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The guys from the Fantasy College Wrestling podcast are here to break down the action set for this weekend from a fantasy wrestling perspective.

The NCAA added women's wrestling as its 91st championship sport, providing another athletics opportunity for female athletes to compete. Divisions I, II and III approved the addition at the Association's annual Convention this week in Nashville, Tennessee. Women's wrestling now advances from the NCAA Emerging Sports for Women program to become a national collegiate championship, featuring female athletes from all three divisions competing against one another. The NCAA's first women's wrestling championship will be in 2026. "We are thrilled that women's wrestling will be an NCAA sport, making it the 91st championship that we host," NCAA President Charlie Baker said. "We extend a big thank you to everyone who supported this effort and the athletes, coaches and fans for their passion for a fast-growing and exciting sport that brings even more opportunities for women to participate in athletics." There were 76 women's wrestling programs at NCAA schools in 2023-24, with projections pointing to an additional 17 programs in 2024-25. More than 1,200 women wrestlers are competing at NCAA schools today. The sport is also diverse. At least 45% of the student-athletes competing are of diverse or international backgrounds. "This means so much to women's wrestling and to women's sports in general," said University of Iowa student-athlete wrestler and 2024 Olympic silver medalist Kennedy Blades. "It gives women's wrestling recognition and shows that it is important, not just around the world, but also in our country. College sports are huge in the United States. This shows how much women's wrestling is growing. Since I was a little girl, I dreamed about being an NCAA national wrestling champion. It will fulfill so many little girls' dreams, including mine." USA Wrestling, the national governing body for the sport, and organizations such as Wrestle Like a Girl have steadily supported efforts for an NCAA championship in the sport "USA Wrestling salutes the NCAA leadership for its historic decision to make women's wrestling its 91st NCAA championships," said Rich Bender, executive director of USA Wrestling. "Women's wrestling has been an Olympic sport since 2004 and is the fastest-growing sport for young women in our nation. We thank each of the NCAA institutions which have already added women's wrestling for their leadership and vision and invite others to consider providing this opportunity. We celebrate today with all of those within wrestling and college athletics who have worked so hard to make this dream a reality," Bender said. Sally Roberts, chief executive officer and founder of Wrestle Like a Girl, also shared her excitement. "I am filled with immense pride and gratitude as we celebrate the landmark decision to recognize women's wrestling as the 91st NCAA championship sport," Roberts said. "This moment is a testament to the relentless determination, passion and perseverance of countless athletes, coaches and advocates who believed in the transformative power of wrestling for women — our next generation of leaders." The NCAA Committee on Women's Athletics oversees the Emerging Sports for Women program and worked with the wrestling organizations throughout the process. "The NCAA's approval of women's wrestling as its 91st championship is a groundbreaking achievement that reflects the continued rise and strength of women's sports," said Ragean Hill, chair of the committee and executive associate athletics director/senior woman administrator at Charlotte. "This milestone opens the door to new opportunities for female student-athletes across Divisions I, II and III, showcasing the NCAA's commitment to fostering equity and growth in collegiate athletics. The success of this effort is a testament to the incredible collaboration between the wrestling community, institutional leaders and advocates who share a vision of expanding pathways for women to compete and excel. The Committee on Women's Athletics is thrilled to celebrate this historic moment and look forward to the future impact of women's wrestling on campuses nationwide," Hill said. The NCAA Committee on Women's Athletics made a recommendation in February that NCAA Divisions I, II and III sponsor legislation to move women's wrestling to championship status. In addition, the NCAA Board of Governors approved $1.7 million in Association-wide funding at its meeting in April to establish the National Collegiate Women's Wrestling Championships. Before the Committee on Women's Athletics made its recommendation to move women's wrestling to championship status, 40 schools had to sponsor the sport at varsity level and meet other competition and participant requirements. Women's wrestling, which became an emerging sport in 2020, eclipsed the sponsorship minimum in the 2022-23 academic year. A women's wrestling committee will now be established to work with NCAA staff on the development of the first championship for winter 2026. Women's wrestling is the sixth emerging sport to earn NCAA championship status. Since the emerging sports program was established in 1994, based on a recommendation from the NCAA Gender Equity Task Force, five women's sports have earned NCAA championship status: rowing (1996), ice hockey (2000), water polo (2000), bowling (2003) and beach volleyball (2015). In the 2023-24 academic year, these sports collectively included nearly 14,000 student-athletes, about 6% of the total student-athletes competing in NCAA women's championship sports, according to the most recent NCAA Sports Sponsorship and Participation Rates data. Women's wrestling accounted for an additional 1,226 student-athletes in 2023-24. The emerging sports program continues to thrive. Currently five sports are working to reach championship status: acrobatics and tumbling, equestrian, rugby, stunt and triathlon. Additionally, the NCAA received an application this summer requesting that women's flag football join the emerging sports program. Women's sports and female athletes continue to generate fan and media attention. Hill commented on the rise of women's sports, equity, and the value to intercollegiate athletics. "This milestone for women's wrestling is a declaration that women deserve equitable opportunities to compete, to lead and to thrive," Hill said. "It's a step toward gender parity in sports and a powerful reminder that when women are given the platform to rise, they inspire generations to come. Women's wrestling is not just a sport; it's a movement that empowers women to see their strength, their value and their limitless potential." The following are additional comments about women's wrestling being added as an NCAA championship: Madison Avila, junior All-American women’s student-athlete wrestler at North Central College “I think women’s wrestling being elevated to an NCAA championship is a good representation of our hard work — all the blood, sweat and tears that we've put into this sport. We have put countless hours into this sport, and we are working just as hard as the men, so it will be really awesome, for women's sports in general, to see women's wrestling at the NCAA championship level." Beth Goetz, Henry B. and Patricia B. Tippie director of athletics chair, University of Iowa Athletics, Division I “Competing for an NCAA Championship is a dream for every student-athlete. We are thrilled women’s wrestling athletes will have that reality next season. Women’s wrestling continues to see record growth at the high school and youth levels. Providing a championship experience will only enhance the excitement surrounding this sport.” Maureen (Mo) Harty, executive director, College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin (CCIW), Division III “I am excited that Women's Wrestling will become a NCAA Championship sport in 2026. It's been rewarding for our conference to be a part of the growth of the sport at the collegiate level. The CCIW was the first conference in all three divisions to host a conference championship in 2023 and we are thrilled that our student-athletes will now get to compete for an NCAA national title. A benefit to adding women's wrestling is an institution does not need a full roster to begin competition, they can start small and grow over time. Our student-athletes and coaches are looking forward to 2026.” David Hicks, vice president for athletics/head triathlon coach, King University, Division II “As one of the original NCAA institutions to sponsor women’s wrestling back in 2009, we are extremely excited at the incredible growth of women’s wrestling at the NCAA level over the past several years. It’s amazing to look back on those early years of championships hosted in small institutional gyms, and know that our student athletes will now be competing in an NCAA Championship. I am excited not only for our young women at King, but for the female student athletes at all member institutions, as well as the young girls coming through the high school ranks in one of the nation’s fastest growing sports---they are the future of this sport. “This is a landmark day for NCAA Division II and our student athletes as well, who will now have the opportunity to compete in an official NCAA Championship. I would like to acknowledge the administrators from NCAA Division II who helped spearhead this effort to get women’s wrestling to the finish line in this process and prioritized creating opportunities for young women. Lisa McGuirk, Nate Moorman, Sandee Mott, Tom Gioglio, and many others have worked hard to make this a reality, and their investments in the experience of our female student athletes will have a lasting impact on the sport and on the NCAA.” Sarah Hildebrandt, former King University women’s wrestling athlete, 2024 Olympic gold medalist and 2020 Olympic bronze medalist “It is incredible to see the growth of women’s wrestling, specifically seeing collegiate women wrestlers finally getting the stage and recognition they deserve. I’m so excited to see what this event can do for the continued growth of the sport moving forward.” Sarah Hirshland, chief executive officer, United States Olympic and Paralympic Committee “This is a great day for wrestling, for college athletics and, most important, for the athletes who have given so much to pursuing excellence in their sport. Many people across our broad sport community came together to make this championship in women’s wrestling a reality – and it’s a testimony to the dedication of all who believe in the power of sport and the necessity of opportunity. We are proud to support this progress, and we will be cheering on these great athletes.” Mike Moyer, executive director, National Wrestling Coaches Association “On behalf our NWCA Board of Directors and our 16,000 high school and college member coaches, we could not be more excited about the NCAA officially adopting women's wrestling as it's next championship sport. We are proud to have helped to add so many of the intercollegiate wrestling programs set to compete in the inaugural 2026 NCAA Championships and are honored for the privilege to work alongside the NCAA and all other partners in the wrestling ecosystem to continue to grow the sport and provide opportunities at our NCAA institutions across the country." Lee Roy Smith, executive director, National Wrestling Hall of Fame "Wrestling has come a long way from being a traditionally male-dominated sport. It’s inspiring to see how dedication and perseverance have opened doors for women. With opportunities like their own NCAA Wrestling Championships, women are now thriving in the sport. Wrestlers serve as incredible role models, and it’s exciting to see young women being empowered both physically and through the educational opportunities wrestling provides." Linda Tealer, senior vice president of championships, NCAA “The addition of women’s wresting as the 91st NCAA championship reflects the continued commitment by the membership to support and provide opportunities for female athletes. It is also a testament to all the young women that participated in the growth and development of the sport.”

