InterMat Staff

Top-seeded 149 lber Kyle Parco (photo courtesy of Sam Janicki; SJanickiPhoto.com) 2023 ACC Championship Final Results Team Scores 1) NC State 101.5 2) Virginia Tech 78.5 3) Pittsburgh 60 4) North Carolina 37 5) Virginia 35 6) Duke 14 Championship Finals 125 lbs - Jarrett Trombley (NC State) dec Eddie Ventresca (Virginia Tech) 3-1SV 133 lbs - Kai Orine (NC State) fall Micky Phillippi (Pittsburgh) 7:44 141 lbs - Cole Matthews (Pittsburgh) dec Ryan Jack (NC State) 2-1 149 lbs - Caleb Henson (Virginia Tech) dec Jackson Arrington (NC State) 4-2 157 lbs - Austin O'Connor (North Carolina) dec Bryce Andonian (Virginia Tech) 6-5 165 lbs - Justin McCoy (Virginia) dec Connor Brady (Virginia Tech) 3-2 174 lbs - Mekhi Lewis (Virginia Tech) dec Alex Faison (NC State) 2-1TB 184 lbs - Trent Hidlay (NC State) dec Gavin Kane (North Carolina) 7-2 197 lbs - Nino Bonaccorsi (Pittsburgh) dec Isaac Trumble (NC State) 2-1 285 lbs - Owen Trephan (NC State) dec Jonah Niesenbaum (Duke) 7-2 Third Place Matches 125 lbs - Colton Camacho (Pittsburgh) dec Jack Wagner (North Carolina) 3-2 133 lbs - Sam Latona (Virginia Tech) maj Logan Agin (Duke) 13-2 141 lbs - Lachlan McNeil (North Carolina) maj Tom Crook (Virginia Tech) 10-2 149 lbs - Jarod Verkleeren (Virginia) dec Zach Sherman (North Carolina) 8-7 157 lbs - Ed Scott (NC State) maj Jake Keating (Virginia) 15-6 165 lbs - Holden Heller (Pittsburgh) dec Matthew Singleton (NC State) 10-8 174 lbs - Luca Augustine (Pittsburgh) dec Victor Marcelli (Virginia) 3-1 184 lbs - Hunter Bolen (Virginia Tech) dec Reece Heller (Pittsburgh) 7-5 197 lbs - Andy Smith (Virginia Tech) dec Michael Battista (Virginia) 3-1 285 lbs - Hunter Catka (Virginia Tech) dec Ethan Weatherspoon (Virginia) 3-0 Fifth Place Match 184 lbs - Neil Antrassian (Virginia) dec Jack Wimmer (Duke) 6-0 Automatic Qualifiers Duke: Jonah Niesenbaum (285) NC State: Jarrett Trombley (125), Kai Orine (133), Ryan Jack (141), Jackson Arrington (149), Ed Scott (157), Alex Faison (174), Trent Hidlay (184), Isaac Trumble (197), Owen Trephan (285) North Carolina: Lachlan McNeil (141), Austin O'Connor (157), Gavin Kane (184) Pittsburgh: Micky Phillippi (133), Cole Matthews (141), Holden Heller (165), Luca Augustine (174), Reece Heller (184), Nino Bonaccorsi (197) Virginia: Jarod Verkleeren (149), Justin McCoy (165), Neil Antrassian (184), MIchael Battista (197) Virginia Tech: Eddie Ventresca (125), Sam Latona (133), Tom Crook (141), Caleb Henson (149), Bryce Andonian (157), Connor Brady (165), Mekhi Lewis (174), Hunter Bolen (184), Andy Smith (197), Hunter Catka (285)

2023 NCWWC national champion Yelena Makoyed (photo courtesy of Sam Janicki; SJanickiPhoto.com) 2023 NCWWC National Championships Final Results Team Scores 1st) North Central 198 2nd) King 163 3rd) McKendree 147.5 4th) Colorado Mesa 108 5th) Augsburg 87.5 6th) Simon Fraser 86.5 7th) Sacred Heart 57 8th) East Stroudsburg 50 9th) Presbyterian 44.5 10th) Gannon 39 Championship Finals 101 lbs - Madison Avila (North Central) over Jenavi Alejandro (Tiffin) 5-3 109 lbs - Emily Shilson (McKendree) over Sage Mortimer (King) 3:46 116 lbs - Jaslynn Gallegos (North Central) fall Samara Chavez (King) 3:35 123 lbs - Marissa Gallagos (Colorado Mesa) over Amani Jones (North Central) 7-2 130 lbs - Cameron Guerin (McKendree) over Alexis Janiak (Aurora) 9-0 136 lbs - Ana Luciano (King) over Yele Adcock (North Central) 8-8 143 lbs - Katie Lange (Augsburg) over Ashlynn Ortega (King) 8-6 155 lbs - Marlynne Deede (Augsburg) over Dalia Garibay (Colorado Mesa) 6-2 170 lbs - Yelena Makoyed (North Central) over Cheyenne Bowman (King) Fall 3:49 191 lbs - Sydnee Kimber (McKendree) over Traeh Haynes (North Central) Fall 5:27 Third Place Bouts 101 lbs - Lizette Rodriguez (McKendree) over Jennesis Martinez (Colorado Mesa) 11-1 109 lbs - Dianna Holmes (King) over Sydney Petzinger (North Central) 19-12 116 lbs - Victoria Seal (Simon Fraser) over Danielle Garcia (King) 11-0 123 lbs - Mia Macaluso (East Stroudsburg) over Jennifer Soto (McKendree) Fall 2:05 130 lbs - Marquesis Haintz (Simon Fraser) over Montana Delawder (King) 12-2 136 lbs - Paige Wehrmeister (Presbyterian) over Diana Dzasezeva (Northern Michigan) 7-0 143 lbs - London Houston (North Central) over Grace Stem (Lock Haven) 10-0 155 lbs - Tiffani Baublitz (King) over Malea Palahniuk (North Central) Fall 1:23 170 lbs - Emily Cue (Simon Fraser) over Cara Broadus (Sacred Heart) Fall :48 191 lbs - Brittyn Corbishley (North Central) over Sara Lake (Lindenwood) Fall Fifth Place Bouts 101 lbs - Samantha Miller (Presbyterian) over Jessica Corredor (King) 10-8 109 lbs - Kendra Ryan (North Central) over Kaelani Shufeldt (Lock Haven) 15-4 116 lbs - Payton Stroud (McKendree) over Emily Klein (East Stroudsburg) 10-0 123 lbs - Vayle Rae-Baker (King) over Sofia Macaluso (East Stroudsburg) 11-11 130 lbs - Sara Sterner (North Central) over Hailey Chapman (Colorado Mesa) 6-0 136 lbs - Nina Makem (Augsburg) over Holly Beaudoin (Colorado Mesa) 13-2 143 lbs - Lili Ujfalvi (Gannon) over Kendall Bostleman (North Central) Fall 4:02 155 lbs - Lydia Krauss (Northern Michigan) over Nyla Burgess (Adrian) 10-0 170 lbs - Alexandra Castillo (McKendree) InjDef Brooklyn Hays (Augsburg) 191 lbs - Jayleen Sekona (Colorado Mesa) InjDef Katja Osteen (Simon Fraser) Seventh Place Bouts 101 lbs - Isabella Morales (Colorado Mesa) over Aaliyah Payne-Parris (Sacred Heart) 11-0 109 lbs - Cassy Lopez (Presbyterian) over Pauline Granados (McKendree) 1:53 116 lbs - Rose Ann Marshall (Wisconsin-Stevens Point) over Samantha Larsen (Gannon) 12-0 123 lbs - Naomi Henry (New Jersey City) over Gabby Skidmore (Augsburg) 3-2 130 lbs - Alexandra Fitzgerald (Sacred Heart) over Lilly Sherer (Lock Haven) Fall 5:41 136 lbs - Viktorya Torres (King) over Salome Walker (North Central) Fall 5:52 143 lbs - Zoe Gress (East Stroudsburg) over Clarissa Agostini (Adrian) Fall 1:49 155 lbs - Tiera Jimerson (North Central) over Madison Sandquist (Sacred Heart) 9-4 170 lbs - Jewel Gonzalez (Gannon) over Annabelle Helm (Gannon) 2-1 191 lbs - Jacklyn Smith (Sacred Heart) over Jada Arnold (Mount Olive) Fall

Top-seeded 165 lber David Carr (photo courtesy of Sam Janicki; SJanickiPhoto.com) Day One Team Scores 1st) Missouri 135 2nd) Iowa State 112 3rd) Oklahoma State 102.5 4th) Oklahoma 78 5th) South Dakota State 69.5 6th) North Dakota State 67.5 7th) Air Force 57.5 8th) Northern Iowa 57 9th) Northern Colorado 42 10th) West Virginia 31.5 11th) Wyoming 30 12th) Utah Valley 26 13th) California Baptist 1 Championship Semifinal Results 125 lbs - Stevo Poulin (Northern Colorado) dec Reece Witcraft (Oklahoma State) 8-6SV 125 lbs - Noah Surtin (Missouri) dec Joey Prata (Oklahoma) 5-3 133 lbs - Daton Fix (Oklahoma State) maj Connor Brown (Missouri) 11-3 133 lbs - Zach Redding (Iowa State) dec Kyle Biscoglia (Northern Iowa) 4-1 141 lbs - Andrew Alirez (Northern Colorado) InjDef Carter Young (Oklahoma State) 141 lbs - Allan Hart (Missouri) fall Mosha Schwartz (Oklahoma) 6:09 149 lbs - Brock Mauller (Missouri) dec Victor Voinovich (Oklahoma State) 7-1 149 lbs - Paniro Johnson (Iowa State) dec Colin Realbuto (Northern Iowa) 3-2 157 lbs - Jared Franek (North Dakota State) dec Cael Swensen (South Dakota State) 3-2 157 lbs - Kaden Gfeller (Oklahoma State) dec Jacob Wright (Wyoming) 5-2TB 165 lbs - David Carr (Iowa State) dec Peyton Hall (West Virginia) 3-1 165 lbs - Keegan O'Toole (Missouri) dec Michael Caliendo (North Dakota State) 8-3 174 lbs - Peyton Mocco (Missouri) dec Tate Picklo (Oklahoma) 6-5 174 lbs - Dustin Plott (Oklahoma State) fall Sam Wolf (Air Force) 2:17 184 lbs - Parker Keckeisen (Northern Iowa) dec Colton Hawks (Air Force) 7-5 184 lbs - Marcus Coleman (Iowa State) dec Travis Wittlake (Oklahoma State) 5-3 197 lbs - Tanner Sloan (South Dakota State) maj Luke Surber (Oklahoma State) 12-1 197 lbs - Rocky Elam (Missouri) dec Yonger Bastida (Iowa State) 6-0 285 lbs - Wyatt Hendrickson (Air Force) tech AJ Nevills (South Dakota State) 16-1 285 lbs - Sam Schuyler (Iowa State) dec Zach Elam (Missouri) 3-2

Penn State's freshman 157 lb Big Ten champion Levi Haines (photo courtesy of Sam Janicki; SJanickiPhoto.com) Day One Team Scores 1st) Penn State 120 2nd) Iowa 108.5 3rd) Nebraska 98.5 4th) Ohio State 77 5th) Minnesota 73 6th) Michigan 67 7th) Northwestern 64 8th) Wisconsin 46.5 9th) Illinois 36.5 9th) Purdue 36.5 11th) Rutgers 30 12th) Indiana 27 12th) Michigan State 27 14th) Maryland 19.5 Championship Semifinal Results 125 lbs - Spencer Lee (Iowa) tech Patrick McKee (Minnesota) 20-2 125 lbs - Liam Cronin (Nebraska) dec Michael DeAugustino (Northwestern) 2-1 133 lbs - Roman Bravo-Young (Penn State) dec Dylan Ragusin (Michigan) 8-2 133 lbs - Aaron Nagao (Minnesota) dec Jesse Mendez (Ohio State) 6-4SV 141 lbs - Real Woods (Iowa) dec Frankie Tal-Shahar (Northwestern) 3-0 141 lbs - Brock Hardy (Nebraska) dec Beau Bartlett (Penn State) 7-3 149 lbs - Sammy Sasso (Ohio State) dec Max Murin (Iowa) 8-2 149 lbs - Michael Blockhus (Minnesota) dec Graham Rooks (Indiana) 6-2 157 lbs - Peyton Robb (Nebraska) dec Chase Saldate (Michigan State) 4-3 157 lbs - Levi Haines (Penn State) dec Kendall Coleman (Purdue) 3-2 165 lbs - Dean Hamiti (Wisconsin) maj Carson Kharchla (Ohio State) 14-2 165 lbs - Patrick Kennedy (Iowa) dec Cam Amine (Michigan) 3-2 174 lbs - Carter Starocci (Penn State) dec Bailee O’Reilly (Minnesota) 8-2 174 lbs - Mikey Labriola (Nebraska) dec Ethan Smith (Ohio State) 4-3 184 lbs - Aaron Brooks (Penn State) maj Matt Finesilver (Michigan) 18-6 184 lbs - Kaleb Romero (Ohio State) dec Isaiah Salazar (Minnesota) 3-2 197 lbs - Max Dean (Penn State) dec Jacob Warner (Iowa) 3-1 197 lbs - Silas Allred (Nebraska) dec Zac Braunagel (Illinois) 4-3 285 lbs - Mason Parris (Michigan) dec Trent Hillger (Wisconsin) 9-3 285 lbs - Greg Kerkvliet (Penn State) dec Tony Cassioppi (Iowa) 5-0

