InterMat Staff

2022 NCAA All-American and U23 national champion Cole Matthews (photo courtesy of Sam Janicki; SJanickiPhoto.com) Pitt's Cole Matthews could have been in a worse spot than having to rely on a Yianni Diakomihalis win at Final X in New York and hope it sways him away from claiming the 65-kilogram spot on the U23 World Team. Diakomihalis has the first right of refusal for that spot, in addition to the Senior World Team spot he claimed by sweeping Evan Henderson in their best-of-3 Final X matchup. The day after that win, Diakomihalis hasn't yet reached a decision on whether he will compete on both world teams or focus on the Senior level, Cornell coach Mike Grey said. Diakomihalis has until June 27 to make that decision, which will have an impact on Matthews' summer and fall plans. The Senior World Championships are in Serbia in September, and U23 Worlds are in Spain in October, which makes competing in both a legitimate scenario. The spot being in flux didn't stop Matthews from being hopeful in the aftermath of Yianni's win. "I think we all knew that two out of three, Yianni was probably going to win, but then after that first one where he was scoring double digits on him, you're like, 'Ooh, this could be pretty interesting,'" Matthews said. "At the Final X stage, everything gets a little closer, so it kind of made sense. But after the second one, I was pretty damn happy." Matthews is also pretty damn deserving after a calendar year that started with rehab from a torn ACL, featured the biggest breakthrough of his career, along with his first trip to the NCAA podium, and now a U23 victory that included revenge wins over Nebraska's Ridge Lovett, who beat him in the U20 finals, and Ohio State's Dylan D'Emilio, who beat him in a dual last season. Matthews rolled into the U23 quarterfinals with three straight tech falls, then took a 13-2 tech over Rutgers' Sammy Alvarez and scored a late crotch lift to turn a 5-4 deficit to Lovett into a 6-5 win in the final 10 seconds of the semifinals. Matthews built an early 6-0 lead in Round 1 of the finals against D'Emilio, then withstood a comeback to tie it at 6 and scored the winning points on a go-behind and a turn in the final 20 seconds. D'Emilio flipped the script in Round 2 by jumping out to a 4-1 lead, but Matthews charged back to sweep the series with an 8-4 win. All of Matthews' best qualities were on full display throughout the run at U23s, but most of all his ability to remain calm in the midst of chaos and to never flinch in his positioning. It's the same formula that had him in the NCAA semifinals and eventually placing fifth at 141 pounds. "His composure within the match is a nice improvement," Pitt coach Keith Gavin said. "He's always been pretty composed, but he's getting better at being more efficient with his energy. There are certain positions where he knows he has to explode and go get it because these are positions that favor him. Again, that comes with maturity and experience." Matthews at U23's with Luke Pletcher (left) and Drew Headlee (photo courtesy of Sam Janicki; SJanickiPhoto.com) Part of that learning experience has been daily battles with Pitt volunteer assistant Luke Pletcher, who Matthews says is a virtual clone of his body type and wrestling style. Matthews gives plenty of credit to Pletcher for helping to unlock the best version of himself through the work they do together, while imparting some of his strengths into him. Pletcher was a two-time NCAA All-American and four-time NCAA qualifier during his time at Ohio State behind a style built on a high wrestling IQ and compact power. His influence in those departments has only helped Matthews reinforce existing strengths in his game, allowing him to stay in remarkably good position through even the wildest scrambles. Through that process and an early-season hot streak that Matthews kicked off with a big win over Michigan's Stevan Micic, he started to look like a brand new wrestler. "That's about as big as anything else," Pletcher said of Matthews' poise and confidence. "Everything has its part, but if the moment is too big for you, it doesn't matter how well you do in practice. It doesn't mean that much if you can't control your actions when all the stress is there and everything is on the line. He's able to keep his calm, see everything for what it is, and not let the highs get him too high." After beating Lovett in the U23 semifinals, Matthews looked like he had just rolled off the couch from a Sunday afternoon nap. But apparently, he was feeling more alive on the inside, because he said he feeds off emotion and energy in matches. Matthews has learned to harness that unique combination of energy and calm to make his style work for him. He's never had a better feel than he does right now for when to be patient in matches and when to press. "I'm a pretty emotional guy, even if I don't look like it," Matthews said. "I kind of form my wrestling around what's around me. You've got low-energy Keith Gavin telling me everything's going to be fine. You've got Drew Headlee looking like his head's about to pop off sometimes, and Pletcher just straight-faced staring at me. "I try to dumb things down a little bit because that's what works for me." The self-deprecation doesn't do Matthews' technique justice, just as the improvements in his game don't do justice to the story of his wrestling career. The kid wrestled through a torn ACL with understandable limitations to his game as a redshirt sophomore in 2020-'21, but he gutted out a third-place finish at the ACC Championships and qualified for NCAAs for a second straight season. Given the condensed COVID season and the urgency Matthews felt to make the most of his window to compete on the collegiate stage, he said he only had one choice: Battle. "It was like, 'It's your choice. You do whatever you can do with what's going on,' and it really wasn't an option because it was already a shortened season anyway," he said. "It's like, I've only got such a small window in college to compete, so if I'm not screaming out there in pain, you've got to go out there and at least try to compete with it." Matthews underwent surgery after that season and was still in recovery mode through the early part of the 2021-'22 season. He returned to the mat looking to get back to 100 percent physically, but to also find himself mentally. Cole Matthews in his breakout win over Stevan Micic (photo courtesy of Sam Janicki; SJanickiPhoto.com) The win over Micic was part of a 16-match winning streak that earned Matthews ACC Wrestler of the Month honors in January and unlocked a whole new level of confidence. After limping through a challenging season and offseason, he officially arrived and went on a tear through the remainder of his schedule, through NCAAs and U23 Nationals. At his lowest moment against Micic, a nudge from his corner helped to propel him down that path. "You try to give yourself every reason to, maybe take yourself out of a match sometimes," Matthews said. "It's like, 'I'm still coming back from ACL surgery. Maybe I'll just not push through it in the third period or something.' I think I found that stride when the coaches were yelling at me in my match against Micic. They were screaming, 'Finish this match right now!' And I was like, 'Oh god, yeah, I should go finish this.'" Matthews hasn't looked back since, though he had a couple outcomes he wanted back at NCAAs with an ultimate tiebreaker loss to North Carolina's Kizhan Clarke in the semifinals and then another tight loss to Oregon State's Grant Willits in the consolation semifinals. Matthews bounced back with a 7-3 win over Stanford's Real Woods in the fifth-place match. That performance, followed by his U23 title, was a very real demonstration of how far Matthews has come since he got healthy. At the same time, he was left with examples of matches he could still open up and win, so he'll remain hopeful about a spot on the World Team and train with those objectives in the back of his mind. The goal is to unlock an even better version of Cole Matthews this fall and into his redshirt senior season. "He definitely could still improve," Gavin said. "He was in some tight matches, and you want to widen the gap. He was fifth place last year, and fifth place isn't what he wanted to be, so there's certainly lots to improve on. It's the same as everybody, but he's at that level now. He found his lane, and now you keep building on it until no one can beat you."

3x Final X winner Sarah Hildebrandt (photo courtesy of Tony Rotundo; WrestlersAreWarriors.com) With Final X in the rearview mirror and 29 world team members crowned, it's time to reflect on some of the results we've seen within the last week. Now that there has been three years' worth of Final X, we can also develop some sort of records and identify trends that have formed. Below are some of the standout performers and records from the events this year and over time. Max Nowry and Helen Maroulis were both victorious in their Final X series'. Both were facing opponents from a previous Final X appearance. Nowry (Brady Koontz) and Maroulis (Alex Hedrick). Those were the only past rematches on the docket for 2022. The following wrestlers won their third Final X series: Men's Freestyle: Kyle Dake, Jordan Burroughs, J'den Cox, and Kyle Snyder Women's Freestyle: Sarah Hildebrandt, Jacarra Winchester, and Tamyra Mensah-Stock Forrest Molinari and Nick Gwaizdowski are wrestlers that had an opportunity to win a third Final X series but were stopped (by Mallory Velte and Hayden Zillmer, respectively). Of the wrestlers that have won three series', only Dake, Snyder, Hildebrandt, and Mensah-Stock have been able to do so without losing a single bout. The only wrestler that has competed in all three years of Final X and has not yielded a single point is Sarah Hildebrandt. (‘18 vs. Haley Augello; 6-0, 8-0; ‘19 vs. Katherine Shai: 3-0, 8-0; ‘22 vs. Alyssa Lampe: 10-0, 10-0). During the first two years of Final X, nine series went to three matches. 2022 had nine series' that went the full three matches. Of those nine series' from 2018-19, only five saw the loser of the first match win the series. That happened four times in 2022. Seth Gross, Hayden Zillmer, Jacarra Winchester, and Benji Peak. Hayden Zillmer joined Pat Smith (‘18) and Erin Clodgo (‘18) as the only wrestlers to win a series where they were outscored cumulatively. Nick Gwiazdowski outscored Zillmer 12-9 in their three matches. The big difference between that point margin is a 5-0 win by Gwiz in match one. Both of Ildar Hafizov's Final X wins have come at the expense of Army WCAP teammates. In 2019, he defeated Leslie Fuenffinger, while he beat Dalton Roberts in three matches this year. Speaking of Army WCAP, half of the 2022 Greco World Team is a part of the program. Nowry, Hafizov, Jesse Thielke, Sancho, and Kamal Bey all qualified. California has long been one of the powers of women's wrestling. The state flexed its muscles this year as half of the women's squad hails from Cali. Dom Parrish, Jacarra Winchester, Mallory Velte, Amit Elor, and Dymond Guilford. Both Velte and Guilford defeated opponents from California, as well (Molinari and Yelena Makoyed). Final X ‘22 featured three Olympic Trials Finals rematches. Thomas Gilman/Vito Arujau, Kyle Snyder/Kollin Moore, and G'Angelo Hancock/Braxton Amos. In each instance, the Olympic Trials winner was victorious at Final X. Prior to 2022, the only Final X series that featured two bouts that ended in criteria was when Nick Gwiazdowski defeated Gable Steveson at Final X Rutgers. That was matched by Nowry who defeated Koontz in two matches decided by criteria. Speaking of Nowry/Koontz. Both of their matches ended 1-1. That made it the lowest-scoring match and two-match series of any year/style in Final X. With rule changes, it's hard to imagine we'll have any lower-scoring matches in the future. On the other end of the spectrum, the 11-9 win by Yianni Diakomihalis over Evan Henderson made it the highest-scoring single bout in Final X history. The previous high was 16 points. That was done three times (Nowry/Koontz 11-5 in 2019, Logan Stieber/Joey McKenna 8-8 in 2018, and Winchester/Becka Leathers 10-6 in 2018). Thomas Gilman also matched 16 points last week in his 14-2 win over Vito Arujau. A pair of 2022 Greco bouts amassed point totals that would have eclipsed the previous high (16 points), but occurred after the Diakomihalis/Henderson contest. Hafizov/Roberts put up 18 points, while Sancho/Nutter had 19. Speaking of Gilman, his 12-point victory over Arujau tied him for the highest margin of victory in Final X history. The 12-point margin has been hit twice; once by Nahshon Garrett in his 12-0 win over Joe Colon in 2018 and also by Helen Maroulis with the same score that same year. 2022 saw two of the lowest scoring three-match series' in the history of Final X contested. Previously, there had never been a three-match series with a total cumulative score lower than 20. That mark was missed twice in 2022. J'den Cox and Nate Jackson only put up a total of 14 points in Stillwater (4-2, 2-3, 3-0). That low point stood for less than a week as Jordan Burroughs and Chance Marsteller “broke” it with 13 (4-0, 2-2 ,5-0). After three Final X's, Joe Colon remains the only wrestler to have two career match victories, yet has never won a series. He lost in three matches to Garrett in 2018 and Tyler Graff in 2019. Mallory Velte and Jordan Burroughs are the only two wrestlers who have won multiple three-matches series' in Final X history. Velte defeated Forrest Molinari this year in three matches and Kayla Miracle in 2018. Burroughs survived a test from Chance Marsteller this year after beating Isaiah Martinez in 2019. Burroughs, Velte, and Molinari have the most total Final X matches for their career. Each has wrestled in eight over the three years of the event. Kayla Miracle could also do so if her eventual wrestle-off goes to three matches. This year saw four returning world medalists lose their respective Final X series' (Daton Fix, Nick Gwiazdowski, Jenna Burkert, and Forrest Molinari). Only three wrestlers combined to lose four series' in the two prior events. Despite having more three-match series' than previous years, 2022 also had more lopsided results than any of the three previous years. 22 of 66 matches ended with some sort of match termination (fall/tech). 2019 saw 18 terminated. 12 is the number from 2018; however, that isn't an apples-to-apples comparison as Greco wasn't a part of Final X that year.

