InterMat Staff

Glenbard West

by Morgan Kopitsky; Alyvia White photo courtesy of HawkeyeSports.com/Jerod Ringwald Week 1- Oct. 30-Nov. 5 Top 4 Takeaways 1. Iowa shows up big on their opening weekend The Iowa Women’s Wrestling team competed in their first dual as a team on Saturday against #7 East Stroudsburg. The Warriors have proven to be a tough team, finishing eighth at NCWWC’s last year and returning three All-Americans. However, the team was no match for the quick and dynamic offense of the entire Hawkeyes lineup. Iowa won all 10 matches by tech fall or pin, capping it off with a 17 second pin from freshman Alivia White. Across the board, the Hawkeyes looked dominant as they secured the 43-1 win. The following day, the Hawkeyes sent 17 wrestlers to the Princeton Open and finished with 10 wrestlers in the top-three. Of that 10, they sent eight into the finals and walked away with six champs. Keep in mind that at 101 lbs both finalists were Iowa wrestlers, with Emilie Gonzalez beating teammate Sterling Dias 7-0. Most of the wrestlers in the lineup against ESU were the same wrestlers who placed in the top 3, so we may be able to piece together with more certainty the probable starting lineup for Iowa in a dual setting. However, it is clear that they have a significant amount of depth as well. I would not be surprised to see an early shift in team ranking for the Hawkeyes as they continue to face conference competition. 2. Sacred Heart makes their mark at ESU Open Of the 21 teams competing at the 4th annual East Stroudsburg open this weekend, Sacred Heart walked away “victorious” with 17 top-6 finishers. The Pioneers had two champs in #5 Madison Sandquist at 155 and Love Daley at 170 lbs in her college debut. Sacred Heart who was ranked #5 in the NWCA preseason coaches poll beat #2 King University, #6 Gannon and #7 East Stroudsburg in total number of top finishers. While this tournament was missing some of the NCAA’s top ranked teams like #1 North Central, #3 McKendree and #4 Colorado Mesa, the strong showing against the tough competition that was present is a positive indicator for what Sacred Heart may be capable of later on this season. 3. Menlo Open showing some interesting results amongst 3 top-ranked teams At the Menlo Open on Sunday, #1 ranked Menlo held on to the highest total team score, but #2 Life and #6 Southern Oregon certainly made things interesting. Menlo capped off the day with two 1st place finishers, freshman Kalila Shrive at 170 lbs and #1 ranked Tavia Heidelberg-Tillotson at 191 lbs. In her first collegiate tournament, Shrive took on a few unranked wrestlers before meeting up with #4 Lily El-Masri in the finals. A last-second 4-point takedown secured the upset win for the freshman. She will be one to keep an eye on this season. Heidelberg-Tillotson pinned the #8 and #3 wrestlers in a pretty stacked weight at this tournament. It is certainly possible she could see these wrestlers again in March, so it is reassuring to get such dominant early season wins. While Southern Oregon finished more than 20 team points behind Menlo, they did send an impressive six wrestlers to the finals with three walking away with championship finishes. #3 Caitlyn Davis, in her debut for SOU, faced #1 ranked Latifah McBryde from Life in the finals and won in a 3-1 decision for the upset. Davis previously wrestled for Central Methodist, and represents some of the impressive transfers SOU was able to bring in to build out some of their roster. The win over 5x All American McBryde is an impressive showing and will certainly have her on the radar of other wrestlers at 155 lbs. Another interesting championship result came from one of SOU’s most dominant wrestlers, Carolina Moreno. Moreno is a two-time defending NAIA champion at 123 lbs, however at this tournament she wrestled up at 130 lbs. She defeated the #5 and #10 ranked wrestlers at the weight. She is still listed on the roster at 123 lbs, so I don’t necessarily see this as a permanent weight class change for her this season, but it is something to keep in mind. Finally, #5 Emma Baertlin at 109 lbs faced some tough ranked opponents in #7 and #11, but the Raider came out on top to claim the team’s 3rd title of the day. Rounding out the top 3 teams from the tournament is Life, finishing just a half point behind Southern Oregon. In her college debut, Ariana Martinez won the top spot at 116 lbs. While Martinez did not face any ranked wrestlers on her path to the finals, she showed dominance over her competition with three pins and a tech for the day. As the season continues, I would not be surprised to see the freshman enter the rankings with her pinning ability, especially with just four of last year’s AAs returning to the weight this season. Two other Life Wrestlers made the finals but came up short of the first place finish. Also, at 143 lbs, Jamilah McBryde who wrestles for Life but is currently wrestling unattached for a portion of the season, walked away with the 1st place prize over returning All American Bella Amaro of Southern Oregon, who wrestled last season at 136 lbs. Because McBryde was unattached, Life did not receive any team points for her run in the tournament. There is a lot more discussion that could take place about the results of this tournament, interesting weight class changes for some wrestlers, and some interesting face offs we got to see as a result. Here is a link to the brackets if anyone would like to take a deeper dive into the results. 4. Welcome to new women’s wrestling fans Circling back to Iowa’s dominant opening weekend, the Hawkeyes are certainly shining a spotlight on the existing impressive athletes and competitions of women’s collegiate wrestling for a new audience. That may have a few fans caught up on some of the differences between collegiate men’s and women’s wrestling which has been apparent online. Here are a few things to keep in mind as you continue to follow women’s wrestling throughout the season. Women’s collegiate wrestling is freestyle instead of folkstyle, which has a myriad of different rules, as many fans know from watching collegiate and former collegiate wrestlers compete internationally. If you need a quick explainer on some of the rules and technique, why not watch this quick 3-minute video from none other than 2x Olympic medalist Helen Maroulis. Many people were curious why in the Iowa vs East Stroudsburg dual the final score was 43-1 even though Iowa won every match. This is because of classification points. If the losing opponent scores any points in a match they lose by decision or technical fall, the losing team receives a point for their team score. This was also seen in Colorado Mesa’s win over Snow College this weekend 43-2. For more clarification on this, please check out this great breakdown written by former wrestler/coach Gabrielle Lord-Klein. Results this week in major NCAA, NCWA, and NAIA competitions ESU Open - VIEW BRACKETS Princeton Open - VIEW BRACKETS Menlo Open - VIEW BRACKETS Falcon Invite Maverick Open - VIEW BRACKETS Tiffin University Open - VIEW BRACKETS Luther Hill Open - VIEW BRACKETS Women’s Trojan Open - VIEW BRACKETS Jim Fox - VIEW BRACKETS Mountaineer Open - VIEW BRACKETS Big Cat Classic #8 Iowa 43 #7 East Stroudsburg University 1 #4 Colorado Mesa 41 Chardron 3 #4 Colorado Mesa 42 Snow 2 Chadron 28 Snow 21 #24 Emory & Henry 25 Liberty University 19 Alvernia 28 Cedar Crest 21 #24 Emory & Henry 33 Liberty University 19 Texas Wesleyan 28 Schreiner University 19 #7 East Stroudsburg 35 Elmira College 12 Lourdes 31 John Carroll 13 Schreiner University 33 University of the Ozarks 14 Texas Wesleyan 35 University of the Ozarks 9 #19 Eastern Oregon 26 Evergreen State 12 #3 Grand View 44 Waldorf University 5 #10 Missouri Baptist 42 William Woods 6 Upcoming events for next week Please note that this is not a comprehensive list of all collegiate women’s competitions. Wednesday, Nov. 8: #9 Texas Wesleyan vs Wayland Baptist Thursday, Nov. 9: NAIA #10 Missouri Baptist vs NCAA #3 McKendree Friday, Nov. 10: Life Duals Saturday, Nov. 11: Eagle Madness, Waldorf Open, CU (Campbellsville) Open, Adrian College Duals Sunday, Nov. 12: Trailblazer Duals, Mike Clock Open, Adrian College Invitational

