InterMat Staff

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Carter Starocci high school pic courtesy of Marc Billett; PAPowerWrestling/College pic courtesy of Tony Rotundo; WrestlersAreWarriors.com One of the longstanding traditions at InterMat is the re-ranking of high school recruiting classes five years after the wrestlers enrolled in college. During normal circumstances, this would encompass nearly all of the wrestlers in the high school Class of 2019. But we still aren’t in a typical stretch of wrestling seasons. Due to the extra year of eligibility for wrestlers active in 2021, due to COVID, nearly everyone in this recruiting class has another year of eligibility remaining, should they choose to use it. With another season’s worth of accomplishments, there could be some more shuffling on this list were it to be revisited a year from now. The Class of 2019 was a solid one. As of 2024, four wrestlers from this class have captured NCAA titles, which is a bit low for most classes. While the distinction is definitely in play for other wrestlers, only one has earned multiple national titles. At the same time, 31 wrestlers have earned NCAA All-American honors, which is actually a low number for most recruiting classes; especially in a COVID-era. Looking back at the top-ten from 2019, six of the ten wrestlers have earned NCAA All-American honors. A seventh has been about as good as you can be without getting on the national podium. That number drops a bit from the 2018 class, which had nine of ten earn All-American honors. The natural instinct is to blame the extra year of eligibility from COVID, for that number being inflated; however, upon second look, seven of the ten were multiple-time AA’s. In the coming weeks, we’ll have features where it’s easier to compare past recruiting classes against each other, but for now, we’ll label the 2019 class as above average, but not an all-time great group (as a whole). After perusing the original top-50 list, compiled by our own Willie Saylor, it’s not hard to figure out who comes in at number one. Carter Starocci just won his fourth NCAA title and has an opportunity to become the first five-timer. He was originally ranked ninth overall in the class. Another legacy of this group is that it contributed to one of the deepest and most talented heavyweight eras in our sport. Three heavyweights from this class finished in the top-three at nationals and each has an age-group world title to their name. And that doesn’t even include Gable Steveson and Mason Parris, who were in the previous class. So, let’s get down to it! Below are the top-50 wrestlers from the Class of 2019, re-ranked after considering their collegiate accomplishments. They are listed along with the schools they attended, along with their original high school class ranking. After the top-50 is a list of the top-50 from 2019. On that list, wrestlers are noted by the schools they initially signed with. 1. Carter Starocci (Erie, PA) - Penn State (High School Rank: #9) 4x NCAA Champion, 4x NCAA All-American, 2x Big Ten Champion 2. Parker Keckeisen (Glendale, WI) - Northern Iowa (High School Rank: #14) 2024 NCAA Champion, 4x NCAA All-American (1,2,3,3), 4x Big 12 Champion 3. Greg Kerkvliet (Inver Grove Heights, MN) - Ohio State/Penn State (High School Rank: #1) 2024 NCAA Champion, 4x NCAA All-American (1,2,4,7), 2024 Big Ten Champion, 2x Big Ten Finalist 4. Andrew Alirez (Greeley, CO) - Northern Colorado (High School Rank: #3) 2023 NCAA Champion, 1x NCAA All-American, 2x Big 12 Champion 5. Wyatt Hendrickson (Newton, KS) - Air Force (High School Rank: #40) 2x NCAA All-American (3,3), 2x Big 12 Champion, 3x Big 12 Finalist 6. Cohlton Schultz (Parker, CO) - Arizona State (High School Rank: #2) 4x NCAA All-American (6,7,2,4), 4x Pac-12 Champion 7. Ridge Lovett (Post Falls, ID) - Nebraska (High School Rank: #16) 2x NCAA All-American (2,6), 2024 Big Ten Champion, 2x Big Ten Finalist 8. Kyle Parco (Danville, CA) - Fresno State/Arizona State (High School Rank: #71) 4x NCAA All-American (5,4,8,6), 3x Pac-12 Champion 9. Cam Amine (Brighton, MI) - Michigan (High School Rank: #17) 3x NCAA All-American (4,4,7), 1x Big Ten Runner-Up 10. Trey Munoz (Mission Viejo, CA) - Arizona State/Oregon State (High School Rank: #35) 2x NCAA All-American (3,6), 3x Pac-12 Champion 11. Jacob Cardenas (Kearny, NJ) - Cornell (High School Rank: #15) 2x NCAA All-American (4,8), 1x EIWA Champion, 2x EIWA Runner-Up 12. Bryce Andonian (Kirtland, OH) - Virginia Tech (High School Rank: #28) 3x NCAA All-American (6,7,3), 4x ACC Runner-Up 13. Matt Ramos (Lockport, IL) - Minnesota/Purdue (High School Rank: HM) 1x NCAA All-American (2) 14. Lucas Byrd (Cincinnati, OH) - Illinois (High School Rank: #18) 2x NCAA All-American (5,5) 15. Kai Orine (Imperial, MO) - NC State (High School Rank: #49) 2x NCAA All-American (8,8), 2x ACC Champion 16. Eric Barnett (Greenville, WI) - Wisconsin (High School Rank: #36) 2x NCAA All-American (4,7), 1x Big Ten Runner-Up 17. Sam Latona (Alabaster, AL) - Virginia Tech (High School Rank: #41) 2x NCAA All-American (6,7), 1x ACC Champion 18. Chris Foca (Cliffside Park, NJ) - Cornell (High School Rank: #21) 1x All-American (3), 1x EIWA Champion 19. Cade DeVos (Altoona, IA) - South Dakota State (High School Rank: #76) 1x All-American (5), 1x Big 12 Champion 20. Chris Cannon (Oceanport, NJ) - Northwestern/Michigan (High School Rank: #91) 2x All-American (7,7) 21. Edmond Ruth (Harrisburg, PA) - Lehigh/Illinois (High School Rank: #62) 1x All-American (7), 1x Big Ten Champion 22. Julian Ramirez (Miami, FL) - Cornell (High School Rank: #10) 3x