InterMat Staff

NC State's Kevin Jack against Iowa's Brody Grothus (photo courtesy of NC State athletics) February 22nd, 2016 #4 NC State 21 #2 Iowa 17 Setting the Stage: This dual meet took place as a part of the "National Duals" series of matches, intended to be like college football bowl games and matched up some of the top non-conference schools, in a single, stand-alone dual. Iowa came into the match with a perfect 16-0 record. After an 18-16 win over Oklahoma State (in Kinnick Stadium) in their first outing of the season, the Hawkeyes were not seriously tested. The only other team to break into the "teens" in scoring against Iowa was South Dakota State, who Iowa defeated 28-15 (while forfeiting 197 lbs). This was a year where the Big Ten schedule matrix did not pair Iowa up with then-#1 Penn State. The Hawkeyes were carried by their lightweight tandem, #2 Thomas Gilman at 125 and #3 Cory Clark at 133, along with #2 Brandon Sorensen. NC State carried a ridiculous 22-1 dual record into Carver-Hawkeye Arena. A couple months earlier, head coach Pat Popolizio led his squad into Stillwater, for a win over his alma mater Oklahoma State. The only blemish on NC State's 2015-16 resume was a thrilling 19-14 loss to conference rival Virginia Tech a few weeks earlier. The Wolfpack were led by two-time returning NCAA champion Nick Gwiazdowski at heavyweight. The selection process for the National Duals was highly controversial since it appeared that Virginia Tech was the most likely opponent for the Hawkeyes. There was still lingering bad blood between the programs as Hawkeye head coach Tom Brands spent two years at the helm for the Hokies, before spurning them for his alma mater. That led to then-Hokie head coach Kevin Dresser publicly calling out Brands and the Iowa team. One way or another, NC State was selected and traveled to Iowa City as heavy underdogs, despite a #4 national ranking. The match: 125 : #2 Thomas Gilman (Iowa) maj #20 Sean Fausz (NC State) 15-5 133 - #3 Cory Clark (Iowa) dec #30 Jamal Morris (NC State) 9-3 141 - #3 Kevin Jack (NC State) tech Brody Grothus (Iowa) 18-3 149 - #2 Brandon Sorensen (Iowa) maj Beau Donahue (Iowa) 13-4 157 - #4 Tommy Gantt (NC State) maj #17 Edwin Cooper (Iowa) 13-5 165 - #6 Max Rohskopf (NC State) dec Patrick Rhodes (Iowa) 6-3 174 - #10 Alex Meyer (Iowa) dec Nick Hall (NC State) 4-2 184 - #17 Pete Renda (NC State) dec #9 Sammy Brooks (Iowa) 7-3 197 - #4 Nathan Burak (Iowa) dec #16 Michael Boykin (NC State) 9-4 285 - #1 Nick Gwiazdowski (NC State) InjDef #6 Sam Stoll (Iowa) The Aftermath: The win marked the first time an ACC school had defeated Iowa…ever. It was also the first time any team had traveled to Iowa and Oklahoma State and beaten both in the same season. NC State had a substandard NCAA Tournament and ended up in 11th place. Gwiazdowski fell in an epic final to Kyle Snyder, while Renda was third and Gantt eighth. Iowa, behind three NCAA runner's-up (Gilman, Clark, Sorensen), finished fifth with 81 points. Also on the podium were Nathan Burak (4th) and Alex Meyers and Sam Brooks (both 8th). November 22nd, 2019 #5 Arizona State 19 #1 Penn State 18 Setting the Stage: The fruits of Zeke Jones' recruiting labors from the Class of 2015 were starting to pay off as a veteran Sun Devil team combined with some talented freshmen joined forces for an imposing squad. Even so, Arizona State didn't really give off any hints that they were about to slay the Penn State giant. In the first event of the year, the Journeymen Duals, Arizona State only defeated Purdue by three points. They came into their dual with Penn State 4-0 after dominating a pair of non-DI opponents. Cael Sanderson's team headed west riding a 60-match dual winning streak that dated back to the 2015 season. Though the Nittany Lions had lost two NCAA Champions to graduation (Jason Nolf and Bo Nickal), they still had a loaded team that featured past champions like Vincenzo Joseph, Mark Hall, and Anthony Cassar, along with budding stars Roman Bravo-Young and Nick Lee. The Arizona State trip was the second dual meet of the year for the Nittany Lions, who had shut out Navy, 45-0. Later at the Army West Point Invite, Penn State came away with four champions. The match: 125 - Brandon Courtney (Arizona State) maj Brody Teske (Penn State) 19-7 133 - #3 Roman Bravo-Young (Penn State) dec #11 Josh Kramer (Arizona State) 7-6 141 - #3 Nick Lee (Penn State) tech Corey Crooks (Arizona State) 18-3 149 - #21 Josh Maruca (Arizona State) dec Jarod Verkleeren (Penn State) 5-4 157 - Jacori Teemer (Arizona State) dec Bo Pipher (Penn State) 9-4 165 - #1 Vincenzo Joseph (Penn State) dec Josh Shields (Arizona State) 7-4 174 - #1 Mark Hall (Penn State) maj Anthony Valencia (Arizona State) 11-3 184 - #1 Zahid Valencia (Arizona State) FFT 197 - Kordell Norfleet (Arizona State) dec Kyle Conel (Penn State) 10-4 285 - #1 Anthony Cassar (Penn State) dec Tanner Hall (Arizona State) 9-5 The aftermath: Two weeks after defeating Penn State, Arizona State finished third at the Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational. About a month later, at their next dual meet, the Sun Devils were knocked off by Ohio State 17-16. Late in February, ASU got stunned by Lehigh, 19-14. The day before the Lehigh loss, news broke of a suspension for two-time NCAA champion Zahid Valencia due to a failed drug test. Speaking of Lehigh, Penn State dominated their in-state rivals 23-10 in the first match post-loss. A modest six-match winning streak was then halted by Iowa in a memorable dual in Carver-Hawkeye Arena. In their final Big Ten dual of the season, the Nittany Lions hosted Ohio State at the Bryce Jordan Center and grabbed a 20-16 win. The Arizona State match also occurred before freshman Aaron Brooks was pulled from redshirt. Once Kyle Conel went down via injury, Shakur Rasheed moved to 197 lbs and Brooks was needed to fill in at 184. This ended up being the season that will be famously remembered as having the 2020 NCAA Tournament canceled due to the Covid outbreak. Penn State stars Vincenzo Joseph and Mark Hall were not able to pursue additional titles, along with five other teammates and six ASU wrestlers that qualified. Since the 2010-11 season, Arizona State is one of only two non-Big Ten teams to defeat Penn State in dual competition (Oklahoma State/2014-15). Though this dual was only two years ago, only six starters are expected to compete today. ASU (Courtney, Teemer, A Valencia, Norfleet). PSU (Bravo-Young, Lee).

Cohlton Schultz and Greg Kerkvliet at the 2021 NCAA Championships (photo courtesy of Tony Rotundo; WrestlersAreWarriors.com) After one day of action from Niceville, Florida, the finals of the pool competition have been set. As expected, top-ranked Iowa was not tested by either #21 Lehigh or Central Michigan and cruised to the finals of the Red Pool. Meeting the Hawkeyes will be #5 NC State, who overcame #10 Missouri in the best dual of the day. A pair of second-year freshmen upset top-15 opponents and helped the Wolfpack to victory. The Blue Pool featured #6 Arizona State, who crushed Hofstra and Virginia Tech, to earn a spot in Tuesday's final match. #2 Penn State relied on their upperweight superstars to comeback from a 16-8 deficit after the 165 lb bout. Monday's action sets the stage for a meeting between #1 Iowa State and #5 NC State in one pool, with #2 Penn State taking on #6 Arizona State in the other. Both duals are jam-packed with great matchups, and each could come down to the wire. Before getting into our preview of the final bouts, here's a schedule of the day's action. All times are Eastern. 2pm - Central Michigan vs. Binghamton, Hofstra vs. Northern Iowa 4pm - Missouri vs. Lehigh, Virginia Tech vs. Cornell 6pm - Iowa vs. NC State 8pm - Penn State vs. Arizona State #1 Iowa vs. #5 NC State 125 - #1 Spencer Lee vs. #5 Jakob Camacho Intriguing matchup here, as three-time NCAA champion Spencer Lee just saw his first action of the year yesterday. To be specific, it was his first official matches of any sort in almost nine months, to the date. While Lee put up a major decision and a tech fall and didn't surrender a single point, he did look a bit rusty. Or at least not like a three-time defending champion. At the same time, his opponent, Jakob Camacho, is looking to rebound after an upset loss to #15 Noah Surtin. Camacho got down early and mustered a late rally, but it ended up not being enough. Like anyone who faces Lee, if Camacho limits damage in the first period and a half, he may be able to steal it late. Obviously, that's easier said than done. Also, if Lee's knee isn't responding well after his first two matches, Iowa coach Tom Brands could turn to Jesse Ybarra. Pick: Lee by decision (3-0 Iowa) 133 - #3 Austin DeSanto vs. #17 Kai Orine Austin DeSanto continued his winning ways and sliced through his first two opponents like and knife and hot butter. Or, however the expression goes. Combined, DeSanto needed just over six minutes to dispose of Vince Perez (Central Michigan) and Satoshi Abe (Lehigh). He outscored the duo by a total score of 36-6. Perez didn't even make it out of the first period. Today's competition for DeSanto will stiffen as he'll face unbeaten Kai Orine. Orine only saw action in one bout yesterday, but did his job and defeated former NCAA qualifier Connor Brown (Missouri), who is typically a 125 lber. This will easily be Orine's most significant test, to date. Aside from teammate Jarrett Trombley, he has yet to face a ranked opponent as the Wolfpack starter. Trombley also could get the call here, as well. Pick: DeSanto by major decision (7-0 Iowa) 141 - #2 Jaydin Eierman vs. #16 Ryan Jack Seventh-year senior Jaydin Eierman has been on the collegiate scene so long that he was in a weight class with Ryan Jack's older brother, Kevin, for two seasons, though they never met. In 2017, the elder Jack outplaced Eierman (3rd to 5th), but Eierman turned the tables in 2018 (4th to 6th). Yesterday, Eierman had his eyes opened, getting in a huge, early hole to #7 Dresden Simon (Central Michigan), 9-2. He responded with a rally that saw Eierman ride out the Chippewa star for a 13-12 victory. In the nightcap, Eierman had more trouble than one may have expected, but still prevailed 8-3 over Connor McGonagle (Lehigh). Like Orine, Ryan Jack didn't go against Binghamton, but was needed against #10 Missouri. There Jack would face #14 Allan Hart. Jack got into an early hole and couldn't cut into the lead and fell, 9-3. Like his teammate at 133, this will be Jack's biggest test of the young season, though maybe it's a decent time to face Eierman. Pick: Eierman by major decision (11-0 Iowa) 149 - #8 Max Murin vs. #3 Tariq Wilson This will be a bout between two longtime veterans that have been used sparingly by their respective head coaches in the first two months of the season. Max Murin had an up-and-down day on Monday. He started with a solid 14-5 major decision over Central Michigan's Corbyn Munson. That represented his highest scoring output since the 2020 Big Ten Championships. In the second dual of the day, Murin was taken down by Manzona Bryant (Lehigh) in sudden victory. Earlier in the day. Munson had a solid comeback to edge Bryant. Sixth-year senior Tariq Wilson continued to shine at his new weight class and turned in a pair of wins Monday. He jumped out to an early lead on #18 Josh Edmond (Missouri) and withstood a late rally to win 11-8. This is the third collegiate weight class for the two-time NCAA third-place finishing Wilson. In 2020, he and Murin were in the same 141 lb bracket. Though they never met, Murin was seeded 7th at NCAA's and Wilson 15th. That being said, Wilson is the play here. Pick: Wilson by decision (11-3 Iowa) 157 - #8 Kaleb Young vs. #23 Ed Scott This matchup may look lopsided on paper, but after yesterday it's way closer than the numbers would indicate. In the opener, Kaleb Young notched a solid 6-0 victory over #19 Johnny Lovett (Central Michigan). He even led #10 Josh Humphreys (Lehigh) into the third period, but gave up a reversal and two sets of nearfalls to lose 11-2. It marked the only time in his collegiate career that Young surrendered any sort of bonus points. Today he'll face a wrestler that is also tough on top in second-year freshman Ed Scott. Since moving up to 157 lbs, Scott has looked remarkably good. His only blemish in 2021-22 was a one-point loss to a teammate on the opening week of the year. Scott's top ability was a big reason why he was able to knock off #15 Jarrett Jacques (Missouri) in the second match of the day. It also provided a spark for the Wolfpack, teamwise. I also wonder if Young is okay. Humphreys was brutal with the power half he used to turn the Hawkeye. Pick: Scott by decision (11-6 Iowa) 165 - #1 Alex Marinelli vs. #18 Thomas Bullard Throughout the course of his Iowa career, Alex Marinelli has only lost one regular-season bout. Monday, he didn't come close to losing number two. He stalled out Tracy Hubbard (Central Michigan) in the opener, before solving a tricky Brian Meyer (Lehigh) for a 6-2 win. Finally, we'll have a match with some history between its competitors. In each of the last two NCAA Tournaments conducted, Marinelli has been the #1 seed at 165 lbs and met Bullard in the Round of 16. In both instances, Marinelli was able to rack up bonus points. With a close dual meet hanging in the balance, I think the defensive-minded Bullard may be able to limit damage by The Bull. In his last bout, Bullard kept #3 Keegan O'Toole (Missouri) to a 9-3 regular decision. Pick: Marinelli by decision (14-6 Iowa) 174 - #2 Michael Kemerer/Nelson Brands vs. #5 Hayden Hidlay The man that Iowa wrestlers and fans call “Grandpa” was seen on the Hawkeye bench sporting the second-best mustache of the tournament (props to Hofstra's Trey Rogers) and even weighed in Monday morning. Even so, I wouldn't hold out for a first appearance of the year for Kemerer. Jumping back in against an opponent of Hayden Hidlay's caliber isn't how things typically work. Iowa still has someone more than capable at the weight, as Nelson Brands went 2-0 yesterday. Brands solved the defensive riddles of Jake Logan (Lehigh) late in their bout to take a tight, 3-2 win. A bout between Brands and Hidlay may be the most physical affair of the day. Both are no strangers to a hard handfight. Hayden has moved up two weight classes, but it's difficult to tell by the eye-test or weighing his results. He continued a bonus point-scoring streak with his win over NCAA qualifier Jake Nolan (Binghamton), though it was snapped with his win over #14 Peyton Mocco (Missouri). Pick: Hidlay by decision (14-9 Iowa) 184 - Abe Assad vs. #3 Trent Hidlay Yesterday also marked the return of Abe Assad to the Hawkeye lineup. Assad was famously pinned by high schooler Clayton Whiting at the Luther Open and has been conspicuously absent since. He returned with a vengeance and pinned Ben Cushman (Central Michigan) before majoring AJ Burkhart (Lehigh). In a limited sample size, Assad is showing the form that made him the #11 seed at the 2020 NCAA Championships, as a true freshman. He'll get a test Tuesday from one of the best in the weight class, with NCAA runner-up Trent Hidlay. Before an upset at 197, Hidlay's 13-5 major decision over #11 Jeremiah Kent (Missouri) looked like a possible dual-winner for the Wolfpack. Through five matches this year, Hidlay has logged bonus points in all five and looked more dangerous offensively than in the past. Pick: Hidlay by decision (14-12 Iowa) 197 - #7 Jacob Warner vs. #15 Isaac Trumble What to do at 197 lbs as we have a “Steady Eddy” (Jacob Warner) set to take on a high-ceiling youngster that experienced some highs and lows on Monday. We'll start with Warner, who cruised to a pair of one-sided regular decisions over solid competition yesterday. Warner wasn't able to pile up points, but was never seriously threatened, at any point. Isaac Trumble got down early to All-American Louie DePrez (Binghamton) in his first match and never rebounded. But in the Missouri dual, his 5-3 win over Junior World Champion and NCAA All-American Rocky Elam sealed the deal for Pat Popolizio's team. Could Trumble build off his teammate's momentum at 174/184 again and take out his second AA of the tournament? Pick: Trumble by decision (15-14 NC State) 285 - #6 Tony Cassioppi vs. #28 Owen Trephan/Deonte Wilson Our picks have the Hawkeyes trailing for the first time this dual and during the entire time in Florida. But, what better man to turn to than their All-American Tony Cassioppi. Pre-tournament, we thought Cassioppi's round-robin path was among the toughest in the entire event, as he drew top-ten opponents from Central Michigan and Lehigh. Cassioppi was leading CMU's Matt Stencel before an apparent knee injury forced the Chippewa big man to default. A late takedown against the stingy Jordan Wood gave Cassioppi his second win of the day. NC State will have plenty of options at this weight, though none are over enticing against an opponent of Cassioppi's caliber. Owen Trephan seems to have emerged as the starter based on head-to-head wins over 2021 ACC champion Deonte Wilson. That being said, Wilson has gotten the nod in the last couple of dates heading into Florida. Also, if the dual is clinched before 285 lbs, the NC State could turn to Tyrie Houghton, as they did against Missouri. Houghton never backed down from #16 Zach Elam and grabbed a takedown at the buzzer that pulled the score to a single point. Pick: Cassioppi by decision (17-15 Iowa) #2 Penn State vs. #6 Arizona State 125 - Jakob Campbell vs. #3 Brandon Courtney Penn State has struggled to fill in for injured 2021 NCAA qualifier Robbie Howard in the earlygoing this year and those continued Monday as Bucknell-transfer Jakob Campbell fell to 0-3 on the year. That could be deceiving, though, as his two opponents were #5 (133) Vito Arujau (Cornell) and #10 Brody Teske (Northern Iowa). His third loss this year was to #11 Jaret Lane (Lehigh). It doesn't get any easier for Campbell, as he'll face the returning NCAA runner-up Brandon Courtney. Courtney looked as good as ever yesterday with a fall against Hofstra and an 8-4 win over returning All-American Sam Latona (Virginia Tech). After going 14-11 as a part-time starter in 2018-19, Courtney has compiled a 49-6 record since. Pick: Courtney by major (4-0 Arizona State) 133 - #1 Roman Bravo-Young vs. #14 Michael McGee One of the key matches to watch this dual will take place at 133 lbs with returning, undefeated NCAA champion Roman Bravo-Young meeting AA Michael McGee. I'm not sure if it will be overly close, but it will be a lot of fun to watch, with lots of good action. Bravo-Young did as you would expect and notched a pin and nearly teched Cornell's Dom LaJoie in the Monday night session. But, McGee will represent the highest-ranked opponent of the year for the Nittany Lions star. McGee looked as good as ever with an exciting 8-7 win over #4 ranked Korbin Myers (Virginia Tech). That marked the first regular-season loss for Korbin Myers since February 22nd, 2019. Earlier in the year, McGee suffered a one-point loss to then-unranked Job Greenwood, but that looks like a longtime in the review after his showing Monday. Though both were in the same NCAA weight class last year, they did not meet. Pick: Bravo-Young by major (4-4 Tie) 141 - #1 Nick Lee vs. #15 Jesse Vasquez After being held to “just” regular decisions in his last two dual outings, Nick Lee came back Monday with a pair of major decisions over #26 Cael Happel (Northern Iowa) and Cole Handlovic (Cornell). With a tight dual expected here, the 2021 NCAA champion may need to roll up bonus points again to ensure his team's victory Tuesday night. Freshman Jesse Vasquez will get his first serious test of his collegiate career when he faces off with the returning champ. Vasquez came into this event 5-0, but hasn't faced any top-tiered competition. In his first bout Monday afternoon, Vasquez looked to be headed to a major decision against Justin Hoyle (Hofstra), but faded a bit and won 14-9. He later downed NCAA qualifier Collin Gerardi (Virginia Tech) in a match that appeared closer on the scoreboard than it actually was in real life. Pick: Lee by decision (7-4 Penn State) 149 - #22 Beau Bartlett vs. #5 Kyle Parco Unfortunately, we didn't get to see one of the top potential matches of the tournament as Virginia Tech's #6 Bryce Andonian didn't weigh-in and couldn't compete against #5 Kyle Parco. Both wrestlers have a wide-open style and put points on the board. Parco, a surprise All-American for Fresno State in 2021, has proven he's no fluke with a 10-0 start to the year. Neither opponent he saw on Monday presented much of a challenge and Parco dominated to the tune of 31-1. It will make for a good clash of styles when Parco and Beau Bartlett square off. Bartlett is typically methodical in his attacks and sound defensively. Bartlett picked his spots in a 4-3 win over #28 Tristan Lara (Northern Iowa), before falling to two-time NCAA champion Yianni Diakomihalis (Cornell). It'll be interesting to see which wrestlers' strength dictates the match here. Pick: Parco by decision (7-7 Tie) 157 - Joe Lee/Tony Negron vs. #3 Jacori Teemer Another unsettled weight for the Nittany Lions has been 157 lbs. 2021 NCAA qualifier (at 165 lbs) Joe Lee was assumed to be the frontrunner in the preseason, but he was majored by Terrell Barraclough in the wrestle-offs. Barraclough saw some action, but recently Tony Negron has gotten the call. Negron fell 5-2 to Derek Holschlag (Northern Iowa) in the first dual yesterday. That created an opening for Lee to make his 2021-22 debut, which he did against Cornell's Colton Yapoujian. Lee couldn't figure out Yapoujian's defense and was beaten 4-2. This evening, it doesn't get any easier as 7-0, #3 Jacori Teemer is looming. Teemer is off to a blazing start, scoring double digits in each of his first six bouts, before being held in check by an ever-improving Connor Brady (Virginia Tech). Teemer still managed a win in sudden victory over the Hokie. If the Sun Devils win, it may be because they get bonus here. Pick: Teemer by major decision (11-7 Arizona State) 165 - #26 Creighton Edsell vs. #6 Anthony Valencia A nice development for Penn State has been the emergence of Creighton Edsell at 165 lbs. Edsell came into this event unbeaten and recently had defeated returning national qualifier Brian Meyer (Lehigh). Yesterday though, Edsell suffered through his first two losses of the year, falling to #23 Austin Yant (Northern Iowa) and #9 Julian Ramirez (Cornell). Now, Edsell will have to contend with the newest member of the Mexican National Team, Anthony Valencia. Valencia showed no signs of jetlag, after traveling to make the team on Saturday, as he only needed :27 seconds to pin Mario Biancamano (Hofstra) in his first match. Against Virginia Tech, he survived a late charge from Clayton Ulrey to hang on, 11-9. Pick: Valencia by decision (14-7 Arizona State) 174 - #1 Carter Starocci vs. Zane Coleman/Ryan Rochford Like the Cornell dual, Penn State could find themselves trailing again after 165 lbs, but their final four is unmatched in college wrestling. Returning champion Carter Starocci showed he was unflappable as he was tested by the Big Red's Chris Foca. Deadlocked in a 2-2 bout and starting the third period on top, Starocci rode out Foca for the period and earned riding time in the process. In the grand scheme of things, that win will be more valuable for Starocci than if he rolled to a major. A major decision is what he did in the opening match against Northern Iowa's Pat Schoenfelder. The Sun Devils used both Zane Coleman and Ryan Rochford yesterday. Coleman has seen the bulk of the action for Zeke Jones' team and sports an 8-3 record. Rochford got the unenviable task of dealing with 2019 NCAA champion Mekhi Lewis and was the victim of a tech fall. Whoever gets tabbed to start will have to avoid bonus points, which is a tall task. Pick: Starocci by major decision (14-11 Arizona State) 184 - #1 Aaron Brooks vs. Josh Nummer Carter Starocci wasn't the only Penn State national champion that was forced to dig deep on Monday. Aaron Brooks had to fend off a challenge from his 2021 NCAA semifinal opponent Parker Keckeisen (Northern Iowa), in his first bout. Keckeisen pushed Brooks in the third period, but ultimately couldn't penetrate his defense. A 3-2 win for the Nittany Lion champ extended his current winning streak to 27 matches. Brooks also had a game opponent in his second match, #15 Jonathan Loew (Cornell); however, he nearly pinned Loew early in the bout, which blew the contest open and he coasted to a 15-3 win. Josh Nummer is expected to get the call and try to limit his Penn State counterpart. Nummer couldn't do so yesterday against All-American Hunter Bolen (Virginia Tech), as he fell via tech fall. Pick: Brooks by tech fall (16-14 Penn State) 197 - #3 Max Dean vs. #8 Kordell Norfleet Max Dean also got his first scare of the 2021-22 season when he emerged victorious after a close call against former teammate Jacob Cardenas (Cornell). Dean won a late scramble and rode Cardenas out for a 4-2 win. Coming into that match, Dean did not have a match closer than ten points. Norfleet has dealt with solid competition in his first two matches yesterday, but shined with 14-3 major decisions over returning national qualifiers #26 Trey Rogers (Hofstra) and Dakota Howard (Virginia Tech). For the Sun Devils to be in position to win the dual, they'd have to get a win somewhere between 174-197 and this is the most logical spot. Pick: Dean by decision (19-14 Penn State) 285 - #4 Greg Kerkvliet vs. #3 Cohlton Schultz This is a rematch of the 2021 NCAA consolation quarterfinal bout between Cohlton Schultz and Greg Kerkvliet. There it was Schultz who came out on top with a 14-8 decision. Whenever the two meet, it marks the rare time that a pair of Cadet World Champions collide on the collegiate scene. During their 2021 meeting, Kerkvliet was only a few weeks removed from a scary knee injury that threatened his season, so we expect a different wrestler this time around. Both come into this match unbeaten and the result could play a huge role in NCAA seeding, as the winner could be on the opposite side of the bracket from Olympic champion Gable Steveson (Minnesota). But that's a little ways down the line. Schultz will turn to his Greco-Roman roots and look to impose his will with an underhook or a bodylock. Kerkvliet has more of an arsenal of leg attacks. But, if Kerkvliet is overly aggressive, Schultz is talented enough to take advantage. Pick: Kerkvliet by decision (22-14 Penn State)

Jeff Buxton in Fargo in 2021 (photo courtesy of Tony Rotundo; WrestlersAreWarriors.com) On Monday morning, Rutgers' Scarlet Knights Wrestling Club announced the hiring of legendary head coach Jeff Buxton. Buxton will lead the SKWC going forward as their head coach. Buxton is no stranger to New Jersey wrestling fans as he was at the helm as Blair Academy's head coach for 30 years. His teams captured National Prep titles during all 30 of those seasons. Ten times during that stretch his teams were deemed #1 overall in the nation. Future NCAA champions that wrestled under Buxton include, Pat Santoro, Mark Perry, Steve Mocco, Kellen Russell, and Ed Ruth. Prior to the SKWC, Buxton has led the Lehigh Valley Wrestling Club since 2012. He has also been active coaching freestyle on Team New Jersey and internationally at the Senior level. In 2019, Buxton was named a volunteer coach for the freestyle world team at the World Championships in Nur-Sultan. Over the weekend, one of the SKWC's wrestlers, Sebastian Rivera, earned a spot on the Puerto Rican world team for 2022. With the coaches already on staff at Rutgers, combined with Buxton's addition, this provide a huge boost for Rivera and others. Buxton himself was an NCAA qualifier for the University of Rhode Island.

