InterMat Staff

Each and every year we see a new crop of freshmen that take the college world by storm. The jump from high school to college is significant, but there are a select few who appear to make that leap seamlessly. Just last year we saw Rocco Welsh (Ohio State) come out of a potential redshirt to make the national finals, while #1 overall recruit Meyer Shapiro (Cornell) was as good as advertised and finished third at a deep 157 lb weight class. Nasir Bailey (Little Rock) finished fourth in the country and is the centerpiece of an upstart Little Rock program and Luke Stanich (Lehigh) captured an EIWA title and was seeded second in the nation. Pennsylvania natives Tyler Kasak (Penn State) and Ty Watters (West Virginia) ended up wrestling each other for third place at nationals. We are usually shocked at just how good these young kids are and, at this point, maybe we shouldn’t be surprised. Whether we realize it or not, there will be a handful of true freshmen who end up making a deep run at the 2025 NCAA Tournament in Philadelphia. So, who are they? InterMat has tried to identify seven true freshmen who have a path to a starting role and have the talent to win and win in a big way in year one. The key phrase in the previous sentence is “path to a starting role.” This isn’t just a regurgitation of the top high school wrestlers from 2024. Many of those wrestlers have a veteran in front of them on the depth chart, which leads you to believe that they’ll spend the 2024-25 season in redshirt. But, as we saw last year with Welsh or Kasak, an injury can change everything and occasionally thrusts a freshman into an unexpected role. The wrestlers have been listed along with their Big Board ranking from the Class of 2024 and their projected weight for the 2024-25 campaign. #1 Luke Lilledahl (Penn State) - 125 lbs All signs point to the top overall recruit in the Class of 2024 getting the opportunity to compete right away for Penn State at 125 lbs. Incredibly, 125 lbs has been a revolving door for the Nittany Lions which has produced zero All-American honors since Nico Megaludis’ national title in 2016. That may not be much of a drought for many schools, but at Penn State, one that has produced All-Americans and national champions with such great regularity, it is quite surprising. Since 2017, the other nine weights have combined for 49 All-American honors. Back to Lilledahl. After this summer, Lilledahl is a four-time age-group world finalist - winning a gold medal in freestyle at the U17 and U20 World Championships. Each title came after settling for silver in the previous year. Domestically, Lilledahl won a pair of National Prep Championships, along with two titles at the Walsh Ironman and the Super 32. Additionally, Lilledahl did compete in a few collegiate opens during the 2022-23 season and compiled a 9-2 overall record. His most significant win came over Northern Iowa’s Trever Anderson who started the preseason ranked #28 in the nation. Expect Lilledahl to come in and threaten for a national title in year one. Lilledahl has answered the bell at every level and exceeded expectations at every stop. Key Date: December 15th vs. Wyoming. This could be the first All-American for Lilledahl as Wyoming has the returning Big 12 champion and NCAA seventh-place finisher Jore Volk. A match against Volk should go a long way in determining how good Lilledahl can be in year one. The pair met at the 2023 U20 Open and Lilledahl prevailed over Volk who was a returning world champion. #26 Conner Harer (Rutgers) - 157 lbs Rutgers has done a good job on the recruiting trail at keeping some of their home state’s best talent at home. With Conner Harer’s signing (along with Mason Gibson), Rutgers has signaled that they are ready to take some of Pennsylvania’s best. 157 has been a bit of a problem for Rutgers as they have only qualified it for nationals once in the last four years. With Harer aboard, that all could change. Since there isn’t a clear-cut established starter holding down the position, Harer gets his shot immediately. Harer is a three-time Pennsylvania AA state champion and four-time medalist. He was twice a Super 32 third-place finisher and twice an NHSCA grade-level national champion. Without factoring Harer into the national rankings, Rutgers is already a top-20 dual and tournament team. Should Harer make the impact that the Rutgers staff believes he can, they could move up significantly in both rankings. Key Date: November 17th vs. NC State The Jersey Jostle! This will be the first opportunity for Harer to see a past All-American in NC State’s Ed Scott. Scott’s dangerous, wide-open style should be an excellent litmus test for the true freshman. For those who love high school wrestling, it’ll be a clash of wrestlers who combined to win five Pennsylvania state titles. #27 Tucker Hogan (Lock Haven) - 197 lbs It can be difficult for Lock Haven to compete with the top title-contending teams in the recruiting battles, so frequently Scott Moore and his staff have to develop overlooked gems. Tucker Hogan is the rare exception. He’s a two-time Pennsylvania AAA state champion who decided to stay in his home state and compete for the Bald Eagles - a program that already had his older (smaller) brother. Hogan has placed once in Fargo at both age groups (fifth in Juniors) and was third at the 2023 Super 32. In winning both of his Pennsylvania state titles, Hogan defeated now-teammate Cole Bartram, who was also a top-150 prospect. 197 lbs can be a difficult weight for a true freshman to break through and make an impact. The size and physicality can be too much for many true freshmen. In this instance, I can see it working out well. Anyone that Moore sends out on the mat has a chip on their shoulder and is a fighter. I’d expect Hogan to follow suit. Hogan will compete in a MAC weight class that did not have a single wrestler in the preseason rankings, so should he develop quickly, he could certainly be in the mix for a conference title. Key Date: November 3rd at Princeton Open It’s always hard to project who will or won’t be wrestling at open tournaments. As of now, we know that Lehigh, Princeton, and Drexel are slated to compete at the Princeton Open. Their starters are #7 Michael Beard, #19 Mac Stout, and #22 Mickey O’Malley, respectively. Matches against all of the three during week one will represent “getting thrown into the fire” for Hogan. The key date might be the Journeymen Collegiate Classic the following week to see how he responds to his first taste of collegiate action. #44 Max Shulaw (Virginia) - 197 lbs Sticking with the 197 lbers, Virginia has a top-50 prospect that is a potential starter in 2024-25 in Max Shulaw. Shulaw was a three-time Ohio DII state finalist and two-time champion for St. Francis DeSales HS. During his final title run, Shulaw pinned his way through the tournament. The only loss of Shulaw’s senior season came at the Walsh Ironman - where he ended up in third. Shulaw won the tournament in 2022. As a sophomore, he was a finalist at the Beast of the East. Shulaw steps into an ACC weight class that is loaded with veteran talent. There are four conference wrestlers ranked within the top 28 and three of them are seniors. That being said, none would be considered NCAA title contenders. A realistic scenario for Shulaw could be taking a few lumps during the regular season, but improving and outwrestling his seed at the ACC Tournament. Key Date: November 24th vs Michigan We could say the Southeast Open on the first weekend of the regular season. There’s the potential for a handful of solid 197’s to be in attendance. But on November 24th, it gets really real. Two-time All-American Jacob Cardenas, who is on the short list of potential NCAA champion-types. Cardenas is a huge full-sized 197 lber, one who is a handful for most 197’s, much less a true freshman. #46 Paul Kelly (California Baptist) - 149 lbs Still relatively new to the DI scene, California Baptist made waves in 2024 as they earned they held down the #24 spot in InterMat’s Recruiting Rankings. The centerpiece of a loaded recruiting class was Poway, California’s Paul Kelly. Kelly was a three-time California state medalist, finishing third and then second during his final two years of high school. Kelly really shined in the international styles, placing six times in Fargo and once at the UWW U17 Trials. Over the summer, Kelly made the Junior freestyle national finals and was third in Greco. Back in folkstyle, Kelly was fourth at the Super 32 and a Doc Buchanan champion his senior year. The Lancers took huge strides last year with their first two DI national qualifiers. Now a national recruiting ranking and one of those top recruits (Kelly) getting the nod in year one. A big year from the true freshman could drive California Baptist recruiting to even bigger heights. Kelly and California Baptist compete out of the Big 12 which is generally strong in every single weight class. 149 lbs is no different. There should be a pair of All-Americans at the weight and seven wrestlers featured in our preseason rankings. That being said, the final three of those are in the 27-33 range, so it could be semi-manageable for a stud freshman. Key Date: December 6/7th at the Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational If Kelly is as good as his pre-collegiate accolades would lead you to believe, there’s a path that could have him unbeaten or with just a loss heading into the Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational. It’s way too early to project who might be wrestling in Vegas, but three of the top-five and five of the top eight wrestlers at 149 lbs have this on their respective schedules. #50 Dillon Bechtold (Bucknell) - 197 lbs Here’s one more 197 lber to watch out for! Dillon Bechtold is a two-time Pennsylvania AAA state finalist and finished his career on top of the podium. Prior to his senior season, Bechtold was seventh in the Junior division in Fargo at both styles and then was fifth at the Super 32. Just last year, Bucknell sent a pair of true freshmen (at 165/174) to the NCAA Tournament, so could Bechtold have a similar impact in year one? Bechtold will compete in an EIWA weight class that features a pair of past conference champions, Michael Beard (Lehigh) and Mickey O’Malley (Drexel), but isn’t necessarily deep after those two. He should have the opportunity to put together a strong year one and has a few examples in the Bison room to learn from. Key Date: November 15th vs Minnesota In Bucknell’s second event of the year, they’ll travel to Minnesota who has 2024 Big Ten champion (at 184 lbs) and NCAA All-American Isaiah Salazar. This will be one of Salazar’s first events at his new weight and should give Bechtold an early indication of what the top contenders at this weight feel like. #87 Chris Vargo (Edinboro) - 125 lbs Kudos to the Edinboro coaching staff as they identified and signed Chris Vargo before he really took off. Vargo created a national stir last year when he defeated Jax Forrest in the Pennsylvania AA Southwest Regional. Forrest would turn the tables in the state finals, but Vargo was able to do something that very few wrestlers at any age, in any style have been able to do, which is defeat Forrest. Vargo finished his high school career as a four-time state placewinner - twice making the state finals. He’s a throwback to the type of recruits that Edinboro signed when his new assistant coach, AJ Schopp, competed. Small school wrestlers that may not have a ton of national credentials, but are hungry to compete and improve. Speaking of Schopp, he’ll be a great mentor for the true freshman Vargo. In his coaching career, Schopp has worked closely with NCAA champion Seth Gross, runner-up Matt Ramos, and Big Ten finalist Devin Schroder. Each also had a top game that improved significantly under Schopp’s teaching. 125 should be one of the best weights in the MAC. They’ll have NCAA title contender #2 Anthony Noto (Lock Haven) along with ranked wrestlers like #23 Blake West (Northern Illinois) and potentially Joey Fischer (Clarion). Fischer is also a potential redshirt candidate. Key Date: November 9th at the Michigan State Open Again, we don’t know exactly who will or won’t be at the MSU Open, but generally, you get quality competition from the Big Ten and MAC. There could be multiple ranked wrestlers for Vargo to see in East Lansing. Edinboro is also slated to attend the Clarion Open the previous weekend, which might have a good field too. Special Note: Also, look out for Princeton 125 lber Marc-Anthony McGowan. McGowan was tabbed the #12 overall wrestler in the Class of 2023. He suffered an injury over the summer and didn’t enroll in 2023-24, which allows him to be considered a freshman this year. Should the injury be a non-factor, McGowan could be a significant factor at 125 lbs this year. His resume includes three National Prep titles, a U17 world title, and two Walsh Ironman championships. Princeton also has an excellent pair of lightweight coaches with Joe Dubuque and Cody Brewer. The following wrestlers don’t have as clear of a path to a starting role. They might need to win a wrestle-off or need their respective coaching staff to green-light them competing immediately in year one. #3 Aeoden Sinclair (Missouri) - 184 lbs #25 Rune Lawrence (West Virginia) - 197 lbs #31 Pierson Manville (Arizona State) - 149 lbs #32 Nate Blanchette (Rutgers) - 165 lbs #36 Luke Simcox (North Carolina) - 141 lbs #67 Chris Kiser (Michigan) - 125 lbs #68 Adrian Meza (Iowa State) - 125 lbs #81 Nate Taylor (Penn) - 184/197 lbs #89 Kendrick Hodge (Campbell) - 165 lbs #160 Xavier Giles (Princeton) - 174 lbs #182 Branson John (Maryland) - 174 lbs

Sun Valley

State College

Gonna go on record and say Rutgers is a real player for Bo Bassett. Tell us why it makes sense, Jagger. Willie Saylor This drew a good amount of attention in the social media land and rightfully so. Making the claim that one of the top high school recruits in a generation may possibly bypass the bluebloods of the sport and take his talents to New Jersey is certainly newsworthy. But it’s also based in reality. Sure, most people assume Bo will just end up at Penn State because, well, many top recruits go to Penn State. But why have this marathon song and dance if you’re going to end up where everyone thinks you will end up? I truly believe the Bassett family is looking at this with a completely open mind to find the best fit, or deal, for their son. So why can’t it be Rutgers? This is the type of recruit that potentially changes the entire landscape of your program. If he is giving you a chance then you make the best of that chance and go for it. Unleash the best recruiting pitch you have in your arsenal. And they have. Assistant coach and PA native Steve Mytych was first on the scene when the clock struck midnight. They want him and believe they can get him. Let's face it. Bo likes the attention. And he handles it just fine. He seems to thrive on it. Does that mean he’s going to go unnoticed at one of the powerhouse schools? Of course not. But coming to a school like Rutgers gives you a chance to form your own path and build your own legacy. And if they decide to travel to your home visit in a Brinks truck, well that’s fine, too. It doesn’t hurt that Rutgers already has Mason Gibson in the fold to help butter the bread a bit. These guys are a close-knit group and may want to stay together. Rutgers is a program on the rise that has hit the Pennsylvania recruiting trail hard over the last few years. They have a rabid fanbase that packs the arena every time out. They have a brand new facility. They have Jagger Night. They’re a short drive from the media capital of the world. They wrestle in the top conference. Sure, you can go to Penn State or Ohio State or Iowa. That’s easy. But going somewhere else to try and beat those guys? That’s the stuff legends are made of. So while I still think it’s a long shot, it’s a legit shot. And sometimes all you need is a shot. Nick here, longtime reader, friend of the program. What's one preseason wrestling story we are seemingly overlooking now that we're in October? I'll hang up and listen. Nick Kosko Good question. I’ll have to think about that. Perhaps the return of Sammy Sasso? The guy is just over a year removed from getting shot in the stomach and not even being able to walk afterward. I’ll admit I thought his career was over. But like with most things, I was wrong. The former Nazareth star is back in the fold for the Buckeyes and up at 165. I’m not sure what more I can really say here. He nearly lost his life and he’s back a year later. Truly remarkable stuff and I wish him the best. Nothing would make me happier than to see Sammy and his patented backpack run out for one more NCAA final. Does the timing of WNO take the shine off any potential Super 32 matchups for you or more excited for the potential immediate rematches? Rhino I like it. I like the way the fall preseason works out. There’s no real National high school circuit, so this time of year provides the best competition for the top kids before they all compete in their respective high school seasons. As great as WNO is, it’s an all-star event for kids who may not have even had a legit match in months. Maybe you’re a bit rusty. Maybe your weight isn’t quite right yet. Maybe you’re better after wrestling all day as opposed to one match. Maybe you and your opponent weren’t even the top guys and now you have your shot at the top guy. I also like that we get some good folkstyle primers before the college season hits. Once we get to November it’s just overloaded with open tournaments and random duals. October is the perfect time for the future of the sport to get their own spotlight. In other words, no shine is taken off anything. It seems the high school to college recruiting forecasts and announcements get earlier and earlier every year. When should I start paying attention? Burger King of Kings You don’t stop paying attention. You don’t even sleep. Just drink coffee and refresh message boards until your head explodes. When will the "Phillies fans save Trea Turner's 2023 season" documentary come out? Do we need to have a watch party? Earl Smith Too soon. This column has a loyal Philadelphia fanbase and we do not want to anger them at this time. Look, it was nice that a fanbase as salty and mean as the Philly faithful gave their star shortstop a bunch of juice boxes to get him going. It was cute. I hope they saved some for Jalen Hurts.