2x All-American Jacob Kasper (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…Duke! 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 NCAA Qualifiers (30) 2022 149: Josh Finesilver (#14); 174: Matt Finesilver (#13) 2021 149: Josh Finesilver (#27) 2020 174: Mason Eaglin (#32) 2019 141: Josh Finesilver (#25); 149: Mitch Finesilver (#3); 157: Ben Anderson (#33); 165: Zach Finesilver (#23); 174: Matt Finesilver (#12) 2018 133: Josh Finesilver; 157: Mitch Finesilver (#12); 165: Zach Finesilver; 174: Matt Finesilver; 285 - Jacob Kasper (#4) 2017 157: Jake Faust; 174: Connor Bass; 285 : Jacob Kasper (#4) 2016 141: Zach Finesilver; 149: Mitch Finesilver (#14); 165: Jake Faust; 197: Conner Hartmann (#5) 2015 133: Mitch Finesilver; 149: Marcus Cain; 157: Immanuel Kerr-Brown; 184: Jacob Kasper; 197: Conner Hartmann (#10) 2014 157: Immanuel Kerr-Brown; 197: Conner Hartmann 2013 133: Brandon Gambucci; 197: Conner Hartmann NCAA Champions None NCAA All-Americans Mitch Finesilver (2019 - 4th) Jacob Kasper (2018 - 4th, 2017 - 6th) Conner Hartmann (2016 - 7th, 2015 - 6th, 2014 - 5th) NCAA Round of 12 Finishers Josh Finesilver - 149 (2021) Mitch Finesilver - 149 (2016) ACC Champions 2019: Mitch Finesilver (149) 2018: Jacob Kasper (285) 2016: Conner Hartmann (197) 2015: Conner Hartmann (197) Dual Record 2021-22: 7-10 2021: 0-5 2019-20: 0-17 2018-19: 2-9 2017-18: 7-7 2016-17: 4-9 2015-16: 6-9 2014-15: 11-7 2013-14: 6-15 2012-13: 9-10 ACC Tournament Placement 2021-22: 6th 2021: 6th 2019-20: 6th 2018-19: 5th 2017-18: 4th 2016-17: 6th 2015-16: 5th 2014-15: 4th 2013-14: 7th 2012-13: 6th NCAA Tournament Team Placement 2021-22: 48th-tie (2.5 points) 2021: 48th-tie (3.5 points) 2019-20: No Tournament 2018-19: 24th (19 points) 2017-18: 32nd (21 points) 2016-17: 32nd (9.5 points) 2015-16: 31st (11 points) 2014-15: 28th (14 points) 2013-14: 29th (10.5 points) 2012-13: 63rd-tie (0.5 points) Head Coaching History Glen Lanham (2012-present) Best Lineup (Comprised of wrestlers from 2013-22) 125 - Thayer Atkins 133 - Brandon Gambucci: 2013 NCAA Qualifier; 2013 ACC Runner-Up 141 - Josh Finesilver: 4x NCAA Qualifier (#14 seed); 2021 NCAA Round of 12 Finisher 149 - Mitch Finesilver: 4x NCAA Qualifier (#3, #12, and #14 seeds); 2019 NCAA 4th Place, 2019 ACC Champion, 4x ACC finalist 157 - Jake Faust: 2x NCAA Qualifier 165 - Zach Finesilver: 3x NCAA Qualifier; 2018 ACC Runner-Up 174 - Matt Finesilver: 3x NCAA Qualifier (#12 and #13 seeds); 2019 ACC Runner-Up 184 - Kaden Russell 197 - Conner Hartmann: 4x NCAA Qualifier (#5 and #10 seeds); 3x All-American (5th, 6th, 7th), 2x ACC Champion 285 - Jacob Kasper: 3x NCAA Qualifier (#4 seed x2); 2x All-American (4th, 6th); 3x ACC finalist; 2018 ACC Champion Recruiting Big Boarder's Per Year 2021: #282 Christian Colman (PA) 2020: #161 Logan Agin (OH) 2014: #49 Grant Leeth (MO); #117 Luke Farinaro (NJ)

U20 Greco-Roman champion Christian Carroll (photo courtesy of Sam Janicki; SJanickiPhoto.com) USA Wrestling hosted the U20 and U23 World Team Trials for both Greco Roman and men's freestyle last weekend. While the representative for the upcoming World Championships was only selected in certain weights, many of the top wrestlers in these age groups were in action. The following looks at the competitors who separated themselves from the field statistically. InterMat's sister site MatScouts has Christian Carroll ranked second in the class of 2023. He certainly backed up that performance at the U20 World Team Trials. He chose to enter the event only in Greco Roman, and he left no doubt he was the best competitor in his division. There were only three competitors at 97 kg, which meant that Carroll would have to best both in a round-robin bracket in order to advance to the best-of-three final series. The Penn commit scored a pair of 8-0 victories over Gavin White and MacAron Kukowski in a combined time of 91 seconds. Against White, he scored a quick four-point takedown. After White somehow managed to avoid the fall, it only took two quick gut wrenches to finish the match. Carroll returned against Kukowski. It was a similar script as it took a takedown and three gut wrenches to end things inside the first minute. Robert Plympton was waiting for Carroll in the final series thanks to his first-place finish at the U20 Open back in late April. In the finals of that event, he scored a 10-0 victory over Jackson Dewald in only 39 seconds. This was a different story. Carroll won both of the matches to earn a spot on the U20 World team. Once again, it was a pair of 8-0 victories in under two minutes combined. The final match against Plympton took 66 seconds, which was Carroll's longest bout of the tournament. Across those four matches, Carroll averaged 9.85 points per minute, allowed zero points and therefore finished with a +9.85 differential. That was by far the highest point differential across both styles in the U20 and U23 age groups. No other competitor had a point differential above six. Defensively Carroll was one of only three wrestlers to make it through the event without surrendering a single point, but he was really the only one with a complete tournament. Chris Cannon picked up a pair of quick 10-0 victories, before defaulting out of the U23 freestyle bracket at 61 kg. Alex Facundo sat in the finals of the 74 kg bracket of U20 freestyle and dispatched Jack Thomsen in two-straight matches without allowing a score. Even though he finished seventh at 86kg in the U23 freestyle division, Northwestern's Jack Jessen had quite the tournament from an offensive perspective. He finished with a 7.43 points per minute rate, which was the highest rate in freestyle and the third-highest rate overall behind Carroll and Aaron Doobs (GR U20 82kg). Jessen got off to a blistering start in the tournament. He won his first three matches in a combined 85 seconds and outscored those three opponents 24-0. However, his momentum was stopped in the quarterfinals where he dropped a 14-1 match against NCAA finalist Trent Hidlay. Jessen bounced back on the backside with a fall over Maximus Hale in a match he was leading 12-0 at the time of the fall. He then nearly pulled an upset over Chris Foca in the consolation quarterfinals. Jessen was leading 8-3 before getting pinned about halfway into the first period. Excluding the Hidlay match, Jessen had a +9.68 differential, which is higher than even the rate Carroll finished with. Last year during the collegiate season, Jessen certainly had a tough time, but he was still able to qualify for his first NCAA tournament. He should have two years of eligibility left for Northwestern and this freestyle performance might be a good omen for his future prospects. Most Matches/Mat Time Michial Foy was one of multiple wrestlers to enter the tournament in multiple styles. He competed in both the U23 87 kg Greco tournament as well as the 86 kg freestyle bracket. Foy won the Greco bracket and finished seventh in freestyle. Along the way, he wrestled in a whopping 14 matches, which was the most of any wrestler at the event. His path to the title in Greco saw him wrestle six bouts, while his freestyle campaign took eight bouts. Despite the 14 matches and multiple styles, Foy did not spend the most time on the mat over the weekend. In those 14 bouts, he racked up a little bit over 40 minutes in wrestling time, which was the 12th most. The title for most time spent wrestling belongs to Sonny Santiago. The North Carolina wrestler spent nearly an entire hour on the mat and finished with 51:04 wrestling. He accomplished this in only nine matches on his way to a fifth-place finish in the U23 74 kg bracket. Highest Scoring Match Oftentimes, high-scoring matches in freestyle see both competitors going on scoring streaks until one wrestler finishes the contest. This bout was surprisingly back and forth until Drew Munch finished things off and took a 27-17 VSU1 win over Cain Tyus in the second round of the U23 70 kg bracket. Tyus started off the scoring with a takedown inside the first 20 seconds of the bout. Munch then went ahead with a takedown of his own in a scramble followed by a gut wrench, which was nearly reversed. Tyus put himself back on top with a four-point throw. The two continued to trade the lead, and Munch went to the break up 14-11. The two went right back to trading scores in the second period. However, after Tyus hit a four-pointer to pull ahead 17-16, Munch took over. He immediately reversed the position and then added a gut wrench to go ahead 19-17. Munch then scored a four-point takedown and two more gut wrenches to close proceedings. Interesting enough, Munch would have another high-scoring match on the backside. He was eliminated by Lincoln Heck by an 18-14 score. That 32-point match was tied for the ninth-highest scoring bout of the event.

