InterMat Staff

Connellsville

Granada via Chabot College

The story of the 2024 offseason was the transfer portal. Shortly after the conclusion of the 2024 NCAA Tournament, we had big-name wrestlers throwing their names in and changing colors. This process continued all summer and into August when Iowa acquired the second (Jacori Teemer) and third (Stephen Buchanan) of their multi-time All-American transfers. Iowa wasn’t the only one. Oklahoma State also picked up three multi-time All-Americans through the portal. A handful of teams significantly improved themselves through the portal. Minnesota and Virginia Tech are others. While Penn State is still considered a solid national title favorite, Iowa has thrown themselves back into the race and Oklahoma State will make their case, as well. Breaking it down beyond teams, here are the top-26 individuals who have a new home for the 2024-25 season. We can’t call these “Transfer Portal” rankings as loopholes allowed some of the wrestlers on this list to move on without officially entering the portal. Semantics aside, here’s your top-26: 26. 197 lbs: Bradley Hill (Oklahoma: From Iowa) The collateral damage as a result of adding Stephen Buchanan was losing Hill, a 2024 national qualifier as a freshman. I take a “wait-and-see” approach to heavyweights who drop down to 197 lbs. If he can handle the speed and athleticism of 197 lbs, Hill could be much higher on this list as he has three years of eligibility remaining. 25. 133 lbs: Ethan Oakley (North Carolina: From Appalachian State) The two-time NCAA qualifier and 2024 SoCon champion gets to stay in his home state for his final two years of eligibility. Oakley has improved dramatically during every year of his career - I’d expect a similar growth during his first year in the Tar Heel wrestling room. 24. 184 lbs: Evan Bockman (Iowa State: From Utah Valley) The veteran presence could help solidify what could be a very tough and balanced Cyclone lineup in 2024-25. Bockman started his career at 174 lbs, but moved into the 197 lb class. He was relatively short compared to other 197’s, so 184 might be the perfect weight for him. 23.. 149 lbs: Sammy Alvarez (Rider: From Oklahoma State) It’s shocking that a wrestler of Alvarez’s caliber has yet to wrestle a match at the NCAA Tournament. Alvarez was the 10th seed as a freshman at the canceled 2020 tournament. Back in his home state and in a conference that will be more manageable than the Big 12 or ACC, Alvarez could finish his career with a bang for the Broncs. 22. 149 lbs: Jordan Williams (Little Rock: From Oklahoma State) Even after leaving the Oklahoma State program after a legal issue, Jordan Williams quickly found a new home with Little Rock. Williams still possesses incredible talent that pushed him to three freestyle national titles in Fargo (2 Cadet/1 Junior). He went 2-2 at his first NCAA Tournament in 2024 and has three years of eligibility. 21. 174 lbs: Clayton Whiting (Minnesota: From Missouri) Maybe the most overlooked, but important pickups of the offseason. The majority of the wrestlers above him are only one-year rentals. Whiting has three years of eligibility and was an on-again, off-again starter for Missouri - going 12-3 in 2023-24. 20. 174 lbs: Josh Ogunsanya (North Carolina: From Columbia) The 2022 EIWA runner-up, Ogunsanaya, has twice been seeded in the top-16 at nationals. Last year, he only saw action in one event before getting sidelined for the year via injury. Up and weight class and healthy, Ogunsanya should make an impact in his final year. 19. 133 lbs: Cleveland Belton (Oklahoma: From Oregon State) The 2023 Pac-12 champion, Cleveland Belton, turned it up at the NCAA Tournament in 2024 with a run to the bloodround that saw him come up one match shy of All-American status. Belton is expected to drop down a weight to a wide-open 133 lb weight for the Sooners. With Daton Fix finally out of the Big 12 bracket, watch out for Belton to contend for a conference title. 18. 184 lbs: Brock DelSignore (Little Rock: From NC State) A shrewd under-the-radar pickup for the Little Rock staff. Brock DelSignore was stuck behind sophomore Dylan Fishback on the NC State depth chart. In 2023-24, DelSignore compiled an 11-1 record and majored All-American Bennett Berge and Virginia Tech veteran Sam Fisher. 17. 174 lbs: Gaven Sax (Oklahoma: From North Dakota State) Last year was truly a breakout campaign for Gaven Sax. Sax had never made the national tournament before 2023-24; however, he announced himself in a major way advancing to the Big 12 finals and ending the year a match away from the podium. Now he’ll be reunited with some of his former NDSU coaches in Norman. 16. 157 lbs: Chase Saldate (Michigan: From Michigan State) A highly-ranked recruit out of California, Chase Saldate posted solid results at Michigan State, but was never able to get over the hump and onto the NCAA podium. Now in the deep Michigan room, Saldate is looking to finish his career on a high note. 15. 157 lbs: Tommy Askey (Minnesota: From Appalachian State) Although he already qualified for nationals in 2023 and was a two-time Socon champion, Tommy Askey really introduced himself to a nationwide audience at the 2024 NCAA Tournament. Askey knocked off Brayton Lee and Cody Chittum on his way to the NCAA bloodround. I’m curious to see how he fares facing that type of competition regularly in the Big Ten. 14. 125 lbs: Cooper Flynn (Minnesota: From Virginia Tech) Minnesota loses the services of two-time All-American Patrick McKee, but is able to replace him with a wrestler that was ranked as highly as second in the nation, at one point, last season. Flynn was slated to take an Olympic redshirt last year, but was pulled after an injury to the Hokies starter. He finished his first postseason with an ACC finals berth and a 1-2 showing at nationals. 13. 197 lbs: Christian Carroll (Iowa State: From Oklahoma State) This is probably the wrestler that could rise the most in these rankings. Christian Carroll has been a beast on the freestyle circuit - amassing a Junior freestyle national title and two berths on the U20 world team (one in Greco). Carroll’s exploits made him the #2 overall recruit in the Class of 2023. The only issue has been his weight class? Is he a 197 or a heavyweight (or a tweener)? Carroll gave heavyweight a shot last year, but is aiming to wrestle 197 lbs for the Cyclones. 