InterMat Staff

Three-time NCAA qualifier for North Carolina: Kennedy Monday (photo courtesy of Tony Rotundo; SJanickiPhoto.com) The UFC is taking a rare weekend off, but there is still plenty of MMA taking place around the world. While most wrestling fans are likely focused on the top duals, and for good reason, there are some former wrestlers in high-stakes MMA bouts. As always, InterMat has you covered; the following looks at some of the top former wrestlers in MMA action. Eagle FC 44 For the first time, Eagle FC, the promotion owned by former UFC champion Khabib Nurmagomedov will host a shot in the US. The event, which features multiple former wrestlers, takes place Friday at 6pm ET and will stream free via FLX Cast (https://watch.goflx.com/). Rashad Evans vs. Gabriel Checco Evans retired after suffering a first-round knockout against Anthony Smith at UFC 225 in 2018. However, he will make his return to the cage this weekend against Gabriel Checco. The 42-year-old fighter wrestled collegiately at Michigan State. At the 2003 NCAA tournament, he famously eliminated three-time champion, Greg Jones, from the 174-pound bracket. Evans turned to MMA in 2004 and won the UFC light heavyweight title from Forrest Griffin in 2008. Checco has been fighting for nearly 10 years and holds a 12-5 professional record. Cody Gibson vs. Ray Borg Gibson wrestled for both Bakersfield College and Menlo College during his undergraduate days, and he finished with a pair of All-American seasons. He lost his job with the UFC in 2015 but has since gone 6-1 with a win over former title challenger John Dodson. Gibson will get another shot to prove he belongs as he faces off against another former title challenger in Ray Borg. Borg fought for the UFC title as recently as 2017. However, since that title bout, he went 2-2 in the Octagon and struggled with weight. After leaving the promotion last year, he scored a victory over Jesse Arnett at UAE Warriors 20. Shawn Bunch vs. Firdavs Khasanov Bunch was a two-time All-American for Edinboro and made the 133-pound NCAA final of the 2005 tournament. He then transitioned to freestyle, where he won the 2010 US Open and represented the US at the 2009 World Championships. He signed with Bellator in 2012 to make his MMA debut. His record currently stands at 10-5, and he is coming off a win over last September. His opponent Khasanov is from Uzbekistan and is coming off back-to-back losses. Bellator 273 It always seems like Bellator has a variety of wrestlers on their shows, and this weekend is not an exception. On Saturday, the promotion will host Bellator 273, which features former wrestlers Ryan Bader, Benson Henderson, Darrion Caldwell and Chris Gonzalez. Caldwell and Gonzalez will be on the YouTube preliminary card, which begins at 7pm ET, while the rest will be on the main card. It airs live on Showtime at 9pm ET. Ryan Bader vs. Valentin Moldavsky Despite suffering two losses in his last three fights, Bader still holds the Bellator heavyweight title. The former Arizona State wrestler will put that title on the line against interim champion Valentin Moldavsky on Saturday. In college, Bader was a three-time Pac-10 champion and a two-time All-American. He spent eight years in the UFC after winning the seventh season of "The Ultimate Fighter." He defeated MMA legend Fedor Emelianenko to win the Bellator heavyweight title in 2019. Moldavsky won an interim version of the heavyweight title with a decision over Tim Johnson. He is now 11-1 as a professional and holds a win over UFC veteran Roy Nelson. Benson Henderson vs. Islam Mamedov Henderson was a two-time NAIA All-American for Dana College. Over the course of his MMA career, he held the lightweight title for both the UFC and WEC. He left the UFC in 2015 and signed with Bellator. With his current promotion, he has gone 5-6 and unsuccessfully challenged for the welterweight and lightweight titles. Mamedov holds an impressive 20-1-1 record. He fought extensively for the PFL before signing with Bellator. In his last fight, he made his promotional debut with a split decision over former lightweight champion Brent Primus. Darrion Caldwell vs. Enrique Barzola While wrestling for NC State, Caldwell famously upset Brent Metcalf to claim the 2009 NCAA title at 149 pounds. He finished his college career as a four-time ACC champion and a two-time NCAA champion. Caldwell made his MMA debut in 2012 and won the Bellator bantamweight title in his 13th fight. He likely needs a win here after dropping back-to-back fights. Barzola recently left the UFC after going 6-3-1 for the promotion. Even though Caldwell is the one with the wrestling credentials, Brazola averaged 4.20 takedowns per 15 minutes during his UFC run. Chris Gonzalez vs. Saad Awad Gonzalez was an NJCAA All-American for Harper College in 2012 and then decided to focus on Greco. He made the non-Olympic World team in 2016 and followed that up with a silver medal at the 2017 US Open. Gonzalez made his MMA debut the following year and quickly built a 6-0 record, including a stoppage victory over UFC veteran Roger Huerta. However, in his last fight, he suffered his first defeat against Goiti Yamauchi. Gonzalez will have a tough comeback fight against Award, who is 24-13 and holds a variety of impressive wins. Kennedy Monday's MMA Debut After finishing his career at North Carolina as a three-time NCAA qualifier, Monday made it known to the wrestling world that his future was in MMA. This week he announced he would be making his MMA debut on Sunday in Anaheim. Details of the bout were not announced. Per his Instagram, he began training under Antonio McKee at Team Body Shop.

Princeton 157 lber Quincy Monday (photo courtesy of Sam Janicki; SJanickiPhoto.com) On Tuesday night of January 25, 2022, a public debate was held between sports attorney Darren Heitner and sports business/betting reporter Darren Rovell. The debate was hosted by sports attorneys Dan Lust and Dan Wallach, who together put out a weekly podcast called "Conduct Detrimental," where they discuss the legal aspect of current sports news events. The debate focused on the newly enacted Name Image & Likeness rules, or lack thereof, between boosters, corporations, and the student-athletes. It was a very entertaining and spirited debate back and forth, but mainly dealing with (as usual) basketball and football players rather than any other sports. The spirit of the discussion was to encompass all collegiate sports and NIL, but for the most part, it's the basketball and football players that we are seeing on average the higher contract deals and notoriety, and who ended up being the majority of examples cited. Boiling it down to layman's terms, Heitner argued that per the rules established by the NCAAs and the power "given" to the States, a legal company or entity, whether it be a 100-year-old business or a week old LLC, has the opportunity to pay student-athletes so long as there is quid pro quo for the opportunity of (and expectation of) return on investment. What Rovell argued was that companies are being established for the sole purpose of getting an upper hand in recruiting and within the now very active Transfer Portal, thus bastardizing the intent of NIL. Where in the past, programs and booster clubs may have done (definitely did) something like NIL behind the scenes (illegally), the result in Alston v NCAA with the lack of oversight from the NCAA and States have allowed the now legal but unethical use of essentially "paying for recruits." Here's my unsolicited take on where NIL is right now: This will sound like a cop-out, but I see and agree with both sides of this debate as the truth is in the middle. To me, athletes should be able to have some type of monetary compensation (outside of scholarships) for the work they do to build up ticket and apparel sales, as well as lucrative TV deals for schools and conferences. If a coach can leave a school for another because of a higher salary, student-athletes should have that same freedom through the Transfer Portal. However, it is obvious that "businesses" and "organizations" are being created for the sole purpose of getting recruits to come to their program. And while this was most likely (definitely) happening behind the scenes prior to NIL being enacted, it has just increased the gap between the "Have's" and the "Have-Nots." To use Wrestling as an example, Penn State, Iowa, Michigan, and Oklahoma State and their fan base have more leverage to get the higher recruits than most other schools, even in the Big Ten. There's absolutely legitimate deals that give fair compensation for fair return on investment, and then there are the ones that don't pass the eye test. It's still the wild west when it comes to these NIL deals and I'm sure in time, some organization, if not the NCAA, in order to try and stay relevant, will create guidelines and processes/procedures for NIL contracts. Until then, newly formed companies with no revenue sponsoring athletes with six-figure NIL contracts will still pop up with no one really stopping it. I recommend listening to the hour-long debate, as there were good points on both sides and I'm sure there will be more of these (if not a "rematch") in the future: LISTEN to the Heitner v Rovell NIL Debate (apple podcasts) WATCH the Heitner v Rovell NIL Debate (YouTube) On to (lucky #) Week 13 Wrestlers I Like This Week Wrestler (School)- competition for the week [Proj Score] *organized by tournament name first, then by school name* 125: Braxton Brown (Maryland)- Appalachian Open Pat Glory (Princeton)- @ Harvard, @ Brown [+9] Vito Arujau (Cornell)- Vs Columbia, Vs Navy [+8] Nick Suriano (Michigan)- Vs Minnesota, @ Maryland [+8] Trevor Mastrogiovanni (Oklahoma State)- Vs Iowa State, Vs UNI [+6] Ryan Miller (U Penn)- @ Brown, @ Harvard [+6] Killian Cardinale (West Virginia)- @ South Dakota State, @ North Dakota State [+6] Devin Schroder (Purdue)- @ Indiana [+4] Jakob Camacho (NC State)- @ Duke [+4] Eric Barnett (Wisconsin)- @ Maryland [+4] Sam Latona (Virginia Tech)- @ Pittsburgh [+3] 133: Daton Fix (Oklahoma State)- Vs Iowa State, Vs UNI [+9] Michael Colaiocco (U Penn)- @ Brown, @ Harvard [+9] Kurt Phipps (Bucknell)- Vs Army, Vs Rider [+7] Kyle Gorant (Davidson)- Vs The Citadel, Vs Long Island (@CIT) [+7] Brayden Palmer (Chattanooga)- @ Gardner Webb, @ Campbell [+6] Dylan Ragusin (Michigan)- Vs Minnesota, @ Maryland [+6] Kai Orine (NC State)- @ Duke [+5] Gabriel Tagg (South Dakota State)- Vs West VIrginia [+4] 141: Mario Guillen (Ohio)- Appalachian Open Matt Kazimir (Columbia)- @ Binghamton, Vs Cornell, Vs Navy (@COR) [+10] Stevan Micic (Michigan)- Vs Minnesota, @ Maryland [+8] Ian Parker (Iowa State)- @ Oklahoma, @ Oklahoma State [+7] Allan Hart (Missouri)- Vs Utah Valley, Vs Wyoming [+7] Shannon Hanna (Campbell)- Vs Chattanooga, Vs VMI [+6] Cael Happel (UNI)- @ Oklahoma, @ Oklahoma State [+6] CJ Composto (U Penn)- @ Brown, @ Harvard [+6] Ryan Jack (NC State)- @ Duke [+4] Andrew Alirez (Northern Colorado)- Vs Cal Baptist [+4] Clay Carlson (South Dakota State)- Vs West Virginia [+4] Dresden Simon (Central Michigan)- Vs Ohio [+3] Kizahn Clarke (North Carolina)- @ Virginia [+3] Grant Willits (Oregon State)- @ Arizona State [+3] Cole Matthews (Pittsburgh)- Vs Virginia Tech [+3] Joseph Zargo (Wisconsin)- @ Maryland [+3] 149: Yianni Diakomihalis (Cornell)- Vs Columbia, Vs Navy [+11] Josh Heil (Campbell)- Vs Chattanooga, Vs VMI [+7] Josh Edmond (Missouri)- Vs Utah Valley, Vs Wyoming [+7] Anthony Artalona (U Penn)- @ Brown, @ Harvard [+6] PJ Ogunsanya (Army)- @ Bucknell [+4] Brent Moore (Clarion)- Vs Kent State [+4] Alex Madrigal (George Mason)- Vs Edinboro [+4] Michael Blockhus (Minnesota)- @ Michigan [+4] Yahya Thomas (Northwestern)- @ Illinois [+4] Bryce Andonian (Virginia Tech)- @ Pittsburgh [+4] Austin Gomez (Wisconsin)- @ Maryland [+4] Marcus Robinson (Cleveland State)- @ Kent State [+3] Graham Rooks (Indiana)- Vs Purdue [+3] Tariq Wilson (NC State)- @ Duke [+3] 157: Austin O'Connor (North Carolina)- @ Virginia, Appalachian Open Quincy Monday (Princeton)- @ Harvard, @ Brown [+9] Jared Franek (North Dakota State)- Vs West Virginia, Vs Air Force [+8] Dazjon Casto (The Citadel)- Vs Davidson, Vs Long Island [+7] David Carr (Iowa State)- @ Oklahoma, @ Oklahoma State [+7] Doug Zapf (U Penn)- @ Brown, @ Harvard [+6] Ed Scott (NC State)- @ Duke [+4] Ryan Deakin (Northwestern)- @ Illinois [+4] Kendall Coleman (Purdue)- @ Indiana [+4] Markus Hartman (Army)- @ Bucknell [+3] Riley Smucker (Cleveland State)- @ Kent State [+3] Parker Kropman (Drexel)- @ American [+3] Garrett Model (Wisconsin)- @ Maryland [+3] 165: Keegan O'Toole (Missouri)- Vs Utah Valley, Vs Wyoming [+11] Julian Ramirez (Cornell)- Vs Columbia, Vs Navy [+7] Peyton Hall (West Virginia)- @ South Dakota State, @ North Dakota State [+7] Selwyn Porter (The Citadel)- Vs Davidson, Vs Long Island [+6] Phil Conigliaro (Harvard)- Vs Princeton, Vs U Penn [+6] Cam Amine (Michigan)- Vs Minnesota, @ Maryland [+6] Travis Wittlake (Oklahoma State)- Vs Iowa State, Vs UNI [+6] Dean Hamiti (Wisconsin)- @ Maryland [+5] Tracy Hubbard (Central Michigan)- Vs Ohio [+4] Joshua Ogunsanya (Columbia)- @ Binghamton, Vs Cornell, Vs Navy (@COR) [+4] Justin McCoy (Virginia)- @ North Carolina [+4] Tommy Bullard (NC State)- @ Duke [+4] Evan Barczak (Drexel)- @ American [+3] Jake Wentzel (Pittsburgh)- Vs Virginia Tech [+3] 174: Logan Massa (Michigan)- Vs Minnesota, @ Maryland [+8] Austin Murphy (Campbell)- Vs Chattanooga, Vs VMI [+7] Chris Foca (Cornell)- Vs Columbia, Vs Navy [+7] Nick Incontrera (U Penn)- @ Brown, @ Harvard [+7] Dustin Plott (Oklahoma State)- Vs Iowa State, Vs UNI [+6] John Worthing (Clarion)- Vs Kent State [+4] Micahel O'Malley (Drexel)- @ American [+4] Mekhi Lewis (Virginia Tech)- @ Pittsburgh [+4] Andrew McNally (Wisconsin)- @ Maryland [+4] Hayden Hidlay (NC State)- @ Duke [+3] Aason Olmos (Oregon State)- @ Arizona State [+3] Cade DeVos (South Dakota State)- Vs West VIrginia [+3] 184: Joey Milano (NC State)- Appalachian Open Caleb Hopkins (Campbell)- Vs Chattanooga, Vs VMI [+6] Jonathan Loew (Cornell)- Vs Columbia, Vs Navy [+6] Myles Amine (Michigan)- Vs Minnesota, @ Maryland [+6] Jeremiah Kent (Missouri)- Vs Utah Valley, Vs Wyoming [+6] David Key (Navy)- @ Cornell, @ Columbia, @ Binghamton [+5] Bryan McLaughlin (Drexel)- @ American [+4] Zach Braunagel (Illinois)- Vs Northwestern [+4] Trent Hidlay (NC State)- @ Duke [+4] Trey Munoz (Oregon State)- @ Arizona State [+4] Gerrit Nijenhuis (Purdue)- @ Indiana [+4] Ethan Ducca (Edinboro)- @ George Mason [+3] Donnell Washington (Indiana)- Vs Purdue [+3] Hunter Bolen (Virginia Tech)- @ Pittsburgh [+3] 197: Max Shaw (North Carolina)- @ Virginia, Appalachian Open Owen Pentz (North Dakota State)- Vs West Virginia, Vs Air Force [+8] Lou DePrez (Binghamton)- Vs Columbia, Vs Navy [+7] Chris Kober (Campbell)- Vs Chattanooga, Vs VMI [+7] Pat Brucki (Michigan)- Vs Minnesota, @ Maryland [+7] Cole Urbas (U Penn)- @ Brown, @ Harvard [+7] Tanner Sloan (South Dakota State)- Vs West VIrginia [+4] Ben Smith (Cleveland State)- @ Kent State [+3] Jay Aiello (Virginia)- @ North Carolina [+3] Issac Trumble (NC State)- @ Duke [+3] Alan Clothier (Northern Colorado)- Vs Cal Baptist [+3] Nino Bonaccorsi (Pittsburgh)- Vs Virginia Tech [+3] Thomas Penola (Purdue)- @ Indiana [+3] Braxton Amos (Wisconsin)- @ Maryland [+3] 285: Wyatt Hendrickson (Air Force)- Vs Cal Baptist, @ North Dakota State [+10] Taye Ghadiali (Campbell)- Vs Chattanooga, Vs VMI [+8] Lewis Fernandes (Cornell)- Vs Columbia, Vs Navy [+8] Michael McAleavy (The Citadel)- Vs Davidson, Vs Long Island [+7] Ben Goldin (U Penn)- @ Brown, @ Harvard [+7] Luke Stout (Princeton)- @ Harvard, @ Brown [+7] Josh Heindselman (Oklahoma)- Vs Iowa State, Vs UNI [+6] Matt Stencel (Central Michigan)- Vs Ohio [+4] Nathan Traxler (Virginia Tech)- @ Pittsburgh [+4] Issac Righter (American)- Vs Drexel [+3] Quinn Miller (Virginia)- @ North Carolina [+3] Tyrie Houghton (NC State)- @ Duke [+3] Lucas Davison (Northwestern)- @ Illinois [+3] AJ Nevills (South Dakota State)- Vs West Virginia [+3] Trent Hillger (Wisconsin)- @ Maryland [+3] Think I missed someone? Disagree with someone on the list or their projection? Want to know our thoughts on a matchup? Let me know! Win the week!