2019 Midlands finals setup (photo courtesy of Sam Janicki; SJanickiPhoto.com) CHICAGO, Ill. – The 58th annual Ken Kraft Midlands Championships, the nation's premier non-conference wrestling tournament, returns this year on Dec. 29-30 and will be available exclusively on B1G+. In addition to assembling the top men's wrestlers from more than 35 teams across the country, the Midlands will also make history this year by adding a women's division. For the first time ever, more than 150 women's wrestlers from 11 different schools will participate in the championships and wrestle on Dec. 30. Big Ten Network veteran wrestling broadcasters Shane Sparks and Jim Gibbons will anchor the four sessions on B1G+. For sessions one and two on Dec. 29, B1G+ will feature 10 individual mat cameras as well as a whip-around coverage focused on best action at a given moment. On Dec. 30, B1G+ will once again be home to individual mat cameras for both the men's and women's divisions in sessions three and four, along with the whip-around feed. For fans interested in streaming the Midlands, more than 40 Big Ten duals this winter and Big Ten wrestling championships coverage it the spring, an annual wrestling pass is available on B1G+ for 15% off ($59.49) when using the code ‘MIDLANDS'. To subscribe, visit www.bigtenplus.com, click on subscribe and choose the wrestling sport pass. After you create a B1G+ account, enter code ‘MIDLANDS' under the payment details. Eight Big Ten teams, including seven ranked in Intermat's top 25, are scheduled to compete. The list includes No. 1 Iowa, No. 4 Michigan, No. 12 Rutgers, No. 15 Northwestern, No. 16 Wisconsin, No. 17 Illinois, No. 18 Purdue and Indiana. Additional 2021 Midlands coverage can be found on the B1G Wrestling Instagram page and Big Ten Network YouTube wrestling page. Midlands Championships Schedule Wednesday Dec. 29 Session 1: B1G+ (10:30 a.m) Wednesday Dec. 29 Session 2: B1G+ (8 p.m.) Thursday Dec. 30 Session 3: B1G+ (Noon) Thursday Dec. 30 Session 4: B1G+ (7 p.m.) About Big Ten Network A joint venture between the Big Ten Conference and Fox Networks, Big Ten Network is the first internationally distributed network dedicated to covering one of the premier collegiate conferences in the country. With more than 1,700 events across all platforms, the 24/7 network is the ultimate destination for Big Ten fans and alumni across the country, allowing them to see their favorite teams, regardless of where they live. The Fox Sports App is the digital extension of the Big Ten Network, delivering live games and on-demand programming to Big Ten Network customers via the web, smartphones, and tablets. Network events include football, men's and women's basketball games, dozens of Big Ten Olympic sports and championship events, studio shows and classic games. Original programming highlights activities and accomplishments of some of the nation's finest universities, including the Emmy-nominated The Journey. The network is carried by all the major video distributors across the United State and Canada, such as DIRECTV, DISH, Verizon FiOS, AT&T U-Verse, Charter Spectrum, Xfinity, Altice USA, Cox Contour TV, Mediacom, RCN, WOW!, and approximately 300 additional video providers across North America. Big Ten Network is also available through the majority of streaming providers, including DIRECTV Stream, fuboTV, Hulu + Live TV, Sling TV, Vidgo and YouTube TV. For additional information, please visit www.btn.com.

2021 Collegiate Wrestling Duals site (photo courtesy of Tony DiMarco) Round One Missouri 33 Binghamton 6 125 - Noah Surin (Missouri) tech Nick Curley (Binghamton) 19-0 133 - Anthony Sobotker (Binghamton) fall Connor Brown (Missouri) 141 - Allan Hart (Missouri) dec Ryan Anderson (Binghamton) 4-0 149 - Josh Edmond (Missouri) dec Nick Lombard (Binghamton) 3-2 157 - Jarrett Jacques (Missouri) fall Tyler Martin (Binghamton) 1:01 165 - Keegan O'Toole (Missouri) maj Brevin Cassella (Binghamton) 13-4 174 - Peyton Mocco (Missouri) dec Jacob Nolan (Binghamton) 6-2 184 - Jeremiah Kent (Missouri) dec Sam DePrez (Binghamton) 11-4 197 - Rocky Elam (Missouri) dec Louie DePrez (Binghamton) 4-0 285 - Zach Elam (Missouri) dec Joe Doyle (Binghamton) 4-0 Virginia Tech 35 Hofstra 3 125 - Sam Latona (Virginia Tech) maj Jacob Moon (Hofstra) 11-2 133 - Korbin Myers (Virginia Tech) tech Ty Cymmerman (Hofstra) 18-2 141 - Collin Gerardi (Virginia Tech) dec Justin Hoyle (Hofstra) 4-1 149 - Michael Leandrou (Hofstra) dec Kylan Montgomery (Virginia Tech) 3-1 157 - Collin Brady (Virginia Tech) dec Joe McGinty (Hofstra) 6-3 165 - Clayton Ulrey (Virginia Tech) fall Mario Biancamano (Hofstra) :51 174 - Mekhi Lewis (Virginia Tech) tech Ericson Velasques (Hofstra) 16-0 184 - Hunter Bolen (Virginia Tech) dec Charles Small (Hofstra) 6-3 197 - Dakota Howard (Virginia Tech) dec Trey Rogers (Hofstra) 5-3 285 - Nathan Traxler (Virginia Tech) dec Zachary Knighton-Ward (Hofstra) 7-1 Round 2 Results Arizona State 42 Hofstra 4 125 - Brandon Courtney (Arizona State) fall Dylan Acevedo (Hofstra) 4:11 133 - Michael McGee (Arizona State) FFT 141 - Jesse Vasquez (Arizona State) dec Justin Hoyle (Hofstra) 14-9 149 - Kyle Parco (Arizona State) tech Michael Leandrou (Hofstra) 17-10 157 - Jacori Teemer (Arizona State) tech Joey McGinty (Hofstra) 18-3 165 - Anthony Valencia (Arizona State) fall Mario Biancamano (Hofstra) :27 174 - Zane Coleman (Arizona State) dec Ross McFarland (Hofstra) 5-2 184 - Charles Small (Hofstra) maj Jacob Ortiz (Arizona State) 10-1 197 - Kordell Norfleet (Arizona State) maj Trey Rogers (Hofstra) 14-3 285 - Cohlton Schultz (Arizona State) maj Zachary Knighton-Ward (Hofstra) 12-3 NC State 35 Binghamton 7 125 - Jakob Camacho (NC State) fall Nick Curley (Binghamton) 5:29 133 - Jarrett Trombley (NC State) InjDef Anthony Sobotker (Binghamton) 141 - Ryan Anderson (Binghamton) dec Hunter Lewis (NC State) 8-2 149 - Tariq Wilson (NC State) dec Nick Lombard (Binghamton) 9-4 157 - Ed Scott (NC State) tech Tyler Martin (Binghamton) 16-1 165 - Thomas Bullard (NC State) dec Brevin Cassella (Binghamton) 6-0 174 - Hayden Hidlay (NC State) maj Jacob Nolan (Binghamton) 12-3 184 - Trent Hidlay (NC State) tech Sam DePrez (Binghamton) 19-4 197 - Louie DePrez (Binghamton) maj Isaac Trumble (NC State) 10-2 285 - Owen Trephan (NC State) dec Joe Doyle (Binghamton) 5-2 Round Three NC State 19 Missouri 12 125 - Noah Surtin (Missouri) dec Jakob Camacho (NC State) 7-4 133 - Kai Orine (NC State) dec Connor Brown (Missouri) 7-3 141 - Allan Hart (Missouri) dec Ryan Jack (NC State) 9-3 149 - Tariq Wilson (NC State) dec Josh Edmond (Missouri) 11-8 157 - Ed Scott (NC State) dec Jarrett Jacques (Missouri) 3-2 165 - Keegan O'Toole (Missouri) dec Thomas Bullard (NC State) 8-3 174 - Hayden Hidlay (NC State) dec Peyton Mocco (Missouri) 9-5 184 - Trent Hidlay (NC State) maj Jeremiah Kent (Missouri) 13-5 197 - Isaac Trumble (NC State) dec Rocky Elam (Missouri) 5-3 285 - Zach Elam (Missouri) dec Tyrie Houghton (NC State) 6-5 Arizona State 23 Virginia Tech 13 125 - Brandon Courtney (Arizona State) dec Sam Latona (Virginia Tech) 8-4 133 - Michael McGee (Arizona State) dec Korbin Myers (Virginia Tech) 8-7 141 - Jesse Vasquez (Arizona State) dec Collin Gerardi (Virginia Tech) 9-7 149 - Kyle Parco (Arizona State) maj Kylan Montgomery (Virginia Tech) 14-1 157 - Jacori Teemer (Arizona State) dec Connor Brady (Virginia Tech) 3-1 165 - Anthony Valencia (Arizona State) dec Clayton Ulrey (Virginia Tech) 11-9 174 - Mekhi Lewis (Virginia Tech) tech Ryan Rochford (Arizona State) 19-3 184 - Hunter Bolen (Virginia Tech) tech Josh Nummer (Arizona State) 20-2 197 - Kordell Norfleet (Arizona State) maj Dakota Howard (Virginia Tech) 14-3 285 - Nathan Traxler (Virginia Tech) dec Chad Porter (Arizona State) 8-1 Round Four Cornell 29 Northern Iowa 7 125 - Vito Arujau (Cornell) maj Brody Teske (Northern Iowa) 18-7 133 - Dom Lajoie (Cornell) dec Kyle Biscoglia (Northern Iowa) 4-2 141 - Cael Happel (Northern Iowa) maj Cole Handlovic (Cornell) 14-6 149 - Yianni Diakomihalis (Cornell) maj Colin Realbuto (Northern Iowa) 14-6 157 - Colton Yapoujian (Cornell) dec Derek Holschlag (Northern Iowa) 2-1 165 - Julian Ramirez (Cornell) dec Austin Yant (Northern Iowa) 4-3 174 - Chris Foca (Cornell) dec Pat Shoenfelder (Northern Iowa) 13-6 184 - Parker Keckeisen (Northern Iowa) dec Jonathan Loew (Cornell) 6-2 197 - Jacob Cardenas (Cornell) fall Noah Glaser (Northern Iowa) 5:12 285 - Lewis Fernandes (Cornell) dec Tyrell Gordon (Northern Iowa) 4-0 Lehigh 25 Central Michigan 6 125 - Jaret Lane (Lehigh) dec Brock Bergelin (Central Michigan) 4-3 133 - Jakerion Merritt (Central Michigan) dec Sheldon Seymour (Lehigh) 3-2 141 - Connor McGonagle (Lehigh) dec Dresden Simon (Central Michigan) 7-5 149 - Corbyn Munson (Central Michigan) dec Manzona Bryant (Lehigh) 12-9 157 - Josh Humphreys (Lehigh) maj Johnny Lovett (Central Michigan) 10-1 165 - Brian Meyer (Lehigh) dec Tracy Hubbard (Central Michigan) 3-1SV 174 - Jake Logan (Lehigh) dec Bret Fedewa (Central Michigan) 5-3 184 - AJ Burkhart (Lehigh) dec Ben Cushman (Central Michigan) 8-7 197 - JT Davis (Lehigh) dec Aaron Bolo (Central Michigan) 3-2 285 - Jordan Wood (Lehigh) dec Matt Stencel (Central Michigan) 3-1SV Round Five Iowa 44 Central Michigan 0 125 - Spencer Lee (Iowa) tech Brock Bergelin (Central Michigan) 17-0 133 - Austin DeSanto (Iowa) tech Vince Perez (Central Michigan) 16-1 141 - Jaydin Eierman (Iowa) dec Dresden Simon (Central Michigan) 13-12 149 - Max Murin (Iowa) maj Corbyn Munson (Central Michigan) 14-6 157 - Kaleb Young (Iowa) dec Johnny Lovett (Central Michigan) 6-0 165 - Alex Marinelli (Iowa) disq Tracy Hubbard (Central Michigan) 174 - Nelson Brands (Iowa) dec Bret Fedewa (Central Michigan) 8-3 184 - Abe Assad (Iowa) fall Ben Cushman (Central Michigan) 2:22 197 - Jacob Warner (Iowa) dec Aaron Bolo (Central Michigan) 9-4 285 - Tony Cassioppi (Iowa) InjDef Matt Stencel (Central Michigan) Penn State 29 Northern Iowa 9 125 - Brody Teske (Northern Iowa) dec Jakob Campbell (Penn State) 2-0 133 - Roman Bravo-Young (Penn State) fall Kyle Biscoglia (Northern Iowa) 4:34 141 - Nick Lee (Penn State) maj Cael Happel (Northern Iowa) 18-4 149 - Beau Bartlett (Penn State) dec Tristan Lara (Northern Iowa) 4-3 157 - Derek Holschlag (Northern Iowa) dec Tony Negron (Penn State) 5-2 165 - Austin Yant (Northern Iowa) dec Creighton Edsell (Penn State) 4-1 174 - Carter Starocci (Penn State) maj Pat Schoenfelder (Northern Iowa) 13-4 184 - Aaron Brooks (Penn State) dec Parker Keckeisen (Northern Iowa) 3-2 197 - Max Dean (Penn State) tech Noah Glaser (Northern Iowa) 19-3 285 - Greg Kerkvliet (Penn State) maj Tyrell Gordon (Northern Iowa) 12-1 Round Six Iowa 28 Lehigh 7 125 - Spencer Lee (Iowa) maj Jaret Lane (Lehigh) 8-0 133 - Austin DeSanto (Iowa) tech Satoshi Abe (Lehigh) 20-5 141 - Jaydin Eierman (Iowa) dec Connor McGonagle (Lehigh) 8-3 149 - Manzona Bryant (Lehigh) dec Max Murin (Iowa) 7-5SV 157 - Josh Humphreys (Lehigh) maj Kaleb Young (Iowa) 11-2 165 - Alex Marinelli (Iowa) dec Brian Meyer (Lehigh) 6-2 174 - Nelson Brands (Iowa) dec Jake Logan (Lehigh) 3-2 184 - Abe Assad (Iowa) maj AJ Burkhart (Lehigh) 16-5 197 - Jacob Warner (Iowa) dec JT Davis (Lehigh) 6-1 285 - Tony Cassioppi (Iowa) dec Jordan Wood (Lehigh) 3-2 Penn State 21 Cornell 16 125 - Vito Arujau (Cornell) fall Jakob Campbell (Penn State) :58 133 - Roman Bravo-Young (Penn State) maj Dom LaJoie (Cornell) 21-9 141 - Nick Lee (Penn State) maj Cole Handlovic (Cornell) 13-3 149 - Yianni Diakomihalis (Cornell) maj Beau Bartlett (Penn State) 11-3 157 - Colton Yapoujian (Cornell) dec Joe Lee (Penn State) 4-2 165 - Julian Ramirez (Cornell) dec Creighton Edsell (Penn State) 7-5 174 - Carter Starocci (Penn State) dec Chris Foca (Cornell) 3-2 184 - Aaron Brooks (Penn State) maj Jonathan Loew (Cornell) 15-3 197 - Max Dean (Penn State) dec Jacob Cardenas (Cornell) 4-2 285 - Greg Kerkvliet (Penn State) dec Lewis Fernandes (Cornell) 5-0

2021 Beast of the East Champion TJ Stewart (photo courtesy of Tony Rotundo; WrestlersAreWarriors.com) Last weekend marked the "official, unofficial" start to the high school wrestling season as the Walsh Ironman took place. This weekend marked another notable mega-event on the high school calendar, the Beast of the East. The Beast returned to the University of Delaware to hold this major tournament for the 28th time. Like most other tournaments nationally, the Beast was not held during the 2019-20 season, because of the Covid pandemic. As always, there were a lot of great individual performances. Some of the biggest stars on the high school level were in attendance and showed why they are so highly regarded, while other unfamiliar faces solidified star-status of their own. Below are the wrestlers that placed in the top-eight at the Beast of the East and have already committed to wrestle in college. Army West Point Dakota Morris (Kingsway Regional, NJ) 5th Place: 160 lbs Ben Rogers (Wantagh, NY) 5th Place: 152 lbs Brown Nick Olivieri (Delbarton, NJ) 8th Place: 195 lbs Bucknell Logan Shephard (Massillon Perry, OH) 3rd Place: 220 lbs Columbia Richard Fedalen (McDonogh, MD) 4th Place: 152 lbs Cornell Ashton Davis (Cleveland, TN) 4th Place: 285 lbs Drexel Gabe Giampietro (Smyrna, DE) 2nd Place: 120 lbs George Mason Colton Stoneking (Waynesburg, PA) 8th Place: 138 lbs Harvard Dante Frinzi (Bethlehem Catholic, PA) 3rd Place: 126 lbs Navy Nick Vafiadis (New Kent, VA) 7th Place: 160 lbs Danny Wask (Blair Academy, NJ) 1st Place: 170 lbs Ohio State Nick Feldman (Malvern Prep, PA) 1st Place: 285 lbs Penn Andrew Connelly (Malvern Prep, PA) 3rd Place: 195 lbs Evan Mougalian (Kinnelon, NJ) 2nd Place: 126 lbs Andy Troczynski (Delbarton, NJ) 2nd Place: 152 lbs Cross Wasilewski (Delbarton, NJ) 2nd Place: 145 lbs (Class of 2023) Princeton Holden Garcia (Notre Dame-Green Pond, PA) 6th Place: 160 lbs (Class of 2023) Ty Whalen (Clearview Regional, NJ) 3rd Place: 152 lbs Rider Damani Almodovar (St. Augustine, NJ) 8th Place: 126 lbs Rutgers Brandan Chletsos (Notre Dame-Green Pond, PA) 6th Place: 132 lbs Virginia RJ May (Maggie Walker, VA) 8th Place: 182 lbs Keyveon Roller (Lakeway Christian Academy, TN) 4th Place: 126 lbs Cooper Rudolph (Robinson, VA) 5th Place: 285 lbs Virginia Tech Hunter Mason (Greeneville, TN) 2nd Place: 138 lbs TJ Stewart (Blair Academy, NJ) 1st Place: 220 lbs

2021 NCAA All-American Clay Carlson (photo courtesy of Sam Janicki; SJanickiPhoto.com) Saturday's Dual Results Buffalo 18 Bucknell 15 125 - Brandon Seidman (Bucknell) dec Tristan Daugherty (Buffalo) 5-4 133 - Kurt Phipps (Bucknell) dec Derek Spann (Buffalo) 9-5 141 - Ben Freeman (Buffalo) dec Noah Levett (Bucknell) 6-4 149 - John Arceri (Buffalo) dec Kolby DePron (Bucknell) 6-4SV 157 - Ty Raines (Buffalo) dec Nick Delp (Bucknell) 4-2 165 - Zach Hartman (Bucknell) fall Noah Grover (Buffalo) 2:28 174 - Giuseppe Hoose (Buffalo) dec Nolan Springer (Bucknell) 10-5 184 - Peter Acciardi (Buffalo) dec Logan Deacetis (Bucknell) 9-8 197 - Sam Mitchell (Buffalo) dec Mason McCready (Bucknell) 2-0 285 - Luke Niemeyer (Bucknell) dec Toby Cahill (Buffalo) 9-5 Buffalo 21 Lock Haven 10 125 - Anthony Noto (Lock Haven) dec Tristan Daugherty (Buffalo) 6-2 133 - Derek Spann (Buffalo) fall Matt Maloney (Lock Haven) 5:57 141 - Ben Freeman (Buffalo) dec Nick Stonecheck (Lock Haven) 10-4 149 - John Arceri (Buffalo) dec Connor Eck (Lock Haven) 6-4 157 - Ben Barton (Lock Haven) dec Ty Raines (Buffalo) 6-1 165 - Noah Grover (Buffalo) dec Ashton Eyler (Lock Haven) 10-5 174 - Jay Nivison (Buffalo) dec Tyler Stoltzfus (Lock Haven) 4-3 184 - Peter Acciardi (Buffalo) dec Colin Fegley (Lock Haven) 4-1 197 - Parker McClellan (Lock Haven) dec Sam Mitchell (Buffalo) 3-1SV 285 - Isaac Reid (Lock Haven) dec Toby Cahill (Buffalo) 8-4 Bucknell 21 Lock Haven 15 125 - Anthony Noto (Lock Haven) fall Brandon Seidman (Bucknell) 4:48 133 - Kurt Phipps (Bucknell) maj Matt Maloney (Lock Haven) 10-1 141 - Nick Stonecheck (Lock Haven) dec Noah Levett (Bucknell) 5-3 149 - Kolby DePron (Bucknell) dec Connor Eck (Lock Haven) 6-1 157 - Ben Barton (Lock Haven) dec Nick Delp (Bucknell) 5-1 165 - Zach Hartman (Bucknell) tech Ashton Eyler (Lock Haven) 20-4 174 - Sam Barnes (Bucknell) dec Tyler Stoltzfus (Lock Haven) 10-3 184 - Logan Deacetis (Bucknell) dec Colin Fegley (Lock Haven) 5-3 197 - Mason McCready (Bucknell) dec Parker McClellan (Lock Haven) 4-2SV 285 - Isaac Reid (Lock Haven) maj Luke Niemeyer (Bucknell) 11-2 Northern Illinois 20 Kent State 12 125 - Jake Ferri (Kent State) dec Bryce West (Northern Illinois) 9-6 133 - Brendon Fenton (Kent State) dec Mikey Kaminski (Northern Illinois) 3-1SV 141 - Jaivon Jones (Northern Illinois) dec Louis Newell (Kent State) 2-0SV 149 - Kody Komara (Kent State) dec Anthony Cheloni (Northern Illinois) 6-5 157 - Anthony Gibson (Northern Illinois) dec Enrique Mungaia (Kent State) 9-4 165 - Izzak Olejnik (Northern Illinois) maj Najee Lockett (Kent State) 10-2 174 - Mason Kauffman (Northern Illinois) dec Michael Ferree (Kent State) 6-5 184 - Brit Wilson (Northern Illinois) maj Colin McCracken (Kent State) 10-2 197 - Tyler Bates (Kent State) dec Tristin Gauman (Northern Illinois) 3-1 285 - Terrese Aaron (Northern Illinois) dec Jacob Cover (Kent State) 4-3TB South Dakota State 59 Harper 0 125 - Tanner Jordan (South Dakota State) FFT 133 - Caleb Gross (South Dakota State) tech Tuvsin Zunnbayan (Harper) 22-6 141 - Clay Carlson (South Dakota State) fall Teaken Leon (Harper) 2:36 149 - Daniel Kimball (South Dakota State) fall Peyton Timmons (Harper) 4:59 157 - Kenny O'Neill (South Dakota State) fall Cameron Jacobs (Harper) 3:57 165 - Tanner Cook (South Dakota State) fall Aaron Taylor (Harper) 3:12 174 - Cade DeVos (South Dakota State) fall Sam Dombos (Harper) :41 184 - Cade King (South Dakota State) fall Giovanni Jackson (Harper) :59 197 - Nick Capserson (South Dakota State) fall Demarco Lee (Harper) 1:17 285 - AJ Nevills (South Dakota State) fall Jordan Williams (Harper) 2:32 Northern Illinois 42 Harper 6 125 - Bryce West (Northern Illinois) FFT 133 - Tuvsin Zunnbayan (Harper) dec Lucian Brink (Northern Illinois) 9-8 141 - Dillon Nichols (Northern Illinois) tech Teaken Leon (Harper) 18-2 149 - Peyton Timmons (Harper) dec Nathan Young (Northern Illinois) 8-6 157 - Alec Rees (Northern Illinois) maj Brendan Parks (Harper) 10-2 165 - Izzak Olejnik (Northern Illinois) fall Aaron Taylor (Harper) :38 174 - Mason Kauffman (Northern Illinois) tech Sam Dombos (Harper) 16-1 184 - Brit Wilson (Northern Illinois) fall Ethan Shedbalker (Harper) 2:10 197 - Matt Zuber (Northern Illinois) maj Giovanni Jackson (Harper) 10-0 285 - Colin Jagielski (Northern Illinois) fall Farouk Shaaban (Harper) :38 South Dakota State 33 Kent State 6 125 - Jake Ferri (Kent State) dec Tanner Jordan (South Dakota State) 6-4 133 - Brendon Fenton (Kent State) dec Caleb Gross (South Dakota State) 5-2 141 - Clay Carlson (South Dakota State) fall Louis Newell (Kent State) 3:19 149 - Daniel Kimball (South Dakota State) dec Kody Komara (Kent State) 5-2 157 - Kenny O'Neill (South Dakota State) dec Enrique Mungaia (Kent State) 8-3 165 - Tanner Cook (South Dakota State) fall Najee Lockett (Kent State) :19 174 - Cade DeVos (South Dakota State) tech Michael Ferree (Kent State) 17-1 184 - Cade King (South Dakota State) dec Colin McCracken (Kent State) 5-3 197 - Nick Casperson (South Dakota State) maj Tyler Bates (Kent State) 12-0 285 - AJ Nevills (South Dakota State) dec Jacob Cover (Kent State) 7-2 South Dakota State 26 Northern Illinois 9 125 - Tanner Jordan (South Dakota State) maj Bryce West (Northern Illinois) 14-2 133 - Caleb Gross (South Dakota State) dec Mikey Kaminski (Northern Illinois) 3-2 141 - Clay Carlson (South Dakota State) fall Jaivon Jones (Northern Illinois) 1:54 149 - Daniel Kimball (South Dakota State) dec Anthony Cheloni (Northern Illinois) 7-3 157 - Anthony Gibson (Northern Illinois) dec Kenny O'Neill (South Dakota State) 4-0 165 - Izzak Olejnik (Northern Illinois) dec Tanner Cook (South Dakota State) 8-3 174 - Cade DeVos (South Dakota State) dec Mason Kauffman (Northern Illinois) 3-1 184 - Brit Wilson (Northern Illinois) dec Cade King (South Dakota State) 5-2 197 - Nick Casperson (South Dakota State) maj Tristin Gauman (Northern Illinois) 12-2 285 - AJ Nevills (South Dakota State) dec Terrese Aaron (Northern Illinois) 7-4 Kent State 39 Harper 10 125 - Jake Ferri (Kent State) FFT 133 - Brendon Fenton (Kent State) dec Tuvsin Zunnbayan (Harper) 4-2 141 - Louis Newell (Kent State) fall Teaken Leon (Harper) 3:17 149 - Peyton Timmons (Harper) maj Tyler Johnson (Kent State) 14-4 157 - Bobby Pryhocki (Kent State) fall Cameron Jacobs (Harper) 1:47 165 - Brady Chrisman (Kent State) maj Brendan Parks (Harper) 11-1 174 - James Limongi (Kent State) tech Aaron Taylor (Harper) 1:17 184 - Colin McCracken (Kent State) decl Giovanni Jackson (Harper) 10-6 197 - Tyler Bates (Kent State) fall Ethan Shedbalker (Harper) 1:09 285 - Farouk Shaaban (Harper) FFT Michigan State 37 Baldwin Wallace 9 125 - Jacob Decatur (Baldwin Wallace) dec Julian Saldana (Michigan State) 3-2 133 - Rayvon Foley (Michigan State) maj Jaden Hinton (Baldwin Wallace) 22-9 141 - Zak Anderson (Baldwin Wallace) fall Jordan Hamdan (Michigan State) 5:00 149 - Eddie Homrock (Michigan State) dec Michael Petrella (Baldwin Wallace) 6-3 157 - Chase Saldate (Michigan State) maj Stan Bleich (Baldwin Wallace) 8-0 165 - Caleb Fish (Michigan State) maj Dalton Leightner (Baldwin Wallace) 9-0 174 - Nate Jimenez (Michigan State) fall Donovan Palmer (Baldwin Wallace) :35 184 - Layne Malczewski (Michigan State) fall Lucas Salmon (Baldwin Wallace) 3:57 197 - Cameron Caffey (Michigan State) maj Doug Byrne (Baldwin Wallace) 17-3 285 - Brad Wilton (Michigan State) fall Jarod Miller (Baldwin Wallace) 6:07 Michigan State 41 Olivet 0 125 - Tristan Lujan (Michigan State) fall Emmett Kettel (Olivet) 1:39 133 - Rayvon Foley (Michigan State) tech Robert Davis (Olivet) 18-2 141 - Jordan Hamdan (Michigan State) dec Reese Wallis (Olivet) 6-4SV 149 - Eddie Homrock (Michigan State) maj Christian Lenon (Olivet) 15-3 157 - Jaden Enriquez (Michigan State) dec Ramiro Guerrero (Olivet) 11-7 165 - Caleb Fish (Michigan State) dec Dylan Briggs (Olivet) 8-1 174 - Nate Jimenez (Michigan State) dec Owen Guilford (Olivet) 8-3 184 - Layne Malczewski (Michigan State) fall Justin Carnahan (Olivet) 2:11 197 - Cameron Caffey (Michigan State) tech Hunter Caister (Olivet) 23-6 285 - Brad Wilton (Michigan State) dec Dominick Wilson (Olivet) 2-1 Sunday's Dual Results Appalachian State 46 Bellarmine 6 125 - Caleb Smith (Appalachian State) FFT 133 - Codi Russell (Appalachian State) fall Max Dansereau (Bellarmine) 6:05 141 - Anthony Brito (Appalachian State) fall Logan Hoskins (Bellarmine) 4:03 149 - Jonathan Millner (Appalachian State) fall Mitch Collica (Bellarmine) 4:14 157 - Cody Bond (Appalachian State) tech Alex Rhine (Bellarmine) 22-7 165 - Will Formato (Appalachian State) maj Devan Hendricks (Bellarmine) 12-1 174 - Thomas Flitz (Appalachian State) maj Eric Beck (Bellarmine) 9-1 184 - Barrett Blakely (Appalachian State) maj Sam Schroeder (Bellarmine) 15-4 197 - Bryant Wilkinson (Bellarmine) InjDef Mason Fiscella (Appalachian State) 285 - Michael Burchell (Appalachian State) fall Charlie Cadell (Bellarmine) 1:40 Duke 30 The Citadel 10 125 - Logan Agin (Duke) fall Jordan White (The Citadel) :19 133 - Jake Rotunda (The Citadel) dec Drake Doolittle (Duke) 13-12 141 - Patrick Rowland (Duke) dec Jackson Whitmire (The Citadel) 5-0 149 - Josh Finesilver (Duke) fall Ethan Willis (The Citadel) 1:50 157 - Dazjon Casto (The Citadel) maj Wade Ungar (Duke) 14-5 165 - Gabe Dinette (Duke) dec Selwyn Porter (The Citadel) 7-5 174 - Matt Finesilver (Duke) maj Cole Burke (The Citadel) 13-0 184 - Vincent Baker (Duke) dec Ben Haubert (The Citadel) 3-1 197 - Kaden Russell (Duke) tech Ben Stemmet (The Citadel) 18-0 285 - Michael McAleavey (The Citadel) dec Jonah Niesenbaum (Duke) 3-1SV Bloomsburg 21 The Citadel 15 125 - Bronson Garber (Bloomsburg) dec Jordan White (The Citadel) 2-0 133 - Jake Rotunda (The Citadel) dec Cole Rhone (Bloomsburg) 5-4 141 - Josh Mason (Bloomsburg) fall Jackson Whitmire (The Citadel) :38 149 - Cade Balestrini (Bloomsburg) dec Ethan Willis (The Citadel) 9-4 157 - Alex Carida (Bloomsburg) dec Dazjon Casto (The Citadel) 5-4 165 - Selwyn Porter (The Citadel) dec Cody Harrison (Bloomsburg) 9-6 174 - Cole Burke (The Citadel) dec Matt Benedetti (Bloomsburg) 10-3 184 - Ben Haubert (The Citadel) dec Bruno Stolfi (Bloomsburg) 3-2 197 - David Tuttle (Bloomsburg) fall Ben Stemmet (The Citadel) 5:31 285 - Michael McAleavey (The Citadel) dec Shane Noonan (Bloomsburg) 12-7 Duke 29 Bloomsburg 9 125 - Logan Agin (Duke) maj Bronson Garber (Bloomsburg) 11-3 133 - Cole Rhone (Bloomsburg) dec Drake Doolittle (Duke) 7-1 141 - Aaron Coleman (Bloomsburg) dec Patrick Rowland (Duke) 7-0 149 - Josh Finesilver (Duke) maj Cade Balestrini (Bloomsburg) 12-2 157 - Alex Carida (Bloomsburg) dec Wade Ungar (Duke) 5-2 165 - Gabe Dinette (Duke) dec Cody Harrison (Bloomsburg) 6-1 174 - Matt Finesilver (Duke) fall Matt Benedetti (Bloomsburg) 1:54 184 - Vincent Baker (Duke) dec Bruno Stolfi (Bloomsburg) 8-4 197 - Kaden Russell (Duke) fall David Tuttle (Bloomsburg) :49 285 - Jonah Niesenbaum (Duke) dec Shane Noonan (Bloomsburg) 10-4 Duke 30 Presbyterian 7 125 - Logan Agin (Duke) dec Jacob Brasseur (Presbyterian) 14-7 133 - Dominic Chavez (Presbyterian) maj Drake Doolittle (Duke) 12-1 141 - Patrick Rowland (Duke) dec Khalid Brinkley (Presbyterian) 4-2 149 - Josh Finesilver (Duke) dec Reid Stewart (Presbyterian) 5-1 157 - Wade Unger (Duke) maj Logan Spell (Presbyterian) 11-2 165 - Gabe Dinette (Duke) maj Bryton Goering (Presbyterian) 10-1 174 - Matt Finesilver (Duke) tech Zachary Phillips (Presbyterian) 18-0 184 - David Bertrand (Presbyterian) cec Luke Chakonins (Duke) 5-2 197 - Kaden Russell (Duke) tech Aiden Jean (Presbyterian) 16-0 285 - Jonah Niesenbaum (Duke) dec Airin Spell (Presbyterian) 4-2 Ohio 27 George Mason 9 125 - Oscar Sanchez (Ohio) dec Ben Monn (George Mason) 8-4 133 - Gio DiSabato (Ohio) maj Michael Rapuano (George Mason) 14-4 141 - Kyran Hagan (Ohio) dec Kaden Cassidy (George Mason) 5-3 149 - Alex Madrigal (George Mason) dec Alec Hagan (Ohio) 9-3 157 - Jordan Slivka (Ohio) maj Avery Bassett (George Mason) 8-0 165 - Tyler Kocak (George Mason) dec Sean O'Dwyer (Ohio) 5-2 174 - Sal Perrine (Ohio) dec Logan Messer (George Mason) 4-3 184 - Zayne Lehman (Ohio) maj Kyle Davis (George Mason) 10-2 197 - Jordan Greer (Ohio) FFT 285 - Austin Stith (George Mason) dec Jordan Earnest (Ohio) 3-1SV Ohio 27 Gardner-Webb 9 125 - Oscar Sanchez (Ohio) dec Aedyn Concepcion (Gardner-Webb) 7-4 133 - Todd Carter (Gardner-Webb) dec Gio DiSabato (Ohio) 7-5 141 - Mario Guillen (Ohio) dec Trevon Majette (Gardner-Webb) 7-0 149 - Alec Hagan (Ohio) fall Corbin Dion (Gardner-Webb) :16 157 - Jordan Slivka (Ohio) dec Taylor Parks (Gardner-Webb) 2-0 165 - Rodrick Mosley (Gardner-Webb) dec Kamal Adewumi (Ohio) 6-0 174 - Sal Perrine (Ohio) fall Evan Schenk (Gardner-Webb) 3:57 184 - Zayne Lehman (Ohio) dec Jha'Quan Anderson (Gardner-Webb) 3-1 197 - Anthony Perrine (Gardner-Webb) dec Carson Brewer (Ohio) 4-3 285 - Jordan Earnest (Ohio) dec Peyton McComas (Gardner-Webb) 4-2 Gardner-Webb 22 George Mason 14 125 - Aedyn Concepcion (Gardner-Webb) dec Ben Monn (George Mason) 3-2 133 - Todd Carter (Gardner-Webb) fall Michael Rapuano (George Mason) 4:50 141 - Kaden Cassidy (George Mason) dec Trevon Majette (Gardner-Webb) 5-3 149 - Alex Madrigal (George Mason) tech Corbin Dion (Gardner-Webb) 22-7 157 - Avery Bassett (George Mason) dec Taylor Parks (Gardner-Webb) 6-4SV 165 - Rodrick Mosley (Gardner-Webb) dec Tyler Kocak (George Mason) 2-0 174 - Logan Messer (George Mason) dec Evan Schenk (Gardner-Webb) 9-5 184 - Jha'Quan Anderson (Gardner-Webb) maj Kyle Davis (George Mason) 17-3 197 - Anthony Perrine (Gardner-Webb) dec Jeremy Seymour (George Mason) 7-3 285 - Peyton McComas (Gardner-Webb) dec Austin Stith (George Mason) 13-10 Iowa State 23 Purdue 13 125 - Devin Schroder (Purdue) maj Corey Cabanban (Iowa State) 10-0 133 - Matt Ramos (Purdue) dec Ramazan Attasauov (Iowa State) 5-3SV 141 - Parker Filius (Purdue) maj Charlie Klepps (Iowa State) 14-2 149 - Jarrett Degen (Iowa State) tech Trey Kruse (Purdue) 20-1 157 - David Carr (Iowa State) fall Kendall Coleman (Purdue) 4:30 165 - Hayden Lohrey (Purdue) dec Austin Kraisser (Iowa State) 5-3 174 - Joel Devine (Iowa State) dec Gerrit Nijenhuis (Purdue) 4-1 184 - Marcus Coleman (Iowa State) dec Max Lyon (Purdue) 8-2 197 - Yonger Bastida (Iowa State) dec Thomas Penola (Purdue) 6-4 285 - Sam Schuyler (Iowa State) dec Michael Woulfe (Purdue) 2-0 George Mason 25 Davidson 18 125 - Ben Monn (George Mason) FFT 133 - Kyle Gorant (Davidson) dec Michael Rapuano (George Mason) 8-4 141 - Kaden Cassidy (George Mason) fall Gavin Damasco (Davidson) 4:13 149 - Alex Madrigal (George Mason) tech David Loniewski (Davidson) 21-4 157 - Bryce Sanderlin (Davidson) dec Avery Bassett (George Mason) 3-1 165 - Tyler Kocak (George Mason) dec Jaden Hardrick (Davidson) 4-2 174 - Logan Messer (George Mason) tech Steven Newell (Davidson) 18-2 184 - Gavin Henry (Davidson) fall Kyle Davis (George Mason) :40 197 - Finlay Holston (Davidson) dec Jeremy Seymour (George Mason) 7-1 285 - Mitchell Trigg (Davidson) dec Austin Stith (George Mason) 5-1

