InterMat Staff

The Journeymen Collegiate Duals kick off tomorrow from Nashville, Tennessee, and will feature two days' worth of high-quality dual action. Today we’re focusing on the first day of competition - one that will see #6 Ohio State, #14 Iowa State, #21 North Carolina, and Lock Haven do battle in dual action. Each team will meet the other three throughout the day. Below, we’ve highlighted some of the ranked versus ranked bouts in each dual—along with a few others that might be intriguing. If we are confident that the match won’t happen, then it wasn’t listened to, even if ranked wrestlers were involved (i.e., any potential bout that includes Anthony Echemendia). You can watch the action live on Rokfin! #14 Iowa State vs. Lock Haven 133 lbs: #6 Evan Frost (Iowa State) vs. #14 Anthony Noto (Lock Haven) 141 lbs: #19 Jacob Frost (Iowa State) vs. #21 Wyatt Henson (Lock Haven) 184 lbs: #14 Evan Bockman (Iowa State) vs. #30 Colin Fegley (Lock Haven) 197 lbs: #23 Christian Carroll (Iowa State) vs. UR Tucker Hogan (Lock Haven) #6 Ohio State vs. #21 North Carolina 125 lbs: #6 Brendan McCrone (Ohio State) vs. #23 Spencer Moore (North Carolina) 133 lbs: #7 Nic Bouzakis (Ohio State) vs. #12 Ethan Oakley (North Carolina) 149 lbs: #12 Dylan D’Emilio (Ohio State) vs. #7 Lachlan McNeil (North Carolina) 157 lbs: #7 Paddy Gallagher (Ohio State) vs. #25 Sonny Santiago (North Carolina) 174 lbs: #15 Carson Kharchla (Ohio State) vs. #16 Josh Ogunsanya (North Carolina) 184 lbs: #15 Ryder Rogotzke (Ohio State) vs. #18 Gavin Kane (North Carolina) #14 Iowa State vs. #21 North Carolina 133 lbs: #6 Evan Frost (Iowa State) vs. #12 Ethan Oakley (North Carolina) 157 lbs: UR Cody Chittum (Iowa State) vs. #25 Sonny Santiago (North Carolina) 184 lbs: #14 Evan Bockman (Iowa State) vs. #18 Gavin Kane (North Carolina) 285 lbs: #27 Daniel Herrera (Iowa State) vs. UR Aydin Guttridge (North Carolina) #6 Ohio State vs Lock Haven 133 lbs: #7 Nic Bouzakis (Ohio State) vs. #14 Anthony Noto (Lock Haven) 141 lbs: #2 Jesse Mendez (Ohio State) vs. #21 Wyatt Henson (Lock Haven) 149 lbs: #12 Dylan D’Emilio (Ohio State) vs. #31 Lucas Kapusta (Lock Haven) 174 lbs: #15 Carson Kharchla (Ohio State) vs. #29 Avery Bassett (Lock Haven) 184 lbs: #15 Ryder Rogotzke (Ohio State) vs. #30 Colin Fegley (Lock Haven) 197 lbs: #19 Luke Geog (Ohio State) vs. UR Tucker Hogan (Lock Haven) #6 Ohio State vs. #14 Iowa State 133 lbs: #7 Nic Bouzakis (Ohio State) vs. #6 Evan Frost (Iowa State) 141 lbs: #2 Jesse Mendez (Ohio State) vs. #19 Jacob Frost (Iowa State) 157 lbs: #7 Paddy Gallagher (Ohio State) vs. UR Cody Chittum (Iowa State) 184 lbs: #15 Ryder Rogotzke (Ohio State) vs. #14 Evan Bockman (Iowa State) 197 lbs: #19 Luke Geog (Ohio State) vs. #23 Christian Carroll (Iowa State) #21 North Carolina vs. Lock Haven 133 lbs: #12 Ethan Oakley (North Carolina) vs. #14 Anthony Noto (Lock Haven) 149 lbs: #7 Lachlan McNeil (North Carolina) vs. #31 Lucas Kapusta (Lock Haven) 174 lbs: #16 Josh Ogunsanya (North Carolina) vs. #29 Avery Bassett (Lock Haven) 184 lbs: #18 Gavin Kane (North Carolina) vs. #30 Colin Fegley (Lock Haven) What can we expect from Iowa State? That’s the question. I’m not sure if head coach Kevin Dresser is even sure at this point. The Cyclones have had almost two full months of a lineup that is in flux. There have been wrestlers who have changed weight classes, others who are in the process of doing so, and a handful of injuries. Per Dresser’s previous comments, I wouldn’t expect All-Americans Anthony Echemendia or Yonger Bastida in Nashville. Evan Frost (133), MJ Gaitan (165), and Evan Bockman (184) all missed Iowa State’s most recent dual with North Dakota State. Also, 125 lber Adrian Meza is nearing his five-match limit which is needed to preserve his redshirt. At full strength, Iowa State would be able to threaten Ohio State. We’re not sure what this weekend’s version is capable of. One positive sign for Dresser’s team is getting Cody Chittum back at 157 lbs. His return signals a potential shift in the lineup with Echemendia and Paniro Johnson potentially going down to 141 and 149, respectively. 133 lb Chaos Last year, it was the 125 lb weight class with seemingly got turned on its head every week. It’s been a bit more stable this season. The weight that has the potential to take its place is 133. The post-CKLV rankings provided a huge shakeup as that event has plenty of upsets and outside of Vegas, there were plenty, as well. There’s potential for more on Saturday as four of the top 15 wrestlers at the weight are expected to do battle. Frost and Nic Bouzakis were in Vegas, taking second and third - while Ethan Oakley and Anthony Noto sat back and watched the chaos unfold. Can they contribute to it this week? I’d be surprised if this weight went “chalk” through the three rounds of duals. They’re back! We could see the season debuts of not one, but two, prominent veterans in the 174 lb weight class, #15 Carson Kharchla (Ohio State) and #16 Josh Ogunsanya (North Carolina). InterMat has been told this has been the target return date for both. Both missed a large chunk of the 2023-24 season and have yet to take the mat in 2024-25. With both being seasoned wrestlers in their fifth (and sixth) year of competition, we may not see them in all three duals. If healthy, both could threaten for All-American honors and add some depth to what has proven to be a rather top-heavy weight class. Not to be outdone, Lock Haven is set to unleash a veteran of their own - assistant coach Gavin Hoffman, who is now tabbed to be the Eagles starting heavyweight. As luck would have it, Hoffman could debut against his former team, Ohio State. Though he dealt with a couple of years disrupted by injuries, Hoffman qualified for nationals twice for the Buckeyes and even finished sixth in the nation in 2021. Should Hoffman be close to his typical form, he makes a solid Lock Haven lineup that much stronger and it’s probably enough to push Scott Moore’s team into favorite status in the MAC. Dual to Watch: A few months ago, when the pairings for this event were released, I assume most people were fixated on a possible Iowa State/Ohio State matchup. It looked like two teams capable of winning NCAA team trophies. For Ohio State, that still rings true. For Iowa State, it may end up materializing that way - but it would have to be in the postseason, not December. With that in mind, I’m focusing on North Carolina and Ohio State. If their lineups shake out as anticipated, we could be looking at six matches between ranked wrestlers. Two #7 vs. #12 matchups. It’s been almost a month since we’ve seen the Tar Heels in action. They played host to #11 Illinois and have been idle since. With that long layoff, you can assume we’re seeing a relatively healthy version of Rob Koll’s squad and one that is hungry for competition. They’ll see Ohio State right off the bat.