Navy 133 lber Josh Koderhandt (photo courtesy of Sam Janicki; SJanickiPhoto.com) Below is a recap of last week's EIWA action, with individual news and highlights worth noting. Notable News Bucknell wins 7th match in a row – all against EIWA competition. Ryan Miller earns EIWA Wrestler of the Week with a 4-2 win over Manchio of Columbia. Colton Yapoujian of Cornell is out for the season with torn ACL. He was ranked 25th at 157lb. American The Eagles traveled to West Point, NY, to participate in extra countable matches with Army and Franklin & Marshall. Jack Maida (133) went 2-0 on the day against one opponent of each school. At 174lb, Tim Patrick defeated both of his F&M opponents, ending his day 2-0. Results: 133: Jack Maida (AU) dec. Dominic Carone (Army), 3-1 SV 133: Jack Maida (AU) dec. Pat Phillips (F&M), 5-0 133: Andy Fallon (AU) pinned Jack Bruce (F&M), 4:41 133: Dominic Carone (Army) dec. Andy Fallon (AU), 3-2 133: Pat Phillips (F&M) major dec. Shamil Kalmatov (AU), 10-0 133: Jack Bruce (F&M) dec. Shamil Kalmatov (AU), 3-2 149: Ryan Zimmerman (AU) major dec. Chris Hisey (F&M), 13-2 149: Christiaan Dailey (F&M) dec. Ryan Zimmerman (AU), 5-0 149: Christiaan Dailey (F&M) tech. fall Michael Glynos (AU), 17-2 149: Chris Hisey (F&M) by inj. default vs. Michael Glynos (AU) 157: Antonio Segura (AU) dec. Chase McCollum (F&M), 4-1 157: Markus Hartman (Army) pinned Antonio Segura (AU), 1:04 157: Markus Hartman (Army) dec. Elijah White (AU), 6-0 157: Chase McCollum (F&M) dec. Elijah White (AU), 6-0 165: Dalton Harkins (Army) major dec. Breon Phifer (AU), 11-0 165: Crew Fullerton (F&M) pinned Breon Phifer (AU), 1:57 165: Crew Fullerton (F&M) pinned Luc Maschino (AU), 1:06 165: Dalton Harkins (Army) tech. fall Luc Maschino (AU), 18-0 174: Tim Fitzpatrick (AU) dec. John Crawford (F&M), 3-1 174: Tim Fitzpatrick (AU) major dec. Noah Fox (F&M), 10-2 174: Noah Fox (F&M) dec. Ben Root (AU), 8-3 174: Ben Pasiuk (Army) tech. fall Ben Root (AU), 18-2 184: Sahm Abdulrazzaq (Army) tech. fall Mervin Mancia (AU), 18-1 184: James Conway (F&M) major dec. Mervin Mancia (16-3) 184: Sahm Abdulrazzaq (Army) major dec. Colin Shannon (AU), 14-4 184: James Conway (F&M) dec. Colin Shannon (AU), 5-3 197: Connor Bourne (AU) dec. Kyle Swartz (Army), 10-3 197: Mike Waszen (F&M) pinned Connor Bourne (AU), 5:55 197: Carsten Rawls (AU) dec. Mike Waszen (F&M), 7-1 197: Kyle Swartz (Army) dec. Carsten Rawls (AU), 5-4 285: Cenzo Pelusi (F&M) dec. Isaac Righter (AU), 2-1 285: Kade Carlson (Army) dec. Isaac Righter (AU), 4-2 The Eagles got some much-needed mat time this weekend. They have a young team who basically missed all last season. Mat time is crucial for this team in order to keep improving. Jack Maida had some nice wins over a tough freshman in Phillips of F&M and Carone of Army. As I've repeatedly said in the past, this staff will bring this team into the middle-of-the-pack, sooner rather than later. Once they reach this mid-tier in the conference, the sky's the limit with them. Army The Black Knights hosted both F&M and American to extra countable matches. See results below. The middle of this lineup ended up being 2-0 on the day. Hartman (#29 – 157), Harkins (#30 – 165), Pasiuk, Abdulrazzaq all won - mostly by at least major decision. A nice win at 141 for Shie, beating F&M's Gil. 125 - Ryan Chauvin L by dec. Diaz (Franklin & Marshall) 4-2 L by fall Diaz (Franklin & Marshall) 5:41, 6-2 133 - Dominic Carone L by dec. Maida (American) 3-1, sv1 W by dec. Fallon (American) 3-2 141 - Julian Sanchez L by dec. Gil (Franklin & Marshall) 7-6 141 – Corey Shie W by dec. Gil (Franklin & Marshall) 3-2 157 - Markus Hartman W by dec. White (American) 6-0 W by fall Segura (American) 1:04, 6-0 165 - Dalton Harkins W by major dec. Phifer (American) 11-0 W by TF Maschino (American) 4:01, 18-0 174 - Ben Pasiuk W by fall Crawford (Franklin & Marshall) 6:59, 8-7 W by TF Root (American) 4:28, 18-2 184 - Sahm Abdulrazzaq W by TF Mancia (American) 2:44, 18-1 W by major dec. Shannon (American) 14-4 197 - Kyle Swartz L by dec. Bourne (American) 10-3 W by dec. Rawls (American) 5-4 HWT - Kade Carlson W by dec. Righter (American) 4-2 HWT - Brandon Phillips L by dec. Pelusi (Franklin & Marshall) 2-2, sv2 The Black Knights needed to get a few wins under their belt. After their killer first-semester travel schedule against some of the best teams in the country, this had to be a nice confidence booster for them. They are seeing the arduous strength of schedule pay off. To me, it appears the 141lb spot is a tight one between Sanchez and Shie – who've had similar results all year. With new volunteer assistant coach, Jesse Dellavecchia, working with the middleweights – you can easily see the results of the guys he works with coming to fruition. Binghamton The Bearcats took the trip to LIU for a dual against the Sharks. Their scheduled dual with Hofstra was canceled at the last minute, due to COVID protocol. At 165lb, Brevin Cassella recorded a fall. As did Cory Day (184) and Joe Doyle (#20 – 285). Lou DrPrez (#13 – 197) and Jacob Nolan (174) both earned decisions. Anthony Sobotker (#32 – 133) earned a major decision. Boxscore: Binghamton 28 – LIU 13 157: Rhise Royster (LIU) def. Tyler Martin (BING), dec. 4-2. LIU leads 3-0 165: Brevin Cassella (BING) def. Blake Bahna (LIU), fall 3:10. BU leads 6-3. 174: Jacob Nolan (BING) def. Ryan Ferro (LIU), dec. 8-2. BU leads 9-3. 184: Cory Day (BING) def. James Langan (LIU), fall 4:33. BU leads 15-3. 197: No. 13 Lou DePrez (BING) Nunzio Crowley (LIU), dec. 4-2. BU leads 18-3. 285: No. 20 Joe Doyle (BING) Tim Nagosky (LIU) fall, 1:06. BU leads 24-3. 125: Robbie Sagaris (LIU) def. Nick Curley (BING), dec. 5-4. BU leads 24-6. 133: No. 32 Anthony Sobotker (BING) Kaelen Francois (LIU), major dec. 9-1. BU leads 28-6. 141: Devin Matthews (LIU) Christian Gannone (BING) major dec. 11-3. BU leads 28-10 149: Drew Witham (LIU), def. Nick Lombard (BING), dec. 14-13. BU wins 28-13. The Bearcats earned a bunch of bonus points in the one. This was a good showing by them. Binghamton has been very tough lately and competing at a high level. The coaching staff has this team improving week after week. With Cassella and Nolan on the verge of being ranked weekly, the team could potentially have six or seven ranked wrestlers in the top 33 by the end of the year. It is great to see a team like this taking that next step with all their depth. Brown The Bears were on the road to wrestle #10-ranked Cornell. The lone win for the Bear came from Timothy Levine at 141lb. Boxscore: #10 Cornell 47, Brown 3 125: Greg Diakomihals (C) won by fall over Hunter Adrian (B), 3:44 133: #30 Dom LaJoie (C) won by major decision over Nicky Cabanillas (B), 15-5 141: Timothy Levine (B) won by decision over Phillip Moomey (C), 7-0 149: #1 Yianni Diakomihalis (C) won by fall over Blake Saito (B), 3:42 157: Hunter Richard (C) won by major decision over Jack Bokina (B), 16-6 165: #9 Julian Ramirez (C) won by major decision over Harrison Trahan (B), 13-1 174: #14 Chris Foca (C) won by forfeit 184: Ethan Hatcher (C) won by technical fall over Aaron Wolk (B), 15-0 197: #18 Jacob Cardenas (C) won by forfeit 285: #18 Lewis Fernandes (C) won by fall over Mason Spears, 1:41 This was a tough test for Brown. Looking at two forfeits, they are also not the healthiest team at this point in the season. You never like to see that from anyone. This is one of those matches Brown will need to have a short memory about. Cornell is a tough team, and frankly, Brown cannot compete with them just yet. Here's to hoping they get back to the workshop and focus on improving (and healing up) for next week. Bucknell The Bison hosted Sacred Heart to a dual on Saturday. Then, they were on the road and wrestled at Drexel on Sunday. Zach Hartman (#18 – 165) was 2-0 on the weekend with a win over Barczak (#28) of Drexel At 197lb, Mason McCready was 2-0 with two bonus-point victories. Luke Niemeyer won both matches at heavyweight. The lower third of the lineup combined for a 6-0 record. This includes Brandon Seidman (125), Kurt Phipps (133), and Darren Miller (#21 – 141). At 157lb, Nick Delp had a huge win over formally ranked, and NCAA Qualifier Kropman of Drexel. Boxscore: Bucknell 43 - Sacred Heart 9 157: Nick Palumbo (SHU) dec. over Nick Delp (BU) 4-2 165: #18 Zach Hartman (BU) inj. default over Scott Jarosz (SHU) 0:33 174: Robert Hetherman (SHU) fall over Sam Barnes (BU) 0:39 184: Logan Deacetis (BU) fall over Joe Accousti (SHU) 2:28 197: Mason McCready (BU) fall over Logan Michael (SHU) 2:48 285: Luke Niemeyer (BU) fall over Nick Copley (SHU) 1:49 125: Brandon Seidman (BU) maj. dec. over Jacob Venezia (SHU) 10-0 133: Kurt Phipps (BU) maj. dec. over Anthony Petrillo (SHU) 13-2 141: #21 Darren Miller (BU) tech fall over Jordan Carlucci (SHU) 17-2 (6:09) 149: Kolby DePron (BU) fall over Cole McGill (SHU) 1:57 Boxscore: Bucknell 23* – Drexel 13 165: #18 Zach Hartman (BU) dec. over #28 Evan Barczak (DU) 7-1 174: #15 Mickey O'Malley (DU) fall over Sam Barnes (BU) 3:46 184: Bryan McLaughlin (DU) dec. over Logan Deacetis (BU) 6-4 197: Mason McCready (BU) maj. dec. over Santino Morina (DU) 8-0 285: Luke Niemeyer (BU) dec. over Eli Anthony (DU) 3-1 125: Brandon Seidman (BU) dec. over Kyle Waterman (DU) 6-2 133: Kurt Phipps (BU) maj. dec. over Deon Pleasant (DU) 12-4 141: #21 Darren Miller (BU) maj. dec. over Jared Donahue (DU) 10-2 149: Tyler Williams (DU) maj. dec. over Kolby DePron (BU) 15-5 157: Nick Delp (BU) dec. over Parker Kropman (DU) 13-11 (SV-1) As Zoolander would say -“Those Bison are so hot right now.” Winning their last seven matches, they are now 10-2 on the year. In EIWA competition, they are 6-0. This team is solid in all positions. They get takedowns from neutral, and they are brutal on top. Being at the match on Sunday against Drexel, Bucknell simply out-wrestled them in most matches. I am super impressed with this team. On paper, they do not seem like a team that would have a 10-2 record – with only two wrestlers nationally ranked. They just find ways to win, as a team, with various teammates stepping up when needed. Look out for the Bison. Columbia The Lions wrestled two EIWA opponents on the road Saturday and Sunday. Princeton was the first matchup, followed by Penn. Angelo Rini (133), Dominic Rossetti (149), and Nick Fine (174) were all 1-1 on the weekend. Both Matt Kazimir (#18 - 141) and Josh Ogunsanya (#21 – 165) won their single match on the weekend. Boxscore: Princeton 27, Columbia 12 125: No. 2 Patrick Glory (PRI) def. No. 18 Joe Manchio (COL) TF 17-2 133: Angelo Rini (COL) def. Nick Kayal (PRI) dec. 13-7 141: No. 18 Matt Kazimir (COL) def. Danny Coles (PRI) dec. 1-0 149: Dominic Rossetti (COL) def. Marshall Keller (PRI) OT3 5-4 157: No. 11 Quincy Monday (PRI) def. Andrew Garr (COL) F (4:11) 165: Blaine Bergey (PRI) def. Connor Kievman (COL) dec. 11-5 174: Nick Fine (COL) def. Nate Dugan (PRI) dec. 6-0 184: No. 21 Travis Stefanik (PRI) def. Brian Bonino (COL) dec. 7-2 197: No. 17 Luke Stout (PRI) def. Sam Wustefeld (COL) F (5:45) 285: Matt Cover (PRI) def. Danny Conley (COL) maj dec. 8-0 Boxscore: (#23) Penn 32, Columbia 3 174: No. 25 Nick Incontrera (PEN) def. Nick Fine (COL) dec. 10-6 184: No. 32 Neil Antrassian (PEN) def. Jack McGill (COL) dec. 5-2 197: Cole Urbas (PEN) def. Sam Wustefeld (COL) def. 8-2 285: No. 33 Ben Goldin (PEN) def. Danny Conley (COL) dec. 6-0 125: No. 29 Ryan Miller (PEN) def. No. 18 Joe Manchio (COL) dec. 4-2 133: No. 19 Michael Colaiocco (PEN) def. Angelo Rini (COL) maj dec. 14-4 141: No. 19 CJ Composto (PEN) def. Mason Clarke (COL) TF 20-5 149: No. 24 Anthony Artalona (PEN) def. Dominic Rossetti (COL) dec. 5-2 157: No. 22 Doug Zapf (PEN) def. Andrew Garr (COL) TF 20-5 165: No. 21 Joshua Ogunsanya (COL) def. No. 25 Lucas Revano (PEN) dec. 3-2 It may not have been the best weekend for the Lions. It's been a rough two weeks after losing to #17 Lehigh and #4 Oklahoma State last weekend. This same team nearly pulled an upset over the top EIWA team in Lehigh. Both Kazimir and Ogunsanya sat for a match this weekend, assuming they may be a little banged up. Manchio had a tough weekend as well, dropping two matches to ranked opponents. I'm confident this team will be fine. It could have been a rough week of training, due to their cycle. Maybe they are a little injured too. I expect them to bounce back in the next few weekends. Cornell (#10) The Big Red hosted two Ivy-League opponents, Harvard and Brown, this weekend. They won both duals in dominant fashion, with a few missing starters. At 125lb, Greg Diakomihalis filled in nicely for Vito Arujau, scoring two victories. Dom LaJoie (#30 – 133) walked away with two major decisions. Yianni Diakomihalis (#1 – 149) showed why he is the top-ranked wrestler with two pins. At 157lb, Hunter Richard was solid with two wins also. Expect to see more of him this season. The remaining starters at the top of the lineup went 2-0 on the day as well, including Julian Ramirez (#9 – 165), Chris Foca (#14 – 174), Jacob Cardenas (#18 – 197), and Lewis Fernandes (#18 – 285). Boxscore: #9 Cornell 35, Harvard 6 125: Greg Diakomihalis (C) won by decision over Beau Bayless (H), 9-2 133: #30 Dom LaJoie (C) won by major decision over Dillon Murphy (H), 14-5 141: Kenny Hermann (H) won by decision over Phillip Moomey (C), 8-1 149: #1 Yianni Diakomihalis (C) won by fall over Lukus Stricker (H), 1:58 157: Hunter Richard (C) won by decision over Trevor Tarsi (H), 6-4 (sv1) 165: #9 Julian Ramirez (C) won by technical fall over Alex Whitworth (H), 16-1 (3:45) 174: #14 Chris Foca (C) won by decision over #29 Joshua Kim (H), 8-2 184: Luke Rada (H) won by decision over Ethan Hatcher (C), 5-3 197: #18 Jacob Cardenas (C) won by technical fall over Nick Marcenelle (H), 17-0 285: #18 Lewis Fernandes (C) won by forfeit Boxscore: #9 Cornell 47, Brown 3 125: Greg Diakomihalis (C) won by fall over Hunter Adrian (B), 3:44 133: #30 Dom LaJoie (C) won by major decision over Nicky Cabanillas (b), 15-5 141: Timothy Levine (B) won by decision over Phillip Moomey (C), 7-0 149: #1 Yianni Diakomihalis (C) won by fall over Blake Saito (B), 3:42 157: Hunter Richard (C) won by major decision over Jack Bokina (B), 16-6 165: #9 Julian Ramirez (C) won by major decision over Harrison Trahan (B), 13-1 174: #14 Chris Foca (C) won by forfeit 184: Ethan Hatcher (C) won by technical fall over Aaron Wolk (B), 15-0 197: #18 Jacob Cardenas (C) won by forfeit 285: #18 Lewis Fernandes (C) won by fall over Mason Spears, 1:41 The Big Red showed off their depth this weekend, sitting some starters in the process of dominating two Ivy League foes. We missed out on the top 12 matchup at 165 between Ramirez and Conigliaro of Harvard. Cornell is still a very strong team that we know will be in the hunt to win that first-place trophy at EIWA's in March – in their home gym, under new head coach Mike Grey, after missing competition last year. What a great ending that would be, huh? Drexel The Dragons hosted Bucknell to an EIWA dual at home, which they ultimately lost. Mickey O'Malley (#16 – 174) did his typical thing and came away with a fall At 184, we saw Bryan McLaughlin return to the lineup and gut out a 7-4 win The final victory of the night came at 149lb, where Tyler Williams looked dominant in his major decision Boxscore: Bucknell 23, Drexel 13 165: Zach Hartman def. Evan Barczak, 7-1 Dec, Bucknell 3-0 174: Mickey O'Malley def. Sam Barnes, Fall 3:46, Drexel 6-3 184: Bryan McLaughlin def. Logan Deacetis, 7-4 Dec, Drexel 9-3 197: Mason McCready def. Santino Morina, 8-0 Major Dec, Drexel 9-7 285: Luke Niemeyer def. Eli Anthony, 3-1 Dec, Bucknell 10-9 125: Brandon Seidman def. Kyle Waterman, 6-2 Dec, Bucknell 13-9 133: Kurt Phipps def. Deon Pleasant, 12-4 Major Dec, Bucknell 17-9 141: Darren Miller def. Jared Donahue, 10-2 Major Dec, Bucknell 21-9 149: Tyler Williams def. Kolby DePron, 15-5 Major Dec, Bucknell 21-13 157: Nick Delp def. Parker Kropman, SV 13-11, Bucknell 23-13 The Drexel Dragons were up against a very tough Bucknell team, who wrestles well in all positions. This looked to be a toss-up on paper, and it nearly played out that way. Drexel lost their heavyweight bout with a last-second takedown, and an overtime match at 157lbs. If these go the other way, this is a very tight match that was expected. Still missing three starters from the lineup, Drexel is looking to get full strength soon and show the rest of the conference what they can. Franklin & Marshall The Diplomats were on the road to compete in extra matches, along with American University and Army. The event was held at Army. Freshman, Gio Diaz (125) went 2-0 against Chauvin of Army on the day with a fall, then 4-2 decision. Christiaan Dailey (149) was the second undefeated wrestler. He had a tech fall and a decision. With two falls at 165lb, Crew Fullerton looked to be the most dominant wrestler from the Diplomats. James Conway (184) earned a major then a solid 5-3 win over Shannon of American. Lastly, at 285lb, Cenzo Pelusi was 2-0 with two wins over Righter of American and Phillips over Army. Gio Diaz – 125 lbs. Won vs. Ryan Chauvin (Army); Fall: 5:41 Won vs. Ryan Chauvin (Army); 4-2 Pat Phillips – 133 lbs. Won vs. Shamil Kalmatov (American); 10-0 Lost vs. Jack Maida (American); 5-0 Jack Bruce – 133 lbs. Won vs. Shamil Kalmatov (American); 3-2 Lost vs. Andrew Fallon (American); Fall: 4:41 Wil Gil – 141 lbs. Won vs. Julian Sanchez (Army); 7-6 Lost vs. Corey Shie (Army); 3-2 Cristiaan Dailey – 149 lbs. Won vs. Michael Glynos (American); TF: 6:50 (17-2) Won vs. Ryan Zimmerman (American); 5-0 Chris Hisey – 149 lbs. Won vs. Michael Glynos (American); injury default Lost vs. Ryan Zimmerman (American); 13-2 Chase McCollum – 157 lbs. Won vs. Elijah White (American); 6-0 Lost vs. Antonio Segura (American); 4-1 Crew Fullerton – 165 lbs. Won vs. Luc Maschino (American); Fall: 1:06 Won vs. Breon Phifer (American); Fall: 1:57 Noah Fox – 174 lbs. Won vs. Benjamin Root (American); 8-3 Lost vs. Timothy Fitzpatrick (American); 10-2 John Crawford – 174 lbs. Lost vs. Timothy Fitzpatrick (American); 3-1 Lost vs. Ben Pasiuk (Army); Fall: 6:59 James Conway – 184 lbs. Won vs. Mervin Mancia (American); 16-3 Won vs. Colin Shannon (American); 5-3 Mike Waszen – 197 lbs. Won vs. Connor Bourne (American); Fall: 5:55 Lost vs. Carsten Rawls (American); 7-1 Cenzo Pelusi – 285 lbs. Won vs. Isaac Righter (American); 2-1 Won vs. Brandon Phillips (Army); 3-2 (TB-1) Nearly all of the Diplomats earned at least one win on the weekend, which is a good sign. This team was laid off for a few weeks due to COVID, then had one of their two matches canceled last weekend. Mat time is a big plus for them, and winning matches will go even further with the team's confidence. Remember, this team was not allowed to compete last season as well. It appears they are starting to dust off the cobwebs, as there seems to be improvement every week. Harvard The Crimson made the trip to Ithaca to wrestle Cornell. They came away with two individual wins. Kenny Herrmann (141) had a six-point victory over Moomey. At 184lb, Luke Rada also earned a win. Boxscore: No. 10 Cornell 35, Harvard 6 125: Greg Diakomihalis (C) def. Beau Bayless (H), Dec. 9-2 (Cornell 3-0) 133: No. 30 Dom LaJoie (C) def. Dillon Murphy (H), MD 13-5 (Cornell 7-0) 141: Kenny Herrmann (H) def. Phillip Moomey (C), Dec. 7-1 (Cornell 7-3) 149: No. 1 Yianni Diakomihalis (C) def. Lukus Stricker (H), Fall 1:59 (Cornell 13-3) 157: Hunter Richard (C) def. Trevor Tarsi (H), Dec. 6-4 SV1 (Cornell 16-3) 165: No. 9 Julian Ramirez (C) def. Alex Whitworth (H), TF 16-1 3:45 (Cornell 21-3) 174: No. 14 Chris Foca (C) def. No. 29 Joshua Kim (H), Dec. 8-2 (Cornell 24-3) 184: Luke Rada (H) def. Ethan Hatcher (C), Dec. 5-3 (Cornell 24-6) 197: No. 18 Jacob Cardenas (C) def. Nick Marcenelle (H), TF 16-0 3:23 (Cornell 29-6) 285: No. 18 Lewis Fernandes (C) wins via forfeit (Cornell 35-6) As previously mentioned, Conigliaro has been out with an injury. He missed a nice showdown with #9 Ramirez. Harvard's other ranked wrestler Josh Kim (#29 – 174), was outmatched by Foca (#14). Harvard has some young talent on the team; we are just waiting for it to develop further. Conigliaro is a real dark horse threat to All-American in Detroit. We have yet to see him wrestle since his runner-up performance at the Matmen Open before the new year. Hofstra The Pride had a dual meet scheduled with Binghamton that was canceled due to COVID. We expect them back next weekend, during the first weekend of February. Lehigh (#21). The Mountain Hawks tested themselves by traveling to Stillwater to wrestle #4 Oklahoma State. Josh Humphreys (#8 – 157) got Lehigh on the board with a 4-point win over returning AA Sheets (#13). At 165lb, Brian Meyer (#24) won by decision in the following match. The final win for Lehigh was from Jordan Wood (#8 – 285) at heavyweight over #29 Surber. Boxscore: No. 4 Oklahoma State 26, No. 15 Lehigh 9 125: Trevor Mastrogiovanni (OSU) dec. Jaret Lane (Lehigh) 5-1 133: Daton Fix (OSU) Fall Malyke Hines (Lehigh) 1:34 141: Carter Young (OSU) dec. Connor McGonagle (Lehigh) 5-4 149: Kaden Gfeller (OSU) dec. Paul Watkins (Lehigh) 5-1 157: Josh Humphreys (Lehigh) dec. Wyatt Sheets (OSU) 7-3 165: Brian Meyer (Lehigh) dec. Jalin Harper (OSU) 2-0 174: Dustin Plott (OSU) dec. Jake Logan (Lehigh) 5-3 184: Dakota Geer (OSU) major dec. AJ Burkhart (Lehigh) 23-10 197: AJ Ferrari (OSU) major dec. JT Davis (Lehigh) 12-2 285: Jordan Wood (Lehigh) dec. Luke Surber (OSU) 6-0 The Mountain Hawks performed well, in my opinion. They were outmatched by a very tough Cowboy squad, but a majority of matches lost were within striking distance. I would have loved to see Manzona Bryant take on Gfeller at 149lbs. Unfortunately, Bryant is still sidelined. Logan was right in the match with a top-8 guy at 174lb. This team is coming along, and expect them to be peaking in March, like usual. They will have to defend their EIWA title. Long Island The Sharks hosted the Bearcats from Binghamton in an all-EIWA matchup on Saturday. They won four of ten matches. At 157lb, the Sharks took the lead thanks to a decision by Rhise Royster. Robbie Sagaris (125lb) and Drew Witham (149) both earned wins in their matchups. The solo bonus-point win for LIU was by Devin Matthews (141), winning by major decision. Boxscore: Binghamton 28 – LIU 13 157: Rhise Royster (LIU) def. Tyler Martin (BING), dec. 4-2. LIU leads 3-0 165: Brevin Cassella (BING) def. Blake Bahna (LIU), fall 3:10. BU leads 6-3. 174: Jacob Nolan (BING) def. Ryan Ferro (LIU), dec. 8-2. BU leads 9-3. 184: Cory Day (BING) def. James Langan (LIU), fall 4:33. BU leads 15-3. 197: No. 13 Lou DePrez (BING) Nunzio Crowley (LIU), dec. 4-2. BU leads 18-3. 285: No. 20 Joe Doyle (BING) Tim Nagosky (LIU) fall, 1:06. BU leads 24-3. 125: Robbie Sagaris (LIU) def. Nick Curley (BING), dec. 5-4. BU leads 24-6. 133: No. 32 Anthony Sobotker (BING) Kaelen Francois (LIU), major dec. 9-1. BU leads 28-6. 141: Devin Matthews (LIU) Christian Gannone (BING) major dec. 11-3. BU leads 28-10 149: Drew Witham (LIU), def. Nick Lombard (BING), dec. 14-13. BU wins 28-13. The Sharks won four matches, with their two winningest wrestlers falling short of victories. Ferro and Crowley both lost to quality opponents. Crowley's 4-2 loss over returning All-American DePrez is a good sign for him. Binghamton is a very solid EIWA team, so this performance by LIU is impressive. Sagaris has been on the losing end of quite a few matches; it was good to see him reverse that here. The most impressive win was by Witham at 149lb. Lombard is a very quality opponent, so this was a great win for Witham. Navy The Midshipmen were on the road to compete at Ohio and Cleveland State. They were victorious in both matchups. Josh Koderhandt (#21 – 133) earned two victories, one via major decision. At 157lb, Andrew Cerniglia (#20) earned a win over Slivka (#26) of Ohio. He also had a major. Both David Key (#33 – 184) and Jacob Koser (#27 – 197) went undefeated. At 285lb, Navy used two heavyweights. Both Ryan Catka and Grady Greiss won by decisions. Boxscore: Navy 21, Ohio 14 125: Oscar Sanchez dec Jacob Allen (NAVY), 3-1 SV // Ohio 3, Navy 0 133: #21 Josh Koderhandt (NAVY) dec Gio DeSabato, 4-3 // Ohio 3, Navy 3 141: Mario Guillen dec Tyler Hunt (NAVY), 6-4 // Ohio 6, Navy 3 149: #31 Alec Hagan tech fall Jonathan Miranda (NAVY), 15-0 (3:59) // Ohio 11, Navy 3 157: #20 Andrew Cerniglia (NAVY) dec #26 Jordan Slivka, 5-4 // Ohio 11, Navy 6 165: Sammy Starr (NAVY) fall Sean O'Dwyer, 5:54 // Navy 12, Ohio 11 174: #24 Sal Perrine dec Cael Crebs (NAVY), 8-5 // Ohio 14, Navy 12 184: #33 David Key (NAVY) dec Zayne Lehman, 5-2 // Navy 15, Ohio 14 197: #27 Jacob Koser (NAVY) dec Carson Brewer, 7-0 // Navy 18, Ohio 14 285: Ryan Catka (NAVY) dec Jordan Greer, 5-3 // Navy 21, Ohio 14 Boxscore: Navy 20, Cleveland State 7 125: Jacob Allen (NAVY) dec Logan Heil, 3-1 // Navy 3, Cleveland State 0 133: #21 Josh Koderhandt (NAVY) major Jake Manley, 13-4 // Navy 7, Cleveland State 0 141: Tyler Hunt (NAVY) won by forfeit // Navy 13, Cleveland State 0 149: #32 Marcus Robinson major Jonathan Miranda (NAVY), 16-5 // Navy 13, Cleveland State 4 157: #20 Andrew Cerniglia (NAVY) major Daniel Patten, 11-1 // Navy 17, Cleveland State 4 165: #33 Riley Smucker dec Sammy Starr (NAVY), 9-6 // Navy 17, Cleveland State 7 174: Cael Crebs (NAVY) dec Anthony Rice, 3-2 // Navy 20, Cleveland State 7 184: #33 David Key (NAVY) tech fall Jax Leonard, 20-5 (7:00) // Navy 25, Cleveland State 7 197: #27 Jacob Koser (NAVY) major Benjamin Smith, 15-2 // Navy 29, Cleveland State 7 285: Grady Griess (NAVY) dec John Kelbly, 7-3 // Navy 32, Cleveland State 7 Navy had a successful business trip to Ohio. This was a nice chance to show off their skilled lineup to some non-EIWA schools, and they showcased it very well. With four ranked wrestlers, the team is very capable. With a handful of young talent starting to emerge, the Midshipmen are looking to jump levels in the EIWA very soon. Expect them to be in the hunt for a top-five conference finish this year, but it will not be long until you see them battling for the top three. Knowing Coach Kolat's goals for his team, they are coming for that top spot. I'm excited for this team. Penn The Quakers hosted the Ivy-League competitor Columbia to a home dual. This was the Quakers first home win since February of 2020. Ryan Miller (#29 – 125) had the standout victory for the team with a win over Manchio (#18) Michael Colaiocco (#19 – 133), CJ Composto (#19 – 141) and Doug Zapf (#22 – 157) all earned bonus-point victories. Boxscore: (#23) Penn 32, Columbia 3 174: No. 25 Nick Incontrera (PEN) def. Nick Fine (COL) dec. 10-6 184: No. 32 Neil Antrassian (PEN) def. Jack McGill (COL) dec. 5-2 197: Cole Urbas (PEN) def. Sam Wustefeld (COL) def. 8-2 285: No. 33 Ben Goldin (PEN) def. Danny Conley (COL) dec. 6-0 125: No. 29 Ryan Miller (PEN) def. No. 18 Joe Manchio (COL) dec. 4-2 133: No. 19 Michael Colaiocco (PEN) def. Angelo Rini (COL) maj dec. 14-4 141: No. 19 CJ Composto (PEN) def. Mason Clarke (COL) TF 20-5 149: No. 24 Anthony Artalona (PEN) def. Dominic Rossetti (COL) dec. 5-2 157: No. 22 Doug Zapf (PEN) def. Andrew Garr (COL) TF 20-5 165: No. 21 Joshua Ogunsanya (COL) def. No. 25 Lucas Revano (PEN) dec. 3-2 Penn is a really good team. They were by far the better team on Sunday. They attacked from start to finish and were not afraid to keep putting up points, even when they were already in control of the match. These guys are so fun to watch, and they are only going to get better. Something special is happening with this team. They love to compete. It would be surprising to not see Penn in the top-three this year. I expect them to have at least seven qualifiers, and that may be too conservative of a number! Princeton The Tigers hosted the Columbia Lions to a home dual and won six of ten matches. At 125lb, Patrick Glory (#2) started off with a bang while tech falling Manchio (#18) Danny Coles (141) did not get the victory, but a 1-0 loss to an 18th ranked Kazimir is a solid outing. Blaine Bergey (165) had a nice 11-5 victory while filling into the lineup Both Quincy Monday (#11 – 157) and Luke Stout (#17 – 197) earned pins Travis Stefanik (#21 – 184) and Matt Cover (285) were the other wrestlers picking up wins Boxscore: Princeton 27, Columbia 12 125: No. 2 Patrick Glory (PRI) def. No. 18 Joe Manchio (COL) TF 17-2 133: Angelo Rini (COL) def. Nick Kayal (PRI) dec. 13-7 141: No. 18 Matt Kazimir (COL) def. Danny Coles (PRI) dec. 1-0 149: Dominic Rossetti (COL) def. Marshall Keller (PRI) OT3 5-4 157: No. 11 Quincy Monday (PRI) def. Andrew Garr (COL) F (4:11) 165: Blaine Bergey (PRI) def. Connor Kievman (COL) dec. 11-5 174: Nick Fine (COL) def. Nate Dugan (PRI) dec. 6-0 184: No. 21 Travis Stefanik (PRI) def. Brian Bonino (COL) dec. 7-2 197: No. 17 Luke Stout (PRI) def. Sam Wustefeld (COL) F (5:45) 285: Matt Cover (PRI) def. Danny Conley (COL) maj dec. 8-0 Princeton has been hot lately! They upset #6 Arizona State last weekend, then came back a week later to dominate a tough Columbia team. After some injury and COVID-related adversity to start the second semester, this team has found their footing and picking up right where they need to be. Danny Coles is coming around to be a very tough 141lb wrestler, after only wrestling freestyle his entire life north of the border, eh. This team is determined to not only win the Ivy League title, but also the EIWA title. They have the potential. Sacred Heart The Pioneers competed at Bucknell on Saturday. At 157lb, Nick Palumbo had a win over Delp, who has been very good lately. Robert Hetherman (174) was the Pioneers last victory, winning by fall. Boxscore: Bucknell 43 - Sacred Heart 9 157: Nick Palumbo (SHU) dec. over Nick Delp (BU) 4-2 165: #18 Zach Hartman (BU) inj. default over Scott Jarosz (SHU) 0:33 174: Robert Hetherman (SHU) fall over Sam Barnes (BU) 0:39 184: Logan Deacetis (BU) fall over Joe Accousti (SHU) 2:28 197: Mason McCready (BU) fall over Logan Michael (SHU) 2:48 285: Luke Niemeyer (BU) fall over Nick Copley (SHU) 1:49 125: Brandon Seidman (BU) maj. dec. over Jacob Venezia (SHU) 10-0 133: Kurt Phipps (BU) maj. dec. over Anthony Petrillo (SHU) 13-2 141: #21 Darren Miller (BU) tech fall over Jordan Carlucci (SHU) 17-2 (6:09) 149: Kolby DePron (BU) fall over Cole McGill (SHU) 1:57 Sacred Heart is still a building program. Bucknell has been one of the best teams in the conference this past month. The one positive sign out of the program is Palumbo coming back from injury and looking to repeat as EIWA finalist last season. With a deeper weight this year, he will have a nice challenge ahead of him. Sacred Heart will look to get back in the win column this weekend as they host F&M.