2023 SoCon Champions; The Appalachian State Mountaineers 2023 SoCon Championships Team Scores 1st) Appalachian State 103 2nd) Campbell 78.5 3rd) Chattanooga 52 4th) Gardner-Webb 42.5 5th) The Citadel 33.5 6th) Presbyterian 18.5 7th) VMI 18 8th) Davidson 17 Championship Finals 125 lbs - Caleb Smith (Appalachian State) dec Dominic Chavez (Presbyterian) 6-3 133 lbs - Brayden Palmer (Chattanooga) over Ethan Oakley (Appalachian State) 4-3 141 lbs - Shannon Hanna (Campbell) dec Zach Price (Gardner-Webb) 6-3TB 149 lbs - Jon Jon Millner (Appalachian State) dec Noah Castillo (Chattanooga) 4-0 157 lbs - Tommy Askey (Appalachian State) dec Tanner Peake (Davidson) 6-2 165 lbs - RJ Mosley (Gardner-Webb) dec Will Formato (Appalachian State) 2-1 174 lbs - Rocky Jordan (Chattanooga) dec Will Miller (Appalachian State) 4-2 184 lbs - Caleb Hopkins (Campbell) dec Jha'Quan Anderson (Gardner-Webb) 4-0 197 lbs - Levi Hopkins (Campbell) dec Carson Floyd (Appalachian State) 3-1 285 lbs - Taye Ghadiali (Campbell) fall Jacob Sartorio (Appalachian State) 1:42 Third Place Bouts 125 lbs - Drew West (Gardner-Webb) dec Blair Orr (The Citadel) 9-5 133 lbs - Dom Zaccone (Campbell) dec Todd Carter (Gardner-Webb) 6-2 141 lbs - Heath Gonyer (Appalachian State) dec Jacob Silka (The Citadel) 9-4 149 lbs - Chris Rivera (Campbell) dec Ryan Vigil (VMI) 7-2 157 lbs - Troy Nation (Campbell) dec Job Chishko (VMI) 3-1 165 lbs - Braxton Lewis (VMI) dec Bryce Sanderlin (Davidson) 5-2 174 lbs - Ben Haubert (The Citadel) dec Zachary Wells (Presbyterian) 6-3 184 lbs - Matthew Waddell (Chattanooga) dec Lucas Uliano (Appalachian State) 4-3 197 lbs - Mark Chaid (The Citadel) MedFFT Jake Boyd (Chattanooga) 285 lbs - Jonathan Chesser (The Citadel) maj Jake Fernicola (Davidson) 12-0 True Second Place 133 lbs - Dom Zaccone (Campbell) dec Ethan Oakley (Appalachian State) 6-3 Automatic Qualifiers Appalachian State: Caleb Smith (125), Jon Jon Millner (149), Tommy Askey (157), Will Miller (174) Campbell: Dom Zaccone (133), Shannon Hanna (141), Caleb Hopkins (184), Levi Hopkins (197), Taye Ghadiali (285) Chattanooga: Brayden Palmer (133), Rocky Jordan (174) Gardner-Webb: RJ Mosley (165)

The Palestra; Site of the 119th EIWA Championships (photo courtesy of Tony DiMarco) The 119th edition of the EIWA Championships started today in the historic city of Philadelphia, in the historic Palestra located on the University of Pennsylvania's campus. The largest and oldest wrestling conference in the nation is always exciting - this year was no exception. See some results, weight by weight, below. 125 - 6 Automatic Qualifiers Semi-finalists: 1 - Ungar (Corn) vs 4 - Sotelo (Harv) 2 - Glory (Prin) vs 3 - Miller (Penn) All semi-finalists will advance to NCAAs. This weight wrestled to seeds at the top 4. Glory looks to be a man on a mission, trying for his 3rd EIWA Championship. The top side battle between Ungar and Sotelo is a rematch from their dual, in which Sotelo won 1-0. I expect some more action tomorrow. On the back side, keep an eye out for Carter Bailey of Lehigh. The 10th seed finds himself in a great spot, potentially one win away, from being an NCAA qualifier. Him and Berginc of Army will square off. The other consi match is Babin of Columbia and Leiphart of Franklin & Marshall. The winner of each consi match in the morning, will earn an automatic bid to nationals. Exciting for fans like me, a little nerve-wracking for the people involved. 133 - 5 Automatic Qualifiers Semi-finalists: 1 - Arujau (Corn) vs 5 - Ferretti (Navy) 2 - Colaiocco (Penn) vs 6 - Rini (Colum) Vito cruised in his two matches. Ferretti won via injury default over McGonagle of Lehigh. McGonagle defaulted out of the tournament, so he will need a wild card. Thankfully, he now has 15 matches on the year, earning that important RPI criteria to help further his case for a bid to NCAAs. Rini of Columbia had a nice upset win over Phipps of Bucknell. Colaiocco looks to return to the finals and repeat as EIWA champ at 133lbs. On the backside, Waterman of Drexel will face Adrian in a rematch that he won in overtime a month ago. 3rd seed, Phipps will take on last year's 4th place finisher in Maida of American. 141 - 5 Automatic Qualifiers Semi-finalists: 1 - Cornella (Corn) vs 4 - Kazimir (Colum) 2 - Miller (Buck) vs 6 - Ferrante (Penn) Cornella had two pins, joining many of his Cornell teammates in the bonus point department. Kazimir used a 3rd period Peterson to win a wild one over Hines of Lehigh. Ferrante and Miller each won by comfortable decisions. There are a few guys to look out for currently on the back side, including Koderhandt of Navy and Hines of Lehigh. 149 - 2 Automatic Qualifiers Semi-finalists: 1 - Zapf (Penn) vs 5 - Chappell (Buck) 2 - Diakomihalis (Corn) vs 6 - Fongaro (Colum) Zapf and Yianni were expected to be here. Fongaro beat Brignola in a close quarter. My favorite win here was Chappell of Bucknell of McDaniel of Army. Chappell began the year at 133 lbs, now he's a semifinalist in the EIWAs at 149 lbs. The consis may not mean much, only taking 2 wrestlers. But guys like McDaniel and Brignola are still in contention to receive wild cards if they run the table - along with the losers of the semis. I'd throw in Nichter of Drexel in that conversation - but he's more of a long shot. You can never count out Keller of Princeton, who's still alive in the consi's. 157 - 3 Automatic Qualifiers Semi-finalists: 1 - Artalona (Penn) vs 5 - Lukez (Army) 2 - Humphreys (Leh) vs 6 - Tarsi (Harv) Lukez and Tarsi each won, being the lower seed. Tarsi beat Alvan of Columbia and Lukez beat last year's runner up, Cerniglia of Navy. Lukez and Artalona had a very tight one in their dual. This seems to be the better matchup, on paper. With only 3 automatic bids here, the guys on the backside have a lot of winning to do. With Alvan of Columbia (3rd seed) and Cerniglia losing in the wrestlebacks, this bracket has been busted wide open. Remaining wrestlers include (9) Nies of American, (12) Williams of Drexel, (11) Delp of Bucknell, and (10) Whalen of Princeton. 165 - 5 Automatic Qualifiers Semi-finalists: 1 - Ramirez (Corn) vs 5 - Cassella (Bing) 2 - Monday (Prin) vs 3 - Ogunsanya (Colum) My favorite weight class lived up to the hype. All matches were within 2 points, minus Cassella winning 7-0 due to a last second 6 point move. There is a long road to the top 5 for the wrestlers left in the consies. Drexel's Barczak takes on Kim of Harvard while Harkins of Army will wrestle Revano of Penn. The 1-7, and 9 seeds still remain. The seeding was nearly spot-on with this weight. 174 - 4 Automatic Qualifiers Semi-finalists: 1 - Foca (Corn) vs 5 - Wolak (Colum) 2 - Incontrera (Penn) vs 3 - Pasiuk (Army) Wolak defeated the 4th seed, O'Malley of Drexel, in the quarters. We saw 7th seed Conigliaro of Harvard lose in the first round to McFarland of Hofstra. This set-up the rare returning EIWA champs matching up in the consi's of day 1. Conigliaro won 5-2. He takes on Logan of Lehigh. 10th seed McFarland has Starr of Navy, who came in as the 6th seed. 184 - 4 Automatic Qualifiers Semi-finalists: 1 - Samuelson (Leh) vs 5 - Dugan (Prin) 2 - Nolan (Bing) vs 3 - Bonino (Drex) Dugan took out 4th seed Ferreira of Hofstra. Bonino and Nolan will have a rematch from their dual a few weeks back - which Nolan won in overtime. One more win gives Samuelson his very rare 5th trip to NCAAs, thanks to his 4 years at Wyoming. In the wrestlebacks, Ferreira takes on Conway of F&M. Ayzerov of Columbia (7th seed) will face 6th seed from Navy, David Key. 197 - 5 Automatic Qualifiers Semi-finalists: 1 - Beard (Leh) vs 4 - Koser (Navy) 2 - Cardenas (Corn) vs 3 - Stout (Prin) This weight went chalk into the semis. The big upset here was 11th seed from Columbia, Wehmeyer pinned 6th seed Urbas from Penn. The semi between Stout and Cardenas is a rematch of last year's semi - where Stout won in sudden victory. Urbas was my darkhorse coming in, but he's eliminated after a 1-2 record. O'Malley of Drexel upset him. He's the 9 seed, and will face off with Rogers of Hofstra, who was the 5th seed entering the day. 13th seed from Army, Dan Lawrence is in the top 8 - square off with Wehmeyer in the other consi. 285 - 6 Automatic Qualifiers Semi-finalists: 1 - Slavikouski (Harv) vs 4 - Taylor (Leh) 2 - Greiss (Navy) vs 3 - Day (Bing) Another chalk bracket into the semis. Taylor needed overtime to beat 5th seed, Goldin of Penn. Greiss and Day did what they were expected to do. This will be a fun one, as both guys like to score points and pin guys from top. Ben Goldin (5th seed) takes on Furman of Cornell. The winner of that match earns an auto bid to NCAAs. Same with the other consi matchup between 12th seeded Kohlhofer of Army and 6th seed, Crosby of Bucknell. Kohlhofer took out Stefanik of Princeton in the consi's. All semi-finalists will advance to NCAAs. Team Race: 1 - Cornell, 82.5 points with 7 in the semis, and 1 in the consies 2 - Lehigh, 68.5 points with 4 in the semis, and 4 in the consies 3 - Penn, 67 points with 6 in the semis, and 2 in the consies 4 - Columbia, 66.5 points with 5 in the semis, and 3 in the consies 5 - Princeton, 53 points with 4 in the semis, and 2 in the consies 6 - Army, 52.5 points with 2 in the semis, and 6 in the consies 7 - Navy, 51.5 points with 3 in the semis, and 3 in the consies Brackets can be found here: FloArena