12. 165 lbs: Terrell Barraclough (Utah Valley: From Penn State) Expectations are high for a wrestler who is going into his sixth year, yet has never been a postseason starter. Of course, those five years for Terrell Barraclough were at Penn State and he was stuck behind some excellent teammates. During his 12-2 2023-24 campaign, Barraclough pinned past Round of 12 finisher Caleb Fish and bumped up to 174 to down All-American Jackson Turley. 11. 133 lbs: Connor McGonagle (Virginia Tech: From Lehigh) A year ago, Ryan Crookham versus Connor McGonagle was one of the most anticipated positional battles in the country. Crookham ended up as Lehigh’s starter and finished third in the nation. McGonagle was selected for the NWCA All-Star Classic, competed and won against new Virginia Tech teammate Sam Latona. 10. 197 lbs: Zach Glazier (South Dakota State: From Iowa) In his first year as the full-time starter for Iowa, Zach Glazier was incredible - losing only one match prior to the postseason. He would make the Big Ten finals, but was only 1-2 at his first NCAA Tournament. With the arrival of Stephen Buchanan, Glazier transferred to SDSU, who had a hole at the weight after the graduation of two-time All-American Tanner Sloan. 9. 165 lbs: Cam Amine (Oklahoma State: From Michigan) It will be difficult to get used to seeing an Amine in a singlet that isn’t maize and blue-colored! Cam Amine has moved on to use his final year of eligibility at the new-look Oklahoma State program. Amine fought through an injury-plagued 2023-24 season to miss the NCAA podium for the first time in his career. If healthy, Amine could be closer to the top in a bracket that has cleared out significantly since March. 8. 174 lbs: Lennox Wolak (Virginia Tech: From Columbia) What a year for Lennox Wolak in 2023-24! Coming into the season, he had only qualified for nationals once. His postseason would include an EIWA championship and an appearance in the NCAA semifinals. Wolak’s podium finish was the first for a Columbia wrestler since 2013. The graduate transfer has been reconnected with his Columbia head coach, Zach Tanelli, who is also in Blacksburg. 7. 174 lbs: Dean Hamiti (Oklahoma State: From Wisconsin) Dean Hamiti was another wrestler who missed the NCAA podium for the first time in his career in 2024. Hamiti has been a top contender since his arrival in Madison as a true freshman. The change of scenery and some work with the legendary David Taylor should only help enhance Hamiti’s status as a national title threat in 2024-25. 6. 197 lbs: Jacob Cardenas (Michigan: From Cornell) Like Lennox Wolak, we knew at the beginning of the 2023-24 season that Jacob Cardenas would have to move on from Cornell in order to compete this year - due to Ivy League eligibility rules. Cardenas has turned up at Michigan and will be a central figure in the national title hunt. Cardenas was fourth in the nation for his second All-American honor and is the second-highest returning placer at the weight. 5. 149 lbs: Kyle Parco (Iowa: From Arizona State) It isn’t every day that you get to add a four-time All-American to the mix. Pretty soon, that will never be able to happen again! Kyle Parco has been seeded in the top three in each of the last two NCAA Tournaments and will be a national title threat in 2025. Parco was responsible for then top-ranked Ridge Lovett’s first loss of the 2023-24 season and beat him again at Nationals. That should be a run rivalry to watch in the upcoming season. 4. 197 lbs: Stephen Buchanan (Iowa: From Oklahoma) The highest returning wrestler at the 197 lb weight class is Stephen Buchanan - now of the Iowa Hawkeyes. Buchanan is seeking to earn All-American honors for a third team (something he and Parco can do). Buchanan was unbeaten for the bulk of the 2023-24 regular season, but was knocked off in his final dual of the year and then lost in the Big 12 semifinals. He would turn it on at nationals and take third. 3. 285 lbs: Wyatt Hendrickson (Oklahoma State: From Air Force) In the number three slot, we have a wrestler who didn’t win his conference in 2024 and may not again in the upcoming season. Why’s that? Because of the bonus-point potential that Wyatt Hendrickson provides. The two-time All-American and 2023 U23 World Champion is a bonus-point machine in a weight class where they don’t occur that often. Hendrickson has had bonus points in over 79% of his bouts for each of the last three years. That will make a huge difference at the end of a tense dual meet or at a tournament. Nobody knows that better than his new head coach, David Taylor. 2. 197 lbs: AJ Ferrari (CSU Bakersfield: From Oklahoma State/Hawkeye WC) On talent alone, AJ Ferrari should be number one on this list. I actually don’t know how he should be classified - is he a transfer or not? Ferrari last was in college in the spring 2022 semester at Oklahoma State. In any case, he’s with a new school in 2024-25 CSU Bakersfield. The question here isn’t related to talent, it’s the other stuff. With a 2021 national title at 197 lbs, as a true freshman, the talent is there. In Ferrari’s case, it might be a bit rusty with minimal live matches over the past two years. The “other stuff” is whether Ferrari will be able to make it through the 2024-25 season. He’s had issues that have followed him, some minor and some not minor, along the way. If Ferrari is on the mat in March, he’ll be one of the favorites. 1. 157 lbs: Jacori Teemer (Iowa: From Arizona State) Later this week, preseason rankings will be released. Spoiler alert. New Hawkeye Jacori Teemer will be the top-ranked 157 lber. Teemer has been extremely consistent at the collegiate level - particularly in his last two years for Arizona State. Throwing out an injury default, Teemer only suffered two losses prior to the national finals in 2024. At the NCAA Tournament, Teemer majored Pac-12 foe Daniel Cardenas, who appeared to be gaining on him in their previous meetings. Comparing him to the wrestler ranked below him, Teemer looks like a safer bet to make the national finals - at least in late-September.

