th - 63.5 points); NC State (17th - 26 points) 2016: Virginia Tech (4th - 82 points); NC State (11th - 49 points) 2015: Virginia Tech (10th - 56 points); NC State (16th - 34 points) 2014: Virginia Tech (8th - 49 points); NC State (19th - 24 points) 2013: Virginia Tech (10th - 43.5 points); NC State (63rd - 0.5 points) All-Americans 2023: Virginia Tech (5), NC State (3) 2022: Virginia Tech (3), NC State (3) 2021: NC State (4); Virginia Tech (3) 2020: NC State (2); Virginia Tech (2) - NWCA First-Team only 2019: Virginia Tech (3), NC State (1) 2018: NC State (4); Virginia Tech (3) 2017: Virginia Tech (5), NC State (1) 2016: Virginia Tech (6), NC State (3) 2015: Virginia Tech (4); NC State (2) 2014: Virginia Tech (3); NC State (1) 2013: Virginia Tech (4); NC State (0) Total: Virginia Tech (41); NC State (26) NCAA Champions 2019: Mekhi Lewis (Virginia Tech) 2018: Michael Macchiavello (NC State) 2015: Nick Gwiazdowski (NC State) 2014: Nick Gwiazdowski (NC State)

Somehow we find ourselves in the final week of the regular season; it feels like the Southeast Open was just a couple weeks ago. We have one final full night of ACC duals with Duke making the short jaunt to UNC and Virginia making a longer trek to Pittsburgh. The title of ACC Dual Champion will be decided Friday night in Raleigh where we see the latest installment of the rivalry between Virginia Tech and NC State. #12 Virginia Tech at #7 NC State This one is going to be spicy. This matchup has earned the title of a rivalry. The Hokies or the Wolfpack have earned the last 19 ACC regular season and tournament titles. Five of the last six duals have been decided by 4 or fewer points. The Hokies won the opening ACC dual last season at home 16-14; the Wolfpack won in 2022 by the largest margin in recent history, 21-10. The InterMat rankings have Virginia Tech at 12th in dual rankings and 7th in tournaments while NC State is 7th in dual and 2nd in tournaments. With both lineups at full strength, there would be 10 ranked versus ranked matchups. Nine individual wrestlers are ranked in the top-10 with a 2 versus 3 matchup at 149. There are 13 All-American honors in the lineups and an NCAA Champion in Mekhi Lewis. These two teams have held the flag for the conference and continue to show the strength of the ACC on a national level. I have spent the majority of my free time in the last week running through this dual in my mind, and I have seen it play out about 223 different ways. This dual could just as easily be an 8-2 rout in favor of either team as it could be a 5-5 split and go-to criteria. The margins are razor thin at the majority of the weights, and many weights are much tighter matchups than the rankings may imply. Momentum could play a huge role in this dual and NC State will have a big crowd behind them in a very raucous Reynolds Coliseum. 125: #3 Cooper Flynn v #14 Jakob Camacho Flynn came out of Olympic Redshirt mid-year to take over for an injured Eddie Ventresca and has since gone 13-2 with multiple top-5 wins. Camacho opened his season knocking off #1 Matt Ramos; he had a tough run in the middle of the season but seems to be back on track, notching a big win over #15 Brett Ungar last week. Both of these guys have a solid defense and score well on counter offense; they also both have the potential to open up and score points in bunches. I would expect a lower-scoring match here but this one could go a long way in setting the tone of the dual and establishing early momentum. 133: #13 Sam Latona v #4 Kai Orine This is the only match in the dual that will pit All-American versus All-American. Latona holds a 2-1 series lead over Orine. Latona got the dual win last year before Orine pulled the upset in the ACC Finals. Latona went out on top with a 3-1 win over Orine in the 7th place match at the NCAA Championships last year--this was the first AA finish for Orine and the 2nd for Latona. Orine has continued his upward trajectory and has had an impressive season; he comes in at 12-2 with losses to #3 Daton Fix and #10 Nic Bouzakis and his best win over #7 Evan Frost. Latona has looked fantastic most of the time, but as he has throughout his career, has some head-scratching losses. He comes in at 16-5 on the year with top-10 wins over #8 Dylan Shawver and #10 Nic Bouzakis; four of his losses are to ranked wrestlers, with an early season loss to Gabe Wisenhunt the only unranked loss. Latona has shown throughout his career that he wrestles best at the end of the season when the stakes are the highest. He is going to need to turn in his best performance of the year facing the aggressive Orine. All three of their matches have been decided by one or two points - I could see this match being very similar. 