2023 MAC champion at 133 lbs Gable Strickland (photo courtesy of Sam Janicki; SJanickiPhoto.com) 2023 MAC Championships Final Team Scores 1) Lock Haven 112.5 2) Central Michigan 110 3) Clarion 92 4) Ohio 87.5 5) Rider 86 6) George Mason 83 7) Cleveland State 81.5 8) Northern Illinois 77.5 9) Kent State 68 10) SIU Edwardsville 63.5 11) Buffalo 48.5 12) Edinboro 32.5 13) Bloomsburg 20.5 Championship Finals 125 - Anthony Noto (Lock Haven) maj Jake Ferri (Kent State) 8-0 133 - Gable Strickland (Lock Haven) dec Richie Koehler (Rider) 3-2 141 - Seth Koleno (Clarion) dec Josh Mason (Bloomsburg) 4-3 149 - Johnny Lovett (Central Michigan) dec Nate Higley (George Mason) 7-5 157 - Peter Pappas (George Mason) dec Ashton Eyler (Lock Haven) 3-1SV 165 - Izzak Olejnik (Northern Illinois) dec Enrique Munguia (Kent State) 7-2 174 - Alex Cramer (Central Michigan) dec John Worthing (Clarion) 4-1 184 - Will Feldkamp (Clarion) fall Zayne Lehman (Ohio) 1:40 197 - Ethan Laird (Rider) dec Carson Brewer (Ohio) 8-4 285 - Colton McKiernan (SIU Edwardsville) dec Terrese Aaron (Northern Illinois) 2-0 Third Place Matches 125 - Blake West (Northern Illinois) dec Markel Baker (George Mason) 2-1 133 - Louie Newell (Kent State) dec Jake Manley (Cleveland State) 7-6 141 - Jaivon Jones (Northern Illinois) dec Saul Ervin (SIU Edwardsville) 2-0 149 - Quinn Kinner (Rider) maj Ryan Burgos (Edinboro) 11-1 157 - Peyten Keller (Ohio) dec Michael Petite (Buffalo) 9-2 165 - Avery Bassett (Lock Haven) dec Tracy Hubbard (Central Michigan) 5-4 174 - Tyler Stoltzfus (Lock Haven) dec Sal Perrine (Ohio) 4-2 184 - DeAndre Nassar (Cleveland State) dec Colin Fegley (Lock Haven) 3-2TB 197 - Sam Mitchell (Buffalo) dec Cody Mulligan (Edinboro) 4-2TB 285 - Bryan Caves (Central Michgan) Med Daniel Bucknavich (Cleveland State) Fifth Place Matches 125 - Joey Fischer (Clarion) fall Ben Aranda (Cleveland State) 4:21 133 - Aaron Schulist (SIU Edwardsville) dec Vince Perez (Central Michigan) 10-5 141 - Caleb Rea (Cleveland State) maj Anthony Glasl (George Mason) 8-0 149 - Alec Hagan (Ohio) dec Caleb Tyus (SIU Edwardsville) 4-3 157 - Corbyn Munson (Central Michigan) dec Marcus Robinson (Cleveland State) 9-7 165 - Jordan Slivka (Ohio) dec Cardy Wilson (SIU Edwardsville) 6-1 174 - Michael Wilson (Rider) dec Logan Messer (George Mason) 5-2 184 - Malachi Duvall (George Mason) MedFFT Guiseppe Hoose (Buffalo) 197 - Anthony Perrine (Cleveland State) maj Tyler Bagoly (Clarion) 9-0 285 - David Szuba (Rider) MedFFT Isaac Reid (Lock Haven) Seventh Place Matches 125 - Tyler Klinsky (Rider) dec Sean Spidle (Central Michigan) 14-10 133 - Gio DiSabato (Ohio) dec Lucian Brink (Northern Illinois) 10-7 141 - Sean Logue (Lock Haven) dec Jack Marlow (Buffalo) 11-5 149 - Kody Komara (Kent State) MedFFT Kyle Schickel (Clarion) 157 - Trevor Elfvin (Clarion) dec Anthony Gibson (Northern Illinois) 7-3 165 - Cam Pine (Clarion) dec Marcus Petite (Buffalo) 5-3SV 174 - Jared McGill (Edinboro) maj Jay Nivison (Buffalo) 8-0 184 - Ben Cushman (Central Michigan) dec Matt Zuber (Northern Illinois) 8-3 197 - Cameron Wood (Central Michigan) dec Blake Schaffer (Kent State) 8-7 285 - Jacob Cover (Kent State) MedFFT Shane Noonan (Bloomsburg) True Second Place Bouts 125 - Jake Ferri (Kent State) dec Blake West (Northern Illinois) 6-5 184 - Zayne Lehman (Ohio) maj DeAndre Nassar (Cleveland State) 9-0 True Fourth Place Bouts 157 - Corbyn Munson (Central Michigan) dec Michael Petite (Buffalo) 6-5 174 - Sal Perrine (Ohio) dec Michael Wilson (Rider) 3-1SV Automatic Qualifiers Bloomsburg: Josh Mason (141) Central Michigan: Johnny Lovett (149), Corbyn Munson (157), Alex Cramer (174) Clarion: Seth Koleno (141), John Worthing (174), Will Feldkamp (184) Edinboro: Ryan Burgos (149) George Mason: Nate Higley (149), Peter Pappas (157) Kent State: Jake Ferri (125) Lock Haven: Anthony Noto (125), Gable Strickland (133), Ashton Eyler (157), Tyler Stoltzfus (174) Northern Illinois: Izzak Olejnik (165) Ohio: Alec Hagan (149), Peyten Keller (157), Sal Perrine (174), Zayne Lehman (184) Rider: Quinn Kinner (149), Ethan Laird (197) SIU Edwardsville: Colton McKiernan (285)

Minnesota 125 lber Patrick McKee (photo courtesy of Sam Janicki; SJanickiPhoto.com) 2023 Big Ten Quarterfinal Results 125 lbs Spencer Lee (Iowa) tech Jack Medley (Michigan) 17-0 Patrick McKee (Minnesota) fall Eric Barnett (Wisconsin) 4:36 Michael DeAugustino (Northwestern) maj Matt Ramos (Purdue) 9-1 Liam Cronin (Nebraska) dec Braxton Brown (Maryland) 11-7 133 lbs Roman Bravo-Young (Penn State) maj Brody Teske (Iowa) 13-2 Dylan Ragusin (Michigan) fall Chris Cannon (Northwestern) 6:00 Aaron Nagao (Minnesota) dec Lucas Byrd (Illinois) 4-2SV Jesse Mendez (Ohio State) dec Joey Heilmann (Rutgers) 4-0 141 lbs Real Woods (Iowa) fall Parker Filius (Purdue) 2:08 Frankie Tal-Shahar (Northwestern) dec Jake Bergeland (Minnesota) 7-5 Brock Hardy (Nebraska) maj Joe Zargo (Wisconsin) 12-0 Beau Bartlett (Penn State) dec Cole Mattin (Michigan) 4-2 149 lbs Sammy Sasso (Ohio State) maj Chance Lamer (Michigan) 12-4 Max Murin (Iowa) dec Shayne Van Ness (Penn State) 4-2 Michael Blockhus (Minnesota) dec Yahya Thomas (Northwestern) 6-2 Graham Rooks (Indiana) dec Austin Gomez (Wisconsin) 6-5 157 lbs Peyton Robb (Nebraska) maj Trevor Chumbley (Northwestern) 11-3 Chase Saldate (Michigan State) dec Cobe Siebrecht (Iowa) 9-2 Kendall Coleman (Purdue) dec Will Lewan (Michigan) 4-2 Levi Haines (Penn State) dec Derek Gilcher (Indiana) 6-0 165 lbs Dean Hamiti (Wisconsin) maj Andrew Sparks (Minnesota) 8-0 Carson Kharchla (Ohio State) dec Alex Facundo (Penn State) 3-1 Patrick Kennedy (Iowa) maj Maxx Mayfield (Northwestern) 11-3 Cam Amine (Michigan) dec Caleb Fish (Michigan State) 4-2SV 174 lbs Carter Starocci (Penn State) maj Troy Fisher (Northwestern) 10-2 Bailee O’Reilly (Minnesota) dec Edmond Ruth (Illinois) 4-2 Ethan Smith (Ohio State) maj DJ Washington (Indiana) 10-1 Mikey Labriola (Nebraska) dec Nelson Brands (Iowa) 5-2 184 lbs Aaron Brooks (Penn State) tech Brian Soldano (Rutgers) 18-2 Matt Finesilver (Michigan) fall Abe Assad (Iowa) 4:19 Isaiah Salazar (Minnesota) dec Layne Malczewski (Michigan State) 8-5 Kaleb Romero (Ohio State) dec Lenny Pinto (Nebraska) 4-3 197 lbs Max Dean (Penn State) dec Michial Foy (Minnesota) 2-0 Jacob Warner (Iowa) dec Cam Caffey (Michigan State) 3-2 Zac Braunagel (Illinois) dec Jaxon Smith (Maryland) 6-4SV Silas Allred (Nebraska) dec Gavin Hoffman (Ohio State) 6-2 285 lbs Mason Parris (Michigan) maj Jacob Bullock (Indiana) 12-2 Trent Hillger (Wisconsin) dec Lucas Davison (Northwestern) 3-1SV Tony Cassioppi (Iowa) fall Boone McDermott (Rutgers) 2:54 Greg Kerkvliet (Penn State) maj Tate Orndorff (Ohio State) 9-1

Pittsburgh head coach Keith Gavin (photo courtesy of Sam Janicki; SJanickiPhoto.com) It was another phenomenal regular season in the ACC and we turn our attention now toward the postseason with the ACC tournament and the NCAA Championships fast approaching. We will have multiple parts to our ACC preview this year; Earl has the weight-by-weight preview and breakdown here. We also have a series of interviews with wrestlers from each team--we want the fans to get to know more about some of these athletes before the first whistle on Sunday. I sat down with Austin O’Connor, Cole Matthews, Jonah Niesenbaum, Justin McCoy, Andy Smith and Trent Hidlay to learn more about how they got into wrestling, why they chose their school and how they feel about their season going into the ACC tournament. Before the action kicks off in Raleigh on Sunday, all matches covered on ACC Network, let’s take a look back at the regular season and hand out our 2nd Annual InterMat ACC Awards. Redshirt of the Year: Garrett Grice, UVA This was actually a really tough one to figure out because there are so many solid redshirts this year--which speaks to the depth of recruiting for the ACC schools. Dayton Pitzer made a lot of noise with his performance at the Midlands, knocking off NCAA finalist Cohlton Schultz before falling in the finals. Pitzer ended the season at 7-3 overall and 2-1 in the ACC before the coaching staff decided to keep him in redshirt. The award this year, however, goes to Garrett Grice. He started the year on a tear, winning the Southeast Open on the strength of five bonus-point victories. He continued his strong season with a 3rd place finish at the Appalachian Invite and was 5-1 in dual appearances for the Hoos. He finished with a season record of 13-2, with both losses being decision losses to ranked wrestlers. UVA will have a very strong class entering the starting lineup next year, and they will be led by Grice. Coach of the Year: Keith Gavin, Pittsburgh It has been widely known that Pitt has the potential to be a power program both in the ACC and nationally. Since Coach Gavin returned to lead his alma mater, he has made a strong move in that direction and this year they started making that breakthrough with a share of the ACC dual title. Gavin put together a solid lineup with a mix of experienced vets, highly-touted recruits and valuable starters from the transfer portal. They went 10-4 on the season, picking up a huge win over Virginia Tech on the road and losing on criteria at home to #3 Iowa State. Pitt is in a great position to make a run in the postseason as well, and they will be a real threat for the ACC tournament title. BONUS Machine: Austin O’Connor, North Carolina The BONUS Champ from last year, Trent Hidlay was in the running at 58%, followed closely by Lachlan McNeil at 60%. However, the two top bonus scorers--based on percentage of bonus point wins were both at 157 pounds. Bryce Andonian is 7-1 with 6 wins by bonus to come in at a 75% bonus rate--he has 3 falls, two majors and one tech fall. However, the title this year goes to Austin O’Connor with an impressive 81.25% bonus rate. O’Connor is 16-0 and only has two wins by decision; oddly enough, his first and last match of the regular season; in between, he rolled off 14 straight bonus wins with 3 pins, 4 tech falls, 6 major decisions and one injury default. 157 is one of the toughest brackets at the ACC tournament, so we’ll see if O’Connor can add to his bonus total. Freshman of the Year: Caleb Henson, Virginia Tech There was never a doubt that Caleb Henson would be in the starting lineup for the Hokies as a true freshman. He entered the season with big goals for himself and high expectations from the staff in Blacksburg. Henson opened the season with a dominating run to win his second straight Southeast Open; he also won as a high school senior. He then put the country on notice with an upset win over two-time All-American and NCAA finalist Sammy Sasso in his first dual for the Hokies. He has been a key cog in the Hokies lineup this year and has more than lived up to the expectations on him so far this year. He enters the postseason with a 16-3 record overall and was undefeated in the ACC; he holds wins over All-Americans Sammy Sasso, Jon Millner and Jaden Abas. Best Mustache: Isaac Trumble, North Carolina State We’ve seen it on occasion for Trumble, but it came out in full force in Charlottesville against UVA. The most impressive thing about it is that it falls within reqs for Trumble’s Army service. Well played sir. Newcomer of the Year: Holden and Reece Heller, Pittsburgh The winner of this award has a lot to live up to after the NCAA performance of last year’s winner, Kizhan Clarke. The transfer portal was again good to ACC teams, with four of the six teams having regular starters from the portal. Jack Wagner played a big role for the Tar Heels and Jared Papscy added some veteran leadership to a young Duke lineup. Neil Antrassian made a huge impact in his one year in Charlottesville, going 21-7 overall and picking up the 4 seed in the deepest weight in the ACC. Dazjon Casto started slow but has rounded into form for the Panthers going into the postseason. The winner(s) this year also come from Pittsburgh. I couldn’t choose one of the Heller brothers, so they are both getting the award. Holden went 12-5 on the year and is undefeated in the ACC at 165; four of his five losses were to top-15 ranked wrestlers. He is a definite threat for an ACC title. Bigger brother Reece has held down the spot at 184, picking up a Midlands title and going 16-6 on the year. He went 2-3 in the ACC but is an incredibly dangerous wrestler who is always a pin threat. Singlet of the Year: UNC Baseball Singlet The Tar Heels had a weekend in November that saw them wrestle in an airplane hangar at Ft. Bragg and on the baseball field in Chapel Hill. They had special singlets for each of these events that were both very well done. I was most impressed by the design for the Doubles on the Diamond. The pinstriped design with the script logo and weight class on the back was well executed. The coaching staff completed the look by coaching in baseball jerseys as well. ACC Dual of the Year: NC State at Virginia Tech We knew going into the opening dual of the ACC slate that we would have fireworks and that this dual would likely decide the ACC dual title. This dual delivered, and then some. You can see the full recap here. It was back and forth, featuring three sudden victory wins from the Wolfpack, including a come-from-behind win from Trent Hidlay over Hunter Bolen. When it looked like NC State could pull away, Andy Smith came through with a huge upset of Isaac Trumble to lock up the 16-14 win for the Hokies. It was a great crowd in Cassell and a phenomenal dual from start to finish. Both teams would go on to lock up a share of the ACC Dual Championship. Most Improved: Jack Wagner, North Carolina In full transparency, when they announced the transfer of Wagner from UNI I didn’t think it would be an impactful move. Wagner came in to man the spot at 125 with a career record of just over .500 at 133 and 141. But Coach Ramos and Coach Scott both spoke very highly of Wagner and were excited about his potential; it turns out they were correct. From his first match in North Carolina, Wagner has seemed to be competing at a different level than in years past. He enters the postseason at 20-6 overall and 4-1 in ACC competition. I’ve been very impressed with how Wagner has handled the transition to a new school and a new weight while improving on the mat. The Nathan Traxler ACC Best Hair Award: Patrick McCormick, Virginia We had an unfortunate trend of wrestlers with phenomenal hair returning from winter break with a run-of-the-mill Hair Cuttery special, and frankly, it saddened me. Going into the year, I assumed that Owen Trephan was a lock for this title and he would extend the reign of the heavyweight with luxurious locks, as Nathan Traxler established with our annual award. But alas, he went from a glorious flow at Collegiate Duals to business casual for the ACC season, not to take anything away, it’s still a solid look for Trephan. So we are looking elsewhere for the award this year, and I’m giving it to someone who has a haircut that just fits them as a person. Patrick McCormick has proudly rocked his mullet for a better part of his career in Charlottesville, and if you know Patch, you know that is a perfect fit for the 125 from Poquoson, Virginia. Just as adjustments are critical on the mat, we need to be able to make adjustments for our awards as well--and with this slight change in our approach, McCormick is a natural fit for the award. I would also like to give special recognition to Jarod Verkleeren and bestow our 1st Annual #BaldHero Award. Sometimes it’s best to just embrace the absence of hair and fully roll with it. Wrestlers of the Year: Austin O’Connor, North Carolina and Nino Bonaccorsi, Pittsburgh We covered the impressive season by O’Connor earlier in the article, but we also need to highlight the phenomenal season that Nino had in his final season in Pittsburgh. Nino has shown over the years that he is a top-tier 197 and he can compete with, and beat, anyone in the country. He was an NCAA finalist in 2021 but fell in the bloodround last year in Detroit. He has seemed reinvigorated this season and has looked to be back in his NCAA finalist form. Bonaccorsi is undefeated on the year, coming in at 14-0 and 5-0 in the ACC. He is ranked #1 in the country and has wins over #2 Michael Beard, #7 Yonger Bastida, #8 Isaac Trumble, #14 Jaxon Smith, #15 Zac Braunagle, #22 Andy Smith and #25 Michael Battista. Nino has incredible--and shockingly fast--attacks from neutral and is a monster on top. He will have to get through the field in Raleigh, but is in great position to bring home another ACC title and contend for an NCAA championship.