2021 NCAA All-American Jacori Teemer (photo courtesy of Tony Rotundo; WrestlersAreWarriors.com) Many Christmases ago, I went to buy a doll for my son. I reached for the last one that they had, but so did another man. As I rained blows upon him I realized there had to be another way! [The doll] was destroyed. But out of that, a new holiday was born! A Festivus For The Rest Of Us! Every holiday season, I go into the utility closet and pull out the ol' aluminum pole to put next to the christmas tree. It's soon after doing this that my wife yells at me to not put trash next to the tree and put it somewhere else (which usually means in the basement office). For This intro, I decided to use one of the several traditions of the holiday: The airing of grievances. I've got a lot of problems with you people, and now you're going to hear about it! 1) Wrestlers Taking Medical Forfeits- I'm all for the protection of injured wrestlers, but when a rule is abused to the point where it is now commonplace to use it as a "cheat the system" trick, then I have a problem with it. My stance, if you weigh in to compete and you don't wrestle in the match you're supposed to wrestle in, then it counts as a loss. If you're worried about losses (which technically don't/shouldn't count in the seeding process), then you might be in the wrong sport. 2) Ducking aka Selective Wrestling- What happened to the day of having pride of winning tournaments or having a 30+ win season? Nowadays we are lucky to get the top wrestlers to have even the minimum match requirement for RPI. Is it too hard to ask for the regularly scheduled matches to actually happen? Especially when you promote the match with a wrestler who ends up sitting. 3) People Hating on Riding Time- You remember wrestling, right? Back when you were in shape and could run a mile under 10 min? Remember how hard it was to keep someone down? Especially when you were not allowed to lock hands? Remember how in high school there was almost no reason to take top or be on top other than to prevent the bottom wrestler from getting out? Riding time, like many things, needs tweaking but actually rewards someone for controlling another person. Crazy concept in folkstyle wrestling. 4) People Who Want to Get Rid Of Overtime- No matter what rules are in place, there will be some sort of stalling. Prevent Defense, parking the bus, pushing away and circling the center of the mat. To me, Criteria also promotes stalling with one wrestler not engaging. Just because there's arms flailing and errant shots are being fired in the waning seconds doesn't mean it's "more activity." Give me the walkoff homerun, the golden goal, the sudden death takedown. There's more I could go into, but like my cubicle mate Jagger, I actually burned my hand so the writing will be a little less than usual (you're probably happy about that). If you're like me, you'll start your day off right with watching the inspiration episode, (which is titled "The Strike" and is episode 10 in Season 9 of Seinfeld, streaming on Netflix) and may we see many pins this week. How about YOU give me some of your season's grievances? Let me know in the comments section. Now that I've got that off my chest, On to Week 8… This scoring week is front-loaded with the Collegian Wrestling Duals on Monday and Tuesday, as well as the last dual of the week ending on Wednesday. The gem of the week is the Collegiate Wrestling Duals where each team is guaranteed three matches, and as you know we fantasy coaches LOVE guaranteed matches. The one frustrating part for fantasy coaches, is that the groups are pretty even which make a lot of the matches toss-ups. As a fan, it's freaking wonderful. Some wrestlers listed under the Collegiate Wrestling Duals may even lose a match, but can still net positive for the week. As a reminder for the Collegiate Wrestling Duals: From: Collegiate Wrestling Duals on Rokfin Wrestlers I Like This Week Wrestler (School)- competition for the week [Proj Score] *organized by projected score first, then by school name* 125: Jakob Camacho (NC State)- Collegiate Wrestling Duals Fabian Gutierrez (Chattanooga)- Vs Cleveland State, Vs West Virginia [+6] Joey Fischer (Clarion)- @ Buffalo [+3] Jake Ferri (Kent State)- @ Edinboro [+3] 133: Austin DeSanto (Iowa)- Collegiate Wrestling Duals Roman Bravo-Young (Penn State)- Collegiate Wrestling Duals Derek Spann (Buffalo)- Vs Clarion [+4] Brendon Fenton (Kent State)- @ Edinboro [+4] Daton Fix (Oklahoma State)- Vs Utah Valley [+4] 141: Yianni Diakomihalis (Cornell)- Collegiate Wrestling Duals Jaydin Eierman (Iowa)- Collegiate Wrestling Duals Nick Lee (Penn State)- Collegiate Wrestling Duals Seth Koleno (Clarion)- @ Buffalo [+3] Carter Young (Oklahoma State)- Vs Utah Valley [+3] 149: Kaden Gfeller (Oklahoma State)- Vs Utah Valley [+4] Brent Moore (Clarion)- @ Buffalo 157: Jacori Teemer (Arizona State)- Collegiate Wrestling Duals Enrique Munguia (Kent State)- @ Edinboro [+3] Wyatt Sheets (Oklahoma State)- Vs Utah Valley [+3] 165: Anthony Valencia (Arizona State)- Collegiate Wrestling Duals Julian Ramirez (Cornell)- Collegiate Wrestling Duals Alex Marinelli (Iowa)- Collegiate Wrestling Duals Keegan O'Toole (Missouri)- Collegiate Wrestling Duals Travis Wittlake (Oklahoma State)- Vs Utah Valley [+4] Peyton Hall (West Virginia)- Vs Chattanooga, Vs Cleveland State (@CHAT) [+3] Cameron Pine (Clarion)- @ Buffalo [+3] 174: Hayden Hidlay (NC State)- Collegiate Wrestling Duals Carter Starocci (Penn State)- Collegiate Wrestling Duals Mekhi Lewis (Virginia Tech)- Collegiate Wrestling Duals Dustin Plott (Oklahoma State)- Vs Utah Valley [+3] 184: Trent Hidlay (NC State)- Collegiate Wrestling Duals Aaron Brooks (Penn State)- Collegiate Wrestling Duals Dakota Geer (Oklahoma State)- Vs Utah Valley [+4] 197: Kordell Norfleet (Arizona State)- Collegiate Wrestling Duals Max Dean (Penn State)- Collegiate Wrestling Duals Ben Smith (Cleveland State)- Vs Chattanooga, Vs West Virginia (@CHAT) [+6] AJ Ferrari (Oklahoma State)- Vs Utah Valley [+4] 285: Tony Cassioppi (Iowa)- Collegiate Wrestling Duals Think I missed someone? Disagree with someone on the list or their projection? Want to know our thoughts on a matchup? Let me know! Win the week!

2021 NCAA champion Roman Bravo-Young (photo courtesy of Sam Janicki; SJanickiPhoto.com) Monday marks the opening dual of the first Collegiate Wrestling Duals, presented by Journeymen. 12 teams from six conferences have been divided into two pools for competition. On Monday, each team will wrestle a pair of prearranged duals. Based on the results, teams from the same pool will meet each other on Tuesday. This event features six of the top ten dual teams in the country and seven of the top-11, so many of the best teams and individuals will be in action. Our second preview will focus on wrestlers from the Blue Pool. We've already looked at the Red Pool . The Blue pool features four ranked teams, including #2 Penn State. The other group of three has one of the most anticipated matches on Monday, as #6 Arizona State meets #9 Virginia Tech Provided rankings hold up, one of those squads could meet Penn State the following day. Below are potential lineups for each Blue Pool dual on Monday, along with notes about each dual, and a projected team score. Hofstra vs. #9 Virginia Tech 125 - Jacob Moon/Dylan Acevedo vs. #16 Sam Latona 133 - Ty Cymmerman vs #4 Korbin Myers 141 - Justin Hoyle vs. Collin Gerardi 149 - Michael Leandrou vs. #6 Bryce Andonian 157 - Joe McGinty vs. #22 Connor Brady 165 - Ricky Stamm vs. Clayton Ulrey 174 - Ross McFarland vs. #4 Mekhi Lewis 184 - #25 Charles Small vs. #9 Hunter Bolen 197 - #26 Trey Rogers vs. Dakota Howard 285 - #20 Zachary Knighton-Ward vs. #14 Nathan Traxler Due to injuries and just the way things have played out, the back end of Hofstra's lineup is its strength. Of their three wrestlers currently in the rankings, all are between 184-285. Also, they have gotten strong, consistent results from 157 and up. 165 lber Ricky Stamm was an NCAA qualifier last year and started the season in the rankings. He'll have an opportunity to shine as Clayton Ulrey is one of three Tech starters not currently in the top-33. Ulrey is 1-3 in dual competition, though he did come up with a win in sudden victory during the Hokies rout of Northern Iowa. Up at 184 lbs, Charles Small has already pulled off a big win this year when he knocked off past Round of 12 finisher Chris Weiler (Wisconsin) in dual competition. Small's only dual loss came at the hands of 2021 AA John Poznanski (Rutgers). He'll have to contend with another All-American in Hunter Bolen, the #2 seed at the 2021 NCAA Championships. Perhaps the most competitive matches of this dual will come at 197 and 285 lbs. Trey Rogers made headlines earlier this year when he handed Junior World Champion Braxton Amos his first (and only) collegiate loss. Dakota Howard was an NCAA qualifier last year at 174 lbs and is as gritty as they come. He has a gas tank that can go for days. The big men at 285 lbs are both returning national qualifiers. Nathan Traxler's only loss this season came to Tate Orndorff (Ohio State), an opponent that majored Zachary Knighton-Ward at the 2021 national tournament. With that being said, I'd expect a close bout between these two. Pick: Virginia Tech (32-6) Hofstra vs. #6 Arizona State 125 - Jacob Moon/Dylan Acevedo vs. #3 Brandon Courtney 133 - Ty Cymmerman vs. #14 Michael McGee 141 - Justin Hoyle vs. #15 Jesse Vasquez 149 - Michael Leandrou vs. #5 Kyle Parco 157 - Joe McGinty vs. #3 Jacori Teemer 165 - Ricky Stamm vs. #6 Anthony Valencia 174 - Ross McFarland vs. Zane Coleman 184 - #25 Charles Small vs. Josh Nummer 197 - #26 Trey Rogers vs. #8 Kordell Norfleet 285 - #20 Zachary Knighton-Ward vs. #3 Cohlton Schultz Arizona State is a loaded team with eight of their ten potential starters ranked in the top-15. But, their two unranked weights are ones in which Hofstra can capitalize. At 174, Hofstra has Ross McFarland, who is 7-7 since the start of the 2021 campaign. He'll be in a close one with Zane Coleman. Coleman is 7-3 but has been majored by teammate Cael Valencia and Oklahoma's Anthony Mantanona. Charles Small is in a good position at the next weight class up. He'll face Josh Nummer comes in with a 3-5 record. For this dual (and others), be aware of Anthony Valencia at 165 lbs. Saturday, he is competing in the Mexican National Team Trials, but is still set on coming back to Florida for the duals. Hopefully, the travel treats him well, but you can see where there may be a hiccup waiting to happen. I'm not quite sure who the Sun Devils turn to if Valencia is not available. Both 165's behind him are currently in redshirt. Hofstra also has Stamm ready to go, so if anyone aside from Valencia is on the mat, he'll be a favorite. At 197 lbs, we'll see a rematch of the first round at the NCAA Championships. There Kordell Norfleet majored Trey Rogers, 12-3. We've already seen an improved version of Rogers this season, so we have every reason to think he's closed the gap. Pick: Arizona State (32-6) #6 Arizona State vs. #9 Virginia Tech 125 - #3 Brandon Courtney vs. #16 Sam Latona 133 - #14 Michael McGee vs. #4 Korbin Myers 141 - #15 Jesse Vasquez vs. Collin Gerardi 149 - #5 Kyle Parco vs. #6 Bryce Andonian 157 - #3 Jacori Teemer vs. #22 Connor Brady 165 - #6 Anthony Valencia vs. Clayton Ulrey 174 - Zane Coleman vs. #4 Mekhi Lewis 184 - Josh Nummer vs. #9 Hunter Bolen 197 - #8 Kordell Norfleet vs. Dakota Howard 285 - #3 Cohlton Schultz vs. #14 Nathan Traxler Along with Missouri/NC State and Cornell/Penn State, this was one dual that everyone noticed immediately in the pool stage as being very competitive and overall a "must-watch." Right off the bat, we have a pair of returning All-Americans at 125 lbs. Sam Latona has not been able to replicate his success from 2021 and is 3-4 thus far. Brandon Courtney has yet to taste defeat and has an 8-3 win over Latona's former teammate Joey Prata (Oklahoma) on his resume. Since there will be plenty of time between this match and the weigh-ins, I expect to see the best version of Latona possible. Once again, we have a pair of returning All-Americans set to clash at 133 lbs. Korbin Myers has been excellent over the past year and a half for Virginia Tech at this weight class. He is 19-2 during that time span and has not lost this season. In that period, Myers' only setbacks came at the hands of Roman Bravo-Young (Penn State) and Austin DeSanto (Iowa). Michael McGee was sixth in the nation last season, though he did not meet up with Myers. He dropped in the rankings a few weeks ago after suffering a one-point loss to Job Greenwood (Wyoming) at the Cowboy Open. Aside from that match, McGee has dominated in 2021-22. We should get a good gauge on where freshman Jesse Vasquez is at this event. Vasquez won his Arizona State debut at the Mountaineer Invitational and followed that up with a dual victory, but hasn't been in action since mid-November. The former four-time California state champion could be an integral part of another trophy-winning team for the Sun Devils, if he can maintain that level of output. We expect to see Collin Gerardi get the call for Virginia Tech. A 2020 NCAA qualifier, Gerardi and teammate Sam Hillegas seem to be neck-and-neck; however, Hillegas was banged up and missed some time early in the year. He may not be ready for Florida. Gerardi might be able to slow down Vasquez and steal one for the Hokies. Perhaps the match of this dual and one of the most entertaining ones all tournament will take place here at 149 with All-American Kyle Parco and Bryce Andonian. Parco quietly worked his way to a sixth-place finish at nationals last year for Fresno State. Since moving over to ASU, Parco has been excellent, beating AA Jonathan Miller (Arizona State) and former Hokie Mitch Moore (Oklahoma) during the first month of the year. Andonian is simply one of the most dangerous wrestlers in all of college. He is typically looking for big moves, throws, or just ways to get the opponent onto their back. All-American Jacori Teemer will attempt to hold off a rapidly improving Connor Brady at 157 lbs. Brady is 7-1 this year and downed a top-15 opponent (Jarrett Jacques - Missouri) during his most recent outing. Teemer's offense has really opened up this year. He has yet to be held in single digits during any of his five matches this season. Probably the biggest mismatch (on paper) in favor of the Sun Devils comes at 165 lbs, when Anthony Valencia takes on Clayton Ulrey. Valencia is a sixth-year senior that finally broke through and made the All-American podium, after coming close in years past and generally being a longtime AA contender. He has stacked bonus points in all but one match this year, so I'd expect him to make a push for it here. Now we move into a run of two matches where Virginia Tech All-Americans take on unranked ASU grapplers. 2019 NCAA champion Mekhi Lewis and Hunter Bolen should have the opportunity to run up the score and help their team with bonus points at 174 and 184, against Zane Coleman and Josh Nummer, respectively. The pendulum swings back towards Arizona State as we close out the dual with 197 lbs and 285. At 197, the Sun Devils will send out three-time Pac-12 champion Kordell Norfleet. While he's a heavy favorite, he'll need to wrestle the full seven minutes to deal with the relentless Dakota Howard. The heavyweights are no strangers to each other, as this will be a rematch of the 2021 Pac-12 Championships, won by Cohlton Schultz, 3-1. He and Nathan Traxler met again in the NCAA Round of 12. That time there was no such drama as the ASU big man ended it quickly with a first-period fall. Since then, Traxler has graduated from Stanford and transferred to Virginia Tech. Pick: Arizona State (20-14) Northern Iowa vs. #11 Cornell 125 - #10 Brody Teske vs. #5 (133) Vito Arujau/Greg Diakomihalis 133 - #31 Kyle Biscoglia vs. #5 Vito Arujau/Dom Lajoie 141 - #26 Cael Happel vs. Cole Handlovic 149 - #28 Tristan Lara vs. #1 Yianni Diakomihalis 157 - Cayd Lara/Derek Holschlag vs. Colton Yapoujian/Adam Santoro 165 - #23 Austin Yant vs. #9 Julian Ramirez 174 - Pat Schoenfelder vs. #12 Chris Foca 184 - #4 Parker Keckeisen vs. #15 Jonathan Loew 197 - Noah Glaser vs. #19 Jacob Cardenas 285 - Tyrell Gordon vs. Drew Flynn At first glance and judging by rankings, you may be quick to hand the dual win to Cornell. But, not so fast; this should be a close competitive dual, as Northern Iowa matches up well with the Big Red. We expect to see Vito Arujau down at 125 lbs for Florida, so that would set up an enticing match with 2021 Big 12 champion Brody Teske. In Teske's last appearance, he logged a pair of top-20 wins. Arujau's only competition of the year took place at 133 lbs, when he majored Stanford's Jackson DiSario. Provided Arujau is at 125, Northern Iowa has a pair of ranked wrestlers, #31 Kyle Biscoglia and #26 Cael Happel, against unranked Cornell wrestlers. 165 has suddenly become a match to watch as Julian Ramirez has flown up the rankings after his controversial win over 2021 NCAA champion Shane Griffith. Ramirez showed he was no fluke after finishing fourth at the Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational. In Vegas, Ramirez earned a win over 2021 All-American Cameron Amine (Michigan). Northern Iowa counters with Austin Yant, who was fifth in the Big 12 last season and a national qualifier. He's gone 6-2 against a solid schedule, with one of those losses coming via injury default. Up a weight, 174 lbs might be more competitive than the rankings indicate. Pat Schoenfelder has amassed a 9-4 record this year, with his most significant win being an 11-9 upset of Peyton Mocco (Missouri), who was ranked in the top ten at the time. Chris Foca was an upset victim himself in the second round at the CKLV Invitational, but fought back to claim third place. He started the year with a title at the Bearcat Open. There's a challenging round-robin at 184 lbs between Cornell/Northern Iowa/Penn State. This edition will feature returning All-American Parker Keckeisen against Jonathan Loew. Keckeisen was third in the nation as a freshman and hasn't been seriously threatened yet this season. Loew is another Cornell wrestler that was third in Vegas. Loew downed three returning national qualifiers at the CKLV and another ranked opponent. Pick: Cornell (19-12) Northern Iowa vs. #2 Penn State 125 - #10 Brody Teske vs. Baylor Shunk 133 - #31 Kyle Biscoglia vs. #1 Roman Bravo-Young 141 - #26 Cael Happel vs. #1 Nick Lee 149 - #28 Tristan Lara vs. #22 Beau Bartlett 157 - Cayd Lara/Derek Holschlag vs. Tony Negron/Terrell Barraclough 165 - #23 Austin Yant vs. #26 Creighton Edsell 174 - Pat Schoenfelder vs. #1 Carter Starocci 184 - #4 Parker Keckeisen vs. #1 Aaron Brooks 197 - Noah Glaser vs. #3 Max Dean 285 - Tyrell Gordon vs. #4 Greg Kerkvliet This dual gets kicked off, with Brody Teske facing his old team. I'm sure he'll be fired up for this one and ready to tally bonus points, if possible. Although Penn State's top-ranked wrestlers at 133 and 141 lbs are facing ranked competition, don't be surprised if Roman-Bravo Young and Nick Lee still find a way to grab bonus points. One of the toss-up bouts of the dual comes at 149 lbs as #28 Tristan Lara takes on highly acclaimed Beau Bartlett. As a true freshman, Bartlett was thrust into the starting role at 149 lbs and may have been undersized and didn't end up qualifying for nationals. This year, Bartlett is 4-1 with wins over three past national qualifiers. Lara's only competition of the season came at the Daktronics Open, where he went 3-1. At 165 lbs, we'll get another test for Penn State's Creighton Edsell. Edsell has surprisingly grabbed ahold of the starting role and has not tasted defeat in 2021-22. However, meeting Austin Yant will represent his toughest test of the young season. 184 lbs will represent the main event of this dual. Returning NCAA third-place finisher Parker Keckeisen is 27-1 in his career. The only loss? That came to Penn State's NCAA Champion Aaron Brooks, 6-4, in the national semifinals last season. That six-point output for Brooks was one of the lowest of his title-winning campaign. This year, Brooks has blitzed the field with a major decision, tech, and pin in three matches. Pick: Penn State (28-7) by Richard Mann #2 Penn State vs. #11 Cornell 125: Baylor Shunk (Penn State) vs. Greg Diakomihalis/Vitali Arujau (Cornell) Shunk has been pressed into service after an injury has kept last year's starter, Robbie Howard, out of action. He may not be in service much longer, with former Central Michigan All-American Drew Hildebrandt waiting in the wings in the second semester. Shunk has gone 2-2 on the year, with his victories coming over Kyle Randall (Sacred Heart) and Ryan Chauvin (Army). The younger Diakomihalis brother got the start at 125 pounds in Cornell's only dual of the year, and dropped a 3-1 decision against Logan Ashton (Stanford). He lost both of his matches at the CKLV Invitational against Malik Heinselman (Ohio State) and Jeremiah Reno (Nebraska). Arujau was expected to be one of the top contenders at this weight this year, but his only action so far has been at 133 pounds. This match likely favors Cornell no matter which wrestler they send out. However, Arujau would likely be hoping to pick up bonus points against Shunk. During his redshirt season in 2020, he gave up bonus points in four of his nine losses, and this would represent a big step up in competition. Arujau down at 125 pounds is more exciting for the overall dual, so let's go with that. Prediction: Arujau technical fall over Shunk 133: No. 1 Roman Bravo-Young (Penn State) vs. No. 5 Vitali Arujau/Dom LaJoie (Cornell) After knocking off No. 2 Daton Fix (Oklahoma State) in overtime at last year's NCAA final, Bravo-Young is back looking for another title in what he says will be his final year of collegiate wrestling. Bravo-Young has won all four of his matches on the year and picked up bonus in three. The only wrestler to escape giving up bonus points was Jason Shaner Jr. (Oregon State), who dropped an 8-3 decision. Arujau finished fourth at 125 pounds in 2019 as a freshman to become an All-American. He then missed the next two seasons after taking a redshirt and dealing with the pandemic. As previously stated, Arujau's only action this year came in the Stanford dual. In that match, he scored a 14-3 major decision over Jackson DiSario. If Arujau was to make his way back down, the likely starter here would be LaJoie. During the 2020 season, LaJoie filled in at 125 pounds and qualified for the NCAA tournament. This year, he has wrestled already this season at the Jonathan Kaloust Bearcat Open and the CKLV Invitational. He holds a 4-3 record. While Arujau down at 125 pounds might make for a more exciting dual meet, this match would certainly be more high profile with him here. Considering the size advantage Bravo-Young would have over Arujau, he would be the favorite in both matches. If LaJoie gets the start, Penn State would certainly be hoping for bonus points. Prediction: Bravo-Young major decision over Lajoie 141: No. 1 Nick Lee (Penn State) vs. Cole Handlovic (Cornell) Lee avenged his only defeat last season in the NCAA finals. His lone loss came against No. 2 Jaydin Eierman (Iowa) at the Big Ten tournament, but Lee got the win back in sudden victory with the NCAA title on the line. This year, he missed the dual against Army, but he is 4-0 on the year. In his last outing, Lee scored a 13-6 decision over Connor McGonagle (Lehigh). Handlovic has had an interesting first season so far. After grey shirting last year and competing for the Spartan Combat RTC, he has been the starter at 141 pounds. He brought a 5-1 record into the CKLV Invitational. Even though he lost both of his matches, he went to overtime with All-American No. 10 Chad Red (Nebraska) and dropped a one-point decision against former top recruit Frankie Tal-Shahar (Northwestern). Prior to this season, this would probably look like an easy bonus-point opportunity for Lee. However, he has not been running up the score as much on his opponents so far this season. Handlovic has shown he can be competitive at this level, but he is still looking for that first signature win. It is unlikely to come here, but this match could be a little bit closer than many expect. Prediction: Lee decision over Handlovic 149: No. 22 Beau Bartlett (Penn State) vs. No. 1 Yianni Diakomihalis (Cornell) Bartlett was a somewhat unlikely starter for Penn State at 149 pounds last year. This year he looks to have grown more into the weight and had some impressive results. Already this season, Bartlett has scored overtime victories over No. 23 PJ Ogunsanya (Army) and No. 26 Anthony Artalona (Penn). However, he came back down to earth a bit in his last outing as he dropped a 6-5 decision against No. 30 Manzona Bryant (Lehigh). After a two-year hiatus, the two-time NCAA champion is back with two years of eligibility. After focusing mostly on freestyle since the 2019 season, Diakomihalis has had to knock off some rust, but he has won all six of his matches so far. He took a 3-1 decision over No. 11 Jaden Abas (Stanford) and then won the CKLV Invitational. Diakomihalis needed overtime to best No. 10 Ridge Lovett (Nebraska), but he survived and also picked up a win over returning runner-up No. 2 Sammy Sasso (Ohio State). Diakomihalis should be the heavy favorite in this match. His ability to score on the feet and turn an opponent's offense into points will give him a lot of chances to score. Bartlett has lost four matches to date, but he has not yet surrendered bonus points. Prediction: Diakomihalis major decision over Bartlett 157: Terrell Barraclough (Penn State) vs. No. 25 Colton Yapoujian (Cornell) Many expected Joe Lee to start at this weight for Penn State, but so far, it has mostly been Barraclough. He represented the squad against both Army and Penn but failed to win either of those matches. Barraclough picked up his first win of the season against Luca Frinzi (Lehigh) in an extra match as Tony Negron got the dual match. Penn State could easily send out Negron or Joey Blumer if Lee is still not ready to go. Yapoujian was an NHSCA and Fargo champion on the high school level. As a freshman during the 2021 season, he went 12-3 and won both the Jonathan Kaloust Binghamton Open and the Cornell Open. So far this season, Yapoujian has gone 5-1, with his only defeat coming against No. 18 Andrew Cerniglia (Navy). 157 has been a struggle for Penn State this year. They have sent out three different wrestlers in duals and gone a combined 0-5 at the weight. Yapoujian has looked strong in his return from injury and should be able to dominate his way to a victory here. Prediction: Yapoujian major decision over Barraclough 165: No. 26 Creighton Edsell (Penn State) vs. No. 9 Julian Ramirez (Cornell) Edsell got a big vote of confidence this week as assistant coach Casey Cunningham told the Centre Daily Times that the current plan is for top recruit Alex Facundo to redshirt and Edsell to continue starting at 165 pounds. After splitting time at 174 and 184 pounds the last two years, Edsell stepped into the lineup at 165 this year. He has made the most of the opportunity as he has gone 5-0 and picked up a recent victory over Brian Meyer (Lehigh) that pushed him into the rankings. The season got off to a bit of a shaky start for Ramirez as he dropped an 8-5 decision against Penn State backup Matt Lee at an open tournament. However, he bounced back in a big way with one of the biggest upsets of the year as he defeated returning NCAA champion Shane Griffith (Stanford). Since then, Ramirez has finished fourth at the CKLV, where he scored victories over the likes of No. 24 Josh Ogunsanya (Columbia) and No. 10 Cameron Amine (Michigan). Edsell has been a solid starter so far this season, but Ramirez should be able to take this match. He has not been a prolific scorer against top opposition this year. However, he will likely have the cleaner technique on the feet. That should be enough to carry him to a victory here. Prediction: Ramirez decision over Edsell 174: No. 1 Carter Starocci (Penn State) vs. No. 12 Chris Foca (Cornell) Starocci won an NCAA title in his first year in the lineup with a dramatic sudden victory upset over No. 2 Michael Kemerer (Iowa). This year, he has returned with a renewed confidence. Starocci has won all five of his matches and picked up bonus points in all as well. The opposition has not been the toughest so far this season with his best win likely coming over No. 23 Nick Incontrare (Penn). After a 21-3 grey shirt year in 2020, Foca is finally getting a chance in the starting lineup. The former Bergen Catholic wrestler has started the year 13-1, with his only defeat coming via a 3-2 decision against No. 11 Adam Kemp (Cal Poly). That defeat came at the CKLV tournament, where he also picked up key victories over No. 15 Hayden Hastings (Wyoming) and No. 13 Cade DeVos (South Dakota State). Foca has had a great showing so far this year, but this one might be too much too soon. Starocci proved himself to be one of the best wrestlers in college last year, and if anything, he has looked better this season. Prediction: Starocci major decision over Foca 184: No. 1 Aaron Brooks (Penn State) vs. No. 15 Jonathan Loew (Cornell) Brooks is the last of four returning NCAA champions for the Nittany Lions. In his first two seasons in the lineup for Penn State, Brooks went a combined 29-1, with his only defeat coming against No. 14 Taylor Venz (Nebraska). Since then, he has avenged that loss three times and cemented himself as the best 184-pound wrestler in the country. So far this year, Brooks has won all three of his matches with bonus points. Loew qualified for the NCAA tournament through the EIWA as a freshman in 2020. He has returned this year and built a 9-1 record. Loew's lone defeat came against Venz in the semifinals of the CKLV tournament. He eventually finished third and claimed wins over No. 20 Max Lyon (Purdue) and No. 17 Tate Samuelson (Wyoming) in the bracket. Loew has had a strong start to this season, but he really relies on having a physical edge over his opponents. Brooks is a very physical competitor in his own right, and he should be able to set up his attacks on the feet. That should put him in position to excel in this contest. Prediction: Brooks major decision over Loew 197 No. 3 Max Dean (Penn State) vs. No. 19 Jacob Cardenas (Cornell) Dean was a two-time All-American and NCAA runner-up for Cornell who transferred to Penn State this past offseason. There was some discussion that Dean would have to beat out last year's starter Michael Beard for the spot. However, Dean has been the wrestler at 197 pounds in all duals so far this year. He has been predictably dominant as he has scored a fall, three technical falls and a pair of major decisions. One of those technical falls came over No. 28 JT Brown (Army). Cardenas has faced a tough schedule to start his first year in the lineup for Cornell. He has gone 6-3, with losses coming against No. 12 Louie DePrez (Binghamton), No. 11 Jake Woodley (Oklahoma) and No. 10 Thomas Penola (Purdue). Two of those three matches were decided by only a single point, and Cardenas forced overtime against Penola. On top of that, he already owns a pair of victories over ranked opponents No. 32. Nick Stemmet (Stanford) and No. 29 Jake Koser (Navy). Cardenas has already been able to hang with some of the top wrestlers at this weight. In theory, that should make him primed for an upset here against the former Cornell wrestler. However, Dean has been showing some of the best offense of his career so far this year. If he is able to turn that on here against Cardenas, he will pick up the win over his former squad. Prediction: Dean decision over Cardenas 285: Greg Kerkvliet (Penn State) vs. No. 18 Lewis Fernandes/Drew Flynn (Cornell) There have been many starts and stops so far in the college career of Kerkvliet due to injury and illness. Despite that, he was still able to finish seventh as a freshman last year to become an All-American. This year, he started the first three duals, and picked up three-bonus-point victories, but then missed the previous two with illness. Fernandes appeared to be the heavyweight for Cornell this season. However, he suffered an injury in the early portion of his bout in the Stanford dual, and he has not been back since. Fernandes was a two-time New Jersey state champion and one of the top recruits to come out of the state his senior year. If he can't go, Cornell likely will send out Drew Flynn, who is still looking for his first win on the season. Kerkvliet defeated Fernandes via a 6-4 score back in 2020 when the current Cornell wrestler was greyshirting. This could be an interesting match for the dual. Kerkvliet is likely to be favored over both potential opponents if he is back in top form, but he would certainly be looking for bonus against Flynn. Prediction: Kerkvliet fall over Flynn Dual Prediction: Penn State over Cornell 24-16