The Sheridan Invitational is set for Friday, December 20th beginning at 10AM. All action can be seen on FloWrestling. The list of teams includes Brown, Drexel, Franklin & Marshall, Indiana, Lehigh, Rutgers, and Virginia. Below is a quick breakdown of each weight 125: The highest ranked wrestler here is Lehigh’s Sheldon Seymour. Sitting at #15 nationally, we may see him square off with Indiana’s Jacob Moran. Moran (#22 in the rankings) has one loss on the season to Caleb Smith of Nebraska. Smith’s current ranking is #5, and Moran’s loss was by a single point. If these two end up wrestling, it will be a great opportunity for either wrestler to gain momentum into the new year. Indiana’s Blaine Frazier and F&M’s Jack Parker will be looking for quality wins as well. Below are the remaining entries. Jared Brunner (Brown) Charlie Colantonio (Franklin & Marshall) Blaine Frazier (Indiana) James Garcia (Franklin & Marshall) Vincent Gioffre (Franklin & Marshall) Ejiro Montoya (Franklin & Marshall) Jacob Moran (Indiana) Jackson Parker (Franklin & Marshall) Anthony Rossi (Virginia) Sheldon Seymour (Lehigh) Ethan Smith (Lehigh) Logan Wadle (Lehigh) 133: We will see top-ranked Ryan Crookham take the mat again. He’s 2-0 on the year thus far. Also expected to wrestle is Indiana’s 27th ranked Angelo Rini. He’s a grad transfer from Columbia. Gable Porter of Virginia is in the rankings also. He currently claims the 33rd spot with a 4-1 record. Mason Leiphart from F&M will be a tough out for anyone with his stingy defense and great top wrestling. A new face at this weight is Brown’s Michael Joyce. His teammate, Hunter Adrian, has been an EIWA place winner in the past. He was an NCAA qualifier for the Bears last season at 125lbs. It appears Brown has some options at this weight class. Expect to see guys like Hildebrandt of Drexel, Kyle Montaperto, and Logan Frazier of Indiana to be in the mix to win some matches. Hunter Adrian (Brown) Ryan Crookham (Lehigh) Logan Frazier (Indiana) John Hildebrandt (Drexel) Michael Joyce (Brown) Mason Leiphart (Franklin & Marshall) Kyle Montaperto (Virginia) Gable Porter (Virginia) Angelo Rini (Indiana) Chandler Sewell (Drexel) 141: This weight class does not have the ranked wrestlers as the previous one discussed. Of all entries, only one is a previous NCAA qualifier – Dylan Cedeno of Virginia. He qualified back in 2022. He spent last season at 157lbs, now back down to the 141lb weight class. Indiana’s Henry Porter appears to be a favorite. Carter Bailey of Lehigh and Pat Phillips (unattached) of F&M will be in the hunt to win matches as well. Joe Fangaro of Rutgers is always in the mix too. Keep an eye on Kresho of F&M. He has been in a lot of close quality matches. Carter Bailey (Lehigh) Malachi Bordovsky (Drexel) Kyren Butler (Virginia) Joey Buttler (Indiana) Dylan Cedeno (Virginia) Brandt Fajerman (Franklin & Marshall) Joe Fongaro( Rutgers) Joey Iamunno (Brown) Bryce Kresho (Franklin & Marshall) Austin McBurney (Brown) Aidan O'Shea (Franklin & Marshall) Lucas Peters (Indiana) Pat Phillips (Franklin & Marshall) Deon Pleasant (Drexel) Henry Porter (Indiana) 149: This may as well be a Lehigh wrestle-off with three of the regulars entered, plus Malyke Hines making the move up to 149lbs – which may or may not be permanent. This multi-season battle will continue with Hines in the mix. Another vital position battle at this weight coming from Brown. Between McMonagle and Mojena, Brown will have a decision to make for the remainder of the season. Michael Cetta of Rutgers was at NCAAs last season and may be a favorite on paper. He, along with Hines and Griffin of Lehigh, are NCAA qualifiers. Expect some fireworks here. Michael Cetta (Rutgers) Kyle Deisley (Franklin & Marshall) Jonathan Fuller (Drexel) Kelvin Griffin (Lehigh) Josh Hillard (Franklin & Marshall) Malyke Hines (Lehigh) Sam McMonagle (Brown) Ethan Mojena (Brown) Drew Munch (Lehigh) Jack Myers (Virginia) Matt Repos (Lehigh) Brandon Sauter (Franklin & Marshall) Aidan Torres (Indiana) Seth Weaver (Franklin & Marshall) 157: Virginia’s Michael Gioffre will look to expand on his 4-1 record on the year. Lehigh’s Logan Rozynski is a true freshman looking to make a name for himself after a close loss to PSU’s fourth-ranked Kasak. On paper, these two will most likely be the top two here. Lehigh’s Gonzalez and Skellenger will remain in contention as well. Chris Arciuolo (Franklin & Marshall) Luke Bender (Franklin & Marshall) Aboubakare Diaby (Drexel) Michael Gioffre (Virginia) Griffin Gonzalez (Lehigh) Jayden Iznaga (Drexel) Jake Neill (Franklin & Marshall) Logan Rozynski (Lehigh) Nick Sanko (Virginia) Jadon Skellenger (Lehigh) Billy Templeton (Franklin & Marshall) 165: Indiana’s Tyler Lillard was ranked in the top 15 to begin the year. It appears he and Lehigh’s Brignola will be the top two contenders at this weight – both are the lone NCAA qualifiers in previous years. Brignola has looked great this year during his redshirt campaign. Gayer of Rutgers has seen some good results this year. Harrison Trahan of Brown will look to improve upon his season last year as the starter. Lehigh’s Lawrence and Federici will be on the hunt for some quality wins as well. Mason Alley (Indiana) Max Brignola (Lehigh-unattached) Dom D'Agostino (Drexel) Michael Duggan (Franklin & Marshall) Dominic Federici (Lehigh) Luke Gayer (Rutgers) Thayne Lawrence (Lehigh) Tyler Lillard (Indiana) Makoa Niebel (Franklin & Marshall) Josh Palmucci (Franklin & Marshall) Owen Quinn (Lehigh) Tyler Shea (Franklin & Marshall) Mason Stefanelli (Virginia) Harrison Trahan (Brown) 174: It appears Rylan Rogers of Lehigh is the man to beat, although Contino of Virginia may disagree. We have seen F&M’s Bash and Brown’s Clearie have some nice wins over the years, so expect them to challenge the top two guys. This is a weight class with zero NCAA appearances from the entries. This will make for some fun wrestling. Nick Alvarez (Franklin & Marshall) Noah Bash (Franklin & Marshall) Drew Clearie (Brown) Rocco Contino (Virginia) Michael Fuccilli (Franklin & Marshall) Liam Gil-Swiger (Lehigh) Michael Murphy (Virginia) Conner O’Donnell (Brown) Rylan Rogers (Lehigh) Nick South (Indiana) Dominic Wheatley (Franklin & Marshall) 184: Brian Soldano of Rutgers has been in the rankings this season. He’s also the lone wrestler listed to compete at NCAAs in the past. Lehigh’s Caden Rogers was a highly touted recruit. He’s looking for some consistency while trying to stay healthy. Other than these two, the remainder of the entrants are looking for some matches to help excel them into the starting lineup for their respective teams. Both of Brown’s participants may be vying for the starting role in preparation for the upcoming dual meet part of the schedule. Jake Allred (Franklin & Marshall) Griffin Gammell (Virginia) Jack Lesher (Virginia) Nick Olivieri (Brown) Justin Phillips (Virginia) Andrew Reall (Brown) George Rhodes (Drexel) Caden Rogers (Lehigh) Brian Soldano (Rutgers) Leo Varga (Franklin & Marshall) Ethan Wilson (Drexel) 197: Here is another weight class with no NCAA appearances. Sollars of Indiana has wrestled well this year. He should be one of the top guys here. JT Davis of Lehigh has looked good when he makes an appearance. PJ Casale was a high school prospect who committed to Lehigh and is now at Rutgers. It will be great to see how he stacks up against this field. Virginia may have some answers after this event as both Shulaw and Weatherspoon have both wrestled in duals. Brown has not had a dual this season, but with two entrants here, it may help clarify who will have the edge for this weight class moving forward. PJ Casale (Rutgers) JT Davis (Lehigh) Justin Griffith (Drexel) Alex Hamrick (Brown) Caleb Marzolino (Indiana) RJ Moore (Franklin & Marshall) Hadyn Packer (Rutgers) Dan Rella Jr (Drexel) Thomas Sandoval (Brown) Max Shulaw (Virginia) Gabe Sollars (Indiana) Ethan Weatherspoon (Virginia) 285: Jacob Bullock of Indiana comes into the event ranked 23rd in the nation. He’s the heavy favorite here. Drexel and F&M each have three wrestlers competing. It will be interesting to see who emerges to challenge Bullock. *Lehigh’s second-semester transfer in Owen Trephan is still potentially on track to compete. If he competes, he may be the favorite with a #9 ranking in the country. Lehigh is in the process of getting him eligible to compete. Jacob Bullock (Indiana) Braden Ewing (Brown) Brody Kline (Franklin & Marshall) Quincy Long (Franklin & Marshall) Nick Pavlechko (Indiana) Dominic Petracci (Drexel) Jake Rickett (Franklin & Marshall) Cooper Rudolph (Virginia) Tanner Updegraff (Drexel) Shane Whitney (Drexel)