Don’t look now, but there’s just over a month left in the college regular season. As we’re coming down the home stretch, it seemed like the appropriate time to check in on some of our star wrestlers. The undefeated ones. What does the final month-plus look like for these wrestlers and could they head into the postseason with a perfect record? Of course, this exercise is made much easier with our friends at WrestleStat as you can look at an upcoming dual schedule for any starter in the database. Each undefeated wrestler is listed with their current ranking and record. 125 lbs #1 Matt Ramos (Purdue) - 18-0 1/17: #22 Jacob Moran (Indiana) 1/19: #11 Brendan McCrone (Ohio State) 2/1: Caelan Riley (Illinois) 2/7: #29 Nicolar Rivera (Wisconsin) 2/9: #7 Cooper Flynn (Minnesota) 2/14: Tyler Garvin (Maryland) 2/23: #6 Caleb Smith (Nebraska) #3 Vincent Robinson (NC State) - 14-0 1/17: #31 Keyveon Roller (Virginia) 1/24: #18 Nick Babin (Pittsburgh) 1/31: #15 Spencer Moore (North Carolina) 2/14: (Stanford) 2/21: #5 Eddie Ventresca (Virginia Tech) #12 Luke Lilledahl (Penn State) - 10-0 1/17: #6 Caleb Smith (Nebraska) 1/24: #10 Dean Peterson (Rutgers) 1/31: #28 Joey Cruz (Iowa) 2/7: Christian Tanefeu (Michigan) 2/9: Tyler Garvin (Maryland) 2/14: #11 Brendan McCrone (Ohio State) 2/16: Caelan Riley (Illinois) 2/21: Coen Bainey (American) #13 Greg Diakomihalis (Cornell) - 9-0 1/25: Jared Brunner (Brown) 1/25: #21 Diego Sotelo (Harvard) 2/1: #33 Carson Wagner (Binghamton) 2/2: Sulayman Bah (Columbia) 2/8: #23 Marc-Anthony McGowan (Princeton) 2/9: #24 Max Gallagher (Penn) 2/15: #2 Richie Figueroa (Arizona State) 2/22: Kade Davidheiser (Bucknell) 133 lbs #1 Ryan Crookham (Lehigh) - 5-0 (Injured for now - status to return unclear) #2 Lucas Byrd (Illinois) - 11-0 1/17: #4 Drake Ayala (Iowa) 1/24: #11 Braxton Brown (Maryland) 1/26: #9 Dylan Shawver (Rutgers) 2/1: Dustin Norris (Purdue) 2/16: #5 Braeden Davis (Penn State) 141 lbs #1 Jesse Mendez (Ohio State) - 18-0 1/17: #27 Greyson Clark (Purdue) 1/25: #30 Ryder Block/Jace Rhodes (Iowa) 2/1: #11 Sergio Lemley (Michigan) 2/7: #8 Vance Vombaur (Minnesota) 2/9: Henry Porter (Indiana) 2/14: #3 Beau Bartlett (Penn State) #2 Andrew Alirez (Northern Colorado) - 5-0 1/17: Kellyn March (North Dakota State) 1/24: Eli Griffin (California Baptist) 2/2: Emilio Ysaguirre (Arizona State) 2/7: Julian Tagg (South Dakota State) 2/14: #13 Haiden Drury (Utah Valley) 2/16: Cole Brooks (Wyoming) 2/23: Carter Nogle (Air Force) #3 Beau Bartlett (Penn State) - 10-0 1/17: #6 Brock Hardy (Nebraska) 1/24: #15 Joey Olivieri (Rutgers) 1/31: #30 Ryder Block/Jace Rhodes (Iowa) 2/7: #11 Sergio Lemley (Michigan) 2/9: Dario Lemus (Maryland) 2/14: #1 Jesse Mendez (Ohio State) 2/16: #12 Danny Pucino (Illinois) 2/21: Cael McIntyre (American) #21 Dylan Cedeno (Virginia) - 5-0 1/17: Tyler Tracy (NC State) 1/26: #22 Jason Miranda (Stanford) 1/31: #10 Sam Latona (Virginia Tech) 2/7: Christian Colman (Duke) 2/14: #24 Jayden Scott (North Carolina) 2/16: Cael McIntyre (American) 2/21: #33 Anthony Santaniello (Pittsburgh) 149 lbs #1 Caleb Henson (Virginia Tech) - 12-0 1/19: Kaden Keiser (Appalachian State) 1/24: Sean O’Donnell (Duke) 1/31: #28 Jack Gioffre (Virginia) 2/7: #7 Jaden Abas (Stanford) 2/14: #22 Finn Solomon (Pittsburgh) 2/21: #33 Koy Buesgens (NC State) #2 Shayne Van Ness (Penn State) - 10-0 1/17: #4 Ridge Lovett (Nebraska) 1/24: #21 Andy Clark (Rutgers) 1/31: #3 Kyle Parco (Iowa) 2/7: Dylan Gilcher (Michigan) 2/9: #30 Kal Miller (Maryland) 2/14: #9 Dylan D’Emilio (Ohio State) 2/16: #12 Kannon Webster (Illinois) 2/21: Gage Owen (American) #3 Kyle Parco (Iowa) - 11-0 1/17: #12 Kannon Webster (Illinois) 1/25: #9 Dylan D’Emilio (Ohio State) 1/31: #2 Shayne Van Ness (Penn State) 2/2: #30 Kal Miller (Maryland) 2/7: #4 Ridge Lovett (Nebraska) 2/14: #19 Drew Roberts (Minnesota) 2/16: #23 Sam Cartella (Northwestern) 2/23: #14 Carter Young (Oklahoma State) #6 Chance Lamer (Cal Poly) - 10-0 2/2: Hayden Whidden (SIU Edwardsville) 2/7: Ayden Garver (Oregon State) 2/14: #10 Jordan Williams (Little Rock) 2/14: Tommy Curran (Northern Illinois) 2/23: Steve Caday (CSU Bakersfield) #8 Ty Whalen (Princeton) - 10-0 1/19: Kyle Schickel (Clarion) 1/24: #15 Sammy Alvarez (Rider) 1/26: #31 Richard Fedalen (Columbia) 2/1: Dom Findora (Drexel) 2/2: Jaden Pepe (Columbia) 2/2: Ethan Mojena (Brown) 2/8: #20 Ethan Fernandez (Cornell) 2/13: #7 Jaden Abas (Stanford) 2/16: #17 Cross Wasilewski (Penn) 157 lbs #3 Tyler Kasak (Penn State) - 10-0 1/17: #5 Antrell Taylor (Nebraska) 1/24: #32 Conner Harer (Rutgers) 1/31: Miguel Estrada (Iowa) 2/7: #15 Chase Saldate (Michigan) 2/9: #6 Ethen Miller (Maryland) 2/14: #17 Sammy Sasso/Paddy Gallagher (Ohio State) 2/16: #20 Jason Kraisser (Illinois) 2/21: Jack Nies (American) #6 Ethen Miller (Maryland) - 14-0 1/17: Luke Mechler (Wisconsin) 1/24: #20 Jason Kraisser (Illinois) 2/2: Miguel Estrada (Iowa) 2/7: #32 Conner Harer (Rutgers) 2/9: #3 Tyler Kasak (Penn State) 2/14: #7 Joey Blaze (Purdue) 2/21: #21 Luke Nichter (Drexel) 165 lbs #1 Mitchell Mesenbrink (Penn State) - 11-0 1/17: Christopher Minto (Nebraska) 1/24: #25 Tony White (Rutgers) 1/31: #2 Michael Caliendo (Iowa) 2/7: #21 Beau Mantanona (Michigan) 2/9: John Martin Best (Maryland) 2/14: E’Than Birden (Ohio State) 2/16: #11 Braeden Scoles (Illinois) 2/21: Kaden Milheim (American) #2 Michael Caliendo (Iowa) - 11-0 1/17: #11 Braeden Scoles (Illinois) 1/25: E’Than Birden (Ohio State) 1/31: #1 Mitchell Mesenbrink (Penn State) 2/2: John Martin Best (Maryland) 2/7: #7 Bubba Wilson/Christopher Minto (Nebraska) 2/14: #9 Andrew Sparks (Minnesota) 2/16: #18 Maxx Mayfield (Northwestern) 2/23: #6 Cam Amine (Oklahoma State) #3 Peyton Hall (West Virginia) - 20-0 1/17: #29 Tate Picklo (Oklahoma) 1/19: #6 Cam Amine (Oklahoma State) 1/26: #17 Cam Steed (Missouri) 2/1: #19 Jack Thomsen (Northern Iowa) 2/6: #4 Terrell Barraclough (Utah Valley) 2/8: Cooper Voorhees (Wyoming) 2/23: #15 Nicco Ruiz (Arizona State) 174 lbs #1 Keegan O’Toole (Missouri) - 11-0 (Currently Injured - aiming for February return) 2/1: #8 Gaven Sax (Oklahoma) 2/2: #3 Dean Hamiti (Oklahoma State) 2/22: #23 MJ Gaitan (Iowa State) #3 Dean Hamiti (Oklahoma State) - 13-0 1/19: #29 Brody Conley (West Virginia) 1/24: #16 Jared Simma (Northern Iowa) 1/26: #23 MJ Gaitan (Iowa State) 2/2: #1 Keegan O’Toole (Missouri) 2/8: Tyler Brennan (Little Rock) 2/23: #5 Patrick Kennedy (Iowa) #5 Patrick Kennedy (Iowa) - 7-0 1/17: #21 Danny Braunagel (Illinois) 1/25: #6 Carson Kharchla (Ohio State) 1/31: #2 Levi Haines (Penn State) 2/2: Branson John (Maryland) 2/7: #15 Lenny Pinto (Nebraska) 2/14: #24 Clayton Whiting (Minnesota) 2/16: Aiden Vandenbush (Northwestern) 2/23: #3 Dean Hamiti (Oklahoma State) #6 Carson Kharchla (Ohio State) - 6-0 1/19: #25 Brody Baumann (Purdue) 1/25: #5 Patrick Kennedy (Iowa) 2/1: #28 Joseph Walker (Michigan) 2/7: #24 Clayton Whiting (Minnesota) 2/9: Roman Rogotzke (Indiana) 2/14: #2 Levi Haines (Penn State) 184 lbs #1 Carter Starocci (Penn State) - 10-0 1/17: #7 Silas Allred (Nebraska) 1/24: #18 Shane Cartagena-Walsh (Rutgers) 1/31: #5 Gabe Arnold (Iowa) 2/7: #20 Jaden Bullock (Michigan) 2/9: #13 Jaxon Smith (Maryland) 2/14: #19 Ryder Rogotzke (Ohio State) 2/16: #10 Edmond Ruth (Illinois) 2/21: Lucas White (American) #2 Parker Keckeisen (Northern Iowa) - 13-0 1/17: Shay Addison (Arizona State) 1/24: #3 Dustin Plott (Oklahoma State) 1/25: #22 DJ Parker (Oklahoma) 2/1: #17 Dennis Robin (West Virginia) 2/8: Aidan Brenot (North Dakota State) 2/16: #12 Evan Bockman (Iowa State) 2/23: Dylan Russo (Wisconsin) #4 Max McEnelly (Minnesota) - 11-0 1/19: #20 Jaden Bullock (Michigan) 1/24: Dylan Russo (Wisconsin) 1/26: Jon Halvorsen (Northwestern) 2/2: #18 Shane Cartagena-Walsh (Rutgers) 2/7: #19 Ryder Rogotzke (Ohio State) 2/9: #21 James Rowley (Purdue) 2/14: #5 Gabe Arnold (Iowa) #5 Gabe Arnold (Iowa) - 9-0 1/17: #10 Edmond Ruth (Illinois) 1/25: #19 Ryder Rogotzke (Ohio State) 1/31: #1 Carter Starocci (Penn State) 2/2: #13 Jaxon Smith (Maryland) 2/7: #7 Silas Allred (Nebraska) 2/14: #4 Max McEnelly (Minnesota) 2/23: #3 Dustin Plott (Oklahoma State) 197 lbs #1 AJ Ferrari (CSU Bakersfield) - 10-0 1/25: #31 Levi Hopkins (Campbell) 1/26: Luke Cochran (Central Michigan) 1/26: Liam Volk-Klos (American) 2/2: #10 Trey Munoz (Oregon State) 2/9: Brian Burburjia (Air Force) 2/16: Michael Baker (North Dakota State) 2/16: #5 Stephen Little (Little Rock) 2/21: Eli Sheeran (California Baptist) 2/23: Jared Priest (Cal Poly) #2 Stephen Buchanan (Iowa) - 11-0 1/17: #18 Zac Braunagel (Illinois) 1/25: #17 Seth Shumate (Ohio State) 1/31: #4 Josh Barr (Penn State) 2/2: Chase Mielnik (Maryland) 2/7: #22 Camden McDanel (Nebraska) 2/14: #9 Isaiah Salazar (Minnesota) 2/16: #12 Evan Bates (Northwestern) 2/23: #7 Luke Surber (Oklahoma State) #3 Jacob Cardenas (Michigan) - 9-0 1/17: #12 Evan Bates (Northwestern) 1/19: #9 Isaiah Salazar (Minnesota) 1/24: #22 Camden McDanel (Nebraska) 1/26: #23 Gabe Sollars (Indiana) 2/1: #17 Seth Shumate (Ohio State) 2/7: #4 Josh Barr (Penn State) 2/16: #25 Remy Cotton (Michigan State) 2/23: Luke Cochran (Central Michigan) #4 Josh Barr (Penn State) - 10-0 1/17: #22 Camden McDanel (Nebraska) 1/24: #16 John Poznanski (Rutgers) 1/31: #2 Stephen Buchanan (Iowa) 2/7: #3 Jacob Cardenas (Michigan) 2/9: Chase Mielnik (Maryland) 2/14: #17 Seth Shumate (Ohio State) 2/16: #18 Zac Braunagel (Illinois) 2/21: Liam Volk-Klos (American) 285 lbs #1 Gable Steveson (Minnesota) - 4-0 1/19: #10 Josh Heindselman (Michigan) 1/24: Gannon Rosenfeld (Wisconsin) 1/26: Dirk Morley (Northwestern) 2/2: #8 Yaraslau Slavikouski (Rutgers) 2/7: #7 Nick Feldman (Ohio State) 2/9: Hayden Filipovich (Purdue) 2/14: #12 Ben Kueter (Iowa) #2 Greg Kerkvliet (Penn State) - 9-0 1/17: #24 Harley Andrews (Nebraska) 1/24: #8 Yaraslau Slavikouski (Rutgers) 1/31: #12 Ben Kueter (Iowa) 2/7: #10 Josh Heindselman (Michigan) 2/9: #13 Seth Nevills (Maryland) 2/14: #7 Nick Feldman (Ohio State) 2/16: #11 Luke Luffman (Illinois) 2/21: #33 Will Jarrell (American) #3 Wyatt Hendrickson (Oklahoma State) - 12-0 1/19: Michael Wolfgram (West Virginia) 1/24: #16 Lance Runyon (Northern Iowa) 1/26: #28 Daniel Herrera (Iowa State) 2/2: Jarrett Stoner (Missouri) 2/8: KJ Miley (Little Rock) 2/23: #12 Ben Kueter (Iowa) #9 Owen Trephan (Lehigh) - 12-0 1/17: Alistair Larson (Navy) 1/31: #33 Will Jarrell (American) 2/1: #21 Lucas Stoddard (Army West Point) 2/7: Logan Shephard (Bucknell) 2/13: John Pardo (Penn) 2/21: #5 Cohlton Schultz (Arizona State) #10 Josh Heindselman (Michigan) - 13-0 1/17: Dirk Morley (Northwestern) 1/19: #1 Gabe Steveson (Minnesota) 1/24: #24 Harley Andrews (Nebraska) 1/26: #22 Jacob Bullock (Indiana) 2/1: #7 Nick Feldman (Ohio State) 2/7: #2 Greg Kerkvliet (Penn State) 2/16: Max Vanadia (Michigan State) 2/23: #32 Bryan Caves (Central Michigan)

