InterMat Staff

Lehigh announced today that two-time NCAA champion Vincenzo Joseph will join the Mountain Hawks coaching staff for the 2025-26 season. Joseph is currently the recruiting coordinator for North Carolina. He has served in that role from August of 2024. Before his stint at North Carolina, Joseph also served as the recruiting coordinator for Arizona State. He also was on Stanford’s staff for a year. Joseph wrestled collegiately at Penn State where he earned NCAA All-American honors three times and was tabbed an NWCA First-Team All-American after the 2020 national tournament was cancelled. Joseph burst onto the college wrestling scene with a national title during his redshirt freshman year. In the 2017 NCAA finals, Joseph stunned two-time champion Isaiah Martinez and pinned him for a title. A year later, Joseph met Martinez again in the finals and prevailed, 6-1. Despite winning a pair of national titles, Joseph never captured a Big Ten championship; however, he advanced to the finals on three occasions. Joseph’s career record in a Penn State singlet was 88-9. After participating in the 2020 Olympic Trials, Joseph seemed content focusing on collegiate coaching career. After the 2022 national tournament, Joseph resurfaced at the US Open and made the finals in the 79 kg weight class. Later that spring, he fell in a best-of-three finals to Chance Marsteller at the World Team Trials. Last year, Joseph won the Olympic Trials Last Chance Qualifier and had the opportunity to compete in his second Olympic Trials. Joseph will join the Lehigh staff before a promising 2025-26 campaign. The Mountain Hawks could unveil a lineup that includes three returning All-Americans and eight past NCAA qualifiers. Joseph returns to his home state - though on the opposite side of where he went to high school. He captured a pair of PIAA AAA state titles wrestling for Pittsburgh Central Catholic.

