InterMat Staff

Penn State three-time All-American Carter Starocci (photo courtesy of Sam Janicki; SJanickiPhoto.com) Carter Starocci turned some heads during his ESPN interview after winning his third national title. From "That's what big balls look like" to not-so-subtly calling out Kamaru Usman and referring to a DII national title as "beginner's stuff," the Penn State junior showed the rest of the nation what those covering the team all season already knew - the guy isn't afraid to say what's on his mind. And as we've learned, what's in Starocci's mind can be kind of … scary. But, hey, that's why he's a three-time NCAA champ on a 52-match win streak. If you thought his ESPN interview was interesting, check out some of his interview highlights from throughout the season. On using the Michael Myers theme as his walkout song "Well, first of all, it's my dad, in his living room, he has like 1,400 masks and Michael Myers everywhere. It's kind of creepy. And then I was on my phone and I had seen Kobe Bryant and he was talking about how he gets his mindset ready for his matches - or, his games. And he was talking about how he has that theme song going in his headphones. And he said Michael Myers is just a stone-cold killer. Am I too hyped up? Am I too calm? I'm not going to run you down, I'm going to walk you down and just kill you. I was like, dude, that was hard. So, I have that going every time." On being called 'overrated' by Iowa commit Gabe Arnold "If he can kiss enough butt and get into the starting lineup, I'll take care of business there. It'll be in his home dojo, too, so he can get whooped in front of his mom and dad. So, that'll be fun." On rematches "I don't prepare for one individual, I just prepare for myself and every position. If those rematches come, I'll be looking forward to those rematches cuz I like sending those guys messages over and over again. It's kind of like Marshawn Lynch said, "If you run through someone's face over and over again, then you don't have to worry about them no more." On rematches (again) "I like wrestling guys over and over again. It's kind of like what Marshawn Lynch said, 'If you run through someone's face, over and over again, you don't have to worry about them no more.' I kind of like beating guys over and over again, just to let them know that I'm the guy, I'm the one." On why he likes that Marshawn Lynch quote so much "I watched that when I was a kid and was like, damn, that was pretty hard. That was gangster right there. I didn't forget that one." On the tournament format "I wish I could wrestle everyone in the bracket, not just one side of the bracket. I want to wrestle everybody, because that's what I'm here for. I don't get tired. I train hard and I have fun. I wish I could wrestle everybody, that's how I look at it." On whether winning Big Tens helps build momentum for NCAA's "No momentum. We can get it in the parking lot in 10 days, five days, two days, right now. There's always momentum no matter what. This tournament doesn't have an impact on what's going on in 10 days, that's a whole different story." On confidence "I think confidence is a huge part of my personality, my athletic career and my personality outside of wrestling. I'm not doing this sport to say another guy can beat me. I'm here to be the best, showcase that and get my crown again." Twitter highlights Other tidbits "It's always win or die." "I believe this is a really special team with a lot of killers. I'd hop in a foxhole with any one of these guys." "You don't want to go to bed on a win because then you'll wake up with a loss. You want to just keep pushing forward and keep shooting to get better. You don't want to get too high or too low, you want to just keep going."

Vito Arujau in the 2023 NCAA finals (photo courtesy of Sam Janicki; SJanickiPhoto.com) In a flash, Cornell's Vito Arujau attacked the far leg of Penn State's Roman Bravo-Young, plucked his right ankle, elevated, and drove the opposite direction to score his second takedown of the 133-pound NCAA final. That clip has become one of the most prominent of the NCAA Tournament, and at the moment, all ESPN analyst Jordan Burroughs could say was, "Wow." Bravo-Young, a two-time defending national champion, had no answer for the power of Arujau on those clean finishes, which included a second-period reversal to his back where RBY stood little chance. But to the surprise of many, RBY, who is billed as perhaps the sport's quickest athlete, also seemed to have no good response for the incredible speed of Arujau. The visual of Bravo-Young looking helpless to Arujau's leg attacks was striking. The Cornell junior also out-powered Oklahoma State three-time NCAA runner-up Daton Fix and made it look easy in an 11-3 major in the semis. Two different opponents, two different styles, and Arujau took the action to both of them in dominant performances. "He's world-class, I've been saying it a long time," Cornell coach Mike Grey said. "Those two guys, they're fast and powerful. Vito is just stronger and faster than Daton and RBY." Those two wins capped an electric tournament for Arujau, who won his first NCAA title and received the Outstanding Wrestler award. Cornell might have had the top two candidates for that honor in Arujau and freshly minted four-timer Yianni Diakomihalis, but Arujau left no doubt about who was most deserving. He got rolling early as the No. 3 seed in the 133-pound bracket with a 12-6 win over No. 30 Ethan Rotondo of Cal Poly in his opener, a 12-4 major over Iowa State's No. 14 Zach Redding in the Round of 16, and an 8-5 win over No. 6 Sam Latona of Virginia Tech to set up the monster wins over Fix and Bravo-Young. "How often does it happen that a guy wins his fourth title and doesn't get OW?" Grey wondered. "He had to make it undeniable because he wrestled his ass off and did a great job. That's exactly what Vito did. "It's good for Vito because he's now getting credit for the great work he's put in." Arujau's body of work has been undeniable as an Olympic trials runner-up at 57 kilograms in 2020 and a Final X participant in '22, a silver medalist at the Cadet World Games in 2017, and now a three-time NCAA All-American. Perhaps the final piece to place Arujau on the country's elite tier of wrestlers was to unlock the ability to complete tournament runs, instead of being left to wonder where he went wrong. Arjujau went on that journey of self-reflection last offseason after falling to Princeton's Patrick Glory and taking bronze. "I thought I was the most skilled wrestler in last year's tournament, and then I ended up losing in the semis to Glory," Arujau said. "There was constantly this battle of, I couldn't figure out why I was losing. It's so much easier to be able to lose to someone who's really good and be like, 'OK, that guy is just better than me.' But that just didn't seem like it to me. "It didn't seem like that was the reason I was losing. That disconnect was definitely rooted in some doubt in my own abilities, but it's just a part of the process. And I guess, just learning how to deal with that was something that I did this year and found the ability to trust myself." That process started with the kind of pain that so often leads to growth in wrestling. Without question, Arujau had shown the skill and physical tools to win a national championship, so he set out to work with his coaches, sports psychologists and others to start figuring out how to better win the mental battle. That work paid off at NCAAs and perhaps set the stage for an even better version of Arujau moving forward. Those mental tools made his physical skill set pop in wins over Fix and Bravo-Young, They were also a good way for Arujau to bury any self-doubts and wrestle with a freer, clearer mind. "I have a very good grasp of the technique and how wrestling works," he said. "What I did work on was just the competition mindset, really, really focusing up for those seven minutes and actively finding a good place to perform at mentally. I was happy that I was able to really utilize those skills at the tournament." 2023 NCAA champion Vito Arujau (photo courtesy of Sam Janicki; SJanickiPhoto.com) What that looked like in the finals against Bravo-Young was Arujau completely checking his thought process at the door. He was moving freely without hesitation as he executed that plan, staying at least one step ahead of RBY both mentally and physically, which had previously looked impossible to do before Arujau snapped RBY's 56-match winning streak. That was everything in a match of that magnitude, but Arujau finished on the right side of it this time. "I let my body take over," he said. "I tried to cut out all that decision-making process during the match. I trusted my body to be able to know where to go and what to do and, you know, it did it." The mental and physical sides of wrestling came together at a perfect crossroads for Arujau in this NCAA tournament. A big part of that effort was the decision to move up from 125 to 133 pounds, which Grey said was made soon after last postseason. The plan remains for Arujau to make the descent to 57 kilograms and try to win a spot on the 2024 United States Olympic team, but the grind and frequent weigh-ins of the NCAA season made the bump to 133 a no-brainer for Arujau and the Cornell staff. The result was a fresher mind, stronger legs, more power and an overall better wrestling experience. "I think I have much more energy," Arujau said. "I'd say I have more power now that I'm at 133. I'm in a much better place with a much better attitude. I'm definitely not sucked out and sad all the time." With that fog lifted and the work he did on his mindset, Arujau was primed for his best performance, and not just in terms of the NCAA tournament. That highlight reel takedown to help win the match against Bravo-Young was the product of a full season of energetic practice work that Grey says wouldn't have happened if he were still wrestling 125 pounds. With fewer concerns about weight, Arujau had more time and attention for fundamental improvements. "He went elbow pass, head outside, ankle grab for his second takedown," Grey said. "It was beautiful. Attacking both sides of the body is something he needed to work on, and he finally had the ability to address it all season long. "It showed in his biggest moment." The next big step for Arujau is to apply the lessons he learned and the confidence he gained at 133 pounds and take it back with him to 57 kilograms. That work will begin with the U.S. Open next month, and as Arujau knows quite well by now, will never stop. But what Arujau did at NCAAs is raise the bar on his own performance and perhaps unlock something greater that will help him win bigger and bigger matches on his way to his ultimate goal: world titles. "Vito is really special," Grey said. "We've known he's been that great, and he'll only get better if he continues to believe in himself and put in great work. I'm excited for the U.S. Open for him. He's doing really good stuff. Everybody should be aware of him."

Lehigh All-American Josh Humphreys (photo courtesy of Sam Janicki; SJanickiPhoto.com) The 2023 NCAA Wrestling season ended last weekend. History was made, crazy upsets happened, and many fell short of their goals. Fortunately, and unfortunately, many EIWA wrestlers fell into all three categories. It was incredible to see the highest of highs and lowest of lows all under one roof, within seconds of each other - sometimes by the same person! In honor of the seven EIWA All-Americans, below is a list of 7 things to recap from the wild weekend in the Midwest! #1 - First, congrats to the 3 NCAA Champions from the EIWA. Patrick Glory, of Princeton, returned to the NCAA finals coming away with gold this time around. The entire country assumed we'd see Glory take on Spencer Lee in the finals. But, due to the "Pin Heard 'Round the World," this was not the matchup we saw. Glory beat Ramos of Purdue - giving Princeton their first NCAA champ in 72 years. Talk about history! Remember when he almost moved up a weight class during the year? I'm assuming the right decision was made to stay down at 125 lbs…. Glory's eligibility is done with but expect to see him on the freestyle circuit and try to make the U.S. team for the next Olympic cycle. Vito Arujau, of Cornell, won the Most Outstanding Wrestler Award after winning the 133lbs title, knocking off 2X defending champ Roman Bravo-Young of Penn State. Vito's road to the final included avenging a loss to Virginia Tech's Latona (who was the only wrestler this year to beat Vito). Vito's dominant semifinal win over 3X runner-up, Daton Fix, probably shocked many. He won via major decision, and nearly majored RBY in the finals. What an incredible performance by the man who many claimed had very little chance at winning this weight. Vito has another NCAA year left. With an upcoming Olympic training cycle, we may not see him compete for the Big Red, as he has bigger aspirations in this sport. I am expecting an Olympic redshirt from him next season, but that's just a hunch I have. Finally, Yianni Diakomihalis, of Cornell, made history by winning his fourth NCAA title - joining a rare class of elite wrestlers. As previously mentioned, he is the 5th person to ever achieve this feat. The last person to do this was Kyle Dake, of Cornell. Yianni's quest for a 4th title was somewhat under the radar due to the over-the-top coverage of Spencer Lee's quest. Thankfully, he was the last match of the night, and we were able to celebrate his triumphant feat in extraordinary fashion on, both, ESPN and inside the arena. When asked how his performance went, Yianni said "What I did this weekend, is FAR, FAR from how I need to compete to be an Olympic and World Champ." This is Yianni in a nutshell. The pursuit of perfection is constant. He's already back in the lab training freestyle and loving every second of not needing those annoying headgear anymore (per his Twitter). A few tidbits I'd like to add. The last time the EIWA had 3 NCAA champs was in 2012. Cornell ended up having 3 champs that year, earning a 4th place team finish. Secondly, in the year 2013, Yianni Diakomihalis won a New York state title at 99 lbs. His finals opponent - Vito Arujau. 10 years later, they both won an NCAA title repping Cornell University. Some stories just write themselves! #2 - The rest of the All-Americans deserve some love too! First up, in weight order, is Josh Humphreys of Lehigh earning 3rd at 157lbs. He lost a heartbreaker in the semis to the champ, O'Connor of North Carolina. He was O'Connor's closest bout of the weekend, if that means anything. His future is still up in the air, as he will be applying for a medical redshirt. I think we'll see him back for the Mountain Hawks. Quincy Monday was an animal this weekend, taking 3rd at a LOADED 165lb weight class. He fell in the semis to David Carr by a score of 6-5 due to a hard third-period ride. He dropped down and beat two returning All-Americans in Hamiti of Wisconsin and Amine of Michigan. Quincy was all smiles, all weekend - deservedly so. The legacy he will leave behind at Princeton goes so much further than what he achieved on the mat. His wrestling future is still in the air, somewhat. I'd expect him to do some freestyle to see where he fits on the Olympic ladder, so to speak. He did mention he wants to put his Ivy League education to good use. Quincy is more than just a great wrestler. Chris Foca, of Cornell, was your third-place finisher at 174 lbs. He dropped his semifinal to the all-time great Starocci of Penn State. His win for 3rd over Mekhi Lewis was a great way to end the year, as Lewis was a former NCAA champ. Foca went all "FocaStyle" in the winner's bracket, pinning two opponents, including fifth-seeded Plott of Oklahoma State. He was an integral part of Cornell's 3rd-place finish as a team. He'll be back, but so is Starocci (possibly?). I'm sure we'll see Foca on the freestyle scene in the near future as well. The last All-American for the EIWA was Cornell's Jacob Cardenas at 197 lbs. Talk about battling back through the consi's. He lost in the R16 on Thursday night, then rallied off three straight wins to become an All-American. Cardenas turned it on this postseason, winning EIWAs and coming to Tulsa with a podium finish. I loved seeing him bounce back after a Thursday night loss to Sloan of SDSU - who eventually lost in the final to Bonaccorsi of Pitt. Cardenas has jumped levels this year and I expect him to do the same this offseason. I'm looking forward to his battles with Beard of Lehigh in the next few seasons. Cardenas will be another Big Red wrestler doing freestyle this off-season. #3 - Since I started my coverage at the beginning of the 2021-2022 season, the EIWA has been awful in the bloodround matches at NCAAs. How awful? Last season, they amassed a 1-7 record in the round of 12. This year's record was 1-6. Coincidentally, the only wrestlers to win these matches were from Cornell. Loew at 184 lbs last season, and Cardenas this year at 197 lbs. Cornell's Brett Ungar found himself in the blood round at 125lbs this year, losing to 2X All-American Cardinale of West Virginia in a close 3-2 bout. At 141lbs, Lehigh's Malyke Hines lost to McNeil of North Carolina. Hines came into the tournament as the 22nd seed, knocking off Jack of NC State and Kazimir of Columbia in the consi's. Having built himself into the weight class this year, Hines will be tough next season. Julian Ramirez was in the blood round as well. The 165lbs wrestler from Cornell was upset in the first round and went on a run, which stopped short of AA status thanks to Shane Griffith of Stanford. It's never a good draw to have an NCAA champ in this do-or-die round. Ramirez has now lost in this round twice in his two years of competition. Drexel's Brian Bonino was one of the lowest seeds to advance to this round in the entire tournament. He defeated eighth-seed Finesilver of Michigan in the winner's bracket. In the consi's, he took down the EIWA champ, Samuelson of Lehigh. His loss in the Round of 12 was to Romero of Ohio State who ended up in third, making a heck of a run. Lehigh's Michael Beard struggled to close out both matches he lost. This seems to be an ongoing problem with Beard. If he can learn to maximize his abilities he'll be in the mix for an NCAA title. I'm excited for him to return next year and be near the top of the podium. The final blood round loss came at heavyweight. Harvard's Yara Slavikouski fell to Davison of Northwestern in overtime. I fully expect Yara back next year, but he'll most likely be wrestling for a team in another conference, as his Ivy League eligibility is now done with. He is currently in the transfer portal looking for a new home. My guess would be a BigTen school (possibly a higher-end academic school looking for a heavyweight to replace their graduating senior NCAA champion????) #4 - The Ivies are on top of the EIWA, and there are no signs of slowing down. The five Ivy League Teams with qualifiers made up 29 of the conference's 54 qualifiers. Penn led the way with eight qualifiers, Cornell had seven, Columbia had six, Princeton and Harvard each had four. With these teams only getting stronger, and the inevitable rise of Brown, the Ivy League has come a very long way in the last decade. All of these squads are climbing the ranks of the conference. It's even more impressive to see two different Ivies represented in the finals for the second year in a row! Plus, Cornell walking away with a third-place team trophy is icing on the cake. Princeton ended in 13th place. I've mentioned it before, keep an eye out for this Columbia team. They are quietly getting better. Look for them to improve on their 6 qualifiers next season, and possibly getting someone on that podium. They will be a tough team to beat in the upcoming years. #5 - The non-Ivies had a nice tournament as well. Led by Lehigh's T-20th place finish, we need to go all the way to 43rd place for the second non-Ivy team, Drexel. To me, this says a majority of EIWA teams scored minimal points, and the points they did score came in the consi's. I've seen arguments that the conference gets too many allocations - this would be an argument I could listen to, solely based on these team scores. But being the largest conference in the country, they've earned that right. Obviously, Lehigh has always been at the top of this category. As of late, teams like Army and Navy have been producing wrestlers that are winning at the NCAA tournament. Drexel has now had a R12 wrestler two straight years. Binghamton had Lou DePrez in a similar situation last year as well. Obviously, winning a few matches as a team is not the goal - I know that, and so do the coaching staffs and wrestlers. As balanced as many of the non-Ivy teams in the EIWA are, sometimes they lack the "stud(s)" that produce points at NCAAs. This is basically a bunch of rambling to say - let's not get too pessimistic about the conference, based on these team scores. The conference is in a very healthy spot and I'll die on that hill. #6 - There were a few wrestlers who stood out to me as "overachievers" (for lack of a better word) based on seeds, and maybe over the entirety of their season. The main one that sticks out is Drexel's Brian Bonino. His huge upset, as the 25th seed, in the first round over 8th seeded Finesilver of Michigan put him on a good path. He battled back, ending in the top 12 in the nation. This was after spending much of the season ranked in the high-20s, once he broke into the rankings. Another standout to me was Lehigh's Malyke Hines. Moving up from 133 lbs last season, he began the season a little slow and took some questionable losses. He managed to turn it on at the end of the year. He began NCAAs as the 22nd seed, and ended up losing in the blood round to McNeil of UNC. His win over the fifth seed, Jack of NC State, was a huge win. Is it cheating to say Vito "overachieved"? Many counted him out as a finalist, let alone a champ at that weight - which has been manned by RBY of Penn State for the past two seasons. I think it's fair to say Vito surpassed expectations with how he won over Fix and RBY, as the final scores were not even all that close. The way he dominated was very impressive. The same argument could be made for Glory, as his closest match was a 4-1 win over a dangerous Matt Ramos in the final. #7 - My overall thoughts of NCAAs have me torn. Even though the number of All-Americans for the conference was down again this year, it was a great experience and atmosphere to witness in person. Being behind the scenes and down on the floor is something I wish all fans could experience. You observe the roller coaster of emotions. My heart breaks watching wrestlers end their NCAA careers at this tournament without achieving their lifelong goals. It can get a little emotional for me with no real skin in the game. On the flip side, I also get emotional seeing wrestlers at the highest of highs - whether that's winning one match, being an All-American, or an NCAA Champion. Being a former wrestler at this level, I have been on both sides of those situations. Being a former coach, I can relate to the passion and dedication these staffs invest in their athletes. Sometimes wins and losses can mean more to the coaches and/or parents involved than we could ever imagine, as we saw in the unfortunate viral clip of Spencer Lee's mom after his loss. I am sure, one day, I will know that feeling. Until then, I'll keep staying involved on the media side as much as possible. In conclusion, I just wanted to thank everyone who has reached out to me and for the kind words I've received this year. It does go a long way knowing that people in different roles are reading my material. It has been an honor to follow the journey of the EIWA's athletes, coaches, fans, and everyone else who is along for the ride! Another season is in the books. The 2023-2024 season will be here before you know it!

North Carolina All-American Lachlan McNeil (photo courtesy of Sam Janicki; SJanickiPhoto.com) Well, the season has come to an end. I know wrestling goes all year but the college season just hits differently. It’s like a slow-building symphony that ends with an epic crescendo in March. Or for you younger folks, the guitar finale of Freebird. So now we turn our attention to National qualifiers, international tournaments at strange hours, and me struggling to come up with something to talk about in July. Congratulations to all the placers this year and next week I'll figure out the newest members of the All-Jagger team. I still don’t know the criteria for that so I’m just gonna wing it. On to your questions. Lachlan McNeil. Future champ? Eric in Ottawa Not since “Rowdy” Roddy Piper smashed a coconut over Jimmy Snuka’s head has a Scottish-Canadian made such an impact on American wrestling until Lachlan McNeil. The redshirt freshman from UNC took advantage of a wide-open 141 class and left Tulsa with a fourth-place finish. A 6-4 loss to eventual champ Andrew Alirez shows that the Wyoming Seminary product is right there with everyone at his weight. I’d expect a finals appearance at some point in the next few years. That’s a good name, too, Lachlan. I also possess a government name that’s Scottish so I can dig it. Serious question…what rank will Nino Bonaccorsi receive from the CEO of Italians now that he’s an NCAA champion? Has to be like capo or something, right? Jkos11 Let’s just say the books are being opened for the first time in a long time. Can’t really say much more because, you know, omerta and whatnot. Speaking of the Don.. Who do you think out of the NCAA All-Italian-American team has the best chance of winning a national title next year? CEO of Italians The easy answer is Carter Starocci, but he’s going to tease us for the next year if he’s ever coming back. Even though Sammy Sasso brings his backpack to the mat, he’ll also be back next year and should be the favorite at 149 or 157. Certainly, Anthony Noto and Eddie Ventresca can contend in what will be a new era at 125, but Matt Ramos has to be considered the top guy there right now. Best place for a nice dinner near the Prudential Center? Kevin Mcguigan When in Newark you positively have to try one of the numerous Portuguese Rodizio restaurants for the finest cooked meats. Their meat just cannot be beaten. As Twitter user Aaron Bartlett pointed out, Taste of Portugal is only ten minutes away. It seems like a good place to start. What would your walkout song be for the NCAA finals? Shane Thomas So many choices. I think you have to use every resource to find an edge and your intro music is no different. You need something that’s going to rattle your opponent and throw him off his game. I’ll go with “Happy" by Pharrell Williams. The trick is that I’ll wear headphones playing an entirely different song. Let’s see my opponent concentrate with that trash song stuck in his head when the whistle blows. Rank my outfits from this weekend. Rachel Gallardo I wouldn’t call myself Mr. Blackwell here, but I did notice a denim jacket with an InterMat patch on the back. Get me one of those with a Motley Crue patch and you get a perfect ten from me. Rank the NCAA champions by toughest dads. Indiana Mat Why is everyone asking me to rank things? I’m not even in the official guild. I’m not privy to the entire dad roster but I assure you I am not talking trash to the Parris family if I see them in a bar. Did you see the dad? He looks like he’d chop down a tree in the morning just to get some syrup for his flapjacks. Who needs friends when you got Noir? Coach Scott Green Wegmans Enjoyer You don’t! Jagger Noir is all you need! Well, that and some Bleu Cheese. Seriously though, I want to thank the wrestling community for letting me in. I have no credentials, no medals, no connections, and sometimes no filter. Just a Twitter account and my cunning to get me through and you’ve all allowed me to make some great friends along this journey. I never thought in a million years I’d be writing a column of any kind and we’ve now made it through two full college seasons. I have no idea how long this will last but I truly enjoy connecting with all of you on a daily basis. Speaking of friends... A wrestler that you weren’t entirely familiar with before NCAA’s that you’ll watch closely going forward. Earl B. Smith, Nats Enjoyer Pretty much the entire Oregon State team. As Twitter user Matt Sganga said, it can be tough to keep up with the PAC-12 conference. There isn’t a ton of turnover in head coaches at this level and it’s even rarer to see a large school hire a rookie head coach. The Chris Pendleton hire looks like a slam dunk already as the Beavers have already captured a conference title. It will be interesting to see if he turns them into a major player or if another OSU comes calling. Until then, I’m on that Beaver Train. And they get to say dam a lot, too. I admit I also haven’t seen much of Wyatt Hendrickson. He’s quite a thing.

