InterMat Staff

Less than a week after a successful RAF 01 card in Cleveland, Ohio, Real American Freestyle announced the date and location for their second offering. RAF 02 will be held on November 8th in Penn State's historic Rec Hall. The RAF crew made sure there was plenty of local Cleveland flavor on the opening card - featuring Ohio State four-time All-Americans Nathan Tomasello and Lance Palmer, so it's a safe bet that this one will include some Penn State/Nittany Lion Wrestling Club personnel. As of now, there have not been any matches announced for RAF 02; however, we'll have them here once they are confirmed. Tickets for RAF 02 are not on sale yet, but you can request to be put on their mailing list here. Which matchups are you hoping to see? We listed a potential card with matches to make earlier this week.

This week the crew dives into the first event from Real American Freestyle. They discuss their likes, dislikes and general thoughts about the first event and they talk about some of the horrible responses that followed. Timestamps: 0:00 - Intro 1:22 - Weigh in 10:57 - RAF Breakdown 55:45 - Wrap up: Coaches/Wrestlers we would like to have a beer with

The fall visit season was in full swing last weekend, which, not coincidentally, was the first full weekend of college football. 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 recruiting fun is the cloak-and-dagger secrecy surrounding parts of the process. 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! In order to try and help our fanbase feel more knowledgeable about the process, we’ll have 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. If we've missed a recruit or you'd like to provide info on future visits please let me know: earl@matscouts.com Army #9 Lucas Boe (Lake Highland Prep, Florida) #31 Lukas Zalota (Malvern Prep, Pennsylvania) #56 JT Smith (Creighton Prep, Nebraska) #117 Matt Orbeta (Poway, California) Jet Brown (Odessa, Missouri) Bailey Holman (Poway, California) Greg Torosian (Birmingham, California) They’ve had a couple of monster recruiting classes in a row, so Army will lay low for a year or two, right? It doesn’t look like it. The Army staff had a big group on post over the weekend - one that includes four Big Board prospects. The headliner is Lucas Boe, who has placed at most of the big national events and was a finalist in both styles in Fargo in 2024. Lukas Zalota and JT Smith are big men who could add more firepower to an already deep set of upperweights for Army. Army also continues to hit California hard on the recruiting trail with three from Cali in this group. Brown #115 Bradley Wagner (Mifflinburg, Pennsylvania) Kaz Morosetti (North Kingstown, Rhode Island) - 2026 Last week, we pointed out Bradley Wagner staying in-state to visit Lock Haven. This time around, the two-time PA placewinner took a trip northeast to check out the Ivy League school. Brown also hosted an in-state prospect in heavyweight Kaz Morosetti. Morosetti is a two-time Rhode Island champion, a third-place finisher at New Englands, and a three-time NHSCA age group All-American. Indiana #142 MJ Rundell (Oak Park-River Forest, Illinois) A team led by a national champion 125 lber (Angel Escobedo) gets a visit from an elite lightweight prospect. Over the summer, we saw MJ Rundell earn a bronze medal in Greco-Roman at the U17 World Championships. He was on campus in Bloomington last weekend. Rundell was also a double Junior national champion in Fargo in 2024. Iowa State #3 Sonny Amato (Rumson-Fair Haven, New Jersey) Iowa State had one of the biggest prospects in the Class of 2027 in Ames over the weekend, in New Jersey state champion Sonny Amato. Amato is also a two-time Beast placer and an NHSCA Freshman Nationals champion. This is Amato’s first visit. He listed Iowa State among his top seven schools (Arizona State, Iowa, Ohio State, Oklahoma, Rutgers, and Virginia Tech are the others). Kent State Cameron Plotts (Massillon Perry, Ohio) - 2026 Brennan Warwick (Massillon Perry, Ohio) - 2026 It’s the first year for new head coach Josh Moore and he’s got a couple of recruits from one of Ohio’s traditional powers in for a visit. Brennan Warwick was a fifth-place finisher last year, while Cameron Plotts was a state qualifier. Warwick already took a visit to KSU under the previous coaching staff and visited Indiana early last fall, as well. Mercyhurst William Capizzi (Passaic Valley, New Jersey) - 2026 Seer Godwise (Perry Meridian, Indiana) - 2026 Kyle Jardine (Wadsworth, Ohio) - 2026 Jacob Weaver (Rossville, Indiana) New Mercyhurst head coach Jimmy Overhiser is hitting the recruiting trail hard. We already saw him with a strong commitment from the Class of 2026 earlier this week. Maybe more are in the works after he hosted a handful of prospects. William Capizzi is a two-time New Jersey qualifier, while Kyle Jardine advanced to the Ohio DI state tournament in 2025. He also brought in the Indiana duo of Seer Godwise and Jacob Weaver. Godwise was an Indiana state seventh-place finisher in 2025 and Weaver is a past state qualifier. NC State #14 Max Konopka (Simsbury, Connecticut) Could we see NC State get a top recruit from Connecticut once again? Connecticut has been good to the Wolfpack with the Jack brothers and Jakob Camacho, so could Max Konopka be next? Konopka was an NHSCA grade-level national champion his first two years of high school and third at the UWW U17 Trials this spring. Although this is his first visit, Konopka has a lengthy recruiting list that includes 11 other schools. Ohio State #2 Joe Bachmann (Faith Christian, Pennsylvania) #27 Nick Singer (Faith Christian, Pennsylvania) #34 Kellen Wolbert (Oconomowoc, Wisconsin) - 2026 You knew that with the Game of the Week in college football, Ohio State had to host some top-flight recruits to take in the festivities. Watching the Buckeyes knock off the top-ranked Texas Longhorns had to be an awesome experience for Joe Bachmann, Nick Singer, and Kellen Wolbert. The two-time U17 world medalist and two-time Pennsylvania state champion, Bachmann, was at Cornell next week and should be chased by all of the usual suspects. His high school teammate, Nick Singer, was along, as well. Singer was also a PA AA state champion this year and a Fargo Junior national champion in freestyle. We’ve had Kellen Wolbert committed to Oklahoma State, but see he was in Columbus for a visit this weekend. Read into that as you may. Wolbert was a Junior freestyle finalist this year and seventh in 2024. Oklahoma #45 Max Dhabolt (Ankeny Centennial, Iowa) #91 Colin Rutlin (Christian Brothers, Missouri) #119 Cason Craft (Coweta, Oklahoma) #132 Legend Ellis (Coweta, Oklahoma) Oklahoma got at it with four Big Boarder’s, two of which came from inside their own borders. Six-time Fargo All-American Cason Craft took his second visit in as many weeks. Last week, he traveled to Little Rock. Teammate Legend Ellis was a UWW U17 Trials finalist in Greco this year. The out-of-state contingent includes top top-100 recruits - Max Dhabolt and Colin Rutlin. Dhabolt was third in Junior freestyle in Fargo this year, after making the 16U finals in 2024. Rutlin was a double 16U finalist this year, winning freestyle and finishing as a runner-up in Greco. Penn #55 Blake Hostetter (Oxford, Pennsylvania) #59 Eli Esguerra (Dublin Coffman, Ohio) #86 Will Soto (Newburgh Free Academy, New York) #126 Jackson Weller (Delran, New Jersey) Mason Bauer (Ashland, Ohio) Owen Dennis (Harrison, Ohio) Blaze Van Gundy (Dublin Coffman, Ohio) Penn had a massive group in town - one that included four Big Boarder’s among the big seven. Blake Hostetter, Eli Esguerra, Will Soto, and Blaze Van Gundy have all gotten on the Fargo podium at least once. Mason Bauer is a two-time NHSCA All-American. Looking at the home states for each of these recruits, they fall into a typical pattern for Penn recruiting. They tend to focus on Pennsylvania and the surrounding power states. Not a bad strategy! Pittsburgh #20 Brock Rothermel (Line Mountain, Pennsylvania) #35 Greyson Music (Bishop McDevitt, Pennsylvania) #51 Caige Horak (Massillon Perry, Ohio) #76 Mason Horwat (Derry Area, Pennsylvania) Brady Brown (Derry Area, Pennsylvania) It’s an impressive group that Keith Gavin’s team hosted over the weekend. One that includes four of the top 76 recruits from the Class of 2027. Brock Rothermel, Greyson Music, and Mason Horwat, are all two-time PA state medalists. Brady Brown got on the stand for the first time in 2025. Brown rode that hot streak to a finals berth at the UWW U17 Trials in freestyle. Rothermel’s ranking leads this class as he has finished top-three in Junior freestyle twice in Fargo. The non-PA resident of the bunch is Caige Horak. Horak was seventh at Ohio’s DI state tournament this year and was third at NHSCA Freshman Nationals in 2024. We’ve already seen recruiting lists for Rothermel and Music. Pitt is in the top-seven for Rothermel and top-ten for Music. Utah Valley #93 Ladd Holman (Juab, Utah) Jordan Manyette (Trinity, Pennsylvania) Tanner Telford (Corner Canyon, Utah) You knew that with Adam Hall taking over in the 2024 offseason, Utah Valley would probably get a sharp jolt in its recruiting output. That was the case in year one. More to come in year two. Hall’s squad brought in two quality recruits from the Beehive State. Ladd Holman was a finalist this year in Greco at the U17 Trials and in Fargo - at the Junior level. Tanner Telford was a state runner-up in 2025. Utah Valley’s 2026 recruiting class includes a Pennsylvania native. With Jordan Manyette out west, maybe 2027 will get one two. Manyette was a state placer as a freshman, but missed the podium in 2025. Virginia #54 Steel Meyers (Allen, Texas) #77 Cayden Rios (Allen, Texas) #107 Wyatt Fry (Wyoming Seminary, Pennsylvania) Blake Jacobson (Washington, West Virginia) - 2026 Preston Wagner (Fremont, Nebraska) - 2026 Virginia had a good crop in Charlottesville, led by a pair of Big Board teammates from Allen, Texas, Steel Meyers and Cayden Rios. Meyers is a two-time NHSCA All-American. He was a runner-up at 170 lbs in 2025. He already has taken a visit to ACC rival, NC State. Cayden Rios is also a two-time NHSCA grade-level placer, taking third as both a freshman and sophomore. Wyoming Seminary’s Wyatt Fry was a 16U freestyle All-American and 2024 and also placed twice at NHSCA nationals. Coming in from the Class of 2026 are Blake Jacobson and Preston Wagner. Jacobson is a Virginia native who won a West Virginia state title in 2025. He was also a match shy of earning All-American honors this summer in Fargo, in Junior freestyle. Jacobson has already taken visits to Clarion and VMI. Wagner was a double Fargo All-American last year, at the 16U age group, and cracked the top-eight at the UWW U17 Trials this year in Greco. He’s already taken visits to Nebraska and North Dakota State. West Virginia #108 Jaelen Culp (Indian Land, South Carolina) - 2026 Dominic Way (Parkersburg, West Virginia) With a runner-up finish at NHSCA Junior Nationals, Jaelen Culp flew up the rankings after potentially being overlooked in South Carolina. It was his second career NHSCA honor. After NHSCA’s, Culp took visits to Davidson and Appalachian State. In-state product Dominic Way was a 144 lb state champion as a sophomore. In each of the last two years, Way has finished eighth in Greco at Fargo. In 2024 at the 16U division and this year as a Junior. Wisconsin #21 Rocco Cassioppi (Hononegah, Illinois) #41 Dale Corbin (Wyoming Seminary, Pennsylvania) #48 Bruno Cassioppi (Hononegah, Illinois) #63 Brody Sendele (Hononegah, Illinois) The weekend started early for Wisconsin who had a Thursday night kickoff and this talented quartet in Madison. You have to love Wisconsin’s chances with the Cassioppi twins, as older brother Tony is on the Badger staff. Rocco and Bruno have combined to amass nine Fargo All-American awards already - four come from finals appearances. It would be quite the coup if Chris Bono’s team could get both Cassioppi’s and high school teammate Brody Sendele. Sendele was an Illinois state finalist this year and was third in 16U freestyle in Fargo in 2024. Though he wrestles for Wyoming Seminary, Dale Corbin is no stranger to Wisconsin, as he has spent time growing up there. Over the summer, Corbin earned All-American honors in both styles, at the Junior level, in Fargo - highlighted by a third place showing in freestyle.

