InterMat Staff

2022 Big Ten Male Athlete of the Year Gable Steveson (photo courtesy of Tony Rotundo; WrestlersAreWarriors.com) ROSEMONT, Ill. - University of Minnesota wrestling heavyweight Gable Steveson has been named the 2021-22 Big Ten Jesse Owens Male Athlete of the Year, as the conference announced on Wednesday morning. Steveson becomes just the fifth Golden Gopher to be named as the Big Ten's top male athlete in the 41-year history of the award, joining John Roethlisberger (gymnastics, 1993), Jordan Leopold (hockey, 2002), Damion Hahn (wrestling, 2004), and Cole Konrad (wrestling, 2007). He is also the 13th wrestler to ever win the award, as Minnesota joins Iowa for the most Big Ten Male Athlete of the Year award recipients among conference wrestling programs with three (3). Steveson showcased yet another dominant performance throughout the 2021-22 campaign as he captured his third-straight undefeated season with an 18-0 record and won his second NCAA title. Steveson also became a three-time Big Ten champion this past season and was named the Dan Hodge Trophy winner for the second time in his career, becoming the first heavyweight in the history of collegiate wrestling to earn the prestigious honor multiple times. "It is a great honor for Gable to be chosen as Big Ten Male Athlete of the Year among many other remarkable athletes," said Minnesota wrestling head coach Brandon Eggum. "He is such a great representative for the University of Minnesota, our program, and the sport of wrestling. We could not be more proud of his accomplishments." The Apple Valley, Minn., native closed out his career with one of the more decorated careers in the history of the sport, and is perhaps the greatest wrestler to even don the Maroon & Gold. Steveson closed out his career with an 85-2 record (.977), including a 52-match win streak to close out his career, and holds the highest winning percentage in the history of the program. He was the sixth multiple-time NCAA champion and the eighth three-time Big Ten champion in the history of the program. He is the only Gopher to win multiple Dan Hodge Trophies, and also won the 125kg Olympic Gold in Tokyo last summer with a dramatic win over Georgia's Geno Petriashvili. Steveson graduated this past May with a Bachelor's degree in Communications and Business.

3x NCAA All-American Ian Miller (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...Kent State! 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 NCAA Qualifiers (36) 2022 149: Kody Komara (#28); 184: Colin McCracken (#32) 2021 125: Jake Ferri (#20); 149: Kody Komara (#29); 174: Andrew McNally (#6); 197: Colin McCracken (#29) 2020 133: Tim Rooney (#13); 174: Andrew McNally (#21) 2019 133: Tim Rooney (#28); 184: Andrew McNally (#17) 2018 133: Anthony Tutolo; 157: Casey Sparkman; 197: Kyle Conel; 285: Stephen Suglio 2017 133: Anthony Tutolo; 157: Casey Sparkman 2016 133: Mackenzie McGuire (#9); 149: Michael DePalma (#10); 157: Ian Miller (#4); 165: Tyler Buckwalter; 197: Kyle Conel (#16) 2015 133: Mackenzie McGuire (#16); 141: Tyler Small; 149: Michael DePalma; 157: Ian Miller (#7); 285: Mimmo Lytle 2014 133: Mackenzie McGuire; 149: Michael DePalma; 157: Ian Miller (#4); 174: Caleb Marsh 2013 125: Steve Mitcheff; 133: Mackenzie McGuire; 165: Caleb Marsh; 174: Sam Wheeler; 184: Casey Newburg; 197: Dustin Kilgore (#1) NCAA Champions None NCAA All-Americans 2018: Kyle Conel (197 - 3rd) 2016: Michael DePalma (149 - 5th); Ian Miller (157 - 6th) 2015: Ian Miller (157 - 5th) 2014: Ian Miller (157 - 4th) 2013: Dustin Kilgore (197 - 2nd) NCAA Round of 12 Finishers 2021: Andrew McNally (174) MAC Champions 2022: Kody Komara (149) 2021: Andrew McNally (174) 2020: Tim Rooney (133) 2016: Michael DePalma (149) 2015: Ian Miller (157) 2014: Ian Miller (157) 2013: Dustin Kilgore (197) Dual Record 2021-22: 7-7 2021: 4-3 2019-20: 6-12 2018-19: 7-15 2017-18: 13-9 2016-17: 2-15 2015-16: 15-3 2014-15: 8-13 2013-14: 11-13 2012-13: 10-6 MAC Tournament Placement 2021-22: 7th 2021: 8th 2019-20: 9th 2018-19: 8th 2017-18: 4th 2016-17: 9th 2015-16: 4th 2014-15: 4th 2013-14: 6th 2012-13: 4th NCAA Tournament Team Placement 2021-22: 56th-tie (1 point) 2021: 44th-tie (5.5 points) 2019-20: No Tournament 2018-19: 56th-tie (0.5 points) 2017-18: 22nd-tie (21 points) 2016-17: 62nd-tie (0.5 points) 2015-16: 16th (28.5 points) 2014-15: 62nd-tie (0.5 points) 2013-14: 29th-tie (13.5 points) 2012-13: 24th (20 points) Head Coaching History Jim Andrassy (2003-Present) Best Lineup (Comprised of wrestlers from 2013-22) 125 - Steve Mitcheff: 2013 NCAA Qualifier; 2013 MAC Runner-Up 133 - Mackenzie McGuire: 4x NCAA Qualifier (#9 and #16 seeds) 141 - Tyler Small: 3x NCAA Qualifier (#12 seed); 2x MAC Finalist; 2012 MAC Champion 149 - Michael DePalma: 3x NCAA Qualifier (#10 seed); 2016 NCAA 5th Place, 2016 MAC Champion 157 - Ian Miller: 4x NCAA Qualifier (#4 x2, #5, #7 seeds); 3x NCAA All-American (4th, 5th, 6th); 3x MAC Champion 165 - Caleb Marsh: 2x NCAA Qualifier 174 - Andrew McNally: 3x NCAA Qualifier (#6 and #17 seeds); 2021 NCAA Round of 12 finisher; 2021 MAC Champion, 3x MAC Finalist 184 - Dustin Kilgore: 4x NCAA Qualifier; 2011 NCAA Champion; 3x NCAA All-American (2nd, 1st, 7th); 4x MAC Champion 197 - Kyle Conel: 2x NCAA Qualifier; 2018 NCAA 3rd Place; 2018 MAC Runner-Up 285 - Stephen Suglio: 2018 NCAA Qualifier; 2018 MAC 3rd Place Recruiting Big Boarder's Per Year 2021: #28 Enrique Munguia (OH); #257 Aidan Faria (RI); #272 Casey Wiles (OH) 2016: #62 Jack Harris (OH) 2015: #129 Jarred Granger (OH); #137 Jake Newhouse (OH) 2014: #67 Anthony Tutolo (OH); #99 Kyle Conel (OH); #111 Casey Sparkman (OH); #148 Sam Breese (PA) 2013: #79 Jonas Guytan (CA); #116 Travis Gusan (OH)

#15 seeded Ronnie Perry in the 2018 NCAA Semifinals (photo courtesy of Sam Janicki; SJanickiPhoto.com) Every year there are a number of wrestlers that fans look to be potential dark horses to make the podium. While there are sometimes easy choices, such as Cody Brewer in 2015, most of them can be surprising and take some interesting circumstances to get there. I went back and looked at the past ten tournaments and charted every wrestler that became an All-American as a 13 seed or lower. There were a total of 98 wrestlers, which means on average there are nearly ten wrestlers a year that upset the bracket. For some context, of the 98 total wrestlers to accomplish this feat, there are six that did it multiple times. Cody Brewer in 2014/2015, Zeke Moisey in 2015/2018, Conor Youtsey in 2015/2016, Willie Miklus in 2015/2016, Chip Ness in 2018/2019, and Chad Red in 2018/2019. Also, there were some changes to the seeding criteria over the years that I wanted to mention. Up until 2013, the committee seeded the top 12 wrestlers. Then, from 2014-2018, they seeded the top 16. Finally, starting in 2019, all 33 wrestlers were seeded, which is still the system in place right now. On average, the number of dark horses from the 2014-2018 period was much higher than the other periods at 12.4%. With 2019 and 2022 hovering around 5%, (also noting that 2020 NCAA's were canceled and 2021 was a unique year with a shortened season), it appears that the system of seeding all 33 wrestlers makes the path to dark horse finish much harder. 2018 was the most volatile year overall, with surprise AA's at 9 of 10 weights. Below are the totals and percentages for each year. I also wanted to look at the variance in these All-American upsets across the 10 different weight classes. This result actually surprised me somewhat. I expected a lot less of these upsets at the heavier weights compared to the lighter weights. Heavyweight itself had the lowest number of successful dark horses, but 133lbs had the second-lowest number of dark horses. Heavyweight actually had seven years without any surprise All-Americans, with everyone on the podium being seeded 12 or higher. 125lbs, 141lbs, and 149lbs were the most volatile, with all three having more than 13 dark horses make the podium. The most consistently surprising weight was 141lbs, with at least one significant upset every year. There were also a few seasons with surprising pockets of these dark horses. For example, in 2015 at 184lbs half of the AA's were lower than a 13 seed. Another variable I wanted to explore was the eligibility/year in school of the wrestlers. The eligibility spread was surprisingly even outside of freshmen. Juniors had the most success in making these upsets. This really shows that making the podium as a freshman is rare, especially when combining it with the redshirt data. Only six true freshmen made the podium as a 13 seed or lower in 10 years. That doesn't change a ton with a redshirt, however, as only 13 freshmen were able to AA after their redshirt year. Career long though redshirts had much more success, with 83% of dark horses having taken a redshirt at some point in their career. Next, I wanted to explore which conferences had the most of these dark horses. Somewhat unsurprisingly, the Big 10 had the most dark horse All-Americans. The Big 12 was close though, with both conferences having a significant lead over the rest. The ACC, in third with 14, was closely followed by the MAC and EIWA both having eight each. There were nine wrestlers that made it from conferences that no longer exist. Additionally, Eastern Michigan, Old Dominion, and Fresno State all had a surprise All-American before their programs were cut. It is hard to tell if any of this data points to a magic formula that can predict success for underdogs in future tournaments. Many of the statistics could be predicted such as the conferences that had the most and the eligibility year as well. These may just point to common trends in the success we see from both experience and more competitive conferences. However, seeing the breakdown by weight and tournament year begs the question if there are trends in the data that point to a way more of these upsets could occur in the future. Because of some continued COVID effects on the 2022 season, I am curious to see which wrestlers in lower seeds end up making the podium in 2023. Having all 33 wrestlers seeded by the committee seems to really make an impact on the data and the number of dark horse guys able to accomplish AA status. I plan to look at more of this data closer to tournament time to try and find some dark horse AA's for 2023.

2021 NCAA champion David Carr (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...Iowa State! 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 NCAA Qualifiers (65) 2022 125: Kysen Terukina (#26); 133: Ramazan Attasauov (#24); 141: Ian Parker (#13); 149: Jarrett Degen (#17); 157: David Carr (#1); 174: Joel Devine (#24); 184: Marcus Coleman (#8); 197: Yonger Bastida (#10); 285: Sam Schuyler (#24) 2021 125: Kysen Terukina (#33); 133: Zach Redding (#13); 141: Ian Parker (#7); 149: Jarrett Degen (#18); 157: David Carr (#3); 184: Sam Colbray (#29); 197: Marcus Coleman (#21); 285: Gannon Gremmel (#6) 2020 125: Alex Mackall (#12); 133: Todd Small (#24); 141: Ian Parker (#4); 149: Jarrett Degen (#8); 157: David Carr (#3); 165: Chase Straw (#31); 174: Sam Colbray (#13); 184: Marcus Coleman (#23); 285: Gannon Gremmel (#11) 2019 125: Alex Mackall (#19); 133: Austin Gomez (#13); 141: Ian Parker (#17); 149: Jarrett Degen (#8); 157: Chase Straw (#23); 174: Marcus Coleman (#21); 184: Sam Colbray (#10); 197: Willie Miklus (#6): 285: Gannon Gremmel (#25) 2018 149: Jarrett Degen 2017 133: Earl Hall (#13); 174: Lelund Weatherspoon (#14); 197: Marcus Harrington 2016 125: Kyle Larson; 133: Earl Hall (#8); 165: Tanner Weatherman (#9); 174: Lelund Weatherspoon; 184: Dane Pestano; 197: Patrick Downey 2015 133: Earl Hall (#6): 141: Dante Rodriguez; 149: Gabe Moreno (#9); 165: Michael Moreno (#2); 174: Tanner Weatherman (#13); 184: Lelund Weatherspoon; 197: Kyven Gadson (#3) 2014 125: Earl Hall; 141: Gabe Moreno; 165: Michael Moreno (#8); 174: Tanner Weatherman (#12); 184: Lelund Weatherspoon; 197: Kyven Gadson (#5) 2013 141: Luke Goettl; 149: Max Mayfield; 165: Michael Moreno; 174: Tanner Weatherman; 184: Boaz Beard; 197: Kyven Gadson (#6); 285: Matt Gibson NCAA Champions David Carr (157 - 2021) Kyven Gadson (197 - 2015) NCAA All-Americans 2022: David Carr (157 - 3rd); Marcus Coleman (184 - 7th); Yonger Bastida (197 - 5th) 2021: David Carr (157 - 1st); Gannon Gremmel (285 - 5th) 2019: Jarrett Degen (149 - 7th); Willie Miklus (197 - 6th) 2016: Earl Hall (133 - 7th); Lelund Weatherspoon (174 - 6th); Patrick Downey (197 - 5th) 2015: Kyven Gadson (197 - 1st) 2014: Earl Hall (125 - 8th); Michael Moreno (165 - 5th); Kyven Gadson (197 - 4th) 2013: Michael Moreno (165 - 6th); Kyven Gadson (197 - 6th); Matt Gibson (285 - 8th) NWCA All-Americans Alex Mackall (125 - Second Team) Ian Parker (141 - First Team) Jarrett Degen (149 - First Team) David Carr (157 - First Team) Gannon Gremmel (285 - Second Team) NCAA Round of 12 Finishers Austin Gomez (2019 - 133) Sam Colbray (2019 - 184) Jarrett Degen (2018 - 149) Tanner Weatherman (2013/174, 2014/174, 2016/165) Earl Hall (2015 - 133) Michael Moreno (2015 - 165) Big 12 Champions 2022: David Carr (157) 2021: David Carr (157); Gannon Gremmel (285) 2020: Ian Parker (141); David Carr (157) 2019: Chase Straw (157) 2016: Lelund Weatherspoon (174) 2015: Kyven Gadson (197) 2014: Lelund Weatherspoon (174); Kyven Gadson (197) 2013: Kyven Gadson (197) Dual Record 2021-22: 16-1 2021: 9-3 2019-20: 10-5 2018-19: 10-4 2017-18: 8-10 2016-17: 1-12 2015-16: 10-6 2014-15: 11-2 2013-14: 9-7 2012-13: 11-5 Big 12 Tournament Placement 2021-22: 3rd 2021: 3rd 2019-20: 2nd 2018-19: 2nd 2017-18: 7th 2016-17: 6th 2015-16: 3rd 2014-15: 2nd 2013-14: 3rd 2012-13: 2nd NCAA Tournament Team Placement 2021-22: 17th (37 points) 2021: 13th (37.5 points) 2019-20: No Tournament 2018-19: 16th (32 points) 2017-18: 45th (3 points) 2016-17: 57th (1 point) 2015-16: 12th (35 points) 2014-15: 14th (39 points) 2013-14: 12th (42 points) 2012-13: 11th (41.5 points) Head Coaching History Kevin Dresser (2017-Present) Kevin Jackson (2011-2017) Best Lineup (comprised of wrestlers from 2013-22) 125 - Earl Hall: 4x NCAA Qualifier (#6, #8 and #13th seeds), 2x NCAA All-American (8th, 7th), 2x Big 12 Runner-Up 133 - Austin Gomez: 2019 NCAA Qualifier (#13 seed), 2019 NCAA Round of 12 finisher 141 - Ian Parker: 4x NCAA Qualifier (#4, #7, #13, and #17 seeds), 2020 Big 12 Champion 149 - Jarrett Degen: 5x NCAA Qualifier (#8 x2, #17, and #18 seeds), 2019 NCAA All-American (7th) 157 - David Carr: 3x NCAA Qualifier (#1 and #3x2 seeds), 2021 NCAA Champion, 2x NCAA All-American (3rd, 1st), 3x Big 12 Champion 165 - Michael Moreno: 3x NCAA Qualifier (#2 and #8 seeds), 2x NCAA All-American (5th and 6th), 2x Big 12 Runner-Up 174 - Lelund Weatherspoon: 4x NCAA Qualifier (#14 seed), 2016 NCAA 6th place, 2x Big 12 Champion 184 - Marcus Coleman: 4x NCAA Qualifier (#8 seed), 2022 NCAA 7th Place 197 - Kyven Gadson: 3x NCAA Qualifier (#3, #5, and #6 seeds), 2015 NCAA Champion, 3x NCAA All-American (1st, 4th, 6th), 3x Big 12 Champion 285 - Gannon Gremmel: 3x NCAA Qualifier (#6 and #11 seeds), 2021 NCAA 5th place, 2021 Big 12 Champion Recruiting Number of Big Boarder's Per Year 2022: #3 Casey Swiderski (MI); #14 MJ Gaitan (CA); #19 Manny Rojas (MI); #77 Connor Euton (OH); #85 Ethan Perryman (CA); #206 Evan Frost (IA); #224 Jacob Frost (IA) 2021: #31 Nate Schon (PA); #45 Paniro Johnson (PA); #51 Conor Knopick (NE); #132 Gabe Greenlee (IA); #230 Jack Gaukel (IA); #267 Sam Hrabovsky (MO) 2020: #60 Kysen Terukina (HI); #83 Zach Redding (NY); #86 Cameron Robinson (PA); #99 Cody Fisher (IA) 2019: #52 Aden Reeves (IA) 2018: #2 David Carr (OH); #29 Joel Devine (IA) 2017: #11 Austin Gomez (IL); #78 Marcus Coleman (IA); #95 Ryan Leisure (IA) 2016: #11 Sam Colbray (OR); #35 Kanen Storr (MI); #51 Danny Vega (AZ); #80 Ian Parker (MI); #84 Gannon Gremmel (IA) 2015: #31 Markus Simmons (OK); #80 Colston DiBlasi (MO) 2014: #31 Nathan Boston (KY); #48 Renaldo Rodriguez-Spencer (NY); #56 Marcus Harrington (IA); #143 Logan Brietenbach (MD) 2013: #105 Daniel Woiwor (MN)

New Virginia Tech commit Parker Ferrell at the 2021 Super 32 (photo courtesy of Sam Janicki; SJanickiPhoto.com) Monday afternoon the Virginia Tech Hokies received a verbal commitment from a top rising junior in their backyard in Parker Ferrell (Christiansburg, VA). Ferrell is the #30 overall wrestler in the Class of 2024 per the latest update from MatScouts. In the latest national rankings from MatScouts, Ferrell comes in at Class of 2024#8 at 220 lbs. A 2022 Virginia state champion in the 3A division, Ferrell recently took third place at the UWW Cadet World Team Trials in freestyle at 110kg. Last summer, Parker placed top-five in both styles in the 16U age group in Fargo. He was third in freestyle and fifth in Greco-Roman. In between those events, Ferrell was third at the Super 32, seventh at the Walsh Ironman, and fourth at the Beast of the East. Ferrell projects as a heavyweight at the next level. He's a throwback to the tall, big-bodied heavyweights we used to see frequently in college at 275 and 285 lbs. The Hokies don't have a pressing need at 285 lbs as former blue-chip recruit and current starter, Hunter Catka, still has four years of eligibility remaining; however, with so much time between now and then it's unclear whether Catka will use all four years. He qualified for nationals in 2021 and redshirted last season. Christiansburg High School, located just a few miles away from Virginia Tech's Blacksburg campus has been a very helpful feeder program for the Hokies over the last 15 years. During that time, some of Virginia Tech's best wrestlers have enrolled after graduating from CHS. Multiple-time All-Americans Devin Carter, Joey Dance, Zach Epperly, and Hunter Bolen are all former stars for the Blue Demons. For more recruiting information, check InterMat's College Commitment Page.