NCAA Round of 12 Finisher, 2x EIWA Champion 23. Yaraslau Slavikouski (Rechitsa, Belarus) - Harvard/Rutgers (High School Rank: NR) 1x All-American (7), EIWA Runner-Up, 2020 NWCA 2nd Team All-American 24. Caleb Smith (High Point, NC) - Appalachian State/Nebraska (High School Rank: NR) 1x All-American (6), 1x SoCon Champion 25. Carson Kharchla (Powell, OH) - Ohio State (High School Rank: #4) 1x All-American (7), NCAA Round of 12 26. Taye Ghadiali (Warren, MI) - Campbell (High School Rank: NR) 1x All-American (8), 3x SoCon Champion 27. Jaden Abas (San Diego, CA) - Stanford (High School Rank: #8) 1x All-American (7), 1x Pac-12 Champion 28. Dylan D’Emilio (Curtice, OH) - Ohio State (High School Rank: #32) 1x All-American (8), NCAA Round of 12 29. Lennox Wolak (Columbus, OH) - Columbia (High School Rank: NR) 1x All-American (6), 1x EIWA Champion 30. Ben Pasiuk (Carrollton, OH) - Army West Point (High School Rank: NR) 1x All-American (8), 1x EIWA Champion, 3x EIWA Finalist 31. Jackson Turley (Chester, VA) - Rutgers (High School Rank: #43) 1x All-American (8), 3x NCAA Qualifier 32. David Key (Norcross, GA) - Navy (High School Rank: HM) 1x All-American (8), 1x EIWA Runner-Up, 3x NCAA Qualifier 33. Michael Colaiocco (Sparta, NJ) - Penn (High School Rank: #19) 1x EIWA Champion, 2x EIWA Finalist, 4x NCAA Qualifier, 2020 NWCA 2nd Team All-American 34. Johnny Lovett (Miami, FL) - Central Michigan (High School Rank: #84) 4x NCAA Qualifier, NCAA Round of 12, MAC Champion 35. Malyke Hines (Kissimmee, FL) - Lehigh (High School Rank: #68) 4x NCAA Qualifier, 1x EIWA Champion, NCAA Round of 12 36. Noah Surtin (Edwardsville, IL) - Missouri (High School Rank: HM) 4x NCAA Qualifier, NCAA Round of 12, Big 12 and MAC Runner-Up 37. Abe Assad (Carol Stream, IL) - Iowa (High School Rank: #29) 3x NCAA Qualifier, 2020 NWCA 2nd Team All-American 38. Owen Trephan (Summerville, SC) - NC State (High School Rank: #72) 2x ACC Champion, 2x NCAA Qualifier 39. DJ Washington (Portage, IN) - Indiana (High School Rank: NR) 3x NCAA Qualifier 40. Connor McGonagle (Timberlane, NH) - Lehigh/Virginia Tech (High School Rank: #51) 3x NCAA Qualifier 41. Trevor Chumbley (St. Charles, IL) - Northwestern (High School Rank: #74) 2x NCAA Qualifier 42. Josh Heindselman (Piedmont, OK) - Oklahoma (High School Rank: HM) 4x NCAA Qualifier, NCAA Round of 12 43. Connor Brady (Powell, OH) - Virginia Tech (High School Rank: #13) 4x NCAA Qualifier, 2x ACC Runner-Up 44. Nick Incontrera (Flemington, NJ) - Penn (High School Rank: HM) 3x NCAA Qualifier, EIWA Finalist 45. Jacob Nolan (Saranac, NY) - Binghamton (High School Rank: NR) 4x NCAA Qualifier, EIWA Finalist 46. Cleveland Belton (Corona, CA) - Arizona State/Oregon State (High School Rank: HM) 2x NCAA Qualifier, NCAA Round of 12, 1x Pac-12 Champion, 2x Pac-12 Finalist 47. Sam Wolf (Warsaw, NY) - Air Force (High School Rank: NR) 2x NCAA Qualifier 48. Max Shaw (Pittsburgh, PA) - North Carolina (High School Rank: #73) 3x NCAA Qualifier, 1x ACC Finalist 49. Alex Cramer (Grayslake, IL) - Old Dominion/Central Michigan (High School Rank: #75) 3x NCAA Qualifier, 2x MAC Champion 50. Matthew Olguin (Fresno, CA) - Fresno State/Oregon State (High School Rank: #12) 2x NCAA Qualifier, Pac-12 Champion Class of 2019 Recruiting Rankings; As posted in 2019 1. Greg Kerkvliet (Simley, MN/Ohio State) 2. Cohlton Schultz (Ponderosa, CO/Arizona State) 3. Andrew Alirez (Greeley Central, CO/Northern Colorado) 4. Carson Kharchla (Olentangy Liberty, OH/Ohio State) 5. Jordan Decatur (Cuyahoga Valley CA, OH/Ohio State) 6. JoJo Aragona (Pope John XXIII, NJ/Rutgers) 7. Julian Chlebove (Northampton, PA/Arizona State) 8. Jaden Abas (Rancho Bernardo, CA/Stanford) 9. Carter Starocci (Cathedral Prep, PA/Penn State) 10. Julian Ramirez (Blair Academy, NJ/Cornell) 11. Ryan Anderson (Bethlehem Catholic, PA/Centenary College) 12. Matthew Olguin (Buchanan, CA/Fresno State) 13. Connor Brady (Olentangy Liberty, OH/Virginia Tech) 14. Parker Keckeisen (Nicolet, WI/Northern Iowa) 15. Jacob Cardenas (Bergen Catholic, NJ/Cornell) 16. Ridge Lovett (Post Falls, ID/Nebraska) 17. Cam Amine (Detroit CC, MI/Michigan) 18. Lucas Byrd (LaSalle, OH/Illinois) 19. Michael Colaiocco (Blair Academy, NJ/Penn) 20. Aden Reeves (Albia, IA/Iowa State) 21. Chris Foca (Bergen Catholic, NJ/Cornell) 22. Chris Donathan (Mason, OH/Tiffin) 23. Peter Christensen (Montini Catholic, IL/Wisconsin) 24. Reece Witcraft (Broken Arrow, OK/Oklahoma State) 25. Brevin Balmaceda (South Dade, FL/Oklahoma State) 26. Ryan Vulakh (Pope John Paul II, PA/Rutgers) 27. Devin Winston (Park Hill, MO/Minnesota) 28. Bryce Andonian (St. Edward, OH/Virginia Tech) 29. Abe Assad (Glenbard North, IL/Iowa) 30. Kevon Davenport (Detroit CC, MI/Nebraska) 31. Jordan Crace (Elyria, OH/Michigan State) 32. Dylan D’Emilio (Genoa, OH/Ohio State) 33. James Whitaker (St. John’s, MI/Virginia) 34. Sammy Alvarez (St. Joe’s Regional, NJ/NC State) 35. Trey Munoz (Trabuco Hills, CA/Arizona State) 36. Eric Barnett (Greenville, WI/Wisconsin) 37. Kurt McHenry (St. Paul’s, MD/Michigan) 38. Gabe Tagg (Brecksville, OH/North Carolina) 39. Luke Luffman (Urbana, IL/Illinois) 40. Wyatt Hendrickson (Newton, KS/Air Force) 41. Sam Latona (Thompson, AL/Virginia Tech) 42. Jared McGill (Chestnut Ridge, PA/Pittsburgh) 43. Jackson Turley (St. Christopher’s, VA/Rutgers) 44. Adam Busiello (Eastport South Manor, NY/Arizona State) 45. Jake Logan (New Rochelle, NY/Lehigh) 46. Kyle Mosher (South East, NY/Columbia) 47. Daniel Manibog (Katy, TX/Oklahoma State) 48. Kyle Burwick (Hettinger, SD/Wisconsin) 49. Kai Orine (Seckman, MO/NC State) 50. Isaac Wilcox (Olympus, UT/Ohio State)