The top prospect in the high school Class of 2026, Bo Bassett, has vowed to keep fans abreast of his recruiting with regular updates. Bassett has posted an updated graphic which has eliminated two more schools from consideration. Earlier this year, Bassett posted a graphic that contained the logos of approximately 80 schools, most of the DI variety, but some DII’s as well, to signify that he’s totally open in the recruiting process. After more than three months of removing schools from the list, he’s down to 7. Two schools were removed from this week's graphic: Iowa State and Pitt-Johnstown The following schools remain on Bassett’s graphic and therefore in contention for his services: Iowa, Michigan, Ohio State, Oklahoma State, Penn State, Rutgers, Virginia Tech One school was removed from the 12/12 graphic: Cornell One school was removed from the 12/5: Arizona State One school was removed from the 11/28 graphic: Northern Iowa One school was removed from the 11/20 graphic: Missouri One school was removed from the 11/13 graphic: Nebraska One school was removed from the 11/6 graphic: Princeton One school was removed from the 10/9 graphic: Air Force One school was removed from the 10/2 graphic: Lehigh One school was removed from the 9/25 graphic: Pittsburgh One school was removed from the 9/18 graphic: Stanford One school was removed from the 9/11 graphic: NC State These three schools were removed from the 9/4 graphic: American, North Carolina, Wisconsin These three schools were removed from the 8/28 graphic: Clarion, Little Rock, Minnesota The following schools were removed from the 8/21 graphic: Penn, Oklahoma, Oregon State The following schools were removed from the 8/14 graphic: Bucknell, Virginia, Wyoming The following schools were removed from the 8/7 graphic: Brown, Northern Colorado, Purdue The following schools were removed from the 7/31 graphic: California Baptist, Michigan State, Navy The following schools were removed from the 7/24 graphic: Army West Point, Campbell, Edinboro, Harvard, Illinois, North Dakota State, South Dakota State The following schools were removed from the 7/17 graphic: Cal Poly, Columbia, Indiana, Maryland, Millersville, The Citadel, and West Virginia The following schools were removed from the 7/10 graphic: CSU Bakersfield, George Mason, Hofstra, Northwestern, Rider, UW Parkside, West Liberty The following schools were removed from the 7/3 graphic: Appalachian State, Central Michigan, Cleveland State, Drexel, Kent State, Ohio, and St. Cloud State The following schools were removed from the 6/26 graphic: Binghamton, Bloomsburg, Duke, Gardner-Webb, Northern Illinois, Sacred Heart, SIU Edwardsville Bassett has already taken on-campus visits to Iowa, Michigan, Ohio State, Oklahoma State, Penn State, and Virginia Tech. As of now, Bassett's only remaining campus visit is to Rutgers on January 24th-26th.

