InterMat Staff

Plattsburg

Bismarck Century

Omaha Westside

Lakeview

Fort Scott

We’ve made it to the New Year and with the addition of Stanford to the ACC wrestling world, the schedule we’ve become accustomed to for Friday Night Duals will look slightly different. There will be some weeks with three Friday night duals with one team off, and others where Stanford makes an East Coast trip that will see them with a Friday and Sunday dual. The opening week will see Virginia on a bye week with Stanford traveling to Pittsburgh and two duals in the Triangle with Virginia Tech at North Carolina and Duke traveling up the hypotenuse to Raleigh to face NC State. There is a chance for more than three snowflakes, so out of caution, the latter two duals were moved up to a 5pm start, with Stanford versus Pittsburgh at 7pm. There will be a few key starters coming off of injury over the holiday break, but we still see some solid duals tonight. Let’s look at how these duals stack up and where the must-watch matches fall. #7 Virginia Tech at #22 North Carolina 125 #4 Eddie Ventresca v #20 Spencer Moore 133 Dillon Campbell/Frankie Medina v #15 Ethan Oakley 141 #11 Sam Latona v #27 Jayden Scott 149 #1 Caleb Henson/Hunter Mason v #6 Lachlan McNeil 157 #13 Rafael Hipolito v #26 Sonny Santiago/Joey Showalter 165 #25 Mac Church v Charlie Darracott/Colin Carrigan 174 #13 Lennox Wolak v #20 Josh Ogunsanya 184 #25 TJ Stewart/Sam Fisher v #24 Gavin Kane/Marcus Murabito 197 #8 Andy Smith/Sammy Sasso v Cade Lautt/Robert Platt 285 #15 Jimmy Mullen v Aydin Guttridge/Nolan Neves This one has some solid matches up and down the lineup. Kicking off with a good one at 125 with Eddie Ventresca who has rounded back into his All-American form and Spencer Moore who has had a quietly great season and is coming off a runner-up finish at the Southern Scuffle. Latona and Scott will be another fun one to keep your eye on, as will Hipolito/Santiago. I’d lean toward not seeing Henson versus McNeil tonight - you don’t often see another option listed behind Henson’s name, and they won’t put him out if he’s not ready to go after a ding in the OkSt dual. The Tar Heels added a transfer this week in Charlie Darracott and he has been ruled eligible for the second semester so we may see his debut tonight at 165. The two most intriguing matches to me are at 174 and 184 tonight. 174 will pit former teammates from Columbia against each other. Wolak had a great start to the Scuffle then dropped 3 straight. Ogunsaya is 5-3 since starting in the second semester. 184 is a battle of former All-Americans who are both looking to find that form again in Stewart and Kane. Duke at #9 NC State 125 Ethan Grimminger v #11 Vincent Robinson/Louie Gill 133 Raymond Adams v #7 Kai Orine 141 Christian Colman v Tyler Tracy 149 Sean O’Donnell v #33 Koy Buesgens 157 Logan Ferrero v #12 Ed Scott 165 #29 Aiden Wallace v #32 Derek Fields 174 Gaetano Console v #19 Matty Singleton 184 David Hussey v #11 Dylan Fishback 197 Kwasi Bonsu v #26 Christian Knop/Andrew Machiavello 285 #30 Conner Barket v #4 Isaac Trumble This one won’t be expected to be very competitive on the scoreboard, but there are a couple interesting matches to watch. I was hoping we would see freshman Vincent Lee for the Blue Devils at 197 but he isn’t listed, so they may still be looking at a potential redshirt. Aiden Wallace had an amazing Scuffle for Duke, making an unexpected run to the finals. He will have a good test in Derek Fields at a competitive weight in the conference. The other ranked matchup is at heavyweight with Conner Barket attempting to knock off Isaac Trumble who has been very impressive this season. The other thing to watch here is whether we see the return of Vincent Robinson after his injury at CKLV or if we see freshman Louie Gill step in for another dual. #12 Stanford at #27 Pittsburgh 125 Nico Provo v #17 Nick Babin 133 #10 Tyler Knox v Vincent Santaniello 141 Jason Miranda/Jack Consiglio v #31 Anthony Santaniello 149 EJ Parco v #26 Finn Solomon 157 #28 Grigor Cholakyan v #22 Dylan Evans 165 #14 Hunter Garvin v Jared Keslar 174 #4 Lorenzo Norman v #18 Luca Augustine 184 Abraham Wojcikiewicz/Cole Han-Lindemyer v #18 Reece Heller 197 #24 Nick Stemmett v #12 Mac Stout 285 Peter Ming v #14 Dayton Pitzer This one has some potential for fireworks. We get to see the season debut of Nico Provo against Nick Babin who looked solid in his return from the injured list. Knox has looked fantastic this season, but will face a scrappy Vinny Santaniello. Jason Miranda is listed as a probable coming off a great Midlands that could set up a fun match against Anthony Santaniello. Jaden Abas is not making the trip this weekend so we will see EJ Parco against Finn Solomon. 157 is a must-watch for me. Cholakyan has shown all year that he will go full-send every match and he faces a very tough Dylan Evans - this one could be fun. Lorenzo Norman has had an amazing season thus far and will face Luca Augustine who has the potential to go with anyone in the country. Nick Stemmett versus Mac Stout is the final ranked matchup in the dual, I would expect a lower-scoring, gritty match between the two. This one is pretty competitive on paper, I’m interested to see how it plays out on the mat. There will be three big duals out of conference duals on Sunday as well. Pittsburgh will face a scrappy West Virginia squad, while Stanford makes a stop in Columbia on their way back west to face Mizzou. Then we will see a top-10 battle as NC State makes the trip to Gallagher-Iba Arena to face #3 Oklahoma State. We will have breakdowns for those duals this weekend.

