InterMat Staff

The women’s division in RAF (Real American Freestyle) got a huge addition today as the organization announced the signing of 2024 Olympic gold medalist Sarah Hildebrandt. Hildebrandt has a coaching position on the women’s national team and was presumably retired; however, it appears that she will compete in some fashion for RAF. Last year, Hildebrandt became only the fourth American woman to win a gold medal in freestyle wrestling. She did so with a 3-0 shutout of Cuban Yusneylis Guzman Lopez in the 50 kg weight class. Hildebrandt has been a dominant force domestically at the two lightest weight classes for the United States for almost a decade. Between 2016 and 2024, the only time that Hildebrandt missed a World/Olympic team was went she suffered a gruesome arm injury during the 2017 World Team Trials. Since Hildebrandt is not participating in Final X this year, we will have a representative other than her at 50 kg for the first time since 2019. Speaking of Final X, Hildebrandt has been perhaps the most dominating wrestler in the history of the event. She is 4-0 in series’ and did not surrender a single point in any of her eight individual matches. She outscored the competition 64-0 with 3 tech falls. Hildebrandt is a two-time Olympic medalist and a four-time world medalist. She earned a bronze medal at the 2020 Olympics and has two silver and two bronze medals from the world championships. Hildebrandt is now the second woman to sign with RAF - joining fellow Olympic medalist Kennedy Blades. RAF’s inaugural event will take place on August 30th from Cleveland, Ohio. More information about tickets and an actual card will be found here as the information is released. With Hildebrandt’s addition, the RAF roster now looks like this: Ben Askren Beau Bartlett Kennedy Blades Aaron Brooks David Carr Kyle Dake Austin Gomez Seth Gross Wyatt Hendrickson Trent Hidlay Parker Keckeisen Will Lewan Matt Ramos Nathan Tomasello Zahid Valencia Evan Wick Real Woods

It's been a while since we heard from Olympic Bronze medalist Aaron Brooks. In this conversation he talks about how he was sidelined by double pneumonia, his plans to move up to 97kg, what it's like being in the PSU room as guys are getting ready for Final X and how to prepare for Zahid Valencia and Trent Hidlay. Timestamps: 0:00 - Intro 0:30 - Where has he been? 4:20 - Rewatching Olympic semis loss 6:00 - Going up to 97kg 8:12 - Conversations w/ coaches & Kyle Snyder about moving up 10:05 - Future plans + when will he compete again? 11:00 - Final X: PSU training + Working with Barr & Dake 14:06 - Breaking down Zahid Valencia & Trent Hidlay 15:34 - Vibe in PSU room prepping for Final X? 16:53 - Structure changes in the PSU room 18:33 - Carter Starocci making NCAA history

The signings continue to roll in for RAF (Real American Freestyle) who yesterday announced that Penn State’s three-time NCAA All-American Beau Bartlett has signed with the upstart league. Bartlett also was in the news this week as he announced he was moving from State College to train at the New York City RTC which operates primarily out of Columbia University. Bartlett finished in the top three at the NCAA Tournament in each of the last three years. His highest NCAA placement was a finals appearance in 2024. Though he wasn’t able to win a national title, Bartlett has wins over Ohio State’s Jesse Mendez in each of his two NCAA championship-winning seasons. In 2024-25, Bartlett wrapped up his career at Penn State with a robust 100-20 record. The bulk of those losses came in his first two seasons, when he bumped up to 149 lbs for team purposes. His three All-American finishes took place at 141 lbs. During the summer of 2021, Bartlett went to Ufa, Russia for the U20 World Championships. He ended up coming home with a bronze medal in the 65 kg weight class. RAF’s inaugural event will take place on August 30th from Cleveland, Ohio. More information about tickets and an actual card will be found here as the information is released. With Bartlett’s addition, the RAF roster now looks like this: Ben Askren Beau Bartlett Kennedy Blades Aaron Brooks David Carr Kyle Dake Austin Gomez Seth Gross Wyatt Hendrickson Trent Hidlay Parker Keckeisen Will Lewan Matt Ramos Nathan Tomasello Zahid Valencia Evan Wick Real Woods