(photo courtesy of Tony Rotundo; WrestlersAreWarriors.com) We've got a great slate of duals over the next week. An incredible 49 duals are on the schedule for Thursday-Sunday. Since it can be difficult to figure out where and when to watch all of these events, InterMat has put together a list of all of the live-streamed events occurring this weekend. Below are the dates/times and how to watch each match. All times are eastern Thursday, January 27: California Baptist at Air Force, 9:00 PM FloWrestling Friday, January 28: Penn at Brown, 12:00 PM ESPN+ Princeton at Harvard, 12:00 PM ESPN+ Columbia at Binghamton, 5:00 PM ESPN+ Princeton at Brown, 6:00 PM ESPN+ Penn at Harvard, 6:00 PM ESPN+ NC State at Duke, 7:00 PM ACC Network Xtra Chattanooga at Gardner-Webb, 7:00 PM ESPN+ Wisconsin at Maryland, 7:00 PM B1G+ Minnesota at Michigan, 7:00 PM Big Ten Network North Carolina at Virginia, 7:00 PM ACC Network Bellarmine at VMI, 7:30 PM ESPN+ California Baptist at Northern Colorado, 8:00 PM FloWrestling Iowa State at Oklahoma, 8:00 PM Sooner Sports TV West Virginia at South Dakota State, 8:00 PM FloWrestling Penn State at Iowa, 9:00 PM Big Ten Network Saturday, January 29: Appalachian State, North Carolina at Appalachian Open, 9:00 AM Lock Haven at Mat Town Open II, hosted by Lock Haven, 9:30 AM Purdue at Indiana, 12:00 PM Big Ten Network Bloomsburg at Rider, 12:00 PM ESPN+ Columbia vs. Navy at Cornell, 1:00 PM Army West Point at Bucknell, 2:00 PM Bucknell YouTube Northwestern at Illinois, 2:00 PM Big Ten Network West Virginia at North Dakota State, 2:00 PM NDSU All-Access Columbia at Cornell, 3:00 PM ESPN+ Navy at Cornell, 5:00 PM ESPN+ Missouri vs. Wyoming at Utah Valley, 6:00 PM FloWrestling Northern Iowa at Oklahoma State, 8:00 PM ESPN+ Wyoming at Utah Valley, 8:00 PM FloWrestling Stanford vs. Menlo at Mountain View, CA, 9:00 PM Missouri at Utah Valley, 10:00 PM FloWrestling Sunday, January 30: Davidson vs. Long Island at The Citadel, 10:00 AM Northern Illinois at Little Rock, 11:00 AM Little Rock All-Access Air Force at North Dakota State, 12:00 PM NDSU All-Access Franklin & Marshall at Sacred Heart, 12:00 PM Long Island at The Citadel, 12:00 PM ESPN+ Drexel at American, 1:00 PM ESPN+ Chattanooga at Campbell, 1:00 PM ESPN+ Edinboro at George Mason, 1:00 PM ESPN+ Cal Poly vs. Northern Illinois at Little Rock, 1:00 PM Little Rock All-Access Navy at Binghamton, 2:00 PM ESPN+ Rider at Bucknell, 2:00 PM Bucknell YouTube Virginia Tech at Pittsburgh, 2:00 PM ACC Network Extra Ohio at Central Michigan, 2:00 PM ESPN+ Michigan at Maryland, 2:00 PM B1G+ Davidson at The Citadel, 2:00 PM ESPN+ VMI at Campbell, 2:30 PM ESPN+ Kent State at Clarion, 3:00 PM Clarion Rokfin Cal Poly at Little Rock, 3:00 PM Little Rock All-Access Northern Iowa at Oklahoma, 3:00 PM Iowa State at Oklahoma State, 3:00 PM ESPN+ Oregon State at Arizona State, 4:00 PM Pac-12 Network

North Carolina 125 lber Spencer Moore (photo courtesy of Sam Janicki; SJanickiPhoto.com) The opening week of ACC duals kicked off last weekend. It was supposed to start with a top-10 battle between #5 NC State and #7 Virginia Tech--the dual that has determined the ACC dual champion for the past 7 years--but we received news Thursday evening that the dual was being canceled. There was a lot of back and forth between fan bases that included a lot of blame and not a full understanding of the situation. Here is what we know and what impact it has on the ACC. Virginia Tech, like many schools, has been dealing with wrestlers being out due to Covid testing and contact tracing. Going into the dual, they knew they would not have a full lineup; before leaving on Thursday, they had at least four more wrestlers-including starters removed due to Covid protocols. Though they were not at the threshold determined by the ACC for it to be considered a Covid-related cancellation, Virginia Tech requested that the dual be rescheduled for a date later in the season--both teams only have Friday night ACC duals remaining this season. NC State declined to reschedule and was supported by the ACC. They stated that because the number of student-athletes out due to Covid-related protocols did not meet the threshold established by the conference medical board, the match could go as scheduled using non-starters. After this decision, Virginia Tech opted to forfeit the dual. Those are the facts as I understand them after speaking with members of both staffs. I see this as a no-win situation for both teams and the conference. Going into the season, the decision was made to have this dual start the conference season and the ACC Network broadcast to provide the best product to kick off the coverage. While I understood their reasoning, I wanted this dual to be the final weekend since it has been the deciding dual for the conference champ for the past seven years. I can understand the position of each team in this situation and I wish there could have been a better resolution. Both teams were anticipating this top-10 clash and there were some major individual matches that were set to take place--both teams have had this date circled since the schedule was released. The Hokies were put in a difficult situation going into Raleigh to face a very dangerous NC State team with a patchwork lineup. They wanted an opportunity for both teams to face off at as close to full strength as possible, so they requested the reschedule. The Wolfpack were prepared to face whatever lineup the Hokies brought. They felt that the dual should go as scheduled and didn't want to disrupt their training schedule to throw in a top-10 dual randomly at the end of the season. From a coaching perspective-I can understand why each coach made the choice they did. From a fan perspective, frankly, it sucked to lose this dual and the matches we were going to see! Full disclosure-I was planning to be at the dual and pouted for a full day that I didn't get to go watch. As we have learned in the past couple years, the only certainty is uncertainty. Both teams lost a top-10 dual and some huge individual matches that could have been big for postseason seeding. The ACC lost out on showcasing their top two programs in a nationally televised dual. The fans lost out on seeing a fantastic dual and hearing the excitement of Rock Harrison yelling “SAM LATONA!”. Side note: kudos to the ESPN crew for the quick pivot in highlighting the UNC-Duke dual. I'm choosing to look on the positive side that all of this will only make the ACC tournament that much more exciting. Now onto the duals that we did get to see! Duke at North Carolina The Blue Devils traveled to Carmichael Arena to take on cross-town rivals North Carolina to open the ACC season. The Tar Heels dominated from the opening whistle and were able to win the majority of the toss-up matches to take the 29-6 win over Duke. Spencer Moore put together one of his better performances of the year to take a 10-1 major decision over Logan Agin at 125 to start the night. Moore is showing growth and improvement--especially on top, where he controlled Agin most of the match. At 133, the Heels sent out Joe Heilmann, who made quick work of Drake Doolittle with a first-period pin. #7 Kizhan Clarke was able to extend his undefeated start by another match, taking a decision win over Parker Decker. This was one of the more surprising matches of the night. Decker came in with a 2-4 record on the year and was able to push Clarke and threaten him from upper body ties throughout the match. Clarke pulled away late with a decisive takedown and ride, but the ACC viewers, I think, came away with a newfound respect for Decker. At 149, we were treated to one of the two ranked matchups of the dual--both featuring a Finesilver. #13 Josh Finesilver and #20 Zach Sherman looked evenly matched throughout the bout; they traded escapes in the second and third and took a 1-1 match to sudden victory. They put on a scramble show in SV and both looked like they could come away with the win--if you haven't seen it or heard Rock Harrison's call, I highly recommend watching the replay! Ultimately Finesilver was able to pick up the winning takedown and walk away with the 3-1 decision to put Duke on the board. National Champ #6 Austin O'Connor won by decision over Wade Unger 6-2 at 157 to close the first half of the dual. At 165, Sonny Santiago took on Gabe Dinette and won a controlling 7-3 decision; this was one of the better matches I have seen from Santiago on the year. The second marquee match of the dual was at 174 with #13 Matt Finesilver facing #16 Clay Lautt and this one delivered. Lautt got an early takedown in the first and the second period with Finesilver earning quick escapes each time. Finesilver added a takedown and short ride to end the second with a 5-4 lead. Finesilver put on a strong ride to start the third but was called for an illegal hold--he reinforced the figure four on a leg ride, putting pressure on Lautt's knee, which drew a strong reaction from Coach Coleman Scott. Lautt was given a point for the illegal hold to even the match 5-5 with just over 30 seconds remaining. On the restart, Lautt got the escape and hit a beautiful double leg on the edge and held Finesilver in danger to finish the 8-5 decision win. Vincent Baker challenged #24 Gavin Kane at 184, but Kane prevailed with a 5-4 decision. At 197, #27 Max Shaw put on a dominating offensive display to earn a 16-1 tech fall over Kaden Russell in the first period. The final match of the night went to Duke in hard-fought fashion. Jonah Niesenbaum earned the 3-1 decision in sudden victory over Brandon Whitman to make the final team score 29-6 Tar Heels. Virginia at Pittsburgh The Hoos traveled to Pittsburgh with a patchwork lineup as they were still getting wrestlers back out of Covid protocols, but they put up a fight against the Panthers. Pitt entered the evening coming off of a huge win last week over then #6 Arizona State and was looking to continue that momentum into ACC competition. The dual opened at 149 with #30 Jarod Verkleeren controlling the match en route to a 7-2 decision over Luke Kemerer. The two were former teammates at Hempfield Area, but this was their first match competing against each other. At 157, #27 Elijah Cleary took a 4-2 decision over Jon Errico. Errico had been the starter at 157 in the first half of the season as #28 Jake Keating came back from an injury. Keating bumped to 165 for this dual to fill in for the absence of Justin McCoy. #13 Jake Wentzel was able to control Keating throughout the match to win a 10-0 major decision. In one of the toss-up matches in the dual, Justin Phillips earned a 14-5 major decision for UVA over James Lledo at 174. Rounding out the first half of the dual, #23 Michael Battista continued his strong start to the season with a 9-5 decision over #31 Gregg Harvey. The marquee match of the dual was at 197, where UVA sent #11 Jay Aiello out against his U23 World Team teammate #9 Nino Bonaccorsi for the Panthers. Nino has held the upper hand in this series and he continued this match. He was able to strike quickly from space and pick up multiple takedowns in the first and early in the second. Aiello was able to slow the pace and close distance in the final period, but it wasn't enough as Bonaccorsi earned his fourth straight win over Aiello with a 9-4 decision. #26 Quinn Miller made his return to the UVA lineup against Jake Slinger for the Panthers. Slinger was in control throughout and took the 4-1 decision to upset Miller. We got a tight battle at 125 between #31 Gage Curry and Patrick McCormick, with Curry coming out on top with a 3-2 decision. I was hoping to see a battle between #7 Micky Phillippi and #24 Brian Courtney at 133, but unfortunately, Courtney was also out of the lineup. UVA sent out Trey Lane--who had battled with McCormick for the starting spot at 125 in the beginning of the season. Phillippi put on a takedown display on his way to a 22-7 tech fall. Wrapping up the dual was #20 Cole Matthews continuing his hot streak picking up a 10-1 major decision over Evan Buchanan to give the Panthers the 25-10 win over the Cavaliers.

The 174 lb NCAA final with Carter Starocci and Michael Kemerer (photo courtesy of Tony Rotundo; WrestlersAreWarriors.com) Friday, top-ranked Penn State will make the trek out to Iowa City to take on #2 Iowa in the most anticipated dual of the collegiate wrestling season. Both schools come into this dual undefeated, Penn State at 13-0, while Iowa is 11-0. This will be the first time the schools have met in dual competition in almost two years, to the date. They were slated to meet last year in February, but Covid issues prevented the dual from happening. Iowa comes into the dual with all ten of their starters in the national rankings, while nine of Penn State's are ranked. With so many high-caliber athletes competing, there are bound to be some memorable moments and upsets. Instead of focusing on this year's dual, we've decided to look back at every meeting between the schools since Cael Sanderson arrived in State College, prior to the 2009-10 season. While Penn State holds the advantage with eight NCAA titles during this span, Iowa actually has the dual advantage (5-4). Three times during those nine meetings, the lower-ranked opponent prevailed. Here is a year-by-year look at this rivalry (in dual competition, only) and some of the memorable moments and matches in each dual. January 31st, 2020 - Iowa City, Iowa #1 Iowa 19 over #2 Penn State 17 Notable Matches: 133: Trailing 5-0; Penn State surprisingly got six points as Roman Bravo-Young was victorious via injury default over Austin DeSanto. It was controversial because the bout was stopped as DeSanto was going to his back. Iowa was also penalized a team point for failing to control the mat. 165: Vincenzo Joseph tossed Alex Marinelli to his back for six points and went on to hand the Hawkeye his first career dual loss. 174: In the second consecutive match between #1 and #2, Michael Kemerer scored three points and a reversal over 2017 NCAA champion Mark Hall to pull the slight upset, 11-6. 285: A 7-0 win for Tony Cassioppi gave Iowa their first lead since 125 lbs and pushed them past the Nittany Lions, 19-17. February 10th, 2018 - State College, Pennsylvania #1 Penn State 28 over #7 Iowa 13 Notable Matches: 149: Though it was a 1 vs. 2 affair, there was little drama surrounding the 6-2 win for Zain Retherford over his 2016 NCAA finals opponent, Brandon Sorensen. 165: Redshirt freshman Alex Marinelli pulled the biggest win of his young career to date. Ranked seventh at the time, Marinelli knocked off the returning (and eventual) NCAA champion Vincenzo Joseph and handed him his first loss of the year. Trailing 5-3 in the third period, Marinelli had a body lock and countered Joseph's trip attempt to his back for six points. He would go on to win 9-6. January 21st, 2017 - Iowa City, Iowa #2 Penn State 26 over #3 Iowa 11 Notable Matches: 125: Stud true freshman Nick Suriano suffered the first loss of his career against Thomas Gilman, 3-2. The top-ranked Gilman got a takedown in the first period and it held up over two periods. This is fun now since Gilman trains at the Nittany Lion WC and Suriano is at Michigan. 149: Zain Retherford won his final 95 bouts in a Penn State singlet, but his closest call during that span occurred on this night. He narrowly edged third-ranked Brandon Sorensen 9-8 in the second series of tiebreakers. 174: The top recruit in the high school Class of 2016, Mark Hall, was brought out of redshirt for the dual. After an 18-1 showing unattached, Hall was unleashed upon Carver-Hawkeye Arena. Nobody told Alex Meyer that this was supposed to be the Hall show and the Hawkeye All-American spoiled Hall's debut, 7-5. Meyer got the go-ahead takedown with under :15 seconds remaining in the third period. 184: The win by Meyer put Iowa within a point on the scoreboard with slim hopes of upset on Hawkeye fans' minds. A win in a top-five match that followed, between #2 Bo Nickal and #5 Sam Brooks, could have put Penn State on the ropes. It didn't take long for those chances to die. Nickal spladled and pinned Brooks in only :38 seconds to silence the crowd and put PSU up by seven points heading into the final matches, where they were heavily favored. February 8th, 2015 - State College, Pennsylvania #1 Iowa 18 over #5 Penn State 12 Notable Matches: This was an odd dual because all of the notable upsets went Penn State's way, though they still lost six of ten matches. At 133 lbs, #7 Jimmy Gulibon took out the eventual NCAA finalist Cory Clark, 8-5. A couple matches later, at 165, unranked Garett Hammond downed #4 Nick Moore, 4-2. Iowa came out on top of the bookends, both bouts between top-ten foes. #5 Thomas Gilman edged #8 Jordan Conaway at 125 lbs, 6-5, while #2 Bobby Telford sealed the deal with a 3-0 shutout of #6 Jimmy Lawson. December 21st, 2013 - Iowa City, Iowa #1 Penn State 24 over #3 Iowa 12 Notable Matches: The entire dual: This was the year where the conference schedule-markers omitted a meeting between the two superpowers. Head coaches Tom Brands and Cael Sanderson took the initiative and arranged a “non-conference” match over Twitter. 125: Though Cory Clark would end up getting the nod in the postseason as Iowa had two talented redshirt freshmen at this weight, Thomas Gilman was the guy here against two-time returning NCAA runner-up, Nico Megaludis. While the veteran Megaludis prevailed, Gilman fought hard in a 4-1 loss. 133: For the second consecutive year, Tony Ramos used his signature cow-catcher to pin an opponent from Penn State in this dual. This time it was Jimmy Guilbon, a highly-touted, but unranked redshirt freshman. This was the final year in the Penn State run that included David Taylor and Ed Ruth. Both rolled to major decisions in this outing. February 1st, 2013 - Iowa City, Iowa #3 Iowa 22 over #1 Penn State 16 Notable Matches: 125: In a rematch of the 2012 NCAA finals, Matt McDonough prevailed once again over Nico Megaludis. This time it was 2-1 in tiebreakers. The two were ranked #1/#2 in the nation at the time. 133: As we alluded to earlier, Tony Ramos brought the house down at Carver when he pinned Jordan Conaway with the cow-catcher. That win gave the Hawkeyes a 9-0 advantage and it was a lead they'd never relinquish. 174: With a pair of NCAA champions behind him, #4 Matt Brown had a chance to get the Nittany Lions back in the dual if he could get by #6 Mike Evans. Evans pulled the ever-so-slight upset, 4-3, and gave his team some breathing room heading into Ruth and Quentin Wright. January 22nd, 2012 - State College, Pennsylvania #3 Penn State 22 over #2 Iowa 12 Notable Matches: Iowa jumped out to a 12-0 lead after three matches. McDonough and Montell Marion sandwiched decision wins around a Tony Ramos fall at 133 lbs. Unfortunately for Iowa, it went downhill from there. Penn State won the final seven matches, with Ruth posting a major decision at 174 lbs. The only real nailbiter during that run came at 197 lbs when Morgan McIntosh came out on top of Grant Gambrall 5-3. January 30th, 2011 - State College, Pennsylvania #8 Iowa 22 over #1 Penn State 13 Notable Matches: 133: Late transfer #4 Andrew Long, a returning NCAA finalist for Iowa State at 133 lbs, was handed his first loss of the year by redshirt freshman #10 Tony Ramos. The difference in Ramos' 3-2 victory was a second-period takedown, followed by an escape in the final stanza. 141: 2010 NCAA runner-up Montell Marion made his return to the Hawkeye lineup and made his presence felt with a win in an 11-9 shootout over stud true freshman #5 Andrew Alton. Three takedowns in the final period helped Marion erase a 5-0 lead from the Nittany Lion. 184: #14 Grant Gambrall upset returning All-American #6 Quentin Wright quite handily. Takedowns in all three periods helped the Hawkeye to an 8-3 win. Wright would famously turn the tables in the NCAA quarterfinals and pin Gambrall, locking up Penn State's first national title under Sanderson. January 29th, 2010 - Iowa City, Iowa #1 Iowa 29 over #13 Penn State 6 Notable Matches: 141: Unranked Adam Lynch pulled off a massive upset when he took out the eventual NCAA runner-up Marion, 8-6 in sudden victory. Marion rallied in the first period with two takedowns, but was caught in extra time. 149: Undefeated, top-ranked Brent Metcalf kept his perfect record intact by pinning #5 Frank Molinaro. Metcalf already was working on a major decision when he pinned the Nittany Lion at the 3:59 mark. 165: #5 Ryan Morningstar gritted out a 2-0 win over #8 Dan Vallimont with a point via escape and riding time. Vallimont would end up being the first NCAA finalist in the Sanderson-era later this season. Along with this being the first year for Sanderson at Penn State, it was the last of the three NCAA championships for Iowa, led by Metcalf and their star-studded cast.

South Dakota State 197 lber Tanner Sloan (photo courtesy of Sam Janicki; SJanickiPhoto.com) Thursday 01/20 Missouri DEF Oklahoma, 23-14 Friday 01/21 Oregon State DEF Northern Colorado, 30-15 Saturday 01/22 South Dakota State DEF Missouri, 21-12 Oregon State DEF Wyoming, 22-12 Northern Iowa DEF North Dakota State, 29-13 Sunday 01/23 Oklahoma DEF Northern Illinois 34-3 South Dakota State DEF SIU Edwardsville, 39-3 Central Michigan DEF South Dakota State, 21-17 Iowa State DEF North Dakota State, 26-9 Oklahoma State DEF Lehigh, 26-9 Biggest Upset: South Dakota State takes out Missouri What a win for South Dakota State! I wrote in my preview last week that my match to watch was OU and Missouri, but South Dakota State sneaks up on everyone and takes out the Tigers at Missouri. A bonus point win at 133 and upsets at 184, 197, and heavyweight were the catalysts for South Dakota State in a program defining upset over Missouri. Biggest win to date for Damion Hahn and arguably the biggest win in the history of the South Dakota State wrestling program. Even with Mizzou missing a few guys, this is a massive upset and program win for South Dakota State. Roughest Weekend: North Dakota State North Dakota State had really built a lot of momentum after an early season loss to Missouri. They had won five straight, including a recent upset over Wyoming. They dropped two here to Iowa State and Northern Iowa, their first back-to-back losses of the season. They'll have a shot to bounce back next week at home vs. West Virginia and could win out the rest of their dual season, though.

