InterMat Staff

We’re less than a week away from the 2023 Senior World Championships, so it’s time to unveil our previews for the event. We’ll go in order of the competition and hit half of the weights one day and the other half the following day. The tournament will start off hot with the men’s freestyle competition and then move into women’s freestyle. In 2022, our women’s team came away with medals in seven of ten weights, including three gold medals. The transition from 2022 to 2023 saw the American squad lose a world champion (Tamyra Mensah-Stock) but gain another (the return of Adeline Gray). While everyone on the women’s side is always chasing Japan, this team has the potential to push the Japanese and defeat anyone else in the world. With that out of the way, here are the entries at each of the first five weights, along with some of their notable achievements, pre-seeds, information on the American entry, and 2022 medalists. 50kg Kseniya STANKEVICH (AIN - BLR) - 2x European Bronze Medalist Mariya STADNIK (AZE) - 4x Olympic Medalist (2nd x2, 3rd x2), 2x World Champion, 6x World Medalist Kamila BARBOSA (BRA) - 2021 World 18th Place Madison PARKS (CAN) - 2022 Pan-American Silver Medalist, 2021 World 7th Place Ziqi FENG (CHN) - 2023 Asian Bronze Medalist, 2019 U23 World Silver Medalist Alisson CARDOZO (COL) Yusneylis GUZMAN (CUB) - 2020 Olympic 12th Place, 2019 Pan-American Champion Jacqueline MOLLOCANA (ECU) - 2023 Pan-American Silver Medalist Julie SABATIE (FRA) - 2023 European 7th Place Paulina DUENAS (GUM) - 2023 Oceania Bronze Medalist Szimonetta SZEKER (HUN) - 2022 European U23 Silver Medalist Emanuela LIUZZI (ITA) - 2022 U23 World 5th Place Yui SUSAKI (JPN) - 2020 Olympic Gold Medalist, 3x World Champion Maral TANGIRBERGENOVA (KAZ) - 2022 U23 World 18th Place Emma WANGILA (KEN) - 2023 African Bronze Medalist Miseon KWON (KOR) Gabija DILYTE (LTU) - 2022 European U23 Bronze Medalist Otgonjargal DOLGORJAV (MGL) - 2x World Medalist (2,3) Veronika RYABOVOLOVA (MKD) - 2023 European 11th Place Miesinnei GENESIS (NGR) - 2022 World 5th Place, 4x African Champion Anna LUKASIAK (POL) - 2022 World Bronze Medalist, 2x European Bronze Medalist Emilia GRIGORE VUC (ROU) - 2x World Silver Medalist, 2x European Silver Medalist Polina LUKINA (AIN - RUS) - 2023 U20 World 5th Place, 2021 European U20 Champion Evin DEMIRHAN (TUR) - 2017 World Bronze Medalist, 2022 European Champion Oksana LIVACH (UKR) - 2018 World Bronze Medalist, 2019 European Champion Neelam SIROHI (UWW) - 2023 Asian U23 Champion, 2017 Cadet World Bronze Medalist Jasmina IMMAEVA (UZB) - 2x Asian Silver Medalist, 2022 World 8th Place 50 kg Pre-Seeds #1 Yui SUSAKI (JPN) #2 Sarah HILDEBRANDT (USA) #3 Otgonjargal DOLGORJAV (MGL) #4 Ziqi FENG (CHN) #5 Anna LUKASIAK (POL) #6 Madison PARKS (CAN) #7 Jasmina IMMAEVA (UZB) #8 Miesinnei GENESIS (NGR) Past World/Olympic Medalists (Senior Level Only): (8) Mariya Stadnik (AZE), Yui Susaki (JPN), Otgonjargal Dolgorjav (MGL), Anna Lukasiak (POL), Emilia Grigore Vuc (ROU), Evin Demirhan (TUR), Sarah Hildebrandt (USA), Oksana Livach (UKR) The American Entry: Sarah Hildebrandt We start off with one of the most star-studded weights in the entire women’s tournament. At only 24 years old, Yui Susaki has proven to be one of the sport’s all-time greats with four World/Olympic titles already on the Senior level (and counting). American Sarah Hildebrandt has been a mainstay for the United States. In the last eight years, the only time that Hildebrandt missed out on a World/Olympic team appearance was in 2017 when she suffered a gruesome elbow injury. Since moving down to 50 kg for the 2020(1) Olympics, Hildebrandt has medaled at every world/Olympic level tournament. She has a total of four to her name but is still seeking that elusive gold. Hildebrandt will enter as the second seed, with Susaki as the first. Hildebrandt got onto the 2023 world team after taking down upstart Audrey Jimenez in Final X. She has proven to be the most dominant wrestler in the history of Final X. Across four series’, Hildebrandt has not surrendered a single point and outscored her competition 64-0. After winning at Final X, Hildebrandt went to Hungary and prevailed over a talented field. 2022 World Championship Medalists Gold: Yui Susaki (Japan) Silver: Otgonjargal Dolgorjav (Mongolia) Bronze: Sarah Hildebrandt (USA) Bronze: Anna Lukasiak (Poland) 53kg Vanesa KALADZINSKAYA (AIN - BLR) - 2020 Olympic Bronze Medalist, 2012 World Champion, 2x European Champion Elnura MAMMADOVA (AZE) - 2023 European 5th Place, 2022 European U23 Silver Medalist Samantha STEWART (CAN) - 2021 World Bronze Medalist, 2016 Pan-American Champion Qianyu PANG (CHN) - 2020 Olympic Silver Medalist, 2x World Bronze Medalist, 2x Asian Champion Nogona BAKAYOKO (CIV) - 2x African Silver Medalist Sandy PARRA (COL) - 2022 Pan-American 7th Place Lucia YEPEZ (ECU) - 2x U23 World Finalist (1,2), 2022 World 5th Place, 2020 Olympic 8th Place Tatiana DEBIEN (FRA) - 2023 European Bronze Medalist, 2022 Senior World 13th Place Annika WENDLE (GER) - 2x European Bronze Medalist, 2x World 9th Place Maria PREVOLARAKI (GRE) - 3x World Bronze Medalist, 4x European Silver Medalist Mia AQUINO (GUM) - 3x Oceania Champion Sztalvira ORSUS (HUN) – 3x European Champion, 2020 Olympic 10th Place Akari FUJINAMI (JPN) - 2021 World Champion, 2x Asian Champion Altyn SHAGAYEVA (KAZ) - 2022 U20 World Silver Medalist, 2023 Asian 8th Place Jeongbin OH (KOR) - 2020 Asian 10th Place Vestina DANISEVICIUTE (LTU) Iulia LEORDA (MDA) - 2x World Silver Medalist, 2022 European Bronze Medalist Karla ACOSTA (MEX) - 2x Pan-American Bronze Medalist Otgonjargal GANBAATAR (MGL) - 2017 U23 World Bronze Medalist, 2022 Asian Silver Medalist Christianah OGUNSANYA (NGR) - 2023 African Champion Roksana ZASINA (POL) - 2017 World Bronze Medalist, 2013 European Champion Andreea ANA (ROU) - 2x European Champion, 2x U23 World Medalist (1,3), 2x World 7th Place Natalia MALYSHEVA (AIN - RUS) - 2017 European Silver Medalist, 2014 Junior World Champion Mama SAMBOU (SEN) Ahinsa PORUTHOTAGE (SRI) - 2022 U23 World 5th Place Jonna MALMGREN (SWE) - 2x European Champion, 2021 U20 World Champion, 2022 World 5th Place Tuba DEMIR (TUR) - 2022 U20 World Bronze Medalist, 2022 European U20 Champion Liliya HORISHNA (UKR) - 2019 European Silver Medalist, 2x European U23 Champion ANTIM (UWW) - 2x U20 World Champion, 2022 Asian U20 Champion Aktenge KEUNIMJAEVA (UZB) - 3x Asian Champion, 2018 Junior World Silver Medalist, 2022 Asian U23 Champion Betzabeth ARGUELLO (VEN) - 4x Pan-American Bronze Medalist, 2016 Olympic 5th Place 53 kg Pre-Seeds #1 Lucia YEPEZ (ECU) #2 Dominique PARRISH (USA) #3 Jonna MALMGREN (SWE) #4 Maria PREVOLARAKI (GRE) #5 Iulia LEORDA (MDA) #6 Sztalvira ORSUS (HUN) #7 Karla ACOSTA MARTINEZ (MEX) #8 Akari FUJINAMI (JPN) Past World/Olympic Medalists (Senior Level Only): (8) Vanesa Kaladzinskaya (AIN - Belarus), Samantha Stewart (CAN), Qianyu Pang (CHN), Maria Prevolaraki (GRE), Akari Fujinami (JPN), Iulia Leorda (MDA), Roksana Zasina (POL), Dom Parrish (USA) The American Entry: Dom Parrish The first two women’s weights are Olympic weights so 53 kg is about as equally loaded as 50 kg. The main difference is that there isn’t a multiple-time world champion like Yui Susaki hovering over this bracket. The returning world champion is Dom Parrish, who made her first world team appearance in 2022 and came through in a big way. Parrish dominated in her two opening bouts, then had to grit out wins in the semis and finals. In order to make her second world team, Parrish had to go through young star Katie Gomez. Gomez didn’t prove to be that tall of a task, as Parrish prevailed by fall in the opening bout and won via a 5-0 shutout in the second contest. Internationally, Parrish has had a rough go of it in 2023. She wrestled in a pair of Ranking Series events but finished 11th and 22nd. She then was fifth at the Pan-American Championships and in Hungary. Parrish’s 2022 tournament helped her earn the second seed. With the depth of this weight and the number of past medalists that are likely to start unseeded, she should get tested early and often. 2022 World Championship Medalists Gold: Dom Parrish (USA) Silver: Khulan Batkhuyag (Mongolia) Bronze: Vinesh Phogat (India) Bronze: Maria Prevolaraki (Greece) 55kg Aryna MARTYNAVA (AIN - BEL) Karla GODINEZ (CAN) - 2022 World Bronze Medalist, 2022 Pan-American Champion Min ZHANG (CHN) - 2023 Asian Champion Tetiana PROFATILOVA (FRA) - 2021 U23 World 7th Place, 2017 World Bronze Medalist Anastasia BLAYVAS (GER) - 2022 U23 World Bronze Medalist, 2023 European U23 Bronze Medalist Erika BOGNAR (HUN) - 2023 European Silver Medalist, 2022 U23 World 9th Place Haruna OKUNO (JPN) - 3x U23 World Champion, 2018 World Champion Marina SEDNEVA (KAZ) - 2x U23 World Bronze Medalist, 2x Junior World Medalist (2,3), 2019 World 5th Place Emily WANYAMA (KEN) Laura STANELYTE (LTU) - 2023 European 8th Place Mariana DRAGUTAN (MDA) - 2022 World 5th Place, 2022 European Bronze Medalist, 2022 European U23 Champion Otgontuya CHINBOLD (MGL) - 2023 Asian Silver Medalist Katarzyna KRAWCZYK (POL) - 2021 World Bronze Medalist, 4x European Bronze Medalist, 2016 Olympic 9th Place Ekaterina POLESHCHUK (AIN - RUS) - 2019 World Bronze Medalist, 2017 U23 World Bronze Medalist, 2021 European Bronze Medalist Melda DERNEKCI (TUR) - 2023 European U23 7th Place, 2x U20 World 5th Place Mariia VYNNYK (UKR) - 2x European U23 Bronze Medalist, 2019 U23 World 5th Place Neha SHARMA (UWW) - 2023 U17 World Bronze Medalist, 2023 Asian U17 Champion Shokhida AKHMEDOVA (UZB) - 2x Asian 5th Place, 2023 Asian U23 Bronze Medalist 55 kg Pre-Seeds #1 Karla GODINEZ (CAN) #2 Jacarra WINCHESTER (USA) #3 Marina SEDNEVA (KAZ) #4 Mariana DRAGUTAN (MDA) #5 Erika BOGNAR (HUN) #6 Shokhida AKHMEDOVA (UZB) #7 Mariia VYNNYK (UKR) #8 Otgontuya CHINBOLD (MGL) Past World/Olympic Medalists (Senior Level Only): (5) Karla Godinez (CAN), Haruna Okuno (JPN), Katarzyna Krawczyk (POL), Ekaterina Poleshchuk (AIN - RUS), Jacarra Winchester (USA) The American Entry: Jacarra Winchester 2019 World Champion Jacarra Winchester is on a quest to get back to the top of the world podium after coming up just short in the years that followed. Winchester has been extremely consistent during her world-level appearances, despite 2019 being the only time she came away with a medal. In every other World/Olympic opportunity, Winchester has fallen in a bronze medal match. Last year, Winchester was pinned by her Chinese counterpart while leading in the medal-round matchup. To get on the 2023 team, Winchester had to wrestle at the US Open or World Team Trials since she was not a 2022 medalist. Winchester did not participate at the Open, but won the Trials to set up a Final X series with Alisha Howk. Howk wasn’t able to hang with Winchester and the result was a pair of shutout’s via tech. There are signs that Winchester may be ready for another world title run as she won a pair of international tournaments in 2023. 2022 World Championship Medalists Gold: Mayu Mukaida (Japan) Silver: Oleksandra Khomenes (Ukraine) Bronze: Mengyu Xie (China) Bronze: Karla Godinez-Gonzalez (Canada) 57 kg Iryna KURACHKINA (AIN - BEL) - 2020 Olympic Silver Medalist, 2x World Bronze Medalist, 2x European Champion Zhala ALIYEVA (AZE) - 2022 World 5th Place, 2023 European Silver Medalist Giullia PENALBER (BRA) Evelina NIKOLOVA (BUL) - 2020 Olympic Bronze Medalist, 2015 World Bronze Medalist, 2x European Silver Medalist Hannah TAYLOR (CAN) - 2x U23 World Bronze Medalist, 2x Pan-American Silver Medalist Kexin HONG (CHN) - 2023 Asian U23 Champion Andrea GONZALEZ (COL) - 2022 Pan-American 5th Place Luisa VALVERDE (ECU) - 2021 World 5th Place, 2023 Pan-American Champion Jacqueline HERNANDEZ (ESA) Graciela SANCHEZ (ESP) Mathilde RIVIERE (FRA) - 2017 World 5th Place, 2017 European Bronze Medalist Sandra PARUSZEWSKI (GER) - 2x European Bronze Medalist, 2021 World 8th Place Rckaela AQUINO (GUM) - 4x Oceania Champion Ramona GALAMBOS (HUN) - 2019 European U23 Champion, 2016 World 5th Place, 2x Junior World Medalist (2,3) Aurora RUSSO (ITA) - 2023 U20 World Champion, 2x U23 World Medalist (1,2), 2023 European U23 5th Place Tsugumi SAKURAI (JPN) - 2x World Champion, 2022 Asian Champion Ainur ASHIMOVA (KAZ) - 2021 U23 World 5th Place Mary NALIAKA (KEN) Kalmira BILIMBEKOVA (KGZ) - 2x U20 World Medalist (2,3), 2023 Asian Bronze Medalist Youngjin KWON (KOR) - 2021 Asian 5th Place Anastasia NICHITA (MDA) - 2022 World Champion, 3x European Champion Alma VALENCIA (MEX) - 2022 Pan-American Silver Medalist Erdenesuvd BAT ERDENE (MGL) - 2023 Asian 5th Place, 2022 World 5th Place Odunayo ADEKUOROYE (NGR) - 3x World Medalist (2,3 x2) 6x African Champion Anhelina LYSAK (POL) - 2022 World Bronze Medalist, 2x U23 World Medalist (1,3), 2021 European Silver Medalist Nes RODRIGUEZ (PUR) - 2020 Pan-American Silver Medalist Kateryna ZHYDACHEVSKA (ROU) - 2021 European Bronze Medalist Olga KHOROSHAVTSEVA (AIN - RUS) - 2019 World Bronze Medalist, 2x European Champion Marija IGNJATOVIC (SRB) Evelina HULTHEN (SWE) - 2022 World 7th Place Elvira KAMALOGLU (TUR) - 2022 U23 World Bronze Medalist, 2022 European U23 Champion Alina HRUSHYNA AKOBIIA (UKR) - 2022 World Bronze Medalist, 3x U23 World Medalist (1,2,3), 2x European Champion Helen MAROULIS (USA) - 2x Olympic Medalist (1,3), 3x World Champion, 6x World Medalist Sarita MOR (UWW) - 2021 World Bronze Medalist, 2x Asian Champion Laylokhon SOBIROVA (UZB) - 2023 Asian Silver Medalist, 2022 World 8th Place Betzabeth SARCO (VEN) - 3x Pan-American Bronze Medalist 57 kg Pre-Seeds #1 Alina HRUSHYNA AKOBIIA (UKR) #2 Helen MAROULIS (USA) #3 Tsugumi SAKURAI (JPN) #4 Giullia PENALBER (BRA) #5 Laylokhon SOBIROVA (UZB) #6 Anhelina LYSAK (POL) #7 Zhala ALIYEVA (AZE) #8 Luisa VALVERDE (ECU) Past World/Olympic Medalists (Senior Level Only): (10) Iryna Kurachkina (AIN - BEL), Evelina Nikolova (BUL), Tsugumi Sakurai (JPN), Anastasia Nichita (MDA), Odunayo Adekuoroye (NGR), Anhelina Lysak (POL), Olga Khoroshavtseva (AIN - RUS), Alina Hrushyna(UKR), Helen Maroulis (USA), Sarita Mor (UWW - India) The American Entry: Helen Maroulis A total of three past world champions and ten Senior world medalists highlight this weight class. American legend Helen Maroulis will attempt to add to her Hall of Fame legacy with yet another world medal. Maroulis will be participating in her 11th world team event and has three world titles and six world medals, to go along with her Olympic gold and bronze. The main opponent capable of stopping Maroulis from earning world title #4 and medal seven is her own body. Maroulis wasn’t able to compete in June during Final X and had to delay her wrestle-off with Xochitl Mota-Pettis by two months. Maroulis looked like her typical self during the wrestle-off winning the first bout 10-0 and the second with a first-period fall. We do have to harken back to 2018 when Maroulis had a delayed world team wrestle-off and then was injured in her opening match at World’s. With an Olympic year on the horizon, this 57 kg weight class is absolutely loaded, so there will be no shortage of able contenders pushing Maroulis if she’s not 100%. If she is, we could see a 2022 world finals rematch in the semifinals with Tsugumi Sakurai and perhaps a different result this time. 2022 World Championship Medalists Gold: Tsugumi Sakurai (Japan) Silver: Helen Maroulis (USA) Bronze: Anhelina Lysak (Poland) Bronze: Alina Hrushyna (Ukraine) 59kg Krystsina SAZYKINA (AIN - BLR) - 2021 U23 World Bronze Medalist, 2021 World 9th Place Alyona KOLESNIK (AZE) - 3x European Bronze Medalist, 2x World 10th Place Dzhanan MANOLOVA (BUL) - 2015 World Bronze Medalist, 2x European Bronze Medalist Laurence BEAUREGARD (CAN) - 2x Pan-American Champion, 2022 World 13th Place Qi ZHANG (CHN) - 2x World 5th Place, 2019 Asian Bronze Medalist Maria BAEZ (ESP) Elena BRUGGER (GER) - 2x European Bronze Medalist, 3x Age Group Bronze Medalist (U23/Junior/Cadet) Laralei GANDAOLI (GUM) - 2023 Oceania Silver Medalist Tamara DOLLAK (HUN) - 2022 European Bronze Medalist Sae NANJO (JPN) - 2021 World Bronze Medalist, 2x U23 World Champion, 2x Junior World Champion Diana KAYUMOVA (KAZ) - 2022 Asian U23 Silver Medalist Susana LOZANO (MEX) - 2022 U23 World 8th Place Bolortuya KHURELKHUU (MGL) - 2020 Olympic 10th Place, 2021 Asian Silver Medalist Othelie HOEIE (NOR) - 2023 European Bronze Medalist, 2021 U23 5th Place Jowita WRZESIEN (POL) - 2022 World Bronze Medalist, 2022 European Silver Medalist Svetlana LIPATOVA (AIN - RUS) - 2018 World 5th Place, 2019 European Silver Medalist JOVANA RADIVOJEVIC (SRB) Siwar BOUSETA (TUN) - 2023 African Champion, 2022 U23 World 5th Place Mehlika OZTURK (TUR) Yuliia TKACH (UKR) - 2014 World Champion, 4x World Medalist, 3x European Champion, 3x Olympian ANJLI (UWW) - 2023 Asian Champion 59 kg Pre-Seeds #1 Jowita WRZESIEN (POL) #2 Diana KAYUMOVA (KAZ) #3 Yuliia TKACH (UKR) #4 Qi ZHANG (CHN) #5 Alyona KOLESNIK (AZE) #6 Othelie HOEIE (NOR) #7 Siwar BOUSETA (TUN) #8 Jennifer Page (USA) Past World/Olympic Medalists (Senior Level Only): (4) Dzhanan Manolova (BUL), Sae Nanjo (JPN), Jowita Wrzesien (POL), Yuliia Tkach (UKR) The American Entry: Jennifer Page The should be a totally “new look” 59 kg weight class as three of the four 2022 medalists (and both finalists) are not entered here. This weight will also be “new look” from the American standpoint as Jennifer Page is a first-timer. She’s the only first-time world team member from the first five weights. Page lost a shootout to Adaugo Nwachukwo in the US Open finals at 62 kg in April. With Kayla Miracle already in Final X at the weight, Nwachukwo rounded out the Final X matchup. With that in mind, Page moved down to 59 kg for the World Team Trials. That proved to be a sound decision as Page downed 2021 World Team member Maya Nelson to earn her spot in Final X. At Final X, Page had little trouble with US Open champion Michaela Beck and cruised to a pair of 11-0 techs to close an improbable run to the world team. Shortly after her Final X win, Page went to Hungary and prevailed in a round-robin weight class that saw her win all of her matches via an 11-0 score. Provided the pre-seeds hold up, Page could be paired with 2022 world medalist and top-seeded, Jowita Wrzesien (Poland) in the quarterfinals. Though Wrzesien has the hardware to her name, I’d expect it to be an even matchup. 2022 World Championship Medalists Gold: Anastasia Nichita (Moldova) Silver: Grace Bullen (Norway) Bronze: Jowita Wrzesien (Poland) Bronze: Sakura Motoki (Japan)

