InterMat Staff

Ben Davino at the 2022 Super 32 (photo courtesy of Sam Janicki; SJanickiPhoto.com) Ohio State’s Class of 2024 got a huge commitment this evening as #9 overall Ben Davino (St. Charles, IL) gave a verbal to Tom Ryan’s team. In February, Davino won his second consecutive Illinois 3A state championship. The most recent title came at 126 lbs, while he took the 120 lb title in 2022. Last summer, Davino took home a stop sign from Fargo, winning a 16U national title in freestyle at 126 lbs. He solidified his top-billing at the weight class by downing Princeton recruit Marc-Anthony McGowan (Blair Academy, NJ) 6-3 at the preseason Who’s #1 dual meet. A couple of months later, Davino earned a championship belt by winning the Super 32. Early in his junior season, Davino held off McGowan in the Walsh Ironman finals, 2-0 to win the nation’s toughest in-season tournament. The previous year, Davino was an Ironman finalist at 120 lbs. Another significant national placement for Davino is a third-place finish in 2022 at 55 kg at the UWW Cadet World Team Trials. Davino will join a revamped set of lightweights in the Buckeye room. Longtime starter Malik Heinselman is out of eligibility at 125 lbs and Andre Gonzales, a redshirt sophomore, looks like the early starter. The Buckeyes also have a strong incoming freshman in three-time Pennsylvania state champion, Vinny Kilkeary, who projects at 125 lbs. Should Davino grow into a 133 lber, he’ll be the mix with Jesse Mendez and Nic Bouzakis. Mendez AA’ed as a true freshman and Bouzakis redshirted. We’re under the assumption that one of the two will eventually go 141 lbs. That’s a long way of saying, there doesn’t appear to be an immediate need at 125/133 lbs for the Buckeyes; however, 125 is a difficult weight to fill and you’d love to have a recruit of Davino’s caliber. In the latest set of national rankings released by MatScouts this morning, Davino comes ranked #1 at 126 lbs and #9 on the Big Board. Davino joins Ohio state champion #109 Ethan Birden (Dublin Coffman, OH) as Buckeye recruits from the Class of 2024.

West Virginia's Killian Cardinale (right) and Eddie Ventresca of Virginia Tech (photo courtesy of Sam Janicki; SJanickiPhoto.com) After a couple of week of looking and relooking and relooking at the brackets from the 2023 NCAA Championships, we've put together some fun takeaways regarding seed performance at the tournament. Numbers in parathesis are seeds. 2023 NCAA Titles by Seed (1): 5 (2): 3 (3): 2 2023 NCAA Runner's-Up by Seed (1): 4 (2): 3 (3): 1 (4): 1 (7): 1 2023 NCAA Third Place Finishers by Seed (2): 1 (3): 1 (4): 2 (5): 2 (6): 2 (10): 1 (12): 1 2023 NCAA Fourth Place Finishers by Seed (2): 3 (3): 2 (4): 2 (8): 1 (10): 1 (11): 1 #1 seed by Conference Big Ten (5) ACC (2) Big 12 (2) EIWA (1) 2023 All-Americans by Seed (1): 10 (2): 10 (3): 9 (4): 9 (5): 6 (6): 5 (7): 4 (8): 4 (9): 4 (10): 5 (11): 5 (12): 3 (13): 1 (14): 2 (17): 1 (27): 1 (28): 1 Both of the wrestlers that were All-Americans from 20+ seeds (Eddie Ventresca/27 and Killian Cardinale/28) competed at the 125 lb weight class. The two wrestled for seventh place and Ventresca prevailed 7-6. The only #1 seed that did not make the NCAA finals was Spencer Lee at 125. The #2 seed made the NCAA finals in six of the ten weights (125, 141, 149, 157, 165, 174) Only five weight classes saw the #1 and #2 seeds meet in the finals (141, 149, 157, 165, 174). In those #1 vs. #2 instances, Andrew Alirez (141) and Keegan O'Toole (165) were the only two seeds that pulled the slight upset. #7 (197) Tanner Sloan was the lowest seeded finalist. The lowest seeded third place finisher was #12 Shayne Van Ness. The only other double-digit third place finisher was Lachlan McNeil at #10. Van Ness was also the lowest seeded semifinalist. #11 Cam Amine was the only other double-digit seed to make the semis. Van Ness also notched wins over the #3, #4, and #5 seeds at his weight. His only loss came to #1 Yianni Diakomihalis. The top-four seeds advanced to the semifinals at 125, 133, 174, 184, and 285. The only weights where the top-four seeds all finished in the top-four were 133, 174, and 285. There were no weights where the top-four placers finished exactly as their seeds, one through four, in that order. It may not be surprising with Ventresca and Cardinale placing at 125 lbs, but that bracket was the only one where the lower seeded wrestler won in three of the four bloodround matches. #10 Brandon Courtney over #6 Stevo Poulin was the other "upset." On the other end of the spectrum, 149 lbs was the only weight class where all of the higher seeded wrestlers prevailed in the bloodround. The bloodround match that featured the two highest seeds took place at 197 lbs as #2 Bernie Truax downed #5 Michael Beard 4-2. Truax was the only #2 seed to wrestle in the bloodround. The quarterfinals featured four wrestlers seeded #20 or lower. Ventresca/Cardinale, along with #20 (149) Graham Rooks, and #29 (165) Caleb Fish. The only quarterfinal that saw two double-digit seeds meet was at 149 with Van Ness and Rooks. The opening round saw six single-digit seeds go down. 125: #28 Cardinale/#5 Caleb Smith, #27 Ventresca/#6 Poulin, #26 Jack Wagner/#7 Brandon Kaylor. 165: #25 Austin Wilson/#8 Matthew Olguin, #29 Fish/#4 Julian Ramirez. 184: #25 Brian Bonino/#8 Matt Finesilver.

North Carolina's two-time national champion Austin O'Connor (photo courtesy of Sam Janicki; SJanickiPhoto.com) Over the next week, InterMat will unveil its annual, year-end conference awards. Each day will feature a new conference. Award winners have been selected by InterMat's editor and respective conference correspondent(s). 2022-23 InterMat ACC Wrestler of the Year: Austin O'Connor (North Carolina) Choosing a recipient for the conference wrestler of the year was one of the more difficult choices across all conferences. Finishing as the runner-up was Nino Bonaccorsi of Pittsburgh, the undefeated national champion at 197 lbs. In past years, this would have been an automatic win for Bonaccorsi, but the ACC had multiple national champions for the first time since 1994. The winner of the ACC Wrestler of the Year award is North Carolina's two-time national champion Austin O'Connor. O'Connor defeated Penn State true freshman Levi Haines to put the finishing touches on his second career undefeated campaign. He was 23-0 in 2022-23 and 13-0 during the Covid-shortened 2021 season. The first national title for O'Connor came at 149 lbs and this one was at 157. O'Connor moved up in the 2021-22 season and suffered a knee injury trying to go back-to-back. He gutted through the injury and ended up finishing eight at nationals. That knee injury lingered into this season; however, once O'Connor took the mat for the first time in mid-December he looked as good as ever. With all the talk about limited match counts, O'Connor managed to wrestle in and win 16 regular-season bouts, despite not starting until December 15th. O'Connor saved his best for last with a senior season that saw him post a 69.6% bonus point percentage. That surpassed his previous high by about 12%. When the dust cleared, there were two other All-Americans from O'Connor's 157 lbs weight class in the ACC. That didn't seem to matter as neither really had O'Connor in any significant danger, even the walking highlight Bryce Andonian. O'Connor beat the Hokie by a major decision in a dual and by a point in the ACC finals, though the margin didn't seem that close (and there may have been a questionable call or two). O'Connor's most recent national tournament saw him score wins over the eventual third (Josh Humphreys) and eighth-place (Will Lewan) finishers. He also looked like the grizzled veteran who was rock-solid in a 6-2 win over Haines. With his NCAA finals win, O'Connor finished his Tar Heel career with a 116-10 record, three ACC titles, four NCAA All-American honors and one from the NWCA in 2020. His 2023 title made O'Connor the first multi-time national champion for UNC since TJ Jaworsky in 1993-95. Virginia Tech freshman All-American Caleb Henson (photo courtesy of Sam Janicki; SJanickiPhoto.com) 2022-23 InterMat ACC Freshman of the Year: Caleb Henson (Virginia Tech) For most blue-chip true freshmen, there's a "will they, won't they" aspect to their initial season. Will the coaching staff turn their highly sought-after recruit loose or will they give him a year of experience competing unattached? Speaking with the Hokie staff in the summer of 2022 and into the fall, there seemed to be little doubt surrounding their starter at 149 lbs. It would be true freshman Caleb Henson. It didn't take long for Henson to show the nation he was ready for the bright lights. In his dual debut, Henson knocked off top-contender and former (and future) NCAA runner-up Sammy Sasso of Ohio State 5-3 in sudden victory and on Sasso's home mat. Over the next month and a half, Henson saw some of the best in the nation at his weight class and took three losses, but never looked outclassed. An early-January loss to top-ranked Yianni Diakomihalis (Cornell) proved to be his final setback before the NCAA Tournament. Coming into Tulsa, Henson already notched wins over four returning All-Americans, a huge feat for a true freshman (or almost anyone else). At his first national tournament, #4 Henson was an upset victim in the second round after losing to #20 Graham Rooks (Indiana) in the second round. Unphased, Henson strung together four straight wins to lock up a place in the top six. Along the way, he avenged two of his regular season losses (Doug Zapf - Penn and Brock Mauller - Missouri). In the bloodround, Henson scored a 7-2 decision over 2021 NCAA third-place finisher Yahya Thomas (Northwestern). Henson concluded his year with an impressive 12-3 major decision over the typically stingy Max Murin (Iowa). Henson was one of three freshmen from the ACC to get on the podium; teammate Eddie Ventresca was another. Of the three, Henson was the lone true freshman. He finished his initial year in Blacksburg with a 27-5 record. Virginia Tech head coach Tony Robie (photo courtesy of Sam Janicki; SJanickiPhoto.com) 2022-23 InterMat ACC Coach of the Year: Tony Robie (Virginia Tech) Like Wrestler of the Year, this was a difficult decision as there was a case to be made for multiple coaches. Virginia Tech's Tony Robie gets the nod because of his team's consistent performance during the regular season and into the NCAA Tournament. The Hokie finished the dual season 10-3 with their only losses coming to #6 Ohio State, #7 Cornell, and conference foe Pittsburgh. Since Pitt, NC State and the Hokies all finished with one conference dual loss, all three teams earned a share of the regular season title. Virginia Tech kicked off ACC dual competition with a thrilling 16-14 win over then-unbeaten NC State. Although the Hokies were in second place to NC State at the ACC Championships, Virginia Tech was one of only four teams nationally that saw their entire lineup qualify for nationals. Henson and Mekhi Lewis (174) were Hokie wrestlers that claimed ACC titles in 2023. In Tulsa, the Hokies saw five of their ten entrants make the NCAA podium. This was possible after an impressive 4-1 showing in the bloodround. That session started with freshman #27 Eddie Ventresca knocking off two-time All-American Eric Barnett (Wisconsin) at 125 and Sam Latona reversing a result from the ACC tournament against conference champ #5 Kai Orine (NC State). The Hokies five All-Americans were good enough for 49 points and ninth place at the NCAA Tournament. That was one point and one spot ahead of NC State, making Virginia Tech the highest-placing ACC team. That marked the eighth time in the last ten national tournaments that the Hokies finished in the top ten. Virginia Tech also kept its streak with at least three All-Americans alive. It started at the 2013 tournament.

