InterMat Staff

Penn State's coaching staff with Max Dean (photo courtesy of Tony Rotundo; WrestlersAreWarriors.com) We're less than a month away from the beginning of the collegiate season and two days removed from the first official practices. What better time than now to look five months down the road! We're talking Tulsa and the 2023 NCAA Championships. Specifically, the team race. What we're looking at today is the “best case scenario'' for the top-five teams in InterMat's tournament rankings. At the same time, we're looking to be slightly realistic. Anyone who's ever been to a wrestling tournament, from high school to the Olympics, knows that the perfect tournament doesn't exist in a team setting. Even if you've had three or four wrestlers outwrestle their seeds or pre-tournament expectations, you likely had one or two that failed to do so. So, we're not going crazy and projecting that Penn State or Iowa has ten national champions in 2023. We're definitely donning rose-colored glasses, but trying to keep some sense of realism intact. Could Spencer Lee, Yianni, or Aaron Brooks get beaten? Sure, but knowing what we know right now, I wouldn't pick it! Below are the top-five teams (tournament-wise). Under each is a description of how they could get maximum point value in Tulsa, along with what the final picture would look like from that team's perspective. Penn State Unlike other teams on this list, you don't have to use much imagination to think of the Nittany Lions hoisting the first-place trophy again. With four returning NCAA champions in the bullpen for Cael Sanderson's team, they will certainly put up big points at nationals. Of the four, Aaron Brooks probably has the best odds at returning, as there are more contenders at other weights that could knock off their other champs. That being said, it's hard to picture Roman Bravo-Young and Carter Starocci lower than second. For the full article, Subscribe to InterMat's Rokfin Page

Duke heavyweight Jonah Niesenbaum (photo courtesy of Sam Janicki; SJanickiPhoto.com) 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, the six schools that make up the ACC Conference. Duke - Jonah Niesenbaum, 285lbs (Jr) Going into his fourth year as a starter, Niesenbaum already took a big jump last year. After a 4-26 record in his first two years, he finished 16-11 in 2021-22. He had close matches with multiple ranked wrestlers and pinned Michael Woulfe of Purdue who was a past qualifier. Niesenbaum will need to take another jump to make his first tournament though, as he went 0-2 at ACC's. However, his 2022 development was a big step in the right direction. NC State - #30 Joey Milano, 174lbs (Fr) Milano is coming in as a starter after a very active redshirt year that saw him go 25-6, while winning multiple open tournaments at 184lbs. It sounds like the plan now is for him to drop down to 174lbs, where he will be looking to make an instant impact for the Wolfpack. His best win was over 2021 qualifier Deandre Nassar, and he had a 55% bonus rate. With the graduation of four-time All-American Hayden Hidlay, Milano looks like a candidate to truly break out this season. North Carolina - #21 Lachlan McNeil, 141lbs (Fr) McNeil was the #8 P4P recruit in the 2020 class and took a grayshirt year in 2021. In 2022, he had a solid redshirt season that saw him go 6-1, including a win over Ryan Jack of NC State. Over the summer he also made the Canadian freestyle team at 65kg. He placed 2nd at the Commonwealth Games and went 0-1 at the World Championships. With four years of eligibility and a wide-open 141lb weight class, McNeil is someone that could end up competing for a podium spot for many seasons to come. Pittsburgh - #20 Holden Heller, 165lbs (Jr) In 2021, Heller was a third-year starter for Hofstra and won EIWA's. He then qualified for his first NCAA tournament at 157lbs where he went 0-2. Heller took a redshirt while still at Hofstra and wrestled at both 165lbs and 174lbs. At 165lbs, he had wins over qualifiers Ashton Eyler, Matthew Olguin, and Danny Braunagel. Now at Pittsburgh, Heller will look to be an instant impact wrestler for the Panthers and is already well on his way up the rankings. Virginia - Gabe Christenson, 285lbs (So) A top 50 recruit in 2020, Christenson was originally at Iowa and redshirted but didn't wrestle any matches. He transferred to Virginia for the 2022 season and went 10-6 at 197lbs behind Jay Aiello. Now it looks like the plan is for him to move up to 285lbs and start. Christenson is still looking for a significant win, but he has the resume and potential to be someone to look out for in his first year as a starter. Virginia Tech - #28 Eddie Ventresca/Cooper Flynn, 125lbs (Fr) One of the most intriguing lineup battles of this season, Virginia Tech has two standout freshmen coming off great redshirt years. Ventresca was the #65 overall recruit in the Class of 2020 and had a grayshirt year in 2021. Cooper Flynn was the #22 overall recruit in the Class of 2021. Ventresca went 15-6 including two wins over Flynn, who went 15-3. Both were 2-1 decision matches and both wrestlers won different open tournaments. Fans will likely see both make appearances at various duals and tournaments. Ventresca has the edge right now, but this is a lineup battle that could last until later in the season.

2x NCAA Champion Roman Bravo-Young (photo courtesy of Sam Janicki; SJanickiPhoto.com) The #MatScoutsDynasty League Draft is set for Wednesday October 12, 2022. To get not only the 10 members of this Dynasty League set for the draft, we thought we would share some insights to our rosters for the general public. Assessments, Critiques, and Opinions welcomed. Next Up - Murder Hornets Team Manager: Brian Miller (@ocoachm03) 2022 Regular Season Standings: Dual Record: 10-5 Points For: 1190 , Points Against: 1007.5 (+182.5 Difference) Total Points: 1190 NCAA Championship: 127 Team Points (3rd Place) The end justifies the means, as once said by Machiavelli. To start the season, the Murder Hornets alternated losses and wins for the first six weeks. Shortly after the beginning of the season, the team went under new management and went on a win streak before the team was sold for a profit and a new management group came in (Brian Miller, current manager). A few more wins in a row before dropping two of the last three dual weeks didn't end up being an issue and landed the Murder Hornets as #2 in dual standings and total points standings. The Muder Hornets looked primed to make a title run at 2022 Nationals, but unfortunately with some wrestlers not placing to seed and some bad calls (*cough Ed Scott getting pinned *cough *cough), they fell behind. Leading up to the draft, the Murder Hornets accepted a trade of 157 Josh Humphreys (LEH) to Cael Chips for 125 Killian Cardinale (WVU). The Murder Hornets have not made any trades witht their current picks and are slated to be the #8 Overall Pick. As it currently sits, the Murder Hornets has 8 open roster spots (30 max per team) Roster Analysis: The loss of four major seniors (Sebastian Rivera, Alex Marinelli, Myles Amine, and Pat Brucki) certainly stings, but the roster is well backed up to hit the ground running (with Cole Matthews, Peyton Hall, Kaleb Romero, and Rocky Elam) . The return of Roman Bravo-Young also is a huge boost, and Kaden Gfeller's return is a wildcard play. The trade with Cael Chips also helps bridge the gap given Jakob Camacho's injury. But there are immediate glaring needs for the future success of the Murder Hornets. Roman Bravo-Young is the only rostered 133 and most likely will be on a pitch count or only a second-semester wrestler. That means someone needs to be there to actually wrestle the first couple months. 141 has the same problem, in that Cole Matthews is the only rostered 141. While he may wrestle the whole season, it's usually never good to lone wolf it when it comes to fantasy wrestling. The more options the better. 174 might also use an upgrade, just to be safe. Turley is listed as a junior but chances are if he applied for a Medical 'shirt, he'd probably get it. Again, just to be safe with depth. Overall, the lineup looks ready to roll, but there's a reason they wrestle the matches and championships aren't won on paper. Murder Hornets look to one of the top contenders for the 2022 Title.

Nebraska 3x All-American Mikey Labriola (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 35) Brock Mauller (Missouri) Missouri 2x All-American Brock Mauller (photo courtesy of Sam Janicki; SJanickiPhoto.com) Weight: 149 lbs Year: Junior Career Record:83-8 Hometown: Columbia, Missouri Collegiate Accomplishments: 2x NCAA All-American (5th, 6th), 2020 NWCA First Team All-American, 3x MAC Champion 2021 Top 50 Ranking: #43 Don't forget about Brock Mauller who sat out and redshirted during the 2021-22 campaign. Mauller jumped into the lineup as a true freshman and won his first 12 matches in a Tiger singlet. He would go on to finish sixth in the nation. Mauller missed out on an opportunity to claim a national title as a sophomore, when he was seeded fourth at the ill-fated 2020 NCAA Tournament. A year later, he advanced to the NCAA semis, before losing to the eventual champion, Austin O'Connor (North Carolina), in tiebreakers. Last year, Mauller moved up to 157 competing unattached at the Southern Scuffle and finished in fifth after a couple of uncharacteristic losses. For the full article, Subscribe to InterMat's Rokfin Page

