InterMat Staff

2x NCAA Champion for Missouri Keegan O'Toole It's never too early to look ahead to next year! So, with that, we've highlighted all of the wrestlers that competed at the 2023 NCAA Championships and have eligibility to return for the 2023-24 season. Normally, this is easy to track, but with eligibility still out of wack due to the 2021 Covid year, these things can be difficult to follow. Some of the wrestlers that qualified for nationals will have a decision to make, as to whether or not they intend on returning to the mat. Let me know if there is someone below who does not intend on competing in 2023-24 or if there is someone omitted who has been granted extra eligibility. Wrestlers are grouped by their weight class and how they finished at nationals; starting with placewinners then by the farthest consolation round they advanced to. 125 lbs Matt Ramos (Purdue) 2nd Anthony Noto (Lock Haven) 4th Eddie Ventresca (Virginia Tech) 7th Round of 12 Eric Barnett (Wisconsin) Dean Peterson (Rutgers) Stevo Poulin (Northern Colorado) Brett Ungar (Cornell) Consolation Round of 16 Nick Babin (Columbia) Patrick McKee (Minnesota) Jarrett Trombley (NC State) Consolation Round of 24 Braxton Brown (Maryland) Michael DeAugustino (Northwestern) Brandon Kaylor (Oregon State) Ryan Miller (Penn) Tucker Owens (Air Force) Noah Surtin (Missouri) Jore Volk (Wyoming) Consolation Round of 32 Ethan Berginc (Army West Point) Tanner Jordan (South Dakota State) Nico Provo (Stanford) Caleb Smith (Appalachian State) Diego Sotelo (Harvard) Reece Witcraft (Oklahoma State) Consolation Round of 64 Antonio Lorenzo (Cal Poly) 133 lbs Vito Arujau (Cornell) 1st Daton Fix (Oklahoma State) 4th Aaron Nagao (Minnesota) 5th Jesse Mendez (Ohio State) 6th Sam Latona (Virginia Tech) 7th Kai Orine (NC State) 8th Round of 12 Kyle Biscoglia (Northern Iowa) Lucas Byrd (Illinois) Zach Redding (Iowa State) Consolation Round of 16 Dylan Ragusin (Michigan) Michael Colaiocco (Penn) Brayden Palmer (Chattanooga) Consolation Round of 24 Chris Cannon (Northwestern) Joey Heilmann (Rutgers) Wyatt Henson (Oklahoma) Jack Maida (American) Chance Rich (CSU Bakersfield) Angelo Rini (Columbia) Brody Teske (Iowa) Dom Zaccone (Campbell) Consolation Round of 32 Brendan Ferretti (Navy) Ethan Oakley (Appalachian State) Kurtis Phipps (Bucknell) Gable Strickland (Lock Haven) Consolation Round of 64 McGwire Midkiff (North Dakota State) Qualifier (Injured) Connor McGonagle (Lehigh) 141 lbs Andrew Alirez (Northern Colorado) 1st Real Woods (Iowa) 2nd Beau Bartlett (Penn State) 3rd Lachlan McNeil (North Carolina) 4th Clay Carlson (South Dakota State) 5th Brock Hardy (Nebraska) 6th Dylan D'Emilio (Ohio State) 8th Round of 12 Malyke Hines (Lehigh) Cole Matthews (Pittsburgh) Casey Swiderski (Iowa State) Consolation Round of 16 Cole Happel (Northern Iowa) Frankie Tal-Shahar (Northwestern) Consolation Round of 24 Vince Cornella (Cornell) Tom Crook (Virginia Tech) Saul Ervin (SIU Edwardsville) Ryan Jack (NC State) Kal Miller (Maryland) Mosha Schwartz (Oklahoma) Jordan Titus (West Virginia) Consolation Round of 32 McKenzie Bell (Rider) Cleveland Belton (Oregon State) Shannon Hanna (Campbell) Josh Koderhandt (Navy) Carter Young (Oklahoma State) Joe Zargo (Wisconsin) Consolation Round of 64 Josh Mason (Bloomsburg) 149 lbs Sammy Sasso (Ohio State) 2nd Shayne Van Ness (Penn State) 3rd Kyle Parco (Arizona State) 4th Caleb Henson (Virginia Tech) 5th Brock Mauller (Missouri) 7th Michael Blockhus (Minnesota) 8th Round of 12 Jackson Arrington (NC State) Chance Lamer (Michigan) Graham Rooks (Indiana) Consolation Round of 16 Austin Gomez (Wisconsin) Victor Voinovich (Oklahoma State) Consolation Round of 24 Jaden Abas (Stanford) Paniro Johnson (Iowa State) Johnny Lovett (Central Michigan) Kellyn March (North Dakota State) Ethen Miller (Maryland) Colin Realbuto (Northern Iowa) Caleb Tyus (SIU Edwardsville) Consolation Round of 32 Ryan Burgos (Edinboro) Dylan Chappell (Bucknell) Isaiah Delgado (Utah Valley) Nathan Higley (George Mason) Quinn Kinner (Rider) Tony White (Rutgers) 157 lbs Levi Haines (Penn State) 2nd Place Josh Humphreys (Lehigh) 3rd Place (Possible) Jared Franek (North Dakota State) 4th Place Ed Scott (NC State) 5th Place Peyton Robb (Nebraska) 6th Place Bryce Andonian (Virginia Tech) 7th Place Will Lewan (Michigan) 8th Place Round of 12 Daniel Cardenas (Stanford) Chase Saldate (Michigan State) Cael Swensen (South Dakota State) Vince Zerban (Northern Colorado) Consolation Round of 16 Trevor Chumbley (Northwestern) Paddy Gallagher (Ohio State) Jason Kraisser (Iowa State) Consolation Round of 24 Kendall Coleman (Purdue) Derek Gilcher (Indiana) Cobe Siebrecht (Iowa) Consolation Round of 32 Cesar Alvan (Columbia) Tommy Askey (Appalachian State) Andy Clark (Rutgers) Ashton Eyler (Lock Haven) Jared Hill (Oklahoma) Peyten Keller (Ohio) Corbyn Munson (Central Michigan) Consolation Round of 64 Nate Lukez (Army West Point) 165 lbs Keegan O'Toole (Missouri) 1st David Carr (Iowa State) 2nd Cam Amine (Michigan) 4th Shane Griffith (Stanford) 5th Dean Hamiti (Wisconsin) 6th Michael Caliendo (North Dakota State) 7th Izzak Olejnik (Northern Illinois) 8th Round of 12 Caleb Fish (Michigan State) Carson Kharchla (Ohio State) Julian Ramirez (Cornell) Consolation Round of 16 Holden Heller (Pittsburgh) Patrick Kennedy (Iowa) Justin McCoy (Virginia) Bubba Wilson (Nebraska) Consolation Round of 24 Connor Brady (Virginia Tech) Danny Braunagel (Illinois) Tanner Cook (South Dakota State) Peyton Hall (West Virginia) Josh Ogunsanya (Columbia) Matthew Olguin (Oregon State) Andrew Sparks (Minnesota) Consolation Round of 32 Brevin Cassella (Binghamton) Alex Facundo (Penn State) Joshua Kim (Harvard) Maxx Mayfield (Northwestern) Rodrick Mosley (Gardner-Webb) Gerrit Nijenhuis (Oklahoma) Consolation Round of 64 Cole Moody (Wyoming) 174 lbs Carter Starocci (Penn State) 1st Chris Foca (Cornell) 3rd Mekhi Lewis (Virginia Tech) 4th Nelson Brands (Iowa) 5th Dustin Plott (Oklahoma State) 6th Peyton Mocco (Missouri) 8th Round of 12 Cade DeVos (South Dakota State) Edmond Ruth (Illinois) Consolation Round of 16 Phil Congiliaro (Harvard) Troy Fisher (Northwestern) DJ Washington (Indiana) Consolation Round of 24 Alex Cramer (Central Michigan) Tyler Eischens (Stanford) Mickey O'Malley (Drexel) Ben Pasiuk (Army West Point) Tate Picklo (Oklahoma) Lennox Wolak (Columbia) John Worthing (Clarion) Consolation Round of 32 Luca Augustine (Pittsburgh) Alex Faison (NC State) Nick Incontrera (Penn) Sal Perrine (Ohio) Tyler Stoltzfuz (Lock Haven) Jackson Turley (Rutgers) Cael Valencia (Arizona State) Sam Wolf (Air Force) Consolation Round of 64 Will Miller (Appalachian State) 184 lbs Aaron Brooks (Penn State) 1st Parker Keckeisen (Northern Iowa) 2nd Trent Hidlay (NC State) 4th Trey Munoz (Oregon State) 6th Gavin Kane (North Carolina) 8th Round of 12 Isaiah Salazar (Minnesota) Consolation Round of 16 Colton Hawks (Missouri) Jacob Nolan (Binghamton) Brian Soldano (Rutgers) Consolation Round of 24 Abe Assad (Iowa) Reece Heller (Pittsburgh) Giuseppe Hoose (Buffalo) David Key (Navy) Layne Malczewski (Michigan State) Lenny Pinto (Nebraska) Travis Wittlake (Oklahoma State) Consolation Round of 32 Jha'Quan Anderson (Gardner-Webb) Anthony Carman (West Virginia) Dylan Connell (Illinois) Caleb Hopkins (Campbell) Cade King (South Dakota State) Zayne Lehman (Ohio) DJ Parker (North Dakota State) 197 lbs Tanner Sloan (South Dakota State) 2nd Rocky Elam (Missouri) 3rd Bernie Truax (Cal Poly) 4th Jacob Cardenas (Cornell) 8th Round of 12 Silas Allred (Nebraska) Michael Beard (Lehigh) Zac Braunagel (Illinois) Jaxon Smith (Maryland) Consolation Round of 16 Yonger Bastida (Iowa State) Luke Surber (Oklahoma State) Isaac Trumble (NC State) Consolation Round of 24 Evan Bockman (Utah Valley) Gavin Hoffman (Ohio State) Levi Hopkins (Campbell) Owen Pentz (North Dakota State) Max Shaw (North Carolina) Nick Stemmet (Stanford) Consolation Round of 32 Braxton Amos (Wisconsin) Austin Cooley (West Virginia) Andy Smith (Virginia Tech) Luke Stout (Princeton) Consolation Round of 64 Cole Urbas (Penn) 285 lbs Greg Kerkvliet (Penn State) 2nd Wyatt Hendrickson (Air Force) 3rd Tony Cassioppi (Iowa) 4th Lucas Davison (Northwestern) 5th Zach Elam (Missouri) 6th Cohlton Schultz (Arizona State) 7th Round of 12 Yaraslau Slavikouski (Harvard) Consolation Round of 16 Tyrell Gordon (Northern Iowa) Josh Heindselman (Oklahoma) Owen Trephan (NC State) Consolation Round of 24 Jacob Bullock (Indiana) Taye Ghadiali (Campbell) Grady Griess (Navy) Jonah Niesenbaum (Duke) Nathan Taylor (Lehigh) Michael Wolfgram (West Virginia) Consolation Round of 32 Hunter Catka (Virginia Tech) Hayden Copass (Purdue) Dorian Crosby (Bucknell) Cory Day (Binghamton) Konner Doucet (Oklahoma State) Garrett Joles (Minnesota) Boone McDermott (Rutgers) Trevor Tinker (Cal Poly)

Anthony Ferrari's Instagram post Today, Anthony Ferrari announced via social media a verbal commitment to the University of Iowa. Ferrari was ranked #23 in the high school Class of 2022. He initially signed with Oklahoma State, like his older brother AJ, but never enrolled at the school. Ferrari was a 2020 Super 32 finalist and third at UWW Junior Nationals in freestyle. Ferrari projects as a 157 lber in college. With Anthony’s verbal, it brings up the question of whether AJ will be far behind. The 2021 national champion also stated on social media that he would be returning to college wrestling. AJ was dismissed from the Oklahoma State team last spring and has been embroiled in an ongoing legal fight regarding an accusation of sexual battery. Another part of this equation is their younger brother Angelo. Just a junior, Angelo is ranked #3 in the nation at 175 lbs and is #6 overall in the Class of 2024. Angelo was a 2023 Texas state champion for Melissa High School.