Thursday’s DI Dual Results Clarion 40 Bloomsburg 3 125 - Bobby Gardner (Clarion) FFT 133 - Scott Johnson (Clarion) tech Major Lewis (Bloomsburg) 16-0 141 - Gianni Silvestri (Clarion) dec Ashton Campbell (Bloomsburg) 10-3 149 - Kyle Schickel (Clarion) tech Nik Antonelli (Bloomsburg) 16-0 157 - William Morrow (Bloomsburg) dec John Altieri (Clarion) 7-5 165 - Wesley Barnes (Clarion) dec Leo Hess (Bloomsburg) 11-4SV 174 - John Worthing (Clarion) fall Nik Voros (Bloomsburg) 1:34 184 - Adrian Gacek (Clarion) maj David Tuttle (Bloomsburg) 9-0 197 - Ethan Wiant (Clarion) dec Mason Rebuck (Bloomsburg) 7-4 285 - Austin Chapman (Clarion) tech Tyler McCatharn (Bloomsburg) 21-5 The Citadel 56 Limestone 0 125 - Malik Hardy (The Citadel) fall Jeremiah Ellis (Limestone) 1:42 133 - George Rosas (The Citadel) FFT 141 - Thomas Termini (The Citadel) FFT 149 - Carson DesRosier (The Citadel) FFT 157 - Tyler Badgett (The Citadel) tech Malachi Thomas (Limestone) 17-2 165 - Thomas Snipes (The Citadel) tech Samuel Daniels (Limestone) 17-0 174 - Ben Haubert (The Citadel) tech Christopher Drakeford-Yegge (Limestone) 19-4 184 - Micah DiCarlo (The Citadel) fall Peyton Miles (Limestone) 1:35 197 - Patrick Brophy (The Citadel) tech Anthony Goelzer (Limestone) 18-1 285 - Adam Ortega (The Citadel) fall Caleb Melton (Limestone) 3:47 George Mason 29 Gardner-Webb 11 125 - Ben Monn (George Mason) dec Jeffrey Jacome (Gardner-Webb) 4-1SV 133 - TK Davis (Gardner-Webb) dec Charlie Bunting (George Mason) 7-3 141 - Todd Carter (Gardner-Webb) tech Dom Hargrove (George Mason) 22-5 149 - Kaden Cassidy (George Mason) dec Joseph Giordano (Gardner-Webb) 1-0 157 - JT Chance (George Mason) dec Drew Pepin (Gardner-Webb) 12-5 165 - Evan Maag (George Mason) tech Tyler Brignola (Gardner-Webb) 20-4 174 - Logan Messer (George Mason) tech Andrew Wilson (Gardner-Webb) 19-4 184 - Malachi DuVall (George Mason) tech Edison Flores (Gardner-Webb) 17-2 197 - Joshua McCuthen (Gardner-Webb) dec Tyler Kocak (George Mason) 4-3 285 - James Blackman (George Mason) tech Mason Blue (Gardner-Webb) 20-4 Northern Illinois 23 Kent State 19 125 - Blake West (Northern Illinois) fall Nico Calello (Kent State) 6:24 133 - Markel Baker (Northern Illinois) tech Adan Benevidez (Kent State) 22-5 141 - Jordan Decatur (Kent State) tech Tee Ward (Northern Illinois) 20-3 149 - Billy Meiszner (Kent State) maj Charles Curtis (Northern Illinois) 14-0 157 - Landen Johnson (Northern Illinois) fall Dominic Paterra (Kent State) 3:23 165 - Carson Miller (Kent State) dec Brett Smith (Northern Illinois) 2-0 174 - Tommy Bennett (Northern Illinois) dec Hunter Andel (Kent State) 4-1 184 - Holden Martin (Kent State) maj Austin Stewart (Northern Illinois) 13-2 197 - Sean Carroll (Northern Illinois) dec Corey Boerio (Kent State) 6-4 285 - Brentan Simmerman (Kent State) dec Jacob Christiansen (Northern Illinois) 4-1 Oklahoma State 34 Virginia Tech 9 125 - Troy Spratley (Oklahoma State) maj Eddie Ventresca (Virginia Tech) 10-1 133 - Reece Witcraft (Oklahoma State) maj Dillon Campbell (Virginia Tech) 14-4 141 - Tagen Jamison (Oklahoma State) maj Sam Latona (Virginia Tech) 8-0 149 - Caleb Henson (Virginia Tech) fall Carter Young (Oklahoma State) 2:00 157 - Rafael Hipolio (Virginia Tech) dec Caleb Fish (Oklahoma State) 20-15 165 - Cam Amine (Oklahoma State) dec Mac Church (Virginia Tech) 7-1 174 - Dean Hamiti (Oklahoma State) tech Lennox Wolak (Virginia Tech) 20-4 184 - Dustin Plott (Oklahoma State) tech Sam Fisher (Virginia Tech) 20-5 197 - Luke Surber (Oklahoma State) dec Andy Smith (Virginia Tech) 4-1SV 285 - Wyatt Hendrickson (Oklahoma State) fall Hunter Catka (Virginia Tech) 2:00 California Baptist 22 Cal Poly 16 125 - Koda Holeman (Cal Poly) fall Mitchell Neiner (California Baptist) 4:44 133 - Damian Alvarez (California Baptist) dec Caleb Park (Cal Poly) 3-0 141 - Eli Griffin (California Baptist) maj Korbin Shepherd (Cal Poly) 10-0 149 - Paul Kelly (California Baptist) dec Jagger French (Cal Poly) 7-1 157 - Legend Lamer (Cal Poly) tech Darren Green (California Baptist) 16-0 165 - Mason Espinoza (California Baptist) dec Cash Stewart (Cal Poly) 6-5 174 - Carter Schmidt (California Baptist) dec Kendall LaRosa (Cal Poly) 4-1 184 - Nathan Haas (California Baptist) dec Daschle Lamer (Cal Poly) 8-5 197 - Eli Sheeran (California Baptist) dec dec Jarad Priest (Cal Poly) 3-0 285 - Trevor Tinker (Cal Poly) tech Tristan Kemp (California Baptist) 17-1 Northwestern 29 Cal Poly 14 125 - Koda Holeman (Cal Poly) dec Dedrick Navarro (Northwestern) 8-6 133 - Massey Odiotti (Northwestern) fall Caleb Park (Cal Poly) 3:43 141 - Giosue Hickman (Northwestern) fall Korbin Shepherd (Cal Poly) 3:27 149 - Sam Cartella (Northwestern) maj Jagger French (Cal Poly) 9-0 157 - Jacob Bostelman (Northwestern) dec Gavin Fernandez (Cal Poly) 4-0 165 - Maxx Mayfield (Northwestern) tech Cash Stewart (Cal Poly) 21-6 174 - Blake Hinrichsen (Cal Poly) dec Aiden Vandenbush (Northwestern) 13-8 184 - Daschle Lamer (Cal Poly) dec Jon Halvorsen (Northwestern) 3-0 197 - Evan Bates (Northwestern) tech Tyler Hodges (Cal Poly) 25-10 285 - Trevor Tinker (Cal Poly) tech Dirk Morley (Northwestern) 20-4

ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- University of Michigan wrestling head coach Sean Bormet announced Thursday (Dec. 19) that fifth-year senior Dylan Ragusin will miss the remainder of the season after suffering a knee injury at the Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational (Dec. 6-7). Ragusin will have surgery next month to repair the injured knee. "Season-ending injuries are always a tough pill to swallow," said Bormet, "and we know how disappointed Dylan is to not finish out the year. But among Dylan, our staff and his family, we are all in agreement that surgery is the best option -- and to refocus on coming back healthy and ready to go next season. Dylan means a lot to our program, his teammates and coaches. His sacrifice for the team last year speaks to his character, selflessness and love for Michigan wrestling. He is a terrific leader, and I know that will continue even when he can't be on the mat." A 2024 All-American and four-time NCAA qualifier, Ragusin has been in the Wolverines starting lineup since his arrival in Ann Arbor -- at 125 pounds as a freshman in 2020-21 and the last three-plus years at 133 pounds. He owns an 82-30 career record, including a stellar 28-4 mark last season when he voluntarily came out of redshirt in January to help fill a gap caused by an injury in the lineup. He reached the Big Ten finals before earning All-America honors with a fifth-place finish at 133 pounds at NCAAs. Ragusin was ranked No. 4 nationally to start this season, which had already been affected by a different nagging injury, and held a 6-3 record with five bonus wins. The Wolverines will send a contingent of wrestlers to the Midlands Championships on Dec. 29-30 in Evanston, Ill., before returning home to host Maryland on Friday, Jan. 10 at Crisler Center. The dual is slated for 6 p.m. and tickets are still available through the U-M Ticket Office.