The 2021 141 lb NCAA final between Nick Lee and Jaydin Eierman (photo courtesy of Tony Rotundo; WrestlersAreWarriors.com) Last weekend No. 1 Penn State took care of business in a big way against then-No. 3 Michigan. What was considered a close dual on paper turned into a 29 to 6 blowout. On Friday, those same Nittany Lions return to the Midwest to face off against No. 2 Iowa. The Hawkeyes entered the season as the top dual team, but they have since lost three-time champion Spencer Lee to injury. While they enter this match as underdogs, they will have their noted home arena advantage. The following is a weight-by-weight preview of the dual. 125: No. 11 Drake Ayala (Iowa) vs. No. 7 Drew Hildebrandt (Penn State) With Spencer Lee pulling out of the season due to injury, the Hawkeyes made the decision to pull the redshirt off Ayala. The Iowa native has gone 13-4 on the season and 3-2 in Big Ten dual matches. Ayala started the Big Ten dual season with his third loss against No. 9 Patrick McKee (Minnesota). However, he bounced back with three-straight victories over No. 16 Devin Schroder (Purdue), No. 12 Michael DeAugustino (Northwestern) and No. 26 Justin Cardani (Illinois). The true freshman came back down to earth a bit last weekend as he dropped a sudden victory match against No. 10 Malik Heinselman (Ohio State). Hildebrandt joined Penn State for the second semester after spending the majority of his career with Central Michigan. For the Chippewas, he was a three-time NCAA qualifier and finished fourth last year to become an All-American. With the Nittany Lions, Hildebrandt has gone 4-1 with his only defeat coming in a 2-1 match against No. 1 Nick Suriano (Michigan). After dropping that match on Friday, he bounced back with an 8-0 major decision over Tristan Lujan (Michigan State) on Sunday. For Iowa to have a shot in this dual, Ayala absolutely has to win this match. The bout sets up a rather interesting dynamic. The Iowa wrestler is likely to have the advantage on the feet. His signature single leg has mostly translated to the college scene, and he has been able to take down basically every wrestler he has faced this season. On the other hand, Hildebrandt is very tough on top. Oftentimes, getting out on bottom can be one of the toughest tests for wrestlers coming right out of high school. With that being said, Ayala should be able to make enough of a difference early with his neutral offense to survive a ride from Hildebrandt. Prediction: Ayala (Iowa) decision over Hildebrandt (Penn State) 133: No. 3 Austin DeSanto (Iowa) vs. No. 1 Roman Bravo-Young (Penn State) DeSanto enters this match against his rival with an undefeated 12-0 record. Following his victory over No. 26 Jake Gliva (Minnesota), DeSanto went on a bit of a mysterious hiatus. However, he returned to action this past weekend against Ohio State and scored a second-period 19-4 technical fall over Dylan Koontz. DeSanto is already a four-time NCAA qualifier and a two-time All-American. Bravo-Young is back this season looking for his second-straight national title. He has already announced this will be his last season on the college mats, and so far, he has made the most of it. On the season, he is 10-0 with victories over the likes of No. 4 Michael McGee (Arizona State), No. 20 Joey Olivieri (Rutgers) and No. 8 Dylan Ragusin (Michigan). DeSanto actually won the first two matches in this series during the 2018-2019 season. However, Bravo-Young has won the last three matches between the two. The first came via injury default during the 2020 season, and he followed that up with a 3-2 decision at the conference tournament. Last year, the pair met once against at the Big Ten Championships, and Bravo-Young won a 5-2 decision. That was his biggest margin of victory in the series. After some early trouble, it appears as if Bravo-Young has figured out DeSanto's offense, and it is hard to see a new result this weekend. Prediction: Bravo-Young (Penn State) decision over DeSanto (Iowa) 141: No. 2 Jaydin Eierman (Iowa) vs. No. 1 Nick Lee (Penn State) Eierman is already a four-time All-American whose college career began back in 2015 at Missouri. He made his debut for Iowa last season and made the NCAA final at this weight. Eierman has started his final season with an undefeated 12-0 record, but he has certainly had some close calls. He needed a late charge to defeat No. 12 Dresden Simon (Central Michigan) via a 13-12 decision, and he avoided a defensive fall to escape with a 7-6 decision over No. 24 Ryan Jack (NC State). Of course, it was Lee that defeated Eierman to become the NCAA champion at this weight last season. He has missed some time this year due to illness, but he has been otherwise dominant. Lee is undefeated on the year through 10 matches, and is currently riding a six-match bonus-point streak. Last weekend, he scored a technical fall over Drew Mattin (Michigan) and a 13-1 major decision over Matt Santos (Michigan State). Even though Eierman holds a victory over Lee that is less than 365 days old, it seems highly unlikely that he will be able to pull off the upset here. Lee seemed to learn that Eierman's best chance to score takedowns came off his offense. Once he slowed the pace and looked for a clean finish, he took control in the finals match. On top of that, Eierman's leg defense has seemed oddly suspect at times. In the past, he has not only prevented an opponent from scoring, but turned those attacks into points. This year, opponents have been able to finish more than the Iowa coaches probably would like. That is a bad sign going into a bout with Lee. Prediction: Lee (Penn State) decision over Lee 149: No. 10 Max Murin (Iowa) vs. No. 19 Beau Bartlett (Penn State) Two weeks ago, Murin pulled off an impressive upset over No. 11 Yahya Thomas (Northwestern), and he nearly upped it with another upset against No. 2 Sammy Sasso (Ohio State) last weekend. He scored a reversal to pull ahead in the final period, but Sasso eventually revered him back and took the 3-2 decision victory. As a true freshman, Bartlett was a late addition to the lineup at 149 pounds, and he failed to qualify for the NCAA tournament through the Big Ten tournament. This year, he seems well on the way to earning a berth at the very least. He holds a 10-3 record on the year and has picked up wins over No. 20 PJ Ogunsanya (Army), No. 24 Anthony Artalona (Penn) and No. 9 Kyle Parco (Arizona State). Two weeks ago, he dropped a rideout match against No. 17 Mike Van Brill (Rutgers), but he bounced back last weekend with wins over Cole Mattin (Michigan) and Peyton Omania (Michigan State). This is another match that Iowa likely needs to pull the upset. Murin has had solid results this season, but he may struggle in this bout. Bartlett is defensively sound, and Murin will likely not give him opportunities to score with his double from space. If this becomes a low-scoring bout, it swings in favor of Bartlett, who would be the favorite in a one-takedown match. Prediction: Bartlett (Penn State) decision over Murin (Iowa) 157: No. 12 Kaleb Young (Iowa) vs. Terrell Barraclough/Tony Negron/Luke Gardner (Penn State) Young is a three-time NCAA qualifier and a two-time All-American. He has gone 10-5 so far this season, but there have certainly been some bumps in the road. Against Division I opposition only, that record falls to 6-5. At one point this year, he dropped three-straight matches against No. 8 Josh Humphreys (Lehigh), No. 10 Ed Scott (NC State) and No. 4 Brayton Lee (Minnesota). Since that stretch, he has bounced back with a five-match winning streak. Last weekend, Young scored a 4-0 decision against No. 33 Jashon Hubbard (Ohio State). The 157-pound spot for the Nittany Lions has been a bit of a revolving door. At the moment, the spot appears to belong to Barraclough, but Tony Negron has also gotten some run. Barraclough is 6-6 on the season, but he nearly pulled off an upset over No. 19 Chase Saldate (Michigan State) last Sunday. Despite the six losses, he has been game all season long and only given up bonus points once. Veteran Luke Gardner could also be in the mix for the Nittany Lions. Young's experience and pedigree make him the favorite in this match. However, he has been prone to allowing upsets throughout his career. Barraclough often tries to push the pace, so it will be important for Young to secure an early lead. While the Hawkeye is not necessarily a dangerous rider, he can build riding time and occasionally can turn with his mat returns. If he is able to get out of the first period with the lead, he should be able to claim the victory. Prediction: Young (Iowa) decision over Barraclough 165: No. 5 Alex Marinelli (Iowa) vs. No. 11 Brady Berge (Penn State) Marinelli entered last Friday's dual against Ohio State as the number-one wrestler at this weight, and he left with his first loss of the season. He appeared to be in control against No. 4 Carson Kharchla after building the riding time. However, Kharchla then escaped and scored a takedown for the 3-2 victory. Outside of that one loss, the two-time All-American has won 14 matches, including wins over Danny Braunagel (Illinois) and No. 26 Cael Carlson (Minnesota). By now, most in the wrestling world know that Berge had basically retired from wrestling and took a coaching job at South Dakota State. He then decided to make a comeback and joined Penn State in January. Since returning, the two-time NCAA qualifier has won all three of his matches and scored a 3-1 decision over No. 12 Cameron Amine (Michigan) last Friday. Throughout his career, Marinelli has had the most trouble with strong defensive wrestlers. Berge certainly fits that mold, so this might turn into an interesting match. With that being said, Marinelli deserves to be the favorite. He had a solid strategy and was on the way to a win against Kharchla. If he is able to avoid mistakes, he should be able to complete the task against Berge. Prediction: Marinelli (Iowa) decision over Berge (Penn State) 174: No. 2 Michael Kemerer (Iowa) vs. No. 1 Carter Starocci (Penn State) Many expected Kemerer to go wire-to-wire last season as the number-one wrestler at this weight, and he nearly pulled it off. He entered the NCAA tournament undefeated and made it all the way to the final before falling against Starocci in sudden victory. Kemerer had taken a 7-2 decision over the Penn State representative at the Big Ten tournament. He is back this year looking to make one last run at the NCAA title. Despite getting a late start to the season, he is 5-0 and holds victories over No. 19 Gerrit Nijenhuis (Purdue) and No. 7 Ethan Smith (Ohio State). Starocci finished his freshman season with the upset over Kemerer and a national title. He has carried that momentum into this season with an undefeated 13-0 record. Starocci has scored bonus points in 10 of his 13 matches. Last weekend, he scored a 3-2 decision over No. 6 Logan Massa (Michigan). Not only did Kemerer get a late start to the season, but he has been wearing multiple knee sleeves and a shoulder brace this season. He has been in control of all his matches so far this season, but he clearly is not at a peak physical level. Starocci was able to win this bout last year, and he has only progressed since then. Strange things happen in Carver-Hawkeye Arena, but Starocci deserves to be the favorite in this contest. Prediction: Starocci (Penn State) decision over Kemerer (Iowa) 184: No. 17 Abe Assad (Iowa) vs. No. 1 Aaron Brooks (Penn State) After missing the 2021 season due to injury, Assad has returned and regained his spot in the Hawkeye lineup. The sophomore holds a 9-3 record on the season and has already picked up impressive wins over No. 30 Max Lyon (Purdue) and No. 18 Zach Braunagel (Illinois). Last weekend, he nearly pulled off an upset over No. 6 Kaleb Romero (Ohio State) but ultimately dropped a 3-1 decision in sudden victory. As a true freshman back in 2020, Assad qualified for the NCAA championships through the Big Ten tournament. Brooks blossomed into one of the best wrestlers at the Division I level last season and claimed the NCAA title. This year, he has returned to action and been arguably more dominant. He has won all 11 of his matches and already knocked off several of his top challengers. Back in December, he scored a 3-2 decision over No. 4 Parker Keckeisen (Northern Iowa). This month, he scored bonus-point victories over No. 11 Kyle Cochran (Maryland), No. 14 Donnell Washington (Indiana) and No. 7 John Poznanski (Rutgers). Last weekend, Brooks won one of the most hyped matches of the year as he defended a late takedown attempt and scored a counter to beat Olympic bronze medalist No. 2 Myles Amine (Michigan). In the last three seasons combined, Brooks has exactly one loss. It came against No. 10 Taylor Venz (Nebraska) on Jan. 24, 2020. At the time, it seemed possible that the loss was a bad omen for Brooks. His very next match seven days later came against Assad. The Penn State wrestler more than answered the critics with a 7-3 match and has won every college match since. Assad appears to be rounding into form recently, but this one is a bridge too far. Prediction: Brooks (Penn State) decision over Assad (Iowa) 197: No. 4 Jacob Warner (Iowa) vs. No. 2 Max Dean (Penn State) Warner finished fourth at the NCAA tournament last year to become an All-American for the second time. He has gone 11-1 this season with his only loss coming against No. 16 Yonger Bastida (Iowa State) in the annual Cy-Hawk rivalry match. Last weekend, he fended off a late upset bid from No. 21 Gavin Hoffman (Ohio State), but he managed to escape with the 6-5 victory. Dean transferred to Penn State from Cornell prior to this season, and the former NCAA runner-up has fit in quite nicely in the lineup. Prior to last weekend, he was undefeated and held victories over No. 7 Greg Bulsak (Rutgers), No. 11 Kordell Norfleet (Arizona State) and No. 19 Jacob Cardenas (Cornell). Last Friday, Dean survived a tough match against No. 6 Patrick Brucki (Michigan). Brucki had the only two matches in regulation, but Dean rode out the third period to force overtime and ultimately won in sudden victory. On Sunday, he lost for the first time this season as he allowed a late takedown by No. 10 Cameron Caffey (Michigan State). This should be a pretty good style matchup for Dean. Warner likely does not have the neutral offense to get to his legs, and the Hawkeye has had trouble getting off the bottom at times. If Dean is able to score an early takedown, he should be able to ride his way to a victory. Prediction: Dean (Penn State) decision over Warner (Iowa) 285: No. 5 Anthony Cassioppi (Iowa) vs. No. 3 Greg Kerkvliet (Penn State) Cassioppi returned this year after a third-place finish at the NCAA tournament. His season got off to a bit of a rough start as he was rolled to his back and pinned by Jack DelGarbino (Princeton). However, since then, he has settled down and built a 9-2 record, with his only other loss coming against No. 1 Gable Steveson (Minnesota). Cassioppi has picked up wins over No. 8 Matt Stencel (Central Michigan), No. 7 Jordan Wood (Lehigh), No. 10 Lucas Davison (Northwestern) and No. 13 Tate Orndorff (Ohio State). Kerkvliet had many laudable freestyle accomplishments on his resume. However, some were disappointed with his seventh-place finish at the last NCAA tournament. This season appears to be a different story. Not only is Kerkvliet undefeated, but he also announced himself with a big victory over NCAA runner-up Mason Parris (Michigan) last weekend. The Nittany Lion has also scored wins over No. 9 Gary Traub (Oregon State) and No. 17 Lewis Fernandes (Cornell). These two met last season at the Big Ten tournament. Cassioppi dominated the match on the way to a 9-0 major decision. Despite that result, Kerkvliet has been a different wrestler this season. He has recovered from his injuries and has shown a takedown ability that was absent last year. Cassioppi still might be able to have an impact from the top position, but in the neutral position, it is likely Kerkvliet will be the one scoring takedowns. Prediction: Kerkvliet (Penn State) decision over Cassioppi Team Score Prediction: 21-9 Penn State

Cleveland State 149 lber Marcus Robinson (photo courtesy of Cleveland State athletics) Bloomsburg: On Saturday, the Huskies lost a hard-fought battle to George Mason 26-9. Three Huskies came away with a win, improving their overall season records. Josh Mason (141) defeated Shawn Nonaka by a decision of 5-0. Alex Carida (157) won by a major decision over Loranzo Rajaonarivelo 16-4. Shane Noonan (HWT) triumphed over Austin Stith by a 6-3 decision. The Huskies will be back in action on Saturday, January 29th, at 12:00pm at Rider University. Buffalo: The Bulls extended their winning streak to five matches by defeating Kent State 27-9. Seven Bulls won their individual bouts, helping secure the victory by such a large margin. Derek Spann (133) defeated Brendon Fenton by fall in 2:59. John Arceri (149) won in sudden victory 6-4 over Kody Komara. Hunter Shaut (157) won by fall in 3:25 over Robert Pryhocki. Noah Grover (165) won in sudden victory 3-1 over Brady Chrisman. Jay Nivison (174) defeated Michael Ferree by a decision of 3-1. Sam Mitchell (197) prevailed over Tyler Bates in sudden victory 6-4. Toby Cahill (HWT) won by decision 2-0 over Jacob Cover. The Bulls will be back in action against Northern Illinois University on Saturday, February 5th at 1:00pm in Alumni Arena. Central Michigan: For the second weekend in a row, the Chippewas went a perfect 3-0 on the weekend, defeating Northern Illinois 33-6, SIUE 34-3, and #24 South Dakota State 21-17. Five Chippewas went 3-0 on the weekend, while three Chippewas went 2-1. Brock Bergelin (125) defeated Lucian Brink of Northern Illinois by a decision of 6-0, Austin Macias of SIUE by a 13-2 major decision, and Tanner Jordan of South Dakota State by fall in 3:32. Dresden Simon (141) won by a 6-4 decision over Javion Jones of Northern Illinois, 4-2 in sudden victory over Saul Ervin of SIUE, and an 11-5 decision over Clay Carlson of South Dakota State. Corbyn Munson (149) reigned over Dillon Nichols of Northern Illinois by a 17-0 technical fall, Caleb Tyus of SIUE by an 8-3 decision, and Daniel Kimball of South Dakota State by a 9-2 decision. Johnny Lovett (157) defeated Anthony Gibson of Northern Illinois by a 13-5 major decision, Max Kristoff of SIUE by a 16-4 major decision, and Kenny O'Neill of South Dakota State in sudden victory 8-6. Matt Stencel (HWT) won by fall in 2:19 over Terrese Aaron of Northern Illinois, by fall over Colton McKiernan of SIUE in 5:18, and by a 6-3 decision over AJ Nevills of South Dakota State. Tracy Hubbard (165) defeated Alec Rees of Northern Illinois by a 3-2 decision and Cardeionte Wilson of SIUE by a 6-2 decision. Bret Fedewa (174) won by a 4-0 decision over Kevin Gschwendtner of SIUE and in sudden victory 3-1 over Cade DeVos of South Dakota State. Aaron Bolo (197) triumphed over Tristen Guaman of Northern Illinois by a decision of 2-0 and Ryan Yarnell of SIUE in a tiebreaker 3-2. The Chippewas will compete on Sunday, January 30th, at 2:00pm against Ohio. Cleveland State: The Vikings went 1-1 this weekend, defeating Edinboro 25-10 and falling to Navy 32-7 in the Cleveland State Tri-Meet. Two Vikings went a perfect 2-0 on the weekend, leading the charge. Marcus Robinson (149) defeated Ryan Burgos of Edinboro by a decision of 11-7 and Johnathan Miranda of Navy by a 16-5 major decision. Riley Smucker (165) won by a 9-2 decision over Dylan Kohn of Edinboro and by a 9-6 decision over Sammy Starr of Navy. The Vikings will be back in action on Thursday, January 27th, at Kent State at 7:00pm. Clarion: On Saturday, the Eagles lost a nailbiter to Lock Haven 17-16. Five Eagles came out on top. Seth Koleno (141) won by an 8-3 decision over Gable Strickland. Brent Moore (149) dominated Connor Eck by a 15-4 major decision. John Worthing (174) edged Tyler Stoltzfus 8-7. Max Wohlabaugh (184) defeated Colin Fegley in sudden victory 3-1. Will Feldkamp (197) won by a 6-5 decision over Parker McClellan. The Eagles will wrestle Hofstra at 1:30pm and Kent State at 3:00pm on Sunday, January 30th, live on Rokfin. Edinboro: The Fighting Scots went 1-1 this weekend, defeating Rider University 24-16 and falling to Cleveland State 25-10. One wrestler had a standout weekend, going a perfect 2-0. Ethan Ducca (184) defeated Evan Vasquez of Rider by a 7-1 decision and Jax Leonard of Cleveland State by a 10-2 major decision. With those wins, Ducca improves to 11-2 on the season. The Fighting Scots will wrestle at George Mason University on Sunday, January 30th, at 1:00pm. George Mason: The Patriots split their matches this weekend, going 1-1. George Mason fell to Lock Haven 25-11 and defeated Bloomsburg 26-9. Two Patriots won both of their matches. Alex Madrigal (149) defeated Connor Eck of George Mason by technical fall 21-5 and Cody Harrison of Bloomsburg by fall in 4:16. Kyle Davis (184) won by a 5-2 decision over Colin Fegley of Lock Haven and by an 11-1 major decision over Bruno Stolfi of Bloomsburg. The Patriots will wrestle Edinboro on Sunday, January 30th, at 1:00pm. Kent State: On Friday, the Golden Flashes dropped a 27-9 matchup against The University at Buffalo. Three Golden Flashes defeated their opponents. Jake Ferri (125) won by decision over Tristan Daughtery 7-5. Louis Newell (141) triumphed over Ben Freeman by a close 3-2 decision. Colin McCracken (184) topped Peter Acciardi 8-1 in sudden victory. The Golden Flashes will wrestle Cleveland State on Thursday, January 27th, at 7:00pm. Lock Haven: The Eagles swept both of their matches, defeating George Mason 25-11 and Clarion 17-16. Five Eagles won both of their matches, going a perfect 2-0. Anthony Noto (125) won by a 10-4 decision over Ben Monn of George Mason and a 4-1 decision over Joey Fischer of Clarion. Gable Strickland (133) triumphed over Michael Rapuano of George Mason by a 16-8 major decision and Alex Blake of Clarion by a 2-0 decision. Ben Barton (157) topped both Loranzo Rajaonarivelo of George Mason by a 20-6 major decision and Chanz Shearer of Clarion by a 20-7 major decision. Ashton Eyler (165) took a 4-1 decision over Tyler Kocak of George Mason and was 9-3 against Cam Pine of Clarion. Isaac Reid (HWT) crushed Austin Stith by technical fall 18-3 and Ty Bagoly of Clarion by a 14-6 major decision. The Eagles will return to action on Saturday, January 29th, at the Mat Town Open II. Wrestling will start at 9:30am in the Thomas Fieldhouse. Northern Illinois: The Huskies dropped both of their matches this past weekend, losing to Central Michigan 33-6 and Oklahoma 34-3. Three wrestlers picked up one win. Mikey Kaminsky (133) defeated Vince Perez of Central Michigan by a 7-3 decision. Javion James (141) won a close 1-0 decision against Jacob Butler of Oklahoma. Mason Kauffman (174) topped Bret Fedewa of Central Michigan by a 5-3 decision. Northern Illinois is slated to compete at Little Rock on Sunday, January 30th, at 10:00am. Ohio University: This weekend, the Bobcats went 1-1, splitting their matches. On Saturday, the Bobcats lost to Navy 21-14 and on Sunday, the Bobcats defeated Davidson 33-9. Two wrestlers went a perfect 2-0 on the weekend. Oscar Sanchez (125) topped Jacob Allen of Navy in sudden victory 3-1 and Hale Robinson of Davidson by a 20-5 technical fall. Alec Hagan (149) won by technical fall over Johnathan Miranda of Navy 15-0 and a major decision over David Loniewski of Davidson 11-0. The Bobcats will be back in action on Sunday, January 30th, at Central Michigan. Wrestling will start at 2:00pm. Rider: The Broncs lost a hard-fought battle to Edinboro 24-18. Four Broncs downed their Edinboro opponents. Tyler Klinsky (125) won by technical fall over Chris Merlo 19-2. Quinn Kinner (141) defeated Gabe Willochell by fall in 1:44. Alec Bobchin (157) emerged victorious over PJ Gohn 3-1 in sudden victory. David Szuba (HWT) defeated Max Millian by a 15-6 major decision. The Broncs will wrestle at Bucknell on Sunday, January 30th, at 2:00pm. SIU Edwardsville: The Cougars dropped both of their matches this weekend, losing to Central Michigan 34-3 and South Dakota State 39-3. Two SIUE wrestlers came away with one win each. Sergio Villalobos (184) defeated Ben Cushman of Central Michigan in sudden victory 3-1. Max Kristoff (157) won a 12-10 decision over Kenny O'Neill of South Dakota State. The Cougars are slated to compete on Sunday, February 6th, at the Greyhound Open in Indianapolis, Indiana.

#1 ranked 165 lber Evan Wick (photo courtesy of Sam Janicki; SJanickiPhoto.com) Earlier this morning, InterMat released our new set of weekly rankings for DI wrestling. At the 165 lb weight class, there was a new name atop the list in Evan Wick. The three-time NCAA All-American has made history by becoming Cal Poly's first #1 ranked wrestler since Chad Mendes at 141 lbs in 2007-08. Mendes himself became the first Mustang wrestler in 28 years to earn top billing at his respective weight. The future UFC superstar was the top seed at the 2008 NCAA Championships and went on to finish as a national runner-up, falling in the finals to J Jaggers (Ohio State), 5-2. He concluded the year with a 30-1 record and earned All-American honors for the second time in his career. Mendes' accomplishments earned him 2008 Pac-10 Wrestler of the Year honors. Wick ascended to the top spot at 165 lbs after the previous #1, Alex Marinelli (Iowa), fell to Carson Khachla (Ohio State) on Friday night. He solidified the ranking Monday by scoring a 9-1 major decision over then-unbeaten Anthony Valencia (Arizona State), a returning All-American. For the year, Wick is now 10-0, with bonus points coming in seven of those contests. The win over Valencia was Wick's first appearance since winning the Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational in early December. In Vegas, Wick prevailed in one of the most star-studded brackets. His final three wins came over DII national champion Matt Malcom (Nebraska-Kearney), 2021 All-American Cam Amine (Michigan), and 2021 NCAA Champion Shane Griffith (Stanford). Wick controlled the returning champion to the tune of 6-2. The two are slated to meet again on the final weekend of the regular season as the Mustangs travel to Palo Alto. Some combination of Wick, Griffith, and Valencia will likely meet at the Pac-12 Championships and possibly in Detroit. A graduate transfer from Wisconsin, Wick has returned to his home state to complete his final year of collegiate eligibility. He's the face of a squad that is now tied for #12 in InterMat's Tournament rankings. In addition to Evan, five other Mustang wrestlers are currently among the top-33. Cal Poly head coach Jon Sioredas had this to say about Wick: "Evan embodies our core values and exemplifies consistent high-level leadership for our program. His performance is a direct reflection of his preparation. His humble and thoughtful approach to our sport is contagious and is making a vast impact on everyone around him, including myself. It is exciting to have a front row seat in his journey, as he continues to evolve in both his wrestling and as a leader."

2021 NCAA Champion AJ Ferrari (photo courtesy of Tony Rotundo; WrestlersAreWarriors.com) Monday evening, 2021 NCAA Champion AJ Ferrari was involved in an auto accident on the way back to Stillwater. Shortly after, rumors circulated about the severity of the accident and circumstances related to the situation. Later that evening, the Oklahoma State athletic department released a statement regarding the accident which read: Oklahoma State wrestler AJ Ferrari and runner Isai Rodriguez were involved in an auto accident at approximately 8 p.m. tonight as they were returning to Stillwater following an appearance at a youth wrestling practice in nearby Cushing. Ferrari was transported via helicopter to an Oklahoma City hospital, where he is responsive. Ferrari's injuries are not life-threatening. Rodriguez is also being treated for injuries that are not life-threatening. According to law enforcement officials, there were no fatalities or serious injuries to anyone else involved in the accident. Ferrari's father also used social media to keep the public informed on the situation:

Penn's 157 lber Doug Zapf (photo courtesy of Sam Janicki; SJanickiPhoto.com) Oftentimes after big events, we'll single out some breakout performances for individuals whose stock rose by their performances. This time we'll do something similar, but with a twist. Rather than focus on individuals, we'll focus on some teams who have recently had impressive showings and could either jump into the national rankings, or improve their standing in those rankings. Here are the five teams to watch: Michigan State Let's face it, jumping levels (teamwise) in the Big Ten is no easy task. The conference has mainstays like Iowa, Penn State, Michigan, and Ohio State that contend for the league crown on a yearly basis. Minnesota has won multiple NCAA titles over the last two decades and can't be overlooked. Nebraska's always in the mix. Rutgers has emerged as a legitimate power. Before you've realized it, we've named half of the team's in the Big Ten. And that didn't include growing programs like Purdue and Wisconsin. The fact is breaking into the top half of the Big Ten probably means you're a top-ten or top-15 program. Quietly, Michigan State has moved closer and closer to that status under head coach Roger Chandler. This shouldn't be totally unexpected. The Spartans were eighth at the 2021 Big Ten Championships, directly ahead of Ohio State, Rutgers, Illinois, and Wisconsin, and only a half-point behind Northwestern. Truthfully, most people probably forgot about that placement because only one of MSU's eight national qualifiers advanced as far as the Round of 12 in St. Louis. On the dual front, the Spartans were 2-5 wrestling a Big Ten-only schedule. This year, it was hard to know exactly what to think of Chandler's squad. The team won the Navy Classic and claimed wins in their first five duals, though non was against B1G competition. On New Year's, the team went to Chattanooga and finished third at the Southern Scuffle. Some may not have put too much stock into that finish because the tournament was not as loaded as normal. Last Saturday, Michigan State forced the league and the rest of the country to take notice as they put together a 17-16 win over Purdue. The dual was tied at 16; however, the Spartans were declared the winner based on a 50-49 edge on total match points. In what will become a recurring theme, 197 lber Cam Caffey was a standout, taking out then #13 Thomas Penola, 8-1. If a win over a ranked team like Purdue (who had recently defeated Nebraska) wasn't enough, the Spartans also upended #15 Rutgers on Friday. Once again, Caffey played a key role as he majored seventh-ranked Greg Bulsak, 12-4. A match before, Layne Malczewski put MSU in great position for the upset when he pulled one himself. Malczewski countered a reversal attempt from #5 John Poznanski and pinned the 2021 All-American to push his team ahead 20-14. Life in the Big Ten affords teams little time for celebration or sit back and appreciate their accomplishments. Just two days later, the Spartans hosted top-ranked Penn State. As you would expect, the Nittany Lions put on a dominant performance and won 28-9. The dual wasn't without a bright spot as Caffey pulled another top-ten upset and handed #2 Max Dean his first loss of the year. Michigan State now has an 8-2 dual record with four duals left on the slate. They will certainly jump into InterMat's Dual rankings, once they are released tomorrow. South Dakota State After two one-sided wins at the Virginia Duals, South Dakota State found themselves in InterMat's Dual rankings for the first time all year, checking in at #24. Damion Hahn's team won by 25 over Chattanooga and took down a resurgent Big Ten opponent, in Maryland, 28-6. Pretty good for a team that decided to travel across the country to enter the Virginia Duals on less than 48 hours' notice. With a dual record of 6-1, the Jackrabbits hit the road again for three duals this weekend. The first is the one that turned heads, as SDSU tangled with #12 Missouri. In just his third match in South Dakota State colors, Gabe Tagg provided a boost for his new squad when he pinned former SDSU national qualifier, Connor Brown, at 133 lbs. But, at the halfway point, things were looking grim for Hahn's squad, who trailed 12-6, while appearing to hit the meat of the Tiger lineup. That's when the Jackrabbits reeled off five straight wins to close out the dual and stunned the Tigers. Tanner Cook and Cade DeVos held serve as favorites in their respective matches, while Cade King took out #14 Jeremiah Kent in sudden victory. Tanner Sloan continued his hot streak at 197 lbs and downed #5 Rocky Elam, 5-2. Barring a miraculous finish at 285 lbs, SDSU had pulled the upset. Just for good measure, #24 AJ Nevills pulled a slight upset, when he knocked off #15 Zach Elam, 1-0. The next day, South Dakota State crushed SIU Edwardsville before losing 21-17 to….. Central Michigan Just a day after knocking off #12 Missouri, South Dakota State fell victim to an upset themselves, by losing to Central Michigan. Before beating the Jackrabbits, CMU also logged wins over MAC rivals Northern Illinois (Friday; 33-6) and SIU Edwardsville (34-3). The opening bout set the tone for the rest of the dual as 125 lber Brock Bergelin pinned Tanner Jordan in just :32 seconds into the middle stanza. After a major in SDSU's favor came the headline match of the dual. #12 Dresden Simon prevailed 11-5 over the wrestler just a spot ahead of him in the rankings, Clay Carlson. It was only the third loss all year for Carlson and the first by a wrestler not named Allan Hart (Missouri). At 174 lbs, the Chippewas pulled the biggest upset of the match when Bret Fedewa took out #10 Cade DeVos in sudden victory. After Fedewa's win, South Dakota State struck again with wins at 184 and 197 lbs, to pull within a point heading into 285 lbs. As has been the case many times during his decorated career at CMU, All-American Matt Stencel came up big for his team. Stencel's 6-3 win over AJ Nevills to clinch the Chips win. With the three dual meet victories, Central Michigan's record now moves to 8-2 overall. Last weekend, legendary head coach Tom Borrelli picked up three wins versus his former pupils (including his son) at the Chippewa Challenge. CMU's only losses this year have come against second-ranked Iowa and #16 Lehigh, who has proven to be a high-quality team. While the remainder of the MAC conference lies ahead dual-wise for Borrelli's team, they also hit in-state rivals Michigan State and Michigan during the final week of the season. This version of CMU is starting to resemble others during Borrelli's tenure, ones that lacked big-name recruits but displayed plenty of grit and toughness. Penn After the MatMen Open, the Penn Quakers found their way into the top-25 of InterMat's dual rankings. We received a few questions about just how Penn deserved to be ranked as a dual team with a 0-1 record. Well, with a lineup that features eight of ten wrestlers ranked within the top-33, they'll be a formidable matchup for almost anyone in the nation. Since the Ivy League was unable to compete last year, we weren't sure exactly what to expect from Roger Reina's squad. Especially since the Quaker program has been tearing up the recruiting trail and some of the key components had little to no collegiate experience. The Quakers only dual during the first half of the season came against the team now ranked #1 in the nation, Penn State. Though PSU's lineup didn't resemble the same one they can send out today, Penn was surprisingly close, losing 20-16. Sunday, Penn was back on the mat for the first time since the MatMen Open in late December. They were paired with Ivy League rival Columbia. Just a week ago, Columbia pushed #16 Lehigh to the brink in a 20-16 loss. The Penn/Columbia dual started at 174 lbs and #25 Nick Incontrara got the Quakers on the board with a 10-6 win over Nick Fine, an opponent that was pushing for a spot among the top-33. The back end of the Columbia lineup was one that could be exposed by Penn and that ended up being the case, as the Quakers held a 12-0 lead wrapping around to 125 lbs. At 125 was one of Columbia's top grapplers, #19 Joe Manchio. Manchio's 4-3 win over Jaret Lane (Lehigh), helped contribute to the Lion's near-upset of Lehigh. Momentum from his previous four teammates helped carry Ryan Miller to a 4-2 win over Manchio. Michael Colaiocco, CJ Composto, Anthony Artalona, and Doug Zapf followed with wins and gave the Quakers a 32-0 lead headed into the final match. #21 Josh Ogunsanya's 3-2 win over #25 Lucas Revano kept Columbia from getting blanked at 165 lbs. After winning their first dual of the year, Reina's team has eight duals ahead of them, three of which come against #16 Lehigh, #10 Cornell and 2020 Ivy League champs, Princeton. Northern Iowa An 0-4 start for Northern Iowa helped nudge the Panthers out of the top-25 earlier this year. While the record was unsightly, it probably could use another look. Doug Schwab's team lost duals against Penn State, Cornell, Virginia Tech, and Missouri. All four were ranked in the top ten when they met UNI. While the strength of schedule was difficult for Northern Iowa, they also were without some key pieces along the way. 174 lb national qualifier Lance Runyon did not compete until yesterday. It took some time to sort out the 149 lb class, but it appears that Colin Realbuto has grabbed a hold of that role. Sunday, UNI was in action against Big 12 foe North Dakota State, a team that just found its way into the national rankings, at #25, after downing Wyoming 22-14. Northern Iowa made short work of the Bison with a 29-13 dismantling of NSDU. Not only did Kyle Biscoglia pull a slight upset at 133 lbs, but he was also able to tally a bonus point with his 8-0 major decision. The biggest upset of the dual came at 165 lbs when #19 Austin Yant downed the reigning Big 12 champion at the weight, Luke Weber. Yant prevailed with an 8-6 win. A match later, teammate Runyon got his first taste of competition for the 2021-22 and knocked off #23 Austin Brenner, 5-3. UNI took seven of ten matches from North Dakota State and was able to rack up bonus points at five weights. They will be battle-tested headed into the conference tournament as duals against Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, Iowa State, and Wisconsin lie ahead.