It's around this time of the season when doing these Weekly Outlooks that i have one of those “double edged sword” moments. It's great because almost all teams are in action, meaning lots of wrestling and lots of fantasy potential. The down side? It takes so damn long. But it's worth it, for you loyal readers. Yes, all 14 of you. Now is the time where Team Managers are going to show what they are made of. Making some savvy pickups, making the crucial drops, and not overthinking your starting lineup. Will you make the right picks? We will find out in about five weeks. Two Tournaments this week, Cyclone Open and the Purple Raider Open. Not a lot of D1 action for the Purple Raider Open, but Cyclone Open will. Entries are still coming through, so keep those notifications on. A reminder of some important rules: Wrestlers entered at a weight must compete at that weight or else their results will not be counted. Wrestlers in the “Floater” spots can compete at ANY weight and accumulate Fantasy points. A wrestler will LOCK on your roster at 11 am ET on the day of their first competition for the week. (refer to the SHP’s Week Preview) Only results against D1 competition (starters, backups, and redshirts) will count towards Fantasy Points. Check your league settings to know how many add/drops are permitted per week. Have a question, concern, suggestions, or just want to chat about Fantasy Wrestling? Hit us up on Twitter or head over to the InterMat Forums where we have a Fantasy Wrestling dedicated Forum page! Wrestlers I Like This Week Wrestler (School)- competition for the week [Proj Score]* 125: Kysen Terukina (ISU) - Cyclone Open Nick Babin (PITT)- @ Bucknell , Purple Raider Open Anthony Molton (CAMP) - @ Gardner-Webb, @ Chattanooga [+9] Diego Sotelo (HARV) - @ American, @ Navy [+8] Tanner Jordan (SDSU) - @ California Baptist, @ Air Force [+7] Dylan Acevedo-Switzer (HOF) - Bloomsburg [+6] Spencer Moore (UNC) - @ Duke [+5] Marc-Anthony McGowan (PRIN) - @ Clarion [+5] Charlie Farmer (ARMY) - @ American [+4] Joey Cruz (IOWA) - Vs Illinois [+4] Sheldon Seymour (LEH) - @ Navy [+4] Cooper Flynn (MINN) - Vs Michigan [+4] Vincent Robinson (NCST) - @ Virginia [+4] Blake West (NIU)- @ Central Michigan [+4] Dedrick Navarro (NW) - Vs Michigan [+4] Troy Spratley (OKST) - Vs West Virginia [+4] Chris Vargo (EDIN) - @ Ohio [+3] Caleb Weiand (MSU) - Vs Buffalo [+3] Gage Walker (MIZZ) - Vs Utah Valley [+3] Stevo Poulin (UNCO) - Vs North Dakota State [+3] Maximo Renteria (ORST) - Vs Wyoming [+3] Dean Peterson (RUT) - Vs Wisconsin [+3] Eddie Ventresca (VT) - @ Appalachian State [+3] 133: Evan Frost (ISU) - Cyclone Open Nasir Bailey (LR) - Davidson Duals [+13] Anthony Noto (LHU) - Davidson Duals [+11] Derrick Cardinal (SDSU) - @ California Baptist, @ Air Force [+7] Tristan Lujan (MSU) - Vs Buffalo [+5] Tyler Wells (MINN) - Vs Michigan [+5] Ethan Berginc (ARMY) - @ American [+4] Colton Camacho (EDIN) - @ Ohio [+4] Chase Liardi (HOF) - @ Bloomsburg [+4] Ethan Oakley (UNC) - @ Duke [+4] Nic Bouzakis (OHST) - Vs Purdue [+4] Cleveland Belton (OU) - Vs West Virginia [+4] Tyler Knox (STAN) - Vs Arizona State [+4] Angelo Rini (IND)- @ Purdue [+3] Braxton Brown (MARY) - Vs Wisconsin [+3] Kai Orine (NCST) - @ Virginia [+3] Dylan Shawver (RUT) - Vs Wisconsin [+3] 141: Jacob Frost (ISU) - Cyclone Open Wyatt Henson (LHU) - Davidson Duals [+13] Jordan Williams (LR) - Davidson Duals [+11] Jesse Mendez (OHST) - Vs Purdue [+5] Justin Hoyle (HOF) - @ Bloomsburg [+5] Jayden Scott (UNC) - @ Duke [+4] Andrew Alirez (UNCO) - Vs North Dakota State [+4] Jacob Byra (NIU)- @ Central Michigan [+4] Tagen Jamison (OKST) - Vs West Virginia [+4] Eligh Rivera (PRIN) - @ Clarion [+4] Dylan Cedeno (UVA) - Vs NC State [+4] Sam Latona (VT) - @ Appalachian State [+4] Richard Treanor (ARMY) - @ American [+3] Danny Pucino (ILL) - @ Iowa [+3] Joshua Koderhandt (NAVY) - Vs Lehigh [+3] Cael Happel (UNI) - @ Arizona State [+3] Joey Olivieri (RUT) - Vs Wisconsin [+3] 149: Paniro Johnson (ISU) - Cyclone Open Mason Shrader (CMU) - Vs Northern Illinois, Vs Cleveland State [+8] Gavin Drexler (NDSU) - @ Northern Colorado, @ Air Force [+7] Ivan Garcia (BING) - @ Franklin & Marshall, @ Drexel [+6] Kaden Cassidy (GMU) - @ Cleveland State [+5] Lachlan McNeil (UNC) - @ Duke [+5] Caleb Henson (VT) - @ Appalachian State [+5] Trae McDaniel (ARMY) - @ American [+4] Sam Ewing (BUFF) - @ Michigan State [+4] Noah Tapia (HOF) - @ Bloomsburg [+4] Zeke Seltzer (MIZZ) - Vs Utah Valley [+4] Ty Whalen (PRIN) - @ Clarion [+4] Andrew Clark (RUT) - Vs Wisconsin [+4] Gabe Willochell (WYO) -@ Oregon State [+4] Paul Kelly (CBU) - Vs South Dakota State [+3] Malyke Hines (LEH) - @ Navy [+3] Kal Miller (MARY) - Vs Wisconsin [+3] Sam Cartella (NW) - Vs Michigan [+3] Willie McDougald (OU) - Vs West Virginia [+3] Carter Young (OKST) - Vs West Virginia [+3] Finn Solomon (PITT) - @ Bucknell [+3] 157: Cody Chittum (ISU) - Cyclone Open James Conway (MIZZ) - Vs Utah Valley , Cyclone Open Joey Blaze (PUR) - Vs Indiana , @ Ohio State [+8] Johnny Lovett (CMU) - Vs Northern Illinois, Vs Cleveland State [+6] Kaleb Burgess (BUFF) - @ Michigan State [+4] Ethen Miller (MARY) - Vs Wisconsin [+4] Sonny Santiago (UNC) - @ Duke [+4] Ryder Downey (UNI) - @ Arizona State [+4] Peyten Keller (OHIO) - Vs Edinboro [+4] Caleb Fish (OKST) - Vs West Virginia [+4] Luke Nichter (DREX) - Vs Binghamton [+3] Jurius Clark (HOF) - @ Bloomsburg [+3] Jason Kraisser (ILL)- @ Iowa [+3] Ed Scott (NCST) - @ Virginia [+3] Dylan Evans (PITT) - @ Bucknell [+3] Vince Zerban (UNCO) - Vs North Dakota State [+3] Conner Harer (RUT) - Vs Wisconsin [+3] Rafael Hipolito (VT) - @ Appalachian State [+3] 165: Joseph Bianchi (LR) - Davidson Duals [+10] Domonic Baker (CAMP) - @ Gardner-Webb, @ Chattanooga [+7] Drake Rhodes (SDSU) - @ California Baptist, @ Air Force [+6] Gunner Filipowicz (ARMY) - @ American [+5] Mitchell Mesenbrink (PSU) - @ Nebraska [+5] Evan Maag (GMU) - @ Cleveland State [+4] Kyle Mosher (HOF) - @ Bloomsburg [+4] Jared Kelsar (PITT) - @ Bucknell [+4] Blaine Bergey (PRIN) - @ Clarion [+4] Terrell Barraclough (UVU) - @ Missouri [+4] Michael Caliendo (IOWA) - Vs Illinois [+3] Peyton Hall (WVU) - @ Oklahoma, @ Oklahoma State [+7] Anthony White (RUT) - Vs Wisconsin [+3] Cooper Voorhees (WYO) - @ Oregon State [+3] 174: Avery Bassett (LHU) - Davidson Duals [+10] Brevin Cassella (BING) - @ Franklin & Marshall, @ Drexel [+8] Alex Cramer (CMU) - Vs Northern Illinois, Vs Cleveland State [+8] John Worthing (CLAR) - Vs SIU-Edwardsville, Vs Princeton Cade DeVos (SDSU) - @ California Baptist, @ Air Force [+8] Sergio Desiante (CHAT) - Vs Campbell [+4] Logan Messer (GMU) - @ Cleveland State [+4] Patrick Kennedy (IOWA) - Vs Illinois [+4] Joshua Ogunsanya (UNC) - @ Duke [+4] Garett Thompson (OHIO) - Vs Edinboro [+4] Carson Kharchla (OHST) - Vs Purdue [+4] Dean Hamiti (OKST) - Vs West Virginia [+4] Lorenzo Norman (STAN) - Vs Arizona State [+4] Matthew Singleton (NCST) - @ Virginia [+3] Levi Haines (PSU) - @ Nebraska [+3] Danny Wask (NAVY) - Vs Lehigh [+3] Jared Simma (UNI) - @ Arizona State [+3] Jackson Turley (RUT) - Vs Wisconsin [+3] Lennox Wolak (VT) - @ Appalachian State [+3] 184: Brock Delsignore (LR) - Davidson Duals [+9] Adrian Cramer (CMU) - Vs Northern Illinois, Vs Cleveland State [+8] Will Ebert (BING) - @ Franklin & Marshall, @ Drexel [+7] Bennett Berge (SDSU) - @ California Baptist, @ Air Force [+7] Jaxon Smith (MARY) - Vs Wisconsin [+5] Dustin Plott (OKST) - Vs West Virginia [+5] Ross McFarland (HOF) - @ Bloomsburg [+4] Gavin Kane (UNC) - @ Duke [+4] Dylan Fishback (NCST) - @ Virginia [+4] Carter Starocci (PSU) - @ Nebraska [+4] Shane Cartagena-Walsh (RUT) - Vs Wisconsin [+4] TJ Stewart (VT) - @ Appalachian State [+4] Malachi Duvall (GMU) - @ Cleveland State [+3] Max McEnelly (MINN) - Vs Michigan [+3] Reece Heller (PITT) - @ Bucknell [+3] 197: Stephen Little (LR) - Davidson Duals [+14] Levi Hopkins (CAMP) - @ Gardner-Webb, @ Chattanooga [+8] Luke Cochran (CMU) - Vs Northern Illinois, Vs Cleveland State [+7] John Poznanski (RUT) - Vs Wisconsin [+6] Wyatt Voelker (UNI) - @ Arizona State [+5] Michael O’Malley (DREX) - Vs Binghamton [+4] Michael Beard (LEH) - @ Navy [+4] Chase Mielnik (MARY) - Vs Wisconsin [+4] Cade Lautt (UNC) - @ Duke [+4] Christian Knop (NCST) - @ Virginia [+4] Seth Shumate (OHST) - Vs Purdue [+4] Luke Surber (OKST) - Vs West Virginia [+4] Josh Barr (PSU) - @ Nebraska [+4] Nick Stemmet (STAN) - Vs Arizona State [+4] Andy Smith (VT) - @ Appalachian State [+4] Wolfgang Frable (ARMY) - @ American [+3] Stephen Buchanan (IOWA) - Vs Illinois [+3] Remy Cotton (MSU) - Vs Buffalo [+3] Kael Bennie (UVU) - @ Missouri [+3] Mac Stout (PITT) - @ Bucknell [+3] 285: Daniel Herrera (ISU) - Cyclone Open Gavin Hoffman (LHU) - Davidson Duals [+10] Cohlton Schultz (ASU) - @ Northern Iowa, @ Stanford [+8] Cory Day (BING) - @ Franklin & Marshall, @ Drexel [+8] Wyatt Hendrickson (OKST) - Vs West Virginia [+6] Owen Trephan (LEH) - @ Navy [+5] Gable Steveson (MINN) - Vs Michigan [+5] Nick Feldman (OHST) - Vs Purdue [+5] Greg Kerkvliet (PSU) - @ Nebraska [+5] Jimmy Mullen (VT) - @ Appalachian State [+5] Max Vandia (MSU) - Vs Buffalo [+4] Issac Trumble (NCST) - @ Virginia [+4] Dayton Pitzer (PITT) - @ Bucknell [+4] Sebastian Garibaldi (PRIN) - @ Clarion [+4] Yaraslau Slavikouski (RUT) - Vs Wisconsin [+4] Seth Nevills (MARY) - Vs Wisconsin [+3]

For years, I have been beating the drum that DI wrestling needs to have some sort of a National Duals-type event. That happened this year with the mid-major schools participating in the NWCA/National Duals in Cedar Falls, Iowa. An important distinction to make is that the National Duals haven’t “returned” it’s DI wrestling that has returned to the event. The other levels of wrestling and women’s wrestling have constantly been included in the National Duals. I would like it to have some sort of an official title given out in conjunction with the event - in order to make it attractive for coaches. There has to be some sort of a stake involved for many coaches to change the training cycle and schedule. Personally, I wouldn’t mind the NCAA team title being determined in a team dual format - but we’re not ready for that discussion! Money is also a good incentive for most. With the NWCA/National Duals fresh on fans' minds, we saw on Tuesday morning that fans aren’t the only ones who enjoyed the event and are clamoring for more. First-year Oklahoma State head coach David Taylor posted the following tweet: This is significant because the DI portion of the National Duals died because some of the most prominent DI head coaches disagreed on many elements surrounding the event. They stopped participating and others followed suit. Now having Taylor ready to discuss National Duals is a huge step in the right direction. Taylor’s tweet said that the event should happen in November. I’m not opposed to that. I like the idea of having a huge event kick off your season. NASCAR basically starts its season with the Dayton 500. Unless you’re a hardcore golf fan, many don’t start paying attention until the Masters in April. Having a tournament like that would be dependent on the previous season's results - which is fine. I don’t think coaches would mind knowing in May that they are opening their year with a dual tournament, rather than trying to qualify for one throughout the season and adding another tournament in February. So, what would a full DI National Dual tournament look like? In the past, I have used Twitter to post a hypothetical 24-team bracket every few weeks during the regular season. For the ease of scheduling and the purposes of getting this event done in one weekend, I think we’d have to mimic the current National Duals and make it a 16-team bracket. I would give all conference tournament winners from the previous season an automatic berth. That means, NC State (ACC), Iowa State (Big 12), Penn State (Big Ten), Cornell (EIWA), Central Michigan (MAC), Arizona State (Pac-12), and Appalachian State (SoCon) are automatically in. Since Cornell is no longer qualifying through the EIWA, we need an EIWA representative. Second place Lehigh is in. The same goes for the Pac-12 and Arizona State. Little Rock is in as well. For the remainder of the field, I have two options. The first would be the prior year’s NCAA Tournament placement. This is the easiest option. There could be some weird fluctuations between dual and tournament strength, but generally, it’s going to generate a strong field. This is what the bracket could look like based on preseason team dual rankings from InterMat. The only tweak I made to it was moving Michigan into the #8 seed rather than facing Big Ten rival Ohio State in the opening round. Otherwise, nothing else was taken into consideration. Another potential way to fill out the brackets is to use the final 2024 NWCA Coaches Poll (February 21st) to fill out the remaining eight slots in the bracket. Iowa, Nebraska, Ohio State, Oklahoma State, Missouri, Virginia Tech, Michigan, Minnesota - in that order. That bracket would look like. In the brackets that I’ve posted on Twitter, I have put effort in to make sure that conference teams and teams that already wrestle each other during the season don’t hit early on. I don’t know if it’s possible to do this and keep the integrity of the bracket/seeds. Which is fine. In conclusion, adding a regular National Duals-type event and getting all of the power programs involved isn’t going to save wrestling on its own. As I mentioned last week, our sport needs more marquee, must-see events. More events with the top stars and top teams involved. Keeping our current fanbase engaged and entertained is a must. Then we can worry about trying to attract new fans.