National champions Nino Bonaccorsi (left), Patrick Glory (center), and Mason Parris (photos courtesy of Sam Janicki; SJanickiPhoto.com) The 2023 NCAA Championships are officially in the rearview mirror. As we get further and further away from the Covid year in 2021 that gave student-athletes an additional year of eligibility, a sense of normalcy approaches. One of the typical happenings at the end of a collegiate season is to bid the seniors a fond farewell as they've concluded their respective careers. Drilling down further into the seniors, personally, one of my favorite sites to see at an NCAA tournament is a senior that finishes their career on top for the first time. This scenario isn't exactly a given, especially in the current era of DI wrestling. Wrestlers are coming into college more prepared than ever and are winning younger than in previous generations. As a result, there are fewer and fewer seniors winning their first national titles. In 2022, only Ryan Deakin fit this mold of first-time champion as a senior. The previous year, there were none. 2019 had Anthony Ashnault and Drew Foster. 2018 Michael Macchiavello. Just typing their names brings me a sense of positivity. Why, you ask? I like watching wrestlers accomplish their dreams. Freshman, senior, whatever. But for me, there's an added sense of significance when it's a student-athlete with their back against the wall in their final opportunity to win. Someone who's battle-tested, has been through the rigors of four (or five, or six) years in a collegiate wrestling room. An athlete that has come close to tasting victory yet, for whatever reason, has come up just short of that ultimate goal. They shake off years of frustration, self-doubt, and injuries to give it one last try. Seeing one of those wrestlers get over the hump and get sent off in style, during the final collegiate bout is poetic. This time they cry tears of joy instead of tears of despair. In 2023, we had the pleasure of watching three of these seniors go out in style with their first national title. 125 lber Patrick Glory, 197 lber Nino Bonaccorsi, and 285 lber Mason Parris. The three have this in common; however, they have very different paths to the top of the podium. One similarity between the trio is that each had their respective careers interrupted by the Covid year of 2019-20. Both Glory and Parris were seeded second that season and had the eventual Hodge Trophy winner's in their respective weight classes. While each would have been an underdog, you never know what actually would have happened. We remember Gable Steveson as an Olympic gold medalist, but his margin of victory over Parris at the 2020 Big Ten Championships was 8-6. Could Parris have reversed that decision in two weeks? Maybe. Glory never wrestled Spencer Lee that season, but he did post the best bonus point percentage of his career. He was close to the top of his game in 2020. Looking at the career of each, we'll start the way that most wrestling events do, with the smallest weight class first. 2023 125 lb national champion Patrick Glory Glory was a blue-chip recruit that came into an emerging Princeton program that was starting to make its mark on the college wrestling scene. He wasn't the first no-brainer, future superstar to ink with the Tigers, that was teammate Matt Kolodzik, the program's first-ever freshman All-American. Kolodzik showed you can win right away with the school. After Zain Retherford finished up, in 2018, Kolodzik was one of the favorites at 149 for his final two seasons. From an outside perspective, Kolodzik appeared to be the strong, silent type. The teammate that led by his actions. Conversely, you have Glory who was a homegrown kid from New Jersey that seemed to carry that Jersey chip on his shoulder. He was the one that liked to rile up the crowd after a big win. Whether it's his home fans or in a rival gym. He was Jersey and he was the face of Princeton wrestling. Like Kolodzik, Glory found success right away and made the podium as a freshman. For the bulk of Glory's career, he was chasing Spencer Lee. The two met during Glory's freshman year and though he lost both times, I always thought his skill set presented the best opportunity to knock off Lee. With the Hawkeye great out of the picture in 2022, Glory made the national finals, but lost to Nick Suriano of Michigan. It was no secret that Glory had a difficult time making 125 last season, so most, myself included, assumed he'd move up to 133 for his final hurrah. That proved to be wrong as Glory made the tough pull down to 125 lbs for the 2022-23 campaign. The grind of a DI season can be long as it is, but when you've got a difficult cut and may be dealing with other injuries, it has to feel like a marathon. Glory spent some time competing at 133 for the good of his team, while keeping his weight within striking distance for 125. The regular season probably didn't go as smoothly as Glory would've pictured (though he was undefeated), but the saying goes, "All that matters is March." All year, smart fans and media members liked to point out that Glory's NCAA quarterfinal match could be his toughest. That would present him with a high-quality opponent, right off the scale after a presumably difficult second-day weigh-in. Once the brackets were released and #7 Brandon Kaylor/#10 Brandon Courtney were the probable matchups, those talks intensified. But, as one of the members of the Princeton staff told our EIWA correspondent, Austin Sommer, "NCAA Glory is different." That proved to be the case as he dominated Brett Ungar, his EIWA Finals opponent he had beaten by the score of 2-0 a few weeks earlier. In the NCAA second round, Glory pitched a 10-0 shutout. For that possibly problematic quarterfinal, Glory jumped out to an early lead and coasted to an 8-4 decision over Courtney. The semifinals also provided little drama as Glory clinched a berth in his second consecutive national title match. After Glory's win, the wrestling world was turned upside down as Purdue's Matt Ramos pinned three-time national champion Spencer Lee in the other semifinal bout. Once I tried to digest the results of the Lee loss, I wondered, "How does Glory feel?" I imagined he wanted to be "the guy" that spoiled Lee's coronation. He's had Lee in his crosshairs for years and won't get to face him. Our Mailbag Specialist, Jagger, was able to talk some sense into me. Jagger convinced me that "Glory likes playing the villain. The entire arena will be pulling for Ramos after the upset. He'd love being the guy to beat Ramos." As often happens, except with his baseball takes, Jagger was right. And true to his style, Glory did so with flare. In my recollection, he's likely the only wrestler to walk out to the NCAA finals carrying an American flag. Glory was able to hold off a pesky Ramos and secured his elusive NCAA title with a 4-1 victory. That win brought Chris Ayres' Princeton program their first NCAA championship since 1951! Who better to win that title than the guy that's been a star from day one, a wrestler that encapsulates his home state and has been the face of Princeton wrestling. 2023 285 lb national champion Mason Parris Let's skip ahead to the heavyweight champion Mason Parris. Like Glory, Parris was a blue-chip recruit that got thrust into the Michigan starting lineup in year one. As a true freshman, Parris was a bit undersized. He competed at 220 lbs as a high school senior and was a multi-sport athlete, famously qualifying for the Indiana state tournament in the shot put and high hurdles. That's right, a heavyweight that has that sort of athleticism. From the outset, it was clear that Parris wasn't your average wrestler. Literally, the first weekend. In his collegiate debut, Parris pinned the returning MAC champion, Matt Stencel, in 14 seconds. An excellent college heavyweight in :14 seconds! That match took place competing unattached and it wasn't until early January that the Wolverine staff officially unleashed Parris. In his first career dual, Parris had his way with returning All-American Amar Dhesi to the tune of an 11-4 win. A promising first year ended on a down note as Parris lost at NCAA's in a weird, 8-5 decision to Iowa's Sam Stoll, when Stoll repeatedly pushed him out of bounds for multiple stalling calls, then he was pinned by old rival Stencel in the bloodround. In the summer following his freshman year, Parris rolled through the Junior World bracket and pinned future Senior world champion Amir Zare to win a gold medal. Extra size, experience and a year in the Wolverine wrestling room made for a breakout season, one that saw him go undefeated until the 2020 Big Ten finals. It's hard to place ourselves in 2020 knowing what we know now, but there was a contingent of fans that felt Parris was the man to beat at 285 lbs, not Gable Steveson. Steveson prevailed 8-6 and there would be no rematch due to the Covid cancellation. A year later, Steveson accounted for Parris' only two losses of the year, in the Big Ten and NCAA finals. The shortened 2021 campaign marked the first NCAA All-American honor for Parris, as he was second in the nation. Last season, Parris battled through an injury-plagued year to take fifth in the nation and went 20-6. If you're around wrestling enough, you hear plenty of stories about injuries and sicknesses being responsible for losses. Some are legit, some are questionable. After Parris' blazing start to the 2022-23 season, I was at the Bout at the Ballpark where the Wolverines faced Oklahoma State and spoke to Michigan SID Leah Howard. I told her, "Mason must've really been hurt last year, just comparing results from year-to-year." She assured me that he was and agreed at how great he appeared this season. Parris continued his run with his first Big Ten title and a top seed in Tulsa. The semifinals looked like they may present a bit of a challenge since Iowa's Tony Cassioppi was waiting for the Michigan big man. Cassioppi nearly knocked off Parris in dual competition and was hungry for a rematch. Apparently, Parris was too as he teched Cassioppi and stormed into his second NCAA final. A rematch of the Big Ten finals against Kerkvliet looked like it may head in a different direction as Kerkvliet got to a leg early in the bout. That proved to be just a fleeting moment, as Parris shrugged off the attempt for a takedown of his own. The initial attack from Kerkvliet represented the most danger Parris was in for the remainder of the bout. He'd cruise to a 5-1 victory and finished his collegiate career with a win and a national title. As Parris was making his way back to the media room for his post-match interview, our Rachel Gallardo caught Parris saying "We did it…finally." The "we" portion of Parris' comment is important because, while he was on the mat competing, there are so many people that went into a national title. Family, coaches, teammates, friends, and high school/club coaches. And, of course, the "finally" part. That's certainly a feeling from one of these seniors that felt they were good enough to win two or three titles, but eventually did it in that last opportunity. 2023 197 lb national champion Nino Bonaccorsi Glory and Parris were both blue-chippers expected to contribute immediately in year one. Nino Bonaccorsi had the opportunity to redshirt in his first year with Pittsburgh. While Bonaccorsi was an excellent signing for the Panthers, he didn't have the fanfare that the other two carried. As a senior, Bonaccorsi fell in the state finals to Glory's eventual teammate Travis Stefanik of Nazareth High School. Bonaccorsi grew up just outside of Pittsburgh in Bethel Park and was the second member of his family to wrestle for the Panthers. His brother, Nick, was a three-time NCAA qualifier from 2013-16. After a redshirt year, Bonaccorsi put together a solid freshman season making the ACC finals and coming up a match shy of All-American status, losing to fellow Pennsylvania native Dakota Geer (Oklahoma State) in the bloodround at Pittsburgh's PPG Paints Arena. Bonaccorsi turned in a solid sophomore campaign, but ended up third in a deep ACC bracket that included NC State's Trent Hidlay and Virginia Tech's Hunter Bolen. Even with that finish he was seeded tenth in the ill-fated 2020 tournament. Once wrestling got back underway after the Covid cancellations, Bonaccorsi reemerged as a 197 lber. The move proved to be a good one as he captured the first of his three ACC titles and grabbed the sixth seed at the 2021 NCAA Championships. That tournament was Bonaccorsi's big breakout as he knocked off the third seed and made the NCAA finals, clinching All-American honors for the first time. Bonaccorsi, one of the preeminent offensive wrestlers at 197 lbs, would be stymied in the 2021 NCAA finals by AJ Ferrari, then of Oklahoma State. The 2022-23 season was another solid one for Bonaccorsi, yet he missed out on All-American honors after a second-round upset and a loss to Rocky Elam in the bloodround. In his final go 'round, Bonaccorsi picked up three key wins in his first four appearances (Michael Beard, Jaxon Smith, Zac Braunagel). Once both returning finalists stumbled, Bonaccorsi rose to #1 in the national rankings. He went through the regular season and ACC tournament unscathed and was the only constant in a 197 lb weight class filled with chaos. Most fans expected the 197 bracket in Tulsa to be the most unpredictable. That was partly because the returning champion was seeded ninth and his runner-up was seeded 14th. It's also a result of the Big Ten sucking up so much attention in the wrestling world. A wrestler like Bonaccorsi was largely an unknown commodity for a portion of the fanbase. This was despite an NCAA runner-up finish in 2021 and three ACC titles. Nino's final tournament mirrored his career at Pitt. He kind of just quietly chugs along and amassed win after win, rarely wowing the crowd, but getting the job done. In the quarterfinals, he downed the Big Ten champion Silas Allred in a bout that featured two of the best offensive wrestlers at the weight. That offense was on display in the semis as Bonaccorsi took it to Rider's Ethan Laird, 10-4. Bonaccorsi continued his workman-like approach in the finals by defeating the seventh-seed, South Dakota State's Tanner Sloan, 5-3. That championship gave Pittsburgh their first national championship since 2008 when Bonaccorsi's head coach Keith Gavin won at 174 lbs. Credit goes to whoever handles Twitter for the Pitt wrestling team as they made a post that outlined the similarities between Bonaccorsi and Gavin's careers. Neither was a Pennsylvania state champion, yet both were undefeated seniors who closed their careers out with a national title. Earlier I said that Glory is a great representation of Jersey. Well, Bonaccorsi embodies Pittsburgh pretty well himself. Not flashy and not attention-grabbing, but he just gets the job done. The Pittsburgh business community has taken notice of the local boy done good as there have been a handful of restaurants that have had Nino-inspired offerings within the last week. If you've been around wrestling, particularly at the collegiate level, for any length of time, you know that the sport isn't fair. Storybook endings are usually reserved for movies. What's more realistic is a star wrestler who is limited because of an ill-timed injury or loses in an upset after a momentary lapse. Or perhaps falling victim to the mental weight of past struggles. There are dozens of examples each year of wrestlers that had national title hopes dashed due to one of the previous statements (or some other factor). All three of these national champions have different stories, but they now can proudly wear the title "national champion." Each shrugged off years of heartbreak and failures to shine brightest when the stage was the biggest and in their final attempt.

Princeton's NCAA champion Patrick Glory (photo courtesy of Sam Janicki; SJanickiPhoto.com) The NCAA Tournament is the event we use to generate most of our important statistics and facts as watchers of college wrestling. With the tournament having wrapped up from Tulsa, there are ten 2023 national champions and 80 All-Americans, but how many of those went undefeated or AA'ed for the second, third, or even fourth time? We'll answer those questions and more below. FYI, for the All-American milestones, the terminology NCAA All-American was used so that we capture the wrestlers that earned spots on the podium at the national tournament and didn't factor in the All-American labels from the 2020 season without a tournament. In some instances, you may see these wrestlers listed as having one more All-American honor than we've mentioned below. 4x NCAA Champion Yianni Diakomihalis - Cornell 3x NCAA Champions Carter Starocci - Penn State Aaron Brooks - Penn State 2x NCAA Champions Austin O'Connor - North Carolina Keegan O'Toole - Missouri Undefeated Wrestlers for 2022-23 Patrick Glory - Princeton 25-0 Andrew Alirez - Northern Colorado 28-0 Austin O'Connor - North Carolina 23-0 Carter Starocci - Penn State 24-0 Nino Bonaccorsi - Pittsburgh 21-0 Mason Parris - Michigan 33-0 4x NCAA All-Americans Roman Bravo-Young - Penn State (2, 1, 1, 8) Max Dean - Penn State (7, 1, 2, 8) Yianni Diakomihalis - Cornell (1, 1, 1, 1) Daton Fix - Oklahoma State (4, 2, 2, 2) Mikey Labriola - Nebraska (2, 7, 3, 6) Spencer Lee - Iowa (6, 1, 1, 1) Austin O'Connor - North Carolina (1, 8, 1, 3) Jacob Warner - Iowa (5, 2, 4, 7) 3x NCAA All-Americans Cam Amine - Michigan (4, 4, 7) Vito Arujau - Cornell (1, 3, 4) Aaron Brooks - Penn State (1, 1, 1) David Carr (2, 3, 1) Tony Cassioppi (4, 7, 3) Brandon Courtney - Arizona State (3, 6, 2) Rocky Elam - Missouri (3, 4, 5) Patrick Glory - Princeton (1, 2, 6) Shane Griffith - Stanford (5, 2, 1) Trent Hidlay - NC State (4, 5, 2) Trent Hillger - Wisconsin (8, 6, 8) Parker Keckeisen - Northern Iowa (2, 3, 3) Mekhi Lewis - Virginia Tech (4, 2, 1) Brock Mauller - Missouri (7, 5, 6) Michael McGee (3, 4, 6) Keegan O'Toole (1, 1, 3) Kyle Parco (4, 8, 6) Mason Parris (1, 5, 2) Sammy Sasso (2, 5, 2) Cohlton Schultz (7, 2, 4) Carter Starocci (1, 1, 1) Bernie Truax (4, 4, 4) 2x NCAA All-Americans Bryce Andonian - Virginia Tech (7, 3) Nino Bonaccorsi - Pittsburgh (1, 2) Killian Cardinale - West Virginia (8, 7) Clay Carlson - South Dakota State (5, 8) Marcus Coleman - Iowa State (5, 7) Lucas Davison - Northwestern (5, 6) Dean Hamiti - Wisconsin (6, 6) Sam Latona - Virginia Tech (7, 6) Will Lewan - Michigan (8, 5) Quincy Monday - Princeton (3, 2) Dustin Plott - Oklahoma State (6, 6) Kaleb Romero - Ohio State (3, 6) Ethan Smith - Ohio State (7, 5) Real Woods - Iowa (2, 6) 1x NCAA All-Americans (as Seniors) Liam Cronin - Nebraska (3) Will Feldkamp - Clarion (7) Parker Filius - Purdue (7) Ethan Laird - Rider (6) Max Murin - Iowa (6) Coaching Cael Sanderson - Penn State 10th NCAA Team Title, 10th Team Trophy at Penn State, 12th as a Head Coach Tom Brands - Iowa 14th Team Trophy as Head Coach Mike Grey - Cornell 1st Team Trophy as Head Coach Tom Ryan - Ohio State 8th Team Trophy as Head Coach

Ohio State signee Rocco Welsh (photo courtesy of Sam Janicki; SJanickiPhoto.com) Earlier this month, the high school state tournament season wrapped up. As these tournaments conclude, it begs the question, "how did my favorite team's recruits fare?" In some smaller states, it's almost a given that your college-bound studs are collecting another state title, while in the power states, with the deepest talent pools, such achievements are not guaranteed. Either way, we've combed through results from all of the state tournaments that have taken place thus far to find out how everyone's recruits have finished. With all of the action on the college front, this article was delayed by a week, but it's here now. If there's anyone we may have overlooked, please contact me at earl@matscouts.com Air Force EJ Beloncik (Heritage Hall) - Oklahoma 4A State Runner-Up: 165 lbs Brian Burburija (Countryside) - Florida 2A State Champ: 195 lbs Josh Cordio (Wyoming Seminary) - National Prep 3rd Place: 215 lbs Gunner Cramblett (Graham) - Ohio DII State Champ: 165 lbs - - Class of 2024 Jackson Dewald (Westwood) - Iowa 1A State Champ: 195 lbs Jake Doone (Nazareth) - Pennsylvania AAA State 6th Place: 145 lbs Andrew Harmon (Bethlehem Catholic) - Pennsylvania AAA State 3rd Place: 160 lbs Soren Herzog (Simley) - Minnesota AA State Champ: 285 lbs Myles Johnson (Springboro) - Ohio DI State 3rd Place: 190 lbs Talon McCollom (Edmond North) - Oklahoma 6A State Champ: 175 lbs - - Class of 2024 Trason Oehme (Brandon Valley) - South Dakota A State Champ: 145 lbs Josh Palacio (North Bergen) - New Jersey State 6th Place: 175 lbs American Coen Bainey (Bald Eagle) - Pennsylvania AA State 4th Place: 127 lbs Caleb Beaty (Corinth-Holders) - North Carolina 4A State Champ: 220 lbs Cael McIntyre (Bethlehem Catholic) - Pennsylvania AAA State 5th Place: 133 lbs Kaden Milheim (Warrior Run) - Pennsylvania AA State 3rd Place Gage Owen (South Carroll) - Maryland 2A/1A State Runner-Up: 138 lbs JJ Peace (Cane Bay) - South Carolina 5A State Champ: 120 lbs - - Class of 2024 Emmanuel Ulrich (Mifflinburg) - Pennsylvania AA State 3rd Place: 285 lbs Appalachian State For the full article, Subscribe to InterMat's Rokfin Page