2022 NCAA champion Keegan O'Toole in the NCAA semifinals (photo courtesy of Sam Janicki; SJanickiPhoto.com) On Thursday, InterMat released our first DI collegiate rankings of the 2022-23 season, our summer version. It goes without saying, but there will likely be plenty of changes between those rankings and our set for the preseason. But this set will give us a good snapshot of what each weight generally looks like. With that in mind, we've generated some numbers from these summer rankings. Have fun! Returning (past) NCAA All-Americans by weight 125 lbs: (9) Lee, Glory, Arujau, DeAugustino, McKee, Courtney, Barnett, Kaylor, Cardinale 133 lbs: (8) Bravo-Young, Fix, McGee, Byrd, Cannon, Foley, LaMont, Latona 141 lbs: (5) Matthews, Woods, Bergeland, Composto, Carlson 149 lbs: (11) Diakomihalis, Gomez, Sasso, Lovett, Mauller, Millner, Parco, Thomas, Abas, Demas, Sherman 157 lbs: (7) Lee, Lewan, Robb, Teemer, Andonian, O'Connor, Sheets 165 lbs: (9) O'Toole, Griffith, Carr, Monday, Amine, Hamiti, Khachla, Hall, Wittlake 174 lbs: (8) Starocci, Lewis, Labriola, Plott, Smith, Lautt, Romero, Turley 184 lbs: (8) Brooks, Keckeisen, Hidlay, Romero, Coleman, Loew, Poznanski, Bolen 197 lbs: (11) Dean, Ferrari, Warner, Buchanan, Elam, Truax, Bastida, Deprez, Beard, Hoffman, Bonaccorsi 285 lbs: (7) Schultz, Kerkvliet, Parris, Cassioppi, Davison, Orndorff, Hillger Returning (past) NCAA finalists by weight 125 lbs: (3) Lee, Glory, Courtney 133 lbs: (2): Bravo-Young, Fix 141 lbs: (0) 149 lbs: (3) Diakomihalis, Sasso, Lovett 157 lbs: (1) O'Connor 165 lbs: (4) O'Toole, Griffith, Carr, Monday 174 lbs: (2) Starocci, Lewis 184 lbs: (2) Brooks, Hidlay 197 lbs: (4) Dean, Ferrari, Warner, Bonaccorsi 285 lbs: (2) Schultz, Parris 5 - Multiple-time NCAA Champions returning 125: Lee (3); 133 - Bravo-Young (2); 149 - Diakomihalis (3); 174 - Starocci (2); 184 - Brooks (2) 3 - New number ones (or they have never held the #1 ranking before) Cole Matthews (Pittsburgh - 141), Brayton Lee (Minnesota - 157), and Cohlton Schultz (Arizona State - 285) 3 - The number of NCAA champions who appear in the rankings at 165 lbs #1 Keegan O'Toole (Missouri), #2 Shane Griffith (Stanford), #3 David Carr (Iowa State) 3 - The number of weight classes with multiple returning champions 165 - O'Toole/Griffith/Carr 174 - Starocci/Lewis 197 - Dean/Ferrari 5 - The number of teams with all ten projected starters currently in the rankings Iowa, Lehigh, Missouri, Nebraska, Oklahoma State 7 - The number of teams with nine projected starters currently in the rankings Iowa State, Minnesota, Nebraska, Northern Iowa, Ohio State, Penn, Virginia Tech Number one ranked wrestlers by conference: Big Ten (6): S. Lee, Bravo-Young, B. Lee, Starocci, Brooks, Dean ACC (1): Matthews Big 12 (1): O'Toole EIWA (1): Diakomihalis Pac-12 (1): Schultz As you can see, Penn State is the only school with more than one #1 and they have four! 6 - The number of past All-Americans that are projected to change weights in 2022-23 133: LaMont, Latona 157: Andonian 165: Carr, Monday 197: Truax 6 - The number of wrestlers ranked in the top-eight for Ohio State. They are the only school that can make this claim. Arizona State, Iowa, and Penn State all have five. 21 - The number of transfers from the 2022 offseason in the summer rankings 125 - Poulin, Ashton 133 - LaMont, Heilmann 141 - Woods 149 - Demas, Hillegas 157 - Casto 165 - Nijenhuis, H. Heller, Nicholson 174 - Finesilver, Ruth, R. Jordan, Null 184 - Samuelson, Montalvo, Antrassian, R. Heller, Ferreira 197 - Beard 17 - The number of wrestlers from the Class of 2021 that have cracked the rankings for the first time. As we move further away from the Covid year, things will get back to normal from a wrestling standpoint too. That will provide some clarity to the actual years of wrestlers. Below are your typical redshirt freshmen that have a spot in the top 33 at their respective weights. 125: Poulin, Brown 149: Voinovich, Lamer, Johnson, Van Ness, McMillen 157: Gallager, Wick, Reyna 165: Caliendo, Facundo 174: Milano, Null 184: Haas 197: Smith 285: Taylor Number of ranked wrestlers per conference and weight class 125: ACC (2); Big Ten (12); Big 12 (7); EIWA (5); MAC (1); Pac-12 (3); SoCon (3) 133: ACC (4); Big Ten (10); Big 12 (8); EIWA (4); MAC (1); Pac-12 (4); SoCon (2) 141: ACC (4); Big Ten (11); Big 12 (8); EIWA (4); MAC (3); Pac-12 (2); SoCon (1) 149: ACC (3); Big Ten (8); Big 12 (6); EIWA (6); MAC (5); Pac-12 (3); SoCon (2) 157: ACC (5); Big Ten (9); Big 12 (5); EIWA (6); MAC (4); Pac-12 (3); SoCon (1) 165: ACC (3); Big Ten (7); Big 12 (9); EIWA (7); MAC (2); Pac-12 (3); SoCon (2) 174: ACC (3); Big Ten (10); Big 12 (7); EIWA (6); MAC (3); Pac-12 (2); SoCon (2) 184: ACC (5); Big Ten (9); Big 12 (5); EIWA (7); MAC (2); Pac-12 (3); SoCon (2) 197: ACC (5); Big Ten (11); Big 12 (7); EIWA (7); MAC (1); Pac-12 (2); SoCon (-) 285: ACC (2); Big Ten (10); Big 12 (10); EIWA (6); MAC (3); Pac-12 (1); SoCon (1)

3x NCAA Champion Spencer Lee (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...Iowa! 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 National Qualifiers (95) 2022 125: Drake Ayala (#13); 133: Austin DeSanto (#5); 141: Jaydin Eierman (#2); 149: Max Murin (#8); 157: Kaleb Young (#9); 165: Alex Marinelli (#3); 174: Michael Kemerer (#5); 184: Abe Assad (#18); 197: Jacob Warner (#6); 285: Tony Cassioppi (#3) 2021 125: Spencer Lee (#1); 133: Austin DeSanto (#4): 141: Jaydin Eierman (#1); 149: Max Murin (#12); 157: Kaleb Young (#5); 165: Alex Marinelli (#1); 174: Michael Kemerer (#1); 184: Nelson Brands (#12); 197: Jacob Warner (#5): 285: Tony Cassioppi (#5) 2020 125: Spencer Lee (#1); 133: Austin DeSanto (#6); 141: Max Murin (#7); 149: Pat Lugo (#1); 157: Kaleb Young (#8); 165: Alex Marinelli (#1); 174: Michael Kemerer (#2); 184: Abe Assad (#11); 197: Jacob Warner (#5); 285: Tony Cassioppi (#3) 2019 125: Spencer Lee (#3); 133: Austin DeSanto (#7); 141: Max Murin (#22); 149: Pat Lugo (#10); 157: Kaleb Young (#6); 165: Alex Marinelli (#1); 184: Cash Wilcke (#12); 197: Jacob Warner (#5); 285: Sam Stoll (#28) 2018 125: Spencer Lee (#3); 141: Vince Turk; 149: Brandon Sorensen (#2); 157: Michael Kemerer (#6); 165: Alex Marinelli (#5); 174: Joey Gunther; 184: Mitch Bowman; 197: Cash Wilcke (#14); 285: Sam Stoll (#5) 2017 125: Thomas Gilman (#1); 133: Cory Clark (#4); 141: Topher Carton; 149: Brandon Sorensen (#5); 157: Michael Kemerer (#2); 165: Joey Gunther; 174: Alex Meyer (#11); 184: Sam Brooks (#3); 197: Cash Wilcke 2016 125: Thomas Gilman (#4); 133: Cory Clark (#2); 149: Brandon Sorensen (#2); 157: Edwin Cooper (#13); 165: Patrick Rhodes; 174: Alex Meyer (#13); 184: Sam Brooks (#2); 197: Nathan Burak (#4); 285: Sam Stoll (#11) 2015 125: Thomas Gilman (#6); 133: Cory Clark (#3); 141: Josh Dziewa (#5); 149: Brandon Sorensen (#4); 157: Mike Kelly; 165: Nick Moore; 174: Mike Evans (#3); 184: Sam Brooks (#9); 197: Nathan Burak (#6); 285: Bobby Telford (#3) 2014 125: Cory Clark (#8); 133: Tony Ramos (#3); 141: Josh Dziewa; 149: Brody Grothus (#13); 157: Derek St. John (#2); 165: Nick Moore (#5); 174: Mike Evans (#4); 184: Ethan Lofthouse (#5); 197: Nathan Burak (#11); 285: Bobby Telford (#5) 2013 125: Matt McDonough (#3); 133: Tony Ramos (#2); 141: Mark Ballweg (#7); 157: Derek St. John (#2); 165: Nick Moore (#10); 174: Mike Evans (#3); 184: Ethen Lofthouse (#12); 197: Nathan Burak; 285: Bobby Telford (#6) NCAA Champions Spencer Lee (125 - 2018, 2019, 2021) Cory Clark (133 - 2017) Tony Ramos (133 - 2014) Derek St. John (157 - 2013) NCAA All-Americans 2022: Austin DeSanto (133 - 3rd); Alex Marinelli (165 - 5th); Michael Kemerer (174 - 4th); Jacob Warner (197 - 2nd); Tony Cassioppi (285 - 7th) 2021: Spencer Lee (125 - 1st); Austin DeSanto (133 - 3rd); Jaydin Eierman (141 - 2nd); 157 - Kaleb Young (157 - 7th); Michael Kemerer (174 - 2nd); Jacob Warner (197 - 4th); Tony Cassioppi (285 - 3rd) 2019: Spencer Lee (125 - 1st); Austin DeSanto (133 - 5th); Pat Lugo (149 - 8th); Kaleb Young (157 - 5th); Alex Marinelli (165 - 7th); Jacob Warner (197 - 7th) 2018: Spencer Lee (125 - 1st); Brandon Sorensen (149 - 5th); Michael Kemerer (157 - 4th); Alex Marinelli (165 - 6th); Sam Stoll (285 - 5th) 2017: Thomas Gilman (125 - 3rd); Cory Clark (133 - 1st); Brandon Sorensen (149 - 3rd); Michael Kemerer (157 - 3rd); Sam Brooks (184 - 4th) 2016: Thomas Gilman (125 - 2nd); Cory Clark (133 - 2nd); Brandon Sorensen (149 - 2nd); Alex Meyer (174 - 8th); Sam Brooks (184 - 8th); Nathan Burak (197 - 4th) 2015: Thomas Gilman (125 - 4th); Cory Clark (133 - 2nd); Brandon Sorensen (149 - 4th); Mike Evans (174 - 6th); Nathan Burak (197 - 6th); Bobby Telford (285 - 5th) 2014: Cory Clark (125 - 5th); Tony Ramos (133 - 1st); Derek St. John (157 - 5th); Mike Evans (174 - 6th); Nathan Burak (197 - 8th); Bobby Telford (285 - 4th) 2013: Tony Ramos (133 - 2nd); Derek St. John (157 - 1st); Mike Evans (174 - 6th); Ethen Lofthouse (184 - 5th) NWCA All-Americans Spencer Lee (125 - First Team) Austin DeSanto (133 - First Team) Max Murin (141 - First Team) Pat Lugo (149 - First Team) Kaleb Young (157 - First Team) Alex Marinelli (165 - First Team) Michael Kemerer (174 - First Team) Abe Assad (184 - Second Team) Jacob Warner (197 - First Team) Tony Cassioppi (285 - First Team) NCAA Round of 12 Finishers Max Murin (2019, 2021, 2022 - 149) Alex Marinelli (2021 - 165) Sam Stoll (2019 - 285) Cash Wilcke (2017, 2018 - 197) Alex Meyer (2017 - 174) Sam Brooks (2015 - 184) Matt McDonough (2013 - 125) Mark Ballweg (2013 - 141) Nathan Burak (2013 - 197) Big Ten Champions 2022: Alex Marinelli (165) 2021: Spencer Lee (125); Jaydin Eierman (141); Alex Marinelli (165); Michael Kemerer (174) 2020: Spencer Lee (125); Pat Lugo (149); Alex Marinelli (165) 2019: Alex Marinelli (165) 2017: Thomas Gilman (125); Sam Brooks (184) 2016: Cory Clark (133); Sam Brooks (184) 2014: Tony Ramos (133) Big Ten Runner's-Up 2022: Austin DeSanto (133); Jaydin Eierman (141); Tony Cassioppi (285) 2021: Austin DeSanto (133); Kaleb Young (157) 2020: Michael Kemerer (157) 2019: Spencer Lee (125) 2018: Brandon Sorensen (149) 2017: Cory Clark (133); Michael Kemerer (157) 2016: Brandon Sorensen (149); Nathan Burak (197) 2015: Thomas Gilman (125); Josh Dziewa (141); Brandon Sorensen (149); Bobby Telford (285) 2014: Derek St. John (157); Nick Moore (165); Mike Evans (174); Ethen Lofthouse (184) 2013: Matt McDonough (125); Tony Ramos (133); Mark Ballweg (141); Mike Evans (174) Dual Record 2021-22: 14-1 2021: 5-0 2019-20: 13-0 2018-19: 14-1 2017-18: 12-3 2016-17: 13-2 2015-16: 16-1 2014-15: 17-1 2013-14: 15-2 2012-13: 20-3 Big Ten Tournament Placement 2021-22: 3rd 2021: 1st 2019-20: 1st 2018-19: 3rd 2017-18: 4th 2016-17: 3rd 2015-16: 2nd 2014-15: 1st-tie 2013-14: 2nd 2012-13: 3rd NCAA Tournament Team Placement 2021-22: 3rd (74 points) 2021: 1st (129 points) 2019-20: No Tournament 2018-19: 4th (76 points) 2017-18: 3rd (97 points) 2016-17: 4th (97 points) 2015-16: 5th (81 points) 2014-15: 2nd (84 points) 2013-14: 4th (78.5 points) 2012-13: 4th (73 points) Head Coaching History Tom Brands (2006-present) Best Lineup (comprised of wrestlers from 2013-22) 125 - Spencer Lee: 3x NCAA Champion, 2x Hodge Trophy Winner, 2x Big Ten Champion 133 - Cory Clark: 4x NCAA All-American (5th, 2nd, 2nd, 1st), 2017 NCAA Champion, 2016 Big Ten Champion 141 - Jaydin Eierman: 2x NCAA Qualifier, 2021 NCAA Runner-Up, 2021 Big Ten Champion, 3x All-American at Missouri 149 - Brandon Sorensen: 4x NCAA All-American (5th, 3rd, 2nd, 4th); 3x Big Ten Runner-Up 157 - Derek St. John: 4x NCAA All-American (5th, 1st, 2nd, 4th); 2012 Big Ten Champion 165 - Alex Marinelli: 3x NCAA All-American (5th, 7th, 6th); 4x Big Ten Champion 174 - Michael Kemerer: 4x NCAA All-American (3rd, 4th, 2nd, 4th); 2021 Big Ten Champion 184 - Sam Brooks: 2x NCAA All-American (4th, 8th); 2x Big Ten Champion 197 - Jacob Warner: 3x NCAA All-American (2nd, 4th, 7th) 285 - Tony Cassioppi: 2x NCAA All-American (7th, 3rd); 2022 Big Ten Runner-Up Recruiting Big Boarder's Per Year 2022: #38 Aiden Riggins (IA); #48 Kolby Franklin (PA); #112 Bradley Hill (IA); #124 Mickey Griffith (IA); #215 Easton Fleshman (IA); #242 Joel Jesuroga (IA) 2021: #4 Drake Ayala (IA); #16 Wyatt Henson (PA); #49 Caleb Rathjen (IA) 2020: #2 Patrick Kennedy (MN); #27 Cullan Schriever (IA); #28 Jesse Ybarra (AZ); #46 Bretli Reyna (FL); #71 Gabe Christenson (IA) 2019: #14 Abe Assad (IL); #74 Zach Glazier (MN); #82 Cole Siebrecht (IA) 2018: #18 Tony Cassioppi (IL); #50 Nelson Brands (IA) 2017: #2 Spencer Lee (PA); #7 Jacob Warner (IL); #44 Max Murin (PA); #79 Aaron Costello (IA) 2016: #2 Alex Marinelli (OH); #19 Carter Happel (IA); #25 Kaleb Young (PA); #93 Jack Wagner (IA); #115 Brock Rathbun (IA) 2015: #8 Michael Kemerer (PA); #67 Vince Turk (IL); #79 Steven Holloway (IA); #86 Cash Wilcke (IA) 2014: #14 Sam Stoll (MN); #41 Seth Gross (MN); #63 Burke Paddock (NY); #72 Logan Ryan (IA) 2013: #27 Brandon Sorensen (IA); #38 Broc Berge (MN); #40 Aaron Bradley (PA); #53 Jake Marlin (IA); #182 Doug Miner (IA)

