InterMat Staff

Mounds View

Burrell

Vacaville

North Penn-Liberty

West Chester East

Chambersburg

Lowell

Los Gatos

We are officially in CKLV week! That’s the Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational, the toughest regular season tournament in the nation. It’s only a few days away. Last year, the CKLV reasserted itself as the best tournament in the sport. While it held the unofficial title for a few years prior, the 2023 tournament was an embarrassment of riches - so loaded it was almost comical. Not only was it the best regular season tournament of the year, but you’d have to go back over a decade to find a tournament that compares to it. National powers Iowa and Penn State typically eschew competition at the CKLV. Still, they were the only teams that finished in the top ten at the 2024 NCAA Championships that were not in Vegas last December. We’ll have more on that later. This morning, we’re looking at the 2023 CKLV and how it correlated to the 2024 NCAA Championships. With the results from the 2024 national tournament available, we have even more tools to accurately demonstrate just how difficult the 2023 tournament actually was. This is in reference to wrestlers who were in action at the 2023 CKLV: 2024 NCAA Champions (4): Jesse Mendez (Ohio State - 141), Caleb Henson (Virginia Tech - 149), David Carr (Iowa State - 165), Parker Keckeisen (Northern Iowa - 184) 2024 NCAA Champions who didn’t win 2023 CKLV (2): Caleb Henson, David Carr 2024 NCAA Finalists at 2023 CKLV (8): Mendez, Henson, Carr, Keckeisen, Jacori Teemer (Arizona State - 157), Dustin Plott (Oklahoma State - 184), Trent Hidlay (NC State - 197), Lucas Davison (Michigan - 285) 2024 NCAA All-Americans on the 2023 CKLV Podium (30): Caleb Smith (Nebraska - 125), Jore Volk (Wyoming - 125), Tanner Jordan (South Dakota State - 125), Kai Orine (NC State - 133), Evan Frost (Iowa State - 133), Mendez, Ryan Jack (NC State - 141), Lachlan McNeil (North Carolina - 141), Brock Hardy (Nebraska - 141), Anthony Echemendia (Iowa State - 141), Ridge Lovett (Nebraska - 149), Henson, Kyle Parco (Arizona State - 149), Casey Swiderski (Iowa State - 149), Peyton Robb (Nebraska - 157), Teemer, Bryce Andonian (Virginia Tech - 157), Daniel Cardenas (Stanford - 157), Izzak Olejnik (Oklahoma State - 165), Carr, Hunter Garvin (Stanford - 165), Cade DeVos (South Dakota State - 174), Keckeisen, Plott, Hidlay, Tanner Sloan (South Dakota State - 197), Jacob Cardenas (Cornell - 197), Davison, Taye Ghadiali (Campbell - 285), Nick Feldman (Ohio State - 285) 2024 NCAA All-Americans Who Competed and didn't make the top-eight at 2023 CKLV (7): Quinn Kinner (Rider - 149), Meyer Shapiro (Cornell - 157), Peyten Kellar (Ohio - 157), Antrell Taylor (Nebraska - 165), Shane Griffith (Michigan - 174), Trey Munoz (Oregon State - 184), David Key (Navy - 184) The 157 lb bracket was considered the gold standard for the 2023 Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational. Here’s the skinny on 157 in Vegas last year. Total All-Americans in the 157 lb bracket (returning and eventual) (8)- Robb, Teemer, Andonian, Cardenas, Shapiro, Kellar, Ed Scott (NC State), Will Lewan (Michigan) Other notables that have yet to earn All-American status: Cody Chittum (Iowa State), Paddy Gallagher (Ohio State), Joey Blaze (Purdue), Cael Swensen (South Dakota State), Tommy Askey (Appalachian State), Ryder Downey (Northern Iowa). Looking at NCAA seeding at 157 lbs - the #1 was Levi Haines of Penn State. Seeds #2-#9 were all entered in the monster bracket in Vegas. #2 Teemer, #3 Shapiro, #4 Scott, #5 Downey, #6 Cardenas, #7 Kellar, #8 Robb, and #9 Lewan. Oftentimes, we can look at a match or tournament and say it’s a potential preview of an NCAA final or semifinal. The 2023 CKLV actually had a preview of a pair of 2024 Semifinals. NCAA Semifinals previews (2): 149 lbs - Lovett over Henson in the CKLV finals. Henson reversed the result 1-0 in the NCAA semifinals. 157 lbs - Teemer over Cardenas in the CKLV semis (14-6). Teemer also won the NCAA semis (12-2) Of the 80 placewinners from the 2023 CKLV Invitational, only nine failed to qualify for the 2024 NCAA Tournament. Looking deeper into those numbers, there were three true freshmen who placed but were kept in redshirt. (Tyler Knox/Lorenzo Norman/Sonny Sasso). Paddy Gallagher, Matthew Olguin, and Travis Wittlake were well on their way before suffering season-ending injuries. As hard as it is to believe, the 2023 CKLV could have been even more loaded than it actually was. There were a handful of top wrestlers whose teams participated in Vegas, but they didn’t wrestle. They include 2 NCAA Champions (Richie Figueroa, Vito Arujau), 5 Finalists (Figueroa, Arujau, Daton Fix, Austin Gomez, and Rocco Welsh), and 12 AA’s (the finalists plus - Dylan Ragusin - Michigan, Mekhi Lewis - Virginia Tech, Lennox Wolak - Columbia, Bennett Berge - South Dakota State, TJ Stewart - Virginia Tech, Wyatt Hendrickson - Air Force, Cohlton Schultz - Arizona State). NCAA Team finishes by CKLV Teams 2) Cornell, 3) Michigan, 4) Iowa State, 6) Arizona State, 7) Virginia Tech, 8. Ohio State, 9) Nebraska, 10) Oklahoma State, 11-tie) NC State, 13) South Dakota State, 14) Northern Iowa, 16) Stanford 2023 CKLV Team Finishes 1) Iowa State - 130.5, 2) Nebraska - 125.5, 3) Ohio State - 123.5, 4) NC State - 115, 5) Oregon State - 98.5, 6) Cornell - 93.5, 7) Stanford - 85.5, 8. Michigan - 81.5, 9) Oklahoma State - 78.5, 10) South Dakota State - 74