Dom Parrish (left) G'Angelo Hancock and David Taylor (photo courtesy of Tony Rotundo; WrestlersAreWarriors.com) 2022 Men's Freestyle Team 57 kg - Thomas Gilman (4th World Team - 5th World/Olympic Team) 61 kg - Seth Gross (1st World Team) 65 kg - Yianni Diakomihalis (2nd World Team) 70 kg - Zain Retherford (3rd World Team) 74 kg - Kyle Dake (4th World Team - 5th World/Olympic Team) 79 kg - Jordan Burroughs (9th World Team - 11th World/Olympic Team) 86 kg - David Taylor (3rd World Team - 4th World/Olympic Team) 92 kg - J'den Cox (5th World Team - 6th World/Olympic Team) 97 kg - Kyle Snyder (6th World Team - 8th World/Olympic Team) 125 kg - Hayden Zillmer (1st World Team) 2022 Women's Freestyle Team 50 kg - Sarah Hildebrandt (5th World Team - 6th World/Olympic Team) 53 kg - Dom Parrish (1st World Team) 55 kg - Jacarra Winchester (3rd World Team - 4th World/Olympic Team) 57 kg - Helen Maroulis (10th World Team - 12th World/Olympic Team) 59 kg - Abby Nette (1st World Team) 62 kg - Kayla Miracle/Jennifer Page (To be determined) 65 kg - Mallory Velte (3rd World Team) 68 kg - Tamyra Mensah-Stock (5th World Team - 7th World/Olympic Team) 72 kg - Amit Elor (1st World Team) 76 kg - Dymond Guilford (1st World Team) 2022 Greco-Roman Team 55 kg - Max Nowry (3rd World Team) 60 kg - Ildar Hafizov (6th World Team - 8th World/Olympic Team) 63 kg - Jesse Thielke (3rd World Team - 4th World/Olympic Team) 67 kg - Alex Sancho (1st World Team - 2nd World/Olympic Team) 72 kg - Benji Peak (1st World Team) 77 kg - Kamal Bey (2nd World Team) 82 kg - Ben Provisor (3rd World Team - 5th World/Olympic Team) 87 kg - Alan Vera (2nd World Team) 97 kg - G'Angelo Hancock (5th World Team - 6th World/Olympic Team) 130 kg - Cohlton Schultz (2nd World Team)

Jordan Burroughs at Final X NYC (photo courtesy of Tony Rotundo; WrestlersAreWarriors.com) Second Round Final X Bouts 77 kg GR - Kamal Bey fall Britton Holmes Fall 6:00 72 kg WFS - Amit Elor over Skylar Grote 10-0 65 kg MFS - Yianni Diakomihalis over Evan Henderson 14-4 87 kg GR - Alan Vera over Timothy Young 9-1 125 kg MFS - Hayden Zillmer over Nick Gwiazdowski 4-3 67 kg GR - Alex Sancho over Alston Nutter 5-2 53 kg WFS - Dom Parrish over Felicity Taylor 8-2 60 kg GR - Dalton Roberts over Ildar Hafizov 3-2 97 kg GR - G'Angelo Hancock over Braxton Amos 8-2 50 kg WFS - Sarah Hildebrandt over Alyssa Lampe 10-0 74 kg MFS - Kyle Dake over Jason Nolf 2-1 57 kg WFS - Helen Maroulis over Alex Hedrick 10-0 79 kg MFS - Chance Marsteller over Jordan Burroughs 2-2 86 kg MFS - David Taylor over Zahid Valencia 10 Third Round Final X Bouts 125 kg MFS - Hayden Zillmer over Nick Gwiazdowski 5-5 60 kg GR - Ildar Hafizov over Dalton Roberts 4-1 79 kg MFS - Jordan Burroughs over Chance Marsteller 5-0

Alan Vera lift Timothy Young at Final X NYC Round 1(photo courtesy of Tony Rotundo; WrestlersAreWarriors.com) National Team True Third Place bouts 61 kg MFS - Daniel DeShazer FFT Nico Megaludis 57 kg WFS - Amanda Martinez FFT Cameron Guerin 79 kg MFS - Carter Starocci FFT Vincenzo Joseph 62 kg WFS - Alex Liles FFT Macey Kilty 65 kg WFS - Emma Bruntil FFT Maya Letona 97 kg MGR - Lucas Sheridan over Haydn Maley 12-4 55 kg WFS - Lauren Mason over Alisha Howk 9-8 86 kg MFS - Mark Hall over Trent Hidlay 6-4 92 kg MFS - Jay Aiello over Isaac Trumble 8-6 First Round Final X Bouts 77 kg GR - Kamal Bey fall Britton Holmes 5:12 72 kg WFS - Amit Elor over Skylar Grote 10-0 65 kg MFS - Yianni Diakomihalis over Evan Henderson 11-9 87 kg GR - Alan Vera fall Timothy Young 1:00 125 kg MFS - Nick Gwiazdowski over Hayden Zillmer 5-0 67 kg GR - Alex Sancho over Alston Nutter 10-9 53 kg WFS - Dom Parrish over Felicity Taylor 7-2 60 kg GR - Ildar Hafizov over Dalton Roberts 11-7 97 kg GR - G'Angelo Hancock over Braxton Amos 8-0 50 kg WFS - Sarah Hildebrandt over Alyssa Lampe 10-0 74 kg MFS - Kyle Dake over Jason Nolf 4-2 57 kg WFS - Helen Maroulis over Alex Hedrick 10-0 79 kg MFS - Jordan Burroughs over Chance Marsteller 4-0 86 kg MFS - David Taylor over Zahid Valencia 4-2

3x NCAA Qualifier Michael O'Malley (photo courtesy of Tony DiMarco) 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…Drexel! 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 NCAA Qualifiers (37) 2022 165: Evan Barczak (#30); 174: Mickey O'Malley (#8) 2021 141: Julian Flores (#31); 149: Luke Nichter (#24); 157: Parker Kropman (#25); 165: Evan Barczak (#30); 174: Mickey O'Malley (#19); 197: Bryan McLaughlin (#23) 2020 125: Antonio Mininno (#33); 165: Ebed Jarrell (#23); 174: Mickey O'Malley (#28); 197: Bryan McLaughlin (#33) 2019 149: Parker Kropman (#30); 165: Ebed Jarrell (#12); 197: Stephen Loiseau (#17); 285: Joey Goodhart (#18) 2018 133: Austin DeSanto (#7); 157: Garett Hammond; 174: Austin Rose; 184: Alex DeCiantis; 197: Stephen Loiseau (#12) 2017 133: Kevin Devoy (#16); 149: Matt Cimato; 184: Alex DeCiantis; 285: Joey Goodhart 2016 125: Zack Fuentes; 149: Matt Cimato (#4); 285: Joey Goodhart 2015 133: Kevin Devoy (#8); 141: David Pearce; 149: Matt Cimato; 157: Noel Blanco 2014 133: Kevin Devoy; 157: Austin Sommer; 197: Brandon Palik 2013 141: Frank Cimato; 197: Brandon Palik NCAA Champions None NCAA All-Americans None NCAA Round of 12 Finisher Austin DeSanto - 133 (2018) Matt Cimato - 149 (2016) Kevin Devoy - 133 (2015) Conference Champions EIWA 2016: Matt Cimato (149) 2015: Kevin Devoy (133) CAA 2013: Brandon Palik (197) Dual Record 2021-22: 6-8 2021: 2-1 2019-20: 7-11 2018-19: 4-11 2017-18: 12-4 2016-17: 13-6 2015-16: 10-7 2014-15: 8-14 2013-14: 7-15 2012-13: 8-12 Conference Tournament Placement EIWA 2021-22: 10th 2021: 5th 2019-20: 12th 2018-19: 9th 2017-18: 4th 2016-17: 9th 2015-16: 8th 2014-15: 6th 2013-14: 13th CAA 2012-13: 5th NCAA Tournament Team Placement 2021-22: 33rd (8 points) 2021: 48th-tie (3.5 points) 2019-20: No Tournament 2018-19: 56th-tie (0.5 points) 2017-18: 35th (8 points) 2016-17: 53rd (1.5 points) 2015-16: 45th-tie (5 points) 2014-15: 41st (5 points) 2013-14: No Team Score 2012-13: 57th-tie (1.5 points) Head Coaching History Matt Azevedo (2011-present) Best Lineup (Comprised of wrestlers from 2013-22) 125 - Zack Fuentes: 2016 NCAA Qualifier; 2016 EIWA 3rd Place 133 - Kevin Devoy: 3x NCAA Qualifier; 2015 NCAA Round of 12 finisher; 2x EIWA finalist, 2015 EIWA Champion 141 - David Pearce: 2015 NCAA Qualifier; 2015 EIWA 4th Place 149 - Matt Cimato: 3x NCAA Qualifier (#4 seed), 2016 EIWA Champion, 2016 NCAA Round of 12 finisher 157 - Noel Blanco: 2015 NCAA Qualifier; 2015 EIWA 3rd Place 165 - Ebed Jarrell: 2x NCAA Qualifier (#12 seed) 174 - Mickey O'Malley: 3x NCAA Qualifier (#8 seed); 2022 NCAA Round of 12 finisher 184 - Alex DeCiantis: 2x NCAA Qualifier 197 - Stephen Loiseau: 2x NCAA Qualifier (#12 and #17 seed); 2x EIWA 3rd Place 285 - Joey Goodhart: 3x NCAA Qualifier (#18 seed); 2017 EIWA Runner-Up Recruiting Big Boarder's Per Year 2022: #168 Gabe Giampietro (DE); #211 Jordan Soriano (NY) 2021: #242 Tate Nichter (PA) 2020: #79 Luke Nichter (PA) 2018: #52 Mickey O'Malley (NJ); #66 Anthony Walters (PA); #77 Ty Smith (NV); #81 Josh Stillings (PA) 2017: #17 Austin DeSanto (PA); #86 Bryan McLaughlin (NJ) 2016: #107 Julian Flores (CA) 2014: #89 Stephen Loiseau (PA); #123 Nezar Haddad (PA) 2013: #104 Zack Fuentes (PA); #136 John Dutrow (PA)

G'Angelo Hancock and Braxton Amos at the 2020 Olympic Team Trials finals (photo courtesy of Tony Rotundo; WrestlersAreWarriors.com We already know one half of our 2022 Senior world team as the first leg of Final X (Stillwater) took place on Friday. Now we await the other half of the team. On Wednesday, from Madison Square Garden in New York City, the rest of the squad will be determined. Final X Stillwater yielded some surprising results, classic matches, and memorable moments. You can guarantee there will be more of all three Wednesday. Before then, here's what to expect from the competitors taking the mat in Final X New York. We'll close out with the Greco-Roman preview. 60 kg - Ildar Hafizov vs. Dalton Roberts This will be the first of two Greco matches between Army WCAP teammates. The pair have combined to wrestle in seven World Championships and two Olympic Games, so both are quite seasoned. Last year, the two met in the World Team Trials best-of-three finals. The series ended up going to three matches and Roberts won via tech after two tight bouts. Due to the familiarity and high level of competition between the two, it wouldn't be surprising if they had another three-match battle. The last time both were in action was at the World Team Trials and both cruised through the competition. These two could've met at the US Open; however, Roberts defaulted out after making the semifinals. Hafizov would end up getting the title after a 9-0 tech over Max Black. 67 kg - Alex Sancho vs. Alston Nutter Last year at the Olympic Trials, Alex Sancho had a bye to the finals and prevailed over long-time veteran Ellis Coleman to make his first Senior team. Now he'll attempt to get on the world team for the first time. He tried to do so last year and was stunned by Michigan State wrestler Peyton Omania in the best-of-three finals at the WTT's. To get to the finals, Sancho edged Alston Nutter by a point. The two met again in the semifinals this year at the Open. Again, it was a 6-5 score in favor of Sancho. To qualify for Final X, Sancho got a measure of revenge against Omania in the WTT semis, while Nutter dominated Lenny Merkin. Nutter has made three age-group world teams (highlighted by a Junior bronze in 2019), so it's probably just a matter of time before he gets over the hump and makes his first Senior team. 77 kg - Kamal Bey vs. Britton Holmes This will be the second match on the card between Army WCAP teammates. Just three years ago, at Final X Rutgers, Kamal Bey was considered one of the brightest young Greco stars and the future of the sport. Bey ended up falling in three matches to Pat Smith and hasn't been back to the world or Olympic team since. Now, Bey has joined the Army WCAP and is ready to give it another shot. After defaulting out of the Open, in the semis, Bey downed 2020 Olympic Trials winner Jesse Porter at the WTT's for the chance to return to Final X. Could an older, more experienced version of the 2017 Junior World Champion, be ready to take on the world at the Senior level? To do so, he'd have to get by Britton Holmes. Holmes had a difficult path to Final X, as he had to defeat Alec Ortiz in the WTT quarters before taking out top-seeded RaVaughn Perkins, a past world team member, to lock in his spot in New York. Holmes and Ortiz got into a shootout at the US Open, a bout ultimately won by Holmes, 9-6. The rematch at the Trials resulted in a tech, in Holmes' favor. 87 kg - Alan Vera vs. Timothy Young Post-Olympic Trials, perhaps the most dominating domestic Greco wrestler (in relation to his competition) has been Alan Vera at 87 kg. Vera teched Ryan Epps in two-straight bouts in the 2021 WTT's in order to make his first Senior world team. Since then, Vera has won four matches at the Open/2022 WTT's without surrendering a point. One of those wins, in the Open semis, came against his Final X opponent Timothy Young. The former Old Dominion wrestler, Young, got his spot in Final X after pinning 2018 U23 World Team member George Sikes in the semis of the WTT's. Young actually wrestled for a bronze medal at the Cadet World Championships back in 2014. He'll probably enter MSG as the most significant underdog on the Greco portion of the card. 97 kg - G'Angelo Hancock vs. Braxton Amos Earlier we mentioned Bey as one of the possible faces of US Greco, but that title has been taken for the time being by G'Angelo Hancock. Hancock has made every Senior World/Olympic team since 2017 and has shown no signs of slowing down. In 2021, he finally broke through internationally and claimed a bronze medal from the World Championships. At various times in previous years, Hancock looked like he may make that jump. It's fitting that the most recognizable Greco athlete (domestically) will get an opportunity to showcase his talents on the big stage in New York. Of course, his opponent, Braxton Amos isn't conceding anything. Amos surprisingly made the Olympic Trials finals last year, opposite Hancock, before making the Junior World Team in both styles. Amos came home from Ufa, Russia with a bronze medal in Greco and a world title in freestyle. Though Amos focused on folkstyle from October-March at Wisconsin, he did not enter the Open or WTT's in freestyle, so he could devote his full attention to Greco. At the Trials, Amos took care of business against tough veteran Lucas Sheridan in the semis, before stopping Haydn Maley twice in the finals.

