InterMat Staff

SPIRE Academy

Virginia Tech's Associate Head Coach Jared Frayer discusses how the Hokie lineup could look in tonight's debut against Chattanooga. Slightly different that you might expect. The two talented redshirt freshmen will get the call at 197 and 285 lbs. He also talks about the team's new faces and the great team chemistry that continues to develop in Blacksburg. For the full interview:

The final day of the 2024 World Championships proved to be the best day of the event from an American standpoint. There weren’t any new weight classes that started so it was just the repechage and medal round matches for the men’s freestyle weights. That meant that only two Americans were in action on the day. Vito Arujau had already secured a spot in a bronze medal match at 61 kg, while David Taylor needed to win a pair of repechage bouts to advance to a bronze medal contest. Not only did both wrestlers pull through and come away with bronze medals, but each had to defeat a past world champion. Arujau’s bronze medal opponent was 2020 Olympic gold medalist and two-time world champion Zavur Uguev of Russia. Arujau struck within the first minute of the bout with a sweep single for a takedown. A step-out point accounted for Uguev’s only offensive output in the first period. In the second stanza, Arujau also struck late in the first minute of the period with an outside leg attack that he ran around of a takedown. During that exchange, the former Cornell star appeared to injure his hand or fingers and was in a significant amount of pain. Arujau shook off the pain and continued to initiate the offense with a low double leg for a takedown. Uguev was able to get his lone takedown of the bout with about :45 seconds remaining in the final period after a wild exchange. The Russian continued to try for a comeback and ended up jumping into an Arujau double leg during the waning seconds of the bout. The final score was 8-3 in favor of Arujau. Arujau has now earned Senior world medals in back-to-back years. He won a world title at 61 kg in 2023. Taylor strung together a hard-fought win over Abubakr Abakarov (Azerbaijan) and a dominant performance over Lars Schaefle (Germany) to advance to the bronze medal matchup against Kamran Ghasempour (Iran). Though a bronze medal was on the line and Ghasempour wasn’t exactly Abdulrashid Sadulaev - it was a gigantic bout. One that could have taken place in a world final, under different conditions. Ghasempour is a two-time world champion at 92 kg with his most recent gold medal (2022) coming at the expense of American J’den Cox in the world finals. Sadulaev narrowly escaped with a 5-3 win over Ghasempour in a semifinal that was determined in the closing seconds of the bout. The Iranian was responsible for the only scoring in the opening period of his bronze medal match with Taylor. A lefty high-crotch to a double led to a takedown and a 2-0 lead at the break. As is usually the case with Taylor against international foes, his offensive barrage was way too much to sustain in the second period. Taylor grabbed a takedown early in the second period to knot the match at 2-2 and then shot and scored immediately on the ensuing restart to suddenly go ahead 4-2. Late in the bout, Ghasempour was desperate to score and got out of position. Taylor simply bull-rushed the Iranian for a final takedown and a 6-2 win. As suspected, in a post-match interview, Taylor confirmed that this was his final match. It was truly a fitting end to a remarkable career. Taylor rarely ever had to wrestle in a consolation or repechage, but he was able to respond to a crushing loss by defeating a multiple-time world champion for a final world medal. Taylor’s final medal count is as follows. He has a 2020 Olympic gold medal to go with three world titles, a silver medal, and this bronze. There’s no time for Taylor to celebrate and reflect on his competitive career as he stated that he’ll fly home and participate in recruiting visits on Friday as he prepares for his first season as head coach of Oklahoma State University.