Conference dual season is in full swing. The holiday dual season is behind us and we’re more into a regular schedule, primarily focused on dual competition. A total of 49 duals will be contested. 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 week. Below are the dates/times and how to watch each match (with links). To make this guide even easier to find, we've added a link on our homepage and the latest Live Streaming Guide will appear right under the header articles. All times Eastern Thursday, January 16: South Dakota State at California Baptist 9:00 PM FloWrestling Friday, January 17: Brown vs. Little Rock at Davidson 10:00 AM FloWrestling Morgan State at Davidson 10:00 AM FloWrestling Brown vs. Lock Haven at Davidson 12:00 PM FloWrestling Little Rock vs. Morgan State at Davidson 12:00 PM FloWrestling Little Rock at Davidson 2:30 PM FloWrestling Lock Haven vs. The Citadel at Davidson 2:30 PM FloWrestling Brown at Davidson 4:30 PM FloWrestling Morgan State vs. The Citadel at Davidson 4:30 PM FloWrestling Lock Haven vs. Morgan State at Davidson 6:00 PM FloWrestling Pittsburgh at Bucknell 6:00 PM ESPN+ Harvard at American 6:30 PM ESPN+ Northern Illinois at Central Michigan 7:00 PM Chippewas All-Access North Carolina at Duke 7:00 PM ACC Network Extra Campbell at Gardner-Webb 7:00 PM ESPN+ Illinois at Iowa 7:00 PM Big Ten Network SIU Edwardsville at Kent State 7:00 PM Wisconsin at Maryland 7:00 PM B1G+ Indiana at Purdue 7:00 PM B1G+ NC State at Virginia 7:00 PM ACC Network Extra Utah Valley at Missouri 7:30 PM ESPN+ Lehigh at Navy 7:30 PM Navy YouTube North Dakota State at Northern Colorado 8:00 PM FloWrestling Michigan at Northwestern 8:00 PM B1G+ West Virginia at Oklahoma 8:00 PM ESPN+ Northern Iowa at Arizona State 9:00 PM ESPN+ Penn State at Nebraska 9:00 PM Big Ten Network Saturday, January 18: Binghamton at Franklin & Marshall 12:00 PM Centennial Conference TV George Mason at Cleveland State 1:00 PM FloWrestling Harvard at Navy 5:00 PM Navy YouTube Binghamton at Drexel 6:00 PM FloWrestling Hofstra at Bloomsburg 7:00 PM FloWrestling South Dakota State at Air Force 9:00 PM FloWrestling Sunday, January 19: Mercyhurst, VMI at Purple Raider Open 9:30 AM FloWrestling Iowa State at Cyclone Open 11:00 AM SIU Edwardsville at Clarion 12:00 PM FloWrestling Army West Point at American 1:00 PM ESPN+ Edinboro at Ohio 1:00 PM ESPN+ Purdue at Ohio State 1:00 PM B1G+ Wisconsin at Rutgers 1:00 PM B1G+ Cleveland State at Central Michigan 2:00 PM ESPN+ Campbell at Chattanooga 2:00 PM ESPN+ Princeton at Clarion 2:00 PM FloWrestling Michigan at Minnesota 2:00 PM B1G+ Johns Hopkins at Morgan State 2:00 PM Morgan State All-Access North Dakota State at Air Force 3:00 PM FloWrestling Virginia Tech at Appalachian State 3:00 PM FloWrestling Buffalo at Michigan State 3:00 PM B1G+ West Virginia at Oklahoma State 3:00 PM ESPN+ Wyoming at Oregon State 5:00 PM FloWrestling Arizona State at Stanford 6:00 PM ACC Network Extra

Virginia Tech got the ball rolling with the first big commitment from the Class of 2026 as they received a verbal from #4 (then #11) Jayden James (Delbarton, NJ) in mid-September. Tony Robie’s team has added to the Class of 2026 with a verbal this morning from #35 Revin Dickman (Brownsburg, IN). Dickman is currently ranked fourth in the nation at 120 lbs. The Indiana native has won state championships in each of his two attempts at his single-class state tournament - with his 2024 title coming at 113 lbs. Outside of Indiana, Dickman has placed at the Walsh Ironman on three occasions. This season marked his best placement as he was a runner-up in the 120 lb weight class. He was fifth and eighth in his two previous appearances. Dickman has also had success with the international styles placing five times in Fargo. Last summer marked his best showing as he was fourth in Junior freestyle. Dickman also has taken eighth twice in Greco-Roman at the UWW U17 Trials. At the next level, Dickman projects at 125 or 133 lbs. As of now, the Hokies do not have a long-term fixture at 125. Class of 2025 signee Aaron Seidel is an elite prospect, but has been competing at 132 lbs this year - it’s uncertain if he’ll try to make 125 lbs in college. 133 lbs could have Seidel, along with true freshman Dillon Campbell, who has seen some dual action this season. The Hokies staff inked one of the most impressive classes in the country in 2025 and are off to a great start with two top-35 recruits from 2026. For all of Virginia Tech’s 2025 and 2026 recruits: Click Here

Brownsburg

No. 6 Nebraska has gotten off to a strong start as a dual team. They did recently drop a match against No. 5 Northern Iowa, but they bounced back with a 21-13 victory over No. 7 Minnesota to open Big Ten competition. There are few breaks during the Big Ten conference dual season, and that is certainly the case this Friday. The Cornhusker welcome No. 1 Penn State to the Devaney Center. While both teams are ranked in the top 10, and the contest will air live on Big Ten Network, Penn State is basically a prohibitive favorite over anyone at this point. The Nittany Lions have won all seven of the duals, and the starters have a combined 96-2 record. Both of those individual match defeats have come against the number-one wrestler at that weight. The following is a weight-by-weight preview of the dual. Penn State starters have a 96-2 collective record. 125: No. 7 Caleb Smith (Nebraska) vs. No. 12 Luke Lilledahl (Penn State) Smith transferred to Nebraska last year after a pair of NCAA tournament appearances for Appalachian State. In his first season with the Cornhuskers, he finished sixth to become an All-American. Smith returned this year with a chance to improve upon that result. So far, he has assembled a 12-3 record. After finishing fourth at the Cliff Keen Invitational, he dropped a 5-2 decision against No. 32 Trever Anderson (Northern Iowa), but he got back in the win column last Saturday with a 2-0 decision over No. 5 Cooper Flynn (Minnesota) as the Huskers rolled to a 21-13 dual victory. Lilledahl is one of the latest high-level recruits to settle in nicely for Penn State. In his first year of collegiate wrestling, the former age-group world champion has put together an undefeated 10-0 record featuring five technical falls. The highest-ranked opponent he has faced to date was No. 15 Sheldon Seymour (Lehigh), but the level of competition is expected to ramp up in the near future as the Nittany Lions continue the Big Ten schedule. This should be an interesting test for Lilledahl. Smith is a true veteran who will bring a big edge in collegiate experience into the match. While Lilledahl has been able to roll up overmatched opposition, he has been much more strategic and tactical against more difficult opposition. Look for the Penn State wrestler to control the match and pull out a decision victory. Prediction: Lilledahl decision over Smith 133: No. 19 Jacob Van Dee (Nebraska) vs. No. 5 Braeden Davis (Penn State) Van Dee came out of redshirt last year and moved up to 133 pounds. He finished with a 23-10 record and qualified for the NCAA tournament. So far this season, he has gone 7-5, but his record could have easily been better. Two of his five losses so far this year have come in sudden victory. Early in the year, he dropped a 4-1 overtime decision against Domenic Zaccone (Campbell). At the Cliff Keen Invitational, he fell once again in extra time against No. 18 Reece Witcraft (Oklahoma State). Following that tournament, Van Dee has won three-straight matches. Davis started last year as a true freshman winning the Big Ten at 125 pounds. He finished one match short of All-American status but had an overall strong season with a 22-4 record. He is responsible for one of the two losses by the Penn State starters this year as he dropped a 4-1 match against No. 1 Ryan Crookham (Lehigh). Outside of that result, Davis has won all six of his matches including a 1-0 nailbiter against No. 6 Nasir Bailey (Little Rock). Whenever a wrestler moves up from 125 pounds, there is some concern about adapting to life away from college wrestling’s minimum weight. However, Davis has adjusted to the physicality quite well and should be able to put another ranked win on his resume here. Prediction: Davis decision over Van Dee 141: No. 6 Brock Hardy (Nebraska) vs. No. 3 Beau Bartlett (Penn State) Despite being conference rivals, the 141-pound bout between Hardy and Bartlett is the only contest that has previously taken place on the college level. The two faced off for the first time at the 2023 Big Ten conference tournament. Hardy won that match via a 7-3 score. The pair rematched in a dual last year, and Bartlett was able to reverse the result and bring home a 9-6 victory. Hardy, a two-time All-American, has gone 13-2 to start this season. He started off strong but recently suffered some uncharacteristic defeats. The Nebraska wrestler dropped a 7-4 match against No. 4 Tagen Jamison (Oklahoma State) in the Cliff Keen semifinals and then dropped another one against No. 5 Cael Happel (Northern Iowa). Hardy got back on track with a 12-10 decision over No. 8 Vance Vombaur (Minnesota) last weekend. Coming off a season where he went undefeated outside of a pair of bouts against eventual champion No. 1 Jesse Mendez (Ohio State), Bartlett returns as one of the favorites at this weight yet again. He won all of his matches to date, but there have certainly been some close calls. Bartlett eventually prevailed in an extensive overtime contest against Joseph Fongaro (Rutgers) at the Black Knight Invite, and he also needed to pull out a 4-1 win over No. 16 Josh Edmond (Missouri) in sudden victory in late December. Over the last decade, it has not been rare to see a Penn State wrestler widen the gap against a rival. With Bartlett winning the last contest against Hardy, he becomes the clear favorite in this rubber match. However, both wrestlers ended up in a lot of close bouts, so this could be one of the matches to watch in this dual. Prediction: Bartlett decision over Hardy 149: No. 4 Ridge Lovett (Nebraska) vs. No. 2 Shayne Van Ness (Penn State) Lovett was an NCAA finalist back in 2022. He returned last year after sitting out due to injury and ended up sixth at the national tournament. He has begun his final season of collegiate wrestling by winning 10 of his 11 matches to date. Lovett’s only loss so far this season came in the finals of the Cliff Keen Invitational where he dropped a 6-3 sudden victory decision against No. 1 Caleb Henson (Virginia Tech). Since that defeat, he has gotten back on track with three-straight wins including ranked victories over No. 16 Colin Realbuto (Northern Iowa) and No. 19 Drew Roberts (Minnesota). Van Ness wrestled only three matches last year before sitting out due to injury. The All-American has returned to action this season like he was shot out of a cannon. Van Ness has won all 10 of his matches and put up bonus points in nine of those 10 matches. He is currently riding a five-match fall streak that includes a second-period pin over No. 10 Jordan Williams (Little Rock). The Penn State wrestler has been borderline unbelievable to start this season. It is not out of the realm of possibility that he simply jumped levels since the last time we saw him on the college mats. However, Lovett is far from an easy out. His ability to make a difference from the top position keeps him in pretty much all matches. This one will likely be close. If “SVN” is able to continue his run of dominance, he becomes one of the favorites for the title at this weight. Prediction: Lovett decision over Van Ness 157: No. 5 Antrell Taylor (Nebraska) vs. No. 3 Tyler Kasak (Penn State) As a redshirt freshman, Taylor finished eighth at 165 pounds to become an All-American. He has since dropped down to 157 pounds for this season and has gotten off to a strong start. Taylor won his first 11 matches to start the year, won the Cliff Keen Invitational, and picked up a win over Ryder Downey (Northern Iowa). Taylor then dropped a rematch against Downey in a rematch earlier this month, but he still holds a 13-1 record on the season. It certainly seemed like the original plan was not for Kasak to represent Penn State at 149 pounds last season but not only did he perform his duties, but he also finished third as a true freshman to become an All-American. He has moved up to 157 pounds this year and continued his winning ways. He holds a perfect 10-0 record so far this year with seven of those victories coming with bonus points. Kasak has a very interesting blend of pace and scrambling ability. He is willing to initiate scrambles, because he will win them, and wear down his opponent. That is likely to pay dividends here against Taylor. Prediction: Kasak decision over Taylor 165: No. 7 Bubba Wilson/Christopher Minto (Nebraska) vs. No. 1 Mitchell Mesenbrink (Penn State) Wilson qualified twice for the NCAA tournament at 165 pounds before moving up to 174 last year. He came up short in his bid for a third tournament and has moved back down for this season. His year has started with a 9-4 record, but he suffered an injury late in December in the Cornhusker’s dual against Nebraska-Kearney. If Wilson can’t go, Nebraska will turn to Christopher Minto who nearly upset Jack Thomsen (Northern Iowa) and then defeated Andrew Sparks (Minnesota) while filling in. Mesenbrink redshirted his freshman season at California Baptist before finding his way to Penn State. He somewhat surprisingly made the NCAA finals in his first year and nearly knocked off David Carr for the title. The start to this year has been basically out of this world. He has won all 11 of his matches. Nine of those wins have come via technical fall. The only two matches that were not decided by 15 points or more were actually forfeits. Regardless of who goes for Nebraska, the task will be to avoid giving up bonus points. Unfortunately, that will not be an easy task. Even if Mesenbrink starts off slowly, his pace will eventually wear down his opponent and lead to major bonus points. Prediction: Mesenbrink technical fall over Minto 174: No. 15 Lenny Pinto (Nebraska) vs. No. 2 Levi Haines (Penn State) Pinto has dropped down to 174 pounds this season after qualifying for the last two NCAA tournaments at 184. He has gone 13-3 so far this year, and he enters this bout on a five-match winning streak. Since the Cliff Keen Invitational, he has won the Kent State Open and picked up wins over No. 16 Jared Simma (Northern Iowa) and No. 24 Clayton Whiting (Minnesota). Pinto had previously lost to Simma at the Cliff Keen. Haines was a finalist at 157 pounds at the last two NCAA tournaments and took home the title last year. He has continued to impress after moving up two weight classes for this season. Unfortunately, he is responsible for one of the two losses by Penn State starters this year as he dropped a sudden victory match against two-time champion No. 1 Keegan O’Toole (Missouri). Outside of that defeat, Haines has won all other nine matches with bonus points, four technical falls, and five falls. Pinto has looked strong since moving down in weight, but he is likely to be up against it here. Outside of the match against O’Toole, Haines has been overwhelmingly dominant, and that trend should continue here. Look for Haines to work for bonus points late in this match. Prediction: Haines major decision over Pinto 184: No. 7 Silas Allred (Nebraska) vs. No. 1 Carter Starocci (Penn State) After seeing his season come to an end in the round of 12 at the last two NCAA tournaments, Allred is hoping to break through and reach All-American status this year. He started the year with 11-straight victories, but he has run into a rough patch. The schedule has not been kind to him as the calendar moved to January. In his only two matches this month, he faced off against No. 2 Parker Keckeisen (Northern Iowa) and No. 4 Max McEnelly (Minnesota) and gave up bonus points in both matches. Starocci is looking to become the first, and perhaps only, five-time NCAA champion this season. He has moved up to 184 pounds and looks as dominant as ever. He is undefeated through 10 matches to start the season. All 10 of his matches have been bonus-point victories including a 10-1 major decision over No. 9 Colton Hawks (Missouri). Despite moving up in weight, Starocci looks maybe even more physical than in previous seasons. His bruising style should be enough to carry him to victory, and he should almost certainly put up bonus points. Prediction: Starocci major decision over Allred 197: No. 22 Camden McDanel (Nebraska) vs. No. 4 Josh Barr (Penn State) McDanel spent last season as part of USA Wrestling’s Elite Accelerator Program where he focused on freestyle but still wrestled in three collegiate open tournaments. He officially began college wrestling this year with Nebraska. He holds a 12-6 record on the season but enters this match after dropping his last two matches. In the Northern Iowa dual, he dropped a decision against No. 14 Wyatt Voelker and then last weekend he fell via major decision against No. 9 Isaiah Salazer (Minnesota). Barr posted an undefeated 15-0 record while redshirting last year, and he has continued that winning streak into this season. He has won all 10 of his bouts so far and picked up four major decisions, one technical fall, and five falls. Barr did have a tough match against No. 5 Stephen Little (Little Rock), but he was able to score a takedown in sudden victory for the 4-1 win. McDaniel might be able to have some early success in this contest, but Barr will simply be too much over the course of the match. He has been dynamic all year and often found his opponents on their backs. Prediction: Barr major decision over McDanel 285: No. 24 Harley Andrews (Nebraska) vs. No. 2 Greg Kerkvliet (Penn State) Andrews got the chance to start for the Cornhuskers this year as a redshirt sophomore. He has gone 8-7, but he also picked up a pair of impressive wins at the Cliff Keen International. In the tournament, he downed No. 17 Cory Day (Binghamton) as well as No. 26 Trevor Tinker (Cal Poly). Andrews is in the middle of a rough patch in the schedule as he enters this match off a second-period technical fall loss to No. 1 Gable Steveson (Minnesota). Kerkvliet went undefeated and captured his first NCAA title this past season, and he appears to be on a similar trajectory this year. He currently holds a 10-0 record with all of those victories coming as either technical falls or falls. In his last outing, he picked up his quickest fall of the season as he needed only 56 seconds to best Max Vanadia (Michigan State). Kerkvliet is on a mission to make his third NCAA final in a row. He might end up facing Steveson in that final match, and he seems determined to reach peak performance for that match. Many of his upcoming contests appear to be simply speed bumps on the road toward that rematch. Prediction: Kerkvliet technical fall over Andrews