#4 ranked at 92 kg Kollin Moore (Photos/Kostadin Andonov/UWW) 57 KG 2021 U23 world champion Aliabbas Rzazade (AZE) won the Zagreb Open over Yuto Nishiuchi (JPN), with Beka Bujiashvili (GEO) and Aman Aman (IND) taking bronze. 2022 Junior World bronze medalist Ahmad Javan (IRI) returns to the rankings at #18 for beating #11 Ramiz Gamzatov (RUS) 11-5 in the finals of the Iranian Pro League. Yunus Yavbatirov (RUS) won the Zagalava Abdulbekov Memorial Tournament over Ramazan Shahbanov (RUS), with Arsen Abdulaev (RUS) and Nazir Shehuev (RUS) taking bronze. 2019 Senior World runner-up Suleyman Atli (TUR) made a successful return to 57 KG, where he took gold at the Ibrahim Moustafa Ranking Series Tournament over #20 Andrey Yatsenko (UKR). Bronze medalists at the Ibrahim Moustafa Ranking Series Tournament were Bekzat Almaz Uulu (KGZ) and #19 Rakhat Kalzhan (KAZ). Atli returns to the 57 KG rankings at #17 for his wins over Kalzhan and #20 Yatsenko. 61KG #4 Reza Atri (IRI) won the Zagreb Open over #9 Narankhuu Narmandakh (MGL), with Gamzatgadzhi Khalidov (HUN) and Emrah Ormanoglu (TUR) taking bronze. #1 Muslim Mekhtikhanov (RUS) won a 10-4 match in the finals of the Iranian Pro League over Atri. Eldar Akhmadudinov (RUS) won the Zagalava Abdulbekov Memorial Tournament over Magomedrasul Dagirov (RUS), with Ramazan Shamilov (RUS) and Gadzhimagomed Akhmedov (RUS) taking bronze. #7 Eduard Grigoriev (POL) and #8 Islam Dudaev (ALB) have been removed from the rankings due to their moving up to 65 KG. #20 Andrey Yatsenko (UKR) is out of the rankings as he moved down to 57 KG. #13 Taiyrbek Zhumashbek Uulu (KGZ) was incredible in winning the Ibrahim Moustafa Ranking Series Tournament, avenging his loss in the 2022 U23 world finals to #3 Arsen Harutyunyan (ARM) with a 10-0 tech fall and winning gold 9-2 over Taras Markovych (UKR). For his shutout win over Harutyunyan, Zhumashbek Uulu skyrockets up the rankings to #3. Harutyunyan falls one spot to #4 for his loss to Zhumashbek Uulu. Bronze medalists at the Ibrahim Moustafa Ranking Series Tournament were Harutyunyan and Austin DeSanto (USA). Austin DeSanto (USA) makes a major impact in the rankings, slotting in at #13 after taking bronze at the Ibrahim Moustafa Ranking Series Tournament where he got his first major international win over 2019 U23 world champion #14 Ulukbek Zholdoshbekov (KGZ) in the quarterfinals. Taras Markovych (UKR) returns to the rankings at #11 for beating #13 Austin DeSanto (USA) in the semifinals of the Ibrahim Moustafa Ranking Series Tournament. Markovych also has past wins over #11 Fedor Baltuev (RUS) and three-time World/Olympic medalist Nurislam Sanayev (KAZ). 65KG #8 Tulga Tumur Ochir (MGL) won the Zagreb Open over Joey McKenna (USA), with Evan Henderson (USA) and Ali Rahimzada (AZE) taking bronze. Tumur Ochir moves up five spots in the rankings to #3 for his semifinal victory at the Zagreb Open over #3 Ismail Musukaev (HUN). Musukaev ended up taking fifth at the Zagreb Open, losing by pin in the bronze medal match to Henderson. Henderson, who took fifth at the Henri Deglane Grand Prix after a semifinal loss to Kizhan Clarke (GER), makes his debut in the rankings at #12 for upsetting #3 Ismail Musukaev (HUN) in the bronze medal match of the Zagreb Open. Musukaev falls five spots to #8 for his losses to Tumur Ochir and Henderson). #4 Haji Aliyev (AZE) moved up to 70 KG where he took silver at the Zagreb Open to #3 (70) Alec Pantaleo (USA). #6 Shamil Mamedov (RUS) avenged his loss from the finals of the 2022 Dmitri Korkin tournament to #5 Abdulmazhid Kudiev (RUS) with a comeback pin victory in the finals of the Iranian Pro League. Mamedov moves up two spots in the rankings to #4. Rahman Mintullaev (RUS) won the Zagalava Abdulbekov Memorial Tournament over Rasul Gazuev (RUS), with Magomed Magomedov (RUS) and Ramazan Chankaev (RUS) taking bronze. #17 Vazgen Tevanyan (ARM) won the Ibrahim Moustafa Ranking Series Tournament over McKenna, with Erik Arushanian (UKR) and Umidjon Jalolov (UZB). 70KG #3 Alec Pantaleo (USA) won the Zagreb Open over #4 (65) Haji Aliyev (AZE), with #12 Giorgi Elbakidze (GEO) and Khadzhimurad Gadzhiev (AZE) taking bronze. Aliyev debuts in the 70 KG rankings at #8 for his win over 2022 U23 world champion Elbakidze in the quarterfinals of the Zagreb Open. #17 (74) Magomedrasul Gazimagomedov, a two-time world champion at 70 KG in 2015 and 2018, made his return to the weight with a successful showing at the Iranian Pro League, beating Yarygin champion #6 Evgheni Zherbaev (RUS) 6-3. Gazimagomedov takes the #6 spot in the rankings upon his return to 70 KG, with Zherbaev going down one spot to #7. #5 Ernazar Akmataliev (KGZ) won the Ibrahim Moustafa Ranking Series Tournament over Cody Chittum (USA). Bronze medalists at the Ibrahim Moustafa Ranking Series Tournament were #14 Giorgi Elbakidze (GEO) and Ihor Nykyforuk (UKR). Akhmed Nurakhmaev (RUS) won the Zagalava Abdulbekov Memorial Tournament over Taygib Hasanov (RUS), with Akhmed Kamidov (RUS) and Akhmed Kasumov (RUS) taking bronze. #20 Jordan Oliver (USA) has been removed from the rankings as he will be competing in Mixed Martial Arts for Bellator at the featherweight weight class. 74KG #10 Jason Nolf (USA) won the Zagreb Open over #19 Younes Emami (IRI), with Dzhabrail Gadzhiev (AZE) and Fazli Eryilmaz (TUR) taking bronze. The big story of the Zagreb Open was the upset losses of two-time world runner-up #3 Taimuraz Salkazanov (SVK), as the talented Slovakian lost in the round of 16 to Emami and was shockingly eliminated from competition in the first round of repechage by Kojiro Shiga (JPN). Emami moves up thirteen spots to #6 for his victory over Salkazanov while Nolf moves up five spots to #5 for his finals victory over Emami. Shiga does not get ranked after his win over Salkazanov, because he lost his next repechage match to Joey Lavallee and Lavallee lost his bronze medal match to Fazli Eryilmaz (TUR). Salkazanov falls four spots in the rankings to #7 due to his losses to Emami and Shiga. 2022 Junior World champion Dzhabrail Gadzhiev (AZE) is back in the rankings at #20 for taking bronze at the Zagreb Open over Murad Kuramagomedov (HUN). Turan Bayramov (AZE) returns to the rankings at #11 due to the recent surge from Emami. Bayramov wasn't ranked even with a win over #9 Mohammadsadegh Firouzpour (IRI) because he had a loss to Emami when Emami was #19 and Bayramov had fallen out because of it. Bayramov's top fifteen spot is warranted based on a win from the 2022 Islamic Solidarity Games over Firouzpour and a runner-up finish at the 2022 Matteo Pellicone where he beat #20 Dzhabrail Gadzhiev (AZE) and Mitch Finesilver (ISR). Emami followed his impressive showing at the Zagreb Open with a ranked win in the finals of the Iranian Pro League over #8 Timur Bizhoev (RUS). Kamil Abdulvagabov (RUS) debuts in the rankings at #13 for winning the Zagalava Abdulbekov Memorial Tournament over #11 Iman Ganishov (RUS). Bronze medalists at the Zagalava Abdulbekov Memorial Tournament were Omarashkab Tazhudinov (RUS) and Ramadan Muradov (RUS). #17 Magomedrasul Gazimagomedov (RUS) cut back down to 70 KG for the Iranian Pro League finals, where he beat #7 (70) Evgheni Zherbaev (RUS). Gazimagomedov is ranked sixth at 70 kg. #13 Kasum Kasumov (RUS) moved up to 79 KG, where he won the Zagalava Abdulbekov Memorial Tournament. Iakub Shikhdzhamalov (ROM) won the Ibrahim Moustafa Ranking Series Tournament over Vincenzo Joseph (USA) by medical forfeit. Bronze medalists at the Ibrahim Moustafa Ranking Series Tournament were Mitch Finesilver (ISR) and #18 Soner Demirtas (TUR). Shikhdzhamalov takes the #19 spot in the rankings after upsetting Demirtas in the semifinals. Demirtas falls out of the rankings for his loss to Shikhdzhamalov. 79KG #3 Akhmed Usmanov (RUS) takes over the number one spot in the rankings after upsetting #1 Ali Savadkouhi (IRI) in the finals of the Iranian Pro League. #2 Ali Savadkouhi (IRI) won the Zagreb Open over #13 Avtandil Kentchadze (GEO), with #12 Chance Marsteller (USA) and #15 Vladimeri Gamkrelidze (GEO) taking bronze. Both Savadkouhi and Kentchadze put up ranked wins, Kentchadze in the form of #12 Marsteller in the semifinals and Savadkouhi over #15 Vladimeri Gamkrelidze (GEO) in the semis. 2022 Senior World bronze medalist #10 Vasyl Mykhailov (UKR) has been removed from the rankings due to having moved up to 86 KG, where he took gold at the Ibrahim Moustafa Ranking Series Tournament over #5 Zahid Valencia (USA). Kasum Kasumov (RUS) won the Zagalava Abdulbekov Memorial Tournament over Abdulkerim Abdullaev (RUS), with Dibir Magomedov (RUS) and Ramazan Aliyev (RUS) taking bronze. Kentchadze rebounded from his runner-up finish at the Zagreb Open to finish February with a title at the Ibrahim Moustafa Ranking Series Tournament over Amirhossein Kavousi (IRI). Bronze medalists at the Ibrahim Moustafa Ranking Series Tournament were Marsteller and Bekzod Abdurakhmanov (UZB). The changes in the latter of the top ten and top half of the top fifteen come from both the Zagreb Open and the Ibrahim Moustafa Ranking Series Tournament. First, Kentchadze moves up three spots to #10. Kavousi debuts in the rankings at #11 for beating #11 Bolat Sakaev (KAZ) and Marsteller to make the finals of the Ibrahim Moustafa Ranking Series Tournament. Finally, Sakaev falls two spots to #13 for losing to Kavousi and Chance Marsteller at the Ibrahim Moustafa Ranking Series Tournament. 86KG #2 Hassan Yazdani Charati (IRI) won the Zagreb Open over Hayato Ishiguro (JPN), with #5 Zahid Valencia (USA) and Mark Hall (USA) taking bronze. Ishiguro debuts in the rankings at #5 for beating Valencia and #10 Myles Amine (SMR) to make the finals of the Zagreb Open. Hall debuts in the 86 KG rankings at #16 for his wins over two-time world medalist #14 Boris Makoev (SVK) and 2021 Senior World bronze medalist Abubakar Abakarov (AZE) at the Zagreb Open. Valencia drops down two spots to #7 for his losses to Ishiguro and #6 Vasyl Mykhailov (UKR). 2021 Senior world bronze medalist Abakarov is back in the rankings at #19 for beating #15 Sebastian Jezierzanski (POL) in the repechage bracket of the Zagreb Open. Jezierzanski falls five spots to #20. Yazdani Charati tech falled Yarygin champion #13 Arslan Bagaev (RUS) 10-0 in the finals of the Iranian Pro League. Shaikh Javatkhanov (RUS) won the Zagalava Abdulbekov Memorial Tournament over 2019 79 KG world bronze medalist Gadzhi Nabiev (RUS), with Ali Nurov (RUS) and Sagadula Agaev (RUS) taking bronze. Mykhailov makes his debut in the 86 KG international rankings at #6 after winning gold at the Ibrahim Moustafa Ranking Series Tournament over Valencia. Bronze medalists at the Ibrahim Moustafa Ranking Series Tournament were Jezierzanski and Tariel Gaphrindashvili (GEO). Gaphrindashvili debuts in the rankings at #17 for beating Makoev in the bronze medal match of the Ibrahim Moustafa Ranking Series Tournament. 92KG Kollin Moore (USA) won the Zagreb Open over Miriani Maisuradze (GEO), with Gankhuyag Ganbaatar (MGL) and #5 Osman Nurmagomedov (AZE) taking bronze. Moore takes the #4 spot in the rankings for his quarterfinal win over #5 Osman Nurmagomedov (AZE) from the Zagreb Open. #1 Kamran Ghasempour (IRI) tech falled #10 Ashkab Saadulaev (RUS) 11-0 in the finals of the Iranian Pro League. Gadzhimagomed Nazhmudinov (RUS) won the Zagalava Abdulbekov Memorial Tournament over Magomed Abdulnasyrov (RUS), with Shahban Surkhaev (RUS) and Abdula Abdulgasanov (RUS) taking bronze. Moore won the Ibrahim Moustafa Ranking Series Tournament by forfeit over #3 Nathan Jackson (USA), with #13 Feyzullah Akturk (TUR) and Miriani Maisuradze (GEO) taking bronze. #7 Amirhossein Firouzpour (IRI) moved up to 97KG where he took bronze at the Ibrahim Moustafa Ranking Series Tournament after a loss in the semifinals to #15 Zbigniew Baranowski (POL). Firouzpour debuts in the 97 KG rankings at #19. Rizabek Aitmukhan (KAZ) debuts in the rankings at 92KG for beating 2022 Senior Russian Nationals bronze medalist Magomed Sharipov (BRN) in the quarterfinals of the Ibrahim Moustafa Ranking Series. Sharipov returns to the rankings at #20 after beating Illia Archaia (UKR) in the opening round of the Ibrahim Moustafa Ranking Series Tournament. Sharipov made his first appearance in the rankings in June 2022 at #14 when he finished with silver at the Poddubny Tournament to #3 (97) Magomed Kurbanov (RUS) and beat #12 Guram Chertkoev (RUS) while competing at the Poddubny. 97KG #2 Kyle Snyder (USA) won the Zagreb Open over #6 Amirali Azarpira (IRI), with #9 Magomedkhan Magomedov (AZE) and Awusayimam Habila (CHN) taking bronze. Radoslaw Baran (POL) and Zbigniew Baranowski (POL) enter the rankings at #14 and #15, after Baranowski upset #11 Vladislav Baitsaev (HUN) in the qualification round and Baran beat Baranowski in the quarterfinals. Baitsaev (HUN) drops five spots in the rankings to #16 for his loss to Baranowski. #3 Magomed Kurbanov (RUS) won 4-1 in the finals of the Iranian Pro League against #9 Mohammad Mohammadian (IRI). Gasan Shamkhalov (RUS) won the Zagalava Abdulbekov Memorial Tournament over Suleiman Omarov (RUS), with Ramazan Sharipov (RUS) and Gadzhimurad Kadilov (RUS) taking bronze. #7 Batyrbek Tsakulov (SVK) won the Ibrahim Moustafa Ranking Series Tournament over Baranowski, with Baitsaev and Firouzpour taking bronze. #8 Givi Matcharashvili (GEO) drops ten spots in the rankings to #18 for his qualification round loss to Tazhudinov. Tazhudinov, a Russian Nationals bronze medalist in 2022, makes his rankings debut for Bahrain at #17 for beating Matcharashvili at the Ibrahim Moustafa Ranking Series Tournament. Four-time age-group world champion Firouzpour makes his 97 KG rankings debut at #19 for losing to Baranowski in the semifinals and rallying for bronze over 2017 U23 world bronze medalist Murazi Mchedlidze (UKR). 125KG #2 Amir Zare (IRI) won the Zagreb Open by injury default over Giorgi Meshvildishvili (AZE). Bronze medalists at the Zagreb Open were Daniel Ligeti (HUN) and Robert Baran (POL). Zare followed up his performance in Zagreb with a 10-0 tech fall win in the finals of the Iranian Pro League against #12 Erik Dzhioev (RUS). Shamil Sharipov (RUS) won the Zagalava Abdulbekov Memorial Tournament over Umar Israilov (RUS) with Magomed Alichuev (RUS) and Sharap Alikhanov (RUS) taking bronze. #1 Taha Akgul (TUR) won the Ibrahim Moustafa Ranking Series Tournament over Kamil Kosciolek (POL) with Khasanboy Rakhimov (UZB) and Yusup Batirmurzaev (KAZ) taking bronze. Pound for Pound #12 Akhmed Usmanov (RUS) moves up five spots in the rankings to #7 for beating #7 Ali Savadkouhi (IRI) in the finals of the Iranian Pro League. #9 Taimuraz Salkazanov (SVK) drops sixteen spots in the rankings to #25 for failing to place at the 74KG Zagreb Open with losses to Younes Emami (IRI) and Kojiro Shiga (JPN). Two-time world bronze medalist Emami makes his debut in the pound-for-pound rankings at #24 for beating #25 Taimuraz Salkazanov (SVK) at the 74KG Zagreb Open. Jason Nolf (USA) makes his pound-for-pound debut at #23 for beating #24 Younes Emami (IRI) in the finals of the 74KG Zagreb Open.

Four-time NCAA champion Yianni Diakomihalis (Photos/Sam Janicki; SJanickiPhoto.com) The 2023 NCAA finals were slated to start at 157 lbs so that 149 lber Yianni Diakomihalis' quest for four national titles would take center stage. Although Diakomihalis' bout with Sammy Sasso was the bout that the crowd was anticipating the most, the previous nine bouts were extremely entertaining and captivated the 16,800+ fans that packed into the BOK Center. In the opening stanza, Diakomihalis and Sasso exchanged leg attacks with each stalemating the other with stingy defense. Diakomihalis broke open the scoring in the second period with a reversal after some tough riding by Sasso. Later in the period, Diakomihalis locked up a cradle, one of Sasso's signature moves, and was able to earn a second takedown. Sasso was able to cut the deficit to two points with a third-period escape. Late in the match, the two engaged in a prolonged scramble. At moments Sasso looked close to securing a tying takedown; however, he could never fully get behind Diakomihalis. Time ran out and Diakomihalis was the victor. Diakomihalis' win makes him only the fifth wrestler to ever win four national titles. Interestingly enough, two competed for the Big Red; Yianni and Kyle Dake (2010-13). While Diakomiahlis' career achievements were at the forefront, his teammate Vito Arujau turned in the most impressive performance of the finals. A match after dominating three-time national runner-up, Daton Fix, Arujau turned in a similar showing in the finals against two-time champion Roman Bravo-Young. Arujau took a commanding lead in the first period with a pair of takedowns and a 4-1 advantage. He would never relinquish that lead and only added to it with a reversal and backpoints in the second. Arujau continued to pour it on a more-offensive minded Bravo-Young with an array of counters and reattacks. After a riding time point was added, Arujau was victorious, 10-4. For his efforts, Saturday night and in the previous rounds, Arujau was named the tournament's Most Outstanding Wrestler. For the tenth time since the 2010-11 season, the tournament ended with Penn State taking the team title. The Nittany Lions outdistanced themselves from rival Iowa by 55 points (137.5 - 82.5). Penn State finished with a pair of national champions after putting five in the finals. At 174 and 184 lbs, Carter Starocci and Aaron Brooks, both captured their third titles respectively. Starocci put an exclamation point on his 24-0 season with a first-period fall over Big Ten finals foe Mikey Labriola. It was only his fourth of the season. Brooks had a more workman-like display against a frequent opponent, Parker Keckeisen, the top seed at the weight. He cruised to a 7-2 decision to claim a national title for the third consecutive year. Another storyline from the finals is a pair of schools breaking long-standing NCAA title droughts. First, at 125 lbs, Princeton's Patrick Glory squared off with one of the tournament's breakout stars, Matt Ramos. A day after pulling one of the greatest upsets in wrestling history, Ramos still needed to go through Glory to win a national title. That proved to be too much as Ramos was never able to get his offense going against the Princeton senior. Glory capped off his decorated career with a 4-1 victory to become the school's first national champion since Brad Glass in 1951. Two matches later, Andrew Alirez, Northern Colorado's first national finalist since 1969, took home the crown at 141 lbs. The local Greeley native blew open the match in the second period with a beautiful throw for six points, one that technically was scored as a reversal. He prevailed over top-seeded Real Woods in the only clash between undefeated wrestlers on the night. Another long drought that came to an end Saturday evening included multiple ACC wrestlers winning national titles. Before Saturday, the last time that feat occurred was in 1994 when Sammie Henson (Clemson) and TJ Jaworsky (North Carolina) took home titles. The wrestler that has matched or exceeded many of Jaworsky's achievements at Chapel Hill, Austin O'Connor, got the night started with a 6-2 win at 157 lbs. O'Connor never let dangerous true freshman Levi Haines get any offense going and chipped in with a pair of takedowns. A few matches later, Nino Bonaccorsi ended his career with a national title at 197 lbs. Bonaccorsi was Pittsburgh's first national championship since head coach Keith Gavin in 2008. Much was made about the unpredictability of the 197 lb weight class; however, Bonaccorsi just won. His 5-3 win over South Dakota State's Tanner Sloan pushed his season record to 21-0. He'll finish as a two-time runner-up and one-time champion for his local university. The third time proved to be the charm for Keegan O'Toole at 165 lbs. The Missouri Tiger squared off with 2021 champion, David Carr, for the third time in just over a month and finally was able to solve Carr. Match one was heavily tilted towards the Cyclone. Match two was closer, yet ended in a sudden victory fall for Carr. This time, O'Toole was able to finish shots and won the majority of the scrambles. The final tally for O'Toole was 8-2. Despite the multiple losses to Carr, O'Toole ends his 2022-23 season the same way he did last campaign, atop the 165 lb weight class. Last, but not least, are the big men. At 285 lbs, senior Mason Parris finally got a chance to step on the top step at the NCAA podium. The Michigan heavyweight made the finals after an impressive tech fall of Iowa's Tony Cassioppi. He didn't have quite the same scoring output in the finals against Greg Kerkvliet, but he did fend off an early Kerkvliet attack, only to score himself. That put him in control in the first period and he never seemed seriously flustered. At 33-0 with a handful of wins over top contenders, Parris has to be considered one of the favorites for the 2023 Hodge Trophy. 2023 NCAA Championship Finals 157 lbs - #1 Austin O'Connor (North Carolina) dec #2 Levi Haines (Penn State) 6-2 165 lbs - #2 Keegan O'Toole (Missouri) dec #1 David Carr (Iowa State) 8-2 174 lbs - #1 Carter Starocci (Penn State) fall #2 Mikey Labriola (Nebraska) 2:46 184 lbs - #3 Aaron Brooks (Penn State) dec #1 Parker Keckeisen (Northern Iowa) 7-2 197 lbs - #1 Nino Bonaccorsi (Pittsburgh) dec #7 Tanner Sloan (South Dakota State) 5-3 285 lbs - #1 Mason Parris (Michigan) dec #3 Greg Kerkvliet (Penn State) 5-1 125 lbs - #2 Patrick Glory (Princeton) dec #4 Matt Ramos (Purdue) 4-1 133 lbs - #3 Vito Arujau (Cornell) dec #1 Roman Bravo-Young (Penn State) 10-4 141 lbs - #2 Andrew Alirez (Northern Colorado) dec Real Woods (Iowa) 6-4 149 lbs - #1 Yianni Diakomihalis (Cornell) dec #2 Sammy Sasso (Ohio State) 4-2

4x NCAA Champion Yianni Diakomihalis (Photos/Sam Janicki; SJanickiPhoto.com) 2023 NCAA Championship Placement Match Results 125 1st - Patrick Glory (Princeton) dec Matt Ramos (Purdue) 4-1 3rd - Brandon Courtney (Arizona State) dec Anthony Noto (Lock Haven) 4-2SV 5th - Liam Cronin (Nebraska) MedFFT Spencer Lee (Iowa) 7th - Eddie Ventresca (Virginia Tech) dec Killian Cardinale (West Virginia) 7-6 133 1st - Vito Arujau (Cornell) dec Roman Bravo-Young (Penn State) 10-4 3rd - Michael McGee (Arizona State) dec Daton Fix (Oklahoma State) 2-1 5th - Aaron Nagao (Minnesota) dec Jesse Mendez (Ohio State) 4-0 7th - Sam Latona (Virginia Tech) dec Kai Orine (NC State) 3-1 141 1st - Andrew Alirez (Northern Colorado) dec Real Woods (Iowa) 6-4 3rd - Beau Bartlett (Penn State) dec Lachlan McNeil (North Carolina) 4-1 5th - Clay Carlson (South Dakota State) InjDef Brock Hardy (Nebraska) 7th - Parker Filius (Purdue) dec Dylan D'Emilio (Ohio State) 8-4SV 149 1st - Yianni Diakomihalis (Cornell) dec Sammy Sasso (Ohio State) 4-2 3rd - Shayne Van Ness (Penn State) dec Kyle Parco (Arizona State) 7-2 5th - Caleb Henson (Virginia Tech) maj Max Murin (Iowa) 12-3 7th - Brock Mauller (Missouri) dec Michael Blockhus (Minnesota) 6-2 157 1st - Austin O'Connor (North Carolina) dec Levi Haines (Penn State) 6-2 3rd - Josh Humphreys (Lehigh) maj Jared Franek (North Dakota State) 8-0 5th - Ed Scott (NC State) MedFFT Peyton Robb (Nebraska) 7th - Bryce Andonian (Virginia Tech) dec Will Lewan (Michigan) 6-4 165 1st - Keegan O'Toole (Missouri) dec David Carr (Iowa State) 8-2 3rd - Quincy Monday (Princeton) dec Cam Amine (Michigan) 3-2 5th - Shane Griffith (Stanford) dec Dean Hamiti (Wisconsin) 4-1 7th - Michael Caliendo (North Dakota State) dec Izzak Olejnik (Northern Illinois) 6-2 174 1st - Carter Starocci (Penn State) fall Mikey Labriola (Nebraska) 2:46 3rd - Chris Foca (Cornell) dec Mekhi Lewis (Virginia Tech) 2-1TB 5th - Nelson Brands (Iowa) dec Dustin Plott (Oklahoma State) 4-2SV 7th - Ethan Smith (Ohio State) maj Peyton Mocco (Missouri) 12-2 184 1st - Aaron Brooks (Penn State) dec Parker Keckeisen (Northern Iowa) 7-2 3rd - Kaleb Romero (Ohio State) dec Trent Hidlay (NC State) 3-1SV 5th - Marcus Coleman (Iowa State) MedFFT Trey Munoz (Oregon State) 7th - Will Feldkamp (Clarion) fall Gavin Kane (North Carolina) 2:38 197 1st - Nino Bonaccorsi (Pittsburgh) dec Tanner Sloan (South Dakota State) 5-3 3rd - Rocky Elam (Missouri) dec Bernie Truax (Cal Poly) 5-2 5th - Jacob Warner (Iowa) dec Ethan Laird (Rider) 7-3 7th - Max Dean (Penn State) dec Jacob Cardenas (Cornell) 4-2 285 1st - Mason Parris (Michigan) dec Greg Kerkvliet (Penn State) 5-1 3rd - Wyatt Hendrickson (Air Force) fall Tony Cassioppi (Iowa) 4:16 5th - Lucas Davison (Northwestern) dec Zach Elam (Missouri) 4-3 7th - Cohlton Schultz (Arizona State) InjDef Trent Hillger (Wisconsin)