Hunter Catka photo courtesy of Sam Janicki; SJanickiPhoto.com The Super 32 begins tomorrow and it has become one of the marquee events in the high school wrestling landscape. Though most high schools don’t actually begin competition for another month and a half, the tournament serves as the unofficial starting point for another high school season. Looking back through the past medalists is like a who’s who of high school and collegiate wrestling. That’s exactly what we did as we looked at the last five years of Super 32 medalists and who they signed with (or will sign) to wrestle collegiately. We have listed the teams with the greatest number of Super 32 placewinners first and the number they have recruited is next to the school name in parentheses. If there is an asterisk next to a wrestler, that means they are committed to that program, but have yet to sign. If a wrestler has transferred, we have listed them with the school the originally signed with. Virginia Tech (20) *Ryan Burton (NJ) - 2023 1st Hunter Catka (PA) - 2019 1st Dillon Campbell (OH) - 2021 6th, 2020 7th Mac Church (PA) - 2022 5th, 2021 6th, 2020 4th, 2019 8th Tom Crook (FL) - 2021 4th Parker Ferrell (VA) - 2022 1st, 2021 3rd Cooper Flynn (TN) - 2020 1st *Drew Gorman (GA) - 2023 5th Matt Henrich (NJ) - 2023 5th Caleb Henson (GA) - 2020 1st Sam Hillegas (PA) - 2019 8th *Jayden James (NJ) - 2022 4th Trey Kibe (PA) - 2019 4th Aiden Lacoma (VA) - 2021 3rd Hunter Mason (TN) - 2020 6th *Noah Nininger (VA) - 2022 7th *Aaron Seidel (PA) - 2023 1st, 2022 3rd *Claudio Torres (FL) - 2023 5th Clayton Ulrey (PA) - 2019 3rd Nathan Warden (VA) - 2019 4th NC State (17) Jackson Arrington (PA) - 2021 2nd, 2020 5th Koy Buesgens (MN) - 2022 3rd, 2021 2nd *Will Denny (IL) - 2023 6th *Dom Deputy (PA) - 2023 4th Derek Fields (OH) - 2020 8th Louie Gil (PA) - 2022 6th, 2021 8th Chase Horne (GA) - 2021 1st, 2019 2nd AJ Kovacs (CT) - 2019 5th Gavin Linsman (MO) - 2023 8th Joey Milano (PA) - 2020 3rd, 2019 7th Vincent Robinson (IL) - 2021 4th Latrell Schafer (GA) - 2023 4th, 2022 5th Ed Scott (PA) - 2019 4th Matthew Singleton (GA) - 2021 1st, 2020 2nd Skylar Smith (TX) - 2019 7th Isaac Trumble (NE) - 2019 3rd *Brogan Tucker (OH) - 2023 5th Iowa State (15) *Christian Castillo (AZ) - 2023 4th, 2022 1st, 2021 6th Cody Chittum (TN) - 2021 1st Evan Frost (LA) - 2020 8th Jacob Frost (LA) - 2020 4th MJ Gaitan (CA) - 2021 1st, 2020 5th Daniel Herrera (CA) - 2023 2nd Paniro Johnson (PA) - 2020 4th Conor Knopick (NE) - 2020 5th Adrian Meza (AZ) - 2023 6th Tate Naaktgeboren (IA) - 2022 2nd, 2021 5th *Carter Pearson (IA) - 2022 7th Zach Redding (NY) - 2019 7th Cameron Robinson (PA) - 2019 6th Manny Rojas (MI) - 2020 1st Casey Swiderski (MI) - 2020 4th Michigan (14) Joel Adams (NE) - 2022 6th, 2021 2nd Cam Catrabone (MI) - 2023 2nd, 2022 6th, 2021 3rd *Jude Correa (NH) - 2022 1st, 2021 4th Dylan Gilcher (MI) - 2022 1st, 2021 7th, 2019 4th *Cooper Hilton (TN) - 2021 7th Caden Horwath (MI) - 2020 1st Chance Lamer (OR) - 2020 2nd Sergio Lemley (IN) - 2022 1st, 2021 5th Beau Mantanona (CA) - 2021 1st Brock Mantanona (CA) - 2022 2nd Rylan Rogers (ID) - 2021 1st Nick Sahakian (CA) - 2023 1st, 2022 7th Joseph Walker (IN) - 2019 3rd Hayden Walters (OR) - 2022 1st, 2021 5th, 2020 5th Ohio State (14) Gavin Bell (OH) - 2019 5th Ethan Birden (OH) - 2023 3rd Nic Bouzakis (PA) - 2021 1st, 2020 1st, 2019 1st *Vince Bouzakis (PA) - 2023 3rd, 2022 2nd Gavin Brown (OH) - 2021 6th Ben Davino (IL) - 2023 3rd, 2022 1st Vinny Kilkeary (PA) - 2022 5th, 2022 4th, 2020 1st Jesse Mendez (IN) - 2019 5th Michael Misita (NJ) - 2019 7th Carter Neves (OH) - 2020 8th Ryder Rogotzke (MN) - 2022 1st, 2021 1st *Maddox Shaw (PA) - 2023 1st Seth Shumate (OH) - 2020 5th Rocco Welsh (PA) - 2022 1st, 2021 2nd, 2020 2nd Stanford (13) Daniel Cardenas (CO) - 2020 7th Grigor Cholakyan (CA) - 2022 4th Jack Darrah (MO) - 2021 4th Hunter Garvin (IA) - 2020 3rd Collin Guffey (CA) - 2022 8th Cole Han-Lindemyer (MN) - 2023 2nd, 2022 5th Zach Hanson (MN) - 2022 4th Jacob Joyce (RI) - 2022 7th EJ Parco (CA) - 2023 7th Dylan Pile (CA) - 2023 8th Nico Provo (CT) - 2019 1st Aden Valencia (CA) - 2022 4th, 2021 2nd Abe Wójcikiewicz (IL) - 2022 6th Penn State (12) Austin Boone (MI) - 2019 3rd Braeden Davis (MI) - 2022 3rd, 2020 2nd *Nathan Desmond (PA) - 2023 2nd, 2022 5th, 2021 5th *PJ Duke (NY) - 2022 1st, 2021 1st, 2020 2nd Erik Gibson (PA) - 2020 7th Levi Haines (PA) - 2021 2nd, 2020 2nd Tyler Kasak (PA) - 2021 5th, 2020 7th Luke Lilledahl (MO) - 2022 1st, 2021 1st Mitchell Mesenbrink (WI) - 2021 7th, 2020 6th *Dalton Perry (PA) - 2023 8th, 2021 4th Zack Ryder (NY) - 2021 5th Joe Sealey (PA) - 2022 3rd, 2021 2nd Nebraska (11) LJ Araujo (ND) - 2023 1st Omar Ayoub (OH) - 2022 5th, 2021 5th Jagger Condomitti (PA) - 2019 7th Weston Dalton (CO) - 2022 2nd *Tyler Eise (CO) - 2022 3rd Alan Koehler (MN) - 2021 7th Kael Lauridsen (NE) - 2021 7th, 2020 7th Camden McDanel (OH) - 2022 4th Matthew Moore (CO) - 2022 3rd, 2021 5th Lenny Pinto (PA) - 2019 5th *Cade Ziola (NE) - 2023 7th Cornell (10) Lou Cerchio (NJ) - 2022 4th Vince Cornella (CO) - 2020 3rd *Adrian DeJesus (NJ) - 2023 3rd, 2021 3rd Aiden Hanning (NH) - 2020 4th Jaxon Joy (OH) - 2023 3rd *Anthony Knox (NJ) - 2023 1st, 2022 2nd, 2021 1st, 2020 4th Marcello Milani (MI) - 2022 4th *Alessio Perentin (NJ) - 2023 5th, 2022 7th Joshua Saunders (MO) - 2019 2nd *Sergio Vega (AZ) - 2023 2nd Indiana (10) *Jackson Blum (MI) - 2023 7th Santos Cantu (OR) - 2019 1st Jake Evans (OH) - 2019 6th Derek Gilcher (MI) - 2019 5th Sam Goin (IN) - 2022 4th Tyler Guerra (IL) - 2023 7th Nick Pavlechko (PA) - 2023 4th Henry Porter (CA) - 2020 7th Gabe Sollars (IN) - 2021 4th *Carson Thomas (OH) - 2023 5th Missouri (10) *Dom Bambinelli (GA) - 2023 2nd, 2022 6th Jake Crapps (GA) - 2023 8th, 2022 6th, 2021 2nd Joshua Edmond (MI) - 2019 4th Carter McCallister (MO) - 2022 7th, 2019 7th *Seth Mendoza (IL) - 2023 5th, 2022 2nd, 2021 4th Nate Pulliam (MO) - 2020 8th *Kollin Rath (PA) - 2023 1st, 2022 3rd, 2021 7th, 2020 8th Zeke Seltzer (IN) - 2021 5th, 2020 3rd Aeoden Sinclair (WI) - 2023 1st, 2022 2nd, 2021 7th Clayton Whiting (WI) - 2021 2nd, 2020 3rd North Carolina (10) Gavin Kane (GA) - 2019 2nd Caden McCrary (GA) - 2020 1st, 2019 6th Lachlan McNeil (ON) - 2019 1st Spencer Moore (KY) - 2020 6th, 2019 6th Danny Nini (FL) - 2021 3rd Nik O’Neill (PA) - 2023 4th Noah Pettigrew (GA) - 2020 2nd Aidan Schlett (NJ) - 2022 4th Jayden Scott (NY) - 2020 7th Luke Simcox (PA) - 2023 6th, 2022 8th Oklahoma State (10) Christian Carroll (IN) - 2021 1st, 2020 1st AJ Heeg (OK) - 2022 3rd *Ladarion Lockett (OK) - 2023 1st, 2022 1st JJ McComas (OK) - 2023 2nd *Beau Hickman (OK) - 2023 7th *Ronnie Ramirez (CA) - 2023 3rd *Landon Robideau (MN) - 2023 2nd, 2022 7th *Kody Routledge (OK) - 2023 2nd Brayden Thompson (IL) - 2021 3rd Jordan Williams (OK) - 2019 1st Rutgers (10) Luke Gayer (CA) - 2021 4th Mason Gibson (PA) - 2022 2nd, 2020 2nd, 2019 1st Conner Harer (PA) - 2023 3rd, 2022 3rd Alex Nini (NJ) - 2021 8th *Tahir Parkins (PA) - 2023 8th, 2022 8th Dean Peterson (NJ) - 2019 5th John Poznanski (NJ) - 2019 2nd Ayden Smith (PA) - 2023 5th Brian Soldano (NJ) - 2021 3rd, 2020 1st, 2019 3rd Tony White (NJ) - 2020 4th Wisconsin (10) Braxton Amos (WV) - 2019 1st Graham Calhoun (IN) - 2019 7th Lucas Condon (CA) - 2022 7th Zan Fugitt (MO) - 2022 4th, 2021 3rd, 2020 6th Julian George (NJ) - 2022 8th Dean Hamiti (IL) - 2020 1st Felix Lettini (NJ) - 2021 8th James Rowley (OR) - 2020 2nd Dylan Russo (OH) - 2022 2nd, 2021 5th Mikey Tal-Shahar (FL) - 2021 8th Arizona State (9) Carter Dibert (PA) - 2019 3rd Michael Kilic (GA) - 2021 6th, 2020 3rd Kaleb Larkin (AZ) - 2021 7th Kyler Larkin (AZ) - 2023 4th, 2022 6th *Harvey Ludington (NJ) - 2023 6th Jacob Meissner (MN) - 2021 5th Mykey Ramos (AZ) - 2020 6th Nicco Ruiz (CA) - 2022 2nd, 2021 1st Cael Valencia (CA) - 2019 1st Princeton (9) Anthony Clark (NJ) - 2019 6th Xavier Giles (NY) - 2023 6th Drew Heethuis (MI) - 2022 6th *Vincenzo Lavalle (NJ) - 2022 8th Jacob Mann (MO) - 2020 7th Kole Mulhauser (NY) - 2021 6th Eligh Rivera (FL) - 2021 7th Ethan Rivera (FL) - 2023 5th Ty Whalen (NJ) - 2021 3rd, 2020 6th South Dakota State (9) Bennett Berge (MN) - 2020 2nd, 2019 8th Alek Martin (OH) - 2020 1st, 2019 3rd Quin Morgan (MN) - 2023 4th Roman Rogotzke (MN) - 2020 7th Cael Swensen (MN) - 2020 5th Logan Swensen (MN) - 2023 7th Jared Thiry (IA) - 2022 5th Caleb Thoennes (MN) - 2020 8th Kail Wynia (MN) - 2021 6th Iowa (8) Drake Ayala (IA) - 2020 1st Angelo Ferrari (TX) - 2021 3rd Kolby Franklin (PA) - 2021 3rd Mickey Griffith (IA) - 2021 7th Wyatt Henson (PA) - 2019 3rd Bretli Reyna (FL) - 2019 1st Nate Jesuroga (IA) - 2021 1st, 2020 3rd Kael Voinovich (IA) - 2023 4th Army West Point (7) Joseph Antonio (CA) - 2023 2nd Andrew Christie (PA) - 2022 6th Gage Cook (WA) - 2020 5th Charlie Farmer (IL) - 2019 5th Gunner Filipowicz (GA) - 2021 6th Cooper Haase (FL) - 2022 4th Dakota Morris (NJ) - 2021 7th Oklahoma (7) Alex Braun (MN) - 2023 3rd *Sebastian DeGenarro (FL) - 2022 3rd *Anthony Harris (NJ) - 2023 1st Beric Jordan (OH) - 2020 5th Grayden Penner (MO) - 2019 1st Caleb Tanner (OK) - 2019 4th Andres Thompson (MT) - 2023 5th Penn (7) Alex Almeyda (NJ) - 2019 3rd Martin Cosgrove (NJ) - 2021 2nd, 2020 3rd Kelly Dunnigan (NJ) - 2020 8th Max Gallagher (NY) - 2022 5th Nico Nardone (NJ) - 2020 2nd *Eren Sement (PA) - 2023 6th Nathan Taylor (CT) - 2022 8th Virginia (7) Michael Gioffre (CA) - 2021 6th *Rocco Hayes (IL) - 2023 2nd Dom Isola (FL) - 2019 8th Kyle Monteperto (NC) - 2020 5th Patrick Noonan (PA) - 2019 4th Erik Roggie (VA) - 2019 6th Keyveon Roller (TN) - 2020 6th Lehigh (6) Carter Bailey (CA) - 2020 7th Manzona Bryant (OH) - 2019 5th Dom Federici (PA) - 2023 3rd, 2022 5th Kelvin Griffin (ME) - 2020 8th Calvin Lachman (PA) - 2023 6th Thayne Lawrence (PA) - 2019 2nd Maryland (6) Braxton Brown (TX) - 2019 4th Branson John (CA) - 2023 8th Garrett Kappes (MD) - 2019 6th Dario Lemus (CA) - 2021 4th Jaxon Smith (GA) - 2019 4th Oscar Williams (OK) - 2023 3rd Minnesota (6) Blaine Brenner (WI) - 2020 8th Leo Contino (CA) - 2023 4th Hunter Lyden (MN) - 2020 4th Gavin Nelson (MN) - 2020 2nd Troy Spratley (OK) - 2020 2nd, 2019 7th Bennett Tabor (MN) - 2020 1st, 2019 4th Navy (6) Brennan Cernus (IN) - 2021 6th Josh Koderhandt (IL) - 2020 5th Elijah Penton (FL) - 2023 7th Spencer Lanosga (LA) - 2023 3rd Jonathan Ley (FL) - 2021 4th, 2020 3rd Sammy Starr (PA) - 2020 8th Northwestern (6) Evan Bates (IN) - 2020 7th, 2019 5th Sam Cartella (OH) - 2022 7th August Hibler (NJ) - 2023 6th Joseph Martin (CA) - 2019 7th Dirk Morley (CO) - 2022 6th Joel Vandevere (IL) - 2019 1st Wyoming (6) Garrison Dendy (TN) - 2020 6th Mason Ding (TX) - 2020 3rd *Gunner Henry (IN) - 2023 8th Joey Novak (MN) - 2022 5th Quayin Short (MN) - 2019 8th Jore Volk (MN) - 2020 4th Air Force (5) John Martin Best (WV) - 2019 6th Bryan Burburija (IL) - 2022 6th Myles Johnson (OH) - 2022 7th *Rylan Kuhn (MO) - 2023 6th Karson Tompkins (TX) - 2023 4th Bucknell (5) Dillon Bechtold (PA) - 2023 5th Dorian Crosby (PA) - 2019 4th Noah Mulvaney (WI) - 2022 8th Logan Shepherd (OH) - 2021 2nd Austin Walley (PA) - 2019 8th Campbell (5) Wynton Denkins (OH) - 2022 8th Brandon Hoselton (IL) - 2019 2nd Conor Maslanek (NH) - 2020 6th Chad Nix (FL) - 2019 3rd Justin Rivera (FL) - 2019 2nd Harvard (5) Kenny Herrmann (PA) - 2019 2nd Nolan Liess (NY) - 2023 8th Hudson Skove (NJ) - 2023 8th Diego Sotelo (IL) - 2020 3rd Alex Whitworth (TN) - 2020 4th Northern Iowa (5) Adam Ahrendsen (IA) - 2020 6th Julian Farber (GA) - 2019 8th Cory Land (AL) - 2021 2nd, 2020 3rd, 2019 2nd Logan Paradice (GA) - 2023 4th CJ Walrath (IA) - 2022 7th, 2021 8th Pittsburgh (5) Mick Burnett (OH) - 2019 5th Dylan Evans (PA) - 2021 5th Ethan Finch (PA) - 2020 4th Grant Mackay (PA) - 2020 8th Colby Whitehill (PA) - 2019 5th Purdue (5) Joey Blaze (OH) - 2022 1st, 2021 8th Greyson Clark (WI) - 2022 3rd, 2021 8th Hayden Copass (IL) - 2019 2nd Gerrit Nijenhuis (PA) - 2019 1st Jake Rundell (IL) - 2019 3rd West Virginia (5) Peyton Hall (WV) - 2019 2nd Rune Lawrence (PA) - 2023 2nd, 2022 3rd, 2021 4th Brayden Roberts (WV) - 2019 3rd Jordan Titus (NY) - 2019 4th Ty Watters (PA) - 2022 2nd Appalachian State (4) Carson Floyd (NC) - 2021 7th Francis Morrissey (GA) - 2019 6th Triston Norris (NC) - 2020 4th Ethan Oakley (NC) - 2019 8th Illinois (4) Marko Ivanisevic (IL) - 2023 7th Luke Odom (IL) - 2019 4th Maximo Renteria (CA) - 2019 2nd Kannon Webster (IL) - 2023 3rd Little Rock (4) Brendon Abdon (FL) - 2021 8th KJ Miley (MO) - 2021 2nd, 2019 7th Jeremiah Reno (MO) - 2019 5th Jake Stacey (TN) - 2023 6th Michigan State (4) Caleb Fish (MI) - 2019 8th Darius Marines (MI) - 2023 6th Chase Saldate (CA) - 2019 1st Cory Thomas (MI) - 2023 7th North Dakota State (4) Fernando Barreto (CA) - 2021 8th Michael Caliendo (IL) - 2020 6th Max Magayna (IA) - 2022 7th Zeke Witt (KS) - 2023 7th Oregon State (4) Isaiah Anderson (WA) - 2020 8th Aden Attao (ID) - 2022 4th TJ McDonnell (CA) - 2022 6th Justin Rademacher (OR) - 2021 6th Binghamton (3) Will Ebert (CT) - 2021 5th Nate Lucier (PA) - 2020 5th Charlie Tibbitts (NY) - 2021 8th California Baptist (3) Max Acciardi (NJ) - 2021 4th Paul Kelly (CA) - 2023 4th Carter Schubert (NY) - 2022 5th Columbia (3) Aaron Ayzerov (NJ) - 2020 5th Nick Babin (NJ) - 2019 8th Richard Fedalen (MD) - 2021 4th Northern Colorado (3) Benji Alanis (AZ) - 2020 5th Xavier Doolin (MO) - 2020 6th Brady Hankin (CO) - 2019 8th American (2) JJ Peace (SC) - 2023 6th Lucas White (MO) - 2020 7th Cal Poly (2) Daschle Lamer (OR) - 2022 2nd Dom Mendez (CA) - 2021 6th Central Michigan (2) Caden Ferris (MI) - 2021 8th Aidan Fockler (OH) - 2022 2nd, 2021 6th Chattanooga (2) Cole Cochran (GA) - 2021 8th Landon Jones (GA) - 2023 4th Kent State (2) Enrique Munguia (OH) - 2020 3rd Riley Ucker (OH) - 2021 7th Lock Haven (2) Tucker Hogan (PA) - 2023 3rd Tyler Stoltzfus (PA) - 2019 6th Presbyterian (2) Nathan Carnes (NC) - 2022 7th Dominic Chavez (TX) - 2019 6th Rider (2) Hunter Mays (NJ) - 2021 3rd Brock Zurawski (NJ) - 2022 4th, 2021 8th Bloomsburg (1) Antoine Allen (OH) - 2019 6th Brown (1) Dom Frontino (PA) - 2022 8th Clarion (1) John Meyers (PA) - 2019 6th Davidson (1) Bryce Griffin (IL) - 2023 7th Drexel (1) Kyle Hauserman (PA) - 2020 4th Duke (1) Jack Wimmer (MD) - 2019 6th George Mason (1) Avery Bassett (PA) - 2019 8th Hofstra (1) Danny Church (PA) - 2022 6th SIU Edwardsville (1) Collin Arch (MO) - 2022 5th Utah Valley (1) Jax Garoutte (CO) - 2019 7th