Beginning with the 2024-25 season, high school wrestlers will be inbounds with only one point of contact of either wrestler inside or on the boundary line. This fundamental change to high school wrestling was one of six major changes impacting almost 30 rules recommended by the NFHS Wrestling Rules Committee at its April 1-3 meeting in Indianapolis. All recommended changes were subsequently approved by the NFHS Board of Directors. Previously, high school wrestlers were considered to be inbounds if a total of two supporting points of either wrestler were inside or on the boundary line. The two supporting points could be two supporting points of one wrestler or one supporting point of each wrestler inside or on the boundary line. “Without increasing risk, this change eliminates the subjectivity of the out-of-bounds call,” said Elliot Hopkins, NFHS director of sports and student services and liaison to the Wrestling Rules Committee. “The change also helps officials to call ‘out of bounds’ more consistently, and it provides wrestlers, coaches and spectators a better understanding of out of bounds.” While the One Point of Contact change will be noted under the definition of Inbounds in Rule 5-15, it also impacts a number of other sections in Rule 5 on Definitions, as well as Rule 6-4-1 on Stopping and Starting the Match. In addition to the One Point of Contact change, points awarded for a Near-Fall have been revised in high school wrestling. Overall, the changes simplify the points awarded based on how long the wrestler is held in near-fall criteria. The change in Rule 5-11-3 is as follows: Two points will be awarded when near-fall criteria are held for two seconds, three points for three seconds, four points for four seconds and five points if the defensive wrestler is injured, indicates an injury or bleeding occurs after the four-point near-fall has been earned. These changes will affect other rules including individual match scoring in Rule 9. “The goal in wrestling is to pin the opponent,” Hopkins said. “Changing the near-fall points should motivate wrestlers to work for a fall.” In another change in scoring rules, opportunities to earn more points will also be available when executing a Takedown. Beginning next season, wrestlers will be awarded three match points instead of two when securing a takedown. The committee also approved a change regarding the Technical Fall. Rule 5-11-4a now states that “if a takedown or reversal, straight to a near-fall criteria creates a 15-point advantage, the match shall continue until the near-fall criteria is no longer met. Conclusion of the near-fall criteria is immediate.” The change clarifies when the technical fall has concluded in relation to the near-fall criteria being met. Hopkins said the offensive wrestler cannot be penalized appropriately after the technical fall has been earned. In another change, the 10-Foot Circle at the center of wrestling mats is now optional. Wrestlers now will be encouraged to “stay in the center of the mat” instead of “within the 10-foot circle.” “The committee determined that the starting lines of a mat indicate the center of the mat and the 10-foot circle is no longer needed,” Hopkins said. “With the new mat designs that have a large mascot or logos, it gives a refreshing look to the mats. Wrestlers and officials know where the center of the mat is located without the 10-foot circle.” Finally, the committee approved a new Referee’s Time-Out Signal. The signal, which is used in many other sports, is both hands/fingers pointing inward to the referee’s chest. A complete listing of the wrestling rules changes will be available on the NFHS website at www.nfhs.org. Click on “Activities & Sports” at the top of the home page and select “Wrestling.” According to the 2022-23 NFHS High School Athletics Participation Survey, wrestling is the sixth-most popular sport for boys with 259,431 participants in 10,962 schools. It also continues to gain popularity among girls with 50,016 participants in 6,545 schools nationwide.

