InterMat Staff

The 2024 Olympic Games came to an end last Sunday. Since there was so much action going on for the last week, you're sure to have missed something along the way. We'll go through each weight class and have a wrap-up for each, which includes results and some notable facts related to the weight. Past weight classes Greco-Roman: 60 kg Greco-Roman: 67 kg Greco-Roman: 77 kg Greco-Roman: 87 kg Greco-Roman: 97 kg Greco-Roman: 130 kg Men's Freestyle: 57 kg Men's Freestyle: 86 kg Women's Freestyle: 50 kg Women's Freestyle: 53 kg Women's Freestyle: 68 kg Round of 16 Tsugumi Sakurai (Japan) over Hannah Taylor (Canada) 6-1 Luisa Valverde Melendes (Ecuador) over Aurora Russo (Italy) Fall 2:34 Helen Maroulis (USA) over Anshu Malik (India) 7-2 Alina Hrushyna (Ukraine) over Anhelina Lysak (Poland) 16-13 Odunayo Adekuoroye (Nigeria) over Chaimaa Aouissi (Algeria) Fall :31 Kexin Hong (China) over Khongorzul Boldsaikhan (Mongolia) 16-12 Giullia Penalber (Brazil) over Rckaela Aquino (Guam) Fall 1:02 Anastasia Nichita (Moldova) over Sandra Parurzewski (Germany) 9-0 Quarterfinals Tsugumi Sakurai (Japan) over Luisa Valverde Melendes (Ecuador) Fall 4:08 Helen Maroulis (USA) over Alina Hrushyna (Ukraine) 7-4 Kexin Hong (China) over Odunayo Adekuoroye (Nigeria) Fall 5:16 Anastasia Nichita (Moldova) over Giullia Penalber (Brazil) Fall 2:18 Semifinals Tsugumi Sakurai (Japan) over Helen Maroulis (USA) 10-4 Anastasia Nichita (Moldova) over Kexin Hong (China) Fall 1:37 Repechage Hannah Taylor (Canada) over Luisa Valverde Melendes (Ecuador) 13-0 Giullia Penalber (Brazil) over Sandra Parurzewski (Germany) 13-0 Bronze Medal Matches Helen Maroulis (USA) over Hannah Taylor (Canada) Fall :24 Kexin Hong (China) over Giullia Penalber (Brazil) 10-0 Gold Medal Match Tsugumi Sakurai (Japan) over Anastasia Nichita (Moldova) 6-0 Notes: Sakurai won her first Olympic gold medal, but had won gold in each of the previous three World Championships. Two at 57 kg and one at 55 kg. It’s remarkable that Sakurai has four World/Olympic titles at only 22 years old. Japan has won every Olympic gold medal possible in this weight range (55/57/58 kg). Yoshida in 2004, 2008, and 2012 at 57 kg. Icho in 2016 at 58 kg. Kawai at 57 kg in 2020. The eight falls at this weight class (in 19 matches) were the most out of any weight class in any style at the 2024 Olympic Games. The quarterfinals featured falls in three of the four matches. Two of the falls occurred in under a minute. Anastasia Nichita accounted for two of the eight falls. Nichita and Sakurai met in a gold medal match for the second straight year. Last year, Sakurai prevailed only by a 3-2 margin. Nichita is now a three-time World/Olympic medalist with a gold medal in 2022 and silvers in each of the last two years. With her silver medal, Nichita is the first Moldovan woman to win an Olympic medal in wrestling. Helen Maroulis’ bronze medal made her the first American woman to win three Olympic medals. Maroulis is now a 10x World/Olympic medalist and she has made 14 World/Olympic teams. At 32, Maroulis was the oldest of the 2024 Olympic medalists in women’s freestyle. Kexin Hong’s bronze medal was her first World/Olympic medal. The first round featured a pair of matches that pitted returning world medalists against each other. Maroulis/Malik and Hrushyna/Lysak.

Gilroy

Let’s go back to the year 2022. It had been five years since an American had won a U17 world title in Greco-Roman. Later that year, Joel Adams would snap that streak with his gold medal at 65 kg. A year later, Jordyn Raney would make it back-to-back years with a championship, as he won the 55 kg weight class. Now, we’ve had three straight years with a Greco gold medalist. The latest winner for the United States is the twin brother of our last champion - Jayden Raney. Today, in Amann, Jordan, Raney faced an opponent that was in Jordyn’s 2023 bracket. However, he did not medal and the two did not meet, in Alpamys Bolatuly of Kazakhstan. Both wrestlers were looking for the home run move and each attempted a headlock. Neither landed the hold; however, Raney came out on top in the flurry for a takedown. Along the way, Raney locked up a gut wrench and turned Bolatuly for a set of exposure points. Not content with a four-point lead, Raney looked to a more folkstyle-centric maneuver which worked just as well. An armbar helped expose and nearly pin Bolatuly. An incredible bridge helped save Bolatuly from a fall. Raney would take a commanding 6-0 lead into the break. Once action resumed, it was Bolatuly who pushed the pace with a takedown off of a throw-by. During the same sequence, Bolatuly locked up a gut wrench of his own and cut the deficit to 6-4. Raney was able to avoid further damage by getting back to his feet. Right around the one-minute mark, Bolatuly had a bear hug and took Raney off his feet at the edge of the mat. Raney actually came down on top of Bolatuly, but Bolatuly was given a point for a step out. His corner disagreed and challenged the call, which was lost and Raney’s lead was now 7-5. During the final :44 seconds of the bout, Raney managed to keep Bolatuly at bay and off the scoreboard, while working to stay engaged and avoid any potential caution calls from the official. The win put the finishing touches on a wild tournament for Raney - one that saw him win by a point in the quarterfinals and pin to win, while trailing in the semis. The tournament might yield a medal for both Raney twins. Jordyn fell in the 60kg semifinals and will wrestle for a bronze medal tomorrow. His opponent will be determined by a repechage bout between Vadym Matros (Ukraine) and Dosbol Shamil (Kazakhstan). Additionally, Dom Munaretto (51 kg) and Joseph Jeter (71 kg) were both pulled into tomorrow’s repechage round. Both will have to win two matches to come away with a bronze medal.

