InterMat Staff

Sebastian Rivera may not be in the lineup anymore, but his presence in the room as he prepared for his World Championship finals run had a huge impact on the guys still competing for the Scarlet Knights. Along with the impact of Rivera’s work ethic, some experienced transfers, and the return of a few leaders, this team is ready to make a splash this season and impress upon their pre-season rankings as they currently sit at 13th (tournament) and 14th (dual). Listen to Head Coach Scott Goodale’s comments about the upcoming season. Top Returners Dean Peterson A season ago a hard-fought 3-1 blood round loss to Lock Haven’s Anthony Noto ended Peterson’s season. But a preseason of tough workouts has Coach Goodale calling him “the most impressive guy” so with that type of endorsement and his top-10 ranking (he’s currently ranked 6th at 125 pounds) coming into the season, expect some big things from him this year. Jackson Turley After an All-American year in 2021, Turley hasn’t been back on the podium since. But a consistent season could see Turley prove that his #28 pre-season standing isn’t who he truly is. Brian Soldano Soldano stepped into the lineup a year ago as a true freshman and notched 25 wins while qualifying for his first NCAA Championship tournament. Now a year later he’s ready to make an even bigger impact on the team along with a strong contingent in the back half of the lineup that will be hard to contest with. John Poznanski Poz was a major tone-setter for Rutgers during the 2021-22 season where he finished as an AA. Then, last year, he took a redshirt to get healthy after having to fight through some injuries during his sophomore season. But now he’s back and he’s bigger as he’s now moving up to a very competition-heavy 197-pound weight class. Key Departures Joe Heilmann (133) and Boone McDermott (HWT) both had big impacts on the team a season ago. Heilmann finished his final campaign with 25 wins and an appearance at the NCAA Championships for the Scarlet Knights after transferring to the New Jersey squad from UNC. McDermott was also an NCAA qualifier who saw his career in the block R singlet come to an end on day one in Tulsa, OK a season ago. Newcomers Mitch Moore, Jacob Butler and Yaraslau Slavikouski A trio of NCAA qualifying transfers have joined the squad in NJ this season. Moore and Butler made the move from Sooner Country in Oklahoma where they competed at 141 and 149. They will be doing the same in their new colors, however, they will be switching spots. Moore, who was at 149 last year and defeated now teammate Anthony White, who made a big jump to 165 this season, 3-0 at NCAAs, will now be down at 141. And Butler will make the jump to 149. At the top of the lineup, Slavikouski, who transferred from Harvard, will look to improve upon his round of 12 appearance from last season where he finished with a 30-6 record. Wrestlers to watch Dylan Shawver Shawver will be moving up to 133 this year after being at 125 as a freshman during the 20-21 season. But before he stepped back into the lineup for Rutgers he represented Puerto Rico in Freestyle at 61kg this week. Top out-of-conference dual vs #4 Virginia Tech on Nov. 17 Mark your calendars for this one. The week before Thanksgiving there will be no sharing or pleasantries as Rutgers hosts the fourth-ranked Hokies on Nov. 17. Jersey Mike’s Arena is sure to be rocking on Friday night. The biggest matches to watch during this dual include: 125: #6 Dean Peterson vs #4 Eddie Ventresca; 197: #12 John Poznanski vs #16 Andy Smith; Hwt: #6 Yaraslau Slavikouski vs #16 Hunter Catka.

Monday morning marked the start of the final World Championship event of the 2023 calendar year, the U23 World Championships from Tirana, Albania. Men’s freestyle was the first discipline to take place and the American contingent showed out with an excellent performance. All five of the wrestlers who took the mat on Monday are still in the medal hunt. Three have clinched at least a silver as they’ve made it to the championship finals. Two others are in repechage with a bronze medal still in sight. Missouri’s two-time NCAA champion Keegan O’Toole became the first American to make the finals after pinning North Carolina’s Sonny Santiago (Puerto Rico) in the semifinals. O’Toole was dominant for the entire day, winning two matches via tech and another with a 10-1 score, prior to the finals. He’ll be aiming for his second age-group world title tomorrow; back in 2021, O’Toole won a U20 world championship. Another American in the finals and looking for another age-group world title is Penn State’s three-time national champion, Aaron Brooks. Brooks was a Cadet World Champion in 2017 and a Junior silver medalist the following year. Like O’Toole, he had a relatively quiet path to the semifinals. There he’d meet Russia’s Arslan Bagaev, who recently competed at the Senior World Championships. Brooks got the scoring going by finishing a low attack while his opponent was on the shot clock. That led to a 3-0 lead he’d never relinquish. The shot clock would come into play in the second period as Brooks was on the clock. Again, he was the aggressor and completed a takedown just before the clock expired. He’d hold on to take the 5-4 victory. The final American to make the finals came at 125 kg when Air Force All-American Wyatt Hendrickson got his hand raised. Hendrickson now has his first career world medal. In 2021, he came up a match shy of a bronze medal in the U20 division. Like he’s been known to do in college, Hendrickson racked up points and earned a fall on the day. In his first match, Hendrickson pinned Abdullah Kurbanov of Russia. At the 2023 Senior World Championships, Kurbanov earned Russia a spot in the 2024 Olympic Games (provided Russia can participate) with his wrestle-off victory. The other two Americans that were in action today, Julian Chlebove (61 kg) and Jacob Cardenas (92 kg), both are alive for medals. Each earned a win before falling in the quarterfinals, yet got pulled back into repechage. The rest of the men’s freestyle team will be in action tomorrow morning and medal round matches for today’s participants will be held in the afternoon. American Results/Matchups 61 kg Round of 16 - Julian Chlebove over Antonio Margiotta (Philippines) 11-0 Quarterfinals - Bashir Magomedov (AIN - Russia) over Julian Chlebove 14-3 Repechage - Julian Chlebove vs. Mezhlum Mezhlumyan (Armenia) 74 kg Qualification: Keegan O’Toole over Vadym Kurylenko (Ukraine) 10-0 Round of 16: Keegan O’Toole over Krisztian Biro (Romania) 12-2 Quarterfinals: Keegan O’Toole over Hikaru Takata (Japan) 10-1 Semifinals: Keegan O’Toole over Sonny Santiago (Puerto Rico) Fall 3:32 Gold Medal Match: Keegan O’Toole vs. Imam Ganishov (AIN - Russia) 86 kg Qualification: Aaron Brooks over Ismail Kucuksolak (Turkey) 5-1 Round of 16: Aaron Brooks over Owen Martin (Canada) 10-0 Quarterfinals: Aaron Brooks over Ivan Ichizli (Moldova) 7-0 Semifinals: Aaron Brooks over Arslan Bagaev (AIN - Russia) 5-4 Gold Medal Match: Aaron Brooks vs. Tatsuya Shirai (Japan) 92 kg Round of 16: Jacob Cardenas over Alan Bagaev (AIN - Russia) 4-3 Quarterfinals: Muhammed Gimri (Turkey) over Jacob Cardenas 10-1 Repechage: Jacob Cardenas vs Satoshi Miura (Japan) 125 kg Round of 16: Wyatt Hendrickson over Abdulla Kurbanov (AIN - Russia) Fall 5:15 Quarterfinals: Wyatt Hendrickson over Nicolae Stratulat (Moldova) 14-1 Semifinals: Wyatt Hendrickson over Azamat Khosonov (Greece) 4-2 Gold Medal Match: Wyatt Hendrickson vs. Adil Misirci (Turkey)

