InterMat Staff

North Carolina will travel to Ohio State on November 7th (Photo/Tony Rotundo; WrestlersAreWarriors.com) Each week throughout the collegiate wrestling season, our conference correspondent staff will make their picks for some of the most exciting duals of the upcoming week. We will select duals that appear to be the most competitive, rather than always featuring the biggest names, as to elicit varying opinions. Also, we will keep tabs on the winners and losers and probably make fun of the people with the worst records. Here are the week one picks!

2x Iowa state champ Hunter Garvin (Photo/Sam Janicki; SJanickiPhoto.com) Today, Stanford received their first big commitment under first-year head coach Rob Koll. #9 overall Hunter Garvin (Iowa City West, IA), announced via social media that he had given the Cardinal a verbal commitment. Garvin is currently ranked #3 in the nation at 145 lbs. Garvin is a two-time Iowa 3A state champion and three-time finalist. He was selected to compete at Who's #1 in the fall and came up just short against NC State recruit Jackson Arrington (Forest Hills, PA). In 2020, Garvin was third at the Super 32. He has also placed in Fargo twice, both times at 16U Greco-Roman. Also on the Greco front, Garvin was fourth at UWW Junior Nationals this year. With Garvin's commitment, Koll's team now has verbals from a pair of top-50 recruits; along with #46 Daniel Cardenas (Pomona, CO). #118 Jack Darrah (Wyoming Seminary, PA) is also in the fold of what's shaking out to be an excellent first recruiting class for Koll. Getting recruits of this caliber was essential for Koll, since there was almost no Class of 2021 to speak of after the program was set to be dropped. Garvin projects as a 149/157 lber for the Cardinal. While the team has young talent at 157, they are not proven on the collegiate level. For all of the current recruits, check out InterMat's college commitment page.

2021 ACC Champions: NC State (Photo/Sam Janicki; SJanickiPhoto.com) Five Straight Weeks of ACC Friday Night Duals Beginning with No. 10 Virginia Tech at No. 5 NC State on January 21 ACC Wrestling Championship Finals Live on ACC Network on March 6 For the third straight year, ACC wrestling fans will enjoy a dedicated night of programming on ACC Network (ACCN), the 24/7 national platform dedicated to ACC sports, as Friday Night Duals begin on Friday, January 21. ACC Network Extra (ACCNX), ACCN's digital platform available on the ESPN App, will carry additional matches throughout the regular season. Five duals, including three ranked matchups, highlight the Friday Night Duals slate beginning with the anticipated date between Virginia Tech and NC State at Reynolds Coliseum on January 21 at 7 p.m. The Wolfpack enter the season ranked fifth while the Hokies are 10th. No. 14 North Carolina travels to Virginia the following week (January 28, 7 p.m.) and Duke visits Blacksburg to meet the Hokies on February 4 at 7 p.m. Back-to-back ranked duals round out ACCN's regular season coverage with No. 20 Pitt hosting the Wolfpack on February 11 (7 p.m.) and rivals No. 14 North Carolina and NC State clashing in Raleigh on February 18 (7 p.m.). Shawn Kenney and Rock Harrison, who have called multiple ACC Wrestling Championships and the past two seasons of Friday Night Duals will be back for the 2022 slate of duals. Weekly ACC Wrestling Guests on Packer and Durham Packer and Durham, ACCN's weekday morning show from 7-10 a.m., will again spotlight ACC wrestling with guests throughout the season. ACC Wrestling Championship Coverage ACC Network will carry the finals of the 2022 ACC Wrestling Championship live from John Paul Jones Arena at Virginia on Sunday, March 6, beginning at 7 p.m. Preliminary and consolation round matches will be available on ACC Network Extra (ACCNX), ACCN's digital platform available on the ESPN App. NC State has won the last three straight ACC wrestling crowns and four of the last six. Ranked Teams, Individuals The ACC has four teams ranked in the latest InterMat rankings, including two among the top 10 (No. 5 NC State and No. 10 Virginia Tech), along with No. 14 North Carolina and No. 20 Pitt. Individually, nine ACC wrestlers are nationally ranked in the top five of their respective weight classes by InterMat, including 2021 NCAA 149-pound Champion Austin O'Connor who enters the season ranked No. 2 in the 157-pound weight class. Additionally, NC State's Tariq Wilson (149) and Pitt's Nino Bonaccorsi (197) are also ranked No. 2 nationally, while NC State's Trent Hidlay (184) is ranked third. Pitt's Jake Wentzel (165) and Virginia Tech's Mekhi Lewis (174) are ranked fourth, and Virginia Tech's Korbin Myers (133), North Carolina's Zach Sherman (149) and NC State's Hayden Hidlay (174) are ranked fifth. Lewis won a 2019 individual NCAA title at the 165-point weight class. Overall, a total of 35 ACC wrestlers hold top-30 weight class rankings entering the 2021-22 season. Friday Night Duals on ACC Network Date Time (ET) Match Network Fri, Jan. 21 7 p.m. No. 10 Virginia Tech at No. 5 NC State ACCN Fri, Jan. 28 7 p.m. No. 14 North Carolina at Virginia ACCN Fri, Feb. 4 7 p.m. Duke at No. 10 Virginia Tech ACCN Fri, Feb. 11 7 p.m. No. 5 NC State at No. 20 Pitt ACCN Fri, Feb. 18 7 p.m. No. 14 North Carolina at No. 5 NC State ACCN About ACC Network Owned and operated by ESPN in partnership with the Atlantic Coast Conference, ACC Network (ACCN) and its digital platform ACCNX is a 24/7 national network dedicated to ACC sports that launched on August 22, 2019. ACCN televises more than 500 regular-season and tournament games from across the conference's 27 sponsored sports plus a complement of news and information shows and original programming. Together, ACCN and its digital platform, ACCNX, combine to feature more than 1,500 ACC events each year. ESPN has been televising ACC content since 1979 and has exclusive rights to every conference-controlled game across all sports and championships. Carriage agreements are in place with the following video providers: Cox, DIRECTV, DIRECTV STREAM, DISH Network, Frontier, fuboTV, Google Fiber, Hulu+ Live TV, Mediacom, Optimum, Sling TV, Spectrum TV, Suddenlink, Verizon Fios, YouTube TV, members of the NCTC, NRTC and Vivicast, among others. All ACCN games will also be available on the ESPN App to authenticated subscribers. Fans interested in learning more about ACCN can visit www.GetACCN.com.

2021 NCAA runner-up Brandon Courtney (Photo/Tony Rotundo; WrestlersAreWarriors.com) Arizona State Sun Devils “It [has] been a lot of elbow grease over the last several years. … I think we're now starting to stabilize this program where we can start to really, truly do some good things on the wrestling mat, classroom, and life.” --Head Coach Zeke Jones The reigning Pac-12 champions and NCAA fourth-place team, Arizona State, is set to make another run at the national championships this coming year. Coach Zeke Jones and company enter the year with seven wrestlers ranked in the Top 9 of their respective weights, including six NCAA qualifiers from 2021, among them five 2021 All-Americans and one Round of 12 finisher. The Sun Devils are the team to beat in the conference, ranked the preseason #3 tournament, #8 dual team by InterMat. With the entire conference feeling energized and reloaded after the truncated season in 2021, Arizona State will get the best from their in-conference competitors as they pursue the highest distinction at the national level. The staff has put together a diverse list of competitors for the 2021-2022 season, laying out a persistent schedule ahead for the wrestlers. The Sun Devils wrestle a brief open tournament schedule in November, with a mid-month dual-meet against UR/#12 Oklahoma sandwiched between the Mountaineer (Appalachian State) Open and Cowboy (Wyoming) Open, and end their first semester at the inaugural Collegiate Duals just before Christmas. They then run an eleven-dual strong second-semester schedule of non-conference duals bookending the brief-but-spicy Pac-12 dual-season, including #5/#5 Michigan in early January and #6/#2 Missouri mid-February. Considering the Pac-12 conference tournament is a one-day event, it appears the Sun Devils are banking their tournament wrestling for NCAAs. TOP RETURNERS The highest, preseason ranked Sun Devils enter the year at #4 in their respective weight classes. These three wrestlers are evenly distributed in the Arizona State line-up (125, lightweight; 157, middle-weight; 285, heavyweight), forming a balanced pitchfork with which Coach Jones and staff can combat a strong national field. Brandon Courtney is the returning NCAA Runner-up at 125lbs, falling to Spencer Lee at the conclusion of an outstanding, one-loss season for the 2x Pac-12 Champion. With the return of the Ivy League competitors, the necessity for Courtney to jump a level is imminent as he will be an instrumental piece to any team-trophy bid for Arizona State. At 157lbs, returning All-American and fellow 2x Pac-12 Champion Jacori Teemer is a proven factor at the weight, having won six(!) matches at NCAAs to finish 4th in 2021, leaving the NCAA mat in a 1-0 loss to preseason #3 Ryan Deakin (Northwestern) for third place. Teemer is expected to be in a tight-race at a dynamic weight-class, with last year's 149lbs NCAA Champion, #2 Austin O'Connor (North Carolina), moving up to face defending NCAA Champion, #1 David Carr (Iowa State), a move that undoubtedly further complicates claims to the national crown. Cohlton Schultz made himself a known force at heavyweight, finishing 4th at a loaded 285lbs class in 2021 -- all while continuing to pursue a budding senior-level Greco career for himself, already a 2019 Junior World Silver. After NCAAs, Schultz made the 2021 Senior World Team and now returns to the collegiate mat with invaluable international experience in tow -- not to mention four more years of collegiate eligibility. Schultz is on a path to be a serious contender for the national title now and for the foreseeable future. KEY DEPARTURES From the 2021 NCAA squad, the Sun Devils have seen two wrestlers depart via transfer. National qualifier Cory Crooks (149) completed his undergraduate studies and is now a graduate student at Oregon State. Pac-12 runner-up and national qualifier Trey Munoz (174) transferred out after a strong freshman season, also landing at in-conference Oregon State. At 184lbs, Cade Belshay's graduation leaves 184lbs open for a new starter. TOP NEWCOMERS Cael Valencia, InterMat's Preseason Pac-12 Newcomer of the Year, draws our attention with his potential. The youngest Valencia, Cael follows his brothers in wrestling for the Sun Devils and was the #13 (MatScouts) recruit from the high school class of 2021. Twice a California State runner-up before losing his senior year to COVID, Valencia nonetheless brings his own reputation to Arizona State. With Stanford's #31 Tyler Eischens the only Pac-12 wrestler ranked in the preseason, 174lbs may be ripe for a new face to make their mark. It'll be up to Valencia to establish himself as a force this early into his collegiate career. Additionally, two transfers provide immediate quality in the Arizona State line-up, with Jonathan Fagen (184, Cornell) and returning All-American, #6 Kyle Parco (149, Fresno State) now training in Tempe. Fagen is projected to help shore up the 184lbs class, where the graduation of Cade Belshay has left a void in experience for the Sun Devils. Similarly, with the aforementioned Crooks graduating and transferring, Parco's transfer into the Arizona State room immediately fills the void at 149lbs with an All-American caliber wrestler. WRESTLERS TO WATCH To reiterate, the Sun Devils will field a line-up with potentially seven Top 9 wrestlers, of which three are ranked in the Top 4 of their weight class. Sun Devil faithful should relish any opportunity to get eyes on the Arizona State squad this season, if only for the intrigue. Of particular intrigue is the conclusion of the collegiate career of All-American, #7 Anthony Valencia (165). Will Valencia, the Sun Devil's most seasoned and senior member, be able to cap his career with an unprecedented fifth Pac-12 title and an elusive national championship? Will he be able to spur his young Sun Devil teammates to another team-trophy performance? Such questions of a team's senior and team are themselves strong indicators of what is yet to come, and Valencia and his fellow Sun Devils are sure to enter the year with lofty expectations. POTENTIAL LINEUP 125: #4 Brandon Courtney (RS-Jr), Pac-12 Champion (2020, 2021), NWCA All-American (2020), NCAA Runner-up (2021) 133: #9 Michael McGee (RS-Jr), MAC Champion (2018-2019), NCAA All-American (2021) 141: Jesse Vasquez (Fr) / Julian Chlebove (RS-Fr) 149: #6 Kyle Parco (RS-Fr), NCAA All-American (2021) 157: #4 Jacori Teemer (RS-So), Pac-12 Champion (2020, 2021), NWCA All-American (2020), NCAA All-American (2021) 165: #7 Anthony Valencia (RS-Sr), Pac-12 Champion (2017, 2018, 2020, 2021), NWCA All-American (2020), NCAA All-American (2021) 174: Cael Valencia (Fr) 184: Josh Nummer (RS-Fr) / Jonathan Fagen (So-Tr) 197: #8 Kordell Norfleet (RS-Jr), Pac-12 Champion (2018, 2020-2021), NCAA Round of 12 (2021), NWCA All-American (2020) 285: #4 Cohlton Schultz (RS-Fr), Pac-12 Champion (2021), NCAA All-American (2021)