The 2024 Olympic Games came to an end last Sunday. Since there was so much action going on for the last week, you're sure to have missed something along the way. We'll go through each weight class and have a wrap-up for each, which includes results and some notable facts related to the weight. Past weight classes Greco-Roman: 60 kg Greco-Roman: 67 kg Greco-Roman: 77 kg Greco-Roman: 87 kg Greco-Roman: 97 kg Greco-Roman: 130 kg Men's Freestyle: 57 kg Women's Freestyle: 50 kg Women's Freestyle: 53 kg Women's Freestyle: 68 kg Round of 16 Aaron Brooks (USA) over Azamat Dauletbekov (Kazakhstan) 4-3 Hayato Ishiguro (Japan) over Fateh Benferdjallah (Algeria) 11-0 Magomed Ramazanov (Bulgaria) over Alexander Moore (Canada) 12-2 Javrail Shapiev (Uzbekistan) over Vladimiri Gamkrelidze (Georgia) 5-1 Myles Amine (San Marino) over Vasyl Mykhailov (Ukraine) 7-4 Osman Nurmagomedov (Azerbaijan) over Bat Erdene Byambasuren (Mongolia) 11-2 Dauren Kurugliev (Greece) over Ethan Ramos (Puerto Rico) 11-0 Hassan Yazdani (Iran) over Jayden Lawrence (Australia) 10-0 Quarterfinals Aaron Brooks (USA) over Hayato Ishiguro (Japan) 11-1 Magomed Ramazanov (Bulgaria) over Javrail Shapiev (Uzbekistan) Fall 3:39 Myles Amine (San Marino) over Osman Nurmagomedov (Azerbaijan) 16-12 Hassan Yazdani (Iran) over Dauren Kurugliev (Greece) 9-4 Semifinals Magomed Ramazanov (Bulgaria) over Aaron Brooks (USA) 4-3 Hassan Yazdani (Iran) over Myles Amine (San Marino) 7-1 Repechage Javrail Shapiev (Uzbekistan) over Alexander Moore (Canada) 6-1 Dauren Kurugliev (Greece) over Jayden Lawrence (Australia) 10-0 Bronze Medal Matches Aaron Brooks (USA) over Javrail Shapiev (Uzbekistan) 5-0 Dauren Kurugliev (Greece) over Myles Amine (San Marino) 5-4 Gold Medal Match Magomed Ramazanov (Bulgaria) over Hassan Yazdani (Iran) 7-1 Notes: Magomed Ramazanov is the first Bulgarian to win an Olympic gold medal in men’s freestyle since the legendary Valentin Jordanov in 1996 at 52 kg. Ramazanov was the first Olympic medalist of any sort for Bulgaria in men’s freestyle since 2008 when Radoslav Velikov (55 kg) and Kiril Terziev (74 kg) both earned bronze medals. At 31 years old, Ramazanov was the oldest wrestler to win an Olympic gold medal in men’s freestyle this Olympic Games. Because of his previous affiliation with Russia, this was the first time that Ramazanov appeared at an Olympic Games or World Championship event. Hassan Yazdani was injured and barely made it through the gold medal match. Even so, he was able to claim his third Olympic medal (1 gold - 2 silver) and his 10th World/Olympic medal. Yazdani has now earned a medal at every World/Olympic event dating back to 2015. Yazdani was one of five wrestlers in this bracket with prior Olympic experience. He was the only one to have appeared in more than two Olympic Games. For the second straight year, Yazdani and Myles Amine met in the semifinals - in 2023 it was at the World Championships, but in both instances, Yazdani prevailed. Yazdani was the only medal winner from the 2020 Games to get back to the stand in 2024. Amine was the only other 2020 medals that was in the field. Amine and Dauren Kurugliev clashed in a bronze medal matchup. It was their third meeting in just over a year. Each one has been via an excruciatingly close, one-point margin. Amine was victorious at the 2023 Hungarian Ranking Series event, Kurugliev took this meeting and the 2024 European Championships. Kurugliev’s bronze medal is the first for Greece in men’s freestyle since the 2000 Olympic Games when Amiran Kardanov took bronze at 54 kg. Aaron Brooks joined Gable Steveson, J’den Cox, and Kyle Snyder as recent Olympic medalists who also competed in college during the Olympic year. With Brooks’ bronze medal, it marks the third straight Olympics that a wrestle from Maryland came away with a medal in men’s freestyle (Kyle Snyder in 2016/20). Brooks’ medal also gives the top-two recruits from the high school Class of 2018 Olympic medals. Brooks was considered #2 and Gable Steveson was #1. Since 2020, a Penn State grad has captured a medal at 86 kg in every World/Olympic event. Taylor (2020-23) and Brooks (2024). 86 kg is the only weight class in men’s freestyle where the Americans have medaled in each of the last three Olympic Games. (Brooks/2024/bronze), (Taylor/2020/gold), (Cox/2016/bronze). In each of the last three years, Azamat Dauletbekov (Kazakhstan) has been knocked out from gold medal contention by an American. In Paris, he was beaten by Brooks in the opening round. At the last two World Championship events, Dauletbekov was defeated by Taylor in the semifinals. This weight class featured three DI All-Americans with Brooks, Amine (San Marino/Michigan), and Ethan Ramos (Puerto Rico/North Carolina). The quarterfinal bout between Amine and Osman Nurmagomedov (Azerbaijan) was the second-highest scoring bout of the entire men’s freestyle tournament. 16-12 in favor of Amine and 28 total points. photo courtesy of Tony Rotundo; WrestlersAreWarriors.com

We're almost through August and we currently have no head coaching openings at the DI level after Bloomsburg's job was filled last week. Barring an unforeseen situation leading to a vacancy, there will be no further head coaching changes during the 2024 offseason. With the leaders of each program set, it seemed to be a good time to look back to see when every current DI head coach was hired. Note: We published a similar article in July of 2023 and then had the musical chairs of the North Carolina/Stanford/Princeton opening's so anything is possible! 2024 Bloomsburg - John Stutzman Buffalo - Donnie Vinson Central Michigan - Ben Bennett Columbia - Donny Pritzlaff Hofstra - Jamie Franco Oklahoma State - David Taylor Utah Valley - Adam Hall 2023 North Carolina - Rob Koll North Dakota State - Obe Blanc Oklahoma - Roger Kish Princeton - Joe Dubuque Stanford - Chris Ayres 2022 Brown - Jordan Leen Davidson - Nate Carr Jr. California Baptist - Derek Moore Morgan State - Kenny Monday 2021 American - Jason Borrelli Bellarmine - Ned Shuck Cornell - Mike Grey CSU Bakersfield - Luke Smith Illinois - Mike Poeta 2020 Campbell - Scotti Sentes Navy - Cary Kolat Oregon State - Chris Pendleton The Citadel - Ryan LeBlanc 2019 Maryland - Alex Clemsen 2018 Chattanooga - Kyle Ruschell Cleveland State - Josh Moore Edinboro - Matt Hill Indiana - Angel Escobedo Little Rock - Neil Erisman Michigan - Sean Bormet Presbyterian - Mark Cody South Dakota State - Damion Hahn VMI - Jim Gibson West Virginia - Tim Flynn Wisconsin - Chris Bono 2017 Binghamton - Kyle Borshoff George Mason - Frank Beasley Iowa State - Kevin Dresser Penn - Roger Reina Pittsburgh - Keith Gavin Rider - John Hangey Sacred Heart - John Clark Virginia Tech - Tony Robie 2016 Cal Poly - Jon Sioredas Minnesota - Brandon Eggum Northwestern - Matt Storniolo 2015 Michigan State - Roger Chandler 2014 Air Force - Sam Barber Arizona State - Zeke Jones Army West Point - Kevin Ward Clarion - Keith Ferraro Long Island - Joe Patrovich Northern Colorado - Troy Nickerson Purdue - Tony Ersland 2013 Lock Haven - Scott Moore SIU Edwardsville - Jeremy Spates 2012 Duke - Glen Lanham NC State - Pat Popolizio 2011 Drexel - Matt Azevedo Northern Illinois - Ryan Ludwig 2010 Franklin & Marshall - Mike Rogers Gardner-Webb - Daniel Elliott Northern Iowa - Doug Schwab 2009 Appalachian State - JohnMark Bentley Penn State - Cael Sanderson 2008 Lehigh - Pat Santoro Wyoming - Mark Branch 2007 Mercyhurst - Mike Wehler Rutgers - Scott Goodale 2006 Iowa - Tom Brands Ohio State - Tom Ryan Virginia - Steve Garland 2005 Bucknell - Dan Wirnsberger 2003 Kent State - Jim Andrassy 2000 Nebraska - Mark Manning 1998 Missouri - Brian Smith Ohio - Joel Greenlee 1995 Harvard - Jay Weiss