Columbus

Kiski Area

Centralia

Bald Eagle Area

It’s about that time! In the past couple of weeks, we’ve spent time loosely discussing Final X; however, it’s time to start talking about the individual matches themselves. Over the next couple of weeks, we’ll break down all 20 Final X matchups - leading into the event itself on June 14th, from Newark, New Jersey. Our final women’s freestyle preview is at 76 kg where a pair of past Senior world teamers will collide with Kylie Welker and Dymond Guilford. There’s quite a bit of history between the two and each has a win over the other. Both have had good results internationally, so whoever wins will certainly be a medal threat in Croatia at the 2025 World Championships. Prior Previews 57 kg men’s freestyle 61 kg men's freestyle 65 kg men's freestyle 70 kg men's freestyle 74 kg men's freestyle 79 kg men's freestyle 86 kg men's freestyle 92 kg men's freestyle 97 kg men's freestyle 125 kg men's freestyle 50 kg women’s freestyle 53 kg women's freestyle 55 kg women's freestyle 57 kg women's freestyle 59 kg women's freestyle 62 kg women’s freestyle 65 kg women's freestyle 68 kg women's freestyle 76 kg men’s freestyle Kylie Welker vs Dymond Guilford This is only the second match on the women’s freestyle slate that features a pair of past Senior World team members squaring off. In addition, each has won at least one world medal at the age group level. Kylie Welker just finished up her second year at Iowa, but already has plenty of Senior level accolades to her name. Last year, Welker earned her first Senior World medal by taking bronze at 72 kg in the non-Olympic weight World Championships. Also in 2024, Welker claimed a gold medal at the U23 World Championships - marking her second age group world title. She also was a U20 world champion in 2021. Dymond Guilford has been a mainstay at this weight and in contention for Olympic and World Teams for the last five-plus years. In 2022, Guilford made the Senior and U23 world team. Though she wasn’t able to medal at the Senior tournament, she did make the finals of U23’s. When Guilford made her world team, she downed longtime rival Yelena Makoyed in two straight exciting matches at Final X Stillwater. How They Got Here Welker: Since Welker was wrestling at a different weight from her 2024 world medal (72 kg), she was forced to wrestle in the 2025 US Open. At that event, she earned the top seed and wrestled like one with four straight first-period techs. Welker outscored the field by a cool 41-0 margin. To clinch the trip to Final X, Welker dismantled Makoyed 11-0. Guilford: When Makoyed made the US Open finals, it was at the expense of Guilford in the semifinals, 8-2. As these things happened, the pair met for an umpteenth time in the finals of the World Team Trials. The difference-maker in this recent meeting was a four-point first-period throw that gave Guilford a commanding 5-0 lead. She wouldn’t relinquish that and ended up with a 5-3 victory. Recent Form Welker: After winning her two world medals in 2024, Welker got started on a collegiate campaign for the University of Iowa that saw her go unbeaten and win her second straight national title. For her efforts, Welker was a finalist for the Women’s Collegiate Wrestler of the Year award by USA Wrestling. After winning the Open, Welker earned another gold medal at the Pan-American Championships. Guilford: Guilford finished 2024 with a silver medal at the Bill Farrell Memorial in November. She would ring in the New Year by going to Albania and winning the Muhamet Malo Ranking Series tournament. Prior History There is a bit of a history between these two. Most recently at the 2024 Olympic Team Trials, Welker edged Guilford 5-4 in the third-place bout at the Challenge Tournament. They’ve also met in Final X, back in 2023, during a true third-place wrestle-off. Once again, Welker won a close 8-5 bout. Guilford’s only win came in the 2023 US Open when she pinned Welker while trailing, 8-2. Their first meeting came at the 2020 Olympic Trials as a 17-year-old Welker got by Guilford 8-0 in the Challenge Tournament semifinals. Keys to Victory In her US Open finals win over Makoyed, much of Welker’s damage was done on defense and through re-attacks. Guilford will need to be very methodical in the way she attacks the legs. If there isn’t an opening, she probably shouldn’t take a shot. If Guilford takes a shot, she should be fully committed to it and finish as quickly as possible. Half shots against Welker only make it easier for her on the re-attack. In one instance, Makoyed got in deep on a leg attack; however, Welker was able to sit the corner and get exposure points via crotch lock.