Aurora Christian

Saturday is the day that the 2023 World Championships kick off. In college wrestling (and college sports), one of the hottest topics is the transfer portal. This isn’t necessarily a new phenomenon for international wrestling as transfers have been relatively prevalent for some time now. While researching for previews, we’ve looked through the entries and found wrestlers slated to compete at the World Championships who have transferred at some point during their international careers. Those transfers are below and sorted by weight class and style. Each wrestlers has the current country they represent first and their previous country second (first/second). 57 kg Men’s Freestyle Zelimkhan Abakarov (Albania/Russia) Darian Cruz (Puerto Rico/USA) Levan Metreveli Vartanov (Spain/Georgia) 61 kg Men’s Freestyle Stevan Micic (Serbia/USA) Nikolai Okhlopkov (Romania/Russia) Georgii Okorokov (Australia/Russia) Joey Silva (Puerto Rico/USA) 65 kg Men’s Freestyle Khamzat Arsamerzouev (France/Azerbaijan) Islam Dudaev (Albania/Russia) Josh Finesilver (Israel/USA) Austin Gomez (Mexico/USA) Iszmail Muszukajev (Hungary/Russia) Colin Realbuto (Italy/USA) Sebastian Rivera (Puerto Rico/USA) 70 kg Men’s Freestyle Victor Voinovich (Serbia/USA) 74 kg Men’s Freestyle Cesar Alvan (Brazil/USA) Malik Amine (San Marino/USA) Magomedrasul Asluev (Bahrain/Russia) Arsalan Budazhapov (Kyrgyzstan/Russia) Hetik Cabolov (Serbia/Russia) Frank Chamizo (Italy/Cuba) Mitch Finesilver (Israel/USA) Shane Jones (Puerto Rico/USA) Murad Kurammagomedov (Hungary/Russia) Tajmuraz Salkazanov (Slovakia/Russia) Iakub Shikhdzhamalov (Romania/Russia) Anthony Valencia (Mexico/USA) Anthony Wesley (Cape Verde/USA) 79 kg Men’s Freestyle Zaur Efendiev (Serbia/Russia) Akhsarbek Gulaev (Slovakia/Russia) Ahmad Magomedov (North Macedonia/Russia) 86 kg Men’s Freestyle Abubakr Abakarov (Azerbaijan/Russia) Myles Amine (San Marino/USA) Matt Finesilver (Israel/USA) Taimuraz Friev (Spain/Russia) Rakhim Magamadov (France/Russia) Boris Makoev (Slovakia/Russia) Ethan Ramos (Puerto Rico/USA) Javrail Shapiev (Uzbekistan/Russia) Noel Torres (Mexico/USA) 92 kg Men’s Freestyle Ermak Kardanov (Slovakia/Russia) Akhmed Magamaev (Bulgaria/Russia) 97 kg Men’s Freestyle Ahmed Bataev (Bulgaria/Russia) Vlagyiszlav Bajcajev (Hungary/Russia) Ben Honis (Italy/USA) Magomed Ibragimov (Uzbekistan/Russia) Max Lacey (Costa Rica/USA) Magomedgadji Nurov (North Macedonia/Russia) 125 kg Men’s Freestyle Abraham Conyedo Ruano (Italy/Cuba) Giorgi Meshvildishvili (Azerbaijan/Georgia) Magomedgadzhi Nurasulov (Serbia/Russia) Jonovan Smith (Puerto Rico/USA) 60 kg Greco-Roman Ibrahim Bunduka (Sierra Leone/USA) Marat Garipov (Brazil/Kazakhstan) Ildar Hafizov (USA/Uzbekistan) 63 kg Greco-Roman Abu Amaev (Bulgaria/Russia) Georgi Tibilov (Serbia/Russia) 67 kg Greco-Roman Nestor Almanza (Chile/Cuba) 72 kg Greco-Roman Ali Arsalan (Serbia/Iran) Ibrahim Ghanem (France/Egypt) Zaur Kabaloev (Italy/Russia) 82 kg Greco-Roman Aker Schmid Al Oabidi (Austria/Iraq) Idris Ibaev (Germany/Russia) 87 kg Greco-Roman Alex Bjurberg Kessidis (Sweden/Greece) Semen Sergeevich (Bulgaria/Ukraine) 97 kg Greco-Roman Rustam Assakalov (Uzbekistan/Russia) Mihail Kajaia (Serbia/Georgia) Nikoloz Kakhelashvili (Italy/Georgia) 130 kg Greco-Roman Yasmani Acosta Fernandez (Chile/Cuba) Eduard Soghomonyan (Brazil/Armenia) 50 kg Women’s Freestyle Mariya Stadnik (Azerbaijan/Ukraine) 53 kg Women’s Freestyle Sztalvira Orsus (Hungary/Russia) 57 kg Women’s Freestyle Anhelina Lysak (Poland/Ukraine) Sandra Paruszewski (Germany/Poland) 62 kg Women’s Freestyle Alexis Gomez (Mexico/USA) Elis Manolova (Azerbaijan/Bulgaria)

