InterMat Staff

Mitch Mesenbrink at the U20 Trials (photo courtesy of Sam Janicki; SJanickiPhoto.com) Monday morning marks the first day of the 2022 U20 (Junior) World Championships from Sofia, Bulgaria. Action will get underway with five weight classes worth of men's freestyle. Earlier today, draws were released. Below are the five American competitors who will compete on day one and information about their first round opponents. Most of these opponents have more credentials than listed below; however, we've just highlighted the most significant or relevant results. 57 kg Men's Freestyle Jore Volk vs. winner or Ahmad Mohammad Nezhad Javan (Iran)/Simone Piroddu (Italy) Mohammad Nezhad Javan: 2021 U23 World bronze medalist Piroddu: 2022 European Junior Champion, 2021 Junior/U23 World Team rep, 2018 Cadet World bronze medalist 65 kg Men's Freestyle Vince Cornella vs. Olzhas Olzhakanov (Kazakhstan) Olzhakanov: 2022 Asian Junior bronze medalist, 2019 Asian Cadet bronze medalist 70 kg Men's Freestyle Mitch Mesenbrink vs. Muhammad Abdurachmanov (Belguim) Abdurachmanov: 2022 European Junior silver medalist 79 kg Men's Freestyle Brayden Thompson vs. Sobhan Yari (Iran) Yari: 2022 Asian Junior Champion 97 kg Men's Freestyle Ben Kueter vs. Dmitrii Duscov (Moldova) Duscov: 2021 Junior World Team rep

Kayla Miracle at the 2021 World Championships (photo courtesy of Tony Rotundo; WrestlersAreWarriors.com) The final piece of the 2022 Senior World Team puzzle was put into place this afternoon as USA Wrestling determined its 62 kg representative in women's freestyle. This wrestle-off was pushed back to August because of a knee injury suffered by returning representative Kayla Miracle. She and Jennifer Rogers were entangled in a back-and-forth three-match series before a winner was decided. When it was all said and done, Miracle came out on top, but not after a scare in the opening bout and a deficit in the final contest. Match one started with a failed arm throw attempt from Miracle. Rogers was able to keep her weight back and ended up with the first takedown of the bout and a 2-0 lead. Miracle quickly rebounded with a takedown of her own with a sweep single and a takedown for two points. As the first period ensued, it became apparent that Miracle was laboring through the bout. Rogers regained the lead with a score off a single leg herself. She was close to another takedown in the waning second of the opening stanza, but was able to garner one from a push-out. Rogers' scrambling ability was the difference-maker in the second period. After a prolonged scramble, Rogers finally secured a takedown, followed immediately by a pair for exposure. The NLWC star put the finishing touches on a match-one win with a four-pointer, during another scramble. That put the margin at 11-points and resulted in a match termination. Rogers had a commanding 1-0 lead in the series after a 13-2 victory. The second bout was the opposite of the first. Miracle came out firing right away and almost ended the match with an early fall after a dump. Even so, the 2021 World silver medalist held a commanding 4-0 lead, which she added to with a gut wrench. Miracle looked to extend her advantage with another gut attempt, but Rogers stepped over for two points of her own. Miracle continued to pour it on with another leg attack, which resulted in two more points after getting exposure while attempting to finish. A leg lace made the score 10-2. Facing an eight-point deficit, Rogers tried an arm throw, but it was Miracle who scored a takedown with pushed the bout into tech range, 12-2. The Miracle win set up a third, winner-take-all contest from Lancaster's McCaskey high school. Miracle tried to get on the board quickly with a pair of arm throw attempts. One was ruled a slip, while the other resulted in a stalemate. Once Miracle was deemed passive and put on the shot clock, it was Rogers who broke the tie with a takedown followed by a point for the shot clock violation. Rogers looked to be coasting to a win and her spot on the world team, however, Miracle kept pushing and the two were engaged in a funky position near the edge. Miracle hipped over and forced Rogers' back to the mat for four points, at the edge. That proved to be the difference as Miracle prevailed 5-3 and earned her fourth Senior World/Olympic team berth.

From left: Kamal Bey, Keegan O'Toole, Amit Elor (Bey photo courtesy of Marion Stein/Others Kadir Caliskan) We are less than two days away from the 2022 U20 (Junior) World Championships, which are set to take place in Sofia, Bulgaria. The three American squads headed to Bulgaria are all very talented and capable of coming away with an impressive medal haul. Since the competitors are all 20 and under, they aren't too far off from making a strong impression on the Senior level, too. Below we have tables with U20 (Junior) world medalists across all three styles since 2010. There are plenty of familiar names that have gone on to have success at the collegiate and Senior level since. Hopefully, a week from now, we'll be in the process of adding more than a dozen names to these lists. Men's Freestyle 2016-21 Men's Freestyle 2010-15 Women's Freestyle Men's Greco-Roman

2015 NCAA champion Cody Brewer (photo courtesy of Tony Rotundo; WrestlersAreWarriors.com) Welcome to a new, regular feature for InterMat! Every day, for the next few months, we'll look into the recent history of a DI wrestling program with our "Ten Years of…" feature. Even if you're a die-hard supporter of a particular school, there will be good information you may have forgotten. For others, it's a quick way to learn about a program you may not be familiar with. We're going in alphabetical order for this one, so next up is...Oklahoma! NCAA Qualifiers (63) 2022 #19 Joey Prata (125 lbs), #23 Tony Madrigal (133 lbs), #25 Jacob Butler (141 lbs), #16 Willie McDougald (149 lbs), #13 Justin Thomas (157 lbs), #27 Anthony Mantanona (174 lbs), #27 Keegan Moore (184 lbs), #13 Jake Woodley (197 lbs), #30 Josh Heindselman (285 lbs) 2021 #11 Tony Madrigal (133 lbs), #5 Dom Demas (141 lbs), #13 Mitch Moore (149 lbs), #10 Justin Thomas (157 lbs), #23 Anthony Mantanona (174 lbs), #26 Jake Woodley (197 lbs), #19 Josh Heindselman (285 lbs) 2020 #31 Christian Moody (125 lbs), #16 Tony Madrigal (133 lbs), #5 Dom Demas (141 lbs), #17 Justin Thomas (157 lbs), #9 Anthony Mantanona (174 lbs), #18 Jake Woodley (197 lbs) 2019 #29 Christian Moody (125 lbs), #9 Dom Demas (141 lbs), #16 Davion Jeffries (149 lbs), #21 Justin Thomas (157 lbs), #18 Jake Woodley (197 lbs) 2018 Christian Moody (125 lbs), Davion Jeffries (149 lbs), DaWaylon Barnes (165 lbs), #14 Yoanse Mejias (174 lbs) 2017 Christian Moody (125 lbs), Mike Longo (141 lbs), #11 Davion Jeffries (149 lbs), #12 Clark Glass (157 lbs), Yoanse Mejias (165 lbs), Matt Reed (174 lbs), Brad Johnson (197 lbs), Ross Larson (285 lbs) 2016 #5 Ryan Millhof (125 lbs), #4 Cody Brewer (133 lbs), Davion Jeffries (149 lbs), #15 Clark Glass (165 lbs), Matt Reed (174 lbs), Ross Larson (285 lbs) 2015 #13 Cody Brewer (133 lbs), #10 Justin DeAngelis (157 lbs), Clark Glass (165 lbs), Matt Reed (174 lbs), #15 Ross Larson (285 lbs) 2014 #6 Jarrod Patterson (125 lbs), #13 Cody Brewer (133 lbs), Nick Lester (141 lbs), #4 Kendric Maple (149 lbs), Justin DeAngelis (157 lbs), #2 Andrew Howe (174 lbs), #7 Travis Rutt (197 lbs), Ross Larson (285 lbs) 2013 #8 Cody Brewer (133 lbs), #2 Kendric Maple (141 lbs), Nick Lester (149 lbs), Matt Lester (157 lbs), #6 Bubby Graham (165 lbs) NCAA Champions Cody Brewer (133 - 2015) Kendric Maple (141 - 2013) NCAA All-Americans 2021: Jake Woodley (197 - 6th) 2019: Dom Demas (141 - 4th) 2016: Ryan Millhof (125 - 7th), Cody Brewer (133 - 3rd) 2015: Cody Brewer (133 - 1st) 2014: Cody Brewer (133 - 8th), Kendric Maple (149 - 8th), Andrew Howe (174 - 2nd) 2013: Cody Brewer (133 - 7th), Kendric Maple (141 - 1st) NWCA All-Americans Tony Madrigal (133 - Honorable Mention Dom Demas (141 - First Team) Anthony Mantanona (174 - Second Team) NCAA Round of 12 Finishers Joey Prata (2022 - 125) Jake Woodley (2022 - 197) Dom Demas (2021 - 141) Mitch Moore (2021 - 149) Justin Thomas (2019 - 157) Matt Reed (2016 - 174) Jarrod Patterson (2014 - 125) Bubby Graham (2013 - 165) Big 12 Conference Champions 2021: Dom Demas (141) 2019: Dom Demas (141) 2016: Ryan Millhof (125), Cody Brewer (133) 2015: Cody Brewer (133) 2014: Jarrod Patterson (125), Kendric Maple (149) 2013: Kendric Maple (141) Dual Record: 2021-22: 8-6 2021: 5-5 2019-20: 5-7 2018-19: 10-6 2017-18: 8-11 2016-17: 11-6 2015-16: 10-5 2014-15: 3-10 2013-14: 9-3 2012-13: 4-6 Big 12 Tournament Placement 2021-22: 2nd 2021: 1st-tie 2019-20: 6th 2018-19: 4th 2017-18: 6th 2016-17: 2nd 2015-16: 2nd 2014-15: 3rd 2013-14: 2nd 2012-13: 3rd NCAA Tournament Team Placement 2021-22: 29th (11 points) 2021: 24th (17 points) 2019-20: No Tournament 2018-19: 25th (18.5 points) 2017-18: 56th-tie (1 point) 2016-17: 32nd (9.5 points) 2015-16: 13th (33.5 points) 2014-15: 18th (29.5 points) 2013-14: 10th (45 points) 2012-13: 12th (38.5 points) Head Coaching History Lou Rosselli (2016-Present) Mark Cody (2011-2016) Best Lineup (Comprised of wrestlers from 2013-22) 125 - Ryan Millhof: 2016 NCAA Qualifier (#5 seed), 2016 NCAA All-American (7th), 2016 Big 12 Champion, 2x NCAA Qualifier for Arizona State 133 - Cody Brewer: 4x NCAA All-American (3rd, 1st, 8th, 7th), 2015 NCAA Champion, 2x Big 12 Champion 141 - Dom Demas: 3x NCAA Qualifier, 2019 NCAA All-American (4th), 2020 NWCA First Team All-American, 2x Big 12 Champion 149 - Kendric Maple: 4x NCAA Qualifier, 3x NCAA All-American (8th, 1st, 4th), 2013 NCAA Champion, 3x Big 12 Champion 157 - Justin Thomas: 4x NCAA Qualifier, 2019 NCAA Round of 12 Finisher 165 - Bubby Graham: 2x NCAA Qualifier (#6 seed), 2013 NCAA Round of 12 Finisher 174 - Andrew Howe: 2014 NCAA Runner-Up, 3x NCAA All-American for Wisconsin (3rd, 1st, 2nd), 3x Big Ten Champion 184 - Keegan Moore: 2022 NCAA Qualifier 197 - Jake Woodley: 4x NCAA Qualifier, 2021 NCAA All-American (6th), 2022 NCAA Round of 12 Finisher 285 - Ross Larson: 4x NCAA Qualifier (#15 seed), 2015 Big 12 Runner-Up Recruiting Number of Big Boarders Per Year 2022: #36 John Wiley (OK), #51 Joey Cruz (CA); #227 Christian Forbes (OK) 2021: #9 Alejandro Herrera-Rondon (PA), #19 Tate Picklo (OK), #118 Jared Hill (OK), #219 Ryder Wiese (OK) 2020: #24 Greyden Penner (MO), #49 Caleb Tanner (OK), #172 Willie McDougald (NY), #193 Cabe Dickerson (OK) 2019: #46 Jake Stiles (IL), #55 Darrien Roberts (PA), #64 Sam Dover (OH) 2018: #75 Tony Madrigal (IL), #94 Tommy Hoskins (OH) 2017: #18 Jake Woodley (PA), #22 Tanner Litterell (OK), #31 Anthony Mantanona (CA), #43 Dom Demas (OH) 2016: #38 Jeremy Thomas (CA), #44 Justin Thomas (CA), #122 Dalton Duffield (OK) 2015: #38 Sean DeShazer (KS), #57 Davion Jeffries (OK), #63 Dylan Lucas (OK), #75 Christian Moody (OK) 2014: #25 Ryan Millhof (GA), #68 Lance Dixon (OK), #84 Lance Dixon (OK), #104 Andrew Dixon (OK), #137 Jacob Rubio (TX) 2013: #17 Oliver Pierce (TX), #112 Shayne Tucker (CA) For past teams: Air Force American Appalachian State Arizona State Army West Point Binghamton Bloomsburg Brown Bucknell Buffalo Cal Poly Campbell Central Michigan Chattanooga Clarion Cleveland State Columbia Cornell CSU Bakersfield Davidson Drexel Duke Edinboro Franklin & Marshall Gardner-Webb George Mason Harvard Hofstra Illinois Indiana Iowa Iowa State Kent State Lehigh Lock Haven Maryland Michigan Michigan State Minnesota Missouri Navy NC State Nebraska North Carolina North Dakota State Northern Colorado Northern Illinois Northern Iowa Northwestern Ohio Ohio State

2019 Senior World Team member Patrick Downey (photos courtesy of Tony Rotundo; WrestlersAreWarriors.com) Normally here at InterMat, we scour the globe for all the MMA fighters with a wrestling background. However, this week Bellator has made it quite easy. On Friday Bellator 284 goes down at the Sanford Pentagon in Sioux Falls, S.D., and the card is absolutely stacked with names that are likely familiar to the wrestling community. Veterans of several current and former collegiate programs will be represented including Iowa State, Southern Oregon, Minnesota, Fresno State, Arizona State, and South Dakota State. Austin Vanderford vs. Aaron Jeffery This will be Vanderford's first fight back since he unsuccessfully challenged former middleweight champion Gegard Mousasi for the title back in February. The loss was Vanderford's first professional defeat after beginning his MMA career with 11-straight victories. During his college days, Vanderford was a two-time NAIA All-American and won the NAIA title at 184 pounds in 2012 for Southern Oregon. Jeffery holds a 12-3 record as a professional. Last year, he fought against Caio Borralho on Dana White's Contenders Series but dropped a decision. Since that defeat, he has bounced back with a pair of wins including a victory over Fabio Aguiar in his Bellator debut. Michell McKee vs. Tony Ortega McKee was a four-time NCAA qualifier for Minnesota. As a junior in 2019, he finished sixth to become an All-American. Unfortunately for him, his final year coincided with the canceled NCAA tournament, and he never got the chance to make one final run at the title. McKee made his MMA in 2021 and currently holds a 2-0 record. This past April, he scored a first-round stoppage over Jalen Jackson. This will be his Bellator debut. While McKee's first two opponents came into the bout 0-1, this will be a big step up in competition. Ortega has a 5-4 record and has been fighting professionally since 2014. He comes into this fight after winning back-to-back fights over Nate Morrow and Ashton Caniglia. Patrick Downey vs. Keyes Nelson Downey has apparently recovered from his bout with red skin syndrome and is now ready to make his Bellator and professional MMA debut. While he has participated in several high-profile grappling contests this will be his first MMA fight. The well-traveled wrestler spent time at multiple colleges and finished fifth at Iowa State in 2016 to become an All-American. In 2019 he represented the U.S. at the World Championships and went 2-1 and finished ninth. His original opponent Jeff Souder reportedly pulled out of the contest at the last minute. Downey will now face off against Keyes Nelson, who at a glance appears to be a step down in competition. Nelson turned professional in 2018 and holds an 0-3 record. However, he did score a victory over Souder back in their amateur days. Isaiah Hokit vs. Nick Perez Hokit started his collegiate wrestling career at Drexel before transferring to Fresno State. In his final year in the lineup, he went 2-2 at the Big 12 tournament and finished short of qualifying for the NCAA tournament. Per WrestleStat, his final college record was 39-33. Hokit made his professional MMA debut last year under the Bellator banner, and he was knocked out in only 10 seconds. However, he bounced back earlier this year with a first-round submission over Theodore Macuka. Perez will be making his professional MMA debut. He went 4-4-1 as an amateur with his last fight coming in 2018. He has had two fights scheduled in the interim but both fell through. Sullivan Cauley vs. Tyson Jeffries Cauley was a three-time state placer in his native Nevada, and he continued his wrestling career at Arizona State. He bounced between heavyweight and 197 during his time in Tempe between 2014 and 2017. Cauley currently trains under Bellator heavyweight champion and fellow former Arizona State wrestler Ryan Bader. He made his professional MMA debut under the Bellator banner in 2020 and has all three of his fights by first-round stoppage. Jeffries will certainly have the experience edge in this contest as he holds a 14-10 professional record. However, he has not fought since 2018 and has not won since 2015. Brett Bye vs. M,A, Yah II Bye will continue his amateur MMA career on the Bellator undercard. He was a member of the South Dakota State wrestling team from 2015 to 2019 and is likely getting the shot since the event goes down in Sioux Falls. During his four seasons with the Jackrabbits, Bye went 43-33 and bounced around between 157 and 174 pounds. This past March, he made his amateur debut and scored a decision over Brady Steinhorst. Yah made his amateur debut in 2020 and has built a 4-0 record. He last fought this past March and scored a first-round stoppage over Ali Abouzalam. Vanderford's return fight will kick off the main card, which will air at 9:00pm ET on Showtime. The rest of the fighters will be part of the free YouTube preliminary card set to begin at 6:00pm ET.