Dreshaun Ross photo courtesy of Tony Rotundo; WrestlersAreWarriors.com Now that we’re squarely in the collegiate preseason and the fall weather is ready to set in (at least in parts of the country) another rite of passage is upon us. Football season? Yes, and it’s semi-relevant here, as many fall recruiting weekends are built around football Saturdays, especially, at your Power Five (now four) schools. Sure, there are plenty of recruiting visits in the spring and summer, but we saw almost all of the top recruits from the Class of 2025 commit to schools by the end of the calendar year in 2023, so the Class of 2026 recruits have begun to visit campus and probably will start to commit soon. One of the things that makes following recruiting fun is the cloak-and-dagger secrecy surrounding parts of the process. For every Bo Bassett who routinely keeps the public informed on recruiting decisions, there are plenty of others who don’t discuss it as much. Therefore, it can be difficult to follow which recruit is interested in which school and vice versa. I suppose it’s fun, but you’re left wanting more! In order to try and help our fanbase feel more knowledgeable about the process, we’ll have a weekly column that recaps the recruiting weekend. Who has visited where? Maybe some background information on the recruits or the process from the school. If we've missed a recruit or you'd like to provide info on future visits play let me know: earl@matscouts.com For past versions of this feature: September 16th September 9th Arizona State Dom Munaretto: St. Charles East, IL - #7 Class of 2026 Adam Waters: Faith Christian Academy, PA - #17 Class of 2026 The Sun Devils had a small, but extremely talented, group in Tempe over the weekend. Two-time U17 World Champion Dom Munaretto was one of two top-20 recruits visiting Zeke Jones’ team. Munaretto could be the next in the recent run of great ASU lightweights with Richie Figueroa, Michael McGee, and Brandon Courtney. Another past U17 world team (Greco) member joined Munaretto as Adam Waters made the journey out west. Waters is a key part of an extremely talented couple of recruiting classes worth of wrestlers at Pennsylvania’s Faith Christian Academy. A commitment from Waters could lead to two or three others from the Pennsylvania power. Munaretto has been on the road in each of the last three weeks - visiting Ohio State and Illinois before going to Arizona State. Waters has already visited Michigan and Missouri. Army West Point Garett Kawczynski: Port Washington, WI - #110 Class of 2026 Shea Richter: Rapid City Stevens, SD - Class of 2026 Evan Sanati: Brentsville, VA - Class of 2026 Army West Point already has a large group committed from the Class of 2025 and is starting to look at the Class of 2026, as well. They had a trio of credentialed athletes from the junior class in West Point for the weekend. Garett Kawczynski and Evan Sanati have both earned All-American honors on multiple occasions in Fargo, while Shea Richter got his first this summer as he was sixth in 16U freestyle at 113 lbs. This is the first known visit for both Kawczynski and Richter, while we reported a few weeks ago that Sanati has visited George Mason. Bellarmine Peyton Cox: Washington, IL - #183 Class of 2025 Evan Gosz: Fremd, IL - Class of 2025 Ty Henderson: Mater Dei, IN - Class of 2025 Josh Hoffer: Washington, IL - Class of 2026 Zach Stewart: Marmion Academy, IL: #79 Class of 2026 Carson Weber: Joliet West, IL: Class of 2025 It was a big weekend for the Knights of Bellarmine as they had a good-sized cluster of recruits in town. The Bellarmine staff is obviously targeting Illinois as an area for future recruits and why not? This recruiting weekend included a pair of wrestlers on the Big Board - one from 2025 and one from 2026. The Illinois contingent features three 2024 state finalists (Peyton Cox, Evan Gosz, and Zach Stewart). Stewart ended up winning a 3A title at 138 lbs as a sophomore. The outlier of the group, Ty Henderson, was a state finalist at 120 lbs in single-class Indiana in 2024. We’ve recorded previous recruiting visits for two of this crew - Gosz was at Michigan State last weekend, while Stewart visited Virginia earlier this month. Clarion Antonio Boni: Central Valley, PA - Class of 2026 Braden Broderick: Dundee, MI - Class of 2026 Chris Dennis: Central Bucks West, PA - Class of 2026 Rocco Redmon: Dundee, MI - Class of 2026 Mason Richards: Spring-Ford, PA - Class of 2026 Braiden Weaver: Altoona, PA - Class of 2026 With five wrestlers from the Class of 2025 already committed to Clarion, the Golden Eagle staff has begun to look at the juniors, as well. Typically, Clarion’s roster is heavily composed of in-state wrestlers with a few out-of-staters mixed in. This group fits that mold with some high-upside prospects from within Pennsylvania’s borders and a pair of teammates from Michigan power, Dundee High School. Looking at the Pennsylvania guys, only Chris Dennis is a multi-time state placer. He was sixth in each of his first two years of high school. Antonio Boni and Braiden Weaver made the podium as freshmen, but missed out in 2024. Mason Richards has qualified twice but is looking to get on the podium for the first time. Of the pair from Michigan, Braden Broderick was a state finalist in 2024. The only recruit from this group that we’ve seen on the recruiting trail, of late, is Antonio Boni who was at Bucknell last weekend. Cornell Charlie DeSena: Lake Highland Prep, FL - Class of 2026 Coby Merrill: JW North, CA - #14 Class of 2026 Zeno Moore: Lake Highland Prep, FL - #64 Class of 2026 Joseph Toscano: Buchanan, CA - #9 Class of 2026 Typically, the Cornell staff goes to all corners of the country to lock in talent and this weekend was no different as they hosted a pair of teammates from Florida and two studs from California. It’s not a surprise to see Lake Highland Prep teammates Charlie DeSena and Zeno Moore up in Ithaca. DeSena’s father, Joe, is a Cornell grad and the founder of Spartan Races and then Spartan Combat, which is the primary sponsor for Cornell’s RTC. The younger DeSena was a National Prep runner-up (to Luke Lilledahl) in 2024 and has placed twice at the NHSCA age-group tournament. Teammate, Zeno Moore, was third at National Preps and fifth at Junior freestyle in Fargo. The California tandem of Coby Merrill and Joseph Toscano are both ranked in the top-15 overall for the Class of 2026. Both have made the state finals in each of their first two years of high school. Merrill is also a four-time Fargo All-American, while Toscano has a pair of Doc B finals appearances under his belt. This is the first known visit for DeSena. Coby Merrill was at Princeton last weekend. You should also remember his brother, Cody, is a true freshman at Oklahoma State. Zeno Moore visited NC State and Oklahoma in August. This is Toscano’s second visit - as he already went to Iowa State last month. Michigan Henry Aslikyan: Birmingham, CA - #13 Class of 2026 Bo Bassett: Bishop McCort, PA - #1 Class of 2026 Jax Forrest: Bishop McCort, PA - #2 Class of 2026 Nick Sahakian: St. John Bosco, CA - #5 Class of 2025 If you’ve been following our weekly updates from the Class of 2026’s top recruit, Bo Bassett, you would have known he was taking his first visit this weekend at the University of Michigan. It probably was easy to surmise that with the U17 world champion and U20 bronze medalist, Bassett on campus, the Michigan staff would also bring some other huge names to Ann Arbor. That proved to be the case as Bassett’s high school teammate Jax Forrest an extremely coveted prospect in his own right, was in town as well. Forrest has not only shined at the high school level, but he has proven he can beat excellent Senior-level competition. This was the first visit for both. In addition to the McCort duo, the Wolverine staff had a pair of top prospects from California in town. With the Mantanona brothers in the maize and blue and Chase Saldate’s transfer, Michigan certainly is developing a Cali flavor. Top-flight 125 lbs can be incredibly difficult to find, so you can bet that California state champion Henry Aslikyan will be in high-demand. Earlier this year, Aslikyan captured a U17 world bronze medal in freestyle. This is also his first visit. In late-May, the top heavyweight in the Class of 2025 Nick Sahakian flipped his commitment from Arizona State to Michigan. Though he’s already committed to the Wolverines, Sahakian was out for a visit, too. Michigan State Musa Tamaradze: West Springfield, MA - Class of 2025 The Michigan State Spartans are still working on their Class of 2025 and had a pair of seniors on campus last week. This weekend they had another with Musa Tamaradze. In 2024, Tamaradze won NHSCA Junior Nationals and was fourth in Fargo in Junior Greco-Roman - a style that is popular in the Spartan room. Tamaradze has already taken visits to Army West Point and Buffalo. Minnesota Joey Enzminger: Bismarck, ND - Class of 2026 Nic Enzminger: Bismarck, ND - Class of 2026 Joel Friederichs: Watertown, MN - Class of 2026 Titan Friederichs: Watertown, MN - #52 Class of 2026 TJ Koester: Bettendorf, IA - #153 Class of 2025 Cooper Rowe: Mound Westonka, MN - #60 Class of 2026 Charles Vanier: Eden Prairie, MN - Class of 2025 Last week, Minnesota made news by announcing Michael Kemerer as a new assistant coach. Kemerer was out in Minneapolis over the weekend to help entertain a large group of recruits for the Gophers. All-in-all, there were a pair of top 60 recruits from the Class of 2026 and a Big Board’er from 2025 along for the visit. From Minnesota were the Friederichs twins, Joel and Titan - along with Cooper Rowe and Charles Vanier. Of the twins, Titan has had more national-level success thus far, with three UWW U17 Trials All-American honors, though Joel got his first in 2024. Rowe cracked the