We’re less than a week away from the 2023 Senior World Championships, so it’s time to unveil our previews for the event. We’ll go in order of the competition and hit half of the weights one day and the other half the following day. The tournament will start off hot with the men’s freestyle competition. In 2022, our team earned medals at eight of ten weights; half of which were gold. That performance propelled the American squad to a team title, as well. Will the 2023 team be able to repeat? This year’s team is extremely talented, however, six of the ten representatives will be wrestling in their first Senior World Championships. The elephant in the room is whether or not perennial power Russia will be able to compete. As of noon on September 12th, Russia has submitted entries. In order for the Russian team to wrestle, there will need to be third-party checks done on each team member before September 15th. For the sake of this preview, they have been included; however, this is a fluid situation and they may be a last-minute scratch as the tournament starts Saturday. With that out of the way, here are the entries at each of the last five weights, along with some of their notable achievements, pre-seeds, information on the American entry, and 2022 medalists. Here is Part One of our Men's Freestyle Preview (57kg-74kg) 79 kg Andrei KARPACH (AIN - BLR) - 2018 European Bronze Medalist Chems FETAIRIA (ALG) - 2022 African Champion Francisco KADIMA (ANG) - 2x African Bronze Medalist Arman AVAGYAN (ARM) - 2x U23 World Bronze Medalist, 3x European 5th Place Orkhan ABASOV (AZE) - 2021 European U23 Silver Medalist, 2x Junior World Bronze Medalist Mihail GEORGIEV (BUL) - 2019 European U23 Bronze Medalist Jasmit PHULKA (CAN) - 2023 Pan-American Silver Medalist Peilong LI (CHN) Vladimeri GAMKRELIDZE (GEO) - 2022 U23 World Champion, 2x European U23 Medalist (2,3) Sachin MOR (IND) Mohammad NOKHODI (IRI) - 2x World Silver Medalist, 2019 U23 World Silver Medalist Yuto MIWA (JPN) Bolat SAKAYEV (KAZ) - 2023 Asian Champion, 2018 World 7th Place Gunwoo LEE (KOR) - 2023 Asian 11th Place Alans AMIROVS (LAT) - 2021 European Bronze Medalist Raul PALACIOS (MEX) Byambadorj BAT ERDENE (MGL) - 2019 U23 World Bronze Medalist Stefan DIMITROV (MKD) Krisztian BIRO (ROU) - 2023 European U23 Bronze Medalist Akhmed Usmanov (AIN - RUS) - 2016 Junior World Silver Medalist Zaur EFENDIEV (SRB) - 2021 World 21st Place Akhsarbek GULAEV (SVK) - 2021 European Champion, 2017 U23 World Silver Medalist Shuhrat BOZOROV (TJK) - 2023 Asian 5th Place Gurbanmyrat OVEZBERDIYEV (TKM) - 2022 Asian 5th Place Ramazan SARI (TUR) - 2x U23 World Medalist (2,3) Vasyl MYKHAILOV (UKR) - 2023 European Champion, 2022 World Bronze Medalist Iman MAHDAVI (UWW) - 2023 European 12th Place 79 kg Pre-Seeds #1 Mohammad NOKHODI (IRI) #2 Vladimeri GAMKRELIDZE (GEO) #3 Arman AVAGYAN (ARM) #4 Chandler MARSTELLER (USA) #5 Bolat SAKAYEV (KAZ) #6 Akhsarbek GULAEV (SVK) #7 Deepak DEEPAK (IND) #8 Peilong LI (CHN) Past World/Olympic Medalists (Senior Level Only): (2) Mohammad Nokhodi (IRI), Vasyl Mykhailov (UKR) The American Entry: Chance Marsteller One of the shockers from Final X was Chance Marsteller ousting Jordan Burroughs from his perch atop the 79 kg weight class. Not only domestically, but internationally. Burroughs had won each of the last two world titles at the weight. Marsteller’s win was far from a fluke and he could have won all three of their matches in Newark, aside from a controversial penalty point for a singlet pull in the first bout. Marsteller’s ascension to the top of the 79 kg weight class is one of perseverance. Once considered the top wrestler in the high school Class of 2014 (one that included Kyle Snyder), Marsteller transferred from Oklahoma State to Lock Haven and earned All-American honors, all the while battling addiction issues in college and afterward. Now Marsteller is fulfilling the potential that most saw in him over a decade ago. Marsteller earned the opportunity to wrestle Burroughs in Final X after grinding through a loaded US Open bracket that included wins over David McFadden and Alex Dieringer. After locking up his spot on the world team, Marsteller wrestled in the Hungarian Ranking Series event and suffered a 10-0 loss to Burrough’s finals opponent from 2021 and 2022, Mohammad Nokhodilarimi (Iran). Marsteller rebounded to take bronze after downing 2018 World silver medalist Avtandil Kentchadze (Georgia). 2022 World Championship Medalists Gold: Jordan Burroughs (USA) Silver: Mohammad Nokhodilarimi (Iran) Bronze: Arslan Budazhapov (Kyrgyzstan) Bronze: Vasil Mikhailov (Ukraine) 86 kg Rasul TSIKHAYEU (AIN) - 2020 European Bronze Medalist Jayden LAWRENCE (AUS) - 4x Oceania Champion Benjamin GREIL (AUT) - 2023 European 8th Place, 2022 World 13th Place Abubakr ABAKAROV (AZE) - 2021 World Bronze Medalist, 2022 European Silver Medalist Magomed SHARIPOV (BRN) - 2023 Asian Bronze Medalist Ilia HRISTOV (BUL) - 2022 European U23 Bronze Medalist Alexander MOORE (CAN) - 2023 Pan-American Silver Medalist, 2019 U23 World 8th Place Zushen LIN (CHN) - 2023 Asian 5th Place, 2020 Olympic 7th Place Carlos IZQUIERDO (COL) - 2x Pan-American Bronze Medalist, 2020 Olympic 12th Place Matteo MONTEIRO (CPV) - 2023 African 7th Place Yurieski TORREBLANCA (CUB) - 2017 World 8th Place, 4x Pan-American Champion Taimuraz FRIEV (ESP) - 2018 World Bronze Medalist Aimar ANDRUSE (EST) - 2022 World 13th Place Rakhim MAGAMADOV (FRA) - 2x U20 World Champion Tariel GAPHRINDASHVILI (GEO) - 2019 U23 World Champion Lars SCHAEFLE (GER) - 2023 European 9th Place, 2021 U23 World Bronze Medalist Patrik PUESPOEKI (HUN) - 2022 World 25th Place Sandeep Singh MANN (IND) - 2021 Asian 7th Place Hassan YAZDANI (IRI) - 2x Olympic Medalist (1,2), 3x World Champion Matthew FINESILVER (ISR) - 2023 European 5th Place William RAFFI (ITA) - 2x European U23 10th Place Erzo ISAKOV (JOR) - 2023 Asian U23 6th Place Hayato ISHIGURO (JPN) - 2019 U23 World Bronze Medalist, 2018 Junior World Champion, 2023 Asian Bronze Medalist Azamat DAULETBEKOV (KAZ) - 2022 World Bronze Medalist, 2017 U23 World Silver Medalist, 2x Asian Champion Mark ONGUYESI (KEN) - 2021 World 25th Place Narbek IZABEKOV (KGZ) Deakyu KANG (KOR) Ivars SAMUSONOKS (LAT) - 2021 U23 World Bronze Medalist, 2x European 5th Place Domantas PAULIUSCENKO (LTU) - 2023 European 16th Place Roman MANITRA RAHARISON (MAD) - 2023 African 5th Place Sofiane PADIOU BELMIR (MAR) - 2023 African 5th Place Ivan ICHIZLI (MDA) - 2022 U23 World Bronze Medalist Noel TORRES (MEX) Bat Erdene BYAMBASUREN (MGL) - 2023 Asian 7th Place Dejan MITROV (MKD) - 2022 World 14th Place Muhammad INAM (PAK) - 2015 Asian 5th Place Sebastian JEZIERZANSKI (POL) - 2x European Bronze Medalist, 2022 World 5th Place Ethan RAMOS (PUR) - 2022 World 5th Place Andrei FRANT (ROU) Arslan BAGAEV (AIN - RUS) - 2019 Cadet World Silver Medalist Myles AMINE (SMR) - 2020 Olympic Bronze Medalist, 2022 European Champion Sanjith BAPTIST (SRI) Stefan REICHMUTH (SUI) - 2019 World Bronze Medalist Boris MAKOEV (SVK) - 2x World Medalist (2,3), 2020 European Bronze Medalist Yanaal BARAZE (SYR) Dovletmyrat ORAZGYLYJOV (TKM) - 2018 U23 World Bronze Medalist, 2019 Asian U23 Silver Medalist Osman GOCEN (TUR) - 2019 U23 World Bronze Medalist, 2020 Olympic 9th Place Ivan MASAKWE (UGA) - 2023 African 9th Place Vladyslav PRUS (UKR) - 2023 European U23 5th Place Javrail SHAPIEV (UZB) - 2020 Olympic 5th Place, 2018 Asian 5th Place Pedro CEBALLOS (VEN) - 2x Pan-American Silver Medalist 86 kg Pre-Seeds #1 Sebastian JEZIERZANSKI (POL) #2 Boris MAKOEV (SVK) #3 Azamat DAULETBEKOV (KAZ) #4 Myles Nazem AMINE (SMR) #5 Hassan YAZDANI (IRI) #6 Abubakr ABAKAROV (AZE) #7 David Morris TAYLOR III (USA) #8 Tariel GAPHRINDASHVILI (GEO) Past World/Olympic Medalists (Senior Level Only): (7) Abubakr Abakarov (AZE), Taimuraz Friev (ESP), Hassan Yazdani (IRI), Azamat Dauletbekov (KAZ), Myles Amine (SMR), Boris MAKOEV (SVK), David Taylor (USA) The American Entry: David Taylor One of the best rivalries in international wrestling, over the past five years, has been David Taylor and Hassan Yazdani (Iran) at 86 kg. If all works out, we could see another chapter in the 2023 world finals. Taylor comes in as the seventh seed, while Yazdani is the five. I don’t imagine either wrestler is particularly worried about the actual seeds. Taylor has gotten the best of Yazdani with wins in the World and Olympic finals in 2020(1) and 2022. Yazdani returned the favor a few months after the Olympic Games with his third world title in 2021. In addition to Taylor/Yazdani, the bracket is expected to include five other past world/Olympic medalists (Senior level). There are also some talented wrestlers with accolades at the age-group level who could be ready to take the next step up in competition (Rakhim Magamadov - France; Arslan Bagaev - Russia). Taylor earned a spot on the 2023 world team after defeating fellow Penn State star Aaron Brooks at Final X. Despite the familiarity between the two, Taylor was able to post a 6-0 win in match one, but surviving a one-point bout in match two. 2022 World Championship Medalists Gold: David Taylor (USA) Silver: Hassan Yazdani (IRI) Bronze: Azamat Dauletbekov (KAZ) Bronze: Boris Makoev (SVK) 92kg Hajy RAJABAU (AIN - BLR) - 2021 European Bronze Medalist Artunes PEDRO (ANG) Osman NURMAGOMEDOV (AZE) - 2x World Bronze Medalist, 2023 European Silver Medalist Akhmed MAGAMAEV(BUL) - 2x World 9th Place, 2020 European 5th Place Tejvir BOAL (CAN) - 2022 U23 World 10th Place Xiao SUN (CHN) - 2019 Asian Bronze Medalist Arturo SILOT (CUB) - 2x Pan-American Silver Medalist Miriani MAISURADZE (GEO) - 2x European Bronze Medalist, 2022 European U23 Bronze Medalist Balazs JUHASZ (HUN) Pruthviraj PATIL (IND) - 2021 Junior World Bronze Medalist Amirali AZARPIRA (IRI) - 2x U23 World Champion Uri KALASHNIKOV (ISR) - 2022 European 5th Place, 2023 U23 World 10th Place Abdul ABUIDAIJ (JOR) - 2023 Asian 12th Place Arash YOSHIDA (JPN) - 2023 Asian Champion Rizabek AITMUKHAN (KAZ) - 2023 U20 World Silver Medalist, 2x Asian U23 Champion Dan CHEPTAI (KEN) - 2023 African 5th Place Woomin JANG (KOR) - 2023 Asian 11th Place Ion DEMIAN (MDA) - 2023 European U23 10th Place Gankhuyag GANBAATAR (MGL) - 2x Asian Bronze Medalist, 2018 U23 World Bronze Medalist Michal BIELAWSKI (POL) - 2021 U23 World 15th Place Magomed KURBANOV (AIN - RUS) - 2021 World Silver Medalist, 2021 European Champion Ermak KARDANOV (SVK) - 2023 European Bronze Medalist Feyzullah AKTURK (TUR) - 2x European Champion, 2022 U23 World Bronze Medalist Denys SAHALIUK (UKR) Rustam SHODIEV (UZB) - 2022 Asian U23 Silver Medalist, 2021 U23 World 5th Place 92 kg Pre-Seeds #1 Miriani MAISURADZE (GEO) #2 Osman NURMAGOMEDOV (AZE) #3 Gankhuyag GANBAATAR (MGL) #4 Feyzullah AKTURK (TUR) #5 Rizabek AITMUKHAN (KAZ) #6 Matthew Phillip FINESILVER (ISR) #7 Zahid VALENCIA (USA) #8 Ermak KARDANOV (SVK) Past World/Olympic Medalists (Senior Level Only): (2) Osman Nurmagomedov (AZE), Magomed Kurbanov (AIN - RUS) The American Entry: Zahid Valencia Perhaps the most unlikely member of the 2023 men’s freestyle squad is Zahid Valencia at 92 kg. Not because of his talent, but because of his weight class. Valencia made Final X last year at 86 kg opposite David Taylor. He intended on meeting Taylor again but was upset at the US Open by Aaron Brooks. Since 92 kg didn’t have a returning world medalist competing, the winner of the Open advanced to Final X, while his opponent would be decided at the World Team Trials. Valencia bumped up to 92 kg and crushed the field to book a series in Newark with Mike Macchaivello. Valencia posted a pair of comfortable (8-0, 9-2) wins over the Open champion to make his first world team. Valencia has been close in the past and now has competed three times at Final X and each time at a different weight (Also at 79 kg in 2018 and fell to Kyle Dake). After Final X, Valencia headed to Hungary for the Ranking Series event, which he won, as well. In the process, Valencia downed 2022 World bronze medalist Miriani Maisuradze (Georgia). With his limited, yet impressive results at this weight and the fact that 92 kg, like other non-Olympic weights, is smaller than other brackets, don’t be surprised to see Valencia on the podium. 2022 World Championship Medalists Gold: Kamran Ghasempour (IRI) Silver: J’den Cox (USA) Bronze: Miriani Maisuradze (GEO) Bronze: Osman Nurmagomedov (AZE) 97kg Aliaksandr HUSHTYN (AIN - BLR) - 2021 World 5th Place, 3x European Silver Medalist Sergey SARGSYAN (ARM) - 2022 U20 World Bronze Medalist, 2023 European U23 Bronze Medalist Thomas BARNS (AUS) - 2023 Oceania Champion Magomedkhan MAGOMEDOV (AZE) - 2022 World Bronze Medalist, 2022 European Champion Akhmed TAZHUDINOV (BRN) - 2023 Asian Champion Ahmed BATAEV (BUL) - 2022 World 5th Place, 2022 European Silver Medalist Nishan Preet RANDHAWA (CAN) - 2023 Pan-American Bronze Medalist Awusayiman HABILA (CHN) - 2023 Asian Silver Medalist Carlos ANGULO (COL) Maxwell LACEY (CRC) - 2020 Pan-American Champion Mostafa ELDERS (EGY) - 2023 African Champion Givi MATCHARASHVILI (GEO) - 2022 World Bronze Medalist, 2018 U23 World Champion, 2023 European Champion Erik THIELE (GER) - 2022 European 5th Place Vlagyiszlav BAJCAJEV (HUN) - 2022 World 5th Place, 2018 European Champion SAHIL (IND) - 2023 Asian U23 Bronze Medalist Mojtaba GOLEIJ (IRI) - 2021 World Bronze Medalist, 2020 Asian Champion, 2x U23 World Champion Benjamin HONIS (ITA) - 2023 European 5th Place Takashi ISHIGURO (JPN) - 2021 Asian Bronze Medalist Alisher YERGALI (KAZ) - 2022 U23 World Bronze Medalist, 2x Asian Silver Medalist Jaegang KIM (KOR) - 2013 Asian Champion, 2017 World 8th Place Lukas KRASAUSKAS (LTU) - 2021 World 14th Place Radu LEFTER (MDA) - 2021 U23 World Silver Medalist, 2021 European U23 Silver Medalist Badamdorj BALTMUNKH (MGL) Magomedgadji NUROV (MKD) - 2019 World Bronze Medalist, 2020 Olympic 9th Place Zbigniew BARANOWSKI (POL) - 2019 European Silver Medalist Nicolaas DE LANGE (RSA) - 2022 African Silver Medalist, 2021 U20 World Bronze Medalist Abdulrashid SADULAEV (AIN - RUS) - 2x Olympic Champion, 5x World Champion Strahinja DESPIC (SRB) - 2022 World 17th Place Samuel SCHERRER (SUI) - 2x European Silver Medalist Utah MANN (TGA) - 2023 Oceania 4th Place Shatlyk HEMELYAYEV (TKM) - 2x Asian U23 5th Place Ibrahim CIFTCI (TUR) - 2023 European Bronze Medalist, 2017 Junior World Bronze Medalist Murazi MCHEDLIDZE (UKR) - 2017 U23 World Bronze Medalist, 2x European 5th Place Magomed IBRAGIMOV (UZB) - 2020 Olympic 11th Place, 2018 World 5th Place 97 kg Pre-Seeds #1 Kyle SNYDER (USA) #2 Magomedkhan MAGOMEDOV (AZE) #3 Givi MATCHARASHVILI (GEO) #4 Vladislav BAJCAJEV (HUN) #5 Benjamin HONIS (ITA) #6 Awusayiman HABILA (CHN) #7 Erik THIELE (GER) #8 Akhmed TAZHUDINOV (BRN) Past World/Olympic Medalists (Senior Level Only): (6) Magomedkhan Magomedov (AZE), Givi Matcharashvili (GEO), Mojtaba Goleij (IRI), Magomedgadji Nurov (MKD), Abdulrashid Sadulaev (AIN - RUS), Kyle Snyder (USA) The American Entry: Kyle Snyder Earlier we mentioned Taylor/Yazdani as one of the best rivalries in international wrestling. The 97 kg one isn’t so shabby either. With Russian athletes expected to compete (as of Tuesday), we could get another edition of Kyle Snyder versus Abdulrashid Sadualev at 97 kg. Both were young in 2016 and captured Olympic gold medals (Sadualev at 86 kg). The following year Sadualev moved up to 97 and was stunned by Snyder in the world finals. Since then, Sadulaev has owned the rivalry. With Russia being prohibited from competing last year, the two were unable to meet at the 2022 World Championships. That allowed Snyder to claim his fourth World/Olympic gold medal. American fans missed out on their most recent opportunity to see Snyder compete on home soil as he did not wrestle at Final X. His series against two-time world champion J’den Cox was expected to be one of the marquee attractions; however, a late injury to Cox forced him to forfeit. Snyder did get a tune-up for Worlds by winning the Ranking Series event in Hungary. Snyder’s first bout proved to be his toughest as he notched a one-point win over 2022 World Bronze Medalist Givi Matcharashvili (Georgia) along the way. Snyder enters as the top seed. We’ll have to see where Sadulaev is drawn into the bracket before predicting another finals clash. 2022 World Championship Medalists Gold: Kyle Snyder (USA) Silver: Batyrbek Tsakulov (SVK) Bronze: Givi Matcharashvili (GEO) Bronze: Magomedkhan Magomedov (AZE) 125kg Dzianis KHRAMIANKOU (AIN - BLR) - 2x U23 World Medalist (2,3) Paris KAREPI (ALB) - 2022 European 10th Place Catriel MURIEL (ARG) - 4x Pan-American Bronze Medalist Johannes LUDESCHER (AUT) - 2018 European 5th Place Giorgi MESHVILDISHVILI (AZE) - 2023 European Bronze Medalist Islam ADIZOV (BUL) - 2021 European 11th Place Bali SOU (CAM) - 2023 Asian U23 Bronze Medalist Zhiwei DENG (CHN) - 2x World Medalist (2,3), 2019 Asian Silver Medalist Diaaeldin ABDELMOTTALEB (EGY) - 4x African Champion, 2x Olympian Jose CUBA (ESP) Geno PETRIASHVILI (GEO) - 3x World Champion, 2x Olympic Medalist (2,3), 7x World Medalist Gennadij CUDINOVIC (GER) - 2020 Olympic 8th Place Daniel LIGETI (HUN) - 2x European Bronze Medalist SUMIT (IND) - 2019 Asian Bronze Medalist Amir Hossein ZARE (IRI) - 2021 World Champion, 2020 Olympic Bronze Medalist, 2022 World Bronze Medalist Abraham CONYEDO (ITA) - 2020 Olympic Bronze Medalist, 2020 European Bronze Medalist Aaron JOHNSON (JAM) - 2023 Pan-American Bronze Medalist Taiki YAMAMOTO (JPN) - 2017 Asian Bronze Medalist Yusup BATIRMURZAEV (KAZ) - 2020 Asian Champion, 2019 U23 World Bronze Medalist Joel TUKAI (KEN) Aiaal LAZAREV (KGZ) - 2015 Asian Champion, 2x Olympian Donghwan KIM (KOR) - 2019 Asian Bronze Medalist Eduardo GARCIA (MEX) Lkhagvagerel MUNKHTUR (MGL) - 2x World Medalist (2,3), 2023 Asian Champion Robert BARAN (POL) - 2x European Silver Medalist Jonovan SMITH (PUR) Abdulla Kurbanov (AIN - RUS) Magomedgadzhi NURASULOV (SRB) - 2022 European 5th Place, 2012 Junior World Champion Oma SAREM (SYR) Zyyamuhammet SAPAROV (TKM) - 2023 Asian U23 Champion Taha AKGUL (TUR) - 2016 Olympic Gold Medalist, 2x Olympic Medalist (1,3), 3x World Champion, 7x World Medalist Oleksandr KHOTSIANIVSKYI (UKR) - 2019 World Bronze Medalist, 3x European Bronze Medalist, 2x Olympian Sardorbek KHOLMATOV (UZB) - 2x Asian 5th Place Jose DIAZ (VEN) - 2016 Pan-American Champion 125 kg Pre-Seeds #1 Taha AKGUL (TUR) #2 Geno PETRIASHVILI (GEO) #3 Lkhagvagerel MUNKHTUR (MGL) #4 Daniel LIGETI (HUN) #5 Amir Hossein Abbas ZARE (IRI) #6 Yusup BATIRMURZAEV (KAZ) #7 Robert BARAN (POL) #8 Oleksandr KHOTSIANIVSKYI (UKR) Past World/Olympic Medalists (Senior Level Only): (7) Zhiwei Deng (CHN), Geno Petriashvili (GEO), Amir Hossein Zare (IRI), Abraham Conyedo (ITA), Lkhagvagerel Munkhtur (MGL), Taha Akgul(TUR), Oleksandr Khotsianivskyi (UKR) The American Entry: Mason Parris Last week, news broke that 2020(1) Olympic gold medalist Gable Steveson would not be competing in Belgrade and his Final X opponent, Mason Parris, would go in his place. While Steveson has head-to-head wins against most of the top contenders, Parris will certainly be a medal threat. The 2023 Hodge Trophy winner owns a head-to-head win over 2021 World Champion, Amir Zare (Iran), in the 2019 Junior World finals. Admittedly, 2019 is a lifetime away in “wrestling years,” and Zare has beaten the best in the world. Even so, it’s a good mental advantage for Parris. Parris earned his spot in Final X by winning a loaded 125 kg bracket at the World Team Trials, defeating U23 World Champion, Tony Cassioppi, Air Force All-American Wyatt Hendrickson, and two-time World bronze medalist Nick Gwiazdowski. After falling to Steveson at Final X, Parris competed in the Hungarian Ranking Series event. There he downed a pair of returning world medalists to claim the title. We mentioned two great rivalries already and would be remiss to overlook a third in Taha Akgul (Turkey) and Geno Petriashvili (Georgia). The pair has been responsible for winning seven of the last nine World/Olympic gold medals at this weight class. They’ll enter the tournament as the top-two seeds. Since Parris is not seeded, he’ll be drawn into the bracket. 2022 World Championship Medalists Gold: Taha Akgul (TUR) Silver: Lkhagvagerel Munkhtur (MGL) Bronze: Amir Hossein Zare (IRI) Bronze: Geno Petriashvili (GEO)