And just like that, the start of the 2025 season is here. Teams are drafted and lineups are ready to roll. The first Weekly Outlook of each wrestling season is usually one of the harder ones to compile. Many teams have just finished, or are still holding, Wrestle-Offs or have held scrimmages to help coaches gauge who will be the probable starter. In the next few weeks, teams will start to settle into a consistent starting lineup and projections/probables become more clear for each competition. But you can't win your league if you don't take every week seriously. This guide is meant to help with lineup decisions and create the most optimal lineup each week. Plug & play options will be critical in helping bridge the gap in those weeks where most of your high ranked wrestlers have empty schedules. Don’t forget to follow my “Tips and Tricks” to make sure you are staying one step ahead of your league-mates. On to Week 1: Several duals and a few important tournaments start the season with the Clarion Open, Princeton Open, Battle at The Citadel, and the Menlo Open all providing an opportunity for you to jump out to a point-heavy head start (though Menlo will have limited D1 competition available). Entries are still trickling in, so keep those twitter notifications on and check out the Fantasy Wrestling page on the InterMat Forums. A reminder of some important rules: Wrestlers entered at a weight must compete at that weight or else their results will not be counted. Wrestlers in the “Floater” spots can compete at ANY weight and accumulate Fantasy points. A wrestler will LOCK on your roster at 12pm ET on the day of their first competition for the week. (refer to the SHP’s Week Preview) Only results against D1 competition (starters, backups, and redshirts) will count towards Fantasy Points. Check your league settings to know how many add/drops are permitted per week. Have a question, concern, suggestions, or just want to chat about Fantasy Wrestling? Hit us up on Twitter or head over to the InterMat Forums where we have a Fantasy Wrestling dedicated Forum page. Wrestlers I Like This Week Wrestler (School)- competition for the week [Proj Score]* 125: Vincent Kilkeary (OHST)- Clarion Open Brendan McCrone (OHST)- Clarion Open Charlie Farmer (ARMY)- Princeton Open Matty Lopes (LEH)- Princeton Open Sheldon Seymour (LEH)- Princeton Open Dean Peterson (RUT)- Princeton Open Ayden Smith (RUT)- Princeton Open Spencer Moore (UNC)- Southeast Open Nick Babin (PITT)- Vs Navy, Clarion Open Jacob Moran (IND)- @ Cal Baptist , @ Cal Poly [+8] Nico Provo (STAN)- Vs CSU Bakersfield, Vs Utah Valley [+8] Matt Ramos (PUR)- @ Gardner-Webb [+5] Nicolar Rivera (WISC)- Vs Ohio [+5] Eddie Ventresca (VT)- Vs Chattanooga [+3] 133: Nic Bouzakis (OHST)- Clarion Open Ethan Berginc (ARMY)- Princeton Open Dylan Shawver (RUT)- Princeton Open Mason Leiphart (F&M)- Southeast Open Ethan Oakley (UNC)- Southeast Open Jett Strickenberger (WVU)- Southeast Open Tyler Knox (STAN) Vs CSU Bakersfield, Vs Utah Valley [+8] Domenic Zaccone (CAMP)- @ Wyoming [+4] Drake Ayala (IOWA)- @ Oregon State [+4] Zan Fugitt (WISC)- Vs Ohio [+4] Lucas Byrd (ILL)- @ SIU-Edwardsville [+3] 141: Jesse Mendez (OHST)- Clarion Open Nathan Higley (BELL)- Clarion Open Kai Owen (COL)- Princeton Open Carter Bailey (LEH)- Princeton Open Malyke Hines (LEH)- Princeton Open Joey Olivieri (RUT)- Princeton Open Jordan Titus (WVU)- Southeast Open Joshua Koderhandt (NAVY)- @ Pittsburgh , Clarion Open Danny Pucino (ILL)- @ SIU-Edwardsville [+4] Andrew Alirez (UNCO)- Vs Missouri [+3] 149: Dylan D’Emilio (OHST)- Clarion Open Trae McDaniel (ARMY)- Princeton Open Kelvin Griffin (LEH)- Princeton Open Lachlan McNeil (UNC)- Southeast Open Ty Watters (WVU)- Southeast Open Jaden Abas (STAN) Vs CSU Bakersfield, Vs Utah Valley [+8] Kal Miller (MARY)- Vs Bucknell, Vs Kent State [+6] Chance Lamer (CP)- Vs Indiana [+4] Kyle Parco (IOWA)- @ Oregon State [+4] Kannon Webster (ILL)- @ SIU-Edwardsville [+4] Isaac Ruble (PUR)- @ Gardner-Webb [+4] Gabe Willochell (WYO)- Vs Campbell [+3] 157: Conner Harer (RUT)- Princeton Open Rafael Hipolito (VT)- Southeast Open Caleb Dowling (WVU)- Southeast Open Zach Hanson (STAN) Vs CSU Bakersfield, Vs Utah Valley, Menlo Open Ethen Miller (MARY)- Vs Bucknell, Vs Kent State [+6] Garrett Thompson (OHIO)- @ Wisconsin [+5] Legend Lamer (CP)- Vs Indiana [+4] Vince Zerban (UNCO)- Vs Missouri [+4] Peyten Kellar (OHIO)- @ Wisconsin [+4] Joey Blaze (PUR)- @ Gardner-Webb [+4] Jason Kraisser (ILL)- @ SIU-Edwardsville [+3] Jacori Teemer (IOWA)- @ Oregon State [+3] 165: Bryce Hepner (OHST)- Clarion Open Gunner Filipowicz (ARMY)- Princeton Open Cesar Alvan (COL)- Princeton Open Peyton Hall (WVU)- Southeast Open Terrell Barraclough (UVU)- @ Stanford, Vs CSU Bakersfield, Menlo Open Mac Church (VT)- Vs Chattanooga, Southeast Open Noah Mulvaney (BUCK)- @ Maryland, Vs Kent State [+7] Braeden Scoles (ILL)- @ SIU-Edwardsville [+4] Stoney Buell (PUR)- @ Gardner-Webb [+4] Connor Brady (VT)- Vs Chattanooga [+4] Cameron Steed (MIZZ)- @ Northern Colorado [+3] 174: Rocco Welsh (OHST)- Clarion Open Sammy Starr (NAVY)- Clarion Open Dalton Harkins (ARMY)- Princeton Open Jackson Turley (RUT)- Princeton Open Myles Takats (MARY)- Vs Bucknell, Vs Kent State [+6] Keegan O’Toole (MIZZ)- @ Northern Colorado [+5] Brody Baumann (PUR)- @ Gardner-Webb [+5] Danny Braunagel (ILL)- @ SIU-Edwardsville [+4] Caleb Campos (AMER)- Vs Michigan State [+3] 184: Ryder Rogotzke (OHST)- Clarion Open Reece Heller (PITT)- Vs Navy, Clarion Open Nick Fine (COL)- Princeton Open Brian Soldano (RUT)- Princeton Open Gavin Kane (UNC)- Southeast Open Braxton Lewis (VMI)- Southeast Open Denis Robin (WVU)- Southeast Open Tye Monteiro (STAN) Vs CSU Bakersfield, Vs Utah Valley, Menlo Open Jaxon Smith (MARY)- Vs Bucknell, Vs Kent State [+9] Donnell Washington (IND)- @ Cal Baptist , @ Cal Poly [+7] James Rowley (PUR)- @ Gardner-Webb [+5] Edmond Ruth (ILL)- @ SIU-Edwardsville [+4] Colton Hawks (MIZZ)- @ Northern Colorado [+4] 197: Luke Geog (OHST)- Clarion Open Mac Stout (PITT)- Vs Navy, Clarion Open John Poznanski (RUT)- Princeton Open Sonny Sasso (VT)- Vs Chattanooga , Southeast Open AJ Ferrari (CSUB)- @ Stanford, Vs Utah Valley [+9] Gabe Sollars (IND)- @ Cal Baptist , @ Cal Poly [+9] Zac Braunagel (ILL)- @ SIU-Edwardsville [+4] Kael Wisler (MSU)- @ American [+4] Rocky Elam (MIZZ)- @ Northern Colorado [+4] Austin Starr (OHIO)- @ Wisconsin [+4] Andy Smith (VT)- Vs Chattanooga [+4] 285: Lucas Stoddard (ARMY)- Princeton Open Yaraslau Slavikouski (RUT)- Princeton Open Nick Feldman (OHST)- Clarion Open Jamier Ferere (NAVY)- Clarion Open Dayton Pitzer (PITT)- Vs Navy, Clarion Open Michael Wolfgram (WVU)- Southeast Open Jimmy Mullen (VT)- Vs Chattanooga , Southeast Open Seth Nevills (MARY)- Vs Bucknell, Vs Kent State [+6] Taye Ghadiali (CAMP)- @ Wyoming [+4] Luke Luffman (ILL)- @ SIU-Edwardsville [+4] Ben Keuter (IOWA)- @ Oregon State [+4] Seth Nitzel (MIZZ)- @ Northern Colorado [+4] See a name not listed? Have questions about lineups, add/drops, or trades? Contact us on Twitter and keep those notifications on for tournament entry updates!

