InterMat Staff

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 are going to 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 184 Top-20 Notes: The two national finalists in the 2024 NCAA Championships are atop the 184 leaderboard, but in reverse order. Parker Keckeisen may have gotten the better of Dustin Plott during the regular and postseason (3-0 in all competitions), but Plott ended up with the most Fpts to be #1 in Fantasy Wrestling. Plott used his three extra matches to his advantage to overcome two losses and finish 5 Pts ahead of Keckeisen. For starting the season 4-5, with only one of those wins by bonus, it’s a wonder that Jha’Quan Anderson made it to #3. He finishes with 80 Fpts and the highest placer in Fantasy Wrestling for Gardner-Webb in the past four years at a weight and overall (article coming soon). Isaiah Salazar improved from his 2023 placing (16th at 184) to 4th in the 2024 season and upped his fantasy production by 25 Fpts with only three additional matches. Next in the rankings comes four sets of ties with Fpts, though all with varying PPMs. Lenny Pinto and Dalton Harkins both with 64 Fpts, but with Harkins having double the number of losses (six to Pinto’s three), Pinto grabs the #6 spot. Maximus Hale and James Conway tied at 61 Fpts, with Hale taking the #8 spot by a 0.7 PPM difference. Josh Barr and Jacob Nolan tied at 59 Fpts, with Barr wrestling nine fewer matches than Nolan. Barr rounds out the Top-10 thanks to a 3.9 PPM, which was the best out of any wrestler in the Top-20. Last of the tied groups is Chris Foca and Caleb Hopkins at 58 Fpts. Foca had an impressive 62% bonus rate against countable D1 matches, while Hopkins was able to salvage an up-and-down first half (seven losses in 15 countable matches) with a string of 11 wins in 12 matches consisting of four pins and two techs. Foca finished with the better PPM and thus, the #12 spot. Obviously, one win here or a loss there by any combination of these weight wrestlers, and we could have had a much different-looking Top-20. Two Redshirts make the Top-20, with Josh Barr finishing at #10, which is the highest of any Redshirt in any weight for the 2024 season. Max McEnelly was the other, wrestling in 15 matches but having only 12 of them be D1 countable opponents. Winning all 12, McEnelly put together an impressive bonus streak with only three wins by decision. A few more matches at an open and he could have been right up there with Barr. Trey Munoz and Benett Berge didn't just meet in the Consi-finals at NCAAs, they also were neck and neck being separated by two Fpts. Munoz had a loss by fall to Feldkamp at CKLV, but had he won that match (which is how the match looked to be going in the first period) by decision, Munoz would have had at least 66 Fpts and ranked #6 in the 2024 Top-20. Who Missed The Cut: Three All-Americans missed the cut, one of which has been a fantasy staple these past few years. Bernie Truax (PSU) took his talents from sunny California where he had finished twice in the Top-10 of his weight since the 2021 season. It may surprise you, but in his last four seasons (2021-2024), Truax had not wrestled more than 14 countable D1 matches. The difference this time, he suffered his most losses in one season within that time frame (three, including one loss by pin). Truax would end up with 34 Fpts. Starting the season off at 17 Fpts in his first three duals, it seemed David Key (NAVY) was making a bid to end his career in the Top-20 again (which he was #10 in 2021, the COVID Season). Unfortunately, in his last 10 D1 matches, Key would go on to lose seven of them and end with 25 Fpts. He would go on to AA, so there’s that at least. Vying for a starting spot, TJ Stewart (VT) wrestled only 8 regular-season matches. Two of those matches would go on to be -9 Fpts on his fantasy record, but even if he had won them, would still have fallen well short of anywhere near the Top-10. Stewart would finish with 12 Fpts, but like Key, at least he has an AA trophy. Other notables to miss the cut include Triston Willis (LR) who finished with 41 Fpts and 0.3 PPM behind #20, Clayton Whiting (MIZZ) with 40 Fpts, Nate Dugan (PRIN) at 38 Fpts, Brian Soldano (RUT) with 37 Fpts, Colton Hawks (MIZZ) with 30 Fpts, and Will Feldkamp (ISU) with 27 Fpts

