InterMat Staff

From the summer to earlier this week, schedules trickled out from wrestling programs, signifying the start of another season is right around the corner. As schedules are released, I scramble to look at each and see what non-conference opponents a school has added for the year, which tournaments they’re heading to, and if any great individual matchups are looming. If I see most if not all of those items, I think “Great schedule.” You can tell a lot about a team’s schedule for the upcoming season. Some coaches know they potentially have a great team on their hands and may go out of their way to test them against the best teams or tournaments they may not normally attend. If they have a veteran team that has an injury history, maybe they’ll pull back on some of the unnecessary extra events. Some coaches like tournaments and testing their guys - they may have a handful of opens and tournaments on the schedule, while others might just have one tournament before the preseason. As fans, we want to see the top teams clash. We want to see the best possible individual matchups. Seeing a schedule loaded with top teams and enticing individual bouts is fun. Along those lines, which schools have gone out of their way to create a loaded schedule with plenty of great duals? That’s what we’ve determined today. Below are the 20 DI schools with the highest 2023-24 winning percentages for opponents on their 2024-25 schedule. The winning percentage only counts results against DI teams and does not take into account the winning percentages of non-DI teams on their current schedule. Also, there was no weight placed on a team's wins and losses. Occasionally, there were teams from smaller conferences that had a very strong dual record that may look better, on paper, than a Big Ten school. That’s just something we’ll have to live with here. Generally, it ends up balancing out. Teams also use tournaments to test themselves, so in some cases, those events may present more difficulty than their dual opponents do. For the fans of teams outside of the Big Ten. We realize the built-in Big Ten schedule tends to give everyone a bit of a boost, so their schools end up rating higher during this exercise. The number next to each school is last year’s winning percentage, against DI opponents, combined for their upcoming dual opponents. 1. Iowa (.653) Ranked Conference Duals: #1 Penn State, #3 Nebraska, #6 Ohio State, #9 Minnesota, #13 Illinois, #26 Northwestern, #27 Maryland Ranked Non-Conference Duals: #4 Oklahoma State, #7 Iowa State, #15 Stanford, #24 Oregon State, #28 Army West Point 2. Northern Iowa (.650) Ranked Conference Duals: #4 Oklahoma State, #7 Iowa State, #14 Missouri, #17 South Dakota State, #20 West Virginia, #21 Arizona State Ranked Non-Conference Duals: #3 Nebraska, **National Duals*** 2. Penn State (.650) Ranked Conference Duals: #2 Iowa, #3 Nebraska, #6 Ohio State, #12 Michigan, #13 Illinois, #18 Rutgers, #27 Maryland Ranked Non-Conference Duals: #14 Missouri, #16 Little Rock, #22 Lehigh, #25 Wyoming 4. Nebraska (.647) Ranked Conference Duals: #1 Penn State, #2 Iowa, #9 Minnesota, #12 Michigan, #29 Purdue, #30 Indiana Ranked Non-Conference Duals: #10 Northern Iowa, #23 North Carolina 5. Missouri (.637) Ranked Conference Duals: #4 Oklahoma State, #7 Iowa State, #10 Northern Iowa, #20 West Virginia, #21 Arizona State Ranked Non-Conference Duals: #1 Penn State, #5 Virginia Tech, #11 Cornell, #13 Illinois, #15 Stanford, #16 Little Rock 6. Oklahoma State (.633) Ranked Conference Duals: #7 Iowa State, #10 Northern Iowa, #14 Missouri, #20 West Virginia, #21 Arizona State, #25 Wyoming Ranked Non-Conference Duals: #2 Iowa, #5 Virginia Tech, #8 NC State, #16 Little Rock, #24 Oregon State 7. Virginia Tech (.632) Ranked Conference Duals: #8 NC State, #15 Stanford, #23 North Carolina Ranked Non-Conference Duals: #4 Oklahoma State, #14 Missouri, #18 Rutgers 8. Northwestern (.630) Ranked Conference Duals: #2 Iowa, #9 Minnesota, #12 Michigan, #13 Illinois, #29 Purdue, #30 Indiana Ranked Non-Conference Duals: #16 Little Rock 9. Illinois (.624) Ranked Conference Duals: #1 Penn State, #2 Iowa, #6 Ohio State, #18 Rutgers, #26 Northwestern, #27 Maryland, #29 Purdue, #30 Indiana Ranked Non-Conference Duals: #14 Missouri, #21 Arizona State, #23 North Carolina 10. Pittsburgh (.622) Ranked Conference Duals: #5 Virginia Tech, #8 NC State, #15 Stanford, #23 North Carolina Ranked Non-Conference Duals: #6 Ohio State, #7 Iowa State, #17 South Dakota State, #20 West Virginia, #22 Lehigh, #27 Maryland 11. Minnesota (.617) Ranked Conference Duals: #2 Iowa, #3 Nebraska, #6 Ohio State, #12 Michigan, #18 Rutgers, #26 Northwestern, #29 Purdue Ranked Non-Conference Duals: #17 South Dakota State 12. NC State (.607) Ranked Conference Duals: #5 Virginia Tech, #15 Stanford, #23 North Carolina Ranked Non-Conference Duals: #4 Oklahoma State, #11 Cornell, #18 Rutgers 13. Arizona State (.601) Ranked Conference Duals: #4 Oklahoma State, #7 Iowa State, #10 Northern Iowa, #14 Missouri, #20 West Virginia, Ranked Non-Conference Duals: #11 Cornell, #13 Illinois, #15 Stanford, #22 Lehigh 14. Iowa State (.596) Ranked Conference Duals: #4 Oklahoma State, #10 Northern Iowa, #14 Missouri, #17 South Dakota State, #20 West Virginia, #21 Arizona State Ranked Non-Conference Duals: #2 Iowa, #6 Ohio State, #15 Stanford, #23 North Carolina 15. Ohio State (.591) Ranked Conference Duals: #1 Penn State, #2 Iowa, #9 Minnesota, #12 Michigan, #13 Illinois, #18 Rutgers, #29 Purdue, #30 Indiana Ranked Non-Conference Duals: #7 Iowa State, #23 North Carolina, #24 Oregon State 16. Michigan (.588) Ranked Conference Duals: #1 Penn State, #3 Nebraska, #6 Ohio State, #9 Minnesota, #26 Northwestern, #27 Maryland, #30 Indiana Ranked Non-Conference Duals: 17. Oregon State (.578) Ranked Conference Duals: #16 Little Rock Ranked Non-Conference Duals: #2 Iowa, #4 Oklahoma State, #6 Ohio State, #15 Stanford, #23 North Carolina, #25 Wyoming 18. Wyoming (.572) Ranked Conference Duals: #4 Oklahoma State, #17 South Dakota State, #20 West Virginia Ranked Non-Conference Duals: #1 Penn State, #24 Oregon State 19. West Virginia (.571) Ranked Conference Duals: #4 Oklahoma State, #7 Iowa State, #10 Northern Iowa, #14 Missouri, #21 Arizona State, #25 Wyoming Ranked Non-Conference Duals: 20. Oklahoma (.570) Ranked Conference Duals: #4 Oklahoma State, #7 Iowa State, #10 Northern Iowa, #14 Missouri, #20 West Virginia, #21 Arizona State, #25 Wyoming Ranked Non-Conference Duals: Looking at conferences that were not represented in this list. The team with the top winning percentage from each remaining conference was: EIWA: Drexel (.533) Ivy: Cornell (.528) MAC: Rider (.513) SoCon: Appalachian State (.508) Drexel’s ranked duals include: #1 Penn State, #17 South Dakota State, #23 North Carolina, and #27 Maryland Cornell’s ranked duals include: #8 NC State, #14 Missouri, #21 Arizona State, and #22 Lehigh Rider’s ranked duals include: #7 Iowa State, #17 South Dakota State, #20 West Virginia, and #27 Maryland Appalachian State’s ranked duals include: #5 Virginia Tech, #8 NC State, #20 West Virginia