We’re less than a week away from the 2025 Senior World Championships. The World Championships are where wrestlers can immortalize themselves in USA Wrestling lore. The Olympics are more prestigious from a general sports fan's perspective; however, the World Championship brackets are much bigger and feature many more threats, and most are wrestling at their ideal weights. Typically, the year after an Olympic Games is a transition year for the World Championships. Wrestlers might highlight the Olympics as a retirement date, win or lose. With ten weights, opposed to six at the Olympics, we might see wrestlers move up or down in weight to compete at a non-Olympic weight that suits their bodies more appropriately. Some are beaten down by the pursuit of the Olympics and take a year off. All of these situations open the door for new faces to shine. New faces are common on the US women’s freestyle team. Five of the ten world teamers have not competed at a Senior World Championship event. That isn’t to say it will be a down year. We just have a lot of wrestlers that haven’t gotten the opportunity to shine yet at the Senior World level. Most have earned international medals at the age-group level. Now, it’s their time to take the next step. In our preview, we feature the eight seeded wrestlers at each weight, along with past world/Olympic medalists, as well as other notable threats at the weight. Along with some analysis about our representatives, the medal prospects, and potential hazards. For our men’s freestyle previews: Part One and Part Two 50 kg - Audrey Jimenez Seeds #1 Oksana Livach (UKR) #2 Evin Demirhan (TUR) #3 Gabija Dilyte (LTU) #4 Madison Parks (CAN) #5 Svetlana Ankicheva (KAZ) #6 Munkhnar Byambasuren (MGL) #7 Audrey Jimenez (USA) #8 Remina Yoshimoto (JPN) Past Senior World/Olympic medalists: Demirhan: 2017 World bronze Livach: 2018 World bronze Yoshimoto: 2021 World champion Others Ankush (IND): 2x Asian U20 champion Natalya Varakina (UWW - Belarus): 2025 European bronze Myong-Gyong Won (PRK): 2025 Asian bronze Yu Zhang (CHN): 2025 Asian Silver, 2024 U20 World champion We’ll have a changing of the guard at 50 kg as Audrey Jimenez makes her first Senior World Team appearance. Previously, Sarah Hildebrandt had made every world/Olympic team at this weight since 2021. Jimenez should be up for the task. She is a three-time U20 world silver medalist and a one-time U23 silver medalist. During three of the four times that Jimenez made the world finals, it was an opponent from Japan who defeated her in the finals. Japan’s Remina Yoshimoto should be one of the key contenders here. With the 2021 world champion as the eighth seed, Jimenez wouldn’t see her until the finals. It seems like the bulk of the other contenders at this weight will be coming in unseeded. Yu Zhang is a young star who made the Asian finals earlier this year. North Korean lightweights are always tough so, I’d keep an eye on Myong-Gyong Won. 53 kg - Felicity Taylor Seeds #1 Lucia Yepez Guzman (ECU) #2 Hyogyong Choe (PRK) #3 Zeynep Yetgil (TUR) #4 Antim Panghal (IND) #5 Natalia Malysheva (UWW - Russia) #6 Annika Wendle (GER) #7 Maria Prevolaraki (GRE) #8 Jonna Malmgren (SWE) Past Senior World/Olympic medalists: Choe: 2024 Olympic bronze, 2025 Asian champion Haruna Okuno (JPN): 3x World champion Panghal: 2023 World bronze Prevolaraki: 3x World bronze Yepez Guzman: 2024 Olympic silver, 2023 World bronze Roksana Zasina (POL): 2017 World bronze Jin Zhang: 2024 World silver Others Liliia Malanchuk (UKR): 2023 U23 World bronze Malmgren: 2024 U23 World champion Malysheva: 2025 European bronze As we go up in weights, we have another first-time Senior world team member, Felicity Taylor. Taylor previously advanced to Final X, but broke through this year with her win over former Iowa teammate Brianna Gonzales. In 2024, Taylor defeated Gonzales in the NCWWC national finals to capture her second collegiate national title. Though this is her first Senior World Championship tournament, Taylor does have plenty of experience internationally. She made a pair of U23 world teams and wrestled in a bronze medal match back in 2022. 53 kg is shaping up to be one of the deepest women’s weights in 2025. Like many weights, the Japanese representative has to be the favorite. Haruna Okuno fits that bill as a three-time world champion. There are also two 2024 Olympic medalists in the bracket (Choe, Yepez Guzman). Altogether, there are seven women with past world/Olympic medals. And that doesn’t include the reigning U23 world champion (Malmgren). Bracketing could be weird here. Okuno, like Taylor, is not seeded. At this point, I don’t know that one side of the bracket is much different than the other, but we’ll re-evaluate after they are drawn. 55 kg - Cristelle Rodriguez Seeds #1 Tatiana Debien (FRA) #2 Oleksandra Khomenets (UKR) #3 Karla Godinez-Gonzalez (CAN) #4 Ekaterina Verbina (UWW - Russia) #5 Elvira Kamaloglu (TUR) #6 Kyong Ryong Oh (PRK) #7 Amory Andrich (GER) #8 Cristelle Rodriguez (USA) Past Senior World/Olympic medalists: Debien: 2024 World bronze Godinez-Gonzalez: 2022 World bronze Khomenets: 2x World medalist Others Khulan Batkhuyag (MGL): 2022 World silver Xuejing Liang (CHN): 2023 U20 World bronze Oh: 2025 Asian champion Rodriguez: 2024 U20 World champion Sowaka Uchida (JPN): 2024 U20 World champion Verbina: 2025 European champion, 2021 U23 World silver Of our first five weights, this is the last one with a first-time world team member. Like the two before her, Cristelle Rodriguez is making her Senior World debut; however, she has plenty of age group experience. Rodriguez is a two-time U20 world team member and claimed a gold medal in her second trip (2024). She also earned a silver medal in 2019 at the Cadet World Championships. To secure her spot on the 2025 squad, Rodriguez held off phenom and future U20 world champion Everest Leydecker in two straight bouts at Final X. This will be one of the smaller brackets on the women’s freestyle side. At first glance, seeing Cristelle Rodriguez as the eighth see - it might give you some pause. I actually like it. Though top seeded Tatiana Debien is a returning world medalist, I think she’s beatable. The fourth (Verbina) and fifth (Kamaloglu) are high quality, but also not out of Rodriguez’s league. We’ll have to pay attention to where U20 world champion Uchida (Japan), Batkhuyag (Mongolia), and Liang (China) are drawn in. They will be tough. The other half of the bracket is probably deeper with Khomenets, Godinez-Gonzalez, and Oh. 57 kg - Helen Maroulis Seeds #1 Helen Maroulis (USA) #2 Kexin Hong (CHN) #3 Luisa Valverde (ECU) #4 Olga Khoroshavtseva (UWW - Russia) #5 Tamara Dollak (HUN) #6 Bolortuya Khurelkhuu (MGL) #7 Youngjin Kwon (KOR) #8 Zhala Aliyeva (AZE) Past Senior World/Olympic medalists: Hong: 2024 Olympic bronze Iryna Kurachkina (UWW - Belarus): 2021 Olympic silver, 3x World medalist Maroulis: 3x Olympic medalist (Gold, Bronze x2), 3x World champion Samantha Stewart: 2021 World bronze Others Laura Almaganbetova (KAZ): 2024 Asian bronze Khoroshavtseva: 3x European champion Il-Sim Son (PRK): 2025 Asian silver Tapsya (IND): 2025 U20 World champion Himeka Tokuhara (JPN): 2x U23 World medalist Solomiia Vynnyk (UKR): 2024 U23 World champion The queen is back at the World Championships again and holds the top seed. Helen Maroulis will wrestle at the World Championships for the 12th time(!) in 2025. Her first Senior world appearance came in 2008. Maroulis is now the only American woman with three Olympic medals and the first to win gold. In Croatia, she’ll seek her eighth world medal and the fourth of a golden variety. Maroulis locked up her latest world team spot by pinning Amanda Martinez twice at Final X. She was the only wrestler (male or female) at the event to win via fall and she did it twice. Maroulis’ bronze medal from the 2024 Olympic Games, coupled with a win at the Hungarian Ranking Series event, helped her receive the #1 seed. For the last three World/Olympic events, Maroulis has been in the same weight class as Japan’s Sakurai. They have a new representative this year - Tokuhara, a U23 world champion in 2022 and a U23 bronze medalist in 2024. Just looking at seeds alone, you have to like Maroulis’ draw. None of the past World/Olympic medalists are on her side. That could change depending on where Kurachkina (Belarus) is placed. Aside from Tokuhara and Kurchkina, perhaps Son (North Korea) and Tapsya (India) represent the most significant challenges for Maroulis in Zagreb. 59 kg - Jacarra Winchester Seeds #1 Elena Brugger (GER) #2 Erika Bognar (HUN) #3 Laurence Beauregard (CAN) #4 Anastasiia Sidelnikova (UWW - Russia) #5 Sakura Onishi (JPN) #6 Bediha Gun (TUR) #7 Jumoke Adekoye (NGR) #8 Altjin Togtokh (MGL) Past Senior World/Olympic medalists: Brugger: 2024 World bronze Winchester: 2019 World champion, 2x World medalist Others Pyol Hong (PRK): 2025 Asian silver Hong Liang (CHN): 2024 U23 bronze Sakura Onishi (JPN): 2x U20 World champion We’ll marvel at Maroulis’ longevity, and it’s true; however, don’t sleep on Jacarra Winchester’s career. Winchester will compete at the World Championships for a sixth time, and that doesn’t include her 2021 Olympic appearance. Back in 2019, Winchester captured a world title at 55 kg. She earned a second world medal in 2023, when she made the 55 kg world finals. We’ll see if Winchester can add to her medal haul in Croatia. Winchester took quite the unusual route to her latest world team. She made the finals of the US Open at 57 kg, but did not wrestle. At the World Team Trials, Winchester bumped up to 59 kg and got the win. That set up a clash with former world team member, Abby Nette. Nette took the first match of the series, 6-4, but Winchester stormed back with two consecutive wins - the first was 9-7 and then 11-0 in the clincher. 59 kg looks to be a relatively wide open weight. Looking at the Japanese entry, we’ll have a new face to watch on the Senior level, as Onishi gets the call. She is a two-time U20 champion. Her most recent title came a few months ago and she downed American Aubre Krazer on her path to the gold medal. She’s the next big thing at this weight, but is she there right now? Top-seeded Elena Brugger is a returning world medalist and will be in the hunt for gold. Other contenders include Hong (North Korea) and Liang (China). Since Winchester will be unseeded, we’ll have to weight to see what her exact path looks like.