2021 NCAA runner-up Trent Hidlay (Photo/Tony Rotundo; WrestlersAreWarriors.com) NC State Wolfpack “This year it is a different team, but we expect the same attitude and we expect the same results”~Coach Pat Popolizio The three-time reigning ACC Champions are ready to make a run for a fourth. The Wolfpack return nine starters to an experienced lineup, including Tariq Wilson, Daniel Bullard, Hayden Hidlay, and Nick Reenan returning to Raleigh for their “super senior” year of eligibility. “It is great to have the seniors back for an extra year,” said Coach Pat Popolizio, “but we are going to be smart in our approach to their season. They have had an extra year of the college grind and we realize that we need to reduce the extra mileage on them throughout the season to make sure they are ready when it matters”. The Wolfpack have a very solid lineup returning that could have as many as nine starters who are ranked in the Intermat Preseason Rankings. One of the big stories this season is weight changes; Hayden Hidlay is jumping up two weight classes to 174, Tariq Wilson is moving to 149 and Thomas Bullard will potentially move down to 157 as long as he feels healthy and strong at the lower weight, and Nick Reenan will split between 184 and 197 depending on the needs of the team. Coach Popolizio said there are several battles for starting spots and that they will use the wrestle-off for the guys to get their feet wet and roster decisions will be made based on the first weekend at the Citadel Open. The Pack have a strong schedule this season and should see some great competition. Before the conference slate begins, they will have duals against West Virginia, Gardner Webb, Appalachian State, Rider, and Princeton. They will see top-level competition at the National Collegiate Duals in Florida and will also attend the Southern Scuffle. Expect to see the Pack battling for the dual title, the ACC tournament title and a spot on the team podium in Detroit. TOP RETURNERS Hayden Hidlay returns as the leader of the Pack. He is a four-time qualifier and three-time NCAA All-American (2,4, COVID,5). Hayden moves up two weight classes from 157 to 174, which could be a huge boost to his results this season. Seeing how he looks at 174 makes it hard to believe he was ever able to cut to 157 regularly--he will be much healthier and happier at the higher weight this year. Everyone knows what Hayden is capable of achieving--he has made it to the semifinals at every NCAA tournament he has wrestled in, including making the finals opposite Jason Nolf as a freshman. Hayden will have stout competition in-conference as Mekhi Lewis (VT) returns at 174 this season--definitely looking forward to seeing them hit multiple times this year! Trent Hidlay looks to continue the momentum coming off an NCAA runner-up finish last season. He has continued to show improvement each time he steps on the mat; he finished in third at the Senior World Team trials this fall as well. Trent enters the season ranked #3 in the Intermat Preseason rankings, but will have to go through familiar foe Hunter Bolen (VT) to pick up another ACC title. Tariq Wilson returns for his extra year of eligibility and looks to add a third podium finish to his decorated career. Tariq has an overall record of 82-22, is a four-time qualifier with two NCAA All-American finishes (3, R12, COVID, 3). He moves up another weight class to 149 and should be an even bigger threat with having to focus less on his weight cut. KEY DEPARTURES Daniel Bullard, twin brother of 157/165-pound starter Thomas Bullard, is the only starter to not return to the Wolfpack lineup. TOP NEWCOMERS Pat Popolizio and crew have put together incredible recruiting classes the past few seasons and have a stable of young wrestlers looking to break into the lineup. Coach Popolizio expects to get the young guys as much experience as possible, both in open tournaments and duals. “We know what to expect from our experienced guys; I'm interested to see which of our young guys makes the jump to being on that next level this season. I want to see these guys step up and be the top guys in the country” WRESTLERS TO WATCH Because several starters will have limited action, expect to see some young wrestlers making the most of their time in the lineup. Stevo Poulin (125) “Stevo has been in the spotlight since he was a little kid--he's been really competitive in the room since he got here and is fighting to get into the lineup,” said Coach Popolizio. Poulin was a top 30 recruit out of high school and has a ton of upside and potential. Kai Orine will be another to keep an eye on this season. He will be seeing action at either 133 or 141 this season, depending on the team's needs. Orine made the most of extra matches last season, putting up a 6-1 record. In his redshirt season, he was 20-6, including a victory over All-American Codi Russell and finishing 4th in the Southern Scuffle. “Kai is scrappy and has shown that he can pick up big wins--he finished 4th at the Scuffle as a freshman, he's one of the guys that is looking to make a jump to the next tier”, said Coach Popolizio. POTENTIAL LINEUP 125: #10 Jakob Camacho 2x NCAA Qualifier, ACC 2nd Stevo Poulin 133: #14 Jarrett Trombley 2x NCAA Qualifier, ACC 4th 141: #21 Ryan Jack Kai Orine (133/141) 149: #2 Tariq Wilson 4x NCAA Qualifier 2x All-American (3,3) ACC Champ Hunter Lewis 157: Ed Scott Thomas Bullard 165: #17 Thomas Bullard 4x NCAA Qualifier ACC 3rd 174: #5 Hayden Hidlay 4x NCAA Qualifier 3x All-American (2,4,5) ACC Champ Alex Faison 184: #3 Trent Hidlay 2x NCAA Qualifier NCAA Runner-Up ACC Champ Jacob Ferreira 197: #18 Isaac Trumble Nick Reenan (184/197) 3x NCAA Qualifier ACC 4th 285: #18 Deonte Wilson 2x NCAA Qualifier ACC Champ

2x NCAA Qualifier Derek Spann (Photo/Sam Janicki; SJanickiPhoto.com) Buffalo Bulls “I like this team a lot. They are very driven in and out of the room! This year's schedule is perhaps the toughest we have had in some time. This is a testament to our leaders on the team who wanted to be challenged. Our goals never change. We want to compete daily in everything we do, we want to perform to our individual potential, and we want to compete for Mac and NCAA honors.” - Head Coach John Stutzman TOP RETURNERS The Bulls are returning eight starters, led by the following wrestlers: Derek Spann - 2x National Qualifier (graduate student) Michael Petite - National Qualifier (redshirt junior) Toby Cahill - Ranked in Top 33 Last Season, (redshirt senior) Johnny Arceri - 6th Year KEY DEPARTURE Buffalo will be losing one of their prominent starters this upcoming season. 285 lbs NCAA qualifier Sam Schuyler transferred to Iowa State in the offseason. TOP NEWCOMERS Coach Stutzman is looking forward to welcoming nine freshmen/transfers to this year's program. 197 lber Eli Sheeren looks like the freshman that might be able to make the most immediate impact. Sheeren starred in the team's blue/white match by pinning returning starter Sam Mitchell in the second period. In high school, Sheeren was a two-time Texas state champion and a Fargo All-American in Junior Greco-Roman. Patrick Adams, 125/133 Mason Bush, 133 Cole Minnick, 133 Declan Neville, 133 Andy Lucinski, 133/141 Trent Svingala, 141 Caleb Burgess, 149 Gibby Marquez, 174/184 Eli Sheeren, 197 WRESTLERS TO WATCH The Bulls have seven returning wrestlers that could step up and be ready to make an impact this year in the MAC Conference. Tristan Daugherty - MAC place finisher, freshman Ty Raines - redshirt freshman Noah Grover - redshirt senior Peter Acciardi - redshirt sophomore Sam Mitchell - redshirt sophomore Ben Freeman - redshirt senior Jake Lanning - redshirt senior POTENTIAL LINEUP 125: Tristan Daugherty 133: Derek Spann 141: Ben Freeman/Jack Marlow/Trent Svingala 149: Johnny Arceri/Matt Ryan 157: Michael Petite/Ty Raines 165: Jay Nivison/Noah Grover 174: Giuseppe Hoose/Marcus Petite/Jake Lanning/Bryson Alsteen 184: Peter Acciardi 197: Sam Mitchell/Eli Sheeren 285: Toby Cahill/Robbie Unruh

Presbyterian's new head coach Zach Sheaffer (Graphic/Presbyterian athletic dept) Presbyterian College started its wrestling program in the Fall of 2018. Beginning its third year of competition, the Blue Hose have welcomed Zack Sheaffer to their coaching staff as the head coach of the men's and women's programs. Sheaffer still remembers the conversation he had with his father at five years old coming home from football practice, about this "new sport" where you could pretty much beat people up. He was a bigger kid, wrestling heavyweight in a small area of Pennsylvania. "When you're the big guy in a small area, you kind of have to travel quite a bit to get workout partners, so I spent my whole youth playing football, wrestling, then traveling everywhere to try and find someone who was big enough and old enough or whichever, to beat me up real good. And I remember, I got too big, too heavy to play football." In the sixth grade, Zack decided he wanted to wrestle year-round and stepped away from football for a couple of years. After restarting football in high school, he figured that college football wasn't in his future. At 5'11" and two hundred-and some pounds, he knew he was better suited for college wrestling. Sheaffer wrestled for five years at the University of Pittsburgh, with over 100 career wins and topped off his senior season with an All-American finish at the NCAA tournament. "You know, I had a really unique college experience. One year my city [Pittsburgh] won the Super Bowl, we won the Stanley Cup one year, the football team made it to the BCS Bowl, we had a National Champion wrestler while I was on the team, and my senior year, I finished eighth." Zack always knew he wanted to be a teacher, one of his main goals in college was to become an elementary school teacher. "I'm a big kid. I like to have fun! If you've ever spent time with heavyweights, but we're goofy and we're always happy." But after graduating, he didn't really know what to do, so he decided to apply for graduate school for teaching and figured he could possibly coach in college. After applying for jobs and programs, he ended up in Gaffney, South Carolina, at Limestone College for one season. He was then approached by one of his college coaches with the opportunity to coach at Clarion University under Teague Moore, and after a couple of seasons with Clarion, he made the move to Drexel University in Philadelphia. For the last ten years, Sheaffer was part of the Dragons' great Renaissance. Climbing national rankings, boasting the number one team GPA in the country, and bringing in high-level recruits were some of the things that Zack was part of while coaching at Drexel. The pandemic brought some challenges, and his life saw some major changes. Zack and his wife welcomed their first daughter into the world after the first wave of the pandemic. And at the end of wrestling season, they had another surprise: a second baby on the way! While working at Drexel, one of Zack's primary responsibilities was recruiting, which would become more difficult with having another child. He knew his wife would need him more, and it was important to Zack and his wife to be closer to family so they could get help with the kids and have some more support. While living in Philly, his side of the family was still about two and a half hours away. Still, in a little town 30 minutes away from Clinton, South Carolina, most of his wife's family lives there. "We move down here and everything is cheaper, the pace of life is much more my style. I love this; it's so great," Sheaffer boasts about his family's new home. As the time came to make the hard decision to move, Zack didn't have a coaching job in mind; he had one priority: family. Sheaffer knew that this was going to be a tough transition in moving, as he thought he would end up getting a job at his father-in-law's factory and would no longer be able to coach, until he had a conversation with Matt Azevedo, where he told Zack about Presbyterian's wrestling program. A few emails and phone calls later, Zack Sheaffer was hired on the coaching staff at Presbyterian College. "The great thing about Presbyterian is we have Men's and Women's teams. I was really happy about that, I have two daughters and I want them to be involved or at least interested in wrestling. They can come see things and not always have to watch the guys, which is great. I think women's wrestling is an area that is blowing up and there's going to be a wealth of opportunity here." Recruiting for the Women's team is a new part of coaching that Coach Sheaffer is excited to get into. But as far as expanding the staff for the Women's program, Zack hopes that he and Director of Wrestling Mark Cody can hire women so the team can have someone to better relate to, as a coach. Zack's journey to coaching at Presbyterian is an excellent example of how life puts you in the right place at the right time. Congratulations and good luck to Coach Sheaffer as he starts his first season at Presbyterian! To keep up with the Blue Hose, you can follow them on Twitter @pcmenswrestle and @pcwomenswrestle.