Women’s freestyle took center stage today in Albania at the 2024 Senior World Championships for non-Olympic weights. Although none of the four women who took the mat on Tuesday have clinched a medal, three of the four are still in contention for a bronze medal. Of the four Americans competing, Areana Villaescusa (55 kg) was the only first-time Senior World team member. The veteran, Villaescusa, took full advantage of her first Senior world team experience and advanced to the semifinals after a pair of dominating wins. Villaescusa pinned Kazakhstan’s Zulfiya Yakhyarova in less than two minutes before posting an 11-4 win over Tukiye’s Elvira Kamaloglu in the quarterfinals. Villaescusa ran into a buzzsaw in the semifinals during her bout with China’s Jin Zhang. Earlier this year, Zhang had won gold medals at the U20 Asian Championships and U20 World Championships. Zhang put herself in a position to win U23 gold after a first-period fall over Villaescusa. Zhang got in on a single leg and spent an extended period of time trying to finish the maneuver. During the flurry, she was able to expose Villaescusa’s back three times. After the time time, Zhang readjusted her position and put Villaescusa on her back for a fall. In order to win a bronze medal, Villaescusa will have to wait for two rounds of repechage to determine an opponent in her medal match. Just a few days ago, Kylie Welker won a 72 kg U23 world championship in Albania. She tried to double up and win a second at the Senior level today. Like Villaescusa, Welker fell in the semifinals and will look to rebound with a bronze medal tomorrow. Welker tossed a pair of shutouts in her first two bouts and then was leading Qian Jiang (China) in the quarterfinals, before finishing with a fall. She also had her hands full in the semis with fellow U23 world champion (at 68 kg), Ami Ishii (Japan). The 2022 World silver medalist clinched her second career Senior World medal with a 12-1 tech over the American. Welker will sit in the bronze medal match waiting for a winner to emerge from the repechage bout between Alexandra Anghel (Romania) and Anastasiya Alpyeyeva (Ukraine). The other American with medal hopes still intact is Macey Kilty at 65 kg. Kilty advanced via forfeit in her opening match and then was stunned by Romania’s Kateryna Zelenykh, 11-4. Zelenykh picked up a bronze medal at U23’s last week - in this same weight class. Kilty led Zelenykh at the break 2-1 but was caught off guard by a double-leg at the edge of the mat for four points early in the second period. Shortly after that exchange, Zelenykh caught Kilty off-balance and drove through her for a second four-point hold. Kilty will face Azerbaijan’s Elis Manolova in a repechage bout tomorrow morning. If she wins, she’s square off with Valeriia Dondupova Suvorova (Russia) for the bronze medal. The other American competing on the day was Jacarra Winchester who fell in her initial bout at 59 kg to Mansi Ahlawat (India), 2-1. Ahlawat was beaten in the semifinals which eliminated Winchester. The lone American Greco-Roman wrestler in repechage action today was Ildar Hafizov at 63 kg. Hafizov was defeated by Bulgaria’s Abu Amaev, 7-1 in his first bout of the day. American results Women’s Freestyle 55 kg Round of 16: Areana Villaescusa over Zulfiya Yakhyarova (Kazakhstan) Fall 1:45 Quarterfinals: Areana Villaescusa over Elvira Suleyman Kamaloglu (Turkiye) 11-4 Semifinals: Jin Zhang (China) over Areana Villaescusa Fall 1:28 59 kg Round of 32: Mansi Ahlawat (India) over Jacarra Winchester 2-1 65 kg Round of 16: Macey Kilty over Alexis Gomez (Mexico) Quarterfinals: Kateryna Zelenykh (Romania) over Macey Kilty 11-4 72 kg Round of 32: Kylie Welker over Aleah Nickel (Canada) 10-0 Round of 16: Kylie Welker over Pauline Lecarpentier (France) 4-0 Quarterfinals: Kylie Welker over Qian Jiang (China) Fall 5:30 Semifinals: Ami Ishii (Japan) over Kylie Welker 12-1 Greco-Roman 63 kg Repechage: Abu Amaev (Bulgaria) over Ildar Hafizov

Hi besties, long time no see. Leaves are falling, the wind is a little chillier, and wrestling mats have been rolled out. It’s time to talk about our SoCon season. The Camels added TJ Dudley to their coaching staff this summer. Dudley, a three-time All-American at 184 lbs (Nebraska), comes to the Creek following three seasons of coaching at Brown University. Speaking of Nebraska, the Camels will host the #3 Cornhuskers on November 15, on the infield at the historic Jim Perry Stadium. Intermission will feature a star-studded exhibition presented by CLAW Wrestling between Jordan Oliver and Bryce Andonian. The match that will surely bring the heat on that chilly Friday in November. Also, it’s looking like a 125lb rematch of (former) SoCon rivals #25 Anthony Molton and #4 Caleb Smith (NEB). But before I get ahead of myself with the schedule, Campbell, continuing to wow fans with fun venues to experience wrestling - from aircraft hangars to battling at barns, the Camels know how to make wrestling fun. Dual at the Daddy will take place on the spookiest night of the year - Halloween. At Frontier Park in Cheyenne, Wyoming, the Camels and the (#25 Wyoming) Cowboys are set to face off for a special dual. So special, it required a waiver from the NCAA to begin the season on October 31. The scary-good matchup of the evening will be at 197 lbs - #17 Joey Novak (WYO) vs #20 Levi Hopkins. Hopkins, the returning Southern Conference Champion, would be defending his 2-0 streak against Novak. Jake Patacsil is another addition to the Campbell Wrestling staff. Patacsil boasts a rich coaching resume - having held assistant coaching positions at NAIA and NCAA DI and DII programs, Coach Patacsil was also the head coach for the inaugural season of Mount Olive’s wrestling program (2018). An All-American at 149 for Purdue, Patacsil is likely working with the middleweights. Campbell is slated to host five duals this season and will be on the road for WrangleMania, the Knockout Collegiate Classic, the Southern Scuffle, the Chippewa Challenge, and a SoCon Showdown in Boone against rival App State. For those who aren’t aware, the Chippewa Challenge (one of my favorite college wrestling dual series), is in honor of Coach Tom Borrelli, who coached the head coaches of the other schools competing, while at Central Michigan. Scotti Sentes (Campbell), Luke Smith (CSU Bakersfield), and Jason Borelli (American, also Tom’s son), wrestled for Coach Borelli. A reunion with some competition is always a recipe for a good time. We’ve talked about the new faces on the team, now it’s time to welcome back the seasoned starters. Starting at heavyweight: #7 Taye Ghadiali. Coming off of a 35-6 campaign in 2024, Ghadiali was named SoCon Wrestler of the Year, Southern Conference Champion, and achieved All-American status. #20 Levi Hopkins, the Alaskan Assassin, is the returning 197 lb Southern Conference Champion for the Camels. A notable opponent for Hopkins this season comes from CSU-Bakersfield, #1 AJ Ferrari. A world team member representing the Bahamas, Shannon Hanna (#28), returns to the mat after wrestling unattached last season. At 133, Dom Zaccone (#20), returns after a third consecutive appearance at the NCAA Championships and a second place finish at the Southern Conference Championships. In 2024, Dom Baker qualified for nationals for the first time but will move up in weight to 174 lbs. Last, but certainly not least, #25 Anthony Molton (125), returns after an undefeated SoCon dual season, though he finished third at the Southern Conference Championships. The Camels are vying for a chance at the SoCon Championship after last year’s second-place tournament finish, and another dual-team title. They’ll start the conference season on January 17 in Boiling Springs against the Gardner-Webb Runnin’ Bulldogs.