U17 world bronze medalist, Grey Burnett (Perrysburg, OH), has made his recruiting list public within the last 24 hours. Burnett is the number six overall recruit in the Class of 2027. In MatScouts post-Fargo rankings, Burnett was the top-ranked 120 lber in the nation. The two-time Ohio DI state champion isn’t messing around. He has already narrowed down his shortlist to three schools: Nebraska, Ohio State, and Penn State. Burnett’s former high-profile high school teammate, Marcus Blaze, is a freshman at Penn State. Burnett is typically busy on the national scene. This spring, he won the UWW U17 Trials in freestyle and earned his first spot on the world team. He has placed in the top three at that event in each of the previous two years. He is also a two-time placewinner at the Walsh Ironman, taking fourth as a freshman and seventh in 2024. Burnett was also seventh at the 2024 Super 32 after finishing third in 2023. As of now, Burnett does not appear on the Super 32 entry list for 2025. We’ll see if Burnett continues to go up in weight and projects as a 133 lber or stays in the 125 lb range. Each of the three schools could use a long-term wrestler of Burnett’s caliber at 125 lbs. To our knowledge, Burnett has yet to take an official visit to any of his three potential choices, but we’ll monitor his whereabouts for our Campus Visit feature.

Brentsville District

St. Francis

St. Francis

Now that we’ve experienced a RAF event, we know what to expect in terms of a broadcast, presentation, promotion, and matchmaking. We also have eight champions, which helps establish a pecking order within the weight classes. So, let’s stop wasting time and put together some “Matches to Make” at RAF 02. Now, here’s my logic in putting these matches together. Eric Bischoff stated that later this week, we’ll have a date and location for RAF 02. I am under the impression it will probably be in November. With that in mind, I did not include anyone who is participating in the Senior World Championships (for the USA or other countries). I’d imagine Izzy Martinez and Willie Saylor are already inundated with calls and texts from wrestlers interested in participating in future cards. With a potential card in November, I’m sure they’d like to have matches locked in ASAP. Having to wait a few weeks to see if the world teamers are healthy and available after the world championships might not be ideal. Who knows, maybe we’ll get a bunch that still want to compete and it makes for an even better product. Also, I did not include anyone currently enrolled in college. Aeoden Sinclair and Kennedy Blades were pulled from the card because of eligibility concerns had they competed after classes started at their respective schools and before November 1st. Hopefully, we’ll see college athletes be able to compete in-season, but for the intents and purposes of this article, I didn’t include any. Remember, this is not my top ten dream matches to make. These are ten matches that would make sense within the next two months and either builds off RAF 01 or sets a framework for future events. (This would also be my match order). Michael McGee vs. Seth Gross Willie Saylor explained on his RAF recap show with Justin Basch that this bout was booked in case any other matchup fell through on the RAF 01 card. Before Holly Holm agreed to step up in place of Kennedy Blades, it was thought that this match would be added to the card. Why not lead off the card with this one? Seth Gross is almost guaranteed to create fireworks. RAF wants high-scoring, fast-paced matches. Michael McGee had an incredible trajectory in his high school career. He went 1-2 at his first NCAA Tournament and defeated Daton Fix in his last collegiate match. This may not be a #1 contender type match (yet), but it’s one to get the crowd in the arena into the event and hungry for more action. Jordan Oliver vs. Bryce Andonian One of the guys that I saw on social media commenting on the matches and wanting a championship belt was Jordan Oliver. Oliver has been one of the most popular wrestlers of his time and has since moved on to an MMA career. Since he’s not wrestling full-time, it’s probably not appropriate for him to get a world team member or someone at the very top of the ladder. How about Bryce Andonian? Andonian is always up for a match. Like Seth Gross, win or lose, an Andonian match is fun. I think someone with Andonian’s talent and skill set could bring the best match out of Oliver. If you paired Oliver with an opponent who will just handfight for six minutes, he might do the same. But with Andonian, they could end up throwing the kitchen sink back and forth at each other. Ridge Lovett vs. Andrew Alirez I actually would make this a #1 contender matchup at 145 lbs - if both wrestlers are capable of making the weight. We’ll have Real Woods waiting in the wings for either. This is a matchup of two NCAA champions: Lovett, fresh off his title in 2025 and Alirez, who won his in 2023. You’re crazy if you think RAF wasn’t made for Ridge Lovett. I’d guess he already has a victory dance or pose picked out for his first win. Alirez has an interest in boxing and MMA, as well, so he knows how to play the game and sell a fight. Lovett was a semifinalist at the World Team Trials, losing 3-2 to PJ Duke. That result has aged much better with Duke defeating Yianni twice at Final X. Alirez might be better in free than folkstyle and he was never “right” during the 2024-25 season. He needed surgery immediately after the NCAA season. If he’s healthy, I want this match ASAP! Jenna Burkert vs. Alejandra Rivera Speaking of RAF being made for specific people! Jenna Burkert. Come on, enough said. Similar to Sarah Hildebrandt, Burkert can be lovable and relatable off the mat, but intense and physical on the mat. Eric Bischoff has repeatedly mentioned “storytelling” as a key aspect of RAF. Burkert’s story would be incredible in a promotional setting. Even though she’s focused on high school coaching, Burkert has remained a very popular figure on social media and in mentoring young girls. If she’s interested, you have to get her on a card! Sometimes in the matchmaking business, you have to throw someone a bone for being a team player. Alejandra Rivera stepped up to wrestle Olympic silver medalist Kennedy Blades. That’s quite the monumental task she signed up for. Rivera also hung in there as plans were modified 24 hours before her match and took on a combat sports legend in Holly Holm. I could see Burkert/Rivera as a physical, knock-down-drag-out affair. Aaron Brooks vs. Patrick Downey Both Aaron Brooks and Pat Downey are linked to RAF already. Brooks was announced by the organization as one of their early signees. Downey recently announced on social media that he had inked with the company. Downey has talked trash over social media about Penn State/NLWC wrestlers (Carter Starocci and Kyle Snyder). Why not give him someone from that crew? I’d actually like the Starocci match more; however, we saw it at the 2024 Olympic Trials and I’m not sure whether Starocci has interest in RAF. At the Olympic Trials, the event that Brooks won, this might have been a mismatch. But, we haven’t seen Brooks in action since the Olympics and may not for a while based on a looming suspension. So, I don’t know if we're getting an Olympic-ready version of Brooks. Downey has as much natural talent as any wrestler out there, but has been focused on grappling, of late. Both are also from Maryland, different parts of the state, but that gives some additional bragging rights. One thing we saw on Saturday was an MMA-ish face-off between Wyatt Hendrickson and Mason Parris. At one point, Izzy Martinez jumped in front of the to give the impression that the two were going to fight on the spot. I don’t think anyone actually thought Hendrickson and Parris were going to fight and it might have been a bit silly and contrived. With that being said, there might be actual beef between Downey and the NLWC contingent. You could see real trash talk over social media and real contentiousness at the pre-match press conference and such. Gable Steveson vs. Adam Coon We saw the aforementioned face-off between Hendrickson and Parris. That’s a title match in the works and I love it. So, let’s get the next title match set up. Gable Steveson is an athlete whose name comes up immediately when fans are asked who they want to see in RAF. Let’s not wait six months from now to have Steveson against the winner of Hendrickson/Parris, get him on a card now. It’s difficult to find a unique and credible opponent for Steveson. If he’s close to the top of his game, only a few heavyweights can go with him. Trent Hillger would be next on the ladder after making Final X. Hayden Zillmer is up there, too. Both have likely trained with Steveson at the Gopher WC and I’m not sure if either of them presents a matchup that fans would totally embrace - aside from seeing Gable back in action. That brought me to Adam Coon. Remember, even though Coon’s best style is Greco, he made Final X in 2018 in freestyle. Coon was also a three-time top-three finisher at NCAA’s and has a career win over Kyle Snyder. Coon would represent a bit of a different test than most of the current heavyweights. Coon is more of a throwback to your father’s heavyweight. Big, tall, close to the weight limit (though RAF is unlimited). Not someone who is likely to hit low singles and get in long scrambles. To be honest, that’s what a lot of the heavyweights are still like internationally. At this point, I don’t know Coon’s status. The last time we saw him, he was choked unconscious in the Greco Trials at the US Open and had to default out of the tournament. Daton Fix vs. Nick Suriano There are a lot of ways you can go at 135 lbs to create a potential contender and matchup for Nathan Tomasello. Spencer Lee, Roman Bravo Young, Vito Arujau, Darian Cruz - maybe some international guys. I don’t have an issue with any of them getting the fast track to take on Tomasello. You could also make a match like this one to create that number one contender. Nick Suriano. He’s the white whale of Senior level wrestling. Maybe you get a sighting on Instagram every Tuesday. Hopefully, he’ll return to the mat at some point. Until then, he’ll be one of the more sought-after potential participants in RAF. There aren’t too many names that will bring fans to watch, on name recognition alone, and regardless of opponent. Suriano happens to be one of those athletes. When he’s at his best, Suriano has the potential to make a world team and medal. Even if he has to go through the likes of Lee, Arujau, or Fix. I haven’t seen Daton Fix associated with RAF yet, but I’d expect him to be in the mix at some point. Fix wasn’t a key player in the hunt for a world team spot in 2025, but he has the hardware and typically is one of the key figures. This pair also has quite a history. The storied Who’s #1 match without overtime. The controversial NCAA final in 2019. It doesn’t seem like these guys are capable of wrestling just a regular match. Evan Wick vs. Keegan O’Toole Let’s get our first title defense. I saw some questions on Twitter about whether titles would be on the line on every card. I don’t want to speak for RAF, but I imagine they won’t do that. Similar to the UFC, spread them out and find ways to have a couple on each card. It makes more financial sense to scatter six desired title matches spread across three cards, rather than all six at once. The breakout star from RAF 01 was Evan Wick (with some help from Jason Nolf). The pair had a back-and-forth match with lots of offense and constant action. I feel like we could get some similar fireworks with a Keegan O’Toole matchup. He has the freestyle credentials (U20 world champ) and wins within the last year over Senior World Team member, Levi Haines, and Dean Hamiti (both in freestyle). There’s also the added element that both wrestlers have history training under Ben Askren. Could be a fun wrinkle. Sarah Hildebrandt vs. Vinesh Phogat I’ll stress. This needs to be a matchup that is made once RAF’s international streaming agreements have been finalized. So, after Vinesh Phogat posted a monumental upset over Yui Susaki, this was supposed to be the Olympic gold medal match. Phogat failed to make weight and Hildebrandt won the gold medal. For days, and perhaps weeks, after the Olympic finals, Indian fans flocked to Hildebrant’s Instagram page and touted Phogat and questioned the validity of the gold medal. With all that on the table, let’s settle it once and for all. Once again, I’d wait on this match until you have a massive Indian audience available to purchase the card! Yianni Diakomihalis vs. David Baev In the post-event press conference, it seemed like Yianni Diakomihalis and Kyle Dake legitimately had a lot of fun participating in RAF 01 and were eager to get back on the mat. So, let’s run Yianni back out there. On Diakomihalis’ Instagram, Baev responded to a picture of Yianni from the event and said, “Nice belt. Soon on my waist,” before tagging RAF. For those not familiar with Baev, he was a Senior world champion in 2019. In 2017, he won a Junior World title, beating Ryan Deakin in the finals. Though he is not Russia’s representative at the 2025 World Championships, Baev did win a European Championship this year. That means he’s still at the top of his game. This would be a great test for Yianni and it has the potential for some great action. The promotional aspect of USA vs Russia almost sells itself, too. Of course, this is all contingent on getting Russian wrestlers into the country for an event - I’m sure there are some hoops to jump through to make it happen. Bonus matches The legend versus world team matches ended up being one-sided in favor of the current stars, as you probably assumed they would be. I’m not sure if that’s the route to go in the future; however, I don’t want to eliminate any legends from competing. So, how about legend versus legend? Maybe Brent Metcalf versus Dustin Schlatter? For 2004-25, this was the equivalent of Jax Forrest/Marcus Blaze type recruiting clashing. At one point in time, the RAF website showed James Green versus Austin O’Connor as a match for RAF 01. If they ever want to revisit that, I’m all for it. Green has been at his best competing above 65 kg and still can get it done. We’re not sure exactly what to expect from O’Connor in a freestyle setting, but he’s a two-time NCAA champion, so I imagine he will compete just fine.