2022 Russian National champion Zavur Uguev (photo courtesy of Tony Rotundo; WrestlersAreWarriors.com) Clutch superduck wins title number five for #1 Zavur Uguev at 57 KG. Final Results GOLD: #1 Zavur Uguev over #5 Nachyn Mongush 3-2 BRONZE: #6 Ramiz Gamzatov over Ramazan Abdurakhimov 15-13 BRONZE: Musa Mekhtikhanov over Amir Chamzyn 8-7 In a hard-fought rematch of the 2021 national finals against #5 Nachyn Mongush, #1 Zavur Uguev was put on the shot clock tied 1-1, with under 2 minutes left in the match, and immediately scored a beautiful super duck to take the 3-1 lead. A charging Mongush would attempt to rally back, but the composed Uguev held on to win his fifth national title. The other medal matches at 57 KG brought major fireworks as well, with #6 Ramiz Gamzatov overcoming a massive 10-2 deficit in the second period to pull out a 15-13 win over Ramazan Abdurakhimov after a series of last-second chest wraps. 2021 Yarygin runner-up Musa Mekhtikhanov used a last-second takedown to come out on top of Amir Chamzyn 8-7. I am very interested in seeing how Chamzyn grows from here after his win over #4 Azamat Tuskaev from day two and if he can continue to make an impact on the shark tank of 57KG. #14 Ibragim Ibragimov controls Gadzhimurad Omarov for 65 KG national title. Final Results GOLD: #14 Ibragim Ibragimov over Gadzhimurad Omarov 5-1 BRONZE: Aripgadzhi Abdullaev over Elbrus Valiev 11-10 BRONZE: Aykhaan Antonov forfeit over #2 Gadzhimurad Rashidov #14 Ibragim Ibragimov stopped any chances of Gadzhimurad Omarov's chances of a national title, after his sensational upset of #2 Gadzhimurad Rashidov on day two, by shutting out Omarov in a 5-1 win. Two passivity points, a takedown off a go behind and a stepout made for an intelligent win for Ibragimov who came out on top of the chaotic 65KG bracket. Aripgadzhi Abdullaev just barely survived a late comeback from Elbrus Valiev and was put on his back with 20 seconds left in the match but held on for an 11-10 win off the strength of a huge throw in the first period. Aykhaan Antonov won a forfeit over #2 Gadzhimurad Rashidov. #6 Razambek Zhamalov wins second national title at 74 KG with victory over #7 Cherman Valiev. Final Results GOLD: #6 Razambek Zhamalov over #7 Cherman Valiev 3-2 BRONZE: #5 David Baev over Semen Tereschenko 4-0 BRONZE: Magomed Dibirgadzhiev over Robert Dzhukaev 3-0 An underhook throwby in the second period would be the difference-maker for #6 Razambek Zhamalov as he fought off a late charge from 2020 70 KG national champion #7 Cherman Valiev to win his second national title. Zhamalov's return to the top of the podium after being sidelined for a year with shoulder and knee injuries was a major storyline coming into nationals, and it will be interesting to see how he will do against reigning Olympic champion #1 Zaurbek Sidakov as he lost to the North Ossetian great 3-2 in the 2021 national finals. Both #5 David Baev and Magomed Dibirgadzhiev comfortably won their bronze medal matches securing their fifth and second Russian Nationals medals respectively. #3 Artur Naifonov controls #7 Amanulla Rasulov for third national title. #13 Arsenali Musalaliev earns fourth Russian Nationals medal. Final Results GOLD: #3 Artur Naifonov over #7 Amanulla Rasulov 3-0 BRONZE: #13 Arsenali Musalaliev over Slavik Naniev 6-2 BRONZE: #6 Ada Bagomedov forfeit over #4 Dauren Kurugliev #3 Artur Naifonov used a head outside single leg in the first period to score the only takedown of the match and held on to blank #7 Amanulla Rasulov 3-0 and earn his third national title. Naifonov is clearly the #3 man behind #1 Hassan Yazdani Charati (IRI) and #2 David Taylor (USA) and showed that with his performance in Kyzyl. #13 Arsenali Musalaliev used a big takedown late in the match to lock up his fourth Russian Nationals bronze medal over Slavik Naniev. Musalaliev continues to prove his staying power at the weight. Aslanbek Sotiev uses late go-behind to win on first national title on criteria against #10 Shamil Musaev at 97KG Final Results GOLD: Aslanbek Sotiev over #10 Shamil Musaev 3-3 BRONZE: #15 Sergey Kozyrev over Igor Ovsyannikov 3-2 BRONZE: #7 Akhmed Tazhudinov over David Dzhugaev 9-3 In what was a rematch of their incredible 2020 national semifinals match, Aslanbek Sotiev and #10 Shamil Musaev fought tooth and nail for their first national title. Musaev took the lead early with a takedown and held on 3-1 for the majority of the match until a poorly timed shot was stuffed and converted into a go-behind for Sotiev for the 3-3 lead and eventual match win. After having a poor end to the 2021 season and inconsistent performances through 2022, Sotiev coming back to win nationals by beating #7 Akhmed Tazhudinov and #10 Shamil Musaev is huge for him and his growth. On the subject of growth, #10 Shamil Musaev looked far improved with his cardio as he is notorious for fading hard late in matches and he held steady with Sotiev throughout. 2021 125 KG national champion #15 Sergey Kozyrev held onto a close 3-2 win over two-time national bronze medalist Igor Ovsyannikov and Ivan Poddubny Tournament champion #7 Akhmed Tazhudinov cruised for bronze with a 9-3 win over David Dzhugaev. #19 Alen Khubulov wins by forfeit over Tamerlan Rasuev for gold at 125 KG. Final Results GOLD: #19 Alen Khubulov forfeit over Tamerlan Rasuev BRONZE: #8 Baldan Tsyzhipov over Alan Khugaev 3-1 BRONZE; #11 Erik Dzhioev over Gamzat Alizhudinov 8-1 Contrasted to all the action and upsets of day two of Russian Nationals at heavyweight, day three was pretty quiet with #19 Alen Khubulov winning gold by forfeit over Tamerlan Rasuev and established standouts #8 Baldan Tsyzhipov and #11 Erik Dzhioev posted strong wins to secure their second career Russian Nationals bronze medals. I'd like to see Khubulov and Rasuev get some international starts but that's unlikely to happen anytime soon, while sanctions against Russia are still ongoing, so here's hoping they can finally get Russia a medal again since they haven't placed anyone since Bilyal Makhov in 2015.

2022 Russian National finalist Artur Naifonov (photo courtesy of Tony Rotundo; WrestlersAreWarriors.com) #1 Zavur Uguev shines at 57 KG, Tuva Republic puts two in the semis in Kyzyl. Semifinal Results #1 Zavur Uguev over Amir Chamyzn 10-0 #5 Nachyn Mongush over #6 Ramiz Gamzatov 11-2 #1 Zavur Uguev was excellent on day two of Russian Nationals, making his fifth national finals after a 10-0 tech fall win over Tuvan standout Amir Chamzyn. Chamzyn was the talk of the tournament at 57 KG, as the relative unknown Tuvan put on a career-defining performance in the quarterfinals to upset 2020 national runner-up #4 Azamat Tuskaev 8-2. On the bottom half of the bracket, returning national runner-up #6 Nachyn Mongush was sublime in putting on an 11-2 semifinal clinic against Yarygin champion #6 Ramiz Gamzatov to make his second consecutive national finals match. Of note, returning 2021 world rep #18 Abubakar Mutaliev was eliminated from the competition in the round of 32 by 2018 national runner-up Donduk-Ool Khuresh-Ool, who was eliminated in the round of 16 by a 12-2 tech fall to Ramazan Abdurakhmanov. I am very interested to see how the resurgent Mongush looks as he pushed Uguev to the edge in last year's finals and if Uguev can continue to build upon his dominance from yesterday and earn his fifth national title in definitive fashion. 2021 world champion Abasgadzhi Magomedov wins third straight national title at 61 KG. Final Results GOLD: #1 Abasgadzhi Magomedov over #7 (57) Akhmed Idrisov 4-2 BRONZE: Cherman Tavitov over Aldar Balzhinimaev 2-0 BRONZE: #5 Bashir Magomedov over Zhargal Damdinov by pin #1 Abasgadzhi Magomedov was successful in earning his third straight national title and it is yet to be seen if he will be able to defend his 2021 world title this year due to the current sanctions on Russia. Even with that being the case, Magomedov was in top form throughout the competition and has risen to the top of the mountain once again. I was impressed to see #7 (57) Akhmed Idrisov make the full transition up to 61 KG and as he continues to fill out I can see him continue to improve upon what he showed here. Other points of interest are Cherman Tavitov winning his second straight bronze medal at nationals over returning bronze medalist Aldar Balzhinimaev and Junior national champion #5 Bashir Magomedov taking bronze by pin over 2020 bronze medalist Zhargal Damdinov. In upset-filled 65 KG bracket, Gadzhimurad Omarov and #14 Ibragim Ibragimov breakthrough to make their first national finals. Semifinal Results Gadzhimurad Omarov over #2 Gadzhimurad Rashidov 4-3 #14 Ibragim Ibragimov over Aripgadzhi Abdullaev 3-0 65 KG was a weight defined by huge upsets in every round so to understand how we got to the point where an Olympic bronze medalist and a world champion don't make the finals, we have to run it back from the start. The first major upset was 2022 Ivan Poddubny Tournament champion #10 Alik Khadartsev beating reigning world champion #6 Zagir Shakhiev 2-0 in the round of 16. Then the quarterfinal round is where the upsets started to really pile on, with Aripgadzhi Abdullaev upsetting Yarygin champion #5 Shamil Mamedov 4-4 on criteria and #14 Ibragim Ibragimov tech falling #10 Alik Khadartsev 12-0 and eliminating 2021 world champion #6 Zagir Shakhiev from competition. Now we go into the final round of upsets with the biggest of the tournament coming from Gadzhimurad Omarov, who upended reigning national champion and Olympic bronze medalist #2 Gadzhimurad Rashidov after overcoming a 3-0 deficit against the four-time national champion to win 4-3 and improve on his fifth-place finish from last year with a national finals appearance and the biggest win of his career. And on the other end #14 Ibragim Ibragimov beats Aripgadzi Abdullaev 3-0 which eliminates #5 Shamil Mamedov from competition and secures Ibragimov's first Russian Nationals medal. To put into context how shocking Gadzhimurad Omarov's upset over #2 Gadzhimurad Rashidov is, Rashidov hadn't lost at the national tournament in seven years, with his last loss being at the 2015 61 KG national tournament to Alexander Bogomoev. The first year after a quad always brings in some crazy results, but there was no way of predicting how this bracket turned out. I am interested to see if Russia goes to any further steps for qualification if they are allowed to compete at a world-level event between the winner of the national tournament and Rashidov or will they honor the national champion with the top spot. #7 Israil Kasumov wins second straight national title at 70 KG over breakthrough star #13 Anzor Zakuev. Final Results GOLD: #7 Israil Kasumov over #13 Anzor Zakuev 6-3 BRONZE: #4 Viktor Rassadin over #5 Ruslan Zhendaev 7-2 BRONZE: #6 Kurban Shiraev over Kezhik Chimba 4-1 On his fifth finals appearance, #7 Israil Kasumov was successful in capturing his second-straight national title over #13 Anzor Zakuev. Concluding his tournament, #13 Anzor Zakuev really was the breakthrough star even after finishing runner-up to Kasumov. Taking fifth at the Poddubny after disappointing losses to #4 Viktor Rassadin and #12 Ruslan Bogatyrev, Zakuev completely turned that around and notched the best win of his career in the quarterfinals over #6 Kurban Shiraev and earned his first Russian Nationals medal after six trips going back to 2016 with a clutch 9-6 win over returning bronze medalist Abdulla Akhmedov, who teched Zakuev in last year's bronze medal match. Zakuev is top-flight talent and I'm excited to see what his next move is. A small note is even though Kasumov is coming off his second national title and fifth finals appearance, he has never made a world team and unless the sanctions are lifted it looks like that trend will continue. #6 Razambek Zhamalov rebounds against #5 David Baev to make fourth straight Russian Nationals finals match at 74 KG. Semifinal Results #6 Razambek Zhamalov over #5 David Baev 9-3 #7 Cherman Valiev over Magomed Dibirgadzhiev 7-4 #6 Razambek Zhamalov made his fourth-straight Russian Nationals final and made his career series 2-3 against 2019 70 KG world champion #5 David Baev by way of a 9-3 semifinal win. Zhamalov will face off against Yarygin champion #7 Cherman Valiev, who made the finals with a 7-4 victory over 2017 70 KG national runner-up Magomed Dibirgadzhiev, who notched a big 4-4 upset over #10 Magomedrasul Gazimagomedov in the quarterfinals. Zhamalov is 4-0 in his career against Valiev with wins at the 2018 Junior Russian Nationals finals, 2019 Mindiashvili Grand Prix, 2019 Ali Aliyev, and the 2019 Russian Nationals tournament, so I would put my money on Zhamalov earning his second national title with a fifth victory over Valiev. #4 Malik Shavaev earns second national title with close win over 2021 U23 world champion #13 Magomed Magomaev at 79 KG. Finals Results GOLD: #4 Malik Shavaev over #13 Magomed Magomaev 6-4 BRONZE: #3 Radik Valiev over Begkhan Misrikhanov 8-0 BRONZE: Nikita Suchkov over Gadzhimurad Alikhmaev 4-2 Capping off his second national title run, #4 Malik Shavaev followed up his two wins over 2021 world bronze medalist #3 Radik Valiev and 2020 national champion #12 Akhmed Usmanov with a victory over 2021 U23 world champion #13 Magomed Magomaev for gold. Shavaev's peaking for Russian Nationals was incredibly impressive and I cannot wait to see him again in action. 2021 U23 world champion #13 Magomed Magomaev had a great tournament and I see him having a breakthrough by the end of the quad by the least. Both #3 Radik Valiev and Nikita Suchkov secured their third Russian Nationals bronze medals, with Valiev finishing silver in 2016 at 70 and bronze in 2021, and Suchkov taking bronze at 74 KG in 2017 and 2018. #7 Amanulla Rasulov upsets three-time Russian Nationals finalist #4 Dauren Kurugliev to make first national finals. #3 Artur Naifonov into fourth national final. Semifinal Results #3 Artur Naifonov over #13 Arsenali Musalaliev 6-0 #7 Amanulla Rasulov over #4 Dauren Kurugliev 3-2 The story of 86 KG was Yarygin runner-up #7 Amanulla Rasulov's incredible run to the finals. Rasulov handed returning national runner-up #4 Dauren Kurugliev his first loss to a Russian that wasn't 3x World/Olympic medalist #3 Artur Naifonov since his upset loss to #13 Arsenali Musalaliev at 2017 Russian Nationals. Rasulov's path to the finals also saw him notch two other ranked wins on his way to the finals, beating Yarygin bronze medalist #6 Ada Bagomedov and 2021 Umakhanov Tournament champion #10 Khabil Khashpakov. While Rasulov has wrestled an incredible tournament, it is yet to be seen if he can scale up his success against someone the likes of #3 Artur Naifonov who looks better than ever after a comfortable 6-0 win against #13 Arsenali Musalaliev to make his fifth-straight Russian Nationals finals appearance. #2 Magomed Kurbanov wins second national title at 92 KG. Finals Results GOLD: #2 Magomed Kurbanov over #13 Azamat Zakuev 2-0 BRONZE: #5 Vladislav Valiev over #15 Guram Chertkoev 7-0 BRONZE: #14 Magomed Sharipov over #17 Tamerlan Tapsiev 7-0 #2 Magomed Kurbanov shut out #13 Azamat Zakuev 2-0 in a largely strategic match to win his second consecutive Russian Nationals title. Azamat Zakuev's improvements to peak for nationals were evident as he rebounded from a subpar Yarygin and Poddubny tournament to beat #5 Vladislav Valiev and #15 Guram Chertkoev and stake his claim as the second-best man in Russia. Kurbanov has this weight locked down for the foreseeable future this quad and I'd love to see him get another shot at world gold. Aslanbek Sotiev and #10 Shamil Musaev rematch set for 97 KG national finals. Semifinal Results Aslanbek Sotiev over #7 Akhmed Tazhudinov 9-5 #10 Shamil Musaev over #15 Sergey Kozyrev 8-4 Past Russian Nationals medalists Aslanbek Sotiev and #10 Shamil Musaev both made the national finals with impressive victories. Sotiev over Ivan Poddubny Tournament champion #7 Akhmed Tazhudinov and Musaev over 2021 125 KG Olympian #15 Sergey Kozyrev. Their finals match will be a rematch of the 2020 Russian Nationals semifinals won by Sotiev in an absolute barnburner that saw Sotiev rally from an early deficit to break Musaev. Tamerlan Rasuev and #19 Alen Khubulov make finals at 125 KG. National champions #4 Zelimkhan Khizriev and #5 Anzor Khizriev upset Semifinal Results #19 Alen Khubulov over #8 Baldan Tsyzhipov 3-0 Tamerlan Rasuev ovr #11 Erik Dzhioev 5-1 Heavyweight, like 65 KG, was a weight defined by upsets from top to bottom. The two premier upsets of the weight took place against the pair of #4 Zelimkhan and #5 Anzor Khizriev. #5 Anzor Khizriev was eliminated in the round of 16 by 2021 national bronze Saipudin Magomedov, who was eliminated in the quarterfinals by #8 Baldan Tsyzhipov. #4 Zelimkhan Khizriev took a 7-1 loss to eventual finalist Tamerlan Rasuev in the round of 16. Other important upsets were Nikita Khabarov upsetting 2020 Russian Nationals medalist #13 Vitali Goloev and Alan Khugaev upsetting #7 Ostap Pasenok 2-1 in the qualification round. Rasuev is a seasoned veteran at 97 and 125 KG and had a career-best finish of 7th at Russian Nationals in 2020 with a victory over 2019 Alans champion Batraz Gazzaev. Khubulov is a 2019 Junior world bronze medalist, who took bronze at the Yarygin this year and along with beating #8 Tsyzhipov in the semis has two wins over two-time national champion Alan Khugaev. I look forward to seeing how the youth and power of Khubulov vs. the experience and savvy of Rasuev will play out in the finals on the final days of Russian Nationals.

2x NCAA All-American Nate Jackson (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...Indiana! 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 NCAA Qualifiers (31) 2022 133: Brock Hudkins (#13); 184: Donnell Washington (#26) 2021 141: Cayden Rooks (#32); 149: Graham Rooks (#21); 174: Donnell Washington (#9) 2020 125: Liam Cronin (#22); 149: Graham Rooks (#23) 2019 125: Elijah Oliver (#19); 165: Bryce Martin (#22); 174: Jake Covaciu (#32) 2018 125: Elijah Oliver; 141: Cole Weaver (#16); 165: Bryce Martin; 174: Devin Skatzka 2017 125: Elijah Oliver; 157: Jake Danishek; 174: Devin Skatzka; 184 - Nate Jackson (#9) 2016 125: Elijah Oliver (#16): 174: Nate Jackson (#12) 2015 165: Taylor Walsh (#6); 174: Nate Jackson 2014 157: Taylor Walsh; 165: Ryan LeBlanc; 184: Luke Sheridan; 285: Adam Chalfant (#3) 2013 125: Joe Duca; 157: Taylor Walsh; 165: Ryan LeBlanc; 184: Luke Sheridan; 285: Adam Chalfant (#12) NCAA Champions None NCAA All-Americans Nate Jackson (2017 - 8th, 2016 - 5th) Taylor Walsh (2016 - 2nd) Adam Chalfant (2014 - 6th) NCAA Round of 12 Finishers Ryan LeBlanc - 165 (2016) Big Ten Champions None Big Ten Runner's Up 2014: Adam Chalfant (285) Dual Record 2021-22: 3-8 2021: 2-6 2019-20: 2-10 2018-19: 6-12 2017-18: 6-10 2016-17: 10-9 2015-16: 6-7 2014-15: 4-10 2013-14: 9-9 2012-13: 9-10 Big Ten Tournament Placement 2021-22: 14th 2021: 13th 2019-20: 13th 2018-19: 12th 2017-18: 13th 2016-17: 11th 2015-16: 11th 2014-15: 12th 2013-14: 10th 2012-13: 11th NCAA Tournament Team Placement 2021-22: 56th-tie (1 point) 2021: 46th (5 points) 2019-20: No Tournament 2018-19: 53rd (1 point) 2017-18: 55th (1.5 points) 2016-17: 35th-tie (8.5 points) 2015-16: 28th (13 points) 2014-15: 24th-tie (18 points) 2013-14: 25th-tie (15.5 points) 2012-13: 41st-tie (4 points) Head Coaching History Angel Escobedo (2018-Present) Duane Goldman (1992-2018) Best Lineup (Comprised of wrestlers from 2013-22) 125 - Elijah Oliver: 4x NCAA Qualifier (#15 and #16 seeds) 133 - Brock Hudkins: 2022 NCAA Qualifier (#13 seed) 141 - Cole Weaver: 2018 NCAA Qualifier (#16 seed) 149 - Graham Rooks: 2x NCAA Qualifier 157 - Jake Danishek: 2017 NCAA Qualifier 165 - Taylor Walsh: 3x NCAA Qualifier (#6 seed), 2015 NCAA Runner-Up, 2015 Big Ten Third Place 174 - Devin Skatzka: 2x NCAA Qualifier; Also 2x NCAA Qualifier for Minnesota; 2019 NCAA All-American (8th); 2020 NWCA All-American 184 - Nate Jackson: 3x NCAA Qualifier (#9 and #12 seed); 2x NCAA All-American (5th and 8th) 197 - Luke Sheridan: 2x NCAA Qualifier 285 - Adam Chalfant: 2x NCAA Qualifier (#3 and #12 seed); 2014 NCAA All-American (6th); 2014 Big Ten Runner-Up Recruiting Big Boarder's Per Year 2022: #69 Tyler Lillard (GA); #123 Gabe Sollars (IN) 2021: #39 Henry Porter (CA); #149 Jake Evans (OH); #253 Noah Gochberg (TX); #260 Robert Major (IN) 2020: #119 Derek Gilcher (MI); #128 Robert Dieters (IN); #130 Santos Cantu (OR) 2019: #66 Matt Ortiz (IL); #88 Asa Garcia (IN); #92 Luke Baughman (OH) 2016: #18 Blake Rypel (IN); #146 Jake Kleimola (IN) 2015: #36 Elijah Oliver (TN); #44 Devin Skatzka (MI); #91 Tommy Cash (IN) 2014: #20 Jake Danishek (OH); #82 Cole Weaver (MI); #130 Bryce Martin (CA) 2013: #35 Neal Malloy (IN); #168 Brant Schafer (MI); #195 Luke Blanton (IN)