Even though we’re about a month and a half away from the start of the collegiate wrestling season, there still has been plenty of recent movement on the coaching front. Additionally, there are still some teams that will need to round out their coaching staffs, so move changes will occur before November. Some of the recent addition include California Baptist completing an excellent staff with NCAA champions Mark Munoz and Nathan Tomasello. Yesterday, Hofstra announced that they’ve hired 2021 national runner-up Jesse Dellavecchia who is someone that is well-thought of as a young coaching prospect. Also on Monday, Campbell announced the hiring of former Purdue All-American Jake Patacsil. Patacsil has previously coached on the DI level at Duke and Hofstra. Friday night, Columbia revealed what was a poorly-kept secret in their hiring of 2024 Olympic bronze medalist Sebastian Rivera. Rivera worked closely with new Lions head coach Donny Pritzlaff, so that hire made a lot of sense. Offseason Coaching Movement Air Force: Elroy Perkin (California Baptist Assistant Coach) Appalachian State: Paul Bianchi (Minnesota State Assistant Coach) Appalachian State: Max Maylor (Wisconsin athlete) Army West Point: Taylor LaMont (USA Wrestling) Binghamton: Louie DePrez - Assistant Coach (Binghamton athlete) Binghamton: Sam Schuyler - Assistant Coach (Iowa State Graduate Assistant) Bloomsburg: John Stutzman - Associate Head Coach (Buffalo Head Coach) Bloomsburg: Mitch Moore - Assistant Coach (Rutgers athlete) Brown: Micky Phillippi - Assistant Coach (Brown Director of Ops) Bucknell: Dan Neff - Assistant Coach (Navy Assistant Coach) Buffalo: Donnie Vinson - Head Coach (Cornell Associate Head Coach) Buffalo: Andrew Dunn - Assistant Coach (North Carolina Director of Operations) Buffalo: Hunter Richard - Assistant Coach (Appalachian State Assistant Coach) California Baptist: Mark Munoz - Assistant Coach California Baptist: Nathan Tomasello - Assistant Coach Campbell: TJ Dudley - Assistant Coach (Brown Assistant Coach) Campbell: Jake Patacsil - Assistant Coach (Manchester University volunteer assistant) Central Michigan: Ben Bennett (Central Michigan Associate Head Coach) Columbia: Donny Pritzlaff (Rutgers Associate Head Coach) Columbia: Sebastian Rivera (RTC athlete) Cornell: Scottie Boykin (Air Force Assistant Coach) Cornell: David McFadden (Drexel Assistant Coach) Davidson: Alan Clothier - Assistant Coach (Buffalo Assistant Coach) Drexel: Jimmy Overhiser - Assistant Coach (Tarleton State Assistant Coach) Drexel: Chad Walsh - Assistant Coach (Columbia Assistant Coach) Duke: Erkin Tadzhimetov - Assistant Coach (Utah Valley Assistant Coach) Edinboro: AJ Schopp - Head Assistant Coach (Purdue Assistant Coach) Gardner-Webb: Keaton Kluever - Assistant Coach (Hofstra athlete) George Mason: Dean Heil - Head Assistant Coach Hofstra: Jamie Franco - Head Coach (Columbia Assistant Coach) Hofstra: Jesse Dellavecchia - Assistant Coach (Long Island assistant coach) Lock Haven: Gavin Hoffman - Volunteer Assistant (Ohio State athlete) Maryland: Ethan Laird - Assistant Coach (DMV RTC athlete) Navy: Barry Davis - Assistant Coach Navy: Ty Eustice - Assistant Coach (Davidson Assistant Coach) NC State: Zack Esposito - Associate Head Coach (USOPTC) North Dakota State: Matt Malcom - Assistant Coach (Bellevue East HS) North Dakota State: Scott Mattingly - Head Assistant Coach (Gardner-Webb Associate Head Coach) Northern Illinois: McGwire Midkiff - Assistant Coach Oklahoma State: David Taylor - Head Coach (NLWC Athlete) Oklahoma State: Thomas Gilman - Assistant Coach (NLWC Athlete) Oklahoma State: Jimmy Kennedy - Associate Head Coach (Penn State Assistant Coach) Penn: Darian Cruz - Assistant Coach (LVWC athlete) Penn: Matt Valenti - Associate Head Coach (Penn athletic administration) Penn: Doug Zapf - Assistant Coach (PRTC athlete) Penn State: Nick Lee - Assistant Coach (NLWC athlete) Pittsburgh: Lou Rosselli - Assistant Coach Princeton: Anthony Ashnault - Assistant Coach (NYC RTC athlete) Princeton: Cody Brewer - Head Assistant Coach (Virginia Tech Assistant Coach) Princeton: Nate Jackson (NJ RTC athlete) Rutgers: Mikey Labriola - assistant coach (LVWC athlete) SIU Edwardsville: Austin Murphy - Graduate Assistant (Campbell athlete) Stanford: Hayden Hidlay (North Dakota State Assistant Coach) Utah Valley: Adam Hall - Head Coach (NC State Associate Head Coach) Utah Valley: Andrew Hochstrasser - Assistant Coach (Utah Club Coach) Utah Valley: Joey Lavallee - Assistant Coach (LWVC RTC athlete) Utah Valley: Timmy McCall - Assistant Coach Virginia Tech: Zach Tanelli - Associate Head Coach (Columbia Head Coach) Wisconsin: Tony Cassioppi - Assistant Coach (HWC athlete) Non-Coaching Roles California Baptist: Noah Hardy - Director of Operations Maryland: Cole Matthews - Special Assistant to the Head Coach Missouri: Jarrett Jacques - Recruiting Coordinator Navy: Ben Barton - Director of Operations Nebraska: Brandon Bailey - Director of Operations (Nebraska Wesleyan head coach) North Carolina: Vincenzo Joseph - Recruiting Coordinator (SKWC Athlete) Oklahoma: Mark Hall - Director of Operations (Penn Assistant Coach) Oklahoma State: Bryan Pearsall - Recruiting Coordinator (Penn Associate Head Coach) Oregon State: Kate Gillett - Director of Operations RTC’s and Wrestling Clubs Navy WC: Peyton Walsh Nittany Lion WC: Zain Retherford (NLWC Athlete) Ohio RTC: Kollin Moore (Ohio RTC Athlete) Ohio RTC: Coleman Scott (Oklahoma State Associate Head Coach) Current Openings Central Michigan: Assistant Coach George Mason: Assistant Coach Long Island: Assistant Coach Minnesota: Assistant Coach Purdue: Assistant Coach

Iowa-Grant/Highland

The longest tenured DI head coach in the nation is now Harvard's Jay Weiss. Coach Weiss sits down with Austin Sommer to discuss all of the changes he's seen since taking over in 1995. He also gets into what to look for from the Crimson during the 2024-25 season. The two wrap-up the conversation by going through the reasoning behind the Ivy League split from the EIWA and what it means for the upcoming season.