Stanford 141 lber Real Woods (photo courtesy of Tony Rotundo; WrestlersAreWarriors.com) All start times Pacific Standard Time. InterMat Individual/Tournament/Dual Rankings (December 14) are used where appropriate. After the better part of two weeks from the competition mat, the Pac-12 conference returns in Week 8 to face high-level competition. Week 5 saw Oregon State, Cal Poly, and Stanford surge at the Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational, while Little Rock's Triston Wills made the Trojans' first appearance of the season in the national rankings at 174lbs after earning a big upset win over then-#12 Andrew Mcnally (Wisconsin) at the Cougar Clash. Ending the weekend strong, on Sunday the 19th, Oregon State, #25 Stanford, and #16 (tied) Cal Poly return to the Battle Born State, this time heading to the "Biggest Little City in the World" to compete in the Reno Tournament of Champions. Expected to join the Pac-12 contingent are American, Clarion, Northern Colorado, Oklahoma State, and Wyoming, among other, non-Division 1 schools. Full starting line-ups are not expected, based on pre-tournament rumblings, but we will anticipate the best all the same. (Cal Poly's official schedule indicates "non-starters" for the event, while the rumor mill suggests Stanford All-American Real Woods may make his first appearance of the season.) The dual-meet between Pac-12 foes CSU Bakersfield and Little Rock slated for the 19th was scrapped on Friday the 17th due to COVID protocol. Instead, CSU Bakersfield will join their fellow Pac-12 teams in Reno - and they intend to bring their No. 1's. The highly-touted and highly anticipated, #6 Arizona State returns to the mat on Monday the 20th, as they participate in the inaugural Collegiate Wrestling Duals. With twelve teams separated into two exclusive, six-team pools, the two-day event is expected to provide some of the best match-ups of the first-semester. It will also mark the Sun Devils' first action in the month of December, after taking a few weeks away from the competition mat. On Day 1, Arizona State takes on Hofstra and #9 Virginia Tech to set the placing-bouts within their pool. The potential Day 2 competitors are Northern Iowa, #11 Cornell, or #2 Penn State. "I think we need to be tested," Arizona State Assistant Coach Lee Pritts told the media on December 10th. "And we're getting ready to get tested - all the tests that we want are getting ready to come up here, real fast." Upcoming Sunday, December 19th #16 (tied) Cal Poly, #25 Stanford, Oregon State, and CSU Bakersfield at the Reno Tournament of Champions - Live on FloWrestling Monday, December 20th #6 Arizona State faces Hofstra, #9 Virginia Tech at the Collegiate Wrestling Duals (Day 1) - Live on Rokfin (PPV) Potential Ranked Matches (Arizona State vs. Hofstra) 125: #3 Brandon Courtney vs. UR Jacob Moon 133: #14 Michael McGee vs. UR Ty Cymmerman 141: #15 Jesse Vasquez vs. UR Justin Hoyle 149: #5 Kyle Parco vs. UR Michael Leandrou 157: #3 Jacori Teemer vs. UR Joe McGinty 165: #6 Anthony Valencia vs. UR Ricky Stamm 174: UR Zane Coleman / Cael Valencia vs. UR Ross McFarland 184: UR Josh Nummer vs. #25 Charles Small 197: #8 Kordell Norfleet vs. #26 Trey Rogers 285: #3 Cohlton Schultz vs. #20 Zachary Knighton-Ward Potential Ranked Matches (Arizona State vs. Virginia Tech) 125: #3 Brandon Courtney vs. #16 Sam Latona 133: #14 Michael McGee vs. #4 Korbin Myers 141: #15 Jesse Vasquez vs. #31 Sam Hillegas 149: #5 Kyle Parco vs. #6 Bryce Andonian 157: #3 Jacori Teemer vs. #22 Connor Brady 165: #6 Anthony Valencia vs. UR Clayton Ulrey 174: UR Zane Coleman / Cael Valencia vs. #4 Mekhi Lewis 184: UR Josh Nummer vs. #9 Hunter Bolen 197: #8 Kordell Norfleet vs. UR Dakota Howard 285: #3 Cohlton Schultz vs. #14 Nathan Traxler Tuesday, December 21st #6 Arizona State in placing-bout, opponent TBD, at the Collegiate Wrestling Duals (Day 2) - Live on Rokfin (PPV) Hypothetical Match-ups (#6 Arizona State vs. #2 Penn State) 125: #3 Brandon Courtney vs. UR Baylor Shunk 133: #14 Michael McGee vs. #1 Roman Bravo-Young 141: #15 Jesse Vasquez vs. #1 Nick Lee 149: #5 Kyle Parco vs. #22 Beau Bartlett 157: #3 Jacori Teemer vs. UR Tony Negron 165: #6 Anthony Valencia vs. #26 Creighton Edsell 174: UR Zane Coleman / Cael Valencia vs. #1 Carter Starocci 184: UR Josh Nummer vs. #1 Aaron Brooks 197: #8 Kordell Norfleet vs. #3 Max Dean 285: #3 Cohlton Schultz vs. #4 Greg Kerkvliet

2021 EIWA champion Jaret Lane (photo courtesy of Sam Janicki; SJanickiPhoto.com) Last week was a "get-right" week for most of our crew. We had the same picks for three duals, so there wasn't a whole lot of movement in the standings. Everyone except Willie and Courtney went 4-1. Cody was the only brave soul who chose Maryland over Navy and ended up proven correct. This week is the Collegiate Duals from Florida. Our picks have four of the Monday duals included. As expected Missouri/NC State is a toss-up. We have five team members on each side. There will be some changes in our standings after Monday's duals.

2x NCAA runner-up Daton Fix (photo courtesy of Tony Rotundo; WrestlersAreWarriors.com) Friday's Dual Results Oklahoma State 45 Air Force 0 125 - Trevor Mastrogiovanni (Oklahoma State) maj Quinn Melofchik (Air Force) 12-2 133 - Daton Fix (Oklahoma State) fall Sidney Flores (Air Force) 3:58 141 - Carter Young (Oklahoma State) dec Cody Phippen (Air Force) 3-1 149 - Kaden Gfeller (Oklahoma State) maj Dylan Martinez (Air Force) 11-1 157 - Wyatt Sheets (Oklahoma State) maj Giano Petrucelli (Air Force) 11-0 165 - Travis Wittlake (Oklahoma State) maj Jack Ganos (Air Force) 12-3 174 - Dustin Plott (Oklahoma State) maj Sam Wolf (Air Force) 12-1 184 - Dakota Geer (Oklahoma State) tech Jake Thompson (Air Force) 21-5 197 - AJ Ferrari (Oklahoma State) tech Kayne Hutchinson (Air Force) 19-4 285 - Luke Surber (Oklahoma State) fall Cole Forrester (Air Force) 3:42 North Carolina 17 Appalachian State 15 125 - Caleb Smith (Appalachian State) dec Spencer Moore (North Carolina) 7-3 133 - Joe Heilmann (North Carolina) dec Codi Russell (Appalachian State) 4-3 141 - Kizhan Clarke (North Carolina) dec Heath Gonyer (Appalachian State) 7-3 149 - Jonathan Millner (Appalachian State) dec Zach Sherman (North Carolina) 5-2 157 - Austin O'Connor (North Carolina) maj Cody Bond (Appalachian State) 12-3 165 - Will Formato (Appalachian State) dec Sonny Santiago (North Carolina) 5-0 174 - Thomas Flitz (Appalachian State) dec Clay Lautt (North Carolina) 6-5 184 - Gavin Kane (North Carolina) dec Barrett Blakely (Appalachian State) 3-1 197 - Max Shaw (North Carolina) maj Mason Fiscella (Appalachian State) 10-1 285 - Michael Burchell (Appalachian State) dec Brandon Whitman (North Carolina) 3-2 Oklahoma State 30 Wyoming 3 125 - Trevor Mastrogiovanni (Oklahoma State) dec Jake Svihel (Wyoming) 7-5SV 133 - Daton Fix (Oklahoma State) maj Job Greenwood (Wyoming) 10-1 141 - Carter Young (Oklahoma State) maj Chase Zollman (Wyoming) 15-6 149 - Kaden Gfeller (Oklahoma State) dec Jaron Jensen (Wyoming) 10-5 157 - Wyatt Sheets (Oklahoma State) dec Jacob Wright (Wyoming) 2-1TB 165 - Travis Wittlake (Oklahoma State) maj Cooper Voorhees (Wyoming) 10-2 174 - Dustin Plott (Oklahoma State) dec Hayden Hastings (Wyoming) 7-2 184 - Tate Samuelson (Wyoming) dec Dakota Geer (Oklahoma State) 3-1SV 197 - AJ Ferrari (Oklahoma State) dec Stephen Buchanan (Wyoming) 4-2 285 - Luke Surber (Oklahoma State) dec Terren Swartz (Wyoming) 12-5

NCAA Qualifier Matthew Waddell (photo courtesy of Sam Janicki; SJanickiPhoto.com) Happy Saturday friends, Another week has come and gone, and we're here with another weekend of #SoConWR action! I hate I wasn't able to get a recap out to y'all this week…but don't fret, I'll have an extra special Christmas-week recap out next week! On Friday, the Appalachian State Mountaineers hosted #20 UNC Chapel Hill, and despite a tough battle lost 17-15. Sunday, December 19: there's LOADS of wrestling to tune in to. - The Citadel @ Duke – 10:00am Streaming on ESPN+ - The Citadel vs. Bloomsburg – 12:00pm Streaming on ESPN+ - Gardner-Webb vs. George Mason – 1:00pm Streaming on ESPN+ - Gardner-Webb vs. Ohio University – 3:00pm Streaming on ESPN+ - Note: Campbell was originally scheduled to compete at this event, but will not be competing in accordance with Campbell's health safety protocol. - Appalachian State @ Bellarmine – 1:00pm Streaming on BU Knights Sports Network Monday, December 20: - UTC @ WVU – 12:00pm Streaming on ESPN+ - UTC vs. Cleveland State – 1:30pm Streaming on ESPN+ And don't forget the hottest event of December – the Collegiate Duals presented by Journeymen Wrestling. Streamed only on Collegiate Duals' Rokfin page! So tell me, what are you most excited for this weekend? I know I'm ready to watch a SoCon marathon on Sunday, and get my dual fix in for the Collegiate Duals! xoxo, Rachel G

2021 NCAA qualifier Jonathan Loew (photo courtesy of Sam Janicki; SJanickiPhoto.com) Saturday 12/18 Binghamton @ Sacred Heart – Fairfield, CT (1PM) Bucknell vs Buffalo & Lock Haven – Lewisburg, PA (11AM & 2PM) Sunday 12/19 American @ Reno Tournament of Champions – Reno, NV (all day) Monday 12/20 Binghamton vs. Missouri (#10) & NC State (#5) @ Collegiate Duals – Niceville, FL (11AM & 1PM) Cornell (#11) vs. UNI and Penn State (#2) @ Collegiate Duals – Niceville, FL (5PM & 9PM) Hofstra vs. Virginia Tech (#9) & Arizona State (#10) @ Collegiate Duals – Niceville, FL (11AM & 1PM) Lehigh (#21) vs Central Michigan & Iowa (#1) @ Collegiate Duals – Niceville, FL (5PM & 9 PM) Tuesday 12/21 Binghamton vs. TBD @ Collegiate Duals – Niceville, FL (TBD) Cornell (#11) vs. TBD @ Collegiate Duals – Niceville, FL (TBD) Hofstra vs. TBD @ Collegiate Duals – Niceville, FL (TBD) Lehigh (#21) vs. TBD @ Collegiate Duals – Niceville, FL (TBD) *ALL STARTING TIMES ARE LISTED IN EST* What I'm Most Excited For: It is a light week of EIWA wrestling, besides the National Collegiate Duals. There will be four EIWA teams in action there. Cornell will have a few matches, in which I think they can win. Do they have enough firepower to beat #2 Penn State? We will see. I am interested to see how the Mountain Hawks match up against the #1 Iowa Hawkeyes. Additionally, American should see a few different (mostly Western schools) teams at Reno. That should be a fun event too! Where you'll find me: If my schedule allows, I am trying to make my way to Lewisburg and spend the day at Bucknell on Saturday to watch them take on both Buffalo and Lock Haven. Once next week rolls around, I'll be watching all 4 EIWA schools at National Collegiate Duals, only on Rokfin!

Two-time NCAA qualifier Izzak Olejnik (photo courtesy of Sam Janicki; SJanickiPhoto.com) Saturday, December 18th, 2021 Buffalo at Bucknell (11:00am) Kent State vs. Northern Illinois (11:00am) Buffalo vs. Lock Haven at Bucknell (12:30pm) Harper College at Northern Illinois (1:00pm) Lock Haven at Bucknell (2:00pm) South Dakota State at Northern Illinois (3:00pm) Sunday, December 19th, 2021 Reno Tournament of Champions: American, Cal Poly, California Baptist, Clarion, Oregon State, Stanford, and Wyoming (9:00am) Bloomsburg vs. The Citadel at Duke (12:00pm) George Mason vs. Ohio at Gardner-Webb (12:00pm) Bloomsburg at Duke (2:00pm) Ohio vs. Campbell at Gardner-Webb (2:00pm) George Mason at Gardner-Webb (2:00pm) Ohio at Gardner-Webb (4:00pm) George Mason at Davidson (7:00pm) Monday, December 20th and Tuesday, December 21st, 2021 Collegiate Wrestling Duals: Arizona State, Cornell, Iowa, Missouri, University of Northern Iowa, Central Michigan, Hofstra, Lehigh, North Carolina State, Binghamton, and Virginia Tech (10:00am) #MACinsider Thoughts: Eight MAC teams will be competing over the course of the next five days, and oh what a grueling five days it will be! On Saturday, I'd like to see Buffalo, Kent State, Lock Haven, and Northern Illinois each add at least one dual win to their season. It's only fair. Clarion will wrestle in Reno, Nevada at the Reno Tournament of Champions. I'm hoping the Eagles will make a splash, and land at least four of their wrestlers on the podium. Also on Saturday, Bloomsburg, George Mason, and Ohio University will be competing in various locations around the east coast. Similarly, to my previous statement, I'd like to see each school add at least one dual win to their season, BUT I also predict that Ohio University will go a perfect 3-0…so let's see if this contradiction plays in my favor. On Monday and Tuesday of next week, Central Michigan will be the lone MAC school competing at the Collegiate Wrestling Duals against Iowa, Lehigh and a team to be determined on Tuesday. The interconference matchups between these various MAC schools will help continue to narrow down the competition even further, making the title race even clearer as to who might take it all come March. As always, good luck to all eight MAC schools that are competing this weekend!