3x NCAA Champion Carter Starocci (Photo/Sam Janicki; SJanickiPhoto.com) Another NCAA tournament is in the books. 10 champions were crowned, and there were several standout statistical performers. The following looks at those top performers even though not all of them managed to bring home national titles. Point Differential Spencer Lee +1.70 Mason Parris +1.30 Things certainly did not end for Spencer Lee (Iowa) as many Hawkeye fans had hoped. Instead of bringing home his fourth NCAA title, Matt Ramos (Purdue) pinned him in the final seconds of the semifinals. The loss sent Lee to a sixth-place finish and effectively ended his collegiate career. While Ramos had wrestled Lee tough earlier in the season, the loss was still unexpected due to the fact that Lee was wrestling well. He ran through the Big Ten tournament where he outscored his opponents 45 to four and finished with a tournament-high +2.18 point differential. His patented scoring was also on display in the earlier rounds of the NCAA tournament. Prior to the match against Ramos, Lee had outscored his opposition 33 to four. Even including the loss against Ramos, Lee still scored 2.34 points per minute and allowed only 0.64 points per minute. That leaves him with a +1.70 point differential, which was the highest across the entire tournament. Lee's ability to score from the top position was basically unmatched during his collegiate career. His 2.34 points per minute was also the highest scoring rate of the entire tournament. This year, he finished with the highest point differential in all three tournaments he entered: the Soldier Salute, the Big Ten tournament and the NCAA tournament. The second-highest point differential of the tournament belonged to Michigan heavyweight Mason Parris. On his path to the title, he averaged 1.48 points per minute and allowed only 0.18 points per minute. His +1.30 differential was ahead of all other competitors outside of Lee. Parris had the fifth-highest scoring rate in the field, but he allowed more than one point in only one of his matches. Four of his five opponents, including Greg Kerkvliet (Penn State) and Tony Cassioppi (Iowa), scored only a single point before suffering defeat. Parris also added to his Hodge Trophy candidacy by picking up bonus points in three of his five matches. Points Against per Minute Carter Starocci 0.08 Thanks to a strong defensive performance and some killer instinct, Penn State's Carter Starocci allowed the fewest points on a per-minute basis across the tournament. He allowed only two points in his quarterfinal match against Bailee O'Reilly (Minnesota) and shut out his other four opponents. Starocci was able to finish two of his matches, including his finals victory over Mikey Labriola (Nebraska), via first-period fall. That obviously limited his opponent's opportunities to score. He had only two falls on the season prior to the tournament and doubled that total. Most Match Time Jesse Mendez 62:39 One of the biggest recruits in the last class made his NCAA tournament debut, and he certainly made the most of it from a duration perspective. Ohio State's Jesse Mendez lost his second match against Michael McGee (Arizona State) before wrestling all the way back to finish sixth. Along the way, Mendez wrestled in eight matches. He was one of only five wrestlers to compete in eight matches joining Jacob Warner (Iowa), Ed Scott (NC State), Clay Carlson (South Dakota State) and Caleb Henson (Virginia Tech). While those fellow competitors may have wrestled the same number of matches as Mendez, nobody could equal his amount of match time. He spent over an hour wrestling at the NCAA tournament and finished with 62:39. This total was increased dramatically as he won three-straight matches on the backside in rideouts. This included his bloodround victory over Lucas Byrd (Illinois) to become an All-American. The only other wrestler who was close to Mendez in terms of match time was Henson. The Hokie, who also wrestled eight matches, finished with over 57 minutes of match time. While that was certainly a lot of time, it was significantly less than Mendez. Overtime Matches For years, the sudden victory period following a match tied in regulation was only one minute long. A few seasons back, this period was expanded to two minutes. If the theory behind this move was to increase the number of overtime matches that finish before rideouts, then this plan was a rousing success. At the 2023 NCAA wrestling tournament, 61 matches went to overtime. Of those 61 matches, 47 were decided in the initial sudden victory period. While the collegiate rules of folkstyle do give an advantage to wrestlers who like to work from the top position, the new overtime rules certainly favor wrestlers who can score in the neutral position. Top position wrestlers can still have their riding time, but two minutes is a long period to work through while waiting for the rideout periods. The round of 32 was the road that featured the most matches that went to overtime. 11 first-round matches needed extra time, which was more than any other round. Interestingly enough there were only four matches in the "bloodround" that went to overtime despite some of those matches being the most hotly contested bouts.

2023 NCAA Champion Andrew Alirez (Photo/Sam Janicki; SJanickiPhoto.com) The NCAA Tournament has come and gone, along with the 2022-23 season. With a boatload of results, 80 All-Americans and ten national champions there are plenty of opportunities for me to have fun. And by fun, I mean looking for new facts, trends, and numbers to talk about from the tournament. Here's the pre-tournament version that focuses on conference results, seeding, and qualifiers. And I'll need your help with the fact at the end of this article. It's rare, I'm just not sure how rare! NCAA Title Notes Keegan O'Toole is only the third multi-time champion for the Missouri Tigers (Ben Askren and J'den Cox are the others). Nino Bonaccorsi won Pittsburgh's first national title since his head coach Keith Gavin did so in 2008. With Austin O'Connor (North Carolina) and Nino Bonaccorsi (Pittsburgh) winning titles, it marked the first time since 1994 that the ACC had multiple national champions. Back in '94, Sammie Henson (Clemson) and TJ Jaworsky (North Carolina) won titles. After going ten years between national titles (2012-22), Michigan has had champs in back-to-back seasons (Nick Suriano/21 and Mason Parris/22). Cornell had multiple champions for the first time since the 2016 tournament (Nahshon Garrett - 133 and Gabe Dean - 184). Carter Starocci and Aaron Brooks' titles extended Penn State's streak with at least one national champion, one that dates back to the 2011 tournament. Penn State's two national champions are the school's fewest since they had two in 2016 (Nico Megaludis/125 and Zain Retherford/149). The 2023 Tournament was the first one since 2013 where a freshman did not capture a title (if you're counting Keegan O'Toole as a freshman in 2022). Team-Related Notes Andrew Alirez's performance set plenty of records at Northern Colorado. He was the first All-American since future-UFC star Justin Gaethje in 2010 and the first national champion since 1962 when Jack Flasche won the 157 lb weight class. Alirez is also the first NCAA placewinner for the Bears under head coach Troy Nickerson. Andrew Alirez's title made it back-to-back years for Colorado natives winning national championships (Ryan Deakin/2022). The last time Colorado had national champions in consecutive years was with Dean Lahr (Colorado) in 1963 and 1964. Wyatt Hendrickson became the first All-American from the Air Force Academy since fellow 285 lber Kevin Hoy made the national finals in 2003. The Air Force Academy's 28.5 points are the most at the NCAA Tournament in team history. Arizona State finished with four (or more) All-Americans (Brandon Courtney, Michael McGee, Kyle Parco, Cohlton Schultz) for the third consecutive season. Bernie Truax became Cal Poly's first three-time All-American since Boris Novachkov in 2010-12. Clarion's Will Feldkamp was his school's first NCAA All-American under Keith Ferraro and the first overall since 2013. Iowa finished with six All-Americans. They have had at least five in every NCAA Tournament since 2014. An Iowa wrestler has lost in the 141 lb NCAA finals four times since 2010. Woods (2023), Jaydin Eierman (2021), Montell Marion (2010 and 2012). Nebraska has had national finalists in back-to-back years with Mikey Labriola and Ridge Lovett. The last time that happened was in 2010 and 2011 with Craig Brester and Jordan Burroughs, respectively. North Dakota State had NCAA All-Americans for the first time since 2015 (Jared Franek/157 and Michael Caliendo/165). They also had two that season with Kurtis Julson (174) and Hayden Zillmer (184). Northern Illinois went from 2005-2020 without any All-Americans. After Izzak Olejnik took eighth at 165 lbs, it meant a Huskie earned AA honors for the second time in three years (Brit Wilson 6th/2021). Parker Keckeisen finished as a runner-up at 184 lbs for Northern Iowa. It marked the third time that Keckeisen earned All-American honors (3,3,2). The last time a Panther wrestler got on the podium three times was Sean Stender (2003/4th, 2004/6th, 2005/2nd). Jesse Mendez became the first true freshman from Ohio State to place at the national tournament (6th/133) since Myles Martin won the 174 lb weight class in 2016. Mendez, Levi Haines, and Caleb Henson are the only true freshman All-Americans this year. For the third time in four tournaments, an Ohio State wrestler has lost in the 149 lbs finals. Sasso (2021 and 2023) and Micah Jordan (2019). Ohio State has been without a national championship since Kyle Snyder finished up in 2018. That's the longest without one under Tom Ryan. After Aaron Brooks' title at 184 lbs, that weight class has been won by a Penn State wrestler in 8 of the last 12 tournaments. Brooks (2021-23), Bo Nickal (2017-18), Ed Ruth (2013-14), Quentin Wright (2011). Not only did Patrick Glory win Princeton's first national title since Brad Glass in 1951, but he is also Princeton's first two-time national finalist since John Orr, who was a two-time runner-up at 142 lbs in 1984 and 1985. Purdue went without an All-American from 2013 through 2022. This year they had two (Matt Ramos - 2nd; Parker Filius - 7th). They are the first two All-Americans during head coach Tony Ersland's tenure, as well. Finally, Ramos is the Boilermakers first finalist since Chris Fleeger in 2006. The last Purdue semifinalist was Cashe Quiroga in 2010. For the first time since 2013, Rutgers went without a placewinner. Shane Griffith's fifth-place finish at 165 lbs (5th, 2nd, 1st) made him a three-time NCAA All-American for Stanford. He's only the third three-time AA in school history. Virginia Tech finished with five All-Americans. They've had at least three every year since 2013. With Killian Cardinale's finish, West Virginia has now had a placewinner in three consecutive tournaments. The last time they achieved that feat was 2005-07 (Matt Lebe/2005, Brandon Rader/2006-07). State-Related Notes Brandon Courtney, Roman Bravo-Young, and Beau Bartlett all earn All-American honors. All are from Arizona. The last time Arizona had three All-Americans was in 1990 with Shawn Charles (2nd), Wayne McMinn (6th), and Thom Ortiz (2nd). Each wrestled for Arizona State. There were six All-Americans from the state of California. The last time they hit that mark was in 2013 with 7. Georgia has multiple NCAA All-Americans (Caleb Henson/Gavin Kane) for the first time since 2002 when Chris Rodrigues - North Carolina (125/8th) and Witt Durden - Oklahoma (133/3rd). New York had a pair of NCAA champions in Vito Arujau and Yianni Diakomihalis. The last time multiple New Yorkers won titles was in 2010 North Dakota State's Jared Franek was the first North Dakota native to earn All-American honors for the Bison since their transition to DI in 2005. Pennsylvania had 11 All-Americans which was the state's fewest since producing eight in 2017. Pennsylvania had three All-Americans in the 174 lb weight class with Carter Starocci (1st), Mikey Labriola (2nd), and Ethan Smith (7th). Pennsylvania has had at least one national champion in every tournament since 2016 (17 total). Six wrestlers won NCAA titles while wrestling in their home state. Patrick Glory (Princeton/NJ), Vito Arujau (Cornell/NY), Andrew Alirez Northern Colorado/CO), Yianni Diakomihalis (Cornell/NY), Carter Starocci (Penn State/PA), and Nino Bonaccorsi (Pittsburgh/PA). The last time that happened was in 2017. Seed-Related Notes There were two wrestlers with seeds of 20 or greater that got onto the podium. Both were at 125 lbs and met in the seventh place bout, #27 Eddie Ventresca (Virginia Tech) and #28 Killian Cardinale (West Virginia). Cardinale was also the only All-American that made the tournament as an at-large selection. The only #1 seed that did not make the NCAA finals was Spencer Lee at 125 lbs. Shayne Van Ness (Penn State/149) was the lowest-seeded semifinalist at #12. Van Ness was one of only two double-digit seeds to finish in the top three. The third-place finisher at 125 lbs, Brandon Courtney (Arizona State) was the tenth seed. Five of the ten weight classes had the four top seeds advance to the semifinals. With #2 Keegan O'Toole's win, the last #1 seed to win a national title at 165 lbs was Alex Dieringer (Oklahoma State/2016). Conference-Related Notes The MAC finished with four All-Americans (Noto - Lock Haven, Olejnik - Northern Illinois, Feldkamp - Clarion, Laird - Rider) after having none in 2022. The Pac-12's All-American count dropped from 13 in 2022 to 7 in 2023. 9 of the 13 Big 12 schools produced at least one All-American. Last season, only six schools in the league had an AA. The EIWA had seven All-Americans with the Ivy League accounting for six of those AA's (Josh Humphrey - Lehigh; was the other). The EIWA went 1-6 in the Round of 12. Cornell (Ungar, Ramirez), Lehigh (Hines, Beard), Drexel (Bonino), Harvard (Slavikouski). Jacob Cardenas (Cornell) was the only victory. The conference breakdown by national champions is: Big Ten (3), EIWA (3), Big 12 (2), ACC (2). Last year, the Big Ten accounted for eight. The last time the Big Ten had that few was in 2011 with two. The last time the EIWA had three national champions was in 2012 with Cornell's trio of Kyle Dake (157), Steve Bosak (184), and Cam Simaz (197). The only Big Ten champion that did not make the podium (or the semifinals) was 197 lber Silas Allred of Nebraska. Miscellaneous-Related Notes The only All-American to lose in the opening round was Gavin Kane (North Carolina) at 184 lbs. Kane fell to Colton Hawks in his first match, then proceeded to defeat #27 Caleb Hopkins (Campbell), #12 Abe Assad (Iowa), #19 Jacob Nolan (Binghamton), and #7 Hunter Bolen (Virginia Tech). Carter Starocci's pin in the finals was the first finals fall since Bo Nickal pinned Myles Martin in 2018. (Shoutout to Shannon Scovel for getting that before me) The last five NCAA runner's-up at 174 lbs have had a first name that starts with "M." Mikey Labriola, Mekhi Lewis, Michael Kemerer, Mark Hall x2. The top half of the 2019 184 lb bracket now has one returning champ (Myles Martin) and two eventual ones (Max Dean and Nino Bonaccorsi). Drew Foster came from the bottom half and won. With Patrick Glory and Vito Arujau winning titles, Sebastian Rivera now has wins over five national champions (Spencer Lee, Seth Gross, Roman Bravo-Young). And with Real Woods making the finals, he has beaten seven national finalists (Zeke Moisey), despite never making the finals himself. Going to need to crowdsource for this one: David Carr and Shane Griffith met in the 165 lb quarterfinals. I'm trying to find the last time two RETURNING NCAA champions met in the quarterfinals. There have been a few semi-recent occurrences where an eventual champ met a returning champ, but not with two that already had titles entering the tournament.

2x NCAA Champion for Missouri Keegan O'Toole It's never too early to look ahead to next year! So, with that, we've highlighted all of the wrestlers that competed at the 2023 NCAA Championships and have eligibility to return for the 2023-24 season. Normally, this is easy to track, but with eligibility still out of wack due to the 2021 Covid year, these things can be difficult to follow. Some of the wrestlers that qualified for nationals will have a decision to make, as to whether or not they intend on returning to the mat. Let me know if there is someone below who does not intend on competing in 2023-24 or if there is someone omitted who has been granted extra eligibility. Wrestlers are grouped by their weight class and how they finished at nationals; starting with placewinners then by the farthest consolation round they advanced to. 125 lbs Matt Ramos (Purdue) 2nd Anthony Noto (Lock Haven) 4th Eddie Ventresca (Virginia Tech) 7th Round of 12 Eric Barnett (Wisconsin) Dean Peterson (Rutgers) Stevo Poulin (Northern Colorado) Brett Ungar (Cornell) Consolation Round of 16 Nick Babin (Columbia) Patrick McKee (Minnesota) Jarrett Trombley (NC State) Consolation Round of 24 Braxton Brown (Maryland) Michael DeAugustino (Northwestern) Brandon Kaylor (Oregon State) Ryan Miller (Penn) Tucker Owens (Air Force) Noah Surtin (Missouri) Jore Volk (Wyoming) Consolation Round of 32 Ethan Berginc (Army West Point) Tanner Jordan (South Dakota State) Nico Provo (Stanford) Caleb Smith (Appalachian State) Diego Sotelo (Harvard) Reece Witcraft (Oklahoma State) Consolation Round of 64 Antonio Lorenzo (Cal Poly) 133 lbs Vito Arujau (Cornell) 1st Daton Fix (Oklahoma State) 4th Aaron Nagao (Minnesota) 5th Jesse Mendez (Ohio State) 6th Sam Latona (Virginia Tech) 7th Kai Orine (NC State) 8th Round of 12 Kyle Biscoglia (Northern Iowa) Lucas Byrd (Illinois) Zach Redding (Iowa State) Consolation Round of 16 Dylan Ragusin (Michigan) Michael Colaiocco (Penn) Brayden Palmer (Chattanooga) Consolation Round of 24 Chris Cannon (Northwestern) Joey Heilmann (Rutgers) Wyatt Henson (Oklahoma) Jack Maida (American) Chance Rich (CSU Bakersfield) Angelo Rini (Columbia) Brody Teske (Iowa) Dom Zaccone (Campbell) Consolation Round of 32 Brendan Ferretti (Navy) Ethan Oakley (Appalachian State) Kurtis Phipps (Bucknell) Gable Strickland (Lock Haven) Consolation Round of 64 McGwire Midkiff (North Dakota State) Qualifier (Injured) Connor McGonagle (Lehigh) 141 lbs Andrew Alirez (Northern Colorado) 1st Real Woods (Iowa) 2nd Beau Bartlett (Penn State) 3rd Lachlan McNeil (North Carolina) 4th Clay Carlson (South Dakota State) 5th Brock Hardy (Nebraska) 6th Dylan D'Emilio (Ohio State) 8th Round of 12 Malyke Hines (Lehigh) Cole Matthews (Pittsburgh) Casey Swiderski (Iowa State) Consolation Round of 16 Cole Happel (Northern Iowa) Frankie Tal-Shahar (Northwestern) Consolation Round of 24 Vince Cornella (Cornell) Tom Crook (Virginia Tech) Saul Ervin (SIU Edwardsville) Ryan Jack (NC State) Kal Miller (Maryland) Mosha Schwartz (Oklahoma) Jordan Titus (West Virginia) Consolation Round of 32 McKenzie Bell (Rider) Cleveland Belton (Oregon State) Shannon Hanna (Campbell) Josh Koderhandt (Navy) Carter Young (Oklahoma State) Joe Zargo (Wisconsin) Consolation Round of 64 Josh Mason (Bloomsburg) 149 lbs Sammy Sasso (Ohio State) 2nd Shayne Van Ness (Penn State) 3rd Kyle Parco (Arizona State) 4th Caleb Henson (Virginia Tech) 5th Brock Mauller (Missouri) 7th Michael Blockhus (Minnesota) 8th Round of 12 Jackson Arrington (NC State) Chance Lamer (Michigan) Graham Rooks (Indiana) Consolation Round of 16 Austin Gomez (Wisconsin) Victor Voinovich (Oklahoma State) Consolation Round of 24 Jaden Abas (Stanford) Paniro Johnson (Iowa State) Johnny Lovett (Central Michigan) Kellyn March (North Dakota State) Ethen Miller (Maryland) Colin Realbuto (Northern Iowa) Caleb Tyus (SIU Edwardsville) Consolation Round of 32 Ryan Burgos (Edinboro) Dylan Chappell (Bucknell) Isaiah Delgado (Utah Valley) Nathan Higley (George Mason) Quinn Kinner (Rider) Tony White (Rutgers) 157 lbs Levi Haines (Penn State) 2nd Place Josh Humphreys (Lehigh) 3rd Place (Possible) Jared Franek (North Dakota State) 4th Place Ed Scott (NC State) 5th Place Peyton Robb (Nebraska) 6th Place Bryce Andonian (Virginia Tech) 7th Place Will Lewan (Michigan) 8th Place Round of 12 Daniel Cardenas (Stanford) Chase Saldate (Michigan State) Cael Swensen (South Dakota State) Vince Zerban (Northern Colorado) Consolation Round of 16 Trevor Chumbley (Northwestern) Paddy Gallagher (Ohio State) Jason Kraisser (Iowa State) Consolation Round of 24 Kendall Coleman (Purdue) Derek Gilcher (Indiana) Cobe Siebrecht (Iowa) Consolation Round of 32 Cesar Alvan (Columbia) Tommy Askey (Appalachian State) Andy Clark (Rutgers) Ashton Eyler (Lock Haven) Jared Hill (Oklahoma) Peyten Keller (Ohio) Corbyn Munson (Central Michigan) Consolation Round of 64 Nate Lukez (Army West Point) 165 lbs Keegan O'Toole (Missouri) 1st David Carr (Iowa State) 2nd Cam Amine (Michigan) 4th Shane Griffith (Stanford) 5th Dean Hamiti (Wisconsin) 6th Michael Caliendo (North Dakota State) 7th Izzak Olejnik (Northern Illinois) 8th Round of 12 Caleb Fish (Michigan State) Carson Kharchla (Ohio State) Julian Ramirez (Cornell) Consolation Round of 16 Holden Heller (Pittsburgh) Patrick Kennedy (Iowa) Justin McCoy (Virginia) Bubba Wilson (Nebraska) Consolation Round of 24 Connor Brady (Virginia Tech) Danny Braunagel (Illinois) Tanner Cook (South Dakota State) Peyton Hall (West Virginia) Josh Ogunsanya (Columbia) Matthew Olguin (Oregon State) Andrew Sparks (Minnesota) Consolation Round of 32 Brevin Cassella (Binghamton) Alex Facundo (Penn State) Joshua Kim (Harvard) Maxx Mayfield (Northwestern) Rodrick Mosley (Gardner-Webb) Gerrit Nijenhuis (Oklahoma) Consolation Round of 64 Cole Moody (Wyoming) 174 lbs Carter Starocci (Penn State) 1st Chris Foca (Cornell) 3rd Mekhi Lewis (Virginia Tech) 4th Nelson Brands (Iowa) 5th Dustin Plott (Oklahoma State) 6th Peyton Mocco (Missouri) 8th Round of 12 Cade DeVos (South Dakota State) Edmond Ruth (Illinois) Consolation Round of 16 Phil Congiliaro (Harvard) Troy Fisher (Northwestern) DJ Washington (Indiana) Consolation Round of 24 Alex Cramer (Central Michigan) Tyler Eischens (Stanford) Mickey O'Malley (Drexel) Ben Pasiuk (Army West Point) Tate Picklo (Oklahoma) Lennox Wolak (Columbia) John Worthing (Clarion) Consolation Round of 32 Luca Augustine (Pittsburgh) Alex Faison (NC State) Nick Incontrera (Penn) Sal Perrine (Ohio) Tyler Stoltzfuz (Lock Haven) Jackson Turley (Rutgers) Cael Valencia (Arizona State) Sam Wolf (Air Force) Consolation Round of 64 Will Miller (Appalachian State) 184 lbs Aaron Brooks (Penn State) 1st Parker Keckeisen (Northern Iowa) 2nd Trent Hidlay (NC State) 4th Trey Munoz (Oregon State) 6th Gavin Kane (North Carolina) 8th Round of 12 Isaiah Salazar (Minnesota) Consolation Round of 16 Colton Hawks (Missouri) Jacob Nolan (Binghamton) Brian Soldano (Rutgers) Consolation Round of 24 Abe Assad (Iowa) Reece Heller (Pittsburgh) Giuseppe Hoose (Buffalo) David Key (Navy) Layne Malczewski (Michigan State) Lenny Pinto (Nebraska) Travis Wittlake (Oklahoma State) Consolation Round of 32 Jha'Quan Anderson (Gardner-Webb) Anthony Carman (West Virginia) Dylan Connell (Illinois) Caleb Hopkins (Campbell) Cade King (South Dakota State) Zayne Lehman (Ohio) DJ Parker (North Dakota State) 197 lbs Tanner Sloan (South Dakota State) 2nd Rocky Elam (Missouri) 3rd Bernie Truax (Cal Poly) 4th Jacob Cardenas (Cornell) 8th Round of 12 Silas Allred (Nebraska) Michael Beard (Lehigh) Zac Braunagel (Illinois) Jaxon Smith (Maryland) Consolation Round of 16 Yonger Bastida (Iowa State) Luke Surber (Oklahoma State) Isaac Trumble (NC State) Consolation Round of 24 Evan Bockman (Utah Valley) Gavin Hoffman (Ohio State) Levi Hopkins (Campbell) Owen Pentz (North Dakota State) Max Shaw (North Carolina) Nick Stemmet (Stanford) Consolation Round of 32 Braxton Amos (Wisconsin) Austin Cooley (West Virginia) Andy Smith (Virginia Tech) Luke Stout (Princeton) Consolation Round of 64 Cole Urbas (Penn) 285 lbs Greg Kerkvliet (Penn State) 2nd Wyatt Hendrickson (Air Force) 3rd Tony Cassioppi (Iowa) 4th Lucas Davison (Northwestern) 5th Zach Elam (Missouri) 6th Cohlton Schultz (Arizona State) 7th Round of 12 Yaraslau Slavikouski (Harvard) Consolation Round of 16 Tyrell Gordon (Northern Iowa) Josh Heindselman (Oklahoma) Owen Trephan (NC State) Consolation Round of 24 Jacob Bullock (Indiana) Taye Ghadiali (Campbell) Grady Griess (Navy) Jonah Niesenbaum (Duke) Nathan Taylor (Lehigh) Michael Wolfgram (West Virginia) Consolation Round of 32 Hunter Catka (Virginia Tech) Hayden Copass (Purdue) Dorian Crosby (Bucknell) Cory Day (Binghamton) Konner Doucet (Oklahoma State) Garrett Joles (Minnesota) Boone McDermott (Rutgers) Trevor Tinker (Cal Poly)

