InterMat Staff

On the day before Thanksgiving, the NC State coaching staff received a verbal commitment from California state champion Daniel Zepeda (Gilroy, CA). Zepeda is currently ranked ninth overall in the Class of 2025 by MatScouts. With Zepeda’s commitment fresh on the minds of wrestling fans, it seemed like an appropriate time to revisit NC State’s history of signing top-tier recruits under Pat Popolizio. During Popolizio’s time in Raleigh (2012 - present), the Wolfpack have been a frequent threat for the top spot in national recruiting rankings. While the 2023 class was ranked 18th, the previous two were noted in the top-five. Early in his tenure (2016), Popolizio and staff signed the top class in the nation. So, how does one receive such an honor for their recruiting class? It depends. For the most part, NC State hasn’t always signed top-ten recruits, but they have banked on the next tier of recruits. They’ve also been able to identify recruits that others have missed and turned them into national contenders (Mike Macchiavello, Kevin Jack, and Tariq Wilson). Another trademark of NC State’s recruiting classes has been large quantities of signees. Some power programs only get a couple of signees per year; however, they ranked very highly (Ohio State, typically). NC State has done a little of both. The title of this article uses the word “elite.” What exactly is an “elite” recruit? It’s hard to say and the number can vary from year to year. One crop of recruits could be much deeper than one of its predecessors. For the intents and purposes of this article, we’ll say that top-30 in your graduating class constitutes “elite.” Should Zepeda maintain (or improve) upon his current standing in the Class of 2025 and sign with the Pack, it would make him the 13th top-30 recruit to sign with the team since Popolizio’s arrival. Below are those 13 wrestlers, separated by their respective recruiting classes. The number next to their name is their overall ranking in the graduating class by MatScouts/InterMat. Class of 2023 #24 Koy Buesgens (New Prague, Minnesota) Class of 2022 #6 Dylan Fishback (Dublin Coffman, Ohio) Because of the existing talent on the Wolfpack roster in the upperweights, Fishback was able to redshirt in 2022-23 and amassed a solid 15-6 record. This year he’s been the guy at 184 lbs and has responded with a 6-0 start to his career. In his last two matches, Fishback has earned wins over returning national qualifiers. #13 Matthew Singleton (Woodward Academy, Georgia) As a true freshman, Singleton was inserted into the NC State lineup at 165 lbs relatively late in the game. With only three duals remaining in the conference dual season, Singleton went 2-1 with a win over Virginia Tech’s Connor Brady. He’d later finish fourth in the conference, which wasn’t high enough for an automatic berth to Tulsa. With only a small body of work at 165 lbs, Singleton wasn’t selected as an at-large. After the collegiate season, Singleton earned a spot on the U20 freestyle team and returned from the World Championships with a bronze medal. He’s now competed at U20 World's in both freestyle and Greco-Roman. #28 Jackson Arrington (Forest Hills, Pennsylvania) A starter at 149 lbs from day one, Jackson Arrington amassed a 23-9 record as a true freshman for NC State. In the postseason, Arrington was an ACC finalist and advanced to the NCAA bloodround before his elimination. As a sophomore, Arrington appears to have taken the next step and has benefited from the new rules change. In six bouts, he’s scored six tech falls. To keep with the synergy of the number six, that’s Arrington’s current national ranking. Class of 2021 #23 Joey Milano (Spring-Ford, PA) Milano had a promising redshirt year that saw him go 25-6 at 184 lbs. He was expected to be in the mix as a starter last season at 174 lbs. During the first three weeks of the year, he suffered three losses and gave way to Alex Faison. Milano transferred to Purdue in the offseason but is not currently listed on the Boilermakers roster. #30 Stevo Poulin (Shenandehowa, NY) 125 lbs is generally regarded as the hardest weight class to fill which makes sense because we’re discussing 19-23-year-old young men that are still growing, in some instances. That being said, NC State has had some good 125’s come through their doors lately. Current #3 Jakob Camacho and 2022 ACC champion Jarrett Trombley are both still on the Wolfpack roster. Stevo Poulin was in the mix for NC State, compiling a 6-0 record during his redshirt season. He later moved on to Northern Colorado, where he won the Big 12, earned the sixth seed at nationals in 2023, and advanced to the bloodround. Class of 2020 #17 Ryan Jack (Danbury, CT) Older brother Kevin Jack stormed onto the scene and took the nation by surprise as a true freshman All-American, on his way to earning All-American honors three times. Because of Kevin’s success, Ryan wasn’t quite as “under the radar” and has been a consistent cog in the NC State machine. In both of his years as a starter, the younger Jack has made the ACC finals. He’s still seeking his first NCAA podium finish, as he went 1-2 last year after earning the number five seed. #18 Ed Scott (Dubois, PA) Ed Scott got the call right away and was NC State’s starter at 149 lbs as a true freshman. He responded with a 6-6 season and was unable to qualify for nationals. Since that point, Scott has moved up to 157 lbs and thrived. During his two full seasons at the weight, Scott has combined to go 50-13 with a fifth-place finish in 2023 in Tulsa. Last year, Scott was in a meatgrinder of an ACC weight that featured two other All-Americans. While Scott is in his fourth year as a starter for the Wolfpack, he does have an option of an additional year of eligibility due to the Covid season in 2021. #29 Isaac Trumble (Millard South, NE) The big man from Nebraska saw some action during the Covid season but ultimately did not start in the postseason for NC State. A year later, he jumped into the Wolfpack lineup and made the first of two ACC finals appearances. In both seasons, Trumble was seeded top-15 at nationals; however, he is still seeking his first All-American award. Trumble has also had great success on the freestyle circuit. This spring, Trumble made the US Open finals at 97 kgs. A few months later, Trumble mowed down the field at the U23 World Championships. He posted tech falls in three of his four bouts and 11 points was his lowest-scoring output in any single match. The U23 world championship allows Trumble to sit out the 2023-24 campaign and use an Olympic redshirt. Class of 2018 #18 Trent Hidlay (Mifflin County, PA) Like the aforementioned Jack brothers, Hayden Hidlay set the stage for Trent Hidlay at NC State and raised expectations from fans. It’s safe to say that Trent has proven himself worthy of any pre-collegiate hype surrounding him. Trent has gotten onto the NCAA podium three times at 184 lbs and amassed a record of 78-11. In each of the last three years, Hidlay has claimed an ACC title and a top-three seed at NCAA’s. This year, Hidlay has moved up to 197 lbs and looks as good as ever. He’s earned bonus points in every bout thus far, with his closest match being a 12-3 major decision over All-American Michael Beard. Trent has also has plenty of freestyle accolades. He has Junior and U23 World medals and recently won the Bill Farrell, locking up a spot at the Olympic Trials. #23 Jakob Camacho (Danbury, CT) Jakob Camacho has been in the NC State lineup since his freshman year and has been an All-American threat the entire time. The two-time ACC champion earned second-team NWCA All-American honors in 2020, but is still looking to actually get on the NCAA podium. Camacho took a large step in that direction with an impressive 8-5 decision over returning NCAA finalist Matt Ramos (Purdue) earlier this year at WrangleMania. That’s not even the first win of that magnitude for Camacho. Back in the 2020 ACC finals, he defeated the returning runner-up, Jack Mueller (Virginia). Class of 2016 The 2016 Class was ranked number one in the nation and helped turn NC State into a consistent top-ten program and a team trophy threat on a consistent basis. In addition to the wrestlers featured below, three other wrestlers from this group earned All-American honors (two via the NCAA and one from the NWCA). #4 Nick Reenan (Wyoming Seminary, PA) A longtime member of the NC State squad, Nick Reenan is someone who battled through injuries during his time in Raleigh. Even so, Reenan was able to qualify for the national tournament on three occasions. In 2019, Reenan was seeded seventh at nationals, but went 1-2. That previous summer, Reenan won the World Team Trials and advanced to participate in the very first Final X event. #6 Hayden Hidlay (Mifflin County, PA) Hayden Hidlay will go down as one of the all-time greats in the history of NC State wrestling. As a redshirt freshman, Hidlay went undefeated in the regular season and earned the top seed at the 2018 national tournament. He’d advance all the way to the finals before suffering his first loss at the hands of three-time champion Jason Nolf (Penn State). When it was all said and done, Hidlay put together a 110-11 career record. That included four ACC titles and four trips to the top-eight at the NCAA Championships; never finishing lower than fifth.