World medalists Alyssa Lampe (left) and Sarah Hildebrandt (photos courtesy of Sam Janicki (Lampe) and Tony Rotundo (Hildebrandt) We already know one half of our 2022 Senior world team as the first leg of Final X (Stillwater) took place on Friday. Now we await the other half of the team. On Wednesday, from Madison Square Garden in New York City, the rest of the squad will be determined. Final X Stillwater yielded some surprising results, classic matches, and memorable moments. You can guarantee there will be more of all three Wednesday. Before then, here's what to expect from the competitors taking the mat in Final X New York. We'll move on to women's freestyle, before closing with Greco-Roman. ***Note the 62 kg match between Kayla Miracle and Jennifer Rogers has been postponed due to medical reasons on Miracle's behalf*** 50 kg - Sarah Hildebrandt vs. Alyssa Lampe The women's freestyle portion of Final X featured three bouts between past world medalists. Two of those series' took place in Stillwater. The third is Sarah Hildebrandt against Alyssa Lampe. Hildebrandt has established herself as one of the more consistent figures in American women's wrestling. She has made every World/Olympic team since 2018 and has come away with a medal in three of those four appearances. 2021 saw her grab Olympic bronze and world silver. Hildebrandt moved down from 53 kg for the Olympic run and has been even more impressive than at 53 kg. She'll face off with a veteran herself in Alyssa Lampe. Lampe has been a part of five world teams during her long career with bronze medals coming in 2012 and 2013. Both were in the same bracket for the 2020 Olympic Trials; however, Hildebrandt was waiting in the finals, while Lampe finished true second in the challenge tournament. This year, Lampe finished as a runner-up at the US Open (at 53 kg), before dropping down and defeating Erin Golston in the WTT's best-of-three finals. Lampe is seeking to make her first world team since 2015 and most of her best work was done in the old 48 kg weight class. 53 kg - Dom Parrish vs. Felicity Taylor Stillwater saw two women make their first Senior world team with Abby Nette and Dymond Guilford doing so at 59 and 76 kg, respectively. Someone else will do at 53 kg, but the question is who? Dom Parrish has plenty of experience with three U23 world team competitions under her belt and an appearance in Final X 2019 to her name. Those came at 55 kg; however. Now at 53 kg, Parrish recently captured her first Pan-American title and was third at the Yasar Dogu. Parrish only needed to win once at the WTT's to claim a spot in Final X, but it was quite the win. She shut out 2020 Olympic Trials runner-up Ronna Heaton, 6-0 for the honors. Though Parrish has a longer international resume, she'll have to contend with the red-hot Felicity Taylor. Taylor was not seeded at the Open, but ran through the competition with two falls and a victory via tech in the finals over Lampe. If I had to guess, I'd think this series will be the most competitive and highest scoring of any on the women's side in Final X NYC. 57 kg - Helen Maroulis vs. Alex Hedrick Sitting in Final X is Helen Maroulis, who is attempting to make her 12th World/Olympic Team and bring home her eighth medal. Maroulis' place in US wrestling history is already safe with her 2016 Olympic gold medal and three world titles; so anything from here out is icing on the cake. In her only action of 2022 thus far, Maroulis came away with a gold medal from Russia's Ivan Yarygin. It was the first time she competed (and won) at the prestigious event. The only other time Maroulis qualified for Final X was in 2018 against…Alex Hedrick. The series had to be delayed because of injuries to Maroulis and it was the precursor to a prolonged absence from the sport due to concussions and shoulder injuries. Despite all of this, Maroulis still managed to defeat Hedrick 10-0, 12-0, to make the 2018 World Team. Hedrick has international experience competing at two Junior World Championships and one at the U23 level. In order to qualify for this Final X, Hedrick managed to emerge victorious in two tight bouts with Cam Guerin at the WTT's. She also won a close one over Amanda Martinez in the semis. If she can slow down the offense from Maroulis, Hedrick does have experience in those tight situations. 72 kg - Amit Elor vs. Skylar Grote 72 kg's will be the second women's weight class in New York with a first-time world team member. Both Amit Elor and Skylar Grote are young, so it could be the first of many for the winner. Elor has been a prodigy and competed favorably against older competition, since she broke on the scene as a Cadet. In 2019, as a first-year Cadet, she took home bronze from Worlds. Last year, Elor won gold medals at both the Cadet and Junior World Championships. With a resume at such a young age, she won't be blinded by the big stage and the bright lights at Madison Square Garden. I would expect the crowd to favor her opponent, Skylar Grote, from across the river in New Jersey. Grote has had a remarkable year after moving up to 72 kg. She's claimed titles at the US Open and the Pan-American Championships, along with making the WTT finals and securing a berth at Final X. Grote went unscored upon during her three matches at the Open and WTTs. She is one of three women from the Beaver Dam RTC that have qualified for Final X. Mallory Velte already is on the world team, with teammate Alyssa Lampe competing at 50 kg. However this turns out, New York is the appropriate place for the match to take place, as it will be the crowning of a new, young star.

2x NCAA Qualifier Scott Patrick (photo courtesy of Davidson athletics) 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…CSU Bakersfield! 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 NCAA Qualifiers (4) 2015 184: Scott Patrick 2014 149: Kevin Birmingham; 184: Scott Patrick 2013 133: Anthony Elias NCAA Champions None NCAA All-Americans None NCAA Round of 12 Finishers None SoCon Champions 2015: Scott Patrick (184) 2014: Scott Patrick (184) 2013: Anthony Elias (133) Dual Record 2021-22: 5-10 2021: 3-5 2019-20: 3-12 2018-19: 2-13 2017-18: 3-10 2016-17: 3-14 2015-16: 4-14 2014-15: 5-14 2013-14: 5-14 2012-13: 6-14 SoCon Tournament Placement 2021-22: 6th 2021: Did Not Compete 2019-20: 5th 2018-19: 6th 2017-18: 10th 2016-17: 8th 2015-16: 8th 2014-15: 6th 2013-14: 7th 2012-13: 7th Head Coaching History Andy Lausier (2017-22) Bob Patnesky (2004-17) Best Lineup (consisting of wrestlers from 2013-22) 125 - Phillip Elias 133 - Anthony Elias: 2013 NCAA Qualifier; 2013 SoCon Champion 141 - Dustin Runzo 149 - Kevin Birmingham: 2014 NCAA Qualifier 157 - Tony Palumbo: 2019 SoCon Runner-Up 165 - Jaden Hardrick 174 - Nathaniel Powers 184 - Scott Patrick: 2x NCAA Qualifier; 2x SoCon Champion 197 - Ian Solcz: 2015 SoCon 4th Place 285 - Mitchell Trigg: 2022 SoCon 4th Place

2021 World silver medalist Kayla Miracle (photo courtesy of Tony Rotundo; WrestlersAreWarriors.com) USA Wrestling - 2021 World silver medalist Kayla Miracle (Tempe, Ariz./Sunkist Kids) has received a delay of her 62 kg women's freestyle Final X series for medical reasons. Miracle was scheduled to face Jennifer Rogers (State College, Pa./Nittany Lion WC/TMWC) in Final X New York at the Hulu Theater at Madison Square Garden on Wednesday, June 8. Miracle notified USA Wrestling and followed all of the proper procedures under the General World Team Trials Procedures, Section D. Delays or Replacement Due to Injury or Illness, which includes the following: Only a 2021 Senior World Championship medalist or 2020 Olympic medalist who earned an automatic berth into the final wrestle-off can request a delay of the Final Wrestle-Off for medical reasons. This request must be submitted as set forth in (a) below at least 48 hours prior to the scheduled weigh-in time (no request for delay will be allowed or granted otherwise). The site and date of this Final X best-of-three series has yet to be determined. The winner of each Final X Championship Series will represent the Team USA at the Senior World Championships in Belgrade, Serbia, Sept. 10-18.