St. Charles East

First Colonial

Skutt Catholic

Bergen Catholic

Bethlehem Catholic

Waconia

With the start of the 2024-25 season only a few days away, we have posted updated DI national rankings. There have been a handful of weight changes and information regarding injuries within the last month, so they needed to be modified at many weights. Some of the notable changes are as follows: 125 - Anthony Noto and Kysen Terukina have been removed and considered for 133 lbs. Joey Fischer has been as well, though he has the potential to take a redshirt and isn't ranked. 133 - With Noto moving up, a redshirt is expected for Gable Strickland. 2x All-American Kai Orine has been moved to 141 lbs - as has another two-time AA, Chris Cannon. Marlon Yarbrough has also been moved to 141. 141 - With the trio moving up from 133 lbs, Ryan Jack is expected to redshirt and Frankie Tal-Shahar still has a lingering injury. 149 - Jackson Arrington is expected to redshirt so he has removed and Koy Buesgens has been inserted for NC State. Joe Zargo has been removed after injury concerns. Maryland's Miller brothers have been flipped. Kal will be wrestling 149 with Ethen handling 157 lbs. 157 - Lehigh's Max Brignola has been removed as he's expected to redshirt. 165 - As part of the Iowa State lineup shifting, MJ Gaitan has been moved from 174 lbs. 174 - Nebraska moving down their upperweights, brings Lenny Pinto down to 174. We've also considered Gabe Arnold for Iowa rather than Patrick Kennedy. It's a situation we'll continue to monitor during the first few weeks of the season. We learned that Dom Baker does not intend on redshirting this season, instead he'll move up to 174 from 165 lbs. 184 - Trey Munoz will be going 197 lbs and has been moved there. Silas Allred comes down for Nebraska. 285 - His ranking doesn't change, but Josh Heindselman has moved to Michigan. His addition bumps the Wolverines up a spot in the tournament rankings and a few spots in dual rankings. Braxton Amos has been removed due to long-term injury concerns. Ryan Catka was removed as he plans to redshirt during the 2024-25 season. Team: After Michigan, the only significant movement comes from NC State in both rankings. The Wolfpack were hit hard in tournament rankings with the lineup movement and got bumped down a few spots in duals, as well.

The 2024 World Championships for non-Olympic weights kicked off today from Tirana, Albania with competition in the Greco-Roman discipline. From an American perspective, the day started off on a high note as Benji Peak shook up the 72 kg weight class with an opening round upset. Despite giving up the first takedown to Iran’s Mohammadreza Geraei, Peak picked up one of his own after a failed throw attempt from Geraei. Shortly after, Peak used a low gut to throw the 2020 Olympic gold medalist. During that sequence, Geraei was hit for a leg foul which pushed Peak’s lead to 6-2. Peak didn’t take his foot off the accelerator in the second period as he pushed the pace and earned a takedown in a similar fashion to his first. Like the first period, Peak was able to add to his lead with a low gut which provided a point for a step out. Late in the second stanza, Peak bulled his way through a desperate Geraei - who was caught off balance while changing levels. That was enough for an 11-3 tech for the American. Unfortunately, Peak was beaten by Croatia’s Dominik Etlinger in his next bout. Etlinger fell in the quarterfinals, which eliminated Peak from medal contention. Although he was defeated in his only match of the day, Ildar Hafizov remains in the medal hunt after his opponent Nihat Mammadli (Azerbaijan) advanced to the 63 kg finals. Hafizov will have to win three consecutive matches on Tuesday to come home with a bronze medal. His trip through repechage will start with 2024 European bronze medalist Abu Amaev of Bulgaria. Full American results 55 kg Round of 32 Sanjeev (India) over Brady Koontz 5-3 63 kg Round of 32 Nihat Mammadli (Azerbaijan) over Ildar Hafizov 10-0 Repechage Ildar Hafizov vs. Abu Amaev (Bulgaria) 72 kg Round of 32 Benji Peak over Mohammadreza Geraei (Iran) 11-3 Dominik Etlinger (Croatia) over Benji Peak 9-0 82 kg Per Olofsson (Sweden) over Aliaksandr Kikiniou 5-1