Pine-Richland

North Allegheny

The Cy-Hawk dual is in the books and just like the past 18 times, the 2023 version fell in Iowa’s favor. Despite losing a handful of key contributors in the offseason, Iowa managed to put together an impressive lineup with the help of the transfer portal, the recruiting trail, and in-room progression. With the dual still fresh in our minds, here are some important reactions to the action that went down in Ames on Sunday afternoon. 1. Tom Brands - Strategist When fans think of Tom Brands as a coach, I’m sure that most will think of his motivational tactics or training methods. Those attributes might be accurate and some of his strong points, as a coach; however, something that doesn’t get mentioned often are his prematch and in-match strategic decisions. In his post-match interview, Gabe Arnold revealed that Brands asked him on Saturday if he’d be willing to wrestle at 184 lbs against Iowa State. We all know how that turned out as Arnold took out his second All-American in as many weeks (up a weight, to boot). With Arnold up at 184 lbs, that opened a slot at 174 lbs for Patrick Kennedy, who had yet to compete during the 2023-24 campaign. Kennedy may have come out before he was actually ready, but nonetheless, he got the job done and won a pivotal bout for the Hawkeyes. It takes a lot of guts and belief in your wrestlers, particularly a true freshman to make this type of a lineup swap. Typically, it isn’t done at the collegiate level. Had it backfired and MJ Gaitan completed his comeback against Kennedy and All-American Will Feldkamp prevailed against Arnold, I’m sure many people would have questioned Brands’ move. In the days leading up to the dual, our own Willie Saylor and others were wondering aloud whether Brands and Iowa State’s Kevin Dresser would do some of thing bumping to find optimal matchups. I wasn’t sure just because of the fact that we haven’t seen it much during Brands’ tenure in Iowa City. Now, the reason for that is partly because Iowa’s best/normal lineup is typically better than 98% of their opponents. In most cases, a lineup tweak either isn’t needed or might end up benefiting the other squad. A bit of luck plays into these situations, as well. A team has to have depth at a potential weak spot (or two) for the opponents to really pull this off. As Willie was speculating on possible lineup bumping scenarios, would it have been beneficial for Iowa State to insert true freshman Tate Naaktgeboren at 184 lbs and move Feldkamp to 197? Arnold and Naaktgeboren squared off in the Iowa 3A state finals last season (and a couple other times) and the result was always razor-thin but in Arnold’s favor. That still gives three points to the Hawkeyes, but would it have increased the Cyclone's chances at 197? Feldkamp against Zach Glazier? Feldkamp is tall and long and has made the national tournament at 197 lbs, so size would have favored Glazier, but just slightly. After watching the actual action, I’m not sure if that would have made a difference. But those are the questions the Iowa State bench is left to ponder after letting a big opportunity like this slide by. Lineup decisions, plus as Dresser discussed in his press conference, the decision to tell Gaitan to ride Kennedy for the final :14 instead of kicking him away for the winning takedown (while mixing up who had riding time), and potential brick usage at 141 lbs are factors that gave the coaching edge to Brands and the Iowa sideline on Sunday afternoon. 2. Freshmen Are Ready Some of the debate surrounding takedowns, the hand touch rule, lineups, and brick usage obscured the fact that we saw some excellent performances from freshmen on Sunday. Arnold being the obvious one, with a huge win over a returning All-American, up a weight. The Iowa braintrust has a decision to make (not immediately) about 174 lbs. Patrick Kennedy is a returning Big Ten finalist and someone who can contend for the podium at that weight once he’s fully healthy and in-shape to wrestle seven-plus minutes. Arnold has already shown that he could be a high-finisher at the weight, perhaps with more upside. To make things more complicated, it appears as if Brennan Swafford won’t be available for an extended period, if at all, for the remainder of the season. Do you proceed with a lineup that features Kennedy at 174 and an undersized, but extremely talented Arnold at 184? Do you keep Arnold in redshirt and proceed with Kennedy at 174? What about Arnold at 174 and Kennedy or someone else at 184? In the highest levels of DI wrestling (with redshirts available - not the Ivy League), you don’t typically see a true freshman wrestle up a weight, when he could be the better option at his optimal weight. Wrestling can be a selfish endeavor. Many times, the answer is to start the best option (Arnold?) and let everything else sort itself out. These are some interesting decisions that will face Iowa in the coming weeks. Aside from Arnold, there were still other impressive showings from freshmen. At 133 lbs, Evan Frost took out a past Big 12 champion (Brody Teske) with a third-period takedown and a tilt. In many people’s eyes, Frost wasn’t even penciled in as the Cyclones preseason starter, it was fellow redshirt freshman Garrett Grice, an offseason transfer from Virginia. Frost won the intrasquad bout between the two and hasn’t looked back. A win like his over Teske will buy him even more time in the lineup. At 157 lbs, the Cyclones Cody Chittum had one of the more difficult matchups of the dual with second-ranked Jared Franek, a returning NCAA fourth-place finisher. The battle-tested Chittum never looked out of place and nearly pulled off a stunner, spinning behind Franek hundredths of a second after the final horn sounded. While it’s a loss on the stat sheet, it could be a win in the long run. Nearly knocking off a wrestler of Franek’s caliber in only your third collegiate match should do wonders for Chittum’s confidence. While not technically a freshman, Anthony Echemendia is also a new face on the collegiate season and a welcome addition to the 141 lb weight class. Echemendia wrestled a smart match on his feet; holding position, drawing stall calls, and limiting Real Woods’ offense. He and the Cyclone staff wisely chose not to go underneath Woods. As Echemendia competes more, we’ll see just how much his mat-game has improved. If he can get out from solid, but not great riders, he could be a contender at the weight. 3. Another heavyweight contender? Speaking of new contenders, I think we have one at 285 lbs. Calling a guy ranked seventh at a weight class a contender isn’t a stretch, I realize that, but there are levels to it. Are they a true title contender? A sure bet to make the podium? A possible low-podium threat? Yonger Bastida moved up to 285 lbs in the offseason, so it’s hard to project just how someone fits in making that particular jump. The eyeball test says that Bastida shouldn’t be overmatched physically by the field. The days of heavyweights like Cole Konrad, bulky 6’6”-ish and 280 lbs monsters, are not currently “in.” Now, the top big men are in the 235-260 lb range. Many of them grew up wrestling a smaller weight and have grown into the weight class. They possess offensive abilities that few big men of yesteryear can fathom. Your top-three guys at the weight all fit the bill here. Greg Kerkvliet, Wyatt Hendrickson, and Lucas Davison. Does Bastida belong in that conversation? Obviously, a major decision over redshirt freshman Bradley Hill doesn’t necessarily mean you’re in the top-four nationally. Again, the eyeball test says that his offensive arsenal could present problems for a handful of wrestlers currently ranked above him. Now, through four matches, Bastida has posted 81 points in only four matches. Pumping the brakes ever so slightly on the Bastida bandwagon, he’s only beaten one ranked wrestler in those four contests; #25 Daniel Bucknavich (Cleveland State); however, it’s still quite a number. The next couple of weeks should give a better idea as to where exactly Bastida belongs in the pecking order at 285 lbs. At the Collegiate Duals, all three of his projected opponents are ranked. Two of them are in the top-21 with #11 Dayton Pitzer (Pittsburgh) and #21 Lewis Fernandes (Cornell). Pitzer is one of those wrestlers still growing into a heavyweight’s body, but is mega-talented. Fernandes and Bastida met at the 2022 Collegiate Duals, when Bastida bumped up from 197 lbs. As a 197 lber, he won 4-2. Does he widen the gap as a heavyweight? Right after the New Year, Iowa State is slated to meet Arizona State, which means a possible match with Greco world teamer #4 Cohlton Schultz. Schultz presents a different challenge from Kerkvliet, Hendrickson, and Davison. He’s more tactical and deliberate. Hand-fighting and positioning will be at a premium. Let’s revisit this discussion after January 5th. 4. 125 is bananas So far, the weight class that I’ve dedicated the most time to studying, from a rankings perspective, is 125 lbs. In less than a month, we’ve already had two different wrestlers hold the number one ranking (Matt Ramos - Purdue and Anthony Noto - Lock Haven). Of course, Ramos also defeated Noto by a major decision at the All-Star Classic. The wrestler who may even be considered the favorite, Richie Figueroa (Arizona State), has yet to take the mat this season. Going beyond the top couple of contenders, this weight is loaded with talent. As we saw on Sunday, #17 Drake Ayala (Iowa) took out #8 Kysen Terukina (Iowa State) in a 7-1 match. That score might even be deceiving in that Ayala left a takedown or two on the board. Over in the other dual that took place Sunday afternoon, two-time All-American Patrick McKee (Minnesota) fell to unbeaten Tanner Jordan (South Dakota State) in a wild bout. A week ago, Ayala fell to Oregon State’s Brandon Kaylor. Terukina had his way with two-time All-American Eric Barnett (Wisconsin). This was after Kaylor was shut down by North Carolina’s Spencer Moore on the opening day of the regular season. Going even further, 2023 All-American Eddie Ventresca (Virginia Tech) already has five losses. The #31st seed at 133 lbs for the 2023 NCAA Tournament, Jack Maida (American), has dropped down and beaten Ventresca and 2023 bloodround finisher Braxton Brown (Maryland); who has subsequently moved to 133. It’s enough to make your head spin. I imagine this weight class will get crazy in Las Vegas at the Cliff Keen Invitational. Half of the top-20 are scheduled to appear. More than any other weight, I could see a semifinal that includes the number one and the #12 seed meeting up top, while say, #7 and #11 meet on the bottom. I don’t see it sorting itself out either. There are too many good wrestlers that will likely beat up on each other and make the weight totally unpredictable.

It was a light week overall with Thanksgiving Break so I’m mixing up my typical wrap-up. Just two Big 12 duals occurred on Sunday, but both had some great action and huge results. The South Dakota State Jackrabbits kicked the day off, taking on Minnesota in an exciting matchup. Starting at 125, #22 Tanner Jordan took out #6 Pat McKee for the first time with a 9-4 decision. In a wild match that had two reversals for both wrestlers, Jordan broke it open late with a tilt for back points. The Jackrabbits continued the momentum, as Derrick Cardinal beat freshman standout Tyler Wells with a 5-3 decision. Wells teched Cardinal at the Bison Open earlier this month. Unfortunately, Minnesota came back with four wins of their own, including an overtime match between ranked opponents at 157lbs. #13 Michael Blockhus took out #11 Cael Swensen with a late surge to go to overtime and took the match there. Unranked Blaine Brenner took out #19 Tanner Cook in a bout that SDSU needed to win. Cade DeVos and Tanner Sloan got wins, but no Bennett Berge meant big team points for Minnesota at 184. There was still a chance with just heavyweight remaining, but SDSU had to get a bonus as criteria was against them. Luke Rasmussen made a late push, but dropped the final match 9-7 as SDSU lost a very fun 19-13 dual. Once Clay Carlson and Bennett Berge are consistently in the lineup, the Jackrabbits are only going to be more dangerous. Iowa-Iowa State was one of the most hyped duals of the season, and it lived up to it. Iowa took the dual 18-14 and six of the ten matches. Iowa State had some great moments early, but surprisingly struggled at the upper weights. #8 Kysen Terukina lost to #17 Drake Ayala, but #19 Evan Frost got Iowa State on the board with a shocking win over #8 Brody Teske. Frost not only scored the only takedown, but hit a tilt for back points to cap it. The two teams continued to split matches, as Iowa won 141 and 157 while Iowa State won 149 and 165. #19 Anthony Echemendia was razor close to taking out #1 Real Woods, with a controversial “no challenge” from Iowa State on a potential takedown. In overtime, Woods shot quickly and converted a takedown for the close win. #14 Casey Swiderski took out #9 Victor Voinovich, where Iowa State again won the takedown battle. Then at 157 #2 Jared Franek and true freshman #18 Cody Chittum went to the wire, with Iowa State again just barely running out of time on a takedown attempt. #2 David Carr demolished #5 Mikey Caliendo with a 16-4 major that included three takedowns. Weight bumps were discussed for both teams coming into the dual, and Iowa was the team to follow through. They bumped up #14 Patrick Kennedy, a 165lber last season, to take on #21 MJ Gaitan. Kennedy built an early 12-4 lead going into the third, but Gaitan scored three takedowns of his own. Down one with riding time, Gaitan stayed on top and ended up dropping a 14-13 match. Afterwards, Coach Dresser admitted that it was a coaching mistake, and they should have had him cut a gassed Kennedy to try and get one more takedown, although time was against him. With Kennedy at 174, true freshman Gabe Arnold bumped up to 184. Despite getting a top 12 win at 174 against Oregon State, Arnold got a top eight win while up a weight. He scored an early takedown on #6 Will Feldkamp and didn’t have to do much else. Feldkamp was looking for offense from overhooks and Arnold did a smart job wrestling positionally to not give anything up outside of escapes. At 197, Iowa State needed #24 Julien Broderson to take out #22 Zach Glazier to stay in the dual. Unfortunately for the Cyclones, Glazier scored the only takedowns of the match to clinch the dual. #7 Yonger Bastida scored a 17-6 major decision to end the dual on a less sour note for Iowa State. Overall the Big 12 teams went 0-2 against the Big 10. However, South Dakota State looked really solid and should be able to look even better once their lineup is healthy. Iowa State had a number of chances, but also seemed to have luck against them. Weird calls, late timing, and a lack of production at the upperweights really hurt a team that could still turn into a trophy contender in March. The upcoming week has much more competition, as many Big 12 teams are headed to the stacked Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational. #21 Air Force, #16 Northern Iowa, #9 Oklahoma State, #11 Iowa State, #13 South Dakota State, Utah Valley, and Wyoming will all compete in Vegas. #3 Missouri takes on #12 Oklahoma in Columbia, MO. The Sooners then head to Morgantown for a dual against #26 West Virginia. North Dakota State stays at home to wrestle Virginia. Northern Colorado has the Cougar Clash tournament listed for December 2nd. California Baptist doesn’t compete this week. All-in-all two great duals that didn’t go the conference’s way, but a chance to really make a statement in a ridiculously stacked Cliff Keen. Add in some solid conference and non-conference duals, and December is looking to start the month strong.