No matter what sport you play, what hobby you enjoy, or what game you tinker at, there's always some work that has to be put in, to not only make it fulfilling but also to become the best you can be at it. Fantasy Wrestling is not like fantasy football. Well, it is, but there’s a lot more that goes into it. In a typical office fantasy football league, Jane from accounting (who said her favorite team is the Oilers because that’s who her brother liked when growing up in the late 70s) can't just walk in, auto-draft, and take home the league trophy. Fantasy Wrestling requires work. Right now, you can go to your favorite fantasy sports app and bring up the current medical condition of Austin Ekler and the likelihood of him playing on Sunday. Hell, even college football discloses basic information on player availability. And if you have been a fan of wrestling for more than two seconds, you know that coaches' heads would probably explode if they were held to the same standard. Wrestling coaches like to keep their plans secret (Remember, “[Suriano is] down in the room now wrestling.”) As you have seen before, potential match-ups are announced but the actual matches that occur (sometimes the anticipated matches of the dual) don't happen. I've even seen Twitter accounts post promotional material featuring specific wrestlers who don't end up competing! But that fantasy sports for you. The glory and the frustration, the pain of the woulda-shoulda-coulda, and that Sunday night dual miracle with the last match on the West Coast. Luckily, as I noted in the Fantasy 101 article last week, the guys at WrestleStat have created a fully interactive and fantasy football-like game experience to make each tournament, dual, and individual match that much more exciting. Snake draft and weekly competitions to help get through the next 20-os-so weeks until Nationals. So to help navigate you through the 2024 Fantasy College Wrestling season (#FCW24), here are some tips and tricks that have helped me to be competitive (and a winner) year in and year out since 2014 when I started doing season-long Fantasy Wrestling (back then it was all by “paper and pencil”, as they say). 1. Research Information is king and knowing what wrestlers are going to an unscheduled Open or who is getting the start this weekend with three dual meets on tap is extremely valuable. While we have a robust media presence for our sport, we still don't get the same type of access that major professional and college sports have. Podcasts, articles, and forums/message boards. Despite the sometimes toxic and biased nature of some boards, there are usually some flakes of gold through all that dirt. Podcasts and short interviews/press conferences have been a recent go-to as some coaches have been more transparent (shoutout Kevin Dresser), but they are not going to always be so easy to find. Sometimes the hour-long podcast has just that one snippet about the Storm Open participants from Ohio State. Matthew Berry does a “Draft Day Manifesto” every year and one sentence has always stuck with me no matter what fantasy sport I play (especially FCW): You can't always win your league in the first few rounds, but you can lose it. Something to think about. 2. Mock Draft, Mock Draft, Mock Draft Wrestlestat allows users to prepare for their draft by creating Mock Draft lobbies which can be set to just about any league size and filled with friends, fans, or simulated users if you want to get in a quickie. Random snake draft placement, so you can test your skills and put that research to work in different situations. Because you know, YOU KNOW, Jim is going to take Mitchell Mesenbrink RIGHT BEFORE IT IS YOUR TURN TO PICK. So instead of going in blind, know how to adapt and pivot and, as they say, practice makes perfect. 3. Redshirts Are Wrestlers Too… During the draft, and especially during the season, your high-ranked starters are not always going to wrestle week-in and week-out. You’re going to need some bench wrestlers to step up, especially in the first part of the season. For example: In the 2020 season, the top Fantasy Wrestler across all weights was redshirt 157 lber Jonathan Ross (Lock Haven) with a record of 52-8 and 135 Fantasy points. Seth Gross (Wisconsin) was 7th with 103 Fantasy points. Now, that's an extreme outlier, right? 60 matches in a season?! Did he have a death wish? But in 2022, Ethen Miller (MD) had more fantasy points than Nick Lee (PSU) and Joey Milano (NCST) had more than Myles Amine (MICH). This past season, Sheldon Seymour (LEH) had more fantasy points than Liam Cronin (NEB) and Pat Glory (PRIN). In fact, Spencer Lee (IOWA) had an Average Draft Position (ADP) of #3 in 2020, #1 in 2021, #1 in 2022, and #1 this past season (2023), but this is the first time he's finished within the Top-5. You aren’t going to win NCAAs with them, but they are the unsung heroes that you need in order to win your league. When your go-to starters are injured, ducking, or are questionable to compete, redshirts and backups can be that bridge to guide you to Fantasy College Wrestling success. 4. First Semester Freshmen The past couple of years have seen some pretty substantial rule changes, but one that impacted Fantasy Wrestling more than the others has been the True Freshman First Semester Attachment. In the past, true freshmen could be that surprise Michigan State Open placer or Daktronics Open champion to rack up some much-needed points. However, with now needing them to be attached if wrestling anytime in the first semester, coaches are more strategic in when they use their True Freshmen five competition dates. 5. Add/Drop Like It’s A Business We all have favorite teams and wrestlers, but sometimes you have to make tough decisions to look past your fan allegiances and drop a beloved guy. There’s no debate that Pat McKee (MINN) is a hammer and one of the top wrestlers at 125. But to close out the 2023 season, he faced #4 Matt Ramos (PUR- loss Dec), Unranked Maximo Renteria (ILL- win by Maj), #1 Spencer Lee (Iowa- loss Dec), and #6 Eric Barnett (WISC- loss Dec) for a total net of -5 Fpts. If you started someone like Braxton Brown in that same time frame, you would have net +7 instead. That doesn’t mean that everyone is droppable. Even though Vito Arujau (COR) may be on a “pitch count,” you know that when he wrestles, it’s going to be a win by bonus. You don’t have a lot of roster space, but guys like Arujau ought to be one of those 15-16 spots for the entire season. It can be difficult to drop a beloved wrestler, but sometimes it is necessary to make tough decisions and look past your fan allegiances. Use the Transfer Portal (Free Agency) to its fullest, but only if the favorable matchups are there. Which is a great transition to…. 6. Look For The Matchup, Don’t Force The Matchup All these tips have a foundation based on tip #1, Research. One great in-season resource is the #FCWpodcast and the @FantasyD1Wrestl Weekly Outlooks for waiver wire pickups and tournament entry info. The InterMat FCW Forum page is also pretty neat too (wink wink, nudge nudge) Things to consider are the number of matches in a given scoring week and the opposing competition. The instinctual reaction is that the greater the number of potential matches, the better. Yes and no. Yes, because it gives your wrestler more room for error. A wrestler with three matches in a week could lose one and still net a positive Fantasy point total. If your opposing team only has a total of 20 potential matches, and you have a potential 24 matches, the probability of winning may be in your favor. No, because it can also bite you if a wrestler loses and MFF’s out of a tournament or only wrestles in one or two of the matches in a team’s quad-meet. Or, sometimes taking the “sure thing” is the safer play. Sometimes starting 174 Carter Starocci (PSU) is a better play than Rider’s Quinn Kinner, even though Kinner has two matches against unranked opponents that same week. An example from 2020 for instance: No one can honestly say that 165 Alex Marinelli (IOWA) was not a title contender in 2020. He was an almost absolute start in every week, but there were exceptions. On January 18, 2020, Nebraska rolled into Carver-Hawkeye Arena for a Saturday Dual. Alex Marinelli vs. Isaiah White was slated to be one of the marquee matchups. I didn’t (really) have a doubt that Marinelli would come out victorious, but I did not include him on my Weekly Outlook as a good start. Why? Because there was too much risk. I didn’t expect Marinelli to get bonus against White, even though his 2020 bonus rate was 52%. **************************************** There’s more to it than those six tips, but at the end of the day, the buck stops with you. Like a day trader in the stock market, do your DD (Due Diligence) and set your lineup how you think it can perform to its optimal potential.

What has become a preseason staple for us at InterMat, counting down the top 50 wrestlers for the upcoming season, is back for 2023-24. With a large chunk of sixth and seventh-year seniors gone, there is plenty of turnover from last year’s list to this one. That makes for a lot of fun and perhaps some spirited debates. Like last year, the third iteration of this feature will show five wrestlers at a time, counting down from #50 to #1. For each wrestler, we’ll have some basic information along with career highlights, and a brief analysis of their career (with an emphasis on last season), followed by an outlook for the upcoming season. Here are #26-30 #31-35 #36-40 #41-45 #46-50 25) Brock Hardy (Nebraska) Weight: 141 lbs Collegiate Achievements: 2023 NCAA 6th Place; 2023 Big Ten Runner-Up 2022 Top-50 Ranking: Not Ranked A top recruit from the high school Class of 2018, Brock Hardy took two years to go on a mission directly after high school, then got the free year in 2021 and redshirted in 2021-22. So technically, Hardy was a freshman last season and jumped into the Cornhusker lineup and became a stalwart. After losing two of his first three matches, Hardy went on an 18-match winning streak that included tournament titles at the Navy Classic and the Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational. In Vegas, Hardy was able to avenge one of his early-season losses to Ryan Jack (NC State). In his first collegiate postseason, Hardy made the Big Ten finals and nearly knocked off top-seeded Real Woods (Iowa) in the championship bout. That performance was good enough for the fourth seed in Tulsa where Hardy advanced all the way to the semifinals before falling to Woods again. After a consolation loss and an injury default, Hardy ended up in sixth place. 2023-24 Outlook: Hardy will enter the 2023-24 season ranked fourth at 141 lbs. He could be as high as second seeing as wrestlers two-through-four all have exchanged wins against each other. The weight has lost one title favorite as 2023 champion Andrew Alirez (Northern Colorado) is slated to take an Olympic redshirt. Even so, Hardy will need to go through his new nemesis, Woods, to accomplish his goals at the Big Ten and national level. 24) Bernie Truax (Penn State) Weight: 184 lbs Collegiate Achievements: 3x NCAA 4th Place Finisher, 2x Pac-12 Champion 2022 Top-50 Ranking: #42 Short of Kyle Dake, there may not be a better, recent example of a wrestler who has jumped multiple weight classes in his career and maintained a high level of success like Bernie Truax. Truax came to Cal Poly as a 149 lber and wrestled at every weight between 149-197 since then. Last year, Truax moved up to 197 lbs and started the year with seven straight victories. Truax had a bit of a limited schedule in 2022-23 but entered the 2023 NCAA Championships with a 13-1 record and holding the second seed. Although he had the best bracketing situation of his career, Truax failed to make the NCAA semifinals, something he did in each of the previous two tournaments. This time, Truax has to navigate through the consolations and he earned All-American honors after a win over past AA Michael Beard (Lehigh). A match later, he took out the returning national champion, Max Dean (Penn State). He’d settle in for fourth place after losing his final bout to Rocky Elam (Missouri). 2023-24 Outlook: In the offseason, Truax joined Penn State as a graduate transfer. With the Nittany Lions, he’ll be expected to move back down to 184 lbs. Truax admitted at the 2023 NCAA Tournament he was significantly under 197. He starts the year ranked second at 184 lbs; however, he does own a career win (and loss) against top-ranked Parker Keckeisen (Northern Iowa). The change of scenery should be beneficial for Truax, as he’ll be sandwiched between a pair of multiple-time national champions for the Nittany Lions. Between the team and Nittany Lion WC members, there’s no shortage of excellent practice partners for the California native. 23) Tanner Sloan (South Dakota State) Weight: 197 lbs Collegiate Achievements: 2023 NCAA Runner-Up, 3x Big 12 Runner-Up 2022 Top-50 Ranking: Not Ranked The 2023 national tournament saw Tanner Sloan become the second wrestler to make the NCAA finals for South Dakota State since the school moved to DI status. Every match that Sloan wrestled at the 2023 tournament took place against a returning or eventual All-American. His 8-1 first-round win over Gavin Hoffman (Ohio State) exercised some demons, as it was Hoffman, who upset Sloan in the first round of the 2022 tournament. He also got a measure of revenge in the semifinals by downing Missouri’s Rocky Elam, 7-2. Just two weeks earlier, Elam had outlasted Sloan 2-1 in tiebreakers during the Big 12 Championship match. For the year, Sloan finished 27-3 with a perfect dual record and a third-place finish at the 2022 CKLV Invitational. 2023-24 Outlook: The graduation of Sloan’s finals opponent, Nino Bonaccorsi (Pittsburgh), leaves 197 lbs up-for-grabs. Sloan is part of a strong Big 12 contingent that contains a trio of title contenders. Based on SDSU’s schedule, he’s supposed to see those other two contenders (Elam and Stephen Buchanan - Oklahoma) in dual competition, plus the Jackrabbits are making a return trip to Vegas. With that kind of a potential schedule, Sloan’s ranking/NCAA seeding could be in his own hands. Outside of the Big Ten, NCAA finalists Aaron Brooks (Penn State) and Trent Hidlay (NC State) are both moving up. Brooks has three NCAA titles and a great freestyle pedigree to his name; however, he has dropped a match in each of the last two years, so he is beatable and title number four isn’t a mere formality. With Sloan’s size and length, he could present a staunch challenge for Brooks should that match ever materialize. 22) Stephen Buchanan (Oklahoma) Weight: 197 lbs Collegiate Achievements: 2x NCAA All-American (3,8), 2022 Big 12 Champion 2022 Top-50 Ranking: #27 We haven’t seen Stephen Buchanan in awhile, but a year ago at this time, he was deemed to be the 27th wrestler in the nation. Buchanan transferred from Wyoming to Oklahoma last year and ended up redshirting the 2022-23 season. While at Wyoming, Buchanan never redshirted and immediately stepped into the Cowboy lineup and made the national tournament with a 26-13 record. In 2021, Buchanan had a breakout campaign and finished eighth in the nation. That proved to be a springboard for more as Buchanan elevated himself into national contender status during the 2021-22 season. He started the year with a title at the CKLV Invitational and only lost twice before the postseason. Buchanan would capture a Big 12 title with wins over notables like Tanner Sloan and Yonger Bastida (Iowa State), which gave him the second seed at nationals. In Detroit, Buchanan advanced to the semifinals before losing a close bout. He’d rebound with his second win of the tournament over Missouri’s Rocky Elam in the third-place match. 2023-24 Outlook: This marks the first year of Roger Kish’s tenure in Norman and what better way to start than with a potential title contender in Buchanan at 197 lbs. The revamped Sooner team looks solid in dual competition and with an anticipated high finish from Buchanan, the squad could be in for a nice placement at nationals. Buchanan starts the year ranked number two at that weight and is a serious favorite for the upcoming season. As mentioned above, the Big 12 is loaded with title contenders at this weight. Buchanan will have to contend with Sloan and Elam multiple times this year, before even getting to Kansas City. 21) Trent Hidlay (NC State) Weight: 197 lbs Collegiate Achievements: 3x NCAA All-American (4,5,2), 3x ACC Champion 2022 Top-50 Ranking: #20 Another year and another set of All-American honors for the leader of the Pack, Trent Hidlay. Hidlay started his 2022-23 campaign with 12 straight wins and had bonus points in eight of those contests. That winning streak included a tournament title at the CKLV Invitational. In the finals, Hidlay notched an 8-2 victory over rival Parker Keckeisen (Northern Iowa). Later that month, Keckeisen would get his revenge on Hidlay, handing him only loss of the year, pre-NCAA’s. After claiming his third consecutive ACC crown, Hidlay was awarded the #2 seed in Tulsa. Hidlay would advance to the semifinals before getting beaten by the eventual three-time champ, Aaron Brooks (Penn State). Over the last three years, Hidlay has only had seven total losses; however, five of them came from Brooks or Keckeisen. He would finish up in fourth place. In the three seasons with an actual NCAA Tournament, Hidlay had made it to the semis every time and has never finished lower than fifth. 2023-24 Outlook: Hidlay’s final go ‘round will take place at a new weight class. He’s moving up from the 184 lbs weight in which he spent his first five years in Raleigh. While not as tall as some of the top 197 lbers, Hidlay’s powerful frame should ensure a seamless transition to the weight. Hidlay starts the year ranked fifth at the weight, which is more out of respect to the high finishers returning at the weight, rather than a knock on Hidlay. Hidlay has always been known to have a great gas tank, but moving up might provide him even more energy, which is a scary proposition. We’ll probably have to wait about a month until the CKLV to see Hidlay tested at 197 lbs by top competition.