I remember the first time I saw The Big Lebowski. My Dad and I rented it from a Hollywood Video and watched it on our own while my Mom was out of town. I don’t think I got it. I remember it was funny, but I remember being way more confused than I was laughing. I was maybe 13 at the time. Since then my sense of humor has become more developed, and I now regard this as one of my favorites and one of the funniest movies ever made. The timing, layering of the jokes, uniqueness of the characters, and plot. It’s one of one, and it’s funny every time. A couple of years ago I hit some storylines headed into the NCAA season by using Vision Quest quotes. This year I’m doing the same, but with the masterpiece that was at one point the vision of the Coen Brothers. Join me as we roll like tumbling tumbleweeds into some of the exciting things to look for in the NCAA 2024-2025 wrestling season. “It’s down there somewhere, let me take another look” - The Dude as he gets his head dunked in a toilet by a goon asking for the money. What a great way to start a movie and introduce us to an icon. With respect to this season though, this was a lot of us waiting for the wrestling schedules before they finally dropped. Finally, though, they are out and we can begin planning the excitement we are about to watch. I was picturing myself sitting on a couch with some snacks and a tasty beverage as I watch some of our favorite wrestlers go to work. Whether it’s Michigan and Minnesota, Ohio State against Iowa, or Penn State against Nebraska, we are ready to go! It’s set and we are ready to rock! “The rug really tied the room together” - The Dude, Walter, and Donnie at various points. Sadly the rug is gone, and so are some of the greats we had from last season. Vito Arujau, Aaron Brooks, Trent Hidlay, Daton Fix, David Carr, Shane Griffith, they’re gone. They really tied the room together, but now we have other options. It’ll be fine though, we have returning champions in Richie Figueroa, Greg Kerkvliet, Parker Keckeisen, Levi Haines, Caleb Henson, Jesse Mendez, and Carter Starocci going for his fifth NCAA title. Though the rug tied the room together, sometimes an old man tells you to take any room in the house, and you get a new rug. “Over the line!” - Walter regarding a lane violation in a league bowling game from Smokey. Sometimes people take things too far, like Walter did in this iconic scene. You know what’s over the line? When a program is threatened by the institution that they represent. In this instance, Campbell wrestling has been notified that they will cut their scholarships from 9 to 3 and that their athletes currently on scholarship will be pressured to not compete for the University beginning next season. In all instances of dealing with Campbell coaches and athletes, I’ve never had anything but a great experience. They represent the University and themselves with class, and even better, they win a lot also. It’s the most successful program that Campbell has, and yet it finds itself in trouble. The other reason this is scary is that this is likely just the first of many institutions trying to find ways to save money and cut scholarships and funds from sports like wrestling. “Smokey, this is not Nam, this is bowling. There are rules” - Walter continuing to explain the rules of bowling and the significance of the lane violation. The rule changes last season had a lot of people up in arms initially, but I feel that it’s been pretty fun. A nice piece from Richard Mann on InterMat shows that the scoring and attacks (in the small sample size at least) haven’t been all that different. The main thing for me though is that the matches are far from over with a lead of a couple points. The simple fact that scoring in neutral means more emphasizes the gas tank. When wrestlers run out of steam, it changes the complexion of the match. Pair that with the additional nearfall points and no lead is safe. It might not change the approach of the athletes as much from a match-to-match standpoint, but I love the idea that no lead is safe. Sometimes rules are important, and the changes made last season are an improvement. “Yeah, well you know, that’s just like your opinion man.” - The Dude responding to Jesus Quintana’s assertion that they will beat them in bowling. We at InterMat have 10 guys currently ranked number 1 in their respective weight classes. Other outlets have their lists as well. For the rest of the field, get pissed off. Rankings are fun and certainly serve a purpose, but they can also be a powerful tool for motivation. I have always been motivated in part by spite, and I would love to see some of the guys coming in doing the same. We have two defending national champions who are coming into the season without number 1 rankings (3 if you include Levi Haines bumping up two weight classes), and I like to think that they are even more motivated to go get to work every day as a result. I often attribute the qualities that I possess to the wrestlers that I watch, and for that reason, I’m excited to see what guys like Jesse Mendez and Parker Keckeisen will do to improve on their already stellar careers despite where they see themselves in the rankings in October. “You’re not wrong Walter, you’re just an asshole” - The Dude succinctly clarifying Walter's general demeanor to Walter. This requires a disclaimer. Walter is a beloved and important character. Also, I’m not directly or indirectly calling anyone names. It’s simply a reference to a great movie line about a great movie character. What makes Walter great? He watches his ex-wife’s dog while she and her new husband go on vacation. Also, John Goodman’s portrayal of him is hilarious and legendary. Do you know what else is hilarious? Some of the trash talk we’ve seen between wrestlers this season. For the most part, some of the posts we’ve seen have been in good taste. I also believe that they’re done with a sense of flair and panache. This is an important distinction, because social media trash talk can get out of hand. In the cases we’ve seen thus far, it appears to be in favor of promoting the sport and upcoming matches rather than much else. I like that. Keep it up! “You’re lucky they left the tape deck though, and the Creedence” - Cop as he gets the Dude back his car from the impound after they recover it from the car thieves. We, as wrestling fans, are very lucky. Perspective is key as well. I found myself just the other day reminiscing about what Midlands used to be. I was quickly reminded that more tournaments are not always a bad thing. Do we always get to see the same big matches that we were used to, actually yes we do. It’s not always in the same place, but most great teams seek out great competition, and it’s just in another location. Also, we can watch just about any dual that’s taking place from the comfort of our homes. I can’t always make it to Mount Pleasant to watch my beloved Chippewas, but I can go on ESPN+ and watch most of their duals. Sometimes your car gets stolen while you’re bowling, but sometimes they don’t take the Creedence. “Is this your homework Larry?” - Walter confronts the suspected car thief with his homework to prove that he stole the Dude’s car. Rhetorical questions are defined as questions asked in order to create a dramatic effect or to make a point rather than to get an answer. As we got closer to the season, I found a lot of the questions around Penn State have been around who will be starting, redshirting, etc… Now that we are on the verge of the season starting, I’m realizing that it’s exactly what we thought it was going to look like. What will always happen with this program is that they will start their top guys, and very infrequently do we see some of their top recruits transfer out, even if they are on the bench. They do such a crazy good job of getting long-term buy-in from their guys, that we routinely see guys stick it out in the hopes of getting their shot back in the lineup. It’s not the first time, and it won’t be the last time. “I’m sorry I wasn’t listening” - The Dude replies to the chief of police of Malibu after being berated for being a ‘jerk off’. Haters are going to hate. Especially on wrestling forums. Whether it’s towards coaching staffs, specific wrestlers, officiating, or schedules, people love to hate on things. But it’s hard to take offense if you aren’t listening. I’m not advocating for people being completely unaware of themselves or the situations that they’ve put themselves in, and fans of programs are going to be justifiably upset when someone transfers away for whatever reasoning that they had. All that being said, not reading the forums and focusing on what’s in front of you is generally the best way to move past this. The landscape of college sports is different now than it’s ever been, and we have to get used to it to a certain degree. For the athletes, it’s important for them to remember why they made the decisions they make, and to remain focused on their goals. Achieving them is going to be more important than a forum post blasting their motivations. “Sometimes you eat the bar, and sometimes the bar eats you” - The Stranger (Sam Elliot) to The Dude. Pressure is a privilege. This is a phrase that we hear all the time in wrestling. I tend to agree, and it’s clear that theoretically having that approach and mindset is more optimal than shying away from the big moments. The reality though, is that sometimes pressure is a lot to deal with and can get the best of even the most prepared wrestlers and athletes. Being excited to wrestle for the first time at Carver-Hawkeye Arena is one thing, but then experiencing it can be a completely different thing. It’ll be interesting this season to see how some of the true freshman competitors will rise to the occasion. Teams with young lineups, especially in the B1G, could look great or they could be eaten alive. This is the time of year when everyone is optimistic about what could be, but sometimes the bar eats you. Alive. “The Dude abides” - The Dude replying to Sam Elliot’s character, The Stranger, as he walks back to bowling. A fantastic way for a journey like The Dude’s to end was his parting words. We’ve been through so much with him to this point and watched him rise to the occasion repeatedly, in the face of tremendous adversity. We’ll see at the end of this season which of our favorite wrestlers “abide” in that sense. In the meantime, we just need to enjoy the ride. Like the Big Lebowski, there will be turmoil and a series of ups and downs to enjoy throughout this season. Our job as fans will be to appreciate the journey and embrace the chaos. One week your favorite team could look like world beaters, and the next week be completely embarrassed. Your favorite wrestler could be dealing with injuries throughout the season, only to show up in March and surprise and impress everyone in his path. The season, and the sport, abides. They always have. Be patient, be present, and enjoy the ride. Hope to see you all in March. The Dude abides.