Council Rock North

Greens Farms Academy

Kasson-Mantorville

We’re getting the weekend started extra early this week with an incredible non-conference matchup as fifth-ranked Virginia Tech travels to number four Oklahoma State. Both squads come in unbeaten. The hosts are 5-0 while the Hokies are 3-0. On paper, this is shaping up to be one of the best duals of the entire season. Should each team send out their expected starters, it will be the rare dual that features 10 matches between ranked opponents. Two of them could involve wrestlers in the top five clashing. There’s the possibility of two matches between past All-Americans. Virginia Tech comes in after putting six wrestlers on the podium in Vegas at the Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational. They have not competed since Vegas. In dual action, the Hokies have already picked up ranked wins against #15 Missouri and #18 Rutgers. Oklahoma State dominated Vegas in a historical manner. All ten of their entrants finished within the top-five a feat that hadn’t been accomplished since they did way back in 1999. Not satisfied with that performance, the Cowboys crushed their in-state rivals, Oklahoma, during Bedlam 35-3 - losing only one match in tiebreakers. Will Oklahoma State continue to prove that they are a program on the rise and poised to finish above their current ranking or will the all-tough Hokies hand David Taylor his first loss as Oklahoma State head coach. We’ll find out tonight at 8pm (eastern) on ESPN+ Before then, here’s a match-by-match look at the action we’ll see in Gallagher-Iba Arena 125 lbs - #4 Eddie Ventresca (Virginia Tech) vs. #3 Troy Spratley (Oklahoma State) We start off with just a massive matchup! These are the second and third-place finishers from the Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational - with Ventresca making the championship match and Spratley taking third. The two did not meet in Vegas so, we don’t have a frame of reference for how this match will play out. Ventresca tends to slow his opponents down and wrestles a methodical match, so I’d guess that’s how this one will turn out. Both wrestlers come in sporting identical 10-1 records in 2024-25. Top-ranked Matt Ramos is responsible for both of their losses. Spratley has a resume this year that includes a pair of wins over 2024 All-Americans (Caleb Smith/Jore Volk). Ventresca does as well (Smith/Tanner Jordan). Virginia Tech will be looked at as a slight underdog in this dual. Any path to victory for the Hokies likely involves a win at 125 lbs. 133 lbs - #11 Connor McGonagle (Virginia Tech) vs. #18 Reece Witcraft (Oklahoma State) A pair of grizzled veterans will clash in the 133 lb contest. Connor McGonagle joined the Hokie squad in the offseason after coming over as a graduate transfer from Lehigh. McGonagle has shown flashes of All-American potential throughout his career but has often dealt with injuries. Since coming to Virginia Tech, McGonagle has only participated in three events and is 3-1. His most recent outing was a 3-0 shutout of 2024 national qualifier Kade Moore during the Hokies victory over Missouri in mid-November. Reece Witcraft has gotten the call lately rather than redshirt freshman Cael Hughes. When called into duty in Vegas, Witcraft responded with a fourth-place finish. His final Bedlam dual was one to remember, as he was facing an eight-point deficit and pinned a quality opponent in Cleveland Belton. In Vegas, Witcraft posted wins over a pair of ranked foes, as well. The good hips and upper body throws always make Witcraft a dangerous opponent. In what is expected to be a tight dual, a fall from the Cowboys or perhaps a major after some back points, could be the difference-maker. 141 lbs - #13 Sam Latona (Virginia Tech) vs. #4 Tagen Jamison (Oklahoma State) Both Sam Latona and Tagen Jamison made the podium at CKLV; however, they did not wrestle each other. For the second straight year, Jamison had an excellent tournament. This time he knocked off two-time All-American Brock Hardy to make the finals. After Vegas, Jamison ran his record to 11-1 by downing a top-ten opponent at Bedlam in Mosha Schwartz. While Jamison had a very good season in 2023-24, he’s starting to take it to another level this year. His bonus-point percentage has risen almost 23% from last season and he’s been kept under five points only once. The two-time All-American, Latona, is at his third collegiate weight class in 2024-25. Latona has experienced a couple bumps in the road during the early going, but has been his usual self. He finished sixth in Vegas - though he didn’t compete in his placement match. Even though Latona is a veteran and a sixth-year senior, he has been quite busy through the first month and a half of the season. He’s already appeared in 20 matches - most of which came during three tournaments. Look for Latona’s length to create some problems for Jamison. The pair both wrestled Jesse Mendez and Hardy in Vegas. Both were able to slow Mendez down, a bit, while Hardy was able to blank Latona, 5-0. 149 lbs - #1 Caleb Henson (Virginia Tech) vs. #14 Carter Young (Oklahoma State) This is one of the two matches that we got to see in Vegas and presumably will be a rematch. At the CKLV, Caleb Henson picked up a 6-3 decision over Carter Young. He would go on and take the championship with a win over Ridge Lovett. That gave Henson a lead in the series over the Nebraska wrestler. Lovett was victorious in the 2023 CKLV finals, while Henson evened the score in the NCAA semifinals. Henson would go on to become only the second Virginia Tech wrestler to win a national title. Henson now carries a 16-match winning streak into Stillwater. Young is looking to rebound after he was the only Cowboy to suffer a loss during the bedlam dual. Though he got the only takedown in his bout with Willie McDougald, Young fell 7-6 in tiebreakers. While Young has wrestled a difficult schedule, he comes into this match with five losses on his record. Two of those came during his fifth-place showing in Vegas. Young is in his first year as the Cowboys starter at 149 lbs. He was a two-time national qualifier for OSU at 141 lbs before redshirting last season. Then he did see action in a pair of open tournaments at the weight. 157 lbs - #14 Rafael Hipolito (Virginia Tech) vs. #12 Caleb Fish (Oklahoma State) Two of the pleasant surprises on the 157 lb podium in Vegas were Caleb Fish (3rd) and Rafael Hipolito (8th). Fish was a last-minute replacement. He appeared to be on track to redshirt, but that’s no longer the case after it was pulled in Vegas. Two of his best wins from Vegas were an 11-0 major decision of Paniro Johnson and a major decision win over former Michigan State teammate Chase Saldate. Hipolito came into Vegas unbeaten but hadn’t faced any of the key contenders at this weight. That changed quickly as Hipolito pushed Johnson into sudden victory, before majoring 2024 All-American Peyten Kellar. He’ll bring an 11-2 record into Stillwater. Compared to his contemporaries, Hipolito has been involved with wrestling for a relatively short time. With that in mind, he still has a huge ceiling and plenty of room to grow. At one point, we might have viewed an opponent like Fish as “too much, too soon,” however, that may not be the case. In addition to his ability to throw, Hipolito has shown a good array of leg attacks. Once again, Virginia Tech probably needs a win here from Hipolito if they want to pull the upset. 165 lbs - #29 Mac Church (Virginia Tech) vs. #6 Cam Amine (Oklahoma State) This is one of the only matches in this dual where one side has a very distinct advantage over the other. Virginia Tech will send out redshirt freshman Mac Church against two-time All-American Cam Amine. Amine had a few slip-ups in the early portion of this season, but made the CKLV finals and looked excellent in his first Bedlam dual. Considering the quality of his opponent, his 14-3 major decision over OU’s Tate Picklo, might have been Amine’s finest performance of the season. Will he be able to keep the bonus-point train moving? Church is a wrestler who redshirted at 141 lbs last season and made the huge jump up to 165 lbs for this campaign. Church has shown no ill effects and distinct disadvantages at the higher weight. In fact, he has already matched last season’s win total in three fewer matches, against better competition. Church did not place in Vegas but did pick up two wins. The more important of the two came against conference foe Derek Fields of NC State. Church also came up clutch in Virginia Tech’s dual win over Rutgers. His 11-8 win over fellow freshman Andrew Barbosa was considered a toss-up match in a 14-point win by the Hokies. Despite the large disparity between these two’s rankings, this could be a stylistic matchup that is ok for Virginia Tech. If Church is able to slow Amine down and keep it a one-move or one-flurry match, he’s got a shot. And that has been possible against Amine in the past. 174 lbs - #4 Lennox Wolak (Virginia Tech) vs. #3 Dean Hamiti (Oklahoma State) Along with 125 lbs, one of the marquee bouts of the evening takes place at 174 lbs as these two top-five wrestlers clash. Since Lennox Wolak did not enter the CKLV, there was no prior meeting between him and Dean Hamiti. Hamiti, of course, was front and center in Vegas. He had bonus points in his four pre-finals matches, before surviving a hard-fought 4-3 win over Lorenzo Norman. At Bedlman, Hamiti was in control but wasn’t able to light up the scoreboard against #6 Gaven Sax. A couple of gritty wins before a matchup against the fourth-ranked wrestler in the nation probably is a good thing for Hamiti. It's more likely that he’ll need to grind out a close win against Wolark - rather than rolling to bonus points. Wolak hasn’t seen the mat since pinning All-American Jackson Turley of Rutgers in Virginia Tech’s Moss Arts Center dual on November 22nd. In the offseason, Wolak along with his former Columbia head coach Zach Tanelli, made the trip down south to use his final year of eligibility at Virginia Tech. Last year, Wolak became Columbia’s first All-American in over a decade and was one of two EIWA champions for the school. Wolak’s only loss of the 2024-25 campaign was major decision to #1 Keegan O’Toole. It was a bout that was generally closer than the score would indicate. For most of it, he was able to tie up O’Toole. I could see him similarly stymieing Hamiti. 184 lbs - #25 TJ Stewart (Virginia Tech) vs. #3 Dustin Plott (Oklahoma State) It’s been a rough go of things thus far for TJ Stewart during the 2024-25 season. Last year, he burst upon the scene late in the regular season, secured a starting position, won the ACC’s, and ended up seventh in the nation. This season started with a tough 8-2 loss to Missouri’s Colton Hawks, which wasn’t ideal, but Hawks was a returning NCAA Round of 12 finisher. Stewart lost again in the Rutgers dual and then went 0-2 in Vegas. Trying to break out of a 0-4 losing streak against the returning NCAA runner-up isn’t an ideal situation, but that’s what Stewart has to do. Dustin Plott advanced to the finals of the CKLV and met his Big 12 and NCAA finals nemesis Parker Keckeisen. Keckeisen continued his string of wins over the Cowboy with an 8-3 decision, which was better than the major decision in both postseason matchups. Plott showed no ill effects from the CKLV loss and nearly teched DJ Parker in the Bedlam dual. Over the last two seasons, Plott is 39-1 against wrestlers not named Keckeisen. Should the Tech coaching staff want to shake things up, they could turn to Sam Fisher, who has been a starter for stretches throughout his career. He was eighth at the CKLV in 2023, but did lose via fall to Plott. 197 lbs - #9 Andy Smith (Virginia Tech) vs. #10 Luke Surber (Oklahoma State) The other matchup from this dual that happened in Vegas was the clash at 197 lbs between Andy Smith and Luke Surber. This ended up being a #4/#5 quarterfinal which Smith took by a 4-3 decision. He would go on to fall in the semifinals and medically forfeited into sixth place. Surber wrestled back and took third. Both of these two wrestlers appear much improved and more consistent during the 2024-25 season. Smith’s CKLV semi’s loss to Jacob Cardenas was his first of the year. In addition to his win over Surber, Smith has wins this season over All-American John Poznanski and stud freshman Aeoden Sinclair. Last season, despite starting the NCAA tournament as the #26 seed, Smith was a match away from earning All-American honors. Surber battled injuries last year but still managed to qualify for nationals for a third time. In those three appearances, he’s only been seeded 15th or higher once and managed multiple wins once. That looks like both could change in 2025. Surber’s one-point loss to Smith is his only setback of the season. He has racked up five wins over four past national qualifiers, the most notable being a 5-0 dual win over two-time AA Trey Munoz of Oregon State. This is another critical toss-up match. Smith holds the advantage, but it was only a one-point win, easily the type of thing that Surber could flip in a tight dual with a loud home crowd behind him. 285 lbs - #15 Jimmy Mullen (Virginia Tech) vs. #3 Wyatt Hendrickson (Oklahoma State) We’ll close with one of the top heavyweights in the nation against one of the most promising freshmen big men. Both of which have won international world medals at the age-group level. Wyatt Hendrickson finished third in each of the past two seasons for the Air Force Academy. He was able to transfer to OSU to use his final year of eligibility. It seems scary to think about, but Hendrickson has looked better than ever with nine bonus-point wins in ten matches. He has four techs to go along with four falls. Hendrickson was one of two Cowboy wrestlers to come away with a title from the CKLV. After Vegas, Hendrickson handed Juan Mora his first loss of the season with a 19-4 tech fall to close out Oklahoma State’s dominant win over the Sooners. Freshman Jimmy Mullen comes in with an impressive 12-2 record on the year. He was fourth in Vegas - losing only to Hendrickson’s finals opponent Cohlton Schultz. Mullen was a highly-touted three-time New Jersey state champion who redshirted last season and seized the starting role from the incumbent Hunter Catka. It’ll be fun if this dual comes down to the big men and bonus points are needed from Hendrickson.

