InterMat Staff

The start of the 2023-24 college season is rapidly approaching and over the next few weeks InterMat will bombard you with coverage, previews, and content from all angles. It might be too much to keep track of! With that in mind, here's a spot to look for all of InterMat's 2023-24 preseason coverage. This page will be updated as more content is posted! Top 50 List #6-10 #11-15 #16-20 #21-25 #26-30 #31-35 #36-40 #41-45 #46-50 ACC Duke Team Preview NC State Team Preview North Carolina Team Preview Pittsburgh Team Preview Virginia Team Preview Big 12 2023-24 Big 12 Team Tiers 2023-24 Big 12 Predictions Ranking the Strength of Each Big 12 Weight Class Big 12 Breakdown Podcast: Preseason Part One Big 12 Breakdown Podcast: Preseason Part Two Big 12 Breakdown Podcast: Preseason Part Three Big 12 Breakdown Podcast: Preseason Part Four Big Ten Illinois Team Preview Indiana Team Preview Iowa Team Preview Maryland Team Preview Michigan Team Preview Michigan State Team Preview Minnesota Team Preview Nebraska Team Preview Northwestern Team Preview Ohio State Team Preview Penn State Team Preview Purdue Team Preview Rutgers Team Preview Wisconsin Team Preview Seven Reactions from the Big Ten Schedule Release The 2023-24 Big Ten Scouting Report: Part One The 2023-24 Big Ten Scouting Report: Part Two 2023-24 Preseason Talk with Indiana Head Coach Angel Escobedo 2023-24 Preseason Talk with Minnesota Head Coach Brandon Eggum 2023-24 Preseason Talk with Northwestern's Matt Storniolo and BJ Futrell 2023-24 Preseason Talk with Rutgers Head Coach Scott Goodale 2023-24 Preseason Talk with Wisconsin Head Coach Chris Bono EIWA 2023-24 EIWA Preview (Part One) 2023-24 EIWA Preview (Part Two) October 2023 - EIWA Podcast with Kevin Ward MAC 8 Burning Questions for the MAC in 2023-24 5 (More) Burning Questions for the MAC in 2023-24 Pac-12 Team-by Team Preview SoCon Conference Preview (Part One) Conference Preview (Part Two) Campus Visit's Arizona State Columbia Maryland - Red and Black Wrestle-Off's Miscellaneous All-330 Projections Breakout Stars for the 2023-24 Season Fantasy College Wrestling 101 (2024 Version) FCW's Week 1 Fantasy Outlook Tip and Tricks to Winning Your Fantasy Wrestling Week, Every Week Introducing the New DI Head Coaches November's Top Duals The Replacements: Who Takes Over for 2023's Graduated Stars? True Freshmen to Watch for 2023-24 2023-24 DI Postseason Tournament Dates/Locations 2023-24 Milestone Watch List

Waverly-Shell Rock

A great deal of experience packs the lineup for Indiana this season as four returning NCAA qualifiers, five returning starters and a few transfers will be in the mix for Coach Angel Escobedo. Top Returners NCAA qualifiers Graham Rooks, Derek Gilcher, Donnell Washington, and Jacob Bullock are back this season. Rooks, Washington, and Bullock all come back at 149, 174 and 285, respectively. Gilcher will be moving up to 165 to form a pretty powerful trio in the middle of the lineup. Both Rooks and Washington went 2-2 at NCAAs last year, but Rooks made it to the quarterfinals before taking a loss. Gilcher and Bullock both finished 1-2 to end their seasons. These four guys will be looking to impress upon those finishes from a season ago. Key Departures The Hoosiers didn’t really lose anyone from a season ago. The lineup will have new faces in it, but not due to transferring out or graduating. Newcomers As I mentioned above, they didn’t lose any key guys from them transferring out, but they got some guys that transferred in. First on that list is 2021 NCAA All-American Brayton Lee. After spending his career at Minnesota where he was a starter for multiple years until an injury brought his 2022 season to an end. He made a return the following year but continued to battle some injuries through the season. And now the three-time Indiana state champion is making his way back home to compete for the Hoosiers. Lee will be filling the spot at 157 as Gilcher moves to 165. Another transfer looking to make an instant impact for Coach Escobedo is Roman Rogotzke, a transfer from South Dakota State. After being with the Jackrabbits for 2 seasons and spending one in a redshirt, he heads to Indiana as the projected starter at 184. During his redshirt freshman season last year, he ended up with a 17-8 record. The third transfer on the list is Danny Fongaro, a graduate transfer from Columbia. Fongaro is a .500 wrestler with a good deal of experience in the EIWA where he was fifth and sixth at the conference tournament the last two seasons. He could be one of two guys to see time at 141 this season. Wrestlers to watch Grad student Nick Willham is returning to this year’s lineup at 285. Last year he was an NCAA alternate at 197 and this year I doubt he will be on the outside looking in. He has showed great improvement every year. In addition to Willham, there’s redshirt freshman Isaac Thornton and Sophomore Henry Porter. Thornton will be filling the spot at 133 as Porter moves up to 141 after starting at 133 last year as a true freshman a season ago. Top out-of-conference dual Just a few days before Christmas they head to Bethlehem, PA to take on Lehigh who is the #23-ranked dual meet team coming into the season. Lehigh has a very talented roster with a few logjams of talent in the middle (according to our very own Austin Sommer who covers the EIWA, check out his preview). But depending on how Lehigh’s lineup shakes out, we could see some very competitive matches from 141-165.