The 2025 Senior World Championships are right around the corner. The tournament will be held in Zagreb, Croatia and run from September 13th-21st. Action will begin in the men’s freestyle tournament on Saturday the 13th. Greco-Roman gets underway on Thursday the 18th with the 55, 77, 82, and 130 kg weight classes. It will be the last discipline contested at the championships. UWW released Greco-Roman seeds and entries on Tuesday. They are as follows below: 55kg Seeded Eldaniz AZIZLI (AZE) #1 Emin SEFERSHAEV (UWW) #2 Poya DAD MARZ (IRI) #3 Denis MIHAI (ROU) #4 Manvel KHACHATRYAN (ARM) #5 Artiom DELEANU (MDA) #6 Ulan MURATBEK UULU (KGZ) #7 Ikhtiyor BOTIROV (UZB) #8 Unseeded Huoying SHI (CHN) Vakhtang LOLUA (GEO) Anil MOR (IND) Sajjad ALBIDHAN (IRQ) Taiga ONISHI (JPN) Yerassyl MAMYRBEKOV (KAZ) Junsik YU (KOR) Alexander CUEVAS (SGP) Emin CAKIR (TUR) Koriun SAHRADIAN (UKR) Jayden RANEY (USA) 60kg Seeded Se ung RI (PRK) #1 Georgij TIBILOV (SRB) #2 Nihat MAMMADLI (AZE) #3 Sadyk LALAEV (UWW) #4 Amiran SHAVADZE (GEO) #5 Enes BASAR (TUR) #6 Alisher GANIEV (UZB) #7 Victor CIOBANU (MDA) #8 Unseeded Abdelkarim FERGAT (ALG) Hrachya POGHOSYAN (ARM) Marat GARIPOV (BRA) Huangsheng WU (CHN) Rabby KILANDI (COD) SURAJ (IND) Ali AHMADI VAFA (IRI) Melkamu FETENE (ISR) Kaito INABA (JPN) Iskhar KURBAYEV (KAZ) Akyl SULAIMANOV (KGZ) Dahyun KIM (KOR) Justas PETRAVICIUS (LTU) Angel SEGURA (MEX) Olivier SKRZYPCZAK (POL) Vladyslav KUZKO (UKR) Maxwell BLACK (USA) Jamal VALIZADEH (UWW) 63kg Seeded Karen ASLANYAN (ARM) #1 Vitalie ERIOMENCO (MDA) #2 Kerem KAMAL (TUR) #3 Mohammad KESHTKAR (IRI) #4 Aytjan KHALMAKHANOV (UZB) #5 Ellis COLEMAN (USA) #6 Hanjae CHUNG (KOR) #7 Aref MOHAMMADI (QAT) #8 Unseeded Abdeldjebar DJEBBARI (ALG) Murad MAMMADOV (AZE) Nikolay VICHEV (BUL) Baosheng HUANG (CHN) Godefroid KALUBI (COD) Ivan LIZATOVIC (CRO) Andres MONTANO (ECU) Moamen MOHAMED (EGY) Stefan CLEMENT (FRA) Leri ABULADZE (GEO) Sunny KUMAR (IND) Manato NAKAMURA (JPN) Madiyar MAULITKANOV (KAZ) Baiaman KARIMOV (KGZ) Hector SANCHEZ (MEX) Morten THORESEN (NOR) Chan KIM (PRK) Azatjan ACHILOV (TKM) Oleksandr HRUSHYN (UKR) Sergey EMELIN (UWW) 67kg Seeded Saeid ESMAEILI (IRI) #1 Valentin PETIC (MDA) #2 Hasrat JAFAROV (AZE) #3 Slavik GALSTYAN (ARM) #4 Luis ORTA (CUB) #5 Joni KHETSURIANI (GEO) #6 Razzak BEISHEKEEV (KGZ) #7 Haavard JOERGENSEN (NOR) #8 Unseeded Gjete PRENGA (ALB) Tsuchika SHIMOYAMADAA (AUS) Aker SCHMID (AUT) Nestor ALMANZA (CHI) Libin DING (CHN) Roland KALAMBAYI (COD) Julian HORTA (COL) Dominik ETLINGER (CRO) Gagik SNJOYAN (FRA) Witalis LAZOVSKI (GER) ANIL (IND) Kyotaro SOGABE (JPN) Bagdat SABAZ (KAZ) Minseong KWON (KOR) Kristupas SLEIVA (LTU) Osvaldo YANEZ SILVA (MEX) Arslanbek SALIMOV (POL) Man Gwang SON (PRK) Sebastian NAD (SRB) Andreas VETSCH (SUI) Niklas OEHLEN (SWE) Murat FIRAT (TUR) Maksym YEVTUSHENKO (UKR) Alston NUTTER (USA) Daniial AGAEV (UWW) Hleb MAKARANKA (UWW) Shermukhammad SHARIBJANOV (UZB) Neiser MARIMON HIDALGO (VEN) 72kg Seeded Ulvi GANIZADE (AZE) #1 Ali ARSALAN (SRB) #2 Ibrahim GHANEM (FRA) #3 Abdullo ALIEV (UZB) #4 Iuri LOMADZE (GEO) #5 Mehmet SAHIN (TUR) #6 Danial SOHRABI (IRI) #7 Mihai PETIC (MDA) #8 Unseeded Abdelmalek MERABET (ALG) Gor KHACHATRYAN (ARM) Deyvid DIMITROV (BUL) Xin CHEN (CHN) Norvil BUKASA (COD) Pavel PUKLAVEC (CRO) Dalgat MAGOMEDOV (CZE) Matias LIPASTI (FIN) Luis BARRIOS ROCHEZ (HON) Krisztian VANCZA (HUN) Ankit GULIA (IND) Taishi NARIKUNI (JPN) Almatbek AMANBEK (KAZ) Amantur ISMAILOV (KGZ) Yeonghun NOH (KOR) Aleksander MIELEWCZYK (POL) Rafeeq ELNATSHEH (QAT) Michael PORTMANN (SUI) Didar ORAZBERDIYEV (TKM) Parviz NASIBOV (UKR) Alejandro SANCHO (USA) Dmitrii ADAMOV (UWW) Aliaksandr LIAVONCHYK (UWW) 77kg Seeded Aram VARDANYAN (UZB) #1 Sanan SULEYMANOV (AZE) #2 Malkhas AMOYAN (ARM) #3 Nao KUSAKA (JPN) #4 Ahmet YILMAZ (TUR) #5 Yryskeldi MAKSATBEK UULU (KGZ) #6 Sergei KUTUZOV (UWW) #7 Albin OLOFSSON (SWE) #8 Unseeded Kevin KUPI (ALB) Chawki DOULACHE (ALG) Calebe CORREA FERREIRA (BRA) Stoyan KUBATOV (BUL) Likui SHI (CHN) Harryson NSIAMAZA (COD) Antonio KAMENJASEVIC (CRO) Marcos SANCHEZ SILVA (ESP) Jonni SARKKINEN (FIN) Tigran GALUSTYAN (FRA) Ramaz ZOIDZE (GEO) Idris IBAEV (GER) Robert FRITSCH (HUN) AMAN (IND) Alireza ABDEVALI (IRI) Noil UMAROV (KAZ) Hyeonjin KANG (KOR) Vilius SAVICKAS (LTU) Alexandrin GUTU (MDA) Mateusz BERNATEK (POL) Saoud ALMEFQAEY (QAT) Aleksa ILIC (SRB) Lai Hsing YAO (TPE) Ihor BYCHKOV (UKR) Kamal BEY (USA) Arman KARAPETYAN (UWW) 82kg Seeded Erik SZILVASSY (HUN) #1 Gela BOLKVADZE (GEO) #2 Gurban GURBANOV (AZE) #3 Mihail BRADU (MDA) #4 Karlo KODRIC (CRO) #5 Taizo YOSHIDA (JPN) #6 Jalgasbay BERDIMURATOV (UZB) #7 Ramon BETSCHART (SUI) #8 Unseeded Samvel GRIGORYAN (ARM) Ibrahim TABAEV (BEL) Zhihuan WANG (CHN) Andy MUKENDI (COD) Marek VRBA (CZE) RAHUL (IND) Gholamreza FAROKHI (IRI) Luca DARIOZZI (ITA) Omar SATAYEV (KAZ) Bekzat ORUNKUL UULU (KGZ) Wonjong SUN (KOR) Diego MACIAS (MEX) Gabriel DINETTE (PHI) Shahin BADAGHIMOFRAD (QAT) Alexander JOHANSSON (SWE) Alperen BERBER (TUR) Ruslan ABDIIEV (UKR) Beka MELELASHVILI (USA) Adlet TIULIUBAEV (UWW) 87kg Seeded David LOSONCZI (HUN) #1 Turpal BISULTANOV (DEN) #2 Aleksandr KOMAROV (SRB) #3 Alireza MOHMADI (IRI) #4 Islam ABBASOV (AZE) #5 Exauce MUKUBU (NOR) #6 Milad ALIRZAEV (UWW) #7 Arkadiusz KULYNYCZ (POL) #8 Unseeded Bachir SID AZARA (ALG) Vigen NAZARYAN (ARM) Erion RAMLJAK (AUS) Yoan DIMITROV (BUL) Jianwen LUO (CHN) Ivan HUKLEK (CRO) Lasha GOBADZE (GEO) Hannes WAGNER (GER) Karan KAMBOJ (IND) Soh SAKABE (JPN) Baurzhan MUSSIN (KAZ) Asan ZHANYSHOV (KGZ) Sanghyeok PARK (KOR) Marcel STERKENBURG (NED) Patrik GORDAN (ROU) Damian VON EUW (SUI) Hamza SERTCANLI (SWE) Hasan KILINC (TUR) Yaroslav FILCHAKOV (UKR) Payton JACOBSON (USA) Stanislau SHAFARENKA (UWW) Mukhammadkodir RASULOV (UZB) Luis AVENDANO ROJAS (VEN) 97kg Seeded Mohammadhadi SARAVI (IRI) #1 Artur ALEKSANYAN (ARM) #2 Alex SZOKE (HUN) #3 Gabriel ROSILLO (CUB) #4 Arvi SAVOLAINEN (FIN) #5 Lucas LAZOGIANIS (GER) #6 Uzur DZHUZUPBEKOV (KGZ) #7 Giorgi MELIA (GEO) #8 Unseeded Markus RAGGINGER (AUT) Murad AHMADIYEV (AZE) Zegang WANG (CHN) Barthelemy TSHOSHA (COD) Filip SMETKO (CRO) Artur OMAROV (CZE) Mohamed GABR (EGY) Richard KARELSON (EST) Kevin MEJIA (HON) NITESH (IND) Nikoloz KAKHELASHVILI (ITA) Yuri NAKAZATO (JPN) Rakhat BERZHANOV (KAZ) Minho LEE (KOR) Mindaugas VENCKAITIS (LTU) Tyrone STERKENBURG (NED) Gerard KURNICZAK (POL) Aleksandar STJEPANETIC (SWE) Eduard BABENOSHEV (TJK) Amanberdi AGAMAMMEDOV (TKM) Abdul CEBI (TUR) Vladen KOZLIUK (UKR) Michial FOY (USA) Kiryl MASKEVICH (UWW) Artur SARGSIAN (UWW) 130kg Seeded Amin MIRZAZADEH (IRI) #1 Hamza BAKIR (TUR) #2 Heiki NABI (EST) #3 Abdellatif MOHAMED (EGY) #4 Mantas KNYSTAUTAS (LTU) #5 Darius VITEK (HUN) #6 Beka KANDELAKI (AZE) #7 Sergei SEMENOV (UWW) #8 Unseeded Razmik KURDYAN (ARM) Wenhao JIANG (CHN) Marko KOSCEVIC (CRO) Oscar PINO (CUB) Elias KUOSMANEN (FIN) Sulkhan BUIDZE (GEO) Jello KRAHMER (GER) Gino AVILA DILBERT (HON) SONU (IND) Ali AL SHARUEE (IRQ) Danila SOTNIKOV (ITA) Yuta NARA (JPN) Akarys BERDASHOV (KAZ) Nurmanbet RAIMALY UULU (KGZ) Seungchan LEE (KOR) Nambardagva BATBAYAR (MGL) Jacob LOGAARD (SWE) Mykola KUCHMII (UKR) Cohlton SCHULTZ (USA) Pavel HLINCHUK (UWW) Moises PEREZ (VEN)

