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Oregon State The Beavers led the pack with a fifth-place finish with 98.5 points. Oregon State’s Brandon Kaylor cruised to the quarterfinals before losing 2-1 to Brett Ungar. Kaylor bounced back and finished fourth, defeating Wyoming’s Jore Volk before losing to Nebraska’s Caleb Smith. Cleveland Belton was one match away from placing at 141 pounds. He lost to Cornell’s Vince Cornella and Iowa State’s Anthony Echemendia. Nash Singleton stunned the nation as an unranked wrestler who finished sixth at 149 pounds. Singleton lost his first match to Iowa State’s Casey Swiderski 13-4. However, he bounced back with wins over James Latona, Quinn Kinner, and Isaiah Delgado. Matthew Olguin finished seventh at 165 pounds with wins over Stoney Buell, Brevin Cassella, Brett McIntosh, and Isaac Wilcox. Travis Wittlake finished second at 174 pounds. Wittlake battled his first three matches, before falling 9-8 in the finals to South Dakota State’s Cade DeVos. No. 2 seed Trey Munoz was stunned with a 2-2 finish. His losses came to North Carolina State’s Dylan Fishback 9-6 and pinned by Iowa State’s Will Feldkamp. Lastly, Boone McDermott finished fourth at heavyweight. He defeated Seth Nevills, Lewis Fernandes, Owen Trephan, and two more, but lost to Campbell’s Taye Ghadiali. Stanford The Cardinal finished seventh with 85.5 points. No. 9 seed Nico Provo has started a debate for the best 125-pound wrestler in the country. Provo won the tournament over Matt Ramos, Kysen Terukina, Ungar, Volk, and Trever Anderson. Unranked true freshman Tyler Knox also turned heads with a fourth-place finish at 133 pounds. Knox upset Nic Bouzakis 11-3, Richie Koehler 8-4, and Reece Witcraft 2-1. He lost 2-1 to Evan Frost and 16-6 to Dominic Zaccone. Daniel Cardenas reached the semifinals at 157 pounds but fell to fifth place. After a dominant first round, Cardenas snuck past Cody Chittum 9-8 and Meyer Shaprio 8-5. However, he lost to Jacori Teemer and Bryce Andonian. Hunter Garvin lost in the round of 16. Yet, he responded with a sixth-place finish over Scott Jarosz, Isaac Wilcox, Giano Petrucelli and Cassella. True freshman Lorenzo Norman finished seventh at 174 pounds. He defeated former Cardinal national champion Shane Griffith, MJ Gaitan, Brayden Thompson, and Riley Davis. Nick Stemmet finished seventh at 197 pounds over Max Shaw, Calvin Sund, Joey Novak, and three more opponents. Arizona State The Sun Devils finished 14th with 51 points. Julian Chlebove entered the 133-pound division as the third seed but failed to place. He lost to Zaccone and Witcraft However, Kyle Parco finished third at 149 pounds and Jacori Teemer finished second at 157 pounds. Parco earned wins against Dylan D’Emilio, Marcos Polanco, Nash Singleton, Casey Swiderski, and Ethan Fernandes. Teemer defeated Daniel Cardenas 14-6, Brooks Gable 19-3, Chris Earnest 6-3, and Ryder Downey 7-2. Cal Poly The Mustangs finished 24th with 22.5 points. None of the wrestlers placed at the tournament. However, Dominic Mendez ended with a 3-2 record at 125 pounds and Chance Lamer went 2–1 with his loss coming to the eventual runner-up. CSU Bakersfield The Roadrunners finished 31st with 7 points. Richard Castro-Sandoval earned a couple of wins at 125 pounds over Kysen Terukina 7-4 and Evan Tallmadge 12-9. Santino Sanchez also earned two wins over Patrick Adams and Dylan Acevedo-Switzer. Little Rock The Trojans competed in the Cougar Clash Saturday and had three duals instead of making the trip to Las Vegas. Joshua Sarpy went 3-1 at 133 pounds with victories over Mikey Kaminski, Zeke Seltzer and Marcel Lopez. Joseph Bianchi went 3-2 at 165 pounds with victories over Blaine Brenner, Derek Matthews, and Jake Evans. Kodiak Cannedy also went 3-2 at 174 pounds with victories over Ricardo Salin, Dominic Lopez, and Antonio Torres. In dual competition, the Trojans went 2-0 in Drexel’s Dragon Duals. Nasir Bailey, Matt Bianchi, Tyler Brennan, Stephen Little, and Josiah Hill all went 2-0 individually.

The first session of the 2023 Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational is in the books! What a whirlwind of a session it was. One of the hallmarks of a tournament like the CKLV is upsets! There were plenty of them. In fact, a trio of top-five ranked wrestlers suffered at least one loss during the session, which ran through the Round of 16. Here are all of the upsets that occurred during session one. Numbers next to the wrestlers names indicate their national ranking by InterMat. 125 lbs Round of 32 - #31 Dominic Mendez (Cal Poly) maj #28 Eddie Ventresca (Virginia Tech) 14-4 Round of 32 - Troy Hohman (NC State) dec #22 Tucker Owens (Air Force) 10-6 Round of 16 - #20 Nico Provo (Stanford) dec #18 Kysen Terukina (Iowa State) 12-5 Consolation - Noah Luna (Appalachian State) maj #28 Eddie Ventresca (Virginia Tech) 14-2 Consolation - #23 Brendan McCrone (Ohio State) dec #22 Tucker Owens (Air Force) 13-0 Consolation - Richard Sandoval (CSU Bakersfield) dec #18 Kysen Terukina (Iowa State) 7-4SV 133 lbs Round of 32 - Tyler Knox (Stanford) maj #15 Nic Bouzakis (Ohio State) 11-3 Round of 32 - Zeth Romney (Cal Poly) dec #23 Haiden Drury (Utah Valley) 11-4 Round of 16 - Derrick Cardinal (South Dakota State) dec #12 Brendan Ferretti (Navy) 7-2 Round of 16 - Reece Witcraft (Oklahoma State) dec #10 Julian Chlebove (Arizona State) 7-3 Round of 16 - Zeth Romney (Cal Poly) dec #27 Jacob Van Dee (Nebraska) 10-4 Round of 16 - Tyler Knox (Stanford) dec #29 Richie Koehler (Rider) 8-4 Consolation - Jameson Garcia (Harvard) dec #23 Haiden Drury (Utah Valley) 7-1 141 lbs Round of 16: #24 Tagen Jamison (Oklahoma State) dec #18 Josh Koderhandt (Navy) 4-2 149 lbs Round of 16: #13 Casey Swiderski (Iowa State) dec #9 Jaden Abas (Stanford) 14-11 Consolation - Derek Raike (Ohio) tech #11 Ethen Miller (Maryland) 16-1 Consolation - Noah Tapia (Hofstra) dec #14 Jordan Williams (Oklahoma State) 12-11 157 lbs Round of 32 - Ryder Downey (Northern Iowa) dec #10 Trevor Chumbley (Northwestern) 8-2 Round of 16 - #21 Meyer Shapiro (Cornell) maj #5 Bryce Andonian (Virginia Tech) 16-4 Round of 16 - #19 Peyten Kellar (Ohio) dec #8 Ed Scott (NC State) 7-4SV Round of 16 - Ryder Downey (Northern Iowa) dec #16 Paddy Gallagher (Ohio State) 8-5 165 lbs Round of 16 - #25 Giano Petrucelli (Air Force) dec #10 Antrell Taylor (Nebraska) 12-9 Round of 16 - #21 Brevin Cassella (Binghamton) dec #17 Maxx Mayfield (Northwestern) 1-1RTTB 174 lbs Round of 32 - Cael Valencia (Arizona State) dec #33 Brody Baumann (Purdue) 9-4 Round of 16 - Lorenzo Norman (Stanford) dec #4 Shane Griffith (Michigan) 4-2 Round of 16 - #30 Danny Wask (Navy) dec #23 Alex Faison (NC State) 2-2RTTB Consolation - Michael Wilson (Rider) dec #33 Brody Baumann (Purdue) 8-6 184 lbs Round of 32 - #33 Jacob Armstrong (Utah Valley) fall #31 Zayne Lehman (Ohio) 6:01 Round of 16 - #27 Sam Wolf (Air Force) dec #4 Chris Foca (Cornell) 7-5 Consolation - Aaron Ayzerov (Columbia) maj #4 Chris Foca (Cornell) 9-1 Consolation - James Rowley (Purdue) maj #24 Caleb Hopkins (Campbell) 12-3 Consolation - #31 Zayne Lehman (Ohio) dec #30 Tony Negron (Arizona State) 12-6 Consolation - Anthony D’Alesio (Long Island) dec #13 Troy Fisher (Northwestern) 7-5 Consolation - Jaden Bullock (Michigan) dec #33 Jacob Armstrong (Utah Valley) 6-4 197 lbs Round of 32 - #29 Jack Wehmeyer (Columbia) dec #28 Bobby Striggow (Michigan) 8-2 Round of 32 - Justin Rademacher (Oregon State) dec #27 Carson Floyd (Appalachian State) 8-6 Round of 16 - #18 Max Shaw (North Carolina) dec #14 Luke Geog (Ohio State) 5-4 Round of 16 - #20 Evan Bockman (Utah Valley) dec #13 Nick Stemmet (Stanford) 4-3 Consolation - Joey Novak (Wyoming) fall #14 Luke Geog (Ohio State) 5:58 Consolation - Sonny Sasso (Virginia Tech) maj #21 Evan Bates (Northwestern) 13-5 285 lbs Round of 32 - Nolan Neves (Columbia) dec #19 Seth Nevills (Maryland) 6-3

Much was made about how difficult and deep this tournament was. Without hyperbole, it’s accurate to say it was the best regular-season collegiate tournament since perhaps the 2014 Southern Scuffle. I discussed this with the FloWrestling personnel and we came up with the 2014 tournament as the best comparison. That tournament featured the teams that would end up finishing top-three at the NCAA Tournament that same season. Penn State, Minnesota, and Oklahoma State. That tournament may have had more top-end star power; with three eventual NCAA champions; however, this field was likely deeper. An example of this is the 184 lb weight class that had four All-Americans miss the podium. Iowa State won the tournament and finished with seven medalists (1 champion and 2 runner’s-up). The only two past NCAA champions in this tournament (David Carr - Shane Griffith) both failed to make the finals. David Carr was beaten in the CKLV semifinals by Cornell’s Julian Ramirez. Both of Carr’s regular-season losses have come in the semifinals of this tournament. The previous one came in 2019 to Northwestern’s Ryan Deakin. The finals only had one matchup featuring two wrestles that previously met in college; 157 lbs. Like the previous meeting, Peyton Robb prevailed over Jacori Teemer. The only finals match that featured wrestlers from the same conference was 184 lbs with Parker Keckeisen (Northern Iowa) and Will Feldkamp (Iowa State). The finals had a pair of wrestlers that used to be teammates at Northern Illinois University. Izzak Olejnik at 165 lbs and Feldkamp. Perhaps the most surprising team performance was Stanford. The Cardinal finished with a champion (Nico Provo - 125 lbs) and five other placewinners. Five of their six placewinners were either freshmen or sophomores. Stanford’s talent (and youth) makes their move to the ACC an even more interesting proposition. The ACC seems to get better and better each year. Now throw a young, star-studded Stanford team into the mix and you have a mini-meat grinder. Speaking of conferences, the Big 12 produced the most champions with four. (Olejnik, DeVos, Keckeisen, and Bastida). The Big Ten was next with three (Mendez, Lovett, Robb). The 2023 tournament marked the first time that Michigan went without a champion since 2015 (There was no 2020 tournament). The 125 lb final featured a pair of wrestlers that originally committed to Cornell. Provo defeated current Big Red starter, Brett Ungar. Nebraska’s Peyton Robb was named the tournament’s Outstanding Wrestling. His win at one of the tournament’s most difficult weights was reason enough for the award. It’s more staggering when you consider that he nearly lost his leg in the days following the 2023 NCAA Tournament. The 2023 CKLV Invitational featured three champions who moved up in weight from the 2022-23 campaign. Jesse Mendez (133/141), Trent Hidlay (184/197), and Yonger Bastida (197/285). This year’s finals saw a pair of wrestlers win their second titles (Peyton Robb - 157 and Trent Hidlay - 197). Two other champions had the opportunity to repeat in Brock Hardy (Nebraska) and Julian Ramirez (Cornell). Hardy finished sixth and Ramirez was the runner-up at 165 lbs. Stanford’s Tyler Knox (5th - 133), Virginia Tech’s Sonny Sasso (6th - 197), Stanford’s Lorenzo Norman (7th - 174), and Joey Novak (8th - 197) were the only true freshmen that found their way onto the CKLV podium. Much was made about upsets and deservedly so. However, 141, 149, and 165 all saw the top four seeds make the semifinals. Additionally, 197 and 285 had the top three seeds, plus the fifth seed. The Ironman award goes to Nic Bouzakis at 133 lbs. Bouzakis fell in the opening round to Knox of Stanford and proceeded to win seven straight bouts to take third. During that run, he had three falls, two techs and a major decision before defeating #14 Dom Zaccone (Campbell) for third place. Runner-up in the Ironman category is Ed Scott who lost in the second round then won six straight to take third at 157 lbs. His run through the backside included wins over All-Americans in his final two matches.

Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational Final Results Team Scores 1. Iowa State 130.5 2. Nebraska 125.5 3. Ohio State 123.5 4. NC State 115 5. Oregon State 98.5 6. Cornell 93.5 7. Stanford 85.5 8. Michigan 81.5 9. Oklahoma State 78.5 10. South Dakota State 74 Championship Finals 125: Nico Provo (Stanford) dec Brett Ungar (Cornell) 5-1 133: Kai Orine (NC State) maj Evan Frost (Iowa State) 12-4 141: Jesse Mendez (Ohio State) dec Ryan Jack (NC State) 5-2 149: Ridge Lovett (Nebraska) dec Caleb Henson (Virginia Tech) 4-3 157: Peyton Robb (Nebraska) dec Jacori Teemer (Arizona State) 6-4 165: Izzak Olejnik (Oklahoma State) dec Julian Ramirez (Cornell) 4-2 174: Cade Devos (South Dakota State) dec Travis Wittlake (Oregon State) 9-7 184: Parker Keckeisen (Northern Iowa) maj Will Feldkamp (Iowa State) 14-4 197: Trent Hidlay (NC State) dec Jaxon Smith (Maryland) 5-2 285: Yonger Bastida (Iowa State) dec Lucas Davison (Michigan) 5-3 Third Place Matches 125: Caleb Smith (Nebraska) dec Brandon Kaylor (Oregon State) 4-1SV 133: Nic Bouzakis (Ohio State) dec Dom Zaccone (Campbell) 4-2 141: Lachlan McNeil (North Carolina) dec Cael Happel (Northern Iowa) 6-3 149: Kyle Parco (Arizona State) maj Dylan D’Emilio (Ohio State) 11-1 157: Ed Scott (NC State) maj Bryce Andonian (Virginia Tech) 18-7 165: David Carr (Iowa State) dec Cam Amine (Michigan) 3-1 174: Carson Kharchla (Ohio State) dec Danny Wask (Navy) 10-3 184: Dustin Plott (Oklahoma State) dec Lenny Pinto (Nebraska) 11-7 197: Tanner Sloan (South Dakota State) dec Jacob Cardenas (Cornell) 7-2 285: Taye Ghadiali (Campbell) dec Boone McDermott (Oregon State) 15-6 Fifth Place Matches 125: Jore Volk (Wyoming) MedFFT Michael DeAugustino (Michigan) 133: Tyler Knox (Stanford) MedFFT Derrick Cardinal (South Dakota State) 141: Tagen Jamison (Oklahoma State) maj Brock Hardy (Nebraska) 13-5 149: Casey Swiderski (Iowa State) maj Nash Singleton (Iowa State) 13-4 157: Daniel Cardenas (Stanford) dec Will Lewan (Michigan) 12-10 165: Garrett Thompson (Ohio) fall Hunter Garvin (Stanford) 5:50 174: Sal Perrine (Ohio) dec Austin Murphy (Campbell) 8-5SV 184: Sam Wolf (Air Force) dec Jaden Bullock (Michigan) 10-9 197: Silas Allred (Nebraska) dec Sonny Sasso (Virginia Tech) 8-5 285: Grady Griess (Navy) MedFFT Nick Feldman (Ohio State) Seventh Place Matches 125: Matt Ramos (Purdue) dec Tanner Jordan (South Dakota State) 7-3 133: Julian Farber (Northern Iowa) dec Ethan Oakley (Appalachian State) 10-9 141: Anthony Echemendia (Iowa State) maj Vince Cornella (Cornell) 13-3 149: Gabe Willochell (Wyoming) MedFFT Jackson Arrington (NC State) 157: Paddy Gallagher (Ohio State) dec Trevor Chumbley (Northwestern) 9-5 165: Matthew Olguin (Oregon State) maj Brevin Cassella (Binghamton) 13-0 174: Lorenzo Norman (Stanford) dec MJ Gaitan (Iowa State) 11-8 184: Dylan Fishback (NC State) maj Sam Fisher (Virginia Tech) 16-4 197: Nick Stemmet (Stanford) dec Joey Novak (Wyoming) 14-7 285: Cory Day (Binghamton) MedFFT Lewis Fernandes (Cornell)

2023 Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational Semifinal Results 125 lbs - Nico Provo (Stanford) dec Jore Volk (Wyoming) 8-1 125 lbs - Brett Ungar (Cornell) InjDef Michael DeAugustino (Michigan) 133 lbs - Kai Orine (NC State) dec Derrick Cardinal (South Dakota State) 6-3 133 lbs - Evan Frost (Iowa State) dec Tyler Knox (Stanford) 2-1 141 lbs - Jesse Mendez (Ohio State) maj Brock Hardy (Nebraska) 11-3 141 lbs - Ryan Jack (NC State) dec Lachlan McNeil (North Carolina) 4-2 149 lbs - Ridge Lovett (Nebraska) maj Dylan D’Emilio (Ohio State) 11-0 149 lbs - Caleb Henson (Virginia Tech) dec Kyle Parco (Arizona State) 5-0 157 lbs - Peyton Robb (Nebraska) dec Will Lewan (Michigan) 8-2 157 lbs - Jacori Teemer (Arizona State) maj Daniel Cardenas (Stanford) 14-6 165 lbs - Julian Ramirez (Cornell) dec David Carr (Iowa State) 4-3 165 lbs - Izzak Olejnik (Oklahoma State) dec Cam Amine (Michigan) 6-4 174 lbs - Travis Wittlake (Oregon State) dec Danny Wask (Navy) 9-8 174 lbs - Cade DeVos (South Dakota State) dec Carson Kharchla (Ohio State) 11-8 184 lbs - Parker Keckeisen (Northern Iowa) dec Lenny Pinto (Nebraska) 8-4 184 lbs - Will Feldkamp (Iowa State) maj Sam Wolf (Air Force) 10-0 197 lbs - Jaxon Smith (Maryland) dec Tanner Sloan (South Dakota State) 8-2 197 lbs - Trent Hidlay (NC State) maj Jacob Cardenas (Cornell) 10-2 285 lbs - Lucas Davison (Michigan) dec Taye Ghadiali (Campbell) 6-2 285 lbs - Yonger Bastida (Iowa State) tech Grady Griess (Navy) 18-3