The past few weeks have been a back-and-forth in the amount of competitions available, and the next two weeks will continue to follow that pattern. Week 8 ramps into the holiday part of the season with a bunch of exciting duals and a few tournaments, while looking ahead to next week (Week 9) it will be another lull with only Soldier Salute and Midlands on the schedule. While the fan in you is excited to watch the great duals and individual matchups, the Fantasy Wrestling manager in you needs to make some tough decisions. This is one of the last opportunities to seek quantity over quality in competitions before we get into the dual season. Entries are still trickling in for the Sheridan Tournament, Reno Tournament of Champions, and the Wilkes Open, so keep those twitter notifications on and check out the Fantasy Wrestling page on the InterMat Forums for updates. 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. Have a question, concern, suggestions, or just want to chat about Fantasy Wrestling? Hit us up on Twitter or head over to the InterMat Forums where we have a Fantasy Wrestling dedicated Forum page! Wrestlers I Like This Week Wrestler (School)- competition for the week [Proj Score]* 125: Sheldon Seymour (LEH)- Sheridan Tournament Maximo Renteria (ORST) - @ Utah Valley [+4] Tanner Jordan (SDSU) - Rider Quad, @ Drexel [+12] Brendan McCrone (OHST) - Collegiate Duals [+11] Luke Lilledahl (PSU) - Collegiate Duals [+10] Nicolar Rivera (WISC) - Knockout Classic [+9] Anthony Molton (CAMP) - Knockout Classic [+4] Davian Guanajuanto (SIUE) - Vs Buffalo [+3] 133: Ryan Crookham (LEH) - Sheridan Tournament Angelo Rini (IND) - Sheridan Tournament Zeth Romney (CP)- Vs Northwestern, Vs California Baptist, Reno ToC Derrick Cardinal (SDSU) - Rider Quad, @ Drexel [+7] Kurt Phipps (BUCK) - Vs LIU [+4] Colton Camacho (EDIN) - Vs Sacred Heart [+4] Kase Mauger (UVU) - Vs Oregon State [+4] Braeden Davis (PSU) - Collegiate Duals [+3] 141: Henry Porter (IND) - Sheridan Tournament Carter Bailey (LEH) - Sheridan Tournament Dylan Cedeno (UVA) - Sheridan Tournament Eli Griffin (CBU) - @ Cal Poly, Reno ToC Jesse Mendez (OHST) - Collegiate Duals [+12] Beau Bartlett (PSU) - Collegiate Duals [+11] Jordan Titus (WVU) - Knockout Classic [+10] Todd Carter (GWU)- @ George Mason, @ Ohio [+7] Joshua Koderhandt (NAVY) - Vs American [+5] Anthony Ferraro (EDIN) - Vs Sacred Heart [+4] Chris Cannon (NW)- @ Cal Poly [+4] Kai Orine (NCST) - @ Cornell [+3] Haiden Drury (UVU) - Vs Oregon State [+3] 149: Kelvin Griffin (LEH) - Sheridan Tournament Malyke Hines (LEH) - Sheridan Tournament Chance Lamer (CP)- Vs Northwestern, Vs California Baptist, Reno ToC Shayne Van Ness (PSU) - Collegiate Duals [+13] Willie McDougald (OU) - Sooner Quad [+7] Ryan Burgos (EDIN) - Vs Sacred Heart [+5] Kaden Cassidy (GMU) - Vs Gardner-Webb [+4] 157: Michael Gioffre (UVA) - Sheridan Tournament Tyler Kasak (PSU) - Collegiate Duals [+11] Caleb Dowling (WVU) - Knockout Classic [+10] Ed Scott (NCST) - @ Cornell [+4] Ethan Stiles (ORST) - @ Utah Valley [+4] DJ McGee (GMU) - Vs Gardner-Webb [+3] Trevor Chumbley (NW) - @ Cal Poly [+3] 165: Tyler Lillard (IND) - Sheridan Tournament Max Brignola (LEH) - Sheridan Tournament Will Miller (APP) - Wilkes Open Mitchell Mesenbrink (PSU) - Collegiate Duals [+13] Drake Rhodes (SDSU) - Rider Quad, @ Drexel [+12] Peyton Hall (WVU) - Knockout Classic [+12] Tate Picklo (OU) - Sooner Quad [+6] Aiden Wallace (DUKE) - Vs VMI [+5] Evan Maag (GMU) - Vs Gardner-Webb [+5] Terrell Barraclough (UVU) - Vs Oregon State [+4] Cesar Alvan (COL) - Vs Hofstra [+3] Derek Fields (NCST) - @ Cornell [+3] 174: Cade DeVos (SDSU) - Rider Quad, @ Drexel [+15] Gaven Sax (OU) - Sooner Quad [+7] Logan Messer (GMU) - Vs Gardner-Webb [+5] Keegan O’Toole (MIZZ)- Collegiate Duals [at least +5] Levi Haines (PSU) - Collegiate Duals [at least +5] Myles Takats (BUCK) - Vs LIU [+4] Darrien Roberts (MST)- @ Hofstra [+4] Sean Harman (ORST) - @ Utah Valley [+4] Danny Wask (NAVY) - Vs American [+4] 184: Brian Soldano (RUT) - Sheridan Tournament Carter Starocci (PSU) - Collegiate Duals [+12] Ian Bush (WVU) - Knockout Classic [+10] Jared McGill (EDIN) - Vs Sacred Heart [+5] Braxton Lewis (VMI) - @ Duke [+4] Malachi Duvall (GMU) - Vs Gardner-Webb [+3] Zyan Hall (NAVY) - Vs American [+3] Dylan Fishback (NCST) - @ Cornell [+3] 197: Gabe Sollars (IND) - Sheridan Tournament Max Shulaw (UVA) - Sheridan Tournament Trey Munoz (ORST) - @ Utah Valley [+4] Austin Cooley (WVU) - Knockout Classic [+13] AJ Ferrari (CSUB) - Oklahoma Quad [+9] Dillon Bechtold (BUCK) - Vs LIU [+4] Evan Bates (NW) - @ Cal Poly [+4] 285: Jacob Bullock (IND) - Sheridan Tournament Trevor Tinker (CP)- Vs Northwestern, Vs California Baptist, Reno ToC Greg Kerkvliet (PSU) - Collegiate Duals [+13] Taye Ghadiali (CAMP) - Knockout Classic [+12] Connor Barket (DUKE) - Vs VMI [+5] Kade Sottolano (EDIN) - Vs Sacred Heart [+4] Isaac Trumble (NCST) - @ Cornell [+4] James Blackman (GMU) - Vs Gardner-Webb [+3]

