InterMat Staff

Iowa State freshman Casey Swiderski (photo courtesy of Tony Rotundo; WrestlersAreWarriors.com) One of the best things about college sports (and wrestling) is that there is a constant stream of student-athletes coming into school each year hungry to prove themselves at the next level. That's obviously the case with wrestling as well. It's never been more common for freshmen to come in and have an impact in year one as it is today. From 1990 to 2009 a total of nine freshmen captured NCAA titles, redshirt and true freshmen combined. Since 2010, we've seen seven true freshmen on the top step of the NCAA podium. What all of that means is that you need to get to know some of the nation's top true freshmen, one's we expect to have an impact nationally in 2022-23. This isn't just a rehashing of the Class of 2022 recruiting rankings. There are plenty of freshmen who are slated to redshirt. For instance, the top recruit in the Class, Nick Feldman, has a senior All-American (Tate Orndorff) ahead of him at Ohio State. While he is probably ready to compete at a high level, it's more likely that Feldman sits for a year while Orndorff finishes his career. Conversely, there are plenty of teams that haven't made final decisions about whether to redshirt or not. Some top freshmen have been excluded from this list because they fall into that box. With the new redshirt rules, there will be some differences with true freshmen. In years past, wrestling in a dual meet would have meant a wrestler isn't redshirting. Now, wrestlers have up to five dates before burning their shirt. Just because a wrestler hits the mat in a November dual, no longer means they are released in year one. It's just something for fans to be aware of. Below are our eleven true freshmen to watch in 2022-23: Jackson Arrington (149 lbs - NC State) We're less certain that we'll see the next two wrestlers from NC State than some of the others, but signs are pointing to Jackson Arrington getting a shot to hold down the 149 lb weight class for the Wolfpack. 149 was manned by two-time NCAA All-American Tariq Wilson in 2022-23 and there is no clear-cut successor amongst the returning contingent. In steps three-time Pennsylvania state champion Jackson Arrington. Before his senior season at Forest Hills, Arrington finished fourth in Fargo's Junior freestyle and second at the Super 32. In between those two events, Arrington posted a victory at the Who's #1 dual meet. We mentioned that Virginia Tech has a highly-touted true freshman, Henson, penciled in a 149 lbs. Should Arrington go, we could see the beginning of a long rivalry between the two young stars. Should Arrington go right away, he would meet two-time All-American Jonathan Millner (Appalachian State) in a dual meet during week one. For the full article, Subscribe to InterMat's Rokfin Page

2x U23 World Medalist Tony Cassioppi (photo courtesy of Kostadin Andonov/UWW) The 2022 U23 World Championships are in the books! With that conclusion of the event, we now have eight more American wrestlers who can call themselves world medalist (and the first multiple-time medalists). Here are the American wrestlers who have earned medals at the event, which has been in existence, in name and current format, since 2017. 2022 Women's Freestyle 55 kg - Alisha Howk (Bronze) 57 kg - Alex Hedrick (Bronze) 72 kg - Amit Elor (Gold) 76 kg - Dymond Guilford (Silver) Men's Freestyle 79 kg - Carter Starocci (Bronze) 86 kg - Trent Hidlay (Silver) 92 kg - Jacob Cardenas (Silver) 97 kg - Tanner Sloan (Silver) 125 kg - Tony Cassioppi (Bronze) 2021 Women's Freestyle 50 kg - Emily Shilson (Gold) 76 kg - Kylie Welker (Bronze) Men's Freestyle 97 kg - Jay Aiello (Bronze) 125 kg - Tony Cassioppi (Gold) 2019 Women's Freestyle 62 kg - Kayla Miracle (Silver) 68 kg - Macey Kilty (Silver) Men's Freestyle 92 kg - Bo Nickal (Gold) 2018 Women's Freestyle 68 kg - Alex Glaude (Bronze) 76 kg - Korinahe Bullock (Bronze) Men's Freestyle 61 kg - Sean Fausz (Silver) 97 kg - Kollin Moore (Silver) 125 kg - Youssif Hemida (Silver) 2017 Men's Freestyle 65 kg - Joey McKenna (Bronze) 70 kg - Richie Lewis (Gold) 97 kg - Ty Walz (Bronze)

2022 U23 World silver medalist Jacob Cardenas (photo courtesy of Kadir Caliskan/UWW) On the final day of the U23 World Championships, the American men's freestyle team came away with three medals. The upperweight contingent was responsible for the hardware as Trent Hidlay (86 kg) and Jacob Cardenas (92 kg) got silver, while Tony Cassioppi (125 kg) won a pair of matches to take a bronze medal. Trent Hidlay got on the board early with a step-out point against Japan's Tatsuya Shirai. He added to the lead with another score after a shot clock violation against Shirai. Late in the first period, Shiari chipped into the lead with a step-out point of his own. In the second period, Shirari managed to get the only takedown of the contest off of a single leg, which put him ahead 3-2. As the clock wore down in the final period, Hidlay pushed for a score and Shirai was called for passivity, which resulted in a caution and one. That still didn't give Hidlay criteria, as Shirai's takedown gave him the edge in a 3-3 win. Cardenas had his hands full with two-time U20 world champion Amirhossien Firouzpourbandpei (Iran). The Iranian got a pair of early step-out points to lead 2-0. Still in the first period, Firouzpourbandpei logged a pair of takedowns and in the second he locked up a leg lace and ended the match with a pair of exposures. The final score was 10-0 in favor of the Iranian. Cardenas brings home a silver medal in his first international event. The 2021 U23 world champion, Cassioppi, claimed his second career U23 medal in a manner that provided little drama or suspense. Early in the season, Cassioppi pinned Japan's Kai Shutto in only :32 seconds. In the bronze medal match, the Iowa All-American's opponent, Yurii Idzinskyi (Ukraine), did not show up for the bout and forfeited. Even so, Cassioppi took the bronze and became the first American to earn multiple medals at the U23 tournament. Also competing earlier in the repechage round was Aaron Nagao at 61 kg. Nagao posted a win via tech in his first repechage contest, but was defeated by Emrah Ormanoglu (Turkey) 9-4 in the bronze medal match. The men's freestyle team finished the tournament in third place with 112 points. Georgia took the title with 141 points and Iran was second with 134.

2021 U17 World silver medalist Jim Mullen (photo courtesy of UWW) On Saturday evening, the highest-ranked uncommitted wrestler in the Class of 2023 is uncommitted no more. #9 overall Jim Mullen (St. Joseph, NJ) announced via social media that he will wrestle and play football for Virginia Tech. Mullen is currently the top-ranked 285 lber in the nation. Before his verbal, Mullen was the only one of the top-16 seniors in the nation without a collegiate suitor. Mullen enters his senior campaign as a two-time New Jersey state champion with both titles coming at 285 lbs. His first was as a freshman. You can't just hand out state titles to kids, but likely the only reason Mullen is not a three-timer is that the rescheduled 2021 state tournament fell on the same date as the UWW U17 World Team Trials. Mullen eschewed a shot at becoming a four-timer and happened to make the world team in both styles. In Budapest, Mullen competed in both styles and captured a silver medal in freestyle and fell a match shy of the bronze in Greco-Roman. Because of his two-sport status, Mullen doesn't have as many national-level credentials as others of his caliber. Last year, he was a finalist at the Powerade and during his freshman year, Mullen was fifth at the Beast of the East. Mullen will join a Virginia Tech program that already boasts a blue-chip big man in #19 Hunter Catka. An NCAA qualifier in 2021, Catka still has four years of eligibility remaining after redshirting last year. The Hokies also have a verbal from local product, seventh-ranked Parker Ferrell (Christiansburg, VA), a recent champion at the Super 32. Ferrell is ranked #49 overall in the Class of 2024. Despite the talent in the room or on the way, it's hard to pass up a wrestler of Mullen's caliber. It's also unclear how a possible football career will work in conjunction with wrestling.

2022 U23 silver medalist Tanner Sloan (photo courtesy of Kadir Caliskan/UWW) It was an eventful day in Pontevedra, Spain at the 2022 U23 World Championships as three American men competed for medals and the final four men's freestyle wrestlers started their tournaments. At 97 kg, Tanner Sloan was the lone American in the finals on Saturday and nearly came away with the gold. The South Dakota State star jumped out to an early lead with a first-period takedown, the only one of the entire contest. His opponent, Amirali Azarpira (Iran) got on the scoreboard in the second period with four straight points via step-out. Sloan pulled within a point of the lead on a step out of his own, then got extremely close to a takedown that would have given him the match. His corner challenged and the original ruling was upheld. A point for the lost challenge made the final score 5-3 in favor of the Iranian. Sloan will settle for the silver medal in his second world-level tournament. In 2019, Sloan was 15th at the Junior World Championships. Carter Starocci was the other American to come away with a medal when he clinched a bronze medal at 79 kg. After scoring on a pair of step-out's, Starocci blew open his bout against Valentyn Babii (Kazakhstan) with four points off of a cradle. In the second period, Starocci continued to pour it on and ended the match with a takedown :03 seconds before the final buzzer. The third American that wrestled in a medal match was Yahya Thomas at 70 kg. Thomas was neutralized by Kota Takahashi of Japan, 4-0. Two more Americans will compete for gold medals tomorrow, Trent Hidlay (86 kg) and Jacob Cardenas (92 kg). Hidlay was dominant during his four matches Saturday. His first bout, a 15-6 victory over Iran's Sajjad Gholami proved to be his toughest challenge. Hidlay won the following three matches by a combined score of 23-1. Hidlay will face Japan's Tatsuya Shirai in tomorrow's gold medal match. This marks the second world-level medal for the two-time NCAA All-American from NC State. In 2019, he was a Junior world bronze medalist. Cardenas had a huge international debut headlined by a win over 2022 Senior world bronze medalist Miriani Maisuradze (Georgia) in the semifinals. Not only did Cardenas get the victory, but he totally shut down the Georgian, 8-0. To make the semis, Cardenas got a pair of workman-like wins over opponents from Ukraine and Kyrgyzstan. Sunday, Cardenas will face Amirhossein Firouzpourbandpei (Iran), a two-time U20 world champion and 2021 U23 world bronze medalist. Also alive for a potential bronze medal tomorrow are Aaron Nagao (61 kg) and Tony Cassioppi (125 kgs). Cassioppi picked up a win before his loss in the quarterfinals, while Nagao was defeated in his opening match. Both have been pulled into repechage.

2022 U23 World Champion Amit Elor (photo courtesy of Kadir Caliskan/UWW) History was made Friday afternoon in Pontevedra, Spain at the U23 World Championships as Amit Elor added another gold medal to her collection. Actually, it was her third world gold medal in 2022, all of which have come in the last four months. Elor becomes the first American wrestler (male or female) to have won world championships at three different age groups within the same year. Elor won this championship bout the way that she has won most of her matches this year; by pure domination. After about a minute and a half of feeling out her opponent, Wiktoria Choluj (Poland), Elor got on the scoreboard with a takedown. She'd add another point via step out and four more after a takedown and leg lace to lead 7-0 at the break. In the second period, it was more of the same. Elor took some time to pick her spot, but got another takedown followed by a leg lace to end the bout decisively, 11-0. None of Elor's three matches at this tournament went the distance as she had a pair of techs and a fall in the semifinals. Elor's title marks the second consecutive year in which the US women have won a gold medal at this event (Emily Shilson - 50 kg). She is also only the second American woman to win since the tournament's inception in its current form in 2017. The US women also had a fourth medalist for the tournament as Alex Hedrick put on a show at 57 kg. Midway through the first period of her bronze medal contest, Hedrick secured a takedown on Laura Almaganbetova (Kazakhstan) followed by a trapped-arm gut. She'd never look back and proceeded to roll to a 13-2 tech. The win marked Hedrick's first age-group world medal. She was a part of two Junior world teams and the 2021 U23 team. Just missing out on a bronze medal by the slightest of margins was Felicity Taylor at 53 kg. Taylor held onto a slim 3-2 late in the third period when she was involved in a flurry at the edge of the circle against Germany's Anastasia Blayvas. Taylor stepped out which knotted the score, but pushed the German ahead on criteria. The University of Iowa star pushed during the final :20 seconds but was unable to finish a takedown. She appeared close to the criteria as the final whistle sounded. This was Taylor's second U23 appearance after taking ninth in 2019. On Friday, the men's freestyle team took the mat for the first time, as well. One wrestler has already locked up a medal, yet still has his sights set on gold and that is Tanner Sloan at 97 kg. In his three matches, Sloan faced tough competition every time around. He disposed of the 2022 European U20 champion Mucahit Celik (Turkey), before downing 2022 U20 World silver medalist Andro Margishvili (Georgia), and 2022 European U23 champion Islam Ilyasov (Azerbaijan). The semifinal against Ilyasov was a workman-like 10-2 victory that never saw Sloan in serious trouble. Two more American men will wrestle for bronze medals tomorrow, Yahya Thomas (70 kg) and Carter Starocci (79 kg). Thomas picked up a pair of wins before running into Amirmohammad Yazdani (Iran) and falling 4-2. Starocci teched three foes before getting edged by Daulet Yergesh (Kazakhstan), 8-7. Starocci almost came all the way back from an 8-1 deficit in the second period, but came up just short. The remainder of the men's freestyle team will also take the mat for the first time on Saturday.