We’re now going down south to the SoCon to check out one of the perennial conference favorites Campbell. The Camels are led by Scotti Sentes who is heading into his fifth seed as head coach. Campbell returns a squad that features four 2024 national qualifiers and another coming off of an Olympic redshirt. In 2023-24, Campbell went 14-3 in dual competition and finished ranked 22nd in the nation in dual rankings. Some of the Camels notable dual wins include Army West Point, MAC champion Central Michigan, and rivals Appalachian State. While the SoCon tournament was not what Campbell hoped for, they did reach an impressive benchmark at nationals. Looking ahead to 2024-25, Campbell will likely feature an experienced lineup with the potential to challenge the seven national qualifiers that the 2021 team produced. Additionally, could Campbell place multiple wrestlers on the podium or have a multiple-time AA? I guess we’ll have to stick around for the upcoming season to find out. 125: Anthony Molton The Camels spark plug is back at 125 lbs and looking to make the NCAA tournament for the first time in his career. Molton was 21-5 last season and spent a significant amount of time in the national rankings, but a semifinal loss at the SoCon Championships coupled with a few other upsets at other conference tournaments was deemed too much for him to receive an at-large berth. A factor that may have hampered Molton in his NCAA bid was his lack of elite wins. Molton teched then-undefeated Jack Maida (American) for his first loss of the year; however, Maida struggled after that point and didn’t qualify himself. He also had at least one other dual where a ranked wrestler was not sent out to face him. Back in 2022-23, Molton made fans take notice when he knocked off the eventual NCAA runner-up, Matt Ramos (Purdue) - his old high school teammate. The two met once last season and Ramos prevailed both times. Two of his other five losses in 2023-24 came to eventual All-American Jore Volk (Wyoming). Molton clearly has the goods to make it to Philadelphia and make an impact at the national tournament, he just needs a couple of signature wins and to end the season on a better note. In each of the last two years, Molton has fallen in the SoCon semis. Since coming to Campbell after Fresno State dropped their program, Molton has amassed a very respectable 42-18 record. 133: Dom Zaccone photo courtesy of Sam Janicki; SJanickiPhoto.com In 2024-25, Dom Zaccone will be looking to qualify for the NCAA Tournament for a fourth time and capture an elusive SoCon title. In each of the last two seasons, Zaccone has fallen in the conference finals. Last year, 133 lbs was the deepest weight class in the SoCon with three automatic qualifiers and a couple of other fringe qualifiers. Despite this, Zaccone went 6-1 in conference duals with bonus points in five of those wins. His lone loss came to Ethan Oakley (Appalachian State), an opponent who he had defeated earlier in the season at the Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational. Once at nationals, Zaccone was granted the #22 seed and went 1-2 - the same record he compiled at the 2023 tournament. In the opening round, Zaccone pulled a slight upset by defeating #11 Zeth Romney (Cal Poly) via a 4-1 decision. He’d lose his next bout to the eventual champion, Vito Arujau (Cornell), and then was eliminated by Virginia Tech’s Sam Latona. During the regular season, Zaccone really made his mark with a fourth-place finish at the CKLV. In addition to his win over Oakley, Zaccone defeated two more national qualifiers (Farber and Chlebove) and an impressive true freshman (Tyler Knox). With Oakley moving on to North Carolina, Zaccone will start the year as an odds-on favorite to finally get his SoCon title. 141: Shannon Hanna Two-time national qualifier Shannon Hanna took off the 2023-24 season using an Olympic redshirt in an attempt to qualify for the Olympic Games for Barbados. Ultimately, Hanna did not make it to Paris but gained invaluable experience in the process. He earned bronze medals at both the U23 and Senior levels, while competing at the Pan-American Championships. Turning our attention back to the collegiate scene, Hanna will be gunning for his third SoCon title in 2024-25. He’s also seeking the chance to make an even bigger impression at the national tournament. Hanna has gone 0-2 in both of his previous trips. Even though Hanna’s focus was on freestyle last season, he did enter three open tournaments and went 9-4 along the way. His most impressive win during the year of open competition was during his title-winning performance at the Patriot Open, where he edged impressive Penn grayshirt Cross Wasilewski by a point. Hanna will jump back into a 141 lb weight class in the SoCon that was won by Chattanooga true freshman Isaiah Powe. He’ll probably need to win the weight class and post a couple of notable victories to get a better NCAA seed than in the past (#22/#27). That would probably position him better for a deep NCAA run. 149: Wynton Denkins The first three weights for Campbell feature veterans who are trying to fine-tune their games and get to a different level of national competition - but, at 149, they could have a young face that is still trying to establish himself in Wynton Denkins. Denkins is a sophomore who stepped in at 141 lbs last year with Hanna out of the lineup. All-in-all, Denkins acquitted himself well and showed flashes of the talent that made him a top-150 recruit in the high school Class of 2023. Denkins finished his first year in Buies Creek with a 15-9 record. During the dual season, Denkins wrestled close matches with the eventual national qualifiers, Powe and Todd Carter (Gardner-Webb). At SoCon’s, Denkins was on the wrong end of a 15-12 shootout against Powe in the semifinals. For the 2024-25 campaign, Denkins is expected to move up to the 149 lb weight class. This is a bracket that sent two qualifiers to Kansas City; however, only one (Jeffrey Boyd - The Citadel) returns. That means 149 could be wide open in the conference and perhaps Denkins is someone who seizes control of the opportunity. 157: Chris Earnest Speaking of second-year sophomore starters, Campbell has another in Chris Earnest. Like Denkins, Earnest was a top-150 recruit from the state of Ohio who found his way into the Camels starting lineup as a true freshman. Earnest’s collegiate career started on a high note with an upset over ranked national qualifier, Nate Lukez (Army West Point), during his debut. From there, Earnest seemed to have a season like many freshmen do - a few losses he’d probably like to have back, but some really good moments, as well. Earnest went 2-2 in a 157 lb CKLV bracket that probably featured the toughest in-season field of any single weight class in a decade. The top-six finishers were all All-American’s at least once in their careers and two 2024 AA’s field to find the medal stand. A pair of losses to Davidson’s Tanner Peake probably derailed Earnest’s NCAA qualification hopes more than any others. Earnest fell to Peak in dual competition and in the semifinals of the SoCon Championships. With a full year in the Campbell room and valuable in-match experience under his belt, I’d expect Earnest to take that next step in 2024-25 and make a serious push for a spot in Philadelphia. Like his teammate Zaccone, one of Earnest’s biggest in-conference hurdles, Tommy Askey, has transferred leaving 157 lbs relatively open in the upcoming season. 165: Dom Baker/Riley Augustine/Kendrick Hodge In just one offseason, Dom Baker went from a true freshman with a record under .500 to someone who earned an automatic qualifying slot for the conference and used it for his first trip to nationals. Baker started his sophomore year slowly with a 1-2 showing at the CKLV Invitational; however, he turned around his fortunes by promptly winning his next six duals. Included in that streak was an opponent who defeated him in Vegas (Stoney Buell - Purdue) and another who went on to earn All-American honors (Hunter Garvin - Stanford). In his first national tournament appearance, Baker went 1-2 with a victory via fall over #23 Derek Fields (NC State). Both wrestlers who defeated him went on to collect All-American honors. Since Baker was immediately inserted into the Campbell lineup, in 2022-23, he has a redshirt to take. It appears as if the tandem of Riley Augustine and Kendrick Hodge will get a chance to establish one of themselves as the starter with the intention of redshirting Baker. If neither does so, Baker can be pulled. Augustine is a senior who has seen plenty of dual action at 174 lbs for Campbell but has never been the postseason entry. Last year, Augustine was 7-5 overall and 3-3 in dual competition. Hodge is a true freshman who was Campbell’s highest-ranked signee in the Class of 2024, coming in at #89 overall. The Florida native was a two-time NHSCA finalist, who capped off his high school career with a Senior National title. 174: Brant Cracraft Sentes’ team will try to replace one of their stalwarts at this weight class in Austin Murphy, who was a two-time SoCon champion and a Round of 12 finisher in 2021. While Campbell has plenty of options at 174 lbs, some of which are from their Class of 2024, veteran Brant Cracraft may have an early edge on the rest of the field. Cracraft is moving up from 165 lbs where he went 3-7 last season. He saw action in three duals last season and was winless in those. Campbell also has veteran Cole Rees and true freshmen Mike Kinzel and Kaleb Wright who could see action at 174 lbs. Rees was 6-15 in 2022-23, but did not see any action last season. 184: Conor Maslanek Another weight where Campbell will be replacing a long-time starter is 184 lbs with Caleb Hopkins who has exhausted his eligibility. In steps veteran Conor Maslanek who is in his fourth year with the program and is a redshirt junior. Maslanek wrestled at 197 lbs during his first two years with the team, but moved down to 184 for the 2023-24 campaign. With Hopkins in the fold, Maslanek didn’t get many opportunities to take the mat in dual competition; however, he was 1-2 when called upon. Maslanek was 11-7 overall. Certainly, the highlight of his 2023-24 season was a win over Navy’s David Key, who went on to earn All-American honors in Kansas City. A win like that should instill confidence in Maslanek and Campbell fans who are looking for a steady replacement for Hopkins. 197: Levi Hopkins photo courtesy of Sam Janicki; SJanickiPhoto.com The back end of the Campbell lineup has been a strength, of late, and should continue to be one again in 2024-25 with 197 lber Levi Hopkins being one of the reasons for optimism. Hopkins has won SoCon titles in each of the last two years at this weight and even earned a #13 seed at nationals last year. Hopkins got off to a decent start last season, but really turned it on winning 15 of his last 16 regular season matches. During that span, Hopkins tallied eight of his 13 falls. Hopkins really was head and shoulders above the rest of the SoCon, as he notched first-period pins in each of his three matches at the conference tournament. This year, Hopkins will be looking to make more of an impact at the NCAA meet. In Kansas City, Hopkins suffered a slight upset in the opponent round, with a tiebreaker loss to Evan Bockman (then of Utah Valley). He was eliminated in his next match. As is often the case with upperweights, 197 cleared out a bit after last year. That should lead to a good preseason ranking for Hopkins as he tries to prove he’s much closer to the national podium than a 0-2 finish at nationals. In the offseason, Coach Sentes brought in former national runner-up and three-time All-American, TJ Dudley as an assistant coach. Hopkins will likely benefit from a new high-caliber coach around his weight. 285: Taye Ghadiali photo courtesy of Sam Janicki; SJanickiPhoto.com The first NCAA All-American under Sentes (as head coach) and only the second one in program history was Taye Ghadiali who finished eighth in Kansas City. Ghadiali is a remarkable development story for the Campbell staff as he was a little-known recruit who fought to a 15-11 record after two seasons, then continued to blossom into a national force and an All-American. Ghadiali finished the 2023-24 campaign with a sparkling 36-6 record and claimed his third consecutive SoCon crown along the way. At the national tournament, Ghadiali suffered a loss in the Round of 16 but battled back through the consolations with three straight wins to clinch All-American honors. Two of those victories came against top-ten seeds who were conference champions. The bloodround win was in sudden victory over the fifth-seed, EIWA champion Nathan Taylor (Lehigh). While Ghadiali was far from an unknown commodity heading into the 2023-24 season, he showed the wrestling world what he was capable of in Vegas with a third-place finish at a loaded weight class. Coincidentally, he earned wins over a pair of wrestlers he’d later beat at NCAA’s (Cory Day - Binghamton and Owen Trephan - NC State). Looking ahead to 2024-25, I’d expect more of the same from Ghadiali - lots of wins and lots of bonus points in the process. Ghadiali amassed bonus points in over 70% of his matches last year and racked up 12 falls. We’ll see if Ghadiali can become the first two-time NCAA All-American in program history. Previous “Never Too Early Lineup Looks:” Air Force Indiana Iowa State Lock Haven North Carolina Northern Iowa Oregon State West Virginia