We’ve got more news regarding Real American Freestyle’s RAF 02 event. Initially, it was slated to take place on November 8th, from Penn State’s storied Rec Hall. The date has been changed to October 25th. This seems like a smart move as the Nittany Lions football team is slated to host Indiana on that same Saturday. In addition to the date change, we also have a first matchup. In what is being billed as the co-main event, Mason Parris will make his return to the wrestling world by taking on the legendary Kyle Snyder. Parris was a 2024 Olympic teammate of Snyder’s but stepped away from wrestling after Paris in an attempt to make the NFL. Parris signed with the Tennessee Titans and participated in their training camp before getting cut. At the end of the RAF 01 show, Parris came out on stage to call out the heavyweight champion Wyatt Hendrickson. This matchup would lead us to believe that the winner will get a shot at Hendrickson on a future card. Parris was a three-time NCAA All-American at the University of Michigan. He capped his collegiate career with an undefeated national championship season and the Hodge Trophy in 2023. Later that year, Parris made the world team and came home from Serbia with a bronze medal. Snyder will be in action within the next week at the 2025 World Championships - his 11th straight world/Olympic team. During his illustrious career, he has won two Olympic medals (gold and silver), three world titles, and a total of nine world/Olympic medals. This is a unique matchup that we haven’t seen before since Snyder’s international accolades have come at 97 kg (213 lbs). With RAF’s light heavyweight being 205 lbs, I expected Snyder to compete at heavyweight in these events. We’ll have more on the RAF 02 card as it develops.

Spencer Lee's journey to his first Senior World Championships has been anything but ordinary by 2025 standards, he won age level world titles at the U17 and U20 Championships and then didn’t wrestle internationally for six years. A three-time NCAA champion for the University of Iowa and an Olympic silver medalist, Lee has already carved out a legendary career. Yet, as he prepares to compete in Zagreb, Croatia, from September 13-21, it is with the distinction of making his first-ever US World Team. This milestone, surprising for an athlete of his caliber, sets the stage for a highly anticipated performance. An in-depth look at his offensive scoring from the past year reveals a wrestler who is not just winning, but dominating with a calculated and evolving offensive arsenal. What We Looked At Spencer Lee only competed twice this year, but I thought it was a strong enough body of work to analyze his offensive attacks, so from each match this year I noted the following criteria: Event Round Opponent Attack Time On The Clock At The Start Of The Attack Points Scored On Attack Conversion Time (time he was awarded a takedown) Transitional Par Terre Offense Attempt? Par Terre Technique Par Terre Points Scored What Constitutes Offense? Lee's 2025 performances at the Zagreb Open and Final X provide a compelling snapshot of his current form. To understand the true nature of his offensive dominance, it's important to clarify what constitutes an "offensive attack" in this analysis. This breakdown focuses specifically on Lee's initiated attacks from the neutral position that result in controlled takedowns, providing opportunities for par terre offense. Notably, this analysis includes go-behind attacks executed off opponent shots, which are considered counter-offensive moves rather than purely defensive reactions. One thing that makes Lee's approach particularly fascinating is what this analysis deliberately excludes. Step-out points, while clearly an offensive weapon for most wrestlers, are largely absent from Lee's scoring repertoire. He scored just one step-out all year, demonstrating his commitment to keeping action in the center of the mat. While most wrestlers immediately look for the edge when they secure a leg, Lee does the opposite. He actively works to finish his attacks in the center, prioritizing the opportunity to get on top and turn his opponent rather than settling for a quick one or two points at the boundary. Similarly, uncontrolled exposure points, which Lee scored twice via underhook throw-bys, are not included in this offensive breakdown. These scores, while effective, don't provide the par terre opportunities that make Lee so dangerous. His preference for controlled takedowns over quick exposure points reveals a wrestler who thinks several moves ahead, always positioning himself for maximum scoring potential. Finishing Mastery At the heart of Spencer Lee’s success is his exceptional ability to score just about every time he gets his hands locked on a leg. In his recent outings, he successfully converted on 77.8% of his offensive attempts. This high success rate is not built on a single, predictable attack. Instead, Lee employs a range of techniques that keep his opponents guessing and on the defensive. His go-to weapon of choice is a right-handed high crotch, which accounted for over half of his offensive attempts. While his success rate with this move was 60%, it serves as a constant threat that opens up other opportunities. Which is interesting to me because I’ve always thought of Spencer as a single leg guy. When opponents focus on defending the high crotch, Lee seamlessly transitions to other attacks. This was evident in his perfect 100% success rate with single legs and double legs. Spencer Is Evolving A closer examination of Spencer Lee's offensive timing reveals something that just about everyone in the world has known for a long time: Spencer Lee is a first period wrestler.. An overwhelming 77.8% of his offensive attacks (7 out of 9) occurred during the first period. This front-loaded approach demonstrates Lee's commitment to wanting to finish matches. Interestingly, while Lee is definitely less likely to attack in the second period, his finish percentage tells the tale of growth from his college days. With only two attacks attempted in the second period, he achieved perfect execution, converting both opportunities for scores. And these weren’t garbage time takedowns with his opponent diving at his legs in a last-ditch effort to steal the match, they were offensive attacks with extremely fast conversion times. This shows a maturity of decision making and positional prowess. A far cry from his days in an Iowa singlet where he gave up losses later in the in the match to guys like Sebastian Rivera and Nick Piccininni. Punishing And Purposeful Par Terre Scoring the takedown is only half the story…. Literally. Spencer Lee truly separates himself from the pack in par terre. His performance in the par terre position has been nothing short of dominant. After securing a takedown, Lee immediately transitions to his top game, attempting to add to his own momentum. Here’s what jumps off the statistical page to me though, It’s that he almost always finishes with enough room on the mat to get at least one turn. In 2025 most high level coaches are telling their athletes to find the edge when they get to a leg. It’s an extremely sound strategy in that you limit your opponent’s likelihood of scoring off any counter if he steps out. The problem with that tactic is that you don't get a chance on top. Not Spencer, he almost always leaves just enough room to one turn. His primary weapon on top is the gut wrench, more specifically, he has shown a clear preference for attacking the right side, doing so in two-thirds of his par terre attempts.The only outlier coming when he happened to trap his opponent’s left arm in transition. This consistent, high-level execution of a fundamental technique makes him a nightmare for any opponent who finds themselves on the bottom. What is most impressive is the sheer number of points he generates from the top position. In the analyzed matches, he scored as many points from par terre as he did from his takedowns, a total of 14 points. This ability to consistently add to his score after a takedown has proven to be a driver of success. Primed for the World Stage As Spencer Lee prepares for his first Senior World Championships, the data from his recent performances paints a clear picture: he is a wrestler at the peak of his powers. His offensive versatility, combined with his punishing par terre game, makes him a complete and formidable force at 57kg.