Hayfield

Fairfax

Conroe Woodlands

Eureka

Swansboro

Battlefield

Germantown

We have finally arrived: Dual Season Now things get interesting within the dynamics of your league. Depending on how many of your competitors are still engaged, every point means just that much more because they will be harder to come by. Bonus points are at a premium. We have one major tournament out in Lancaster, PA this week, where a few big names look to be taking the mat (see below). 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: Charlie Farmer (ARMY) - @ Long Island, F&M Open Anthony Molton (CAMP) - F&M Open Diego Sotelo (HARV) - F&M Open Nick Babin (PITT) - Vs Stanford, @ West Virginia [+10] Matt Ramos (PUR) - Vs Northwestern, @ Northern Illinois [+8] Sheldon Seymour (LEH) - @ Binghamton, @ Cornell [+6] Marc-Anthony McGowan (PRIN)- @ Morgan State [+5] Chris Vargo (EDIN) - @ Clarion [+4] Luke Lilledahl (PSU) - Vs Michigan State [+4] Noah Luna (APP) - @ The Citadel [+3] Nicolar Rivera (WISC) - Vs Iowa [+3] 133: Raymond Lopez (AMER) - F&M Open Ethan Berginc (ARMY) - @ Long Island, F&M Open Gable Strickland (LHU) - F&M Open Ben Davino (OHST) - F&M Open Ryan Crookham (LEH) - @ Binghamton, @ Cornell [+9] Kai Orine (NCST) - Vs Duke, @ Oklahoma State [+8] Braxton Brown (MARY) - @ Michigan, @ Michigan State [+7] Tyler Knox (STAN) - @ Pittsburgh, @ Missouri [+7] Julian Chlebove (ASU)- @ California Baptist [+4] Sergio Lemley (MICH) - Vs Maryland [+4] Colton Camacho (EDIN) - @ Clarion [+4] Ethan Oakley (UNC)- Vs Virginia Tech [+4] * if no McGonigle Drake Ayala (IOWA) - @ Wisconsin [+3] Tyler Wells (MINN) - @ Nebraska [+3] Braeden Davis (PSU) - Vs Michigan State [+3] 141: Shannon Hanna (CAMP) - F&M Open Luke Stanich (LEH) - F&M Open Ryan Jack (NCST) - F&M Open Andre Gonzalez (OHST) - F&M Open Jesse Mendez (OHST) - @ Illinois, Vs Rutgers [+8] Beau Bartlett (PSU) - Vs Michigan State [+5] Eligh Rivera (PRIN)- @ Morgan State [+5] Richard Treanor (ARMY) - @ Long Island [+4] Tagen Jamison (OKST) - Vs NC State [+4] Brock Hardy (NEB) - Vs Minnesota [+3] Sam Latona (VT) - @ North Carolina [+3] 149: Trae McDaniel (ARMY) - @ Long Island, F&M Open Dylan Layton (CSU) - F&M Open Kelvin Griffin (LEH) - F&M Open Shayne Van Ness (PSU) - Vs Michigan State [+6] Kyle Parco (IOWA) - @ Wisconsin [+5] Ty Whalen (PRIN)- @ Morgan State [+4] Jesse Vasquez (ASU)- @ California Baptist [+3] Carson DeRosier (CIT) - Vs Appalachian State [+3] Ridge Lovett (NEB) - Vs Minnesota [+3] Carter Young (OKST) - Vs NC State [+3] 157: Jackson Arrington (NCST) - F&M Open Brock Herman (OHST) - F&M Open Sammy Sasso (OHST) - F&M Open Paddy Gallagher (OHST) - @ Illinois, Vs Rutgers [+6] Meyer Shapiro (COR) - Vs Lehigh [+5] Tyler