College Wrestling is back! We just experienced the first week of the 2023-24 season and what a week it was. The MAC was very busy with 12 of its 13 teams in action, many of which attended a variety of open tournaments. Below, we’ll highlight some team results and best performances from MAC wrestlers last week. Clarion Some of the weekend’s biggest fireworks took place at the Clarion Open, so let’s start with the hosts. A trio of Golden Eagles made the championship finals at their respective weights with Alejandro Herrera-Rondon (157 lbs), Cam Pine (184 lbs) and John Meyers (285 lbs). Pine’s biggest win came in the semifinals when he downed Class of 2022 blue-chip recruit James Rowley (Purdue), 5-2. The Seton Hill transfer, Meyers, didn’t miss a beat in his DI debut, knocking off #24 Dorian Crosby (Bucknell), a 2023 national qualifier, in the semifinals. Herrera-Rondon’s Clarion debut was a good one as he had bonus point wins in his first two contests, then downed Pittsburgh’s starter, Jared Keslar, in the semifinals. Another standout for Clarion was #19 John Worthing (Clarion), who took third at 174 lbs. Worthing notched three solid wins before falling to Ohio State stud freshman Rocco Welsh in the semis. Clarion will be on the road next weekend, traveling to MAC foe George Mason. While in Virginia, they’ll take on non-conference opponents, American and The Citadel. Buffalo The Bulls were the first DI team to hit the mat in the 2023-24 season hosting a quad on November 1st. Buffalo prevailed handily over its three non-DI opponents by a combined score of 168-26. They only dropped six of the 40 matches on the day. Buffalo also sent a contingent to the Clarion Open. Hunter Shaut (165) and Sam Mitchell (197) both advanced to the fifth-place match. Of his five wins, Shaut’s most impressive was a 4-1 victory over Pittsburgh’s Grant MacKay. Mitchell rebounded from a one-point loss to Lucas Daly by downing two of his Michigan State teammates. Next up for Buffalo is WrangleMania in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. The Bulls have duals with North Carolina and Long Island on the docket. Kent State The only placewinner for the Golden Flashes at the Clarion Open was 133 lber Pablo Castro who made the fifth-place bout. He and his opponent, Andre Gonzales, were unable to wrestle their fifth-place match as both hit the single-day match limit. Casto lost in the Round of 16 but reeled off four consecutive wins to earn a spot in the top six. His final victory came at the expense of Scott Johnson (Clarion), a promising freshman for the host school and possibly their starter in 2023-24. We’ll get our first full glimpse of Kent State in dual action this weekend as they travel to West Virginia for a dual with the Mountaineers and the ACC’s Duke. Edinboro The Fighting Scots were not able to see any of their wrestlers break into the top six at the Clarion Open, but did have some solid performances. Max Kirby (165) led the way with four wins, three of which came via major decision. Jacob Brenneman (133), Jack Kilner (197), and Nick Lodato (197) all won three matches. Each was able to pick up at least one win over an opponent from a MAC school. Edinboro is back in action Sunday as they host #7 Ohio State. With a lineup full of top recruits and highly-ranked wrestlers, Edinboro will be in a dogfight at every single weight. Lock Haven The defending conference champions decided not to get familiar matchups at Clarion in favor of the Princeton Open. The Bald Eagles had one finalist and it was a bit of a surprising one for such a strong lineup like LHU can roll out. Redshirt freshman Johnny Miller made the 174 lb finals after a 10-1 major decision over Kent McComas in the semis. In the championship bout, Miller fell to McComas’ teammate Gunner Filipowicz, 6-2. The 141 lb bracket saw both Wyatt Henson and Ty Linsenbigler advance to the third-place match. Neither wrestled and the match was considered a “no-contest.” Henson picked up a very solid win over Lehigh’s Carter Bailey, 11-4. Also in third for Lock Haven was the wrestler that takes the mat before Henson/Linsenbigler, Gable Strickland at 133 lbs. Strickland was beaten by Lehigh super-freshman, Ryan Crookham, 11-3 in the semifinals. He’d finish strong by beating Daniel Uhorchuk (Army West Point), 8-3 for third. One of the better brackets at Princeton was the heavyweight class. There Isaac Reid suffered a 5-1 loss to the returning EIWA champion, Nathan Taylor, in the semifinals. He did not wrestle in the third-place match. Earlier in the tournament, Reid majored PSAC/MAC opponent Shane Noonan (Bloomsburg), 17-7. Reid was able to put up double-digits in both of his prior meetings with Noonan in 2022-23. Lock Haven has a busy and challenging weekend ahead. On Saturday, they’ll face Army West Point and Arizona State at WrangleMania. They’ll stay in Bethlehem for the Journeymen Collegiate Classic on Sunday, as well. Rider Rider didn’t have to travel far from home to see their first action in the 2023-24 campaign. The Broncs stayed in Jersey and competed at the Princeton Open. Richie Koehler (133) and Colton Washleski (157) were the two finalists for Rider. Koehler had three tight wins in order to make the 133 lb finals. His last win came over Daniel Uhorchuk, 8-4 in the semis. Though they both place in the same weight class, Koehler and Lock Haven’s Gable Strickland did not meet. Like Strickland, Koehler was majored in the finals by Crookham. Colton Washleski stormed through the first three rounds of the tournament with two major decisions and a tech fall. Both majors came over MAC opposition, Will Morrow (Bloomsburg) in the Round of 16 and Connor Eck (Lock Haven) in the quarterfinals. In the semis, Washleski ran into the top-seed, teammate Jake Silverstein. Washleski ended up prevailing after a takedown during the second sudden victory period. He’d end up losing via major decision to Max Brignola (Lehigh) in the championship. Silverstein did not wrestle in the third-place bout. Another wrestler in the top-three for the Broncs was Azeem Bell at 197 lbs. Bell scored a 5-1 win over Rutgers freshman Hayden Packer in the third-place bout. There’s some uncertainty as to who will represent Rider at 197 lbs, so Bell’s performance might give him the early lead. Rider will leave the comfy confines of New Jersey for a pair of duals this week. On Friday, they’ll kick off the dual season by meeting #25 Indiana. Sunday, they’ll partake in their first MAC dual of the year when they take on SIU Edwardsville. Bloomsburg The Huskies were led by redshirt freshman 165 lber Caden Dobbins at the Princeton Open. Dobbins finished fourth and logged three wins on the day. Most impressive was a 4-1 decision over Class of 2023 top-100 recruit Holden Garcia (Princeton) in the quarterfinals. Last year, Dobbins went 4-3 while attending the Air Force Prep School. Bloomsburg will be in action this weekend at WrangleMania on Saturday and the Journeymen Collegiate Classic on Sunday. Saturday will feature duals against NC State and Sacred Heart. George Mason The battle at The Citadel proved to be a promising opener for George Mason, as Frank Beasley’s team came back north with a pair of champions, DJ McGee (157) and Chad Nix (285). The heavyweight, Nix, made his GMU debut one to remember with his title-winning performance. In the semis, Nix earned a takedown against #31 Nick Willham (Indiana) which led to the Hoosier injury-defaulting out of the match. In the first-place bout, Nix hung three takedowns on the 2023 SoCon third-place finisher John Chesser (The Citadel). He’d win 10-6. McGee got into the finals after an overtime win over Indiana’s Nico Bolivar. That set up a finals contest against teammate Lorenzo Rajaonarivelo. An early, first-period takedown for McGee proved to be the difference-marker in a 4-1 victory. Up a weight, Evan Maag suffered a first-round loss, but wrestled back to third place with bonus points in four of his five straight wins. Two other Patriots made the finals, Kaden Cassidy (149) and Tyler Kocak (197). Both advanced to the championship match but fell to opponents from Indiana. GMU has a busy Saturday with a conference clash against Clarion, along with duals against The Citadel, Millersville, and Williams College. SIU Edwardsville SIU Edwardsville started the year with a tough matchup against #24 Illinois of the Big Ten. The Cougars managed two wins in their 28-7 loss to their in-state foes. Marcel Lopez (133) and Caleb Tyus (149) were the two Cougar wrestlers who got their hands raised. Lopez downed Cole Brower 5-3, while Tyus added a bonus point after his 9-1 major decision over Jake Harrier. There were also a number of Cougar wrestlers that hit the Maryville Open on Saturday. Most were young, non-starters (for now). However, Justin Ruffin did make his return at 165 lbs. Ruffin earned a win over Shane Bates (Indianapolis) before a one-point loss to Cole Ritter (Maryland) in the semifinals. He’d medical forfeit down to sixth place. SIUE ended up with three runner’s-up at Maryville. Eric Almarinez (133), Jorden Johnson (157), and Nick Nosler (197). Jeremy Spates’ squad will see some good competition at the small individually bracketed, TigerStyle Invite on Saturday. Maryland, Missouri, Little Rock, Cal Poly, and Lindenwood are slated to attend. A day later, SIUE will host Rider in their MAC opener. Ohio Ohio traveled to the Southeast Open and was able to crown a pair of champions in a very competitive open tournament. One of the surprises of the tournament was Garrett Thompson at 165 lbs. Thompson was a monster on the mat in his semifinal upset win over 2022 All-American Peyton Hall (West Virginia). In the second period, Thompson jumped ahead with a reversal and a pair of two-point near falls. Thompson won 8-5 despite not having a takedown. One weight down, Peyten Kellar was rather impressive. He tallied three falls in his five matches including one over Clayton Ulrey (Virginia Tech) in the finals. Before then, Kellar registered solid wins over Alex Hornfeck (West Virginia) and Dylan Cedeno (Virginia). Another notable showing for Ohio came at 149 lbs and redshirt freshman Derek Raike, who is already in the national rankings at #31. Raike majored #17 Michael Gioffre (Virginia) before falling to West Virginia true freshman, Ty Watters. For third place, Raike downed 2023 SoCon champion Shannon Hanna (Campbell). Northern Illinois On Friday afternoon, Northern Illinois blanked a pair of opponents, 47-0 and 48-0. In their opener versus St. Ambrose, Jake Evans (165) and Jordan Summers (286) led the Huskies with pins. Blake West (125), Tommy Curran (149), and Ricardo Salinas (174) chipped in with tech falls. Curran, Kavan Troy (157), and Hayden Pummel (174) all had falls in the 48-0 win over Lindenwood. West, Tommy Curran, Matt Zuber (184), and Carter Grewe (197) were the only wrestlers that saw action in both dual for NIU. All four were unbeaten. The intensity will get ratcheted up for the Huskies in week two as they head north to the Michigan State Open and face a field that is sure to include plenty of opponents from the Big Ten. Cleveland State Sunday was a day for Cleveland State to get plenty of experience and exposure. The Vikings and #10 Iowa State got together for a non-conference dual in Massillon, Ohio. The event took place at Perry High School, alma mater of the Cyclones 2021 national champion, David Carr. It allowed one of college wrestling’s superstars an opportunity to wrestle in front of plenty of friends and family. The dual was also broadcast on UFC FightPass. The final result was lopsided in favor of Iowa State (43-3); however, the Vikings got a chance to compete against a lineup that featured All-Americans or All-American threats at each weight. Dylan Layton (141) was the lone CSU wrestler to notch a win. He prevailed in a 22-18 shootout against Jacob Frost. Cleveland State also travels to Morgantown for a pair of duals with Duke and West Virginia. For a team that was tabbed number three in the MAC, the West Virginia dual should be a good indicator of where Josh Moore’s team is at. They are very solid, yet not quite as stacked as Iowa State. Central Michigan The Chippewas were the only MAC team that didn’t compete right away during week one. They’ll make up for it by hosting #13 Oklahoma on Thursday and traveling to the Michigan State Open on Saturday. The Oklahoma dual marks the debut of Michigan-native Roger Kish as the Sooners head coach. The Sooners have a lineup full of ranked wrestlers and makes for great matchups with CMU’s stars.