2021 NCAA All-American Zach Sherman (photo courtesy of Sam Janicki; SJanickiPhoto.com) The Tar Heels capped off their season by bringing home a top-20 team finish for the fourth straight season, and three All-Americans for the first time since 1995; highlighted by Kizhan Clarke's run to the NCAA finals. We continue to see year-to-year improvement under Head Coach Coleman Scott and company. Coach Scott's first full recruiting class will be in their final year of eligibility this season and have formed the core of the team. They also continue to add depth with another solid recruiting class, ranked #11 by Matscouts and #16 by Intermat, which contains four top-100 recruits and another at #110. The team will have a great mix of experienced leadership and young talent in the room and will be challenging for an ACC title this year. TOP RETURNERS The Tar Heels ended the year with a lot of uncertainty about who would be utilizing their extra year of eligibility and returning to Chapel Hill. In a group announcement this summer, four starters from Coach Coleman Scott's first full recruiting class announced that they would all be returning for one final run for the Tar Heels. Jaime Hernandez, Zach Sherman, Austin O'Connor and Clay Lautt are core leaders on the team and their decision to return will play a huge role in the success of the program this season. Jaime Hernandez started the year undefeated at 5-0 before suffering a serious injury in the dual against Rutgers. Hernandez attempted to return for ACC competition against UVA, but the injury continued to linger and he sat out the remainder of the season. He enters this season ranked #11 and has high expectations. Zach Sherman had a difficult season at 149 coming off of an All-American performance at 141 in 2021. He faced one of the most difficult schedules in the country both in and out of conference and fought through a hip injury for the back half of the season. Sherman finished the year at 10-11 and went 2-2 at the NCAA tournament. I think Sherman will be better adapted to 149 this year and is in position to end his career on the podium. Austin O'Connor showed his grit at both the ACC and NCAA tournaments, fighting through a very obviously painful knee injury. He has earned All-American honors at every NCAA tournament he has attended--3rd/COVID/1st/8th--and the fight he showed to earn it last year was nothing short of impressive. I love the idea of O'Connor having another shot at the top of the podium this season. The ACC will be a battle at this weight as they have the pre-season #5, #6, #7, #12 and #13 which will certainly prepare him for another run. Clay Lautt had been on the cusp of All-American honors and finally made his breakthrough last year, placing 8th in a loaded weight class both in the ACC and nationally. Lautt was 18-8 on the season and made a splash nationally by pinning Hayden Hidlay in their dual. Lautt was 4-1 in conference with his lone loss to Mekhi Lewis. Lautt would wrestle Lewis three times on the year; in the dual, ACC finals and at the NCAA tournament; he closed the gap through the matches, but was 0-3 against the NCAA champ/two-time finalist from Blacksburg. Lautt had a strong NCAA tournament, beating Peyton Mocco to secure his first All-American honors. He has been a consistent force since moving up to 174 after his freshman year, and I expect to see him back on the podium this year. KEY DEPARTURES The Tar Heels only lost one starter to graduation but it is a big one; Kizhan Clarke transferred to Chapel Hill for one year and made the most of his time in the lineup. Clarke had an incredible regular season (17-1) before having a nightmare of an ACC tournament, going 0-2 and qualifying via wildcard to the NCAA tournament. Once in Detroit, Clarke went on a run, avenging losses to two ACC foes-Ryan Jack in the opening round and Cole Matthews in SV3 in the semifinals; he also beat multiple-time All-American Jaydin Eireman en route to the finals. Clarke came out attacking in the finals, but fell to two-time NCAA Champion Nick Lee. Joe Heilmann, who was the starter at 133 for the second half of the season after Jaime Hernandez was injured, transferred to Rutgers. NEWCOMERS The transfer of Clarke for a year enabled Lachlan McNeil to redshirt and gain a valuable year of experience in the college room. Lachlan is one of the most intriguing prospects to watch this year and has incredible potential. He was a top-10 PFP recruit with Ironman, Super32, and National Prep titles during his time at Wyoming Seminary. He has had success on the freestyle circuit for Team Canada and competed in the Senior World Championships this fall. McNeil was 6-1 during his redshirt year, including a win over conference foe Ryan Jack. McNeil has the potential to make a big impact at this weight nationally and will be one to watch closely throughout the season. Jack Wagner transferred from Northern Iowa and will fill the 125 spot for his grad year while last year's starter Spencer Moore takes a redshirt year. Wagner is an experienced starter from UNI that has seen time at 125, 133 and 141. He is above .500 for his career and the staff seems to be very excited about him joining the lineup for a season. WRESTLER TO WATCH With the core that is returning for the Tar Heels, it's hard to choose one wrestler to focus on here. I think McNeil is going to make an immediate impact as a freshman, and the senior core of Hernandez, Sherman, O'Connor and Lautt all have the tools to be on the podium in March. Gavin Kane had a phenomenal regular season last year after settling in at 184. He began the season at 174 after beating Lautt in the wrestle-off; both wrestlers did better at their final weights. Kane started 11-0 at 184 and was 4-0 to kick off his ACC season, including a 3-1 sudden victory win over 2021 All-American Hunter Bolen, before losing his final match to two-time All-American Trent Hidlay. He knocked off Bolen again 4-3 in TB1 to face Hidlay in the ACC Finals, but dropped by major decision. He qualified for the NCAA tournament where he had a disappointing 0-2 finish. That final run for the season is motivating Kane for a podium finish this year. He was great to watch last year as a freshman and you could see him maturing with every match. Kane is going to do big things for the Tar Heels and I think we see him on the podium in March. The weight to watch for the Tar Heels will be at 165 where we will see experienced starters like Sonny Santiago, Geno Esposito and Joey Mazzara fighting for the spot with scrappy true freshmen Nick Fea and Marcus Murabito. This weight will be a battle throughout the year and may not have a full-time starter until ACC duals. UNC held their prelim matches for wrestle-offs with Nick Fea and Geno Esposito coming out of the mini-tournament to face each other on Friday night. Don't be surprised to see different starters at this weight to see how they perform under the lights. Top Out-of-Conference Dual Coach Scott continues to schedule top out-of-conference duals to prepare the Tar Heels for the ACC season and postseason. The first two weeks of the season will see them face #4 Ohio State, #8 Michigan and #29 Campbell; they are also slated to attend the Collegiate Duals and will be in a pool with #1 Penn State and Central Michigan, they will face either #6 Cornell, #13 Iowa State or Oregon State on the second day of duals. The Tar Heels have a big weekend to open dual season. They will face Campbell in a dual on 11/11-Veteran's Day-that will be in a special setting that will be announced soon by Campbell. They will then host the Wolverines on 11/13 for Doubles on the Diamond on the UNC baseball field. It will be a great dual based on matchups and with the presentation. #29 Campbell vs #18 UNC 141: #19 Shannon Hanna vs Lachlan McNeil 174: #19 Austin Murphy vs #5 Clay Lautt 184: #21 Caleb Hopkins vs #10 Gavin Kane #8 Michigan vs #18 UNC 133: #6 Dylan Ragusin vs #11 Jaime Hernandez 149: #23 Chance Lamer vs #15 Zach Sherman 157: #2 Will Lewan vs #7 Austin O'Connor 184: #10 Gavin Kane vs #15 Matt Finesilver POTENTIAL LINEUP 2021-2022 record in parentheses 125: Jack Wagner (11-10 at UNI) 133: #11 Jaime Hernandez (6-2) 1x NCAA Qualifier 141: Lachlan McNeil (6-1) 1st Wolfpack Open 149: #15 Zach Sherman (10-11) All-American (7th in 2021) ACC Champion 4x NCAA Qualifier 157: #7 Austin O'Connor (21-3) National Champion (2021) 3x All-American (3/COVID/1/8) 165: Sonny Santiago (9-12) Isaias Estrada (12-7) Joey Mazzarra (10-2) Geno Esposito--Out last season with injury. Moving up from 149. Nick Fea--True Freshman Marcus Murabito--True Freshman 174: #5 Clay Lautt (18-8) All-American (8th in 2022) 3x NCAA Qualifier 184: #10 Gavin Kane (16-6 overall 12-4 at 184) ACC Runner-Up NCAA Qualifier 197: #29 Max Shaw (11-10) 1x NCAA Qualifier 285: Brandon Whitman (13-14) 1x NCAA Qualifier

2022 U23 World silver medalist Dymond Guilford (photo courtesy of Kostadin Andonov/UWW) The first set of medals were awarded Thursday in women's freestyle at the 2022 U23 World Championships from Pontevedra, Spain. Two American women, Dymond Guilford and Alisha Howk, came away with hardware. Guilford took silver at 76 kg, while Howk grabbed a bronze medal at 55 kg. The 2022 Senior World Team member, Guilford, took an early lead against Columbia's Tatiana Renteria by virtue of a shot clock violation in the opening period. Renteria's lone scoring chance came in the second period when she countered and stepped over Guilford for a takedown. That proved to be the difference in Renteria's 2-1 victory. Just to make the finals, Guilford scored a victory over Japan's Yasuha Matsuyuki in the semifinals. Matsuyuki is a past U23 and Cadet world champion. Howk captured her bronze medal in one of the more entertaining bouts of the session 13-5 over Sri Lanka's Nethmi Poruthotage. Trailing by one with less than :30 seconds on the clock in the opening period, Howk responded with a four-point takedown to go ahead 6-3. Howk would never relinquish that advantage, but did fend off an aggressive Poruthotage, while adding to her lead. The bronze medal for Howk marks her first world-level medal after making a Cadet and Junior team. Howk finished fifth at Junior World's in 2018. Also competing for medals today were Lexie Basham (59 kg) and Sienna Ramirez (68 kg). Both finished in fifth place in their first world-level event. The second group of women's freestyle competitors started their tournament on Thursday and two will wrestle for medals with the possibility of a third. Amit Elor (72 kg) will attempt to make history by winning her third world title in 2022. No other wrestler, male or female, has won three different age groups in the same year. Elor did as we have been accustomed to seeing and dominated her two opponents Thursday. She needed only :34 seconds to pin Maria Nitu (Romania) and clinch her spot in the finals. Felicity Taylor fell in the 53 kg semifinals to Japan's Haruna Okuno, 11-1. That loss drops Taylor down into the bronze medal match against an opponent that will be determined through repechage. Speaking of repechage, Alex Hedrick (57 kg), has qualified and will face Angola's Welvima Vemba tomorrow morning. A win would put Hedrick in the bronze medal match opposite Laura Almaganbetova (Kazakhstan).

2x NCAA All-American Mason Parris (photo courtesy of Sam Janicki; SJanickiPhoto.com) During the 2021-22 preseason, InterMat debuted our top-50 wrestlers list and revealed all 50 day-by-day in the lead up to the regular season. Our second iteration of this feature will spotlight five wrestlers at a time, going from 50 to number one. For each wrestler, we'll have some basic information along with career highlights, a brief analysis of their collegiate career (with a focus on last season), along with their outlook for the upcoming season. For earlier wrestlers #46 - 50 #41 - 45 #36 - 40 #31 - 35 #26 - 30 25) Austin Gomez (Wisconsin) Austin Gomez at the 2022 Big Ten Championships (photo courtesy of Sam Janicki; SJanickiPhoto.com) Weight: 149 lbs Year: Senior Career Record: 47-11 Hometown: Carol Stream, Illinois Collegiate Accomplishments: 2022 NCAA 4th Place, 2022 Big Ten Champion, 2019 NCAA Round of 12 Finisher, 2x NCAA Qualifier 2021 Top 50 Ranking: Not Ranked What a return for Austin Gomez in 2021-22! Gomez showed plenty of promise as a redshirt freshman for Iowa State in 2018-19 with a regular season win over Austin DeSanto (Iowa) and an appearance in the NCAA Round of 12. He would go on to miss the next two years with injuries and even announced his retirement. Gomez decided to give it another shot and transferred to Wisconsin where he flourished. He went 15-2 during the regular season, then shocked 2021 Big Ten champion Sammy Sasso (Ohio State) in the conference finals. Gomez would replicate the feat in the NCAA consolations, on his way to a fourth-place showing. For the full article, Subscribe to InterMat's Rokfin Page

The 2022 Big Ten Championships in Nebraska (photo courtesy of Sam Janicki; SJanickiPhoto.com) ROSEMONT, Ill. - The 2022-23 Big Ten Conference wrestling season will feature an extensive slate of television coverage with a minimum of 29 total broadcasts as the conference seeks its 16th straight national championship. The lineup is highlighted by a package of 26 regular season national broadcasts, with 24 telecasts on Big Ten Network and two on ESPNU. Big Ten Network will broadcast a minimum of 24 duals with the first taking place on Sunday, December 4, when Iowa travels to in-state rival Iowa State. Big Ten Network will also televise three sessions of the 2023 Big Ten Wrestling Championships on March 4-5, 2023. All televised matches can be streamed exclusively on the FOX Sports app, while additional duals will be available for streaming on B1G+. ESPNU will televise a pair of regular season contests starting on Sunday, December 11, when Oregon State travels to University Park, Pa., to take on the 2022 Big Ten Dual Meet Champion Penn State at 2 p.m. ET. All matches on ESPNU will also be available to stream on the ESPN App via connected devices. The full schedule of regular season games that will air on BTN and ESPNU can be found below and at the link above. December 4th - Iowa State at Iowa 2:30pm December 11th - Oregon State at Penn State 2:00PM (ESPNU) January 6th - Ohio State at Indiana 7:00PM January 6th - Penn State at Wisconsin 9:00PM January 8th - Iowa at Purdue 2:00PM January 8th - Wisconsin at Illinois 4:00PM January 13th - Minnesota at Nebraska 9:00PM January 13th - Northwestern at Iowa 9:00PM (ESPNU) January 15th - Michigan State at Minnesota 8:00PM January 20th - Michigan at Penn State 7:00PM January 20th - Nebraska at Iowa 9:00PM January 22nd - Iowa at Wisconsin (TBD) January 27th - Ohio State at Michigan 6:00PM January 27th - Iowa at Penn State 8:30PM January 28th - Illinois at Minnesota 2:00PM January 29th - Northwestern at Rutgers 4:00PM February 3rd - Penn State at Ohio State 7:00PM February 3rd - Iowa at Minnesota 9:00PM February 4th - Rutgers at Maryland 2:00PM February 5th - Illinois at Michigan State 2:00PM February 10th - Nebraska at Ohio State 7:00PM February 10th - Michigan at Iowa 9:00PM February 11th - Minnesota at Wisconsin 2:00PM February 12th - Northwestern at Purdue 12:00PM February 19th - Arizona State at Nebraska 2:30PM February 19th - Oklahoma State at Iowa 4:30PM March 4th - Big Ten Championships (Session 1) 10:00AM March 4th - Big Ten Championships (Semifinals) 7:30PM March 5th - Big Ten Championships (Finals) 4:30PM