The 2023 MAC Championships from George Mason's EagleBank Arena 2023 MAC Championship Semifinals 125 - Anthony Noto (Lock Haven) dec Markel Baker (George Mason) 4-3 125 - Jake Ferri (Kent State) dec Joey Fischer (Clarion) 5-3 133 - Gable Strickland (Lock Haven) maj Aaron Schulist (SIU Edwardsville) 11-2 133 - Richie Koehler (Rider) maj Jake Manley (Cleveland State) 11-3 141 - Josh Mason (Bloomsburg) dec Jaivon Jones (Northern Illinois) 2-0 141 - Seth Koleno (Clarion) fall Caleb Ervin (SIU Edwardsville) :57 149 - Johnny Lovett (Central Michigan) dec Caleb Tyus (SIU Edwardsville) 5-4 149 - Nathan Higley (George Mason) fall Ryan Burgos (Edinboro) 4:23 157 - Peter Pappas (George Mason) dec Corbyn Munson (Central Michigan) 5-3 157 - Ashton Eyler (Lock Haven) dec Marcus Robinson (Cleveland State) 10-6 165 - Izzak Olejnik (Northern Illinois) dec Tracy Hubbard (Central Michigan) 9-2 165 - Enrique Munguia (Kent State) dec Avery Bassett (Lock Haven) 11-5 174 - Alex Cramer (Central Michigan) fall Logan Messer (George Mason) 7:37 174 - John Worthing (Clarion) dec Tyler Stoltzfus (Lock Haven) 3-1SV 184 - Will Feldkamp (Clarion) dec DeAndre Nassar (Cleveland State) 3-1 184 - Zayne Lehman (Ohio) dec Colin Fegley (Lock Haven) 4-0 197 - Ethan Laird (Rider) dec Sam Mitchell (Buffalo) 5-2 197 - Carson Brewer (Ohio) dec Tyler Bagoly (Clarion) 5-3 285 - Colton McKiernan (SIU Edwardsville) dec Daniel Bucknavich (Cleveland State) 2-0 285 - Terrese Aaron (Northern Illinois) dec Isaac Reid (Lock Haven) 5-1

Top-seeded 174 lber Mekhi Lewis (photo courtesy of Sam Janicki; SJanickiPhoto.com) 2023 ACC Conference Preview 64 total allocations/58 in 2022 When: Sunday Where: Raleigh, North Carolina (NC State University) How to Watch: ACC Network/ACC Network Extra It’s our final preview! The ACC Tournament will take place on Sunday in Raleigh, North Carolina. This tournament has become one of my favorites because of the excitement that it routinely generates. Though the tournament only consists of six teams, it features teams that continue to improve. Three of the conference teams are in InterMat’s top-15 tournament rankings (#5 Virginia Tech, #10 NC State, and #15 Pittsburgh). This tournament tends to be so exciting because of its small nature. A first-round upset can change the course of the rest of the tournament. The ACC tournament also rarely goes as expected. We’ll see how this theory fares since there were fewer seeding conundrums than usual. The home team, NC State, will be shooting for their fifth straight ACC Championship. The Wolfpack feature a lineup with no holes from top to bottom. Despite losing a large senior class in 2022, Pat Popolizio’s team continues to chug along. Virginia Tech also has a team that features all ten wrestlers in the national rankings. As of now, it looks like the Hokies have more big-tournament firepower. Can it hold up at a six-team tournament? Pittsburgh shocked Virginia Tech in dual action and has a pair of wrestlers that have been ranked #1 nationally during the 2022-23 season. This is their time to shine with a high-octane senior class. North Carolina was expected to challenge the top-three teams in the league, but have been hit hard with injuries. The Tar Heels still have perhaps the best pound-for-pound wrestler in the conference and a handful of wrestlers that could do damage at NCAA’s. Virginia also has been bitten by the injury bug. The Cavaliers have plenty of young talent and should be a factor for the title in the very near future. Duke has struggled inside and outside of the ACC, but they do have the top seed at heavyweight. Below is our weight-by-weight preview of the action, along with predictions for top-four finishers at all ten weights and a team race projection. Wrestlers bolded are the ones we have pegged to receive automatic qualifying bids at their respective weight classes. 125 lbs (2 allocations) This is a bit of a weird weight for the ACC. Two NCAA bids are available; however, none of the wrestlers competing are currently ranked higher than 22nd. That is Jarrett Trombley (NC State) who takes the top seed. Trombley started the year off slowly, losing his first three bouts, but adjusted to the new weight and hit his stride in conference dual season. He’s the only wrestler in the ACC without a conference loss, though he did not face UNC’s Jack Wagner. Wagner is a graduate transfer from Northern Iowa who has thrived at what has been a difficult-to-fill weight class for the Tar Heels. Wagner has a pair of losses to both of Virginia Tech’s options at the weight. Eventually, it was Eddie Ventresca who will get the call for the Hokies and gets the second seed. Ventresca’s only conference loss was in sudden victory to Trombley. Pittsburgh veteran Colton Camacho spent time in the rankings and was the spark behind the Panthers upset win at Virginia Tech. His : 44-second pin over Cooper Flynn set the tone for Keith Gavin’s team. Camacho was on the negative side of a pair of shootout losses to Trombley and Wagner, but he did demonstrate the ability to score points. Camacho will see two-time NCAA qualifier Patrick McCormick (Virginia) in the opening round in the 4 vs. 5 matchup. McCormick held a 6-4 record heading into the Midlands but has struggled ever since. Meeting Wagner in the opening round is Duke’s Ethan Grimminger. The two did not meet in the regular season, but Grimminger is 0-8 having surrendered bonus points in seven of those matches. With five at-large berths available nationally, I’d expect the third-place finisher to get a berth, barring some sort of crazy weekend at the other conferences. Maybe two, but that may be pushing it. For the full article, Subscribe to InterMat's Rokfin Page

Carter Starocci with Casey Cunningham (center) and Cael Sanderson (photo courtesy of Sam Janicki; SJanickiPhoto.com) For all of Penn State wrestling’s recent dominance, there’s been one accolade that’s eluded the program in the past several years – a Big Ten Championships team title. The last time the Nittany Lions won was in 2019, when the only current starter on the team was super-senior Roman Bravo-Young. Last season, Penn State fell 1.5 points short of first place, which went to the Michigan Wolverines. But for a program that’s been pretty good at winning over the past dozen years – nine NCAA team titles, six conference titles and 32 individual national titles – coach Cael Sanderson didn’t seem too concerned about it at the team’s media availability on Monday. “I’d like to win, as a coach, but we haven’t really talked about that,” he said, with blue-and-silver star-shaped balloons floating behind his head. “We don’t really talk about winning and losing. It’s kind of an expectation these guys have. Little kids want to win, you don’t have to tell them they want to win. It’s something you’re born with.” The 12th-year Penn State head coach said he prefers not to put too much pressure on his wrestlers by focusing on results but is instead looking for enthusiasm, effort, and improvement. “But your question is, do we want to win the Big Ten Conference? Heck yeah, let’s go,” he said. The Nittany Lions will head into Ann Arbor with a pretty good shot to do just that. If the preseeds, which were released Monday, hold, Penn State will have nine of 10 wrestlers in the top 5 of their weight classes – including four No. 1s. Despite that advantage, Sanderson said his team isn’t taking anything for granted. “It’s just about taking time to be grateful for the opportunity,” he said. “These kids are very blessed. It’s a good time to be a college athlete, with all the resources they have, and a great time in college wrestling because of all the exposure and the following that especially the Big Ten Conference has. There’s a lot of really good teams, good coaches and a lot of support behind these programs. That makes it fun.” The coach’s relaxed attitude appears to have rubbed off on his team. Junior Carter Starocci said that after taking the weekend off, they started practice on Monday by cranking up some Rihanna and “getting some good energy going.” The media never got a straight answer on what all the balloons outside the Lorenzo Wrestling Complex were for. Sanderson said he thought someone’s parents brought them in for their birthday. “It’s all of our birthdays - it’s Big Tens and nationals,” Starocci said. Beau Bartlett said he thought the balloons were there to lighten things up a bit. “A lot of time people get silent around the postseason,” he said, rolling a dodgeball back and forth in his hands. “It’s like silence, all serious, it’s business now, got to lock in. And we have sparkly star balloons - and dodgeball. It helps us relax and realize it’s a game. There’s two days. It’s a sport. No one knows who the 1997 national champ is. In 20 years, no one is going to know. It’s just what we like to do. We’re really passionate about it right now and just giving our best effort.” (Note: While Bartlett may not know who any of the 1997 national champs were, I’m sure plenty of others in wrestling do: Mark Ironside, Cary Kolat, Mark Branch and Kerry McCoy, to name a few.) Bartlett is headed into this third Big Ten Championships - his first at his preferred weight of 141 pounds. He went 1-2 his first year and qualified for NCAAs his second year by earning the conference’s final allocation. This year, he said, he’s not going to worry as much about trying to qualify. “Yeah, you always want to wrestle your best and you always want to win but in the back of my head was ‘top seven, top seven, top seven,’” he said. “I don’t know how many allocation spots are at Big Tens this year, I really don’t care. You want to win it, that’s what you want to do. That’s what I’m focused on - wrestling with enthusiasm, scoring points, wrestling physical, wrestling assertive and just letting it fly.” While Bartlett has a few Big Tens under his belt, four Nittany Lions - Alex Facundo, Levi Haines, Shayne Van Ness and Gary Steen - will be making their conference tournament debuts. Sanderson’s hope for those freshmen is that they worry less about trying to win and just enjoy competing. “Our job is to take pressure off them, not put it on them,” he said. “Most importantly, it’s just having the right mindset, the right positive energy and just believing in them and letting them do their thing.” On the flip side of the freshmen, the Nittany Lions will have Bravo-Young vying for his third Big Ten title and fellow seasoned veterans Starocci, Aaron Brooks and Max Dean (who has also won an EIWA championship) each seeking their second. Heavyweight Greg Kerkvliet should also find himself in a good position to make the finals on Sunday afternoon While Sanderson wouldn’t go so far as to make a prediction, Starocci did: 2022-23 Big Ten champions. “I think this is probably the best team I’ve been a part of, and just energy-wise, everyone is doing backflips in the room,” he said. “As you can see, there’s balloons and stuff. Every day is a celebration, so, I guess (it’s about) just taking in these moments and just realizing how fast the season goes by, so you can make sure that when one of those opportunities opens, you take full advantage.”