Minnesota head coach Brandon Eggum sits down with Ryan Holmes to preview the 2023-24 campaign. Coach Eggum goes through the lineup and the probable starters for the Gophers at each weight. He also gives some updates on Gable Steveson's status for the season. Coach Eggum also talks about Michael Blockhus' return and Pat McKee's leadership. With some new rule changes for this season, Coach Eggum provides insight into how the staff has dealt with these changes. For the full interview: Click Here

This weekend the Super 32 took place in Greensboro, North Carolina. The Super 32 has long been the most difficult high school folkstyle tournament in the country and serves as an unofficial kickoff for the upcoming high school season. Representatives from nearly every DI school in the nation were on hand to get a first-hand look at some of the top prospects in the nation. Some of those top recruits have already been spoken for and have committed to wrestle at the next level. Those wrestlers that made the top-eight at the Super 32 and have committed to wrestle collegiately are listed below, by their future school. Wrestlers without a class listed next to their name are from the Class of 2024. Air Force Karson Tompkins (Texas) - 190 lbs 4th Place American JJ Peace (South Carolina) - 113 lbs 6th Place Arizona State Kyler Larkin (Arizona) - 132 lbs 4th Place Harvey Ludington (New Jersey) - 190 lbs 6th Place: Class of 2025 Nicholas Sahakian (California) - 285 lbs champion: Class of 2025 Army West Point Joey Antonio (California) - 157 lbs runner-up: Class of 2025 Nik O’Neill (Pennsylvania) - 126 lbs 4th Place Bucknell Dillon Bechtold (Pennsylvania) - 215 lbs 5th Place California Baptist Paul Kelly (California) - 138 lbs 4th Place Columbia Dom Federici (Pennsylvania) - 175 lbs 3rd Place Cornell Jaxon Joy (Ohio) - 144 lbs 3rd Place Anthony Knox (New Jersey) - 120 lbs champion: Class of 2025 Alessio Perentin (New Jersey) - 165 lbs 5th Place; Class of 2025 Ayden Smith (Pennsylvania) - 113 lbs 5th Place Davidson Bryce Griffin (Illinois) - 157 lbs 7th Place Harvard Hudson Skove (New Jersey) - 285 lbs 8th Place Indiana Nicholas Pavlechko (Pennsylvania) - 285 lbs 4th Place Carson Thomas (Ohio) - 175 lbs 5th Place: Class of 2025 Iowa State Daniel Herrera (Iowa) - 285 lbs runner-up Adrian Meza (Arizona) - 132 lbs 6th Place Lehigh Calvin Lachman (Pennsylvania) - 285 lbs 6th Place Lock Haven Tucker Hogan (Pennsylvania) - 190 lbs 3rd Place Maryland Oscar Williams (Oklahoma) - 215 lbs 3rd Place Michigan Cam Catrabone (New York) - 144 lbs runner-up Michigan State Cory Thomas (Michigan) - 157 lbs 7th Place Minnesota Landon Robideau (Minnesota) - 138 lbs runner-up: Class of 2025 Missouri Jake Crapps (Georgia) - 126 lbs 8th Place Aeoden Sinclair (Wisconsin) - 190 lbs champion Navy Spencer Lanosga (Louisiana) - 285 lbs 3rd Place NC State Will Denny (Illinois) - 150 lbs 6th Place: Class of 2025 Gavin Linsman (Missouri) - 144 lbs 8th Place Latrell Schafer (Georgia) - 165 lbs 4th Place Ohio State Ethan Birden (Ohio) - 165 lbs 3rd Place Ben Davino (Illinois) - 132 lbs 3rd Place Oklahoma Alex Braun (Minnesota) - 138 lbs 3rd Place Oklahoma State JJ McComas (Oklahoma) - 126 lbs runner-up Penn Eren Sement (Pennsylvania) - 126 lbs 6th Place: Class of 2025 Luke Simcox (Pennsylvania) - 138 lbs 6th Place Penn State Dalton Perry (Pennsylvania) - 138 lbs 8th Place: Class of 2025 Princeton Xavier Giles (New York) - 165 lbs 6th Place Ethan Rivera (Florida) - 120 lbs 5th Place Rutgers Conner Harer (Pennsylvania) - 157 lbs 3rd Place Tahir Parkins (Pennsylvania) - 132 lbs 8th Place: Class of 2025 South Dakota State Logan Swensen (Minnesota) - 132 lbs 7th Place Stanford Cole Han-Lindemyer (Minnesota) - 174 lbs runner-up EJ Parco (California) - 150 lbs 7th Place Virginia Tech Ryan Burton (New Jersey) - 175 lbs champion: Class of 2025 Drew Gorman (Georgia) - 132 lbs 5th Place: Class of 2025 Matt Henrich (New Jersey) - 157 lbs 5th Place Kollin Rath (Pennsylvania) - 150 lbs champion: Class of 2025 Aaron Seidel (Pennsylvania) - 113 lbs champion: Class of 2025 West Virginia Rune Lawrence (Pennsylvania) - 190 lbs runner-up Wyoming Gunner Henry (Indiana) - 220 lbs 8th Place: Class of 2025 Anders Thompson (Montana) - 190 lbs 5th Place