We’re less than a week away from the 2025 Senior World Championships. The World Championships are where wrestlers can immortalize themselves in USA Wrestling lore. The Olympics are more prestigious from a general sports fan's perspective; however, the World Championship brackets are much bigger and feature many more threats, and most are wrestling at their ideal weights. Typically, the year after an Olympic Games is a transition year for the World Championships. Wrestlers might highlight the Olympics as a retirement date, win or lose. With ten weights, opposed to six at the Olympics, we might see wrestlers move up or down in weight to compete at a non-Olympic weight that suits their bodies more appropriately. Some are beaten down by the pursuit of the Olympics and take a year off. All of these situations open the door for new faces to shine. New faces are prevalent on the US men’s freestyle team. Only two of the ten world teamers have competed at a Senior World Championship event (and a third was in the Olympics). That isn’t to say it will be a down year. We just have a lot of wrestlers that haven’t gotten the opportunity to shine yet at the Senior World level. Most have earned international medals at the age-group level. Now, it’s their time to take the next step. In our preview, we feature the eight seeded wrestlers at each weight, along with past world/Olympic medalists, as well as other notable threats at the weight. Along with some analysis about our representatives, the medal prospects, and potential hazards. For part one of our men’s freestyle preview: Click Here 79 kg - Levi Haines Seeds #1 Akhsarbek Gulaev (SVK) #2 Suldkhuu Olonbayar (MGL) #3 Vladimeri Gamkrelidze (GEO) #4 Magomet Evloev (TJK) #5 Mohammad Nokhodi (IRI) #6 Daulet Yergesh (KAZ) #7 Khidir Saipudinov (BRN) #8 Zelimkhan Khadjiev (FRA) Past Senior World/Olympic medalists: Gualev: 2024 World bronze Gamkrelidze: 2023 World silver Khadjiev: 2019 World bronze Vasil Mikhailov (UKR): 2022 World bronze Nokhodi: 4x World medalist Akhmed Usmanov (UWW - Russia): 2023 World champion Others Dzhabrail Gadzhiev (AZE): 2024 U23 World bronze Georgios Kougioumtsidis (GRE): 2022 European champion Saipudinov: 2025 Asian silver With Kyle Dake up at 86 kg and Jordan Burroughs foregoing the Trials process in 2025, we knew that there would be a new representative at 79 kg. That turned out to be Levi Haines, who swept Evan Wick in two straight matches at Final X. Haines doesn’t have extensive international experience. He was a Cadet World Team member back in 2021. Earlier this year, he won a U23 Pan-American title. After securing his spot on the team, Haines went to the Hungarian Ranking Series event and took ninth, losing to Greece’s former European champion Kougioumtsidis. Can Haines make the necessary adjustments to reverse a match like that or beat someone of even higher caliber? With the Nittany Lion Wrestling Club and USAW behind him, you have to like his chances. This weight is one of the more balanced ones on the men’s freestyle side. I don’t see anyone as a huge favorite, yet there are a lot of viable contenders. Russian Akhmed Usmanov is the only world champion in the bunch and is probably a slight favorite. Usmanov has won the European title in each of the last two years, following a world championship in 2023. Before we get brackets, the top half looks a bit tougher than the bottom. The fifth seed, Nokhodi, has the most world hardware of anyone in this bracket. He’s the opponent that Burroughs beat in the 2021 and 2021 gold medal match. Like many on the men’s freestyle team, it’s hard to quantify specific expectations for Haines. A lot will come down to the draw, as he is unseeded. 86 kg - Zahid Valencia Seeds #1 Osman Gocen (TUR) #2 Arsenii Dzhioev (AZE) #3 Mahamedkhabib Kadzimahamedau (UWW - Belarus) #4 Zahid Valencia (USA) #5 Rakhim Magamadov (FRA) #6 Hayato Ishiguro (JPN) #7 Batbilguun Naadambat (MGL) #8 Gyeongyeon Lee (KOR) Past Senior World/Olympic medalists: Azamat Dauletbekov (KAZ):2x World bronze Kamran Ghasempour (IRI): 2x World champion Kadzimahamedau: 2021 Olympic silver Avtandil Kentchadze: 2024 World champion, 2x World medalist Boris Makoev (SVK): 2x World medalist Valencia: 2023 World bronze Others Dzhioev: 2024 U23 World silver Gocen: 3x European bronze Ibragim Kadiev: 2x U20 World champion Magamadov: 2x U20 World champion Throughout the previews thus far, I’ve felt a bit wishy-washy and unsure of what to predict from our representatives. At 86 kg, we have more of a known commodity in Zahid Valencia. Since losing in the 2024 World Team Trials to David Taylor, Valencia joined forces with Taylor at the Cowboy RTC and is thriving. He downed Kyle Dake at the US Open and in two consecutive matches at Final X. Internationally, Valencia has three tournament titles on the year. Simply put, he seems to be at his peak and in the perfect weight class. Valencia earned a world medal in 2023 at 92 kg, but 86 kg looks like a much better fit. This weight class is pretty loaded, but you have to like Valencia’s chances based on his recent form. So who does Valencia have to look out for in this bracket? Well, there are a pair of past world champions (Ghasempour and Kentchadze). Kadzimahamedau is the opponent who beat Dake at the 2021 Olympic Games and is always a threat. Russian Kadiev is the next superstar. In 2024, Kadiev downed Josh Barr in the U20 finals to capture his second gold medal at that event. Ghasempour is the opponent that Taylor beat for the bronze medal last year at 92 kg. He’ll be massive at 86 kg. Valencia starts his tournament as the fourth seed. I like that position in the bracket - on the opposite side of Kadzimahamedau. In the quarters, he would possibly have to contend with two-time U20 champion Magamadov of France. But, without a draw, it’s difficult to say exactly how good of a draw it is for Valencia. Either way, he’ll be tough to beat in Zagreb. 