Purdue's 125 lber Matt Ramos in the 2023 NCAA Semifinals (Photos/Sam Janicki; SJanickiPhoto.com) As the 7 pm hour drew near in the central time zone, fans in Tulsa's BOK Center were ready for a long night of excellent wrestling. I would argue that Session IV at the NCAA Wrestling Championships is the best athletic event known to man. Dreams are made and crushed as wrestlers earn All-American honors or lock up a spot in the national finals. Only a few minutes after the national anthem, the entire night was turned upside down. Three-time NCAA champion Spencer Lee lost. And was pinned. This weekend was thought to be a coronation for Lee and Cornell 149 lber Yianni Diakomihalis as they were both only five matches away from winning their fourth national title. Unfortunately for Lee, no one told Purdue's Matt Ramos about the script. Early in the first period, as he's known to do, Lee attempted to bully Ramos into a takedown, but was unsuccessful. It was the Boilermaker who struck first with a takedown and backpoints to take a 4-0 lead. While rare, that sight wasn't totally unfamiliar to fans, as Ramos had Lee on the ropes in their dual meet before losing via fall. In the previous round, Lock Haven's Anthony Noto turned Lee for the full allotment of four back points. Trailing 4-0, Lee chose top in the second period and it proved to be a good choice. He turned Ramos and led 5-4 with riding time after the second stanza. In the final period, Lee appeared to get close to a takedown on the edge. The call was challenged by the Iowa staff and the official's initial call was overturned and ruled a takedown for the Hawkeye star. With Lee's riding ability, a 7-4 lead looked like the end for Ramos. As we've seen in the previous two rounds, Ramos wouldn't quit until the final whistle. Ramos managed to get an escape and then quickly stuff a half-attempt from Lee, which led to a front headlock. The Boilermaker then went for the hail mary and rolled Lee and caught him on his back. After a valiant effort from Lee, Ramos stepped over to get a perpendicular pinning position and the official signaled for a fall with :01 left on the clock. Just like that, all 15,600+ fans were on their feet. Many were cheering. The section wearing Iowa's black and gold went quiet in stunned disbelief. Regardless of your rooting interests, everyone in the arena was shocked as they witnessed firsthand one of the biggest upsets in collegiate wrestling history. National sports websites have already tabbed it one of the biggest in collegiate sports history. I turned to NCAA Wrestling and Turner Sports' Shannon Scovel and we both remarked on how difficult it would be to focus on the remaining nine matches, as we both struggled to comprehend what we just witnessed. The rest of the round went on as scheduled and there were plenty of interesting developments. Just a match after Lee was upset, three-time NCAA runner-up Daton Fix was dominated by Cornell All-American Vito Arujau. Arujau and teammate Yianni Diakomihalis will both wrestle in tomorrow night's championship finals. Diakomihalis survived another scare from Penn State freshman Shayne Van Ness and poured on the points late in the match to win 8-3, a margin that looks larger on paper than in actuality. Arujau will meet two-time national champion Roman Bravo-Young of Penn State. Bravo-Young needed sudden victory to hold off Arizona State's three-time All-American Michael McGee. He is one of five Penn State wrestlers who will wrestle for a national title. Freshman Levi Haines, Carter Starocci, Aaron Brooks, and Greg Kerkvliet also pushed through to the finals. After a controversial takedown call loomed large in Haines, Big Ten finals win over Peyton Robb, the first-year phenom left nothing to doubt and secured two takedowns to prevail 5-3. Starocci and Brooks both looked totally in control of their semifinal wins and will be chasing title number three. Kerkvliet pulled a slight upset by downing #2 Wyatt Hendrickson, the first All-American from the Air Force Academy in 20 years. The defending champion Nittany Lions will take a 116.5 to 77 lead over Iowa into tomorrow's medal rounds. After Lee's loss, the Hawkeyes rallied to have a strong round and put 141 lber Real Woods into the finals and saw Max Murin (149), Nelson Brands (174), and Jacob Warner (197), pull out bloodround wins. Woods will square off with Northern Colorado's #2 Andrew Alirez in the only meeting between two undefeated wrestlers. Alirez was the first Bear wrestler to make the national finals since 1969. Diakomihalis will have the sole focus of the "four-time champion" talk as he faces #2 Sammy Sasso. The two met twice in the 2021-22 season and Diakomihalis wasn't severely tested in either contest. The true freshman, Haines, will tangle with 2021 national champion #1 Austin O'Connor. O'Connor comes in with a perfect record and is one that doesn't get thrown off of his gameplan easily. With all the other excitement, it's easy to forget that we'll be treated to another round in the David Carr/Keegan O'Toole trilogy. Carr has won both battles between these past national champions. He used tough riding in the third period to edge Princeton's Quincy Monday. Speaking of rematches, we have a pair at 174 and 184 with Starocci/Mikey Labriola and Brooks/Parker Keckeisen. The Nittany Lions have been victorious in their previous meetings. One of the big talking points for fans in the week leading up to the tournament was the unpredictability of the 197 lb weight class. Top-seeded Nino Bonaccorsi was taken down early, but recovered to cruise to a 10-4 victory over Ethan Laird. On the other half, South Dakota State's Tanner Sloan flipped the Big 12 finals result against Rocky Elam with a convincing 7-2 victory. Penn State's Kerkvliet will hope the third time is the charm at heavyweight as he'll face top-seeded, undefeated Mason Parris. The Wolverine big man was completely dominant in a 16-1 tech fall victory over Tony Cassioppi. In a dual meet, Parris needed late heroics to get by the Hawkeye heavyweight. None were necessary this time. Four the full list of semifinal and Round of 12 (Bloodround) results Click Here

Top seeded 285 lber from Michigan Mason Parris (Photos/Sam Janicki; SJanickiPhoto.com) Check back often today for results from the Semifinals at the 2023 NCAA Championships Semifinal Results 125 Matt Ramos (Purdue) fall Spencer Lee (Iowa) 6:59 Patrick Glory (Princeton) dec Liam Cronin (Nebraska) 8-2 133 Roman Bravo-Young (Penn State) dec Michael McGee (Arizona State) 6-4SV Vito Arujau (Cornell) maj Daton Fix (Oklahoma State) 11-3 141 Real Woods (Iowa) maj Brock Hardy (Nebraska) 11-1 Andrew Alirez (Northern Colorado) dec Beau Bartlett (Penn State) 6-2 149 Yianni Diakomihalis (Cornell) dec Shayne Van Ness (Penn State) 8-3 Sammy Sasso (Ohio State) maj Kyle Parco (Arizona State) 14-2 157 Austin O'Connor (North Carolina) dec Josh Humphreys (Lehigh) 4-3 Levi Haines (Penn State) dec Peyton Robb (Nebraska) 5-3 165 David Carr (Iowa State) dec Quincy Monday (Princeton) 6-5 Keegan O'Toole (Missouri) dec Cam Amine (Michigan) 6-0 174 Carter Starocci (Penn State) dec Chris Foca (Cornell) 6-0 Mikey Labriola (Nebraska) dec Mekhi Lewis (Virginia Tech) 3-1TB 184 Parker Keckeisen (Northern Iowa) dec Trey Munoz (Oregon State) 5-1 Aaron Brooks (Penn State) dec Trent Hidlay (NC State) 6-3 197 Nino Bonaccorsi (Pittsburgh) dec Ethan Laird (Rider) 10-4 Tanner Sloan (South Dakota State) dec Rocky Elam (Missouri) 7-2 285 Mason Parris (Michigan) tech Tony Cassioppi (Iowa) 16-1 Greg Kerkvliet (Penn State) dec Wyatt Hendrickson (Air Force) 4-2 Round of 12 (Bloodround) Results 125 Eddie Ventresca (Virginia Tech) dec Eric Barnett (Wisconsin) 3-1 Killian Cardinale (West Virginia) dec Brett Ungar (Cornell) 3-2 Brandon Courtney (Arizona State) dec Stevo Poulin (Northern Colorado) 8-3 Anthony Noto (Lock Haven) dec Dean Peterson (Rutgers) 3-1 133 Kai Orine (NC State) dec Kyle Biscoglia (Northern Iowa) 7-1 Aaron Nagao (Minnesota) maj Zach Redding (Iowa State) 12-0 Sam Latona (Virginia Tech) dec Micky Phillippi (Pittsburgh) 5-1 Jesse Mendez (Ohio State) dec Lucas Byrd (Illinois) 3-3RTTB 141 Parker Filius (Purdue) fall Casey Swiderski (Iowa State) 6:05 Clay Carlson (South Dakota State) dec Allan Hart (Missouri) 7-6 Lachlan McNeil (North Carolina) dec Malyke Hines (Lehigh) 5-2 Dylan D'Emilio (Ohio State) dec Cole Matthews (Pittsburgh) 2-1TB 149 Caleb Henson (Virginia Tech) dec Yahya Thomas (Northwestern) 7-2 Michael Blockhus (Minnesota) dec Graham Rooks (Indiana) 6-2 Brock Mauller (Missouri) dec Jackson Arrington (NC State) 4-3 Max Murin (Iowa) dec Chance Lamer (Michigan) 3-2 157 Bryce Andonian (Virginia Tech) fall Chase Saldate (Michigan State) 6:22 Will Lewan (Michigan) dec Cael Swensen (South Dakota State) 7-4 Ed Scott (NC State) dec Daniel Cardenas (Stanford) 6-4SV Jared Franek (North Dakota State) dec Vince Zerban (Northern Colorado) 7-3 165 Michael Caliendo (North Dakota State) dec Caleb Fish (Michigan State) 12-6 Shane Griffith (Stanford) dec Julian Ramirez (Cornell) 6-2 Dean Hamiti (Wisconsin) maj Austin Yant (Northern Iowa) 10-2 Izzak Olejnik (Northern Illinois) dec Carson Kharchla (Ohio State) 2-1 174 Ethan Smith (Ohio State) dec Bailee O'Reilly (Minnesota) 7-6 Dustin Plott (Oklahoma State) dec Demetrius Romero (Utah Valley) 7-5SV Peyton Mocco (Missouri) dec Cade DeVos (South Dakota State) 4-2 Nelson Brands (Iowa) dec Edmond Ruth (Illinois) 4-1 184 Will Feldkamp (Clarion) over Isaiah Salazar (Minnesota) 8-4 Marcus Coleman (Iowa State) dec Matt Finesilver (Michigan) 4-3 Kaleb Romero (Ohio State) maj Brian Bonino (Drexel) 15-6 Gavin Kane (North Carolina) dec Hunter Bolen (North Carolina) 4-3 197 Jacob Cardenas (Cornell) dec Zac Braunagel (Illinois) 6-4 Jacob Warner (Iowa) dec Silas Allred (Nebraska) 1-0 Bernie Truax (Cal Poly) dec Michael Beard (Lehigh) 4-2 Max Dean (Penn State) dec Jaxon Smith (Maryland) 3-2 285 Cohlton Schultz (Arizona State) dec Tate Orndorff (Ohio State) 2-1 Lucas Davison (Northwestern) dec Yaraslau Slavikouski (Harvard) 4-2SV Zach Elam (Missouri) dec Colton McKiernan (SIU Edwardsville) 11-5 Trent Hillger (Wisconsin) dec Sam Schuyler (Iowa State) 3-1SV

Penn State freshman Shayne Van Ness (Photo/Sam Janicki; SJanickiPhoto.com) Friday at the NCAA Championships is typically the best day of the collegiate wrestling season and with half the day in the books, it didn’t disappoint. Defending champions Penn State were expected to win again, but in the quarterfinals, they distanced themselves from the rest of the moreso than most would have imagined. After the third session of action, the Nittany Lions led Iowa by 30 points. Cael Sanderson’s team went seven-for-seven in the quarterfinals and now has at least seven wrestlers that will finish at least in sixth place. They also have 2022 national champion, Max Dean, wrestling in the Round of 12, still able to earn All-American status. The Penn State lineup contains a handful of title favorites; however, it was their freshmen who stole the show Friday morning. #12 seed Shayne Van Ness got in an early hole against Big Ten foe #20 Graham Rooks, falling behind 7-3 after two periods. Van Ness already put together an incredible comeback in the opening round, so he was clearly not phased. The redshirt freshman stayed on the offensive and got a takedown, then proceeded to get a set of back points. With a point for riding time tacked on, the final margin for Van Ness was 10-7. He’ll face top-seeded, three-time national champion Yianni Diakomihalis of Cornell in tonight’s semifinals. Penn State’s true freshman #2 Levi Haines survived an early onslaught from the dangerous #7 Bryce Andonian of Virginia Tech. Within the first :30 Andonian had Haines on his back looking for a fall. Not flustered, Haines battled back and seemed to wear down the returning All-American before pinning him in the third period. Haines will have a rematch of the Big Ten finals as he takes on Nebraska’s #3 Peyton Robb in the semifinals. While two-time champion Roman Bravo-Young was the first Nittany Lion to take the mat and locked up a berth in the semifinals, it was 141 lber Beau Bartlett that got the PSU faithful on their feet. He and 2022 All-American Cole Matthews were deadlocked at one point after seven minutes of regulation and two minutes of sudden victory. In the tiebreaker series, Matthews held the advantage after riding Bartlett for the entire period. The second :30 period started in neutral and appeared to be headed towards a win for the Panther. Bartlett didn’t let up and stayed on the offensive, securing the winning takedown in the waning seconds of the bout. Carter Starocci, Aaron Brooks, and Greg Kerkvliet joined their teammates in the finals. Some of the main storylines heading into this tournament have revolved around Spencer Lee and Yianni Diakomihalis’ quest for four national titles. Both experienced their share of adversity just to make the semifinals. Lee appeared to be cruising against #8 Anthony Noto (Lock Haven) with a 10-0 lead. In the second period, Noto tilted Lee for four points and rode him for a significant portion in the second and third periods. Diakomihalis was engaged in a close match with #8 Max Murin (Iowa) when he gave up a late takedown and was dangerously close to surrendering back point. A foot or two either way in the crab ride would have put him into near-fall criteria. That never happened and Diakomihalis got away with an 8-7 victory. Tonight’s semifinals will begin at 8pm eastern/7pm central. For a full list of quarterfinal winners Click Here

3x NCAA champion Spencer Lee (Photos/Sam Janicki; SJanickiPhoto.com) Check back often today for results from the Quarterfinals at the 2023 NCAA Championships Quarterfinal Results 125 Spencer Lee (Iowa) maj Anthony Noto (Lock Haven) 14-4 Matt Ramos (Purdue) dec Killian Cardinale (West Virginia) 8-7 Liam Cronin (Nebraska) dec Eddie Ventresca (Virginia Tech) 3-1SV Patrick Glory (Princeton) dec Brandon Courtney (Arizona State) 8-4 133 Roman Bravo-Young (Penn State) dec Aaron Nagao (Minnesota) 4-1 Michael McGee (Arizona State) dec Kai Orine (NC State) 8-2 Vito Arujau (Cornell) dec Sam Latona (Virginia Tech) 8-5 Daton Fix (Oklahoma State) dec Lucas Byrd (Illinois) 3-2 141 Real Woods (Iowa) maj Allan Hart (Missouri) 9-0 Brock Hardy (Nebraska) dec Parker Filius (Purdue) 7-0 Beau Bartlett (Penn State) dec Cole Matthews (Pittsburgh) 3-1TB Andrew Alirez (Northern Colorado) dec Lachlan McNeil (North Carolina) 6-4 149 Yianni Diakomihalis (Cornell) dec Max Murin (Iowa) 8-7 Shayne Van Ness (Penn State) dec Graham Rooks (Indiana) 10-7 Kyle Parco (Arizona State) dec Brock Mauller (Missouri) 4-3 Sammy Sasso (Ohio State) dec Yahya Thomas (Northwestern) 2-1 157 Austin O'Connor (North Carolina) maj Will Lewan (Michigan) 10-2 Josh Humphreys (Lehigh) dec Jared Franek (North Dakota State) 5-2 Peyton Robb (Nebraska) dec Daniel Cardenas (Stanford) 6-4 Levi Haines (Penn State) fall Bryce Andonian (Virginia Tech) 6:11 165 David Carr (Iowa State) dec Shane Griffith (Stanford) 2-1 Quincy Monday (Princeton) dec Caleb Fish (Michigan State) 10-4 Cam Amine (Michigan) dec Dean Hamiti (Wisconsin) 3-1 Keegan O'Toole (Missouri) tech Carson Kharchla (Ohio State) 19-4 174 Carter Starocci (Penn State) dec Bailee O'Reilly (Minnesota) 5-2 Chris Foca (Cornell) fall Dustin Plott (Oklahoma State) 1:53 Mekhi Lewis (Virginia Tech) dec Nelson Brands (Iowa) 2-0 Mikey Labriola (Nebraska) dec Peyton Mocco (Missouri) 4-3 184 Parker Keckeisen (Northern Iowa) dec Isaiah Salazar (Minnesota) 3-2 Trey Munoz (Oregon State) dec Marcus Coleman (Iowa State) 3-1SV Aaron Brooks (Penn State) dec Kaleb Romero (Ohio State) 4-1 Trent Hidlay (NC State) dec Hunter Bolen (Virginia Tech) 5-0 197 Nino Bonaccorsi (Pittsburgh) dec Silas Allred (Nebraska) 5-3 Ethan Laird (Rider) dec Zac Braunagel (Illinois) 3-2 Rocky Elam (Missouri) dec Jaxon Smith (Maryland) 6-3 Tanner Sloan (South Dakota State) dec Bernie Truax (Cal Poly) 6-4SV 285 Mason Parris (Michigan) maj Lucas Davison (Northwestern) 10-1 Tony Cassioppi (Iowa) dec Cohlton Schultz (Arizona State) 3-1SV Greg Kerkvliet (Penn State) dec Trent Hillger (Wisconsin) 4-0 Wyatt Hendrickson (Air Force) maj Zach Elam (Missouri) 17-8 Team Scores After Session 3 1. Penn State 78 2. Iowa 48 3. Cornell 45.5 4. Nebraska 44 5. Michigan 39 6. Missouri 34 7. Ohio State 31 8. NC State 29 9. Iowa State 28 10. Arizona State 27

Michigan 2x All-American Cam Amine (Photos/Sam Janicki; SJanickiPhoto.com) It's here! The greatest day of the wrestling season is Friday at the NCAA tournament. In a few short hours, the first 40 wrestlers will lock up berths in the NCAA semifinals and guarantee themselves All-American status and a top-six finish. Let's say you're on the fence about watching wrestling or the "other" form of March Madness or perhaps you're just looking for a reason to be invested in wrestlers that don't compete for your favorite teams. If so, here are 20 storylines to monitor as you're preparing for and watching the 2023 NCAA Quarterfinals. 125 #4 Matt Ramos (Purdue) vs. #28 Killian Cardinale (West Virginia) - If Ramos wins, he'll clinch a spot on the stand and be the first AA for the Boilermakers in a decade. If Cardinale prevails, it will be validation for a semi-controversial at-large selection and set up a match with Spencer Lee, who Cardinale exchanged words with over social media. #2 Pat Glory (Princeton) vs. #10 Brandon Courtney (Arizona State) - It's no secret that making 125 is not easy for Glory. This has been the match that most people have circled. "Can Glory wrestle an elite competitor in the morning fresh off the scale?" He looked excellent on day one. 133 #4 Michael McGee (Arizona State) vs. #5 Kai Orine (NC State) - Where does the last-season riser, Kai Orine, factor in at this weight? A win over McGee would validate him as a contender, in addition to cementing All-American status. For the full article, Subscribe to InterMat's Rokfin Page