Chance Marsteller (left) and Jordan Burroughs (photos courtesy of Sam Janicki; SJanickiPhoto.com) We already know one half of our 2022 Senior world team as the first leg of Final X (Stillwater) took place on Friday. Now we await the other half of the team. On Wednesday, from Madison Square Garden in New York City, the rest of the squad will be determined. Final X Stillwater yielded some surprising results, classic matches, and memorable moments. You can guarantee there will be more of all three Wednesday. Before then, here's what to expect from the competitors taking the mat in Final X New York. We'll start with men's freestyle, then move to the other two styles. 65kg - Yianni Diakomihalis vs. Evan Henderson In Final X Stillwater we saw a couple of matches between former training partners with Cox/Jackson and Snyder/Moore. While J'den Cox ultimately prevailed over Nate Jackson, we saw the familiarity between the two yield what may have been a surprising result; the Jackson win in match two. Could a similar situation happen here at 65 kg with Yianni Diakomihalis and Evan Henderson? However it plays out, expect this series to contain as much action as any in New York. Between Diakomihalis' creativity and scrambling, and Henderson's “never-say-die” attitude, there are bound to be some amazing flurries. Henderson booked his spot in Final X after running the gauntlet at the World Team Trials Challenge Tournament. He downed Pat Lugo in the opening round, before unseating US Open champion Kendric Maple in the quarters. In the semis, with a trip to Final X hanging in the balance, Henderson staged a remarkable comeback against Olympic Trials' third-place finisher, Nick Lee. Down 10-2 at one point, Henderson rallied for a 12-11 win. On the other half of the bracket, Yianni put together back-to-back 10-0 techs over Luke Pletcher and Ian Parker for his place in Final X. Diakomihalis is coming off his first trip to the Senior World Championships in 2021. A medal-less showing has seemed to make the Cornell superstar only hungrier in 2022, as he captured his third NCAA title before returning his attention to freestyle. 74 kg - Kyle Dake vs. Jason Nolf You've gotta love the Cornell/Penn State matchup at 74 kg. The last time stars from the two schools clashed at Final X we had the Zain/Yianni controversy of 2019. Let's hope for a more decisive victor in this meeting, but suffice to say, emotions will be running high on both sides of the coaching stage. Kyle Dake earned his place in Final X by winning his third world title in 2021, along with an Olympic bronze medal. Dake's previous world championships came at 79 kg, but last year he was able to unseat Jordan Burroughs for the spot at 74 kg for the first time. After years of fighting for the spot, Dake certainly isn't ready to concede it to Jason Nolf, or anybody else, for that matter. Nolf heads into Final X after winning by tech or fall in all eight of his Open/WTT bouts. In those eight matches, Nolf only surrendered a combined four points. Despite Nolf's recent dominance, history is on Dake's side. The pair met twice in 2021 with Dake needing less than a minute to tech Nolf at the Olympic Trials. The two also were paired with each other at a Nittany Lion Wrestling Club event and Dake controlled the action. Nolf appears much better since, but enough to make a dent in those type of results? We'll see. College credentials go out the window in a situation like this, but it is incredible to see a four-time NCAA champion taking on a three-timer in Final X. That is certainly the match between the most decorated combatants in this year's Final X (both sites). 79 kg - Jordan Burroughs vs. Chance Marsteller Could there be a matchup between two more popular wrestlers right now? The living legend, Jordan Burroughs, has already cemented his legacy as one of, if not the best ever, for US Wrestling. He grabbed his sixth World/Olympic title in 2021 and his first at 79 kg. Since breaking onto the international scene in 2011, Burroughs has won 216 of 230 matches, including all 20 at 79 kg. Two of those 20 wins have come at the expense of his Final X counterpart, Chance Marsteller. At the 2021 WTTs, Burroughs prevailed 4-1 in a hard-fought contest. Earlier this year, Burroughs shut out Marsteller 8-0 in the Yasar Dogu finals. Marsteller gets to Final X after winning a classic, three-match series against the dangerous Vincenzo Joseph at the WTTs. Marsteller also edged Carter Starocci and US Open champion David McFadden, before the finals. Since Marsteller has been very forthcoming about his long battle with addiction and his open nature about the difficult subject has certainly won some fans. It would be a storybook ending for a wrestler that was once deemed the top recruit in the high school Class of 2014 (for a time ahead of Kyle Snyder), yet hit a few bumps in the road. The match itself should be a physical affair. Marsteller is known for his grinding style, while Burroughs doesn't have a problem mixing it up himself, despite his offensive prowess. If Marsteller has a path to victory, it will include generating enough offense to compete with Burroughs. 86 kg - David Taylor vs. Zahid Valencia In the pre-tournament press conference with Jordan Burroughs, I asked which match he was most looking forward to (aside from his) and he mentioned this one. If it's good enough for the king, it's good enough for me! Olympic gold medalist David Taylor is looking to get back to the world championships and another round with Hassan Yazdani, his opponent in the Olympic finals. Taylor needed a late burst to win that bout and Yazdani finally got his first career win over the former Nittany Lion star a few months later at the World Championships. But, before focusing on Yazdani, Taylor could have his hands full with Zahid Valencia. Zahid gets the spot opposite Taylor after renewing the rivalry with Mark Hall in the WTT finals. Valencia continued his freestyle dominance of Hall by cruising to wins in two straight bouts. Over his last four freestyle meetings with Hall, Valencia has pitched four straight shutouts. Can Valencia do this to someone of Taylor's caliber? Probably not, but that doesn't mean he couldn't get the victory. The version of Valencia we saw in Coralville looks like he could challenge Taylor. It'll be an intriguing battle between two wrestlers that have become known for their low-leg attacks. Both are making their first Final X appearance since State College in 2018. There, Taylor teched Nick Reenan twice, while Valencia lost two close matches to Dake. 125 kg - Nick Gwiazdowski vs. Hayden Zillmer The last of three Cornell/Spartan Combat/New York natives on this portion of the card is Nick Gwiazdowski. In early May, Gwiazdowski suffered a loss to Amir Dhesi (Canada) in the Pan-American finals. He responded by going on a tear in his two matches at the WTT's. Both ended 10-0 and the second win came over 2021 U23 World Champion Tony Cassioppi. Maybe the Dhesi loss woke a sleeping Gwizzly bear? The two-time world bronze medalist got back onto the world team in 2021 after falling in the Olympic Trials finals to the eventual gold medal winner, Gable Steveson. Since Gwiazdowski has moved to Cornell to coach and train with Spartan. Facing Gwiz for the spot at heavyweight on the world team is Hayden Zillmer. It will be the second appearance for Zillmer in Final X, as he wrestled off with J'den Cox in 2018 for the 92 spot. That's correct, Zillmer has gone all the way up to 125, four years later. Over the past year, Zillmer has been able to deal with big-bodied heavyweights like Dom Bradley (multiple times) and Jordan Wood. He defeated both at the WTT's. We'll see how he fares with an opponent like Gwiazdowski, one that isn't small for the weight, but has great offensive skills.

New Spartan Combat RTC member Michael Kemerer (photo courtesy of Tony Rotundo; WrestlersAreWarriors.com) There has been some offseason action in the EIWA, regarding wrestling transfers (in and out of the conference), coaching changes, and RTC athlete signings. In addition, there are some current open coaching positions and RTC athlete openings at two schools. Below are a few different trackers that will be updated once a month to help all EIWA fans keep updated on some of these changes. In addition to the tracker this month, I virtually sat down with 5X EIWA Champion, Jordan Wood of Lehigh. He is one of the nicest people off the wrestling mat I have ever encountered. But, man, would I do everything in my power to avoid him on the mat! He is a super nice guy, and we both had a good time during our talk. You may remember his intensely entertaining semi-final overtime thriller with Cohlton Schultz of Arizona State in the NCAA Championships this season. We discussed that, among other things. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did! This will be posted later today.

130 kg champion Matthew Cover (photo courtesy of Sam Janicki; SJanickiPhoto.com) U23 Men's Greco-Roman Best Two-out-of-Three Finals 55 kg - Camden Russell (MWC Wrestling Academy) over Sam Braswell (Cougar WC) 8-4, 9-0 60 kg - Phillip Moomey (Spartan Combat WC) over Max Black (Northern Michigan) Fall 5:02, 8-0 63 kg - Savion Haywood (Iguana WC) over Zachary Westlund (Gladiator WC) 8-0, 9-0 67 kg - Job Greenwood (Wyoming Wrestling RTC) over Cayden Henschel (Askren WA) 7-8, 6-5, 10-0 72 kg - PJ Ogunsanya (West Point WC) over Dominic Damon (Northern Michigan) Injury Default, MedFFT 77 kg - Justin McCunn (Viking WC) over Cody Eaton (Northern Colorado WC) Fall 3:29, Fall 2:05, InjDef 82 kg - Tyler Cunningham (MWC Wrestling Academy) over Jake Hendricks (Pennsylvania RTC) 11-3, 3-6, 13-6 87 kg - Michial Foy (Gopher WC) over Vincent Baker (Blue Bloods WC) 5-9, 8-0, 8-0 97 kg - Nicholas Boykin (Sunkist Kids) over Ryan Tiers (Kansas) 8-0, 8-0 130 kg - Matthew Cover (New Jersey RTC) over Gary Powell (Ohio) 9-0, 4-0 Third Place Bouts 55 kg - Kade Orr (Golden Pride WC) over Alexander Logsdon (Cougar WC) 10-2 60 kg - Josh Kyle (Wyoming Wrestling RTC) over Jace Koelzer (Northern Colorado WC) Fall :30 63 kg - King Sandoval (Bandits WC) over Phillip Kue (Oregon) 8-0 67 kg - Samuel Edelblute (Brunson/UVRTC) over Jakob Murillo (Brunson/UVRTC) 10-0 72 kg - Jeremy Ridge (Pennsylvania RTC) over Brody Olson (Minnesota Storm) InjDef 77 kg - Terrance Parks (New York) over Jacob Stefanowicz (Pennsylvania RTC) 7-0 82 kg - James Foy (Minnesota Storm) over Devan Hendricks (Gladiator WC) 9-0 87 kg - Sione Halo (Choker WC) over Cornell Beachem (Ohio) InjDef 97 kg - Tereus Henry (Fort Hays State) over Nick Stemmet (California RTC) 6-4 130 kg - Bowen McConville (Jackrabbit WC) over Sammy Deseriere (Western Colorado WC) 8-0 Fifth Place Bouts 55 kg - Austin Long (Cougar WC) over Christian Decatur-Luker (Freco) MedFFT 60 kg - Anthony Hughes (Indiana) over David Medina (Tennessee) 11-6 63 kg - Joey Cape (Central Coast RTC) over Diego Romero (Garage Boyz WC) 10-0 67 kg - Jalen Spuhler (Wisconsin) over Cyle Wells (Gladiator WC) 9-0 72 kg - Tanner Abbas (Viking WC) over Noah Roulo (Cougar WC) 9-0 77 kg - Noah Grover (Bulls WC) over Jack Ervien Jr. (Viking WC) 8-0 82 kg - Drew Dickson (George Mason) over Khalil Mitchell (Cougar WC) Fall 1:12 87 kg - Gevorg Arakelov (New York) over Scott Joll (Mountaineer WC) 10-2 97 kg - Xavier Vasquez (Northern Colorado WC) over Jasiri Dingle (Cougar WC) Fall 1:12 130 kg - Spencer Trenary (Jackrabbit WC) over Aric Bohn (Illinois) 11-3 Seventh Place Bouts 55 kg - Daniel Parkulo (Cougar WC) 60 kg - Paxton Creese (Minnesota Storm) over Mason Barrett (Cougar WC) 8-0 63 kg - Braden Ledford (O Town WC) over Kelvin Rodriguez (Pennsylvania) 8-3 67 kg - Torry Early (Little Huskies WC) over Aundre Beatty (Indiana) 12-3 72 kg - Cason Lindsey (Kansas) over Charles Neuman (Junction City HS) Fall 1:09 77 kg - Weston Milnes (Greco-Roman Development) over Luke Silva (Illinois) 10-2 82 kg - Casey Recrosio (Northern Michigan) over DM Hallett (Colorado) InjDef 87 kg - Ben Lee (Viking WC) over Eli Sheeren (Bulls WC) 4-0 97 kg - Joey Braunagel (Illinois RTC) over Kaleb Gaede (Northern Michigan) Fall 3:42 130 kg - Jason Guadarrama (Lake County WC) over Triston Norris (Boone RTC) Fall 3:35

