InterMat Staff

Pocono Mountain West

Anaya Falcon photo courtesy of Tony Rotundo; WrestlersAreWarriors.com Just over a month after the conclusion of the Women’s Collegiate Wrestling season, many athletes showed out to claim a World Team spot at Nationals this past weekend. In addition to current collegiate athletes, many commits also competed and gave fans a glimpse at the talent they will be bringing to college lineups in seasons to come. For this overview, I will be focusing on U20 and U23 results. U20 Women’s Nationals In the finals at 50kg, future Life Running Eagle, Anaya Falcon, got two dominant wins over Iowa’s Nyla Valencia in their best-of-three series. Valencia was a runner-up at U20s last season wrestling unattached. Falcon is continually ranked in the top 25 pound-for-pound for her class and is a 3x California state champ. She will certainly be an exciting addition to Life’s roster. Iowa’s first champ of the day was Brianna Gonzalez at 53kg. Gonzalez was the runner-up at NCWWCs this season after losing the finals match to Felicity Taylor. Gonzalez secured her top spot here with several dominant wins including two tech falls over King commit Clare Booe. Booe will be an immediate impact athlete for the King team with two Fargo titles, a Super 32 championship finish, and a first-place finish at last season's East Stroudsburg Open as a high school senior. This season’s NAIA National Champ Cristelle Rodriguez of Doane put on another dominant performance at Nationals, winning her final series with two pins in under three minutes total. Lexi Janiak of Aurora claimed the top spot at 59 kg over 2023 Fargo Champion Aubre Krazer with an 11-0 first match, and a closer 8-4 decision win in their second bout. Janiak finished third at NCWWCs this past season and is a 2023 U20 Bronze Medalist. 62kg had one of the tightest matchups, with future Iowa Hawkeye Cadence Diduch dropping the first match to Skylar Hattendorf. However, match two was a shutout for Diduch. In the final bout, Diduch was able to hang on to a 2-1 lead to claim the top spot. Diduch is a three-time Fargo Champ and really showed some of the grittiness that the Hawkeyes team is already starting to be known for in this tournament. Sticking with Iowa’s team for the 65kg finals, we saw two Hawkeyes competing for the spot with Reese Larramendy coming out victorious over redshirt freshman Ella Schmit. The two actually both competed at U20s last season as well and while the two did not cross paths in that tournament, Schmit finished in second with Larramendy claiming the third place spot. The two wrestled one other time this past season at the Indiana Tech Warrior Open with Larramendy also getting the decision win in that matchup. Southern Oregon’s 2024 National Champ Caitlyn Davis showed out again here to claim 1st place at 68kg. Davis beat out McKendree’s Destiny Rodriguez in two matches. In the first, Davis was able to shut down everything from Rodriguez to get a 9-0 decision. In the second, Rodriguez kept it a bit closer, but it was still Davis with the 4-1 decision. Shannon Workinger of Menlo made an appearance in the finals at 72kg, improving on her fifth-place finish from last season. Unfortunately, she fell short in her matchup to Jasmine Robinson who was the champ in the U23 division as well. Finally, at 76kg Iowa fans have another exciting wrestler to cheer for as Naomi Simon, who committed to Iowa earlier this season, gets two tech fall victories to claim the top spot over Menlo’s Kalili Shrive. Simon is also a 2023 Fargo champ and will fit right into the Iowa roster given the huge 4-point move she hit on the edge of her second match here. U20 Women’s Final Results 50 kg: Anaya Falcon (Life Commit) over Nyla Valencia (Iowa) 14-6, 10-0 53 kg: Brianna Gonzalez (Iowa) over Clare Booe (King Commit) 6-7, 10-0, 12-2 55 kg: Cristelle Rodriguez (Doane) over Zao Estrada, Fall 1:25, Fall :55 57 kg: Carissa Qureshi (CA) over Everest Leydecker (AZ) 6-6, 14-1 59 kg: Alexis Janiak (Aurora) over Aubre Krazer (PA) 11-0, 8-4 62 kg: Cadence Diduch (Iowa Commit) over Skylar Hattendorf (NH) 0-10, 6-0, 2-1 65 kg: Reese Larramendy (Iowa) over Ella Schmit (Iowa) 12-1, 10-0 68 kg: Caitlyn Davis (Southern Oregon) over Destiny Rodriguez (McKendree) 9-0, 4-1 72 kg: Jasmine Robinson (TX) over Shannon Workinger (Menlo) Fall :54, 13-2 76 kg: Naomi Simon (Iowa Commit) over Kalila Shrive (Menlo) 14-3, 12-0 U23 Women’s Final Results At U23s, several current collegiate wrestlers made their way to the finals, including a few rematches from the collegiate season. Starting at 50kg, Iowa’s Sterling Dias finished in second place, dropping both matches to Heather Crull, a U17 Bronze Medalist, who also competed in the U23 division this weekend. Dias finished 2nd at NCWWCs this season and continues to show out in both domestic and international competitions for the Hawkeyes. At 53kg, North Central’s Jaslynn Gallegos gave up a late fall to Elena Ivaldi after being up 10-2 earlier in the match, and lost another early lead in the 10-6 decision loss in their second match. Gallegos finished in 5th at NCWWCs to help the Cardinals to a runner-up finish at NCWWCs for her senior season. 55kg was a rematch from this season’s NCWWC semifinals between Amani Jones of North Central and Montana Delawder of King. While Jones got a pin in that match earlier this season, Delawder kept it closer here. Jones still had the more dominant offense and won that matches 5-1 and 8-1 respectively. At 59kg, Central Methodist’s Skye Realin won the three-bout battle over Yele Aycock of North Central. Realin won a back-and-forth match 9-5 with Aycock claiming the second 5-3. In the third, Realin struck first, but Aycock rallied back with two pushouts of her own. At the very end of the period, the call on the mat was a takedown on the edge for Aycock, but Realin’s corner challenged for a push-out point instead and the call was reversed after review. Realin started her collegiate career at McKendree before transferring to Central Methodist, and was not a starter for the Eagles, but did compete at a few open tournaments. Aycock is a 2x All-American and 2x NCWWC finalist for the Cardinals. Adaugo Nwachukwu is considered the best pound-for-pound collegiate wrestler and she showed her dominance here in this tournament as well, giving up one point the entire weekend while scoring 65 to win the title at 62kg. As a champ for William Penn this past season, she also has the opportunity to compete in the Olympic Trials next weekend. In post-match interviews, Nwachukwu discussed using this opportunity to prepare even further for the trials, which is her ultimate goal. In another NCWWC semifinal rematch, Aine Drury of King met up with Alara Boyd of North Central. Similar to their prior match, Drury was able to get the two close decisions 6-1 and 5-3 respectively to win here. Boyd competed as a graduate student last season, and I am unsure about remaining eligibility or her desire to use it if she has it here. Boyd was also a 4x age-group World Team member prior to this season. Drury was in her junior season last year and should be back to try again for the top spot at NCWWCs after finishing in second this past season. 68kg was a battle of the Auggies with former Augsburg wrestler Brooklyn Hays taking on current Auggie and, the winningest wrestler in school history Nina Makem, who is coming off an All-American eighth-place finish. Makem took the first bout, winning a 3-2 decision. However, it seemed as though Hays figured things out by their next match, scoring a few times on her offense before getting a late pin. The 3rd match was all Hays as well, capping it off with another pin. A viral clip of the two shows Hays raising Makem’s hand after the match and the two hugging after what was a very exciting back and forth. Finally, at 76kg, McKendree’s Tristan Kelly, who finished third at NCWWCs for the Bearcats this season, made quick work of her finals opponent, Bo Giebe, with 2 pins in under 2 minutes. Giebe wrestles for Sienna Heights and was the school’s first NAIA All-American for women’s wrestling after her 5th-place finish last season. 50 kg: Heather Crull (IN) over Sterling Dias (Iowa) 10-3, 10-0 53 kg: Elena Ivaldi (CA) over Jaslynn Gallegos (North Central) Fall 5:18 10-6 55 kg: Amani Jones (North Central) over Montana DeLawder (King) 5-1, 8-1 57 kg: Sofia Macaluso (NY) over Carissa Qureshi (CA) Fall 5:31, Fall 4:36 59 kg: Skye Realin (Central Methodist) over Yele Aycock (North Central) 9-5, 3-5, 3-2 62 kg: Adaugo Nwachukwu (William Penn) over Marisol Nugent (MA) 8-1, 12-0 65 kg: Aine Drury (King) over Alara Boyd (North Central) 6-1, 5-3 68 kg: Brooklyn Hays (UT) over Nina Makem (Augsburg) 2-3, Fall 5:12, Fall 3:49 72 kg: Jasmine Robinson (TX) over London Houston (North Central) Injury Default 76 kg: Tristan Kelly (McKendree) over Bo Geibe (Siena Heights) Fall :34, Fall 1:00 Olympic Team Trials take place this coming weekend beginning April 19. Many collegiate wrestlers will be competing for those spots as well.