3x Big 12 champion Daton Fix (photo courtesy of Sam Janicki; SJanickiPhoto.com) 2023 Big 12 Conference Preview 64 total allocations/58 in 2022 When: Saturday/Sunday Where: Tulsa, Oklahoma How to Watch: ESPN+/ESPNU Two weeks before the DI wrestling world descends on Tulsa, Oklahoma for the 2023 NCAA Championships, the BOK Center will conduct a trial run of sorts for the Big 12 Championships. This Saturday and Sunday, to be exact. Tulsa has become the unofficial home of the Big 12 Championships, one of the most important conference qualifying events. Only the Big Ten will be responsible for more wrestlers at the 2023 NCAA Championships than the Big 12. All year our Big 12 correspondent, Seth Duckworth, has gone back and forth over who was going to win the conference. Since there was a tie during the dual season, we have to extend this question into the conference tournament. From day one this year, Iowa State has looked like one of the best dual teams in the country. As the year progressed, they’ve turned out to be a really strong tournament team as well. Defending champion Missouri is responsible for Iowa State’s only Big 12 loss this year and can get it done in any format. At one point this season, the Tigers had two wrestlers ranked #1 in the nation at their respective weights. Oklahoma State may have been written off too early. The Cowboys came back and edged Missouri to hand the Tigers their only Big 12 loss. While the Big Three battled for supremacy schools like Northern Iowa, North Dakota State and South Dakota State showed that they belong in the discussion as well. Digging deeper, both schools in Colorado, Air Force and Northern Colorado come into the tournament with number-one seeded wrestlers. Long story short, we’ll likely see an incredible team race, while at the same time getting wrestlers from a variety of schools a chance to shine atop the Big 12 podium. There probably won’t be one team that runs away with the title….and that’s generally fun. Below is our weight-by-weight preview of the action, along with predictions for top-eight finishers at all ten weights and a team race projection. Wrestlers bolded are the ones we have pegged to receive automatic qualifying bids at their respective weight classes. 125 lbs (6 allocations) Preseeds 1. Killian Cardinale (West Virginia) 2. Jore Volk (Wyoming) 3. Noah Surtin (Missouri) 4. Stevo Poulin (Northern Colorado) 5. Kase Mauger (Utah Valley) 6. Tanner Jordan (South Dakota State) 7. Joey Prata (Oklahoma) 8. Eli Griffin (California Baptist) - Removed/Injured Best first round match: #7 Joey Prata (Oklahoma) vs. Tucker Owens (Air Force) Projected Semifinals: #1 Killian Cardinale (West Virginia) vs. #4 Stevo Poulin (Northern Colorado); #3 Noah Surtin (Missouri) vs. #7 Joey Prata (Oklahoma) Right off the bat, we have one of the most unpredictable weight classes in the Big 12. There’s a lot of talent here and plenty of different permutations as to how they could finish. The top seed is undefeated Killian Cardinale. The 2021 All-American did not get his 2022-23 season underway until at the Midlands. He hasn’t faced most of the top contenders nationally, or even in this weight class, so it’s hard to judge where he’s at. If healthy, he’s capable of collecting his second Big 12 crown in a row. As is often the case at 125 lbs, freshmen will play an important role here. True freshman Jore Volk gets the second seed. Many true freshmen start the season strong, but hit a wall. Volk is the opposite, he started slow, but has picked up steam as the year progressed. He comes in after winning 11 of his last 12 matches. The only Big 12 opponents who defeated him are not in the field. One of which was eighth-seeded Eli Griffin, who was removed due to injury on Wednesday. The second prominent freshman in this bracket is fourth-seeded Stevo Poulin. Poulin entered the Southern Scuffle with a perfect 13-0 record and took sixth in Chattanooga. He’ll represent the first major test of the tournament for Cardinale in the semifinals. For the full article, Subscribe to InterMat's Rokfin Page

2022 EIWA champion Michael Colaiocco (photo courtesy of Tony DiMarco) The EIWA Conference has been allocated 45 automatic qualifiers from the NCAA. This is on par with the conference, as last season they had 42, and in the 2021 season, they managed 45. This year’s number would be higher, but there have been a few season-ending injuries of highly-ranked wrestlers. But “excuses are for wusses” and injuries are part of the sport. Last year’s champions, Cornell, are fresh off an Ivy League title in the current season. They, along with the rest of the EIWA, will travel to the University of Pennsylvania this weekend for the EIWA Championships - held at the historic Palestra. Catch the action March 4th and 5th on FloWrestling starting at 10:30AM. Before we get into the full breakdown. Let’s explore the seeding that rocked the Twitterspere a few days before the championships. You will see some bizarre seeds at some of these weights (i.e. Glory at #2, Yianni at #2). The EIWA uses a mathematical formula for each wrestler. The system factors in numerous calculations. (I just put on glasses to appear smart for this - and I’m not prescribed glasses - so here goes). Each wrestler receives points, based on parameters like number of wins, number of quality wins, RPI ranking, and allocating a spot for the conference, among other things. The outliers you see are due to a wrestler not being in the RPI (Ratings Percentage Index) rankings. The RPI rankings look at three items for each wrestler: 1) winning percentage, 2) opponent winning percentage (strength of schedule for said wrestler), and 3) an opponent’s opponent winning percentage (said wrestler’s opponent’s strength of schedule). It, essentially, gives a better ranking to the wrestlers who have a tougher schedule. The most important aspect here is that in order to be given an RPI ranking, you need to wrestle 15 D1 matches at the weight you are wresting. Makes sense, right? Wrestlers who win against tougher competition are given a little bump compared to wrestlers who wrestle an easy schedule. Plus, how do you give a fair RPI comparison to wrestlers who have, as an example, 4 matches compared to those with 20? Hence, the 15-match rule minimum. Now, back to the seeds. Patrick Glory is the clear number one seed at 125 lbs when looking at record (16-0), win percentage (100%), coaches ranking (#2), and head-to-head in the conference (zero losses to EIWA opponents). Somehow, he ended up with the 2nd seed, even though he majored the 1st seed a few weeks ago. Why was he the 2nd seed? You guessed it, he did not meet the RPI required. That 15-match number is important because Glory only had 11 matches at 125 lbs against D1 opponents. He was up at 133 lbs for some of the season, but those matches do not count towards the RPI, since he’s entered the postseason at 125 lbs. He lost a handful of points for his non-RPI ranking - essentially zero points for that category. Next, let’s look at Yianni Diakomihalis at 14 9lbs. His 12-1 record does not meet the RPI criteria to earn any points for that seeding criteria. Yianni missed some time this season because he was representing the USA in the freestyle World Cup in December. Yes, you read that correctly. He took a few weeks off from college wrestling to train freestyle. He was repping the United States of America, for crying out loud! Anyway, he’s the 2 seed because of his collegiate season not consisting of 15 matches. Does the seeding matter to a guy like Yianni, who is looking for his 4th EIWA and NCAA title? Probably not, but it’s the principle. You may be asking, is there any way to overrule the seeds, since this is a calculation done via computer with very little common sense? The answer is “yes, of course!” Without giving away all of the details, there is a way to “challenge” a seed if within a certain number of seeding points to the wrestler above. Because Yianni and Glory were outside of this threshold, there is one final step in the process to get the final seeds “correct.” The EIWA calls it the outlier rule. When Glory’s 2nd seed was challenged as an outlier (but still outside of that challengeable criteria), 13 of the 17 (75%) coaches needed to vote yes to overturn and give him the top seed. It only took five votes to block these challenges from happening. The same situation occurred for Yianni’s seed at 149 lbs. Does this lead to a potentially larger problem at hand? Why are coaches not correcting the seeds when given the chance? 99% of people know that these two outliers should be top seeds, yet do not want to overcorrect and go against the formula. I get both sides of it. I really do. They all agreed to a formula, which has worked great – minus some of these kinks. Fans across the country were confused over some of these seeds, for good reason. I think it would be great to hear some of the coaches speak up about it or offer changes for the future to prevent this again. Until then, here is my weight-by-weight breakdown of this weekend’s action. 125 - 6 Automatic Qualifiers Who Earned Allocations? Intermat Rankings* #31 Ethan Berginc (Army West Point), #30 Nick Babin (Columbia), #21 Brett Ungar (Cornell), #18 Diego Sotelo (Harvard), #20 Ryan Miller (Penn), #2 Pat Glory (Princeton) Last year’s champion, Vito Arujau, has moved up to 133 lbs. Patrick Glory, ultimately, was the NCAA runner-up in Detroit. He’s back in this weight class looking for his third EIWA title. With six ranked wrestlers in this weight class, expect a lot of tough, exciting matches starting from the quarterfinal round (maybe even sooner!). Glory seems to be a favorite by a comfortable margin. However, his weight cut was known to be a small factor throughout the year. A tough semifinal matchup right off the scale the second day is the round to watch out for. I am not saying he will have issues, but being a fan of this sport for as long as I have, this is the round where others have been upset due to the weight cut. Assuming all goes to plan, this is Glory’s weight class to lose. His finals opponent can be any one of the other ranked wrestlers at this weight. The most likely name will be one of the guys who allocated a spot - mentioned above. In my opinion, you can wrestle this weight ten times and see ten different podium placements every time. With some whacky seeds, we can see Ungar, Babin, Sotelo, or possibly others make the final against the #2 seed, Glory.

The #1 and #2 ranked 165 lbers in the nation David Carr (top) and Keegan O'Toole (photo courtesy of Mark Lundy; LutteLens.com) The Big 12 tournament goes down this Saturday and Sunday at the BOK Center in Tulsa, OK on ESPN+ and ESPNU. With brackets released on Wednesday, I thought I’d take a look at five things to watch in the tournament. 1. Team Race This is one of those things that almost goes without saying, but this really sets up for a good team race. During the dual season, Iowa State, Missouri, and Oklahoma State all beat up on each other with Iowa State beating Oklahoma State, Oklahoma State beating Missouri, and Missouri beating Iowa State to create an unofficial three-way tie for the Big 12 Championship. Based on seeds, Iowa State is the favorite with Oklahoma State #2 and Missouri #3. But there are some x-factors in every single lineup that could change the game for any of these teams. On the surface, there is a lot to look forward to in the team race this weekend. 2. Carr vs. O’Toole part 2. Iowa State lost to Missouri a few weeks ago in their dual but they had a bright spot in the finale when David Carr controlled Keegan O’Toole to a 7-2 decision. I happened to talk to Cam Steed at the Oklahoma High School State Tournament a few days ago. Cam now wrestles for Missouri and thinks O’Toole takes the rematch. We’ll see how things play out, but this is sure to be one to watch on Sunday. 3. 197 Tanner Sloan, Rocky Elam, Luke Surber, and Yonger Bastida. For some reason, this weight is always insanely tough in the Big 12 and this year is no exception. These four have all beat up on each other this season and the semifinal round could be a great one. 4. Wyatt Hendrickson Air Force’s Wyatt Hendrickson has a decision loss to Mason Parris and one forfeit this season, but in all but one of the rest of his matches this season he’s won by bonus points. He’s not doing it in a Big Ten schedule, but it’s hard to argue that those numbers aren’t impressive. He’s something to watch. 5. The BOK Center This sounds a little different for a list like this but a lot of folks that will be coming in for the NCAAs next week have yet to experience this venue. You may not be physically there, but this will be a bit of an angle to know what to expect as you travel in for the tournament next week.

