InterMat Staff

For the 11th straight year, the FloWrestling’s Who’s #1 dual meet took place, this time on the campus of Wisconsin-Parkside. Who’s #1 is a dual that features matchups between the top two wrestlers at a particular weight in order to determine who is the best in the nation at that weight class. If we want to get technical, that wasn’t necessarily the case at some weights, but still, there was plenty of great action up and down the card. Also, for the third straight year, there was a full girls card, as well. Prior to 2021, there were girls matches sprinkled in dating back to the 2017 edition. The 2023 version had ten matches. Below are the full results from Saturday night’s Who’s #1 card. Boys Results 113 lbs - Christian Castillo (Arizona) over Paul Kenny (New Jersey) 4-1SV 120 lbs - Anthony Knox (New Jersey) over Leo DeLuca (New Jersey) 9-3 126 lbs - Jax Forrest (Pennsylvania) over Jordyn Raney (Kentucky) 18-15SV 132 lbs - Ben Davino (Illinois) over Kyler Larkin (Arizona) 4-2 138 lbs - Daniel Zepeda (California) over Bo Bassett (Pennsylvania) Fall 6:27 145 lbs - Pierson Manville (Pennsylvania) over Kollin Rath (Pennsylvania) 2-0 160 lbs - Joe Sealey (Pennsylvania) over Will Henckel (New Jersey) 4-2 170 lbs - Angelo Ferrari (Texas) over Ty Eise (Colorado) 5-1 195 lbs - Aeoden Sinclair (Wisconsin) over Connor Mirasola (Wisconsin) 5-1 220 lbs - Cody Merrill (California) over Sawyer Bartelt (Florida) 14-3 Girls Results 94 lbs - Audrey Jimenez (Arizona) over Anaya Falcon (California) 11-0 100 lbs - Madison Nieuwenhuis (Michigan) over Rianne Murphy (Indiana) 2-2 112 lbs - Gabriella Gomez (Illinois) over Clare Booe (Florida) 7-1 117 lbs - Isabella Marie Gonzales (California) over Karlee Brooks (Arizona) 4-4 122 lbs - Everest Leydecker (Arizona) over Aubre Krazer (Pennsylvania) 6-2 127 lbs - Taina Fernandez (Maryland) over Carley Ceshker (Wisconsin) 10-0 132 lbs - Haylie Jaffe (Pennsylvania) over Cadence Diduch (Illinois) 10-2 138 lbs - Kaidance Gerg (Idaho) over Valerie Hamilton (Illinois) 6-4 144 lbs - Nebi Tsarni (Maryland) over May Prado (Georgia) 10-4 164 lbs - Naomi Simon (Iowa) over Alexandri Alli (Ohio) Fall 1:12

Cass

Stanford has been the center of news in the collegiate wrestling world this week. Just yesterday afternoon, news was made public that Stanford head coach Rob Koll was leaving his post in Palo Alto to accept the head coaching position at his alma mater, North Carolina. Today, multiple reports have surfaced that the ACC (home of North Carolina) has voted to extend invitationals for membership to Stanford, along with California and Southern Methodist (neither of which has wrestling programs). The move is expected to take place for the 2024-25 school year. It remains to be seen how this move will impact wrestling. With Stanford’s departure, Oregon State would be the lone remaining member of the Pac-12 with a wrestling program. Cal Poly, CSU Bakersfield, and Little Rock are all affiliate members of the conference. As it stands now, Oregon State and Washington State are the only Pac-12 schools without a home. For wrestling purposes, Stanford will join an ACC that boasts three teams featured in the top-15 of InterMat’s preseason dual rankings (#4 Virginia Tech, #6 NC State, #15 Pittsburgh). Additionally, North Carolina was #26 and Stanford #23. Competing with ACC teams isn’t totally a foreign concept for Stanford. Last season, Stanford hosted Virginia Tech and is slated to travel to Blacksburg to wrestle the Hokies. Conference realignment is the number one story today in collegiate athletics, so there will be more on this topic as it develops. On a wrestling front, we'll also monitor the search for Koll's replacement at Stanford.

Recently I’ve done something I never thought I would do. I quit fantasy football. Never thought it would happen. For over twenty years I’ve been doing this. It’s just become too much. I don’t have the time to keep up with everything and I’m not the player I used to be, so maybe it’s time for a break. Perhaps I’ll return but for now, I want to enjoy my Sunday without the aggravation. But what will football be like for me without any skin in the game? Will I care? Do I dabble in daily fantasy for a bit? Only time will tell. People always say the last thing someone wants to hear about is someone else’s fantasy team. Even more than that, nobody wants to hear about someone quitting fantasy football. So let’s get to the mailbag! What MAC wrestling preseason content has you most fired up? Also, any Big Ten storylines you are excited about in early September? Kevin Claunch All of it? With football now out of the way, I can devote more time to reading all the great previews and insights that this site provides. I have to be honest, I don’t have the slightest idea what goes on in the MAC other than that Zeb Miller loves it. I will try to remedy that this year. In the Big Ten, it’s all eyes on Iowa. After a whirlwind offseason where they got in with the Ferraris, dabbled in Gable, and had a gambling scandal, they also revamped their roster with a ton of transfers. What will the Hawkeyes look like post-Spencer Lee? Iowa seems to have had the same team for a decade. It will be very interesting to see some fresh faces out there but I will miss Max Murin’s bruised and battered face. What country would you like to see have a very sustainable wrestling team? Mat Jerms Media I often wonder why England doesn’t have a legit team. I don’t even know if they have a team at all. One would think that a country so rich in the history of combat sports would field a legitimate wrestling team. From Queensbury Rules boxing to Catch-as-Catch-Can Wrestling, You would think the lads would have a rich history in Freestyle and Greco-Roman. Well, they do have a rich history but it’s just that. History. England needs to fire up the Snake Pit in Wigan and get in the game so we can just kick their asses like we always do. How many tournaments do you think Journeyman Wrestling could run in one full calendar year if he didn’t have to tend to the animals on his farm? Kevin McGuigan All of them? Although I worry the alliterative names of the tournaments will quickly jump the shark with overkill. It’s not easy to do proper alliteration. Armbar At The Armory? Excellent title. The Scrap In Sicily? Not so much. Maybe Sizzle In Sicily works better. Either way, you can’t deny the work that Frank Popilizio has put in. A true man’s man, who could kick my ass. I only have one question. When do we get Fury On The Farm? You get out of your time machine in 1986. You have enough money for one ticket. Left field line, nine rows up, five seats in. Do you buy Game 6 or Game 7? Salty Walkon Game seven, easily. I was already at game six so I know how that goes down. Unfortunately, a time machine is the only way I’m gonna see the Mets win a title. Just a brutal season. And now, all I hear about is how Phillies fans, who claim to be so tough that they boo Santa Claus, yapping about how they saved Trea Turner with juice boxes and belly rubs. What has this world come to? Ok you Jagoffs, it’s September and the wrestling is about to start heating up. Who’s Number One is this weekend and it should be good. Also, in case you were wondering, I’m number one. It used to be Nelly and now it’s me.

Earlier this afternoon, the University of North Carolina announced that they have hired former Stanford and Cornell head coach Rob Koll to be the successor to Coleman Scott, who stepped down from his post two weeks ago. Koll is no stranger to Chapel Hill as he starred at UNC and became the school’s first four-time All-American. He also was only the second Tar Heel wrestler to win an NCAA title. He appeared to have plenty of momentum at Stanford, but coming back to your alma mater is a special opportunity. With Koll’s hire by UNC, it now makes 19 DI programs led by alumni. Zeke Jones (Arizona State) While at Arizona State, Zeke Jones earned All-American honors on three occasions highlighted by an NCAA runner-up finish at 118 lbs in 1990. Jones also captured three Pac-10 titles. John Stutzman (Buffalo) When John Stutzman finished up his career at Buffalo he was the school’s all-time wins leader with 95 against 27 losses. As a junior, Stutzman’s 35 wins tied the Buffalo single-season record. His .897 winning percentage that season remains fourth fourth-highest on the Bulls all-time list. Mike Grey (Cornell) Mike Grey bookended his career at Cornell with sixth-place finishes as a freshman and senior. In both of the seasons where he missed the podium, Grey advanced to the NCAA Bloodround. As a junior and senior, Grey won EIWA titles and helped lead Cornell to NCAA team runner-up trophies. Matt Hill (Edinboro) During his career at Edinboro, Matt Hill amassed 105 wins and qualified for the NCAA Tournament on three occasions, each time at 157 lbs. As a junior, he finished third in the EWL. Hill’s senior season saw him earn the #12 seed at NCAA’s. Daniel Elliott (Gardner-Webb) Daniel Elliott was an East Regional champion in each of his final two seasons competing for the Runnin’ Bulldogs and competed at the national tournament both years. In 2006, Elliott was named the Most Outstanding Wrestler at the East Regional. Dennis Papadatos (Hofstra) A two-time national qualifier for Hofstra, Dennis Papadatos had his deepest NCAA Tournament run in 2000, when he went 2-2 at the 157 lb weight class. As a senior, Papadatos captured an ECWA conference title. During his career at Hofstra, Papadatos won 95 matches for a young head coach in Tom Ryan. Mike Poeta (Illinois) One of the top wrestlers in the high school Class of 2004, Mike Poeta stayed in-state to wrestle for the Fighting Illini. Poeta never finished lower than fourth in the Big Ten (with two titles) and finished in the top three at nationals in each of his final three seasons. Poeta made the national finals as both a junior and senior. Angel Escobedo (Indiana) Right after two-time NCAA champion Joe Dubuque finished up at Indiana, Angel Escobedo took the reins at the 125 lb weight class and didn’t seem to miss a beat. Escobedo finished fourth in the nation as a freshman and won a national title a year later. He would capture the Big Ten championship in each of his final three years competing for the Hoosiers. Twice the number one seed at nationals. Escobedo was the first and, to this day, only four-time All-American in program history. Tom Brands (Iowa) 1996 Olympic gold medalist Tom Brands remains one of the most legendary athletes to come from an Iowa program that has produced its fair share of greats. Brands won three Big Ten and NCAA titles during his time as a competitor in Iowa City. His career mark at Iowa was 158-7-2, which was bolstered by a 45-0 junior campaign. Jim Andrassy (Kent State) A two-time national qualifier for Kent State, Jim Andrassy amassed a 106-25-1 record during his time competing for the Golden Flashes. As a junior, Andrassy claimed his only MAC title. A year later, he advanced to the NCAA Round of 12 before getting pinned by young Iowa star Joe Williams to come up a match shy of All-American status. Joe Patrovich (Long Island/CW Post) The school now known as Long Island was previously known as LIU Post and, before that, CW Post. Joe Patrovich attended the school at that time and played football and wrestled, as well. Sean Bormet (Michigan) While at Michigan, Sean Bormet earned All-American honors as a junior and senior. He compiled a 125-21 record and was third as a junior and an NCAA runner-up as a senior. During that final season, Bormet downed the aforementioned Joe Williams in the NCAA quarterfinals. His runner-up finish came to Oklahoma State’s Pat Smith as Smith became the first DI wrestler to win four national championships. Brandon Eggum (Minnesota) In his career at Minnesota, Brandon Eggum earned All-American honors three times and racked up 115 wins. Eggum was fifth in the nation at 177 lbs in 1998 before moving up to 184 lbs the following season and making the national finals. He finished up by taking third in 1999. Both years at 184 lbs saw Eggum come away with Big Ten titles. John Smith (Oklahoma State) Before going on to put together an international career that saw John Smith win six consecutive World/Olympic titles, he captured a pair of national titles for Oklahoma State. Technically, the international and collegiate accolades overlapped, as Smith won his first world title in 1987, a few months after winning his first collegiate crown. Smith’s record at OSU was 154-7-2 and he finished his collegiate career with 90 straight wins. Roger Reina (Penn) Roger Reina was Penn’s EIWA representative on four occasions during his career which spanned from 1980-84. He did not place in the top six during any of those instances. Keith Gavin (Pittsburgh) Prior to Nino Bonaccorsi’s national title earlier this year, Keith Gavin was Pittsburgh’s most recent national champion (2008). After redshirting in 2006, Gavin returned to the Panther lineup and made the national finals in each of his final two seasons. Gavin was also a two-time EWL champion and his 120 career wins still find him amongst the top ten at Pitt. John Hangey (Rider) John Hangey remains one of the top competitors in the history of Rider wrestling. As a senior, in 1993, Hangey finished fourth in the country at 190 lbs. He qualified for nationals three times after winning three conference titles. Hangey remains the first, and only, Rider wrestler to win the Midlands. Steve Garland (Virginia) A three-time national qualifier for Virginia, Steve Garland pulled off a stunning during his senior season when he knocked off top-ranked Jody Strittmatter of Iowa in the national quarterfinals. He would go on to make the NCAA finals as an eighth seed and became only the second Virginia wrestler to make the national championship match.