USA Wrestling released pre-seeds for the 2024 Olympic Team Trials which get underway on Friday, April 19th, from State College, Pennsylvania. Below are the brackets based on the pre-seeds. As always, these stand to change based on a variety of factors between now and Friday. Men's Freestyle 57 kg 65 kg 74 kg 86 kg 97 kg 125 kg Men's Greco-Roman 60 kg 67 kg 77 kg 87 kg 97 kg 130 kg Women's Freestyle 50 kg 53 kg 57 kg 62 kg 68 kg 76 kg

It’s almost here! The field has been set and the eyes of the American wrestling world are ready to collectively focus on State College, Pennsylvania, the setting of the 2024 US Olympic Team Trials. The Trials are always incredible and a must-see for fans; however, this one is a bit more special after the most recent Trials. Delayed by a year, because of COVID, the 2020(1) Trials were moved to Fort Worth, Texas, and did not have the type of crowd that is expected to pack the Bryce Jordan Center this time. Our previews have been broken down to half of a particular style at a time. Earlier in the week, we started with men's freestyle - now we're wrapping up women's freestyle. The good news is that all six weights have been qualified for women's freestyle - either at the 2023 World Championships or at the 2024 Pan-American Olympic Qualifier. In a rule unique only to women's freestyle, the wrestler who earned the allocation bid for the United States can sit out until the best-of-three finals. For each weight, we’ll mention the qualifiers, along with how they qualified, and notes about each of the participants, followed by a finals prediction. 62 kg Qualifiers 2024 Pan-American Olympic Games Qualifier Finalist: Kayla Miracle 2023 World Medalist in non-Olympic Weight: Jennifer Page (59 kg) 2023 World Medalist in non-Olympic Weight: Macey Kilty (65 kg) 2022 World Team member: Mallory Velte 2023 Bil Farrell runner-up: Katerina Lange Senior National Runner-Up: Ashlynn Ortega Senior Nationals Third Place: Aine Drury Senior Nationals Fourth Place: Maya Letona Senior Nationals Fifth Place: SaVannah Cosme 2024 NCWWC National champion: Reese Larramendy 2024 NCWWC National champion: Claire DiCugno 2024 NAIA National champion: Adaugo Nwachukwu Last Chance Qualifier champion: Lauren Louive Without a doubt, 62 kg is the deepest women’s freestyle weight in the Trials. Four of the entrants have won world medals at the Senior level. The field is led by mainstay Kayla Miracle. She has made the last five world/Olympic teams at this weight. After missing out on the medal stand at the 2020(1) Olympic Games, Miracle captured silver medals in the two World Championship events that followed the Games. In 2024, Miracle struck gold at the Pan-American Championships, then turned around and claimed a pair of wins at the Pan-Am Olympic Qualifier, which ensured the United States would be in the Olympics, at this weight. Miracle will have the advantage as she’ll wait in the best-of-three finals for a challenger to emerge. The other three past Senior world medalists in this bracket are Jennifer Page, Macey Kilty, and Mallory Velte. Page had quite the 2023 after getting upset in the finals of the US Open at 62 kg, which prevented her from competing in Final X at that weight. She then moved down to 59 kg and won the World Trials which pushed her into Final X. Not only did Page make the Senior World team, but she also came away from Belgrade with a bronze medal. After a ton of success on the age-group level, Macey Kilty made her first Senior World Team in 2023. She would go all the way to the world finals before suffering a loss, which netted her a silver medal. Kilty has now made the world finals at every age group available for her. Earlier this year, Kilty lost in a three-match series to Miracle for the chance to compete in the Pan-American Olympic Qualifier. The two had also met in the 2020(1) Olympic Trials finals, when Kilty was injured in the decisive third bout. Velte has made three world teams and has come away with bronze medals in two of those appearances. The most recent coming in 2022 at 65 kg. Velte lost a pair of close bouts to Kilty at Final X last year. Though she had already locked up a spot in the Trials, Velte competed in, and won, both the Bill Farrell and Senior Nationals. One of the other top contenders at this weight is Miracle’s Final X opponent Nwachukwu. Nwachukwu had the opportunity to unseat Miracle after stunning Page in the US Open finals. Earlier this month, Nwachukwu was named the second annual Women’s Collegiate Wrestler of the Year by USA Wrestling. She earned the honor after going 21-0 with bonus points in all of her wins; while claiming an NAIA national title for William Penn. Another veteran at this weight is the Last Chance Qualifier champion Lauren Louive. Louive advanced to Final X in 2019, but is still looking to make her first World/Olympic team. She ran through the LCQ tournament without surrendering a point in any of her four bouts. The contingent of this weight class that qualified through Senior Nationals includes Ashlynn Ortega, Aine Drury, Maya Letona, and SaVannah Cosme. Ortega blanked Drury and Letona to make the Senior finals, where she fell to Jacarra Winchester. In 2023, Ortega finished fourth at the US Open, then went on to make the finals of the Grand Prix of Spain. Drury and Letona are no strangers. While Drury defeated Letona by a point in the Senior National third place bout, it was Letona who prevailed in the third place match at the 2023 US Open. Not only was Cosme fifth at Senior Nationals, but she also was a bronze medalist in 2023 at the U20 Pan-American Championships. U23 World Team member Katerina Lange got into the Trials via a finals appearance at the Bill Farrell. She was third at the 2023 US Open competing up at 68 kg. The remainder of the women in this bracket come from the NCWWC ranks. Claire DiCugno and Reese Larramendy were national champions in 2024 with DiCugno winning the 136 lb bracket and Larramendy winning at 143 lbs. Prediction: Macey Kilty over Kayla Miracle 68 kg qualifiers 2023 World Champion at non-Olympic weight (72 kg): Amit Elor 2021 World Team member: Forrest Molinari 2023 Bill Farrell runner-up: Alex Glaude Senior National third place: Alara Boyd Senior National fourth place: Solin Piearcy Senior National fifth place: Kaylynn Albrecht 2024 NAIA national champion: Caitlyn Davis Last Chance Qualifier champion: Chloe Ogden Three years ago at the 2020(1) Olympic Games, it was Tamyra Mensah-Stock who prevailed at this weight class and became the second American woman to win Olympic gold in freestyle wrestling. While Mensah-Stock has turned her attention to the WWE, the United States still has a highly-decorated favorite who is expected to prevail in the Trials and also come away with a second straight gold medal at this weight. That favorite is Amit Elor who has won U20, U23, and Senior World titles in each of the last two years. Previously, an American had not accomplished the feat; however, she’s done it twice. Elor comes into the trials on a winning streak that dates back to 2019 when she lost at the U17 World Championships and bounced back to take third. Not only has Elor won, but she’s done so in dominating fashion. Neither of her Final X opponents in 2022 and 2023 were able to manage a single point. During 2023’s title run, she outscored the competition 33-4, and at U23’s she pinned three of her four opponents in less than :30 seconds. Elor’s dominance domestically and internationally may be a reason why this is the smallest of the women’s freestyle brackets, in terms of entries. The opponent with the longest track record of success is Forrest Molinari. Molinari has made three world teams during her career and brought home a bronze medal in her most recent appearance (2021). In her only appearance of 2024, Molinari claimed a silver medal at the Zagreb Open Ranking Series event. There aren’t any other competitors in this bracket with Senior World Team experience; however, there is Alex Glaude who has made world teams at the Junior and U23 age groups. In 2018, Glaude captured a bronze medal at U23’s. A year later, Glaude made Final X but was defeated in two straight bouts by Mensah-Stock. Another entrant here was plenty of international experience is Alara Boyd. Boyd made two U20 World Teams in 2019 and 2021. Previously, she won a pair of world medals at the Cadet age group. Over the weekend, Boyd fell in the best-of-three finals in an attempt to also make the 2024 U23 team. Boyd earned her spot by finishing third at Senior Nationals. Right behind her were Solin Piearcy and Kaylynn Albrecht, taking fourth and fifth, respectively. In 2023, Piearcy was fourth at the US Open and a finalist at the Dan Kolov/Nikola Petrov Tournament and competed in the bronze medal match at the Zagreb Open. Albrecht went unbeaten at the Henri DeGlane this year and was third at the 2023 Bill Farrell. Rounding out the weight class are Cailtyn Davis and Chloe Ogden. Davis was a 2024 NAIA national champion for Southern Oregon and made the 2024 U20 World Team at this weight. Ogden comes in after winning the Last Chance Qualifier. We’ll have to monitor her status, as she also competed this weekend at the U23 division and injury defaulted out after a semifinal loss. Prediction: Amit Elor over Forrest Molinari 76 kg Qualifiers 2023 Senior World medalist at Olympic weight: Adeline Gray 2022 World Team member: Dymond Guilford 2021 World Team member: Kylie Welker 2023 U20 World Bronze Medalist: Kennedy Blades 2023 Bill Farrell champion: Yelena Makoyed 2023 World Military Championships gold medalist: Tristan Kelly Senior Nationals champion: Precious Wieser Senior National runner-up: Marlynne Deede Senior National third place: Skylar Grote Senior National fourth place: Brooklyn Hays Senior National fifth place: Rose Cassioppi Last Chance Qualifier Champion: Madison Sandquist Perhaps the most fascinating weight in the women’s freestyle tournament is 76 kg. You have the legendary Adeline Gray sitting in the best-of-three finals waiting for a challenger to emerge from a very deep field of contenders. Gray is seeking to make her third Olympic team and chase down the gold medal that’s eluded her in her previous two trips. Altogether, Gray has ten World/Olympic medals - which includes six world titles. In addition to her third Olympic team, she’s seeking to make her 13th World/Olympic team. Even with Gray’s credentials and her standing as one of the all-time greats of USA Wrestling, her making the team is not a lock. Last year, after giving birth to her twins, Gray returned for the US Open and was noticeably rusty (after only returning to training a few weeks earlier) in a one-sided loss to Kennedy Blades. Gray earned a rematch against Blades after winning the World Team Trials and dispatched Blades in two straight matches, though both were close. So far, in 2024, Gray has taken third at the Zagreb Open and was knocked off by an opponent from Ecuador at the Pan-American Championships - she’d rebound for bronze. The question is, “Can Adeline make another team and chase the gold or is the youth movement at this weight ready to prevail?” This weight has plenty of youthful challengers that could push or defeat Gray and make an impact at the Olympic Games. The aforementioned Blades has won medals at the U23 and U20 levels in each of the last few years. Blades made both teams last year and was second at U23’s and third at U20’s. In 2021, Blades was a U20 world champion. Blades’ U20 world title came at 72 kg and right behind her was Kylie Welker, who won gold at 76 kg. That same year she also took home bronze from U23’s. Both Blades and Welker were finalists at the most recent Olympic Trials. Welker fell to Blades, while Blades lost to Mensah-Stock. Another past world team member in this bracket is Dymond Guilford who made the 2022 team, while Gray was unavailable. In 2024, Guilford claimed a bronze medal at the Dan Kolov/Nikola Petrov and was unbeaten at the Henri DeGlane. She was also a 2022 U23 World silver medalist. One of Guilford’s frequent opponents, Yelena Makoyed, will be in the mix, as well. Guilford beat Makoyed to make the 2022 World Team in Final X; however, they’ve traded wins since - with Makoyed having the most recent win; at the 2024 Henri DeGlane. Makoyed has been a trailblazer for the North Central wrestling program and just finished her collegiate career with a loss in the national finals to Welker. She’ll finish as a three-time national champion and five-time finalist. Guilford’s former high school teammate and also regular opponent, Precious Wieser is in the field. Wieser got in with a Senior National title. In 2019, Bell opposed Gray in Final X and was a part of the U20 world team. Marlynne Deede, Skylar Grote, Brooklyn Hays, and Rose Cassioppi also qualified via Senior Nationals. Deede was a 2024 NCWWC national champion for Iowa and a teammate of Cassioppi. Grote made Final X at 72 kg in 2022. She, along with Guiford, earned bronze medals in a DeGlane weight class won by Makoyed. Over the weekend, Hays won the 68 kg spot at the U23 WTT’s. Last year, Hays defeated Cassioppi in a true-third place match at Final X. Also in the field are Tristan Kelly and Madison Sandquist. Kelly, a member of the Army’s WCAP, earned her spot with a gold medal at the World Military Championships. In 2022, Kelly was a U20 world bronze medalist. She’ll have an opportunity to add to her medal haul later this year as she won the U23 Trials at, 76 kg, over the weekend. Sandquist was a sixth-place finisher at the NCWWC’s but claimed a title at the Last Chance Qualifier event. Prediction: Kennedy Blades over Adeline Gray