The 2024 college coaching carousel is in full swing even after two head coaching positions have been filled within the last five days. Once one job has been filled, it likely results in another vacancy, be it from an assistant slot or another head coaching opportunity. As of Thursday morning, there are still two head coaching vacancies (Columbia and Oklahoma State). Each has the potential to create ripples felt around the wrestling coaching…..and so the carousel continues to spin. And that doesn’t even include current openings at the assistant level. The first set of coaches have already accepted new positions during this hiring cycle. Even though the Esposito/Hall moves were announced during the regular season, they are still relatively recent and will spend their first season on a new bench in 2024-25. The second group is current openings that InterMat has been made aware of. If you don’t see one listed that needs to be please let me know earl@matscouts.com . As with the transfer portal feature, this is a fluid situation that will be monitored and updated regularly throughout the spring and summer. There will be no timetable for updates - just as more movement occurs. Offseason Coaching Movement Binghamton: Louie DePrez - Assistant Coach (Binghamton athlete) Buffalo: Donnie Vinson (Cornell Associate Head Coach) Central Michigan: Ben Bennett (Central Michigan Associate Head Coach) NC State: Zack Esposito - Associate Head Coach (USOPTC) Penn: Matt Valenti - Associate Head Coach (Penn athletic administration) Princeton: Cody Brewer - Head Assistant Coach (Virginia Tech Assistant Coach0 Utah Valley: Adam Hall - Head Coach (NC State Associate Head Coach) Utah Valley: Andrew Hochstrasser - Unannounced Role (Utah Club Coach) Virginia Tech: Zach Tanelli - Associate Head Coach (Columbia Head Coach) Current Openings Army West Point: Assistant Coach Binghamton: Assistant Coach Buffalo: Assistant Coach(es?) Campbell: Assistant Coach Central Michigan: Assistant Coach Columbia: Head Coach Cornell: Assistant Coach Edinboro: Assistant Coach Oklahoma State: Head Coach Pittsburgh: Assistant Coach Princeton: Assistant Coach (x2) Utah Valley: Assistant Coach(es?)

At the conclusion of the 2024 NCAA Tournament, Adam Hall headed west to assume the head coaching position at Utah Valley University. Hall's hiring was announced during the regular season, as longtime head coach Greg Williams announced that he would step down after the 2023-24 season. In this interview, Hall talks about how the Utah Valley job came to be, his vision for the future, his past experiences as an athlete and a coach, and even drops a nugget about a member of his first coaching staff. For the full interview:

St. Rita

Lumberton

Notre Dame-Green Pond

Mount Airy

New Milford

College Park

Mead

Great Bridge

Stoughton

De La Salle

Kasson-Mantorville

With the conclusion of the NCAA wrestling tournament and the calendar changing over to April, you’d think that it means it’s the offseason for college wrestling and all focus should turn to the Olympic styles, right? Maybe in the past, but in a new era of collegiate athletics, once the final whistle has blown on a particular postseason, it means it’s time to turn your attention to the transfer portal. Love it or hate it, it’s the reality. Student-athletes have the ability to transfer much more freely than past generations. Couple that with the extra year of eligibility doled out by the NCAA in the aftermath of the COVID years and you have a wild combination. There was lots of movement last “offseason” and I don’t foresee that changing this year. In just a week and a half since the NCAA finals, there have already been some huge names that have gone into the portal. Some have already announced their new homes, while others are still being courted. 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. Some (like Jacob Cardenas and Lennox Wolak) knew they were graduating and were unable to continue competing at their Ivy League schools and went into the portal before the season started. Others have just submitted their names. Expect many updates to this feature in the coming weeks and months. Illinois: Ramazan Attasauov (125/133) - Iowa State Indiana: Angelo Rini (133) - Columbia Iowa State: Evan Bockman (197) - Utah Valley Little Rock: Brock DelSignore (184) - NC State Lock Haven: Max Elton (125) - Buffalo Lock Haven: Nick Stampoulos (157) - Buffalo Michigan: Jacob Cardenas (197) - Cornell Michigan: Chase Saldate (157) - Michigan State Minnesota: Tommy Askey (157) - Appalachian State Minnesota: Clayton Whiting (174/184) - Missouri Morgan State: Xavier Doolin (285) - Northern Colorado North Carolina: Ethan Oakley (133) - Appalachian State North Carolina: Josh Ogunsanya (174) - North Carolina Northern Illinois: Markel Baker (125/133) - George Mason Northern Illinois: Spencer Mooberry (197) - North Dakota State Oklahoma: Carter Schubert (165) - California Baptist Oklahoma State: Caleb Fish (165) - Michigan State Oklahoma State: Dean Hamiti (165/174) - Wisconsin Oregon State: Sean Harman (174) - Missouri Pittsburgh: Chase Kranitz (184) - Buffalo Pittsburgh: Evan Tallmadge (125) - Navy Rider: Sammy Alvarez (149) - Oklahoma State Rutgers: Dagen Condomitti (157) - Oregon State SIU Edwardsville: Luke Odom (157) - Illinois SIU Edwardsville: Griffin Ray (165) - Nebraska Virginia Tech: Connor McGonagle (133) - Lehigh Virginia Tech: Lennox Wolak (174) - Columbia Wyoming: Sam Mitchell (197) - Buffalo Perhaps the most significant name to hit the transfer portal did so today as Wyatt Hendrickson’s name was added. Hendrickson has finished third in the nation at 285 lbs in each of the last two years for the Air Force Academy. In 2023, he was the first Air Force wrestler in 20 years to each All-American honors. While in Colorado Springs, Hendrickson racked up two Big 12 titles and never finished lower than third in the conference. All told, Hendrickson won 97 bouts for Air Force, against only 11 losses, and earned bonus points in more the 79% of his matches during his final three years. He has twice represented the USA internationally, taking fifth at the U20 World Championships in 2021 and claiming a gold medal at the U23 World Championships last year. Hendrickson's name is in the portal alongside a “Do Not Contact” designation. That means Hendrickson already has a short list or a single school he’s looking at and would not like to be bothered with other calls. There was some uncertainty as to whether Hendrickson would be allowed to wrestle in 2024-25. While he has an extra year of eligibility from the COVID year, the US Government had to sign a waiver allowing him to use that additional year, rather than immediately starting his service with the Air Force. Since an athlete is unable to compete for more than four years at a service academy, Hendrickson was forced to transfer if he received his waiver and intended on using the final year of eligibility. Hendrickson, along with four-time All-American Kyle Parco, are the most notable names currently in the portal. Parco’s name was added the day before the Olympic Trials began. On the other end of the spectrum, Clayton Whiting, Angelo Rini, and Dagen Condomitti are some of the recent wrestlers who were in the portal and made their transfer destinations known. All three will be moving into the Big Ten. Whiting spent a portion of the year ranked in the top-15 at 184 lbs as Missouri’s starter. Colton Hawks later grabbed ahold of the starting role and was the Tigers entrant into the Big 12 Championships. Whiting will be heading to Minnesota and fits in at 174 or 184 lbs. Rini was a national qualifier in 2023 for Columbia; however, his 2023-24 season never got on track because of injuries. He’ll join the Indiana Hoosiers as a graduate transfer at 133 lbs. It marks the second straight year that a grad transfer has moved from Columbia to Indiana. Danny Fongaro did it last season and made it to the national tournament. Condomitti comes back to the East Coast, as he is from Northampton, Pennsylvania. He placed three times at the PIAA AAA state tournament for the Konrete Kids. Condomitti comes to Rutgers after spending a year at Oregon State. He won his only bout of the year competing at 157 lbs. Portal Cade Balestrini (149) - Bloomsburg Fernando Barreto (133) - North Dakota State Ryan Boersma (285) - Missouri Kaleb Burgess (149) - Buffalo Colton Camacho (125/133) - Pittsburgh Charlie Darracott (165) - Stanford Devon Dawson (285) - North Dakota State Massoma Endene (197) - Wartburg Cooper Flynn (125) - Virginia Tech Logan Frazier (133) - Virginia Tech Max Hale (184) - Penn Wyatt Hendrickson (285) - Air Force Nathan Higley (149) - George Mason Jared Hill (157) - Oklahoma Jacob Joyce (125) - Stanford Jason Kraisser (157) - Iowa State Carson Martinson (165) - Iowa Carter Martinson (157) - Iowa Hunter Mayes (165) - Lehigh Peter Ming (285) - Stanford Peyton Moore (133) - Missouri Kyle Mosher (165) - Columbia Jack Nies (149) - American Danny Nini (157) - North Carolina Kyle Parco (149) - Arizona State Isaiah Powe (141) - Chattanooga Bretli Reyna (149) - Iowa Chris Rivera (141) - Campbell Justin Rivera (149) - Campbell Rylan Rogers (184) - Michigan Cheaney Schoeff (133) - Indiana Korbin Shepherd (133) - Missouri Yaraslau Slavikouski (285) - Rutgers Tyler Stewart (285) - Morgan State Ethan Stiles (157) - Nebraska Clayton Ulrey (157) - Virginia Tech