Marshfield

The 2023 offseason coaching carousel got off to a slow start, but has picked up steam. This week in particular as there were a handful of notable names that changed jobs. Movement begats movement and as new jobs are accepted, typically new positions open up. Typically, this time of year the movement slows down; however, with some notable head coaching movement, there’s bound to be even more. Chris Ayres (Stanford Head Coach) - Princeton Head Coach Obe Blanc (North Dakota State Head Coach) - North Dakota State Associate Head Coach Steve Bleise (Army West Point) - CSU Bakersfield Assistant Coach Tyler Caldwell (Oklahoma State Assistant Coach) - Oklahoma State recruiting coordinator Marcus Coleman (Davidson Assistant Coach) - Iowa State athlete Evan DeLong (Clarion Assistant Coach) Thomas Flitz (Bucknell Assistant Coach) - Virginia Director of Operations Ceron Francisco (North Dakota State Assistant Coach) - Nittany Lion WC athlete Ben Freeman (Buffalo Volunteer Assistant) - Buffalo athlete BJ Futrell (Northwestern Assistant Coach) - Penn Assistant Coach Tommy Gantt (NC State Assistant Coach) - Wolfpack Wrestling Club James Green (Nebraska Assistant Coach) - USA Wrestling Freestyle Development Gary Wayne Harding (Oklahoma State Recruiting Coordinator Josh Heil (Campbell Assistant Coach) - Campbell Director of Operations Hayden Hidlay (North Dakota State Assistant Coach) - NC State Student-Athlete Development Coordinator Roger Kish (Oklahoma Head Coach) - North Dakota State Head Coach Rob Koll (North Carolina Head Coach) - Stanford Head Coach Austin Marsden (Oklahoma Assistant Coach) - North Dakota State Assistant Coach Scott Mattingly (North Dakota State Assistant Coach) - Gardner-Webb Associate Head Coach Quincy Monday (Princeton Assistant Coach) - Princeton athlete Steve Mytych (Rutgers Assistant Coach) - Rutgers Director of Operations Austin O’Connor (Illinois Assistant Coach) - North Carolina athlete Donny Ooten (Bucknell Assistant Coach) Peter Pappas (George Mason Assistant Coach) - George Mason athlete Ian Parker (Virginia Assistant Coach) - Army West Point Assistant Coach Coleman Scott (Oklahoma State Associate Head Coach) - North Carolina Head Coach Charles Small (Long Island Assistant Coach) - Purdue Graduate Assistant Devin Schroder (Wyoming Assistant Coach) - Cleveland State Assistant Coach Anthony Sobotker (Binghamton Assistant Coach) - Binghamton Athlete Cam Sykora (Oklahoma Volunteer Assistant) - North Dakota State Volunteer Assistant Ty Walz (Brown Assistant Coach) - SERTC athlete

Today, InterMat has learned that Chris Ayres will be the next head coach at Stanford University. Ayres has spent the last 17 years leading the Princeton Tigers. During his tenure at Princeton, Ayres amassed a 93-168 dual record. The numbers don’t do Ayres justice as he inherited a Princeton team in 2006 that did not have a national qualifier in the previous season. In fact, they had only one in the final three years before Ayres was hired. Ayres had to totally rebuild the Princeton program as the Tigers lost their first 35 matches with him at the helm. He didn’t produce his first national qualifier until the 2010 national tournament. For reasons like those (and plenty others) InterMat has dubbed the turnaround at Princeton, under Ayres, the “Greatest in College Sports.” At the 15th anniversary of his hiring, InterMat spoke with Ayres at length about the early years and his perseverance. Once Brett Harner broke through and earned All-American honors in the 2016 NCAA Tournament, Princeton was off and running. The following year the team saw Matt Kolodzik earn All-American honors as a freshman, which was a program-first at the time. Kolodzik also represented the highest-ranked recruit ever (at the time) to sign with the Tigers. While he didn’t know it at the time, Ayres’ final match coaching in Princeton colors demonstrated just how far the program turned under his watch. Another blue-chip recruit, Patrick Glory, won the 125 lb NCAA title and became the first Princeton wrestler since Bradley Glass did so in 1951. Glory and Quincy Monday were both finalists the previous year, the first time Princeton had ever put two wrestlers in the national finals. Other key achievements for Ayres at Princeton include stopping Cornell’s run of 92 straight Ivy League wins in 2020. That streak spanned 18 seasons. That Ivy League title was Princeton’s first since 1986. Under his tutelage, five different Tiger wrestlers have combined to earn NCAA All-American honors ten times. After sending a program-high seven wrestlers to the 2017 NCAA Tournament, Ayres was named EIWA Co-Head Coach of the Year. Ayres will inherit a Stanford team that has a young roster, ranked #24 in duals by InterMat, with six wrestlers amongst the top-33 for the preseason. There’s plenty of talent left in the cupboard as the team is fresh off of back-to-back recruiting classes ranked in the top eight nationally by InterMat. The Stanford position was vacant after Rob Koll left for the head coaching position at his alma mater, North Carolina.