Cael Wiedemoyer photo courtesy of Tony Rotundo; WrestlersAreWarriors.com The EIWA got on the scoreboard twice Wednesday night as a pair of their teams received verbal commitments from significant recruits. The higher ranked of the two is #25 overall Cael Wiedemoyer (Faith Christian Academy, PA). Heading into the Super 32, Wiedemoyer is ranked eighth in the nation at 165 lbs. Wiedemoyer is expected to compete for a belt in Greensboro at the Super and is fourth at 165 in the preseeds. Wiedemoyer is a two-time Pennsylvania state placewinner - taking third as a freshman at 152 lbs and making the AA finals in 2024 at 160. Shortly after the tournament in both years of high school, Wiedemoyer captured the NHSCA grade-level championship. This is the first verbal commitment for Lehigh in the Class of 2026. Wiedemoyer projects at 184 lbs at the next level, which is a weight where Lehigh has some young talent on the roster or committed from the Class of 2025; however, no one could be viewed as the long-time starter, as of now. Getting Wiedemoyer could have excellent repercussions for Lehigh as his high school is full of DI prospects. Wiedemoyer has been active on the fall campus visit tour. In addition to Lehigh, he has visited Brown, Cornell, Missouri, Penn, and Pittsburgh. The other notable verbal commitment from the Class of 2026 yesterday was Evan Sanati (Brentsville, VA) pledging to Army West Point. Sanati is a two-time Virginia 3A state placer, taking third as a freshman and winning a state title as a sophomore at 126 lbs. Sanati is a three-time Fargo All-American placing fourth on two occasions in 16U Greco-Roman and sixth in 16U freestyle in 2023. He has also taken sixth both times he’s competed at the Beast of the East. At the Super 32, Sanati is seeded #26 at 132 lbs. He’ll project at 133/141 in West Point. Sanati is the second junior to give a verbal commitment to Army West Point this week. Cooper Merli (Newburgh Free Academy, NY) was the first. In addition to Army West Point, Sanati also visited George Mason and was at the University of Virginia last weekend. For all the current commitments from the Class of 2026 - click here.