Michigan State - Go Green! Go White! The Spartans have a huge variance as far as what they can be this season. On one hand, they have some strong veterans in their lineup, and a lot of leadership that they can lean on to develop their youth. On the other hand, they’ll have some weights with guys without much experience jumping into the lineup and expected to produce. In my mind, that’s a good thing and I trust the culture on the team to help these guys assimilate into full-time starters and contributors. They have adjusted their approach from a coaching standpoint to really focus on being ready to produce at the right times of the year, and I expect this team to be rounded into form come March. For more recent insight directly from Head Coach Roger Chandler, check out this interview I did with him from 9/25. TOP RETURNERS Chase Saldate had a breakout season last year. His regular season was particularly strong, earning him the fourth seed at the B1G tournament. He ended up dropping his first match at NCAAs, but battled all the way back to the bloodround before finishing up just shy of the podium when he was pinned by Bryce Andonian of Virginia Tech. Saldate tends to wrestle close matches, but when he gets his offense going he’s extremely tough to beat. His top game is as good as almost anyone in college wrestling, and he’s stingy defensively. If he can add a little bit more on his feet, he’ll get on that podium this time around. Caleb Fish needed an at-large bid to make the NCAA tournament last year, but made the most of it by making it to the quarterfinals of a loaded 165 pound weight class. He’s consistently gotten better with each season in the lineup and is referenced regularly as one of the guys who does everything you expect from an athlete. You can expect him to be where he needs to be as a student-athlete, is generally regarded as the toughest guy on the team (reference the interview above), and is going to be as prepared as anyone coming into the year. I expect him to be a consistent presence at 165. Don’t be surprised when he gets a couple “upset” wins in the conference. Layne Malczewski is entering his final year with the Spartans. He was my pick for breakout candidate at 184 last season, and I stand by it! He has battled injuries throughout his career, but he’s been brought up to me by other coaches, which is a good sign that they think about how they are going to approach matches with him. He has a lot of different attacks, is ready to use them all, and is really tall for the weight. In my conversation with him over the summer, he was adding size and is as healthy as he’s ever been. Let’s hope he can stay healthy and really see what he can do. Last Dance Layne! KEY DEPARTURES Rayvon Foley was in the Spartan lineup since his true freshman year. As a sophomore, he was an All-American and was consistently ranked in the top-ten and an All-American threat throughout his career. He didn’t finish his career as strongly as it started, but his contributions to the lineup and leadership will be missed. He reigns as Ann Arbor Pioneer High School’s most successful college wrestler. Peyton Omania, a Greco Senior World Team member in 2021, and another long-term contributor to the team. There is a solid contingent of Greco wrestlers on this team, and Omania’s presence and approach certainly contributed to that interest. He had shown flashes of greatness and was always a dangerous wrestler. Cam Caffey, a fan favorite over the years, held court for the upperweights for his entire career. Starting at 184, he was a B1G finalist in the 2020 season, which had the NCAA tournament canceled. After that year he bumped up to 197. He had huge wins at times, notably beating the eventual NCAA Champion in Max Dean during their dual with Penn State. His career ended at NCAAs last year when he tried to compete with a bad shoulder, an injury he suffered at B1Gs. He intends to continue to compete in freestyle and Greco, but he does leave a big gap at 197 that the Spartans will have to fill. NEWCOMERS Braden Stauffenberg, speaking of Greco, just represented the United States at the U20 Greco World Championships. He was 10-6 in his redshirt season, and will likely be representing the Spartans at 149 pounds this season. Anytime you can get youth and world-level experience into the lineup is a good thing, and I’m excited to see how he steps into this spot. WRESTLER TO WATCH Ceasar Garza stepped into the lineup last season right away. He won the MSU Open Freshman and Sophomore division last season, and became the starter a couple weeks into the season after their planned starter, DJ Shannon (transfer from Illinois), got hurt. He showed some growing pains early, but he also showed growth and improvement as the season went on. This last offseason he went 2-2 in his first major freestyle tournament, and a couple weeks later was an All-American at U23s. He’ll be someone to watch closely. Jordan Hamden another Grego World Team member for the Spartans, as he will represent the United States at U23 Greco Worlds next week. He’s been in the lineup for a while, and showed some flashes, but like I mentioned with Braden above, World Team members don’t happen by accident and I believe that experience and the confidence that comes with it will contribute to a successful season for Jordan. Tristan Lujan had a strong start to the season last year winning the Navy Open and was undefeated up until the finals of the Reno Tournament of Champions where he dropped a 5-2 match to Trevor Mastrogiovanni of Oklahoma State. As the season went on, Lujan lost some steam and had a tough B1G season. However, I believe in Lujan and feel like he’ll be more consistent this season and will end up wrestling in Kansas City at the end of the year. TOP OUT-OF-CONFERENCE DUAL Central Michigan University travels to East Lansing on Friday, February 23rd. This is an in-state rivalry where both teams show up ready to impose their dominance. This dual has implications year in and year out for recruits, NCAA seeding implications, and bragging rights. These duals have been close over the last couple of years with the Spartans coming out on top the last couple of seasons. Both squads have a lot of depth and should match up very well this year making for an exciting out-of-conference battle.

Not only does Northwestern head coach Matt Storniolo sit down with Ryan Holmes to preview the season, but new assistant coach BJ Futrell has also joined the discussion. Each gives their perspective on why a move to Evanston made sense for Futrell and the team. The Wildcat coaches talk about a Northwestern team that has plenty of new faces for 2023-24, along with some veterans in new roles. The two also give their opinion on how the new takedown rules may impact competition this season. For the full interview: Click Here

On preseason episode three of "Big 12 Breakdown," James Hackney looks at two tiers of teams in the conference; Sleeper Conference Picks and a wild card team. In "Sleepers," James looks at the Oklahoma and South Dakota State teams; both balanced squads that could make a run at the conference crown. He'll also look at West Virginia, a team that has a veteran prescence that could make some noise. Here's the full article outlining the different tiers. For episode three of "Big 12 Breakdown" click here

Cleveland

Glenwood

Duke fielded a young team last season and experienced a lot of growing pains along the way. Hopefully, that experience will help the squad this year, with most starters seeing at least their second year in the lineup. It is well documented the challenges that Coach Lanham faces with building the program at Duke. It is an academically challenging institution and he has no scholarships to offer, which makes the success they have had throughout his tenure that much more impressive. It appeared as though Jonah Niesenbaum could be the next Blue Devil to make it onto the podium with the gains he had made in the past two years; however, Niesenbaum has chosen to forgo his final year of eligibility to pursue an opportunity outside of collegiate wrestling. The Blue Devils will look to a new crop of talent in Durham looking to make their mark in the ACC. TOP RETURNER Jarred Papscy will step into the role of veteran leader for this young Blue Devil squad. He had some success in his first year at Duke at 141 after transferring from NC State, but will be looking to improve in his final season in Durham and will be moving up to 149 for the Blue Devils. KEY DEPARTURE Jonah Niesenbaum went from 3-21 his freshman year at Duke to finishing last season at 25-6, an ACC finalist and an NCAA qualifier. He was a reliable leader his final two years in Durham and would have been an All-American contender again this season if he utilized his final season of eligibility. NEWCOMER TO WATCH Sean O’Donnell is a true freshman out of Malvern Prep where he was a two-time Prep All-American. He could see some time at 141 with Papscy moving up to 149. WRESTLER TO WATCH Keep an eye on Gaetano Console at 165. He spent some time in the starting lineup last season and had a 4-3 record in duals. He was chosen as a team captain this season as a true sophomore, showing the trust that his teammates and coaches have in him. He is scrappy and I liked what I saw from him early in the season last year. With another year of maturity and time in the college room, I think we can see a jump in results from Console. TOP OUT-OF-CONFERENCE DUAL Duke has a pretty stellar schedule this season that is very dual-heavy. They open the season with Rutgers, Cal Poly, and Stanford on a West Coast swing. They also have West Virginia and in-state foes Appalachian State and Gardner-Webb before opening ACC competition. There are three duals that I’m looking forward to watching to gauge where this young team is at and where they are improving. They match up with Kent State in November, Davidson in December and Chattanooga in January. On paper all these teams are pretty evenly matched; it may give us a good view of the progress of this Duke squad to use these duals as key matches. POTENTIAL LINEUP 125: Ethan Grimminger 0-10; 0-4 ACC 133: Logan Agin 5-14; 0-4 ACC 141: Cam Morgan 0-1 Sean O’Donnell True Freshman 149: Jarred Papscy 8-13; 0-1 ACC 157: Logan Ferrero 3-11; 0-4 ACC 165: Gaetano Console 5-6; 0-1 ACC (174) 174: Conor Becker 5-12 184: Luke Chakonis 5-19; 0-5 ACC 197: Jack Wimmer 3-11 285: Connor Barket 1-5; 0-1 ACC