We’re less than a week away from the 2023 Senior World Championships, so it’s time to unveil our previews for the event. We’ll go in order of the competition and hit half of the weights one day and the other half the following day. The tournament will start off hot with the men’s freestyle competition. In 2022, our team earned medals at eight of ten weights; half of which were gold. That performance propelled the American squad to a team title, as well. Will the 2023 team be able to repeat? This year’s team is extremely talented, however, six of the ten representatives will be wrestling in their first Senior World Championships. The elephant in the room is whether or not perennial power Russia will be able to compete. As of noon on September 11th, Russia has submitted entries. In order for the Russian team to wrestle, there will need to be third-party checks done on each team member before September 15th. For the sake of this preview, they have been included; however, this is a fluid situation and they may be a last-minute scratch as the tournament starts Saturday. With that out of the way, here are the entries at each of the first five weights, along with some of their notable achievements, pre-seeds, information on the American entry, and 2022 medalists. 57kg Dzmitry SHAMELA (AIN - BLR) - 2021 U23 World 5th Place Zelimkhan ABAKAROV (ALB) - 2022 World Champion, 2023 European Silver Medalist Bofenda KALUWEKO (ANG) - 2023 African 9th Place Arsen HARUTYUNYAN (ARM) - 2x World Bronze Medalist, 2x U23 World Champion Aliabbas RZAZADE (AZE) - 2023 European Champion, 2021 U23 World Champion Georgi VANGELOV (BUL) - 3x European Bronze Medalist, 2022 World 5th Place Darthe CAPELLAN (CAN) - 2016 Pan-American Champion Wanhao ZOU (CHN) - 2018 U23 World Bronze Medalist, 2022 World 5th Place Gamal MOHAMED (EGY) - 2022 African Champion Levan METREVELI (ESP) - 2023 European 10th Place Diamantino IUNA FAFE (GBS) - 2023 African Champion Roberti DINGASHVILI (GEO) - 2023 European 5th Place, 2019 European U23 Bronze Medalist Niklas STECHELE (GER) - 2023 European U23 Champion, 2022 European 5th Place Aman AMAN (IND) - 2022 U23 World Champion Milad VALIZADEH (IRI) Simone PIRODDU (ITA) - 2023 European 5th Place, 2023 European U23 Bronze Medalist Rei HIGUCHI (JPN) - 2022 World Champion, 2018 European U23 World Champion, 2016 Olympic Silver Medalist Meirambek KARTBAY (KAZ) - 2021 World 5th Place Almaz SMANBEKOV (KGZ) - 2023 Asian Silver Medalist, 2022 Asian Bronze Medalist Gukhyeon KIM (KOR) - 2014 Asian Junior Bronze Medalist Ben TARIK (MAR) Igor CHICHIOI (MDA) - 2023 European 12th Place Zanabazar ZANDANBUD (MGL) - 2022 World Bronze Medalist, 2017 Asian Silver Medalist Vladimir EGOROV (MKD) - 2022 European Champion Muhammad BILAL (PAK) - 2021 Asian 5th Place Darian CRUZ (PUR) - 2x Pan-American Silver Medalist, 2022 World 9th Place Razvan KOVACS (ROU) - 3x European 7th Place Zavur Uguev (AIN - RUS) - 2020 Olympic Gold Medalist, 2x World Champion Gayan KATHURANGANA (SRI) - 2021 World Military 5th Place Thomas EPP (SUI) - 2023 European U23 5th Place Suleyman ATLI (TUR) - 2019 World Silver Medalist, 2018 World Bronze Medalist, 2x European Champion Kamil KERYMOV (UKR) Gulomjon ABDULLAEV (UZB) - 2022 World 7th Place, 2022 Asian 5th Place 57 kg Pre-seeds #1 Wanhao ZOU (CHN) #2 Zelimkhan ABAKAROV (ALB) #3 Zanabazar ZANDANBUD (MGL) #4 Darian CRUZ (PUR) #5 Almaz SMANBEKOV (KGZ) #6 Stevan Andria MICIC (SRB) #7 Aliabbas RZAZADE (AZE) #8 Beka BUJIASHVILI (GEO) Past World/Olympic Medalists (Senior Level Only): (6) Zelimkhan Abakarov (ALB), Arsen Harutyunyan (ARM), Rei Higuchi (JPN), Zanabazar Zandanbud (MGL), Zavur Uguev (RUS), Suleyman ATLI (TUR) The American Entry: Zane Richards Zane Richards is the epitome of a “grinder.” Richards finished up his collegiate career in 2017 and entered Senior level competition with little fanfare. Unlike most other world team members nowadays, Richards wasn’t immediately a threat to win a spot on the squad. He continued to improve little-by-little and had a breakout year in 2023. Richards earned his spot in Final X with a shocking, clutch win over Nick Suriano in the US Open finals. He took advantage of the opportunity and swept a pair of matches with four-time World/Olympic medalist Thomas Gilman in Newark. Richards went on to grab a bronze medal at the Ranking Series event in Hungary a month after Final X. If the past is any indication, don’t count Richards out! 2022 World Championship Medalists Gold: Zelimkhan Abakarov (Albania) Silver: Thomas Gilman (USA) Bronze: Zanabazar Zandanbud (Mongolia) Bronze: Stevan Micic (Serbia) 61 kg Men’s Freestyle Entries Andrei BEKRENEU (AIN - BLR) - 2021 European 5th place Abdelhak KHERBACHE (ALG) - 4x African Champion Norik HARUTYUNYAN (ARM) - 2023 European U23 Bronze Medalist Georgii OKOROKOV (AUS) - 2016 European Junior Champion Intigam VALIZADA (AZE) - 2022 World 9th Place Stilyan ILIEV (BUL) - 2021 U23 World 5th Place Nicholas LATTANZE (CAN) Congbao XIE (CHN) - 2023 U20 World 16th Place Shota PHARTENADZE (GEO) - 2023 European Bronze Medalist Akash DAHIYA (IND) - 2017 Asian Cadet Champion Reza ATRI (IRI) - 2022 World Silver Medalist, 2020 Olympic 5th Place, 2019 Asian Champion Daniel POPOV (ISR) - 2023 European 13th Place Kodai OGAWA (JPN) - 2023 Asian 5th Place Ossimzhan DASTANBEK (KAZ) - 2023 Asian U23 Silver Medalist Kenneth KOECH (KEN) - 2023 African 5th Place Taiyrbek ZHUMASHBEK UULU (KGZ) - 2023 Asian Champion, 2022 U23 World Silver Medalist Hyeonsik SONG (KOR) - 2023 Asian 7th Place Leomid COLESNIC (MDA) - 2022 European U23 8th Place Narankhuu NARMANDAKH (MGL) - 2022 World Bronze Medalist, 2021 U23 World Bronze Medalist Besir ALILI (MKD) - 2023 U23 World 5th Place Joseph SILVA (PUR) - 2023 Pan-American Silver Medalist Nikolai OKHLOPKOV (ROU) - 2021 and 2022 World 13th Place Abasgadzhi MAGOMEDOV (AIN - RUS) - 2021 World Champion Stevan MICIC (SRB) - 2022 World Bronze Medalist, 2019 World 5th Place Nils LEUTERT (SUI) - 2022 U23 World 14th Place Emrah ORMANOGLU (TUR) - 2023 European Bronze Medalist, 2022 U23 World Bronze Medalist Valentyn BLIASETSKYI (UKR) - 2019 U23 World 7th Place Jahongirmirza TUROBOV (UZB) - 2021 Asian Champion 61 kg Pre-Seeds #1 Reza Ahmadali ATRI (IRI) #2 Narankhuu NARMANDAKH (MGL) #3 Shota PHARTENADZE (GEO) #4 Taiyrbek ZHUMASHBEK UULU (KGZ) #5 Pankaj PANKAJ (IND) #6 Emrah ORMANOGLU (TUR) #7 Jahongirmirza TUROBOV (UZB) #9 Nikolai OKHLOPKOV (ROU) Past World/Olympic Medalists (Senior Level Only): (3) Reza Atri (IRI), Narankhuu Narmandakh (MGL), Abasgadzhi Magomedov (RUS), Stevan MICIC (SRB) The American Entry: Vito Arujau With two of the four medalists from 2022 down at 57 kg, 61 is pretty wide open. That bodes well for the American representative, Vito Arujau. Despite this being his first Senior-level world team appearance, Arujau has plenty of international experience; winning world silver medals at both the Cadet and Junior level. He also was a U23 World Team member last year, though he did not medal. Arujau has been on a tear since the end of the collegiate season with Cornell. He crushed an impressive field at the NCAA tournament and hasn’t looked back since. Arujau needed less than a minute to roll through Austin DeSanto for a tech in the US Open finals. He locked up a spot on the Senior team after a pair of entertaining scraps with fellow Big Red national champion Nahshon Garrett at Final X. In the interim, Arujau claimed his second Pan-American title. At the Hungarian Ranking Series event, Arujau dismantled 2022 World medalist, Narakhuu Narmandakh, after losing to the 57 kg world champion. We’ve seen in the recent past that still being in college is no hindrance to winning a world medal. With the way Arujau has been wrestling for the past six months, he’s certain capable of returning with a medal. 2022 World Championship Medalists Gold: Rei Higuchi (Japan) Silver: Reza Atri (Iran) Bronze: Narankhuu Narmandakh (Mongolia) Bronze: Arsen Harutyunyan (Armenia) 65kg Niurgun SKRIABIN (AIN - BLR) Islam DUDAEV (ALB) - 2022 European Bronze Medalist, 2x U23 World Bronze Medalist Pedro LUVUEZO (ANG) Agustin DESTRIBATS (ARG) - 4x Pan-American Bronze Medalist Vazgen TEVANYAN (ARM) - 2022 U23 World Champion, 2021 U23 World Silver Medalist, 2023 European Champion Haji ALIYEV (AZE) - 3x World Champion, 2x Olympic Medalist (2,3) Ayub MUSAEV (BEL) - 2022 European U20 Silver Medalist Alibeg ALIBEGOV (BRN) - 2022 Asian U23 Bronze Medalist, 2021 Junior World Bronze Medalist Mikyay NAIM (BUL) - 2023 European Silver Medalist, 2017 U23 World Silver Medalist Lachlan MCNEIL (CAN) - 2022 World 20th Place Shaohua YUAN (CHN) - 2019 Asian Bronze Medalist Uber CUERO (COL) Yanisse MADI (COM) - 2023 African 7th Place Alejandro VALDES (CUB) - 2x World Bronze Medalist Carlos ALVAREZ (ESP) Khamzat ARSAMERZOUEV (FRA) - 2023 European U23 Champion, 2022 U20 World Bronze Medalist Junjun ASEBIAS (FSM) - 2023 Oceania Champion Edemi BOLKVADZE (GEO) - 2023 European Bronze Medalist Alexander SEMISOROW (GER) - 2019 World 8th Place Ethan AGUIGUI (GUM) - 3x Oceania Champion Iszmail MUSZUKAJEV (HUN) - 2x World Bronze Medalist, 2022 European Champion, 2020 Olympic 5th Place Anuj KUMAR (IND) - 2023 Asian 7th Place Rahman AMOUZAD (IRI) - 2022 World Champion, 2x Asian Champion Joshua FINESILVER (ISR) - 2022 World 10th Place Colin REALBUTO (ITA) - 2023 European 15th Place Takuto OTOGURO (JPN) - 2020 Olympic Gold Medalist, 2018 World Champion, 2x Asian Champion Adil OSPANOV (KAZ) - 2022 Asian 8th Place Levi NYONGESA (KEN) - 2023 African 7th Place Ikromzhon KHADZHIMURODOV (KGZ) Seokki YOON (KOR) Maxim SACULTAN (MDA) - 2023 European Bronze Medalist Austin GOMEZ (MEX) Tulga TUMUR OCHIR (MGL) - 2021 World Bronze Medalist, 2023 Asian Silver Medalist Lowe BINGHAM (NRU) - 2019 Oceania Champion Abdullah ASSAF (PLE) Krzysztof BIENKOWSKI (POL) - 2021 European Silver Medalist Sebastian RIVERA (PUR) - 2022 World 5th Place, 2022 Pan-American Silver Medalist Stefan COMAN (ROU) - 2023 European 5th Place Shamil MAMEDOV (AIN - RUS) - 2021 U20 World Champion Sylvio DIATTA (SEN) Divoshan CHARLES FERNANDO (SRI) - 2016 Asian 5th Place Nino LEUTERT (SUI) - 2023 European 13th Place Abdulmazhid KUDIEV (TJK) - 2023 Asian U23 Champion Cavit ACAR (TUR) - 2021 U23 World Bronze Medalist Erik ARUSHANIAN (UKR) - 2022 U23 World Bronze Medalist, 2023 European Bronze Medalist Umidjon JALOLOV (UZB) - 2022 U20 World Champion, 2x Cadet World Medalist (1,2) Ibrahim GUZAN (YEM) - 2023 Asian 11th Place 65 kg Pre-Seeds #1 Rahman Mousa AMOUZADKHALILI (IRI) #2 Sebastian C RIVERA (PUR) #3 Tulga TUMUR OCHIR (MGL) #4 Iszmail MUSZUKAJEV (HUN) #5 Agustin Alejandro DESTRIBATS (ARG) #6 Vazgen TEVANYAN (ARM) #7 Edemi BOLKVADZE (GEO) #8 Bajrang PUNIA (IND) Past World/Olympic Medalists (Senior Level Only): (6) Haji Aliyev (AZE), Alejandro Valdes (CUB), Iszmail Muszukajev (HUN), Rahman Amouzad (IRI), Takuto Otoguro (JPN), Tulga Tumur Ochir (MGL) The American Entry: Nick Lee Just one year removed from a decorated collegiate career at Penn State, Nick Lee is ready to take on the world at 65 kg. Lee has his first shot at a world medal after sweeping 2022 World silver medalist Yianni Diakomihalis at Final X. Though Lee won both bouts, they were extremely competitive and were both decided by a point or criteria. Lee almost didn’t get a chance to face his old collegiate rival after a scare in the US Open semifinals from ex-teammate Beau Bartlett. The final score was 10-10 and Lee won on criteria; however, Bartlett’s hand was raised and initially declared the winner. He’d have less trouble in the finals downing another opponent from his days in State College, Joey McKenna. After securing his spot on the world team, Lee wrestled in the Hungarian Ranking Series event and fell in the finals to 2022 World bronze medalist Tulga Tumur Ochir. I’d expect a better showing from Lee if they meet in Belgrade and being able to defeat Diakomihalis means Lee should be squarely in the medal hunt. 2022 World Championship Medalists Gold: Rahman Amouzad (Iran) Silver: Yianni Diakomihalis (USA) Bronze: Iszmail Muszukajev (Hungary) Bronze: Bajrang Punia (India) 70kg Nikita DMITRIJEVS MAYEUSKI (AIN - BLR) Patricio MANGUAU (ANG) Arman ANDREASYAN (ARM) - 2x World 5th Place, 2022 European Silver Medalist Magomed KHANIEV (AZE) - 2023 European U23 Champion Ramazan RAMAZANOV (BUL) - 2023 European Silver Medalist, 2022 World 7th Place Michael ASSELSTINE (CAN) Hazhimuhan YELIXIATI (CHN) Amr REDA (EGY) Caetano SA (GBS) - 2022 African 10th Place Giorgi ELBAKIDZE (GEO) - 2022 U23 World Champion, 2023 European 7th Place Kevin HENKEL (GER) - 2023 European 5th Place, 2022 World 14th Place Daniel ANTAL (HUN) - 2022 World 21st Place ABHIMANYOU (IND) - 2023 Asian U23 Bronze Medalist Amirmohammad YAZDANI (IRI) - 2021 World Silver Medalist, 2022 U23 World Silver Medalist Orts ISAKOV (JOR) - 2023 Asian 5th Place Yoshinosuke AOYAGI (JPN) - 2023 Asian Bronze Medalist, 2022 U20 World Bronze Medalist Sanzhar DOSZHANOV (KAZ) - 2023 Asian Champion Brian Maurice OLOO (KEN) - 2x African 5th Place Ernazar AKMATALIEV (KGZ) - 2x World Medalist (2,3), 2022 Asian Silver Medalist Yongseok JEONG (KOR) - 2021 Asian Bronze Medalist, 2022 World 11th Place Nicolai GRAHMEZ (MDA) - 2022 European Bronze Medalist, 2021 U23 World Bronze Medalist Cristian SANTIAGO (MEX) Temuulen ENKHTUYA (MGL) - 2x Asian 5th Place, 2019 Asian U23 Champion Fati VEJSELI (MKD) - 2022 World 19th Place Patryk OLENCZYN (POL) - 2023 European 5th Place Evgeni Zherbaev (AIN - RUS) - 2021 World Bronze Medalist Viktor VOINOVIC (SRB) Niroshan MUNASINGE (SRI) Marc DIETSCHE (SUI) - 2022 World 15th Place Mustafo AKHMEDOV (TJK) - 2023 Asian U23 Silver Medalist Perman HOMMADOV (TKM) Servet COSKUN (TUR) - 2022 World 8th Place, 2014 European Silver Medalist Ihor NYKYFORUK (UKR) - 2023 European Bronze Medalist, 2019 U23 World Bronze Medalist Zafarbek OTAKHONOV (UZB) - 2023 Asian Silver Medalist 70 kg Pre-Seeds #1 Ernazar AKMATALIEV (KGZ) #2 Zain Allen RETHERFORD (USA) #3 Arman ANDREASYAN (ARM) #4 Giorgi ELBAKIDZE (GEO) #5 Ramazan RAMAZANOV (BUL) #6 Servet COSKUN (TUR) #7 Ihor NYKYFORUK (URK) #8 Sanzhar DOSZHANOV (KAZ) Past World/Olympic Medalists (Senior Level Only): (4) Amirmohammad Yazdani (IRI), Ernazar Akmataliev (KGZ), Evgeni Zherbaev (RUS), Zain Retherford (USA) The American Entry: Zain Retherford 2022 saw Zain Retherford get over the hump and earn a world medal in his third Senior level appearance. That medal, combined with his first career Pan-American gold medal has him receiving the second seed here, at least in the pre-seeds. Retherford made his fourth career world team by downing former Nebraska national runner-up Tyler Berger in two straight matches at Final X. Both contests featured plenty of physicality, but Retherford was able to persevere and grabbed a one-point win in match two. After clinching another world team berth, Retherford went to the Pan-American Championships and dominated the field, surrendering only two total points amongst four matches. Like 61 kg, 70 kg has thinned out a bit due to the looming Olympic year. That means no rematch with Taishi Narikuni, who is not entered for Japan. While there is still a talented, dangerous field, it seems like a perfect time for Retherford to move one step higher on the world podium. 2022 World Championship Medalists Gold: Taishi Narikuni (Japan) Silver: Zain Retherford (USA) Bronze: Ernazar Akmataliev (Kyrgyzstan) Bronze: Zurabi Iakobishvili (Georgia) 74 kg Mahamedkhabib KADZIMAHAMEDAU (AIN - BEL) - 2020 Olympic Silver Medalist, 2022 European Champion Hrayr ALIKHANYAN (ARM) - 2021 U23 World Bronze Medalist, 2x European 5th Place Simon MARCHL (AUT) - 2021 U23 World 5th Place Turan BAYRAMOV (AZE) - 2021 World 5th Place, 2023 European U23 Champion, 2019 U23 World Champion Cesar BORDEAUX (BRA) - 2x Pan-American Bronze Medalist Magomedrasul ASLUEV (BRN) - 2023 Asian Bronze Medalist Ali UMARPASHAEV (BUL) - 2023 European 5th Place Adam THOMSON (CAN) - 2022 U23 World 8th Place Feng LU (CHN) - 2023 Asian U23 Champion Anthony WESLEY (CPV) - 2x African 5th Place Erik REINBOK (EST) - 2022 U23 World 19th Place Bacar NDUM (GBS) - 2022 African Champion Avtandil KENTCHADZE (GEO) - 2018 World Silver Medalist, 2018 U23 World Champion, 3x European Bronze Medalist Tim MUELLER (GER) Georgios KOUGIOUMTSIDIS (GRE) - 2022 European Champion, 2022 U23 World 5th Place Murad KURAMAGOMEDOV (HUN) - 2020 European 5th Place NAVEEN (IND) - 2022 World 5th Place, 2022 Asian U23 Champion Yones EMAMI (IRI) - 2x World Bronze Medalist, 2022 Asian Champion Mitchell FINESILVER (ISR) - 2021 European Bronze Medalist Frank CHAMIZO (ITA) - 2x World Champion, 2016 Olympic Bronze Medalist, 5x World Medalist Daichi TAKATANI (JPN) - 2018 Asian Silver Medalist, 2014 World 7th Place Nurkozha KAIPANOV (KAZ) - 2019 World Silver Medalist, 2x Asian Champion Mathayo MAHABILA (KEN) - 2022 World 22nd Place Arsalan BUDAZHAPOV (KGZ) - 2022 World Bronze Medalist, 2020 Asian Champion Seungchul LEE (KOR) - 2018 World 5th Place, 2017 Asian Silver Medalist Vasile DIACON (MDA) - 2023 European Bronze Medalist, 2022 U23 World Bronze Medalist Anthony VALENCIA (MEX) - 2023 Pan-American 7th Place Suldkhuu OLONBAYAR (MGL) - 2023 Asian Bronze Medalist, 2022 World 8th Place Marko ANDONOV (MKD) Inayat ULLAH (PAK) - 2018 Youth Olympic Games Bronze Medalist Kamil RYBICKI (POL) - 2020 Olympic 13th Place Shane JONES (PUR) - 2023 Pan-American Bronze Medalist Iakub SHIKHDZHAMALOV (ROU) - 2022 World 13th Place Cherman Valiev (AIN - RUS) - 2021 U23 World Champion, 2x U23 World Medalist (1,2) Mamadou DIOUF (SEN) - 2022 African 5th Place Mamudu MARAH (SLE) Malik AMINE (SMR) - 2019 World 13th Place Hetik CABOLOV (SRB) - 2023 European Bronze Medalist, 2x World 7th Place Udayantha FERNANDO (SRI) Tobias PORTMANN (SUI) - 2022 U23 World 8th Place Tajmuraz SALKAZANOV (SVK) - 2x World Silver Medalist, 3x World Medalist, 3x European Champion Magomet EVLOEV (TJK) - 2023 Asian 7th Place Kakageldi AGAYEV (TKM) Soner DEMIRTAS (TUR) - 2016 Olympic Bronze Medalist, 2017 World Bronze Medalist, 3x European Champion Jamal ABDUL (UGA) Tymur HUDYMA (UKR) - 2022 U20 World 10th Place Bekzod ABDURAKHMONOV (UZB) - 2020 Olympic Bronze Medalist, 2x World Bronze Medalist, 2x Asian Champion Anthony MONTERO (VEN) - 2020 Pan-American Bronze Medalist 74 kg Pre-Seeds #1 Soner DEMIRTAS (TUR) #2 Kyle Douglas DAKE (USA) #3 Tajmuraz Mairbekovic SALKAZANOV (SVK) #4 Yones Aliakbar EMAMICHOGHAEI (IRI) #5 Suldkhuu OLONBAYAR (MGL) #6 Mitchell Louis FINESILVER (ISR) #7 Murad KURAMAGOMEDOV (HUN) #8 Sagar JAGLAN (IND) Past World/Olympic Medalists (Senior Level Only): (10) Mahamedkhabib Kadzimahamedau (AIN/BEL), Avtandil Kentchadze (GEO), Yones Emami (IRI), Frank Chamizo (ITA), Nurkozha Kaipanov (KAZ), Arsalan Budazhapov (KGZ), Tajmuraz Salkazanov (SVK), Soner Demirtas (TUR), Kyle Dake (USA), Bekzod Abdurakhmonov (UZB) The American Entry: Kyle Dake Already a legend for USA Wrestling, Kyle Dake is looking to add to his extensive collection of international accolades. He already has an Olympic bronze medal sandwiched between a pair of world titles at 79, then 74 kg. Dake finally topped Jordan Burroughs at the 2020 Olympic Team Trials and hasn’t relinquished the spot at 74 kg since. Already in rarified air, Dake is looking for his fifth world title and third consecutive at 74 kg. Dake’s 2022 win pushed him into Final X where he faced his 2022 Final X opponent Jason Nolf. True to his form, Dake didn’t necessarily blow out Nolf, rather he displayed impenetrable defense and timely offense, during his 6-0, 3-0 wins. While Dake has the second seed, you can throw rankings/seeds/brackets out the window with this weight. An astonishing 10 past world/Olympic medalists are expected to compete, along with a host of other talented contenders. Even with Dake’s talent and history, the depth of this field should provide stiff tests in almost every matchup. The one most (Dake included) have to be looking forward to is a rematch with Mahamedkhabib Kadzimahamedau of Belarus. Kadzimahamedau defeated Dake at the Olympics, but was unable to compete at Worlds due to Belarus’ ban in 2022. 2022 World Championship Medalists Gold: Kyle Dake (USA) Silver: Tajmuraz Salkazanov (SVK) Bronze: Yones Emami (IRI) Bronze: Frank Chamizo (ITA)

Last weekend, Who’s #1 took place and showcased some of the finest high school wrestlers in the nation. The 2023 edition of the event marked the 11th installment of this showcase event. 11 years is long enough and provides us with enough points of information to look back at the history of the event and compare it to the 2023 results. After pouring through the results, here are some findings about Who’s #1. This year also marked the third year with a full girls dual, as well. Before that, there were a few girl's matches scattered throughout the cards. Once we have another year or two’s worth of data (and these girls tally some collegiate achievements) we’ll be able to do a full article dedicated to the girl’s dual. Let’s get to it: Anthony Knox became the first wrestler to win in three different editions of Who’s #1. Previously, Daton Fix appeared in the 2014-16 duals; however, he fell to Nick Suriano in the legendary, no-time-limit match in 2014. Gavin Teasdale appeared in 2014-16 but went 1-2. Jesse Mendez was in three different years, but suffered losses to Casey Swiderski (2021) and Shayne Van Ness (2019). In his three wins, Knox has outscored his competition 35-7. Those wins have come against Leo DeLuca and a pair of U17 world medalists (Christian Castillo and Luke Lilledahl). Prior to 2023, there were only two bouts between wrestlers from the same state in the event’s history. 2019 (Robbie Howard/Trevor Mastrogiovanni - NJ) and 2017 (Gavin Hoffman/Michael Beard - PA). This year’s iteration had three. Knox/DeLuca - NJ, Pierson Manville/Kollin Rath - PA, and Aeoden Sinclair/Connor Mirasola - WI. When Daniel Zepeda pinned Bo Bassett at 138 lbs, it was only the fifth fall in the history of the event. Interestingly enough, there were no falls in the first four years of Who’s #1. Of the five falls, four have included Pennsylvania wrestlers. Trent Hidlay and Sammy Sasso recorded the first two pins, while Tyler Kasak and Bassett were victims of the fall. The 126 lb match between Jax Forrest and Jordyn Raney became the highest-scoring Who’s #1 bout of all-time (18-15 in sudden victory). It does have an asterisk next to it because of using the new collegiate scoring rules (3-point takedowns). Were the bout contested under the previous rules, it would have been 14-12, which would have been the second-highest-scoring match. The highest in the two-point takedown era was a 19-8 win by Bo Bassett over Seth Mendoza in 2021. The 2023 Who’s #1 dual marked the first time since 2017 that the event didn’t feature a four-man mini-tournament. The 2021 Who’s #1 dual featured a pair of wrestlers that went on to earn All-American honors during the next collegiate season with Jesse Mendez (Ohio State - 6th) and Caleb Henson (Virginia Tech - 5th). Jordyn Raney became only the second wrestler from Kentucky to compete in Who’s #1. The only other was Nathan Boston in 2013. Boston defeated future All-American Sean Russell at 120 lbs. Along the same lines, Will Henckel became only the second wrestler from Connecticut to get selected. Ryan Jack (2019) was the other. With Henckel and Leo DeLuca’s inclusion, it marks the 15th time a wrestler from Blair Academy has appeared in the dual. Previously Marc-Anthony McGowan, DeLuca, TJ Stewart, Travis Mastrogiovanni (x2), Rylan Rogers, Trevor Mastrogiovanni, Shayne Van Ness, Julian Ramirez (x2), Mason Manville (x2), and Matt Kolodzik were selected. On four occasions future NCAA finalists squared off at Who’s #1; Jason Nolf/Joey McKenna (2013), Zahid Valencia/Myles Martin (2014), Suriano/Fix (2014), Nick Lee/Sammy Sasso (2016). Only time will tell if 2023 participants will be added to the list. The only wrestler in the history of the event to lose multiple overtime bouts at Who’s #1 is Roman Bravo-Young. He was beaten by Gavin Teasdale in 2015 and Joey Silva in 2017. RBY was 0-2 at the event but still went on to have an incredible collegiate career. 15 future NCAA champions have appeared at Who’s #1. They are Jason Nolf, Seth Gross, Valencia, Martin, Mark Hall, Vincenzo Joseph, Suriano, Gable Steveson, Yianni Diakomihalis, Shane Griffith, David Carr, Lee, Pat Glory, Andrew Alirez, and Keegan O’Toole. This list is sure to grow, perhaps as soon as the 2024 NCAA Tournament. Now that Josh Barr is at Penn State, it will make three times when future teammates squared off with one another at Who’s #1. Barr and Levi Haines met in 2021. Previously, the only time it had happened was with Kaid Brock/Nick Piccininni (2014) and RBY/Teasdale (2015). With a large portion of the 2023 group uncommitted, it could have occurred again.