Omaha just got even better! This morning, seven-time World/Olympic champion Jordan Burroughs made an Instagram post that read “Can’t let you guys have all the fun without me. See you in Omaha.” The post was made in conjunction with a handful of pictures of him training. Burroughs will presumably attempt to make his 12th World/Olympic team and his first since winning his seventh World/Olympic title in 2022. The World Team Trials slated for September 14th and 15th in Omaha, Nebraska, are for the non-Olympic weights for the upcoming World Championships. Wrestlers who did not participate in the Games are eligible at those non-Olympic weights. For men’s freestyle, they are: 61kg, 70kg, 79kg, and 92 kg. Burroughs would enter the 79kg bracket which is where he won his world titles in 2021 and 2022. Burroughs last wrestled at 79kgs in Final X 2023 - losing to Chance Marsteller in an epic three-match series. Recently, Burroughs was on the microphone doing commentary for the 2024 Olympic Games. While he sounded like a polished vet, Burroughs also didn’t come off like someone who was ready to retire and even dropped a couple of subtle (or not-so-subtle) hints that he wasn’t done competing. The 2024 Olympic Games marked the 12-year anniversary of Burroughs’ Olympic gold medal-winning performance in London. Another layer of this story is that the Trials are back in Omaha, not far from his long-time home in Lincoln at the University of Nebraska. The location probably didn’t factor into Burroughs’ decision, but likely is an added bonus. We last saw Burroughs in action at the 2024 Olympic Trials on the campus of Penn State University. At the Trials, Burroughs defeated Penn State star Mitchell Mesenbrink in a heated affair, before losing to former Nittany Lion great Jason Nolf. After each bout, Burroughs was met with boos from a large portion of the crowd, likely due to the many interactions between him and Mesenbrink throughout and after their match. For someone nearing the end of their remarkable career, that didn’t seem like the environment that Burroughs would choose for potentially his final matches on American soil. That led many to assume what was confirmed today - JB isn’t done yet and is ready for the Trials!