2019 Hodge Trophy winner Bo Nickal (photos courtesy of Tony Rotundo; WrestlersAreWarriors.com) I told Lady Jagger that I was going into the other room to write the mailbag and instead I'm just sitting here listening to Guns and Roses. Dudes rock. But women rock, too. We in the mailroom (it's just me and Pepe Silvia) support all the women in wrestling from the athletes to the coaches, and the media to the moms. My mom was the sports dad in my family for us when we were growing up. I don't even think I ever agreed to wrestle when I was seven years old. I remember my brother being on the team and then some time seemed to pass and I was doing it, too. When we realized my younger brother had some real talent, she was the one who drove him all over the Eastern Seaboard for various tournaments and camps. Pushing him to cut from 58 to 56 pounds because, why not? You crazy, ma. Thanks for igniting my love for wrestling at a young age. Alright, enough about the old battle axe. Let's get to some questions, It's been too long. Should Bo Nickal have received a contract or did Dana White make the right choice? Billie Sims The wrestling world was all a buzz this past week with the sort of soft opening of a Bo Nickal UFC debut on Dana White's Contender Series. I bounced this question around my MMA friends as I'm no expert in the field. The consensus is that Bo is making a mistake by even being on the show at this point, at least from a monetary aspect. I'm told he has much more earning power at the moment going to other promotions and the chance to hone his skills against better competition. Now, the allure of going straight to the UFC and working his way to a title match instead of just trying to earn money might be more important to Bo at the moment. Quite frankly, I find that refreshing. Along with telling everyone else to grab whatever hundred grand they have laying around and bet on him, he's also betting on himself. Clearly, we're all familiar with his talent. I believe his talent transcends all styles and he'll find great success in the octagon. Did Dana make the right choice? Well, yeah. He's trying to build this contender series and now he has the hottest prospect in the game headlining his next one. Right now he's more valuable to the brand by bringing eyeballs to that show than he is being the second fight at UFC 1066 at whatever weird time Richard Mann watches these things. Do you approve of this bat flip? I'm thinking it's a little excessive but if a Met did it, would you be all in? Jkos22 For the record, this is about a clip from the Korean Baseball Organization where a guy flips the bat about as far as he hit the ball. I love bat flips! As long as it's meaningful in the game. Walk off? Flip it, baby! Revenge for getting buzzed? Flip it and glance while you walk to first base. Just don't go flipping bats on a solo shot down 7-2 in the eighth. With Top Gun smashing the box office this summer, is this the season of the mustache in college wrestling? Jersey Hokie I sure hope not. As a man who grew up in the non-ironic mustache era, I just don't get it. You poor guys beat your faces up enough over the season. Why would you make yourself look worse? If I had to pick one guy I want to see it on, It's Hoagie Hidlay. The big man is now in the second half of his college career. Time for a gimmick tweak. Who will be the next wrestler to come down with the dreaded red skin syndrome? Richard Mann Sir, this is a mailroom. Now onto a flurry of questions from the King of Italians and Twitter Spaces, Seth Petarra. Do you see Michael Beard making a deep run and placing high for Lehigh? I do. I think he's a potential finalist. What about Pitt's loaded full-blooded Italian team? Top ten potential at NCAAS? I need to see them in action first before I make that call. Don't get Ed Gallo's hopes up just yet. I did hear they're changing their name to the Petarra Panthers for a few duals this year to pay tribute. Do you have any plans for my birthday on Monday? At this point, I feel like I'm driving with Thurman Merman from Bad Santa with these questions. Rumor has it that a second run of Philly Wrestling shirts and a possible particular senior athlete is coming soon. Are you the same shirt size as last year or have you been hitting the gym? Kevin McGuigan I'm proud to announce that I have stepped up to a medium-size shirt. I'm a big boy now! I think a Tyler Berger shirt might look just fine on me. What a loaded collection of talent at the PRTC right now. I finally had to retire my favorite work pants but I made them into jorts. (much to my kids' horror) What is the proper length? Keep in mind this is the west coast and not Jersey. LMRMock Apparently, we've hit the fashion portion of the mailbag. First off, there's no wrong length for a pair of denim jean shorts. As we all know, I like ‘em high. But if they're for actual function then I recommend right above the knee. There's nothing worse than kneeling up and down while your knee gets chafed by some denim that's been around since the gold rush. Who are your favorite and least favorite burner accounts? Oldest & Greatest If I leave one legacy on Twitter when I'm gone, it's that I'm the undisputed king of being followed by all random burner/parody/accounts. Some are strictly to snoop around, some truly try to run with the gimmick, and some are there just to tell you to go have intercourse with yourself. Either way, they all seem to follow Jagger712. They hit all the recommended follows then they hit up me and Rhino. I don't really know why. We must be the Kings of Trash. Hey, it got me this far. I love all my burner friends except Criteria over OT. Have a good weekend, all! Let's go Mets!

Jennifer Rogers (left) and Kayla Miracle (photos courtesy of Sam Janicki; SJanickiPhoto.com) Saturday afternoon in Lancaster, Pennsylvania will be the site for the final piece of the Senior World Team puzzle as Kayla Miracle and Jennifer Rogers square off to determine the world team representative at 62 kg in women's freestyle. Both are veterans who are quite capable of coming home from Serbia with a medal; however, there can be only one! As is the case with all matches conducted at Final X, this will be handled in a best-of-three format. This series was originally slated to take place in New York, but Miracle and her team requested it be pushed back due to an injury. History: You don't have to look very far to find a recent meeting between these two women. Miracle and Rogers met in the finals of the 2022 US Open less than four months ago. Even though she didn't "have" to wrestle at the Open, Miracle entered for mat time and the feel of preparing for a major tournament. A silver medal at the 2021 World Championships locked up a spot in Final X for Miracle; however, she wrestled at the Open anyways. In the match itself, Miracle quickly fired off a sweep single and deliberately looked for a finish. Once Rogers hung her head, momentarily, Miracle locked up a cradle and got a fall. The entire match took only :18. The pair found themselves together in the same bracket at two major trials events in 2021, but never met head-to-head. Miracle set in the finals of the Olympic Team Trials, while Rogers fell in the semifinals of the challenge tournament to Maya Nelson. After the Olympics, both were in the 62 kg World Team Trials. Once again, Rogers advanced to the semifinals, but was knocked off by past world medalist Mallory Velte. Like at the Olympic Trials Challenge Tournament, Rogers wrestled back for third place. Miracle: Kayla came onto the scene as a child prodigy winning three medals at the age-group level, before wrestling for her father, Lee, at Campbellsville University. While at Campbellsville, Miracle rolled to four national titles and was a central figure in the Tigers WCWA National Championship. Along the way, Miracle made a pair of U23 World Teams, coming up a match shy of placing on two occasions. 2019 proved to be a breakthrough year for Miracle, as she made her first Senior World Team and captured a silver medal at U23 worlds. Since, Miracle has put some distance between herself and most of the competitors domestically in the 62 kg class. After missing out on an Olympic medal, Miracle got her first pierce of Senior level world hardware when she made the finals of the 2021 World Championships. Along the way, Miracle has been a key player in the development of RTC's at the women's Senior level. She left Campbellsville for the University of Iowa's Hawkeye Wrestling Club and competed under the watchful eye of Mark Perry. Both have since moved on to Arizona State, where Perry and the Sunkist Kids have assembled a deep arsenal of talented Senior level women. Rogers: Jennifer has been competing on the Senior level for more than a decade. While Junior eligible, Rogers earned medals at the Dave Schultz and NYAC and was a member of the World Cup team. Roger made a pair of Junior World teams (2011 and 2012) and came away with a bronze medal in her second trip. In 2015, Rogers captured her first title at an international event when she grabbed gold at the Pan-American Championships. Six years later, she'd do it again. In between Pan-Am titles, Rogers dealt with a variety of injuries and spent significant time on the shelf. Since she has moved on to the Nittany Lion Wrestling Club and has been rejuvenated as a key player domestically. In 2020 and 2021, Rogers won US Open/Senior National titles and was featured on NLWC cards. The finals appearance at the 2022 Open locked up a spot for Rogers in the World Team Trials a few weeks later in Coralville, Iowa. After a quarterfinal bye, Rogers needed just over two minutes to dispose of Emmily Patneaud (10-0), which locked up a spot in the best-of-three finals. Opposite Rogers was Macey Kilty, a 2020 Olympic Team Trials finalist, who took a match from Kayla Miracle. Unfortunately, like at the Olympic Trials, Kilty was injured early in the opening period of match one against Rogers and could not continue. That gave Rogers the victory and put her in Final X opposite Miracle. Summary: Miracle has to be considered a significant favorite here. I wouldn't necessarily expect an :18 second match like the Open finals, though. Rogers is seasoned and talented enough to push Miracle, especially if she's not 100%. If Rogers can keep it close in match one, we'll see if any time off the mat or any lingering injuries affect Miracle's conditioning.

Penn Head Coach Roger Reina (right) and assistant coach Mark Hall (photo courtesy of Tony Rotundo; WrestlersAreWarriors.com) Yesterday, a second Ivy League school released its 2022-23 schedule. Two weeks ago, it was Princeton; Wednesday it was Penn. The Quakers sport a preseason dual ranking of #16 and have ten returning national qualifiers on their roster. With continually improving results on the recruiting front, combined with an RTC that has exploded in growth, we can only guess that Penn will keep moving up the national rankings. The 2022-23 Quaker schedule features a great variety of competition, from teams inside and outside of the conference, in dual and tournament formats. Before we get to Penn's schedule breakout, associate head coach, Bryan Pearsall had this to say about the schedule itself: "Our goal with the competition schedule is always to best prepare our wrestlers for the EIWA and NCAA Championships. We focus on creating a schedule that will lead to as many as possible qualifying for the NCAA's and earning seeds, in the process, that will position them to earn All-American status. There is a lot to consider within the qualification process and strength of schedule is a main one. The year's schedule is definitely a step up in difficulty from previous years. With 10 NCAA qualifiers returning next year, who were all top-six in the conference, we feel the time is right to step it up as we continue to climb the mountain." Duals versus 8 teams in InterMat's summer dual rankings :(#2 Iowa, #5 Cornell, #10 Wisconsin, #19 North Carolina, #21 Lehigh, #24 Princeton, #26 Rutgers, #30 Stanford) One ACC Team: North Carolina Three Big Ten Teams: Iowa, Rutgers, Wisconsin One Pac-12 Team: Stanford Two other teams from Pennsylvania: Drexel and Lehigh Teams that finished in the top 30 at the 2022 NCAA Championships: (8) #3 Iowa, #7 Cornell, #14 Wisconsin, #15 Princeton, #18 North Carolina, #19 Stanford, #20 Rutgers, #25 Lehigh Home Slate: American, Army West Point, Brown, Harvard, Lehigh, North Carolina, Princeton Away: Columbia, Cornell, Drexel, Iowa, Stanford Neutral Site: Rutgers, Wisconsin November 13th - Journeymen Collegiate Classic @ Bethlehem, Pennsylvania This should be a good season-opening event for the Quakers. They will be involved in the first day of action, which consists of individual pool action. Wrestlers will only have a couple of bouts on the day; however, they will find strong competition. November 20th - Keystone Classic A staple of Penn wrestling is the Keystone Classic in mid-to-late November. There are some mainstays that traditionally visit the Palestra for this event and will return. Some include Appalachian State, Duke, F&M, George Mason, Harvard, Rider, and Sacred Heart. A new face is the #15 ranked tournament team, Virginia Tech. Additionally, Appalachian State and Harvard have some big guns that put them in the top 30 in a tournament format, too. November 26th - #2 Iowa @ Iowa City, Iowa Here's the big one! Penn won't sit around and fatten up on turkey this Thanksgiving, they'll be traveling to meet national contender Iowa, two days after the holiday. A battle between two squads with the majority of their lineups ranked could yield great matches at many weights, but we'll single out 133 and 141 as two to watch. We've never seen #14 Cullan Schriever as the full-time starter for the Hawkeyes, but suspect he'll be an All-American threat. It'll be a good barometer as Schriever faces the returning EIWA champion, Michael Colaiocco. A match later, two returning All-Americans could clash as Penn's #4 CJ Composto is slated to meet #2 Real Woods. The two met in the 2022 NCAA consolations and Woods dominated with a 16-0 tech fall. Aside from the 133/141 lbers, Iowa also features two-time Hodge Trophy winner Spencer Lee (125), NCAA finalist Jacob Warner (197), and multiple-time AA Tony Cassioppi (285). December 4th - Garden State Grapple (Rutgers, Wisconsin) @ Newark, New Jersey Just about a week after taking on Iowa, Penn has another pair of Big Ten opponents on the ledger. Rutgers has ranked wrestlers at seven of the ten weight classes and should present a challenge for Penn, those the Quakers outrank Rutgers by ten spots. At 125 lbs, Ryan Miller and Rutgers' Dylan Shawver should be a close contest. The two met at the MatMen Open and Miller prevailed in sudden victory. At the event, the two likely starters at 149 lbs, Anthony Artalona and Rutgers' Anthony White, did battle. Again, it was a close one, won by the Penn wrestler. The Badger lineup featured past All-Americans at half of the ten weight classes. Some of the top matchups include 133 lbs with Colaiocco and Greco-Roman star Taylor LaMont. A 2021 All-American, LaMont has made seven age-group world teams. At 149, two-time NCAA Round of 12 finisher, Artalona, takes on Big Ten champion Austin Gomez, in what is sure to be a fireworks-filled match. December 9th - Army West Point The first EIWA contest of the season comes as Army West Point travels south for a dual. One of the headlining bouts of this dual takes place at 157 lbs between #10 Doug Zapf and #28 Nathan Lukez of Army. Last season, Zapf fell to Lukez's teammate Markus Hartman at the EIWA Championships, despite a disparity in their ranking. Another EIWA rematch takes place at 174 lbs, with #18 Nick Incontrera of Penn and #20 Ben Pasiuk. This time it was the Quaker who got his hand raised after a fall. While Army is unranked, they've recruited extremely well, compete hard, and should make for a tight dual. December 29/30th - Midlands Championships @ Evanston, Illinois This Midlands is always one of the best regular season bracketed tournaments in the country and this year should be no exception. There will be plenty of Big Ten and midwestern teams in attendance to challenge the Quakers. January 6th - Franklin & Marshall Open @ Lancaster, Pennsylvania With a dual against #19 North Carolina looming a day later, we may not see the entire starting lineup for the Quakers in Lancaster. While it's difficult to forecast entries at open tournaments, looking at last year's tournament, we could see wrestlers from Army, Virginia, Navy Prep, Lock Haven, Columbia, Brown, and North Carolina. January 7th - #19 North Carolina Speaking of the Tar Heels, UNC will visit Philly for a top-20 dual with Penn. 141 lbs should be an excellent matchup between the All-American Composto and freshman Lachlan McNeil. McNeil is a member of the Canadian Senior team and should improve upon his #21 ranking by the time of this match. Two prominent Florida natives are set to square off at 149 with Artalona and 2021 All-American Zach Sherman. 157 also has an intriguing match with Zapf and #7 Austin O'Connor. January 15th - #30 Stanford @ Palo Alto, California This could be the beginning of a fun rivalry as Stanford will be led by second-year head coach, Rob Koll, formerly an Ivy League rival at Cornell. At 125 lbs, Miller could face Nico Provo, who has been extremely impressive competing unattached and in freestyle. Once again, Artalona has another high-profile opponent. He'll have 2021 All-American #10 Jaden Abas. Stanford also features 2021 NCAA champion and two-time finalist #2 Shane Griffith at 165 lbs. That should make for a difficult day for #21 Lucas Revano. January 20th - #21 Lehigh Traditional EIWA opponents rekindle their rivalry in Philly as Lehigh comes in. We could see a preview of the conference final at 157 lbs between Zapf and #9 Josh Humphreys. The two met twice in the regular season and split matches. Humphreys ended up third in the league and Zapf was fifth. Lehigh was the recipient of a pair of high-profile transfers in the upperweights. One of which, 2021 All-American #8 Michael Beard, matches up with #23 Cole Urbas. 125 could be intriguing as well, with whoever Lehigh sends out. #23 Jaret Lane had his moments last year, but ended up injured down the stretch. January 22nd - Columbia @ New York, New York Penn's first Ivy League dual comes against an up-and-coming Columbia squad. The best match comes at 141 lbs as Composto takes on #11 Matt Kazimir. This was an EIWA finals matchup from 2022, a match won by Kazimir, though he did not place at nationals. The Lions also have former EIWA runner-up, Joe Manchio, at 125. A two-time national qualifier, Manchio met Miller twice last year, but fell on both occasions. The other veteran star for Columbia, #11 Josh Ogunsanya, is at 165 lbs. In his only 2021-22 meeting with Revano, Ogunsanya snuck by with a 3-2 decision. January 27th - Brown We'll have to wait and see to figure out what the 2022-23 Brown team looks like under first-year head coach Jordan Leen. January 28th - Harvard While Harvard still needs some building to compete in a dual with Penn, they do have some outstanding individuals. 2022 EIWA champion (at 165 lbs) #9 Phil Conigliaro could be challenged by #18 Incontrera. At heavyweight, Harvard is expected to have #5 Yaraslau Slavikouski back in the fold. Last year, he defeated two past/future AA's to make the Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational finals. Slavikouski should clash with #19 Ben Goldin. February 5th - #5 Cornell @ Ithaca, New York Could this be the year that Penn surpasses traditional Ivy power, Cornell? The Big Red is expected to send out three returning All-Americans, one at 125/133 (Vito Arujau), another at 149 (Yianni Diakomihalis), and 184 lbs (Jonathan Loew). They should be significant favorites against Penn at each weight. The most evenly contested match could be at 174 lbs with Incontrera and #11 Chris Foca. Foca won 4-2 in dual competition, but had to default due to injury at the EIWA Championships. February 10th - #24 Princeton If Penn could get by Cornell, they'd still have to contend with Princeton, a team that boasts a pair of returning NCAA finalists. Pat Glory at 125 and Quincy Monday, likely at 165. If Monday moves up, as expected, he'll have a new Quaker opponent in Revano. The final two bouts could be some of the best of this dual with Urbas and #15. At heavyweight, Goldin has #24 Matthew Cover. Stout took both of their 2021-22 matches, while Goldin owns a pair of wins over Cover. February 12th - Drexel @ Philadelphia, Pennsylvania One of the most prestigious trophies in college wrestling will be on the line as neighbors Penn and Drexel do battle, hoping for possession of the Cheesesteak Trophy. Drexel has a returning EIWA champion at 174 win Mickey O'Malley. During the regular season, Incontrera was pinned twice by O'Malley. The familiarity between the two must have caught up at the EIWA meet as, O'Malley needed tiebreakers to prevail. Drexel's other 2022 qualifier, #25 Evan Barczak, had three close matches with Revano, so another is probably in the works here. February 19th - American Penn's Senior Day opponent is American. The Eagles did not have any national qualifiers in 2022, but should be much improved this year. Their best grappler was Jack Maida, who finished fourth in the EIWA at 133 lbs. He and Colaiocco did not meet in 2021-22; however, Maida did defeat his backup, Blair Orr, 5-2. March 4/5th - EIWA Championships @ Home The Quakers will get the opportunity to host the 2023 EIWA Championships. Getting sleep in their own beds and warm-up in familiar surroundings, should only benefit Penn as they look to capture a conference title, in what will likely be a tight team race between Cornell, Princeton, and Lehigh.