Over the weekend, we posted a recruiting update for the stars of the Class of 2027. Unfortunately, it proved to be two days early as the top junior in the country made a modification to his recruiting list, while cutting down to six teams. 2024 U17 World Team member and #1 overall, Melvin Miller (Bishop McCort, PA), used social media to give the wrestling world an update on his recruiting process thus far. Miller’s top six consists of Michigan, Nebraska, Ohio State, Oklahoma State, Penn State, and Virginia Tech. Ohio State and Virginia Tech were a pair of schools that did not initially appear on his first recruiting list. Removed during this update were Arizona State, Missouri, NC State, and Pittsburgh. At this point, we haven’t been notified of any official campus visits for Miller. That’s not unusual as the visits really got ramped up for the fall over Labor Day weekend. Miller’s recruiting situation is unique since he could be a package deal with his brother, Bo Bassett, the #2 overall recruit in the Class of 2026. Bassett initially committed to Iowa, but has since re-opened the recruiting process. Miller is expected to be in action in October at the Super 32. He won the 144 lb weight class in 2023 and was third at 157 lbs last year. We’ll have more on Miller’s recruiting situation as it develops.

Nazareth

After the action at RAF 01, there were a couple of different press conferences featuring participants and Real American Freestyle management. Kyle Dake, Yianni Diakomihalis, Real Woods Bo Nickal, Sarah Hildebrandt, Wyatt Hendrickson Evan Wick Holly Holm Eric Bischoff, Chad Bronstein, and Izzy Martinez

Kennedy

Buford

The 2025 Senior World Championships are right around the corner. The tournament will be held in Zagreb, Croatia and run from September 13th-21st. Action will begin in the men’s freestyle tournament with 61, 70, 86, and 125 kg getting underway on Saturday the 13th. Since the tournament starts with men’s freestyle, it’s only fitting that UWW released men’s freestyle seeds on Monday. They are as follows below: 57kg Seeded Spencer LEE (USA) #1 Gulomjon ABDULLAEV (UZB) #2 AMAN (IND) #3 Roman BRAVO YOUNG (MEX) #4 Darian CRUZ (PUR) #5 Bekzat ALMAZ UULU (KGZ) #6 Islam BAZARGANOV (AZE) #7 Munkh Erdene BATKHUYAG (MGL) #8 Unseeded Salah KATEB (ALG) Arsen HARUTYUNYAN (ARM) Ivaylo TISOV (BUL) Garette SAUNDERS (CAN) Chengtao WANG (CHN) Roland TAMBI NFORSONG (CMR) Rabby KILANDI (COD) Peter HAMMER CUDE (CRC) Guesseppe REA VILLARROEL (ECU) Roberti DINGASHVILI (GEO) Niklas STECHELE (GER) Ali Hossein MOMENI (IRI) Husein ALBEHADILALBORS (IRQ) Rin SAKAMOTO (JPN) Adilet ALMUKHAMEDOV (KAZ) Sunggwon KIM (KOR) Vladimir EGOROV (MKD) Chongsong HAN (PRK) Azamat TUSKAEV (SRB) Thomas EPP (SUI) Aiaal BELOLYUBSKII (TJK) Yusuf DEMIR (TUR) Vladyslav ABRAMOV (UKR) Musa MEKHTIKHANOV (UWW) Aryan TSIUTRYN (UWW) 61kg Seeded Zavur UGUEV (UWW) #1 Giorgi GONIASHVILI (GEO) #2 Takara SUDA (JPN) #3 UDIT (IND) #4 Leomid COLESNIC (MDA) #5 Dzmitry SHAMELA (UWW) #6 Nils LEUTERT (SUI) #7 Joshua KRAMER (ECU) #8 Unseeded Zelimkhan ABAKAROV (ALB) Manvel KHNDZRTSYAN (ARM) Georgii OKOROKOVV (AUS) Jeyhun ALLAHVERDIYEV (AZE) Jianhao LIU (CHN) Ndjidda BOUBA (CMR) Godefroid KALUBI (COD) Ahmad JAVAN (IRI) Simone PIRODDU (ITA) Adil OSPANOV (KAZ) Taiyrbek ZHUMASHBEK UULU (KGZ) Sangboum HAN (KOR) Tuvshintulga TUMENBILEG (MGL) Besir ALILI (MKD) Ali ABURUMAILA (PLE) Kum Hyok KIM (PRK) Dylan SHAWVER (PUR) Emrah ORMANOGLU (TUR) Kamil KERYMOV (UKR) Jaxen FORREST (USA) Ibrahim GUZAN (YEM) 65kg Seeded Rahman AMOUZAD (IRI) #1 Kotaro KIYOOKA (JPN) #2 Vazgen TEVANYAN (ARM) #3 Ali RAHIMZADA (AZE) #4 Khamzat ARSAMERZOUEV (FRA) #5 Sebastian RIVERA (PUR) #6 Ibragim IBRAGIMOV (UWW) #7 SUJEET (IND) #8 Unseeded Ayub MUSAEV (BEL) Alibeg ALIBEGOV (BRN) Mikyay NAIM (BUL) Peiman BIABANI (CAN) Tao WEI (CHN) Roland KALAMBAYI (COD) Goderdzi DZEBISASHVILI (GEO) Nico MEGERLE (GER) Mohammed KAREEM (IRQ) Colin REALBUTO (ITA) Nachyn KUULAR (KAZ) Ikromzhon KHADZHIMURODOV (KGZ) Junsik YUN (KOR) Maxim SACULTAN (MDA) Gantulga BATBAATAR (MGL) Stephen IZOLO (NGR) Abdullah ASSAF (PLE) Krzysztof BIENKOWSKI (POL) Kwang Jin KIM (PRK) Daniel SANDU (ROU) Nino LEUTERT (SUI) Abdulmazhid KUDIEV (TJK) Cabbar DUYUM (TUR) Andrii BILIICHUK (UKR) Real WOODS (USA) Islam GUSEINOV (UWW) Umidjon JALOLOV (UZB) Wilfredo RODRIGUEZ (VEN) 70kg Seeded Yoshinosuke AOYAGI (JPN) #1 Akaki KEMERTELIDZE (GEO) #2 Nurkozha KAIPANOV (KAZ) #3 Kanan HEYBATOV (AZE) #4 Arman ANDREASYAN (ARM) #5 Austin GOMEZ (MEX) #6 Vasile DIACON (MDA) #7 Iszmail MUSZUKAJEV (HUN) #8 Unseeded Islam DUDAEV (ALB) Shannon HANNA (BAH) Mihail GEORGIEV (BUL) Michael ZALE (CAN) Jorge GATICA (CHI) Shuang CHEN (CHN) Gabriel MUANDA (COD) Anthony WESLEY (CPV) ROHIT (IND) Amirmohammad YAZDANI (IRI) Ernazar AKMATALIEV (KGZ) Yongseok JEONG (KOR) Tulga TUMUR OCHIR (MGL) Viktor VOINOVIC (SRB) Viktor RASSADIN (TJK) Khairiddine BEN TLILI (TUN) Haydar YAVUZ (TUR) Oleksii BORUTA (UKR) PJ DUKE (USA) Saiyn KAZYRYK (UWW) Begijon KULDASHEV (UZB) 74kg Seeded Chermen VALIEV (ALB) #1 Taimuraz SALKAZANOV (SVK) #2 Yones EMAMI (IRI) #3 Orozobek TOKTOMAMBETOV (KGZ) #4 Murad KURAMAGOMEDOV (HUN) #5 Giorgi ELBAKIDZE (GEO) #6 Magomedrasul ASLUEV (BRN) #7 Feng LU (CHN) #8 Unseeded Hrayr ALIKHANYAN (ARM) Turan BAYRAMOV (AZE) Ibragim VELIEV (BEL) Renato DA SILVA (BRA) Ramazan RAMAZANOV (BUL) Adam THOMSON (CAN) Norvil BUKASA (COD) Vedran LUKETIN (CRO) Mohammad MOTTAGHINIA (ESP) Vikash KUMAR (IND) Luca FINIZIO (ITA) Kota TAKAHASHI (JPN) Alibek ABDIKASSYMOV (KAZ) Daegil HAN (KOR) Egzon XHONI (KOS) Ion MARCU (MDA) Cristian SANTIAGO (MEX) Tugsjargal ERDENEBAT (MGL) Rasul SHAPIEV (MKD) Kamil RYBICKI (POL) Ok Chol HAN (PRK) Soner DEMIRTAS (TUR) Ivan KUSYAK (UKR) David CARR (USA) Vitali IHNATOVICH (UWW) Zaurbek SIDAKOV (UWW) Mirzo KHAYITOV (UZB) Anthony MONTERO (VEN) 79kg Seeded Akhsarbek GULAEV (SVK) #1 Suldkhuu OLONBAYAR (MGL) #2 Vladimeri GAMKRELIDZE (GEO) #3 Magomet EVLOEV (TJK) #4 Mohammad NOKHODI (IRI) #5 Daulet YERGESH (KAZ) #6 Khidir SAIPUDINOV (BRN) #7 Zelimkhan KHADJIEV (FRA) #8 Unseeded Abdelkader IKKAL (ALG) Dzhabrail GADZHIEV (AZE) Patrik LEDER (CAN) Tu Erxun AHEIYOU (CHN) Andy MUKENDI (COD) Marko NIKOLIC (CRO) Georgios KOUGIOUMTSIDIS (GRE) AMIT (IND) Ryunosuke KAMIYA (JPN) Bumgue SEO (KOR) Alans AMIROVS (LAT) Vlad STRATAN (MDA) Dejan MITROV (MKD) Michael LABRIOLA (PUR) Iakub SHIKHDZHAMALOV (ROU) Alfred DANIEL (SLE) Azymberdi SAPAROV (TKM) Ibrahim YAPRAK (TUR) Vasyl MYKHAILOV (UKR) Levi HAINES (USA) Akhmed USMANOV (UWW) 86kg Seeded Osman GOCEN (TUR) #1 Arsenii DZHIOEV (AZE) #2 Mahamedkhabib KADZIMAHAMEDAU (UWW) #3 Zahid VALENCIA (USA) #4 Rakhim MAGAMADOV (FRA) #5 Hayato ISHIGURO (JPN) #6 Batbilguun NAADAMBAT (MGL) #7 Gyeongyeon LEE (KOR) #8 Unseeded Fateh BENFERDJALLAH (ALG) Simon MARCHL (AUT) Hade AYIDUSI (CHN) Matteo MONTEIRO FURTADO (CPV) Kreso SKUGOR (CRO) Ahmed MAHMOUD (EGY) Gabriel IGLESIAS RAMOS (ESP) Avtandil KENTCHADZE (GEO) Joshua MORODION (GER) Mukul DAHIYA (IND) Kamran GHASEMPOUR (IRI) Azamat DAULETBEKOV (KAZ) Mukhammad ABDULLAEV (KGZ) Ivars SAMUSONOK (LAT) Paulius LESCAUSKAS (LTU) Traian CAPATINA (MDA) Cezary SADOWSKI (POL) Ethan RAMOS (PUR) Weng CHOW (SGP) Boris MAKOEV (SVK) Mukhammed ALIIEV (UKR) Ibragim KADIEV (UWW) 92kg Seeded Miriani MAISURADZE (GEO) #1 Benjamin HONIS (ITA) #2 Batyrbek TSAKULOV (SVK) #3 Osman NURMAGOMEDOV (AZE) #4 Dauren KURUGLIEV (GRE) #5 Amirhossein FIROUZPOUR (IRI) #6 Lars SCHAEFLE (GER) #7 Trent HIDLAY (USA) #8 Unseeded Benjamin GREIL (AUT) Magomed SHARIPOV (BRN) Ahmed BATAEV (BUL) Andrew JOHNSON (CAN) Jumabayi AERGEN (CHN) Cedric ABOSSOLO (CMR) Barthelemy TSHOSHA (COD) Deepak PUNIA (IND) Uri KALASHNIKOV (ISR) Takashi ISHIGURO (JPN) Nurdaulet BEKENOV (KAZ) Gwanuk KIM (KOR) Andrian GROSUL (MDA) Demchigdorj TUMURBAATAR (MGL) Redjep HAJDARI (MKD) Samuel SCHERRER (SUI) Alperen TOKGOZ (TUR) Ivan CHORNOHUZ (UKR) Amanula GADZHIMAGOMEDOV (UWW) Yaraslau IADKOUSKI (UWW) 97kg Seeded Akhmed TAZHUDINOV (BRN) #1 Givi MATCHARASHVILI (GEO) #2 Kyle SNYDER (USA) #3 Magomedkhan MAGOMEDOV (AZE) #4 Amirali AZARPIRA (IRI) #5 Zbigniew BARANOWSKI (POL) #6 Arash YOSHIDA (JPN) #7 Richard VEGH (HUN) #8 Unseeded Akhmed MAGAMAEV (BUL) Nishan Preet RANDHAWA (CAN) Awusayiman HABILA (CHN) Filip HUKLEK (CRO) Arturo SILOT TORRES (CUB) Adlan VISKHANOV (FRA) Ertugrul AGCA (GER) VICKY (IND) Rizabek AITMUKHAN (KAZ) Juhwan SEO (KOR) Domantas PAULIUSCENKO (LTU) Radu LEFTER (MDA) Gankhuyag GANBAATAR (MGL) Magomedgadji NUROV (MKD) Adam JAKSIK (SVK) Shatlyk HEMELYAYEV (TKM) Resul GUNE (TUR) David MCHEDLIDZE (UKR) Aliaksandr HUSHTYN (UWW) Abdulrashid SADULAEV (UWW) Cristian SARCO (VEN) 125kg Seeded Giorgi MESHVILDISHVILI (AZE) #1 Amir Hossein ZARE (IRI) #2 Dzianis KHRAMIANKOU (UWW) #3 Robert BARAN (POL) #4 Lkhagvagerel MUNKHTUR (MGL) #5 Shamil SHARIPOV (BRN) #6 Solomon MANASHVILI (GEO) #7 Jonovan SMITH (PUR) #8 Unseeded Johannes LUDESCHER (AUT) Gabriel DE SOUSA (BRA) Alen KHUBULOV (BUL) BUHEEERDUN (CHN) Filip KOSCIC (CRO) Mohsen SIYAR (GER) Azamat KHOSONOV (GRE) Milan KORCSOG (HUN) Rajat RUHAL (IND) Taiki YAMAMOTO (JPN) Alisher YERGALI (KAZ) Gyeongmin KIM (KOR) Dmitrii DUSCOV (MDA) Omar SAREM (ROU) Zyyamuhammet SAPAROV (TKM) Hakan BUYUKCINGIL (TUR) Murazi MCHEDLIDZE (UKR) Wyatt HENDRICKSON (USA) Abdulla KURBANOV (UWW) Khasanboy RAKHIMOV (UZB)