Oklahoma State 133 lber Daton Fix (Photos/Sam Janicki; SJanickiPhoto.com) Check back often today for results from the Round of 16 at the 2023 NCAA Championships Round of 16 Results 125 Spencer Lee (Iowa) tech Jack Medley (Michigan) 16-0 Anthony Noto (Lock Haven) dec Eric Barnett (Wisconsin) 5-4 Killian Cardinale (West Virginia) dec Jore Volk (Wyoming) 8-3 Matt Ramos (Purdue) dec Jarrett Trombley (NC State) 6-5TB Liam Cronin (Nebraska) dec Braxton Brown (Maryland) 8-4 Eddie Ventresca (Virginia Tech) dec Patrick McKee (Minnesota) 3-2 Brandon Courtney (Arizona State) dec Jack Wagner (North Carolina) 5-1 Patrick Glory (Princeton) maj Brett Ungar (Cornell) 10-0 133 Roman Bravo-Young (Penn State) maj Brayden Palmer (Chattanooga) 5-2 Aaron Nagao (Minnesota) fall Micky Phillippi (Pittsburgh) 2:50 Kai Orine (NC State) maj Chance Rich (CSU Bakersfield) 12-2 Michael McGee (Arizona State) dec Jesse Mendez (Ohio State) 6-2 Vito Arujau (Cornell) maj Zach Redding (Iowa State) 12-4 Sam Latona (Virginia Tech) dec Cody Phippen (Air Force) 2-1 Lucas Byrd (Illinois) dec Michael Colaiocco (Penn) 6-3 Daton Fix (Oklahoma State) dec Kyle Biscoglia (Northern Iowa) 8-4 141 Real Woods (Iowa) dec Dylan D'Emilio (Ohio State) 7-5 Allan Hart (Missouri) dec Mosha Schwartz (Oklahoma) 2-2RTTB Parker Filius (Purdue) dec Ryan Jack (NC State) 7-6 Brock Hardy (Nebraska) dec Jake Bergeland (Minnesota) 5-1 Cole Matthews (Pittsburgh) dec Cael Happel (Northern Iowa) 1-0 Beau Bartlett (Penn State) dec Clay Carlson (South Dakota State) 3-2 Lachlan McNeil (North Carolina) dec Vince Cornella (Cornell) 2-1 Andrew Alirez (Northern Colorado) dec Frankie Tal-Shahar (Northwestern) 8-5 149 Yianni Diakomihalis (Cornell) fall Jackson Arrington (NC State) 2:10 Max Murin (Iowa) over Jaden Abas (Stanford) 3-1 Shayne Van Ness (Penn State) dec Paniro Johnson (Iowa State) 14-8 Graham Rooks (Indiana) dec Caleb Henson (Virginia Tech) 5-4 Kyle Parco (Arizona State) dec Austin Gomez (Wisconsin) 6-3 Brock Mauller (Missouri) dec Chance Lamer (Michigan) 4-1 Yahya Thomas (Northwestern) dec Michael Blockhus (Minnesota) 3-1SV Sammy Sasso (Ohio State) dec Colin Realbuto (Northern Iowa) 9-2 157 Austin O'Connor (North Carolina) dec Jarrett Jacques (Missouri) 4-1 Will Lewan (Michigan) dec Ed Scott (NC State) 7-5 Josh Humphreys (Lehigh) dec Kendall Coleman (Purdue) 3-0 Jared Franek (North Dakota State) dec Trevor Chumbley (Northwestern) 5-3 Peyton Robb (Nebraska) tech Garrett Model (Wisconsin) 16-1 Daniel Cardenas (Stanford) dec Derek Holschlag (Northern Iowa) 6-1 Bryce Andonian (Virginia Tech) dec Kaden Gfeller (Oklahoma State) 10-3 Levi Haines (Penn State) dec Jacob Wright (Wyoming) 8-2 165 David Carr (Iowa State) maj Austin Yant (Northern Iowa) 15-4 Shane Griffith (Stanford) maj Bubba Wilson (Nebraska) 10-0 Quincy Monday (Princeton) dec Izzak Olejnik (Northern Illinois) 4-1 Caleb Fish (Michigan State) dec Holden Heller (Pittsburgh) 7-2 Dean Hamiti (Wisconsin) fall Danny Braunagel (Illinois) 2:46 Cam Amine (Michigan) dec Patrick Kennedy (Iowa) 3-2 Carson Kharchla (Ohio State) dec Michael Caliendo (North Dakota State) 8-3 Keegan O'Toole (Missouri) dec Justin McCoy (Virginia) 5-2 174 Carter Starocci (Penn State) dec DJ Washington (Indiana) 4-0 Bailee O'Reilly (Minnesota) dec Edmond Ruth (Illinois) 4-2 Dustin Plott (Oklahoma State) dec Aaron Olmos (Oregon State) 10-6 Chris Foca (Cornell) dec Cade DeVos (South Dakota State) 8-2 Mekhi Lewis (Virginia Tech) dec Troy Fisher (Northwestern) 5-4 Nelson Brands (Iowa) dec Ethan Smith (Ohio State) 3-1 Peyton Mocco (Missouri) dec Mickey O'Malley (Drexel) 8-2 Mikey Labriola (Nebraska) dec Demetrius Romero (Utah Valley) 3-1 184 Parker Keckeisen (Northern Iowa) dec Tate Samuelson (Lehigh) 4-2 Isaiah Salazar (Minnesota) maj Brian Bonino (Drexel) 12-0 Marcus Coleman (Iowa State) dec Abe Assad (Iowa) 2-1TB Trey Munoz (Oregon State) dec Neil Antrassian (Virginia) 6-2 Aaron Brooks (Penn State) fall Will Feldkamp (Clarion) 4:59 Kaleb Romero (Ohio State) dec Colton Hawks (Missouri) 5-3 Hunter Bolen (Virginia Tech) dec Travis Wittlake (Oklahoma State) 5-1 Trent Hidlay (NC State) maj Brian Soldano (Rutgers) 12-4 197 Nino Bonaccorsi (Pittsburgh) dec Owen Pentz (North Dakota State) 8-2 Silas Allred (Nebraska) dec Max Dean (Penn State) 7-2 Zac Braunagel (Illinois) dec Michael Beard (Lehigh) 7-6 Ethan Laird (Rider) dec Yonger Bastida (Iowa State) 3-1 Rocky Elam (Missouri) dec Jacob Warner (Iowa) 6-2 Jaxon Smith (Maryland) fall Isaac Trumble (NC State) 2:16 Tanner Sloan (South Dakota State) dec Jacob Cardenas (Cornell) 4-0 Bernie Truax (Cal Poly) dec Luke Surber (Oklahoma State) 8-2 285 Mason Parris (Michigan) dec Taye Ghadiali (Campbell) 6-1 Lucas Davison (Northwestern) dec Sam Schuyler (Iowa State) 2-1 Cohlton Schultz (Arizona State) fall Colton McKiernan (SIU Edwardsville) 6:10 Tony Cassioppi (Iowa) maj Tyrell Gordon (Northern Iowa) 9-0 Greg Kerkvliet (Penn State) maj AJ Nevills (South Dakota State) 14-2 Trent Hillger (Wisconsin) dec Yaraslau Slavikouski (Harvard) 1-0 Zach Elam (Missouri) dec Owen Trephan (NC State) 4-0 Wyatt Hendrickson (Air Force) maj Grady Griess (Navy) 14-1 Team Scores After Day One 1. Penn State 26 2. Iowa 21.5 3. Missouri 17.5 4. Minnesota 16.5 4. NC State 16.5 6. Cornell 15.5 6. Nebraska 15.5 8. Michigan 14.5 8. Ohio State 14.5 10. Arizona State 13

(Photos/Sam Janicki; SJanickiPhoto.com) Check back often today for results from session one of the 2023 NCAA Championships Pigtail First Round 125 - Tucker Owens (Air Force) dec Tanner Jordan (South Dakota State) 2-1 133 - Ethan Oakley (Appalachian State) dec McGwire Midkiff (North Dakota State) 5-3 141 - Kal Miller (Maryland) dec Josh Mason (Bloomsburg) 4-3 149 - Dom Demas (Cal Poly) tech Isaiah Delgado (Utah Valley) 18-3 157 - Vince Zerban (Northern Colorado) dec Nate Lukez (Army West Point) 6-5 165 - Josh Kim (Harvard) dec Cole Moody (Wyoming) 7-4 174 - John Worthing (Clarion) dec Will Miller (Appalachian State) 8-4 184 - Anthony Carman (West Virginia) dec Jha'Quan Anderson (Gardner-Webb) 5-3SV 197 - Max Shaw (North Carolina) dec Cole Urbas (Penn) 4-1 285 - Garrett Joles (Minnesota) dec Travis Stefanik (Princeton) 4-1 Championship First Round 125 - Spencer Lee (Iowa) fall Tucker Owens (Air Force) :36 125 - Jack Medley (Michigan) dec Ethan Berginc (Army West Point) 4-2 125 - Eric Barnett (Wisconsin) maj Nick Babin (Columbia) 9-0 125 - Anthony Noto (Lock Haven) dec Joey Prata (Oklahoma) 5-2 125 - Killian Cardinale (West Virginia) dec Caleb Smith (Appalachian State) 3-2 125 - Jore Volk (Wyoming) dec Michael DeAugustino (Northwestern) 3-1SV 125 - Jarrett Trombley (NC State) dec Dean Peterson (Rutgers) 4-3 125 - Matt Ramos (Purdue) dec Nico Provo (Stanford) 3-2 125 - Liam Cronin (Nebraska) dec Antonio Lorenzo (Cal Poly) 9-4 125 - Braxton Brown (Maryland) dec Noah Surtin (Missouri) 8-6 125 - Patrick McKee (Minnesota) maj Diego Sotelo (Harvard) 12-3 125 - Eddie Ventresca (Virginia Tech) dec Stevo Poulin (Northern Colorado) 4-2SV 125 - Jack Wagner (North Carolina) dec Brandon Kaylor (Oregon State) 3-1 125 - Brandon Courtney (Arizona State) dec Jake Ferri (Kent State) 6-3 125 - Brett Ungar (Cornell) dec Ryan Miller (Penn) 6-1 125 - Patrick Glory (Princeton) fall Reece Witcraft (Oklahoma State) :32 133 - Roman Bravo-Young (Penn State) maj Ethan Oakley (Appalachian State) 12-3 133 - Brayden Palmer (Chattanooga) dec Joe Heilmann (Rutgers) 4-2 133 - Micky Phillippi (Pittsburgh) dec Wyatt Henson (Oklahoma) 5-2 133 - Aaron Nagao (Minnesota) maj Kurtis Phipps (Bucknell) 8-0 133 - Kai Orine (NC State) fall Gable Strickland (Lock Haven) 4:06 133 - Chance Rich (CSU Bakersfield) dec Chris Cannon (Northwestern) 6-5 133 - Jesse Mendez (Ohio State) maj Brendan Ferretti (Navy) 12-4 133 - Michael McGee (Arizona State) maj Angelo Rini (Columbia) 20-8 133 - Vito Arujau (Cornell) dec Ethan Rotondo (Cal Poly) 12-6 133 - Zach Redding (Iowa State) dec Dom Zaccone (Campbell) 7-2 133 - Cody Phippen (Air Force) fall Dylan Ragusin (Michigan) 2:02 133 - Sam Latona (Virginia Tech) dec Taylor LaMont (Wisconsin) 3-1SV 133 - Michael Colaiocco (Penn) fall Connor Brown (Missouri) :38 133 - Lucas Byrd (Illinois) dec Brody Teske (Iowa) 13-10 133 - Kyle Biscoglia (Northern Iowa) fall Jason Shaner (Oregon State) 6:02 133 - Daton Fix (Oklahoma State) fall Jack Maida (American) 2:15 141 - Real Woods (Iowa) maj Kal Miller (Maryland) 13-1 141 - Dylan D'Emilio (Ohio State) maj Josh Koderhandt (Navy) 10-1 141 - Mosha Schwartz (Oklahoma) dec Casey Swiderski (Iowa State) 4-1 141 - Allan Hart (Missouri) dec Carmen Ferrante (Penn) 7-4 141 - Ryan Jack (NC State) dec Saul Ervin (SIU Edwardsville) 3-2 141 - Parker Filius (Purdue) dec Cleveland Belton (Oregon State) 8-3 141 - Jakob Bergeland (Minnesota) dec Carter Young (Oklahoma State) 5-0 141 - Brock Hardy (Nebraska) maj Jordan Titus (West Virginia) 12-4 141 - Cole Matthews (Pittsburgh) dec Seth Koleno (Clarion) 4-1 141 - Cael Happel (Northern Iowa) dec Matt Kazimir (Columbia) 4-3 141 - Clay Carlson (South Dakota State) dec Malyke Hines (Lehigh) 6-1 141 - Beau Bartlett (Penn State) dec Shannon Hanna (Campbell) 8-2 141 - Vince Cornella (Cornell) dec McKenzie Bell (Rider) 7-4 141 - Lachlan McNeil (North Carolina) dec Cole Mattin (Michigan) 6-2 141 - Frankie Tal-Shahar (Northwestern) dec Tom Crook (Virginia Tech) 3-1SV 141 - Andrew Alirez (Northern Colorado) fall Joe Zargo (Wisconsin) 2:05 149 - Yianni Diakomihalis (Cornell) dec Dom Demas (Cal Poly) 6-1 149 - Jackson Arrington (NC State) dec Quinn Kinner (Rider) 5-3SV 149 - Jaden Abas (Stanford) fall Ryan Burgos (Edinboro) 2:56 149 - Max Murin (Iowa) dec Caleb Tyus (SIU Edwardsville) 6-3 149 - Paniro Johnson (Iowa State) dec Alec Hagan (Ohio) 2-2RTTB 149 - Shayne Van Ness (Penn State) fall Ethen Miller (Maryland) 6:26 149 - Graham Rooks (Indiana) dec Kellyn March (North Dakota State) 4-3 149 - Caleb Henson (Virginia Tech) dec Dylan Chappell (Bucknell) 6-1 149 - Kyle Parco (Arizona State) maj Dylan Martinez (Air Force) 18-6 149 - Austin Gomez (Wisconsin) maj Johnny Lovett (Central Michigan) 18-0 149 - Chance Lamer (Michigan) dec Doug Zapf (Penn) 4-3 149 - Brock Mauller (Missouri) dec Jarod Verkleeren (Virginia) 11-5 149 - Yahya Thomas (Northwestern) maj Nathan Higley (George Mason) 12-3 149 - Michael Blockhus (Minnesota) dec Victor Voinovich (Oklahoma State) 3-2 149 - Colin Realbuto (Northern Iowa) dec Mitch Moore (Oklahoma) 9-3 149 - Sammy Sasso (Ohio State) maj Tony White (Rutgers) 10-2 157 - Austin O'Connor (North Carolina) dec Vince Zerban (Northern Colorado) 6-1 157 - Jarrett Jacques (Missouri) dec Anthony Artalona (Penn) 5-4 157 - Will Lewan (Michigan) dec Tommy Askey (Appalachian State) 3-2 157 - Ed Scott (NC State) dec Jason Kraisser (Iowa State) 5-3 157 - Josh Humphreys (Lehigh) dec Paddy Gallagher (Ohio State) 3-0 157 - Kendall Coleman (Purdue) dec Andy Clark (Rutgers) 9-4 157 - Trevor Chumbley (Northwestern) dec Cael Swensen (South Dakota State) 6-3 157 - Jared Franek (North Dakota State) maj Corbyn Munson (Central Michgan) 10-1 157 - Peyton Robb (Nebraska) tech Jared Hill (Oklahoma) 15-0 157 - Garrett Model (Wisconsin) dec Cobe Siebrecht (Iowa) 10-5 157 - Derek Holschlag (Northern Iowa) dec Chase Saldate (Michigan State) 4-3 157 - Daniel Cardenas (Stanford) maj Cesar Alvan (Columbia) 12-0 157 - Bryce Andonian (Virginia Tech) dec Peyten Keller (Ohio) 7-6 157 - Kaden Gfeller (Oklahoma State) dec Peter Pappas (George Mason) 6-5TB 157 - Jacob Wright (Wyoming) dec Derek Gilcher (Indiana) 3-2 157 - Levi Haines (Penn State) dec Ashton Eyler (Lock Haven) 10-3 165 - David Carr (Iowa State) maj Josh Kim (Harvard) 10-2 165 - Austin Yant (Northern Iowa) dec Josh Ogunsanya (Columbia) 8-1 165 - Shane Griffith (Stanford) dec Rodrick Mosley (Gardner-Webb) 1-0 165 - Bubba Wilson (Nebraska) dec Matt Olguin (Oregon State) 3-1SV 165 - Quincy Monday (Princeton) maj Andrew Sparks (Minnesota) 12-4 165 - Izzak Olejnik (Northern Illinois) dec Gerrit Nijenhuis (Oklahoma) 4-3 165 - Caleb Fish (Michigan) dec Julian Ramirez (Cornell) 8-4 165 - Holden Heller (Pittsburgh) dec Alex Facundo (Penn State) 5-3 165 - Danny Braunagel (Illinois) maj Peyton Hall (West Virginia) 16-5 165 - Cam Amine (Michigan) fall Tanner Cook (South Dakota State) 6:30 165 - Dean Hamiti (Wisconsin) fall Evan Barczak (Drexel) 1:24 165 - Patrick Kennedy (Iowa) dec Will Formato (Appalachian State) 7-2 165 - Michael Caliendo (North Dakota State) dec Brevin Casella (Binghamton) 6-1 165 - Carson Kharchla (Ohio State) dec Connor Brady (Virginia Tech) 2-1 165 - Justin McCoy (Virginia) dec Maxx Mayfield (Northwestern) 7-2 165 - Keegan O'Toole (Missouri) maj Wyatt Sheets (Oklahoma State) 13-5 174 - Carter Starocci (Penn State) fall John Worthing (Clarion) 1:21 174 - DJ Washington (Indiana) tech Sam Wolf (Air Force) 17-2 174 - Edmond Ruth (Illinois) maj Phil Conigliaro (Harvard) 14-4 174 - Bailee O'Reilly (Minnesota) dec Nick Inconterera (Penn) 5-3 174 - Dustin Plott (Oklahoma State) dec Luca Augustine (Pittsburgh) 3-2 174 - Aaron Olmos (Oregon State) dec Lennox Wolak (Columbia) 6-3 174 - Cade DeVos (South Dakota State) fall Alex Cramer (Central Michigan) 2:13 174 - Chris Foca (Cornell) fall Cael Valencia (Arizona State) 2:22 174 - Mekhi Lewis (Virginia Tech) dec Jackson Turley (Rutgers) 2-1 174 - Troy Fisher (Northwestern) dec Ben Pasiuk (Army West Point) 10-8SV 174 - Nelson Brands (Iowa) dec Alex Faison (NC State) 6-3 174 - Ethan Smith (Ohio State) dec Tyler Eischens (Stanford) 6-5 174 - Peyton Mocco (Missouri) dec Sal Perrine (Ohio) 3-1SV 174 - Mickey O'Malley (Drexel) dec Rocky Jordan (Chattanooga) 8-7 174 - Demetrius Romero (Utah Valley) Maj Tate Picklo (Oklahoma) 9-1 174 - Mikey Labriola (Nebraska) dec Tyler Stoltzfus (Lock Haven) 9-6 184 - Parker Keckeisen (Northern Iowa) maj Anthony Carman (West Virginia) 12-3 184 - Tate Samuelson (Lehigh) fall Reece Heller (Pittsburgh) 5:45 184 - Isaiah Salazar (Minnesota) dec Cade King (South Dakota State) 3-0 184 - Brian Bonino (Drexel) dec Matt Finesilver (Michigan) 3-2 184 - Marcus Coleman (Iowa State) maj Jacob Ferreira (Hofstra) 12-3 184 - Abe Assad (Iowa) dec Giuseppe Hoose (Buffalo) 6-2 184 - Neil Antrassian (Virginia) dec Lenny Pinto (Nebraska) 11-6 184 - Trey Munoz (Oregon State) dec DJ Parker (North Dakota State) 2-1 184 - Aaron Brooks (Penn State) maj Matthew Waddell (Chattanooga) 13-4 184 - Will Feldkamp (Clarion) dec Jacob Nolan (Binghamton) 4-3 184 - Colton Hawks (Missouri) dec Gavin Kane (North Carolina) 6-2 184 - Kaleb Romero (Ohio State) maj Caleb Hopkins (Campbell) 10-2 184 - Hunter Bolen (Virginia Tech) dec David Key (Navy) 3-2 184 - Travis Wittlake (Oklahoma State) dec Dylan Connell (Illinois) 4-0 184 - Brian Soldano (Rutgers) fall Layne Malczewski (Michigan State) 1:40 184 - Trent Hidlay (NC State) tech Zayne Lehman (Ohio) 24-9 197 - Nino Bonaccorsi (Pittsburgh) maj Max Shaw (North Carolina) 10-1 197 - Owen Pentz (North Dakota State) InjDef Braxton Amos (Wisconsin) 197 - Max Dean (Penn State) dec Levi Hopkins (Campbell) 6-1 197 - Silas Allred (Nebraska) dec Michael Battista (Virginia) 13-7 197 - Michael Beard (Lehigh) maj Jacob Koser (Navy) 11-1 197 - Zac Braunagel (Illinois) fall Andy Smith (Virginia Tech) 3:59 197 - Yonger Bastida (Iowa State) dec Evan Bockman (Utah Valley) 5-2 197 - Ethan Laird (Rider) dec Trey Rogers (Hofstra) 10-5 197 - Rocky Elam (Missouri) dec Andrew Davison (Northwestern) 4-1 197 - Jacob Warner (Iowa) dec Cam Caffey (Michigan State) 4-1 197 - Jaxon Smith (Maryland) dec Michial Foy (Minnesota) 6-3 197 - Isaac Trumble (NC State) dec Nick Stemmet (Stanford) 7-4 197 - Tanner Sloan (South Dakota State) dec Gavin Hoffman (Ohio State) 8-1 197 - Jacob Cardenas (Cornell) dec Luke Stout (Princeton) 3-1 197 - Luke Surber (Oklahoma State) dec Tanner Harvey (Oregon State) 8-1 197 - Bernie Truax (Cal Poly) maj Austin Cooley (West Virginia) 8-0 285 - Mason Parris (Michigan) maj Garrett Joles (Minnesota) 12-2 285 - Taye Ghadiali (Campbell) dec Tate Orndorff (Ohio State) 3-1SV 285 - Lucas Davison (Northwestern) dec Boone McDermott (Rutgers) 6-1 285 - Sam Schuyler (Iowa State) dec Michael Wolfgram (West Virginia) 4-2 285 - Cohlton Schultz (Arizona State) maj Dorian Crosby (Bucknell) 13-0 285 - Colton McKiernan (SIU Edwardsville) dec Nathan Taylor (Lehigh) 4-0 285 - Tyrell Gordon (Northern Iowa) dec Konner Doucet (Oklahoma State) 2-1 285 - Tony Cassioppi (Iowa) maj Jaron Smith (Maryland) 10-0 285 - Greg Kerkvliet (Penn State) fall Hayden Copass (Purdue) :34 285 - AJ Nevills (South Dakota State) dec Jonah Niesenbaum (Duke) 8-1 285 - Trent Hillger (Wisconsin) dec Hunter Catka (Virginia Tech) 2-0 285 - Yaraslau Slavikouski (Harvard) dec Ben Goldin (Penn) 4-2 285 - Owen Trephan (NC State) maj Cory Day (Binghamton) 9-0 285 - Zach Elam (Missouri) dec Jacob Bullock (Indiana) 4-1 285 - Grady Griess (Navy) dec Josh Heindselman (Oklahoma) 3-0 285 - Wyatt Hendrickson (Air Force) fall Trevor Tinker (Cal Poly) 1:54 Team Scores After Session One 1. Penn State 16 2. NC State 12.5 3. Iowa 12 4. Northern Iowa 10 4. Ohio State 10 6. Minnesota 9 6. Missouri 9 6. Wisconsin 9 9. Nebraska 8.5 10. Cornell 8