top eight in freestyle at the UWW Trials and in 16U freestyle in Fargo this year. Vanier was a Minnesota AAA state runner-up last season. In addition to the Friederichs twins, Minnesota also had the Enzminger’s, Joey and Nic. Over the summer, Nic was a Junior Greco champion in Fargo and was fifth in freestyle. The member of the 2025 Big Board is Iowa native TJ Koester. Koester is a two-time state champion and has never finished lower than third at Iowa’s 3A state tournament. This is the first visit on record for the Enzminger’s. The Friederichs have already gone on visits to Oklahoma and Wyoming. Rowe was also on the same Oklahoma visit. So far, this fall, Koester has already visited Iowa State. We don’t have record of Vanier taking another visit this fall. Nebraska Mason Peterson: Columbus, NE - Class of 2026 Preston Wagner: Fremont, NE - Class of 2026 Nebraska has had some huge recruits in town as of late. This weekend they had a pair of under-the-radar in-state recruits in town for a visit. Mason Petersen broke into the national rankings for the first time in the post-Fargo update and currently sits at #19 at 144 lbs. Preston Wagner is a heavyweight prospect who finished top-four in both styles in Fargo at the 16U age group. Currently, he does not hold a national ranking. This is the first visit for both. North Dakota State Logan Glynn: Millard South, NE - Class of 2025 Speaking of Nebraska recruits, North Dakota State had one in the room with Millard South’s Logan Glynn. Glynn is a Junior Greco-Roman All-American from Fargo after taking sixth at 157 lbs. During his senior season, Glynn will be aiming for his third Nebraska state title. This is the first visit recorded for Glynn. Northern Illinois Dreshaun Ross: Fort Dodge, IA - #3 Class of 2026 A couple of weeks ago, Northern Illinois’ football team made national headlines when their football team upset Notre Dame. Similar shockwaves might reverberate through the wrestling community if Ryan Ludwig’s team can sign #3 overall Dreshaun Ross. The two-time Fargo 16U freestyle national champion has an in with the NIU program. His older brother, Damarion is a true freshman for the Huskies. As you would expect, Ross is highly sought after and has already taken recruiting visits to Iowa State, Ohio State, and Oklahoma. Northwestern James Bechter: Northfield Mt. Hermon, MA - #50 Class of 2026 After looking at James Bechter’s first two visits, Brown and Virginia, you know that academics are paramount. That pattern continues with the heavyweight prospect making his way to Northwestern. Bechter is a four-time Fargo All-American and a two-time AA at the UWW U17 Trials. Oklahoma Roman Belardo: Jefferson, GA - Class of 2026 Mason Jakob: Dobyns-Bennett, TN - #119 Class of 2026 Jake Knight: Bettendorf, IA - #76 Class of 2026 Reagan Milheim: Warrior Run, PA - #34 Class of 2026 Dallas Russell: Jefferson, GA - #26 Class of 2026 Aaron Stewart: Warren Township, IL - #8 Class of 2026 Saturday night was a historic event for Oklahoma athletics as they hosted their first SEC conference game against an excellent Tennessee squad. Another large group of wrestling recruits were on hand to witness the spectacle. This recruiting weekend included a football star himself in Aaron Stewart, a tough-to-tackle running back, and a two-time double Fargo 16U champion. The next highest-ranked recruit in Norman was Dallas Russell, along with his Jefferson High School teammate, Roman Belardo. Russell was an NHSCA Sophomore National champion this year, while Belardo is a two-time Georgia champion and a placer at the Cheesehead and the Knockout Christmas Classic. Oklahoma received a late transfer from Bettendorf, Iowa’s Bradley Hill. They hosted another Bettendorf native with Fargo Junior freestyle All-American Jake Knight. Pennsylvania state champion Reagan Milheim and two-time NHSCA finalist Mason Jakob rounded out the crew. Stewart adds Oklahoma to his already impressive list of potential suitors. He’s already taken visits to Illinois, Maryland, Nebraska, and Oklahoma State. Belardo has visited Davidson and has a trip to Hofstra scheduled. Jakob has already taken visits to George Mason and West Virginia. This is the second visit for Milheim - he toured Indiana two weeks ago. Oklahoma was the first visit for Knight and Russell. Oregon State Nathan Carrillo: St. John Bosco, CA - #46 Class of 2026 Travis Grace: Gilroy, CA - #65 Class of 2026 Alex Taylor: Mount Vernon, OH - #94 Class of 2026 Blake Woodward: Buchanan, CA - #122 Class of 2026 California recruiting has been a staple of Chris Pendleton’s tenure in Corvallis and that’s not changing anytime soon. Oregon State had an impressive trio of ranked recruits from California over the weekend in Nathan Carrillo, Travis Grace, and Blake Woodward. Lightweights Nathan Carrillo and Blake Woodward were both top-three finishers in California in 2024. Grace has been a younger guy at a bigger weight and was eighth at 157 lbs last year. Both Carrillo and Grace have high Fargo finishes under their belts. In addition to the California crew, Oregon State also hosted Ohio’s Alex Taylor. Taylor is a 2024 double champion from Fargo in the 16U division. Carrillo and Taylor have already visited former Pac-12 rival Arizona State. Grace started his visits last week with a trip to Big Ten country - Indiana. This is the first visit recorded for Woodward. Penn State Tyler Dekraker: Faith Christian Academy, PA - #31 Class of 2026 Michael Mocco: Cardinal Gibbons, FL - #6 Class of 2026 We haven’t heard much on the recruiting front from Penn State, but suffice it to say, the staff is working hard to keep the championship train moving. This weekend provided a slight glimpse into the Nittany Lions potential future with visits from Tyler Dekraker and Michael Mocco. Dekraker was third at the UWW U17 Trials and fifth in Fargo’s Junior freestyle just a few months later. Certainly, a prospect who is headed in the right direction. Mocco recently tore through the U17 World Championships with a freestyle title at 110 kg. His father, Steve, was a Hodge Trophy winner (like PSU head coach Cael Sanderson). The two were on opposite sides of mat in the Cy-Hawk rivalry, but have to have some sort of a relationship. Dekraker has already taken visits to Minnesota and Oklahoma. Mocco’s only visit prior was to Ohio State. Pittsburgh Dylan Pitzer: Mt. Pleasant, PA - Class of 2026 Santino Sloboda: Butler, PA - Class of 2026 Pittsburgh is usually trying to keep the prospects from Western Pennsylvania home and they’re doing it again with visits from Dylan Pitzer and Santino Sloboda. Pitzer is the younger brother of Dayton Pitzer, the Panthers current starter at heavyweight. The younger Pitzer is a two-time Pennsylvania state qualifier and one-time placer. He was fourth in the AA tournament in his first season at 285 lbs in 2024. Sloboda has finished fourth and sixth in his two years competing for Butler High School. This is the fourth visit we’ve seen attributed to Sloboda. Previously he has visited Brown, Bucknell, and West Virginia. Pittsburgh (Pitz-burgh) is the first school to host Pitzer. Virginia Tech Waylon Cressell: Warren Central, IN - #68 Class of 2026 Revin Dickman: Brownsburg, IN - #47 Class of 2026 Rocklin Zinkin: Buchanan, CA - #44 Class of 2026 Quickly after their last recruiting weekend, Virginia Tech got a verbal commitment from #11 Jayden James (Delbarton, NJ). Will history repeat itself this week? The Hokies had a trio of top-100 recruits in town with Rocklin Zinkin, Revin Dickman, and Waylon Cressell. Each is a junior. Cressell and Dickman were both Indiana state champions in 2024. Dickman now has two titles, while Cressell won another in North Dakota. Both improved their stock over the summer with top-five finishes in Fargo. Zinkin is a two-time California finalist who won the state title as a sophomore. Cressell has already taken visits to Cornell, Oklahoma, Purdue, and Wyoming. Zinkin has also been busy with trips to Michigan, NC State, and Oklahoma State. This is the first known visit for Dickman. West Virginia Kage Jones: Camden Catholic, NJ - #21 Class of 2026 Pepper Martin: University, WV - Class of 2025 Sammy Spaulding: Camden Catholic, NJ - #105 Class of 2026 Lonzy Vielman: Connellsville, PA - Class of 2025 Jake Zaltsman: St. John Vianney, NJ - Class of 2025 The West Virginia staff has been working very hard over the last month to make sure they get top prospects on campus. That has paid off with a recent verbal from Ramil Islamov who visited in late-August. This group for the WVU staff included prospects from both the 2025 and 2026 classes. The seniors include homegrown local recruit Pepper Martin, along with Lonzy Vielman and Jake Zaltsman. Martin was a 106 lb state champion in 2024 and could be a career 125 lber. Vielman is a three-time Pennsylvania qualifier who was fifth in 2024. Zaltsman is a 2024 New Jersey seventh-place finisher. The juniors in this crew are both from New Jersey’s Camden Catholic High School. #21 overall Kage Jones broke out with a state finals run in 2024 after missing out on the top-eight as a freshman. Sammy Spaulding was fourth in the state and a Beast of the East finalist. This is the first visit for Jones and Martin. Vielman also visited Brown University in the spring. Zaltsman was at Chattanooga last week and Lock Haven last month. This was the first visit for Spaulding and he is slated to make trips to Princeton, NC State, Penn, and the Naval Academy within the next month. Editor's Note: After publishing last week's article, information regarding Indiana's recent recruiting weekend made it our way. The Hoosier staff hosted #24 ('26) Nick Garcia, #65 ('26) Travis Grace, #116 Jeffrey Huyvaert, Will Deutschlander, Peyton Schoettle, Silas Stits, and Brayden Teunissen. Both Stits and Teunissen are from the Class of 2025.