Four-time world/Olympic champion Kyle Snyder (photo courtesy of UWW/Kadir Caliskan) 57KG #15 Musa Mekhtikhanov (RUS) won the Musa Azaev Cup over Muslim Sadulaev (RUS). Bronze medalists were Dzhabrail Gairbekov (RUS) and #16 Ramazan Abdurakhimov (RUS). Muslim Sadulaev (RUS) took gold at the North Caucasus Federal District Tournament over Ramazan Shakhbanov (RUS). Bronze medalists at the NCFD Tournament were Yunus Yavbatirov (RUS) and Magomed Saipudinov (RUS). Ahmet Duman (TUR) won the Dan Kolov Tournament over Sunggwon Kim (KOR). Bronze medalists were Giorgi Gegelashvili (GEO) and Besie Alili (MKD). #5 Thomas Gilman (USA) competed at 61 KG where he was upset in the quarterfinals by Kaisei Tanabe (JPN) and failed to place. Gilman's placement in the rankings is not affected by his loss up at 61 KG. Niklas Stechle (GER) won the U23 European Championships over Tolga Ozbek (TUR). Bronze medalists were Luka Gvinjilia (GEO) and Edik Harutyunyan (ARM). 61KG #19 Recep Topal (TUR) won the Dan Kolov Tournament over Intigam Valizada (AZE). Bronze medalists at the Dan Kolov Tournament were Giorgi Vangelov (BUL) and Kaisei Tanabe (JPN). In what was the upset of the tournament, unheralded Tanabe tech falled 2022 57 KG Senior World runner-up #5 (57) Thomas Gilman (USA) 11-0 in the quarterfinals. Tanabe was beaten 13-6 in the semifinals by eventual champion #19 Recep Topal (TUR). From this tumultuous turn of events, Tanabe debuts in the rankings at #9 for his victory over Gilman, while Topal moves up eleven spots to #8 for his victory over Tanabe. 2021 Senior European runner-up Andrey Dzhelep (UKR) took gold at the U23 European Championships over Mezhlum Mezhlumyan (ARM) by a dominant 10-0 tech fall. Bronze medalists were Emre Kural (TUR) and Simone Piroddu (ITA). 2019 Russian Nationals bronze medalist Dinislam Takhtarov (RUS) took gold at the North Caucasus Federal District Tournament over Magomedrasul Dagirov (RUS). Bronze medalists were Tamerlan Karaev (RUS) and Ibragim Khasiev (RUS). Andrey Dzhelep (UKR) returns to the rankings at #20 for winning the U23 European Championships. 65KG 2021 Russian Nationals bronze medalist #5 Abdulmazhid Kudiev (RUS) is confirmed as Bahrain's entry for the Asian Championships. While competing for Russia, Kudiev's best finishes were as a 21 Senior Nationals bronze medalist, 2021 U23 European runner-up, and the 2022 Dmitri Korkin Memorial champion where he beat #4 Shamil Mamedov (RUS) in the finals. Khamzat Arsamerzouev (FRA) won the U23 European Championships over Rashid Babadze (AZE). Bronze medalists were Mykyta Honcharov (UKR) and Goga Otinashvili (GEO). Kotaro Kiyooka (JPN) won the Dan Kolov Tournament over Islam Dudaev (ALB). Bronze medalists at the Dan Kolov Tournament were Joey McKenna (USA) and Augustin Destribats (ARG). #14 Ramazan Bagavudinov (RUS) won the North Caucasus Federal District Tournament over Rakhman Mintullaev (RUS). Bronze medalists were Magomed Gazimagomedov (RUS) and Ramazan Chankaev (RUS). 70KG Ramazan Ramazanov (BUL) won the Dan Kolov Tournament over Servet Coskun (TUR). Bronze medalists were #4 Amir Mohammad Yazdani (IRI) and Marc Dietsche (SUI). Ramazanov returns to the rankings at #14 for his win over Yazdani in the semifinals of the Dan Kolov. Yazdani drops twelve spots in the rankings to #16 for his loss to Ramazanov. While there could be an argument for Ramazanov to be in the top ten for his win over Yazdani to go along with his finals run from the 2019 Alans tournament that saw him beat #6 Evgheni Zherbaev (RUS) and 2017 65 KG Senior World bronze medalist Alan Gogaev (RUS), Ramazanov's 2022 resume limits him from such a lofty position. In 2022, Ramazanov lost in the finals of the Dan Kolov Tournament to #19 Zain Retherford (USA), followed it with a bronze medal finish at the European Championships after a quarterfinal tech fall loss to Zurab Iakobishvili (GEO) and failed to place at worlds after an 11-0 tech fall loss in the quarterfinals to eventual bronze medalist #5 Ernazar Akmataliev (KGZ). Ramazanov is a very solid wrestler but his current resume at best allows him a mid-top 20 spot. Because of his win over Ramazanov from last year's Dan Kolov Tournament finals, 2022 Senior World runner-up Retherford moves up six spots to #13. While #15 Yazdani does have a win from December at the World Cup over #5 Ernazar Akmataliev (KGZ) and a victory over 2017 Senior World runner-up James Green (USA) from the 2022 Yasar Dogu finals, he does not have a solid enough resume to keep his top-ten spot when compared against the likes of #6 Evgheni Zherbaev (RUS), #7 Haji Aliyev (AZE), #8 Inalbek Sheriev (RUS), #9 Konstantin Kaprynov (RUS), and #10 Anzor Zakuev (RUS). Magomed Khaniev (AZE) won the U23 European Championships over Hayk Papikyan (ARM). Bronze medalists were Shamil Ustaev (BEL) and Davit Patsinashvili (GEO). Ibragim Abdurakhmanov (RUS) won the North Caucasus Federal District Tournament by injury default over 2021 Russian Nationals bronze medalist Abdulla Akhmedov (RUS). Bronze medalists were Ramazan Gadzhimagomedov (RUS) and Akhmed Nurakhmaev (RUS). 74KG #11 Turan Bayramov (AZE) won the U23 European Championships title over Vasile Diacon (MDA). Bronze medalists were Giorgi Gogritchiani (GEO) and Krisztian Biro (ROU). #13 Kamil Abdulvagabov (RUS) won the North Caucasus Federal District Tournament over Abdullagadzhi Magomedov (RUS). Bronze medalists at the NCFD Tournament were Anzor Ionov (RUS) and Ramazan Muradov (RUS). Murad Kuramagomedov (HUN) won the Dan Kolov Tournament over Tobias Portmann (SUI). Bronze medalists were Mitchell Mesenbrink (USA) and Otari Bagauri (GEO). 79KG 2022 U23 and Senior European champion Georgios Kougioumtsidis (GRE) is back in the rankings at #15 after winning his second U23 European title with a victory over 2022 U23 World Champion #15 Vladimeri Gamkrelidze (GEO). Bronze medalists at the U23 European Championships were Sabuhi Amiraslanov (AZE) and Eugeniu Mihalcaen (MDA). Mostafa Ghiasi Cheka (IRI) won the Dan Kolov Tournament over Devin Skatzka (USA). Bronze medalists at the Dan Kolov tournament were Ramazan Sari (TUR) and Eugeniu Mihalcaen (MDA). Khalid Elberdiev (RUS) won the North Caucasus Federal District Tournament over Abdulkerim Abdulaev (RUS). Bronze medalists at the NCFD Tournament were Musa Baziev (RUS) and Jamal Akhmadudinov (RUS). 86KG Hadi Vafaeipour (IRI) won the Dan Kolov Tournament over 2018 Senior World runner-up Fatih Erdin (TUR). Bronze medalists were Osman Gocen (TUR) and Ilia Hristov (BUL). Hadi Vafaeipour (IRI) debuts in the rankings at #19 for his wins over Fatih Erdin (TUR) and 2020 Individual World Cup bronze medalist Osman Gocen (TUR). Rakhim Magamadov (FRA) won the U23 European Championships over Knyaz Iboyan (ARM). Bronze medalists were Ismail Kucuksolak (TUR) and Joshua Morodion (GER). 2019 79 KG Senior World bronze medalist Gadzhi Nabiev (RUS) won the North Caucasus Federal District Tournament over 2020 Russian Nationals bronze medalist Amanulla Gadzhimagomedov (RUS) in the finals. Bronze medalists were Ramazan Abuzagidov (RUS) and Azamat Khadzaragov (RUS). 92KG Arashkh Mohebbi (IRI) won the Dan Kolov Tournament over Akhmed Bataev (BUL). Bronze medalists were Ibragim Yusubov (AZE) and Tatsuya Shirai (JPN). Khabil Khashpakov (RUS) took gold at the North Caucasus Federal District Tournament over Alik Shebzukhov (RUS). Bronze medalists at the NCFD Tournament were #18 Khamzat Anzorov (RUS) and Abdulmuslim Timirbulatov (RUS). Khashpakov returns to the rankings at #18 for his win over Anzorov. Anzorov falls one spot in the rankings to #19 for his loss to Khashpakov. Andro Margishvili (GEO) won the U23 European Championships over Muhammad Gimri (TUR). Bronze medalists were Adlan Viskhanov (FRA) and Sergey Sargsyan (ARM). 97KG 2022 Senior World champion #2 Kyle Snyder (USA) won the Dan Kolov Tournament over Juhwan Seo (KOR). Bronze medalists were Daniel Zhariatinia (IRI) and Magomed Zakariev (UKR). Gadzhimagomed Tazhudinov (RUS) won the North Caucasus Federal District Tournament over Kazbek Suanov (RUS). Bronze medalists were Gasan Shamkhalov (RUS) and Gadzhimurad Kadilov (RUS) taking bronze. Islam Ilyasov (AZE) won the U23 European Championships gold medal over Oktay Ciftci (TUR). Bronze medalists at the U23 European Championships were Ertugrul Agca (GER) and Radu Lefter (MDA). 125KG Giorgi Meshvildishvili, a standout competitor for Georgia from 2012-2018, took gold at the Dan Kolov Tournament in his second tournament wrestling for Azerbaijan. In the finals, Meshvildishvili upset Ivan Yarygin Memorial bronze medalist #7 Mostafa Junegani (IRI). Meshvildishvili debuts in the rankings at #7 for his upset over Junegani. Bronze medalists at the Dan Kolov were Ty Walz (USA) and Yeiyhun Jung (KOR). Shamil Sharipov (RUS) won the Northern Caucasus Federal District Tournament over Umar Israilov (RUS). Bronze medalists at the NCFD tournament were Erik Dzeranov (RUS) and David Dzugaev (RUS). Giorgi Ivanov (BUL) won the U23 European Championships over Volodymyr Kochanov (UKR) with Martin Simoyan (ARM) and Efe Al (TUR) taking bronze. Pound for Pound There were no changes to the Pound for Pound rankings for April rankings.

Rutgers NCAA qualifier Brian Soldano (photo courtesy of Sam Janicki; SJanickiPhoto.com) On Thursday evening, Rutgers received a commitment from two-time Pennsylvania state champion Conner Harer (Montgomery HS). Currently, Harer is ranked fourth in the nation at 150 lbs by MatScouts and #11 overall on the Class of 2024 Big Board. Getting a recruit of Harer’s caliber is a big deal for most programs. Rutgers is no exception. Harer’s commitment means even more as Rutgers' best recruits tend to come from in-state. The Scarlet Knights have picked up recruits from Pennsylvania, but they are either from close to the border or not on Harer’s level. Harer is more from Central Pennsylvania. Opening the door to high-level recruits from further out in Pennsylvania could only benefit Rutgers, most would assume. With Harer’s commitment, it seemed like the perfect opportunity to review Rutgers’ history with blue-chip recruits during head coach Scott Goodale’s tenure. Goodale was hired in the summer of 2007 and has built Rutgers into a relevant national power, finishing as high as ninth in the nation during the 2018-19 season. Most of the school’s record book has been written and rewritten during his tenure. Goodale started his time at Rutgers with a bang by keeping some very notable names in-state. With a move to the Big Ten and sustained success on the mat, those blue-chip recruits have been more of a regular occurrence for the Scarlet Knights. For purposes of this article, we’ll refer to blue-chip recruits as those who are top-20 in their high school class. In some years that distinction may be too generous, while in other rare seasons, it’s not enough. However, it’s a good line of demarcation for this look. Wrestlers are noted under their year of high school, along with their ranking among their high school class and home state. 2022 #12 Brian Soldano (New Jersey) Soldano just finished up his first season with the Scarlet Knights. As a true freshman, Soldano stepped into a tough 184 lb weight class and took sixth in the Big Ten and won a pair of matches at nationals. He proved to be one of the most entertaining wrestlers in the country. Never out of a match, Soldano can go from his back to pinning an opponent (and occasionally vice versa) like no other wrestler in the country. He should be an All-American threat for his remaining three years. 2021 #10 Dean Peterson (New Jersey) For the full article, Subscribe to InterMat's Rokfin Page

Cornell's four-time NCAA champion Yianni Diakomihalis (photo courtesy of Tony DiMarco) Over the next week, InterMat will unveil its annual, year-end conference awards. Each day will feature a new conference. Award winners have been selected by InterMat’s editor and respective conference correspondent(s). 2022-23 InterMat EIWA Wrestler of the Year: Yianni Diakomihalis (Cornell) It was a banner year for Yianni Diakomihalis as he made history by becoming only the fifth wrestler ever to win four NCAA DI titles. Diakomihalis also became the second Cornell wrestler to accomplish the feat (joining Kyle Dake). He captured his second national title at 149 lbs after winning the first two down at 141. Yianni carried a 75-match winning streak into the 2022-23 season, which was unexpectedly stopped by Austin Gomez in Diakomihalis’ first outing of the year. That kept him two wins shy of Dake’s Cornell record. Even so, Diakomihalis rebounded to finish his second season on a new 21-match streak. Along the way, Diakomihalis captured his fourth EIWA title, becoming only the 14th wrestler to accomplish the feat. At EIWA’s, Diakomihalis bonused his way through the tournament. A 15-3 win over Dylan Chappell (Bucknell) in the finals was his “closest” bout. For the year, Yianni posted bonus points in just under 60% of his matches. At the NCAA Tournament, Diakomihalis showed the clutchness that many first saw with him as a freshman. During the quarterfinals, he deftly avoided giving up nearfall points in the waning seconds of an 8-7 win over Max Murin (Iowa). A match later, he faced a late deficit at the hands of redshirt freshman Shayne Van Ness (Cornell). Unphased, Diakomihalis secured a takedown and backpoints to earn an 8-3 win. For his fourth title, Yianni survived a late scramble against Sammy Sasso (Ohio State), who was close to earning a tying takedown. Diakomihalis finishes his time at Cornell with a 115-2 record; having never lost to an EIWA/Ivy League opponent. This is the second consecutive year in which he was named the EIWA Wrestler of the Year by InterMat. Cornell's freshman Vince Cornella (photo courtesy of Tony DiMarco) 2022-23 InterMat EIWA Freshman of the Year: Vince Cornella (Cornell) Vince Cornella narrowly edged teammate Brett Ungar for conference Freshman of the Year honors. Ungar finished up strong at nationals, while Cornella had the better body of work for the entire season. After a fifth-place finish at the U20 World Championships last summer, Cornella showed he was likely ready for a big year in Ithaca. Right off the bat, Cornella got off to a great start with a win at the Bearcat Open and a victory in his dual debut. Cornella had a bit of a subpar performance at the Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational, but bounced back to win eight of his final ten duals. That set the stage for a dominant showing at the EIWA Championships. Cornella went 4-0 with three falls and a major decision to capture a conference title. With his performance at the EIWA Championships, Cornella earned the second seed in Tulsa. There he was victorious in the opening round with a 7-4 win over McKenzie Bell (Rider) but fell in the two matches that followed. For the year, Cornella finished with a 21-6 record and only one loss against EIWA competition. Cornell head coach Mike Grey (photo courtesy of Tony DiMarco) 2022-23 InterMat EIWA Coach of the Year: Mike Grey (Cornell) In just his second season as head coach of the Big Red, Mike Grey’s Cornell squad amassed 76.5 team points at the 2023 NCAA Championships, good enough for a third-place finish. That was an improvement from Cornell’s seventh-place finish in 2022. Cornell finished with a 12-3 dual record for the second consecutive season. Grey’s team tallied dual victories over Virginia Tech, Oregon State, North Carolina and Arizona State. Individually, the Big Red saw a pair of wrestlers claim national titles with Yianni Diakomihalis grabbing his fourth and Vito Arujau winning at 133 lbs. Arujau dominated Daton Fix (Oklahoma State) and Roman Bravo-Young (Penn State) in his final two matches to earn Outstanding Wrestler honors in Tulsa. Along with their national champions, Chris Foca (3rd) and Jacob Cardenas (8th) also got onto the podium for Cornell. Despite competing in an ever-improving EIWA, Cornell dominated the conference tournament with six champions and outdistanced Lehigh by 45 points. Even with the loss of Diakomihalis, the future looks bright for Grey and the Big Red as three All-Americans are set to return in 2023-24. 2022 Award Winners EIWA Wrestler of the Year: Yianni Diakomihalis (Cornell) EIWA Coach of the Year: Chris Ayres (Princeton) EIWA Rookie (Freshman) of the Year: CJ Composto (Penn)