Michigan State national qualifier Cam Caffey (photo courtesy of Sam Janicki; SJanickiPhoto.com) Saturday's Dual Results Navy 21 Ohio 14 125 - Oscar Sanchez (Ohio) dec Jacob Allen (Navy) 3-1SV 133 - Josh Koderhandt (Navy) dec Gio DiSabato (Ohio) 4-3 141 - Mario Guillen (Ohio) dec Tyler Hunt (Navy) 6-4 149 - Alec Hagan (Ohio) tech Jonathan Miranda (Navy) 15-0 157 - Andrew Cerniglia (Navy) dec Jordan Slivka (Ohio) 5-4 165 - Sammy Starr (Navy) fall Sean O'Dwyer (Ohio) 5:54 174 - Sal Perrine (Ohio) dec Cael Crebs (Navy) 8-5 184 - David Key (Navy) dec Zayne Lehman (Ohio) 5-2 197 - Jake Koser (Navy) dec Carson Brewer (Ohio) 7-0 285 - Ryan Catka (Navy) dec Jordan Greer (Ohio) 5-3 Binghamton 28 Long Island 13 125 - Robbie Sagaris (Long Island) dec Nick Curley (Binghamton) 5-4 133 - Anthony Sobotker (Binghamton) maj Kaelen Francois (Long Island) 9-1 141 - Devin Matthews (Long Island) maj Christian Gannone (Binghamton) 11-3 149 - Drew Witham (Long Island) dec Nick Lombard (Binghamton) 14-13 157 - Rhise Royster (Long Island) dec Tyler Martin (Binghamton) 4-2 165 - Brevin Cassella (Binghamton) fall Blake Bahna (Long Island) 3:10 174 - Jacob Nolan (Binghamton) dec Ryan Ferro (Long Island) 8-2 184 - Cory Day (Binghamton) fall James Langan (Long Island) 4:33 197 - Louie DePrez (Binghamton) dec Nunzio Crowley (Long Island) 4-2 285 - Joe Doyle (Binghamton) fall Tim Nagosky (Long Island) 1:06 Cornell 35 Harvard 6 125 - Greg Diakomihalis (Cornell) dec Beau Bayless (Harvard) 9-2 133 - Dom LaJoie (Cornell) maj Dillon Murphy (Harvard) 14-5 141 - Kenny Hermann (Harvard) dec Phillip Moomey (Cornell) 8-1 149 - Yianni Diakomihalis (Cornell) fall Lukus Stricker (Harvard) 1:58 157 - Hunter Richard (Cornell) dec Trevor Tarsi (Harvard) 6-4SV 165 - Julian Ramirez (Cornell) tech Alex Whitworth (Harvard) 16-1 174 - Chris Foca (Cornell) dec Joshua Kim (Harvard) 8-2 184 - Luke Rada (Harvard) dec Ethan Hatcher (Cornell) 5-3 197 - Jacob Cardenas (Cornell) tech Nick Marcenelle (Harvard) 17-0 285 - Lewis Fernandes (Cornell) FFT Cornell 47 Brown 3 125 - Greg Diakomihalis (Cornell) fall Hunter Adrian (Brown) 3:44 133 - Dom LaJoie (Cornell) maj Nicky Cabanillas (Brown) 15-5 141 - Timothy Levine (Brown) dec Phillip Moomey (Cornell) 7-0 149 - Yianni Diakomihalis (Cornell) fall Blake Saito (Brown) 3:42 157 - Hunter Richard (Cornell) maj Jack Bokina (Brown) 16-6 165 - Julian Ramirez (Cornell) maj Harrison Trahan (Brown) 13-1 174 - Chris Foca (Cornell) FFT 184 - Ethan Hatcher (Cornell) tech Aaron Wolk (Brown) 15-0 197 - Jacob Cardenas (Cornell) FFT 285 - Lewis Fernandes (Cornell) fall Mason Spears (Brown) 1:41 Princeton 27 Columbia 12 125 - Patrick Glory (Princeton) tech Joe Manchio (Columbia) 17-2 133 - Angelo Rini (Columbia) dec Nick Kayal (Princeton) 12-7 141 - Matt Kazimir (Columbia) dec Danny Cole (Princeton) 1-0 149 - Dominic Rossetti (Columbia) dec Marshall Keller (Princeton) 5-4SV 157 - Quincy Monday (Princeton) fall Andrew Garr (Columbia) 4:11 165 - Blaine Bergey (Princeton) dec Connor Kievman (Columbia) 10-5 174 - Nick Fine (Columbia) dec Nate Dugan (Princeton) 5-0 184 - Travis Stefanik (Princeton) dec Brian Bonino (Columbia) 7-2 197 - Luke Stout (Princeton) fall Sam Wustefeld (Columbia) 5:45 285 - Matt Cover (Princeton) maj Dan Conley (Columbia) 8-0 South Dakota State 21 Missouri 12 125 - Noah Surtin (Missouri) dec Tanner Jordan (South Dakota State) 6-0 133 - Gabe Tagg (South Dakota State) fall Connor Brown (Missouri) :27 141 - Allan Hart (Missouri) dec Clay Carlson (South Dakota State) 4-2 149 - Josh Edmond (Missouri) dec Daniel Kimball (South Dakota State) 8-3 157 - Jarrett Jacques (Missouri) dec Kenny O'Neill (South Dakota State) 7-3 165 - Tanner Cook (South Dakota State) dec Mitchell Bohlken (Missouri) 6-2 174 - Cade DeVos (South Dakota State) dec Sean Harman (Missouri) 7-4 184 - Cade King (South Dakota State) dec Jeremiah Kent (Missouri) 6-4SV 197 - Tanner Sloan (South Dakota State) dec Rocky Elam (Missouri) 5-2 285 - AJ Nevills (South Dakota State) dec Zach Elam (Missouri) 2-0 Oregon State 22 Wyoming 12 125 - Brandon Kaylor (Oregon State) maj Brendon Garcia (Wyoming) 11-3 133 - Devan Turner (Oregon State) dec Job Greenwood (Wyoming) 5-2 141 - Grant Willits (Oregon State) dec Darren Green (Wyoming) 3-1 149 - Cory Crooks (Oregon State) dec Jaron Jensen (Wyoming) 11-6 157 - Hunter Willits (Oregon State) dec Jacob Wright (Wyoming) 4-3SV 165 - Cole Moody (Wyoming) dec Lane Stigall (Oregon State) 6-2 174 - Hayden Hastings (Wyoming) dec Aaron Olmos (Oregon State) 7-3 184 - Trey Munoz (Oregon State) dec Tate Samuelson (Wyoming) 3-2 197 - Stephen Buchanan (Wyoming) fall Ryan Reyes (Oregon State) 4:26 285 - Gary Traub (Oregon State) dec Terren Swartz (Wyoming) 3-1SV Bucknell 43 Sacred Heart 9 125 - Brandon Seidman (Bucknell) maj Jacob Venezia (Sacred Heart) 10-0 133 - Kurt Phipps (Bucknell) maj Anthony Petrillo (Sacred Heart) 13-2 141 - Darren Miller (Bucknell) tech Jake Carlucci (Sacred Heart) 17-2 149 - Kolby DePron (Bucknell) fall Cole McGill (Sacred Heart) 1:57 157 - Nick Palumbo (Sacred Heart) dec Nick Delp (Bucknell) 4-2 165 - Zach Hartman (Bucknell) InjDef Scott Jarosz (Sacred Heart) 174 - Robert Hetherman (Sacred Heart) fall Sam Barnes (Bucknell) :39 184 - Logan Deacetis (Bucknell) fall Joe Accousti (Sacred Heart) 2:28 197 - Mason McCready (Bucknell) fall Logan Michael (Sacred Heart) 2:48 285 - Luke Niemeyer (Bucknell) fall Nick Copley (Sacred Heart) 1:49 Edinboro 24 Rider 18 125 - Tyler Klinsky (Rider) tech Chris Merlo (Edinboro) 19-2 133 - Cameron Soda (Edinboro) dec Richie Koehler (Rider) 3-1SV 141 - Quinn Kinner (Rider) fall Gabe Willochell (Edinboro) 1:44 149 - Ryan Burgos (Edinboro) FFT 157 - Alec Bobchin (Rider) dec PJ Gohn (Edinboro) 3-1SV 165 - Dylan Kohn (Edinboro) dec Angel Garcia (Rider) 7-2 174 - Jacob Oliver (Edinboro) dec Shane Reitsma (Rider) 9-5 184 - Ethan Ducca (Edinboro) dec Evan Vasquez (Rider) 7-1 197 - Cody Mulligan (Edinboro) InjDef Jacob Andersen (Rider) 285 - David Szuba (Rider) maj Max Millin (Edinboro) 15-6 Cleveland State 25 Edinboro 10 125 - Logan Heil (Cleveland State) maj Chris Merlo (Edinboro) 10-0 133 - Jacob Manley (Cleveland State) dec Cameron Soda (Edinboro) 5-1 141 - Gabe Willochell (Edinboro) FFT 149 - Marcus Robinson (Cleveland State) dec Ryan Burgos (Edinboro) 11-7 157 - Daniel Patten (Cleveland State) dec Alex Garee (Edinboro) 3-1SV 165 - Riley Smucker (Cleveland State) dec Dylan Kohn (Edinboro) 9-2 174 - Anthony Rice (Cleveland State) dec Jacob Oliver (Edinboro) 5-3 184 - Ethan Ducca (Edinboro) maj Jax Leonard (Cleveland State) 10-2 197 - Ben Smith (Cleveland State) dec Cody Mulligan (Edinboro) 4-3TB 285 - Daniel Bucknavich (Cleveland State) dec Max Millin (Edinboro) 3-2 Lock Haven 17 Clarion 16 125 - Anthony Noto (Lock Haven) dec Joey Fischer (Clarion) 4-1 133 - Cole Manley (Lock Haven) dec Alex Blake (Clarion) 2-0 141 - Seth Koleno (Clarion) dec Gable Strickland (Lock Haven) 8-3 149 - Brent Moore (Clarion) maj Connor Eck (Lock Haven) 15-4 157 - Ben Barton (Lock Haven) maj Chanz Shearer (Clarion) 20-7 165 - Ashton Eyler (Lock Haven) dec Cam Pine (Clarion) 9-3 174 - John Worthing (Clarion) dec Tyler Stoltzfus (Lock Haven) 8-7 184 - Max Wohlabaugh (Clarion) dec Colin Fegley (Lock Haven) 3-1SV 197 - Will Feldkamp (Clarion) dec Parker McClellan (Lock Haven) 6-5 285 - Isaac Reid (Lock Haven) maj Ty Bagoly (Clarion) 14-6 Northern Iowa 29 North Dakota State 13 125 - Brody Teske (Northern Iowa) fall Lucas Rodriguez (North Dakota State) 3:58 133 - Kyle Biscoglia (Northern Iowa) maj Kellyn March (North Dakota State) 8-0 141 - Cael Happel (Northern Iowa) maj Dylan Droegemueller (North Dakota State) 15-5 149 - Colin Realbuto (Northern Iowa) maj Gaven Sax (North Dakota State) 13-5 157 - Jared Franek (North Dakota State) maj Derek Holschlag (Northern Iowa) 12-4 165 - Austin Yant (Northern Iowa) dec Luke Weber (North Dakota State) 8-6 174 - Lance Runyon (Northern Iowa) dec Austin Brenner (North Dakota State) 5-3 184 - Parker Keckeisen (Northern Iowa) tech DJ Parker (North Dakota State) 22-7 197 - Owen Pentz (North Dakota State) InjDef Noah Glaser (Northern Iowa) 285 - Brandon Metz (North Dakota State) dec Tyrell Gordon (Northern Iowa) 3-2 Sunday's Dual Results Ohio State 39 Maryland 4 125 - Malik Heinselman (Ohio State) tech Zach Spence (Maryland) 15-0 133 - King Sandoval (Maryland) maj Dylan Koontz (Ohio State) 10-0 141 - Dylan D'Emilio (Ohio State) fall Will Berkowitz (Maryland) 1:35 149 - Sammy Sasso (Ohio State) tech Michael North (Maryland) 24-5 157 - Jashon Hubbard (Ohio State) fall Connor Decker (Maryland) :41 165 - Carson Kharchla (Ohio State) tech Gaven Bell (Maryland) 18-3 174 - Fritz Schierl (Ohio State) dec Dom Solis (Maryland) 5-2 184 - Kaleb Romero (Ohio State) dec Kyle Cochran (Maryland) 6-2 197 - Gavin Hoffman (Ohio State) dec Kevin Makosy (Maryland) 10-3 285 - Tate Orndorff (Ohio State) dec Zach Schrader (Maryland) 4-1 Penn State 28 Michigan State 9 125 - Drew Hildebrandt (Penn State) maj Tristan Lujan (Michigan State) 8-0 133 - Rayvon Foley (Michigan State) dec Baylor Shunk (Penn State) 8-2 141 - Nick Lee (Penn State) maj Matt Santos (Michigan State) 13-1 149 - Beau Bartlett (Penn State) dec Peyton Omania (Michigan State) 5-2 157 - Chase Saldate (Michigan State) dec Terrell Barraclough (Penn State) 4-2SV 165 - Brady Berge (Penn State) dec Caleb Fish (Michigan State) 7-4 174 - Carter Starocci (Penn State) tech Marty Larkin (Michigan State) 19-3 184 - Aaron Brooks (Penn State) dec Layne Malczewski (Michigan State) 4-0 197 - Cam Caffey (Michigan State) dec Max Dean (Penn State) 3-2 285 - Greg Kerkvliet (Penn State) fall Brad Wilton (Michigan State) 1:58 George Mason 26 Bloomsburg 9 125 - Ben Monn (George Mason) dec Bronson Garber (Bloomsburg) 4-1 133 - Michael Rapuano (George Mason) dec Cole Rhone (Bloomsburg) 10-4 141 - Josh Mason (Bloomsburg) dec Shawn Nonaka (George Mason) 5-0 149 - Alex Madrigal (George Mason) fall Cody Harrison (Bloomsburg) 4:16 157 - Alex Carida (Bloomsburg) maj Loranzo Rajaonarivelo (George Mason) 16-4 165 - Tyler Kocak (George Mason) maj Trenton Harder (Bloomsburg) 10-2 174 - Jeremy Seymour (George Mason) dec Matt Benedetti (Bloomsburg) 3-2 184 - Kyle Davis (George Mason) maj Bruno Stolfi (Bloomsburg) 11-1 197 - Jon List (George Mason) maj David Tuttle (Bloomsburg) 13-0 285 - Shane Noonan (Bloomsburg) dec Austin Stith (George Mason) 6-3 Central Michigan 34 SIU Edwardsville 3 125 - Brock Bergelin (Central Michigan) maj Austin Macias (SIU Edwardsville) 13-2 133 - Vince Perez (Central Michigan) tech Matt Malavsky (SIU Edwardsville) 15-0 141 - Dresden Simon (Central Michigan) dec Saul Ervin (SIU Edwardsville) 4-2SV 149 - Corbyn Munson (Central Michigan) dec Caleb Tyus (SIU Edwardsville) 8-3 157 - Johnny Lovett (Central Michigan) maj Max Kristoff (SIU Edwardsville) 16-4 165 - Tracy Hubbard (Central Michigan) dec Cardeionte Wilson (SIU Edwardsville) 6-2 174 - Bret Fedewa (Central Michigan) dec Kevin Gschwendtner (SIU Edwardsville) 4-0 184 - Sergio Villalobos (SIU Edwardsville) dec Ben Cushman (Central Michigan) 3-1SV 197 - Aaron Bolo (Central Michigan) dec Ryan Yarnell (SIU Edwardsville) 3-2TB 285 - Matt Stencel (Central Michigan) fall Colton McKiernan (SIU Edwardsville) 5:18 South Dakota State 39 SIU Edwardsville 3 125 - Tanner Jordan (South Dakota State) maj Austin Macias (SIU Edwardsville) 14-3 133 - Gabe Tagg (South Dakota State) tech Matt Malavsky (SIU Edwardsville) 16-0 141 - Clay Carlson (South Dakota State) dec Saul Ervin (SIU Edwardsville) 5-3 149 - Daniel Kimball (South Dakota State) dec Caleb Tyus (SIU Edwardsville) 4-2SV 157 - Max Kristoff (SIU Edwardsville) dec Kenny O'Neill (South Dakota State) 12-10 165 - Tanner Cook (South Dakota State) fall Cardeionte Wilson (SIU Edwardsville) 4:24 174 - Cade DeVos (South Dakota State) dec Kevin Gschwendtner (SIU Edwardsville) 14-8 184 - Cade King (South Dakota State) dec Sergio Villalobos (SIU Edwardsville) 5-1 197 - Tanner Sloan (South Dakota State) fall Ryan Yarnell (SIU Edwardsville) 1:35 285 - AJ Nevills (South Dakota State) fall Colton McKiernan (SIU Edwardsville) 1:16 Buffalo 27 Kent State 9 125 - Jake Ferri (Kent State) dec Tristan Daugherty (Buffalo) 7-5 133 - Derek Spann (Buffalo) fall Brendon Fenton (Kent State) 2:59 141 - Louis Newell (Kent State) dec Ben Freeman (Buffalo) 3-2 149 - John Arceri (Buffalo) dec Kody Komara (Kent State) 6-4SV 157 - Hunter Shaut (Buffalo) fall Robert Pryhocki (Kent State) 3:25 165 - Noah Grover (Buffalo) dec Brady Chrisman (Kent State) 3-1SV 174 - Jay Nivison (Buffalo) dec Michael Ferree (Kent State) 3-1 184 - Colin McCracken (Kent State) dec Peter Acciardi (Buffalo) 8-1SV 197 - Samuel Mitchell (Buffalo) dec Tyler Bates (Kent State) 6-4SV 285 - Toby Cahill (Buffalo) dec Jacob Cover (Kent State) 2-0 Iowa State 26 North Dakota State 9 125 - Kysen Terukina (Iowa State) dec Lucas Rodriguez (North Dakota State) 8-3 133 - Kellyn March (North Dakota State) fall Ramazan Attasauov (Iowa State) 1:08 141 - Ian Parker (Iowa State) dec Dylan Droegemueller (North Dakota State) 7-4 149 - Jarrett Degen (Iowa State) dec Gaven Sax (North Dakota State) 7-2 157 - David Carr (Iowa State) dec Jared Franek (North Dakota State) 7-3 165 - Luke Weber (North Dakota State) dec Isaac Judge (Iowa State) 2-1 174 - Joel Devine (Iowa State) dec Riley Habisch (North Dakota State) 6-0 184 - Marcus Coleman (Iowa State) tech DJ Parker (North Dakota State) 16-0 197 - Yonger Bastida (Iowa State) dec Owen Pentz (North Dakota State) 9-6 285 - Sam Schuyler (Iowa State) dec Brandon Metz (North Dakota State) 5-2 Oklahoma State 26 Lehigh 9 125 - Trevor Mastrogiovanni (Oklahoma State) dec Jaret Lane (Lehigh) 5-1 133 - Daton Fix (Oklahoma State) fall Malyke Hines (Lehigh) 1:34 141 - Carter Young (Oklahoma State) dec Connor McGonagle (Lehigh) 5-4 149 - Kaden Gfeller (Oklahoma State) dec Paul Watkins (Lehigh) 5-1 157 - Josh Humphreys (Lehigh) dec Wyatt Sheets (Oklahoma State) 7-3 165 - Brian Meyer (Lehigh) dec Jalin Harper (Oklahoma State) 2-0 174 - Dustin Plott (Oklahoma State) dec Jake Logan (Lehigh) 5-3 184 - Dakota Geer (Oklahoma State) maj AJ Burkhart (Lehigh) 23-10 197 - AJ Ferrari (Oklahoma State) maj JT Davis (Lehigh) 12-2 285 - Jordan Wood (Lehigh) dec Luke Surber (Oklahoma State) 6-0 Wisconsin 23 Purdue 12 125 - Eric Barnett (Wisconsin) dec Devin Schroder (Purdue) 4-2 133 - Matt Ramos (Purdue) dec Kyle Burwick (Wisconsin) 4-2 141 - Joe Zargo (Wisconsin) dec Parker Filius (Wisconsin) 7-4 149 - Austin Gomez (Wisconsin) maj Alec White (Purdue) 14-5 157 - Kendall Coleman (Purdue) dec Garrett Model (Wisconsin) 5-3 165 - Dean Hamiti (Wisconsin) tech Hayden Lohrey (Purdue) 17-1 174 - Gerrit Nijenhuis (Purdue) dec Andrew McNally (Wisconsin) 3-1SV 184 - Chris Weiler (Wisconsin) maj Max Lyon (Purdue) 11-3 197 - Thomas Penola (Purdue) dec Braxton Amos (Purdue) 8-3 285 - Trent Hillger (Wisconsin) maj Michael Woulfe (Purdue) 10-0 North Carolina 37 Little Rock 6 125 - Spencer Moore (North Carolina) maj Jayden Carson (Little Rock) 11-2 133 - Joe Heilmann (North Carolina) maj Jaylen Carson (Little Rock) 13-3 141 - Kizhan Clarke (North Carolina) dec Conner Ward (Little Rock) 8-2 149 - Zach Sherman (North Carolina) maj Joey Bianchi (Little Rock) 14-2 157 - Austin O'Connor (North Carolina) tech Austin Keal (Little Rock) 24-9 165 - Tyler Brennan (Little Rock) fall Sonny Santiago (North Carolina) 4:08 174 - Clay Lautt (North Carolina) dec Triston Wills (Little Rock) 4-3 184 - Gavin Kane (North Carolina) fall Brayden Dillow (Little Rock) 5:53 197 - Max Shaw (North Carolina) tech Brooks Sacharczyk (Little Rock) 20-5 285 - Brandon Whitman (North Carolina) dec Josiah Hill (Little Rock) 5-2 Oklahoma 34 Northern Illinois 3 125 - Joey Prata (Oklahoma) dec Lucian Brink (Northern Illinois) 4-0 133 - Tony Madrigal (Oklahoma) maj Mikey Kaminsky (Northern Illinois) 12-4 141 - Jaivon James (Northern Illinois) dec Jacob Butler (Oklahoma) 1-0 149 - Willie McDougald (Oklahoma) maj Dillon Nichols (Northern Illinois) 15-2 157 - Justin Thomas (Oklahoma) maj Anthony Gibson (Northern Illinois) 12-4 165 - Troy Mantanona (Oklahoma) dec Alec Rees (Northern Illinois) 4-2 174 - Anthony Mantanona (Oklahoma) dec Mason Kauffman (Northern Illinois) 6-4 184 - Darrien Roberts (Oklahoma) FFT 197 - Jake Woodley (Oklahoma) maj Tristen Gauman (Northern Illinois) 14-4 285 - Josh Heindselman (Oklahoma) dec Terrese Aaron (Northern Illinois) 2-0 Penn 32 Columbia 3 125 - Ryan Miller (Penn) dec Joe Manchio (Columbia) 4-2 133 - Michael Colaiocco (Penn) maj Angelo Rini (Columbia) 14-4 141 - CJ Composto (Penn) tech Mason Clarke (Columbia) 20-5 149 - Anthony Artalona (Penn) dec Dom Rossetti (Columbia) 5-2 157 - Doug Zapf (Penn) maj Andrew Garr (Columbia) 20-5 165 - Josh Ogunsanya (Penn) dec Lucas Revano (Penn) 3-2 174 - Nick Incontrera (Penn) dec Nick Fine (Columbia) 10-6 184 - Neil Antrassian (Penn) dec Jack McGill (Columbia) 5-2 197 - Cole Urbas (Penn) dec Sam Wustefeld (Columbia) 8-2 285 - Ben Goldin (Penn) dec Dan Conley (Columbia) 6-0 Nebraska 23 Northwestern 12 125 - Michael DeAugustino (Northwestern) dec Jeremiah Reno (Nebraska) 6-1 133 - Chris Cannon (Northwestern) dec Dominick Serrano (Nebraska) 5-4 141 - Chad Red (Nebraska) dec Frankie Tal-Shahar (Northwestern) 4-2 149 - Ridge Lovett (Nebraska) dec Yahya Thomas (Northwestern) 7-6 157 - Ryan Deakin (Northwestern) dec Peyton Robb (Nebraska) 4-2 165 - Bubba Wilson (Nebraska) dec David Ferrante (Northwestern) 3-2 174 - Mikey Labriola (Nebraska) tech Ankhaa Enkhmandakh (Northwestern) 23-8 184 - Taylor Venz (Nebraska) maj Jack Jessen (Northwestern) 15-5 197 - Eric Schultz (Nebraska) tech Andrew Davison (Northwestern) 23-8 285 - Lucas Davison (Northwestern) dec Christian Lance (Nebraska) 8-3 Navy 32 Cleveland State 7 125 - Jacob Allen (Navy) dec Logan Heil (Cleveland State) 3-1 133 - Josh Koderhandt (Navy) maj Jacob Manley (Cleveland State) 13-4 141 - Tyler Hunt (Navy) FFT 149 - Marcus Robinson (Cleveland State) maj Jonathan Miranda (Navy) 16-5 157 - Andrew Cerniglia (Navy) maj Daniel Patten (Cleveland State) 11-1 165 - Riley Smucker (Cleveland State) dec Sammy Starr (Navy) 9-6 174 - Cael Crebs (Navy) dec Anthony Rice (Cleveland State) 3-2 184 - David Key (Navy) tech Jax Leonard (Cleveland State) 20-5 197 - Jake Koser (Navy) maj Ben Smith (Cleveland State) 15-2 285 - Grady Griess (Navy) dec John Kelbly (Cleveland State) 7-3 Ohio 33 Davidson 9 125 - Oscar Sanchez (Ohio) tech Hale Robinson (Davidson) 20-5 133 - Gio DiSabato (Ohio) maj Kyle Gorant (Davidson) 19-7 141 - Kyran Hagan (Ohio) dec Nick Cambria (Davidson) 6-0 149 - Alec Hagan (Ohio) maj David Loniewski (Davidson) 11-0 157 - Jordan Slivka (Ohio) maj Bryce Sanderlin (Davidson) 8-0 165 - Jaden Hardrick (Davidson) dec Sean O'Dwyer (Ohio) 5-4 174 - Logan Stanley (Ohio) fall Anthony Spera (Davidson) 5:04 184 - Steven Newell (Davidson) fall Zayne Lehman (Ohio) 4:05 197 - Carson Brewer (Ohio) maj Finlay Holston (Davidson) 11-1 285 - Jordan Greer (Ohio) dec Mitchell Trigg (Davidson) 5-3 Michigan 35 Rutgers 8 125 - Nick Suriano (Michigan) tech Dylan Shawver (Rutgers) 16-1 133 - Dylan Ragusin (Michigan) dec Joey Olivieri (Rutgers) 3-1 141 - Sebastian Rivera (Rutgers) tech Chris Kim (Michigan) 19-4 149 - Mike Van Brill (Rutgers) dec Patrick Nolan (Michigan) 4-1 157 - Will Lewan (Michigan) dec Al DeSantis (Rutgers) 9-3 165 - Cameron Amine (Michigan) dec Andrew Clark (Rutgers) 3-1 174 - Logan Massa (Michigan) fall Connor O'Neill (Rutgers) 4:15 184 - Myles Amine (Michigan) FFT 197 - Patrick Brucki (Michigan) dec Greg Bulsak (Rutgers) 4-2SV 285 - Mason Parris (Michigan) fall Boone McDermott (Rutgers) 5:00 Arizona State 26 CSU Bakersfield 15 125 - Brandon Courtney (Arizona State) dec Eddie Flores (CSU Bakersfield) 9-3 133 - Michael McGee (Arizona State) FFT 141 - Angelo Martinoni (CSU Bakersfield) dec Ethan Pickren (Arizona State) 7-0 149 - Kyle Parco (Arizona State) dec Josh Brown (CSU Bakersfield) 4-2 157 - Jacori Teemer (Arizona State) dec Brock Rogers (CSU Bakersfield) 10-3 165 - Anthony Valencia (Arizona State) fall Augustine Garcia (CSU Bakersfield) 3:47 174 - Albert Urias (CSU Bakersfield) maj Zane Coleman (Arizona State) 18-8 184 - Jacob Hansen (CSU Bakersfield) tech Jake Ortiz (Arizona State) 17-0 197 - Kordell Norfleet (Arizona State) tech Josh Loomer (CSU Bakersfield) 22-3 285 - Jacob Sieder (CSU Bakersfield) dec Chad Porter (Arizona State) 8-2 Campbell 34 The Citadel 6 125 - Korbin Meink (Campbell) maj Malik Hardy (The Citadel) 10-0 133 - Dom Zaccone (Campbell) dec Jake Rotunda (The Citadel) 9-5 141 - Shannon Hanna (Campbell) fall Joe Clement (The Citadel) 6:21 149 - Chris Rivera (Campbell) dec Ethan Willis (The Citadel) 8-5 157 - Matthew Dallara (Campbell) dec Grant Speer (The Citadel) 6-1 165 - Selwyn Porter (The Citadel) fall Troy Nation (Campbell) 5:31 174 - Austin Murphy (Campbell) dec Cole Burke (The Citadel) 11-4 184 - Caleb Hopkins (Campbell) dec Ben Haubert (The Citadel) 5-4 197 - Chris Kober (Campbell) fall Ben Stemmet (The Citadel) 4:25 285 - Taye Ghadiali (Campbell) dec Michael McAleavey (The Citadel) 6-1 Bucknell 23 Drexel 13 125 - Brandon Seidman (Bucknell) dec Kyle Waterman (Drexel) 6-2 133 - Kurt Phipps (Bucknell) maj Deon Pleasant (Drexel) 12-4 141 - Darren Miller (Bucknell) maj Jared Donahue (Drexel) 10-2 149 - Tyler Williams (Drexel) maj Kolby DePron (Bucknell) 15-5 157 - Nick Delp (Bucknell) dec Parker Kropman (Drexel) 13-11SV 165 - Zach Hartman (Bucknell) dec Evan Barczak (Drexel) 6-1 174 - Michael O'Malley (Drexel) fall Sam Barnes (Bucknell) 3:46 184 - Bryan McLaughlin (Drexel) dec Logan Deacetis (Bucknell) 6-4 197 - Mason McCready (Bucknell) maj Santino Morina (Drexel) 8-0 285 - Luke Niemeyer (Bucknell) dec Elijah Anthony (Drexel) 3-1 Central Michigan 21 South Dakota State 17 125 - Brock Bergelin (Central Michigan) fall Tanner Jordan (South Dakota State) 3:32 133 - Gabe Tagg (South Dakota State) maj Ja'Kerion Merritt (Central Michigan) 14-2 141 - Dresden Simon (Central Michigan) dec Clay Carlson (South Dakota State) 11-5 149 - Corbyn Munson (Central Michigan) dec Daniel Kimball (South Dakota State) 9-2 157 - Johnny Lovett (Central Michigan) dec Kenny O'Neill (South Dakota State) 8-6SV 165 - Tanner Cook (South Dakota State) fall Tracy Hubbard (Central Michigan) 1:09 174 - Bret Fedewa (Central Michigan) dec Cade DeVos (South Dakota State) 3-1SV 184 - Cade King (South Dakota State) dec Ben Cushman (Central Michigan) 3-1 197 - Tanner Sloan (South Dakota State) fall Aaron Bolo (Central Michigan) 1:28 285 - Matt Stencel (Central Michigan) dec AJ Nevills (South Dakota State) 6-3 NC State 33 Campbell 6 125 - Jakob Camacho (NC State) dec Korbin Meink (Campbell) 3-1 133 - Kai Orine (NC State) maj Dom Zaccone (Campbell) 10-1 141 - Shannon Hanna (Campbell) dec Ryan Jack (NC State) 3-1 149 - Tariq Wilson (NC State) dec Chris Rivera (Campbell) 4-0 157 - Ed Scott (NC State) fall Matthew Dallara (Campbell) 1:14 165 - Thomas Bullard (NC State) tech Riley Augustine (Campbell) 16-0 174 - Hayden Hidlay (NC State) tech Austin Murphy (Campbell) 15-0 184 - Trent Hidlay (NC State) maj Caleb Hopkins (Campbell) 15-4 197 - Isaac Trumble (NC State) dec Chris Kober (Campbell) 1-0 285 - Taye Ghadiali (Campbell) dec Tyrie Houghton (NC State) 9-6