Lake Highland Prep

Iowa-Grant/Highland

DePaul

Lakeland Regional

The world of college athletics is changing by the year - actually, maybe not that slow, maybe by the month or week. It seems like late spring and summer are the times to monitor which schools are changing conferences and which conferences are raiding other smaller leagues. This offseason proved to be one of the most impactful in college athletics with the Big Ten expanding to the West Coast and a pair of Big 8/12 mainstays heading to the SEC. Some of these moves don’t directly impact wrestling - others have. There are a few wrestling conferences that have undergone major facelifts and will look much different during the 2024-25 season and beyond. Since it can be difficult to follow all of these changes, we’ve gone conference by conference to see how each has evolved for the 2024-25 season. ACC: The ACC comes out a winner in this game of musical chairs as they add a very talented Stanford team. Sure, the geography of Stanford being in the Atlantic Coast Conference doesn’t add up, but we’ve had time to come to terms with the fact that these conferences don’t make much sense. On the mat, Stanford brings a team that will likely enter the season in the top-15 in tournament and dual rankings. The Cardinal boasts a lineup that features three All-Americans, finished 16th in the nation in 2024, and has inked three top-eight recruiting classes in a row. After years of claiming the ACC is on the rise, the 2025 conference tournament will now feature seven teams and gets that much tougher. Big Ten: The Big Ten added four schools (Oregon, Southern California, UCLA, and Washington) and none of them currently field a wrestling team. The initial reaction is “Great, maybe one of them will add wrestling,” however, will all of the new financial changes coming to college athletics, you might start to worry whether one or more Big Ten schools will drop in the near future. Big 12: The Big 12 was already pretty massive, from a wrestling standpoint, with 13 schools at the 2024 conference tournament. They’ll add Arizona State for the 2024-25 season, a squad that will surely compete for conference and national championships. The Sun Devils took home NCAA team trophies in back-to-back years in 2021 and 2022 (4th both years) and have finished in the top-seven at the last four tournaments. Despite being hit hard by a pair of multi-time All-Americans transferring to Iowa, ASU returns an imposing lineup that features 2024 national champion Richie Figueroa (125) and four-time All-American Cohlton Schultz (285). Even though Oklahoma has left for the SEC in other sports, they will remain in the Big 12 for wrestling purposes. Currently, Missouri and Oklahoma are the only SEC schools with a wrestling program. Maybe their next dual can be for the “SEC Championship.” EIWA: The EIWA is the conference that will look the most different from 2023-24 to 2024-25. The Ivy League schools that used to qualify for nationals out of the conference have broken off and will have their own Ivy League tournament. That means that (Brown, Columbia, Cornell, Harvard, Penn, and Princeton) are no longer in the EIWA. Because of proximity and history, there still may be plenty of EIWA teams that wrestle these schools in dual competition. A gigantic 17-team EIWA is probably fun for fans and a great test of endurance, in some cases, most coaches InterMat has spoken with won’t mind a smaller conference tournament less than two weeks before nationals. The larger tournament lent itself to more upsets and “stealing” of NCAA bids. We’ll have to see how this plays out with smaller tournaments. Just last week, we learned that the EIWA will add one more team as Morgan State was officially welcomed into the league. Morgan State’s program was reinstated after a 25-year hiatus and took the mat for the first time in 2023-24. For that season, their wrestlers were thrown into the at-large pool for potential NCAA berths (none of their wrestlers were selected). This year they’ll have a chance to compete and qualify through the EIWA. Ivy: As mentioned above, the Ivy League schools will qualify for NCAA’s directly through the Ivy League Conference tournament, which gives us another conference tournament to follow. Princeton will host the first Ivy League tournament and you can bet that there will be plenty of pomp and circumstance surrounding the event. MAC: At this time, there are no significant changes regarding how the MAC will function as a conference in 2024-25. Pac-12: With Arizona State leaving for the Big 12 and Stanford heading to the ACC, one of the smallest conferences in the nation got even smaller. The Pac-12 will consist of four teams for the 2024-25 season (Cal Poly, CSU Bakersfield, Little Rock, and Oregon State). We’ll have to pay attention to the movement outside of the wrestling world to see how this conference may change in the future. Oregon State and Washington State were the only schools left standing from the old Pac-12. Most assumed they would join other leagues and the Pac-12 would disappear. That doesn’t appear to be the case. Recently, the conference announced that they will add Boise State, Colorado State, Fresno State, and San Diego State. Currently none offer wrestling (Boise State and Fresno State dropped semi-recently). Maybe future members will or some of those could be enticed to add the sport. For now, the Pac-12 has a waiver to continue as is for the 2024-25 season and their conference tournament will be just like in years past, but with only four schools. SoCon: Technically, the SoCon doesn’t add any “new” schools, but Bellarmine will be able to participate in postseason competition for the first time at the DI level. The athletic department started a transition from DII to DI status in 2020 and had to sit out from the postseason for four years during the move. The wait is over! Ned Shuck’s team can fully participate in the SoCon wrestling season. In previous years, the Knights held duals against their fellow SoCon schools, but couldn’t start down the path towards NCAA qualifying. Last year, Bellarmine went 4-4 in SoCon duals. They defeated Chattanooga, Davidson, Gardner-Webb, and Presbyterian. With Bellarmine in the mix, the SoCon tournament will go from an eight-man bracket to one that features nine. The Bellarmine staff has hit the recruiting trail hard and their team has gained plenty of experience in dual meets, so I would not be surprised if they pushed a wrestler or two into the 2025 NCAA Championships.