Mercer

The first week of the 2023-2024 season officially kicked off this week, and the Big 12 saw some solid action. California Baptist, Iowa State, and North Dakota State started their year with Division I duals, while Air Force, Northern Colorado, and Wyoming competed against lower Division schools. Utah Valley and West Virginia saw some success at the Southeast Open. Missouri, Oklahoma State, Oklahoma, Northern Iowa, and South Dakota State had a quiet first week with no official competition, although the first three did hit up some open tournaments with (mostly) nonstarters. Air Force: Dual Results | Mines Rookie Open Brackets Air Force opened their season by hosting two Division II teams, Western Colorado (#22 at Division II) and CSU-Pueblo. #25 Tucker Owens, #27 Giano Petrucelli, and #21 Sam Wolf all got bonus point wins in their matches. Sam Wolf is ranked at 174, but competed at 184 tonight while last year's 184lb starter Noah Blake was at 174 lbs. Blake dropped his match at 174 to Cole Hernandez, who is ranked 3rd in his division. No Wyatt Hendrickson here, but true freshman Antonio Ramos stepped up in his place to get two pins to cap off each dual. The team also sent a number of wrestlers to the Mines Rookie Open, including several wrestlers in their Prep School. Next Up: The Falcons head to Boone, NC for the Mountaineer Invitational hosted by App State on November 11th. California Baptist: Dual Results California Baptist began their season with likely the toughest home opener, with #8 Iowa coming to town and getting a 40-0 win. The two teams shattered CBU’s previous attendance record with 4,676 fans. The previous record was from 2018 when the Lancers took on Ohio State in front of 2,620 fans. In the only ranked match, #29 Eli Griffin lost an 18-8 major decision to #13 Drake Ayala. Griffin kept it interesting early, but Ayala’s pace was a game-changer late. While moral wins are not fun to hang onto, Head Coach Derek Moore had his team wrestling tough in every match and had some bright spots throughout the dual. Next Up: The Lancers start conference action early, hosting Wyoming on November 11th. Iowa State: Dual Results The Cyclones opened their season with a 43-3 dual win over Cleveland State at David Carr’s high school gym at Perry High School. The dual was streamed on UFC Fight Pass and had great action in every match. The team scored bonus points in every win, with three majors, five techs, and a David Carr pin to cap the dual in outstanding fashion. Redshirt freshman Nando Villaescusa got the opportunity to start with Will Feldkamp out, and took advantage with a 16-8 major decision upset win over #21 Ben Smith. Jacob Frost won his wrestle-off over Zach Redding, but dropped his match to #29 Dylan Layton in a 21-18 barnburner. Overall, a very fun dual in a unique location that saw the new scoring rules have a huge impact. Next Up: On November 12th, David Carr leads the Cyclones against Davidson at home, coached by his older brother Nate Carr Jr. Missouri: Maryville Open Brackets Missouri didn’t compete this week. They sent some non-starters to the Maryville Open and got six individual titles. Next Up: The Tigers host the Tiger Style Invite in Kansas City on November 11th that also features Lindenwood, Cal Poly, Maryland, SIUE, and Little Rock. North Dakota State: Dual Results New Head Coach Obe Blanc kicked off the season with a tough 31-12 loss to Nebraska at home. There were some bright spots, however, with two new starters getting wins and an upset for a long-time starter. #12 Kellyn March got to test himself against 2022 NCAA finalist #1 Ridge Lovett, but came up short in an 11-1 loss. Redshirt freshman Gavin Drexler looked solid with a 9-4 win over Blake Cushing, while 3x NJCAA All-American transfer Devon Dawson made a splash with a pin over Harley Andrews. The biggest result came at 174lbs, where unranked Gaven Sax took out #20 Elise Brown Ton 8-3 with a big reversal and nearfall late. Next Up: NDSU hosts the Bison Open on November 11th that usually includes wrestlers from SDSU and Minnesota. Northern Colorado: Dual Results | Mines Rookie Open Brackets The Bears started their season with one-sided wins against Division II Fort Hays State (#25 at Division II) and New Mexico Highlands; winning 19 of 20 matches. While not the strongest competition, it did reveal some potential lineups. Dom Serrano stepped into the 133lb spot, while it appears that Rudy Lopez could be the 141lb starter with Andrew Alirez redshirting. Derek Matthews redshirted at 174 last year, but looked impressive at 165lbs. He and fellow redshirt freshman Ayden Rix-McElhinney could be a solid 1-2 punch. The team also sent a few wrestlers to the Mines Rookie Open. Next Up: UNC gets a week off before competing against Buffalo and Presbyterian at the Arm Bar at the Armory on November 17th. Northern Iowa: No Competition. Next Up: The Panthers start their season at the Grand View Open on November 11th. Oklahoma State: Broncho Open Oklahoma State didn’t compete this week but had their private wrestle-offs on Friday. They sent some wrestlers to the Broncho Open, where Daniel Manibog beat Jalin Harper in overtime in the finals. That match could decide who will start later this week at 157lbs. Next Up: Look for the Cowboys to kick off their season this week against Bucknell at home on November 10th. Oklahoma: Broncho Open Oklahoma didn’t compete this week, but sent a few nonstarters to the Broncho Open. Next Up: The Sooners head to Central Michigan to start their season on November 9th. They’ll then have a short turnaround with the Michigan State Open on November 11th. South Dakota State: No Competition. Next Up: The Jackrabbits open their season at the Bison Open hosted by NDSU in Fargo. Utah Valley: Southeast Open Brackets | Mines Rookie Open Brackets This team had some lineup questions coming into the season, and some may have been answered at the Southeast Open. #15 Evan Bockman won a title that included a win over #27 Levi Hopkins (CAMP). #15 Haiden Drury appeared to suffer a rib injury in his first match, where he was upset by Mason Leiphart (F&M) and went on to medical forfeit. Kase Mauger (133), James Emmer (141), Ty Smith (149), Tanner Lofthouse (165), Mark Takara (174), and Jack Forbes (285), all finished top six as well with performances that could get them into the starting lineup. The team also sent a small contingent of freshmen to the Mines Rookie Open. Next Up: The Wolverines get a week off before a long trip to the nation's capital for a dual against American University on November 17th. West Virginia: Southeast Open Brackets A name I didn’t mention this preseason was Jett Strickenberger, an NJCAA champ at 125 lbs in 2023 that saw him go undefeated all season. I wasn’t sure how he would look at the Division I level, and he made me look foolish by beating #11 Brandon Kaylor 4-1 to win a Southeast Open title. What looked like a potential hole after the graduation of Killian Cardinale could end up as another strength for the Mountaineers. #22 Jordan Titus also won a title at 141lbs, with impressive wins over #21 Jack Gioffre (UVA) and #20 Cleveland Belton (ORST). True freshman Ty Watters and junior #22 Michael Wolfgram made the finals, but came up just short. Watters had an impressive win over 2023 NCAA qualifier Tom Crook (VT). It wasn’t all bright spots for WVU though, as #9 Peyton Hall and #32 Caleb Dowling both suffered unranked upset losses. Hall lost a wild one against Garrett Thompson (Ohio), but came back for third. Dowling lost to Clayton Ulrey (VT), but came back and beat last year's starter Alex Hornfeck with an impressive 13-2 major for fifth. #28 Austin Cooley also finished fifth at 197lbs. #26 Dennis Robin looked solid at 184lbs, with a 16-2 major over #20 Caleb Hopkins (CAMP) for third. Something to keep an eye on, redshirt freshman Brody Conley won his first match 9-7, but medically forfeited after a 3-2 loss in the second round. Next Up: WVU hosts the Mountaineer Quad with duals against Kent State, Cleveland State, and Duke next Sunday, November 12th. Wyoming: Dual Results Wyoming hosted the 2023 NJCAA National Champs in Western Wyoming and came away with a 31-10 win in a very fun dual. Western Wyoming showed up ready to wrestle, winning three matches. Jore Volk, Gabe Willochell, and Tyce Raddon were the standout wrestlers for the team, as Volk had a 19-0 tech and Willochell got a first-period pin. Tyce Raddon was a wrestler for Western Wyoming, and got a pin against his former team. Redshirt freshman Kevin Zimmer got an opportunity to start and looked solid in a 12-3 win. Brett McIntosh scored bonus points with a major decision at 165lbs as well. While they didn’t win, it looks like Cooper Birdwell (133) and Aidan Noonan (149) could be the starters at their weights. Next Up: Wyoming hits the road for a dual against CSU-Bakersfield on November 10th and follows it up the day after with a dual against California Baptist.