Wednesday’s DI Dual Results Buffalo 47 Brockport 4 125 - Tristan Daugherty (Buffalo) fall Liam Bullock (Brockport) 4:09 133 - Tommy Maddox (Buffalo) tech Alexander Burroughs (Brockport) 17-1 141 - Andy Lucinski (Buffalo) dec Francis Whitehouse (Brockport) 9-5 149 - Nick Stampoulos (Buffalo) tech Charles Loucks (Brockport) 20-4 157 - Ty Raines (Buffalo) tech Logan Palmeri (Brockport) 18-2 165 - Rafael Knapp (Buffalo) fall Max Ebanks (Brockport) 4:11 174 - Dylan Schell (Buffalo) tech Michael Syposs (Brockport) 18-3 184 - Chase Kranitz (Buffalo) fall Spencer Clements (Brockport) :51 197 - Sam Mitchell (Buffalo) fall Elijah Bonet (Brockport) 2:38 285 - Nick Franco (Brockport) maj Robert Unruh (Buffalo) 12-1 Buffalo 36 Seton Hill 7 125 - William Burgess (Seton Hill) maj Troy Guerra (Buffalo) 10-0 133 - Kyle Burkholder (Seton Hill) dec Cole French (Buffalo) 7-2 141 - Andy Lucinski (Buffalo) dec Niko Ferra (Seton Hill) 3-0 149 - Kaleb Burgess (Buffalo) fall Braxton Miller (Seton Hill) 4:14 157 - Eric Tigue (Buffalo) maj Nolan Daerr (Seton Hill) 9-0 165 - Hunter Shaut (Buffalo) fall Kane Kettering (Seton Hill) 14-4 174 - Jay Nivison (Buffalo) FFT 184 - Chase Kranitz (Buffalo) tech Riley O’Mara (Seton Hill) 18-0 197 - Lonnell Owens-Pabon (Buffalo) dec Brendan Finntery (Seton Hill) 10-3 285 - Robert Unruh (Buffalo) maj Ethan Cain (Seton Hill) 8-0 Buffalo 49 Niagara CC 0 125 - Troy Guerra (Buffalo) maj JR Leuer (Niagara CC) 17-3 133 - Cole French (Buffalo) dec Michael Catanzaro (Niagara CC) 6-0 141 - Aaron Lanster (Buffalo) tech Kenny Blowers (Niagara CC) 18-1 149 - Nick Stampoulos (Buffalo) fall Antione Walker (Niagara CC) Fall 3:30 157 - Carter Gill (Buffalo) dec Kace Cook (Niagara CC) 2-0 165 - Brady Unger (Buffalo) tech Quinn Brown (Niagara CC) 21-6 174 - Dylan Schell (Buffalo) tech Payton Grabowski (Niagara CC) 19-4 184 - Rafael Knapp (Buffalo) FFT 197 - Lonnell Owens-Pabon (Buffalo) fall Cameron Hall (Niagara CC) 1:18 285 - Robert Unruh (Buffalo) FFT Buffalo 36 Glenville State 15 125 - Tristan Daugherty (Buffalo) tech Devin Easton (Glenville State) 18-2 133 - Gavin Quiocho (Glenville State) fall Tomm Maddox (Buffalo) 4:18 141 - Andy Lucinski (Buffalo) FFT 149 - Kaleb Burgess (Buffalo) tech Ethan Hardy (Glenville State) 19-4 157 - Ty Raines (Buffalo) fall William Houser (Glenville State) 2:16 165 - Guy DeLonardis (Glenville State) dec Hunter Shaut (Buffalo) 8-2 174 - Jay Nivison (Buffalo) maj Cade Linn (Glenville State) 10-2 184 - Chase Kranitz (Buffalo) tech Brady Ross (Glenville State) 17-2 197 - Sam Mitchell (Buffalo) tech Nick Copley (Glenville State) 17-2 285 - Gavin Shamblin (Glenville State) fall Will Hotaling (Buffalo) 4:13 Campbell 25 Army West Point 9 125 - Ethan Berginc (Army West Point) dec Zander Phaturos (Campbell) 6-1 133 - Domenic Zaccone (Campbell) dec Braden Basile (Army West Point) 12-10 141 - Chris Rivera (Campbell) dec Zach Keal (Army West Point) 4-1 149 - Trae McDaniel (Army West Point) dec Justin Rivera (Campbell) 7-0 157 - Chris Earnest (Campbell) dec Nate Lukez (Army West Point) 10-6 165 - Dalton