One by one, as schedules were released for the 2024-25 season, I added them to our master schedule and combed through them for another project that will be released later this week. When a new schedule is released, I like to quickly go through the duals in my head to see what kind of individual matches may present themselves in that respective dual. At one point, I noticed that there were a couple of notable wrestlers who called Pennsylvania home that were slated to meet. That led me to dig further to see just how many potential matchups there are this year between wrestlers from the same home state. While college wrestling gets the most attention and eyeballs, there are plenty of people who put that same energy into following wrestlers from their home state. Hopefully, the portion of the wrestling fanbase enjoys getting to highlight potential matches from kids they have watched since middle school (or before that). In doing this feature, I found out there aren’t as many of these matches as you might expect. Certain states don’t produce a ton of DI talent and definitely not multiple wrestlers at the same weight - and on each other's schedule for the season. So there are plenty of states not mentioned at all. Before we begin, a few notes. This only includes dual meets and does not include potential dual tournaments like the National/Elite/Mid-Major duals in January, as we don’t know what brackets will look like in October. Because tournament entries are so difficult to project, we haven’t included any individual events. Also, this isn’t a comprehensive list, as there are some weights where teams may have three or four options. We’ve tried to stick with wrestlers who seem to be clear-cut starters for their respective teams. Wrestlers are listed by weight and alongside them is the day those two wrestlers are set to clash. A select few even features ex-high school teammates squaring off. Alabama HS matchup 141: Sam Latona (Virginia Tech) vs. Isaiah Powe (Chattanooga) - November 1st Arizona HS matchup 149: Anthony Echemendia (Iowa State) vs. Mykey Ramos (Arizona State) - February 7th California HS matchup 125: Richie Figueroa (Arizona State) vs. Antonio Lorenzo (Oklahoma) - February 16th 125: Maximo Renteria (Oregon State) vs. Richard Castro-Sandoval (CSU Bakersfield) - February 2nd 125: Maximo Renteria (Oregon State) vs. Koda Holeman (Cal Poly) - February 7th 133: Cleveland Belton (Oklahoma) vs. Santino Sanchez (CSU Bakersfield) - December 21st 133: Zeth Romney (Cal Poly) vs. Hunter Leake (California Baptist) - December 19th 133: Zeth Romney (Cal Poly) vs. Santino Sanchez (CSU Bakersfield) - February 23rd 141: Jesse Vasquez (Arizona State) vs. Jason Miranda (Stanford) - January 19th 149: Kyle Parco (Iowa) vs. Noah Tolentino (Oregon State) - November 2nd 149: Kyle Parco (Iowa) vs. Jaden Abas (Stanford) - November 9th 149: Jaden Abas (Stanford) vs. Logan Gioffre (Missouri) - January 12th 149: Jaden Abas (Stanford) vs. Noah Tolentino (Oregon State) - January 31st 157: Chase Saldate (Michigan) vs. Jaden Le (Columbia) - November 17th 165: Matthew Olguin (Oregon State) vs. Guillermo Escobedo (CSU Bakersfield) - February 2nd 165: Matthew Olguin (Oregon State) vs. Luka Wick (Cal Poly) - February 7th 165: Andrew Sparks (Minnesota) vs. Beau Mantanona (Michigan) - January 19th 165: MJ Gaitan (Iowa State) vs. Nicco Ruiz (Arizona State) - February 7th 174: Lucas Condon (Wisconsin) vs. Branson John (Maryland) - January 17th 174: Lucas Condon (Wisconsin) vs. Joseph Martin (Northwestern) - February 14th 174: Ceasar Garza (Michigan State) vs. Lucas Condon (Wisconsin) - February 9th 174: Ceasar Garza (Michigan State) vs. Branson John (Maryland) - January 12th 184: Nathan Haas (California Baptist) vs. Kendall LaRosa (Cal Poly) - December 19th 184: Tye Montiero (Stanford) vs. Braden Smelser (CSU Bakersfield) - November 1st 184: Tye Montiero (Stanford) vs. Kendall LaRosa (Cal Poly) - November 16th 197: Trey Munoz (Oregon State) vs. Jarad Priest (Cal Poly) - February 7th 285: Josiah Hill (Little Rock) vs. Jake Andrews (CSU Bakersfield) - February 16th 285: Juan Mora (Oklahoma) vs. Jake Andrews (CSU Bakersfield) - December 21st Colorado HS matchup 285: Cohlton Schultz (Arizona State) vs. Remington Peterson (Northern Colorado) - February 2nd 285: Jack Forbes (Utah Valley) vs. Remington Peterson (Northern Colorado) - February 14th Connecticut HS matchup 125: Jakob Camacho (NC State) vs. Nico Provo (Stanford) - February 14th Florida HS Matchup 141: Malyke Hines (Lehigh) vs. Braden Basile (Army West Point) - February 1st Georgia HS Matchup 184: Gavin Kane (North Carolina) vs. Zyan Hall (Navy) - November 9th Idaho HS Matchup 149: Ridge Lovett (Nebraska) vs. Drew Roberts (Minnesota) - January 11th Illinois HS Matchups 125: Matt Ramos (Purdue) vs. Charlie Farmer (Army West Point) - November 17th 125: Matt Ramos (Purdue) vs. Ben Aranda (Cleveland State) - December 18th 125: Anthony Molton (Campbell) vs. Tristan Daugherty (North Dakota State) - December 21st 125: Anthony Molton (Campbell) vs. Gylon Sims (The Citadel) - February 14th 141: Josh Koderhandt (Navy) vs. Jameson Garcia (Harvard) - January 18th 157: Trevor Chumbley (Northwestern) vs. Tommy Curran (Northern Illinois) - November 16th 165: Tommy Bennett (Northern Illinois) vs. Bradley Gillum (SIU Edwardsville) - February 22nd 174: Josh Ogunsanya (North Carolina) vs. Danny Braunagel (Illinois) - November 25th 184: DJ Parker (Oklahoma) vs. Adrien Cramer (Central Michigan) - December 6th 184: Adrien Cramer (Central Michigan) vs. Lucas White (American) - January 26th 197: Zac Braunagel (Illinois) vs. Nick Nosler (SIU Edwardsville) - November 2nd 285: Luke Luffman (Illinois) vs. Jacob Bullock (Indiana) - December 6th 285: Luke Luffman (Illinois) vs. Aydin Guttridge (North Carolina) - January 26th 285: Jacob Bullock (Indiana) vs. Bryan Caves (Central Michigan) - November 15th Indiana HS matchups 141: Jesse Mendez (Ohio State) vs Sergio Lemley (Michigan) - February 1st 149: Anthony Bahl (Indiana) vs. Isaac Ruble (Purdue) - January 17th 184: Silas Allred (Nebraska) vs. DJ Washington (Indiana) - February 16th 197: Evan Bates (Northwestern) vs. Gabe Sollars (Indiana) - February 1st Iowa HS matchups 133: Evan Frost (Iowa State) vs. Drake Ayala (Iowa) - November 23rd 141: Cael Happel (Northern Iowa) vs. Jacob Frost (Iowa State) - February 16th 141: Jacob Frost (Iowa State) vs. Ryder Block/Cullan Schriever (Iowa) - November 23rd 157: Ryder Downey (Northern Iowa) vs. Cobe Siebrecht (South Dakota State) - November 24th 165: Hunter Garvin (Stanford) vs. Connor Euton (Iowa State) - November 8th 165: Hunter Garvin (Stanford) vs. Nick Hamilton (Virginia) - January 24th 165: Connor Euton (Iowa State) vs. Jack Thomsen (Northern Iowa) - February 16th 174: Cade DeVos (South Dakota State) vs. Carter Schmidt (California Baptist) - January 16th 174: Cade Devos (South Dakota State) vs. Tate Naaktgeboren (Iowa State) - February 14th 197: Wyatt Voelker (Northern Iowa) vs. Bradley Hill (Oklahoma) - January 25th Kansas HS matchup 285: Wyatt Hendrickson (Oklahoma State) vs. Seth Nitzel (Missouri) - February 2nd Michigan HS matchups 149: Dylan Gilcher (Michigan) vs. Mason Shrader (Central Michigan) - February 23rd 197: Josh Barr (Penn State) vs. Kael Wisler (Michigan State) - January 10th Minnesota HS matchups 133: Tyler Wells (Minnesota) vs. Derrick Cardinal (South Dakota State) - December 1st 184: Bennett Berge (South Dakota State) vs. Max McEnelly (Minnesota) - December 1st 184: Bennett Berge (South Dakota State) vs. Quayin Short (Wyoming) - February 1st 184: Max McEnelly (Minnesota) vs. Ryder Rogotzke (Ohio State) - February 7th 197: Zach Glazier (South Dakota State) vs. Joey Novak (Wyoming) - February 1st 197: Zach Glazier (South Dakota State) vs. Soren Herzog (Air Force) - January 18th 197: Joey Novak (Wyoming) vs. Soren Herzog (Air Force) - February 14th Missouri HS matchups 125: Jeremiah Reno (Little Rock) vs. Luke Lilledahl (Penn State) - December 22nd (Collegiate Duals) 141: Wyatt Henson (Lock Haven) vs. Cael Keck (Little Rock) - January 16/17th (Davidson Duals) 184: Colton Hawks (Missouri) vs. Jack Darrah (Stanford) - January 12th 285: Trevor Tinker (Cal Poly) vs. Jacobi Jackson (Northern Illinois) - February 14th New Jersey HS matchups 125: Dean Peterson (Rutgers) vs. Eddie Ventresca (Virginia Tech) - November 22nd 125: Dean Peterson (Rutgers) vs. Nico Calello (Kent State) - December 14th 125: Eddie Ventresca (Virginia Tech) vs. Nick Babin (Pittsburgh) - February 14th 141: CJ Composto (Penn) vs. Joey Olivieri (Rutgers) - February 19th 141: Anthony Santaniello (Pittsburgh) vs. McKenzie Bell (Rider) - December 20th 149: Shayne Van Ness (Penn State) vs. Michael Cetta (Rutgers) - January 24th 149: Ty Whalen (Princeton) vs. Ethan Fernandez (Cornell) - February 8th 149: Ty Whalen (Princeton) vs. Michael Cetta (Rutgers) - December 8th 149: Ty Whalen (Princeton) vs. Sammy Alvarez (Rider) - January 24th 149: Ty Whalen (Princeton) vs. Cross Wasilewski (Penn) - February 16th 149: Ethan Fernandez (Cornel) vs. Cross Wasilewski (Penn) - February 9th 149: Michael Cetta (Rutgers) vs. Cross Wasilewski (Penn) - February 19th 157: Colton Washleski (Rider) vs. Nick Stampoulos (Lock Haven) - February 7th 165: Cody Walsh (Drexel) vs. Tyler Sagi (Navy) - November 10th 174: Nick Incontrera (Penn) vs. Simon Ruiz (Cornell) - February 9th 174: Danny Wask (Navy) vs. Jasiah Queen (Drexel) - November 10th 174: Michael Wilson (Rider) vs. Jasiah Queen (Drexel) - January 25th 184: Chris Foca (Cornell) vs. Jack Wilt (Lehigh) - January 12th 184: Brian Soldano (Rutgers) vs. Vincent Lee (Duke) - November 9th 197: John Poznanski (Rutgers) vs. Nico Colucci (Wisconsin) - January 19th 197: John Poznanski (Rutgers) vs. John Dusza (Long Island) - November 17th 197: Mickey O’Malley (Drexel) vs. John Dusza (Long Island) - February 16th 197: Mikey Dellagatta (Cornell) vs. Max Acciardi (Arizona State) - February 15th 197: Max Acciardi (Arizona State) vs. John Dusza (Long Island) - November 9th New York HS matchups 125: Stevo Poulin (Northern Colorado) vs. Max Gallagher (Penn) - November 16th 125: Greg Diakomihalis (Cornell) vs. Max Gallagher (Penn) - February 9th 133: Anthony Noto (Lock Haven) vs. Micah Roes (Binghamton) - January 5th 133: Micah Roes (Binghamton) vs. Chase Liardi (Hofstra) - January 9th 133: Micah Roes (Binghamton) vs. Cole French (Buffalo) - February 16th 141: Jordan Titus (West Virginia) vs. Zach Redding (Iowa State) - January 8th 141: Jordan Titus (West Virginia) vs. Sean Carter (Appalachian State) - November 22nd 141: Jayden Scott (North Carolina) vs. Jordan Soriano (Drexel) - November 10th 149: Colin Realbuto (Northern Iowa) vs. Willie McDougald (Oklahoma) - January 25th 149: Kaleb Burgess (Buffalo) vs. Caleb Sweet (Binghamton) - February 16th 157: Jacori Teemer (Iowa) vs. Tommy Askey (Minnesota) - February 14th 165: Carter Baer (Binghamton) vs. Kyle Mosher (Hofstra) - January 9th 165: Carter Baer (Binghamton) vs. Hunter Shaut (Buffalo) - February 16th 174: John Worthing (Clarion) vs. Corey Connolly (Long Island) - January 26th 184: Dennis Robin (West Virginia) vs. Kole Mulhauser (Princeton) - January 4th 184: Kole Mulhauser (Princeton) vs. Giuseppe Hoose (Drexel) - February 1st 285: Cory Day (Binghamton) vs. Alex Semenenko (Brown) - January 25th 285: Cory Day (Binghamton) vs. Jeffrey Crooks (Harvard) - January 25th 285: Sebastian Garibaldi (Princeton) vs. Jeffrey Crooks (Harvard) - February 2nd 285: Sebastian Garibaldi (Princeton) vs. Alex Semenenko (Brown) - February 2nd 285: Alex Semenenko (Brown) vs. Jeffrey Crooks (Harvard) - February 21st North Carolina HS matchup 133: Ethan Oakley (North Carolina) vs. Jacob Cox (NC State) - January 31st Ohio HS matchups 133: Lucas Byrd (Illinois) vs. Dylan Shawver (Rutgers) - January 26th 133: Lucas Byrd (Illinois) vs. Angelo Rini (Indiana) - December 6th 133: Lucas Byrd (Illinois) vs. Dustin Norris (Purdue) - February 1st ***High School Teammates*** 133: Dylan Shawver (Rutgers) vs. Jordan Decatur (Kent State) - December 14th 133: Dylan Shawver (Rutgers) vs. Angelo Rini (Indiana) - January 10th 133: Dustin Norris (Purdue) vs. Jordan Decatur (Kent State) - January 3rd 133: Dustin Norris (Purdue) vs. Angelo Rini (Indiana) - January 17th 133: Angelo Rini (Indiana) vs. Jake Manley (Cleveland State) - December 7th 133: Jordan Decatur (Kent State) vs. Mason Brugh (Ohio) - February 7th 133: Jordan Decatur (Kent State) vs. Nick Molchak (Cleveland State) - February 20th 157: Peyten Kellar (Ohio) vs. Douglas Terry (Cleveland State) - January 3rd 157: Peyten Kellar (Ohio) vs. Aaron Ferguson (Kent State) - February 7th 157: Joey Blaze (Purdue) vs. Douglas Terry (Cleveland State) - December 18th 157: Joey Blaze (Purdue) vs. Paddy Gallagher (Ohio State) - January 19th 157: Joey Blaze (Purdue) vs. Aaron Ferguson (Kent State) - January 3rd 157: Aaron Ferguson (Kent State) vs. Shane Heil (Cleveland State) - February 20th 165: Connor Brady (Virginia Tech) vs. Derek Fields (NC State) 165: Tyler Lillard (Indiana) vs. Bryce Hepner (Ohio State) - February 9th 165: Tyler Lillard (Indiana) vs. Tate Geiser (Cleveland State) - December 7th 174: Lennox Wolak (Virginia Tech) vs. Lucas Uliano (Appalachian State) - January 19th 174: Lennox Wolak (Virginia Tech) vs. Dylan Newsome (Virginia) - January 31st 174: Brody Conley (West Virginia) vs. Lucas Uliano (Appalachian State) - November 22nd 184: Dylan Fishback (NC State) vs. Haydn Danals (Virginia) - January 17th 184: Dylan Russo (Wisconsin) vs. Max Ray (Ohio) - November 1st 184: Dylan Russo (Wisconsin) vs. Luke Vanadia (Michigan State) - February 9th 197: Luke Geog (Ohio State) vs. Ben Vanadia (Purdue) - January 19th 197: Camden McDanel (Nebraska) vs. Ben Vanadia (Purdue) - February 23rd 197: Ben Vanadia (Purdue) vs. Blake Schaffer (Kent State) - January 3rd 197: Blake Schaffer (Kent State) vs. Austin Starr (Ohio) - February 7th 285: Daniel Bucknavich (Cleveland State) vs. Jordan Greer (Ohio) - January 3rd 285: Daniel Bucknavich (Cleveland State) vs. Brentan Simmerman (Kent State) - February 20th 285: Lucas Stoddard (Army West Point) vs. Logan Shepherd (Bucknell) - February 7th 285: Jordan Greer (Ohio) vs. Brentan Simmerman (Kent State) - February 7th 285: Logan Shepherd (Bucknell) vs. Brentan Simmerman (Kent State) - November 3rd 285: Brentan Simmerman (Kent State) vs. Thadd Huff (Bellarmine) - November 16th Oklahoma HS matchups 125: Troy Spratley (Oklahoma State) vs. Tucker Owens (Air Force) - January 3rd 141: Tagen Jamison (Oklahoma State) vs. Cole Brooks (Wyoming) - November 22nd 141: Eli Griffin (California Baptist) vs. Cole Brooks (Wyoming) - January 25th 149: Jordan Williams (Little Rock) vs. Carter Young (Oklahoma State) - February 8th 157: Teague Travis (Oklahoma State) vs. Jared Hill (Wyoming) - November 22nd 165: Cam Steed (Missouri) vs. Tate Picklo (Oklahoma) - February 1st 285: Josh Heindselman (Michigan) vs. Harley Andrews (Nebraska) - January 24th Pennsylvania HS matchups 125: Sheldon Seymour (Lehigh) vs. Carson Wagner (Binghamton) - January 11th 125: Sheldon Seymour (Lehigh) vs. Dayton DelViscio (Navy) - January 17th 125: Sheldon Seymour (Lehigh) vs. Kade Davidheiser (Bucknell) - February 7th 125: Vinny Kilkeary (Ohio State) vs. Chris Vargo (Edinboro) - November 17th 125: Vinny Kilkeary (Ohio State) vs. Sean Logue (Lock Haven) - December 21st 125: Carson Wagner (Binghamton) vs. Braxton Appello (Sacred Heart) - February 9th 125: Ben Monn (George Mason) vs. Coen Bailey (American) - February 16th 133: Ryan Crookham (Lehigh) vs. Julian Chlebove (Arizona State) - February 21st 133: Ryan Crookham (Lehigh) vs. Kurt Phipps (Bucknell) - February 7th 133: Ryan Crookham (Lehigh) vs. Ryan Miller (Penn) - February 13th 133: Ryan Crookham (Lehigh) vs. Ethan Berginc (Army West Point) - February 1st 133: Ryan Crookham (Lehigh) vs. Brett Ungar (Cornell) - January 12th 133: Kurt Phipps (Bucknell) vs. Kyle Waterman (Drexel) - January 24th 133: Kurt Phipps (Bucknell) vs. Ethan Berginc (Army West Point) - January 25th 133: Kurt Phipps (Bucknell) vs. Zack Witmer (Columbia) - February 21st 133: Kurt Phipps (Bucknell) vs. Brett Ungar (Cornell) - February 22nd 133: Julian Chlebove (Arizona State) vs. Brett Ungar (Cornell) - February 15th 133: Brett Ungar (Cornell) vs. Ryan Miller (Penn) - February 9th 133: Brett Ungar (Cornell) vs. Zack Witmer (Columbia) - February 2nd 133: Mason Leiphart (Franklin & Marshall) vs. Kyle Waterman (Drexel) - February 7th 133: Scott Johnson (Clarion) vs. Kyle Waterman (Drexel) - December 4th 133: Scott Johnson (Clarion) vs. Colton Camacho (Edinboro) - January 12th 133: Colton Camacho (Edinboro) vs. Charlie Bunting (George Mason) - November 15th 141: Dylan Chappell (Bucknell) vs Dylan Coy (Wisconsin) - December 7th 141: Dylan Chappell (Bucknell) vs. Wyatt Henson (Lock Haven) - January 30th 141: Dylan Chappell (Bucknell) vs. Cael McIntyre (American) - February 14th 141: Nathan Lucier (Binghamton) vs. Ian Oswalt (Brown) - January 25th 141: Cael McIntyre (American) vs. Christian Colman (Duke) - November 23rd 149: Ty Watters (West Virginia) vs. Gabe Willochell (Wyoming) - February 8th 149: Ty Watters (West Virginia) vs. Finn Solomon (Pittsburgh) - January 12th 149: Kaemen Smith (Navy) vs. Dom Findora (Drexel) - November 10th 149: Dom Findora (Drexel) vs. Braden Bower (Bucknell) - January 24th 157: Tyler Kasak (Penn State) vs. Luke Nichter (Drexel) - November 17th 157: Tyler Kasak (Penn State) vs. Conner Harer (Rutgers) - January 24th 157: Ed Scott (NC State) vs. Conner Harer (Rutgers) - November 17th 157: Ed Scott (NC State) vs. Dylan Evans (Pittsburgh) - January 24th 157: Paniro Johnson (Iowa State) vs. Caleb Dowling (West Virginia) - January 8th 157: Paniro Johnson (Iowa State) vs. Cade Wirnsberger (Bucknell) - January 11th 157: Paniro Johnson (Iowa State) vs. Dylan Evans (Pittsburgh) - February 9th 157: Jude Swisher (Penn) vs. Griffin Gonzalez (Lehigh) - February 13th 157: Jude Swisher (Penn) vs. Conner Harer (Rutgers) - February 19th 157: Alejandro Herrera-Rondon (Clarion) vs. Luke Nichter (Drexel) - December 4th 157: Alejandro Herrera-Rondon (Clarion) vs. Conner Harer (Rutgers) - December 13th 157: Caleb Dowling (West Virginia) vs. Dylan Evans (Pittsburgh) - January 12th 157: Luke Nichter (Drexel) vs. Riley Bower (Bucknell) - January 24th 165: Evan Maag (George Mason) vs. Caden Dobbins (Lock Haven) - January 26th 165: Evan Maag (George Mason) vs. Kaden Milheim (American) - February 16th 165: Jared Keslar (Pittsburgh) vs. Zeke Dubler (Lehigh) - November 24th 174: Levi Haines (Penn State) vs. Rocco Welsh (Ohio State) - February 14th 174: Levi Haines (Penn State) vs. Lenny Pinto (Nebraska) - January 17th 174: Rocco Welsh (Ohio State) vs. Luca Augustine (Pittsburgh) - December 13th ***High School Teammates*** 174: Rocco Welsh (Ohio State) vs. Tyler Stoltzfus (Lock Haven) - December 21st 174: Dalton Harkins (Army West Point) vs. Ben Haubert (The Citadel) - November 8th 174: Dalton Harkins (Army West Point) vs. Darrien Roberts (Morgan State) - December 13th 184: Carter Starocci (Penn State) vs. Edmond Ruth (Illinois) - February 16th 184: Malachi DuVall (George Mason) vs. Jared McGill (Edinboro) - November 15th 184: Malachi DuVall (George Mason) vs. James Lledo (Lock Haven) - January 26th 197: Michael Beard (Lehigh) vs. Mac Stout (Pittsburgh) - November 24th 197: Micheal Beard (Lehigh) vs. Dillon Bechtold (Bucknell) - February 7th 197: Mac Stout (Pittsburgh) vs. Chase Mielnik (Maryland) - December 20th 197: Mac Stout (Pittsburgh) vs. Dillon Bechtold (Bucknell) - January 17th 197: Luke Stout (Princeton) vs. Ethan Wiant (Clarion) - January 19th 197: Wolfgang Frable (Army West Point) vs. Liam Volk-Klos (American) - January 19th 197: Cameron Wood (Central Michigan) vs. Liam Volk-Klos (American) - January 26th 197: Tyler Kocak (George Mason) vs. Liam Volk-Klos (American) - February 16th 285: Nick Feldman (Ohio State) vs. Dayton Pitzer (Pittsburgh) - December 13th 285: Nick Feldman (Ohio State) vs. Ethan Miller (Lock Haven) - January 21st 285: Nathan Taylor (Lehigh) vs. Dayton Pitzer (Pittsburgh) - November 24th 285: Nathan Taylor (Lehigh) vs. Matthew Cruise (Penn) - February 13th 285: Dayton Pitzer (Pittsburgh) vs. Michael Wolfgram (West Virginia) - January 12th 285: Dayton Pitzer (Pittsburgh) vs. Hunter Catka (Virginia Tech) - February 14th Texas HS matchups 133: Braxton Brown (Maryland) vs. Shawn Ryncarz (Morgan State) - November 22nd 197: AJ Ferrari (CSU Bakersfield) vs. Eli Sheeran (California Baptist) - February 21st Wisconsin HS matchups 165: Mitchell Mesenbrink (Penn State) vs. Joey Bianchi (Little Rock) - December 22nd - Collegiate Duals 165: Mitchell Mesenbrink (Penn State) vs. Braeden Scoles (Illinois) - February 16th 165: Noah Mulvaney (Bucknell) vs. Cale Anderson (Wisconsin) - December 7th 174: Clayton Whiting (Minnesota) vs. Devin Wasley (North Dakota State) - November 22nd