Buchanan

West Scranton

We’re less than 24 hours from the calendar turning over to December! A month of the college wrestling season is in the books. Instead of looking back at November, we’re looking forward to December and the top duals that await. We know that December will be a good month for duals as the Journeymen Collegiate Duals have become a staple of the college wrestling world in late-December; however, there is more than just the Collegiate Duals looming. Speaking of December, tomorrow is the first, and one of our “duals to watch” takes place then. Don’t let the Thanksgiving hangover let you forget about the top-20 clash between Minnesota and South Dakota State. December 1st - #7 Minnesota at #17 South Dakota State Match(es) to watch: 184/197 lbs This is a dual that fans of both teams will enjoy as South Dakota State has recruited well in Minnesota and has many Minnesota natives on their roster. Minnesota has won the last 12 duals in this series and the last time South Dakota State defeated head coach Damion Hahn’s alma mater (1974-75), Hahn had not been born. Minnesota freshman Max McEnelly has flown under the radar but has been one of the most impressive redshirt freshmen this season. He has earned a tech fall in all six of his appearances this year and now has risen to #9 in the nation. Opposing him will be returning All-American #4 Bennett Berge. At 197 lbs, you have a pair of returning Big Ten finalists with Zach Glazier and Isaiah Salazar. Salazar won a B1G crown at 184 lbs last season, but has moved up in weight and has been just as good. Glazier came over from Iowa and posted a solid win over #16 Wyatt Voelker (Northern Iowa). December 6th - #2 Iowa vs. #25 Army West Point @ Kansas City, Missouri Match to watch: 285 lbs Army West Point has shown a willingness to wrestle anywhere at any time. Hence they picked up a dual against Iowa a few years ago, while en route to wrestle Iowa State. This time the schools will meet in a neutral-site dual in Missouri. So far, we’ve seen two-time U20 world medalist Ben Kueter against a title contender (Yonger Bastida) and a couple of heavyweights still trying to find their footing. How about a ranked, returning NCAA qualifier in Lucas Stoddard? Stoddard was stunned at the Black Knight Invitational by Michigan State’s Max Vanadia but rebounded well and will be a good barometer for Kueter. December 6th - #11 Illinois at #28 Indiana Match to watch: 133 lbs Normally, the Big Ten dual season gets underway in January, but here’s the first conference dual of the season and it contains a handful of intriguing matchups. Seven of the ten weights could feature ranked-versus-ranked bouts. The one we’ve decided to highlight features a pair of wrestlers #2 Lucas Byrd and #24 Angelo Rini, who have a rivalry that goes way back! The two met in the quarterfinals of the Ohio DI State tournament in 2017 (while both were freshmen) in a bout won by Byrd 11-6. He would go on to take third and Rini was fifth. I’m sure these two probably battled many times before this, as well. Let’s have another chapter in 2024. December 8th - #1 Penn State vs. #23 Lehigh @ Allentown, PA Match to watch: 133 lbs Earlier this week, Lehigh announced that this match had already sold out Allentown’s PPL Center. The last time these two teams met at the PPL Center it drew just under 9900 fans. There are a handful of quality matches slated for this dual; however, we’ve singled out 133 lbs because it features two top contenders, #1 Ryan Crookham and #10 Braeden Davis, and neither has seen much action yet this season. As freshmen, Crookham finished third in the nation at 133 lbs and Davis was the Big Ten champion at 125 lbs. December 8th - #18 Rutgers vs. Princeton Match to watch: 197 lbs New Jersey bragging rights will be on the line as Rutgers and Princeton clash in what has turned out to be a fun rivalry. Now you have the greatest wrestler to come from the Rutgers program, Anthony Ashnault, on the Princeton coaching bench. For on-mat storylines, turn to the big guys at 197 lbs with Luke Stout and John Poznanski clashing in a meeting of top-15 ranked wrestlers. The two met in the 2023 dual meet and Ponznanski came away with an 8-4 decision win. December 13th - #4 Oklahoma State at #19 Oklahoma Match to watch: 141 lbs Bedlam will only occur once this season - rather than the customary home-and-home series that these two teams have enjoyed in the past. We’ll see if that becomes a trend. 