It’s about that time! In the past couple of weeks, we’ve spent time loosely discussing Final X; however, it’s time to start talking about the individual matches themselves. Over the next couple of weeks, we’ll break down all 20 Final X matchups - leading into the event itself on June 14th, from Newark, New Jersey. Our final men’s freestyle preview is at 125 kg where Wyatt Hendrickson and Trent Hillger will clash. The pair met in the US Open semifinals and Hillger was able to slow down Hendrickson, as much as anyone has lately. Still, Hendrickson rolled to an Open title. We’ll see on Saturday if Hillger can close the gap or if Hendrickson is destined to take on the world as our next great big man in Croatia. Prior Previews 57 kg men’s freestyle 61 kg men's freestyle 65 kg men's freestyle 70 kg men's freestyle 74 kg men's freestyle 79 kg men's freestyle 86 kg men's freestyle 92 kg men's freestyle 97 kg men's freestyle 50 kg women’s freestyle 53 kg women's freestyle 55 kg women's freestyle 57 kg women's freestyle 59 kg women's freestyle 62 kg women’s freestyle 65 kg women's freestyle 68 kg women's freestyle 125 kg men’s freestyle Wyatt Hendrickson vs. Trent Hillger We’ll have a first-time Senior World team member however this series ends up as Wyatt Hendrickson takes on Trent Hillger. Even though we’ve had some great heavyweights of late, there hasn’t been much continuity on the Senior level at this weight. Over the last five years worth of Olympic/World Championships, we’ve had four different 125 kg representatives. The winner on Saturday will make it five in six years. The only one to repeat during this span is Mason Parris, who made the 2023 world team and 2024 Olympic squad. Parris is currently attempting to make the San Diego Chargers. That logical next guy up is Wyatt Hendrickson, the 2025 NCAA champion, Hodge Trophy winner, and US Open champion. Hendrickson earned All-American honors on two occasions with the Air Force Academy, then transferred to Oklahoma State to use his final year of eligibility. Hendrickson’s game took off in Stillwater and led him to an undefeated campaign that culminated in a national title and one of the most unforgettable moments at the NCAA Tournament. Hendrickson also has a great freestyle pedigree. He was a 2023 U23 world champion and wrestled for a world bronze medal at the U20 level in 2021. Opposing Hendrickson is Trent Hillger who was a three-time NCAA All-American for Wisconsin and currently trains out of Minnesota’s Gopher Wrestling Club. With such a great crop of recent heavyweights at the collegiate level, Hillger is a name that might have gotten overlooked. Working out in a Minnesota room full of excellent heavyweights, it’s no surprise to see Hillger thrive at the next level. How They Got Here Hendrickson: As the second seed at the 2025 US Open, Hendrickson was true to form and continued to be a point-scoring machine. He posted techs in each of his first two matches - both within the first minute of the contest. That set up a meeting with Hillger in the semis. Hillger was the only opponent to go the full six minutes with Hendrickson, which still resulted in a 10-4 score. For the championship and the trip to Final X, Hendrickson ran through former Pitt star Demetrius Thomas, 14-3. Hillger: Hillger was seeded second at the World Team Trials and ended up crushing the third seed, Jordan Wood, 13-2 to earn a finals berth. There he used a pair of first-period takedowns to jump out to an early lead on Thomas and never looked back. Hillger added three more in the second period to win 10-4. Recent Form Hendrickson: Pulling off one of the most memorable upsets in NCAA wrestling history counts as being in good form, right? Hendrickson did that in March when he knocked off 2020 Olympic gold medalist Gable Steveson - a training partner of Hillger. After the Open, Hendrickson mauled his way through the Pan-American Championships for a gold medal. Hillger: Since finishing his collegiate career in 2023, Hillger has been pretty busy on the international scene. Last fall, he won the Bill Farrell Memorial. Earlier this year, he traveled to the Zagreb Open Ranking Series and finished a match shy of a medal. He’s certainly on an upward trajectory in his development at the Senior level. Prior History Hendrickson obviously has the US Open win over Hillger that’s fresh on our minds; however, Hillger does have a past win over Hendrickson. You have to go back to 2021 and the NCAA bloodround, when Hillger downed Hendrickson 6-3 to earn a spot on the NCAA podium. Obviously, that match was a long time ago and Hendrickson has improved significantly since 2021, but it is something Hillger can latch onto mentally as he prepares for this series. Keys to Victory Whoever dictates the pace of these bouts should come out the winner. If Hendrickson is able to fire off shots and either get to the legs or creative scrambles, it significantly benefits him. Not only does he tend to win those 50/50 flurries, but he often catches an opponent on their back. If Hillger can tie up Hendrickson, limit his number of attacks, and pick his own spots, he’s got a much better chance.