Archie Colgan at the 2015 UWW Junior Finals (photo courtesy of Tony Rotundo; WrestlersAreWarriors.com) The NCAA wrestling season has come to an end, and there is a bit of a dead period before the Freestyle/Greco season really kicks into high gear. Of course, there really are no dead periods in MMA these days. Even on a weekend without a UFC show, there are plenty of other viewing options, and those options are loaded with former wrestlers. On Friday, the Bellator show features several former college stars, and the CFFC show on UFC Fight Pass has a current coach in action. On Saturday, the Professional Fighters League kicks off its 2023 season with some familiar wrestling names. Friday: Bellator 293 John Salter vs. Aaron Jeffery Salter won an NAIA title for Lindenwood at 174 pounds in 2007. He made his professional MMA debut in 2009 and has since fought for Strikeforce, UFC and Bellator. Salter has been fighting exclusively for Bellator since signing with the promotion in 2015. He won eight of his first nine fights but is coming off back-to-back losses against former middleweight champion Gegard Mousasi and current champion Johnny Eblen. Jeffery holds a 13-3 record as a professional and has won both of his fights with Bellator since signing with the promotion last year. In his last bout, he scored a first-round knockout over former title challenger Austin Vanderford. Sullivan Cauley vs. Luke Trainer Cauley was a three-time state placer in his native Nevada, and he continued his wrestling career at Arizona State. He bounced between heavyweight and 197 during his time in Tempe between 2014 and 2017. Cauley currently trains under Bellator heavyweight champion and fellow former Arizona State wrestler Ryan Bader. Last November, he improved to 5-0 as a professional with a first-round stoppage over Jay Radick. Trainer is currently 6-1 and coming off a first-round submission victory over Lucas Alsina. He has gone 3-1 in Bellator since 2020. Archie Colgan vs. Justin Montalvo Colgan was a two-time NCAA qualifier for Wyoming and finished his career with over 100 victories. He came as close as possible to becoming an All-American during his junior season in 2017 when he came up short in the round of 12. Colgan made his MMA debut in 2021. In his last fight, he improved to 6-0 as a professional with a 50-second victory over Jesse Hannam last November. Montalvo is also undefeated at 5-0. He has won both of his fights under the Bellator banner since 2021. Joey Davis vs. Jeff Creighton Davis was a four-time undefeated NCAA Division II champion for Notre Dame (Ohio). After college, he signed with Bellator and made his debut with the company in 2016. He quickly moved up the ranks and by 2020, he had built an 8-0 record. Davis will return here for the first time in over two years. Creighton has gone 2-0-1 since suffering his second professional loss against former NC State wrestler Max Rohskopf in 2021. This will be his Bellator debut. He was scheduled to fight for Urijah Faber's promotion this past January, but the bout was canceled. Bryce Meredith vs. Brandon Carrillo Meredith was a three-time All-American at Wyoming, and he made the finals of the 2018 NCAA tournament at 141 pounds. He turned his focus to MMA in 2021 and started his career with three-straight victories. After spending his entire early career with LFA, he signed with Bellator late last year. This will be his first fight with the new company. Carrillo fought for the first time last April when he scored a first-round victory over Eugene Murray under the Gladiator Challenge banner. The main card of Bellator 293, which features Salter and Cauley, will air live on Showtime at 10:00pm ET on Friday night. The rest of the wrestlers will be part of the YouTube portion of the show, which is scheduled to begin at 7:00pm ET. Friday: CFFC 117 CJ LaFragola vs. Zayne Havener LaFragola was a three-time NCAA qualifier for Brown, and he is currently an assistant coach at Drexel. As a senior in 2019, he went 24-11 and qualified through the EIWA tournament. LaFragola made his amateur MMA debut in 2021 and has since built an undefeated 4-0 record. He last fought this past November where he scored a decision victory over Jahrael Cromartie. Havener is also an undefeated amateur fighter. This past October, he pushed his record to 5-0 with a second-round armbar submission victory over Austin Striggle. Three of his five victories have come via submission. The LaFragola vs. Havener fight is set to be part of the YouTube preliminary card, which airs live at 7:00pm ET on Friday. Saturday: PFL 1: 2023 Bubba Jenkins vs. Chris Wade Jenkins returns for another PFL tournament after making the finals last year. He scored three victories for PFL in 2022 but ultimately lost against Brendan Loughnane in the tournament finale. During his collegiate days, Jenkins was an NCAA finalist for Penn State before transferring to Arizona State for his final year. With the new school, he returned to the finals and scored a legendary upset over David Taylor. Wade and Jenkins fought back in 2021 with Wade taking the decision victory. Like Jenkins, he also took part in the 2022 PFL lightweight tournament, and like Jenkins, he also was eliminated from contention by the eventual champion Loughnane. Marthin Hamlet vs. Mohammad Fakhreddine Hamlet was regular on the Greco-Roman circuit for Norway from 2011 to 2016. He won multiple Nordic Championships at 98 kg, but his best finish was a bronze medal at the 2014 European Championships. Hamlet finished fifth at the Olympic Qualification Tournament for the 2016 Olympics and then decided to focus on MMA. He has gone 4-3 with PFL since joining the promotion in 2021. Fakhreddine will bring a 15-4 record into his PFL debut. He last fought last March where he scored a second-round victory over Mohamed Said Maalem in Bahrain. Josh Silveira vs. Sam Kei During his time at Arizona State, Silveira won the 197-pound Pac 12 title and qualified for the NCAA tournament in 2016. He made his professional MMA debut in 2019 and has gone 9-1 to date. He signed with PFL last year and has gone 2-1 with the promotion. He will return to action for the first time after a loss as he dropped a decision against UFC veteran Omari Akhmedov last August. Kei signed with PFL last year and dropped his heavyweight debut against Juan Adams. He will look to improve on his 8-6 record in the light heavyweight division against Silveira. Saturday's PFL show will be split into a preliminary card and a main card, but both parts of the show will air live on ESPN+. Jenkins kicks off the main card at 9:00pm ET, while Hamlet and Silveira will be on the preliminary card scheduled for 6:00pm ET.

Arizona State's Three-time All-American Michael McGee (photo courtesy of Tony Rotundo; WrestlersAreWarriors.com) Over the next week, InterMat will unveil its annual, year-end conference awards. Each day will feature a new conference. Award winners have been selected by InterMat's editor and respective conference correspondent(s). 2022-23 InterMat Pac-12 Wrestler of the Year: Michael McGee (Arizona State) Senior Michael McGee got on the NCAA podium for a third time competing for Arizona State and saved his best for last. After finishing sixth and fourth in the previous two seasons, McGee went out in his final year and took third in the 133 lb weight class. That looks even more impressive when you consider the bracket that McGee had to navigate and his performance. In the NCAA semifinals, McGee pushed two-time NCAA champion Roman Bravo-Young (Penn State) to sudden victory before falling via a 6-4 score. Two matches later, McGee took a 2-1 decision over three-time national runner-up Daton Fix (Oklahoma State). It was only the sixth loss of Fix's decorated career. Before the NCAA Tournament, McGee captured his second Pac-12 title. It was also his fourth career conference championship, as he won a pair of MAC titles with Old Dominion. His Pac-12 finals victory gave McGee an 11-match winning streak heading into Tulsa. McGee finished his 2022-23 campaign with a 25-3 record. The other two losses both came to the eventual national champion, Vito Arujau (Cornell). One was in a dual and the other was in the finals of the Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational. For his career, McGee went 124-27 overall and 64-11 in a Sun Devil singlet. Stanford freshman Daniel Cardenas (photo courtesy of Tony Rotundo; WrestlersAreWarriors.com) 2022-23 InterMat Pac-12 Freshman of the Year: Daniel Cardenas (Stanford) Daniel Cardenas came into Palo Alto as the #2 overall recruit in the Class of 2022 by MatScouts. As one may expect by his pre-colllegiate ranking, Cardenas didn't disappoint, winning his first 16 matches of the season. That streak extended into the 2023 Southern Scuffle. Before the Scuffle, Cardenas picked up tournament titles at the Menlo Open and the Appalachian State Invite. He'd end up third at the Scuffle. Despite Cardenas' strong first half of the season, it wasn't a given that he'd be in the Stanford lineup. The Cardinal staff had a tough decision to make as they got good production from veteran Charlie Darracott, too. After the Scuffle, it wasn't until mid-February before Cardenas got back in the lineup, which eliminated the possibility of a redshirt. Cardenas finished the year with back-to-back dual wins, which gave him a perfect 5-0 dual record for the season. Cardenas was the only freshman to claim a Pac-12 title during the 2022-23 season. His Pac-12 crown gave him a 22-1 record and the sixth seed at his first NCAA Tournament. In Tulsa, Cardenas was victorious in his first two matches was put him in the 157 lb quarterfinals. From there, he suffered back-to-back 6-4 losses to Peyton Robb (Nebraska) and Ed Scott (NC State), which left him a match shy of All-American status. Cal Poly head coach Jon Sioredas (photo courtesy of Tony Rotundo; WrestlersAreWarriors.com) 2022-23 InterMat Pac-12 Coach of the Year: Jon Sioredas (Cal Poly) The Cal Poly Mustangs finished their Pac-12 schedule undefeated to take the conference dual title. The Mustangs started the year 2-4 (albeit against excellent competition), but hit their stride against their familiar conference foes and ended up 8-6. Cal Poly's win over Arizona State snapped a ten-match losing streak against the Sun Devils which went back to the 2012 season. Individually, Sioredas' team placed a wrestler on the podium for the third consecutive NCAA Tournament. 197 lber Bernie Truax entered the national tournament with the second seed and finished fourth. It was the third consecutive time Truax was fourth. With the late addition of Dom Demas to the NCAA tournament bracket at 149 lbs, it gave the Mustangs five national qualifiers. They've had five in back-to-back years for the first time since the 2006 and 2007 seasons. Sioredas' team has now put together back-to-back winning seasons after going winless in 2017-18 and 2018-19. 2022 Award Winners Pac-12 Wrestler of the Year: Cohlton Schultz (Arizona State) Pac-12 Coach of the Year: Chris Pendleton (Oregon State) Pac-12 Rookie (Freshman) of the Year: Trey Munoz (Oregon State)

NCAA champions Keegan O'Toole (left) and David Carr (photo courtesy of Sam Janicki; SJanickiPhoto.com) 125 lbs 2023: Patrick Glory (Princeton) 2022: Nick Suriano (Michigan) 2021: Spencer Lee (Iowa) 2019: Spencer Lee (Iowa) 2018: Spencer Lee (Iowa) 2017: Darian Cruz (Lehigh) 2016: Nico Megaludis (Penn State) 2015: Nathan Tomasello (Ohio State) 2014: Jesse Delgado (Illinois) 2013: Jesse Delgado (Illinois) 2012: Matt McDonough (Iowa) 2011: Anthony Robles (Arizona State) 2010: Matt McDonough (Iowa) 2009: Troy Nickerson (Cornell) 2008: Angel Escobedo (Indiana) 2007: Paul Donahoe (Nebraska) 2006: Joe Dubuque (Indiana) 2005: Joe Dubuque (Indiana) 2004: Jason Powell (Nebraska) 2003: Travis Lee (Cornell) 2002: Stephen Abas (Fresno State) 2001: Stephen Abas (Fresno State) 2000: Jeremy Hunter (Penn State) 133 lbs 2023: Vito Arujau (Cornell) 2022: Roman Bravo-Young (Penn State) 2021: Roman Bravo-Young (Penn State) 2019: Nick Suriano (Rutgers) 2018: Seth Gross (South Dakota State) 2017: Cory Clark (Iowa) 2016: Nahshon Garrett (Cornell) 2015: Cody Brewer (Oklahoma) 2014: Tony Ramos (Iowa) 2013: Logan Stieber (Ohio State) 2012: Logan Stieber (Ohio State) 2011: Jordan Oliver (Oklahoma State) 2010: Jayson Ness (Minnesota) 2009: Franklin Gomez (Michigan State) 2008: Coleman Scott (Oklahoma State) 2007: Matt Valenti (Penn) 2006: Matt Valenti (Penn) 2005: Travis Lee (Cornell) 2004: Zach Roberson (Iowa State) 2003: Johnny Thompson (Oklahoma State) 2002: Johnny Thompson (Oklahoma State) 2001: Eric Juergens (Iowa) 2000: Eric Juergens (Iowa) 141 lbs 2023: Andrew Alirez (Northern Colorado) 2022: Nick Lee (Penn State) 2021: Nick Lee (Penn State) 2019: Yianni Diakomihalis (Cornell) 2018: Yianni Diakomihalis (Cornell) 2017: Dean Heil (Oklahoma State) 2016: Dean Heil (Oklahoma State) 2015: Logan Stieber (Ohio State) 2014: Logan Stieber (Ohio State) 2013: Kendric Maple (Oklahoma) 2012: Kellen Russell (Michigan) 2011: Kellen Russell (Michigan) 2010: Kyle Dake (Cornell) 2009: J Jaggers (Ohio State) 2008: J Jaggers (Ohio State) 2007: Derek Moore (UC Davis) 2006: Nate Gallick (Iowa State) 2005: Teyon Ware (Oklahoma) 2004: Cliff Moore (Iowa) 2003: Teyon Ware (Oklahoma) 2002: Aaron Holker (Iowa State) 2001: Michael Lightner (Oklahoma) 2000: Carl Perry (Illinois) 149 lbs 2023: Yianni Diakomihalis (Cornell) 2022: Yianni Diakomihalis (Cornell) 2021: Austin O’Connor (North Carolina) 2019: Anthony Ashnault (Rutgers) 2018: Zain Retherford (Penn State) 2017: Zain Retherford (Penn State) 2016: Zain Retherford (Penn State) 2015: Drake Houdashelt (Missouri) 2014: Jason Tsirtsis (Northwestern) 2013: Jordan Oliver (Oklahoma State) 2012: Frank Molinaro (Penn State) 2011: Kyle Dake (Cornell) 2010: Brent Metcalf (Iowa) 2009: Darrion Caldwell (NC State) 2008: Brent Metcalf (Iowa) 2007: Gregor Gillespie (Edinboro) 2006: Dustin Schlatter (Minnesota) 2005: Zack Esposito (Oklahoma State) 2004: Jesse Jantzen (Harvard) 2003: Eric Larkin (Arizona State) 2002: Jared Lawrence (Minnesota) 2001: Adam Tirapelle (Illinois) 2000: Tony Davis (Northern Iowa) 157 lbs 2023: Austin O’Connor (North Carolina) 2022: Ryan Deakin (Northwestern) 2021: David Carr (Iowa State) 2019: Jason Nolf (Penn State) 2018: Jason Nolf (Penn State) 2017: Jason Nolf (Penn State) 2016: Isaiah Martinez (Illinois) 2015: Isaiah Martinez (Illinois) 2014: Alex Dieringer (Oklahoma State) 2013: Derek St. John (Iowa) 2012: Kyle Dake (Cornell) 2011: Bubba Jenkins (Arizona State) 2010: JP O’Connor (Havard) 2009: Jordan Burroughs (Nebraska) 2008: Jordan Leen (Cornell) 2007: Trent Paulson (Iowa State) 2006: Ben Cherrington (Boise State) 2005: Ryan Bertin (Michigan) 2004: Matt Gentry (Stanford) 2003: Ryan Bertin (Michigan) 2002: Luke Becker (Minnesota) 2001: TJ Williams (Iowa) 2000: Brett Matter (Penn) 165 lbs 2023: Keegan O’Toole (Missouri) 2022: Keegan O’Toole (Missouri) 2021: Shane Griffith (Stanford) 2019: Mekhi Lewis (Virginia Tech) 2018: Vincenzo Joseph (Penn State) 2017: Vincenzo Joseph (Penn State) 2016: Alex Dieringer (Oklahoma State) 2015: Alex Dieringer (Oklahoma State) 2014: David Taylor (Penn State) 2013: Kyle Dake (Cornell) 2012: David Taylor (Penn State) 2011: Jordan Burroughs (Nebraska) 2010: Andrew Howe (Wisconsin) 2009: Jarrod King (Edinboro) 2008: Mark Perry (Iowa) 2007: Mark Perry (Iowa) 2006: Johny Hendricks (Oklahoma State) 2005: Johny Hendricks (Oklahoma State) 2004: Troy Letters (Lehigh) 2003: Matt Lackey (Illinois) 2002: Joe Heskett (Iowa State) 2001: Donny Pritzlaff (Wisconsin) 2000: Donny Pritzlaff (Wisconsin) 174 lbs 2023: Carter Starocci (Penn State) 2022: Carter Starocci (Penn State) 2021: Carter Starocci (Penn State) 2019: Zahid Valencia (Arizona State) 2018: Zahid Valencia (Arizona State) 2017: Mark Hall (Penn State) 2016: Myles Martin (Ohio State) 2015: Matt Brown (Penn State) 2014: Chris Perry (Oklahoma State) 2013: Chris Perry (Oklahoma State) 2012: Ed Ruth (Penn State) 2011: Jon Reader (Iowa State) 2010: Jay Borschel (Iowa) 2009: Steve Luke (Michigan) 2008: Keith Gavin (Pittsburgh) 2007: Ben Askren (Missouri) 2006: Ben Askren (Missouri) 2005: Chris Pendelton (Oklahoma State) 2004: Chris Pendleton (Oklahoma State) 2003: Robbie Waller (Oklahoma) 2002: Greg Jones (West Virginia) 2001: Josh Koscheck (Edinboro) 2000: Byron Tucker (Oklahoma) 184 lbs 2023: Aaron Brooks (Penn State) 2022: Aaron Brooks (Penn State) 2021: Aaron Brooks (Penn State) 2019: Drew Foster (Northern Iowa) 2018: Bo Nickal (Penn State) 2017: Bo Nickal (Penn State) 2016: Gabe Dean (Cornell) 2015: Gabe Dean (Cornell) 2014: Ed Ruth (Penn State) 2013: Ed Ruth (Penn State) 2012: Steve Bosak (Cornell) 2011: Quentin Wright (Penn State) 2010: Max Askren (Missouri) 2009: Jake Herbert (Northwestern) 2008: Mike Pucillo (Ohio State) 2007: Jake Herbert (Northwestern) 2006: Shane Webster (Oregon) 2005: Greg Jones (West Virginia) 2004: Greg Jones (West Virginia) 2003: Jake Rosholt (Oklahoma State) 2002: Rob Rohn (Lehigh) 2001: Cael Sanderson (Iowa State) 2000: Cael Sanderson (Iowa State) 197 lbs 2023: Nino Bonaccorsi (Pittsburgh) 2022: Max Dean (Penn State) 2021: AJ Ferrari (Oklahoma State) 2019: Bo Nickal (Penn State) 2018: Mike Macchiavello (NC State) 2017: J’den Cox (Missouri) 2016: J’den Cox (Missouri) 2015: Kyven Gadson (Iowa State) 2014: J’den Cox (Missouri) 2013: Quentin Wright (Penn State) 2012: Cam Simaz (Cornell) 2011: Dustin Kilgore (Kent State) 2010: Jake Varner (Iowa State) 2009: Jake Varner (Iowa State) 2008: Phil Davis (Penn State) 2007: Josh Glenn (American) 2006: Jake Rosholt (Oklahoma State) 2005: Jake Rosholt (Oklahoma State) 2004: Damion Hahn (Minnesota) 2003: Damion Hahn (Minnesota) 2002: Cael Sanderson (Penn State) 2001: Mark Munoz (Oklahoma State) 2000: Brad Vering (Nebraska) 285 lbs 2023: Mason Parris (Michigan) 2022: Gable Steveson (Minnesota) 2021: Gable Steveson (Minnesota) 2019: Anthony Cassar (Penn State) 2018: Kyle Snyder (Ohio State) 2017: Kyle Snyder (Ohio State) 2016: Kyle Snyder (Ohio State) 2015: Nick Gwiazdowski (NC State) 2014: Nick Gwiazdowski (NC State) 2013: Tony Nelson (Minnesota) 2012: Tony Nelson (Minnesota) 2011: Zach Rey (Lehigh) 2010: David Zabriskie (Iowa State) 2009: Mark Ellis (Missouri) 2008: Dustin Fox (Northwestern) 2007: Cole Konrad (Minnesota) 2006: Cole Konrad (Minnesota) 2005: Steve Mocco (Oklahoma State) 2004: Tommy Rowlands (Ohio State) 2003: Steve Mocco (Iowa) 2002: Tommy Rowlands (Ohio State) 2001: John Lockhart (Illinois) 2000: Brock Lesnar (Minnesota)