Day one at the Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational is in the books and what a day it was! We had upsets, excellent freshmen announced their presence on the DI scene; some were much anticipated, while others were more of a surprise. Some of the best college wrestlers in the nation showed why they’re great and we had a great day of wrestling. In a few hours, there will be more. The semifinals are set and the intensity will be turned up a few more notches for that round. Looking over the matchups for the semifinals there are some great ones. I’d imagine once March comes and goes, we’ll notice some of these matches recurring in prominent rounds at the NCAA Tournament. While all of the semifinals are interesting in their own right, we’ve picked out ten that we’re anticipating a little bit more than the others. 125 lbs #11 Jore Volk (Wyoming) vs. #20 Nico Provo (Stanford) Coming into the tournament, we identified 125 lbs as a weight class that could steer away from “going chalk” because of the sheer depth of its entrants. On that top half of the bracket that proved to be the case with a semifinal that features the fifth seed (Jore Volk) versus the ninth seed (Nico Provo). Both are sophomores who are coming off a berth at the 2023 NCAA Championships. Provo knocked off the top seed, NCAA runner-up Matt Ramos. Interestingly enough, the pair clashed in the first round of the NCAA tournament and Ramos prevailed 3-2. Provo proved to be a difficult matchup for Ramos, but was able to get the W this time, to the tune of 8-1. Before the Ramos win, Provo also had an impressive one-sided, 12-5 victory over #18 Kysen Terukina (Iowa State). Vok has wrestled close matches all tournament and most recently pulled the slight upset over fourth-seeded Caleb Smith (Nebraska). The two do not have any prior history with each other at the collegiate level. 133 lbs #8 Evan Frost (Iowa State) vs. Tyler Knox (Stanford) Let’s face it, 133 lbs is aching for some new blood and new contenders. Enter Evan Frost and Tyler Knox. Before this tournament, we suspected that Frost fit the bill after his decisive victory over former Big 12 champion Brody Teske (Iowa). Frost has continued to impress with major decisions in both the Round of 16 and the quarterfinals. His quarterfinal win over Zeth Romney (Cal Poly) may be most impressive as Romney was just coming off of a pair of upset wins. Knox is a true freshman that only had two matches of collegiate experience under his belt, prior to Friday. To open his tournament, Knox had a dominant victory over U20 World bronze medalist, Nic Bouzakis of Ohio State. He’d follow up with a pair of wins over past national qualifiers Richie Koehler (Rider) and Reece Witcraft (Oklahoma State). Both of these freshmen have shown that they control matches from the top position so it’ll be interesting to see how the second and third periods play out. 141 lbs #3 Lachlan McNeil (North Carolina) vs. #7 Ryan Jack (NC State) 141 lbs was one of the few weights where the top-four seeds advanced to the semifinals. Though there were no significant upsets, that doesn’t mean that this weight is boring. Actually, it’s very intriguing. The top half features a pair of ACC rivals squaring off. Last season, Lachlan McNeil and Ryan Jack clashed twice. Once in a conference dual and the other time at the ACC meet. In both instances, Ryan Jack came out on top. But, at nationals, Lachlan McNeil finished fourth in the nation and Jack left empty-handed after going 1-2. Can Jack shake up the rankings and make it three in-a-row? Maybe the NCAA finish and another offseason in the Tar Heel wrestling room have pushed McNeil past Jack. McNeil had to show some resiliency to get by Anthony Echemendia (Iowa State) in the quarterfinals, while Jack had to regroup and earn a pair of third-period takedowns to stop a Cael Happel rally. #4 Brock Hardy (Nebraska) vs. #5 Jesse Mendez (Ohio State) Like the top half of the bracket, this side features a pair of conference opponents butting heads. Unlike the ACC squirmish, Brock Hardy and Jesse Mendez have yet to meet in collegiate action. That’s because Mendez competed at 133 lbs as a true freshman in 2022-23. Both he and Hardy ended up finishing sixth in the nation. Mendez comes into this match after three straight dominating performances. Hardy had two then needed to grind out a 4-0 win over Oklahoma State’s Tagen Jamison. This bout will also be very important in the team race as Ohio State holds a 3.5-point lead over Nebraska heading into day two. As we’re likely to go in regular order for the finals, Hardy would have the opportunity to become the first two-time CKLV champion of 2023. But, we’re getting ahead of ourselves, as he’ll have to put away a very tough Mendez before worrying about individual accolades. 149 lbs #3 Kyle Parco (Arizona State) vs. #4 Caleb Henson (Virginia Tech) While much of the attention was given to the 157 lb weight class, 149 lbs had an argument as the best in this tournament. Six of the top seven and 11 of the top 14 wrestlers in the country toed the line Friday. The two versus three match on the bottom half of the bracket features a pair of returning All-Americans, Kyle Parco and Caleb Henson. Though they were both AA in the same NCAA weight, they did not meet last season. Parco would end up finishing fourth, which was directly above Henson. Because of the depth of this weight class, both wrestlers had to dig deep and get by dangerous opponents in the quarterfinals. Parco held off Casey Swiderski (Iowa State) in a 4-2 victory; Henson won 10-6, though the bout was tied after two periods. 157 lbs #4 Jacori Teemer (Arizona State) vs. #9 Daniel Cardenas (Stanford) One of the key storylines of this tournament was the arrival of U20 world champion Meyer Shapiro on the big stage. Shapiro didn’t disappoint majoring two-time All-American Bryce Andonian during his much-anticipated Round of 16 match. Well, no one told Daniel Cardenas that this was supposed to be the Shapiro coronation. Cardenas got an early takedown on Shapiro and never looked back in an 8-5 win. Before that, Cardenas was also on the right side of a great battle with Cody Chittum (Iowa State) in the Round of 16. With all the attention on the youth of the 157 lb weight class, Jacori Teemer has just kept chugging along. He got by a dangerous Ryder Downey (Northern Iowa) after Downey had beaten Trevor Chumbley (Northwestern) and Paddy Gallagher (Ohio State). This is a match we didn’t get to see last year as Teemer missed the entirety of the season with an injury. Luckily, we may get to see it at least two more times after Saturday. 165 lbs #3 Cam Amine (Michigan) vs. #4 Izzak Olejnik (Oklahoma State) The 165 lb bracket generally did what it was supposed to do and all four top seeds advanced to the semifinals. The bottom half of the bracket seems more intriguing as we’ll have a battle between Cam Amine and Izzak Olejnik. These two have a history with Amine winning a pair of close matches one of which was in 2021-22 at the NCAA Tournament and the other came in 2019-20 at the Michigan State Open. That may not matter, at least on Olejnik’s behalf. He’s already reversed one past result this season when he defeated two-time All-American Dean Hamiti (Wisconsin) at the All-Star Classic. Could the new training situation at Oklahoma State help him get past Amine? In his last match, Olejnik cooled off a hot Giano Petrucelli (Air Force) in an 8-1 win. True to form, Amine has had a pair of workman-like decisions in his most recent matches. 184 lbs #1 Parker Keckeisen (Northern Iowa) vs. #7 Lenny Pinto (Nebraska) Another weight class that was circled because of its number of credential entrants was 184 lbs. Top-ranked Parker Keckeisen didn’t seem to be bothered as he posted a pin and a tech in his first two matches before a cool 13-3 major decision over returning All-American Gavin Kane (North Carolina). Lenny Pinto, on the other hand, is coming off of two interesting wins. In the Round of 16, he held off promising freshman Dylan Fishback (NC State). A match later, he survived a 12-10 shootout against Dustin Plott (Oklahoma State). These two met last year in the semifinals at this tournament and Keckeisen got the 11-2 major decision. 197 lbs #3 Tanner Sloan (South Dakota State) vs. #9 Jaxon Smith (Maryland) The 197 lb weight class has a pair of new matches that we haven’t seen before, which I enjoy. Also, all four semifinalists, have some sort of age-group world hardware to their names. The top half of the bracket features the returning national runner-up (Tanner Sloan) with a sophomore who was a match away from the NCAA podium last year. Sloan suffered a loss in the 2022 CKLV quarterfinals and battled back for third. That didn’t happen this year as he had two lopsided wins before gutting out a 2-0 decision over Max Shaw in the quarters. Smith will be well-rested because he was the only wrestler who advanced to the semifinals without a match. His opponent, Luke Surber, medically forfeited out of the tournament. In the Round of 16, Smith was pushed the the brink by redshirt freshman Wyatt Voelker (Northern Iowa), but managed to get by, by a point. #5 Trent Hidlay (NC State) vs. #6 Jacob Cardenas (Cornell) Two of the most dominating performances in the quarterfinals, at any weight, came from Trent Hidlay and Jacob Cardenas. And now they meet in the semis. Both defeated their opponents via tech fall. Hidlay, 21-5 over Utah Valley’s national qualifier Evan Bockman. Cardenas did so over 2023 Big Ten champion Silas Allred. Since Hidlay has spent his entire career, before 2023-24, at 184 lbs, these two returning All-Americans have not met on collegiate mats. This will be an interesting clash of body styles. Hidlay is shorter for the weight and stocky, while Cardenas is tall, long and one of the more muscle-bound 197 lbers.

2023 Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational Quarterfinal Results 125 lbs Nico Provo (Stanford) dec Matt Ramos (Purdue) 8-1 Jore Volk (Wyoming) dec Caleb Smith (Nebraska) 4-2 Brett Ungar (Cornell) dec Brandon Kaylor (Oregon State) 2-1TB Michael DeAugustino (Michigan) dec Tanner Jordan (South Dakota State) 6-3 133 lbs Kai Orine (NC State) dec Gabe Whisenhunt (Oregon State) 6-4 Derrick Cardinal (South Dakota State) maj Dom Zaccone (Campbell) 14-3 Tyler Knox (Stanford) dec Reece Witcraft (Oklahoma State) 2-1 Evan Frost (Iowa State) maj Zeth Romney (Cal Poly) 16-3 141 lbs Lachlan McNeil (North Carolina) dec Anthony Echemendia (Iowa State) 9-6 Ryan Jack (NC State) maj Cael Happel (Northern Iowa) 15-6 Jesse Mendez (Ohio State) tech Vince Cornella (Cornell) 18-1 Brock Hardy (Nebraska) dec Tagen Jamison (Oklahoma State) 4-0 149 lbs Ridge Lovett (Nebraska) dec Quinn Kinner (Rider) 13-6 Dylan D’Emilio (Ohio State) dec Jackson Arrington (NC State) 9-8 Caleb Henson (Virginia Tech) dec Chance Lamer (Cal Poly) 10-6 Kyle Parco (Arizona State) dec Casey Swiderski (Iowa State) 4-2 157 lbs Peyton Robb (Nebraska) maj Cael Swensen (South Dakota State) 10-0 Will Lewan (Michigan) dec Peyten Kellar (Ohio) 5-2 Daniel Cardenas (Stanford) dec Meyer Shapiro (Cornell) 8-5 Jacori Teemer (Arizona State) dec Ryder Downey (Northern Iowa) 7-2 165 lbs David Carr (Iowa State) maj Garrett Thompson (Ohio) 15-3 Julian Ramirez (Cornell) fall Matt Olguin (Oregon State) 2:48 Izzak Olejnik (Oklahoma State) dec Giano Petrucelli (Air Force) 8-1 Cam Amine (Michigan) dec Brevin Casella (Binghamton) 4-2 174 lbs Danny Wask (Navy) dec Lorenzo Norman (Stanford) 5-0 Travis Wittlake (Oregon State) dec Adam Kemp (Cal Poly) InjDef Cade DeVos (South Dakota State) maj MJ Gaitan (Iowa State) Carson Kharchla (Ohio State) dec Austin Murphy (Campbell) 6-0 184 lbs Parker Keckeisen (Northern Iowa) maj Gavin Kane (North Carolina) 13-3 Lenny Pinto (Nebraska) dec Dustin Plott (Oklahoma State) 12-10 Sam Wolf (Air Force) dec Gavin Hoffman (Ohio State) 4-1 Will Feldkamp (Iowa State) fall Trey Munoz (Oregon State) 2:21 197 lbs Tanner Sloan (South Dakota State) Max Shaw (North Carolina) 2-0 Jaxon Smith (Maryland) MedFFT Luke Surber (Oklahoma State) Jacob Cardenas (Cornell) tech Silas Allred (Nebraska) 17-1 Trent Hidlay (NC State) tech Evan Bockman (Utah Valley) 21-5 285 lbs Lucas Davison (Michigan) maj Hunter Catka (Virginia Tech) 11-2 Taye Ghadiali (Campbell) dec Owen Trephan (NC State) 2-1 Grady Griess (Navy) InjDef Konner Doucet (Oklahoma State) Yonger Bastida (Iowa State) maj Nick Feldman (Ohio State) 13-5 Semifinal Matchups 125: Nico Provo (Stanford) vs. Jore Volk (Wyoming) 125: Brett Ungar (Cornell) vs. Michael DeAugustino (Michigan) 133: Kai Orine (NC State) vs. Derrick Cardinal (South Dakota State) 133: Tyler Knox (Stanford) vs. Evan Frost (Iowa State) 141: Lachlan McNeil (North Carolina) vs. Ryan Jack (NC State) 141: Jesse Mendez (Ohio State) vs. Brock Hardy (Nebraska) 149: Ridge Lovett (Nebraska) vs. Dylan D’Emilio (Ohio State) 149: Caleb Henson (Virginia Tech) vs. Kyle Parco (Arizona State) 157: Peyton Robb (Nebraska) vs. Will Lewan (Michigan) 157: Daniel Cardenas (Stanford) vs. Jacori Teemer (Arizona State) 165: David Carr (Iowa State) vs. Julian Ramirez (Cornell) 165: Izzak Olejnik (Oklahoma State) vs. Cam Amine (Michigan) 174: Danny Wask (Navy) vs. Travis Wittlake (Oregon State) 174: Cade DeVos (South Dakota State) vs. Carson Kharchla (Ohio State) 184: Parker Keckeisen (Northern Iowa) vs. Lenny Pinto (Nebraska) 184: Sam Wolf (Air Force) vs. Will Feldkamp (Iowa State) 197: Tanner Sloan (South Dakota State) vs. Jaxon Smith (Maryland) 197: Jacob Cardenas (Cornell) vs. Trent Hidlay (NC State) 285: Lucas Davison (Michigan) vs. Taye Ghadiali (Campbell) 285: Grady Griess (Navy) vs. Yonger Bastida (Iowa State)

After a comprehensive evaluation, Lindenwood University has made the difficult decision to discontinue ten athletic teams at the conclusion of their respective seasons this academic year. This decision is a result of a thorough assessment of our athletic department's sustainability, aligning with our commitment to upholding the high-quality academic and athletic experiences that define our university. The athletic teams being discontinued are: · NCAA Men's Lacrosse, effective at conclusion of Spring 2024 season · NCAA Men's Swimming and Diving, effective at conclusion of Spring 2024 season · NCAA Men's Tennis, effective at conclusion of Spring 2024 season · NCAA Men's Indoor Track & Field, effective at conclusion of Spring 2024 season · NCAA Men's Outdoor Track & Field, effective at conclusion of Spring 2024 season · NCAA Men's Wrestling, effective at conclusion of Spring 2024 season · NCAA Women's Field Hockey, effective December 1, 2023 · NCAA Women's Gymnastics, effective at conclusion of Spring 2024 season · NCAA Women's Swimming and Diving, effective at conclusion of Spring 2024 season · SLS Men's and Women's Cycling, effective at conclusion of Spring 2024 season "Today, and for the near future, it will be challenging as the decision to better align our athletics department with our peers also results in many of our student-athletes learning that they will no longer be able to compete in the sport they love while at Lindenwood," said Vice President for Intercollegiate Athletics Jason Coomer. "As an Athletics Director, this is not a decision you ever want to have to make. Unfortunately, it is critical for the long-term sustainability of the department. I understand there will be considerable hurt felt by the ten teams impacted as well as by our staff and coaches." Coomer continued, "While I cannot erase that hurt, I will continue to do everything possible to give our impacted teams and coaches the best experience possible for the remainder of their respective seasons. Our staff will also be committed to assisting impacted student-athletes who are looking at the options they have available, including remaining at Lindenwood on their scholarships, or entering the transfer portal to find a new opportunity to continue their academic and athletic careers." Our commitment to excellence is steadfast, and we appreciate your understanding and support during this rebalance and reallocation of resources. Additional details can be found in our frequently asked questions.