All eyes in the wrestling world were trained solely on Ames, Iowa. No, really. That phrase can be overstated in many cases; however, with the Thanksgiving holiday only four days away, the wrestling calendar was sparse. #7 Iowa traveled to Ames to take on #8 Iowa State live on ESPN’s main channel in the only dual scheduled for Sunday's late-afternoon slot. The stage was set for Iowa State to snap a losing streak that dated back to 2004. A sellout crowd was on hand to watch a Cyclone team that featured four wrestlers ranked in the top-eight and appeared to be the deepest in head coach Kevin Dresser’s time in Ames. While Iowa led 9-6 at halftime, Iowa State knocked off a pair of top-ten wrestlers and was favored in the back half of the dual. The only problem for Iowa State was nobody told the Hawkeyes that it was supposed to be Iowa State’s day. Iowa briefly trailed after NCAA champion David Carr posted a 16-4 major decision for the Cyclones at 165 lbs. The Hawkeyes would win the next four bouts to lock up the dual and their stranglehold on this in-state rivalry. Hawkeye head coach Tom Brands developed a winning blueprint by doing some lineup shuffling for the day. Last time out, true freshman Gabe Arnold took out a former All-American from Oregon State; Travis Wittlake. Conventional wisdom may have sent Arnold out to face redshirt freshman MJ Gaitan, in a match that likely would favor the Hawkeyes. Instead, Brands bumped up Arnold to face a returning All-American at 184 lbs; Will Feldkamp, a Clarion transfer. Then he inserted Patrick Kennedy at 174 lbs. Kennedy, a 2023 Big Ten finalist at 165 lbs, was unavailable up to this point, so the Cy-Hawk dual was his first action of the season. Kennedy defeated Gaitan in a wild 14-13 affair. The Hawkeye went up by as many as nine points and appeared to be on his way to a tech fall. Perhaps with the dual being his first event of the year, Kennedy seemed to hit a wall and Gaitan stormed back. Gaitan dominated the final stanza with a trio of takedowns that saw him tied on the scoreboard with approximately :14 seconds remaining. The Iowa State corner was confused about which wrestler had the riding time advantage (Kennedy did) and advised Gaitan to keep his opponent down. While he was able to ride Kennedy out, the Hawkeye still won after the riding time point was added. In the 184 lb contest, Arnold looked unphased by the bright lights and a daunting opponent. He was able to get the decisive takedown in the first period after dodging Feldkamp’s tie-up attempt, changing his levels and getting in position for a picturesque lift and return. Feldkamp often returned to his overhook series, but was never able to get a legitimate takedown attempt on Arnold. The true freshman grabbed a 3-2 win which put his team up 15-10 with two matches remaining. As is often the case in duals, an unheralded star emerged. In a lineup with three returning All-Americans, it was first-year starter Zach Glazier, a veteran of the Hawkeye program, who ended up playing the hero role. Glazier notched a first-period takedown on a single leg attack, then added a second in the middle period after a flurry that saw both wrestlers in position to score. Aside from that exchange, Cyclone Julian Broderson was never in a position to threaten Glazier. Glazier held his ground for the third period and claimed victory in a 7-3 match that stretched his team to an insurmountable 18-10 lead. Iowa was in position to win after victories from Drake Ayala (125), Real Woods (141), and Jared Franek (157) in the first half of the dual. Ayala rebounded from a dual loss to Oregon State’s Brandon Kaylor last week by downing eighth-ranked Kysen Terukina, 7-2. Ayala was the aggressor throughout the bout and got his first takedown off of a single leg in the second period. Late in the third, Terukina tried to take the lead with a trip attempt. That was nullified by Ayala, who stopped the action and grabbed a leg of his own for an insurance takedown. Woods and Franek both held off frantic comeback attempts from Anthony Echemendia and Cody Chittum, respectively. After a late stalling call pushed his bout into sudden victory, Woods quickly prevailed with a takedown, 4-1. Franek and Chittum engaged in a flurry at the edge of the mat in the waning seconds of the bout. Chittum spun behind Franek but missed out on the winning takedown by a quarter of a second. Franek got by with a 4-2 margin. The loss overshadowed a pair of quality wins in the first half of the dual by a pair of young Cyclones. Redshirt freshman Evan Frost used a misdirection shot and a tight tilt to put eighth-ranked Brody Teske on his back in the third period. Frost won 8-1 in a match that was much closer than the scoreboard would indicate. Two matches later, Casey Swiderski took out a top-ten opponent at 149 lbs in ninth-ranked Victor Voinovich. A pair of first-period takedowns for Swiderski made the difference in a 6-3 victory for the true sophomore. Things were looking promising for the Cyclones after one of the marquee matchups at 165 lbs. ISU star David Carr showed why he is a national champion during his 16-4 major decision over All-American Michael Caliendo. Carr notched four takedowns throughout the match. Though the bout was decided after 197 lbs, heavyweight Yonger Bastida was still very impressive for Iowa State. The former All-American at 197, Bastida continues to be an offensive juggernaut. His 17 points were a “season-low” for the Cyclone. In four matches this season, Bastida has amassed 81 points. He notched five takedowns in a 17-6 major decision over redshirt freshman Bradley Hill. Iowa 18 Iowa State 14 125 - Drake Ayala (Iowa) dec Kysen Terukina (Iowa State) 7-2 133 - Evan Frost (Iowa State) dec Brody Teske (Iowa) 8-1 141 - Real Woods (Iowa) dec Anthony Echemendia (Iowa State) 4-1SV 149 - Casey Swiderski (Iowa State) dec Victor Voinovich (Iowa) 6-3 157 - Jared Franek (Iowa) dec Cody Chittum (Iowa State) 4-2 165 - David Carr (Iowa State) maj Michael Caliendo (Iowa) 16-4 174 - Patrick Kennedy (Iowa) dec MJ Gaitan (Iowa State) 14-13 184 - Gabe Arnold (Iowa) dec Will Feldkamp (Iowa State) 3-2 197 - Zach Glazier (Iowa) dec Julien Broderson (Iowa State) 7-3 285 - Yonger Bastida (Iowa State) maj Bradley Hill (Iowa) 17-6

Evansville

Sheridan

Clovis

Greater Latrobe

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 three 12-5: Bob Dole 11-6: Earl, James, Austin, Nick, Tony, Dysen 10-7: Robbie, Rachel, Richard, Morgan 9-6: Willie, Ryan, Kevin, Jagger Below are the picks for week four. Both of the duals take place this afternoon!

Sunday afternoon, one of the most anticipated duals of the year takes place as Iowa will travel to Ames to take on Iowa State. Yesterday, we released our preview and predictions for the action that takes place. With Iowa slightly down and Iowa State looking very solid, this dual represents the Cyclones best chance to earn a victory in almost 20 years. The last time that Iowa State was able to defeat their in-state rival was December 5th, 2004, when they prevailed 19-16 in Iowa’s fabled Carver-Hawkeye Arena. It’s been a long time since December 5th, 2004. Just how long? Below, we have some fun facts about how different the collegiate wrestling landscape was the last time Iowa State defeated the Hawkeyes. - Head Coaches at the time were Bobby Douglas (Iowa State) and Jim Zalesky (Iowa) - Stars for Iowa State in the dual win include Grant Nakamura (125 lbs) who won by fall, Nate Gallick (141 lbs) who beat Alex Tsirtsis in tiebreakers, Trent Paulson (165) who won a shootout over Joe Johnston, Nick Passolano (174 lbs) who also won a wild one over Luke Lofthouse, and Trevor Smith (197 lbs) who won via major decision. - The December 2004 win for Iowa State is their only victory in Carver-Hawkeye Arena which was built in 1983. - A few weeks after the dual, Iowa finished in second place at the Midlands, Iowa State was third and Illinois took the title with 130.5 points. - A couple months after this dual, Iowa lost to Northwestern for the first time since 1968. That dual saw Adam Fellers get the start for Iowa at 197 lbs. - Iowa would go on to outplace Iowa State at the 2005 NCAA Championships. Iowa was seventh with 66 points (0 champs/4 All-Americans), while Iowa State was tenth with 57 points (0 champs/3 All-Americans). - Earlier in 2004, Oklahoma State won the second of their four straight national titles. They outdistanced second-place Iowa by 41.5 points. - Tom Brands was in his first year as head coach at Virginia Tech. Iowa and Virginia Tech met in a dual and the Hawkeyes won with a 38-0 shutout. It was one of only four losses on the year for Brands at Virginia Tech. - One of Brands’ assistant coaches at Virginia Tech was Doug Schwab. - Kevin Dresser just coached Christiansburg High School to its third consecutive Virginia AA state championship - Terry Brands was in the midst of his third and final season as Head Coach at Chattanooga. Later that season, he’d have two All-Americans Michael Keefe and Jon Sioredas (current Cal Poly head coach). - Iowa assistant coach Ryan Morningstar and Iowa State assistant coach Brent Metcalf just started their senior year of high school wrestling. - A few months before this dual, Iowa State assistant coach Cael Sanderson won an Olympic gold medal in Athens, Greece. Cael’s men’s freestyle Olympic teammates were Stephan Abas, Eric Guerrero, Jamill Kelly, Joe Williams, Daniel Cormier, and Kerry McCoy. - Speaking of Cael; Only he and Pat Smith had won four DI national titles at this time. Three others (Dake/2013, Stieber/2015, and Diakomihalis/2023) have followed. Diakomihalis was five at the time of Iowa State’s last victory. - Iowa State national runner-up Cody Sanderson was the head coach at Utah Valley, which was known as Utah Valley State. - At this time, Iowa State was in the midst of inking the top recruiting class for 2005. That included #4 Cyler Sanderson, #5 Mitch Mueller, #10 Jake Varner, #13 Nick Gallick, David Zabriskie, and Nick Fanthorpe. - The top recruit from the class that just hit campus was Illinois’ Mike Poeta, while Dustin Schlatter (OH/Minnesota) would hold that title for 2005. - Penn State had finished 12th at the 2004 tournament (46.5 points - 0 champs/2 AA’s) and did not crack the top 20 in 2005. - The most recent Hodge Trophy winner was Montana State-Northern’s Emmett Wilson. - The 2004 national tournament featured wrestlers from Boise State, Boston, Cal-State Fullerton, Duquesne, Eastern Illinois, Eastern Michigan, Fresno State, Oregon, Slippery Rock, UC Davis, and UNC Greensboro. All these teams have since dropped wrestling. Fresno State has dropped wrestling twice during this span. Additionally, Millersville had four wrestlers at the 2004 tournament. They have since made the decision to compete at the DII level. - At this time American, Kent State, Missouri, South Dakota State, and UC Davis had not crowned a DI national champion. - The only current DI head coaches that have been with their current school since this time are: Jim Andrassy (Kent State), Tom Borrelli (Central Michigan), Joel Greenlee (Ohio), Mark Manning (Nebraska), Brian Smith (Missouri), John Smith (Oklahoma State), and Jay Weiss (Harvard). - Currently, there are seven DI wrestling conferences. For the 2004 NCAA Tournament, there were 11. Ones that no longer exist include the CAA, East Region, EWL, and the West Region.