Rutgers University announced today that they have filled a vacancy on their coaching staff by adding four-time NCAA All-American Mikey Labriola to their coaching ranks. Labriola is a Nebraska graduate who held down the 174 lb weight class for the Cornhuskers from 2019-23. At Nebraska, Labriola amassed a 115-29 record and capped his career with Big Ten and NCAA finals appearances. In both instances, Labriola was beaten by the eventual national champion Carter Starocci of Penn State. Labriola got on the NCAA podium as a redshirt freshman finishing sixth in the nation, while starting the tournament as the 10th seed. A year later, he was seeded 10th at the 2020 NCAA Tournament - the one wiped out by Covid. In 2021, Labriola finished third in the country and he was seventh a year later. During the regular season, Labriola captured a pair of titles at the Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational and was a vital cog on a Nebraska team that won that tournament three straight seasons. Since finishing up at Nebraska, Labriola has moved back to the East Coast to train with the Lehigh Valley Wrestling Club. Labriola is originally from Easton, Pennsylvania - in the Lehigh Valley, and went to high school at Bethlehem Catholic. The position at Rutgers will allow Labriola to remain relatively close to home. Rutgers needed an assistant coach after associate head coach Donny Pritzlaff was hired to lead Columbia as their head coach. The Scarlet Knights return a very strong lineup that includes four past NCAA All-Americans and ten wrestlers with prior NCAA experience. Rutgers finished the 2023-24 campaign with a 12-5 record and 20th at the NCAA Tournament in Kansas City. They racked up 22.5 points on the strength of two All-American performances.

Belle Vernon

Lovett

Central Bucks West

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2024: FCW Top-20 Fantasy Wrestlers 149 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 149 Top-20 Notes: The only NCAA Champion to also finish as the #1 Fantasy Wrestler in their weight, was Caleb Henson. He was a leader in the overall standings for much of the year, amassing two pins, five techs, and two majors in his first 12 matches. But as the regular season came to a close, six of his last nine matches ended in decisions. The wire-to-wire InterMat top ranked 149 lber, Ridge Lovett, finishes at #2 in the fantasy standings, 11 Fpts behind Henson. He did finish with the best PPM of any 149 wrestler in the Top-20, edging out Henson by 0.01 even. Lehigh’s 149 slot seemed to be a revolving door during the season, but it was Kelvin Griffin who got the postseason nod. Despite his 11 losses, and only wrestling in three dual meets, his entry into seven in-season tournaments helped him propel up the standings to #3. Another true freshman success story, Ty Watters, had 10 pins in his first 18 matches of the season (though nine of the ten were ranked higher than 100 on WrestleStat). The best pin of his during the regular season is slotted one rank below him in the Top-20 at #5, Corbyn Munson. Jackson Arrington and Jude Swisher both had 67 Fpts but arrived at it from two completely different paths. Arrington, who finished at #6 on the Top-20, was starter from day one and rattled off six techs in his first six matches. Swisher, #7 on the Top-20 this season, was in a roster battle a weight up until the last 20 days of the season when he dropped to 149. Swisher would wrestle nine matches in 21 days, and in a two day span, travel from Philly, to Lancaster, to Fairfax VA and back (a total of ~375 miles round trip) Mr. All-He-Does-Is-AA Kyle Parco is also Mr. Consistent when it comes to fantasy wrestling as well. In the past four years (2021 to 2024) he has finished in the Top-10 at 149, with his best year being 2022 where he finished 4th. Not counting the COVID year 2021, he's also wrestled at least 20 regular season matches each year. Three redshirts make the list, with Sam Cartella as the best falling 0.5 PPM outside the Top-10. Lucas Kapusta wrestled in only one dual meet for Lock Haven, but represented them at seven tournaments, which helped him finish at #15. And lastly, Kannon Webster wrestled the least number of matches inside the Top-20 with 18. Who Missed The Cut: Four All-Americans missed the Top-20, with Casey Swiderski (ISU) the closest by one Fpt. Road warrior Tyler Kasak (PSU) finished with 41 Fpts, and Quinn Kinner (RID) with 23 Fpts. National finalist Austin Gomez (MICH) only wrestled in eight matches, going 7-1 for a total of 24 Fpts Ethan Fernandez (COR) was the first man out at #21, tying #20 Drew Roberts but falling 0.2 behind in PPM. Nicholas Stonecheck (LHU) takes the #22 spot, also with 43 Fpts, but behind in PPM to Fernandez by 0.1. Other notables to miss the Top-20 include Ethen Miller (MARY) with 38 Fpts, Caleb Rathjen (IOWA) with 33 Fpts, Jordan Wiliams (OKST) with 25 Fpts, Jaden Abas (STAN) with 22 Fpts, and Gabe Willochell (WYO) with 14 Fpts

Late Saturday night, we had an unexpected news drop. The actual information was not totally surprising as there were hints about it earlier in the week; however, a Saturday night announcement tends to be unusual. The news itself is that 2024 Olympian, Roman Bravo-Young, will head west to join Oklahoma State’s Cowboy RTC. Like first-year Cowboy head coach David Taylor, Bravo-Young is a Penn State alum. While in State College, Bravo-Young was a two-time national champion, a three-time finalist, and a three-time Big Ten champion. Bravo-Young went undefeated in his two title-winning campaigns and was 100-10 in a Penn State singlet. Bravo-Young chose to represent Mexico internationally and qualified for the 2024 Olympic Games after three dominating wins at the Pan-American Olympic Qualifier. In Paris, Bravo-Young drew three-time world bronze medalist Arsen Harutyunyan of Armenia in the opening round and ended up losing via tech, 13-3. With Bravo-Young’s addition, Oklahoma State has one of the most impressive sets of lightweight training partners in the nation. Along with Bravo-Young are Daton Fix and assistant coach Thomas Gilman. Both Fix and Gilman have made Senior world finals at least once in their international careers. Bravo-Young and Fix are no strangers to one another, as the former Nittany Lion twice defeated Fix in the NCAA finals, each time by an excruciatingly thin margin. Bravo-Young has hinted at moving to MMA at some point. His move to Stillwater signals that he isn’t ready to leave the wrestling mat quite yet.