Stanford national champion Shane Griffith at the 2022 NCAA Championships (photo courtesy of Tony Rotundo; WrestlersAreWarriors.com) Fantasy College Wrestling 101 *updated from the original article on MatScouts from May 5, 2021* If you are reading this article, it means you are slightly intrigued by the notion of adding Fantasy College Wrestling to your stable of Fantasy Games: Rotisserie Baseball, Snake or Auction Fantasy Football, Daily Fantasy, even filling out your NCAA Brackets with your friends. Be prepared though, this isn't going to be as easy as you think. Fantasy College Wrestling is a different animal entirely. Unlike Fantasy Football, Jane from Accounting is not walking away with the football crown in your office league. Wrestling is secretive. It requires research, scouring message boards, listening to any and all podcasts to get that 7-second snippet of information. And sometimes, you just don't know if that wrestler you picked up with your only Add/Drop for the week is actually going to wrestle in that tournament he was entered into until an hour before it starts. Some coaches keep their information close to the chest, while others will be forthcoming. Depends on the team, the wrestler, and the situation. Remember, “[Suriano is] down in the room now wrestling.” Until recently though, we wrestling fans didn't really have any great options to participate in our own kind of fantasy season. It's time-consuming, even though it's roughly the same length as the fantasy football season. Either each team tallies their own points for the week, where every other team will be suspicious if the numbers add up, or one person does the score sheet for each team which can take for-ev-er. Lucky for us, the guys at WrestleStatcreated the first publicly available and automated Fantasy College Wrestling platform in the 2019-2020 season. Year after year they have improved the Fantasy Wrestling experience. Increased League Manager customization, “real-time” scoring, head-to-head OR Cumulative Scoring competitions, limit the number of Add/Drops per week, and the ability to join (or create) as many leagues as you want. If you participated last year, I hope you sign up again. If you didn't participate, I highly encourage you to do so. Everyone always talks about growing the sport of wrestling; what better way to do so than to make it a competition between friends. Now instead of following just Penn State, Iowa, or your local team, you become interested in how 141 Cael Happel (UNI) does against Joey Zargo (Wisconsin), or that your week's success hinges on the hail mary pickup of South Dakota State's Tanner Cook to win that tournament. Like making pasta, you have to fold the flour in gently, not all at once. Fold your friends into the sport, and get them to have a vested interest in duals and tournaments. In other words, get them involved in Fantasy College Wrestling. I truly believe Fantasy College Wrestling has an opportunity to not only add another dimension to the fans we have, but an excellent opportunity to gain new fans. It's cheap and fun (and frustrating) exposure. So, here is your introductory crash course into the wild and wonderful world of Fantasy College Wrestling. Let's get to it: First, to boil it down to the bare bones: League can be made up of 5 to 14 members Competition type: Head-to-Head or Cumulative scoring Rosters are 16 wrestlers (10 starters, 2 flex, 4 bench) Scoring weeks run Monday to Sunday Win by Decision, +3, lose by Dec -3 per match. Same scoring for Maj, Tech, Pin, DQ, Inj, etc. Add and Drop wrestlers just like you do in Fantasy Football Wrestlers will LOCK at 12pm on the day of their team's first competition for the week Expanded Rule Explanation: Set-Up One member of your league will have to be designated as the “League Manager” or “Commissioner.” This individual will be responsible for setting up the league through WrestleStat and creating the basic settings: how many teams are in the league, how many points are worth each result (they default to the Standard Scoring amounts to start), the number of add/drops per week, and most importantly the draft day and time. This individual may also be responsible for league requirements outside the jurisdiction of WrestleStat, such as: league fees, documentation of rosters for postseason carry-over, etc. WrestleStat does not collect nor disperse dues, fees, winnings, etc. The Draft and Rosters WrestleStat's Fantasy College Wrestling draft is a fully interactive snake draft experience that takes as much time (or less) as your typical Fantasy Football draft. Each League Manager can set the number of teams, but the standard league is 10. Should a league not fill all the team spots by draft time, the open slots will be filled by “Simulated Teams,” who will draft on Auto for the next best available wrestler. With WrestleStat's comparison algorithm, they are able to have draft data like number of duals and tournaments for the year and projected points for the season. IMPORTANT TO NOTE: WrestleStat is offering the opportunity to do “Mock Drafts.” So if you want to do some trial runs, see how the process works, or even get some friends excited for the upcoming season, give it a try! (and it's FREE!) The typical league team consists of 16 wrestlers: 10 starters (one per weight class), two Floaters (any weight class) and four bench spots. The League Manager also has the ability to increase the number of bench wrestlers per team for the league. The 10 starters will only score points if they wrestle at the designated weight class. For example, if a wrestler is in the 125 roster spot (say Spencer Lee) and wrestles up at 133 for a dual meet. That result would NOT count. However, the wrestlers in the two Floater spots can wrestle at any weight class and have the result count. For example, a 125 wrestler (say Spencer Lee) wrestles at 133 and is in one of the Floater spots. That result WILL count. The bench spots will not score points. Scoring The Default Scoring in WrestleStat's Fantasy College Wrestling leagues had the following parameters: 1) Standard Dual Scoring was used for all competitions (Dual and Tournaments). Meaning, a win by decision was +3 and a loss by decision was -3, etc., etc. A win/loss by Fall, FFT, INJ, or DQ was +6/-6. No advancement or placement points are counted. MFF and Byes are zero points (though this can be changed by the League Manager) 2) Only matches against D1 competition counted for your wrestler's weekly Fantasy point total. Any match against un-rostered, DII, DIII, etc. wrestlers would not count for or against your wrestler's weekly point total 3) Wrestlers on Olympic Redshirt or grayshirting would not be eligible to accrue Fantasy points 4) Regular redshirts ARE eligible for accruing Fantasy points Add/Drop Each Scoring Week runs from Monday to Sunday. A wrestler will “lock” for the Scoring Week at 12pm EST on his team's first competition. This means any add/drops or changing Starters/Floaters would have to be completed before 12pm EST. Limitation on add/drops per week can be set by the League Manager. For instance, my average amount of add/drops between my three leagues were 89 transactions. Competition There are two styles of gameplay: Head-to-Head and Cumulative Scoring. For Head-to-Head leagues, each week your team would compete head-to-head against another member of your league. Total accumulated points vs total accumulated points, and the team with the higher total wins the week. Standings go by overall record, with the tiebreaker being total aggregate points. Very much like a traditional fantasy sports league. The regular season lasts about 15 or 16 weeks, with the top four teams competing for the championship in the final two weeks of the NCAA season (much like the National College Football Championship). The middle four teams (#5-8 in the standing) would compete in the “Best-of-the-Rest Tournament.” for bragging rights. For Cumulative Scoring, each week your team is competing against all other teams in the league to get the highest score. Each week, your score is added to your current running total to shape the standings. At the end of the season, whoever has the most points scored WINS. WrestleStat leagues do not carry over into the postseason (Conferences and NCAAs)... yet. **************************************************************************** And that, my Fantasy College Wrestling friends, is the boiled-down ruleset that you need to know. If you want to read the full rules, you can view them HERE. But you didn't click on this article just to read about rules. You don't Google Search the “Rules to playing Monopoly,” you search for pro tips and strategies (yes, there is a Monopoly World Championship) . So, let's tease a few: ** Note, for data examples, the last full regular season (2019-2020) was used 1) Research Information is king. Knowing what wrestlers are being sent to an Open Tournament or even if a starter like Spencer Lee or Yianni Diakomihalis is going to take the mat in the Sunday night dual. Message boards, as toxic and biased as they can be at times, can offer up some very valuable information and insight week-by-week. You have to get through a lot of dirt and rock to find those flakes of gold. 2) Redshirts Are Wrestlers Too The pins leader of 2019 was Central Michigan's Matt Stencel with a total of 19 falls. By January 30, 2019, Stencel had 15 pins and then redshirt Anthony Cassioppi had 14, which would have made Cassioppi 2nd in the NCAA (with a faster fall time than Stencel too). In the 2020 season, the top Fantasy Wrestler across all weights was redshirt 157 Jonathan Ross (Lock Haven) with a record of 52-8 and 135 Fantasy points. 133 Seth Gross (Wisconsin) was 7th with 103 Fantasy points. You aren't going to win NCAAs with them, but they are the unsung heroes that you need in order to win your league. When your go-to starters are injured, ducking, or are questionable to compete, redshirts and backups can be that bridge to guide you to Fantasy College Wrestling success. 3) Add/Drop Like It's A Business We all have favorite teams and wrestlers, but sometimes you have to make tough decisions to look past your fan allegiances and drop a beloved guy. Ridge Lovett (Nebraska) is a hammer and I have no doubt that he can compete with the elite in his weight class, but in 2020 he had three weeks where he faced the #1 (Gross, Loss maj), #2 (DeSanto, Loss dec), and #3 (Bravo-Young, Loss maj) wrestlers. That is a total of -11 Fpts. If you would have picked up Codi Russell (Appalachian State) instead, you would have netted +24 Fantasy Points. That doesn't mean that everyone is droppable. Even though Spencer Lee is going to be on a “pitch count,” you know that when he wrestles, it's going to be a win by bonus. You don't have a lot of roster space, but guys like Spencer Lee ought to be one of those 15 spots for the entire season. Use the Transfer Portal (Free Agency) to its fullest, but only if the favorable matchups are there. Which is a great transition to…. 4) Look For The Matchup, Don't Force The Matchup Going back to Tip #1, research is king. That and following our Weekly Outlooks during the season. Things to consider are the number of matches in a given scoring week and the opposing competition. The instinctual reaction is that the greater number of potential matches, the better. Yes and no. Yes, because it gives your wrestler more room for error. A wrestler with three matches in a week could lose one and still net a positive Fantasy point total. If your opposing team only has a total of 20 potential matches, and you have a potential 24 matches, the probability of winning may be in your favor. No, because it can also bite you if a wrestler loses and MFF's out of a tournament or only wrestles in one or two of the matches in a team's quad-meet. Or, sometimes taking the “sure thing” is the safer play. Sometimes starting 165 Shane Griffith (Stanford) against Austin Yant (UNI) is a better play than 165 Justin McCoy (Virginia), even though McCoy had two matches against unranked opponents that same week. It is really about matchups. For instance: No one can honestly say that 165 Alex Marinelli (Iowa) was not a title contender in 2020. He was an almost absolute start in every week, but there were exceptions. On January 18, 2020, Nebraska rolled into Carver-Hawkeye Arena for a Saturday Dual. Alex Marinelli vs. Isaiah White was slated to be one of the marquee matchups. I didn't (really) have a doubt that Marinelli would come out victorious, but I did not include him on my Weekly Outlook as a good start. Why? Because there was too much risk. I didn't expect Marinelli to get bonus against White, even though his 2020 bonus rate was 52%. I felt that 165 Zach Hartman (Bucknell) had the better matchup to start over Marinelli, which he was with +12 on the week (two pins). In the inaugural season, beating the #5 ranked wrestler by decision or beating the #159 ranked wrestler by decision would result in the same +3 Fantasy point result. Maybe that changes in the future to have bonus points attributed to ranked competition, but we will see. **************************************************************************** There's more to it than those four tips, but at the end of the day, the buck stops with you. Like a day trader in the stock market, do your DD (Due Diligence) and set your lineup how you think it can perform to its optimal potential.

The 2021 Journeymen Collegiate Duals This afternoon Journeymen Wrestling announced the pool matchups for the Collegiate Duals, which will be held December 19th-20th at the New Orleans Convention Center in New Orleans, Louisiana. The placement bouts on December 20th will be based on the results on day one. The top team from the first session will wrestle the top team from the evening session, in each pool. Teams will only be available to wrestle within their own colored pool, there is no crossover. December 19th 10AM - #19 Northern Iowa vs. Lock Haven (Red Pool); #13 Iowa State vs. #30 Oregon State (Blue Pool) 12PM - #4 Ohio State vs. Lock Haven (Red Pool); #6 Cornell vs. #30 Oregon State (Blue Pool) 2PM - #4 Ohio State vs. #19 Northern Iowa (Red Pool); #6 Cornell vs. #13 Iowa State (Blue Pool) 4PM - #21 Lehigh vs. #28 Cal Poly (Red Pool); #18 North Carolina vs. Central Michigan (Blue Pool) 6PM - #12 NC State vs. #28 Cal Poly (Red Pool); #1 Penn State vs. Central Michigan (Blue Pool) 8PM - #12 NC State vs. #21 Lehigh (Red Pool); #1 Penn State vs. #18 North Carolina (Blue Pool) December 20th 1PM - 5th Place Matches (Both Pools) 3PM - 3rd Place Matches (Both Pools) 5PM - Championship Match (Red Pool) 7PM - Championship Match (Blue Pool)

It was just a quick exchange near the end of practice a week into the regular season, but it resonated with me and signified a deeper meaning. Rutgers head coach Scott Goodale was leading his team through "live go's" in Tuesday's practice centered around top/bottom work. As the team moved towards the end of the session, Goodale attempted to create a scenario that many of his wrestlers will face just over two weeks from now at the onset of the 2022-23 season. "30-second tiebreakers," Goodale yelled in his deep, gruff voice. After the first 30 seconds, Goodale implored his wrestlers to swap positions with the caveat that "if you rode your opponent out for the full 30 seconds, you should probably choose neutral." With riding time typically a deciding factor in those situations, you're guaranteed to prevail if the score is tied after the second tiebreaker. Directly in front of me, sophomore Devon Britton got down in the bottom position, ready for Goodale's signal. The head coach had watched Britton's previous go and said, "Didn't you ride him out," to which Britton confirmed, but stated he wanted to score. Goodale didn't argue or challenge Britton's decision, but stood with a concerned look on his face. In a drill designed to enhance situational awareness, was his wrestler making a bad decision? Hearing Goodale's exchange with Britton, assistant coach Joe Pollard bounded over and exclaimed, "He believes…I love it!" A mere seconds after Goodale started the next : 30-second period, Britton was able to get a reversal and rode his teammate for the duration of the tiebreaker. I'm not sure if anyone else in the room cared that much about this back-and-forth that took only :20 seconds during a 90-minute workout, but it felt symbolic to me. Belief. Belief is an important word when it comes to the growth of the Rutgers wrestling program under Goodale. Earlier in the day, Goodale and Pollard took me on a tour of the Scarlet Knights state-of-the-art RWJBarnabas Health Athletic Performance Center, a building that opened just over three years ago and houses the wrestling team. Just about every fancy bell-and-whistle that a prospective student-athlete could want or need is available to Scarlet Knight wrestlers. That wasn't always the case. Before moving to their new digs, Goodale's team trained and competed at the old College Ave recreation building that was built in the 1930's. As we're walking through the team's current home, Goodale reminisces on the team's former home and says how he used to have to emphasize a gritty, no-frills approach to training when taking prospective recruits through the College Ave gym affectionately called, "The Barn." Despite having facilities that were not on par with the rest of the Big Ten (and before that; EIWA), Rutgers signees had a belief in Goodale and Rutgers. One of the earliest was #2 overall Scott Winston in 2008 and later #8 Anthony Ashnault in 2013. Both signified to the rest of the New Jersey wrestling community that Rutgers wrestling was for real. Even though the program had failed to produce an All-American since 2002, these top prospects and instant high school legends stayed in-state and helped lay the groundwork for a new generation of Rutgers wrestling. In September of 2016, Rutgers University and the athletic department showed their belief in Goodale's squad by breaking ground on the Athletic Performance Center. Just six months before the building opened, the wrestling team proved it was worthy of such an investment by delivering the first (and second) NCAA wrestling champions in school history as Ashnault and Nick Suriano won their respective weights in Pittsburgh. Fast forward to October of 2022 and we see Britton and his belief in himself and his training during Tuesday's practice session. It was also a feeling reciprocated by Goodale who believed in his pupil's instincts at that moment. The young 133 lber is not alone in this mentality. Up-and-down the Rutgers lineup, the wrestlers believe in their coaches and their own abilities. They have the belief that they can do something special at Rutgers and in their home state (for many of them). Hand-in-hand are the high school and club coaches, along with the parents, that no longer feel it's a necessity for their wrestlers to leave the state to taste collegiate success. As I was thinking about and rethinking the exchange between Goodale and Britton, there was another incident that caused me to look further than the surface level. After the team finished their on-mat workout, they transitioned into a yoga session. I used the couple-minute break to knock out a few interviews with team members. As the session began, 2022 133 lb NCAA qualifier Joey Olivieri came over to speak with me. With respect to the mood in the room for the yoga session, Olivieri and I stepped out into the hall for our interview. Just outside the front door to the wrestling room are the logos of all 14 Big Ten schools embossed on the wall. I picked out a random spot to conduct the interview; however, Olivieri asked if we could move to the left so that Rutgers' block "R" was the one that stood out in the background. In talking to Olivieri and his teammates, I realized that the "R" is not just a logo. It's not something they take lightly. They're proud to wear the "R" on the front of their singlets as they get their hand raised in front of thousands of rabid Jersey wrestling fans smack dab in the middle of Jersey Mike's Arena. I'd learn later in the day from Coach Pollard that Olivieri has plenty of family connections with the school and came up wrestling in the local clubs. The kid was born to wrestle for the Scarlet Knights. In fact, when Olivieri was given his offer, he didn't hesitate and committed on the spot. The staff actually sent him home to talk such a big decision over with his family and call back a few hours later. It was no surprise when Olivieri called back at exactly 4pm, as instructed, and reaffirmed his commitment. Rutgers' transformation from DI anonymity, before Goodale's arrival (in 2007), to a national player that has produced at least two All-Americans in every NCAA tournament since 2016 is one of the better success stories in college wrestling. With the belief from the school administration, local wrestling community, and student-athletes, the next question is, how high can they go? Rutgers is a program that returns a pair of All-Americans from the 2021 campaign, along with five others that have qualified for nationals at one time or another. There is plenty of excitement and anticipation surrounding this season from the coaching staff, as is the case at most schools. Rutgers' is actually rooted in a bit of uncertainty. But the good kind. Dean Peterson, the #10 overall recruit in the Class of 2021, is making his case for a starting bid at 125 lbs, a weight currently held by #22 Dylan Shawver. Sammy Alvarez is up at 141 lbs, a weight class much more favorable for the long-limbed wrestler than 133 was. Without a clear-cut favorite nationally, Alvarez is almost certain to rise from his current ranking of 15th. The last time Alvarez was a starter he earned the #10 seed at nationals in 2020. 2022's top recruit, Brian Soldano, is eager to hit the mat and could be a year-one starter if the staff decides to redshirt All-American John Poznanski at 184 lbs. Speaking of AA's, Jackson Turley missed most of the 2021-22 season due to injury, but is back. The same for Billy Janzer at 197. It's not a stretch to think that the Scarlet Knights could again put three on the NCAA podium (like in 2021) or more. Below are links to the interviews and tour (Located on our Rokfin page) Interviews Head Coach Scott Goodale 125 lber Dean Peterson 125 lber Dylan Shawver 133/141 lber Joey Olivieri 141 lber Sammy Alvarez 149 lber Anthony White 165 lber Connor O'Neill 184 lber Brian Soldano 184 lber John Poznanski 285 lber Boone McDermott