The data has been processed, the charts have been reviewed, and the evaluations are complete. The 2024 breakdown of the Top Fantasy Wrestlers of the 2024 season is here to help you start your 2025 season research. Just like in the past few years, some names will be expected, while a lot more may not be. That's the beauty of Fantasy Wrestling, where any wrestler can be the star of the weekend and win the dual for you. To compile these lists, we used standard WrestleStat Fantasy College Wrestling Data & Scoring. Just a reminder of how points were tallied in WrestleStat leagues: 1) The scoring used was standard team scoring across all competitions (+3 for a win by decision, -4 for a loss by major, etc) 2) Scoring only counted against D1 competition 3) Wins via forfeits (FFT) would count as +6 towards a wrestler's point total 4) Wins or losses by medical forfeit (MFF) did not count as + or - towards a wrestler's point total 5) Points were only accumulated during the regular season 197 Top-20 Notes: The only weight class in 2024 that had two 100 Fpt wrestlers, and who actually met head-to-head the second week of the season. Trent Hidlay took that match over Michael Beard at the Journeymen Classic by major, which is the difference between Hidlay being #1 and Beard being #2. Hidlay would start the season winning by bonus in 10 of his first 12 matches (comprising five techs and three pins). Going undefeated helped, and so did a stretch of five straight techs in the New Year as well. The loss to Hidlay would be Beard’s only during the regular season. It would have a very similar bonus-filled record only to land four points shy of being #1. Of his 22 wins, only one was by decision and 15 via tech. Campbell’s Levi Hopkins edges out Stephen Buchanan by two Fpts, in large part due to his extra 11 countable D1 matches. Hopkins had a handful of losses (six total, two by tech and two by major) which accounted for -24 Fpts, so those extra 11 matches really came in handy. Buchanan on the other hand, only had 19 countable D1 matches with one loss suffered. Of his 18 victories, only two were by decision, but that loss to Tanner Sloan doomed him to #4 in the Top-20. His 2023 season was tragically cut short by injury, and we all thought that was the end of Lou DePrez’s career. Then, an early Xmas present turned up at the Sheridan Invitational. DePrez would go on to wrestle 20 matches in the regular season in only three months which vaulted high up the fantasy ranks. Having three of his matches won only by decision was the shortcoming in falling behind Buchanan to #5. Since the 2020 season, Tanner Sloan has found himself within the Top-10 of the 197 Fantasy Ranks. Twice he has been the #1 Fantasy Wrestler at 197 (2021 & 2023 seasons), once the #1 overall (2021), and his lowest placing was in 2020 where he was 10th. In 2024 he fell one Fpt shy of overtaking Stephen Little for 6th place. Your NCAA champion Aaron Brooks only wrestled in 14 matches, the least amount of any 197 wrestler in the Top-20 (by four matches, actually). He tied Nick Stemmet with 70 Fpts, who wrestled the most matches of any 197 wrestler in the Top-20 with 34. Brooks’ impressive 5.0 PPM over Stemmet’s 2.1 was the difference. Some may say that Zach Glazier had one of the crazier storylines of the 2024 season. From the 2020 season to 2023, Glazier was a total of 8-6 against D1 competition. 2024 was his first season as a starter for Iowa and went 16-1 against D1 competition. Despite this career-setting run, and making his way to #11 on the 197 Top-20, he might just be remembered for his AJ Ferrari match at Soldier Salute. Jacob Cardenas falls just behind Glazier by 0.3 PPM. Gabe Sollars used his 12 pins to vault up to #15 while Princeton’s Luke Stout and Pitt’s Mac Stout wrestled the same number of matches but are separated by two Fpts. Who Missed The Cut: Only one wrestler who AA’d did not make the Top-20. Missouri’s Rocky Elam only wrestled in 11 matches and suffered two losses (one by pin). He finished with 24 Fpts. John Poznanski (RUT) was the first guy out, amassing 45 Fpts in 14 matches. Two losses to end his regular season, one by SV-1 to #13 Garrett Joles. Had he won that match, Poz would have been #20 (and Joles down to #19). Other notable wrestlers to miss the cut include Wyatt Voelker (UNI) with 43 Fpts, Aidan Conner (PRIN) with 41 Fpts, Martin Cosgrove (PENN) with 38 Fpts, Lucas Cochran (PSU) with 37 Fpts, and Joey Novak (WYO) with 36 Fpts.

Skutt Catholic

St. Francis DeSales

September 20 LFA 193 (UFC Fight Pass) Mitch McKee (Minnesota) vs. Ashton Caniglia Michael Blockhus (Minnesota) vs. Roland Pruden September 21 Vendetta Fight Nights 40 (YouTube) Istvan Vereb (2008 Olympics) vs. Martin Kozak September 21 247 FC Brawl in the Burgh 23 (iPPV) Taylor Cahill (Clarion) vs. Brogan Endres (Mount Union) Geno Morelli (Pittsburgh/Penn State) vs. Hunter Watt September 28 PFL Europe 3 (DAZN) Roger Huerta (Augsburg) vs. Rob Whiteford October 5 UFC 307 (ESPN PPV) Carla Esparza (Menlo) vs. Tecia Pennington October 12 UFC Fight Night (ESPN+) Pat Sabatini (Rider) vs. Jonathan Pearce October 19 UFC Fight Night (ESPN+) Darren Elkins (Wisconsin Parkside) vs. Daniel Pineda October 19 PFL Super Fights: Battle of Giants (ESPN PPV) Johnny Eblen (Missouri) vs. Fabian Edwards AJ McKee (Cerritos) vs. Paul Hughes October 25 UFC 308 (ESPN PPV) Robert Whittaker (Australian Champion) vs. Khamzat Chimaev (Swedish Champion) November 2 UFC Fight Night (ESPN+) Alexander Romanov (World University Bronze) vs. Rodrigo Nascimento November 9 UFC Fight Night (ESPN+) Mansur Abdul-Malik (Maryland) vs. Dusko Todorovic Cody Garbrandt (Newberry) vs. Miles Johns (Newman) November 16 UFC 309 (ESPN PPV) Jon Jones (Iowa Central) vs. Stipe Miocic (Cleveland State) Michael Chandler (Missouri) vs. Charles Oliveira Bo Nickal (Penn State) vs. Paul Craig Chris Weidman (Hofstra) vs. Eryk Anders December 7 UFC 310 (ESPN PPV) Tatiana Suarez (World Bronze) vs. Virna Jandiroba

On Friday, the one of the highest ranked uncommitted seniors made his college choice known. Nikade Zinkin (Clovis, CA) is ranked #46 overall in the Class of 2025 and is currently ranked fifth in the nation at 144 lbs. Zinkin announced via social media that he will continue wrestling at the collegiate level with the University of Nebraska. Zinkin is a three-time California state placewinner who won a title last season at 126 lbs for Clovis High School. He was fourth and fifth in his previous two seasons. On the national scene, Zinkin got on the podium in 2023 at Fargo’s 16U freestyle tournament - where he took seventh place at 126 lbs. Zinkin has also placed in the top-three on three occasions at California’s toughest regular season tournament - the Doc Buchanan Invitational. In each of the last two years he was a finalist. Zinkin joins a Nebraska recruiting class that already includes a pair of top-50 recruits - #24 Tyler Eise and #35 Cade Ziola. With three top-50 recruits, Mark Manning’s team has put themselves in position to have another strong recruiting class. The Huskers have ranked #19, #7, #8, and #13 in each of the last four years. At the next level, Zinkin appears to project at 149 lbs. That could certainly be a position of need in the near future as current starter and two-time All-American Ridge Lovett is currently exercising his final year of eligibility. As of now, there isn’t a clear-cut successor to Lovett in-line. For more recruiting information and Nebraska’s Class of 2025, check out InterMat’s College Commitment Page.