2x All-American Jonathan Millner (photo courtesy of Sam Janicki; SJanickiPhoto.com) Over the next week, InterMat will unveil its annual, year-end conference awards. Each day will feature a new conference. Award winners have been selected by InterMat's editor and respective conference correspondent(s). 2022-23 InterMat SoCon Wrestler of the Year: Jonathan Millner (Appalachian State) We've got an unusually unique set of circumstances surrounding the SoCon Wrestler of the Year. Jonathan Miller was well on his way to winning the award for the second consecutive year from InterMat when he was injured and unavailable to compete at the 2023 NCAA Championships. In Tulsa, the SoCon had a relatively down showing, as a whole, and only one wrestler advanced to the consolation round of 16. That pulls Millner back into the equation. Millner had one of the greatest careers in the long history of Appalachian State wrestling earning All-American honors twice at the NCAA Championships. Along the way, he qualified for the NCAA Championships on four occasions, winning a SoCon title in each instance. Millner's career ended on an 11-match winning streak after he ran through the SoCon schedule and conference tournament without a loss. At the SoCon's, Millner pinned his first two opponents before a 4-0 shutout in the championship bout. Earlier in the 2022-23 season, Millner won the App State Invite and Keystone Classic before taking fourth place at the Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational. For the year, Millner went 29-3 with the three losses coming to wrestlers that finished fourth (Kyle Parco) and fifth (Caleb Henson) in the nation and another coming to a former NCAA third-place finisher (Yahya Thomas). In a Mountaineer singlet, Millner amassed a 121-24 record which was eight wins shy of the school record, was only the third multi-time All-American in program history and is the only App State wrestler to win four SoCon titles. Appalachian State head coach JohnMark Bentley (right) (photo courtesy of Sam Janicki; SJanickiPhoto.com) 2022-23 InterMat SoCon Coach of the Year: JohnMark Bentley (Appalachian State) Appalachian State finished the regular season with a 12-2 record and a #20 overall ranking nationally. Coach Bentley's team scored a huge upset win in mid-December against North Carolina and their only two losses on the year came to ACC foes #3 NC State and #8 Virginia Tech. For the second consecutive season, the Mountaineers navigated through the SoCon dual schedule without a loss. The SoCon tournament has been where Appalachian State has faltered in the past; however, that streak stopped in 2023. From 2019-22, the Mountaineers finished second at the SoCo Championships to Campbell. There was no drama surrounding the tournament this season as Appalachian State put eight of their ten starters in the conference finals and took a commanding lead into the final session. ASU finished with a 24.5-point margin of victory and three conference champs (Caleb Smith, Millner, Tommy Askey). Once at-large berths were announced, Appalachian State had five wrestlers headed to Tulsa. A few days before the event, an injury at 133 lbs allowed Ethan Oakley to compete, as well. Millner (#9) and Smith (#5) were both given top-ten seeds at nationals. After the 2022-23 season, coach JohnMark Bentley's career record as head coach of the Mountaineers is 124-75. That total is the second highest in school history. NCAA qualifier Ethan Oakley (photo courtesy of Sam Janicki; SJanickiPhoto.com) 2022-23 InterMat SoCon Freshman of the Year: Ethan Oakley (Appalachian State) It wasn't until mid-January that Ethan Oakley ascended into the starting role for Appalachian State at 133 lbs. The Mountaineers had the services of 2021 national qualifier Sean Carter, who had a spot in the national rankings; however, Carter suffered a season-ending injury. Oakley made the most of his opportunity and won the final eight duals of the season. Two of those wins came over top-20 opponents from Chattanooga and Campbell and gave him the top seed at the SoCon Championships. Unfortunately, after a loss in a true-second place match to Campbell's Dom Zaccone, it appeared as if Oakley wouldn't make the trip to nationals. As mentioned above, Oakley got the call to fill in and ended up grabbing a win in the pigtail round over North Dakota State's McGwire Midkiff. That made him the only Appalachian State wrestler to notch a win in Tulsa. For his first full year as a starter, Oakley finished with a 21-13 record and has plenty of experience to build on going forward. 2021-22 Award Winners SoCon Wrestler of the Year: Jonathan Millner (Appalachian State) SoCon Coach of the Year: JohnMark Bentley (Appalachian State) SoCon Rookie (Freshman) of the Year: Heath Gonyer (Appalachian State)

2023 125 lb NCAA champion Patrick Glory (photo courtesy of Sam Janicki; SJanickiPhoto.com) "Early Turmoil, early adversity (working hard), despite not having early success." Those were the words from Patrick Glory when asked about the legacy he wanted to leave for his teammates and future Princeton wrestlers. Glory spoke to InterMat yesterday, just over a week after he became Princeton's first NCAA champion since 1951. In our interview, Glory is very up front about an up-and-down senior season. That seems difficult to fathom as he still finished the season as an undefeated national champion, but it is applicable. During our almost 40-minute conversation, Glory touched on such topics as celebration dinners, Spencer Lee's upset, walking out to the NCAA finals carrying Ol' Glory, his gameplan and actions against Ramos, the emotions post-NCAA's and, of course, the Yankees rookie phenom at shortstop. For the full interview, Subscribe to InterMat's Rokfin Page

2023 Hodge Trophy Winner Mason Parris (photo courtesy of Sam Janicki; SJanickiPhoto.com) I’m sure you’ve heard by now, but Mason Parris is the 2023 Hodge Trophy winner. If not, well, now you know. There was some debate online about whether or not Parris was the right pick. For what it’s worth, he was my choice. This year was odd as it was not a year where there was one obvious selection and Parris edged the rest of the field. Now that Parris is the Hodge winner, how did his Hodge-winning season stack up against other recent winners? We’ve gone back to 2013 to look at all of the Hodge winners and picked out some key areas that can be weighed against one another. These aren’t perfect metrics, but they give you a solid idea on just how strong a wrestler’s Hodge season was (compared to the other greats). 2023 Mason Parris (Michigan) Record: 33-0 Falls: 11 Bonus Point %: 63.6 Wins over 2023 All-Americans: 10 Number of 2023 All-Americans Defeated: 5 (Kerkvliet, Hendrickson, Cassioppi, Davison, Hillger) Wins over 2023 NCAA Qualifiers: 20 Bonus Point Wins at Nationals: 3 (Maj Joles, Maj Davison, Tech Cassioppi) For the full article, Subscribe to InterMat's Rokfin Page

Lock Haven All-American Anthony Noto (Photo courtesy of Sam Janicki; SJanickiPhoto.com) Over the next week, InterMat will unveil its annual, year-end conference awards. Each day will feature a new conference. Award winners have been selected by InterMat’s editor and respective conference correspondent(s). 2022-23 InterMat MAC Wrestler of the Year: Anthony Noto (Lock Haven) Just a year after taking home InterMat’s Freshman (or rookie) of the Year honors, Anthony Noto has moved up to win the MAC Wrestler of the Year award. Noto was the highest-placing wrestler from the MAC finishing fourth at the 125 lb weight class for Lock Haven. In Tulsa, Noto posted wins over two past All-Americans (Eric Barnett - Wisconsin and Killian Cardinale - West Virginia), along with the 2023 Big Ten runner-up, Liam Cronin (Nebraska). In order to secure a place on the NCAA podium, Noto downed Rutgers freshman Dean Peterson 3-1 in the bloodround. Before the NCAA Tournament, Noto claimed his second MAC title in as many tries. After a couple of close bouts in the early rounds, Noto left no doubt by majoring Jake Ferri (Kent State) 8-0 for the conference crown. Through two full years of competition, Noto has not lost to a MAC opponent in duals or tournaments. Noto’s second MAC title gave him an 18-match winning streak heading into the national tournament. For his body of work, Noto was given the eighth seed at 125 lbs. That was quickly proven to be too low as Noto certainly outperformed that seed. Through two years of competition at Lock Haven, Noto sports a 65-7 record. He managed to tally five falls this season among his 34 victories. George Mason national qualifier Nathan Higley (Photo courtesy of Art Pittman; George Mason athletics) 2022-23 InterMat MAC Freshman of the Year: Nathan Higley (George Mason) It was in late December that George Mason redshirt freshman Nathan Higley may have first caught the eye of college wrestling fans nationwide. That was when Higley got on the podium at the 2022 Midlands Championships, finishing eighth at 149 lbs. Higley notched wins over a trio of returning NCAA qualifiers in Marshall Keller (Princeton), Graham Rooks (Indiana), and Jarod Verkleeren (Virginia). The Rooks win (by fall) looks even better in hindsight as the Hoosier upset fourth-seeded Caleb Henson (Virginia Tech) at the NCAA Tournament and made the quarterfinals. After the Midlands, Higley hit a rough patch, but headed into the postseason after winning three of his final four bouts. Though he didn’t earn an allocation for the MAC, Higley pinned a pair of wrestlers who did to earn a spot in the MAC finals. Since the conference was given five slots for the NCAA Tournament, Higley’s fall over second-seeded Ryan Burgos (Edinboro) in the semifinals, punched his ticket to Tulsa. A match early he pinned Quinn Kinner (Rider) the third seed. Higley’s berth in the MAC finals made him the first wrestler to make the conference championship match since George Mason moved into the conference for the 2019-20 season. Though he did not win a match in Tulsa, Higley gained valuable experience with matches against 2021 All-American Yahya Thomas (Northwestern) and Oklahoma State’s redshirt freshman Victor Voinovich. Clarion head coach Keith Ferraro (Photo courtesy of Clarion athletics) 2022-23 InterMat MAC Coach of the Year: Keith Ferraro (Clarion) The Golden Eagles have continued to rise under Keith Ferraro’s leadership and in 2022-23 they hit some significant milestones. 184 lb MAC champion Will Feldkamp finished in seventh place at the NCAA Tournament and gave Ferraro his first All-American as a head coach. During Feldkamp’s consolation run, he knocked off a pair of Big Ten wrestlers seeded above him (#9 Isaiah Salazar - Minnesota and #13 Lenny Pinto - Nebraska). He concluded his tournament by pinning North Carolina’s Gavin Kane in the first period. Feldkamp was one of three wrestlers for Clarion competing at the NCAA Championships. All three were MAC finalists in 2023, which was the most for the school since moving to the MAC and the most since 2018 when they competed in the EWL. Along with Feldkamp, Seth Koleno also came away with a conference title (141 lbs). That marked the first time since 2016 that Clarion crowned multiple conference champions. Feldkamp was the only wrestler that earned an NCAA allocation for the MAC so Koleno and John Worthing had to outperform their pre-tournament seeds to go to nationals. Worthing was able to grab a pair of wins in Tulsa, including a major decision over #16 Sam Wolf (Air Force), while Koleno pinned Bloomsburg’s Josh Mason in a MAC finals rematch. As a team, Clarion was third at the 2023 MAC Championships an improvement from their fifth-place showing a year ago. During the regular season, Clarion amassed an 11-6 dual record. Most notable were wins against typical MAC powers Lock Haven and Central Michigan. The win over Lock Haven was Clarion’s second in three years, after dropping the previous five meetings. 2022 Award Winners MAC Wrestler of the Year: Matt Stencel (Central Michigan) MAC Coach of the Year: Scott Moore (Lock Haven) MAC Rookie (Freshman) of the Year: Anthony Noto (Lock Haven)