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. Sept. 30 Polaris 25 (UFC Fight Pass) Aljamain Sterling (Cortland) vs. Mike Grundy – Grappling match Oct. 1 RIZIN Landmark 6 (FITE) Shinobu Ota (2019 World gold and 2016 Olympic silver in Greco) vs. Shoko Sato Oct. 6 Fighting Alliance Championship 21 Jackson Hemauer (Fresno State/Northern Colorado) vs. Rey Martinez Timothy Prescott (St. Cloud State) vs. Bryan Herrera Oct. 6 LFA 169 (UFC Fight Pass) Aaron La Farge (Oklahoma City) vs. Alden Coria Oct. 7 UFC Fight Night (ESPN+) Kanako Murata (2013 University bronze) vs. Vanessa Demopoulos Oct. 7 Bellator 300 (Showtime/YouTube) Ryan Bader (Arizona State) vs. Linton Vassell Sara McMann (2004 Olympic silver - Lock Haven) vs. Leah McCourt Romero Cotton (Nebraska Kearney) vs. Grant Neal Bryce Meredith (Wyoming) vs. Miguel Peimbert Josh Hokit (Fresno State) vs. Spencer Smith Davion Franklin (Iowa Lakes) vs. Slim Trabelsi Oct. 7 Shogun Fights 27 Mansur Abdul-Malik (Maryland) vs. Donelei Benedetto Oct. 10 Dana White’s Contender Series (ESPN+) Torrez Finney (Chattanooga) vs. Yuri Panferov Oct. 13 CFFC 126 CJ LaFragola (Brown) vs. Alonzo Turner Thomas Lane (Cal Poly) vs. Isaiah Sackey-El Oct. 14 UFC Fight Night (ESPN+) Terrance McKinney (Chadron State) vs. Chris Duncan Oct. 20 247 FC Gavin Teasdale vs. Lucas Seibert (West Virginia) – Grappling Oct. 21 UFC 294 (ESPN+/PPV) Khamzat Chimaev (Swedish national champ) vs. Paulo Costa Tim Elliott (Central Oklahoma) vs Muhammad Mokaev Oct. 22 Fury Challenger Series 8 (UFC Fight Pass) Anthony Cassar (Penn State) vs. John Gianatsio II

Last week, the University of North Carolina officially announced that they had hired Rob Koll as their next head wrestling coach. Just over two years ago, Koll shocked the wrestling world by leaving Cornell, a school that he built from a good EIWA team into a consistent national power, for Stanford. Now, we’re left to wonder, “Who replaces Koll at Stanford.” Even though it’s extremely late in the game (or really early) for coaching changes, there should be plenty of interest in the job. Stanford has a young, talented roster that starts the preseason ranked #24 in duals by InterMat and features six ranked wrestlers. Koll and his staff were able to ink back-to-back top-eight classes (#8 in 2022; #5 in 2021) and have an impressive list of high school seniors that have given the Cardinal program verbals. In addition, Koll's efforts have led to the possibility of an increase in funding from the athletic department. Also, with conference realignment front and center, Stanford will have some stability as they head to the ACC. While it doesn’t make sense geographically, the Cardinal will now compete in a league that features four ranked teams and plenty of talented individuals. That should lead to more at-large opportunities for any Stanford wrestlers who don’t automatically qualify at the ACC Tournament. With a brief bit of background information out of the way, let’s focus on coaches that InterMat has identified as quality candidates for the opening. With each coach, we’ll have some background information that helps us understand why he makes sense for the opening. Since there are so many great coaches around the country, there are plenty of others whom we did not mention that could emerge as strong candidates. Chris Ayres (Princeton - Head Coach) Why he makes sense: Ayres has been in charge of “The Greatest Turnaround in College Sports” as he has led Princeton from a team that struggled to score team points at EIWA’s and win dual meets, to one that has finished in the top 20 at their last three national tournaments. During that span, Princeton has had multiple AA’s each year. In 2023, Princeton saw Patrick Glory capture the 125 lb national title, breaking a 72-year title-less drought at the school. Coaching at Princeton, Ayres has experience working with admissions at an institute that is as stringent as Stanford, when it comes to that sort of thing. Whether or not anyone from the current team goes into the portal or they lose some talented 2024 recruits, Stanford would be in a significantly better position than the one Ayres inherited at Princeton. Joe Dubuque (Princeton - Associate Head Coach) Why he makes sense: Working alongside Ayres for more than a decade now has been Joe Dubuque. Dubuque, a two-time national champion at 125 lbs for Indiana, worked extremely closely with Glory and helped him to the podium on three occasions and two national finals. It depends on the route that Stanford wants to take. If they are looking to get an assistant that could be “the next great head coach” Dubuque is certainly a great prospect. He now has plenty of familiarity working in and recruiting at a school like Stanford. As Willie Saylor pondered on a recent “First Word,” Stanford’s administration has not been great to wrestling. They may not want to put in the effort to find that gem of an assistant and look to a proven head coach. Nate Engel (Oregon State - Associate Head Coach) Why he makes sense: The other assistant coach we’ll mention is Nate Engel who isn’t a stranger on the Stanford campus. Engel spent two seasons as an assistant in Palo Alto from 2018-20. That’s important because he was not on staff when the sport was dropped and then saved. Those coaches have moved on and I’m not sure that the administration looks at them as glowingly as the wrestling community does for fighting to save the program. Engel is highly respected around the coaching world. In a profession that typically rewards coaches with the most high-profile collegiate careers, Engel is an outlier. He was an NAIA All-American before becoming a top domestic contender on the Greco ladder. Engel remains one of the best Greco minds in the country. It doesn’t matter as much as it would at your typical school, but Stanford would represent “coming home” for Engel, who grew up about 90 miles north of Palo Alto. Because of its academic reputation, Stanford recruits on a national level, and having recruiting ties locally isn’t as important, though it would help for fundraising and generating fan interest. Damion Hahn (South Dakota State - Head Coach) Why he makes sense: In his fifth year at South Dakota State, Damion Hahn saw his team finish 14th in the nation with a pair of All-Americans and a national finalist. That finish was the third highest for a Big 12 school and head of schools like Oklahoma State, Oklahoma, and Northern Iowa. Hahn has done an excellent job at building off of the momentum initially generated by Chris Bono in Brookings. SDSU is ready to unveil a state-of-the-art wrestling facility that will make most other programs in the country jealous. That couldn’t have happened without the efforts of the coaching staff and the belief of the athletic department. Before coming to South Dakota State, Hahn spent 12 years as Rob Koll’s right-hand man at Cornell. Again, we’re identifying coaches with experience working in the Ivy League or an Ivy-like environment. Also, does a recommendation from Rob Koll hold weight with Stanford? In most cases it would; however, the job is vacant because Koll left for North Carolina. Troy Nickerson (Northern Colorado - Head Coach) Why he makes sense: Like Hahn, Troy Nickerson is fresh off a banner year at his respective institution, Northern Colorado. Nickerson is getting ready to start his tenth year as the head man of the Bears. The 2022-23 season saw his 141 lber, Andrew Alirez, win a national title which was the first by a Northern Colorado wrestler since 1962. During his time at Northern Colorado, Nickerson has been able to ink a top-five recruiting class and has overseen the move (wrestling-wise) to the Big 12. Since then, he’s seen a pair of wrestlers combine to win three Big 12 titles. Last year, Alirez and Stevo Poulin (125) both accomplished the feat. Only Iowa State and Oklahoma State had multiple champions in 2023. Also like Hahn, Nickerson has a history at Cornell with Koll. He was a top recruit and four-time All-American for the Big Red, winning a national title in 2009. Nickerson doesn’t have the long Ivy track record like others on this list, but he has brought his team farther along than anyone else on this list (except Ayres) despite some limitations. Chris Pendleton (Oregon State - Head Coach) Why he makes sense: Chris Pendleton just completed his third year as head coach for Oregon State. In his second season, Pendleton’s squad finished 12th in the nation on the strength of four All-Americans. The 2023 team crowned five conference champions, won the Pac-12 and was ten points ahead of second place…..Stanford. With a good thing going, why would Pendleton want to look elsewhere? The current state of college athletics on the West Coast could be an answer. Something way out of you, or I, or Pendleton’s control. On Monday, Stanford and California announced that they were leaving the Pac-12 for the ACC. Earlier this summer, a group of teams announced their departure for the Big 12. Others are Big Ten bound. What’s left of the Pac-12 after this school year is Oregon State and Washington State. Where they land is anyone’s guess. While the wrestling program has turned in strong results of late, and the 2023-24 is nationally ranked, who knows what the athletic department will look like going forward. In just a short amount of time, Pendleton has shown that he can put the right assistant coaches into place, spearhead strong recruiting efforts, and pump life into a program that was often overlooked. Zach Tanelli (Columbia - Head Coach) Why he makes sense: Once again, we’re looking at a current head coach at an Ivy League school in Columbia’s Zach Tanelli. Hired in 2016, Tanelli is just starting to see the fruits of his labors pay off in New York City. The 2023 team had six national qualifiers which was the most in school history. At the EIWA Championships, Columbia tied Navy for fourth place, finishing ahead of rivals like Army, Harvard, and Princeton. The 2023-24 squad was ranked 30th in InterMat’s preseason dual rankings. Tanelli took over a program that trailed its Ivy League brethren on the mat, the recruiting trail, and post-collegiate training. Under his watch, Columbia has improved in each of those areas. The Lions have been mentioned in two of the last three years in InterMat’s Recruiting Rankings. They held the #25 spot in 2021 and were an honorable mention in 2022. It’s been a recurring theme here, but Tanelli has the experience of navigating through lofty admission expectations.

West Allegheny

I was going to celebrate my 100th mailbag this week then I realized I’m still nearly a year away so scratch that for now. Labor Day is in the books and results will start trickling in. Who’s Number One was a great opener and next up is the Senior World Championships. The granddaddy of ‘em all. I’ll never be up at the right time to watch, but I’m sure it will still be fun. Alright, there are plenty more words for you to read below this so get to it! If Gable skips Worlds but wrestles college this season, is it the ultimate troll job to make the greatest heel turn ever? Thicccholas I have no idea what it is. And quite frankly, I don’t even care anymore. If I had my druthers, Gable would dominate the world for the next decade. Looks like I’m all out of druthers. Should/will the Illini bypass redshirt for any of this year’s unbelievable recruiting class? FSL Illini I think the trend of true frosh starting and having success will only be enhanced in the future simply based on the lawlessness of the transfer portal. And that’s not to say anything will happen at Illinois, but I think most coaches now have to think about how long they may have certain guys on the roster. You can’t just assume you have five years for four seasons anymore. Add to that the five-date rule or whatever it is and you’re now able to give guys a soft opening and make the best decision that you see fit. Is a guy like Kannon Webster ready? They basically have the first two months of the season to find out. Levi Haines and the redshirt-pull had a whole will they/won’t they for months last year and he ended up in the finals. Has it been released what duals will be on the Jagger Night slate this season? And what promo items will Rutgers be giving out for those nights? Fantasy College Wrestling I don’t choose Jagger Night. Jagger Night chooses me. That’s actually true. Many things have to fall into place for me to get down there. Plus, they only had like four home duals last year, so it was slim pickings. This year, I’m happy to report that Coach Goodale saw the power of Jagger Night and that they never lose when I attend so he went and loaded up the home sked this year and is tempting me to buy season tickets. Do I try to make a few more duals? Do I risk the streak a little more than normal? Does Tom Ryan want to see Jagger walking through that door when they do their East Coast swing? Was Swing the worst music genre of the last thirty years? Is anyone still reading this? Which NCAA wrestler most reminds you of the Detroit Lions? This question is going to age very well or very badly by Friday. Kevin Claunch I’m not sure I even know how to answer this. At least without insulting many of our fine college athletes. For answering purposes, we will use this current Lions team and compare them to a current team. Detroit is a young team with talent that is finally ready to prove that they are serious about hanging with the big boys. With a fairly new first-time head coach in the fiery Dan Campbell, Detroit is ready to run through a brick wall. This reminds me of Alex Clemsen, also of the fiery variety, and the Maryland Terps. Coach Clemsen has now had the time to put his stamp on the team and just like the Lions, had some very exciting battles last season. Perhaps this is the year they both breakthrough? Who is wrestling’s most insufferable gatekeeper? Jeffrey I also don’t know how to answer this without insulting anyone. But it’s probably Rhino. Do the guys at Spectrum think I’m just some dumb hick? Rhino For those not aware, Spectrum and Disney are in a spat. Apparently, Disney pulled all their channels right as the college football season started. Basically putting the horse head in the producer’s bed. What are they fighting about? I have no idea. I just know it will cost you more money while Disney starts a sportsbook through ESPN in the near future. That's right. Mickey Mouse is your new bookie. Don’t pay up and Goofy will break your legs. How far down the list of Jersey greats did they go when attempting to rename the Colonia service area before they realized nobody wanted their name attached to that Wawa? Salty Walkon Buddy, that is John Poznanski Country and you need to treat it with respect. Perhaps I’ll lend my name to the rest stop if nobody else wants it. Let me check out this Wawa first. I’m not very good at math. Can you please explain Kyle Schwarber’s baseball stats? I can’t tell if they’re good or bad. Kevin McGuigan He's quite the anomaly. He can't hit his own weight yet his OBP is more than Daniel Vogelbach’s weight. And that’s about all the baseball stuff I care to discuss. McGuigan, I got a feeling your whole team is going down.