Just about two weeks ago, news leaked out of North Carolina that Coleman Scott was stepping down as head coach of the Tar Heel wrestling program. It wasn’t the best-kept secret in the world that Scott would likely end up at his alma mater Oklahoma State as an assistant coach. The second half of that situation came to fruition on Monday as OSU announced Scott’s hiring. Now, the dominos have fallen and UNC has found Scott’s successor. It’s a familiar face for longtime Tar Heel fans in 1988 national champion Rob Koll. Koll has spent the past two years as the head coach at Stanford University. Additionally, Koll established his reputation as a program builder at Cornell, where he led the Big Red into a consistent national contender, despite competing in the Ivy League. During his time at Stanford, Koll saw a pair of wrestlers combine for three All-American finishes in Palo Alto. In year one, Koll’s Stanford team finished 22nd in the nation and saw Shane Griffith make the national finals. The Cardinal also blossomed on the recruiting trail with Koll’s leadership. Under his direction, Stanford has finished in the top eight of InterMat’s recruiting rankings (2023 - 8th; 2022 - 5th). Currently, eight top-100 prospects from the Class of 2024 have verballed to the Cardinal. Koll’s 28-year tenure at Cornell featured 11 EIWA championships and 16 NCAA champions. His Cornell teams finished in the top ten at nationals 15 times including runner-up finishes in 2011 and 2012. Not only did Koll’s team’s have success at Cornell against collegiate competition, but also on the international front. Prized pupil Kyle Dake has won four world titles and an Olympic bronze. More Koll recruits Yianni Diakomihalis and Vito Arujau have shined internationally. Diakomihalis captured a silver medal at world’s in 2022 and Arujau has a spot on the 2023 team. During the long history of DI wrestling, only five wrestlers have been able to capture four NCAA titles. Two of them wrestled at Cornell under Koll; Dake and Diakomihalis. As a competitor at North Carolina, Koll earned All-American honors four times (1,3,3,8) and was a part of two top-ten finishes at nationals. He would win three ACC titles and was named on the conference’s 50th anniversary team. When he left Chapel Hill, in 1988, Koll was the school leader in career (155) and season (47) wins. Those two records still hold up, to this day. Koll inherits a UNC program that has finished in the top 20 at each of the last five NCAA tournaments. The 2023 team was led to a 12th-place finish by two-time national champion Austin O’Connor. The team’s other two All-Americans from 2023 (Lachlan McNeil and Gavin Kane) and will be prominently featured in InterMat’s upcoming preseason rankings. At this time, it is expected that interim head coach Tony Ramos will stay in North Carolina to assist with Koll’s transition. Now, we'll turn our attention to the Stanford program and who ends up replacing Koll in Palo Alto.

And finally, after each weight has been calculated, reviewed, and evaluated, this is what we are left with. The Top-33 Overall wrestlers for the 2023 Season: I hope you have enjoyed this stroll through memory lane and you’ve taken notes along the way. If not, here are the links to each weight Top-20 again. Previous 2023 Top-20 Articles: Top-20 Fantasy Wrestlers at 125 Top-20 Fantasy Wrestlers at 133 Top-20 Fantasy Wrestlers at 141 Top-20 Fantasy Wrestlers at 149 Top-20 Fantasy Wrestlers at 157 Top-20 Fantasy Wrestlers at 165 Top-20 Fantasy Wrestlers at 174 Top-20 Fantasy Wrestlers at 184 Top-20 Fantasy Wrestlers at 197 Top-20 Fantasy Wrestlers at 285 The #FCW24 season is only a couple months away. Be on the lookout for the WrestleStat notifications and get your league ready!

California Baptist's Chaz Hallmark; Photo courtesy of Tony Rotundo; WrestlersAreWarriors.com Many young men, 18-22 years old, you come across in life are built similarly - seeking to find their independence and dealing with life’s challenges the best way they know how. Unlike most of their peers, however, there are certain wrestlers who have spent their college careers not only taking on rigorous academics but also competing as athletes, sometimes even nationally ranked, and preparing to serve their country in the United States Military. From the East Coast all the way to the West Coast, wrestlers are making their marks on the mat at the collegiate levels. In order to fund their education, many student-athletes apply for ROTC scholarships. These are awarded for a certain amount of years to give the student-athlete the support they may need for their education. There are parallels between training, the mental toughness you develop as a wrestler, and the discipline needed to become a soldier. There is a serious commitment that comes with accepting these scholarships. Wrestlers often feel a pull between wrestling and ROTC while recognizing the need to perform academically. The physical and mental exhaustion can challenge their time management skills resulting in early mornings and late nights. It is all about finding a balance. Wrestlers hope to positively impact people’s lives and maintain their three facets of college life - academics, athletics, and military service - paving the way for others to face similar challenges and find similar successes. These student-athletes picking this particular path can be commissioned as an officer in any branch their school offers unless they are actively serving already while attending school or enrolled in a specific military school. Wrestlers in ROTC Programs Army Darian Huff (Bellarmine) Thadd Huff (Bellarmine) Grant O’Dell (Bellarmine) Chaz Hallmark (California Baptist) Timothy Cowan (California Baptist) Jack Kilner (PennWest Edinboro) Nick Lodato (PennWest Edinboro) Parker Corwin (Gardner Webb) Sam Harris (Gardner Webb) Jackson Lusk (Gardner Webb) Isaiah Adams (Harvard) Ethan Miller (Lock Haven) Wyatt Fox (Lock Haven) Braden Stauffenberg (Michigan State) Manny Laguna (Michigan State) Theo Cha (Minnesota) Matt Zuber (Northern Illinois) Mike Kaminksi (Northern Illinois) Jimmy Brown (Virginia Tech) Marine Corps Nick Marcenelle (Harvard)

The 2023-24 season is right around the corner! We have evidence of this as InterMat hit the road for the first time in the preseason and did a bit of a college visit yesterday. The University of Maryland held their Fall Media Day and included wrestling in the mix. Terps head coach Alex Clemsen and NCAA Round of 12 finisher Jaxon Smith were made available for interviews along with coaches and athletes from a handful of other sports. Maryland is coming off a 2022-23 season that saw a freshman-laden team amass a 10-9 record with wins over Oklahoma and Pittsburgh, along with the program's first Big Ten win (Purdue) since the 2016-17 season. That also marked the first conference victory during Clemsen's tenure as head coach. Maryland sent five wrestlers to the NCAA Championships in Tulsa; four of which were freshmen. Big Ten third place finisher, Smith, was the Terrapin that advanced the farthest, coming up a match shy of All-American status. The 2022-23 season has provided Maryland supporters with plenty of reason for optimism as the team's four freshman qualifiers are back, along with a national qualifier from 2022 and an impact transfer at heavyweight. Yesterday also saw InterMat release our first edition of preseason rankings. Those rankings saw six Maryland wrestlers featured. Looking ahead to March, the school will host the Big Ten Championships for the first time. While proud of the progress his team has made, Clemsen and his team still feel as if they have plenty to accomplish in 2023-24 and beyond. Hear from Clemsen and Smith on a variety of topics surrounding the upcoming season.