141: #15 Tom Crook v #4 Ryan Jack This match will likely decide who is the 2-seed in Chapel Hill. Both enter at 2-1 in the ACC with a loss to Cole Matthews (who has been on an incredible run in a loaded weight in the ACC). Jack holds a 2-0 series lead over Crook with a win at CKLV and in the dual last season. Crook came out of redshirt mid-year after wrestling unattached at 149 to take the starting spot at 141 and has put together a solid run. He is 10-2 at 141 with losses to #14 Cole Matthews and #11 Jordan Titus, his best win is over #5 Lachlan McNeil and he also holds wins over #24 Josh Edmond, #25 Danny Pucino, and #27 Jordan Hamdan. Jack has made jumps this year after qualifying for the NCAA tournament the past two seasons. He has always had stellar defense but has shown more dangerous offense this year and it has helped break open some big matches. Jack enters tonight at 15-3 and also holds two wins over #5 Lachlan McNeil, as well as #6 Cael Happel. Jack’s losses are to #3 Jesse Mendez and #14 Cole Matthews. I expect this to be a very tight match with both having strong defense and scrambling abilities. 149: #2 Caleb Henson v #3 Jackson Arrington Henson won the first two installments of what could be a very long-running rivalry between the two true sophomores. Both have looked incredible this year. Henson is 23-1 on the year with his lone loss to #1 Ridge Lovett in a very tight match in the CKLV finals. Arrington comes in at 16-2 with his lone competition loss to Dylan D’Emilio - his second loss was a medical forfeit at CKLV. Henson earned All-American honors last year and has looked even more impressive this season. Arrington has made major strides and is showing the ability that everyone expected from the big Wolfpack recruit. This match will decide the top seed for the conference and is a likely preview of the ACC finals. Nationally, Henson and Ridge Lovett have separated themselves from the field as the top tier, this is an opportunity for Arrington to show that he is on that tier as well and should be in the national title conversation. This is the match I am most looking forward to in this dual and I expect it to be thoroughly entertaining. 157: Clayton Ulrey OR Rafael Hipolito v #12 Ed Scott A major factor in the team fight will be the absence of #9 Bryce Andonian at 157. Andonian and Ed Scott have had a very fun back-and-forth series over the past couple years; Andonian holds a 4-2 series lead, but Scott has won the last two matchups. Scott has had an up-and-down year at 18-5, but three of those losses have come in sudden victory. Unfortunately, we will have to wait until the ACC tournament to see another round as Andonian has been out with a knee injury suffered in the Cornell dual. Clayton Ulrey and Rafael Hipolito have done an incredible job holding down the spot; they are a combined 4-0 in the ACC with Ulrey earning the first three wins and Hipolito taking the win last week. I think Hipolito is a better matchup stylistically and could pose a similar threat to a dangerous Scott that Andonian has with his wide-open style; if these two square off we can safely say you’ll still need to buckle up to watch this weight. 165: #22 Connor Brady v #12 Derek Fields OR AJ Kovacs This may be the biggest toss-up match of the dual and could go a long way to deciding which team comes out on top. Fields is 14-2 (3-0 ACC) on the year with losses to #4 Julian Ramirez and #18 Brevin Cassella and his best win over #13 Holden Heller. Brady has had an up-and-down year at 11-7 overall and 3-1 in the ACC. Fields won the spot over AJ Kovacs early in the year and has been incredibly consistent for the Wolfpack. Brady is a solid defensive wrestler and can slow down most opponents; he will need to stay strong defensively and find a way to get his offense going if he hopes to top Fields. 174: #2 Mekhi Lewis v #30 Alex Faison Lewis holds a 2-0 series lead over Faison, with the last win in overtime to win the ACC Championship last season. Lewis is 12-0 on the year and has looked as impressive as ever. Faison has had an up-and-down year and has struggled in the second half of the season; he comes into this dual at 11-9 and 2-2 in the ACC. Lewis will be looking for bonus points in this match and Faison will try to slow him down as he was able to do in their two matches last season. 