Top-seeded 149 lber Kyle Parco (photo courtesy of Sam Janicki; SJanickiPhoto.com) 2023 Pac-12 Conference Preview 19 total allocations/23 in 2022 When: Sunday Where:Palo Alto, California (Stanford University) How to Watch: Pac-12.com/Pac-12 Network On a busy weekend, out on the west coast, the Pac-12 Championships will take place on the campus of Stanford University. At the beginning of the season, this conference looked like it would be won by Arizona State, running away. That may still happen, but the Sun Devils have come back to the pack. Injuries have decimated ASU and their dual record suffered. Arizona State, as currently constructed, should function well in a large tournament format. With a small tournament like the Pac-12, anything can happen. We saw that last season as the Sun Devils edged Oregon State by a half-point for their third straight title. Once again, Oregon State should be a key player in the team race. The Beavers are battle-tested and formidable. They will start the tournament with four number-one seeds and have a well-balanced lineup. Between the Beavers performance at the Pac-12 tournament last year and their three All-Americans two weeks later, they have proven that Chris Pendleton and staff can get the most out of their wrestlers at the right time. Speaking of balance, Cal Poly had a perfect Pac-12 dual season and comes in with a very solid set of starters. Will that regular season success translate to tournaments? The final contender is the host Stanford. Rob Koll’s team features two past All-Americans and a squad that also fares better in a large tournament setting. The way the different conference tournaments have been structured, you should be able to watch the Pac-12 finals (along with the Big 12) at the end of Sunday evening, after a long weekend of action. Below is our weight-by-weight preview of the action, along with predictions for top-four finishers at all ten weights and a team race projection. Wrestlers bolded are the ones we have pegged to receive automatic qualifying bids at their respective weight classes. 125 lbs (3 allocations) Right off the bat, we start with one of the conference’s toughest weights. A pair of All-Americans lead the way, while a freshman isn’t far behind them. Arizona State’s Brandon Courtney is in search of his fourth Pac-12 crown. In each of the last two seasons, he’s also gone on to earn All-American honors, with a high-water mark being a 2021 NCAA finals appearance. Courtney hasn’t lost to a conference opponent since the Oregon State’s Ronnie Bresser during 2018-19 regular season. It’ll be another OSU wrestler that tries to bring that winning streak to a screeching halt as All-American Brandon Kaylor represents his primary competition. In addition, Kaylor will try to stop his own streak. He’s 0-4 officially in his career against the Sun Devil star, but had also lost to Courtney during his redshirt season. Before another round in the Courtney/Kaylor saga, the Beaver All-American will need to get by Stanford freshman Nico Provo. Over the weekend, the two met for the first time and Provo gave Kaylor all he could handle in a 3-2. A week later, could he flip the script? Provo’s best performance this year came when he took third at the Southern Scuffle and defeated a pair of ranked opponents. For the full article, Subscribe to InterMat's Rokfin Page

Top-seeded 157 lber Peyton Robb (photo courtesy of Sam Janicki; SJanickiPhoto.com) 2023 Big Ten Conference Preview 88 total allocations/88 in 2022 When: Saturday/Sunday Where: Ann Arbor, Michigan (University of Michigan) How to Watch: Big Ten Network and B1G+ It's time to look at the toughest conference tournament of them all, the Big Ten. Some refer to this event as a "mini-national tournament" and with good reason. With 88 automatic qualifying slots available, almost 30% of the NCAA Tournament is comprised of Big Ten wrestlers. After at-large berths, that figure probably rises above that 30% threshold. Despite winning nine of the last 11 NCAA titles, Penn State is seeking its first Big Ten championship since 2019. Four of the ten top seeds at the 2023 Big Ten Championship hail from Penn State. Just going by seeds, the Nittany Lions are a significant favorite this weekend. Of course, that won't discourage rival Iowa from attempting to spoil a Penn State party. The Hawkeyes have a strong starting ten that features two number-one seeds, including two-time Hodge Trophy winner Spencer Lee. Fast on the Hawks' heels are their neighbors to the west, Nebraska. The Cornhuskers have four wrestlers seeded in the top-two and seem built for big tournament action. In addition to the team race, there are plenty of individuals looking to achieve significant milestones. Our Big Ten correspondent Lauren Muthler did an excellent job at outlining those types of situations to watch this weekend. For those that have never attended the Big Ten's, it's a bucket list tournament for wrestling die-hards. Seven of the top #1 ranked wrestlers in the country will take the mat. There will likely be previews of many NCAA semifinals and likely even a few finals in Ann Arbor. There's the possibility of a 2022 NCAA finals rematch…in the 197 lb semis. Basically, most of the tournament is like Friday at the NCAA Tournament. The rest of the country and the other six conference tournaments deserve your attention, but don't miss anything from the Big Ten. Charge your extra devices and set up your extra screens! Below is our weight-by-weight preview of the action, along with predictions for top-four finishers at all ten weights and a team race projection. Wrestlers bolded are the ones we have pegged to receive automatic qualifying bids at their respective weight classes. 125 lbs (9 allocations) Preseeds 1. Spencer Lee (IOWA) 2. Liam Cronin (NEB) 3. Matt Ramos (PUR) 4. Eric Barnett (WIS) 5. Patrick McKee (MINN) 6. Michael DeAugustino (NU) 7. Malik Heinselman (OSU) Editor’s Note: Malik Heinselman has been scratched from the tournament. Andre Gonzales will replace him. 8. Braxton Brown (MD) 9. Dean Peterson (RU) 10. Jack Medley (MICH) 11. Gary Steen (PSU) 12. Tristan Lujan (MSU) 13. Jacob Moran (IND) 14. Maximo Renteria (ILL) First Round Match to Watch: #8 Braxton Brown (Maryland) vs. #9 Dean Peterson Projected Semifinals: #1 Spencer Lee (Iowa) vs. #4 Eric Barnett; #2 Liam Cronin (Nebraska) vs. #3 Matt Ramos (Purdue) Before aiming for his fourth NCAA title, Spencer Lee is seeking his third Big Ten Championship. Lee has rolled through the competition this season with eight falls in 14 matches and bonus points in all but one of those contests. There's a chance he'll get to meet the only wrestler who has kept him to a regular decision (Patrick McKee) in the semifinals. After Lee, this weight class had been rather chaotic this season. Despite the presence of three All-Americans (Eric Barnett/McKee/Michael DeAugustino), Liam Cronin and Matt Ramos have emerged as the next tier of challengers. Cronin has decisively beaten all three of the returning AA's, while Ramos has beaten Barnett and McKee. A Cronin/Ramos match should be one of the most anticipated of the tournament, as neither has faced the other this season. Ramos famously got up big on Lee before getting pinned, so you'd have to assume he's itching for a rematch. For the full article, Subscribe to InterMat's Rokfin Page

Two-time Big Ten champion Roman Bravo-Young (photo courtesy of Sam Janicki; SJanickiPhoto.com) The postseason is always full of excitement but can be even more exciting for wrestlers checking off various milestones this weekend. Two will be vying for their third conference titles - five more for their second - and many other wrestlers looking to become three-, four- or even five-time podium finishers and NCAA qualifiers. A few others could even earn their 100th wins this weekend. Here's a breakdown: Wrestlers going for their third B1G championships Spencer Lee, Iowa Roman Bravo-Young, Penn State Wrestlers going for their second B1G championships Austin Gomez, Wisconsin Sammy Sasso, Ohio State Carter Starocci, Penn State Aaron Brooks, Penn State Max Dean, Penn State Wrestlers undefeated going into Big Tens Mason Parris, Michigan (25-0) Mikey Labriola, Nebraska (24-0) Peyton Robb, Nebraska (23-0) Carter Starocci, Penn State (16-0) Spencer Lee, Iowa (14-0) Roman Bravo-Young, Penn State (13-0) Real Woods, Iowa (13-0) Mikey Carr, Illinois (4-0) 100 wins watch Max Dean 98 RBY 94 Malik Heinselman 94 Ethan Smith 93 Spencer Lee 92 Trent Hillger 91 Jacob Warner 89 Sammy Sasso 88 Tate Orndorff 85 Wrestlers looking for their for their 5th BIG podium finish RBY, Labriola, Smith, Warner, Parris Wrestlers looking for their for their 4th BIG podium finish S. Lee, Foley, DeAugustino, Heinelman, Filius, Murin, Sasso, Coleman, Robb, Lewan, Smith, Romero, Brooks, Caffey, Cassioppi, Hillger, L. Davison Wrestlers looking for their for their 3rd BIG podium finish B. Lee, Ragusin, McKee, Cannon, Byrd, Blokhus, Saldate, Model, Amine, Starocci, Romero, Malcewski, Assad, A. Davison, Kerkvliet, Orndorff Wrestlers looking for their for their 2nd BIG podium finish Barnett, Cronin, Burwick, Ramos, Medley, Bergeland, D'Emilio Tal Shahar, M. Carr, Gomez, Bartlett, Rooks, Thomas, Model, Saldate, Kharchla, Wilson, Fish, D. Braunegal, Fisher, Washington, Z. Braunagel, Hoffman, Janzer Wrestlers looking to become 4-time finalists S. Lee, RBY, Sasso, Brooks Wrestlers looking to become 3-time finalists Starocci, Parris Wrestlers looking to become 2-time finalists Barnett, Gomez, Lewan, Coleman, Amine, Smith, Dean, Cassioppi Wrestlers looking to become 5-time NCAA qualifiers S. Lee (18, 19, 20, 21), Heinselman (19, 20, 21, 22), RBY (19, 20, 21, 22), Foley (18, 19, 21, 22), Murin (19, 20, 21, 22), E. Smith (19, 20, 21, 22), Labriola (19, 20, 21, 22), Warner (19, 20, 21, 22), Caffey (19, 2, 21, 22), Parris (19, 20, 21, 22), Orndorff (19, 20, 21, 22), Hillger (19, 20, 21, 22) Wrestlers looking to become 4-time NCAA qualifiers DeAugustino (2020, 21, 22), Filius (20, 21, 22), Sasso (20, 21, 22), Blockhus (20, 21, 22), Lewan (20, 21, 22), Robb (2020, 2021, 2022), Coleman (20, 21, 22), Brooks (20, 21, 22), Z. Braunagel (20, 21, 22), Romero (20, 21, 22), Malczewski (20, 21, 22), Dean (18, 19, 22), Cassioppi (20, 21, 22), L. Davison (20, 21, 22) Wrestlers looking to become 3-time NCAA qualifiers Barnett (2022, 2021), Byrd (22, 21), Cannon (22, 21), Burwick (21, 22), D'Emilio (21, 22), Ragusin (21, 22), M. Carr (18, 19), Gomez (19, 22), Thomas (22, 21), G. Rooks (20, 21), B. Lee (20, 21), Amine (20, 22), D. Braunagel (20, 21), Starocci (21, 22), Washington (21, 22), Assad (20, 22), Janzer (20, 21), Kerkvliet (21, 22) Wrestlers looking to become 2-time NCAA qualifiers Cronin (21), Ramos (22), Bergeland (22), Tal Shahar (22), Bartlett (22), Model (22), Saldate (22), Kharchla (22), B. Wilson (22), C. Fish (22), T. Fisher (22), Brands (21), Salazar (22), Hoffman (22)

Top-seeded 285 lber Taye Ghadiali (photo courtesy of Sam Janicki; SJanickiPhoto.com) 2023 SoCon Conference Preview 12 total allocations/25 in 2022 When: Saturday Where: Boone, North Carolina (Appalachian State University) How to Watch: ESPN+ Over the past decade, one of the most competitive conference tournaments, from a team standpoint, has been the SoCon. Five times in the last ten years the top-two squads in the team race have finished within six points of each other. The 2022 edition of the SoCon Championships was one of those occasions as Campbell edged Appalachian State (100.5 to 95) to claim their fourth consecutive SoCon title. Can the Camels make it five? As has been the case in each of those four previous tournaments, the Mountaineers have an imposing team and are capable of winning it all. Appalachian State posted a perfect dual record this year with a 22-14 win over Campbell accounting for the only time that a SoCon team posted double-digits in team points against them. Campbell is battle-tested with their tough dual schedule and a history of recent success at this tournament. Also in the mix is Chattanooga. Though it doesn't appear that the Mocs have the firepower to unseat either of the top-two teams, they are a talented group that looks secure in third place. In addition to watching out for an exciting team race, there are some excellent individuals to watch. Jonathan Millner will be wrestling in his final conference tournament and has the opportunity to go down as one of the best wrestlers in SoCon history. The SoCon was hurt on conference allocation release day, as they were only earmarked for 12 total allocations, across ten weights. That's something that should rise as the young teams in the league improve. But for Saturday, it should make for intense competition as NCAA qualifying slots will be highly-coveted and rare. Below is our weight-by-weight preview of the action, along with predictions for top-four finishers at all ten weights and a team race projection. Wrestlers bolded are the ones we have pegged to receive automatic qualifying bids at their respective weight classes. 125 lbs (1 allocation) It surprised me slightly when allocations were released and the SoCon only received one slot at 125 lbs. The favorite will be #14 Caleb Smith (Appalachian State), a 2022 NCAA qualifier, who has had an excellent season. Smith hasn't tasted defeat since he finished fifth at the Southern Scuffle. Last year, Smith needed an at-large berth to get to Detroit. He's hoping that isn't the case this time. Of course, Campbell's #25 Anthony Molton would like to disrupt the plans this year. Molton's regular season was highlighted by a dual win over former high school teammate and #4 Matt Ramos (Purdue). But, Molton won't get the second seed as he was beaten by Dominic Chavez (Presbyterian) in late-January. Chavez had a handful of losses at the beginning of the year which prevented him from earning an allocation for the SoCon. For the full article, Subscribe to InterMat's Rokfin Page

Top-seeded 285 lber Colton McKiernan (photo courtesy of Sam Janicki; SJanickiPhoto.com) 2023 MAC Conference Preview 23 total allocations/22 in 2022 When: Friday/Saturday Where: Fairfax, Virginia (George Mason University) How to Watch: Will Update Later The DI postseason gets kicked off on Friday as the MAC Championships start day one of their two-day competition. 13 schools will be fighting for 23 automatic berths to the 2023 NCAA Championship. That number has increased by one from 2022, so it represents a small measure of progress for the MAC. The favorites will be the 2022 champion Lock Haven Bald Eagles. Scott Moore’s team will come into the conference meet with four nationally ranked wrestlers and a couple others on the cusp of the top-33. After a down showing in 2022 (8th) Rider is back and looking to significantly improve on that placement. The Broncs boast the highest-ranked wrestler in the conference (Ethan Laird - 6th at 197) among their three ranked wrestlers. Never count out Tom Borrelli and Central Michigan. The Chippewas had a difficult schedule at the beginning of the year, but seemed to wrestle better as the postseason grew closer. Other schools that haven’t necessarily been regulars at the top of the conference standings, but will play an integral role this week are Cleveland State and SIU Edwardsville. The Vikings have a very balanced team, while SIUE has impressive individual firepower. Below is our weight-by-weight preview of the action, along with predictions for top-four finishers at all ten weights and a team race projection. Wrestlers bolded are the ones we have pegged to receive automatic qualifying bids at their respective weight classes. 125 lbs (2 allocations) One of the top wrestlers in the entire conference resides at the 125 lb weight class in Anthony Noto (Lock Haven). He’ll come to Fairfax riding a 14-match winning streak and in search of his second consecutive MAC crown. In two years of competition, Noto has been undefeated against conference foes and there’s little reason to think that streak will be in danger this weekend. For the full article, Subscribe to InterMat's Rokfin Page