Clovis

Benedictine College Prep

Whitmer

I don’t know how it happened but this turned into a very Jersey-flavored mailbag so if you’re not down with the Garden State, I suggest you stop reading now. We already got your click and you can’t have it back so the advertisers are happy. And if you hate New Jersey, you likely quit reading this column long ago. I don’t really know how you would hate New Jersey since we produce some of the greatest people from Bruce (Springsteen or Baumgartner take your pick) to Burroughs to Brandon from New Jersey himself. Just a loaded field of stars. So, let’s get into it! Thursday marks the one-year anniversary of Joe Dubuque’s promotion to head coach. How are the vibes out of Princeton? Salty Walkon, Jersey Guy I do believe the vibes are good as Joe Dubuque enters his second year at the helm. Now with Jersey GOAT Anthony Ashnault in the fold, Coach Dubuque looks to do with Marc-Anthony McGowan what he did for Patrick Glory which is to turn him into a monster right off the bat. It seems like forever since we’ve seen MAM on the mat, but once upon a time, he was at the top or near the top of all the rankings. You have to assume that if he’s healthy, and with the coaching of lightweight experts Dubuque, Ashnault, and Cody Brewer, the sky's the limit for the former Blair product. I feel like it’s been a minute since a Blair guy really tore up the college scene until TJ Stewart had his run last year. McGowan is a good bet to continue that this year. When will Goodale make Jagger the honorary Captain on the annual Jagger Night? Aaron Bartlett, Jersey Guy You would think it has to happen soon. But I don’t need all that and 95% of the crowd would be quite confused. I’d rather get into one of those sumo suits and do whatever they do with that at intermission. Me and Mineo just bouncing into each other until someone is knocked out of the circle. Nothing would please me more. In reality, I’m quite shy in public and around crowds so not sure any of this is a good idea. Will Cornell win every weight class at the first-ever Ivy Wrestling tourney? Was it smart for the IVY Schools to break from the historic EIWA Conference and their tourney? Mike Abromitis, Jersey Guy I’d say they have the favorite at a good eight weights but there are a lot of fresh faces in the lineups and coaching staffs in the Ivy League, so I wouldn’t bet on it. I just hope everyone wears a sweater around their neck during intros. I think it’s fine that they split into their own conference, but I guess we will see what impact it has come allocation season. I just wish Yale and Dartmouth would get in on the action and field some teams. Not a question…just want to let you know that one of these will arrive in your mailbox soon. Kevin McGuigan, Philly Guy You got my address. A medium will do and I will wear it with pride. What program is your favorite to root for when it comes to NJ guys who have defected from staying in the Garden State and why is it the Hokies? Will Jagger make a celebrity (loosely applied here) appearance in Blacksburg for Jersey Tech vs Rutgahs? Ethan Aguigui, Guam Guy I can't be a Hokie guy, because I’m a Wolfpack guy. Just because they don’t have a Hidlay anymore doesn’t mean I’m bailing on my boys. Gotta be loyal to the soil even though I’ve never seen the soil in Raleigh. You had JerseyHokie to unify the two states then you ran him out of town. I admit I would like to make it to Blacksburg and get a little revenge for last year but it is still very much up in the air. You still have cigarettes for two dollars a pack down there? Can the state made for lovers handle such a hater? Find out these answers and more during the 2024-2025 college wrestling season! And stop stealing our guys!

Father Ryan

The Eastern Intercollegiate Wrestling Association has approved the addition of Morgan State. Morgan State will become the 12th member of the conference. Located in Baltimore, MD, Morgan State announced in October of 2021 that it would revive the wrestling program after a 24-year hiatus. A $2.7 million gift towards the program is the largest single donation in the school’s history. This gift was spearheaded by Mike Novogratz and the HBCU Wrestling (HCUW) Initiative, whose sole mission is to restore wrestling at HBCUs. Wrestling programs of all shapes and sizes have disappeared due to Title IX and lack of funding over the decades. Morgan State was no different. At this moment, MSU is the lone HBCU (Historically Black College and University) in Division I wrestling. The Bears first competed in the sport in the early 1950s. They were dominant well into the 60s, winning multiple conference titles. Morgan State’s most recent success began in 1975 when James Phillips took over as the head coach. Of his 20 seasons at the helm, the Bears won 13 Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) titles while earning Coach of the Year 12 times. He coached four national champions and 75 All-Americans during his tenure. The wrestling program came to a halt at the end of the 1996-97 season. The reason provided was a lack of resources. Kenny Monday was hired as the program’s Head Coach in the summer of 2022. The hire made waves across the nation, as Monday was quite the wrestler himself. He was a three-time NCAA All-American at Oklahoma State, claiming two runner-up finishes and one championship. His career record was 122-12-2 and is considered one of the greats at one of the traditional powerhouse programs in wrestling history. After his NCAA wrestling career, he claimed an Olympic gold in 1988, silver in 1992, and a 6th place finish in 1996. Coincidentally, as a perfect fit for the program, his gold medal in 1988 was the first ever won by an African-American in the sport of wrestling. Monday was named a Distinguished Member of the National Wrestling Hall of Fame in 2001. Two decades later, he is still adding to his resume as a head coach. Previous to Morgan State, he coached at Spire Academy, UNC Chapel Hill, and Bishop Lynch High School in Dallas, TX. Kenny Monday’s statement regarding this news: "Morgan State University's acceptance into the prestigious Eastern Intercollegiate Wrestling Association (EIWA) conference marks a monumental milestone in the history of our wrestling program. This achievement is a testament to the tireless efforts, dedication, and resilience of our administration, coaches, and our student-athletes. As we join the ranks of the EIWA, I'm very excited and honored as we're looking forward to elevating our competition, fostering growth, and making a lasting impact in the collegiate wrestling community." Dena Freeman-Patton is the Morgan State Director of Athletics and Vice President. Her enthusiasm for this move is captured by her quote: “This is an exciting time for Morgan State. The EIWA is a great fit for our wrestling program competitively, academically, and regionally. Our student-athletes are looking forward to competing for championships.” The EIWA is thrilled about this move as well. Executive Director, Gene Nighman is welcoming The Bears with open arms: “I'm pleased to welcome Morgan State University as the newest member in the long and storied history of the EIWA. Starting back in 1904, the EIWA member institutions have been committed to advancing the sport of wrestling and providing all participants with an elite Championship experience. As we approach the start of the 121st season, the EIWA is proud to have the only HBCU program as one of our members and looks forward to all twelve EIWA schools gathering at Lehigh University on March 7 for the 2025 EIWA Championship Tournament.” – Gene Nighman Mike Moyer, the Executive Director of the NWCA, mimics this sentiment. “I know I can speak for the NWCA Board of Directors when I extend a heartfelt thanks to the EIWA coaches and administrators for inviting the only DI-affiliated HBCU wrestling program in the nation as their twelfth member. Morgan State has a proud academic and athletic tradition that is aligned with the EIWA member schools and a location that fits nicely into the geographic conference footprint. This is sure to create new regional rivalries that will strengthen the storied history of the EIWA as the oldest wrestling conference in the nation.” The Bears will showcase their talents in the Blue vs Orange intrasquad dual on October 18th at 5PM. They officially open the season on November 2nd at the Southeast Open. They will make their EIWA dual meet debut at Lehigh on November 15th at 7PM. The full schedule can be found here: Morgan State 2024-25 Schedule Be sure to visit the team website for more information: Morgan State Wrestling