Kasak (PSU) - Vs Michigan State [+5] Ryan Michaels (EDIN) - @ clarion [+4] Rafael Hipolito (VT) - @ North Carolina [+4] Tyler Badgett (CIT) - Vs Appalachian State [+3] 165: Cesar Alvan (COL) - F&M Open Max Brignola (LEH) - F&M Open Hunter Garvin (STAN) - @ Pittsburgh, @ Missouri [+8] Gunner Filipowicz (ARMY) - @ Long Island [+5] Michael Caliendo (IOWA) - @ Wisconsin [+5] Beau Mantanona (MICH) - Vs Maryland [+5] Mitchell Mesenbrink (PSU) - Vs Michigan State [+5] Nicco Ruiz (ASU)- @ California Baptist [+4] Julian Ramirez (COR) - Vs Lehigh [+4] Will Miller (APP) - @ The Citadel [+3] Cam Amine (OKST) - Vs NC State [+3] Mac Church (VT) - @ North Carolina [+3] 174: Lorenzo Norman (STAN) - @ Pittsburgh, @ Missouri [+7] Carson Kharchla (OHST) - @ Illinois, Vs Rutgers [+6] Brody Baumann (PUR) - Vs Northwestern, @ Northern Illinois [+6] Dalton Harkins (ARMY) - @ Long Island [+5] Levi Haines (PSU) - Vs Michigan State [+5] John Worthing (CLAR) - Vs Edinboro [+4] Patrick Kenedy (IOWA) - @ Wisconsin [+4] Darrien Roberts (MORG)- Vs Princeton [+4] Dean Hamiti (OKST) - Vs NC State [+4] Lucas Uliano (APP) - @ The Citadel [+3] Simon Ruiz (COR) - Vs Lehigh [+3] Lenny Pinto (NEB) - Vs Minnesota [+3] 184: Nick Fine (COL) - F&M Open Rocco Welsh (OHST) - F&M Open James Rowley (PUR) - Vs Northwestern, @ Northern Illinois [+7] Jaxon Smith (MARY) - @ Michigan, @ Michigan State [+6] Reece Heller (PITT)- Vs Stanford, @ West Virginia [+6] Carter Starocci (PSU) - Vs Michigan State [+5] Nathan Haas (CBU) - Vs Arizona State [+4] Chris Foca (COR) - Vs Lehigh [+4] Jared McGill (EDIN) - @ Clarion [+4] Angelo Ferrari (IOWA) - @ Wisconsin [+4] Billy Janzer (CIT) - Vs Appalachian State [+3] Dustin Plott (OKST) - Vs NC State [+3] Mikey Squires (PRIN)- @ Morgan State [+3] 197: Levi Hopkins (CAMP) - F&M Open Michael Beard (LEH) - @ Binghamton, @ Cornell [+9] Stephen Buchanan (IOWA) - @ Wisconsin [+6] Mac Stout (PITT)- Vs Stanford, @ West Virginia [+6] Luke Stout (PRIN)- @ Morgan State [+6] Jacob Cardenas (MICH) - Vs Maryland [+5] Patrick Brophy (CIT) - Vs Appalachian State [+4] Josh Barr (PSU) - Vs Michigan State [+4] Wolfgang Frable (ARMY) - @ Long Island [+3] Isaiah Salazar (MINN) - @ Nebraska [+3] Luke Surber (OKST) - Vs NC State [+3] 285: Gavin Hoffman (LHU) - F&M Open David Szuba (RID) - F&M Open Owen Trephan (LEH) - @ Binghamton, @ Cornell [+9] Dayton Pitzer (PITT)- Vs Stanford, @ West Virginia [+8] Cohlton Schultz (ASU)- @ California Baptist [+6] Greg Kerkvliet (PSU) - Vs Michigan State [+6] Gable Steveson (MINN) - @ Nebraska [+5] Jim Mullen (VT) - @ North Carolina [+5] Kade Sottolano (EDIN) - @ Clarion [+4] Ben Keuter (IOWA) - @ Wisconsin [+4] Wyatt Hendrickson (OKST) - Vs NC State [+4]