Pictured above is Aaron Stewart 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 Arizona State Nathan Carrillo: St. John Bosco, CA - #46 Class of 2026 Christian Fretwell: Lake Gibson, FL - Class of 2025 Alex Taylor: Mount Vernon, OH - #94 Class of 2026 Nikade Zinkin: Clovis, CA - #46 Class of 2025 Arizona State actually got their recruiting weekend started before the actual weekend. The Sun Devils had a Thursday night football game and had a quartet of recruits in town for the festivities. It was a mix of current juniors and seniors and Zeke Jones’ staff had the highest-ranking uncommitted senior in town in Nikade Zinkin. Zinkin is a California state champ and a three-time placewinner. The other junior amongst this group is Christian Fretwell who is a former NHSCA All-American. Fretwell visited Iowa last year and has another visit we’ll discuss later. From the juniors, it’s not a surprise to see St. John Bosco’s state runner-up, Nathan Carrillo, in Tempe. ASU has a history with the California power and is home to the Valencia brothers and more. This is the first visit we’re aware of for Carrillo. ASU appears to have some big guys in the works with their Class of 2025, but that doesn’t stop them from having Ohio placewinner Alex Taylor out. Taylor was a double champion at the 16U level this summer in Fargo. This is the first visit we’ve heard about from Taylor. Bucknell Antonio Boni: Central Valley, PA - Class of 2026 Will Detar: Trinity, PA - #96 Class of 2026 Brandt Harer: Montgomery, PA - #12 Class of 2026 Cooper Merli: Newburgh Free Academy, NY - Class of 2026 Santino Sloboda: Butler, PA - Class of 2026 Max Wirnsberger: Warrior Run, PA - Class of 2026 Bucknell’s campus is about a half hour away from one of the best prospects in the Class of 2026, Brandt Harer, so it makes sense that the Bison staff had him on a visit over the weekend. Harer is a two-time Pennsylvania state finalist (1x champion) and a two-time winner of the NHSCA grade-level national competition. Harer’s older brother, Conner, is a true freshman at Rutgers this year and is likely the starter for the Scarlet Knights. He already has a visit scheduled at Rutgers in mid-October. Speaking of family ties, Max Wirnsberger is no stranger to the Bucknell campus, as his dad, Dan, is the head coach of the Bison. He already has an older brother, Cade, on the team. Max was seventh at the AA state tournament as a freshman. Will Detar and Santino Sloboda are PA placewinners who have been busy on the visit circuit. Detar has already been on campus at the Air Force Academy (9/7), Cornell (8/17), and Virginia (8/30). Having visited those schools and Bucknell, it’s obvious academics are a high priority for Deter. Sloboda has already seen Brown (9/7) and West Virginia (8/30). Two-time Pennsylvania state qualifier Antonio Boni was also in the group and made his first visit. In addition to Boni, fellow lightweight Cooper Merli, a two-time New York state champion, was in Lewisburg. Merli has also made visits to Buffalo (8/23), Army West Point (8/30), and Virginia (9/7). Chattanooga Patrick O’Keefe: St. John Vianney, NJ - Class of 2025 Jake Zaltsman: St. John Vianney, NJ - Class of 2025 Chattanooga hosted a pair of New Jersey teammates this weekend with Patrick O’Keefe and Jake Zaltsman, both of St. John Vianney. O’Keefe was a state finalist as a freshman at 106 lbs and has placed twice since then at 132 lbs. Zaltsman made the podium for the first time this year when he was seventh at 138 lbs. O’Keefe is a past Super 32 medalist, while Zaltsman’s best credential outside of Jersey is an eighth-place finish at the Beast. Zaltsman has already visited Rutgers last school year and Lock Haven in April. This is the first visit we’ve seen associated with O’Keefe. Davidson Roman Belardo: Jefferson, GA - Class of 2026 Davidson recruiting has been on an upward trajectory under Nate Carr Jr. and that is illustrated here with a visit from two-time Georgia state champion Roman Belardo. During the 2023-24 season, Belardo took third at the Knockout Christmas Classic and was fifth at the Cheesehead Invitational. George Mason Jared Goodson: Poquoson, VA - Class of 2026 Dom Sumpolec: Notre Dame-Green Pond, PA - #121 Class of 2026 George Mason continues to get good prospects to their Fairfax, Virginia campus. Both Jared Goodson and Dom Sumpolec are current juniors looking at GMU. Sumpolec is from a school and an area that the Patriot staff has frequently targeted in the past - 2024 MAC champion, Evan Maag, hails from Notre Dame-Green Pond. Sumpolec is a one-time PA state placewinner who has placed at the Beast and Powerade. Last weekend, Sumpolec was at MAC rival Clarion for a visit. Jared Goodson is a two-time Virginia state champion who has frequented all of the major offseason tournaments and is potentially on the cusp of a breakthrough. This was Goodson’s first visit though he does have a few others scheduled for the near future. Illinois Wyatt Medlin: Washington, IL - #29 Class of 2026 Dom Munaretto: St. Charles East, IL - #7 Class of 2026 Jaxon Penovich: Prospect, IL - #38 Class of 2026 Jayden Raney: Union County, KY - #5 Class of 2026 Aaron Stewart: Warren Township, IL - #8 Class of 2026 Could this have been the biggest recruiting weekend for any school in the country during the past three days? Mike Poeta’s team had three top-ten recruits from the Class of 2026, along with two others ranked in the top 40. It was also a very Illinois-centric group. Since attention turned towards the Class of 2026 and their recruiting, Illinois was seen as a potential landing spot for Kentucky’s Raney twins, Jayden and Jordyn. The Illini confirmed those rumors by having Jayden on campus. At this time, I can’t confirm whether Jordyn was in Champaign, as well. Less than a month ago, we saw Jayden strike gold in Amann, Jordan with a U17 World Championship - a feat Jordyn accomplished in 2023. Jayden captured double titles in Fargo twice at the 16U division and was also a UWW U17 Trials runner-up in freestyle. Speaking of international success, two-time U17 world champion Dom Munaretto was also in town. Last week, Munaretto was in Columbus, Ohio visiting Big Ten rival Ohio State. The third top-ten recruit in town was