Waynesburg

OREM, Utah — Utah Valley University head wrestling coach, Greg Williams, has announced that he will retire following the upcoming 2023-24 campaign, his 18th season leading the program. "Working at UVU has been a wonderful experience for me and my family. We are grateful for the opportunities provided at this progressive institution," remarked Williams. "It has been an amazing experience working with the outstanding student-athletes that have come through the program. I also am very appreciative of the current coaching staff (Ethen Lofthouse and Erkin Tadzhimetov). Working with these two men, whose commitment, dedication and wrestling knowledge would be hard to match, have truly been a blessing. I want to thank President Tuminez, Dr. Sumsion, and all the other athletic administration and staff that have been so supportive of this program." Only the second coach in the program's 20-year history, Williams has led the Wolverines to over 100 dual victories and five NCAA All-America honors. He took over the program in May of 2006 with three years remaining in the school's transition from junior college to D1 status. He coached through a stint in the Western Wrestling Conference (WWC) before leading the program through its transition to the Big 12 Conference. "I am deeply grateful to Coach Williams for nearly two decades of building our program and mentoring our outstanding wrestlers. He leaves behind a major legacy," said UVU President Dr. Astrid S. Tuminez. "Personally, it has been a delight for me to support him and the entire team." "Greg Williams has poured his heart and soul into this program and we're grateful and appreciative of the mark he and his family will have left on Utah Valley University wrestling," said UVU Athletic Director Dr. Jared Sumsion. "His dedication to developing these young men as student-athletes and for preparing them for life after wrestling is extraordinary. I know he's looking forward to spending more time with his wife, Kristin, and their daughters' families and grandchildren, and we wish them the best in retirement. The Williams family will forever be a part of Utah Valley wrestling." During the 14 years of the Wolverine's post-season eligibility, Williams coached the first five All-Americans in program history, including all-time wins leader Ben Kjar, who became the first to achieve the feat when he reached the semifinals and placed fourth at the NCAA Championships in 2011. Jade Rauser (2016), Tate Orndorff (2020), Taylor LaMont (2021), and Demetrius Romero (2021) also earned All-America status under Williams' tutelage. In 2021, LaMont and Romero became the first multiple semifinalists and All-Americans in the same season in program history. In all, 45 NCAA qualifiers have come out of the program in the 14 years of post-season Williams has coached. The first three came in the very first year of post-season eligibility in 2010 as Kjar, Flint Ray and Brad Darrington all earned berths and won matches at the NCAA Championships. Williams has also coached three four-time NCAA qualifiers in Rauser, LaMont and Romero. In the 2015-16 season, Williams led the Wolverines into a new era as the program joined the Big 12 Conference, consistently the second toughest conference in the country (usually trailing only the Big 10 in NCAA qualifiers and All-Americans each year). During the first year in its new conference, UVU knocked off No. 18 Oregon State, earning them the program's first-ever votes in the top 25 polls. During the Big 12 era, Williams and his staff coached Romero to two Big 12 titles. In 2021, the year of Romero's second title, UVU had multiple finalists for the first time the same year at the Big 12 Championships when LaMont also made it to the championship bout. In total, UVU has had eight conference champions, the two Romero won at the Big 12's and Ray (2x), Josh Wilson, Adam Fager, Avery Garner and Rauser all in the WWC. With a philosophy to compete against the top teams every year, to provide the wrestlers more opportunities to prepare for post-season, the program consistently faced a tough schedule under Williams' leadership. In the 14 years of post season eligibility, the program wrestled 59 ranked teams. Seven times the Wolverines upset top ranked teams, with one top 10 win over No. 8 Boise State, three top 15 wins, and four top 20 wins. The success against ranked teams stood out during the 2018-19 season. After losing a close 19-18 match to No. 12 Nebraska in its opening weekend, UVU defeated No. 15 Big 10 foe Rutgers later that day, winning seven of the 10 matches for a 24-14 win. The team later went on to defeat another Big 10 opponent, No. 13 Purdue, also winning seven of 10 matches for a 28-11 win. In all, the Wolverines wrestled 10 ranked teams that year, including five Big 10 programs and ACC powerhouse NC State. Williams' strategy seemed to pay off that year as the program earned its first top 25 ranking, reaching as high as No. 21 during the season. They also set a program record with six NCAA qualifiers and finished with a school best 6th place finish at the Big 12 Championships. "Some highlights for me when I look back at my time here will be how our student-athletes' consistently represented our school, our program and themselves with integrity, their ability to respond to tough schedules and obstacles throughout each season to be prepared for post-season, our academic successes and our mentor program," Williams stated. Academically, Williams' teams have consistently excelled among the best in the country. His wrestlers have earned 119 Academic All-Conference awards overall, with 97 earned from the Big 12, and 52 Commissioner's Honor Roll recognitions. His teams have earned 14 National Wrestling Coaches Association Team Academic Awards including nine top 10 and five top six recognitions. Individually, Williams' student-athletes have earned 43 NWCA Scholar All-America honors including one Elite 90 recipient (top GPA of all NCAA qualifiers) when Matt Findlay was awarded the honor in 2019. In 2016, with the help of a close friend of the program, Williams helped establish the UVU Wrestling Mentor program. Top level professionals were recruited from various career fields to mentor and provide opportunities to all the wrestlers going out in similar careers. Mentors gave talks to the team, in addition to setting up job shadowing, networking, internships and job interviews for their wrestler. The mentor program has been instrumental in providing career opportunities for dozens of the wrestling program's student-athletes. "We have never looked at our student-athletes as just wrestlers," Williams said. "Our goal has always been to develop these young men in all areas of their lives. I will be moving on with confidence that the program will continue to grow and reach new heights. It will be my plan, along with my family, to continue to support UVU in general and specifically the wrestling program in any way that we can. We look forward to the future successes of both".