Faith Christian Academy

Brentsville District

As we see a new NCAA season on the horizon, it’s time to make our way around the country and look at the future for each conference. Today we’re focusing on the MAC. In 2024, the conference produced three All-Americans, two of which return. Two MAC schools were identified in InterMat’s preseason tournament rankings (Ohio 23-T and Lock Haven 25-T). In addition, the MAC led the way with the most head coaching changes. All of that will make for a fun year in the conference. Plenty of new-look teams. Some teams that we know are good and others we might learn about later. We spent the entire 2023-24 season wondering who would win the conference, will it be so uncertain in 2024-25? That is the basis for one of the ten questions we have below that we’ll use to preview the 2024-25 season from the MAC standpoint. 1. Can we get a roll call for the new head coaches? A few weeks ago, we did a feature on the new DI head coaches for the 2024-25 season. Three of the seven come from the MAC. We won’t totally rehash that article, but those coaches are John Stutzman (Bloomsburg), Donnie Vinson (Buffalo), and Ben Bennett (Central Michigan). Within a year or two, I’d expect strong improvements from the Bloomsburg and Buffalo programs. Both of these coaches and their staff have hit the recruiting trail hard. Bloomsburg already has a handful of commitments for the Class of 2025 and even one from the Class of 2026. Vinson’s staff at Buffalo has had plenty of highly ranked wrestlers on campus and appears to be ready to keep many of New York’s best, in-state. As you might expect, in the near future it could be tough for both Stutzman and Vinson. Both programs were hit hard by the transfer portal when their respective vacancies opened. Soon enough, both will be in a better place. Of course, you probably remember that Stutzman spent over a decade as the head man at Buffalo and is returning to a Bloomsburg program where he made a name for himself by putting together a nationally ranked squad that was largely composed of overlooked recruits. Bennett takes over for the legendary Tom Borrelli after Borrelli stepped down following the 2024 NCAA Championships. Bennett is no stranger to the CMU program, having earned All-American honors four times for CMU and serving on the staff since his career ended in 2013. For the most part, I think that new leadership and fresh voices can provide a positive jolt for a wrestling program. Having three new head coaches in the conference is a good thing. There should be renewed enthusiasm within each school’s fanbase and donor list, which is essential in this era of college sports. 2. Will Central Michigan repeat? All throughout the 2023-24 season, a common theme when looking at the MAC was “Who’s going to win the conference title?” Lock Haven came in as the favorite and looked like they may be able to pull it off. Central Michigan had their moments, as did Rider and Northern Illinois. After the conference brackets were released, I thought there was a way that Cleveland State might be able to shock the league. Ultimately, it was probably the most consistent team that shined when it counted and that was Central Michigan. It was truly a team event for the Chippewas as only Alex Cramer (174) came away with a conference crown. Corbyn Munson (149) made the finals. Jimmy Nugent (141), Johnny Lovett (157), and Tyler Swiderski (165) were third. Sean Spidle (125), Cameron Wood (197) and Bryan Caves (285) were fourth. CMU is in a decent position to repeat. Of that group of top-four finishers, only Munson is gone. Spidle will move up to 133 and battle with Vince Perez and Andrew Austin for the starting role. Whoever emerges from that trio should push for a spot in the national rankings. Filling in for Munson at 149 lbs is Mason Shrader. During the 2023-24 season, Shrader amassed a 21-5 record mainly competing at 157 lbs (even a few bouts at 165) behind Lovett. Depending on how the weight cut goes, the drop-off from Munson to Shrader may not be very severe. At 141 lbs, Nugent is expected to get pushed by redshirt freshman Kellan Aure. Aure was 6-4 last season in limited open tournaments. However, that competition turns out, CMU should be in good shape. The other returns just need to continue their development and CMU could field a very solid lineup without any significant holes. 3. Can Lock Haven climb back into the top spot? After winning MAC titles in 2022 and 2023, Lock Haven slipped back to fourth place in 2024. On the way to the 2024 MAC Championships, we knew the Lock Haven lightweights would carry them, but just how far was the question. The Bald Eagles swept the first three weights with MAC titles from Anthony Noto (125), Gable Strickland (133), and Wyatt Henson (141). Unfortunately, those were the only three national qualifiers for Lock Haven in 2024. Who can step up to help the big three in 2024-25? Lock Haven added a qualifier from Buffalo in the transfer portal, as Nick Stampoulos is now on track to start at 157 lbs and carries a preseason national ranking of #31. They’ll also have Tyler Stoltzfus at 174 lbs. Stoltzfus fought through an injury-plagued season and was a far cry from the wrestlers who went 31-14 the previous season and earned a trip to nationals. Another familiar face for Lock Haven fans is 149 lber Nick Stonecheck. At times, Stonecheck was ranked at 149 lbs and was close to the NCAA qualification bubble. Unfortunately, Stonecheck went 1-1 at the MAC Tournament before injury defaulting out. During the regular season, Stonecheck picked up a win over eventual All-American Quinn Kinner (Rider). Lock Haven could also receive a boost from the #20 overall recruiting class in the country. This class was very deep and is headed up by Tucker Hogan, who was considered the #27 overall prospect in the nation. We’ll have more on him shortly. Once again, Lock Haven will be led by their lightweights. Wyatt Henson was a bonus-point machine in 2023-24 and that should occur again this season and is very important in tournaments. Unless the injury bug arrives, they seem to have enough big guns, along with potential contributors to knock off CMU. 4. Who are some of the freshmen to watch? We briefly mentioned Hogan. It appears that he’ll be Lock Haven’s starter at 197 lbs right out of the gate. Hogan is a massive get for Scott Moore’s team. He was third at the Super 32 and fifth in Junior freestyle in Fargo in 2023. In Pennsylvania, Hogan won a pair of AAA state titles and finished third as a sophomore. There are plenty of freshmen who have the potential to start for MAC teams in 2024-25; however, we’re only going to name those that appear to have the biggest impact. Chris Vargo made national news during his senior year at Pennsylvania’s Bentworth High School when he defeated U17 world champion Jax Forrest in the AA Southwest Regional final. Although Forrest returned the favor in the state finals, not many wrestlers in any style, at any age group have beaten Forrest during his high school career. Vargo would finish his high school career with four state medals and two appearances in the finals. Vargo had already inked with Edinboro and it was clear that Fighting Scots head coach Matt Hill might have found a diamond in the rough. It looks like Vargo will go for Edinboro right away at 125 lbs. Having four-time All-American AJ Schopp as a new assistant coach should be huge for Vargo’s transition to college. A redshirt freshman you may not be as familiar with, but need to be, is SIU Edwardsville’s 197 lber Nick Nosler. Over the summer, Nosler made the best-of-three finals in the U20 World Team Trials in Greco-Roman. That finals berth allowed him to travel to Peru and represent the USA at the U20 Pan-American Championships. An experience like that should be invaluable to Nosler as he prepares for the 2024-25 season. While redshirting, Nosler amassed a 21-12 record and went 1-1 in dual competition. Although the bulk of his wins came against non-DI competition, Nosler did notch a winning record against DI opposition. 5. Give me some good news from the transfer portal The transfer portal isn’t always a negative thing. There were plenty of schools that improved themselves via the transfer portal and some of them came from the MAC. The most notable addition to the conference comes in the form of Sammy Alvarez who is currently ranked #24 in the nation at 149 lbs for Rider. Of course, Alvarez has the talent to finish much higher than that, but he hasn’t had much action in the last few years. During his only full season as a starter (2019-20), Alvarez finished sixth in the Big Ten and was seeded #10 at the 2020 NCAA Championships. Rider has been a place where veterans have been able to transfer into and thrive (Jesse Dellavecchia and Quinn Kinner), so maybe Alvarez can reach his full potential back in his home state. Other teams that made gains through the portal include Edinboro (Colton Camacho/133 and Ryan Michaels/157), Lock Haven (Nick Stampoulos/157 and Caden Dobbins/165), Northern Illinois (Markel Baker/133 and Spencer Mooberry/197), along with SIU Edwardsville (Ben Lunn/141, Luke Odom/165, and Griffin Ray/174). Camacho has been close to NCAA qualification status multiple times in the past. Lock Haven’s Stampoulos was a qualifier last year for Buffalo and Dobbins’ presence could allow the Bald Eagles to redshirt Avery Bassett. Baker was close to qualifying for nationals at George Mason, while at 125 lbs in 2022-23. All three of SIU Edwardsville’s transfers come over from Big Ten programs. There are plenty of additional transfers; however, these are the ones that might provide the most impact. 6. NCAA Finals….National Title…Could we see one (or two) from the MAC? The last national champion from the MAC was J’den Cox in 2017, back when Missouri qualified through nationals through the conference. Aside from Mizzou wrestlers, the most recent MAC wrestler to win nationals was Dustin Kilgore (Kent State) in 2011. Could this be the year where a MAC wrestler breaks one of those streaks? If you look at our preseason rankings, you’ll notice a couple of MAC wrestlers ranked very high - in weights that might be manageable to win. Anthony Noto (Lock Haven) comes in second at 125 lbs and Peyten Kellar (Ohio) is third at 157 lbs. Noto dropped a one-point bout to Richie Figueroa (Arizona State) in the NCAA semifinals and Figueroa went on to win the national title. He’s the only one that sits above Noto in the preseason rankings. As we saw last year, the 125 lb weight class was one of the most unpredictable brackets in recent memory. Noto spent multiple weeks at #1 and it wouldn’t be that far-fetched to think that he could navigate a tough bracket and reverse the result in a possible rematch against Figueroa. Kellar wasn’t as much of a known commodity as Noto coming into the regular season or even at the NCAA Tournament. With his performance in Kansas City, Kellar introduced himself to the nation with a stunning performance that saw him finish fifth. After a second-round loss to Jared Franek (Iowa), Kellar posted a major decision victory over Trevor Chumbley (Northwestern), edged #15 Cael Swensen (South Dakota State) 1-0, before pinning #4 Ed Scott (NC State) to secure All-American honors. Kellar wasn’t finished there. He won a 12-10 shootout over #8 Peyton Robb (Nebraska), before falling via pin to Daniel Cardenas (Stanford). Kellar finished with a fall over #12 Bryce Andonian (Virginia Tech) for fifth place. Kellar starts the year ranked behind national runner-up Jacori Teemer (Iowa) and Meyer Shapiro (Cornell). He didn’t face either during the 2023-24 season; however, he’ll get an early test at the NWCA All-Star Classic in mid-November. Kasak moves up to 157 after an incredible NCAA run himself as a true freshman. He fell in the first round at nationals and battled all the way back for third at 149 lbs. While Kellar may have been overlooked during the 2023-24 regular season, his total body of work was excellent. A 28-4 record with a title in the conference’s deepest weight and regular season losses to only Will Lewan (Michigan) and Paddy Gallagher (Ohio State). There’s a lot of time between now and mid-March, but right now I think the conference has a pair of potential title threats. 7. How about an under-the-radar team to watch? Let’s talk George Mason! The Patriots return a trio of NCAA qualifiers including conference champions Evan Maag (165) and Malachi DuVall (184), along with DJ McGee (157) who went 1-2 at NCAA’s and was a fourth-place finisher at the Midlands. That’s a good place to start. Each begins the preseason ranked in the top-25 at their respective weights. In addition to GMU’s “Big Three,” they also have 174 lber Logan Messer coming off a redshirt year. Messer has been nationally ranked in the past and racked up a 52-18 during his first two years in Fairfax. Messer was close to NCAA qualification in 2023. One wrestler that could really benefit from the new faces on the coaching staff is 149 lber Kaden Cassidy. He’ll get to work regularly with two-time national champion Dean Heil and All-American Max Murin, both new staff members from blue blood collegiate programs. Cassidy was 17-9 last year and finished fifth in a tough MAC weight class. With those five and veterans like Ben Monn (125) or Tyler Kocak (197) potential continuing to develop, Frank Beasley’s team could be a tough-out against anyone and a significant factor in the MAC team race. After finishing third in 2024, two points behind Rider, it might be time to stop labeling George Mason as an “under-the-radar” team. 8. Which veterans take “the next step?” Looking at the recent history of the conference, we’ve seen a handful of wrestlers that saw everything come together as they made the NCAA podium for the first time during their senior seasons. Quinn Kinner, Izzak Olejnik, Will Feldkamp, Ethan Laird, Drew Hildebrandt, and Jesse Dellavecchia are some recent examples (I realize a few were granted an extra year and transferred outside of the conference). So who is this year’s version of Quinn Kinner? We’ve already talked about Sammy Alvarez, Kinner’s replacement, he might be the most logical answer. After Alvarez, how about Johnny Lovett of Central Michigan. Lovett took his lumps throughout the regular season and had a few losses from wrestling in a conference that included Kellar and McGee. That’s understandable. The CMU 157 lber saved his best work for Kansas City as he lost to Kellar by a point in the opening round and proceeded to win three straight matches to make the NCAA bloodround. A notable win during that run came over long-time rival and multi-time All-American Will Lewan of Michigan. Lovett starts the preseason ranked 16th in a weight class that is not quite as deep as the past two or three years. Why not Lovett? Sticking with Central Michigan, maybe 174 lber Alex Cramer is the answer. Cramer won his second MAC title in 2024 and then pulled a slight upset in the first round of NCAA’s by pinning Big 12 finalist Gaven Sax. He picked up a second win in the consolations before getting eliminated by Iowa’s Patrick Kennedy. Cramer starts the preseason ranked #21 in a deep 174 lb weight class; however, you don’t have to beat everyone in front of you to make the podium - perhaps just a guy or two. 9. What are some key out-of-conference events involving MAC teams? There’s a fun new event taking place in conjunction with the NWCA National Duals that will feature a handful of MAC squads. Depending on where you look, it could be called the National Duals, the Elite Duals, the Mid-Major Duals, or maybe something we haven’t seen yet. Whatever it’s called, it is designed to bring together schools that are not a part of Power Four conferences for a dual tournament. From the schedules we’ve seen thus far, George Mason, Ohio, and SIU Edwardsville are slated to compete. Ranked teams that we know are participating include #10 Northern Iowa, #16 Little Rock, #17 South Dakota State, and #25 Wyoming. The event could make for some interesting matchups - individually and as a team. With those types of teams in attendance, the MAC squads should have ample opportunities to take down ranked opponents. Lock Haven has been a fixture at the Collegiate Duals. They’ll return for a third straight year and are slated to meet #7 Ohio State, #8 Iowa State, and #23 North Carolina in dual competition. One of the staple events of November has been Journeymen Wrestling’s “WrangleMania.” Buffalo is the only MAC team on the docket. They’ll face Sacred Heart and California Baptist. A day later, also in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, is the Journeymen Collegiate Classic. Wrestlers get separated into pools and typically have three matches against similar competition. As of now, we see Clarion and Lock Haven in the field. Take a look at our Master Schedule (updated regularly) for more detailed information about MAC teams at national events. 10. Does the conference meet or exceed the number of All-Americans (three) from 2024? The MAC had three All-Americans in 2024 and two of those (Noto and Kellar) return. Quinn Kinner has graduated. Hitting that mark of three All-Americans or potentially exceeding it doesn’t seem like an unmanageable feat. Neither Noto nor Kellar were flukes and will likely be considered favorites to at least match their 2024 NCAA placement. That leaves us with another All-American or two. We’ve already mentioned names like Sammy Alvarez, Johnny Lovett, and Alex Cramer. Those are all three good options. Looking back at Lock Haven, maybe Wyatt Henson is the answer. Henson dominated during the first semester while competing unattached. He finally got into the Lock Haven lineup and didn’t miss a beat, for the most part. At the NCAA Tournament, he was upset in the opening round, in sudden victory, before losing his first consolation match in a 10-9 shootout. Henson is probably closer to his NCAA seeding (#12) than his 0-2 showing at nationals. With Lock Haven’s schedule, he’ll have plenty of opportunities to meet strong competition and move up the ranks quickly. If we’re talking Johnny Lovett, we can’t overlook DJ McGee who beat Lovett twice and downed Minnesota All-American Michael Blockhus. McGee was a surprise to most outside of the George Mason room, we’ll see if he can take another step forward this year. Someone who is currently ranked within the All-American range (#8) is Ohio’s Garrett Thompson. Thompson also seemed to come out of nowhere last year and put together a great regular season - one that included a fifth-place finish at the Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational. Perhaps the length of the collegiate season got to Thompson as he faltered a bit down the stretch, with a loss in the MAC finals and a 1-2 showing at nationals. Looking at his season with a wide lens, Thompson went 27-8 and earned the #12 seed at NCAA’s. That’s a decent amount of names and I don’t expect each and every one of them to make the NCAA podium. However, if two from that group step up and join Noto/Kellar, then the conference will outwrestle its NCAA performance from 2024.