With the conclusion of the NCAA wrestling tournament and the calendar changing over to April, you’d think that it means it’s the offseason for college wrestling and all focus should turn to the Olympic styles, right? Maybe in the past, but in a new era of collegiate athletics, once the final whistle has blown on a particular postseason, it means it’s time to turn your attention to the transfer portal. Love it or hate it, it’s the reality. Student-athletes have the ability to transfer much more freely than past generations. Couple that with the extra year of eligibility doled out by the NCAA in the aftermath of the COVID years and you have a wild combination. There was lots of movement last “offseason” and I don’t foresee that changing this year. In just a week and a half since the NCAA finals, there have already been some huge names that have gone into the portal. Some have already announced their new homes, while others are still being courted. The first list of wrestlers we’ve listed have already publicly committed to a new transfer destination. That new school is listed first, along with their projected weight, followed by their former school. Below them are notable wrestlers that have gone into the transfer portal. It is not a comprehensive list. Some (like Jacob Cardenas and Lennox Wolak) knew they were graduating and were unable to continue competing at their Ivy League schools and went into the portal before the season started. Others have just submitted their names. Expect many updates to this feature in the coming weeks and months. Illinois: Ramazan Attasauov (125/133) - Iowa State Iowa State: Evan Bockman (197) - Utah Valley Little Rock: Brock DelSignore (184) - NC State Lock Haven: Nick Stampoulos (157) - Buffalo Michigan: Jacob Cardenas (197) - Cornell Michigan: Chase Saldate (157) - Michigan State Minnesota: Tommy Askey (157) - Appalachian State North Carolina: Ethan Oakley (133) - Appalachian State North Carolina: Josh Ogunsanya (174) - North Carolina Oklahoma State: Caleb Fish (165) - Michigan State Oklahoma State: Dean Hamiti (165/174) - Wisconsin Oregon State: Sean Harman (174) - Missouri Rider: Sammy Alvarez (149) - Oklahoma State SIU Edwardsville: Luke Odom (157) - Illinois SIU Edwardsville: Griffin Ray (165) - Nebraska Virginia Tech: Connor McGonagle (133) - Lehigh Virginia Tech: Lennox Wolak (174) - Columbia The Virginia Tech Hokies received their second notable transfer of the offseason when they got a commitment from Connor McGonagle Monday morning. McGonagle, formerly of Lehigh, was a three-time national qualifier for the Mountain Hawks, making the tournament twice at 141 lbs and once at 133 lbs. McGonagle was ranked in the top ten and as high as the top five for most of the 2022-23 campaign, at 133 lbs. His most significant win of that season came against NC State’s Kai Orine, who eventually ended up on the national podium. Now, the two will be in the same conference for each’s final year of eligibility. An injury in the 2023 EIWA Championships forced McGonagle to default out of the tournament and rely on an at-large berth and he was impacted during the seeding process, as he received the #11. Shortly after the brackets were released, McGonagle had to withdraw from the tournament. McGonagle and Virginia Tech are no strangers as he wrestled future Hokie teammate Sam Latona in the 2023 NWCA All-Star match. McGonagle would go on to win 7-5 in tiebreakers. Even as the All-Star match was conducted, McGonagle was out of his spot at 133 lbs as freshman phenom Ryan Crookham defeated him head-to-head and then Vito Arujau at the Journeymen Collegiate Classic. McGonagle re-emerged later in the year and wrestled in the F&M Open at 141 lbs. 133 is where McGonagle would like to wrestle and it could be a good fit with the Hokies. The former 125 lber, Latona, already looked massive at 133 lbs and would go up for his final campaign in Blacksburg. That allows Tom Crook to redshirt as the Hokie staff initially intended in 2023-24. The Hokies are fresh off a seventh-place finish at the 2024 NCAA Championships and lost the services of multi-time All-Americans Bryce Andonian and Mekhi Lewis. With McGonagle and Lennox Wolak joining, those losses should be less painful and Virginia Tech may be capable of a similar (or better) NCAA showing in 2025. Portal Ryan Boersma (285) - Missouri Colton Camacho (125/133) - Pittsburgh Charlie Darracott (165) - Stanford Massoma Endene (197) - Wartburg Logan Frazier (133) - Virginia Tech Max Hale (184) - Penn Nathan Higley (149) - George Mason Jared Hill (157) - Oklahoma Jacob Joyce (125) - Stanford Jason Kraisser (157) - Iowa State Carson Martinson (165) - Iowa Carter Martinson (157) - Iowa Sam Mitchell (197) - Buffalo Peyton Moore (133) - Missouri Kyle Mosher (165) - Columbia Danny Nini (157) - North Carolina Bretli Reyna (149) - Iowa Chris Rivera (141) - Campbell Justin Rivera (149) - Campbell Rylan Rogers (184) - Michigan Korbin Shepherd (133) - Missouri Yaraslau Slavikouski (285) - Rutgers Ethan Stiles (157) - Nebraska Clayton Ulrey (157) - Virginia Tech

St. Joseph's Regional

Elizabeth Forward

Pottsville

St. Edward

Conwell-Egan

Bixby

Newport Harbor

Kennett

The Big 12 is well represented at this year’s Olympic Trials, with eight teams having at least one current or former wrestler qualified. There’s at least one in every freestyle weight and two weights in Greco. Oklahoma State and Missouri are tied for most athletes with four each, including current collegiate wrestlers. The Olympic Team Trials will be held at Penn State on April 19th-20th. Air Force: Wyatt Hendrickson (125kg), Sidney Flores (GR - 60kg), Vincent Dolce (GR - 77kg) The Falcons are represented in both styles with three graduate wrestlers. Flores and Dolce both graduated in 2022 and qualified for the trials with runner-up finishes at the 2024 Armed Forces tournament. Wyatt Hendrickson is arguably the best wrestler in Air Force’s history and will be looking to make the Olympic team after a dominant run to a U23 World title last summer. Iowa State: David Carr (74kg) After finishing his collegiate career with a second national title Carr will be looking to add to his already lengthy freestyle resume. He was on the 2022 U23 world team, was a 2022 Senior national team member, and won a Junior world title in 2019. Missouri: Keegan O’Toole (74kg), Jarrett Jacques (74kg), J’den Cox (97kg), Dom Bradley (125kg) Jarrett Jacques qualified for his first Olympic Trials with a fourth-place finish at Senior Nationals. Keegan O’Toole outscored his opponents 46-4 along the way to a 2023 U23 world title at 74kg to qualify for the Trials. He also won a 2021 Junior World title. J’den Cox has won multiple Olympic and World medals and is looking to make his first team since 2022 while representing the Cliff Keen WC. One of the most veteran wrestlers competing, Dom Bradley qualified for his fourth Olympic Trials by winning Senior Nationals for the third time in his career. North Dakota State: Hayden Zillmer (125kg) Currently competing for the Gopher WC RTC, Zillmer was a 2015 All-American for the Bison at 184lbs. This will be his third Olympic Trials and second in freestyle. He was third in Greco (2016) and third in freestyle (2021). Sandwiched between that was 2022 where he was the World team member and he lost in the quarterfinals. Northern Colorado: Andrew Alirez (65kg) Alirez took an Olympic redshirt after a dominant title for the Bears in 2023 and will be one of the strongest contenders at his weight. Alirez has a lengthy age-level freestyle resume, placing top three at the 2018 and 2019 Junior World Team Trials. He had multiple impressive wins during his Olympic redshirt, including Alec Pantaleo, Beau Bartlett, Austin DeSanto, and multiple-time world champion Haji Aliyev. Oklahoma State: Daton Fix (57kg), Ladarion Lockett (74kg), Alex Dieringer (86kg), Christian Carroll (97kg) Another Big 12 school well represented at the Trials, the Cowboys have past, present, and future wrestlers competing. Ladarion Lockett is one of the top recruits of 2025 and is qualified after winning U17 worlds at 71 kg. Initially, it was announced that he was going 65kg, but it sounds like he will be in a deep 74 kg weight class. Christian Carroll redshirted at heavyweight as a true freshman this year, but it sounds like he is making his way to 197 lbs and competed at 97 kg to qualify. He won the Last Chance Open to qualify, including an impressive tech fall in the finals and an 8-7 win over Jacob Warner in the semis. Two of the more credentialed recent OSU wrestling graduates, Daton Fix and Alex Dieringer are both looking to make their first Olympic team. Fix won a World silver at 2021 Senior Worlds at 61 kg, and will compete at 57 kg for the first time since 2021 where he lost in the semis of the Olympic Trials. He is qualified as a 2019 World Team member at 57kg. Dieringer won Senior Nationals and has come razor close to making teams before. He now competes for the Cliff Keen WC, but was the Cowboy’s last Hodge Trophy winner in 2016. South Dakota State: Seth Gross (65kg) Before finishing his career and starting his coaching career at Wisconsin, Gross was a two-time All-American and the Jackrabbit’s first Division I champ in 2018. He qualified as a 2022 World Team member at 61 kg and is forced to move up with the Olympic weights. Utah Valley: Taylor LaMont (GR - 60kg) Another former Big 12 wrestler who finished his career at Wisconsin, LaMont was a 2021 All-American and four-time qualifier for the Wolverines. He won a bronze medal at 2016 Junior Worlds and was on eight consecutive age-level World teams (three Cadet, three Junior, two U23). He qualified for the trials with a fourth-place finish at the Senior Nationals.