Preseason NCAA rankings have been released! With just over two months until the first competitions, the season will be here in no time. Since there are 330 wrestlers in the rankings and two sets of team rankings, sifting through them can be a task. Alongside the rankings, we have a companion piece detailing some of the changes you may have overlooked for each weight class. One note regarding multiple weight classes; Wrestlers implicated in the Iowa/Iowa State gambling probe have not been included. This has already been a lengthy investigation with no clear end in sight. Should those wrestlers be cleared and/or allowed to wrestle, they will be inserted into their respective weight classes. This was a difficult decision to make; however, leaving those wrestlers in the rankings could have resulted in a significantly inaccurate view of those weights (and team standings). 125 lbs This is a new-look weight class without Spencer Lee looming over the bracket. The order of wrestlers #4-12 is as difficult as any weight this year. There are hundreds of ways to interpret these wins and losses. 125 is extremely deep and should only get deeper as any true freshmen emerge as starters. There are at least five or six other wrestlers who could make a case for the top-33 at this time. Returning: Jakob Camacho (NC State), Justin Cardani (Illinois), Kysen Terukina (Iowa State), Robbie Howard (Penn State) Various injuries sidelined all of the past NCAA qualifiers during the 2022-23 campaign. Each will add even more depth to an already strong weight class. Moving Weights: Jack Maida (American) Maida had an excellent postseason that saw him finish fifth in the EIWA and even picked up a win in Tulsa while competing at 133 lbs. His EIWA rally made Maida the first qualifier for the Eagles during the Jason Borrelli era. True Freshmen: Vinny Kilkeary (Ohio State), Marc-Anthony McGowan (Princeton) Ohio State has never been shy about starting true freshmen if they are the best option. The Buckeyes also have Brendan McCrone and Peyton Fenton here, but don’t be surprised if Kilkeary ends up as “the guy.” Princeton loses NCAA champion Patrick Glory but has one of the top recruits from the Class of 2023 coming in with Marc-Anthony McGowan. He’s on our watch list for freshmen that could have an early impact at this weight class. 133 lbs This weight was hit hard as the second and third-place finishers moved up, while the sixth-place finisher moved up to 141 lbs. There are a lot of new faces near the bottom of the rankings that are making their debuts in the top-33. Returning: Connor McGonagle (Lehigh), Haiden Drury (Utah Valley), Sean Carter (Appalachian State) Some excellent regular season wins and an injury default resulted in a #11 seed at the NCAA Championships for Connor McGonagle. He likely would have garnered a higher seed had he finished the conference tournament. It didn’t end up mattering as McGonagle was unable to compete and had to pull out of the NCAA Tournament. This year he’ll get pushed by redshirt freshman Ryan Crookham, too. There’s a chance that McGonagle/Malyke Hines both move up to make room for Crookham. Appalachian State has a pair of past national qualifiers here with Carter and Ethan Oakley. Possible Redshirt: Henry Porter (Indiana) Look for Indiana to try and redshirt Henry Porter. In his absence, Angel Escobedo’s team will likely turn to either true freshman Cheaney Schoeff or redshirt freshman Isaac Thornton. 141 lbs The top of this weight class is really strong with the top-six finishers all returning, an All-American moving up from 133 lbs and another returning from a year off. That leaves us with nine past AA’s which is an incredibly strong number, especially as we move farther away from extended eligibility from Covid. Returning: CJ Composto (Penn) The All-American who we alluded to that took the 2022-23 season off was CJ Composto. He had a limited competition schedule while wrestling for the Pennsylvania RTC, so he didn’t face many of these top competitors. Moving Weights: Jesse Mendez (Ohio State), Dylan Ragusin (Michigan), Mitch Moore (Rutgers), Zach Redding (Iowa State), Josh Edmond (Missouri), Dylan Chappell (Bucknell), Wyatt Henson (Lock Haven) Jesse Mendez is the most notable wrestler moving here, as he starts a chain reaction of bumping at Ohio State. In addition to wrestlers moving up from 133, Dylan Chappel and Mitch Moore were at 149 last season and are coming down. Michigan is still in the process of sorting out 133 and 141. Both Chris Cannon and Dylan Ragusin were 133’s last season. Ragusin has a redshirt to use if needed. There’s the possibility that the lineup looks like we have it in the rankings, but it could be reversed. Or Ragusin could redshirt and true freshman Sergio Lemley could get the call at 141. Possible Redshirt: Tom Crook (Virginia Tech) Tom Crook stepped into the Virginia Tech lineup last year as a true freshman and unseated a returning qualifier (Collin Gerardi) to solidify his spot in the starting ten. This time, Crook likely steps aside and gives one of the top-100 true freshmen, Mac Church or Hunter Mason, a shot. Virginia Tech probably hopes one will emerge as the starter early and they can preserve a redshirt for the other. True Freshmen: Mac Church/Hunter Mason (Virginia Tech) 149 lbs Barring any drastic weight changes, we’ll likely see a first-time champion at 149 lbs after the departure of Yianni Diakomihalis. This will continue to be a class that looks tougher and tougher as the year progresses. The top-12 only has three seniors and half of the top-20 are sophomores. Returning: Ridge Lovett (Nebraska), Willie McDougald (Oklahoma), Cody Bond (Appalachian State) The 2022 NCAA runner-up Ridge Lovett is back after redshirting last season. He assumes the top spot at 149 lbs and hopes to win Nebraska’s first national title since 2011. Willie McDougald gives Oklahoma an All-American threat in the middle of the lineup in year one for Roger Kish. Cody Bond is back from injury and also down a weight for App State. Bond was a 2021 national qualifier for the Mountaineers. Moving Weights: Dylan D’Emilio (Ohio State), Casey Swiderski (Iowa State), Joe Zargo (Wisconsin), Jacob Butler (Rutgers) Dylan D’Emilio is another part of the lineup shift for the Buckeyes. Casey Swiderski was initially thought to redshirt this season, but he’ll move up with the uncertainty surrounding Paniro Johnson. Jacob Butler has competed at 141 and 157 lbs, so he may as well go 149, too. Possible Redshirt: Colin Realbuto (Northern Iowa) Colin Realbuto has competed for Team Italy at the U23 and Senior World Championships, and the European Championships and attempted to qualify for the Olympics in 2021. He’s omitted here because we expect him to use an Olympic Year to try and qualify for the 2024 Games. Other: Manzona Bryant (Northern Colorado) Initially, Manzona Bryant was slated to transfer to Northern Colorado. That fell through, so he won’t be competing for the Bears in 2023-24. 157 lbs Another weight class where a first-time national champion is very likely. Once you get past the initial wave of contenders, there are a lot of new faces in the bottom half of the rankings. Returning: Michael Blockhus (Minnesota), Jacori Teemer (Arizona State) He made us do some last-minute modifications to the rankings at 157 lbs, but that’s where we expect 2023 All-American and Big Ten runner-up Michael Blockhus. With his return, All-American Brayton Lee has entered the portal. We’ll see where he ends up. Jacori Teemer missed the entire 2022-23 season due to injury and if he’s anyone near his pre-injury ability level; he’ll challenge for a national title. Possible Redshirt: Cesar Alvan (Columbia) 2023 NCAA qualifier Cesar Alvan will be using an Olympic redshirt for the season. Alvan was a 2022 Pan-American bronze medalist wrestling for Brazil. True Freshmen: Meyer Shapiro (Cornell) Meyer Shapiro was named the #1 overall recruit in the Class of 2023 and showed why at the U20 World Championships. He isn’t in the rankings because we don’t rank true freshmen until they hit the mat, but needless to say, we expect him to be a significant factor wherever he wrestles. As of now, that is sort of unclear. Initially, it appeared as if he’d be a 149 lber, but after seeing him compete at 70 kg, it looks like 152 may be his spot. However, it shakes out, Shapiro and Cole Handlovic are expected to handle duties at 149/157 lbs. Other: Sammy Sasso (Ohio State) As of two weeks ago, we expected Sammy Sasso to move up to 157 lbs and challenge for an elusive national title. His status is now in question after a horrific carjacking and shooting. The entire wrestling community supports Sasso in his battle to rehab and recover from the terrible injuries suffered during this incident. 165 lbs 165 was perhaps the most anticipated bracket in 2023 and not much should change this season. A pair of past national champions inhabit the number one and number two slots. Graduation and weight movement make the top tier of contenders slightly more manageable than a year ago. Even so, this is a really strong weight. Returning: Justin Ruffin (SIU Edwardsville) At this time last year, we were disappointed to hear that Justin Ruffin’s career was potentially over after suffering a preseason injury. Ruffin is back for SIUE and up a weight class. If back to full strength, Ruffin should be a favorite for a MAC title. Moving Weights: Andrew Cerniglia (Navy) Possible Redshirt: Matty Singleton (NC State) We last saw Matty Singleton capturing a U20 World bronze medal less than two weeks ago in Amman, Jordan. Singleton is a likely redshirt in 2023-24, as he had his pulled late in the year last season and came up just short of qualifying for nationals. 174 lbs Three of the top four finishers from 2023 return and are joined by 2021 NCAA champion Shane Griffith who bumps up after transferring from Stanford. Those four form a formidable quartet at the top of this weight. After that group, there’s a noticeable difference between the rest of this weight. That should result in at least a few first-time All-Americans. Going down the top-33 there are a lot of new faces towards the bottom. Moving Weights: Shane Griffith (Michigan), Carson Kharchla (Ohio State), Justin McCoy (Virginia), Andrew Sparks (Minnesota), Adam Kemp (Cal Poly) In addition to Griffith, 2022 All-American Carson Kharchla and Round of 12 finisher Justin McCoy are also podium threats. True Freshmen: Brayden Thompson (Oklahoma State) With no Oklahoma State wrestler mentioned in the rankings at 174 lbs, it means we may see true freshman Brayden Thompson emerge as the year-one starter for the Cowboys. Thompson is accustomed to having success against older competition, as he was a U20 World Team member in 2022, before his senior year of high school. 184 lbs It’s a new-look 184 lb weight class with three-time national champion Aaron Brooks expected to move up to 197 lbs. Graduation and weight changes have opened this weight class significantly. As the year progresses, I’d expect a lot of movement between #8 and #24 as a lot of wrestlers in this range have beaten each other before and there isn’t much that separates them from each other. Returning: Jonathan Loew (Cornell) 2022 All-American Jonathan Loew is back after an injury-plagued campaign last year. If he’s back to his past form, Loew could be an X-factor that helps Cornell win another NCAA team trophy. Moving Weights: Bernie Truax (Penn State), Dustin Plott (Oklahoma State), Troy Fisher (Northwestern), Cael Valencia (Arizona State), Triston Wills (Little Rock) This weight class gets a shot in the arm from Bernie Truax and Dustin Plott, one who is moving up (Plott) and another who is moving down (Truax). As of now, Truax is the only wrestler in this weight class with a career win over #1 Parker Keckeisen. 2023 was a breakout year for Northwestern’s Troy Fisher, as he earned a top-20 seed at nationals and picked up a pair of NCAA wins. He’ll move up for the Wildcats and become another possible threat in a relatively even Big Ten weight class. Other: Travis Wittlake (Oklahoma State) Dustin Plott is slated to move up to 184 lbs as Travis Wittlake is reportedly done for Oklahoma State. 197 lbs One NCAA champion is gone (Nino Bonaccorsi) but another one has appeared (Aaron Brooks) to make this weight extremely tough again. 197 is a weight that tends to have a lot of turnover and new All-American threats emerge. That may not be the case with the star power returning in 2023-24. Returning: Stephen Buchanan (Oklahoma) After redshirting and transferring to Oklahoma, two-time All-American Stephen Buchanan is back and should play a prominent role in the national title hunt at 197 lbs. Buchanan has wins over the returning NCAA runner-up (Tanner Sloan) and the third-place finisher (Rocky Elam) as he slides into a #2 ranking. All three are in the Big 12 and should have entertaining scraps all year long. Possible Redshirt: Isaac Trumble (NC State), Braxton Amos (Wisconsin) An injury to Braxton Amos at the 2023 NCAA Championships and the 2024 Olympic Games looming, both lead Amos to redshirt this year. NC State’s weight changes and success on the freestyle circuit allow Isaac Trumble to take the year off, as well. Moving Weights: Aaron Brooks (Penn State), Trent Hidlay (NC State), John Poznanski (Rutgers), Anthony Montalvo (Arizona State) In addition to Aaron Brooks, other past All-Americans moving up from 184 lbs include Trent Hidlay and John Poznanski. Hidlay is a past NCAA finalist and has been able to hold Brooks in check (as much as anyone can). He’ll have some new fun matchups with the Big 12 contenders at this weight. 285 lbs Little by little, the 285 lb class is thinning out every year. Just two years ago, it was one of the most star-studded weight classes ever. This year’s version should be really strong (and could get even stronger; winky-eye emoji). Returning: Luke Luffman (Illinois), Lewis Fernandes (Cornell) After competing and having success for a few years without a redshirt, Luke Luffman took off the 2022-23 season. He’ll find the Big Ten and the overall weight class slightly more manageable than it was in the past and could earn All-American honors for the first time. Lewis Fernandes had his season cut short due to injuries. He’s close to All-American range, as well. Moving Weights: Owen Pentz (Nebraska) The coaching change at North Dakota State led to a handful of veterans moving on, one of whom was Owen Pentz, who has resurfaced at Nebraska. Pentz introduced himself on a national stage back in 2021 when he pinned then-number two-seeded Eric Schultz (Nebraska) in the first round at nationals. Now he’s a Cornhusker. Other: Jonah Niesenbaum (Duke) Duke’s lone national qualifier from 2023, ACC runner-up Jonah Niesenbaum, will not return to the Blue Devils. Niesenbaum has an interesting employment option that our ACC correspondent, Robbie Wendell, will detail in the coming weeks or months.

Morgan Kopitsky had the chance to speak with Southern Oregon head coach Gabrielle Weyhrich. Coach Weyhrich's was named the NAIA Women's Coach of the Year after leading her team to a national title in 2023 in her first year as a head coach. The two talk about this memorable season, along with individual performances along the way, the landscape of women's college wrestling, recruiting, and much more. For the full interview Click Here

We are just about at the turning point where last season’s results and memories start to fade into the WrestleStat archives and the general wrestling community ramps up the interest and speculation of the upcoming season. And when it comes to Fantasy College Wrestling, drafters need to start thinking about who they want to pick in their 2024 draft. One way to do this is to look at the results of the 2023 season. The 2023 FCW Top-20 at each weight can give you a good idea of who the top Fantasy wrestlers in the country are. Seeing who returns, who leaves, who outplaced who, what teams made these lists more than others… all important information and data to digest. Of course, things can change quickly in college wrestling. Wrestlers can transfer, injuries can happen, and new stars can emerge. But the 2023 FCW Top-20 is a good starting point for your fantasy draft preparation, as you will see some (many, actually) repeat names from the 2022 Top-20 articles and even 2021 Top-20 articles. Take for instance: Pat Glory (PRIN), Yianni Diakomihalis (COR), Keegan O’Toole (MIZZ), and Carter Starocci (PSU). That championship group scored 223 Fpts in the 2023 season. How about these names though: Caleb Smith (APP), McKenzie Bell (RID), Evan Barczak (DREX), and Tyler Stoltzfus (LHU). That group scored 313 Fpts, and none were All-Americans. As you look at the list, keep in mind that not all of the top performers are household names. Some of the wrestlers who scored the most points in 2023 were not All-Americans. This is just one of the things that makes fantasy sports so exciting and unpredictable. So start your draft preparation today by taking a look at the 2023 FCW Top-20. You might just find some hidden gems that can help you win your league in 2024. To compile these lists, we used standard WrestleStat Fantasy College Wrestling Data & Scoring. Just a reminder of how points were tallied in WrestleStat leagues: 1) The scoring used was Standard Team Scoring across all competitions (+3 for a win by decision, -4 for a loss by Major, etc) 2) Scoring only counted against D1 competition 3) Wins via Forfeits (FFT) would count as +6 towards a wrestler's point total 4) Wins or Losses by Medical Forfeit (MFF) did not count as + or - towards a wrestler's point total 5) Points were only accumulated during the regular season Notes: Every year, one weight seems to outshine the rest when it comes to Fantasy. This season, that weight was saved for the heaviest of weights. The race for king of the weight class, and what turned out to be the #1 Overall Ranking of the 2023 season, came down to the last day of competition. Mason Parris and Wyatt Hendrickson entered the last week of competition separated by four Fpts (Parris with 112 and Hendrickson with 108). All Parris had to do was win and he would be crowned the #1 Fantasy Wrestler of the year. Hendrickson would need to win by pin or tech and have Parris either not wrestle or lose. Hendrickson did his part by pinning Northern Colorado’s Xavier Doolin, but Parris also did his own part and won by major and thus is your #1 Fantasy Wrestler of 2023. Grady Greiss followed up his 2022 showing with another Top-3 finish, besting his 2022 score by 20 Fpts. SIUE’s Colton McKiernan makes his first Top-20, in fact making it as #5, with his best fantasy season in the past four years. The same goes for Duke’s Jonah Niesenbaum who eeks into the Top-10. And speaking of best fantasy years, it may surprise you that the 2023 version of Anthony Cassioppi was his best (2022 was #18, 2021 was #23, and 2020 was #12). Of his 19 matches, 10 were won by pin and one by DQ which helped boost him up the ranks to #4. Falling on the opposite end would be Greg Kerkvliet, who comes in just outside the Top-10 as opposed to his 2022 finish of #4 with just about the same number of matches wrestled. The 285 weight class had six wrestlers in the Overall Fantasy Ranks within the Top-20. No other weight had more than two in the Top-20. Who Missed The Cut: The only All-American to miss the cut was Trent Hillger, finishing at #34 with 24 Fpts. Six losses during the regular season, including one by pin, will do that. Boone McDermott (RUT) fell just under the Top-20 threshold, accumulating 37 Fpts in his 19 matches in the regular season. He edged out Ohio State’s Michael Misita by one Fpt who finished as the #22 fantasy wrestler at 285. Cal Poly’s Trevor Tinker tied Binghamton’s Cory Day on Fpts, with Tinker gaining the edge in PPM (1.6 to 1.4, respectively). They finished #23 and #24 in the 285 fantasy ranks. In the battle of True Freshmen redshirts, Harley Andrews (NEB) and Chase Horne (NCST) wrestled the same number of matches, with Andrews getting the better rank by one Fpt to finish #25. Other notables to miss the cut include Tate Orndorff (OHST) at #26 with 32 Fpts, Zachary Knighton-Ward (HOF) at #30 with 26 Fpts, Konnor Doucet (OKST) at #35, Ben Goldin (PENN) at #40 with 20 Fpts, and Dayton Pitzer (PITT) at #45 with 17 Fpts (in 10 matches). Don't see your favorite wrestler on the list? Let me know @FantasyD1Wrestl for the full stats. Previous 2023 Top-20 Articles: Top-20 Fantasy Wrestlers at 125 Top-20 Fantasy Wrestlers at 133 Top-20 Fantasy Wrestlers at 141 Top-20 Fantasy Wrestlers at 149 Top-20 Fantasy Wrestlers at 157 Top-20 Fantasy Wrestlers at 165 Top-20 Fantasy Wrestlers at 174 Top-20 Fantasy Wrestlers at 184 Top-20 Fantasy Wrestlers at 197