184: #24 TJ Stewart v #7 Dylan Fishback This could be the opening matchup of a new rivalry between the redshirt freshmen. Both are the reigning ACC Wrestlers of the Week after notching top-10 upsets; Stewart over #9 Reece Heller and Fishback over #7 Chris Foca. Fishback has had an excellent year in his first season in the starting lineup. He is 15-5 on the year with those losses to #1 Parker Keckeisen, #2 Dustin Plott, #3 Lenny Pinto, #10 Reece Heller and #18 Jayden Bullock. His top win came last week with an upset over then #7 Jacob Cardenas. Stewart took over the starting spot in the second half of the season following the injury of Sam Fisher. He has made the most of his opportunity and is coming in with some momentum. He is 5-2 on the year and 4-1 at 184 with his lone loss to #23 Gavin Kane and a win last week over then #9 Reece Heller. Stewart seems to be finding his stride and has been relying on his strong defense, he will need to increase his offensive output to keep up with Fishback who has been a prolific scorer this year. 197: #26 Andy Smith v #2 Trent Hidlay Trent Hidlay will be going for career win #100 against Smith in his final home match in an NC State singlet. The move up to 197 has been a good one for Hidlay, who has looked stronger and more dangerous at the higher weight - which is impressive considering he earned All-American honors three times (2, 5, 4) at 184. Hidlay has looked every bit like a national title contender and has been wrestling on a different level this year; he is 21-0 with 18 BONUS point wins. Smith has some great wins, but has had an up-and-down season so far; he is 14-6 on the year and 3-0 in the ACC. He did pull off a major upset in this dual last year, taking out Isaac Trumble. It will be a tough task for Smith to slow down the bonus-point buzzsaw of Hidlay, but it may be just what the Hokies need to earn a team win. 285: #20 Hunter Catka OR Jimmy Mullen v #15 Owen Trephan OR Chase Horne This one is a wildcard. It is the only weight that both teams have two options listed and depending on the team score, I wouldn’t be surprised to see either Mullen or Horne take the mat. Trephan holds a 2-0 series lead over Catka, with one win in sudden victory and another in 2OT so the margins are very tight at the top weight. Even with Mullen and Horne, we have a very tight matchup with two massive recruits--both physically and by ranking. Catka is 13-5 on the year with losses to #5 Zach Elam, #6 Lucas Davison, #7 Nick Feldman, #12 Yaraslau Slavikouski and #17 Lewis Fernandes. Catka has shown a lot more offensive output this year than he has in years past and that has paid dividends for him. He will need to put up points against Trephan to help the Hokies. Trephan is 14-5 on the year, also having only ranked losses to #11 Konner Doucet, #9 Taye Ghadiali, #24 Boone McDermott, #1 Greg Kerkvliet, and #8 Nathan Taylor. There is a very real chance that this dual will come down to this match with all the marbles in the hands of the big guys. The matches in the past have been low-scoring and defensive, someone will need to get their offense going and break through to get the win tonight. Virginia at #24 Pittsburgh Both teams will be looking to bounce back after losses last week to put themselves in the best possible position going into the ACC Championships. There will also be several important individual matches that could have a major impact on the conference seeding. Big matches to keep an eye on in Pittsburgh: Marlon Yarbrough has looked phenomenal this year and is 3-1 in the ACC with a loss to Kai Orine, but a big win over Sam Latona. Santaniello has been solid but has faced a brutal schedule this year; he is 13-11 overall with the majority of those losses to top-10 ranked wrestlers. He comes in at 1-3 in the ACC and will be looking to add a win to improve his seeding potential. Cole Matthews is trying to finish the ACC slate unblemished against a very scrappy Jack Gioffre. This is not a good match for Matthews to overlook - Gioffre can be very dangerous. Matthews just notched win number 99 of his career against Rider and will be looking to add 100 in his final start in Fitzgerald Field House. Justin McCoy is looking to finish his final regular season match in a UVA singlet with a win over Luca Augustine to guarantee the 2 seed opposite Mekhi Lewis in Chapel Hill. Augustine has shown that he has the ability to hang with anyone and has some big wins in his two years as a starter. McCoy is 3-1 in the ACC while Augustine is 1-2 and will be looking for an upset to potentially bump him a seed higher. 