Over the weekend in Spokane, Washington, the 2024 edition of Women’s Nationals took place. Girls and Women aged 8 through 23 competed for the chance to call themselves national champions and All-Americans. The event also serves as a World Team Trials event for women at the U17, U20, and U23 levels. Below are results from the final, best-of-three wrestle off’s at each of those three age groups. U17 Women’s Final Results 40 kg: Francesca Gusfa (NJ) fall Lily Enos (IL) :29, 10-0 43 kg: Hailey Delgado (TX) over Lisa Pastoriza (AZ) 4-1, 10-0 46 kg: Morgan Turner (IL) over Jaclyn Bouzakis (PA) 10-0, 5-3 49 kg: Epenesa Elison (CA) over Julianna Ocampo (IN) 10-0, 10-0 53 kg: Isabella Marie Gonzales (CA) over Charlie Wylie (NJ) 1-5, 7-2, 3-0 57 kg: Everest Leydecker (AZ) over Emma Bacon (PA) 7-9, 10-1, 7-0 61 kg: Taina Fernandez (MD) over Jordyn Fouse (PA) 10-0, 12-2 65 kg: Bella Williams (OK) over Isis France (AZ) 10-6, 2-10, 9-2 69 kg: Kaili Manuel (MI) over Sarah Pulk (MN) 7-13, 9-2, Fall 3:59 73 kg: Piper Fowler (TN) over Alexandria Alli (OH) 5-4, 10-3 U20 Women’s Final Results 50 kg: Anaya Falcon (CA) over Nyla Valencia (CA) 14-6, 10-0 53 kg: Brianna Gonzalez (CA) over Clare Booe (FL) 6-7, 10-0, 12-2 55 kg: Cristelle Rodriguez (CA) over Zao Estrada (SC) Fall 1:25, Fall :55 57 kg: Carissa Qureshi (CA) over Everest Leydecker (AZ) 6-6, 14-1 59 kg: Alexis Janiak (IL) over Aubre Krazer (PA) 11-0, 8-4 62 kg: Cadence Diduch (IL) over Skylar Hattendorf (NH) 0-10, 6-0, 2-1 65 kg: Reese Larramendy (NV) over Ella Schmit (IA) 12-1, 10-0 68 kg: Caitlyn Davis (SC) over Destiny Rodriguez (OR) 9-0, 4-1 72 kg: Jasmine Robinson (TX) over Shannon Workinger (WA) Fall :54, 13-2 76 kg: Naomi Simon (IA) over Kalila Shrive (CA) 14-3, 12-0 U23 Women’s Final Results 50 kg: Heather Crull (IN) over Sterling Dias (NV) 10-3, 10-0 53 kg: Elena Ivaldi (CA) over Jaslynn Gallegos (CO) Fall 5:18 10-6 55 kg: Amani Jones (GA) over Montana DeLawder (PA) 5-1, 8-1 57 kg: Sofia Macaluso (NY) over Carissa Qureshi (CA) Fall 5:31, Fall 4:36 59 kg: Skye Realin (HI) over YeLe Aycock (NM) 9-5, 3-5, 3-2 62 kg: Adaugo Nwachukwu (CO) over Marisol Nugent (MA) 8-1, 12-0 65 kg: Aine Drury (CA) over Alara Boyd (IN) 6-1, 5-3 68 kg: Brooklyn Hays (UT) over Nina Makem (MN) 2-3, Fall 5:12, Fall 3:49 72 kg: Jasmine Robinson (TX) over London Houston (WA) Injury Default 76 kg: Tristan Kelly (CO) over Bo Geibe (MI) Fall :34, Fall 1:00

The 2024 Season is in the books, and the year end awards are starting to be handed out. As per usual, we took a look at the best Fantasy Wrestlers of the 2024 season. Just like in the past few years, some names are going to be expected, while a lot more may not be. That's the beauty of Fantasy Wrestling, where any wrestler can be the star of the weekend and win the dual for you. So, on to the Top-20 at each weight. Make sure to bookmark these articles because it’s a great resource to fall back to in a few months when your 2025 season draft research begins. 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 125 Top-20 Notes: The preseason and end of the regular season #1 ranked wrestler, Matt Ramos, finished atop the 125 fantasy rankings. Of his 25 countable matches for Fantasy, 11 were by bonus and despite the three countable losses (the loss to high schooler Marcus Blaze didn't count), they were only by decision, which softened the blow. . Campbell’s Anthony Molton finishes 2nd at 125 edging out Eric Barnett by two points, even though Barnett had five extra regular season matches. Molton actually started the season a little late, and with a 3-4 record through December. But once the calendar turned to 2024, Molton rattled off 15 straight wins (and no losses). In fact, 11 of those 15 victories were by pin, tech, or FFT. Statistically, it’s his best season of his career, though he did not make the NCAA Tournament. Barnett fell just two points shy of Molton and, while all matches matter for the end point total, it can be directly attributed to his loss by pin to Patrick McKee at the end of the regular season. A loss by decision, he’s your #2. Two Wests round out your 125 Top-5 (both with 29 matches wrestled), but Drew West got the better by 8 Fpts. Diego Sotelo put together a solid season, including a win over top ranked Anthony Noto. Noah Surtin fell two Fpts behind Sotelo, but edges out true freshman Luke Stanich on PPM. Speaking of Anthony Noto, the previous 2-time #1 Fantasy Wrestler of 125 (in 2022 and 2023), finds himself at #9 this season. How did he slip so far? It wasn’t because of his two losses (same as his 2023 season), and it wasn't for lack of bonus (with more than half of his matches in 2024 won by tech or pin), but rather the lack of quantity. This season, only 16 countable matches compared to 2023 where he wrestled 27 matches and even 2022 where he wrestled 22. Braeden Davis, the second and final true freshman in the 125 Top-20, rounds out at #10 thanks to a couple controversial wins. The only Iowa Hawkeye to make the Finals, and keep their streak alive, was #15 Drake Ayala. Stevo Poulin had the same Fpts as Ayala, but the better PPM landed him one spot better than Ayala. The two highest seeds to AA at 125, Caleb Smith (15 seed) and Tanner Jordan (23 seed), both make the back end of this Top-20 with almost the same number of Fpts. Only two non-starters make the list in Charlie Farmer, who actually basically tied his starting counterpart Ethan Berginc, and Ryan Miller who was the Penn starter for part of the season. Six of the eight All-Americans from 2024 made the Top-20. Who Missed The Cut: The 125 National Champion Richie Figueroa (ASU) missed a decent chunk of the season, which will always hurt a fantasy season, but when he did come back he hit a string of losses to make things worse. Figueroa finishes at #80 with 3 Fpts. The last AA not to crack the Top-20 was Jore Volk (WYO), who had almost as many bonus wins as he did losses in the regular season (seven bonus wins, six losses). He finished the regular season with 31 Fpts and the #38 standing. Greg Diakomihalis (COR) backed up Brett Ungar but finished at #21, only two Fpts behind Caleb Smith and only facing 13 countable opponents. Ungar wrestled 21 matches and comes in at #34 with 37 Fpts. NC State’s Jakob Camacho hit a rough patch right in the middle of the schedule, losing four straight for a combined -15 Fpts. Because of this, Camacho finished the 2024 season with 42 Fpts which was good for #23. Jeremiah Reno (LR) also had 42 Fpts but is one spot behind because of his 1.8 PPM compared to Camacho’s 2.5. The highest ranked redshirt was NC State’s Vincent Robinson with 40 Fpts (#25) while the second highest Redshirt, Vincent Kilkeary (OHST) ranks at #32 with 38 Fpts. Other notable wrestlers to not make the Top-20 include: Brayden Palmer (CHAT) at #26 with 40 Fpts, Eli Griffin (CBU) at @28 with 40 Fpts, Nico Provo (STAN) at #36 with 33 Fpts, Dean Peterson (RUT) at #40 with 28 Fpts, and Michael DeAugustino (MICH) at #46 with 20 Fpts.