Hunterdon Central

Bergen Catholic

York Suburban

Sunnyside

The Walsh Ironman has long held the title of "toughest regular season tournament " at the high school level. The tournament has released its teams for the 2023 Ironman and it will undoubtedly retain that title again. Here are the teams: Alliance (OH) Archbishop Moeller (OH) Archbold (OH) Aurora (OH) Barnesville (OH) Baylor School (TN) Bethlehem Catholic (PA) Bishop Hartley (OH) Bishop Kelly (ID) Bishop McCort (PA) Bishop Lynch (TX) Bishop Watterson (OH) Bixby (OK) Blackfoot (ID) Blair Academy (NJ) Brecksville (OH) Broken Arrow (OK) Brooke Point (VA) Brownsburg (IN) Buckeye (OH) Canon-McMillan (PA) Caraval Academy (DE) Cardinal Gibbons (FL) Center Grove (IN) Clay (OH) Conant (IL) Copley (OH) Corner Canyon (UT) Crestview (OH) Crown Point (IN) Cuyahoga Valley CA (OH) Davis (UT) Dublin Coffman (OH) Dublin Scioto (OH) Edgewood (OH) Edmond North (OK) Elyria (OH) Faith Christian Academy (PA) Father Ryan (TN) Fleming Island (FL) Frazier (PA) Fremont (UT) Genoa Area (OH) Gilman School (MD) Gonzaga Prep (WA) Gooding (ID) Greens Farms Academy (CT) Greeneville (TN) Gunnison (CO) Hallsville (MO) Herriman (UT) Highland (OH) Hillsboro (MO) Homewood-Flossmoor (IL) Hononegah (IL) IC Catholic Prep (IL) Iona Prep (NY) Jensen Beach (FL) Jesuit (LA) Joliet Catholic (IL) Kenston (OH) Keystone (OH) LaSalle (OH) Lake Catholic (OH) Lake Gibson (FL) Lake Highland Prep (FL) Lake Norman (NC) Lancaster (OH) Layton (UT) Legacy Christian Academy (OH) Liberty (MO) Liberty Center (OH) Louisville (OH) Loyola Academy (IL) Marist (IL) Marysville (OH) Malvern Prep (PA) Marmion Academy (IL) Massillon Perry (OH) Mayfield (OH) McDonogh School (MD) Melissa (TX) Mentor (OH) Meridian (ID) Mesa Ridge (CO) Millard West (NE) Minisink Valley (NY) Monroeville (OH) Montini Catholic (IL) Mount Carmel (IL) Mountain View (ID) Mullen (CO) Nixa (MO) Normal Community (IL) Notre Dame-Green Pond (PA) Olentangy Liberty (OH) Park Vista (FL) Parkersburg South (WV) Perkins (OH) Perrysburg (OH) Pleasant Grove (UT) Point Pleasant (WV) Pomona (CO) Ponaganset (RI) Ponderosa (CO) Poudre (CO) Reynolds (PA) Seckman (MO) Skutt Catholic (NE) South Summit (UT) SPIRE Academy (OH) Springboro (OH) St. Charles East (IL) St. Christopher's (VA) St. Edward (OH) St. Francis DeSales (OH) St. Michael the Archangel (MO) St. Paris Graham (OH) St. Plus X (MO) St Vincent/St. Mary's (OH) St. Xavier (OH) Staley (MO) State College (PA) Staunton River (VA) Steubenville (OH) Stillwater (OK) Sussex Central (DE) Sycamore (OH) Syracuse (UT) Trinity Christian (TX) Unity (IL) Union County (KY) University (WA) University (WV) Valiant College Prep (AZ) Viewmont (UT) Wadsworth (OH) Walsh Jesuit (OH) Warren Township (IL) Washington Community (IL) Western Reserve (OH) Westlake (UT) Whitfield (MO) Whitmer (OH) Winter Springs (FL) Woods Cross (UT) Wyoming Seminary (PA)

Dysen Gould is back with another great interview. Today, he has Iowa All-American Max Murin. Murin talks about his time competing for the Hawkeyes, the bond between wrestlers on the Iowa team, as well as finally getting onto the NCAA podium. Murin is now headed to Providence to coach at the Brown RTC. He discusses how that move came about and what he's looking forward to in Providence. Murin also has some excellent stories about members of the Iowa coaching staff and an update on his snake "Miss Hiss." For the interview check out InterMat's Rokfin Page (no paywall)

At the recent U20 world championships, Team USA brought home three gold medals across all three styles and came up 13 tournament points short of the team title in men’s freestyle. The following article looks at some of the top statistical performers for the squad and how the team performed collectively. Men’s Freestyle After redshirting last season at Cal Baptist, Mitchell Mesenbrink transferred to Penn State this past offseason. Based on his performance at the U20 World Championships, it looks like the Nittany Lions might have another star on their hands. On his way to the men's freestyle title at 74 kg, Mesenbrink scored a team-high 59 match points across his five matches. No other wrestler on Team USA came particularly close to that point total as the second-highest scorers were tied at 47 points. Mesenbrink scored at least three takedowns in all of his matches and scored a tournament-high five takedowns against Elkan Garayev of Azerbaijan in the round of 16. He was also equally dynamic on the ground as he scored five exposures via the gut wrench and another four with the leg lace. On his path to the finals, Mesenbrink allowed only a single match point. In the title match, Iran’s Hossein Mohammad Aghaei was able to score five points, but the U.S. wrestler still finished the bout via match termination. The takedown and leg lac scored by Aghaei were the only two-point scores Mesenbrink allowed in the entire tournament. Team USA’s other champion in men’s freestyle was the second-highest scorer on the team. Meyer Shapiro, who will join Cornell for the upcoming college season, scored 47 points and won the title at 70 kg. He averaged three takedowns per match and scored a personal high of four in his shootout title match against Iran’s Ali Rezaeian Ghazaleh. Shapiro allowed only 10 points across his five matches with six coming in the final against Ghazaleh. The Iranian scored the first four points of the bout with an arm spin takedown and a gut wrench. However, Shapiro was then able to pull away and take the match via an 11-6 score. Women’s Freestyle In women’s freestyle, the highest-scoring wrestler for Team USA was Amit Elor. The 72 kg champion scored 36 points despite only wrestling four matches. While she scored seven takedowns, Elor was devastating in par terre. She scored seven turns via the leg lace (four against Kazakhstan’s Shamshiyabanu Tastanbek and three against Bukrenaz Sert of Turkey), and she added a gut wrench against Japan’s Yuka Fujikura. Perhaps the most impressive aspect of Elor’s performance was that she was the only wrestler on Team USA to not surrender a single point in the tournament. Part of this is due to her offensive dominance as she finished all four of her matches prior to the full six minutes with three of those match terminations coming inside the first two minutes. However, Elor did showcase some impressive defense against Fujikura who won a gold medal at the 2022 U20 Asian championships. Greco Roman Team USA’s Greco-Roman squad failed to bring home a medal, but Northern Iowa’s Wyatt Voelker came quite close at 87 kg. He went 3-2 and came up short in one of the bronze medal matches. Across those five matches, he scored 20 points, which was the most by a U.S. Greco competitor. He scored three takedowns and added another eight points via four gut wrenches. Landon Drury who also finished just one match short of a medal down at 63 kg was the second-highest-scoring Greco wrestler with 19 points. Overall Team As a team, the U.S. outscored their opposition 638 to 399. Men’s freestyle had the largest edge with a 338 to 154 advantage, while the women’s freestyle team also edged their opponents 223 to 121. The Greco team was outscored 124 to 77. Takedowns are where Team USA really separated themselves from the opposition. Across the three styles, the team scored 160 takedowns while allowing only 79. Even though the Greco team was outscored, they still managed 11 takedowns while allowing only nine. Not to fuel any wild conspiracy theories, but the squad certainly got the short end of the stick when it came to cautions. The team was awarded with only six cautions, while the opposition collected 12 across all three styles. This edge was particularly evident in Greco where Team USA got cautioned six times without their opponents being penalized once. While American wrestlers usually dominate step-out points, that was not the case in men’s freestyle. The team scored a respectable 25 step-outs points but allowed opponents to score 28.