Jay County

Clearfield

Paramus Catholic

Wyalusing

Dowling Catholic

West Allegheny

The Thanksgiving break has made for a light week of collegiate action. That being said, one of the most anticipated duals of the season will go down on Sunday afternoon as #7 Iowa travels across the state to take on rival #8 Iowa State, live on ESPN’s main channel. This is one of those duals where you can throw the records out the window as some unexpected results are sure to arise and typically the team score is very close. Both are expected this year. While unexpected individual results have been commonplace, one constant is Iowa’s team dominance in this series. The Hawkeyes have won the last 18 iterations of this matchup and have never lost with Tom Brands at the helm. Iowa State’s last win came in 2004, at Carver-Hawkeye Arena, when Bobby Douglas was the Cyclones head coach. Kevin Dresser took over the reins at the end of the 2016-17 season and injected new life into the rivalry; however, he’s still searching for his first win over Iowa. This dual took an unexpected turn during the offseason as the athletic departments of both schools were at the center of a sports gambling probe. While both wrestling teams were impacted, the Hawkeyes felt the brunt of this scandal much more than the Cyclones. In anticipation of possible sanctions, Brands and the Iowa staff hit the transfer portal hard and added three starters; two of whom are All-Americans. Between transfers, sanctions, and graduation, this is a very “new-look” Hawkeye team. With a few starters lacking postseason experience, it appears as if this is the best chance in over a decade for Iowa State to snap its losing streak versus the Hawks. Even if Iowa looks more vulnerable than at any time since year one of the Brands-era, you can’t count out Iowa. There’s still plenty of talent, combined with pride and a mental edge over their in-state foes. Can Iowa State snap the streak? Absolutely! Will they? Well, that remains to be seen. We’ve gone match-by-match through the dual and previewed the action along with making predictions for each of the ten bouts, which are below. 125 lbs: #17 Drake Ayala (Iowa) vs. #8 Kysen Terukina (Iowa State) As is typically the case between these two rivals, the dual should start at 125 lbs. That’s fine because 125 presents one of the best matchups of the duals, despite the current disparity in the rankings. Both wrestlers moved significantly after their most recent dual. Kysen Terukina jumped sharply as he posted a one-sided major decision over Wisconsin All-American Eric Barnett. It was the second consecutive season in which Terukina easily defeated the Badger star. Terukina will get the call in his second Cy-Hawk dual. In 2022-23, he defeated Jesse Ybarra, 8-2. Later that year, he qualified for his second national tournament. Terukina didn’t get to add to that total last season, as he suffered a season-ending injury in late-November. Drake Ayala dropped in this week's rankings after a one-point loss to Oregon State All-American Brandon Kaylor. Ayala entered the Oregon State match with a 6-0 record and bonus points in all six of his bouts. An injury to Spencer Lee led Ayala to get the call and start as a true freshman in 2021-22. He responded by earning the #13 seed at nationals and went 1-2. Last year, Ayala redshirted and went 13-1 with the lone loss coming to Lee. This match is gigantic since it should set the tone for the rest of the dual. A win by Ayala could make the home crowd restless and think this year is “more of the same.” Pick: Ayala by decision (Iowa 3-0) 133 lbs: #8 Brody Teske (Iowa) vs. #19 Evan Frost (Iowa State) We mentioned momentum. Against a solid Oregon State team, Brody Teske put a quick halt to any potential upset thoughts from the Beavers as he put together an 18-8 major decision against promising redshirt freshman Gabe Whisenhunt. One of the differences in that bout was Teske’s skills from the top position. With another freshman in his sights; Iowa State’s Evan Frost, that could be the case again. Teske is starting to show the form that made him a two-time Big 12 finalist for Northern Iowa and even the fifth seed at the 2021 NCAA Championships. In a relatively light 133 lb field, Teske has already elevated himself to All-American contender status. He’s yet to reach the NCAA podium after falling a match shy in 2021. Frost started the preseason behind fellow redshirt freshman Garrett Grice in many people’s minds. He took the early lead with a win in Iowa State’s intersquad match and has done nothing to indicate he should relinquish the starting role. Frost has put up double digits in each of his first three matches and most recently downed the dangerous Nicolar Rivera (Wisconsin), 11-7. Last year, while redshirting, Frost defeated a pair of Hawkeye wrestlers (Ybarra and Jace Rhodes), but hasn’t met Teske yet. Once again, if Frost can avoid any point-scoring situations on the mat and get out before riding time is secured, this could be a toss-up. For now, I think the veteran has the edge. Pick: Teske by decision (Iowa 6-0) 141 lbs: #1 Real Woods (Iowa) vs. #19 Anthony Echemendia (Iowa State) This is one of the more intriguing matches of the afternoon, more so than most 1 vs 19 matchups typically are. Returning national runner-up, Real Woods, has been really great in his two 2023-24 appearances. In both of Iowa’s duals thus far, he’s turned in tech fall performances. The most recent came over #21 Cleveland Belton in Iowa’s win over Oregon State. This will be Woods’ second year in Iowa City after placing sixth for Stanford in 2022. There appeared to be no adjustment period as Woods jumped into the Hawkeye lineup and won all the way up until the national finals. A Big Ten title gave him the top seed at the 2023 national tournament. Woods comes into this match with a 64-9 career record. Attempting to hand Woods his first regular-season loss in a Hawkeye singlet is Anthony Echemendia. Echemendia started the year at 149 lbs, but dropped for the Wisconsin match. In his first bout of the year at 141 lbs, Echemendia teched the Badgers Felix Lettini. It marked his third tech in as many matches. He’ll be one of the more explosive and dynamic neutral wrestlers at this weight. That makes sense because Echemendia grew up wrestling exclusively freestyle in Cuba. Despite being dangerous from his feet, Echemendia’s mat work will get tested against a high-caliber mat wrestler in Woods. I’d expect a relatively even match on the feet between the two, but Woods separating himself on the mat. And just one takedown from Woods could end up pushing the match into bonus point range. Pick: Woods by major decision (10-0 Iowa) 149 lbs: #9 Victor Voinovich (Iowa) vs. #14 Casey Swiderski (Iowa State) Over the offseason, the Iowa staff hit the transfer portal hard in case some projected starters were unavailable due to the gambling probe. That has proven to be a wise decision by Tom Brands. One of those transfers is Victor Voinovich who comes over from bitter rival Oklahoma State. Voinovich was a big-time recruit from the Class of 2021 (#15 overall) and had a decent redshirt freshman year for the Cowboys. Voinovich was 17-13 and sixth in the Big 12, but did his best work in Tulsa, at nationals, going 2-2. This year, Voinovich is officially 6-0 and pulled out a clutch victory in extra time against Oregon State his last time out. Similar to some of the Hawkeye wrestlers we’ve already discussed, Voinovich should have the edge from the top position, if that becomes available to him. Since Voinovich spent a year in the Big 12, expect the Cyclone staff to have a “book” on him already. Last year, he fell to Paniro Johnson, 3-1. This year, Voinovich should face Casey Swiderski. Swiderski got the call in year one from Kevin Dresser and immediately showed promise with wins over two ranked opponents in his collegiate debut. In the 2022 version of this dual, Swiderski pushed Woods to the limit in a chippy, 3-2 loss. Though he had a bit of an up-and-down freshman season, Swiderski had an excellent national tournament, coming in as the 24th seed at 141 lbs and making it to the Bloodround before his elimination. In the offseason, Swiderski moved up to 149 lbs. He lost in the ISU wrestle-off to Echemendia, but slid back into the starting role at 149, when Echemendia dropped to 141. If the dual plays out as predicted above, winning this bout is critical for the Cyclones. A potential 13-0 deficit heading into a bout where Iowa has the number-two-ranked wrestler in the nation is not a recipe for a win. Swiderski appears to be a wrestler who feeds off the crowd and emotions. I think that works in his favor here and he gets ISU on the board. Pick: Swiderski by decision (10-3 Iowa) 157 lbs: #2 Jared Franek (Iowa) vs. #18 Cody Chittum (Iowa State) Another transfer and the first of two All-Americans to make the trek from Fargo (North Dakota State) to Iowa City is Jared Franek. For the bulk of his career, Franek was a borderline All-American threat who twice lost in the NCAA bloodround. Last year, Franek took a huge step forward and threw himself into the national title contention. In 2022-23, Franek lost his first bout of the year then started a 25-match winning streak with extended into the NCAA quarterfinals. During that time, Franek claimed a title at the Southern Scuffle and his first Big 12 crown. He was a conference runner-up in each of the two previous seasons. Since moving to Iowa, Franek has been perfect with a 7-0 record. Both of his matches this year against DI opposition have ended in regular decisions. That isn’t unusual as he wrestles plenty of close, low-scoring matches. Opposing Franek will be someone who is no stranger to Iowa fans, Cody Chittum. At one time, Chittum was regarded as one of the top prospects in the high school Class of 2023; however, he reclassified and graduated in 2022. Upon graduation, he moved to Iowa City and trained with the Hawkeye Wrestling Club, though he never enrolled at Iowa or signed a national letter of intent. That allowed him to change plans and sign with Iowa State in the offseason. Chittum has seen action in two duals for ISU and majored good competition in both bouts. That being said, a bout with an opponent who finished fourth in the nation last season is a huge step up. I think that Chittum can hang with Franek for now, the veteran may be too polished for the freshman. While this dual takes place in Ames, I’d expect a decent contingent of Hawkeye fans. They might be the most vociferous during this bout, which could lead to the type of chippiness we’ve come to expect (and love) from this rivalry. Pick: Franek by decision (13-3 Iowa) 165 lbs: #5 Michael Caliendo (Iowa) vs. #2 David Carr (Iowa State) The second half of the transfer tandem from North Dakota State is sophomore Michael Caliendo. Caliendo was named the Big 12 Freshman of the Year by InterMat after finishing seventh in the nation in a stacked 165 lb weight class. In early January of last season, Caliendo announced he was for real after taking out 2021 NCAA champion Shane Griffith in dual meet competition. Almost two weeks earlier, Griffith had beaten Caliendo by a point in the Southern Scuffle finals. Wrestling in a Big 12 weight class that featured a pair of returning NCAA champs, Caliendo took third. In fact, of his five losses last season, four came to wrestlers who have won NCAA titles at some point in their careers. Interestingly enough, despite wrestling in the Big 12 last season, Caliendo never crossed paths with David Carr. Since Carr defeated Keegan O’Toole in the regular season, Caliendo was the third seed at the Big 12 tournament and met O’Toole in the semis. When we last saw Carr he was coming off a 2-0 win over two-time All-American Dean Hamiti during the Cyclones shutout of Wisconsin. Carr’s top game was the difference, riding Hamiti for the entire third period and nearly getting backpoints on three different occasions. Carr comes into this match having not lost a regular season bout since December of 2019 and he has never fallen in a collegiate dual meet. I’d guess that the streak extends through this dual. The 2021 national champion is unbeaten during limited action this year and sports a 94-3 career record with three top-three finishes. Pick: Carr by decision (13-6 Iowa) 174 lbs: Gabe Arnold (Iowa) vs. #21 MJ Gaitan (Iowa State) Last week’s dual with Oregon State featured the dual debut of highly-touted freshman Gabe Arnold. And what a debut it was. Arnold got by All-American Travis Wittlake 4-2 in front of an excited Carver-Hawkeye crowd. In his first taste of collegiate action, Arnold captured a title at the Luther Open tallying bonus points in all five of his matches, the “closest” being an 11-3 major decision. It remains to be seen how Arnold is employed by Brands for the remainder of the season. A win over an opponent like Wittlake clearly shows Arnold can compete with almost anyone at this weight; however, they may still sit him if/when Patrick Kennedy is ready. Until that is settled, I’d expect Arnold to be strategically used for important duals. Last season, Kevin Dresser used MJ Gaitan in a similar fashion. Gaitan went 1-1 in his collegiate debut, at the Battle at the River City and even participated in this dual - he was majored by Nelson Brands. Gaitan stayed in redshirt and ended up with a 9-5 record. This season, Gaitan has been unleashed and has responded with two pins and a tech in three matches. Obviously, none of his opponents have been of Arnold’s caliber, but it’s an impressive start nonetheless. Arnold currently is not ranked; however, that’s related to the uncertainty surrounding his status for the remainder of the year, not his actual ability. On paper, this would be looked at as an “upset,” but it isn’t truly one. Pick: Arnold by decision (16-6 Iowa) 184 lbs: #30 Brennan Swafford (Iowa) vs. #6 Will Feldkamp (Iowa State) One of the new starters this year for Iowa is Brennan Swafford at 184 lbs. Swafford isn’t new to the program, he transferred in from Graceland prior to the 2021-22 year; however, he has not competed in a dual for the Hawkeyes before this year. In his Iowa dual debut, Swafford majored a tough Nathan Haas of California Baptist. A week later, he bonused his way through the Luther Open. As one may have expected, Swafford has his hands full in the Oregon State dual, as he was majored by returning All-American Trey Munoz. It’ll be another All-American for Swafford this time out. Surrendering bonus points this time could potentially put the Cyclones back in the match. That All-American is Will Feldkamp a Clarion graduate transfer. Feldkamp’s somewhat surprising run to the podium included wins over Big Ten and EIWA’s runner’s-up Isaiah Salazar (Minnesota) and Jacob Nolan (Binghamton), respectively, along with a fall over #13 seed Lenny Pinto (Nebraska). Once his All-American status was confirmed, Feldkamp pinned North Carolina’s Gavin Kane for seventh place. Last week, Feldkamp made his Iowa State debut and had an exciting first-period pin over Wisconsin’s Shane Liegel. Feldkamp has proven to be a pinner as almost half (14) of his 29 wins last season came via fall. However the dual plays out, it’s likely within reach at this point. If that’s the case, I see Feldkamp really feeding off the crowd and pushing for the fall. Pick: Feldkamp by major decision (16-10 Iowa) 197 lbs: #22 Zach Glazier (Iowa) vs. #24 Julien Broderson (Iowa State) We’ve got a true toss-up match at 197 lbs to swing the bout one way or the other. Iowa could seal the deal with a Zach Glazier win; however, Julien Broderson could keep the Cyclones in it if he gets his hand raised (under these circumstances, of course). Again, we expect this to be a very close dual, so either way, this match should have major implications. Glazier is a fifth-year junior who had seen action in four career duals heading into this season. Early returns are very encouraging for Glazier as he’s posted major decisions against quality opponents in both of his 2023-24 duals. Also, a longtime veteran of his respective program is Julien Broderson. Broderson has seen significant time as Iowa State’s starter, but is still looking for his first trip to the national tournament. He has participated in two Big 12 Championships, but hasn’t been able to break through just yet. Broderson has bounced between 174 and 184 for the Cyclones but appears to have found a home at 197 lbs. Broderson is unbeaten in both of his duals this year, most recently beating Wisconsin’s Josh Otto, 5-2. During his career, Broderson is 1-2 against Hawkeye opponents. He defeated Abe Assad at 184 lbs as a true freshman, but was 0-2 against Swafford at 174 lbs. With the Cyclones having the edge at heavyweight, all they need here is a win from Broderson to keep their hopes of an upset alive. Pick: Broderson by decision (16-13 Iowa) 285 lbs: Bradley Hill (Iowa) vs. #7 Yonger Bastida (Iowa State) Redshirt freshman Bradley Hill will get his first taste of the Cy-Hawk dual and could have the hopes of his team riding on his shoulders. In previous seasons, Iowa had Tony Cassioppi as an excellent closer in these types of situations. Whether or not Hill can progress into that type of figure remains to be seen. So far this season, Hill has a 5-2 record. He was one of the few Hawkeye starters to drop a match at the Luther Open, then suffered a dual loss to Oregon State’s #22 Boone McDermott. Hill, who has been excellent on the freestyle scene, was able to amass a 13-6 record while redshirting in 2022-23. Iowa State will counter with 2022 All-American Yonger Bastida. Bastida spent his first two years in Ames at 197 lbs, but has moved up for this season. Like his fellow countryman, Echemendia, Bastida has a long history in freestyle and it shows with his point-scoring abilities. In three matches this season, Bastida has compiled 74 points (all tech falls). His first match was the most impressive as it came against #25 Daniel Bucknavich (Cleveland State). If it comes down to Bastida, Coach Dresser and crew should feel very confident. Bastida has notched Cy-Hawk wins over Jacob Warner in each of the last two seasons. Last year, at the Collegiate Duals, with their heavyweight injured, Dresser bumped up Bastida to take out a ranked opponent a lock up a win over Cornell. Pick: Bastida by major decision (17-16 Iowa State)