3x NCAA champion Spencer Lee (photo courtesy of Tony Rotundo; WrestlersAreWarriors.com) Monday marks the opening dual of the first Collegiate Wrestling Duals, presented by Journeymen. 12 teams from six conferences have been divided into two pools for competition. On Monday, each team will wrestle a pair of prearranged duals. Based on the results, teams from the same pool will meet each other on Tuesday. This event features six of the top ten dual teams in the country and seven of the top-11, so many of the best teams and individuals will be in action. Our first preview will focus on wrestlers from the Red Pool. Then we'll move on to the Blue Pool. The Red pool features four ranked teams, including #1 Iowa. The other group of three had one of the most anticipated matches on Monday, as #5 NC State meets #10 Missouri. Provided rankings hold up, one of those squads could meet Iowa the following day. Below are potential lineups for each Red Pool dual on Monday, along with notes about each dual, and a projected team score. Central Michigan vs. #21 Lehigh Possible Matchups: 125 lbs - Brock Bergelin vs. #11 Jaret Lane 133 lbs - Vince Perez/Ja'Kerion Merritt vs. #24 Malyke Hines 141 lbs - #7 Dresden Simon vs. Connor McGonagle/Dan Moran 149 lbs - Corbyn Munson vs. #30 Manzona Bryant 157 lbs - #19 Johnny Lovett vs. #10 Josh Humphreys 165 lbs - Tracy Hubbard vs. #27 Brian Meyer 174 lbs - Jake Lowell vs. Jake Logan 184 lbs - Ben Cushman vs. AJ Burkhart 197 lbs - Aaron Bolo vs. JT Davis 285 lbs - #9 Matt Stencel vs. #8 Jordan Wood Yesterday, in our five questions article, I mentioned that this was a possible place for an upset. While Central Michigan only has three wrestlers currently ranked, they have a handful of others that are close to the top-33 and capable of a big performance or two. Obviously, the big match takes place at the largest weight class as two past All-Americans are set to clash again. Matt Stencel and Jordan Wood met earlier this season at the Journeymen Collegiate Classic, a bout won by Wood, 3-1. Both are sixth-year seniors that have won their respective conference four times and made the NCAA podium in 2019. That, along with the 157 lb match, will be the most nationally relevant. Johnny Lovett and Josh Humphreys were set to meet at the Journeymen Collegiate Classic, but Humphreys medically forfeited. The only other two in this dual that have a history with each other are Corbyn Munson and Manzona Bryant at 149. Though Bryant is in the rankings, Munson got the head-to-head win. Another highly competitive bout should take place at 125 lbs, where undefeated Jaret Lane meets Brock Bergelin, who spent a few weeks in the rankings earlier this year. Pick: Lehigh (18-12) Central Michigan vs. #1 Iowa Possible Matchups: 125 lbs - Brock Bergelin vs. #1 Spencer Lee/Jesse Ybarra 133 lbs - Vince Perez/Ja'Kerion Merritt vs. #3 Austin DeSanto 141 lbs - #7 Dresden Simon vs. #2 Jaydin Eierman 149 lbs - Corbyn Munson vs. #8 Max Murin/Cole Siebrecht 157 lbs - #19 Johnny Lovett vs. #8 Kaleb Young 165 lbs - Tracy Hubbard vs. #1 Alex Marinelli 174 lbs - Jake Lowell vs. Nelson Brands 184 lbs - Ben Cushman vs. #28 Myles Wilson/Abe Assad 197 lbs - Aaron Bolo vs. #7 Jacob Warner 285 lbs - #9 Matt Stencel vs. #6 Tony Cassioppi The heavyweights in this three-team round-robin are no joke. Each of the three dual meets will feature a top-ten matchup. This one is between All-Americans Stencel and Tony Cassioppi. These two have some history between them, as they met at the 2018 and 2019 Midlands. Stencel pinned the redshirting Cassioppi in 2018, but Cassioppi returned the favor with a 6-2 win a year later. 141 lbs looks like a marquee bout as two of the top-seven wrestlers in the nation will meet. However, the last time they were on the mat together, the 2021 NCAA Championships, Jaydin Eierman pinned Dresden Simon in the quarterfinals. 157 lbs will feature a meeting between a pair of top-20 opponents with #8 Kaleb Young and #19 Johnny Lovett. Young is as consistent as they come. He generally beats the guys he's supposed to beat. Lovett made a splash in the first round of the 2021 NCAA Championships when he knocked off #7 Jarrett Jacques (Missouri), 3-2. Other intriguing bouts from this dual include 125 and 149. Assuming Spencer Lee doesn't start here, it's a winnable bout for Brock Bergelin. Although he suffered a loss in his most recent dual appearance, Bergelin is 9-4 on the year and fresh off a 5-1 showing at the Cleveland State Open. Speaking of the CSU Open, Corbyn Munson was the champion at that event. If Max Murin doesn't get the nod, he'll undoubtedly have a chance to win. Even if Murin goes, Munson could keep the match close and steal one late. Pick: Iowa (33-6) #21 Lehigh vs. #1 Iowa Possible Matchups: 125 lbs - #11 Jaret Lane vs. #1 Spencer Lee/Jesse Ybarra 133 lbs - #24 Malyke Hines vs. #3 Austin DeSanto 141 lbs - Connor McGonagle/Dan Moran vs. #2 Jaydin Eierman 149 lbs - #30 Manzona Bryant vs. #8 Max Murin/Cole Siebrecht 157 lbs - #10 Josh Humphreys vs. #8 Kaleb Young 165 lbs - #27 Brian Meyer vs. #1 Alex Marinelli 174 lbs - Jake Logan vs. Nelson Brands 184 lbs - AJ Burkhart vs. #28 Myles Wilson/Abe Assad 197 lbs - JT Davis vs. #7 Jacob Warner 285 lbs - #8 Jordan Wood vs. #6 Tony Cassioppi As mentioned before, the heavyweights in this dual will prove to be the main event. Wood and Cassioppi have never met in collegiate competition, though both are decorated internationally. Cassioppi recently won a U23 world title, while Wood was a Cadet World silver medalist in 2014. Another top-ten matchup here takes place in the middle of the dual as #8 Kaleb Young and #10 Josh Humphreys meet. Though Young has the slight advantage rankings-wise and a longer track record, it's basically a toss-up between these two. This would be the kind of match Humphreys needs to win to elevate himself into a higher tier of contenders at 157. Generally, you'd expect this to be a route in the Hawkeye's favor. Nine-time-out-of-ten, I'd agree. But, just bear with me for a second. Iowa doesn't send out Spencer Lee at 125 and/or Max Murin at 149. Those are both huge swings and turn into winnable matches for the Mountain Hawks. Maybe, just maybe, a bonus point-win for Jaret Lane. Now, you give Lehigh the toss-ups at 157 and 285, things start to get interesting. Those results are certainly possibilities and not even stretches, at that, but give Lehigh an upset at 174 or 184. Things could get realllly interesting. Especially if Lehigh can avoid or limit bonus points where Iowa's heavily favored (133/141/165/197). But, as I said, the majority of the time, you'd have to expect Iowa runs away with this one and that's what we'll forecast. Pick: Iowa (29-10) Binghamton vs. #10 Missouri Possible Matchups: 125 lbs - Micah Roes/Nick Curley vs. #15 Noah Surtin 133 lbs - Anthony Sobotker vs. Trey Crawford/Matt Schmitt 141 lbs - Michael Zarif vs. #14 Allan Hart 149 lbs - Nick Lombard vs. #18 Josh Edmond 157 lbs - Logan Gumble vs. #15 Jarrett Jacques 165 lbs - Brevin Cassella vs. #3 Keegan O'Toole 174 lbs - Jacob Nolan vs. #14 Peyton Mocco 184 lbs - Sam DePrez vs. #11 Jeremiah Kent 197 lbs - #12 Louie DePrez vs. #4 Rocky Elam 285 lbs - #22 Joe Doyle vs. #16 Zach Elam First things first, respect must be given to Binghamton head coach Kyle Borshoff, his staff, and his wrestlers for agreeing to jump into this event on only a couple weeks notice. Borshoff told InterMat, he didn't even need to think twice before accepting an invitation. Well, Binghamton is in an absolutely brutal grouping, alongside #5 NC State and #10 Missouri. With the CKLV Invitational in the rearview and duals against Virginia Tech, Lehigh, and Cornell looming, it's safe to say that Binghamton will be battle-tested for the postseason. The last two matches in this dual should provide some of the most heated competition. Missouri's Elam brothers (Rocky/Elam) will close out the dual with contests against ranked opponents. Returning All-American Louie DePrez is fresh off a seventh-place finisher at the CKLV, in one of the tournament's deepest brackets. Both losses came to the eventual second and third place finishers and in each bout, the margin of decision was two points. Heavyweight Joe Doyle also got on the podium in Vegas and is coming off a big win over #23 Brandon Metz (North Dakota State) in dual competition. While the Elam's, both Junior world medalists, should be favored in both matches, each should be a dogfight. The third Vegas placer for Binghamton was 133 lber Anthony Sobotker, who was seventh. Sobotker has established himself as one of the more dangerous Bearcat wrestlers. He is the definition of all or nothing, as he has pinned in eight of his nine wins. Sobotker could find himself in a decent position for such a loaded Mizzou lineup. The Tigers have been sending out freshman Trey Crawford, while veteran Matt Schmitt works his way back in the lineup. Pick: Missouri (34-6) Binghamton vs. #5 NC State Possible Matchups: 125 lbs - Micah Roes/Nick Curley vs. #5 Jakob Camacho 133 lbs - Anthony Sobotker vs. #17 Kai Orine/Jarrett Trombley 141 lbs - Michael Zarif vs. #16 Ryan Jack 149 lbs - Nick Lombard vs. #3 Tariq Wilson/Matt Fields 157 lbs - Logan Gumble vs. #23 Ed Scott 165 lbs - Brevin Cassella vs. #18 Thomas Bullard 174 lbs - Jacob Nolan vs. #5 Hayden Hidlay 184 lbs - Sam DePrez vs. #3 Trent Hidlay 197 lbs - #12 Louie DePrez vs. #15 Isaac Trumble 285 lbs - #22 Joe Doyle vs. #28 Owen Trephan/Deonte Wilson It's the “Pat Popolizio Bowl!” The NC State head coach got the opportunity to move on to take the reins in Raleigh after taking an 0-12 team and finishing in the top-15 at the 2012 NCAA Championships, after only six years on the job. As you'll note from their first match, Binghamton's strength is at the back end of their lineup. Opposed to Missouri, these spots may be a little more manageable for Coach Borshoff's team. While Isaac Trumble is on the rise, Louie DePrez has to be the favorite. Heavyweight is a little more interesting. Deonte Wilson has the longer track record and has been more successful against outside competition. Owen Trephan has a pair of wins against his teammate. While both have seen action in duals, Trephan has lost his most recent outing and that's led to Wilson getting the nod in the following two. Just to make things more complicated, Doyle and Wilson met during the 2019-20 season and Doyle prevailed with a fall in just :22 seconds. Other possible matches of note are at 125, 149, and 174 lbs. #5 ranked Jakob Camacho was pushed by Appalachian State's Caleb Smith in his most recent match, so maybe returning NCAA qualifier Micah Roes can do so, as well. The Wolfpack staff haven't wanted to overwork their veterans, so sixth-year stars like Tariq Wilson and Hayden Hidlay have been used sparingly. If that's the case here, Michigan graduate transfer Nick Lombard is capable of getting his hand raised. The same goes for returning NCAA qualifier Jacob Nolan at 174 lbs. Pick: NC State (26-6) #5 NC State vs. #10 Missouri Possible Matchups: 125 lbs - #5 Jakob Camacho vs. #15 Noah Surtin 133 lbs - #17 Kai Orine/Jarrett Trombley vs. Trey Crawford/Matt Schmitt 141 lbs - #16 Ryan Jack vs. #14 Allan Hart 149 lbs - #3 Tariq Wilson vs. #18 Josh Edmond 157 lbs - #23 Ed Scott vs. #15 Jarrett Jacques 165 lbs - #18 Thomas Bullard vs. #3 Keegan O'Toole 174 lbs - #5 Hayden Hidlay vs. #14 Peyton Mocco 184 lbs - #3 Trent Hidlay vs. #11 Jeremiah Kent 197 lbs - #15 Isaac Trumble vs. #4 Rocky Elam 285 lbs - #28 Owen Trephan/Deonte Wilson vs. #16 Zach Elam This is one of the duals we've had circled since the pairings were first released! 19 of the 20 probable starters are currently ranked, and six are in the top ten. Truly an excellent dual. A loss to Virginia Tech, dropped Missouri in the dual rankings, but they were as high as #4 at one point. Right off the bat is a good one. Noah Surtin has established himself as the guy for Mizzou and he shined in the Virginia Tech dual, pinning their returning All-American Sam Latona. Last year, Latona defeated Camacho in their memorable dual meet and in the ACC finals. If 2021 MAC champion and Round of 12 finisher Matt Schmitt is in the lineup, it would tilt this in the Tigers favor. However, Schmitt has yet to appear in 2021-22 for Missouri. NC State can counter with either Kai Orine or Jarrett Trombley. Either is capable and could get their hand raised opposite Crawford. The contest at 141 lbs is generally a toss-up, though Allan Hart is ranked slightly higher and has the big-match experience. Hart is a two-time national qualifier and was a match away from earning All-American honors last year. Jack is 10-1 on the year and is fresh off a win over 2021 SoCon champion Anthony Brito (Appalachian State). With such a close dual expected, it's hard to imagine Tariq Wilson not going, short of an injury. Wilson has only appeared twice this year, but has registered bonus points on both occasions. Missouri's young star, Josh Edmond, will be the opponent. A loss to the mercurial Bryce Andonian (Virginia Tech), accounts for the only loss on Edmond's record dating back to last year. 157 may be the low-key best match of this dual. Ed Scott has come on like gangbusters in his second year in Raleigh. Up a weight from 2021, Scott has logged bonus points in almost 85% of his matches this season. Three-time national qualifier Jarrett Jacques will be Scott's opponent. Jacques is only 6-3 this year, though two of those losses came to top-nine opponents. This could be the opportunity for Scott to establish himself as a podium contender for the Wolfpack. The first of Missouri's two Junior world champions will take the mat at 165 as Keegan O'Toole will face Thomas Bullard. O'Toole may be the most impressive 165 lber in the land this season. His 12-4 win over Clayton Ulrey (Virginia Tech) represented the first and only time he's gone the full seven minutes this year. He started the year by pinning returning Big 12 champion Luke Weber (North Dakota State). Bullard is looking to rebound after losing to Appalachian State's Will Formato on Sunday. This could be an interesting style matchup, as Bullard is more defensive, but has solid scrambling skills. Scrambling (and cradles) happen to be O'Toole's calling card. The last time we saw Peyton Mocco, he took 2019 NCAA champion Mekhi Lewis to tiebreakers before falling, 9-6. Unfortunately, that day he also suffered a loss to Northern Iowa's Pat Schoenfelder, 11-9. Generally, being able to hang with an opponent like Lewis bodes, well for Mocco against Hayden Hidlay. Even though Hidlay moved up two weight classes this year, there have been no ill effects. He's been victorious in both of his appearances and collected bonus points along the way. The bigger and younger Hidlay brother, Trent, is waiting at 184 lbs. Like his brother and their classmates, Trent has been used sparingly during the early going this season. He's 3-0 and has looked excellent. The returning NCAA finalist is 3-0 against a really solid schedule, thus far. Jeremiah Kent comes in with a 4-1 record. The only blemish came at the hands of Hunter Bolen (Virginia Tech), an opponent all-too-familiar to Hidlay. Bolen has gotten the better of Hidlay, historically, but Hidlay won their most recent meeting, at the 2021 ACC Championships. Kent was a MAC runner-up last season and earned the ninth seed at his first NCAA Tournament. A pair of second-year freshmen are on a collision course at 197 lbs. Rocky Elam suffered a pair of losses at the 2021 NCAA Championships on his way to a fifth-place finish. Those defeats have been his only of this year and last year. Like O'Toole, Elam won a Junior World Championship over the summer. He'll face an undefeated (or possibly undefeated based on his match with DePrez) Isaac Trumble. Last year, Trumble stormed on the scene and picked up a win over eventual NCAA runner-up Nino Bonaccorsi (Pittsburgh), but didn't get the start in the postseason. Trumble had notched bonus points in seven of 11 matches this year. Wrapping up the meet will be someone from the Trephan/Wilson tandem against Zach Elam. Against Virginia Tech, the dual was riding on Elam's bout with Nathan Traxler. Expect this one to be similar! Since the stakes will be high, it's likely will see a low-scoring, tactical match between the Elam and whomever NC State sends out. Pick: NC State (18-15)

Duke 285 lber Jonah Niesenbaum (photo courtesy of Sam Janicki; SJanickiPhoto.com) Duke: The Blue Devils open their home slate this weekend, hosting three duals in Durham. Initially, it was scheduled to be The Citadel and Bloomsburg, but Presbyterian was added last week. Duke has had a very busy dual schedule to start the year; they are currently 3-4 but have been in a position to win almost every dual. Three of their four losses are by less than six points. The Finesilver brothers have been the unquestioned leaders of the Blue Devil squad and have put up impressive performances to start the season. At 149, Josh Finesilver is currently ranked #9 and is 13-1 on the season. His only loss is to All-American Jonathan Millner of App State, who also beat him in the bloodround at NCAAs last year. Finesilver has eight bonus-point wins, including three by pin. At 174, Matt Finesilver is ranked #8 and at 14-0, there is currently only one ranked wrestler in the country with more wins--Anthony Noto of Lock Haven is 15-1. He has seven bonus-point wins, including three pins--two of which were under 2:00 minutes. The other standout for the Blue Devils so far this year has been heavyweight Jonah Neisenbaum. He has been an anchor at the top of the lineup and has shown incredible growth this year. He is currently 10-5 and on the cusp of being ranked. Three of his losses are by two points, and two of those were in sudden victory. For the duals on Sunday, there aren't a lot of individual matches that stand out to me--though I am interested to see how they perform against The Citadel's 157 Dazjon Castro. He is ranked #31 and has been very impressive in the matches I've seen this year. The biggest thing I am watching for on Sunday is seeing the team's response. The Blue Devils had a tough weekend their last time out, going 1-3 with a win over Drexel. The losses were to Maryland, American and Hofstra; all three losses were by 6 points or fewer, and on day two, they were without a 165 pounder. This is the first time in Cameron Indoor for the Blue Devils this year and I think they'll have some big wins in their home gym. I think Duke bounces back and is able to get their dual record to 6-4 going into the second half of the season. North Carolina: The #20 Tar Heels return to the mat and will travel to Boone for an in-state dual against Appalachian State. App State welcomes the second ACC team in a row to Boone after facing NC State last weekend. North Carolina has had a very tough dual schedule to start the season facing #7 Ohio State, #8 Nebraska, #12 Rutgers, #16 Wisconsin, and #25 Campbell. There will be a couple of spicy matchups to watch for in this dual as well. Starting at 125, freshman Spencer Moore will face a scrappy #31 Caleb Smith, who is 6-2 on the year. At 133, Joe Heilmann will meet #23 Codi Russell; Heilmann is 8-3 on the season and has been splitting some dual reps with Jaime Hernandez. #2 Austin O'Connor will face NCAA qualifier Cody Bond at 157, while at 165, Sonny Santiago will face #25 Will Formato. The biggest match of the night will be at 149, where we have an All-American battle. #17 Zach Sherman will take on #7 Jonathan Millner. Sherman has had an incredible run of opponents to start the season; he has faced the #2, #10, #13 and #14 wrestlers to open the year and now will add #7 Millner to the list. This could be a great chance for Sherman to get back on track going into the second half of the season, but he will need to be in top form to be able to dispatch Millner. The Tar Heels and Mountaineers will clash Friday night at 7pm in Boone. North Carolina State: The #5 Wolfpack travel south to Destin, Florida, for the Collegiate Duals starting on Monday, December 20. They will have two duals on day one against #10 Missouri and Binghamton. On day two, they will crossover to face Central Michigan, #21 Lehigh, or #1 Iowa. Pittsburgh: The Panthers are off this week and will return to action at The Midlands at the end of December. Virginia: The Cavaliers are off this week and will return to action at The Midlands at the end of December. Virginia Tech: The #9 Hokies also travel to Florida for the Collegiate Duals next week. On day one they will face Hofstra and #6 Arizona State. On day two they will cross over to face Northern Iowa, #11 Cornell or #2 Penn State.