History was made in Cleveland, Ohio, tonight as Real American Freestyle (RAF) held its first card, RAF 01. Eight champions were crowned in an electric atmosphere, with a star-studded list of participants. Local star Nathan Tomasello will go down in history as the first wrestler to win a RAF bout and the first bantamweight champion. The former Ohio State national champion was a crowd favorite as he used his impressive build and strength to keep Matt Ramos at bay for most of the bout. Tomasello’s four points were all scored off of step-out points. In the second period, Tomasello was close to a pair of takedowns when he earned his stepouts. Ramos nearly shocked the crowd with a late takedown during a sequence that started with a flying squirrel attempt. The third installment of Yianni Diakomihalis versus Indian world/Olympic medalist Bajrang Punia ended the same way as the first two - with the four-time national champion from Cornell getting his hand raised. It was in the third period when Diakomihalis used a low leg attack to become the first RAF wrestler to register a takedown. That maneuver iced a 5-1 victory for Diakomihalis. The third bout of the evening featured a current star against a former great and it established a pattern for matches of this ilk. Generally, it was the younger wrestler who got their hand raised. In this instance, Mexican Olympian Austin Gomez needed less than a minute to roll against another hometown hero, Lance Palmer of St. Ed’s and Ohio State fame. This bout did not have a title on the line, but it appears we could have a Diakomihalis-Gomez clash in the future. Some of the biggest fireworks of the evening came from the combination of Evan Wick and Jason Nolf in the middleweight championship. Wick jumped out to the lead, surprising Nolf on a low, reshot attempt. Nolf would answer by getting a takedown of his own. These were no ordinary two points. Nolf had Wick above his head, sitting on his shoulders for a moment, before finishing the takedown. The second period provides the fans with plenty of action as Wick notched three takedowns and extended his lead to 8-2. Just as it appeared that Nolf’s wrestling layoff might catch up to him, the former Penn State great responded with a takedown of his own to trail 8-4 at the break. The third period featured more from Nolf, who won a scramble for two points and then turned Wick to knot the score at eight (although Nolf had criteria). With around :20 remaining, Wick responded with a low, misdirection shot to retake the lead, 10-8. The Cal Poly assistant coach nearly got another takedown in the closing seconds, but Nolf flipped out of the hold. The crowd gave both wrestlers a standing ovation as Wick received his belt. The final result in the women’s strawweight championship was a tech fall for 2024 Olympic gold medalist Sarah Hildebrandt; however, it doesn’t necessarily tell the entire story of the bout. Zeltzin Hernandez shocked Hildebrandt in the first period, nearly scoring on a double leg. Later in the first period, Hildebrandt earned a takedown and added two gut wrenches to take a commanding 7-0 lead. There was no scoring in the second period as Hernandez was able to limit the damage. Hildebrandt was close to scoring on multiple occasions, but Hernandez trapped Hildebrandt’s arm and prevented her from fully taking control. :36 into the third period, Hildebrandt was finally able to break through Hernandez’s defense and scored off of a double leg and a leg lace - ending the match via tech, 11-0. It was another current star (2025 World Team member Real Woods) against a past hero (2009 NCAA champion Darrion Caldwell) in the bantamweight championship bout. The 37 year old Caldwell actually got on the scoreboard first with a step out point. Later in the opening stanza, Woods completed a takedown and was looking for a gut wrench. Caldwell momentarily kept Woods on his back for two points and only trailed 4-3 at the break. Caldwell has always been known for his big moves and tried a super duck; however, Woods was ready and countered for a takedown. Two gut wrenches opened his lead to 10-3. On the second gut wrench, Woods was able to keep Caldwell on his back for a fall - :36 into the second period. It was the only fall of the card. The next bout featured two-time Olympic gold medalist Kyle Dake, taking on 2025 NCAA champion Dean Hamiti. Hamiti was a replacement for Missouri’s Aeoden Sinclair, who was held out of the competition because of compliance concerns. Dake got the crowd excited in the first period as he used a high-amplitude finish for four points, giving him a 5-0 lead after one period. Dake turned up the head in the second period and dominated his way to an 11-0 tech. Speaking of replacements. Kennedy Blades was scheduled to take on Mexico’s Alejandra Rivera in a championship bout in the women’s middleweight division. Just a day before the event, the NCAA ruled that Blades would not be allowed to compete. Rather than scrap the bout, RAF found an interesting replacement. Combat sports legend Holly Holm filled in for Blades. Holm has won world championships in boxing, kickboxing and mixed martial arts. This was her first official wrestling match….ever! It was nearly a storybook finish for Holm as Rivera quickly shot in on her. Rivera telegraphed the double leg attempt and got pancaked to her back and nearly surrendered a fall. The second period featured Rivera scoring twice on four-point headlocks. In both instances, Holm was able to add points of her own to trail, 9-7. Neither woman was able to score in the final period and Rivera was crowned the victor, 9-7. In the penultimate bout of the evening, branded the co-main event, 2019 Hodge Trophy winner Bo Nickal returned to the wrestling mat for the first time in four years. He squared off with three-time All-American Jacob Cardenas, who just wrapped up his collegiate career earlier this year. Maybe there was some rust for Nickal, but not enough to prevent him from winning. During his post-match interview, Nickal stated that he was conscious of the side Cardenas tends to try his gut wrench from. The key sequence in the bout saw Nickal step over the gut wrench and nearly pin Cardenas. Nickal wasn’t able to secure a fall, but did keep Cardenas on his back for the final :20 seconds of the contest and ensure a 6-4 victory. The main event of the evening featured 2025 NCAA champion Wyatt Hendrickson taking on 2024 Egyptian Olympian Mostafa Elders. The crowd was hoping to see Hendrickson display his arsenal of offensive attacks and he gave them what they wanted. Hendrickson put an exclamation mark on his match and the RAF 01 debut as he used a big, four-point double leg to down Elders, 14-1. After the match, during Hendrickson’s interview, 2023 Hodge Trophy winner Mason Parris jumped on the stage to challenge Hendrickson. Parris was an Olympian in 2024, but did not participate in the world team process in 2025 as he was pursuing an NFL career. Now back on the mat, this will be an interesting matchup to anticipate for future RAF events. We’ll revisit RAF in the coming days to discuss the event as a whole. Results Bantamweight Championship (135 lbs) - Nathan Tomasello over Matt Ramos 4-3 Lightweight Championship (155 lbs) - Yianni Diakomihalis over Bajrang Punia 5-1 Lightweight bout (155 lbs) - Austin Gomez over Lance Palmer 11-0 Middleweight Championship (175 lbs) - Evan Wick over Jason Nolf 10-8 Women’s Strawweight Championship (120 lbs) - Sarah Hildebrandt over Zeltzin Hernandez 11-0 Featherweight Championship (145 lbs) - Real Woods over Darrion Caldwell Fall 2:31 Cruiserweight Championship (190 lbs) - Kyle Dake over Dean Hamiti 11-0 Women’s Middleweight bout (150 lbs) - Alejandra Rivera over Holly Holm 9-7 Light Heavyweight championship (205 lbs) - Bo Nickal over Jacob Cardenas 6-4 Heavyweight championship (Unlimited) - Wyatt Hendrickson over Mostafa Elders 14-1