Aaron Stewart. Stewart is also a two-time U16 double champion and an Ironman runner-up. He’s also a monster running back on the gridiron. Within the last few weeks, Stewart has also visited Maryland, Nebraska, and Oklahoma State. Another potential in-state product is Jaxon Penovich. Penovich was third in both styles in Fargo in 2023 at the 16U division and is a UWW Trials placewinner in Greco. This weekend has already paid dividends as Poeta’s team received a verbal commitment from Wyatt Medlin on Sunday morning. Medlin was a 16U Greco national champion in 2023 and a Junior runner-up this summer. He was also top-three in both styles at the UWW Trials. Medlin is the son of Illinois Director of Operations, Bryan Medlin, so seeing Wyatt a commitment from Wyatt isn’t the most shocking news; however, it’s a great start to the 2026 class and could lead to others from this talented bunch. The elder Medlin is considered one of our best Greco coaches in the nation, a fact that might give Illinois an edge for prospects like the Raney’s or Penovich. Kent State Landen Johnson: Massillon Perry, OH - Class of 2025 Brennan Warwick: Massillon Perry, OH - Class of 2026 A pair of Perry teammates stayed in-state this weekend to check out the Kent State program. Landen Johnson is a prospect from the Class of 2025, while Brennan Warwick is a junior. Johnson was a state runner-up to Ohio State blue-chip signee Ethan Birden. Warwick missed out on the top eight in Ohio, but really put himself on the map with a seventh-place finish in Fargo’s 16U freestyle this summer. Johnson's best offseason result was a sixth-place finish at NHSCA Junior’s. Warwick spent last weekend visiting Indiana. Michigan State Michael Esteban: Marist, Illinois - Class of 2025 Evan Gosz: Fremd, Illinois - Class of 2025 A pair of seniors from Illinois headed north for the weekend to visit East Lansing and the Michigan State Spartans. Evan Gosz is a three-time Illinois 3A state placewinner who made the finals in 2024. Last summer, Gosz was sixth in Fargo’s 16U freestyle tournament. Michael Esteban was also an Illinois 3A state finalist in 2024 and is a two-time state medalist. This is the first visit we’re aware of from either of these wrestlers. Minnesota Ashton Besmer: Buchanan, CA - #97 Class of 2026 Tyler Dekraker: Faith Christian Academy, PA - #31 Class of 2026 John Murphy: St. Michael-Albertville, MN - Class of 2025 Haakon Peterson: Dodgeville, WI - #35 Class of 2026 Minnesota had a quality weekend with three top-100 recruits from the Class of 2026 and an under-the-radar in-state senior - John Murphy. Murphy is a Minnesota state champion from a school that has provided many wrestlers to the Gophers in the past - most notably the McKee and Thorn brothers. Wisconsin has recruited well in Wisconsin and has another top prospect in from across the border in Haakon Peterson. Peterson is a four-time Fargo champion and five-time placewinner. He has already taken trips to NC State (8/25), Oklahoma State (8/30) and Wisconsin (9/7). The highest ranked of the bunch is Tyler Dekraker who has finished top-five at the Super 32, Ironman, UWW U17 freestyle, and this summer in Fargo’s Junior freestyle. Two weekends ago, Dekraker and Murphy were together visiting Oklahoma. Wyoming has also hosted Murphy. All the way from California is 2024 state fourth-place finisher Ashton Besmer. This summer Besmer made the Fargo 16U freestyle finals. Besmer has already taken a visit to Army West Point. NC State Sam Herring: Bishop McCort, PA - #23 Class of 2026 Owen McMullen: Bishop McCort, PA - Class of 2026 Rocklin Zinkin: Buchanan, CA - #44 Class of 2026 What a recruiting weekend for NC State! By Monday morning, Pat Popolizio’s staff had received two verbal commitments from Class of 2026 recruits. As of now, they are the only team with multiple commitments from the Class of 2026. On Sunday afternoon, two-time Pennsylvania runner-up and Fargo All-American Dom Deputy (#58 overall) committed to the Wolfpack live on PaPowerWrestling’s Rokfin channel. Monday morning had another with Griffin LaPlante (#27 overall), a 2024 NHSCA Sophomore National champion. Deputy had already visited Cornell, Maryland, and West Virginia. He also reportedly had visits scheduled with Minnesota, Penn State, and Pittsburgh, which have now been canceled. LaPlante had visited Army West Point and West Virginia. Getting to the recruits in Raleigh over the weekend - NC State had a pair of Bishop McCort teammates join two-time California state finalist (and one-time champ) Rocklin Zinklin. Sam Herring is a 2023 U17 Greco world team member who was fifth in Junior freestyle this summer in Fargo and has placed at the Super 32 on two occasions. Owen McMullen did not place at the Pennsylvania state tournament in 2024, but did AA in both styles at the UWW U17 Trials this spring. Zinklin has already visited Oklahoma State (8/30) and Michigan (9/7). McMullan has been equally busy with trips to the Air Force Academy and Brown. Herring has visited Cornell. Oklahoma Eric Casula: Westmoore, OK - Class of 2026 Aiden Cooley: Allen, TX - Class of 2026 Christian Fretwell: Lake Gibson, FL - Class of 2025 Joey Jeter: Edmond North, OK - #22 Class of 2026 Isaiah Jones: Bixby, OK - #113 Class of 2026 Dreshaun Ross: Fort Dodge, IA - #3 Class of 2026 Tommy Verrette: Edmond North, OK - #32 Class of 2026 The first full recruiting class (2024) under Roger Kish was massive and ended up ranked third in the nation. The Sooners Class of 2025 is coming together nicely, as well. This 2026 group could be another huge one, judging by the amount of wrestlers OU has already had in for visits. This class featured three of the top 32 juniors in the nation, led by Dreshaun Ross. Though Ross is injured and on the shelf for awhile, that hasn’t tempered any enthusiasm on the recruiting trail. He’s already traveled to Iowa State (8/3) and Ohio State (9/7) for recent visits. Joey Jeter and his new teammate Tommy Verrette were together for the Oklahoma visit. Both were in Cornell together last weekend. Jeter was a U17 World Team member in Greco this summer, while Verrette has nearly made the team, as well. It appears that the early recruiting weekend for Arizona State allowed Christian