It’s almost here! The field has been set and the eyes of the American wrestling world are ready to collectively focus on State College, Pennsylvania, the setting of the 2024 US Olympic Team Trials. The Trials are always incredible and a must-see for fans; however, this one is a bit more special after the most recent Trials. Delayed by a year, because of COVID, the 2020(1) Trials were moved to Fort Worth, Texas, and did not have the type of crowd that is expected to pack the Bryce Jordan Center this time. Our previews have been broken down to half of a particular style at a time. Earlier in the week, we started with men's freestyle - now we're on to women's freestyle. The good news is that all six weights have been qualified for women's freestyle - either at the 2023 World Championships or at the 2024 Pan-American Olympic Qualifier. In a rule unique only to women's freestyle, the wrestler who earned the allocation bid for the United States can sit out until the best-of-three finals. For each weight, we’ll mention the qualifiers, along with how they qualified, and notes about each of the participants, followed by a finals prediction. 50 kg qualifiers 2023 Senior World medalist at Olympic weight: Sarah Hildebrandt 2023 U20/U23 World silver medalist: Audrey Jimenez 2023 Bill Farrell Runner-Up: Erin Golston Senior National champion: Sage Mortimer Senior National runner-up: Samara Chavez Senior National third place: Kendra Ryan Senior National fourth place: Kaelani Shufeldt Senior National fifth place: Mia Palumbo Last Chance Qualifier champion: Nyla Valencia 2024 NCWWC national champion: Emilie Gonzalez 2024 NCWWC national champion: Ava Bayless While some of her teammates get more attention and acclaim, Sarah Hildebrandt is putting together one of the best careers of an American woman…ever. Hildebrandt is seeking to make her second consecutive Olympic team and her eighth world/Olympic squad. During that time, she’s come away with five medals - including a bronze medal at the 2020(1) Olympics. Domestically, it’s been a long time since Hildebrandt has been seriously tested. She’s the only wrestler who has appeared in every Final X event and has yet to surrender a single point (64-0 in six matches). At the Olympic Trials, she had 12-2 and 10-0 techs. Hildebrandt’s 2023 Final X opponent was high school phenom Audrey Jimenez. Jimenez made the 2023 US Open finals after teching Erin Golston and then stunned another veteran, Alyssa Lampe, in the championship match. She would go on to make world teams at both the U20 and U23 age groups and advanced to the finals in both tournaments. As of now, Jimenez appears to have separated herself from the rest of the field excluding Hildebrandt. The aforementioned veteran Golston is back and seeking to make her first Olympic team. She had a very busy 2023 which was highlighted by a final appearance at the Bill Farrell and a run to the semifinals at Senior Nationals. Golston also advanced to a bronze medal match in four international tournaments last year. The opponent that put a halt to Golston’s Senior National run was Sage Mortimer - who would go on to take the title. That reversed a result from the third-place bout at the 2023 US Open, when Golston teched Mortimer, 10-0. To win Senior Nationals, Mortimer had to take out her former King University teammate Samara Chavez in a 12-10 shootout. Chavez was a US Open finalist last year while competing at 53 kg. Aside from Hildebrandt and Golston, this bracket has a very young feel and there are plenty of current collegiate stars among the field. Iowa teammates Emilie Gonzalez and Ava Bayless both won national titles in 2024 and earned a spot in the bracket. Gonzalez at 101 lbs and Bayless at 109 lbs. Kaelani Shufeldt was the runner-up to Bayless and Kendra Ryan was fourth in the same weight class. They both locked up a place in State College by placing top-five at Senior Nationals. An NAIA national title for William Penn would have given Mia Palumbo a place in the Trials; however, she already earned her spot by taking fifth at Senior’s. The last woman to make the field is Last Chance Qualifier champion Nyla Valencia. Valencia was a 2022 U23 team member and fell to Jimenez in the U20 finals at Women’s Nationals last year. Prediction: Sarah Hildebrandt over Audrey Jimenez 53 kg qualifiers 2024 Pan-American Olympic Games Qualifier finalist: Dom Parrish 2023 World Medalist at Non-Olympic Weight (55 kg): Jacarra Winchester 2021 World Team member: Amy Mason 2023 Bill Farrell runner-up: Alisha Howk Senior Nationals champion: Vayle Baker Senior National runner-up: Katie Gomez Senior National third place: Haley Augello Senior National fourth place: Areana Villescusa Senior National fifth place: Sydney Petzinger Last Chance Qualifier champion: Brianna Gonzalez 2023 U20 World bronze medalist: Amani Jones 2024 NCWWC national champion: Felicity Taylor 2024 NAIA national champion: Juliana Diaz After making the finals of the Pan-American Olympic qualifier, Dom Parrish ensured that the US women would be competing in Paris at this weight. For her troubles, Parrish was given a bye to the best-of-three finals. A 2022 world champion, Parrish has made the last two world championship events at this weight and will be a favorite considering she can wait for a challenger to emerge from the rest of the bracket. Looking at Parrish’s slate in 2024, in addition to her wins at the Pan-American qualifier, she also wrestled in the bronze medal match at the Zagreb Open Ranking Series event. Even though Parrish has been a fixture at this weight for the last two seasons, owning a world title, and holding the bracketing advantage, her making the team is not a formality mainly due to the presence of two-time world medalist Jacarra Winchester. Winchester earned her second world medal last year when she made the 55 kg world finals. Like Parrish, Winchester is also a past world champion (2019 - 55kg). Though she already had a spot in the Trials, Winchester competed at Senior Nationals and won her bracket….at 62 kg. Winchester was the American representative at this weight class in 2021. Speaking of past Olympians. It seems like we always have one or two that come out of retirement in the lead-up to the Olympic year. This time around it’s Haley Augello. Our 48 kg representative at the 2016 Games, Augello had retired and focused on coaching in the Chicago area. Augello returned for the Bill Farrell and then competed at Senior Nationals. She finished third at Senior Nationals after losing on criteria in the semis to Katie Gomez. As Augello has more mat time, she could reverse that result in State College. Gomez was Parrish’s Final X opponent in 2023. She was pinned by the 2022 world champ in match one and fell 5-0 in match two. Gomez has that opportunity by winning the 2023 US Open. Also in 2023, Gomez was a member of the U20 world team and came up a match shy of winning a bronze medal. Beating Gomez in the Senior National finals was Vayle Baker. It was truly a high point of a 2023 that featured a few uneven performances. Baker has plenty of big-match experience as she was a part of two Cadet World teams in 2015 and 2017. This weight is deep weight veterans like Amy Mason, Alisha Howk, and Areana Villaescusa. Mason, formerly Fearnside was a Senior World team member in 2021 and has made teams at the U23 and Junior level. In her most recent appearance, Mason made the 2023 US Open semifinals where she lost an 18-17 barnburner to Samara Chavez. Howk was a participant in Final X last year, where she fell via tech in two straight matches to Winchester at 55 kg. She earned her berth in the Trials after making the Bill Farrell finals and losing to an international opponent. Howk was a U23 world bronze medalist in 2022 and has made teams at the Cadet and Junior levels. Villaescusa lost a one-point bout to Augello for third place at Senior Nationals. That placement helped her clinch a spot at the Trials. Also in 2023, Villaescusa was fourth at the Bill Farrell, third at the US Open, and fell to Winchester in the finals of the World Team Trials. Now onto the collegiate contenders from this bracket. North Central has a pair of entrants at this weight with Amani Jones and Sydney Petzinger. In 2023, Jones won an NCWWC national title and then went on to grab a silver medal at the U20 World Championships. Petzinger’s fifth-place finisher at Senior Nationals allowed her to compete at the Trials. She also appeared in the NWCA All-Star Match. Another set of collegiate teammates at this weight are Felicity Taylor and Brianna Gonzalez. Taylor, a 2024 NCWWC national champion, is a two-time U23 world team member and was Parrish’s Final X opponent in 2022. Gonzalez made the national finals for Iowa, then won the Last Chance Qualifier. Finally, we have Missouri Baptist’s Juliana Diaz who was a national champion in the NAIA ranks this season. Prediction: Jacarra Winchester over Dom Parrish 57 kg qualifiers 2023 Senior World medalist at Olympic Weight: Helen Maroulis 2022 World Team member (59 kg): Abby Nette 2023 U20 World bronze medalist: Alexis Janiak 2023 Bill Farrell runner-up: Xochitl Mota-Pettis Senior Nationals champion: Amanda Martinez Senior Nationals runner-up: Alex Hedrick Senior Nationals third place: Shelby Moore Senior Nationals fourth place: Cristelle Rodriguez Senior Nationals fifth place: Cameron Guerin 2024 NAIA national champion: Carolina Moreno Last Chance Qualifier champion: Bridgette Duty There’s plenty of history to be made by Helen Maroulis who has already established herself as one of the all-time greats in the annals of USA Wrestling. With a Trials win, Maroulis could become the first American woman to make three Olympic teams. Even more remarkable is that Maroulis could make her 13th World/Olympic team. Her bronze medal finish at the 2023 Olympic Games provided her with her ninth World/Olympic medal. The Trials are the scene of Maroulis’ last domestic loss, as she was pushed to three matches in her finals series with Jenna Burkert. In Maroulis’ only competition this calendar year she captured a gold medal at the Pan-American Championships. The only other entrant in this bracket who’s made a Senior World team is Abby Nette, who was on the 2022 team at 59 kg. In 2023, Nette finished fourth at the US Open then injury defaulted out of the semifinals of the World Team Trials. Late in the year, Nette went to Senior Nationals and defaulted out after a quarterfinal loss to Jacarra Winchester at 62 kg. There are a pair of women in this bracket who have met up with Maroulis in a Final X series with Xochitl Mota-Pettis and Alex Hedrick. Last year, Maroulis had to delay her series due to injury but managed to defeat Mota-Pettis once via tech and the second time with a fall. While Mota-Pettis didn’t make the 2023 Senior World Team, she did qualify for the U23 squad. She locked up her place in the Trials by making the Bill Farrell finals and losing to an international opponent. Not only did Hedrick meet Maroulis once in a Final X series, but she’s done it on two occasions. In 2023, Hedrick was quite busy with plenty of competitions. Most notable were a runner-up finish at Senior Nationals and the chance to wrestle for bronze at the Poland Open. Defeating Hedrick in the Senior National Finals and in the third-place bout at Final X in 2023 was Amanda Martinez. Martinez also lost a high-scoring affair to Mota-Pettis in the 2023 US Open semifinals; she would bounce back to finish third. The remaining qualifiers from Senior Nationals are Shelby Moore, Cristelle Rodriguez, and Cam Guerin. Moore fell in the 2023 US Open third-place bout to Martinez. She represented the United States at the U20 Pan-American Championships. Her collegiate teammate at McKendree, Cam Guerin, recently wrapped up an incredible collegiate career with her fourth NCWWC national title. She has plenty of international experience with a pair of berths on the U20 world team. So has Rodriguez, who was a 2019 Cadet World silver medalist and a part of last year’s U20 squad. Speaking of the U20 world team, Alexis Janiak was a bronze medalist last year at that event. Janiak fell to Guerin in the NCWWC semifinals and rebounded to take third place. It was her second top-three finish for Aurora University. Guerin isn’t the only woman in this weight who just finished her collegiate career with an impressive milestone. Carolina Moreno just captured her third NAIA national championship for Southern Oregon. She was fifth at the 2023 Open losing to Hedrick and Martinez. The last woman to lock up a berth in the Trials was the Army WCAP’s Bridgette Duty. Last year, Duty was third at the US Open, while competing at 62 kg. Later in the year, she was eighth at Senior Nationals, competing at this weight. Prediction: Helen Maroulis over Xochitl Mota-Pettis

Before the 2024 Olympic Team Trials brackets have been released, we’ve already received a massive shake-up at 57 kg in men's freestyle. Vito Arujau’s father, Vougar, took to Facebook this afternoon to say: “After good conversation We decided Vito just will train and prepare for 61kg world trials. 57 kg is big cut and after big injury is just not worth it!” Arujau won a world title at 61 kg last year which gave him a bye to the semifinals in the 57 kg Olympic Team Trials. In such a wide-open weight class, Arujau seemed to stand as good of a chance as anyone at winning the Trials. Arujau just wrapped up his final year at Cornell where he captured his second national title and earned All-American honors for a fourth time. Arujau dealt with a lingering injury throughout the 2023-24 campaign and the Cornell staff had to pick and choose when they utilized him. It wasn’t until the NCAA Tournament where Arujau resembled the wrestler that won the 2023 World Championships and was named Outstanding Wrestler at NCAA’s that same year.