DI wrestling is back at the NWCA National Duals! The National Duals take place tomorrow and Saturday and now include teams across all levels of collegiate competition, including both women’s collegiate divisions. The DI version of this event will feature 14 teams that hail from non-Power Four conferences. Some teams compete as affiliate members of the Big 12, but are not full-fledged conference members for other sports. This idea allows us to see plenty of matchups that we may not otherwise see in dual competition. Northern Iowa/Sacred Heart, Wyoming/Drexel, and George Mason/Cal Poly are some first-round matches that combine schools that aren’t geographically close to each other. Hopefully, this event gives the rest of the DI world a kick in the butt and shows them that this can be fun. Or not. Anyhow, let’s focus on the school that will be in Cedar Falls and taking the mat. Best First Round Matchup: George Mason vs. Cal Poly Don’t let the records fool you, this should be the most competitive matchup during the first round of action. George Mason comes into the tournament 8-0, while Cal Poly is searching for their first win of the season at 0-4. While they are winless, three of Cal Poly’s four losses have come to teams currently ranked in the top 33 in duals. The only current ranked-on-ranked matchup in this dual comes at 149 lbs with #7 Chance Lamer (Cal Poly) and #23 Kaden Cassidy (George Mason). Hopefully, we’ll get a chance to see it as Lamer has been out of action since mid-November. There are a handful of other bouts between wrestlers who were ranked at one time or are close to the rankings. They are 157 lbs (DJ McGee/Legend Lamer), 165 (Evan Maag/Luka Wick), and 184 (Malachi DuVall/Daschle Lamer). The other bout to watch is at heavyweight - which could end up determining this dual. Trevor Tinker is a returning national qualifier for Cal Poly. He’s had an up-and-down season thus far. George Mason would be expected to send out James Blackman, a true freshman who has quietly put together a solid season. Blackman is 11-4, but unbeaten in dual competition. Interesting Subplot in the First Round: Northern Colorado vs. CSU Bakersfield Prior to signing with CSU Bakersfield, controversial 2021 national champion AJ Ferrari’s only other known DI visit over the summer was to……Northern Colorado. I’m not sure that this means anything. Just something to monitor. The item that will confuse people who have followed wrestling brackets for years: Ohio vs Penn So, Ohio will wrestle Penn in an opening-round match that determines where each team is placed in the bracket. The winner will go to the bottom of the bracket and face the winner of Central Michigan/South Dakota State. The loser goes to the top of the bracket and meets the winner of Northern Iowa/Sacred Heart. I suppose that’s an interesting way of doing things. It’s a way that there are no opening round byes even with 14 teams in a 16-team bracket. It’s possible that the loser of Ohio/Penn could win the entire bracket. Of course, they’d have to defeat #5 Northern Iowa coming off a loss. Which brings us to…. Can anyone stop Northern Iowa? The Panthers come into this event fresh off a huge win over then-unbeaten Nebraska - ranked third in the nation at the time. It wasn’t just a win, it was how it happened. UNI only had one huge upset (at 125 lbs with Trever Anderson over All-American Caleb Smith). The upset at 141 wasn’t quite as unpredictable. Cael Happel and Brock Hardy traded wins last season. Nebraska was only without one typical starter and that wouldn’t be enough to swing a 15-point Panther victory. Enough about last week, how does UNI stack up against the other contenders in the field? Using WrestleStat’s Dual Comparison Tool , they would defeat third-seeded Little Rock 22-13 and second-seeded South Dakota State, 22-9. I believe WrestleStat gave UNI two matches SDSU might win (125/174), which would bring the score to 16-15 - should everything play out as expected. 