2021 NCAA Qualifier Jacob Allen (Photo/Sam Janicki; SJanickiPhoto.com) Navy Midshipmen “We need this team to be dynamic individually. We need a team that our fans come and watch and enjoy the action because we chase points. They need to compete with confidence and without hesitation. That's what we expect from this season.” Head Coach Cary Kolat TOP RETURNERS The Midshipmen have four key returners, all of whom are returning NCAA Qualifiers. Cerniglia and Key were freshmen last season, looking to return to the championships as sophomores. Allen qualified last year at the 133lb weight class, while Koser finally got to compete after being an alternate the year prior. The experience of these guys will lead the team this season. Andrew Cerniglia (1x EIWA Placer, 1x NCAA Qualifier) David Key (1x EIWA Placer, 1x NCAA Qualifier) Jacob Allen (1x EIWA Placer, 1x NCAA Qualifier) Jacob Koser (2x EIWA Placer, 1x NCAA Qualifier) KEY DEPARTURES Last season, Navy qualified nine wrestlers to St. Louis. They will come into the season losing four individuals who manned their weight classes for multiple years. All graduates listed below were also NCAA Qualifiers a year ago. Logan Treaster was a two-year starter at the 125lb weight class. After placing second at the EIWA Championships, he did not win a match at nationals. Replacing a qualifier is never an easy task. Reluctantly for Navy, Jacob Allen will move back down to the 125lb weight and look to qualify at his new weight class. Cody Trybus was a two-time EIWA Champion. He did not get to compete at the canceled 2020 championships but earned the eleventh seed at last year's tournament. His lone victory came in the first round via major decision. Tanner Skidgel may have been the Midshipmen's biggest loss. The two-time EIWA champ and one-time runner-up manned the 165lb spot for three years and qualified for the national championships all three of those years. Last season, he failed to capture the EIWA title, falling to eventual All-American Zach Hartman of Bucknell. Casey Cobb received an at-large bid last season to qualify for the NCAA championships at the 149lb weight class. He also would have been a participant down at 133lb the year prior if the championships had not been canceled due to COVID-19. Cobb is another two-time qualifier that Navy will need to replace. TOP NEWCOMERS The Navy Midshipmen had an impressive recruiting class that will be looking to replace the departures mentioned above. There is a lot of potential talent, which we may see in the starting line-up right away. Cael Crebs of Montoursville, Pennsylvania, was AA State Champion as a high school senior and placed third as a junior. Amassing over 135 wins against less than 20 losses, Crebs will step in as a potential starter at 174lb. Ryan Catka was a two-time third-place finisher at the AAA state tournament in Pennsylvania. With only an 87-14 career high school record, the ceiling on Catka is very high. The athletic heavyweight will be battling a handful of talented wrestlers in the room at this weight class. Josh Koderhandt is an Illinois native who will be in the mix as the starter at the 133lb class. The freshman has been on the medal podium multiple times. He was on top of that podium his senior year. He has the coaching staff very excited about his capabilities. Grady Greiss will most likely represent Navy at heavyweight. He missed last season due to an injury and will now be ready to prove himself on the mat. He has two state gold medals and one silver from his high school career in Nebraska. Expect big things from Grady. WRESTLERS TO WATCH Josh Koderhandt is one freshman to keep an eye out for. As mentioned, he is one of the potential starters at the 133lb weight class. Claiming an Illinois state title, and being a runner-up, has him ready to compete at the D1 level right away. The Belleville West native is excited to get his career started under Head Coach Cary Kolat and staff. Obviously, this is a mutual feeling. Grady Greiss is another fresh face to be on the lookout for. During his senior year, he won a state championship in wrestling and football. This, ultimately, earned him Athlete of the Year honors in the local Omaha area. He holds the high school pin record in the state of Nebraska, while maintaining a perfect 4.0 GPA. Being a freak athlete, and very intelligent, could make a phenomenal heavyweight wrestler. The coaching staff at Navy is excited, to say the least, at what Grady Greiss can achieve in the EIWA conference, and beyond. POTENTIAL LINEUP 125: Jacob Allen/Dayton DelViscio 133: Luke Lucerne/Josh Koderhandt 141: Tyler Hunt/Jonathan Miranda 149: P.J. Crane/Payne Carr 157: Andrew Cerniglia 165: Henry Hague/Val Park 174: Shane Finney/Cael Crebs 184: David Key 197: Jacob Koser 285: Grady Griess

2021 NCAA Big12 champion Brody Teske (Photo/Tony Rotundo; WrestlersAreWarriors.com) Northern Iowa Panthers Doug Schwab's squad had six guys that made the NCAA tournament last season with five winning matches. Schwab could see it in their eyes, during the placement matches, that every one of them plans to come back with something different the next season. Schwab's response “what's going to change between now and then?” That's what he feels will dictate whether or not his guys will be watching from the stands on Saturday at the NCAA tournament or if they'll be wrestling on Saturday at the NCAA tournament. TOP RETURNERS 125-Brody Teske-Big 12 Champion/NCAA Qualifier 149-Tristan Lara-NCAA Qualifier 165-Austin Yant-NCAA Qualifier 174-Lance Runyon- NCAA Qualifier 184-Parker Keckeisen-Big 12 Champion/NCAA All-American 285-Carter Isley-NCAA Qualifier KEY DEPARTURES Keegan Moore-The starting 197 lber for UNI for most of last season, Keegan Moore has transferred to Oklahoma and will finish out his career there. Jacob Holschlag-The 2018 All-American had only appeared in two matches since the 2018 tournament in Cleveland. He had missed two full years due to injuries and Schwab confirmed he will not be wrestling at their media day. TOP NEWCOMERS 174-Carson Babcock 184-Jared Simma 285-Kalob Runyon WRESTLERS TO WATCH Brody Teske-Teske was literally seconds away from finishing as an All-American last season at 125. Look for that to put a chip on his shoulder heading into this season that could give him a bit of an edge to make the podium this year. Cael Happel-The most likely of the freshmen to find a way into the Panther lineup this year is Happel. Last season, Happel went 4-2 last season, with his final win coming over Iowa State national qualifier Todd Small. Schwab says their early season open tournaments will be what decides some of the starting spots, but many view Happel as one that could emerge with the 141 spot. POTENTIAL LINEUP 125-Brody Teske 133-Jack Skudlarczyk/Kyle Biscoglia Skudlarczyk won the job last year, but Biscoglia is solid. Pay attention to those early season opens to see how this shakes out. 141-Cael Happel-Ethan Basile Looks like two freshmen will be fighting it out for this job. Another weight to watch how some of the early opens go to see who emerges. 149-Tristan Lara 157-Cayd Lara 165-Austin Yant 174-Lance Runyon 184-Parker Keckeisen 197-Tyrell Gordon 285-Carter Isley

2021 NCAA Qualifier Ben Smith (Photo/CSU athletics) Cleveland State Vikings “The Vikings will be led by familiar faces this season, with eight MAC Place Winners projected in the starting lineup. Over the past few seasons, we have consistently improved and developed into a program that we believe will contend for a MAC title this year! Our student-athletes have embraced hard work both on the mat and in the classroom. Last year we earned the 3rd highest GPA in the country and had three NWCA Academic All Americans. This could be the best season that Cleveland State Wrestling has witnessed in close to 20 years.” - Head Coach Josh Moore TOP RETURNERS For the first time in over a decade, Cleveland State will have three returning NCAA qualifiers in their starting lineup. Marcus Robinson, DeAndre Nassar, and Ben Smith all competed last year in St. Louis. Smith was the only one of the trio that was able to garner a win at the national tournament. Both Robinson and Smith made the MAC Finals in 2021, while Nassar finished in third. Nassar started the year ranked #30 in InterMat's national rankings and Smith was #25. In addition to the “Big 3”, the CSU staff is excited about the return of 165 lber Riley Smucker. Though not seeded, Smucker finished fifth at the MAC Championships. He did not receive an at-large berth to the NCAA Tournament, but did earn a win at the conference meet over someone who did, Jake Silverstein (Rider). KEY DEPARTURES The only starter that the Vikings lost from the 2021 season was Justin Patrick, who went 2-3 competing at 133 lbs. TOP NEWCOMERS Freshmen to watch include Ben Aranda and Doug Terry. Aranda was a double Fargo Junior finalist this summer. That gave him four career All-American honors in Fargo. In Illinois, Aranda took fourth place as a junior. Terry was a two-time Ohio state runner-up competing in the II classification. CSU also had a pair of familiar faces in new places with Logan Heil and Caleb Graber. Heil returns to 125 lbs after manning 133 lbs for the bulk of last season. He didn't get to compete in the postseason and went 3-4 in the regular season. As a true freshman, in 2019-20, Heil went 24-12 with a pair of wins over NCAA qualifiers (Luke Werner - Lock Haven and Willy Girard - Bloomsburg). Graber did not see the mat in 2021. He was a 125 lber in 2019-20 and was 5-6 competing unattached. WRESTLERS TO WATCH A Viking that may be ready to take the next step in 2021-22 is 174 lber Anthony Rice. Rice won both of his MAC duals and was 5-7 throughout the year. He has impressed the CSU staff during the preseason. POTENTIAL LINEUP 125: Logan Heil 133: Cody Moosman/Jake Manley 141: Caleb Graber 149: Marcus Robinson 157: Daniel Patten 165: Riley Smucker 174: Anthony Rice 184: DeAndre Nassar 197: Ben Smith 285: John Kelbly

Wisconsin's 2x NCAA All-American Trent Hillger (Photo/Tony Rotundo; WrestlersAreWarriors.com) Week 1 is always the hardest. There are wrestle-offs going on so you don't technically know who the starter is for the week, weights are not solidified, and tournament entries are hidden behind an inaccessible wall. This article is to give you a little insight (forecast) to the early matches in the week, as a few teams (Buffalo, Campbell, The Citadel, Gardner-Webb, North Carolina, and Wisconsin) will lock in Wrestlestat Leagues by Thursday before our main article and podcast get posted. The meat and potatoes of scoring will happen on Saturday (11/6) and Sunday (11/4), but some roster decisions need to be made well in advance. This will be noted in the main article, but these are VERY important rules and procedures to remember: The wrestler will lock at 9am EST on the first day of the week where that team competes (against D1 competition or other). Once a wrestler's actual team competes, that wrestler will be locked in the week and cannot be moved until the next scoring week. Points will only count for matches against D1 competition So let's get to it. Here are the teams locking by Thursday 11/4: Monday 11/1: Buffalo, North Carolina, Wisconsin Wednesday 11/3: Campbell, The Citadel Thursday 11/4: Gardner Webb (only wrestling a non-D1 team this week) Now, in a normal Weekly Outlook, there would be an accompanying podcast with reasons why some wrestlers made the list and why others did not. We don't have that luxury right now, so each weight will have a short reasoning. Don't expect it in the main articles, I ain't no Billy Shakespeare. Things can change on a whim, especially with tournament entries. Keep an eye out on our twitter (@FantasyD1Wrestl) for any updates, which I will also be posting in the comments section of this article. Wrestlers I Like This Week (the early locks) Wrestler (School)- competition for the week [Proj Score] 125: Eric Barnett (Wisconsin)- Vs Buffalo [+3], Michigan State Open The dual result may verge on potentially a Major, but the real points are to be had at the Michigan State Open. With Rayvon Foley rumored to be moving up to 133, Barnett becomes one of the top contenders in the bracket. Top 4 finish is very possible. Some more "solid" (there's no such thing as a sure thing) out there, but Barnett is a solid option to roll with for week 1. 133: Derek Spann (Buffalo)- @ Wisconsin [+4], Clarion Open Has a very winnable match in the first match of the 2022 D1 Season, and had a bonus rate over 40% in 2019 and 2020. Buffalo looks to be sending the whole squad to the Clarion Open, but I'm not sure if Spann is registered. Either way, Spann is a good start for Week 1. 141: Joey Zargo (Wisconsin)- Vs Buffalo, Michigan State Open This is more of an optimistic pick. He greyshirted last season, and didn't wrestle in any matches… not like there were any Opens for him to wrestle in, but I digress. He's going to be weighing in for the Buffalo dual and would be going against a winnable opponent. Also, 141 at the Michigan State Open has the potential for Zargo to make a run. 149: Ausin Gomez (Wisconsin)- Vs Buffalo [+4], Michigan State Open Josh Heil (Campbell)- Vs Oregon State & Lehigh (@ORST) [+6] Coach Bono has been very happy with Gomez this preseason per the video updates. In the back of your head, you're worried about previous injuries. But sometimes you gotta have faith, faith, faith. Gomez set up well in the dual to score bonus, but I'm a little more worried about the Michigan State Open. He enters a bracket with (potentially) Yahya Thomas (NW), Mitch Moore (OU), Kanen Stoor (MICH), and a returned Mike Carr (ILL). At 100% healthy, I put him as a potential champ. Heil was not part of the Intra-Squad matches, but there isn't really a doubt of him starting this season (to me, anyways). Campbell has a dual against a non-D1 team on Wednesday, and if he wrestles on Saturday he is favored to win against a newly transferred Cory Crooks (ORST) and against either Lehigh's Jimmy Hoffman or Manzona Bryant (who just beat Hoffman in their Intra-Squad dual). Not saying it will be easy, but he's got the best matchups of the Camels this coming weekend. 157: Austin O'Connor (North Carolina)- Vs Ohio State [+4] If he's facing Paddy Gallagher, then this is probably a Decision. If Paddy sits this one out, I see it as at least a Major. North Carolina faces some non-D1 duals on 11/1 which will lock any North Carolina wrestler on that day. This dual with Ohio State wouldn't be until the end of the week, so you'll have to make that trusting decision soon. Personally, I don't see any way O'Connor doesn't wrestle, if that helps. 165: Dean Hamiti (Wisconsin)- Vs Buffalo, Michigan State Open Dazjon Casto (The Citadel)- Citadel Open I'll be honest, I'm having a hard time even finding where the brackets for The Citadel Open will be. However, even though there are some tough teams registered/scheduled to be at The Citadel Open, 165 has an opening for Casto to make some waves. I would consider this a deeper dive for a Starter/Floater. The #6 recruit by MatScouts will be weighing in for the Buffalo dual, just like Zargo at 141. And like 141 at the Michigan State Open, there's an opportunity for Hamiti to place high (potential Top 4) in a bracket that has Evan Wick (CP) and Cam Amine (MICH). 174: Andrew McNally (Wisconsin)- Vs Buffalo [+5], Michigan State Open He's been a Fantasy Wrestling staple the past couple years, and the move to Wisconsin wont stop that. He'll have a bonus buffer entering the MSU Open most likely, and might even get the #1 or #2 seed. He's lost twice to Anthony Mantanona (OU) twice in his career, so maybe we see the third match in the finals since he's favored over the other entrants and has beaten the other top competitors that will potentially be in the bracket. 184: Chris Weiler (Wisconsin)- Vs Buffalo [+4], Michigan State Open Weiler should have some buffer going into the Michigan State Open, but the bracket is going to be a dog fight with All Americans Myles Amine (MICH), Brit Wilson (NIU), and Bernie Truax (CP). Wiler will have a shot at top 4, but again, it's going to be a dog fight. Not a bad option to roll with this week, but there may be better matchups to go with instead. 197: Braxton Amos (Wisconsin)- Vs Buffalo [+4], Michigan State Open It's not the Buffalo dual I am worried about, but more about the potential monster that is the 197 bracket at the Michigan State Open. Cam Caffey (MSU), newly 'stached Pat Brucki (MICH), and Jake Woodley (OU) will be a really good test for this highly touted, (and World Champion) Amos. I don't doubt that points will be scored. 285: Trent Hillger (Wisconsin)- Vs Buffalo [+4], Michigan State Open Yes, Hillger lost to Luffman (ILL) by Pin last season. He also avenged that loss by Pin as well (tit-for-tat, as they say). He'll be seeded behind Mason Parris (MICH), and maaaaybe Matt Stencel (CMU), but Hillger has top 3 finish at the MSU Open written all over him. 285 is a deep weight class, but Hillger is a solid option this week. Think there is someone I missed from these early locking teams? Let me know! Good luck this week and keep an eye out for the full Week 1 Outlook and Podcast coming next week!