141 lbs is the weight we’ll target here as the top seven at the weight seem pretty well entrenched; however, after those seven is a bit of a revolving door. Someone needs to step up. Both of the wrestlers in this dual are capable of ending up on the podium. Tagen Jamison showed it at the CKLV last season and in spurts along the way. Mosha Schwartz has had some really solid wins over the course of his career, but he’s just had to stay healthy. December 13th - #6 Ohio State at #29 Pittsburgh Match to watch: 285lbs Ohio State generally looks like a pretty bad matchup, on paper, against Pittsburgh. Anywhere where the Panthers are strong, Ohio State appears to be as strong or better. One of the fun matchups in this dual is at heavyweight with returning All-American Nick Feldman and Pittsburgh’s Dayton Pitzer. Pitzer looked like he might be able to challenge for a spot on the podium in 2023-24; however, he was slowed down by an injury. Pitzer famously burst on the season at the 2022 Midlands with wins over All-American’s Cohlton Schultz and Trent Hillger. December 15th - #26 Wyoming at #1 Penn State Match to Watch: 125 lbs This will be the first significant test for Penn State super-freshman Luke Lilledahl. He’ll square off with 2024 NCAA seventh-place finisher Jore Volk. These two are not strangers, as Lilledahl defeated Volk in the 2023 U20 World Team Trials best-of-three finals. Lilledahl won that meeting and went on to defeat the reigning U20 world champion Volk, before making the U20 world finals himself. Volk is looking to get back on track after an 0-2 road trip to Oklahoma last weekend. December 19th - #5 Virginia Tech at #4 Oklahoma State Match to Watch: 174 lbs The Virginia Tech Hokies could be the team responsible for handing David Taylor his first loss as Oklahoma State’s head coach. One of the bouts that could swing the dual in either direction is the 174 lb contest - one that pits a pair of All-Americans against each other. Dean Hamiti and Lennox Wolak have yet to meet in college, because Hamiti spent his first three years competing at 165 lbs. Since both of these teams have committed to the CKLV Invitational, there’s a chance that they clash in Vegas less than two weeks before his dual. The match after 174 lbs, also features a pair of returning AA’s with TJ Stewart and Dustin Plott. December 20th - #17 South Dakota State vs. #29 Pittsburgh @ Lawrenceville, New Jersey Match to Watch: 174 lbs South Dakota State boasts the highest returning wrestler at 174 lbs from the 2024 NCAA Tournament - Cade DeVos. DeVos will get tested by Luca Augustine, a two-time national qualifier who appears as if he may be taking the “next step” to solidify himself as a podium contender. Pittsburgh already has an upset victory after knocking off Lehigh, could the Jackrabbits be next? Going match-by-match through this dual, it should be very close and has a few toss-up matches. December 20th - #17 South Dakota State vs. #24 Maryland @ Lawrenceville, New Jersey Match to Watch: 184 lbs South Dakota State isn’t out of the woods just yet. They’ll have to contend with a ranked Maryland team at this Rider quad, as well. Despite the rankings advantage on the Jackrabbits side, Maryland appears to be a rough matchup for SDSU, provided all of their usual starters are available. One match to focus on is the 184 lb bout between All-American Bennett Berge and Jaxon Smith. Smith was a match shy of All-American honors in 2023 at 197 lbs, but is in his first year at the lower weight. Early returns have Smith with bonus points in all four of his matches this season. December 20th - #24 Maryland at #29 Pittsburgh @ Lawrenceville, New Jersey Match to Watch: 141 lbs Finally, we wrap up the Rider quad with a meeting between these squads who were briefly ACC rivals in 2013-14. In each of the last two seasons, these two squads have traded wins with one another. Maryland shocked Pitt early in the 2022-23 season, and the Panthers returned the favor last season. This is another one I could see coming down to the final bout. Instead of focusing on some wrestlers we’ve already mentioned, I’ll look at the 141 lb match-up. This pits a pair of redshirt freshmen against each other - Anthony Santaniello for Pitt and Dario Lemus of Maryland. Santaniello hopped into the rankings after his win over Lehigh veteran Malyke Hines. Lemus has been impressive in his own right, but is still looking for a signature victory. Also expect good matches at 133, 157, 184, and 285 lbs. December 21st - #6 Ohio State vs. #12 Iowa State @ Nashville, Tennessee Match to Watch: 133 lbs Iowa State is still trying to find themselves and get all of their best wrestlers in the lineup at once, so hopefully they’ll be on their way at the time of the Collegiate Duals. With that in mind, we’ll focus on the 133 lb bout between All-American Evan Frost and Nic Bouzakis. These two did not meet last season, but Frost made the finals of the CKLV Invitational and Bouzakis was third. The Buckeye was upset in the first round and battled back through the consi’s. This could be a match