The top prospect in the high school Class of 2026, Bo Bassett, has vowed to keep fans abreast of his recruiting with daily Wednesday updates. Well, today is Wednesday and true to his word, Bassett has posted an updated graphic which has eliminated one more school from consideration. Earlier this year, Bassett posted a graphic that contained the logos of approximately 80 schools, most of the DI variety, but some DII’s as well, to signify that he’s totally open in the recruiting process. After more than three months of removing schools from the list, he’s down to 15. One school was removed from this week's graphic: Air Force The following schools remain on Bassett’s graphic and therefore in contention for his services: Arizona State, Cornell, Iowa, Iowa State, Michigan, Missouri, Nebraska, Northern Iowa, Ohio State, Oklahoma State, Penn State, Pitt-Johnstown, Princeton, Rutgers, Virginia Tech. One school was removed from the 10/2 graphic: Lehigh One school was removed from the 9/25 graphic: Pittsburgh One school was removed from the 9/18 graphic: Stanford One school was removed from the 9/11 graphic: NC State These three schools were removed from the 9/4 graphic: American, North Carolina, Wisconsin These three schools were removed from the 8/28 graphic: Clarion, Little Rock, Minnesota The following schools were removed from the 8/21 graphic: Penn, Oklahoma, Oregon State The following schools were removed from the 8/14 graphic: Bucknell, Virginia, Wyoming The following schools were removed from the 8/7 graphic: Brown, Northern Colorado, Purdue The following schools were removed from the 7/31 graphic: California Baptist, Michigan State, Navy The following schools were removed from the 7/24 graphic: Army West Point, Campbell, Edinboro, Harvard, Illinois, North Dakota State, South Dakota State The following schools were removed from the 7/17 graphic: Cal Poly, Columbia, Indiana, Maryland, Millersville, The Citadel, and West Virginia The following schools were removed from the 7/10 graphic: CSU Bakersfield, George Mason, Hofstra, Northwestern, Rider, UW Parkside, West Liberty The following schools were removed from the 7/3 graphic: Appalachian State, Central Michigan, Cleveland State, Drexel, Kent State, Ohio, and St. Cloud State The following schools were removed from the 6/26 graphic: Binghamton, Bloomsburg, Duke, Gardner-Webb, Northern Illinois, Sacred Heart, SIU Edwardsville Bassett's first on-campus visit took place on September 20th-22nd at the University of Michigan and he was joined by his high school teammate #2 Jax Forrest. In Bassett's weekly recruiting update, he noted dates for upcoming official campus visits: Oct 25-27 - Iowa Nov 1-3 - Penn State Nov 8-10 - Ohio State Nov 15-17 - Virginia Tech Nov 22-24 - Oklahoma State Jan 24-26 - Rutgers Bassett will be in action again this weekend at the Super 32 where he'll attempt to win a championship belt for a third consecutive year.

This offseason may have been one of the busiest for the Big 12 conference. A new contender in Arizona State joined, multiple schools are featuring new or revamped coaching staffs, and some moves in the now always prevalent transfer portal gave plenty of talking points over the summer. Now that the season is approaching, it’s a great time to take a deeper look and present some early questions for fans to consider and look out for answers. 1. What will Arizona State’s immediate and long-term impact be? Caught up in all the conference realignment changes, Arizona State is the newest official member of the Big 12. In the past four seasons, the Sun Devils have finished in the top ten, including team trophies in 2021 and 2022. They return a stacked team, as evidenced in my rankings article. Headed into the Big 12, the conference title has seen four different teams win since 2020 with Oklahoma State, Oklahoma, Missouri, and most recently Iowa State. This year all of those teams are bringing back heavy-hitting squads, and that’s before you consider teams like South Dakota State and Northern Iowa who can’t be overlooked this season either. Long term it only adds to the growing strength of the conference. Oklahoma State is a popular pick to contend for a title soon and Iowa State is coming off a trophy performance at NCAA’s. Arizona State had some changes with the closing of Sunkist Kids this summer, but they have the framework to get the conference even closer to the top. 2. How quickly do we see the impact of coaching changes? Utah Valley and Oklahoma State both brought in new coaching staff's this offseason. California Baptist brought in new high-profile assistants recently. Roger Kish and Obe Blanc are headed into the second year at their new schools. In the new age of college athletics, results are expected sooner than ever; which leaves the question of when and how much of an impact occurs? Oklahoma State may have the highest expectations with the Olympic-caliber staff brought in. On top of that, they brought in a number of high-profile transfers which has them looking like a trophy team with sky-high expectations. Utah Valley may have a longer build, but brought in a high-profile transfer with Terrell Barraclough. CBU brought in Mark Munoz and Nathan Tomasello, which now gives them strong coaching options throughout the weight classes. The Lancers fly a bit under-the-radar at the moment, but I expect them to build off of getting their first qualifiers last season and return a handful of wrestlers to look out for. Roger Kish and Obe Blanc are both now second-year head coaches but in different positions. Kish had immediate success with their highest finish since 2016 and is looking to keep the roster strong amidst transfer portal additions and subtractions. Blanc is doing an admirable job at NDSU, adjusting after losing a number of wrestlers in the portal. They have a solid stable of middleweights and young talent spread throughout the lineup that could grow into contenders. At one point the general thought process was it took five years to truly give coaches a chance to enact their changes and build their team. With the pre-built foundation at many of these schools, that timeline may be shortened. Keep a close eye on these teams to see how results and expectations adjust over the course of a season. 3. How many true freshmen could we see? On the 2024 Big Board nine of the top 25 committed to a Big 12 school, just three behind the Big 10. There’s a good distribution within that as well with Oklahoma State (2), Oklahoma (2), Missouri (1), West Virginia (1), Arizona State (1), Air Force (1), and Iowa State (1). While many of these young wrestlers will likely get mat time with their five dates while redshirting, there are a few that seem primed to be seen early and often. Cody Merrill is the highest ranked on the board at #2, but should be behind Wyatt Hendrickson at heavyweight. Also at OK State is JJ McComas, who could contend for a 133 spot depending on how weight changes go. Missouri’s Brian Smith mentioned that Aeoden Sinclair is likely going to get early-season opportunities. Arizona State’s Kyler Larkin or Pierson Manville could challenge for an open 149 spot in the lineup. A sleeper to look out for is Paul Kelly at CBU, the #46 ranked wrestler, and is another 149 wrestler to look out for. 4. Who wins the Big 12 title? Iowa State won the 2024 Big 12 title, breaking Missouri’s 12 consecutive conference titles streak (3 Big 12, 9 MAC). Just 11 points behind them was Oklahoma State, with a record 53 conference titles. And don’t forget SDSU, who outplaced Missouri and returns another stacked lineup. Based on tournament rankings, OK State has a significant lead followed by Missouri and SDSU. Arizona State is just behind them, and UNI is actually ahead of returning champs Iowa State. Rankings are sure to change and many of these lineups have pivotal wrestle-offs and lineup changes that will occur. Right now it’s hard to pick against a stacked Cowboys roster with a 20-point lead on paper. 5. How many qualifiers does the Big 12 get this year? Last year the conference had 57 automatic qualifier allocations and 10 At-Large bids for a sizable 66 total qualifiers. That was still second to the Big 10 with 85 automatic bids and 11 At-Large bids for a whopping 96 total qualifiers. The Big 12 will get immediate help with the addition of Arizona State, who had seven wrestlers auto-qualify and one At-Large bid. If they repeat that, the conference will be pushing for 70+ qualifiers. Adding in the expected improvements across the conference and the gap between the Big 12 and Big 10 could continue to close. 6. What is the ceiling for South Dakota State and Northern Iowa? Two teams that have been mentioned multiple times in this article are the Jackrabbits and Panthers. Both are coming off some of their best years in recent history, with SDSU finishing 13th and UNI just behind at 14th. SDSU has eight ranked wrestlers while UNI has nine. UNI returns eight starters from last season and reintroduces Colin Realbuto into the lineup. Keckeisen leads the way for points, but they bring back three wrestlers who made the bloodround last year (Cael Happel, Ryder Downey, Jared Simma). I’m on the Trever Anderson hype train after a wild freshman year at 125 to make some noise. If the Panthers can push some of those wrestlers through to a podium finish, this team could finish in the top ten. There’s a different story for SDSU, who actually graduated one of their top point scorers from last year in Tanner Sloan. They do return All-Americans Tanner Jordan, Cade DeVos, and Bennett Berge. They took advantage of the transfer portal with high-level wrestlers slotting in at 157 and 197. Look for them to score some dual upsets this season and carry that into another strong March to make a play for a top-ten finish.

Oklahoma continued to add to their recruiting Class of 2026 today as they got their second verbal commitment from a high school junior. The latest to commit to Roger Kish’s team is Jake Knight (Bettendorf, IA) who is ranked #76 overall in the Class of 2026. Knight is a two-time Iowa state finalist. He was a champion at the 3A division as a freshman at 113 lbs and was a runner-up in 2024 at 120 lbs. Outside of Iowa, Knight was a Junior freestyle All-American in Fargo (5th) in 2023 and was fourth the previous year in 16U freestyle. Also in 2022, Knight was sixth at the UWW U17 freestyle trials. Taylor visited Oklahoma on the weekend of September 21st. During our recap of that recruiting weekend, we noted how recent transfer and potential 197 lb starter, Bradley Hill, attended Iowa’s Bettendorf High School, as well. Oklahoma also has true freshman Koufax Christensen, another Iowa native, on the roster. Knight joins Will Deutschlander (Edmond North, OK) in the Sooners Class of 2026. Head coach Roger Kish’s first full recruiting class (2024) was ranked third in the nation by InterMat and his team has commitments from four top-100 recruits from 2025. The 2026 class is trending in the right direction, too. At the next level, Knight projects as a 133 lber. The Sooners current starter at the weight, Cleveland Belton, is in his last year of eligibility and will be long gone by the time Knight arrives in Norman. While there is plenty of young talent on the roster or committed, there doesn’t appear to be a clear-cut “133 lber of the future.” Knight chose Oklahoma over the University of Virginia, among others. He took a visit to Virginia this past weekend. For Oklahoma’s current committed wrestlers from the Class of 2025 and 2026, Click Here .