Prior to a few years ago, I had never seen a single Harry Potter movie. The wife eventually wore me down, and we embarked on a quest to binge all of the films. For the most part, the overarching narrative is solid young-adult fantasy. Sure, there are a variety of absurd things like dancing chocolate frogs, but for the most part, viewers can accept these absurdities as part of the wizarding world. However, there is one aspect that is simply too preposterous to handle, and that aspect is Quidditch. For the uninitiated, Quidditch is a game similar to hockey, but the competitors fly around on brooms. While most players are trying to score goals, one select competitor from each team tries to track down something called the “Snitch.” Goals are worth only 10 points, but catching the snitch nets a team a whopping 150 points. Naturally, this makes very little sense, and Harry Potter creator JK Rowling even admits that she created a sport with an unrealistic scoring system partially to infuriate men since she was having an issue with her boyfriend at the time. Believe it or not, people actually try to play Quidditch in real life. Of course, the rules needed to be slightly adjusted since flying brooms are not actually a practical reality. The scoring was also modified to make it a somewhat sensical competition. Under Major League Quadball rules, catching the snitch is worth only 35 instead of the ridiculous 150. If you are still reading, you are probably wondering why you just encountered three paragraphs about a made-up sport. It is now time to get to the point. While scoring in sports is always somewhat arbitrary, there comes a time when the point system needs to be adjusted. If you were living under a rock this past offseason, you likely missed that the NCAA Playing Rules Oversight Panel approved the three-point takedown. The idea being “that increasing the scoring for takedowns by an additional point will enhance the sport by rewarding offensive actions and risk-taking.” In theory, incentivizing takedowns by awarding an additional point will motivate wrestlers to be more offensive. While this makes intuitive sense, it has rarely been tested. The NCAA implemented a potentially drastic change without really looking at the potential impacts or unintended consequences. While the point value was likely not assigned specifically to infuriate people like Rowling’s Quidditch, saying the implementation is myopic or shortsighted would be fair criticism. Nobody really knows how the new takedown rule will change the sport. This season will be a petri dish of sorts. We will learn how the sport has changed while college wrestlers try to write their names in the record books. This past weekend, fans got their first taste of the new scoring in action. Flo hosted the annual Who’s Number One (WNO) event. It features some of the top high school wrestlers in the country, but it uses college rules. Obviously, this is an entirely too small sample size to draw any major conclusions. At the same time, we are all excited for the start of the upcoming season, and it is a fun thought exercise. Points per Match This is a bit of a given. The point value associated with the most common type of scoring went from two to three points, so obviously the number of points scored in a match would go up. However, it might not have increased as dramatically as one might have expected. Across the 12 matches wrestled at the 2022 WNO, there were 126 points scored or 10.5 points per match. In the 10 matches from 2023, there were 117 points scored, or 11.7 points per match. Takedowns per Match This is the big one. In the committee’s own words, the goal of the rule change was to incentivize takedowns. The early results are mostly mixed. In 2022, there were 25 takedowns across the 12 matches for an average of 2.08 takedowns per match. With the additional point, the rate of takedowns per match increased only slightly to 2.30. RT Points There did seem to be a rather significant decrease in matches that ended with riding time. There were seven matches with riding time in 2022, and that number dropped to four in 2023. Advocates for the three-point takedown would likely cite this as evidence that wrestlers were more interested in scoring points on the feet instead of riding. It will be interesting to see if this trend continues into the season. Three-Point Near Fall In addition to the three-point takedown, there was another change to the scoring of collegiate matches. For the last few seasons, a wrestler could earn two points by exposing their opponent’s back to the mat for a two-second count and four points for a four-second count. For this season, a three-point near fall for a three-second count was added. At the 2023 WNO, only one match featured a three-point near fall, and the number of near falls decreased significantly from six in 2022 to three in 2023. Conclusion As previously stated, this really is too small of a sample size to say anything about the effectiveness or impact of the three-point takedown. On top of that, WNO is an all-star event and therefore features some of the best high school wrestlers in the country. My guess is that there will not be a large difference in competitive matches. I find it extremely hard to believe that wrestlers were thinking things like, “I would go for a takedown, but it is worth only two measly points.” The downside of going for takedowns is that it opens a wrestler up for counters. A defended takedown can easily turn into points for the other competitor. I would postulate that this risk is more responsible for tentative neutral wrestling than the point value associated with takedowns. Increasing the value of a takedown does not really address the potential risk associated with going for takedowns. The incentive has increased, but the risk has also increased. Where I think we will see a difference will come in less competitive contests. Those wide decisions will more easily become major decisions, and major decisions will more easily become technical falls. Perhaps this variation will make duals more exciting, but it could also just as easily turn blowouts into bigger blowouts. Rules can be adjusted. If the three-point takedown does not produce the desired result or it has some unintended negative impact, the rules committee can simply revert to the two-point takedown or make another rule change. While it is a big change, it is not nearly as absurd as the 150-point snitch in the fictional game of Quidditch. However, I would highly recommend using events such as WNO to test these changes before implementation.

Don Bosco Prep

Apple Valley

Once the action gets underway from Belgrade, Serbia on September 16th at the 2023 World Championships competitors from around the world will be in search of coveted gold medals and world titles. Below are the wrestlers that have successfully earned world championships over the last ten years. Who is next to inscribe their name onto the list below? Note: Weights have shifted at times since 2013, so wrestlers have been included at the current weight closest to their world championship win. Men’s Freestyle 57 kg 2022 - Zelimkhan Abakarov (Albania) 2021 - Thomas Gilman (USA) 2019 - Zaur Uguev (Russia) 2018 - Zaur Uguev (Russia) 2017 - Yuki Takahashi (Japan) 2015 - Vladimer Khinchegashvili (Georgia) 2014 - Yang Kyong-Il (North Korea) 2013 - Hassan Rahimi (Iran) - 55 kg 61 kg 2022 - Rei Higuchi (Japan) 2021 - Abasgadzhi Magomedov (Russia) 2019 - Beka Lomtadze (Georgia) 2018 - Yowlys Bonne Rodriguez (Cuba) 2017 - Haji Aliyev (Azerbaijan) 2016 - Logan Stieber (USA) 2015 - Haji Aliyev (Azerbaijan) 2014 - Haji Aliyev (Azerbaijan) 2013 - Bekkhan Goygereev (Russia) - 60 kg 65 kg 2022 - Rahman Amouzad (Iran) 2021 - Zagir Shakhiev (Russia) 2019 - Gadzhimurad Rashidov (Russia) 2018 - Takuto Otoguro (Japan) 2017 - Zurabi Iakobishvili (Georgia) 2015 - Frank Chamizo (Italy) 2014 - Soslan Ramonov (Russia) 2013 - David Safaryan (Armenia) - 66 kg 70 kg 2022 - Taishi Narikuni (Japan) 2021 - Magomedmurad Gadzhiev (Poland) 2019 - David Baez (Russia) 2018 - Magomedrasul Gazimagomedov (Russia) 2017 - Frank Chamizo (Italy) 2016 - Magomed Kurbanaliev (Russia) 2015 - Magomedrasul Gazimagomedov (Russia) 2014 - Khetag Tsabolov (Russia) 74 kg 2022 - Kyle Dake (USA) 2021 - Kyle Dake (USA) 2019 - Zaurbek Sidakov (Russia) 2018 - Zaurbek Sidakov (Russia) 2017 - Jordan Burroughs (USA) 2015 - Jordan Burroughs (USA) 2014 - Denis Tsargush (Russia) 2013 - Jordan Burroughs (USA) 79 kg 2022 - Jordan Burroughs (USA) 2021 - Jordan Burroughs (USA) 2019 - Kyle Dake (USA) 2018 - Kyle Dake (USA) 86 kg 2022 - David Taylor (USA) 2021 - Hassan Yazdani (Iran) 2019 - Hassan Yazdani (Iran) 2018 - David Taylor (USA) 2017 - Hassan Yazdani (Iran) 2015 - Abdulrashid Sadulaev (Russia) 2014 - Abdulrashid Sadulaev (Russia) 2013 - Ibragim Aldatov (Ukraine) - 84 kg 92 kg 2022 - Kamran Ghasempour (Iran) 2021 - Kamran Ghasempour (Iran) 2019 - J’den Cox (USA) 2018 - J’den Cox (USA) 97 kg 2022 - Kyle Snyder (USA) 2021 - Abdulrashid Sadulaev (Russia) 2019 - Abdulrashid Sadulaev (Russia) 2018 - Abdulrashid Sadulaev (Russia) 2017 - Kyle Snyder (USA) 2015 - Kyle Snyder (USA) 2014 - Abdusalam Gadisov (Russia) 2013 - Reza Yazdani (Iran) - 96 kg 125 kg 2022 - Taha Akgul (Turkey) 2021 - Amir Zare (Iran) 2019 - Geno Petriashvili (Georgia) 2018 - Geno Petriashvili (Georgia) 2017 - Geno Petriashvili (Georgia) 2015 - Taha Akgul (Turkey) 2014 - Taha Akgul (Turkey) 2013 - Khadzhimurat Gatsalov (Russia) - 120 kg Women’s Freestyle 50 kg 2022 - Yui Susaki (Japan) 2021 - Remina Yoshimoto (Japan) 2019 - Mariya Stadnik (Azerbaijan) 2018 - Yui Susaki (Japan) 2017 - Yui Susaki (Japan) - 48 kg 2015 - Eri Tosaka (Japan) - 48 kg 2014 - Eri Tosaka (Japan) - 48 kg 2013 - Eri Tosaka (Japan) - 48 kg 53 kg 2022 - Dom Parrish (USA) 2021 - Akari Fujinami (Japan) 2019 - Pak Yong-Mi (North Korea) 2018 - Haruna Okuno (Japan) 2017 - Vanesa Kaladzinskaya (Belarus) 2015 - Saori Yoshida (Japan) 2014 - Saori Yoshida (Japan) 2013 - Yanan Sun (China) - 51 kg 55 kg 2022 - Mayu Shidochi (Japan) 2021 - Tsugumi Sakurai (Japan) 2019 - Jacarra Winchester (USA) 2018 - Mayu Mukaida (Japan) 2017 - Haruna Okuno (Japan) 2016 - Mayu Mukaida (Japan) 2015 - Helen Maroulis (USA) 2014 - Chiho Hamada (Japan) 2013 - Saori Yoshida (Japan) 57 kg 2022 - Tsugumi Sakurai (Japan) 2021 - Helen Maroulis (USA) 2019 - Risako Kawai (Japan) 2018 - Ningning Rong (China) 2017 - Helen Maroulis (USA) - 58 kg 2015 - Kaori Icho (Japan) - 58 kg 2014 - Kaori Icho (Japan) - 58 kg 59 kg 2022 - Anastasia Nichita (Moldova) 2021 - Bilyana Dudova (Bulgaria) 2019 - Linda Morais (Canada) 2018 - Risako Kawai (Japan) 2017 - Risako Kawai (Japan) - 60 kg 2016 - Xingru Pei (China) - 60 kg 2015 - Oksana Herhel (Ukraine) - 60 kg 2014 - Sukheegiin Tserenchimed (Mongolia) - 60 kg 2013 - Marianna Sastin (Hungary) 62 kg 2022 - Nonoka Ozaki (Japan) 2021 - Aisuluu Tynybekova (Kyrgyzstan) 2019 - Aisuluu Tynybekova (Kyrgyzstan) 2018 - Taybe Yusein (Bulgaria) 2017 - Purevdorjiin Orkhon (Mongolia) - 63 kg 2015 - Soronzonboldyn Battsetseg (Mongolia) - 63 kg 2014 - Yuliya Tkach (Ukraine) - 63 kg 2013 - Kaori Icho (Japan) - 63 kg 65 kg 2022 - Miwa Morikawa (Japan) 2021 - Irina Ringaci (Moldova) 2019 - Inna Trazhukova (Russia) 2018 - Petra Olli (Finland) 68 kg 2022 - Tamyra Mensah-Stock (USA) 2021 - Meerim Zhumanazarova (Kyrgyzstan) 2019 - Tamyra Mensah-Stock (USA) 2018 - Alla Cherkasova (Ukraine) 2017 - Sara Dosho (Japan) - 69 kg 2015 - Natalia Vorobieva (Russia) - 69 kg 2014 - Aline Focken (Germany) - 69 kg 2013 - Alina Stadnyk (Ukraine) - 67 kg 72 kg 2022 - Amit Elor (USA) 2021 - Masako Furuichi (Japan) 2019 - Natalia Vorobieva (Russia) 2018 - Justina DiStasio (Canada) 2013 - Fengliu Zhang (China) 76 kg 2022 - Yasemin Adar (Turkey) 2021 - Adeline Gray (USA) 2019 - Adeline Gray (USA) 2018 - Adeline Gray (USA) 2017 - Yasemin Adar (Turkey) - 75 kg 2015 - Adeline Gray (USA) - 75 kg 2014 - Adeline Gray (USA) - 75 kg Men’s Greco-Roman 55 kg 2022 - Eldaniz Azizli (Azerbaijan) 2021 - Ken Matsui (Japan) 2019 - Nugzari Tsurtsumia (Georgia) 2018 - Eldaniz Azizli (Azerbaijan) 2013 - Yun Won-Chol (North Korea) 60 kg 2022 - Zholaman Sharshenbekov (Kyrgyzstan) 2021 - Victor Ciobanu (Moldova) 2019 - Kenichiro Fumita (Japan) 2018 - Sergey Emelin (Russia) 2017 - Kenichiro Fumita (Japan) - 59 kg 2015 - Ismael Borrero Molina (Cuba) - 59 kg 2014 - Hamid Sourian (Iran) - 59 kg 2013 - Ivo Angelov (Bulgaria) 63 kg 2022 - Sebastian Nad (Serbia) 2021 - Meisam Dalkhani (Iran) 2019 - Shinobu Ota (Japan) 2018 - Stepan Maryanyan (Russia) 67 kg 2022 - Mate Nemes (Serbia) 2021 - Mohammad Geraei (Iran) 2019 - Ismael Borrero Molina (Cuba) 2018 - Artem Surkov (Russia) 2017 - Han-Su Ryu (South Korea) - 66 kg 2015 - Frank Stabler (Germany) - 66 kg 2014 - Davor Stefanek (Serbia) - 66 kg 2013 - Han-Su Ryu (South Korea) - 66 kg 72 kg 2022 - Ali Arsalan (Serbia) 2021 - Malkhas Amoyan (Armenia) 2019 - Abuyazid Mantsigov (Russia) 2018 - Frank Stabler (Germany) 2017 - Frank Stabler (Germany) - 71 kg 2016 - Balint Korpasi (Hungary) - 71 kg 2015 - Rasul Chunayev (Azerbaijan) - 71 kg 2014 - Chingiz Labazanov (Russia) - 71 kg 2013 - Hyeon-Woo Kimg (South Korea) - 74 kg 77 kg 2022 - Akzhol Makhmudov (Kyrgyzstan) 2021 - Roman Vlasov (Russia) 2019 - Tamas Lorincz (Hungary) 2018 - Aleksandr Chekhirkin (Russia) 2017 - Viktor Nemes (Serbia) - 75 kg 2015 - Roman Vlasov (Russia) - 75 kg 2014 - Arsen Julfalakyan (Armenia) - 75 kg 82 kg 2022 - Burhan Akbudak (Turkey) 2021 - Rafig Huseynov (Azerbaijan) 2019 - Lasha Gobadze (Georgia) 2018 - Peter Bacsi (Hungary) 2017 - Maksim Manukyan (Armenia) - 80 kg 2016 - Ramazan Abacharaev (Russia) - 80 kg 2015 - Selcuk Cebi (Turkey) - 80 kg 2014 - Peter Bacsi (Hungary) - 80 kg 2013 - Taleb Nematpour (Iran) - 84 kg 87 kg 2022 - Zurabi Datunashvili (Serbia) 2021 - Zurabi Datunashvili (Serbia) 2019 - Zhan Beleniuk (Ukraine) 2018 - Metehan Basar (Turkey) 2017 - Metehan Basar (Turkey) - 85 kg 2015 - Zhan Beleniuk (Ukraine) - 85 kg 2014 - Melonin Noumonvi (France) - 85 kg 97 kg 2022 - Artur Aleksanyan (Armenia) 2021 - Mohammad Saravi (Iran) 2019 - Musa Evloev (Russia) 2018 - Musa Evloev (Russia) 2017 - Artur Aleksanyan (Armenia) - 98 kg 2015 - Artur Aleksanyan (Armenia) - 98 kg 2014 - Artur Aleksanyan (Armenia) - 98 kg 2013 - Nikita Melnikov (Russia) - 96 kg 130 kg 2022 - Riza Kayaalp (Turkey) 2021 - Ali Akbar Yousefi (Iran) 2019 - Riza Kayaalp (Turkey) 2018 - Sergey Semenov (Russia) 2017 - Riza Kayaalp (Turkey) 2015 - Riza Kayaalp (Turkey) 2014 - Mijain Lopez (Cuba) 2013 - Heiki Nabi (Estonia) - 120 kg