2022 Matteo Pellicone champion Skylar Grote (photos courtesy of Tony Rotundo; WrestlersAreWarriors.com) 50 kg Women's Freestyle Gold Medal Match - Madison Parks (Canada) over Agatha Walerzak (Poland) 10-8 Bronze Medal Match - Anna Lukasiak (Poland) over Zehra Demirhan (Turkey) 2-1 53 kg Women's Freestyle Gold Medal Match - Lillia Malanchuk (Ukraine) over Mariana Dragutan (Moldova) 6-2 Bronze Medal Match - Samantha Stewart (Canada) over Szimonetta Szeker (Hungary) 10-0 55 kg Women's Freestyle Gold Medal Match - Katarzyna Krawczyk (Poland) over Mariia Vynnyk (Ukraine) 7-2 Bronze Medal Match - Andreea Ana (Romania) over Nina Hemmer (Germany) 4-3 59 kg Women's Freestyle Gold Medal Match - Grace Bullen (Norway) over Jowita Wrzesien (Poland) 12-2 Bronze Medal Match - Odunayo Adekuoroye (Nigeria) over Elena Brugger (Germany) 5-1 Bronze Medal Match - Abby Nette (USA) over Nikolett Szabo (Hungary) 13-2 USA Results Abby Nette (USA) over Kateryna Zhydachevska (Romania) Injury Default Abby Nette (USA) over Magdalena Glodek (Poland) 8-7 Grace Bullen (Norway) over Abby Nette (USA) 10-0 62 kg Women's Freestyle Gold Medal Match - Iryna Koliadenko (Ukraine) over Ilona Prokopevniuk (Ukraine) 6-0 Bronze Medal Match - Lais Nunes de Oliveira (Brazil) over Ana Godinez Gonzalez (Canada) 8-6 65 kg Women's Freestyle USA Results Tetiana Rizhko (Urkraine) over Emma Bruntil (USA) Fall Emma Bruntil (USA) over Veronica Braschi (Italy) Fall Emma Bruntil (USA) over Kateryna Zelenykh (Ukraine) 11-8 Emma Bruntil (USA) over Kriszta Incze (Romania) 2-0 72 kg Women's Freestyle USA Results Alexandra Anghel (Romania) over Marilyn Garcia (USA) 12-2 Skylar Grote (USA) over Marilyn Garcia (USA) 11-0 Marilyn Garcia (USA) over Aysegul Ozbege (Turkey) 5-0 Anna Schell (Germany) over Marilyn Garcia (USA) Fall Skylar Grote (USA) over Marilyn Garcia (USA) 11-0 Skylar Grote (USA) over Alexandra Anghel (Romania) 6-3 Skylar Grote (USA) over Aysegul Ozbege (Turkey) 10-0 Skylar Grote (USA) over Anna Schell (Germany) 6-2

92 kg World silver medalist Magomed Kurbanov (photos courtesy of Tony Rotundo; WrestlersAreWarriors.com) Returning national champion #4 Malik Shavaev shines at 79 KG. #4 Malik Shavaev put together an amazing run to make his second Russian Nationals finals. Repeating his wins from the 2021 Russian National tournament, Shavaev beat 2020 national champion #12 Akhmed Usmanov 7-4 and won the best match of the tournament in his 3-3 quarterfinal thriller against 2021 world bronze medalist #3 Radik Valiev to make the semis, where he walked through Begkhan Misrikhanov 6-1. Shavaev is part of the trio of wrestlers from the Kabardino-Balkar Republic who made the Russian nationals along with the Zakuev brothers having Anzor making the finals at 70 and Azamat at 92 KG. On the bottom half of the bracket, 2021 U23 world champion #13 Magomed Magomaev proved himself to be the cream of the crop with victories over 2020 national runner-up Gadzhimurad Alikhmaev, Nikita Suchkov, Arsan Balyan and Kakhaber Khubezhty to make the finals. Magomaev is an incredibly physical young talent who pushes a brutal pace in his matches and I highly anticipate the contrast between him and the explosive body lock technician Shavaev in their finals match. #1 Abasgadzhi Magomedov rolls into third national final at 61 KG. #7 (57) Akhmed Idrisov looks for first national title. On the top half of the bracket, 2020 57 KG Russian Nationals bronze medalist #7 (57) Akhmed Idrisov survived a close 6-6 criteria victory against returning Russian Nationals bronze medalist Cherman Tavitov to secure his spot in the semis and beat out another returning Russian Nationals bronze medalist in Aldar Balzhinimaev 3-0 to make his first Senior Russian Nationals finals match. On the bottom half of the bracket, reigning world champion #1 Abasgadzhi Magomedov was dominant on his way through to the semis for his much-anticipated match against Russian Junior National champion #5 Bashir Magomedov. Solidifying his superiority over Magomedov, Abasgadzhi made his third straight Russian Nationals finals with a 4-0 victory. While Abasgadzi hasn't tasted defeat since the 2020 Yarygin against Alexander Bogomoev, the dominant 2021 world champion has looked vulnerable at the Yarygin in close matches #8 Fedor Baltuev and #7 Muslim Mekhtikhanov. While this could be chalked up to early-season rust with the Yarygin being in January, don't count out Idrisov as a serious threat to Magomedov's domestic dominance. #7 Israil Kasumov takes back the reigns at 70 KG, #13 Anzor Zakuev breaks through. In what was one of the deepest brackets on day one, returning national champion #7 Israil Kasumov showed himself in top form. After avenging a loss from the Ivan Poddubny tournament to #5 Ruslan Zhendaev by a dominant 13-0 tech fall, Kasumov kept the momentum going all the way through the semifinals where he thumped Yarygin champion #4 Viktor Rassadin 12-3 to make his fifth Russian Nationals finals appearance in pursuit of his second title. Facing Kasumov in the finals will be the breakthrough of the tournament, #13 Anzor Zakuev. Zakuev, an age group standout always on the precipice of greatness, with excellent showings at the 2016 Russian Nationals, 2017 Junior European championships, 2019 Dan Kolov and 2021 Russian Nationals, finally put it all together domestically to place for the first time at Senior Russian Nationals and make his first finals appearance in the process. Zakuev notched the biggest win of his career when he blanked two-time Russian Nationals champion and title favorite #6 Kurban Shiraev in the quarterfinals and followed it with a 9-6 victory over 2021 Russian Nationals bronze medalist Abdulla Akhmedov in the semis. Zakuev's offensive diversity and impressive pace make him a handful and I am excited to see what challenges he brings to the dangerous veteran Kasumov in the finals. #2 Magomed Kurbanov dominant on path to third national finals at 92 KG, #13 Azamat Zakuev returns to form. After twice finishing as a Russian Nationals runner-up in 2019 and 2020 to #8 (97) Alikhan Zhabrailov, 2021 world runner-up #2 Magomed Kurbanov is poised to win his second national title after a strong showing on day one to secure his spot in the finals. In the semifinals, Kurbanov dominated Russian Junior National champion #14 Magomed Sharipov 10-0 in the semifinals to go with a 9-0 victory over Yarygin runner-up #17 Tamerlan Tapsiev and a 4-0 win over Khabib Gadzhiev. In contrast to the dominance of Kurbanov, returning Russian Nationals bronze medalist #13 Azamat Zakuev made his way to the finals on the strength of close wins. Taking a tight 3-1 win over Yarygin champion #15 Guram Chertkoev, to set up a pivotal semifinal bout against #5 Vladislav Valiev, Zakuev returned to his top form and beat out the former 2017 86 KG world bronze medalist Valiev 2-1 to make his first national finals. This is a great return for Zakuev who showed himself to be a consensus top-five talent at the end of 2021 by beating 14x Russian Nationals medalist Anzor Urishev to make the finals of the Russian World Team Trials wrestle-off where he fell to #2 Magomed Kurbanov. I'm interested to see if Zakuev can tap into the impressive offensive arsenal he has or if he will try to continue his trend of close matches into the finals and hold on for the win against the stingy Kurbanov.

World and Olympic champion Zavur Uguev (photos courtesy of Tony Rotundo; WrestlersAreWarriors.com) Following up on the incredible action from day one of Russian Nationals, day two of Russian Nationals will see athletes in the 57, 65, 74, 86, 97, and 125 KG weight classes toe the line for a chance to win gold. Headlined by Russia's marquee weights of 57, 65, and 74 KG, day two will see some serious Senior level hardware on display as the following athletes will compete for national titles: Three-time World/Olympic champion #1 Zavur Uguev (RUS) at 57 KG, 2019 world champion #2 Gadzhimurad Rashidov and 2021 world champion #6 Zagir Shakhiev at 65 KG, 2019 70 KG world champion #5 David Baev, two time 70 KG world champion ('15,'18) #10 Magomedrasul Gazimagomedov and U-23 world champions #6 Razambek Zhamalov and #7 Cherman Valiev competing at 74 KG, and 2021 World and Olympic bronze medalist #3 Artur Naifonov at 86 KG. These domestic standouts and more will be covered for this preview of day two of Russian Nationals. 57 KG Who to Watch Out For #1 Zavur Uguev- 3x World/Olympic champion ('18,'19,'21), 4x Russian Nationals champion ('17,'18,'20,'21), 2020 Individual World Cup champion 4 Azamat Tuskaev- 2020 Yarygin champion, 2020 European champion, 2020 Russian Nationals runner-up, 2022 Ivan Poddubny Tournament champion #5 Nachyn Mongush- 2021 Russian Nationals runner-up, 2021 European runner-up, 2022 Ivan Poddubny Tournament runner-up #6 Ramiz Gamzatov- 2019 Russian Nationals champion, 2021 Ali Aliyev champion, 2021 61 KG Umakhanov tournament runner-up, 2022 Yarygin champion, 2022 Ivan Poddubny Tournament bronze medalist. On the top half of the bracket, expect to see reigning national champion #1 Zavur Uguev have a comfortable path through to the semifinals, with his best match beforehand coming against 2021 Yarygin runner-up Musa Mekhtikhanov. In the semifinals, Uguev will face a major test in the form of #4 Azamat Tuskaev in a rematch of the 2020 national finals narrowly won by the Tokyo Olympic champion. By the absolute thinnest of margins, I expect to see Uguev come out on top of Tuskaev and make his fifth Russian Nationals finals. For reference of how highly you should regard the skill of Tuskaev, he is the only man to beat Uguev domestically in the past five years and that was a lopsided drubbing in the 2017 Alans finals. Add in Tuskaev's excellent 2020 that saw him win the Yarygin and European championships and beat out the likes of 61 KG Russian Nationals finalist #7 Akhmed Idrisov, #6 Ramiz Gamzatov and 2019 world runner-up Suleyman Atli (TUR) and the North Ossetian is a very, very serious threat for gold. On the bottom half of the bracket, expect to see returning national runner-up #6 Nachyn Mongush have a close match in the round of 16 against 2019 national runner-up Muslim Sadulaev followed up with a tough match against 2018 national runner-up Donduk-Ool Khuresh-Ool in the quarters. While this is a winnable bottom half bracket for Mongush, his reliance on his length and upper body finesse can come back to hurt him against people who deny him his ties and can keep him busy with handfighting and finish clean on him. The other half of the bottom bracket should be highlighted by a marquee quarterfinal match between 2019 national champion #6 Ramiz Gamzatov and 2021 world team member Abubakar Mutaliev. Mutaliev had an excellent 2021 with a bronze medal finish at the national tournament and made the world team last year by Tuskaev and Gamzatov in last year's wrestle-offs before taking fifth at the world championships. I feel that even with as dangerous as Mutaliev can be and the domestic wins he's had plus his two victories form 2019 over #2 Thomas Gilman (USA), his current trend points towards a sustained inconsistency that means he will fall to a surging Gamzatov who's coming off a Yarygin title over 61 KG national finalist #7 Akhmed Idrisov. In the semis, I expect to see Gamzatov continue his hot streak and beat Mongush to make his second national finals. An important point of interest here will be that Gamzatov is a primary training partner of Uguev and will that familiarity be enough to potentially give him an edge over the pound for pound standout? For the finals, I see it Uguev vs. Gamzatov and for bronze I take #4 Azamat Tuskaev and #5 Nachyn Mongush. 65 KG Who to Watch Out For #2 Gadzhimurad Rashidov- 2x 61 KG World runner-up ('17, '18), 2019 65 KG world champion, 2021 Olympic bronze medalist, 4x Russian nationals champion ('17,'19, '20, '21). 5 Shamil Mamedov- 2021 Junior World champion, 2021 Umakhanov Tournament champion, 2022 Yarygin champion, 2022 Yasar Dogu champion. #6 Zagir Shakhiev- 2020 Russian Nationals bronze medalist, 2021 Russian Nationals runner-up, 2021 world champion #10 Alik Khadartsev- 2019 60 KG Junior world bronze medalist, 2021 Yarygin champion, 2022 Poddubny Tournament champion #11 Ramazan Ferzaliev- 2x Russian Nationals runner-up ('19,'20), 2018 Alans champion, 2022 Yarygin runner-up. #13 Ibragim Abdurakhmanov- 2019 61 KG Intercontinental Cup champion, 2021 U23 world runner-up, 2022 Ivan Poddubny Tournament bronze medalist. #14 Ibragim Ibragimov- 2022 Yarygin bronze medalist. #19 Murshid Mutalimov- 2017 Russian Nationals runner-up, 2017 Alans runner-up, 2019 Russian Nationals bronze medalist. Muslim Saidulaev- 2018 Alans champion, 2019 Junior European runner-up, 2020 Russian Nationals 5th. Dasha Sharastepanov- 2018 Russian Nationals bronze medalist, 2020 Yarygin bronze medalist, 2021 Yarygin runner-up. Chaiaan Mongush- 2020 Russian Junior National champ, 2021 Yarygin bronze medalist. The top half of the bracket sees reigning national champion and Tokyo Olympic bronze medalist #2 Gadzhimurad Rashidov face Yarygin runner-up #11 Ramazan Ferzaliev in the round of 16 and 2021 U23 world runner-up #13 Ibragim Abdurakhmanov in the quarterfinals. Rashidov is so positionally solid and such a strong finisher, I don't see him having a real issue here save for a closeish match against Ferzaliev in the round of 16 and he should take out returning 5th place finisher Gadzhimurad Omarov in the semis to lock up his fifth national finals appearance. Keep an eye out for that round of 16 match between 2017 national runner-up #19 Murshid Mutalimov and 2020 61 KG Russian Nationals bronze medalist #13 Ibragim Abdurakhmanov as I would say confidently it is the best match of the top half. While the top half of the bracket is relatively clear cut, the bottom half is a posterchild for the depth that Russia fields in its lighter weight classes. On the top side of the bracket, expect to see the surging #5 Shamil Mamedov continue to tear through the weight on his way to the semis. Keep an eye on Mamedov's round of 16 match against 2020 Russian Junior national champion Chaiaan Mongush, as Mongush has a past win over Mamedov from the 2020 Junior national tournament. The bottom half of the bracket will be fireworks, starting off with 2018 Russian Nationals bronze medalist Dasha Sharastepanov taking on Yarygin bronze medalist #14 Ibragim Ibragimov in the round of 32. While Ibragimov is the one with the higher ranking and better current wins, I expect to see the savvy veteran Sharastepanov take the win and make his way through to the quarterfinals. Reigning world champion #6 Zagir Shakhiev has a brutal draw and while he's shown himself to be a beast when it comes time for national tournament, he will have his hands full starting off with 2018 Alans champion Muslim Saidulaev in his first match and taking on Ivan Poddubny Tournament champion #10 Alik Khadartsev in the round of 16. That Khadartsev match is a big highlight to me as if there's anyone with huge upset potential in this bracket, it's Khadartsev. Given that Zagir can fight his way through to the quarters, I see him matching up favorably against Sharastepanov and then taking on Mamedov in the semis. While Mamedov won their Yasar Dogu finals match in spectacular fashion with a counter throw into a spladle, I expect to see a more controlled match out of both men and see Mamedov come out on top with his excellent low level attacks and finishing prowess against the upper body finesse of Shakhiev. Shakhiev is an excellent scrambler and lethal with his transitional leg lace game but I just think Mamedov is too hot right now and I'm going to with a finals match between #1 Gadzhimurad Rashidov and #5 Shamil Mamedov. For bronze, I see #11 Ramazan Ferzaliev and #6 Zagir Shakhiev securing the hardware. 74 KG Who to Watch Out For #5 David Baev- 2x Russian Nationals bronze medalist ('17,'18), 2019 70 KG world champion, 2020 70 KG Russian Nationals runner-up, 2022 Ivan Poddubny Tournament runner-up. #6 Razambek Zhamalov- 2x Russian Nationals runner-up ('19, '21), 2020 Russian Nationals champion, 2019 U23 world champion, 2020 Individual World Cup champion. #7 Cherman Valiev- 2x 70 KG Russian Nationals bronze medalist ('19,'21), 2020 70 KG Russian Nationals champion, 2021 U23 world champion, 2022 Yarygin champion, 2022 Ivan Poddubny Tournament runner-up. #10 Magomedrasul Gazimagomedov- Two-time 70 KG world champion ('15, '18), 2020 European runner-up, 2x Yarygin champion ('19, '20) This is a very top-heavy weight which makes the brackets relatively straightforward to follow. #6 Razambek Zhamalov is the man with the highest placing in the field, winning gold in 2020 but having just came back with injuries and coming off a 4-3 semifinal loss from the Poddubny tournament to #5 David Baev, I expect to see the same result repeat itself with Baev making his third national finals with a win over Zhamalov. On the bottom side of the bracket, #7 Cherman Valiev should be expected to win a rematch of his Yarygin finals match against #10 Magomedrasul Gazimagomedov to set up his second national finals match against #5 David Baev. Baev and Valiev have an extensive rivalry, with Valiev dating back to the 2019 Ali Aliyev where he upset Baev and pushed his career record to 2-0 in the Russian National finals in 2020. Baev took his first victory over Valiev last year in the Russian National team wrestle-offs before losing to #3 Evgheni Zherbaev. Either Valiev can continue to build his lead or Baev can show he's jumped levels at 74 and take the series hold over Valiev. I trend towards Baev's improvements in this case but being that I historically am biased against Cherman Valiev on the grounds that he is one of the most offensively talented but persistent stallers in the sport, never count his high percentage style out. Still, I'll go with Baev. If Zhamalov upsets Baev in the semis, I take Zhamalov over Valiev in the finals. Straight line pick first time I say Baev over Valiev in the finals, Zhamalov and Gazimagomedov take bronze. 86 KG Who to Watch Out For #3 Artur Naifonov- 3x European champion ('18,'20,'21), 2019 world bronze medalist, 2021 Olympic bronze medalist, 2021 world bronze medalist, 2022 Ivan Poddubny Tournament champion. #4 Dauren Kurugliev-2017 European champion, 2018 Russian Nationals champion, 2019 European Games champion, 2020 Russian nationals champion, 2021 Russian Nationals runner-up, 2020 Individual World Cup champion, 3x Yarygin champion ('17,'19,'22), 2022 Ivan Poddubny Tournament runner-up #5 Magomed Ramazanov- 3x Russian Nationals bronze medalist ('19,'20,'21), 2020 79 KG Yarygin champion, 2020 79 KG European runner-up, 2021 Henri Deglane Grand Prix champ. #6 Ada Bagomedov- 2021 Medved runner-up, 2022 Yarygin bronze medalist, 2022 Ivan Poddubny Tournament bronze medalist. #7 Amanulla Rasulov- 2021 U23 European champion, 2022 Yarygin runner-up, 2022 Ivan Poddubny Tournament bronze medalist. #10 Khabil Khashpakov- 2021 Umakhanov tournament champion, 2 #13 Arsenali Musalaliev- 2016 Junior world champion, 3x Russian Nationals bronze medalist ('17,'19,'20), 2x U23 European champion ('18, '19). #15 Magomedsharif Biyakaev- 2021 Yarygin champion, 2020 Yarygin bronze medalist, 2020 Russian Nationals 5th place finisher, 2018 Alans runner-up, 2021 Ali Aliev runner-up, 2019 Alans bronze medalist. Don't let the huge influx of ranked wrestlers here distract you from the fact that 86KG is essentially a two-man weight between #3 Artur Naifonov and #4 Dauren Kurugliev. The men have met a total of eight times with the most recent coming in the finals of the Ivan Poddubny tournament won by Naifonov. Overall, Naifonov leads the series 6-2 and I expect to see a continuation of that here. From the top half of the bracket, expect to see Naifonov breeze through to the semis where he'll take out three time Russian Nationals bronze medalist #13 Arsenali Musalaliev for bronze. The bottom half of the bracket features three-time Russian Nationals bronze medalist #5 Magomed Ramazanov and #4 Dauren Kurugliev facing off in the first round. While Ramazanov has torn through the international scene and established himself as one of the premiere talents in the world, he has historically proven himself incapable of overcoming the duo of Naifonov and Kurugliev. While Ramazanov is slated to compete to transfer and compete for Romania, the fact that he holds legionnaires status means that he can still compete at the Russian National tournament. Even with this being said, expect to see him take a tough loss to Kurugliev in the round of 16 and bounce for back as Kurugliev makes the finals after a semifinals victory over #15 Magomedsharif Biyakaev. In the finals I see #3 Artur Naifonov beating #4 Dauren Kurugliev for the seventh time for his third national title, and I see #5 Magomed Ramazanov and #13 Arsenali Musalaliev taking bronze. 97 KG Who to Watch Out For #7 Akhmed Tazhudinov- 2022 Junior Russian Nationals runner-up, 2022 Ivan Poddubny Tournament champion. #10 Shamil Musaev- 2019 Yarygin champion, 2019 U23 world runner-up, 2022 Yarygin runner-up, 2019 Russian Nationals bronze medalist. #15 Sergey Kozyrev- 2022 U23 Russian Nationals champion, 2021 125 KG Russian Nationals champion, 2021 125 KG European runner-up, 2021 125 KG European Olympic Qualifier runner-up. #19 Abulla Kurbanov- 2022 Junior Russian Nationals champion, 2022 Ivan Poddubny Tournament bronze medalist. The top half of the bracket should be a clear showing for #7 Akhmed Tazhudinov who is coming off an excellent title run at the Ivan Poddubny tournament where he beat #15 Sergey Kozyrev, #19 Abdulla Kurbanov and #8 Alikhan Zhabrailov. His match with Kurbanov in the quarterfinals will be his toughest test and I'm excited to see how he outdoes 2020 national runner-up Aslanbek Sotiev in the semifinals. Tazhudinov is a young commodity and still not proven outside of his one excellent tournament with the Poddubny but I feel confident in his performance here. On the bottom half of the bracket, expect to see 2021 125 KG national champion and Olympian #15 Sergey Kozyrev power and excellent outside step single series take him through to the finals after what I expect to be a heart pounding semifinal match against #10 Shamil Musaev. In the finals I have #7 Akhmed Tazhudinov vs. #15 Sergey Kozyrev and for the bronze medalists I have #19 Abdulla Kurbanov and #10 Shamil Musaev. 125 KG Who to Watch Out For #4 Zelimkhan Khizriev- 2021 Yarygin champion, 2021 world rep, 2021 Ali Aliyev champion, 2021 Russian World Team Trials wrestle-off winner, 2022 Ivan Poddubny Tournament champion, 2019 Russian Nationals bronze medalist. #5 Anzor Khizriev-2022 Yarygin champ, 2x World 5th place finisher ('17, '18), 2019 European Games champion. #7 Ostap Pasenok- 2021 Yarygin bronze, 2017 Korkin bronze, 2x Maccabi Games champ (''09, '13), 2009 MaccabI Games Greco champ. #8 Baldan Tsyzhipov- 2020 European bronze medalist, 2020 Yarygin champ, 2019 Alans runner-up, 2016 Russian Nationals bronze medalist. #11 Erik Dzhioev- 2020 97 KG Russian Nationals bronze medalist, 2018 97 KG Alans 5th place finisher, 2022 Ivan Poddubny bronze medalist. #13 Vitali Goloev- 2019 U23 world runner-up, 2020 Russian Nationals bronze medalist, 2022 Yarygin runner-up, 2021 Yarygin bronze medalist Alan Khugaev- 2014 European runner-up, 2014 Russian Nationals runner-up, 2019 Russian Nationals champion, 2020 Russian Nationals champion. #19 Alen Khubulov- 2019 Junior world bronze medalist, 2022 Yarygin bronze medalist. Soslan Khinchagov- 2018 Junior world champion, 2019 Medved champ. Khamzat Khizriev- 2021 Yarygin runner-up Pavel Krivtsov- 2020 Yarygin runner-up, 2019 Ali Aliyev runner-up, 2019 Russian Nationals bronze medalist Saypudin Magomedov- 2021 Russian Nationals bronze medalist, 2021 U23 world bronze medalist, 2019 Junior European champion. Heavyweight will be a story of the brother Khizriev, with reigning world team member #4 Zelimkhan Khizriev on the bottom half and older brother #5 Anzor Khizriev on the top half. Anzor, a two time national champion with two world fifth place finishers to his name in 2017 and 2018 should have his best competition on his bracket come in the quarterfinals against #8 Baldan Tsyzhipov and in the semis against 2019 national champion Alan Khugaev. I expect to see the elder Khizriev come through to his third Russian Nationals finals match. On the top half, keep an eye out for the Khugaev/Pasenok qualification round match and Khugaev's quarterfinal against former Junior world champion Soslan Khinchagov. The bottom half of the bracket should be won confidently by #4 Zelimkhan Khizriev. My top match to keep an eye on is quarterfinal between #11 Erik Dzhioev and #13 Vitali Goloev. As it stands now, I'm leaning towards Dzhioev to take the nod over Goloev and lose a tight one to Khizriev in the semifinals. Goloev's issues with his gas tank and in match decision making just seal the deal for me in favor of Dzhioev. In the finals I see it #4 Zelimkhan Khizriev vs. #5 Anzor Khizriev but it's hard to say if they'll actually wrestle as historically, they forfeit to each other. For bronze, give me Alan Khugaev and #11 Erik Dzhioev.