Tuttle

Weekend Dual Results Saturday Navy 23 Illinois 18 125 - Justin Cardani (Illinois) dec Evan Tallmadge (Navy) 6-3SV 133 - Brendan Ferretti (Navy) fall Kole Brower (Illinois) 4:46 141 - Josh Koderhandt (Navy) dec Danny Pucino (Illinois) 8-2 149 - Kannon Webster (Illinois) tech James Latona (Navy) 20-5 157 - Joe Roberts (Illinois) dec Jonathan Ley (Navy) 4-2 165 - Andrew Cerniglia (Navy) tech Luke Odom (Illinois) 20-3 174 - Edmond Ruth (Illinois) dec Danny Wask (Navy) 8-5SV 184 - David Key (Navy) fall Dylan Connell (Illinois) 3:27 197 - Cael Crebs (Navy) dec Isaiah Pettigrew (Illinois) 14-13 285 - Luke Luffman (Illinois) maj Grady Griess (Navy) 11-3 Nebraska 31 North Dakota State 12 125 - Caleb Smith (Nebraska) dec Carlos Negrete (North Dakota State) 9-5 133 - Jacob Van Dee (Nebraska) dec Fernando Barreto (North Dakota State) 5-1 141 - Gavin Drexler (North Dakota State) dec Blake Cushing (Nebraska) 9-4 149 - Ridge Lovett (Nebraska) maj Kellyn March (North Dakota State) 11-1 157 - Peyton Robb (Nebraska) tech Landon Johnson (North Dakota State) 18-3 165 - Antrell Taylor (Nebraska) fall Brendan Howes (North Dakota State) 2:29 174 - Gaven Sax (North Dakota State) dec Elise Brown Ton (Nebraska) 8-3 184 - Lenny Pinto (Nebraska) tech Aidan Brenot (North Dakota State) 19-4 197 - Silas Allred (Nebraska) tech Spencer Mooberry (North Dakota State) 20-4 285 - Devon Dawson (North Dakota State) fall Harley Andrews (Nebraska) 6:23 Stanford 41 Duke 0 125 - Nico Provo (Stanford) dec Logan Agin (Duke) 8-1 133 - Tyler Knox (Stanford) tech Raymond Adams (Duke) 21-5 141 - Jason Miranda (Stanford) tech Peter Chacon (Duke) 15-0 149 - Jaden Abas (Stanford) dec Jarred Papscy (Duke) 12-7 157 - Daniel Cardenas (Stanford) tech Logan Ferraro (Duke) 19-4 165 - Zach Hanson (Stanford) dec Gaetano Console (Duke) 10-3 174 - Lorenzo Norman (Stanford) tech Jack Wimmer (Duke) 20-3 184 - Jack Darrah (Stanford) dec Conor Becker (Duke) 4-2 197 - Nick Stemmet (Stanford) tech Kwasi Bonsu (Duke) 18-3 285 - Peter Ming (Stanford) maj Connor Barket (Duke) 12-4 Air Force 27 Western Colorado 13 125 - Tucker Owens (Air Force) tech Roberto Estrada (Western Colorado) 17-1 133 - Patrick Allis (Western Colorado) dec Kole Biscoe (Air Force) 7-6 141 - Garrett Kuchan (Air Force) maj Jacob McCarley (Western Colorado) 16-6 149 - Dean Noble (Western Colorado) maj Alec Viduya (Air Force) 9-1 157 - Ryan Wilson (Western Colorado) dec Gavin Gross (Air Force) 4-2 165 - Giano Petrucelli (Air Force) tech Ryan Dirksen (Western Colorado) 20-4 174 - Cole Hernandez (Western Colorado) dec Noah Blake (Air Force) 9-6 184 - Sam Wolf (Air Force) maj Cole Gray (Western Colorado) 11-2 197 - Calvin Sund (Air Force) dec Sage Harrison (Western Colorado) 8-1 285 - Antonio Ramos (Air Force) fall Tommy Tatham (Western Colorado) 2:35 Air Force 35 CSU-Pueblo 3 125 - Nick Gonzalez (Air Force) tech Dominick Castro (CSU-Pueblo) 14-0 133 - Brenden Barnes (Air Force) tech Brandon Bigler (CSU-Pueblo) 20-0 141 - Trason Oehme (Air Force) dec Michael Atencio (CSU-Pueblo) 5-0 149 - Bryce Shelton (Air Force) maj Anthony Nichols (CSU-Pueblo) 14-3 157 - Brooks Gable (Air Force) dec Cyruss Meeks (CSU-Pueblo) 4-1SV 165 - Giano Petrucelli (Air Force) dec Elijah James Valdez (CSU-Pueblo) 5-1 174 - Drake Buchanan (Air Force) dec Tytus Coombs (CSU-Pueblo) 17-13 184 - Gage Musser (Air Force) dec Remington Winmill (CSU-Pueblo) 14-2 197 - Ben Gould (CSU-Pueblo) dec Garrett Henigin (Air Force) 7-5 285 - Antonio Ramos (Air Force) fall Josiah Aldinger (CSU-Pueblo) 6:25 Iowa 40 California Baptist 0 125 - Drake Ayala (Iowa) maj Eli Griffin (California Baptist) 18-8 133 - Brody Treske (Iowa) maj Hunter Leake (California Baptist) 12-1 141 - Real Woods (Iowa) tech Darren Green (California Baptist) 15-0 149 - Victor Voinovich (Iowa) dec Dayne Morton (California Baptist) 2-0 157 - Jared Franek (Iowa) dec Drayden Morton (California Baptist) 8-1 165 - Michael Caliendo (Iowa) tech Mateo de la Pena (California Baptist) 23-7 174 - Aiden Riggins (Iowa) maj Peter Acciardi (California Baptist) 18-4 184 - Brennan Swafford (Iowa) maj Nathan Haas (California Baptist) 15-4 197 - Zach Glazier (Iowa) dec Eli Sheeran (California Baptist) 11-2 285 - Bradley Hill (Iowa) maj Max Acciardi (California Baptist) 16-4 Sunday Iowa State 43 Cleveland State 3 125 - Kysen Terukina (Iowa State) tech Ben Aranda (Cleveland State) 20-5 133 - Evan Frost (Iowa) maj Jake Manley (Cleveland State) 17-3 141 - Dylan Layton (Cleveland State) dec Jacob Frost (Iowa State) 22-18 149 - Anthony Echemendia (Iowa State) tech Douglas Terry (Cleveland State) 24-7 157 - Jason Kraisser (Iowa State) tech Shane Heil (Cleveland State) 19-3 165 - David Carr (Iowa State) fall Daniel Patten (Cleveland State) 1:47 174 - MJ Gaitan (Iowa State) tech Ronald Dimmerling (Cleveland State) 19-3 184 - Caleb Helgeson (Iowa State) maj Joey Lyons (Cleveland State) 14-3 197 - Fernando Villaescusa (Iowa State) maj Ben Smith (Cleveland State) 16-8 285 - Yonger Bastida (Iowa State) tech Daniel Bucknavich (Cleveland State) 26-10 Wisconsin 41 Lindenwood 4 125 - Eric Barnett (Wisconsin) fall Austin Kegley (Lindenwood) 2:14 133 - Zan Fugitt (Wisconsin) maj Caiden Pelc (Lindenwood) 17-3 141 - Felix Lettini (Wisconsin) dec Ben Bohr (Lindenwood) 9-4 149 - Joe Zargo (Wisconsin) tech Cruz Lara (Lindenwood) 17-2 157 - Luke Mechler (Wisconsin) fall Logan Johnson (Lindenwood) :50 165 - Dean Hamiti (Wisconsin) tech Zachary Rackers (Lindenwood) 19-3 174 - Cale Anderson (Wisconsin) maj Kaden Charboneau (Lindenwood) 17-5 184 - Shane Liegel (Wisconsin) tech Luke Shaver (Lindenwood) 17-2 197 - Michael Tal-Shahar (Wisconsin) dec Ryan Golnick (Lindenwood) 5-1 285 - David Hernandez (Lindenwood) maj Peter Christensen (Wisconsin) 17-3 Wyoming 31 Western Wyoming 10 125 - Jore Volk (Wyoming) tech Sefton Douglass (Western Wyoming) 19-0 133 - Cody Phelps (Western Wyoming) dec Cooper Birdwell (Wyoming) 7-6 141 - Gabe Willochell (Wyoming) fall River Wardle (Western Wyoming) 2:32 149 - Aidan Noonan (Wyoming) dec Chris Lopez (Western Wyoming) 5-4 157 - Tristan Stafford (Western Wyoming) dec Cooper Voorhees (Wyoming) 13-10SV 165 - Brett McIntosh (Wyoming) maj Jayden Luttrell (Western Wyoming) 17-6 174 - Will Harmon (Western Wyoming) maj Ridge Briggs (Wyoming) 9-1 184 - Ethan Ducca (Wyoming) dec Darion Johnson (Western Wyoming) 4-2 197 - Tyce Raddon (Wyoming) fall Wesley Reeves (Western Wyoming) 1:38 285 - Kevin Zimmer (Wyoming) maj D’Marion Lopez (Western Wyoming) 12-3