North Central's Yelena Makoyed (photo courtesy of Sam Janicki; SJanickiPhoto.com) Yelena Makoyed, a senior at North Central College, was elected as the inaugural winner of the USA Wrestling Women’s College Wrestler of the Year today. This was first announced on FloWrestling’s The Bader Show this morning. The award was selected by a vote from three major constituent groups: wrestling journalists, women’s college head coaches and the fans. Each of these groups accounted for one-third of the vote. Makoyed was a 2023 NCWWC national champion at 170 pounds, the national championships for institutions from the NCAA. She finished with a 28-0 record, with 15 pins and 11 technical falls. She is now a three-time NCWWC national champion. Other tournaments which Makoyed won during the 2022-23 college season were the NCWWC Region 4 Championships, the College Conference of Illinois & Wisconsin Championships, the Adrian Open and the Pointer Open. Makoyed, along with her teammates, led North Central to the 2023 NCWWC National Team title, as well. “I am super proud of her. She is incredibly deserving of the award. She has won a lot of awards, but this one is special. It is cool for her to win the first one. She has been a trend-setter for our program, and she led us to a national title. We would not have won a team title without her. It is not just the points that she scored, but also the leadership she has provided and what she has done for us in recruiting. She is a trailblazer, and that is where women’s wrestling is now,” said North Central College head coach Joe Norton. Makoyed is currently on the USA Wrestling Senior National Team, with a No. 2 ranking at 76 kg/167 lbs. During the college season, she travelled with Team USA to the Zagreb Open Ranking Series Event in Croatia, winning the gold medal at 76 kg. “USA Wrestling is very proud of Yelena Makoyed. She has been incredibly involved in USA Wrestling programs for years. I can’t think of a better person to win this inaugural award. Congratulations to Yelena, North Central College and to all of the great finalists. What a great year for women’s college wrestling!” said Rich Bender, USA Wrestling Executive Director. Makoyed received 42% of the combined vote to secure the award over five other undefeated college national champion finalists. The other finalists, in alphabetical order, were junior Lexie Basham of Texas Wesleyan University, redshirt junior Marissa Gallegos of Colorado Mesa University, graduate student Dymond Guilford of the University of the Cumberlands, sophomore Adaugo Nwachukwu of Iowa Wesleyan University and senior Peyton Prussin of Life University. Prussin, Basham, Guilford and Nwachukwu were NAIA national champions this year, while Gallegos was an NCWWC national champion this season. Guilford and Prussin are three-time national champions, Nwachukwu and Basham are two-time national champions and Gallegos is a one-time national champion. Women’s college varsity wrestlers from all of the recognized college organizations were eligible, including NCAA, NAIA and NJCAA/junior college programs. The finalists were selected by a committee overseeing the award program, featuring representatives of the media, college coaches and wrestling fans. These six finalists were selected from a pool of 13 college national champions who were identified as potential candidates after the national tournaments were completed. USA Wrestling Women’s College Wrestler of the Year Award winners 2023 – Yelena Makoyed, senior, North Central College

Michigan's 2023 Dan Hodge Trophy recipient Mason Parris (photo courtesy of Sam Janicki; SJanickiPhoto.com) This afternoon, WIN Magazine announced that the 2023 Dan Hodge Trophy would be awarded to Michigan 285 lber Mason Parris. Not only is Parris the first Wolverine wrestler to receive the lofty honor, but he is only the second one to even be named as a finalist (Kellan Russell was a finalist in 2011). Parris earns the honor after finishing his senior season with a perfect 33-0 mark and his first Big Ten and NCAA titles. In both the Big Ten and NCAA finals, Parris defeated Penn State’s Greg Kerkvliet. Although the award criteria changed slightly in 2022, dominance has been one of the traits that have continued along with the award. Parris tallied a bonus point percentage of over 63% in 2022-23, a mark that is even more impressive considering his competition and the difficulty scoring at the 285 lb weight class. At the 2023 NCAA Championships, Parris had bonus-point wins in three of his five contests, including a technical fall victory over fourth-place finisher Tony Cassioppi (Iowa) in the semis and a major decision over fifth-place finisher Lucas Davison (Northwestern) in the quarters. The award initially placed a premium on pinning, as its namesake Dan Hodge, was one of college wrestling’s best pinners ever. That criterion has since been removed; however, Parris did have 11 on this season. For the year, Parris scored 10 wins over five of the eventual 2023 All-Americans. The national title marks the third time that Parris has earned a spot on the NCAA podium. He was fifth in 2022 and a runner-up in 2021. Additionally, after the 2020 national tournament was canceled, Parris was named a first-team All-American by the NWCA. By Parris winning the Hodge, there have been three consecutive seasons where a heavyweight has taken home the honor. Minnesota’s Gable Steveson received the trophy in 2022 and shared it with Spencer Lee in 2021. Before Steveson, Steve Mocco (2005) was the last big man to haul in the trophy. There was no shortage of potential suitors for the Hodge in 2023. Four-time national champion Yianni Diakomihalis became only the fifth wrestler to achieve that feat and the other three that competed during the lifespan of the trophy have received the honor at least once (Pat Smith finished his career in 1994, the year before the award was first handed out). Additionally, Patrick Glory (Princeton), Andrew Alirez (Northern Colorado), Austin O’Connor (North Carolina), Carter Starocci (Penn State), and Nino Bonaccorsi (Pittsburgh) all finished the year unbeaten. Record has been the first criteria for the Hodge since its inception and only once has a wrestler with a loss taken the honor (Brent Metcalf - 2008). Parris finished his Michigan career with a 126-18 record. Nine of those losses came as a true freshman and six more came during an injury-plagued 2021-22 season. With Parris being named the 2023 Hodge Trophy winner, the award has been given to a Big Ten wrestler every year since 2017. Votes for the Hodge Trophy are taken from a collection of wrestling journalists, past Hodge Trophy recipients and a fan vote.

Ohio State signee Vinny Kilkeary (photo courtesy of Sam Janicki; SJanickiPhoto.com) Saturday evening marked the 49th edition of the Pittsburgh Wrestling Classic (formerly known as the Dapper Dan). The dual meet pits a team of Pennsylvania All-Stars against an All-Star team composed of some of the nation’s best. Pennsylvania is perhaps the only state that could legitimately compete against such a squad on a yearly basis. The 2023 version of the PWC was the spot for a pair of OSU’s to showcase their top incoming freshman. Both Ohio State and Oklahoma State proved to be the big winners at the conclusion of the All-Star dual meet. Each school had a pair of recruits shining in some form or fashion. While this was a Pennsylvania vs. the USA dual meet, Ohio State’s top recruits were part of the Pennsylvania contingent. As luck would have it, both faced future Penn State wrestlers who were a part of Team USA. For the full article, Subscribe to InterMat's Rokfin Page

The 2023 NCAA National Champion Penn State Nittany Lions (photo courtesy of Sam Janicki; SJanickiPhoto.com) With another NCAA Tournament in the books, it gives us the opportunity to add more data to the ever-growing pile of stats. Looking back at the last ten years, here are some updated figures regarding key benchmarks in college wrestling. Since there was no national tournament in 2020, our look has extended back to the 2013 season. Also, remember that the Ivy League schools did not participate during the 2021 season, so their numbers may have taken a slight hit, as a result. NCAA Titles (30) - Penn State: Zain Retherford (3), Jason Nolf (3), Bo Nickal (3), Aaron Brooks (3), Carter Starocci (3), Ed Ruth (2), Vincenzo Joseph (2), Nick Lee (2), Roman Bravo-Young (2), Quentin Wright, David Taylor, Matt Brown, Nico Megaludis, Mark Hall, Anthony Cassar, Max Dean (9) - Cornell: Yianni Diakomihalis (4), Gabe Dean (2), Kyle Dake, Nahshon Garrett, Vito Arujau (9) - Oklahoma State: Alex Dieringer (3), Chris Perry (2), Dean Heil (2), Jordan Oliver, AJ Ferrari (8) - Ohio State: Logan Stieber (3), Kyle Snyder (3), Nathan Tomasello, Myles Martin (6) - Iowa: Spencer Lee (3), Derek St. John, Tony Ramos, Cory Clark (6) - Missouri: J'den Cox (3), Keegan O'Toole (2), Drake Houdashelt (4) - Illinois: Jesse Delgado (2), Isaiah Martinez (2) (3) - Minnesota: Gable Steveson (2), Tony Nelson (3) - NC State: Nick Gwiazdowski (2), Michael Macchiavello (2) - Arizona State: Zahid Valencia (2) (2) - Iowa State: Kyven Gadson, David Carr (2) - Michigan: Nick Suriano, Mason Parris (2) - North Carolina: Austin O'Connor (2) (2) - Northwestern: Jason Tsirtsis, Ryan Deakin (2) - Oklahoma: Kendric Maple, Cody Brewer (2) - Rutgers: Nick Suriano, Anthony Ashnault (1) - Lehigh: Darian Cruz (1) - Northern Colorado: Andrew Alirez (1) - Northern Iowa: Drew Foster (1) - Pittsburgh: Nino Bonaccorsi (1) - Princeton: Patrick Glory (1) - South Dakota State: Seth Gross (1) - Stanford: Shane Griffith (1) Virginia Tech: Mekhi Lewis NCAA Finalists (42) Penn State (17) Ohio State (15) Iowa (15) Oklahoma State (13) Cornell (8) Missouri (7) Michigan (7) Minnesota (6) Illinois (6) NC State (4) Arizona State (4) Nebraska (4) Northwestern (4) Pittsburgh (4) Virginia Tech (3) Edinboro (3) Iowa State (3) Lehigh (3) North Carolina (3) Oklahoma (3) Princeton (3) Rutgers (3) South Dakota State (3) Wisconsin (2) Northern Iowa (2) Stanford (2) Virginia (2) Wyoming (1) Boise State (1) Indiana (1) Kent State (1) Lock Haven (1) Maryland (1) Purdue (1) Rider (1) West Virginia NCAA All-Americans (64) Penn State (56) Iowa (49) Oklahoma State (45) Ohio State (39) Minnesota (39) Missouri (39) Virginia Tech (34) Michigan (33) Cornell (32) Nebraska (23) Arizona State (22) NC State (20) Lehigh (19) Iowa State (19) Wisconsin (18) Illinois (18) Northwestern (16) North Carolina (15) Rutgers (14) Northern Iowa (13) Oregon State (10) Edinboro (10) Oklahoma (10) Princeton (9) Stanford (8) Pittsburgh (8) South Dakota State (8) Virginia (8) Wyoming (6) Central Michigan (6) Duke (6) Kent State (6) Lock Haven (6) North Dakota State (6) Old Dominion (6) Rider (5) West Virginia (4) Cal Poly (4) Indiana (4) Maryland (3) Appalachian State (3) Boise State (3) Ohio (3) Penn (3) Purdue (3) The Citadel (3) Utah Valley (2) Clarion (2) Fresno State (2) Michigan State (2) Northern Illinois (1) Air Force (1) American (1) Binghamton (1) Brown (1) Bucknell (1) Campbell (1) Columbia (1) CSU Bakersfield (1) Eastern Michigan (1) Franklin & Marshall (1) Hofstra (1) Navy (1) Northern Colorado (1) SIU Edwardsville NCAA Top-Ten Finishes (10) Iowa (10) Penn State (9) Cornell (9) Missouri (9) Ohio State (8) Virginia Tech (7) Michigan (7) Oklahoma State (6) Minnesota (6) Nebraska (4) Arizona State (4) NC State (3) Northwestern (2) Edinboro (2) Illinois (1) Oklahoma (1) Oregon State (1) Rutgers NCAA Team Trophy (Top-Four Finishes) (9) Iowa (9) Penn State (6) Ohio State (6) Oklahoma State (2) Arizona State (2) Michigan (2) Minnesota (1) Cornell (1) Edinboro (1) Missouri (1) NC State (1) Virginia Tech

Penn State three-time All-American Carter Starocci (photo courtesy of Sam Janicki; SJanickiPhoto.com) Carter Starocci turned some heads during his ESPN interview after winning his third national title. From "That's what big balls look like" to not-so-subtly calling out Kamaru Usman and referring to a DII national title as "beginner's stuff," the Penn State junior showed the rest of the nation what those covering the team all season already knew - the guy isn't afraid to say what's on his mind. And as we've learned, what's in Starocci's mind can be kind of … scary. But, hey, that's why he's a three-time NCAA champ on a 52-match win streak. If you thought his ESPN interview was interesting, check out some of his interview highlights from throughout the season. On using the Michael Myers theme as his walkout song "Well, first of all, it's my dad, in his living room, he has like 1,400 masks and Michael Myers everywhere. It's kind of creepy. And then I was on my phone and I had seen Kobe Bryant and he was talking about how he gets his mindset ready for his matches - or, his games. And he was talking about how he has that theme song going in his headphones. And he said Michael Myers is just a stone-cold killer. Am I too hyped up? Am I too calm? I'm not going to run you down, I'm going to walk you down and just kill you. I was like, dude, that was hard. So, I have that going every time." On being called 'overrated' by Iowa commit Gabe Arnold "If he can kiss enough butt and get into the starting lineup, I'll take care of business there. It'll be in his home dojo, too, so he can get whooped in front of his mom and dad. So, that'll be fun." On rematches "I don't prepare for one individual, I just prepare for myself and every position. If those rematches come, I'll be looking forward to those rematches cuz I like sending those guys messages over and over again. It's kind of like Marshawn Lynch said, "If you run through someone's face over and over again, then you don't have to worry about them no more." On rematches (again) "I like wrestling guys over and over again. It's kind of like what Marshawn Lynch said, 'If you run through someone's face, over and over again, you don't have to worry about them no more.' I kind of like beating guys over and over again, just to let them know that I'm the guy, I'm the one." On why he likes that Marshawn Lynch quote so much "I watched that when I was a kid and was like, damn, that was pretty hard. That was gangster right there. I didn't forget that one." On the tournament format "I wish I could wrestle everyone in the bracket, not just one side of the bracket. I want to wrestle everybody, because that's what I'm here for. I don't get tired. I train hard and I have fun. I wish I could wrestle everybody, that's how I look at it." On whether winning Big Tens helps build momentum for NCAA's "No momentum. We can get it in the parking lot in 10 days, five days, two days, right now. There's always momentum no matter what. This tournament doesn't have an impact on what's going on in 10 days, that's a whole different story." On confidence "I think confidence is a huge part of my personality, my athletic career and my personality outside of wrestling. I'm not doing this sport to say another guy can beat me. I'm here to be the best, showcase that and get my crown again." Twitter highlights Other tidbits "It's always win or die." "I believe this is a really special team with a lot of killers. I'd hop in a foxhole with any one of these guys." "You don't want to go to bed on a win because then you'll wake up with a loss. You want to just keep pushing forward and keep shooting to get better. You don't want to get too high or too low, you want to just keep going."