2010 NCAA champion Bubba Jenkins (photo courtesy of Tony Rotundo; WrestlersAreWarriors.com) Friday night is jam-packed with MMA action featuring former wrestling stars. Across the Bellator, Professional Fighters League and Xtreme Fight Night, wrestlers will be in action across Showtime, ESPN and UFC Fight Pass. The following is a preview of the bouts going down. Friday: Bellator 282 Johnny Eblen vs. Gegard Mousasi Eblen has earned a shot at the Bellator middleweight title thanks to an undefeated 11-0 record. During his time at Missouri, he spent several years in the starting lineup. As a senior in 2015, he won the MAC championship to qualify for the NCAA tournament. He will be facing a tough challenge in Mousasi. The UFC veteran and current Bellator champion has been competing professionally since 2003 and has defeated several former wrestlers such as Mark Munoz, Dan Henderson and Chris Weidman. Danny Sabatello vs. Leandro Higo Sabatello got a late invite to the Bellator bantamweight tournament and made the most of it with a first-round victory over Jornel Lugo. The former Purdue wrestler has not been afraid to show his brash personality in the cage and has been dominant on the ground. During his time with the Boilermakers, he was a three-time NCAA qualifier. Higo will have an experience edge in this contest and has knocked off wrestlers Darrion Caldwell and Shawn Bunch in the last few years. Brennan Ward vs. Kassius Kayne Ward was a Division III All-American during his time at Johnson & Wales. Interestingly enough, he was prevented from reaching the podium a second time by multiple-time Greco world team member Joe Rau. He returned to action earlier this year from an extensive layoff and picked up a second-round stoppage over Brandon Bell. Kayne has mostly struggled when he has stepped up in competition, so Ward should be the favorite here. Cody Law vs. James Gonzalez Law spent time at Penn State before finding a home at Pitt-Johnstown. At the Division II school, he became a three-time NCAA champion. Law has certainly looked like a prospect during his time with Bellator. He made his professional debut with the promotion in 2020 and has gone a perfect 6-0 in their cage. Gonzalez has gone 8-5 mostly on the Northeast circuit. Law should be the favorite, but this is a modest step up in competition. Eblen, Sabatello and Ward are all part of the main card, which airs live on Showtime at 9:00pm ET. The undercard, which will feature Law, starts on YouTube at 6:00pm ET. Friday: PFL 5 2022 Bubba Jenkins vs. Reinaldo Ekson After leaving Bellator in 2016, it looked like Jenkins might be done with top promotions, but he has found new life with the PFL. The former Penn State and Arizona State wrestler has gone 3-1 with the PFL after joining the promotion last year. During his collegiate days, Jenkins was an NCAA finalist for Penn State before transferring to Arizona State for his final year. With the new school, he returned to the finals and scored a legendary upset over David Taylor. Ekson holds an 18-5 record and made his U.S. debut earlier this year on the PFL Challengers show. Lance Palmer vs. Sheymon Moraes Palmer long dominated the PFL/WSOF featherweight division, but that has not been the case recently. He is riding a three-fight losing streak and in desperate need of a win. Back in his Ohio State days, Palmer was a four-time All-American. As a senior in 2010, he made the finals before coming up short against Brent Metcalf. Moraes went 2-4 with the UFC between 2017 and 2021. He joined PFL after leaving the UFC and has won three-straight fights. Juan Adams vs. Sam Kei Adams signed with the UFC in 2018 after winning only four fights. He won his first fight in the Octagon before dropping three-straight fights and being released by the company. Since leaving the UFC, the former VMI wrestler has bounced back with a 3-1 record for Fury FC. As a senior in 2015, Adams went 22-12 for VMI. Kei has an 8-5 record and will be making a big step up in competition. All of these former wrestlers will be part of the PFL preliminary card, which will air live on ESPN+ at 5:30pm ET. Friday: Xtreme Fight Night 381 Nick Piccininni vs. Shawn Gustafson Piccininni has been training with fellow Oklahoma State veteran Daniel Cormier at American Kickboxing Academy. He made his professional MMA debut last June and has won both of his fights in a combined time of under three minutes. During his time with the Cowboys, Piccininni won well over 100 matches and was a multiple-time All-American. Gustafson went 3-3 as an amateur before winning his professional debut last October. It will be interesting to see if he can become the first fighter to last a round with the Cowboy. Jacobe Smith vs. Zachariah Kelley Smith is also part of the Oklahoma State contingent training at AKA. He moved to 2-0 as a professional in February with a 23-second victory over William Florentino. Smith spent three years with Oklahoma State after transferring from Northeastern Oklahoma and finished eighth in 2018 to become an All-American. Per Tapology, Kelley has a 5-33-1 professional boxing record and in the last two years fought in boxing, kickboxing, bare-knuckle boxing and MMA. Bella Mir vs. Jessica Link Mir is the daughter of former UFC heavyweight champion Frank Mir. She already holds a 2-0 professional MMA record despite only recently graduating from college. Mir was originally scheduled to compete at the Pittsburgh Wrestling Classic, but dropped out due to an injury. The promotion for that event said she was going to attend college at Iowa. Mir finished fifth at the 2020 U20 women's nationals. Link has a 1-3 amateur MMA record, but she is also coming off a bare-knuckle boxing victory this past April. XFN 381 will air live on UFC Fight Pass at 8:00pm ET. Sunday: Fury FC 65 Mo Miller vs. Joshua Weems The main event of Fury FC 65 features Miller's return. Miller was a three-time Division II All-American for Notre Dame College. He earned a shot on Dana White's Contender Series but did not receive a UFC contract even after winning. Following the show, he picked up his first loss against Jose Johnson. However, since then, he turned things around with a first-round finish over Evers Anderson. Weems holds a 9-2 record with some impressive wins. A win here could signal Miller is ready for the UFC. The main card of Fury FC 65 airs live on UFC Fight Pass at 5:30pm ET.

Stalemates returns with their third Street League event. The cards, which are always a mix of current and former wrestlers as well as MMA fighters and grappling competitors, have delivered up to this point. The following is a preview of the key matches from the event, which can be purchased via Patreon . Richie Lewis vs. Ian Miller The original main event of this card was Lewis against former Iowa wrestler Alex Marinelli. The two had a history, and it would have been a marquee match, especially in Iowa. However, the bout failed to materialize. The promoter was able to put together a suitable alternative on late notice. Lewis burst into the national spotlight with a somewhat surprising gold medal performance at the 2017 U23 World Championships. He had previously earned NJCAA All-American honors at Iowa Central and qualified for the 2016 NCAA tournament for Rutgers. At the time, he had one more season of eligibility for the Scarlet Knights. During the year, he scored impressive victories over the likes of Anthony Valencia, Isaiah White, Branson Ashworth, and Evan Wick. In the end, he came up just short of All-American status as he fell against Chance Marsteller in the round of 12. He continued to compete on the freestyle circuit following college. In 2019, Lewis won the Dave Schultz tournament and finished fourth at the World Team Trials Challenge Tournament. Last year, Lewis made his professional MMA debut. He is now 3-0 in the sport after picking up a second-round stoppage over Kelvin Bowen at Titan FC 76 this past May. Miller was a four-time NCAA qualifier and a three-time All-American for Kent State. He exhausted his eligibility in 2016 with a sixth-place finish at the NCAA tournament. Miller made the semifinals before dropping a sudden-victory match against eventual champion Isaiah Martinez, before defaulting out with an injury. Unfortunately for Miller, he is remembered for an unfortunate situation at the 2015 NCAA tournament. He went to overtime and ultimately lost an 11-9 match. However, Miller should have won the bout 10-9 in regulation, but an escape from the Kent State wrestler was missed by the official scorer. Despite the controversy, he bounced back to finish fifth. Since finishing college, Miller has focused on coaching and is currently the head assistant for Appalachian State. He certainly had the better results at the collegiate level, but he has been less active recently. That is one of the many factors that make this bout intriguing. Lewis spent his college career at 165 pounds, while Miller was down a weight. The former Rutgers wrestler has also been working on his budding MMA career instead of working solely on wrestling. Even though Lewis has not been focused on wrestling recently, he has been the more active competitor recently. On top of that, Miller took this bout on short notice. Lewis is the favorite, but Miller still has the go-for-broke style to pull the upset and/or make this an exciting contest. Prediction: Lewis by decision Jesse Dellavecchia vs. Kennedy Monday Dellavecchia started his college career at Binghamton but eventually transferred to Rider. After a redshirt year, he joined the Broncs lineup as a sophomore and qualified for the NCAA tournament. Dellavecchia returned the following season and qualified for the canceled tournament. As a senior, he entered the tournament after wrestling only seven matches during the shortened season. Dellavecchia had a tournament run for the ages that took him all the way to the finals and a second-place finish. Along the way, he knocked off Penn State's Brady Berge and upset Ryan Deakin with a fall in the semifinals. Monday was a three-time NCAA qualifier for North Carolina. He finished one match short of All-American status as a redshirt freshman in 2018. After this past season, Monday appeared to be done with college wrestling and was scheduled to make his MMA debut over the summer. However, that bout fell through, and he entered the transfer portal to use his final year of eligibility. It remains to be seen if he will return for one final run at All-American status. The matches at Street League are only five minutes long, and that really plays into Monday's game. He has been able to put points on the board early in matches against some top wrestlers, but he can fade down the stretch. However, Dellavecchia should remain the favorite. In preparation for this article, I asked in-house InterMat guru Jagger about the match. After a long drag from his Marlboro menthol light, he looked to the stars for guidance. As if possessed by the spirit of Chris Taylor, he looked me dead in the eyes and said, "one wrestler recently competed in an NCAA final. The other sat mat-side during an NCAA final." We then sat in silence for 35 minutes before my Lyft arrived and drove me back to DC. Prediction: Dellavecchia by decision Colton McCrystal vs. Grant Leeth McCrystal was a two-time NCAA qualifier for Nebraska who exhausted his eligibility in 2018. He made the round of 12 as a junior and scored victories over the likes of Luke Pletcher, Chad Red, and Bryce Meredith during his collegiate career. McCrystal has performed quite well on Street League cards. He has won both of his matches including a victory over Joey Lazor by fall last October. Leeth started his collegiate career at Duke. He redshirted his first season there and eventually transferred to Missouri. Leeth consistently dealt with injuries during his time with the Tigers, but he managed to qualify for two NCAA tournaments and finished sixth in 2018 to become an All-American. Leeth recently has been training with Rob Koll and Stanford. McCrystal will be looking for his third-straight victory over an All-American at Street League. At this point, it would be hard to pick against him. He had an up-and-down performance at the past U.S. Open, but he should be able to get it done here. Prediction: McCrystal by decision Mikey England vs. Quentin Perez England was a multiple-time NCAA qualifier for Missouri and was part of the legendary 2015 National Duals final match where the Tigers defeated Iowa. He made his professional MMA debut in 2020 and has built a 6-1 record. Despite making the transition to the new sport, he has been a fixture on Street League cards. On the second card, he scored a victory over fellow MMA fighter and former Cleveland State wrestler Gerald Harris. England is scheduled to return to the MMA cage on July 29 against Lucas Batista. Perez was a three-time NCAA qualifier for Campbell. Unfortunately, he never got one final run at the All-American podium as his senior season ended with the canceled tournament. That year, Perez went 26-6, won the SoCon tournament and picked up wins over the likes of Dazjon Casto, Phillip Conigliaro and Kennedy Monday. Perez also went to sudden victory with Evan Wick. England will be the crowd favorite for sure, but Perez is an underrated competitor. He had a very strong senior season and has remained active on the freestyle circuit. Last April, he scored an upset over Isaiah White at the Bill Farrell. Look for the former Campbell wrestler to pull this one out. Prediction: Perez by decision Billy Higgins vs. Zach Goldrosen Higgins redshirted in 2019 for Northern Colorado. After two more seasons with the Bears, he transferred to Division II powerhouse Nebraska Kearney. In his first season with the new squad, he finished third at the NCAA tournament to become an All-American. He is expected to return to the team once again next year. Goldrosen was a Division III wrestler for Muhlenberg. He has been a revelation on these Street League cards. His teacher persona has drawn in fans and gotten under the skin of his opponents. Goldrosen will be the underdog here. However, he is a technically strong wrestler who holds positions well and can take advantage of an opponent's mistakes. If he can keep it low scoring, he could give himself a shot. His original opponent pulled out, and he gladly accepted a step up in competition. Prediction: Higgins by decision Josh Portillo vs. Cole Baumgartner Portillo was teammates with Higgins at Nebraska Kearney. For the Lopers, he was a four-time NCAA qualifier and two-time finalist. This past season, he went 22-6 and made the finals before coming up short against Cole Laya. Baumgartner spent three years with Missouri before transferring to Duke for the 2017 season. In his lone season with the Blue Devils, he went 18-12 and picked up some impressive victories over the likes of Devan Turner, Alex Madrigal and Micky Phillippi. This should be an interesting contest. Portillo has been much more active recently, but Baumgartner is dangerous in the top position. If he gets a decent chance on the mat, he should be able to do enough to take this bout. Prediction: Baumgartner The rest of the card: Moises Guillen vs. Nathan Ryan Alex Schmitz vs. Jake Nieman Dillion Cox vs. Josh Kristensen Blake Harris vs. Tommy Even Brody Beck vs. Brady Milder Sam White vs. Joshua Stephenson Matt Wonderlin vs. Cody Jenkins Zachary Owens vs. Nathen Thomsen