2x NCAA All-American Stephen Buchanan (photo courtesy of Sam Janicki; SJanickiPhoto.com) Welcome to a new, regular feature for InterMat! Every day, for the next few months, we'll look into the recent history of a DI wrestling program with our "Ten Years of…" feature. Even if you're a die-hard supporter of a particular school, there will be good information you may have forgotten. For others, it's a quick way to learn about a program you may not be familiar with. We're going in alphabetical order for this one, so next up is...Wyoming! NCAA Qualifiers (54) 2022 #12 Jacob Wright (157 lbs), #20 Hayden Hastings (174 lbs), #21 Tate Samuelson (184 lbs), #2 Stephen Buchanan (197 lbs) 2021 #29 Chase Zollman (141 lbs), #23 Jacob Wright (157 lbs), #20 Cole Moody (165 lbs), #14 Hayden Hastings (174 lbs), #10 Tate Samuelson (184 lbs), #8 Stephen Buchanan (197 lbs), #13 Brian Andrews (285 lbs) 2020 #8 Montorie Bridges (133 lbs), #29 Hayden Hastings (174 lbs), #31 Tate Samuelson (184 lbs), #26 Stephen Buchanan (197 lbs), #13 Brian Andrews (285 lbs) 2019 #22 Cole Verner (125 lbs), #12 Montorie Bridges (133 lbs), #23 Sam Turner (141 lbs), #10 Branson Ashworth (165 lbs), #25 Hayden Hastings (174 lbs), #18 Tate Samuelson (184 lbs), #19 Brian Andrews (285 lbs) 2018 #8 Montorie Bridges (133 lbs), #1 Bryce Meredith (141 lbs), Sam Turner (149 lbs), #9 Archie Colgan (157 lbs), #14 Branson Ashworth (165 lbs), Chaz Polson (184 lbs) 2017 #15 Drew Templeman (125 lbs), #10 Bryce Meredith (141 lbs), Cole Mendenhall (149 lbs), #15 Archie Colgan (157 lbs), #14 Branson Ashworth (165 lbs) 2016 Drew Templeman (125 lbs), #14 Bryce Meredith (141 lbs), #15 Tanner Harms (285 lbs) 2015 #8 Tyler Cox (125 lbs), Dakota Friesth (165 lbs), #14 Andy McCulley (174 lbs), Ben Stroh (184 lbs), #13 Shane Woods (197 lbs), Tanner Harms (285 lbs) 2014 #9 Tyler Cox (125 lbs), Dakota Friesth (165 lbs), Ben Stroh (197 lbs), Shane Woods (197 lbs) 2013 #12 Tyler Cox (125 lbs), McCade Ford (141 lbs), Brandon Richardson (149 lbs), Andy McCulley (157 lbs), LJ Helbig (174 lbs), Shane Woods (184 lbs), #4 Alfonso Hernandez (197 lbs) NCAA Champions None NCAA All-Americans 2022: Stephen Buchanan (197 - 3rd) 2021: Stephen Buchanan (197 - 8th) 2018: Montorie Bridges (133 - 8th), Bryce Meredith (141 - 2nd) 2017: Bryce Meredith (141 - 4th) 2016: Bryce Meredith (141 - 2nd) 2013: Tyler Cox (125 - 8th), Alfonso Hernandez (197 - 7th) NWCA All-Americans Montorie Bridges (133 - First Team) NCAA Round of 12 Finishers Hayden Hastings (2022 - 174) Jacob Wright (2021 - 157) Archie Colgan (2017 - 157) Tanner Harms (2016 - 285) Shane Woods (2015 - 197) Conference Champions Big 12 2022: Stephen Buchanan (197) 2020: Brian Andrews (285) 2018: Bryce Meredith (141), Archie Colgan (157) West Regional/WWC 2015: Shane Woods (197) 2014: Tyler Cox (125), Ben Stroh (184), Shane Woods (197) 2013: McCade Ford (141), LJ Helbig (174), Shane Woods (184), Alfonso Hernandez (197) Dual Record 2021-22: 4-5 2021: 3-3 2019-20: 8-10 2018-19: 16-4 2017-18: 13-3 2016-17: 7-7 2015-16: 6-6 2014-15: 11-4 2013-14: 6-6 2012-13: 9-6 Conference Tournament Placement Big 12 2021-22: 9th 2021: 4th 2019-20: 7th 2018-19: 7th 2017-18: 4th 2016-17: 5th 2015-16: 5th West Regional/WWC 2014-15: 2nd 2013-14: 2nd 2012-13: 1st NCAA Tournament Team Placement 2021-22: 23rd (21 points) 2021: 26th-tie (15.5 points) 2019-20: No Tournament 2018-19: 34th-tie (9.5 points) 2017-18: 17th (27.5 points) 2016-17: 21st-tie (20 points) 2015-16: 18th (24.5 points) 2014-15: 39th (6 points) 2013-14: 53rd (3 points) 2012-13: 23rd (20.5 points) Head Coaching History Mark Branch (2008 - Present) Best Lineup (Comprised of wrestlers from 2013-22) 125 - Tyler Cox: 3x NCAA Qualifier (#8, #9, and #12 seeds), 2013 NCAA All-American (8th), 2014 WWC Champion 133 - Montorie Bridges: 3x NCAA Qualifier (#8 x2 and #12 seeds), 2018 NCAA All-American (8th), 2020 NWCA First Team All-American, 2019 Big 12 Runner-Up 141 - Bryce Meredith: 3x NCAA Qualifier (#1, #10 and #14 seeds), 3x NCAA All-American (2nd x2 and 4th), 2018 Big 12 Champion 149 - Cole Mendenhall: 2017 NCAA Qualifier, 2017 Big 12 3rd Place 157 - Archie Colgan: 2x NCAA Qualifier (#9 and #15 seeds), 2017 NCAA Round of 12 Finisher, 2018 Big 12 Champion 165 - Branson Ashworth: 3x NCAA Qualifier (#10 and #14 x2 seeds), 2018 Big 12 3rd Place 174 - Hayden Hastings: 4x NCAA Qualifier (#14 and #20 seeds), 2022 NCAA Round of 12 Finisher, 2021 Big 12 3rd Place 184 - Tate Samuelson: 4x NCAA Qualifier (#10 and #18 seeds), 2021 Big 12 Runner-Up 197 - Stephen Buchanan: 3x NCAA Qualifier (#2 and #8 seeds), 2x NCAA All-American (3rd, 8th), 2022 Big 12 Champion 285 - Brian Andrews: 3x NCAA Qualifier (#13 x2 and #19 seeds), 2020 Big 12 Champion, 2020 NWCA Honorable Mention All-American Recruiting Number of Big Boarders Per Year 2022: #63 Jore Volk (MN), #73 Garrison Dendy (TN), #74 Logan Ours (OH), #78 Kevin Zimmer (IL), #93 David Harper (TN) 2021: #62 Quayin Short (MN), #100 Bryce Dauphin (OK), #126 Aidan Noonan (IA), #258 Dorian Walters (MO) 2020: #150 Guillermo Escobedo (CA) 2019: #85 Jake Svihel (MN) 2018: #82 Chase Zollman (CA) 2016: #100 Montorie Bridges (OK), #133 Trent Olsen (WY), #136 Hunter Mullins (WA) 2015: #108 Cameron Loving (OK), #142 Drake Foster (ID) 2014: #120 PT Garcia (CO) 2013: #14 Zach Beard (OK), #123 Eric Hoffman (MD) For past teams: Air Force American Appalachian State Arizona State Army West Point Binghamton Bloomsburg Brown Bucknell Buffalo Cal Poly Campbell Central Michigan Chattanooga Clarion Cleveland State Columbia Cornell CSU Bakersfield Davidson Drexel Duke Edinboro Franklin & Marshall Gardner-Webb George Mason Harvard Hofstra Illinois Indiana Iowa Iowa State Kent State Lehigh Lock Haven Maryland Michigan Michigan State Minnesota Missouri Navy NC State Nebraska North Carolina North Dakota State Northern Colorado Northern Illinois Northern Iowa Northwestern Ohio Ohio State Oklahoma Oklahoma State Oregon State Penn Penn State Pittsburgh Princeton Purdue Rider Rutgers Sacred Heart SIU Edwardsville South Dakota State Stanford The Citadel Utah Valley Virginia Virginia Tech VMI West Virginia Wisconsin

3x NCAA Champion Yianni Diakomihalis (photo courtesy of Sam Janicki; SJanickiPhoto.com) The #MatScoutsDynasty League Draft is set for Wednesday October 12, 2022. To get not only the 10 members of this Dynasty League set for the draft, we thought we would share some insights to our rosters for the general public. Assessments, Critiques, and Opinions welcomed. Next Up - Danny B Mobbin' Team Manager: Dan Seifring (@Obrats) 2022 Regular Season Standings: Dual Record: 9-6 Points For: 1131.5 , Points Against: 969.5 (+162 Difference) Total Points: 1131.5 NCAA Championship: 124 Team Points (4th Place) Two seasons ago, Danny B Mobbin's team hit a setback with the Ivy League canceling winter sports. Despite, this he was able to be #2 in Dual Standings and Total points, but the missing Ivys were one of the main reasons he fell out of the Top-4 at 2021 Nationals. 2022 was supposed to be different, as Dan got all his Ivy Leaguers back, but unfortunately in the first half of the dual season he hit a string of losses which put him behind the 8 ball in the standings. Danny B Mobbin' would ultimately go on a six-week win streak in duals to jump all the way up to fifth place in duals and 3rd place in total points. Even with four finalists and two of them being champions, the weight of six wrestlers (half his roster) not placing was too much to carry. Add to that, Brayton Lee was injured on February 11th and was ranked 4th by InterMat (and 2nd in the Big Ten at the time of his injury), most likely would have been another AA (8th place would have netted 5.5 team points compared to Jacques' "0") and would have been 3rd Place. Leading up to the draft, Danny B Mobbin' traded 197 Max Dean (PSU) and the #7 Overall Pick to Fresh Cakes for 133 Vito Arujau (COR) and the #3 Overall Pick. Danny B' Mobbin also accepted a trade of 125 Killian Cardinale (WVU) to Cael Chips for a 4th Round Pick (#31 Overall). As it currently sits, Danny B Mobbin' has 6 open roster spots (30 max per team) Roster Analysis: A well rounded roster that has three returning finalists, and a returning wrestler who was once on Boise State's roster… let that sink in. Yianni is the unquestioned #1 at 149, Pat Glory looks to be in a tier above everyone not named Spencer Lee, but Griffith returns to a reloaded 165 with two newcomers to the weight (Quincy Monday and David Carr). The trade with Fresh Cakes for Vito Arujau helps Dan with his 133 spot, though when the trade occurred he was still considered a 125-er. With Sammy Alvarez going up to 141 (and backed up by Olivieri), the lower half of the lineup looks good to go this season. However, one question at 141 is "what Sammy Alvarez will we get?" Maybe up a weight we will see the 2020 version of almost upsetting RBY. Maybe the opposite with a weight jump. Time will tell, but maybe a drafted heir to 133/141 wouldn't be bad either as a backup plan. While the team is set for a championship run this season, Dan only has one rostered freshman in Cael Valencia. Several sophomores are peppered throughout, but A freshman foundation should be established. The upper half of the lineup could use a little bit of a makeover, in that the NCAA qualifiers from 174 to 285 on the roster scored 20 team points combined (11.5 of those points coming from Jonathan Loew and Zach Elam). The return of Demetrius Romero (2021 #2 seed at 174) will help, but this is his last season (I think… who knows anymore). You don't need to be a rocket surgeon to come to the conclusion of "Need More Points" from these upperweights.

2022 NCAA champion Nick Lee (right) and Beau Bartlett (photo courtesy of Sam Janicki; SJanickiPhoto.com) One aspect we missed out on with the extra year of Covid eligibility was superstars graduating, moving on, and having to be replaced by their respective teams. Now that we're back to a relatively normal year of collegiate wrestling, that is a necessity for most programs. So, how do you replace superstars, team captains, and pillars of your wrestling program? Generally, you don't, but others step in and do their best to make a name for themselves. And who replaces them? There's no solution that applies to everyone. Some teams turned to the transfer portal. Others have a stud freshman ready to go. Some have an existing teammate ready to move up or down in weight. Some just have a lot of depth and have a veteran that's been biding his time; in this instance maybe a year more than they anticipated. However, as they get closer to the 2022-23 season, there are plenty of wrestlers looking to replace significant NCAA point-scorers from Detroit. Here is more about those wrestlers who we'll dub "The Replacements." The graduated wrestler is listed in bold, while his replacement(s) are listed below them. Nick Suriano (Michigan - 125) The Replacement: #16 Jack Medley Ultimate team guy Jack Medley gets the call at 125 lbs after spending the first half of the 2021-22 season as the starter. Medley went 12-4 with three wins over eventual national qualifiers last season. In his only year as a full-time starter at 125 lbs (2019-20), Medley was fourth in the Big Ten and seeded 14th at the national tournament. During that season, Medley put up wins over future 2022 All-Americans Michael DeAugustino (Northwestern), Eric Barnett (Wisconsin), and Brandon Kaylor (Oregon State). For the full article, Subscribe to InterMat's Rokfin Page