Fretwell to double-dip and hit Oklahoma only a few days later. Aiden Cooley has already visited NC State (8/23), while this is the first visit for Eric Casula and Isaiah Jones. Pittsburgh Mark Effendian: Faith Christian Academy, PA - #88 Class of 2026 Cael Weidemoyer: Faith Christian Academy, PA - #25 Class of 2026 Pittsburgh already had a verbal from the Class of 2026 from a wrestler that could end up at heavyweight in Elijah Brown. This weekend this hosted a pair of upperweights, one of which is a heavyweight (Mark Effendian) and another that could be a 184 lber (Cael Weidemoyer). Wiedemoyer was a state finalist and Effendian was a third-place finisher for Faith Christian in 2024. Weidemoyer has won the NHSCA grade-level tournament in each of the last two years, while Effendian was top-four in both styles at the UWW U17 Trials - amongst a boatload of other national credentials. This is the first visit for Effendian. Later in the fall, he’s slated to visit Rutgers. Weidemoyer has been busy with Cornell (8/17), Missouri (8/30), and Brown (9/7) before Pitt. **Editor's Note: Pittsburgh also hosted Jason Singer (Faith Christian, PA) and Jackson Angelo (Frazier, PA) Princeton Travis Cardenas: Chandler, AZ - #62 Class of 2026 Keanu Dillard: Bethlehem Catholic, PA - #16 Class of 2026 CJ Huerta: Buchanan, CA - #73 Class of 2026 Anthony Mason: Southern Regional, NJ - #63 Class of 2026 Nevin Mattessich: Don Bosco Prep, NJ - #53 Class of 2026 Coby Merrill: JW North, CA - #14 Class of 2026 The revamped Princeton staff had a huge weekend with six of the top 75 wrestlers in the nation in town for a visit. Typically, Princeton recruits well in their home state and in Pennsylvania - both have representation here, but there are also a trio from the West Coast with two from California and another from Arizona. The Cali contingent is two-time state runner-up Coby Merrill and two-time placer CJ Huerta. It is the first visit for both; however, Merrill’s older brother Cody is a freshman at Oklahoma State. This is also the first visit for Travis Cardenas, a two-time Fargo 16U freestyle All-American and a top-eight finish in UWW U17 freestyle. Two-time Pennsylvania state champion, Keanu Dillard, was a U17 World Team member and could be a dangerous lightweight under the tutelage of Joe Dubuque and Cody Brewer. Dillard has also visited Nebraska (9/7) and Virginia (8/30). Another lightweight prospect for the Princeton staff is New Jersey state finalist Anthony Mason. Mason has already visited Army West Point. It’s obvious that big man Nevin Mattessich has his eyes on the Ivy League. Before coming to Princeton, he visited Brown (8/30) and Cornell (9/7). Purdue Waylon Cressell: Warren Central, IN - #68 Class of 2026 Camden Baum: Bishop McDevitt, PA - #33 Class of 2026 Purdue hosted a small, but talented, crop of recruits that includes a pair of top-100 wrestlers. The Boilermaker staff is seeking to keep Waylon Cressell, a double Fargo All-American, within their borders. Cressell made two state finals appearances in North Dakota before moving to Indiana and winning a title in the Hoosier state. Camden Baum was a Pennsylvania AA state third-place finisher in 2024 and also was third at the Powerade earlier in the regular season. Cressell has already visited Wyoming (8/17), Oklahoma (8/30), and Cornell (9/7). Baum’s first visit was to NC State (8/30). Virginia James Bechter: Northfield Mt. Hermon, MA - #50 Class of 2026 Riley Johnson: Skutt Catholic, NE - #87 Class of 2026 Rylan Seacrist: Massillon Perry, OH - #106 Class of 2026 Jarrett Smith: Lowell, MI - #91 Class of 2026 For the third consecutive weekend, the UVA staff had hosted a very talented group of recruits - this one included four top-100 recruits. The highest-ranked of the bunch is heavyweight James Bechter. The Ohio native has placed four times in Fargo and in both styles at the UWW U17 Trials this year. He has already visited Brown. Fellow Ohio native Rylan Seacrist was in Charlottesville, as well. Seacrist was fourth in Ohio’s largest division last year and was fifth at the UWW Trials in freestyle. Seacrist has already visited Ohio State this fall. Since the Paulson twins arrived at UVA, the school has fared well at recruiting in Iowa/Nebraska. They went back to the Omaha area to recruit Riley Johnson - a double 16U sixth-place finisher in Fargo in 2024. Johnson has already visited Oklahoma State (8/30) and Nebraska (9/7). Michigan is another state that UVA has dipped into on occasion. This time they’re looking at lightweight sensation Jarrett Smith. Smith was third in Junior freestyle this year after winning a 16U title in 2023. Last week, Smith took a visit to Indiana. Wisconsin Eli Leonard: Mt. Horeb/Barneveld, WI - Class of 2026 Hunter Stevens: Iowa-Grant/Highland, WI - Class of 2026 After a big weekend a week ago, Wisconsin had a bit of a smaller group this time around. Last week’s visits already netted a verbal commitment in Collin McDowell, so Chris Bono’s staff is likely hoping this one is as productive. This group features a pair of wrestlers that are maybe still a bit under-the-radar. Eli Leonard has placed fourth and fifth during his first two years of high school. Hunter Stevens has been third and fifth. Stevens had a breakout performance in Fargo, where he was a 16U freestyle finalist at 138 lbs. This was the first visit for both wrestlers. Additional to last week's column. Once our article on the 9/7 weekend was published, additional information about Air Force’s crop of recruits rolled in. Air Force had a mix of wrestlers from the 2025 and 2026 classes. #63 Rylan Kuhn, who has already committed to Air Force and is not training at the Olympic Training Center was around. Other current seniors included Gavin Cole (Council Rock South, PA), Brandon Dean (Colorado Springs, CO), Colson Hoffman (Central Carroll, GA), Chase Hontz (Faith Christian, Pennsylvania), and Dario Petrucelli (Rockwall, TX). Wrestlers from the Class of 2026 included #96 Will Detar and Siraj Sidhu (Del Oro, CA). Last week, Hoffman announced that he had verbally committed to Air Force. With Hoffman’s commitment, Air Force’s Class of 2025 now looks like this . On the other hand, Cole has announced he had committed to Navy.