4x NCAA and Big Ten champion Logan Stieber (photo courtesy of Sam Janicki; SJanickiPhoto.com) NCAA Qualifiers (87) 2022 #12 Malik Heinselman (125 lbs), #17 Dylan D'Emilio (141 lbs), #4 Sammy Sasso (149 lbs), #7 Carson Kharchla (165 lbs), #7 Ethan Smith (174 lbs), #7 Kaleb Romero (184 lbs), #21 Gavin Hoffman (197 lbs), #13 Tate Orndorff (285 lbs) 2021 #10 Malik Heinselman (125 lbs), #30 Dylan D'Emilio (141 lbs), #1 Sammy Sasso (149 lbs), #7 Ethan Smith (165 lbs), #7 Kaleb Romero (174 lbs), #24 Rocky Jordan (184 lbs), #21 Tate Orndorff (285 lbs) 2020 #27 Malik Heinselman (125 lbs), #1 Luke Pletcher (141 lbs), #3 Sammy Sasso (149 lbs), #12 Ethan Smith (165 lbs), #6 Kaleb Romero (174 lbs), #14 Rocky Jordan (184 lbs), #1 Kollin Moore (197 lbs), #19 Gary Traub (285 lbs) 2019 #25 Malik Heinselman (125 lbs), #5 Luke Pletcher (133 lbs), #2 Joey McKenna (141 lbs), #2 Micah Jordan (149 lbs), #11 Ke-Shawn Hayes (157 lbs), #21 TeShan Campbell (165 lbs), #19 Ethan Smith (174 lbs), #1 Myles Martin (184 lbs), #2 Kollin Moore (197 lbs), #16 Chase Singletary (285 lbs) 2018 #2 Nathan Tomasello (125 lbs), #3 Luke Pletcher (133 lbs), #4 Joey McKenna (141 lbs), #5 Ke-Shawn Hayes (149 lbs), #7 Micah Jordan (157 lbs), #13 TeShan Campbell (165 lbs), #6 Bo Jordan (174 lbs), #2 Myles Martin (184 lbs), #1 Kollin Moore (197 lbs), #1 Kyle Snyder (285 lbs) 2017 Jose Rodriguez (125 lbs), #1 Nathan Tomasello (133 lbs), #12 Luke Pletcher (141 lbs), #4 Micah Jordan (149 lbs), Cody Burcher (165 lbs), #3 Bo Jordan (174 lbs), #6 Myles Martin (184 lbs), #3 Kollin Moore (197 lbs), #1 Kyle Snyder (285 lbs) 2016 #1 Nathan Tomasello (125 lbs), #10 Johnni DiJulius (133 lbs), #6 Micah Jordan (141 lbs), Jake Ryan (157 lbs), #3 Bo Jordan (165 lbs), #11 Myles Martin (174 lbs), Kenny Courts (184 lbs), #2 Kyle Snyder (285 lbs) 2015 #4 Nathan Tomasello (125 lbs), #4 Johnni DiJulius (133 lbs), #1 Logan Stieber (141 lbs), Hunter Stieber (149 lbs), #6 Josh Demas (157 lbs), #5 Bo Jordan (165 lbs), #10 Mark Martin (174 lbs), Kenny Courts (184 lbs), #4 Kyle Snyder (197 lbs), Nick Tavanello (285 lbs) 2014 Nick Roberts (125 lbs), #9 Johnni DiJulius (133 lbs), #2 Logan Stieber (141 lbs), Ian Paddock (149 lbs), #14 Mark Martin (174 lbs), #10 Kenny Courts (184 lbs), #1 Nick Heflin (197 lbs), Nick Tavanello (285 lbs) 2013 #11 Nikko Triggas (125 lbs), #1 Logan Stieber (133 lbs), #1 Hunter Stieber (141 lbs), Ian Paddock (149 lbs), Josh Demas (157 lbs), Mark Martin (165 lbs), #8 Nick Heflin (174 lbs), Cody Magrum (184 lbs), Andrew Campolattano (197 lbs) NCAA Champions Kyle Snyder (285 - 2016, 2017, 2018) Myles Martin (174 - 2016) Nathan Tomasello (125 - 2015) Logan Stieber (133/141 - 2013, 2014, 2015) NCAA All-Americans 2022: Sammy Sasso (149 - 5th), Carson Kharchla (165 - 7th), Kaleb Romero (184 - 6th), Gavin Hoffman (197 - 6th) 2021: Sammy Sasso (149 - 2nd), Ethan Smith (165 - 5th), Tate Orndorff (285 - 8th) 2019: Luke Pletcher (133 - 4th), Joey McKenna (141 - 2nd), Micah Jordan (149 - 2nd), Myles Martin (184 - 3rd), Kollin Moore (197 - 2nd) 2018: Nathan Tomasello (125 - 3rd), Luke Pletcher (133 - 4th), Joey McKenna (141 - 3rd), Micah Jordan (157 - 6th), Bo Jordan (174 - 5th), Myles Martin (184 - 2nd), Kollin Moore (197 - 4th), Kyle Snyder (285 - 1st) 2017: Nathan Tomasello (133 - 3rd), Micah Jordan (149 - 4th), Bo Jordan (174 - 2nd), Myles Martin (184 - 5th), Kollin Moore (197 - 3rd), Kyle Snyder (285 - 1st) 2016: Nathan Tomasello (125 - 3rd), Bo Jordan (165 - 3rd), Myles Martin (174 - 1st), Kyle Snyder (285 - 1st) 2015: Nathan Tomasello (125 - 1st), Logan Stieber (141 - 1st), Bo Jordan (165 - 3rd), Kenny Courts (184 - 5th), Kyle Snyder (197 - 2nd) 2014: Logan Stieber (141 - 1st), Nick Heflin (197 - 2nd) 2013: Logan Stieber (133 - 1st), Hunter Stieber (141 - 3rd), Nick Heflin (174 - 5th) NWCA All-Americans Luke Pletcher (141 - First Team) Sammy Sasso (149 - First Team) Ethan Smith (165 - Second Team) Kaleb Romero (174 - First Team) Kollin Moore (197 - First Team) Round of 12 Finishers Ethan Smith (2022 - 174) Tate Orndorff (2022 - 285) Kaleb Romero (2021 - 174) Rocky Jordan (2021 - 184) TeShan Campbell (2019 - 165) Ke-Shawn Hayes (2018 - 149) Micah Jordan (2016 - 141) Kenny Courts (2014 - 184) Nick Tavanello (2014 - 285) Josh Demas (2013 - 157) Big Ten Conference Champions 2021: Sammy Sasso (149) 2020: Luke Pletcher (141), Kollin Moore (197) 2019: Joey McKenna (141), Myles Martin (184) 2018: Nathan Tomasello (125), Joey McKenna (141), Kollin Moore (197), Kyle Snyder (285) 2017: Nathan Tomasello (125), Bo Jordan (174), Kollin Moore (197), Kyle Snyder (285) 2016: Nathan Tomasello (125), Kyle Snyder (285) 2015: Nathan Tomasello (125), Logan Stieber (141) 2014: Logan Stieber (141), Nick Heflin (197) 2013: Logan Stieber (133), Hunter Stieber (141) Big Ten Runner's-Up 2021: Ethan Smith (165) 2020: Sammy Sasso (149) 2019: Luke Pletcher (133), Micah Jordan (149), Kollin Moore (197) 2018: Luke Pletcher (133), Micah Jordan (157), Myles Martin (184) 2017: Micah Jordan (149), Myles Martin (184) 2016: Bo Jordan (165) 2015: Bo Jordan (165), Kyle Snyder (197) Dual Record 2021-22: 9-3 2021: 5-4 2019-20: 10-4 2018-19: 12-2 2017-18: 14-1 2016-17: 11-3 2015-16: 11-3 2014-15: 13-4 2013-14: 13-5 2012-13: 11-4 Big Ten Tournament Placement 2021-22: 4th 2021: 9th 2019-20: 3rd 2018-19: 2nd 2017-18: 1st 2016-17: 1st 2015-16: 3rd 2014-15: 1st 2013-14: 4th 2012-13: 4th NCAA Tournament Team Placement 2021-22: 13th 2021: 9th 2019-20: No Tournament 2018-19: 2nd 2017-18: 2nd 2016-17: 2nd 2015-16: 3rd 2014-15: 1st 2013-14: 6th 2012-13: 6th Head Coaching History Tom Ryan (2006 - Present) Best Lineup (Comprised of wrestlers from 2013-22) 125 - Nathan Tomasello: 4x All-American (3rd, 3rd, 3rd, 1st), 2015 NCAA Champion, 4x Big Ten Champion 133 - Logan Stieber: 4x NCAA Champion, 4x Big Ten Champion, 2015 Hodge Trophy Winner 141 - Joey McKenna: 2x All-American (2nd, 3rd), 2x Big Ten Champion, 2016 All-American for Stanford (3rd) 149 - Sammy Sasso: 2x All-American (2nd, 5th), 2020 NWCA 1st Team All-American, 2021 Big Ten Champion, 3x Big Ten finalist 157 - Micah Jordan: 3x All-American (2nd, 6th, 4th), 3x Big Ten Runner-Up 165 - Bo Jordan: 4x All-American (5th, 2nd, 3rd, 3rd), 2017 Big Ten Champion, 3x Big Ten finalist 174 - Nick Heflin: 3x All-American (2nd, 5th, 5th), 2014 Big Ten Champion, 2x Big Ten finalist 184 - Myles Martin: 4x All-American (3rd, 2nd, 5th, 1st), 2016 NCAA Champion, 2019 Big Ten Champion, 3x Big Ten finalist 197 - Kollin Moore: 3x All-American (2nd, 4th, 3rd), 2020 NWCA 1st Team All-American, 3x Big Ten Champion, 4x Big Ten finalist 285 - Kyle Snyder: 4x All-American (1st, 1st, 1st, 2nd), 3x Big Ten Champion, 4x Big Ten finalist Recruiting Number of Big Boarder's Per Year 2022: #1 Nick Feldman (PA), #4 Jesse Mendez (IN), #5 Nic Bouzakis (FL), #22 Luke Geog (OH), #50 Seth Shumate (OH), #131 Gavin Brown (OH) 2021: #1 Paddy Gallagher (OH), #40 Andre Gonzales (CA), #218 Bryer Hall (IN), #247 Chase Liardi (NY) 2020: #106 Bryce Hepner (OH) 2019: #1 Greg Kerkvliet (MN), #4 Carson Kharchla (OH), #5 Jordan Decatur (OH), #32 Dylan D'Emilio (OH), #50 Isaac Wilcox (UT) 2018: #6 Gavin Hoffman (PA), #10 Sammy Sasso (PA), #26 Malik Heinselman (CO), #33 Jadon Mattox (OH), #45 Quinn Kinner (NJ), #48 Rocky Jordan (OH), #65 JD Stickley (OH), #88 Alex Felix (CA) 2017: #10 Chase Singletary (FL), #16 Kaleb Romero (OH), #33 Ethan Smith (MD) 2016: #8 Luke Pletcher (PA), #69 Elijah Cleary (FL) 2015: #4 Myles Martin (NJ), #11 Ke-Shawn Hayes (MO), #47 Jose Rodriguez (OH), #81 Kollin Moore (OH) 2014: #1 Kyle Snyder (MD), #6 Micah Jordan (OH), #9 Thomas Haines (PA), #144 Ryan Harris (OH) 2013: #1 Bo Jordan (OH), #10 Nathan Tomasello (OH) For past teams: Air Force American Appalachian State Arizona State Army West Point Binghamton Bloomsburg Brown Bucknell Buffalo Cal Poly Campbell Central Michigan Chattanooga Clarion Cleveland State Columbia Cornell CSU Bakersfield Davidson Drexel Duke Edinboro Franklin & Marshall Gardner-Webb George Mason Harvard Hofstra Illinois Indiana Iowa Iowa State Kent State Lehigh Lock Haven Maryland Michigan Michigan State Minnesota Missouri Navy NC State Nebraska North Carolina North Dakota State Northern Colorado Northern Illinois Northern Iowa Northwestern Ohio

New Pennsylvania RTC member Tyler Berger (photo courtesy of Tony Rotundo; WrestlersAreWarriors.com) Philadelphia, Pa. - Pennsylvania Regional Training Center Executive Director and Head Coach Brandon Slay has announced the addition of Senior Athlete Tyler Berger as a full time resident athlete. Berger will compete at 70kg while representing the PRTC at domestic and international competitions. "We are extremely thankful to be adding Tyler Berger to our PRTC family," said Slay. "He really fits our team culture because he believes and lives out our core values. At 70kg, he is an ideal addition for Joey, Jordan, Dave, and Mark. We look forward to helping Tyler reach his full potential on and off the mat." Berger was a NCAA Finalist and 3-time All-American at the University of Nebraska. He placed 5th, 3rd, and 2nd while compiling a career record of 138-39 for the Cornhuskers. Upon graduation in 2019, Berger stayed in Lincoln as a Volunteer Assistant for the team. He is one of the most decorated wrestlers in Nebraska history. With his commitment to the PRTC he will be re-connecting with his mentor and former training partner, Jordan Burroughs. "I got to watch Tyler grow from a young Husker recruit to one of the best wrestlers in the country," says Burroughs, a 2011 Nebraska grad who joined the PRTC in 2021. "He lives with an uncompromising standard of excellence and he's also committed to being not only a great wrestler but a great man. He's going to undoubtedly help expand upon our strong culture here, and I'm glad to be teammates with him once again!" Berger is a current member of the USA National Freestyle team. He recently placed third at the World Team Trials Challenge Tournament in Coralville, Iowa this past May. On his way to taking the bronze medal match, he defeated a pair of NCAA National Champions in Anthony Ashnault and Ryan Deakin. The PRTC's representative at 65kg, Joey McKenna is certainly looking forward to his new training partner. "Tyler and I have rubbed shoulders and competed against each other since our youth wrestling days at Tulsa Nationals," said McKenna. "He has proven to be a top competitor at the collegiate and senior levels. He's always competed with class. He's going to be a tremendous asset to our team in Philadelphia and I'm excited for the opportunity to sharpen each other on and off the mat." Berger is planning to move east upon completion of the upcoming US World Team Training Camp at the Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs, CO. The camp runs from August 10th-20th and all of Berger's new teammates will be attending. He and his wife, Sydnee, will settle in Philadelphia after the camp. "I feel extremely blessed about the opportunity to join the PRTC," said Berger. "I care about winning wrestling matches but I care even more about surrounding myself with men who are committed to their families, their friends, and their community. The PRTC embodies these values. My wife and I can't wait to join the team and start this next chapter of our lives."