16-15 is the actual score when these two schools met in late November. Two noticeable differences for UNI is that they may not have Cory Land at 133, but they do have Colin Realbuto, who was unavailable at 149 lbs in the first dual. Central Michigan drew the short straw? Like Cal Poly, Central Michigan is much tougher than their 0-3 record might indicate. Also like the Mustangs, Ben Bennett’s team has been beaten by three ranked schools in the Chippewa’s three outings this year. It’s kind of rough for them to draw the second-seeded Jackrabbits right off the bat. CMU is like South Dakota State in that they are a very solid dual team. They also are strong where SDSU has strong wrestlers (133/157/174/285). This could work in Central Michigan’s favor and could put them in position for an upset, at the same time, if those matches go SDSU’s way, it could make the dual look more lopsided than it actually is. The headline match in this dual should take place at 174 lbs with #8 Cade DeVos and #22 Alex Cramer. These two met in the first round of the 2023 NCAA Championships and DeVos advanced after a first-period fall. Interesting second-round individual matchups There are some good ones that could happen! Should Penn beat Ohio, it puts the Bobcats on the top of the bracket, likely facing Northern Iowa. That would set the stage for a meeting between Big 12 Champion #4 Ryder Downey and All-American #15 Peyten Kellar. Even though each was in the same CKLV bracket and both advanced far at NCAA’s they have not met before. Also possible with UNI/Ohio is another matchup between #7 Garrett Thompson and #17 Jared Simma. Thompson took the first meeting 8-1 in Vegas. In that same scenario, if Penn goes to the bottom half of the bracket and SDSU advanced, it would set up a mammoth clash at 174 lbs between #6 Nick Incontrera and #8 DeVos. The pair has no prior history with each other. The George Mason/Cal Poly match could be too close to call a winner ahead of time, but let’s say the Mustangs win. That could provide us with one of the most intriguing matches of the tournament with #3 Zeth Romney against #6 Nasir Bailey. Romney is your CKLV champion and Bailey just captured a title at the Southern Scuffle. Last season, the two met in dual competition and Bailey got his hand raised after a 7-1 win; however, Romney has looked much better this season. Hopefully, Romney will be available for Cal Poly head coach Jon Sioredas. He has yet to wrestle after winning Vegas. Some under-the-radar wrestlers to watch SIU-Edwardsville’s 141 lber Danny Martinez: Posted two ranked wins en route to a fifth-place Midlands finish Drexel’s 174 lber Jasiah Queen: Won both open tournaments (ESU Open and Bobby Kauffman) in 2024-25 Sacred Heart’s 133 lber Andrew Fallon: SHU’s best grappler - a match away from qualifying for nationals in 2024. CSU Bakersfield’s 285 lber Jake Andrews: Veteran who just cracked the rankings a few weeks ago. Northern Colorado’s 184 lber AJ Heeg: Oklahoma State transfer who shined at the Scuffle with a win over an All-American and second-place finish Below is the bracket - remember Ohio and Penn wrestle to determine who fits into the first round