Highlights Army, American, and Binghamton all notch wins on the road Drexel earns home win over Ohio D’Alesio of LIU earns Wrestler of the Week with win over #21 Ebert of Binghamton Duals (12/13) #25 Army West Point 42 Morgan State 6 125 - Charlie Farmer (Army West Point) tech Julian Dawson (Morgan State) 17-2 133 - Ethan Berginc (Army West Point) fall Shawn Ryncarz (Morgan State) 4:14 141 - Braden Basile (Army West Point) fall Myrin Nixon (Morgan State) 5:49 149 - Trae McDaniel (Army West Point) fall Yannis Charles (Morgan State) 2:03 157 - Dakota Morris (Army West Point) tech Josh Greenwood (Morgan State) 15-0 165 - Gunner Filipowicz (Army West Point) fall Cooper Lockhart (Morgan State) 2:18 174 - Darrien Roberts (Morgan State) dec Cooper Haase (Army West Point) 6-5 184 - Andrew Christie (Army West Point) dec Kingsley Menifee (Morgan State) 7-0 197 - Wolfgang Frable (Army West Point) tech Cam Johnson (Morgan State) 17-2 285 - Xavier Doolin (Morgan State) dec Brady Colbert (Army West Point) 9-4 (12/15) American 25 Davidson 9 125 - Coen Bainey (American) maj Luke Passarelli (Davidson) 11-2 133 - Raymond Lopez (American) fall Enis Ljikovic (Davidson) :16 141 - Cael McIntyre (American) dec Joshua Viarengo (Davidson) 8-3 149 - Xavier McKnight (Davidson) dec Gage Owen (American) 11-4 157 - Tanner Peake (Davidson) dec Jack Nies (American) 4-2 165 - Bryce Griffin (Davidson) dec Kaden Milheim (American) 8-2 174 - Caleb Campos (American) dec Marc Koch (Davidson) 2-0 184 - Breon Phifer (American) dec Ian McGehee (Davidson) 5-4 197 - Carston Rawls (American) dec Savoy New (Davidson) 5-2 285 - Emmanuel Ulrich (American) dec DJ Spring (Davidson) 1-0 (12/15) Binghamton 26 Long Island 12 125 - Carson Wagner (Binghamton) fall Robbie Sagaris (Long Island) :48 133 - Micah Roes (Binghamton) maj Kaelen Francios (Long Island) 9-0 141 - Devin Matthews (Long Island) dec Nate Lucier (Binghamton) 10-4 149 - Ivan Garcia (Binghamton) dec Drew Witham (Long Island) 6-4 157 - Brayden Roberts (Long Island) dec Fin Nadeau (Binghamton) 1-0 165 - Donavan Smith (Long Island) dec Roberto Padilla (Binghamton) 7-0 174 - Brevin Cassella (Binghamton) tech Corey Connolly (Long Island) 18-1 184 - Anthony D’Alesio (Long Island) dec Will Ebert (Binghamton) 4-2 197 - Cayden Bevis (Binghamton) dec John Dusza (Long Island) 6-3 285 - Cory Day (Binghamton) tech Chris Powell (Long Island) 20-0 (12/17) Drexel 26 Ohio 16 125 - Desmond Pleasant (Drexel) maj Ryan Meek (Ohio) 14-4 133 - Kyle Waterman (Drexel) tech Mason Brugh (Ohio) 21-5 141 - Jordan Soriano (Drexel) fall Kaden Jett (Ohio) 2:55 149 - Derek Raike (Ohio) dec Dom Findora (Drexel) 9-2 157 - Peyten Kellar (Ohio) dec Luke Nichter (Drexel) 8-3 165 - Cody Walsh (Drexel) dec Jack Lledo (Ohio) 1-0 174 - Garrett Thompson (Ohio) tech Jack Janda (Drexel) 15-0 184 - Giuseppe Hoose (Drexel) maj Jeremy Olszko (Ohio) 16-3 197 - Ethan Wilson (Drexel) maj Austin Starr (Ohio) 13-4 285 - Jordan Greer (Ohio) tech Dom Petracci (Drexel) 16-1