92 kg - Trent Hidlay Seeded #1 Miriani Maisuradze (GEO) #2 Benjamin Honis (ITA) #3 Batyrbek Tsakulov (SVK) #4 Osman Nurmagomedov (AZE) #5 Dauren Kurugliev (GRE) #6 Amirhossein Firouzpour (IRI) #7 Lars Schaefle (GER) #8 Trent Hidlay (USA) Past Senior World/Olympic medalists: Kurugliev: 2024 Olympic bronze Maisuradze: 2x World medalist Nurmagomedov: 3x World medalist Deepak Punia (IND): 2019 World silver Tsakulov: 2x World medalist Others Firouzpour: 2x U23 World Champion, 3x Asian Champion Magomed Sharipov (BRN): 2x Asian bronze Even though he’s a first-time Senior World Team member, I feel better about forecasting Trent Hidlay’s tournament than the other new faces. At the 2024 non-Olympic World Championships, it was David Taylor in this spot. Obviously, he’s gone and Hidlay fills the void. He earned his slot on the team by downing young upstarts Aeoden Sinclair in the US Open finals and Josh Barr in Final X. Hidlay has world level experience under his belt as he medaled in 2019 at the Junior level and in 2022 at U23’s. Additionally, he competed at the Hungarian Ranking Series event earlier this year and got the gold medal. While his eighth seed might not look great, he dropped the current #1 seed in the gold medal match and beat the #5 seed by injury default in the semis. Hidlay’s style is also one that is successful on the international stage. Controlling the exchanges with his underhook, along with the center of the mat, is a recipe for favorable calls from the officials. The young star to watch out for is on the other half of the bracket in #6 Firouzpour. He’s a two-time U23 world champion. In both instances, 2024 being the most recent, he defeated Jacob Cardenas in the gold medal matchup. 97 kg - Kyle Snyder Seeded #1 Akhmed Tazhudinov (BRN) #2 Givi Matcharashvili (GEO) #3 Kyle Snyder (USA) #4 Magomedkhan Magomedov (AZE) #5 Amirali Azarpira (IRI) #6 Zbigniew Baranowski (POL) #7 Arash Yoshida (JPN) #8 Richard Vegh (HUN) Past Senior World/Olympic medalists: Rizabek Aitmukhan (KAZ): 2023 World champion Azarpira: 2024 Olympic bronze Magomedov: 2024 Olympic bronze, 2x World medalist Matcharashvili: 2024 Olympic silver, 2x World medalist Snyder: 2016 Olympic champion, 3x World champion, 7x World medalist Tazhudinov: 2024 Olympic champion, 2023 World champion Others Radu Lefter (MDA): 2023 U23 World silver Arash Yoshida (JPN): 2x Asian champion The big storyline on the men’s freestyle side has been the status of seven-time world and Olympic champion, Abdulrashid Sadulaev. As we were wrapping up writing this preview, UWW modified their entries and removed Sadulaev from the 97 kg weight class. He was having difficulties with his visa and was not permitted to travel to Croatia. It’s unfortunate, as he’s one of the all-time greats and a frequent opponent of American Kyle Snyder. Speaking of Snyder, he’ll make his 11th straight World/Olympic appearance. Last year, at the Olympic Games, was the first time that Snyder has left a Senior world event empty handed. He’ll look to get back on the medal stand this year and earn his eighth world medal. In 2025, Snyder traveled internationally twice and won the Zagreb Open and finished with a bronze medal at the Albanian Ranking Series event. In Albania, he suffered a loss to Japan’s Yoshida, an opponent that had not previously beaten him. Yoshida is on Snyder’s half of the bracket; however, he’d have to get through a tough Matcharashvili to find Snyder again. Matcharashvili was the Olympic silver medalist last year, but he and Snyder did not square off in Paris. Though Sadulaev isn’t in this field, the new version of him is Akhmed Tazhudinov. Tazhudinov burst on the scene in 2023 when he beat Snyder and Sadulaev for his first world title. A year later, he dominated Matcharashvili with a fall in the Olympic finals (In the semis, he beat Snyder 6-4). Tazhudinov sits atop this bracket as the one seed and his half of the bracket is quite brutal with two Olympic bronze medalists. This is the only weight where all four of the 2024 Olympic medalists are back. Even though Kyle Snyder is Kyle Snyder, he’ll have a handful of tough matches to get back on the podium. I’m sure most would like to see a finals bout with Tazhidunov and Snyder, but he’ll have to work to make it that far. Matcharishivli and Yoshida are excellent and others could be drawn into the bottom half. 125 kg - Wyatt Hendrickson Seeds #1 Giorgi Meshvildishvili (AZE) #2 Amir Zare (IRI) #3 Dzianis Khramiankou (UWW - Belarus) #4 Robert Baran (POL) #5 Lkhagvagerel Munkhtur (MGL) #6 Shamil Sharipov (BRN) #7 Solomon Manashvili (GEO) #8 Jonovan Smith (PUR) Past Senior World/Olympic medalists: Meshvildishvili: 2024 Olympic bronze Munkhtur: 2x World medalist Khasanboy Rakhimov: 2019 World bronze Zare: 2x Olympic medalist, 2x World champion, 3x World medalist Others Hakan Buyukcingil (TUR): 2x U20 World bronze Abdulla Kurbanov (UWW - Russia): 2024 U23 World bronze Manashvili: 2025 European silver Alisher Yergali (KAZ): 2022 U23 World bronze 2025 has been the year of Wyatt Hendrickson. The iconic upset of Gable Steveson, a wild Final X win, dominance at RAF….now a World title? Hendrickson already has a gold medal from the 2023 U23 World Championships and he’s improved significantly since then. The United States is in the middle of an excellent run of heavyweights and Hendrickson is currently our best. He’s seeking to become the fourth different American big man to medal at the World/Olympics since 2017. This weight is a bit unique. It’s very top-heavy, but doesn’t have quite as much depth as others. Only two of the medalists from the 2024 Olympic Games return. Both Zare and Meshvildishvili should be considered favorites. Prior to Paris, Zare may have been seen as the “guy” at this weight; however, Geno Petriashvili wasn’t ready to pass the crown just yet. Even so, Zare still has a pair of world titles under his belt and is the favorite here. The question for Hendrickson is how his aggressiveness will translate against the massive upper-echelon heavyweights. At times, that was an issue for Mason Parris against opponents like Mongolia’s Munkhtur. Hendrickson will need to balance his offensive skills that make him a crowd favorite with savvy match tactics and not putting himself in dangerous positions.