Larkin shines while ASU struggles Freshman Kaleb Larkin did not compete with the team as he traveled to the Bill Farrell Memorial International tournament. Although Larkin was a long shot in the 65kg division, the Sun Devil made a run for the title and earned qualification for the 2024 Olympic Trials. Larkin’s final match was one-sided too, defeating Matthew Kolodzik 16-5. On the other hand, the Sun Devils fell with a mixed lineup to Missouri 39-6. The Sun Devils did not wrestle Richard Figueroa, Jacori Teemer or Cohlton Schultz. Instead, Julian Chlebove and Kyle Parco were the only winners. Cal Poly sends six to the Roadrunner podium Cal Poly remained close to home as the Mustangs competed in the Roadrunner Open. Six Mustangs placed, including freshman Daschle Lamer winning at 174 pounds. Lamer’s second college experience included a pin, tech fall, major decision and decision for the title. Cole Jackson finished second at heavyweight. Jackson dropped his second match to Bakersfield’s Jake Andrews 4-2. Yet, he responded with three wins for a silver medal. Blake Hinrichsen pinned two opponents for a fourth-place finish while Tyler Hodges tech falled two opponents for fourth. Koda Holeman and Luke Meyer got fifth at 125 and heavyweight. CSU Bakersfield showcases Roadrunner Open The Roadrunners had four wrestlers showcase their skills at the Roadrunner Open. Heavyweight Jake Andrews and 165-pounder Guillermo Escobedo went undefeated. Andrews earned three decision victories while Escobedo had five victories, including two pins. Richard Castro-Sandoval went 3-1 at 125 pounds. After losing his first match to Cal Baptist’s Eli Griffin, he earned three straight wins, including two by tech fall. Santino Sanches also went 3-1 at 133 pounds. He lost his first match then won with a major decision, tech fall and decision. Carson and Cannedy lead Little Rock at Lindenwood Open; Trojans Face Oklahoma Jayden Carson and Kodiak Cannedy combined for 11 matches at the Lindenwood Open. Carson went 4-2 with a pin and tech fall. However, Carson lost its highest-profile match, falling 13-1 to Oklahoma State’s Reece Witcraft. Cannedy went 4-1 at 174 pounds. Cannedy won his first three matches, including a pin in the first period. However, he lost to his highest quality opponent, falling 17-0 to Illinois’ Danny Braunagal. The full squad hosted #13 Oklahoma and fell 26-13; however, three Trojan wrestlers earned wins over ranked opponents. Nasir Bailey had a regular decision win, while Matt Bianchi won by major decision and Tyler Brennan pinned #13 Tate Picklo. Oregon State wins 3 matches against Iowa Oregon State fell to the Iowa Hawkeyes 25-11 over the weekend. Each team earned one upset. Hawkeyes' Gabe Arnold defeated Travis Wittlake 4-2 at 174 pounds while Beavers' Brandon Kaylor defeated Drake Ayala 7-6. In addition, Trey Munoz dominated Brennan Swafford with a 20-5 tech fall. Lastly, Boone McDermott defeated Bradley Hill 4-1 at heavyweight. Stanford dominates the Roadrunner Open Stanford had a combined record of 19-8 at the Roadrunner Open with two losses being Jaden Abas medically forfeiting. Daniel Cardenas, Tye Monteiro and Nick Stemmet went undefeated in their weight classes. Cardenas cruised to first place with three tech falls, Monteiro earned two major decisions and a tech fall while Stemmet earned two tech falls and two decisions. Dominic Lajoie went 2-1 with a major decision and tech fall and sudden death loss to Cal Baptist’s Hunter Leake. Abe Wojcikiewicz went 3-1 with two pins and a sudden victory. His loss came to Cal Baptist’s Nathan Haas 14-11.

Cranford

Gilroy

The NC State Wolfpack got some great news on the recruiting front on Thanksgiving Eve. Daniel Zepeda (Gilroy, CA), the #9 overall recruit in the Class of 2025 has given Pat Popolizio’s team a verbal commitment this afternoon. Zepeda is currently ranked second in the country at 138 lbs. He rose up to that position after making the Fargo finals in Junior freestyle this summer. Zepeda did so prior to his junior year of high school and was only defeated by a graduated senior. The Daniel Cormier-trained Zepeda is well-rounded having placed eighth in Junior Greco-Roman in each of the last two summers. During the high school season, Zepeda finished as a runner-up at the Doc Buchanan Invitational. Later in the year, he’d win his first California state title at 132 lbs. Zepeda projects as a 149 lber at the next level. That could work out well as the Wolfpack’s current starter, Jackson Arrington, just started his sophomore year. By the time Zepeda’s on campus in Raleigh, he could redshirt for a year while Arrington finishes up. The Wolfpack do have a 2024 signee, Gavin Linsman (Liberty, MO), that appears to be a 149 lber. With Zepeda in the fold, NC State now has verbals from four wrestlers in the Class of 2025. He’s the second top-100 recruit in the bunch, joining #85 Brogan Tucker (Graham, OH). Should Zepeda maintain or improve upon his current Big Board rankings, he’d join Dylan Fishback (#6 in the Class of 2022) as top-ten recruits for NC State in the last seven years. For Zepeda’s recruiting profile on InterMat click here; the commitment page has all of the latest recruiting information.