2021 World champion at 61 kg Abasgadzhi Magomedov (photos courtesy of Tony Rotundo; WrestlersAreWarriors.com) With loaded fields across the board, the 2022 Russian Nationals promises to welcome in the first year of the new quad with a bang. With an impressive mixture of seasoned Senior-level talents with world and domestic titles to their name, to a new influx of Junior age stars and everyone in between, Russian Nationals has something to watch for everybody. Day one will see athletes in the 61, 70, 79, and 92 KG weight classes compete and we'll be looking at who stands out in the field and what to watch out for. 61 KG Who To Watch Out For #1 Abasgadzhi Magomedov- 2021 World champion, 2021 European champion, 2021 Russian Nationals champion. #7 (57) Akhmed Idrisov- 2019 57 KG Alans champion, 2021 Umakhanov tournament champion, 2021 57 KG Yarygin runner-up #5 Bashir Magomedov- 2021 Umakhanov tournament bronze medalist, 2022 Junior Russian Nationals champion. #7 Muslim Mekhtikhanov- 2021 Russian Nationals runner-up, 2021 Ali Aliyev champion. Currently held down by reigning world champion #1 Abasgadzhi Magomedov, 61 KG in Russia has seen an explosion of talent develop to usher in the new quad. 57 KG Yarygin runner-up #7 (57) Akhmed Idrisov looks to be the man with the best chances of pushing Magomedov in the finals from the top side. Keep an eye out for Idrisov's quarterfinal against the winner of 2021 57 KG Junior world champ Ramazan Bagavudinov and 2021 61 KG U23 World runner-up Artur Chebodaev, as both men should prove to be Idrisov's toughest match on the top side of the bracket. The bottom side of the bracket lays claim to the top-ranked Russian 61's in the world with #1 Abasgadzhi Magomedov and #5 Bashir Magomedov. The battle of the Magomedov's should be anticipated for a semifinal rematch of their Ivan Poddubny tournament finals won by Abasgadzhi. Now two men between Bashir and Abasgadzhi could potentially derail the semifinal showdown and they are 2019 57 KG Alans bronze medalist Alexander Sabanov for Bashir in the round of 16 and a rematch of last year's national finals match in the quarterfinals against #7 Muslim Mekhtikhanov for Abasgadzhi. While I'm very convinced of both men's abilities, if anything, Bashir is at a higher risk of being upset than Abasgadzhi, who has a history of being able to pull out close domestic matches, like he has against Mekhtikhanov at the Yarygin and last year's national finals and in the Yarygin finals against #8 Fedor Baltuev. In the semis, I see it being a controlling win for Abasgadzhi to set up a finals match against #7 (57) Akhmed Idrisov and taking gold. For bronze, I expect to see Ramazan Bagavudinov finish in bronze on the top half and #7 Muslim Mekthikhanov take bronze on the bottom half. There's a couple of under-the-radar guys here, who, while not having the same level of credentials as the top-end of the weight class, are tough opponents with upset potential. On the topside, two-time Ali Aliyev finalist Dzhabrail Gairbekov is an explosive counter-oriented wrestler with a past win over #7 (57) Akhmed Idrisov and potential medal ability. On the bottom side, Alexander Sabanov began his Senior career off with a bang in 2019 by taking bronze at the 57 KG Alans with a win in the bronze medal match over 2019 57 KG Russian Nationals champion #6 (57) Ramiz Gamzatov. While Sabanov hasn't lived up to the early potential he showed in Vladikavkaz back in 2019, his high offense style could pose problems for the rest of the field if he is on. 70 KG Who to Watch Out For #4 Viktor Rassadin - 2022 Yarygin champion, 2022 Ivan Poddubny tournament champion, 2x Russian Nationals medalist (‘16, ‘17) #5 Ruslan Zhendaev - 2022 Ivan Poddubny tournament runner-up, 2020 Russian Nationals bronze medalist, 2022 Yarygin bronze medalist #6 Kurban Shiraev - Two-time Russian Nationals bronze medalist (‘20 & ‘21), 2020 65 KG European champion, 2x Yarygin champion (‘20, ‘21) #7 Israil Kasumov - 2021 Russian Nationals champion, 2021 European champion, 4x Yarygin champion (‘14, ‘16, ‘17, ‘20). #12 Ruslan Bogatyrev - 2021 Yarygin bronze medalist, 2022 Ivan Poddubny Tournament bronze medalist. #13 Anzor Zakuev - 2022 Yarygin runner-up, 2019 Dan Kolov runner-up, 2017 66 KG Junior European champion In what is a recurring trend, the depth at the non-Olympic year weights this year for Russian Nationals have been incredible. 70 KG is the poster boy for this as it boasts 12 Russian Nationals medals and three past European champions. #4 Viktor Rassadin is the highest-ranked in the field and has had an excellent start to 2022 with a Yarygin title and wins over #6 Kurban Shiraev and #13 Anzor Zakuev to his name but the preemptive favorite looks to be #6 Kurban Shiraev who tech falled Rassadin in December at the Umakhanov tournament and has past wins over Russian Nationals champions #5 (74) David Baev and #16 (65) Akhmed Chakaev. On the top half of the bracket, Rassadin shouldn't be tested until his quarterfinal match where he will either face #12 Ruslan Bogatyrev or 2021 74 KG Yarygin champion Aznaur Tavaev. While Bogatyrev is the higher-ranked of the two, Tavaev is the more dangerous and almost tech falled Rassadin at last year's Russian Nationals championships, before being pinned off a poorly executed scramble. Tavaev is one of the most dangerous men in the field and while he has struggled with weight and injury issues, if he is dialed in he can make a run to the finals. In the semifinals, expect to see the winner of Tavaev/Rassadin take on either #5 Ruslan Zhendaev or #7 Israil Kasumov who face off in the qualifying round. While Kasumov is the Chechen boogeyman, who's been a constant presence at the weight since 2014 and racked up three finals appearances in that time, Zhendaev is coming off a dominant win over Kasumov and #6 Kurban Shiraev at the Ivan Poddubny tournament, so while I do highly factor Kasumov's experience and veteran status at the weight, I think Zhendaev is too hot right now and makes a run to the semis. If Rassadin can make it through a top half against Tavaev and face Zhendaev, I think he can break through to his third finals match, but if Kasumov makes his run through to the finals beating Zhendaev I see Rassadin struggling against him and falling to the returning national champion. And that's not even factoring in Aznaur Tavaev, who's the current top-ranked Russian 2021 world bronze medalist #1 Evgheni Zherbaev! It's absolutely disgustingly stacked on the top side and I cannot wait to see what happens. The bottom half of the bracket is a lot more cut and dry with #6 Kurban Shiraev having a clear path to the semis after a quarterfinal win over #13 Anzor Zakuev and taking on the winner of 2019 61 KG Russian Nationals bronze medalist Dinislam Takhtarov and 2021 70 KG Russian Nationals bronze medalist Abdulla Akhmedov. I see Shiraev beating a streaking Takhtarov in the semis and making a confident run to the finals. My safest bet for the bronze medalist on the top half would be #4 Viktor Rassadin but you could sub out #5 Ruslan Zhendaev, #7 Israil Kasumov, or Aznaur Tavaev and have just as good of a bet. And just like on the championships preview, the bottom half is much clearer to pick with #13 Anzor Zakuev being my choice to take bronze. 79 KG Who to Watch For #3 Radik Valiev - 2021 Russian Nationals bronze medalist, 2021 World bronze medalist, 2022 Yarygin champion, 2022 Ivan Poddubny Tournament runner-up #4 Malik Shavaev - 2021 Russian Nationals champion, 2022 Yarygin runner-up. #12 Akhmed Usmanov - 2020 Russian Nationals champion, 2020 Individual World Cup champion, 2021 Russian Nationals runner-up. #13 Magomed Magomaev - 2021 U23 world champion, 2021 Medved bronze medalist. Nikita Suchkov - Two-time Russian Nationals bronze medalist (‘17, ‘18), 2019 74 KG U23 European champion, 2018 74 KG Korkin tournament champ. #16 Amanulla Gadzhimagomedov - 2020 Russian nationals bronze medalist, 2021 Medved champion, 2022 Ivan Poddubny tournament bronze medalist. Gadzhimurad Alikhmaev - 2020 Russian Nationals runner-up, 2019 74 KG Alans bronze medalist. #20 Dmitri Zainidinov - 2022 Yarygin bronze medalist, 2019 President Cup of Buryatia runner-up. With the returning world bronze medalist #3 Radik Valiev and the past two national champions of #4 Malik Shavaev and #12 Akhmed Usmanov all in the top half quarterfinal, 79 KG is the runaway winner of the most lopsided bracket. With that being said, let's break down how the top half goes. I have #12 Akhmed Usmanov evening his series 2-2 against returning national champion #4 Malik Shavaev and making the quarterfinals where he'll fall to #3 Radik Valiev. In the semifinal, expect to see Valiev go over German Ustinov and make the finals. My sleeper pick for the top half is 2019 Junior world champion Akhmad Tashukhadzhiev who has great strength and a fantastic inside control throwby that could catch Shavaev in his round of 32 match over Usmanov in his round of 16 match and with momentum he could potentially push Valiev. The best match of the bottom half of the bracket takes place in the quarterfinals between reigning U23 world champion #13 Magomed Magomaev and two-time Russian Nationals bronze medalist Nikita Suchkov. Suchkov started off the 2016-2021 quad on fire with two straight Russian Nationals bronze medal finishes in 2017 and 2018 at 74 KG, but has stagnated a bit since then so the move up in weight could be a much-needed change for him. Magomaev has been on an absolute tear through the age group scene and beat reigning Asian champion #14 Ali Savadkouhi (IRI) at the U23 world championships on his way to gold. Savadkouhi would finish off the year with a victory over 2021 74 KG Olympic runner-up #2 Magomedkhabib Kadimagomedov (BLR) in the Iranian Pro League, making Magomaev's win all the more impressive. While Suchkov has the more efficient offense between the two with an excellent knee pull single and ankle pick, I expect to see the pace and physicality of Magomaev take him through to the semifinals. I expect to see Gadzhimurad Alikhmaev repeat his win over #16 Amanulla Gadzhimagomedov from 2020 Russian Nationals and make a strong run through to the semis, where he'll fall to Magomaev. My predicted finals match is #3 Radik Valiev vs. #13 Magomed Magomaev with my bronze medalists being #12 Akhmed Usmanov and Nikita Suchkov. 92 KG Who to Watch Out For #2 Magomed Kurbanov - 2021 European champion, 2021 Russian Nationals champion, 2021 World silver medalist #5 Vladislav Valiev - 2017 86 KG World bronze medalist, 2019 86 KG European champion, 2019 86 KG Russian Nationals runner-up #13 Azamat Zakuev - 2021 Russian World Team Trials wrestle-off runner-up, 2021 U23 world runner-up, 2021 Umakhanov Tournament runner-up #14 Magomed Sharipov - 2021 Poddubny Tournament runner-up. #15 Guram Chertkoev - 2019 Korkin champion, Two time Yarygin champion (‘21, ‘22) #16 Alan Bagaev - 2019 Junior world champion, 2021 Umakhanov Tournament champion. #17 Tamerlan Tapsiev - Two Time Yarygin runner-up (‘21, ‘22), 2019 86 KG Ugra Cup runner-up, 2019 86 KG Ugra Cup runner-up. Reigning world silver medalist #2 Magomed Kurbanov should expect to be a clear favorite into the finals on the top half, beating 2021 Umakhanov Tournament champion #16 Alan Bagaev in the quarters and winning a rematch of his Poddubny Tournament finals match against Junior national champion #14 Magomed Sharipov in the semifinals. Expect a minor upset from #16 Alan Bagaev over #17 Tamerlan Tapsiev in the round of 16 to avenge his 3-3 semifinal loss to Tapsiev from the Yarygin semis in January. On the bottom half of the bracket, expect to see 2017 86 KG World bronze medalist #5 Vladislav Valiev as the favorite to come through to the finals, beating 2021 U23 world runner-up #13 Azamat Zakuev in the semifinals after Zakuev avenges his Yarygin semifinals loss to #15 Guram Chertkoev in the quarterfinals. My finals pick is #2 Magomed Kurbanov vs. #5 Vladislav Valiev and for bronze medalists, I have #16 Alan Bagaev and #13 Azamat Zakuev.

Yianni Diakomihalis and Zain Retherford at Final X Rutgers in 2019 (photo courtesy of Sam Janicki; SJanickiPhoto.com) Tonight, the crew at Stalemates presents their third edition of Street League. Once again, proving to be a force in the industry, Zach and the gang continue to evolve in an industry that can be a tough nut to crack. The previous shows have brought a ton of energy, great fans, and most importantly, great matches. My good buddy and Mikey England superfan, Ed Gallo of The Fight Site, went ballistic when The Maniac won in overtime against Gerald Harris before chugging a beer in his shoe. When you're eliciting that kind of reaction from fans with folkstyle matches with absolutely no stakes or affiliation, you know you're doing something right. I can only anticipate more cards in the future with more crazy matches. Here's a few dream matches I'd like to see go down in Stalemates Arena. Zain-Yianni The two best upper-lightweights of the past half-decade have met plenty of times in freestyle but never in a folk match. Six title-winning seasons and counting. One loss combined in those six seasons. I realize this is shooting for the stars but a man can dream. Kyle Dake-Kamal Bey Fight expert and resident Maryland Terps fan Richard Mann is dying to see this take place in Greco and I happen to agree with him. Put some extra padding around the mat and let's see who the best thrower in America really is. Speaking of Richard, he will be previewing the entire Street League 3 card with picks, if you care to make some friendly wagers. By the way, whatever happened to Wrestling Bookie? Vincenzo Joseph-Alex Marinelli The Bull owes us a match here and who better than everyone's favorite wrestler, the great Cenzo, to step up to the plate. After four battles between these two, we were robbed of one more potential battle with the loss of the 2020 tournament. Imagine what these two might do where they can just let it fly with no consequences. Tom Brands-Terry Brands Why the hell not? Tell me this can't happen. There's no doubt in my mind that these two can still go for the duration of one match. It's the Holy Grail of dream matches! It belongs in Iowa for Iowa fans. Slip into those denim and gold chain Street league singlets and let's do this already. Ok, by now you're probably finishing up your morning bathroom business so let's get to the questions. With all the upsets at FInal X, are we sending our best team? @pbr54321 Well, Mr. 54321, (also my luggage combination in reverse) I get what you're saying. And mostly this pertains to Seth Gross and Daton Fix. Look, the best-of-three format is there to prevent flukes and make sure the right person wins. Gross won the matches. He earned the spot. In my eyes, he's the best guy this year. Seth doesn't have that certain sex appeal that others do, because he doesn't always dominate and will drop the random matches. But what he does do is consistently improve his game and find success. So while he doesn't portray that dominant and elite persona that others do, he's reaching his freestyle prime and I wouldn't put it past him to come back with a medal. The man is crazy out there and the world is about to find out. I was just looking at the Intermat rankings that just dropped, Max Murin still has eligibility? Can you explain that to me? It feels like he graduated in the 1980's. @jkos11 Believe it or not, he's on the proper grade trajectory if you add in the free year. He redshirted in 2018, then wrestled the next four years. Consider this the bonus year and you have a proper 21st-century college career. The problem is that you're combining him with Vince Turk and thinking of them as one guy. With Turk's freshman year in 2016, it can seem like it's been a while. If there was a legit college wrestling video game, and you could play as any character in history, who would you pick and why? Also, why did you not pick Kellen Russell? @RichardAMann If someone makes a legit good game, I'll pick up Kellen, drive to you, get beers, huff Bogey's, lose our ladies, and live our dream of being King Sandoval pinning our way to an NCAA title. Was Courtney Love responsible for Kurt Cobain's death? Baby Grajales Two fun facts: I roped a single to right field for my first hit in high school baseball the day Kurt left us and spent the night writing this mailbag while listening to Lithium Deep Cuts on SXM. That's really all I can offer to the investigation. Can Rutgers finish third in the Big Ten this year? @Mopeman That's asking a lot. But that's no reason to mope, man. Take a look at the roster and there's something you won't find much of and that's seniors. This team is young and talented while building up the depth that has been a problem in recent years. I like where this team is going. Also, still undefeated with Jagger in the arena so time to get to some more duals. Where does Iowa end and Hell begin? ILLINI Wrestling Blog Well, that would clearly be Kansas City. Go Raiders! What's the best seafood to leave in your car and how do you feel about the influx of Italian-American transfers competing internationally? @SethPetar First off, all seafood is best left in the ocean. Gross. The Italians? I love it! New Jersey probably leads the league in Italian-American wrestlers and there's only so many world team spots. Keep an eye out for Jersey stud Alex Nini competing for Italy at Cadet Worlds. Now here's a question for you, Mr. Petarra. When are you going to lace 'em up for the old country? Move to Venice, your stank fish car will fit right in but you may not find any roads. Before we go I'd like to make an amendment to last week's question on entrance music. I'll totally rock the entirety of Uptown Funk on my way down the aisle. See ya next week!

2022 Matteo Pellicone champion Yelena Makoyed (photo courtesy of Tony Rotundo; WrestlersAreWarriors.com) 72 kg Greco-Roman Gold Medal Match Kristupas Sleiva (Lithuania) over Ulvi Ganizade (Azerbaijan) Injury Default Bronze Medal Matches Valentin Petic (Moldova) over Haavard Joergensen (Norway) 3-1 Selcuk Can (Turkey) over Matias Lipasti (Finland) 9-0 77 kg Greco-Roman Gold Medal Match Zoltan Levai (Hungary) over Amin Kaviyaninejad (Iran) 4-0 Bronze Medal Matches Robert Fritsch (Hungary) over Joilson De Brito Ramos (Brazil) 9-0 Per Olofsson (Sweden) over Luca Dariozzi (Italy) 6-2 USA Results Robert Fritsch (Hungary) over Kamal Bey (USA) 5-1 82 kg Greco-Roman Gold Medal Match Mihail Bradu (Moldova) over Rasoul Garmsiri (Iran) 2-1 Bronze Medal Matches Exauce Mukubu (Norway) over Oldrich Varga (Czech Republic) 2-1 Daniel Cataraga (Moldova) over Matteo Maffezzoli (Italy) 3-0 USA Results Matteo Maffezzoli (Italy) over Spencer Woods (USA) 5-4 57 kg Women's Freestyle Gold Medal Match Alina Hrushyna Akobiia (Ukraine) over Elvira Kamaloglu (Turkey) 11-1 Bronze Medal Matches Patrycja Gil (Poland) over Tamara Dollak (Hungary) Fall Giullia Rodrigues Penalber de Oliveira (Brazil) over Erika Bognar (Hungary) Fall USA Results Patrycja Gil (Poland) over Amanda Martinez (USA) 10-1 68 kg Women's Freestyle Gold Medal Match Alla Belinska (Ukraine) over Irina Ringaci (Moldova) Fall Bronze Medal Matches Wiktoria Choluj (Poland) over Noemi Szabados (Hungary) 4-2 Blessing Oborududu (Nigeria) over Grabiela Pedro da Rocha (Brazil) 11-0 76 kg Women's Freestyle Gold Medal Match Yelena Makoyed (USA) over Anastasiya Alpyeyeva (Ukraine) 10-0 Bronze Medal Matches Martina Kuenz (Austria) over Catalina Axente (Romania) 5-2 USA Results Yelena Makoyed (USA) over Martina Kuenz (Austria) 10-2 Yelena Makoyed (USA) over Epp Mae (Estonia) 8-7 Yelena Makoyed (USA) over Francy Raedelt (Germany) Fall Yelena Makoyed (USA) over Catalina Axente (Romania) Fall