2x NCAA All-American Eric Barnett (photo courtesy of Sam Janicki; SJanickiPhoto.com) Welcome to a new, regular feature for InterMat! Every day, for the next few months, we'll look into the recent history of a DI wrestling program with our "Ten Years of…" feature. Even if you're a die-hard supporter of a particular school, there will be good information you may have forgotten. For others, it's a quick way to learn about a program you may not be familiar with. We're going in alphabetical order for this one, so next up is...Wisconsin! NCAA Qualifiers (64) 2022 #6 Eric Barnett (125 lbs), #31 Kyle Burwick (133 lbs), #27 Joe Zargo (141 lbs), #3 Austin Gomez (149 lbs), #27 Garrett Model (157 lbs), #4 Dean Hamiti (165 lbs), #29 Chris Weiler (184 lbs), #23 Braxton Amos (197 lbs), #17 Trent Hillger (285 lbs) 2021 #19 Eric Barnett (125 lbs), #18 Kyle Burwick (133 lbs), #13 Chris Weiler (184 lbs), #14 Trent Hillger (285 lbs) 2020 #2 Seth Gross (133 lbs), #9 Tristan Moran (141 lbs), #26 Cole Martin (149 lbs), #8 Evan Wick (165 lbs), #24 Johnny Sebastian (184 lbs), #6 Trent Hillger (285 lbs) 2019 #11 Tristan Moran (141 lbs), #19 Cole Martin (149 lbs), #4 Evan Wick (165 lbs), #15 Ryan Christensen (174 lbs), #22 Mason Reinhardt (184 lbs), #7 Trent Hillger (285 lbs) 2018 Eli Stickley (141 lbs), Cole Martin (149 lbs), #14 Andrew Crone (149 lbs), #10 Evan Wick (165 lbs), Ryan Christensen (174 lbs), #11 Ricky Robertson (184 lbs), Hunter Ritter (197 lbs) 2017 Johnny Jimenez (125 lbs), Cole Martin (141 lbs), Andrew Crone (149 lbs), TJ Ruschell (157 lbs), #4 Isaac Jordan (165 lbs), Ryan Christensen (174 lbs), Hunter Ritter (184 lbs), #15 Ricky Robertson (197 lbs), #2 Connor Medbery (285 lbs) 2016 Johnny Jimenez (125 lbs), #12 Ryan Taylor (133 lbs), #2 Isaac Jordan (165 lbs), Ricky Robertson (174 lbs), Ryan Christensen (184 lbs) 2015 #2 Ryan Taylor (133 lbs), Jesse Thielke (141 lbs), #3 Isaac Jordan (165 lbs), #16 Frank Cousins (174 lbs), #15 Ricky Robertson (184 lbs), #12 Timmy McCall (197 lbs), #5 Connor Medbery (285 lbs) 2014 #7 Ryan Taylor (125 lbs), #5 Tyler Graff (133 lbs), Rylan Lubeck (149 lbs), #5 Isaac Jordan (157 lbs), Scott Liegel (174 lbs), Jackson Hein (184 lbs), Timmy McCall (197 lbs), #9 Connor Medbery (285 lbs) 2013 #3 Tyler Graff (133 lbs), Jackson Hein (197 lbs), #7 Connor Medbery (285 lbs) NCAA Champions None NCAA All-Americans 2022: Eric Barnett (125 - 7th), Austin Gomez (149 - 4th), Dean Hamiti (165 - 6th) 2021: Eric Barnett (125 - 8th), Trent Hillger (285 - 6th) 2019: Evan Wick (165 - 4th), Trent Hillger (285 - 8th) 2018: Evan Wick (165 - 3rd) 2017: Isaac Jordan (165 - 4th), Connor Medbery (285 - 2nd) 2016: Isaac Jordan (165 - 2nd) 2015: Ryan Taylor (133 - 7th), Isaac Jordan (165 - 7th), Connor Medbery (285 - 4th) 2014: Tyler Graff (133 - 2nd), Isaac Jordan (157 - 7th) 2013: Tyler Graff (133 - 3rd) NWCA All-Americans Seth Gross (133 - First Team) Tristan Moran (141 - Second Team) Evan Wick (165 - First Team) Trent Hillger (285 - First Team) NCAA Round of 12 Finishers Tristan Moran (2019 - 141) Andrew Crone (2017 - 149) Ryan Taylor (2016 - 133) Timmy McCall (2015 - 197) Connor Medbery (2014 - 285) Big Ten Champions 2022: Austin Gomez (149) 2016: Isaac Jordan (165) 2015: Isaac Jordan (165) Big Ten Runner's Up 2022: Eric Barnett (125) 2017: Connor Medbery (285) 2015: Ryan Taylor (133) 2014: Tyler Graff (133) Dual Record 2021-22: 12-2 2021: 1-6 2019-20: 11-6 2018-19: 9-6 2017-18: 7-5 2016-17: 7-5 2015-16: 4-8 2014-15: 9-4 2013-14: 12-6 2012-13: 7-8 Big Ten Tournament Placement 2021-22: 8th 2021: 12th 2019-20: 9th 2018-19: 7th 2017-18: 6th 2016-17: 8th 2015-16: 8th 2014-15: 8th 2013-14: 7th 2012-13: 10th NCAA Tournament Team Placement 2021-22: 14th (38.5 points) 2021: 23rd (18.5 points) 2019-20: No Tournament 2018-19: 21st (27 points) 2017-18: 17th (27.5 points) 2016-17: 13th (39.5 points) 2015-16: 23rd (20 points) 2014-15: 17th (32.5 points) 2013-14: 16th (36 points) 2012-13: 27th-tie (16.5 points) Head Coaching History Chris Bono (2018 - Present) Barry Davis (1993 - 2018) Best Lineup (Comprised of wrestlers from 2013-22) 125 - Eric Barnett: 2x NCAA Qualifier (#6 and #19 seeds), 2x NCAA All-American (7th, 8th), 2022 Big Ten Runner-Up 133 - Tyler Graff: 4x NCAA All-American (2nd, 3rd, 5th x2), 2014 NCAA Runner-Up, 2x Big Ten Runner-Up 141 - Tristan Moran: 2x NCAA Qualifier (#9 and #11 seeds), 2020 NWCA Second Team All-American, 2019 NCAA Round of 12 Finisher 149 - Austin Gomez: 2022 NCAA Qualifier (#3 seed), 2022 NCAA 4th Place, 2022 Big Ten Champion, NCAA Qualifier for Iowa State 157 - Isaac Jordan: 4x NCAA All-American (#2, #4, #7 x2), 2016 NCAA Runner-Up, 2x Big Ten Champion 165 - Evan Wick: 3x NCAA Qualifier (#4, #8, and #10 seeds), 2x NCAA All-American (3rd, 4th), 2020 NWCA First Team All-American, 2022 NCAA All-American (3rd) for Cal Poly 174 - Ryan Christensen: 4x NCAA Qualifier (#15 seed) 184 - Ricky Robertson: 4x NCAA Qualifier (#11 and #15 x2 seeds) 197 - Timmy McCall: 2x NCAA Qualifier (#12 seed), 2015 NCAA Round of 12 Finisher 285 - Connor Medbery: 4x NCAA Qualifier (#2, #5, #7, and #9 seeds), 2x NCAA All-American (2nd, 4th), 2017 NCAA Runner-Up, 2017 Big Ten Runner-Up Recruiting Number of Big Boarder's Per Year 2022: #31 Nicolar Rivera (WI), #32 James Rowley (OR), #72 Brock Bobzien (CA), #166 Mikey Tal-Shahar (FL), #233 Felix Lettini (NJ) 2021: #6 Dean Hamiti (IL), #52 Brooks Empey (WI), #56 Hayden Copass (IL) 2020: #6 Braxton Amos (WV), #127 Joe Zargo (NJ), #137 Aidan Medora (WI) 2019: #18 Eric Barnett (WI), #32 Peter Christensen (IL), #38 Kyle Burwick (ND), #84 Josh Otto (WI) 2018: #51 Jared Krattiger (WI), #67 Jeremy Schoenherr (WI), #90 Tyler Dow (WI) 2017: #21 Trent Hillger (MI), #88 Devin Bahr (WI) 2016: #29 Evan Wick (CA), #32 Zander Wick (CA), #110 Jacob Covaciu (WI) 2015: #26 Hunter Ritter (MD), #92 Eli Stickley (OH), #103 Michael Cullen (IL) 2014: #22 Ryan Christensen (WA), #50 Johnny Jimenez (IL) 2013: #39 Ricky Robertson (IL), #150 Jake Stilling (WI), #161 Scott Liegel (WI), #165 Andrew Crone (WI) For past teams: Air Force American Appalachian State Arizona State Army West Point Binghamton Bloomsburg Brown Bucknell Buffalo Cal Poly Campbell Central Michigan Chattanooga Clarion Cleveland State Columbia Cornell CSU Bakersfield Davidson Drexel Duke Edinboro Franklin & Marshall Gardner-Webb George Mason Harvard Hofstra Illinois Indiana Iowa Iowa State Kent State Lehigh Lock Haven Maryland Michigan Michigan State Minnesota Missouri Navy NC State Nebraska North Carolina North Dakota State Northern Colorado Northern Illinois Northern Iowa Northwestern Ohio Ohio State Oklahoma Oklahoma State Oregon State Penn Penn State Pittsburgh Princeton Purdue Rider Rutgers Sacred Heart SIU Edwardsville South Dakota State Stanford The Citadel Utah Valley Virginia Virginia Tech VMI West Virginia

Little Rock 174 lber Triston Wills (photo courtesy of Tony Rotundo; WrestlersAreWarriors.com) 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 seven schools that make up the PAC-12 Conference. Arizona State - #19 Anthony Montalvo, 184lbs (Jr) In 2020, Montalvo was a standout wrestler for Oklahoma State with a 25-6 record, third place Big 12 finish, and the ninth seed at NCAA's. The next two years he had season-ending injuries and was only able to wrestle in three matches. He has a chance at a fresh start after transferring to Arizona State this offseason. If Montalvo is able to stay healthy and show the form he demonstrated in his redshirt freshman year, he could be an immediate podium contender. Cal Poly - #27 Luka Wick, 157lbs (Fr) The younger brother of Evan Wick, Luka will be looking to make his name just as known after going 12-0 as a redshirt. His biggest win was against Lane Stigall of Oregon State, their starter at 149lbs. What makes him someone to keep an eye on was his impressive bonus rate of 75%, including eight pins. He is moving up to 157lbs and has the resume to continue the Wick family dominance. CSU Bakersfield - Albert Urias, 174lbs, (Jr) Urias is going into his fourth year as a starter and coming off his best record yet. He went 25-14 after going 3-3 in 2021 and 17-16 in 2020. He had wins over qualifiers Anthony Mantanona and Tyler Eischens. If he can continue his ascent and knock off some more ranked wrestlers, he could easily end up in the rankings. Little Rock - Triston Wills, 174lbs (So) Wills and Albert Urias actually traded wins over each other at the PAC-12 tournament, with Wills finishing third. Wills had wins over ranked wrestlers Mason Kauffman, Thomas Flitz, Andrew McNally, and Sean Harman. Nearly all of his losses came to ranked wrestlers. If Wills can improve his consistency during the season, then he has a good chance to earn an automatic qualifying spot at the PAC-12 tournament. Oregon State - #28 Isaiah Crosby, 157lbs (Jr) After two years at Iowa Western CC and an NJCAA title at 157lbs, Crosby transferred to Oregon State and went 5-1 while backing up Hunter Willits. All his matches came at the Reno TOC where he finished as runner-up. His run included wins over Luke Mechler, a solid Oklahoma State redshirting freshman, and Charlie Darracott, who was the starter for Stanford. Crosby had a close 7-5 decision loss to Jacob Wright of Wyoming in the finals. Now a starter himself, Crosby will look to climb even higher in the rankings with more ranked matches. Stanford - #30 Jackson DiSario, 133lbs (Jr) A two-time qualifier at 125lbs, DiSario had a down year in 2021-22 in his first season at 133lbs. DiSario was the 28th seed in 2020, and went 0-2 as the 26th seed in 2021. Last season, he made the move to 133lbs and beat out the previous starter Jason Miranda. He had a respectable 19-10 record, but wasn't able to get any ranked wins and had some unranked losses. With another season under his belt, there is clear potential for DiSario to return to the national tournament.