Mount Pisgah

Sometimes I have fun and exciting ideas for articles. Other times, I take other people’s great ideas, and make them into wrestling things. This is one of those times. Shea Serrano, one of my favorite writers and podcasters (if you like hip-hop, basketball, movies, pop culture, and funny stuff, then check him out) recently wrote the “Action Hero Scouting Report”, in which he has categories, a scoring system, and breakdowns of several movie action heroes. It’s essentially a scouting report for pro sports prospects, but he did it with characters from action movies. It was awesome and I loved it. So much so that I decided to tweak the idea for a B1G preview for this season. It’s already late August, and before you know it, September will be here. Despite what Green Day says, September will soon end and it’ll be Halloween, and then the MSU Open is here. It’s basically tomorrow. So with that in mind, let’s get to the B1G Wrestling Scouting Report. First things first. This is supposed to be a fun exercise. It’s largely subjective. It’s me making up categories and then assigning points to these wrestlers based on my own thoughts and feelings. I’ll try to justify the scores to some extent in each breakdown of the wrestler, but this is for fun, and in no way shape or form, do I have any lack of respect for any of these wrestlers, so please take this as simply a fun exercise. Secondly, it would be a lot to include every single wrestler from the B1G in here, so instead of that, I’m including the returning All-Americans in the B1G from last season, along with the returners from the Round of 12, or the Bloodround, if you will (I will). I will not be revisiting previous season AA’s who didn’t last year. No offense to any of those wrestlers, but this article can only be so long, for your sanity and mine. I will try to include AAs from other conferences who are transferring into the B1G, because they seem relevant to this season. Finally, this is broken into two parts because it’s really long and I have deadlines on when I need to turn things in to Earl. Lastly, let’s get to the categories. So just like Shea did, I am assigning points to each of my categories based on how heavily or lightly they should be weighed (again, subjectively how I feel they should be weighed). The total points would be 100 (an impossible score to achieve), which will be broken up into the 6 main categories. Another point is that because this is a scouting report, weight classes don’t really matter. So hypothetically someone from a much lower weight who placed 8th could score higher than someone who placed second at a much higher weight. Would the smaller wrestler beat the bigger wrestler in a match? Probably not, but that’s not what this is. Enough already Claunch, GET TO THE CATEGORIES!!! The categories are: Offensive Diversity - Since this is my list, I’m going to focus less on effective offense, and more on a diversity of attacks. You always hear about your “go-to” takedown, and that’s valuable, but I like when wrestlers can attack both sides of the body and score in a variety of ways. I also like when they can initiate their own offense and not simply counter-wrestle. I’m going to reward primarily counter wrestlers in a later category, so it’ll likely balance itself out, but for the sake of this category, a large toolbox of attacks will go a long way. Total points available here - 20 Showmanship - I turn 38 in September, which might sound old to some of you. Maybe it sounds young to others. Regardless, I feel like I’m far from being “Old Man Claunch'', so I like to see some charisma in my wrestlers. Work the crowd in home duals. Tell the away crowds to quiet down when you get a big win. Do some of the fun stuff that you only have so many opportunities in life to do. Spike your headgear! Admittedly, this doesn’t have as big a real effect on the wrestling, but it’s still fun. Total points available here - 5 Defensive/Scrambling versatility - Counter wrestlers are rewarded here. Along with those roly-poly dudes who just seem to be able to weasel their way out of those situations where they look dead to rights, and then somehow get a 3-point takedown from it (I know, it’s the first time I’ve written it and it seems weird). Being able to scramble is one thing, counter wrestling a second thing, but the wrestlers that hand fight like prime Tyson will also get rewarded here. If they can’t get past your head and hands, then they can’t score, so that’s rewarded here as well. Total points available here - 20 Wishnificance - This is directly pulled from Shea. He made up this word. He’s great. He describes it as “You know how sometimes when you’re watching a movie a thing happens inside of your chest where all of a sudden you kind of want to be someone from that movie? That’s what this is”. So essentially, when you’re watching someone wrestle, and you think “I should try that”, or you have to rewind a sequence to see what that person did, or you actually try to change your stance or approach based on what they are doing. That’s what this category is. How much does their style make you (or in this case, pretty much me), make you want to wrestle like them. Total points available here - 20 Upset alert - I heard an analogy about quarterbacks the other day. It was essentially, are you more worried about that quarterback if he is on your team, or playing against you. That’s kind of what this is. If your favorite team is wrestling this guy, and your wrestler on your team should win, how nervous does this guy make you? Some guys just have a way of getting up for big matches and pulling something off. Some guys you already know will absolutely not beat your guy. That doesn’t mean they’re bad wrestlers. Remember we’re scouting top 12 finishers, but some guys make you more nervous is all. That’s what this score is. Total points available here - 15 Top Game - You should be able to get out from the bottom. That’s not a category because these are adults who are trained to take chances and attack because getting out shouldn’t be that bad, and you can go try again. However, some guys on top are nightmares. It’s like in The Dark Knight Rises when Bruce Wayne has to climb out of the pit, and he falls over and over and it looks like the most awful soul-crushing thing. That’s what it must be like being underneath some of these dudes. For that matter, some of us might rather climb out of that pit than be underneath Patrick McKee. Total points available here - 20 Okay, that’s how this is set up and the scoring is clear. With each athlete, I’ll provide the score, and a brief breakdown of how I see them, including some justifying points. When possible, I’ll try to add some good stories or anecdotes, concluding the breakdown. This is going to be a marathon, but I am confident that you’ll have fun. Which sounds like not what happens in a marathon. Regardless, let’s begin. Matt Ramos - Purdue, 125, 2nd Offensive Diversity - 18, Showmanship - 4, Defensive/Scrambling Versatility - 14, Wishnificance - 18, Upset Alert - 15, Top Game - 16. Total score - 87 Breakdown: Matt Ramos spent all year being one of the most dangerous and exciting wrestlers the B1G could offer. I had referenced that if anyone was going to beat Spencer Lee before the finals, it would need to be a guy as dynamic and with icy-cold veins like Ramos. Then he did it. The dude is so good on his feet, has so many ways to attack, and seems completely ready to fire away because he trusts his ability to make it up later if he needs to. He was classy enough to not over celebrate in the semifinal win, but recognized the moment and celebrated to what I felt was to the right degree. Ramos gets the most points in the upset category because he got the most unthinkable upset. Also, he’s just nasty on top, and he showed many times that he can handle pressure. The aforementioned match with Lee, but also his quarterfinal match with Cardinale of WVU was down to the wire. Aaron Nagao - Penn State (Formerly Minnesota), 133, 5th Offensive Diversity - 15, Showmanship - 3, Defensive/Scrambling Versatility - 15, Wishnificance - 17, Upset Alert - 14, Top Game - 18. Total score - 82 Breakdown: Aaron Nagao was my preseason pick for breakout candidate at 133 last season. I think it’s safe to say that placing fifth in the country counts as “breaking out”. Nagao dealt with some injuries early in the season, wrestling in the B1G finals and competing strongly against RBY really showed what he can do. He backed up his performance in Ann Arbor by crushing things at NCAAs. His only two losses at NCAA were to Roman Bravo Young and to Daton Fix. Those guys are pretty good. After the season, Aaron entered the transfer portal and ended up jumping into the Nittany Lion wrestling room where he’ll have plenty of more opportunities to wrestle with RBY and continue to develop. The move was a little surprising to me, considering he seemed to be developing just fine, but regardless, Nagao proved last year that he is as talented and dangerous as it gets and I expect him to back that up in the Navy and White. Jesse Mendez - Ohio State, 133, 6th Offensive Diversity - 18, Showmanship - 3, Defensive/Scrambling Versatility - 16, Wishnificance - 14, Upset Alert - 16, Top Game - 16. Total Score - 83 Breakdown: Dude just won a U20 silver, so let’s take a moment to applaud those efforts. He’s the second-best person on the entire planet in that age and weight class. Bravo Jesse. Additionally, this dude is a gritty SOB. He managed to place the same in the NCAA tournament as he did at the B1G tournament (6th). He won three straight OT matches, and avenged a loss to Dylan Ragusin from the B1G Tournament, en route to an All-American finish. All signs point to him, and much of the Ohio State lineup, bumping up a weight class this season, but he is as prepared and ready to not simply repeat this performance, but likely improve on it. Jesse Mendez is picking up the phone when a fight is calling. Real Woods - Iowa, 141, 2nd Offensive Diversity - 17, Showmanship - 5, Defensive/Scrambling Versatility - 18, Wishnificance - 20, Upset Alert - 10, Top Game - 17. Total Score - 87 Breakdown: Real Woods was a beast in his first season for the Hawkeyes. It’s ridiculous to think that his goal was to take second in the country, but being that more people don’t win NCAA Championships than win one, I’m going to still celebrate this result. Real was stingy in close matches, and also able to get big wins against just about anyone else in the country. At NCAAs, he made his way to the finals by winning 3 of his 4 matches by major decision and is able to wrestle in just about any position. His top game really looked great all year, and in those close matches, was oftentimes a deciding factor. I had a chance to interview him at B1Gs, and he genuinely seemed like he was taking it all in stride and appreciating the moments. I like that about him, and as such, gave him a 20 in Wishnificance. Seems like getting a degree from Stanford, and following that up with wrestling home duals at Carver Hawkeye Arena, would be something I would want to experience for myself. Real Woods is real cool. Beau Bartlett - Penn State, 141, 3rd Offensive Diversity - 14, Showmanship - 5, Defensive/Scrambling Versatility - 20, Wishnificance - 15, Upset Alert - 12, Top Game - 15. Total Score - 81 Breakdown: Beau at the right weight class for him was way different than at the wrong weight class for him. Better different. You expect guys to get better (especially the PSU guys) to improve year over year, but this was a significantly better wrestler than the 149 version. His defense was unreal, and as a result, seems like he could have won any match he was in. His offense was good enough to beat who he should, but would struggle sometimes against the elite of the elite. The top game for all of the PSU guys is good, if not exciting. I also really enjoy Beau’s IG posts where he does crazy back handsprings off of a one-legged squat, or a variety of other wild things that crazy athletes can do and would cause me to break my neck. That impacted his showmanship score, even if he doesn’t necessarily dazzle on the mat. Can’t wait to see what he’s able to continue to develop into. Ridge Lovett - Nebraska, 149, 2nd in 2022 Offensive Diversity - 19, Showmanship - 5, Defensive/Scrambling Versatility - 19, Wishnificance - 18, Upset Alert - 14, Top Game - 18. Total Score - 93 Breakdown: I said I wasn’t including wrestlers that AA’s in other years but not last year, but Ridge AA’d in his most recent attempt, so he’s getting included here. Plus, who isn’t excited to watch Ridge Lovett wrestle again? After placing second in the country to Yianni Diakomihalis, through a loaded bracket in 2022, Ridge redshirted last season for the Corn Huskers. It was a bit of a hole in their lineup on the season, but he should be prepared to not only step right back into 149, but should be ranked #1 in the country, in my humble opinion. His offense is dynamic, he has the iconic and goofy pose after winning big matches, and he’s capable of pinning anyone in a variety of ways, as well as scrambling with the absolute best. I can’t think of a wrestler I’m more excited to see return other than Ridge Lovett (at least in the B1G, probably Johnny Lovett of CMU in the MAC. Lovett’s are great). Shayne Van Ness - Penn State, 149, 3rd Offensive Diversity - 16, Showmanship - 3, Defensive/Scrambling Versatility - 15, Wishnificance - 10, Upset Alert - 15, Top Game - 15. Total Score - 74 Breakdown: I’ll admit right away, that my score for SVN is clearly lower than where he placed last season. Let me defend myself for a moment. In my mind, Shayne was hovering in the teens (as far as rankings went) for most of the year, and had a good NCAAs. I also remember his first-round match with Ethen Miller of Maryland at NCAAs that he almost lost before pinning Miller (not a shot at Miller, an excellent wrestler, but just recalling how that match went). That memory though is misleading. Looking through the results, he had tech falled Miller only a couple of weeks before, avenged an earlier season loss to Paniro Johnson, and cruised into the semis where he gave Yianni a good match. By the end of the season, he was always in there during the tough matches, and appears to have gotten “over the hump” or “peaked” or “figured it out”, or whatever cliched phrase you’d like to attribute to the finish. His upset alert is up there because he should remain dangerous, despite his probable high early season ranking for 2023-2024. Will Lewan - Michigan, 157, 8th Offensive Diversity - 13, Showmanship - 2, Defensive/Scrambling Versatility - 20, Whishnificance - 16, Upset Alert - 14, Top Game - 17. Total Score - 82 Breakdown: The Will Lewan experience is something unlike any other. I remain objective in my media responsibilities and certainly don’t try to let my personal biases affect how I approach this, but I would be lying to you if I said that I wasn’t a Michigan fan. I grew up in Ann Arbor, so it’s hard to not develop that along the way. Anyway, Will Lewan does not fire off an array of offensive attacks, but he doesn’t need to. He has the ability to, and nothing is stopping him from attacking more, but he’s so good defensively and with scrambling, that he doesn’t need to unleash his arsenal until he needs to. The Wishnificance level is so high for him, because just once in my life I’d like to be out there with the confidence that this other guy isn’t going to take me down. When I wrestle, my attack rate is high because I don’t want the other person to attack, because I probably won’t be able to stop it. Not being able to stop someone’s attack has never even crossed Will Lewan’s mind. He’s supremely confident in his ability to systematically get to his offense, at his pace, and not you nor I is going to change that approach. He can beat anyone, or he could lose to someone he shouldn’t, but that’s the Will Lewan experience. It sure is something. Chase Saldate - Michigan State, 157, Bloodround Offensive Diversity - 14, Showmanship - 3, Defensive/Scrambling Versatility - 17, Wishnificance - 14, Upset Alert - 13, Top Game - 19. Total Score - 80 Breakdown: Chase was another one of my breakout candidates from last season. I watched him develop in his first couple of seasons with the Spartans, and he kept getting better each year. Kept adding more to his arsenal. The season before last he proved to be elite on top, and was always stingy enough on his feet to get things done. He had some big wins throughout last year, and proved to be a guy fighting for a podium spot. Despite a tough first-round loss at NCAAs, he still managed to battle back into the Bloodround before running into Bryce Andonian of Virginia Tech. He continues to be awesome on top, excellent defensively, and has added a couple of attacks that he can rely on when he needs to. I expect him to continue to get better next year and continue to establish himself as a legit contender. Cam Amine - Michigan, 165, 4th Offensive Diversity - 16, Showmanship - 4, Defensive/Scrambling Versatility - 16, Wishnificance - 19, Upset Alert - 15, Top Game - 15. Total Score - 85 Breakdown: I don’t think I’ll ever forget being on the floor and watching Cam get the overtime takedown against Marinelli to make the semis in 2022. That place erupted. Despite battling some injury issues last season, he made it back on the podium in what was one of the most loaded weights in recent memory. He appears to be the strongest man of all time, and I get that feeling based on the fact that oftentimes guys don’t wrestle him the way that they wrestle other people. You see high-octane offensive weapons shut down against him more than you see it happen most times. He has enough attacks of his own to get the job done, and is so stingy and tough that he makes guys get into deeper waters than they want to, and then they drown. Hand-fighting him looks miserable, and I think hand-fighting Cam Amine for 10 minutes should be a punishment that is handed out to criminals. It might be more of a deterrent than jail. Carter Starocci - Penn State, 174, 1st Offensive Diversity - 18, Showmanship - 5, Defensive/Scrambling Versatility - 18, Wishnificance - 16, Upset Alert - 12, Top Game - 19. Total Score - 88 Breakdown: Carter Starocci is as dangerous as it gets. The dude has won NCAA Championships in as many attempts as you get, and along the way has been constantly reminding everyone about it. I don’t intend for that to be a negative. If you back up what you say, then you get rewarded in this system. Since he was a freshman, he’s proven that he can fight with the best of them on his feet, scramble and defend like few can, and his top game is suffocating. He would have had a score in the nineties if I liked being the villain, which is an image I think he intentionally tries to cultivate. It's not an image I would want, but more power to him. I imagine most of these guys need to create some sort of an edge to power through practice and training. I know he has bigger goals (I know this because he told us he was going to win the Olympics in 2024, at which weight, I’m not sure), so I’m sure at this point he’s just chasing immortality in being a 4x NCAA Champion, but you still need an edge, which he certainly has. Nelson Brands - Iowa, 174, 5th Offensive Diversity - 14, Showmanship - 2, Defensive/Scrambling Versatility - 16, Wishnificance - 20, Upset Alert - 15, Top Game - 14. Total Score - 81 Breakdown: Let’s flashback to the beginning of last season real quick. Remember when Nelson Brands was in a car accident and broke his collarbone and had several other injuries to his elbow and forearm that would have caused any normal human being to wrap themselves in a protective bubble. However, Nelson chose to put his singlet on and battle with the toughest wrestlers in the country as he slowly but surely became more healthy (or at least matched the health of the people he was wrestling against). The Wishnificance factor is maxed out here because I love the idea of wrestling with a style like his, where winning the fight seems almost more important than winning the match. Nelson, more often than not, does an excellent job of doing both. He’s a brawler, with excellent technique, and a will to win. I genuinely feel like he can beat anyone in the country, and for that matter, I hope he does. Isaiah Salazar - Minnesota, 184, Bloodround Offensive Diversity - 16 - Showmanship - 3, Defensive/Scrambling Versatility - 17, Wishnificance - 17, Upset Alert - 13, Top Game - 16. Total Score - 82 Breakdown: Isaiah Salazar was super close to being my ‘breakout wrestler’ at 184 last season. He wasn’t, but he spent most of last season making me remember that week in and week out. He beat everyone he was supposed to all season and gave hell to anyone he was “supposed” to lose to. He lost to Feldkamp of Clarion (now of Iowa State) in the Bloodround, but if you ask me who would win if they wrestled 10x, I would take Salazar to win the majority of those matches. He proved to be a dangerous wrestler at a weight in the B1G with nothing but hammers. The B1G at 184 is only getting deeper, and that’s crazy with Aaron Brooks moving up a weight. Jaxon Smith - Maryland, 197, Bloodround Offensive Diversity - 17, Showmanship = 4, Defensive/Scrambling Versatility - 15, Wishnificance - 15, Upset Alert - 14, Top Game - 16. Total score - 81 Breakdown: Jaxon Smith entered his first season in the B1G with violence on his mind. He was far from concerned with your feelings, or anyone else's for that matter. He jumped into the fray with a third-place finish at the B1G tournament, out placing Jacob Warner, Braxton Amos, Zac Braunagel, and Cam Caffey. His NCAA Tournament was strong as well, with his only losses coming to Rocky Elam of Missouri, and NCAA Champion Max Dean in the Bloodround. I’ve had the pleasure of speaking with Jaxon a couple of times now, and the intensity in his eyes when he talks about his goals must be what the movie “clear and present danger” must have been named after. He’s ready and willing to bulldoze your dreams, assuming you weigh 197 pounds and wrestle in Division 1.