2021 NCAA Round of 12 finisher Wyatt Hendrickson (Photo/Air Force athletic dept) Air Force Falcons “We have an experienced team in 2021-2022 who have put in one of the best preseasons in recent memory. Jared Van Vleet and Wyatt Hendrickson return after winning matches at the 2021 NCAA Championships, while Wyatt also brings international experience after placing fifth at the Junior World Championships over the summer. We have a handful of other wrestlers who bring Big 12 experience, and a young group who will push them for starting roles in the lineup. Overall, this is one of the most talented teams we have had, and they back it up with a strong work ethic. We have a very challenging schedule. As a staff, we are fully confident that this team is ready to compete with the best the Big 12, and rest of the nation has to offer.” - Assistant Coach Chris Heilman TOP RETURNERS In addition to Hendrickson and Van Vleet, the Falcons also return a handful of experienced starters who have come close to cracking InterMat's national rankings. Cody Phippen, Dylan Martinez, Jake Thompson, and Kayne Hutchison are all multiple-year starters for head coach Sam Barber's team. Phippen went 12-4 last year and became the first Air Force wrestler to make the Big 12 semis, but fell to fifth place and did not qualify for nationals. Martinez entered the conference meet on an 8-match winning streak and a 9-2 record, but went 0-2 and did not receive an at-large berth. During his last full season, Thompson won 19 bouts, against 14 losses. Van Vleet was named a team captain for the 2021-22 campaign. KEY DEPARTURES Air Force had three national qualifiers in 2021, their most since 2014. One of those qualifiers, Cody Surratt (174), has graduated and will not return. Surratt received an at-large berth and was seeded #25th at the tournament. The Falcons also lose 141 lber Lenny Peterson. Lenny spent the bulk of the 2021 season in the national rankings and scored wins over national qualifiers Dusty Hone (Oklahoma State) and Chase Zollman (Wyoming), but went 0-2 at the Big 12 meet and did not qualify for NCAA's. TOP NEWCOMERS While Air Force has gradually improved its recruiting over the last five years and there is plenty of young talent in the room, there are two freshmen middleweights that have stood out to the coaching staff. 2021 Big Board'er Jack Ganos (#179), a Wisconsin state champ, should be a factor. Two-time Indiana champion, Alec Viduya, could work his way into the lineup, as well. WRESTLERS TO WATCH We have to mention Wyatt Hendrickson! Before he wrestled for a bronze medal at the Junior World Championships, Hendrickson had an excellent run through the consolations at the NCAA Championships. The freshman Hendrickson pinned Luke Luffman (Illinois), majored Hunter Catka (Virginia Tech), and edged 2019 NCAA fourth-place finisher Jordan Wood (Lehigh) for a spot in the Round of 12. There he lost a hard-fought bout to Trent Hillger. Hendrickson finished his freshman year with a 16-5 record and a bonus-point rate above 52%. A returner that could be ready to take that “next step” is 165 lber Vincent Dolce. The junior has really impressed the coaching staff during the preseason. Last season, Dolce went 5-7. POTENTIAL LINEUP 125: Nick Krug/Will Vom Baur 133: Jared Van Vleet/Sidney Flores 141: Cody Phippen 149: Dylan Martinez 157: Giano Petrucelli/Trey Brisker 165: Vincent Dolce 174: Sam Wolf/Harlan Steffensmeier 184: Jake Thompson 197: Kayne Hutchison 285: Wyatt Hendrickson

3x NCAA qualifier Josh Finesilver (Photo/Sam Janicki; SJanickiPhoto.com) Duke Blue Devils Glen Lanham has continually made the most out of a challenging setup in Durham; roster limitations and lack of scholarships, combined with the high academic standards of Duke, make this an admirable achievement. The Blue Devils have had at least one All-American in six of the past seven years, with Josh Finesilver falling one win short of continuing that streak last season. The Blue Devils will have a mix of veteran leadership and high-upside young wrestlers looking to make the most of this season. The recent addition of Coach Ethan Ramos could pay dividends with the middle and upper weights having an active world-level coach to roll with. TOP RETURNERS As go the Finesilver's, so go the Blue Devils. Two brothers remain on the roster in Durham and both are ranked top 12 nationally in the Intermat Preseason Rankings. Josh is ranked 11th at 149, while Matt is ranked 9th at 174. KEY DEPARTURES Two Duke wrestlers who had been starters in previous seasons, Jimmy Stillerman (174/184) and Harrison Campbell (125/133), graduated and are no longer in the program. TOP NEWCOMERs Gabe Dinette transferred from Stanford and will jump into the starting lineup for the Blue Devils immediately. Dinette was a spot starter at 157, 165 and 174 for the Cardinal and had an overall record of 6-4. He will step in at 165 for the Blue Devils. WRESTLER TO WATCH One Blue Devil I am keeping my eye on this season is Kaden Russell. He is a four-year starter now and has shown his ability with wins over Chris Kober (Campbell) by major and pins over conference foes Dakota Howard (VT) and Isaac Trumble (NC State). Having new assistant coach Ethan Ramos in the room to roll with every day could help add some consistency to what we see from Russell. Another interesting story to keep an eye on is heavyweight Ben Frye. Ben is a two-sport athlete, starting on the defensive line and playing a spot role in the heavyweight spot. Frye was a state runner-up in Ohio for Dublin Coffman before committing to Duke for football. He joined the team after a couple years on the football field in Durham and has gone 2-2 in his four starts. POTENTIAL LINEUP 125: Logan Agin 133: Drake Doolittle 141: Patrick Rowland 149: #11 Josh Finesilver 3x NCAA Qualifier; NCAA Round of 12 157: Brandon LaRue 165: Gabe Dinette 174: #9 Matt Finesilver 2x NCAA Qualifier 184: Vincent Baker 197: Kaden Russell 285: Jonah Neisenbaum

2021 NCAA All-American Bernie Truax with the Cal Poly staff (Photo/Tony Rotundo; WrestlersAreWarriors.com) Cal Poly Mustangs "We have several student-athletes that are beginning to hit their stride and make an impact on a national scale. It is gratifying to be part of a program that has high expectations and a commitment to excellence." --Head Coach Jon Sioredas After climbing to tenure-high peaks at the 2021 NCAA tournament, Coach Jon Sioredas and his preseason-ranked #20 (tournament) Mustangs are set to continue their ascendence on the national scene powered by returning nationally-proven talents as well as a star transfer. The Mustangs have enjoyed "a fruitful preseason," explained Sioredas. "Our primary focus is to continue to fine-tune our student-athletes and to prepare them tactically and strategically for our upcoming tournament competition this quarter." A high-powered and high-point scoring team must be put to the test against quality competition, and that is exactly what Sioredas and his staff have in mind for their wrestlers this season. The Mustangs will be tested, early and often, this season, before dialing in during the last half of the year with their focus on the ultimate goal. Sioredas was candid regarding his early-tournament season approach: "We designed our schedule solely to prepare us for the NCAA Championships. We have three major events in the first quarter: MSU Open, Cliff Keen Las Vegas, and Midlands. We will have the opportunity to compete against many of the top-ranked opponents right out of the gate and will be provided instant feedback." "We focus on continued growth and improvement." TOP RETURNERS The two-man army from 2021 that horsed their team to a top-25 NCAA finish, composed of NCAA Top-16, #13 Legend Lamer (149) and NCAA 4th-place, #6 Bernie Truax (184), will ride again for Cal Poly. (Truax is set to move up from 174lbs.) Also returning and ranked is #32 Lawrence Saenz (141), an NCAA qualifier in 2020 for Fresno State. TOP NEWCOMERs #3 Evan Wick (165) made headlines when it was announced that he was to transfer from Wisconsin and return to California to join his younger brother, Luka Wick, at Cal Poly. A 3x All-American returning to the collegiate mat after narrowly missing the Senior National team during an Olympic Redshirt, Evan Wick is an immediate title-contender in a conference that already boasts a national champion and another All-American. WRESTLER TO WATCH A young Mustang returning to the line-up is Trent Tracy, who was the starter at 184lbs in 2020, but was off the mat during 2021. Back to training, Tracy has progressed to the satisfaction of Coach Sioredas. "Outside of our four nationally ranked student-athletes, we have had several stand out this summer and fall. Though, Trent Tracy, our 197-pound redshirt freshman, has stood out and is now completely healthy and training at a high level. We cannot wait to watch him compete." POTENTIAL LINEUP 125: Antonio Lorenzo 133: Abe Hinrichsen 141: #32 Lawrence Saenz, NCAA Qualifier (2020) 149: #13 Legend Lamer, Pac-12 runner-up (2021), NCAA Qualifier (2021) 157: Brawley Lamer 165: #3 Evan Wick, NCAA All-American (2018, 2019, 2020) 174: Adam Kemp 184: #6 Bernie Truax, Pac-12 Champion (2021), NCAA All-American (2021) 197: Trent Tracy 285: Sam Aguilar