125: Sammie Hayes v Colton Camacho 133: #28 Marlon Yarbrough v #23 Vinnie Santaniello 141: Jack Gioffre v #14 Cole Matthews 149: Michael Gioffre v Finn Solomon 157: #27 Dylan Cedeno OR Nick Sanko v Jared Keslar 165: Nick Hamilton v #13 Holden Heller 174: #13 Justin McCoy v #18 Luca Augustine 184: Ethan Weatherspoon OR Hudson Stewart v #10 Reece Heller 197: Krystian Kinsey v #15 Mac Stout 285: Ryan Catka v Geoff Magin #29 North Carolina at Duke The Tar Heels have won two straight ACC duals and are trying to finish on a high note in their first season under Head Coach Rob Koll. The Blue Devils have struggled in ACC competition but are looking to put a few individuals in position to make a run at the ACC tournament. A couple matches to watch in Chapel Hill: Jayden Scott is coming off an overtime win over Michael Gioffre and Jarred Papscy earned his first ACC dual win last week. This will be Papscy’s final regular season match and he will have a tough test in a very dangerous Scott. Conner Barket has been the bright spot for the Blue Devils this year; he is 2-2 in the ACC and with a win on Friday could put himself in position to argue for the 3 seed at the ACC Championships. 125: #29 Spencer Moore v Logan Agin 133: Derek Guanajuato v Patrick Rowland 141: #5 Lachlan McNeil v Christian Colman 149: #32 Jayden Scott v Jarred Papscy 157: #32 Sonny Santiago v Logan Ferrero 165: Isaias Estrada v Gaetano Console 174: #17 Tyler Eischens v Jack Wimmer 184: #23 Gavin Kane OR Sabino Portello v Conor Becker 197: #23 Max Shaw v Kwasi Bonsu 285: Cade Lautt v Conner Barket

Oklahoma State vs Iowa Preview: Another Wild Installment of History Set for Sunday Oklahoma State and Iowa are two of the most storied programs in the country. From their Olympic and World Champion head coaches to their amazing history of winning under the biggest and brightest lights, these teams have cemented themselves into the fabric of our sport's history and record books. Now, they are set to face off for the 57th time. Currently, the Cowboys lead the all-time series with a 29-25-2 record against the Hawkeyes. This will also be the first time that Coach Brands and the Hawks make the trip to Stillwater, OK since 2019 when the teams had an epic battle that nearly blew the roof off Gallagher-Iba Arena. On that night, Nick Piccininni pinned Spencer Lee in a cradle on the edge of the mat sending the crowd into a frenzy. Daton Fix went full Cowboy and put the toughest ride on Austin DeSanto at 133 in the following match and Chandler Rogers bumped up to 174 and slapped an assassin on Mitch Bowman to ignite an OK State shutout in the final four matches of the dual to give them the 27-12 win in front of a sold-out crowd. Since then, it’s been all Hawks. They dominated the following year in Carver-Hawkeye as Lee got his revenge over Piccininni to start the 34-6 beating they sent Oklahoma State home with. Iowa went on to claim 23-9 and 28-7 wins in 2022 and 2023, respectively. Get a look at the history between the two teams since 2000 This year, we are slated for another historical battle. OK State already announced that this meeting will be in front of another sold-out crowd with ranked vs. ranked matchups happening in nine of the 10 weight classes. Potential Matchups 125: No. 4 Drake Ayala vs. No. 12 Troy Spratley 133: No. 20 Cullan Schriever OR Brody Teske vs. No. 3 Daton Fix 141: No. 2 Real Woods vs. No. 8 Tagen Jamison 149: No. 8 Caleb Rathjen OR Victor Voinovich vs. No. 18 Jordan Williams OR Sammy Alvarez 157: No. 5 Jared Franek vs. No. 10 Teague Travis 165: No. 7 Michael Caliendo vs. No. 3 Izzak Olejnik 174: No. 7 Patrick Kennedy vs. No. 21 Brayden Thompson 184: Aiden Riggins OR Gabe Arnold vs. No. 2 Dustin Plott 197: No. 11 Zach Glazier vs. No. 16 Luke Surber 285: No. 29 Bradley Hill OR Ben Kueter vs. No. 11 Konner Doucet 125: No. 4 Drake Ayala vs. No. 12 Troy Spratley We started this article by talking about history. But to start this dual, things will get kicked off by a pair of guys still looking to make their own both for themselves as well as the programs they represent. This will be their first meeting between them and Ayala is certainly the favorite here. The NCAA qualifier will be returning to the lineup after missing last week’s dual meet against Wisconsin. This season, he’s been one of the many top-ranked casualties to fall after