Vito Arujau in the 2023 NCAA finals (photo courtesy of Sam Janicki; SJanickiPhoto.com) In a flash, Cornell's Vito Arujau attacked the far leg of Penn State's Roman Bravo-Young, plucked his right ankle, elevated, and drove the opposite direction to score his second takedown of the 133-pound NCAA final. That clip has become one of the most prominent of the NCAA Tournament, and at the moment, all ESPN analyst Jordan Burroughs could say was, "Wow." Bravo-Young, a two-time defending national champion, had no answer for the power of Arujau on those clean finishes, which included a second-period reversal to his back where RBY stood little chance. But to the surprise of many, RBY, who is billed as perhaps the sport's quickest athlete, also seemed to have no good response for the incredible speed of Arujau. The visual of Bravo-Young looking helpless to Arujau's leg attacks was striking. The Cornell junior also out-powered Oklahoma State three-time NCAA runner-up Daton Fix and made it look easy in an 11-3 major in the semis. Two different opponents, two different styles, and Arujau took the action to both of them in dominant performances. "He's world-class, I've been saying it a long time," Cornell coach Mike Grey said. "Those two guys, they're fast and powerful. Vito is just stronger and faster than Daton and RBY." Those two wins capped an electric tournament for Arujau, who won his first NCAA title and received the Outstanding Wrestler award. Cornell might have had the top two candidates for that honor in Arujau and freshly minted four-timer Yianni Diakomihalis, but Arujau left no doubt about who was most deserving. He got rolling early as the No. 3 seed in the 133-pound bracket with a 12-6 win over No. 30 Ethan Rotondo of Cal Poly in his opener, a 12-4 major over Iowa State's No. 14 Zach Redding in the Round of 16, and an 8-5 win over No. 6 Sam Latona of Virginia Tech to set up the monster wins over Fix and Bravo-Young. "How often does it happen that a guy wins his fourth title and doesn't get OW?" Grey wondered. "He had to make it undeniable because he wrestled his ass off and did a great job. That's exactly what Vito did. "It's good for Vito because he's now getting credit for the great work he's put in." Arujau's body of work has been undeniable as an Olympic trials runner-up at 57 kilograms in 2020 and a Final X participant in '22, a silver medalist at the Cadet World Games in 2017, and now a three-time NCAA All-American. Perhaps the final piece to place Arujau on the country's elite tier of wrestlers was to unlock the ability to complete tournament runs, instead of being left to wonder where he went wrong. Arjujau went on that journey of self-reflection last offseason after falling to Princeton's Patrick Glory and taking bronze. "I thought I was the most skilled wrestler in last year's tournament, and then I ended up losing in the semis to Glory," Arujau said. "There was constantly this battle of, I couldn't figure out why I was losing. It's so much easier to be able to lose to someone who's really good and be like, 'OK, that guy is just better than me.' But that just didn't seem like it to me. "It didn't seem like that was the reason I was losing. That disconnect was definitely rooted in some doubt in my own abilities, but it's just a part of the process. And I guess, just learning how to deal with that was something that I did this year and found the ability to trust myself." That process started with the kind of pain that so often leads to growth in wrestling. Without question, Arujau had shown the skill and physical tools to win a national championship, so he set out to work with his coaches, sports psychologists and others to start figuring out how to better win the mental battle. That work paid off at NCAAs and perhaps set the stage for an even better version of Arujau moving forward. Those mental tools made his physical skill set pop in wins over Fix and Bravo-Young, They were also a good way for Arujau to bury any self-doubts and wrestle with a freer, clearer mind. "I have a very good grasp of the technique and how wrestling works," he said. "What I did work on was just the competition mindset, really, really focusing up for those seven minutes and actively finding a good place to perform at mentally. I was happy that I was able to really utilize those skills at the tournament." 2023 NCAA champion Vito Arujau (photo courtesy of Sam Janicki; SJanickiPhoto.com) What that looked like in the finals against Bravo-Young was Arujau completely checking his thought process at the door. He was moving freely without hesitation as he executed that plan, staying at least one step ahead of RBY both mentally and physically, which had previously looked impossible to do before Arujau snapped RBY's 56-match winning streak. That was everything in a match of that magnitude, but Arujau finished on the right side of it this time. "I let my body take over," he said. "I tried to cut out all that decision-making process during the match. I trusted my body to be able to know where to go and what to do and, you know, it did it." The mental and physical sides of wrestling came together at a perfect crossroads for Arujau in this NCAA tournament. A big part of that effort was the decision to move up from 125 to 133 pounds, which Grey said was made soon after last postseason. The plan remains for Arujau to make the descent to 57 kilograms and try to win a spot on the 2024 United States Olympic team, but the grind and frequent weigh-ins of the NCAA season made the bump to 133 a no-brainer for Arujau and the Cornell staff. The result was a fresher mind, stronger legs, more power and an overall better wrestling experience. "I think I have much more energy," Arujau said. "I'd say I have more power now that I'm at 133. I'm in a much better place with a much better attitude. I'm definitely not sucked out and sad all the time." With that fog lifted and the work he did on his mindset, Arujau was primed for his best performance, and not just in terms of the NCAA tournament. That highlight reel takedown to help win the match against Bravo-Young was the product of a full season of energetic practice work that Grey says wouldn't have happened if he were still wrestling 125 pounds. With fewer concerns about weight, Arujau had more time and attention for fundamental improvements. "He went elbow pass, head outside, ankle grab for his second takedown," Grey said. "It was beautiful. Attacking both sides of the body is something he needed to work on, and he finally had the ability to address it all season long. "It showed in his biggest moment." The next big step for Arujau is to apply the lessons he learned and the confidence he gained at 133 pounds and take it back with him to 57 kilograms. That work will begin with the U.S. Open next month, and as Arujau knows quite well by now, will never stop. But what Arujau did at NCAAs is raise the bar on his own performance and perhaps unlock something greater that will help him win bigger and bigger matches on his way to his ultimate goal: world titles. "Vito is really special," Grey said. "We've known he's been that great, and he'll only get better if he continues to believe in himself and put in great work. I'm excited for the U.S. Open for him. He's doing really good stuff. Everybody should be aware of him."

Lehigh All-American Josh Humphreys (photo courtesy of Sam Janicki; SJanickiPhoto.com) The 2023 NCAA Wrestling season ended last weekend. History was made, crazy upsets happened, and many fell short of their goals. Fortunately, and unfortunately, many EIWA wrestlers fell into all three categories. It was incredible to see the highest of highs and lowest of lows all under one roof, within seconds of each other - sometimes by the same person! In honor of the seven EIWA All-Americans, below is a list of 7 things to recap from the wild weekend in the Midwest! #1 - First, congrats to the 3 NCAA Champions from the EIWA. Patrick Glory, of Princeton, returned to the NCAA finals coming away with gold this time around. The entire country assumed we'd see Glory take on Spencer Lee in the finals. But, due to the "Pin Heard 'Round the World," this was not the matchup we saw. Glory beat Ramos of Purdue - giving Princeton their first NCAA champ in 72 years. Talk about history! Remember when he almost moved up a weight class during the year? I'm assuming the right decision was made to stay down at 125 lbs…. Glory's eligibility is done with but expect to see him on the freestyle circuit and try to make the U.S. team for the next Olympic cycle. Vito Arujau, of Cornell, won the Most Outstanding Wrestler Award after winning the 133lbs title, knocking off 2X defending champ Roman Bravo-Young of Penn State. Vito's road to the final included avenging a loss to Virginia Tech's Latona (who was the only wrestler this year to beat Vito). Vito's dominant semifinal win over 3X runner-up, Daton Fix, probably shocked many. He won via major decision, and nearly majored RBY in the finals. What an incredible performance by the man who many claimed had very little chance at winning this weight. Vito has another NCAA year left. With an upcoming Olympic training cycle, we may not see him compete for the Big Red, as he has bigger aspirations in this sport. I am expecting an Olympic redshirt from him next season, but that's just a hunch I have. Finally, Yianni Diakomihalis, of Cornell, made history by winning his fourth NCAA title - joining a rare class of elite wrestlers. As previously mentioned, he is the 5th person to ever achieve this feat. The last person to do this was Kyle Dake, of Cornell. Yianni's quest for a 4th title was somewhat under the radar due to the over-the-top coverage of Spencer Lee's quest. Thankfully, he was the last match of the night, and we were able to celebrate his triumphant feat in extraordinary fashion on, both, ESPN and inside the arena. When asked how his performance went, Yianni said "What I did this weekend, is FAR, FAR from how I need to compete to be an Olympic and World Champ." This is Yianni in a nutshell. The pursuit of perfection is constant. He's already back in the lab training freestyle and loving every second of not needing those annoying headgear anymore (per his Twitter). A few tidbits I'd like to add. The last time the EIWA had 3 NCAA champs was in 2012. Cornell ended up having 3 champs that year, earning a 4th place team finish. Secondly, in the year 2013, Yianni Diakomihalis won a New York state title at 99 lbs. His finals opponent - Vito Arujau. 10 years later, they both won an NCAA title repping Cornell University. Some stories just write themselves! #2 - The rest of the All-Americans deserve some love too! First up, in weight order, is Josh Humphreys of Lehigh earning 3rd at 157lbs. He lost a heartbreaker in the semis to the champ, O'Connor of North Carolina. He was O'Connor's closest bout of the weekend, if that means anything. His future is still up in the air, as he will be applying for a medical redshirt. I think we'll see him back for the Mountain Hawks. Quincy Monday was an animal this weekend, taking 3rd at a LOADED 165lb weight class. He fell in the semis to David Carr by a score of 6-5 due to a hard third-period ride. He dropped down and beat two returning All-Americans in Hamiti of Wisconsin and Amine of Michigan. Quincy was all smiles, all weekend - deservedly so. The legacy he will leave behind at Princeton goes so much further than what he achieved on the mat. His wrestling future is still in the air, somewhat. I'd expect him to do some freestyle to see where he fits on the Olympic ladder, so to speak. He did mention he wants to put his Ivy League education to good use. Quincy is more than just a great wrestler. Chris Foca, of Cornell, was your third-place finisher at 174 lbs. He dropped his semifinal to the all-time great Starocci of Penn State. His win for 3rd over Mekhi Lewis was a great way to end the year, as Lewis was a former NCAA champ. Foca went all "FocaStyle" in the winner's bracket, pinning two opponents, including fifth-seeded Plott of Oklahoma State. He was an integral part of Cornell's 3rd-place finish as a team. He'll be back, but so is Starocci (possibly?). I'm sure we'll see Foca on the freestyle scene in the near future as well. The last All-American for the EIWA was Cornell's Jacob Cardenas at 197 lbs. Talk about battling back through the consi's. He lost in the R16 on Thursday night, then rallied off three straight wins to become an All-American. Cardenas turned it on this postseason, winning EIWAs and coming to Tulsa with a podium finish. I loved seeing him bounce back after a Thursday night loss to Sloan of SDSU - who eventually lost in the final to Bonaccorsi of Pitt. Cardenas has jumped levels this year and I expect him to do the same this offseason. I'm looking forward to his battles with Beard of Lehigh in the next few seasons. Cardenas will be another Big Red wrestler doing freestyle this off-season. #3 - Since I started my coverage at the beginning of the 2021-2022 season, the EIWA has been awful in the bloodround matches at NCAAs. How awful? Last season, they amassed a 1-7 record in the round of 12. This year's record was 1-6. Coincidentally, the only wrestlers to win these matches were from Cornell. Loew at 184 lbs last season, and Cardenas this year at 197 lbs. Cornell's Brett Ungar found himself in the blood round at 125lbs this year, losing to 2X All-American Cardinale of West Virginia in a close 3-2 bout. At 141lbs, Lehigh's Malyke Hines lost to McNeil of North Carolina. Hines came into the tournament as the 22nd seed, knocking off Jack of NC State and Kazimir of Columbia in the consi's. Having built himself into the weight class this year, Hines will be tough next season. Julian Ramirez was in the blood round as well. The 165lbs wrestler from Cornell was upset in the first round and went on a run, which stopped short of AA status thanks to Shane Griffith of Stanford. It's never a good draw to have an NCAA champ in this do-or-die round. Ramirez has now lost in this round twice in his two years of competition. Drexel's Brian Bonino was one of the lowest seeds to advance to this round in the entire tournament. He defeated eighth-seed Finesilver of Michigan in the winner's bracket. In the consi's, he took down the EIWA champ, Samuelson of Lehigh. His loss in the Round of 12 was to Romero of Ohio State who ended up in third, making a heck of a run. Lehigh's Michael Beard struggled to close out both matches he lost. This seems to be an ongoing problem with Beard. If he can learn to maximize his abilities he'll be in the mix for an NCAA title. I'm excited for him to return next year and be near the top of the podium. The final blood round loss came at heavyweight. Harvard's Yara Slavikouski fell to Davison of Northwestern in overtime. I fully expect Yara back next year, but he'll most likely be wrestling for a team in another conference, as his Ivy League eligibility is now done with. He is currently in the transfer portal looking for a new home. My guess would be a BigTen school (possibly a higher-end academic school looking for a heavyweight to replace their graduating senior NCAA champion????) #4 - The Ivies are on top of the EIWA, and there are no signs of slowing down. The five Ivy League Teams with qualifiers made up 29 of the conference's 54 qualifiers. Penn led the way with eight qualifiers, Cornell had seven, Columbia had six, Princeton and Harvard each had four. With these teams only getting stronger, and the inevitable rise of Brown, the Ivy League has come a very long way in the last decade. All of these squads are climbing the ranks of the conference. It's even more impressive to see two different Ivies represented in the finals for the second year in a row! Plus, Cornell walking away with a third-place team trophy is icing on the cake. Princeton ended in 13th place. I've mentioned it before, keep an eye out for this Columbia team. They are quietly getting better. Look for them to improve on their 6 qualifiers next season, and possibly getting someone on that podium. They will be a tough team to beat in the upcoming years. #5 - The non-Ivies had a nice tournament as well. Led by Lehigh's T-20th place finish, we need to go all the way to 43rd place for the second non-Ivy team, Drexel. To me, this says a majority of EIWA teams scored minimal points, and the points they did score came in the consi's. I've seen arguments that the conference gets too many allocations - this would be an argument I could listen to, solely based on these team scores. But being the largest conference in the country, they've earned that right. Obviously, Lehigh has always been at the top of this category. As of late, teams like Army and Navy have been producing wrestlers that are winning at the NCAA tournament. Drexel has now had a R12 wrestler two straight years. Binghamton had Lou DePrez in a similar situation last year as well. Obviously, winning a few matches as a team is not the goal - I know that, and so do the coaching staffs and wrestlers. As balanced as many of the non-Ivy teams in the EIWA are, sometimes they lack the "stud(s)" that produce points at NCAAs. This is basically a bunch of rambling to say - let's not get too pessimistic about the conference, based on these team scores. The conference is in a very healthy spot and I'll die on that hill. #6 - There were a few wrestlers who stood out to me as "overachievers" (for lack of a better word) based on seeds, and maybe over the entirety of their season. The main one that sticks out is Drexel's Brian Bonino. His huge upset, as the 25th seed, in the first round over 8th seeded Finesilver of Michigan put him on a good path. He battled back, ending in the top 12 in the nation. This was after spending much of the season ranked in the high-20s, once he broke into the rankings. Another standout to me was Lehigh's Malyke Hines. Moving up from 133 lbs last season, he began the season a little slow and took some questionable losses. He managed to turn it on at the end of the year. He began NCAAs as the 22nd seed, and ended up losing in the blood round to McNeil of UNC. His win over the fifth seed, Jack of NC State, was a huge win. Is it cheating to say Vito "overachieved"? Many counted him out as a finalist, let alone a champ at that weight - which has been manned by RBY of Penn State for the past two seasons. I think it's fair to say Vito surpassed expectations with how he won over Fix and RBY, as the final scores were not even all that close. The way he dominated was very impressive. The same argument could be made for Glory, as his closest match was a 4-1 win over a dangerous Matt Ramos in the final. #7 - My overall thoughts of NCAAs have me torn. Even though the number of All-Americans for the conference was down again this year, it was a great experience and atmosphere to witness in person. Being behind the scenes and down on the floor is something I wish all fans could experience. You observe the roller coaster of emotions. My heart breaks watching wrestlers end their NCAA careers at this tournament without achieving their lifelong goals. It can get a little emotional for me with no real skin in the game. On the flip side, I also get emotional seeing wrestlers at the highest of highs - whether that's winning one match, being an All-American, or an NCAA Champion. Being a former wrestler at this level, I have been on both sides of those situations. Being a former coach, I can relate to the passion and dedication these staffs invest in their athletes. Sometimes wins and losses can mean more to the coaches and/or parents involved than we could ever imagine, as we saw in the unfortunate viral clip of Spencer Lee's mom after his loss. I am sure, one day, I will know that feeling. Until then, I'll keep staying involved on the media side as much as possible. In conclusion, I just wanted to thank everyone who has reached out to me and for the kind words I've received this year. It does go a long way knowing that people in different roles are reading my material. It has been an honor to follow the journey of the EIWA's athletes, coaches, fans, and everyone else who is along for the ride! Another season is in the books. The 2023-2024 season will be here before you know it!