Below is a recap of last week’s EIWA action, with individual news and highlights worth noting. Key Takeaways Penn dominates The Keystone Classic with 4 Champs en route to a team title Army wins team title at Black Knight Invite over Penn State James Conway of F&M Claims Dip’s First Ever Keystone Classic Champion McGonagle (Lehigh) and Koderhandt (Navy) wrestled in All-Star Classic on Tuesday American The Eagles hosted Utah Valley to a dual on Thursday night. They followed that up with a Saturday at the Navy Classic. In their dual #14 Maida, #31 Jarrell, and Nies all won. Jarrell picked up a fall in the only bonus point victory for American. At the Navy Classic, they brought a limited roster to help keep a majority of starters well-rested for the long season. Shamil Kalmatov, Carsten Rawls, Will Jarrell, and Emmanuel Ulrich all went 2-2 on the day. Finally, American took Tuesday’s “Turkey Tussle” from local rival George Mason. Utah Valley 25 American 12 174 - Mark Takara (UV) major dec. Lucas White (AU), 10-2 (UV 4-0) 184 - Jacob Armstrong (UV) dec. Connor Bourne (AU), 8-1 (UV 7-0)} 197 - #17 Evan Bockman (UV) tech. fall Liam Volk-Klos (AU), 19-4 (6:10) (UV 12-0) 285 - #31 Will Jarrell (AU) pinned Jack Forbes (UV), 4:08 (UV 12-6) 125 - #14 Jack Maida (AU) dec. Yusief Lillie (UV), 7-1 (UV 12-9) 133 - Haiden Drury (UV) dec. Maximilian Leete (AU), 7-5 (UV 15-9) 141 - James Emmer (UV) dec. Cael McIntyre (AU), 6-0 (UV 18-9) 149 - Ty Smith (UV) dec. Gage Owen (AU), 8-6 (UV 21-9) 157 - Jack Nies (AU) dec. Kyler Lake (UV), 6-5 (UV 21-12) 165 - Jaxon Garoutte (UV) major dec. Breon Phifer (AU), 13-3 (UV 25-12) American 21 George Mason 15 141 - Cael McIntyre (AU) dec. Dom Hargrove (Mason), 4-2 (AU 3-0) 149 - Kaden Cassidy (Mason) tech. fall Gage Owen (AU), 15-0, 1:38 (Mason 5-3) 157 - DJ McGee (Mason) dec. Jack Nies (AU), 7-6 (Mason 8-3) 165 - Evan Maag (Mason) major dec. Kaden Milheim (AU), 12-2 (Mason 12-3) 174 - Lucas White (AU) dec. Paul Pierce (Mason), 4-0 (Mason 12-6) 184 - Connor Bourne (AU) dec. Sean Coughlin (Mason), 5-2 (Mason 12-9) 197 - Carsten Rawls (AU) dec. Ruben Karapetyan (Mason), 4-1 SV (Tied 12-12) 285 - #31 Chad Nix (Mason) dec. Will Jarrell (AU), 9-7 (Mason 15-12) 125 - #14 Jack Maida (AU) pinned JB Dragovich (Mason), 3:33 (AU 18-15) 133 - Maximilian Leete (AU) dec. Shawn Nonaka (Mason), 4-2 (AU 21-15) Army West Point The Black Knights hosted #5 North Carolina State to a dual on Thursday. The lone two victories came at 165 lbs and 174 lbs. #30 Dalton Harkins was victorious thanks to an overtime takedown. Gunner Filipowicz had an upset win over #18 Faison. On Sunday’s Black Knight Invite, Army saw fantastic performances from many wrestlers – leading to the overall team championship over Penn State and Rutgers. The Black Knights dealt with “friendly fire” at 149lbs, where Thomas Deck and Matthew Williams each made the finals – where no contest was the final outcome. Ethan Berginc, Dillon Sheehy, and Braden Basile also finished runners-up. Bronze medals were awarded to Nate Lukez and Lucas Stoddard. Rich Treanor and Danny Lawrence were both 4th place finishers. Ending the day in 6th were Tristen Hitchcock, Micah Hanau, Kyle Swartz, and Charlie Farmer. #5 NC State 34, Army 6 125 - #3 Jakob Camacho (NCSU) def. E. Berginc (ARMY), 9-1, major dec. 133 - Jarrett Trombley (NCSU) def. B. Basile (ARMY), 7-6, dec. 141 - #8 Ryan Jack (NCSU) def. T Morris (ARMY), 18-4, tech fall 149 - #6 Jackson Arrington (NCSU) def. Matt Williams (ARMY), 17-2, tech fall 157 - #9 Ed Scott (NCSU) def. N. Lukez (ARMY), 14-8, dec. 165 - #30 D. Harkins (ARMY) def. AJ Kovacs (NCSU), 4-1 (SV), dec. 174 - Gunner Filipowicz (ARMY) def. #18 Alex Faison (NCSU), 15-7, major dec. 184 - #27 Dylan Fishback (NCSU) def. B. Pasiuk (ARMY), 15-7, major dec. 197 - #5 Trent Hidlay (NCSU) def. D. Lawrence (ARMY), fall HWT - #12 Owen Trephan (NCSU) def. L. Stoddard (ARMY), 17-4, major dec. Army will return after Thanksgiving and compete at the Cougar Clash at SIUE. Binghamton The Bearcats competed at the Armbar in the Armory against #5 NC State and LIU. Cory Day and Brevin Cassella were the two Bearcats to win both matches – Day won both by fall. They won eight of the ten bouts against LIU. At the Black Knight Invite, Cory Day led the team with a 2nd place finish – losing to #6 Slavikouski of Rutgers. Jacob Nolan ended the day in 3rd place. Both Brevin Cassella and Cayden Bevis were 5th-place finishers. Finally, Micah Roes ended his day in 6th place. NC State 35 Binghamton 9 125 - #3 Jakob Camacho (NCSU) def. Carson Wagner (BU) TF 22-5. NCSU 5 BU 0 133 - #4 Kai Orine (NCSU) def. Micah Roes (BU) DEC 11-8 SV. NCSU 8 BU 0 141 - #8 Ryan Jack (NCSU) def. Nate Lucier (BU) TF 20-5. NCSU 13 BU 0 149 - #6 Jackson Arrington (NCSU) def. Fin Nadeau (BU) TF 25-10. NCSU 18 BU 0 157 - #9 Ed Scott (NCSU) def. Carter Baer (BU) TF 20-5. NCSU 23 BU 0 165 - #21 Brevin Cassella (BU) def. Derek Fields (NCSU) DEC 4-2. NCSU 23 BU 3 174 - #18 Alex Faison (NCSU) def. Will Ebert (BU) MD 17-5. NCSU 27 BU 3 184 - #27 Dylan Fishback (NCSU) def. #13 Jacob Nolan (BU) DEC 3-2. NCSU 30 BU 3 197 - Christian Knop (NCSU) def. Andrew Bailey (BU) TF 19-4. NCSU 35 BU 3 285 - #23 Cory Day (BU) def. Chase Horne (NCSU) FALL 4:10. NCSU 35 BU 9 Binghamton 31 LIU 7 125 - Carson Wagner (BU) def. Robbie Sagaris (LIU) TF 20-2. BU 5 LIU 0 133 - Micah Roes (BU) def. Christopher Betancourt (LIU) DEC 11-5. BU 8 LIU 0 141 - Devin Matthews (LIU) def. Ivan Garcia (BU) MD 9-0. BU 8 LIU 4 149 - Michael Zarif (BU) def. Drew Witham (LIU) DEC 4-3. BU 11 LIU 4 157 - Carter Baer (BU) def. Rhise Royster (LIU) DEC 6-0. BU 14 LIU 4 165 - #21 Brevin Cassella (BU) def. James Johnston (LIU) TF 15-0. BU 19 LIU 4 174 - Dimitri Gamkrelidze (BU) def. Corey Connolly (LIU) DEC 9-6. BU 22 LIU 4 184 - #13 Jacob Nolan (BU) def. Anthony D'Alesio (LIU) DEC 4-1 SV. BU 25 LIU 4 197 - John Dusza (LIU) def. Cayden Bevis (BU) DEC 7-5. BU 25 LIU 7 285 - #23 Cory Day (BU) def. Aeden Begue (LIU) FALL 0:58. BU 31 LIU 7 The Bearcats will be in action at the Mat-Town Open in Lock Haven this weekend, but expect a limited number of starters due to the holiday. Plus, they will be at the Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invite the following week. Brown The Bears competed in the Black Knight Invite. They walked away with 3 place-winners. James Araneo led the way at 197 lbs with a 3rd place finish. Brown saw two fifth-place winners in Blake Saito at 157 lbs and Jonathan Conrad at 174 lbs. Multiple wrestlers won two matches, just shy of placing in the top six. The Bears of Brown University will be off for a few weeks. They do not compete until right before the Christmas Holiday. Expect improvements over this span. Bucknell The Bucknell Bison were at home squaring off in a dual against #14 Minnesota on Thursday. Saturday’s agenda included the Navy Classic. #31 Noah Mulvaney was the lone victor in a tough outing versus Minnesota. The Navy Classic showed much better results. Kurtis Phipps was the champion at 133lbs. Dylan Chappell was the runner-up behind top-ranked Lovett of Nebraska at 149 lbs. Dorian Crosby won a bronze medal at heavyweight. At 157 lbs, the battle for 3rd place was won by Cade Wirnsberger, as he defeated his teammate Nick Delp by a 4-2 decision. Noah Mulvaney ended the day in 4th place. Mikey Bartush and Myles Takats each earned 6th place. As a team, Bucknell finished in 4th. #14 Minnesota 37 Bucknell 3 125: No. 7 Patrick McKee (Min) fall over Owen Bell (BU), 1:53 (Min 6-0) 133: Tyler Wells (Min) dec. over No. 17 Kurt Phipps (BU), 11-5 (Min 9-0) 141: No. 31 Vance VomBaur maj. dec. over Braden Bower (BU), 17-3 (Min 13-0) 149: No. 18 Drew Roberts (Min) dec. over No. 33 Dylan Chappell (BU), 2-1 (Min 16-0) 157: No. 8 Michael Blaockhus (Min) dec. over Nick Delp (BU), 7-1 (Min 19-0) 165: No. 31 Noah Mulvaney (BU) dec. over Blaine Brenner (Min), 11-5 (Min 19-3) 174: Sam Skillings (Min) maj. dec. over Myles Takats (BU), 10-2 (Min 23-3) 184: No. 6 Isaiah Salazar (Min) tech fall over Mikey Bartush (BU), 3-18 (6:19) (Min 28-3) 197: No. 19 Garrett Joles (Min) dec. over Logan Deacetis (BU), 8-3 (Min 31-3) 285: Bennett Tabor (Min) fall over Dorian Crosby (BU) 7:21 (Min 37-3) The Bison will be off for the Thanksgiving holiday. Columbia The Lions challenged themselves this weekend with home duals against #6 Ohio State and #9 Michigan. #11 Angelo Rini took home the only win for the Lions on the weekend. In a marquee match-up with All-American, #7 Chris Cannon, Rini won via injury default. A head-to-head collision sequence caused the match to be shortened. The Lions were outmatched in this one but held their own in some matches. #9 Michigan 33 #30 Columbia 6 125: No. 8 Michael DeAugustino (MICH) def. No. 21 Nick Babin (COL) | Dec., 8-1 133: No. 11 Angelo Rini (COL) def. No. 7 Chris Cannon (MICH) | Injury Default 141: Sergio Lemley (MICH) def. No. 33 Kai Owen (COL) | Dec., 3-1 149: Dylan Gilcher (MICH) def. No. 19 Richard Fedalen (COL) | Dec., 4-1 (SV) 157: No. 6 Will Lewan (MICH) def. Jadel Le (COL) | Tech Fall, 20-3 (4:38) 165: No. 3 Cameron Amine (MICH) def. Andy Garr (COL) | MD, 18-6 174: No. 4 Shane Griffith (MICH) def. Garret Bilgrav (COL) | MD, 9-0 184: Jaden Bullock (MICH) def. No. 30 Aaron Ayzerov (COL) | Dec., 9-5 197: Bobby Striggow (MICH) def. No. 28 Jack Wehmeyer (COL) | Dec., 5-4 HWT: No. 3 Lucas Davison (MICH) def. Vincent Mueller (COL) | Tech Fall, 19-2 (5:23) #6 Ohio State 49 #30 Columbia 0 125: Brendan McCrone (OSU) def. Sulayman Bah (COL) | Dec., 13-8 133: #14 Nic Bouzakis (OSU) def. Yanni Vines (COL) | TF, 20-3 (6:01) 141: Brandon Cannon (OSU) def. Mason Clarke (COL) | TF, 20-4 (4:47) 149: #5 Dylan D'Emilio (OSU) def. Kenny Duschek (COL) | Fall, 1:22 157: #16 Paddy Gallagher (OSU) def. David Berkovich (COL) | TF, 20-4 (4:45) 165: Issac Wilcox (OSU) def. Andrew Garr (COL) | MD, 15-4 174: #7 Carson Kharchla (OSU) def. Garrett Bilgrav (COL) | TF, 19-4 (5:29) 184: Gavin Hoffman (OSU) def. Joe Curtis (COL) | Fall, 1:26 197: #20 Michael Baker (OSU) def. Michael Baker (COL) | TF, 17-2 (3:59) HWT: #20 Nick Feldman (OSU) def. Nolan Neves (COL) | TF, 19-4 (4:11) The Lions will look to bounce back in two weeks when they travel to the Sin City for the Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invite. Cornell The Big Red opened the dual season with a home match against Sacred Heart. They won in dominant fashion. One thing to note is Chris Foca’s weight change up to 184 lbs – we will see if this is a permanent or temporary option for Foca and the Big Red. #2 Cornell 48 Sacred Heart 3 125: Brett Ungar (CU) won by forfeit 133: Andrew Fallon (SHU) def. Ethan Qureshi (CU) by decision, 8-7 141: Vince Cornella (CU) def. Vincent Milazzo (SHU) by fall in just over a minute 149: Ethan Fernandez (CU) def. Mike McGhee (SHU) by major decision, 11-2 157: Meyer Shapiro (CU) def. Michel Ritacco (SHU) by a tech fall, 15-0 165: Julian Ramirez (CU) def. Scott Jarosz (SHU) by fall in 1:34 174: Benny Baker (CU) def. Nicky Eboli (SHU) by tech fall, 18-0 184: Chris Foca (CU) def. Logan Michael (SHU) by fall in 47 seconds 197: Jacob Cardenas (CU) def. Jake Trovato (SHU) by tech fall in 1:21 285: Lewis Fernandes (CU) def. Marc Berisha (SHU) by tech fall, 19-2 There will be a few Cornell wrestlers at the Mat-Town Open before a full lineup competes next week at the Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invite. Drexel The Dragons walked down the block to compete at the Keystone Classic. They