Bishop McDevitt

Dobyns-Bennett

Don Bosco Prep

Ponaganset

Delbarton

Mound-Westonka

Spring-Ford

Northfield Mt. Herman

Bishop McCort

I recently had the opportunity to meet with Coach Tony Ersland in person at the Purdue Campus in West Lafayette, IN. First of all, the campus is beautiful. The campus was blustering with enthusiasm and energy, which is usually the case on a college campus when it’s sunny and 75, but it seemed especially so today. I was able to park right on the athletic campus in between Mackey Arena, Halloway Gymnasium, and Rose-Ade Stadium. John Wooden, red brick, and a beautiful college campus set the stage for a fun tour. It’s always great to speak with Coach Ersland, but this time, it was in person. Coach shares his thoughts on wrestle-offs, and excitement of the season as a whole here. *Update, the wrestle-offs have taken place. Purdue has most of their weights with expected starters already, with so many returning wrestlers. 149 was the weight with the most intrigue for me. At this weight, we had Isaac Ruble against Jaden Reynolds. The match had a lot of action in neutral but with no scoring through the first. Reynolds chose down in the second, which proved to be a tough spot for him. Ruble showed he was dangerous on top, and was able to lock up a cradle to get the fall. Ruble is listed on the roster at 157, but we’ll see if he’s dropping down to get into the lineup. Back to the tour. Next, we walk to check out the weight room and facilities. En route, I learned that Purdue has the athletics campus set up particularly well. The training staff, weight room, trainers, practice facilities, communications teams, coaching offices, et al, are all located generally in the same area. Additionally, they are all accessible without having to go outside. Throughout this tour, we went from Coach Ersland’s office, into Halloway, into Mackey, and eventually into the Lambert Fieldhouse, where the practice facility is. The walk through the different parts of the campus was fun. Coach Ersland and I talked about the program and the progress they’ve made over the years. He also shared that they will host the Indiana v Purdue dual in Mackey Arena this season (Friday, January 17th, time TBD). If you haven’t been to Mackey Arena, I highly recommend it. Everything on this campus is beautiful, and an interstate battle seems like a great dual to check out. We talked briefly about what the battle with Indiana means, and Coach Ersland proudly stated that he has yet to be outplaced by Indiana at the B1G Championships. We continue the tour. It’s evident that in addition to being the Head Coach of Purdue, Coach Ersland remains a huge fan of the sport. This might seem insignificant, but it isn’t. You can’t fake passion. We talk through changes in the landscape, other programs and athletes on the rise, and the growth of the sport. I have the opportunity to meet some of the athletes as well while checking out the weight room and locker rooms (both look to be recently updated and very well equipped), as we make our way to the wrestling room. The wrestling room has the feel of a room that has seen the hard-nosed battles of guys trying to take that next step. The quote on the front of the door clearly expressed what the expectations are. Additionally, the Wall of Champions shares what their end goals are to set the tone. Overall, this was a great experience to gain perspective on what the team has in mind and the vision that they’ve bought into. From speaking with Coach Ersland, a contingent of the wrestlers, the communications staff, and seeing the area, I am convinced that this group has what it needs to reach the goals that the staff has for them. As Coach Ersland said, they’ve trained to the standard, now it’s time to play like you’re in the sandbox.