North Carolina All-American Lachlan McNeil (photo courtesy of Sam Janicki; SJanickiPhoto.com) Well, the season has come to an end. I know wrestling goes all year but the college season just hits differently. It’s like a slow-building symphony that ends with an epic crescendo in March. Or for you younger folks, the guitar finale of Freebird. So now we turn our attention to National qualifiers, international tournaments at strange hours, and me struggling to come up with something to talk about in July. Congratulations to all the placers this year and next week I'll figure out the newest members of the All-Jagger team. I still don’t know the criteria for that so I’m just gonna wing it. On to your questions. Lachlan McNeil. Future champ? Eric in Ottawa Not since “Rowdy” Roddy Piper smashed a coconut over Jimmy Snuka’s head has a Scottish-Canadian made such an impact on American wrestling until Lachlan McNeil. The redshirt freshman from UNC took advantage of a wide-open 141 class and left Tulsa with a fourth-place finish. A 6-4 loss to eventual champ Andrew Alirez shows that the Wyoming Seminary product is right there with everyone at his weight. I’d expect a finals appearance at some point in the next few years. That’s a good name, too, Lachlan. I also possess a government name that’s Scottish so I can dig it. Serious question…what rank will Nino Bonaccorsi receive from the CEO of Italians now that he’s an NCAA champion? Has to be like capo or something, right? Jkos11 Let’s just say the books are being opened for the first time in a long time. Can’t really say much more because, you know, omerta and whatnot. Speaking of the Don.. Who do you think out of the NCAA All-Italian-American team has the best chance of winning a national title next year? CEO of Italians The easy answer is Carter Starocci, but he’s going to tease us for the next year if he’s ever coming back. Even though Sammy Sasso brings his backpack to the mat, he’ll also be back next year and should be the favorite at 149 or 157. Certainly, Anthony Noto and Eddie Ventresca can contend in what will be a new era at 125, but Matt Ramos has to be considered the top guy there right now. Best place for a nice dinner near the Prudential Center? Kevin Mcguigan When in Newark you positively have to try one of the numerous Portuguese Rodizio restaurants for the finest cooked meats. Their meat just cannot be beaten. As Twitter user Aaron Bartlett pointed out, Taste of Portugal is only ten minutes away. It seems like a good place to start. What would your walkout song be for the NCAA finals? Shane Thomas So many choices. I think you have to use every resource to find an edge and your intro music is no different. You need something that’s going to rattle your opponent and throw him off his game. I’ll go with “Happy" by Pharrell Williams. The trick is that I’ll wear headphones playing an entirely different song. Let’s see my opponent concentrate with that trash song stuck in his head when the whistle blows. Rank my outfits from this weekend. Rachel Gallardo I wouldn’t call myself Mr. Blackwell here, but I did notice a denim jacket with an InterMat patch on the back. Get me one of those with a Motley Crue patch and you get a perfect ten from me. Rank the NCAA champions by toughest dads. Indiana Mat Why is everyone asking me to rank things? I’m not even in the official guild. I’m not privy to the entire dad roster but I assure you I am not talking trash to the Parris family if I see them in a bar. Did you see the dad? He looks like he’d chop down a tree in the morning just to get some syrup for his flapjacks. Who needs friends when you got Noir? Coach Scott Green Wegmans Enjoyer You don’t! Jagger Noir is all you need! Well, that and some Bleu Cheese. Seriously though, I want to thank the wrestling community for letting me in. I have no credentials, no medals, no connections, and sometimes no filter. Just a Twitter account and my cunning to get me through and you’ve all allowed me to make some great friends along this journey. I never thought in a million years I’d be writing a column of any kind and we’ve now made it through two full college seasons. I have no idea how long this will last but I truly enjoy connecting with all of you on a daily basis. Speaking of friends... A wrestler that you weren’t entirely familiar with before NCAA’s that you’ll watch closely going forward. Earl B. Smith, Nats Enjoyer Pretty much the entire Oregon State team. As Twitter user Matt Sganga said, it can be tough to keep up with the PAC-12 conference. There isn’t a ton of turnover in head coaches at this level and it’s even rarer to see a large school hire a rookie head coach. The Chris Pendleton hire looks like a slam dunk already as the Beavers have already captured a conference title. It will be interesting to see if he turns them into a major player or if another OSU comes calling. Until then, I’m on that Beaver Train. And they get to say dam a lot, too. I admit I also haven’t seen much of Wyatt Hendrickson. He’s quite a thing.

National champions Nino Bonaccorsi (left), Patrick Glory (center), and Mason Parris (photos courtesy of Sam Janicki; SJanickiPhoto.com) The 2023 NCAA Championships are officially in the rearview mirror. As we get further and further away from the Covid year in 2021 that gave student-athletes an additional year of eligibility, a sense of normalcy approaches. One of the typical happenings at the end of a collegiate season is to bid the seniors a fond farewell as they've concluded their respective careers. Drilling down further into the seniors, personally, one of my favorite sites to see at an NCAA tournament is a senior that finishes their career on top for the first time. This scenario isn't exactly a given, especially in the current era of DI wrestling. Wrestlers are coming into college more prepared than ever and are winning younger than in previous generations. As a result, there are fewer and fewer seniors winning their first national titles. In 2022, only Ryan Deakin fit this mold of first-time champion as a senior. The previous year, there were none. 2019 had Anthony Ashnault and Drew Foster. 2018 Michael Macchiavello. Just typing their names brings me a sense of positivity. Why, you ask? I like watching wrestlers accomplish their dreams. Freshman, senior, whatever. But for me, there's an added sense of significance when it's a student-athlete with their back against the wall in their final opportunity to win. Someone who's battle-tested, has been through the rigors of four (or five, or six) years in a collegiate wrestling room. An athlete that has come close to tasting victory yet, for whatever reason, has come up just short of that ultimate goal. They shake off years of frustration, self-doubt, and injuries to give it one last try. Seeing one of those wrestlers get over the hump and get sent off in style, during the final collegiate bout is poetic. This time they cry tears of joy instead of tears of despair. In 2023, we had the pleasure of watching three of these seniors go out in style with their first national title. 125 lber Patrick Glory, 197 lber Nino Bonaccorsi, and 285 lber Mason Parris. The three have this in common; however, they have very different paths to the top of the podium. One similarity between the trio is that each had their respective careers interrupted by the Covid year of 2019-20. Both Glory and Parris were seeded second that season and had the eventual Hodge Trophy winner's in their respective weight classes. While each would have been an underdog, you never know what actually would have happened. We remember Gable Steveson as an Olympic gold medalist, but his margin of victory over Parris at the 2020 Big Ten Championships was 8-6. Could Parris have reversed that decision in two weeks? Maybe. Glory never wrestled Spencer Lee that season, but he did post the best bonus point percentage of his career. He was close to the top of his game in 2020. Looking at the career of each, we'll start the way that most wrestling events do, with the smallest weight class first. 2023 125 lb national champion Patrick Glory Glory was a blue-chip recruit that came into an emerging Princeton program that was starting to make its mark on the college wrestling scene. He wasn't the first no-brainer, future superstar to ink with the Tigers, that was teammate Matt Kolodzik, the program's first-ever freshman All-American. Kolodzik showed you can win right away with the school. After Zain Retherford finished up, in 2018, Kolodzik was one of the favorites at 149 for his final two seasons. From an outside perspective, Kolodzik appeared to be the strong, silent type. The teammate that led by his actions. Conversely, you have Glory who was a homegrown kid from New Jersey that seemed to carry that Jersey chip on his shoulder. He was the one that liked to rile up the crowd after a big win. Whether it's his home fans or in a rival gym. He was Jersey and he was the face of Princeton wrestling. Like Kolodzik, Glory found success right away and made the podium as a freshman. For the bulk of Glory's career, he was chasing Spencer Lee. The two met during Glory's freshman year and though he lost both times, I always thought his skill set presented the best opportunity to knock off Lee. With the Hawkeye great out of the picture in 2022, Glory made the national finals, but lost to Nick Suriano of Michigan. It was no secret that Glory had a difficult time making 125 last season, so most, myself included, assumed he'd move up to 133 for his final hurrah. That proved to be wrong as Glory made the tough pull down to 125 lbs for the 2022-23 campaign. The grind of a DI season can be long as it is, but when you've got a difficult cut and may be dealing with other injuries, it has to feel like a marathon. Glory spent some time competing at 133 for the good of his team, while keeping his weight within striking distance for 125. The regular season probably didn't go as smoothly as Glory would've pictured (though he was undefeated), but the saying goes, "All that matters is March." All year, smart fans and media members liked to point out that Glory's NCAA quarterfinal match could be his toughest. That would present him with a high-quality opponent, right off the scale after a presumably difficult second-day weigh-in. Once the brackets were released and #7 Brandon Kaylor/#10 Brandon Courtney were the probable matchups, those talks intensified. But, as one of the members of the Princeton staff told our EIWA correspondent, Austin Sommer, "NCAA Glory is different." That proved to be the case as he dominated Brett Ungar, his EIWA Finals opponent he had beaten by the score of 2-0 a few weeks earlier. In the NCAA second round, Glory pitched a 10-0 shutout. For that possibly problematic quarterfinal, Glory jumped out to an early lead and coasted to an 8-4 decision over Courtney. The semifinals also provided little drama as Glory clinched a berth in his second consecutive national title match. After Glory's win, the wrestling world was turned upside down as Purdue's Matt Ramos pinned three-time national champion Spencer Lee in the other semifinal bout. Once I tried to digest the results of the Lee loss, I wondered, "How does Glory feel?" I imagined he wanted to be "the guy" that spoiled Lee's coronation. He's had Lee in his crosshairs for years and won't get to face him. Our Mailbag Specialist, Jagger, was able to talk some sense into me. Jagger convinced me that "Glory likes playing the villain. The entire arena will be pulling for Ramos after the upset. He'd love being the guy to beat Ramos." As often happens, except with his baseball takes, Jagger was right. And true to his style, Glory did so with flare. In my recollection, he's likely the only wrestler to walk out to the NCAA finals carrying an American flag. Glory was able to hold off a pesky Ramos and secured his elusive NCAA title with a 4-1 victory. That win brought Chris Ayres' Princeton program their first NCAA championship since 1951! Who better to win that title than the guy that's been a star from day one, a wrestler that encapsulates his home state and has been the face of Princeton wrestling. 2023 285 lb national champion Mason Parris Let's skip ahead to the heavyweight champion Mason Parris. Like Glory, Parris was a blue-chip recruit that got thrust into the Michigan starting lineup in year one. As a true freshman, Parris was a bit undersized. He competed at 220 lbs as a high school senior and was a multi-sport athlete, famously qualifying for the Indiana state tournament in the shot put and high hurdles. That's right, a heavyweight that has that sort of athleticism. From the outset, it was clear that Parris wasn't your average wrestler. Literally, the first weekend. In his collegiate debut, Parris pinned the returning MAC champion, Matt Stencel, in 14 seconds. An excellent college heavyweight in :14 seconds! That match took place competing unattached and it wasn't until early January that the Wolverine staff officially unleashed Parris. In his first career dual, Parris had his way with returning All-American Amar Dhesi to the tune of an 11-4 win. A promising first year ended on a down note as Parris lost at NCAA's in a weird, 8-5 decision to Iowa's Sam Stoll, when Stoll repeatedly pushed him out of bounds for multiple stalling calls, then he was pinned by old rival Stencel in the bloodround. In the summer following his freshman year, Parris rolled through the Junior World bracket and pinned future Senior world champion Amir Zare to win a gold medal. Extra size, experience and a year in the Wolverine wrestling room made for a breakout season, one that saw him go undefeated until the 2020 Big Ten finals. It's hard to place ourselves in 2020 knowing what we know now, but there was a contingent of fans that felt Parris was the man to beat at 285 lbs, not Gable Steveson. Steveson prevailed 8-6 and there would be no rematch due to the Covid cancellation. A year later, Steveson accounted for Parris' only two losses of the year, in the Big Ten and NCAA finals. The shortened 2021 campaign marked the first NCAA All-American honor for Parris, as he was second in the nation. Last season, Parris battled through an injury-plagued year to take fifth in the nation and went 20-6. If you're around wrestling enough, you hear plenty of stories about injuries and sicknesses being responsible for losses. Some are legit, some are questionable. After Parris' blazing start to the 2022-23 season, I was at the Bout at the Ballpark where the Wolverines faced Oklahoma State and spoke to Michigan SID Leah Howard. I told her, "Mason must've really been hurt last year, just comparing results from year-to-year." She assured me that he was and agreed at how great he appeared this season. Parris continued his run with his first Big Ten title and a top seed in Tulsa. The semifinals looked like they may present a bit of a challenge since Iowa's Tony Cassioppi was waiting for the Michigan big man. Cassioppi nearly knocked off Parris in dual competition and was hungry for a rematch. Apparently, Parris was too as he teched Cassioppi and stormed into his second NCAA final. A rematch of the Big Ten finals against Kerkvliet looked like it may head in a different direction as Kerkvliet got to a leg early in the bout. That proved to be just a fleeting moment, as Parris shrugged off the attempt for a takedown of his own. The initial attack from Kerkvliet represented the most danger Parris was in for the remainder of the bout. He'd cruise to a 5-1 victory and finished his collegiate career with a win and a national title. As Parris was making his way back to the media room for his post-match interview, our Rachel Gallardo caught Parris saying "We did it…finally." The "we" portion of Parris' comment is important because, while he was on the mat competing, there are so many people that went into a national title. Family, coaches, teammates, friends, and high school/club coaches. And, of course, the "finally" part. That's certainly a feeling from one of these seniors that felt they were good enough to win two or three titles, but eventually did it in that last opportunity. 2023 197 lb national champion Nino Bonaccorsi Glory and Parris were both blue-chippers expected to contribute immediately in year one. Nino Bonaccorsi had the opportunity to redshirt in his first year with Pittsburgh. While Bonaccorsi was an excellent signing for the Panthers, he didn't have the fanfare that the other two carried. As a senior, Bonaccorsi fell in the state finals to Glory's eventual teammate Travis Stefanik of Nazareth High School. Bonaccorsi grew up just outside of Pittsburgh in Bethel Park and was the second member of his family to wrestle for the Panthers. His brother, Nick, was a three-time NCAA qualifier from 2013-16. After a redshirt year, Bonaccorsi put together a solid freshman season making the ACC finals and coming up a match shy of All-American status, losing to fellow Pennsylvania native Dakota Geer (Oklahoma State) in the bloodround at Pittsburgh's PPG Paints Arena. Bonaccorsi turned in a solid sophomore campaign, but ended up third in a deep ACC bracket that included NC State's Trent Hidlay and Virginia Tech's Hunter Bolen. Even with that finish he was seeded tenth in the ill-fated 2020 tournament. Once wrestling got back underway after the Covid cancellations, Bonaccorsi reemerged as a 197 lber. The move proved to be a good one as he captured the first of his three ACC titles and grabbed the sixth seed at the 2021 NCAA Championships. That tournament was Bonaccorsi's big breakout as he knocked off the third seed and made the NCAA finals, clinching All-American honors for the first time. Bonaccorsi, one of the preeminent offensive wrestlers at 197 lbs, would be stymied in the 2021 NCAA finals by AJ Ferrari, then of Oklahoma State. The 2022-23 season was another solid one for Bonaccorsi, yet he missed out on All-American honors after a second-round upset and a loss to Rocky Elam in the bloodround. In his final go 'round, Bonaccorsi picked up three key wins in his first four appearances (Michael Beard, Jaxon Smith, Zac Braunagel). Once both returning finalists stumbled, Bonaccorsi rose to #1 in the national rankings. He went through the regular season and ACC tournament unscathed and was the only constant in a 197 lb weight class filled with chaos. Most fans expected the 197 bracket in Tulsa to be the most unpredictable. That was partly because the returning champion was seeded ninth and his runner-up was seeded 14th. It's also a result of the Big Ten sucking up so much attention in the wrestling world. A wrestler like Bonaccorsi was largely an unknown commodity for a portion of the fanbase. This was despite an NCAA runner-up finish in 2021 and three ACC titles. Nino's final tournament mirrored his career at Pitt. He kind of just quietly chugs along and amassed win after win, rarely wowing the crowd, but getting the job done. In the quarterfinals, he downed the Big Ten champion Silas Allred in a bout that featured two of the best offensive wrestlers at the weight. That offense was on display in the semis as Bonaccorsi took it to Rider's Ethan Laird, 10-4. Bonaccorsi continued his workman-like approach in the finals by defeating the seventh-seed, South Dakota State's Tanner Sloan, 5-3. That championship gave Pittsburgh their first national championship since 2008 when Bonaccorsi's head coach Keith Gavin won at 174 lbs. Credit goes to whoever handles Twitter for the Pitt wrestling team as they made a post that outlined the similarities between Bonaccorsi and Gavin's careers. Neither was a Pennsylvania state champion, yet both were undefeated seniors who closed their careers out with a national title. Earlier I said that Glory is a great representation of Jersey. Well, Bonaccorsi embodies Pittsburgh pretty well himself. Not flashy and not attention-grabbing, but he just gets the job done. The Pittsburgh business community has taken notice of the local boy done good as there have been a handful of restaurants that have had Nino-inspired offerings within the last week. If you've been around wrestling, particularly at the collegiate level, for any length of time, you know that the sport isn't fair. Storybook endings are usually reserved for movies. What's more realistic is a star wrestler who is limited because of an ill-timed injury or loses in an upset after a momentary lapse. Or perhaps falling victim to the mental weight of past struggles. There are dozens of examples each year of wrestlers that had national title hopes dashed due to one of the previous statements (or some other factor). All three of these national champions have different stories, but they now can proudly wear the title "national champion." Each shrugged off years of heartbreak and failures to shine brightest when the stage was the biggest and in their final attempt.