Northern Burlington

American University Projected Line-Up 125: Jack Maida (#29) or Shamil Kalmatov 133: Maximilian Leete or Raymond Lopez 141: Ethan Szerencsits 149: Antonio Segura or Devon Capato 157: Jack Nies or Ryan Zimmerman 165: Caleb Campos or Breon Phifer 174: Lucas White 184: Connor Bourne 197: Carsten Rawls or Liam Volk-Klos HWT: Will Jarrell or Isaac Righter Overview If this lineup looks familiar, that’s because it is pretty much the line-up they rolled out at EIWA’s last year. The Eagles had a historic turnaround season last year. In 2022, they finished with a 1-12 dual meet record while going winless against conference opponents in five matches. Last season’s record was 8-12 with an arguably tougher schedule than years prior. Their conference record was 3-5 a season ago as well. It’s not hard to see the improvement in just one year. Coach Borrelli and staff will continue to turn this program around. New Faces This is one of the few programs where the coaching staff remains unchanged. Consistency will take this team a long way, which can be used as a positive recruiting tactic. Knowing the coaches are there for the long haul makes most athletes sleep easier at night. We mentioned the lineup is identical to last year - but there is one major change. Jack Maida was the lone qualifier for American last year. This was at 133 lbs, however. This year, we’ll see him down at 125 lbs. With a new weight class, we may see a slow start until he adjusts properly - as is the case whenever a wrestler drops down a weight class. Key Dates 11/2 - Maryland (#22) comes into town for the season opener. It will be a good test to see where they stand 1/12 and 1/14 - A road trip to California to wrestle Cal Poly, CSU Bakersfield, Central Michigan, and Campbell (#28). American defeated the latter three teams a season ago – all by 1 point. Expect similar results 2/4 – Newly added program Morgan State comes to town. It’s always exciting to see a new program Find the entire schedule here Army West Point Projected Line-Up 125: Ethan Berginc (#25) 133: Ryan Franco 141: Julian Sanchez 149: Trae McDaniel (#30) 157: Nate Lukez (#23) 165: Dalton Harkins (#33) 174: Ben Pasiuk (#11) 184: Daniel Lawrence 197: Wolfgang Frable 285: Austin Kohlhofer Overview The Black Knights, also known as “America’s Team,” have five individually ranked wrestlers, led by three returning NCAA Qualifiers in Berginc, Lukez, and Pasiuk. Pasiuk has been to nationals three times already, with a top-16 finish as his best performance in 2021. With this projected lineup, we will see 8 returning starters for Army. Last year’s squad finished in sixth place at EIWAs thanks to eight placewinners. This team has the tools to improve on that finish and sneak its way into the top 5. New Faces One new face you will see is Steve Bleise on the coaching staff. He was a 3X NCAA Qualifier for Minnesota and Northern Illinois across three weight classes (141, 149, and 157). He joined the staff in August and has been excellent ever since. This team has a ton of young talent that will probably see some mat time. Coach Scott Green has been a force on the recruiting trail in between settling food debates on social media and foraging for mushrooms. All kidding aside, this program is here to stay. With assistant Jimmy Overhiser recently accepting a job at Tarleton State in Texas, there is a new opening on staff that Coach Ward will need to fill. Be on the lookout for a new addition to staff in a few weeks or so once applications are in and interviews are had. Key Dates 11/1 – Opening the season versus Campbell (#28) at Fort Liberty. A great early match-up to potentially jump into the top 30 with a win 11/19 – Black Knight Invite includes Big 10 teams like Penn State, Rutgers, and Michigan State; plus Northern Colorado and others 2/17 – They square off against rival Navy in Annapolis late in the season Find the entire schedule here Binghamton Projected Line-Up 125: Carson Wagner 133: Micah Roes 141: Nate Lucier 149: Michael Zarif 157: Carter Baer 165: Brevin Cassella (#22) 174: Will Ebert 184: Jacob Nolan (#13) 197: Dimitri Gamkrelidze 285: Cory Day (#25) Overview The Bearcats return all three EIWA place winners, who were all NCAA qualifiers last season. It’s no surprise these three guys are in the rankings with Cassella (#22), Nolan (#13), and Day (#25). This squad has a nice mix of upperclassmen along with young talent. Expect the upperclassmen to help lead this team and improve on their 11th-place finish a season ago at EIWAs, which they feel was an underachievement. New Faces Many new faces will be seen on the coaching staff. Recent graduate, Anthony Sobotker, was named to the staff and will give a helping hand to the lightweights. He was exciting to watch with some flashes of exciting upper body techniques. Lou DePrez was one of Binghamton’s best to ever represent the Bearcats on the mat. He’ll now be on staff as an assistant. He was added to the staff the second-semester last season after an injury ended his final year of eligibility. The athletes looked up to him as a competitor, and teammate. Expect the same, just in an elevated role. Coach Borshoff is currently in the process of hiring a new assistant coach. Expect more on this once the hire is officially made. This assistant will replace Fred Garcia – who has taken a role at Cleveland State. The line-up above only shows one new face. Cason Wagner at 125 lbs will be a true freshman. He’s a Northampton, PA grad who placed four times at the state championships. He’s a scrappy wrestler who will have success as he grows into the weight. Key Dates 11/17 – Taking on #6 NC State in a tough early season matchup. 12/1 – 12/2 – Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invite is a tough in-season tournament. Success here lands you in the rankings 2/16 – Travel to #19 Northwestern for a dual Find the entire schedule here Brown University Projected Line-Up 125: Jared Brunner or Shane Hanson-Ashworth 133: Hunter Adrian 141: Ian Oswalt 149: Sam McMonagle 157: Blake Saito 165: Keegan Rothrock or Mason Spears 174: Harrison Trahan or Jonathan Conrad 184: James Araneo or Nick Olivieri 197: Lear Quinton or Araneo / Olivieri 285: Alex Semenenko Overview The Bears return one place finisher from a season ago, where Hunter Adrian was eighth at EIWAs. Coach Jordan Leen took over right before the season began last year, and we can only assume the team will improve in due time. People across the nation have the same feeling, as Leen was a homerun hire. A lot of the names in the lineup above were starters a season ago. With some new faces on staff, the sky is the limit for this team. New Faces Ty Walz was named as an assistant in August of 2023. He spent nearly a decade at Virginia Tech as an athlete and coach. He was a multiple-time All-American and won numerous medals at the world level. He’s a fantastic addition to the upper weights in Providence. Micky Phillippi was named to the staff as well. He spent his wrestling career at Pitt, where he was coached by Leen. Although he never made the podium, he had a very successful collegiate career barely missing the podium on four occasions. Phillippi will add coaching depth to the lower weights. Gage Curry is also making the move from Pitt to Brown, along with Leen and Phillippi. Curry was a 4X NCAA Qualifier between American and Pitt. He spent his career at 125 lbs, which will give the smaller guys in the room another great coach and mentor. Key Dates 11/5 – Opening up at the Clarion Open 11/19 – Black Knight Invite includes Big 10 teams like Penn State, Rutgers, and Michigan State; plus Northern Colorado and others 12/22 – The first annual Sheridan Invitational hosted by Lehigh. 1/1 – Southern Scuffle. Earning a place finisher here will be a great jumpstart into the second semester Find the entire schedule here Bucknell University Projected Line-Up 125 Ethan Lebin 133 Kurt Phipps (#21) 141 Dylan Chappell (#24) 149 Braden Bower 157 Nick Delp 165 Chase Barlow 174 Noah Mulvaney 184 Logan Deacetis (#24) 197 Nolan Springer HWT Dorian Crosby (#26) Overview The 2023 EIWA ninth-place finishers are looking to improve last year’s performance. The Bison will have a solid lineup with a mix of newcomers and experienced veterans. Four of the team’s five conference place finishers return to the team while all three NCAA qualifiers will be back again. Phipps will look to improve on his tough seventh-place finish from EIWAs a season ago. Dorian Crosby earned sixth place - good enough to earn a spot at NCAAs. The wrestler who surprised many people at conferences, Dylan Chappell, will look to be down at his natural weight this season. He took the conference by storm when he burst onto the scene with a runner-up finish at 149 lbs after beginning the season down at 133 lbs. He will replace multiple-time EIWA placewinner, Darren Miller, who graduated after an outstanding career at Bucknell. New Faces The Bison will have two new coaches this season. Longtime assistant, Kevin LeValley, has moved on to coaching on the club scene at PINnacle in Minnesota. Eric Morrill has gone onto California Baptist on the West Coast. Donny Ooton is a familiar face, as he was with the program in 2009 and 2010. He will step in as an assistant after spending time as an MMA fighter and coaching at both the club and scholastic levels in the state of Virginia. The Bucknell program is glad to have him back. Secondly, Thomas Flitz is coming to the conference after spending some time on staff at The University of Virginia. Before this, he was a three-time NCAA qualifier out of the SoCon powerhouse, Appalachian State. Wrestling at 174 lbs during his career, he will be a great addition to the upper middleweights. With the projected lineup, we may only see one new face - meaning they have not seen any collegiate action yet. Ethan Lebin is slated to be the starter at 125 lbs. After attending high school at Hempfield Area, he ended his PIAA career with two individual state medals while placing at Powerade twice. Having success in the WPIAL is a good indicator he will have success at the college level. Key Dates 11/10 – Traveling to take on Oklahoma State (#12) 11/16 – Minnesota (#16) will take on Bucknell in the Bison’s home opener 12/3 – Bucknell will travel to square off against Wisconsin (#25) Find the entire schedule here Columbia University (#30) Projected Line-Up 125: Nick Babin (#21) 133: Angelo Rini (#19) 141: Mason Clarke or Kai Owen 149: Richard Fedalen (#20) 157: David Berkovich or Jaden Le 165: Joshua Ogunsanya (#15) 174: Lennox Wolak (#15) 184: Aaron Ayzerov 197: Jack Wehmeyer 285: Billy McChesney or Nolan Neves Overview The Lions finished tied for fourth in the EIWA last season with a whopping eight placewinners, and six NCAA qualifiers. Babin, Rini, Ogunsanya, and Wolak will return. Kazimir was a former EIWA champ and is done competing due to graduation. Cesar Alvan will take an Olympic redshirt. This team will have many bright spots in their lineup. If the few young newcomers can prove that they can compete at a high level, this team will be challenging for a top-three finish at the conference come March. New Faces Columbia recently hired Jamie Franco as an assistant coach. Jamie competed for Hofstra until 2014, where he was a three-time NCAA qualifier. He was recently at his alma mater coaching for the past seven seasons as associate head coach. Expect an immediate impact from him on and off the mat. Mason Clarke or Kai Owen will be the next man up at the 141lbs weight class. Clarke is a senior who has sat behind Rini and 133lbs and Kazimir at 141lbs. These two weights have been some of the best for Columbia recently, so his experience in the room will be a factor in the line-up. Owen is a Wyoming Prep graduate, holding multiple All-American honors from his high school days. The sophomore is 10-6 in college thus far. Both wrestlers will have big shoes to fill in order to replace the former EIWA champ, Kazimir. Rich Fedalen is a sophomore expected to fill in at 149 lbs. Being a member of the U20 Greco team, he is as dangerous from the neutral position as they come. He was also a U20 Pan Am silver medalist, with a longer rap sheet of Greco success. He boasts an 11-4 record wrestling in opens thus far, which is enough to earn a preseason national ranking. Expect to see either Jaden Le or David Berkovich at 157 lbs. Berkovich has seen mat time in duals a few years back at 157 lbs, and wrestled in opens at 165 lbs. He’s a senior looking to fill this void as NCAA Qualifier Cesar Alvan takes an Olympic redshirt. Jaden Le is the other option. He has yet to see any dual meet action but carries a 15-9 record into the season. The California native had 732 takedowns in his high school career - which is an incredible number. Key Dates 11/17 – Michigan (#9) visits Columbia in an early season test 11/19 – Ohio State (#7) takes on Columbia two days after Michigan in a wild home-opening weekend 12/8 & 12/10 – The Lions travel to square off against Iowa (#8) and Northern Iowa (#20) in hostile environments Find the entire schedule here Cornell University (#2) Projected Line-Up 125: Brett Ungar (#10) or Greg Diakomihalis 133: Vito Arujau (#1) 141: Vince Cornella (#14) 149: Cole Handlovic or Colton Yapoujian 157: Meyer Shapiro 165: Julian Ramirez (#7) 174: Chris Foca (#2) 184: Jonathan Loew (#8) 197: Jacob Cardenas (#6) 285: Lewis Fernandes (#11) or Ashton Davis Overview The Big Red are poised to not only repeat as EIWA champions, but to repeat earning a trophy at NCAAs. They cleaned house at EIWAs with six champions, one runner-up, and a seventh-place finisher. They were down two expected starters at the time, making it even more impressive. Returning NCAA champion, Vito Arujau is slated to wrestle this season. It was speculated that he may use an Olympic redshirt to prepare for the 2024 Olympic Games. This was discussed at length more recently after he won a world title in September. Speaking of world champs, Meyer Shapiro will be a freshman phenom with incredibly high expectations after he won a gold medal at the U20 world championships this past summer. This team is loaded with talent and will be in the mix for a top-three finish at NCAAs, even after losing four-time champion Yianni Diakomihalis to graduation. The schedule Cornell put together this year will is a very tough one - but they love the challenge and proving they belong in the trophy hunt conversation. New Faces Meyer Shapiro was briefly mentioned above. He is one of the rare new faces in the lineup. Being a true freshman, and having no collegiate action, he does not have credentials to be ranked. This will change shortly once the season begins, as he will be an immediate title contender. If you follow wrestling, you’ve most likely already heard about Shapiro. Ashton Davis will most likely see some mat time at heavyweight. The true freshman will step in for Fernandes as needed. Fernandes has been battling injuries the past few seasons, so there may be speculation he could be on a “pitch count,” potentially. Davis was a three-time state champion in Tennessee, but a multiple-time Fargo All-American. He will be ready to step in when needed. Key Dates 1/5 – Taking on Ohio State (#7) on the road 1/7 – Virginia Tech (#4) visits Cornell to round out the first weekend of the new year 1/28 – Missouri (#3) visits Cornell in a top-3 battle 2/17 – Cornell travels to NC State (#6) in a late season match-up Find the entire schedule here Drexel University Projected Line-Up 125: Gabe Giampietro 133: Kyle Waterman (#27) 141: Jordan Soriano 149: Luke Nichter (#29) 157: Tyler Williams 165: Cody Walsh or Jasiah Queen (#34 on 2023 Big Board) 174: Mickey O’Malley (#16) 184: Justin Griffith 197: Ibrahim Ameer 285: Santino Morina Overview The Dragons are coming off of a 10th-place finish at EIWAs at the conclusion of last season. This is the first season, in what seems to be a decade, where we will not see Evan Barczak in the lineup. Nichter and O’Malley are the only wrestlers with NCAA Championship appearances. Waterman has been on the EIWA podium in the past, as has Williams at 157 lbs. Drexel’s young talent will look to shine this year. O’Malley has four NCAA Tournament appearances and finished in the top -12 last year. Will this be the year Coach Azevedo earns his first All-American as the head coach at Drexel? New Faces Expect Gabe Giampietro to man the 125 lbs class. He was .500 last year in his redshirt season. Being undersized, he took a few lumps. Expect a stronger wrestler to put up similar results to his high school success – where he was a four-time Delaware state champion and Beast of the East runner-up. Jasiah Queen will see some time in the line-up at 165 lbs. He will be a true freshman coming off a fantastic high school season, which included a runner-up finish at the New Jersey state championships and Beast of the East tournament. He was a top-35 overall recruit in last year’s MatScouts Senior Big Board. Another overall Big Board prospect will man the 184 lb weight class. The 73rd-ranked pound-for-pound recruit, Justin Griffith, was a three-time Delaware state champ and medalist at the Beast of the East. He was crowned champion of The Escape the Rock tournament. He will replace Brian Bonino, who finished in the top 12 last year as a graduate student. Lastly, Ibrahim Ameer came to the Dragons as a JUCO national runner-up last season. The former Cloud CC wrestler is expected to make an immediate impact after proving he can compete at the national level. The jump to the Division 1 level will come easier in comparison to last year’s high school wrestlers. Key Dates 11/19 – The Keystone Classic at the University of Pennsylvania 12/ 9 – Wisconsin (#25) comes to visit the Dragons for a dual 1/21 – Stanford will travel to Drexel for a dual. It includes somewhat of a homecoming for previous Princeton coach, Chris Ayres Find the entire schedule here Franklin & Marshall College Projected Line-Up 125: Mason Leiphart 133: Gio Diaz or Aidan O'Shea 141: Pat Phillips 149: Josh Hillard or Bryce Kresho 157: Luke Bender or Nick Alvarez 165: Dom Wheatley or Noah Bash 174: Noah Fox or RJ Moore 184: James Conway 197: John Crawford (#30) 285: Chase Thompson Overview The Diplomats return two place finishers from EIWA’s a season ago. Mason Leiphart earned eighth at 125lbs place while James Conway earned seventh at 184 lbs. F&M returns many starters with multiple years of experience while introducing some new blood into their lineup. Leiphart led the entire NCAA with tech falls last season, expect more of the same from him this season. Crawford began his career as low as 165 lbs and has filled into 197 lbs nicely. He is the lone ranked wrestler at the moment thanks to some quality wins last season. The Dips will be wrestling their historical 100th season this year. New Faces Pat Phillips is in a new weight class this season. He saw success at 133 lbs the past few years. Bulking up to 141 lbs may do him some good to avoid a hard cut. His abilities from the top position will make him a podium threat at EIWAs. Do not be shocked to find him in the national rankings this year, potentially earning a trip to NCAAs. Luke Bender comes from Delaware, where he earned two state titles. He was also an NHSCA Senior National champion. He will be in a battle for the 157 lbs spot. We will see him in the mix to be a starter in the middleweights. Dom Wheatly is a Nazareth, PA native. He is another freshman looking to earn the starting spot in the middleweights. The two-time state place finisher had an impressive high school career and will try to keep the momentum rolling at the 165-pound weight class. For the first time since 2016, F&M will have a heavyweight not named “Pelusi” rounding out the line-up. Both Antonio and Vincenzo graduated with multiple NCAA appearances between them. Chase Thompson will have some large shoes to fill - pun intended. The big man from Florida has placed at Fargo and is ready to step in. Key Dates 11/4 – Southeast Open will kick off their season. 12/29 – 12/30 – Midlands is arguably the toughest in-season tournament. The Dips could see some place-winners here 1/5 – The F&M Open attracts many talented wrestlers, including high school studs and red shirts. Find the entire schedule here