Harkins (Army West Point) dec Dom Baker (Campbell) 4-1 174 - Austin Murphy (Campbell) dec Gunner Filipowicz (Army West Point) 4-2 184 - Caleb Hopkins (Campbell) maj Ben Pasiuk (Army West Point) 8-0 197 - Levi Hopkins (Campbell) dec Daniel Lawrence (Army West Point) 6-0 285 - Taye Ghadiali (Campbell) fall Lucas Stoddard (Army West Point) Fall 3:47 NC State 48 Presbyterian 0 125 - NC State FFT 133 - Jacob Cox (NC State) tech Trenton Dominquez (Presbyterian) 17-1 141 - Tyler Tracy (NC State) dec Ryan Luna (Presbyterian) 6-4 149 - Jackson Arrington (NC State) tech Trenton Donahue (Presbyterian) 19-3 157 - Zach Karagis (NC State) dec Eli Holiday (Presbyterian) 3-1 165 - AJ Kovacs (NC State) tech Michael Ramirez (Presbyterian) 18-1 174 - Alex Faison (NC State) maj Reed Douglas (Presbyterian) 184 - Dylan Fishback (NC State) fall Caleb Roe (Presbyterian) 197 - Christian Knop (NC State) tech George Hopkins (Presbyterian) 17-2 285 - Chase Horne (NC State) fall Morvens Saint Jean (Presbyterian) The Citadel 57 Allen 0 125 - Malik Hardy (The Citadel) tech Reco Robinson (Allen) 15-0 133 - George Rosas (The Citadel) fall Nyshaad Hannon (Allen) 2:14 141 - Brayton Killiri (The Citadel) FFT 149 - Hayden Watson (The Citadel) fall Drevon Wallace (Allen) 6:12 157 - Thomas Snipes (The Citadel) fall James Dargin (Allen) 2:29 165 - Aidan Lenz (The Citadel) fall Ya’Donnis Hardaway (Allen) 1:32 174 - Josh Stillings (The Citadel) tech Michael Jackson (Allen) 15-0 184 - Adam Ortega (The Citadel) fall Jerrel Baskins (Allen) 5:42 197 - Patrick Brophy (The Citadel) tech Emmanuel Velasquez Alvarado (Allen) 17-2 285 - Ben Stemmet (The Citadel) fall Chandler Allen (Allen) 2:20 The Citadel 50 Montreat 4 125 - Malik Hardy (The Citadel) FFT 133 - George Rosas (The Citadel) fall Alexander Grabowski (Montreat) 1:04 141 - Thomas Termini (The Citadel) FFT 149 - Carson DeRosier (The Citadel) tech Ethan Bennett (Montreat) 15-0 157 - Thomas Snipes (The Citadel) maj Daniel Bennett (Montreat) 16-4 165 - Mohamed Ben Hafsia (Montreat) maj Justin Hays (The Citadel) 12-2 174 - Brodie Porter (The Citadel) fall Zechariah Wallace-Turner (Montereat) 1:02 184 - Adam Ortega (The Citadel) fall Tyler McDonald (Montreat) 2:41 197 - Patrick Brophy (The Citadel) tech Milosz Gargol (Montreat) 19-4 285 - John Chesser (The Citadel) fall Lucian Thomas (Montreat) 1:44 Little Rock 48 Carl Albert 3 125 - Jeremiah Reno (Little Rock) tech RJ Jones (Carl Albert) 18-2 133 - Josh Sarpy (Little Rock) tech Ryder Clark (Carl Albert) 17-0 141 - Brennan Van Hoecke (Little Rock) maj Cooper Evans (Carl Albert) 17-3 149 - Jaden Two Lance (Carl Albert) dec Jake Adams (Little Rock) 7-1 157 - Matt Bianchi (Little Rock) fall Cade Evans (Carl Albert) 2:27 165 - Brendon Abdon (Little Rock) tech Noah Smith (Carl Albert) 17-2 174 - Tyler Brennan (Little Rock) fall Matthew Mason (Carl Albert) 1:30 184 - Triston Wills (Little Rock) fall Trey Hudgens (Carl Albert) 1:23 197 - Stephen Little (Little Rock) tech Hunter Hall (Carl Albert) 20-4 285 - Josiah Hill (Little Rock) fall Austin Blair (Carl Albert) 2:32