With the collegiate wrestling season ready to kick off fans are once again excited to fill up the iconic arenas throughout the country such as Carver Hawkeye Arena, Hilton Coliseum, Rec Hall, or Gallagher-Iba Arena. However, it is becoming more and more common for high-level duals and other competitions to take place in other non-traditional venues. Could it be possible that these events outside of traditional campuses allow matches to air on more and more streaming services? The answer is likely yes. It also can create a different environment and hopefully stir up interest around the competition. Whatever the reason, it has led to matches taking place in some interesting spots. In the end, you only really need to roll out a mat and set up a scoring table for a collegiate wrestling match. The following looks at some of the unique venues that will host NCAA Division I wrestling this season. October 31st – The “Dual at the Daddy” Wyoming vs. Campbell Campbell has been at the forefront of avant-garde venues in the collegiate wrestling world. During the 2022-2023 season, the Fighting Camels wrestled Michigan and North Carolina in an airplane hangar at the military base formerly known as Fort Bragg. At one point it rained, and a match had to be delayed while they repositioned an aircraft and closed the hangar doors. Last year, they faced off against Wyoming in the aptly named “Battle in the Barn,” which, you guessed it, took place in a barn. Of course, it was a very nice barn at the Deerwood Ranch in Laramie, Wyoming. Per the website, the wedding venue features “rehearsal, ceremony and reception spaces” as well as a “bridal suite that features a queen bed, full bathroom and plenty of space to get ready!” Campbell and Wyoming are back at it this year with the “Dual at the Daddy.” I initially envisioned a match hosted by Alex Cooper of “Call Her Daddy” podcast fame, but apparently, this is not the case. The daddy in question here is, per the press release, “Frontier Park, the home of Cheyenne Frontier Days, the Daddy of 'em All.” For the uninitiated, the Cheyenne Frontier Days is the “World’s Largest Outdoor Rodeo and Western Celebration” and was inducted into the ProRodeo Hall of Fame in 2008. An outdoor rodeo sounds like a pretty awesome venue for a wrestling match. The event will air live on UFC Fight Pass. Speaking of UFC, I wonder if the MMA/rodeo reporter who wanted Dana White to help brand her will be in attendance. November 1st - Chattanooga vs. Virginia Tech at Roanoke College The Southeast Open has become one of the premier events of the opening weekend of the collegiate season. A few years ago, it moved to the campus of Roanoke College - which is about 40 miles away from Virginia Tech’s Blacksburg campus. Since most of the Hokies will be in town for the open, they figured you may as well have a dual, too. Roanoke is a DIII program that is led by former Virginia Tech assistant coach Nate Yetzer. November 8th – Throwdown on the Yorktown (Army West Point, Gardner-Webb, The Citadel, Virginia) The USS Yorktown is an aircraft carrier that was built during World War II for the U.S. Navy. The ship participated in several campaigns during the war and served as the recovery ship for the Apollo 8 space mission. Despite the long service, the ship was parked in Charleston in 1975 and eventually declared a National Historic Landmark in 1986. In a few weeks, the carrier will host eight collegiate teams for six duals: The Citadel vs Army, The Citadel vs Virginia, Gardner-Webb vs Army, Gardner-Webb vs Virginia, Lander v Newberry, Presbyterian vs Campbellsville (women’s match). However, this will not be the first attempt to host a collegiate sporting event on the Yorktown. In 2012 Marquette was scheduled to face off against Ohio State in a basketball game. The massive ship managed to hold over 8,000 spectators, but the game was ultimately canceled due to slippery conditions Hopefully, something can be done to keep the mats dry. Wrestlers are, by nature, resilient folk, but competing on a slick surface is exceedingly difficult. Perhaps Jordan Burroughs could provide the athletes with some pointers considering he pulled out a victory over rival Frank Chamizo on a slippery Manhattan pier at the 2018 Beat the Streets event. November 15th - Campbell vs. Nebraska at Jim Perry Stadium Campbell appears on the list again as the Camels will host Nebraska in a dual that takes place on their baseball field. This is something we’ve seen from Missouri, North Carolina, and Virginia Tech in recent years. Aside from wrestling, baseball is one of the most successful programs at Campbell and current major leaguers Zach Neto and Cedric Mullins both starred on the diamond for the Camels. November 16th – American vs. Maryland at Bullis School The annual DMV battle between American and Maryland will take place this year at The Bullis School, a private K-12 school in Potomac, Maryland (DMV stands for DC, Maryland, and Virginia, but it has been mislabelled as Delaware, Maryland, and Virginia by Bill Walton and Clay Sauertieg). Here are some interesting facts about Bullis. First, it was the high school home of Cadet world champion Meyer Shapiro before he transferred to Wyoming Seminary. It is the current school of Olympic gold medalist sprinter Quincy Wilson. I once wrestled so poorly at Bullis summer camp that a coach told me “Stalling is no way to go through life.” November 17th – Jersey Jostle (Long Island, NC State, Princeton Rutgers) at RWJBarnabas Health Arena InterMat’s Friday columnist Jagger and I absolutely love to come up with alliterative names for wrestling events. We often spend hours simply throwing out names like “Rumble at the Roulette Table,” “Combat in the Cab Line” or “Brawl at the Breakfast Buffet,” but I am not sure even we could come up with the name Jersey Jostle. Speaking of names, RWJBarnabas Health Arena is actually the fourth name of the nearly 3500-seat venue in Toms River, New Jersey. It was originally called the Ritacco Center after then-superintendent of Toms River Regional Schools Michael Ritacco. However, it was changed to the Poland Spring Arena after Ritacco got caught up in a bribery scandal and was arrested by the FBI in 2010. November 16th – Missouri vs. Northern Iowa at Arrowhead High School Arrowhead is one of the top high school wrestling programs in the state of Wisconsin. Per the school district website, the “Warhawks have claimed numerous individual and team conference titles throughout the years. At the state level, Warhawk wrestlers have boasted countless state qualifiers with many claiming medals, 31 state finalists, and 21 Individual state champions.” It is also the alma mater of Missouri’s two-time NCAA champion Keegan O’Toole, who will be having a homecoming of sorts later this month. Thanks to the Ben Askren pipeline, Missouri has had a lot of success recruiting from Arrowhead. Northern Iowa’s national champion Parker Keckeisen is also an Askren product and will also have his own set of fans. November 22nd - Rutgers vs. Virginia Tech at Moss Arts Center The Moss Arts Center dual is one of those that started this trend of wrestling in unique environments. The duals in this venue take place on a stage and feature acoustics and lighting options that typically aren’t available in typical wrestling gyms. Virginia Tech tends to have at least one dual per season in the Moss Arts Center. A dual in this environment is fun regardless, but having an opponent of Rutgers’ caliber makes it even better. December 15th – Cal Baptist vs. West Virginia at Oak Glen High School O’Toole won’t be the only current wrestler returning to their high school for a collegiate dual. West Virginia’s Peyton Hall, a two-time All-American, will also get that opportunity as the Mountaineers will wrestler Cal Baptist at Oak Glen High School. The West Virginia school, which sits about 40 miles west of Pittsburgh, has an enrollment of less than 600 students, and Hall is likely one of the most famous alumni. However, there is another grappler from Oak Glen who might be more well-known to the masses. Current WWE professional wrestler Joaquin Wilde also spent his high school days at the school before moving on to West Virginia for college. December 20th and 21st – Journeymen Collegiate Duals (Iowa State, Lock Haven, North Carolina, Ohio State, Binghamton, Little Rock, Missouri, Penn State) at the Ensworth Frist Campus For the last few years, the Journeymen Collegiate Duals was one of the top regular season events, and this year looks to be no different. I was actually all set to attend last year in New Orleans before realizing I bought flights and booked a hotel room for the wrong weekend. This year; the event heads to Nashville and will take place on the Frist Campus of The Ensworth School. While the school was originally only kindergarten to eighth grade, it expanded to a high school in 2004. The addition of the new grades resulted in the construction of the new Frist Campus. Since the school is in Nashville, it would be safe to assume it is named after Frist family, which includes former Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist who represented Tennessee in the U.S. Senate from 1995 to 2007. While in Washington, Frist had a son who wrestled on the high school level and even faced off against my high school teammate in the DC-is-not-actually-a-state state tournament. January 10th and 11th – Virginia Duals (Bucknell, Iowa State and Rider) at the Hampton Coliseum This year will be the 44th annual edition of the Virginia Duals. It might not have very much high-level Division I star power, but there will still be the smaller college division and the multiple high school divisions. The Hampton Coliseum might not be the most up-to-date arena, but it is very rich with history. Dusty Rhodes wrestled 12 times in the venue and even successfully defended the NWA world heavyweight title over Roddy Piper in 1981. Elvis Presley, the Rolling Stones, and Grateful Dead all recorded live albums in the venue. (InterMat site editor Earl Smith took his now-wife, then-girlfriend to a Nickelback concert at the Coliseum). The Hampton Coliseum will always be special to me since I actually competed in the Virginia Duals when I was in college. Of course, when I say competed, I mean, I did my best to run the riding time clock while my team pulled out a 22-15 dual victory over the Apprentice trade school in the seventh-place match of the eight-team American College Division.