Detroit's Little Caesar's Arena for the 2022 NCAA finals (photo courtesy of Tony Rotundo; WrestlersAreWarriors.com) We're almost a month into InterMat's unofficial preseason. Over the last month we've dedicated plenty of webspace to preseason content. Enough that you may have missed something along the way. Below is all of the preseason content released thus far, isolated into one easy-to-find location. More will be added as content is posted. Breakout Candidates (James Hackney) ACC Big 12 EIWA MAC Pac-12 SoCon Big Ten Kevin Claunch Conference-Related Content 2022-23 SoCon Preview Rachel Gallardo NC State: Season Preview Robbie Wendell Virginia: Season Preview Robbie Wendell Pittsburgh: Season Preview Robbie Wendell 2022-23 EIWA Preview Austin Sommer Big Ten Preview: Part One Kevin Claunch and Lauren Muthler Big Ten Preview: Part Two Kevin Claunch and Lauren Muthler The Scariest Scenario for Each Big 12 Team in the 2022-23 Season Seth Duckworth Duke: Season Preview Robbie Wendell Five Pac-12 Storylines for the 2022-23 Season Nick Zeller-Singh 12 Big 12 Storylines for the 2022-23 Season Seth Duckworth The B1G Ten's B1G Ten Duals for the 2022-23 Season Kevin Claunch & Lauren Muthler The Big Ten's Vision Quest: Previewing the Conference Using Vision Quest Quotes Kevin Claunch Virginia Tech: Season Preview Robbie Wendell Top-50 Wrestlers (Earl Smith) #11 - 15 #16 - 20 #21 - 25 #26 - 30 #31 - 35 #36 - 40 #41 - 45 #46 - 50 Campus Visits (Earl Smith) Rutgers VMI General 2022-23 InterMat Preseason All-Conference Teams InterMat Conference Correspondent Staff Nine Interesting Results from 2022-23 Wrestle-Off's Richard Mann 2022-23 DI All-Name Team Earl Smith Wrestle-Off Results Earl Smith Evaluating the Toughest Collegiate Schedules for 2022-23 Earl Smith Eleven Positional Battles to Watch for the 2022-23 Season Earl Smith Meet the New Head Coaches Earl Smith Eleven True Freshmen to Watch for the 2022-23 Season Earl Smith Eight Notable Assistant Coaching Hires This Offseason Earl Smith Making Sense of the New Redshirt Rules Earl Smith November's Top DI Duals Richard Mann Number One Versus the Field Richard Mann Ranking the Top-15 Wrestlers in the 2022 Transfer Portal Earl Smith Straight Outta Redshirt Earl Smith The Best Case Scenario for the Top-Five Teams Earl Smith "The Replacements: Who Takes Over for 2022's Graduated Stars? Earl Smith What are the Biggest Challenges Facing College Wrestlers? Lauren Muthler Beyond the Rankings (9/27/2022) Earl Smith 2022-23 Fantasy Wrestling Podcasts (Tony DiMarco and Todd Sheftic) Week One Preview 125 and 133 lbs Preview 141 and 149 lbs Preview 157 and 165 lbs Preview 174 thru 285 lbs Preview 2022-23 Fantasy Wrestling (FantasyCollegeWrestling) Fantasy College Wrestling 101

Penn national qualifier Ryan Miller (photo courtesy of Tony DiMarco) Every year there are wrestlers that have “breakout” seasons. Whether it's wrestlers that are coming off a strong redshirt season, or young wrestlers who have a big jump from experience in the next season, it is always fun to see which athletes separate and improve from year to year In this article series, I am going to highlight a wrestler from every school in each of the seven different conferences that have the potential to breakout. That could mean anything from making a surprising splash at the national tournament, to qualifying for the first time, or even getting some important dual wins for a school. Up next are the seventeen schools that make up the EIWA Conference. American - Jack Maida, 133lbs (So) After a big coaching change coming into the season, Maida found himself as a true freshman starter for American University. He had a 17-10 record and placed 4th at EIWA's after a first-round loss. While he missed out on qualifying, he did have a win over Rutgers freshman qualifier Joey Olivieri. If he is able to take a jump and find more consistency, he could be Coach Borrelli's first qualifier at American. Army - #29 Nathan Lukez, 157lbs (Jr) Lukez will get his first chance to start after going 22-4 the past two seasons in almost all extra matches or open tournaments. Last season, he won the Journeyman Classic, and only had one loss through four other tournaments. He also scored wins over qualifiers Ben Barton and Parker Kropman. With the graduation of three-time qualifier Markus Hartman, Lukez will have an opportunity to continue Army's history of ranked wrestlers at 157lbs. Binghamton - Anthony Sobotker, 133lbs (Sr) Sobotker is still looking to put it all together, but has one of the most dangerous headlocks in Division I. This will be his third season at Binghamton after two years at Nassau CC. He has an 18-17 record against DI opponents, but that includes pins over Richie Koehler, Sammy Alvarez, Connor Brown and a 5-4 decision over Matt Ramos. After eleven falls last season, he has shown that he is one of the most dangerous wrestlers at 133lbs and could go on a run at any time. Brown - Ricky Cabanillas, 149lbs (Sr) Cabanillas nearly had a breakout season as a true freshman with a 25-14 record and 7th place finish at EIWA's. After no competition in 2021 however, Cabanillas struggled in 2022 with an 11-13 record. If Cabanillas can get closer to his true freshman performance, he could be one of Brown's best wrestlers this year. Bucknell - #29 Darren Miller, 141lbs (Sr) A 2021 qualifier at 133lbs, Miller wasn't able to replicate that success in 2022 after bumping up to 141lbs. He finished 5th at EIWA's, but had wins over Connor McGonagle and Ryan Anderson, who were both ranked at the time. Miller has shown the ability to separate before, and with another offseason to adjust to 141lbs, he could become a two-time qualifier. Columbia - #25 Joe Manchio, 125lbs (Sr) Manchio has already had multiple impressive seasons as a two-time qualifier in 2020 and 2022. In 2020 he made the EIWA finals and was the 23rd seed. He appeared to be on his way to another excellent season in 2022 after early season wins over Sam Latona and Jaret Lane, but he seemed to stall out a bit after that. At NCAA's, he ran into Brandon Courtney and Drake Ayala to go 0-2. If Manchio can keep his early season success going this year, he should be a big point scorer for a solid Columbia team. Cornell - Vince Cornella, 141lbs (Fr) Cornella at Cornell spent his freshman year with the Spartan Combat RTC, and had an impressive 23-8 record with titles at multiple open tournaments. While he did not notch any ranked wins, he went on a freestyle tear at U20's. Cornella beat Carter Young two matches to one to make the team, then finished fifth at the world championships after a late challenge and criteria loss. Expect to see him in the rankings once he can get some more ranked matches under his belt. Drexel - Brian Bonino, 184lbs (Sr) After spending his first four seasons at Columbia, Bonino transferred to Drexel for his final year. He had a losing record last season, but did have a win over three-time qualifier Gregg Harvey. He's had close losses against ranked competition as well, with an overtime loss to John Poznanski. If he can take a step up at a new school then he could find himself in the rankings this season. Franklin & Marshall - Vincenzo Pelusi, 285lbs (Sr) Another wrestler trying to make an impact in his last season, Pelusi will be looking to make his first NCAA tournament. He came close last season with a 10-4 conference record, but placed 7th at EIWA's. Pelusi had a win over qualifier Matthew Cover, and a win over Navy's standout freshman Ryan Catka. Both wrestlers he lost to at EIWA's have graduated, so he should have a chance to place higher and qualify this year. Harvard - #5 Yaraslau Slavikouski, 285lbs (Jr) Slavikouski had a standout freshman year in 2020, going 30-8 and being the 10 seed at NCAA's after finishing second at EIWA's. He wrestled five matches in 2022, making the finals of the CKLV before being injured in the finals match. If Slavikouski can come back healthy, he has the potential to make the podium in March after being overlooked by some fans during the season. Hofstra - #32 Jacob Ferreira, 184lbs (Sr) Ferreira will be looking for his first opportunity to be a full-time starter at his third school, after spending time at Bucknell and NC State. He has bounced between 197lbs, 184lbs, and 174lbs, but looks like he should be settling into 184lbs. Last season was entirely at 197lbs, and he had some solid results. He had a win over standout redshirt Jaxon Smith of Maryland, and two-point losses to Max Shaw and Isaac Trumble. If 184lbs is his best weight class, he could be a factor for Hofstra. Lehigh - #29 Connor McGonagle, 133lbs (Jr) McGonagle has a unique career after starting two years at 141lbs. A two-time national qualifier, he has actually finished with a losing record both times, going 15-18. However, in that time, he also has wins over qualifiers McKenzie Bell and Dresden Simon. He has been right there with other wrestlers as well, with close losses to CJ Composto and Carter Young. Dropping to 133lbs this season, I wouldn't be surprised to see him get more ranked wins and perhaps show some more consistency. Long Island - Robbie Sagaris, 125lbs (So) Long Island University only started competing at Division I three years ago, so most of the roster and starters are young as the team works to establish itself. Sagaris started as a true freshman and finished with a 13-13 record. He didn't get any ranked wins, but had close losses to solid wrestlers. If he can make a jump as a freshman, then he should be a spark for the Sharks this season. Navy - Val Park, 165lbs (Sr) After spending two seasons at 157lbs, last year Park moved up to 165lbs and had a respectable season with a record of 23-17. He had wins over two-time qualifiers David Ferrante and Brian Meyer, and 12 of his losses came to qualifiers. If he is able to improve with another season at 165lbs, then he could find himself in the rankings in his last year. Penn - #19 Ryan Miller, 125lbs (So) One of the higher-ranked wrestlers on this list, Miller started as a true freshman and had a standout year. He had a 21-8 record, 3rd place EIWA finish, and went 1-2 at NCAA's. While Pat Glory is still at 125lbs, it sounds like Vito is moving up to 133lbs, so Miller has a shot to improve his conference finish. A popular dark horse at last year's NCAA's, I wouldn't be surprised to see Miller seeded higher than 22nd like last year. Princeton - #22 Matt Cover, 285lbs (Jr) Matt Cover started the year in January after solid performances at open tournaments, finished fifth at EIWA's, and qualified for NCAA's as the 32 seed. His best win was over Zachary Knighton-Ward at EIWA's. This conference has a handful of talented heavyweights that are going to be fighting for a qualifying spot this season, and Cover has already shown that he has the ability to do it. Sacred Heart - Nick Palumbo, 157lbs (Sr) Palumbo qualified for NCAA's back in 2021 and had a win over Parker Kropman of Drexel. In 2022 he wasn't able to repeat with a 9-5 record, but all of his losses were close. In 2023, if he is more consistent and gets more matches, then he should be a candidate to qualify outright or potentially get an at-large.

Arizona State's NCAA trophy-winning 2022 squad (photo courtesy of Tony Rotundo; WrestlersAreWarriorscom) Who can challenge Arizona State? Arizona State has become a dark horse for a national championship in the last few seasons under Zeke Jones. The Sun Devils pack their strongest lineup yet, having nine wrestlers ranked in the top 20. Heavyweight Cohlton Schultz headlines the Sun Devil squad after a second-place finish behind Gable Steveson last year. However, ASU has a few national title contenders, including Brandon Courtney, Michael McGee, and Jacori Teemer. Therefore, it is tough to say any Pac-12 team can stand toe-to-toe with the Sun Devils. However, a few teams have a long shot of upsetting Arizona State. Stanford currently sits 21st in the team tournament rankings. Although they lost Real Woods, Stanford still has Shane Griffith dominating the 165-pound class, Jackson Disario making noise in the 133-pound class, and NCAA qualifier Tyler Eischens at 174. Oregon State's lineup, ranked 23rd in the team tournament, begins with NCAA qualifier Brandon Kaylor. Although Kaylor has yet to beat Courtney, he has lost by a combined 12 points in their four matchups. The Beavers also bring in two junior college national champions, Jason Shaner and Isaiah Crosby. Lastly, Trey Munoz will be looking to place at NCAAs this season. Cal Poly is the last squad with a shot in the dark to beat ASU. The Mustangs have continued to grow under Jon Sioredas' tenure. Cal Poly will be headlined by transfers Ethan Rotondo, who has wins over Zane Richards and Brandon Courtney in freestyle, and Dom Demas. Legend Lamer will look to wreak havoc in a loaded 165-pound class Cohlton Schultz vs. The Field Schultz has lost three matches in his early collegiate career, two losses to Anthony Cassioppi and one loss to Gable Stevenson. However, Schultz comes into the 2022-23 season as a clear favorite for a national title after giving Stevenson one of his toughest matches last season. Can any heavyweight in the Pac-12 stop Schultz's potential perfect run this season? Besides Schultz, no Pac-12 heavyweight ranks in the top 33. Cal Poly currently has redshirt freshman Trevor Tinker listed as their starter. Tink went 8-4 in his redshirt season, going 0-1 against top-25 wrestlers. Sophomore Josiah Hill returns as Little Rock's starter after finishing 14-13. Schultz pinned Hill in the second period last season and went 2-2 at Pac-12 Championships. Therefore, Schultz should control this matchup again. Sophomore Jake Andrews starts for Cal State Bakersfield after finishing 6-13 last season. Andrews was pinned by Hill and Tinker last season, making Schultz a heavy favorite in this matchup too. Stanford's Peter Ming provides the best chance for a large upset in the heavyweight class. Ming fell to Schultz 13-2 last season, Schultz's third toughest Pac-12 matchup behind Samuel Aguilar and Gary Traub. If Traub had another year, Schultz could have fallen early. However, Schultz will sweep the competition this season. His last competitor will either be Oregon State's Charles Hastriter or JJ Dixon. Underdogs and Dark Horses Oregon State has two wrestlers who barely make a blip on the radar thus far, junior college transfers Isaiah Crosby and Jason Shaner. Crosby is coming off an undefeated NJCAA National Championship run at Iowa Western Community College. Crosby will have a tough schedule, facing five top-30 opponents, including three in the top-10. Crosby can get himself tuned for a tough Pac-12 conference tournament and sneak into the NCAA Championship his first season. Shaner will face two of the best 133-pounders in the country this season, Roman Bravo-Young and Michael McGee. If he can find a way to fight against the best wrestlers, he will also earn a spot at NCAAs. CSU Bakersfield's Angelo Martinoni ranks 33rd in the 141-pound class. He has quality wins over Shannon Hanna of Campbell, Ohio State's Dylan D'Emilio and Tariq Wilson. Pac-12's 141-pound class is one of the weaker divisions in the conference, which could allow him to rack up wins and crack the NCAA Championships. Cal Poly's Legend Lamer is a few steps away from making it as a dark horse for a national title. At NCAAs, Lamer is 2-4, losing by a combined 14 points. In those four losses, he faced All-Americans Kyle Parco and Yahya Thomas, gatekeeper Anthony Artalona and Michael Blockhus. If he can turn those close matches into victories, he can make a run for a medal at NCAAs this season. Cael Valencia should be a dark horse based solely on his name. However, Valencia's redshirt campaign was so successful, people thought the redshirt was going to be pulled after victories over Hayden Hastings and Tyer Eischens. However, Valencia will be unleashed this season with more untapped potential than either of his brothers since he started later than both of them. Top freshmen As stated above, Cael Valencia will finish the season as a top-25 wrestler in the country. Despite lacking the five-star techniques his brother contained, his strength and IQ make him just as dangerous. If he continues to live up to his potential, he can be a favorite by the time his ASU career ends. Stanford's Nico Provo will be the start at 125 pounds. Even though he will not be up to Courtney or Kaylor's level, he is the foreseeable future of the Pac-12 lightweights. Provo defeated Bakersfield's Eddie Flores last season before shutting down the rest of the season. Cal Poly's Luka Wick is one of three freshmen in the first top-33 rankings for the 157-pound class. Although the class runs through Teemer, Wick is on track for several marquee matchups, including a dual against Brayton Lee and Will Lewan. If Wick can live up to his undefeated redshirt season, he will make his way to the NCAA Championships as a true freshman. Can Little Rock's stock continue to rise? Little Rock enters its fourth season, meaning the last batch of the original wrestlers will have one final ride with the Trojans before graduating. Little Rock is coming off its best season yet, including its first D1 win in program history. Can they improve from last season? First, Little Rock landed the 18th-ranked recruiting class in the country this last summer, the second time in the top-25 ever. The class consists of seven wrestlers, including three top-110 recruits. Second, the Trojans return seven starters who are headlined by 149-pound Joseph Bianchi and 174-pound Triston Wills. Even though the Trojans did not send a wrestler to NCAAs last season and do not have a wrestler ranked yet, their experience can outweigh some of the younger Pac-12 teams. The Trojans' records will not show an impressive improvement this season. However, Little Rock is beginning to build a foundation that will set them up for the future. The Trojans have a few wrestlers coming off a redshirt this season and Neil Erisman said 125-pound Josh Sarpy can be a dark horse in the long run.