While we were focused on the US Olympic Team Trials over the weekend, the Asian Olympic Qualifier was also taking place. That was important for a couple of reasons. One, there were plenty of talented wrestlers/countries from Asia seeking Olympic berths. The other is that it was the final continental qualifier - the Olympic field is set, aside from the World OG Qualifier (aka the Last Chance Qualifier). Now we know which wrestlers and/or countries our five representatives (57/65 kg MFS; 60/67/77 kg MGR) will have to contend with in Istanbul. Below are each of the 18 weight classes that will be contested at the 2024 Olympic Games, with the countries that have qualified and the wrestlers that earned those qualifying quotas. As always, the wrestler that earned the quota is not required to represent their country in Paris. As we saw in State College, David Taylor, Adeline Gray, Spencer Woods, Alan Vera, and Cohlton Schultz, as locked up a spot in the Games for the United States; however, they were defeated at the Trials and are not headed to Paris. You will find that many countries without the depth that we feature will send the wrestler who earned a quota. After each weight class is a sheet that lists quota's, by weight class and style for each nation sending at least one representive to the 2024 Olympic Games (in wrestling). Men's Freestyle 57 kg 65 kg 74 kg 86 kg 97 kg 125 kg Women's Freestyle 50 kg 53 kg 57 kg 62 kg 68 kg 76 kg Men's Greco-Roman 60 kg 67 kg 77 kg 87 kg 97 kg 130 kg Current Quota Qualification by nation

The guys are back to recap all the craziness from the Olympic Trials over the weekend, but before they get started, they also discuss some of the recent coaching moves - Tanelli, Vinson, Kellen Russell, Bono and more.

With the NCAA Tournament and the 2023-24 out of the way, all that’s left in front of us for a few months on the collegiate front is recruiting, transfers, and coaching changes. We’ll address the latter two points in the coming days but hit the recruiting topic today. Coaches are putting the final touches on their Class of 2024 and trying to ink those diamonds in the rough that may have emerged during their final year in college. Or maybe a big name or two had a change of heart and reopened their recruiting process late in the game. That’s happened a few times this week. While those scenarios are going on, you have to move on to 2025 and address the current high school junior class. While only one of the top-20 wrestlers in the nation is currently uncommitted, there are plenty of high-quality recruits looking for a home. Within the last couple of days, some very notable recruits have made their collegiate plans public. Since then, they’ve been added to our commitment page and we’ve mentioned some of the best below. Jackson Blum: Indiana - Lowell, Michigan Ranked #79 overall in the Class of 2025. Blum now gives the Hoosiers three top-100 recruits from the current junior class, joining #39 Carson Thomas and #64 Hunter Sturgill. Angel Escobedo’s team has a formidable class for 2024 that should likely get ranked; however, this class is on the way to being even better and one of the best in recent memory for Indiana. Blum is a two-time Fargo 16U freestyle All-American (6th, 7th) and a UWW Cadet freestyle AA. Last fall, Blum finished seventh at the Super 32. He recently won his third Michigan state title. For Indiana’s Class of 2025: Click Here Billy Dekraker: Northwestern - Warrenton, Virginia (Blair Academy) The 2023-24 season was a breakout year for Billy Dekraker. Always in the mix at national events, Dekraker to the next step and started placing highly at them and even won. Most notable is the National Prep Championships where Dekraker was victorious at 138 lbs. He was previously fifth, fourth, and seventh (as an eighth-grader). During the high school regular season, Dekraker was a Beast of the East runner-up and a Walsh Ironman third-place finisher. Last spring, he was a champion at NHSCA Sophomore Nationals. Dekraker is currently ranked #80 amongst the Class of 2025. He’s the first ‘25 commitment reported to Intermat for Matt Storniolo’s squad. His verbal gives the Wildcats a strong starting point as the staff attempts to revamp the roster. Mason Gibson: Rutgers - Bishop McCort, Pennsylvania Earlier this month, Mason Gibson announced he was decommitting from Penn State and re-opening his recruitment. Yesterday, Gibson took to social media to confirm what many who follow high school wrestling suspected - he was committing to Rutgers. Gibson’s verbal is huge for the Scarlet Knights and gives a late boost to a recruiting class that was likely headed for a national ranking and was one of the best of Scott Goodale’s tenure. Gibson is a three-time Super 32 finalist, who famously won the 106 lb bracket as an eighth-grader in 2019. He has placed three times in Fargo, most notably highlighted by a Junior freestyle title at 126 lbs in 2022. Because his high school was barred twice from postseason competition, Gibson only saw action at the Pennsylvania state tournament as a freshman and senior. He finished his career with a runner-up finish at the AA level. Gibson’s commitment gives Rutgers seven of the top-120 seniors in the nation and three of the top-50. In MatScout’s most recent update, Gibson was tabbed #15 in the Class of 2024. For Rutgers’ Class of 2024: Click Here Nick O’Neill: North Carolina - Malvern Prep, Pennsylvania Robert Platt: North Carolina - Poway, California The University of North Carolina continued its late surge up the recruiting rankings by getting a pair of notable wrestlers to flip commitments within the past few days. First came two-time California state champion Robert Platt. Platt initially committed to Columbia, but chose to keep a similar singlet color and chose the Tar Heels. Getting Platt on board now gives Rob Koll’s team three wrestlers from the Class of 2024 from perennial California power, Poway. Platt’s state title was a rematch of the Doc Buchanan finals match that he lost earlier in the season. Monday morning UNC also got a commitment from Malvern Prep’s Nick O’Neill. O’Neill was a two-time National Prep runner-up and four-time top-four finisher. After winning NHSCA Juniors, O’Neill was fourth at the Super 32 and third at both the Ironman and Beast. O’Neill is currently ranked #75 in the Class of 2024, while Platt is at #172. Their late addition almost locks up a spot in InterMat’s Class of 2024 recruiting rankings. For North Carolina’s Class of 2024: Click Here Gavin Hawk: Princeton - Phillipsburg, New Jersey Finally, we’re looking at a Princeton team that had another addition to an already impressive Class of 2025. The Tigers latest addition comes in the form of Gavin Hawk. Last season, Hawk got on the New Jersey state podium for the first time when he advanced to the 150 lb state finals for Phillipsburg High School. Hawk made it to Atlantic City in each of his first two years but didn’t make the podium. He’s the fifth recruit from the Class of 2025 to pledge to second-year head coach Joe Dubuque’s squad - two of which are ranked in the top-100. For Princeton’s Class of 2025: Click Here