June 15th was New Year’s Day for those college coaches recruiting the Class of 2027 and the student-athletes waiting to plan out their futures. The 15th was the first day that collegiate coaches could officially contact rising juniors and there has been plenty of activity on the recruiting front. Since the 15th, some of the nation’s top prospects have released lists of their top schools. Rather than trying to dig through social media or click through a bunch of state sites, we have compiled this list of these top recruits and their potential future homes. Remember recruiting is a fluid process, so another school, currently unlisted, could jump into the picture for a recruit. Conversely, the recruits could trim their list at any time. This is a feature that will be revisited as needed throughout the recruitment process. Since our first version of this feature the following wrestlers have been added: #28 Cam Sontz, #35 Greyson Music, #126 Jackson Weller, and #135 Justin Williamson. #1 Melvin Miller (Bishop McCort, PA) - Michigan, Nebraska, Ohio State, Oklahoma State, Penn State, Virginia Tech #3 Sonny Amato (Rumson-Fair Haven, NJ) - Arizona State, Iowa, Iowa State, Ohio State, Oklahoma, Rutgers, Virginia Tech #4 Landon Sidun (Norwin, Pennsylvania) - Buffalo, Cornell, Iowa, Minnesota, NC State, Nebraska, Ohio State, Oklahoma, Penn State, Pittsburgh, Virginia Tech, West Virginia #10 Dean Anderson (Valiant Prep, AZ) - Arizona State, Minnesota, Missouri, NC State, Nebraska, Northern Iowa, Penn State #11 Clinton Shepherd (Crown Point, IN) - Cornell, Indiana, Michigan, NC State, Nebraska, Ohio State, Virginia Tech #14 Max Konopka (Simsbury, CT) -Cornell, Lehigh, NC State, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, Penn State, Princeton, Rutgers, Stanford, Virginia Tech, Wisconsin #15 Hayden Schwab (Don Bosco, IA) - Cornell, Iowa, Nebraska, Northern Iowa, Oklahoma State, Stanford, Virginia Tech #17 Arseni Kikiniou (Poway, CA) - Arizona State, Cal Poly, Cornell, Harvard, Illinois, Minnesota, Nebraska, North Carolina, Purdue, Stanford, Virginia Tech #20 Brock Rothermel (Line Mountain, PA) - Bucknell, Lehigh, Maryland, Pittsburgh, Princeton, Rutgers, Virginia Tech #24 Caleb Noble (Warren, IL) - Appalachian State, Arizona State, Cornell, George Mason, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa State, Little Rock, Michigan, Michigan State, Missouri, Morgan State, Navy, NC State, North Carolina, Ohio State, Penn, SIU Edwardsville, South Dakota State, Wisconsin #28 Cam Sontz (Delbarton, NJ) - Cornell, Lehigh, Michigan, North Carolina, Penn, Penn State, Princeton, Virginia Tech #30 Jimmy Mastny (Marian Central, IL) - Air Force, Arizona State, Army, Cornell, George Mason, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Iowa State, Little Rock, Michigan, NC State, Nebraska, North Carolina, Northern Iowa, Ohio State, Oklahoma State, Oregon State, Penn, Purdue, Princeton, SIU Edwardsville, Stanford, Virginia Tech, Wisconsin #34 Maximus Fortier (East Fairmont, WV) - Air Force, Brown, Bucknell, Cornell, George Mason, Harvard, Maryland, Navy, NC State, Pittsburgh, Princeton, SIU Edwardsville, Stanford, Virginia, Virginia Tech, West Virginia, Wisconsin #35 Greyson Music (Bishop McDevitt, PA) - Bucknell, Franklin & Marshall, Lehigh, Northwestern, Penn, Pittsburgh, Princeton, Stanford, Virginia Tech, West Virginia #38 Dawson Youngblut (Don Bosco, IA) - Cornell, Iowa, Iowa State, NC State, Nebraska, Northern Iowa #39 Gage Lohr (Watertown, SD) - Cornell, Indiana, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Carolina, Oklahoma, South Dakota State, Wisconsin, Wyoming #41 Dale Corbin (Wyoming Seminary, PA) - Army West Point, Cornell, Lehigh, Maryland, Minnesota, NC State, North Carolina, Northwestern, Oklahoma, Rutgers, Utah Valley, Virginia Tech, Wisconsin #52 Luke Hayden (Hickman, MO) - Air Force, Cornell, Missouri, North Dakota State, Northern Iowa, Northwestern, Oregon State, Princeton, Purdue, South Dakota State, Virginia, Virginia Tech, Wisconsin #54 Steel Meyers (Allen, TX) - Air Force, Brown, California Baptist, Cornell, Harvard, Little Rock, Missouri, NC State, North Carolina, Northwestern, Oklahoma State, Oregon State, Penn, Princeton, Stanford, Virginia, Virginia Tech, Wyoming #77 Cayden Rios (Allen, TX) - Arizona State, George Mason, Lehigh, Little Rock, Missouri, Northwestern, Virginia, Wyoming #89 Evan Stanley (Lowell, IN) - Air Force, Brown, Cornell, Indiana, Michigan State, Princeton, Purdue, Stanford, Wisconsin #106 Caleb Tyler (Delone Catholic, PA) - Clarion, Duke, Franklin & Marshall, Virginia, Wisconsin #126 Jackson Weller (Delran, NJ) - Brown, Cornell, Penn, Princeton, Stanford, Virginia, Virginia Tech #132 Legend Ellis (Coweta, OK) - Air Force, Augustana, Brown, Bucknell, California Baptist, Central Oklahoma, Hofstra, Minnesota, North Carolina, North Dakota State, Northwestern, Oklahoma, Princeton, Purdue, Stanford, Utah Valley, Wyoming #134 Brock Armstrong (Coeur d’Alene, ID) - Brown, Kent State, North Dakota State, Oregon State, Stanford, Utah Valley, Wyoming #135 Justin Williamson (Mount Carmel, IL) - Air Force, Brown, Buffalo, Indiana, Navy, Northwestern, Princeton, Stanford, West Virginia, Wisconsin

We’re less than 48 hours away from the debut of Real American Wrestling and the RAF 01 card. The ten-match event has to be one of the most star-studded standalone cards our sport has ever seen. Don’t agree? Below, we have some impressive numbers to help demonstrate that assertion. Remember, RAF 01 takes place Saturday at 7pm (eastern) on the Fox Nation app. 2 = # of four-time NCAA champions on this card: Dake and Diakomihalis 3 = # of Dan Hodge Trophy winners competing on Saturday: Dake, Nickal, Hendrickson 3 = # of RAF 01 competitors who made the 2025 US Senior World Team: Blades, Hendrickson, Woods 5 = # of Senior World/Olympic medalists in action: Blades, Dake, Diakomihalis, Hildebrandt, Punia 6 = # of Olympians on the mat in Cleveland: Blades, Dake, Elders, Gomez, Hildebrandt, Punia 6 = # of RAF 01 participants who qualified for Final X 2025: Blades, Dake, Diakomihalis, Hendrickson Wick, Woods 18 = # of NCAA Championships won by wrestlers on this card: Dake (4), Diakomihalis (4), Nickal (3), Nolf (3), Caldwell (1), Hamiti (1), Hendrickson (1), Tomasello (1)* 24 = # of NCAA finals appearances combined from this card: Dake (4), Diakomihalis (4), Nickal (4), Nolf (4), Caldwell (1), Gomez (1), Hamiti (1), Hendrickson (1), Palmer (1), Ramos (1), Tomasello (1), Woods (1)* 45 = # of NCAA All-American honors for wrestlers on this card: Dake (4), Diakomihalis (4), Nickal (4), Nolf (4), Palmer (4), Tomasello (4), Cardenas (3), Hamiti (3), Hendrickson (3), Wick (3), Woods (3),Caldwell (2), Gomez (2), Ramos (2)* *Blades won NCWWC national titles at Iowa in each of the last two years. Hildebrandt was a two-time WCWA national champion at King University

Earlier this week, the University of Wyoming released its 2025-26 schedule. It’s one that is packed full of conference duals, big events, and a home dual against the four-time defending champions. As usual, Wyoming could have a sneaky-good team in 2025-26. They will be very stout at the back end of the lineup with stud transfer Christian Carroll anchoring the squad. Before him is a national qualifier and an All-American. The Cowboys also have two others who have qualified for the NCAA Tournament in the middle of the lineup. Typically, Mark Branch’s staff also has a surprise or two from existing wrestlers who developed and improved in the offseason. Frankly, Wyoming will need to be tough, as they have entered two of the most difficult regular-season events before taking on Penn State. We’ll start with the actual schedule itself. Rather than reposting it in order, we’ve broken it into three parts. The non-conference duals, conference duals, and special events. These are the schedules that we’ve already previewed: Cornell, Little Rock, and Oklahoma Non Conference November 1st: Western Wyoming (away) December 13th: Penn State (home) January 31st: Oregon State (home) Conference November 22nd: California Baptist (home) January 10th: Utah Valley (away January 18th: South Dakota State (home) January 24th: West Virginia (away) February 6th: Air Force (home) February 8th: North Dakota State (home) February 13th: Northern Colorado (away) February 15th: Oklahoma (home) Special Events November 15/16th: National Dual Invitational (Tulsa, Oklahoma) December 5/6th: Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational (Las Vegas, Nevada) December 21st: Reno Tournament of Champions (Reno, Nevada) January 3/4th: Soldier Salute (Coralville, Iowa) February 21st: Cowboy Shootout (home) Number of Top 20 teams from the 2025 NCAA Championships: #1 Penn State, #18(t) West Virginia Wyoming starts the year with an intrastate dual against an NJCAA school in Western Wyoming. After that, they jump in the deep end of the pool. The National Duals Invitational! Most of the top finishing teams from the 2025 NCAA Tournament have entered the tournament and Wyoming will certainly get multiple duals against high-quality opponents. It doesn’t get any easier in December as Wyoming will attend the Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational, which is what they typically do early in the month. CKLV has established itself as the best individual bracketed tournament in the regular season. That should be the case again in 2025 and they will get tested by some of the best in the B1G and ACC - among others. After Vegas, the national champion Penn State Nittany Lions fulfill the back half of their home-and-home dual series. This dual is scheduled to take place in Wyoming’s Arena-Auditorium rather than the SportsComplex that hosts the majority of their duals. The Arena-Auditorium has a seating capacity of just under 12k. I’d expect the Cowboys to have a huge crowd to watch them take on Penn State. Wyoming closes out 2025 with the Reno Tournament of Champions. This tournament can be a bit of a crapshoot these days. A handful of DI programs attend, but many just send redshirts or non-starters. Depending on the weight, there could be some good matchups. Just a few days into 2026, Wyoming will ring in the new year at the Soldier Salute in Iowa. The host, Iowa Hawkeyes, typically have their starters at the event and there are other quality teams in attendance. After the Salute, it’s basically all duals from there on out. And most conference duals. A visit from Oregon State represents the only non-conference dual of 2026. Without many DI programs in the western portion of the country, a dual against the Beavers makes sense. The scheduling in the second half isn’t particularly grueling in terms of travel or back-to-back Friday/Sunday duals against contending teams. Three of their four toughest duals in this period will take place at home (SDSU, NDSU, Oklahoma). Notable Potential Matchups for Wyoming’s Stars Gabe Willochell (149) November 22nd: Jesse Vasquez (California Baptist) December 13th: Shane Van Ness (Penn State) January 10th: David Evans (Utah Valley) January 18th: Alek Martin (South Dakota State) January 24th: Willie McDougald (West Virginia) February 15th: Jack Gioffre (Oklahoma) Eddie Neitenbach (184) December 13th: Rocco Welsh (Penn State) January 24th: Ian Bush (West Virginia) January 31st: TJ McDonnell (Oregon State) February 8th: Aidan Brenot (North Dakota State) February 15th: Brian Soldano (Oklahoma) Joey Novak (197) December 13th: Josh Barr (Penn State) January 18th: Bennett Berge (South Dakota State) January 31st: Justin Rademacher (Oregon State) February 6th: Brian Burburjia (Air Force) February 15th: DJ Parker (Oklahoma) Christian Carroll (285) December 13th: Cole Mirasola (Penn State) January 18th: Luke Rasmussen (South Dakota State) January 31st: Aden Attao (Oregon State) February 8th: Andrew Blackburn-Forst (North Dakota State) February 15th: Juan Mora (Oklahoma) As you look at the individual matchups, you have to remember that the Cowboy wrestlers will get a handful of matches against quality competition at the National Duals Invitational and the CKLV. If you get deep into the Soldier Salute, you’re probably facing an opponent or two from Iowa. I’d like to highlight the potential schedule for Wyoming’s returning All-American Joey Novak. When Penn State comes to town, they’ll feature NCAA runner-up Josh Barr. That could be the type of match we could see in the NCAA quarters/semis/finals. Another highlight for Novak is the Oregon State dual. He’ll get to face newly minted U20 world champion Justin Rademacher. The pair met as true freshmen in 2023-24 and Novak prevailed, 7-2. At 149 lbs, Gabe Willochell’s dual schedule is another that stands out. He doesn’t necessarily have All-Americans every time out, but he’s got wrestlers who will regularly test him.