2021 NCAA Champion Gable Steveson (Photo/Tony Rotundo; WrestlersAreWarriors.com) Minnesota Golden Gophers A quick reminder to those who may have forgotten: Do not forget about the Golden Gophers. Minnesota, kind of quietly, turned in top-10 finishes last season at both the Big Ten and NCAA Championships - fifth at the conference tournament, with 77.5 points; seventh at the national tournament, with 64 points and three All-Americans. "We had some really good leaders last year," Minnesota coach Brandon Eggum said. "I was impressed that they didn't sweat the small things. Guys were pretty adaptive, and they looked at last year at just being thankful for the opportunity to compete." Many of key Gopher wrestlers are back again this season, but the lineup will also feature some new faces. And as a result, expect Minnesota to be right in the thick of a competitive, deep Big Ten Conference again this season. "These guys just love wrestling," Minnesota coach Brandon Eggum said. "We're fired up. We've got a lot of new faces that came in this year. The goal is to obviously get better, and to put the best guy out on the mat." TOP RETURNERS Let's start with the three All-Americans: Patrick McKee (125), Brayton Lee (157), and Gable Steveson (285). Those three combined to score 53 of Minnesota's 64 team points at the NCAA Championships last year. McKee lost in the second round and rattled off six-straight wrestleback wins to finish third - and that's after taking eighth at the Big Ten tournament two weeks before. Lee reached the quarterfinals then bounced back with a bloodround victory to finish on the podium. Gable did Gable things, going 17-0 overall en route to his first national title. But Minnesota returns some valuable experience all over the lineup, like Marcos Polanco (141), Michael Blockhus (149), Andrew Sparks (165). All three qualified for the NCAA Championships. Garrett Joles is also back and leads the battle for the starting spot at 197 pounds. "I really believe Michael Blockhus is going to make a statement early in the season," Eggum said, "and really do some great things for the program this season." KEY DEPARTURES Minnesota lost three key contributors from last year's team, in Boo Dryden, Jake Allar and Owen Webster, but their departures have opened the door for other wrestlers to step up and claim starting spots. Dryden, the starter at 133 last season, is now at Nebraska. He was a national qualifier last season and went 19-16 in two seasons with the Gophers. Eggum said Jake Gliva and true freshman Vance Vombaur will battle to replace him. Allar, the starter at 174 last season, transferred to Northern Colorado. He went 28-15 for Minnesota between 2019-21, and qualified for last year's national tournament. In his place is Jared Krattiger, who transferred in from Wisconsin. Webster, the starter at 184 last season, graduated and joined the Gopher Wrestling Club. He spent four years with Minnesota, with a 48-30 career record, and reached the bloodround of the NCAA Championships last year. Eggum said Isaiah Salazar is now the likely front-runner to start at 184. Salazar went 4-1 as a true freshman last year. TOP NEWCOMERs We mentioned a few already - like Krattiger and Vombaur - but they aren't the only new Gopher wrestlers to keep an eye on early in the season. Krattiger, of course, came from Wisconsin, where he was a two-year starter at 174 and is expected to take up the same role with Minnesota. He posted a 13-22 career record in two seasons with the Badgers, including a 4-5 mark last year. Vombaur is one of three freshmen Eggum mentioned as guys who will be vying for starting spots. Vombaur, from Greeley, Colorado, will compete with Gliva for the spot at 133. There's also Aaron Nagao, from California, who Eggum said is among four guys competing for the starting spot at 141, with Polanco, Jake Bergeland, and Brent Jones. The third freshman: Bennett Tabor, the ballyhooed recruit from nearby powerhouse Simley who Eggum said might contend for the starting spot at 197, along with Joles, Rowan Morgan and Michial Foy. Tabor is likely the future heavyweight for Minnesota, but is planning on throwing his hat into the ring at 197 early this season. Minnesota is hosting an intersquad event at Williams Arena on Oct. 29 at 6 p.m., and is planning on attending the Bison Open (Nov. 13), Daktronics Open (Nov. 21) and the UNI Open (Dec. 11), all of which will help decide what the early-season lineup will look like. WRESTLER TO WATCH We're going with Gable Steveson, because duh, right? Gable won everything over the past year. Consider these numbers: From the start of the 2021 NCAA season through the end of the Tokyo Games, he won 30 consecutive matches by a combined 343-71. Not bad. In the span of about eight months, he won a Big Ten title, an NCAA title, the Hodge Trophy, the Olympic Trials, the Pan-American Championship, and the Olympics, all in the span of eight months. Again, not bad. Gable will carry a 34-match winning streak into his senior season, and is 67-2 overall for the Gophers. Eggum is thrilled he decided to come back for his final collegiate season. Catch him while you still can. "He's a great leader - not just on the mat, but off the mat, too," Eggum said. "The new guys who just joined the program, they're really thankful to get to be around him this year. At the end of the race, we've got a guy who's going to score some big points. "It's really exciting. He's done a lot for our program. I know him coming back will be a big impact on our attendance and our crowds. No matter where you go, people are always excited to watch him compete." POTENTIAL LINEUP 125: Patrick McKee 133: Jake Gliva, Vance Vombaur 141: Marcos Polanco, Aaron Nagao, Jake Bergeland, Brent Jones 149: Michael Blockhus 157: Brayton Lee 165: Andrew Sparks 174: Jared Krattiger, Bailey O'Reilly 184: Isaiah Salazar 197: Garrett Joles, Rowan Morgan, Michial Foy, Bennett Tabor 285: Gable Steveson

Most wrestling fans have probably fantasy booked their own wrestling cards. What would happen if those collegiate rivals had another match? Could this MMA fighter defeat a former All-American? While many have daydreamed about hosting their own wrestling event, Zach Bogle is actually making it a reality. Today, he will promote his second event under the name StaleMates Street League 2. At the height of the pandemic, Bogle started his YouTube show called StaleMates, which quickly gained attention by chronicling various disputes and "beefs" in the online wrestling community. "I used to do content stuff when I was in high school, but it was more thinking I could be like Jackass or whatever," Bogle said. "I always liked having a camera and doing stuff like that. So when the pandemic hit, I had nothing else to do. I just naturally started gathering the equipment, and started doing the show. I wanted to do something within the wrestling world. I didn't know exactly what, and then I broke down some Twitter beefs and just stupid stuff that was happening. I don't know if you remember, but during the pandemic, there was no wrestling going on, and in wrestling, people always find something to argue about." With the YouTube show in place, Bogle turned his attention to promoting his first event. He drew inspiration from another popular channel on the social media site known as Streetsbeefs, which currently has 2.41 million subscribers. The premise of Streetbeefs is fighters competing in unsanctioned MMA fights to settle gang disputes or conflicts. Bogle envisioned something similar for wrestling, albeit without the gangs and with much less violence. "At first, it was like, we didn't really know what we were doing," Bogle explained. "We knew we could get our friends to do it. That was the original idea. I don't know if you ever watched the YouTube channel Streetbeefs, where they just fight in the backyard. That was the original idea… except for the part about people fighting over gang stuff, obviously." From there, the idea basically steamrolled until the debut Street League show, which took place on Aug. 13. "If we roll a mat out in a cornfield in Iowa, we probably have to get insurance," Bogle said. So if you get insurance, that's going to cost money. So if we do that, we should probably sell tickets. Well, if we're going to sell tickets, we should have more than just one match. But if you have more than one match, then let's just get a venue. And then, just like, you see how it just started becoming an event. And then when the whole pandemic happened, there were all these RTC cards, like Rokfin and those more multiple channels, so they had theirs. And I'm like, 'Dude, we need to have our own.'" The first show was a mix of high-level wrestling and plenty of entertaining contests. The main event featured former NCAA champion, Kyven Gadson, defeating fellow former Cyclone Willie Miklus, but there were also Twitter personalities and MMA fighters on the card. The second show strives to have a similar balance. In the main event, UFC veteran and former Cleveland State wrestler Gerald Harris will take on another MMA fighter and former Missouri wrestler Mikey England. While Harris has been fighting professionally since 2006, he has never strayed far from his roots. He still coaches, and he even tried to enter the Midlands one year. "So Mikey is my cousin," Bogle detailed. "He was on the last one, and his match with Jimmy Schuster was by far the loudest, rowdiest crowd. Mikey likes putting on a show. Gerald is a big name, and he was in the UFC, he was on 'The Ultimate Fighter.' He was actually going to coincidentally be in town anyway. He was like, 'Hey, I'm going to be coaching at Preseason Nationals in Des Moines anyways; I'd love to come and do it.' He happened to weigh the same as Mikey." Zach Goldrosen, a former Muhlenberg wrestler, wanted to be on the second Street League show, so he launched his own Twitter campaign. He took on a teacher persona and posted videos scolding his potential opponents, or students in the gimmick. Ultimately, his challenge was accepted by MMA fighter Mike Widmer. "Zach put out a video, and I'm like, 'Yeah, that is exactly what we're looking for," Bogle explained. "I don't even know if he watched the first one, but I think he knew kind of what we were going for. And I paired him up with Mike Widmer, who is an MMA fighter out of Ohio. I have no clue what to expect out of these guys. I really have no clue. I didn't even know Mike had Twitter and then Zach was putting out those videos and then Mike's like, "Screw this guy. I'm going to put out my own videos." And now they're kind of just having fun with it. And I think they both super respect each other, but at the same time, they're both competitive dudes. It's going to be interesting. Zach has a win over Dylan Danis, which is cool. Mike's just like a... I mean, he's drinking raw eggs in his kitchen." In another unique match, Rebecca Roper, who is the wife of Northern Iowa assistant coach Lee Roper, will take on wrestling mom and rodeo rider Billie Sims. Neither has had a wrestling match to date, but both are taking the preparation for the bout quite seriously. "I wanted to do a match with two people who had never wrestled," Bogle said when asked how the match came together. "Becca hit me up, and then Billie, and they weighed the same. What's cool is they're taking it seriously. Becca is training every day. She is training with her husband. She's training at Waverly-Shell Rock. I mean, Dan Gable was giving her advice. Billie has never wrestled in a match. My understanding is she trained at club level, but never got the actual competition. This is going to be a super interesting matchup, because who knows what's going to happen?" Even though not all the matches at Street League 2 will feature folks contending for a spot at the World Team Trials, it still gives wrestlers the opportunity to compete in interesting matches. "You have thousands of wrestlers every year across the country," Bogle explains. "Then you go to the college level and that shrinks. Then after that, it goes for what a hundred people or so? You got people just sitting in offices and stuff that are professional athletes. If it was basketball, there would be a million-dollar contracts or whatever. Wrestling, we don't have that. So there should be some sort of outlet where it's like, you don't have to train all the time. But if you want to train for six weeks and do it, it's a 5k race. People go and run a 5k, they train for six weeks and they run it. This is the same thing, but you get to perform in your sport. So those are the kind of people that we're looking for. But we'll do anything." StaleMates Street League 3 takes place this Friday at the Iowa State Fairgrounds. For those not in the area, you can watch the show on Patreon for $3.99, or as Bogle described it, "cheaper than a freaking Snickers and a Gatorade at Casey's."

Nick Suriano at Penn State in 2016-17 (Photo/Sam Janicki; SJanickiPhoto.com) Let's get right to it! I would like to hear a @Jagger712 synopsis of Vision Quest for someone who's never seen it. @TheMr_Amazing Vision Quest is the story of a starving artist from New Jersey who travels to San Francisco without a map, thus ending up in Spokane, Washington, during the balmiest winter in ages and gets mixed up in the local high school wrestling scene. Her path crosses with local star and denim enthusiast Brian Shute in a hallway, who's being challenged by some lanky goofball who thinks he's Danny Hodge because he placed eighth at States in his first year and now wants to come at the King. Hilarity ensues. Are you a fan of the matches before the actual meet they did last year? When women's wrestling becomes more mainstream, do you think they will do women's wrestling the same night as men's or a separate night? Phil S. I love the extra matches and I do think they will continue moving forward. Perhaps the most unique quirk between wrestling and other sports is the inability to get proper work for your backups. Alabama can unload their bench in the second half with every 45-3 blowout. That doesn't work here. These kids need work, most opens of the non-Dresser variety dry up during the second half of the season, and that can make for a long winter for kids just banging heads in practice every day. I think women's duals should be Thursday and Saturday, making a four-day block of action that doesn't interfere with each other and gives both the spotlight they deserve. What program would you want a shirt from to wear for #WrestlingShirtADayinMay? @DutrowJim Easy. Oklahoma State with the wrestling cowboy logo. Bonus points if you can get it to do the Ferrari flex. Best Music to get the sweat off? @MichWrestlinRef Being a bit of an old hat, I've always been privy to some Metallica or Pantera types if I'm in an angry mood. Now, if you want to turn that frown upside down while shedding some pounds, try a little disco on the Spotify and see where that takes you. If you can't get hyped to some KC and the Sunshine Band, that's a you problem, not a me problem. Do people in real life know about your Twitter exploits? @OldestGreatest They think I'm @Rhino184. What's your story? When, why, how did you get involved in wrestling @bananacoffeeman Good question, since it does seem I appeared out of thin air. I grew up wrestling, so I've always been around it, but only ever followed the local Jersey scene into adulthood. I really got back into it during the Suriano HS run and on a boring day in December 2016, I decided to check out how he was doing in college, yada, yada, yada… I somehow ended up here. I'm a pure fan; I never claimed to be an expert. I enjoy watching wrestling, talking about wrestling, joking about wrestling, and am grateful that I've been accepted into this world. Fav Bon Jovi concert we attended. @BulldogTCOB New Jersey tour 1989 at The Meadowlands, of course! We were in the “Lay Your Hands on Me” video! Do you think @UHSPEutectics is in the dark about the previous job experience (and subsequent resignations) of their current head coach, who was given opportunities at 2 Top 5 programs and lasted maybe a combined 6 months? Both were omitted from his bio NJCAA and DII programs. @Swayzhappens Fake it until you make it! What's your biggest fear? @Pelikanhead Screenshots. I'm super excited for the Stanford-Oklahoma State Dual, just 17 days away. Since it is at 2PM on a Friday, what is the perfect snack to cook for an afternoon dual? Luke Wise PB and J, three slices, toast the bread. That should hold you over until suppertime. First match this season involving two D1 teams is Buffalo vs. Wisconsin, would love to hear your breakdown of how the match will play out. #FirstTimeLongTime @Obrats You couldn't give two poops about my opinion on this and you know it. I say the Bulls Mafia turns into the Bills Mafia and puts the Sconnies through a table for a 22-17 victory. Well, that's it for me! Thanks for sending in your questions and I wish I could get to them all, but like Matt Damon in the green room at Jimmy Kimmel, we just ran out of time. You can ask again, or I'll just try to get back to them. Until then, have a great weekend and watch Street League 2! Dysen Gould skipping high school and going straight to the pros!