CSU Bakersfield 184 lber Jacob Hansen (photo courtesy of Sam Janicki; SJanickiPhoto.com) Week 11 brought a slew of humbling dual-meet performances, as the entirety of the Pac-12 conference was in action, with the exception of #16 Cal Poly. Below, we recap the action before setting the stage for the weekend ahead. Bakersfield's Road Trip: #8 Iowa State (January 12th), Chippewa Challenge (January 16th) The California State University, Bakersfield wrestling team took a four-dual road trip last week, facing off with the #8-ranked dual-team in Iowa State on Wednesday the 12th prior to the Chippewa Challenge on Sunday the 16th. With the Iowa State Cyclones fielding an impressive seven ranked individuals, the Roadrunners were caught in the storm from start to finish, losing all nine contested bouts to fall 44-0. At 125lbs, Eddie Flores was able to manage #24 Kysen Terukina to an 8-2 decision loss, while #27-ranked Angelo Martinoni held #11 Ian Parker to a 6-2 decision. In Mt. Pleasant, Michigan, on the campus of Central Michigan, the Roadrunners' humbling performances continued, with their wrestlers taking two matches apiece from Central Michigan and Campbell in 31-6 and 30-9 losses, respectively. Against the host Chippewas, Bakersfield 149lber Josh Brown and 184lber Jacob Hansen were able to notch six-point decisions, with Brown defeating Mason Breece, 11-5 SV1, and Hansen defeating Ben Cushman, 9-3. #27 Angelo Martinoni had an eighteen-point affair with #13 Dresden Simon at 141, but ultimately fell, 10-8. The Camels of Campbell proved similarly formidable, taking seven of nine bouts from the Roadrunners. This time, it was #27 Martinoni and 197lber Josh Loomer getting their hands raised. Martinoni collected a second-period FALL over Shannon Hanna, while Loomer scored a 3-2 decision over Levi Hopkins. To close their road trip, the Bakersfield squad gave their first-year head coach Luke Smith a definitive dual-victory. The Roadrunners won all nine contested bouts against American, outscoring their opponents 69-14 through 197lbs, before Jacob Sieder earned a first-period fall at heavyweight. After three lopsided dual-meet losses on the week, a functional shut-out marks the first career dual-meet victory while at the helm for Luke Smith. Of note, the Roadrunners were without #16 Chance Rich in all four dual-meets, as they forfeited 133lbs in each meet. Top performers for the Roadrunners, again, were #27 Angelo Martinoni (141), Josh Brown (149), Jacob Hansen (184), and Josh Loomer (197), who each left the Chippewa Challenge with 2-1 records. Ever-improving Little Rock Opens Conference Duals: #23 Oregon State (January 14th), Stanford (January 15th) A two-dual itinerary bookended the Trojans' West Coast trip, as Neil Erisman's Little Rock squad opened their conference dual-season against two perennial conference powers. It was a tumultuous start in Corvallis, Oregon. Facing the #23-ranked dual-team in Oregon State, a Beavers line-up that boasts eight-ranked wrestlers, the Trojans were overcome at all ten bouts. Despite the lopsided 34-0 dual-score, there were a few bouts right within the margins for the Trojans. At 149lbs, Joey Bianchi held #28 Cory Crooks to a 3-1 decision, while Triston Wills scrapped with #27 Mateo Olmos in an 8-5 affair at 174lbs. The Trojans would not go quietly, however, as 197lber Brooks Sacharczyk used a late push on a takedown and nearfall to close the gap on Ryan Reyes in an eventual 16-14 loss. The match of the night for the Trojans was at heavyweight, when Josiah Hill pushed #10 Gary Traub to tiebreakers. Hill scored two takedowns to one during regulation to force overtime, 6-6. However, "Gas Tank" Gary was able to surge late, and slipped away from the heavyweight Trojan, 11-6 in tiebreaker-1. The Trojans had little time to wallow, as they traveled to face Stanford the very next day. And wallow they did not, as the Trojans took four matches against a talented Stanford squad, with three bonus-point victories. Of note, the Cardinal did not wrestle #6 Real Woods at 141lbs nor #13 Jaden Abas at 149lbs, and bumped up both #4 Shane Griffith and #29 Tyler Eischens to 174 and 184, respectively. Leading off the dual was Jayden Carson at 125lbs, who put together a 20-2 technical fall to set a strong tone for the visiting Trojans. Joey Bianchi scored a 2-0 decision at 149, while Tyler Brennan took advantage of the bump at 165lbs to emerge with an 11-0 major decision against Stanford's Tony Williams. Finally, at heavyweight, Josiah Hill again came through for his team in his performance, flipping a result from last season and pinning Peter Ming, much to the pleasure of Coach Erisman. "[Hill] 's got the attitude, he puts in the work, and he's headed in the right direction. Josiah is taking on a big leadership role on our team, becoming more vocal with both his words and his actions, and I'm proud of where he's at." Winners for the Stanford squad included #29 Jackson DiSario, who navigated an 8-5 decision over Jaylen Carson at 133lbs, and Jason Miranda, who stepped in for #6 Woods at 141lbs and came away with a 6-1 decision over Conner Ward. Charlie Darracott (157) earned a major while Nick Stemmet (197) picked up a first-period fall. A bumped-up Griffith took out Triston Wills at 174lbs, 6-1, while Eischens succeeded over Will Edgar, 7-2, at 184lbs. #6 Arizona State Stunned in Back-to-Back Duals: #25 Pitt (January 14th), Princeton (January 16th) The conference-leading Arizona State Sun Devils dropped two surprising duals over the weekend, starting with a brow-raising, 24-19 defeat at #25 Pittsburgh. Although the Sun Devils won six of ten matches, they suffered four six-point losses (in the form of three falls and a stall-out) to lose the dual-meet. The six ranked Sun Devils each "did their job," with #4 Brandon Courtney (125), #4 Michael McGee (133), #3 Jacori Teemer (157), and #6 Anthony Valencia (165) each earning decisions over ranked opponents. Courtney defeated #32 Gage Curry, 10-4, while McGee earned a notable victory over All-American caliber, #7 Micky Phillippi. Teemer prevailed over #21 Elijah Cleary, 6-2, before Valencia took out #13 Jake Wentzel, 6-3. #11 Kyle Parco earned bonus in a 16-2 major over unranked Dan Mancini at 149lbs, and #3-ranked heavyweight Cohlton Schultz matched Parco with a major, 13-5 over Jake Slinger. However, the effort from the six-ranked Sun Devils would not be enough to fell the Panthers. At 141lbs, #22 Cole Matthews terminated his match against Arizona State's Julian Chlebove in the first period with a fall - perhaps foreshadowing the end of the dual. At the start of the 174lbs bout, with ASU leading 16-6, it was all Pitt for the next three bouts. Unranked James Lledo pinned ASU 174lber Zane Coleman in the first period, followed by #31 Gregg Harvey pushing the pace and disqualifying Josh Nummer in the third period on stall calls. With his team now leading 18-16 in the dual, #9 Nino Bonaccorsi pinned Jake Ortiz (stepping in for #10 Kordell Norfleet) in the first period to clinch the dual-meet for Pitt. A team-point after the 197lbs match, followed by Schultz's aforementioned major decision at 285lbs, concluded the dual at 24-19, Panthers. The weekend ended for the Sun Devils with another close, this time to the Tigers of Princeton. Winning five of nine contested bouts, the absence of #16 Jesse Vasquez (141) and #10 Kordell Norfleet (197) again proving costly. The dual started off with an uncommon result, as #4 Brandon Courtney fell by 12-6 decision to #2-ranked Patrick Glory at 125lbs. #4 Michael McGee would swing the momentum back into Arizona State's favor with a second-period technical fall at 133lbs, before Cleveland Belton dropped an 8-7 decision to Princeton's Daniel Coles at 141lbs. The ranked-trio of #11 Parco (149), #3 Teemer (157), and #6 Valencia (165) would each earn decisions. Then, the deja vu set in. At 174lbs, Zane Coleman conceded an 8-4 decision to Princeton's Nate Duggan, before an Arizona State forfeit at 184lbs and a Princeton technical fall by Luke Stout over Jake Ortiz pushed the team score to 20-14 Princeton entering heavyweight. Needing a fall to push the dual to tiebreaker criteria, #3 Cohlton Schultz was able to leave with his second major decision of the weekend, 13-5 over Matthew Cover, but not with the fall. The two humbling defeats give Arizona State some work to do as they approach their conference dual-schedule, starting with CSU Bakersfield on Sunday, followed by Cal Poly on Monday. (See below for ongoing and upcoming Pac-12 events this weekend!) Friday Little Rock 33-7 Virginia Military Institute (Replay on Rokfin) Little Rock 3-28 Appalachian State (Replay on Rokfin) #22 Oregon State 30-15 Northern Colorado (Replay on FloWrestling) Upcoming Saturday, January 22nd #22 Oregon State @ Wyoming (12pm Pacific, Live on FloWrestling) Sunday, January 23rd #8 Arizona State @ CSU Bakersfield (2pm Pacific, Live on ESPN+) *Pac-12 Dual-Meet Monday, January 24th #8 Arizona State @ Cal Poly (12pm Pacific, Live on Cal Poly Stream) *Pac-12 Dual-Meet

Columbia's Josh Ogunsanya (photo courtesy of Sam Janicki; SJanickiPhoto.com) Saturday 1/22 Binghamton @ LIU - Brookville, NY (12PM) Brown @ JWU Wildcat Open - Providence, RI (all day) **non-starters** Brown @ Cornell - Ithaca, NY (3PM) Bucknell vs. Sacred Heart - Lewisburg, PA (5PM) Columbia @ Princeton - Princeton, NJ (1PM) Cornell vs. Harvard - Ithaca, NY (1PM) Cornell vs. Brown - Ithaca, NY (3PM) Navy @ Ohio - Athens, OH (11AM) Sunday 1/23 Army vs. American & Franklin & Marshall - West Point, NY (12PM) **Extra Countable Matches** Bucknell @ Drexel - Philadelphia, PA (6PM) Columbia @ Penn - Philadelphia, PA (1PM) Lehigh (#16) @ #4 Oklahoma State - Stillwater, OK (3PM) Navy @ Cleveland State - Cleveland, OH (2PM) *ALL STARTING TIMES ARE LISTED IN EST* What I'm Most Excited For: Below are some probable matchups of ranked opponents that we can see this weekend - in order by weight class. I'm sure there are a few I'm missing, but these caught my eye. 125lb - Glory (#2) Princeton vs. Manchio (#19) Columbia 125lb - Miller (#29) Penn vs. Manchio (#19) Columbia 125lb - Lane (#20) Lehigh vs. Mastrogiovanni (#6) OK State 141lb - Composto/Ferrante (#19) Penn vs. Kazimir (#18) Columbia 157lb - Humphreys (#8) Lehigh vs Sheets (#13) OK State 165lb - Hartman (#18) Bucknell vs. Barczak (#28) Drexel 165lb - Revano #25) Penn vs. Ogunsanya (#21) Columbia Where you'll find me: You can find me in The City of Brotherly Love on Sunday. I'll be watching the Columbia vs Penn match. Afterwards, I'll be up the block at the Drexel vs Bucknell match. Catch me on the mic for that one.

Penn State All-American Greg Kerkvliet (photo courtesy of Sam Janicki; SJanickiPhoto.com) Friday's Dual Results Little Rock 33 VMI 7 125 - Jayden Carson (Little Rock) tech Cameron Chicella (VMI) 16-0 133 - Jaylen Carson (Little Rock) fall Patrick Maglathlin (VMI) 4:05 141 - Conner Ward (Little Rock) dec Freddy Junko (VMI) 7-3 149 - Joey Bianchi (Little Rock) maj Luke Hart (VMI) 13-3 157 - Austin Keal (Little Rock) dec Seth Fillers (VMI) 9-3 165 - Tyler Brennan (Little Rock) fall Blake Showers (VMI) 1:51 174 - Triston Wills (Little Rock) dec Jon Hoover (VMI) 4-1 184 - Zach Brown (VMI) maj Brayden Dillow (Little Rock) 8-0 197 - Isaac Dolph (VMI) dec Brooks Sacharczyk (Little Rock) 13-6 285 - Josiah Hill (Little Rock) dec Josh Evans (VMI) 4-0 Appalachian State 42 VMI 0 125 - Caleb Smith (Appalachian State) fall Cameron Chicella (VMI) 6:57 133 - Sean Carter (Appalachian State) fall Patrick Maglathlin (VMI) 4:05 141 - Heath Gonyer (Appalachian State) maj Freddy Junko (VMI) 12-1 149 - Jonathan Millner (Appalachian State) tech Luke Hart (VMI) 19-4 157 - Cody Bond (Appalachian State) maj Seth Fillers (VMI) 9-0 165 - Will Formato (Appalachian State) maj Blake Showers (VMI) 11-1 174 - Thomas Flitz (Appalachian State) maj Jon Hoover (VMI) 10-2 184 - Barrett Blakely (Appalachian State) dec Zach Brown (VMI) 4-3 197 - Wyatt Miller (Appalachian State) dec Isaac Dolph (VMI) 5-3 285 - Michael Burchell (Appalachian State) dec Josh Evans (VMI) 6-3 Penn State 29 Michigan 6 125 - Nick Suriano (Michigan) dec Drew Hildebrandt (Penn State) 2-1 133 - Roman Bravo-Young (Penn State) dec Dylan Ragusin (Michigan) 8-1 141 - Nick Lee (Penn State) tech Drew Mattin (Michigan) 21-6 149 - Beau Bartlett (Penn State) InjDef Cole Mattin (Michigan) 157 - Will Lewan (Michigan) dec Terrell Barraclough (Penn State) 5-2 165 - Brady Berge (Penn State) dec Cam Amine (Michigan) 3-1 174 - Carter Starocci (Penn State) dec Logan Massa (Michigan) 3-2 184 - Aaron Brooks (Penn State) dec Myles Amine (Michigan) 3-1 197 - Max Dean (Penn State) dec Patrick Brucki (Michigan) 6-4SV 285 - Greg Kerkvliet (Penn State) dec Mason Parris (Michigan) 8-5 Michigan State 20 Rutgers 17 125 - Dylan Shawver (Rutgers) dec Tristan Lujan (Michigan State) 4-3 133 - Rayvon Foley (Michigan State) dec Joey Olivieri (Rutgers) 1-0 141 - Sebastian Rivera (Rutgers) tech Jordan Hamdan (Michigan State) 18-2 149 - Mike Van Brill (Rutgers) dec Peyton Omania (Michigan State) 3-1 157 - Chase Saldate (Michigan State) maj Al DeSantis (Rutgers) 9-0 165 - Caleb Fish (Michigan State) dec Andrew Clark (Rutgers) 4-0 174 - Connor O'Neill (Rutgers) dec Nate Jimenez (Michigan State) 3-1 184 - Layne Malczewski (Michigan State) fall John Poznanski (Rutgers) 2:21 197 - Cameron Caffey (Michigan State) maj Greg Bulsak (Rutgers) 12-4 285 - Boone McDermott (Rutgers) dec Brad Wilton (Michigan State) 3-1SV Purdue 25 Illinois 13 125 - Devin Schroder (Purdue) dec Justin Cardani (Illinois) 1-0 133 - Lucas Byrd (Illinois) dec Matt Ramos (Purdue) 5-0 141 - Parker Filius (Purdue) tech We Rachal (Illinois) 16-0 149 - Christian Kanzler (Illinois) dec Alec White (Purdue) 3-1 157 - Kendall Coleman (Purdue) dec Joe Roberts (Illinois) 10-7 165 - Hayden Lohrey (Purdue) dec Danny Braunagel (Illinois) 7-5 174 - Gerrit Nijenhuis (Purdue) fall DJ Shannon (Illinois) 2:00 184 - Zac Braunagel (Illinois) dec Max Lyon (Purdue) 5-2 197 - Thomas Penola (Purdue) tech Nikita Nepomnyashchiy (Illinois) 23-8 285 - Luke Luffman (Illinois) maj Michael Woulfe (Purdue) 10-2 Lock Haven 25 George Mason 11 125 - Anthony Noto (Lock Haven) dec Ben Monn (George Mason) 10-4 133 - Gable Strickland (Lock Haven) maj Michael Rapuano (George Mason) 16-8 141 - Shawn Nonaka (George Mason) dec Jack Coulston (Lock Haven) 6-3 149 - Alex Madrigal (George Mason) tech Connor Eck (Lock Haven) 21-5 157 - Ben Barton (Lock Haven) dec maj Loranzo Rajaonarivelo (George Mason) 20-6 165 - Ashton Eyler (Lock Haven) dec Tyler Kocak (George Mason) 4-1 174 - Tyler Stoltzfus (Lock Haven) dec Jeremy Seymour (George Mason) 6-1 184 - Kyle Davis (George Mason) dec Colin Fegley (Lock Haven) 5-2 197 - Parker McClellan (Lock Haven) dec Jon List (George Mason) 4-2 285 - Isaac Reid (Lock Haven) tech Austin Stith (George Mason) 18-3 Pittsburgh 25 Virginia 10 125 - Gage Curry (Pittsburgh) dec Patrick McCormick (Virginia) 3-2 133 - Micky Phillippi (Pittsburgh) tech Trey Lane (Virginia) 22-7 141 - Cole Matthews (Pittsburgh) maj Evan Buchanan (Virginia) 10-1 149 - Jarod Verkleeren (Virginia) dec Luke Kemerer (PIttsburgh) 7-2 157 - Elijah Cleary (Pittsburgh) dec Jon Errico (Virginia) 4-2 165 - Jake Wentzel (Pittsburgh) maj Jake Keating (Virginia) 10-0 174 - Justin Phillips (Virginia) maj James Lledo (Pittsburgh) 14-5 184 - Michael Battista (Virginia) dec Gregg Harvey (Pittsburgh) 9-5 197 - Nino Bonaccorsi (Pittsburgh) dec Jay Aiello (Virginia) 9-4 285 - Jake Slinger (Pittsburgh) dec Quinn Miller (Virginia) 4-1 Indiana 26 Maryland 12 125 - Jacob Moran (Indiana) tech Tommy Capul (Maryland) 26-8 133 - King Sandoval (Maryland) fall Noah Gochberg (Indiana) 1:59 141 - Cayden Rooks (Indiana) fall Will Berkowitz (Maryland) 2:59 149 - Graham Rooks (Indiana) dec Michael North (Maryland) 5-2 157 - Jon Kervin (Indiana) dec Conner Decker (Maryland) 5-2 165 - Kasper McIntosh (Indiana) dec Gaven Bell (Maryland) 6-2 174 - Dom Solis (Maryland) dec Nick South (Indiana) 8-4 184 - Kyle Cochran (Maryland) dec DJ Washington (Indiana) 3-2 197 - Nick Willham (Indiana) dec Kevin Makosy (Maryland) 8-3 285 - Jacob Bullock (Indiana) dec Zach Schrader (Maryland) 10-6 North Carolina 29 Duke 6 125 - Spencer Moore (North Carolina) maj Logan Agin (Duke) 10-1 133 - Joe Heilmann (North Carolina) fall Drake Doolittle (Duke) 141 - Kizhan Clarke (North Carolina) dec Parker Decker (Duke) 5-2 149 - Josh Finesilver (Duke) dec Zach Sherman (North Carolina) 3-1 157 - Austin O'Connor (North Carolina) dec Wade Unger (Duke) 6-2 165 - Sonny Santiago (North Carolina) dec Gabe Dinette (Duke) 7-3 174 - Clay Lautt (North Carolina) dec Matt Finesilver (Duke) 8-5 184 - Gavin Kane (North Carolina) dec Vincent Baker (Duke) 5-4 197 - Max Shaw (North Carolina) tech Kaden Russell (Duke) 16-1 285 - Jonah Niesenbaum (Duke) dec Brandon Whitman (North Carolina) 3-1SV Central Michigan 33 Northern Illinois 6 125 - Brock Bergelin (Central Michigan) dec Lucian Brink (Northern Illinois) 6-0 133 - Mikey Kaminsky (Northern Illinois) dec Vince Perez (Central Michigan) 7-3 141 - Dresden Simon (Central Michigan) dec Javion Jones (Northern Illinois) 6-4 149 - Corby Munson (Central Michigan) tech Dillon Nichols (Northern Illinois) 17-0 157 - Johnny Lovett (Central Michigan) maj Anthony Gibson (Northern Illinois) 13-5 165 - Tracy Hubbard (Central Michigan) dec Alec Rees (Northern Illinois) 3-2 174 - Mason Kauffman (Northern Illinois) dec Bret Fedewa (Central Michigan) 5-3 184 - Ben Cushman (Central Michigan) FFT 197 - Aaron Bolo (Central Michigan) dec Tristen Guaman (Northern Illinois) 2-0 285 - Matt Stencel (Central Michigan) fall Terrese Aaron (Northern Illinois) 2:19 Iowa 21 Ohio State 12 125 - Malik Heinselman (Ohio State) dec Drake Ayala (Iowa) 7-5SV 133 - Austin DeSanto (Iowa) tech Dylan Koontz (Ohio State) 19-4 141 - Jaydin Eierman (Iowa) dec Dylan D'Emilio (Ohio State) 4-0 149 - Sammy Sasso (Ohio State) dec Max Murin (Iowa) 3-2 157 - Kaleb Young (Iowa) dec Jashon Hubbard (Ohio State) 4-0 165 - Carson Kharchla (Ohio State) dec Alex Marinelli (Iowa) 3-2 174 - Michael Kemerer (Iowa) dec Ethan Smith (Ohio State) 6-3 184 - Kaleb Romero (Ohio State) dec Abe Assad (Iowa) 3-1SV 197 - Jacob Warner (Iowa) dec Gavin Hoffman (Ohio State) 6-5 285 - Tony Cassioppi (Iowa) maj Tate Orndorff (Ohio State) 13-4 Oregon State 30 Northern Colorado 15 125 - Brandon Kaylor (Oregon State) FFT 133 - Devan Turner (Oregon State) dec Dyson Kunz (Northern Colorado) 4-0 141 - Grant Willits (Oregon State) FFT 149 - Cory Crooks (Oregon State) dec Chris Sandoval (Northern Colorado) 5-2 157 - Hunter Willits (Oregon State) dec Nathan Moore (Northern Colorado) 7-2 165 - Cody Eaton (Northern Colorado) fall Lane Stigall (Oregon State) 3:16 174 - Aaron Olmos (Oregon State) dec Damen Pape (Northern Colorado) 4-1 184 - Trey Munoz (Oregon State) fall Xavier Vasquez (Northern Colorado) 2:13 197 - Alan Clothier (Northern Colorado) fall Ryan Reyes (Oregon State) 3:13 285 - Jacob Seely (Northern Colorado) dec JJ Dixon (Oregon State) 5-2 Appalachian State 28 Little Rock 3 125 - Caleb Smith (Appalachian State) dec Jayden Carson (Little Rock) 6-1 133 - Sean Carter (Appalachian State) dec Jaylen Carson (Little Rock) 9-3 141 - Heath Gonyer (Appalachian State) dec Conner Ward (Little Rock) 3-0 149 - Jonathan Millner (Appalachian State) dec Joseph Bianchi (Little Rock) 4-0 157 - Cody Bond (Appalachian State) dec Austin Keal (Little Rock) 10-3 165 - Will Formato (Appalachian State) dec Tyler Brennan (Little Rock) 8-6SV 174 - Triston Wills (Little Rock) dec Thomas Flitz (Appalachian State) 4-3 184 - Barrett Blakely (Appalachian State) maj Brayden Dillow (Little Rock) 10-2 197 - Wyatt Miller (Appalachian State) dec Brooks Sacharczyk (Little Rock) 5-0 285 - Michael Burchell (Appalachian State) dec Josiah Hill (Little Rock) 4-3 Nebraska 22 Wisconsin 12 125 - Eric Barnett (Wisconsin) dec Jeremiah Reno (Nebraska) 6-0 133 - Dominick Serrano (Nebraska) dec Kyle Burwick (Wisconsin) 10-8SV 141 - Chad Red Jr (Nebraska) dec Joe Zargo (Wisconsin) 8-3 149 - Austin Gomez (Wisconsin) dec Ridge Lovett (Nebraska) 4-2 157 - Peyton Robb (Nebraska) dec Garrett Model (Wisconsin) 17-11 165 - Dean Hamiti (Wisconsin) fall Bubba Wilson (Nebraska) 1:53 174 - Mikey Labriola (Nebraska) maj Andrew McNally (Wisconsin) 14-4 184 - Taylor Venz (Nebraska) dec Chris Weiler (Wisconsin) 7-1 197 - Eric Schultz (Nebraska) dec Braxton Amos (Wisconsin) 3-1 285 - Christian Lance (Nebraska) dec Trent Hillger (Wisconsin) 5-3 Davidson 20 Bellarmine 19 125 - Jack Parker (Bellarmine) maj Hale Robinson (Davidson) 21-8 133 - Kyle Gorant (Davidson) maj Max Dansereau (Bellarmine) 14-4 141 - Logan Hoskins (Bellarmine) maj Nick Cambria (Davidson) 14-3 149 - Mitch Collica (Bellarmine) dec David Loniewski (Davidson) 7-3 157 - Bryce Sanderlin (Davidson) dec Cole Nance (Bellarmine) 3-1 165 - Jaden Hardrick (Davidson) dec Devan Hendricks (Bellarmine) 7-5 174 - Eric Beck (Bellarmine) tech Anthony Spera (Davidson) 15-0 184 - Sam Schroeder (Bellarmine) dec Steven Newell (Davidson) 3-1 197 - Finlay Holston (Davidson) maj Bryant Wilkinson (Bellarmine) 9-1 285 - Mitchell Trigg (Davidson) fall Charlie Cadell (Bellarmine) 1:57