Anthony Ferrari's Instagram post Today, Anthony Ferrari announced via social media a verbal commitment to the University of Iowa. Ferrari was ranked #23 in the high school Class of 2022. He initially signed with Oklahoma State, like his older brother AJ, but never enrolled at the school. Ferrari was a 2020 Super 32 finalist and third at UWW Junior Nationals in freestyle. Ferrari projects as a 157 lber in college. With Anthony’s verbal, it brings up the question of whether AJ will be far behind. The 2021 national champion also stated on social media that he would be returning to college wrestling. AJ was dismissed from the Oklahoma State team last spring and has been embroiled in an ongoing legal fight regarding an accusation of sexual battery. Another part of this equation is their younger brother Angelo. Just a junior, Angelo is ranked #3 in the nation at 175 lbs and is #6 overall in the Class of 2024. Angelo was a 2023 Texas state champion for Melissa High School.

#4 ranked at 92 kg Kollin Moore (Photos/Kostadin Andonov/UWW) 57 KG 2021 U23 world champion Aliabbas Rzazade (AZE) won the Zagreb Open over Yuto Nishiuchi (JPN), with Beka Bujiashvili (GEO) and Aman Aman (IND) taking bronze. 2022 Junior World bronze medalist Ahmad Javan (IRI) returns to the rankings at #18 for beating #11 Ramiz Gamzatov (RUS) 11-5 in the finals of the Iranian Pro League. Yunus Yavbatirov (RUS) won the Zagalava Abdulbekov Memorial Tournament over Ramazan Shahbanov (RUS), with Arsen Abdulaev (RUS) and Nazir Shehuev (RUS) taking bronze. 2019 Senior World runner-up Suleyman Atli (TUR) made a successful return to 57 KG, where he took gold at the Ibrahim Moustafa Ranking Series Tournament over #20 Andrey Yatsenko (UKR). Bronze medalists at the Ibrahim Moustafa Ranking Series Tournament were Bekzat Almaz Uulu (KGZ) and #19 Rakhat Kalzhan (KAZ). Atli returns to the 57 KG rankings at #17 for his wins over Kalzhan and #20 Yatsenko. 61KG #4 Reza Atri (IRI) won the Zagreb Open over #9 Narankhuu Narmandakh (MGL), with Gamzatgadzhi Khalidov (HUN) and Emrah Ormanoglu (TUR) taking bronze. #1 Muslim Mekhtikhanov (RUS) won a 10-4 match in the finals of the Iranian Pro League over Atri. Eldar Akhmadudinov (RUS) won the Zagalava Abdulbekov Memorial Tournament over Magomedrasul Dagirov (RUS), with Ramazan Shamilov (RUS) and Gadzhimagomed Akhmedov (RUS) taking bronze. #7 Eduard Grigoriev (POL) and #8 Islam Dudaev (ALB) have been removed from the rankings due to their moving up to 65 KG. #20 Andrey Yatsenko (UKR) is out of the rankings as he moved down to 57 KG. #13 Taiyrbek Zhumashbek Uulu (KGZ) was incredible in winning the Ibrahim Moustafa Ranking Series Tournament, avenging his loss in the 2022 U23 world finals to #3 Arsen Harutyunyan (ARM) with a 10-0 tech fall and winning gold 9-2 over Taras Markovych (UKR). For his shutout win over Harutyunyan, Zhumashbek Uulu skyrockets up the rankings to #3. Harutyunyan falls one spot to #4 for his loss to Zhumashbek Uulu. Bronze medalists at the Ibrahim Moustafa Ranking Series Tournament were Harutyunyan and Austin DeSanto (USA). Austin DeSanto (USA) makes a major impact in the rankings, slotting in at #13 after taking bronze at the Ibrahim Moustafa Ranking Series Tournament where he got his first major international win over 2019 U23 world champion #14 Ulukbek Zholdoshbekov (KGZ) in the quarterfinals. Taras Markovych (UKR) returns to the rankings at #11 for beating #13 Austin DeSanto (USA) in the semifinals of the Ibrahim Moustafa Ranking Series Tournament. Markovych also has past wins over #11 Fedor Baltuev (RUS) and three-time World/Olympic medalist Nurislam Sanayev (KAZ). 65KG #8 Tulga Tumur Ochir (MGL) won the Zagreb Open over Joey McKenna (USA), with Evan Henderson (USA) and Ali Rahimzada (AZE) taking bronze. Tumur Ochir moves up five spots in the rankings to #3 for his semifinal victory at the Zagreb Open over #3 Ismail Musukaev (HUN). Musukaev ended up taking fifth at the Zagreb Open, losing by pin in the bronze medal match to Henderson. Henderson, who took fifth at the Henri Deglane Grand Prix after a semifinal loss to Kizhan Clarke (GER), makes his debut in the rankings at #12 for upsetting #3 Ismail Musukaev (HUN) in the bronze medal match of the Zagreb Open. Musukaev falls five spots to #8 for his losses to Tumur Ochir and Henderson). #4 Haji Aliyev (AZE) moved up to 70 KG where he took silver at the Zagreb Open to #3 (70) Alec Pantaleo (USA). #6 Shamil Mamedov (RUS) avenged his loss from the finals of the 2022 Dmitri Korkin tournament to #5 Abdulmazhid Kudiev (RUS) with a comeback pin victory in the finals of the Iranian Pro League. Mamedov moves up two spots in the rankings to #4. Rahman Mintullaev (RUS) won the Zagalava Abdulbekov Memorial Tournament over Rasul Gazuev (RUS), with Magomed Magomedov (RUS) and Ramazan Chankaev (RUS) taking bronze. #17 Vazgen Tevanyan (ARM) won the Ibrahim Moustafa Ranking Series Tournament over McKenna, with Erik Arushanian (UKR) and Umidjon Jalolov (UZB). 70KG #3 Alec Pantaleo (USA) won the Zagreb Open over #4 (65) Haji Aliyev (AZE), with #12 Giorgi Elbakidze (GEO) and Khadzhimurad Gadzhiev (AZE) taking bronze. Aliyev debuts in the 70 KG rankings at #8 for his win over 2022 U23 world champion Elbakidze in the quarterfinals of the Zagreb Open. #17 (74) Magomedrasul Gazimagomedov, a two-time world champion at 70 KG in 2015 and 2018, made his return to the weight with a successful showing at the Iranian Pro League, beating Yarygin champion #6 Evgheni Zherbaev (RUS) 6-3. Gazimagomedov takes the #6 spot in the rankings upon his return to 70 KG, with Zherbaev going down one spot to #7. #5 Ernazar Akmataliev (KGZ) won the Ibrahim Moustafa Ranking Series Tournament over Cody Chittum (USA). Bronze medalists at the Ibrahim Moustafa Ranking Series Tournament were #14 Giorgi Elbakidze (GEO) and Ihor Nykyforuk (UKR). Akhmed Nurakhmaev (RUS) won the Zagalava Abdulbekov Memorial Tournament over Taygib Hasanov (RUS), with Akhmed Kamidov (RUS) and Akhmed Kasumov (RUS) taking bronze. #20 Jordan Oliver (USA) has been removed from the rankings as he will be competing in Mixed Martial Arts for Bellator at the featherweight weight class. 74KG #10 Jason Nolf (USA) won the Zagreb Open over #19 Younes Emami (IRI), with Dzhabrail Gadzhiev (AZE) and Fazli Eryilmaz (TUR) taking bronze. The big story of the Zagreb Open was the upset losses of two-time world runner-up #3 Taimuraz Salkazanov (SVK), as the talented Slovakian lost in the round of 16 to Emami and was shockingly eliminated from competition in the first round of repechage by Kojiro Shiga (JPN). Emami moves up thirteen spots to #6 for his victory over Salkazanov while Nolf moves up five spots to #5 for his finals victory over Emami. Shiga does not get ranked after his win over Salkazanov, because he lost his next repechage match to Joey Lavallee and Lavallee lost his bronze medal match to Fazli Eryilmaz (TUR). Salkazanov falls four spots in the rankings to #7 due to his losses to Emami and Shiga. 2022 Junior World champion Dzhabrail Gadzhiev (AZE) is back in the rankings at #20 for taking bronze at the Zagreb Open over Murad Kuramagomedov (HUN). Turan Bayramov (AZE) returns to the rankings at #11 due to the recent surge from Emami. Bayramov wasn't ranked even with a win over #9 Mohammadsadegh Firouzpour (IRI) because he had a loss to Emami when Emami was #19 and Bayramov had fallen out because of it. Bayramov's top fifteen spot is warranted based on a win from the 2022 Islamic Solidarity Games over Firouzpour and a runner-up finish at the 2022 Matteo Pellicone where he beat #20 Dzhabrail Gadzhiev (AZE) and Mitch Finesilver (ISR). Emami followed his impressive showing at the Zagreb Open with a ranked win in the finals of the Iranian Pro League over #8 Timur Bizhoev (RUS). Kamil Abdulvagabov (RUS) debuts in the rankings at #13 for winning the Zagalava Abdulbekov Memorial Tournament over #11 Iman Ganishov (RUS). Bronze medalists at the Zagalava Abdulbekov Memorial Tournament were Omarashkab Tazhudinov (RUS) and Ramadan Muradov (RUS). #17 Magomedrasul Gazimagomedov (RUS) cut back down to 70 KG for the Iranian Pro League finals, where he beat #7 (70) Evgheni Zherbaev (RUS). Gazimagomedov is ranked sixth at 70 kg. #13 Kasum Kasumov (RUS) moved up to 79 KG, where he won the Zagalava Abdulbekov Memorial Tournament. Iakub Shikhdzhamalov (ROM) won the Ibrahim Moustafa Ranking Series Tournament over Vincenzo Joseph (USA) by medical forfeit. Bronze medalists at the Ibrahim Moustafa Ranking Series Tournament were Mitch Finesilver (ISR) and #18 Soner Demirtas (TUR). Shikhdzhamalov takes the #19 spot in the rankings after upsetting Demirtas in the semifinals. Demirtas falls out of the rankings for his loss to Shikhdzhamalov. 79KG #3 Akhmed Usmanov (RUS) takes over the number one spot in the rankings after upsetting #1 Ali Savadkouhi (IRI) in the finals of the Iranian Pro League. #2 Ali Savadkouhi (IRI) won the Zagreb Open over #13 Avtandil Kentchadze (GEO), with #12 Chance Marsteller (USA) and #15 Vladimeri Gamkrelidze (GEO) taking bronze. Both Savadkouhi and Kentchadze put up ranked wins, Kentchadze in the form of #12 Marsteller in the semifinals and Savadkouhi over #15 Vladimeri Gamkrelidze (GEO) in the semis. 2022 Senior World bronze medalist #10 Vasyl Mykhailov (UKR) has been removed from the rankings due to having moved up to 86 KG, where he took gold at the Ibrahim Moustafa Ranking Series Tournament over #5 Zahid Valencia (USA). Kasum Kasumov (RUS) won the Zagalava Abdulbekov Memorial Tournament over Abdulkerim Abdullaev (RUS), with Dibir Magomedov (RUS) and Ramazan Aliyev (RUS) taking bronze. Kentchadze rebounded from his runner-up finish at the Zagreb Open to finish February with a title at the Ibrahim Moustafa Ranking Series Tournament over Amirhossein Kavousi (IRI). Bronze medalists at the Ibrahim Moustafa Ranking Series Tournament were Marsteller and Bekzod Abdurakhmanov (UZB). The changes in the latter of the top ten and top half of the top fifteen come from both the Zagreb Open and the Ibrahim Moustafa Ranking Series Tournament. First, Kentchadze moves up three spots to #10. Kavousi debuts in the rankings at #11 for beating #11 Bolat Sakaev (KAZ) and Marsteller to make the finals of the Ibrahim Moustafa Ranking Series Tournament. Finally, Sakaev falls two spots to #13 for losing to Kavousi and Chance Marsteller at the Ibrahim Moustafa Ranking Series Tournament. 86KG #2 Hassan Yazdani Charati (IRI) won the Zagreb Open over Hayato Ishiguro (JPN), with #5 Zahid Valencia (USA) and Mark Hall (USA) taking bronze. Ishiguro debuts in the rankings at #5 for beating Valencia and #10 Myles Amine (SMR) to make the finals of the Zagreb Open. Hall debuts in the 86 KG rankings at #16 for his wins over two-time world medalist #14 Boris Makoev (SVK) and 2021 Senior World bronze medalist Abubakar Abakarov (AZE) at the Zagreb Open. Valencia drops down two spots to #7 for his losses to Ishiguro and #6 Vasyl Mykhailov (UKR). 2021 Senior world bronze medalist Abakarov is back in the rankings at #19 for beating #15 Sebastian Jezierzanski (POL) in the repechage bracket of the Zagreb Open. Jezierzanski falls five spots to #20. Yazdani Charati tech falled Yarygin champion #13 Arslan Bagaev (RUS) 10-0 in the finals of the Iranian Pro League. Shaikh Javatkhanov (RUS) won the Zagalava Abdulbekov Memorial Tournament over 2019 79 KG world bronze medalist Gadzhi Nabiev (RUS), with Ali Nurov (RUS) and Sagadula Agaev (RUS) taking bronze. Mykhailov makes his debut in the 86 KG international rankings at #6 after winning gold at the Ibrahim Moustafa Ranking Series Tournament over Valencia. Bronze medalists at the Ibrahim Moustafa Ranking Series Tournament were Jezierzanski and Tariel Gaphrindashvili (GEO). Gaphrindashvili debuts in the rankings at #17 for beating Makoev in the bronze medal match of the Ibrahim Moustafa Ranking Series Tournament. 92KG Kollin Moore (USA) won the Zagreb Open over Miriani Maisuradze (GEO), with Gankhuyag Ganbaatar (MGL) and #5 Osman Nurmagomedov (AZE) taking bronze. Moore takes the #4 spot in the rankings for his quarterfinal win over #5 Osman Nurmagomedov (AZE) from the Zagreb Open. #1 Kamran Ghasempour (IRI) tech falled #10 Ashkab Saadulaev (RUS) 11-0 in the finals of the Iranian Pro League. Gadzhimagomed Nazhmudinov (RUS) won the Zagalava Abdulbekov Memorial Tournament over Magomed Abdulnasyrov (RUS), with Shahban Surkhaev (RUS) and Abdula Abdulgasanov (RUS) taking bronze. Moore won the Ibrahim Moustafa Ranking Series Tournament by forfeit over #3 Nathan Jackson (USA), with #13 Feyzullah Akturk (TUR) and Miriani Maisuradze (GEO) taking bronze. #7 Amirhossein Firouzpour (IRI) moved up to 97KG where he took bronze at the Ibrahim Moustafa Ranking Series Tournament after a loss in the semifinals to #15 Zbigniew Baranowski (POL). Firouzpour debuts in the 97 KG rankings at #19. Rizabek Aitmukhan (KAZ) debuts in the rankings at 92KG for beating 2022 Senior Russian Nationals bronze medalist Magomed Sharipov (BRN) in the quarterfinals of the Ibrahim Moustafa Ranking Series. Sharipov returns to the rankings at #20 after beating Illia Archaia (UKR) in the opening round of the Ibrahim Moustafa Ranking Series Tournament. Sharipov made his first appearance in the rankings in June 2022 at #14 when he finished with silver at the Poddubny Tournament to #3 (97) Magomed Kurbanov (RUS) and beat #12 Guram Chertkoev (RUS) while competing at the Poddubny. 97KG #2 Kyle Snyder (USA) won the Zagreb Open over #6 Amirali Azarpira (IRI), with #9 Magomedkhan Magomedov (AZE) and Awusayimam Habila (CHN) taking bronze. Radoslaw Baran (POL) and Zbigniew Baranowski (POL) enter the rankings at #14 and #15, after Baranowski upset #11 Vladislav Baitsaev (HUN) in the qualification round and Baran beat Baranowski in the quarterfinals. Baitsaev (HUN) drops five spots in the rankings to #16 for his loss to Baranowski. #3 Magomed Kurbanov (RUS) won 4-1 in the finals of the Iranian Pro League against #9 Mohammad Mohammadian (IRI). Gasan Shamkhalov (RUS) won the Zagalava Abdulbekov Memorial Tournament over Suleiman Omarov (RUS), with Ramazan Sharipov (RUS) and Gadzhimurad Kadilov (RUS) taking bronze. #7 Batyrbek Tsakulov (SVK) won the Ibrahim Moustafa Ranking Series Tournament over Baranowski, with Baitsaev and Firouzpour taking bronze. #8 Givi Matcharashvili (GEO) drops ten spots in the rankings to #18 for his qualification round loss to Tazhudinov. Tazhudinov, a Russian Nationals bronze medalist in 2022, makes his rankings debut for Bahrain at #17 for beating Matcharashvili at the Ibrahim Moustafa Ranking Series Tournament. Four-time age-group world champion Firouzpour makes his 97 KG rankings debut at #19 for losing to Baranowski in the semifinals and rallying for bronze over 2017 U23 world bronze medalist Murazi Mchedlidze (UKR). 125KG #2 Amir Zare (IRI) won the Zagreb Open by injury default over Giorgi Meshvildishvili (AZE). Bronze medalists at the Zagreb Open were Daniel Ligeti (HUN) and Robert Baran (POL). Zare followed up his performance in Zagreb with a 10-0 tech fall win in the finals of the Iranian Pro League against #12 Erik Dzhioev (RUS). Shamil Sharipov (RUS) won the Zagalava Abdulbekov Memorial Tournament over Umar Israilov (RUS) with Magomed Alichuev (RUS) and Sharap Alikhanov (RUS) taking bronze. #1 Taha Akgul (TUR) won the Ibrahim Moustafa Ranking Series Tournament over Kamil Kosciolek (POL) with Khasanboy Rakhimov (UZB) and Yusup Batirmurzaev (KAZ) taking bronze. Pound for Pound #12 Akhmed Usmanov (RUS) moves up five spots in the rankings to #7 for beating #7 Ali Savadkouhi (IRI) in the finals of the Iranian Pro League. #9 Taimuraz Salkazanov (SVK) drops sixteen spots in the rankings to #25 for failing to place at the 74KG Zagreb Open with losses to Younes Emami (IRI) and Kojiro Shiga (JPN). Two-time world bronze medalist Emami makes his debut in the pound-for-pound rankings at #24 for beating #25 Taimuraz Salkazanov (SVK) at the 74KG Zagreb Open. Jason Nolf (USA) makes his pound-for-pound debut at #23 for beating #24 Younes Emami (IRI) in the finals of the 74KG Zagreb Open.