Every week during the 2023-24 season, the InterMat staff will submit their picks for some of the most high-profile or competitive dual meets. As the season progresses, we'll keep track of records for bragging rights or as ammunition for when we mock each other. No, we'd never do that, it's all in good fun (right?). Results through week four 13-6: Bob Dole, Nick 12-7: James, Austin, Rachel, Richard, Morgan, Tony 11-8: Earl, Willie, Dysen, Robbie 10-7: Jagger, Ryan 9-8: Kevin Below are the picks for week five. One of the duals takes place this evening!

Quarterfinal matchups (numbers refer to tournament seed) 125 #1 Matt Ramos (Purdue) vs. #9 Nico Provo (Stanford) #5 Jore Volk (Wyoming) vs. #4 Caleb Smith (Nebraska) #3 Brett Ungar (Cornell) vs. #6 Brandon Kaylor (Oregon State) #7 Tanner Jordan (South Dakota State) vs. #2 Michael DeAugustino (Michigan) 133 #1 Kai Orine (NC State) vs. #9 Gabe Whisenhunt (Oregon State) #5 Dom Zaccone (Campbell) vs. #13 Derrick Cardinal (South Dakota State) #14 Reece Witcraft (Oklahoma State) vs. Tyler Knox (Stanford) Zeth Romney (Cal Poly) vs. #2 Evan Frost (Iowa State) 141 #1 Lachlan McNeil (North Carolina) vs. #8 Anthony Echemendia (Iowa State) #5 Cael Happel (Northern Iowa) vs. #4 Ryan Jack (NC State) #3 Jesse Mendez (Ohio State) vs. #6 Vince Cornella (Cornell) #10 Tagen Jamison (Oklahoma State) vs. #2 Brock Hardy (Nebraska) 149 #1 Ridge Lovett (Nebraska) vs. #9 Quinn Kinner (Rider) #5 Jackson Arrington (NC State) vs. #4 Dylan D’Emilio (Ohio State) #3 Caleb Henson (Virginia Tech) vs. #6 Chance Lamer (Cal Poly) #10 Casey Swiderski (Iowa State) vs. #2 Kyle Parco (Arizona State) 157 #1 Peyton Robb (Nebraska) vs. #8 Cael Swensen (South Dakota State) #12 Peyten Kellar (Ohio) vs. #4 Will Lewan (Michigan) #14 Meyer Shapiro (Cornell) vs. #6 Daniel Cardenas (Stanford) Ryder Downey (Northern Iowa) vs. #2 Jacori Teemer (Arizona State) 165 #1 David Carr (Iowa State) vs. #8 Garrett Thompson (Ohio) #5 Matthew Olguin (Oregon State) vs. #4 Julian Ramirez (Cornell) #3 Izzak Olejnik (Oklahoma State) vs. #11 Giano Petrucelli (Air Force) #10 Brevin Casella (Binghamton) vs. #2 Cam Amine (Michigan) 174 Lorenzo Norman (Stanford) vs. #9 Danny Wask (Navy) #5 Adam Kemp (Cal Poly) vs. #4 Travis Wittlake (Oregon State) #3 Cade DeVos (South Dakota State) vs. #6 MJ Gaitan (Iowa State) #2 Carson Kharchla (Ohio State) vs. #7 Austin Murphy (Campbell) 184 #1 Parker Keckeisen (Northern Iowa) vs. #8 Gavin Kane (North Carolina) #5 Lenny Pinto (Nebraska) vs. #4 Dustin Plott (Oklahoma State) #14 Sam Wolf (Air Force) vs. #6 Gavin Hoffman (Ohio State) #7 Will Feldkamp (Iowa State) vs. #2 Trey Munoz (Oregon State) 197 #1 Tanner Sloan (South Dakota State) vs. #9 Max Shaw (North Carolina) #5 Jaxon Smith (Maryland) vs. #4 Luke Surber (Oklahoma State) #3 Jacob Cardenas (Cornell) vs. #6 Silas Allred (Nebraska) #10 Evan Bockman (Utah Valley) vs. #2 Trent Hidlay (NC State) 285 #1 Lucas Davison (Michigan) vs. #8 Hunter Catka (Virginia Tech) #5 Taye Ghadiali (Campbell) vs. #4 Owen Trephan (NC State) #3 Grady Griess (Navy) vs. #6 Konner Doucet (Oklahoma State) #7 Nick Feldman (Ohio State) vs. #2 Yonger Bastida (Iowa State)

We are one month into the college wrestling season and we have seen some quality wins and some head-scratching losses already in the ACC. Let’s recap what we have seen so far and an area of focus for each team as we move into the second month of the season. Duke: Dual Record: 2-4 Wins: Kent State, Cleveland State Losses: Rutgers, Cal Poly, Stanford, WVU Top Wrestlers in November: Gaetano Console, Connor Barket Highlights: The Blue Devils started off 0-3 after a rough road trip to the West Coast to start the season. They bounced back with wins over Cleveland State and Kent State and an up-and-down performance at the Keystone Classic. The highlight of the year so far has been the pin of All-American Peyton Hall by Gaetano Console at the tri in West Virginia. Area of focus/concern: Steady Improvement. The Blue Devils have a young lineup that will need to continue showing incremental improvement throughout the season to have a chance at making the NCAA tournament. Looking ahead: The Blue Devils are off this week and will return to action on December 8th at Davidson. North Carolina: Dual Record: 5-2 Wins: Greensboro, Queens, ASU, Buffalo, CMU Losses: Illinois, Oregon State Top Wrestlers in November: Spencer Moore, Lachlan McNeil, Gavin Kane Highlights: The Tar Heels already have seven duals under their belt, including a big win over Arizona State and close losses to Oregon State and Illinois. They have relied on consistency from experienced starters like Lachlan McNeil, Spencer Moore, Gavin Kane, and Max Shaw while they ease a lot of new faces into the lineup. I’ve been very impressed by the return of Spencer Moore as a bigger and more physical 125. Lachlan McNeil has looked phenomenal every time he’s stepped on the mat. Cade Lautt at 285 is a fun development; he hasn’t backed down from anyone and is off to a great start at the new weight. Area of focus/concern: Middleweights. The lower weights are solid with Moore, McCrary, and McNeil to open the lineup. Jayden Scott and Danny Nini are both redshirt freshmen with tremendous potential and they are off to a good start. 165 and 174 have been the soft spot in the lineup in the first month for the Tar Heels. Between the three main starters at 165 and 174 so far this year they are a combined 12-13. Tyler Eischens will be a second-semester transfer and will help shore up 174, but 165 will be a spot of focus moving forward. Looking Ahead: The Tar Heels are one of three ACC teams that are making the trip to Vegas for the CKLV. NC State: Dual Record: 7-0 Wins: Presbyterian, App State, Bloomsburg, Purdue, Army, Sacred Heart, Binghamton Top Wrestlers in November: Jakob Camacho, Kai Orine, Ryan Jack, Jackson Arrington, Dylan Fishback, Trent Hidlay Highlights: The Wolfpack team has looked incredible to start the year, dropping only eight individual matches in seven duals to start the season. Jakob Camacho, returning after knee surgery last season, has established himself at the top of a volatile 125 weight class after soundly beating NCAA finalist Matt Ramos. Camacho, Kai Orine, Ryan Jack, and Jackson Arrington have all opened the season undefeated for a combined 20-0 record; if you add in Dylan Fishback and Trent Hidlay that record moves up to 33-0. The freshman Fishback has made a big impression already, I’m excited to see what he does this year. Area of focus/concern: It’s hard to find a glaring area of focus on a 7-0 team, but there are a couple things that I’m interested in watching moving forward. Kai Orine has only wrestled in two matches; he won both, but his last match was a sudden victory win in which he did not look himself. Kai is a bigger 133 but has always handled his weight cut well, so I’m hopeful it is just an early season hiccup and he will be on track moving forward. The other thing to watch is 165 where they are still trying to work out who will be the full-time starter. AJ Kovacs and Derek Fields have both gotten reps in the starting spot; Kovacs will get the nod at the CKLV this weekend. Looking Ahead: The Wolfpack will also head to the CKLV this weekend. Pittsburgh: Dual Record: 4-1 Wins: Morgan State, VMI, Maryland, Lehigh Loss: Navy Top Wrestlers in November: Finn Solomon, Holden Heller, Luca Augustine, Reece Heller, Mac Stout, Dayton Pitzer Highlights: The Panthers have a solid mix of top-tier upperclassmen and talented underclassmen in the lineup this season and they are off to a strong start. They had a great opening weekend at the Clarion Open and have put together four dual wins; they had a down performance against a scrappy Navy squad for their only loss. Finn Solomon has made a big impact already, coming in as a transfer from NC State; he is off to a 9-2 start. Luca Augustine has also looked fantastic to start the year; Augustine and Holden Heller both hold unblemished records moving into December. Area of focus/concern: Consistency. The Panthers have the lineup this year to make a run at ACC titles and put several on the podium in Kansas City. Over the past two years, they have had a few head-scratching losses--individually and as a team--that highlighted their need to perform consistently at their highest level. They looked fantastic against Lehigh and Maryland, but had a down performance at Navy; on paper, all three of these duals should have been wins for the Panthers. To get to the next level as a program they need to figure out how to minimize the hiccups and have all ten starters firing on all cylinders; they will need solid whole team performances to beat the best in the ACC and nationally. Looking Ahead: The Panthers travel west to face B1G foe Illinois on Sunday. Virginia: Dual Record: 2-0 Wins: LIU, Buffalo Top Wrestlers in November: Marlon Yarbrough, Jack Gioffre, Dylan Cedeno, Justin McCoy, Ryan Catka Highlights: The Hoos schedule is front-loaded with tournaments, so we have only seen them in duals for one event. They opened with a down performance at the Southeast Open but had a much better showing at the Appalachian Invite before dominating both duals they wrestled at the Armbar at the Armory event. I was impressed by how well they adjusted after the Southeast Open; they looked like a different team in the next two outings. We knew the Hoos would have a talented young lineup, but I’ve been especially impressed with what we’ve seen from Marlon Yarbrough this year; he has made huge gains in the offseason and is going to play a pivotal role for the team moving forward. Area of focus/concern: Health. Injuries have already impacted the UVA lineup with Gabe Christensen and Haydn Danals both down for the year. They have good depth at some weights but could be greatly impacted by an injury at their thinner weights. The Hoos have a very young and very dangerous lineup, they will need to keep the whole squad healthy to make a mark nationally this year. Looking Ahead: The Hoos travel to North Dakota to face the Bison of North Dakota State on Saturday night. Virginia Tech: Dual Record: 2-1 Wins: American, Rutgers Loss: Ohio State Top Wrestlers in November: Sam Latona, Caleb Henson, Bryce Andonian, Mekhi Lewis Highlights: After a down performance in their opening dual against Ohio State, the Hokies have rounded back into form with a big dual win over Rutgers in New Jersey and a stellar team performance at the Keystone Classic. The Hokies have an incredibly talented lineup, they just need everyone to be clicking at the same time throughout the weights. Like NC State, the Hokies are also determining their full-time starter at 165 with Connor Brady, Clayton Ulrey, and Rafael Hippolito all taking reps so far this season. Area of focus/concern: Finishing matches. You can point to several examples of matches already this year that could/should have been wins for the Hokies that were lost in the closing minutes or seconds of matches. I have no doubt that the coaching staff is focused on this as well, as it could make the difference between conference titles and All-American finishes at several weights. Looking Ahead: The Hokies are the final ACC squad to take the mats in Vegas at the CKLV.