Central York

Bishop Hartley

Friday’s DI Dual Results Northern Illinois 47 St. Ambrose 125 - Blake West (Northern Illinois) tech Steele Dias (St. Ambrose) 16-0 133 - Lucian Brink (Northern Illinois) maj Isaac Martinez (St. Ambrose) 8-0 141 - Danny Curran (Northern Illinois) maj Giuseppe Guerra (St. Ambrose) 15-2 149 - Tommy Curran (Northern Illinois) tech Reese Finch (St. Ambrose) 16-0 157 - Alec Rees (Northern Illinois) maj Riley Woods (St. Ambrose) 14-0 165 - Jake Evans (Northern Illinois) fall Diego Machado (St. Ambrose) 2:14 174 - Ricardo Salinas (Northern Illinois) tech Jayden Terronez (St. Ambrose) 20-4 184 - Matt Zuber (Northern Illinois) maj Dylan Meiners (St. Ambrose) 13-0 197 - Carter Grewe (Northern Illinois) maj Tyreese Johnson (St. Ambrose) 11-1 285 - Jordan Summers (Northern Illinois) fall Jeremiah Morris (St. Ambrose) 2:47 Northern Illinois 48 Lindenwood 0 125 - Blake West (Northern Illinois) tech Austin Kegley (Lindenwood) 20-3 133 - Mikey Kaminski (Northern Illinois) tech Caiden Pelc (Lindenwood) 20-4 141 - Dylan Gvillo (Northern Illinois) dec Ben Bohr (Lindenwood) 2-0 149 - Tommy Curran (Northern Illinois) fall Cruz Lara (Lindenwood) 2:52 157 - Kavan Troy (Northern Illinois) fall Logan Johnson (Lindenwood) 2:21 165 - Tommy Bennett (Northern Illinois) tech Zackary Rackers (Lindenwood) 19-4 174 - Hayden Pummel (Northern Illinois) fall Kaden Charboneau (Lindenwood) 4:04 184 - Matt Zuber (Northern Illinois) maj Luke Shaver (Lindenwood) 17-3 197 - Carter Grewe (Northern Illinois) maj Ryan Golnick (Lindenwood) 8-0 285 - Jacobi Jackson (Northern Illinois) maj David Hernandez (Lindenwood) 17-3 NC State 40 Appalachian State 3 125 - Jakob Camacho (NC State) tech Chad Bellis (Appalachian State) 18-3 133 - Ethan Oakley (Appalachian State) dec Jarrett Trombley (NC State) 4-2 141 - Ryan Jack (NC State) maj Kaden Keiser (Appalachian State) 19-6 149 - Jackson Arrington (NC State) tech Cody Bond (Appalachian State) 19-3 157 - Ed Scott (NC State) dec Tommy Askey (Appalachian State) 13-6 165 - AJ Kovacs (NC State) dec Will Miller (Appalachian State) 5-4 174 - Alex Faison (NC State) dec Lucas Uliano (Appalachian State) 6-3SV 184 - Dylan Fishback (NC State) fall Tomas Brooker (Appalachian State) 1:30 197 - Trent Hidlay (NC State) tech Hunter Adams (Appalachian State) 19-4 285 - Owen Trephan (NC State) fall Jacob Sartorio (Appalachian State) 2:07 Northern Colorado 47 Fort Hays State 4 125 - Stevo Poulin (Northern Colorado) tech D’Andre Brown (Fort Hays State) 22-3 133 - Dominick Serrano (Northern Colorado) fall Kevin Honas (Fort Hays State) :24 141 - Rudy Lopez (Northern Colorado) fall Drew Bell (Fort Hays State) 4:53 149 - Benji Alanis (Northern Colorado) fall Marcell Dely (Fort Hays State) 2:44 157 - Vince Zerban (Northern Colorado) tech Hunter Harris (Fort Hays State) 20-2 165 - Derek Matthews (Northern Colorado) maj Cody Hicks (Fort Hays State) 15-6 174 - Aydin Rix-McElhinney (Northern Colorado) tech Juan Urbina (Fort Hays State) 27-10 184 - Branson Britten (Northern Colorado) maj Bryce Westmoreland (Fort Hays State) 15-1 197 - Tereus Henry (Fort Hays State) maj Franklin Cruz (Northern Colorado) 12-0 285 - Xavier Doolin (Northern Colorado) fall Anthony Caldwell (Fort Hays State) 1:57 Northern Colorado 50 New Mexico Highlands 0 125 - Stevo Poulin (Northern Colorado) maj Rhys Sellers (New Mexico Highlands) 18-5 133 - Dominick Serrano (Northern Colorado) FFT 141 - Rudy Lopez (Northern Colorado) dec Joseph Misitano (New Mexico Highlands) 5-1 149 - Benji Alanis (Northern Colorado) fall Deklyn Miller (New Mexico Highlands) 4:33 157 - Vince Zerban (Northern Colorado) tech Evan Killgore (New Mexico Highlands) 18-2 165 - Derek Matthews (Northern Colorado) dec Ivan Smith Jr. (New Mexico Highlands) 8-3 174 - Aydin Rix-McElhinney (Northern Colorado) fall Thomas Tolbert (New Mexico Highlands) 2:21 184 - Branson Britten (Northern Colorado) fall Jacob Castillo (New Mexico Highlands) 2:57 197 - Franklin Cruz (Northern Colorado) tech Jayden Johnson (New Mexico Highlands) 19-3 285 - Xavier Doolin (Northern Colorado) FFT Rutgers 47 Duke 0 125 - Dean Peterson (Rutgers) fall Logan Agin (Duke) 1:57 133 - Dylan Shawver (Rutgers) fall Raymond Adams (Duke) 5:37 141 - Joey Fongaro (Rutgers) dec Peter Chacon (Duke) 8-4 149 - Jacob Butler (Rutgers) tech Jarred Papscy (Duke) 18-1 157 - Al DeSantis (Rutgers) maj Logan Ferraro (Duke) 16-5 165 - Tony White (Rutgers) tech Gaetano Console (Duke) 20-3 174 - Shane Cartagena-Walsh (Rutgers) dec Jack Wimmer (Duke) 10-3 184 - Brian Soldano (Rutgers) fall Conor Becker (Duke) 2:57 197 - John Poznanski (Rutgers) tech Kwasi Bonsu (Duke) 17-2 285 - Yaraslau Slavikouski (Rutgers) maj Connor Barket (Duke) 17-5 Cal Poly 38 Duke 6 125 - Dominic Mendez (Cal Poly) tech Logan Agin (Duke) 20-3 133 - Zeth Romney (Cal Poly) tech Raymond Adams (Duke) 19-3 141 - Abe Hinrichsen (Cal Poly) maj Peter Chacon (Duke) 19-6 149 - Chance Lamer (Cal Poly) tech Jarred Papscy (Duke) 21-6 157 - Legend Lamer (Cal Poly) fall Nick Tattini (Duke) 2:11 165 - Aiden Wallace (Duke) dec Michael Goldfeder (Cal Poly) 8-5SV 174 - Adam Kemp (Cal Poly) tech Jack Wimmer (Duke) 18-3 184 - Kendall LaRosa (Cal Poly) dec Conor Becker (Duke) 6-4 197 - Jared Priest (Cal Poly) tech Kwasi Bonsu (Duke) 22-7 285 - Connor Barket (Duke) dec Josh Harkey (Cal Poly) 12-7 Rutgers 31 Cal Poly 10 125 - Dean Peterson (Rutgers) dec Dominic Mendez (Cal Poly) 4-0 133 - Dylan Shawver (Rutgers) dec Zeth Romney (Cal Poly) 9-3 141 - Mitch Moore (Rutgers) fall Abe Hinrichsen (Cal Poly) Fall 3:13 149 - Chance Lamer (Cal Poly) maj Michael Cetta (Rutgers) 14-5 157 - Legend Lamer (Cal Poly) dec Al DeSantis (Rutgers) 4-2 165 - Anthony White (Rutgers) tech Michael Goldfeder (Cal Poly) 18-3 174 - Adam Kemp (Cal Poly) dec Jackson Turley (Rutgers) 8-5 184 - Brian Soldano (Rutgers) maj Kendall LaRosa (Cal Poly) 14-4 197 - John Poznanski (Rutgers) tech Jared Priest (Cal Poly) 17-1 285 - Yaraslau Slavikouski (Rutgers) tech Josh Harkey (Cal Poly) 16-0