2022 NCAA Finalist Cohlton Schultz (photo courtesy of Sam Janicki; SJanickiPhoto.com) The #MatScoutsDynasty League Draft is set for Wednesday October 12, 2022. To get not only the 10 members of this Dynasty League set for the draft, we thought we would share some insights to our rosters for the general public. Assessments, Critiques, and Opinions welcomed. Next Up - Brain Power Team Manager: Willie Saylor (@MatScouts1) 2022 Regular Season Standings: Dual Record: 7-8 Points For: 804 , Points Against: 838.5 (-34.5 Difference) Total Points: 804 NCAA Championship: 119 Team Points (T-5th Place) Last year's 10th place finisher started the season with two straight dual losses, but through the transfer portal and some freshmen stepping up, Team Brain Power was able to get some extra bonus points towards nationals. Team Brain Power didn't have the postseason firepower, though and fell to the middle of the final standings. Five of his wrestlers finished Top-4 at 2022 Nationals, but the lack of points from 165 and 174, a total "0" combined," was too much to overcome. But, as they say, Trust the Process. The Brain Power youth movement is coming. With that, Team Brain Power is slated to be the #6 Overall Pick and hasn't moved in anticipation of adding to his freshmen crew. As it currently sits, Brain Power have 5 open roster spots (30 max per team) Roster Analysis: The Brain Power roster only has three seniors at three different weights, with two of them having starter caliber backups to bridge the gap for the 2024 season and beyond. 141, 149, 165, 184, and 197 are filled with wrestlers who will be AA Contenders for the next three years which gives Brain Power the ability to focus on where he will be weakest. There are a couple spots that need immediate attention such as 125 and 133, because between the three wrestlers and two weights, one is not going to have the depth. Dean Perterson is listed on the Rutgers roster as 125, and he wrestled 133 last season in Redshirt. Rutgers has a logjam in the lower weights so it is not clear where Peterson ends up. Heinselman, while he looked like he jumped a level last season, still has not AA'd, and Michael Colaiocco is listed as a Junior and hasn't had postseason success, yet. 157 can be considered Brain Power's "oldest weight" being comprised of one senior and two juniors. Of those three, Jared Franek has had the best Fantasy Success (#7 in Fpts at 157 for both 2021 and 2022 seasons), and being a 2X Bloodrounder. With this recruiting class having a good stock of 157s, it may be worth a 1st round pick to refresh that part of the lineup. Brain Power does have trading power, in that his four 197s are all AA caliber and even finalist contenders with three of them being sophomores. With that weight being one of the more "up in the air" when it comes to parity, it gives Brain Power the chance to use that Greatest Mind in Wrestling to construct a winning trade.

2022 NCAA Finalist Jacob Warner (photo courtesy of Sam Janicki; SJanickiPhoto.com) The #MatScoutsDynasty League Draft is set for Wednesday October 12, 2022. To get not only the 10 members of this Dynasty League set for the draft, we thought we would share some insights to our rosters for the general public. Assessments, Critiques, and Opinions welcomed. Next Up - Team Upson Team Manager: Jeff Upson (@PApowerwrestling) 2022 Regular Season Standings: Dual Record: 3-12 Points For: 615.5 , Points Against: 895.5 (-280 Difference) Total Points: 615.5 NCAA Championship: 119 Team Points (T-5th Place) Going against the reigning champ in the first dual of the season rarely bodes well, and that's what happened here for the start of the 2022 campaign. The final score was 141 to Team Upson's 38 which put his team in a deep hole from the get-go. Team Upson would bookend the dual season with four losses to start and four losses to end the regular season, but while the regular season may not have been a success, the postseason team on paper looked extremely competitive. Nine of his starters were seeded #10 or better and six of those nine wrestled to their seed or better. It was the others that unfortunately were unable to make that All-American hurdle and anchored the team down. Leading up to the draft, Team Upson agreed to trade the #5 Overall Pick to Cael Chips for 157 Josh Humphreys (LEH) and the #10 Overall Pick. As it currently sits, Team Upson has 7 open roster spots (30 max per team). Roster Analysis: It is the “oldest” this season (with 10 seniors), but Team Upson returns a formidable lineup with some youth in the wings. Flynn will be contending for the starting spot in Blacksburg, and Lachlan McNeil and Luca Augustine will most certainly be the starters for their teams. Both 125 and 133 have Seniors with Juniors backing them up who, should one of the Sun Devils go down, would be more than capable to step into starting duties. While 141 and 149 have plenty of time to plan for the future, every weight from 157 up needs immediate attention. Humphreys made the bloodround last season and the trade with Cael Chips shores up the weight this season (though Zapf is no Fantasy Wrestling slouch either). Same goes for 197 with returning finalist Warner and former finalist Bonaccorsi and for both of his heavyweights. With Wittlake moving up to 184, it leaves Josh Ogunsanya as the lone 165-er. And while Ogunsanya was the #10 Fantasy Wrestler last season at 165, the tougher Columbia schedule this coming season might make it tougher to reach that watermark (let alone the top-25).

2021 NCAA All-American Killian Cardinale (photo courtesy of Sam Janicki; SJanickiPhoto.com) Welcome to a new, regular feature for InterMat! Every day, for the next few months, we'll look into the recent history of a DI wrestling program with our "Ten Years of…" feature. Even if you're a die-hard supporter of a particular school, there will be good information you may have forgotten. For others, it's a quick way to learn about a program you may not be familiar with. We're going in alphabetical order for this one, so next up is...West Virginia! NCAA Qualifiers (33) 2022 #5 Killian Cardinale (125 lbs), #9 Peyton Hall (165 lbs), #31 Dennis Robin (174 lbs), #27 Michael Wolfgram (285 lbs) 2021 #17 Killian Cardinale (125 lbs), #20 Ryan Sullivan (133 lbs), #21 Peyton Hall (165 lbs), #9 Noah Adams (197 lbs) 2020 #2 Noah Adams (197 lbs) 2019 #16 Matt Schmitt (133 lbs), #17 Christian Monserrat (149 lbs), #29 Nick Kiussis (165 lbs), #20 Noah Adams (197 lbs), #32 Brandon Ngati (285 lbs) 2018 #13 Zeke Moisey (125 lbs), Matt Schmitt (133 lbs), Jake Smith (197 lbs) 2017 #8 Dylan Cottrell (165 lbs), Jake Smith (197 lbs) 2016 Zeke Moisey (125 lbs), Dylan Cottrell (157 lbs), Bubba Scheffel (184 lbs), #13 Jake Smith (197 lbs) 2015 Zeke Moisey (125 lbs), #16 Mike Morales (141 lbs), Bubba Scheffel (184 lbs), Jake Smith (197 lbs) 2014 Cory Stainbrook (125 lbs), Colin Johnston (141 lbs), Mike Morales (149 lbs), Bubba Scheffel (174 lbs), AJ Vizcarrando (285 lbs) 2013 Nathan Pennesi (141 lbs) NCAA Champions None NCAA All-Americans 2022: Peyton Hall (165 - 8th) 2021: Killian Cardinale (125 - 7th) 2018: Zeke Moisey (125 - 8th) 2015: Zeke Moisey (125 - 2nd) NWCA All-Americans Noah Adams (197 - First Team) NCAA Round of 12 Finishers Killian Cardinale (2022 - 125) Peyton Hall (2021 - 165) Dylan Cottrell (2016 - 157) Big 12 Champions 2022: Killian Cardinale (125) 2020: Noah Adams (197) 2017: Dylan Cottrell (165) Dual Record 2021-22: 6-8 2021: 7-3 2019-20: 4-12 2018-19: 4-14 2017-18: 6-7 2016-17: 4-13 2015-16: 8-10 2014-15: 9-9 2013-14: 11-4 2012-13: 2-13 Big 12 Tournament Placement 2021-22: 7th 2021: 9th 2019-20: 10th 2018-19: 9th 2017-18: 9th 2016-17: 7th 2015-16: 6th 2014-15: 4th 2013-14: 4th 2012-13: 4th NCAA Tournament Team Placement 2021-22: 32nd (8.5 points) 2021: 31st (11.5 points) 2019-20: No Tournament 2018-19: 43rd (4.5 points) 2017-18: 30th (11.5 points) 2016-17: 57th (1 point) 2015-16: 47th (4 points) 2014-15: 20th (23.5 points) 2013-14: 61st (1.5 points) 2012-13: 63rd (0.5 points) Head Coaching History Tim Flynn (2018 - Present) Sammie Henson (2014 - 2018) Craig Turnbull (1978 - 2014) Best Lineup (Comprised of wrestlers from 2013-22) 125 - Zeke Moisey: 3x NCAA Qualifier (#13 seed), 2x NCAA All-American (2nd, 8th), 2x Big 12 Runner-Up 133 - Matt Schmitt: 2x NCAA Qualifier (#16 seed) 141 - Mike Morales: 2x NCAA Qualifier (#16 seed), 2014 Big 12 3rd Place 149 - Christian Monserrat: 2019 NCAA Qualifier (#17 seed) 157 - Dylan Cottrell: 2x NCAA Qualifier (#8 seed), 2017 Big 12 Champion, 2016 NCAA Round of 12 Finisher, 2x NCAA Qualifier for Appalachian State 165 - Peyton Hall: 2x NCAA Qualifier (#9 seed), 2022 NCAA 8th Place, 2022 Big 12 Runner-Up, 2021 NCAA Round of 12 Finisher 174 - Dennis Robin: 2022 NCAA Qualifier 184 - Bubba Scheffel: 3x NCAA Qualifier, 2016 Big 12 3rd Place 197 - Noah Adams: 3x NCAA Qualifier (#2, #9 and #20 seeds), 2020 NWCA First Team All-American, 2020 Big 12 Champion 285 - AJ Vizcarrando: 2014 NCAA Qualifier, 2014 Big 12 Runner-Up Recruiting Number of Big Boarder's Per Year 2022: #27 Brody Conley (OH), #197 Brayden Ivy (TN) 2021: #41 Jordan Titus (NY), #109 Davin Rhodes (OH), #114 Garett Lautzenheiser (OH) 2020: #68 Peyton Hall (WV), #97 Jack Blumer (PA), #116 Brayden Roberts (WV), #117 Caleb Downing (PA), #138 Anthony D'Alesio (OH), #152 Colton Drousias (IN) 2018: #98 Josh Ramirez (IA) 2017: #27 Noah Adams (WV), #85 Nick Kiussis (OH) 2016: #74 Matt Schmitt (MO), #87 Tucker Levitt (ID), #106 Kyler Rea (MO) 2015: #23 Keegan Moore (OK), #30 Patrick Duggan (PA), #40 Devin Brown (PA), #41 Connor Flynn (MO), #74 Austin Myers (KY), #107 Zach Moore (OK) 2014: #34 Zeke Moisey (PA) 2013: #179 Ryder Newman (NV) For past teams: Air Force American Appalachian State Arizona State Army West Point Binghamton Bloomsburg Brown Bucknell Buffalo Cal Poly Campbell Central Michigan Chattanooga Clarion Cleveland State Columbia Cornell CSU Bakersfield Davidson Drexel Duke Edinboro Franklin & Marshall Gardner-Webb George Mason Harvard Hofstra Illinois Indiana Iowa Iowa State Kent State Lehigh Lock Haven Maryland Michigan Michigan State Minnesota Missouri Navy NC State Nebraska North Carolina North Dakota State Northern Colorado Northern Illinois Northern Iowa Northwestern Ohio Ohio State Oklahoma Oklahoma State Oregon State Penn Penn State Pittsburgh Princeton Purdue Rider Rutgers Sacred Heart SIU Edwardsville South Dakota State Stanford The Citadel Utah Valley Virginia Virginia Tech VMI