April 12 PFL 2 2024 (ESPN/ESPN+) Alex Polizzi (Northwestern) vs. Impa Kasanganay Josh Silveira (Arizona State) vs. Sadibou Sy April 12 CFFC 131 (UFC Fight Pass) Greg Velasco (Rider) vs. Bailey Schoenfelder Mark Grey (Cornell) vs. Vilson Ndregjoni CJ LaFragola (Brown) vs. Kevin Pease April 12 XFC 50 (Triller TV) Tim Johnson (Minnesota State-Moorhead) vs. Darion Abbey Thomas Lane (Cal Poly) vs. Dylan O’Sullivan April 13 UFC 300 (ESPN Pay Per View) Justin Gaethje (Northern Colorado) vs. Max Holloway Aljamain Sterling (Cortland) vs. Calvin Kattar Bo Nickal (Penn State) vs. Cody Brundage (Newberry College) Cody Garbrandt (Newberry College) vs. Deiveson Figueiredo Jim Miller (Virginia Tech) vs. Bobby Green April 19 PFL 3 2024 (ESPN/ESPN+) Logan Storley (Minnesota) vs. Shamil Musaev Bubba Jenkins (Penn State/Arizona State) vs. Kai Kamaka III Brennan Ward (Johnson & Wales) vs. Don Madge Tyler Diamond (North Dakota State) vs. Otto Rodrigues Jordan Oliver (Oklahoma State) vs. TBA April 27 UFC Fight Night (ESPN+) Alex Perez (West Hills) vs. Matheus Nicolau May 11 UFC Fight Night (ESPN/ESPN+) Terrance McKinney (North Idaho College/Chadron State) vs. Esteban Ribovics May 17 Bellator Champions Series: Paris (MAX) Archie Colgan (Wyoming) vs. Thibault Gouti May 18 UFC Fight Night (ESPN+) Emily Ducote (Oklahoma City) vs. Vanessa Demoupoulos Tim Elliottt (Central Oklahoma) vs. Tatsuro Taira June 1 UFC 302 (ESPN Pay Per View) Alexander Romanov (World University bronze) vs. Jailton Almeida June 8 UFC Fight Night (ESPN+) Cody Stamann (Grand Valley State) vs. Taylor Lapilus Brad Katona (Dakota Collegiate) vs. Jesse Butler --

Another year is in the books for the ACC, and it was another strong season for the conference. There were some heartbreaking finishes at the NCAAs that kept the All-American total lower than expected, but there were some huge triumphs as well. Let’s take a look at our 3rd Annual ACC Postseason Awards. Redshirt of the Year: Isaac Trumble, NC State There were several good options for this award this year from across the conference. Vince Robinson from NC State, Rafael Hipolito Jimmy Mullen from Virginia Tech, and Gable Porter from UVA all had strong showings with some big wins throughout the season. Ultimately, Isaac Trumble’s dominant performance at Midlands and his undefeated record while moving up a weight class earns him the honors as the Redshirt of the Year. Coach of the Year: Tony Robie, Virginia Tech While the Hokies may not have won the ACC title, they continued their impressive performance streak at the NCAAs. Caleb Henson was crowned as an NCAA Champion and the Hokies added another year to their now 11-year streak of having three or more All-Americans. The Hokies had a 9-4 dual record with losses to top-10 dual teams in Ohio State, Cornell, Mizzou, and NC State. BONUS Machine: Trent Hidlay, NC State Hidlay made it his mission to put on a show for the fans this season, and he delivered. He ran up a 28-1 record on his way to an NCAA Finals appearance with an impressive 79% bonus rate. He earned four major decisions, 15 tech falls, and four wins by pinfall to make 23 of his 28 wins by BONUS. Freshman of the Year: TJ Stewart, Virginia Tech The second-half run of TJ Stewart is beyond impressive. He came to Blacksburg as a blue-chip recruit with a ton of potential, he had a good redshirt year while adjusting to going down a weight and balancing the rigors of college. When he confidently made the cut to 184 and got his chance to start he immediately showed what could be for the Hokies. Stewart talked about feeling more comfortable and confident at the weight as the year went on. After assuming the starting spot in the second semester he put together a 13-3 record and earned his first All-American honor, finishing in 7th in Kansas City. Stewart has a ton of potential and I think this is just the start for him. Best Facial Hair: Clayton Ulrey, Virginia Tech Between the hair and the impressive beard, Ulrey constantly has the look that he may have wandered into the Virginia Tech room fresh off the Appalachian Trail. I appreciate the dedication. Newcomer of the Year: Finn Solomon, Pittsburgh I had to stretch a bit for this one. While Solomon is a newcomer to the Pitt lineup, he transferred in-conference after an impressive redshirt year at NC State. Solomon was a solid addition in the middle of the lineup for the Panthers this year putting together an 18-12 record--10 of those losses were to top-12 ranked wrestlers--and qualifying for the NCAA tournament. Solomon will be a great, reliable anchor in the lineup moving forward. Singlet of the Year: Pitt Black The ACC continues to roll out some of the best singlets in the country and this year was no exception. The Panthers get the nod this year with my favorite of their singlets being the black singlet with the Script Pitt. North Carolina, Virginia Tech, and NC State all had solid new offerings this year as well; if only the UVA powers that be would allow them more flexibility in their designs… Most Improved: Marlon Yarbrough, Virginia Yarbrough went through some serious growing pains last season after assuming the starting spot late in the season and ended with a 5-10 overall record. His performance this year was a complete 180 from last year. Yarbrough earned the starting spot early and never looked back, putting together a 15-9 record, placing 3rd at the ACC tournament, and making his first trip to the NCAA championships. Yarbrough also bounced back from a midseason injury suffered at the Midlands--several of his losses were after the injury and prior to being back to 100%. His highlight win of the year was a major decision over Sam Latona at home in the Commonwealth Clash. I expect continued growth from Yarbrough and think he has big potential. The Nathan Traxler ACC Best Hair Award: Frankly, I was disappointed in the state of the hair quality in the ACC this year. Nathan Traxler and his luxurious locks started this award and it’s unfortunate that wrestlers aren’t clamoring to live up to that standard. Somehow this has to be Owen Trephan’s fault for cutting his hair midseason last year… This year’s honoree is Gaetano Console from Duke. He pulled off the short curly mop balanced with a solid beard. Honorable Mention to Krystian Kinsey of Virginia. The 2nd Annual #BaldHero Award in honor of Jarod Verkleeren is given to Trent Paulson, assistant coach at UVA. Wrestler of the Year: Caleb Henson, Virginia Tech After battling Ridge Lovett to take a 1-0 win in the NCAA semifinals, Henson made a quiet, but confident remark in the press conference. Speaking about the impact that winning an NCAA title could have, he corrected the questioner that it isn’t if he wins, it is “when he wins”. This confidence has been evident since Henson won his first (of 3 straight) Southeast Open titles as a high school senior. The Hokie staff knew they had something special in Henson and it was just a matter of time before the rest of the country saw that. He had a strong freshman season, going 27-5, winning his first ACC title, and placing 5th at NCAAs to earn his first All-American honors. Henson was on a different level this year. He navigated a very challenging schedule, facing multiple All-Americans throughout the regular season on his way to a 24-1 regular season record; his lone loss was in sudden victory to Ridge Lovett in the CKLV finals. His only other loss on the season was to Jackson Arrington in a controversial match in the ACC finals. This loss led to a more challenging path in the NCAA tournament for Henson, having what many thought would be the NCAA final matchup with Lovett in the semifinals. After that gritty win, he went on to have a dominant performance over Austin Gomez in the NCAA finals. Gomez got the first takedown, then it was all Henson for the rest of the match, taking a 15-7 major decision over the Wolverine. Henson brings the second-ever national title back to Blacksburg and sets himself up as the favorite moving into next season.

Before we get going here I just want to send my regards to the great John Smith who retired yesterday after 33 seasons at the helm of Oklahoma State. I’ll leave the more sentimental stuff to the professionals, but it truly is the end of an era. It was a weird Thursday as OJ Simpson died yesterday. Both had a wild 1994 as Coach Smith won his first title as head coach and OJ had that whole thing with the car chase. Perhaps it’s best we just move on to the questions. Is this JB’s last stand? Or will he rise up and cash in his money in the bank briefcase and go to France? Brandon from NJ Certainly, you have to think that this is the last hurrah for Jordan Burroughs, but I’m not so sure that’s true. I reckon he’s factoring in a few different outcomes towards his decision to leave his shoes on the mat. Let’s say he makes the team and gets on that plane to France. If flies back with gold then he’s probably shoeless. That’s obviously the ideal way to go out. Even a loss in Paris likely seals the deal on the magnificent career of one Jordan Burroughs. But what if he doesn’t make the team? Does it all end a week from now in Pennsylvania? Why can’t he try for another title at 79kg later in the year? No, I don't believe Jordan will be trying to make the Olympic team in 2028. Even for JB, that’s a tall task for a 40-year-old man. You can’t tell me he’s not still a top-two contender for that spot. It all plays out the same way whether you make the team, win a title, or lose at trials. I predict that one way or another this isn’t the last weekend that we see Jordan Burroughs on the mat. What do you predict will be the three biggest "WOAH!" moments at this year's trials? Thicccolas I’ll break this down into three different categories of “Whoa” based on excitement and surprise. 80’s heartthrob Keanu Reeves classic “Whoa” A subtle whoa that lets the viewer know he’s taken aback by what he just saw. It doesn’t blow him away because he’s too cool for that. But he is stunned. This will be my reaction if Pat Downey shows up and beats a few guys. 90’s heartthrob Joey Lawrence “Woah!” You can’t believe what you’re seeing. Just overloading your brain. Confused, even. You won’t believe this is really happening. Basically any moment of wrestling during the first few rounds. The sheer level of talent in these brackets is too much for one to handle over the course of two days. You could do a weight a weekend for the next couple of months and I’d be fine with it. Hip-hop heartthrobs The Beastie Boys “Sabotage Whoa” The biggest whoa you can get. The kind you scream loudly for an eternity because your brain just broke. Like seeing one of the high school kids come out on top at 57kg. I know these kids are beyond their years in talent but Nick Suriano is here. Daton Fix is in the bracket. Thomas Gilman and all his accolades. Spencer friggin’ Lee! Some dude named Vito doesn’t even have to show up until the semifinals. Get through all these guys and I’ll simply bend the knee. Who were you most impressed by at the Last Chance Open and are you ready for #WrestlingShirtADayinMay? Jim Dutrow Well, the easy answer is Jax Forrest winning the damn thing. But hats off to David McFadden for fighting back like he did. The Virginia Tech product via New Jersey got hit with the Jagger Curse by breaking his ankle a mere few weeks after I met him. Proving once again you should never meet your heroes. Especially when that hero is a chain-smoking middle-aged man who’s only there because he inexplicably named a night after himself like a fool. But seriously, go listen to his interview after the tournament. It’s worth a watch. May you say? Brother, my birthday is in May and they really seem to be coming up a lot faster than they used to. So even though I get closer to death with every shirt, I’m still fired up about it. Should we rebrand the last chance qualifier as the money in the bank tournament? Rhino Oh, no doubt. But there’s a caveat to this. If you win the MITB Open, you can’t enter trials. You have a three-month window to cash in your briefcase on the winner and take the spot. You see Kyle Dake resting in a field backside directly facing the sun? Drag Angel Rivera with you and try to roll him up for a fall. Is that David Taylor lying on the beach and way too enthralled in a fantasy football magazine? Lock in a leg lace and go for it. But you have to choose to take your chances with that or the classic way of winning the tournament. It can’t be both. If you do not qualify for the Olympic team mailbag, will you abscond to Team Italy? Burger King of Kings Man, the last thing I need to do in August is Olympic-level mailbagging. That’s vacation time. Who are the top five wrestling follows on Rokfin? The original Mark Hall who wrestled at Buffalo I don’t really have an answer for you. My advice is to support Coach Scott Green. A Jagger Guy of the highest order. And probably the best man for the job at your alma mater. And likely the best man at many a wedding.