Union

The Tar Heels ended the season last year on a high note - crowning Austin O’Connor with his second NCAA title and freshman Lachlan McNeil and sophomore Gavin Kane earning All-American honors, while finishing in 12th place as a team. They return a solid nucleus from last year’s squad that will provide much-needed stability and leadership for a program under new leadership. Previous Head Coach Coleman Scott announced his resignation and returned to his alma mater at Oklahoma State, leading to the return of UNC alum and well-established and successful Head Coach Rob Koll. Koll has shaken up the coaching staff by bringing two coaches with him from Stanford in Enock Francois and Ben Darmstadt. They maintained the consistent leadership of Associate Head Coach Tony Ramos, who has been a lynchpin in the growth of this program. North Carolina will have a much different look to their lineup this year after the graduation of four multi-year starters; Zach Sherman, Austin O’Connor, Clay Lautt, Brandon Whitman and transfer Jack Wagner; we will see some very talented younger Tar Heels taking to the mat. I am very interested to see how the team fares under the leadership of Koll, who has an incredible resume and track record of success across all weight classes. TOP RETURNERS Lachlan McNeil navigated a challenging freshman season well; he took some tough losses early in the season but rounded into form before ACC duals. In one of the tougher weights in the ACC, he went 3-2 in duals, falling to All-American Cole Matthews and Ryan Jack. He dropped a tight match to Jack in the ACC semifinals and finished in 3rd. I spoke with Lachlan after this match and it was clear it left a bad taste in his mouth and he expected more from himself. He proved those expectations correct in Tusla, working through some landmines in the bracket he made it to the quarterfinals before falling to eventual NCAA champ Andrew Alirez. McNeil pushed through the backside to make the third-place bout, falling to Beau Bartlett and finishing in fourth place to earn All-American honors in his first NCAA tournament. McNeil also continues to get quality competition on the freestyle scene. Representing Team Canada, he wrestled in the World Championships and multiple other freestyle tournaments - winning a title at the Grand Prix of Spain. Gavin Kane showed glimpses of his All-American ability during his freshman year, making the ACC finals with a win over Hunter Bolen, before falling to Trent Hidlay to take second. Last year, in his sophomore campaign, he shook off some early struggles against top-10 competition and went on a 12-1 run from January through ACC competition with his only loss to Hunter Bolen in the dual; he did not wrestle against Trent Hidlay in the NC State dual. Kane avenged the loss to Bolen at the ACC tournament to face Hidlay in the finals where he dropped a 7-2 decision. Kane entered the NCAA tournament as the 12-seed and was upset in the opening round. He went on an incredible run on the backside knocking off 11th-seeded Abe Assad in his first consolation match and topping conference foe and seventh seed Hunter Bolen 4-3 in the bloodround match to earn All-American honors. Kane finished in eighth place in Tulsa and will be looking to move up the steps this year in Kansas City. KEY DEPARTURES Austin O’Connor left Chapel Hill as one of, if not the most decorated wrestler to compete for the Tar Heels. Two-time NCAA Champion, four-time NCAA All-American (3, COVID 1st Team, 1, 8, 1), three-time ACC Champion, ACC Wrestler of the Year. He finished with a 91% winning percentage at 136-13 overall. While many will view his two titles as the most impressive achievement, I will forever be in awe of his performance in 2022 when he fought through the ACC and NCAA tournament with a badly injured knee. He was able to grit his way through the NCAA tournament, falling in the first round to Dazjon Casto before reeling off four straight wins, including a bloodround win over Josh Humphries to earn All-American honors before defaulting out of the tournament to finish in 8th. Zach Sherman started off his career in Chapel Hill at 133, earned All-American honors at 141 and came back to help the team with his final year of eligibility at 149. He exemplified leadership and sacrifice for the good of the team fighting through a series of serious shoulder injuries in his final two years. He was a four-time NCAA qualifier, three-time ACC finalist, and one-time ACC Champion. Clay Lautt earned All-American status in 2022, after falling in the blood round in 2021. Lautt entered last year with a top-10 ranking and high expectations; unfortunately, he suffered a knee injury that ended his season early. He ended his time in Chapel Hill as a three-time ACC finalist, one-time ACC Champion, three-time NCAA qualifier and one-time All-American. NEWCOMERS With the youth of this team, we will likely see multiple wrestlers getting experience early in the season to establish the true starter-hence, many names listed on the potential lineup. The coaching staff did an excellent job last year utilizing the five dates for freshmen to get them mat time in duals, so even though there are some young faces, most of them have seen time in the starting lineup. WRESTLER TO WATCH There are several new faces to keep your eye on for the Tar Heels. One that stands out to me is Danny Nini. He went 6-7 in his redshirt season at 149, which doesn’t sound amazing until you look at his competition. He had losses to Yianni Diakomihalis, Levi Haines, and Jon Jon Millner in dual competition. He will be moving up to 157, a much better weight for him where he can focus more on wrestling and less on weight cutting. Coaches have said great things about what they have seen from him in the room over the past year and expect big things from him this season. He was a Florida state champ, NHSCA Champion and #26 overall recruit coming into Chapel Hill--I think a year of college wrestling under his belt is going to pay big dividends and we will see a dangerous wrestler in Danny Nini. Another one to keep an eye on is Spencer Moore. He started two years ago as a (very young) true freshman and showed glimpses of what he could be. A year in the weight room and an extra year of maturity have paid off and I think the Tar Heels will have a solid anchor at the bottom of the lineup. TOP OUT-OF-CONFERENCE DUAL The Tar Heels have put together a challenging out-of-conference schedule, including an opening day dual against #20 Oregon State to close out the Carolina Duals. They will also face Buffalo and #11 Arizona State at Journeymen Wranglemania and Central Michigan and #24 Illinois in Champaign. With all the changes the Tar Heels have this year between graduating multiple long-term starters and a new coaching staff, I am excited to see how they shape up against a very tough Oregon State squad. Coach Pendelton and staff have done a phenomenal job rebuilding the OSU team, and have done it much more quickly than many expected. Spencer Moore, coming off a redshirt year, will face #11 Brandon Kaylor, #3 Lachlan McNeil will have #20 Cleveland Belton and #33 Aydin Guttridge will square off with #21 Boone McDermott. This is an opportunity for a young Tar Heel squad to make a statement to start the season. POTENTIAL LINEUP North Carolina #19 Tournament #27 Dual 125: Spencer Moore 8-3 (RS) 133: Jayce Palmer 12-14 2-3 ACC Cayden McCrary 4-2 141: #3 Lachlan McNeil 27-9 3-2 ACC - All-American (4th) - 1x NCAA Qualifier 149: Jayden Scott 14-6 (RS) 157: Danny Nini 6-7 (RS) Sonny Santiago 9-1 165: Nick Fea 4-5 RS Isaias Estrada Did Not Compete Last Season 174: Cade Tenold 12-13 (RS) Marcus Murabito 11-4 (RS) Sabino Portella True Freshman 184: #6 Gavin Kane 25-9 3-1 ACC - All-American (8th) - 2x NCAA Qualifier - 2x ACC Finalist 197: #18 Max Shaw 16-12 0-3 ACC - 2x NCAA Qualifier Cade Lautt 7-4 0-1 ACC 285: #33 Aydin Guttridge 13-7 1-0 ACC