finished in third place overall. The top placewinner was a breakout performance by true freshman, Jasiah Queen. He finished runner-up at 174 lbs with two tech falls and a pin. Desmond Pleasant and Jack Janda were 4th place at 125 lbs and 174 lbs, respectively. Cody Walsh was 5th place to end the day while Santino Marino was 6th. In 7th place were Natty Lapinski and Tanner Updegraff. Dom Findora and Ibrahim Ameer were each in 8th place. The upset of the weekend came at the hands of 133 lbs wrestler, John Hildebrandt, who shocked #7 Michael Colaiocco of Penn in the first round. Unfortunately, he lost the next two matches afterward - a very nice win, nonetheless. The Dragons will take the week off for the holiday. See them in action for the Dragon Duals on December 3rd. Franklin & Marshall The Diplomats were at the Keystone Classic and had a historic weekend. James Conway won the 184 lbs bracket, which was the first-ever championship by a Diplomat at this event. He knocked off Hale of Penn and #21 Fisher of Virginia Tech. At 197 lbs, John Crawford was the runner-up behind #16 Andy Smith of Virginia Tech. They had two third-place finishes in Pat Phillips and Noah Fox. Mason Leiphart was 4th in a tough bracket. Rounding out the place finishers was Bryce Kresho in 8th. F&M’s 5th place finish was very impressive, just a few points out from 3rd place. The Dips will be off for Thanksgiving. They have four duals at home the following week. Harvard The Crimson placed four wrestlers at The Keystone Classic. #24 Diego Sotelo was the highest placer when he placed 3rd at 125 lbs. Freshman Coleman Nogle was 5th at 133 lbs. Jack Crook reached his match limit on the day and earned 6th at 149 lbs. At 157 lbs, Jimmy Harrington was 4-2 on the day – good enough for 7th place. The team’s veteran leaders will return in the second semester. Expect more individual results in these events come January. The Crimson, like most teams, will be on break during the Thanksgiving holiday. Hofstra The Pride welcomed Ohio State Head Coach, Tom Ryan back to Long Island; where he began his head coaching career. It was a long day for the Hofstra Pride, as Ohio State outmatched them in all ten bouts. Hofstra is still a young team trying to figure out their best lineup early in the season. #6 Ohio State 51, Hofstra 0 165: #18 Bryce Hepner (Ohio State) over Matt Rogers (Hofstra) (Tech Fall, 18-2). 5-0 174: #5 Carson Kharchla (Ohio State) over #25 Ross McFarland (Hofstra) (Major Decision, 17-3), 9-0 184: #10 Gavin Hoffman (Ohio State) over Will Conlon (Hofstra) (Tech Fall, 19-4), 14-0 197: #19 Luke Geog (Ohio State) over Nikolas Miller (Hofstra) (Tech Fall, 18-1), 19-0 285: #19 Nick Feldman (Ohio State) over #12 Keaton Kluever (Hofstra) (Tech Fall, 20-5), 24-0 125: #19 Brendan McCrone (Ohio State) over Dylan Ryder (Hofstra) (Fall, 4:19), 30-0 133: #13 Nick Bouzakis (Ohio State) over Ryan Arbeit (Hofstra) (Fall, 1:03), 36-0 141: Brandon Cannon (Ohio State) over Alex Turley (Hofstra) (Tech Fall, 17-2), 41-0 149: #7 Dylan D'Emilio (Ohio State) over Noah Tapia (Hofstra) (Tech Fall, 19-2), 46-0 157: #15 Paddy Gallagher (Ohio State) over Frank Volpe (Hofstra) (Tech Fall, 22-5), 51-0 Hofstra will take the holiday break to regroup and finalize the lineup to get ready for the Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invite. Lehigh The Mountain Hawks hosted #18 Pitt to a dual. Lehigh jumped out to a lead thanks to wins by freshmen Luke Stanich and #5 Ryan Crookham. Crookham’s major decision was over #13 Santaniello. Pitt ran the table until #11 Michael Beard earned a tech fall win over #18 Stout at 197 lbs. It may be important to note that two of Lehigh’s ranked starters missed the match due to injury – Hines (#11 @ 141 lbs) and Brignola (#25 @ 157 lbs). #23 Pitt 21 - #18 Lehigh 12 125 – Luke Stanich (Lehigh) dec. Colton Camacho (Pitt) 8-5 133 – Ryan Crookham (Lehigh) major dec. Vinnie Santaniello (Pitt) 11-2 141 – Cole Matthews (Pitt) dec. Carter Bailey (Lehigh) 7-3 149 – Finn Solomon (Pitt) dec. Matt Repos (Lehigh) 11-4, sv 157 – Jared Keslar (Pitt) dec. Luca Frinzi (Lehigh) 8-6 165 – Holden Heller (Pitt) dec. Jake Logan (Lehigh) 7-1 174 – Luca Augustine (Pitt) dec. Thayne Lawrence (Lehigh) 6-2 184 – Reece Heller (Pitt) dec. Caden Rogers (Lehigh) 4-1 197 – Michael Beard (Lehigh) tech fall Mac Stout (Pitt) 18-3, 5:29 285 – Dayton Pitzer (Pitt) dec. Nathan Taylor (Lehigh) 2-0 The Mountain Hawks will enjoy a break over the holiday before facing #1 Penn State and #11 Oklahoma State on the road early next month. Long Island The Sharks had two duals on Friday. They were defeated in both of them. Against Virginia, James Johnston was the lone winner. Against Binghamton, Devin Matthews and John Dusza were victorious against their opponents. The Sharks had some tight matches against Binghamton. The team fought hard in a lot of the bouts. Virginia 41 Long Island 3 125 - Kyle Montaperto (Virginia) dec Robbie Saragis (Long Island) 8-2 133 - Marlon Yarbrough (Virginia) fall Christopher Bentancourt (Long Island) 6:32 141 - Jack Gioffre (Virginia) tech Devin Matthews (Long Island) 18-2 149 - Michael Goiffre (Virginia) dec Drew Witham (Long Island) 7-6 157 - Dylan Cedeno (Virginia) maj Rhise Royster (Long Island) 12-2 165 - James Johnston (Long Island) dec Michael Murphy (Virginia) 4-1 174 - Justin McCoy (Virginia) fall Blake Bahna (Long Island) 3:33 184 - Hudson Stewart (Virginia) fall Anthony D’Alesio (Long Island) 4:07 197 - Colden Dorfman (Virginia) maj John Dusza (Long Island) 15-5 285 - Ryan Catka (Virginia) maj Aeden Begue (Long Island) 16-4 Binghamton 31 LIU 7 125 - Carson Wagner (BU) def. Robbie Sagaris (LIU) TF 20-2. BU 5 LIU 0 133 - Micah Roes (BU) def. Christopher Betancourt (LIU) DEC 11-5. BU 8 LIU 0 141 - Devin Matthews (LIU) def. Ivan Garcia (BU) MD 9-0. BU 8 LIU 4 149 - Michael Zarif (BU) def. Drew Witham (LIU) DEC 4-3. BU 11 LIU 4 157 - Carter Baer (BU) def. Rhise Royster (LIU) DEC 6-0. BU 14 LIU 4 165 - # 21 Brevin Cassella (BU) def. James Johnston (LIU) TF 15-0. BU 19 LIU 4 174 - Dimitri Gamkrelidze (BU) def. Corey Connolly (LIU) DEC 9-6. BU 22 LIU 4 184 - #13 Jacob Nolan (BU) def. Anthony D'Alesio (LIU) DEC 4-1 SV. BU 25 LIU 4 197 - John Dusza (LIU) def. Cayden Bevis (BU) DEC 7-5. BU 25 LIU 7 285 - #23 Cory Day (BU) def. Aeden Begue (LIU) FALL 0:58. BU 31 LIU 7. The Sharks will take the holiday break and prepare for the tough Cliff Keen Invite. Navy The Midshipmen hosted the Navy Classic on Saturday. Navy walked away with a second-place team finish behind a powerful Nebraska squad. They had two champs in #30 Danny Wask at 174 lbs and #10 Grady Griess at 285 lbs – as they were both the top-seeded wrestlers entering the day. Navy had three runners-up in Josh Koderhandt, David Key, and Jonathan Ley. Evan Tallmadge was third, Jamier Ferere was 4th, while both Nick Vafiadis and Zyan Hall were 5th. Navy’s performance was tops for the EIWA teams with Princeton a couple points behind and Bucknell only a handful after that. Navy will be off this weekend in prep for the Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invite. It’s the toughest tournament of the regular season. Penn The University of Pennsylvania was the host site of the Keystone Classic. They finished the day at the top of the team standings over a not-quite-full Virginia Tech lineup, who was missing a few studs. Regardless, they walked away with four champs. Max Gallagher, Alex Almeyda, and CJ Composto swept the first three weight classes. Nick Incontrera easily won the 174 lbs bracket. Jackson Polo was the runner-up at 149 lbs, as Ryan Miller lost in the finals at 125 lbs to Gallagher. The Quakers saw a handful of bronze medals with Michael Colaiocco, Jude Swisher, Kelly Dunnigan, Martin Cosgrove, and Max Hale. Cole Urbas was 4th place, as was John Stout. In 5th were Hunter Gandy and Lucas Revano. Jacob Stefanowicz and Matt Cruise were 8th. Alex Almeyda was named the Most Outstanding Wrestler of the event, after beating three ranked wrestlers in the toughest bracket of the day. The youth really shined through for Penn, as there were several “wrestle-off” matches between teammates. Penn has a lot of line-up decisions to make before they take on #7 Iowa in two weeks. The depth is starting to become a “good problem.” Princeton The Tigers finished third place at the Navy Classic. They had one champion in #12 Luke Stout at 197 lbs – who defeated #7 Allred of Nebraska in the finals. Also in that bracket was Aidan Conner, who took home bronze. Nate Dugan was 3rd place as well in his bracket. In 4th was freshman, Eligh Rivera, at 149lbs. The 4 fifth-place finishers for the Tigers were Drew Heethuis, Matthew Cover, Sean Pierson, and Tyler Vasquez. Overall, it was a good day for Princeton. The underclassmen came through in a big way to help elevate the team to a satisfactory finish. The Tigers will relax over the holiday break and not have any competition. Sacred Heart The Pioneers were busy this past weekend with three duals and a sparse lineup for the Keystone Classic. Andrew Fallon, at 133lbs, was the bright spot of the squad as he went 3-0 on the weekend, including two tech falls. Against Presbyterian, Mike McGhee, Scott Jarosz, and Jake Trovato also had wins. As mentioned, many non-starters were in action at the Keystone Classic to rest the starters. Presbyterian 29 - SHU 21 125: Trent Dominguez (PC) over Jake Ice (SHU) Dec 12-7 133: Andrew Fallon (SHU) over Rey Ortiz (PC) Tech Fall 25-9 (4:41) 141: Ryan Luna (PC) over Vincent Milazzo (SHU) MD 12-4 149: Mike McGhee (SHU) over Trent Donahue (PC) MD 19-7 157: Elijah Holiday (PC) over Brandon Teresa (SHU) Fall 4:53 165: Scott Jarosz (SHU) over Michael Ramirez (PC) Fall 2:45 174: Reed Douglass (PC) over Owen Ayotte (SHU) Tech Fall 18-3 (6:34) 184: Caleb Roe (PC) over Logan Michael (SHU) Tech Fall 18-2 (6:13) 197: Jake Trovato (SHU) over George Hopkins (PC) Fall 0:21 285: Nathan Carnes (PC) over Marc Berisha (SHU) Fall 2:18 #5 NC State 48 - SHU 5 125: Jakob Camacho (NC State) win via forfeit 133: Andrew Fallon (SHU) over Jackson Baglio (NC State) Tech Fall 19-4 (6:33) 141: Ryan Jack (NC State) over Vincent Milazzo (SHU) Fall 2:10 149: Tyler Tracy (NC State) over Mike McGhee (SHU) Fall 0:41 157: Ed Scott (NC State) over Michel Ritacco (SHU) Tech Fall 19-4 (2:27) 165: AJ Kovacs (NC State) over Scott Jarosz (SHU) MD 12-3 174: Alex Faison (NC State) over Nicky Eboli (SHU) Tech Fall 20-3 (5:21) 184: Dylan Reinert (NC State) over Logan Michael (SHU) Tech Fall 19-3 (2:20) 197: Christian Knop (NC State) over Jake Trovato (SHU) Tech Fall 23-5 (4:21) 285: Owen Trepham (NC State) over Marc Berisha (SHU) Fall 1:16 #2 Cornell 48 - Sacred Heart 3 125: Brett Ungar (CU) won by forfeit 133: Andrew Fallon (SHU) def. Ethan Qureshi (CU) by decision, 8-7 141: Vince Cornella (CU) def. Vincent Milazzo (SHU) by fall in just over a minute 149: Ethan Fernandez (CU) def. Mike McGhee (SHU) by major decision, 11-2 157: Meyer Shapiro (CU) def. Michel Ritacco (SHU) by a tech fall, 15-0 165: Julian Ramirez (CU) def. Scott Jarosz (SHU) by fall in 1:34 174: Benny Baker (CU) def. Nicky Eboli (SHU) by tech fall, 18-0 184: Chris Foca (CU) def. Logan Michael (SHU) by fall in 47 seconds 197: Jacob Cardenas (CU) def. Jake Trovato (SHU) by tech fall in 1:21 285: Lewis Fernandes (CU) def. Marc Berisha (SHU) by tech fall, 19-2 The Pioneers’ strong schedule continues in a few weeks when they travel to Las Vegas to compete at the Cliff Keen Invitational.