Thursday afternoon American legend John Smith shook up the wrestling world as he announced his retirement from his position as head coach at Oklahoma State University. After a legendary career as a competitor that included six world and Olympic titles, to go along with a pair of NCAA titles, Smith had spent the last 33 years as the Cowboys head coach and forged an incredible career on the bench at his alma mater. Smith oversaw a Cowboy program that won five national titles, 33 individual national championships, and crowned 153 All-Americans. His final dual record in Stillwater was 490-73-6, which is good enough for third all-time amongst DI head coaches. Smith’s Cowboys also dominated in conference competition with 23 team titles and 132 conference champs. Additionally, two OSU wrestlers won the coveted Hodge Trophy and two of his wrestlers (Jamill Kelly and Coleman Scott) claimed Olympic medals. Smith’s final Cowboy team finished the 2023-24 campaign with a 14-1 record and was 10th in the nation with 56 team points - 3 Oklahoma State wrestlers made the NCAA podium, led by Daton Fix, who earned All-American honors for a fifth time. Smith is a Distinguished Member of the National Wrestling Hall of Fame, the first wrestler to earn the James E. Sullivan Award (1990) for the nation’s top amateur athlete, and one of the 100 Greatest Olympians of All-Time - among many other awards and honors. With Smith stepping down, Coleman Scott has been named Oklahoma State’s interim head coach.

It’s almost here! The field has been set and the eyes of the American wrestling world are ready to collectively focus on State College, Pennsylvania, the setting of the 2024 US Olympic Team Trials. The Trials are always incredible and a must-see for fans; however, this one is a bit more special after the most recent Trials. Delayed by a year, because of COVID, the 2020(1) Trials were moved to Fort Worth, Texas, and did not have the type of crowd that is expected to pack the Bryce Jordan Center this time. Our previews have been broken down to half of a particular style at a time. Yesterday, we started with the first three men’s freestyle weights. Two of them are not currently qualified for the 2024 Olympic Games, so there’s more work to be done for the winners at 57 and 65 kg. Today's we've moved on the the final there weights (86,97,125 kg) For each weight, we’ll mention the qualifiers, along with how they qualified, and notes about each of the participants, followed by a finals prediction. 86 kg qualifiers 2023 World Champion at Olympic weight: David Taylor 2023 World Medalist at non-Olympic weight: Zahid Valencia (92 kg) 2023 World Team member at non-Olympic weight: Chance Marsteller (79 kg) 2019 World Team member: Patrick Downey 2023 Bill Farrell champion: Trent Hidlay Senior National champion: Alex Dieringer Senior National runner-up: Mark Hall Senior National third place: Max Dean Senior National fourth place: Connor Mirasola Senior National fifth place: Evan Wick 2023 U23 World Champion: Aaron Brooks Last Chance Qualifier champion: David McFadden This is an extremely Penn State-laden weight class led by one of the school’s legend’s David Taylor. Taylor has ruled this weight domestically (and generally internationally) since 2018. The only year during that span in which he didn’t make the Olympic or World team was in 2019, when he suffered a knee injury before the Final X. During his run atop the 86 kg weight class, Taylor has claimed three world titles, an Olympic gold medal and a world silver in 2021. His latest world title allows him to wait for a challenger to emerge in the best-of-three finals. Taylor isn’t the only world medalist in this weight, Zahid Valencia will also be there and gets a bye to the semifinals after his bronze medal at 92 kg last year. Taylor and Valencia squared off in the 2022 version of Final X and Taylor was victorious 4-2 and 10-0. Many fans expected a rematch in 2023; however, Valencia was stunned by Aaron Brooks in the US Open finals. Brooks got the Final X berth and Valencia was forced to bump up and win the World Team Trials before downing Mike Macchiavello two straight matches at Final X. There’s a chance that we’ll see another version of Brooks and Valencia, as Brooks is likely to receive the number two seed after his US Open win, a Final X appearance, and a U23 world title in 2023. Brooks, fresh off his fourth NCAA title, could be the biggest hurdle between Taylor and a second Olympic Team berth. While Taylor won the first match of their Final X series, 6-0, the second one was 5-4. The only other wrestler to make a world team during Taylor’s run was Patrick Downey in 2019. When properly motivated and trained, Downey has shown he’s a force to be reckoned with domestically and internationally. At the 2019 World Championships, Downey picked up two wins before his elimination. He could be a wild card wherever he’s inserted into the bracket. Moving up from 79 kg is Chance Marsteller. Marsteller had the memorable upset over Jordan Burroughs in three matches at Final X in 2023, to make his first Senior World team. In 2024, Marsteller has captured a bronze medal at the Zagreb Open Ranking Series tournament (at 86 kg) and then won the Pan-American Championships. One of the best current men’s freestyle wrestlers to never have made a World or Olympic Team is former Hodge Trophy winner Alex Dieringer. In 2019, Dieringer appeared to be one of the top two or three wrestlers in the world (behind Kyle Dake) at 79 kg. He lost a pair of razor-thin matches to Dake for the rights to the world team spot. Since then, Dieringer has battled injuries and moved up to 86 kg, where he earned a berth after cruising through Senior Nationals. Earlier this year, Dieringer captured an international title at the Dan Kolov. Brooks NCAA finals opponent this March (and in March of 2021), Trent Hidlay, has plenty of international accolades to his name. Hidlay qualified by winning the Bill Farrell and he claimed a U20 bronze medal in 2019. To win the Farrell, Hidlay edged Dieringer by a point. Aside from Taylor and Brooks, the rest of the current/former/future Penn State contingent at 86 kg includes Mark Hall, Max Dean, and Connor Mirasola. Hall was third at the Bill Farrell, but it was his runner-up finish to Dieringer at Senior Nationals that allowed him to compete on campus at his alma mater. Earlier this year, Hall was a silver medalist at the Henri DeGlane. At both events, Hall posted wins over Nittany Lion signee Connor Mirasola. The high school senior was a semifinalist at the Bill Farrell and finished fourth at Senior Nationals. Mirasola is a two-time Junior freestyle in Fargo and a two-time UWW U17 Trials runner-up. Beating Mirasola for third place at Senior Nationals was Max Dean. Earlier this year, Dean traveled to the Zagreb Open Ranking Series event and went 1-2. We mentioned Mark Hall and some of his Penn State brethren - one of his new, Pennsylvania RTC teammates David McFadden, made the field via the Last Chance Qualifier. McFadden was injured at Senior Nationals and was able to quickly rehab to participate in the Last Chance event. In 2023, McFadden was third at the US Open (at 79 kg) and won the Poland Open. Finally, we have Evan Wick who was fifth at Senior Nationals. Wick was a bronze medalist at the Zagreb Open Ranking Series event. Looking into his results - Wick’s only loss came to a three-time world medalist from Iran and it came via criteria. Prediction: David Taylor over Aaron Brooks 97 kg qualifiers 2023 World medalist at Olympic weight: Kyle Snyder 2022 World Team member: J’den Cox 2023 Bill Farrell champion: Michael Macchiavello Senior National champion: Kollin Moore Senior National runner-up: Nate Jackson Senior National third place: Jay Aiello Senior National fourth place: Eric Schultz Senior National fifth place: Tony Cassioppi 2023 U23 World Champion: Isaac Trumble Last Chance Qualifier champion: Christian Carroll Will we finally get another chapter in the Kyle Snyder/J’den Cox rivalry? The two battled in Fargo during their high school years and Snyder took their only collegiate meeting. Cox famously was late in 2020(1) and did not officially weigh in during the last Olympic Trials. The two were slated to clash at Final X in 2023; however, a very late injury forced Cox to forfeit the series. Snyder has made every World/Olympic Team since 2015 and is looking to make his third Olympic squad. In each year, Snyder has brought home some sort of hardware. Nine medals overall with an Olympic title, and three world gold medals. Will his other world team teammates have gotten more attention, Snyder is in the midst of one of the best careers EVER for USA Wrestling. All of this before turning 29. Even with the odd circumstances surrounding his potential matches with Snyder, Cox has had an excellent career, himself. He earned a bronze medal at the 2016 Olympics (at 86 kg) and has two World titles (at 92 kg) and five world medals. Cox has been out of action for almost a year, but when he was last on the mat, he had three techs and a nine-point win on the way to a US Open title. The opponent that prevented Cox from teching his way through the 2023 Open was NC State star Isaac Trumble. Trumble went on to put on an impressive showing of his own at the U23 World Championship where none of his four matches went the distance. Early in 2024, Trumble went to the Zagreb Open and came away with a bronze medal. NC State alum Michael Macchaivello should have an impact here. Macchiavello did not place at the Zagreb Open, but did strike gold at the Henri DeGlane. In the finals, he defeated fellow Trials participant Nate Jackson. Macchiavello, a 2023 Final X participant at 92 kg, earned his spot in the Trials with a title at the Bill Farrell. Snyder’s Ohio State teammate, Kollin Moore, was his opponent in the 2020(1) Trials and could very well do so again in 2024. Moore was banged up during the 2023 Open and was not able to book a second straight Final X series against Snyder. To earn his place here, Moore won Senior Nationals by teching Jackson. Jackson nearly knocked off Cox in the 92 kg series at Final X in 2022. He took Cox to a winner-take-all third match in their best-of-three series. In addition to a runner-up finish at Senior Nationals in late 2023, Jackson captured a 2024 Pan-American title with two falls and two techs. In his last Olympic Trials appearance, Jackson competed down at 86 kg. The rest of the contingent that qualified through Senior Nationals includes Jay Aiello, Eric Schultz, and Tony Cassioppi. At the end of 2023, Aiello was third at the Bill Farrell and then replicated that placement at Seniors, He finished his tournament with a 9-4 win over Schultz. Last month, Aiello was a silver medalist at the Yasar Dogu - losing only to the reigning world champion. Schultz was edged by a point in his Senior National semifinal match against Jackson, then settled for fourth place. He was also fourth in the Zagreb Open Ranking Series event. The final piece to this puzzle is Oklahoma State freshman Christian Carroll. Last summer, Carroll made the U20 world team competing at 125 kg. In making the world team, Carroll teched five out of his six WTT opponents. At the Last Chance Qualifier, Carroll defeated fellow U20 teammate Camden McDanel via an 11-0 tech after edging Iowa national finalist Jacob Warner by a point in the semis. Prediction: Kyle Snyder over J’den Cox 125 kg 2023 World medalist at Olympic weight: Mason Parris 2022 World Team member: Hayden Zillmer 2021 World Team member: Nick Gwiazdowski 2023 Bill Farrell runner-up: Christian Lance 2023 U23 World champion: Wyatt Hendrickson Senior National champion: Dom Bradley Senior National third-place: Gary Traub Senior National fourth-place: Demetrius Thomas Senior National fifth-place: Trent Hillger 2024 NCAA DI Champion: Greg Kerkvliet Last Chance Qualifier champion: Jaron Smith Last year, we thought the return of Gable Steveson was upon us; however, he withdrew from the world team on short notice and his Final X opponent Mason Parris took over. Parris took the ball and ran with it, all the way to a World bronze medal, qualifying the United States for the 2024 Olympic Games. Since then, Parris has been fairly active winning gold medals at the Pan-Am Games and the Pan-American Championships; along with a bronze at the Zagreb Open. For the bronze medal in Zagreb, Parris defeated European bronze medalist and recent Olympic qualifier Giorgi Meshvildishvili (Azerbaijan). We could see a recreation of the top of the 2023 NCAA DI weight class at 285 lbs as the two wrestlers that finished by Parris are both in the field - Greg Kerkvliet and Wyatt Hendrickson. Kerkvliet, a two-time Cadet World finalist, actually defeated Parris on criteria at the 2020(1) Olympic Trials. Hendrickson earned in spot in the Trials after winning the 2023 U23 World Championships. He then parlayed that success into a second consecutive NCAA third-place finish for Air Force. Even with some talented younger faces, you can’t write off the older guard at heavyweight. Nick Gwiazdowski and Hayden Zillmer are both past world team members, while Dom Bradley has been at the top of the domestic ladder for the last decade. Gwiazdowski has won a pair of world bronze medals, but hasn’t been able to make a team since 2021. Zillmer prevented Gwiz from making the 2022 World Team as he pulled the slight upset in three matches at Madison Garden in Final X. Lately, Bradley won Senior Nationals, by grinding out a pair of wins in the semis and final. Bradley posted identical 2-1 wins in both of his final Senior National matches against Trent Hillger and Christian Lance. Though he placed in the top-two at Senior’s, Lance has already secured his place in State College with a second-place finish at the Bill Farrell. He fell in the finals to Gwiazdowski who had already qualified. After his narrow loss to Bradley, Hillger finished fifth which was good enough to earn him a spot in the Trials. Hillger fell to Zillmer in the gold medal match at the Henri DeGlane in January. Above Hillger at Senior Nationals were Gary Traub, in third, and Demetrius Thomas. Traub got by Hillger on criteria and defeated Thomas 8-5. The final wrestler to make the field was the surprising Jaron Smith at the Last Chance Qualifier. Smith, a national qualifier from Maryland, competed in the event because it was local to him; however, he tallied wins over Jordan Wood and Jacob Bullock to punch his ticket to the Trials. Prediction: Mason Parris over Nick Gwiazdowski