Green Farms Academy

Melissa

West Aurora

Delsea

Frazee

The 2024-25 NCAA season is here! The first dual will take place tonight. With that in mind, our InterMat conference correspondent crew has put together some bold predictions for the new season. Some are more bold than others. Do you agree or disagree with these? Be sure to bookmark this article - we will. Should they come true, someone will be ready to brag and dunk on the rest of the group. Of course, if they’re way off, we’ll let them hear about it until next season. Willie Saylor Nelson Brands makes the NCAA finals…… at 174 lbs. Ryan Holmes There will be six guys that start and finish the season ranked #1. Little Rock gets its first NCAA finalist. Robbie Wendell Caleb Henson wins back-to-back NCAA titles at 149 lbs. Iowa does not bring home an NCAA team trophy. Kevin Claunch Nick Feldman wins the NCAA title at heavyweight. Mitchell Mesenbrink doesn’t have a match end in a regular decision all year. All majors, techs, or pins and wins the Hodge. Austin Sommer Of the 10 NCAA champions, only three will have won a title before. Oklahoma State will finish second in the NCAA team race. James Hackney Parker Keckeisen sweeps the series and beats Carter Starocci twice. The Big 12 has the most top ten team finishes at the NCAA Tournament. Rachel Gallardo Bellarmine gets their first NCAA qualifier(s) in their first year of NCAA Championship eligibility. The SoCon will have at least six All-Americans this year. Earl Smith Virginia Tech wins an NCAA team trophy. George Mason head coach Frank Beasley gets his first All-American and the school’s first since 1995. Four Virginia natives earn All-American honors in Philadelphia which would be the most in over three decades. A returning All-American leaves his team and either enters or intends on entering the transfer portal in the middle of the season.

That “Boom” you saw on Twitter (X) from Rutgers head coach Scott Goodale means only one thing. The Scarlet Knights received a verbal commitment Wednesday evening. It actually may be worth a couple of “booms.” The #12 overall recruit in the Class of 2026, Brandt Harer (Montgomery, PA), committed to Goodale’s team. Harer’s brother, Conner, is a true freshman at Rutgers and might have the inside track to start right away at 157 lbs in 2024-25. Brandt is currently ranked #13 at 138 lbs by MatScouts. The younger Harer is a two-time Pennsylvania AA state finalist - finishing as a runner-up as a freshman and winning a state championship as a sophomore. Through two years of high school competition, Harer is 99-2. Outside of Pennsylvania, Harer has won the NHSCA grade-level tournament in each of his first two years of high school. Harer is the first wrestler from the Class of 2026 to commit to Rutgers. At the next level, Harer could project at 157 lbs like his older brother. For all of Harer and all of the Rutgers recruits from the Class of 2025 click here.

Montgomery

Division 1 wrestling finally kicks off this week and the Big 12 starts early. Last year we saw Iowa State knock off Missouri to win their first Big 12 championship since 2009. They followed that up with a fourth-place NCAA finish and a trophy. This offseason Oklahoma State made waves with their moves, and are looking to build off a strong 2024 season where they actually went undefeated in Big 12 duals. With all that, here are some quick, way-too-early predictions for how the conference may play out in 2025. Big 12 Champs (Tournament): #4 Oklahoma State Currently, the Cowboys are sitting in 4th for tournament rankings with 62 points. The next Big 12 team is #7 Missouri with 40 and #8 SDSU with 39.5. Returning champs Iowa State are down at #16 currently. OK State and Iowa State both have the potential to climb, with some question marks surrounding weights in both lineups. I’ll take OK State taking their first conference title since 2021 with the additions they’ve made. Big 12 Champs (Dual): #4 Oklahoma State Last year even though they didn’t win the conference title OSU swept the Big 12 in duals, going 14-1 with only one loss to Iowa. Their out-of-conference schedule could see them have some tight duals, but I think they match up well with all of their conference opponents this season. 2024 Big 12 Most Outstanding Wrestler: #2 Parker Keckeisen, Northern Iowa The Big 12 has a number of names that could fit in here. Richie Figueroa, Andrew Alirez, Keegan O’Toole, and Wyatt Hendrickson were all names I debated on slotting in here, and wouldn’t be surprised to see them win this. I went with Parker Keckeisen because he’ll be looking to take out the most accomplished wrestlers in college wrestling this season with Carter Starocci. I’m taking him in that match this season, and he’s never lost to a conference opponent. He had an absurd 90% bonus rate on his way to an undefeated season and I think he has a great chance to repeat this year. Biggest Breakout: Joey Novak, Wyoming I don’t want to get ahead of anything, but the last true freshman who started at 197 for Wyoming went on to All-American the next season. Novak was 22-13 last year and finished in the round of 16 after a fourth-place finish at Big 12’s. He took some losses but was rarely out of a match. Novak will have to contend with other young 197’s Wyatt Voelker and Christian Carroll, but I was a big fan of his grit last season and have high expectations this year. Big 12 Freshman of the Year: Kaleb Larkin, Arizona State This was another weight I felt could have gone a number of ways. Cael Hughes (OSU), Christian Carroll (ISU), and Nicco Ruiz (ASU) were other names I entertained. I’m buying into the hype though and was very impressed with Larkin in freestyle. Add in his : 48-second fall over Zach Redding in the dual last season and he looks ready to contend this season and push for a podium spot. Big 12 Coach of the Year: David Taylor, Oklahoma State I think Coach of the Year could have strong contenders with Damion Hahn and Doug Schwab, whose lineups could push for a top-three conference finish. However, between the hype, school legacy, and expected expectations I think Coach Taylor will make a statement in his first season. If he leads the Cowboys to a tournament and (unofficial) dual title this season, he’ll be an easy pick in his first season.