We’re a ways away from the deadline to enter the transfer portal (May 2nd), but there are still wrestlers who are in the portal who are making decisions regarding their next step. Over the weekend, we had the sudden announcement of AJ Ferrari to Nebraska. Ferrari’s addition will give a huge boost to a Cornhusker team that finished second at the 2025 NCAA Championships. Just when we thought that the portal news was drying up, California Baptist had to go and make a couple of notable moves. The Lancers brought in a pair of veterans that should make an immediate impact. Kurt McHenry and Jesse Vasquez were both announced as transfers by school on Tuesday. Vasquez qualified for the 2024 NCAA Tournament for Arizona State, but has dealt with a variety of injuries throughout his career. McHenry, a two-time Cadet world champion, has been behind some good 125 lbers at Michigan and Penn State and has had injuries of his own. Remember, there are still avenues for a wrestler to enter the transfer portal at this time. Any additional entries will be tied to a coaching change or perhaps from a graduate student. The first list of wrestlers we’ve listed have already publicly committed to a new transfer destination. That new school is listed first, along with their projected weight, followed by their former school. Below them are notable wrestlers that have gone into the transfer portal. It is not a comprehensive list. Transfers Appalachian State: Joe Fongaro (149) - Rutgers Arizona State: Gavin Bauder (133) - Clackamas CC Arizona State: David Szuba (285) - Rider Arizona State: Leo Tukhlynovych (174) - Rochester CTC Arizona State: Ane’e Vigil (125) - Clackamas CC Army West Point: Jake Crapps (133) - Missouri Bloomsburg: Eric Alderfer (157) - Lock Haven Bloomsburg: Michael Giugliano (133) - Buffalo Bloomsburg: Jace Schafer (125) - West Virginia Buffalo: Connor Jacobs (184) - Clarion Buffalo: Kelin Laffey (165) - Pittsburgh Buffalo: Gianni Silvestri (141) - Clarion Cal Poly: Caesar Garza (174) - Michigan State Cal Poly: Luke Gayer (165) - Rutgers Cal Poly: Andre Gonzales (141) - Ohio State California Baptist: Kurt McHenry (125) - Penn State California Baptist: Jesse Vasquez (149) - Arizona State Campbell: Ethan Ducca (184) - Wyoming Central Michigan: Seth Larson (157) - Campbell Central Michigan: Gianni Maldonado (165) - Air Force Prep Chattanooga: Cooper Flynn (125) - Minnesota Chattanooga: Hunter Mason (141) - Virginia Tech Chattanooga: Billy Meiszner (149) - Kent State Chattanooga: Carter Neves (285) - Ohio State Clarion: Brandon Bauer (141) - Little Rock Clarion: Peyton Costa (133) - Cleveland State Clarion: Connor Eck (157) - Lock Haven Clarion: Ky Szewczyk (133) - Ohio CSU Bakersfield: Mason Cover (285) - Cleveland State CSU Bakersfield: Jeremy Manibog (157) - Oklahoma State Davidson: Anwar Alli (165) - Virginia Drexel: Nate Schon (285) - Iowa State Edinboro: Brycen Arbogast (125) - West Virginia Edinboro: Tate Geiser (165/174) - Cleveland State Illinois: Ryan Boersma (285) - Triton College Illinois: Michael Gioffre (157) - Virginia Illinois: Cade Lautt (197) - North Carolina Illinois: Spencer Moore (125) - North Carolina Indiana: Orlando Cruz (174) - Purdue Iowa: Sammy Alvarez (149) - Rider Iowa: Nasir Bailey (133/141) - Little Rock Iowa: Massoma Endene (197) - Wartburg Iowa: Dean Peterson (125) - Rutgers Iowa: Jordan