The season kicks off tonight, November 1 at The Battle at Liberty - hosted by Campbell University, streaming on UFC Fight Pass. Campbell University The Camels are coming into the ’23-’24 season with a bang - kicking off their dual season with The Battle at Liberty, where they’ll face off against Army. They’ll also likely settle the debate of “who’s America’s team?” In the SoCon preseason poll - five returning members were named to the all-conference team, Shannon Hanna (141), Austin Murphy (174), brothers Caleb (184) and Levi Hopkins (197), and heavyweight Taye Ghadiali, with the program coming out on top in the preseason poll. This schedule is absolutely stacked this season - the Camels head out West to Wyoming where they’ll actually wrestle in a barn. The Fighting Camel Duals will take place in December, where Gore Arena will be host to Purdue, Stanford, and North Dakota State’s programs for an action-packed day of duals. It’ll be a fierce Fight Pass Friday in February when App State travels to The Creek for a dual meet. This conference rivalry has been so fun to watch develop and continue - the wrestling keeps getting better and the energy between these two fan bases is unmatched. The Fighting Camels will also host conference foes Chattanooga to cap off their home dual series. This lineup (if we’re looking at returning starters) is filled with well-seasoned competitors, it’ll be exciting to see how this more mature team matches up with the younger rosters in the conference. Preseason rankings: 133: Domenic Zaccone (12) 141: Shannon Hanna (23) 174: Austin Murphy (30) 184: Caleb Hopkins (20) 197: Levi Hopkins (27) HWT: Taye Ghadiali (15) VMI Wrestle-offs, intrasquad matches, whichever you prefer to call them, used to be more low-key events. Programs like VMI have gotten creative, hosting their intrasquad match in the barracks. The Keydets are headed into the ’23-’24 season following a 9-8 season, with a 2-6 conference record, picking up victories against Presbyterian and Davidson. Home duals begin at Cormack Hall in November against Limestone and Marymount - DII and DIII program, and will kick off conference competition in January, hosting Chattanooga. The Keydets will see upperweight stars Tyler Mousaw and Josh Evans return to the mat this season, alongside SoCon placewinners Braxton Lewis and Ryan Vigil. Both were freshmen in 2022-23. A crowd favorite is the rivalry between VMI and The Citadel - which will be held in Charleston this year. The Keydets will also be in attendance at the Soldier Salute, hosted by the University of Iowa. Preseason rankings: None Gardner-Webb The Runnin’ Bulldogs kick off their season hosting Kent State and Ohio University, the conference season will begin for them in February, when the Chattanooga Mocs travel to Boiling Springs for a SoCon showdown. Gardner-Webb will also host Davidson, The Citadel, and will round off their hosting duties for the season with a dual against VMI. Returning to the mat this season, we’ll see Jha’Quan Anderson (184) and Zach Price (141), who ended their seasons with second-place finishes at the conference tournament, Anderson making his second appearance at the NCAA Championships via an at-large bid. The Runnin’ Bulldogs had a 4-4 conference record last season, clinching victories against Bellarmine, The Citadel, VMI, and Davidson, and will look to avenge last season’s losses to Chattanooga and Presbyterian. Preseason rankings: 133: Todd Carter (33) 184: Jha’Quan Anderson (32) The Citadel We’ve talked about the Runnin’ Bulldogs, now it’s time to talk about The Bulldogs of The Citadel. Finishing off the ’22-23 season with an overall 7-5 record, and a 3-5 conference record, The Citadel picked up wins over Presbyterian, Davidson, and military academy rivals VMI. Returning stars include Ben Haubert (165) and John Chesser (HWT), following third-place finishes at the conference tournament. The Bulldogs will host four conference duals this season: a military matchup against VMI, Bellarmine, Davidson, and Presbyterian. Preseason rankings: None Presbyterian Presbyterian will enter their fifth season led by Dominic Chavez (125), selected for the preseason All-SoCon team. Chavez made history for the Blue Hose last season, becoming the first finalist in program history. He finished the season as Southern Conference runner-up at 125, but is on top at the beginning of the ’23-’24 campaign. The Blue Hose are slated to be featured at The Battle at Liberty, wrestling against NC State following the Campbell vs Army dual. Presbyterian picked up their sole conference win last season against Gardner-Webb, besting the Runnin’ Bulldogs 19-18. That rematch will take place in Blue Hose territory this season. Preseason rankings: None

Staunton River

Every week during the 2023-24 season, the InterMat staff will submit their picks for some of the most high-profile or competitive dual meets. Once the results start rolling in, we'll keep track of records for bragging rights or as ammunition for when we mock each other. No, we'd never do that, it's all in good fun (right?). Below are the picks for week one which gets underway today!