2022 NCAA Finalist Quincy Monday (photo courtesy of Sam Janicki; SJanickiPhoto.com) The #MatScoutsDynasty League Draft is set for Wednesday October 12, 2022. To get not only the 10 members of this Dynasty League set for the draft, we thought we would share some insights to our rosters for the general public. Assessments, Critiques, and Opinions welcomed. Next Up- The Ninnie's Propaganda Team Manager: Earl Smith (@EarlBSmith20) 2022 Regular Season Standings: Dual Record: 9-6 Points For: 999 , Points Against: 809.5 (+189.5 Difference) Total Points: 999 NCAA Championship: 115 Team Points (7th Place) Earl's Propaganda Machine was able to string together a four dual win streak, but was up and down for the rest of the season. His wins came when they mattered against just the right competition which helped propel him to fourth place in the dual standings. Unlike the other teams to this point, The Ninnie's Propaganda has decided to stay put with the #4 Overall Pick. As it currently sits, The Ninnie's Propaganda has 4 (maybe 5, depending on if Gable Steveson decides to return) open roster spots (30 max per team). Roster Analysis Here Earl thought that last season was the final ride with his star heavyweight as he left his shoes in the center of the NCAA Championship mat, despite the additional year of eligibility Steveson had left. It was clear, since ESPN used 5-10 minutes of airtime to film those white Nikes, that this was the end. But hold up now, all is not lost for the Ninnie's Propaganda. Rumor is that maybe the big man will/might/possibly be returning. I guess we shall see, but that puts Earl in a draft time bind. Does he look for a heavyweight or take his chances? A chain reaction of weight changes actually helps Earl's team this year spread out the talent as Brock Mauller moves back down to 149, Bryce Andonian moves up to 157, and National Finalist Quincy Monday moves up to 165. The lower weights at 125 and 133 look set for the foreseeable future with more than capable youth to take over after next season in the middle weights. 141 could be a concern for the postseason, and same goes for the upper weights with 197 and 285 if Steveson does not return.

Arizona State's 2x All-American Michael McGee (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 40) Jacori Teemer (Arizona State) Arizona State's 2x All-American Jacori Teemer (photo courtesy of Sam Janicki; SJanickiPhoto.com) Weight: 157 lbs Year: Junior Career Record: 52-11 Hometown: Long Beach, New York Collegiate Accomplishments: 2x NCAA All-American (4th, 6th), 2020 NWCA Second Team All-American, 3x Pac-12 Champion 2021 Top 50 Ranking: #35 The first member of our top-50 list that returns from the 2021 edition, Jacori Teemer did so after collecting All-American honors for a second time. Teemer successfully navigated the regular season and Pac-12 tournament without a loss, heading into Detroit. With David Carr (Iowa State) and Ryan Deakin (Northwestern) also unbeaten, Teemer had to settle for the third seed. For the full article, Subscribe to InterMat's Rokfin Page

Gable Steveson (left) and Greg Kerkvliet in the 2022 NCAA semifinals "Heavyweights in wrestling are like kickers in the NFL. Where they're playing the same sport, but it's a completely different skillset" This quote by the great Yianni D was tweeted out by the aptly named "The Quoter" and it started a bit of a firestorm in the Twitterverse. What exactly does it mean? Was the idea correct, but the positional analogy just wrong? Did I just say positional analogy? Yes and yes. I get the point of it all. It's the same sport but the athletes have to do two completely different things. A big man simply can't wrestle like a lightweight. But kicker just isn't the correct position to use. I'm not sure you can compare a kicker to any other position in sports. It's just such a unique quirk in a sport filled with the biggest, fastest, and strongest athletes the country has produced. Somehow a guy with the ability to kick a ball straight for fifty yards fits into the equation. And many times with the most pressure on them. In that sense, I get it that they both come up with the final result on the line more than any of their teammates. But that's not what we're discussing here. I'll agree that you can compare the two sports here. Wrestlers coming in all shapes and sizes means they have to train and tailor their skills to their strengths. Evan Wick and Chance Marstellar competed at the same weight. But their shapes meant they had to wrestle different styles. It's just the way it is. Just like Derrick Henry and Darren Sproles are both running backs with completely different styles. The thing is that they both still have to go out there and achieve the same goal which is to move the football. A heavyweight still has to go out there and beat his opponent just like his little buddy at 125. The biggest and smallest guys on every team are always best friends. Everyone knows this. So what's the correct analogy? I would guess it's something like wide receiver to lineman. Two positions that are out there at the same time, working towards the same goal, but doing two different things to get there while using their strength and speed to the styles that suit them. Until we decide a dual meet with seeing which coach can kick the challenge brick the furthest, (imagine coaches hiring assistants based on their foam brick kicking skills) let's leave the kickers out of it. Now, let's get to the mailbag before I ramble on even further. U amped? Pelikan Head Pretty fired up, dog. How will you be preparing for the Matscouts league draft, which is one week away from today? Dan Seifring Is that next week? Oh lord. How am I supposed to win a league where two guys in the league provide the content for all my research? Here's some advice for you fantasy players out there. If you're in a league with Dan Seifring or Tony DiMarco and they offer you a trade, don't take it. It's a scam. They know more than you. Personally, I'm holding out for October of 2026 and drafting Bo Bassett first overall. I should be able to get my team firmly in last place by then and I'm sure Daton Fix will have some eligibility left. If you could face any real wrestler in a fake match who would it be? Richard Mann I'd love to work a match with Chris Foca. Back when I strapped on the headgear, my best offense was always counters and reversals until I finally got the guy on his back or lost by something like 16-11. Every time. Never failed. Foca also loves to roll around into pinning positions. I think the two of us can really put on a show by just hitting headlocks where you reach back, sitting out of cradles and turning them into cradles, flippy sh*t as they say in the industry. Just seven minutes of furious reversals and backpoints until I finally lose by the score of 27-18. Then we shake hands and I hit him with a stunner before celebrating with beers for an hour. DTA. Don't trust anybody. Jagger 7:12 says I just whooped your ass! Who is your biggest dark horse this year? YaBoyBready I think I answered this awhile back, but I have no idea who I picked, so I'll pick a new guy. Vince Cornella of Cornell. Imagine being named Cornella and then going to Cornell. It's crazy. I can't wrap my head around it. Fresh off a U20 World fifth place finish, the Corndog enters a wide open weight with the advantage of training with the aforementioned Yianni D, who only won it twice already at 141. Buy stock in Vince Cornella. Why is Spencer Lee the third most handsome Irishman you know? Fred Bear Is he Irish? I know he's French on his mother's side. I assume you're the most handsome of all who came from Ireland, but I've never seen your face. I do remember you flexing on a guy from Twitter so hard that he fully deleted his profile. That's power that I do not possess. That's it for this week my friends. The season is right around the corner and I'm sure we will have more to talk about other than kickers and handsome Irish guys. Also, this mailbag goes great with pumpkin spice.

3x NCAA finalist Daton Fix (photo courtesy of Sam Janicki; SJanickiPhoto.com) The #MatScoutsDynasty League Draft is set for Wednesday October 12, 2022. To get not only the 10 members of this Dynasty League set for the draft, we thought we would share some insights to our rosters for the general public. Assessments, Critiques, and Opinions welcomed. Next Up - Fresh Cakes Team Manager: Jagger Noir (@Jagger712) 2022 Regular Season Standings: Dual Record: 3-12 Points For: 594.5 , Points Against: 785 (-190.5 Difference) Total Points: 594.5 NCAA Championship: 108 Team Points (8th Place) New Year New Name for the team formerly known as JHagger. Fresh Cakes was dealt a tough blow halfway through the season when one of the top Fantasy Wrestlers in the game and returning National Champion AJ Ferrari was involved in a car accident at the end of January 2022. Adding to that, during the offseason AJ left Oklahoma State. You may have heard about that… Fresh Cakes wasn't able to string together a win streak more than two weeks during the regular season, and actually hit a skid at the end of the season losing six weeks in a row. That streak led to his unfortunate dual and total point standing which snowballed into the postseason, despite having three finalists and a third placer. Looking to improve his roster immediately, Jagger712 had made a trade with Danny B Mobbin' to replace a National Champion with a National Champion: Fresh Cakes trades 133 Vito Arujau (COR) and the #3 Overall Pick to Danny B Mobbin' for 197 Max Dean and the #7 Overall Pick. As it currently sits, Fresh Cakes has 7 (maybe 8, depending on AJ Ferrari availability) open roster spots (30 max per team). Roster Analysis: While other teams might just “flip” their team, Jagger712 keeps it fresh with the team he has… which is pretty good on paper. Daton Fix has two more years of eligibility and is almost a lock as a finalist, and same could be said of Mekhi Lewis at 174. High AA = high amount of team points. The addition of Max Dean is an influx of 18.5 team points if using last year's results (which would have put him at fourth place). Coach Bono has been on record saying he is impressed with Hillger's offseason, which bodes well for Fresh Cakes. But that aside, if Jagger wants to break into the top three at NCAAs he is going to have to make some immediate additions either through the Draft, Transfer Portal, or via trade. While Richie Figueroa is a great prospect, he's likely going to be the backup to Brandon Coutrney and is the only roster 125 on Fresh Cakes' team. Same could be said for 141, where Joel Vandervere and Henry Porter are more than likely going to be backups as well. That doesn't mean all three wont score points at opens and such, but would equate to zero points for the postseason. 197 and Heavyweight will need a youth injection as well and 165 could use some backups as well since it is unclear if Condomitti (who Jagger712 was drawn to in last year's draft) will be starting or a backup.