that happens this year in Vegas, as well. Ohio State hasn't gotten their ideal lineup on that match, as well. They could have All-American Carson Kharchla back at 174 lbs for this event. December 21st - #6 Ohio State vs. #22 North Carolina @ Nashville, Tennessee Match to Watch: 149 lbs We’re sure that two-time All-American Lachlan McNeil will be for the Tar Heels. McNeil has already taken a pair of losses with a rough early-season schedule. In his last dual, McNeil outlasted Illinois super-freshman, Kannon Webster. Common sense would think McNeil versus All-American Anthony Echemendia for this dual (which would be great). There are some rumors in Cyclone Land that there may be some weight movement in the works for ISU. Should those rumors come to fruition, maybe we see McNeil against Paniro Johnson? I’m good with either! December 22nd - #16 Little Rock vs. #13 Missouri @ Nashville, Tennessee Match to Watch: 197 lbs Missouri has taken their lumps in the early portion of the season and has yet to unveil their ideal lineup. One of those missing pieces has been four-time All-American Rocky Elam. If healthy, Elam is a legitimate national title threat. Last year, Elam only had 11 matches prior to the postseason. It appears he may have a similar number in his final year of eligibility. Little Rock can counter with an All-American of their own in Stephen Little. Despite both making the podium last year, they did not meet at all. Should Elam not be available, this close dual could win Little Rock’s way. December 22nd - #1 Penn State vs. #13 Missouri @ Nashville, Tennessee Match to Watch: 174 lbs Once we were sure that national champions Levi Haines and Keegan O’Toole were moving up to 174 lbs, this match instantly became one of the “must-watch” potential matches of the year. With a win over UNI on Tuesday, O’Toole ran his 2024-25 record to 8-0 with bonus points in all eight contests. Haines hasn’t been as active but just as dominant with a 4-0 mark and a win over returning Big 12 champion and All-American Cade DeVos in the NWCA All-Star Classic. This dual could also have strong matches at 125, 141, 165, 184, and 197. December 22nd - #1 Penn State vs. #16 Little Rock @ Nashville, Tennessee Match to Watch: 133 lbs Two of the best true freshmen in the nation last year were Little Rock’s Nasir Bailey and Penn State’s Braeden Davis. Bailey compiled a 29-4 record and won a Pac-12 title before finishing fourth in the country. Davis won his first 14 matches in a Penn State singlet and a Big Ten championship; however, he came up a match shy of placing in Kansas City. We haven’t seen Davis much yet at 133 lbs, so we’ll still be learning about him at a higher weight as this match takes place. By this time Penn State freshman Josh Barr could have established himself more and could make for a great match against Stephen Little at 197 lbs. December 21st - Campbell vs. #20 West Virginia @ Florida Match to Watch: 133 lbs West Virginia looks like a solid favorite against Campbell, but one of the matches that could favor the Camels is the 133 lb contest between #21 Dom Zaccone and #26 Jett Strickenberger. Zaccone has been a consistent force for Campbell for the last few years. He could be an outside podium threat in a very deep 133 lb weight class. Strickenberger started the year at 125 lbs, but has since moved up to 133. At 125 lbs, Strickenberger finished third in the Big 12 and was a top-20 seed at nationals. This is another bout that could take place at the CKLV. December 22nd - #8 NC State at #10 Cornell Match to Watch: 125 lbs This is perfect timing for this dual between top-ten opponents. Cornell is without two of their veterans Julian Ramirez (165) and Chris Foca (184) for the first semester due to Ivy League eligibility rules. They will reportedly be able to wrestle in this dual. Additionally, Cornell has been nursing some injuries to key components in their lineup. The NC State dual might be a spot where we see the closest thing to a postseason lineup for the Big Red, thus far. Had we written this article before the season, I don’t think 125 lbs would have been a weight we would have circled as “must-watch” but here we are! Vincent Robinson has been one of the pleasant surprises for NC State and nationwide. Robinson is currently 11-0 with five wins over wrestlers currently in the national rankings. Greg Diakomihalis has been excellent himself. Finally free to compete at his ideal weight, Diakomihalis is unbeaten in nine matches. Of course, both teams are slated to attend the CKLV so this could be a match we’ve already seen by the time late-December rolls around.

Prospect

Galt

Sierra Vista

Prattville

Rancho Bernardo

Olathe North

Millard South

Sheridan

Foristell

Robinson

Johnston

Geneseo

Poplar Bluff