(photo courtesy of Sam Janicki; SJanickiPhoto.com) Hello dear friends, I hope you're having a lovely start to your weekend…we've had some major #SoConWR schedule updates in the past 24 hours, so let's get into the weekend preview! Friday, January 21 The App State Mountaineers host Little Rock and VMI. All matches are streamed on The Grind via Rokfin. Davidson travels to Bellarmine for a SoCon showdown at 7:00pm, which will be broadcast on the BU Knights Sports Network. Sunday, January 23 Campbell is hosting a SoCon dual, suiting up against The Citadel at 5:00pm and streaming on ESPN+ according to our D1 Streaming Guide. No fans are allowed at Campbell matches currently. The Camels also stepped up to take on #5 NC State after their dual against Virginia Tech was cancelled on Thursday evening. This match will take place following The Citadel on Sunday. We'll have plenty to catch up on next week, so stay safe and stay tuned! xoxo, Rachel G

(photo courtesy of Tony Rotundo; WrestlersAreWarriors.com) INDIANAPOLIS -- The NCAA has announced the first coaches ranking for the 2022 NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships. The coaches' rankings are determined by a vote of 14 coaches in each weight class with two head coaches from each of the seven conference. For ranking purposes, coaches may only consider a wrestler that has been designated as a starter at a respective weight class. Wrestlers must have five Division I matches in the weight class to be considered with at least one within the last 30 days. Of the 10 weight classes, eight are led by former national champions, led by the Penn State quartet of Roman Bravo-Young at 133 pounds, Nick Lee at 141 pounds, Carter Starocci at 174 pounds and Aaron Brooks at 184 pounds. Two-time 141-pound national champion Yianni Diakomihalis of Cornell is back after winning titles in 2018 and 2019 and debuts as the top seed moving up to 149 pounds in 2022. Other national champions leading their weight class in the 2022 rankings are Iowa State's David Carr at 157 pounds, AJ Ferrari of Oklahoma State at 197 pounds and heavyweight Gable Steveson of Minnesota. Cornell has a second top-ranked wrestler with Vito Arujau at 125 pounds, while Missouri's Keegan O'Toole is the top ranked wrestler by the coaches at 165 pounds. The coaches ranking is one of several criteria that will be evaluated by the NCAA Division I Wrestling Committee during the at-large selection and seeding process along with head-to-head competition, quality wins, Ratings Percentage Index (RPI), conference tournament placement, results versus common opponents and win percentage. A full description of the entire selection process for the 2022 Division I Wrestling Championships is available at ncaa.org. The 2022 NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships take place March 17-19 at Little Caesars Arena in Detroit as the event returns to Michigan for the first time since being held in Auburn Hills, Michigan, in 2007. For the full rankings, click here

The 2021 ACC finals with Nino Bonaccorsi (left) and Jay Aiello (Photo/Sam Janicki; SJanickiPhoto.com) The Hoos travel north to face the Panthers in a match showcasing the coaching tree of Steve Garland--both Keith Gavin and Jordan Leen coached under Garland at UVA. This is quietly a very good dual and has some great matchups. Courtney/Phillippi could be a really fun match, so could Cedeno/Matthews, if Cedeno is back at 100%. Both NCAA finalists for the Panthers will face tough tests; Wentzel has McCoy and Bonaccorsi has Aiello. There are a lot of matches that I would consider a tossup in this dual--we'll see how big of a role the home mat advantage plays for Pitt. 125: Patrick McCormick vs. #31 Gage Curry McCormick has had a rollercoaster of a season so far--last week at Virginia Duals captured that in a short period. He had matches against three ranked wrestlers, losing to Fabian Gutierrez and Anthony Noto, then beat Joey Prata the next day. Curry has been a stable force for the Panthers. He was initially splitting matches with Colton Camacho, but has taken the spot moving forward. He comes in at 10-6 with three of those losses to Brandon Courtney, Nick Suriano, and Malik Heinselman. 133: #24 Brian Courtney vs. #7 Micky Phillippi This could be a great match, but it will all depend on the ability of either wrestler to break through the solid defense of the other. Both are funky and great counter wrestlers but have the ability to attack at a high rate when they want. Courtney comes in at 6-2 with a last-second loss to Chris Cannon. Phillippi is 9-3 with his losses to Lucas Byrd, Michael McGee and that end of match defensive pin when up against Malyke Hines. Phillippi started his career at UVA and went to Pittsburgh when Coach Gavin took over and Coach Leen joined the staff, so there is a lot of history in this match. 141: Dylan Cedeno vs. #20 Cole Matthews Matthews might be the hottest wrestler in the country right now. He has won 5 in a row--4 pins and an 11-5 win over Stevan Micic. Cedeno has been very limited in his role this year due to injuries--he is sitting at 2-2 on the year. Before the season, Coach Garland said Cedeno was one to watch for and that his potential is through the roof--I'm hopeful he is able to get through this injury and finish the year on that trajectory. 149: #30 Jarod Verkleeren vs. Dan Mancini The first match that clearly leans to the Hoos. Verk has looked great since transferring to UVA. He comes in at 15-4 with losses to Josh Heil, PJ Ogunsanya and Yahya Thomas. Mancini split time with Luke Kemerer to start the season but has assumed the full-time role; he comes in with an 11-8 record. 157: #28 Jake Keating vs. #21 Elijah Cleary Sneaky good match here. Keating was out the first half of the season but is 8-2 since returning. Cleary is 12-4 with three of those losses to Jacori Teemer, Will Lewan and Josh Humphries. Cleary is a solid defensive wrestler, but has been showing more offensive power--especially in his run to the MatMen Open title. Keating can score in bunches and is great on top. I have been impressed with what I've seen from Keating since returning and with Cleary coming off two losses--albeit quality losses--I give Keating the slight edge here. 165: #15 Justin McCoy vs. #13 Jake Wentzel This will be one of the marquee matchups of the dual; they have no previous meetings as McCoy moved up from 157 this season. Wentzel was an NCAA finalist last year and had a phenomenal season; this season has been a little more challenging for him, but he is still coming in with a 9-4 record. All four losses are to ranked opponents, including Anthony Valencia and Carson Kharchla. McCoy comes in undefeated at 10-0 and Wentzel will be the highest-ranked wrestler he has met this season. McCoy is great on his feet and has a solid top game. Wentzel loves control ties from neutral and is a punishing top wrestler. I've been looking forward to this match since I found out McCoy was moving up. I think this is a very intriguing matchup. 174: Justin Phillips vs. James Lledo Lledo has dropped from 184 and made big noise last week with a pin that helped propel the Panthers to a win over Arizona State. He is 15-7 on the year and 4-1 since making the drop to 174. Phillips has held the starting spot most of the year and comes in with a 14-5 record. Both are great hand fighters and have high attack rates, so it has the potential to be a high-scoring affair. 184: #23 Michael Battista vs. #31 Gregg Harvey This will be an important bout in determining the team winner for the dual. Harvey is 6-3 on the year with losses to Mark Hall, Zac Braunagel and Kaleb Romero. Battista is 11-1 on the year with his only loss to Kyle Cochran, who has been on a tear lately. Both are great neutral wrestlers who are very physical and have impressive gas tanks. I have been very impressed with Battista's ability to close matches this year; a huge improvement for him over previous seasons. 197: #11 Jay Aiello vs #9 Nino Bonaccorsi The other marquee matchup of the dual will pit U23 teammates against each other. Aiello sat out the first half of the season, so he could slowly descend to 197 from his freestyle weight of 213lbs after winning a bronze medal at the U23 World Championships. Since returning, he is 7-0 with 3 falls. Nino was an NCAA finalist last season and comes in at 8-2 on the year with losses to Greg Bulsak and Patrick Brucki. Aiello has been aggressive and constantly on the offense since returning and is wrestling like a man on a mission. Bonaccorsi has wrestled very well and has been a huge part of the team success that Pitt has had so far this year. Nino holds the head-to-head edge with a decision in the dual last year and a major decision during his run at NCAAs last year. Nino has seemed to have Jay's number, but I could see a potential upset here. 285: #26 Quinn Miller vs. Jake Slinger Miller has put together a quietly good season so far at 9-4. His losses include Wyatt Hendrickson and Lucas Davison. Slinger has been clutch for the Panthers, closing the door to win a few duals; he comes in with a 9-9 record. They are both very active heavyweights who can put up points, so this could be a fun matchup.

Alex Marinelli (left) and Carson Kharchla (Photos/Sam Janicki; SJanickiPhoto.com) When the Iowa Hawkeyes head east to meet Ohio State tonight, it will be a homecoming of sorts for their 165 lber, Alex Marinelli. The sixth-year senior is a graduate of powerhouse Graham High School in St. Paris, Ohio and became one of the top recruits in the high school Class of 2016 while wrestling in Ohio. Marinelli won four Ohio DII state titles for Graham and helped lead the school to a #1 ranking in the country as a junior. Before that junior season, Marinelli gave a verbal commitment to the home team, the Buckeyes. A few months later, he changed his mind and committed to Tom Brands' Hawkeyes. Now, almost six years later, Marinelli will compete on the campus of Ohio State for just the second time. The top-ranked 165 lber in the nation has never lost to a Buckeye opponent and looks to keep that streak intact against seventh-ranked Carson Kharchla. Like Marinelli, Kharchla is an Ohio product and was regarded as one of the top seniors in the nation when coming out of high school. Kharchla is getting his first taste of Big Ten action, having redshirted in 2019-20 and suffering a season-ending injury last preseason. Despite the long pedigree of success at the collegiate level (three Big Ten titles and three #1 seeds at nationals), Marinelli should have his hands full with Kharchla. The Buckeye is 15-1 on the year, with his only loss coming in the semifinals of the Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational to the defending NCAA Champion, Shane Griffith (Stanford), by a single point. Griffith is the same opponent who upset Marinelli in the NCAA quarterfinals, last season. Kharchla already boasts a victory over Griffith's NCAA finals opponent, Jake Wentzel (Pittsburgh), among his 15 wins. Stylistically, this should be an interesting match. Kharchla is a stocky, ball-of-muscle, that had difficulty with Griffith's length. Marinelli has a body type more similar to his opponent Friday night. The Hawkeye also thrives off of his physicality and being able to bully his competition around the mat. That probably doesn't happen with Kharchla. Marinelli's 14-0 start has run his record up to 87-10 for his career and only one of those losses came in dual competition (Vincenzo Joseph in January 2020). By the way the schedule has broken thus far, Marinelli hasn't faced any of the key contenders at 165 lbs. His highest-ranked opponent has been #24 Brian Meyer (Lehigh). Though he did win a one-point decision over teammate Patrick Kennedy (Iowa), who would likely be a contender if he were the Hawkeyes starter. So, will Marinelli maintain his top-billing at 165 lbs in his home state, or will Kharchla continue his ascend up the weight class and signify a possible changing of the guard in the conference power structure? We'll have to tune in to the second half of the Big Ten doubleheader tonight! 125 lbs #10 Drake Ayala (Iowa) vs. #18 Malik Heinselman (Ohio State) The Hawkeye true freshman, Ayala, continues to get tested with a veteran from Ohio State, Heinselman. Expect plenty of offense here, as Ayala has the pace and gas tank, which will force action in the bout. Can he get by the crafty Heinselman? 133 lbs #3 Austin DeSanto/Cullan Schriever (Iowa) vs. Will Bentancourt (Ohio State) The big Hawkeye-related news last week was that Cullan Schriever was inserted into the starting lineup and had his redshirt pulled. Since then, there has been little clarity given, regarding the situation. If two-time All-American Austin DeSanto goes, Iowa could be looking at bonus points, whereas if it's Schriever, he should have a competitive match with Bentancourt. 141 lbs #2 Jaydin Eierman/Drew Bennett (Iowa) vs. #23 Dylan D'Emilio (Ohio State) Again, we could see a multiple-time All-American emerge for Iowa or the new face in Drew Bennett. Drew picked up his first dual win last weekend against Illinois. If no Eierman, the advantage swings over to Ohio State, as they have 2021 NCAA qualifier Dylan D'Emilio. Dylan gave three-time All-American Stevan Micic a tough match during his most recent outing. 149 lbs #10 Max Murin (Iowa) vs. #2 Sammy Sasso (Ohio State) Despite the close ranking, the only time these two met during collegiate competition, Sammy Sasso was victorious via fall. The 2021 Big Ten champion, Sasso, has been nearly perfect this year, losing only to two-time national champion Yianni Diakomiahlis in the Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational finals. Murin got back into the top ten after defeating 2021 NCAA third-place finisher Yahya Thomas. 157 lbs #12 Kaleb Young (Iowa) vs. Jashon Hubbard (Ohio State) Iowa and Kaleb Young will probably never make excuses, but he was the victim of a rough stretch on the schedule from mid-November through December. Young lost five of seven matches, though all five were to wrestlers currently in the top-11 nationally. Now, without such a grueling set of opponents, Young has reeled off three straight wins. Jashon Hubbard is coming off a title last weekend at the Purple Raider Open. His best dual win of the season came against former teammate Elijah Cleary, who went on to win the MatMen Open. 174 lbs #2 Michael Kemerer (Iowa) vs. #7 Ethan Smith (Ohio State) After our headline matchup, it's not time for a popcorn break as the next best match on the docket is ready. Michael Kemerer took some time to return to the mat for Iowa, but has been excellent thus far. He's 4-0 with two falls and a tech. Seeing Ethan Smith will represent a significant jump up in competition, though. Smith is a returning All-American who already has three losses on the year. Don't be fooled by that number. It's a function of his competition as all three came against top-six wrestlers. 184 lbs #18 Abe Assad (Iowa) vs. #7 Kaleb Romero (Ohio State) Both Abe Assad and Kaleb Romero have taken time to get into their respective lineups, but both have been worth the wait. Assad is on a four-match winning streak with victories over a pair of returning qualifiers during that stretch. Romero pushed Olympic bronze medalist Myles Amine to the brink during their bout last Friday, before falling in sudden victory. The Buckeye made his season debut at the CKLV Invitational and came away with the title. 197 lbs #4 Jacob Warner (Iowa) vs. #20 Gavin Hoffman (Ohio State) A seven-match winning streak for Jacob Warner has elevated the two-time NCAA All-American to a number four ranking this week. This will be the first meeting between Warner and Hoffman, both massive recruits with international experience on their side. Warner was a Cadet World bronze medalist in 2016 at 85 kg. A year later, Hoffman duplicated the feat, at the same weight. 285 lbs #5 Tony Cassioppi (Iowa) vs. #12 Tate Orndorff (Ohio State) A clash between a pair of returning All-Americans will close out the dual. Despite the high ranking and 2021 All-American honors, Orndorff has struggled to compete with the Iowa big man. The pair tangled three times in 2021 and all three times, Cassioppi came out on top, with bonus points in each match. Should Ohio State pull an upset or two and keep things close heading into the final bout, Brands and company have their ace in the hole.

Nick Lee (left) and Stevan Micic (Photo/Sam Janicki; SJanickiPhoto.com) This evening, one of the biggest duals of the year will go down. No. 3 Michigan will welcome No. 1 Penn State to campus for their conference match. The dual, which airs live on the Big Ten Network at 6:00pm ET, could feature as many as 15 top-10 ranked wrestlers across the 10 matches. The following is a weight-by-weight preview of the dual. 125: No. 1 Nick Suriano (Michigan) vs. No. 7 Drew Hildebrandt (Penn State) After an extended hiatus from the college mats, Suriano made his return earlier this month. He started his career at Penn State and won a national title at Rutgers, but now will make yet another run at the top of the podium for Michigan. So far this year, he has won all three of his matches via bonus points. Suriano has scored major decisions over No. 31 Gage Curry (Pittsburgh) and No. 18 Malik Heinselman (Ohio State) and added a technical fall over Jake Staud (Army). Hildebrandt is also spending his final year of eligibility at a new home. After three NCAA-qualifying seasons and an All-American run for Central Michigan, he is now starting for the Nittany Lions. His Penn State campaign got off to a strong start with a fall over Zach Spence (Maryland), and he has since picked up decisions over Jacob Moran (Indiana) and No. 27 Dylan Shawver (Rutgers). Hildebrandt's win over Shawver required some last-minute heroics. Suriano should have a big advantage in the neutral position. He is large for the weight, and can dominate the hand fighting. Hildebrandt is dangerous in the top position and could make a difference there, but it is hard to see Suriano giving him that opportunity. Prediction: Suriano (Michigan) major decision over Hildebrandt (Penn State) 133: No. 8 Dylan Ragusin (Michigan) vs. No. 1 Roman Bravo-Young (Penn State) Ragusin moved up to 133 pounds this year after qualifying as a true freshman last season at 125. He is 12-3 on the season, including a strong performance at the CKLV Invitational. On his way to the tournament title, Ragusin picked up wins over No. 9 Chris Cannon (Northwestern) and No. 30 Dom LaJoie (Cornell). After that, he dropped a major decision against Michael McGee, but has since bounced back with a major decision over Will Betancourt (Ohio State) last weekend. Bravo-Young started this year as the number-one wrestler at this weight after upsetting No. 2 Daton Fix (Oklahoma State) in last year's NCAA final. So far this year, he has continued that undefeated streak with nine victories. Last weekend, Bravo-Young scored an 11-5 decision over No. 20 Joey Olivieri (Rutgers). None of Bravo-Young's results this year suggest he has fallen from his peak last season. A few wrestlers have escaped giving up bonus points, but those matches were not really in doubt. In terms of common opponents, the Penn State wrestler controlled McGee and took a 6-2 decision. On the other hand, McGee had a huge advantage over Ragusin. In the end, Bravo-Young's dynamic offense should be enough to take this bout. Prediction: Bravo-Young (Penn State) decision over Ragusin (Michigan) 141: No. 4 Stevan Micic (Michigan) vs. No. 1 Nick Lee (Penn State) For the first time since the 2019 season, Micic returned to the folkstyle mats earlier this month. During his absence, Micic won medals at both the 2019 European Games and the 2020 European Championships, and he also represented Serbia at the Olympics. He got off to a strong start with an 8-6 decision over Julian Chlebove (Arizona State). However, he then suffered an upset against No. 20 Cole Matthews (Pittsburgh). Micic then bounced back with a 12-7 decision over No. 23 Dylan D'Emilio (Ohio State) last weekend. Lee has held the number-one spot this entire season after bringing home the NCAA title last year. He had a bit of a slow start to the year, as he only scored bonus in one of his first four matches. However, he is now on a four-match bonus streak. In his last match, Lee scored a 19-1 technical fall over Danny Bertoni (Maryland). He missed last week's match against Rutgers but is expected back for this dual. Micic has moved all the way up to 141 after starting his collegiate career at 125. This will certainly be one of the key matches in the dual, but it is hard to imagine Micic hanging with Lee for seven minutes. The pace will be on display as per usual, and it will likely get to the Michigan wrestler as the match goes on. Prediction: Lee (Penn State) decision over Micic (Michigan) 149: No. 16 Kanen Storr/Cole Mattin (Michigan) vs. No. 19 Beau Bartlett (Penn State) Storr was expected to be the starter at this weight this season. However, he suffered an injury against No. 25 Michael Blockhus (Minnesota) at the CKLV Invitational and has not returned to the lineup since. Mattin has been the one filling in for the three-time NCAA qualifier. Against Pittsburgh, he scored a 9-4 decision over Dan Mancini, and he held tough against No. 2 Sammy Sasso (Ohio State) before ultimately falling 9-4. Bartlett appeared to still be growing into the 149-pound weight class last season, but he certainly looks the part so far this year. He has an 8-3 record on the season, including impressive wins over No. 22 PJ Ogunsanya (Army), No. 24 Anthony Artalona (Penn) and No. 9 Kyle Parco (Arizona State). Things came back down to earth a bit last weekend as he dropped a rideout match against No. 17 Mike Van Brill (Rutgers). One of Bartlett's biggest improvements since his true freshman season has been his ability to control the pace and win close matches. That will likely come in handy against Mattin. Five of Mattin's 15 matches this year have been decided by two points or fewer. Look for this one to be close early, but Bartlett will likely be the one with his hand raised at the end of the match. Prediction: Bartlett (Penn State) decision over Mattin (Michigan) 157: No. 15 Will Lewan (Michigan) vs. Tony Negron (Penn State) This will be Lewan's third-straight season in the starting lineup for Michigan at 157. He earned a trip to the NCAA tournament in both of his previous seasons, and he appears to be on the way yet again this year. Lewan is 8-2 on the season, and he has already picked up victories over No. 20 Andrew Cerniglia (Navy) and No. 21 Elijah Cleary (Pittsburgh). Negron has been a surprise starter for Penn State this year. His previous experience came at the club level while he was enrolled at NC State, but he has started six of 11 duals. His only win on the year came against Maryland, where he scored an 11-2 major decision over Lucas Cordio. In his last match, he went to sudden victory but ultimately came up short against Robert Kanniard (Rutgers). Lewan should be the clear favorite in this match. Negron has kept it tight with some top wrestlers like No. 3 Jacori Teemer (Arizona State) and No. 8 Josh Humphreys (Lehigh), but in the end, he has failed to pick up that signature victory. Lewan is vulnerable, but he should be able to do enough for the decision. Prediction: Lewan (Michigan) decision over Negron (Penn State) 165: No. 10 Cameron Amine (Michigan) vs. No. 16 Brady Berge (Penn State) Amine broke through with a seventh-place finish at the last NCAA tournament to become an All-American for the first time. He has returned this season with a 7-2 record so far. He scored a pair of victories over No. 12 Phillip Conigliaro (Harvard) at the CKLV Invitational and also holds a win over No. 21 Josh Ogunsanya (Columbia). Berge seemingly retired from college wrestling after injury defaulting from the 2021 NCAA tournament. He left Penn State and took a coaching job at South Dakota State. However, he recently returned to the Nittany Lions and made his season debut last weekend. For his first match back, he moved up to 165 pounds and bested Andrew Clark (Rutgers) via a 5-1 score. Penn State fans would likely want this one, but it might be too much too soon. He did not look overly rusty last weekend against Rutgers, but this will be a step up in competition. At the same time, Amine has been out of action since the CKLV Invitational, so he might not be ready to go for this dual. If this match happens, look for Amine to pull out a close decision. Prediction: Amine (Michigan) decision over Berge (Penn State) 174: No. 6 Logan Massa (Michigan) vs. No. 1 Carter Starocci (Penn State) Massa first became an All-American as a redshirt freshman in 2017. He found his way onto the podium against last season with a fifth-place finish. He has returned to Michigan for one last run. Massa has started the season with an undefeated 7-0 record. The season began with a first-place result at the Cleveland State Open. Massa then won a pair of dual meet matches over Hunter Kernan (Pittsburgh) and No. 7 Ethan Smith (Ohio State). As the returning champion at this weight, Starocci has been as dominant as expected. He has won all 11 of his matches on the year and picked up bonus points in nine of those matches. One of his opponents to escape giving up bonus was No. 14 Chris Foca (Cornell). The bout was tied going into the final period, and Starocci rode out the period to ice the match. That riding skill set that Starocci has shown this year will likely be on display here. Massa has struggled at times in his college career working from the bottom position. If he does not score an early takedown, he could find himself working from behind throughout the contest. Prediction: Starocci (Penn State) decision over Massa (Michigan) 184: No. 2 Myles Amine (Michigan) vs. No. 1 Aaron Brooks (Penn State) After sitting out the 2020 season with an Olympic redshirt, Amine returned very late in the season last year and bumped up to 197 pounds from 174. He went on to finish third at the NCAA tournament. Amine then represented San Marino at the Olympics and brought home a bronze medal. He returned to Michigan this year for one last run at an NCAA title. His new home is at 184, and he has started the year with 11-straight victories. Along the way, he bested his former Penn State rival Mark Hall via a 4-2 score. Brooks won the NCAA title last year at this weight, and he appears to have taken a step forward this season. He has won all nine of his matches to start the year. The only opponent to avoid giving up bonus points was No. 4 Parker Keckeisen (Northern Iowa), and Brooks controlled the match throughout. Last weekend, the Penn State wrestler dominated No. 5 John Poznanski (Rutgers) on the way to an 11-2 major decision. Brooks is the more dynamic offensive wrestler in the neutral position. However, Amine can certainly score his points via scrambles. In order to pick up this signature victory, Brooks will need to find a way to score clean takedowns and avoid falling into Amine's game. This might make for a slower-paced match, but in the end, Brooks should be able to get it done. Prediction: Brooks (Penn State) decision over Amine (Michigan) 197: No. 8 Patrick Brucki (Michigan) vs. No. 2 Max Dean (Penn State)' Brucki transferred to Michigan after three seasons at Princeton. He finished fourth in 2019 to become an All-American. So far this year, he has gone 12-2, with his only defeats coming against No. 7 Stephen Buchanan (Wyoming) and No. 12 Jake Woodley (Oklahoma). Brucki has had strong results recently as he bested No. 9 Nino Bonaccorsi (Pittsburgh) on Jan. 9 and returned last weekend with a 5-2 decision over No. 20 Gavin Hoffman (Ohio State). This is Dean's first season at Penn State after multiple years at Cornell. He made the finals in 2018 and was a two-time All-American for the Big Red. There was some question early in the season about whether Dean would hold down this spot or Michael Beard would retain the role. Dean answered those questions right away and has been a revelation for Penn State. He has won all 11 of his matches and picked up bonus in eight. He dominated No. 10 Kordell Norfleet (Arizona State) back in December and recently scored a 9-6 decision over No. 6 Greg Bulsak (Rutgers). Brucki is at his best when he is able to lean on a physical advantage over an opponent. However, he will not have that luxury against Dean. He has been an overly physical presence so far this season, and he remains dangerous on top. Look for Dean to score an early takedown, make a difference in the top position and cruise to a decision victory. Prediction: Dean (Penn State) decision over Brucki (Michigan) 285: No. 2 Mason Parris (Michigan) vs. No. 4 Greg Kerkvliet (Penn State) The heavyweight division is extremely deep this year, and one of the reasons for that is Parris. He finished as the NCAA runner-up last season, and he has won his first seven matches to start this year. All of his victories have come with bonus points. Last weekend, he scored a first-period fall over No. 12 Tate Orndorff (Ohio State). Kerkvliet is also undefeated on the year, and he has scored bonus points in eight of his nine matches. His only opponent to escape giving up extra points was No. 18 Lewis Fernandes (Cornell), and that was a dominant 5-0 decision. In his last match, Kerkvliet scored a first-period fall over Alex Esposito (Rutgers). Parris and Kerkvliet hit at last year's Big Ten tournament. The contest belonged to Parris from start to finish, and he took home an 11-3 major decision. While that is their only folkstyle match to date, the two-faced off again at the recent Olympic trials. This time Kerkvliet reversed that result and took a 4-4 victory on criteria. While history would favor Parris in this match, Kerkvliet was clearly not healthy last season. He has looked more like himself and might surprise folks with an upset bid here. With that being said, Parris is still the second-best heavyweight in the country until someone not named Gable Steveson knocks him off. He is undefeated against all other opponents since 2019. Prediction: Parris (Michigan) decision over Kerkvliet (Penn State)