Four-time NCAA champion Yianni Diakomihalis (Photos/Sam Janicki; SJanickiPhoto.com) The 2023 NCAA finals were slated to start at 157 lbs so that 149 lber Yianni Diakomihalis' quest for four national titles would take center stage. Although Diakomihalis' bout with Sammy Sasso was the bout that the crowd was anticipating the most, the previous nine bouts were extremely entertaining and captivated the 16,800+ fans that packed into the BOK Center. In the opening stanza, Diakomihalis and Sasso exchanged leg attacks with each stalemating the other with stingy defense. Diakomihalis broke open the scoring in the second period with a reversal after some tough riding by Sasso. Later in the period, Diakomihalis locked up a cradle, one of Sasso's signature moves, and was able to earn a second takedown. Sasso was able to cut the deficit to two points with a third-period escape. Late in the match, the two engaged in a prolonged scramble. At moments Sasso looked close to securing a tying takedown; however, he could never fully get behind Diakomihalis. Time ran out and Diakomihalis was the victor. Diakomihalis' win makes him only the fifth wrestler to ever win four national titles. Interestingly enough, two competed for the Big Red; Yianni and Kyle Dake (2010-13). While Diakomiahlis' career achievements were at the forefront, his teammate Vito Arujau turned in the most impressive performance of the finals. A match after dominating three-time national runner-up, Daton Fix, Arujau turned in a similar showing in the finals against two-time champion Roman Bravo-Young. Arujau took a commanding lead in the first period with a pair of takedowns and a 4-1 advantage. He would never relinquish that lead and only added to it with a reversal and backpoints in the second. Arujau continued to pour it on a more-offensive minded Bravo-Young with an array of counters and reattacks. After a riding time point was added, Arujau was victorious, 10-4. For his efforts, Saturday night and in the previous rounds, Arujau was named the tournament's Most Outstanding Wrestler. For the tenth time since the 2010-11 season, the tournament ended with Penn State taking the team title. The Nittany Lions outdistanced themselves from rival Iowa by 55 points (137.5 - 82.5). Penn State finished with a pair of national champions after putting five in the finals. At 174 and 184 lbs, Carter Starocci and Aaron Brooks, both captured their third titles respectively. Starocci put an exclamation point on his 24-0 season with a first-period fall over Big Ten finals foe Mikey Labriola. It was only his fourth of the season. Brooks had a more workman-like display against a frequent opponent, Parker Keckeisen, the top seed at the weight. He cruised to a 7-2 decision to claim a national title for the third consecutive year. Another storyline from the finals is a pair of schools breaking long-standing NCAA title droughts. First, at 125 lbs, Princeton's Patrick Glory squared off with one of the tournament's breakout stars, Matt Ramos. A day after pulling one of the greatest upsets in wrestling history, Ramos still needed to go through Glory to win a national title. That proved to be too much as Ramos was never able to get his offense going against the Princeton senior. Glory capped off his decorated career with a 4-1 victory to become the school's first national champion since Brad Glass in 1951. Two matches later, Andrew Alirez, Northern Colorado's first national finalist since 1969, took home the crown at 141 lbs. The local Greeley native blew open the match in the second period with a beautiful throw for six points, one that technically was scored as a reversal. He prevailed over top-seeded Real Woods in the only clash between undefeated wrestlers on the night. Another long drought that came to an end Saturday evening included multiple ACC wrestlers winning national titles. Before Saturday, the last time that feat occurred was in 1994 when Sammie Henson (Clemson) and TJ Jaworsky (North Carolina) took home titles. The wrestler that has matched or exceeded many of Jaworsky's achievements at Chapel Hill, Austin O'Connor, got the night started with a 6-2 win at 157 lbs. O'Connor never let dangerous true freshman Levi Haines get any offense going and chipped in with a pair of takedowns. A few matches later, Nino Bonaccorsi ended his career with a national title at 197 lbs. Bonaccorsi was Pittsburgh's first national championship since head coach Keith Gavin in 2008. Much was made about the unpredictability of the 197 lb weight class; however, Bonaccorsi just won. His 5-3 win over South Dakota State's Tanner Sloan pushed his season record to 21-0. He'll finish as a two-time runner-up and one-time champion for his local university. The third time proved to be the charm for Keegan O'Toole at 165 lbs. The Missouri Tiger squared off with 2021 champion, David Carr, for the third time in just over a month and finally was able to solve Carr. Match one was heavily tilted towards the Cyclone. Match two was closer, yet ended in a sudden victory fall for Carr. This time, O'Toole was able to finish shots and won the majority of the scrambles. The final tally for O'Toole was 8-2. Despite the multiple losses to Carr, O'Toole ends his 2022-23 season the same way he did last campaign, atop the 165 lb weight class. Last, but not least, are the big men. At 285 lbs, senior Mason Parris finally got a chance to step on the top step at the NCAA podium. The Michigan heavyweight made the finals after an impressive tech fall of Iowa's Tony Cassioppi. He didn't have quite the same scoring output in the finals against Greg Kerkvliet, but he did fend off an early Kerkvliet attack, only to score himself. That put him in control in the first period and he never seemed seriously flustered. At 33-0 with a handful of wins over top contenders, Parris has to be considered one of the favorites for the 2023 Hodge Trophy. 2023 NCAA Championship Finals 157 lbs - #1 Austin O'Connor (North Carolina) dec #2 Levi Haines (Penn State) 6-2 165 lbs - #2 Keegan O'Toole (Missouri) dec #1 David Carr (Iowa State) 8-2 174 lbs - #1 Carter Starocci (Penn State) fall #2 Mikey Labriola (Nebraska) 2:46 184 lbs - #3 Aaron Brooks (Penn State) dec #1 Parker Keckeisen (Northern Iowa) 7-2 197 lbs - #1 Nino Bonaccorsi (Pittsburgh) dec #7 Tanner Sloan (South Dakota State) 5-3 285 lbs - #1 Mason Parris (Michigan) dec #3 Greg Kerkvliet (Penn State) 5-1 125 lbs - #2 Patrick Glory (Princeton) dec #4 Matt Ramos (Purdue) 4-1 133 lbs - #3 Vito Arujau (Cornell) dec #1 Roman Bravo-Young (Penn State) 10-4 141 lbs - #2 Andrew Alirez (Northern Colorado) dec Real Woods (Iowa) 6-4 149 lbs - #1 Yianni Diakomihalis (Cornell) dec #2 Sammy Sasso (Ohio State) 4-2

4x NCAA Champion Yianni Diakomihalis (Photos/Sam Janicki; SJanickiPhoto.com) 2023 NCAA Championship Placement Match Results 125 1st - Patrick Glory (Princeton) dec Matt Ramos (Purdue) 4-1 3rd - Brandon Courtney (Arizona State) dec Anthony Noto (Lock Haven) 4-2SV 5th - Liam Cronin (Nebraska) MedFFT Spencer Lee (Iowa) 7th - Eddie Ventresca (Virginia Tech) dec Killian Cardinale (West Virginia) 7-6 133 1st - Vito Arujau (Cornell) dec Roman Bravo-Young (Penn State) 10-4 3rd - Michael McGee (Arizona State) dec Daton Fix (Oklahoma State) 2-1 5th - Aaron Nagao (Minnesota) dec Jesse Mendez (Ohio State) 4-0 7th - Sam Latona (Virginia Tech) dec Kai Orine (NC State) 3-1 141 1st - Andrew Alirez (Northern Colorado) dec Real Woods (Iowa) 6-4 3rd - Beau Bartlett (Penn State) dec Lachlan McNeil (North Carolina) 4-1 5th - Clay Carlson (South Dakota State) InjDef Brock Hardy (Nebraska) 7th - Parker Filius (Purdue) dec Dylan D'Emilio (Ohio State) 8-4SV 149 1st - Yianni Diakomihalis (Cornell) dec Sammy Sasso (Ohio State) 4-2 3rd - Shayne Van Ness (Penn State) dec Kyle Parco (Arizona State) 7-2 5th - Caleb Henson (Virginia Tech) maj Max Murin (Iowa) 12-3 7th - Brock Mauller (Missouri) dec Michael Blockhus (Minnesota) 6-2 157 1st - Austin O'Connor (North Carolina) dec Levi Haines (Penn State) 6-2 3rd - Josh Humphreys (Lehigh) maj Jared Franek (North Dakota State) 8-0 5th - Ed Scott (NC State) MedFFT Peyton Robb (Nebraska) 7th - Bryce Andonian (Virginia Tech) dec Will Lewan (Michigan) 6-4 165 1st - Keegan O'Toole (Missouri) dec David Carr (Iowa State) 8-2 3rd - Quincy Monday (Princeton) dec Cam Amine (Michigan) 3-2 5th - Shane Griffith (Stanford) dec Dean Hamiti (Wisconsin) 4-1 7th - Michael Caliendo (North Dakota State) dec Izzak Olejnik (Northern Illinois) 6-2 174 1st - Carter Starocci (Penn State) fall Mikey Labriola (Nebraska) 2:46 3rd - Chris Foca (Cornell) dec Mekhi Lewis (Virginia Tech) 2-1TB 5th - Nelson Brands (Iowa) dec Dustin Plott (Oklahoma State) 4-2SV 7th - Ethan Smith (Ohio State) maj Peyton Mocco (Missouri) 12-2 184 1st - Aaron Brooks (Penn State) dec Parker Keckeisen (Northern Iowa) 7-2 3rd - Kaleb Romero (Ohio State) dec Trent Hidlay (NC State) 3-1SV 5th - Marcus Coleman (Iowa State) MedFFT Trey Munoz (Oregon State) 7th - Will Feldkamp (Clarion) fall Gavin Kane (North Carolina) 2:38 197 1st - Nino Bonaccorsi (Pittsburgh) dec Tanner Sloan (South Dakota State) 5-3 3rd - Rocky Elam (Missouri) dec Bernie Truax (Cal Poly) 5-2 5th - Jacob Warner (Iowa) dec Ethan Laird (Rider) 7-3 7th - Max Dean (Penn State) dec Jacob Cardenas (Cornell) 4-2 285 1st - Mason Parris (Michigan) dec Greg Kerkvliet (Penn State) 5-1 3rd - Wyatt Hendrickson (Air Force) fall Tony Cassioppi (Iowa) 4:16 5th - Lucas Davison (Northwestern) dec Zach Elam (Missouri) 4-3 7th - Cohlton Schultz (Arizona State) InjDef Trent Hillger (Wisconsin)

Purdue's 125 lber Matt Ramos in the 2023 NCAA Semifinals (Photos/Sam Janicki; SJanickiPhoto.com) As the 7 pm hour drew near in the central time zone, fans in Tulsa's BOK Center were ready for a long night of excellent wrestling. I would argue that Session IV at the NCAA Wrestling Championships is the best athletic event known to man. Dreams are made and crushed as wrestlers earn All-American honors or lock up a spot in the national finals. Only a few minutes after the national anthem, the entire night was turned upside down. Three-time NCAA champion Spencer Lee lost. And was pinned. This weekend was thought to be a coronation for Lee and Cornell 149 lber Yianni Diakomihalis as they were both only five matches away from winning their fourth national title. Unfortunately for Lee, no one told Purdue's Matt Ramos about the script. Early in the first period, as he's known to do, Lee attempted to bully Ramos into a takedown, but was unsuccessful. It was the Boilermaker who struck first with a takedown and backpoints to take a 4-0 lead. While rare, that sight wasn't totally unfamiliar to fans, as Ramos had Lee on the ropes in their dual meet before losing via fall. In the previous round, Lock Haven's Anthony Noto turned Lee for the full allotment of four back points. Trailing 4-0, Lee chose top in the second period and it proved to be a good choice. He turned Ramos and led 5-4 with riding time after the second stanza. In the final period, Lee appeared to get close to a takedown on the edge. The call was challenged by the Iowa staff and the official's initial call was overturned and ruled a takedown for the Hawkeye star. With Lee's riding ability, a 7-4 lead looked like the end for Ramos. As we've seen in the previous two rounds, Ramos wouldn't quit until the final whistle. Ramos managed to get an escape and then quickly stuff a half-attempt from Lee, which led to a front headlock. The Boilermaker then went for the hail mary and rolled Lee and caught him on his back. After a valiant effort from Lee, Ramos stepped over to get a perpendicular pinning position and the official signaled for a fall with :01 left on the clock. Just like that, all 15,600+ fans were on their feet. Many were cheering. The section wearing Iowa's black and gold went quiet in stunned disbelief. Regardless of your rooting interests, everyone in the arena was shocked as they witnessed firsthand one of the biggest upsets in collegiate wrestling history. National sports websites have already tabbed it one of the biggest in collegiate sports history. I turned to NCAA Wrestling and Turner Sports' Shannon Scovel and we both remarked on how difficult it would be to focus on the remaining nine matches, as we both struggled to comprehend what we just witnessed. The rest of the round went on as scheduled and there were plenty of interesting developments. Just a match after Lee was upset, three-time NCAA runner-up Daton Fix was dominated by Cornell All-American Vito Arujau. Arujau and teammate Yianni Diakomihalis will both wrestle in tomorrow night's championship finals. Diakomihalis survived another scare from Penn State freshman Shayne Van Ness and poured on the points late in the match to win 8-3, a margin that looks larger on paper than in actuality. Arujau will meet two-time national champion Roman Bravo-Young of Penn State. Bravo-Young needed sudden victory to hold off Arizona State's three-time All-American Michael McGee. He is one of five Penn State wrestlers who will wrestle for a national title. Freshman Levi Haines, Carter Starocci, Aaron Brooks, and Greg Kerkvliet also pushed through to the finals. After a controversial takedown call loomed large in Haines, Big Ten finals win over Peyton Robb, the first-year phenom left nothing to doubt and secured two takedowns to prevail 5-3. Starocci and Brooks both looked totally in control of their semifinal wins and will be chasing title number three. Kerkvliet pulled a slight upset by downing #2 Wyatt Hendrickson, the first All-American from the Air Force Academy in 20 years. The defending champion Nittany Lions will take a 116.5 to 77 lead over Iowa into tomorrow's medal rounds. After Lee's loss, the Hawkeyes rallied to have a strong round and put 141 lber Real Woods into the finals and saw Max Murin (149), Nelson Brands (174), and Jacob Warner (197), pull out bloodround wins. Woods will square off with Northern Colorado's #2 Andrew Alirez in the only meeting between two undefeated wrestlers. Alirez was the first Bear wrestler to make the national finals since 1969. Diakomihalis will have the sole focus of the "four-time champion" talk as he faces #2 Sammy Sasso. The two met twice in the 2021-22 season and Diakomihalis wasn't severely tested in either contest. The true freshman, Haines, will tangle with 2021 national champion #1 Austin O'Connor. O'Connor comes in with a perfect record and is one that doesn't get thrown off of his gameplan easily. With all the other excitement, it's easy to forget that we'll be treated to another round in the David Carr/Keegan O'Toole trilogy. Carr has won both battles between these past national champions. He used tough riding in the third period to edge Princeton's Quincy Monday. Speaking of rematches, we have a pair at 174 and 184 with Starocci/Mikey Labriola and Brooks/Parker Keckeisen. The Nittany Lions have been victorious in their previous meetings. One of the big talking points for fans in the week leading up to the tournament was the unpredictability of the 197 lb weight class. Top-seeded Nino Bonaccorsi was taken down early, but recovered to cruise to a 10-4 victory over Ethan Laird. On the other half, South Dakota State's Tanner Sloan flipped the Big 12 finals result against Rocky Elam with a convincing 7-2 victory. Penn State's Kerkvliet will hope the third time is the charm at heavyweight as he'll face top-seeded, undefeated Mason Parris. The Wolverine big man was completely dominant in a 16-1 tech fall victory over Tony Cassioppi. In a dual meet, Parris needed late heroics to get by the Hawkeye heavyweight. None were necessary this time. Four the full list of semifinal and Round of 12 (Bloodround) results Click Here

Top seeded 285 lber from Michigan Mason Parris (Photos/Sam Janicki; SJanickiPhoto.com) Check back often today for results from the Semifinals at the 2023 NCAA Championships Semifinal Results 125 Matt Ramos (Purdue) fall Spencer Lee (Iowa) 6:59 Patrick Glory (Princeton) dec Liam Cronin (Nebraska) 8-2 133 Roman Bravo-Young (Penn State) dec Michael McGee (Arizona State) 6-4SV Vito Arujau (Cornell) maj Daton Fix (Oklahoma State) 11-3 141 Real Woods (Iowa) maj Brock Hardy (Nebraska) 11-1 Andrew Alirez (Northern Colorado) dec Beau Bartlett (Penn State) 6-2 149 Yianni Diakomihalis (Cornell) dec Shayne Van Ness (Penn State) 8-3 Sammy Sasso (Ohio State) maj Kyle Parco (Arizona State) 14-2 157 Austin O'Connor (North Carolina) dec Josh Humphreys (Lehigh) 4-3 Levi Haines (Penn State) dec Peyton Robb (Nebraska) 5-3 165 David Carr (Iowa State) dec Quincy Monday (Princeton) 6-5 Keegan O'Toole (Missouri) dec Cam Amine (Michigan) 6-0 174 Carter Starocci (Penn State) dec Chris Foca (Cornell) 6-0 Mikey Labriola (Nebraska) dec Mekhi Lewis (Virginia Tech) 3-1TB 184 Parker Keckeisen (Northern Iowa) dec Trey Munoz (Oregon State) 5-1 Aaron Brooks (Penn State) dec Trent Hidlay (NC State) 6-3 197 Nino Bonaccorsi (Pittsburgh) dec Ethan Laird (Rider) 10-4 Tanner Sloan (South Dakota State) dec Rocky Elam (Missouri) 7-2 285 Mason Parris (Michigan) tech Tony Cassioppi (Iowa) 16-1 Greg Kerkvliet (Penn State) dec Wyatt Hendrickson (Air Force) 4-2 Round of 12 (Bloodround) Results 125 Eddie Ventresca (Virginia Tech) dec Eric Barnett (Wisconsin) 3-1 Killian Cardinale (West Virginia) dec Brett Ungar (Cornell) 3-2 Brandon Courtney (Arizona State) dec Stevo Poulin (Northern Colorado) 8-3 Anthony Noto (Lock Haven) dec Dean Peterson (Rutgers) 3-1 133 Kai Orine (NC State) dec Kyle Biscoglia (Northern Iowa) 7-1 Aaron Nagao (Minnesota) maj Zach Redding (Iowa State) 12-0 Sam Latona (Virginia Tech) dec Micky Phillippi (Pittsburgh) 5-1 Jesse Mendez (Ohio State) dec Lucas Byrd (Illinois) 3-3RTTB 141 Parker Filius (Purdue) fall Casey Swiderski (Iowa State) 6:05 Clay Carlson (South Dakota State) dec Allan Hart (Missouri) 7-6 Lachlan McNeil (North Carolina) dec Malyke Hines (Lehigh) 5-2 Dylan D'Emilio (Ohio State) dec Cole Matthews (Pittsburgh) 2-1TB 149 Caleb Henson (Virginia Tech) dec Yahya Thomas (Northwestern) 7-2 Michael Blockhus (Minnesota) dec Graham Rooks (Indiana) 6-2 Brock Mauller (Missouri) dec Jackson Arrington (NC State) 4-3 Max Murin (Iowa) dec Chance Lamer (Michigan) 3-2 157 Bryce Andonian (Virginia Tech) fall Chase Saldate (Michigan State) 6:22 Will Lewan (Michigan) dec Cael Swensen (South Dakota State) 7-4 Ed Scott (NC State) dec Daniel Cardenas (Stanford) 6-4SV Jared Franek (North Dakota State) dec Vince Zerban (Northern Colorado) 7-3 165 Michael Caliendo (North Dakota State) dec Caleb Fish (Michigan State) 12-6 Shane Griffith (Stanford) dec Julian Ramirez (Cornell) 6-2 Dean Hamiti (Wisconsin) maj Austin Yant (Northern Iowa) 10-2 Izzak Olejnik (Northern Illinois) dec Carson Kharchla (Ohio State) 2-1 174 Ethan Smith (Ohio State) dec Bailee O'Reilly (Minnesota) 7-6 Dustin Plott (Oklahoma State) dec Demetrius Romero (Utah Valley) 7-5SV Peyton Mocco (Missouri) dec Cade DeVos (South Dakota State) 4-2 Nelson Brands (Iowa) dec Edmond Ruth (Illinois) 4-1 184 Will Feldkamp (Clarion) over Isaiah Salazar (Minnesota) 8-4 Marcus Coleman (Iowa State) dec Matt Finesilver (Michigan) 4-3 Kaleb Romero (Ohio State) maj Brian Bonino (Drexel) 15-6 Gavin Kane (North Carolina) dec Hunter Bolen (North Carolina) 4-3 197 Jacob Cardenas (Cornell) dec Zac Braunagel (Illinois) 6-4 Jacob Warner (Iowa) dec Silas Allred (Nebraska) 1-0 Bernie Truax (Cal Poly) dec Michael Beard (Lehigh) 4-2 Max Dean (Penn State) dec Jaxon Smith (Maryland) 3-2 285 Cohlton Schultz (Arizona State) dec Tate Orndorff (Ohio State) 2-1 Lucas Davison (Northwestern) dec Yaraslau Slavikouski (Harvard) 4-2SV Zach Elam (Missouri) dec Colton McKiernan (SIU Edwardsville) 11-5 Trent Hillger (Wisconsin) dec Sam Schuyler (Iowa State) 3-1SV

Penn State freshman Shayne Van Ness (Photo/Sam Janicki; SJanickiPhoto.com) Friday at the NCAA Championships is typically the best day of the collegiate wrestling season and with half the day in the books, it didn’t disappoint. Defending champions Penn State were expected to win again, but in the quarterfinals, they distanced themselves from the rest of the moreso than most would have imagined. After the third session of action, the Nittany Lions led Iowa by 30 points. Cael Sanderson’s team went seven-for-seven in the quarterfinals and now has at least seven wrestlers that will finish at least in sixth place. They also have 2022 national champion, Max Dean, wrestling in the Round of 12, still able to earn All-American status. The Penn State lineup contains a handful of title favorites; however, it was their freshmen who stole the show Friday morning. #12 seed Shayne Van Ness got in an early hole against Big Ten foe #20 Graham Rooks, falling behind 7-3 after two periods. Van Ness already put together an incredible comeback in the opening round, so he was clearly not phased. The redshirt freshman stayed on the offensive and got a takedown, then proceeded to get a set of back points. With a point for riding time tacked on, the final margin for Van Ness was 10-7. He’ll face top-seeded, three-time national champion Yianni Diakomihalis of Cornell in tonight’s semifinals. Penn State’s true freshman #2 Levi Haines survived an early onslaught from the dangerous #7 Bryce Andonian of Virginia Tech. Within the first :30 Andonian had Haines on his back looking for a fall. Not flustered, Haines battled back and seemed to wear down the returning All-American before pinning him in the third period. Haines will have a rematch of the Big Ten finals as he takes on Nebraska’s #3 Peyton Robb in the semifinals. While two-time champion Roman Bravo-Young was the first Nittany Lion to take the mat and locked up a berth in the semifinals, it was 141 lber Beau Bartlett that got the PSU faithful on their feet. He and 2022 All-American Cole Matthews were deadlocked at one point after seven minutes of regulation and two minutes of sudden victory. In the tiebreaker series, Matthews held the advantage after riding Bartlett for the entire period. The second :30 period started in neutral and appeared to be headed towards a win for the Panther. Bartlett didn’t let up and stayed on the offensive, securing the winning takedown in the waning seconds of the bout. Carter Starocci, Aaron Brooks, and Greg Kerkvliet joined their teammates in the finals. Some of the main storylines heading into this tournament have revolved around Spencer Lee and Yianni Diakomihalis’ quest for four national titles. Both experienced their share of adversity just to make the semifinals. Lee appeared to be cruising against #8 Anthony Noto (Lock Haven) with a 10-0 lead. In the second period, Noto tilted Lee for four points and rode him for a significant portion in the second and third periods. Diakomihalis was engaged in a close match with #8 Max Murin (Iowa) when he gave up a late takedown and was dangerously close to surrendering back point. A foot or two either way in the crab ride would have put him into near-fall criteria. That never happened and Diakomihalis got away with an 8-7 victory. Tonight’s semifinals will begin at 8pm eastern/7pm central. For a full list of quarterfinal winners Click Here