What a night it was! The All-Star Classic did not disappoint as some of the sport's biggest stars were in action in front of a raucous crowd at Penn State’s Rec Hall. The partisan crowd was not disappointed as four of the five Penn State wrestlers got their hands raised. Aside from the Nittany Lions, the evening featured plenty of exciting bouts, a few upsets, and some displays of sheer dominance from the best of the best. As I watched, I jotted down some quick notes and then expounded on those points for some semi-quick reactions from the 2023 All-Star Classic. Penn State’s Studs Have Gotten Even Better? The 2022-23 iteration of the Penn State Nittany Lions finished 50 points ahead of second-place Iowa. With the bulk of that team returning and some key transfers, PSU will only be better this season. That isn’t breaking news, but what is interesting (or scary) is that individually their wrestlers look on a different level than just eight months ago. Carter Starocci dominated Mekhi Lewis, the same opponent he had a marathon, tiebreaker bout with in the 2022 finals. Aaron Brooks jumped up to 197 lbs and put bonus points on the returning national runner-up. Greg Kerkvliet made short work of the U23 world champion, Wyatt Hendrickson, the same opponent he edged 4-2 in the 2023 NCAA semifinals. These are all wrestlers who have been in college since the fall of 2019. In addition, sophomore Shayne Van Ness passed the eyeball test in his 5-1 victory over NCAA fourth-place finisher Kyle Parco. Nothing about his final score was impressive, but he looked more buttoned up defensively and smothering on top. It’s not unusual for a wrestler to show marked growth at Van Ness’ age, but after three NCAA titles in the case of Starocci/Brooks, it's not quite as common. That NCAA team scoring record (170 - Iowa/1997) is definitely in play; for those reasons and another we’ll mention shortly. Fingers Crossed for Virginia Tech At the end of the day, the All-Star match is an exhibition. These matches won’t count towards NCAA seeding and go on your record, so they are mainly for the fans, for fun, and perhaps getting the feel for a probable top contender. That being said, any injuries sustained during the event are definitely real. Unfortunately for Virginia Tech, they appeared to take the brunt of this. During extra time in the 133 lb match, Sam Latona had his knee in an awkward position and the exchange was stopped for being potentially dangerous. The crowd grimaced and most probably assumed he was done for the night. That wasn’t the case, he wrestled throughout the remainder of the match, but had a noticeable limp. In one of the marquee matchups, at 174 lbs, Mekhi Lewis was taken down by Carter Starocci, who proceeded to work for a turn. At the edge, he ran a bow-and-arrow directly over the top of Lewis who also winced in pain. Lewis also looked sluggish for the rest of the match. Here’s hoping that both Latona and Lewis are not seriously injured. Both are key to Virginia Tech’s trophy aspirations and are high podium threats at each of their respective weight classes. Not Your Father's Bonus Point Wins In a season filled with plenty of minor and major rule changes, none has generated the discussion like the three-point takedown. I’ve vowed to myself that I’ll watch a lot of wrestling before making any widespread judgments about whether the change was good, bad, or indifferent. What’s clear though, is bonus point wins are much easier to achieve with a three-point takedown. In college, with points hard to come by, a 10-2 major decision is generally a butt-kicking. However, that was the final score in the 125 lb bout that was anything but lopsided. It was pretty fun with some excellent scrambles and in doubt until the final seconds. In those final seconds, top-ranked Anthony Noto trailed 2023 NCAA runner-up Matt Ramos by a single point. With short time remaining and Ramos controlling a tie, Noto went into desperation mode and tried to step over the Purdue star. Ramos countered straight to Noto’s back. The whistle blew, but not before Ramos was awarded a takedown and the full allotment of near-fall points. That late flurry tacked seven points onto Ramos’ one-point lead resulting in a 10-2 final score. 10-2 isn’t indicative of the type of match that occurred between these lightweight phenoms. Some people may agree that the rule change makes matches like this seem weird, while others won’t care. Keep that in mind when Hodge Trophy discussions start popping up. If Carter Starocci can post an 11-0 major decision on Mekhi Lewis, couldn’t he do it against anyone? Some legendary Hodge seasons, like the ones amassed by Ben Askren, David Taylor, and Zain Retherford could get threatened. When that happens, keep in mind, that the old guys did it with two-point TD’s. The relative ease for picking up bonus points could help a Penn State team that’s already great and already racked up a ton of bonus points in the two-point TD era. More bonus point help is another reason why the NCAA Tournament scoring record is certainly in play. Transfer Could Pay Dividends for Olejnik I’ll let you in on a secret. I’m always a little skeptical when you have a veteran who wrestled for three or four (five) years in a smaller conference and jumps to a larger one for his final go ‘round. That’s the case for Izzak Olejnik, who won a pair of MAC titles for Northern Illinois and finished eighth in the nation last year. In the offseason, he joined Oklahoma State as a graduate transfer. My rationale for the skepticism is that the wrestlers typically don’t face the grind of a Big Ten schedule or one that Oklahoma State wrestles on a week-in and week-out basis. Obviously, Olejnik is talented enough to get on the podium and beat quality wrestlers, but can he beat national qualifier-types every time out? That still remains to be seen, but he went a long way to crushing those doubts during his bout against fourth-ranked Dean Hamiti. Olejnik tallied a pair of takedowns, two of the most picturesque of the evening, on his way to an 8-2 victory over Hamiti. The other side of the coin, the opposite of my skepticism, is that Olejnik has moved to a room with a greater volume of high-quality training partners and credentialed wrestlers/coaches like John Smith, Coleman Scott, Chris Perry, and Tyler Caldwell. It’s reasonable that the change helped him “jump levels” as they say. Now, it’s a long season and a lot remains to be seen and written, but defeating a wrestler that downed you 7-3 in the 2023 national tournament is quite the start in Stillwater for Olejnik. Talent Logjams at 133 Leads to No Depth In the next few days, I’ll publish an article ranking the ten weight classes for this season. Spoiler alert, but after the top contenders at 133 lbs, the weight is really lacking in depth. One of the biggest stories of November is how redshirt freshman Ryan Crookham of Lehigh shocked returning national and world champion Vito Arujau. Well, Crookham’s teammate Connor McGonagle was selected to compete in this event. And won; beating two-time All-American Sam Latona. Like others, I started thinking about how the weight would be a bit tougher if one of the two (Crookham/McGonagle) were on another team and could wrestle at nationals. Then I remembered how Michigan has a similar situation….also at 133 lbs, with two-time All-American Chris Cannon, who transferred from Northwestern to join Cliff Keen Las Vegas champion Dylan Ragusin. The Wolverines are aided by the fact that Ragusin has a redshirt available. Then I was thinking even more. Had Iowa’s gambling probe not arisen, they had another interesting choice between Brody Teske and Cullan Schriever. Ohio State has two national qualifier types at 133 (Nic Bouzakis and Andre Gonzales). So does Nebraska (Jacob Van Dee and Kyle Burwick). We’re not sure, but it looks like Iowa State does with redshirt freshman Evan Frost and Garrett Grice. Minnesota’s best 133 might be true freshman Tyler Wells (who had a one-sided win over Navy Classic champion Kurtis Phipps), but they also have veterans #20 Jake Gliva and Jager Eisch. Both are capable starters. Stanford has a pair of quality veterans in Dom LaJoie and Jackson DiSario. Illinois has multiple-time All-American Lucas Byrd and a multiple-time qualifier in Tony Madrigal. You get the point. If some of the talent was dispersed differently at 133, the weight class wouldn’t look quite so barren. Pacing Matters Disclaimer: I’m not taking shots. This is constructive criticism for anyone putting on wrestling events. Your pacing matters. To the fans in the stands and at home. If you’re reading this you love watching wrestling, be it from a bleacher seat or the comfy confines of your couch. At the same time, it doesn’t mean we want to be there all night. The All-Star Classic had a start time of 7pm and didn’t end until after 10pm (EST). It was a card that included 14th matches. Your typical college dual meet finishes in under two hours and that’s with or without a “halftime.” I didn’t even think much of this point until I saw a tweet from Baschamania host Justin Basch who was curious about the topic. Basch tweeted at 7:51 pm, after the last of the four women's matches, that it took that long to get through four bouts. One of which was a : 31-second tech fall. There was another that ended in an early, second-period fall. Yikes! The event didn’t start promptly at 7pm and there were a couple of stoppages in the final women’s bout, but again, Yikes! That’s slow. As a lifelong baseball nerd, someone who watches games almost every day of the season, you take for granted a batter stepping out to adjust his batting gloves after every single pitch, a pitcher who catches the ball in front of the mound and slowly makes his way back to the rubber, or five pick-off moves in a row. This season, the much-maligned Major League Baseball, made what turned out to be a great decision and instituted a pitch clock. The games flowed better. Playoff games didn’t stretch into the next day. There was no “action” that was removed, just a lot of inaction. As the season ended a few weeks ago, there have been plenty of season-long studies that have been released showing about a half hour was chopped off of every game just from the pitch clock. So, FloWrestling, as you’re planning events. Try to think about a pitch clock, of sorts, for your production. We know, you’ve sold ads and need to include them somewhere, I like everyone in the wrestling world making money. It’s healthy for us. Find different ways to incorporate them and not hurt your product, bore the fans, and move at a snail's pace.