On Sunday, the University at Buffalo announced that they had hired Cornell Associate Head Coach Donnie Vinson to lead their program. Yesterday he was introduced to the team and the local media. Today, Vinson spoke with InterMat. Coach Vinson lets us know what was attractive about the Buffalo program, his coaching influences, future plans at Buffalo, and an obligatory Scott Green story. For the full interview:

The 2024 Olympic Trials concluded over the weekend with the women’s freestyle team winners being: 50 kg: Sarah Hildebrandt 53 kg: Dominique Parrish 57 kg: Helen Maroulis 62 kg: Kayla Miracle 68 kg: Amit Elor 76 kg: Kennedy Blades While many of these athletes who made the team are alumni of some of the best college wrestling programs, including Sarah Hildebrant from King, Dom Parrish, and Helen Maroulis from Simon Fraser, and Kayla Miracle from Campbellsville, I also wanted to discuss some current and future college wrestlers and how they fared at this stacked tournament. 50KG The story of this weight was rising star Audrey Jimenez, who at the age of 18, made her way to the Olympic Trials finals to take on Sarah Hildebrant. Jimenez, who is committed to wrestle at Lehigh, teched her first two opponents, Nyla Valencia of Iowa who was the runner-up at U20 Nationals this year, and multiple-time U.S. National Team member Erin Golston. In the finals of the challenge bracket, Jimenez took on Sage Mortimer, the Grand Valley State wrestler who was the 2023 US Women's Senior Nationals Champ at 50KG. Mortimer turned up the heat, scoring four points early, which Jimenez responded to with six points of her own. Jimenez struck first in the second as well, and while Mortimer was able to put together two more points late in the period, it was not enough to come back, sending Jimenez to face Hildebrant with the 10-6 win. King’s Samara Chavez also had an impressive tournament, finishing in fourth at the weight after dropping a tough match in the semis to Mortimer and wrestling back to face Golston in the consolation finals. On her path, she took out 3x All-American Kendra Ryan (North Central) and 2024 NCWWC Champ at 101lbs, and 2024 U20 Nationals Champ Emilie Gonzalez (Iowa). 53KG Felicity Taylor, coming off an electric NCWWC Championship, snagged a third-place finish at this year’s Trials. After dropping her first match to Haley Augello, who made the Olympic team in 2016, Taylor claimed another win against teammate Brianna Gonzalez on the backside to make the quarters. Gonzalez and Taylor faced off earlier this year in the NCWWC championship finals. From there, Taylor took on and teched former Augsburg/King wrestler Vayle Baker. Her final match was against Alisha Howk, U23 World Team member in 2023 and former Junior Pan Am champion. After taking a minute to warm up, Taylor scored late in the first and then piled on in the second, winning 5-1 to claim a top-three finish. Before dropping her match to Taylor, fellow Hawkeye Brianna Gonzalez solidified another win over North Central’s Sydney Petzinger in a rematch from their NCWWC semifinal match. In that match, Gonzalez won 10-1, and here Petzinger narrowed the gap a bit, but still lost 8-0. Both of these wrestlers are top college stars, swapping #2 and #3 rankings throughout the season. 57KG It felt like 57KG had some of the most college talent within the bracket. You had 4x NCWWC Champion Cam Guerin of McKendree, her teammate Shelby Moore who had a 4th Place finish, Cristelle Rodriguez of Doane coming off her NAIA Championship finish at 123 pounds, NCWWC National Champ Claire DiCugno of King, NAIA National Champ Carolina Moreno of Southern Oregon, and then two of North Central’s top talents Amani Jones and Lexi Janiak who were both coming off of age-division championships at Women’s Nationals the week prior. Unfortunately, Carolina Moreno was injured in her first match against Amani Jones and could not continue in the tournament. Moreno was then bested in her next match by Abigail Nette. Cam Guerin and teammate Shelby Moore had a first-round matchup with Guerin getting the win. Guerin then had to face off against a super dynamic Xochitl Mota-Pettis and dropped that match by a 12-2 tech fall in the first period. The wrestler that caught my attention the most, however, was Doane’s Cristelle Rodriguez. Rodriguez, NAIA Champion, started her day by taking out a very talented Lexi Janiak. In her next match, Nette took out Rodriguez after taking a 7-2 lead in the first period with a flurry of offense. Even with three points late in the second, it was not enough for Rodriguez to battle back, and she was sent to consolations after losing 9-5. In the semis on the backside, Rodriquez went up against Guerin and looked fairly dominant before putting a stamp on the victory with a second-period pin. In the third-place match, Rodriguez was once again up against Nette, and while she was able to keep it closer in this match, scoring a great takedown late in the first, Nette still had the upper hand and won 5-2. However, Rodriguez looked great in her journey to 4th place here and last weekend when she pinned her way to a U20 Championship at 55kg. Her performances this month serve as another testament to the talent held on NAIA Collegiate Teams in women’s wrestling. 