2020 NCAA qualifier Charles Small (Photo/Sam Janicki; SJanickiPhoto.com) Hofstra Pride "We have a nice combination of leadership from our upperclassmen and some younger guys with experience that really rounds off our team. We added some newcomers as well that fit in really well, and have made gains. We are excited about every guy on our roster, and even though some rankings have 6-7 guys ranked for us, we think they are underappreciated. Some guys will redshirt as we have some log jams, but we are thrilled about everyone that will represent us in our singlets this year." - Head Coach Dennis Papadatos TOP RETURNERS Coming off a year where seven Pride wrestlers qualified for the NCAA Championships, Hofstra will return six of those wrestlers, to form a strong nucleus in 2021-22. Greg Gaxiola (149/157), Holden Heller (157/165), Ricky Stamm (165), Charles Small (184), Trey Rogers (197), and Zack Knighton-Ward (285) all competed in St. Louis and gained valuable national experience. Small registered the biggest win of the tournament for Hofstra when he knocked off #10 Tate Samuelson (Wyoming) in the opening round. There are still some moving parts regarding the Pride lineup, but if all goes expected, the other two Heller brothers, Holden and Reece, may redshirt 2021-22. KEY DEPARTURES The only national qualifier that isn't returning for Papadatos' team is Vinny Vespa, the 141 lber who has since graduated. 133 lber Garrett Lambert, who also got the nod for the Pride three times at the EIWA Championships, will not return either. The most unexpected loss is 174 lber Sage Heller. After a 22-9 campaign in 2019-20, Heller earned a spot in InterMat's preseason rankings this year. Unfortunately, he was forced to cut short his career due to a recurring injury. Sliding into the starting role at 174 lbs is Ross McFarland, who went into the EIWA Championships with a 4-1 record, but had an "off" tournament and didn't qualify for nationals. Papadatos expects a breakout campaign from McFarland. TOP NEWCOMERs There's a chance that Hofstra could start true freshmen at both 125 and 133 lbs. That's not necessarily a bad thing, as they were two of the team's top recruits from the Class of 2021. Ohio state placewinner Jacob Moon is slated to handle the starting role at 125 lbs. He was a two-time placer at the Ironman and has plenty of national-level experience. While the Pride has veteran Matt Templeton at 133, true freshman Joel Mylin could get the call. Mylin was a third-place finisher in Missouri. A pair of freshmen from Pennsylvania, Tyler Cymmerman and Nick Miller, are likely redshirts. WRESTLER TO WATCH We mentioned McFarland above. He is said to be looking even better in the early going this year. Also, 141 lber Justin Hoyle. Hoyle went 19-9 two years ago and 3-2 while competing in "extra" matches last year. Papadatos calls both Hoyle and McFarland "leaders" despite their youth. POTENTIAL LINEUP 125: Jacob Moon 133: Joel Mylin/Matt Templeton 141: Justin Hoyle 149: Mike Leandrou 157: Greg Gaxiola/Joe McGinty 165: Ricky Stamm 174: Ross McFarland 184: Charles Small 197: Trey Rogers 285: Zachary Knighton-Ward

2020 NCAA qualifier Luke Werner (Photo/Sam Janicki; SJanickiPhoto.com) Lock Haven Bald Eagles “We are excited to be back in the grind preparing for the season. Our wrestlers and staff have made a smooth transition from summer training and are ready for the opportunities ahead. Our schedule will be challenging the first month of the season, but we look forward to seeing how the younger wrestlers adapt and develop throughout the initial tournaments (Journeyman Classic and Navy Classic). With a large graduating class in 2020 (that led us to two conference titles), we lack overall experience, but are confident that our seniors and talented freshmen will make up the difference as the season progresses. Our goal is simple, keep a growth mindset and show up to work every day with something to prove.” - Head Coach Scott Moore Key Matchups December 2nd - Michigan State December 4th - Lehigh ALL MAC DUALS! TOP RETURNERS The Eagles have three returning starters in their line-up this upcoming season; all of which have made a huge impact on the Lock Haven wrestling program. 125: Luke Warner - NCAA qualifier, 2020 NWCA Honorable Mention All-American, Southern Scuffle Finalist 133: CJ Manley - 2020 Southern Scuffle place winner 197: Parker McClellan TOP NEWCOMER Lock Haven University is excited to welcome five freshmen and three transfers to their program this upcoming season. Anthony Noto (125 FR) - transfer from NC State, former 4x NYS Champion Nick Stonecheck (141 FR) - 4x GA State Champion, 2021 NE Regional FS Champion DaShawn Farber (149 FR) - 2x GA State Champion, 2nd and 3rd place finisher in PIAA AAA for Nazareth Ben Barton (157) - transfer from Campbell, NCAA Qualifier Ashton Eyler (165) - NJCAA National Finalist Tyler Stoltzfus (174 FR) - former PIAA State Champion, Ironman and Powerade Champion, Top 3 Recruit Nationally at 170lbs Sage Serbenta (174/184 FR) - Michigan State Champion, FloNational Champion Colby Whitehill (HWT FR) - transfer from Pitt, former 2x PIAA State Champion WRESTLER TO WATCH The Eagles have one wrestler in particular who is ready to make a splash in the MAC conference this upcoming season, 174 lber Tyler Stoltzfus. Stoltzfus was victorious last week at Lock Haven's Crimson and White dual. He defeated Sage Serbenta 3-1 in sudden victory. The true freshman looks like he'll get the nod right away from the Lock Haven staff. POTENTIAL LINEUP 125: Luke Werner 133: Cole (CJ) Manley 141: Nick Stonecheck 149: DaShawn Farber 157: Ben Barton 165: Ashton Eyler 174: Tyler Stoltzfus 184: Colin Fegley 197: Parker McClellan HWT: Colby Whitehill

2x All-American Patrick Glory (Photo/Sam Janicki; SJanickiPhoto.com) Princeton Tigers “This season's ultimate goal is winning the EIWA Tournament. This is the most balanced team I've ever coached at Princeton. I believe we have some guys that can carry the team to a top-four finish at NCAA's, which would earn us a trophy. Plus, we want to claim our first individual national champion since 1953” – Head Coach Chris Ayres TOP RETURNERS It's the same story, but a different team. In other words, Princeton was forced to sit out last season, due to Ivy League restrictions. The year prior, they qualified six wrestlers to the canceled NCAA Championships in 2020, and four of them are returning. While Keller, Marsh, and Cover have been very competitive on the freestyle scene. Expect to see these three guys return in the second semester. Patrick Glory (2x EIWA Champion, 2x All-American) Quincy Monday (2x EIWA, 2x NCAA Qualifier, 1x All-American) Travis Stefanik (2x EIWA Placer, 2x NCAA Qualifier) Grant Cuomo (1x EIWA placer, 1x NCAA Qualifier) Marshall Keller Jake Marsh Matt Cover KEY DEPARTURES The Tigers said goodbye to two of Princeton's all-time greats after the 2019-20 season. Patrick Brucki was a three-time EIWA place finisher, three-time NCAA qualifier, and two-time NCAA All-American. Occupying the 197lb weight class for multiple years, he was always a guy Princeton could count on to produce points in both dual meet and tournament formats. Brucki battled a knee injury, but managed to put together a great run at the end of the year. Unfortunately, the 2020 NCAA tournament was canceled. He entered as the eighth seed, earning himself NWCA All-American honors. Secondly, Matthew Kolodzik was Princeton's first-ever three-time NCAA All-American. The following year, he became the program's first four-time All-American. In four EIWA conference tournament appearances, he only suffered one loss. This puts him up there as one of the best the EIWA has ever seen. The Blair Academy recruit came in with big expectations and did not disappoint. Both Brucki and Kolodzik should be given a good chunk of credit (along with a few others) for the rise of the Princeton Tiger wrestling program. Matthew and Patrick helped bring Princeton to the top of the conference, while bringing eyes to the program at a national level as well. They will be missed, but there are young studs waiting to fill in. TOP NEWCOMER Coach Ayres has a long list of newcomers. All of which will be fighting for a spot in the starting line-up. Some are freshmen, while others are upperclassmen trying to crack the line-up for the first time. Some of the wrestlers below will not be enrolled and able to compete until the second semester. Nick Kayal is listed as a sophomore. He is a Bergen Catholic graduate, who placed four times at the New Jersey state tournament and the prestigious Beast of the East. He was crowned champion of this early-season event in December of 2017. More recently, he placed at the U23 WTT's in freestyle. Look for him at the 133lb weight class. Brandon Spellman is also a sophomore listed at 133lb. Also, a New Jersey native, he placed twice at the state championships in high school. We will see him in the mix at the talented 133lb weight class. Nick Masters is yet another 133lb wrestler. He was a four-time Georgia state champion, accumulating an overall record of 240-7. Adding to his resume, he was a three-time NHSCA All-American and two-time Fargo All-American. Listed as a freshman, expect him to make some noise at this weight also. Danny Coles comes to Princeton from north of the border. His impressive career already includes being a Pan-Am Champion, and three-time Canadian world team member. The freshman's international level of wrestling is impressive. Coaches are excited to see his skills translate to folkstyle at 141lb. Jacob Mann is another highly touted freshman recruit. The three-time Missouri high school state champion was also two-time NHSCA All-American and UWW Cadet All-American. With an impressive 160-8 high school record, expect him to be in the running for the starting spot at the 141lb weight class. Nate Dugan is a freshman from North Carolina with some college experience, who has turned the corner recently. Wrestling only in opens during the 2019-2020 season, he amassed a .500 winning percentage. Before that, he was a two-time state champion with a long list of instate accomplishments. He's listed as one of three probable starters at the 174lb weight class. Luke Stout comes from Mount Lebanon, Pennsylvania. It looks like he will be manning the 197lb class for the unforeseeable future. Read more on him in the next section. WRESTLER TO WATCH Luke Stout is the best freshman, at least on paper, Princeton has coming in this season. The Pennsylvania native will be a true freshman in the starting line-up for the Princeton Tigers. The coaching staff has very high expectations for the 197lb wrestler. As a high school blue-chip recruit, he was a 3X PIAA state placer, while capturing a gold, silver, and fourth place. During his time as a four-year starter, he accumulated 153 wins with only 16 losses. Adding to the pressure, he was named the “EIWA Newcomer of the Year” by Intermat in their all-conference preview. Obviously, the Princeton staff is expecting a great future out of Stout. POTENTIAL LINEUP (Including 2nd semester enrollment) 125: Patrick Glory 133: Anthony Clark/Nick Kayal/Nick Masters/Brandon Spellman 141: Danny Coles/Jacob Mann/Jonathan Miers 149: Marshall Keller 157: Quincy Monday 165: Grant Cuomo/Jake Marsh/Travis Tavoso 174: Nate Dugan/Grant Cuomo/Jake Marsh 184: Travis Stefanik 197: Luke Stout 285: Matt Cover/Jack DelGarbino