3x NCAA champion Spencer Lee (Photos/Sam Janicki; SJanickiPhoto.com) Check back often today for results from the Quarterfinals at the 2023 NCAA Championships Quarterfinal Results 125 Spencer Lee (Iowa) maj Anthony Noto (Lock Haven) 14-4 Matt Ramos (Purdue) dec Killian Cardinale (West Virginia) 8-7 Liam Cronin (Nebraska) dec Eddie Ventresca (Virginia Tech) 3-1SV Patrick Glory (Princeton) dec Brandon Courtney (Arizona State) 8-4 133 Roman Bravo-Young (Penn State) dec Aaron Nagao (Minnesota) 4-1 Michael McGee (Arizona State) dec Kai Orine (NC State) 8-2 Vito Arujau (Cornell) dec Sam Latona (Virginia Tech) 8-5 Daton Fix (Oklahoma State) dec Lucas Byrd (Illinois) 3-2 141 Real Woods (Iowa) maj Allan Hart (Missouri) 9-0 Brock Hardy (Nebraska) dec Parker Filius (Purdue) 7-0 Beau Bartlett (Penn State) dec Cole Matthews (Pittsburgh) 3-1TB Andrew Alirez (Northern Colorado) dec Lachlan McNeil (North Carolina) 6-4 149 Yianni Diakomihalis (Cornell) dec Max Murin (Iowa) 8-7 Shayne Van Ness (Penn State) dec Graham Rooks (Indiana) 10-7 Kyle Parco (Arizona State) dec Brock Mauller (Missouri) 4-3 Sammy Sasso (Ohio State) dec Yahya Thomas (Northwestern) 2-1 157 Austin O'Connor (North Carolina) maj Will Lewan (Michigan) 10-2 Josh Humphreys (Lehigh) dec Jared Franek (North Dakota State) 5-2 Peyton Robb (Nebraska) dec Daniel Cardenas (Stanford) 6-4 Levi Haines (Penn State) fall Bryce Andonian (Virginia Tech) 6:11 165 David Carr (Iowa State) dec Shane Griffith (Stanford) 2-1 Quincy Monday (Princeton) dec Caleb Fish (Michigan State) 10-4 Cam Amine (Michigan) dec Dean Hamiti (Wisconsin) 3-1 Keegan O'Toole (Missouri) tech Carson Kharchla (Ohio State) 19-4 174 Carter Starocci (Penn State) dec Bailee O'Reilly (Minnesota) 5-2 Chris Foca (Cornell) fall Dustin Plott (Oklahoma State) 1:53 Mekhi Lewis (Virginia Tech) dec Nelson Brands (Iowa) 2-0 Mikey Labriola (Nebraska) dec Peyton Mocco (Missouri) 4-3 184 Parker Keckeisen (Northern Iowa) dec Isaiah Salazar (Minnesota) 3-2 Trey Munoz (Oregon State) dec Marcus Coleman (Iowa State) 3-1SV Aaron Brooks (Penn State) dec Kaleb Romero (Ohio State) 4-1 Trent Hidlay (NC State) dec Hunter Bolen (Virginia Tech) 5-0 197 Nino Bonaccorsi (Pittsburgh) dec Silas Allred (Nebraska) 5-3 Ethan Laird (Rider) dec Zac Braunagel (Illinois) 3-2 Rocky Elam (Missouri) dec Jaxon Smith (Maryland) 6-3 Tanner Sloan (South Dakota State) dec Bernie Truax (Cal Poly) 6-4SV 285 Mason Parris (Michigan) maj Lucas Davison (Northwestern) 10-1 Tony Cassioppi (Iowa) dec Cohlton Schultz (Arizona State) 3-1SV Greg Kerkvliet (Penn State) dec Trent Hillger (Wisconsin) 4-0 Wyatt Hendrickson (Air Force) maj Zach Elam (Missouri) 17-8 Team Scores After Session 3 1. Penn State 78 2. Iowa 48 3. Cornell 45.5 4. Nebraska 44 5. Michigan 39 6. Missouri 34 7. Ohio State 31 8. NC State 29 9. Iowa State 28 10. Arizona State 27

Michigan 2x All-American Cam Amine (Photos/Sam Janicki; SJanickiPhoto.com) It's here! The greatest day of the wrestling season is Friday at the NCAA tournament. In a few short hours, the first 40 wrestlers will lock up berths in the NCAA semifinals and guarantee themselves All-American status and a top-six finish. Let's say you're on the fence about watching wrestling or the "other" form of March Madness or perhaps you're just looking for a reason to be invested in wrestlers that don't compete for your favorite teams. If so, here are 20 storylines to monitor as you're preparing for and watching the 2023 NCAA Quarterfinals. 125 #4 Matt Ramos (Purdue) vs. #28 Killian Cardinale (West Virginia) - If Ramos wins, he'll clinch a spot on the stand and be the first AA for the Boilermakers in a decade. If Cardinale prevails, it will be validation for a semi-controversial at-large selection and set up a match with Spencer Lee, who Cardinale exchanged words with over social media. #2 Pat Glory (Princeton) vs. #10 Brandon Courtney (Arizona State) - It's no secret that making 125 is not easy for Glory. This has been the match that most people have circled. "Can Glory wrestle an elite competitor in the morning fresh off the scale?" He looked excellent on day one. 133 #4 Michael McGee (Arizona State) vs. #5 Kai Orine (NC State) - Where does the last-season riser, Kai Orine, factor in at this weight? A win over McGee would validate him as a contender, in addition to cementing All-American status. For the full article, Subscribe to InterMat's Rokfin Page

Oklahoma State 133 lber Daton Fix (Photos/Sam Janicki; SJanickiPhoto.com) Check back often today for results from the Round of 16 at the 2023 NCAA Championships Round of 16 Results 125 Spencer Lee (Iowa) tech Jack Medley (Michigan) 16-0 Anthony Noto (Lock Haven) dec Eric Barnett (Wisconsin) 5-4 Killian Cardinale (West Virginia) dec Jore Volk (Wyoming) 8-3 Matt Ramos (Purdue) dec Jarrett Trombley (NC State) 6-5TB Liam Cronin (Nebraska) dec Braxton Brown (Maryland) 8-4 Eddie Ventresca (Virginia Tech) dec Patrick McKee (Minnesota) 3-2 Brandon Courtney (Arizona State) dec Jack Wagner (North Carolina) 5-1 Patrick Glory (Princeton) maj Brett Ungar (Cornell) 10-0 133 Roman Bravo-Young (Penn State) maj Brayden Palmer (Chattanooga) 5-2 Aaron Nagao (Minnesota) fall Micky Phillippi (Pittsburgh) 2:50 Kai Orine (NC State) maj Chance Rich (CSU Bakersfield) 12-2 Michael McGee (Arizona State) dec Jesse Mendez (Ohio State) 6-2 Vito Arujau (Cornell) maj Zach Redding (Iowa State) 12-4 Sam Latona (Virginia Tech) dec Cody Phippen (Air Force) 2-1 Lucas Byrd (Illinois) dec Michael Colaiocco (Penn) 6-3 Daton Fix (Oklahoma State) dec Kyle Biscoglia (Northern Iowa) 8-4 141 Real Woods (Iowa) dec Dylan D'Emilio (Ohio State) 7-5 Allan Hart (Missouri) dec Mosha Schwartz (Oklahoma) 2-2RTTB Parker Filius (Purdue) dec Ryan Jack (NC State) 7-6 Brock Hardy (Nebraska) dec Jake Bergeland (Minnesota) 5-1 Cole Matthews (Pittsburgh) dec Cael Happel (Northern Iowa) 1-0 Beau Bartlett (Penn State) dec Clay Carlson (South Dakota State) 3-2 Lachlan McNeil (North Carolina) dec Vince Cornella (Cornell) 2-1 Andrew Alirez (Northern Colorado) dec Frankie Tal-Shahar (Northwestern) 8-5 149 Yianni Diakomihalis (Cornell) fall Jackson Arrington (NC State) 2:10 Max Murin (Iowa) over Jaden Abas (Stanford) 3-1 Shayne Van Ness (Penn State) dec Paniro Johnson (Iowa State) 14-8 Graham Rooks (Indiana) dec Caleb Henson (Virginia Tech) 5-4 Kyle Parco (Arizona State) dec Austin Gomez (Wisconsin) 6-3 Brock Mauller (Missouri) dec Chance Lamer (Michigan) 4-1 Yahya Thomas (Northwestern) dec Michael Blockhus (Minnesota) 3-1SV Sammy Sasso (Ohio State) dec Colin Realbuto (Northern Iowa) 9-2 157 Austin O'Connor (North Carolina) dec Jarrett Jacques (Missouri) 4-1 Will Lewan (Michigan) dec Ed Scott (NC State) 7-5 Josh Humphreys (Lehigh) dec Kendall Coleman (Purdue) 3-0 Jared Franek (North Dakota State) dec Trevor Chumbley (Northwestern) 5-3 Peyton Robb (Nebraska) tech Garrett Model (Wisconsin) 16-1 Daniel Cardenas (Stanford) dec Derek Holschlag (Northern Iowa) 6-1 Bryce Andonian (Virginia Tech) dec Kaden Gfeller (Oklahoma State) 10-3 Levi Haines (Penn State) dec Jacob Wright (Wyoming) 8-2 165 David Carr (Iowa State) maj Austin Yant (Northern Iowa) 15-4 Shane Griffith (Stanford) maj Bubba Wilson (Nebraska) 10-0 Quincy Monday (Princeton) dec Izzak Olejnik (Northern Illinois) 4-1 Caleb Fish (Michigan State) dec Holden Heller (Pittsburgh) 7-2 Dean Hamiti (Wisconsin) fall Danny Braunagel (Illinois) 2:46 Cam Amine (Michigan) dec Patrick Kennedy (Iowa) 3-2 Carson Kharchla (Ohio State) dec Michael Caliendo (North Dakota State) 8-3 Keegan O'Toole (Missouri) dec Justin McCoy (Virginia) 5-2 174 Carter Starocci (Penn State) dec DJ Washington (Indiana) 4-0 Bailee O'Reilly (Minnesota) dec Edmond Ruth (Illinois) 4-2 Dustin Plott (Oklahoma State) dec Aaron Olmos (Oregon State) 10-6 Chris Foca (Cornell) dec Cade DeVos (South Dakota State) 8-2 Mekhi Lewis (Virginia Tech) dec Troy Fisher (Northwestern) 5-4 Nelson Brands (Iowa) dec Ethan Smith (Ohio State) 3-1 Peyton Mocco (Missouri) dec Mickey O'Malley (Drexel) 8-2 Mikey Labriola (Nebraska) dec Demetrius Romero (Utah Valley) 3-1 184 Parker Keckeisen (Northern Iowa) dec Tate Samuelson (Lehigh) 4-2 Isaiah Salazar (Minnesota) maj Brian Bonino (Drexel) 12-0 Marcus Coleman (Iowa State) dec Abe Assad (Iowa) 2-1TB Trey Munoz (Oregon State) dec Neil Antrassian (Virginia) 6-2 Aaron Brooks (Penn State) fall Will Feldkamp (Clarion) 4:59 Kaleb Romero (Ohio State) dec Colton Hawks (Missouri) 5-3 Hunter Bolen (Virginia Tech) dec Travis Wittlake (Oklahoma State) 5-1 Trent Hidlay (NC State) maj Brian Soldano (Rutgers) 12-4 197 Nino Bonaccorsi (Pittsburgh) dec Owen Pentz (North Dakota State) 8-2 Silas Allred (Nebraska) dec Max Dean (Penn State) 7-2 Zac Braunagel (Illinois) dec Michael Beard (Lehigh) 7-6 Ethan Laird (Rider) dec Yonger Bastida (Iowa State) 3-1 Rocky Elam (Missouri) dec Jacob Warner (Iowa) 6-2 Jaxon Smith (Maryland) fall Isaac Trumble (NC State) 2:16 Tanner Sloan (South Dakota State) dec Jacob Cardenas (Cornell) 4-0 Bernie Truax (Cal Poly) dec Luke Surber (Oklahoma State) 8-2 285 Mason Parris (Michigan) dec Taye Ghadiali (Campbell) 6-1 Lucas Davison (Northwestern) dec Sam Schuyler (Iowa State) 2-1 Cohlton Schultz (Arizona State) fall Colton McKiernan (SIU Edwardsville) 6:10 Tony Cassioppi (Iowa) maj Tyrell Gordon (Northern Iowa) 9-0 Greg Kerkvliet (Penn State) maj AJ Nevills (South Dakota State) 14-2 Trent Hillger (Wisconsin) dec Yaraslau Slavikouski (Harvard) 1-0 Zach Elam (Missouri) dec Owen Trephan (NC State) 4-0 Wyatt Hendrickson (Air Force) maj Grady Griess (Navy) 14-1 Team Scores After Day One 1. Penn State 26 2. Iowa 21.5 3. Missouri 17.5 4. Minnesota 16.5 4. NC State 16.5 6. Cornell 15.5 6. Nebraska 15.5 8. Michigan 14.5 8. Ohio State 14.5 10. Arizona State 13