Lockport

Mineral Point

SLAM Academy

Blair

Goodhue

Washington

With the holidays and the tournaments that surround them fading into the rearview mirror, the standings now move into a free-for-all fight for position as we enter Dual Season. For these standings, we will be using the Basic Fantasy Scoring through @WrestleStat (Win by Dec +3, Loss by Dec -3, Win by Pin +6, Loss by Pin -6, etc). Only results against D1 competition (starters, backups, and redshirts) will count towards Fantasy Points. Standings are first ordered based on total Fpts, then if tied by Points Per Match (PPM). Week 10 Notes: While the Southern Scuffle and Bobby Kauffman Open were the only tournaments in Week 10, Gunner Filipowicz took full advantage with a 30 Fpt weekend. While a lot of the top fantasy wrestlers this season did not compete in Week 10, Gunner shot his way from being outside the Top-33 to #1 overall. American’s Caleb Campos comes in second for Week 10 with 27 Fpts (thanks to the upset pin over Lennox Wolak), North Dakota;s Aidan Brenot at #3 with 24 Fpts. Four redshirts made the Week 10 standings, three of them being from Penn State (and also all three coming away with Scuffle titles). Conner Mirasola was the best redshirt of the week, coming in 4th. Michigan's Cam Catrabone as the last Redshirt to make the weekly Top-33, coming in at #30 with 15 Fpts. Sonny Sasso makes his fantasy standings return, getting back onto the Overall Standings Top-33 thanks to a 21 pt week. He was also the highest non-starter to make the weekly list. In the overall Standings, Brendan McCrone took a step back with a loss to Maximo Renteria, and three wrestlers are tied at 70pts, vying for the #2 spot. Week 10 Leaders Year-Long Fantasy Point Standings

During the broadcast of Iowa State’s 24-18 win over West Virginia, the WVU broadcast team mentioned that Mountaineer All-American 149 lber Ty Watters would miss the remainder of the 2024-25 season due to an injury. InterMat has followed up to confirm that this is accurate information. Watters is a sophomore who went 30-6 last year as a true freshman and won a Big 12 title before finishing fourth in the nation in Kansas City. The Big 12 championship provided Watters with the fifth seed at his first NCAA Tournament. Watters advanced to the NCAA quarterfinals before running into the eventual national champion, Caleb Henson of Virginia Tech. In his next match, Watters pinned 2021 All-American Jaden Abas (Stanford) to solidify his own All-American status. Watters majored Casey Swiderski (Iowa State) and pinned Kyle Parco (Arizona State), before falling in the third-place match. The fourth-place finish at the 2024 NCAA Tournament helped WVU to a 17th place finish which was the program’s best showing at nationals since 2004. He and Peyton Hall became the first Mountaineer teammates to make the podium in the same year since 2005. Watters started the 2024-25 season with a title at the Southeast Open - defeating returning All-American Lachlan McNeil (North Carolina) in the process. In his only two dual appearances this year, Watters posted tech falls - one of which came over #16 Sammy Alvarez (Rider). In his last appearance in 2024, Watters fell to #2 Shayne Van Ness (Penn State) at the NWCA/All-Star Classic exhibition. Since Watters only competed in three events, one would assume he would be able to use a medical redshirt for the 2024-25 campaign. In his absence, veteran Sam Hillegas has stepped into the WVU lineup and won two of his first three dual appearances. Tonight, Hillegas was beaten by the Cyclones Paniro Johnson, who competed at 149 lbs for the first time this season.