G'Angelo Hancock (left) and Braxton Amos at Final X NYC (photo courtesy of Tony Rotundo; WrestlersAreWarriors.com) Final X runner-up Braxton Amos will represent the United States at the 97 kg in Greco-Roman at the 2022 Senior World Championships in Belgrade, Serbia, Sept. 12-18. Amos gets the nod after Final X champion and 2021 Senior World bronze medalist G'Angelo Hancock notified USA Wrestling of his retirement on Monday. This will mark Amos' first Senior World Championships; however, he is already a proven force on the international scene as he is a 2021 Junior World champion in freestyle and a 2021 Junior World bronze medalist in Greco-Roman. Amos is also a Pan American silver medalist in both the Senior (2021) and Junior (2019) divisions. Currently a college student, Amos is entering his sophomore season at the University of Wisconsin. In the 2021-22 season, Amos made the lineup as a freshman, going 16-7 in the regular with a 10th-place finish at the Big Ten Championships and an automatic bid to the NCAA Championships, where he went 1-2. Hancock is a four-time Senior World Team member and competed at the Tokyo Olympics, where he took seventh. He was also a multiple-time age-group World Team member, representing the U.S. at the U20 and U23 Worlds. In 2016, he won bronze at the U20 World Championships. Additionally, Hancock is a 2019 Pan American Games silver medalist and a 2020 Pan Am Championships gold medalist.

92kg U20 World Team Member Jaxon Smith (photo courtesy of Sam Janicki; SJanickiPhoto.com) While the college season is inching closer, there's still plenty of wrestling to be done this summer. The U20 men's freestyle World Team is getting ready to travel to Sofia, Bulgaria for the World Championships set for Aug. 15-21. Members of the team include four freshmen, as well a high school commit, who are sure to make a splash in the Big Ten in the coming years: redshirt freshmen Alex Facundo (Penn State) and Jaxson Smith (Maryland), true freshmen Nic Bouzakis and Nick Feldman (both of Ohio State), and high school senior Ben Kueter (verbally committed to Iowa). Here's what to know about how each of them have been spending their summers and their preparations for the U20 World Championships. Nic Bouzakis (61 kg) -- freshman, Ohio State Bouzakis is no stranger to international competition, having represented the U.S. on the 2021 U20 World Team in Greco-Roman. This time, though, he'll be wrestling freestyle. Bouzakis has been busy this summer. In addition to enrolling at Ohio State and getting settled in on campus, he's also picked up gold medals at the U20 Pan American Championships, U20 World Team Trials and at the US Open in the U20 freestyle division. The Buckeye freshman recently returned from Pan Ams in Mexico with teammates Andre Gonzales and Feldman and volunteer assistant coach Logan Stieber. Bouzakis didn't give up a single point en route to his gold medal, collecting three 10-0 shutouts and an injury default. Bouzakis and Feldman arrived in Columbus near the end of June, according to Stieber, and immediately got to work training with their older teammates. Even though he'd only been training with them for about three weeks, Stieber said last month that he believes both Bouzakis and Feldman have already shown growth. “The nice thing about the young guys – and some of the old guys still have it – but the young guys are really eager,” Stieber said. “They're really trusting and they really want to learn. It doesn't always stay like that, but with the best guys, it does. It's really fun because you can really deep dive into areas where they need to get better and it makes it really fun to be a coach.” Stieber plans to accompany Bouzakis and Feldman to Bulgaria, along with Ohio State associate head coach J Jaggers. Alex Facundo (74 kg) – redshirt freshman, Penn State Like Bouzakis, Facundo has competed on the World stage before, representing the U.S. on the Cadet World Team in 2018 and 2019 – bringing home bronze medals both times. While it's been three years since his last World Championships, Facundo said he's feeling increasingly confident thanks to his performances so far this summer and his training at Penn State. Facundo also won gold in the U20 freestyle division in the U.S. Open, World Team Trials and Pan American Championships. Facundo didn't give up a point in Mexico, winning 12–0 and 13-0 and collecting a pin in the finals. “Ever since going to Penn State and being in the room, it just really, really helps me with the different training partners I have to give me different feels,” Facundo said. “I probably have a lot more knowledge than I did in high school about foreign wrestlers and just like the little details that I needed to correct. In my last two World Championships, I had resources but I didn't have the resources I have now. So, I think this should be the best World Championships I've had so far.” Facundo said that all the success he's had this summer has helped to boost his confidence after struggling a bit to adjust last season as a true freshman. He went 11-3 in open tournaments, falling short of his own expectations. But thanks to some advice from coach Cael Sanderson and a certain teammate, Facundo says he feels like everything is starting to click. “Aaron Brooks once said, when I was wrestling with him one time, ‘Don't stray away from what got you here. You're good and you go here for a reason, so just keep doing what you're doing,'” Facundo said. “So that's something I picked up, to just keep wrestling the way I have been my whole life and adding the little thing they're teaching and just adding that to my arsenal. “And I think that's shown so far through the summer.” Jaxon Smith (92 kg) – redshirt freshman, Maryland Smith is preparing to begin his first NCAA Wrestling season at 197 pounds for the Maryland Terrapins, but first, he has some work to do in Bulgaria. Smith's first major tournament victory was winning the U20 World Team spot in June, which he did in dominant fashion, getting a tech fall over his opponent in the finals. He kept his domination going at Pan Ams in July, going 2-0 en route to a gold medal in his first international competition, with a 10-0 tech and a fall. All this success has boosted Smith's confidence heading into the World Championships. “I would say that I'm just as confident going into World's as I was going into Pan Ams. I feel that I'm the best 92 kg wrestler in the world.” In preparation for Worlds, Smith said last week that he's been focused more on wrestling, spreading out the lifting schedule a bit more. He's been focused a lot on Par Terre scoring, as well as gut wrench defense. Despite the fact that Smith's first season of NCAA wrestling eligibility is right on the horizon, he said he and his coaches are singularly focused on the task at hand. “My coaches and I are just thinking about winning a Gold Medal in Bulgaria,” Smith said. Ben Kueter (97 kg) – verbal commit, Iowa Although he's not yet officially a Big Ten wrestler, Iowa commit Kueter will also represent the U.S. in Bulgaria, winning his best-of-three final, 2-0, at U20 World Team Trials in June. The Iowa City High School senior committed to wrestle and play football for the Hawkeyes in the 2023 recruiting class. While this will be Kueter's first World team, he has already gotten some international experience under his belt this summer, having just won gold at the U20 Pan American Championships last month. As a multisport athlete at Iowa City High (wrestling, football, baseball and track & field), Kueter has gotten used to balancing his obligations. While Kueter is preparing for the World Championships, he's also getting ready for the start of fall football practice. “I just have fun. I love competing and being on the spot,” Kueter told Cody Goodwin, of the Des Moines Register, in 2021 about balancing state playoffs for baseball with competing at Junior Nationals in Fargo that summer. “We were on the spot in the playoffs and it was a great atmosphere, super fun. And, obviously, Fargo finals was another great atmosphere, there's nothing like it. I mean, yeah, you're going to be a little sore and a little tired but it's nothing a good warmup won't fix.” Nick Feldman (125 kg) – freshman, Ohio State Feldman, another member of Ohio State's top-ranked recruiting class, will be making his debut on the World stage. While this is Feldman's first experience on a World team, the freshman is no stranger to winning big tournaments. As the top-ranked P4P recruit in his class, Feldman capped off his senior year at Malvern Prep by winning the Ironman, Beast of the East, Who's #1 and his second National Prep title. He kept his success going over the summer, also sweeping gold medals in the U.S. Open, World Team Trials and Pan American Championships in the U20 freestyle division. The Buckeye freshman racked up points at Pan Ams, outsourcing his opponents 43-6. While Feldman was at the top of his class in high school, he's had to quickly acclimate to the increased intensity and skill level in the college ranks. “When you go to a college room, you're not at the bottom of the totem pole but you're having really, really tough practices every single day for the whole time, whereas in high school it's one hard practice a week or you're wrestling one or two tough people,” Stieber said. “(Feldman and Bouzakis) have grown a lot already in the three weeks they've been here and they're getting better.” Stieber is excited about the energy Feldman and his classmates have already brought to the wrestling room with the way they push the more experienced guys in the lineup. For the rest of the summer, Stieber said Feldman and Bouzakis will keep training in freestyle while the rest of the team prepares for school and official practice to begin. “I'm excited for them and I think Buckeyes fans should be very excited about the future,” he said.

Cal Baptist's Chaz Hallmark (photo courtesy of Tony Rotundo; WrestlersAreWarriors.com) RIVERSIDE --- California Baptist University has been granted active status as a Division I institution effective for the 2022-23 academic year by the NCAA Division I Board of Directors. "This is an exciting day for California Baptist University," said Dr. Ronald L. Ellis, CBU president. "Division I is the pinnacle of intercollegiate athletics and making the transition to full membership represents a significant step forward for CBU. It's another way we demonstrate our continual pursuit of excellence, and I am convinced that our student-athletes will compete strongly on the national stage." With active status, CBU student-athletes now have the opportunity to compete for berths in NCAA Division I championships. "Years of preparation went into this and I am thankful for all of the hard work by our campus leadership and staff members to make this a reality," said Tyler Mariucci, Director of Athletics. "We are ready for this new opportunity of postseason eligibility." CBU first announced its plans for a move to the next level in a press conference on Jan. 13, 2017. During the four-year transition process, CBU Athletics teams experienced considerable success including winning 11 conference championships, logging 24 top-three conference finishes and qualifying 14 teams for postseason tournaments involving Division I programs. The Lancers are now immediately eligible for NCAA Division I postseason play, including all Western Athletic Conference Championships, in the 2022-23 season.

Virginia Tech's 2x All-American Joey Dance (photo courtesy of Tony Rotundo; WrestlersAreWarriors.com) Last week, we had a feature that listed the top recruiting class from each school in the Big Ten. That article was a hit, so we've decided to look at other conferences. Right now, you can't talk recruiting without mentioning the ACC. The 2022 recruiting rankings featured three ACC schools in the top ten (NC State #3, Virginia Tech #7, and Virginia #9) and two others in the top 20 (Pittsburgh #15 and North Carolina #16). So, here's a refresher in case you didn't catch the Big Ten version: We looked at each of the 6 current ACC teams and tried to determine their best recruiting classes in the ten-year cycle of graduated classes (2007-16). That means we didn't consider any classes from 2017 and on, since some or all of a respective school's recruits may still be competing. Below are each of the 6 ACC teams, listed alphabetically, along with their top class and notables from that group. Each school also has a "runner-up" listed, another great class that deserved to be mentioned. Duke Class of 2014 Notables: NR Mitch Finesilver, NR Zach Finesilver The skinny: Because of limits set by their athletic department, Duke doesn't give out scholarships in wrestling, which hurts their ability to recruit. Especially compared to their in-conference counterparts. The Class of 2014 was important for a few reasons. Primarily getting Mitch Finesilver, a 2019 All-American (4th) and a mainstay in the lineup. Mitch and twin brother, Zach, also opened the door for their younger twins, Josh and Matt. The four qualified for a total of 14 NCAA tournaments while in Durham. An overlooked part of this class is that it featured top-50 recruit Grant Leeth. Typically Duke hasn't been able to ink recruits of that ilk; however, Leeth went on to earn All-American honors at Missouri. Others: #49 Grant Leeth, NR Alec Schenk Runner-Up: Class of 2013 The Class of 2013 netted multiple-time All-American Jacob Kasper and 2017 national qualifier Connor Bass. NC State Class of 2016 Notables: #3 Nick Reenan (TX), #7 Hayden Hidlay (PA), #34 Daniel Bullard (GA), #42 Thomas Bullard, #77 Tariq Wilson (OH) The skinny: There was no doubt about who would get the honors for the Wolfpack. This class was lauded as one of the best in the nation, back in 2016, and it holds up six years later. When the smoke cleared, three of NC State's 2016 recruits went on to place top-eight at nationals. Hayden Hidlay was a national contender from day one and earned All-American honors every year at the NCAA Tournament. Tariq Wilson surprised the nation as a freshman, taking third, then AA'ed twice more. Both Bullard's were consistent forces in the NC State lineup, with Daniel placing seventh in 2021. Though injuries slowed down Reenan, he still was productive and competed at nationals three times. In addition to the numbers put up by this class, they also were symbolic in the movement of the program to a consistent national power. This group was an integral part of the Wolfpack NCAA team trophy in 2018. Others: #102 Chris Diaz (GA), #123 Kellan Devlin (NY), #135 Runner-Up: The Class of 2014 can't stack up to NC State's 2016 squad, but it does look much better today than it did at the time. Kevin Jack jumped onto the scene in the second semester of his freshman year, earned the starting spot and was an All-American. He was also in the national title hunt and finished as a three-time AA. Sean Fausz didn't AA, but made the bloodround twice and won an ACC title, as a huge 125 lber. Michael Boykin was the highest regarded recruit of the bunch and was seeded top-15 at nationals on two occasions. North Carolina Class of 2013 Notables: #63 Ethan Ramos (NJ), #106 Troy Heilmann (NJ) The skinny: Once the Coleman Scott-era got running, UNC had plenty of success on the recruiting trail. In a few more years, an exercise like this probably includes a couple of classes under his watch. But, the 2013 class featured a pair of All-Americans, when that type of thing was a bit more rare in Chapel Hill. Both, Ethan Ramos and Troy Heilmann, would go on to advance to an NCAA semifinal. Ramos as a redshirt freshman and Heilmann as a senior. Though Ramos never made it back to the podium, he did win a pair of ACC titles and was seeded as high as fourth at nationals. Heilmann made the national tournament twice before his breakout senior season. He was only the second AA during Scott's tenure at UNC. Others: #124 Josh Lehner (OH) Runner-Up: There's an argument to be made about UNC's 2011 class and its quantity over the two AA's in 2013. First and foremost, the Class of 2011 was led by Evan Henderson, who placed top-six at nationals twice and won a pair of ACC crowns. Christian Barber and Alex Utley were both two-time national qualifiers. John Staudenmayer made the trip to nationals four times, receiving the #11 seed as a senior and making the bloodround his freshman year. Pittsburgh Class of 2010 Notables: #32 Max Thomusseit (OH), NR Tyler Wilps (PA), NR Shelton Mack (PA) The skinny: Like UNC, this feature could end up better in a few years, as Keith Gavin and crew are regularly signing impressive classes. The headliner, coming out of high school, was Max Thomusseit, who ended up being one of the best wrestlers of his era not to make the NCAA podium. He lost in the bloodround in each of his final three years and was seeded fourth and second the final two. Tyler Wilps broke through in a big way making the 2015 NCAA finals, which accounted for his second All-American honor. Wilps also was an ACC champion in both seasons. Shelton Mack was a stalwart at 133 lbs, missing out on All-American honors by a match in 2012. Runner-Up: The focal point of the Class of 2016 was Jake Wentzel. The local product went on to win three ACC titles and made the 2021 national finals. Wentzel was also named a second-team All-American during 2020 and finished in the bloodround last season. Pitt signed three top-75 recruits in 2016; however, Wentzel is the one that shined. Virginia Class of 2016 Notables: #15 Jack Mueller (TX), #117 Louie Hayes (IL), #121 Jay Aiello (VA) The skinny: This may not be a class that comes to mind when talking about the best of the conference, but it's an extremely good one. Jack Mueller was an All-American right out of the gate and is UVA's most recent national finalist. Louie Hayes got on the NCAA podium in 2021 in a deep 133 lb weight class after finishing a match shy as a freshman. Jay Aiello's best shot at earning All-American honors was at the ill-fated 2020 national tournament, where he was set to be the seventh seed after winning ACC's. Aiello was a round of 12 finisher in 2022 and qualified for nationals four times. Remember, Micky Phillipi was a part of this group. Phillippi never officially competed for Virginia before transferring to Pitt, where he has won a pair of ACC titles and lost in the bloodround on three occasions. Others: #17 Micky Phillipi (PA), #127 Edwin Rubio (NY) Runner-Up: Another monster class for the Cavaliers was the 2007 group. It produced one of the program's best-ever in three-time All-American Chris Henrich. Also aboard was three-time qualifier Nick Nelson, a one-time ACC champion and bloodround participant. Danny Gonsor is in the group, as well. Virginia Tech Class of 2013 Notables: #6 Joey Dance (VA), #29 Zach Epperly (VA), #86 Dennis Gustafson (VA), #93 Jared Haught (WV) The skinny: Getting three multiple-time All-Americans in the same recruiting class is ridiculous! That's what the Hokies did in 2013 as they kept two local prospects, Joey Dance and Zach Epperly, home and cherry-picked Jared Haught from neighboring West Virginia. Add in Dennis Gustafson and you have eight ACC titles. Dance finished top-five at nationals twice and was a title contender for his final three years. During that time he was seeded second at NCAA twice and third once. Epperly's second trip to the podium featured an incredible consolation run to third place. Haught improved every year he was on campus and was a national finalist in 2018. This foursome was instrumental in Virginia Tech's 2016 national tournament that saw them finish in fourth place for the program's first-ever NCAA team trophy. Also included is Kevin Norstrem, who made the national tournament as a freshman at 133 lbs. Others: #16 Kevin Norstrem (FL) Runner-Up: The 2008 class may have been the most important for Virginia Tech. It helped establish a foundation for high-level recruiting and performance on the mat. The 2008 group included two-time All-American Peter Yates, 2013 AA Jarrod Garnett, and Jesse Dong, who was seeded top-seven at nationals three times.