All-Americans Tony Cassioppi (top) and Greg Kerkvliet in the 2021-22 Penn State/Iowa dual (photo courtesy of Tony Rotundo; WrestlersAreWarriorscom) It's easy to forget how loaded the B1G Ten is when it comes to wrestling. I mean, we all know that it's historically the toughest conference, if you consider the fact that a Big Ten team won the last 15 NCAA Championships (not counting the COVID year, although Iowa was the favorite, so there's that) any indication that it is the best. In fact, in order to find a non-Big Ten national champ – not named Oklahoma State – you have to go back to 1988 when Bobby Douglas, Zeke Jones, Dan Severn, and that Arizona State team won their Team Title. In fact, only five teams from other conferences have placed second in the last 15 years. Additionally, five different Big Ten teams have placed second in the country in that same time frame. Wild times here in the Midwest. Anyway, the B1G Ten is the best. This is the way. But when you really take a look at some of the matches and who will be wrestling, you're reminded of just how much fun this season is going to be. For example, the weekend of Jan. 27th, we will get Ohio State against both Michigan and Michigan State, Iowa at Penn State, and Wisconsin at both Northwestern and Nebraska. That's just one weekend! Anyway, the following is our top 10 Big Ten duals to look forward to. In the true spirit of The Big Ten, Ten means Fourteen. Another fun fact, we did these in draft format. Lauren had the first pick, Kevin had second, and we tried to pick the most fun duals to look forward to, while including all teams. Let us know who picked the better seven duals! (Note: Team rankings are based on InterMat's preseason dual rankings; schedules and lineups are subject to change) #1) No. 2 Iowa at No. 1 Penn State When: Friday, Jan. 27 (Bryce Jordan Center) Last season's result: Penn State, 19-13 Key matchup: Greg Kerkvliet (PSU) vs. Tony Cassioppi (Iowa) (Hwt): With Gable Steveson off to the WWE, the title of NCAA heavyweight champ will be up for grabs and both Kerkvliet and Cassioppi will be deep in the thick of the hunt for that title. While the Nittany Lion has the higher rank, it's the Hawkeye who owns the series, 3-0. The pair's last matchup was their closest yet, a 6-4 decision in sudden victory. This bout will not only be important for Big Ten seeding purposes, but it could very well also decide this dual. Synopsis: This was an easy pick. Jan. 27 should be circled on all wrestling fans' calendars, as the Hawkeyes will travel to State College seeking revenge for last year's 19-13 loss at Carver-Hawkeye. But it won't be easy, as the Nittany Lions will have the smoke-and-light show and full force of 16,000 fans behind them at the Bryce Jordan Center. This dual has the makings of another classic, highlighted by five total former NCAA champs in Iowa's Spencer Lee (125) and Penn State's Roman Bravo-Young (133), Carter Starocci (174), Aaron Brooks (184) and Max Dean (197). But seasoned fans will likely have their eyes on some of the lesser-known names, the highly touted underclassmen who will be looking to establish themselves this season. Key to deciding this dual could be the battle at 165 pounds between Iowa sophomore No. 17 Patrick Kennedy and Penn State redshirt freshman No. 23 Alex Facundo. A couple of other Penn State underclassmen in Beau Bartlett at 141 and Shayne Van Ness at 149 will get the chance to prove themselves against seasoned veterans Real Woods and Max Murin, respectively. If all goes to chalk, this dual could very well be decided by the big men. Get ready for fireworks as Cassioppi will be looking to extend his win streak over Kerkvliet to four in front of the hostile BJC crowd. #2) No. 4 Ohio State at No. 6 Michigan When: Friday, Jan. 27 Last season's result: Michigan, 29-8 Matchup to watch: I'm throwing a couple out here, because this dual has some awesome matches at a variety of weights. First of all, you'll get an intriguing matchup at 149 with Sasso against redshirt Freshman Chance Lamer. Then you get 157 and 165, where you have Paddy Gallagher jumping into the Buckeye lineup against second-ranked Will Lewan, as well as Cam Amine against Carson Kharchla. Each of these matches should be a war. Matches like this are especially fun when you consider these athletes will likely meet several times throughout the season. Synopsis: An awesome dual every time we get to watch it. At the time of writing this, we have the 4th-ranked Buckeyes (according to the InterMat Dual Meet Rankings) and the 8th-ranked Wolverines. A top-ten battle is always fun, but then you throw in the fact that these schools are bitter rivals in absolutely every sport. So, there is the general dislike of the other program, the contrasting color schemes (it seems to have an impact when they seem to be diametrically opposed in every way), and the physical nature of this great sport. It always makes for a great dual even when the teams aren't evenly matched. In this case, they are evenly matched at just about every weight. Regarding the matchups, you'll get a good one right away with Medley v Heinselman. Each team has weights where they will be looking for bonus points as well, but 8/10 of these matches should be regular decisions. I expect this dual to come down to the last match, but Mason Parris has closed out duals against Ohio State in the past, and I expect he'll look to do that once more in Ann Arbor. #3) No. 1 Penn State at No. 4 Ohio State When: Friday, Feb. 3 Last season's result: Penn State, 32-7 Key matchup: No. 1 Carter Starocci (PSU) vs. No. 6 Ethan Smith (Ohio State) (174 pounds): One of the most interesting matchups is set to be between Penn State two-time NCAA champ Carter Starocci and All-American Ethan Smith. This will be the pair's first matchup. Starocci has lost just twice in his collegiate career, but Smith has the ability to give the talented sophomore a battle. Whether Smith can hold Starocci to a regular decision could be key to the outcome of this dual. Synopsis: Penn State ran away with this dual last year, but this year's iteration is poised to be much more competitive. The dual is set to feature nine ranked matchups and, as of InterMat's preseason rankings, the bouts are split evenly with each team favored in five. The problem with Penn State, however, is that its top-five wrestlers are typically more consistent and higher scoring than any other team's top-five, making them less vulnerable to upsets and more likely to earn bonus points. But the Buckeyes will have their own opportunities for bonus points, particularly with Paddy Gallagher at 157 and No. 3 Sammy Sasso at 149. For Ohio State to have a chance at the upset, it'll at the very least need to not give up bonus points against Penn State's murderer's row at the top four weights – and steal one, if they can. It won't be easy, as Aaron Brooks and Greg Kerkvliet earned major decisions over Kaleb Romero and Tate Orndorff, respectively, in their previous matchups. As mentioned above, 174 pounds could be an opportunity for Ohio State to hold off those bonus points. Another matchup to not sleep on is between Penn State's top-ranked Max Dean and Ohio State's No. 9 Gavin Hoffman. While Dean beat Hoffman 9-3 in their most recent matchup last March, the Buckeye pushed the Penn State transfer in last season's dual, making him earn a 5-3 sudden victory win. Hoffman also finished off his 2021-22 campaign strong, going 3-3 to finish sixth in Detroit. #4) No. 6 Michigan at No. 2 Iowa When: Friday, Feb. 10 Last season's result: N/A Matchup to watch: Heavyweight. Both Iowa and Michigan have heavyweights who enter the year with a National Title as their main goal. Third-ranked Mason Parris and fourth-ranked Anthony Cassioppi, each in their senior seasons, and looking to go out with a bang! Parris has had Cassioppi's number in the past, but I'm sure Big Cass is motivated to flip the script on him in Carver-Hawkeye. Synopsis: Speaking of, Michigan beat Iowa the last time they were in Carver-Hawkeye, back in 2017-2018, so I'm sure the Brands brothers will be ready to bring it to the Wolverines this time around. You'll get to see another Jack Medley vs Spencer Lee matchup, Ragusin vs Schriever, Cassioppi vs Parris, Kennedy vs Amine, Lamer vs Murin, and we can see Matt Finesilver in some Big Ten competition with a chance to wrestle Abe Assad. There are only a couple of weights where there aren't ranked matchups (157, 174 and 197 are those weights) but who knows? Upsets happen, which is why they wrestle the matches. If you like tough wrestling, like I sure do, then you'll like this dual. #5) No. 14 Nebraska at No. 4 Ohio State When: Friday, Feb. 10 Last season's result: N/A Key matchup: No. 3 Sammy Sasso (OSU) vs. No. 4 Ridge Lovett (NEB) (149 pounds): This was an easy pick for two reasons: style matchup and Big Ten seeding implications. Lovett further established his status as a fan favorite last season, taking the postseason by storm by going from the No. 10 seed to the NCAA finals, while making it entertaining along the way. Sasso, on the other hand, has been the picture of consistency, putting together a 65-8 record (including his redshirt year) and finishing in the top-5 twice at NCAAs. The winner of this could be rewarded by getting to be on the opposite side of last year's champ Austin Gomez, of Wisconsin, at Big Tens. Synopsis: Ohio State's Big Ten home finale against Nebraska is set to not only entertain but it could also feature a few key matchups with important Big Ten seeding implications. All eyes will be on the 149-pound bout between No. 3 Sammy Sasso and No. 4 Ridge Lovett. The winner will likely earn one of the top two Big Ten seeds at the weight. This matchup will be fun, as the styles of the two wrestlers couldn't be more different. The Nebraska junior is known for “letting it fly,” while the Ohio State senior tends to be more conservative and disciplined, often earning his points as the clock winds down. Both Sasso and Lovett have been NCAA runners-up, with Lovett making it to last season's final and Sasso in 2021. The pair have surprisingly only met up once, which resulted in a 5-2 decision for Sasso in the 2021 Big Ten final. But Sasso vs. Lovett won't be the only interesting matchup. The 174-pound bout between Nebraska's No. 3 Mikey Labriola and Ohio State's No. 6 Ethan Smith could determine who gets to be opposite of defending champ Carter Starocci at Big Tens. Labriola leads the series between the two, 2-1, but Smith won their last matchup. Their last two were decided in sudden victory. Another matchup to keep an eye on will be between Nebraska junior No. 3 Peyton Robb and Ohio State freshman No. 22 Paddy Gallagher. Gallagher, the top-ranked 160-pounder in his recruiting class, still has to prove himself on the collegiate level. But all indicators point to the freshman quickly moving up in the rankings and establishing himself as a force at 157 pounds by the end of the season. #6) No. 7 Minnesota at No. 10 Wisconsin When: Saturday, Feb. 11 Last season's result: Wisconsin, 21-15 Matchup to watch: We get this one right away with Patrick McKee and Eric Barnett. Both are returning All Americans at 125. Barnett got the win in the dual last year, but McKee avenged that loss at NCAAs, eventually placing 5th while Barnett placed 7th. Synopsis: I'm high on both of these teams. Super deep lineups and a lot of heavy hitters with major bonus point potential, which will make this really fun. The dual last season went to Wisconsin, but there were some upsets in the dual for that to happen. Most notably Garrett Model over Brayton Lee, who begins this season ranked 1st at 157. I'm also excited to see Braxton Amos, who I believe will have a breakthrough season (more on that later this month). Additionally, it's a border war between Midwest states with tough winters (hit up Jason Bryant if you need to know the weather in New Brighton), and border wars are always fun. But more important than the geography, is the fact that these are two teams that feel that if their athletes wrestle at their best, then they should be competing for a Big Ten title, and therefore a trophy and NCAAs as well. Currently, Wisconsin is ranked 10th, and Minnesota is ranked 11th, so it should be a fun battle between two teams trying to showcase talent and take the next step with their program. #7) No. 6 Michigan at No. 1 Penn State When: Friday, Jan. 20 (Bryce Jordan Center) Last season's result: Penn State, 29-6 Key matchup: No. 2 Greg Kerkvliet (PSU) vs. No. 3 Mason Parris (Michigan) (Hwt): There will be several interesting matchups throughout this dual but it's hard not to go with heavyweight. While Kerkvliet has won the pair's last three matchups, anyone who thinks Parris can't win this isn't paying attention. Synopsis: Michigan may have lost a lot of its star power from last season, but if the fact that Penn State scheduled two duals at the BJC this season – Iowa and Michigan – is any indication, the Nittany Lions aren't sleeping on the Wolverines. Even when the final scores have been lopsided, this dual has always featured some nail-biters. Last year's 3-1 win by Aaron Brooks over Myles Amine and Max Dean's 6-4 sudden victory win over Patrick Brucki immediately come to mind. There is plenty of potential for similarly close or exciting matchups this year, including between No. 15 Robert Howard and No. 16 Jack Medley, No. 23 Chance Lamer and No. 27 Shayne Van Ness and No. 5 Cam Amine and No. 23 Alex Facundo. But all eyes are going to be on the big men in what is slated to be a top-5 matchup between Kerkvliet and Parris. Parris definitively won the first matchup between the pair with a major decision, but it's been all Kerkvliet since. As was mentioned earlier about Kerkvliet and Cassioppi, Parris will also be in the hunt for that coveted NCAA heavyweight title. This bout could shed some light on who might be standing at the top of that podium at the end of the season, and carry important Big Ten seeding implications. #8) No. 10 Wisconsin at No. 6 Michigan When: Sunday, Jan. 15 Last season's result: N/A Matchup to watch: For me, this is 165. Dean Hamiti showed out in his first year in the lineup for the Badgers, capping it off with a 6th place finish at NCAAs. Cam Amine had a super strong finish in Detroit as well, placing 4th, and getting a 7-5 decision over Hamiti on the back side of the bracket to get into the 3rd/4th place match. So yeah, this is it for me. Hamiti has such an aggressive style, firing off a lot of attacks and capable of taking advantage in scramble situations. Cam has such good positioning, and hand fights with the best of them, and has shown he's capable of some explosive takedowns as well. This match is what I'm most looking forward to, but it's the proverbial icing on the cake, for what will be awesome. Synopsis: Before I get to some other intriguing matchups, what is interesting to me is that Jon Reader is a Michigan native, and any wrestler I've ever spoken with always finds little ways to get extra motivated for matches/duals where they have some connection. So that adds some intrigue, for me at least. Then there's the fact that these teams didn't wrestle in a dual against each other last year, so some of these matches wouldn't have happened if they didn't cross paths at Big Tens or NCAAs. As far as other fun matches go, we'll get to see Mason Parris against Trent Hilger (also a native of Michigan actually, what's up Holly, MI), Garrett Model and Will Lewan at 157, newly transferred Taylor LaMont against Dylan Ragusin (someone is getting thrown here), and Eric Barnett versus Jack Medley at 125. #9) No. 24 Illinois at No. 9 Northwestern When: Friday, Jan. 20 Last season's result: Northwestern, 26-13 Key matchup: No. 3 Michael DeAugustino (NW) vs. No. 23 Justin Cardani (ILL) (125 pounds): It may not look like it right now on paper but this dual could certainly be within reach for the Illini to steal. A big upset – like Cardani over DeAugustino – could go a long way in making that a reality. Synopsis: Northwestern won six out of 10 bouts in this dual last season, including two pins and a technical fall. This season's matchup looks like it could be more of a battle. Of Northwestern's three bonus-point winners last season, NCAA champ Ryan Deakin (157) has graduated and super seniors Yahya Thomas (149) and Andrew Davison (197) – who both had pins – will be up against different opponents. Thomas, a two-time NCAA qualifier, will likely be up against Nebraska transfer Kevon Davenport, the 2019 Daktronics Open champ. No. 32 Davison will face No. 14 Zac Braunagel, who finished third at Big Tens last season, down at 184 pounds. But if Illinois wants to win this dual, a big upset at 125 could be key. At No. 3, Northwestern's Michael DeAugustino holds a sizable rankings advantage over No. 23 Justin Cardani, but matchups between the two have always been close. DeAugustino won their last three bouts by a combined five points and Cardani won their first meeting, 4-2, in 2020. An upset at 125 could suck the air right out of Welsh-Ryan Arena. #10) No. 1 Penn State at No. 10 Wisconsin When: Friday, Jan. 6 Last season's result: N/A Matchup to watch: It's 197 for me! Not that there is a whole lot of Braxton Amos stock to buy, but I'm excited to see what he's going to be able to do against the defending National Champ Max Dean. Dean is so good on top, and is no slouch on his feet either, as National Champions tend to be. Another interesting one to see is going to be 125 with Eric Barnett taking on Robbie Howard who is looking to get back into the lineup after some injuries that he was dealing with. He was a big recruit coming into PSU, and showed flashes his first year in the lineup, so seeing him against a veteran like Barnett will be interesting. Synopsis: As I mentioned earlier, Wisconsin is a team that feels like they should be fighting for a team trophy in March, and what better measuring stick than the defending National Champion Nittany Lions. Penn State looks to be loaded, and reloading at many weights with highly recruited guys, but at the same time, this dual has some matches that won't be closely ranked guys, and bonus points should be aplenty. I'd be remiss if I didn't mention Austin Gomez, because he's awesome and someone who tends to show up for the big moments. Taking on the defending champs in their home opener on the season seems like one of those moments. So that'll be fun. Scared money don't make money. #11) Indiana at No. 27 Purdue When: Saturday, Jan. 28 Last season's result: Purdue, 17-16 Key matchup: No. 14 Parker Filius (PUR) vs. Cayden Rooks (IND) (141 pounds): This hasn't so far been much of a match, as Filius has rolled to major decisions in their past two meetings. But if Indiana wants to make things interesting, this is the type of bout it'll have to steal or at least deny bonus points. Synopsis: While this intrastate rivalry has been pretty lopsided of late, with Purdue riding a 12-dual win streak, last season's clash was decided by just one point. The lineups will look a little different this season. Of note, talented Purdue sophomore Matt Ramos will be down at 125 pounds, after the graduation of Devin Schroder, to take on Indiana junior Jacob Moran in what should be a lively match. Ramos is coming off a successful summer, winning the U.S. Open at 57 kg in Las Vegas and placing fourth at U.S. Senior World Team Trials. Both wrestlers have a history of taking out ranked opponents and could find themselves climbing in the rankings this season. One matchup that should be the same but that Indiana will be hoping for a different result is No. 14 Parker Filius vs. Cayden Rooks. Filius won both of the pair's previous two matchups by major decision. Rooks, however, has topped ranked opponents, including then-No. 4 Chad Red, of Nebraska, at Big Tens last season. Red is now in the wrestling room with Rooks as a volunteer assistant and resident athlete in the Indiana RTC. Indiana made a few key changes to its coaching staff and RTC over the summer. A more competitive result in a match such as this could be an indication of the program heading in the right direction. #12) No. 2 Iowa at No. 7 Minnesota Where: Friday, Feb. 3 Last year's result: Iowa, 22-10 Matches to watch: Any chance to watch Spencer Lee I'm taking, especially if it's against some solid competition in Patrick McKee. We've seen this march before, but we haven't seen Spencer back yet, which is going to be super interesting. I mean, we kind of have, because he's been hurt before and it hasn't been a problem for him, but this seems different for some reason. Either way, a match with the first and fourth-ranked guys is always one to watch, but especially with the extra intrigue of Spencer in his final season. Synopsis: These two teams have been some of the best in college wrestling for the last 30 years. They're constantly in the hunt for team trophies and have Championship individuals, year after year. Additionally, they are in recruiting battles for some of the top talent, which is always fun. Like I said before, Minnesota believes they should be competing for a trophy this year, and Iowa is currently ranked second with some heavy hitters, so it'll be a fun dual. Another HUGE match will be Real Woods, the transfer from Stanford now competing for the Hawkeyes, against Jake Bergeland of Minnesota. Currently ranked 2nd and 3rd at 141, this will be a clash of titans for sure. Woods has been a title contender it seems for most of his career, whereas Bergeland just broke into the Golden Gophers lineup last season, to the tune of an All-American finish. You'll also get a war at 149 with Murin and Blockhus. Really that's the big thing here. The styles for both of these teams are to beat up the other guy. To get into deeper waters, for longer, than most can handle. That's what will make this such a battle. #13: No. 26 Rutgers at Maryland Where: Saturday, Feb. 4 Last season's result: Rutgers, 31-13 Key matchup: No. 28 Jaxon Smith (MD) vs. No. 31 Billy Janzer (RUT) (197 pounds): While both currently have lower rankings, it wouldn't be surprising if they both are closer to the top by the time this dual rolls around. Both wrestlers have something to prove this season and this bout could go a long way in doing that. Synopsis: This East Coast clash could feature a lot of young talent. While Rutgers lost a lot of its star power from last year, with both of its NCAA qualifiers in Sebastian Rivera and Greg Bulsak graduating, it's bringing in a top-10 recruiting class and has some younger talent that's ready to emerge. Junior Sammy Alvarez will be back at his more natural weight of 141, and sophomores Andrew Clark and Connor O'Neill are also expected to drop down. A transfer Joe Heilmann, from North Carolina, and Joey Silva, from Michigan, could make things interesting at 133 pounds for the Scarlet Knights. As for Maryland, the Terrapins have four InterMat preseason-ranked wrestlers, three of whom are freshmen – Braxton Brown (125), Ethen Miller (149) and Jaxon Smith (197). Smith is coming off a successful summer during which he won the U.S. Open and the Pan-American Championships and competed at the Junior World Championships in Bulgaria. Smith will likely face junior Billy Janzer in a bout that's a must-win if the young Terrapin wants to establish himself as a threat in the weight class. For Janzer, who missed all of last season due to injury, this season – and this bout – will be an opportunity to prove he can pick up where he left off after a successful freshman campaign in 2020. #14) No. 25 Illinois at Michigan State When: Sunday, Feb. 5 Last season's result: N/A Matches to watch: This has yet to be confirmed, so bare with me, but I want DJ Shannon versus Edmond Ruth. Shannon recently transferred from Illinois to MSU, and Edmond recently enrolled at Illinois and is the likely starter at 174. DJ Shannon has looked very good while with Illinois, but Ruth has been impressive as well in his opportunities to compete. If that's not enough intrigue for you, then I don't know what to tell you. How about this, Kevon Davenport, another new acquisition for Illinois recently transferred from Nebraska. He was a 4x State Champ in Michigan, and I believe would have been in the Nebraska lineup if it weren't for Ridge Lovett being the second-best wrestler at that weight in the country. He will be ready to show out in this role, and I expect him to do just that. That being said, he'll have a tough opponent in Peyton Omania in this dual. I expect this one to be fireworks as well, nonetheless. Synopsis: At the time of writing this, Illinois is ranked 24th in Dual Meet rankings and MSU isn't ranked. However, I believe both of these programs have enough big names and consistent performers to make this an undeniably fun dual. Of course, 133 is going to be fun, with Lucas Byrd and Rayvon Foley, but what was more intriguing to me is what was listed above. That being said, this match will be fun! Additionally, we'll get Cam Caffey and Zac Braunagel at 197. There's too much to look forward to with this dual for it to not crack the top ten (14). Another fun fact is that MSU keeps snagging recruits out of Illinois. Many teams do, because Illinois is an excellent wrestling state, nonetheless, interesting enough to include here.