Another season ushers in another wave of new ACC wrestlers and coaches. We’ve already seen breakdowns of the recruiting classes, let's take a look at the new coaching hires and transfers that join the ACC this fall. Duke Erkin Tadzhimetov joins the coaching staff in Durham after a long tenure at his alma mater Utah Valley. He will work with the lightweights, marking a big change in the staffing in the Lanham era. Coach Lanham has had an upper-weight heavy coaching staff over the past decade and the addition of a lightweight coach could pay dividends for the Blue Devils. Tyler O’Boyle (285) Franklin and Marshall Spencer Von Savoye (141/149) California Baptist North Carolina Vincenzo Joseph will join the Tar Heels staff in the role of Recruiting Coordinator. The two-time NCAA Champion for the Nittany Lions will be reuniting with Coach Koll having served on staff under him at Stanford. For the new position, Joseph will “assist the program in team travel, on-campus recruiting, match day planning, and operations, donor relations, and all program-related events”. In his short time in the college coaching ranks, Joseph has shown that he can be a valuable asset to the Tar Heel staff. Nolan Neves (285) - Columbia Ethan Oakley (133) - Appalachian State - SOCON Champ 2x NCAA Qualifier Josh Ogunsanya (174) - North Carolina - EIWA Runner-Up 2x NCAA Qualifier North Carolina State Zack Esposito steps into the Associate Head Coach position after the departure of Adam Hall to Utah Valley. Espo brings a wealth of experience on the folkstyle and freestyle side. He was the RTC coach at Oklahoma State prior to taking the Associate Head Coach role, where he served for seven years. Most recently he was in Colorado Springs as the Freestyle Developmental and Resident Coach for USA Wrestling. Pittsburgh Lou Rosselli joins the Panthers, adding another experienced and successful coach to the staff. Rosselli brings some impeccable credentials to Pittsburgh in both freestyle and folkstyle. He served as the Head Coach at the University of Oklahoma for seven years and had a successful tenure. He is most lauded for his success at Ohio State where he served as the Associate Head Coach and led the Ohio RTC--Coach Gavin was a resident athlete under Coach Rosselli at Ohio RTC. Nick Babin (125) - Columbia - NCAA Qualifier (R16 in 2022-2023) Mateo de la Pena (165) - California Baptist Chase Kranitz (184) - Buffalo Evan Tallmadge (125) - Navy Stanford The biggest transfer of them all is the move for Stanford into the ACC from the PAC12. A Pacific Coast team in the Atlantic Coast Conference seems counterintuitive, but here we are. The logistics of travel for conference duals will be interesting to watch, but the addition of the Cardinal will bolster an already strong conference. Hayden Hidlay will return to the ACC, joining Coach Chris Ayres’ staff in Palo Alto after starting his coaching career as the Student-Athlete Development Coordinator under Obe Blanc at North Dakota State. Hidlay had a phenomenal career under Pat Popolizio at NC State where he was four-time ACC Champion and five-time All-American. Virginia The Hoos are the only team in the ACC that did not add a new member of the staff this season! They maintain a coaching staff loaded with former Iowa State stars - Associate Head Coach Travis Paulson and Assistant Coaches Trent Paulson and Ian Parker. Justin Phillips (157) - California Baptist - Returns to UVA after one year at Cal Baptist. Virginia Tech Zach Tanelli comes to Blacksburg after eight successful seasons as the Head Coach at Columbia. He turned around the Lions program both on the mat and off; in his final season, he coached two wrestlers to EIWA titles and Lennox Wolak to All-American honors for the Lions. Wolak will join Tannelli in Blacksburg for his final year of eligibility as a grad student as the Ivy League doesn’t allow grad students to compete. Connor McGonagle (133) - Lehigh - 2x NCAA Qualifier (Turned down at-large bid due to injury in 2022-2023) Lennox Wolak (174) - Columbia - EIWA Champ All-American-6th 2x NCAA Qualifier Tyler Stewart (285) - Morgan State