We're getting ready to start the first week of the 2023-24 season, but have a semi-full schedule of DI duals whis week. A total of 35 duals will be contested. Since it can be difficult to figure out where and when to watch all of these events, InterMat has put together a list of all of the live-streamed events occurring this week. Below are the dates/times and how to watch each match (with links). All times are eastern Wednesday, November 1: Brockport at Buffalo 1:00 PM UB Bulls YouTube Seton Hill at Buffalo 2:30 PM UB Bulls YouTube Niagara County CC at Buffalo 4:00 PM UB Bulls YouTube Army West Point vs. Campbell at Fort Liberty, NC 5:00 PM UFC Fight Pass Glenville State at Buffalo 5:30 PM UB Bulls YouTube Allen at The Citadel 6:00 PM ESPN+ NC State vs. Presbyterian at Fort Liberty, NC 7:30 PM UFC Fight Pass Montreat at The Citadel 7:30 PM ESPN+ Carl Albert at Little Rock 8:00 PM Little Rock Sports Network Thursday, November 2: Greensboro at North Carolina 1:00 PM ACC Network Extra Oregon State vs. Queens at North Carolina 1:00 PM Queens at North Carolina 3:00 PM ACC Network Extra Oregon State vs. Greensboro at North Carolina 3:00 PM Oregon State at North Carolina 5:00 PM ACC Network Extra Queens vs. Greensboro at North Carolina 5:00 PM Maryland at American 7:00 PM ESPN+ SIU Edwardsville at Illinois 7:00 PM BTN+ Friday, November 3: Lindenwood vs. St. Ambrose at Northern Illinois 4:00 PM St. Ambrose at Northern Illinois 5:30 PM NIU All-Access NC State at Appalachian State 7:00 PM AppState Facebook, YouTube, Twitch Duke vs. Rutgers at Cal Poly 7:00 PM Fort Hays State at Northern Colorado 7:00 PM FloWrestling Lindenwood at Northern Illinois 7:00 PM NIU All-Access Duke at Cal Poly 9:00 PM Cal Poly All-Access New Mexico Highlands at Northern Colorado 9:00 PM FloWrestling Rutgers at Cal Poly 10:30 PM Cal Poly All-Access Saturday, November 4: Bellarmine at Patriot Open, hosted by Cumberlands 9:00 AM Campbell, Chattanooga, Davidson, Franklin & Marshall, Morgan State, Ohio, Oregon State, Utah Valley, Virginia, Virginia Tech, VMI, West Virginia at Southeast Open, hosted by Roanoke 9:00 AM FloWrestling SIU Edwardsville at Kaufman/Brand/Bayly Open, St. Louis, MO 10:00 AM Cal Poly, CSU Bakersfield at Menlo Open 12:00 PM FloWrestling Navy at Illinois, 2:00 PM BTN+ Nebraska at North Dakota State 3:00 PM NDSU All-Access Duke at Stanford 7:00 PM Western Colorado at Air Force 8:00 PM FloWrestling Iowa at California Baptist 9:00 PM FloWrestling Colorado State-Pueblo at Air Force 9:30 PM FloWrestling Sunday, November 5: Brown, Buffalo, Clarion, Columbia, Edinboro, Gardner-Webb, Kent State, Michigan State, Ohio State, Pittsburgh, Purdue at Clarion Open 9:00 AM FloWrestling Army West Point, Bloomsburg, Hofstra, Lehigh, Lock Haven, Princeton, Rider at Princeton Open 9:00 AM ESPN+ American, Appalachian State, Drexel, George Mason, Indiana, The Citadel at Battle at the Citadel 9:00 AM Utah Valley at Rookie Open, hosted by Colorado School of Mines 12:00 PM Cleveland State vs. Iowa State at Massillon, OH, 2:00 PM UFC Fight Pass Lindenwood at Wisconsin 2:00 PM BTN+ Western Wyoming at Wyoming 3:00 PM FloWrestling

Opening week has already been a busy one in the ACC. We saw NC State open the season with a shutout victory over Presbyterian at Ft. Liberty on Wednesday and North Carolina opened their year with three duals at home, going 2-1, dropping a back-and-forth dual to Oregon State. We will see the rest of the conference teams in action on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. Duke: The Blue Devils will kick off the season with a West Coast swing for three duals. They will face Cal Poly and Rutgers on Friday, followed by a Saturday afternoon dual against Stanford. We have received this as the projected lineup for the Blue Devils: 125: Logan Agin 133: Raymond Adams 141: Peter Chacon 149: Jarred Papcsy 157: Logan Ferrero / Nick Tattini 165: Gaetano Console / Aidan Wallace 174: Jack Wimmer 184: Conor Becker 197: Kwasi Bonsu 285: Connor Barket North Carolina: The Tar Heels hosted the Carolina Duals to open the year, beating Queens 41-10 and Greensboro College 48-3 before dropping an exciting dual to Oregon State 24-13. I will have a full breakdown of the duals in the weekly wrap-up next week. A couple big highlights from the day were Spencer Moore knocking off #11 Brandon Kaylor and #3 Lachlan McNeil picking up a ranked win with a major decision over #20 Cleveland Belton. The Tar Heels will be back in action against Buffalo and Arizona State next week and will be sending a small contingent to the Southeast Open this weekend. North Carolina State: The Wolfpack made a statement in their opening dual at Ft. Liberty against Presbyterian, showcasing their depth of talent in a 48-0 route of the Blue Hose. They sent several younger wrestlers - many from North Carolina - out to the mat in the airplane hangar in the opening event of the NCAA season that was hosted on UFC Fight Pass. Coach Popolizio’s crew will have a quick turnaround with a trip to Boone to face in-state foe Appalachian State on Friday night. App State does a fantastic job creating a rowdy environment for their duals, and this one should be extra rowdy with a large contingent of fans making the trip from Raleigh. We will get our first glimpse of most of the NC State lineup against the Mountaineers. 125 #12 Jakob Camacho vs. Chad Bellis 133 #5 Kai Orine vs. Ethan Oakley 141 #9 Ryan Jack vs. Kaden Keiser 149 #7 Jackson Arrington vs. #25 Cody Bond 157 #5 Ed Scott vs. #20 Tommy Askey 165 #33 AJ Kovacs vs. Will Miller 174 #22 Alex Faison vs. Luke Uliano 184 #29 Dylan Fishback vs. Tomas Brooker 197 #5 Trent Hidlay vs. #31 Carson Floyd or Gunnar Pool 285 #8 Owen Trephan vs. Jacob Sartorio Pittsburgh: The Panthers will send a large group, including many starters, to the Clarion Open on Sunday to open the season. There will be some tough competition this year-Ohio State is sending nearly their full lineup as well as ranked wrestlers from multiple teams. It will be a great way to see where Pitt stands against solid competition to start the season. Virginia: The Hoos will send a very large contingent down I-81 to the Southeast Open (always the Hokie Open in my heart) to compete in the Open division and the freshman/sophomore division. They had a lot of success last year from their redshirts, so I’m interested to see how they perform in the Open division. Virginia Tech: The Hokies will be hosting the Southeast (Hokie) Open this weekend and will have a large contingent of wrestlers competing, including about half of their projected starters. They have a top-10 dual in Blacksburg next week and will only be sending out wrestlers who are fully healthy.