2021 NCAA runner-up Dalton Abney of Oklahoma City (photo courtesy of Austin Bernard; PhotographSports.com) The 42nd Midwest Classic December 18th & 19th University of Indianapolis #MWC42 "Guess who's back, back again. Midwest's back, back again"! I have been looking forward to this weekend since I received the heartbreaking email from tournament organizer Jackie Paquette in 2020 that there would be no tournament in Indianapolis that year. But, new year, new tournament! And the 42nd installment of the Midwest Classic (MWC) will be the best one yet. What would you call a tournament that is essentially a dress rehearsal for two complete Super Regionals? How about a tournament that will be hosting 46 teams from Division II? Seven teams in the top-10? There are 13 teams from the top-20 and at least one of the top two teams from every single Super Regional. This is a mini-nationals. This is the toughest NCAA wrestling regular-season wrestling tournament. Hands down! I have watched the Midlands live. You can keep your CKLV. Sure the Scuffle has been a monster tournament in the past, but it cannot compare to the MWC. I will die on this hill. Despite not having some of the big names, including all-around He-Man Heath Gray (Central Oklahoma) and the wildman Abner Romero (Lindenwood), this tournament still features 88 athletes ranked in the top-16. There are six wrestlers ranked either first or second in their weight classes, and they are both here from 125lbs, Joe Arroyo (Parkside) and Nick Daggett (UNCP). The real question is, is this just a dress rehearsal for Central Oklahoma as they look to be the heir apparent to St. Cloud State. A big showing here while missing their beast at 184 lber, Heath Gray, would show they are the squad to beat. Ashland can challenge them at plenty of weights but do they have the depth? And with Lindenwood missing two of their returning finalists, can they even challenge for a trophy? #1 Central Oklahoma University #5 Ashland University #6 Lindenwood University #7 Gannon University #8 McKendree University #10 The University of Wisconsin-Parkside #11 The University of Findlay #12 Mercyhurst University #13 The University of Indianapolis #14 Adams State University #15 Colorado School of Mines #18 University of North Carolina-Pembroke #20 King University #22 Colorado University-Mesa #22 Newberry College #22 Western Colorado University 125 #1 Joe Arroyo (UW-Parkside) #2 Nick Daggett (UNCP) #4 Christian Wellman (Ashland) #5 Paxton Rosen (Central Oklahoma) #9 Christian Mejia (McKendree) #11 Isaiah Delacerda (Adams State) #12 Melvin Rubio (Queens) #14 Cody Fatzinger (Western Colorado) Newly minted Joe Arroyo will put his number one ranking on the line right away as he enters a field with seven other ranked athletes. Fresh off his upset of the then-number one Cole Laya (West Liberty), Nick Daggett (UNCP) will attempt to take out another one and move to the head of the class. He is also the highest returning place winner, as he finished fourth in 2019. At the 2021 National Championships, the podium was Daggett, Arroyo, Christian Wellman (Ashland), Christian Mejia (McKendree), Paxton Rosen (Central Oklahoma), and Isaiah Delacerda (Adams State). It is a little crazy that the wrestlers who finished second through seventh at the last national championship will be at this tournament. You can add the savvy veteran, Melvin Rubio (Queens), who has twice been a national qualifier. Rounding out the ranked athletes is Cody Fatzinger (Western Colorado), who is coming off a close loss to Colorado Mesa freshman Dawson Collins, a wrestler he beat earlier this season. Collins is a Utah Valley transfer in his second freshman year. He already has his biggest win to date after the upset. Can he keep the momentum going forward or will Fatzinger win their rubber match? Keep an eye on Arroyo; he only has one match this season, a major decision victory in early November. There is not a lot of time in Indianapolis to knock the rust off. The same issue may slow down Christian Mejia; he has not set foot on the competition mat yet this #D2Wrestle season. Mejia will be jumping right into the deep end; depending on how they seed the tournament, he could see any of the other returning All-Americans as early as the quarterfinals. I would think that the top-two seeds would be Daggett and Arroyo in some order, but after that, I wonder how it will go. I expect Christian Wellman to land at the third spot and then will it be Mejia or will Paxton Rosen's results this year be enough to land at four? That puts the two of them on a collision course, then. That would land Isaiah Delacerda against Wellman that same round. Findlay will enter Zach Collins at this weight; the #SuperSenior has been a national qualifier in the past. Then you have Brandon Mendoza (Tiffin) and Anthony Pisciotta (Maryville). They are all capable of knocking off a seeded wrestler early. And keep an eye on Isaac Jacquez (Lindenwood); his brother had success at this tournament and coaches this maturing Lion. The one thing I can guarantee you will happen is that someone ranked will lose. Quarterfinals Nick Daggett (UNCP) vs. Dawson Collins (Colorado-Mesa) Joe Arroyo (UW-Parkside) vs. Melvin Rubio (Queens) Christian Wellman (Ashland) vs. Isaiah Delacerda (Adams State) Paxton Rosen (Central Oklahoma) vs. Christian Mejia (McKendree) Semifinals Nick Daggett vs. Paxton Rosen Joe Arroyo vs. Christian Wellman I am looking forward to Paxton Rosen versus Nick Daggett, the two have never met and I think this is long overdue. They are both explosive athletes that can score a lot of points quickly and they both can struggle in matches where they are not able to put up big points. In the other semifinal, it is a total toss-up in my mind. Joe Arroyo and Christian Wellman are similar athletes in that they are very difficult to score upon and they put a lot of pressure on their opponents. Unstoppable force meets an immovable object. Something will have to give. The first takedown of this match will loom large. Finals Nick Daggett vs. Joe Arroyo I am picking Joe Arroyo to make it out of a murderer's row of bad men on the bottom of this bracket because of how fundamentally sound he is in every position. It's tough to pull an upset on a wrestler who just doesn't make mistakes. Nick Daggett should navigate the waters of the topside if he remembers how good his offense is. He gets into trouble when he shuts down on his feet. I am looking forward to seeing these two face off. If this match is a higher-scoring affair, Daggett has all the advantages. But if Arroyo can keep it to a 5-3 or 3-1 match, the Parkside #SuperSenior will have the upper hand. Champion: Nick Daggett - University of North Carolina-Pembroke 2nd: Joe Arroyo - University of Wisconsin-Parkside 3rd: Paxton Rosen - Central Oklahoma University 4th: Christian Mejia - McKendree University 5th: Christian Wellman - Ashland University 6th: Brandon Mendoza - Tiffin University 7th: Melvin Rubio - Queens College 8th: Isaiah Delacerda - Adams State University 133 #2 Tanner Cole (Central Oklahoma) #4 Patrick Allis (Western Colorado) #5 Eric Bartos (Mercyhurst) #6 Jon Andreatta (Adams State) #7 Tanner Hitchcock (Lindenwood) #9 Corey Gamet (Lake Erie) #12 Collin Metzgar (Colorado-Mesa) #13 Elijah Lusk (Lander) #15 Ryan Ripplinger (McKendree) More than half of the ranked wrestlers in this weight class will be walking around Indianapolis this weekend. Three of them are returning All-Americans: Tanner Cole (Central Oklahoma), Patrick Allis (Western Colorado), and Tanner Hitchcock (Lindenwood) all stood on the podium in St. Louis back in March. I am uncertain how this weight will be seeded after Tanner Cole, with Allis taking a loss to Colin Metzgar (Colorado-Mesa) just last week. It opens the door for returning Midwest Classic champion Jon Andreatta (Adams State) to move into the second-seed. Metzgar has that big win, but last season he could not make it out of his Super Regional and he does not have the history of success that many of the other athletes have. For example, Cole Jones (Moorhead) was a 2021 national qualifier and a 2019 All-American who is not even currently ranked. In 2019, Patrick Allis pulled the biggest upset of the tournament when he defeated returning national champion Carlos Jacquez in the semifinals. Now he'll have to avoid his own hiccup as he navigates this loaded bracket. Tanner Hitchcock is entering the tournament with zero mat time and that could spell trouble for the three-time national qualifier who made it onto the podium in St Louis in 2021. In 2019, Eric Bartos (Mercyhurst) beat Hitchcock at this tournament to finish fifth. He is a two-time national qualifier looking to make it three. Corey Gamet (Lake Erie) seemed poised to make the 2021 national tournament, before having to withdraw from his Super Regional after scoring a first-round tech fall. Now the NDSU transfer is looking to break through and there is no better place to announce your presence with authority than at the Midwest Classic. Go get 'em Nuke. Ryan Ripplinger (McKendree) has eight wins this season, with five of them falls; he too is a Bison who has moved to Division II. Elijah Lusk (Lander) has won 18 matches already this season and the true freshman from Merritt Island High School in Florida appears to be attempting to break into the century club before he can legally drink. Reece Barnhardt (Mary) is a freshman with a pedigree; his brother was a Marauder All-American in 2019. The field will also include 2021 national qualifier Ben Fielding (Belmont Abbey). Fielding made the tournament last year with just four wins; he is already halfway to that total this season. Pitt-Johnstown is back at the Midwest Classic and at 133 they have Mason Myers, the freshman who only wrestled at the Super Regional, but now he is showing that a year in the practice room has made him a better wrestler. The top five seeds are not super important, but how the wrestlers fall after them will have a big impact on what the backside of this tournament looks like. The consolation bracket at the Midwest Classic is a bloodbath where every round seems to be the blood round and athletes leave it all out on the mat. Quarterfinals Tanner Cole (Central Oklahoma) vs. Reece Barnhardt (Mary) Jon Andreatta (Adams State) vs Collin Metzgar (Colorado-Mesa) Patrick Allis (Western Colorado) vs. Corey Gamet (Lake Erie) Eric Bartos (Mercyhurst) vs. Tanner Hitchcock (Lindenwood) Semifinals Tanner Cole vs. Eric Bartos Jon Andreatta vs. Patrick Allis Patrick Allis is one of my favorite wrestlers; he's just a good kid and an amazing athlete. Jon Andreatta is one of the most exciting wrestlers in Division II. He holds nothing back in a match and his "go big or go home" mentality is a joy. This is one of those style matches that will come down to which athlete can find their groove. Both of these athletes are Midwest Classic finalists, so they know what it takes to get through this match. Tanner Cole is very, very good. He wrestles in one of the deepest lightweight rooms in the country with one of the best lightweight wrestlers in D2 history as a coach. In his first national championship tournament, he finished third. All of those things are great. Eric Bartos is a savvy veteran with a non-stop motor. He pushes pace better than most wrestlers and it allows him to give up points early only to storm back later. To beat Cole, he will need to force the Bronc into uncomfortable positions. Good luck. Finals Tanner Cole vs. Jon Andreatta I believe that Andreatta is one of the best wrestlers in the country at this weight despite not making it to the national tournament. In last year's totally bogus allocation process, he was left out despite a third-place finish. Only two wrestlers made the trip from Super Regional VI at the weight, Patrick Allis and Wes Dawkins (Nebraska-Kearney). Tanner Cole made it out of a very tough Super Regional IV and his only loss at the national tournament was to national runner-up Garrett Vos (St. Cloud State). This is a match that I have been waiting for after their showings at the weight last season. They are going to treat the audience to a show. Cole is not known for big moves and he is going to need to be ready for Andreatta to throw everything and the kitchen sink at him. Champion: Jon Andreatta - Adams State University 2nd: Tanner Cole - University of Central Oklahoma 3rd: Patrick Allis - Western Colorado University 4th: Eric Bartos - Mercyhurst University 5th: Corey Gamet - Lake Erie University 6th: Tanner Hitchcock - Lindenwood University 7th: Collin Metzgar - Colorado Mesa University 8th: Reece Barnhardt - University of Mary 141 #2 Christian Small (King) #5 Branson Proudlock (Findlay) #6 Colby Smith (Lindenwood) #7 Luke Wymer (Ashland) #8 Alexis Soriano (Mercyhurst) #10 Peter Kuster (Drury) #11 Nate Keim (Central Oklahoma) #12 Taylor Jokerst (Maryville) #13 Dean Noble (Western Colorado) Two years ago, Noah Hermosillo (Adams State) and Peter Kuster (Drury) were in the Midwest Classic finals. This season that means that 10th-ranked Kuster returns as the highest placewinner. He faces a field full of bad, bad men at the weight. All-Americans Colby Smith (Lindenwood), Christian Small (King), and Branson Proudlock (Findlay) are all in the field and currently ranked in the top-six. Luke Wymer was a national qualifier in 2021 and is 1-0 in his career against Proudlock. Alexis Soriano was a 2019 All-American at 133 and a national qualifier in 2020 at 141. Nate Keim (Central Oklahoma) is going to be important to the team race for the Broncs. The junior has not been a national qualifier yet and with all of Super Regional IV here, this will be a real test for him. He already owns two wins this season over Kuster. Taylor Jokerst (Maryville) is ranked 12th in his #SuperSenior run; he is trying to get back to the national tournament again. Dean Noble (Western Colorado) just took an upset loss to Erik Contrera-Lobato (Colorado Mesa) in their dual, so he will be looking to bounce back while Contreras will want to continue the momentum. Northern State will have the return of Kolton Roth at the weight and that is a big boost for a lineup reeling from injuries and, more devastating, the loss of a teammate. If Roth is all healthy and mentally ready, he is going to give wrestlers in this weight class fits at this tournament. Coach Jason Welch has a good one in Joshua Fuentes-Norikiyo, a #SuperSenior who joined the team after placing twice in the California Community College State tournament. He is fresh off an upset of returning All-American Nick James (Nebraska Kearney) with a sudden victory takedown. With Zeth Brower (Lander) not in attendance, Omar Armengol (Coker) will be carrying the Super Regional II banner, at 7-1; he is an upset waiting to happen in the early rounds. Quarterfinals Christian Small (King) vs. Taylor Jokerst (Maryville) Branson Proudlock (Findlay) vs. (Alexis Soriano) Colby Smith (Lindenwood) vs. Peter Kuster (Drury) Nate Keim (Central Oklahoma) vs. Luke Wymer (Ashland) Semifinals Christian Small vs. Nate Keim Branson Proudlock vs. Colby Smith I am probably way off on what the quarterfinals will look like. With the number of talented athletes in this field, there are plenty of wrestlers who can break through to that round and set themselves up for a big Midwest Classic finish. I am fairly certain that I can narrow down the semifinals. Peter Kuster has beaten Colby Smith this season, but I think he can find his offense again and score more than one point the next time they meet. That could be the spark he needs as he goes into a tough battle with Branson Proudlock. When the Findlay sophomore is on, he is really, really good. When he goes into a slump, though, things start to snowball. Smith has a way of pushing people to frustration. I am even more excited for a possible Nate Keim and Christian Small semifinal. Small finished fifth last season as a true freshman; this year, he continues his quest to become a five-time All-American. Keim is after his first trip to the podium. This is important for nationals seeding if both these athletes make it that far and it is a total battle of styles. Finals Christian Small vs. Colby Smith Christian Small and Colby Smith met at the 2021 NCAA tournament in St. Louis, with Smith earning a hard-fought 3-1 win. It's rematch time. The talent these two have is off the charts and this would have been a fun rivalry to see a few more times. Smith has been nearly perfect since joining Division II, only losing one match to a Division II competitor. The Midwest Classic will be his first test this season and I think that the finals are where the lack of action finally catches up to him. Champion: Christian Small - King University 2nd: Colby Smith - Lindenwood University 3rd: Branson Proudlock - Findlay University 4th: Peter Kuster - Drury University 5th: Luke Wymer - Ashland University 6th: Nate Keim - Central Oklahoma University 7th: Alexis Soriano - Mercyhurst University 8th: Kolton Roth - Northern State University 149 #3 Noah Hermosillo (Adams State) #4 Carson Speelman (Ashland) #6 Brik Filippo (Central Oklahoma) #7 Logan Bailey (Indianapolis) #8 Jacob Ealy (UPJ) #11 Zachary VanAlst (Coker) #13 Gavin Quiocho (Glenville State) #14 Jake Piccirilli (UNCP) Noah Hermosillo (Adams State) is a returning Midwest Classic champion and a returning All-American. If you were not aware already, that often goes hand-in-hand. The #SuperSenior is another outstanding wrestler who is stepping onto the mat in the 2022 season for the first time at the toughest tournament he could find. He is joined by two other All-Americans, Carson Speelman (Ashland), who finished fifth, and Jacob Ealy (UPJ), who finished eighth. There are a couple of "old men" at this weight too. Zachary Van Alst (Coker) is looking for his third straight trip to the national tournament for the Cobras. He has looked happy and comfortable at the school after leaving the Air Force Academy after his freshman year in 2018. Speaking of "old men," how good is your memory? Do you remember an All-American from Maryville who won the Gorrarian award for most falls at the national tournament way back in 2014? Darick Lapaglia (Central Missouri) is back in Division II wrestling and he just handed undefeated Eric Faught (Upper Iowa) his first loss of the season. He is not quite 30, but he is past 25. Beware the "old man" strength. Ealy and Speelman met last week with the Mountaincat winning 5-3 and handing Speelman his second loss of the season. Logan Bailey (Indianapolis) handed him his first loss and the second-time freshman is off to another solid start. He is now 16-1 with nine falls and just the lone loss to the 6th-ranked Brik Filippo (Central Oklahoma). Filippo has not lost to a Division II wrestler this season and, like Bailey, was a 2021 national qualifier. 2020 national qualifier Dom Means (Gannon) will wrestle his first contested match this season after receiving a forfeit the only time he weighed in so far. Means is 31-13 since transferring to Gannon, after a season at Pitt-Johnstown. Gavin Quiocho (Glenville State) is 19-4 overall this season, but since moving to 149, has not lost to anyone outside of Division I. He has four falls in 0:48 or less, with three of them coming in less than 0:17. That is insane! He also has a win over Jake Piccirilli (UNCP), the freshman who, at the Carolina Clash, took out Jake Barzowski (St. Cloud State) in sudden victory. They are both true freshmen who are going to be absolute handfuls for guys at this tournament. There is no fear in their eyes. The last time Josh Blatt (Newberry) wrestled, he was a freshman at Belmont Abbey, qualifying for the national tournament in 2020. The sophomore is now a member of the Newberry Wolves and is looking for a repeat of a campaign that saw him finish 22-3 and win a Super Regional II championship. There are only eight ranked wrestlers at this weight class, but this might be the most ridiculously loaded of any of them. This seeding meeting should just be done like a Bingo parlor; throw the names in the roller and let fate decide. Quarterfinals Noah Hermosillo (Adams State) vs. Dom Means (Gannon) Jacob Ealy (UPJ) vs. Josh Blatt (Newberry) Brik Filippo (Central Oklahoma) vs. Gavin Quiocho (Glenville State) Logan Bailey (Indianapolis) vs. Carson Speelman (Ashland) Semifinals Noah Hermosillo vs Logan Bailey Brik Filippo vs Jacob Ealy If the quarterfinals are wrestled 100 times, we would probably see 100 different semifinalist combinations (I am probably way off on the math of that). The point is, anyone who makes it to the quarterfinals is capable of making it through to the semis and into the finals. I think that Noah Hermosillo can shake off the rust and get back to his winning ways right away. He split with Sam Turner (Nebraska-Kearney) last season and is the type of competitor to push into the young Bailey. But we can take a second to appreciate home cooking for a second and just how talented Bailey is. He owns wins over Speelman, the tough Sean O'Hearon (Lake Erie), and the talented Alec Cook (West Liberty). I believe that the difference in this match is that he has not wrestled Hermosillo yet and until you feel his strength and explosiveness, you cannot prepare for it. Brik Filippo is as steady as the rolling plains he hails from in Oklahoma. He finished eighth here in 2019 and I expect him to challenge for a title this season. He will take on Jacob Ealy, who has been nothing but great for the Mountain Cats. As a true freshman, he qualified for the national tournament and in his first sophomore season, he made it to the podium in St Louis. This season he has already earned quality wins over good opponents and brings an undefeated record into Indianapolis. Finals Noah Hermosillo vs Jacob Ealy These two have never met and it is only due to the return of Pitt-Johnstown to the Midwest Classic that they have the opportunity. Coach Pat Pecora has had his team take on all comers after they were forced to sit for nearly the entire 2021 season. It is going to pay dividends. Adams State is known for being athletes that leave it all out on the mat every match. Noah Hermosillo is no different. This is going to be a battle between an experienced All-American and a young All-American. Who do you think can handle the pressure better? Champion: Noah Hermosillo - Adams State University 2nd: Jacob Ealy - University of Pitt-Johnstown 3rd: Carson Speelman - Ashland University 4th: Brik Filippo - University of Central Oklahoma 5th: Josh Blatt - Newberry College 6th: Logan Bailey - Indianapolis 7th: Gavin Quiocho - Glenville State College 8th: Zachary Van Alst - Coker College 157 #1 James Wimer (Findlay) #3 (165) Mitch Dean (Belmont Abbey) #5 Tyler Lucas (Central Oklahoma) #6 JoJo Gonzalez (American Intl) #7 Nick Young (Gannon) #9 Braydon Huber (Mary) #12 Josiah Rider (Adams State) #14 John Ridle (Central Missouri) #15 Jamar Williams (Alderson Broaddus) #16 Mason Boutain (San Francisco State) It seems crazy to think that there will be ten ranked wrestlers at this weight class and one of them will not be returning finalist Ronnie Gentile (Lindenwood). We will have to wait a little longer for him to make his season debut, but we will get to see 2021 national champion James Wimer (Findlay). All the #SuperSenior has done in recent memory is win. In 2019, he finished as an All-American and then was on a redshirt during the 2020 season. Now he looks to become a first-time Midwest Classic champion and push his season forward. No Gentile, no problem. He will have plenty of competition, including Mitch Dean (Belmont Abbey). The two-time national qualifier was sixth last season at 165 and this will be his first foray into the lighter weight class. Can he hold the weight for two days? Six wrestlers in the top-10 are in Indianapolis, including 5th-6th-7th. Tyler Lucas (Central Oklahoma), JoJo Gonzalez (American Intl), and Nick Young (Gannon) are all off to great starts. Gonzalez was 7th at 165 in 2021 and is a three-time national qualifier with just one loss on his record to start the year. Tyler Lucas is 8-0 and will finally be tested after cruising through the first half of his season. Nick Young is 9-3 and could have a chance to avenge his only #D2Wrestle loss so far this season to the talented Tyler Swiderski (Lake Erie). Who is he? Just a true freshman whose only loss in Division II was an absolute last-second fall against Ben Durocher (UW-Parkside). When I say last second, I mean the time of the fall was 7:00. Chance Esmont (Ashland) is 10-3 and took Wimer to sudden victory and he is not even in my rankings. Nate Smith (UPJ) just beat Esmont 7-5 and his undefeated record of 6-0 does not have him in my rankings. This weight is stacked with athletes looking to break into the top 16 and this is their chance to do it because this is the last time they will see this level of talent in one weekend until the postseason. Will Evans (Newberry) finished eighth place last season to earn All-American honors; this year, he is just 3-5. Can he regain that momentum that saw him earn the upset of Chase Luensman (Upper Iowa) and make it to the podium? James Burks (Northern State) is one of the most talented wrestlers in the country to never make it to the national tournament and this will be a test for him. He could see Super Regional foes Durocher and ninth-ranked Braydon Huber (Mary). Huber was a 2021 national qualifier and he split his season series with Burks last year. Huber will need to bounce back from a loss to Nathan Baca (Minot State) last week, where he found himself pinned in the first 35 seconds. True freshman Josiah Rider (Adams State) has wins over Huber, Anthony Scantlin (Fort Hays), and Ryan Wilson (Western), and his prize is maybe getting to wrestle all three of them again this weekend. Next to him alphabetically and in the rankings is 11-1 John Ridle (Central Missouri), who will look to bounce back from a loss to Luensman last week. With Upper Iowa not attending, at least he can breathe a little easier. If you want an under-the-radar guy who has made it into the rankings, Jamar Williams (Alderson Broaddus) was undefeated until a disqualification hung two on him at the Messiah Petrofes International. He is still rocking that perfect record against D2, though and he does have a win over the wildman Quiocho, while he was up at this weight. And, of course, do not sleep on the Gator from out west. Mason Boutain (San Francisco State) has only given up an escape to athletes from Division II this season. I am not sure that streak can continue, but I guarantee the young man will try to keep shutting them out. This field could have been even scarier if Gentile, Luensman, Dawson Combest (Indianapolis), and John Burger (Limestone) had entered, but we will just have to suffer through this bevy of great wrestlers instead. Quarterfinals James Wimer (Findlay) vs. Jamar Williams (Alderson Broaddus) Ty Lucas (Central Oklahoma) vs. Braydon Huber (Mary) Mitch Dean (Belmont Abbey) vs. Josiah Rider (Adams State) JoJo Gonzalez (American Intl) vs. Tyler Swiderski (Lake Erie) Semifinals James Wimer vs. JoJo Gonzalez Tyler Lucas vs. Mitch Dean I like watching JoJo Gonzalez wrestle; he has an enthusiasm about the sport that is infectious. Did you know that his high school coach was also an All-American for American International College? Well, he was, so go ahead and use that for your next trivia night. James Wimer just grinds on athletes until they make a mistake and even if he is down early, the pressure eventually gets to you. I worry that even if he can score an early lead, I just do not think JoJo will be able to keep up with the pressure for three periods. Tyler Lucas and Mitch Dean will be a war. Lucas was a 2019 Midwest Classic finalist and knows what it takes to be there. Mitch Dean won a Super Regional title in 2020 and 2021, so do not expect him to be shaken. It is funny to think that the semifinals of the Midwest Classic at 157 could have two All-Americans from 165. I think at least one of them finds their way into the finals. Finals James Wimer vs. Mitch Dean James Wimer is the best wrestler in the country at this weight barring a catastrophic injury and you had better not even think about that happening. Don't you put that evil on him, Ricky Bobby! The #SuperSenior is an absolute monster at this weight as one of the strongest, fastest, and most technique sound wrestlers there are. Mitch Dean is no slouch, but he is not James Wimer. Dean will be good at this weight and I think he should challenge for a finals spot as a two or three seed come tournament time. But right now, how would I beat James Wimer? With a stick, while he slept. Champion: James Wimer - Findlay University 2nd: Mitch Dean - Belmont Abbey College 3rd: Tyler Lucas - Central Oklahoma University 4th: Jamar Williams - Alderson Broaddus University 5th: JoJo Gonzalez - American International College 6th: Nate Smith - University of Pitt-Johnstown 7th: Tyler Swiderski - Lake Erie College 8th: Braydon Huber - University of Mary 165 #4 Kameron Frame (Newman) #5 Shane Gantz (UW-Parkside) #6 James Penfold (Lake Erie) #7 Corey Peterson (McKendree) #8 Drew Weichers (Ashland) #9 Bryan LaVearn (Tiffin) #10 Hunter Mullin (Western Colorado) #12 Jack Eiteljorge (Indianapolis) #13 Dillon Keane (UPJ) #15 Will Kuster (Drury) #16 Gage Bernall (Lander) The deepest weight class at the tournament in terms of ranked athletes will be an absolute Battle Royale and worth the price of admission to the Midwest Classic by itself. Just think of the other stacked nine weight classes as a $100 bill you found at the bottom of your ice cream sundae. This weight does not have a returning Midwest Classic place winner from 2019, which is crazy, but it also makes sense given how loaded it was that year with seniors. This weight class is led by Kameron Frame (Newman) and Shane Gantz (UW-Parkside). Neither of these athletes was an All-American in 2021, but they were both national qualifiers who logged some big wins. Corey Peterson (McKendree) was an All-American, finishing fourth, but he has already been handed two D2 losses this season. One of those to Gantz and the other to Austin Morgan (Central Missouri). Morgan will not be in the tournament, as the spot currently belongs to teammate Emmet Kuntz. Jack Eiteljorge is another of those good wrestlers who just have not been able to break through to the national tournament. His path does not get any easier in 2021, now that Indianapolis has joined the warzone that is Super Regional IV, but this could be his season. At the Classic, and in the Super Regional, he will need to go through Kameron Frame, as well as, Anthony Desvignes (Central Oklahoma). The Bronc lost his match-up with Peterson but was victorious when he took on Eiteljorge. This is a big tournament for him for seeding going forward. If James Penfold (Lake Erie) is healthy, he could fight for a finals berth, but his health will be a question mark after having to withdraw from the Storm Open. True freshman Will Kuster (Drury) is undefeated after winning the Dan Harris Open and the Lindenwood Open to start his college career. Can he keep it going with a third straight tournament title? Hunter Mullin (Western Colorado) was able to avoid the "upset bug" that hit some of his teammates in their last dual and he entered the Midwest with only a loss to 2019 national champion Matt Malcom on his resume. Mullin sat out last season but was a 2020 national qualifier. Bryan LaVearn (Tiffin) is a three-time national qualifier, which is weird to me because I do not really remember that about him. I do remember that he's stupid dangerous and pins people from anywhere. This season he has stumbled against top-ranked Alex Faranchek and Ashland backup Cam Jenkins. This is his tournament to run big moves and score an upset to help his national standing. Drew Weichers (Ashland) will take the starting spot back and he wants to right the ship after an overtime loss to Dillon Keane (UPJ) last week. Weichers was a 2020 national qualifier for Mount Olive in their inaugural season. Speaking of Keane, when your only loss is in overtime to Ashton Eyler of Lock Haven, you are having a good season. Gage Bernall (Lander) will be the highest-ranked Super Regional II athlete at the weight, but he will have to contend with Corey Christie (Coker), transfer Talon Seitz (Newberry), Jay Skalecki (Queens), and Rashaan Vereen (UNCP) to be the highest finisher. This tournament is going to go a long way in deciding who is seeded where at that Super Regional. Evan Fisler (Gannon) will fill in for Faranchek, do not sleep on his skills. He was a 2020 national qualifier. Quarterfinals Kameron Frame (Newman) vs. Hunter Mullin (Western Colorado) Shane Gantz (UW-Parkside) vs. Jack Eiteljorge (Indianapolis) Corey Peterson (McKendree) vs. Dillon Keane (UPJ) Drew Weichers (Ashland) vs. James Penfold (Lake Erie) Semifinals Kameron Frame vs. Drew Weichers Shane Gantz vs. Dillon Keane Dillon Keane has been off to a remarkable run to start the 2022 season, but I think it comes to an end when he meets up with the talented Parkside wrestler Shane Gantz. Gantz just wins. It is straightforward and not always exciting to watch, but it is effective. Dillon Keane has improved this season, but Gantz is a known element. Kameron Frame taking on Drew Weichers is going to be all kinds of fun. Over his career, Frame has scored some very big wins. Just last season, he turned eventual national champion off the mat with a 17-2 tech fall. He has beaten the best and routinely beats the very good. Drew Weichers has to have some rust after only wrestling in the GMAC tournament last season. The Midwest Classic is a great place to take a test drive if you are trying to find out how your vehicle will perform climbing up the side of the Rocky Mountains. I am going to go with Frame here. Finals Kameron Frame vs Shane Gantz A battle between Newman and Parkside should get people out of their seats. This match should not have a lot to do with the team race, which means these two will be wrestling for bragging rights. They will not have the opportunity to see each other again until the national tournament, so this is a big one for two wrestlers who we expect to make it that far. The horrendous seeding a year ago played all kinds of havoc on placement and I think athletes and coaches are very cognizant of that this season. Get the big win and lock down a good spot in the bracket. Champion: Shane Gantz - University of Wisconsin Parkside 2nd: Kameron Frame - Newman University 3rd: Drew Weichers - Ashland University 4th: Dillon Keane - University of Pitt-Johnstown 5th: Corey Peterson - McKendree University 6th: Jack Eiteljorge - University of Indianapolis 7th: Hunter Mullin - Western Colorado University 8th: Bryan LaVearn - Tiffin University 174 #3 Daniel Beemer (Ashland) #4 Josh Jones (McKendree) #5 Caleb Spears (Newberry) #6 Brock Biddle (UPJ) #7 Andrew Sams (Indianapolis) #10 Ryan Fidel (Colorado School of Mines) #12 Job Ayala (UW-Parkside) #15 Max Bruss (Mary) It seems like a bit of a letdown after 165 that 174 only has half the ranked wrestlers showing up to throw down, but bear with me, it is still pretty awesome. No returning national champion Abner Romero (Lindenwood)? No problem. Six of the wrestlers are from the top-10, with three of them in the top-five. Four of them are returning All-Americans, with Dan Beemer (Ashland) having defeated Josh Jones (McKendree) in the consolation finals. Andrew Sams (Indianapolis) beat Brock Biddle (UPJ) for fifth place and Caleb Spears was a national qualifier, as was Max Bruss (Mary). Job Ayala (Parkside) apparently cut a leg off to make the drop to 174, as he had been wrestling 197 the last three seasons. He just took a loss to Dom Murphy (St. Cloud State) in their dual but has had a very impressive showing at the weight with wins over Andrew Sams and Hunter Reed (Findlay). Ryan Fidel (Colorado School of Mines) finished 3-1 at the Super Regional VI tournament in 2021 and was left out of the tournament. That will not happen this season. Bret Heil (Maryville) finished 5th at the 2019 Midwest Classic and is the highest returning place winner. His season has been a little rough, but Maryville tends to show up at big tournaments. Seth Latham (Mesa) is a 2020 national qualifier and he just earned a win over Jimmy Laconte (Western Colorado). Both of his losses this season are to the Kearney boys Terrell Garraway and Billy Higgins; good news for him is, they will not be here. Much like Job Ayala, Kaleb Winkler (Central Oklahoma) was for the majority of his career wrestling at 197. In 2019 he went 4-2 at this tournament with three falls and finished in seventh place at the weight. I kind of, and by kind of, I mean, I want to see Ayala and Winkler square off. Andrew Sams does have a win over Winkler already this season, but he also has a loss to Ayala. The consolation side of this bracket will be a battlefield with very good wrestlers just trying to stay alive. An early-round upset could throw this whole weight into a fun spiral of chaos and anarchy sure to make Jackie Paquette pull her hair out, which would be super mean because she is a god dang Saint! Quarterfinals Dan Beemer (Ashland) vs. Seth Latham (Mesa) Josh Jones (McKendree) vs. Job Ayala (UW-Parkside) Caleb Spears (Newberry) vs. Ryan Fidel (Colorado School of Mines) Brock Biddle (UPJ) vs. Andrew Sams (Indianapolis) Semifinals Dan Beemer vs. Andrew Sams Josh Jones vs. Caleb Spears Run it again! It is rubber-match time for Dan Beemer and Andrew Sams. The two split the series last year, with Beemer earning the win at the Super Regional tournament. These two are in different Super Regionals now, so this is where we could see national seeding consequences from this match. The first takedown in the match will loom large as in both previous bouts, the first wrestler to secure it won. Beemer only has one loss this season to Division I Joseph Walker (Michigan). Josh Jones and Caleb Spears have never met and they might never wrestle each other again after this weekend. Spears is a #SuperSenior looking to earn his first All-American honors this season and an upset win over Jones would show just how serious he is. Finals Dan Beemer vs. Josh Jones Dan Beemer defeated Josh Jones twice in St Louis by identical 3-1 scores. The second time it allowed him to finish third, while knocking Jones down to the fourth spot. Now they meet again for the first time in the 2021-22 season and I am here for the fireworks! And by fireworks, I mean a 1-1 score with 45 seconds left in the third period as neither athlete wants to risk giving up a takedown before a fresh period in SV-1. Champion: Josh Jones - McKendree University 2nd: Daniel Beemer - Ashland University 3rd: Andrew Sams - University of Indianapolis 4th: Brock Biddle - University of Pitt-Johnstown 5th: Caleb Spears - Newberry College 6th: Job Ayala - University of Wisconsin Parkside 7th: Ryan Fidel - Colorado School of Mines 8th: Kalin Winkler - Central Oklahoma University 184 #5 Aidan Pasiuk (Ashland) #6 Anderson Salisbury (Mines) #9 Noah Curreri (Queens) #11 Martin Verhaeghe (FHSU) #12 Nolan Krone (Colorado Mesa) #13 Reece Worachek (UW-Parkside) #14 Cole Houser (Glenville State) #16 Luke McGonigal (Mercyhurst) #16 (174) Gage Roaldson (Moorhead) Now we are back to weights where more than half of the ranked wrestlers are showing up, and in a big surprise, we will not see Heath Gray here. The defending Midwest Classic and NCAA champion will not defend his title in Indianapolis. Gray has been one of the most dominating wrestlers in the country the last two seasons and his absence opens the door for other talented wrestlers to kick it off the hinges. Start with two-time All-American and four-time national qualifier Aidan Pasiuk. The 2019 MWC runner-up should earn the top-seed over fellow All-American Anderson Salisbury (Colorado School of Mines). Salisbury was fourth at the last Classic and these two met in the seventh-place match at the national tournament. We know who the top-two will be, but after them, things could devolve into a shouting match in the rankings meeting. Noah Curreri was Queens University's first All-American in program history last season and is a two-time national qualifier. He looks fat and happy up at the 184 weight class and has been easily handling his D2 competition this season with a 4-0 record with all wins earning his team bonus. Martin Verhaeghe (FHSU) has been an absolute thorn in my rankings side for a while now. If I do not rank him or I rank him low, he goes out and just trashes someone ahead of him. If I move him up, he takes a head-scratching loss. I am honestly starting to think he is doing it to just mess with me. The 2021 national qualifier has all the talent in the world and I expect it to be on display; he showed it in a 4-2 win over Nolan Krone (Colorado-Mesa) earlier this season. It would not surprise me to see them seeded 4th and 5th to set up another head-to-head. What to do with Cole House (Glenville State), the junior transfer from now-defunct Urbana is 18-4 with only a single loss to Division II wrestlers. His sixteen wins with bonus points are impressive, but his past history has shown that he has trouble winning the big matches. Every match at the Midwest Classic is a big one and if he wants to finally get the monkey off his back and become a national qualifier, he can build confidence this weekend. Second-time true freshman Reecer Worachek (UW-Parkside) seems to struggle on the bottom; this is not a great weight class to have the problem. The guys ranked ahead of him are very good on top and he needs to find a way to break that cycle. Gage Roaldson (Moorhead) just broke into my rankings recently at 174 and that was not enough for him because now he has moved up and is going to try to break in here as well. Wyatt Lidberg (Mary) handed him his first loss just over a week ago, so we will be able to see which repeat true freshman can build on their early-season success. Mercyhurst has some very good athletes and Luke McGonigal fits that build. The two-time national qualifier at 197 has looked fit and nimble at 184 this season. He has wins over Cameron Page (Gannon) and Rocky Jordan (Ohio State) and this tournament will help evaluate the move to a new weight class for the junior. Gleason Mappes (Indianapolis) is a two-time national qualifier and a good run here will see him move back into the rankings. He is looking for that win that will show he is a contender for a return to St Louis. The weight class may not be wide-open, but it certainly has a chance to be very exciting on the championship side of the bracket. Quarterfinals Aidan Pasiuk (Ashland) vs. Luke McGonigal (Mercyhurst) Anderson Salisbury (Colorado School of Mines) vs. Reece Worachek (UW-Parkside) Noah Curreri (Queens) vs. Cole Houser (Glenville State) Martin Verhaeghe (FHSU) vs Nolan Krone (Colorado-Mesa) Semifinals Aidan Pasiuk vs. Martin Verhaeghe Anderson Salisbury vs. Noah Curreri If I have the seeds right, I have this tournament playing out to the seeds. If I have them wrong, I still think these are the four best wrestlers at this weight. Aidan Pasiuk will not be sad that Gray and Filipek are both out of the tournament, because it opens the door for him to become a Midwest Classic champion. Martin Verhaeghe has the skill set to cause him trouble, but I think that his ability to control the top position will allow him to counter Verhaeghe's own best position. But this could come down to the wrestler that scores first and starts to roll up that riding time. Anderson Salisbury managed to wrestle 30 matches in a shortened season, he is slacking a bit in 2022. I expect he will rack up some wins on his way to the finals and a battle with Pasiuk. Curreri is very good and his historic All-American finish was great to watch. This will be a match where it might come down to strength and Salisbury has been a 184 longer. Finals Aidan Pasiuk vs. Anderson Salisbury Aidan Pasiuk was part of that history-making Wheeling Jesuit team that had their college dreams stolen from them. He has found a home at Ashland and has continued to be one of the best wrestlers in the country. Last season, he ran into some very tough athletes at the national tournament, but he was still able to find the podium. This is his first major test in 2022 and could set him up as someone who could sneak into the top three. Champion: Aidan Pasiuk - Ashland University 2nd: Anderson Salisbury - Colorado School of Mines 3rd: Martin Verhaeghe - Fort Hays State University 4th: Reecer Worachek - University of Wisconsin Parkside 5th: Noah Curreri - Queens University 6th: Nolan Krone - Colorado Mesa University 7th: Gleason Mappes - University of Indianapolis 8th: Cole Houser - Glenville State University 197 #1 Dalton Abney (Central Oklahoma) #4 Donald Negus (Colorado-Mesa) #6 Gino Sita (Alderson Broaddus) #8 Nicholas Mason (Tiffin) #9 Chris Droege (Lake Erie) #11 Jordan Williams (Glenville State) #12 Bryce Walker (UNCP) #13 Matt Kaylor (Mary) #14 Nathan Blubaugh (Indianapolis) #16 Darius Parker (Lander) Ladies and gentlemen, let's get ready to rumble! Top-ranked Dalton Abney (Central Oklahoma) will need to bring his A-game to Indianapolis or he might find himself in some trouble. With teammate Heath Gray, not wrestling, his points become even more important in the race for the team championship. Nicholas Mason (Tiffin) is the highest returning place winner, a three-time national qualifier, 2019 national champion and is always dangerous. When he gets on a roll, lookout! That is more of a warning to his competitors than you readers. I do not think he usually creates collateral damage. Donald Negus (Mesa) and Chris Droege (Lake Erie) were both All-Americans last season and are fighting for those honors again. Gino Sita (Alderson Broaddus) has looked very good at 197 and now that he can compete for a full season, he has just been eating up the competition. He has wins over Jordan Williams (Glenville State) and Chris Droege already this year. He also bested his teammate "The Rock" earlier. I can smell what he's cooking. Speaking of Jordan Williams, the Glenville State true freshman has a win over Bryce Walker (UNCP) this season and Logan Kemp (West Liberty) to offset his losses to Sita and Darius Parker (Lander). Parker was the first national qualifier for coach RC LaHaye at Lander and his season has hit a hot streak with five straight dual wins. He is big and strong and can pose all kinds of problems for other wrestlers. Bryce Walker was also a 2021 national qualifier and his season has hit a tough run with three losses in his last four matches. He needs to rebound and do it quickly or he could be staring down the barrel of a full-blown slump. Matt Kaylor (Mary) is running hot himself as the redshirt freshman has started to find his own identity on the mat. He will not have to wrestle the Mesa wrestler who beat him this season, but he may end up wrestling the Mesa wrestler who is the starter. Nathan Blubaugh is another redshirt freshman who is ready to happily usher the old guard out the front door, but his last attempt to evict Nicholas Mason did not go so well. Adams State has struggled a bit at the upper weights recently, but they did add Hunter Tobiasson this season. So far, the former Queens University wrestler has struggled to settle in out west and this tournament is sort of a make-or-break moment for him. There will probably be a wrestler whose name pops up as a major upset early, but this weight class is so top-heavy it is hard to see it having an overall-all negative bracket effect. Quarterfinals Dalton Abney (Central Oklahoma) vs. Darius Parker (Lander) Donald Negus (Mesa) vs. Nathan Blubaugh (Indianapolis) Nicholas Mason (Tiffin) vs. Chris Droege (Lake Erie) Gino Sita (Alderson Broaddus) vs. Jordan Williams (Glenville State) Semifinals Dalton Abney vs. Gino Sita Donald Negus vs. Nicholas Mason I want to start with Nicholas Mason taking on Donald Negus, because I think this will be one of the best matches of the entire tournament. Negus does so well controlling athletes while Mason wants to turn a match into a free-for-all. When he loses, he does so spectacularly; when he wins, it is much the same. I think that his last Midwest Class semifinal left a bad taste in his mouth and he wants that title. I look for him to be restrained and calculated as he finds a way to pull Negus out of his comfort zone. Dalton Abney is very good; if it was not for Ryan Vasbinder (Michigan State) transferring out, he might still be the second-best wrestler at the weight. Now though, he is the clear number one and I think he shows it. Gino Sita is silky smooth on his feet, but it is hard to score on a wrestler who presses forward in a good position with heavy hands. That is precisely who Dalton Abney is and what he does. Finals Dalton Abney vs. Nicholas Mason This is just like the semifinals where Nicholas Mason is going to try to open the match up into a wide-open scramble and conditioning battle. Dalton Abney is the kryptonite to that kind of style, though. The wildcard here is if Mason gets on one of his "hot streaks" where it doesn't matter who he is facing, he just wins. A run to the finals could heat him up and spell big trouble for my rankings. Champion: Dalton Abney -University of Central Oklahoma 2nd: Nicholas Mason -Tiffin University 3rd: Gino Sita - Alderson Broaddus University 4th: Donald Negus - Colorado Mesa University 5th: Jordan Williams - Glenville State College 6th: Chris Droege - Lake Erie College 7th: Nathan Blubaugh - University of Indianapolis 8th: Darius Parker - Lander University Hwt #3 Weston Hunt (Mines) #6 Jacob Robb (Mercyhurst) #9 Ian Kuehl (McKendree) #10 AJ Cooper (FHSU) #14 Cam Coffman (Lander) #16 Zach Schaffer (UNCP) Heavyweight is a chance for some of the wrestlers who are not currently in the top-16 to make a splash and show that they should be considered for one of those spots. Weston Hunt (Colorado School of Mines) is the head of the class right now; the 2021 national finalist is ranked behind Andrew Dunn (Kutztown) and Kam Teacher (St Cloud State). Those two wrestlers won the last two national championships, so it is not like he is a slouch. There was a moment where he took Teacher across his back and nearly broke the hopes and dreams of every Huskies fan in the building. He will be on a collision course with the pinning machine Jacob Robb (Mercyhurst) in the finals. Robb had what should have been a potential finals berth type season taken from him when Covid ended his 2021. He is back with natural immunity, so I do not expect the Delta or Omicron to be too much of a problem (fingers crossed). In 2019 both Hunt and Robb placed at the Midwest Classic, but it was Robb winning the tournament while Hunt settled for 6th with a double forfeit. Robb has four falls in his eight wins and I expect that he will add more this weekend. AJ Cooper (FHSU) is the second-highest returning All-American at the weight after finishing fifth in St Louis. Cooper has the best head of hair in wrestling and he also has some tough losses this season. I expect that he can quickly straighten things up, though, as he is already back on a winning streak after dominating the Bob Smith Open. If conditioning really does not matter to heavyweights, Ian Kuehl (McKendree) should be just fine. The Midwest Classic will be the first competition of the 2022 season for the returning national qualifier. Cam Coffman (Lander) was a national qualifier last season and this year, he has been solid in his sophomore run. Zach Shaffer (UNCP) is a true freshman who has earned some big wins, including beating Coffman by fall earlier this season. They could meet along the way at this tournament in the consolation quarters or semifinals. Braden Morgan (Central Oklahoma) and Cale Gray (Indianapolis) already met this season, with the Greyhound handing Morgan his only D2 loss on the season. That was the biggest win of the season, so far, for the second-time true freshman who is looking strong for Indianapolis. Ogden Atwood was a national qualifier for Mount Olive and now he is the starting big man for Pitt-Johnstown two seasons later. A year in one of the best rooms in the country could pay dividends at the Midwest Classic. Northern State will bring Ali'i Loyola, who had some big wins a year ago. There are also the veterans Sammy DeSeriere (Western Colorado) and Nate Lloyd (UW-Parkside) who have the experience to place in the tournament and maybe pull an upset. Johnny Green (Ouachita) has struggled in the postseason, but the sophomore is off to a good start this year and this is a chance to put those demons behind him. I would argue that the top three or four big men are pretty easy to identify and after that, this weight class is going to be all kinds of fun. Quarterfinals Weston Hunt (Mines) vs. Ogden Atwood (UPJ) Jacob Robb (Mercyhurst) vs. Cale Gray (Indianapolis) AJ Cooper (FHSU) vs Zach Schaffer (UNCP) Ian Kuehl (McKendree) vs Cam Coffman (Lander) Semifinals Weston Hunt vs. Ian Kuehl Jacob Robb vs. AJ Cooper My prediction for the semifinal between Jacob Robb and AJ Cooper is that it will end with a pin. You can flip a coin to decide how that goes, though, if you want to. This is another of those matches I wish I could be there for, because they did not meet up at the 2019 tournament I attended. People should not try to leave during these matches because you might miss a big move. Weston Hunt taking on Ian Kuehl will probably not have the same flair as the other semifinal, but it will have sound wrestling and a chance for Kuehl to pull a big upset. Weston Hunt made the finals wrestling smart and it was nearly enough to hoist a national championship plaque. I think he makes his way into the finals here as well. Finals Weston Hunt vs. Jacob Robb This match is going to mean a lot to Jacob Robb. A win and he is vaulted right into the talk alongside Dunn and Teacher as a national finalist threat. It also will hand him his second Midwest Classic crown and that is something special. For Weston Hunt, a win shows that last season was not just a run of good luck at a tournament that was missing some of the top big men due to the pandemic. It's weird to be talking like a national finalist has something to prove, but I believe that Hunt does and he may be right. For Jacob Robb, this win will make people reevaluate seeds heading into the postseason and set him up on a path in SR I for a collision with Andrew Dunn. Their last two matches ended 3-2, which for big men is a razor-thin margin for error. Champion: Jacob Robb - Mercyhurst University 2nd: Weston Hunt - Colorado School of Mines 3rd: AJ Cooper - Fort Hays State University 4th: Ian Kuehl - McKendree University 5th: Cam Coffman - Lander University 6th: Zach Schaffer - University of North Carolina Pembroke 7th: Cale Gray - University of Indianapolis 8th: Johnny Green - Ouachita Baptist University The Team Champions: The University of Central Oklahoma