Every year in college wrestling we are treated to some young superstars seemingly coming out of nowhere to jump onto the scene. Guys who will undoubtedly knock off top-ranked stalwarts, who have been in our lives for half a decade (or more sometimes). Oftentimes, they are top recruits who pan out, sometimes they are guys who have waited for their chance in the lineup. Regardless of their genesis, all they need is a chance to breakout, and once it happens, it’s off to the races. Last season the B1G was treated to some great young wrestlers. Whether it is Rocco Welsh making the NCAA finals, or Sergio Lemley getting some high-level wins on the scene, we saw some new faces make the most of their opportunities. If I’m certain of anything, it’s that this season will have some studs show up and show out. It’s my job here to give you a heads-up on who this might be. Here is my first list of some potential breakout candidates for the B1G season. If you missed Part One of this feature make sure to go back and check that out, as well. Minnesota - It’s a little weird to have a returning All-American as my breakout candidate, but damn it that’s what I’m doing. I had the privilege of interviewing Vance Vombaur shortly after he earned his AA status with an OT win in the bloodround. With blood on his face, he shared how he had failed in the past, and how trusted the process and that’s how he got here. When asked “Do seeds matter”, he replied, “No, my name’s Vance. You can’t just tell me how good I am by a number”. It was some of the most inspirational stuff I saw that weekend. Am I taking too much stock in an awesome interview? No. In fact, I feel like the confidence boost from getting on that podium will be huge for Vance. I’m excited to see how that impacts his approach moving forward, but I believe it’ll be way more positive than negative. Northwestern - Northwestern has done such a great job with their limitations from a roster construction standpoint. Despite the difficulties with the school’s academic standards, paired with limits on roster construction, the Wildcats have consistently been producing high-end talent. Throw in that they had several guys transfer out last season, and all of a sudden the Wildcats were in a rebuilding mode before they knew it. As a result, the team was very young last season, but that allowed some guys chances to develop and prepare to attack this season. Sam Cartella is one of the bright young wrestlers poised to jump into the action this season. Last year Sam redshirted, but thanks to the new rules he was able to compete occasionally as the starter for Northwestern. He finished the year 25-9 at 149 pounds, placing third in the open division at the MSU Open to start the season, and going undefeated in his limited action in B1G competition. At the aforementioned MSU Open, Sam defeated Willie McDougald of Oklahoma on his way through the backside to place third. Sam wrestles tough and should be a fun addition to the B1G competition slate at 149. Rutgers - Rutgers is in the advantageous position of having a team with a lot of familiarity. This might not seem like a “breakout” pick to most, but stick with me here. Dean Peterson is about as familiar and dangerous as they get without having been on the podium. That all changes this season. Dean was ranked as highly as 2nd in the country last year and has racked up some huge wins over the years. A lot of dudes cleared out of the B1G 125-pound contingent last year, but Dean remains a constant and veteran presence. Over the years we’ve had some greats battling for their chance to get on the podium. Sometimes it works out, and sometimes it does not, but in this instance, I believe Dean gets it done, and does so in a very matter-of-fact way. Indiana - Derek Gilcher had his season cut short last year due to injury. It’s a little weird to pick a redshirt senior as a breakout candidate, but I feel great about Gilcher’s chance to have a great year. He was 7-1 last season before getting hurt and was highly ranked and regarded as well. He will likely compete at 165 this year, but he had competed at 157 previously in his career and has wins over guys like Chase Saldate (previously MSU 157, now wrestling for Michigan), as well as Paddy Gallagher (Ohio State). Derek improved each year he was in the lineup, which to this point has been just about every year of his career in Bloomington. Sometimes a year away is good for the mind, body, and soul, and I expect Derek to attack this season with the fire of a guy who has one last chance to get on the podium. Nebraska - Nebraska, like Rutgers referenced above, has a lot of returning talent at most of their weights. So this name isn’t necessarily new, but nobody should feel at all comfortable with their favorite wrestler putting their toe on the line against Jacob Van Dee. JVD was Nebraska’s Redshirt of the year in the 2022-2023 season, and last year helped Nebraska kick Michigan in the chest in their explosive start in that dual meet with a win over Dylan Ragusin. JVD ended up going 1-2 at NCAAs, but a close second-round loss to Kai Orine of NC State, and an eventual eliminating loss to Tyler Wells of Minnesota (also super dangerous), is nothing to be concerned with. I would point to his fourth-place finish in the B1G last season, with wins over Bouzakis of Ohio State and Teske of Iowa as more indicative of his ability, and what we can prepare for moving forward. JVD is ready to have a breakout season, so be ready. Penn State - Alex Facundo and Josh Barr are both winning this award. Both are products of the great state of Michigan, specifically Davison High School and are both trying to position themselves as getting into the lineup. I don’t know who, or where, or how either will get into the lineup. Does Facundo end up at 174 to replace Starocci? He has the frame. Some are even saying 157! Barr could go 184, or maybe 197, but Starocci coming back clogs things up for sure. Where do Haines and Messenbrink end up in the lineup? I would expect they would likely start at whichever weight they want to be at, but we’ll see. It must be nice to have highly recruited guys like Facundo and Barr trying to figure out how they will fit into the plans for the Nittany Lions. Whoever gets it done though will absolutely break out this season. Wisconsin - Nicolar Rivera competed for the Badgers at 133 in his first year in Madison. He was 8-7 at the weight and competed admirably in the losses. He was a solid homegrown recruit, having won three state titles in High School. Nicolar also had shown a willingness to hit some big and flashy moves back in the day, so we know that he has a deep arsenal. Last season, Rivera won the MSU Open Freshman/Sophomore division. It appears that he might be dropping down to 125 with Eric Barnett graduating, and pairing the drop in weight with another year of development in college wrestling, he could certainly be ready to jump back into competition. Jump in and around, if you will.

Just over two weeks ago, the University of Minnesota’s coaching staff was dealt a big blow as assistant coach Trevor Brandvold announced he was leaving to pursue an opportunity outside of the collegiate coaching world. Golden Gopher head coach Brandon Eggum was able to move quickly and added a potential rising star in the coaching ranks, in Michael Kemerer, to replace Brandvold. Kemerer comes to Minnesota after spending a year on the Brown coaching staff. He also spent a year coaching and competing with Cornell’s Spartan Combat RTC. Kemerer is no stranger to the Big Ten as he wrestled collegiately at the University of Iowa and earned NCAA All-American honors on four occasions and once through the NWCA. During his time at Iowa, Kemerer never finished lower than fourth at the national tournament and he reached the national finals in 2021. Earlier that season, Kemerer won a Big Ten championship - which was his first after making the finals in two of the previous three years. Also in 2021, Kemerer was a leader on an Iowa team that won their first NCAA title in 11 years. They were also heavy favorites to win in 2020; however, the tournament was canceled at the outset of the COVID-19 pandemic. Iowa head coach Tom Brands credited Kemerer’s initial signing as one that helped usher in a new era of Hawkeye wrestling. In the two years following Kemerer’s signing, top recruits like Alex Marinelli and Spencer Lee followed suit and headed to Iowa City. In addition to Kemerer, the Gophers still have a pair of mainstays on their coaching staff with four-time All-Americans Luke Becker and Zach Sanders. Minnesota returns a squad that features a pair of returning All-Americans (Vance Vombaur and Isaiah Salazar) and could field a starting ten that includes eight returning national qualifiers.

Mt. Horeb/Barneveld

The top prospect in the high school Class of 2026, Bo Bassett, has vowed to keep fans abreast of his recruiting with daily Wednesday updates. Well, today is Wednesday and true to his word, Bassett has posted an updated graphic which has eliminated three 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 a month of removing schools from the list, he’s down to 18. One school was removed from this week's graphic: Stanford The following schools remain on Bassett’s graphic and therefore in contention for his services: Air Force, Arizona State, Cornell, Iowa, Iowa State, Lehigh, Michigan, Missouri, Nebraska, Northern Iowa, Ohio State, Oklahoma State, Penn State, Pitt-Johnstown, Pittsburgh, Princeton, Rutgers, Virginia Tech. One school was removed from last week's 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 a few of upcoming home visits scheduled. Here are the home visit dates: Sept 18th Northern Iowa Sept 19th Penn State Bassett's first on-campus visit will take place on September 20th-22nd at the University of Michigan Bassett recently competed at the U20 World Championships in Pontevedra, Spain. He advanced to the semifinals and ended up coming away with a bronze medal. Next on the docket a Who's #1 rematch with Daniel Zepeda. The event will take place close to home, at Pitt-Johnstown, on September 29th.