The 2024 Olympic Games came to an end on Sunday. Since there was so much action going on for the last week you're sure to have missed something along the way. We'll go through each weight class and have a wrap-up for each, which includes results and some notable facts related to the weight. Past weight classes Greco-Roman: 60 kg Greco-Roman: 67 kg Greco-Roman: 77 kg Greco-Roman: 87 kg Greco-Roman: 97 kg Greco-Roman: 130 kg Women's Freestyle: 50 kg Women's Freestyle: 53 kg Women's Freestyle: 68 kg Round of 16 Rei Higuchi (Japan) over Alireza Sarlak (Iran) FFT Darian Cruz (Puerto Rico) over Gamal Mohamed (Egypt) Fall 1:30 Aman Sehrawat (India) over Vladimir Egorov (North Macedonia) 8-0 Zelimkhan Abakarov (Albania) over Diamantino Iuna Fafe (Guinea-Bissau) 7-6 Bekzat Almaz Uulu (Kyrgyzstan) over Meirambek Kartbay (Kazakhstan) 4-1 Spencer Lee (USA) over Wanhao Zou (China) 3-2 Gulomjon Abdullaev (Uzbekistan) over Aliabbas Rzazade (Azerbaijan) 11-4 Arsen Harutyunyan (Armenia) over Roman Bravo-Young (Mexico) 13-3 Quarterfinals Rei Higuchi (Japan) over Darian Cruz (Puerto Rico) 12-2 Aman Sehrawat (India) over Zelimkhan Abakarov (Albania) 12-0 Spencer Lee (USA) over Bekzat Almaz Uulu (Kyrgyzstan) 12-2 Gulomjon Abdullaev (Uzbekistan) over Arsen Harutyunyan (Armenia) 12-5 Semifinals Rei Higuchi (Japan) over Aman Sehrawat (India) 10-0 Spencer Lee (USA) over Gulomjon Abdullaev (Uzbekistan) 14-4 Repechage Bekzat Almaz Uulu (Kyrgyzstan) over Wanhao Zou (China) Fall 2:24 Darian Cruz (Puerto Rico) over Alireza Sarlak (Iran) FFT Bronze Medal Matches Gulomjon Abdullaev (Uzbekistan) over Bekzat Almaz Uulu (Kyrgyzstan) 4-1 Aman Sehrawat (India) over Darian Cruz (Puerto Rico) 13-5 Gold Medal Match Rei Higuchi (Japan) over Spencer Lee (USA) 4-2 Notes: Rei Higuchi captured his second career Olympic medal - he has a silver from way back in 2016 in his collection as well. Higuchi now has four World/Olympic medals with two of them being gold. Higuchi is Japan’s first multiple-time Olympic medalist in men’s freestyle since Akira Ota in 1984 (2) and 1988 (2). Of the three wrestlers in this bracket with prior world medals, only Higuchi was able to get on the medal stand. Spencer Lee earned a silver medal in his first Senior-level World/Olympic event. The last three 57 kg representatives for the United States have all wrestled for the University of Iowa. The two finalists generally appeared to be on a level of their own above the rest of the weight class. They combined to outscore their opponents 51-10 (plus a forfeit) on the way to the finals. The United States and India both had Olympic medalists in 2020 and 2024 at this weight; however, neither came from the same wrestler. Thomas Gilman and Ravi Kumar were the medalists in 2020. Sehrawat was the youngest of the medalists at 21. The quarterfinal round saw a pair of past world medalists and favorites lose in relatively one-sided matches. Abakarov was teched by Sehrawat and Harutyunyan was defeated 12-5 by Abdullaev. All four quarterfinal winners posted 12 points in each of their matches. This was the only men’s freestyle weight where Iran did not post an individual win. Sarlak was a very late replacement and ended up forfeiting to Higuchi in the opening round. Three of the eight seeded wrestlers fell in the first round. #3 Kartbay, #6 Zou, #8 Mohamed. As you might expect from 57 kg, this weight class was littered with first-time Olympians. Only Abdullaev, Harutyunyan, Higuchi, and Iuna Fafe and previous Olympic experience. This bracket contained three NCAA champions with Lee (x3), Roman Bravo-Young (x2), and Darian Cruz. photo courtesy of Tony Rotundo; WrestlersAreWarriors.com

The 2024 Olympic Games came to an end on Sunday. Since there was so much action going on for the last week you're sure to have missed something along the way. We'll go through each weight class and have a wrap-up for each, which includes results and some notable facts related to the weight. Past weight classes Greco-Roman: 60 kg Greco-Roman: 67 kg Greco-Roman: 77 kg Greco-Roman: 87 kg Greco-Roman: 97 kg Greco-Roman: 130 kg Women's Freestyle: 50 kg Women's Freestyle: 68 kg Round of 16 Lucia Yepez Guzman (Ecuador) over Hyogyong Choe (North Korea) 7-4 Andreea Ana (Romania) over Mariana Dragutan (Moldova) 5-0 Annika Wendle (Germany) over Maria Prevolaraki (Greece) 3-2 Zeynep Yetgil (Turkey) over Antim Panghal (India) 10-0 Akari Fujinami (Japan) over Dom Parrish (USA) Fall 2:05 Khulan Batkhuyag (Mongolia) over Christianah Ogunsanya (Nigeria) Fall 2:19 Qianyu Pang (China) over Mia Aquino (Guam) 10-0 Emma Malmgren (Sweden) over Betzabeth Arguello (Venezuela) Fall 5:06 Quarterfinals Lucia Yepez Guzman (Ecuador) over Andreea Ana (Romania) Fall 4:41 Annika Wendle (Germany) over Zeynep Yetgil (Turkey) Fall 4:22 Akari Fujinami (Japan) over Khulan Batkhuyag (Mongolia) 8-2 Qianyu Pang (China) over Emma Malmgren (Sweden) 10-2 Semifinals Lucia Yepez Guzman (Ecuador) over Annika Wendle (Germany) 10-0 Akari Fujinami (Japan) over Qianyu Pang (China) 10-0 Repechage Khulan Batkhuyag (Mongolia) over Dom Parrish (USA) Fall 4:35 Hyogyong Choe (North Korea) over Andreea Ana (Romania) 11-0 Bronze Medal Matches Hyogyong Choe (North Korea) over Annika Wendle (Germany) InjDef Qianyu Pang (China) over Khulan Batkhuyag (Mongolia) Fall 1:05 Gold Medal Matches Akari Fujinami (Japan) over Lucia Yepez Guzman (Ecuador) 10-0 Notes: Despite being only 20 years old, Akari Fujinami is now a two-time world champion and Olympic gold medalist. With four wins at the Olympic Games, Fujinami has a winning streak that has extended to 137 matches. Only one of Fujinami’s four matches went the full six minutes. Lucia Yepez Guzman’s silver medal was the first Olympic medal for Ecuador in any of the three styles of wrestling. This was the most Asian dominated medal stand. Three of the four medalists represent Asian countries. Hyogyong Choe became the first North Korean woman to earn an Olympic medal in wrestling with her bronze medal. China’s Qianyu Pang (China) is now a two-time Olympic medalist (2,3). She is also a four-time World/Olympic medalist. Three of the four medalists are 24 years old or younger. China’s Pang (27) was the oldest of the bunch. Three of the eight seeded wrestlers lost in the first round, #4 Antim Panghal, #5 Maria Prevolaraki, #6 Christianah Ogunsanya. American fans are aware that a pair of world medalists clashed in the opening round as Fujinami pinned Dom Parrish. It was the only first round matchup between past world medalists. Parrish also met Khulan Batkhuyag in repechage. The two met in the world finals in 2022 and Parrish prevailed 4-2. This time the Mongolian picked up a win via fall. This might have been the most lopsided bracket in terms of tiers of talent. Of the 19 matches wrestled at this weight, only five of them went the full six minutes. Along those same lines, 53 kg was the only women’s weight class where there were techs in both semifinal matches. Fujinami and Yepez Guzman are the only wrestlers who made the medal stand at this weight last year at the World Championships and in Paris. Emma Malmgren was one of only two Swedish women in the tournament. Malmgren was the only two pick up a win. Pang, Andreea Ana, and Maria Prevolaraki are the only members of the 53 kg 2020 Olympic bracket that returned in 2024. Yepez Guzman is the only other wrestler in the bracket with Olympic experience (at 50 kg in 2020). Prevolaraki was easily the most experienced wrestler in this field. She competed in the Olympic Games for a fourth time, though she has never medaled.