Iowa State head coach Kevin Dresser (photo courtesy of Tony Rotundo; WrestlersAreWarriors.com) “Tis the season for giving,” and thus, I wanted to hand out some gifts to those who need them most. I bounced the idea around the office to come up with the perfect gifts for the season. John Smith-a new sweater vest. Between that and those warmups, they really aren't big on change in Stillwater. You have a guy who wears a watch on each wrist now; let's see some style spread around. Kevin Dresser-bracket sheets. It's nearly Open Season in Ames and if coach Dresser wants to run all his tourneys right down to the Last Chance, he's gonna need some paper. Austin DeSanto-open mic. Come on, it's his last year. I need my ADS mic'd up for the rest of the year. Corby-some sleep. The guy has been to or seen every dual and every round of every tournament. It's insane. Also does his duties as Stalemates Street League commissioner just as a hobby. Take a nap, Corbs; we get it, you like wrestling. FloSports-duct tape. Rock Harrison-for every dual to come down to the last match. Rock works best when the stakes are high and ACC Friday Night Duals are right around the corner. Cael Sanderson-trademark for his name. With so many of them in high school now, imagine how many Caels are out there who didn't become wrestlers. The readers-for me to finish this nonsense and get on with the show. Which two teams win the Collegiate duals? @DutrowJim I don't think a soul on Earth is picking against Iowa and Penn State, but that doesn't take away from the intriguing matches that we will or might get. Penn State and Cornell is a marquee match any time of the year. Mizzou, NC State, VT, and ASU have some of the most balanced teams in America and, like everyone else, have been stuck primarily in conference duals only since last year. Finally, we can see how they measure up against the big boys. Does ASU get a chance to do what they did to PSU two years ago? Does Spencer show up? Does Doug Schwab dog the Brands bros into a match like Tommy Gunn in Rocky V? Let's hope we get some full lineups that are duck-free and maybe start a Christmas tradition of excellent duals where teams are begging to get in to prove themselves against the best. Why is the Midwest Classic such a great tournament? @bvillaD2wrestle Well, it's the school names, of course. Where else are you going to find names like Gannon and Lander? You've also got Mary, Newman, some guy named William Jewell, they're all gonna be there. All D's matter and the Midwest Classic is the largest tournament in Division II. Follow Bryce as he updates you on his Twitter with all the happenings from his private villa. Why don't you play on FFL and is it because you are scared of @PelikanHead @thefantasyfight I'll admit I thought about it, but I barely manage my two fantasy teams as it is. Plus, fantasy football, this mailbag gig, cosplaying as Sandor Clegane, it's just been a hectic time. Come next month, I may join and knock PH down to 95th place. Should they bump Ferrari to hwt in Stillwater? @JerseyHokie29 This was obviously thrown around by the fans after the post-Bedlam bedlam that took place and, though it's great for drama, it's about as dumb as it gets. John Smith is the American GOAT; he's not bumping up his National Champion stud to wrestle some dude at heavyweight because they had a tussle in the handshake line. It's just risky. What if there's more heat? What if AJ gets suspended because he throws hands? I'm afraid we're going to have to settle for a Ferrari nine-act celebration complete with three wardrobe changes and fireworks in OK's faces when he wins. Don't be surprised if he rides out on a horse. Which upcoming dual has the best chance of having post-match shenanigans? @bananacoffeeman Rutgers-Rider and VT-NC State both have extracurricular activity potential, but barring the recent incidents, these things aren't common and I doubt we'll get any more of them. At this point, all my fights need to include Adam Fellers' 17-inch brim or it doesn't even count. Did folks fight after duals back in your day? @PelikanHead We didn't have duals in my day; we had duels. How would Abdulrashid Sadulaev do if he entered the Midlands? @RichardAMann The headgear might frustrate him a bit, but I think he makes the podium. How often do you wear your Philly Wrestling t-shirt? @WrestlingPhilly Wore it to my first visit to the burn doctor! Have a good weekend, everyone! Stay safe out there; it looks like things are picking up again in the Covid world and we owe it to each other to do our part so we can get back to normal sometime before some of these seventh-year seniors graduate.

2021 Big 12 Final at 197 lbs. Stephan Buchanan (left) and AJ Ferrari (photo courtesy of Mark Lundy; LutteLens.com) Friday 12/17 Oklahoma State at Air Force, 2:00 PM Oklahoma State at Wyoming, 9:30 PM Saturday 12/18 South Dakota State vs Harper College at Northern Illinois, 1:00 PM South Dakota State vs Kent State at Northern Illinois, 3:30 PM South Dakota State at Northern Illinois 4:00 PM Sunday 12/19 California Baptist, Wyoming, Utah Valley(Non Starters) at Reno Tournament of Champions, Reno, NV, 12:00 PM Iowa State vs. Purdue 5:00 PM Monday-Tuesday 12/20-21 Missouri, Northern Iowa at Journeyman Collegiate Wrestling Duals, 8:00 AM What I'm Most Excited For: Wyoming vs. Oklahoma State. Wyoming has always been a difficult place for OSU to go and wrestle. I don't know if it's the elevation up there, the fact that Mark Branch knows the OSU program so well, or what? But they almost always wrestle Oklahoma State really well. AJ Ferrari vs. Stephen Buchanan tops my list of matches for the entire weekend. This is a rematch of the Big 12 finals from last year. Ferrari is the defending NCAA and Big 12 champion, Buchanan is an All-American and won the Cliff Keen Invite this year, which was absolutely loaded at 197. This should be a very good match. 157, 174, 184, and a few other weights should be great matches also.

2021 61 kg World Champion Abasgadzhi Magomedov (Photo/Tony Rotundo; WrestlersAreWarriors.com) 57 KG #3 Ramiz Gamzatov, #5 Nachyn Mongush and #10 Akhmed Idrisov all made the move up to 61 KG, where Idrisov took gold at the Umakhanov tournament over Gamzatov and Mongush won the Military World championships. All three men have been removed from the 57 KG rankings. #3 Azamat Tuskaev won the Military World Championships over U-23 world bronze medalist Ahmad Mohammadnezhadjavan (IRI). #8 Ramazan Abdurakhmanov failed to place at the U-23 world championships after an opening-round loss to Rakhat Kalzan (KAZ). 2 Abubakar Mutaliev won the Umakhanov tournament over the 2020 Russian Junior National champion Magomed Abdurakhmanov. Taking bronze at the Umakhanov were Aleksey Kopylov over Petr Kopylov and Muslim Sadulaev over Ananda Dashiev. 2019 Russian Nationals runner-up Muslim Sadulaev makes his return to the rankings at #4 while Umakhanov runner-up Magomed Abdurakhmanov takes the #5 spot off his wins over #6 Aleksey Kopylov and #7 Petr Kopylov. 61 KG #1 Abasgadzhi Magomedov walked away with two victories while competing in the Iranian Pro League for team Sanae, beating the likes of #4 (57) Reza Atri (IRI) 10-0 and Reza Momeni (IRI) 12-1. #8 Artur Chebodaev finished as runner-up to Senior world bronze medalist #5 (INT) Arsen Harutyunyan (ARM). 57 KG Russian Nationals runner-up #5 (57) Nachyn Mongush made the move up to 61 KG, where he won the Military World Championships over 2018 Senior world fifth-place finisher Mohammadba Yakhkeshi (IRI) to debut in the 61 KG rankings at #4 based off the strength of his win over #3 (57) Azamat Tuskaev. The Umakhanov tournament was the cause of a lot of shuffling in the rankings, with the biggest one being 2020 57 KG Russian Nationals bronze medalist #10 (57) Akhmed Idrisov debuting in the rankings at #2 after beating #3 (57) Ramiz Gamzatov in the finals. Idrisov's path to the finals saw him beat #13 (INT) Taras Markovych (UKR), Fedor Baltuev and Bashir Magomedov on his way to the finals. Gamzatov's path to the finals was highlighted by victories over Peter Konstantinov, 2019 U-23 world champion Ulukbek Zholdoshbekov (KGZ), 2020 U-23 national champion Alexander Sabanov and Rakhman Mintullaev. Taking bronze at the Umakhanov tournament was Bashir Magomedov over #13 Markovych and Rakhman Mintullaev over Zholdoshbekov. Russian Nationals bronze medalist #5 Cherman Tavitov has been removed from the rankings as he moved up to 65 KG, where he forfeited in his second match at the Umakhanov to Junior national runner-up Ibragim Abutalimov. Bashir Magomedov makes his debut in the rankings at #5 for beating 2020 Russian Nationals bronze medalist Zhargal Damdinov, Magomed Magomedov and Markovych. Returning to the rankings at #7 is 2019 Alans fifth-place finisher Magomed Magomedov, who upset 2019 61 KG world champion #7 (INT) Beka Lomtadze (GEO) and U-23 world runner-up #7 (65) Ibragim Abdurakhamnov. Now while Magomed did lose his sole match at the Umakhanov to Bashir, his past wins over Lomtadze and Abdurakhamnov outweigh the resumes of #8 Artur Chebodaev, #9 Akhmed Zubairov and #10 Nodar Arabidze, with Chebodaev's biggest wins being over #9 Akhmed Zubairov and #20 (INT) Narankhuu Narmandakh (MGL) while Zubairov and Arabidze's biggest wins were over Junior World bronze medalist Fedor Baltuev. 65 KG Junior world champion Shamil Mamedov had an absolutely massive run to end the year, starting off with a win over U-23 world bronze medalist #14 (INT) Nicolai Grahmez (MDA) up at 70 KG at WOLNIK 7 and following it with gold at the Umakhanov tournament where he beat #5 Murshid Mutalimov and #6 Ibragim Abdurakhmanov. Mamedov's performances net him the #4 spot in the rankings. Taking gold at the Umakhanov tournament was Mamedov over #7 Ibragim Abdurakhmanov. Taking bronze was #6 Murshid Mutalimov over Shamil Huseynov and Gadzhimurad Omarov by forfeit over Nachyn Kuular. There were some significant head-to head-results in the early rounds of the Umakhanov that led to changes in the rankings with Bulat Batoev beating #9 Dinislam Takhtarov, Ibragim Ibragimov beating 2019 Russian Nationals bronze medalist Julian Gergenov, #8 Usman Shakhgiriev moving up to 70 KG, Russian Nationals fifth-place finisher Gadzhimurad Omarov's return to the rankings at #9 for beating Ramazan Ferzaliev and the return of 2019 national runner-up Nachyn Kuular to the rankings at #10 for beating Haji Ali (BRN) and Junior national runner-up Ibragim Abutalimov. At WOLNIK 7, two important 65 KG matches went down up at 70 KG; two-time world bronze medalist #3 Akhmed Chakaev walked away with a 6-3 win over #10 Nachyn Kuular while 2019 world bronze medalist #10 (INT) Ismail Musukaev (HUN) beat Ramazan Ferzaliev 7-5. World champion #2 Zagir Shakhiev took a surprising 6-4 loss to Morteza Ghiasi Chekasi in the semifinals of the Iranian World Club Cup. Shakhiev's record at the Iranian World Club Cup was 1-1 with his aforementioned loss to Ghiasi and a 6-2 win over Hasan Moradgoli (IRI). Chekasi also notched another victory over Russian talent as he took home gold at the Military World championships over Artur Badtiev. #7 Ibragim Abdurakhmanov finished as a silver medalist at the U-23 world championships to Tokyo Olympian Georgios Pilidis (GRE). 70 KG #3 Rezuan Kazharov dropped two spots in the rankings to #5 after his quarterfinal loss at the U-23 world championships to #14 (INT) Nicolai Grahmez (MDA). #10 (65) Nachyn Kuular finished as runner-up to #16 (INT) Arman Andreasyan (ARM) at the Military World Championships before cutting back down to 65 KG for the Umakhanov tournament, where he took fifth. 2020 74 KG European runner-up #5 (74) Magomedrasul Gazimagomedov cut down to 70 KG for the Iranian World Club Cup, where he went 2-0 with wins over Junior world champion #17 (INT) Erfan Elahi (IRI) and Farhad Nuri (IRI). #3 Kurban Shiraev won the Umakhanov tournament over #6 Viktor Rassadin. Bronze medalists were #10 Anzor Zakuev over Orozbek Toktomambetov (KGZ) and Alan Kudzoev over Akhmed Nurakhmaev. Zakuev moved up two spots to #8 after tech-falling Russian Nationals bronze medalist #9 Abdulla Akhmedov in his opening round match at the Umakhanov tournament. Alan Kudzoev enters the rankings at #10 for beating Akhmed Nurakhmaev for bronze after Nurakhmaev had beaten Shamil Omarov, 65 KG U-23 Russian Nationals bronze medalist Usman Shakhgiriev and 2018 65 KG Russian Nationals bronze medalist Dasha Sharastepanov. 74 KG #1 Zaurbek Sidakov won the rematch of his Olympic finals match against #2 (INT) Magomedkhabib Kadimagomedov (BLR) at the Alrosa Cup. World bronze medalist #3 Timur Bizhoev went 2-0 at the Iranian World Club Cup, beating Jamal Safar (IRI) and Tokyo Olympian Mostafa Hosseinkhani (IRI). #4 Magomed Kurbanaliev won the Military World Championships over Fariborz Babaei (IRI). Mokhamad Nasirkhaev won the Umakhanov tournament over Akhmad Shakhbanov. Taking bronze at the Umakhanov tournament was Magomed Dibirgadzhiev over Vasile Diacon (MDA) and Islambek Orozbekov (KGZ) over #9 Aznaur Tavaev. Nasirkhaev debuts in the rankings at #7 for his wins over #10 Dibirgadzhiev, #8 Shakhbanov and Diacon, while Shakhbanov debuts in the rankings at #8 for beating #8 Aznaur Tavaev and Islambek Orozbekov (KGZ). Dropping out of the rankings was #9 Nikita Suchkov and #10 Magomed Dibirgadzhiev. #6 Cherman Valiev won the U-23 World Championships over Mohammadsadegh Firouzpourbandpei (IRI). 79 KG #2 Gadzhi Nabiev moved up to 86 KG, where he lost in his first-round match to Ada Bagomedov at the Umakhanov tournament and has been removed from the rankings. David Betanov finished with a bronze medal at the World Military Championships. #5 Magomed Magomaev won the U-23 world championships over Ramazan Sari (TUR). Taking gold at the Umakhanov tournament was #8 Atsamaz Sanakoev over #12 (INT) Arsalan Budazhapov (KGZ). Taking bronze at the Umakhanov was #3 Akhmed Usmanov over #6 Malik Shavaev and Kakhaber Khubezhty over Yusup Khadzhi Aydaev. Lots of shake-ups from the Umakhanov, with the biggest one being #8 Atsamaz Sanakoev climbing up six spots to #2 for his wins over past Russian Nationals champions #3 Akhmed Usmanov and #6 Malik Shavaev. Shavaev got a small bump in the rankings to #4 after beating Medved champion #4 Amanulla Gadzhimagomedov in his second-round match at the Umakhanov. Gadzhimagomedov drops one spot to #5 while U-23 world champion Magomed Magomaev falls one place to #6 because of his head-to-head loss to Gadzhimagomedov at the Medved. Kakhaber Khubezhty returns to the rankings at #8 for beating 2020 Russian Nationals runner-up Gadzhimurad Alikhmaev on his way to the semifinals of the Umakhanov tournament. 86 KG Three-time World/Olympic bronze medalist #1 Artur Naifonov won the Military World Championships over Mher Makosyan (ARM) and was able to capture two wins in the Iranian Pro League in the semifinals and 3rd place match against Hadi Vafayepour (IRI) 12-1 and Alireza Saberian (IRI) 10-0. 2019 European champion #6 Vladislav Valiev moved up to 92 KG, where he won the Military World Championships and is currently ranked third domestically at the weight. Khabi Khashpakov makes a triumphant return to the rankings at #4 after winning the Umakhanov tournament over #7 Alan Zaseev. Khashpakov upset Yarygin champion #5 Magomedsharif Biyakaev in the semifinals and took out the red hot Zaseev for gold. Zaseev moves up two spots in the rankings for beating #4 Akhmed Gadzhimagomedov in the semifinals. #2 (79) Gadzhi Nabiev made the move up to 86 KG, where he lost his opening round at the Umakhanov to Ada Bagomedov and is now unranked. Taking bronze at the Umakhanov tournament was #7 Magomedsharif Biyakaev over Omar Ziyautdinov and #6 Akhmed Gadzhimagomedov over Azamat Khadzaragov. #10 Arsenali Musalaliev had a strong opening-round victory over Ali Aliev champion #7 (INT) Javrail Shapiev before losing to #6 Akhmed Gadzhimagomedov in the quarterfinals. Musalaliev moves up two spots in the rankings to #8 for his win over Shapiev. U-23 Russian Nationals bronze medalist Zagid Karimov took 5th at the U-23 world championships after a semifinal loss to Mukhammad Aliiev (UKR) and a loss to Lars Schaefle (GER) in the bronze medal match. 92 KG #4 Anzor Urishev has retired from competition and transitioned to coach, so he's been removed from the rankings. #6 (86) Vladislav Valiev moved up to 92 KG, where he won the Military World Championships to slide in at #3 in the rankings. #7 Alan Bagaev had a fantastic performance at the Umakhanov tournament to take gold after wins over #5 Soslan Ktsoev in the semifinals and #2 Azamat Zakuev in the finals to jump up three spots in the rankings to #4. Taking bronze at the Umakhanov were #6 Soslan Ktsoev over Gadzhimagomed Nazhmudinov and Ashkab Saadulaev over Magomedrasul Gazimagomedov (AZE). #8 Guram Chertkoev moved up to 97 KG, where he won the Aslanbek Dzoev memorial tournament over Tazhidin Akaev, with Asadulla Ibragimov taking bronze. #5 Azamat Zakuev finished as runner-up at the U-23 world championships to Senior world bronze medalist #6 (INT) Osman Nurmagomedov (AZE). 97 KG 2019 Russian Nationals champion #2 Vladislav Baitsaev has transferred to Hungary. #7 Magomedkhan Magomedov won the Azerbaijani National Championships over 2018 92 KG U-23 world champion Shamil Zubairov (AZE). Magomedov still competes for Russia as the Azerbaijani National Championships are an open tournament where wrestlers from other countries can compete for the chance to receive interest from coaches and be selected to transfer and compete for the new country. #1 Abdulrashid Sadulaev defeated 2019 world bronze medalist Magomedgadzhi Nurov (NMK) to conclude his year. #2 (INT) Kyle Snyder (USA) won the Umakhanov tournament with victories over Kokh Khugaev, #6 Aslanbek Sotiev, #4 Shamil Musaev and Ali Aliyev. Taking bronze at the event was #6 Aslanbek Sotiev over #4 Shamil Musaev and #5 Ashkab Boltukaev over Maxim Tolmachev. There was quite a bit of shakeup domestically after the Umakhanov tournament, so the foremost results are #6 Aslanbek Sotiev climbing up three spots to #3 after beating #4 Shamil Musaev for bronze. Other important results were Ali Aliyev debuting in the rankings at #5 for beating #5 Ashkab Boltukaev and #9 Maxim Tolmachev to make the finals. #5 (125) Erik Dzhioev cut back down to 97 KG, where he was a Russian Nationals bronze medalist in 2020. Dzhioev was runner-up to #8 (INT) Mohammad Mohammadian at the 97 KG Military World Championships and failed to place at the Umakhanov after an opening-round loss to #6 Ashkab Boltukaev. Dzhioev returns to the 97 KG rankings at #8. #10 Shamil Imam Gadzhialiev failed to place at the U-23 world championships after a 4-4 quarterfinal loss to eventual bronze medalist Jay Aiello (USA). 125 KG #1 Zelimkhan Khizriev won the Shamil Umakhanov tournament title over 2016 Junior world champion #9 Kazbek Khubulov. Taking bronze at the Umakhanov tournament was #11 (INT) Dzianis Khramiankov (BLR) over Abdulla Kurbanov (RUS) and Tamerlan Kumyshev (RUS) over Vitali Piasniak (BLR). 2020 Russian Nationals champion Alan Khugaev made his return to competition, taking bronze at the Military World Championships in November and then failing to place at the Umakhanov tournament after a second-round loss to Khramiankov. Khugaev returns to the rankings at #6. #3 Sergey Kozyrev pinned world bronze medalist #10 (INT) Lkhagvagerel Munkhtur (MGL) at the Alrosa Cup. 2019 Alans champion Batraz Gazzaev won the heavyweight and absolute titles at the Aslanbek Dzoev memorial tournament by beating Guram Chertkoev in the absolute finals and Artem Pukhovsky in the heavyweight finals. #5 Erik Dzhioev cut back down to 97 KG, where he was a Russian Nationals bronze medalist in 2020. Dzhioev was runner-up to #8 (INT) Mohammad Mohammadian at the 97 KG Military World Championships and failed to place at the Umakhanov after an opening-round loss to #6 (97) Ashkab Boltukaev. Russian Nationals bronze medalist Saipudin Magomedov took bronze at the U-23 world championships over Martin Simonyan (ARM) after a lopsided 5-0 loss to eventual champion Anthony Cassioppi (USA) in the semifinals. P4P Returning to the pound-for-pound rankings is two-time national champion Magomed Kurbanaliev at #15. Kurbanaliev is coming off a Military World Championships title over Fariborz Babaei (IRI). Kurbanaliev has past wins over #1 Zaubrek Sidakov, #5 Razambek Zhamalov, #6 Timur Bizhoev, #7 Magomedrasul Gazimagomedov and #10 Israil Kasumov, but can't return higher due to the fact he is coming off a runner-up finish to #6 Timur Bizhoev at the world team wrestle-offs and H2H losses to #1 Zaurbek Sidakov, #5 Razambek Zhamalov and #13 David Baev. 65 KG Junior world champion Shamil Mamedov makes his debut in the pound-for-pound at #19 after winning the Umakhanov tournament over #18 Murshid Mutalimov and U-23 world runner-up #6 (65) Ibragim Abdurakhmanov. 70 KG U-23 Russian Nationals champion #12 Rezuan Kazharov falls thirteen spots in the rankings to #25 after failing to place at the U-23 world championships after a quarterfinal loss to #14 (INT) Nicolai Grahmez (MDA). Kazharov earned his high ranking after beating #13 Kurban Shiraev at U-23 Russian Nationals.