Wyoming Seminary

What has become a preseason staple for us at InterMat, counting down the top 50 wrestlers for the upcoming season, is back for 2023-24. With a large chunk of sixth and seventh-year seniors gone, there is plenty of turnover from last year’s list to this one. That makes for a lot of fun and perhaps some spirited debates. Like last year, the third iteration of this feature will show five wrestlers at a time, counting down from #50 to #1. For each wrestler, we’ll have some basic information along with career highlights, and a brief analysis of their career (with an emphasis on last season), followed by an outlook for the upcoming season. Here are #11-16 #16-20 #21-25 #26-30 #31-35 #36-40 #41-45 #46-50 10) Greg Kerkvliet (Penn State) Weight: 285 lbs College Achievements: 3x All-American (7,4,2) 2022 Top-50 Ranking: #19 Greg Kerkvliet turned his best collegiate season to date in 2022-23 when he finished as a runner-up at the Big Ten and NCAA Championships and maintained a 63% bonus point percentage. Kerkvliet’s only three losses throughout the year came to the same opponent, Hodge Trophy winner Mason Parris (Michigan). Five of Kerkvliet’s 19 wins came over wrestlers who would finish the year on the NCAA podium. One of the notable ones came over Tony Cassioppi (Iowa) to preserve the Nittany Lions win over Iowa. Another came in the NCAA semifinals against future U23 world champion Wyatt Hendrickson. The victory over Hendrickson snapped an 18-match winning streak for the star from Air Force. 2023-24 Outlook: For the first time in his career, Kerkvliet might not have the eventual Hodge Trophy winner in his weight class. That being said, the presence of Gable Steveson is still looming over the 285 lb bracket this season. For now, Kerkvliet is the favorite. He might get a chance to assert himself in an unofficial early-season scrap against Hendrickson. The two are slated to square off at the All-Star Classic; however, Hendrickson appeared to be banged up in his U23 final. Kerkvliet has steadily improved his NCAA finish in each year he’s competed, so can he take the next step and finish on top of the podium in Kansas City? 9) Parker Keckeisen (Northern Iowa) Weight: 184 lbs College Achievements: 3x NCAA All-American (2,3,3), 3x Big 12 Champion 2022 Top-50 Ranking: #17 After back-to-back third-place finishes at the NCAA Championships, Parker Keckeisen brought through and made his first NCAA finals in 2023. Keckeisen came up just a bit short in the championship match against nemesis Aaron Brooks (Penn State). Brooks has been responsible for three of Keckeisen’s five career losses. His only one during the 2022-23 season came against another frequent opponent, Trent Hidlay, in the Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational finals. Keckeisen avenged that loss with a dramatic pin in the final dual at the Collegiate Duals. One match earlier, Keckeisen defeated Kaleb Romero, who ended up taking third at nationals. After winning his third consecutive Big 12 title, Keckeisen was awarded the top-seed in Tulsa. 2023-24 Outlook: With Brooks moving up to 197 lbs, Keckeisen starts the year ranked number one at 184 lbs. He’s aiming to become UNI’s second NCAA champion since 2019 at 184 lbs. One of Keckeisen’s early challenges will come at the All-Star Classic, when he takes on second-ranked Bernie Truax (Penn State), Brooks’ replacement. Truax is the only opponent not named Brooks or Hidlay to defeat Keckeisen officially in college. The two traded wins at the 2022 NCAA Tournament. Just over a week later, most of the key contenders could be in attendance at the CKLV Invitationals. Wrestlers ranked #3-#6 have teams that have signed up. 8. Real Woods (Iowa) Weight: 141 lbs College Achievements: 2x NCAA All-American (2,6), 3x Conference Champion (2x Pac-12, 1x Big Ten) 2022 Top-50 Ranking: #28 After spending four years at Stanford, Real Woods transferred to Iowa for the 2022-23 season and thrived in his new home. Woods missed the first month of the year, but won a gritty decision against Casey Swiderski in the much-anticipated Iowa/Iowa State dual for his Hawkeye debut. Woods went on to win his first 20 matches in an Iowa singlet before falling to Andrew Alirez (Northern Colorado) in the NCAA finals. Along the way, Woods grabbed his third conference championship and first in the Big Ten after edging Brock Hardy (Nebraska) 2-1. A Big Ten title and a perfect record were enough to warrant the top-seed at the 2023 NCAA Championships. It marked the third time that Woods had received a seed in the top-four at nationals. To lock up a spot in the national finals, Woods this time majored Hardy, 11-1. 2023-24 Outlook: With so much uncertainty surrounding the Iowa program this season, Woods is one constant. A few weeks ago, news surfaced that returning champion Andrew Alirez planned to take an Olympic redshirt for the 2023-24 campaign. That bumped Woods up to the top spot in the latest rankings. I’m sure he’d rather have another shot at Alirez, but for now, Woods is that man to beat at 141 lbs. This weight class does have a pair of wrestlers with past wins against Woods; however, those are a few years in the past at this point. The move to Iowa has brought out the best in Woods and he seems to be a different wrestler from those previous seasons (when he was really good too). 7) Daton Fix (Oklahoma State) Weight: 133 lbs College Achievements: 4x NCAA All-American (4,2,2,2), 4x Big 12 Champion 2022 Top-50 Ranking: #7 Heading into the 2022-23 season, I’m sure Daton Fix wanted to avoid ending his year with a loss in the NCAA finals; something that happened in each of the previous three seasons. That ended up happening, but not in the manner he anticipated. Fix wasn’t able to return to the NCAA championship match for the first time in his career, losing to Vito Arujau (Cornell), 11-3. He’d stumble again in the third-place bout against Arizona State’s Michael McGee. Fix entered the national tournament with an unbeaten record for the third consecutive year. Throughout his career, he’s never been seeded lower than second at nationals (first 2x, second 2x). Before nationals, Fix captured his fourth Big 12 title making him the 10th Oklahoma State wrestler to achieve the feat. 2023-24 Outlook: Daton Fix enters his final year at Oklahoma State with a 103-6 career record. Obviously, three of those losses have come in the national finals. He’ll obviously want to avoid the distinction of being one of the best wrestlers never to win a national title. Fix starts the year ranked second in the nation behind Arujau. While it’s conceivable that Arujau could beat him again, it’s hard to fathom it being via major decision again. There’s a shot that the two tangle at the CKLV, as OSU is making the rare trip out to Vegas. 6) Andrew Alirez (Northern Colorado) Weight: 141 lbs College Achievements: 2023 NCAA Champion, 2x Big 12 Champion 2022 Top-50 Ranking: Not Ranked 2023 was a banner year for Andrew Alirez and Northern Colorado. The hometown boy became the school’s first NCAA All-American under Troy Nickerson and the first at UNC since 2010. His national title was the first by a Northern Colorado wrestler since 1962. Alirez capped off a perfect 28-0 record with an exciting 6-4 victory over Real Woods in the national finals. Along the way, Alirez claimed a title at the Southern Scuffle and finished the year with a bonus point percentage of over 71%. That was almost double his mark from the previous season (37%). 2023-24 Outlook: Alirez’s outlook is much easier to forecast than the other wrestlers we’ve profiled. He’s slated to take an Olympic redshirt this season. Alirez has always been excellent in freestyle dating back to his breakout spring in 2018 when he made the finals of the Junior World Team Trials before his senior year of high school. This year, Alirez traveled to the Ziolkowski Memorial in Poland and, not only won, but destroyed three-time world champion Haji Aliyev (Azerbaijan) in the process.