With the conclusion of the NCAA wrestling tournament and the calendar changing over to April, you’d think that it means it’s the offseason for college wrestling and all focus should turn to the Olympic styles, right? Maybe in the past, but in a new era of collegiate athletics, once the final whistle has blown on a particular postseason, it means it’s time to turn your attention to the transfer portal. Love it or hate it, it’s the reality. Student-athletes have the ability to transfer much more freely than past generations. Couple that with the extra year of eligibility doled out by the NCAA in the aftermath of the COVID years and you have a wild combination. There was lots of movement last “offseason” and I don’t foresee that changing this year. In just a week and a half since the NCAA finals, there have already been some huge names that have gone into the portal. Some have already announced their new homes, while others are still being courted. The first list of wrestlers we’ve listed have already publicly committed to a new transfer destination. That new school is listed first, along with their projected weight, followed by their former school. Below them are notable wrestlers that have gone into the transfer portal. It is not a comprehensive list. Some (like Jacob Cardenas and Lennox Wolak) knew they were graduating and were unable to continue competing at their Ivy League schools and went into the portal before the season started. Others have just submitted their names. Expect many updates to this feature in the coming weeks and months. Illinois: Ramazan Attasauov (125/133) - Iowa State Iowa State: Evan Bockman (197) - Utah Valley Lock Haven: Nick Stampoulos (157) - Buffalo Michigan: Jacob Cardenas (197) - Cornell Michigan: Chase Saldate (157) - Michigan State Minnesota: Tommy Askey (157) - Appalachian State North Carolina: Josh Ogunsanya (174) - North Carolina Oklahoma State: Caleb Fish (165) - Michigan State Oklahoma State: Dean Hamiti (165/174) - Wisconsin Oregon State: Sean Harman (174) - Missouri Rider: Sammy Alvarez (149) - Oklahoma State Virginia Tech: Lennox Wolak (174) - Columbia Wednesday saw a pair of prominent national qualifiers announce their transfer destinations and other quality wrestlers enter the portal. First, we had Evan Bockman, a three-time national qualifier for Utah Valley choosing to stay in the Big 12 and finish his career at Iowa State. The move makes sense as Bockman fits a weight of need for the Cyclones. 197 lbs was the only weight in which Iowa State did not qualify for nationals this year. In each of his last two appearances at NCAA’s, Bockman went 1-2. This year, he scored a slight upset in the opening round with a 2-2 win in riding time tiebreakers over #13 Levi Hopkins. Bockman has managed to post a 19-9 record in both 2022-23 and 2023-24. This will be his second transfer as Bockman started his career at California Baptist. It appears as if he’s received a waiver for a seventh year of eligibility; as he did not compete at all during the 2019-20 campaign due to injury. Minnesota also got stronger via the portal on Wednesday. The Gophers lost All-American Michael Blockhus to graduation at 157 lbs, but have a very strong replacement in former Appalachian State wrestler Tommy Askey. Askey has twice qualified for nationals after winning the SoCon championship. This year, Askey shocked the field in a loaded 157 lb weight class by advancing to the Round of 12. Along the way, Askey recorded wins over #14 Cody Chittum (Iowa State; via major decision) and #11 Brayton Lee (Indiana). He was stopped from getting on the NCAA podium after a 9-4 loss to #8 Peyton Robb (Nebraska). Askey finished the year with a sparkling 25-7 record. Looking deeper into his results, all seven losses came to wrestlers who ended up on the NCAA podium or had in the past. During his career at Appalachian State, Askey amassed a 61-25 record. Since Askey did not compete attached in the 2021-22 season, he appears to have two years of eligibility remaining for the Gophers. On the other end of the portal, a top-50 recruit from the Class of 2023 entered on Wednesday as Ethan Stiles of Nebraska had his name entered. Stiles went 15-3 while redshirting at 157 lbs for the Cornhuskers in 2023-24. He saw action in three duals and went 1-2 in that setting, though the two losses came to NCAA runner-up Jacori Teemer (Arizona State) and national qualifier Trevor Chumbley (Northwestern). Just a year ago, Stiles was named the #43 overall prospect on the strength of an Ironman title and a fifth-place Junior freestyle finish in Fargo. Another NCAA qualifier was added to the portal in Oklahoma’s Jared Hill. Hill has qualified for nationals in each of the last two seasons after placing sixth at 157 lbs in the Big 12. Hill was 34-26 during his two years of official competition for the Sooners. Portal Ryan Boersma (285) - Missouri Connor Brady (165) - Virginia Tech Colton Camacho (125/133) - Pittsburgh Caleb Coyle (133) - Oregon State Dorian Crosby (285) - Bucknell Charlie Darracott (165) - Stanford Brock DelSignore (184) - NC State Massoma Endene (197) - Wartburg Logan Frazier (133) - Virginia Tech Max Hale (184) - Penn Nathan Higley (149) - George Mason Jared Hill (157) - Oklahoma Jacob Joyce (125) - Stanford Jason Kraisser (157) - Iowa State Carson Martinson (165) - Iowa Carter Martinson (157) - Iowa Connor McGonagle (133) - Lehigh Sam Mitchell (197) - Buffalo Peyton Moore (133) - Missouri Kyle Mosher (165) - Columbia Danny Nini (157) - North Carolina Ethan Oakley (133) - Appalachian State Bretli Reyna (149) - Iowa Chris Rivera (141) - Campbell Justin Rivera (149) - Campbell Rylan Rogers (184) - Michigan Korbin Shepherd (133) - Missouri Yaraslau Slavikouski (285) - Rutgers Ethan Stiles (157) - Nebraska Clayton Ulrey (157) - Virginia Tech