(photo courtesy of Sam Janicki; SJanickiPhoto.com) Like last week, we are in for some slim pickings this week, but after this Sunday, we head into the sprint to the finish in what will be the halfway point for the collegiate wrestling season. The coming weeks until February will be trying and strenuous for you as the #FantasyCollegeWrestling Coach since duals (and some tournaments) will be STARTING on Mondays and Tuesdays. The Week 8 article will actually be posted soon, which will have the Collegiate Wrestling Duals and the smattering of regular duals as well, with a preface to a holiday theme and tradition that is close to my heart. But, let's talk about those Collegiate Wrestling Duals. For some reason, this is a very polarizing topic with the fanbase, and I think a lot of it comes from maybe misinterpreting or maybe not quite explaining the finer points to whatever argument they have. Let Tony give his two cents: Alex Steen came out with an awesome article back in April on InterMat about how to possibly fold a “D1 National Collegiate Dual”-esque format into the regular season, much like high school has. His example used the previous year's NCAA March Tournament placement, adjusted with graduated or non-returning wrestlers to those respective teams. While I love that idea, and Alex obviously used great data points to craft his proposal, I have been workshopping a different idea/approach on how to proceed with a similar format. Alex's proposal still emphasizes the individual March Tournament as the key driver to entry. My idea is to have the regular season play the main factor in qualifying. And again, this is a rough draft because it hasn't been done at this level and there would most likely be monetary and logistical issues out the wazoo to contend with, but just go with me here: Much like the format of the UEFA Champions League, but without the group stage aspect, teams would compete in their normal conference dual schedule. Based on a factor to be determined later (maybe conference standings at the NCAA Tournament in that regard), the final standings of the team within their conference would be the qualifier into the National Team Dual Tournament. Conferences like the Big Ten, Big XII, and EIWA could remain intact or could potentially be split into East/West, Ivy/Patriot, etc., groupings for this consideration. A total of 16 teams would qualify for the tournament, which would be bracketed. How would it be bracketed? That's a good question that I think could go to some of our sport's more creative groups, but to just spitball an idea, each conference winner gets seeded and 1 through 7, with the 8th seed being the highest of the remaining teams. Others would be randomly drawn in or seeded as well. Example: Campbell finishes the 2021-2022 season as the top team in the dual standings for SoCon. They get an automatic bid into the National Team Dual Tournament. They would be inserted as a top 7 seed in the bracket, while Michigan, who finished 3rd in the Big Ten but was able to grab an auto qualifier spot, would be drawn in and could face Cambell in the first round. The only downside to this is and the first-year team would have to be the time the band-aid that gets ripped off, is that the qualifier counts for NEXT YEAR. So in that same example from above, if Campbell wins the 2021-2022 SoCon Conference, then they would be qualified and seeded for the 2022-2023 National Team Dual Tournament. This could be a recruiting tool (“hey, we qualified for National Team Duals”) and would give coaches another opportunity to go to their AD with positives about the program. The downside is that the dynamic and exciting Senior wrestler doesn't get to be showcased in the Tournament he helped the team qualify for. Now, how would the Tournament be run? Most likely, it would have to be over the course of the season (remember I said logistical and money issues?), where maybe the first round could be held in one of four locations across the country (perhaps the highest seed of that grouping/quarter of the bracket?) that could accommodate the teams in one day. Then maybe a month or so later, the next round, then a month or so later after that, a two-day set for the Semis and Finals (losing teams would compete for 3rd place, and could be the prelim match to the Finals). Oh, and based on final placing, there would be monetary winnings. That way, even if you qualify and lose in the first round, your program still gets rewarded for taking the regular season seriously and winning/placing high in your conference. Much like the Journeyman system in place for this coming Collegiate Wrestling Duals, but maybe some tweaks to how the PPV and funds are obtained and dispersed. And just to be clear, the results of this tournament (outside of the individual matches), hold no bearing on the NCAA Tournament in March. No added points, no extra qualifier, etc. This is a separate and storybuilding event. Just an idea… On to Week 7 One tournament shines in this lackluster competition week, the Reno Tournament of Champions. While the entry list has yet to officially be seen, I have my inklings, but don't want to post anything until I get at least some confidence in actual potential participants. Keep those alerts on for @FantasyD1Wrestl and when I do give an update, you can be the first to know and hit the Transfer Portal to win the week! It's going to be another scrappy week, hang in there! Wrestlers I Like This Week Wrestler (School)- competition for the week [Proj Score] *organized by projected score first, then by school name* 125: Trevor Mastrogiovanni (Oklahoma State)- @ Air Force, @ Wyoming [+7] Micah Roes (Binghamton)- @ Sacred Heart [+4] 133: Daton Fix (Oklahoma State)- @ Air Force, @ Wyoming [+9] Gio Disabato (Ohio)- Vs Campbell, Vs Gardner-Webb, Vs George Mason [+9] Codi Russell (Appalachian State)- Vs North Carolina, @ Bellarmine [+8] Derek Spann (Buffalo)- Vs Bucknell, Vs Lock Haven (@BUCK) [+7] Anthony Sobotker (Binghamton)- @ Sacred Heart [+4] Chance Rich (CSU Bakersfield)- @ Little Rock [+3] 141: Kaden Cassidy (George Mason)- Vs Davidson, Vs Gardner-Webb, Vs Ohio [+9] Kizhan Clarke (North Carolina)- @ Appalachian State [+3] 149: Josh Finesilver (Duke)- Vs Bloomsburg, Vs The Citadel, Vs Presbyterian [+10] Alex Madrigal (George Mason)- Vs Davidson, Vs Gardner-Webb, Vs Ohio [+9] Josh Heil (Campbell)- Vs Gardner-Webb, Vs Ohio [+7] Kaden Gfeller (Oklahoma State)- @ Air Force, @ Wyoming [+7] Nick Lombard (Binghamton)- @ Sacred Heart [+4] Ian Parker (Iowa State)- Vs Purdue [+4] 157 Jordan Slivka (Ohio)- Vs Campbell, Vs Gardner-Webb, Vs George Mason [+11] Dazjon Casto (The Citadel)- Vs Bloomsburg, Vs Duke (@DUKE) [+6] Austin O'Connor (North Carolina)- @ Appalachian State [+4] David Carr (Iowa State)- Vs Purdue [+4] Nick Palumbo (Sacred Heart)- Vs Binghamton [+3] 165: Roderick Mosley (Gardner-Webb)- Vs Campbell, Vs George Mason, Vs Ohio [+9] Zach Hartman (Bucknell)- Vs Buffalo, Vs Lock Haven [+8] Travis Wittlake (Oklahoma State)- @ Air Force, @ Wyoming [+7] Selwyn Porter (The Citadel)- Vs Bloomsburg, Vs Duke (@DUKE) [+6] Izzak Olejnik (Northern Illinois)- Vs Kent State [+4] 174: Matt Finesilver (Duke)- Vs Bloomsburg, Vs The Citadel, Vs Presbyterian [+12] Logan Messer (George Mason)- Vs Davidson, Vs Gardner-Webb, Vs Ohio [+11] 184: Vincent Baker (Duke)- Vs Bloomsburg, Vs The Citadel, Vs Presbyterian [+11] Dakota Geer (Oklahoma State)- @ Air Force, @ Wyoming [+8] Brit Wilson (Northern Illinois)- Vs Kent State [+4] 197: Kaden Russell (Duke)- Vs Bloomsburg, Vs The Citadel, Vs Presbyterian [+15] AJ Ferrari (Oklahoma State)- @ Air Force, @ Wyoming [+7] Lou DePrez (Binghamton)- @ Sacred Heart [+4] 285: Taye Ghadiali (Campbell)- Vs Gardner-Webb, Vs Ohio [+7] Michael McAleavey (The Citadel)- Vs Bloomsburg, Vs Duke (@DUKE) [+7] Joe Doyle (Binghamton)- @ Sacred Heart [+4] Josiah Hill (Little Rock)- Vs CSU Bakersfield [+4] Think I missed someone? Disagree with someone on the list or their projection? Want to know our thoughts on a matchup? Let me know! Win the week!

(photo courtesy of Tony Rotundo; WrestlersAreWarriors.com) As December wraps up and we move into the Holiday season, we've got a great slate of duals over the next week. At least 41 duals and one tournament will go on during the remainder of this week and into Monday/Tuesday. Since it can be difficult to figure out where and when to watch all of these events, InterMat has put together a list of all of the live-streamed events occurring this weekend. Below are the dates/times and how to watch each match. All times Eastern Friday, December 17: Oklahoma State at Air Force, 2:00 PM FloWrestling North Carolina at Appalachian State, 7:00 PM The Grind (Rokfin) Oklahoma State at Wyoming, 9:30 PM FloWrestling Saturday, December 18: Buffalo at Bucknell, 11:00 AM Bucknell YouTube Kent State vs. Harper at Northern Illinois, 11:00 AM Buffalo vs. Lock Haven at Bucknell, 12:30 PM Bucknell YouTube Kent State at Northern Illinois, 1:00 PM NIU All-AccessBinghamton at Sacred Heart, 1:00 PM Lock Haven at Bucknell, 2:00 PM Bucknell YouTube Harper at Northern Illinois, 3:00 PM NIU All-Access Michigan State vs. Baldwin Wallace at Olivet, 5:30 PM Olivet Stretch Michigan State at Olivet, 7:00 PM Olivet Stretch Sunday, December 19: The Citadel at Duke, 10:00 AM ESPN+ Bloomsburg vs. The Citadel at Duke, 12:00 PM Campbell at Gardner-Webb, 12:00 PM ESPN+ George Mason vs. Ohio at Gardner-Webb, 12:00 PM American, Cal Poly, California Baptist, Clarion, Oregon State, Stanford, Wyoming at Reno Tournament of Champions, Reno, NV, 12:00 PM FloWrestling Appalachian State at Bellarmine, 1:00 PM BU Knights Sports Network Bloomsburg at Duke, 2:00 PM ESPN+ Campbell vs. Ohio at Gardner-Webb, 2:00 PM George Mason at Gardner-Webb, 2:00 PM ESPN+ CSU Bakersfield at Little Rock, 2:00 PM Little Rock All-Access Ohio at Gardner-Webb, 4:00 PM ESPN+ George Mason at Davidson, 7:00 PM ESPN+ Iowa State vs. Purdue at Humboldt, IA, 7:00 PM FloWrestling Monday, December 20: Binghamton vs. Missouri at Niceville, FL, 11:00 AM Collegiate Duals (Rokfin) Hofstra vs. Virginia Tech at Niceville, FL, 11:00 AM Collegiate Duals (Rokfin) Arizona State vs. Hofstra at Niceville, FL, 1:00 PM Collegiate Duals (Rokfin) Binghamton vs. NC State at Niceville, FL, 1:00 PM Collegiate Duals (Rokfin) Arizona State vs. Virginia Tech at Niceville, FL, 3:00 PM Collegiate Duals (Rokfin) Missouri vs. NC State at Niceville, FL, 3:00 PM Collegiate Duals (Rokfin) Central Michigan vs. Lehigh at Niceville, FL, 5:00 PM Collegiate Duals (Rokfin) Cornell vs. Northern Iowa at Niceville, FL, 5:00 PM Collegiate Duals (Rokfin) Central Michigan vs. Iowa at Niceville, FL, 7:00 PM Collegiate Duals (Rokfin) Northern Iowa vs. Penn State at Niceville, FL, 7:00 PM Collegiate Duals (Rokfin) Cornell vs. Penn State at Niceville, FL, 9:00 PM Collegiate Duals (Rokfin) Iowa vs. Lehigh at Niceville, FL, 9:00 PM Collegiate Duals (Rokfin) Chattanooga at West Virginia, 12:00 PM ESPN+ Cleveland State at West Virginia, 10:30 AM ESPN+ Chattanooga vs. Cleveland State at West Virginia, 1:30 PM ESPN+ Oklahoma State at Utah Valley, 9:00 PM FloWrestling Tuesday, December 21: Kent State at Edinboro, 1:00 PM Arizona State, Cornell, Hofstra, Northern Iowa, Penn State, Virginia Tech at Collegiate Wrestling Duals (Blue Pool), 2:00 PM, 4:00 PM, and 8:00 PM Collegiate Duals (Rokfin) Binghamton, Central Michigan, Iowa, Lehigh, Missouri, NC State at Collegiate Wrestling Duals (Red Pool), 2:00 PM, 4:00 PM, and 6:00 PM Collegiate Duals (Rokfin)

Cornell All-American Vito Arujau (photo courtesy of Tony Rotundo; WrestlersAreWarriors.com) We're less than a week away from the Collegiate Wrestling Duals presented by Journeymen Wrestling, Monday and Tuesday on the campus of Northwest Florida State College. A star-studded group of teams will participate as six of the top ten and seven of the top-11 will make the trip down to Florida. Before we get into a preview of the event (Thursday/Friday), we've found five big questions surrounding the duals and their participants. The answers to these questions could substantially impact the rest of the NCAA season. 1) Will we see Iowa's full lineup? By “full lineup,” we mean Spencer Lee at 125 lbs and Michael Kemerer at 174. The Hawkeyes have only appeared in three duals thus far, but neither has appeared in any of the duals. In their absence, Jesse Ybarra (125) and Nelson Brands (174) have filled in admirably. Brands has won all three of his dual appearances, with major decisions in two of them. Ybarra won the Luther Open, before splitting his two actual matches. With both in the lineup next week, the Hawkeyes still “could” get by NC State or Missouri in their undecided dual meet on Tuesday. But with one or both? Iowa is a sizable favorite. Word is that Spencer is expected to travel and should be available for the duals. Just “how available” remains to be seen. People close to the situation don't anticipate that he'll wrestle all three duals, but perhaps one or two. So does Spencer wrestle in a dual that's expected to be “less-competitive” as a tune-up or get saved for either Missouri or NC State on Tuesday? Either matchup could provide an interesting barometer for Lee. As we've seen in the past, just a semi-healthy Lee is good enough to win an NCAA title. Missouri would send out #15 Noah Surtin, while NC State has #5 Jakob Camacho. There's less optimism about the availability of Kemerer on Monday/Tuesday. The prevailing wisdom is that Kemerer is still a second-semester guy for Iowa. Nelson Brands' success this year at 174 lbs, makes his return less of an immediate priority for the Hawks. 2) Is Vito going down to 125? One of the long-running narratives of the preseason and early-season for myself and EIWA correspondent Austin Sommer has been what Cornell's lineup will look like? Particularly Vito Arujau and Yianni Diakomihalis. After a couple of duals and the Cliff Keen Las Vegas title at 149 lbs, it seems like Yianni may have a new home. Arujau, on the other hand, remains to be seen. For years, wrestling fans and media have speculated that Vito would eventually move up to 133 lbs and he might very well, at some point. Those close to the situation have always said that Arujau is lighter than most people realize and has little difficulty making 125, which is also his international weight. Vito has only taken the mat once this season and it was for the “Rob Koll Bowl” when the former Cornell coach brought his new Stanford team to Ithaca. During that dual, Arujau wrestled at 133 lbs and majored 2021 NCAA qualifier Jackson DiSario. Word is, Arujau weighed in light enough where 125 would be an option, without a lengthy descent plan. After seeing Cornell's results (without Vito) at the CKLV Invitational, he's probably “needed” more at 125 lbs, as Greg Diakomihalis went 0-2 at the weight. Dom LaJoie got the call at 133 and picked up a pair of wins. LaJoie started for the Big Red at 125 lbs in 2019-20 and went 16-21. If, in fact, Vito goes 125 for the Duals, it sets up an exciting bout at in pool competition with 2021 Big 12 champion #10 Brody Teske (Northern Iowa). On day two, he could see either 2021 All-American #16 Sam Latona (Virginia Tech) or 2021 NCAA runner-up Brandon Courtney (Arizona State). 3) Will Arizona State unleash Cael Valencia? Speaking of the Sun Devils, they have a pretty salty lineup! They boast six returning All-Americans and are ranked in the top-15 in eight of the ten weight classes this year. The 2021 NCAA Championships saw Zeke Jones' squad take home a team trophy for the first time since 1995. With such a talented squad in tow, the Sun Devils will be expected to compete for another in 2022. The only problem? Everyone is loaded! Aside from Arizona State, there are probably nine other teams that think they deserve to hold some sort of NCAA hardware on Saturday night in Detroit. As we prepare to turn the calendar to 2022, a handful of contenders have made late additions to solidify their contender status. Michigan is expected to add 2019 NCAA champion Nick Suriano and two-time All-American Logan Massa made his semi-unexpected return last weekend. Penn State could get help from All-American Drew Hildebrandt at 125 lbs. Oklahoma State has turned to true freshman Carter Young at 141 lbs, rather than an established NCAA qualifier like Dusty Hone. It's unlikely that Arizona State and lure any difference-making transfers at 174 or 184 lbs (the only two weights not currently ranked for ASU), but the Sun Devil staff does have a blue-chip ace up their sleeve. True freshman Cael Valencia, the latest in a chain of great brothers for the program, is an option at 174 lbs. In limited action, competing unattached so far, Valencia has gone 8-0. His most notable win came a few weeks ago, when he knocked off #15 Hayden Hastings (Wyoming), the 14th seed at the NCAA Championships, last year. A win over an opponent like Hastings shows he can compete and defeat most current collegiate opponents. But can he sustain that type of production? Arizona State has one of the toughest non-conference slates in the nation. Can he compete with opponents of Hastings' caliber, or better, every outing? Only the ASU staff knows this for sure (or at least has a good idea). If Valencia were to go Monday, he'd have to face 2019 NCAA champion Mekhi Lewis, who has looked excellent during his move up to 174 lbs. That would be a baptism by fire for the true freshman. ASU also drew Hofstra on day one. Day two would likely consist of a bout against either #12 Chris Foca (Cornell) or #1 Carter Starocci (Penn State). At the Cowboy Open, the site where Valencia defeated Hastings, he also majored the Sun Devils current starter Zane Coleman, 14-3. While there are many factors the ASU brass has to consider when burning a redshirt, one is just how many points could Valencia bring at the national tournament? Will only a few points be worth it? Is he capable of scoring more? Once again, we don't know that answer and only Jones' coaches have an educated guess. Now, it's entirely possible that Valencia doesn't compete in Florida and get pulled in January. Of course, the Sun Devils January 3rd dual with Massa and Michigan isn't ideal, but January 9th-16th against Joel Devine (Iowa State), Hunter Kernan (Pittsburgh), and Mikey Squires (Princeton), may make for a more manageable debut. Whatever ASU's decision is, it makes for great theater. 4) What the heck happens with Mizzou/NC State? Once the official pairings were released for the duals, this was the one that stuck out most, in terms of competitiveness and high-level matchups. With apologies to Arizona State and Virginia Tech. At least in the first set of pool competition. So, who prevails and likely faces Iowa? We'll have a more in-depth look in our actual preview, but just looking at rankings, NC State has the edge at 125, 133, 149, 174, 184. So that sets up for a 5-5 split, barring upsets. One factor that could tilt things in favor of the Tigers is 133 lbs. The Tigers expected to regain the services of Matt Schmitt (seeded #6 at the 2021 NCAA Tournament) and a top-ten caliber wrestler “sometime in December.” If Schmitt returns for the Duals, he could make it a 6-4 swing in favor of Brian Smith's team. So, as anyone who's ever watched more than two duals know, rankings can go out the window when you have teams of this caliber squaring off. Six-matches-to-four, a five/five split, doesn't really matter. They're bound to be some unexplainable results, so of course, let's try to find where this dual could go sideways. 125: Even though there's a significant disparity between #5 Jakob Camacho (NC State) and #15 Noah Surtin (Missouri), Surtin has won a battle of common's opponents with a win over Sam Latona, two weeks ago. 141: Mizzou has the ranking edge (14 to 16) and the seniority, comparing Allan Hart to Ryan Jack, a talented, 16th ranked freshman winning this matchup, hardly qualifies as an upset. 157: Once again, Mizzou has the experience with #15 Jarrett Jacques over #23 Ed Scott, but the second-year version of Scott is looking really good. Granted, he hasn't defeated a ranked opponent yet, but Scott has largely dominated all-comers. 165: The possibly under-ranked #3 Keegan O'Toole (Missouri) presents an imposing task for #18 Thomas Bullard, who is trying to rebound from a loss to Will Formato (Appalachian State) on Sunday. Could the dangerous O'Toole add a bonus point or three? 197: Another second-year wrestler that has looked lights-out for the Wolfpack is #15 Isaac Trumble. Maybe knocking off #4 Rocky Elam isn't in the cards, quite yet, but he did upset eventual NCAA runner-up Nino Bonaccorsi (Pittsburgh) as a true freshman. 285: However the chips fall; expect this dual to come down to the big guys (provided they start at 125). NC State could start #28 Owen Trephan or 2021 ACC champion Deonte Wilson. Whomever they send out will be competitive and is capable of knocking off #16 Zach Elam (Missouri). 5) Where's the best chance for a day one upset (team-wise)? Ok, so we're excluding #5 NC State/#10 Missouri and #6 Arizona State/#9 Virginia Tech from this true “upset' talk. While wins by Mizzou or Tech would register as upsets on paper, it wouldn't be that earth-shattering. Let's look further into the event. What I could find as a possible upset, would be unranked Central Michigan topping #21 Lehigh. There are actually some results between these two squads from the 2021-22 season, as both were at the Journeymen Collegiate Classic and had some of the team members grouped in pools together. Most notable at 285 as heavyweight All-Americans, Jordan Wood (Lehigh) and Matt Stencel (Central Michigan), clashed. Wood was victorious 3-1, but it's basically a toss-up, between very similar opponents. At 149, though Manzona Bryant (Lehigh), makes the national rankings (#30), he was tripped up by a point from Central Michigan's Corbyn Munson. Other advantageous weights for the Chippewas include 141 lbs with #7 Dresden Simon, along with 184 and 197. At 165 and 174 lbs, Lehigh is favored with returning national qualifiers at both weights; however, CMU's wrestlers at those classes Tracy Hubbard (165) and Jake Lowell (174) aren't too far away from the top-33 and could pull a slight upset.

UNI 141 lber Cael Happel (photo courtesy of Mark Lundy; LutteLens.com) Friday 12/10 North Dakota State DEF Edinboro 34-9 North Dakota State DEF Binghamton 27-12 Saturday 12/11 Iowa State, South Dakota State, Northern Iowa, Missouri at UNI Open, hosted by Northern Iowa 125 3rd Place - Caleb Fuessley (ISU) 133 2nd Place - Kyle Biscoglia (UNI) 4th Place - Jack Wagner (UNI) 5th Place - Jack Skudlarczyk (UNI) 6th Place - Julian Farber (UNI) 141 2nd Place - Cael Happel (UNI) 4th Place - Ethan Basile (UNI) 149 1st Place - Colin Realbuto (UNI) 4th Place - Daniel Kimball (South Dakota State) 5th Place - Logan Gioffre (Missouri) 157 2nd Place - Jarrett Jacques (Missouri) 3rd Place - Derek Holschlag (UNI) 4th Place - Cayd Lara (UNI) 5th Place - Rj Weston (UNI) 6th Place - Cael Swensen (SDSU) 165 3rd Place - Isaac Judge (ISU) 4th Place - Grant Stotts (ISU) 5th Place - Carter Schmidt (ISU) 174 2nd Place - Pat Schoenfelder (UNI) 4th Place - Julien Broderson (ISU) 5th Place - Sean Harman (Missouri) 6th Place - Ellis Pfleger (Missouri) 184 1st Place - Parker Keckeisen (UNI) 2nd Place - Colton Hawks (Missouri) 3rd Place - Roman Rogotzke (SDSU) 5th Place - Cade King (SDSU) 6th Place - DeMichael Franklin (ISU) 197 2nd Place - Cody Donnelly (SDSU) 4th Place - Noah Glaser (UNI) 6th Place - Adam Ahrendson (UNI) 285 1st Place - Tyrell Gordon (UNI) 2nd Place - Bowen McConville (SDSU) 3rd Place - Ethan Andersen (ISU) 4th Place - Juan Mora (North Dakota State) 6th Place - Seth Nitzel (Missouri) North Dakota State DEF Buffalo 34-7 Sunday 12/5 West Virginia DEF VMI 36-3 Oklahoma State DEF Oklahoma 31-3 There wasn't a lot on the schedule last week with finals and fall graduation for a lot of schools, but the Big 12 went 4-0 vs. out of conference opponents and UNI hosted a big tournament with a number of schools from the Big 12 sending guys. Good performances: Colin Realbuto(149) and Tyrell Gordon(HWT) winning the UNI Open Both Realbuto and Gordon had two ranked matches when UNI wrestled Missouri and Virginia Tech last week. They both lost each of their matches. We often talk about the mental game with wrestling, and it can be difficult to bounce back after a few losses like that. Realbuto and Gordon pretty solidly controlled their brackets here. Kaden Gfeller is another. Dom Demas was up at 149 replacing Mitch Moore for OU. Gfeller got a really solid win over the two-time Big 12 champion and All-American. The type of win that could be a crucial confidence builder for Gfeller this season. What everyone is talking about: Two weeks and two rivalry brawls This one had a little less of a whole team vibe than what we saw with Iowa and Iowa State last week, but during the handshakes after Bedlam, OU heavyweight Josh Heindselman shoves AJ Ferrari and all hell breaks loose for a few seconds before Joe Smith charges in ends things and both teams walk away. You can check out the video here on my Twitter. Crazy thing is these two teams will meet again in February in Stillwater.