It’s Super 32 week and that only means one thing. It’s the first step of your impending divorce. Unless your spouse is also a wrestling fan. If so, nice pull. But some of us take heat after about 20 hours of wrestling in one weekend. I literally only took this job, so I could mask my wrestling watching as research. Nah babe, the round of 256 is crucial to next week’s mailbag column. I must watch this. I also answered some very important questions. And you must read them. There’s a test next week. What non-NCAA Championships/qualifying tournament are you looking forward to the most this year? What dual meet is a must-watch? Who’s your darkhorse to win an individual title this year? Vinny Termini I'm big on the Cliff Keen. The first month can be a little start and stop and once the CKLV rolls around you start to really see the meat and potatoes. All the duals are a must-watch. You can never miss one. I’m partial to ACC duals. I find all the team colors pleasant to my color-blind eyes. Shawn Kenney and Rock Harrison are a great duo, it’s just a vibe. You want a dark horse? I’ll give you Stevo Poulin. Because, why not? We know he’s talented. He made the blood round last year as a freshman. Is he ready to make the leap? Will he bring back the mohawk? Probably not. But he is a breakout candidate. New York has made it official and girls wrestling is going freestyle baby!! This now tips the scales in favor of New York over New Jersey. How will this decision trickle down to the rest of the country? Coach Matt Sganga Oh, you think you’re better than me? Maybe you are, I don’t know. It makes sense since the women wrestle freestyle in college. I can only imagine it helps the growth of women’s college wrestling since more wrestlers will now be acclimated to the style, thus, feeling more comfortable with competing at the next level. As we know, it’s a bit trickier to officiate a freestyle match than a folkstyle match. If New York proves that it can be done on such a large scale, I see no reason why it can’t catch on with other states. Is Penn State beatable in the NCAA tourney this year? Izman I doubt it. They’re carrying eight All-Americans as it is. Half of those guys have been in the finals. The other four have finished in the top five and are all finals contenders themselves now. March is a long way off but the numbers don’t lie. Iowa is clearly the closest contender and they will just have to try and beat them heads up. Or maybe Michigan has a better chance. Even though the Fightin’ Caels may run away with it, there are still plenty of good races to keep an eye on. Now that the TV schedule has been released, need your thoughts across the board on best matches, broadcasters, and Jagger Night. Nick Kosko, Voice of Rutgers Wrestling You mean other than Rutgers getting the shaft by not getting any National broadcasts at home? I get that it’s a tight schedule but the best you could do for America’s Team is an away dual against Penn State? On a Monday night? At the Bryce Jordan Center? All I’m saying is, the Scarlet Knights continue to pack the sandwich arena and deserve a chance to showcase that in front of a National audience. But that just means more time for Nick and Matt Howe to shine! Here in the Garden State, we’re all about hospitality. We don’t give you two random students who don’t know the difference between a dual and a game or a player and a wrestler. We would never insult you like that. We will give you the finger on the highway if you do something stupid. You take the good with the bad. Other than that, it’s what you'd expect from a schedule. I like seeing Cornell get some love when they face Ohio State on January 5th. Nebraska is a fun team and they have five dates, so I can dig on that. Who could Jagger foresee having an LA Knight-like run to megastardom during the college season? Rhino We’re not doing LA Knight this week, ok. I don’t even know who LA Knight is. But don’t sleep on Jude Swisher. That I do know. Well, I’m about to swish on out here and try to finish this abysmal binge of Suits that’s been going on for weeks. Nine Seasons! Deadwood got three! There’s no justice in this world.