The season continues to climb ever closer and I wanted to take a closer look at each team’s upcoming schedule. It’s a bit different with this preview, however, going team by team and highlighting what I consider their “Best Dual” and an “Under the Radar” dual. The best dual for each team varies, depending on circumstances, storylines, and even potential matchups. Everyone knows the top-ranked schools Oklahoma State, Iowa State, Missouri, etc. on schedules, so this preview adds some variety. Under the radar duals are the same way. Maybe there’s a specific match to look out for, or it’s a sneaky “trap” dual for a higher-ranked team. Regardless, this conference is filled with fire matchups throughout the season and will have ones to watch every week. Air Force: Best Dual: North Dakota State (Home - 1/19) Last season Air Force beat NDSU in a wild comeback 21-13 win, with five straight wins to close the dual. It was the first time they had beaten the Bison since 2011. While this dual may not be filled with ranked matchups, it’s an important matchup between two teams looking to reload after graduations and transfers. Under the Radar Dual: California Baptist (Road - 11/22) On the other end of last season, CBU actually scored their first win over the Falcons last season. It was the young program’s only second win in the Big 12. Similar to NDSU, this dual provides an opportunity for both teams to establish themselves in the Big 12 rankings. It’s also a chance to give fans a chance to see if any wrestlers are able to start their conference season strong early and potentially push themselves into the NCAA qualifier conversation. Arizona State: Best Dual: Northern Iowa (Home - 1/17) While the Sun Devils have top teams OK State, Iowa State, Missouri, and Cornell on the schedule, the Northern Iowa dual stands out. For one, they’ve wrestled all of those teams in the past two seasons. The last time they faced Northern Iowa was in the 2021 season at a “neutral site” in Ames as a tridual with Iowa State. This time they’ll get the Panthers at home in Tempe. There’s only one potential rematch at 174, and the dual features two returning national champions with Richie Figueroa and Parker Keckeisen. This will also give a big matchup at 157, with Kyler Larkin vs Big 12 champ Ryder Downey. This is now a conference matchup as well, and one that could establish either team into the top 10 nationally and a potential conference sleeper. Under the Radar Dual: Stanford (Road - 1/19) R.I.P to the Pac-12 we once knew, but this former conference matchup is a great one. Last season ASU won 18-17 at home, with Cohlton Schultz scoring a pin to clinch it at the end. We could see Nico Provo look to get another upset over Richie Figueroa after an OT win last year. Kaleb Larkin could get another test against returning All-American Daniel Cardenas. While this doesn’t have the conference impact it once did, these two teams could have another close back-and-forth affair. California Baptist: Best Dual: Cal Poly (Road - 12/19) While Stanford leads, this is an important in-state dual in the pecking order for California. Cal Poly has won their last four matchups, including a 32-3 win last season. This year however could look much closer, returning both NCAA qualifiers last season. Eli Griffin at 141 and Hunter Leake at 133 should be big point scorers for the Lancers, and could have an opportunity to lead the way for an upset. Under the Radar Dual: Wyoming (Road - 1/25) These two teams have actually traded wins the past two seasons, with Wyoming being CBU’s first Big 12 win in 2023. Wyoming won last season 28-12, with Garrett Ricks pinning Eli Griffin. Potential toss-up matches at 133, 141, 157, and 184 could make this dual interesting again this season. Throw in their top 50 Big Boarder Paul Kelly potentially getting an opportunity against Gabe Willochell and this dual could be another hotly contested conference matchup. Iowa State: Best Dual: Iowa (Road - 11/23) There’s no question here. One of, if not the, biggest rivalry duals in college wrestling occurs with the Cy-Hawk series. The Cyclones haven’t won since 2004 but have been right there the past two seasons. There are ranked matchups at nearly every weight. The hotly contested dual is absolutely can’t miss TV every year and an easy pick for best dual. Under the Radar Dual: West Virginia (Road 1/08) A sneaky dual for Iowa State comes with conference opponent WVU, who was one of the most improved squads last season. WVU seemingly holds an advantage at 125 and 141, while there are top-ranked toss-ups at other weights. Ty Watters vs Anthony Echemendia at 149 and Peyton Hall vs MJ Gaitan at 165 could be Big 12 finals previews. By January rolls around we’ll have a better picture of lineups, but this dual could be tighter than some expect. Missouri: Best Dual: Penn State (Neutral Site - 12/21) While many will expect this dual to be one-sided, it’s a matchup that fans haven’t seen in recent years. This year at Collegiate Duals in Nashville the two will face off for the first time since 2008. PSU will be heavily favored overall but there are potential highlight matches mixed in at 125, 174, and 197. Look for the Tigers to find spots to try and make a statement against the Lions. Under the Radar Dual: Northern Colorado (Road - 11/02) This one is right around the corner, kicking off the season early for both teams. While Northern Colorado isn’t ranked as a team, their lightweights may change that soon. Stevo Poulin, Dom Serrano, Andrew Alirez, and Vinny Zerban are a strong way to start a dual and are either favored or have wins over Missouri starters. If Missouri starts the season off slow, Northern Colorado could put them on upset alert. North Dakota State: Best Dual: South Dakota State (Home - 2/23) A great rivalry dual once again, these two teams will face off for the Border Bell to close out the season. NDSU has a heavy lead overall with a 45-26 record, but SDSU has won the past three matchups to close the gap. While SDSU will be favored, rivalry duals tend to be good for an upset somewhere. Last season Fernando Barreto beat Derrick Cardinal and Gavin Drexler narrowly lost to Clay Carlson. Under the Radar Dual: Utah Valley (Home - 2/01) This is another dual that doesn’t have the biggest names attached, but a conference dual between two newer head coaches is always good to view. Kellyn March and Haiden Drury is a ranked match between two veterans and will be an important match for qualification. Sign me up for an under-the-radar match between Kyle Burwick and Kase Mauger at 133 as well. Northern Colorado: Best Dual: South Dakota State (Road - 2/07) Northern Colorado is going to be a tough matchup for a lot of schools this season and SDSU is another one. Stevo Poulin majored Tanner Jordan last year before Jordan went on an All-American run. Dom Serrano beat Derrick Cardinal twice last season. Andrew Alirez has big-time bonus point potential at 141, Vinny Zerban vs Cobe Siebrecht could be a top-12 matchup this season. SDSU will be another favorite going in but the Bears could match up well to make things interesting. Under the Radar Dual: Wyoming (Road - 2/16) I highlighted this dual specifically for the matchup at 125 with Poulin and Volk. Poulin actually won their last two matchups narrowly and these two always have some great scrambles. Another match that stands out is at 157 with Zerban and former OU wrestler Jared Hill, who upset Zerban to make the tournament at Big 12’s last season. Northern Iowa: Best Dual: Oklahoma State (Home - 1/24) The Panthers could have one of their best seasons in recent history this year, and a premier matchup with Oklahoma State is an easy one to highlight. Last season these two dualed with the Cowboys getting a 22-12 win, but it was closer than the score shows. Troy Spratley narrowly beat a tough Trever Anderson, and both wrestlers seem primed for a big jump. Cael Happel had three close wins over Tagen Jamison last year. Colin Realbuto at 149 could be a difference-maker in duals for the Panthers. Add in a Parker Keckeisen vs Dustin Plott rematch in the McLeod Center and this dual is an easy pick for best on the schedule. Under the Radar Dual: Oklahoma (Home - 1/25) Ironically, these two duals are actually back-to-back for UNI. Oklahoma has the potential to be another Big 12 team that has improved from last season, even with the recent transfer portal losses. UNI won this one 30-12 last season but there are not too many potential rematches. At 141 and 149 the Sooners actually have wins over Mosha Schwartz and Colin Realbuto. The Panthers will be favorites, but look out for this dual to be tight. Oklahoma: Best Dual: Oklahoma State (Home - 12/13) Another great rivalry dual is the new-look Bedlam matchup. With OU officially a member of the SEC and an affiliate Big 12 member, this dual now only occurs once a year. With newer head coaches on both sides, it will be interesting to see if this rivalry can be reignited after mostly OSU domination in recent years. Once a year adds a bit more to the stakes as this dual is almost always good for an upset or wild moment somewhere. Under the Radar Dual: Wyoming (Home - 11/23) These two teams actually haven’t faced off since the 2018 season, when Wyoming won 26-9. The Sooners are the favorites to start the year, but Wyoming could be nipping at their heels. Gabe Willochell scored a pin over Willie McDougald at Big 12’s with a huge throw. Jared Hill will want to make a statement against his former team. OU has a pair of Cowboy teams that present tough matchups this year. Oklahoma State: Best Dual: Iowa (Road - 2/23) The Cowboys have a number of top-ranked duals to highlight, but another rivalry matchup between two of the best historical and current teams takes the top spot. Iowa has controlled the matches lately, winning the last four and keeping the Cowboys under double digits. Wrestling in Carver makes it another tough environment but should be one of the biggest duals of the year with premier matches throughout. Under the Radar Dual: Oregon State (Road - 11/17) We’ve seen this dual matchup ramp up in recent years since Chris Pendleton took over the helm at the other OSU. Corvallis has been rocking for wrestling with that resurgence as well with a great environment. Last year saw Brandon Kaylor pin Troy Spratley, and three other sudden victory matchups go OK State’s way. The lineups may look different this year but is a growing yearly matchup that’s always entertaining, and early in the season is a plus. South Dakota State: Best Dual: Iowa State (Home - 2/14) The Jackrabbits have a solid schedule every year, and a matchup at home against the returning conference champs gives a great opportunity. These two teams last faced in 2021 in Fargo, N.D. where ISU had a 19-12 win. SDSU won at home in 2017 and 2018 and will be looking to repeat here. A great tournament team that could be an even better dual team, SDSU will have chances to climb the rankings and greatly improve individual seeds. Zach Glazier vs Christian Carroll is the match I’m circling that should provide plenty of late-season answers to how the conference tournament may shake out at 197. Under the Radar Dual: Minnesota (Home - 12/01) While not an official rivalry like NDSU, I would love to see some sort of trophy adopted for this one. Minnesota vs SDSU has occurred almost every year since 2019 with the Gophers winning every one. The past two seasons have been much closer and with it being at home should be another great early-ish season matchup. Utah Valley: Best Dual: Oklahoma State (Home - 11/15) Sometimes the highest-ranked opponent just makes sense as the best and it fits here. These two have only clashed once with OK State blanking the Wolverines in Orem. There’s a chance that that happens again this season but it is still an important dual. The last time these two faced off was the second-largest home crowd in UVU history. With new HC Adam Hall and a very supportive administration, look for this dual to potentially beat their all-time attendance record. Under the Radar Dual: NC State (Road - 11/23) Surprisingly these two teams actually have a history, with NC State leading the series 2-1. NC State won the last two in 2017/2018, with UVU getting a win in the 2010 season. Now with former NC State Coach Adam Hall leading the Wolverines, this could be a new yearly dual we see. Again, NC State is going to be heavily favored but Terrell Barraclough could be favored at 165. Seeing tough duals on the schedule in his first year should only give fans more confidence in Coach Hall and the future of the program. West Virginia: Best Dual: Missouri (Road - 1/26) Last season this dual was 30-6 in favor of Missouri, but did not have the full-strength WVU lineup. This season should look different with new matches and highlight reel rematches. Josh Edmond and Jordan Titus had a double overtime match that wasn’t short on action. Peyton Hall took Keegan O’Toole to the wire, but both wrestlers will have a different opponent this year. Add in what could be a barnburner match with Jett Strickenberger and this dual score could again be much closer. Under the Radar Dual: Northern Iowa (Home - 2/01) The Panthers have been on this list a couple times, and for good reason. This is another matchup that not only brings a potential top-ten team to Morgantown, but some great matchups for fans and the Mountaineers. Colin Realbuto and Ty Waters could have a scramble fest, and Jett Strickenberger had double-digit barnburners with Trever Anderson. Wyoming: Best Dual: Penn State (Road - 12/15) In what I believe is the first time ever, the Wyoming Cowboys will take on Penn State. Again, the Nittany Lions are likely heavy favorites but that doesn’t mean there aren’t some highlight matches. At 125 look for Jore Volk to set the tone against the true freshman Luke Lilledahl. Joey Novak will be a great test for whoever PSU decides to send out. Wyoming sometimes wrestles with a chip on their shoulder and they’ll be looking to make a statement here. Under the Radar Dual: Campbell (Home - 12/31) With Campbell looking to recover after the recent news, this is a great opportunity for fans to show support. The “Dual at the Daddy” is another dual on UFC Fight Pass after the great “Battle in the Barn” event between these teams last season. That dual was a competitive back and forth and the added atmosphere and unique location only added to the excitement. Tune into this one not only to watch a great exciting event, but show continued support for Campbell University and the sport as a whole.

Mound-Westonka

Faith Christian Academy