Yianni Diakomihalis and Ridge Lovett at the 2021 Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational (photo courtesy of Sam Janicki; SJanickiPhoto.com) The college wrestling season is right around the corner, and the InterMat rankings are an early treat for the crazed wrestling fan. While several weights feature returning champions, there will be new champions crowned at the end of the upcoming season. The following looks at the number-one ranked wrestlers and how they have performed against the other 32 currently ranked wrestlers at their weight. 149: Yianni Diakomihalis (Cornell) Ranked Opponents Faced: 12 Record: 16-0 (100%) Over the summer, Diakomihalis became the first American to medal at 65/66 kg in 16 years, and he gets the chance to add a fourth NCAA title this season at Cornell. He enters his senior season with a 94-1 career college record and a 16-0 record against currently ranked wrestlers. It is not only the most wins against ranked competitors among the top-ranked wrestlers, but he has also bested 12 of the 32 other ranked wrestlers at 149 pounds. Diakomihalis defeated No. 2 Austin Gomez (Wisconsin) last year and holds two wins each over No. 3 Sammy Sasso (Ohio State) and No. 5 Ridge Lovett (Nebraska). The highest-ranked wrestler Diakomihalis has not defeated is No. 4 Brock Mauller (Missouri). The two likely will not meet this season unless the match happens at the NCAA tournament. 184: Aaron Brooks (Penn State) Ranked Opponents Faced: 10 Record: 14-0 (100%) Brooks lost one of his first five dual matches after coming out of redshirt in 2020, but he did not lose again until the finals of last year's Big Ten Tournament. Brooks avenged that defeat in the NCAA title match with a 5-3 victory over Olympic bronze medalist Myles Amine. With Amine graduating, there are no active college wrestlers left who hold a victory over Brooks. The Penn State wrestler holds two wins over No. 2 Parker Keckeisen (Northern Iowa), two wins over No. 3 Trent Hidlay (NC State) and a victory over No. 4 Kaleb Romero (Ohio State). The Nittany Lions will participate in the Collegiate Duals event in late December, which sets up a potential match between Brooks and No. 5 Marcus Coleman (Iowa State), who is the highest-ranked wrestler he has never previously faced. 125: Spencer Lee (Iowa) Ranked Opponents Faced: 9 Record: 14-0 (100%) Iowa's three-time NCAA champion pulled out of last season after only three matches due to his knee issues, but he is expected back this year to hunt for his fourth title. He has defeated nine of the other 32 ranked wrestlers, and he has twice beaten No. 2 Patrick Glory (Princeton). Despite his clear record of dominance, he has previously faced only four of the nine other top-10 wrestlers. That includes No. 3 Michael DeAugustino (Northwestern). The two Big Ten teams are scheduled for a dual match on Jan. 13, and this might be one of the marquee matches of the dual season. 133: Roman Bravo-Young (Penn State) Ranked Opponents Faced: 10 Record: 13-0 (100%) There were some semi-serious takes about Bravo-Young not returning for his final year of eligibility. Despite that, he will be back in the lineup for the Nittany Lions at 133 pounds. He has not lost a match during his last two seasons of college wrestling, and he holds victories over 10 of the other 32 currently ranked wrestlers. That includes a pair of victories over No. 2 Daton Fix (Oklahoma State) and three wins over Big Ten rival No. 6 Dylan Ragusin (Michigan). However, he has yet to face No. 3 Vito Arujau (Cornell). Arujau finished third at 125 pounds last year and is expected to move up for this season. Cornell and Penn State are both scheduled to compete at the Collegiate Duals event. However, it remains to be seen if the two squads end up in the same group. 174: Carter Starocci (Penn State) Ranked Opponents Faced: 9 Record: 11-0 (100%) While Starocci does have a tendency to wrestle close matches that make him look ripe for an upset, he almost always pulls out the victory. After dropping a pair of matches during his first year in the lineup, he went undefeated last year on the way to his second NCAA title. He has defeated nine of the other 32 ranked wrestlers. Interestingly enough he has defeated No. 2 Mekhi Lewis (Virginia Tech) and No. 3 Mikey Labriola (Nebraska), but he holds a win over one other wrestler currently ranked in the top 10: No. 7 Demetrius Romero (Utah Valley). This sets up Starocci with interesting potential first-time matches against the likes of No. 4 Dustin Plott (Oklahoma State), No. 5 Clay Lautt (North Carolina) and No. 6 Ethan Smith (Ohio State). Of course, Starocci would be a clear favorite in all these bouts, his style will probably lead to close and interesting matches. 165: Keegan O'Toole (Missouri) Ranked Opponents Faced: 8 Record: 11-0 (100%) It looked like Shane Griffith (Stanford) was about to complete another dazzling run to an NCAA title. However, O'Toole put a stop to that momentum with a 6-5 victory in the finals to take the championship. While O'Toole holds wins over four of the other wrestlers currently ranked in the top 10, there are some former 157 pounders moving up to this weight. After winning an NCAA title at 157 pounds in 2021 and finishing third last year, No. 3 David Carr (Iowa State) is expected to move up this year. Also, No. 4 Quincy Monday (Princeton) made the 157-pound final last year as the fifth seed, and he will also be competing at 165 pounds this year. Missouri and Iowa State are scheduled to dual on Feb. 15. 197: Max Dean (Penn State) Ranked Opponents Faced: 10 Record: 15-2 (88%) Dean is one of four wrestlers currently ranked number one who have losses against other currently ranked competitors. Dean joined Penn State last year after previously making the finals for Cornell in 2019. He returned to the finals last year and defeated No. 2 Jacob Warner (Iowa) to win his first NCAA title. The two currently ranked wrestlers who hold victories over Dean are No. 7 Louie Deprez (Binghamton aka Fighting Billy Baldwins) and No. 15 Cameron Caffey (Michigan State). Deprez and Dean have wrestled four times with Deprez's only win coming at the 2019 Cliff Keen Invitational in overtime. Dean avenged that defeat with a 4-3 win at the 2022 NCAA tournament. Caffey bested Dean in dramatic fashion in a dual meet match last year, but Dean was able to even the series at the Big Ten tournament. Despite the title last year, Dean has never wrestled No. 3 Stephen Buchanan (Wyoming), No. 4 Rocky Elam (Missouri), No. 5 Bernie Truax (Cal Poly) or No. 6 Yonger Bastida (Iowa State). 157: Brayton Lee (Minnesota) Ranked Opponents Faced: 9 Record: 13-2 (87%) Due to graduation and weight changes, there has been a bit of an exodus at 157 pounds, and Lee has benefitted from that to earn the number-one stop at the weight. His wins over No. 2 Will Lewan (Michigan), No. 3 Peyton Robb (Nebraska) and No. 4 Jacori Teemer (Arizona State) have also greatly contributed to his spot in the rankings. However, Teemer also holds a win over Lee. The two first met at the Midlands tournament during the 2019 season where the Arizona State wrestler won a 9-7 decision. The two rematched at the 2021 NCAA tournament, and this time Lee won by a 4-3 score. The only other currently ranked wrestler to hold a win over Lee is No. 17 Garrett Model (Wisconsin). Lee does have a win over Model, but the Wisconsin representative was able to pull the upset when the two teams dualed last season. Lee is coming off an injury that prematurely ended his 2022 season, so he will have plenty to prove this year. However, he is deserving of the number-one spot due to his previous performance. 141: Cole Matthews (Pittsburgh) Ranked Opponents Faced: 9 Record: 11-3 (79%) Matthews finished fifth at the last NCAA tournament, but the top four wrestlers have moved on, so he finds himself as the top-ranked competitor at 141 pounds. He defeated No. 2 Real Woods (Iowa) in the fifth-place match, but he has not defeated another wrestler currently ranked inside the top 10. He has faced No. 4 CJ Composto (Penn) and No. 8 Dyan D'Emilio (Ohio State), but he dropped both matches. Composto scored a 7-5 decision over Matthews at the Midlands replacement (MatMen) tournament last year, while D'Emilio scored a 4-3 decision over Matthews in an early season dual last year. 285: Cohlton Schultz (Arizona State) Ranked Opponents Faced: 8 Record: 9-3 (75%) There are some rumors and rumblings that Gable Steveson might return for yet another season, but he has officially started training at the WWE Performance Center. At the moment, the return seems unlikely. Stepping into the number-one spot is the best Greco-Roman wrestler currently active in NCAA wrestling, Cohlton Schultz. Schultz won all his matches last season outside of a loss against Steveson in the NCAA final. In the semifinals, he defeated No. 3 Mason Parris (Michigan), and he previously defeated No. 2 Greg Kerkvliet (Penn State). He has been beaten twice by No. 4 Tony Cassioppi (Iowa). Both matches came at the 2021 NCAA tournament where the Iowa wrestler won 4-1 and 5-0. Schultz has also lost to No. 14 AJ Nevills (South Dakota State). Back when Nevills was at Fresno State, he scored a 5-2 decision over true freshman Schultz at the Roadrunner Open.