Pat Popolizio (left) and Tony Robie (Photos/Sam Janicki; SJanickiPhoto.com) The VT-NC State news is going on in real-time as I'm writing this, so it seemed relevant for discussion. Look, I like both these teams and absolutely love the rivalry, but y'all gotta let cooler heads prevail and figure this out. I get where both sides are coming from and there's valid reasons for the decisions by both teams, so it's a tough spot for everyone. Why should Pat Pop reschedule when he can adhere to conference regulations, take the win and likely the conference title? That's his job. Why should Tony Robie travel in bad weather with half a team to Raleigh when he can take the loss while staying home? And don't give me this next man up nonsense; a dual against a depleted Hokie squad is not what anyone wants to see. So cancel it for now. But you have to reschedule this meet at some point. In these trying/divisive/unprecedented times, it would be nice to see two enemies work together for the greater good of the sport. If CT and Wes could work together to win The Challenge: Rivals II, I'm sure these guys can pick a date to make this up. In last year's worst season ever, it was about the only bright spot in the short dual season. It made Rock Harrison a star! In my opinion, the later in the year, the better to build the drama, so it might be a blessing in disguise. Let's figure it out, guys. We don't want last year's best moment to be this year's worst moment. What's your favorite night to watch duals? Midweek (Tues/Wed/Thurs) Friday Saturday Sunday @fantasyD1wrestl Absolutely, Friday night. As a classic 9-5 job type guy, who works out in the cold, the idea of getting home with a warm cup of coffee to watch a slew of killer duals certainly appeals to me. Tonight is supposed to be the best of them all, but as of press time, rumors are swirling that a certain ACC showdown is not happening (note: Virginia Tech at NC State has been ruled a forfeit in favor of the Wolfpack). Even so, it's still a loaded evening keeping you busy for about five hours with your eyes glued to the screen. Yours truly even scheduled a booster shot just to get out early and not miss anything. Are there any coaches you'd consider on the hot seat this season? @a_kenny86 To say I was privy to the inner workings of each school's athletic department would be a lie. There's also not a lot of turnover in head coaching positions each year, as it seems through patience or lack of caring that coaches tend to get ample time to build their program. Wrestling is such a unique sport that the odds of just taking over a random program and winning a team title are not in your favor and I think most schools understand this. I certainly won't call out any coaches and say their job is in jeopardy, but PSU hasn't won a title since 2019 and the fans are starting to get antsy. When you win eight of ten in the first decade of your program's existence, you set the bar quite high for yourself. (Relax, it's a joke. I realize they've been around awhile now) Who is the oldest man in college wrestling not rostered to Iowa? @Jkos11 It's been a while since I checked the birthdays of all DI wrestlers, but if we can get Mason Manville to his senior year with another Olympic redshirt slipped in, then he might set a record. Graduated in 2016! Still a sophomore! Will you be tuning in to ESPN + on Sunday at 1pm to watch UPenn vs. Columbia in The Palestra? and Will you be tuning in to Flo on Sunday at 6pm to watch Drexel vs. Bucknell in The DAC? @WrestlingPhilly This is a perfect situation since I've been trying to get a good look at both these rising teams this year and haven't had much of a chance. Drexel-Bucknell? It might be tough to compete with the football game, but I'll keep an eye on it. Jersey guys all around in both duals if you're into that sort of thing. With an understanding that you're allowed to smoke indoors and even in the corner overseas, how is your training for Veteran Worlds coming along? @MTorriero Mike, you've jumped the shark. If Baxter were a US wrestler, who would he be? @PelikanHead For the uninformed. Baxter is my 17-year-old dog currently going through some medical issues. As a wrestler, he'd have to be small and unassuming but tougher than anyone in the room and have Jersey ties. My guess? Gene Mills, without a doubt. Sorry for the small bag today; it's been a hectic week, but looking forward to a top-tier wrestling weekend and chatting with all of you. Jagger out!

174 lbers Cade Lautt (left) and Matt Finesilver (Photo/Sam Janicki; SJanickiPhoto.com) Duke at North Carolina The Blue Devils travel across town to face the Tar Heels in a rivalry as old as the schools. On paper, it is lopsided for UNC, but there are some great matchups in here, and some tossups that could definitely go in favor of Duke to make this a closer dual. UNC had a brutal early-season dual schedule and threw themselves into the fire of competition early and often--they took some lumps on the scoreboard, but I think they are better because of it. Duke is off to their best start in seven years and have bonus-point machines in the Finesilver brothers. Both brothers have great matchups in the is dual as #8 Josh faces #20 Zach Sherman at 149 and #13 Matt faces #16 Clay Lautt at 174. Not to get lost in the wildness of opening week for conference duals, UNC will also match up with Little Rock on Sunday at home. 125: Logan Agin vs. Spencer Moore This could be a budding rivalry between freshmen in this bout. Agin is 10-7 coming in and Moore is 9-10. Both are very active wrestlers and don't mind initiating situations to score points. This will be an important gauge for us to see how much growth Spencer made during the non-conference season. 133: Drake Doolittle vs. #10 Jaime Hernandez Hernandez has been out with an injury since mid-December but had been off to a hot start for the season. He comes in at 5-0 while Doolittle has a 4-14 record on the season. 141: Patrick Rowland vs. #7 Kizhan Clarke Clarke is another Tar Heel who has had a great year at 12-0 and pulling in the #7 ranking. He has been dominant and has seemed to handle the weight cut very well. 149: #13 Josh Finesilver vs. #20 Zach Sherman Coming into the season, this match was circled on a lot of schedules; Sherman was an All-American last year, while Finesilver fell in the blood round. Finesilver has looked excellent this season, bringing in a 21-2 record with his only losses to All-American #5 John Millner from App State. Sherman, however, has not had as great of a start. He comes in a 2-5 but has faced one of the toughest schedules in the nation in his first half of the season. His losses are to wrestlers ranked 2, 4, 6, 9 and 10 in the current rankings--not the nicest way to ease into a season. I still have faith that this will be a fantastic match. The UNC coaches feel good about the improvements Sherman has made and where he is at going into conference duals. I lean Finesilver here, but this match could go a long way to Sherman showing he still belongs in the upper echelon of 149. 157: Wade Ungar vs. #6 Austin O'Connor Returning national champion Austin O'Connor brings in a 7-1 record, his one loss to #5 Peyton Robb of Nebraska in a close match. Ungar has had good moments for the Blue Devils; the sophomore brings in a 9-10 record. I expect a lot of offensive from O'Connor here and I don't think that Ungar will be able to do much to stop it. 165: Gabe Dinette vs. Sonny Santiago This could be a great match with two pretty evenly matched wrestlers. Santiago is 6-7 while Dinette is 7-7, but has looked like he has found his groove lately. 174: #13 Matt Finesilver vs #16 Clay Lautt Finesilver started the season off with a 20 win streak before taking a couple "not great" losses at the Southern Scuffle. He has rebounded to win his last two and is sitting at 22-2 on the year. Lautt wasn't initially the starter at 174, as Gavin Kane took the wrestle-off victory, but the team quickly balanced out to find the best lineup with Lautt at 174 and Kane at 184. Since taking the starting spot, he has gone 4-3 with close losses to Rocky Jordan, Mikey Labriola and Thomas Flitz--all ranked at the time of the loss. I give the edge to Finesilver in this match, but it should be a battle. 184: Vincent Baker vs. #22 Gavin Kane Baker has looked better of late, but enters the match at .500 with a 10-10 record. Kane comes in with a 7-2 record; since moving back up to 184, he is 3-0 with quality wins over Caleb Hopkins and Chris Weiler. 197: Kaden Russell vs. #28 Max Shaw Russell is someone I have been high on all year. He's had glimpses of great potential, especially in duals. He has eight dual wins and six of them are by bonus this year--he is 12-8 overall and has performed better in a dual setting. Shaw is 7-3 on the year and two of the three losses are to ranked wrestlers Greg Bulsak and Braxton Amos. 285: Jonah Niesenbaum vs. Brandon Whitman I don't expect the team score to be in balance when we get to heavyweight, but this could be a sneaky good match to end on. Whitman is 6-7 but has a few close losses. Niesenbaum comes in at 13-6 with three of those losses in sudden victory. Niesenbaum has played a significant role in locking up some big team wins for Duke this year and has been on the bubble of the rankings. He's got a lot of potential and can be a bright spot for Duke this year.

(photo courtesy of Clarion athletics/Kirkland Photography) Last week was about .500 for me in all my leagues. You win some, you lose some, and life goes on. In our #MatScoutsDynasty league, I suffered my second straight loss of the season to drop my overall dual record to 8-2 (week 8 was a BYE week for all teams). The week came down to whether 125 Joey Fischer (Clarion) would win his match against Logan Heil (Cleveland State). If Fischer won, I lost. I was praying for a no-show. Alas, Fischer weighed in, lined up, and won by Decision. I lost the week to The Ninnie's Propaganda (Earl Smith) 67-65. But it's ok, my team (Cael Chips) will be just fine. Every championship team has a down week or two, right? To sound like a broken record, though, that's what I love about this aspect of Fantasy College Wrestling. No offense to Clarion and Cleveland State, but I was TUNED IN to the match where if Fantasy College Wrestling didn't exist, I probably wouldn't be. Think of Fantasy Football. How many players on your team this year were from a rival organization? (Eagles and Cowboys, Steelers and Ravens, Washington Football Team and just about everyone else). Watching the Browns play the Jets becomes extremely important because of that running back you picked up off waivers last minute. Every point matters. Fantasy sports has been credited as being one of the reasons for the increased popularity of football and the creation of RedZone (one of the most wonderful inventions of this century). Fantasy sports helps all involved by creating interest in not only the top teams like Penn State, Iowa, NC State, and Oklahoma State, but also the smaller programs like Gardner-Webb, Bucknell, and Utah Valley. It helps viewership of those programs. It creates the need to gain more information to which media outlets like InterMat, TOM, FloWrestling, etc., can benefit with articles and videos. To me, it's the soil to plant the seeds for the new crop of wrestling fans. More to come on that later. On to Week 12. Another action-packed weekend awaits us, with 68 of 77 D1 teams in action and 18 of last season's Top-20 competing. No real D1 action in tournaments this week, but if something pops up, you'll be the first to know (if you have those notifications turned “ON” that is). Got a question? Got a Recommendation? Let me know and message me @FantasyD1wrestl. Wrestlers I Like This Week Wrestler (School)- competition for the week [Proj Score] *organized by tournament name first, then by school name* 125: Caleb Smith (Appalachian State)- Vs Little Rock, Vs VMI [+8] Brandon Kaylor (Oregon State)- @ Northern Colorado, @ Wyoming [+8] Micah Roes (Binghamton)- @ Hofstra, @ Long Island [+7] Anthony Noto (Lock Haven)- Vs George Mason, Vs Lock Haven [+7] Nick Suriano (Michigan)- @ Penn State, @ Rutgers [+7] Brandon Seidman (Bucknell)- Vs Sacred Heart, @ Drexel [+6] Greg Diakomihalis (Cornell)- Vs Harvard, Vs Brown [+6] Noah Surtin (Missouri)- @ Oklahoma, Vs South Dakota State [+6] Brandon Courtney (Arizona State)- @ CSU Bakersfield [+4] Michael DeAugustino (Northwestern)- Vs Nebraska [+4] Pat Glory (Princeton)- Vs Columbia [+4] Brody Teske (UNI)- Vs North Dakota State [+3] Gage Curry (Pittsburgh)- Vs Virginia [+3] 133: Codi Russell (Appalachian State)- Vs Little Rock, Vs VMI [+9] Anthony Sobotker (Binghamton)- @ Hofstra, @ Long Island [+9] Joe Heilmann (North Carolina)- Vs Duke, Vs Little Rock [+8] Kurt Phipps (Bucknell)- Vs Sacred Heart, @ Drexel [+7] Devan Turner (Oregon State)- @ Northern Colorado, @ Wyoming [+7] Joshua Koderhandt (Navy)- @ Ohio , @ Cleveland State [+6] Tony Madrigal (Oklahoma)- Vs Missouri, @ Northern Illinois [+6] Roman Bravo-Young (Penn State)- @ Michigan, @ Michigan State [+6] Michael McGee (Arizona State)- @ CSU Bakersfield [+4] Derek Spann (Buffalo)- @ Kent State [+4] Chris Cannon (Northwestern)- Vs Nebraska [+4] Daton Fix (Oklahoma State)- Vs Lehigh [+4] Lucas Byrd (Illinois)- @ Purdue [+3] Micky Phillippi (Pittsburgh)- Vs Virginia [+3] Korbin Myers (Virginia Tech)- @ NC State) [+3] 141: Ryan Anderson (Binghamton)- @ Hofstra, @ Long Island [+8] Sebastian Rivera (Rutgers)- @ Michigan State, @ Michigan [+8] Kaden Cassidy (George Mason)- @ Lock Haven, @ Bloomsburg [+7] Kizhan Clarke (North Carolina)- Vs Duke, Vs Little Rock [+7] Chad Red (Nebraska)- @ Wisconsin, @ Northwestern [+7] Matt Kazimir (Columbia)- @ Princeton, @ U Penn [+6] Gabe Willochell (Edinboro)- Vs Cleveland State, Rider (@CSU) [+6] Kyran Hagen (Ohio)- Vs Navy, Vs Davidson [+6] Shannon Hanna (Campbell)- Vs The Citadel [+4] Dresden Simon (Central Michigan)- @ Northern Illinois, @ SIU-Edwardsville, Vs South Dakota State [+3] Ian Parker (Iowa State)- Vs North Dakota State [+3] Cole Matthews (Pittsburgh)- Vs Virginia [+3] 149: Yianni Diakomihalis (Cornell)- Vs Brown, Vs Harvard [+10] PJ Ogunsanya (Army)- Vs American, Vs Franklin & Marshall [+8] Sammy Sasso (Ohio State)- Vs Iowa, Vs Maryland [+8] Kolby DePron (Bucknell)- Vs Sacred Heart, @ Drexel [+8] John Millner (Appalachian State)- Vs Little Rock, Vs VMI [+7] Alex Madrigal (George Mason)- @ Lock Haven, @ Bloomsburg [+7] Josh Edmond (Missouri)- @ Oklahoma, Vs South Dakota State [+6] Alec Hagen (Ohio)- Vs Navy, Vs Davidson [+6] Beau Bartlett (Penn State)- @ Michigan, @ Michigan State [+6] Mike Van Brill (Rutgers)- @ Michigan State, @ Michigan [+6] Josh Heil (Campbell)- Vs The Citadel [+5] Kyle Parco (Arizona State)- @ CSU Bakersfield [+4] Jarrett Degen (Iowa State)- Vs North Dakota State [+4] Anthony Artalona (U Penn)- Vs Columbia [+3] Jarod Verkleeren (Virginia)- @ Pittsburgh [+3] 157: Johnny Lovett (Central Michigan)- @ Northern Illinois, @ SIU-Edwardsville, Vs South Dakota State [+10] Austin O'Connor (North Carolina)- Vs Duke, Vs Little Rock [+9] Markus Hartman (Army)- Vs American, Vs Franklin & Marshall [+8] Kendall Coleman (Purdue)- Vs Illinois, Vs Wisconsin [+7] Hunter Richard (Cornell)- Vs Brown, Vs Harvard [+6] Will Lewan (Michigan)- @ Penn State, @ Rutgers [+6] Andrew Cerniglia (Navy)- @ Ohio , @ Cleveland State [+6] Jacori Teemer (Arizona State)- @ CSU Bakersfield [+4] David Carr (Iowa State)- Vs North Dakota State [+4] Quincy Monday (Princeton)- Vs Columbia [+4] Dazjon Casto (The Citadel)- @ Campbell [+3] Parker Kropman (Drexel)- Vs Bucknell [+3] Josh Humphreys (Lehigh)- @ Oklahoma State [+3] Kaleb Young (Iowa)- @ Ohio State [+3] Doug Zapf (U Penn)- Vs Columbia [+3] Elijah Cleary (Pittsburgh)- Vs Virginia [+3] Ed Scott (NC State)- Vs Virginia Tech [+3] 165: Dalton Harkins (Army)- Vs American, Vs Franklin & Marshall [+8] Zach Hartman (Bucknell)- Vs Sacred Heart, @ Drexel [+8] Keegan O'Toole (Missouri)- @ Oklahoma, Vs South Dakota State [+8] Dean Hamiti (Wisconsin)- Vs Nebraska, @ Purdue [+8] Will Formato (Appalachian State)- Vs Little Rock, Vs VMI [+7] Joshua Ogunsanya (Columbia)- @ Princeton, @ U Penn [+6] Luke Weber (North Dakota State)- @ Iowa State, @ UNI [+6] Izzak Olejnik (Northern Illinois)- Vs Central Michigan, Vs Oklahoma [+6] Brady Berge (Penn State)- @ Michigan, @ Michigan State [+6] Travis Wittlake (Oklahoma State)- Vs Lehigh [+3] 174: Michael Labriola (Nebraska)- @ Wisconsin, @ Northwestern [+8] Chris Foca (Cornell)- Vs Brown, Vs Harvard [+7] Logan Messer (George Mason)- @ Lock Haven, @ Bloomsburg [+6] Austin Murphy (Campbell)- The Citadel [+4] Eric Beck (Bellarmine)- Vs Davidson [+3] Michael O'Malley (Drexel)- Vs Bucknell [+3] Matt Finesilver (Duke)- @ North Carolina [+3] Dustin Plott (Oklahoma State)- Vs Lehigh [+3] Cade DeVos (South Dakota State)- @ Missouri, Vs Central Michigan, Vs SIU-Edwardsville [+9] Justin Phillips (Virginia)- @ Pittsburgh [+3] 184: Gavin Kane (North Carolina)- Vs Duke, Vs Little Rock [+9] Jonathan Loew (Cornell)- Vs Brown, Vs Harvard [+8] Trey Munoz (Oregon State)- @ Northern Colorado, @ Wyoming [+7] Jeremiah Kent (Missouri)- @ Oklahoma, Vs South Dakota State [+7] Brit Wilson (Northern Illinois)- Vs Central Michigan, Vs Oklahoma [+7] Kaleb Romero (Ohio State)- Vs Iowa, Vs Maryland [+6] Caleb Hopkins (Campbell)- Vs The Citadel [+5] Charles Small (Hofstra)- Vs Binghamton [+4] Marcus Coleman (Iowa State)- Vs North Dakota State [+4] Parker Keckeisen (UNI)- Vs North Dakota State [+4] Dakota Geer (Oklahoma State)- Vs Lehigh [+4] 197: Tyler Mousaw (VMI)- Vs Appalachian State, Vs Bellarmine, Vs Gardner-Webb [+12] Matt Stencel (Central Michigan)- @ Northern Illinois, @ SIU-Edwardsville, Vs South Dakota State [+11] Jack Brown (Army)- Vs American, Vs Franklin & Marshall [+8] Lou DePrez (Binghamton)- @ Hofstra, @ Long Island [+8] Jacob Cardenas (Cornell)- Vs Brown, Vs Harvard [+7] Max Shaw (North Carolina)- Vs Duke, Vs Little Rock [+7] Rocky Elam (Missouri)- @ Oklahoma, Vs South Dakota State [+6] Eric Schultz (Nebraska)- @ Wisconsin, @ Northwestern [+6] Levi Hopkins (Campbell)- Vs The Citadel [+5] AJ Ferrari (Oklahoma State)- Vs Lehigh [+5] Tanner Sloan (South Dakota State)- @ Missouri, Vs Central Michigan, Vs SIU-Edwardsville [+5] Jacob Warner (Iowa)- @ Ohio State [+3] Issac Trumble (NC State)- Vs Virginia Tech [+3] Cole Urbas (U Penn)- Vs Columbia [+3] Stephen Buchanan (Wyoming)- Vs Oregon State [+3] 285: Lewis Fernandes (Cornell)- Vs Brown, Vs Harvard [+10] Mason Parris (Michigan)- @ Penn State, @ Rutgers [+8] Brandon Metz (North Dakota State)- @ Iowa State, @ UNI [+6] Anthony Cassioppi (Iowa)_ @ Ohio State [+4] Jordan Wood (Lehigh)- @ Oklahoma State [+3] Ben Goldin (U Penn)- Vs Columbia [+3] Nathan Traxler (Virginia Tech)- @ NC State [+3] Think I missed someone? Disagree with someone on the list or their projection? Want to know our thoughts on a matchup? Let me know! Win the week!

Missouri All-American Rocky Elam (photo courtesy of Sam Janicki; SJanickiPhoto.com) Thursday 01/20 Missouri at Oklahoma, 8:00 PM (7:00 PM) Friday 01/21 Oregon State at Northern Colorado, 8:00 PM (6:00 PM) Saturday 01/22 South Dakota State at Missouri, 3:00 PM (2:00 PM) Oregon State at Wyoming, 3:00 PM (1:00 PM) North Dakota State at Northern Iowa, 8:00 PM (7:00 PM) Sunday 01/23 Oklahoma at Northern Illinois, 1:00 PM (12:00 PM) South Dakota State at SIU Edwardsville, 2:00 PM (1:00 PM) North Dakota State at Iowa State, 3:00 PM (2:00 PM) Lehigh at Oklahoma State, 3:00 PM (2:00 PM) If this schedule holds up (Unfortunately, we know it won't due to a rash of cancellations from COVID), this is another solid slate of duals for the Big 12 this week. Most Unique Storyline: OU vs. Missouri The “newest” Big 12 program taking on the defending conference champions. On paper this is the toughest in conference matchup for Missouri so far this season, but Missouri has a slight edge in the rankings at most weights. OU is competitive at every single weight, so this could get interesting if they can pull a few upsets. My Dual to Watch: North Dakota State at Iowa State I wrote in my recap for last week that I think Iowa State is starting to emerge as a conference title contender. They're right up there with OSU and Missouri and could continue to climb as we move forward in the season. They have a solid test here though. North Dakota State and Iowa State are both one loss teams and North Dakota State will provide a test for the rising Cyclone squad ahead of their dual with Oklahoma State next week.