(Photos/Sam Janicki; SJanickiPhoto.com) Check back often today for results from session one of the 2023 NCAA Championships Pigtail First Round 125 - Tucker Owens (Air Force) dec Tanner Jordan (South Dakota State) 2-1 133 - Ethan Oakley (Appalachian State) dec McGwire Midkiff (North Dakota State) 5-3 141 - Kal Miller (Maryland) dec Josh Mason (Bloomsburg) 4-3 149 - Dom Demas (Cal Poly) tech Isaiah Delgado (Utah Valley) 18-3 157 - Vince Zerban (Northern Colorado) dec Nate Lukez (Army West Point) 6-5 165 - Josh Kim (Harvard) dec Cole Moody (Wyoming) 7-4 174 - John Worthing (Clarion) dec Will Miller (Appalachian State) 8-4 184 - Anthony Carman (West Virginia) dec Jha'Quan Anderson (Gardner-Webb) 5-3SV 197 - Max Shaw (North Carolina) dec Cole Urbas (Penn) 4-1 285 - Garrett Joles (Minnesota) dec Travis Stefanik (Princeton) 4-1 Championship First Round 125 - Spencer Lee (Iowa) fall Tucker Owens (Air Force) :36 125 - Jack Medley (Michigan) dec Ethan Berginc (Army West Point) 4-2 125 - Eric Barnett (Wisconsin) maj Nick Babin (Columbia) 9-0 125 - Anthony Noto (Lock Haven) dec Joey Prata (Oklahoma) 5-2 125 - Killian Cardinale (West Virginia) dec Caleb Smith (Appalachian State) 3-2 125 - Jore Volk (Wyoming) dec Michael DeAugustino (Northwestern) 3-1SV 125 - Jarrett Trombley (NC State) dec Dean Peterson (Rutgers) 4-3 125 - Matt Ramos (Purdue) dec Nico Provo (Stanford) 3-2 125 - Liam Cronin (Nebraska) dec Antonio Lorenzo (Cal Poly) 9-4 125 - Braxton Brown (Maryland) dec Noah Surtin (Missouri) 8-6 125 - Patrick McKee (Minnesota) maj Diego Sotelo (Harvard) 12-3 125 - Eddie Ventresca (Virginia Tech) dec Stevo Poulin (Northern Colorado) 4-2SV 125 - Jack Wagner (North Carolina) dec Brandon Kaylor (Oregon State) 3-1 125 - Brandon Courtney (Arizona State) dec Jake Ferri (Kent State) 6-3 125 - Brett Ungar (Cornell) dec Ryan Miller (Penn) 6-1 125 - Patrick Glory (Princeton) fall Reece Witcraft (Oklahoma State) :32 133 - Roman Bravo-Young (Penn State) maj Ethan Oakley (Appalachian State) 12-3 133 - Brayden Palmer (Chattanooga) dec Joe Heilmann (Rutgers) 4-2 133 - Micky Phillippi (Pittsburgh) dec Wyatt Henson (Oklahoma) 5-2 133 - Aaron Nagao (Minnesota) maj Kurtis Phipps (Bucknell) 8-0 133 - Kai Orine (NC State) fall Gable Strickland (Lock Haven) 4:06 133 - Chance Rich (CSU Bakersfield) dec Chris Cannon (Northwestern) 6-5 133 - Jesse Mendez (Ohio State) maj Brendan Ferretti (Navy) 12-4 133 - Michael McGee (Arizona State) maj Angelo Rini (Columbia) 20-8 133 - Vito Arujau (Cornell) dec Ethan Rotondo (Cal Poly) 12-6 133 - Zach Redding (Iowa State) dec Dom Zaccone (Campbell) 7-2 133 - Cody Phippen (Air Force) fall Dylan Ragusin (Michigan) 2:02 133 - Sam Latona (Virginia Tech) dec Taylor LaMont (Wisconsin) 3-1SV 133 - Michael Colaiocco (Penn) fall Connor Brown (Missouri) :38 133 - Lucas Byrd (Illinois) dec Brody Teske (Iowa) 13-10 133 - Kyle Biscoglia (Northern Iowa) fall Jason Shaner (Oregon State) 6:02 133 - Daton Fix (Oklahoma State) fall Jack Maida (American) 2:15 141 - Real Woods (Iowa) maj Kal Miller (Maryland) 13-1 141 - Dylan D'Emilio (Ohio State) maj Josh Koderhandt (Navy) 10-1 141 - Mosha Schwartz (Oklahoma) dec Casey Swiderski (Iowa State) 4-1 141 - Allan Hart (Missouri) dec Carmen Ferrante (Penn) 7-4 141 - Ryan Jack (NC State) dec Saul Ervin (SIU Edwardsville) 3-2 141 - Parker Filius (Purdue) dec Cleveland Belton (Oregon State) 8-3 141 - Jakob Bergeland (Minnesota) dec Carter Young (Oklahoma State) 5-0 141 - Brock Hardy (Nebraska) maj Jordan Titus (West Virginia) 12-4 141 - Cole Matthews (Pittsburgh) dec Seth Koleno (Clarion) 4-1 141 - Cael Happel (Northern Iowa) dec Matt Kazimir (Columbia) 4-3 141 - Clay Carlson (South Dakota State) dec Malyke Hines (Lehigh) 6-1 141 - Beau Bartlett (Penn State) dec Shannon Hanna (Campbell) 8-2 141 - Vince Cornella (Cornell) dec McKenzie Bell (Rider) 7-4 141 - Lachlan McNeil (North Carolina) dec Cole Mattin (Michigan) 6-2 141 - Frankie Tal-Shahar (Northwestern) dec Tom Crook (Virginia Tech) 3-1SV 141 - Andrew Alirez (Northern Colorado) fall Joe Zargo (Wisconsin) 2:05 149 - Yianni Diakomihalis (Cornell) dec Dom Demas (Cal Poly) 6-1 149 - Jackson Arrington (NC State) dec Quinn Kinner (Rider) 5-3SV 149 - Jaden Abas (Stanford) fall Ryan Burgos (Edinboro) 2:56 149 - Max Murin (Iowa) dec Caleb Tyus (SIU Edwardsville) 6-3 149 - Paniro Johnson (Iowa State) dec Alec Hagan (Ohio) 2-2RTTB 149 - Shayne Van Ness (Penn State) fall Ethen Miller (Maryland) 6:26 149 - Graham Rooks (Indiana) dec Kellyn March (North Dakota State) 4-3 149 - Caleb Henson (Virginia Tech) dec Dylan Chappell (Bucknell) 6-1 149 - Kyle Parco (Arizona State) maj Dylan Martinez (Air Force) 18-6 149 - Austin Gomez (Wisconsin) maj Johnny Lovett (Central Michigan) 18-0 149 - Chance Lamer (Michigan) dec Doug Zapf (Penn) 4-3 149 - Brock Mauller (Missouri) dec Jarod Verkleeren (Virginia) 11-5 149 - Yahya Thomas (Northwestern) maj Nathan Higley (George Mason) 12-3 149 - Michael Blockhus (Minnesota) dec Victor Voinovich (Oklahoma State) 3-2 149 - Colin Realbuto (Northern Iowa) dec Mitch Moore (Oklahoma) 9-3 149 - Sammy Sasso (Ohio State) maj Tony White (Rutgers) 10-2 157 - Austin O'Connor (North Carolina) dec Vince Zerban (Northern Colorado) 6-1 157 - Jarrett Jacques (Missouri) dec Anthony Artalona (Penn) 5-4 157 - Will Lewan (Michigan) dec Tommy Askey (Appalachian State) 3-2 157 - Ed Scott (NC State) dec Jason Kraisser (Iowa State) 5-3 157 - Josh Humphreys (Lehigh) dec Paddy Gallagher (Ohio State) 3-0 157 - Kendall Coleman (Purdue) dec Andy Clark (Rutgers) 9-4 157 - Trevor Chumbley (Northwestern) dec Cael Swensen (South Dakota State) 6-3 157 - Jared Franek (North Dakota State) maj Corbyn Munson (Central Michgan) 10-1 157 - Peyton Robb (Nebraska) tech Jared Hill (Oklahoma) 15-0 157 - Garrett Model (Wisconsin) dec Cobe Siebrecht (Iowa) 10-5 157 - Derek Holschlag (Northern Iowa) dec Chase Saldate (Michigan State) 4-3 157 - Daniel Cardenas (Stanford) maj Cesar Alvan (Columbia) 12-0 157 - Bryce Andonian (Virginia Tech) dec Peyten Keller (Ohio) 7-6 157 - Kaden Gfeller (Oklahoma State) dec Peter Pappas (George Mason) 6-5TB 157 - Jacob Wright (Wyoming) dec Derek Gilcher (Indiana) 3-2 157 - Levi Haines (Penn State) dec Ashton Eyler (Lock Haven) 10-3 165 - David Carr (Iowa State) maj Josh Kim (Harvard) 10-2 165 - Austin Yant (Northern Iowa) dec Josh Ogunsanya (Columbia) 8-1 165 - Shane Griffith (Stanford) dec Rodrick Mosley (Gardner-Webb) 1-0 165 - Bubba Wilson (Nebraska) dec Matt Olguin (Oregon State) 3-1SV 165 - Quincy Monday (Princeton) maj Andrew Sparks (Minnesota) 12-4 165 - Izzak Olejnik (Northern Illinois) dec Gerrit Nijenhuis (Oklahoma) 4-3 165 - Caleb Fish (Michigan) dec Julian Ramirez (Cornell) 8-4 165 - Holden Heller (Pittsburgh) dec Alex Facundo (Penn State) 5-3 165 - Danny Braunagel (Illinois) maj Peyton Hall (West Virginia) 16-5 165 - Cam Amine (Michigan) fall Tanner Cook (South Dakota State) 6:30 165 - Dean Hamiti (Wisconsin) fall Evan Barczak (Drexel) 1:24 165 - Patrick Kennedy (Iowa) dec Will Formato (Appalachian State) 7-2 165 - Michael Caliendo (North Dakota State) dec Brevin Casella (Binghamton) 6-1 165 - Carson Kharchla (Ohio State) dec Connor Brady (Virginia Tech) 2-1 165 - Justin McCoy (Virginia) dec Maxx Mayfield (Northwestern) 7-2 165 - Keegan O'Toole (Missouri) maj Wyatt Sheets (Oklahoma State) 13-5 174 - Carter Starocci (Penn State) fall John Worthing (Clarion) 1:21 174 - DJ Washington (Indiana) tech Sam Wolf (Air Force) 17-2 174 - Edmond Ruth (Illinois) maj Phil Conigliaro (Harvard) 14-4 174 - Bailee O'Reilly (Minnesota) dec Nick Inconterera (Penn) 5-3 174 - Dustin Plott (Oklahoma State) dec Luca Augustine (Pittsburgh) 3-2 174 - Aaron Olmos (Oregon State) dec Lennox Wolak (Columbia) 6-3 174 - Cade DeVos (South Dakota State) fall Alex Cramer (Central Michigan) 2:13 174 - Chris Foca (Cornell) fall Cael Valencia (Arizona State) 2:22 174 - Mekhi Lewis (Virginia Tech) dec Jackson Turley (Rutgers) 2-1 174 - Troy Fisher (Northwestern) dec Ben Pasiuk (Army West Point) 10-8SV 174 - Nelson Brands (Iowa) dec Alex Faison (NC State) 6-3 174 - Ethan Smith (Ohio State) dec Tyler Eischens (Stanford) 6-5 174 - Peyton Mocco (Missouri) dec Sal Perrine (Ohio) 3-1SV 174 - Mickey O'Malley (Drexel) dec Rocky Jordan (Chattanooga) 8-7 174 - Demetrius Romero (Utah Valley) Maj Tate Picklo (Oklahoma) 9-1 174 - Mikey Labriola (Nebraska) dec Tyler Stoltzfus (Lock Haven) 9-6 184 - Parker Keckeisen (Northern Iowa) maj Anthony Carman (West Virginia) 12-3 184 - Tate Samuelson (Lehigh) fall Reece Heller (Pittsburgh) 5:45 184 - Isaiah Salazar (Minnesota) dec Cade King (South Dakota State) 3-0 184 - Brian Bonino (Drexel) dec Matt Finesilver (Michigan) 3-2 184 - Marcus Coleman (Iowa State) maj Jacob Ferreira (Hofstra) 12-3 184 - Abe Assad (Iowa) dec Giuseppe Hoose (Buffalo) 6-2 184 - Neil Antrassian (Virginia) dec Lenny Pinto (Nebraska) 11-6 184 - Trey Munoz (Oregon State) dec DJ Parker (North Dakota State) 2-1 184 - Aaron Brooks (Penn State) maj Matthew Waddell (Chattanooga) 13-4 184 - Will Feldkamp (Clarion) dec Jacob Nolan (Binghamton) 4-3 184 - Colton Hawks (Missouri) dec Gavin Kane (North Carolina) 6-2 184 - Kaleb Romero (Ohio State) maj Caleb Hopkins (Campbell) 10-2 184 - Hunter Bolen (Virginia Tech) dec David Key (Navy) 3-2 184 - Travis Wittlake (Oklahoma State) dec Dylan Connell (Illinois) 4-0 184 - Brian Soldano (Rutgers) fall Layne Malczewski (Michigan State) 1:40 184 - Trent Hidlay (NC State) tech Zayne Lehman (Ohio) 24-9 197 - Nino Bonaccorsi (Pittsburgh) maj Max Shaw (North Carolina) 10-1 197 - Owen Pentz (North Dakota State) InjDef Braxton Amos (Wisconsin) 197 - Max Dean (Penn State) dec Levi Hopkins (Campbell) 6-1 197 - Silas Allred (Nebraska) dec Michael Battista (Virginia) 13-7 197 - Michael Beard (Lehigh) maj Jacob Koser (Navy) 11-1 197 - Zac Braunagel (Illinois) fall Andy Smith (Virginia Tech) 3:59 197 - Yonger Bastida (Iowa State) dec Evan Bockman (Utah Valley) 5-2 197 - Ethan Laird (Rider) dec Trey Rogers (Hofstra) 10-5 197 - Rocky Elam (Missouri) dec Andrew Davison (Northwestern) 4-1 197 - Jacob Warner (Iowa) dec Cam Caffey (Michigan State) 4-1 197 - Jaxon Smith (Maryland) dec Michial Foy (Minnesota) 6-3 197 - Isaac Trumble (NC State) dec Nick Stemmet (Stanford) 7-4 197 - Tanner Sloan (South Dakota State) dec Gavin Hoffman (Ohio State) 8-1 197 - Jacob Cardenas (Cornell) dec Luke Stout (Princeton) 3-1 197 - Luke Surber (Oklahoma State) dec Tanner Harvey (Oregon State) 8-1 197 - Bernie Truax (Cal Poly) maj Austin Cooley (West Virginia) 8-0 285 - Mason Parris (Michigan) maj Garrett Joles (Minnesota) 12-2 285 - Taye Ghadiali (Campbell) dec Tate Orndorff (Ohio State) 3-1SV 285 - Lucas Davison (Northwestern) dec Boone McDermott (Rutgers) 6-1 285 - Sam Schuyler (Iowa State) dec Michael Wolfgram (West Virginia) 4-2 285 - Cohlton Schultz (Arizona State) maj Dorian Crosby (Bucknell) 13-0 285 - Colton McKiernan (SIU Edwardsville) dec Nathan Taylor (Lehigh) 4-0 285 - Tyrell Gordon (Northern Iowa) dec Konner Doucet (Oklahoma State) 2-1 285 - Tony Cassioppi (Iowa) maj Jaron Smith (Maryland) 10-0 285 - Greg Kerkvliet (Penn State) fall Hayden Copass (Purdue) :34 285 - AJ Nevills (South Dakota State) dec Jonah Niesenbaum (Duke) 8-1 285 - Trent Hillger (Wisconsin) dec Hunter Catka (Virginia Tech) 2-0 285 - Yaraslau Slavikouski (Harvard) dec Ben Goldin (Penn) 4-2 285 - Owen Trephan (NC State) maj Cory Day (Binghamton) 9-0 285 - Zach Elam (Missouri) dec Jacob Bullock (Indiana) 4-1 285 - Grady Griess (Navy) dec Josh Heindselman (Oklahoma) 3-0 285 - Wyatt Hendrickson (Air Force) fall Trevor Tinker (Cal Poly) 1:54 Team Scores After Session One 1. Penn State 16 2. NC State 12.5 3. Iowa 12 4. Northern Iowa 10 4. Ohio State 10 6. Minnesota 9 6. Missouri 9 6. Wisconsin 9 9. Nebraska 8.5 10. Cornell 8

The 2022 NCAA Championships (photo courtesy of Sam Janicki; SJanickiPhoto.com) Earl Smith (Site Editor) 125 - Spencer Lee over Patrick Glory 133 - Roman Bravo-Young over Daton Fix 141 - Andrew Alirez over Real Woods 149 - Yianni Diakomihalis over Sammy Sasso 157 - Austin O'Connor over Peyton Robb 165 - David Carr over Keegan O'Toole 174 - Carter Starocci over Mekhi Lewis 184 - Aaron Brooks over Parker Keckeisen 197 - Rocky Elam over Max Dean 285 - Mason Parris over Greg Kerkvliet Top 5 Teams 1) Penn State 2) Iowa 3) Cornell 4) Nebraska 5) Missouri Lauren Muthler (Big Ten Correspondent) 125 - Spencer Lee 133 - Roman Bravo-Young 141 - Real Woods 149 - Yianni Diakomihalis 157 - Peyton Robb 165 - David Carr 174 - Carter Starocci 184 - Aaron Brooks 197 - Max Dean 285 - Mason Parris Championship Team: 1) Penn State Courtney Woods (MAC Correspondent) 125 - Spencer Lee 133 - Roman Bravo-Young 141 - Real Woods 149 - Yianni Diakomihalis 157 - Peyton Robb 165 - David Carr 174 - Carter Starocci 184 - Parker Keckeisen 197 - Nino Bonaccorsi 285 - Mason Parris Austin Sommer (EIWA Correspondent) 125 - Spencer Lee over Patrick Glory 133 - Roman Bravo-Young over Daton Fix 141 - Cole Matthews over Real Woods 149 - Yianni Diakomihalis over Sammy Sasso 157 - Josh Humphreys over Peyton Robb 165 - David Carr over Keegan O'Toole 174 - Carter Starocci over Mekhi Lewis 184 - Aaron Brooks over Parker Keckeisen 197 - Rocky Elam over Michael Beard 285 - Greg Kerkvliet over Mason Parris Top 4 Teams 1) Penn State 2) Iowa 3) Nebraska 4) Cornell Seth Duckworth (Big 12 Correspondent) 125 - Spencer Lee over Patrick Glory 133 - Roman Bravo-Young over Daton Fix 141 - Andrew Alirez over Real Woods 149 - Yianni Diakomihalis over Brock Mauller 157 - Levi Haines over Jared Franek 165 - David Carr over Keegan O'Toole 174 - Carter Starocci over Mekhi Lewis 184 - Aaron Brooks over Parker Keckeisen 197 - Rocky Elam over Nino Bonaccorsi 285 - Mason Parris over Greg Kerkvliet Top 3 Teams 1) Penn State 2) Iowa 3) Missouri Nick Zeller-Singh (Pac-12 Correspondent) 125 - Spencer Lee over Patrick Glory 133 - Roman Bravo-Young over Vito Arujau 141 - Real Woods over Beau Bartlett 149 - Yianni Diakomihalis over Sammy Sasso 157 - Peyton Robb over Austin O'Connor 165 - David Carr over Keegan O'Toole 174 - Mekhi Lewis over Carter Starocci 184 - Aaron Brooks over Parker Keckeisen 197 - Nino Bonaccorsi over Rocky Elam 285 - Greg Kerkvliet over Tony Cassioppi Top 3 Teams 1) Penn State 2) Iowa 3) Cornell Robbie Wendell (ACC Correspondent) 125 - Spencer Lee over Patrick Glory 133 - Roman Bravo-Young over Daton Fix 141 - Cole Matthews over Real Woods 149 - Yianni Diakomihalis over Sammy Sasso 157 - Austin O'Connor over Bryce Andonian 165 - David Carr over Keegan O'Toole 174 - Mekhi Lewis over Carter Starocci 184 - Trent Hidlay over Parker Keckeisen 197 - Nino Bonaccorsi over Bernie Truax 285 - Mason Parris over Greg Kerkvliet Top 3 Teams 1) Penn State 2) Virginia Tech 3) NC State 4) Iowa

NC State 133 lber Kai Orine (Photo courtesy of Sam Janicki; SJanickiPhoto.com) The ACC enters Tulsa looking for as many wrestlers as possible to stand on the podium Saturday night. I feel pretty good about the path for a lot of these guys to earn All-American honors, but as we all know, the NCAA is chaotic and unpredictable. Let's take a quick look at the first-round matchups and potential paths for the ACC reps. 125: This weight will be tough for the ACC. All three reps are seeded 20 or higher and will not be favorites to open the tournament. There is an outside chance for an All-American finish here, but it will take multiple upsets to make it happen. (20) Jarrett Trombley (NCST) vs (13) Dean Peterson (RUT). Peterson is one of the better redshirt freshmen in the country at this weight. He comes in at 22-9, and the majority of his losses are to top-15 opponents. Trombley will have a big task to open the tournament; he will likely face (4) Matt Ramos (PUR) if he is able to pull the upset. (26) Jack Wagner (UNC) vs (7) Brandon Kaylor (ORST). Kaylor was a surprise All-American last year and will be looking to replicate his run. Wagner has shown that he can hang with anyone, so I expect a low-scoring match; if Wagner can keep it close he can win matches late. If he gets the win he will likely face another All-American in (10) Brandon Courtney (ASU). (27) Eddie Ventresca (VT) vs (6) Stevo Poulin (UNCO). The biggest question is which Eddie will we see; Ventresca has the talent to beat almost anyone in the country but he has shown some mental lapses this year that have cost him matches he should have won. Ventresca can beat Poulin, but will have to be at his best to make that happen. If he wins he will face (11) Patrick McKee (MINN) in the second round. 133: I think this weight, along with 141 and 157 will shape up the best for the ACC on the podium. All three are top-10 seeds and have multiple top-10 ranked wins on the year. (5) Kai Orine (NCST) vs (28) Gable Strickland (LOCK). Orine will be favored here and will face two-time All-American Chris Cannon (NW) in the second round. If Orine wrestles the way he did in Raleigh, he could make a run. If it goes to seed, he would face (4) Michael McGee (ASU) in the quarterfinals. If he drops to McGee, his path in the bottom bracket is tough but manageable. (6) Sam Latona (VT) vs (27) Taylor Lamont (WIS). Latona opens with an All-American, though Lamont has not shown the same form since his transfer from UVU, he is still dangerous. He would likely face Cody Phippen (AF) in the second round and would have the rubber match with (3) Vito Arujau (COR) in the quarterfinals. Vito won at CKLV and Latona avenged the loss at home in their dual--I would love to see a round 3. (9) Micky Phillippi (Pitt) vs (24) Wyatt Henson (OU). I think Micky can break through this year to make the podium, and I like his path. He is favored over Henson and would likely face (8) Aaron Nagao (MINN) in the second round. Nagao had a great B1G tournament and is coming in hot, but I favor the tournament experience of Phillippi. His quarterfinal would likely be against reigning national champion Roman Bravo Young (PSU)--a big ask, for sure. If he wins there, he is a semi-finalist and an AA, if he loses, he drops to the blood round (again) and would be one win away from the elusive honors. 141: Another weight where I love the potential for the ACC. Matthews and Jack are seeded to AA with McNeil and Crook just on the outside. Matthews, McNeil and Crook are in the bottom half of the bracket and could potentially meet on the front side--but it would take some upsets. I like the path to the quarterfinals for Matthews and Jack and like both of them to make it to Friday night on the front side. I also think McNeil and Crook have a very real potential to get to the podium. All of these guys have shown they can win big matches, now they will have to string them together. (3) Cole Matthews (Pitt) vs (30) Seth Koleno (CLAR). Matthews is favored big to start and will likely face (14) Cael Happel (UNI) in round 2 and (6) Beau Bartlett (PSU) in the quarterfinals. If it goes to seed, he would face (2) Andrew Alirez (UNCO) in the semifinals. I like these matchups for Cole. Alirez has a win over Matthews at the All-Star Dual early in the year, but I think Matthews has looked significantly better than that performance the rest of the season. (5) Ryan Jack (NCST) vs (28) Saul Ervin (SIUE). Ryan is also heavily favored to open, and will likely face (12) Parker Filius (PUR) in the second round and (4) Brock Hardy (NEB) in the quarterfinals. Jack can win all of these matchups--he has split matches with Hardy on the year, beating him in a dual and losing at CKLV. (10) Lachlan McNeil (UNC) vs (23) Cole Mattin (UM). Mattin is sneaky good, but I favor Lachlan to get the opening win. He would likely face (7) Vince Cornella (COR) in the second round, and if he wins he would draw (2) Andrew Alirez (UNCO). Both of those will be difficult matches for Lachlan, but he could pull an upset. I think he has a good path on the backside if he drops in either of those matches. (15) Tom Crook (VT) vs (18) Frankie Tal Shahar (NW). Crook will be favored in his first match but will draw the undefeated Alirez in round 2. Crook has the talent to knock off someone of Alirez’s caliber, but it will be a big challenge. If he drops to Alirez, he will have a tough, but possible, path to the podium. 149: This is a tough weight for the ACC but at the 4 seed, Caleb Henson has a great draw to make it to the All-American round as a true freshman. Arrington and Verkleeren will both be looking to make the most of their first trip to the NCAA tournament and cause as much chaos as possible to make their way to Saturday. (4) Caleb Henson (VT) vs (29) Dylan Chappell (BUCK). For a true freshman, Henson is incredibly battle tested and has wrestled a very difficult schedule, including wins over four All-Americans. He will be heavily favored in the opening round and by seed, would face (13) Kellyn March (NDSU) in round two to earn his way to a face-off with fellow true freshman (5) Paniro Johnson (ISU). The winner of that match will draw (1) Yianni Diakomihalis (COR) as he goes for his fourth NCAA title. I think Henson is well-positioned to get on the podium as a true freshman. (16) Jackson Arrington (NCST) vs (17) Quinn Kinner (RID). Arrington will draw Quinn Kinner in the opening round in what should be a pretty solid match. I favor Arrington to get through to round two to face some kid from Ithaca named Yianni… a tough ask. Arrington will have a path to the podium that will be full of landmines in a very tough weight. (27) Jarod Verkleeren (UVA) vs (6) Brock Mauller (MIZ). Verk makes his NCAA tournament debut against a very good Brock Mauller. Mauller is 16-2 with losses to Johnson and All-American Kyle Parco and holds a 7-5 win over Henson. Verkleeren will face either (11) Doug Zapf (PENN) or (22) Chance Lamer (UM) in round two. Verk has looked great in the second half of the season and I would love to see him make a run in Tulsa. 157: My favorite weight for the ACC in Tulsa. All three are top-10 and have a fantastic path to the podium. O’Connor and Scott are in the same quarter so we could/should have an ACC rematch. I personally have an all-ACC final as well. I told you it was my favorite weight. All three of these guys are incredibly entertaining, high-point-scoring, aggressive wrestlers and will put on a show. (1) Austin O’Connor (UNC) vs (32) Vinny Zerban (UNCO) or (33) Nathan Lukez (ARMY) O’Connor earned the top seed and will be favored in round one, and will face the winner of (16) Anthony Artalona (PENN)/(17) Jarrett Jacques (MIZZ) in round two. I don’t think either will trip up AOC on his way to the quarters against familiar foe Ed Scott of NCST. If he can notch another win over Scott, he would likely face (4) Jared Franek (NDSU) or (5) Josh Humphries (LEH) in the semifinals. The way Austin has looked this year, I see him making another appearance in the NCAA finals. (7) Bryce Andonian (VT) vs (26) Peyton Keller (OHIO). Hollywood Andonian is primed for the big stage again. He is favored to beat Keller to face (10) Kaden Gfeller (OSU) or (23) Peter Pappas (GMU) in round two. His quarterfinal would likely pit him against (2) Levi Haines (PSU); I think the experience and constant calm of Andonian will serve him well in this match. If he pulls the upset to make the semifinals again, he could see (3) Peyton Robb (NEB) or (6) Daniel Cardenas (STAN). I know I hold an ACC bias, but I have an O’Connor/Andonian final in Tulsa. (8) Ed Scott (NCST) vs (25) Jason Kraisser (ISU). Ed Scott has a bad taste in his mouth from his blood round “loss” last year and will be on a mission to make the podium. If he takes care of business against Kraisser, he will face (9) Will Lewan (UM) in the second round. I love that matchup for Ed; his style and relentless attacks will be a lot for the, let's say, “methodical”, style of Lewan. He would face O’Connor in the quarterfinal, against whom he had a close match in the dual. A win puts him in the semis and earns AA status, a loss would put him in the blood round in a matchup that should favor him. 165: We go from my favorite weight to what I think is the toughest weight for the ACC to get an AA. I think McCoy has a path but he will have to battle through some very tough matchups to make it happen. Heller and Brady will be underdogs from the first match and will have an uphill climb to get on the podium, but there is a shot. (15) Justin McCoy (UVA) vs (18) Maxx Mayfield (NW) McCoy didn’t face Mayfield in their dual, but did win over their previous starter. McCoy has looked great since being fully healthy and he enters the tournament in a good spot. He will likely face reigning national champ (2) Keegan O’Toole (MIZZ) in round two in what will be a very challenging matchup. O’Toole is 16-2 on the year with his only losses to (1) David Carr (ISU). With 165 being as crazy of a bracket as it is, McCoy will likely have to knock off at least one former All-American on the backside to make the podium in Tulsa. (20) Holden Heller (Pitt) vs (13) Alex Facundo (PSU). I wouldn’t be shocked by an opening round upset for Heller, but it will be a challenge. He will face either (29) Caleb Fish (MSU) or (4) Julian Ramirez (CORN) in his second match. Just like McCoy, he will have a minefield to navigate on the backside. (23) Connor Brady (VT) vs (10) Carson Kharchla (OSU) Brady will face a familiar opponent in high school teammate Kharchla; Brady dropped a close match in the dual. Brady will face either (26) Brevin Cassella (BING) or (7) Michael Caliendo (NDSU) in his second match. Same story for Brady in the consi bracket. 165 is an insane weight this year and it will be a tough path for anyone that gets on the podium. 174: While this isn’t the deepest weight for the ACC, we have Mekhi Lewis looking to make his third finals appearance and add another NCAA title. Lewis has been working through a knee injury that he sustained in a December dual that was tweaked at the ACC tournament, but the staff said he is ready to roll in Tulsa. (3) Mekhi Lewis (VT) vs (30) Jackson Turley (RUT). All roads for Lewis lead to rematches with the last two opponents to beat him. He will likely face (14) Ben Pasiuk (ARMY) in round two before facing familiar foe (6) Ethan Smith in the quarterfinals. If all goes to seed, he will face (2) Mickey Labirola (NEB) in the quarterfinals--Labriola won over Lewis in the CKLV finals in rideouts. If he is able to avenge that loss--which I think he will--he will likely have a rematch of last year’s NCAA finals against (1) Carter Starocci (PSU). All of this lays out to be a pretty phenomenal storyline if Lewis is able to replicate his title run in 2019. (22) Alex Faison (NCST) vs (11) Nelson Brands (IOWA). I have been impressed with Faison all year, but his performance last weekend gives him some solid momentum going into Tulsa. He will have a tough, but winnable first-round match against Brands and will face either (6) Ethan Smith or (27) Tyler Eischens (STAN) in his second match. I think Faison has a good path to the blood round, but will need to pull multiple upsets to get on the podium. (28) Luca Augustine (Pitt) vs (5) Dustin Plott (OKST). Augustine gets a tough match to start the tournament and will face either (21) Lennox Wolak (COL) or (12) Aaron Olmos (ORST) in his second match. As with Faison, Luca will have to pull off multiple upsets to reach the final eight. 184: This has been the deepest weight in the ACC and there are several potential All-Americans at the weight. Trent Hidlay earned the 2-seed and is looking to avenge two losses on his way to an NCAA title. Bolen is looking to get back on the podium in his final NCAA appearance and Kane, Heller and Antrassian are looking to pull off some big wins to make it to Saturday. (2) Trent Hilday (NCST) vs (31) Zayne Lehman (OHIO). The path for Hidlay will go through a semifinal against reigning NCAA champ Aaron Brooks and a finals matchup with Parker Keckeisen. Hidlay will be heavily favored to open and will face (15) Layne Malczewski (MSU) in the second round to set up his 232nd match against Hunter Bolen in the quarterfinals. A win against Bolen squares him up with Brooks for a potential rubber match with Keckeisen. Hidlay has a tough path to get back to the big stage Saturday night, but with as good as he has looked this year, it's a very good possibility. (7) Hunter Bolen (VT) vs (26) David Key (NAVY) Bolen will be favored in round one and will face (10) Travis Wittlake (OKST). A win will put him in the quarterfinals for another round against Trent Hidlay. If he beats Hidlay, he is back on the podium and in the semis against Aaron Brooks. If he loses he will drop to the blood round for a match that he should be favored to win. I like the path for Bolen to finish his career on the podium. (11) Gavin Kane (UNC) vs (22) Colton Hawks (MIZ). Kane came into the tournament last year with high expectations but struggled and went 0-2; he is looking to reverse that fate and work his way to wrestling on Saturday. He will be favored over Hawks of Mizzou to open, but will face a tough test in (6) Kaleb Romero (OHST) in round 2. Kane holds a win over Bolen, who split with Romero this season, so he has shown it is a winnable match, but Romero is a tough out. If he wins, he will probably face reigning champ Brooks in the quarters; if he drops to the bottom bracket he will need to win one match to make the bloodround, where he will likely face a top 10 seed to make the All-American round. When Kane is on, he is really good--it will be critical for Coach Scott and crew to make sure Kane is ready mentally as well as physically. (16) Reece Heller (Pitt) vs (17) Tate Samuelson (LEH) Heller has shown throughout the year that he can beat anyone who steps on the mat--he is going to need to show that for three straight days to earn his way onto the podium. He will open with a tough match against another transfer in Tate Samuelson of Lehigh via Wyoming. This is a winnable match for him against another rather lanky 184. If he wins his opening bout he will draw the 1-seed Parker Keckeisen in a battle of very different styles. If he drops in that bout he will fall to the consi bracket and will have a very tough route to get through to Saturday--he will likely face multiple top-10 wrestlers to make the podium. (20) Neil Antrassian (UVA) vs (13) Lenny Pinto (NEB) Antrassian has a shot to make some noise in Tulsa as he did at the Midlands; I like Antrassian’s style for tournaments, I think it is beneficial for him when matches are close together. He draws a tough first-round match in Lenny Pinto from Nebraska. He will then face either (4) Trey Munoz (ORST) or (29) Will Feldkamp (CLAR). Antrassian will have to navigate a loaded field to make it through to the final day, but we have seen that he is capable of just that. 197: This bracket holds the other top seed for the ACC in Nino Bonaccorsi, along with Issac Trumble who are seeded to make the podium. Andy Smith has knocked off two top-10 wrestlers this year and will look to capture some more of that magic. Battista and Shaw will be looking to play spoiler to as many opponents as possible as they work toward Saturday. I like the path for both Nino and Isaac to get on the podium, but it won’t be an easy task. (1) Nino Bonaccorsi (Pitt) vs (32) Cole Urbas (PENN) or (33) Max Shaw (UNC) Nino earns the top seed and will be well positioned to make a run, but will have a very tough quarter bracket to get through along the way. He opens heavily favored in the first round and will likely face (16) Braxton Amos (WIS) in the second round. This is where it gets tricky for Nino. In the quarters he will face the winner of (8) Silas Allred (NEB) who won the B1G and (9) Max Dean (PSU) who is the reigning national champion. If he gets through that, he could face (4) Ethan Laird (RID) or one of two opponents he has wins over this year in (5) Michael Beard (LEH) and (13) Yonger Bastida--who is very dangerous from that seed. (6) Isaac Trumble (NCST) vs (27) Nick Stemmet (STAN) Trumble will also face a difficult quarter bracket to make it through to the AA round, but he certainly has the potential to navigate it. He will be favored to open against Stemmet and his likely second-round opponent (11) Jaxon Smith (MD)--that could be a very entertaining match. I like Trumble in both of these and expect to see him in the quarters against (3) Rocky Elam (MIZZ). I think Trumble’s style and his length will be difficult for Elam and I think he can get through to the semifinals for a rematch against Bernie Truax, who he pinned at Collegiate Duals. (21) Andy Smith (VT) vs (12) Zac Braunagel (ILL) Tough, but winnable match to open for Smith, if he can keep it close, he has a good chance at beating Braunagel. In his second match, he will face either Michael Beard or (28) Jacob Koser (NAVY). He will have a tough route to get through on the back side to get to Saturday, but I wouldn’t count him out. (25) Michael Battista (UVA) vs (8) Silas Allred (NEB) Battista will look to pull off as many upsets as possible, starting with B1G champ Silas Allred. He will pull either Max Dean or (24) Levi Hopkins (CAMP) in the second round. Battista will also have a tough route and will need multiple upsets to get through to Saturday. (33) Max Shaw (UNC) vs Cole Urbas (PENN) in the pigtail, will face (1) Nino if he wins. Shaw got in as an alternate and as such, will wrestle the pigtail match against Cole Urbas to open the tournament. If he wins he gets the privilege of wrestling Nino, if he loses he drops to the consi’s to likely face (30) Andrew Davison (NW). 285: This is another tough weight for the ACC but there is a good shot for multiple people to make the podium if they are locked in. Trephan has a good route from the 7 seed, and Niesenbaum and Catka will both have very tough early matches on Thursday with the potential to make a run through the backside of the tournament. (7) Owen Trephan (NCST) vs (26) Cory Day (BING) Trephan should handle his opening match easily and will probably face (10) Zach Elam (MIZZ) in the second round. If it stays to seed he would face a very dangerous (2) Wyatt Henderickson (AFA) in the quarters. I think this is a winnable match for Trephan, which would guarantee him AA status if he makes the semis, if he drops down he will need to win his blood round match to get on the podium. (19) Jonah Niesenbaum (Duke) vs (14) AJ Nevills (SDSU) He isn’t favored by seed, but I like this opening matchup for Jonah. If he wants to earn AA status, he’ll have to muster multiple upsets, so why not start in round one? He will face either reigning national champ (3) Greg Kerkvliet or (30) Hadyen Compas (PUR) in round 2. He will probably need to knock off at least one, if not two, top-10 seeds on the back side to make it through to AA. (22) Hunter Catka (VT) #22 vs (11) Trent Hilger (WIS) I have similar feelings with Catka--he’s not favored, but if he is locked in, Hilger is a winnable match for him. He will face either (6) Yaraslau Slavikouski (HARV) or (27) Ben Goldin (PENN) in his second match. If the Hokies want to make a run at a team trophy, they will need points from Catka on the back side. Duke: 1 qualifier 0 seeded to AA North Carolina: 5 qualifiers 1 seeded to AA North Carolina State: 9 qualifiers 6 seeded to AA Pittsburgh: 6 qualifiers 2 seeded to AA Virginia: 4 qualifiers 0 seeded to AA Virginia Tech: 10 qualifiers 5 seeded to AA