Birmingham

Earlier this offseason, in one of our coaching carousel updates, we mentioned how Nate Engel had stepped down from his position on the Oregon State staff. Engel’s next move is public now as he’ll assume a role on the Army WCAP women’s coaching staff. Engel had been an integral part of the women’s program at Oregon State’s Dam RTC. At various times, they have had Adeline Gray, Alex Glaude, Alyssa Lampe, Dom Parrish, Mallory Velte, and Skylar Grote training in Corvallis and working closely with Engel. Before coming to Oregon State, Engel was on staff at Stanford and the Naval Academy. The 2025 Senior World Team will feature one of the members of the Army WCAP program - Adaugo Nwachukwo along with one of Engel’s former pupils, Glaude. In 2021, Engel was named USA Wrestling’s Women’s Coach of the Year. Two years earlier, Engel was named USAW’s Greco-Roman Coach of the Year. Engel has extensive experience coaching women’s freestyle overseas at various age group levels at continental and world championships.

St. Peters Prep

Saturday night is opening night for Real American Freestyle Wrestling (RAF)! The organization’s first offering will be a ten-match card (RAF 01) held at Cleveland State’s Wolstein Center. This card is a star-studded offering that features five wrestlers who have won Senior World/Olympic medals, plus some up-and-coming stars who could make that list increase in the future. In addition, we have some wrestling legends who have turned their focus to other athletic ventures but have now returned to the mat to compete at RAF 01. So let’s look at the card itself, match-by-match in our preview. The bouts have been listed in the order they are scheduled to take place. Bantamweight (135 lbs) - Nathan Tomasello vs. Matt Ramos The evening will get underway with this scrap between a pair of former national finalists at 125 lbs. Nathan Tomasello was a national champion as a freshman on Ohio State’s NCAA title-winning team in 2015. He would go on to capture four Big Ten titles, making him the second Buckeye wrestler to accomplish the feat. In four NCAA appearances, Tomasello never finished lower than third. Ramos recently concluded a successful career at Purdue, during which he earned two NCAA podium finishes, placing second and fourth. He is best remembered for his colossal upset of three-time national champion Spencer Lee in the 2023 NCAA semifinals. Ramos is a former U17 world champion in freestyle will continue his career on the international circuit representing the Philippines. Both wrestlers are capable of some fireworks and could get the Cleveland crowd on their feet from the opening whistle. You have the hungry Ramos coming off an excellent collegiate career against a Tomasello who has been on the domestic freestyle scene for a while, but is waiting to take that next step. Lightweight (155 lbs) - Yianni Diakomihalis vs. Bajrang Punia This is a matchup we’ve seen before but both times it’s taken place, it has been highly entertaining for wrestling fans. Both wrestlers are fan favorites and like to put points on the scoreboard. Yianni Diakomihalis is looking to get back on the winning track after a stunning loss at Final X. Diakomihalis was shocked by high school senior PJ Duke when attempting to make his third senior world team. Back in 2022, Diakomihalis snapped the American medal-less streak at 65/66 kg when he made the world finals. That also accounts for his most recent world team appearance. Diakomihalis is the first of two four-time national champions from Cornell slated to compete on this card. The familiar foe for Diakomihalis is Indian star Bajrang Punia. Punia is a four-time world medalist and a 2020 Olympic bronze medal winner. His best showing at the world championships came in 2018 when he claimed the silver medal. Truthfully, I don’t think anyone really knows what to expect from Punia. His last major competition was the 2022 World Championships (he took bronze). When at his peak, Punia was able to push the pace and had a gas tank that was more like American wrestlers compared to many foreign counterparts. Lightweight (155 lbs) - Austin Gomez vs. Lance Palmer Speaking of not sure what to expect - that’s the case in the other lightweight contest as hometown hero Lance Palmer returns to the Resilite to take on Mexican Olympic representative Austin Gomez. Palmer was a four-time All-American on Tom Ryan’s first Ohio State teams. As a senior, he defeated Brent Metcalf in the Big Ten finals, but lost to him at NCAA’s. Since then, Palmer has focused primarily on MMA. In the months leading up to this match, there have been lots of Palmer sightings in the Buckeye wrestling room. Gomez established himself as one of the most exciting collegiate wrestlers of his era. He capped his career with a 2024 NCAA finals appearance for Michigan. Gomez has had a breakthrough 2025 on the international scene. He claimed a Pan-American title and bronze at the Zagreb Open Ranking Series event, but that doesn’t account for his best win of the year. In Hungary, Gomez dominated 2023 world champion Iszmail Muszukajev, 10-0. He didn’t place at that event because he pulled out for precautionary reasons, but that win established him as a key contender in the 2025 medal hunt at the World Championships. This should be an interesting clash of styles. Gomez is generally pretty wide open offensively and can throw the kitchen sink at an opponent. Palmer is a physical grinder who can overwhelm his opponents with physicality. Middleweight (175 lbs) - Jason Nolf vs. Evan Wick This might be the most interesting bout of the evening. Evan Wick is another competitor who is fresh off a loss at Final X. In doing so, Wick established himself as someone at the top of the pecking order at 79 kg. To advance to Final X, Wick had to down Cornell All-American and then had a surprisingly one-sided win over 2025 NCAA champion Dean Hamiti. Now he’ll face Jason Nolf, who has taken some time off to focus on a career in grappling. Nolf was one of the most dominant collegiate wrestlers of the past decade. He made four NCAA finals and claimed three titles. Over the last three years of his career, Nolf’s only loss came via injury default. His lowest bonus point percentage saw him earn an extra point in 80% of his matches. His highest mark was 92%. If not for some incredible teammates, Nolf would have a Hodge Trophy or two. He has also been on the cusp of making a Senior World or Olympic Team. In 2023, Nolf lost in Final X to Kyle Dake. A year later, Dake beat him in the Olympic Trials finals. Wick had a decorated career at Wisconsin and Cal Poly that saw him finish third in the nation on two occasions. As a senior, Wick defeated returning national champion Shane Griffith in the Pac-12 finals to earn the #1 seed at the NCAA Championships. So, after about a year removed from high-level wrestling competition, can Nolf jump in and take out the second wrestler on our domestic ladder at 79 kg? It seems like a tall task, but we don’t have many examples of Nolf losing. Women’s Strawweight (120 lbs) - Sarah Hildebrandt vs. Zeltzin Hernandez Earlier this year, it looked like we might have seen the last of Sarah Hildebrandt in a competitive atmosphere as she took a position on USA Wrestling’s staff coaching the women’s freestyle team. Not so fast, my friends! The 2024 Olympic champion is back! Hildebrandt’s Olympic gold medal was the icing on the cake of a career that might have otherwise been overlooked a bit because of some of her teammates' success. The gold medal should ensure that Hildebrandt’s place in US women’s wrestling is secure as one of the all-time greats. The numbers are staggering. Eight world/Olympic appearances. Two Olympic medals (gold/bronze). Four world medals (two silver and two bronze). From 2018 to 2024, Hildebrandt made every World/Olympic team. The tall task of taking on Hildebrandt belongs to Mexico’s Zeltzin Hernandez. In 2024, Hernandez was a silver medalist at the U23 World Championships. Earlier that year, she won a Pan-American U23 title by defeating American Montana Delawder. Because of Hildebrandt’s current job, we’re not sure exactly what kind of fighting shape she’ll come into Cleveland with. That being said, she’s likely on the mat a lot. If she’s close to top form, this could be a rout. Featherweight (145 lbs) - Real Woods vs. Darrion Caldwell Another transition to a competitor whose status is unknown. 2009 NCAA champion Darrion Caldwell moves from the MMA cage to the wrestling mat as he faces our Senior World representative, Real Woods. Caldwell was one of the most electric wrestlers of his generation. That was evident in his 2009 finals upset of Brent Metcalf. Since then, Caldwell has focused on MMA and even won a world title in Bellator. Could lightning strike twice and Caldwell take out another former Hawkeye? Woods is in the middle of the best stretch of his Senior level (and collegiate career). He finished fourth at the US Open, but a few weeks later, he knocked off Aden Valencia, Jesse Mendez, and Brock Hardy to earn a spot in Final X. At Final X, Woods swept Joey McKenna in a pair of close, physical matches to earn a spot on the world team. It’s an excellent accomplishment for a wrestler who didn’t win a college national title. I don’t think I’m going out on a limb stating that Darrion Caldwell taking out our world team representative is highly unlikely at 37 years old and being away from wrestling competition for so long. That being said, I do think Caldwell can put together some moments that remind us of how he was one of the must-watch wrestlers of his era. Cruiserweight (190 lbs) - Kyle Dake vs. Dean Hamiti This was initially supposed to be Kyle Dake against Missouri redshirt freshman Aeoden Sinclair. Compliance concerns from Missouri led to the bout being scrapped and Dean Hamiti was added. I might like this matchup more. Dake is another wrestler who comes to Cleveland after losing at Final X. There, he was knocked off by Zahid Valencia. Before 2025, Dake had made seven straight world/Olympic teams - medaling in each one of them. Dake has four world titles and a pair of Olympic bronze medals to his name. Combined with his unique collegiate career that saw him win four national titles at four different weights (without a redshirt), Dake is one of the all-time greats of USA Wrestling. But, judging by his eagerness to participate in RAF, Dake isn’t worried about accomplishments and calling it a career. Hamiti capped off his collegiate career with a national title at 174 lbs earlier this year. He had to run through a gauntlet that included past nationals champions Keegan O’Toole and Levi Haines (current Senior World Team member). Hamiti then went to the US Open and fell to Evan Wick in the finals. Again, this matchup is interesting stylistically for me. Dake is typically measured in his attacks and is the ultimate high-IQ wrestler. At times in his career, Hamiti has been a high-volume shooter. If that’s the case, he could get exposed by Dake. You also have to consider Hamiti’s corner. It includes Dake’s longtime rival and friend, David Taylor. Taylor coached Valencia to a win over Dake at Final X. Some might look at the weight as a factor that favors Dake. That’s probably true, but I don’t know that he was quite as big as a typical 86 kg wrestler. Women’s Middleweight (150 lbs) - Kennedy Blades vs. Alejandra Rivera One of the first wrestlers signed by RAF and one of the “faces of the franchise” is Kennedy Blades. The 2024 Olympic silver medalist moved down from 76 kg to 68 kg and has been as good as ever. Maybe better? Blades has been undefeated at her new weight class - winning gold at the Croatian and Hungarian Ranking Series event, along with the Pan-Am’s. To make the 2025 world team, Blades crushed the competition at the US Open and then cruised to a pair of wins over Brooklyn Hays at Final X. Blades’ opponent will be Alejandra Rivera of Team Mexico. Rivera has competed at the Senior World Championships on two occasions, but has yet to medal. Perhaps her best international performances have come at the age group level, where she was a Pan-American bronze medalist at the Cadet and Junior levels. With the organization unofficially tabbing Blades as the torchbearer for the women’s division, I think that Blades will be ready to dazzle as one of the night’s featured bouts. Light Heavyweight (205 lbs) - Bo Nickal vs. Jacob Cardenas The co-main event pits former Hodge Trophy winner and current UFC fighter Bo Nickal against three-time All-American Jacob Cardenas. This is another instance of a talented wrestler who just finished his collegiate career against one who is more decorated, but has had his focus elsewhere. Nickal was the 2019 Hodge Trophy winner after pinning 18 of 30 opponents and earning bonus points in 27 of those bouts. Before making the move to the MMA cage, Nickal won a U23 world championship and advanced to the finals of the 2020 Olympic Trials. Speaking of U23’s, Cardenas is the only American wrestler to medal three times at the event. He was a silver medalist in both 2022 and 2024. Cardenas got on the NCAA podium twice for Cornell before finishing his career at Michigan earlier this year. With the Wolverines, Cardenas won a Big Ten title and earned the #1 seed at the 2025 NCAA Tournament. Although Nickal’s primary focus has been MMA, he hasn’t strayed far from his wrestling roots and probably isn’t that rusty. Cardenas, on the other hand, has been training out of Michigan’s Cliff Keen Wrestling Club, which has been one of the best of its kind in the country. Cardenas should enjoy a size advantage, but I don’t know if it’s enough to swing the pendulum in his favor. Heavyweight (UNL) - Wyatt Hendrickson vs. Mostafa Elders The 2025 NCAA Championships finished with Wyatt Hendrickson in the main event - so will RAF 01. It will be a role reversal for Hendrickson, as he’ll be the heavy favorite here after coming into Philly as a sizeable underdog against Olympic gold medalist Gable Steveson. Since his NCAA finals win, Hendrickson has been on a rampage throughout the heavyweight class. He crushed the field at the US Open and swept Trent Hillger at Final X. His second bout with Hillger ended up being the highest-scoring match in the history of the event (34 total points). That means Hendrickson will be able to put up points against anyone, but might be susceptible to giving up a few points here and there. Hendrickson’s opponent will be Egyptian Olympian Mostafa Elders. Elders is a two-time African champion and actually won the 2025 Bill Farrell in Greco-Roman. Like Blades, it seems as if Hendrickson is someone that RAF wants to put front and center in their promotion. He’s in this spot to cap this card with a memorable match. I think he’ll have RAF, and the fans, what they’re looking for!