Bettendorf

St. Francis

Kellen Wolbert photo courtesy of Tony Rotundo; WrestlersAreWarriors.com Now that we’re squarely in the collegiate preseason and the fall weather is ready to set in (at least in parts of the country) another rite of passage is upon us. Football season? Yes, and it’s semi-relevant here, as many fall recruiting weekends are built around football Saturdays, especially, at your Power Five (now four) schools. Sure, there are plenty of recruiting visits in the spring and summer, but we saw almost all of the top recruits from the Class of 2025 commit to schools by the end of the calendar year in 2023, so the Class of 2026 recruits have begun to visit campus and probably will start to commit soon. One of the things that makes following recruiting fun is the cloak-and-dagger secrecy surrounding parts of the process. For every Bo Bassett who routinely keeps the public informed on recruiting decisions, there are plenty of others who don’t discuss it as much. Therefore, it can be difficult to follow which recruit is interested in which school and vice versa. I suppose it’s fun, but you’re left wanting more! In order to try and help our fanbase feel more knowledgeable about the process, we’ll have a weekly column that recaps the recruiting weekend. Who has visited where? Maybe some background information on the recruits or the process from the school. If we've missed a recruit or you'd like to provide info on future visits play let me know: earl@matscouts.com For past versions of this feature: October 1st September 23rd September 16th September 9th Air Force Jabari Hinson: Ames, IA - Class of 2026 Sebastian Martinez: Gabriel Richard, MI - Class of 2025 Owen McMullen: Bishop McCort, PA - Class of 2026 Jake Miller: Broken Arrow, OK - #90 Class of 2026 Trey Wagner: Northampton, PA - #84 Class of 2026 Arment Waltenbaugh: Faith Christian Academy, PA - Class of 2026 It was another big recruiting weekend for the Air Force Academy. Largely focused on the Class of 2026, there were two Big Boarders in attendance and a few others that could push for being included in the future. Most notable is Pennsylvania state champion Trey Wagner. Wagner is obviously into the military option, as he visited Army West Point in August. The second Big Boarder is three-time Fargo All-American Jake Miller of Oklahoma. He won an Oklahoma state title as a freshman and was third this year. This is the first visit we have on file for Miller. Someone who has been active taking college visits is Bishop McCort’s Owen McMullen. He’s already traveled to Brown, NC State, and Rutgers - with a visit to Iowa on tap for late this month. In 2024, McMullen placed in both styles at the UWW U17 Trials. This is the first visit we have recorded for both Jabari Hinson and Arment Waltenbaugh. Hinson is a two-time Iowa state placewinner and a one-time finalist. Waltenbaugh is a one-time Pennsylvania AA medalist for state power Faith Christian, as well as a Fargo 16U freestyle All-American. The lone senior of this bunch is three-time Michigan state champion Sebastian Martinez. Martinez has already taken a visit to Northern Illinois this cycle. Bucknell Kole Davidheiser: The Hill School, PA - Class of 2026 Jackson Heslin: Greens Farms Academy, CT - #102 Class of 2026 Anthony Mason: Southern Regional, NJ - #63 Class of 2026 Nicholas Sorrow: Hudson, MI - Class of 2026 Bucknell has made the top 25 in our recruiting rankings in each of the last two years. They look to continue their recent run of strong recruiting with a pair of Big Boarders amongst the four wrestlers in Lewisburg over the weekend. The highest ranked of the bunch is lightweight prospect and New Jersey state finalist Anthony Mason. Outside of Jersey, Mason’s strongest credential is an eighth-place finish at the Powerade. Mason has already taken visits to Army West Point and Princeton. The second Big Boarder is Jackson Heslin of Connecticut. Heslin is a 2024 National Prep fourth-place finisher who has excelled in Greco. He was a Junior national finalist in the style over the summer. Heslin has already taken a visit to EIWA-rival Lehigh. A familiar name for Bucknell fans is Kole Davidheiser. His older brother, Kade, is projected to start at 125 lbs for the Bison in 2024-25. The younger Davidheiser was a PA state medalist as a freshman. In late-August, Davidheiser took a visit to Brown. The final member of this recruiting group is Nicholas Sorrow, who is already a two-time Michigan state champion. Sorrow has national-level credentials in both styles - having placed in Fargo’s 16U division in freestyle in 2023 and getting on the UWW U17 Greco podium this year. With this group, the Bucknell staff has focused on the lighter-weight classes. Each of these prospects projects at 125 or 133 lbs at the next level. Cornell Lukas Littleton Mascaro: Malvern Prep, PA - #43 Class of 2026 Nathan Murphy: Parkersburg South, WV - Class of 2026 Gabe Swann: Carroll Central, Georgia - Class of 2026 After last week’s article was released, the Cornell staff received their first and second verbal commitments from the Class of 2026 (#9 Joseph Toscano and #32 Tommy Verrette). Can they continue the momentum with another verbal or two from this group of juniors? 2023 National Prep champion Lukas Littleton Mascaro is the lone Big Boarder of this trio. He also was in the top-eight at the Ironman and Powerade as a sophomore. Littleton Mascaro has already visited Ivy-rival Brown, along with Lehigh and North Carolina. Last weekend he was in California, and this week upstate New York for the Georgia native Gabe Swann. Swann is a four-time Fargo All-American who earned a stop sign in the Junior freestyle division this summer at 106 lbs. California Baptist hosted Swann last weekend, as did Brown earlier in September. This is the first visit we’ve seen for West Virginia state finalist Nathan Murphy. Murphy is from one of West Virginia’s top programs is could make his mark on the national stage this season. Minnesota Logan Bender: Chisago Lakes, MN - Class of 2025 Evan McGuire: Mahtomedi, MN - Class of 2025 Brett Swenson: Mounds View, MN - Class of 2025 Jarrett Wadsen: St. Michael-Albertville, MN - Class of 2025 Minnesota was focused on adding to their current Class of 2025 with the group they hosted over the weekend. Big man Evan McGuire was a AA state finalist in 2024 at 189 lbs, while Jarrett Wadsen was fourth in AAA and Brett Swenson was a AAA state champion. Another upperweight recruit, Logan Bender, was an AA state champion in 2024. This is the first visit we’ve heard of associated with Bender and Swenson. McGuire has already taken a visit to South Dakota State, while Wadsen has visited Wyoming. Nebraska Antonio Mills: Mill Creek, GA - #10 Class of 2026 Kellen Wolbert: Oconomowoc, WI - #18 Class of 2026 Two of the top prospects in the Class of 2026, Antonio Mills and Kellen Wolbert, were at Nebraska over the weekend. Mills has won the NHSCA grade-level tournament in each of his first two years of high school. Also during that time span, Mills has finished in the top-eight at the Super 32 twice. Over the summer, he was eighth in Fargo in Junior freestyle. It’s a bit surprising to see Nebraska in the mix as they have not inked Big Boarders from Georgia during the state’s recent surge. In addition to Nebraska, NC State has also hosted Mills. Wolbert has been excellent on the freestyle scene. He was a 16U national champion in 2022, then was seventh at the Junior division this year. At the UWW U17 Trials, Wolbert was sixth in 2023 and a finalist this spring. Wolbert has already visited Missouri and Wisconsin. His future itinerary is said to include visits to Cornell, Indiana, Minnesota, and Oklahoma State. North Carolina Rylan Seacrist: Brecksville, OH - #106 Class of 2026 North Carolina had a huge group in Chapel Hill last weekend. This time around Ohio's Rylan Seacrist is the only recruit we're aware of in town. Seacrist is an Ironman placewinner (6th) and was fifth at the UWW U17 Trials in freestyle. Seacrist has already taken a visit to Ohio State, Penn State, and Virginia. In addition, Seacrist has posted a "Top Ten" list on social media that includes Those four schools along with Iowa, Arizona State, Virginia Tech, Indiana, Pittsburgh, and West Virginia. North Dakota State Kyle Scott: Tyrone, PA - Class of 2026 Last season’s recruiting class had a bit of Pennsylvania flair and it doesn’t look like Obe Blanc wants to stop that (and why would you?). An under-the-radar prospect from the Class of 2026, Kyle Scott, made his way to Fargo over the weekend for a visit. Scott got on the PA AAA podium in 2024 for the first time as a sophomore at 172 lbs. He’s also placed twice at the NHSCA grade-level tournament and was seventh in 2024 at 16U freestyle nationals…in Fargo. In September, we noted Scott taking a visit to Buffalo. Northern Illinois Cody Trevino: Bettendorf, IA - Class of 2026 The Northern Illinois staff continues to put in work with Iowa kids! Currently, their only verbal commitment from 2025 is from Iowa AAA state finalist Logan Trenary. They’ve also hosted mega blue-chipper Dreshaun Ross, who is currently ranked #3 overall in the Class of 2026 (and also have his older brother Damarion on the roster). Now the Huskie staff has turned their attention to Bettendorf’s Cody Trevino. Trevino is a two-time Iowa state medalist - taking third as a sophomore and fourth as a freshman, at 138 and 126 lbs respectively. This is the first visit we’ve been notified of for Trevino. Princeton CJ Betz: Delbarton, NJ - #115 Class of 2026 Mark Effendian: Faith Christian Academy, PA - #88 Class of 2026 Sammy Spaulding: Camden Catholic, NJ - #105 Class of 2026 Zach Stewart: Marmion Academy, IL: #79 Class of 2026 A pair of in-state Big Boarders and two more from out-of-state accounted for Princeton’s recruiting weekend. Beast of the East runner-up and New Jersey fourth-place finisher Sammy Spaulding is the higher-ranked of the two in-state recruits. Spaulding has already taken a trip to West Virginia and has trips to NC State, Penn, and Navy on the docket. CJ Betz has not placed at the New Jersey state tournament yet, but was third at NHSCA Sophomore Nationals. He wrestles for a power program in New Jersey that is responsible for recent Tigers like Pat Glory, Tyler Vasquez, and Anthony Clark. This is the first visit we’ve seen associated with Betz. Zach Stewart is currently the highest-ranked recruit in his bunch. Stewart won an Illinois 3A state title this year as a sophomore at 138 lbs. He has already taken visits to Bellarmine and Virginia. Heavyweight Mark Effendian is a PA state third-place finisher and has also gotten onto the podium at the UWW U17 Trials (in both styles), the Beast, the Ironman, and the Super 32 - all as a sophomore at 285 lbs. This is the second visit we have for Effendian, the first being Pittsburgh. Stanford Keanu Dillard: Bethlehem Catholic, PA - #16 Class of 2026 Joey Jeter: Edmond North, OK - #22 Class of 2026 Coby Merrill: JW North, CA - #14 Class of 2026 Siraj Sidhu - Del Oro, CA - Class of 2026 Ryder Wilder: Kingsland, GA: #30 Class of 2026 They are coming off of three consecutive top-eight recruiting classes so there aren’t many holes to fill on the Stanford roster. That being said, Chris Ayres and the Stanford staff aren’t going to stand by and let top-notch recruits head elsewhere! Quite the contrary, his staff hosted five recruits four of whom are currently ranked in the top-30 overall in the Class of 2026. The highest-ranked of the group is two-time state runner-up Coby Merrill. Merrill was a double Junior All-American in 2023 - taking third in both styles. He has already taken visits to Cornell and Princeton and his older brother, Cody, was a blue-chip recruit in the Class of 2024 for Oklahoma State. Right behind Merrill in the recruiting rankings is two-time Pennsylvania champion and U17 freestyle world team member Keanu Dillard. Dillard has been extremely active during the recruiting process. He has already taken visits to Lehigh, Nebraska, Penn, Princeton, and Virginia. Dillard also is slated to visit Rutgers in two weeks. Another U17 world team member in this bunch is Joey Jeter. Though Jeter made the world team in Greco, he’s been just as impressive in freestyle with a fourth-place finish at the Trials and a third-place 16U placement in 2023 in Fargo. Jeter has already visited Cornell, Oklahoma, and Princeton. The final Big Boarder from this group is Ryder Wilder. Wilder has continued with his theme of ACC visits. He’s already taken trips to NC State and North Carolina. Wilder was a third-place finisher in both styles at the UWW U17 Trials and at NHSCA Sophomore Nationals. Rounding out the group is two-time California placewinner Siraj Sidhu. In addition to his state tournament exploits, Sidhu has also medaled twice at the Doc Buchanan Invitational. This is Sidhu’s third visit on record. Last week, he was at Cal Poly and earlier in September he saw the Air Force Academy. Virginia Jake Knight: Bettendorf, IA - #76 Class of 2026 Evan Sanati: Brentsville, VA - Class of 2026 Carter Shin: Chantilly, VA - Class of 2026 There’s a bit of a pattern here with the trio that Virginia hosted over the weekend. Both Evan Sanati and Carter Shin are relatively close to UVA’s Charlottesville campus. Both have earned All-American honors in Fargo. Sanati was sixth in 16U freestyle in 2023 and fourth in Greco. The Greco finish was a carbon copy of his 2023 finish. Shin was fifth in 16U Greco in 2023. This year, Shin was an All-American in both styles at the U17 Trials, taking seventh in freestyle and making the best-of-three finals in Greco. Sanati has already taken visits to Army West Point and George Mason and is said to have a Penn visit in the future. This is the first visit we’ve seen for Shin. Virginia has been able to recruit well in Iowa, of late, and they had another good prospect in town with #76 Jake Knight. Knight is a two-time Iowa state finalist - winning at 113 lbs as a freshman and settling for runner-up status as a sophomore at 120 lbs. Knight was fifth in Junior freestyle in Fargo back in 2023. This is the second visit we’ve noted for Knight. He took a trip to Oklahoma in late-September.