The 2022 NCAA Championships (photo courtesy of Sam Janicki; SJanickiPhoto.com) Earl Smith (Site Editor) 125 - Spencer Lee over Patrick Glory 133 - Roman Bravo-Young over Daton Fix 141 - Andrew Alirez over Real Woods 149 - Yianni Diakomihalis over Sammy Sasso 157 - Austin O'Connor over Peyton Robb 165 - David Carr over Keegan O'Toole 174 - Carter Starocci over Mekhi Lewis 184 - Aaron Brooks over Parker Keckeisen 197 - Rocky Elam over Max Dean 285 - Mason Parris over Greg Kerkvliet Top 5 Teams 1) Penn State 2) Iowa 3) Cornell 4) Nebraska 5) Missouri Lauren Muthler (Big Ten Correspondent) 125 - Spencer Lee 133 - Roman Bravo-Young 141 - Real Woods 149 - Yianni Diakomihalis 157 - Peyton Robb 165 - David Carr 174 - Carter Starocci 184 - Aaron Brooks 197 - Max Dean 285 - Mason Parris Championship Team: 1) Penn State Courtney Woods (MAC Correspondent) 125 - Spencer Lee 133 - Roman Bravo-Young 141 - Real Woods 149 - Yianni Diakomihalis 157 - Peyton Robb 165 - David Carr 174 - Carter Starocci 184 - Parker Keckeisen 197 - Nino Bonaccorsi 285 - Mason Parris Austin Sommer (EIWA Correspondent) 125 - Spencer Lee over Patrick Glory 133 - Roman Bravo-Young over Daton Fix 141 - Cole Matthews over Real Woods 149 - Yianni Diakomihalis over Sammy Sasso 157 - Josh Humphreys over Peyton Robb 165 - David Carr over Keegan O'Toole 174 - Carter Starocci over Mekhi Lewis 184 - Aaron Brooks over Parker Keckeisen 197 - Rocky Elam over Michael Beard 285 - Greg Kerkvliet over Mason Parris Top 4 Teams 1) Penn State 2) Iowa 3) Nebraska 4) Cornell Seth Duckworth (Big 12 Correspondent) 125 - Spencer Lee over Patrick Glory 133 - Roman Bravo-Young over Daton Fix 141 - Andrew Alirez over Real Woods 149 - Yianni Diakomihalis over Brock Mauller 157 - Levi Haines over Jared Franek 165 - David Carr over Keegan O'Toole 174 - Carter Starocci over Mekhi Lewis 184 - Aaron Brooks over Parker Keckeisen 197 - Rocky Elam over Nino Bonaccorsi 285 - Mason Parris over Greg Kerkvliet Top 3 Teams 1) Penn State 2) Iowa 3) Missouri Nick Zeller-Singh (Pac-12 Correspondent) 125 - Spencer Lee over Patrick Glory 133 - Roman Bravo-Young over Vito Arujau 141 - Real Woods over Beau Bartlett 149 - Yianni Diakomihalis over Sammy Sasso 157 - Peyton Robb over Austin O'Connor 165 - David Carr over Keegan O'Toole 174 - Mekhi Lewis over Carter Starocci 184 - Aaron Brooks over Parker Keckeisen 197 - Nino Bonaccorsi over Rocky Elam 285 - Greg Kerkvliet over Tony Cassioppi Top 3 Teams 1) Penn State 2) Iowa 3) Cornell Robbie Wendell (ACC Correspondent) 125 - Spencer Lee over Patrick Glory 133 - Roman Bravo-Young over Daton Fix 141 - Cole Matthews over Real Woods 149 - Yianni Diakomihalis over Sammy Sasso 157 - Austin O'Connor over Bryce Andonian 165 - David Carr over Keegan O'Toole 174 - Mekhi Lewis over Carter Starocci 184 - Trent Hidlay over Parker Keckeisen 197 - Nino Bonaccorsi over Bernie Truax 285 - Mason Parris over Greg Kerkvliet Top 3 Teams 1) Penn State 2) Virginia Tech 3) NC State 4) Iowa

NC State 133 lber Kai Orine (Photo courtesy of Sam Janicki; SJanickiPhoto.com) The ACC enters Tulsa looking for as many wrestlers as possible to stand on the podium Saturday night. I feel pretty good about the path for a lot of these guys to earn All-American honors, but as we all know, the NCAA is chaotic and unpredictable. Let's take a quick look at the first-round matchups and potential paths for the ACC reps. 125: This weight will be tough for the ACC. All three reps are seeded 20 or higher and will not be favorites to open the tournament. There is an outside chance for an All-American finish here, but it will take multiple upsets to make it happen. (20) Jarrett Trombley (NCST) vs (13) Dean Peterson (RUT). Peterson is one of the better redshirt freshmen in the country at this weight. He comes in at 22-9, and the majority of his losses are to top-15 opponents. Trombley will have a big task to open the tournament; he will likely face (4) Matt Ramos (PUR) if he is able to pull the upset. (26) Jack Wagner (UNC) vs (7) Brandon Kaylor (ORST). Kaylor was a surprise All-American last year and will be looking to replicate his run. Wagner has shown that he can hang with anyone, so I expect a low-scoring match; if Wagner can keep it close he can win matches late. If he gets the win he will likely face another All-American in (10) Brandon Courtney (ASU). (27) Eddie Ventresca (VT) vs (6) Stevo Poulin (UNCO). The biggest question is which Eddie will we see; Ventresca has the talent to beat almost anyone in the country but he has shown some mental lapses this year that have cost him matches he should have won. Ventresca can beat Poulin, but will have to be at his best to make that happen. If he wins he will face (11) Patrick McKee (MINN) in the second round. 133: I think this weight, along with 141 and 157 will shape up the best for the ACC on the podium. All three are top-10 seeds and have multiple top-10 ranked wins on the year. (5) Kai Orine (NCST) vs (28) Gable Strickland (LOCK). Orine will be favored here and will face two-time All-American Chris Cannon (NW) in the second round. If Orine wrestles the way he did in Raleigh, he could make a run. If it goes to seed, he would face (4) Michael McGee (ASU) in the quarterfinals. If he drops to McGee, his path in the bottom bracket is tough but manageable. (6) Sam Latona (VT) vs (27) Taylor Lamont (WIS). Latona opens with an All-American, though Lamont has not shown the same form since his transfer from UVU, he is still dangerous. He would likely face Cody Phippen (AF) in the second round and would have the rubber match with (3) Vito Arujau (COR) in the quarterfinals. Vito won at CKLV and Latona avenged the loss at home in their dual--I would love to see a round 3. (9) Micky Phillippi (Pitt) vs (24) Wyatt Henson (OU). I think Micky can break through this year to make the podium, and I like his path. He is favored over Henson and would likely face (8) Aaron Nagao (MINN) in the second round. Nagao had a great B1G tournament and is coming in hot, but I favor the tournament experience of Phillippi. His quarterfinal would likely be against reigning national champion Roman Bravo Young (PSU)--a big ask, for sure. If he wins there, he is a semi-finalist and an AA, if he loses, he drops to the blood round (again) and would be one win away from the elusive honors. 141: Another weight where I love the potential for the ACC. Matthews and Jack are seeded to AA with McNeil and Crook just on the outside. Matthews, McNeil and Crook are in the bottom half of the bracket and could potentially meet on the front side--but it would take some upsets. I like the path to the quarterfinals for Matthews and Jack and like both of them to make it to Friday night on the front side. I also think McNeil and Crook have a very real potential to get to the podium. All of these guys have shown they can win big matches, now they will have to string them together. (3) Cole Matthews (Pitt) vs (30) Seth Koleno (CLAR). Matthews is favored big to start and will likely face (14) Cael Happel (UNI) in round 2 and (6) Beau Bartlett (PSU) in the quarterfinals. If it goes to seed, he would face (2) Andrew Alirez (UNCO) in the semifinals. I like these matchups for Cole. Alirez has a win over Matthews at the All-Star Dual early in the year, but I think Matthews has looked significantly better than that performance the rest of the season. (5) Ryan Jack (NCST) vs (28) Saul Ervin (SIUE). Ryan is also heavily favored to open, and will likely face (12) Parker Filius (PUR) in the second round and (4) Brock Hardy (NEB) in the quarterfinals. Jack can win all of these matchups--he has split matches with Hardy on the year, beating him in a dual and losing at CKLV. (10) Lachlan McNeil (UNC) vs (23) Cole Mattin (UM). Mattin is sneaky good, but I favor Lachlan to get the opening win. He would likely face (7) Vince Cornella (COR) in the second round, and if he wins he would draw (2) Andrew Alirez (UNCO). Both of those will be difficult matches for Lachlan, but he could pull an upset. I think he has a good path on the backside if he drops in either of those matches. (15) Tom Crook (VT) vs (18) Frankie Tal Shahar (NW). Crook will be favored in his first match but will draw the undefeated Alirez in round 2. Crook has the talent to knock off someone of Alirez’s caliber, but it will be a big challenge. If he drops to Alirez, he will have a tough, but possible, path to the podium. 149: This is a tough weight for the ACC but at the 4 seed, Caleb Henson has a great draw to make it to the All-American round as a true freshman. Arrington and Verkleeren will both be looking to make the most of their first trip to the NCAA tournament and cause as much chaos as possible to make their way to Saturday. (4) Caleb Henson (VT) vs (29) Dylan Chappell (BUCK). For a true freshman, Henson is incredibly battle tested and has wrestled a very difficult schedule, including wins over four All-Americans. He will be heavily favored in the opening round and by seed, would face (13) Kellyn March (NDSU) in round two to earn his way to a face-off with fellow true freshman (5) Paniro Johnson (ISU). The winner of that match will draw (1) Yianni Diakomihalis (COR) as he goes for his fourth NCAA title. I think Henson is well-positioned to get on the podium as a true freshman. (16) Jackson Arrington (NCST) vs (17) Quinn Kinner (RID). Arrington will draw Quinn Kinner in the opening round in what should be a pretty solid match. I favor Arrington to get through to round two to face some kid from Ithaca named Yianni… a tough ask. Arrington will have a path to the podium that will be full of landmines in a very tough weight. (27) Jarod Verkleeren (UVA) vs (6) Brock Mauller (MIZ). Verk makes his NCAA tournament debut against a very good Brock Mauller. Mauller is 16-2 with losses to Johnson and All-American Kyle Parco and holds a 7-5 win over Henson. Verkleeren will face either (11) Doug Zapf (PENN) or (22) Chance Lamer (UM) in round two. Verk has looked great in the second half of the season and I would love to see him make a run in Tulsa. 157: My favorite weight for the ACC in Tulsa. All three are top-10 and have a fantastic path to the podium. O’Connor and Scott are in the same quarter so we could/should have an ACC rematch. I personally have an all-ACC final as well. I told you it was my favorite weight. All three of these guys are incredibly entertaining, high-point-scoring, aggressive wrestlers and will put on a show. (1) Austin O’Connor (UNC) vs (32) Vinny Zerban (UNCO) or (33) Nathan Lukez (ARMY) O’Connor earned the top seed and will be favored in round one, and will face the winner of (16) Anthony Artalona (PENN)/(17) Jarrett Jacques (MIZZ) in round two. I don’t think either will trip up AOC on his way to the quarters against familiar foe Ed Scott of NCST. If he can notch another win over Scott, he would likely face (4) Jared Franek (NDSU) or (5) Josh Humphries (LEH) in the semifinals. The way Austin has looked this year, I see him making another appearance in the NCAA finals. (7) Bryce Andonian (VT) vs (26) Peyton Keller (OHIO). Hollywood Andonian is primed for the big stage again. He is favored to beat Keller to face (10) Kaden Gfeller (OSU) or (23) Peter Pappas (GMU) in round two. His quarterfinal would likely pit him against (2) Levi Haines (PSU); I think the experience and constant calm of Andonian will serve him well in this match. If he pulls the upset to make the semifinals again, he could see (3) Peyton Robb (NEB) or (6) Daniel Cardenas (STAN). I know I hold an ACC bias, but I have an O’Connor/Andonian final in Tulsa. (8) Ed Scott (NCST) vs (25) Jason Kraisser (ISU). Ed Scott has a bad taste in his mouth from his blood round “loss” last year and will be on a mission to make the podium. If he takes care of business against Kraisser, he will face (9) Will Lewan (UM) in the second round. I love that matchup for Ed; his style and relentless attacks will be a lot for the, let's say, “methodical”, style of Lewan. He would face O’Connor in the quarterfinal, against whom he had a close match in the dual. A win puts him in the semis and earns AA status, a loss would put him in the blood round in a matchup that should favor him. 165: We go from my favorite weight to what I think is the toughest weight for the ACC to get an AA. I think McCoy has a path but he will have to battle through some very tough matchups to make it happen. Heller and Brady will be underdogs from the first match and will have an uphill climb to get on the podium, but there is a shot. (15) Justin McCoy (UVA) vs (18) Maxx Mayfield (NW) McCoy didn’t face Mayfield in their dual, but did win over their previous starter. McCoy has looked great since being fully healthy and he enters the tournament in a good spot. He will likely face reigning national champ (2) Keegan O’Toole (MIZZ) in round two in what will be a very challenging matchup. O’Toole is 16-2 on the year with his only losses to (1) David Carr (ISU). With 165 being as crazy of a bracket as it is, McCoy will likely have to knock off at least one former All-American on the backside to make the podium in Tulsa. (20) Holden Heller (Pitt) vs (13) Alex Facundo (PSU). I wouldn’t be shocked by an opening round upset for Heller, but it will be a challenge. He will face either (29) Caleb Fish (MSU) or (4) Julian Ramirez (CORN) in his second match. Just like McCoy, he will have a minefield to navigate on the backside. (23) Connor Brady (VT) vs (10) Carson Kharchla (OSU) Brady will face a familiar opponent in high school teammate Kharchla; Brady dropped a close match in the dual. Brady will face either (26) Brevin Cassella (BING) or (7) Michael Caliendo (NDSU) in his second match. Same story for Brady in the consi bracket. 165 is an insane weight this year and it will be a tough path for anyone that gets on the podium. 174: While this isn’t the deepest weight for the ACC, we have Mekhi Lewis looking to make his third finals appearance and add another NCAA title. Lewis has been working through a knee injury that he sustained in a December dual that was tweaked at the ACC tournament, but the staff said he is ready to roll in Tulsa. (3) Mekhi Lewis (VT) vs (30) Jackson Turley (RUT). All roads for Lewis lead to rematches with the last two opponents to beat him. He will likely face (14) Ben Pasiuk (ARMY) in round two before facing familiar foe (6) Ethan Smith in the quarterfinals. If all goes to seed, he will face (2) Mickey Labirola (NEB) in the quarterfinals--Labriola won over Lewis in the CKLV finals in rideouts. If he is able to avenge that loss--which I think he will--he will likely have a rematch of last year’s NCAA finals against (1) Carter Starocci (PSU). All of this lays out to be a pretty phenomenal storyline if Lewis is able to replicate his title run in 2019. (22) Alex Faison (NCST) vs (11) Nelson Brands (IOWA). I have been impressed with Faison all year, but his performance last weekend gives him some solid momentum going into Tulsa. He will have a tough, but winnable first-round match against Brands and will face either (6) Ethan Smith or (27) Tyler Eischens (STAN) in his second match. I think Faison has a good path to the blood round, but will need to pull multiple upsets to get on the podium. (28) Luca Augustine (Pitt) vs (5) Dustin Plott (OKST). Augustine gets a tough match to start the tournament and will face either (21) Lennox Wolak (COL) or (12) Aaron Olmos (ORST) in his second match. As with Faison, Luca will have to pull off multiple upsets to reach the final eight. 184: This has been the deepest weight in the ACC and there are several potential All-Americans at the weight. Trent Hidlay earned the 2-seed and is looking to avenge two losses on his way to an NCAA title. Bolen is looking to get back on the podium in his final NCAA appearance and Kane, Heller and Antrassian are looking to pull off some big wins to make it to Saturday. (2) Trent Hilday (NCST) vs (31) Zayne Lehman (OHIO). The path for Hidlay will go through a semifinal against reigning NCAA champ Aaron Brooks and a finals matchup with Parker Keckeisen. Hidlay will be heavily favored to open and will face (15) Layne Malczewski (MSU) in the second round to set up his 232nd match against Hunter Bolen in the quarterfinals. A win against Bolen squares him up with Brooks for a potential rubber match with Keckeisen. Hidlay has a tough path to get back to the big stage Saturday night, but with as good as he has looked this year, it's a very good possibility. (7) Hunter Bolen (VT) vs (26) David Key (NAVY) Bolen will be favored in round one and will face (10) Travis Wittlake (OKST). A win will put him in the quarterfinals for another round against Trent Hidlay. If he beats Hidlay, he is back on the podium and in the semis against Aaron Brooks. If he loses he will drop to the blood round for a match that he should be favored to win. I like the path for Bolen to finish his career on the podium. (11) Gavin Kane (UNC) vs (22) Colton Hawks (MIZ). Kane came into the tournament last year with high expectations but struggled and went 0-2; he is looking to reverse that fate and work his way to wrestling on Saturday. He will be favored over Hawks of Mizzou to open, but will face a tough test in (6) Kaleb Romero (OHST) in round 2. Kane holds a win over Bolen, who split with Romero this season, so he has shown it is a winnable match, but Romero is a tough out. If he wins, he will probably face reigning champ Brooks in the quarters; if he drops to the bottom bracket he will need to win one match to make the bloodround, where he will likely face a top 10 seed to make the All-American round. When Kane is on, he is really good--it will be critical for Coach Scott and crew to make sure Kane is ready mentally as well as physically. (16) Reece Heller (Pitt) vs (17) Tate Samuelson (LEH) Heller has shown throughout the year that he can beat anyone who steps on the mat--he is going to need to show that for three straight days to earn his way onto the podium. He will open with a tough match against another transfer in Tate Samuelson of Lehigh via Wyoming. This is a winnable match for him against another rather lanky 184. If he wins his opening bout he will draw the 1-seed Parker Keckeisen in a battle of very different styles. If he drops in that bout he will fall to the consi bracket and will have a very tough route to get through to Saturday--he will likely face multiple top-10 wrestlers to make the podium. (20) Neil Antrassian (UVA) vs (13) Lenny Pinto (NEB) Antrassian has a shot to make some noise in Tulsa as he did at the Midlands; I like Antrassian’s style for tournaments, I think it is beneficial for him when matches are close together. He draws a tough first-round match in Lenny Pinto from Nebraska. He will then face either (4) Trey Munoz (ORST) or (29) Will Feldkamp (CLAR). Antrassian will have to navigate a loaded field to make it through to the final day, but we have seen that he is capable of just that. 197: This bracket holds the other top seed for the ACC in Nino Bonaccorsi, along with Issac Trumble who are seeded to make the podium. Andy Smith has knocked off two top-10 wrestlers this year and will look to capture some more of that magic. Battista and Shaw will be looking to play spoiler to as many opponents as possible as they work toward Saturday. I like the path for both Nino and Isaac to get on the podium, but it won’t be an easy task. (1) Nino Bonaccorsi (Pitt) vs (32) Cole Urbas (PENN) or (33) Max Shaw (UNC) Nino earns the top seed and will be well positioned to make a run, but will have a very tough quarter bracket to get through along the way. He opens heavily favored in the first round and will likely face (16) Braxton Amos (WIS) in the second round. This is where it gets tricky for Nino. In the quarters he will face the winner of (8) Silas Allred (NEB) who won the B1G and (9) Max Dean (PSU) who is the reigning national champion. If he gets through that, he could face (4) Ethan Laird (RID) or one of two opponents he has wins over this year in (5) Michael Beard (LEH) and (13) Yonger Bastida--who is very dangerous from that seed. (6) Isaac Trumble (NCST) vs (27) Nick Stemmet (STAN) Trumble will also face a difficult quarter bracket to make it through to the AA round, but he certainly has the potential to navigate it. He will be favored to open against Stemmet and his likely second-round opponent (11) Jaxon Smith (MD)--that could be a very entertaining match. I like Trumble in both of these and expect to see him in the quarters against (3) Rocky Elam (MIZZ). I think Trumble’s style and his length will be difficult for Elam and I think he can get through to the semifinals for a rematch against Bernie Truax, who he pinned at Collegiate Duals. (21) Andy Smith (VT) vs (12) Zac Braunagel (ILL) Tough, but winnable match to open for Smith, if he can keep it close, he has a good chance at beating Braunagel. In his second match, he will face either Michael Beard or (28) Jacob Koser (NAVY). He will have a tough route to get through on the back side to get to Saturday, but I wouldn’t count him out. (25) Michael Battista (UVA) vs (8) Silas Allred (NEB) Battista will look to pull off as many upsets as possible, starting with B1G champ Silas Allred. He will pull either Max Dean or (24) Levi Hopkins (CAMP) in the second round. Battista will also have a tough route and will need multiple upsets to get through to Saturday. (33) Max Shaw (UNC) vs Cole Urbas (PENN) in the pigtail, will face (1) Nino if he wins. Shaw got in as an alternate and as such, will wrestle the pigtail match against Cole Urbas to open the tournament. If he wins he gets the privilege of wrestling Nino, if he loses he drops to the consi’s to likely face (30) Andrew Davison (NW). 285: This is another tough weight for the ACC but there is a good shot for multiple people to make the podium if they are locked in. Trephan has a good route from the 7 seed, and Niesenbaum and Catka will both have very tough early matches on Thursday with the potential to make a run through the backside of the tournament. (7) Owen Trephan (NCST) vs (26) Cory Day (BING) Trephan should handle his opening match easily and will probably face (10) Zach Elam (MIZZ) in the second round. If it stays to seed he would face a very dangerous (2) Wyatt Henderickson (AFA) in the quarters. I think this is a winnable match for Trephan, which would guarantee him AA status if he makes the semis, if he drops down he will need to win his blood round match to get on the podium. (19) Jonah Niesenbaum (Duke) vs (14) AJ Nevills (SDSU) He isn’t favored by seed, but I like this opening matchup for Jonah. If he wants to earn AA status, he’ll have to muster multiple upsets, so why not start in round one? He will face either reigning national champ (3) Greg Kerkvliet or (30) Hadyen Compas (PUR) in round 2. He will probably need to knock off at least one, if not two, top-10 seeds on the back side to make it through to AA. (22) Hunter Catka (VT) #22 vs (11) Trent Hilger (WIS) I have similar feelings with Catka--he’s not favored, but if he is locked in, Hilger is a winnable match for him. He will face either (6) Yaraslau Slavikouski (HARV) or (27) Ben Goldin (PENN) in his second match. If the Hokies want to make a run at a team trophy, they will need points from Catka on the back side. Duke: 1 qualifier 0 seeded to AA North Carolina: 5 qualifiers 1 seeded to AA North Carolina State: 9 qualifiers 6 seeded to AA Pittsburgh: 6 qualifiers 2 seeded to AA Virginia: 4 qualifiers 0 seeded to AA Virginia Tech: 10 qualifiers 5 seeded to AA