The biggest coaching related news of the last couple of weeks came on Monday when Binghamton announced that Ryan LeBlanc will be the Bearcats next head coach. We wrote a bit about LeBlanc’s background here. With LeBlanc’s hire, it opens up the head coaching position at The Citadel very late in the game - so we have another head coaching vacancy. Related to the Bulldogs, InterMat was recently told that they were looking to hire an assistant coach, as well. This will be a new position. One might assume that this would get pushed to the backburner until the head coaching job is filled. In other coaching news, Teyon Ware rounded out his first coaching staff at the University of Northern Colorado by hiring Charles Jones Jr. Jones Jr. wrestled collegiately at Oklahoma and Fresno State and served in the United States Army from 2010 to 2022. He comes to Greeley after leading the girls high school program at Edmond North in Oklahoma. Troy Nickerson also completed his first coaching staff at Army West Point with the hiring of Alan Clothier. The two are very familiar with each other as Clothier qualified for the NCAA Tournament three times under Nickerson at Northern Colorado. Since then, Clothier has coached collegiately at Buffalo and Davidson. Finally, Gardner-Webb also added to their coaching staff with the hiring of Vincent Scollo as a graduate assistant. Scollo was a 2023 NCAA sixth place finisher for DII West Liberty. He comes to Gardner-Webb after holding the same position at his alma mater. 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) Penn: Matt Valenti (Head Coach) Penn: Lennox Wolak (Assistant Coach) Princeton: Ryan Wolfe (Assistant Coach) Purdue: Matt Ramos (Assistant 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 Lehigh: Assistant Coach Little Rock: Assistant Coach Maryland: Assistant Coach Mercyhurst: Assistant Coach Michigan State: Assistant Coach Oklahoma: Assistant Coach Oregon State: Assistant Coach The Citadel: Head Coach The Citadel: Assistant Coach Virginia: Assistant Coach VMI: Assistant Coach

Our All-Quarter Century team takes us out big into the Big Ten to highlight the program at the University of Michigan. Michigan started this quarter century with eight straight top ten finishes and ended with eight-in-a-row between 2016-24, before missing out in 2025. Michigan is a program consistently in the hunt - individually and as a team. They regularly bring in highly ranked recruiting classes. Their wrestlers are annually in the mix for high Big Ten finishes and All-American honors. The most recent Olympic Games featured Michigan grads wrestling heavyweight in both the freestyle and Greco-Roman tournaments. Additionally, two other former Wolverines represented other nations in Paris. In constructing our first, second, and third teams for Wolverine wrestling this quarter century, we had to get creative from 149-157 lbs. Since Eric Tannenbaum spent the first half of his career at 149 lbs, he was inserted there and it provided the flexibility to include both Ryan Bertin and Ryan Churella on the first team. One wrinkle that impacted Michigan more than any other program we’ve highlighted thus far is the transfer portal. They’ve had some great wrestlers join the program - two that won NCAA titles elsewhere. Generally, I’ve tried to give the benefit of the doubt to someone who spent more time in the Michigan singlet; however, in a case like 125 lbs, resumes weren’t equal. You have to marvel at the depth at a few weights for the Wolverines. Heavyweight with the two Olympians and a three-time AA from a loaded weight. 149, 157, and 174 are also excellent and three-deep with multi-time AA’s. As always, if you have thoughts or your version of the team, leave them in the comments or InterMat’s forums. Wrestlers considered for the three teams had to compete from 2001 to 2025. For the wrestlers early in this timeframe, their entire collegiate body of work was considered. Only collegiate results were taken into consideration. Even if a wrestler was successful at multiple weights, they were only selected for one weight - typically, it was based on the strongest possible first team. After the three All-Century teams, there are some fun facts about Iowa State’s results over the past 25 years. Here are the programs we’ve already covered Arizona State Cornell Illinois Iowa State Lehigh Minnesota Missouri NC State First Team 125 lbs - Nick Suriano: Paramus, New Jersey - 3x AA (1,1,2), 2x NCAA champion, 3x NCAA finalist, 2x Big Ten champion 133 lbs - Stevan Micic: Cedar Lake, Indiana - 3x AA (3,2,4), 2018 NCAA runner-up, 2018 Big Ten champion, 2x NCAA #2 seed 141 lbs - Kellen Russell: High Bridge, New Jersey - 3x AA (1,1,7), 2x NCAA champion, 4x Big Ten champion, 3x NCAA #1 seed 149 lbs - Eric Tannenbaum: Naperville, Illinois - 4x AA (2,4,6,4), 2008 NCAA runner-up, 2x Big Ten champion, NCAA #1 seed 157 lbs - Ryan Bertin: North Royalton, Ohio - 4x AA (1,3,1,6), 2x NCAA champion, 3x Big Ten runner-up 165 lbs - Ryan Churella: Northville, Michigan - 3x AA (2,4,3), 3x Big Ten champion, NCAA #1 seed 174 lbs - Steve Luke: Massillon, Ohio - 3x AA (1,2,6), 2009 NCAA Champion, 2x NCAA finalist, 3x Big Ten champion 184 lbs - Myles Amine: Brighton, Michigan - 5x AA (2,3,3,3,4), 2x Big Ten champion, 2x NCAA #1 seed 197 lbs - Tyrel Todd: Bozeman, Montana - 3x AA (4,3,5), 2009 Big Ten champion, NCAA #3 seed 285 lbs - Mason Parris: Lawrenceburg, Indiana - 3x AA (1,5,2), 2023 Big Ten champion, 2023 Hodge Trophy winner Second Team 125 lbs - AJ Grant: Clarkston, Michigan - 2x AA (4,4), Big Ten runner-up, NCAA #4 seed 133 lbs - Dylan Ragusin: Elk Grove Village, Illinois - 1x AA (5), 2024 Big Ten runner-up 141 lbs - Stephen Dutton: Miller Place, New York - 1x AA (7), NCAA Round of 12 finisher 149 lbs - Josh Churella: Northville, Michigan - 3x AA (4,2,8), 2007 NCAA runner-up, 2005 Big Ten champion 157 lbs - Alec Pantaleo: Canton, Michigan - 3x AA (3,5,6), 2018 Big Ten champion, NCAA #4 seed 165 lbs - Cam Amine: Brighton, Michigan - 4x AA (8,4,4,7), 2022 Big Ten runner-up, NCAA Round of 12 finisher 174 lbs - Shane Griffith: Westwood, New Jersey - 4x AA (3,5,2,1), 2021 NCAA champion, 2020 Pac-12 champion, 2024 Big Ten runner-up 184 lbs - Andy Hrovat: Gates Mills, Ohio - 3x AA (7,4,8), 2022 Big Ten runner-up, NCAA #3 seed 197 lbs - Jacob Cardenas: Kearny, New Jersey - 3x AA (4,4,8), 2x conference champion (1x Big Ten, 1x EIWA), NCAA #1 seed 285 lbs - Adam Coon: Fowlerville, Michigan - 3x AA (2,3,2), 2x Big Ten runner-up, NCAA Round of 12 finisher, NCAA #2 seed Third Team 125 lbs - Conor Youtsey: Parma, Michigan - 2x AA (5,6) 133 lbs - Foley Dowd: Howell, New Jersey - 1x AA (6), 2004 Big Ten runner-up, NCAA #4 seed 141 lbs - Sergio Lemley: Chesterton, Indiana - 2x NCAA qualifier, NCAA Round of 12 finisher 149 lbs - Austin Gomez: Carol Stream, Illinois - 2x AA (2,4), 2x Big Ten finalist, 2022 Big Ten champion 157 lbs - Will Lewan: Chicago, Illinois - 2x AA (8,5), 2x Big Ten runner-up, NWCA 2nd Team All-American 165 lbs - Logan Massa: St. John’s, Michigan - 3x AA (5,5,3), 2x Big Ten runner-up, NCAA #2 seed 174 lbs - Otto Olson: Everett, Washington - 3x AA (5,3,2), 2x Big Ten champion, NCAA #1 seed 184 lbs - Domenic Abounader: Gates Mills, Ohio - 1x AA (5), 2015 Big Ten champion, NCAA Round of 12 finisher 197 lbs - Kyle Smith: Butte, Montana - 2x AA (7,7), 2x Big Ten 3rd place 285 lbs - Greg Wagner: Fort Wayne, Indiana - 3x AA (3,4,6), 2006 Big Ten runner-up, NCAA #3 seed Fun Facts During the last quarter century, Michigan has had five wrestlers combine to win seven national championships. Two wrestlers captured multiple national titles (for Michigan) during this span - Bertin and Russell. Suriano won his second title at Michigan, but his first at Rutgers. Michigan wrestlers have combined to make the NCAA finals 18 times since 2001 Since 2001, there have been 12 occasions where a Wolverine has earned the #1 seed at the NCAA Tournament - led by Russell who did it three times. Michigan has finished in the top 20 at the NCAA Championships 22 of 25 times during this quarter century They have finished in the top ten 16 times since 2001 Michigan has earned four NCAA team trophies during this time - highlighted by two runner-up finishes (2005 and 2022). 2022 saw Michigan post their highest point total in this quarter century (95 points). It was also the only time they’ve had six All-Americans in the last 25 years. Three Michigan wrestlers earned All-American honors four times (Bertin, Tannenbaum, M. Amine). Additionally, Cam Amine was a three-time AA for the Wolverines and once for Oklahoma State. Shane Griffith was a three-time AA at Stanford and added a fourth at Michigan. Michigan wrestlers have gotten on the NCAA podiums 79 times during this time period. Additionally, one wrestler was named to the NWCA First Team and two more to the Second Team in 2020. Individually Wolverine wrestlers have captured 24 Big Ten championships during this span. Michigan won the 2022 Big Ten title, as a team, and it was their first since 1973. Only two men have led the Michigan program during the last 25 years and both (Joe McFarland and Sean Bormet) are alums. 2023 saw Mason Parris become Michigan’s first Hodge Trophy winner. In 2012, Kellen Russell became the first Michigan wrestler to capture four Big Ten titles. At the time, he was the 11th wrestler to achieve the feat.