Just two days ago, we wrote an article about the top remaining prospects in the high school Class of 2026 and how they were quickly flying off the board. Well, another great prospect is off the board. Tonight, the number five overall prospect in the Class of 2026, Aaron Stewart (Warren Township, IL) is staying in his home state and wrestling for the University of Illinois. Stewart is currently ranked sixth in the nation at 175 lbs. Stewart is also a star on the gridiron and has committed to play both sports for the Fighting Illini. In 2024, he was named a first-team All-State running back in Illinois. Over the past two years, Stewart has amassed over 4,000 rushing yards and punched in 55 touchdowns. On the mat, Stewart was an Illinois 3A state champion at 157 lbs after finishing third at 152 lbs as a freshman. This year, during the high school regular season Stewart recently captured his second career title at the Cheesehead Invitational in Kaukauna, Wisconsin. He started the season with a sixth-place finish at the Walsh Ironman. Outside of Illinois, Stewart is a two-time double 16U champion in Fargo. During his sophomore season, he was an Ironman finalist. Stewart chose Illinois after taking visits to Iowa State, Maryland, Nebraska, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, and Princeton. He’ll join #33 Wyatt Medlin in Illinois’ Class of 2026. Should he sign with Illinois, Stewart would be the first top-five recruit to ink with the Illini since Isaiah Martinez did so in 2013. At this point, it’s unclear how navigating both sports will work out for Stewart and the wrestling team - along with what weight he’ll project at. For Illinois’ recruits in the Class of 2025 and 2026, Click Here

Warren Township

Hey friends, happy New Year! It’s been a while, I know, but let’s catch up on what’s been going on in the SoCon. Bellarmine started out strong after Christmas, placing seventh overall at the Soldier Salute, putting four wrestlers on the podium. Jack Parker (125), Keenan Wyatt (184), Devan Hendricks (184), and Daulton Mayer (285) took home top-eight placements. Notable wins for Mayer included a fall over Iowa’s Easton Fleshman and a 10-6 victory over then-ranked #26 Daniel Herrera of Iowa State. Wyatt and Hendricks battled it out for the 7th-place bout, where Hendricks sought a victory over the redshirt freshman Wyatt. The Knights wasted no time getting back to work, this time heading to the Southern Scuffle, hosted by UT-Chattanooga. The conference was well-represented, with eight of the nine schools in attendance (missing VMI). Out of a total of 110 SoCon entries, the conference produced 21 placements - Campbell and The Citadel leading the pack with 5 placewinners, followed by UTC with 4, Gardner-Webb with 3, and Bellarmine and Davidson with 2. Program milestones were made for Bellarmine and Davidson, as they had their program’s first podium finishes at the Scuffle. Another first was earned by UTC’s Sergio DeSiante, the 174lb Southern Scuffle Champion, and shared the limelight with teammate Jackson Hurst (165) after securing a fifth-place finish. Fun Scuffle trivia: this is the third time that the Mocs have sent 2+ wrestlers to the semifinals, another time in 2006, and last year’s Scuffle, with four wrestlers in the semifinal round. DeSiante’s path to a championship included a 7-6 semifinal victory over Virginia Tech’s Lennox Wolak, defeating Oklahoma’s top-ten Gaven Sax, 3-2. DeSiante saw an improvement in his ranking post-Scuffle, from 33 to 27 (now 26). The Citadel was the only other SoCon program to have a finalist - 197lb Pat Brophy. Brophy finished the tournament with two major decision victories and two wins by decision. The finals bout against Connor Mirasola (PSU) was lost by a 7-3 decision. SoCon Scuffle Placewinners: 125 3rd - Anthony Molton (CAMP) 8th - Jeff Jacome (GWU) 133 5th - Blake Boarman (UTC) 6th - TK Davis (GWU) 8th - Bryce Luna (UTC) 141 4th - Shannon Hanna (CAMP) 7th - AJ Rallo (BU) 8th - Tyson Sherlock (DAV) 149 4th - Wynton Denkins (CAMP) 6th - Tyler McKnight (DAV) 7th - Carson Desrosier (CIT) 157 3rd - Tyler Badgett (CIT) 8th - Hayden Watson (CIT) 165 5th - Thomas Snipes (CIT) 6th - Jackson Hurst (UTC) 7th - Domomic Baker (CAMP) 174 1st - Sergio DeSiante (UTC) 197 2nd - Patrick Brophy (CIT) 5th - Levi Hopkins (CAMP) 8th - Josh McCutchen (GWU) 285 8th - Daulton Mayer (BU) The Camels took to the mat at the F&M Open this past weekend - boasting two champions, five semifinalists, and six placements. Anthony Molton (125) and Wynton Denkins (149), both finished at the top of their weights, followed by runners-up Cooper Shore (125), Shannon Hanna (141), Levi Hopkins (197), and Chris Earnest’s (157) sixth place finish. The Citadel hosted App State for their first conference dual of the season. Starting off at 125 lbs, the Bulldogs’ own Gylon Sims defeated Bryson Terrell by an 8-2 decision. App State answered with nine wins, besting the Bulldogs 31 to 3. The marquee matchup of the weekend came at 197 - both ranked opponents, Pat Brophy (CIT) and Carson Floyd (APP), were neck and neck the entire match, with Floyd pushing ahead with a 4-3 victory. The Bulldogs were tough this dual, and I’m looking forward to watching their performance throughout this conference season. Last, but certainly not least, the Gardner-Webb Runnin’ Bulldogs faced off against ACC foes Duke. Call Mike Wazowski and the Child Detection Agency because we have a 23-19! (joke posted for reference) Anyway - the Dawgs started off strong with four back-to-back wins from 125 through 149, Jeff Jacome (125) and Todd Carter (141) put some bonus points on the board by way of a major decision and tech fall, respectively. After three losses, Jackson Potts (184) and Josh McCutchen (197) sealed the deal for the Dawgs, earning a Power 5 win. SoCon in the Rankings: 125 25 - Anthony Molton (CAMP) 133 26 - Blake Boarman (UTC) 29 - TK Davis 141 20 - Todd Carter (GWU) 26 - Shannon Hanna (CAMP) 165 8 - Will Miller (APP) 32 - Dom Baker (CAMP) 174 26 - Sergio DeSiante (UTC) 184 31 - Billy Janzer (CIT) 197 31 - Levi Hopkins (CAMP) 32 - Carson Floyd (APP) 33 - Pat Brophy (CIT) 285 6 - Taye Ghadiali (CAMP)