Ed Scott (left) and Peyton Robb (photos courtesy of Tony Rotundo; WrestlersAreWarriors.com) The college wrestling season is right around the corner. This year, in particular, it seems like there are some solid early-season dual matches between top teams. The following looks at the top duals in the month of November and some potential individual bouts that could make the duals special. 11/5/2022 No. 13 Iowa State vs. No. 10 Wisconsin The inaugural Battle in the River City event will bring several top dual matches to the early season schedule. The event, which features Iowa State, Wisconsin, Chattanooga, Campbell, Little Rock and Buffalo, will be a one-date round-robin series of duals with each team getting three matches. Headlining the Jacksonville event will be a dual between Iowa State and Wisconsin. The Cyclones return to action after a very impressive dual campaign in 2022. The squad went 15-1 with victories over Northern Iowa, Oklahoma and Oklahoma State. Their only blemish on the season was an 11-point loss to Iowa in the annual Cy-Hawk match. The Badgers were also a strong dual team in 2022. Wisconsin went 12-2 and picked up wins over the likes of North Carolina, Rutgers, Minnesota and Cornell. The dual could feature a pair of bouts that could have a major impact on the rankings. After winning an NCAA title at 157 pounds in 2021, No. 3 David Carr finished third at last season's tournament. He is expected to move up 165 pounds this year. That sets up a potential match against No. 6 Dean Hamiti. As a true freshman last season, Hamiti went 28-4 and finished sixth at the NCAA tournament. For the full article, Subscribe to InterMat Rokfin

Marc-Anthony McGowan at the 2021 Walsh Ironman (photo courtesy of Tony Rotundo; WrestlersAreWarriors.com) Today, the Princeton staff got huge news on the recruiting front. Marc-Anthony McGowan (Blair Academy, NJ/FL), the number three overall recruit in the Class of 2023, announced his commitment to the Tigers via social media. McGowan was previously the highest-ranked uncommitted senior in the class. In the latest national rankings from MatScouts, McGowan was ranked fifth in the nation at 126 lbs. The current national ranking for McGowan isn't indicative of his actual talent, he just has not competed nationally as much as others around him. In 2019, McGowan was a Cadet World Champion in freestyle at 45 kg. The previous year, Marc-Anthony was a gold medalist at the Pan-American U15 Championships in both freestyle and Greco-Roman. On the domestic front, McGowan captured a pair of National Prep titles for Blair Academy on the scholastic front. Last school year, McGowan won the Beast of the East after claiming his second National Prep championship. In 2021, McGowan came up a bit short in an attempt to make a second Cadet World team, settling for third at 51 kg. McGowan is now the second top-100 and fifth Big Board'er to give Chris Ayres' team a verbal commitment in the Class of 2023. He joins #76 Eligh Rivera (FL), #111 Zander Silva (NJ), #138 Holden Garcia (PA), and #149 Drew Heethuis (MI) to head up an impressive recruiting class for the Tigers. At the next level, McGowan projects as a 125/133 lber. Princeton doesn't have much in the pipeline behind 2022 NCAA finalist Patrick Glory at 125 lbs, but does have plenty of possible options at 133 lbs. Even so, getting a recruit of McGowan's caliber negates any "team needs." McGowan is also the highest-ranked recruit to commit to Princeton during the Ayres-era. Previously, Matt Kolodzik (#6 in 2015) held that distinction. Kolodzik is also a Blair graduate and went on to earn NCAA All-American honors four times for the Tigers. For more recruiting information, check out InterMat's Commitment Page

National champion Mekhi Lewis at the 2022 NCAA Tournament (photo courtesy of Sam Janicki; SJanickiPhoto.com) The Hokies are coming off a top-10 finish in Detroit at the NCAA Championships and they have put together a strong lineup to make a run at ACC and NCAA titles this season. While they only lose two starters to graduation, the lineup will have a different look with weight changes and redshirts. They will be anchored by NCAA Champion and two-time finalist Mekhi Lewis and Bryce Andonian is coming off a third-place finish in Detroit. Coach Robie and company are building a top-tier program in Blacksburg and will be challenging the returning ACC Champions NC State for their place atop the conference. TOP RETURNERS The Hokies return four wrestlers who have earned All-American honors--the team added a ninth straight season of having three or more All-Americans last year. Sam Latona was an All-American at 125 in 2021 and dropped in the bloodround last year; he will look to add another podium finish up a weight class at 133. I expect a lot of firepower out of Latona at a more comfortable weight. Bryce Andonian will also be moving up a weight to 157. He made a huge impression on the national audience last year at the NCAA tournament showcasing his big-move ability in matches against Austin Gomez and Jon Millner. Andonian lost a heartbreaker to Ridge Lovett in the semifinals 5-4, but came back to place third in a second wild match against Gomez. Like Latona, weight management took up a lot of time for Andonian last season and he should be able to be even more wide open--kinda scary--at the higher weight. Mekhi Lewis has competed in three NCAA tournaments and only has one loss in matches he actually wrestled. Lewis ran through the gauntlet of Alex Marinelli, Evan Wick and Vincenzo Joseph to win the NCAA Championship in 2019. His 2021 tournament was shortened by injury; he gutted out two wins before medically defaulting. Last season he put together another impressive postseason performance. He beat Hayden Hidlay and Clay Lautt to win the ACC championship before making a run at the NCAA tournament. He beat Lautt again in the quarterfinals and pinned Logan Massa in the semifinals to create the much-anticipated matchup with Carter Starocci in the finals. This match was one of the best of the entire tournament, unfortunately, Mekhi fell short losing 6-5 in TB1. Lewis will have an opportunity to avenge this loss early this season, as he faces Starocci in an exhibition match at the All-Star Classic. Hunter Bolen decided this summer to return for one last ride at 184. Bolen is a four-time NCAA qualifier and earned All-American status in 2021 with a 7th place finish. While Bolen put together a good season last year, he is returning with a hunger to end his career on a higher note and has high expectations for himself this year. KEY DEPARTURES While the Hokies only lose two starters to graduation, Korbin Myers and Nathan Traxler, they are big shoes to fill. Myers was a five-time NCAA qualifier and a two-time All-American while winning two ACC titles for the Hokies. Traxler, and his luxurious head of hair, was a one-year starter for the Hokies after transferring from Stanford. He won an ACC title while putting together an impressive 21-4 season, falling in the round of 16 at the NCAA tournament. NEWCOMERS Cooper Flynn and Eddie Ventresca are both redshirt freshmen and will be in a battle for the starting spot at 125. Both had 15 wins in their redshirt campaign and won at least one open tournament. It is very possible that both will get time in the starting lineup and the final decision will be made based on their performance in competition. Hunter Catka returns to the starting spot at 285 after taking a redshirt year while Traxler manned the spot. Catka was an NCAA qualifier in 2021 and had a solid 10-6 redshirt year with two close losses to NCAA qualifier Taye Ghadiali of Campbell and split matches with NCAA qualifier Tyrie Houghton of NC State. Drew Nicholson is a grad transfer from Chattanooga where he was a SoCon Champ and two-time NCAA qualifier. He will be fighting for the starting spot at 165 with Connor Brady--the final decision at this weight will impact the redshirt status of Brady. WRESTLER TO WATCH Caleb Henson comes into Blacksburg with high expectations and an impressive resume that includes being a 3-time Georgia State Champion, Fargo Junior Freestyle Champion and Super32 Champion. He will immediately be thrown into the fire in Blacksburg. Henson is set to be the starter at 149 as a true freshman and will face an incredible run of talent in out-of-conference duals. Henson will face four top-10 wrestlers in out-of-conference action. He is set to face #3 Sammy Sasso, #1 Yianni Diakomihalis, #5 Brock Mauller and #10 Jaden Abas. Henson doesn't enter the year in the rankings as a true freshman, but he will certainly have the chance to make himself a household name quickly. REDSHIRT REPORT The Hokies brought in a small but very talented recruiting class this year with three wrestlers ranked in the top 100. #16 Caleb Henson will be starting from day one, but #8 TJ Stewart and #81 Tom Crook will likely take a redshirt year. I'm very interested to see how they are used with the five “free dates” that they can compete attached. Both Stewart and Crook have the skills to compete for a starting spot, but will benefit from a year of growth in the room. TOP OUT-OF-CONFERENCE DUAL The Hokies have set up an incredibly challenging out-of-conference slate that will see them facing #3 Missouri, #4 Ohio State and #6 Cornell before ACC action begins in mid-January. All three of these duals will be amazing and feature ranked-versus-ranked matchups up and down the lineup. While all three of these duals should be fire, I'm most looking forward to seeing the first dual of the year with #4 Ohio State. Their matchup last year ended 17-13 in favor of the Buckeyes in a back-and-forth dual in Blacksburg. This year's event will potentially showcase these matches and will be a must-watch dual. 125: #28 Ventresca/Flynn vs #11 Malik Heinselman 149: Henson vs #3 Sammy Sasso 157: #5 Andonian vs #22 Paddy Gallagher 174: #2 Lewis vs #6 Ethan Smith 184: #11 Bolen vs #4 Kaleb Romero POTENTIAL LINEUP 125: #28 Eddie Ventresca (15-6) 1st Southeast Open 8th Southern Scuffle Cooper Flynn (15-3) 2nd Southeast Open 1st Wolfpack Open 1st David Lehman Open 133: #14 Sam Latona (14-6) NCAA All-American (6th in 2021) ACC Champ 2x ACC Finalist 141: #25 Collin Gerardi (12-11) 2x NCAA Qualifier 149: Caleb Henson (4-0) True freshman-won Southeast Open as a high school senior 157: #5 Bryce Andonian (13-4) NCAA 3rd Place 3x NCAA Qualifier Clayton Ulrey (13-11) 2x NCAA Qualifier 165: #33 Drew Nicholson (17-8) SOCON Champ 2x NCAA Qualifier at UTC Connor Brady (16-14 at 157) 174: #2 Mekhi Lewis (24-2) NCAA Champ 2x NCAA Finalist 2x ACC Champ Jr. World Champ 184: #11 Hunter Bolen (23-7) NCAA All-American (7th in 2021) 4x NCAA Qualifier Sam Fisher (6-3) 197: #30 Dakota Howard (13-10) NCAA Qualifier Andy Smith (9-4) 285: #19 Hunter Catka (10-6) NCAA Qualifier in 2021

New Oklahoma assistant coach Teyon Ware (right) (photo courtesy of Sam Janicki; SJanickiPhoto.com) Throughout the collegiate offseason, InterMat kept close tabs on all of the coaching movement. As usual, there were plenty of moves to track. As head coaches were hired, we wrote about how they were good fits at their new gigs and conducted some interviews. While a head coach is essential to a wrestling program's success, their assistant coaches are almost as important. Oftentimes, they have more direct contact with the wrestlers, be it from a recruiting standpoint or day-to-day, in the wrestling room. With that being said, it's time to look at some of the top assistant coaching hires nationwide during the 2022 offseason. This group of eight is an eclectic mix of up-and-coming coaching stars, familiar faces, and unsung studs. Dom Abounader (Cleveland State) When the springtime comes and the coaching carousel begins spinning, the media can get an idea of some moves that may happen or that might “make sense” based on past relationships between coaches. One that we didn't see coming was Dom Abounader hitting the coaching scene. Abounader was a contender at Michigan from day one and never was seeded lower than ninth at his four NCAA Tournaments. Entering his senior year, Abounader had the unwanted title of “Best Senior Who Never AA'ed.” Abounader shredded that image by winning a pair of wild bouts in the 2018 NCAA Round of 16 and Quarterfinals, which put him into the semis and clinched a place in the top-six. For the full article, Subscribe to InterMat Rokfin

2021 NCAA Champion David Carr (photo courtesy of Tony Rotundo; WrestlersAreWarriors.com) The #MatScoutsDynasty League Draft is set for Wednesday October 12, 2022. To get not only the 10 members of this Dynasty League set for the draft, we thought we would share some insights to our rosters for the general public. Assessments, Critiques, and Opinions welcomed. Next Up - The Incredible Bulks. Team Manager: John Foster (JohnFosterUSA) 2022 Regular Season Standings: Dual Record: 10-5 Points For: 776 Points Against: 947 (-171 Difference) Total Points: 776 NCAA Championship: 77.5 Team Points (9th Place) The Incredible Bulks strung together four straight dual wins to start the season in 2022 before hitting a couple losses going into our "Bye Week." After that it was a consistent win week followed by a loss week, but came up big winning his last two duals to take the 3rd Place Dual Standings. Now, anything can happen with the draft, but the trade with Team Gould has all the familiar symptoms of the man behind the "Big-Man Breakdown" column for MatScouts taking the #1 overall recruit in 285 Nick Feldman (OHST), but anything can happen at the draft! Leading up to the draft, The Incredible Bulks traded the #2 Overall Pick, 157 Austin O'Connor (UNC), and 157 Andrew Cerniglia (NAVY) to Team Gould for #1 Overall Pick and 197 Luke Surber (OKST). As it currently sits, The Incredible Bulks have 9 open roster spots (30 max per team) Roster Analysis: A pretty well-rounded roster with lots of upside. Only two seniors comprise this team with possibly half the starters being Sophomores. 125, 197, and even heavyweight look good for the next three years, though depth at heavyweight for fantasy would be a welcomed addition (hint hint possibly?). Two years of a perennial title contender with David Carr (and last year's #4 Fantasy Wrestler at 157) with wildcard pinner Tanner Cook behind him look to have that weight on lockdown. That said, there are some immediate needs for the upcoming season that this draft might be able to help with. Immediate attention is needed for 157 and 184. Jason Kraisser will be in a roster battle with the other 11 or so wrestlers on ISU's 157 roster and David Key, at 184 last season, did not qualify for Nationals. A new year and a clean slate… but if The Incredible Bulks stay put, my magic 8 ball reads "outlook not so good."