After previewing the top 5 teams from last year’s NAIA Championships, let’s take a look at the next 5 that round out the top 10. 6. University of the Cumberlands (98 team points) The University of the Cumberlands fell just 4 points shy of a 5th place finish, however, they did improve two spots from their eighth-place finish in 2022. The Patriots finished with 5 All-Americans and will be returning 3 to the lineup next season. Their two All-Americans who graduated after last season were 2022 U23 World Silver Medalist Dymond Guilford, who claimed her 3rd NAIA championship title, and 4x All-American Jesse Kirby, who now serves as an assistant coach for the team. While losing Guilford could leave a notable gap in the lineup, the team has had consistent top 8 finishes and successful conference tournaments too. It is also notable that the Cumberlands program will now be led by head coach Sarah Allen. Allen still holds the title for winningest female wrestler in program history, and has served as an assistant coach for the past 6 years. Allen has played a role in the team’s recruitment of the incoming class, so we will see what she can accomplish in her inaugural year as head coach. 7. Central Methodist University (92.5 team points) Central Methodist had one of the most impressive jumps this past season going from a 24th-place finish in 2022, to 7th place in 2023. The team sent 9 wrestlers to the tournament and finished with 5 All-Americans, including one champ in Caitlyn Thorne. Caitlyn, a transfer last season from McKendree, breezed through the 116 lb bracket and capped off her tournament with a tech fall in the finals. She should be returning for her junior season with the Eagles and could easily impress again this year. Another impressive sophomore for the team was Jaycee Foeller who upset the no. 4 and no. 1 seed on her way to the championship finals. She ultimately dropped her final match to Grace Kristoff of Southern Oregon, who graduated after her 2023 season. While there is still a lot of talent at 191 lbs, Foeller seems to have what it takes to continue to compete for the top spot. Freshman Caitlyn Davis had another impressive tournament, finishing in 4th as the No. 3 seed. She took her first loss to Kaylynn Albrecht, who went on to become the champ. As a sophomore, I think Davis and a lot of the younger wrestlers have potential to improve on their finishes. I am also looking for CMU to qualify even more wrestlers for the tournament this year and continue to climb in team points as well. 8. Iowa Wesleyan (92.5 team points) Iowa Wesleyan is an interesting case because the school, including its athletic teams, closed this past year due to budgetary issues. However, I wanted to discuss a few wrestlers from this team and how they could impact the new programs they’ve transferred to. Most prominently is William Penn. After Iowa Wesleyan announced it was closing, coaches Jake Kadel and Cash Wilcke were hired on at William Penn. Soon after, U20 World Team member and 2x NAIA champ Adaugo Nwachukwu signed on as well. Mia Palumbo also announced her transfer to the school. Palumbo is a two-time NAIA championship finalist, losing both times to Peyton Prussin, who has now graduated. There are still several gaps in the lineup that will have to be filled in order to take William Penn from their 33rd place finish and 1 team point scored in 2023, to a top 10 finish. However, I would not put it past them to make an impressive jump like Central Methodist did last year, and really make some waves. 9. Texas Wesleyan (78.5 team points) Texas Wesleyan’s 9th place finish came from impressive performances by their 4 All-Americans, Camille Fournier, Lexie Basham, Mea Mohler, and Jasmine Sands. However, Sands is no longer on the roster for the upcoming season. The team will also be missing a big impact player in Lexie Basham. Basham was a 2x NAIA National Champ and a 2022 U23 world Team and Senior National Team member. It does appear that she will be sticking around, however, as a volunteer assistant coach for the team. Fournier and Mohler should both still be key difference makers in the lineup. Last year, Fournier came into the tournament ranked #4 at 116 lbs. and beat the #1 seed Ashley Gooman of the University of Providence to make it to the finals. While she did lose by tech in the finals to Caitlyn Thorne of Central Methodist, Fournier had a mix of dominant and gritty matches that paved her path to the finals. Additionally, Thorne recently transferred to Lindenwood and will compete in the NCWWC instead of the NAIA tournament, so while there is still a lot of talent at 116lbs, I could see Fournier making a return to the finals and taking it all the way this year. Mohler is in a similar scenario, coming in ranked #7 and beating the #10, #6 and #2 ranked wrestlers at 136 lbs. Of course, she then ran into Adaugo Nwachukwu, 2023 US Open Champion and U23 World Team member and ended up losing her finals match. Nwachukwu is probably the pound-for-pound best women’s college wrestler currently competing, and she has at least two more years she can compete. However, Mohler has the momentum to keep up her highly competitive college record and make it to the podium again. I do also want to mention a new addition to the lineup that I think could have an instant impact on the Rams’ season, Taydem Khamjoi. Khamjoi is was ranked 9th in the country at 132 lbs, and joins Texas Wesleyan as a freshman on the roster this year. Fans should look out for what she is capable of in her first year in college. 10. Campbellsville (66 team points) Rounding out the top 10 last season was Campbellsville with 66 team points from nine wrestlers that competed. Of the nine, 3 earned All-American status, with two finishing fourth. Although Campbellsville did not have any wrestlers in the top 3 or have 8 or 9 All-Americans like some other teams did, they are unique in that all of their competitors from last year’s NAIA championships are back again to wrestle this season. We discussed how some groups will have major gaps with five or more All-Americans leaving their rosters this season, but the Tigers will not find themselves with the same issues. Notably, their fourth-place finishers, Liliana Vergara and Emma Walker will be back again while some of the opponents they struggled against have since graduated. I could also see their 7th-place finisher, Kendra Thompson returning for an even stronger showing in this year’s tournament. Thompson showed a lot of grit wrestling back through the blood rounds after falling to Latifah McBryde from Life in the first round. As a grad student, I believe this will be her last year of eligibility, and I could see her continuing to use her momentum for an even higher All-American finish this time.

St. Michael

Seneca Valley

Welcome to a new running feature that we'll use to keep track of ex-wrestlers who are now competing in MMA. As more fights are agreed upon, they will be added to this article. Oct. 20 247 FC Gavin Teasdale vs. Lucas Seibert (West Virginia) – Grappling Oct. 21 UFC 294 (ESPN+/PPV) Kamaru Usman (Nebraska Kearney) vs. Khamzat Chimaev (Swedish national champ) Tim Elliott (Central Oklahoma) vs Muhammad Mokaev Oct. 22 Fury Challenger Series 8 (UFC Fight Pass) Anthony Cassar (Penn State) vs. John Gianatsio II Nov. 3 CFFC 127 (UFC Fight Pass) Jamelle Jones (Campbellsville) vs. Jesse Murray Nov. 3 LFA 171 (UFC Fight Pass) Geovanis Palacios (Cuba - Greco-Roman) vs. Gabriel Ramos Nov. 11 UFC 295 (ESPN/ESPN+ PPV) Stipe Miocic (Cleveland State) vs. Jon Jones (Iowa Central) Mark Madsen (Olympic silver in Greco for Denmark) vs. Jared Gordon Pat Sabatini (Rider) vs. Diego Lopes Nov. 17 Bellator 301 (Showtime/YouTube) Danny Sabatello (Purdue) vs. Raufeon Stots AJ McKee (Cerritos College) vs. Sidney Outlaw Ali Isaev (Euro Gold for Azerbaijan) vs. Daniel James Tyrell Fortune (Grand Canyon) vs. Marcelo Golm Archie Colgan (Wyoming) vs. Pieter Buist Nov. 18 UFC Fight Night (ESPN+) Michael Morales (Pan Am rep for Ecuador) vs. Jake Matthews Nick Aguirre (McKendree) vs. Payton Talbott Nov. 19 Anthony Pettis FC 9 Dillon Cox (Iowa Western) vs. Cody Linne Nov. 24 PFL 10 (PPV) Josh Silveira (Arizona State) vs. Impa Kasanganay Bubba Jenkins (Penn State/Arizona State) vs. Chris Wade Derek Brunson (UNC Pembroke) vs. Ray Cooper III

It's another day and another conversation with a Big Ten coach and Ryan Holmes. Today, Ryan speaks with Wisconsin head coach Chris Bono. The two talk about how All-Americans Eric Barnett and Dean Hamiti both have a chip on their shoulders after the end of the 2022-23 campaign. Bono also runs through the Badgers lineup and talks about some of the many possibilities in a young Wisconsin starting ten. Also discussed is the plan for Braxton Amos during his Olympic redshirt and how his NCAA tournament ended prematurely due to an injury. For the full interview: Click Here