2x NCAA Runner-Up Daton Fix (Photo/Tony Rotundo; WrestlersAreWarriors.com; Graphic/Anna-Lee Marie) Welcome to a new recurring feature from InterMat as we lead into the 2021-22 collegiate season. We are about 50 days away from the start of the new season, so what better way to ring in the new year than to use that time to count down the top-50 current collegiate wrestlers. Each day a new wrestler will be released. These rankings have been compiled by members of the InterMat staff and used a combination of collegiate achievements, with 2021 accomplishments carrying more weight than past years, along with win-loss records and notable wins. While we are counting down the top-50 wrestlers based primarily on collegiate accomplishments, it is impossible to totally ignore achievements in the international settings, so they did factor in slightly, too. Before getting to the next wrestler on the list, look at the wrestlers previously profiled: #50 - Greg Kerkvliet (Penn State) #49 - Ben Darmstadt (Cornell) #48 - Dakota Geer (Oklahoma State) #47 - Kaleb Young (Iowa) #46 - Rocky Elam (Missouri) #45 - Chad Red Jr. (Nebraska) #44 - Brandon Courtney (Arizona State) #43 - Brock Mauller (Missouri) #42 - Cohlton Schultz (Arizona State) #41 - John Poznanski (Rutgers) #40 - Brayton Lee (Minnesota) #39 - Travis Wittlake (Oklahoma State) #38 - Parker Keckeisen (Northern Iowa) #37 - Tariq Wilson (NC State) #36 - Jacob Warner (Iowa) #35 - Jacori Teemer (Arizona State) #34 - Tony Cassioppi (Iowa) #33 - Vito Arujau (Cornell) #32 - Patrick Glory (Princeton) #31 - Max Dean (Penn State) #30 - Keegan O'Toole (Missouri) #29 - Mike Labriola (Nebraska) #28 - Nino Bonaccorsi (Pittsburgh) #27 - Austin DeSanto (Iowa) #26 - Jake Wentzel (Pittsburgh) #25 - Evan Wick (Cal Poly) #24 - Alex Marinelli (Iowa) #23 - Ryan Deakin (Northwestern) #22 - Sebastian Rivera (Rutgers) #21 - Sammy Sasso (Ohio State) #20 - Trent Hidlay (NC State) #19 - Stevan Micic (Michigan) #18 - Hayden Hidlay (NC State) #17 - Mekhi Lewis (Virginia Tech) #16 - Michael Kemerer (Iowa) #15 - Mason Parris (Michigan) #14 - Shane Griffith (Stanford) #13 - AJ Ferrari (Oklahoma State) #12 - Carter Starocci (Penn State) #11 - Jaydin Eierman (Iowa) #10 - Myles Amine (Michigan) Next up is… #9 Daton Fix (Oklahoma State) Weight: 133 lbs Year: Junior Career Record: 48-3 Hometown: Sand Springs, Oklahoma College Accomplishments: 2021 NCAA 2nd Place, 2019 NCAA 2nd Place, 2x Big 12 Champ 2021-22 Preseason Ranking: #2 at 133 lbs A silver medal at the Youth Olympic Games and a bronze at the Cadet World Championships helped Daton Fix establish himself as the top wrestler in the Class of 2017, a group that included Iowa's Spencer Lee. Before officially starting at Oklahoma State, Fix won a Junior World title and earned a place on the U23 World Team. After competing at U23's, there wasn't much time for open competition during Fix's redshirt season. His only event during the 2017-18 campaign was the Reno Tournament of Champions. There he won a title with wins over a pair of returning NCAA Round of 12 finishers, Sean Fausz (NC State) and Ronnie Bresser (Oregon State). It didn't take long for Fix to make an impact once officially competing in a Cowboy singlet. In just his second dual meet, Fix took out 2017 NCAA runner-up, Ethan Lizak (Minnesota), 6-1. A week later, he defeated another All-American, Montorie Bridges (Wyoming). Fix would go all the way through mid-January before tasting defeat. That streak included wins at Reno and the Southern Scuffle, along with returning national runner-up Nick Suriano (Rutgers). The Suriano match had multiple replays and ended up being a marathon match. Daton's first actual loss came at the hands of Micky Phillipi (Pittsburgh) in dual competition at Pittsburgh. The defensive-minded Phillipi was able to shut down Fix and take a 3-1 win. It remains the only non-NCAA finals loss of Fix's collegiate career. The most notable win for Fix during the homestretch of the dual season was a 2-0 win over Iowa's Austin DeSanto. That victory helped the Cowboys to a stunning 27-12 rout of their hated rivals. Another win over Bridges in the Big 12 Championship final gave Fix a conference title and locked up the #1 seed for him in what was thought to be the most star-studded collegiate bracket in a decade. As the top seed, Fix cruised to the semifinals with little trouble. There he met Luke Pletcher (Ohio State), who was wrestling in his backyard as the tournament was held in Pittsburgh. Fix managed to get the win 4-2 and lock up a place in the national finals. It would be a familiar face in the title bout as Suriano was the other finalist. Not only had they met earlier that year, but the two also tangled in high school at Who's #1. The bout went into overtime, which had no clock and the pair ended up wrestling for over 30 minutes before Suriano pulled out the winning takedown. The NCAA final ended up just as controversial as their dual meeting, as Fix was riding Suriano out in the tiebreakers; however, a stalemate was called with about :08 remaining. Suriano escaped on the ensuing restart and proceeded to grab the winning takedown in the next sudden victory period. Despite the finals loss, over the course of his freshman year, Fix defeated the wrestlers that went on to place 1st (Suriano), 4th (Pletcher), 5th (DeSanto), 6th (John Erneste - Missouri) and 7th (Lizak). After the 2018-19 season ended, Fix went out to the US Open and won a title by upsetting returning World silver medalist Thomas Gilman. The two would meet later in the summer and Fix pulled out a pair of victories at Final X to earn a spot on the World Team. Fix's world team berth allowed him to take an Olympic redshirt for the 2019-20 season to focus on preparation for the Trials. During that year, Fix was suspended for accidentally ingesting a banned supplement. The suspension ended up carrying over into the majority of the abridged 2021 season. Fix was able to compete in mid-February at the Cowboy Challenge and pinned three of his four opponents. In his only dual appearance of the year, Fix pinned Bedlam rival Anthony Madrigal (Oklahoma). Though Fix's 133 lb bracket was extremely deep at the Big 12 Championships, he was not tested and had three bonus-point victories and a 6-1 win over Madrigal in the title match. Once again, Fix was given the #1 seed at the NCAA Championships. This year, Fix crushed the competition leading up to the semis. He notched a 16-3 major decision in the opening round, followed by a pair of pins. The semis had another meeting with DeSanto, whom Fix edged by the score of 3-2. The DeSanto win elevated Fix to his second NCAA final, this time against Roman Bravo-Young (Penn State). Once again, it came down to sudden victory and Fix was on the wrong side of a 4-2 decision. In September, Fix moved up to 61 kg and earned a spot on the 2021 World Team. From there, he blew through the competition and earned his first medal at the Senior medal (silver). Strengths: During the World Team Trials and World Championships, we got a taste of Fix's offensive arsenal. At times, against top collegiate competition, Fix hasn't been able to get to his offense. Maybe that will change in 2021-22 after his Senior-level success. Dating back to his Cadet days, Fix has been known for his inside trips, which are deadly. Fix's footwork and quickness are critical to his work from neutral, offensively and defensively. From the top, Fix tends to look for double boots and will grind his opponents into the mat with power half and bars. 2021-22 Outlook: With a handful of great wins at the collegiate level, success in freestyle, and only three collegiate losses, Fix will be on the very short list of title favorites at 133 lbs. In addition to Bravo-Young, he'll have to contend with three-time All-American Stevan Micic (Michigan), who was third at his 2019 weight class, though the pair did not cross paths. 2x NCAA Runner-Up Daton Fix(Photo/Tony Rotundo; WrestlersAreWarriors.com)

141 lber Andrew Alirez (Photo/Sam Janicki; SJanickiPhoto.com) Northern Colorado Bears Anchored by four returning NCAA qualifiers from the 2021 season, including Andrew Alirez, who missed the tournament due to injury, the Northern Colorado Bears will look to continue to build off their strong recruiting in recent years and aim for podium finishes at the Big 12 and NCAA tournament. TOP RETURNERS 133-Mosha Schwartz; 2x NCAA Qualifier 141-Andrew Alirez; 2020 NCAA Qualifier 174-Jackson Hemauer; 2x NCAA Qualifier 184-Alan Clothier; 3x NCAA Qualifier KEY DEPARTURES 165-Jordan Robison 197-Jacob Seely; 3x NCAA Qualifier 285-Dalton Robertson; 2020 NCAA Qualifier Northern Colorado loses three starters from last season, most notably Jacob Seely at 197, who has been one of their top performers over the past few years. Seely qualified for the NCAA Championships on three occasions and was fourth in the Big 12 in 2020. At 197 and 285, they have answers in-house as Alan Clothier will be moving up from 184 to take the 197-pound spot and Robert Winters, who has started for them previously and missed most of last season due to injury, will return to the lineup at HWT. Clothier made the NCAA tournament once for Appalachian State, then twice since coming to Greeley. Winters has won 31 wins over the course of his four years at UNC. TOP NEWCOMER Benji Alanis (141) Branson Britten (184) Franklin Cruz (197) Baylor Fernandes (Minnesota Transfer-157) Vinny Zerban (165) We mentioned earlier that Northern Colorado has been recruiting well lately. This incoming class of freshmen/transfers was ranked #19 overall by InterMat. Alanis led the charge as he finished his high school career at #25 on MatScout's Senior Big Board. In 2021, Nickerson's team signed a pair of top-100 recruits and six of the top 300 prospects. As of now, the freshmen could redshirt, while transfer Baylor Fernandes is penciled in at 157 lbs. Fernandes went 16-3 while redshirting in 2019-20 and 1-2 last year for Minnesota. WRESTLER TO WATCH Andrew Alirez: Alirez down at 141 is the easy answer to go with here. He's dealt with some injuries that have kept him from getting some of the NCAA accolades I think he was aiming to have by this point in his career. But if Alirez can handle the 141-pound weight cut well, he could contend with guys like Dom Demas for the conference crown. It's not far-fetched to think he could find himself wrestling on Saturday at the NCAA tournament and finishing as an All-American. POTENTIAL LINEUP 125-Jace Koelzer (So) 133-Mosha Schwartz (So) 141-Andrew Alirez (So) 149- Chris Sandoval (Jr)/Nate Moore (So) 157-Baylor Fernandes (Fr) 165-Nick Knutson(Sr)/Damen Pape (Fr) 174-Jackson Hemauer (Jr) 184-Xavier Vasquez (So) 197-Alan Clothier (Sr) 285-Robert Winters (Sr)

2019 All-American Rayvon Foley (Photo/Tony Rotundo; WrestlersAreWarriors.com) Michigan State Spartans At the 2015 NCAA Championships, Michigan State bottomed out with -0.5 total team points. That is not a typo. Roger Chandler was hired the following offseason, and will start his sixth year as the Spartans' head coach when the' 21-22 season begins. We bring up the 2015 NCAA point total here not to poke fun, but to show how much progress has been made. A year ago, Michigan State finished eighth at the Big Ten tournament and in the top-30 at the NCAA Championships. Eight Spartan wrestlers qualified for the 2021 national tournament, the second-most in program history and most since 2000. Things are trending up in East Lansing, and a ton of experience and talent returns for the Spartans this season. "This year, we have a good balance between senior leadership and young leadership," Chandler said. "It's good to see that balance across the team. That's what I'm really excited about. "We've got some young guys who can really make an impact, but we also have a lot of guys who are in their fourth and fifth years who have been to the NCAA Championships and have really made an impact on our program." TOP RETURNERS Five Michigan State wrestlers finished in the top-six at their respective weights at the Big Ten Championships last season: Rayvon Foley (125), Chase Saldate (157), Jake Tucker (165), Layne Malczewski (184) and Cam Caffey (197). They all return this year. Foley was an All-American in 2019, and reached the round-of-16 at last season's national tournament, but Chandler said he's bumping up to 133 this season, and will battle Jordan Hamdan, another returning NCAA qualifier, for the starting spot. That opens the door for freshman Tristan Lujan to take up the starting role at 125. "Rayvon had a pretty serious shoulder injury all through last year," Chandler said. "He came up just short of being an All-American, but he's completely healthy. Got his shoulder repaired and he looks great right now." "Tristan Lujan, he's as tough as they come. He's a tough competitor who competes in every single position. I see really big things for him." Caffey, a Junior world-teamer and U23 All-American, reached the NCAA bloodround last year. Tucker is a two-time NCAA qualifier and won a match last year. Saldate went 8-7 last year but still finished fourth at the Big Ten Championships. Malczewski is a two-time NCAA qualifier who is 34-18 in his two years in the lineup. Additionally, Matt Santos (141) and Christian Rebottaro (285) return as sixth-year seniors. There's also Peyton Omania (149), an NCAA qualifier who made the U.S. Greco-Roman world team this past fall. Caleb Fish also went 6-1 last season as a true freshman, and is expected to be in the mix both at 165 and 174. "He's a kid that not many people know a lot about," Chandler said of Fish, "but that guy, I'm telling you, he's really tough, he's going to make an impact and do some great things." Michigan State's wrestle-offs are scheduled for Friday, Oct. 29 at 6 p.m. EST, but Chandler said he'll also use some early-season open tournaments to help finalize his lineup to start the season. "I'm a big believer that competition is the biggest indicator of where you really stand," Chandler said. "You can see stuff in the practice room every day and think things look great, but the true indicator is how guys compete when they're out in actual competition." KEY DEPARTURES Drew Hughes, who took eighth at last season's Big Ten Championships at 174, is no longer listed on the roster. Went 84-49 overall between 2016-21 and finished as a three-time NCAA qualifier (made the bloodround his freshman year at 165). That is some valuable on-the-mat experience. With Hughes gone, Chandler said Nate Jimenez is the likely front-runner to start at 174. He also said Fish and Tucker are battling for the spot at 165, and whoever doesn't win may slide up and challenge at 174, too. This will be a weight to watch early on. TOP NEWCOMER Ryan Vasbinder joined Michigan State after four insanely strong years at Division II's McKendree. He went 105-27 overall there - 42-1 over the last two seasons - and won a Division II national title last year at 197 pounds, going 12-0 with eight bonus-point wins: four pins, two technical falls and two major decisions. Vasbinder (pronounced Vaz-bine-der) did all of his damage for McKendree at 197, but is listed at both 197 and 285 on the roster. Chandler said the plan is for him to redshirt this year so he can bulk up into a full heavyweight for' 22-23, though he may wrestle a few open tournaments at 197 this season. "He's a tough competitor," Chandler said. "Ryan's going to do well. He's going to open some eyes this year in open competition. I'm very impressed with what he brings to the program." WRESTLER TO WATCH We're going with Peyton Omania, the wildly-talented and entertaining Greco star in the middle of the Spartans' lineup. He went just 4-8 last year, but three of those losses were by two points or fewer - including a 7-6 loss to Ohio State's Sammy Sasso, an NCAA finalist, and a 6-4 overtime loss to Nebraska's Ridge Lovett, a Big Ten finalist. Omania has some sterling credentials. He's a Junior world bronze medalist, a two-time U23 national champion, and a U.S. Senior world team member. All of that has been in Greco, but Chandler is expecting big folkstyle things from Omania this winter. "A lot of it is, you have to go through the experience to see how to push yourself forward," Chandler said. "He's in a good place mentally and physically to really have a breakout season. "He wasn't competing at the Junior level, he was competing at the Senior level. That's helped instill a lot of confidence in him." POTENTIAL LINEUP 125: Tristan Lujan, Julian Saldaña 133: Rayvon Foley, Jordan Hamdan 141: Matt Santos 149: Peyton Omania 157: Chase Saldate 165: Jake Tucker, Caleb Fish 174: Nate Jimenez, Caleb Fish 184: Layne Malczewski 197: Cam Caffey, Brad Wilton 285: Christian Rebottaro