As we get closer to the start of the 2024-25 collegiate season, there will be plenty of preview-related articles on this site. This year’s conference previews will look much different than in the past because of the conference movement outside of the wrestling world. Perhaps no conference has been impacted by this more than the Pac-12 (okay, maybe the EIWA too!). The Pac-12 is coming off an excellent year where three of its teams finished in the top-20 at the 2024 NCAA Championships. Nine wrestlers earned All-American honors. That’s the second-highest figure for the league since 2011. Even with the new changes, there’s still plenty of talent out west (or down south) as two Pac-12 teams appear in the preseason dual rankings and three are in the tournament rankings. To learn more about the Pac-12 in 2024-25 we have ten important questions: 1. How has the conference changed? Will it impact the conference tournament? The landscape of college sports continues to change on a yearly basis - sometimes much quicker than that. The Pac-12, as an athletic conference, has been decimated by defections to the ACC, Big Ten, and Big 12. As of 2023-24, the Pac-12 as a wrestling conference, included six teams; three that were full-time conference members and three other affiliated members. In the offseason, Stanford left for the ACC and Arizona State moved to the Big 12. Those are two huge losses as Arizona State had won six of the last eight Pac-12 championships and both schools finished in the top-16 at the 2024 NCAA Tournament - with a handful of talented starters coming back to both teams. For wrestling purposes, the conference will proceed with a business-as-usual attitude and not much will change for the four remaining teams (Cal Poly, CSU Bakersfield, Little Rock, and Oregon State). The Pac-12 has received a waiver from the NCAA to allow conference champions to continue to earn automatic bids to the national championships. With two schools in InterMat’s preseason dual rankings (Little Rock #16 and Oregon State #24) and Cal Poly narrowly missing the top-30, the level of competition is still very high and there are plenty of potential stars in the conference. Once the dust settles on the 2024-25 school year (or perhaps before), we’ll see if there are any other changes to the conference. The Pac-12 will add six more schools (Boise State, Colorado State, Fresno State, Gonzaga, San Diego State, and Utah State) for the 2026-27 school year; however, none of them currently offer wrestling. 2. Does CSU Bakersfield have a top-25 team? If you checked out our preseason rankings (and why haven’t you) you’d notice that CSU Bakersfield came in at #22, which was the second-highest ranking for Pac-12 schools, behind Little Rock and ahead of Oregon State. That may seem difficult to fathom for a squad that went 3-33 over the past three years combined. But, dual results and tournament standings don’t always go hand-in-hand. Tournament results, specifically the NCAA Tournament, are largely dependent on stars. CSU Bakersfield has one with the top-ranked 197 lber in AJ Ferrari. If Ferrari can return to the form that led him to a national title in 2021, as a true freshman, CSU Bakersfield could push for a spot in the top-25 or perhaps top-20. The best recent comparison for CSU Bakersfield in 2025 is the Northern Colorado team at the 2023 NCAA Tournament. The Bears finished the tournament with 26 points - good for 23rd place. 22 of those points came from NCAA champion Andrew Alirez. Should CSU Bakersfield be able to get a few points from other wrestlers, a top-25 finish is in play. The most likely candidate would be Oklahoma transfer Gerrit Nijenhuis at 174 lbs. Nijenhuis barely missed out on the preseason rankings, but is a three-time national qualifier. Aside from Nijenhuis, the bookends of the Roadrunner lineup are where you should look for possibilities with Richard Castro-Sandoval (125) and Jake Andrews (285). Both have had some solid wins during their tenure at Bakersfield. Now, for the 197 lb elephant in the room. This whole national finish is predicated on the fact that Ferrari wins a national title or at least advances deep in the NCAA Tournament. Ferrari’s off-the-mat issues were the reason he was no longer a part of the Oklahoma State team and prevented any DI teams from adding him to their roster in the two years since he left Stillwater. Will Ferrari be able to last through the entire season? Has he learned from his previous mistakes? These are questions that won’t get answered today and we’ll have to monitor his progress all year. 3. What weight is Trey Munoz going? Our preseason rankings were released about a week and a half ago and two-time NCAA All-American Trey Munoz was listed as the fourth-ranked wrestler at 184 lbs. Later, another outlet published an article stating that Munoz would be up at 197 lbs. So what’s the answer? Over the summer, we understood the situation as unsettled with Munoz being more likely to be at 184 than 197 lbs, but at the same time, 197 was a possibility. Since our rankings were published, we’ve received confirmation from the Oregon State camp that Munoz intends on moving up to 197 for his final year of eligibility. A similar move happened to Trey’s father, Mark. Prior to his junior year, Mark went up from 184 to 197. A year later, Munoz capped his collegiate career with a national title. Could the younger Munoz do the same? With Ferrari and Little Rock’s returning All-American Stephen Little, and now Munoz, 197 lbs will be stacked in the Pac-12. 4. Aren’t there other weight changes at Oregon State? Munoz isn’t the only Oregon State wrestler slated to change weights during the upcoming 2024-25 campaign. Nash Singleton, who spent some time in the national rankings at 149 lbs, will be down at 141 lbs this year. Singleton had an excellent outing at the Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational and ended up in sixth place - with a win over eventual All-American Quinn Kinner (Rider) along the way. Down the stretch, in a tough 149 lb weight class, Singleton faded a bit and ended up missing the NCAA Tournament despite finishing his redshirt freshman season with an 18-12 record, after a fourth-place finish at the Pac-12 Championships. 141 lbs is a weight that had no Pac-12 wrestlers mentioned in the preseason rankings, so provided the weight cut goes well, Singleton might be able to stake a claim to that number-one spot. In addition to Singleton, Matthew Olguin is expected back down at 165 lbs for his final year in Corvallis. Olguin had a solid seventh-place showing at the CKLV Invitational last year, but ended up moving to 174 lbs once Travis Wittlake was lost for the year due to an unfortunate car accident. Olguin went 4-2 at the higher weight, but did not compete at the Pac-12 Championships. Now he’s back at a weight where he’s had great success. Olguin was a 2023 Pac-12 champion and then earned the eighth seed at the NCAA Tournament for beating 2021 national champion Shane Griffith in the conference finals. That same season, he was third in Vegas. Olguin starts the year ranked in the top-ten at 165 lbs and it wouldn’t be shocking for him to outperform that lofty ranking. 5. Can Little Rock duplicate their magic from 2023-24? One of the best stories to emerge from Kansas City and the 2024 national tournament was from Neil Erisman’s Little Rock Trojans. In only their fifth year of competition, Little Rock broke through and put two wrestlers on the NCAA podium, Nasir Bailey (4th at 133) and Stephen Little (7th at 197 lbs). Both were freshmen - Bailey a true freshman and Little of the redshirt variety. In addition, Erisman was named National Coach of the Year by the NWCA. Little Rock’s performance wasn’t just a lucky, one-tournament showing. They had an excellent season altogether. The Trojans went 15-5 in dual meet action with wins over Arizona State, Cal Poly, and Oregon State, among others. After only having one wrestler qualify for nationals during their first four years of existence, a total of five make the trek to Kansas City in 2024. All five national qualifiers return for Erisman’s squad in 2024-25. Plus former blue-chip recruit Jordan Williams, who came over late in the summer from Oklahoma State. Also returning is 174 lber Tyler Brennan, who missed out on NCAA qualifying despite a 19-5 record and wins over a pair of 2024 qualifiers. Little Rock starts the preseason mentioned in both of InterMat’s team rankings - dual (#16) and tournament (#17). I’d expect a similar dual record from last year and another couple of national qualifiers, perhaps another All-American or two. We’ll have to see how the team responds to being thought of as a favorite rather than everyone’s favorite underdog story. 6. Who is Little Rock’s next star? In the question above, we briefly mentioned Jordan Williams. He could be the answer. Williams was the #10 overall recruit in the Class of 2022 and finished his first year of official competition for Oklahoma State in the Big 12 finals and was 2-2 at nationals. Williams was let go from Oklahoma State after the coaching change and a brush with the law. Should he move past that, he has the pedigree to make the NCAA podium. All of that being said, Williams seems like the easy answer. Plus, we probably won’t see him until the second semester. Someone else who could fit the bill for Little Rock is one of their options at 184 lbs, Brock DelSignore. DelSignore is also a transfer. He came over from NC State in the offseason. DelSignore was 11-1 last year, in limited action, with his only loss coming via injury default. He picked up wins in all three duals where he saw action. During his 11 wins, only twice did he fail to capture bonus points. DelSignore’s list of bonus-point victims included All-American Bennett Berge (South Dakota State) and Sam Fisher (Virginia Tech), who was ranked before a season-ending injury. DelSignore will have to win the spot from incumbent, Triston Wills, but he was tabbed at #13 in our preseason rankings. That ranking may be conservative, but a few strong wins aren’t the same as the day-in, day-out grind in a DI lineup. With Williams and DelSignore in the mix, Little Rock has the potential to have studs at two weights which they didn’t qualify for nationals in 2024. 7. Who had the best recruiting Class of 2024? None of the four teams in the conference made our recruiting class rankings or the five honorable mentions, but we’ll have to go with either Oregon State or Little Rock. A late flip for the Beaver may give them the edge in potential star powers. #75 Moses Mirabel flipped from Brown and was California state champion last year. Oregon State also inked 4x Fargo medalist and two-time Junior freestyle champion Hunter Taylor out of Missouri. Because of large classes in the past, Oregon State had a more subdued number of recruits in 2024. That being said, either could be a future cornerstone of the program. If Oregon State had the possible high-end talent, Little Rock may have overwhelmed them with the quantity. The Trojans picked up four wrestlers who finished their high school careers on the Big Board - #136 Gunner Holland, #181 Tyler Harper, #235 Jake Stacey, and #237 Miles Anderson. Those four are some of the standouts from an incoming class of around 15 freshmen. Oregon State may have the higher-ranked recruits, but don’t overlook the Little Rock staff’s ability to identify and develop talent. An overlooked recruit like Stephen Little being the best example. 8. Is Cal Poly flying under the radar (again)? Earlier we said that Cal Poly just missed a preseason dual ranking and it was very close. There’s certainly an argument to be made for Jon Sioredas’ team. They return all five national qualifiers from 2024 and are led by two-time NCAA Round of 12 finisher Chance Lamer at 149 and Adam Kemp, who has been a perennial podium threat at 174 lbs. Either or both, Lamer and Kemp, could finish on the NCAA podium and both are close to that point in the preseason. Lamer comes in at #9 and Kemp at #11. Joining them in the national rankings are Zeth Romney (#23), Legend Lamer (#19), and Trevor Tinker (#22). It wouldn’t be surprising if any of those three improved into podium threats, either. Others who could make a name for themselves in 2024-25 include another Lamer brother (Daschle), who was a huge recruit for the Mustangs (#45 in the Class of 2023. With Kemp still in the picture, Daschle is expected to compete at 184 lbs this year. Another familiar family name for Cal Poly fans is Luka Wick. He’s expected to take the reins at 165 lbs after missing the entire 2023-24 season due to injury. As a redshirt freshman, Wick put together a solid 14-12 record, but did not qualify for nationals. Cal Poly also added transfers Korbin Shepherd (Missouri) and Joel Jesuroga (Iowa). Shepherd is expected to be the favorite at 141 lbs and Jesuroga will contribute at 149. Should one of these wrestlers we mentioned step up (or others), Cal Poly could be an incredibly tough out for anyone during the 2024-25 season. 9. What are the marquee out-of-conference duals involving Pac-12 schools? One new event that features three out of the four Pac-12 schools is the NWCA Duals (which have also been called the Elite Duals). This will be a dual tournament held in conjunction with the NWCA National Duals and features schools that are not in a Power-Five (or four) conference. Cal Poly, CSU Bakersfield, and Little Rock are slated to compete at this event on January 10/11th in Cedar Falls, Iowa. Other notable schools that are participating include Northern Iowa, Penn, South Dakota State, and Wyoming. Those schools could provide some intriguing matchups for the Pac-12 trio. CSU Bakersfield’s ranked out-of-conference opponents include #15 Stanford and #19 Oklahoma. The three West Coast Pac-12 schools have all scheduled former conference foe Stanford. Cal Poly’s ranked out-of-conference opponents include #15 Stanford, #26 Northwestern, and #30 Indiana. Little Rock’s ranked out-of-conference opponents include #1 Penn State, #5 Oklahoma State, #13 Missouri, and #26 Northwestern. Oregon State’s ranked out-of-conference opponents include #2 Iowa, #5 Oklahoma State, #7 Ohio State, #15 Stanford, #23 North Carolina, and #25 Wyoming. 10. With only four schools, how many All-Americans does the conference produce in Philadelphia? Last year, the six-team Pac-12 accounted for nine All-Americans. Six of those came from schools no longer in the conference (Arizona State - 4 and Stanford - 2). It’s probably a stretch to think that the conference could hit that number again in 2025 without those two programs, but they still could make a respectable showing. The 197 lbers might be the safest best (Ferrari, Munoz, Little). You also have Nasir Bailey who is the second-highest returning All-American at 133 lbs and will be a title favorite. The next tier consists of Chance Lamer who has been a match away from All-American status, twice. Then we’re looking at the two potential breakout stars for Little Rock, Jordan Williams and Brock DeSignore. Each had a win over an eventual AA in 2024-25 (Williams defeated Casey Swiderski at the Big 12 Championships). Now factor in a pair of battle-tested veterans like Matthew Olguin and Adam Kemp. Neither would be called a longshot to AA. Without squinting too hard and reaching too far, we’ve just identified nine All-American-quality wrestlers from the conference. Will all nine AA? I would bet against it, but stranger things have happened. We also aren’t factoring in anyone else who may have jumped levels in the offseason or a freshman or two like Nasir Bailey, who got off to a fast start.

AMES, Iowa – Paniro Johnson will miss the U23 World Championships in Tirana, Albania later this month due to a minor injury suffered during a training session. Johnson is expected to be available for Iowa State wrestle-offs in early to mid-November. Johnson was slated to represent the United States in the men's freestyle division at 70 KG at the U23 World Championships Oct. 21-27. Johnson won a U23 national title in June to make the USA Wrestling World Team.

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We’re officially into Super 32 week! The nation’s toughest preseason high school event will kick off on Friday from Greensboro, North Carolina. On our sister site, MatScouts, Willie has posted seeds for each weight class, videos detailing the seeding, and notable entries by weight. Surely he'll have more content this week. As we typically focus on the collegiate game, the question was, “How does success at the Super 32 correlate to NCAA success?” The two generally go hand-in-hand. The wrestlers you’ll see this week placing in the top ten and winning the coveted championship belts are typically the same ones winning at the DI level. In fact, 41 of the 80 2024 All-Americans finished in the top eight at the Super 32 at least once in their high school careers. Seven of the ten NCAA champions were medalists at the tournament. That isn’t to say that the Super 32 is the be-all, end-all when it comes to determining a high school prospect’s future. NCAA champions Jesse Mendez and Greg Kerkvliet topped out at fifth and fourth place, respectively. Below, we’ve gone weight-by-weight to review the 2024 DI All-Americans who placed in the top eight at the Super 32 at least once in their high school careers. They are listed by their NCAA placement along with their 2024 school - followed by their Super 32 placement and year(s). 125 lbs Champion: Richie Figueroa (Arizona State) -1st (2018), 2nd (2017) Runner-Up: Drake Ayala (Iowa) - 1st (2020), 2nd (2018) Third Place: Anthony Noto (Lock Haven) - 7th (2017) Fourth Place: Eric Barnett (Wisconsin) - 2nd (2017) Seventh Place: Jore Volk (Wyoming) - 4th (2020) 133 lbs Champion: Vito Arujau (Cornell) - 1st (2016), 3rd (2015) Runner-Up: Daton Fix (Oklahoma State) - 4th (2015), 2nd (2014) Third Place: Ryan Crookham (Lehigh) - 1st (2017) Fourth Place: Nasir Bailey (Little Rock) - 8th (2018) Sixth Place: Evan Frost (Iowa State) - 8th (2020) Eighth Place: Kai Orine (NC State) - 5th (2018) 141 lbs Champion: Jesse Mendez (Ohio State) - 5th (2019) Runner-Up: Beau Bartlett (Penn State) - 2nd (2018), 2nd (2019) Sixth Place: Lachlan McNeil (North Carolina) - 1st (2019) Seventh Place: Ryan Jack (NC State) - 2nd (2018) 149 lbs Champion: Caleb Henson (Virginia Tech) - 1st (2020), 6th (2018) Third Place: Tyler Kasak (Penn State) - 5th (2021), 7th (2020) Fourth Place: Ty Watters (West Virginia) - 2nd (2022) Seventh Place: Casey Swiderski (Iowa State) - 4th (2020) Eighth Place: Quinn Kinner (Rider) - 3rd (2017), 4th (2015) 157 lbs Champion: Levi Haines (Penn State) - 2nd (2021), 2nd (2020) Runner-Up: Jacori Teemer (Arizona State) - 3rd (2016) Fourth Place: Daniel Cardenas (Stanford) - 7th (2020), 5th (2018) 165 lbs Champion: David Carr (Iowa State) - 1st (2015) Runner-Up: Mitchell Mesenbrink (Penn State) - 7th (2021), 6th (2020) Third Place: Keegan O’Toole (Missouri) - 1st (2018) Fourth Place: Mikey Caliendo (Iowa) - 6th (2020) Sixth Place: Hunter Garvin (Stanford) - 3rd (2020) Seventh Place: Peyton Hall (West Virginia) - 2nd (2019), 5th (2018) 174 lbs Runner-Up: Rocco Welsh (Ohio State) - 1st (2022), 2nd (2021), 2nd (2020) Third Place: Shane Griffith (Michigan) - 1st (2015) Fourth Place: Mekhi Lewis (Virginia Tech) - 6th (2016) 184 lbs Runner-Up: Dustin Plott (Oklahoma State) - 1st (2018), 2nd (2017) Fourth Place: Bennett Berge (South Dakota State) - 2nd (2020), 8th (2019) 197 lbs Runner-Up: Trent Hidlay (NC State) - 4th (2017), 3rd (2016), 7th (2015) Fourth Place: Jacob Cardenas (Cornell) - 1st (2018) Sixth Place: Rocky Elam (Missouri) -3rd (2018) 285 lbs Champion: Greg Kerkvliet (Penn State) - 4th (2016) Runner-Up: Lucas Davison (Michigan) - 2nd (2017) Third Place: Wyatt Hendrickson (Air Force) - 2nd (2018) Seventh Place: Yaraslau Slavikouski (Rutgers) - 6th (2017)