Stillwater

In less than two weeks, the Senior World Championships will get underway and the United States will do battle with the rest of the world in search of medals and Olympic qualification. Before we get to actual weight class previews, let's take a look at some past results. We’re taking a different approach today in reviewing the US team’s past performance head-to-head against other nations, in all three styles. InterMat has gone through results from Olympic/World events dating back to the 2016 Olympics to get a decent enough sample size. However, any further and we’re looking at results that largely don’t include anyone competing in 2023. Seven years is a long time for international wrestling. Many wrestlers have come and gone. Some countries have undergone massive changes to their coaching staff, funding, and infrastructure during that time. Below are the head-to-head records for each of the three American teams, divided by style. The numbers on the left-hand side are head-to-head records for the United States against that respective country. Does anything stand out? Men’s Freestyle Team 19-6: Iran 12-3: Azerbaijan 10-4: Georgia 8-1: Belarus, Mongolia, Poland 8-2: Italy 8-10: Russia 6-0: Canada, Germany, India, Ukraine 6-1: Bulgaria 5-2: Uzbekistan 5-4: Japan, Turkey 4-0: Hungary, Kyrgyzstan, North Macedonia 4-1: Kazakhstan, Slovakia 4-2: Cuba 3-0: France, Moldova 2-0: Puerto Rico, South Korea, Turkmenistan 2-1: China 2-3: Armenia 1-0: Algeria, American Samoa, Australia, Colombia, Finland, Guinea-Bissau, North Korea, Romania, San Marino, Slovenia, Switzerland 0-1: Albania, Bahrain Women’s Freestyle 11-3: Ukraine 11-4: Mongolia 8-17: Japan 7-1: Canada, Turkey 6-0: India 6-1: Germany 6-2: Russia 6-3: Kazakhstan 6-8: China 5-0: Bulgaria 4-0: Brazil, Sweden 4-1: Hungary 3-0: Colombia, Italy, Vietnam 3-4: Belarus 2-0: Czech Republic, Estonia, Greece, Romania, South Korea, Tunisia 2-1: Cuba, France, Kyrgyzstan, Nigeria 2-2: Azerbaijan, Poland 1-4: North Korea 1-0: Austria, Chinese Taipei, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Egypt, Latvia, Moldova, Netherlands, New Zealand, Uzbekistan Men’s Greco-Roman 5-4: Germany 3-1: India 2-0: Czech Republic 2-1: Poland 2-4: China, Turkey, Ukraine 1-0: Algeria, Brazil, Colombia, Congo, Guatemala, Lithuania, Morocco, Slovakia, South Korea 1-1: Cuba, Iran, Japan, Sweden 1-2: Bulgaria, Kazakhstan, Serbia 1-4: Armenia 0-1: Belarus, Chile, Denmark, Norway, Portugal, Romania, Uzbekistan, Venezuela 0-2: Croatia, France, Moldova 0-3: Georgia, Kyrgyzstan 0-4: Russia 0-6: Azerbaijan, Hungary

Johns Creek

There’s a big change at the biggest weight class for the 2023 United States Senior Men’s Freestyle team. 2020(1) Olympic Gold Medalist, Gable Steveson, has informed USA Wrestling that he will not compete at the upcoming World Championships ten days from now. Final X runner-up Mason Parris will take his place. Steveson left his shoes in the center of the mat after winning his second NCAA title for the University of Minnesota in 2022. At the time, he was focusing on getting a WWE career off the ground. Steveson returned to the mat in April, at the US Open, where he had little trouble in running through a talented field for the title and a spot in Final X. In Newark, Steveson looked as good as ever dispatching Parris in two-straight matches, 5-2 and 5-0. Steveson has also made comments that have fueled speculation that he’ll return to collegiate wrestling, as well. He just needed approval from the WWE. Now, Steveson is out of the 2023 World Championships. The United States gets to display its excellent depth at the 125 kg weight class with Parris. In 2019, Parris pinned Iranian Amir Zare to win a Junior world championship. Zare has gone on to win a world title at the Senior level and owns three Senior World/Olympic medals. Parris, knowing this was a possibility, recently went to Hungary and grabbed a gold medal at the Ranking Series event. Earlier this year, Parris wrapped up his collegiate career at the University of Michigan and was awarded the Hodge Trophy after winning an elusive national title. Parris’ Hodge Trophy hopes were bolstered by a 33-0 record that featured 21 bonus-point wins; including 11 falls. Each of the final three wrestlers that Parris defeated in Tulsa were age-group world medalists. With Parris’ addition, the 2023 men’s freestyle squad now has six first-time world team members.

The Pac-12 conference has dropped to two teams as Stanford and California will be heading cross country to the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) next season. With Arizona State and Stanford’s departure, the Pac-12 wrestling conference is down to four teams next season. In order to receive allocations as a conference, the Pac-12 would need to add two new teams to it. Although it sounds easy, it is not. Therefore, let’s look at all the potential options that can happen next season with the four teams remaining. Hybrid Conference Since it seems no Pac-12 teams will be wrestling in the conference next season, the affiliates can create a hybrid conference. Currently, California Baptist and Utah Valley are the only wrestling teams in the Western Athletic Conference. The WAC can also try to bring in the other California schools, Cal Poly and Cal State Bakersfield. In addition, the conference can try to recruit Air Force and Northern Colorado. Both, along with Wyoming, are current affiliate members for other sports. Pac-12 turns to Mountain West The most recent news states the Mountain West Conference has reached out to Oregon State and Washington State at the end of August. If the two teams move to the conference, it can be a great way to create wrestling in that conference. Similar to the WAC, the Mountain West can revamp former programs and attempt to bring a program to Washington State. Plus, they can extend invitations to the current Pac-12 affiliates to join the conference. Go Independent If the four Pac-12 teams remaining went independent, their programs would head in separate directions. Oregon State’s funding, prominence, and history can keep them afloat. The Beavers would most likely be able to retain a status in the West, compete in large tournaments and get bids into the NCAA tournament. However, the recruiting pool can become smaller and the schedule can become lighter than before. Cal Poly has been trending upwards. The Mustangs could find themselves in a similar situation as Cal Baptist. The Mustangs can pickup an invitation to another program or compete by creating their own schedule. The reason why the Mustangs can survive is they raise funds, the consistency within the program, stability and recent success under Jon Sioredas. Therefore, Cal Poly can find itself in a decent spot as an independent. Cal State Bakersfield would be on the low end of the stick. The Roadrunners could see its wrestling program dwindle as the recruiting pool falls, funds drop and the competition is scarce. Therefore, an independent route for CSUB can hurt them tremendously. Little Rock is questionable. The Trojans can try and sneak into the Big 12 or SoCon as an affiliate since it's rising each season. However, Little Rock’s short-term history hurts them as a strong provider for a conference. If they remained independent, it can be tough to get recruits, draw funds and competition too. Big Ten becomes 14 (or whatever number we’re at) The Big 10 is the top NCAA wrestling conference in the country. Although the Big 10 has no plans to reach out to the Beavers or Cougars, it could make the four Pac-12 teams become affiliates. Although the travel will be painful and the programs stand little chance for similar success as the Pac-12, it provides short-term stability for the programs. If it happens, it will come with many hurdles and potentially starting new or resurrecting old programs. This idea doesn’t seem as likely as the Big Ten doesn’t currently have any affiliate members for wrestling.

On Friday morning, multiple sports outlets reported that California and Stanford were leaving the Pac-12 to join the ACC, along with SMU. From a wrestling standpoint, Stanford is the school we’re paying attention to, since neither of the two other new additions sponsor wrestling. So, how does an ACC that includes Stanford look? How does Stanford look compared with the existing members of the league? For now, let's take the giant elephant in the room which is the location of the ACC opposed to Stanford and set it aside. The ACC has some excellent academic institutions. Some that are very close to Stanford’s league. The league has been on the rise for most of the last decade-plus and adds a Stanford team that has been strong, but could be on the upswing, too. Stanford has had an All-American in each of the last three years, two of which featured multiple All-Americans. The 2020 season netted a pair of First Team NWCA All-Americans and a second-teamer. Since 2019, Stanford has sent 28 wrestlers to the NCAA Tournament. Eight Cardinal wrestlers have claimed Pac-12 titles. Today, we’re looking at some recent results to see how Stanford has fared against the ACC. Not only are we weighing the Cardinal against the rest of the conference on the mat, but also the recruiting trail. Here’s the record for Stanford wrestlers at the last five NCAA Championships while competing against ACC foes. 2023: 1-2 2022: 1-2 2021: 3-2 2019: 1-1 2018: 0-0 These are Stanford’s NCAA qualifiers for the 2022-23 campaign and how they competed against ACC competition. Nico Provo (125) - 2022/23: 2-0 (Win’s over Kyle Montapero/Cooper Flynn) Jaden Abas (149) - 2022/23: 2-2 (Win’s over Denton Spencer/Patrick Rowland) (Losses to Caleb Henson; Michael Gioffre) Daniel Cardenas (157) - 2022/23: 2-1 (Wins over Jake Keating, Clayton Ulrey) (Loss to Ed Scott) Shane Griffith (165) - 2022/23: 2-0 (Wins over Justin McCoy, Connor Brady) Tyler Eischens (174) - 2022/23: 2-1 (Win over Vic Marcelli, Alex Faison) (Loss to Mekhi Lewis) Nick Stemmet (197) - 2022/23: 3-2 (Wins over Andy Smith, TJ Stewart x2) (Loss to Michael Battista, Isaac Trumble) With Stanford’s performance last year, they likely could have slip in front of North Carolina and Virginia for fourth place at the 2023 ACC Championships. 2021 national champion Shane Griffith had a victory over the eventual champion Justin McCoy, so it’s not a stretch to think he could have won a conference crown. Pac-12 Freshman of the Year, Daniel Cardenas, suffered a loss at NCAA’s to Ed Scott of NC State. While Cardenas is extremely talented, it’s hard to project him higher than fourth in a 2023 ACC bracket that featured three All-Americans. It’s not out of the picture to think that both Jaden Abas and Tyler Eischens could have worked their way in to the conference championship match. That production probably isn’t enough to catch a Pittsburgh team that boasted two champions and a second-place finisher. Below are the dual results for Stanford against ACC schools since 2017-18. 2022-23 Virginia Tech (L) 22-12 2019-20 North Carolina (W) 21-11 2017-18 Virginia Tech (L) 22-12 Here are some of Stanford’s recent NCAA finishes compared to the new conference competition. 2022: Stanford (#19 - 31.5 points). Virginia Tech (#8 - 52.5 points), NC State (#10 - 49 points), North Carolina (#18 - 32 points) 2021: Stanford (#17 - 35.5 points). NC State (#6 - 68 points), Pittsburgh (#11 - 40.5 points), Virginia Tech (#15 - 36.5 points), North Carolina (#16 - 36 points) 2016: Stanford (#19 - 24 points). Virginia Tech (#4 - 82 points), NC State (#11 - 49 points) Stanford has become a recruiting juggernaut under Rob Koll. They have finished in the top-eight in each of the last two seasons. Another one could be in the works. Stanford has a huge group of verbals from the Class of 2024; however, they may not end up signing with the Cardinal after the coaching change. Here’s how Stanford and their ACC contemporaries have done in InterMat’s recruiting rankings during that time. 2023: #8 Stanford, #9 Virginia Tech, #18 NC State, #24 Pittsburgh 2022: #3 NC State, #5 Stanford, #7 Virginia Tech, #9 Virginia, #15 Pittsburgh, #16 North Carolina Because of the extra year of eligibility, as a result Covid, there are quite a handful of projected starters from the 2023-24 squad, that should have eligibility remaining when the school joins the ACC in 2024-25. However, we’ve seen a handful of quality wrestlers transfer out after graduating because of the difficult entry into the school’s graduate programs. That being said, every projected starter, aside from Jackson DiSario (133 lbs), could have a year of eligibility remaining in 2024-25.

EIWA correspondent Austin Sommer catches up with 2023 NCAA champion Patrick Glory of Princeton. Glory talks about his transition from the wrestling world to a job on Wall Street. For now, his wrestling career is "on pause", however, that could change. Glory also discusses how Princeton alumni connections have helped his get such a prominent job, along with taking his wrestling mindset to the workforce. glory.mp4

How Micky Phillippi and Nino Bonaccorsi helped transform Pitt’s wrestling culture by putting everything they had into their craft. Pitt teammates Micky Phillippi and Nino Bonaccorsi shared one of the most compelling moments of last spring’s NCAA tournament when Phillippi was spotted crying tears of joy after Bonaccorsi won his 197-pound NCAA title. Phillippi was celebrated for the investment he made in Bonaccorsi’s success, but that moment was also a picture-perfect representation of the culture they helped create in Pitt’s room. Bonaccorsi’s title meant more to Phillippi than the depth of his own heartache after he fell short of the NCAA podium in his final try. Those two were like-minded teammates and program leaders who arrived during a season of change in Pittsburgh along with coach Keith Gavin in 2017. The foundation of Gavin’s thinking was to build a team of wrestlers who loved to work and get better, which was simple in concept but harder to execute. The fact that Pitt continues to trend in that direction can be directly attributed to Bonaccorsi, who arrived just before Gavin from nearby Bethel Park High School, and to Phillippi, a three-time PA state champ from Derry Area, which sits about 40 miles from the city. They were hometown kids who had zero ego and were wrestling for a Pitt alum in Gavin which made them a near-perfect trio in light of the mess surrounding the firing of previous coach Jason Peters. Peters was relieved of his duties in 2017 after wrestlers were found to have consumed alcohol and used a website to invite suspected prostitutes to their hotel at the Midlands Championships, according to the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. “The year Keith started as head coach was my first year as a freshman,” Bonaccorsi said. “I felt like it was a turning point for our program. It was a real culture change. We had Keith. We had me and Micky, and we had great recruits coming in. We really tried to implement this culture of winning, trying to get better, and just being in love with the sport." Micky Phillippi in a 2021-22 dual meet; Photo courtesy of Sam Janicki; SJanickiPhoto.com Phillippi said Pitt’s reputation when he was being recruited out of Derry Area didn’t sit well with him, so his decision to transfer from Virginia to Pitt came as a bit of a surprise to those close to him. Homesickness was a factor, but Phillippi was also looking for the culture that he and Bonaccorsi eventually helped to create. He wanted to be around other wrestlers who ate, slept, and breathed the sport and wanted to get better as badly as he did. Phillippi had plenty of respect for Virginia and its wrestling program, but he just didn’t get the same feeling he sought at Pitt. At the time he made his choice, Phillippi was very much buying into Gavin, who recruited him at Virginia, and to former Pitt assistant Jordan Leen, who took the head job at Brown last summer and hired Phillippi as an assistant. Gavin and Leen sold a vision to Phillippi and took concrete steps to fulfill it. “I knew Keith, the kind of person he was,” Phillippi said. “And Jordan, I mean, he did the prayer at my wedding. He's one of the best people I've ever met.” Just as Pitt ultimately proved to be the perfect place for Phillippi to develop, he was the right kid at the right time for Gavin and his staff to build as quickly as they did. As a three-time state champ with a terrific reputation locally, Phillippi’s return home added a hefty dose of credibility to what Gavin, Leen, and the Pitt staff were trying to do. And with that, Pitt’s early nucleus started coming together. “It was a bit of a leap of faith on his part, and I was super grateful he took it,” Gavin said. “When he did, I think it showed other people in the area that like, ‘All right, make us believe in what can happen here.’ That went a long way because he's a well-known kid from Western PA.” The leap of faith was people-driven for Phillippi, in addition to the allure of getting back to his hometown roots with friends and family members around to support him. And not long after he made that choice, wrestling at Pitt became even more people-driven when he met Bonaccorsi, whose mindset was what he always wanted in a teammate. Phillippi found the bizarro version of himself. “We were at the welcome picnic, and his mom is talking to my girlfriend at the time, who's now my wife,” Phillippi said. “I don't know how it came up. It was something about not drinking, because Nino doesn't drink. And Marissa is like, ‘Oh my gosh, it looks like Micky found his friend.’” Micky and Nino found friends in each other, but also teammates who would rather show up to empty wrestling rooms at odd hours than go take down a six-pack. They went on that journey together and were leaders of a team that started to follow their example. NCAA All-American Cole Matthews fit right into the mode of thinking as the first recruit Gavin signed during his time at Pitt. He, too, has been on the grind for everything he’s gotten, including an All-America finish two years ago and a U23 world team trials win. Matthews saw the same thing everyone else did, which was the closeness of Phillippi and Bonaccorsi and what they stood for as people and wrestlers. They were natural in their ability to inspire others to make a deeper commitment to the sport. “Micky and Nino, if they didn't have their own girlfriends, you'd think they would be together, you know,” Matthews laughed. “I stepped into a good culture. So I never really had to set an example for someone or try to be someone I wasn't. I stepped in and I was just being myself. Then just being myself here was enough for me to develop.” Pitt’s ability to recruit its own backyard and build with blue-collar Western PA kids is a big part of getting like-minded wrestlers who are ready to work. But Gavin thinks that a hardworking, winning culture has great appeal across the country. So, while the Panthers will always try to lock down their region on the recruiting trail, they’re also still thinking bigger. “Ultimately, you want to get kids that are coming to college because they want to win nationals,” Gavin said. “I think we're proving that we have guys who can do that, in a short period of time. We’ve only been here for five NCAA tournaments. So, I think that the bigger deal is nationally. You're showing these kids from all around that you can come to Pitt and win a national title.” The success of Bonaccorsi and Phillippi is a big step in the process of trying to build that national reputation and climb higher in the NCAA team standings. But those guys also helped set a tone about investment and what can happen when hard work meets selflessness. That was the profound message sent by the visual of Phillippi celebrating Bonaccorsi’s NCAA title as if it were his own. The fact that Phillippi had just suffered a crushing blood-round loss for the fourth time in his career made the moment even more powerful. “Even as freshmen, we wanted to be national champions,” Bonaccorsi said. “That was our goal. I haven't met someone quite like Micky, who is so determined and so giving, so that was a special moment between us. It was like we finally did it. Regardless if it was me or him, it was a mutual thing.” Nino Bonaccorsi before a 2021-22 dual meet; Photo courtesy of Sam Janicki; SJanickiPhoto.com