3x NCAA champion Spencer Lee (Photo/Tony Rotundo; WrestlersAreWarrior.com) InterMat has released its preseason All-Big Ten first and second teams, along with preseason conference Wrestler of the Year, preseason Newcomer of the Year, and preseason team favorite. We use the term "Newcomer" since there is the chance of wrestlers that competed at the national tournament in 2021, being called "freshmen." First-Team Preseason All-Big Ten 125 - Spencer Lee (Iowa) 133 - Roman Bravo-Young (Penn State) 141 - Nick Lee (Penn State) 149 - Sammy Sasso (Ohio State) 157 - Ryan Deakin (Northwestern) 165 - Alex Marinelli (Iowa) 174 - Carter Starocci (Penn State) 184 - Aaron Brooks (Penn State) 197 - Braxton Amos (Wisconsin) 285 - Gable Steveson (Minnesota) Second-Team Preseason All-Big Ten 125 - Patrick McKee (Minnesota) 133 - Austin DeSanto (Iowa) 141 - Jaydin Eierman (Iowa) 149 - Yahya Thomas (Northwestern) 157 - Kaleb Young (Iowa) 165 - Carson Kharchla (Ohio State) 174 - Michael Kemerer (Iowa) 184 - Myles Amine (Michigan) 197 - Jacob Warner (Iowa) 285 - Mason Parris (Michigan) Preseason Big Ten Wrestler of the Year: Spencer Lee We're giving Spencer Lee the nod over Gable Steveson because of his opportunity at history. Spencer Lee enters his final season with the Hawkeyes with the opportunity to win a fourth NCAA title. Only four others in NCAA history have won four Division I national titles: Oklahoma State's Pat Smith ('90-92, '94), Iowa State's Cael Sanderson ('99-02), Cornell's Kyle Dake ('10-13), and Ohio State's Logan Stieber ('12-15). Additionally, Spencer has twice won the Hodge Trophy, college wrestling's Heisman equivalent, and is one of just five wrestlers to win the award multiple times in its 27-year history. He will take a 75-5 career record into his senior season, which includes a 35-match winning streak where he's outscored his opponents by a staggering 430-40. It will be hard to bet against Spencer Lee if he adds his name to another historic wrestling list. Until proven otherwise, he's the favorite at 125 pounds, a likely front-runner for the Hodge again, and all eyes will be on him all year, from the Hawkeyes' first dual against Princeton until the NCAA Championships in Detroit come March. Spencer Lee is one of the few wrestlers who came into college with unbelievable hype, and not only matched that hype, but in many ways, exceeded it. Preseason Big Ten Newcomer of the Year: Braxton Amos There are many newcomers who have the potential to make a big splash this year in the Big Ten - like Max Dean, Greg Bulsak, Austin Gomez, Joe Roberts, perhaps Alex Facundo, others as well - but we're rolling with Wisconsin's Braxton Amos here. His résumé is already mighty impressive: He qualified for the U.S. Olympic Trials in both freestyle and Greco-Roman, then made the Greco-Roman finals. He not only made the Junior world team in both styles as well, but won medals at the world championships in both, too - gold in freestyle, bronze in Greco. Those accomplishments have created sky-high expectations for Amos entering his true freshman year with the Badgers. Between 2015 and 2019, seven U.S. wrestlers won Junior men's freestyle world titles. All of them either won an NCAA title or made the finals. Can Amos continue that trend? We think so. His impact will be swift and immediate, and you aren't going to want to miss it. Preseason Big Ten Team Favorite: Iowa Hawkeyes We're really going out on a limb here in picking the defending NCAA team title winners, but these Hawkeyes are still the team to beat - not just in the Big Ten, but in the country this season. They bring back everybody: seven total All-Americans, including six who finished in the top-four and three finalists. Iowa scored 129 points, in what many considered to be a less-than-great team effort overall (Alex Marinelli, Max Murin, Nelson Brands combined to score just 7 points), and still won the NCAA team title by 15.5 points over Penn State. The Nittany Lions will provide a stiff challenge, with four returning national champs and other point-scorers. Michigan, Nebraska, Ohio State and Minnesota will provide varying levels of pressure, too. Outside of the conference, teams like Cornell, North Carolina State, Oklahoma State, and Arizona State will make the NCAA Championships interesting in March. But until proven otherwise, the Hawkeyes are the favorite. With the benefit of the COVID-19 relief year, and the willingness of their seniors to come back for one more season, the championship window remains open. The bad guys in black are back for another year. Buckle up and enjoy the ride.

4x NCAA All-American Myles Amine (Photo/Tony Rotundo; WrestlersAreWarriors.com; Graphic/Anna-Lee Marie) Welcome to a new recurring feature from InterMat as we lead into the 2021-22 collegiate season. We are about 50 days away from the start of the new season, so what better way to ring in the new year than to use that time to count down the top-50 current collegiate wrestlers. Each day a new wrestler will be released. These rankings have been compiled by members of the InterMat staff and used a combination of collegiate achievements, with 2021 accomplishments carrying more weight than past years, along with win-loss records and notable wins. While we are counting down the top-50 wrestlers based primarily on collegiate accomplishments, it is impossible to totally ignore achievements in the international settings, so they did factor in slightly, too. Before getting to the next wrestler on the list, look at the wrestlers previously profiled: #50 - Greg Kerkvliet (Penn State) #49 - Ben Darmstadt (Cornell) #48 - Dakota Geer (Oklahoma State) #47 - Kaleb Young (Iowa) #46 - Rocky Elam (Missouri) #45 - Chad Red Jr. (Nebraska) #44 - Brandon Courtney (Arizona State) #43 - Brock Mauller (Missouri) #42 - Cohlton Schultz (Arizona State) #41 - John Poznanski (Rutgers) #40 - Brayton Lee (Minnesota) #39 - Travis Wittlake (Oklahoma State) #38 - Parker Keckeisen (Northern Iowa) #37 - Tariq Wilson (NC State) #36 - Jacob Warner (Iowa) #35 - Jacori Teemer (Arizona State) #34 - Tony Cassioppi (Iowa) #33 - Vito Arujau (Cornell) #32 - Patrick Glory (Princeton) #31 - Max Dean (Penn State) #30 - Keegan O'Toole (Missouri) #29 - Mike Labriola (Nebraska) #28 - Nino Bonaccorsi (Pittsburgh) #27 - Austin DeSanto (Iowa) #26 - Jake Wentzel (Pittsburgh) #25 - Evan Wick (Cal Poly) #24 - Alex Marinelli (Iowa) #23 - Ryan Deakin (Northwestern) #22 - Sebastian Rivera (Rutgers) #21 - Sammy Sasso (Ohio State) #20 - Trent Hidlay (NC State) #19 - Stevan Micic (Michigan) #18 - Hayden Hidlay (NC State) #17 - Mekhi Lewis (Virginia Tech) #16 - Michael Kemerer (Iowa) #15 - Mason Parris (Michigan) #14 - Shane Griffith (Stanford) #13 - AJ Ferrari (Oklahoma State) #12 - Carter Starocci (Penn State) #11 - Jaydin Eierman (Iowa) Next up is… #10 Myles Amine (Michigan) Weight: 184 lbs Year: Senior Career Record: 91-19 Hometown: Brighton, Michigan College Accomplishments: 2021 NCAA 3rd Place, 2021 Big Ten Champ, 2019 NCAA 3rd Place, 2018 NCAA 3rd, 2017 NCAA 4th 2021-22 Preseason Ranking: #2 at 184 lbs It's not a surprise that two-time Michigan state champion Myles Amine ended up at Michigan, considering his father, Mike, was a runner-up for the school in the late 1980's and his older brother Malik was already on the team. His uncle and cousin also wrestled for the Wolverines. Amine showed he was ready to compete as a redshirt freshman when he finished third at the Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational, losing only to Zahid Valencia (Arizona State) along the way. While Amine fought through some of the normal growing pains associated with competing in the Big Ten as a freshman upperweight, he still managed to place third in the conference tournament. At his first NCAA Tournament, it was Valencia who handed Amine a pair of losses on his way to a fourth-place finish. In order to secure his place on the NCAA podium, Amine got by Ryan Preisch (Lehigh), who defeated Amine during dual meet competition. It didn't take long for Valencia and Amine to renew acquaintances during his sophomore season. In the second week of the year, Valencia got by the Wolverine, 4-2. For the second consecutive year, Amine went out to Vegas and left with third place. This time his lone loss came to Bo Jordan (Ohio State). One of Amine's two losses in the dual season came to Mark Hall (Penn State), the same opponent who defeated him in the Big Ten finals that year. In both the dual meet season and at the Big Ten Championships, Amine downed the returning, multiple-time All-American Jordan. Amine's runner-up finish at the Big Ten meet led to the fifth-seed at the 2018 NCAA Championships. He would have little trouble with his first two opponents, then edged the fourth seed Jordan Kutler (Lehigh), 3-2 in the quarterfinals. Once again, he turned the tables on a Lehigh opponent that had beaten him during the regular season. But like his freshman year, Amine's run on the championship side was spoiled by Valencia. Amine would dust himself off and earned wins over a pair of four-time All-Americans Jordan and Daniel Lewis (Missouri), to claim third place. The 2018-19 season started off on a high note as Amine was tested by Lehigh All-American, Kutler, but was victorious, 6-4. In his next outing, Amine captured a CKLV Invitational title by downing tough-freshman Mikey Labriola (Nebraska) and Lewis. Right after the new year, it was Valencia who spoiled Amine's perfect record. At the tail end of the dual season, Hall narrowly defeated him, as well. The score was 3-2, which mirrored their eventual bout at the 2019 Big Ten Championships. Another runner-up finish at the conference meet was good enough for the fourth seed at nationals in Pittsburgh. Though their seeds were flipped, Amine met Kutler in the quarterfinals again and prevailed in sudden victory, 4-2. That set the stage for a bout with Hall in the semifinals. The Nittany Lion would come out on top, again, this time by a point in the tiebreakers, 2-1. Amine rebounded to take third after defeating Lewis in the consolation final for a second consecutive year. After three years of competition, Amine had 17 career losses. Six came to Zahid Valencia and five were to Mark Hall! As Amine grew older, he found more success on the freestyle circuit. Later in 2019, Amine finished fifth at the World Championships, representing San Marino, which locked up a berth in the 2020 Olympics. With the Olympics looming in 2020, Amine sat out the 2019-20 campaign taking an Olympic redshirt. That proved to be a wise decision as the 2020 NCAA Championships did not happen due to Covid-19 and the Olympics were pushed back to 2021. Heading into the 2021 season, there was some uncertainty around whether or not Amine would compete or just focus on the Olympic Games. Nursing a hand injury, Amine returned in February and wrestled in three duals up at 197 lbs, picking up wins against Michael Beard (Penn State) and Cam Caffey (Michigan State). At the Big Ten Championships, Amine had to run quite the gauntlet to capture his first-ever Big Ten title. He posted wins over Eric Schultz (Nebraska) and Beard, before pulling out a sudden victory win over Jacob Warner (Iowa) in the title bout. A Big Ten title helped Amine earn the top seed at the 2021 NCAA Championships. For the third consecutive NCAA Tournament, Amine advanced to the semifinals. Despite holding the top seed, Amine had to gut out hard-fought wins in the Round of 16 and the quarterfinals. In the semis, Amine was shocked by freshman phenom AJ Ferarri (Oklahoma State), who knocked off the veteran in a 5-1 decision. Once again, Amine got the next best thing after defeating Rocky Elam (Missouri) and Warner. A bronze medal at the European Championships and the Poland Open gave Amine the third seed at the Olympics. Amine won a bout and found himself in the quarterfinals opposite former Penn State star David Taylor. Unphased, Amine notched the first takedown of bout, before falling 12-2. Like he's done throughout his collegiate career, Amine came back strong and earned Olympic bronze after defeating his next two opponents, both former world medalists. He also had to pull out a dramatic takedown late in the bronze medal bout versus Deepak Punia (India). Amine's bronze medal made him the first Olympic medalist in wrestling for San Marino. Strengths: Amine is well-rounded on his feet. He can score from a variety of different leg attacks, sweeps, high C's and low singles. He does well at finishing out the back door on his low attacks and limiting scrambling opportunities from his opponents. Defensively, he's positionally sound and can be difficult to penetrate. If a foe gets to his legs, Amine is adept at sitting the corner and scoring or forcing a stalemate. On the mat, Amine can amass riding time, but generally isn't a threat to turn against upper-echelon competition. 2021-22 Outlook: We'll see Amine back at a more ideal weight class, as he's slated to compete at 184 lbs in the upcoming season. Amine is capable of standing on the top step in his home state Saturday night at the NCAA tournament. His 184 lb weight class featured an undefeated, returning national champion in Aaron Brooks (Penn State), along with a deep group of contenders. 4x NCAA All-American Myles Amine (Photo/Tony Rotundo; WrestlersAreWarriors.com)