During his preseason conversations with a handful of Big Ten coaches, Ryan Holmes made sure to ask about their thoughts on the new rules, particularly the three-point takedown. Not only do the coaches give their thoughts on the rules, but also if they have spoken with their team about the changes, and anything out of the ordinary with respect to the new rules. As you would expect, the answers vary greatly from coach to coach. For the full interview: Click Here

Harrison

Last night, American University hosted #21 Maryland in a non-conference dual between two DMV (District/Maryland/Virginia) neighbors. It was the first action of the 2023-24 season for both squads. The dual started off with some fireworks at 125 lbs in a battle of 2023 NCAA qualifiers. American's #30 Jack Maida moved down from 133 lbs in the offseason and quickly found himself down against returning NCAA Round of 12 finisher #15 Braxton Brown. Maida turned the tables and outlasted Brown for a 13-4 major decision. From there, Maryland generally flexed their muscles; however, not without a fight from American, who proved to be very tough on the mat. The final score ended up 30-7 in favor of the Terps. After the dual we spoke with both head coaches and a pair of wrestlers from the winning side. Maryland's Alex Clemsen American's Jason Borrelli Maryland 141 lber Kal Miller Maryland 197 lber Jaxon Smith

Hanover

Lindbergh

St. Edward

Graham

Paulsboro

Thursday’s DI Dual Results North Carolina 48 Greensboro 3 125 - Spencer Moore (North Carolina) FFT 133 - Jace Palmer (North Carolina) FFT 141 - Josh Wilson (Greensboro) dec Derek Guanajuato (North Carolina) 4-2 149 - Connor Alexander (North Carolina) tech Quadir Medley (Greensboro) 15-0 157 - Sonny Santiago (North Carolina) FFT 165 - Marcus Murabito (North Carolina) tech Nicholas Menjivar (Greensboro) 17-0 174 - Sabino Portella (North Carolina) tech Luke Gregory (Greensboro) 17-1 184 - Chris Salazar (North Carolina) fall Omori Lee (Greensboro) 6:45 197 - Wilson Major (North Carolina) fall Amarion Wilson (Greensboro) 1:15 285 - Alberto Hernandez (North Carolina) dec Dominic Harris (Greensboro) 4-2 Oregon State 58 Queens 0 125 - Brandon Kaylor (Oregon State) fall Brendan Martin (Queens) 1:41 133 - Gabe Whisenhunt (Oregon State) fall Griffen Gonzales (Queens) :36 141 - Cleveland Belton (Oregon State) fall Ananth Manibushan (Queens) 1:37 149 - Noah Tolentino (Oregon State) tech Connor Goodman (Queens) 19-3 157 - Murphy Menke (Oregon State) fall Suhaib Hatamleh (Queens) 1:17 165 - Kekana Fouret (Oregon State) fall Easton Tobia (Queens) 1:07 174 - Travis Wittlake (Oregon State) tech Greg Merriman (Queens) 18-1 184 - Trey Munoz (Oregon State) fall D’Andree Hunt (Queens) :34 197 - Mason Christensen (Oregon State) fall Stephan Falkner (Queens) 2:07 285 - Boone McDermott (Oregon State) fall Jamikael Lytle (Queens) 1:20 North Carolina 41 Queens 10 125 - Spencer Moore (North Carolina) tech Brendan Martin (Queens) 17-2 133 - Caden McCrary (North Carolina) tech Griffen Gonzales (Queens) 19-3 141 - Lachlan McNeil (North Carolina) tech Ananth Manibushan (Queens) 17-2 149 - Jayden Scott (North Carolina) fall Riley Curran (Queens) 1:50 157 - Sonny Santiago (North Carolina) fall Suhaib Hatamleh (Queens) 165 - Isaias Estrada (North Carolina) fall Vladimir Sukhikh (Queens) 4:50 174 - Sabino Portella (North Carolina) dec Greg Merriman (Queens) 9-5 184 - D’Andree Hunt (Queens) maj Chris Salazar (North Carolina) 11-2 197 - Max Shaw (North Carolina) tech Riley Kuhn (Queens) 16-0 285 - Jamikael Lytle (Queens) fall Aydin Guttridge (North Carolina) 1:15 Oregon State 55 Greensboro 0 125 - Brandon Kaylor (Oregon State) FFT 133 - Gabe Whisenhunt (Oregon State) FFT 141 - Cleveland Belton (Oregon State) dec Josh Wilson (Greensboro) 4-2 149 - Noah Tolentino (Oregon State) fall Quadir Medley (Greensboro) 157 - Murphy Menke (Oregon State) FFT 165 - Kekana Fouret (Oregon State) tech Ethan Kring (Greensboro) 17-0 174 - TJ McDonnell (Oregon State) tech Luke Gregory (Greensboro) 17-2 184 - Trey Munoz (Oregon State) fall Omori Lee (Greensboro) 197 - Justin Rademacher (Oregon State) fall Amarion Wilson (Greensboro) 285 - Boone McDermott (Oregon State) fall Dominic Harris (Greensboro) Oregon State 24 North Carolina 13 125 - Spencer Moore (North Carolina) dec Brandon Kaylor (Oregon State) 2-0 133 - Caden McCrary (North Carolina) dec Gabe Whisenhunt (Oregon State) 2-0 141 - Lachlan McNeil (North Carolina) maj Cleveland Belton (Oregon State) 14-2 149 - Noah Tolentino (Oregon State) dec Jayden Scott (North Carolina) 2-1SV 157 - Murphy Menke (Oregon State) dec Danny Nini (North Carolina) 2-1SV 165 - Kekana Fouret (Oregon State) dec Marcus Murabito (North Carolina) 5-0 174 - Travis Wittlake (Oregon State) dec Sabino Portella (North Carolina) 5-0 184 - Trey Munoz (Oregon State) fall Chris Salazar (North Carolina) :55 197 - Max Shaw (North Carolina) dec Mason Christensen (Oregon State) 5-0 285 - Boone McDermott (Oregon State) fall Alberto Hernandez (North Carolina) 1:41 Queens 50 Greensboro 2 125 - Brendan Martin (Queens) FFT 133 - Griffen Gonzales (Queens) FFT 141 - Josh Wilson (Greensboro) maj Ananth Manibushan (Queens) 12-3 149 - Riley Curran (Queens) maj Quadir Medley (Greensboro) 15-6 157 - Suhaib Hatamleh (Queens) FFT 165 - Vladimir Sukhikh (Queens) tech Nicholas Menjivar (Greensboro) 19-2 174 - Greg Merriman (Queens) tech Luke Gregory (Greensboro) 15-0 184 - D’Andree Hunt (Queens) fall Omori Lee (Greensboro) 5:41 197 - Riley Kuhn (Queens) fall fall Amarion Wilson (Greensboro) :20 285 - Jamikael Lytle (Queens) fall Khalil Beck (Greensboro) 2:33 Maryland 30 American 7 125 - Jack Maida (American) maj Braxton Brown (Maryland) 13-4 133 - King Sandoval (Maryland) dec Max Leete (American) 5-3 141 - Kal Miller (Maryland) tech Ethan Szerencsits (American) 19-3 149 - Ethen Miller (Maryland) maj Ryan Zimmerman (American) 16-3 157 - Michael North (Maryland) dec Kaden Milheim (American) 8-1 165 - John Martin Best (Maryland) maj Breon Phifer (American) 12-3 174 - Dom Solis (Maryland) dec Lucas White (American) 10-6 184 - Connor Bourne (American) dec Chase Mielnik (Maryland) 8-3 197 - Jaxon Smith (Maryland) tech Liam Volk-Klos (American) 15-0 285 - Seth Nevills (Maryland) dec Will Jarrell (American) 6-2 Illinois 28 SIU Edwardsville 7 125 - Justin Cardani (Illinois) dec Davian Guanajuato (SIU Edwardsville) 4-1 133 - Marcel Lopez (SIU Edwardsville) dec Kole Brower (Illinois) 5-3 141 - Danny Pucino (Illinois) tech Danny Martinez (SIU Edwardsville) 19-4 149 - Caleb Tyus (SIU Edwardsville) maj Jake Harrier (Illinois) 9-1 157 - Joe Roberts (Illinois) dec Brock Woodcock (SIU Edwardsville) 4-0 165 - Luke Odom (Illinois) dec Bradley Gillum (SIU Edwardsville) 8-6 174 - Edmond Ruth (Illinois) maj Dominic Lopez (SIU Edwardsville) 20-6 184 - Dylan Connell (Illinois) dec Deron Pulliam (SIU Edwardsville) 5-4 197 - Isaiah Pettigrew (Illinois) dec Ryan Yarnell (SIU Edwardsville) 10-6 285 - Luke Luffman (Illinois) maj Bryson Buhk (SIU Edwardsville) 15-4