Fishers

As we move closer to the collegiate season, most coaching staffs have been rounded out or are in the process of doing so. This week we have a couple of new additions - plus a couple that you might know about, but haven’t been announced as official by their respective schools. With Ryan LeBlanc taking the reins at Binghamton so late in the game, it made sense for The Citadel to announce that Luke Welch will serve as the program’s interim head coach for the 2025-26 campaign. Welch had spent the last five years as an assistant coach on LeBlanc’s staff. He presumably will be a finalist for the position next spring or, perhaps, be named the full-time head coach after the season. Another recent coaching announcement takes us across the country to Oregon State. Recent graduate Trey Munoz has been named the Beavers graduate assistant. Munoz was a two-time All-American for Oregon State, placing sixth and third in the nation at 184 lbs. He also captured three Pac-12 titles. Oregon State had a vacancy on staff after Nate Engel left to pursue a coaching position with the Army WCAP. There are also a couple of other coaching hires that have not yet been announced by the schools. Lehigh and Little Rock. Lehigh has added a stud from the other side of the state, while Little Rock’s new assistant has a family tie to the team. We still have some high-profile openings that will need to be filled, so pay attention for upcoming coaching announcements. Coaching Changes Army West Point: Alan Clothier (Assistant Coach) Army West Point: Troy Nickerson (Head Coach) Bellarmine: Brayton Lee (Assistant Coach) Binghamton: Brevin Cassella (Assistant Coach) Binghamton: Ryan LeBlanc (Head Coach) Brown: Tyler Grayson (Assistant Coach) Campbell: TJ Dudley (Head Coach) Gardner-Webb: Vincent Scollo (Graduate Assistant) Illinois: Eric Schultz (Assistant Coach) Kent State: Fred Garcia (Assistant Coach) Kent State: Josh Moore (Head Coach) Kent State: Devin Schroder (Assistant Coach) Lock Haven: Gavin Hoffman (Assistant Coach) Lock Haven: Brock Mauller (Assistant Coach) Long Island: Jay Nivison (Assistant Coach) Mercyhurst: Jimmy Overhiser (Head Coach) Missouri: Keegan O’Toole (Assistant Coach) NC State: Malik McDonald (Assistant Coach) North Dakota State: Willie Miklus (Assistant Coach) Northern Colorado: Charles Jones Jr. (Assistant Coach) Northern Colorado: Teyon Ware (Head Coach) Northern Iowa: Ian Parker (Assistant Coach) Oklahoma State: Kevin Ward (Assistant Coach) Oregon State: Trey Munoz (Graduate Assistant) Penn: Matt Valenti (Head Coach) Penn: Lennox Wolak (Assistant Coach) Princeton: Ryan Wolfe (Assistant Coach) Purdue: Matt Ramos (Assistant Coach) The Citadel: Luke Welch (Interim Head Coach) RTC/Club Lee Roper (Cowboy RTC) Open Appalachian State: Assistant Coach Binghamton: Assistant Coach California Baptist: Assistant Coach Campbell: Assistant Coach (x2) Central Michigan: Assistant Coach Drexel: Assistant Coach George Mason: Assistant Coach Maryland: Assistant Coach Mercyhurst: Assistant Coach Michigan State: Assistant Coach Oklahoma: Assistant Coach The Citadel: Assistant Coach Virginia: Assistant Coach VMI: Assistant Coach