74 kg champion Patrick Kennedy (photo courtesy of Sam Janicki; SJanickiPhoto.com) U23 Men's Freestyle Best Two-out-of-Three Finals 57 kg - Anthony Noto (Lock Haven) over Trevor Mastrogiovanni (Oklahoma State) Fall 3:00, 4-0, 4-2 61 kg - Aaron Nagao (Minnesota) over Jake Gliva (Minnesota) 12-2, 13-6 65 kg - Cole Matthews (Pittsburgh) over Dylan D'Emilio (Ohio State) 10-6, 8-4 70 kg - Yahya Thomas (Northwestern) over Jonathan Millner (Appalachian State) 13-0, 10-0 74 kg - Patrick Kennedy (Iowa) over Peyton Hall (West Virginia) 8-3, 5-0 79 kg - Dustin Plott (Oklahoma State) over Mickey O'Malley (Drexel) 6-2, 8-0 86 kg - Trent Hidlay (NC State) over Trent Munoz (Oregon State) 12-1, 10-1 92 kg - Jacob Cardenas (Cornell) over Evan Bockman (Utah Valley) 7-2, 4-2 97 kg - Tanner Sloan (South Dakota State) over Nick Stemmet (Stanford) 10-0, 10-3 125 kg - Tony Cassioppi (Iowa) over Zach Elam (Missouri) 11-4, 13-2 Third Place Bouts 57 kg - Greg Diakomihalis (Cornell) over Ryan Miller (Penn) 10-0 61 kg - Chance Rich (CSU Bakersfield) over Julian Tagg (North Carolina) 4-1 65 kg - Ridge Lovett (Nebraska) over Jordan Decatur (Ohio State) 10-0 70 kg - Trevor Chumbley (Northwestern) over Cole Siebrecht (Iowa) 17-7 74 kg - Peyton Robb (Nebraska)/Bubba Wilson (Nebraska) 79 kg - Brennan Swafford (Iowa) over Max Maylor (Michigan) 7-5 86 kg - Abe Assad (Iowa) over Jonathan Loew (Cornell) 3-1 92 kg - Andrew Davison (Michigan) over JT Davis (Lehigh) 10-0 97 kg - Garrett Joles (Minnesota) over Tyler Bagoly (Clarion) 4-0 125 kg - Tyrie Houghton (NC State) over Trent Hillger (Wisconsin) InjDef Fifth Place Bouts 57 kg - Caleb Smith (Appalachian State) over Dominic Chavez (Presbyterian) Injury Default 61 kg - Michael Colaiocco (Penn) over Dylan Shawver (Rutgers) 9-7 65 kg - Beau Bartlett (Penn State) over Joshua Saunders (Cornell) 12-6 70 kg - Jacob Butler (Oklahoma) over Drew Roberts (Minnesota) Fall :32 74 kg - Sonny Santiago (North Carolina) over Justin McCoy (Virginia) MedFFT 79 kg - Danny Braunagel (Illinois) over Phil Conigliaro (Harvard) MedFFT 86 kg - Will Feldkamp (Clarion) over Chris Foca (Cornell) 20-12 92 kg - Austin Cooley (West Virginia) over Nick Willham (Indiana) 6-2 97 kg - Trey Rogers (Hofstra) over Brandon Hoselton (Campbell) 11-0 125 kg - Lucas Davison (Northwestern) over Owen Trephan (NC State) 11-3 Seventh Place Bouts 57 kg - Jarrett Trombley (NC State) over Blake West (Northern Illinois) 10-0 61 kg - Julian Farber (Northern Iowa) over Jace Koelzer (Northern Colorado) 11-5 65 kg - Kyren Butler (Virginia) over Clay Carlson (South Dakota State) MedFFT 70 kg - Daniel Manibog (Oklahoma State) over Ed Scott (NC State) 10-0 74 kg - Josh Ogunsanya (Columbia) over Matt Lee (Penn State) 79 kg - Edmond Ruth (Illinois) over Justin Phillips (Virginia) 12-2 86 kg - Jack Jessen (Northwestern) over Michial Foy (Minnesota) 10-0 92 kg - Robert Striggow (Michigan) over Mason McCready (Bucknell) 6-2 97 kg - Tereus Henry (Fort Hays State) over Eli Daugherty (Campbell) 12-3 125 kg - Josh Heindselman (Oklahoma) over Taye Ghadiali (Campbell) MedFFT

2x NCAA Qualifier Chance Rich (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…CSU Bakersfield! 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 NCAA Qualifiers (29) 2022 133: Chance Rich (#20) 2021 133: Chance Rich (#19); 141: Angelo Martinoni (#27); 184: Dom Ducharme (#21) 2020 149: Russell Rohlfing (#24); 184: Josh Loomer (#33) 2019 133: Sean Nickal (#17); 149: Russell Rohlfing (#25); 184: Dom Ducharme (#30) 2018 125: Sergio Mendez; 133: Sean Nickell; 141: Russell Rohlfing; 157: Coleman Hammond; 197: Matt Williams (#15) 2017 125: Sean Nickell; 141: Russell Rohlfing; 149: Coleman Hammond; 165: Lorenzo de la Riva; 197: Matt Williams 2016 141: Ian Nickell; 149: Coleman Hammond; 165: Adam Fierro; 174: Bryce Hammond (#6); 197 Reuben Franklin 2015 133: Ian Nickell; 165: Adam Fierro 2014 174: Bryce Hammond 2013 125: Tyler Iwamura; 174: Bryce Hammond NCAA Champions None NCAA All-Americans 2014: Bryce Hammond (174 - 8th) NCAA Round of 12 Finishers Chance Rich (2021 - 133) Pac-12 Champions 2021: Dom Ducharme (184) 2020: Russell Rohlfing (149); Josh Loomer (184) 2019: Sean Nickell (133) 2017: Sean Nickell (125) 2016: Bryce Hammond (174) 2014: Bryce Hammond (174) 2013: Tyler Iwamura (125); Bryce Hammond (174) Dual Record 2021-22: 2-10 2021: 0-2 2019-20: 7-6 2018-19: 7-9 2017-18: 6-10 2016-17: 5-7 2015-16: 11-4 2014-15: 7-5 2013-14: 6-8 2012-13: 8-6 Pac-12 Tournament Placement 2021-22: 5th 2021: 5th 2019-20: 3rd 2018-19: 4th 2017-18: 3rd 2016-17: 3rd 2015-16: 3rd 2014-15: 5th 2013-14: 5th 2012-13: 4th NCAA Tournament Team Placement 2021-22: 56th-tie (1 point) 2021: 41st-tie (6 points) 2019-20: No Tournament 2018-19: 41st-tie (5 points) 2017-18: 33rd (9.5 points) 2016-17: 53rd-tie (1.5 points) 2015-16: 36th-tie (9.5 points) 2014-15: 58th-tie (1 point) 2013-14: 47th (5 points) 2012-13: 58th-tie (1 point) Head Coaching History Luke Smith (2020 - Present) Manny Rivera (2016-20) Mike Mendoza (2010-16) Best Lineup (consisting of wrestlers from 2013-22) 125 - Sean Nickell: 3x NCAA Qualifier (#17 seed), 2x Pac-12 Champion 133 - Chance Rich: 2x NCAA Qualifier (#19 and #20 seeds); 2021 NCAA Round of 12 Finisher 141 - Angelo Martinoni: 2022 NCAA Qualifier 149 - Russell Rohlfing: 4x NCAA Qualifier; 2020 Pac-12 Champion 157 - Coleman Hammond: 3x NCAA Qualifier 165 - Adam Fierro: 2x NCAA Qualifier 174 - Bryce Hammond: 4x NCAA Qualifier; 2014 NCAA 8th Place, 3x Pac-12 Champion 184 - Dom Ducharme: 2x NCAA Qualifier; 2021 Pac-12 Champion 197 - Matt Williams: 2x NCAA Qualifier (#15 seed) 285 - Jacob Seider: Pac-12 3rd and 4th Place Recruiting Big Boarder's Per Year 2022: #179 Paul Sharp (CA) 2021: #136 Isaac Salas (CA) 2015: #150 Lorenzo de la Riva (CA) 2013: #92 Coleman Hammond (CA); #126 Immanuel Barber (CA)

55 kg U20 champion Jonathan Gurule at the World Team Trials (photo courtesy of Sam Janicki; SJanickiPhoto.com) Best of Three Finals Results **Note: 60, 77, 82, 87, 97 were conducted as round robin, so there was no challenge tournament or consolations*** 55 kg - Jonathan Gurule (Northern Michigan) over Jakason Burks (MWC Wrestling Academy) 9-0, 5-1 60 kg - Joseph Couch (Maryland) over Dyson Kunz (Northern Colorado WC) NC, 13-11 63 kg - Haiden Drury (Brunson/UVRTC) over Pierson Manville (Pennsylvania) 5-3, 6-3 67 kg - Robert Perez III (Sunkist Kids) over Hunter Garvin (Big Game WC) 7-0, 8-2 72 kg - Richard Fedalen (Warhawk Wrestling) over Braden Stauffenberg (Illinois) 8-0, 6-0 77 kg - Payton Jacobson (Sunkist Kids) over Jared Stricker (Wisconsin) 9-1, 8-0 82 kg - Adrian Artsisheuskly (Elite Wrestling Academy) over Michael Altomer (West Point WC) 9-0, 8-0 87 kg - Kodiak Stephens (Beaver Dam Wrestling RTC) over Tyler Hannah (Combat WC) 6-3, 5-2 97 kg - Christian Carroll (Indiana) over Robert Plympton (Oregon) 8-0, 8-0 130 kg - Aden Attao (Suples WC) over Gary Powell (Gladiator WC) Fall :52; Fall 1:18 Challenge Tournament Finals 55 kg - Jonathan Gurule (Northern Michigan) over Kenneth Crosby (Colorado) Fall 3:46 60 kg - None 63 kg - Pierson Manville (Pennsylvania) over Dayne Dalrymple (RTC South) MedFFT 67 kg - Hunter Gavin (Big Game WC) over Lydell Canady (Freco) Fall 4:42 72 kg - Braden Stauffenberg (Illinois) over Ashton Miess (Combat WC) 11-1 77 kg - None 82 kg - Aaron Dobbs (Northern Michigan) 87 kg - Wyatt Voelker (Big Game WC) 97 kg - MacAron Kukowski (Minnesota Storm) 130 kg - Gary Powell (Gladiator WC) over Andrew Blackburn-Forst (Lockport Junior Porters WC) Fall :17 Consolation Finals 55 kg - Cole Smith (Army WCAP) over Otto Black (Black Fox Wrestling Academy) 8-1 60 kg - None 63 kg - Carter Stephenson (Colorado) over Christopher Martino (Team Idaho) 7-6 67 kg - Jeremy Bockert (Interior Grappling Academy) over Dallas Koelzer (Kansas) 9-4 72 kg - Jadon Skellenger (Suples WC) over Kaden Reetz (Minnesota Storm) 14-5 77 kg - Dylan Kohn (Edinboro RTC) over Jake Jones (Pennsylvania) 82 kg - Ryan Cody (Greco Development) over John Richardson (Texas) 87 kg - Jack Darrah (Xtreme Training) over Joey Petrella (Ohio) 97 kg - Gavin White (Connecticut) 130 kg - Devon Dawson (Beaver WC) over Cameron Dubose (Ascend Wrestling Academy) 4-1