Ryan Loder (left) with Jason Welch at 2019 Senior Nationals Welcome to a new running feature that we'll use to keep track of ex-wrestlers who are now competing in MMA. As more fights are agreed upon, they will be added to this article. Dec. 1 Maverick MMA 25 (Internet PPV) Gavin Teasdale (Penn State/Iowa) vs. Eliab Evangelista Dec. 1 FAC 22 (Internet PPV) Mikey England (Street League) vs. Perry Stargel Alan Olivas (Missouri Valley) vs. Sam Paneitz James Buckhanan (Briar Cliff) vs. Tucker Eastwood Dec. 2 UFC Fight Night (ESPN+) Kelvin Gastelum (North Idaho) vs. Sean Brady Clay Guida vs. Joaquim Silva Cody Brundage (Newberry) vs. Zachary Reese Dec. 3 Fury FC 84 (UFC Fight Pass) Isaiah Diggs (CSU Pueblo/Clackamas) vs. Tony Toro Dec. 15 Karate Combat 43 (YouTube) Benson Henderson (Dana College) vs. Anthony Pettis* *Karate fight Dec. 15 CFFC 128 (UFC Fight Pass) Hunter Starner (VMI) vs. Riley Palmer Alonzo Turner (Findlay/Notre Dame OH) vs. Eric Nolan Dec. 15 United fight League 4 Ryan Loder (UNI) vs. Ty Gwerder Dec. 16 UFC 296 (ESPN+/PPV) Colby Covington (Oregon State) vs. Leon Edwards Tony Ferguson (Grand Valley State) vs. Paddy Pimblett Dec. 16 Cage Thunder 25 Mo Miller (Notre Dame OH) vs. Usama Rahman Chase Archangelo (Cleveland State) vs. Garrett Hershberger Dec. 16 Ohio Combat League 27 Jaden Mattox (Ohio State) vs. Toby Pee Vernell Hawkins (Mount St. Joseph) vs. Cody Clark

Welcome back all and I hope you all had a lovely holiday weekend even though the football was terrible. This will be a light mailbag since I’m not feeling too hot and only have a few questions that aren’t even wrestling-related. I’m not even sure how to work in a name so Earl can use a picture for the header. I’ll remedy that right now and so I can’t wait to see Peyton Robb back on the mat at the Calvin Klein Las Vegas in a few hours. I’ve yet to catch a Nebraska meet this year and I’m thrilled that the current All-Jagger 157 guy has recovered from all he’s been through. On that note, time to read the mail. Can you do audio responses to your questions this week? IndianaMat You mean like a podcast? Just answer all the questions on the air? I suppose I could and I can certainly elaborate more on the topics at hand since I’m not exactly a master of the written word. But what would the Jagoffs do on the bowl in the morning? Read about the real world? It’s way too depressing. As a person who has been in a long-term relationship, do you have any dating advice for Seton Hall Pirate? Willie “The Brain” Saylor Not really. Make them laugh. That’s all I can really offer. Women want a man that can make them laugh. So while you’re in Vegas, think of some funny one-liners for him to say and get Pirate his booty. Also, ladies don't like a guy who tries to correct them constantly and Pirate can be a little much with that. I just noticed today that our local sandwich guy has added “Taylor Ham” next to “Taylor Pork Roll” on the list of menu items. Not sure how to react to this. Any help would be much appreciated since I know there is no such thing as Taylor Ham. Kevin McGuigan Welcome to the revolution. You Philly guys should know a thing or two about that. We live in a world of extreme tolerance now and you just have to accept the fact that folks from North Jersey may travel to Philadelphia and we don’t want to feel ostracized by your strange lingo. Why am I even arguing this? The Taylor Ham/Pork Roll debate is a Jersey thing and not a Pennsylvania thing. This local sandwich guy deserves a statue if you ask me. Best "unorthodox" cig lighting technique? -Plumber torch-looks great, but burns up the cig. Gas stove? Ok. Electric stove? Looks pretty desperate. -are zippos still cool? -are matches too hipster? Burger King of Kings Finally, someone is asking the right questions. There’s a lot going on here so I’ll try to cover it all without getting too long-winded. Let’s start with the torch. Unless you’re Scud in Blade 2 you shouldn’t even bother. It’s dangerous and stupid. Plus, Scud turned on Blade before getting blown up so no need to emulate that guy. Certainly, the gas stove is a tried and true method but it reeks of desperation and can also be dangerous. I’ve never used an electric stove, but I reckon it’s similar to the classic car lighter. You kids know them now as power adapters. Are matches too hipster? I suppose that can be true if you’re doing a neo-50’s greaser vibe or something. Now Zippos, that’s where it’s at. Probably the greatest invention in American history.

Lake Highland Prep

Omaha Skutt

University

South Brunswick

Deep Creek

In the sense of setting your fantasy lineup, Week 4 was a snoozefest. But we did have some action which caused a shift in the current #FCW24 Overall Fantasy Standings. Week 3: The Fantasy Wrestler of Week 3 was 157 Vince Zerban (UNCO) who scored 28 Fpts in six matches, beating out Princeton’s 125 Drew Heethuis (26 Fpts). Two other big name 157 lbers, Peyton Robb (NEB) and Bryce Andonian (VT) tied for third with 25 Fpts and a PPM of 5.00. 165 Peyton Hall wrestled six matches in Week 3, but because two were non D1 competition, only four of them counted towards his score of 23 Fpts (PPM of 5.80, the highest out of any week 3 wrestler with three or more matches). Dominick Serrano of Northern Colorado wrestled seven matches in Week 3 with two duals and competing in the Black Knight Invite. He went 7-1, accumulating 23 Fpts. Week 4: Thanks in large part to the Mat-Town Open 1 (hosted by Lock Haven), Cornell ran away in the Week 4 leaderboard taking five of the Top-10 spots. 157 Gage McClenahan was the Week 4 leader with 18 Fpts in 5 matches, followed by Big Red teammate 174 Benny Baker with 17 Fpts. Joshua Saunders (12 Fpts) finished 5th and Greg Diakomihalis (11 Fpts) at 6th. Surprisingly, Chris Foca, a newcomer to the 184 weight class had 10 Fpts for 10th place in the Week 3 leaderboard. 149 Ty Linsenbigler (LHU) finished with 14 Fpts, one better than 4th place Carter Baer of Binghamton in the 157 weight class. Overall Leaderboard: With help from the Keystone Classic, several Virginia Tech wrestlers made a jump up the leaderboard. In particular, 149 Caleb Henson (VT) currently sits atop the standings with 54 Fpts. In second place, 11 Fpts behind, is 165 Peyton Hall (WVU). Previous Overall leader, Trent Hidlay (NCST), was busing winning freestyle matches and slipped to 4th place with a current total of 37 Fpts. Sneaking in at #3 is Army’s Thomas Deck (149 weight class) with 39 Fpts. To see the FULL Week 3, Week 4, and OVERALL #FCW24 Leaderboards, click HERE. On to Week 5: Every year at this time, I pour a glass of Jack Daniels and listen to Dean’Martin’s “Vegas Medley”: "I Love Vegas, every moment, It's my favorite atmosphere… I love Vegas, why do I, do I love Vegas? Because my money's here" I’m not going to talk at you for seven minutes about why the Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invite, the unquestioned best in-season tournament for several years running, is going to be absolutely bonkers. Just look at the pre-seeds and possible Rd16 matchups if seeds hold (you can see that HERE) Since we didn't have out Week 5 #FCWpodcast episode, here’s our picks for champs: Tony: Matt Ramos, Daton Fix, Brock Hardy, Caleb Henson, Peyton Robb, David Carr, Shane Griffith, Parker Keckeisen, Trent Hidlay, Yonger Bastida Todd: Brett Ungar, Daton Fix, Jesse Mendez, Ridge Lovett, Meyer Shapiro, David Carr, Shane Griffith, Parker Keckeisen, Trent Hidlay, Lucas Davison Most of the eyes and attention will be on the Pacific Time Zone, but Week 5 has several other tournaments to keep track of and tri/quad meets that can really boost your fantasy lineup. The Cougar Clash has several starters entered at each weight, as well as the Patriots Open down in Virginia or Storm Open in Ohio. Other tournaments like the Drury Open, Jim Koch Open, and Duane Open have some sparse D1 entrants, but remember that non-D1 matches do not count towards your team’s weekly Fpt total. A reminder of some important rules: Wrestlers entered at a weight must compete at that weight or else their results will not be counted. Wrestlers in the “Floater” spots can compete at ANY weight and accumulate Fantasy points. A wrestler will LOCK on your roster at 12pm ET on the day of their first competition for the week (refer to the SHP’s Week Preview). Only results against D1 competition (starters, backups, and redshirts) will count towards Fantasy Points. Check your league settings to know how many add/drops are permitted per week. As usual, entries are still coming in for each of these tournaments, so keep the notifications on for @FantasyD1Wrestl as updates will be posted to the InterMat Forum Fantasy Wrestling Board Wrestlers I Like This Week Wrestler (School)- competition for the week [Proj Score] *organized by most potential points to least, then by school alphabetically”: 125: Ethan Berginc (ARMY)- Cougar Clash Blake West (NIU)- Cougar Clash Tyler Klinsky (RDI)- Patriots Open Tristan Lujan (MSU)- @ Franklin & Marshall, Vs Bloomsburg, Vs Presbyterian [+13] Jack Maida (AMER)- Vs Davidson [+6] Drew West (GWU)- Vs Kent State, Vs Buffalo [+6] Dean Peterson (RUT)- @ Edinboro [+5] Eric Barnett (WISC)- Vs Bucknell [+5] Noah Surtin (MIZZ)_ Vs Oklahoma [+3] 133: Zeke Seltzer (MIZZ)- Vs Oklahoma, Cougar Clash Dominick Serrano (UNCO)- Cougar Clash Braxton Brown (MARY)- Patriots Open Mason Leiphart (F&M)- Vs Bloomsburg, Michigan State, Vs VMI [+11] Nasir Bailey (LR)- @ Drexel, Vs Clarion [+7] Max Leete (AMER)- Vs Davidson [+6] Dylan Shawver (RUT)- @ Edinboro [+4] Kurt Phipps (BUCK)- @ Wisconsin [+3] Cayden Rooks (IND)- @ Princeton [+3] 141: Nathan Higley (GMU)- @ Davidson, Vs Cleveland State, Patriots Open Josh Edmond (MIZZ)- Vs Oklahoma, Cougar Clash Benjamin Alanis (UNCO)- Cougar Clash Michael Schiffhauer (BELL)- @ Lindenwood, @ Queens [+7] Todd Carter (GWU)- Vs Kent State, Vs Buffalo [+6] Real Woods (IOWA)- @ Penn [+4] Mitch Moore (RUT)- @ Edinboro [+4] * listed as -OR- in preview, risky play Cole Matthews (PITT)- Vs Illinois [+3] Danny Fongaro (IND)- @ Princeton [+3] 149: Thomas Deck (ARMY)- Cougar Clash Drew Roberts (MINN)- Cougar Clash Caleb Tyus (SIUE)- Cougar Clash Zac Cowan (BELL)- @ Lindenwood, @ Queens [+7] Kaden Cassify (GMU)- @ Davidson, Vs Cleveland State [+7] Noah Castillo (CHAT)- Vs Kent State, Vs Buffalo (@GWU) [+6] Zach Price (GWU)- Vs Kent State, Vs Buffalo [+6] Shayne Van Ness (PSU)- Vs Lehigh [+5] Finn Solomon (PITT)- Vs Illinois [+4] Graham Rooks (IND)- @ Princeton [+3] 157: Cam Steed (MIZZ)- Cougar Clash Vince Zerban (UNCO)- Cougar Clash Chase Saldate (MSU)- @ Franklin & Marshall, Vs Bloomsburg, Vs Presbyterian [+15] DJ McGee (GMU)- @ Davidson, Vs Cleveland State [+7] Brock Mauller (MIZZ)- Vs Oklahoma [+4] Levi Haines (PSU)- Vs Lehigh [+4] Al DeSantis (RUT)- @ Edinboro [+4] Nick Delp (BUCK)- @ Wisconsin [+3] Jared Franek (IOWA)- @ Penn [+3] 165: Evan Maag (GMU)- @ Davidson, Vs Cleveland State, Patriots Open Dalton Harkins (ARMY)- Cougar Clash Blaine Brenner (MINN)- Cougar Clash Tanner Cook (SDSU)- Patriots Open Caleb Fish (MSU)- @ Franklin & Marshall, Vs Bloomsburg, Vs Presbyterian [+15] Mitchell Mesenbrink (PSU)- Vs Lehigh [+5] Keegan O’Toole (MIZZ)- Vs Oklahoma [+4] Holden Heller (PITT)- Vs Illinois [+4] Michael Caliendo (IOWA)- @ Penn [+4] Anthony White (RUT)- @ Edinboro [+4] Dean Hamiti (WISC)- Vs Bucknell [+4] Derek Gilcher (IND)- @ Princeton [+3] Nick Hamilton (UVA)- @ North Dakota State [+3] Peyton Hall (WVU)- Vs Oklahoma [+3] 174: Andrew Sparks (MINN)- Cougar Clash Carter Starocci (PSU)- Vs Lehigh [+5] Jay Nivison (BUFF)- @ Gardner-Webb, Vs Chattanooga, Vs Kent State [+4] Jackson Turley (RUT)- @ Edinboro [+4] * Listed as -OR- in preview, risky play Justin McCoy (UVA)- @ North Dakota State [+4] Myles Takats (BUCK)- @ Wisconsin [+3] Edmond Ruth (ILL) @ Pittsburgh [+3] Donnell Washington (IND)- @ Princeton [+3] 184: Max McEnelly (MINN)- Cougar Clash Isaiah Salazar (MINN)- Cougar Clash Sean Harman (MIZZ)- Cougar Clash Colton Hawks (MIZZ)- Cougar Clash Bennett Berge (SDSU)- Patriots Open Layne Malczewski (MSU)- @ Franklin & Marshall, Vs Bloomsburg, Vs Presbyterian [+11] *if wrestles, last match was a loss by INJ Malachi Duvall (GMU)- Vs Cleveland State, Vs Davidson [+6] James Conway (F&M)- Vs Bloomsburg, Michigan State, Vs VMI [+4] Clayton Whiting (MIZZ)- Vs Oklahoma [+4] Bernie Truax (PSU)- Vs Lehigh [+4] Brian Soldano (RUT)- @ Edinboro [+4] Hudson Stewart (UVA)- @ North Dakota State [+4] Connor Bourne (AMER)- Vs Davidson [+3] Reece Heller (PITT)- Vs Illinois [+3] Dennis Robin (WVU)- Vs Oklahoma [+3] 197: Rocky Elam (MIZZ)- Cougar Clash *Questionable if wrestles the OU Dual Sonny Sasso (VT)- Patriots Open Stephen Buchanan (OU)- @ Missouri, @ West Virginia [+8] Stephen Little (LR)- @ Drexel, Vs Clarion [+8] Ben Smith (CSU)- Vs George Mason (@DAV) [+4] Mac Stout (PITT)- Vs Illinois [+4] Luke Stout (PRIN)- Vs Indiana [+4] John Poznanski (RUT)- @ Edinboro [+4] Aaron Brooks (PSU)- Vs Lehigh [+3] 285: Chad Nix (GMU)- @ Davidson, Vs Cleveland State, Patriots Open Zach Elam (MIZZ)- Vs Oklahoma, Cougar Clash Bennett Tabor (MINN)- Cougar Clash Chase Horne (NCST)- Patriots Open Josh Terrill (MSU)- @ Franklin & Marshall, Vs Bloomsburg, Vs Presbyterian [+9] William Jarrell (AMER)- Vs Davidson [+4] Dorian Crosby (BUCK)- @ Wisconsin [+4] Yaraslau Slavikouski (RUT)- @ Edinboro [+4] Greg Kerkvliet (PSU)- Vs Lehigh [+3] Ryan Catka (UVA)- @ North Dakota State [+3]