St. Michael-Albertville

Greens Farms Academy

Westlake

American Falls

Delbarton

The fall visit season was in full swing last weekend, which coincided with some marquee college football games on the docket. Big games usually mean big recruiting weekends! Some high-profile wrestlers were on the road to explore new programs and perhaps find that perfect fit. One of the things that makes following the recruiting process fun is the cloak-and-dagger secrecy surrounding certain aspects of it. For every Bo Bassett who routinely keeps the public informed on recruiting decisions, there are plenty of others who don’t discuss it as much. Therefore, it can be difficult to follow which recruit is interested in which school and vice versa. I suppose it’s fun, but you’re left wanting more! To help our fan base feel more knowledgeable about the process, we’ll feature a weekly column that recaps the recruiting weekend. Who has visited where? Maybe some background information on the recruits or the process from the school. Here’s last weekend's article: 8/30, along with the previous week If we've missed a recruit or you'd like to provide info on future visits, please let me know: earl@matscouts.com Appalachian State Blake Bartos (Medina Buckeye, OH) - 2026 It was a busy weekend for Blake Bartos, who went to Appalachian State after traveling to another school we’ll mention later. Bartos is a two-time Ohio DII state finalist. He was a champion as a sophomore and a runner-up at 132 lbs in 2025. Brown #29 Ronan An (North Cobb, GA) Alex Bajores (Wyoming Seminary, PA) - 2026 #133 Ray Fitzgerald (Malvern Prep, PA) Cole Lemovitz (Ponaganset, RI) #89 Evan Stanley (Lowell, IN) Gregory Torosian (Birmingham, CA) For the second straight week, Brown had a good-sized group in Providence. The list has three Big Boarder’s on it, but it’s led by UWW U17 freestyle and Fargo Junior freestyle All-American, Ronan An. This was his first visit. The other Big Boarder’s are two-time Indiana state medalist #89 Evan Stanley and National Prep All-American #133 Ray Fitzgerald. Of note, on the other recruits, Alex Bajores is doing a post-graduate year at Wyoming Seminary and is a 2026 recruit. Gregory Torosian has already taken a visit to Army West Point. Bucknell Brady Brown (Derry Area, PA) #35 Greyson Music (Bishop McDevitt, PA) #115 Bradley Wagner (Mifflinburg, PA) Last weekend, Brady Brown and Greyson Music visited Pitt together; this weekend, they got back together at Bucknell. Music is a two-time PA state placewinner and Brown made the finals of the UWW U17 Trials, a few months after getting on the PA medal stand for the first time. We mentioned Bradley Wagner’s name in each of the last two weeks. He has been busy traveling to Lock Haven and Brown before Bucknell. Like Lock Haven, Bucknell is very close to home for the two-time Pennsylvania medalist. Clarion Abai Beishembiev (West Springfield, VA) - 2026 We’re still trying to figure out the complete list of recruits that Clarion had in over the weekend. One we know is two-time Virginia 6A state qualifier Abai Beishembiev. Clarion has already gotten a commitment from one Virginia wrestler in the Class of 2026 (Bryce Schnelzer). Columbia #37 Mikey Batista (Blair Academy, NJ) Tyler Neiva (Greens Farms Academy, CT) - 2026 Cody Pritzlaff (Watchung Hills, NJ) - 2026 It’s no surprise that a very New Jersey-centric coaching staff is reaching into Jersey for talent. The ranked wrestler in this crew is Mikey Batista, a National Prep runner-up in 2025. Tyler Neiva was sixth at National Preps and earned a bronze medal in 2024 at the U17 Pan-American Championships representing Brazil. This is the first recruiting visit we’ve captured for Batista, Neiva, or Cody Pritzlaff. Cornell #9 Lucas Boe (Lake Highland Prep, FL) #13 Gavin Mangano (Shoreham-Wading River, NY) #28 Cam Sontz (Delbarton, NJ) #117 Kai Vielma (Connellsville, PA) #126 Jackson Weller (Delran, NJ) Cornell had their second big recruiting weekend of the fall. It included three top 30 prospects and five big boarders total. #9 Lucas Boe already traveled to New York once this fall, as he visited Army West Point two weeks ago. Gavin Mangano, Cam Sontz, and Kai Vielma were all at North Carolina last week and Cornell this weekend. Jackson Weller definitely is looking at the Ivy League, as he spent last weekend at Penn. Looking at recruiting patterns, though Cornell typically casts a wide net, they do well with New Jersey kids (particularly Delbarton), so it’s not a surprise to see some of these names associated with the Big Red. The same goes for in-state recruits and Florida. Iowa State #45 Maximus Dhabolt (Ankeny Centennial, IA) #53 Grayson Fuchs (Detroit Central Catholic, MI) #66 Roman Stewart (Liberty, MO) Cale Vandermark (Ankeny Centennial, IA) - 2026 #38 Dawson Youngblut (Don Bosco, IA) It was a huge weekend for Iowa State sports as the Cyclones defeated rival Iowa on the football field Saturday. The Cyclone wrestling team has been on a hot streak on the recruiting trail, as well. On Sunday night, #66 Roman Stewart committed to Kevin Dresser’s team shortly after his weekend visit. They also picked up two recruits from the Class of 2026. Joining Stewart in Ames were Maximus Dhabolt, Grayson Fuchs, Cale Vandermark, and Dawson Youngblut. Dhabolt and Vandermark are high school teammates, with Vandermark being the older of the pair. Both were Iowa 3A finalists in 2025, with Dhabolt winning a title. We wrote about Dhabolt visiting Oklahoma last weekend. The double 16U AA, Youngblut, has already taken a trip to Cornell this fall. This is the first visit on record for Fuchs, who was a 16U Fargo freestyle AA in 2024. Little Rock #43 Zach Aquila (Brecksville, OH) #199 Brennan Warwick (Massillon Perry, OH) - 2026 It was an Ohio-themed recruiting weekend for Neil Erisman’s staff at Little Rock. Junior Zach Aquila is a two-time Fargo freestyle 16U All-American. This is the first recruit we have on file for Aquila. Senior Brennan Warwick was fifth in Ohio’s largest classification. He took a visit to Kent State last weekend and one to Indiana last fall. Maryland Blake Bartos (Medina, OH) - 2026 #76 Mason Horwat (Derry Area, PA) #20 Brock Rothermel (Line Mountain, PA) We already mentioned Blake Bartos once in this update, but he was also at Maryland. The Terps staff already has three Big Boarders locked in for 2026. Looking ahead to 2027, they brought in two of the top 100 prospects in the country. Brock Rothermel, a two-time top-three finisher in Junior freestyle in Fargo, would be an excellent get for the Maryland staff. Mason Horwat committed to Pitt (whom he visited last weekend) on Monday, so he’s likely out of the picture. Mercyhurst Nate Burchfiel (Rockwell Heath, TX) - 2026 Trevor DellaPenta (Eden, NY) - 2026 Danny Goodwin (St. Patrick, IL) - 2026 Clay Kimmy (General McLane, PA) - 2026 Logan Latimore (North East, PA) - 2026 Rocky Kowle (North East, PA) - 2026 Aiden Ohl (Ontario, OH) - 2026 Will Wortkoetter (St. Francis, NY) - 2026 New head coach Jimmy Overhiser is working hard at the newest DI wrestling program. Among the big group he brought in last weekend are three local kids, Clay Kimmy, Logan Latimore, and Rocky Kowle. Of the bunch, Kimmy is a returning state medalist, having placed eighth at the AA tournament. Danny Goodwin has plenty of national-level credentials in Greco, including a Fargo Junior runner-up finish this summer. He was also a state runner-up in 2025. Aiden Ohl has finished in the top three at the Ohio DII tournament in each of the last two years. Nate Burchfiel was third in Texas’ 6A state tournament at 132 lbs last season. Overhiser has been using his connections at home in New York and it’s shown, getting state medalists Trevor DellaPenta and Will Wortkoetter in town