Princeton Associate Head Coach Joe Dubuque (Photo courtesy of Tony DiMarco) Peaking is a word used in every sport, typically to describe training leading up to the biggest event of the year and an athlete's ability to compete at their highest level during that time. For wrestling, it is seen during the national championships, which are happening this week. While many fans may have an idea of what peaking is, I asked two former college wrestlers, now high-level coaches, what their perspectives on peaking are. The first coach is Ben Askren, a four-time finalist, two-time national champ and Hodge trophy winner who now runs one of the most successful high school wrestling clubs in Askren Wrestling Academy. I also heard from Joe Dubuque, a two-time national champion who won both titles a week after not winning Big 10's and now coaches at the ascending Princeton program. How would you define athletic peaking, specifically in wrestling? Askren: Wrestling the best you possibly can to the utmost of your skill and ability level. Dubuque: I define athletic peaking as being as fresh physically and mentally, as you can be, for whatever event you are trying to peak for. You are someone who went from not winning their conference to winning a national title twice, what changed in the time between the two tournaments? Dubuque: My junior year not much changed from Big Tens to Nationals, but more so it was the round-by-round of NCAA's is where my mindset changed. I was very focused on becoming a 2x All-American as that was a big goal for me and once I achieved that goal making it to the semis, I told myself that I was winning this tournament. My senior year I really wanted to win Big Ten's since it was in Indiana, but it was almost like it was an obligation and not really a desire. Once that was taken from me and vowed to myself to enjoy the next two weeks I had with wrestling and If I could do that then winning my second national championship would be attainable. I never lacked self-confidence whether, I was actually better than everyone or I was delusional about it, either way, every time I stepped on the mat I felt I was going to win. How has your perspective/thought process on athletic peaking changed since you went from athlete to coach? Askren: Initially, I would have thought it was, and I think a lot of people think this, that there is a really specific, more sneakier way to get ready, you know, a really regimented thing. And now I think it really just factors down to two things. Number one, obviously you want to decrease the volume so that limits the injury factor and also keeps the kids feeling fresher, which is great. You don't want them feeling worn down heading into big tournaments. And then number two, refining of the skill set. So, you know, don't be introducing new moves. The longer the season goes on or the closer you get to big tournaments, the fewer new moves you want to be introducing. Probably until you're almost doing no new move introduction by the end. So I think those are the only two big factors. I think some people want to make it out to be way more unique or way more difficult to peak, but I don't really think it's all that hard. Just don't wear kids out and don't show them a bunch of new things right before important tournaments when they've not had enough practice to do those things. How do mindset and mentality factor into peaking? Askren: I think it's just mostly kids having recognition that they are prepared and they're ready and they aren't fearful of the tournament that is moving ahead. How much do you put emphasis on the mental aspect vs physical before a big competition? Dubuque: I would say there is probably more emphasis on the mental aspect as it is the physical. Being in the right state of mind, I feel will dictate your success at higher-level tournaments. Confidence is huge and depending on how you did prior to that big tournament it might have to be manufactured confidence or organic. Obviously being healthy physically is a big deal, but if you're healthy enough to wrestle in a big tournament then the mental side is what is going to get you the success you desire. How different can the plan for peaking be from wrestler to wrestler? What factors play into the differences? Askren: I don't think there should be a difference. Just like I said earlier, people think it's way more unique and way harder than it really is. I think people just want to make themselves sound smarter and act like they have a unique ability to get kids ready to wrestle, and it really just comes down to decreasing the volume and decreasing the amount of new things you're showing kids, to let them do the things they do well. Have a good strategy. That's it. At a tournament like NCAA's where you have the brackets so far in advance, how much time if any is spent game planning for opponents? Dubuque: I would say there is time spent making a specific game plan, but you can't map out too far in advance because crazy things happen at NCAA's. The athlete should be ready for round 1 and 2 opponents but the coach should have scouting notes on all possibilities throughout the tournament.

Iowa's two-time Hodge Trophy winner Spencer Lee (Photo courtesy of Sam Janicki; SJanickiPhoto.com) At the conclusion of every college wrestling season, the Hodge Trophy is awarded. The trophy, which is named in honor of Olympic silver medalist and three-time NCAA champion Dan Hodge, is wrestling’s equivalent of football’s Heisman Trophy. However, there are a few wrinkles. Unlike most major awards, there are listed criteria that voters are supposed to take into account. The currently listed criteria are as follows. 1. Record 2. Dominance/Bonus-Point Percentage 3. Quality of Competition 4. Sportsmanship Since record is the number-one listed criterion, a wrestler likely has to be undefeated in order to take home the award. To that end, the following is a look at all the wrestlers entering the NCAA tournament with an undefeated record and their path to the Hodge. 125: No. 1 Spencer Lee (Iowa) Lee is looking to become only the second three-time Hodge Trophy winner after the legendary Cael Sanderson. The Iowa wrestler won the award in 2020 and shared it the following season with Minnesota heavyweight Gable Steveson. After sitting out last season, he has returned looking for one final NCAA championship and another trophy. So far this season, Lee has won all 17 of his matches and picked up bonus points in 15. How it Happens If Lee does manage to win his fourth NCAA title, it is hard to imagine him not winning the Hodge. He is likely to rack up more bonus-point victories, and the voters will likely not shy away from the opportunity to highlight a historic career. 125: No. 2 Pat Glory (Princeton) For an undefeated season, this past year was certainly an adventure for Glory. He finished the regular season undefeated and then won four-straight matches at the EIWA tournament to claim the conference title. However, the returning NCAA runner-up missed a fair share of time during the year and wrestled up at 133 pounds for four of Princeton’s dual meets. Glory received a rather favorable draw considering he already holds wins this season over multiple potential opponents in his section of the bracket including No. 18 Ryan Miller (Penn), No. 15 Brett Ungar (Cornell), No. 10 Brandon Courtney (Arizona State) and No. 7 Brandon Kaylor (Oregon State). How it Happens If Glory does manage to return to the finals and somehow knocks off Lee, he would certainly be a very strong candidate for the “Outstanding Wrestler” award. However, for him to win the Hodge, a lot of things would have to break for him. At the moment, he has only a 40% bonus rate, so it would likely take more than a title for him to win a surprise Hodge. 133: No. 1 Roman Bravo-Young (Penn State) After winning his second NCAA title last season, there was some speculation that Bravo-Young was done with college wrestling. Instead, he returned and is the clear favorite heading into his fourth and final NCAA tournament. For the third-straight season, the Penn State wrestler has gone undefeated, and he appears to be headed toward a potential finals rematch against a familiar opponent. How it Happens A third NCAA title would give Bravo-Young a very strong Hodge resume. Going into the tournament, he has a 75% bonus rate, and he has the potential to pick up several more quality wins in the bracket. One of his teammates will also likely be a candidate, so that could split the Penn State supporting vote, but that has not hindered the Nittany Lions in the past as the school won three-straight trophies from 2017 to 2019. 133: No. 2 Daton Fix (Oklahoma State) It is wild to think that Fix has only four losses in his college wrestling career, and three of those losses have come in NCAA finals. He is a few breaks and calls away from being a multiple-time champion. For the past two seasons, his year has come to an end with a loss to Bravo-Young in the finals, and the two enter this bracket as the top two seeds. How it Happens The Oklahoma State wrestler finally breaking through in the finals and defeating a rival would be an incredible story. It is the type of victory that could sway voters despite his 62% bonus rate. On top of that, a return trip to the finals would mean that Fix picked up some quality wins on the way. Most notably, he could face off against No. 3 Vito Arujau (Cornell) who previously defeated Fix at the most recent Olympic Trials. 141: No. 1 Real Woods (Iowa) After transferring from Stanford, Woods stepped into the Hawkeye lineup and will now enter the NCAA tournament as the top seed. He went undefeated on the season including a pair of close victories over No. 4 Brock Hardy (Nebraska). Woods and No. 2 Andrew Alirez (Northern Colorado) appear to have separated themselves from the field, but this has been mostly a wild weight this year and everything is on the table. How it Happens Woods will likely need some help to pull off a Hodge. Since record is the top listed criterion, he would certainly have a shot if some of the other prospects suffered a loss along the way. The Hawkeye’s candidacy might also be weighed down by his 56% bonus rate and the overall competition at 141 pounds has been inconsistent. 141: No. 2 Andrew Alirez (Northern Colorado) Early in the season, Alriez picked up perhaps his best win of the year when he knocked off No 3 Cole Matthews (Pittsburgh). The match was technically unofficial since it was part of the NWCA All-Star Classic. Despite the unofficial nature of the match, Alirez carried that momentum into the season and finished undefeated. He has now qualified for the NCAA tournament for the third time and will likely become an All-American for the first time. How it Happens Alirez has a sneakily good Hodge candidacy. He is currently undefeated and will likely earn several quality wins if he finishes on top of the podium. His bonus rate is also rather high (74%). With all that he checks a lot of the boxes with an NCAA title. However, making it through the bracket will be a tough challenge, and he lacks the resume from previous years that many of his competitors have. While that is not listed as one of the criteria, it is clearly something that impacts voters. 157: No. 1 Austin O’Connor (North Carolina) After winning an NCAA title at 149 pounds in 2021, O’Connor moved up to 157 last season. He fought through injuries to finish eighth at the NCAA tournament for his third All-American finish. This season, O’Connor wrestled only two matches in the first semester, but he had a tough in-conference schedule and won the ACC championship with a 6-5 decision over No. 7 Bryce Andonian (Virginia Tech). How it Happens It would be an incredible comeback story for O’Connor if he was able to claim the title this season. It will certainly not be an easy task. At the very least the winner in the bottom half of the bracket will be a very tough opponent as it contains both No. 2 Levi Haines (Penn State) and No. 3 Peyton Robb (Nebraska). Even with a win, O’Connor will certainly need to help to win the Hodge, but stranger things have happened. 157: No. 5 Josh Humphreys (Lehigh) Humphreys is a three-time NCAA qualifier who has seen his season come to an end in the round of 12 twice. This year, he started his season with an undefeated 9-0 run. Humphreys then missed the entire month of January. He returned in early February and continued his winning ways all through the NCAA tournament where he knocked off Anthony Artalona (Penn) and claimed the title. He enters the NCAA tournament as an unlikely undefeated wrestler and the number-five seed. How it Happens It seems highly unlikely that Humphreys will win the Hodge. Despite that, he has had a very strong season. He will need to pull off several key victories and upsets, but a trip to the semifinals could match him against the only other undefeated wrestler at 157 pounds. 165: No. 1 David Carr (Iowa State) After going 66-2 over the past three seasons at 157 pounds, Carr moved up to 165 for this year. Any questions about how he would perform at the higher weight were answered with an undefeated season and a run to the Big 12 championship. Along the way, Carr defeated No. 4 Julian Ramirez (Cornell), No. 3 Dean Hamiti (Wisconsin) and No. 2 Keegan O’Toole (Missouri). How it Happens Despite having only a 50% bonus rate, Carr has put himself into the Hodge conversation by dominating some of the best wrestlers at this weight. He already holds victories over many of his top contemporaries. If he is able to pick up his second NCAA title, he would certainly cement his candidacy. 174: No. 1 Carter Starocci (Penn State) For the second-straight season, Starocci will enter the NCAA tournament with an undefeated record. Last year, he ran through the bracket and picked up his second title. This year, he is heavily favored to repeat that performance and bring his third title back to State College. On the season, Starocci has gone 19-0 and picked up a victory over the second-highest-seeded wrestler at the weight Michael Labriola (Nebraska). How it Happens If Lee stumbles at 125 pounds, Starocci is one of the prime candidates to benefit. He often plays it close in matches, but his ability to ride out a period when necessary really gives him an advantage that few wrestlers can match. If he is able to pick up yet another title, and he gets some help, he could be looking at a Hodge. 197: No. 1 Nino Bonaccorsi (Pittsburgh) The 197-pound division returned both finalists from the 2022 NCAA tournament. However, neither of those wrestlers was able to claim the top seed at the weight and neither was able to go undefeated on the year. Stepping into that spot with the unblemished record is Bonaccorsi who won the ACC championship. The sixth-year senior made the finals in 2021 but saw his season come to an end in the round of 12 last year. How it Happens Bonaccorsi will not only have to deal with serious competition for the Hodge, but he will also have to deal with a minefield of a bracket. His side of the bracket is entirely loaded with the likes of Junior world champion Braxton Amos (Wisconsin), returning champion Max Dean (Penn State), Big Ten champion Silas Allred (Nebraska), Michael Beard (Lehigh), Yonger Bastida (Iowa State) and Ethan Laird (Rider). Getting through that field will certainly earn respect, but it remains to be seen if it will be enough for the Hodge. 285: No. 1 Mason Parris (Michigan) Parris has stepped into the role of dominant heavyweight this season. He has won all 28 of his matches and already holds a pair of victories over No. 3 Greg Kerkvliet (Penn State). He also scored a commanding 12-5 decision over No. 2 Wyatt Hendrickson (Air Force) in early December. How it Happens At least a share of the last two Hodge trophies have gone to fellow heavyweight Gable Steveson (Minnesota). However, Steveson moved on from college wrestling and instead signed with the WWE. Outside of bonus points, one could make an argument that Parris has been as dominant as the former champion. However, his bonus rate currently stands at 64%, and that might negatively impact his Hodge chances.