62KG At such a stacked weight as far as international wrestling talent, it was difficult for even top college talent to shake things up too much at 62 kg. However, 2024 National Champions Claire DiCungo of King and Adaugo Nwachukwu of William Penn both had impressive showings. DiCugno dropped her first match to former World medalist Mallory Velte, but really cleaned up in the consolation bracket. DiCugno got a 6-1 decision over former college national champ from Augsburg Katie Lange, leading her to a suspected rematch against Velte who actually forfeited from the tournament at this point. In the consolation finals, DiCungo faced Nwachukwu and was able to score some points in the second period, but a series of big moves from Nwachukwu put it too far out of reach. However, DiCungo’s fourth-place finish was impressive nonetheless. Nwachukwu was definitely one people were keeping an eye on even with the absolute hammers already slated to compete in this weight class. She came out with a big tech fall win over Lauren Louive, followed by a win of her own over Lange. However, in her next match over World silver medalist Macey Kilty, it just wasn't in the cards. Nwachukwu had to wrestle back again for second here and a highly anticipated rematch with Jen Page seemed inevitable. Nwachukwu defeated Page at the US Open finals at 62kg last year. However, Page forfeited this match as well to take the third-place finish instead. Nwachukwu continues to be a top force not just in college, but on the international circuit as well. 68KG Early on at this weight, we saw an NCWWC rematch between Aine Drury of King and North Central’s Alara Boyd. Boyd was ranked at the top of their weight class all season and was the top seed when Drury was able to get the decision over her in the semifinals. Here, Drury was able to get the win again, this time 5-1. After that, she faced eventual challenge of tournament winner, Forrest Molinari, a 3x Senior World team member and bronze medalist. She then lost her next match on the backside to Kaylynn Albrecht. Another familiar name from the 143 lb college weight class here was 2024 NCWWC Champion Reese Larramendy of Iowa, who beat Drury in the finals to claim that title. On the opposite side of the bracket, she did not meet up with Drury at this tournament, but did have a tough first matchup against the former Augsburg powerhouse Brooklyn Hays, who just became the U23 Nationals champion last weekend. I In a super back-and-forth match, Hays got the first takedown for two, but Larramendy had a quick response scoring four of her own with two takedowns. In the second period, Larramendy kept up the offense scoring six more. While Hays also scored six in the second, Larramendy’s early lead was too much for her to catch up with, and the Hawkeye advanced to the semis. There, she dropped a match to National team member and former McKendree Bearcat Alexandria Glaude. On the backside, Larramendy looked dynamite against Albrecht, outsourcing her by a 2:1 margin each period. In the third-place match, though she had a strong day, she had no answers for the stellar offense brought on by Hays. However, as if her opponents were not already on notice for the talent this sophomore put on display last season, a 4th place finish at the Olympic Trials will definitely be in the headlines for what’s to come in her junior year. 76KG While this weight was dominated by veteran wrestlers who have seen the Olympic and World team trials several times, a few college athletes stood out as well as some interesting matchups. First, I just wanted to highlight that in the first round, we saw a match between Marlynne Deede of Iowa and Tavia Heidleberg-Tillotson of Menlo. Both were National Champs in college last season with Deede claiming the NCWWC title at 155 lbs and Heidleberg-Tillotson winning her NAIA title at 191lbs. Less than 2 months ago these two wrestlers competed at different weights by almost 40 pounds and met up for this spot at approximately 167 lbs, a relatively big shift for each of them. Deede ended up the winner by technical fall in their match to move on to the next round. There, Deede dropped her match to teammate Kylie Welker with a tech of her own. This paved the way for a highly anticipated rematch between Welker and Yelena Makoyed. However, this rematch goes past the two wrestlers’ nail-biting championship match at NCWWCs to decide the team championship as well. Going back, Makoyed bested Welker 11-6 at the US Open, followed by three consecutive wins by Welker at the World Team Trials, National Duals and of course the NCWWC. It appeared as though Makoyed was done with the matches not going her way, however, as she started this one off with a huge four-point move and then another two points for a takedown all in the first. While the second period was all Welker, it wasn’t enough to overcome Makoyed’s lead. After Makoyed dropped the finals match to eventual Olympic team member Kennedy Blades and Welker wrestled back on the back side taking out Sky Grote and Dymond Guilford on the way, the two were slated to wrestle again for true second, but Makoyed ended up winning by no contest. While the two will probably not match up again in a collegiate setting, with Makoyed wrestling her senior season as a Cardinal last year, fans can hopefully see this amazing rivalry play out a few more times in international competition like this for years to come.