Highlights Lehigh’s Stanich and Brignola claim gold at F&M Open wrestling unattached Army’s Colbert wins F&M Open Drexel earns 8th place at NWCA Duals defeating two ranked opponents Bucknell’s Myles Takats earns Wrestler of the Week with win over #11 Gaitan of Iowa State (1/10) David H. Lehman F&M Open There was a contingent of EIWA teams in action, along with many unattached wrestlers. Below are place winners for each weight. 125: #27 Charlie Farmer (Army West Point) – 4th Nain Vasquez (Army West Point) – 5th 133: #28 Ethan Berginc (Army West Point) – 2nd Max Leete (American-unattached) – 3rd Raymond Lopez (American) – 6th 141: Luke Stanich (Lehigh-unattached) – Champion *Key win over #25 Hanna (Campbell) Bryce Kresho (F&M) – 5th 157: Trae McDaniel (Army West Point) – 4th 165: Max Brignola (Lehigh-unattached) – Champion *Key win over #28 Alvan (Columbia) Richie Grungo (Lehigh) – 4th 174: Cooper Haase (Army West Point) – 3rd 184: James Conway (F&M-unattached) – 2nd Jakob Gilfoil (Army West Point) – 4th 197: JT Davis (Lehigh) – Champion *Key win over #32 Hopkins (Campbell) Will Conlin (Hofstra-unattached) – 5th 285: Brady Colbert (Army West Point) – Champion (1/10 – 1/11) NWCA National Duals – Cedar Falls, IA Drexel and Sacred Heart were in action at the National Duals. Drexel earned an 8th place finish. (1/10) Northern Iowa 38 Sacred Heart 7 125 - Trever Anderson (Northern Iowa) FFT 133 - Julian Farber (Northern Iowa) tech Jacob Ice (Sacred Heart) 17-1 141 - Cael Happel (Northern Iowa) tech Andrew Fallon (Sacred Heart) 19-4 149 - Colin Realbuto (Northern Iowa) dec Daniel Delusant (Sacred Heart) 17-11 157 - Cael Rahnavardi (Northern Iowa) dec Felix Lettini (Sacred Heart) 5-1 165 - Jack Thomsen (Northern Iowa) fall Calvin Pineda (Sacred Heart) 2:23 174 - Aidan Zarrella (Sacred Heart) dec Nick Fox (Northern Iowa) 5-3 184 - Parker Keckeisen (Northern Iowa) tech Hunter Perez (Sacred Heart) 19-3 197 - Wyatt Voelker (Northern Iowa) tech Kevin Taylor (Sacred Heart) 20-4 285 - Brendan Gilchrist (Sacred Heart) maj Adam Ahrendsen (Northern Iowa) 14-6 Wyoming 20 Drexel 18 125 - Desmond Pleasant (Drexel) maj Garrett Ricks (Wyoming) 11-3 133 - Kyle Waterman (Drexel) maj Stockton O’Brien (Wyoming) 16-5 141 - Jordan Soriano (Drexel) fall Cole Brooks (Wyoming) 4:31 149 - Gabe Willochell (Wyoming) dec Dom Findora (Drexel) 9-2 157 - Jared Hill (Wyoming) maj Luke Nichter (Drexel) 17-3 165 - Cooper Voorhees (Wyoming) dec Cody Walsh (Drexel) 9-7 174 - Jasiah Queen (Drexel) maj Riley Davis (Wyoming) 15-5 184 - Quayin Short (Wyoming) dec Giuseppe Hoose (Drexel) 10-3 197 - Joey Novak (Wyoming) maj Mickey O’Malley (Drexel) 8-0 285 - Sam Mitchell (Wyoming) dec Dom Petracci (Drexel) 3-1 Drexel 33 CSU Bakersfield 9 125 - Desmond Pleasant (Drexel) dec Richard Castro-Sandoval (CSU Bakersfield) 4-1 133 - Kyle Waterman (Drexel) fall Santino Sanchez (CSU Bakersfield) 2:49 141 - Jordan Soriano (Drexel) FFT 149 - Dom Findora (Drexel) maj Steve Caday (CSU Bakersfield) 8-0 157 - Luke Nichter (Drexel) fall Jose Farias (CSU Bakersfield) 1:10 165 - Guillermo Escobedo (CSU Bakersfield) dec Cody Walsh (Drexel) 9-6SV 174 - Jasiah Queen (Drexel) tech Chris Neal (CSU Bakersfield) 20-4 184 - Giuseppe Hoose (Drexel) dec Gerrit Nijenhuis (CSU Bakersfield) 11-10 197 - AJ Ferrari (CSU Bakersfield) dec Ibrahim Ameer (Drexel) 10-4 285 - Jake Andrews (CSU Bakersfield) dec Dom Petracci (Drexel) 8-1 Penn 41 Sacred Heart 3 125 - Max Gallagher (Penn) FFT 133 - Braxton Fries-Apello (Sacred Heart) dec Brady Pruett (Penn) 7-3 141 - Evan Mougalian (Penn) dec Andrew Fallon (Sacred Heart) 5-1 149 - Kelly Dunnigan (Penn) tech Dakota Asuncion (Sacred Heart) 23-6 157 - Jude Swisher (Penn) maj Felix Lettini (Sacred Heart) 12-0 165 - Vince Mannella (Penn) tech Nolan Hook (Sacred Heart) 15-0 174 - Nick Incontrera (Penn) tech Aidan Zarrella (Sacred Heart) 19-2 184 - Nathan Taylor (Penn) dec Hunter Perez (Sacred Heart) 16-9 197 - Jackson Zimmerman (Penn) maj Chris DeLena (Sacred Heart) 11-0 285 - John Pardo (Penn) fall Marc Berisha (Sacred Heart) 1:51 Drexel 23 Cal Poly 16 125 - Desmond Pleasant (Drexel) dec Koda Holeman (Cal Poly) 9-5 133 - Kyle Waterman (Drexel) FFT 141 - Jordan Soriano (Drexel) dec Alek Van Bebber (Cal Poly) 5-1 149 - Chance Lamer (Cal Poly) dec Dom Findora (Drexel) 4-0 157 - Luke Nichter (Drexel) dec Legend Lamer (Cal Poly) 3-2 165 - Luka Wick (Cal Poly) dec Cody Walsh (Drexel) 10-4 174 - Jasiah Queen (Drexel) maj Cash Stewart (Cal Poly) 15-5 184 - Giuseppe Hoose (Drexel) maj Jake Honey (Cal Poly) 14-1 197 - Wesley Wilson (Cal Poly) fall Ibrahim Ameer (Drexel) 4:30 285 - Trevor Tinker (Cal Poly) maj Tanner Updegraff (Drexel) 9-0 (1/11) SIU Edwardsville 36 Sacred Heart 3 125 - Deion Johnson (SIU Edwardsville) FFT 133 - Marcel Lopez (SIU Edwardsville) dec Braxton Fries-Appello (Sacred Heart) 7-4 141 - Danny Martinez (SIU Edwardsville) dec Andrew Fallon (Sacred Heart) 4-2 149 - Hayden Whidden (SIU Edwardsville) maj Daniel Delusant (Sacred Heart) 11-1 157 - Felix Lettini (Sacred Heart) dec Brock Woodcock (SIU Edwardsville) 9-3 165 - Bradley Gillum (SIU Edwardsville) dec Calvin Pineda (Sacred Heart) 10-4 174 - Luke Odom (SIU Edwardsville) dec Aidan Zarrella (Sacred Heart) 4-1SV 184 - Deron Pullium (SIU Edwardsville) maj Owen Ayotte (Sacred Heart) 14-4 197 - Nick Nosler (SIU Edwardsville) maj Kevin Taylor (Sacred Heart) 17-3 285 - Bryson Buhk (SIU Edwardsville) fall Marc Berisha (Sacred Heart) Fall 2:10 Cal Poly 31 Sacred Heart 12 125 - Koda Holeman (Cal Poly) FFT 133 - Braxton Fries-Appello (Sacred Heart) FFT 141 - Alek Van Bebber (Cal Poly) dec Andrew Fallon (Sacred Heart) 2-1 149 - Chance Lamer (Cal Poly) tech Daniel Delusant (Sacred Heart) 21-5 157 - Legend Lamer (Cal Poly) dec Felix Lettini (Sacred Heart) 5-0 165 - Luka Wick (Cal Poly) tech Nolan Hook (Sacred Heart) 17-0 174 -Aidan Zarrella (Sacred Heart) dec Cash Stewart (Cal Poly) 4-1 184 - Hunter Perez (Sacred Heart) dec Blake Hinrichsen (Cal Poly) 10-6 197 - Wesley Wilson (Cal Poly) dec Kevin Taylor (Sacred Heart) 12-5 285 - Trevor Tinker (Cal Poly) fall Brendan Gilchrist (Sacred Heart) 1:22 Penn 30 Drexel 12 125 - Brady Pruett (Penn) fall Desmond Pleasant (Drexel) 1:34 133 - Ryan Miller (Penn) dec Kyle Waterman (Drexel) 4-0 141 - CJ Composto (Penn) dec Jordan Soriano (Drexel) 6-1 149 - Cross Wasilewski (Penn) maj Jon Fuller (Drexel) 11-2 157 - Luke Nichter (Drexel) fall Jude Swisher (Penn) 1:57 165 - Cody Walsh (Drexel) dec Vince Mannella (Penn) 8-3 174 - Nick Incontrera (Penn) dec Jasiah Queen (Drexel) 5-3 184 - Max Hale (Penn) fall Guiseppe Hoose (Drexel) :46 197 - Ibrahim Ameer (Drexel) dec Nathan Taylor (Penn) 2-1 285 - John Pardo (Penn) tech Dom Petracci (Drexel) 20-4 Central Michigan 25 Drexel 7 125 - Desmond Pleasant (Drexel) dec Grant Stahl (Central Michigan) 10-4 133 - Sean Spidle (Central Michigan) dec Kyle Waterman (Drexel) 5-3 141 - Jordan Soriano (Drexel) maj Kellan Aure (Central Michigan) 12-2 149 - Andrew Austin (Central Michigan) dec Dom Findora (Drexel) 5-4 157 - Johnny Lovett (Central Michigan) maj Aboubakare Diaby (Drexel) 14-4 165 - Tyler Swiderski (Central Michigan) dec Cody Walsh (Drexel) 9-4 174 - Alex Cramer (Central Michigan) dec Jasiah Queen (Drexel) 2-1 184 - Adrien Cramer (Central Michigan) dec Guiseppe Hoose (Drexel) 4-1SV 197 - Luke Cochran (Central Michigan) dec Ibrahim Ameer (Drexel) 4-2 285 - Bryan Caves (Central Michigan) dec Dom Petracci (Drexel) 5-0 (1/11) Virginia Duals – Hampton, VA Bucknell was the lone competitor at the Virginia Duals. They were 1-1 on the day. Bucknell 23 Rider 15 125 - Kaden Naame (Rider) FFT 133 - Kurt Phipps (Bucknell) dec Will Betancourt (Rider) 8-2 141 - Dylan Chappell (Bucknell) dec McKenzie Bell (Rider) 11-4 149 - Sammy Alvarez (Rider) dec Aiden Davis (Bucknell) 4-1SV 157 - Colton Washleski (Rider) dec Cade Wirnsberger (Bucknell) 5-1 165 - Noah Mulvaney (Bucknell) dec Enrique Munguia (Rider) 6-5 174 - Myles Takats (Bucknell) tech Michael Wilson (Rider) 17-0 184 - Isaac Dean (Rider) dec Logan Deacetis (Bucknell) 7-3 197 - Dean Bechtold (Bucknell) dec Brock Zurawski (Rider) 6-1 285 - Nolan Springer (Bucknell) fall Steyn DeLange (Rider) :52 Iowa State 28 Bucknell 12 125 - Kysen Terukina (Iowa State) FFT 133 - Evan Frost (Iowa State) dec Kurt Phipps (Bucknell) 6-3 141 - Jacob Frost (Iowa State) dec Dylan Chappell (Bucknell) 5-2 149 - Paniro Johnson (Iowa State) tech Braden Bower (Bucknell) 19-4 157 - Cody Chittum (Iowa State) maj Cade Wirnsberger (Bucknell) 18-4 165 - Noah Mulvaney (Bucknell) fall Aiden Riggins (Iowa State) 6:21 174 - Myles Takats (Bucknell) dec MJ Gaitan (Iowa State) 9-6 184 - Evan Bockman (Iowa State) maj Michael Bartush (Bucknell) 14-5 197 - Dean Bechtold (Bucknell) dec Nate Schon (Iowa State) 9-2 285 - Daniel Herrera (Iowa State) dec Logan Shephard (Bucknell) 4-1 Duals (1/10) Princeton 46 Morgan State 0 125 - Marc-Anthony McGowan (Princeton) tech Julian Dawson (Morgan State) 19-4 133 - Drew Heethuis (Princeton) fall Shawn Ryncarz (Morgan State) 3:00 141 - Joe Davi (Princeton) maj Myrin Nixon (Morgan State) 10-2 149 - Ty Whalen (Princeton) FFT 157 - Jacob Mann (Princeton) dec Joshua Greenwood (Morgan State) 11-5 165 - Blaine Bergey (Princeton) tech Cooper Lockhart (Morgan State) 16-1 174 - Xavier Giles (Princeton) dec Cort Vann (Morgan State) 1-0 184 - Mikey Squires (Princeton) fall Calvin Savage (Morgan State) 1:53 197 - Diego Costa (Princeton) dec Eric Washington (Morgan State) 7-1 285 - Sebastian Garibaldi (Princeton) tech RJ Duncan (Morgan State) 19-2 Lehigh 23 Binghamton 16 125 - Sheldon Seymour (Lehigh) dec Carson Wagner (Binghamton) 7-5 133 - Micah Roes (Binghamton) fall Logan Wadle (Lehigh) 2:38 141 - Carter Bailey (Lehigh) tech Ryan Hartung (Binghamton) 15-0 149 - Malyke Hines (Lehigh) dec Caleb Sweet (Binghamton) 12-8 157 - Fin Nadeau (Binghamton) dec Griffin Gonzalez (Lehigh) 5-1 165 - Carter Baer (Binghamton) maj Zeke Dubler (Lehigh) 9-1 174 - Brevin Cassella (Binghamton) dec Rylan Rogers (Lehigh) 3-0 184 - Caden Rogers (Lehigh) dec Will Ebert (Binghamton) 2-1SV 197 - Michael Beard (Lehigh) tech Cayden Bevis (Binghamton) 21-6 285 - Owen Trephan (Lehigh) maj Cory Day (Binghamton) 9-1 (1/12) Cornell 23 Lehigh 19 125 - Sheldon Seymour (Lehigh) dec Marcello Milani (Cornell) 3-2 133 - Tyler Ferrera (Cornell) tech Logan Wadle (Lehigh) 17-2 141 - Carter Bailey (Lehigh) dec Joshua Saunders (Cornell) 4-1 149 - Malyke Hines (Lehigh) dec Ethan Fernandez (Cornel) 5-4 157 - Meyer Shapiro (Cornell) fall Griffin Gonzalez (Lehigh) 1:29 165 - Julian Ramirez (Cornell) tech Zeke Dubler (Lehigh) 18-1 174 - Simon Ruiz (Cornell) maj Rylan Rogers (Lehigh) 11-1 184 - Chris Foca (Cornell) dec Caden Rogers (Lehigh) 2-0 197 - Michael Beard (Lehigh) tech Aiden Hanning (Cornell) 22-5 285 - Owen Trephan (Lehigh) tech Ashton Davis (Cornell) 18-3 Army West Point 37 Long Island 6 125 - Charlie Farmer (Army West Point) tech Sawyer Ostroff (Long Island) 17-2 133 - Conor Collins (Army West Point) tech Kaelen Francois (Long Island) 17-0 141 - Richard Treanor (Army West Point) dec Devin Matthews (Long Island) 7-2 149 - Drew Witham (Long Island) dec Mason Barvitskie (Army West Point) 4-1 157 - Dakota Morris (Army West Point) dec Tommy Bonasera (Long Island) 7-0 165 - Gunner Filipowicz (Army West Point) fall Donovan Smith (Long Island) Fall 4:27 174 - Dalton Harkins (Army West Point) tech Corey Connolly (Long Island) 17-0 184 - Anthony D’Alesio (Long Island) dec Jake Gilfiiol (Army West Point) 7-1 197 - Wolfgang Frable (Army West Point) fall John Dusza (Long Island) Fall 2:37 285 - Lucas Stoddard (Army West Point) maj Chris Powell (Long Island) 10-2