Minnesota All-American Brayton Lee (photo courtesy of Sam Janicki; SJanickiPhoto.com) Summer rankings have dropped! As you may expect, with it being over four months away from the beginning of the 2022-23 season, plenty can change between now and then. We have done the best research possible to get information that is accurate (as you can get in June), in terms of weight changes and such. In compiling these rankings, we've also obtained information that doesn't quite fit into a table. That's what we have this article for. Below you'll find notes about each of the ten weight classes and the wrestler in each weight. After that, there are more tidbits of information that don't necessarily fit within the weight classes. Remember!! No true freshmen have been included in the rankings. 125 Notes: #1 Spencer Lee (Iowa): The three-time NCAA champion is expected back to shoot for four titles. #13 Matt Ramos (Purdue): A 2022 NCAA Round of 12 finisher at 133 lbs who has dropped down with the graduation of Devin Schroder. #18 Robbie Howard (Penn State): He's here for now, though he may have been injured competing in freestyle. #19 Jack Medley (Michigan): The veteran is back to finish his career after Nick Suriano took the weight last season. #22 Liam Cronin (Nebraska): An injury disrupted Cronin's 2021-22 season and he's back for a final run. #23 Jaret Lane (Lehigh): Lane was having a promising 2021-22 campaign before he was injured. #28 Stevo Poulin (Northern Colorado): Poulin was potentially blocked at 125 lbs by #10 Jakob Camacho at NC State. He'll have a chance to shine in Greeley this year. #30 Eddie Ventresca (Virginia Tech): One of the best weight battles to monitor is between the Hokies lightweights, Ventresca and Cooper Flynn. The two met twice in open competition last year with Ventresca getting two 2-1 wins. I'd expect both to get opportunities in the early going. 133 Notes: #10 Jaime Hernandez (North Carolina): Suffered through an injury-plagued 2021-22 season, but is now the guy for UNC. #12 Taylor LaMont (Wisconsin): The 2021 All-American transferred from Utah Valley and is expected to move up a weight for the Badgers. #13 Sam Latona (Virginia Tech): One of the biggest 125 lbers in the country finally moves up to 133 after Korbin Myers finished up. #17 Joe Heilmann (Rutgers): Heilmann transferred back home to New Jersey after qualifying for UNC last season. #21 Tony Madrigal (Oklahoma): The veteran is back, but will have to fend off a challenge from redshirt freshman Wyatt Henson. #24 Boo Dryden (Nebraska): The former national qualifier for Minnesota will attempt to solidify this weight for the Huskers in 2022-23. #25 Aaron Nagao (Minnesota): We gave the early edge to Nagao in the Gopher battle between him and Kyle Gliva. #27 Connor Brown (Missouri): Competition should be heavy in the Mizzou room, but for now we're taking the veteran Brown. #33 Jace Koelzer (Northern Colorado): With Stevo Poulin in the fold, Koelzer is expected to move up in 2022-23. 141 Notes: #2 Real Woods (Iowa): In one of the biggest moves of the offseason, the Hawkeyes picked up 2022 All-American Real Woods from Stanford. #9 Drew Mattin (Michigan): After Stevan Micic has finished his eligibility, the Wolverines can turn to three-time NCAA qualifier Drew Mattin, who picked up wins over five NCAA qualifiers in spot-starting duties last year. #16 Sammy Alvarez (Rutgers): Finally, we should get a chance to see what Sammy Alvarez can do at his more ideal weight. #17 Beau Bartlett (Penn State): Ditto for Bartlett, who moves down with the graduation of Nick Lee. #18 Jesse Vasquez (Arizona State): An injury cut short a promising first year for Vasquez in a Sun Devil singlet. #21 Lachlan McNeil (North Carolina): The Canadian Senior world team member finally gets a shot to compete for UNC. #26 Mosha Schwartz (Oklahoma): Schwartz is the first of a handful of talented transfers taking the mat for the Sooners. #29 Brock Hardy (Nebraska): The highly regarded Hardy is finally getting the opportunity to start for the Huskers. 149 Notes: #5 Brock Mauller (Missouri): The two-time NCAA All-American is back and down at 149 lbs and will be an immediate title threat. #13 Dom Demas (Cal Poly): The former All-American for Nebraska will use his final year of eligibility out west and moves up to 149. It's been a while since we've seen him compete for an extended period, so he could be underranked. #17 Quinn Kinner (Rider): 2021 NCAA Qualifier McKenzie Bell comes off redshirt for Rider and takes 141 lbs, moving Quinn Kinner up to 149. #19 Manzona Bryant (Lehigh): Off-the-mat issues ended Bryant's 2021-22 season prematurely, but he was headed for an NCAA berth beforehand. #28 Ryan Anderson (Binghamton): Anderson moves up a weight, but likely won't be available until the second semester. #31 Sam Hillegas (West Virginia): After transferring from Virginia Tech, Hillegas is expected to move up a weight for his Mountaineer debut. 157 Notes: #1 Brayton Lee (Minnesota): This one may spark some debate. The top-three finishers at 157 lbs are not expected back at the weight in 2022-23. Ryan Deakin (Northwestern) has graduated, while runner-up Quincy Monday and 2021 champ David Carr are expected to move up to 165 lbs. Lee has never lost an attached match to any of the three wrestlers that slot in behind him (he did lose in his redshirt season to Jacori Teemer). Lee missed the end of the 2021-22 season with an ugly elbow injury. #5 Bryce Andonian (Virginia Tech): The explosive All-American from Virginia Tech moves up to join a meatgrinder of an ACC weight class. He, Ed Scott and Austin O'Connor were all in the same 149 lb bracket in 2021. While O'Connor reigned supreme over the group. Even so, we're starting off of last year's results where Scott downed a noticeably hobbled O'Connor. #11 Dazjon Casto (Pittsburgh): One of the stories from day one at the 2022 NCAA Championships was Casto defeating NCAA champion O'Connor. The two may meet multiple times this year as Casto is in the ACC. #14 Wyatt Sheets (Oklahoma State): We've received word recently that Wyatt Sheets intends on using his final year of eligibility for the Cowboys. #21 Justin Ruffin (SIU Edwardsville): An injury knocked three-time NCAA qualifier Justin Ruffin out for the entire 2021-22 season. #25 Colton Yapoujian (Cornell): Yapoujian showed some promise last season before suffering an injury. #27 Luka Wick (Cal Poly): The talented redshirt freshman will be at 157 lbs with Demas in the mix. #28 Isaiah Crosby (Oregon State): Neither of the All-American Willits twins are expected back at Oregon State, so two-time NJCAA national champion Crosby steps in. #30 Munkhtulga Zuunbayan (Northern Illinois): Keep an eye on the positional battle between Zuunbayan and Anthony Gibson. Both are worthy of a spot in the top 33. #33 Bretli Reyna (Iowa): As of now, Reyna may be the guy for the Hawkeyes, but don't count out Caleb Rathjen. 165 Notes: #3 David Carr (Iowa State): The 2021 NCAA Champion moves up to a weight that already includes two past champions! #4 Quincy Monday (Princeton): This one isn't totally settled just yet, but if nothing else, expect Monday to start the year at 165. #17 Patrick Kennedy (Iowa): A huge recruit for Iowa finally gets in the lineup regularly. I'd be shocked if he finishes this low. #18 Gerrit Nijenhuis (Oklahoma): Not only did Nijenhuis move on from Purdue, but he's also expected to drop down to 165 lbs for the Sooners. #19 Holden Heller (Pittsburgh): The 2021 EIWA champion had wins over five NCAA qualifiers while redshirting for Hofstra in 2021-22. #22 Mikey Caliendo (North Dakota State): Had an overlooked, but excellent redshirt campaign for the Bison in 2021-22. #24 Alex Facundo (Penn State): I'll echo my sentiments for Patrick Kennedy here. Facundo should make a huge jump between years one and two in the PSU room. #28 Legend Lamer (Cal Poly): The addition of Demas sparks a chain of "bump-ups" for the Mustangs. #33 Drew Nicholson (Virginia Tech): The Hokies added an NCAA qualifier from Chattanooga last season. 174 Notes: #7 Demetrius Romero (Utah Valley): Romero is back for the Wolverines after missing 2021-22 due to injury. We're probably conservative with his rankings. If healthy, he can challenge for a place in the top three. #9 Phil Conigliaro (Harvard): The 2022 EIWA champion should move up from a brutal 165 lb weight class. #12 Matt Finesilver (Michigan): These Wolverines have a new face at 174. The veteran has been in the mix at this weight for awhile, maybe a change of scenery will help Finesilver get over the hump and onto the NCAA podium. #17 Edmond Ruth (Illinois): We only got a few glimpses of Ruth wrestling unattached last year. He was excellent in those small doses and could finish higher than this. #18 Rocky Jordan (Chattanooga): The former NCAA Round of 12 finisher for Ohio State is expected to finish his career at a more manageable weight. He competed as high as 197 for the Buckeyes. #24 Jackson Turley (Rutgers): The 2021 All-American had a rough, injury-filled November in 2021 and couldn't finish the year for Rutgers. He'll be back here in the fall. #27 Jay Nivison (Buffalo): Nivison is expected to miss the first semester for Buffalo. #33 Jake Null (Purdue): Null competed at two weights for NC State, while redshirting in 2021-22. His best work came at 174 lbs. 184 Notes: #15 Tate Samuelson (Lehigh): The addition of Samuelson from Wyoming really solidifies Lehigh's dual lineup. #17 Sean Harman (Missouri): Two-time conference runner-up Jeremiah Kent is now expected to return for Missouri leaving Sean Harman and Colton Hawks to fight for the slot at 184. Harman had some huge flashes at 174 last season. #18 Anthony Montalvo (Arizona State): It's been a while since we've seen Montalvo on the mat. He was excellent for Oklahoma State in 2019-20 and could be worthy of a higher ranking. He'll fill a possible hole for ASU here. #19 Adam Kemp (Cal Poly): More movement from Cal Poly! #23 Will Feldkamp (Clarion): The 2022 NCAA qualifier at 197 lbs is expected to drop for Clarion in 2022-23. #25 Jacob Nolan (Binghamton): After making the big dance twice at 174 lbs, Jacob Nolan will move up to 184 this year. #26 Neil Antrassian (Virginia): A recent graduate transfer announcement for UVA. #28 Matthew Waddell (Chattanooga): After winning the SoCon at 197 lbs last year, Waddell plan to move back to 184 for his final year. #29 Reece Heller (Pittsburgh): A strong showing at the MatMen Open was front and center for Heller as he redshirted for Hofstra and went 12-4 in 2021-22. #33 Jacob Ferreira (Hofstra): The Pride lost Heller, but have added a strong replacement with the NC State transfer Ferreira. 197 Notes: #2 AJ Ferrari (Oklahoma State): The 2021 NCAA champion is back, right? #6 Bernie Truax (Cal Poly): Could the Cal Poly star AA at three different weights, in three consecutive years? #9 Michael Beard (Lehigh): Expect Beard to finish closer to the #1 spot than #10 when it's all said and done. Some expected him to come out of Penn State's positional battle with Max Dean last year. #14 Ethan Laird (Rider): In 2021, Laird finished in the NCAA Round of 12 at 285 lbs. Last year, he redshirted and went 11-1 with a finals appearance at the MatMen Open. #31 Michael Battista (Virginia): Battista moves up and hopes to parlay success in the freestyle ranks into his last year of collegiate competition. 285 Notes: #5 Yaraslau Slavikouski (Harvard): At one point, Slavikouski was not expected back at Harvard, but he'll suit up for the Crimson again in 2022-23. He gets such an impressive ranking after wins over AA's Lucas Davison and Tate Orndorff at the 2021 Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational. #29 Jaron Smith (Maryland): The Terps attempt to maximize their strengths in the upperweights as Junior World Team member Jaxon Smith is at 197, with 2022 national qualifier Jaron Smith moving up to 285 for his final go-round. Miscellaneous Notes: The following notable wrestlers have eligibility for the 2021-22 season, but are not expected to use it (at this time). Their potential replacements are listed next to them: Gable Steveson (Minnesota) - Keaton Kluever/Bennett Tabor Jake Woodley (Oklahoma) - ? Kordell Norfleet (Arizona State) - Jonathon Fagen Matt Schmitt (Missouri) - Connor Brown/Trey Crawford Jeremiah Kent (Missouri) - Sean Harman/Colton Hawks Joe Doyle (Binghamton) - Cory Day Colin McCracken (Kent State) - Tyler Bates Brit Wilson (Northern Illinois) - Matt Zuber Mason Kauffman (Northern Illinois) - Hayden Pummel Alex Carida (Bloomsburg) - Will Morrow Brian Courtney (Virginia) - Erik Roggie/Garrett Grice Quinn Miller (Virginia) - Gabe Christensen Grant Willits (Oregon State) - Cleveland Belton Hunter Willits (Oregon State) - Isaiah Crosby Josh Finesilver (Duke) - ? Other notable weight changes (not mentioned in rankings) 133 - Beau Bayless (Harvard) 141 - Zach Price (Gardner-Webb) 149 - Kellyn March (North Dakota State) 157 - Andy Clark (Rutgers) 157 - Luke Kemerer (Edinboro) 157 - Colt Yinger (Ohio) 165 - Jordan Slivka (Ohio) 165 - Connor O'Neill (Rutgers) 165 - Josh Kim (Harvard) 165 - Enrique Mungaia (Kent State) 174 - Sammy DePrez (Binghamton) 174 - Darrien Roberts (Oklahoma) 197 - Tyler Bagoly (Clarion) 285 - Logan Andrew (Chattanooga)

New Northern Colorado assistant coach Justin Oliver (middle) (photo courtesy of Sam Janicki; SJanickiPhoto.com) Today, the University of Northern Colorado announced the hiring of a new member of their coaching staff, assistant coach Justin Oliver. Oliver comes to the Bears after spending a year on the Michigan State staff as a volunteer assistant. Previously, Oliver coached at Buffalo for two seasons. Oliver is a Davison, Michigan native that competed for Central Michigan for three seasons, before moving on to NC State as a graduate transfer. As a redshirt freshman, Oliver earned All-American honors for the Chippewas, taking seventh at 149 lbs. In each of the next two years, Oliver's season ended in the NCAA Round of 12. During all four seasons of competition, Oliver earned a top-ten seed at the NCAA Championships. During his year at Michigan State, Oliver saw two middleweights earn NCAA berths, as 157 lber Chase Saldate and 165 lber Caleb Fish, both competed in Detroit. Northern Colorado head coach Troy Nickerson had this to say about Oliver's hire. “We are very excited to add Justin to our staff. Justin has found success at every level as a competitor and a coach. He will add a ton of value to our program in everything from running the practice room to recruiting and developing student-athletes. We are excited to welcome him and his fiance to Greeley!” The Bears saw 141 lber Andrew Alirez win the program's first Big 12 crown in 2022 and came up a match shy of All-American status. Needless to say, the addition of Oliver will impact UNC's leading wrestler, along with plenty of others up and down the lineup. Oliver joins a Northern Colorado staff that already has Garret Kiley as the associate head coach and Earl Hall as the volunteer assistant and is led by Nickerson.

Senior World Team member Cohlton Schultz (photo courtesy of Tony Rotundo; WrestlersAreWarriors.com) 55 kg Greco-Roman Round 1 Mohammad Hosseinvand Panahisani (Iran) over Florin Tita (Romania) 11-7 Round 2 Max Nowry (USA) over Mohammad Hosseinvand Panahisani (Iran) 5-4 Round 3 Florin Tita (Romania) over Max Nowry (USA) 2-0 60 kg Greco-Roman Gold Medal Match Murad Mammadov (Azerbaijan) over Eldaniz Azizli (Azerbaijan) 9-1 Bronze Medal Match Nihat Mammadli (Azerbaijan) over Helary Maegisalu (Estonia) 10-0 US Results Nihat Mammadli (Azerbaijan) over Max Nowry (USA) 9-4 Ekrem Ozturk (Turkey) over Max Nowry (USA) 5-2 Murad Mammadov (Azerbaijan) over Max Nowry (USA) 9-0 63 kg Greco-Roman Gold Medal Match Taleh Mammadov (Azerbaijan) over Victor Ciobanu (Moldova) 4-2 Bronze Medal Match Razvan Arnaut (Romania) over Justas Petravicius (Lithuania) Injury Default US Results Taleh Mammadov (Azerbaijan) over Jesse Thielke (USA) 10-0 Victor Ciobanu (Moldova) over Jesse Thielke 9-0 67 kg Greco-Roman Gold Medal Match Hasrat Jafarov (Azerbaijan) over Furkan Yildiz (Turkey) 9-0 Bronze Medal Matches Mohammad Rezaei (Iran) over Niklas Oehlen (Sweden) 7-2 Tigran Galustyan (France) over Mihai Mihut (Romania) 3-1 US Results Tigran Galustyan (France) over Alex Sancho (USA) 8-0 87 kg Greco-Roman Gold Medal Match Islam Abbasov (Azerbaijan) over Erik Szilvassy (Hungary) 1-1 Bronze Medal Matches Istvan Takacs (Hungary) over Alex Kessidis (Sweden) Injury Default Tamas Levai (Hungary) over Kristoffer Berg (Sweden) 9-1 US Results Istvan Takacs (Hungary) over Alan Vera (USA) 4-0 97 kg Greco-Roman Gold Medal Match David Losonczi (Hungary) over Nikoloz Kakhelashvili (Italy) 2-1 Bronze Medal Matches Alex Szoke (Hungary) over Mehdi Balimhamzehdeh (Iran) 7-4 Arvi Savolainen (Finland) over Aleksandr Stjepanetic (Sweden) 8-0 130 kg Greco-Roman Gold Medal Match Riza Kayaalp (Turkey) over Sabah Shariati (Azerbaijan) 4-0 Bronze Medal Matches Mantas Knystautas (Lithuania) over Oskar Marvik (Norway) 6-3 Beka Kandelaki (Azerbaijan) over Cohlton Schultz (USA) 4-2 US Results Sabah Shariati (Azerbaijan) over Cohlton Schultz (USA) 10-0 Cohlton Schultz (USA) over Dariusz Vitek (Hungary) 4-2

Austin O'Connor at the 2022 NCAA Championships (photo courtesy of Sam Janicki; SJanickiPhoto.com) In 2022, the Tar Heels capped off a fourth straight top-20 finish at NCAA's and brought home three All-American finishes--their most since 1995. Kizhan Clarke highlighted the tournament with an incredible run to the NCAA finals. Clarke entered the tournament with an at-large berth after an 0-2 day at the ACC tournament. He avenged a loss to NC State's Ryan Jack to start the tournament, then upset second-seeded Jaydin Eierman in sudden victory. He continued his impressive performance with a decision over Jake Bergeland and a win by riding time in SV3 against ACC foe Cole Matthews; avenging his only regular-season loss. Clarke came out shooting in the finals, but ultimately fell to Nick Lee who picked up his second NCAA title. Austin O'Connor also put on an impressive performance to end his weekend on the podium. He came into the tournament with an evident knee injury; after being upset in the opening round by Dazjon Casto of The Citadel (now at Pittsburgh). He won four straight matches to earn All-American honors, before medically defaulting out of the tournament. Clay Lautt was the final All-American for the Tar Heels, bringing home an eighth-place finish in a tough174 pound weight class. Coming into the new season, the Tar Heels will return the bulk of their lineup. They are only losing one full-time starter in NCAA finalist Kizhan Clarke. Joe Heilmann, who split time at 133 with Jaime Hernandez, transferred in the offseason. Coleman Scott and company are also bringing in a solid recruiting class--ranked #11 by Matscouts and #16 by Intermat--that contains four top-100 recruits and another at #110. With the announcement that the nucleus of the lineup will return, this class will have a year to adjust to the college grind before entering the lineup. Recruiting Class: #42 Danny Nini: Lake Highland, FL 141/149 #50 Jayden Scott: Henrietta, NY 157 #53 Cole Hunt: Dalton, GA 125/133 #66 Noah Pettigrew: Valdosta (GA) 197/285 #110 Nick Fea: Bergen Catholic (NY) 165 NR Max Martin: Great Bridge, VA 125 NR Cade Tenold: Don Bosco, IA 184 NR Carson Tenold: Don Bosco, IA 197 The Tar Heels challenged themselves with a tough dual slate last season, and I expect the schedule to be as challenging, if not more so this year. There will be a couple non-typical dual setups this year that will be announced soon and they will be awesome. With the experience in this lineup, they will be poised to make a run at the ACC title and make a splash on the national scene. 125: Jack Wagner-Transfer from Northern Iowa Wagner will fill the 125 spot for his grad year while last year's starter Spencer Moore takes a redshirt year. Moore was one win away (one takedown call, really) from qualifying for NCAAs last year. He was the youngest wrestler in the country, but still put up a fight in every match, and improved throughout the year. I think he will leave a mark on the ACC before his time in Chapel Hill is up. Wagner is an experienced starter from UNI that has seen time at 125, 133 and 141. He is above .500 for his career and the staff seems to be very excited about him joining the lineup for a season. 133: Jaime Hernandez Hernandez was sidelined with a pretty serious injury that occurred during the duals against Rutgers and Wisconsin. Hernandez attempted to come back against UVA, but was clearly still struggling due to the injury. He was undefeated at 5-0 before then and lost three matches after trying to return to the lineup. Hernandez has a lot of upside and has a potent offensive arsenal, I'm looking forward to seeing him make another run and hopefully staying healthy. 141: Lachlan McNeil McNeil is the wrestler I am most excited to see next year. He has a very high ceiling and will immediately make an impact for the Tar Heels. McNeil was a major recruit for the Tar Heels--he was ranked #9 PFP, and earned titles at National Preps, Ironman, and Super 32. He is a native of Canada and competed in high school at Wyoming Seminary; he is on the Canadian National Team and will compete at 65kg for Team Canada at the World Championships. McNeil was 6-1 in his redshirt year, including a win over NCAA qualifier Ryan Jack of NC State. The UNC coaches were happy to get McNeil a redshirt year behind Kizhan Clarke and have high praise for the growth he made in his first year in Chapel Hill. Keep him on your radar, he has the potential to make a lot of noise nationally. 149: Zach Sherman After earning All-American status at 141 in 2021, Sherman moved up to 149 where he faced one of the most difficult schedules in the nation. Sherman faced seven of the eight All-Americans this season; he was 0-8 in these matches, though, 7 of the 8 were decision losses, several by 2 or fewer points. After a difficult start in the first half of the season, Sherman adjusted well and had a much stronger second half, culminating in his 4th trip to the NCAA tournament. Sherman will be returning for his final season and I expect him to be much more comfortable at the weight--I think it was a difficult transition to a new weight, especially with his schedule and a loaded ACC field at 149. He will provide a consistent presence and leadership in the middle of the lineup, along with AOC. 157: Austin O'Connor In the past two seasons, we have seen O'Connor battle his way to an NCAA championship and fight through the pain of a serious knee injury to stand on the All-American podium again this season in Detroit. He is a leader that speaks through his actions, and will be in the thick of the national champion talks again this season. With the way his season ended, I wasn't sure that we would see O'Connor back on the mat for the Tar Heels, but we will get to enjoy the show for another season after all. O'Connor is a three-time All-American (3,1,8) and was an NWCA All-American during the COVID season. I have no doubt that he will add another trophy to his collection this season. 165: Sonny Santiago/Isaias Estrada This is the weight that has the least consistency and experience for UNC. Both Santiago and Estrada saw starting time last season, with Santiago getting the nod for the ACC tournament. Santiago finished 9-12. Estrada had his redshirt pulled late in the season and was the starter for the duals against Virginia Tech and NC State. This will be a competitive battle for the starting spot, and should see improved results over last season with another year of experience for both wrestlers. 174: Clay Lautt Lautt had quite the run last season. He was the ACC champ at 174 in 2021 and made the bloodround at the NCAA tournament; he was then upset by Gavin Kane in the wrestle-off and started the season at 184. As the weights stabilized Lautt solidified his spot at 174, and Kane made his mark at 184, and both went on to have great seasons. Lautt had big wins over ACC foes Matt Finesilver and got national attention with his pin over Hayden Hidlay. He made the ACC finals where he fell to Mekhi Lewis 4-2. Lautt placed eighth and made his first podium at the NCAA tournament with a bloodround win over Peyton Mocco (Missouri). Lautt has improved his NCAA performance every year as a starter, with the leaps he has made, I expect that streak to continue in his final season. 184: Gavin Kane Kane had an outstanding season, especially after solidifying his spot at 184. He was undefeated at 184, until dropping his final regular-season ACC match against Trent Hidlay. Kane was 11-1 going into the ACC tournament, where he lost in the finals to Hidlay. Kane had a poor showing at the NCAA tournament, unexpectedly going 0-2, but I believe this will drive him to a better finish next year. Kane showed tremendous growth last season, and a lot of maturity on the mat for a younger wrestler. With three more years ahead of him, Kane has a lot of time to make his mark on UNC wrestling--and I think he will. He has a lot of potential and showed this in two wins over All-American Hunter Bolen--these matches also showcased his ability to be creative in scoring against a stingy defensive wrestler. 197: Max Shaw Max has been a quietly consistent wrestler since arriving in Chapel Hill. He was an NCAA qualifier in 2021, and narrowly missed out on qualifying again this season. He showed improvement and closed the scoring gap in his second match against conference opponents at the ACC tournament. Shaw has shown the ability to put up points in bunches, but has struggled to get his offense going against higher-level wrestlers; he will need to improve in this area to help the Tar Heels to be in contention for a team title. 285: Brandon Whitman Whitman enters the season as the prohibitive favorite for Mustache of the Year for the ACC; he was runner-up to Quinn Miller last season. I expect him to step up his game on the mat and with his mustache. Whitman had an up and down season last year; he was in a lot of close matches that didn't fall his way. The first half of the season was a struggle against some top-tier B1G heavyweights, but it helped prepare him for a strong second-half run. He went 2-2 at the ACC tournament and was one win away from qualifying for his second NCAA tournament. With the graduation of Nathan Traxler and Quinn Miller, Whitman is now the senior of the ACC heavyweight class and has wins over three likely starters. The Tar Heels need a solid anchor at the top of the lineup and will be looking to Whitman to fill this role.