Williams (149) - Little Rock Iowa State: Isaac Dean (184) - Rider Iowa State: Rocky Elam (197) - Missouri Iowa State: Malton Powe (165) - Pratt CC Little Rock: Brock Herman (157) - Ohio State Little Rock: Draegen Orine (133) - NC State Lock Haven: Sam Gatreau (165) - Maryland Long Island: Domenic D’Agostino (165) - Drexel Maryland: Chase Horne (285) - NC State Michigan: Taye Ghadiali (285) - Campbell Michigan: Lachlan McNeil (149) - North Carolina Michigan: Diego Sotelo (125) - Harvard Minnesota: Chris Cannon (133/141) - Northwestern Minnesota: Jore Volk (125) - Wyoming Missouri: Maxx Mayfield (165) - Northwestern Morgan State: Anthony Ferrari (157) - Long Island NC State: Zach Redding (133/141) - Iowa State Nebraska: AJ Ferrari (197/285) - CSU Bakersfield Nebraska: Chance Lamer (149) - Cal Poly North Carolina: Bryce Hepner (157/165) - Ohio State North Carolina: Kysen Terukina (125) - Iowa State Northern Colorado: Murphy Menke (174) - Oregon State Northern Colorado: Emilio Trujillo (141) - California Baptist Northern Illinois: Ali Adel (184) - Harper College Northern Illinois: Caleb Roe (184) - Presbyterian Northern Iowa: Caleb Rathjen (149) - Iowa Northwestern: Sean Spidle (133) - Central Michigan Ohio State: Cody Chittum (157) - Iowa State Ohio State: Dylan Fishback (184) - NC State Ohio State: Xander Myers (197) - Cleveland State Ohio State: Ethan Stiles (149) - Oregon State Oklahoma: Tyson Charmoli (133) - Wyoming Oklahoma: Jack Gioffre (149) - Virginia Oklahoma: Rafael Hipolito (157) - Virginia Tech Oklahoma: Peyton Kellar (157) - Ohio Oklahoma: Brian Soldano (184) - Rutgers Oklahoma: Tyler Wells (133) - Minnesota Oklahoma State: Alex Facundo (165) - Penn State Oklahoma State: Richie Figueroa (125/133) - Arizona State Oklahoma State: Zack Ryder (184) - Penn State Oklahoma State: Gary Steen (133) - Penn State Oklahoma State: Casey Swiderski (149) - Iowa State Oregon State: Joel Adams (149) - Michigan/CKWC Oregon State: Daschle Lamer (174) - Cal Poly Penn State: Rocco Welsh (184) - Ohio State Pittsburgh: Lucas Daly (184) - Michigan State Purdue: Blake Boarman (133) - Chattanooga Purdue: Gavin Brown (149) - Ohio State Rider: Brendon Abdon (165) - Little Rock Rider: Eli Griffin (141) - California Baptist Rider: Dylan Layton (149) - Cleveland State Rider: Hogan Swenski (285) - Ohio State Rutgers: Patrick Adams (125) - Northwestern Rutgers: Hunter Catka (285) - Virginia Tech Rutgers: Remy Cotton (197) - Michigan State Rutgers: Lenny Pinto (174) - Nebraska Sacred Heart: Anthony Clem (133) - West Virginia Sacred Heart: Joey Clem (133) - West Virginia Sacred Heart: John Hildebrandt (133) - Drexel Sacred Heart: Caden Smith (125) - Virginia Tech SIU Edwardsville: Kevin Zimmer (285) - Wyoming Utah Valley: David Evans (149) - Penn State Virginia: Colton Washleski (157) - Rider Virginia Tech: Jaden Bullock (184) - Michigan Virginia Tech: Sergio DeSiante (174) - Chattanooga Virginia Tech: Ethen Miller (157) - Maryland West Virginia: Louie Gill (125) - NC State West Virginia: Willie McDougald (149) - Oklahoma Wyoming: Christian Carroll (197/285) - Iowa State Wyoming: Sefton Douglass (125) - Western Wyoming Wyoming: Cody Phelps (133) - Michigan State Portal Jordan Decatur (141) - Kent State Kyle Dutton (149) - Little Rock Caden Horwath (125) - Michigan Isaiah Powe (141) - Chattanooga TJ Stewart (184) - Virginia Tech