Princeton Associate Head Coach Joe Dubuque (Photo courtesy of Tony DiMarco) Peaking is a word used in every sport, typically to describe training leading up to the biggest event of the year and an athlete's ability to compete at their highest level during that time. For wrestling, it is seen during the national championships, which are happening this week. While many fans may have an idea of what peaking is, I asked two former college wrestlers, now high-level coaches, what their perspectives on peaking are. The first coach is Ben Askren, a four-time finalist, two-time national champ and Hodge trophy winner who now runs one of the most successful high school wrestling clubs in Askren Wrestling Academy. I also heard from Joe Dubuque, a two-time national champion who won both titles a week after not winning Big 10's and now coaches at the ascending Princeton program. How would you define athletic peaking, specifically in wrestling? Askren: Wrestling the best you possibly can to the utmost of your skill and ability level. Dubuque: I define athletic peaking as being as fresh physically and mentally, as you can be, for whatever event you are trying to peak for. You are someone who went from not winning their conference to winning a national title twice, what changed in the time between the two tournaments? Dubuque: My junior year not much changed from Big Tens to Nationals, but more so it was the round-by-round of NCAA's is where my mindset changed. I was very focused on becoming a 2x All-American as that was a big goal for me and once I achieved that goal making it to the semis, I told myself that I was winning this tournament. My senior year I really wanted to win Big Ten's since it was in Indiana, but it was almost like it was an obligation and not really a desire. Once that was taken from me and vowed to myself to enjoy the next two weeks I had with wrestling and If I could do that then winning my second national championship would be attainable. I never lacked self-confidence whether, I was actually better than everyone or I was delusional about it, either way, every time I stepped on the mat I felt I was going to win. How has your perspective/thought process on athletic peaking changed since you went from athlete to coach? Askren: Initially, I would have thought it was, and I think a lot of people think this, that there is a really specific, more sneakier way to get ready, you know, a really regimented thing. And now I think it really just factors down to two things. Number one, obviously you want to decrease the volume so that limits the injury factor and also keeps the kids feeling fresher, which is great. You don't want them feeling worn down heading into big tournaments. And then number two, refining of the skill set. So, you know, don't be introducing new moves. The longer the season goes on or the closer you get to big tournaments, the fewer new moves you want to be introducing. Probably until you're almost doing no new move introduction by the end. So I think those are the only two big factors. I think some people want to make it out to be way more unique or way more difficult to peak, but I don't really think it's all that hard. Just don't wear kids out and don't show them a bunch of new things right before important tournaments when they've not had enough practice to do those things. How do mindset and mentality factor into peaking? Askren: I think it's just mostly kids having recognition that they are prepared and they're ready and they aren't fearful of the tournament that is moving ahead. How much do you put emphasis on the mental aspect vs physical before a big competition? Dubuque: I would say there is probably more emphasis on the mental aspect as it is the physical. Being in the right state of mind, I feel will dictate your success at higher-level tournaments. Confidence is huge and depending on how you did prior to that big tournament it might have to be manufactured confidence or organic. Obviously being healthy physically is a big deal, but if you're healthy enough to wrestle in a big tournament then the mental side is what is going to get you the success you desire. How different can the plan for peaking be from wrestler to wrestler? What factors play into the differences? Askren: I don't think there should be a difference. Just like I said earlier, people think it's way more unique and way harder than it really is. I think people just want to make themselves sound smarter and act like they have a unique ability to get kids ready to wrestle, and it really just comes down to decreasing the volume and decreasing the amount of new things you're showing kids, to let them do the things they do well. Have a good strategy. That's it. At a tournament like NCAA's where you have the brackets so far in advance, how much time if any is spent game planning for opponents? Dubuque: I would say there is time spent making a specific game plan, but you can't map out too far in advance because crazy things happen at NCAA's. The athlete should be ready for round 1 and 2 opponents but the coach should have scouting notes on all possibilities throughout the tournament.

Iowa's two-time Hodge Trophy winner Spencer Lee (Photo courtesy of Sam Janicki; SJanickiPhoto.com) At the conclusion of every college wrestling season, the Hodge Trophy is awarded. The trophy, which is named in honor of Olympic silver medalist and three-time NCAA champion Dan Hodge, is wrestling’s equivalent of football’s Heisman Trophy. However, there are a few wrinkles. Unlike most major awards, there are listed criteria that voters are supposed to take into account. The currently listed criteria are as follows. 1. Record 2. Dominance/Bonus-Point Percentage 3. Quality of Competition 4. Sportsmanship Since record is the number-one listed criterion, a wrestler likely has to be undefeated in order to take home the award. To that end, the following is a look at all the wrestlers entering the NCAA tournament with an undefeated record and their path to the Hodge. 125: No. 1 Spencer Lee (Iowa) Lee is looking to become only the second three-time Hodge Trophy winner after the legendary Cael Sanderson. The Iowa wrestler won the award in 2020 and shared it the following season with Minnesota heavyweight Gable Steveson. After sitting out last season, he has returned looking for one final NCAA championship and another trophy. So far this season, Lee has won all 17 of his matches and picked up bonus points in 15. How it Happens If Lee does manage to win his fourth NCAA title, it is hard to imagine him not winning the Hodge. He is likely to rack up more bonus-point victories, and the voters will likely not shy away from the opportunity to highlight a historic career. 125: No. 2 Pat Glory (Princeton) For an undefeated season, this past year was certainly an adventure for Glory. He finished the regular season undefeated and then won four-straight matches at the EIWA tournament to claim the conference title. However, the returning NCAA runner-up missed a fair share of time during the year and wrestled up at 133 pounds for four of Princeton’s dual meets. Glory received a rather favorable draw considering he already holds wins this season over multiple potential opponents in his section of the bracket including No. 18 Ryan Miller (Penn), No. 15 Brett Ungar (Cornell), No. 10 Brandon Courtney (Arizona State) and No. 7 Brandon Kaylor (Oregon State). How it Happens If Glory does manage to return to the finals and somehow knocks off Lee, he would certainly be a very strong candidate for the “Outstanding Wrestler” award. However, for him to win the Hodge, a lot of things would have to break for him. At the moment, he has only a 40% bonus rate, so it would likely take more than a title for him to win a surprise Hodge. 133: No. 1 Roman Bravo-Young (Penn State) After winning his second NCAA title last season, there was some speculation that Bravo-Young was done with college wrestling. Instead, he returned and is the clear favorite heading into his fourth and final NCAA tournament. For the third-straight season, the Penn State wrestler has gone undefeated, and he appears to be headed toward a potential finals rematch against a familiar opponent. How it Happens A third NCAA title would give Bravo-Young a very strong Hodge resume. Going into the tournament, he has a 75% bonus rate, and he has the potential to pick up several more quality wins in the bracket. One of his teammates will also likely be a candidate, so that could split the Penn State supporting vote, but that has not hindered the Nittany Lions in the past as the school won three-straight trophies from 2017 to 2019. 133: No. 2 Daton Fix (Oklahoma State) It is wild to think that Fix has only four losses in his college wrestling career, and three of those losses have come in NCAA finals. He is a few breaks and calls away from being a multiple-time champion. For the past two seasons, his year has come to an end with a loss to Bravo-Young in the finals, and the two enter this bracket as the top two seeds. How it Happens The Oklahoma State wrestler finally breaking through in the finals and defeating a rival would be an incredible story. It is the type of victory that could sway voters despite his 62% bonus rate. On top of that, a return trip to the finals would mean that Fix picked up some quality wins on the way. Most notably, he could face off against No. 3 Vito Arujau (Cornell) who previously defeated Fix at the most recent Olympic Trials. 141: No. 1 Real Woods (Iowa) After transferring from Stanford, Woods stepped into the Hawkeye lineup and will now enter the NCAA tournament as the top seed. He went undefeated on the season including a pair of close victories over No. 4 Brock Hardy (Nebraska). Woods and No. 2 Andrew Alirez (Northern Colorado) appear to have separated themselves from the field, but this has been mostly a wild weight this year and everything is on the table. How it Happens Woods will likely need some help to pull off a Hodge. Since record is the top listed criterion, he would certainly have a shot if some of the other prospects suffered a loss along the way. The Hawkeye’s candidacy might also be weighed down by his 56% bonus rate and the overall competition at 141 pounds has been inconsistent. 141: No. 2 Andrew Alirez (Northern Colorado) Early in the season, Alriez picked up perhaps his best win of the year when he knocked off No 3 Cole Matthews (Pittsburgh). The match was technically unofficial since it was part of the NWCA All-Star Classic. Despite the unofficial nature of the match, Alirez carried that momentum into the season and finished undefeated. He has now qualified for the NCAA tournament for the third time and will likely become an All-American for the first time. How it Happens Alirez has a sneakily good Hodge candidacy. He is currently undefeated and will likely earn several quality wins if he finishes on top of the podium. His bonus rate is also rather high (74%). With all that he checks a lot of the boxes with an NCAA title. However, making it through the bracket will be a tough challenge, and he lacks the resume from previous years that many of his competitors have. While that is not listed as one of the criteria, it is clearly something that impacts voters. 157: No. 1 Austin O’Connor (North Carolina) After winning an NCAA title at 149 pounds in 2021, O’Connor moved up to 157 last season. He fought through injuries to finish eighth at the NCAA tournament for his third All-American finish. This season, O’Connor wrestled only two matches in the first semester, but he had a tough in-conference schedule and won the ACC championship with a 6-5 decision over No. 7 Bryce Andonian (Virginia Tech). How it Happens It would be an incredible comeback story for O’Connor if he was able to claim the title this season. It will certainly not be an easy task. At the very least the winner in the bottom half of the bracket will be a very tough opponent as it contains both No. 2 Levi Haines (Penn State) and No. 3 Peyton Robb (Nebraska). Even with a win, O’Connor will certainly need to help to win the Hodge, but stranger things have happened. 157: No. 5 Josh Humphreys (Lehigh) Humphreys is a three-time NCAA qualifier who has seen his season come to an end in the round of 12 twice. This year, he started his season with an undefeated 9-0 run. Humphreys then missed the entire month of January. He returned in early February and continued his winning ways all through the NCAA tournament where he knocked off Anthony Artalona (Penn) and claimed the title. He enters the NCAA tournament as an unlikely undefeated wrestler and the number-five seed. How it Happens It seems highly unlikely that Humphreys will win the Hodge. Despite that, he has had a very strong season. He will need to pull off several key victories and upsets, but a trip to the semifinals could match him against the only other undefeated wrestler at 157 pounds. 165: No. 1 David Carr (Iowa State) After going 66-2 over the past three seasons at 157 pounds, Carr moved up to 165 for this year. Any questions about how he would perform at the higher weight were answered with an undefeated season and a run to the Big 12 championship. Along the way, Carr defeated No. 4 Julian Ramirez (Cornell), No. 3 Dean Hamiti (Wisconsin) and No. 2 Keegan O’Toole (Missouri). How it Happens Despite having only a 50% bonus rate, Carr has put himself into the Hodge conversation by dominating some of the best wrestlers at this weight. He already holds victories over many of his top contemporaries. If he is able to pick up his second NCAA title, he would certainly cement his candidacy. 174: No. 1 Carter Starocci (Penn State) For the second-straight season, Starocci will enter the NCAA tournament with an undefeated record. Last year, he ran through the bracket and picked up his second title. This year, he is heavily favored to repeat that performance and bring his third title back to State College. On the season, Starocci has gone 19-0 and picked up a victory over the second-highest-seeded wrestler at the weight Michael Labriola (Nebraska). How it Happens If Lee stumbles at 125 pounds, Starocci is one of the prime candidates to benefit. He often plays it close in matches, but his ability to ride out a period when necessary really gives him an advantage that few wrestlers can match. If he is able to pick up yet another title, and he gets some help, he could be looking at a Hodge. 197: No. 1 Nino Bonaccorsi (Pittsburgh) The 197-pound division returned both finalists from the 2022 NCAA tournament. However, neither of those wrestlers was able to claim the top seed at the weight and neither was able to go undefeated on the year. Stepping into that spot with the unblemished record is Bonaccorsi who won the ACC championship. The sixth-year senior made the finals in 2021 but saw his season come to an end in the round of 12 last year. How it Happens Bonaccorsi will not only have to deal with serious competition for the Hodge, but he will also have to deal with a minefield of a bracket. His side of the bracket is entirely loaded with the likes of Junior world champion Braxton Amos (Wisconsin), returning champion Max Dean (Penn State), Big Ten champion Silas Allred (Nebraska), Michael Beard (Lehigh), Yonger Bastida (Iowa State) and Ethan Laird (Rider). Getting through that field will certainly earn respect, but it remains to be seen if it will be enough for the Hodge. 285: No. 1 Mason Parris (Michigan) Parris has stepped into the role of dominant heavyweight this season. He has won all 28 of his matches and already holds a pair of victories over No. 3 Greg Kerkvliet (Penn State). He also scored a commanding 12-5 decision over No. 2 Wyatt Hendrickson (Air Force) in early December. How it Happens At least a share of the last two Hodge trophies have gone to fellow heavyweight Gable Steveson (Minnesota). However, Steveson moved on from college wrestling and instead signed with the WWE. Outside of bonus points, one could make an argument that Parris has been as dominant as the former champion. However, his bonus rate currently stands at 64%, and that might negatively impact his Hodge chances.