The 2022 U20 freestyle world team with James Green (photo courtesy of Sam Janicki; SJanickiPhoto.com) Best of Three Finals Results 57 kg - Jore Volk (Wyoming/MN) 4-2, 3-6, 5-5 over Troy Spratley (Minnesota/TX) 61 kg - Nic Bouzakis (Ohio State/FL) 6-14, 12-7, 15-4 over Jesse Mendez (Ohio State/IN) 65 kg - Vince Cornella (Cornell/CO) 3-4, 12-10, 4-1 over Carter Young (Oklahoma State/OK) 70 kg - Mitchell Mesenbrink (Cal Baptist/WI) 2-2, 7-2 over Levi Haines (Penn State/PA) 74 kg - Alex Facundo (Penn State/MI) 10-0, 12-0 over Jack Thomsen (South Dakota State/IA) 79 kg - Brayden Thompson (Oklahoma State - verbal/IL) 3-2, 2-2 over Luca Augustine (Pittsburgh/PA) 86 kg - Bennett Berge (South Dakota State/MN) 6-11, 13-3, 11-0 over Sam Fisher (Virginia Tech/VA) 92 kg - Jaxon Smith (Maryland/GA) 13-6, 10-0 over Silas Allred (Nebraska/IN) 97 kg - Ben Kueter (Iowa - verbal/IA) 5-0, 7-0 over Noah Pettigrew (North Carolina/GA) 125 kg - Nick Feldman (Ohio State/PA) Fall 3:39, 5-0 over Hunter Catka (Virginia Tech/PA) Challenge Tournament Finals 57 kg - Jore Volk (Wyoming/MN) over Cooper Flynn (Virginia Tech/TN) 5-2 61 kg - Jesse Mendez (Ohio State/IN) over Emilio Ysaguirre (Arizona State/AZ) 12-2 65 kg - Carter Young (Oklahoma State/OK) over Ryan Jack (NC State/CT) 11-5 70 kg - Levi Haines (Penn State/PA) over Hunter Garvin (Stanford/IA) 14-4 74 kg - Jack Thomsen (South Dakota State/IA) over Braeden Scoles (WI) 12-2 79 kg - Brayden Thompson (Oklahoma State - verbal) over Josh Barr (Penn State - verbal) 4-1 86 kg - Bennett Berge (South Dakota State/MN) over Tate Picklo (Oklahoma/OK) 5-2 92 kg - Silas Allred (Nebraska/IN) over Martin Cosgrove (Penn/NJ) Fall 4:18 97 kg - Noah Pettigrew (North Carolina/GA) over Zak Taylor (Nebraska/OH) 11-0 125 kg - Hunter Catka (Virginia Tech/PA) over Josiah Hill (Little Rock/CA) 14-3 Consolation Finals 57 kg - Richie Figueroa (Arizona State/CA) over Nate Jesuroga (Iowa - verbal/Iowa) 11-1 61 kg - Nasir Bailey (North Carolina - verbal/IL) over Kannon Webster (Illinois - verbal/IL) 7-6 65 kg - Tagen Jamison (Minnesota/TX) over Kaleb Larkin (Arizona State/AZ) 8-0 70 kg - Cody Chittum (TN) over Paniro Johnson (Iowa State/PA) 5-4 74 kg - Nicco Ruiz (Arizona State - verbal) over Derek Fields (NC State/OH) 11-0 79 kg - Rocco Welsh (Ohio State - verbal/PA) over James Rowley (Wisconsin/OR) 10-4 86 kg - Caden Rogers (Lehigh/PA) over Clayton Whiting (Missouri/WI) 6-4 92 kg - Hayden Walters (Michigan - verbal/OR) over Evan Bates (Northwestern/IN) 7-6 97 kg - None 125 kg - Aden Attao (ID) over Ben Kawczynski (UW-LaCrosse/WI) 12-0

Benji Peak after his third match at Final X Stillwater (photo courtesy of Tony Rotundo; WrestlersAreWarriors.com) The United States particularly in our men's freestyle and, of late, women's freestyle programs have emerged as perennial threats to win team titles at the World Championships. With such stacked, star-driven lineups, there is little room for new faces to emerge. Case and point, at the 2021 World Championships, Yianni Diakomihalis was the lone men's freestyle team member making his world debut. The women's freestyle team featured three first-timers (Amy Fearnside, Maya Nelson, and Kylie Welker); however, the Olympic team had none and only one in 2019. All that to say, it's become a big deal when we see a first-time world team member emerge, especially from the lengthy process we have in place (US Open, World Team Trials, Final X). The selection process is tilted towards our returning stars and rightfully so, as they have earned it with world and Olympic medals in the past. Today, we are saluting the four wrestlers that earned a spot on their first world team last night, Seth Gross, Abby Nette, Dymond Guilford, and Benji Peak. Gross was the only first-timer on the men's freestyle team and he did so with the deck stacked against him. The Wisconsin assistant coach finished sixth at the US Open, which gave him a berth at the Trials. There he avenged an Open loss to champion Nico Megaludis with a cradle in the finals, before surviving Daniel DeShazer in two-straight matches. In Stillwater, Gross was paired off with the hometown favorite, Daton Fix. The current Cowboy is a three-time NCAA runner-up and was coming off a silver medal at 61 kg in Oslo, Norway, at the World Championships. In match one, Fix jumped out to a 5-0 and seemed to be cruising in the second period. However, with under two minutes left, Gross kept pushing and made things interesting. With eight seconds left in the contest, he tied the contest at five, but still trailed on criteria, due to a caution. While it was a loss, Gross proved he wasn't there to roll over for the local favorite. Match two was similar as Fix held an early lead, but Gross rallied late. Four scores in the second period gave Gross a 5-4 victory. In the rubber match, it was late-match heroics from Gross again. Trailing 5-4, near the edge of the mat, Fix was grounded and a step-point point looked inevitable. Gross deftly avoided that fate and stepped around the Cowboy star for a takedown. Fix's corner challenged the ruling only to lose. That put him at a 7-5 disadvantage. Fix went for broke in the final ten seconds and was in on Gross' leg, however, the crafty vet exposed Fix for two clinching points. Gross went from a loss via technical superiority to Fix at the 2021 WTT's, to sixth place, at the Open, to Final X and a trip to Serbia, all within nine months. The other wrestler in this group that fought through a three-match battle was Benji Peak, who unseated multiple-time world team member Pat Smith. Like Gross, Peak's back was against the wall after suffering a loss in match one. A four-pointer from Smith late in the first period, proved to be the difference-maker in a 5-3 setback. Undeterred, the young star fought through a mangled singlet in match two to get the victory. Initially, the official ruled that Smith scored at the edge; however, that was taken off the board after a challenge that showed Smith's hand caught in the singlet. Peak would come out on top, 3-2. In the deciding bout, it was once again, a singlet pull that proved to be the turning point. Peak was in an advantageous position as he was on top in par terre and pulled Smith up to his feet in a body lock. Smith countered and fell on top of Peak out of bounds, seemingly for two points. Peak implored his corner to challenge, which they did. The reverse angle replay showed, in fact, there was a singlet grab by Smith. The match two grab was just given a warning; however, a caution and two were doled out in this instance. It proved to be a four-point swing in Peak's favor. A second caution later in the second period put the match out of reach and Peak got his hand raised and after a 6-2 win. On the women's freestyle side, it was inevitable that there would be two first-timers, as 59 and 76 kg, both featured competitors with no previous Senior-level world experience. Dymond Guilford, at 76 kg, became the first woman of the evening to clinch a spot on the world team and did so in impressive fashion versus Yelena Makoyed. Both were collegiate national champions in 2022, in their respective divisions. Guilford was the aggressor throughout the two-match series and frequently found herself on Makoyed's legs. Though there were a few tense moments in match one, she still won comfortably, 10-5. Match two was more one-sided as Guilford won 12-2. Earlier this spring, Guilford also secured a spot on the U23 World Team. Speaking of the U23 World Team, Abby Nette has competed internationally in that age group, but never on the world stage at the Senior level. That will change in a few months. Nette imposed her will from the opening whistle in match one and rarely was out of position or in danger of any sort. She downed Lexie Basham 12-4 and 8-5. Nette's triumph marks a great comeback for the Emmanuel and Campbellsville star who missed significant time within the last year due to a shoulder injury. She resurfaced with the Army WCAP team and was one of three Army wrestlers to earn a trip to Belgrade last night. Greco wrestlers Max Nowry (55 kg) and Jesse Thielke (63 kg) were the others. Of course, Final X is not over as the remainder of the weights will resume on Wednesday from New York City. There will be at least two more first-timers from the women's side of things (53 kg and 72 kg) and possibly more if we see an upset or two. Now that these four have their respective “feet in the door” no one can take this away from them, as most athletes like to say. They have a shot to settle it on the mat, etch their name into American wrestling history and come home with a medal. Doing so would flip the script and give them a leg up on anyone seeking to make the team at their weight in 2023. Final X Stillwater Round One Results Final X Stillwater Round Two and Three Results

Bo Nickal at the 2020 Olympic Team Trials (photo courtesy of Tony Rotundo; WrestlersAreWarriors.com) On Friday night in Richmond, Virginia, Hodge Trophy winner Bo Nickal finally made his professional MMA debut in dramatic fashion. He needed only 33 seconds to finish off his opponent John Noland via knockout and advance to 1-0. The former wrestler did not attempt a single takedown in the bout. He clearly made a point to display his nascent striking ability. The southpaw landed a hard left hook that stunned Noland. He followed that up with a two-punch combination that sent his opponent to the floor, and the bout was over.

Mallory Velte survives a three-match series to make the world team at 65 kg (photo courtesy of Mark Lundy; LutteLens.com) Final X Stillwater Round Two Results 63 kg GR - Jesse Thielke over Sammy Jones 3-2 76 kg WFS - Dymond Guilford over Yelena Makoyed 12-2 130 kg GR - Cohlton Schultz over Tanner Farmer 5-2 70 kg MFS - Jordan Oliver over Zain Retherford 5-4 72 kg GR - Benji Peak over Patrick Smith 3-2 59 kg WFS - Abby Nette over Lexie Basham 8-5 82 kg GR - Ben Provisor over Spencer Woods 5-3 57 kg MFS - Thomas Gilman over Vito Arujau 14-2 55 kg GR - Max Nowry over Brady Koontz 1-1 61 kg MFS - Seth Gross over Daton Fix 5-4 55 kg WFS - Jacarra Winchester over Jenna Burkert InjDef 92 kg MFS - Nate Jackson over J'den Cox 3-2 65 kg WFS - Forrest Molinari over Mallory Velte 3-1 97 kg MFS - Kyle Snyder over Kollin Moore 12-2 68 kg WFS - Tamyra Mensah-Stock over Sienna Ramirez 10-0 Final X Stillwater Round Three Results 70 kg MFS - Zain Retherford over Jordan Oliver 4-3 72 kg GR - Benji Peak over Patrick Smith 6-2 61 kg MFS - Seth Gross over Daton Fix 9-5 92 kg MFS - J'Den Cox over Nate Jackson 3-0 55 kg WFS - Jacarra Winchester FFT Jenna Burkert 65 kg WFS - Mallory Velte over Forrest Molinari 10-0

Daton Fix wins match one in his Final X series with Seth Gross (photo courtesy of Mark Lundy; LutteLens.com) Final X Stillwater Round One Results 63 kg GR - Jesse Thielke over Sammy Jones 4-4 76 kg WFS - Dymond Guilford over Yelena Makoyed 10-5 130 kg GR - Cohlton Schultz over Tanner Farmer 5-1 70 kg MFS - Zain Retherford over Jordan Oliver 8-3 72 kg GR - Patrick Smith over Benji Peak 5-3 59 kg WFS - Abby Nette over Lexie Basham 12-4 82 kg GR - Ben Provisor over Spencer Woods 8-0 57 kg MFS - Thomas Gilman over Vito Arujau 12-2 55 kg GR - Max Nowry over Brady Koontz 1-1 61 kg MFS - Daton Fix over Seth Gross 5-5 55 kg WFS - Jenna Burkert over Jacarra Winchester 6-4 92 kg MFS - J'den Cox over Nate Jackson 4-2 65 kg WFS - Mallory Velte over Forrest Molinari 9-1 97 kg MFS - Kyle Snyder over Kollin Moore 11-0 68 kg WFS - Tamyra Mensah-Stock over Sienna Ramirez 14-3