The 2022 Big Ten champion Michigan Wolverines (photo courtesy of Sam Janicki; SJanickiPhoto.com) ROSEMONT, Ill. - The Big Ten Conference announced the preliminary seeds for the 2023 Big Ten Wrestling Championships, which are set for March 4-5 at Michigan. Six schools boast at least one top-seeded wrestler, with Penn State leading the way with four No. 1 seeds. The pre-seeds, as voted on by the conference’s coaches, rank 14 starters in all 10 weight classes. The Nittany Lions boast four top-seeded wrestlers, with 133-pounder Roman Bravo-Young, 174-pounder Carter Starocci, 184-pounder Aaron Brooks and 197-pouder Max Dean. Iowa’s Spencer Lee (125) and Real Woods (141), Michigan’s Mason Parris (285), Nebraska’s Peyton Robb (157), Ohio State’s Sammy Sasso (149) and Wisconsin’s Dean Hamiti (165) round out the group of top-ranked grapplers. This year’s field contains a combined 12 Big Ten individual championships (seven wrestlers) and 10 NCAA individual championships (five wrestlers). For more information on the 2023 Big Ten Wrestling Championships, visit the Big Ten Championships Central page here. The complete list of Big Ten Championships pre-seeds can be found below. 125 lbs. 1. Spencer Lee (IOWA) 2. Liam Cronin (NEB) 3. Matt Ramos (PUR) 4. Eric Barnett (WIS) 5. Patrick McKee (MINN) 6. Michael DeAugustino (NU) 7. Malik Heinselman (OSU) 8. Braxton Brown (MD) 9. Dean Peterson (RU) 10. Jack Medley (MICH) 11. Gary Steen (PSU) 12. Tristan Lujan (MSU) 13. Jacob Moran (IND) 14. Maximo Renteria (ILL) 133 lbs. 1. Roman Bravo-Young (PSU) 2. Jesse Mendez (OSU) 3. Lucas Byrd (ILL) 4. Chris Cannon (NU) 5. Dylan Ragusin (MICH) 6. Aaron Nagao (MINN) 7. Joe Heilmann (RU) 8. Brody Teske (IOWA) 9. RayVon Foley (MSU) 10. Taylor LaMont (WIS) 11. Henry Porter (IND) 12. Kyle Burwick (NEB) 13. Dustin Norris (PUR) 14. Jackson Cockrell (MD) 141 lbs. 1. Real Woods (IOWA) 2. Beau Bartlett (PSU) 3. Brock Hardy (NEB) 4. Frankie Tal Shahar (NU) 5. Jakob Bergeland (MINN) 6. Danny Pucino (ILL) 7. Joseph Olivieri (RU) 8. Parker Filius (PUR) 9. Dylan D’Emilio (OSU) 10. Cole Mattin (MICH) 11. Joseph Zargo (WIS) 12. Jordan Hamdan (MSU) 13. Cayden Rooks (IND) 14. Kal Miller (MD) 149 lbs. 1. Sammy Sasso (OSU) 2. Austin Gomez (WIS) 3. Yahya Thomas (NU) 4. Max Murin (IOWA) 5. Shayne Van Ness (PSU) 6. Michael Blockhus (MINN) 7. Graham Rooks (IND) 8. Ethen Miller (MD) 9. Chance Lamer (MICH) 10. Tony White (RU) 11. Dayne Morton (NEB) 12. Jake Harrier (ILL) 13. Peyton Omania (MSU) 14. Jaden Reynolds (PUR) 157 lbs. 1. Peyton Robb (NEB) 2. Levi Haines (PSU) 3. Kendall Coleman (PUR) 4. Chase Saldate (MSU) 5. Cobe Siebrecht (IOWA) 6. Will Lewan (MICH) 7. Michael Carr (ILL) 8. Trevor Chumbley (NU) 9. Garrett Model (WIS) 10. Derek Gilcher (IND) 11. Brayton Lee (MINN) 12. Paddy Gallagher (OSU) 13. Andrew Clark (RU) 14. Michael North (MD) 165 lbs. 1. Dean Hamiti (WIS) 2. Cameron Amine (MICH) 3. Patrick Kennedy (IOWA) 4. Alex Facundo (PSU) 5. Carson Kharchla (OSU) 6. Caleb Fish (MSU) 7. Maxx Mayfield (NU) 8. Danny Braunagel (ILL) 9. Andrew Sparks 10. Bubba Wilson (NEB) 11. Nick South (IND) 12. Robert Kanniard (RU) 13. Stony Buell (PUR) 14. John Martin Best (MD) 174 lbs. 1. Carter Starocci (PSU) 2. Mikey Labriola (NEB) 3. Ethan Smith (OSU) 4. Bailee O’Reilly (MINN) 5. Edmond Ruth (ILL) 6. DJ Washington (IND) 7. Nelson Brands (IOWA) 8. Troy Fisher (NU) 9. Max Maylor (MICH) 10. Jackson Turley (RU) 11. Ceasar Garza (MSU) 12. Dominic Solis (MD) 13. Josh Otto (WIS) 14. Cooper Noehre (PUR) 184 lbs. 1. Aaron Brooks (PSU) 2. Kaleb Romero (OSU) 3. Isaiah Salazar (MINN) 4. Matt Finesilver (MICH) 5. Abe Assad (IOWA) 6. Layne Malczewski (MSU) 7. Lenny Pinto (NEB) 8. Brian Soldano (RU) 9. Dylan Connell (ILL) 10. Tyler Dow (WIS) 11. Evan Bates (NU) 12. Ben Vanadia (PUR) 13. Clayton Fielden (IND) 14. Kevin Makosy (MD) 197 lbs. 1.Max Dean (PSU) 2. Silas Allred (NEB) 3. Zac Braunagel (ILL) 4. Cameron Caffey (MSU) 5. Jacob Warner (IOWA) 6. Jaxon Smith (MD) 7. Gavin Hoffman (OSU) 8. Braxton Amos (WIS) 9. Michial Foy (MINN) 10. Nick Willham (IND) 11. Billy Janzer (RU) 12. Andrew Davison (NU) 13. Brendin Yatooma (MICH) 14. Hayden Filipovich (PUR) 285 lbs. 1. Mason Parris (MICH) 2. Greg Kerkvliet (PSU) 3. Tony Cassioppi (IOWA) 4. Lucas Davison (NU) 5. Trent Hillger (WIS) 6. Boone McDermott (RU) 7. Tate Orndoff (OSU) 8. Jacob Bullock (IND) 9. Jaron Smith (MD) 10. Hayden Copass (PUR) 11. Garrett Joles (MINN) 12. Ryan Vasbinder (MSU) 13. Matt Wroblewski (ILL) 14. Austin Emerson (NEB)

The University of Michigan's Crisler Center; Home of the 2023 Big Ten Championships (photo courtesy of Sam Janicki; SJanickiPhoto.com) Ann Arbor is a truly awesome place. I was lucky enough to spend the first 17 years of my life living there, and I have to say, I should have appreciated it more. I should have gone to more football games, explored downtown more, spent more time in Nichols Arboretum, and appreciated the restaurants more. I still have friends who live there, and my Mom still lives there, so I go back a couple times a year, but it's hard to fit everything I want to do into each trip. Now I don't expect you to be able to fit all of what I'm about to tell you into your trip to Ann Arbor for the Big Ten Wrestling Championships, but I will give you a guide so you can make the most of this trip. Now I don't claim to be the main authority on the city of Ann Arbor Michigan, so I collaborated with Myles and Malik Amine on some places they suggested as well, so you can have confidence that these were largely suggestions from two world-class athletes and myself. I hope to share with you some great places to check out in between sessions, and some fun things to do at night. Let's begin; Food: There are several places that will be listed below that offer food, but I have to start with the most important place to go. Zingerman's Deli is an absolute must! 422 Detroit Street, Ann Arbor, MI 48104. Zingerman's roadhouse is also good, but the Deli is the one you have to check out. Awesome and enormous sandwiches, with delicious breads, and awesome ingredients. Sherman's Sure Choice is the single greatest sandwich I've ever had, but check out their menu and be sure to plan this trip while you're in town. Another excellent place for dinner, or in-between session meals and drinks, is Knight's Steakhouse. This place has excellent food, and gigantic drinks. Knight's pours are different from your regular pours. You can swim in them. More importantly, though, the food is delicious. There are three locations of Knights in Ann Arbor, but the one I'm most familiar with is located at 2324 Dexter Avenue, although the one probably best for people attending this event will be downtown at 600 E Liberty Street. But yeah, if you're looking for delicious burgers, steaks, and sandwiches, this is a great place to go. Main Street has a diverse grouping of restaurants, bars, and shops. If you're looking for high-class dining, they've got that in places like Ruth's Chris Steakhouse, The Chop House, and Real Seafood Company. They even have Blue Llama Jazz Club if that's your thing. Main Street also has more casual establishments such as The Grotto, Bill's Beer Garden, and Old Town Tavern. You can even finish your night with some delicious diner food at Fleetwood just west of Main Street. Fleetwood is a great place to wind down at the end of the night, and has a super chill atmosphere. Connor O'Neills is a solid spot, located at 318 S Main Street in downtown Ann Arbor. It's your traditional Irish Pub offering reasonably priced food and drinks and a great atmosphere. Their website says they are "Michigan's favorite Irish pub, and who am I to argue with that? I expect this will be a busy spot Saturday night. Other places to venture while in the heart of Downtown include Frita Batidos (117 W Washington Street) which is Cuban-inspired street food and tropical cocktails! Super great food, and certainly going to offer different drink options and food options than 90% of the other places. Also a great atmosphere. Also located right near Main Street, the Jolly Pumpkin is a cool brewery with a variety of great beer options. They are located at 311 S Main Street. If craft beer isn't your thing, they also have a variety of cocktails they can make up as well. One last Main Street Staple to check out is Pretzel Bell. From 1934 to 1985 The Pretzel Bell was a local favorite of students and the general population. It had closed for many years, but then in 2016, a group of alumni decided to bring it back. It has an awesome location on Main Street, and you can't miss the giant sign and bell on the corner of Main and Liberty. The last place I intend to check out is called The Circ Bar. It used to be called The Circus, which was this awesome place with free popcorn, pool tables, and they did karaoke on Saturdays. Now it appears to be more high-end, but still looks cool, and they have karaoke on Saturday still, so best believe I'll be singing a song or two… or three or four. I'm for-sure signing Area Codes. They are just off of Main Street at 210 S 1st St, just two blocks west of Main Street. South University is where you should go if you're looking for good old-fashioned college bars. This was our main stomping grounds whenever I'd come to visit Ann Arbor because of the variety of options you have. The two most famous and long-lasting spots on this street are Good Time Charlies (1140 S University) and The Brown Jug (1204 S University). GTCs is a great college bar with good service, a large sprawling area with tables and booths, and a nicely positioned center bar. The Brown Jug, named after the trophy that Michigan and Minnesota share in their "rivalry" football game, is a similar vibe to GTCs, but a less wide-open layout. This is like a big long hallway of tables and booths, but equally good drinks and food options. I once did Karaoke at The Brown Jug while Denard Robinson watched in awe. Some say it was the highlight of his Michigan experience. As for coffee options in the area, M36 Coffee Roasters is another Myles Amine-recommended spot. This is located at 1101 S University. We'll cover South University rather extensively as you keep reading. M36 is also located right near the Diag, which is a great spot to walk with your coffee and get a great view of what Ann Arbor has to offer. A great restaurant in this area also is Pizza House. They have over 500 seats, which means that they typically have a very short wait. Also, they have delicious food, and not just pizza, so if you'd like sandwiches, salads, etc… It's an option. Our mainstay back in the day was the Blue Leprechaun. Formerly called Touchdowns, this place went through a name change and overhaul in 2008. This was greatly needed. Touchdowns was the home of Monday night beer pong tournaments, where former Michigan Wrestler Nick Velissaris and his partner Jason Coben honed their skills on their way to winning the very first World Series of Beer Pong in Las Vegas. Their team name was Team France and they beat a team by the name of Slippery Fetus in the finals. Most people don't know that, but I do, and that's why I'm sharing this with you. The point being, The Blue Lep (as it's affectionately known) is awesome. It has two stories of a fun college bar, and all the people and shenanigans that go along with it. I highly recommend spending at least a good portion of one night on South University. Near the Crisler Center; I will be at Fraser's Pub as often as possible. This is not as high-end as Knights, in fact far from it, but I love this place. Great bar, reasonable drink prices, solid bar food, and a fun cast of characters who will certainly not disappoint. Located at 2045 Packard Road. I hope to see you there. The Drip House is located at 1336 S. Main Street, which is just West of the Crisler Center. This is clearly the closest recommended coffee location to the venue hosting the event, but in addition to that, it also comes recommended by Myles Amine. Their goal is simply to make your day brighter, which seems like an easy goal to accomplish if your goal is to get good coffee. I have not been, but I have it on good authority that it's a solid spot. Roos Roast is a great spot. This place is just down South Industrial road at 1155 Rosewood St B, Ann Arbor, MI 48104, so if you're coming to the Crisler Center from the South East, this will be on the way. My Mom still lives in Ann Arbor, and not far from Roos Roast. This coffee is so good that I don't even bother breaking out the coffee pot when I come to visit. I just cruise over to RR for a delicious cup. This place also has the Amine seal of approval as well, which should be good enough for us all. Check them out. Sightseeing gems; Thankfully the first main one is right next to The Crisler Center. That being The Big House! It's not every day you get to take a look at a football stadium that holds 117,000+ people, so while in town it's certainly a must-see. I don't know if it'll be open, but as someone who while in high school got in there pretty freely, I trust there will be some level of access. Another great spot is Nichols Arboretum. Located at 1610 Washington Heights, this is an absolutely beautiful place to walk and enjoy nature. If there's decent weather, this is a must-see. Students flock to the Arb for a variety of outdoor activities beyond assigned studies, such as jogging, picnicking, and sunbathing. In fact, I have seen several Instagram shots of the Michigan wrestlers jogging through the Arb, which seems like a damn beautiful place to get a workout. Another awesome thing to check out is Graffiti Alley. This is exactly what it sounds like. An alley decorated over the years with awesome graffiti. The beautiful kind. Not the kind that's just on the side of a train as you wait to cross the tracks. If you're spending time on Main Street, you can head east on Liberty for about three or four blocks and it'll be on the North side of the road between Division and State street. It's near Hop Cat, which is another great restaurant with a tremendous selection of beers, so you can pack those two things together if you'd like. Well, that's it for now, but feel free to shoot me a DM through Twitter (@Claunchinator) and I'll be happy to share some other cool destinations and activities that may be specifically nearby your hotel or wherever you're staying. Rock On, and see you in Ann Arbor!