claiming the No. 1 ranking, but despite that has proved to be a true contender that could be at the top of the podium in Kansas City, MO. Across the mat, is Spratley, who is coming in on a six-match winning streak. Like Ayala, he’s had a hard-fought season. If he can pull off the upset it would be the momentum the Cowboys need, but I see Ayala winning this one by decision. Prediction: Ayala by dec. over Spratley (Iowa, 3-0) 133: No. 20 Cullan Schriever OR Brody Teske vs. No. 3 Daton Fix The entire dual is going to be close. Bonus points are going to be a necessity to come out on top and this is where the Cowboys have the clear edge to get them. Fix is going to need bonus here no matter if Teske or Schriever are on the mat. My guess is that Schriever will be the one to get the nod. And I’m calling for at least one inside trip attempt from Fix in hopes of going feet-to-back to bust things open. He beat Teske by major decision last year and recorded three wins over DeSanto in past years as well. I’m expecting more of the same from the four-time All-American. P.S. Fix has never lost a match to an Iowa wrestler in his career. Prediction: Fix by major decision over Schriever (OK State, 4-3) 141: No. 2 Real Woods vs. No. 8 Tagen Jamison Woods got back to his winning ways last week by pinning Wisconsin’s Felix Lettini after taking back-to-back losses for the first time in the regular season since 2022. He will be facing Jamison who has shown a lot of potential this season to prove he’s deserving of his top 10 ranking. Coming in, Jamison is on a four-match winning streak with a sudden victory win over Anthony Echemendia as part of that mix. Woods also has an OT win over Echemendia as well. The Cowboy freshman also has a win over Sergio Lemley, who made the biggest splash of the season when he nearly pinned Woods before getting the 14-2 major decision win. However, Woods looks like he’s back to normal. This will be a great test for each guy. Prediction: Woods by dec over Jamison (Iowa, 7-4) 149: No. 8 Caleb Rathjen OR Victor Voinovich vs. No. 18 Jordan Williams OR Sammy Alvarez There are a few layers to things here at 149. First, Victor Voinovich will be returning to Stillwater, OK since transferring to Iowa after last season. Second, both teams have had more than one guy in the lineup here throughout the year. We’ve seen both Voinovich as well as Caleb Rathjen, who has really stepped up to take over the spot as of late. For the Cowboys, it’s been both Jordan Williams and Sammy Alvarez. Williams, like Rathjen, has shown to be a bit more promising recently. And lastly, we bring back the history theme we started with. Despite the return of Voinovich and the veteran presence of Alvarez, I couldn’t see either of them getting to spin here. This will be a rematch of the 2021 Fargo finals where Williams used a turn in the final seconds to get the win on criteria. In spite of all that, Rathjen has been having the better year as he’s climbed to the top 10 while it seems that Williams took a while to get settled in. I’m giving the edge to Rathjen here. Prediction: Rathjen by dec. over Williams (Iowa, 10-4) 157: No. 5 Jared Franek vs. No. 10 Teague Travis Like we saw at 141, we have another top-10 matchup between a vet and a youngster. Jared Franek transferred to Iowa this season with his NDSU teammate (who we will see next) and has been a strong sense of consistency for the Hawks. Teague Travis started his season at 149 where he went 6-1 before moving up to 157 and it has proved to be a good decision. Of note, the one loss that he took at 149 was to his teammate, Williams. But so far this season he’s claimed notable wins over No. 11 Brock Mauller (Missouri), who was moved down from 10th after the loss and No. 12 Ed Scott (NC State), who was ranked 5th at the time. So, it’s been a pretty solid year for the redshirt sophomore. But it’s going to be a tall task for him up against Franek whose resume includes an AA finish amongst his four appearances at the NCAA Championships. Expect Franek to stay consistent like he has been this season with great positioning, stingy defense, and sharp attacks. Prediction: Franek by dec. over Travis (Iowa, 13-4) 165: No. 7 Michael Caliendo vs. No. 3 Izzak Olejnik The parity between these guys is going to make for a great bout…again. But before we talk history, let’s look at their similarities. Both are All-Americans, both transferred from other schools (Caliendo from NDSU; Olejnik from NIU) after last season and have