We are just about at the turning point where last season’s results and memories start to fade into the WrestleStat archives and the general wrestling community ramps up the interest and speculation of the upcoming season. And when it comes to Fantasy College Wrestling, drafters need to start thinking about who they want to pick in their 2024 draft. One way to do this is to look at the results of the 2023 season. The 2023 FCW Top-20 at each weight can give you a good idea of who the top Fantasy wrestlers in the country are. Seeing who returns, who leaves, who outplaced who, what teams made these lists more than others… all important information and data to digest. Of course, things can change quickly in college wrestling. Wrestlers can transfer, injuries can happen, and new stars can emerge. But the 2023 FCW Top-20 is a good starting point for your fantasy draft preparation, as you will see some (many, actually) repeat names from the 2022 Top-20 articles and even 2021 Top-20 articles. Take for instance: Pat Glory (PRIN), Yianni Diakomihalis (COR), Keegan O’Toole (MIZZ), and Carter Starocci (PSU). That championship group scored 223 Fpts in the 2023 season. How about these names though: Caleb Smith (APP), McKenzie Bell (RID), Evan Barczak (DREX), and Tyler Stoltzfus (LHU). That group scored 313 Fpts, and none were All-Americans. As you look at the list, keep in mind that not all of the top performers are household names. Some of the wrestlers who scored the most points in 2023 were not All-Americans. This is just one of the things that makes fantasy sports so exciting and unpredictable. So start your draft preparation today by taking a look at the 2023 FCW Top-20. You might just find some hidden gems that can help you win your league in 2024. To compile these lists, we used standard WrestleStat Fantasy College Wrestling Data & Scoring. Just a reminder of how points were tallied in WrestleStat leagues: 1) The scoring used was Standard Team Scoring across all competitions (+3 for a win by decision, -4 for a loss by Major, etc) 2) Scoring only counted against D1 competition 3) Wins via Forfeits (FFT) would count as +6 towards a wrestler's point total 4) Wins or Losses by Medical Forfeit (MFF) did not count as + or - towards a wrestler's point total 5) Points were only accumulated during the regular season Notes: This is the second time Tanner Sloan had been the #1 Fantasy Wrestler at 197, thanks in part to a 20-1 regular season Record. Oh, and with 15 of those wins being by bonus (four pins, one FFT, one win by injury default, two techs, and seven majors). His only loss on the season would be to Virginia Tech’s Andy Smith (who came in at #30 at 197). Last year's champion Max Dean finished as #2, an improvement to his 2022 rank of #8. Even though he wasn’t “allowed” to finish his roll-through on Ethan Laird, Dean did win in the battle of fantasy ranks, beating out Laird by three points, despite the regular season win by Laird. Coming off a double redshirt season, Silas Allred only had five regular season losses, and four of them were by two wrestlers (two by Issac Trumble and two by Tanner Sloan). 13 of his 28 matches were won by bonus, which helped him jump his season nemesis, Trumble, in the standings and secure the #4 spot. Michael Beard, Levi Hopkins, and Jake Kosar all finished within a decision of each other, and finished 6th, 7th, and 8th respectively. Interestingly enough, the better the rank, the fewer matches they wrestled to get those spots: Beard with 18 regular season matches, Hopkins with 29, and Kosar with 31. Making his second Top-20 in a row, Trey Rogers was also the highest-ranked Hofstra Wrestler in fantasy for the 2023 season. He finished one spot better than Jaxon Smith who had the same match total and same PPM as Rodgers, but fell one Fpt behind. Tyler Mousaw makes his return to the Fantasy Top-20, powered behind 33 matches, tied for the most by any 197 pounder in the 2023 Top-20. Now, when he was #3 in 2021, he only had 11 matches and a PPM of 3.8. Fast forward to a season not under COVID restrictions, he wrestled three times that previous season’s amount and fell three Fpts short of a Top-10 finish. National Champ Nino Bonaccorsi had the least number of regular season matches within the 197 Top-20, and only wrestled duals. It’s not always the number of matches you wrestle, but what you do with those matches that count in Fantasy Wrestling. Bonaccorsi would go on to win all fourteen of his matches and finish at #16. The Hawkeye most associated with not putting up big points finally breaks through and rounds out the Top-20. Jacob Warner had been on the outside looking in, but this year he put together just enough to be in the win column to beat out Luke Surber (OKST) via PPM. All this despite four of his 17 matches being losses (-12 Fpts). Who Missed The Cut: Three 2023 All-Americans missed out on the Top-20, with Bernie Truax (CP) being the best of them at #24 with 42 Fpts. Jacob Cardenas (COR) finished #26 with 36 Fpts, and Rocky Elam (MIZ) only wrestled eight matches for 22 Fpts to finish #39. As previously mentioned, Luke Surber tied #20 Jacob Warner but fell behind Warner in the standings due to PPM for the #21 spot. In fact, four wrestlers were tied with 43 Fpts. The #22 spot was actually shared by both Zac Braunagel (ILL) and Tanner Harvey (ORST) as they shared the same Fpts, matches wrestled, and PPM (of 1.7). Despite an injury mid-season, Louie DePrez (BING) still managed to almost crack the Top-20 with 12 matches and a point total of 37. Yonger Bastida (ISU) had a better PPM than Gavin Hoffman (OHST) (1.9 to Hoffman’s 1.8), but it was Hoffman who had the last laugh grabbing the #27 Spot with 35 Fpts. Bastida would conclude at #28, but had he won that match in Pittsburgh against Bonaccotsi, he would have been #25. A Senior redshirting is sometimes a rare sight, but that didn't stop Ben Smith (CSU) from taking his and still amassing some good fantasy stats. Only nine of his 12 wrestled matches count towards 2023 Fantasy, but he still put together 21 Fpts and finish at #43. Other notables include the Hokie duo of starter Andy Smith and redshirt TJ Stewart finishing almost identical with 32 Fpts and a PPM of 15, but Smith gets the rank boost doing it in fewer matches (21 matches wrestled from Smith compared to 22 by Stewart). Don't see your favorite wrestler on the list? Let me know @FantasyD1Wrestl for the full stats. Previous 2023 Top-20 Articles: Top-20 Fantasy Wrestlers at 125 Top-20 Fantasy Wrestlers at 133 Top-20 Fantasy Wrestlers at 141 Top-20 Fantasy Wrestlers at 149 Top-20 Fantasy Wrestlers at 157 Top-20 Fantasy Wrestlers at 165 Top-20 Fantasy Wrestlers at 174 Top-20 Fantasy Wrestlers at 184