Nebraska head coach Mark Manning (Photo courtesy of Sam Janicki; SJanickiPhoto.com) We finally made it! It’s the week of the NCAA Wrestling Championships, and we couldn’t be more excited. At last, we can watch the best in the country do battle to find out who truly is the best of the best. However, we feel it’s also important to reflect on the regular season. The athletes work too hard to not be celebrated for these achievements. It wasn’t for nothing that we watched these warriors put their bodies and minds through the grind of the B1G season. We trust that they all had these awards in mind when training and competing. Who are we to deprive them of this moment in the sun? Without further adieu, let’s get to the 2022-2023 B1G awards. (Thank you, Robbie Wendell, for the categories!) Redshirt of the Year Kevin: Drake Ayala, Iowa Drake Ayala has been patiently waiting for the chance to represent the Hawkeyes as the starter at 125 pounds. I mean, he did it last year as a true freshman where he made the NCAA tournament and showed some great signs for what the future holds, but that was just a holding spot as we waited for a healthy Spencer Lee to return. When Drake did compete this season, he did very well against everyone not named Spencer Lee. His teammate did pin him earlier this season, but that’s to be expected, considering Spencer has pinned the very best in the country several times this year. Nobody wants to be the guy who follows the legend, but Drake certainly appears to have the talent and mentality that you’d need to accept that challenge. Lauren: Nic Bouzakis, Ohio State Thanks to the NCAA’s new rule, allowing freshmen to compete in five events without burning their redshirts, we got a look at some true freshmen in dual action that we may otherwise not have – and they picked up valuable experience. Ohio State was able to use this rule to its advantage to give Nic Bouzakis some starts while fellow true freshman Jesse Mendez was out with injury. Bouzakis stepped up when called upon, going 4-0 in Mendez’s absence, including a 10-6 win over Kyle Biscoglia in the Buckeyes’ 19-13 loss to Northern Iowa, which kept them in the match with a chance to win or tie at the end. Bouzakis had an 11-1 record as a redshirt, his lone loss coming when he wrestled up at 141. He had eight bonus-point wins, including three consecutive falls to close out the season. Coach of the Year Kevin: Tom Brands, Iowa Tom Brands has done a masterful job this season. Sure his team is ranked second, which is not the goal for the Hawkeyes, but I am so impressed with how they appear to be peaking at the right time. There are some issues with 184 and 197, where Assad and Warner are battling some injuries which are hindering their performance, but you can’t coach away injury issues. Other than that though, the rest of their team has looked great. Spencer Lee remains awesome, Patrick Kennedy placed second in the B1G at one of the most competitive weights in the country, Nelson Brands placing fifth at 174 was impressive, and Cassioppi is clearly better than all but two HWYs in the country. They would need a lot to go right to win the NCAA title, but they are bringing all 10 of their athletes, which gives them a chance. The fact that it’s even worth discussing is impressive enough, and for me gets him the award. Lauren: Mark Manning, Nebraska After graduating four All-Americans in Eric Schultz, Christian Lance, Taylor Venz and Chad Red, and redshirting another in NCAA runner-up Ridge Lovett, it seemed like 2022-23 might be a rebuilding year for the Huskers. After losing two of their first three duals, including 20-16 to North Dakota State, it was looking like there might be credence to that thought. But then, Nebraska started to turn things around. It won its third straight Cliff Keen title, with Peyton Robb, Brock Hardy and Mikey Labriola as champs. It got its revenge on the Dakotas by topping South Dakota State, 22-17, and finished the regular season 12-3 – its only other loss coming to Iowa. Robb and Labriola finished their regular seasons undefeated and Liam Cronin emerged as one of the biggest surprise stories in the conference. The Huskers then placed a program-best five wrestlers in the Big Ten finals and crowned their first champ since Robert Kokesh in 2015, finishing third with 104.6 team points. A lot of different factors had to have gone into Nebraska’s season turnaround, but it would have been a lot more difficult without Mark Manning’s leadership from the top and the coaching staff he’s assembled with Bryan Snyder, Kokesh and Tervel Dlagnev. Oh, and Manning also surpassed his 300th-win milestone this season. Nebraska will enter the NCAA Championships with seven wrestlers, four top-five seeds and a chance to bring home a trophy. BONUS Machine Kevin: Mason Parris, Michigan So technically Spencer Lee has the most Bonus Point wins, but here’s the thing about Spencer Lee, he can’t win all the awards. He’ll get his well-deserved recognition coming up. Mason Parris was my Fantasy Wrestling first-round pick. I took him over Kerkvliet, and at the moment felt like it was probably the wrong move, but I needed to stick with my dude Mason. I’m certainly glad that I did, because he has been destroying the field. He is currently working with a 64% bonus point rate at one of the most competitive weights in the most competitive conference in the country. In fact for his career, Mason has a 55% bonus percentage. Can you imagine wrestling in college and getting bonus points in more than half of your matches? Michigan fans have been spoiled with our Heavyweights over the last decade, with Mason and Adam Coon before him (also we’ll have Ira Jenkins next, who should be super fun also), and I certainly hope he can finally get the NCAA Title that has eluded the Wolverines. I trust he’ll also get some bonus point wins along the way. Lauren: Spencer Lee, Iowa I mean … It’s hard to argue with this one. Spencer Lee has an insane bonus rate of 88.24%, with eight pins, four technical falls and three major decisions in his 17 matches this season (thanks, WrestleStat, for doing the math!). One of his most memorable bonus-point wins of the season was his pin in 38 seconds of Nebraska’s Liam Cronin, the third-ranked wrestler at that time. The week prior, he had decked Northwestern’s then-No.3 Michael DeAugustino in 2:01. With an RPI of .7297 and a 100% win percentage, Lee is on track to win his third Hodge Trophy and his fourth NCAA title this season. Freshman of the Year Kevin: Jaxon Smith, Maryland I had some high expectations for Jaxon Smith this year, but even I wouldn’t have guessed that he’d place third at 197 at the conference tournament. He started strong with some solid wins over Zac Braunagel at the Tiger Style Invite, Luke Surber at the Southern Scuffle, and Jacob Koser of Navy, before getting hurt and missing much of the B1G regular season. He has still managed to get 21 wins on the year, has helped the Terrapins collect dual wins over Oklahoma, and Pittsburgh, and was a huge part of their first B1G dual win over Purdue. He heads to Tulsa with the 11 seed and will have a solid chance at an All-American finish, which is pretty good for a Freshman in a weight class full of grown men. Lauren: Levi Haines, Penn State There were a lot of talented freshmen in this year’s class, but it’s hard to not go with the true freshman Big Ten champ here – Levi Haines. Penn State’s plan at the beginning of the season was for Haines to redshirt. But he said after his sudden-victory win over the previously undefeated Peyton Robb for the conference title, that having his hand raised on the big stage is always where he had envisioned himself being at this point. Before getting to that Big Ten final, Haines had to first earn his spot in the starting lineup, which he did by taking full advantage of the matches he got under the NCAA’s new freshman redshirt rule. After putting up 16 points on returning NCAA qualifier Gerrett Model and knocking off All-American Will Lewan in sudden victory the next week of competition, there wasn’t much doubt his redshirt would be officially burned against Iowa. Ever since, he’s done his best to make sure his coaches don’t regret their decision - a major decision over Paddy Gallagher, six wins over NCAA qualifiers after that Iowa dual, and, of course, a Big Ten crown. Entering NCAAs as the No. 2 seed with a 23-1 record, this freshman has certainly made the most of his opportunities this year. Best Mustache Kevin: Matt Finesilver, Michigan Matt Finesilver’s mustache is great. This is the second year that the Wolverines have brought in a stud-mustached transfer with tremendous success. I have mentioned this before, but simply transferring into the B1G is not as easy as he has made it look. Matt was a three-time NCAA Qualifier for the Blue Devils, and I was always impressed with what he could do while competing in the ACC, but if you told me before the season started that he would place third in the B1G conference tournament I wouldn’t have believed it. As it turns out though, that’s exactly what he did, and I feel like the mustache has a lot to do with it. A warning to all of those out there considering transferring into the B1G, don’t dare do it without a mustache. Lauren: Brian Soldano, Rutgers It’s admittedly hard to compete with Matt Finesilver in this category, but Brian Soldano is giving it a good run. The best part about Soldano’s facial hair is that it has evolved over the season. He started out the season with just the mustache, but he has since grown it out into almost a full beard. What does the evolution of Soldano’s facial hair mean? Is this a “playoff beard”-like superstition? These are all good questions that hopefully get asked in Tulsa. He’ll enter NCAAs as the No. 18 seed at 184 pounds, but as the top seed, in my mind, when it comes to quality facial hair. Newcomer of the Year Kevin: Aaron Nagao, Minnesota Remember at the beginning of the year when we put out a breakout wrestler list for the conference? Did you read that one? Well if you didn’t, let me remind you of who I had said would break out at 133. It was Aaron Nagao of the Golden Gophers. He had some injuries this year which kept him out of the lineup at times, but when the pressure was on, he was able to come through with some big wins in Ann Arbor to make the B1G finals. He wrestled pretty well against the odds on favorite and 2x defending NCAA Champion Roman Bravo Young of Penn State, and is positioned well to have a rematch with him in the quarterfinals if the seeds hold. Lauren: Real Woods, Iowa He’s not exactly new to NCAA wrestling, but Real Woods is new to the Big Ten this season after transferring to Iowa from Stanford – and he made an immediate impact in his new conference. Woods was a huge get for the Hawkeyes, filling the lineup spot vacated by NCAA finalist Jaydin Eierman and entering into a weight class at 141 pounds that just graduated two-time national champ Nick Lee, runnerup Kizhan Clarke, and five-time All-American Sebastian Rivera. He’s so far understood the assignment, posting a 16-0 record, winning the Big Ten title and earning the top seed at 141 pounds for NCAAs. It will be interesting to see if he can deliver this week in Tulsa. Singlet of the Year Kevin: Michigan at Battle at Bragg It seems like it was a long time ago, but it was only November 11th. Michigan traveled to Fayetteville, N.C. to wrestle the Camels of Campbell at Fort Bragg. This was an awesome event even before I saw the singlets. The two teams battled in a hangar next to Army planes. It was unlike any environment I’d ever seen before. Also, halfway through the dual they had to close the doors because the rain was blowing into the hanger and onto the mat. Completely wild situation, but they handled it with grace. Anyway, both Michigan and Campbell rocked some spectacular camouflage singlets. They genuinely made me wish that Michigan would just bust these out every so often. I want one. Michigan 125 lber Kurt McHenry (Photo courtesy of Chris Downey/Campbell Athletics) Lauren: Michigan at Battle at Bragg The blue, camo-print singlets were definitely cool enough on their own. But now picture wrestlers wearing them in pouring down rain in an airplane hangar at Ft. Bragg, with an Army airplane in the background and smoke coming up from the floor. Now you have a full picture of the most badass singlets and well-produced duals a Big Ten team wrestled in this season. Credit to Campbell and UNC for making that weekend of Battle at Bragg and Doubles on the Diamond happen. B1G Dual of the Year Kevin: The ‘Border Battle’ between Minnesota and Wisconsin Minnesota versus Wisconsin, or the border battle as it’s affectionately known, was an awesome way to finish out the season. Sure, I could have gone with Iowa and Penn State, but I felt like I knew who was going to win that going in, and turns out I was right. Minnesota and Wisconsin I had no idea, and then each match delivered some exciting action. The dual was back and forth, with Minnesota starting off strong with Michael Blockhus getting the pin, but Model and Hamiti were able to battle back and tie up the score at 6. Minnesota used two big wins from O’Reilly and Skillings at 174 and 184 before the Badgers went on a run. They won three matches in a row with Amos, Hillger, and Eric Barnett getting wins. Each of those three wins was by one point, so again, awesome competition against some closely ranked opponents. Minnesota needed the last two wins to get the win here, and they did just that. Aaron Nagao was able to get a 5-1 win over transfer Taylor Lamont, and then Jake Bergeland was able to eke out a 1-0 win over Joseph Zargo to finish off the dual on the road. This was an exciting dual to watch, and one that I will do my best not to miss in the future. Lauren: Indiana over Maryland on tiebreaker criteria, 17-16 What makes a dual the “best” is obviously highly subjective. There were numerous different ways to go with this category, but I ended up going with the meet that stuck out most in my mind when looking back on the season – and that was a little Monday night dual between Maryland and Indiana. With no other wrestling on that night, my attention was fully focused on this dual. The stakes were high for both teams. Maryland, the host, was looking for its first conference win since 2016 and Indiana was looking for its first conference win since beating Maryland the year prior and had its sights on earning multiple conference wins this season. At no point throughout the dual did you feel confident that one team or the other was going to win. And when the dual ended tied 16-16, it was hard to know who had criteria, and both teams waited several minutes in anticipation until it could be determined. The climax of the dual came at heavyweight, which was the sixth bout of the night. Maryland senior Jaron Smith held off Jacob Bullock, who had just come off a big upset win against Ohio State, despite a last-second reversal, for a crucial 3-2 victory. The teams then traded the next two bouts, and it all came down to the Rooks and the Miller brothers. Kal Miller took the first one, 6-4, in sudden victory over Cayden Rooks. Graham Rooks then avenged his brother’s loss with a 5-3 win over Ethen Miller to force tiebreaker criteria. There was excitement and tension throughout – a great Monday night wrestling treat. Most Improved Kevin: Chase Saldate, Michigan State In 2022, Chase Saldate placed 8th in the B1G tournament, was the 21 seed at the NCAA tournament, and went 0-2 in Detroit. In 2023, Chase Saldate made the semi-finals of the B1G tournament, and almost beat the number one seed, before ultimately placing fourth. He is now the 11 seed in the NCAA tournament and if he can make the quarterfinals, then he will have a chance at beating Peyton Robb to make the semifinals. DRAMATIC improvement in what is a toss-up weight. I picked him as my breakout wrestler at this weight earlier this year as well, and I trust he’ll make his way onto the podium in Tulsa. Lauren: Derek Gilcher, Indiana This category was one of the most difficult to choose, as there were so many deserving recipients of this title. A lot of the candidates came from the same team – Indiana. The Hoosiers’ accomplishments as a team - most dual wins and conference wins since 2016-17, most wins over DI opponents since 2010-11, most NCAA qualifiers since 2018 - weren’t due to one or two wrestlers, but rather marked improvements up and down the lineup. Derek Gilcher is one who stands out. The sophomore improved to 24-13 from 13-7 last year, with an eighth-place finish at Big Tens and an automatic qualification for NCAAs. He beat six ranked opponents this season, including a pin of Wisconsin’s Garrett Model at Big Tens, fellow “Most Improved” wrestler Chase Saldate, of Michigan State, at Reno, and a major decision at Big Tens over once-ranked Mikey Carr. Several of Gilcher’s teammates also make strong cases for this title. Heavyweight Jacob Bullock made the decision to transform his body over the offseason, coach Angel Escobedo said, and went from 11-11 last season to 21-6 and his first NCAA qualification. Graham Rooks improved from 12-12 to 28-8 and was a Big Ten semifinalist – ultimately finishing in fifth place, a career-best. Another wrestler who deserves to be mentioned here is former Hoosier Liam Cronin. The now-Husker has had past success but missed most of last season due to injury. He came back for a final season after dealing with the injury, the transfer, COVID disruption and off-the-mat adversity to have the best season of his career at 20-4 and the No. 3 seed at NCAAs at 125 pounds. The Nathan Traxler Best Hair Award Kevin: Cam Caffey, Michigan State This award could have gone to several people. Trent Hillger is certainly an honorable mention, and his flowing Thor-esque mane will be missed. Jacob Warner grew his hair out specifically in an effort to win this award, or at least that’s what many people are saying. However, when we talk about best hair, there’s only one person who can win this. Cam Caffey will always win best hair until he’s no longer wrestling in college. That being said, this is his last season in the Spartans singlet, so this is my last chance at appreciating his awesome afro. It’s been big, small, blonde, I feel like there was some green in there before. It’s just been great from the moment we saw it. Cam Caffey has had a great career and I hope he’s healthy enough to make one last run at the podium this year. Lauren: Brock Hardy and Peyton Robb, Nebraska It turns out that the best hair trend this year was not having any. Whether it’s Gandhi, The Rock, or, as one TikTok user pointed out in Ann Arbor, most of the Big Ten wrestling coaching staff members, some of the most successful people in the world have been bald. And after the season they’ve had, add Brock Hardy and Peyton Robb to that list. The pair, who both started out their Nebraska wrestling careers with hair, have since leveled up in major ways. I’m not saying it’s because they shaved their heads, but I’m also not saying it’s not … With support from volunteer assistant Tervel Dlagnev, the smooth domes gave the whole Cornhusker team a unique vibe – a cross between a Zen master, pro wrestler and Marine, if you will. It’s fair to say that not everybody can pull off the look, but Nebraska brought bald back in a big way. Wrestler of the Year Kevin: Spencer Lee, Iowa Spencer Lee is the Wrestler of the Year. Think about this, he hasn’t lost a match in 4 years, despite having destroyed his knees a couple times along the way. He pinned whoever was ranked third in the country at 125 three weeks in a row (Matt Ramos of Purdue, Michael DeAugustino of Northwestern, and Liam Cronin of Nebraska). As an encore, he pinned Eric Barnett, who was ranked 6th at the time as well. Technically Spencer Lee should have won the BONUS Machine award also, considering he has scored bonus points in 88% of his matches this season (he’s bonused 81% of his opponents in college, which is just insane). Spencer looks healthy, aggressive, he’s got his gas tank back, and he’s ready to finally catch them all. Lauren: Spencer Lee, Iowa I wanted to go with something different and creative here. But ultimately, it’s difficult – and kind of crazy – to choose anyone but Spencer Lee for this honor. Lee wins when it comes to statistics (as detailed above), he wins when it comes to style (his pin of Matt Ramos after almost being pinned himself comes to mind), he wins when it comes to legacy (vying for his fourth NCAA title and third Hodge Trophy) and he wins when it comes to resilience and heart, having overcome double ACL surgery last winter. There were other strong candidates for this award, such as Penn State’s Roman Bravo-Young. But Spencer Lee is a unicorn, and has already left an undeniable mark on college wrestling – no matter what happens at NCAAs.