We're back on track with more of a normal wrestling schedule a week after the Thanksgiving holiday. A total of 33 duals will be contested along with some great tournaments. Since it can be difficult to figure out where and when to watch all of these events, InterMat has put together a list of all of the live-streamed events occurring this week. Below are the dates/times and how to watch each match (with links). All times are Eastern. Thursday, November 30: Bellarmine at Lindenwood 7:00 PM ESPN+ Friday, December 1: Air Force, Appalachian State, Arizona State, Binghamton, Cal Poly, Campbell, Columbia, Cornell, CSU Bakersfield, Harvard, Hofstra, Iowa State, LIU, Maryland, Michigan, Morgan State, Navy, NC State, Nebraska, North Carolina, Northern Iowa, Northwestern, Ohio, Ohio State, Oklahoma State, Oregon State, Purdue, Rider, Sacred Heart, South Dakota State, Stanford, The Citadel, Utah Valley, Virginia Tech, Wyoming at Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational, Las Vegas, NV 12:00 PM FloWrestling Rutgers at Edinboro 7:00 PM FloWrestling Iowa at Penn 7:00 PM ESPN+ Oklahoma at Missouri 8:00 PM FloWrestling Saturday, December 2: Lindenwood at Drury Open, hosted by Drury 10:00 AM Buffalo vs. Kent State at Gardner-Webb 10:00 AM Northern Iowa at Jim Koch Open, hosted by Wisconsin-Parkside 10:00 AM FloWrestling Army West Point, Lindenwood, Little Rock, Minnesota, Missouri, Northern Colorado, Northern Illinois, SIU Edwardsville at Cougar Clash, hosted by SIU Edwardsville 11:00 AM ESPN+ Buffalo vs. Chattanooga at Gardner-Webb 12:00 PM Kent State at Gardner-Webb 12:00 PM ESPN+ Davidson at George Mason 12:00 PM ESPN+ Air Force, Appalachian State, Arizona State, Binghamton, Cal Poly, Campbell, Columbia, Cornell, CSU Bakersfield, Harvard, Hofstra, Iowa State, LIU, Maryland, Michigan, Morgan State, Navy, NC State, Nebraska, North Carolina, Northern Iowa, Northwestern, Ohio, Ohio State, Oklahoma State, Oregon State, Purdue, Rider, Sacred Heart, South Dakota State, Stanford, The Citadel, Utah Valley, Virginia Tech, Wyoming at Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational, Las Vegas, NV, 1:00 PM FloWrestling Cleveland State at George Mason 1:30 PM ESPN+ Buffalo at Gardner-Webb 2:00 PM ESPN+ Chattanooga vs. Kent State at Gardner-Webb 2:00 PM Davidson at American 6:00 PM ESPN+ Virginia at North Dakota State 8:00 PM NDSU All-Access Sunday, December 3: Bloomsburg vs. VMI at Franklin & Marshall 10:00 AM Michigan State at Franklin & Marshall 10:00 AM Centennial Conference Digital Network Davidson, George Mason, Lock Haven Penn at ARMS Software Patriot Open hosted by George Mason, 10:00 AM FloWrestling Clarion vs. West Liberty at Drexel 11:00 AM Little Rock at Drexel 11:00 AM FloWrestling Bloomsburg vs. Presbyterian at Franklin & Marshall 11:30 AM VMI at Franklin & Marshall 11:30 AM Centennial Conference Digital Network Clarion vs. Little Rock at Drexel 12:30 PM West Liberty at Drexel 12:30 PM FloWrestling Bloomsburg vs. Michigan State at Franklin & Marshall 1:00 PM Presbyterian at Franklin & Marshall 1:00 PM Centennial Conference Digital Network Indiana at Princeton 1:00 PM ESPN+ Bellarmine at Queens 1:00 PM Queens Athletics All-Access Clarion at Drexel 2:00 PM FloWrestling Lehigh at Penn State 2:00 PM Big Ten Network Oklahoma at West Virginia 2:00 PM ESPN+ Bucknell at Wisconsin 2:00 PM B1G+ Bloomsburg at Franklin & Marshall 2:30 PM Centennial Conference Digital Network Michigan State vs. Presbyterian at Franklin & Marshall 2:30 PM St. Andrews at Queens 3:00 PM Queens Athletics All-Access Illinois at Pittsburgh 6:00 PM ACC Network Extra