St. Francis

Chestnut Ridge

Sun Valley

Lockwood

Zephyrhills Christian

Council Rock South

Newfane

Philipsburg-Osceola

Tussey Mountain

Topsail

Pecatonica/Argyle

Branford

Grove City

Crandon

Best-of-Three World Team Trials Finals Results Men’s Freestyle 61 kg Vito Arujau over Marcus Blaze 2-1, 3-1 70 kg James Green over Alec Pantaleo 10-0, 2-1 79 kg Jordan Burroughs over Chance Marsteller 3-0, 6-3 92 kg David Taylor over Zahid Valencia 3-3, Fall 2:49 Women’s Freestyle 55 kg Areana Villaescusa over Amanda Martinez 4-3, 11-8 59 kg Jacarra Winchester over Michaela Beck 11-0, 11-0 65 kg Macey Kilty over Aine Drury 10-0, 12-1 72 kg Kylie Welker over Yelena Makoyed Fall 5:03, 5-2 Greco-Roman 55 kg Brady Koontz over Kenneth Crosby 9-0, 8-0 63 kg Ildar Hafizov over Max Black 11-0, 1-3, 9-0 72 kg Benji Peak over RaVaughn Perkins FFT 82 kg Aliaksandr Kikiniou over Jesse Porter 5-1, 3-1

Washington

Men’s Freestyle 61 kg Semifinals Marcus Blaze over Nahshon Garrett 5-0 Daton Fix over Austin DeSanto 6-0 Challenge Tournament Finals Marcus Blaze over Daton Fix 3-2 Finals Matchup Vito Aruaju vs. Marcus Blaze 70 kg Semifinals Alec Pantaleo over PJ Duke 7-0 James Green over Jordan Oliver 6-3 Finals Matchup Alec Pantaleo vs. James Green 79 kg Semifinals Chance Marsteller over Keegan O’Toole 6-0 Jordan Burroughs over Alex Dieringer 7-4 Finals Matchup Chance Marsteller vs. Jordan Burroughs 92 kg Semifinals David Taylor over Mike Macchiavello 10-0 Trent Hidlay over Jay Aiello 12-1 Challenge Tournament Finals David Taylor over Trent Hidlay 10-6 Finals Matchup Zahid Valencia over David Taylor Women’s Freestyle 55 kg Semifinals Amanda Martinez over Vayle Baker 11-0 Areana Villaescusa over Felicity Taylor 5-0 Finals Matchup Amanda Martinez vs. Areana Villaescusa 59 kg Semifinals Jacarra Winchester over Bridgette Duty 10-0 Michaela Beck over Zoe Nowicki 12-0 Finals Matchup Jacarra Winchester vs. Michaela Beck 65 kg Semifinals Jennifer Page over Claire DiCugno 10-0 Aine Drury over Skylar Hattendorf 11-0 Challenge Tournament Finals Aine Drury over Jennifer Page 4-0 Finals Matchup Macey Kilty vs. Aine Drury 72 kg Semifinals Yelena Makoyed over Gretchen Donally 10-0 Kylie Welker over Skylar Grote 12-1 Finals Matchup Yelena Makoyed vs. Kylie Welker Greco-Roman 55 kg Semifinals Brady Koontz over Peter Del Gallo 7-3 Kenneth Crosby over Billy Sullivan 6-4 Finals Matchup Brady Koontz vs. Kenneth Crosby 63 kg Semifinals Ildar Hafizov over Phillip Moomey 10-0 Max Black over Dylan Gregerson 5-3 Finals Matchup Ildar Hafizov vs. Max Black 72 kg Semifinals Benji Peak over Peyton Robb 11-1 RaVaughn Perkins over Hunter Lewis 3-3 Finals Matchup Benji Peak vs. RaVaughn Perkins 82 kg Semifinals Aliaksandr Kikiniou over Ryan Epps 10-3 Jesse Porter over Tyler Eischens 3-1 Finals Matchup Aliaksandr Kikiniou vs. Jesse Porter