4x Oklahoma state champion Cael Hughes; an Oklahoma State signee (photo courtesy of Sam Janicki; SJanickiPhoto.com) Last weekend, high school state tournament season really went into full swing. This weekend it was even better as states like Missouri, Oklahoma, and California held their much-anticipated season-ending tournaments. As these tournaments conclude, it begs the question, "how did my favorite team's recruits fare?" In some smaller states, it's almost a given that your college-bound studs are collecting another state title, while in the power states, with the deepest talent pools, such achievements are not guaranteed. Either way, we've combed through results from all of the state tournaments that have taken place thus far to find out how everyone's recruits have finished. We will update this article each week as more results become official. If you do not see a recruit that should be added, please fill out our commitment form or email me at earl@matscouts.com . Air Force EJ Beloncik (Heritage Hall) - Oklahoma 4A State Runner-Up: 165 lbs Josh Cordio (Wyoming Seminary) - National Prep 3rd Place: 215 lbs Jackson Dewald (Westwood) - Iowa 1A State Champ: 195 lbs Talon McCollom (Edmond North) - Oklahoma 6A State Champ: 175 lbs - - Class of 2024 Trason Oehme (Brandon Valley) - South Dakota A State Champ: 145 lbs American Caleb Beaty (Corinth-Holders) - North Carolina 4A State Champ: 220 lbs JJ Peace (Cane Bay) - South Carolina 5A State Champ: 120 lbs - - Class of 2024 Appalachian State Tomas Brooker (Hickory Ridge) - North Carolina 4A State Champ: 195 lbs Jayden Dobeck (Pinecrest) - North Carolina 4A State Runner-Up: 160 lbs Logan Eller (Trion) - Georgia 1A State Champ: 190 lbs Aldo Hernandez (Uwharrie Charter) - North Carolina 1A State Champ: 138 lbs Jeremiah Price (Surry Central) - North Carolina 2A State Champ: 152 lbs Bryson Terrell (Bradley Central) - Tennessee AA State Champ: 120 lbs Arizona State For the full article, Subscribe to InterMat's Rokfin Page

Central Oklahoma's 2022 197 lb national champion Dalton Abney (photo courtesy of Sam Janicki; SJanickiPhoto.com) DII Super Regional IV Final Team Scores 1. Central Oklahoma 169.5 2. Indianapolis 131 3. Maryville 104 4. McKendree 78.5 5. Drury 78 6. Central Missouri 58.5 7. Newman 52.5 8. Ouachita Baptist 37 9. Quincy 31.5 10. Kentucky Wesleyan 19.5 11. William Jewell 14 Championship Finals 125 - Studd Morris (Central Oklahoma) dec Christian Mejia (McKendree) 3-1 133 - Dylan Lucas (Central Oklahoma) maj Tommy Frezza (Central Missouri) 8-0 141 - Nate Keim (Central Oklahoma) dec Peter Kuster (Drury) 3-2 149 - Phillip Sims (Quincy) dec Darick Lapaglia (Central Missouri) 4-3 157 - Gabe Johnson (Central Oklahoma) dec Jace Fisher (Newman) 6-0 165 - Jack Eiteljorge (Indianapolis) dec Ty Lucas (Central Oklahoma) 3-1 174 - Anthony DesVigne (Central Oklahoma) dec Zeke Waltz (McKendree) 8-1 184 - Josh Jones (McKendree) dec Alex Kaufmann (Central Oklahoma) 3-2 197 - Dalton Abney (Central Oklahoma) dec Derek Blubaugh (Indianapolis) 2-0 285 - Shawn Streck (Central Oklahoma) dec Johnny Green (Ouachita Baptist) 2-1 Third Place Matches 125 - Caden Howard (Drury) dec Dylan Sheler (Newman) 6-3 133 - Breyden Bailey (Indianapolis) dec JP Homfeld (Maryville) 4-2 141 - Ray Rioux (Indianapolis) tech Martrece Smith (Quincy) 15-0 149 - Brik Filippo (Central Oklahoma) tech Jackson Hoover (Indianapolis) 15-0 157 - Logan Bailey (Indianapolis) dec Donavan Whitted (Maryville) 13-7 165 - Will Kuster (Drury) dec Nolan Saale (Central Missouri) 4-0 174 - Owen Butler (Indianapolis) dec Ethan Smith (Drury) 2-1 184 - Joey Williams (Maryville) fall John Gholson (William Jewell) 5:51 197 - Logan Kvien (McKendree) dec Chase Stegall (Maryville) 3-2 285 - Cale Gray (Indianapolis) fall Thomas Massengale (Drury) 4:30 Fifth Place Matches 125 - Aidan Sprague (Indianapolis) fall Aidan Haggard (Marysville) 1:26 133 - Ryan Ripplinger (McKendree) maj Jevin Foust (Newman) 13-4 141 - Gabe Adams (Kentucky Wesleyan) MedFFT Taylor Jokerst (Maryville) 149 - Tyler Stegall (Maryville) fall Hunter Dietrich (Newman) 5:21 157 - Jaylon Otero (Ouachita Baptist) dec Cade Johnson (Kentucky Wesleyan) 3-2 165 - Cole Ritter (Maryville) MedFFT Matt Ortiz (McKendree) 174 - JD Johnson (Newman) dec Bret Heil (Maryville) 4-2 184 - Zachary Hazen (Central Missouri) dec Aidan Peterson (Indianapolis) 4-2SV 197 - Brooks Schrimsher (Ouachita Baptist) tech BK Seago (Drury) 17-0 285 - Trent Strong (Central Missouri) MedFFT Ryan Herman (Maryville) NCAA Qualifiers by Team Central Missouri: Tommy Frezza (133), Darick Lapaglia (149) Central Oklahoma: Studd Morris (125), Dylan Lucas (133), Nate Keim (141), Brik Filippo (149), Gabe Johnson (157), Ty Lucas (165), Anthony DesVigne (174), Alex Kaufmann (184), Dalton Abney (197), Shawn Streck (285) Drury: Caden Howard (125), Peter Kuster (141), Will Kuster (165) Indianapolis: Breyden Bailey (133), Ray Rioux (141), Logan Bailey (157), Jack Eiteljorge (165), Owen Butler (174), Derek Blubaugh (197), Cale Gray (285) Maryville: Joey Williams (184) McKendree: Christian Mejia (125), Zeke Waltz (174), Josh Jones (184), Logan Kvien (197) Newman: Jace Fisher (157) Ouachita Baptist: Johnny Green (285) Quincy: Phillip Sims (149)

Adams State's 2022 NCAA champion Josiah Rider (photo courtesy of Sam Janicki; SJanickiPhoto.com) DII Super Regional V Final Team Scores 1. Adams State 114 2. Nebraska-Kearney 110.5 3. Colorado Mesa 101 4. Western Colorado 91 5. Colorado School of Mines 90.5 6. Chadron State 72 7. Fort Hays State 57 8. CSU Pueblo 37.5 9. New Mexico Highlands 37 10. San Francisco State 33 11. Simon Fraser 21.5 Championship Finals 125 - Brendon Garcia (Adams State) dec Patrick Allis (Western Colorado) 3-1 133 - Quentrevion Campbell (Chadron State) dec Collin Metzger (Colorado Mesa) 5-3SV 141 - Dean Noble (Western Colorado) dec Grayston DiBlasi (Colorado School of Mines) 4-2 149 - Josiah Rider (Adams State) dec Jason Hanenberg (Western Colorado) 4-0 157 - Noah Hermosillo (Adams State) dec Ryan Wheeler (Colorado Mesa) 11-5 165 - Aaden Valdez (Adams State) fall Hunter Mullin (Western Colorado) 4:28 174 - Austin Eldredge (Nebraska-Kearney) dec Cade Lindsey (Fort Hays State) 5-4 184 - Billy Higgins (Nebraska-Kearney) dec Keegan Gehlhausen (Chadron State) 19-2 197 - Tereus Henry (Fort Hays State) dec Anderson Salisbury (Colorado School of Mines) 8-1 285 - Lee Herrington (Nebraska-Kearney) dec Mason Watt (Chadron State) 3-2 Third Place Matches 125 - Dawson Collins (Colorado Mesa) dec Quade Smith (Chadron State) 4-1 133 - Weston DiBlasi (Colorado School of Mines) fall Joseph Airola (Nebraska-Kearney) 5:43 141 - Nick James (Nebraska-Kearney) tech Michael Atencio (CSU Pueblo) 19-4 149 - John Burger (Nebraska-Kearney) dec Joshua Fuentes Norikiyo (San Francisco State) 9-3 157 - Carter Noehre (Colorado School of Mines) dec Ryan Wilson (Western Colorado) 6-2 165 - Kaden Hart (Nebraska-Kearney) dec Jackson Damenti (Colorado School of Mines) 8-3 174 - Cole Hernandez (Western Colorado) dec Ryan Rochford (Adams State) 9-4 184 - Hunter Tobiasson (Adams State) dec Jason Bynarowicz (Colorado Mesa) 4:26 197 - Kash Anderson (Colorado Mesa) dec Ben Tonnessen (Adams State) 8-5 285 - Taniela Feliciano-Takafua (Simon Fraser) dec Tony Caldwell (Fort Hays State) 9-5 Fifth Place Matches 125 - Rhys Sellers (New Mexico Highlands) MedFFT Zach Wright (San Francisco State) 133 - Andres Jiron (New Mexico Highlands) fall Tony Margiotta (San Francisco State) 2:04 141 - Ethan Leake (Chadron State) dec Alex Castaneda (Colorado Mesa) 8-1 149 - Danial Magana (Colorado Mesa) tech Deklyn Miller (New Mexico Highlands) 16-0 157 - Cyruss Meeks (CSU Pueblo) dec Cody Hicks (Fort Hays State) 9-3 165 - Augustus Dalton (Colorado Mesa) fall Elijah Valdez (CSU-Pueblo) 1:57 174 - Levi Farris (Colorado School of Mines) fall Peter McCrackin (Simons Fraser) :56 184 - Ryan Cody (Colorado School of Mines) dec Bryce Westmoreland (Fort Hays State) 9-4 197 - Zachary Ferris (New Mexico Highlands) maj Laith Gilmore (San Francisco State) 11-3 285 - Ben Gould (CSU Pueblo) dec Zach Schraeder (Western Colorado) 4-2 NCAA Qualifiers by Team Adams State: Brendon Garcia (125), Josiah Rider (149), Noah Hermosillo (157), Aaden Valdez (165), Hunter Tobiasson (184) Chadron State: Quentrevion Campbell (133), Keegan Gehlhausen (184), Mason Watt (285) Colorado Mesa: Dawson Collins (125), Collin Metzger (133), Ryan Wheeler (157), Kash Anderson (197) Colorado School of Mines: Weston DiBlasi (133), Grayston DiBlasi (141), Carter Noehre (157), Anderson Salisbury (197) Fort Hays State: Cade Lindsey (174), Tereus Henry (197) Nebraska-Kearney: Nick James (141), John Burger (149), Kaden Hart (165), Austin Eldredge(174), Billy Higgins (184), Lee Herrington (285) Simon Fraser: Taniela Feliciano-Takafua (285) Western Colorado: Patrick Allis (125), Dean Noble (141), Jason Hanenberg (149), Hunter Mullin (165), Austin Eldridge (174)