Wednesday at the 2024 World Championships was a memorable day. At some points, it was memorable in a positive manner, and other times it was the opposite. The day finished with a pair of young American women earning world bronze medals with Macey Kilty (65 kg) and Kylie Welker (72 kg). Both wrestlers earned medals at the U23 World Championships a week ago and also made the senior team. Welker was a U23 world champion, while Kilty claimed a silver medal. Kilty took the mat first and found herself in an early deficit against Russian Valeriia Suvorova. The Russian earned a point via step out and, shortly thereafter, scored a takedown with a double leg and transitioned into a gut wrench. Just over a minute into the match, Kilty was in a 5-0 hole. Late in the first period, Kilty would hit a turning point. She scored with a leg attack and moved into a leg lace - turning Suvorova three times. Her five-point deficit turned into an 8-5 lead at the break. In the second period, Kilty avoided an errant double leg attempt from Suvorova and locked up a leg lace. Three turns later, the bout was finished. Kilty reeled off 16 straight points en route to her second Senior World medal. Welker ran through an arm spin attempt in the first period from Alexandria Anghel (Romania) to earn her first takedown. Later in the opening period, a shot clock violation on Anghel gave her a 3-0 lead. The final period saw Welker stopped a shot from Anghel and spun for two points of her own. Anghel was able to make things interesting with a takedown from a throw-by late in the period; however, she couldn’t get any closer to scoring and Welker was the winner - to the tune of 5-2. Welker’s bronze medal gives her at least one medal at all four international age groups (U17, U20, U23, Senior), a feat that Kilty accomplished in 2023. The third member of the women’s freestyle team in action on Wednesday, Areana Villaescusa, wrestled for a bronze medal at 55 kg, but lost in heartbreaking fashion. Villaescusa was leading France’s Tatiana DeBien 3-0 as the pair approached the final minute of the bout. A pair of late takedowns from DeBien stunned the American - the second coming with only :22 seconds remaining in the contest. We’ve already mentioned that the day started with a shutout victory from Russian Abdulrashid Sadualev over David Taylor at 92 kg. Since Sadulaev made the gold medal match, Taylor can participate in repechage. In addition, a pair of decorated Americans also were knocked off early in the tournament and are out of the medal hunt. James Green (70 kg) and Jordan Burroughs (79 kg) both suffered crushing defeats. Green was up 4-0 on Georgia’s Akaki Kemertelidze, but surrendered the final ten points of the contest to lose 10-4. Burroughs won a pair of hard-fought matches before advancing to the quarterfinals against an old foe in Mohammad Nokhodilarimi (Iran). He defeated the Iranian in the World finals in 2021 and 2022. Unfortunately, the power went off in the arena and we don’t have the specifics of the bout, but Nokhodilarimi won 6-4. Nokhodilarimi went on to lose a shootout with Georgia’s Avtandil Kentchadze 14-8 in the semifinals, which eliminated Burroughs from medal consideration. We’ll have to stand by to see if Burroughs makes any decisions regarding his career in the coming days. The final American in action on Wednesday was Vito Arujau at 61 kg. Arujau advanced to the semifinals where he clashed with rising star Masanosuke Ono of Japan. Ono rolled to a 12-0 tech fall, which knocked Arujau down to a bronze medal match tomorrow.

Bishop McCort

Wyoming head coach Mark Branch talks with Robbie Wendell about the upcoming "Dual at the Daddy" which will be held tomorrow night at Cheyenne Frontier Days. His Cowboys will take on Campbell. The two schools kicked off the 2023-24 season with the "Battle in the Barn." Coach Branch talks about the idea behind this event, the importance of rodeo in Wyoming, and making events like this fun. Look for plenty of unique aspects surrounding this dual - from one-of-a-kind singlets, to cowboy boots/hats, mustaches and more! For the full interview:

We're getting ready to start the first week of the 2024-25 season, but have a semi-full schedule of DI duals this week. A total of 23 duals will be contested. Since it can be difficult to figure out where and when to watch all of these events, InterMat has put together a list of all of the live-streamed events occurring this week. Below are the dates/times and how to watch each match (with links). All times are eastern Thursday, October 31: Campbell vs. Wyoming at Cheyenne, WY 8:00 PM UFC Fight Pass - CFFC MatchDay Friday, November 1: Pitt-Bradford at Edinboro 12:00 PM FloWrestling Seton Hill at Edinboro 3:00 PM FloWrestling North Dakota State at Virginia 4:00 PM Purdue at Gardner-Webb 6:00 PM ESPN+ Chattanooga vs. Virginia Tech at Roanoke 6:00 PM FloWrestling CSU Bakersfield vs. Utah Valley at Stanford 6:00 PM ESPN+ CSU Bakersfield at Stanford 8:00 PM ESPN+ Ohio vs. Wisconsin at UW-La Crosse 8:00 PM FloWrestling Utah Valley at Stanford, 10:00 PM ESPN+ Indiana at California Baptist, 10:30 PM FloWrestling Saturday, November 2: Campbell, Chattanooga, Davidson, Franklin & Marshall, Gardner-Webb, Morgan State, North Carolina, North Dakota State, Virginia, Virginia Tech, VMI, West Virginia at Southeast Open at Roanoke 9:00 AM FloWrestling Cal Poly, CSU Bakersfield, Utah Valley at Menlo Invitational, hosted by Menlo 10:00 AM FloWrestling Michigan State at American 1:00 PM ESPN+ Navy at Pittsburgh 2:00 PM ESPN+ Illinois at SIU Edwardsville 7:00 PM ESPN+ Missouri at Northern Colorado 8:00 PM FloWrestling Iowa at Oregon State 10:00 PM FloWrestling Sunday, November 3: Bloomsburg, Buffalo, Clarion, Edinboro, Mercyhurst, Michigan, Navy, Ohio State, Pittsburgh at Clarion Open 9:00 AM FloWrestling Army West Point, Columbia, Drexel, Hofstra, Lehigh, Lock Haven, Princeton, Rider at Princeton Open 9:00 AM ESPN+ Air Force, Appalachian State, Duke, George Mason, NC State, The Citadel at Battle at The Citadel 9:00 AM LIU at ESU Open 10:00 AM PSAC Digital Sports Network Bucknell vs. Kent State at Maryland 12:00 PM B1G+ Central Missouri at Little Rock 1:00 PM Sacred Heart at Presbyterian 1:00 PM Kent State at Maryland 2:00 PM B1G+ Nebraska-Kearney at Little Rock 2:30 PM Indiana at Cal Poly 4:00 PM FloWrestling Bucknell at Maryland 4:00 PM B1G+