The Cliff Keen Invitational in Las Vegas is regularly one of the top tournaments of the year, and that is certainly true this season. The field includes 35 teams and some of the top wrestlers in the country. Not all teams are sending everyone, but there will still be plenty of high-level and interesting contests. The following is a look at the top potential match at each weight. 125: No. 2 Matt Ramos (Purdue) vs. No. 5 Michael DeAugustino (Michigan) The top of the 125-pound rankings has been a bit of an adventure so far this season. Ramos started the year ranked number one after finishing second at the last NCAA tournament. Since then he has lost to high schooler Marcus Blaze and No. 1 Jakob Camacho (NC State). At the same time, he also bested then-top-ranked No. 3 Anthony Noto (Lock Haven). There was potential for a rematch between Ramos and Camacho in this tournament, but the NC State wrestler was not included in the pre-seeds. In that case, the most interesting potential match for Ramos becomes DeAugustino. The transfer from Northwestern was a four-time NCAA qualifier for the Wildcats and finished fourth at the 2022 NCAA tournament. He has wrestled only once since transferring to Michigan and picked up an 8-1 decision over No. 24 Nick Babin (Columbia). 133: No. 1 Daton Fix (Oklahoma State) vs. No. 4 Kai Orine (NC State) The next chapter in the rivalry between Fix and returning champion No. 2 Vito Arujau (Cornell) will need to wait. After an incredibly impressive summer wrestling freestyle, Arujau has only competed in the Journeymen Classic, where he lost a surprising decision against No. 5 Ryan Crookham (Lehigh). At this time, he is not entered. Fix is back for one final year of college wrestling after finishing second three times and fourth once, he is looking to finally end up on the top of the podium. In his only match this season, he scored a fall over No. 21 Kurt Phipps (Bucknell). Orine represents a tough early-season test for Fix. The two wrestled at the 2022 NCAA tournament, and the Oklahoma State wrestler scored a 7-4 decision. 141: No. 3 Lachlan McNeil (North Carolina) vs. No. 4 Brock Hardy (Minnesota) As a redshirt freshman last season, McNeil finished fourth at 141 pounds to become an All-American. The Tar Heel has also competed extensively internationally in freestyle for Canada and collected a silver medal at the 2022 Commonwealth Games. McNeil has won all six of his matches to start his sophomore campaign, and all six of those victories have come with bonus points. After a tough start to last season, Hardy settled down and turned himself into a contender at this weight. He ended up finishing sixth at the NCAA tournament in his first trip to the event. These two wrestled in that tournament where McNeil scored a 5-2 decision victory. 149: No. 1 Ridge Lovett (Nebraska) vs. No. 4 Caleb Henson (Virginia Tech) Lovett was a finalist at this weight in the 2022 NCAA tournament. After a redshirt year last season, he has returned to form this year. He is undefeated through six matches and won the title at the Navy Classic. Lovett’s run to start the year includes an 11-1 major decision over No. 11 Kellyn March (North Dakota State) and a 48-second fall over No. 31 Dylan Chappell (Bucknell). Henson started basically the whole way as a true freshman last season. He finished fifth at this weight to become an All-American. His quest to return to the podium has gotten off to an undefeated 12-0 start. Already this season, Henson has won both the Southeast Open and the Keystone Classic. His biggest victory so far was a 10-5 decision over No. 5 Dylan D’Emilio earlier this month. 157: No. 3 Peyton Robb (Nebraska) vs. No. 5 Bryce Andonian (Virginia Tech) Entering his senior season, Robb already has quite the resume. He is a four-time NCAA qualifier and a two-time All-American. Last season, he finished sixth at the NCAA tournament and will be looking to improve on that this year. Robb has won all seven of his matches to date. At the Navy Classic, he claimed the tournament title with six victories and five coming with bonus points. Andonian wrestled somewhat sparingly to start last season, and he finished the year with only 16 matches. Despite the lack of competition, he still finished seventh at the NCAA tournament to earn All-American status for the second straight season. Andonian has already wrestled seven matches to start this season, and he has won them all. In his season debut, he scored a 7-4 decision over No. 16 Paddy Gallagher (Ohio State) and recently won the Keystone Classic. 165: No. 2 David Carr (Iowa State) vs. No. 3 Cam Amine (Michigan) Carr appeared to be the clear favorite at 165 pounds last year as he dominated the field and scored a pair of victories over No. 1 Keegan O’Toole (Missouri) prior to the NCAA tournament. Unfortunately for him, in the final match of the year, the Missouri wrestler pulled off the upset and claimed the title. He has returned to his dominant way to start the year. In his four victories this season, he has already picked up wins over No. 5 Dean Hamiti (Wisconsin) and No. 6 Michael Caliendo (Iowa). At the end of the last three seasons, Amine has found himself on the All-American podium. Last season, he matched his previous year with a fourth-place finish. Amine has wrestled only twice so far this season, but he has won both of those matches via bonus. In his season debut, he scored an 18-6 major decision over Andrew Garr (Columbia) and followed that up with a third-period technical fall over Cole McComas (Rider). 174: No. 3 Shane Griffith (Michigan) vs. No. 5 Carson Kharchla (Ohio State) Griffith made the move to Michigan this past offseason after four seasons at Stanford. At this previous stop, he made the All-American podium three times and won the title at 165 pounds in 2021. So far at his new school and his new weight, Griffith has won both of his matches over Garrett Bilgrav (Columbia) and Michael Wilson (Rider). A potential match against Kharchla is interesting for a variety of reasons. The Ohio State wrestler has consistently dealt with injuries during his college career, and he pulled out of the Clarion Open earlier this month. However, since then, he has gotten back on track with wins in his last four bouts. Griffith and Kharchla wrestled in the 2021 edition of this tournament, and Griffth escaped with a 5-4 decision. Expect another close decision if this one happens again. 184: No. 1 Parker Keckeisen (Northern Iowa) vs. No. 4 Chris Foca (Cornell) After two third-place finishes and a runner-up performance at the NCAA tournament, Keckeisen enters this year as the favorite at 184 pounds. So far, he has looked the part. He has won all four of his matches including a 17-3 major decision over Iowa State freshman Tate Naakgeboren. However, his most impressive win this year came at the All-Star Classic where he bested No. 2 Bernie Truax (Penn State) in the exhibition match. Foca has moved up to 184 pounds this year after finishing third one weight down last year. It should be an interesting first-time match if he ends up facing Keckeisen. This season, Foca went 3-0 at the Mat Town Open and scored a 40-second fall over Sacred Heart’s Logan Michael. 197: No. 5 Trent Hidlay (NC State) vs. No. 3 Tanner Sloan (South Dakota State) Last week, Hidlay took a little break from the college season to enter the Bill Farrell. He entered the freestyle event at 86 kg hoping to secure a spot in the upcoming Olympic Trials. Hidlay not only won the event, but in the finals, he picked up a 2-1 victory over former Hodge Trophy winner Alex Dieringer. This tournament will mark his return to folkstyle. In his last season of college wrestling, he has started 7-0 with all bonus-point victories. He is looking to make one final run at an NCAA title after finishing fourth last season. If Hidlay hopes to keep his winning streak alive, he will likely need to get past Sloan. The South Dakota State wrestler made the finals at this weight last season before coming up short against Pittsburgh’s Nino Bonaccorsi. So far this year, he has won both of his official matches. Sloan did drop an exhibition match against three-time NCAA champion No. 1 Aaron Brooks (Penn State), who has moved up to 197 pounds this year, at the NWCA All-Star Classic. 285: No. 2 Wyatt Hendrickson (Air Force) vs. No. 7 Yonger Bastida (Iowa State) Hendrickson had a bit of a coming-out party last season. After two seasons of qualifying for the NCAA tournament, he broke out with a third-place finish at the NCAA tournament. His only losses throughout the season were to eventual champion Mason Parris and No. 1 Greg Kerkvliet (Penn State). Over the summer, Hendrickson took it to another level with a gold medal performance at the U23 World Championships. In his only action so far this year, Hendrickson dropped a match against Kerkvliet at the All-Star Classic. There was speculation that he would sit out this event due to injury, but he has registered for the tournament. There might be higher-ranked heavyweights in this tournament, but it is hard to ignore the intrigue around Bastida. This will be the fourth season of folkstyle wrestling for the freestyle convert, and it will be his first at heavyweight. So far the results have been outstanding as he has won all four of his matches with bonus points. He started the year with three-straight technical falls and then majored Iowa’s Bradley Hill last weekend. This will be his first real shot at high-level heavyweight opposition.