Ohio State vs. Pittsburgh - You know who showed some fight on the road this past weekend? The Buckeyes did. Depth is a good thing to have in a room, but at the same time, it’s not always super exciting to have to rely on it. There are fewer questions or variables to deal with when you have the full starting lineup to compete, but injuries happen and that’s part of the sport. As Dan Campbell says, “... if you’re a guy who’s on the vet squad, or you’re a young player (wrestler in this instance), or you’re somebody that’s been dying to get an opportunity, you’re about to get it.” I love Dan Campbell. Ohio State moved some of their guys around and brought guys on this trip to Pittsburgh to give them that opportunity. Now Pittsburgh is tough, so they started strong taking the first 4 bouts of the match. However, the Buckeyes stormed back and got the next five in a row to the tune of three major decisions, a tech fall, and a regular decision. That’s how you get a 20-17 win on the road without your full squad. In dual meet formats, wins are the best, but limiting the other team to regular decisions is also a valuable asset, and that’s largely what Ohio State was able to do at some of these weights. The Buckeyes look to continue their winning ways (they’re 4-0 on the season so far) as they travel to Nashville this weekend for the Collegiate Duals on 12/21 as they look to take on North Carolina, Lock Haven, and Iowa State. Michigan State vs. CSU Bakersfield - We knew going into this season that the Spartans were going to have some youth in their lineup. With that comes the double-edged sword of getting good experience, while also taking on a tough schedule inside and outside of the B1G. In this case, the Spartans traveled to Bakersfield, California to take on the Roadrunners as one of their last out-of-conference duals of the season. Michigan State started strong with a tech fall for Ceasar Garza, who is originally from Oakdale, California (a quick three-and-a-half-hour drive from Bakersfield. California is humongous). From there, it was a string of Bakersfield wins, with three major decisions in a row followed by close matches at 125 and 133, also Bakersfield wins. Caleb Weiand had a close 8-7 loss at 125 to almost stop the bleeding, followed by Tristan Lujan dropping the match at 133, 4-1. The Spartans had a run of their own with wins at 141, 149, and 157, but regular decisions only get you three team points a piece, and the Spartans found themselves trailing by four heading into the final match at 165. Guillermo Escobedo was able to secure the OT win in tiebreakers over Jay Nivison to secure the win for Cal State Bakersfield. The best lessons come from losses, or at least that’s what I tell my kids, but I do genuinely believe it. Hopefully, this can be a wakeup to the Spartan squad that has plenty of talent and will look to rebound as they head to the Midlands on 12/29. PSU vs. Wyoming - Penn State took care of business as expected. The number one team in the nation flexed its muscles with a 54-0 shutout over Wyoming. Unfortunately, the two best matchups, on paper, didn’t materialize as Wyoming’s Jore Volk (125) and Joey Novak (197) were banged up. Penn State recorded pins in half of their ten wins with Beau Bartlett, Shayne Van Ness, Levi Haines, Carter Starocci, and Josh Barr all getting falls. Penn State will also travel to the Collegiate Duals and take on Binghamton, #16 Little Rock, and #15 Missouri.

BROOKVILLE, N.Y. — LIU Athletics is pleased to announce the promotion of John Arceri to head coach of its wrestling team. "I am excited to have Coach Arceri lead our men's wrestling program and happy for our team as we continue to see great success and community support surrounding our program," said LIU Director of Athletics Elliott Charles. Having originally joined the staff as assistant coach in 2022, Coach Arceri has played a pivotal role in the program's development, helping to guide three EIWA place winners and mentoring LIU's first-ever national qualifier. "I'm honored to take on the role of head wrestling coach at Long Island University. This program has incredible potential, and I'm excited to build on its foundation to create a culture of hard work, accountability, and success, both on and off the mat," he said. "As the youngest NCAA Division 1 head wrestling coach in the country, I see this as a tremendous opportunity to inspire not only my team, but also the next generation of wrestlers who dream of achieving greatness," Coach Arceri continued. "I'm grateful for the trust the university has placed in me, and I'm committed to helping our student-athletes excel as competitors, students, and individuals. The future is bright for LIU Wrestling and I can't wait to get started." Coach Arceri brings a wealth of experience to his new role, both as a coach and as a former standout wrestler. At Nassau Community College (NCC), Arceri became a national qualifier and contributed to Nassau's victory in the 2018 Division III National Championship. He continued his wrestling career at the University at Buffalo, where he became a national qualifier once again after finishing fourth at the Mid-American Conference (MAC) Championships. He was named a Scholar All-American and earned Academic All-MAC honors for his academic achievements. During Coach Arceri's prep career at Huntington High School, he was a state champion, a two-time state finalist, and a four-time county champion. He earned the prestigious title of High School Freak Show National Champion, cementing his status as one of New York's top high school wrestlers.

Week 7 FINALLY came to an end. Very little movement with the smattering of duals that occurred. Expect there to be much much more movement this coming week. For these standings, we will be using the Basic Fantasy Scoring through @WrestleStat (Win by Dec +3, Loss by Dec -3, Win by Pin +6, Loss by Pin -6, etc). Only results against D1 competition (starters, backups, and redshirts) will count towards Fantasy Points. Standings are first ordered based on total Fpts, then if tied by Points Per Match (PPM). Week 7 Notes: Dean Peterson is your Week 7 #1 wrestler, having competed in and won three matches. All won by bonus, Dean posted 14 Fpts. Just one Fpt behind him was TK Davis with 13 Fpts, and Rutger’s backup heavyweight John O’Donnell rounds out the Top-3 with 12 Fpts. Despite Rutgers littering the Week 7 standings more than the Garden State Parkway, the Overall Season Standings still do not have a Scarlet Knight representative at this time. As for the Overall Standings, Wyatt Hendrickson (OKST) adds another tech to the win column and jumps into the #6 spot. Now he's within striking distance of the Top-3 Jesse Mendez also makes a jump into the Top-10 with a Tech in Week 6, moving from 15th to 8th in the Overall Standings. Week 7 Leaders Year-Long Fantasy Point Standings