2x All-American Cody Walters (photo courtesy of Sam Janicki; SJanickiPhoto.com) Welcome to a new, regular feature for InterMat! Every day, for the next few months, we'll look into the recent history of a DI wrestling program with our "Ten Years of…" feature. Even if you're a die-hard supporter of a particular school, there will be good information you may have forgotten. For others, it's a quick way to learn about a program you may not be familiar with. We're going in alphabetical order for this one, so next up is...Ohio! NCAA Qualifiers (39) 2022 #32 Jordan Slivka (157 lbs); #27 Sal Perrine (174 lbs) 2021 #22 Mario Guillen (133 lbs) 2020 #23 Shakur Laney (141 lbs); #21 Alec Hagan (149 lbs); #22 Zac Carson (157 lbs); #27 Jordan Earnest (285 lbs) 2019 #23 Mario Guillen (133 lbs); #12 Cameron Kelly (141 lbs); #22 Zac Carson (157 lbs); #30 Zack Parker (285 lbs) 2018 Cameron Kelly (133 lbs) 2017 #13 Shakur Laney (125 lbs); Noah Forrider (141 lbs); Zack Parker (285 lbs) 2016 Shakur Laney (125 lbs); #13 Cameron Kelly (133 lbs); Spartak Chino (157 lbs); Austin Reese (165 lbs); #7 Cody Walters (174 lbs); Andrew Romanchik (184 lbs); #11 Phil Wellington (197 lbs) 2015 #11 Tywan Claxton (149 lbs); Spartak Chino (157 lbs); #16 Harrison Hightower (165 lbs); #9 Cody Walters (174 lbs); Andrew Romanchik (184 lbs); #14 Phil Wellington (197 lbs) 2014 Tywan Claxton (149 lbs); Spartak Chino (157 lbs); Harrison Hightower (165 lbs); #8 Cody Walters (174 lbs); #8 Phil Wellington (197 lbs); #10 Jeremy Johnson (285 lbs) 2013 Kevon Powell (125 lbs); Spartak Chino (157 lbs); Cody Walters (174 lbs); Phil Wellington (197 lbs); Jeremy Johnson (285 lbs) NCAA Champions None NCAA All-Americans 2016: Cody Walters (174 - 7th) 2014: Jeremy Johnson (285 - 7th) 2013: Cody Walters (174 - 8th) NCAA Round of 12 Finishers Tywan Claxton (2015 - 149) Spartak Chino (2015 - 157) Cody Walters (2015 - 174) Jeremy Johnson (2013 - 285) MAC Champions 2017: Shakur Laney (125) 2015: Cody Walters (174) 2014: Cody Walters (174); Jeremy Johnson (285) 2013: Cody Walters (174) Dual Record 2021-22: 9-4 2021: 1-8 2019-20: 9-8 2018-19: 8-6 2017-18: 4-9 2016-17: 7-8 2015-16: 13-3 2014-15: 6-4 2013-14: 13-4 2012-13: 11-5 MAC Tournament Placement 2021-22: 9th 2021: 12th 2019-20: 8th 2018-19: 5th 2017-18: 5th 2016-17: 8th 2015-16: 4th 2014-15: 3rd 2013-14: 3rd 2012-13: 5th-tie NCAA Tournament Team Placement 2021-22: 61st-tie (0 points) 2021: 54th-tie (1 point) 2019-20: No Tournament 2018-19: 53rd-tie (1 point) 2017-18: 65th-tie (0 points) 2016-17: 51st-tie (2 points) 2015-16: 29th-tie (12.5 points) 2014-15: 31st-tie (9.5 points) 2013-14: 35th (10.5 points) 2012-13: 29th (16 points) Head Coaching History Joel Greenlee (1998-Present) Best Lineup (Comprised of wrestlers from 2013-22) 125 - Shakur Laney: 3x NCAA Qualifier (#13 seed), 2017 MAC Champion 133 - Mario Guillen: 2x NCAA Qualifier 141 - Cameron Kelly: 3x NCAA Qualifier (#12 and #13 seed) 149 - Tywan Claxton: 2x NCAA Qualifier (#11 seed), 2015 NCAA Round of 12 Finisher 157 - Spartak Chino: 4x NCAA Qualifier, 2015 NCAA Round of 12 Finisher 165 - Harrison Hightower: 2x NCAA Qualifier, 2014 MAC Runner-Up 174 - Cody Walters: 4x NCAA Qualifier (#7, #8, and #9 seeds), 2x All-American (7th, 8th), 3x MAC Champion 184 - Andrew Romanchik: 2x NCAA Qualifier 197 - Phil Wellington: 4x NCAA Qualifier (#8, #11, and #14 seeds), 3x MAC Runner-Up 285 - Jeremy Johnson: 4x NCAA Qualifier (#7 and #10 seeds), 2x All-American (7th x2), 2x MAC Champion Recruiting Number of Big Boarder's Per Year 2022: #82 Derek Raike (WV) 2021: #115 Peyton Kellar (OH), #133 Sal Perrine (OH), #148 Nick Moore (OH), #176 Zayne Lehman (OH), #223 David Cumberledge (OH) 2017: #55 Moises Guillen (OH), #89 Kyran Hagan (MO) 2015: #48 Cameron Kelly (OH) 2014: #78 Austin Reese (OH), #112 Jesse Webb (VT) 2013: #68 Noah Forrider (OH), #145 Sebastian Pique (IL) For past teams: Air Force American Appalachian State Arizona State Army West Point Binghamton Bloomsburg Brown Bucknell Buffalo Cal Poly Campbell Central Michigan Chattanooga Clarion Cleveland State Columbia Cornell CSU Bakersfield Davidson Drexel Duke Edinboro Franklin & Marshall Gardner-Webb George Mason Harvard Hofstra Illinois Indiana Iowa Iowa State Kent State Lehigh Lock Haven Maryland Michigan Michigan State Minnesota Missouri Navy NC State Nebraska North Carolina North Dakota State Northern Colorado Northern Illinois Northern Iowa Northwestern

Three-time World/Olympic champion Zaurbek Sidakov (photo courtesy of Martin Gabor/UWW) Russia will be hosting the All-Russian Spartakiad in what will be essentially an All-Russian Olympics with 32 sports competing from August 20-29th. Men's Freestyle will be held on Thursday, August 25th and Friday August 26th. Because July was largely spent in preparation for the All-Russian Spartakiad and there was no change in the rankings, this ranking will go over the top entries for the All-Russian Spartakiad. 57KG Top entries for All-Russian Spartakiad: #1 Zavur Uguev- Five time Russian Nationals champion, three time World/Olympic champion. #2 Nachyn Mongush- Two time Russian Nationals runner-up ('21 & '22) #3 Ramiz Gamzatov- 2019 Russian Nationals champion, 2022 Russian Nationals bronze medalist #4 Musa Mekhtikhanov- 2021 Yarygin runner-up, 2022 Russian Nationals bronze medalist #5 Amir Chamzyn- 2022 Russian Nationals bronze medalist #6 Azamat Tuskaev- Three time Russian Nationals medalist ('15 bronze, '20 silver, '21 bronze) #7 Ramazan Abdurakhimov- 2022 Russian Nationals 5th #8 Donduk-Ool Khuresh-Ool- 2018 Russian Nationals runner-up #10 Muslim Sadulaev- Three time Russian Nationals medalist ('18 bronze, '19 silver, '20 bronze) 61KG Top entries for All-Russian Spartakiad #1 Abasgadzhi Magomedov- 2021 world champion, three time Russian Nationals champion ('20,'21,'22) #2 Akhmed Idrisov- 2020 57 KG Russian Nationals bronze medalist, 2022 Russian Nationals runner-up #3 Bashir Magomedov- 2022 Junior Russian Nationals champion, 2022 Russian Nationals bronze medalist #5 Muslim Mekhtikhanov- 2021 Russian Nationals runner-up, 2021 Ali Aliyev champion Cherman Tavitov- Two time Russian Nationals bronze medalist ('21 & '22) Aldar Balzhinimaev- 2021 Russian Nationals bronze medalist Zhargal Damdinov- 2020 Russian Nationals bronze medalist Ramazan Bagavudinov- 2021 57 KG Junior world champion 65KG Top Entries for All-Russian Spartakiad #1 Ibragim Ibragimov- 2022 Russian Nationals champion #2 Gadzhimurad Omarov- 2022 Russian Nationals runner-up #3 Gadzhimurad Rashidov- 2019 world champion, 2021 Olympic bronze medalist, 2022 Russian Nationals 5th #4 Aripgadzhi Abdulaev- 2019 60 KG Cadet world champion, 2022 Russian Nationals bronze medalist #5 Shamil Mamedov- 2021 Junior world champion, 2021 Umakhanov tournament champion, 2022 Yarygin champion #6 Alik Khadartsev- 2021 Yarygin champ, 2021 Ivan Poddubny champ #7 Zagir Shakhiev- 2020 Russian Nationals bronze medalist, 2021 Russian Nationals runner-up, 2021 world champion #8 Ramazan Ferzaliev- 2019 61 KG Russian Nationals runner-up, 2020 61 KG Russian Nationals runner-up, 2022 Yarygin runner-up. #9 Ibragim Abdurakhmanov- 2020 61 KG Russian Nationals bronze medalist, 2021 U23 world runner-up. #10 Akhmed Chakaev- Two time world bronze medalist ('16, '18), 2018 Russian Nationals champion, 2020 Russian Nationals runner-up. Murshid Mutalimov- Two time Russian Nationals medalist (silver in '17, bronze in '19) 70KG Top Entries for All-Russian Spartakiad #1 Israil Kasumov- Two time Russian Nationals champion ('21 & '22), three time Russian Nationals runner-up ('14,'15,'16) #3 Anzor Zakuev- 2022 Yarygin runner-up, 2022 Russian Nationals runner-up #4 Ruslan Zhendaev- 2022 Ivan Poddubny Tournament runner-up, 2020 Russian Nationals bronze medalist #5 Kurban Shiraev- 2021 Yarygin champion, 2021 Umakhanov tournament champion, Three time Russian Nationals bronze medalist ('20, '21, '22) Kezhik Chimba- 2020 61 KG Yarygin bronze medalist #6 Aznaur Tavaev- 2021 74 KG Yarygin champion, 2019 70 KG Kunaev tournament champion, 2019 Intercontinental cup champion #7 Alan Kudzoev- 2019 Junior world bronze medalist #8 Ruslan Bogatyrev- 2022 Ivan Poddubny bronze medalist Inalbek Sheriev- 2021 U23 European bronze medalist 74KG Top Entries for All-Russian Spartakiad #1 Zaurbek Sidakov- Three time World/Olympic champion ('18,'19,'21), three time Russian Nationals champion ('16, '18, '21) #2 Razambek Zhamalov- Two time Russian Nationals champion ('20, '22), 2021 Russian Nationals runner-up, 2019 70 KG Russian Nationals runner-up, 2020 Individual World Cup champion #3 David Baev- 2022 Russian Nationals bronze medalist, 2020 70 KG Russian Nationals runner-up, 2019 70 KG Russian Nationals champion, 2018 70 KG Russian Nationals bronze medalist, 2017 70 KG Russian Nationals bronze medalist, 2019 70 KG world champion #4 Cherman Valiev- 2019 70 KG Russian Nationals bronze medalist, 2020 70 KG Russian Nationals champion, 2021 70 KG Russian Nationals bronze medalist, 2022 Russian Nationals runner-up, 2022 Yarygin champion #5 Timur Bizhoev- 2021 world bronze medalist, 2019 Russian Nationals bronze medalist, 2021 Russian Nationals bronze medalist, 2018 Russian Nationals bronze medalist #6 Magomed Dibirgadzhiev- 2017 70 KG Russian Nationals runner-up, 2022 Russian Nationals bronze medalist #7 Magomedrasul Gazimagomedov- 2015 70 KG world champion, 2018 70 KG world champion, 2020 Yarygin champion, 2020 European runner-up. 79KG Top Entries for All-Russian Spartakiad #1 Malik Shavaev- Two time Russian Nationals champion ('21 & '22) #2 Radik Valiev- 2021 world bronze medalist, 2022 Yarygin champion, 2022 Russian Nationals bronze medalist #3 Magomed Magomaev- 2021 U23 world champion, 2022 Russian Nationals runner-up #4 Nikita Suchkov- Three time Russian Nationals bronze medalist ('17, '18, '22) #6 Dmitri Zainidinov- 2022 Yarygin bronze medalist #7 Gadzhimurad Alikhmaev- 2020 Russian Nationals runner-up #8 Akhmed Usmanov- 2020 Russian Nationals champion, 2020 Individual World Cup champion, 2021 Russian Nationals runner-up, 2021 Ali Aliyev champion, 2021 Umakhanov tournament bronze medalist. Kakhaber Khubezhty- 2013 74 KG Russian Nationals champion, 2018 Russian Nationals bronze medalist 86KG Top Entries for All-Russian Spartakiad #1 Artur Naifonov- Three time World/Olympic bronze medalist ('19, '21, '21), Three time Russian Nationals champion ('19, '21, '22) #2 Amanulla Rasulov- 2022 Russian Nationals runner-up, 2022 Yarygin runner-up #3 Dauren Kurugliev- 2018 Russian Nationals champion, 2020 Russian Nationals champion, 2021 Russian Nationals runner-up, 2018 world 5th, 2020 Individual World Cup 5th, 2022 Russian Nationals 5th #4 Ada Bagomedov- 2022 Yarygin bronze medalist, 2022 Russian Nationals bronze medalist #5 Khabil Khashpakov- 2021 Umakhanov tournament champ #7 Magomedsharif Biyakaev- 2021 Yarygin champ, 2020 Russian Nationals 5th, 2018 Alans runner-up, 2019 Alans bronze medalist, 2021 Ali Aliyev runner-up. #8 Arsenali Musalaliev- Four time Russian Nationals bronze medalist ('17, '19, '21, '22) #9 Zaur Makiev- 2014 74 KG Russian Nationals bronze medalist #10 Slavik Naniev- 2018 Alans bronze medalist 92KG Top Entires for All-Russian Spartakiad #1 Magomed Kurbanov- 2021 Russian Nationals champion, 2021 world runner-up, 2022 Russian Nationals champ #2 Azamat Zakuev- 2021 Russian Nationals bronze medalist, 2021 U-23 world bronze medalist, 2022 Russian Nationals runner-up #3 Vladislav Valiev- 2017 86 KG Russian Nationals champion, 2017 86 KG world bronze medalist, 2018 86 KG Russian Nationals bronze medalist, 2019 86 KG national runner-up, 2019 86 KG European champion, 2022 Russian Nationals bronze medalist. #4 Magomed Sharipov- 2022 Russian Nationals bronze medalist, 2022 Ivan Poddubny tournament runner-up #5 Guram Chertkoev- 2022 Yarygin champ #6 Tamerlan Tapsiev- 2022 Yarygin runner-up #7 Alan Bagaev- 2018 Junior world champ, 2021 Umakhanov tournament champion #10 Khabib Gadzhiev- Two time Ali Aliyev bronze medalist ('19 & '21) 97KG Top Entries for All-Russian Spartakiad #1 Abdulrashid Sadulaev- Seven time World/Olympic champion ('14,'15,'16,'18,'19,'21,'21), 2017 world runner-up, five time Russian Nationals champion ('14,'15,'17,'18,'20) #2 Aslanbek Sotiev- 2018 92 KG U23 world runner-up, 2020 Russian Nationals runner-up, 2022 Russian Nationals champion #3 Akhmed Tazhudinov- 2022 Ivan Poddubny Tournament champion, 2022 Russian Nationals bronze medalist #4 Alikhan Zhabrailov- 2019 92 KG world bronze medalist, three time Russian Nationals champion ('19,'20,'21). #5 Shamil Musaev- 2019 Russian Nationals bronze medalist, 2022 Russian Nationals bronze medalist, 2019 Yarygin champion, 2019 U23 world runner-up #6 Sergey Kozyrev- 2021 125 KG Russian National champion, 2021 125 KG European runner-up, 2022 Russian Nationals bronze medalist #9 Khokh Khugaev- 2021 Russian Nationals bronze medalist, 2021 Ali Aliyev bronze medalist. 125KG Top Entries for All-Russian Spartakiad #1 Alen Khubulov- 2022 Russian Nationals champion, 2019 Junior world bronze medalist, 2022 Yarygin bronze medalist #2 Tamerlan Rasuev- 2022 Russian Nationals runner-up #3 Zelimkhan Khizriev- 2021 Russian Nationals bronze medalist, 2021 Ali Aliyev champ, 2021 world rep #4 Baldan Tsyzhipov- 2022 Russian Nationals bronze medalist #5 Erik Dzhioev- 2020 97 KG Russian Nationals bronze medalist, 2022 Russian Nationals bronze medalist #7 Saypudin Magomedov- 2021 Russian Nationals bronze medalist, 2021 U23 world bronze medalist #8 Anzor Khizriev- Two time Russian Nationals champion ('17, '18), Two time world 5th place finisher ('17, '18), 2022 Yarygin champion #9 Alan Khugaev- 2019 Russian Nationals champ, 2020 Russian Nationals champ. Pound for Pound