If week one of ACC duals showed us anything, it is that we should buckle up because the next six weeks are going to be bonkers. We saw two upsets - based on Intermat Dual Rankings - and a shutout for the six teams in action, while UVA made the most of the off week. North Carolina had a statement win at home over a top-10 Hokies team. The Tar Heels were propelled by upset wins from Spencer Moore, Josh Ogunsanya, and a huge Gavin Kane pin over TJ Stewart to notch their first win over Virginia Tech in five years. North Carolina did an impressive job of winning the tight bouts; three of their five wins were within a one-takedown score, with two of those coming in sudden victory. Bonus points from the Kane pin and a Lachlan McNeil tech fall proved huge. The Hokies will look to use this week off of conference competition to heal up and return with a full lineup against Duke in two weeks; they were without #12 Connor McGonagle and #1 Caleb Henson in Chapel Hill. Not a lot to say about Duke’s trip to NC State. The Wolfpack took care of business and won nine of 10 bouts by bonus points including six tech falls and one pin. Louie Gill filled in at 125 for Vincent Robinson and put on an impressive display; Tyler Tracy got the start at 141 and looked strong. Robinson made his return to the lineup on Monday against Oklahoma State, getting an upset win over #2 Troy Spratley, in what otherwise was a dual the Wolfpack would like to forget. Though the dual was much closer than the scoreboard indicated, the Cowboys reeled off nine straight wins - several in tight matches, after the opening upset by Robinson. The Pittsburgh/Stanford dual is worth a watch if you haven’t seen it. It was a back-and-forth match with the Panthers relying on the strength of their upper weights to pull away in the final three matches for the upset win. This was also the case in their dual against West Virginia on Sunday. Stanford initially had Nico Provo listed but gave up a forfeit at 125, so we are still waiting for his season debut. We did see the return to the lineup from Jason Miranda who had a solid weekend. The matches at 157 and 174 were both tight, entertaining bouts. Stanford did finish their weekend on a positive note, winning at Mizzou. Since they pushed up the start of the duals in North Carolina, this dual got my full attention in the later time slot. As I watched, it became more and more clear to me how much parity there is within the conference this year, specifically in how teams match up in duals. Coming into the season, the general consensus was that NC State and Virginia Tech would again be battling for the top spot in the conference, both in duals and the tournament. But as we get deeper into the season, we are seeing how much matchups are going to matter in each individual dual. Even if a team is stronger on paper, one upset or one wrestler out with an injury can and will completely change the outcome of a dual. Going through the lineups for the duals moving forward, there is a definite possibility that no team will make it through the dual season unscathed. After upsets from North Carolina and Pittsburgh in week one, I think we are only at the tip of the iceberg. We haven’t seen Virginia wrestle in conference yet, but outside of Duke who was shut out, there is an argument that can be made for any one of North Carolina, NC State, Pittsburgh, Stanford, Virginia, and/or Virginia Tech to be atop the dual standings on February 22nd. There is no tie-breaking criteria for the dual-title, it is won outright by the team with the best in-conference record, or shared if teams have the same record. I, for one, am here for the chaos. Bring on week two. No. 25 North Carolina 20, No. 8 Virginia Tech 17 January 10, 2025 | Carmichael Arena | Attendance: 1,247 125: No. 20 Spencer Moore (UNC) over No. 4 Eddie Ventresca (VT): 4-1 SV Dec 133: No. 15 Ethan Oakley (UNC) over Dillon Campbell (VT): 4-1 SV Dec 141: No. 11 Sam Latona (VT) over No. 27 Jayden Scott (UNC): 2-0 Dec 149: No. 6 Lachlan McNeil (UNC) over Hunter Mason (VT): 22-6 TF 157: No. 13 Rafael Hipolito (VT) over No. 26 Sonny Santiago (UNC): 14-7 Dec 165: No. 25 Mac Church (VT) over Collin Carrigan (UNC): 14-2 MD 174: No. 20 Joshua Ogunsanya (UNC) over No. 13 Lennox Wolak (VT): 7-5 Dec 184: No. 24 Gavin Kane (UNC) over No. 29 TJ Stewart (VT): Fall (3:29) 197: No. 8 Andy Smith (VT) over Cade Lautt (UNC): 4-1 SV Dec 285: No. 15 Jimmy Mullen (VT) over Nolan Neves (UNC): 20-8 MD No. 18 Pitt 24, No. 15 Stanford 15 125: No. 17 Nick Babin (Pitt) FFT 133: No. 10 Tyler Knox (Stanford) tech. fall Matt Marlow (Pitt), 17-1 (4:23) 141: Jason Miranda (Stanford) dec. Briar Priest (Pitt), 11-8 SV 149: No. 26 Finn Solomon (Pitt) tech. fall EJ Parco (Stanford), 15-0 (4:03) 157: No. 22 Dylan Evans (Pitt) dec. No. 28 Grigor Cholakyan (Stanford), 4-1 SV 165: No. 14 Hunter Garvin (Stanford) maj. dec. Jared Keslar (Pitt), 15-6 174: No. 4 Lorenzo Norman (Stanford) dec. No. 18 Luca Augustine (Pitt) 8-6 184: No. 18 Reece Heller (Pitt) dec. Abraham Wojcikiewicz (Stanford), 8-4 197: No. 12 Mac Stout (Pitt) maj. dec. No. 24 Nick Stemmet (Stanford), 10-1 285: No. 14 Dayton Pitzer (Pitt) dec. Peter Ming (Stanford), 13-6 Attendance: 724 #5 NC State 47, Duke 0 Attendance: 2,567 133 | #7 Kai Orine (NCSU) major dec. Raymond Adams (Duke), 12-1 141 | Tyler Tracy (NCSU) tech fall Christian Colman (Duke), 21-6 (3:14) 149 | #33 Koy Buesgens (NCSU) major dec. SP O'Donnell (Duke), 14-3 157 | #12 Ed Scott (NCSU) fall Logan Ferrero (Duke), 3:40 165 | #32 Derek Fields (NCSU) dec. #29 Aidan Wallace (Duke), 7-2 174 | #19 Matty Singleton (NCSU) tech fall Gaetano Console (Duke), 19-4 (4:33) 184 | #11 Dylan Fishback (NCSU) tech fall David Hussey (Duke), 20-3 (3:00) 197 | #26 Christian Knop (NCSU) tech fall Kwasi Bonsu (Duke), 20-4 (4:41) 285 | #4 Isaac Trumble (NCSU) tech fall #30 Connor Barket (Duke), 19-2 (5:30) 125 | Louie Gill (NCSU) tech fall Ethan Grimminger (Duke), 18-1 (5:33)

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