Illinois head coach Mike Poeta (left) and Isaiah Martinez (right) (photo courtesy of Sam Janicki; SJanickiPhoto.com) On Friday, June 10th, the University of Illinois turned the wrestling world on its head as the school announced it had brought back one of its most notable wrestling alums for a slot on the coaching staff. Isaiah Martinez, one of only two multi-time NCAA champions and the only four-time Big Ten champion in school history will return to fortify second-year head coach Mike Poeta's coaching staff. Martinez will assume the volunteer assistant position, alongside longtime stalwart Jeremy Hunter and second-year coach Ed Ruth. Since Martinez's announcement, much has been made about the accolades of the new Illini staff. We'll get into the actual accomplishments of each of Illinois' four staff members later, but suffice to say, they stack up incredibly well against anyone else in the country. Now is the time to mention that wrestling is one of the few sports where the most accomplished coaches tend to be legendary wrestlers. There are certainly exceptions to the rule, but look at the NCAA title-winning teams since 2000. Iowa, Minnesota, Ohio State, Oklahoma State, and Penn State. Three-time NCAA champions Jim Zalesky and Tom Brands have both led Iowa to national titles. Brands is also an Olympic gold medalist, while Zalesky finished second at the Trials in 1988. Minnesota's J Robinson was a 1972 Olympian and twice finished in the top five at the World Championships. The one of the bunch with the smallest competitive resume is Ohio State's Tom Ryan, who was "only" a one-time NCAA runner-up. Both Oklahoma State's John Smith and Penn State's Cael Sanderson are among the best to ever do it. Smith's six-straight World/Olympic titles are not matched domestically, while Sanderson is the only DI wrestler to finish undefeated with four national titles. Wrestling can be different than other sports in that aspiring athletes can actually go head-to-head with a coach, somewhere in the midst of, or shortly after their prime. Another big factor in the success of elite athletes in the coaching ranks, is their name-brand recognition. In recruiting, any little advantage is used. Having a name and reputation like Brands, Smith, or Sanderson speaks for and recruits itself. So, while wrestling is a sport where the accomplishments of a coaching staff can be important, it's not the be-all, end-all. Even with Illinois' excellent staff, they'll still have to recruit in a powerful midwestern state that other rivals have cherry-picked for decades, develop high-caliber student-athletes, and compete in a meat grinder of a conference. In 2022, at the NCAA Championships, five of the top-six teams in Detroit were from the Big Ten. Those hurdles aside, they are in an excellent position with some excellent wrestling minds/competitors on staff. Head Coach: Mike Poeta - 3x NCAA All-American (2nd, 2nd, 3rd); 2x Big Ten Champion Assistant Coach: Ed Ruth - 4x NCAA All-American (1st, 1st, 1st, 3rd); 4x Big Ten Champion Assistant Coach: Jeremy Hunter - 3x NCAA All-American (5th, 2nd, 1st); 1999 Big Ten Champion Volunteer Assistant: Isaiah Martinez - 4x NCAA All-American (2nd, 2nd, 1st, 1st); 4x Big Ten Champion Total: 14 All-American honors, 11 NCAA Finals Appearances, 6 NCAA Championships, 11 Big Ten Titles While these four got it done in March, they were also among the most consistently successful wrestlers to ever take the mat at their respective programs. Martinez and Poeta rank first and third, respectively, in all-time winning percentage for Illinois wrestling. (.975 to .882). Ruth is Penn State's all-time leader in winning percentage. He narrowly edged teammate David Taylor, .9784 to 9781. In addition to their collegiate accolades, all four members of this staff were incredibly highly-regarded recruits. Poeta was generally considered the top wrestler in the Class of 2004, though there wasn't much in terms of recruiting rankings at the time. The same can be said about Hunter, a four-time Pennsylvania state champion and Dave Schultz HS Excellent Award winner. Martinez and Ruth were both top-five recruits in their respective classes. The Illini staff also hails from three of the most talent-rich states in the country, Illinois, California, and Pennsylvania. Hunter and Ruth are from PA, Hunter from the western part of the state and Ruth from the center. Poeta is the homegrown guy from Illinois, while Martinez maintained a long tradition of successful Illini from California. If this group can bring in wrestlers from each of their home states, plus a couple others, here and there, they should be set up for success. It'll be fun to see where Illinois fits in, in regards to the upper echelon of the Big Ten in the future. This staff already has verbal commitments from a pair of top-50 recruits from the Class of 2023. Both (#20 Kannon Webster and #44 Will Baysingar) happen to be in-state kids, which is a positive sign of things to come.

2x NCAA Champion Jesse Delgado (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...Illinois! 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 NCAA Qualifiers (66) 2022 125 - Justin Cardani (#27); 133 - Lucas Byrd (#7); 184 - Zac Braunagel (#9); 285 - Luke Luffman (#14) 2021 133 - Lucas Byrd (#7); 141 - Dylan Duncan (#14); 165 - Danny Braunagel (#15); 184 - Zac Braunagel (#19); 285 - Luke Luffman (#16) 2020 125 - Justin Cardani (#21); 133 - Travis Piotrowski (#7); 141 - Dylan Duncan (#19); 157 - Eric Barone (#26); 165 - Danny Braunagel (#15); 174 - Joey Gunther (#17); 184 - Zac Braunagel (#15); 285 - Luke Luffman 2019 125 - Travis Piotrowski (#11); 133 - Dylan Duncan (#30); 141 - Mike Carr (#6); 157 - Eric Barone (#15); 165 - Joey Gunther (#26); 184 - Emery Parker (#4) 2018 125 - Travis Piotrowski; 133 - Dylan Duncan; 141 - Mike Carr (#11); 165 - Isaiah Martinez (#1); 184 - Emery Parker (#10) 2017 125 - Travis Piotrowski; 133 - Zane Richards (#8); 149 - Eric Barone; 157 - Kyle Langendefer; 165 - Isaiah Martinez (#1); 174 - Zac Brunson (#10); 184 - Emery Parker (#11) 2016 133 - Zane Richards (#3); 157 - Isaiah Martinez (#1); 165 - Steven Rodrigues (#6); 174 - Zac Brunson (#5); 184 - Jeff Koepke; 285 - Brooks Black 2015 125 - Jesse Delgado; 133 - Zane Richards (#5); 141 - Steven Rodrigues; 149 - Kyle Langenderfer; 157 - Isaiah Martinez (#1); 165 - Jackson Morse (#9); 174 - Zac Brunson (#11); 184 - Nikko Reyes; 197 - Jeff Koepke; 285 - Brooks Black 2014 125 - Jesse Delgado (#1); 133 - Zane Richards (#14); 141 - Steven Rodrigues; 157 - Zac Brunson (#16); 165 - Jackson Morse (#12); 174 - Tony Dallago; 184 - Nikko Reyes; 197 - Mario Gonzalez 2013 125 - Jesse Delgado (#2); 133 - Daryl Thomas; 149 - Caleb Ervin; 165 - Conrad Polz (#7); 174 - Jordan Blanton (#7); 184 - Tony Dallago; 197 - Mario Gonzalez NCAA Champions Isaiah Martinez: 2015 (157); 2016 (157) Jesse Delgado: 2013 (125); 2014 (125) NCAA All-Americans Lucas Byrd (2022 - 5th; 2021 - 5th) Dylan Duncan (2021 - 5th) Emery Parker (2019 - 5th; 2018 - 3rd) Isaiah Martinez (2018 - 2nd; 2017 - 2nd; 2016 - 1st; 2015 - 1st) Zane Richards (2017 - 7th; 2016 - 4th) Zac Brunson (2017 - 6th) Steven Rodrigues (2016 - 5th) Jackson Morse (2015 - 4th) Conrad Polz (2013 - 5th) Jordan Blanton (2013 - 7th) NWCA All-Americans Travis Piotrowski (133 - 1st Team) NCAA Round of 12 Finishers Zac Braunagel - 184 (2022) Mike Carr - 141 (2018) Emery Parker - 184 (2017) Brooks Black - 285 (2016) Zac Brunson - 174 (2015) Tony Dallago - 174 (2014) Mario Gonzalez - 197 (2013, 2014) Big Ten Champions 2018: Isaiah Martinez (165) 2017: Isaiah Martinez (165) 2016: Isaiah Martinez (157) 2015: Isaiah Martinez (157) 2014: Jesse Delgado (125) 2013: Jesse Delgado (125) Big Ten Runner's-Up 2018: Mike Carr (141) 2016: Zane Richards (133); Zac Brunson (174) 2013: Conrad Polz (165) Dual Record 2021-22: 3-7 2021: 5-3 2019-20: 10-4 2018-19: 2-9 2017-18: 7-4 2016-17: 9-3 2015-16: 13-5 2014-15: 13-5 2013-14: 11-8 2012-13: 7-6-1 Big Ten Tournament Placement 2021-22: 11th 2021: 11th 2019-20: 11th 2018-19: 11th 2017-18: 8th 2016-17: 6th 2015-16: 7th 2014-15: 6th 2013-14: 6th 2012-13: 5th NCAA Tournament Team Placement 2021-22: 25th 2021: 18th 2019-20: No Tournament 2018-19: 26th 2017-18: 13th-tie 2016-17: 11th 2015-16: 10th-tie 2014-15: 12th 2013-14: 13th 2012-13: 9th Head Coaching History Mike Poeta (2021-Present) Jim Heffernan (2009-2021) Best Lineup (Comprised of wrestlers from 2013-22) 125 - Jesse Delgado: 4x NCAA Qualifier (#1, #2, and #4 seeds); 2x NCAA Champion; 3x All-American (1st, 1st, 7th); 2x Big Ten Champion 133 - Lucas Byrd: 2x NCAA Qualifier (#7 seed x2); 2x All-American (5th x2); 2021 Big Ten Third Place 141 - Steven Rodrigues: 3x NCAA Qualifier (#6 seed); 2016 All-American (5th); 2016 Big Ten Third Place 149 - Kyle Langenderfer: 2x NCAA Qualifier; 2015 Big Ten Third Place 157 - Isaiah Martinez: 4x NCAA Finalist (1st 2x; 2nd 2x); 4x Big Ten Champion; 4x NCAA #1 seed 165 - Conrad Polz: 2x NCAA Qualifier (#7 and #9 seeds); 2x All-American (5th, 8th); 2013 Big Ten Runner-Up 174 - Jordan Blanton: 4x NCAA Qualifier (#7 x2 and #10 seeds); 3x All-American (4th, 5th, 7th); 2010 Big Ten Third Place 184 - Emery Parker: 3x NCAA Qualifier (#4, #10, and #11 seeds); 2x All-American (3rd, 5th); 2019 Big Ten Third Place 197 - Mario Gonzalez: 3x NCAA Qualifier (#7 seed); 2x NCAA Round of 12 finisher; 2013 Big Ten Third Place 285 - Luke Luffman: 3x NCAA Qualifier (#14 and #16 seeds) Recruiting Big Boarder's Per Year 2022: #235 Kole Brower (IL) 2021: #29 Maximo Renteria (CA); #129 Dylan Connell (IL); #293 Caden Ernd (IL); #299 Joey Braunagel (IL) 2020: #70 Luke Odom (IL); #88 Danny Pucino (IL); #134 E'Lan Heard (IL) 2019: #25 Lucas Byrd (OH); #41 Luke Luffman (IL) 2017: #42 Justin Mejia (CA) 2016: #40 Dylan Duncan (IL); #55 Mike Carr (PA); #59 Travis Piotrowski (IL) 2015: #19 Xavier Montalvo (IL); #90 Eric Barone (IL); #124 Carver James (IL) 2014: #12 Jered Cortez (IL); #79 Brock Ervin (KY) 2013: #5 Isaiah Martinez (CA); #9 Brooks Black (PA); #62 Kyle Langenderfer (IL) International Accolades (Active Team Members and Alumni) Isaiah Martinez - 2017 U23 Freestyle World Team Member (5th Place) Luke Luffman - 2021 Junior Greco-Roman World Team Member (14th Place)

Iowa recruit Nate Jesuroga was undefeated at the Junior freestyle duals (photo courtesy of Tony Rotundo; WrestlersAreWarriors.com) Over the weekend the Junior National Duals took place in Tulsa, Oklahoma. The Junior Duals have long been one of the most notable high school-aged events of the spring/summer. With the current bracketing system in Fargo, there could be an argument that you see more significant matchups at the Junior Duals compared to Fargo. As you probably know by now, Team Iowa went back-to-back and captured their second consecutive Junior freestyle championship. They also won in Greco, as well. With the success of the high schoolers from Iowa, you'd guess that the Iowa Hawkeyes recruits probably cleaned up at the event. You probably would have guessed right then. In addition to the Hawkeyes, we've outlined five other schools that had recruits shine at the Duals. Bucknell 170: Noah Mulvaney - Wisconsin (8-0) - Class of 2023 285: Logan Shephard - Ohio (6-1) The Bison had a pair of recruits combine to go 14-1 with Noah Mulvaney, who is from the Class of 2023 and Logan Shephard, who will be arriving on campus this year. Mulvaney grabbed a 17-9 victory over #234 Bradley Gillum (IL), a graduated senior, and his biggest win came via tech over #69 Tyler Lillard (OH), also from the Class of 2022. Shepherd posted a shutout win over Daniel Herrera (CA), who is currently ranked 11th in the nation and is a top-50 recruit from the Class of 2024. Cornell 195: Michael Dellagatta - New Jersey (8-0) - Class of 2023 I tried to keep it to schools with multiple recruits that shined, but Michael Dellagatta was so good, that he deserves to be recognized alone. Dellagatta registered a pair of dominating wins over Class of 2023 Big Board'er, Adam Haselius (MI) amongst his eight victories. The win that will help propel Dellagatta up the rankings was a 12-1 tech of #4 Sawyer Bartelt, currently a top-ten wrestler in the Class of 2024. Bartelt was the only one of Dellagatta's opponents to manage a point against the future Big Red big man. Iowa 120: Nate Jesuroga - Iowa (8-0) - Class of 2023 145: Joel Jesuroga - Iowa (6-0) 138: Ryder Block - Iowa (5-1) - Class of 2023 160: Aiden Riggins - Iowa (8-0) 195/220: Kolby Franklin - Iowa (7-0) The back-to-back champions from Team Iowa were led by a handful of future Hawkeyes (maybe more in the future). Starting at the lower weights, Nate Jesuroga did not surrender a point in his eight contests and outscored the opposition 76-0. The top-ranked 126 lber in the nation was responsible for the only losses of the tournament for Alan Koehler (MN) and Marcus Blaze (OH), both top-eight ranked wrestlers. Older brother Joel was almost as efficient, giving up just two points in six matches. His most significant win was 10-1 over #11 Jace Roller. After losing by fall in his opening bout, Ryder Block reeled off five straight wins, one of which was a 14-4 tech over #1 (132) Nasir Bailey (IL). Aiden Riggins, ranked #38 on the 2022 Big Board, edged #10 Jordan Williams (OK) by a point, then did the same against Thor Michaelson (WA), currently ranked #11 at 160 lbs. Kolby Franklin teched his way through the tournament and tallied wins over #7 Jersey Robb (OK), #16 Dylan Bravo-Packer (CO), #5 Carter Neves (OH). Nebraska 120: Alan Koehler - Minnesota (6-1) - Class of 2023 120: Kael Lauridsen - Nebraska (9-0) - Class of 2023 138: Ismael Ayoub - Ohio (6-1) It was a good day for the future Huskers, as these big three combined to win 21 of 23 bouts in freestyle. Alan Koehler teched dangerous Greco-specialist, Ray Ray Harris (CA), 18-8. Later he downed 2024 Big Board'er, Gage Walker (OK), 7-2. Kael Lauridsen went unbeaten for the home team with a 10-0 tech over #10 Leo DeLuca (NJ) the highlight of his tournament. Lauridsen had a tech or fall in all nine of his matches and was only scored upon, by one opponent. Late commit, Ismael Ayoub, defeated Cal Poly-signee #174 Johnny Lopez (CA) 8-2, before teching Cael Erickson (WI), in the last match before the gold medal dual. Stanford 145: Zach Hanson - Minnesota (7-0) - Class of 2023 152: Hunter Garvin - Iowa (8-0) The future is bright in Palo Alto, not just because of the beautiful weather, but because of the young talent on the horizon for Rob Koll's team. Zach Hanson was pushed a bit by #20 Collin Guffey (CA), but prevailed with an 11-8 decision. After that, he turned it up by teching #11 Jace Roller (CA) and notching a 6-4 win over #224 (Class of 2022) Jacob Frost (IA). The only thing that broke up Hunter Garvin's tech streak was a forfeit sandwiched in the middle. Garvin teched former Cadet Greco World Team member Braden Stauffenberg (IL), along with #4 Kael Voinovich (OK), and #12 Wynton Denkins (OH). Wyoming 126: Brayden Sonnentag - Wisconsin (7-1) - Class of 2023 145: Cole Brooks - Oklahoma (5-0) - Class of 2023 The Wyoming Cowboys had a breakout recruiting year in 2022 and look to be headed towards another strong signing class after the exploits of two commits, Brayden Sonnentag and Cole Brooks. Sonnentag edged #5 Drew Gorman (GA) on criteria, in his first bout of the tournament. He'd later major Ray Ray Harris (CA) and picked up a win from an injury default over JJ McComas-Rogers (OK). Cole Brooks didn't seem to break a sweat with four wins via tech and another by fall. One of those 10-0 techs came at the expense of Brennan Van Hoecke (FL), the #54 overall wrestler from the Class of 2022.