2022 NCAA champion Ryan Deakin(photo courtesy of Sam Janicki; SJanickiPhoto.com) Welcome to a new, regular feature for InterMat! Every day, for the next few months, we'll look into the recent history of a DI wrestling program with our "Ten Years of…" feature. Even if you're a die-hard supporter of a particular school, there will be good information you may have forgotten. For others, it's a quick way to learn about a program you may not be familiar with. We're going in alphabetical order for this one, so next up is...Northwestern! NCAA Qualifiers (57) 2022 #10 Michael DeAugustino (125 lbs); #10 Chris Cannon (133 lbs); #26 Frankie Tal-Shahar (141 lbs); #19 Yahya Thomas (149 lbs); #2 Ryan Deakin (157 lbs); #32 David Ferrante (165 lbs); #23 Troy Fisher (174 lbs); #33 Jack Jessen (184 lbs); #28 Andrew Davison (197 lbs); #9 Lucas Davison (285 lbs) 2021 #12 Michael DeAugustino (125 lbs); #8 Chris Cannon (133 lbs); #26 Colin Valdiviez (141 lbs); #25 Yahya Thomas (149 lbs); #1 Ryan Deakin (157 lbs); #31 David Ferrante (165 lbs); #12 Lucas Davison (197 lbs) 2020 #8 Michael DeAugustino (125 lbs); #1 Sebastian Rivera (133 lbs); #27 Yahya Thomas (149 lbs); #1 Ryan Deakin (157 lbs); #20 Shayne Oster (165 lbs); #15 Lucas Davison (197 lbs) 2019 #1 Sebastian Rivera (125 lbs); #31 Shayne Oster (149 lbs); #3 Ryan Deakin (157 lbs); #32 Tyler Morland (165 lbs); #12 Conan Jennings (285 lbs) 2018 #10 Sebastian Rivera (125 lbs); Colin Valdiviez (133 lbs); #7 Ryan Deakin (149 lbs); Johnny Sebastian (174 lbs); Conan Jennings (285 lbs) 2017 Johnny Sebastian (165 lbs); Mitch Sliga (184 lbs); Jacob Berkowitz (197 lbs); Conan Jennings (285 lbs) 2016 Dominick Malone (133 lbs); Jameson Oster (141 lbs); #6 Jason Tsirtsis (149 lbs) 2015 Dominick Malone (133 lbs); Jameson Oster (141 lbs); #2 Jason Tsirtsis (149 lbs); #7 Pierce Harger (165 lbs); #11 Alex Polizzi (197 lbs); #2 Mike McMullan (285 lbs) 2014 Dominick Malone (133 lbs); #5 Jason Tsirtsis (149 lbs); #7 PIerce Harger (165 lbs); Alex Polizzi (197 lbs); #6 Mike McMullan (285 lbs) 2013 Pat Greco (141 lbs); #1 Jason Welch (157 lbs); Pierce Harger (165 lbs); Lee Munster (174 lbs); Alex Polizzi (197 lbs); #5 Mike McMullan (285 lbs) NCAA Champions Ryan Deakin (157 - 2022) Jason Tsirtsis (149 - 2014) NCAA All-Americans 2022: Michael DeAugustino (125 - 4th); Chris Cannon (133 - 7th); Ryan Deakin (157 - 1st); Lucas Davison (285 - 6th) 2021: Chris Cannon (133 - 7th); Yahya Thomas (149 - 3rd); Ryan Deakin (157 - 3rd) 2019: Sebastian Rivera (125 - 3rd); Ryan Deakin (157 - 6th) 2018: Sebastian Rivera (125 - 6th) 2015: Jason Tsirtsis (149 - 3rd); Mike McMullan (285 - 3rd) 2014: Jason Tsirtsis (149 - 1st); Pierce Harger (165 - 8th); Mike McMullan (285 - 3rd) 2013: Jason Welch (157 - 2nd); Mike McMullan (285 - 2nd) NWCA All-Americans Michael DeAugustino (125 - First Team) Sebastian Rivera (133 - First Team) Ryan Deakin (157 - First Team) Lucas Davison (197 - Honorable Mention) NCAA Round of 12 Finishers Yahya Thomas (2022 - 149) Michael DeAugustino (2021 - 125) Conan Jennings (2017 - 285) Pierce Harger (2015 - 165) Big Ten Champions 2022: Ryan Deakin (157) 2021: Ryan Deakin (157) 2020: Sebastian Rivera (133); Ryan Deakin (157) 2019: Sebastian Rivera (125) 2015: Jason Tsirtsis (149), Mike McMullan (285) 2014: Jason Tsirtsis (149) 2013: Jason Welch (157) Big Ten Runner's-Up 2013: Mike McMullan (285) Dual Record 2021-22: 7-4 2021: 2-6 2019-20: 6-7 2018-19: 5-10 2017-18: 11-4 2016-17: 7-8 2015-16: 2-13 2014-15: 12-8 2013-14: 8-7 2012-13: 9-8 Big Ten Tournament Placement 2021-22: 5th 2021: 7th 2019-20: 6th 2018-19: 8th-tie 2017-18: 10th 2016-17: 14th 2015-16: 12th 2014-15: 9th 2013-14: 9th 2012-13: 8th NCAA Tournament Team Placement 2021-22: 6th (57.5 points) 2021: 10th (45 points) 2019-20: No Tournament 2018-19: 22nd (26 points) 2017-18: 24th (20 points) 2016-17: 46th (3.5 points) 2015-16: 50th (3 points) 2014-15: 15th (34.5 points) 2013-14: 9th (46 points) 2012-13: 17th (32.5 points) Head Coaching History Matt Storniolo (2015-present) Drew Pariano (2010-2015) Best Lineup (comprised of wrestlers from 2013-22) 125: Sebastian Rivera: 3x NCAA Qualifier (#1 x2 and #10 seeds), 2x NCAA All-American (3rd, 6th), 2020 NWCA First Team All-American, 2x Big Ten Champion, 2x All-American for Rutgers 133: Chris Cannon: 2x NCAA Qualifier (#8 and #10 seeds), 2x NCAA All-American (7th x2) 141: Jameson Oster: 2x NCAA Qualifier 149: Jason Tsirtsis: 3x NCAA Qualifier (#2, #5, and #6 seeds), 2014 NCAA Champion, 2x NCAA All-American (1st, 3rd), 2x Big Ten Champion, All-American for Arizona State 157: Ryan Deakin: 5x NCAA Qualifier (#1 x2, #2, #3, and #7 seeds), 2022 NCAA Champion, 3x NCAA All-American (1st, 3rd, 6th), 2020 NWCA First Team All-American, 3x Big Ten Champion 165: Pierce Harger: 3x NCAA Qualifier (#7 seed x2), 2014 NCAA All-American (8th), 2015 NCAA Round of 12 Finisher 174: Johnny Sebastian: 3x NCAA Qualifier (once for Wisconsin) 184: Mitch Sliga: 2017 NCAA Qualifier 197: Lucas Davison: 3x NCAA Qualifier, 2022 NCAA All-American (6th), 2020 NWCA Honorable Mention All-American 285: Mike McMullan: 4x NCAA All-American (3rd, 2nd, 3rd, 3rd), 2015 Big Ten Champion, 2x Big Ten Finalist Recruiting Number of Big Boarder's Per Year 2022: #55 Joseph Martin (CA) 2021: #12 Joel Vandervere (IL), #200 Evan Bates (IN) 2020: #37 Maxx Mayfield (NE), #43 Frankie Tal-Shahar (FL), #108 David Ferrante (IL) 2019: #42 Trevor Chumbley (IL) 2018: #39 Jack Jessen (IL), #62 Lucas Davison (IN), #99 Erich Byelick (FL) 2016: #46 Sebastian Rivera (NJ), #95 Ryan Deakin (CO), #130 Shayne Oster (IL 2015: #18 Zack Chakonis (NJ); #148 Luke Norland (MN) 2014: #3 Bryce Brill (IL), #11 Johnny Sebastian (NJ), #18 Stevan Micic (IN) 2013: #37 Mitch Sliga (IN), #52 Jacob Schmitt (MI) For past teams: Air Force American Appalachian State Arizona State Army West Point Binghamton Bloomsburg Brown Bucknell Buffalo Cal Poly Campbell Central Michigan Chattanooga Clarion Cleveland State Columbia Cornell CSU Bakersfield Davidson Drexel Duke Edinboro Franklin & Marshall Gardner-Webb George Mason Harvard Hofstra Illinois Indiana Iowa Iowa State Kent State Lehigh Lock Haven Maryland Michigan Michigan State Minnesota Missouri Navy NC State Nebraska North Carolina North Dakota State Northern Colorado Northern Illinois Northern Iowa

New Lehigh Volunteer Assistant Evan Henderson (photo courtesy of Tony Rotundo; WrestlersAreWarriors.com) The last couple days of this week were big from a coaching standpoint. Davidson announced Nate Carr Jr. as their next head coach and Columbia and Lehigh made significant hires with a pair of multiple-time All-Americans. With that being said, here's the latest coaching carousel update for the spring/summer of 2022.

New Davidson head coach Nate Carr Jr. (photo courtesy of Tony Rotundo; WrestlersAreWarriors.com) This afternoon, Davidson College announced that Nate Carr Jr. would be the school's next head wrestling coach. Carr Jr. comes to Davidson after spending six years as an assistant coach at Lock Haven. Since his arrival at Lock Haven prior to the 2016-17 season, Carr Jr. has overseen a team that has sent at least four wrestlers to the NCAA Tournament each year (excluding the 2021 season where the Bald Eagles only competed at MAC's). While at LHU, Carr Jr. has overseen three middleweight wrestlers who earned spots on the NCAA podium (Kyle Shoop, Ronnie Perry, Chance Marsteller). In the 2018 and 2019 NCAA Tournaments, Lock Haven finished in the top-20. The 2018 tournament saw Perry steal the show and make the national finals despite starting as the 15th seed. Perry was the first NCAA finalist for Lock Haven since 1997. Before coming to Lock Haven, Carr Jr. was on staff at the University of Maryland and Virginia. He also spent time as an athlete and coach at Cornell's Finger Lakes Wrestling Club. Carr Jr. is an Iowa State graduate and a member of the Cyclones wrestling squad. He also captured an NJCAA national title while at Iowa Central. Carr Jr. inherits a Davidson team that finished 5-10 in dual action and finished sixth at the SoCon Championships in 2021-22. Three of the Wildcats five wins came against SoCon opponents. Davidson is seeking to send a wrestler to the national tournament for the first time since Scott Patrick did so in 2015. The Davidson position came open in late-May as Andy Lausier stepped down after five years at the helm for the Wildcats. Nate Carr Jr. is the son of the Hall of Famer Nate Carr and older brother of 2021 NCAA Champion, David.

2x NCAA All-American Stephen Buchanan (photo courtesy of Sam Janicki; SJanickiPhoto.com) In 1960, Wyoming crowned their first and only individual NCAA Champion when Dick Ballinger won the 167-pound National Title helping lead the Cowboys to their highest NCAA team finish in program history. There's one guy heading into his senior season for the Pokes that looks like he could have a shot to become the second to accomplish the feat. Stephen Buchanan has been a monster for Wyoming for the past three years. Competing as a true freshman in 2019-20, Buchanan went 26-13 and qualified for the NCAA tournament, before it was canceled due to Covid. He improved on that finish in subsequent seasons going 17-6 as a sophomore and becoming an All-American with an eighth-place finish in 2021. Buchanan jumped one more level in 2022 going 28-3 and finishing third at the NCAA tournament with his only losses coming to defending NCAA Champion AJ Ferrari, Owen Pentz where he was caught and pinned in the North Dakota State dual, and Jacob Warner who beat Buchanan in the NCAA semifinals. AJ Ferrari will not return to Oklahoma State next season. He may still return to wrestling but that remains to be seen. Jacob Warner has a year of eligibility left due to the COVID eligibility rule, and last year's NCAA champion Max Dean returns to Penn State to defend his NCAA title from last season. And Cael Sanderson's guys tend to stay on top once they've reached that crescendo. Though the two guys that finished above Buchanan last year are back, the door is still open for him to win an NCAA title. His match with Warner was close and it's certainly not out of the realm of possibility for him to overtake the pair next season. These marked and consistent improvements year by year are the most promising thing for Wyoming fans as they follow Buchanan as he pursues this feat. In his first season, Buchanan had a 67% winning percentage. The next season that moved to 74%. And last year it jumped all the way to 90%. Yes, guys graduate and move on and that allows younger guys to jump levels and take over weight classes. But there's a clear pattern of improvement each season by Buchanan. Whatever mix of work he puts in combined with the training and planning that the Wyoming staff have for him each year is working. He consistently gets better. And that steady improvement could have him making history this upcoming season. If he finishes as an All-American again he'll become just the fourth three-time All-American in program history alongside Ballinger, Reese Andy, and Bryce Meredith. If he so chooses, due to the COVID eligibility year, he can come back another season with another shot at an NCAA title. And with that, Buchanan could also potentially become the program's second 4-time All-American matching Joe LeBlanc who accomplished the mark from 2009-2012. Regardless, Buchanan will likely finish out his career as one of the All-Time greats in Wyoming wrestling history.

2019 NCAA champion Drew Foster (photo courtesy of Sam Janicki; SJanickiPhoto.com) Welcome to a new, regular feature for InterMat! Every day, for the next few months, we'll look into the recent history of a DI wrestling program with our "Ten Years of…" feature. Even if you're a die-hard supporter of a particular school, there will be good information you may have forgotten. For others, it's a quick way to learn about a program you may not be familiar with. We're going in alphabetical order for this one, so next up is...Northern Iowa! NCAA Qualifiers (60) 2022 #15 Brody Teske (125 lbs); #14 Kyle Biscoglia (133 lbs); #20 Colin Realbuto (149 lbs); #33 Derek Holschlag (157 lbs); #15 Austin Yant (165 lbs); #18 Lance Runyon (174 lbs); #4 Parker Keckeisen (184 lbs); #33 Tyrell Gordon (285 lbs) 2021 #5 Brody Teske (125 lbs); #23 Triston Lara (149 lbs); #33 Austin Yant (165 lbs); #29 Lance Runyon (174 lbs); #4 Parker Keckeisen (184 lbs); #15 Carter Isley (285 lbs) 2020 #17 Jay Schwarm (125 lbs); #25 Jack Skudlarczyk (133 lbs); #13 Michael Blockhus (141 lbs); #13 Max Thomsen (149 lbs); #5 Bryce Steiert (174 lbs); #1 Taylor Lujan (184 lbs); #14 Carter Isley (285 lbs) 2019 #21 Jay Schwarm (125 lbs); #4 Josh Alber (141 lbs); #15 Max Thomsen (149 lbs); #11 Bryce Steiert (165 lbs); #8 Taylor Lujan (174 lbs); #6 Drew Foster (184 lbs) 2018 #16 Jay Schwarm (125 lbs); #9 Josh Alber (141 lbs); #9 Max Thomsen (149 lbs); #7 Taylor Lujan (174 lbs); #8 Drew Foster (184 lbs); Jacob Holschlag (197 lbs) 2017 Dylan Peters (125 lbs); #12 Josh Alber (133 lbs); #7 Max Thomsen (149 lbs); #11 Bryce Steiert (165 lbs); #13 Taylor Lujan (174 lbs); #12 Drew Foster (184 lbs); Jacob Holschlag (197 lbs) 2016 #9 Dylan Peters (125 lbs); #15 Josh Alber (133 lbs); Bryce Steiert (157 lbs); Cooper Moore (165 lbs); #14 Blaize Cabell (285 lbs) 2015 #9 Dylan Peters (125 lbs); #13 Cooper Moore (165 lbs); Basil Minto (197 lbs); #7 Blaize Cabell (285 lbs) 2014 #5 Dylan Peters (125 lbs); #1 Joe Colon (133 lbs); #11 Joey Lazor (141 lbs); #10 Cooper Moore (165 lbs); Cody Caldwell (174 lbs); #15 Ryan Loder (184 lbs); Blaize Cabell (285 lbs) 2013 #9 Levi Wolfensperger (133 lbs); Joey Lazor (141 lbs); David Bonin (157 lbs); #6 Ryan Loder (184 lbs) NCAA Champions Drew Foster (184 - 2019) NCAA All-Americans 2022: Parker Keckeisen (184 - 3rd) 2021: Parker Keckeisen (184 - 3rd) 2019: Bryce Steiert (165 - 8th); Drew Foster (184 - 1st) 2018: Jacob Holschlag (197 - 5th) 2017: Max Thomsen (149 - 5th); Drew Foster (184 - 7th) 2016: Dylan Peters (125 - 6th) 2014: Dylan Peters (125 - 6th); Joe Colon (133 - 3rd); Joey Lazor (141 - 6th) 2013: David Bonin (157 - 4th); Ryan Loder (184 - 7th) NWCA All-Americans Michael Blockhus (141 - Honorable Mention) Max Thomsen (149 - Honorable Mention) Bryce Steiert (174 - First Team) Taylor Lujan (184 - First Team) Carter Isley (285 - Honorable Mention) Round of 12 Finishers Brody Teske (2021 - 125) Max Thomsen (2018, 2019 - 149) Taylor Lujan (2018, 2019 - 174) Bryce Steiert (2017 - 165) Cooper Moore (2015 - 165) Blaize Cabell (2015 - 285) Ryan Loder (2014 - 184) Levi Wolfensperger (2013 - 133) Joey Lazor (2013 - 141) Conference Champions Big 12 2022: Parker Keckeisen (184) 2021: Brody Teske (125); Parker Keckeisen (184) 2020: Bryce Steiert (174); Taylor Lujan (184) 2019: Drew Foster (184) 2018: Taylor Lujan (174); Drew Foster (184) MAC 2017: Taylor Lujan (174) 2016: Blaize Cabell (285) 2015: Cooper Moore (165) 2014: Dylan Peters (125); Joe Colon (133); Joey Lazor (141); Cooper Moore (165) 2013: Joey Lazor (141); David Bonin (157) Dual Record 2021-22: 7-7 2021: 4-4 2019-20: 8-4 2018-19: 7-5 2017-18: 6-5 2016-17: 11-3 2015-16: 4-10 2014-15: 8-8 2013-14: 13-0 2012-13: 9-5 Conference Tournament Placement Big 12 2021-22: 5th 2021: 5th 2019-20: 3rd 2018-19: 3rd 2017-18: 2nd MAC 2016-17: 2nd 2015-16: 5th 2014-15: 6th 2013-14: 2nd 2012-13: 3rd NCAA Tournament Team Placement 2021-22: 20th-tie (28.5 points) 2021: 19th (24.5 points) 2019-20: No Tournament 2018-19: 13th-tie (40.5 points) 2017-18: 24th-tie (20 points) 2016-17: 18th (25.5 points) 2015-16: 25th-tie (17.5 points) 2014-15: 34th (9 points) 2013-14: 15th (40 points) 2012-13: 15th-tie (34 points) Head Coaching History Doug Schwab (2010 - present) Best Lineup (Comprised of wrestlers from 2013-22) 125 - Dylan Peters: 4x NCAA Qualifier (#5 and #9 x2 seeds), 2x NCAA All-American (6th x2), 2014 MAC Champion, 4x MAC finalist 133 - Joe Colon: 2x NCAA Qualifier (#1 and #5 seeds), 2014 NCAA All-American (3rd), 2x Conference Champion 141 - Joey Lazor: 2x NCAA Qualifier (#11 seed), 2014 NCAA All-American (6th), 2x MAC Champion 149 - Max Thomsen: 4x NCAA Qualifier (#7, #9, #13 and #15 seeds), 2017 NCAA All-American (5th), 2x Conference Finalist 157 - David Bonin: 3x NCAA Qualifier, 2013 NCAA All-American (4th), 2013 MAC Champion 165 - Bryce Steiert: 4x NCAA Qualifier (#5 and #11 x2 seeds), 2019 NCAA All-American (8th), 2020 Big 12 Champion 174 - Taylor Lujan: 4x NCAA Qualifier (#1, #7, #8, and #13 seeds), 2020 NWCA First-Team All-American, 3x Conference Champion 184 - Drew Foster: 3x NCAA Qualifier (#6, #8, and #12 seeds), 2019 NCAA Champion, 2x NCAA All-American (1st, 7th), 2x Big 12 Champion 197 - Jacob Holschlag: 2x NCAA Qualifier, 2018 NCAA All-American (5th) 285 - Blaize Cabell: 3x NCAA Qualifier (#7 and #14 seeds), 2015 NCAA Round of 12 Finisher, 2016 MAC Champion Recruiting Number of Big Boarder's Per Year 2022: #29 Cory Land (AL); #70 Wyatt Voelker (IA); #119 Chet Buss (IA) 2021: #91 RJ Weston (GA); #124 Jared Simma (KS); #139 Carson Babcock (IA); #159 Adam Ahrendsen (IA); #193 Conner Thorpe (WI) 2020: #30 Cael Happel (IA); #65 Nevan Snodgrass (OH); #144 Ethan Basile (FL); #146 Dajun Johnson (WI) 2019: #19 Parker Keckeisen (WI); #72 Lance Runyon (IA); #81 Kyle Gollhofer (GA) 2018: #55 Drew Bennett (IA); #59 Michael Blockhus (IA); #86 Kyle Biscoglia (IA); #92 John McConkey (IA) 2017: #91 Keaton Geerts (IA) 2016: #22 Rudy Yates (IL); #45 Carter Isley (IA) 2015: #15 Max Thomsen (IA); #27 Bryce Steiert (IA); #29 Taylor Lujan (GA); #102 Jacob Holschlag (IA); #115 Paden Moore (MN); #123 Jake Schwarm (IA); #127 Isaiah Patton (IA) 2014: #38 Josh Alber (IL); #93 Adarios Jones (IL) For past teams: Air Force American Appalachian State Arizona State Army West Point Binghamton Bloomsburg Brown Bucknell Buffalo Cal Poly Campbell Central Michigan Chattanooga Clarion Cleveland State Columbia Cornell CSU Bakersfield Davidson Drexel Duke Edinboro Franklin & Marshall Gardner-Webb George Mason Harvard Hofstra Illinois Indiana Iowa Iowa State Kent State Lehigh Lock Haven Maryland Michigan Michigan State Minnesota Missouri Navy NC State Nebraska North Carolina North Dakota State Northern Colorado Northern Illinois