Purdue recruit Joey Blaze the 160 lb champion (photo courtesy of Sam Janicki; SJanickiPhoto.com) This weekend the Super 32 took place in Greensboro, North Carolina. The tournament has established itself as one of the premier national-level events for high school-aged (and middle school) wrestlers. Earlier last week, we outlined the former Super 32 placewinners that went on and had success at the DI level in 2022. This evening we're focusing on recruiting. Below are the 2022 Super 32 results for wrestlers that have already committed to wrestle in college. If the wrestler did not place in the top-eight, their record has been noted alongside their name. All wrestlers are from the Class of 2023 unless noted otherwise. Air Force Brian Burburjia (Florida - 195) 6th Place Josh Cordio (Massachusetts - 182) 2-2 Soren Herzog (Minnesota - 220) 2-2 American Caleb Beaty (North Carolina - 285) 2-2 Kaden Milheim (Pennsylvania - 145) 2-2 Gage Owen (Maryland - 138) 6-2 Appalachian State Tomas Booker (North Carolina - 195) 2-2 Arizona State Nicco Ruiz (California - 160) 2nd Place Army West Point Sam Cartella (Ohio - 145) 7th Place Andrew Christie (Pennsylvania - 160) 6th Place Jake Dailey (Pennsylvania - 160) 1-2; Class of 2024 Cooper Haase (Florida - 145) 4th Place Caleb Uhorchuk (Tennessee - 120) 4-2 Bucknell Aiden Davis (Michigan - 145) 4-2 Ethan Lebin (Pennsylvania - 126) 3-2 Noah Mulvaney (Wisconsin - 170) 8th Place Cal Baptist Max Acciardi (New Jersey - 285) 2-2 Jeremy Ginter (Ohio - 138) 5-2; Class of 2024 Cal Poly Tyler Hodges (California - 182) 3-2 Dasche Lamer (Oregon - 170) 2nd Place Campbell Wynton Denkins (Ohio - 145) 8th Place Chris Earnest (Ohio - 160) 3-2 Noah Lawrence (Virginia - 170) 1-2 Central Michigan Aidan Fockler (Ohio - 285) 2nd Place; Class of 2024 Clarion David McClelland (Ohio - 138) 4-2 Cornell Mason Gibson (Pennsylvania - 126) 2nd Place Kingsley Menifee (Virginia - 182) 4-2 Gardner-Webb Charlie Sly (North Carolina - 126) 3-2 Indiana Anthony Bahl (Indiana - 145) 5-2 Sam Goin (Indiana - 160) 4th Place Iowa State Blake Gioimo (Iowa - 120) 2-2 Tate Naaktgeboren (Iowa - 182) 2nd Place Lehigh Logan Wadle (New Jersey - 113) 2-2 Lock Haven Griffin Walizer (Pennsylvania - 145) 1-2 Maryland Clayton Gabrielson (Maryland - 145) 1-2 Michigan Cam Catrabone (New York - 138) 6th Place; Class of 2024 Dylan Gilcher (Michigan - 145) 1st Place Sergio Lemley (Indiana - 132) 1st Place Brock Mantanona (California - 132) 2nd Place Hayden Walters (Oregon - 220) 1st Place Michigan State Remy Cotton (Michigan - 195) 3-2 Caleb Weiand (Michigan - 120) 3-2 Minnesota Landon Robideau (Minnesota - 132) 7th Place; Class of 2025 Missouri David Cross (Missouri - 138) 4-2 Carter McCallister (Missouri - 138) 7th Place Navy Jake Crapps (Georgia - 120) 6th Place; Class of 2024 Ryder Rogotzke (Minnesota - 182) Champion NC State Koy Buesgens (Minnesota - 145) 3rd Place Louie Gill (Pennsylvania - 113) 6th Place; Class of 2024 Nebraska Weston Dalton (Colorado - 145) 2nd Place Alan Koehler (Minnesota - 120) 5-2 Camden McDanel (Ohio - 195) 4th Place North Carolina Matt Hart (Ohio - 132) 4-2; Class of 2024 North Dakota State Zane Licht (Wisconsin - 160) 4-2 Northern Illinois Collin Arch (Missouri - 138) 5th Place Northern Iowa CJ Walrath (Iowa - 182) 7th Place Ohio State Vincent Kilkeary (Pennsylvania - 120) 5th Place Rocco Welsh (Pennsylvania - 170) Champion Oklahoma Zan Fugitt (Missouri - 132) 4th Place Dylan Newsome (Ohio - 170) 4-2 Dylan Russo (Ohio - 220) 2nd Place Oklahoma State AJ Heeg (Oklahoma - 182) 3rd Place Oregon State DJ Gillett (Oregon - 138) 4-2 Sergio Montoya (California - 170) 2-2 Justin Rademacher (Oregon - 182) 3-2 Penn Spencer Barnhart (Pennsylvania - 138) 4-2 Max Gallagher (New York - 126) 5th Place Cross Wasilewski (New Jersey - 145) 4-2 Penn State Braeden Davis (Michigan - 126) 3rd Place Cael Nasdeo (Pennsylvania - 120) 4-2 Pittsburgh Grant MacKay (Pennsylvania - 170) 4-2 Princeton Drew Heethuis (Michigan - 126) 6th Place Eligh Rivera (Florida - 138) 4-2 Zander Silva (New Jersey - 160) 4-2 Purdue Joey Blaze (Ohio - 160) Champion Greyson Clark (Wisconsin - 132) 3rd Place Rider Brock Zurawski (New Jersey - 182) 4th Place Rutgers Alex Nini (New Jersey - 132) 4-2; Class of 2024 SIU Edwardsville Hayden Whidden (Florida - 138) 2-2 Brock Woodcock (Missouri - 152) 5-2 South Dakota State Brady Roark (Missouri - 120) 4-2 Stanford Zach Hanson (Minnesota - 152) 4th Place Jacob Joyce (Rhode Island - 126) 7th Place Aden Valencia (California - 126) 4th Place; Class of 2024 Abe Wojcikiewicz (Illinois - 170) 6th Place Virginia Michael Murphy (New Jersey - 160) 2-2 Virginia Tech Mac Church (Pennsylvania - 145) 5th Place Logan Frazier (Indiana - 126) 2-2 Parker Ferrell (Virginia - 285) Champion; Class of 2024 VMI Eric Doran (Virginia - 145) 0-2 Toby Schoffstall (Virginia - 195) 1-2 West Virginia Matthew Dolan (West Virginia - 106) 4-2; Class of 2024 Logan Sallot (Pennsylvania - 113) 4-2 Shawn Taylor (Pennsylvania - 160) 6-2 Ty Watters (Pennsylvania - 152) 2nd Place Wisconsin Lucas Condon (California - 170) 7th Place Julian George (New Jersey - 138) 8th Place Wyoming Cole Brooks (Oklahoma - 138) 3-2 Tyson Charmoli (Minnesota - 138) 3-2; Class of 2024 Joey Novak (Minnesota - 195) 5th Place Brayden Sonnentag (Wisconsin - 132) 5-2

2x NCAA All-American Sammy Sasso (photo courtesy of Tony Rotundo; WrestlersAreWarriors.com) During the 2021-22 preseason, InterMat debuted our top-50 wrestlers list and revealed all 50 day-by-day in the lead up to the regular season. Our second iteration of this feature will spotlight five wrestlers at a time, going from 50 to number one. For each wrestler, we'll have some basic information along with career highlights, a brief analysis of their collegiate career (with a focus on last season), along with their outlook for the upcoming season. For earlier wrestlers #46 - 50 #41 - 45 #36 - 40 #31 - 35 30) Ridge Lovett (Nebraska) 2022 NCAA Runner-Up Ridge Lovett (photo courtesy of Tony Rotundo; WrestlersAreWarriors.com) Weight: 149 lbs Year: Junior Career Record: 50-15 Hometown: Post Falls, Idaho Collegiate Accomplishments: 2022 NCAA Runner-Up, 2021 Big Ten Runner-Up, 2020 NWCA Honorable Mention All-American 2021 Top 50 Ranking: Not Ranked The 2021 season saw Ridge Lovett compete for a few matches at 141 lbs, before moving up to 149. He had an entire offseason to prepare for the weight in 2021-22 and had his best year to date. Lovett won 10 of his first 11 bouts to start the year, defeating a pair of returning All-Americans along the way. The only loss during that span came in the semifinals of the Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational to then-two-time champion Yianni Diakomihalis (Cornell). Since Lovett pushed Diakomihalis to sudden victory, many wondered if he could pull the upset in a rematch scenario. That second chance came in the NCAA finals, where Lovett fell 11-5. To make it to the championship bout, Lovett downed the class of the ACC in back-to-back bouts downing Tariq Wilson (NC State) by fall and winning a wild affair with Bryce Andonian (Virginia Tech), 5-4. For the full article, Subscribe to InterMat's Rokfin Page

2022 World silver medalist Yianni Diakomihalis (photo courtesy of Kostadin Andonov/UWW) 57 KG #1 Thomas Gilman took silver at the world championships between #2 (INT) Zelimkhan Abakarov of Albania. 2018 133 pound NCAA runner-up for Michigan #4 (INT) Stevan Micic won a world bronze medal competing for Serbia over two-time U23 world champion #5 (INT) Reineri Andreu Ortega of Cuba. 2017 125 pound NCAA champion for Lehigh #20 (INT) Darian Cruz (PUR) made the quarterfinals of the world championships after upsetting European champion #17 (INT) Vladimir Egorov of North Macedonia. Cruz was eliminated in the quarterfinals by eventual world 5th place finisher #17 (INT) Wanhao Zou of China. 61KG #1 Seth Gross finished fifth at the world championships with losses to #1 (INT) Rei Higuchi of Japan in the semifinals and #5 (INT) Arsen Harutyunyan of Armenia in the bronze medal match. Gross notched strong wins over 2021 European runner-up #17 (INT) Andrey Dzhelep of Ukraine and European bronze medalist #8 Eduard Grigoriev of Poland. 65KG #1 Yianni Diakomihalis finished as the world runner-up to #1 (INT) Rahman Amouzad of Iran. Rutgers first five-time All-American Sebastian Rivera took fifth place at the world championships competing for Puerto Rico. Rivera lost in his semifinal bout to Diakomihalis and his bronze medal bout to #11 (INT) Bajrang Punia of India. Rivera's best win of the competition came in the quarterfinals when he beat Poland Open champion Tsogbadrakh Tseevensuren of Mongolia. North Carolina's Lachlan McNeil competed for Canada and was eliminated in the qualification round by Asian championships bronze medalist Abbos Rakhmonov of Uzbekistan. 70KG #1 Zain Retherford finished as the world runner-up to #1 (INT) Taishi Nariukini of Japan. Josh Finesilver of Duke competed for Israel and was eliminated in the round of 16 by #14 (INT) Ilyas Bekbulatov of Uzbekistan. 74KG #1 Kyle Dake won the world championships over third ranked Taimuraz Salkazanov of Slovakia. Franklin Gomez, the 2009 133 pound NCAA champion for Michigan State now competing for Puerto Rico, was eliminated in the round of 32 by Vasile Diacon of Moldova. 79KG #1 Jordan Burroughs won his seventh World/Olympic title over #2 (INT) of Mohammad Nokhodilarimi of Iran. #20 (INT) Bekzod Abdurakhmanov, a 2012 3rd place finisher at 165lb for Clarion, took fifth at the world championships competing for Uzbekistan. 86KG #1 David Taylor won the world championships over returning world champion #1 (INT) Hassan Yazdani Charati of Iran. Ethan Ramos, a 2015 NCAA All-American for North Carolina with a sixth place finish at 165lb, took fifth at the world championships competing for Puerto Rico. #11 (INT) Myles Amine (SMR), a 5x All-American for Michigan, who took 2nd this year at 184, was eliminated in the quarterfinals by #10 (INT) Azamat Dauletbekov of Kazakhstan. Noel Torres, a 2018 D2 NCAA champion for Newman University at 184 pounds, competed for Mexico and was eliminated in the qualification round by Akhmed Magamaev of Bulgaria. 92KG #1 J'den Cox took silver at the world championships to top ranked Kamran Ghasempour of Iran. Max Lacey, the assistant head coach for West Liberty University and who competed for Wheeling Jesuit at heavyweight at the D2 level, competing for the Costa Rican national team, was eliminated by two-time world bronze medalist #8 (INT) Osman Nurmagomedov of Azerbaijan in the round of 16. 97KG #1 Kyle Snyder won his fourth World/Olympic title over #3 (INT) Batyrbek Tsakulov of Slovakia. Ben Honis, a 2019 NCAA 8th place finisher for Cornell, was eliminated in the qualification round competing for Italy by Tuerxunbieke Muheite of China. 125KG #1 Hayden Zillmer was eliminated in the quarterfinals by eventual bronze medalist of #3 Geno Petriashvili of Georgia. Amarveer Dhesi, a three time All-American for Oregon State competing for Canada, took fifth at the world championships with losses to #1 Taha Akgul of Turkey and #2 Amir Zare of Iran. Youssif Hemida, a two-time All-American for Maryland competing for Egypt, was eliminated from the round of 16 by Amarveer Dhesi of Canada. Pound for Pound Small change in the pound-for-pound rankings as #8 J'den Cox gets shuffled ahead to #6 ahead of Seth Gross and #7 Daton Fix. Cox now sits at #6 while Gross and Fix now sit at #7 and #8.