Friday marks the start of one of the tentpole events of the collegiate regular season, the Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational. Typically, the CKLV has an argument for being the toughest in-season tournament in the country. This year there’s no argument. Seven of the top-ten tournament teams in the country will attend. Going further, the field includes 14 of the top-20 teams. From an individual standpoint, five weights have a wrestler that ranked either number one or number two at their respective weights. It’s no exaggeration when someone says that this is like a mini-National Tournament. Last year’s tournament featured six wrestlers who went on to wrestle in the NCAA finals. With an even stronger field expected, that number could rise in 2023. Here’s a weight-by-weight look at the CKLV. In each weight, we’ve noted the ranked wrestlers that are expected to compete, along with analysis, new faces to watch, potential spoilers, and picks for the semifinals and finals. Since this tournament (and the preview) is so large, we’ll break it into two parts. Part one focused on 125-157. 165 lbs Ranked Wrestlers: #2 David Carr (Iowa State), #3 Cam Amine (Michigan), #6 Izzak Olejnik (Oklahoma State), #7 Julian Ramirez (Cornell), #8 Matthew Olguin (Oregon State), #10 Antrell Taylor (Nebraska), #17 Maxx Mayfield (Northwestern), #19 Garrett Thompson (Ohio), #20 Connor Brady (Virginia Tech), #21 Brevin Cassella (Binghamton), #25 Giano Petrucelli (Air Force), #29 Hunter Garvin (Stanford), #30 Stoney Buell (Purdue), #33 Jack Thomsen (Northern Iowa) The first/last/only regular season loss of David Carr’s career came back in December of 2019 at the CKLV semifinals (to Ryan Deakin). A CKLV title is about the only collegiate accomplishment missing from Carr’s lengthy resume. Though he’s only wrestled four matches so far this season, Carr already has two wins over 2023 All-Americans. His most recent one came in a dominating 16-4 major decision over Michael Caliendo at the Cy-Hawk Dual. Carr’s primary competition will come from three-time All-American Cam Amine. Though he and Carr were on the 2023 NCAA podium at this weight, the two have yet to meet. Amine has a chunk of his 2022-23 season disrupted due to injury; however, he’s looked very good during his limited action this season. Interestingly enough, the other All-American at this weight, Izzak Olejnik, did not meet Carr or Amine last year. He did meet Amine at the 2022 national tournament and Amine prevailed, 4-2. That result may not mean much to Olejnik, one of the stars of the All-Star Classic. He reversed a 2023 NCAA result against two-time AA Dean Hamiti in State College. The move to Stillwater may already have paid dividends. This weight also has a pair of veterans who are potential high-finishers here and in Kansas City despite not having made the NCAA, yet. Julian Ramirez is a two-time Bloodround finisher for Cornell. He earned the fourth seed at the 2023 national tournament after winning his first EIWA title. Ramirez was the CKLV champion last year. Coming in third in that bracket was Matthew Olguin. After Vegas, Olguin went on to capture a Pac-12 title by upsetting past national champion Shane Griffith. That led to an eighth seed at nationals; however, Olguin went 1-2. New face(s): The beauty of college wrestling is sometimes we have freshmen that everyone expects to be good and other times some come out of nowhere. Antrell Taylor is someone most pundits assumed would be very good for Nebraska, provided he found a spot in their crowded lineup. Ohio’s Garrett Thompson is one that most didn’t see coming. While not a freshman, Thompson is a new face on the national scene and announced his presence with a win over All-American Peyton Hall (West Virginia) on the way to a Southeast Open title the first week of the season. He would finish as a runner-up to Taylor at the Navy Classic. Taylor unseated incumbent, Bubba Wilson, to take Nebraska’s starting spot at 165 lbs and has been very impressive thus far. Potential Spoiler: We’re not necessarily sure how 165 lbs will shake out for Ohio State. Isaac Wilcox has gotten the bulk of the work thus far, but Bryce Hepner is very solid and in the rankings. Wilcox certainly could have a national ranking himself. His win over NCAA qualifier Connor Brady was instrumental in the Buckeyes early season win over Virginia Tech. He probably won’t get a great seed, but is definitely a tough matchup waiting to happen. Semifinal Projection: David Carr (Iowa State) vs Julian Ramirez (Cornell); Cam Amine (Michigan) vs. Antrell Taylor (Nebraska) Finals Pick: David Carr (Iowa State) over Cam Amine (Michigan) 174 lbs Ranked Wrestlers: #3 Shane Griffith (Michigan), #5 Carson Kharchla (Ohio State), #7 Cade DeVos (South Dakota State), #12 Travis Wittlake (Oregon State), #13 Adam Kemp (Cal Poly), #21 MJ Gaitan (Iowa State), #22 Austin Murphy (Campbell), #23 Alex Faison (NC State), #24 Lennox Wolak (Columbia), #28 Lance Runyon (Northern Iowa), #30 Danny Wask (Navy), #33 Brody Baumann (Purdue) The top two wrestlers at this weight, we’ve seen before, but not 100% the same situation. Shane Griffith and Carson Kharchla clashed in the 2021 CKLV semifinals for their only career meeting. While Griffith prevailed, it was only the 11th match in an Ohio State singlet for Kharchla. A close loss to the returning national champion indicated he may be a contender immediately. That proved to be the case and Kharchla finished seventh and Griffith returned to the national finals. Since then, both wrestlers have moved up in weight and Griffith has moved on as a graduate transfer from Stanford to Michigan. The move likely serves both well as Griffith is tall and long, while Kharchla is a ball of muscle. This could be the first of three or four meetings between these two, who are now Big Ten rivals. The only returning All-American outside of Griffith/Kharchla in this bracket is Travis Wittlake, who has also changed schools in the offseason from one OSU to another. Wittlake might finally be at an optimal weight class after bouncing from 165 to 184 during the previous two seasons. After the All-Americans, three others have gotten onto the CKLV podium in the past; Cade DeVos, Adam Kemp, and Alex Faison. DeVos was fourth at each of the last two tournaments and comes in as the third seed this time. He also was a match shy of All-American status last season. Kemp used the 2021 tournament as a breakout, of sorts. That year he went on to make the Pac-12 finals and went 1-2 at nationals. He’s looking to return to the big show in 2024. Faison’s eighth-place showing last year helped solidify a starting role in the NC State lineup. He’d take advantage of his opportunity by making the ACC finals and his first trip to nationals. There are some other veterans who have a strong chance at the podium in Austin Murphy, Lennox Wolak, and Lance Runyon. The only blemish on Murphy’s record this year is a one-point loss to Wittlake at the Southeast Open. Wolak was a third-place finisher at the 2023 EIWA Championships and was 1-2 at his first NCAA Tournament. Runyon has been a NCAA podium contender, but battled injuries over the last two years. New face(s)/Potential Spoilers: We’re combining these as I think they can apply here. In Sunday’s Cy-Hawk meet, we saw how MJ Gaitan is a goer and can wrestle an entire seven minutes. That could benefit him in the later rounds if he makes a deep run. Danny Wask has been a tough out for some highly-ranked foes, but then he got on the winning track by cruising through the Navy Classic. Brody Baumann has been solid in the early going for Purdue and has generally beaten the guys you’d expect him to beat. Finally, Oklahoma State’s true freshman Brayden Thompson will come in unseeded. Thompson has a great pre-collegiate pedigree; however, he defaulted out of his Cowboy debut. Semifinal Projection: Shane Griffith (Michigan) vs. Travis Wittlake (Oregon State), Carson Kharchla (Ohio State) vs. Cade DeVos (South Dakota State) Finals Pick: Shane Griffith (Michigan) over Carson Kharchla (Ohio State) 184 lbs Ranked Wrestlers: #1 Parker Keckeisen (Northern Iowa), #3 Trey Munoz (Oregon State), #4 Chris Foca (Cornell), #5 Dustin Plott (Oklahoma State), #7 Lenny Pinto (Nebraska), #8 Gavin Hoffman (Ohio State), #9 Will Feldkamp (Iowa State), #10 Gavin Kane (North Carolina), #13 Troy Fisher (Northwestern), #14 David Key (Navy), #18 Sam Fisher (Virginia Tech), #20 Dylan Fishback (NC State), #21 Jacob Nolan (Binghamton), #24 Caleb Hopkins (Campbell), #27 Sam Wolf (Air Force), #30 Tony Negron (Arizona State), #31 Zayne Lehman (Ohio), #33 Jacob Armstrong (Utah Valley) After 157 lbs, this is my favorite weight in Vegas with six of the top-eight and eight of the top-ten wrestlers in the country. Top-ranked Parker Keckeisen is seeking to improve upon his runner-up finish from last year. Keckeisen was in action last week at the All-Star Classic and managed to come from behind to defeat #2 Bernie Truax in his new home gym. Not counting Keckeisen, the remainder of the weight class has six returning All-Americans. Each of the remaining wrestlers inside of the top ten, excluding Lenny Pinto, has gotten on the NCAA podium at least once. If seeds were to hold up, the quarterfinals could feature All-Americans clashing in three of the four bouts. This bracket got even tougher a few weeks ago as it was announced that 2023 NCAA third-place finisher at 174 lbs, Chris Foca, had planned to move up. Foca has been third at this tournament in each of the last two years. Also placing at 174 lbs in 2022 was Troy Fisher who took fifth. It’s not a stretch to say that the rankings at 184 lbs could be completely different at the conclusion of this tournament. Where this weight separates itself from others is the depth in addition to the top contenders. More than half of the ranked wrestlers at 184 lbs are scheduled to compete. New face(s): There isn’t necessarily room for a freshman to come in and knock off established veterans here. Some weights are more conducive to that than others. At the same time, I’m eager to see how Dylan Fishback fares against this type of competition. So far, he’s passed every test for the Wolfpack. During his last two appearances, Fishback has defeated Jacob Nolan and Ben Pasiuk, both of whom were EIWA finalists and national qualifiers last year. Potential Spoiler: Pay attention to the 10th seed David Key. A two-time national qualifier, Key isn’t someone who necessarily is under the radar, but he’s already notched some impressive wins, via fall this year. In Navy’s first two duals, he prevailed via fall over Dylan Connell (Illinois) and Reece Heller (Pittsburgh). Semifinal Projection: Parker Keckeisen (Northern Iowa) vs. Dustin Plott (Oklahoma State); Trey Munoz (Oregon State) vs. Chris Foca (Cornell) Finals Pick: Parker Keckeisen (Northern Iowa) over Chris Foca (Cornell) 197 lbs Ranked Wrestlers: #3 Tanner Sloan (South Dakota State), #5 Trent Hidlay (NC State), #6 Jacob Cardenas (Cornell), #8 Luke Surber (Oklahoma State), #9 Jaxon Smith (Maryland), #12 Silas Allred (Nebraska), #13 Nick Stemmet (Stanford), #14 Luke Geog (Ohio State), #16 Andy Smith (Virginia Tech), #18 Max Shaw (North Carolina), #20 Evan Bockman (Utah Valley), #21 Evan Bates (Northwestern), #23 Wyatt Voelker (Northern Iowa), #24 Julien Broderson (Iowa State), #25 Levi Hopkins (Campbell), #27 Carson Floyd (Appalachian State), #28 Bobby Striggow (Michigan), #29 Jack Wehmeyer (Columbia) Every once in a while, there’s a CKLV bracket that explodes, seeds go out the window, and nothing goes as expected. That was the case last year when the top half of the bracket featured the fifth and ninth seeds wrestling in the semifinals. The two and six were on the bottom half. When it was all said and done, NC State’s Isaac Trumble took the title. Looking at this year’s crop, could another Wolfpack wrestler win it all? Trent Hidlay comes in as the second seed. He’s moved up to 197 lbs for the first time after spending the remainder of his career at 184. Hidlay’s had plenty of luck in Vegas, winning the tournament in 2022 and finishing second as a freshman. The top seed in last year’s tournament, Tanner Sloan, is also the top seed in 2023. He was upset in the quarterfinals by ninth-seeded Andy Smith. It’s hard to believe but, barring a withdrawal, Smith is set to start the tournament as the ninth seed again. After losing to Smith, Sloan proceeded to go on a 20-match winning streak; taking third place and extending into the Big 12 finals. He’d also make the NCAA Championship match. The only other returning All-American in the bracket is Jacob Cardenas. Cardenas is seeking to place at CKLV for the first time. In 2021, he went 1-2 and last season he did not enter. There are also a pair of wrestlers that fell a match shy of All-American status last year that will be contenders with Jaxon Smith and Silas Allred. As a redshirt freshman, Smith defeated 2022 NCAA champion Max Dean on his way to third place in the Big Ten. Unfortunately, Dean returned the favor in the bloodround. Allred was a Big Ten champion last year but fell to the eventual champion, Nino Bonaccorsi, in the quarterfinals and the returning runner-up, Jacob Warner, in the bloodround. In his last outing, Allred was upset by Luke Stout (Princeton) at the Navy Classic. Coincidentally, Smith’s last match was a win over Stout’s younger brother, Mac. New face(s): We mentioned earlier that Tanner Sloan and Andy Smith could meet again the the quarterfinals. That’s provided Smith gets by Ohio State’s Luke Geog. The two battled earlier in the year and Geog got the 11-7 victory. Aside from that bout, Geog has won his other three matches via tech. Another redshirt freshman to watch is Wyatt Voelker. Since UNI has not wrestled a dual yet, we’ve only seen Voelker once, at the Daktronics Open. Voelker came away with the title and bonus points in three of his fourth matches. Potential Spoiler: A national qualifier in 2021, Max Shaw struggled in 2022 and needed an at-large berth to make the NCAA tournament in 2023 - where he was seeded 32th. Shaw ended up with a pair of consolation wins before his elimination. He’s looked closer to his 2021 form this year and comes in with a spotless record. It wouldn’t be surprising if he made noise as the tenth seed. Semifinal Projection: Tanner Sloan (South Dakota State) vs. Jaxon Smith (Maryland); Trent Hidlay (NC State) vs. Jacob Cardenas (Cornell) Finals Pick: Trent Hidlay (NC State) over Tanner Sloan (South Dakota State) 285 lbs Ranked Wrestlers: #1 Wyatt Hendrickson (Air Force), #3 Lucas Davison (Michigan), #7 Yonger Bastida (Iowa State), #9 Tyrell Gordon (Northern Iowa), #10 Grady Griess (Navy), #13 Owen Trephan (NC State), #15 Taye Ghadiali (Campbell), #16 Konner Doucet (Oklahoma State), #17 Nick Feldman (Ohio State). #18 Hunter Catka (Virginia Tech), #19 Seth Nevills (Maryland), #20 Keaton Kluever (Hofstra), #21 Lewis Fernandes (Cornell), #22 Boone McDermott (Oregon State), #23 Cory Day (Binghamton), #24 Trevor Tinker (Cal Poly), #27 Hayden Copass (Purdue), #30 David Szuba (Rider), #33 Jonathan Chesser (The Citadel) Last year’s tournament ended with a Michigan heavyweight getting his hand raised in the finals - this year it’s possible as well. Hodge Trophy winner Mason Parris has moved on, but the Wolverines were able to add Lucas Davison from the transfer portal. In fact, it was Davison who Parris defeated while the former was at Northwestern. It was the second time that Davison has placed at this event; he was fifth in 2021. Aside from Davison, the only other All-Americans in this field are Wyatt Hendrickson and Yonger Bastida. Bastida got on the podium in 2021 at 197 lbs, but has moved up this year. Though he hasn’t wrestled the most difficult schedule, as of yet, Bastida has been an offensive juggernaut racking up 81 points in four matches. Hendrickson recently competed in the All-Star Classic and was soundly defeated by Greg Kerkvliet. I was unsure whether or not a knee injury from U23 Worlds was lingering and would prevent him from entering here. Hendrickson took four at CKLV last year. After the two All-Americans there are 2023 conference champions. Grady Griess (EIWA), Owen Trephan (ACC), and Taye Ghadiali (SoCon) won the respective leagues last season. Griess lost his first bout of the season to Illinois’ Luke Luffman, but is now on a seven-match winning streak. Trephan was seventh here in 2022; but had a rough go of things at the Journeymen Classic a few weeks ago, losing two matches. Ghadiali is 7-0 and pinned two NCAA qualifiers on his way to a Southeast Open title. The third seed is Tyrell Gordon who finished fifth at last year’s CKLV, but has yet to take the mat in 2023-24. He was also third in a deep Big 12 weight class that had eight automatic qualifiers for Tulsa. New face(s): One of the most anticipated freshmen to watch this season is Nick Feldman, the top recruit in the Class of 2022, who was injured and missed most of the 2022-23 campaign. Feldman is a perfect 9-0 with bonus points in seven of those contests. His best win to date has come over Virginia Tech’s national qualifier Hunter Catka. We’ll find out quickly where Feldman belongs in the pecking order of heavyweights, as he could have Konner Doucet in the Round of 16 and Wyatt Hendrickson in the quarterfinals. Potential Spoiler: With such a large group of seeded wrestlers, anyone could be a spoiler. Seth Nevills, Keaton Kluever, and Lewis Fernandes are all double digit seeds that are capable of knocking off higher ranked opponents. Semifinal Projection: Wyatt Hendrickson (Air Force) vs. Tyrell Gordon (Northern Iowa); Lucas Davison (Michigan) vs. Yonger Bastida (Iowa State) Finals Pick: Wyatt Hendrickson (Air Force) over Yonger Bastida (Iowa State)