This evening, 2024 Olympic gold medalist Amit Elor announced that she will withdraw from this weekend’s Final X event due to health concerns. In her post on Instagram, Elor stated that she, “recently found out that I was anemic during the World Team Trials, which added up to be too much with my current injuries.” In addition to her gold medal from the Olympics, Elor won the previous two world titles at 72 kg. She was set to face Alex Glaude in Final X on Saturday in the 72 kg matchup. At this time, it appears that there will be no delayed wrestle off or a Final X matchup with Glaude and another competitor. The most logical choice would be Skylar Grote who lost one-point matches to be Glaude and Elor at the US Open and World Team Trials, respectively.

Erie, PA – Jimmy Overhiser steps onto the mat as the next head coach of the Mercyhurst Wrestling program. "We are thrilled to announce Jimmy as our new head wrestling coach," said Athletic Director Joe Spano. "Jimmy's passion for wrestling and his focus on academics are the qualities we need to carry on Mike's legacy and help guide us through reclassification." Overhiser is set to take the helm of the wrestling program following the retirement of longtime head coach Mike Wehler. He joins Mercyhurst from Drexel University, where he served as an assistant coach during the 2024 season and helped guide the team to its highest-ever conference finish — second place. Before arriving at Drexel, he was an assistant coach at Army for the 2023 season, where he played a key role in bringing in two nationally ranked recruiting classes. At the start of his coaching career, Overhiser contributed to Reinhardt University's (NAIA) pursuit of its first-ever national title, coaching three All-Americans along the way. "I'm incredibly honored to be named the Head Wrestling Coach at Mercyhurst University." Overhiser said. "This program has a proud tradition, and I'm excited to lead it into this new chapter at the Division I level. I look forward to building a strong culture, developing our student-athletes on and off the mat, and competing at the highest level." A native of Bradford, New York, Overhiser attended Wyoming Seminary, where he was a National Prep All-American and helped the program win its first-ever team National Prep title. He also attended Lansing High School, where he graduated as a wrestling state champion. He went on to earn a Bachelor of Science degree in Architecture, Art, and Urban Planning from Cornell University, where he was also a member of the wrestling team throughout his collegiate career. He is currently pursuing his Masters in Educational Admin. at Missouri Valley.

The recent run of notable lightweights signing with Real American Freestyle (RAF) continues as the organization announced via social media that Nathan Tomasello has been inked. Tomasello was a 2015 NCAA champion and four-time All-American for Ohio State University. His 2015 championship helped the Buckeyes to their first team title in school history. Tomasello also captured four Big Ten titles, making him the second Ohio State wrestler to accomplish the feat. His .926 (100-8) winning percentage ranks sixth all-time in Buckeye wrestling history. Tomasello also won a pair of titles at the Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational. Throughout his collegiate career, Tomasello never finished lower than third at the NCAA Championships. On the freestyle circuit, Tomasello was third at the 2020 Olympic Team Trials challenge tournament and a runner-up at the 2021 World Team Trials. His eighth-place finish at the 2025 US Open marked the fourth time he’s placed at the event on the Senior level. In the summer of 2024, Tomasello joined the coaching staff at California Baptist University. During his first year on staff, Tomasello helped lightweight Hunter Leake (133 lbs) advance to the national tournament. At this point, we’re unsure of how weight classes might work out for RAF; but however it shakes out, they’ll have some quality lightweights. Last week, RAF announced that Matt Ramos and Seth Gross signed with them. RAF’s inaugural event will take place on August 30th from Cleveland, Ohio. More information about tickets and an actual card will be found here as the information is released. With Tomasello’s addition, the RAF roster now looks like this: Ben Askren Kennedy Blades Aaron Brooks David Carr Kyle Dake Austin Gomez Seth Gross Wyatt Hendrickson Trent Hidlay Parker Keckeisen Will Lewan Matt Ramos Zahid Valencia Evan Wick Real Woods

Palmyra

Massillon Perry