since made big splashes in their new colors. This season Olejnik has had a year that has seen him move into the top-5 while Caliendo, on the other hand, has taken some losses that have pushed him out of the top-5. However, despite the rankings, Caliendo is still the favorite in my opinion, based on history, but I’m still taking Olejnik. These guys met in the 7th place match last season at NCAAs where Caliendo won, 6-2. But this season things have been different. Caliendo is coming off back-to-back losses to Dean Hamiti (Wisconsin), whom Olejnik defeated to kick off the year, and Mitchell Messenbrink (PSU). I expect to see Olejnik have a similar approach to this match with Caliendo that he had against Hamiti. The last time they met, Caliendo was able to score off Olejnik’s attacks so I think a calmer and more tactical approach will come on Sunday. Prediction: Olejnik by dec. over Caliendo (Iowa, 13-7) 174: No. 7 Patrick Kennedy vs. No. 21 Brayden Thompson It took a little bit for him to get his lungs and legs right, but Kennedy has had a pretty good season. He also had to get acclimated to his new weight class since moving up to 174 after starting the season at 165 where he took a loss to his teammate, Caliendo. Kennedy truly has the edge here over Thompson and I expect Kennedy to push for bonus here which will be needed to extend their lead on the back half where Ok State will be looking to make up ground. Prediction: Kennedy by major over Thompson (Iowa, 17-7) 184: Aiden Riggins OR Gabe Arnold vs. No. 2 Dustin Plott Gabe Arnold has one more date left, and it could be with Dustin Plott. We all wanted to see him against Carter Starocci (PSU), but this matchup would definitely be second to that one so let’s hope it happens. It would be Arnold’s biggest test of the season. He’s coming off a win last week against Shane Liegel (Wisconsin), so I think there’s a chance we see him again here. Plott is having his best season by far this year with losses only to Parker Keckeisen (UNI) and Lenny Pinto (Nebraska) at CKLV, which he then avenged in the same tournament. He’s solid in all positions and he pressures his opponents very well to keep them on their heels. If Iowa wants to keep him from getting bonus, they’ll go with Arnold over Riggins. Prediction: Plott by dec. over Arnold (Iowa, 17-10) 197: No. 11 Zach Glazier vs. No. 16 Luke Surber This a toss-up. And it’s a toss-up that Oklahoma State is going to absolutely need to get the dual meet victory. This season, both guys have wins over the same crop of opponents, the only difference is that Glazier has a bigger margin of victory in his wins. We’ve seen Glazier be very good this year for the Hawks and has the edge here. Surber has shared this spot with a few others this season but has been solid when he’s in the lineup. This match will be the decider and Glazier has looked too tough not to lean his way. Prediction: Glazier by dec. over Surber (Iowa, 20-10) 285: No. 29 Bradley Hill OR Ben Kueter vs. No. 11 Konner Doucet So far this season we haven’t seen Ben Kueter and Gabe Arnold in the lineup at the same time. I think that ends this weekend. Kueter is the heavyweight of the future for Iowa and allowing him to get a feel for some of the top guys in the country goes a long way. We saw him take on Greg Kerkvliet when PSU already had the dual won and I think we see him here again in the same situation. And again, it won’t matter much. Konner Doucet is the favorite no matter who they put out there, but in my opinion, just like at 184, Kueter is the better bet to not give up bonus. Prediction: Doucet by dec. over Kueter Final score: Iowa, 20-13 Final Thought: On paper, Oklahoma State is the favorite based on their resume and body of work. However, when you look at the matchups things swing in Iowa’s favor, again, on paper. But that’s why it’s best that things are settled (Shane Sparks voice) on the Resilite because anything can happen. No one (outside of the Cowboys’ wrestling room) expected Nick Piccininni to pin Spencer Lee in 2019, but it happened, and it was another absolutely thrilling moment in the wild history between these two teams that involved them wrestling in front of 42,287 fans in Kinnick Stadium. So, while I’ve got a 20-13 win for the Hawkeyes, which haven’t won in Stillwater, OK since 2014, it doesn’t account for something wild. My upset alerts come at 141 and 149 for Oklahoma State. And Teague Travis will make it interesting at 157. Outside of that, I see Iowa winning in the end.