1. Who will be the wrestler not named “Jack Maida” to step up for AMERICAN? There are multiple answers here, in my opinion. Will Jarrell might be the best one, however. He was the first alternate at NCAAs – just missing the opportunity to compete in Kansas City. He will begin the year ranked #26 in a competitive heavyweight class. With an excellent season last year, expect a more confident Jarrell to wrestle his way towards the top of the podium at EIWAs. Some other Eagles I look forward to stepping up are Caleb Campos at 174lbs and Lucas White at 184lbs. These two will open some eyes and get some big wins over the course of the season. Campos used a redshirt last year and wrestled to a 14-3 record. Expect some entertainment during his matches. White has been under a .500 win percentage, but he seems to improve every time he’s on the mat. It may sound crazy to people outside the program, but White is ready to make a big jump this season. You need to mention some youth in this line-up as well. JJ Peace at 125lbs and Kaden Milheim at 157lbs are both capable of having successful college resumes. Peace is a true freshman, while Milheim is a redshirt freshman – so they may need some time to develop into a household name. 2. Who will be the next All-American for ARMY? Last year, Ben Pasiuk earned All-American honors for The Black Knights. He was their first since 2008. The way this team has been trending, this will soon be an annual achievement for them. This year’s line-up is very strong from top to bottom. Looking at who will compete deep into the NCAA tournament, the lower weights stick out to me. Between Charlie Farmer at 125lbs, Ethan Berginc at 133lbs, and Braden Basile at 141lbs – one of these guys is destined to win a few matches at NCAAs. Berginc and Basile each moved up a weight, so it may take them some time to adjust this season. Some others to keep an eye on as a potential All-American threat are Gunner Filipowicz at 165lbs and heavyweight Lucas Stoddard. First of all, what better name for an Army West Point wrestler than “Gunner”? He came onto the scene when he won the Southern Scuffle last season. He scraps HARD and finds himself in a lot of matches because of it. Stoddard was a freshman last year whose improvement was obvious from November through March. For what it's worth, both Farmer and Stoddard secured gold medals while repping the U.S.A. at U-23 Pan Ams in May. Stoddard took it a step further to compete at Worlds, where he ended the tournament in fifth place. 3. Which wrestlers will jump levels for BINGHAMTON? There are a few answers here. The Bearcats have two wrestlers ready to jump from the “win a match or two at NCAAs” level into the All-American threat level. First, Cory Day at heavyweight had a fantastic season last year – ending the year in the top-16. He begins this season ranked #17 nationally. What separates him from heavyweights is his top-game. He doesn’t only ride people, he turns them and often pins them. Twelve pins last season is evidence of this. Speaking of top wrestling, the second Binghamton wrestler to fit this category of being an All-American threat is Brevin Cassella. He’s moved up to 174lbs this year – beginning the year ranked 16th in the country. Cassella is a multiple-time qualifier at 165 lbs. He’s used his length and leverage very well causing frustration to many opponents. He can scramble out of takedowns as well. Expect a big year from these two leaders. A wrestler I expect to see jump a level is Carson Wagner at 125lbs. Yes, I’m a little biased because we went to the same high school as me (shoutout Northampton Konkrete Kids). Wagner is a guy that can wrestle hard for an hour if you let him. Last year, he was over .500 as a true freshman while adjusting to college wrestling. With his pace and an extra year of experience, it’s easy to see him on the podium and possibly looking to qualify for NCAAs. Last year, he was very competitive with NCAA qualifiers and had a win over one of them. 4. Will BUCKNELL be a top 2 team in the EIWA? If we are looking at the team race, Lehigh is the odds-on favorite to take home the team title. After that, the team race will be very tight. Bucknell will make the case to finish right behind Lehigh, along with Army and Navy most likely. The Bison return four NCAA qualifiers, which is amongst the most for any team in the conference. They will be led by Kurt Phipps – who was one match away from claiming All-American honors. Dylan Chappell will return to his natural weight of 141lbs. Noah Mulvaney began the year very hot – eventually cooling off, however. Look for him to continue to improve and climb the rankings at 165lbs. At 174lbs, Myles Takats had himself an under-the-radar great freshman season after earning a trip to NCAAs. The youth of this program is beginning to shine through. They have claimed a top 25 recruiting class two years in a row. Expect some of those youngsters to make an impact in the lineup this year. Cade Wirnsberger may have a chip on his shoulder, being the head coach’s son. The redshirt freshman will look to continue his success from his deferred year a season ago. First year freshman, Dillon Bechtold, will look to make a statement at 197 lbs. He was a pinning machine in high school. The excitement around the program is noticeable. Many people will sleep on this team, but they better wake up soon! 5. Will DREXEL claim an All-American in front of their home crowd – ending an 18-year drought? The Dragons have not claimed an All-American since Ryan Hluschak in 2007. Current head coach, Matt Azevedo, took over the program in 2011 and has come up short of this goal on a few occasions. He’s coached multiple wrestlers in the dreaded “bloodround” to no avail. This year could be different. After redshirting a handful of quality wrestlers last season to put the best team forward this year, they will co-host the NCAA Championships. Mickey O’Malley has been a top 12 finisher in the past at 174 lbs. This season, expect him up at 197lbs. O’Malley has the potential to break this streak after falling short a few times. He will be the leader of this Dragon squad. A seventh-year transfer in Giuseppe Hoose will be another guy the team will lean on. He’s enrolled at his fourth school and has NCAA experience in the past. With other wrestlers like Luke Nichter and Jasiah Queen looking to be on the podium, this team will have some chances to break this streak. As an alum (maybe a biased one at that), I am hoping we see a Drexel Dragon on the podium. It would be a great story for the sport overall. 6. Will this be the year we see Mason Leiphart compete at NCAAs for FRANKLIN & MARSHALL? Mason Leiphart is a tech fall machine. In his freshman year, while competing at 125lbs, he earned 13 of them. Last season, up at 133lbs, he earned nine – three of them came in the first period. This is the same Mason Leiphart that nearly turned eventual NCAA Champ, Vito Arujau, in a November matchup. The guy is dangerously good at defense, and once he gets on top of you, look out! The only concern for Mason is that he’s well-scouted by his opponents – especially EIWA competition who may have seen him before. He’s a tricky wrestler to nail down with his unorthodox style. He can keep it close with many talented wrestlers – he will need to beat a few more of them in order to make a run at NCAAs. Surprisingly, he has not qualified for nationals yet. Part of this is due to a poor conference weekend in back-to-back seasons. Expect that to change this year once he can force the action to his advantage a little more often. Experience in these situations will help him win these tight, high-pressured bouts. 7. What will HOFSTRA need to do to improve from their down year last season? Jamie Franco has bled blue and gold for over a decade from his competition days as a Hofstra wrestler to being the head assistant coach. Now that he’s been named the head coach of his alma mater, what can we expect from him? Well, he inherited a team that was 16th in the conference a year ago. Their lone NCAA qualifier has now graduated. Jurius Clark placed seventh at EIWAs and will return this season. Last year’s finish was not the best Hofstra could do – and it’s safe to say the program would agree. This season, Justin Hoyle returns to the lineup after injuries kept him out last year. He’s placed at EIWAs in the past. Noah Tapia had a great freshman campaign last year – so expect improvement from him at 149lbs in a weight class that has no real front-runner at the moment. Ross McFarland has the potential to finish near the top of the podium at 184lbs. Hofstra’s off-season acquisition of Kyle Mosher will help them out in the middle of the lineup. He has transferred from Columbia where he had some quality wins in his career. Coach Franco spent a season as the assistant there, where he developed a relationship with Mosher. On the positive side, The Hofstra Pride are in a much better position than they were last season. This should help Coach Franco out in the long run. Once he gets some recruiting classes under his belt, we can expect Hofstra to consistently climb the ranks of the EIWA. 8. Will LEHIGH crack the top 10 at NCAAs this season? Last year’s 15th-place finish is an achievement. Three All-Americans and eight qualifiers is a pretty solid year for any team. Lehigh may be an exception to that rule. They strive to be a top-five team annually. They are heavy favorites to win the conference, but how does that register on the national scale? Considering Luke Stanich will most likely redshirt this season, they are missing valuable potential team points to help improve upon their 15th-place finish. Ryan Crookham will look to lead the Mountain Hawks, beginning the season ranked #1 at 133lbs. Michael Beard will be next in line, beginning the year as the 6th ranked wrestler at 197lbs. With a handful of wrestlers ranked inside the top 20 – they will need some wrestlers to come through. One of these guys will be Malyke Hines at 141lbs. He’s finished top 16 and top 12 in his career. One last chance to earn a podium finish should be motivation for him. He will need to stay healthy and wrestle to his ability to help Lehigh gain enough points to crack the top 10. Last year, Nathan Taylor was a Round of 12 finisher, missing the podium by just one win. If he can outperform his current national ranking of 8th – Lehigh could look to be in business. Lastly, a transfer portal pick-up at 174lbs will need to shine through as well. Rylan Rogers spent two seasons at Michigan before finding a new home at Lehigh. He was a very highly-ranked recruit out of high school. If his potential is matched, he will help add team points at NCAAs. This is. Obviously. all best-case scenario for this Lehigh team, but they have a knack for peaking in March. An NCAA tournament team trophy may be out of reach, but this team is still young – so maybe a team trophy is achievable next year, or the year after. 9. What will be the next historic “first” for the LIU program? Last season, we saw Anthony D’Alesio become the first NCAA qualifier for the school in its young D1 history. Witnessing that in person was an emotional moment to watch unfold. D’Alesio is looking for his second trip to NCAAs, which would make him the first multiple-time qualifier at this level – cementing him in the history books yet again. Will that be another “first” for the program, or will we see something else before that? Could we see multiple qualifiers in one season? Will we see a finalist? Or an EIWA champ – all of which would be firsts for the program. All of these are possibilities, based on this season’s potential lineup. D’Alesio is one of the top contenders at 184lbs, being the highest returning place finisher from a year ago. That may put him in the driver’s seat to check all three boxes above. Another option for LIU is Robbie Sagaris at 125lbs. Sagaris was seventh at EIWAs last season. This year’s bracket has cleared due to graduation, but mostly, due to the Ivy League schools departing from the conference. Sagaris is in good shape to be a finalist, or champ – which would assure him a trip to NCAAs. Much of LIU’s line-up from last year returns. There could be others who find themselves in a solid position to help make history entering the second day of the EIWA Conference Tournament. 10. What can we expect from MORGAN STATE in their inaugural season as members of the EIWA? Morgan State is now an official member of the conference. After reinstating the program just a few years ago, there is expected to be a growth period to help build the program from scratch, essentially. Head Coach Kenny Monday has the wrestling pedigree and is challenging himself in this new role. The excitement of the only HBCU (Historically Black College or University) expanding the EIWA conference to 12 teams is well documented. Being “the new kid on the block” does have its challenges. The Bears will be in an uphill battle as they try to climb the ranks of the EIWA conference. The natural progression of new teams typically requires some time to assert themselves into the conversation and compete in the middle tier. This year’s bright spot will be Darrien Roberts, a transfer who spent time at Oklahoma. He’s seen himself ranked in the top 33 as a starter, while accumulating over 40 career wins in four seasons. Roberts will be looking to use his experience and lead this team throughout the season. It will be fun to see the team compete and improve from November through March. 11. Will NAVY claim an All-American for the 2nd year in a row? David Key’s 8th place finish at NCAA’s broke a 7-year drought without an All-American. He gutted his way to close wins when they mattered most. Navy is ready for the next step of making this a regular occurrence. There are a few wrestlers looking to continue this trend this season. First, Josh Koderhandt at 141lbs. He’s been ranked in the top 12 but has just missed out on a podium finish. Last season’s bloodround finish left a bad taste in his mouth. You bet he’s in the mix to earn a podium finish this season. Danny Wask was two wins away from being an All-American last year at 174lbs. He finds himself in a good spot to improve this run after a phenomenal freshman year. Currently, Koderhandt finds himself ranked #9 in the nation heading into the start of the season. He will look to claim his third EIWA title in the process. Wask had a sub-par EIWA performance, compared to his NCAA run. It would be shocking if he failed to improve on his seventh-place finish this season. Obviously, Navy will have other contenders in the mix. 12. Who will look to compete at NCAAs for SACRED HEART? The Pioneers have not had an NCAA qualifier since 2021. That season, they qualified two wrestlers in Nick Palumbo and Joe Accousti. Since then, there has been a bit of a drought. Last season, Andrew Fallon missed the NCAA tournament by a tiebreaker match. Sacred Heart has been so close in a few instances. This season, Fallon returns and will look to improve on his sixth-place finish and have the opportunity to wrestle at the NCAA tournament. Fortunately, he is in the 133 lbs weight class. This bracket is the deepest, which will lead to more chances to qualify. The Pioneers will have two transfers in the line-up, which help provide them with more chances to see someone competing in Philly for NCAAs. Braxton Appello comes from Ohio State and will be at the 125 lb class. He’s placed at states multiple times in Pennsylvania. A new school may be the thing he needs. Felix Lettini comes from Wisconsin and will wrestle at 157 lbs. He spent two years at 141 lbs. We’ve seen so many times in the past a wrestler finds a new home and weight class and sees success. Sacred Heart has an opportunity to have multiple wrestlers compete at NCAAs. 13. How many All-Americans can the EIWA expect? The conference walked away with 9 All-Americans last season. We will only see Lehigh’s three return. Luke Stanich was 5th at 125 lbs. Ryan Crookham was 3rd at 133 lbs. Michael Beard was 8th at 197 lbs. Three is a very low bar to set, so let’s set an optimistic, but realistic goal. We will see Crookham and Beard return to the line-ups this year, while Stanich is slated to redshirt. Barring any injury to the first two, expect them to be in the hunt for a national title. Other potential All-Americans include Kurt Phipps of Bucknell and Navy’s Josh Koderhandt – whom were both top 12 to end the season last year. Then, when adding other top 12 finishers from years ago, you get Mickey O’Malley of Drexel and Malyke Hines of Lehigh. Guys who have been in the top 16 over their career include Brevin Cassella and Cory Day of Binghamton, and Nathan Taylor of Lehigh. As you can see, ten names are listed above. This is solely based on past performances. As fans know, the NCAA tournament is so unpredictable – anything can happen. The season is long, and anyone can get on a hot streak to earn their way to the podium. If half of the names mentioned above can get on the podium, plus one more outside the names mentioned sneaks on – that will give the conference six All-Americans. Book it, and take it to the bank!