2x All-American Jacob Cardenas had to transfer in the offseason to use his final year of collegiate eligibility - which led him to the University of Michigan. Cardenas is excited for big duals that come along with wrestling in the Big Ten. Cardenas talks with Kevin Claunch about his career at Cornell - one that featured a head coaching change, international competition, and plenty of wins at 197 lbs. For the full interview:

Bloomsburg got their guy! And it’s a very familiar face - former Husky head coach John Stutzman will be back to lead their wrestling program after holding the same position from 2005-13. Earlier this week, Davidson announced that Stutzman had joined their coaching staff for the 2024-25 season; however, there has been a pivot and Stutzman will be headed back to his old stomping grounds at Bloomsburg. During his first tenure, Stutzman amassed a 97-56-1 with three third place finishes at the old EWL Championships. Stutzman also saw his wrestlers get onto the NCAA podium on three occasions, with Mike Spaid finishing eighth in 2007 and Matt Moley AA’ing twice (8th in 2008 - 6th in 2009). The 2012-13 season saw Bloomsburg go 17-3 in dual action including a perfect 5-0 record in conference duals. It was the first outright conference championship in school history and the team finished the season ranked 15th in the nation. The 17 wins remain a high for the program. After the 2013 NCAA Tournament, Stutzman left to take the reins at his alma mater, Buffalo. Stutzman coached at Buffalo from 2013 until the spring of 2024. At Buffalo, Stutzman pushed 25 wrestlers to the NCAA Tournament and put together a 89-107 dual record. Four times in his career, Stutzman has been named his respective conference’s Coach of the Year. Three times in the EWL and once in the MAC. Stutzman’s trademark at Bloomsburg was putting together highly competitive teams that were largely composed of wrestlers that were developed in the room and not necessarily considered blue-chip recruits. He’ll inherit a team that has won four duals in each of the last two seasons. The Huskies did not have a national qualifier in 2024, but sent Josh Mason in 2023. Bloomsburg had been led by Marcus Gordon for the last eight years.

Is this the end of the Golden Age of American wrestling, or just the end of phase one? Patrick It’s more like this is the end of phase three. And phase four will not slow down at all. We’ll have an entire new cast of characters in phase four and they are as legit as it gets. Phase one kicked off in 2012 when Jordan Burroughs brought home gold from London and then dominated the next cycle with a whole bunch of world titles. But a new hero emerged during the wee hours of the night in Rio and Kyle Snyder emerged as the top dog in the second half of the decade. But as Kyle struggles with the supervillain that is Sadulaev, David Taylor starts to stake his claim as the best in the world before putting an exclamation point on his run with Tokyo gold and kickstarting phase three as the new face of American wrestling. And now we head into phase four with no clear leader but with an abundance of talent. It would not surprise me at all if 2028 had six new members of the team heading into LA. There is no way to know what will happen with Spencer Lee in the next four years and he will be pushing 30 by then. Zain wasn’t even going to compete this year so he’s likely gone. Which by the way, if this is it for the Zain Train, it’s a shame that it ends this way with an injury but thank you for all the years of great wrestling that you gave us. You were ferocious on the mat and all class off the mat, maybe our guy comes back for one more year and gets a proper sendoff. Honestly, it wouldn’t surprise me at all if Kyle Dake comes back and finishes the story, but for now, I can see him taking some time off. Aaron Brooks is the best candidate to be a top dog now as he moves up a weight before possibly trying to usurp Snyder for the spot he’s owned for a decade now. At heavyweight, I’m calling it now that Gable Steveson will be back in 2028 to reclaim world dominance. So who will be the new players in the next four years? Aside from the insane amount of depth we have already at the senior level, go check out the current U20 team and tell me if we’re in trouble. Just a loaded bunch. I'm headed to the shore this weekend and want to sound Jagger-sharp when discussing Sebastian Rivera. What made the difference in bringing the medal back to Jersey? Salty Walkon The difference is he lives his life. He enjoys every minute of what he does and the moment is never too big for him. Not everybody can party all night at Jenks, then be in Paris a few weeks later and take home hardware. New Jersey wrestlers have a long history of Olympic success and our guy Seabass is keeping that tradition alive. Plus, I bought his shirt and I’m wearing it right now. What is one thing I can't forget to pack for DC? Dysen Gould Clean shower shoes. Crash Davis can explain it to you in Bull Durham. You can leave the Skenes jersey home since I don’t think you’ll need it this October. When Va Tech wrestles Rutgers this season, who will the Hokies send out at 285 to face returning All-American Yara Slavikouski, returning starter Hunter Catka, or Jersey Boy Jimmy Mullen? Mike Abromitis You have to assume Mullen is ready to win the starting job as he’s a prized recruit who has given up football, for the time being, to concentrate strictly on wrestling. But the dual is early in the season and we can’t even be sure Yara will be there. Being a sixth-year guy with a bit of an injury history, the Rutgers big man could be on a bit of a pitch count early in the season. But you’re gonna see Mullen everywhere.

The 2024 Olympic Games came to an end on Sunday. Since there was so much action going on for the last week you're sure to have missed something along the way. We'll go through each weight class and have a wrap-up for each, which includes results and some notable facts related to the weight. Past weight classes Greco-Roman: 60 kg Greco-Roman: 67 kg Greco-Roman: 77 kg Greco-Roman: 97 kg Greco-Roman: 130 kg Women's Freestyle: 50 kg Women's Freestyle: 68 kg Round of 16 Arkadiusz Kulynycz (Poland) over Ali Cengiz (Turkey) 5-3 Alireza Mohmadipiani (Iran) over Carlos Munoz Jaramillo (Colombia) 9-0 Nursultan Tursynov (Kazakhstan) over Mohamed Metwally (Egypt) 10-1 Zhan Beleniuk (Ukraine) over Haitao Qian (China) 7-1 Semen Novikov (Bulgaria) over Turpal Bisultanov (Denmark) 5-1 Lasha Gobadze (Georgia) over Bachir Sid Azara (Algeria) 2-1 Aleksandr Komarov (Serbia) over Payton Jacobson (USA) 9-0 David Losonczi (Hungary) over Rafig Huseynov (Azerbaijan) 5-2 Quarterfinals Alireza Mohmadipiani (Iran) over Arkadiusz Kulynycz (Poland) 10-1 Zhan Beleniuk (Ukraine) over Nursultan Tursynov (Kazakhstan) 7-3 Semen Novikov (Bulgaria) over Lasha Gobadze (Georgia) 8-3 David Losonczi (Hungary) over Aleksandr Komarov (Serbia) 2-2 Semifinals Alireza Mohmadipiani (Iran) over Zhan Beleniuk (Ukraine) 3-3 Semen Novikov (Bulgaria) over David Losonczi (Hungary) 3-1 Repechage Arkadiusz Kulynycz (Poland) over Carlos Munoz Jaramillo (Colombia) 3-1 Turpal Bisultanov (Denmark) over Lasha Gobadze (Georgia) 6-0 Bronze Medal Matches Turpal Bisultanov (Denmark) over David Losonczi (Hungary) 2-1 Zhan Beleniuk (Ukraine) over Arkadiusz Kulynycz (Poland) 3-1 Gold Medal Match Semen Novikov (Bulgaria) over Alireza Mohmadipiani (Iran) 7-0 Notes: Semen Novikov is Bulgaria’s first Olympic gold medalist in Greco since Armen Nazarian won the 58 kg weight class in 2000. Novikov is Bulgaria’s first Olympic medalist in Greco since Yavor Yanakiev was a bronze medalist at 74 kg in 2008. This weight class had five past world champions in the bracket yet none of them advanced to the gold medal match. Novikov had to beat a pair of past world champions to make the finals (Gobadze, Losonczi). In 2023, Novikov and and Losonczi met in the world semifinals and the Hungarian won 10-0. This year Novikov turned the tables with a 3-1 victory. With his Olympic gold medal, Novikov now has a pair of World/Olympic medals. Alireza Mohmadipiani was the third Iranian to advance to a gold medal match. Mohmadipiani was a 2023 world silver medalist, before getting silver in Paris. Zhan Beleniuk earned his third Olympic medal. He now had one in all three colors. Beleniuk will finish his career with eight world/Olympic medals. With ten returning World/Olympic medalists in this weight class, we knew we’d have some great first round matchups. Half of them featured past medalists clashing. Speaking of monster first-round matches, the final one in the bracket saw 2023 co-world champion Losonczi and two-time world champ Rafig Huseynov battle. Huseynov and Cengiz were a pair of past world champions who fell in round one. #1 Cengiz, along with #6 Bachir Sid Azara and #8 Carlos Munoz Jaramillo were the top-eight seeds that lost in the opening round. Kulynycz accounted for Poland’s only two Greco-Roman wins as he was their only representative.