3x NCAA qualifier Neal Richards (photo courtesy of Sam Janicki; SJanickiPhoto.com) Welcome to a new, regular feature for InterMat! Every day, for the next few months, we'll look into the recent history of a DI wrestling program with our "Ten Years of…" feature. Even if you're a die-hard supporter of a particular school, there will be good information you may have forgotten. For others, it's a quick way to learn about a program you may not be familiar with. We're going in alphabetical order for this one, so next up is...VMI! NCAA Qualifiers (3) 2020 #11 Neal Richards (174 lbs) 2019 #17 Neal Richards (174 lbs) 2016 Neal Richards (157 lbs) SoCon Champions 2020: Neal Richards (174) 2019: Neal Richards (174) Dual Record 2021-22: 3-10 2021: 4-5 2019-20: 6-13 2018-19: 4-12 2017-18: 2-11 2016-17: 2-13 2015-16: 3-10 2014-15: 6-8 2013-14: 3-16 2012-13: 2-15 Conference Tournament Placement 2021-22: 7th 2021: 6th 2019-20: 6th 2018-19: 7th 2017-18: 7th 2016-17: 7th 2015-16: 7th 2014-15: 7th 2013-14: 8th 2012-13: 8th NCAA Tournament Team Placement 2019-20: No Tournament 2018-19: 63rd-tie (0 points) 2015-16: 69th-tie (0 points) Head Coaching History Jim Gibson (2018 - Present) Chris Skretkowicz (2013 - 2018 John Trudgeon (1985 - 2013) Best Lineup (Comprised of wrestlers from 2013-22) 125 - Dalton Henderson: 2016 SoCon 3rd Place, 2016 All-Academy Champion 133 - Dominick Gallo: 2016 All-Academy 3rd Place 141 - Ryan Goodsell 149 - Stevan Smith 157 - Shabaka Johns: 2015 SoCon Runner-Up, 2015 All-Academy Runner-Up 165 - Blake Hohman 174 - Neal Richards: 3x NCAA Qualifier (#11 and #17 seeds), 2x SoCon Champion 184 - Christopher Beck 197 - Tyler Mousaw: 2021 SoCon 3rd Place 285 - Juan Adams: 2014 SoCon 3rd Place, 2014 All-Academy Champion Recruiting Number of Big Boarder's Per Year 2020: #176 Tyler Mousaw (NY) 2015: #70 Neal Richards (VA) For past teams: Air Force American Appalachian State Arizona State Army West Point Binghamton Bloomsburg Brown Bucknell Buffalo Cal Poly Campbell Central Michigan Chattanooga Clarion Cleveland State Columbia Cornell CSU Bakersfield Davidson Drexel Duke Edinboro Franklin & Marshall Gardner-Webb George Mason Harvard Hofstra Illinois Indiana Iowa Iowa State Kent State Lehigh Lock Haven Maryland Michigan Michigan State Minnesota Missouri Navy NC State Nebraska North Carolina North Dakota State Northern Colorado Northern Illinois Northern Iowa Northwestern Ohio Ohio State Oklahoma Oklahoma State Oregon State Penn Penn State Pittsburgh Princeton Purdue Rider Rutgers Sacred Heart SIU Edwardsville South Dakota State Stanford The Citadel Utah Valley Virginia Virginia Tech

57 kg World Champion Zelimkhan Abakarov of Albania (photo courtesy of Tony Rotundo; WrestlersAreWarriors.com) 57 KG Two-time 61 KG Russian Nationals bronze medalist #2 (INT) Zelimkhan Abakarov won the Senior world title for Albania over #3 (INT) Thomas Gilman of the United States. Artem Gobaev won the U23 Russian Nationals over Zhargal Bayanduev. Rustam Zhilyasov and Alexander Kochevoi took bronze. Vladimir Egorov, this year's European champion for North Macedonia, who competed for Russia as part of the Yakutsk Republic, was eliminated in the round of 16 by #20 (INT) Darian Cruz of Puerto Rico. Georgi Okorokov, a 2016 50 KG Junior European champion for Russia originally from the Yakutsk Republic, made the round of 16 of the world championships where he lost to eventual world runner-up Gilman and lost in the second round of repechage to bronze medalist #16 (INT) Zanabazar Zandanbud of Mongolia. 61KG #5 Magomed Baitukaev moved up to 65 KG where he lost in the round of 32 to 2021 Yarygin bronze medalist Chaiian Mongush. Baitukaev has been removed from the rankings. 2017 61 KG Russian Nationals bronze medalist #9 (INT) Islam Dudaev finished in ninth place at the world championships with losses to champion #1 (INT) Rei Higuchi of Japan and bronze medalist #5 (INT) Arsen Harutyunyan of Armenia. Yarygin bronze medalist #10 Abdurakhman Rasulov has been removed from the rankings, as he hasn't competed since January. Alexander Shabanov takes the #9 spot in the rankings after winning U23 Russian Nationals over Gadzhimagomed Gadzhiev. Said Khunkerov and Adam Arkhiev took bronze. Nikolai Okhlopkov, a 2017 Dmitri Korkin champion for Russia while competing for the Yakutsk republic, 13th at the world championships after a 10-0 loss to Suleyman Atli of Turkey in the round of 16. #8 (INT) Eduard Grigoriev, a 2019 Yarygin bronze medalist for Russia competing as part of the Yakutsk republic, finished in 24th place at the world championships competing for Romania after an opening round loss to eventual 5th place finisher #6 Seth Gross. #9 Akhmed Zubairov has been removed from the rankings as he moved up to 65 KG for U23 Russian Nationals where he took fifth. Gadzhiev takes the final spot in the rankings at #10 for his runner-up finish at U23 Russian Nationals. Islam Bazarganov, a Dagestani transfer to Azerbaijan who finished second at the Islamic Solidarity Games, took ninth at the world championships after losses to #4 (INT) Reza Atri of Iran and Georgi Vangelov of Bulgaria 65KG Dzhambulat Kizinov made a major statement in winning U23 Russian Nationals over Senior Russian Nationals #5 Aripgadzhi Abdullaev to enter the rankings at #5. Kizinov also notched an impressive win over returning U23 world runner-up and 2020 61 KG Russian Nationals bronze medalist #9 Ibragim Abdurakhmanov in the round of 16. Bronze medalists at the U23 Russian Nationals championships were Dalgat Abdulkadyrov and Umar Umarov. 2018 61 KG Russian Nationals runner-up #2 (INT) Ismail Musukaev took bronze at the world championships competing for Hungary. 70KG Magomed-Emi Eitemirov won the U23 Russian National championships over Gitin Gazimagomedov to make the rankings at #10. Georgy Sekinaev and Zaurbek Bugulov took bronze at the U23 Russian Nationals championships. #5 Alan Kudzoev moved up to 74 KG where he lost to Bisoltan Arslanov in the round of 16 and has been removed from the rankings. 2019 Alans runner-up Ramazan Ramazanov took 7th at the world championships after a quarterfinal loss to eventual world bronze medalist #10 Ernazar Akmataliev of Kyrgyzstan. 2015 65 KG Russian Nationals champion #14 (INT) Ilyas Bekbulatov of Uzbekistan finished in 27th place after withdrawing from competition after a quarterfinal tech fall loss to eventual world champion #1 Taishi Narikuni of Japan. 74KG Alexander Baltuev won the U23 Russian Nationals over Umar Mutaliev. Bronze medalists at the U23 Russian Nationals were Saipulla Alibulatov and Iman Ganishov. #3 (INT) Taimuraz Salkazanov, a North Ossetian transfer competing for Slovakia, took silver at the world championships to #2 (INT) Kyle Dake. Two-time Russian Nationals winner, Khetag Tsabolov of North Ossetia Alania, took seventh at the world championships competing for Serbia after a quarterfinal loss to bronze medalist #4 Frank Chamizo of Italy. 79KG 2019 Russian Nationals bronze medalist Khalid Yakhiev takes the top spot in the rankings after upsetting #1 Magomed Magomaev 10-8 in the finals of the U23 Russian Nationals championships to take gold. Yakhiev has past wins over 2018 Russian Nationals runner-up Khusey Suyunchev and Ernak Kardanov to bolster his resume to go along with his U23 Russian National title. Bronze medalists at the U23 Russian Nationals championships were Idar Khatanov and Ramazan Abuzagidov. 2016 74 KG Russian Nationals bronze medalist Arsalan Budazhapov won a world bronze medal competing for Kyrgyzstan over Alipasha Umarpashaev of Bulgaria. Umarpashaev, a Chechen transfer to Bulgaria, took fifth at the world championships after a semifinal loss to #1 (INT) Jordan Burroughs and Budazhapov. 2014 74 KG Russian Nationals runner-up Iakub Shikhdzhamalov took 13th at the world championships competing for Romania after losses to #3 (INT) Mohammad Nokhodilarimi of Iran and #20 (INT) Bekzod Abdurakhmanov of Uzbekistan. Akhsarbek Gulaev, a North Ossetian transfer to Slovakia who took gold at the 2021 European championships, took 24th after an opening round loss to Umarpashaev. 86KG Senior Russian Nationals runner-up #3 Amanulla Rasulov won U23 Russian Nationals over Arslan Bagaev. Bronze medalists at the U23 Russian Nationals were Ruslan Chertkoev and Magomednabi Magomedov. Bagaev and Magomedov are new additions to the rankings at #9 and #10 for taking silver and bronze at the U23 Russian Nationals championships after the removal of #6 Khabil Khashpakov and #7 Alan Zaseev due to inactivity. #17 Boris Makoev, a North Ossetian transfer to Slovakia, won bronze at the world championships after a semifinal loss to #2 (INT0 Hassan Yazdani Charati of Iran. Akhmed Magamaev, a Chechen transfer to Bulgaria, took ninth at the world championships with a round of 16 loss to #12 (INT) Sebastian Jezierzanski of Poland. Taimuraz Friev, a two-time Russian Nationals bronze medalist in 2008 and 2009 at 74 KG for North Ossetia, took 10th at the world championships for Spain after a round of 16 loss to eventual bronze medalist #11 (INT) Azamat Dauletbekov of Kazakhstan. #20 (INT) Abubakar Abakarov, a Dagestani transfer competing for Azerbaijan, took 11th at the world championships for Azerbaijan after a round of 16 loss to #18 (INT) Tarsan Maisuradze of Georgia. 92KG Ashkab Saadulaev won the U23 Russian Nationals championships over Shamil Gadzhialiev. Bronze medalists at the U23 Russian Nationals championships were Ivan Kirillov and Ramazan Shabanov. #4 (INT) Osman Nurmagomedov, a Dagestani transfer competing for Azerbaijan, won his second Senior world bronze medal by tech fall over #20 (INT) Radoslaw Marcinkiewicz of Poland. Nurmagomedov's only loss of the world championships was to eventual runner-up #2 (INT) J'den Cox. Akhmed Bataev, a 2015 97 KG Intercontinental Cup champion while competing for Russia under Chechnya, took fifth at the world championships after losses to #1 Kamran Ghasempour (IRI) and #12 (INT) Miriani Maisuradze of Georgia. Georgi Rubaev, a two-time 84 KG Russian Nationals bronze medalist for North Ossetia in 2011 and 2012, took 23rd place at the world championships after forfeiting in the round of 16 to #20 (INT) Radoslaw Marcinkiewicz of Poland. 97KG Soslan Dzhagaev won the U23 Russian Nationals championships over Tamerlan Kotsoev. Bronze medalists at the U23 Russian Nationals championships were Yuri Ivanov and Zhorik Dzhioev. 2018 92 KG Russian Nationals champion #3 (INT) Batyrbek Tsakulov of North Ossetia took silver at the world championships competing for Slovakia. 2021 Yarygin champion #5 (INT) Magomedkhan Magomedov of Dagestan took bronze at the world championships for Azerbaijan after a 10-0 quarterfinal loss to #2 (INT) Kyle Snyder. 2019 Russian Nationals champion #7 Vladislav Baitsaev of North Ossetia took fifth at the world championships for Hungary after losses to #3 (INT) Batyrbek Tsakulov (SVK) and #4 (INT) Givi Matcharashvili (GEO). 2012 Russian Junior National champion Magomedgadzhi Nurov of Dagestan took eighth competing for North Macedonia after a quarterfinal loss to bronze medalist Matcharashvili. Samhan Jabrailov, a Dagestani transfer to Moldova, took tenth at the world championships after a injury loss in the round of 16 to returning world bronze medalist #17 (INT) Magomed Zakariev of Ukraine. 125KG Abdulla Kurbanov won the U23 Russian Nationals championships over Artem Pukhovsky. Bronze medalists at the U23 Russian Nationals championships were 2021 Junior world bronze medalist Andrey Bestaev and Tamerlan Kumyshev. Magomedgadzhi Nurasulov of Dagestan, a 2017 Senior Russian Nationals runner-up, took 14th at the world championships competing for Serbia after a loss in the qualification round to Khasanboy Rakhimov of Uzbekistan. Pound for Pound 79 KG U23 Russian Nationals champion Khalid Yakhiev is back into the rankings at #15 for beating 79 KG Senior Russian Nationals runner-up #15 Magomed Magomaev in the U23 national finals. Dzhambulat Kizinov is in the rankings at #16 for beating Senior Russian Nationals bronze medalist #16 Aripgadzhi Abdulaev in the finals of the U23 Russian Nationals championships.