Lake Highland Prep

Norwalk

What has become a preseason staple for us at InterMat, counting down the top 50 wrestlers for the upcoming season, is back for 2023-24. With a large chunk of sixth and seventh-year seniors gone, there is plenty of turnover from last year’s list to this one. That makes for a lot of fun and perhaps some spirited debates. Like last year, the third iteration of this feature will show five wrestlers at a time, counting down from #50 to #1. For each wrestler, we’ll have some basic information along with career highlights, and a brief analysis of their career (with an emphasis on last season), followed by an outlook for the upcoming season. Here are #31-35 #36-40 #41-45 #46-50 30) Jared Franek (Iowa) photo courtesy of Tony Rotundo; WrestlersAreWarriors.com Weight: 157 lbs Collegiate Achievements: 2023 NCAA 4th Place, 2023 Big 12 Champion 2022 Top-50 Ranking: Not Ranked After a couple of close calls, Jared Franek finally broke through and got onto the NCAA podium for the first time in 2023. In each of the previous two seasons, Franek was knocked out in the bloodround, one agonizing win shy of All-American status. In 2022-23, Franek suffered a loss to returning All-American Peyton Robb (Nebraska) in his first match and didn’t lose again until the NCAA Tournament. In between he reeled off 24 straight wins and claimed titles at the Southern Scuffle and the Big 12 Championships. Franek’s path to a Big 12 title featured three wins over wrestlers that had either already wrestled in the NCAA bloodround of would in 2023. One of them was Vinny Zerban (Northern Colorado), the wrestler Franek would beat in the Round of 12 to clinch his first All-American honor. He’d finish the year by defeating Robb to advance to the NCAA third-place bout. 2023-24 Outlook: Alongside fellow North Dakota State All-American, Michael Caliendo, Jared Franek left Fargo for Iowa City during the Bison coaching change. Franek starts the year ranked number two in the nation behind Big Ten champion and national finalist Levi Haines (Penn State). In fact, with Robb at number three, the top three all come from the Big Ten and both opponents Franek is slated to meet in dual competition. The transition to Iowa should fit Franek just fine as he has a style that is reminiscent of many modern-day Hawkeyes. 29) Lucas Davison (Michigan) photo courtesy of Tony Rotundo; WrestlersAreWarriors.com Weight: 285 lbs Collegiate Achievements: 2x NCAA All-American (5th, 6th), 4x Big Ten 5th Place 2022 Top-50 Ranking: #47 One of a foursome of past All-Americans that transferred into Michigan this offseason, Lucas Davison starts the 2023-24 season ranked higher than his other three teammates (#3). Davison started his collegiate career competing at 197 lbs, but has earned All-American honors in both of his seasons up at heavyweight. In 2022-23, Davison amassed a 27-6 record; however, five of his six losses came to opponents that will not (or may not; in Tony Cassioppi’s case) be back this season. It’s no secret that the Big Ten is brutal, but at 285 lbs for the past few years, it has been ridiculously deep. In fact, since Davison has wrestled at heavyweight 12 of his 15 losses have come to conference foes. As he’s ascended up the rankings and others have moved on, those B1G losses should be fewer and farther between. Last year, for the first time in his career, Davison posted a bonus point percentage above 30%. That total was helped by a career-high six falls. 2023-24 Outlook: Somehow, Davison has managed to place fifth in each of his four Big Ten appearances prior to this season. It’s hard to see him placing fifth again in 2024. One of those former opponents he doesn’t have to worry about anymore is Michigan’s Hodge Trophy winner, Mason Parris. Now presumably, the two will get to train together as the 2023 World bronze medalist competes out of the Cliff Keen Wrestling Club. It’s rare to see wrestlers in their sixth year significantly improve, but the change of scenery combined with the partners at Michigan and the CKWC, it’s very possible for Davison. To capture that elusive national title, Davison will likely need to go through a pair of wrestlers he’d yet to beat, Greg Kerkvliet (Penn State) and Wyatt Hendrickson (Air Force). He and Kerkvliet did not cross paths in 2022-23 and are again not slated to meet until potentially the Big Ten Tournament. 28) Shayne Van Ness (Penn State) photo courtesy of Tony Rotundo; WrestlersAreWarriors.com Weight: 149 lbs Collegiate Achievements: 2023 NCAA 3rd Place, 2023 Big Ten 4th Place 2022 Top-50 Ranking: Not Ranked One of the cornerstones of Penn State’s top-ranked recruiting Class from 2021, Shayne Van Ness, took the mat for the first time in 2022-23. Van Ness had a solid, but not spectacular, regular season losing four times, but really turned it on in Tulsa. In each of his first three NCAA bouts, Van Ness was trailing either late or by a significant margin and managed to battle back to get the win. Despite starting the tournament as the 12th seed, Van Ness advanced to the national semifinals, where he met Yianni Diakomihalis (Cornell), who was in the midst of his fourth title run. Van Ness pushed Diakomihalis to the brink, which is not accurately reflected in the 8-3 final score. After the semifinal loss, Van Ness bounced back to down fellow freshman, Caleb Henson (Virginia Tech) and multiple-time All-American Kyle Parco (Arizona State) to finish third in the country. 2023-24 Outlook: Stop me if you’ve seen this before but a Penn State freshman outwrestles his seed and uses that experience to start an excellent career in State College. It just feels like that is the way things are headed for Van Ness. With another year in the Nittany Lion wrestling room and a year of competition under his belt, the sky’s the limit for Van Ness. He’s the highest returning placewinner from 2023; however, he starts the year ranked second with the return of 2022 national runner-up Ridge Lovett (Nebraska). Van Ness and Lovett are set to square off in Penn State’s final Big Ten dual of the year in mid-February. 27) Rocky Elam (Missouri) Weight: 197 lbs Collegiate Achievements: 3x NCAA All-American (3rd, 4th, 5th), 2x Conference Champion (1x Big 12; 1x MAC) 2022 Top-50 Ranking: #34 Rocky Elam is one of only 16 wrestlers to be tabbed amongst the top-50 in each of the three years this feature has run and the only one in this group of five. After some early-season turmoil at 197 lbs, Elam spent some time as the top-ranked wrestler in the country at the weight. While Elam missed some time in the regular season (he only appeared in eight regular season matches), he was able to get on the NCAA podium for the third time and managed his highest finish, to date. He also claimed his first Big 12 title by outlasting eventual NCAA runner-up, Tanner Sloan (South Dakota State), in the conference finals. Through three years at Missouri, Elam has never redshirted and has compiled a 56-11 career record. 2023-24 Outlook: A pair of wrestlers that weren’t in the 2023 bracket have appeared at 197 lbs and occupy the top-two spots at this weight which, in turn, has bumped Elam down to fourth place in InterMat’s preseason rankings. There are also a pair of conference foes ranked directly above him. Elam is 2-2 career against Sloan, who comes in at #3, but only 1-3 against Stephen Buchanan (Oklahoma), with the lone win coming via injury default. Three-time NCAA champion Aaron Brooks (Penn State) has moved up from 184 and occupies the top spot. Even so, Brooks has been susceptible to a loss now and then. That’s a roundabout way of saying, Elam deserves his preseason ranking of #4, but also is fully capable of winning it all in March. He has big match experience with three past All-American finishes and a U20 world title to his name. 26) Aaron Nagao (Penn State) photo courtesy of Tony Rotundo; WrestlersAreWarriors.com Weight: 133 lbs Collegiate Achievements: 2023 NCAA 5th Place, 2023 Big Ten Runner-Up 2022 Top-50 Ranking: Not Ranked If we were to debate this list in the middle of last season, perhaps the most surprising name amongst the top-30 would be Aaron Nagao. The third-year redshirt freshman had a solid regular season, but nothing that indicated he’d make the Big Ten finals and give Roman Bravo-Young (Penn State) one of his toughest matches of the year, to date. To make the Big Ten title bout, Nagao had to defeat two-time All-American Lucas Byrd (Illinois) and eventual AA Jesse Mendez (Ohio State), both in sudden victory. At nationals, Nagao pushed RBY again before falling, 4-1. He earned All-American honors by majoring Zach Redding (Iowa State) and followed it by clinching a spot in the top-six by downing Kai Orine (NC State). Nagao finished his first year of official competition with a 4-0 shutout over Mendez in the NCAA fifth-place match. 2023-24 Outlook: After the 2022-23 season, Nagao transferred from Minnesota to Penn State. Now he’ll have the opportunity to train with Bravo-Young on a regular basis. Nagao is one of two returning All-Americans who transferred to State College in the offseason, giving the already-stacked PSU team a lineup that has no holes. Nagao starts the year ranked third in the nation at 133 lbs. He’s directly behind three-time national runner-up Daton Fix (Oklahoma State), who was responsible for two of his six losses last year. Nagao has emerged as one of the toughest wrestlers in the nation on top, so it’ll be interesting to see how much he improves working with the vaunted Penn State squad.

It’s that time of year again - the air gets colder, the leaves change color, and wrestling mats are rolled out. We’re about to dive into four of the schools in the Southern Conference. Last season, Appalachian State clinched another conference title, followed by Campbell then Chattanooga. Appalachian State Appalachian State returns starters at seven out of ten weights this year, following an undefeated conference season. The Mountaineers were 12-2 overall, recording losses to ACC foes NC State and Virginia Tech. Returning starters include national qualifier Ethan Oakley (133), reigning conference champion Tommy Askey (157), and runner-up Will Miller (174). Who can we hope to see step back out on the mat this season? None other than Sean Carter (133) who was faced with a season-ending injury during the Virginia Tech dual. Sophomore Carson Floyd (197) is another familiar face to look out for. As a freshman, he held a 24-9 record (7-1 in conference), was the Southern Conference Freshman of the Year, and a conference finalist. Varsity Gym will be home to four conference duals (The Citadel, VMI, Bellarmine*, Gardner-Webb), and will yet again host the Southern Conference Championship in Holmes Convocation Center on March 9. Another matchup you won’t want to miss? The first-ever showdown between App State and Cornell will take place in Boonetown on February 18 after the Bellarmine dual. Newly-minted assistant coach Hunter Richard, a Cornell alumnus, joins JohnMark Bentley’s coaching staff alongside returning assistants Jarrod Patterson and Randall Diabe. Preseason rankings: 133 - Sean Carter (12) 149 - Cody Bond (26) 157 - Tommy Askey (19) 197 - Carson Floyd (31) Davidson The Davidson Wildcats return this season with a new look and a new room, following rebranding and renovations to the wrestling facility unveiled in September. Nate Carr, Jr. will start his second year at the helm, alongside assistants Ty Eustice and Marcus Coleman. The ‘Cats finished their ’22-’23 campaign with a 1-7 conference record and 2-11 overall, recording wins over Presbyterian College (SoCon) and Queens University of Charlotte. Tanner Peake (157) returns to the mat this season, following a 15-4 record between 157 and 165-lb weight classes. Peake broke the mold when he became Davidson’s first conference finalist since 2019 - four years may not seem like long, but it’s a milestone nonetheless. Incoming freshmen to watch out for? At 141 lbs, we’ve got 5A Georgia state champ Tyler McKnight, 149 lbs, 3A North Carolina state champion Brock Carey, and at heavyweight, 2A North Carolina state champ DJ Spring II. Carr and company head home to Ames, Iowa where they’ll wrestle Iowa State on November 12. Notable duals for Davidson include: a home opener against Duke on December 8, and rematches against Bellarmine* (Feb 2) and The Citadel (Feb 11), hopeful to avenge last season’s losses against these programs. Preseason rankings: None ranked Chattanooga Chattanooga returns after a third-place season finish, where we should see four starters head back to the mat. National qualifier Brayden Palmer (133) will enter his third season with the Mocs, following a 22-8 season, where he had some stiff competition - beating Ramazan Attasauov (Iowa State) in the Southern Scuffle, and Joe Hellmann (Rutgers) in the first round of the national tournament. Noah Castillo (149) will be a top contender in the bracket as well, with his lone conference loss last season coming from Jon Jon Millner (App State). Others returning to the lineup this season include Logan Ashton (125), Lincoln Heck (157), and heavyweight Logan Andrew. The Mocs will open their season at home against Little Rock on December 16, with four conference home duals to follow (Davidson, The Citadel, Presbyterian, App State). As always, the Southern Scuffle will take place on January 1st and 2nd, the best way to kick off the New Year, in my professional opinion. Last but certainly not least, head coach Kyle Ruschell and assistant Kyle Massey welcome Devin Skatzka to the coaching staff. Skatzka comes to Chattanooga after coaching with Cornell for the past three years. Prior to that, he wrestled at Indiana and Minnesota, finishing his career with 102 career wins, four national tournament appearances and earned All-America status at 174. Preseason rankings: 133 - Brayden Palmer (10) 149 - Noah Castillo (33) Bellarmine The Knights had a phenomenal ’22-’23 campaign - 12-4 overall dual record, 4-4 in conference duals, and a first-place finish at the NCWA Championships. While Bellarmine is still unable to compete for the conference championship or send qualifiers to the NCAA Championships, the Knights are setting themselves up for success as they continue to transition into Division I competition. Bellarmine is set to host six events this season, which include four conference duals and the NCWA regional tournament in March. The Knights picked up conference wins against Davidson, VMI, The Citadel, and Presbyterian last season, much improved from ’21-’22’s lone conference win over Presbyterian College. Who should we watch this season? Well, I’m glad you asked. Jack Parker (125), Zac Cowan (149), Cole Nance (165) and Devan Hendricks (174) are all returning NCWA national champions. Heavyweight Thadd Huff, an NCWA runner-up, will also return this season. It’s pretty cool to watch schools improve and prepare for the transition to Division I competition. Other schools we’ll be on the lookout for as well include Lindenwood and Queens University of Charlotte. It’s awesome to get to grow the sport! *Bellarmine still is unable to compete for a conference championship or send qualifiers to NCAA Championships during their transition to Division I.

Indiana head coach Angel Escobedo sat down with Ryan Holmes to talk about all things Hoosier wrestling. The two discuss navigating the transfer portal, which this offseason has netted All-American Brayton Lee, originally an Indiana high school star. Escobedo points out some freshmen who have shined during the difficult transition to DI wrestling and talks about the development of Chad Red Jr. as an assistant coach. Finally, the pair talk rule changes, particularly the three-point takedown. For the full interview, Click Here