Old Dominion 2x All-American Chris Mecate (photo courtesy of Tony Rotundo; WrestlersAreWarriors.com) The summer of international wrestling is kicking into high gear. While that is going on the MMA world continues to turn. This weekend several former collegiate stars are heading into action, and on Tuesday one of the biggest stars in recent memory takes a significant step forward in his MMA career. Friday: PFL 7 2022 Playoffs Josh Silveira vs. Omari Akhmedov After entering the PFL light heavyweight tournament as a late replacement, Silveira has now made his way into the final four. The former Arizona State wrestler will face off against the UFC veteran Akhmedov with a spot in the finals on the line. Silveira signed with the PFL earlier this year and has won his first two fights via stoppage. A win here would set him up for a bout against the winner of Rob Wilkinson and Delan Monte with a million dollars on the line. During his time at Arizona State, Silveira won the 197-pound Pac 12 title and qualified for the NCAA tournament in 2016. Marthin Hamlet vs. Cory Hendricks Hamlet was regular on the Greco-Roman circuit for Norway from 2011 to 2016. He won multiple Nordic Championships at 98 kg, but his best finish was a bronze medal at the 2014 European Championships. Hamlet finished fifth at the Olympic Qualification Tournament for the 2016 Olympics and then decided to focus on MMA. He has gone 3-3 with PFL since joining the promotion last year and is coming off a loss against Silveira. This will be a non-tournament bout against Hendricks. Hendricks has a 2-1 record with PFL and scored a third-round submission over Hamlet last year. Silveira's fight will be part of the main card which airs live on ESPN at 7:00pm ET. Hamlet will compete on the preliminary card, which begins at 6:00pm ET on ESPN+. Friday: LFA 138 Chris Mecate vs. Motaz Askar Mecate wrestled for the now-defunct program at Old Dominion. He was a three-time NCAA qualifier and a two-time All-American. His best finish came in 2016, where he finished fifth at 141 pounds. During his senior season, he picked up wins over the likes of Kevin Jack, Seth Gross and Joey Ward. The former ODU wrestler made his professional MMA debut in 2020. He now holds a 4-1 record, and he will be returning to LFA for the first time since losing in his second pro fight. Mecate will face off against Askar who holds a 3-0 record but has fought only once since 2020. The two fighters will kick off the main card of LFA 138, which is set to air on UFC Fight Pass at 9:00pm ET. Saturday: UFC Vegas 59 Terrance McKinney vs. Erick Gonzalez McKinney was a two-time Washington state champion on the high school level. For college, he split his time between North Idaho and Chadron State. While at Chadron he finished second at the 2016 RMAC conference tournament. He currently holds a 12-4 record as a professional. This will be his first fight back after losing for the first time in the UFC. He should be a heavy favorite against Erick Gonzalez who lost against veteran Jim Miller in his UFC debut last October. This bout will be part of the preliminary card, which is scheduled to start at 7:00pm ET on ESPN. Tuesday: Dana White's Contender Series 6.3 Bo Nickal vs. Zachary Borrego After only one professional fight, Nickal appears to be on the brink of signing with the UFC. He will face off against Borrego, and if he performs well could receive a contract offer from the promotion's president. Nickal won a pair of amateur fights in 2021 before turning professional last June. In his professional debut against John Noland, the former Penn State wrestler scored a 33-second knockout. Borrego is 3-0 as a professional with all of his bouts coming this year under the Fury FC banner. In his last fight, he scored a decision victory over Tommie Britton who fell to 4-9 with the defeat. During his collegiate days at Penn State, Nickal was a four-time finalist and a three-time champion. He then lost to J'den Cox at Final X in 2019 and finished second at the 2020 Olympic Trials. Nickal brought home a gold medal from the 2019 U23 World Championships. The event will air live on UFC Fight Pass starting at 8:00pm ET.

Iowa State head coach Kevin Dresser (photo courtesy of Tony Rotundo; WrestlersAreWarriors.com) Today, the Iowa State Cyclones released their 2022-23 schedule and what a schedule it is! As of now, it features duals against one-third of the top-30 dual teams in the land. That figure will only increase as we don't know who ISU will take on at the Collegiate Duals. The Duals could likely feature two or three more teams of that ilk. In addition to the dual slate, Iowa State will also travel to compete at the Southern Scuffle over New Year's. Iowa State is coming off its finest regular season under the leadership of head coach Kevin Dresser. The Cyclones went 15-1 in dual action with their only loss coming to then-number two Iowa. Iowa State then took third at the Big 12 Championships and put three wrestlers onto the NCAA podium. All three are back in 2022-23 and looking to improve upon that showing. Here's what to look for in Iowa State's 2022-23 lineup. Duals versus 10 teams in InterMat's summer dual rankings :(#2 Iowa, #3 Missouri, #6 Oklahoma State, #8 Arizona State, #10 Wisconsin, #14 Northern Iowa, #18 Pittsburgh, #20 Oklahoma, #23 Illinois, #29 Campbell) Three Big Ten Teams: Illinois, Iowa, Wisconsin Two Pac-12 Teams: Arizona State, Little Rock One ACC Team: Pittsburgh One SoCon Team: Campbell Both of the other DI teams from Iowa: Iowa, Northern Iowa Teams that finished in the top 30 at the 2022 NCAA Championships: #3 Iowa, #4 Arizona State, #9 Missouri, #14 Oklahoma State, #14 Wisconsin, #20 Northern Iowa, #23 Wyoming, #24 Pittsburgh, #25 Illinois, #29 Oklahoma Home Slate: Arizona State, Cal Baptist, Illinois, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, Wyoming Away: Iowa, Missouri, Northern Iowa, Pittsburgh, Utah Valley, West Virginia Neutral Site: Campbell, Grand View, Little Rock, Wisconsin and Collegiate Duals November 5th - Battle in the River City (Little Rock, #29 Campbell, #10 Wisconsin) @ Jacksonville, Florida The Cyclones have an imposing schedule and they don't ease into it as they travel to Florida to take on three non-conference opponents, two of which are ranked. One of the best bouts from the Campbell dual is at the opening weight as Kysen Terukina faces US Open finalist Anthony Molton. There's a chance true freshman Casey Swiderski is in the Cyclone lineup at 141 lbs. If so, he'd get welcomed into DI wrestling by #19 Shannon Hanna. The only other bout where ISU may not be favored against the Camel is at heavyweight as #18 Sam Schuyler faces #13 Taye Ghadiali. The headline dual pits Cyclone alum Chris Bono's Wisconsin team against the Cyclones. This has the makings of a colossal bout at 165 lbs between 2021 NCAA champion David Carr and 2022 Freshman of the Year Dean Hamiti. This is likely Carr's first folkstyle test at the new weight. Wisconsin also has returning AA's at 125 (Eric Barnett), 149 (former Cyclone Austin Gomez), and 285 (Trent Hillger). The 197 lb match has a rematch from Detroit, as Yonger Bastida is set to face Braxton Amos. Bastida prevailed last year, 3-2. November 12th - Cal Baptist Cal Baptist will head into Ames under the direction of first-year head coach Derek Moore. The Lancers are transitioning into DI status and are in the process of building a roster to compete in a conference like the Big 12. November 20th - Grand View @ Humboldt, Iowa This is a fun match with NAIA power Grand View meeting at a neutral site. Humboldt, Iowa is the home of Cyclones head coach Kevin Dresser. Iowa State wrestled Purdue in Humboldt last season. Expect a great environment, as Grand View is certain to have a lineup packed full of Iowa natives. November 26th - Harold Nichols Cyclone Open With a huge dual on the horizon, I wouldn't expect to see many of the Cyclones starters in action at their home, open tournament. This could be a chance to get a glimpse of their second-ranked recruiting class competing unattached. The Cyclone Open may also be the spot to sort out any lingering lineup battles. December 4th - #2 Iowa @ Iowa City, Iowa This is a big one every year, but this time even more so, after the fireworks that ensued during the handshake line after last season's dual. Iowa State's three returning All-Americans will face stiff tests from Iowa with Carr/Patrick Kennedy, Marcus Coleman/Abe Assad, and Bastida/Jacob Warner. The only rematch of the three is at 197 lbs, where Bastida defeated the eventual NCAA runner-up, Warner, 4-2. Iowa continued its dominance of in-state rival Iowa State with a 29-11 team score. The Cyclones rebounded and didn't lose another dual in the 2021-22 season. December 19/20th - Collegiate Duals @ New Orleans, Louisiana As of now, we don't have a full list of teams for the College Duals. It is fun to see the New Orleans location. Last year's event featured pool, dual competition that prevented conference teams or those on each other's schedules from meeting. With that in mind, you could expect ISU to see strong opposition from the ACC, Big Ten, or EIWA. January 1/2nd - Southern Scuffle @ Chattanooga, Tennessee The Southern Scuffle isn't the tournament it was about a decade ago, but it still has a strong field. Expect a mix of ACC and SoCon teams, along with some EIWA and a few Big Ten squads in the mix. January 7th - Wyoming Typically, Mark Branch's Wyoming teams are very tough outs in dual competition. Last year, ISU swarmed the Cowboys in a 32-6 win. Sometimes in college wrestling, dual scores can be deceiving if there are a bunch of close matches that go a certain way. Last year's meeting wasn't one of those, as the Cyclones posts two majors, two falls, and a seven-point decision. The 197 lb bout will be a must-watch between returning All-Americans Bastida and Stephen Buchanan. The pair met three times last season with Buchanan getting one win in sudden victory, another by a single point, and the third with a fall in the closing seconds. January 8th - #8 Arizona State Aside from Iowa, this is Iowa State's marquee out-of-conference matchup. The Sun Devils are coming off back-to-back fourth-place finishes at the NCAA Championships and boast a lineup with five All-Americans. Interestingly enough, none of the team's AA's should hit. The top match from this dual could come at 184 lbs as Coleman takes on Oklahoma State transfer Anthony Montalvo. January 14th - at Utah Valley In the middle of the heavy part of the dual schedule sits a trip to Utah Valley. The Wolverines could have 2021 All-American Demetrius Romero back from injury at 174 lbs. If healthy, he could be a darkhorse finals contender. Before that, he is likely to see #24 Joel Devine. The other possible matchup between returning national qualifiers could take place at 133 lbs with Utah Valley's #20 Haiden Drury taking on #19 Ramazan Attasauov. Though they were in the same weight class last year and Attasauov was third at the conference meet and Drury was fifth; the two have no history together. January 27th - #20 Oklahoma Though they are conference rivals, there won't be much familiarity with this Oklahoma team, as their 2022-23 lineup should look much different than last year's version. This Sooner squad could feature three transfers (Wyatt Henson - 133; Mosha Schwart - 141; Gerrit Nijenhuis - 165), all of which made for interesting matches with ISU. Setting the tone for this match are the 125's Terukina and Joey Prata. The Sooner took their last meeting by one point. On the opposite end of the lineup, Schuyler took two matches from Josh Heindselman, by identical 5-3 scores. January 29th - #6 Oklahoma State Once again, Terukina will be front and center at this dual. He'll have #11 Trevor Mastrogiovanni, who split matches with him a year ago. We've heard that OSU could have some weight shifting going on, so if Travis Wittlake indeed bumps up to 184, it'll set up a good match between past AA's with Coleman. That could slide top-recruit Kyle Haas to 197 against Bastida. By the time of this match, I'd expect freshmen #18 Victor Voinovich and #25 Paniro Johnson to both be higher than their current ranking. If so, this could be a preview of the conference semifinals. February 3rd - at West Virginia It sounds like a broken record, but Terukina is the guy to watch here. That's what happens when you're in a conference that sent eight wrestlers to nationals. 2022 Big 12 champion Killian Cardinale is WVU's stud at this weight. Even though Terukina had to rely on an at-large berth for his trip to Detroit, he did down Cardinale in dual action. The Mountaineers other star, 2022 All-American Peyton Hall, is at a strong weight for Iowa State. He'll face Carr. February 4th - at #18 Pittsburgh A day after facing Big 12 rival West Virginia, Iowa State will make the short drive north to take on non-conference opponent Pittsburgh. The Panthers boast the preseason #1 141 lber in Cole Matthews, who will be a handful for Swiderski, Zach Redding, or whoever is at the weight for the Cyclones. Fans should be in for a treat at 197 lbs, as two of the best offensive threats for the weight class will square off with Bastida and 2021 NCAA finalist Nino Bonaccorsi. With longtime starter Micky Phillippi at 133 and three strong transfers at the middle/upperweights, Pitt will be a tough out for Iowa State and most other teams. February 10th - at #14 Northern Iowa This contest between in-state foes ended up being one of the more exciting duals of the 2021-22 season. In a dual that featured four lead changes, Iowa State prevailed 16-15. We'll have to see what UNI does at 125, as Brody Teske is in the portal and possibly going up to 133. Carr's move to 165 sets up a date with #13 Austin Yant, a Big 12 third-place finisher a year ago. Also another edition of Coleman versus Parker Keckiesen, a battle between two returning AA's. Keckeisen went 2-0 against his Iowa State counterpart last year. February 12th - #23 Illinois With the Big Ten schedule presumably in the rearview, Illinois travels to Iowa State for a clash with the Cyclones. The Fighting Illini's best grappler is their 133 lber, Lucas Byrd, now a two-time All-American. 184 lbs will present an interesting rematch. Though the Illinis' Zac Bruanagel did not place at nationals, he did pin Yonger Bastida along the way. At 174 lber, Illinois has a new promising face in Edmond Ruth, a 2021 champion at the MatMen Open. He starts the year ranked #16 at the weight, a few slots ahead of Devine. February 16th - @ #3 Missouri The Cyclones close out the dual season with a huge match against Mizzou. Iowa State had an undefeated Big 12 dual record last year, punctuated by a 17-16 win over the Tigers on the final weekend of the regular season. This dual could have one of the most anticipated matches from the entire regular season as Carr and Keegan O'Toole could meet in a bout between past national champions. At 197 lbs, Bastida prevailed in sudden victory during the dual and Big 12's, but Rocky Elam returned the favor at nationals. The Tiger also will have the service of two-time All-American Brock Mauller, who redshirted the 2021-22 campaign. Mauller could match up with Johnson at 149. With any luck, we'll be treated to rematches from the 2022 dual at 125, 133, 174, and 285, as both starters are expected back on both sides. February 19th - Last Chance Open @ Ames, Iowa Iowa State's famous (or infamous) Last Chance Open will give Cyclone or any other wrestlers a chance to meet minimum match requirements for NCAA automatic qualification. March 4/5th - Big 12 Championships @ Tulsa, Oklahoma After an excellent regular season, Iowa State settled for third place at the 2022 Big 12 Championships, behind Missouri and Oklahoma. While coach Dresser and crew will focus mainly on peaking for NCAA's, I'm sure they'd like a better showing at the conference meet this year. Once again, competition for that top spot will be intense as Missouri and Oklahoma State start the year ahead of the Cyclones in tournament rankings.