#2 seed at 125 lbs Patrick Glory of Princeton (Photo/Tony DiMarco) The 2023 NCAA Championships begin on Thursday, March 16th in Tulsa, Oklahoma. The EIWA Conference is sending 53 wrestlers to compete. My bold prediction at the beginning of the season was that the conference would double its number of All-Americans last season from 7 to 14. With a few key injuries during the second semester of the season, I had some doubts. But, after breaking down the brackets, I feel there is a way to get there. Unfortunately (or fortunately - depending on who you ask) we have a few all-EIWA matchups in round one. If you like me and are interested in all EIWA schools, make sure you tune in right at the 12PM EST start time. Nate Lukez (Army – 157lbs) will be on mat 5 in a pigtail bout. Next to him on mat 6 will be Harvard’s Josh Kim in the 165lbs pigtail. Also in a pigtail is Cole Urbas of Penn at 197lbs, and Travis Stefanik of Princeton at 285lbs. See my weight-by-weight breakdown below. 125 – 6 Qualifiers **number in parenthesis is wrester’s seed in the bracket** (2) Pat Glory, Princeton (15) Brett Ungar, Cornell (18) Ryan Miller, Penn (17) Ethan Berginc, Army (24) Nick Babin, Columbia (22) Diego Sotelo, Harvard I’m not thrilled to see Miller and Ungar face off right away in the first round. Personally, I wish the NCAA separated conference opponents to limit the possibility of them already meeting during the season. In this case, Miller won their only matchup of the year. The winner of this one will square off against Pat Glory. Glory is the 2nd seed in this bracket. You expect him to make a run to the finals and give the fans an opportunity to see Princeton represented in the NCAA finals for the second year in a row. Babin squares off with returning All-American, Barnett of Wisconsin. He’ll need an upset here. Same with Sotelo. He will face McKee of Minnesota. Although, Sotelo’s match-up is interesting. In the last two NCAA Tournaments, McKee has lost in the first round and wrestled back for a top-five finish. It’s crazy enough to do it once, doing it twice is borderline skeptical - as if he does it on purpose? Army’s Berginc enters as the 17th seed. He faces Michigan’s Medley. Berginc has wins over the third seed (Cronin of Nebraska) and 7th seed (Kaylor of Oregon State). If he does win this one, he’ll have a tough one with Spencer Lee. Speaking of Lee, it’s worth noting he is attempting to win his 4th NCAA title this season. He’d be the 5th wrestler to do so at the D1 level. He was in a similar position in high school – looking for a 4th state title. For those of you who remember, Lee never won his 4th state title - thanks to future teammate Austin Desanto. Will history repeat itself? Glory is a man on a mission, looking to be the “Larry Owings” of this generation. Note - this is not a prediction by any means. I’m just laying the groundwork for a potential upset that you will be telling your grandkids for decades. When Sunday rolls around, I expect Glory to be in the finals. If anyone else from the EIWA wants to be on the podium, they will need to win some matches they are not supposed to. It seems Ungar, Miller, and Berginc have the skillset to do so, based on quality wins on the year thus far. 133 – 6 Qualifiers (3) Vito Arujau, Cornell (7) Michael Colaiocco, Penn (29) Angelo Rini, Columbia (20) Brendan Ferretti, Navy (31) Jack Maida, American (25) Kurtis Phipps, Bucknell ** Connor McGonagle, Lehigh – qualified as the 11 seed, but has pulled out due to injury Maida will kick things off against 3X runner-up Daton Fix. Phipps of Bucknell will square off with the 8th seed of Minnesota, Aaron Nagao. At the 20 seed, Navy’s Ferretti will take on true freshman phenom, Jesse Mendez of Ohio State. Rini has a tough out with Michael McGee of Arizona State, a multiple-time AA. These guys will need to pull an upset to win in round 1. It is possible we see Vito take on Latona of Virginia Tech, and try to avenge his lone loss of the season - assuming Vito wins his first two matches. Colaiocco’s round of 16 matchup will be a highly anticipated rematch with Illinois’s Byrd. Colaiocco beat him 15-13 at Midlands this season. It’s noteworthy to add Byrd is a 2X fifth-place finisher at NCAAs. With a healthy McGonagle, I would love to see three All-Americans at this weight in Vito, Colaiocco, and McGonagle. I expect Vito on the podium, and Colaiocco is a fringe-podium type of guy, who I believe gets it done. It seems like this weight is always entertaining. 141 – 5 Qualifiers (7) Vince Cornella, Cornell (25) Carmen Ferrante, Penn (16) Josh Koderhandt, Navy (22) Malyke Hines, Lehigh (19) Matt Kazimir, Columbia Koderhandt will be the first wrestler taking the mat at this weight for the EIWA. The 16th seed will square off with D’Emilio of Ohio State. Koderhandt was 1-2 last year at 133 lbs. A win here will put him against top-seeded Woods, of Iowa. Ferrante will see 8th seed Hart of Missouri. Hart is a former bloodround wrestler in 2021. Ferrante has been wrestling well, and I would not be surprised to see him win this one. Hart is a guy expected to All-American, by many people, so he is the favorite on paper. Kazimir will see Happel of Northern Iowa, and Hines will wrestle Carlson of SDSU. Both guys have upset potential here - they could have worse matchups, in my opinion. Cornella is the highest seed from the EIWA after winning the conference. If the seeds hold, he will have a 10th-seeded McNeil of UNC in the R16 and Alirez of Northern Colorado in the quarterfinals. Cornella is a freshman, who has improved since November. Cornella would have to reverse a loss to McNeil to even get to the quarters. In all honesty, I am not sure where I see Cornella finishing. He was not tested at all during EIWAs, earning 4 pins and a major. Is he that good, or was he wrestling particularly well that weekend? Cornella finding the podium is a great possibility. He would help Cornell in the team race - as they will be in a fight to take home a trophy. 149 – 3 Qualifiers (1) Yianni Diakomihalis, Cornell (29) Dylan Chappell, Bucknell (11) Doug Zapf, Penn Yianni, similar to Spencer Lee, is looking to be the 5th person in NCAA history to win 4 NCAA titles in Division 1. We should not see him break a sweat until the quarterfinal round. He’ll most likely face All-American, Abas of Stanford, or Iowa’s Max Murin, in that round. Avoiding any hiccups, expect to see Yianni on the big stage Saturday night. Zapf of Penn came in with the 11th seed. His R16 matchup with Mauller of Missouri is very winnable. Zapf can pull that one out. Assuming seeds hold, his quarterfinal could be Parco of Arizona State, who is also an All-American. Do not count out Zapf, as he is a legit All-American threat. Chappell’s first-round match in round one will be against 4th seed, Henson of Virginia Tech. He’ll need to continue his improbable postseason run - and then some - to pull off this upset. We’ve seen it before, so never say never! Yianni’s quest for four has been somewhat overshadowed by Lee’s attention. Being at a small school (in comparison with Iowa) has its benefits in that regard. Yianni will make history Saturday night. It will be incredible to witness. 157 – 4 Qualifiers (5) Josh Humphreys. Lehigh (16) Anthony Artalona, Penn (33) Nathan Lukez, Army (27) Cesar Alvan, Columbia Nate Lukez will be in the pigtail round. The EIWA will have a lot of action in the pigtails - more to come on that. I like how Lukez has wrestled the past few weeks, so I like him in his first match. After his pigtail win, he’d face top-seeded Austin O’Connor of UNC. Artalona has a toss-up with #17 Jacques of Missouri. A win will also give him O’Connor. O’Connor majored Artalona during the season – he’ll have an uphill battle with him. Humphreys is looking for his first podium finish at NCAAs. I like him in the fifth spot. His potential quarterfinal match with Franek will be a doozy, as 4th vs 5th seed bouts typically are. I think he has great odds to win the whole bracket. He had O’Connor beat last year, until he slipped up and lost in the final seconds. Alvan has Cardenas of Stanford. Cardenas has had a heck of a year, although a quiet one, with a 17-1 record. Artalona has been R12 twice before, so do not be shocked to see him make a similar run in his last appearance as a Quaker. 165 – 6 Automatic Qualifiers (4) Julian Ramirez, Cornell (5) Quincy Monday, Princeton (16) Joshua Ogunsanya, Columbia (26) Brevin Cassella, Binghamton (33) Josh Kim, Harvard (30) Evan Barczak, Drexel Kim has a pigtail bout against Wyoming’s Moody. He, along with Lukez at 157lbs, will be in action right when the first whistles blow at 12PM EST. A win will give him a match against David Carr of Iowa State. Ogunsanya finds himself in a similar boat, with a win over Yant (Northern Iowa), and will get him a match with Carr in the R16. We could see round three of Ramirez vs Monday if they win twice – into the quarterfinals. Ramirez won both matchups in super tight fashion. It’ll be hard to beat a guy like Monday three times in a season. Also, Monday made the finals last season as the fifth seed… Just saying. The winner of this match will (most likely) get a semifinal date with a returning national champ in either 1st seed Carr or 9th seed Griffith of Stanford. Cassella has a tough first-round match with Caliendo of NDSU. Cassella is a tough out with anyone. He’s so long, can scramble well, plus likes to ride everyone hard. He can make a deep run here, as he’ll give guys fits with his length and can keep matches close. Barczak has returning All-American Hamiti of Wisconsin first round. He’ll need to avenge a 7-1 loss from their dual in December. In summary, I think we’ll see Monday and Ramirez on the podium somewhere. This is another weight class where the EIWA is expected to have at least two All-Americans. With this weight class being one the deepest in recent years, this would be one heck of an accomplishment. 174 – 6 Automatic Qualifiers (4) Chris Foca, Cornell (14) Benjamin Pasiuk, Army (21) Lennox Wolak, Columbia (24) Philip Conigliaro, Harvard (25) Nick Incontrera, Penn (23) Mickey O’Malley, Drexel Conigliaro and Incontrera will have Big Ten opponents in Ruth of Illinois and O’Reilly of Minnesota, respectively. I would not give Ruth an automatic win here, as Conigliaro was R12 last season a weight down at 165 lbs. His potential is there to knock off a highly-ranked wrestler. Incontrera had to MFF for 6th place at EIWAs. His shoulder injury really limited his capabilities at conferences. Hopefully, two weeks of additional rest and rehab will help him. Wolak has Olmos of Oregon State (12th seed) off the bat. He has a win over Ethan Smith (who came in as the 6th seed) on the year, so we could see an upset here. Pasiuk has Fisher of Northwestern. A win will put him the R16 against Lewis of Virginia Tech. O’Malley’s 23rd seed could be a good spot for him. Finishing in the bloodround last season, he’s ready to improve that finish. He's dangerous to wrestle when he’s on. Depending on his health, we can see him go 0-2, or finish on the podium. Foca will likely be an All-American, coming in as the 4th seed. He looked very good at EIWAs and is ready to make a deep run. He’d need to knock off returning 2X NCAA Champ, Starocci of Penn State, in the semifinals if he were to become NCAA Champion. I’m intrigued by this weight class. Let’s see how it turns out. 184 – 5 Automatic Qualifiers (17) Tate Samuelson, Lehigh (19) Jacob Nolan, Binghamton (26) David Key, Navy (25) Brian Bonino, Drexel (28) Jacob Ferreira, Hofstra Lehigh’s Samuelson will be the first to take the mat here. His matchup with Heller of Pitt is a complete toss-up. If he wins here, he’ll square off with 1st seed, Keckeisen of Northern Iowa. Bonino’s first match at NCAAs will be against Finesilver of Michigan. Ferreira takes on last year’s 7th place finisher in Coleman of Iowa State. 19th seed Nolan will face Feldkamp of Clarion. Finally, Key has Bolen of Virginia Tech, who I thought graduated a decade ago… The conference will need to wrestle over their heads to earn an All-American at this weight. Last year’s 8th place finisher from Cornell, Jonathan Loew, missed the end of the season with an injury. He looked to be the conference favorite most of the year until his injury. Samuelson’s 5th time to NCAAs should help him navigate early round jitters. Nolan and Key have both been here before - while this is the first and final appearance for both Bonino and Ferreira. I am not saying we will not see anyone on the podium from the EIWA at 184 lbs on Saturday, but the odds are stacked against us. If I had to give anyone the best odds to do so, my gut says Samuelson and Nolan. This is simply based on having the better odds to win their first-round matchups. It’s a shorter road to the podium if you win that first one. 197 – 6 Qualifiers (10) Jacob Cardenas, Cornell (5) Michael Beard, Lehigh (23) Luke Stout, Princeton (28) Jacob Koser, Navy (29) Trey Rogers, Hofstra (33) Cole Urbas, Penn Cole Urbas will have a pigtail bout against UNC’s Shaw. A win will give him a bout with top-seed Bonaccorsi of Pitt. I’ve said it before, Urbas is dangerous if not scouted properly. His ability on top can lead to issues for some. Beard finds himself with a rematch of last week’s EIWA semifinal against Koser of Navy. Beard won via tech fall, so it’ll be an uphill battle for Koser to avenge that. Beard will likely take on #12 Braunagel, and then potentially Rider’s Laird (4th seed). Beard has already made the podium, in a previous life, as a Nittany Lion. I expect him to do the same in a Mountain Hawks singlet. Rogers from Hofstra has the aforementioned Laird in a tough first-round bout. In another EIWA rematch, Cardenas will face Stout. Last week’s result was an 8-1 win for Cardenas of Cornell. Stout has a win over him last season, but if Cardenas wrestles as he did at EIWAs, he is a podium threat. The winner of this one will take on 7th-seeded Sloan of SDSU. I like the path for Cardenas/Stout, as the weight class has no real favorites on either half of the bracket. For this reason, it will make for a crazy tournament at 197 lbs! 285 – 7 Qualifiers (15) Grady Griess (21) Nathan Taylor (6) Yaraslau Slavikouski (27) Ben Goldin (26) Cory Day (28) Dorian Crosby (33) Travis Stefanik Stefanik’s pigtail against Minnesota’s Joles will lead to a potential matchup with top-ranked Parris of Michigan. Crosby will make his NCAA debut against returning NCAA finalist Schultz of Arizona State. Nathan Taylor also has a tough matchup with McKiernan of SIUE. McKiernan was the MAC champ, but I’ll never count out a Lehigh heavyweight during crunch time. Cory Day will square off with Trephan of NC State, who is slated as the 7th seed. We have another EIWA matchup between Slavikouski and Goldin. A win will get a match-up with 2X All-American, Hilger of Wisconsin in the R16. Lastly, Griess will face Heindselman in a close 15 vs 18 seed match. This season’s meeting went to Heindselman in tiebreakers. A win by Griess will get a matchup with bonus-point machine Hendrickson of Air Force. Slavikouski sitting as the 6th seed is great, but after last week’s loss - I am hesitant to say he looks like an All-American just yet. Obviously, I am hoping he proves me wrong. Do not count out Grady Griess of Navy. He’s wrestled great this year, and is a heavyweight that can ride and turn - which helps for sure!

(from left) Wyatt Hendrickson, Mason Parris and Greg Kerkvliet (Photos/Sam Janicki; SJanickiPhoto.com) The 2023 NCAA DI Wrestling Championships are less than a week away! In a few short days, 330 wrestlers will make the trek to Tulsa, Oklahoma, with hopes of a national title on their minds. Now it's in a state that hasn't hosted nationals since 2014 and a city that has never hosted the DI Tournament. Our Big 12 friends are plenty-familiar with the venue, the BOK Center, as it has become the home of their conference tournament. Before the action on the mat starts, InterMat will go through each individual bracket and highlight the favorites, top matches to watch, and much more. Here are the previously released previews: 125 lb Preview 133 lb Preview 141 lb Preview 149 lb Preview 157 lb Preview 165 lb Preview 174 lb Preview 184 lb Preview 197 lb Preview The Top Seed: #1 Mason Parris (Michigan) In his first NCAA tournament, Mason Parris finally gets the top seed. He twice earned the second seed, at the ill-fated 2020 tournament and a year later when he fell to Hodge Trophy winner Gable Steveson in the championship match. This year also marked the first Big Ten title for Parris. In each of the aforementioned seasons, Parris was the conference runner-up to Steveson. Parris comes in undefeated in a weight class full of talented big men. He, along with the seven of the remaining top-ten seeds have all competed on an age-group world team. Parris is the only one of the bunch without a loss and owns 2022-23 wins over the second-thru-fourth seeds this year. While Parris' bonus point percentage has been consistent with his career marks, this season he has begun to rack up the falls again. His 11 is tied for second-most in a season for his career. With a strong tournament, he might be able to tie the mark he set as a true freshman (13). The 2021-22 season saw a dip in that category (5) and many others as Parris was dealing with an ongoing injury. It's remarkable that despite an injury-plagued year, Parris still managed to go 20-6 and finish fifth in the nation. That marked the second time that the Wolverine heavyweight made it to the NCAA podium. For the full article, Subscribe to InterMat's Rokfin Page

(from left) Bernie Truax, Nino Bonaccorsi, and Rocky Elam (Photos/Sam Janicki; SJanickiPhoto.com) The 2023 NCAA DI Wrestling Championships are less than a week away! In a few short days, 330 wrestlers will make the trek to Tulsa, Oklahoma, with hopes of a national title on their minds. Now it's in a state that hasn't hosted nationals since 2014 and a city that has never hosted the DI Tournament. Our Big 12 friends are plenty-familiar with the venue, the BOK Center, as it has become the home of their conference tournament. Before the action on the mat starts, InterMat will go through each individual bracket and highlight the favorites, top matches to watch, and much more. Here are the previously released previews: 125 lb Preview 133 lb Preview 141 lb Preview 149 lb Preview 157 lb Preview 165 lb Preview 174 lb Preview 184 lb Preview The Top Seed: #1 Nino Bonaccorsi (Pittsburgh) Through all of the mess and muck at 197 lbs, only Nino Bonaccorsi emerged from the regular season unscathed and unbeaten. That continued after the ACC Championships where Bonaccorsi claimed his third straight conference crown. For all of the craziness associated with this weight, Bonaccorsi has been a model of consistency. He became the first Pittsburgh wrestler since his head coach, Keith Gavin (2008), to earn the number one seed at nationals. During the first month-plus of the season, Bonaccorsi posted three of his biggest non-conference wins. He took out #5 Michael Beard, #11 Jaxon Smith, and #12 Zac Braunagel (Illinois) within the span of three weeks. Bonaccorsi then had to navigate a tough ACC schedule that featured the dangerous #6 Isaac Trumble in a dual and the ACC finals. Even amidst, the typical conference dual season, Pitt stepped out of the ACC and wrestled Iowa State, which allowed Bonaccorsi to defeat another returning All-American, Yonger Bastida. Bonaccorsi is looking to get back to the NCAA podium, as he was a national runner-up in 2021 and finished in the bloodround last season. An early upset loss to Gavin Hoffman forced him to battle back and he ran into Rocky Elam in the Round of 12. Even though Bonaccorsi was an ACC champion in 2022, he suffered three regular-season losses, so this has the potential to be a different ending for the Panther senior. For the full article, Subscribe to InterMat's Rokfin Page

(from left) Aaron Brooks, Parker Keckeisen, and Trent Hidlay (Photos/Sam Janicki; SJanickiPhoto.com) The 2023 NCAA DI Wrestling Championships are less than a week away! In a few short days, 330 wrestlers will make the trek to Tulsa, Oklahoma, with hopes of a national title on their minds. Now it's in a state that hasn't hosted nationals since 2014 and a city that has never hosted the DI Tournament. Our Big 12 friends are plenty-familiar with the venue, the BOK Center, as it has become the home of their conference tournament. Before the action on the mat starts, InterMat will go through each individual bracket and highlight the favorites, top matches to watch, and much more. Here are the previously released previews: 125 lb Preview 133 lb Preview 141 lb Preview 149 lb Preview 157 lb Preview 165 lb Preview 174 lb Preview The Top Seed: #1 Parker Keckeisen (Northern Iowa) For many fans, one of the more shocking revelations from the bracket release was seeing two-time NCAA champion Aaron Brooks as the three-seed. Two-time All-American Parker Keckeisen got the nod as the top seed based on his 22-1 record and a third consecutive Big 12 championship. Keckeisen carries a 16-match winning streak into Tulsa. In each of the last two NCAA tournaments, Keckeisen has finished in third place at 184 lbs. Of his four career losses, two came at the hands of Brooks, one in the 2021 NCAA semifinals. Keckeisen’s only loss this season was at the hands of Trent Hidlay in the Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational finals. Just a couple of weeks later, Keckeisen was able to avenge that loss in a big way. At the Collegiate Duals, Keckeisen locked up Hidlay in a cradle and pinned the former national runner-up. Keckeisen was remarkable during his first two years in Cedar Falls, but he’s become even more dominant during the 2022-23 campaign. He’s logged bonus points in almost two-thirds of his matches on the year, which is more than doubled the output from 2021 and 12% higher than in 2021-22. So far, Keckeisen has four wins this season over three past NCAA All-Americans. For the full article, Subscribe to InterMat's Rokfin Page

(from left) Mekhi Lewis, Carter Starocci, and Mikey Labriola (Photos/Sam Janicki; SJanickiPhoto.com) The 2023 NCAA DI Wrestling Championships are less than a week away! In a few short days, 330 wrestlers will make the trek to Tulsa, Oklahoma, with hopes of a national title on their minds. Now it's in a state that hasn't hosted nationals since 2014 and a city that has never hosted the DI Tournament. Our Big 12 friends are plenty-familiar with the venue, the BOK Center, as it has become the home of their conference tournament. Before the action on the mat starts, InterMat will go through each individual bracket and highlight the favorites, top matches to watch, and much more. Here are the previously released previews 125 lb Preview 133 lb Preview 141 lb Preview 149 lb Preview 157 lb Preview 165 lb Preview The Top Seed: #1 Carter Starocci (Penn State) Perhaps the most underappreciated star in college wrestling today is two-time national champion Carter Starocci. Riding a 47-match winning streak, Starocci is seeking to win his third NCAA title in as many tries. I’d assume that some people think Starocci isn’t as high-scoring as teammates and fellow two-time champions RBY and Aaron Brooks; however, Starocci does possess a bonus point percentage that is over 73%. That’s the best in his career by almost 20%. Only five opponents this year have managed to avoid allowing bonus points to the Penn State 74 lber. Starocci is looking to go perfect for a second consecutive year. Last season, he ran the table in a veteran-laden weight class to claim his first Big Ten title and held off 2019 national champion Mekhi Lewis in tiebreakers. You have to go back to the 2021 Big Ten finals to find Starocci’s most recent loss, which was 7-2 to Iowa’s Michael Kemerer. Starocci reversed that result two weeks later in the NCAA finals and edged Kemerer in a 2021-22 dual meet. For the full article, Subscribe to InterMat's Rokfin Page

(from left) Keegan O'Toole, David Carr, Dean Hamiti (Photos/Sam Janicki; SJanickiPhoto.com) The 2023 NCAA DI Wrestling Championships are less than a week away! In a few short days, 330 wrestlers will make the trek to Tulsa, Oklahoma, with hopes of a national title on their minds. Now it's in a state that hasn't hosted nationals since 2014 and a city that has never hosted the DI Tournament. Our Big 12 friends are plenty-familiar with the venue, the BOK Center, as it has become the home of their conference tournament. Before the action on the mat starts, InterMat will go through each individual bracket and highlight the favorites, top matches to watch, and much more. Here are the previously released previews 125 lb Preview 133 lb Preview 141 lb Preview 149 lb Preview 157 lb Preview The Top Seed: #1 David Carr (Iowa State) This is it. This is the big one, the weight class we’ve all been anticipating all year. Three NCAA champions, four finalists, and seven past All-Americans. Leading the charge is David Carr, who is spending his first year at 165 lbs. Carr was a 2021 NCAA champion at 157 lbs and looked to be on track to claim a second heading into Detroit last season. That bid was interrupted by Oregon State’s Hunter Willits in the Round of 16 and Carr was forced to wrestle back for third. Up at 165, Carr started the year ranked third behind the 2022 champion Keegan O’Toole and 2021 champion Shane Griffith. Carr quickly showed he would be a force to be reckoned with at the new weight with bonus points in four of his first five bouts. His performance at the Collegiate Duals actually looks more impressive today than it did at the time. In his three duals, Carr picked up wins over the eventual EIWA/Pac-12 champions, both top-eight seeds, along with tough freshman #13 Alex Facundo. All of those wins were nice, but they paled in comparison to the matchup on February 15th, as Carr and the Cyclones went into Mizzou for the most anticipated individual clash of the year against then-number one, Keegan O’Toole. Carr was in control for the entire match and took the 7-2 decision and was in the driver’s seat for the #1 seed. For the full article, Subscribe to InterMat's Rokfin Page

(from left) Austin O'Connor, Levi Haines, and Peyton Robb (Photos/Sam Janicki; SJanickiPhoto.com) The 2023 NCAA DI Wrestling Championships are less than a week away! In a few short days, 330 wrestlers will make the trek to Tulsa, Oklahoma, with hopes of a national title on their minds. Now it's in a state that hasn't hosted nationals since 2014 and a city that has never hosted the DI Tournament. Our Big 12 friends are plenty-familiar with the venue, the BOK Center, as it has become the home of their conference tournament. Before the action on the mat starts, InterMat will go through each individual bracket and highlight the favorites, top matches to watch, and much more. Here are the previously released previews 125 lb Preview 133 lb Preview 141 lb Preview 149 lb Preview The Top Seed: #1 Austin O’Connor (North Carolina) It took all year, but Austin O’Connor finally rose to the top spot at 157 lbs. He ascended to the number one seed after surviving another test from #7 Bryce Andonian in the ACC finals, while the previous number one, #3 Peyton Robb, was beaten by #2 Levi Haines. The conference championship brought O’Connor’s season record to 18-0, which includes a pair of wins against the dangerous Virginia Tech All-American. It also brings his career record against Andonian to 6-0. O’Connor missed most of the first half of the season recovering from a knee injury that hampered him during the end of the 2021-22 season. O’Connor fell to ACC rival Ed Scott in the 2022 ACC finals and ended up losing in the first round of the national tournament to Dazjon Castro, then of The Citadel. O’Connor battled back to make the NCAA podium (for a third time), beating Josh Humphreys in the deciding bout. Those late-season losses and NCAA finish affected O’Connor in the preseason rankings and he had to battle his way up from eight. Once O’Connor hit the mat in December, he never looked back. His bonus point percentage (almost 78%) was almost 25% more than his previous high in 2019-20. Perhaps, O’Connor’s best showing of the year was a major decision victory over Andonian in ACC dual competition. For the full article, Subscribe to InterMat's Rokfin Page

(from left) Sammy Sasso, Yianni Diakomihalis, Kyle Parco (Photos/Sam Janicki; SJanickiPhoto.com) The 2023 NCAA DI Wrestling Championships are less than a week away! In a few short days, 330 wrestlers will make the trek to Tulsa, Oklahoma, with hopes of a national title on their minds. Now it's in a state that hasn't hosted nationals since 2014 and a city that has never hosted the DI Tournament. Our Big 12 friends are plenty-familiar with the venue, the BOK Center, as it has become the home of their conference tournament. Before the action on the mat starts, InterMat will go through each individual bracket and highlight the favorites, top matches to watch, and much more. Here are the previously released previews: 125 lb Preview 133 lb Preview 141 lb Preview The Top Seed: #1 Yianni Diakomihalis (Cornell) For as long as DI wrestling has been "a thing" there have only been four wrestlers who have finishing their collegiate careers with four national titles. Amazingly enough, in 2023, we could see it happen twice. Spencer Lee is in position at 125 lbs to claim his fourth national title, while Yianni Diakomihalis could join the club, as well. Diakomihalis enters the NCAA Tournament as the top seed for the third time in four tries. It's slightly different this time as Diakomihalis and the rest of the field have at least one loss. In Diakomihalis' season debut he was stunned by Austin Gomez, 9-3. The loss stopped a 70-match winning streak for the Cornell star and was only the second of his career. Despite the loss, Diakomihalis had an excellent season and posted the highest bonus point percentage of his career. Specifically, he tallied five tech falls and three pins. For the full article, Subscribe to InterMat's Rokfin Page