3x NCAA Champion Spencer Lee (photo courtesy of Sam Janicki; SJanickiPhoto.com) 2023 #MatScoutsDynasty Pre-Draft Preview Team Gould The #MatScoutsDynasty League Draft is set for Wednesday October 12, 2022. To get not only the 10 members of this Dynasty League set for the draft, we thought we would share some insights to our rosters for the general public. Assessments, Critiques, and Opinions welcomed. First up, Team Gould. Team Manager: Dysen Gould (@dysgould_2005) 2022 Regular Season Standings: Dual Record: 8-7 Points For: 674.5 Points Against: 900 (-225 Difference) Total Points: 674.5 NCAA Championship: 67.5 Team Points (10th Place) Team Gould enters the 2023 season looking to rebound from last season's postseason struggles. Armed with the #1 overall pick in the 2023 Draft, Team Gould was able to trade back a spot with The Incredible Bulks (John Foster) to #2: Leading up to the draft, Team Gould agreed to trade #1 Overall Pick and 197 Luke Surber (OKST) to The Incredible Bulks for 157 Austin O'Connor (UNC), 157 Andrew Cerniglia (NAVY), and the #2 Overall Pick. As it currently sits, Team Gould has 9 open roster spots (30 max per team). Roster Analysis: Life after Spencer Lee is going to be scary and hard to replace, but it's got to happen. Eddie Ventresca can hold down the fort for the time being but some back-up help wouldn't be bad. At 285, Wyatt Hendrickson has two years of pins left in him and Trent Hidlay will lock down 184 for the next two as well. The trade with The Incredible Bulks sets Team Gould up nicely for the present and future by shifting down one pick and getting a title contender with O'Connor and a proven fantasy placer (Cerniglia) in return. While 141 and 165 look to be pretty well set, 133 might need some looking into as well as 197 as these two weights did not perform that well at Nationals last year. 149 is an immediate need as Austin Gomez is the only wrestler rostered, and all of 174 will be graduating after this season leaving both weights unmanned. While this year he should get good points at Nationals from these weights, it would behoove Team Gould to look sooner rather than later for the next starters.

Central Michigan's national qualifier Corbyn Munson (photo courtesy of Sam Janicki; SJanickiPhoto.com) 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. Next up are the thirteen schools that make up the MAC Conference. Past Conference Breakout Candidates SoCon Buffalo - #26 Jay Nivison, 174lbs (So) Nivison already had a bit of a breakout after qualifying at 174lbs for Buffalo last season, but looks like he could have the potential to jump another level. He started the year at 165lbs and had a 5-4 record before bumping up to 174lbs and placed 2nd at the MAC tournament. That's despite wrestling a match down at 165lbs just two weeks before. If he is committed to 174lbs for the entire year, then he could be a much bigger factor. Bloomsburg - Kevon Freeman, 165lbs (Jr) A name that could be familiar to some, Freeman is a transfer to Bloomsburg from Ohio State. A three-time Ohio state champ, he was a top 100 recruit in 2018. Freeman has bounced around in weight with matches at 157lbs and 165lbs. He only has 12 college matches in his career with a 4-8 record. With his pedigree and a chance to establish himself in the lineup for the first time, he could be a contender this season for the Huskies. Central Michigan - #26 Corbyn Munson, 157 (Jr) After qualifying for his first NCAA's last season, CMU will be looking for Munson to take another jump and start getting bigger wins. Munson had multiple ranked wins last season, including matches against Manzona Bryant, Cory Crooks, and Shannon Hanna. He placed 3rd at the MAC conference and was the 25 seed at NCAA's. It was recently announced that he would be bumping up to 157lbs this year. Clarion - Joseph Fischer, 125 (So) After graduating as the #66 overall recruit in 2021, true freshman Fischer had a 23-11 record and made the MAC finals. While he did not get any significant wins, he had overtime losses to Anthony Noto of Lock Haven twice and tight losses to Dylan Shawver and Brandon Kaylor. He may not be able to turn all the close losses into wins, but more consistency and a handful of flipped results make him a name to watch. Cleveland State - DeAndre Nassar, 184lbs (Jr) A 2021 qualifier, Nassar came close to doing it again in 2022 but missed out on an at-large bid. He had an up-and-down season but had wins over multiple qualifiers. Nassar beat Max Lyon and Matthew Waddel in duals, who were both ranked at times throughout the season. Both of his losses at the MAC tournament came in sudden victory matches. Nassar tends to wrestle close matches, but will need some more quality wins and a higher conference finish this season to qualify again. Edinboro - Luke Kemerer, 157lbs (Jr) After spending four years at Pittsburgh at 149lbs, Luke Kemerer hit the transfer portal and is now at Edinboro up at 157lbs. In four years, he had a record of 29-29 and has only started occasional duals for the Panthers. Time will tell what he can do, but the possibility of a change of scenery and a new weight class could allow Kemerer to improve. George-Mason - #31 Logan Messer, 174lbs (So) Logan Messer was a true freshman starter for George Mason and had a very solid season, with a 27-9 record and 4th place finish at the MAC tournament. His biggest win was Thomas Flitz of App State, a three-time qualifier. Both of Messer's losses at the MAC tournament came to the earlier mentioned, Jay Nivison of Buffalo, a 4-3 decision and an overtime loss. If Messer develops like most true freshmen, he could find himself in Tulsa come March. Kent State - #21 Kody Komara, 149lbs (Sr) After qualifying in 2021 and 2022, Komara will be looking to make it three in a row and get his first NCAA tournament win. Komara had a strong MAC tournament, pinning Marcus Robinson in the finals to get his first MAC title. He also had a decision win over Corbyn Munson. Komara has had an inconsistent career, so far, but has shown the ability to win at the conference tournament. Lock Haven - #20 Ashton Eyler, 157lbs (Jr) Last year, Eyler qualified and made the MAC finals in his first year starting for Lock Haven. After wrestling at 174lbs at Iowa Central CC, he dropped to 165lbs and got a 31-11 record. It now sounds like he is planning on continuing his descent and starting at 157lbs. Eyler had multiple ranked wins including matches against Caleb Fish, Riley Smucker, and Joe Grello. If he can continue both his success and improvement, he could potentially find himself in the finals once again. Northern Illinois - Blake West, 125lbs (Fr) Blake West is coming off a great redshirt season with a 25-2 record. The #63 recruit of 2021 had a 67% bonus rate and will be looking to hit the ground running as a starter this season. He hasn't hit top competition yet, but with such a strong record and bonus rate, he will be someone to keep an eye on. Ohio - Kyran Hagan, 141lbs (Sr), #25 Alec Hagan, 149lbs (Sr) Last year, Kyran Hagan started for the first time in his career and had bonus point wins over qualifiers Josh Mason of Bloomsburg and Gabe Willochell of Edinboro. He had an inconsistent season and finished 0-2 at the MAC tournament, but if he can put it together as a senior could find himself at nationals. Also, keep an eye on his twin Alec Hagan at 149lbs, who is also a senior. He was the 21 seed at the 2020 NCAA's, but missed 2021 due to injury and had a 26-8 record last season. Rider - #30 George Walton, 184lbs (Sr) Last year, Walton was on his way to a very solid season before getting injured. He had a dominant 12-5 win over two-time qualifier Bryan McLaughlin of Drexel, while winning the Keystone Classic tournament. If he is able to come back to this season on a similar level, he should find himself at the national tournament for the first time. SIUE - #32 Saul Ervin, 141lbs (Jr) A 2021 qualifier, Ervin is a wrestler that could go on a run in the season. He is a stingy wrestler and all his losses, save for one, were by a margin of three points or less. He's taken wrestlers like Dresden Simon, Ian Parker, and Allan Hart to overtime matches. If he can find more offense this season with his stellar defense, some of those close losses are sure to flip.