3x NCAA champion Jason Nolf (photo courtesy of Tony Rotundo; WrestlersAreWarriors.com) In the offseason, we've done a variety of looks back in time at past recruiting classes. Recently, InterMat dove in to decide which "class" of wrestlers performed best in college. Earlier, we did our usual re-ranking of recruiting classes, five years after the fact. Today, we're taking a different approach. We looked at each of the 14 current Big Ten teams and tried to determine their best recruiting classes in the ten-year cycle of graduated classes (2007-16). That means we didn't consider any classes from 2017 and on, since some or all of a respective school's recruits may still be competing. Below are each of the 14 Big Ten teams, listed alphabetically, along with their top class and notables from that group. Each school also has a "runner-up" listed, another great class that deserved to be mentioned. Illinois Class of 2008 Notables: #13 Jordan Blanton, #53 Conrad Polz, #105 BJ Futrell The skinny: There's nothing wrong with getting three multi-time All-Americans in the same recruiting class. Blanton, Polz, and Futrell combined to AA seven times, but it's realistic to think they could've done much more. Polz was besieged by injuries during his first few seasons and Futrell was a national title contender before missing his final year because of an injury. Blanton was a consistent force finishing top-five at B1G's every year and placing three times in a brutal weight. Others: #171 Pat Walker Runner-Up: The 2013 class wasn't huge, but did include Isaiah Martinez, who went on to have a legendary career in Champaign. He was the first undefeated freshman since Cael Sanderson and a four-time finalist. Indiana Class of 2009 Notables: #46 Ryan LeBlanc, NR Adam Chalfant The skinny: The highest ranked wrestler of this class, Ryan LeBlanc, went on to have a fine career that included three trips to nationals. In his final appearance, LeBlanc finished a match shy of All-American status. Though unranked at the time, this class featured Adam Chalfant, who made the 2014 Big Ten finals (their most recent conference finalist) and had the highest NCAA seed (3rd) dating back to 2010. Chalfant went on to take sixth at the 2014 national tournament. Others: #57 Max Ortega Runner-Up: The 2010 group is the most decorated Hoosier recruiting class in some time, featuring four top-100 recruits. #66 Taylor Walsh went on to make the NCAA finals for Indiana, but the rest of the class featured only one other eventual national qualifier (Joe Duca). Iowa Class of 2012 Notables: #16 Thomas Gilman, #20 Sam Brooks, #23 Cory Clark, #41 Alex Meyer The skinny: Four All-Americans is remarkable for a single recruiting class. Gilman likely would have been a four-time AA; had it not been for Cory Clark at his weight class in 2014. Those two combined to make four NCAA finals and Clark came away with a title as a senior. The only multiple-time Big Ten champion of the group was Brooks, who AA'ed his final two years. Meyer qualified for nationals in each of his last two years, taking eighth as a junior and making the Round of 12 as a senior. Others: #15 Nate Skonieczny, #198 Connor Ryan Runner-Up: You can make an argument for the 2009 class that featured national champions Derek St. John and Tony Ramos. The two combined for seven All-American honors and got to four NCAA finals. Maryland Class of 2009 Notable: #79 Jimmy Sheptock If we were to do this exercise again, five years from now, the Terps Class of 2021 would certainly be the leader. After redshirting most of the key players, it appears to be a group that could turn the Maryland program around. But looking back, we'll go with the 2009 class that mainly focuses on Jimmy Sheptock. Every time Sheptock was in the lineup for the postseason, he came away with an ACC title. Sheptock made the national podium on two occasions, highlighted by an NCAA runner-up finish as a senior, after he was given the #1 seed. Runner-Up: The previous class (2008) featured a two-time All-American, Josh Asper, along with Corey Peltier, who won the ACC as a junior. Michigan Class of 2013 Notables: #2 Adam Coon, #19 Domenic Abouander, #33 Brian Murphy, #114 George Fisher The skinny: The top-two ranked wrestlers in this class jumped into the Wolverine lineup right away and became contenders for their entire careers. Coon went on to finish in the top-three three times at nationals, including two national finals. While Abounader finally got on the podium as a senior, he was seeded ninth or better all four years in Ann Arbor. Murphy earned All-American honors during his junior season and battled through injuries as a senior. Fisher made the national tournament in 2015. Others: #99 Payne Hayden, #183 Cameron Kennedy Runner-Up: The 2007 class included two-time NCAA champion Kellen Russell but didn't have the depth like the 2013 class. Michigan State Class of 2009 Notables: #58 Mike McClure The skinny: The Spartans kept Senior National runner-up Mike McClure in-state and he really blossomed as a junior/senior. McClure was seeded eighth at nationals as a junior, but did not place. As a senior, in 2014, McClure took fifth at 285 lbs. Runner-Up: The 2007 class had a pair of recruits that were consistent performers for MSU in Anthony Jones and Ian Hinton. Minnesota Class of 2010 Notables: #15 Dylan Ness, #20 Nick Dardanes, #78 Scott Schiller, #81 Chris Dardanes The skinny: The Golden Gophers have been pretty consistent with a very productive guy or two in almost all ten recruiting classes. The 2010 class was an integral part of Minnesota teams that finished second in the Big Ten and NCAA on two occasions. These four combined to earn All-American honors ten times and two Big Ten titles (Ness and Chris Dardanes), along with five conference finals appearances. All but Nick Dardanes each got onto the podium at least three times; Ness was the only four-timer. Others: #57 Tyler Lehmann, #137 Seth Lange Runner-Up: The 2009 class is comparable with two-time national champion Tony Nelson leading the way. David Thorn, Kevin Steinhaus, and Danny Zilverberg were AA's at least one time. Nebraska Class of 2016 Notables: #6 Chad Red Jr, #30 Eric Schultz, #99 Taylor Venz The skinny: Because of the Covid year, these three had five years to pad their stats. Red Jr. had one of the most unusual careers, as he suffered his share of losses in the regular season, but shined at the NCAA Tournament, with three podium appearances. Schultz made the finals of the last three Big Ten tournaments, and was seeded in the top-three three times at nationals, before breaking into the All-American ranks in 2022. Venz was fourth in the country as a redshirt freshman and was a Round of 12 finisher three times after that. All three were named NWCA first-team All-Americans in 2020. Additionally, Luke Weber had a very good career, though the bulk of his success (Big 12 title) came for North Dakota State. Others: #9 Beau Breske, #126 Johnny Blankenship, #145 Luke Weber Runner-Up: The 2011 class featured four-time All-American James Green, along with perennial contender Jake Sueflohn (never an All-American), and Austin Wilson, who AA'ed as a senior. Donny Longendyke was also a DIII national champion for Augsburg. You could make a case for this group. Northwestern Class of 2016 Notables: #46 Sebastian Rivera, #95 Ryan Deakin The skinny: Seeing how both of their collegiate careers played out, it's a bit surprising to see each with a low (relatively speaking) ranking coming out of high school. Each Rivera and Deakin earned the #1 seed at the NCAA Tournament on two occasions. Rivera finished with a pair of Big Ten titles for Northwestern, while Deakin had three. Deakin was an undefeated national champion in 2022, his third time on the podium. Rivera had four. Both could have padded their stats had they been able to compete at nationals in 2022. Each were favorites in their respective weight classes. Even though Rivera finished at Rutgers, he did more than enough at Northwestern to impact their recruiting class. Others: #130 Shayne Oster Runner-Up: The 2010 class was ranked highly at the time due to four top-50 signees. While the entire class didn't pan out as expected, Mike McMullan was a national title contender for all four years. Pierce Harger was an under-the-radar recruit that gave the Wildcats two AA's from 2010. Ohio State Class of 2013 Notables: #1 Bo Jordan, #10 Nathan Tomasello The skinny: Of all of the Big Ten schools, this was probably the most difficult to determine. You could probably make an argument for two or three other classes. That's how well Tom Ryan and staff have recruited. Jordan and Tomasello both redshirted and were integral parts of the Buckeye's only national title-winning team in 2015. That year, Jordan was a conference runner-up and third at nationals. Tomasello won the first of his four B1G crowns and a national title. Both would get on the national podium four times and only once lower than third. Others: None Runner-Up: 2011, 2014, and 2015 all have their strong points. 2011 had three All-Americans, though the group lost steam as their careers progressed (generally). 2014 had Kyle Snyder and Micah Jordan. Myles Martin and Kollin Moore were the headliners from 2015. Arguing over which of the four recruiting classes turned out the best is the definition of "first-world problems." Penn State Class of 2014 Notables: #4 Jason Nolf, #5 Nick Nevills, #7 Bo Nickal, #43 Shakur Rasheed, NR Anthony Cassar The skinny: Three NCAA champions in a single recruiting class is simply absurd. The same can be said for five All-Americans. Nolf and Nickal both made four NCAA finals and won in each of their final three seasons. Nickal captured the Hodge Trophy, but Nolf is one of the best not to have won in the last decade. Rasheed and Cassar weren't four-year starters/qualifiers, but had a major impact, while in the lineup. Nevills was third in the Big Ten and a two-time All-American, until he was usurped by Cassar. Others: #90 Gary Dinmore Runner-Up: It's hard to believe that the Nittany Lions Class of 2019, featuring David Taylor and Ed Ruth isn't the winner here. You could say that that duo may have been more important setting the foundation to be able to sign a class like 2014. Purdue Class of 2016 Notables: #12 Griffin Parriott, #60 Christian Brunner, #104 Devin Schroder The skinny: This group was incredibly productive for Purdue head coach Tony Ersland and was the foundation for a squad that finished fifth at the Big Ten Championships in 2020. Unfortunately, we didn't get to see the NCAA Tournament that year, as a couple of these Boilermakers had a shot to make the national podium. Schroder was seeded fifth and Brunner sixth. Both also made the NCAA bloodround once in their careers. Parriott rounds out the trio with three trips to nationals under his belt. Altogether, these three qualified 10 times. Others: #28 Shawn Streck, #140 Kobe Woods Runner-Up: The 2009 class featured a pair of homegrown lightweights that proved to be mainstays in the Boilermaker lineup, Cashe Quiroga and Camden Eppert. Quiroga was a 2010 NCAA semifinalist and a sixth-place finisher. Rutgers Class of 2013 Notables: #8 Anthony Ashnault, #56 Tyson Dippery, #193 Nick Gravina The skinny: The big one here is Ashnault, who finished a legendary high school career in New Jersey and stayed home to become the face of the Scarlet Knights program. Ashnault didn't disappoint with a career that included four All-American honors and an undefeated, national-title-winning season as a senior, in 2019. Gravina ended up going to nationals four times and finishing a match away from the podium, in 2017, while Dippery qualified once. At the end of the day, it's all about Ashnault's impact on the program. Others: #107 Taylor Jackson, #185 Corey Stasenko Runner-Up: The 2008 class was important from an intangible perspective as it helped a young coach Scott Goodale set a foundation for future recruiting success. Don't overlook the Class of 2011, which was rather odd. It included a pair of wrestlers that later went on to AA at other schools (#54 Steven Rodrigues and #83 Earl Hall). Billy Smith was an anchor at the end of the Scarlet Knight lineup and Anthony Perrotti was a two-time AA that was the first for Goodale's tenure. Wisconsin Class of 2008 Notables: #6 Tyler Graff, #11 Andrew Howe, #48 Ben Jordan, #52 Cole Schmitt, #68 Travis Rutt The skinny: This class was ranked #1 by some publications at the time and it's held up well over the years as its recruits delivered on the mat. Howe jumped into the lineup right away and won the first of his three Big Ten titles and made the national finals. A year later, he'd win NCAA's. Graff was a key figure in some incredible 133 lb weight classes. Even so, he was never lower than fifth and made the NCAA finals as a senior. Add in All-Americans Ben Jordan and Travis Rutt and you have an extremely productive bunch. Schmitt was also productive and a multi-time qualifier. Others: #111 Trey Bertram, #126 Tom Kelliher Runner-Up: For the era observed, none of the Badger classes really stack up to 08. The 2012 class that featured #27 Isaac Jordan and #35 Ryan Taylor is the only other that featured more than one future All-American. The Class of 2011 had #62 Conor Medberry and #4 Jesse Thielke; however, Thielke's impact was more felt on the Greco side than in college.

2022 U17 Greco-Roman World Champion Joel Adams (photo courtesy of Kadir Caliskan; UWW) Team USA recently wrapped up an overwhelmingly successful trip to the Cadet (U17) World Championships. Across the three Olympic styles, the team brought back five gold medals and 14 overall medals. The following looks at some of the best statistical performances and where the team separated itself from the world. Across all three styles, Team USA outscored their opposition 562 to 326 in terms of match points. The biggest difference came in men's freestyle where the squad scored 332 points and allowed only 101 points. The women's freestyle team also edged their competition overall with a 142 to 134 advantage. The Greco team finished with fewer points across their combined matches as their opponents outscored them 91 to 86. While it is harder to jump on an opponent early in the two-minute periods of UWW's Cadet level, Team USA did do a fair share of their scoring in the first period. 298 of their 562 points came in the opening period, while opponents managed to score only 162 first-period points. Of the 562 points scored by Team USA, 358 of those points were scored via takedowns while 133 points came via exposures. Exposures in this case include all points with turns in par terre as well as neutral exposures such as head pinches and crotch lifts. The odd number is the result of Joel Adams' five-point throw in Greco, but there will be more on that later. Once again men's freestyle led the way with 214 points coming with takedowns and another 76 coming via exposures. The differences between folkstyle and the international styles of wrestling are often most evident in terms of mat wrestling. While there are some similarities between folkstyle ground wrestling and par terre, there is often a learning curve for those who come up wrestling folkstyle. Despite this, men's freestyle and women's freestyle did a solid job of defending against exposure points. The same can't be said for the Greco team. Nearly half of the points allowed by Team USA in the style were exposures, and they were the only team to allow more points on exposures than they scored. On the individual side, Koy Hopke scored the most match points on the team with 56. He won the title at 110kg in freestyle and averaged 12 points per match. However, Hopke was at a bit of an advantage over his teammates considering he competed in multiple styles. 48 of his points came on his march to the title in freestyle, but he also added eight points in Greco where he finished eighth. As far as competitors in only one style, Joe Sealey was the leading competitor for Team USA. He scored 55 points on his way to the title at 71kg. Sealey allowed only one point across his five matches. That one point was a step out early in the second period of his match against Alisher Zholdasbay (Kazakhstan). Sealey would go on to win the match by a 12-1 score. 36 of his 55 points came on takedowns, and he added another 14 points via exposures. On the Greco side, the clear standout performer was Adams. He not only brought home a gold medal at 65kg, but he also accomplished this without surrendering a single point. Adams outscored his opposition 36-0. Interestingly enough, he was able to put points on the board despite only being awarded top position via passivity in two of his matches. At the highest level, Greco matches often come down to par terre. However, Adams scored 18 of his points via takedowns, which was far and away the most of the U.S. Greco team. Cody Merrill finished second with 10 points off takedowns. When it comes to scoring in par terre, the top two performers on Team USA were Shelby Moore and Jax Forrest. Moore finished fifth at 57kg thanks in part to her work with the leg lace. She scored 16 points in par terre with 14 coming via the leg lace. She scored via the technique at least once in three of her five matches and racked up six points with the hold against both Alina Filipovych (Ukraine) and Michalina Ignaszak (Poland). Forrest was also able to score 16 points via exposures on his way to finishing second at 55kg. His long and lanky frame was clearly an asset from the top position as 10 of those 16 points came on gut wrenches. Forrest also added another four points with crotch lifts and two with a cradle.