for visits. Before the weekend was up, Wortkoetter had de-committed from Army and committed to Mercyhurst. He’s the second member of the St. Francis team to commit to Overhiser. Missouri #2 Joe Bachmann (Faith Christian, PA) Trey Craig (Christian Brothers, MO) - 2026 #52 Luke Hayden (Hickman, MO) #25 Turner Ross (Edmond North, OK) #91 Colin Rutlin (Christian Brothers, MO) Missouri really turned the heat up with this crew. It was led by two-time Pennsylvania state champion and two-time U17 world medalist Joe Bachmann. Getting Bachmann would be one of Mizzou’s best signings ever! The other out-of-state visitor is Oklahoma’s Turner Ross. Ross was Junior freestyle champion this year in Fargo. He was a 16U runner-up in 2024. The in-state recruits in Columbia were juniors Luke Hayden and Colin Rutlin, along with senior Trey Craig. Craig and Rutlin are high school teammates at Christian Brothers College in St. Louis. Rutlin also captured a stop sign this summer in Fargo. He won the 150 lb weight class in 16U freestyle. Craig was third at the state tournament in 2025. Rutlin has also visited Oklahoma this fall. Finally, we have Luke Hayden. Hayden was third at NHSCA Sophomores this spring, two months after winning his second state title in as many tries. Though this is his first visit, Missouri was one of 13 schools on Hayden’s initial recruiting list. NC State #24 Caleb Noble (Warren, IL) #36 Kane Shawger (St. Xavier, OH) #237 Isaiah Taylor (AIM Academy, PA) NC State’s recruiting weekend featured a big man, a lightweight, and someone in between. The middleweight is Kane Shawger, who gave rival UNC a verbal commitment last night. The future 125 lber is Caleb Noble, a 2025 U17 World Team member in Greco-Roman. With potentially two more attempts available to him, Noble has already placed six times in Fargo. Heavyweight Isaiah Taylor was seventh at National Preps as a sophomore. Nebraska #2 Bo Bassett (Bishop McCort, PA) - 2026 #1 Melvin Miller (Bishop McCort, PA) #11 Clinton Shephard (Crown Point, IN) The Cornhuskers stole the recruiting spotlight this weekend as they hosted the top available junior and senior in the country - Bo Bassett and younger brother Melvin Miller. Each dominated on their way to Junior freestyle titles in Fargo this year - amongst other honors. This was the first official visit for Bassett since decommitting from Iowa. We’re not entirely sure whether Bassett/Miller is a package deal, but it seems that way. Nebraska had another massive prospect in town with two-time Fargo finalist Clinton Shepherd. Shepherd made the Junior freestyle finals this summer, which is an excellent sign for a rising junior. Oklahoma #3 Sonny Amato (Rumson-Fair Haven, NJ) #42 Mac Crosson (Indianola, IA) #58 Slater Hicks (Valencia, CA) #14 Max Konopka (Simsbury, CT) Oklahoma had another big group this weekend and the recruits were treated to a Saturday night non-conference football game against Michigan. This crew featured four of the top 60 juniors in the nation - and it truly was a group from all over the country. Sonny Amato and Max Konopka from the northeast, Slater Hicks from the West Coast, and Iowa’s Mac Crosson. Amato recently trimmed his recruiting list down to four schools with Oklahoma joining Iowa, Iowa State, and Virginia Tech. The New Jersey state champion has already taken a visit to Iowa State. The Oklahoma staff will have to work to pry the two-time NHSCA grade-level champion, Konopka, away from NC State. The Connecticut native visited Raleigh last week and the Wolfpack has a track record with wrestlers from the Nutmeg State. California’s Slater Hicks has been busy over the last month or so. During that time, the three-time Fargo All-American has taken visits to Arizona State and NC State. This is the first visit we have reported for Iowa state champion Mac Crosson. Back in 2022, Cross won a Fargo 16U freestyle title at 88 lbs. Pittsburgh #4 Landon Sidun (Norwin, PA) It’s been a great couple of days on the recruiting trail for Pitt. They are now the only program to have three verbal commitments from Class of 2027 prospects. Keeping #4 overall Landon Sidun at home would be the cherry on top. Sidun, after winning a PA state title as a freshman, Sidun claimed championships at the Beast, the Powerade, and Doc B, as a sophomore; however, he did not compete in the postseason. Purdue Kyler Walters (Shakopee, MN) - 2026 Purdue already has a huge group committed in the Class of 2026, but the staff isn’t slowing down. They already have verbals from five of the top 112 prospects in the country. Over the weekend, they hosted Minnesota AAA state runner-up Kyler Walters. Utah Valley Ian Avalos (Mountain View, ID) Brand’n Edstrom (Madison, ID) #18 Shamus Regan (Wyoming Seminary, PA) Utah Valley continues to work hard on the recruiting trail. Their latest recruiting group featured a potentially massive “get” in #18 Shemus Regan. Regan is a two-time 16U freestyle champion and placed at the Ironman, Powerade and UWW U17’s last season. It’s no surprise that the Wolverines dipped into head coach Adam Hall’s home state to take a look at two-time state runner’s-up Ian Avalos and Brand’n Edstrom. Virginia Tech #7 Mario Carini (Poway, CA) #12 Paul Kenny (Christian Brothers, NJ) #19 Gabe Logan (Delbarton, NJ) #27 Nick Singer (Faith Christian, PA) #31 Lukas Zalota (Malvern Prep, PA) Lost in the hype surrounding Nebraska this weekend was the group that Virginia Tech had in town. Five of the top 31 juniors. New Jersey and Pennsylvania have been usual recruiting spots for the Hokie staff and they have been working there in a major way. They also ventured out west to California’s Mario Carini. Carini placed at the Super 32 prior to last school year and was a finalist at the Doc Buchanan before pulling an upset to win a state title. Carini has also visited Cornell earlier this cycle. The New Jersey contingent includes U17 world champion Paul Kenny and Gabe Logan. Kenny nearly made his second world team this spring. He then went on to take third in Junior freestyle in Fargo. Logan was a 16U Fargo freestyle finalist in 2024 and a Greco champion in 2023. This is the first visit on file for both. From PA is state and Junior freestyle champion Nick Singer and Lukas Zalota got on the podium at the Ironman, Beast, and Powerade as a sophomore heavyweight. Last weekend, Singer visited Ohio State. Two weeks ago, Zalota was at West Point. VMI #94 Brenden Agcaoili (SLAM Academy, NV) - 2026 Ben Aguilar (Mountain View, VA) - 2026 Jared Goodson (Poquoson, VA) - 2026 Lincoln Kelley (Loudoun County, VA) - 2026 Rudy Wagner (Cox, VA) - 2026 VMI is still focused on the Class of 2026 and had a top 100 recruit in Lexington, along with some decorated in-state recruits. Nevada native Brenden Agcaoili is a two-time UWW U17 freestyle All-American and a double Fargo 16U All-American. The Virginia portion of this group features multi-time state champions Jared Goodson (x3), Lincoln Kelley (x2), and Rudy Wagner (x2). Ben Aguilar has been a runner-up and a third-place finisher. Goodson has already taken visits to George Mason and Roanoke. After last week’s article was posted, we learned that #34 Max Fortier had taken a visit to the Naval Academy

This week we dive into Citadel’s decision to elevate Luke Welsh to head coach, IMG Academy looking to start a wrestling program, Intermat’s pre-season rankings and our medal hopes for team USA men’s freestyle team at the World Championships. Timestamps 0:00 - Intro 1:36 - Weigh in 9:55 - Prospect camps + you don’t need to be D1 to have a great sports experience in college 17:45 - Luke Welch elevated to Citadel Interim Head Coach 26:00 - IMG Academy wrestling program 36:40 - Intermat Pre-season rankings 56:28 - Men’s Freestyle World Championships

St. Xavier