This weekend will be the fourth edition of the Journeymen Collegiate Duals. The event has now become a staple of the college wrestling calendar in mid-to-late December. Year after year it has brought some of the best teams in the nation together to compete in high-profile non-conference duals that we typically wouldn’t see in another setting. The Collegiate Duals have also brought DI college wrestling to areas that don’t see much of it. The first set of duals took place in Niceville on the Florida panhandle. A year later, they headed to New Orleans. This will the the second straight year that they are held in Nashville, Tennessee. With three years of Collegiate Duals under our belts, it’s long enough to look back at some historical aspects of the event. Today, we’re reminiscing on some of the best duals we’ve seen under the Collegiate Duals umbrella. Below is a description of the duals - along with links to rewatch them. all photos courtesy of Sam Janicki; SJanickiPhoto.com 11. 2023 - Pittsburgh 22 Little Rock 21 Let’s go back in time to just about a year ago… Little Rock had produced only one national qualifier in their short history. The 2023-24 squad appeared to be more equipped to compete nationally than any of its predecessors. At the time, we weren’t sure Nasir Bailey and Stephen Little were NCAA All-American types (at least in year one). A win over Pitt helped the nation take notice that Little Rock is not a potential team of the future - but they were really good in the present. In the dual itself, 141lber Brennan Van Hoecke stunned All-American Cole Matthews in a 10-6 victory. At 184 lbs, Triston Wills’ upset of Reece Heller (via fall) proved to be one of the difference makers. This dual was a reminder that, even though these weren’t two top-ranked teams, it still was a lot of fun. 10. 2022 - NC State 27 Northern Iowa 12 This dual wasn’t quite as competitive as the others on this list; however, it was memorable for a pair of big moves from some of the bigger names in the dual. Historically, Ed Scott has been great at the Collegiate Duals and he was here…but for only :18 seconds. That’s all he needed to dispatch UNI’s Derek Holschlag. In perhaps the most anticipated individual matchup of 2022’s tournament, Parker Keckeisen used a cradle to put Trent Hidlay on his back and secure a fall. A few weeks earlier at the CKLV finals, Hidlay downed Keckeisen 8-2. 9. 2021 - Cornell 18 Virginia Tech 15 One of the toss-up duals of the 2021 version of this event was #8 Virginia Tech taking on #11 Cornell. This was the third-place match in the blue pool. The dual was tied at 12 after a rideout victory from Mekhi Lewis - at the expense of upstart Chris Foca. Cornell would regain the lead for good in the next match as Jonathan Loew stunned Hunter Bolen in sudden victory. At 197 lbs, Jacob Cardenas would lock up the win for the Big Red as he edged Andy Smith 3-2. 8. 2023 - Iowa State 26 Cornell 15 This dual ended up being memorable for everything off-the-mat and who didn’t wrestle, rather than the action on the mat. It sparked the yearly referendum on ducking/resting/injured wrestlers. Cornell came into this event ranked fifth in the nation and was paired against Iowa State, who was just behind them, at six. The Big Red did not wrestle starters Brett Ungar, Vito Arujau, Meyer Shapiro, or Julian Ramirez, though the quartet did wrestle earlier in the day. Ungar’s replacement, Greg Diakomihalis actually pinned Iowa State’s Kysen Terukina and Chris Foca defeated Will Feldkamp in a battle of returning All-Americans. Ultimately, three bonus-point wins for Iowa State were too much to absorb for Cornell. 7. 2021 - Penn State 21 Cornell 16 After defeating Virginia Tech in pool competition, Cornell advanced to face top-ranked Penn State at the 2021 Duals. This event saw Vito Arujau move down from 133 to 125 lbs and, against the Nittany Lions, he recorded a fall in under a minute. After six matches, Cornell had a 14-8 lead. Of course, the back half of Penn State’s lineup was its strength and Cornell wasn’t able to hold their lead. Carter Starocci got the rally started with a tight, 3-2 win over Chris Foca. Aaron Brooks followed with a major decision win over Jonathan Loew. Max Dean’s 4-2 win over Jacob Cardenas meant the heavyweight contest would decide the dual. That bout proved to be a bit anti-climatic as Greg Kerkvliet blanked Lewis Fernandes, 5-0. 6. 2022 - Penn State 22 Iowa State 12 A year later, another pool championship involved Penn State - this time against Iowa State. The Cyclones advanced after an excellent dual that we’ll talk about later. This is another dual that didn’t necessarily ever have the final result in doubt; however, there were some individual high points. During his collegiate debut, Paniro Johnson knocked off the returning Big Ten champion and All-American Austin Gomez. Two weeks later, Gomez stunned then-three-time national champion Yianni Diakomiahalis. A bout between Johnson and another freshman, undefeated Shayne Van Ness, was one of the more anticipated bouts of the event. Johnson ended up handing Van Ness his first loss; however, Van Ness would avenge the loss during his third-place run at nationals. Two matches later, at 165 lbs, David Carr handed Alex Facundo his first official collegiate loss. It was a tight affair (4-2) and signaled that Facundo may be a podium challenger in year one. The most unexpected result of the evening was a 9-7 win by Marcus Coleman over then-two-time national champion Aaron Brooks. Coleman nearly pinned Brooks at one point, but held on for the win. 5. 2022 - Northern Iowa 19 Ohio State 13 This was the first dual meet of the season for Northern Iowa and, lo and behold, they knocked off the #3 team in the nation with their 19-13 victory over Ohio State. The most memorable match of the dual took place at 149 lbs when Colin Realbuto put Sammy Sasso on his back and rode him out for a 9-7 win. The Buckeyes had a chance to pull out a win at heavyweight, but Tyrell Gordon was able to put the finishing touches on the win with a 3-2 upset of All-American Tate Orndorff. The win pushed Northern Iowa into the finals of the red pool, where they took on NC State in the dual mentioned above. 4. 2021 - NC State 19 Missouri 12 At the time, we thought this might be one of the best duals of the year (and it was); however, it was overshadowed by a match the next day during the pool finals. This contest pitted a pair of top-ten teams against each other with #5 NC State and #10 Missouri. 18 of the 20 wrestlers were ranked and great individual matchups were up-and-down the dual. The turning point came at 157 lbs as Ed Scott used his top wrestling to knock off Jarrett Jacques in a match that was an upset at the time. That gave NC State a 9-6 lead heading into the back half of the dual. NC State swept the bouts at 174-197 and locked up the win. The 197 lb affair saw freshman Isaac Trumble takedown and ride out All-American Rocky Elam for the win. 3. 2023 - Ohio State 21 NC State 20 Before you even finished getting set up for this one, Ohio State took a commanding 18-0 lead. The Buckeyes recorded pins in each of the first three bouts - two of which were upsets. At 125 lbs, Brendan McCrone pinned then-#1 Jakob Camacho in only :37 seconds. Nic Bouzakis only needed :51 seconds to dispose of All-American Kai Orine. At 141 lbs, Jesse Mendez pinned Ryan Jack with only six seconds remaining in the contest. Just like that Ohio State was fully in control. What more remarkable is that NC State almost came all the way back to win. The Wolfpack won six of the final seven matches, but came up one point shy. A win from Rocco Welsh at 174 lbs proved to be the difference. It was his first dual event for the Buckeyes. NC State’s comeback bid included Jackson Arrington over All-American Dylan D’Emilio at 149, Dylan Fishback winning a battle of freshmen at 184 against Ryder Rogotzke, and Owen Trephan stopping Nick Feldman at heavyweight. 2. 2022 - Iowa State 18 Cornell 13 This is the dual that featured the now-famous “Dresser Bump.” Iowa State heavyweight Sam Schuyler was injured during the first dual of the day, a 26-6 win over Oregon State. With a dual that was expected to be close against Iowa State, Dresser used his depth at 174 to his advantage. After Chris Foca majored Julien Broderson at 174, Dresser sent out Joel Devine at 184 lbs. Devine responded by beating Evan Canoyer, 5-1. Normal 184 lber Marcus Coleman bumped up and knocked off Jacob Cardenas, 4-1. Yonger Bastida then moved up to heavyweight and got the best of Lewis Fernandes, to the tune of 4-2. Before the “Dresser Bump,” this dual featured Yianni Diakomihalis pulling out an overtime win against Paniro Johnson and David Carr defeating Julian Ramirez, 11-5. Another overlooked win for the Cyclones here was Corey Cabanban dropping Brett Ungar, 3-1 at 125 lbs. 1. 2021 - Iowa 19 NC State 15 To set the stage, 2021-22 was the year when Spencer Lee made his first appearance at the Collegiate Duals. He went 3-0 - including a 6-1 win over Jakob Camacho; however, he didn’t look quite like himself. Later, we learned that Lee would not compete for the rest of the season and take a redshirt to repair an injured knee (or two). By just looking at the box score, it wouldn’t look unusual to see these Hawkeyes take a 10-0 lead after three matches. In reality, there was some controversy surrounding the 141 lb contest between Jaydin Eierman and Ryan Jack. During the final :23 seconds of the third period, Eierman started on top holding a 7-6 lead. At one point, he got too high and Jack reached back and bridged looking for a defensive fall. The final whistle sounded as Eierman looked dangerously close to surrendering the pin. The NC State bench went crazy because of the no-call and that’s how the bout ended. The dual got exciting again after 157 lbs as Ed Scott tossed #8 Kaleb Young in a headlock for a first-period fall. That brought the team score to 10-9 in favor of the Hawkeyes. Wins by the Hidlay brothers at 174/184 briefly gave NC State a 15-13 lead; however, they would need to win one of the final two matches to take the dual. Isaac Trumble, fresh off a win over Rocky Elam, came up one point short against Jacob Warner. Though it was interesting late, Tony Cassioppi held serve at heavyweight with a 6-2 victory over Tyrie Houghton. That gave Iowa the 19-15 victory. An exciting dual like Iowa over NC State in the first year of existence for this event was instrumental in building hype for the Duals going forward.

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