One of the idiosyncrasies of college athletics is that student-athletes only get four years of collegiate competition before either going to pursue their sport professionally or moving on to other ventures. Of course, COVID and extra eligibility have thrown that traditional four-year mark for a loop these past few years. As we move farther away from the extra eligibility and more towards normalcy, more college athletes will graduate and move on. This applies to wrestling like any other sport. Today, we’ll look back at some of the collegiate stars who have graduated and moved on after the 2023 tournament. As it applies to the upcoming season, we’ll look at the wrestlers slated to replace those greats. Replace may not be the best word, because, in a lot of these instances, it will be extremely difficult to replicate the production and leadership that these great wrestlers provided at their respective institutions. That being said, someone had to try! The wrestler that comes after the great one can come from a couple of different places. Sometimes coaches use the transfer portal. Other times, a stud freshman is waiting in the wings. Maybe it’s a teammate moving up or down in the lineup. And finally, it could be a previously unheralded wrestler who is eager to finally get a shot. Whatever the case, we’re discussing them today! Below we’re going weight-by-weight and have singled out some of the notable seniors and have information on the wrestler (or wrestlers) that will replace them in the lineup: 125 lbs Eric Barnett (Wisconsin) Replacement: Nicolar Rivera The three-time All-American will be replaced by the Badgers starter at 133 lbs last season - Nicolar Rivera. Up a weight, Rivera managed a respectable 11-12 record, but had trouble with the upper-echelon opponents in the Big Ten. Now, he could throw a monkey wrench into an already unpredictable 125 bracket. At his best, Rivera is an unpredictable high-flier who could end a match in an instant. Patrick McKee (Minnesota) Replacement: Cooper Flynn The Minnesota staff went to the portal to replace the two-time All-American Patrick McKee. The Gophers added Virginia Tech national qualifier Cooper Flynn to take the reins at 125 lbs. At one point, Flynn was ranked second in the nation in the topsy-turvy 125 lb bracket. An ACC runner-up in 2024, Flynn went 1-2 at his first NCAA Tournament. I’ll be curious to see how he progresses working closely with four-time Minnesota All-American Zach Sanders. 133 lbs Vito Arujau (Cornell) Replacement: Brett Ungar Replacing a two-time NCAA champion is never easy, but Cornell will do so with one of their key returnees Brett Ungar. Ungar moves up from 125 lbs where he was twice an EIWA runner-up and a 2023 NCAA Round of 12 finisher. It’ll be a tall task for Ungar to replace Arujau’s NCAA production, but he’s a proven capable starter who should hold down the spot and flourish himself. Daton Fix (Oklahoma State) Replacement(s): Cael Hughes/Reece Witcraft Another long, long-time starter that has departed is four-time NCAA runner-up Daton Fix. Redshirt freshman Cael Hughes was a big recruit for the Cowboys and was impressive during his limited mat time in his redshirt year. If Hughes doesn’t work out, Oklahoma State has another option in veteran Reece Witcraft. Witcraft has been asked to move up and down between 125 and 133 throughout his career and would do well if given the extended look as the starter. 141 lbs Real Woods (Iowa) Replacement(s): Ryder Block/Cullan Schriever One of the question marks in a rather loaded Iowa lineup is what Tom Brands’ team will do at 141 lbs? Ryder Block was a very promising recruit who redshirted during the 2023-24 campaign, but did not see any action. Block was projected at 149 lbs, but might test the waters at 141 for a year. Should he not be able to handle the weight cut, veteran Cullan Schriever could be the guy. Schriever has never seen postseason action for Iowa, but is a solid option. Cole Matthews (Pittsburgh) Replacement: Anthony Santaniello Pittsburgh has to be excited about unveiling redshirt freshman Anthony Santaniello - who was the #18 overall recruit in the Class of 2023 and a four-time New Jersey state finalist (2x champion). Santaniello only saw action in one tournament last year and went 3-1. His older brother, Vince, was Pitt’s starter at 133 lbs last season and put together a 16-15 record. Austin Gomez (Michigan) Replacement: Dylan Gilcher Michigan will be mentioned here multiple times, as the Wolverines have a lot of talent to replace, starting at 149 lbs. During the first semester of the 2023-24 season, before Austin Gomez was able to compete, Dylan Gilcher got the call in two duals for Michigan, going 1-1. He was also the entry at the Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational and posted three wins, although he missed the podium. 157 lbs Peyton Robb (Nebraska) Replacement: Antrell Taylor Nebraska gets to replace a multi-time All-American with a teammate who earned All-American honors as a redshirt freshman, when Antrell Taylor moves down to take Peyton Robb’s spot at 157 lbs. Taylor had an excellent 23-10 campaign and ended up eighth in the nation at 165 lbs. At 157 lbs, Taylor could challenge for a national title immediately and starts the year ranked fourth in the nation. Will Lewan (Michigan) Replacement: Chase Saldate The Michigan staff didn’t have to look too far to find a replacement for two-time All-American Will Lewan. Like, not even outside of their state borders. Chase Saldate comes aboard as a graduate transfer and looks to end his career on a high note in Ann Arbor. Saldate was a four-time national qualifier for Michigan State and even advanced to the bloodround in 2023. With Michigan, he’s hoping to put it all together and show the promise that made him a top-15 recruit in the Class of 2020. Bryce Andonian (Virginia Tech) Replacement: Rafael Hipolito The style of the wide-open Bryce Andonian can’t be replicated or replaced. That being said, redshirt freshman Rafael Hipolito could be a lot of fun, as well. Hipolito is a very decorated Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu player who took up wrestling later than most of his collegiate counterparts. There will probably be more of a learning curve for Hipolito, compared to most high school Big Boarder’s; however, he has a higher ceiling. Last season, Hipolito went 12-4 while redshirting. Jared Franek (Iowa) Replacement: Jacori Teemer How do you replace a wrestler that earned All-American honors for you in back-to-back years? Well, if you're Iowa, you get the preseason #1 ranked wrestler at his weight class in Jacori Teemer. Of the offseason transfers, Teemer might be the safest bet to appear in the NCAA finals - a feat he managed last year. It marked the third time in his career that Teemer finished in the top-eight at nationals. 165 lbs David Carr (Iowa State) Replacement(s): Connor Euton/Manny Rojas One of the cornerstones of the Kevin Dresser-era at Iowa State, David Carr, has used his eligibility and will be absent from the Cyclone lineup. There isn’t a clear-cut replacement for Carr just yet, but a couple of good options for Dresser’s team. Connor Euton went 21-3 last year, as a redshirt freshman. Though many of those wins came against non-DI opponents, it was enough for a preseason ranking (#26). Manny Rojas was a very highly-ranked recruit who was not able to crack the ISU lineup as a freshman and is rumored to be moving down to 165. Izzak Olejnik (Oklahoma State) Replacement: Cam Amine Oklahoma State uses a graduate transfer All-American to replace a wrestler who came over in 2023-24 as a graduate transfer, with a prior All-American finish under his belt. Cam Amine was a three-time All-American who battled through injury and illness in 2023-24 and came up a match shy of the podium for the first time. Should he be at full strength, Amine could challenge for a title at this weight. 174 lbs Shane Griffith (Michigan) Replacement: Joseph Walker The wrestler slated to fill in for Shane Griffith is longtime Wolverine Joseph Walker. During his career with Michigan, Walker has filled in, as needed, and fought to a respectable 26-16 record. Last season, in one of his four dual appearances, Walker downed past national qualifier DJ Washington (Indiana). This could be the first time that the senior gets the call for Michigan in the postseason. Mekhi Lewis (Virginia Tech) Replacement: Lennox Wolak Mekhi Lewis brought the first national title to the Virginia Tech wrestling program and his overall impact on the Hokies can’t be overstated. As far as on the mat, the Hokie staff did as well as they could at finding a replacement for Lewis through the transfer portal. Lennox Wolak will finish his career at Virginia Tech after graduating from Columbia. At Columbia, Wolak won an EIWA title and advanced to the 2024 NCAA semifinals, becoming the school’s first All-American in over a decade. Ben Pasiuk (Army West Point) Replacement: Dalton Harkins Speaking of long All-American droughts, Ben Pasiuk broke one for Army West Point last season as he became the school’s first NCAA placewinner since 2008. With Pasiuk graduated, the Army staff will likely turn to senior Dalton Harkins. Harkins has been a mainstay in the Army lineup for the past three seasons, winning 65 matches during that span. Last year, due to talent in the lineup, Harkins had to jump up two weight classes to 184 lbs to wrestle in the postseason. Back at a more manageable 174 lbs, he should do fine for the Black Knights. 184 lbs Bernie Truax (Penn State) Replacement: Carter Starocci No offense to four-time All-American Bernie Truax, but I think Penn State will be just fine at 184 lbs despite Truax exhausting his eligibility. That’s because four-time NCAA champion Carter Starocci is slated to move up from 174 lbs and is expected to be a favorite in chasing title number five. Starocci has an early-season clash with the returning, undefeated national champion Parker Keckeisen looming at the All-Star Classic. 197 lbs Aaron Brooks (Penn State) Replacement(s): Josh Barr/Lucas Cochran The 2024 Hodge Trophy winner Aaron Brooks has finished up at Penn State and his replacement doesn’t look quite as clear as others. Initially, it was rumored that Starocci would jump two weights to do so. Now, it appears with Starocci bound for 184 lbs, stud redshirt freshman Josh Barr will move up - probably just for a year. Barr had an awesome redshirt season that saw him go unbeaten (15-0) and he later claimed a silver medal at the U20 World Championships. Another option for Cael Sanderson’s team is junior Lucas Cochran who was 11-2 last season. Cochran even bumped up in the Rutgers dual and upset 285 lb All-American Yaraslau Slavikouski. Trent Hidlay (NC State) Replacement: Christian Knop Longtime veteran Christian Knop may finally get a chance to be NC State’s full-time starter with five-time All-American Trent Hidlay gone to graduation. Knop should do just fine for NC State. He was called upon three times last season to appear in dual meets and won all three bouts via tech fall. Knop went 18-5 overall and split matches with NCAA qualifier John Crawford (F&M). Tanner Sloan (South Dakota State) Replacement: Zach Glazier It appeared as if South Dakota State was going to have a bit of a hole at 197 lbs with Tanner Sloan leaving. Sloan was a two-time All-American and the first national finalist of the Damion Hahn-era. That changed when Zach Glazier joined the program late in the summer after Iowa brought in three-time All-American Stephen Buchanan. After years of filling in as needed, Glazier was the starter for the Hawkeyes in the 2023-24 season and was the only Iowa wrestler to make the 2024 Big Ten finals. While he had an off-song performance in Kansas City, Glazier proved he was a legitimate contender at this weight for 2024-25. Louie DePrez (Binghamton) Replacement: Cayden Bevis In one of the more interesting developments of the 2023-24 season, Louie DePrez unretired and came from the Binghamton coaching staff to win 25 of 29 matches and was a match shy of earning NCAA All-American honors for a second time. Now, DePrez is back on the Bearcat bench and Cayden Bevis appears to be Binghamton’s starter at 197 lbs. Bevis spent the majority of his redshirt freshman season competing in open tournament and racked up a respectable 16-13 record. He’ll now have to contend with a strong EIWA bracket that includes a pair of past conference champions (Michael Beard/Mickey O’Malley). 285 lbs Lucas Davison (Michigan) Replacement: Ira Jenkins Michigan has had a great run of heavyweights, of late. The Wolverines have produced a national champion and had five finals appearances over the last decade at this weight. Looking to keep that tradition rolling is sophomore Ira Jenkins. Jenkins has yet to see action in a dual meet but was 10-6 while wrestling unattached last season. Unfortunately, when paired up with top competition at the weight, he’s taken his lumps. That being said, with the type of training partners available through the CKWC, Jenkins could quickly make big strides. Zach Elam (Missouri) Replacement: Seth Nitzel The consistent force at the end of the Mizzou lineup for the last half-decade was two-time All-American Zach Elam. One of Elam’s training partners from the previous couple of years, Seth Nitzel, will try to continue to be that ace-in-the-hole for the Tigers. Nitzel starts the preseason with a national ranking (#24) after a 13-3 campaign last year. Nitzel’s biggest wins from his sophomore season include a one-point win over eventual national qualifier Bradley Hill, then of Iowa, and a major decision over blue-chip recruit Christian Carroll, formerly of Oklahoma State.

Commitments from the Class of 2026 have continued to roll in and on Thursday afternoon, Pittsburgh received their second verbal from the junior class and their first from a wrestler currently on the Big Board. Two-time Ohio state champion Karson Brown (St. Edward, OH) has committed to Keith Gavin’s team. Brown is currently ranked #42 overall in the Class of 2026 and 15th in the nation at 126 lbs. Aside from his Ohio titles, Brown has also a variety of national-level credentials. This spring, Brown finished sixth in freestyle at the UWW U17 Trials. During the school year, Brown was fourth at the Walsh Ironman, a finalist at the Powerade, and third at the Doc Buchanan Invitational. In the previous summer, Brown was third in Fargo in 16U freestyle. Getting a verbal from Brown isn’t a huge surprise since his older brother, Kade, is currently a true freshman at Pittsburgh. Karson joins Fargo 16U national champion Elijah Brown (Belle Vernon, PA) in the Panthers Class of 2026. The two are of no relation. At the next level, Brown projects in the 141/149 range. Pittsburgh has young starters in that range; however, it will be a long time before Brown makes his way to campus and potentially redshirts. On Friday, Lock Haven got their first verbal from the Class of 2026 and it’s a familiar name. Christopher Noto (Honeoye Falls-Lima, NY) has committed to the Bald Eagles. Noto is the younger brother of Lock Haven’s two-time All-American, Anthony, who started the preseason ranked second in the nation at 125 lbs. The younger Noto has already placed three times at the New York DII State Tournament. As a sophomore, Noto was a state finalist at 124 lbs. He was fifth as a freshman and third as an eighth-grader. Noto’s best national credential came earlier this year when he finished fourth at NHSCA Sophomore Nationals. In addition to Lock Haven, two other MAC schools recently picked up quality recruits from the Class of 2025. Both are from Ohio. Cleveland State got a commitment from DI state fifth-place finisher Carson Mize (Maryville, OH). It was Mize’s second time on the state podium, he was seventh in 2023 at 165 lbs. The most recent one came at 175 lbs. Mize projects in the 174/184 lb range. SIU Edwardsville was the second MAC school that got a verbal from a prominent Ohio wrestler. DI state finalist Landen Johnson (Massillon Perry, OH) pledged to the Cougars. Also in 2024, Johnson was sixth at NHSCA Junior Nationals. Finally, Lehigh got a verbal commitment from New Jersey state placewinner Chase Quenault (Delbarton, NJ). Quenault was seventh in the state at 132 lbs in 2024 - which accounted for his first state placement after qualifying as a sophomore and freshman. Quenault has placed at the Powerade on two occasions, taking eighth as a freshman and sixth last year. Lehigh has always recruited well from the state of New Jersey. In 2024, two of the Mountain Hawks eight national qualifiers were from Jersey. As always, for more recruiting information, check out InterMat’s College Commitment Page.