2021 NCAA Champion Austin O'Connor (photo courtesy of Tony Rotundo; WrestlersAreWarriors.com) Fear not faithful readers of the forums. I know change can be tough, but it's time to move on into the 21st century and on to some other outlets for your wrestling conversations. I get it. I struggled with breaking up with the local newspaper when the price kept going up and the coverage kept going down. You will survive. There are plenty of conversations on other outlets like Twitter and Discord. If you can find the USA Wrestling forums then you already have the internet and should be able to find those other outlets. There are various message boards dedicated to teams and you can make new friends over there. And who knows, maybe you see your favorite message board reincarnated right here on InterMat. Then you can start a whole thread on how I have no idea what the heck I'm talking about. Either way, we'd love to have you bring that energy over and start some new conversations. Besides, Ban Basketball needs someone to talk to over here. I'm sure you'll all get along just fine. On to the mailbag! Best preseason hype video so far, Gophers or...also, any U23 predictions or Jag insights? Riley Did you all see that tease? Minnesota got us all with that Gable tease. And good for Brayton for having a sense of humor about it. If you haven't seen it, they tease a huge return, pick the shoes up off the mat, show some iron being pumped, and there's Brayton Lee proclaiming he's back. Speaking of being back, more international wrestling! I love this U23 team and the fact that the schedule is allowing more college stars to give it a go before the season starts. I expect Arujau and Carr to compete for gold, but I'm really interested in the progress of Jacob Cardenas. The former New Jersey star has made great strides since busting out at Bergen Catholic in 2018 and I still don't think he's hit his ceiling yet. Who you got winning 157? Baby Grajales I like Austin O'Connor to get a second title here. Back and healthy for one more year, AOC now has a year at the weight under his belt with no clear-cut, unbeatable guys in his way. Does this mean he's a lock and someone else can't step up? Of course not. But I can see Austin winning one more chip before he embarks on a career as the guitarist for No Vacancy. Why don't you guys post high school rankings anymore? @Pantherz704 I'm not sure I can give you a definitive answer on that since I don't sit on the Intermat small council, but high school rankings can be found on Willie's MatScouts page. With the brain, both attending and seeding the Super 32 tournament, be sure to check there for updates on the big weekend. How u preparin' Pelikan Head I'm watching Bears-Commanders to get that 2-1 with four minutes of riding time feel. How good is North Carolina as a wrestling state right now? Best Italians to keep an eye out for? Seth Petarra Best college wrestling state in America. Someone even named a Hoagie after Trent Hidlay somewhere. I'm serious, he has a hoagie named after him. You want Italians? Keep an eye out for Joey Milano of NC State. The redshirt freshman went 25-6 last year at open tournaments with a bonus rate of over fifty percent at 184. After laying off the gabagool all summer, he looks to continue that success down a weight at 174 this year. Who are you hoping gets on the podium for the first time and why is it “Handsome” Matt Finesilver? Rhino The only other answer I have for you is Max Murin. So much so that I cut him from my fantasy team, so he can reach greater heights without my stink all over him. I will admit I am pulling for Matt. The final Finesilver somehow managed to stretch four years of eligibility over the course of seven years through various colored shirts and extra years. I mean, the guy once wrestled Isaac Jordan. That's nuts. The Cubs had just won their first World Series in 108 years. I actually saw both Cubs titles. Anyway, give me some AA's for Max and Matt this year. Another bag in the books! Next week we celebrate our one-year anniversary together by just watching more wrestling. I can't believe I made it a year. Never thought it would happen but I have to thank you fine readers for supporting me and keeping it going. If it wasn't for you I'd have nothing to write about. Maybe the forum readers will come aboard and join the fun! Until then, enjoy the Super 32-U23 smorgasbord that we have coming up. Then finish those final fall projects because the NCAA season will be here in no time.

Iowa's Drake Ayala competing unattached at the 2022 Southern Scuffle (photo courtesy of Sam Janicki; SJanickiPhoto.com) Almost four months ago to the day (June 16th), the NCAA released a new set of wrestling bylaws which will take effect during the 2022-23 season. These bylaws contained plenty of relevant information; however, two of the most notable pieces that came from these changes were that athletes could use five competition dates and still maintain redshirt status. Also, true freshmen were not allowed to compete unattached during the first semester. Those are two areas that we will focus on today. With the regular season rapidly approaching and these rules set to take effect immediately, it seemed like a perfect time to get some clarity on just how they will impact the product we see on the mat and wrestling programs in general. For that type of insight, we turned to four prominent coaches from four different conferences. Helping us out were American University Head Coach Jason Borrelli, North Carolina Associate Head Coach Tony Ramos, Ohio State Associate Head Coach J Jaggers, and an assistant coach from the Pac-12. Each was given the below list of questions pertaining to the topic of redshirting athletes and the new rules. Here are their responses, which hopefully provide some window into the thinking of coaching staff's as they prepare to compete in a slightly different manner. How will this impact your team's training? Does the possibility of competing in duals help the intensity of your redshirts? Tony Ramos: "It just makes it real now for everyone. A lot of times when someone knows they are redshirting, they don't use the year to really develop, they use it as a year to enjoy college and it hurts them. Now it is real and you can compete tomorrow in a match that can mean something." J Jaggers: "Ideally everyone on your team is staying focused and working to the best of their ability at all times, because you never know when your number could get called even if you had planned to redshirt. But realistically, yes, I could see a heightened sense of urgency in a redshirt's approach knowing very well that they will see some varsity time in potential marquee duals." Jason Borrelli: "I don't think the new rule will have much of an effect on the team's training. However, it could have a psychological impact on the freshmen, as there is now a possibility that they could compete in duals at any time. Previously, they would have dealt with less anxiety during training, as they knew they were not competing." Pac-12 coach: "I don't think it really impacts the training that much, because I believe if you want to be the best in college and in the world you should be training like you are the guy, no matter what. Our intensity is always up and our guys are hungry whether you are a redshirt or the guy ranked top-10 in the country." Is there a way that you expect others to game the system? TR: "No, I just see it to develop your athletes more. You are starting to see, in football, student athletes who are thinking of transferring, sit out once they hit their competition limit to keep the season of eligibility." JB: "The rules are the same for everyone, therefore, I don't really see an opportunity to game the system." P12: "I am sure someone will game the system. Every year there is something where someone games the system then the rules committee adapts to it and gets changed. Do you have certain duals set aside where you know you'll give your potential redshirts a shot ? TR: "Don't have exact dates, but know we will be using it a lot." JJ: "Not really. I think this is going to be navigated on a case-by-case basis. The thing here that you also have to keep in mind is, how you handle your actual starter in a particular weight class. It's fun to speculate about this redshirt or that redshirt potentially stepping in and competing in a big moment, but there's usually a reason your starter is your starter and making sure you are doing right by that athlete, while they are your guy is of utmost importance. Where I see the benefit of this rule is in regards to some injuries. Say, your starter is banged up and could benefit from a weekend off and you have a very capable freshman redshirting behind him now you can put them in there without burning their redshirt. That's great and fun for the fans." JB: "No, not currently. However, as the season progresses and we learn more about our opponents, we might prefer specific match-ups in certain duals and use freshmen instead of our normal starter. For instance, maybe we need a pin in a dual meet to win and a freshman is a better pinner than our main guy, so we go with him instead." P12: "Not necessarily as of now." Will you send redshirts to open tournaments and count that as one of their "five dates." TR: "Yes, since they can't compete in the first semester, unless they do so attached." JJ: "Yes. We are doing that with our first team event of the year, the Michigan State Open." JB:" Yes, we will likely send our first-year wrestlers to three open tournaments in the first semester and keep the rest of their dates for dual meets in January and February." P12: "That is a possibility, for sure. I keep wondering if more open tournaments will start happening in the second part of the year, because now that we have to wait for freshmen to have a 2.0 GPA at our institution, it kind of sets back having opens the first part of the year." Could this help increase "ducking" ? Another option to use in a dual, but can be rationalized by saying you "wanted to see how the new guy does against a highly ranked opponent." TR: "I think…more so you will see it with injuries and having better competition since you don't burn a freshman's year." JJ: "Potentially. I try not to really worry about that, though. We got 33 athletes on our roster and that is my concern." JB: "I don't think it will increase "ducking." That said, I am not of the belief that much "ducking" actually occurs in division one wrestling. In general, I think "ducking" is super rare and any missed match-ups between top wrestlers during the dual season is a result of other factors… not necessarily "ducking." P12: "I believe that can happen, but honestly, at the end of the day, if you are trying to get your "starter" ready to compete at the end of the year (conference/NCAA), you should want that guy to compete and be ready to be wrestling on the third day of NCAA's." On FRL, they had fun speculating about sending true freshman you generally intend on redshirting to a single-entry tournament like the Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational. To me, it sounded counterintuitive. If you want the best competition (and matches/RPI) for your actual starter, Vegas is a good opportunity for those. Thoughts? JJ: "CKLV is a critical event for our starters we intend to wrestle in the postseason. Opportunity to wrestle some out of conference foes, pick up ranked wins, experience a multi-day tournament, etc. I don't anticipate bringing any redshirts unless we are forced to, due to injury, and they are up next on the depth chart." JB: "For the most part, at events that only allow for one entrant per weight (CKLV), I believe teams will enter their starters. There are plenty of other big events/opens where you can send the freshman and not have to sacrifice leaving the starter home, therefore, I think you will see all the starters at CKLV. The obvious exception would be if teams have injuries or guys are dinged up, CKLV then becomes a great opportunity to send a freshman." P12: Yeah, I had heard that too, but I feel like with the rules to get guys to qualify "spots" for the NCAA tournament, you want to make sure they have all of those requirements and get top-tier competition. I'm sure that will happen for some places. I think we all have different beliefs or whatever it may be, so I 'm sure you will see that with the new rule. In an instance where you're not 100% sure about a starter, could this drag out the decision longer than in past years? TR: "I think it just gives you more time to decide if you are going to use the freshman or not and let him have one more season." JJ: "What it essentially does is gives you a mulligan on a first year athlete. You could basically believe a true freshman is your best option, at say, 165 pounds, wrestle them in the first 5 varsity events then realize "Oh, he's not ready," and still maintain their redshirt." JB: "It probably depends program-to-program, as many teams/coaches determine their starters in different ways (e.g. wrestle offs, season results, etc.)." P12: "Yeah, I think if you are in that situation, you probably gotta have each of them wrestle a few matches to see who you want in the postseason." How will it impact your ability to evaluate true freshmen (if they are competing frequently at open tournaments)? TR: Makes it easier now. You can test them in duals also, where it might decide a big-time match. JB: I think most coaches will send their freshmen to about three open tournaments in November and December. Primarily to evaluate them and build their match count. If they don't and something happens to a starter in mid-January (and he is out for the year), your freshman would struggle to get to the minimum match count for RPI. As a result, that might impact his postseason status. Will you feel the need to scramble and get second semester matches if a freshman is inserted late after a season-ending injury (Since they won't have the chance for 1st semester opens)? TR: "No, since they can compete in the first semester, attached." JB: "Once again, I think you will see freshmen at roughly 3 open tournaments in November/ December, therefore, I don't think there will be much scrambling needed." P12: "I think so because you gotta get to that 15 matches, right?"

Minnesota recruit Landon Robideau (photo courtesy of Tony Rotundo; WrestlersAreWarriors.com) Last night, the #9 overall sophomore in the nation, Landon Robideau (St. Michael Albertville, MN), made his collegiate commitment via social media. Robideau announced that he will stay in-state and compete for Brandon Eggum's Minnesota Golden Gophers. Robideau is currently ranked 10th at 132 lbs in MatScouts pre-Super 32 Rankings. He is expected to compete at that weight in Greensboro and is number eight in the preseeds. Robideau is a two-time Fargo 16U freestyle national runner-up (2021 and 2022) and was third at UWW Cadet freestyle last spring. Last year, as a freshman, Robideau won his first Minnesota state title. Minnesota allows middle schoolers to compete at the state tournament, so Robideau was a finalist as both a seventh and eighth grader. There's plenty of time between now and when Robideau is expected to set foot on Minnesota's campus; however, as of now, he appears to be in the 141/149 lb range for the Gophers. Based on their current roster construction, that should be a solid fit, but plenty can change between now and then. Robideau is the first wrestler from the Class of 2024 or 2025 to commit to Minnesota. For all of the collegiate recruiting happenings, check out InterMat's Commitment Page.

A coveted Super 32 belt (photo courtesy of Sam Janicki; SJanickiPhoto.com) This weekend, the Super 32 takes place in Greensboro, North Carolina. From what once was a small, regional tournament has turned into the toughest folkstyle wrestling event in the country. MatScouts has done plenty of work detailing just how loaded the 2022 field is and how the action may play out. The Super 32 already has enough history where we can look back at the past and see some of the talented wrestlers that have battled for belts in Greensboro. In fact, we didn't need to look back too far; it only took going back to March and the NCAA podium in Detroit to see some famous Super 32 alumni. Below are All-Americans at the 2022 NCAA DI Wrestling Championships who also placed at one time or another at the Super 32. 125 lbs Nick Suriano (Michigan) 2x Champion (2012, 2015); 2013 2nd Place Patrick Glory (Princeton) 2016 Champion, 2015 2nd Place Vito Arujau (Cornell) 2016 Champion, 2015 3rd Place Patrick McKee (Minnesota) 2x 3rd Place (2016, 2017) Eric Barnett (Wisconsin) 2017 2nd Place Brandon Kaylor (Oregon State) 2016 3rd Place, 2017 8th Place 133 lbs Daton Fix (Oklahoma State) 2014 2nd Place, 2015 4th Place Austin DeSanto (Iowa) 2x 2nd Place (2015, 2016) Lucas Byrd (Illinois) 2018 Champion, 2016 4th Place 141 lbs Sebastian Rivera (Rutgers) 2015 Champion, 2014 6th Place Grant Willits (Oregon State) 2016 7th Place Jake Bergeland (Minnesota) 2016 2nd Place CJ Composto (Penn) 2017 8th Place 149 lbs Yianni Diakomihalis (Cornell) 3x Champion (2013, 2014, 2015) Sammy Sasso (Ohio State) 2016 Champion, 2015 3rd Place 157 lbs Ryan Deakin (Northwestern) 2015 3rd Place Quincy Monday (Princeton) 2017 2nd Place David Carr (Iowa State) 2015 Champion Jacori Teemer (Arizona State) 2016 3rd Place Hunter Willits (Oregon State) 2016 6th Place Austin O'Connor (North Carolina) 2015 2nd Place, 2016 5th Place 165 lbs Keegan O'Toole (Missouri) 2018 Champion Shane Griffith (Stanford) 2015 Champion Cameron Amine (Michigan) 2018 2nd Place, 2017 5th Place Alex Marinelli (Iowa) 2014 2nd Place Dean Hamiti (Wisconsin) 2020 Champion Carson Kharchla (Ohio State) 2017 3rd Place Peyton Hall (West Virginia) 2019 2nd Place, 2018 5th Place 174 lbs Mekhi Lewis (Virginia Tech) 2016 6th Place Hayden Hidlay (NC State) 2014 3rd Place, 2015 4th Place Michael Kemerer (Iowa) 2x Champion (2011, 2014), 2x 2nd Place (2012, 2013) Logan Massa (Michigan) 2013 Champion, 2012 4th Place Dustin Plott (Oklahoma State) 2018 Champion, 2017 2nd Place Mikey Labriola (Nebraska) 2015 3rd Place 184 lbs Trent Hidlay (NC State) 2016 3rd Place, 2017 4th Place, 2015 7th Place 197 lbs Rocky Elam (Missouri) 2018 3rd Place Gavin Hoffman (Ohio State) 2016 2nd Place, 2015 8th Place Greg Bulsak (Rutgers) 2014 7th Place, 2014 8th Place 285 lbs Jordan Wood (Lehigh) 2x Champion (2013, 2015), 2012 4th Place Greg Kerkvliet (Penn State) 2016 4th Place Lucas Davison (Northwestern) 2017 2nd Place Tony Cassioppi (Iowa) 2017 Champion