The college wrestling season officially kicked off on Wednesday afternoon. While other sports have exhibition events or preseason, wrestling has wrestle-offs. Some teams use these intrasquad matches to determine their lineup, but others simply use it as a test run to prepare for the season. The competitors are often overly familiar with each other since teammates wrestle in practice. In some cases, this can create some strange results, but in other cases, it could be an early sign for the upcoming season. The following are some of the most interesting results from the preseason wrestle-offs. NC State 285: No. 8 Owen Trephan dec. Chase Horne 7-3 During his prep career, Horne was a Super 32 champion and a four-time Georgia state champion. He came to NC State as a top-40 recruit and is expected to continue the tradition of strong Wolfpack heavyweights. During a redshirt year last year, he went 17-5, but it seems likely he will sit behind a veteran this season. Trephan won the ACC last year and went 2-2 at the NCAA tournament. He enters this season as the eighth-ranked heavyweight in the InterMat rankings. Trephan was able to hold off a challenge from Horne in the intrasquad event and will likely benefit from having a strong partner in the room. North Carolina 133: Caden McCrary dec Jace Palmer 4-1 (SV) There appear to be several tight position battles for new coach Rob Koll at North Carolina. One of those would be at 133 pounds. Palmer was the starter last year for the Tar Heels, while McCrary wrestled only six matches in a reserve role. While he has not been overly active since joining North Carolina, McCrary was a Super 32 champion in high school. He edged Palmer here to appear to be in the driver’s seat for the starting role, but that will likely be decided in the future. Ohio State 141 No. 5 Jesse Mendez dec. Brandon Cannon 5-2 Cannon has quite an inspirational story. He was one of the top high school wrestlers in the country before being slowed by a health issue that held him out for years and required surgery. He ultimately returned to action and finished out his career at Ponderosa in Colorado. Mendez was one of the top recruits in the country before signing with Ohio State prior to last season. He went 19-9 at 133 pounds and finished sixth to become an All-American. He appeared to be in control throughout this bout, but it was a very close contest. There is always a chance that wrestlers who train together will have tighter matches. However, Mendez did play it close at times last year, and Ohio State fans will be hoping he can distance himself from his opposition more this season. Iowa State 141: Jacob Frost dec. No. 16 Zach Redding 10-5 Redding qualified for the NCAA tournament as a true freshman in 2021, and he returned to the event last year before seeing his season come to an end in the round of 12. He was expected to move into a starting role at 141 pounds this year. Those plans seem a bit cloudy after he dropped a 10-5 match against Frost last week. Frost was the 224th-ranked prospect by MatScouts before he joined the Cyclone program last year. During a redshirt year, he went 18-4 with two of his four losses coming against teammates. This victory could put him in position to earn a starting spot and put him on the path toward a spot in the rankings. Iowa State 149: Anthony Echemendia dec. No. 14 Casey Swiderski 4-3 The talent has always been there for Echemendia. However, he still needed to make the conversion from freestyle to folkstyle in order to be a successful college wrestler. This transition was made more difficult after a prolonged recruitment process and some high-profile legal issues. However, at least on the mat, things appear to be headed in the right direction. Back at Iowa State, Echemendia picked up a one-point victory over Swiderski. Last year, as a true freshman, Swiderski had several bright spots on the season and finished only one match short of All-American status. Oregon State 174: No. 11 Travis Wittlake dec. Mason Reiniche 4-3 After five years at Oklahoma State, Wittlake, an Oregon native, will return home and wrestle for the Beavers this season. He began his Oklahoma State career at 174 pounds before dropping down to 165 for multiple years. Last season, he moved up to 184 pounds and qualified for the NCAA tournament. Considering his background, Wittlake was expected to defeat Reiniche and hold down this spot for Oregon State. Reiniche had an undefeated 9-0 record last year in open tournaments and was able to keep it close with Wittlake. It will be interesting to see how the former Oklahoma State wrestler does in his third different weight class of his college career. Oklahoma 174: #13 Tate Picklo dec. #17 (at 165) Gerrit Nijenhuis 5-3 Sometimes preseason weights can be a fluid situation, so our preseason rankings had both of these wrestlers at separate weights, but Nijenhuis wrestled at 174 in last night’s wrestle-off. The incumbent, Picklo, managed a 5-3 victory, which could present a good problem for the new Sooner staff. Transfer Cael Carlson is a past NCAA qualifier at 165 lbs, Picklo and Nijenhuis are at 174 and two other national qualifiers are at 184 (Giuseppe Hoose and DJ Parker). Nijenhuis and Parker both have yet to redshirt, so that could be the direction that Roger Kish goes with this potential dilemma.

Ah, match day. When you combine those two words—which aren't very good on their own—you get my favorite phrase in the entire English language. It sounds really lovely when it rings. That sentence also has another benefit: it doesn't require an introduction. When you mention "Match Day," fans of wrestling smile when you say such words to them. It is undoubtedly the greatest starting event the sports world has to offer. How am I aware of that? It helps, though, that I suffer from a severe case of "the bias," which I believe I should be honest about because I can't conceal it. I am, after all, a wrestling writer, as it says up there. For us wrestling enthusiasts, tradition and history are everything, and the NCAA season puts the sport's heritage and past front and center. It's something that wrestling journalists have long noted. In light of that, I'm prepared to contribute my words to the stack right now. Even though I really wanted to think of a novel explanation for why match week is so great, the clichéd talk about the opening competition is still relevant. Match days have always been unique occasions thanks to history and tradition, and they always will be. If necessary, you can watch all the matches on your couch, but that's not the best situation. The ideal places to enjoy match days are your local colleges, and the experiences you have will vary based on which ones you attend. There are some experiences that are straightforward. Teams will showcase their best wrestlers. Other teams will dispatch their backup wrestlers. Along with representatives from other media outlets, alumni will be present to observe and/or offer commentary. Then there are other Match Day customs, the ones that shout out those two phrases that wrestling fans adore. Histories! Traditions! Do you need more evidence to support my admiration for Match Days? That's too bad. I don't have any, and to be honest, I doubt that there is any more reason at all. Most conversations regarding what's better than what and why will center on data and verifiable proof, but not in this case. I can tell it's unique just by looking at its age and rustic features, which give the story within some strength. Match Day is that. Although it's a fantastic artifact from the past, I think I can speak for all wrestling fans when I say that Match Day is something that never gets old. Fill your weekend with wrestling: Thursday, November 2: Oregon State - North Carolina Dual Southern Illinois Edwardsville - Illinois Dual Maryland - American Dual Oregon State - Greensboro Dual Greensboro - North Carolina Dual Oregon State - Queens Dual Queens - North Carolina Dual Queens - Greensboro Dual Friday, November 3: NC State - Appalachian State Dual Rutgers - Cal Poly Dual Fort Hays State - Northern Colorado Dual New Mexico Highlands - Northern Colorado Dual Rutgers - Duke Dual Duke - Cal Poly Dual Lindenwood - Northern Illinois Dual St. Ambrose - Northern Illinois Dual St. Ambrose - Lindenwood Dual Saturday, November 4: Nebraska - North Dakota State Dual Navy - Illinois Dual Iowa - Cal Baptist Dual Western Colorado - Air Force Dual CSU Pueblo - Air Force Dual Duke - Stanford Dual Cumberland Patriot Open Maryville Open Menlo Open Southeast Open Sunday, November 5: Iowa State - Cleveland State Dual Lindenwood - Wisconsin Dual Western Wyoming College - Wyoming Dual Clarion Open Princeton Open Rookie Open The Citadel Invite

Hastings