With the 2023 U20 World Championships finished and the United States with top-three finishes in both men’s and women’s freestyle, there were a whole lot of American medalists in Jordan. 18 to be exact. Those wrestlers will be able to call themselves U20 World medalists which is an incredible honor. They’ll be mentioned alongside some of the all-time greats of our sport. With that in mind, let’s take a look at the American medal winners at U20 (Junior) World’s since 2010. 2023 Men’s Freestyle 57 kg: Luke Lilledahl (Silver) 61 kg: Nic Bouzakis (Bronze) 65 kg: Jesse Mendez (Silver) 70 kg: Meyer Shapiro (Gold) 74 kg: Mitchell Mesenbrink (Gold) 79 kg: Matthew Singleton (Bronze) 86 kg: Bennett Berge (Bronze) 97 kg: Camden McDanel (Bronze) Women’s Freestyle 50 kg: Audrey Jimenez (Silver) 55 kg: Amani Jones (Bronze) 59 kg: Alexis Janiak (Bronze) 72 kg: Amit Elor (Gold) 76 kg: Kennedy Blades (Bronze) 2022 Men’s Freestyle 57 kg: Jore Volk (Gold) 70 kg: Mitchell Mesenbrink (Silver) 86 kg: Bennett Berge (Silver) 97 kg: Ben Kueter (Gold) Women’s Freestyle 50 kg: Audrey Jimenez (Silver) 53 kg: Katie Gomez (Bronze) 57 kg: Sofia Macaluso (Silver) 62 kg: Adaugo Nwachukwu (Bronze) 72 kg: Amit Elor (Gold) 76 kg: Tristan Kelly (Bronze) Greco-Roman 130 kg: Aden Attao (Bronze) 2021 Men’s Freestyle 65 kg: Beau Bartlett (Bronze) 70 kg: Bryce Andonian (Bronze) 74 kg: Keegan O’Toole (Gold) 92 kg: Rocky Elam (Gold) 97 kg: Braxton Amos (Gold) Women’s Freestyle 50 kg: Emily Shilson (Gold) 62 kg: Korina Blades (Bronze) 68 kg: Amit Elor (Gold) 72 kg: Kennedy Blades (Gold) 76 kg: Kylie Welker (Gold) Greco-Roman 97 kg: Braxton Amos (Bronze) 2019 Men’s Freestyle 57 kg: Vito Arujau (Silver) 61 kg: Gabe Tagg (Bronze) 74 kg: David Carr (Gold) 86 kg: Trent Hidlay (Bronze) 92 kg: Lucas Davison (Silver) 125 kg: Mason Parris (Gold) Women’s Freestyle 65 kg: Macey Kilty (Silver) Greco-Roman 63 kg: Alston Nutter (Bronze) 67 kg: Peyton Omania (Bronze) 130 kg: Cohlton Schultz (Silver) 2018 Men’s Freestyle 57 kg: Daton Fix (Bronze) 70 kg: Brady Berge (Bronze) 74 kg: Mekhi Lewis (Gold) 79 kg: Aaron Brooks (Silver) 97 kg: Zach Elam (Silver) Women’s Freestyle 68 kg: Macey Kilty (Silver) Greco-Roman 82 kg: Andrew Berreyesa (Silver) 130 kg: Cohlton Schultz (Bronze) 2017 Men’s Freestyle 55 kg: Daton Fix (Gold) 60 kg: Mitchell McKee (Silver) 66 kg: Ryan Deakin (Silver) 74 kg: Mark Hall (Gold) 84 kg: Zahid Valencia (Silver) 96 kg: Kollin Moore (Bronze) 120 kg: Gable Steveson (Gold) Women’s Freestyle 44 kg: Asia Ray (Bronze) 63 kg: Maya Nelson (Gold) Greco-Roman 50 kg: Cevion Severado (Silver) 74 kg: Kamal Bey (Gold) 2016 Men’s Freestyle 50 kg: Spencer Lee (Gold) 55 kg: Daton Fix (Bronze) 74 kg: Mark Hall (Gold) Women’s Freestyle 59 kg: Kayla Miracle (Bronze) 63 kg: Maya Nelson (Bronze) 67 kg: Alexis Porter (Bronze) Greco-Roman 60 kg: Taylor LaMont (Bronze) 96 kg: G’Angelo Hancock (Bronze) 2015 Men’s Freestyle 50 kg: Spencer Lee (Gold) 55 kg: Stevan Micic (Bronze) 66 kg: Aaron Pico (Bronze) 120 kg: Nathan Butler (Bronze) Women’s Freestyle 55 kg: Becka Leathers (Bronze) 2014 Men’s Freestyle 55 kg: Thomas Gilman (Bronze) 60 kg: Joey McKenna (Silver) 66 kg: Aaron Pico (Silver) 84 kg: Gabe Dean (Bronze) 96 kg: Kyle Snyder (Bronze) 120 kg: Adam Coon (Bronze) Women’s Freestyle 44 kg: Marina Doi (Bronze) 59 kg: Kayla Miracle (Bronze) 72 kg: Victoria Francis (Bronze) Greco-Roman 120 kg: Adam Coon (Bronze) 2013 Men’s Freestyle 74 kg: Alex Dieringer (Silver) 96 kg: Kyle Snyder (Gold) Women’s Freestyle 44 kg: Erin Golston (Silver) 63 kg: Jennifer Page (Bronze) Greco-Roman 120 kg: Sam Stoll (Bronze) 2012 Men’s Freestyle 84 kg: Patrick Downey (Silver) Women’s Freestyle 44 kg: Erin Golston (Bronze) 63 kg: Alli Ragan (Bronze) Greco-Roman 60 kg: Jesse Thielke (Bronze) 2011 Men’s Freestyle 60 kg: Logan Stieber (Silver) Women’s Freestyle 44 kg: Erin Golston (Bronze) 55 kg: Helen Maroulis (Silver) 63 kg: Alli Ragan (Bronze) 67 kg: Adeline Gray (Silver) Greco-Roman 66 kg: Ellis Coleman (Bronze) 120 kg: Toby Erickson (Bronze) 2010 Men’s Freestyle 84 kg: Chris Perry (Bronze) Women’s Freestyle 48 kg: Victoria Anthony (Gold) 51 kg: Amy Whitbeck (Bronze) 55 kg: Helen Maroulis (Bronze) Greco-Roman 66 kg: Ellis Coleman (Bronze)