Princeton's NCAA champion Patrick Glory (photo courtesy of Sam Janicki; SJanickiPhoto.com) The NCAA Tournament is the event we use to generate most of our important statistics and facts as watchers of college wrestling. With the tournament having wrapped up from Tulsa, there are ten 2023 national champions and 80 All-Americans, but how many of those went undefeated or AA'ed for the second, third, or even fourth time? We'll answer those questions and more below. FYI, for the All-American milestones, the terminology NCAA All-American was used so that we capture the wrestlers that earned spots on the podium at the national tournament and didn't factor in the All-American labels from the 2020 season without a tournament. In some instances, you may see these wrestlers listed as having one more All-American honor than we've mentioned below. 4x NCAA Champion Yianni Diakomihalis - Cornell 3x NCAA Champions Carter Starocci - Penn State Aaron Brooks - Penn State 2x NCAA Champions Austin O'Connor - North Carolina Keegan O'Toole - Missouri Undefeated Wrestlers for 2022-23 Patrick Glory - Princeton 25-0 Andrew Alirez - Northern Colorado 28-0 Austin O'Connor - North Carolina 23-0 Carter Starocci - Penn State 24-0 Nino Bonaccorsi - Pittsburgh 21-0 Mason Parris - Michigan 33-0 4x NCAA All-Americans Roman Bravo-Young - Penn State (2, 1, 1, 8) Max Dean - Penn State (7, 1, 2, 8) Yianni Diakomihalis - Cornell (1, 1, 1, 1) Daton Fix - Oklahoma State (4, 2, 2, 2) Mikey Labriola - Nebraska (2, 7, 3, 6) Spencer Lee - Iowa (6, 1, 1, 1) Austin O'Connor - North Carolina (1, 8, 1, 3) Jacob Warner - Iowa (5, 2, 4, 7) 3x NCAA All-Americans Cam Amine - Michigan (4, 4, 7) Vito Arujau - Cornell (1, 3, 4) Aaron Brooks - Penn State (1, 1, 1) David Carr (2, 3, 1) Tony Cassioppi (4, 7, 3) Brandon Courtney - Arizona State (3, 6, 2) Rocky Elam - Missouri (3, 4, 5) Patrick Glory - Princeton (1, 2, 6) Shane Griffith - Stanford (5, 2, 1) Trent Hidlay - NC State (4, 5, 2) Trent Hillger - Wisconsin (8, 6, 8) Parker Keckeisen - Northern Iowa (2, 3, 3) Mekhi Lewis - Virginia Tech (4, 2, 1) Brock Mauller - Missouri (7, 5, 6) Michael McGee (3, 4, 6) Keegan O'Toole (1, 1, 3) Kyle Parco (4, 8, 6) Mason Parris (1, 5, 2) Sammy Sasso (2, 5, 2) Cohlton Schultz (7, 2, 4) Carter Starocci (1, 1, 1) Bernie Truax (4, 4, 4) 2x NCAA All-Americans Bryce Andonian - Virginia Tech (7, 3) Nino Bonaccorsi - Pittsburgh (1, 2) Killian Cardinale - West Virginia (8, 7) Clay Carlson - South Dakota State (5, 8) Marcus Coleman - Iowa State (5, 7) Lucas Davison - Northwestern (5, 6) Dean Hamiti - Wisconsin (6, 6) Sam Latona - Virginia Tech (7, 6) Will Lewan - Michigan (8, 5) Quincy Monday - Princeton (3, 2) Dustin Plott - Oklahoma State (6, 6) Kaleb Romero - Ohio State (3, 6) Ethan Smith - Ohio State (7, 5) Real Woods - Iowa (2, 6) 1x NCAA All-Americans (as Seniors) Liam Cronin - Nebraska (3) Will Feldkamp - Clarion (7) Parker Filius - Purdue (7) Ethan Laird - Rider (6) Max Murin - Iowa (6) Coaching Cael Sanderson - Penn State 10th NCAA Team Title, 10th Team Trophy at Penn State, 12th as a Head Coach Tom Brands - Iowa 14th Team Trophy as Head Coach Mike Grey - Cornell 1st Team Trophy as Head Coach Tom Ryan - Ohio State 8th Team Trophy as Head Coach

Ohio State signee Rocco Welsh (photo courtesy of Sam Janicki; SJanickiPhoto.com) Earlier this month, the high school state tournament season wrapped up. As these tournaments conclude, it begs the question, "how did my favorite team's recruits fare?" In some smaller states, it's almost a given that your college-bound studs are collecting another state title, while in the power states, with the deepest talent pools, such achievements are not guaranteed. Either way, we've combed through results from all of the state tournaments that have taken place thus far to find out how everyone's recruits have finished. With all of the action on the college front, this article was delayed by a week, but it's here now. If there's anyone we may have overlooked, please contact me at earl@matscouts.com Air Force EJ Beloncik (Heritage Hall) - Oklahoma 4A State Runner-Up: 165 lbs Brian Burburija (Countryside) - Florida 2A State Champ: 195 lbs Josh Cordio (Wyoming Seminary) - National Prep 3rd Place: 215 lbs Gunner Cramblett (Graham) - Ohio DII State Champ: 165 lbs - - Class of 2024 Jackson Dewald (Westwood) - Iowa 1A State Champ: 195 lbs Jake Doone (Nazareth) - Pennsylvania AAA State 6th Place: 145 lbs Andrew Harmon (Bethlehem Catholic) - Pennsylvania AAA State 3rd Place: 160 lbs Soren Herzog (Simley) - Minnesota AA State Champ: 285 lbs Myles Johnson (Springboro) - Ohio DI State 3rd Place: 190 lbs Talon McCollom (Edmond North) - Oklahoma 6A State Champ: 175 lbs - - Class of 2024 Trason Oehme (Brandon Valley) - South Dakota A State Champ: 145 lbs Josh Palacio (North Bergen) - New Jersey State 6th Place: 175 lbs American Coen Bainey (Bald Eagle) - Pennsylvania AA State 4th Place: 127 lbs Caleb Beaty (Corinth-Holders) - North Carolina 4A State Champ: 220 lbs Cael McIntyre (Bethlehem Catholic) - Pennsylvania AAA State 5th Place: 133 lbs Kaden Milheim (Warrior Run) - Pennsylvania AA State 3rd Place Gage Owen (South Carroll) - Maryland 2A/1A State Runner-Up: 138 lbs JJ Peace (Cane Bay) - South Carolina 5A State Champ: 120 lbs - - Class of 2024 Emmanuel Ulrich (Mifflinburg) - Pennsylvania AA State 3rd Place: 285 lbs Appalachian State For the full article, Subscribe to InterMat's Rokfin Page

3x NCAA Champion Carter Starocci (Photo/Sam Janicki; SJanickiPhoto.com) Another NCAA tournament is in the books. 10 champions were crowned, and there were several standout statistical performers. The following looks at those top performers even though not all of them managed to bring home national titles. Point Differential Spencer Lee +1.70 Mason Parris +1.30 Things certainly did not end for Spencer Lee (Iowa) as many Hawkeye fans had hoped. Instead of bringing home his fourth NCAA title, Matt Ramos (Purdue) pinned him in the final seconds of the semifinals. The loss sent Lee to a sixth-place finish and effectively ended his collegiate career. While Ramos had wrestled Lee tough earlier in the season, the loss was still unexpected due to the fact that Lee was wrestling well. He ran through the Big Ten tournament where he outscored his opponents 45 to four and finished with a tournament-high +2.18 point differential. His patented scoring was also on display in the earlier rounds of the NCAA tournament. Prior to the match against Ramos, Lee had outscored his opposition 33 to four. Even including the loss against Ramos, Lee still scored 2.34 points per minute and allowed only 0.64 points per minute. That leaves him with a +1.70 point differential, which was the highest across the entire tournament. Lee's ability to score from the top position was basically unmatched during his collegiate career. His 2.34 points per minute was also the highest scoring rate of the entire tournament. This year, he finished with the highest point differential in all three tournaments he entered: the Soldier Salute, the Big Ten tournament and the NCAA tournament. The second-highest point differential of the tournament belonged to Michigan heavyweight Mason Parris. On his path to the title, he averaged 1.48 points per minute and allowed only 0.18 points per minute. His +1.30 differential was ahead of all other competitors outside of Lee. Parris had the fifth-highest scoring rate in the field, but he allowed more than one point in only one of his matches. Four of his five opponents, including Greg Kerkvliet (Penn State) and Tony Cassioppi (Iowa), scored only a single point before suffering defeat. Parris also added to his Hodge Trophy candidacy by picking up bonus points in three of his five matches. Points Against per Minute Carter Starocci 0.08 Thanks to a strong defensive performance and some killer instinct, Penn State's Carter Starocci allowed the fewest points on a per-minute basis across the tournament. He allowed only two points in his quarterfinal match against Bailee O'Reilly (Minnesota) and shut out his other four opponents. Starocci was able to finish two of his matches, including his finals victory over Mikey Labriola (Nebraska), via first-period fall. That obviously limited his opponent's opportunities to score. He had only two falls on the season prior to the tournament and doubled that total. Most Match Time Jesse Mendez 62:39 One of the biggest recruits in the last class made his NCAA tournament debut, and he certainly made the most of it from a duration perspective. Ohio State's Jesse Mendez lost his second match against Michael McGee (Arizona State) before wrestling all the way back to finish sixth. Along the way, Mendez wrestled in eight matches. He was one of only five wrestlers to compete in eight matches joining Jacob Warner (Iowa), Ed Scott (NC State), Clay Carlson (South Dakota State) and Caleb Henson (Virginia Tech). While those fellow competitors may have wrestled the same number of matches as Mendez, nobody could equal his amount of match time. He spent over an hour wrestling at the NCAA tournament and finished with 62:39. This total was increased dramatically as he won three-straight matches on the backside in rideouts. This included his bloodround victory over Lucas Byrd (Illinois) to become an All-American. The only other wrestler who was close to Mendez in terms of match time was Henson. The Hokie, who also wrestled eight matches, finished with over 57 minutes of match time. While that was certainly a lot of time, it was significantly less than Mendez. Overtime Matches For years, the sudden victory period following a match tied in regulation was only one minute long. A few seasons back, this period was expanded to two minutes. If the theory behind this move was to increase the number of overtime matches that finish before rideouts, then this plan was a rousing success. At the 2023 NCAA wrestling tournament, 61 matches went to overtime. Of those 61 matches, 47 were decided in the initial sudden victory period. While the collegiate rules of folkstyle do give an advantage to wrestlers who like to work from the top position, the new overtime rules certainly favor wrestlers who can score in the neutral position. Top position wrestlers can still have their riding time, but two minutes is a long period to work through while waiting for the rideout periods. The round of 32 was the road that featured the most matches that went to overtime. 11 first-round matches needed extra time, which was more than any other round. Interestingly enough there were only four matches in the "bloodround" that went to overtime despite some of those matches being the most hotly contested bouts.