David Carr and Joey Lavallee wrestling for true third place (photo courtesy of Mark Lundy; LutteLens.com) Before the action gets underway from Final X Stillwater, there were two wrestle-off matches for true-third place in men's freestyle. Zane Richards and David Carr finished in third place at the World Team Trials Challenge Tournament in May, but did not meet the eventual second place finishers at their respective weights. Because of this, there are two matches necessary today and a handful of others slated for Final X NYC. These matches are important as the national team members receive a stipend, will receive invites to training camps, and could be selected to wrestle internationally. In both matches, the third place finisher from the Trials, ended up defeating the second place finisher. Zane Richards was in control of his 57 kg contest from the outset and ended the bout before the conclusion of the first period. David Carr and Joey Lavallee had a slow-paced first period, in which the Cyclone star led 3-0. Action picked up in the second and both earned four-point scoring maneuvers, before Carr pulled away with a 16-6 tech. Final Results 57 kg - Zane Richards over Jakob Camacho 10-0 74 kg - David Carr over Joey Lavallee 16-6

3x NCAA Champion Yianni Diakomihalis (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…Cornell! 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 NCAA Qualifiers (70) 2022 125 - Vito Arujau (#2); 133 - Dom Lajoie (#32); 149 - Yianni Diakomihalis (#1); 157 - Hunter Richard (#30); 165 - Julian Ramirez (#13); 174 - Chris Foca (#14); 184 - Jonathan Loew (#11); 197 - Jacob Cardenas (#19); 285 - Lewis Fernandes (#18) 2020 125 - Dom Lajoie (#32); 133 - Chas Tucker (#3); 141 - Noah Baughman (#22); 149 - Hunter Richard (#25); 174 - Brandon Womack (#30); 184 - Jonathan Loew (#28); 197 - Ben Darmstadt (#4); 285 - Brendan Furman (#28) 2019 125 - Vito Arujau (#8); 133 - Chas Tucker (#9); 141 - Yianni Diakomihalis (#1); 174 - Brandon Womack (#16); 184 - Max Dean (#5); 197 - Ben Honis (#9); 285 - Jeramy Sweany (#23) 2018 133 - Chas Tucker; 141 - Yianni Diakomihalis (#3); 165 - Jon Jay Chavez (#16); 174 - Brandon Womack; 184 - Max Dean (#9); 197 - Ben Darmstadt (#2); 285 - Jeramy Sweany 2017 133 - Mark Grey; 157 - Dylan Palacio (#7); 165 - Brandon Womack (#16); 174 - Brian Realbuto (#2); 184 - Gabe Dean (#1); 197 - Ben Honis 2016 125 - Dalton Macri; 133 - Nahshon Garrett (#1); 149 - Joey Galasso; 157 - Dylan Palacio (#5); 165 - Duke Pickett; 174 - Brian Realbuto (#2); 184 - Gabe Dean (#1); 197 - Owen Scott; 285 - Jeramy Sweany 2015 125 - Nahshon Garrett (#2); 133 - Mark Grey; 149 - Chris Villalonga (#5); 157 - Brian Realbuto (#2); 165 - Dylan Palacio (#12); 174 - Duke Pickett; 184 - Gabe Dean (#1); 197 - Jace Bennett (#9); 285 - Jakob Aiken-Phillips 2014 125 - Nahshon Garrett (#2); 133 - Mark Grey (#15); 141 - Mike Nevinger; 149 - Chris Villalonga (#3); 157 - Brian Realbuto (#7); 165 - Dylan Palacio (#14); 184 - Gabe Dean (#3); 197 - Jace Bennett (#10) 2013 125 - Nahshon Garrett (#6); 141 - Mike Nevinger (#11); 149 - Chris Villalonga; 165 - Kyle Dake (#1); 184 - Steve Bosak (#4); 197 - Jace Bennett; 285 - Stryker Lane NCAA Champions Yianni Diakomihalis (141 - 2018, 2019; 149 - 2022) Nahshon Garrett (133 - 2016) Gabe Dean (184 - 2015, 2016) Kyle Dake (165 - 2013) NCAA All-Americans 2022: Vito Arujau (125 - 3rd); Yianni Diakomihalis (149 - 1st); Jonathan Loew (184 - 8th) 2019: Vito Arujau (125 - 4th); Yianni Diakomihalis (141 - 1st); Max Dean (184 - 2nd); Ben Honis (197 - 8th) 2018: Yianni Diakomihalis (141 - 1st); Jon Jay Chavez (165 - 7th); Mat Dean (184 - 8th); Ben Darmstadt (197 - 6th) 2017: Dylan Palacio (157 - 6th); Brandon Womack (165 - 8th); Brian Realbuto (174 - 5th); Gabe Dean (184 - 2nd) 2016: Nahshon Garrett (133 - 1st); Dylan Palacio (157 - 4th); Gabe Dean (184 - 1st) 2015: Nahshon Garrett (125 - 5th); Chris Villalonga (149 - 6th); Brian Realbuto (157 - 2nd); Gabe Dean (184 - 1st) 2014: Nahshon Garrett (125 - 2nd); Brian Realbuto (157 - 6th); Gabe Dean (184 - 3rd) 2013: Nahshon Garrett (125 - 3rd); Mike Nevinger (141 - 5th); Kyle Dake (165 - 1st); Steve Bosak (184 - 3rd) NWCA All-Americans Chas Tucker (133 - First Team) Ben Darmstadt (197 - First Team) NCAA Round of 12 Finishers Julian Ramirez (2022 - 165) Lewis Fernandes (2022 - 285) Mark Grey (2014 - 133) Chris Villalonga (2014 - 149) Dylan Palacio (2014 - 165) EIWA Champions 2022: Vito Arujau (125); Yianni DIakomihalis (149); Jonathan Loew (184) 2020: Chas Tucker (133); Ben Darmstadt (197) 2019: Chas Tucker (133); Yianni Diakomihalis (141); Max Dean (184) 2018: Yianni Diakomihalis (141); Jon Jay Chavez (165); Ben Darmstadt (197) 2017: Dylan Palacio (157); Brandon Womack (165); Brian Realbuto (174); Gabe Dean (184) 2016: Nahshon Garrett (133); Dylan Palacio (157); Brian Realbuto (174); Gabe Dean (184) 2015: Nahshon Garrett (125); Chris Villalonga (149); Brian Realbuto (157); Gabe Dean (184); Jace Bennett (197) 2014: Nahshon Garrett (125); Chris Villalonga (149); Gabe Dean (184); Jace Bennett (197) 2013: Nahshon Garrett (125): Kyle Dake (165); Steve Bosak (184) EIWA Runners-Up 2022: Lewis Fernandes (285) 2020: Hunter Richard (149) 2019: Vito Arujau (125); Brandon Womack (174); Ben Honis (197) 2018: Chas Tucker (133); Max Dean (184) 2016: Joey Galasso (149); Duke Pickett (165) 2015: Dylan Palacio (165) 2014: Dylan Palacio (165) Dual Record 2021-22: 12-3 2021: No Season (Ivy League) 2019-20: 11-7 2018-19: 13-3 2017-18: 13-2 2016-17: 13-2 2015-16: 6-5 2014-15: 17-2 2013-14: 13-1 2012-13: 14-4 EIWA Tournament Placement 2021-22: 1st 2021: No Season (Ivy League) 2019-20: 2nd 2018-19: 2nd 2017-18: 2nd 2016-17: 1st 2015-16: 1st 2014-15: 1st 2013-14: 1st 2012-13: 1st NCAA Tournament Team Placement 2021-22: 7th (54.5 points) 2021: No Season (Ivy League) 2019-20: No Tournament 2018-19: 7th (59.5 points) 2017-18: 7th (48 points) 2016-17: 8th (60.5 points) 2015-16: 7th (67 points) 2014-15: 5th (71.5 points) 2013-14: 7th (53 points) 2012-13: 5th (65 points) Head Coaching History Mike Grey (2021-Present) Rob Koll (1993-2021) Best Lineup (Comprised of wrestlers from 2013-22) 125 - Vito Arujau: 2x All-American (3rd, 4th), 2x EIWA Champion 133 - Nahshon Garrett: 4x All-American (3rd, 2nd, 5th, 1st), 2016 NCAA Champion, 4x EIWA Champion 141 - Yianni Diakomihalis: 3x All-American (1st, 1st, 1st) 3x NCAA Champion, 3x EIWA Champion 149 - Chris Villalonga: 2015 All-American (5th), 2x EIWA Champion 157 - Dylan Palacio: 2x All-American (4th, 6th), 2x EIWA Champion, 4x EIWA finalist 165 - Kyle Dake: 4x NCAA Champion, 3x EIWA Champion 174 - Brian Realbuto: 3x All-American (2nd, 5th, 6th), 3x EIWA Champion 184 - Gabe Dean: 4x All-American (2nd, 1st, 1st, 3rd), 2x NCAA Champion, 4x EIWA Champion 197 - Ben Darmstadt: 2018 NCAA 6th, 2020 NWCA 1st Team All-American, 2x EIWA Champion 285 - Lewis Fernandes: 2022 NCAA Round of 12 Finisher, 2022 EIWA Runner-Up Recruiting Big Boarder's Per Year 2022: #56 Erik Gibson (PA); #96 Aiden Hanning (NH); #238 Ashton Davis (TN) 2021: #26 Brett Ungar (NJ); #46 Ryan Sokol (MN); #50 Vince Cornella (CO); #61 Cooper Kropman (NY); #147 Justin Mayes (OH); #167 Christian Hansen (NY); #275 Evan Canoyer (NE): #249 Ethan Fernandez (NJ) 2020: #10 Joshua Saunders (MO); #18 Greg Diakomihalis (NY); #69 Cole Handlovic (PA); #76 Ethan Hatcher (OH); #89 Gage McClanahan (PA); #129 Chayse LaJoie (MI); #158 Najee Lockett (OH) 2019: #6 Jacob Cardenas (NJ); #16 Julian Ramirez (FL); #26 Colton Yapoujian (CO); #31 Chris Foca (NJ); #58 Phillip Moomey (NE); #70 Mason Reiniche (TN); #97 Lewis Fernandes (NJ) 2018: #40 Andrew Merola (NJ) 2017: #3 Yianni Diakomihalis (NY); #4 Vito Arujau (NY); #54 Jake Brindley (FL); #59 Seth Janney (PA); #65 Andrew Berreyesa (NV); #70 Brendan Fuhrman (PA) 2016: #16 Ben Darmstadt (OH); #86 Noah Baughman (OH); #92 Max Dean (MI); #114 Foster Karmon (MI); #150 Trence Gillam (CA) 2015: #49 Chas Tucker (MA); #145 Jonathan Furnas (OH) 2014: #23 Joey Galasso (PA); #32 Jon Jay Chavez (ID); #42 Dalton Macri (PA); #52 Dillon Artigliere (NJ); #59 Jeramy Sweany (CA); #94 Andrew Garcia (MI); #103 Brandon Womack (AL) 2013: #44 Jake Taylor (PA); #190 Dan Choi (NY)