Mahtomedi

St. John Vianney

St. John Vianney

On the last Wednesday of October, at about 6 a.m. Eastern, in Tirana, Albania, one of the most anticipated international matches ever took place. Olympic Champion and three-time world champion David Taylor squared off with Russian legend Abdulrashid Sadulaev. Sadulaev is a two-time Olympic gold medalist and a five-time world champion. Before this spring, this type of matchup would only be considered the stuff of fantasy and hypotheticals. Taylor’s accolades all came at 86 kg. Sadualev started his Senior-level career at that weight but hasn’t competed under 97 kg since 2017. That changed at the US Olympic Team Trials where Taylor lost the 86 kg slot to Aaron Brooks. Shortly thereafter, Taylor surprisingly accepted the head coaching position at Oklahoma State University which seemed to signal the end of his competitive career. In the weeks leading up to the World Team Trials for non-Olympic weights, word out of Stillwater was that Taylor was training for the 92 kg spot on the world team. That proved to be accurate, and Taylor took out Zahid Valencia in two straight matches to earn a spot on the 2024 team. At the same time, Sadulaev, who was not allowed to compete at the 2024 Olympic Games because of his support for Russia in their ongoing war with Ukraine, expressed his desire to wrestle and that he would drop to 92 kg to make it happen. Had Sadulaev been able to participate in the Olympics, we would not have been eligible to wrestle this week in Albania. Despite all of the factors that contributed to making this dream match happen, it didn’t have a storybook ending for American wrestling fans. Early in the opening period, Taylor got in on a low-leg attack - which ended up being his best opportunity of the bout to score. Sadualev countered with a crotch-lift that yielded no points but made the American lose his position. Shortly after the first exchange, Sadulaev was able to get the first points of the contest after working from a front headlock - a position that would be vital for him throughout the six-minute bout. Later in the opening period, Sadulaev snapped Taylor down and spun for a second takedown and a commanding 4-0 lead. Even at the midway break, there was a path to victory for Taylor, who has always had an excellent gas tank against an opponent that was coming down a significant amount in weight. The potential for the Russian to fade seemed possible. Those proved to be fleeting hopes as Sadulaev showed no noticeable effects from the weight cut. The second period saw Taylor more active and more aggressive with his leg attacks; however, nothing could phase the Russian legend. After blocking a Taylor attack, Sadulaev went to work from the front headlock position and nearly garnered another takedown, but settled for a step-out and a 5-0 lead. Later in the final period, Taylor fired off another attack and found himself over-extended. Sadulaev was able to expose Taylor to bring the score to 7-0. Despite plenty of attempts, Taylor was never able to get on the scoreboard against the man dubbed “The Russian Tank.” Sadulaev prevailed 7-0 to hand Taylor his first international loss since the 2021 World finals against Iran’s Hassan Yazdani. In order for Taylor to be in the bronze medal hunt, he would need Sadulaev to make the finals. Expected to be waiting in the semifinals for Sadulaev is Iran’s Kamran Ghasempour, a two-time world champion himself.