Over the weekend, as the Southern Scuffle occurred, I went back and forth with some of the guys in one of my wrestling-related chats. As tends to happen during wrestling season, the topic turned to the current landscape of the sport. 11 years ago, the Scuffle featured the eventual top-three teams at the NCAA Championships and had two of the eventual NCAA finals bouts - in their championship matches. Suffice it to say, that won’t be the case in 2025. The topic then moved to match counts, avoiding good matchups, and the college wrestling product, as a whole. As grievances were aired, solutions were also thrown around to improve the product. A national dual tournament, a ranking series tournament, and assigning point values for wins were among those mentioned. I think each of those potential ideas is valid, but I’m not sure any of them would actually be implemented. What I do think is a viable solution to limit “ducking” and strategic load management is to re-evaluate the number of wrestlers that we seed at the NCAA Championships. The 2019 NCAA Tournament was the first one in which the NCAA seeded all 33 wrestlers in each bracket. From 2014-19, the NCAA seeded the top 16 wrestlers in a bracket. Before 2014, the number was 12. How does this help the product in the regular season? Excellent question, I thought you’d never ask! With the NCAA seeding all 33 wrestlers, it encourages more of the gaming, ducking, and strategic resting that has been all too common in the sport at the collegiate level. Like every other sport, as time progresses we’ve been able to have more information and more ways to interpret data. In 2025, I think college wrestling coaches are as knowledgeable as they’ve ever been about the NCAA allocation process, at-large berths, and seeding. Coaches are aware that if your wrestler banks a couple of solid wins early in the season, they don’t have to risk it against better opponents and can maintain a particular ranking. Since the NCAA seeds all 33 wrestlers, this approach has been used for wrestlers all up and down the rankings. Instead of worrying about maintaining a #1 seed or avoiding the #1, they are also thinking about protecting a #20 ranking. If you only seed to 12 or 16, there would be less reason for a wrestler who is ranked #20 to protect that particular ranking. They are trying to break into that 12/16 threshold, not maintain what they have. And on the other half of the rankings, the wrestler who is right over that threshold isn’t safe. A huge upset from the #17 ranked wrestler could push him past that #16 wrestler. Do you want to just sit back and try to maintain that #12/#16 ranking, when it could lead to you going unseeded and drawing the #1 seed in the first round at NCAA’s? With fewer seeds, the seeds themselves become more of a valued commodity. In recent years, we’ve seen medically forfeiting out of a tournament become a frequent option. In response, the NCAA has hit those wrestlers hard in the seeding process. Last season, at the Big Ten Championships, Carter Starocci immediately injury defaulted in his first match and then forfeited. That sent him from being a sure-fire #1 seed to the #9. Not every wrestler is Starocci, so if you do something similar as the #7 ranked wrestler in the country, you may be looking at going into nationals without a seed! In addition to limiting the seeds, perhaps a match minimum to earn a seed. Maybe 15 matches? That’s three or four at the conference tournament, plus three per month over a four-month regular season. That seems reasonable. Maybe more? Now is the time for the usual disclaimer. We understand that college wrestling is more grueling than any other sport. The season is long and injuries are almost inevitable. No one wants injured wrestlers to go out and perform like it’s the old gladiator days. The reason for this article is because I (and many others who love this sport) are concerned about the future of college wrestling. And college athletics in general. As entire athletic departments face official and unofficial audits, do we really want to tell administrators that none of it matters until March? We want new faces to embrace the sport, but when they come to a dual, they may not see the stars advertised on the social media graphics all week. As with a lot of things around the world, COVID changed a lot in college wrestling. With the abridged 2021 season, coaches saw that their wrestlers would perform fine even if they didn’t get 30 matches before the postseason. Even when we were in a more normal 2021-22 season, it seemed like they chose to scale the number of competitions back for their wrestlers. This has continued and increased as the years have progressed. There has to be a happy medium of not running wrestlers into the ground and getting them to events so that the regular season isn't just a dress rehearsal for March. The NCAA Tournament is the best entertainment in sports (in my biased opinion). We don’t need to change that, but we can have other events that are “must-see” for the fanbase. For a long time, the Scuffle and Midlands were two of those events. Everyone knows the stories of the old Midlands with Olympians wrestling NCAA champions. As someone who monitors social media on a constant basis, I can tell when the fanbase is “all-in” on a particular event. It happens at the NCAA Championships, the World Championships, and the Olympics. The Scuffle used to be that event because it was on dates (January 1st and 2nd) when virtually nothing else was going on (in the wrestling world) and it had top, top teams. The Midlands was similar too. You could hang out on Twitter and everyone you followed was talking about the same matches. That didn’t happen this year (or maybe the past few years) as the fanbase wasn’t as locked into those events. A normal Friday with a handful of duals is great, but attention is spread amongst maybe 10 different matches. These were events that had everyone. Of course, this isn’t to disparage anyone competing at those two tournaments. Heck, Stanford and Army West Point, actually went and took virtually all of their normal starters. It’s not their fault that others chose not to go or bring more wrestlers. I don’t know whether cutting down on seeded wrestlers at NCAA’s is the answer to putting more juice into college wrestling. Honestly, it will also take a mentality shift, as well. At the same time, it’s a very easy fix that would bring positive reverberations to the wrestling community and the action on the mat. Maybe it isn’t the answer, but we need to look for answers. College sports are evolving before our own eyes and at a breakneck pace. I don’t want our sport to be left out in the cold. If I’ve learned anything from the last three years of conference alignment, it is that you have to be proactive. Those that aren’t get left in the dust and are scrambling for lifelines.