Men’s Freestyle 61 kg Nahshon Garrett over Liam Cronin 9-0 Marcus Blaze over Seth Gross 7-5 Austin DeSanto over Jax Forrest 9-6 Daton Fix over Nasir Bailey 10-0 Semifinal Matchups Nahshon Garrett vs. Marcus Blaze Austin DeSanto vs. Daton Fix 70 kg Alec Pantaleo over Yahya Thomas 2-0 PJ Duke over Jarrett Jacques 8-3 Jordan Oliver over Bryce Andonian 8-6 James Green over Paniro Johnson 10-0 Semifinal Matchups Alec Pantaleo vs. PJ Duke Jordan Oliver vs. James Green 79 kg Chance Marsteller over Hunter Garvin 7-0 Keegan O’Toole over David Carr 9-4 Alex Dieringer over Evan Wick 7-1 Jordan Burroughs over Levi Haines 4-1 Semifinal Matchups Chance Marsteller vs. Keegan O’Toole Alex Dieringer vs. Jordan Burroughs 92 kg David Taylor over Marcus Coleman Fall 1:14 Michael Macchiavello over Eric Schultz 6-5 Jay Aiello over Aeoden Sinclair 13-5 Trent Hidlay over Max Hale 10-0 Semifinal Matchups David Taylor vs. Michael Macchiavello Jay Aiello vs. Trent Hidlay Women’s Freestyle 55 kg Amanda Martinez over Mateah Roehl 10-0 Vayle Baker over Alisha Howk 3-0 Felicity Taylor over Elena Ivaldi 6-4 Areana Villaescusa over Karissa Turnwall Fall 3:44 Semifinal Matchups Amanda Martinez vs. Vayle Baker Felicity Taylor vs. Areana Villaescusa 59 kg Jacarra Winchester over Alex Szkotnicki 10-0 Bridgette Duty over Xochitl Mota-Pettis 14-10 Zoe Nowicki over Abby Nette Fall 4:30 Michaela Beck over Yele Adcock 10-0 Semifinal Matchups Jacarra Winchester vs. Bridgette Duty Zoe Nowicki vs. Michaela Beck 65 kg Jennifer Page over Sienna Ramirez 9-1 Claire DiCugno over Savannah Cosme 7-2 Skylar Hattendorf over Ana Lucicano Fall 4:46 Aine Drury over Alara Boyd Fall 1:50 Semifinal Matchups Jennifer Page vs. Claire DiCugno Skylar Hattendorf vs. Aine Drury 72 kg Gretchen Donally over Celina Cooke 4-2 Semifinal Matchups Yelena Makoyed vs.Gretchen Donally Skylar Grote vs. Kylie Welker Men’s Greco-Roman 55 kg Brady Koontz over Fabian Gutierrez 9-0 Peter Del Gallo over Ezekiel Witt 10-0 Kenneth Crosby over Zach Silvis 5-1 Billy Sullivan over Kody Tanimoto 9-1 Semifinal Matchups Brady Koontz vs. Peter Del Gallo Kenneth Crosby vs. Billy Sullivan 63 kg Ildar Hafizov over Riley Lomenick 7-5 Phillip Moomey over Corbin Nirschl 9-0 Dylan Gregerson over Rhett Peak 5-0 Max Black over Aidan Nutter 9-0 Semifinal Matchups Ildar Hafizov vs. Phillip Moomey Dylan Gregerson vs. Max Black 72 kg Benji Peak over Clay Radenz 10-0 Peyton Robb over Gunnar Hamre 8-0 Hunter Lewis over Eddie Smith 11-2 RaVaughn Perkins over Jaxon Bearden 9-0 Semifinal Matchups Benji Peak vs. Peyton Robb Hunter Lewis vs. RaVaughn Perkins 82 kg Aliaksandr Kikiniou over Arvin Khosravy 3-2 Ryan Epps over Tyler Cunningham 11-1 Tyler Eischens over Beka Melelashvili 13-3 Jesse Porter over Riley Briggs 11-0 Semifinal Matchups Aliaksandr Kikiniou vs. Ryan Epps Tyler Eischens vs. Jesse Porter

Delbarton