A top 10 finish. An NCAA finalist. And a serious comeback story. And a history-making alum coming back to join the coaching staff. That’s the story for Nebraska. This season the Huskers have to replace a few All-Americans while they get another one – an NCAA finalist – back in the lineup. And they also return some serious horses while inviting some newcomers to join the squad. Top Returners After finishing as a runner-up at the 2022 NCAA Championships, Ridge Lovett took a redshirt year where he only competed at the Wyoming Cowboy Open and went 4-0. He will return this year at 149 pounds and look to improve upon his second-place finish from a few seasons ago. Lovett isn’t the only high-caliber competitor in the chamber. He will be between All-Americans Brock Hardy and Peyton Robb, who return at 141 and 157, respectively. Hardy, who finished sixth at NCAAs last year in Tulsa, OK, recently claimed bronze at 65kg at the U23 World Championships. Robb, who is an early candidate for Comeback Wrestler of the Year returns at 157. After last season’s national tournament, Robb endured a horrific and life-threatening infection in his leg that had him hospitalized. Thankfully he has recovered and is bringing the same tenacity back to the mat with the scars in tow. The Huskers will also have NCAA qualifiers Bubba Wilson (165), Lenny Pinto (184), and Silas Allred (197) back this year as well. Allred was the Big Ten Champion at 197 last season before coming up short at NCAA after making the quarterfinals to finish his season. Wilson and Pinto both have fifth-place Big Ten conference tournament finishes on their resumes, but so far have come home empty-handed from NCAAs. Key Departures NCAA runner-up Mikey Labriola finished his career as the first five-time All-American in school history. He notched huge wins as a career 174-pounder. Additionally, Liam Cronin, a multiple-time NCAA qualifier and last year’s fifth-place finisher at 125 pounds finished his career last season as well. Newcomers With All-Americans Labriola and Cronin now gone, there’s some new blood in the mix. Starting at 125, we will see App. State transfer Caleb Smith at 125. Smith was a Southern Conference Champion a season ago, but was unable to notch any wins at NCAAs. At 133, there is a pair of guys that could make a possible appearance. First is Kyle Burwick, who transferred from Wisconsin before last season. And second is the Huskers’ redshirt wrestler of the year Jacob Van Dee. He only had five matches last year, but is vying for the spot here. Along with Wilson at 165, redshirt freshman Antrell Taylor could make an appearance here as well. Taylor is also a 2023 Pan Am Champion at 70kg. Wrestlers to watch Maybe I should have titled this section "biggest questions" since that’s more so what it is for the Huskers here. Replacing an NCAA finalist is never easy and this will be the case here. Right now whoever is going to fill the spot at 174 vacated by Labriola is still to be determined. It’s possible that Christopher Minto or Adam Thebeau could see time here this season until they sort out who will fully take over. Both guys are limited on experience. The guy on the roster with the most experience who could fill the spot is Elise Brown Ton. As a redshirt freshman, he was 10-6 and wrestled in a few open tournaments. The last question is who will be filling the spot at heavyweight. The most likely candidate is Harley Andrews, a redshirt freshman from Oklahoma who had a 7-2 record during his redshirt year a season ago. Top out-of-conference dual The Huskers will kick off the new year by hosting a pair of Big 12 foes in Wyoming and UNI on Jan 6.

North Point

Thompson Valley

Decatur

Summit

Winter Springs

Tioga Central

Sam Houston

Poway

Tioga

Reidsville

Timberland

Hastings

A new season begins. Like most endeavors, the first couple weeks will be a “honeymoon period” where you get excited and put a lot of time and effort into your research to get the optimal lineup. It’s going to be in about weeks four through seven where you’ll either see or be part of a large participation dropoff in your league. Stay strong, and keep up with your Weekly FCW Outlooks and #FCWpodcast (returning soon!). We enter the first week of the #FCW24 season with many duals scheduled and several teams opting for the Dual & Tournament weekend combo. The majority of teams are participating in one of either the Clarion Open, Princeton Open, or Southeast Open. Some other non-D1 tournaments will be sparsely attended by D1 teams (like the Menlo Open or Maryville Open), but remember, only points can be scored against D1 competition. The first Weekly Outlook of the season is usually one of the more difficult to evaluate due to there usually being more questions than answers. Intrasquad scrimmages and wrestle-offs sometimes have outcomes “not by the book.” Take for instance last year at the Ohio State wrestle-offs where Bryce Hepner beat assumed starter Carson Kharchla. Questions quickly swirled over: who would be the starter? Would they put off making the decision until after some tournaments? Did the result not matter? In the end, Hepner used his available Redshirt and Kharchla continued as the starter. This season, we see some similar results around the sport, like Northern Illinois’ 125 Blake West losing in the scrimmage to teammate Nathaniel Genobana (either one is a good play this week, but who, will the starter be?). We are too far out to gauge what teams are sending what wrestlers to what tournament and just slightly out of reach of the weekly team press release for the upcoming dual(s). Keep the notifications on and check back often to the article comments for updates to tournament entries and confirmed starters! A reminder of some important rules: Wrestlers entered at a weight must compete at that weight or else their results will not be counted. Wrestlers in the “Floater” spots can compete at ANY weight and accumulate Fantasy points. A wrestler will LOCK on your roster at 12pm ET on the day of their first competition for the week. (refer to the SHP’s Week Preview) Only results against D1 competition (starters, backups, and redshirts) will count towards Fantasy Points. Check your league settings to know how many add/drops are permitted per week. Have a question, concern, suggestions, or just want to chat about Fantasy Wrestling? Hit us up on Twitter or head over to the InterMat Forums where we have a Fantasy Wrestling dedicated Forum page! Wrestlers I Like This Week Wrestler (School)- competition for the week [Proj Score]* *probable entrant to tournament 125: Brandon Kaylor (ORST)- @ North Carolina, Vs Queens, Southeast Open [+7]* Nico Provo (STAN)- Vs Duke, Menlo Open [+5]* Ethan Berginc (ARMY)- @ Campbell, Princeton Open [+3]* Dean Peterson (RUT)- @ Cal Poly, Vs Duke [+10] Jakob Camacho (NCST)- @ Presbyterian, @ Appalachian State [+9] Blake West (NIU) or Nathaniel Henobana (NIU) - Vs Lindenwood [+6] Eric Barnett (WISC)- Vs Lindenwood [+6] Caleb Smith (NEB)- @ North Dakota State [+4] Braxton Brown (MARY)- @ American [+3] 133: Jackson DiSario (STAN)- Vs Duke, Menlo Open [+3]* Domenic Zaccone (CAMP)- Vs Army, Southeast Open [+3]* Kai Orine (NCST)- @ Presbyterian, @ Appalachian State [+7] Dylan Shawver (RUT)- @ Cal Poly, Vs Duke [+7] Brody Teske (IOWA)- @ California Baptist [+3] 141: Jason Miranda (STAN)- Vs Duke, Menlo Open [+4]* Shannon Hanna (CAMP)- Vs Army, Southeast Open [+3] Mitch Moore (RUT)- @ Cal Poly, Vs Duke [+9] Lachlan McNeil (UNC)- Vs Oregon State, Vs Queens [+8] Ryan Jack (NCST)- @ Presbyterian, @ Appalachian State [+8] Brock Hardy (NEB)- @ North Dakota State [+4] Real Woods (IOWA)- @ California Baptist [+4] 149: Chance Lamer (CP)- Vs Duke, Vs Rutgers, Menlo Open [+7]* Jaden Abas (STAN)- Vs Duke, Menlo Open [+5]* Caleb Tyus (SIUE)- @ Illinois, Maryville Open [+3] Jayden Scott (UNC)- Vs Oregon State, Vs Queens [+8] Jackson Arrington (NCST)- @ Presbyterian, @ Appalachian State [+8] Javion Jones (NIU) - Vs Lindenwood [+5] Ethen Miller (MARY)- @ American [+4] Ridge Lovett (NEB)- @ North Dakota State [+4] Joseph Zargo (WISC)- Vs Lindenwood [+4] Victor Voinovich (IOWA)- @ California Baptist [+3] 157: Daniel Cardenas (STAN)- Vs Duke, Menlo Open [+5]* Ed Scott (NCST)- @ Presbyterian, @ Appalachian State [+9] Jared Franek (IOWA)- @ California Baptist [+4] Peyton Robb (NEB)- @ North Dakota State [+4] Luke Mechler (WISC)- Vs Lindenwood [+4] Michael North (MARY)- @ American [+3] 165: Matthew Olguin (ORST)- @ North Carolina, Vs Queens, Southeast Open [+7]* Hunter Garvin (STAN)- Vs Duke, Menlo Open [+4]* AJ Kovacs (NCST)- @ Presbyterian, @ Appalachian State [+8] Dean Hamiti (WISC)- Vs Lindenwood [+6] Michael Caliendo (IOWA)- @ California Baptist [+5] David Carr (ISU)- @ Cleveland State [+5] Bubba Wilson (NEB)- @ North Dakota State [+3] 174: Travis Wittlake (ORST)- @ North Carolina, Vs Queens, Southeast Open [+8]* Edmond Ruth (ILL)- Vs SIU-Edwardsville, Vs Navy [+7] 184: Trey Munoz (ORST)- @ North Carolina, Vs Queens, Southeast Open [+8]* Caleb Hopkins (CAMP)- Vs Army, Southeast Open [+4]* Brian Soldano (RUT)- @ Cal Poly, Vs Duke [+10] Dylan Fishback (NCST)- @ Presbyterian, @ Appalachian State [+7] Lenny Pinto (NEB)- @ North Dakota State [+4] 197: Nick Stemmet (STAN)- Vs Duke, Menlo Open [+4]* Levi Hopkins (CAMP)- Vs Army, Southeast Open [+3]* Max Shaw (UNC)- Vs Oregon State, Vs Queens [+9] John Poznanski (RUT)- @ Cal Poly, Vs Duke [+9] Trent Hidlay (NCST)- @ Presbyterian, @ Appalachian State [+8] Zac Braunagel (ILL)- Vs SIU-Edwardsville, Vs Navy [+7] Jaxon Smith (MARY)- @ American [+4] Silas Allred (NEB)- @ North Dakota State [+4] 285: Boone McDermott (ORST)- @ North Carolina, Vs Queens, Southeast Open [+8]* Taye Ghadiali (CAMP)- Vs Army, Southeast Open [+4]* Peter Ming (STAN)- Vs Duke, Menlo Open [+3]* Owen Trephan (NCST)- @ Presbyterian, @ Appalachian State [+8] Yaraslau Slavikouski (RUT)- @ Cal Poly, Vs Duke [+7] Yonger Bastida (ISU)- @ Cleveland State [+4] Seth Nevills (MARY)- @ American [+3] Harley Andrews (NEB)- @ North Dakota State [+3] Peter Christensen (WISC)- Vs Lindenwood [+3]