Led by returning National Champ and Big 12 Wrestler of the Year Parker Keckeisen, the Panthers return a strong lineup featuring seven 2024 qualifiers and two conference champs. The team finished fifth in the Big 12 tournament and went on to finish in the top 15 for the first time since 2019. They only graduated one starter in Tyrell Gordon, but have a NJCAA champ who spent last season adjusting to heavyweight and Division I. With an experienced lineup and no real holes, the Panthers will be looking to break into the top ten for the first time since 1992. 125lbs: Trever Anderson (Soph.) Pull just about any name from a hat at this weight class last season and you’re likely to find a quality win on their record, and Anderson had a handful in a chaotic season. He broke onto the national scene with a win over Jakob Camacho at Collegiate Duals, then had tight losses to wrestlers like Caleb Smith and Troy Spratley. A strong, lanky wrestler who excels from top, Anderson’s 11-12 record shows wins over qualifiers Eli Griffin, Kysen Terukina, and Nick Babin throughout the year. Two barnburner matches at Big 12’s saw him come up short and just miss out on qualifying in his first year. If he can find more consistency next season in a wild weight, Anderson is one of many deep sleeper picks to make an impact. 133lbs: Julian Farber (Senior) After spending time as a backup and scoring some ranked wins, Farber earned his spot in the lineup and didn’t look back, as he qualified for NCAA’s in his first opportunity. He started the year with a runner-up finish at the Daktronics Open before a seventh-place finish at CKLV. His biggest win came at the Collegiate Duals, with an upset over Nic Bouzakis. Other ranked wins included Gable Strickland, Jacob Van Dee, Jace Koelzer, and Hunter Leake in the regular season before a seventh-place finish at Big 12’s. While he didn’t score an AQ spot, Farber earned an At-Large spot to compete in Kansas City. Going into next season Farber is a battle-experienced veteran that has the potential to score some important points for the Panthers. photo courtesy of Tony Rotundo 141lbs: Cael Happel (Senior) Heading into his final season, Happel’s career shows a trend of continuous improvement after a bloodround finish in 2024. His first year in the lineup saw him score multiple ranked wins throughout the year, but an 0-2 Big 12 tournament put him as the first alternate for NCAA’s. In 2023, there was a similar situation where after a strong regular season, he found himself needing an At-Large bid for NCAA’s. He had a strong resume to earn one and went on to finish in the round of 16. Happel continued his rise in 2024, with a strong regular season followed by a runner-up finish at Big 12’s, his first time on the conference podium. NCAA’s saw him get upset in the first round by eventual All-American Vince Vombaur before reeling off wins against Tagen Jamison, Sergio Lemley, and Cole Matthews. A narrow loss to Real Woods in the bloodround ended his run, but he returns looking to continue to build in one of the toughest weight classes in the conference. 149lbs: Colin Realbuto (Senior) A seventh-year senior, Realbuto spent last season taking an Olympic redshirt while representing Italy. He had represented the country at the Senior World Championships in 2021 and 2023, getting his first win at 2023 World’s. While he was not able to qualify in 2024, he returns to the Panthers lineup as a podium threat as a two-time NCAA qualifier. The last time we saw Realbuto in folkstyle was 2023, where he had a 20-8 record and 1-2 performance at NCAA’s. In 2022 he made the round of 16 and was third in the Big 12. His record has wins that show his high upside, including over Victor Voinovich, Kellyn March, and Sammy Sasso. A bit of a wildcard for 2025, he returns to a conference weight class that returns all eight placers from last year. photo courtesy of Tony Rotundo 157lbs: Ryder Downey (Soph.) One of the biggest surprises of the 2024 season came in Ryder Downey, a four-time state medalist in Iowa who came out of high school unranked. He went 6-4 at 149 against Division I opponents in a mostly unassuming redshirt season in 2023. That changed in 2024, breaking onto the scene at CKLV. He missed the podium there but scored ranked wins over Paddy Gallagher and Trevor Chumbley. Downey went on to beat Peyton Robb, Teague Travis, and Cody Chittum in dual action throughout the year to climb the rankings. At Big 12’s he continued his run, where he and Chittum had one of the longest matches of the year. The two battled into double overtime with Downey taking the title with impressive riding ability. He made the bloodround at NCAA’s, losing to former Big 12 wrestler Jared Franek in a close decision. Downey is a young cornerstone for this roster heading into next season and should be another podium threat. 165lbs: Jack Thomsen (Senior)/RJ Weston (Junior) This weight is the only “question mark” for the Panthers as they return a qualifier from last season. Thomsen won the spot last season after going back and forth with Robert (“RJ”) Weston. Thomsen was an At-Large qualifier with a 12-11 record after spending three years at SDSU. He came on strong late in the year, with wins over Tanner Cook and Cael Carlson to finish sixth at Big 12’s and win his pigtail match at NCAA’s. Weston started the year at 157 but made the move up after losing to Ryder Downey at the Daktronics Open. At 165, he had a strong win over Andrew Cerniglia at the Soldier Salute but struggled against ranked opponents in duals. Thomsen is the favorite after last season, but if Weston commits to 165 next season then there could be another back-and-forth for the starting spot this season. A potential sleeper to look out for is Lance Runyon, a two-time qualifier who has struggled with injuries and missed all of last season. He has been at 174 for three years but redshirted at 165 and with the emergence of Jared Simma last season could be looking for another weight to compete at. 174lbs: Jared Simma (Junior) Another breakout wrestler came at this weight with Jared Simma seemingly coming out of nowhere after going 8-7 the year prior. Simma excelled at having close matches with top-ranked wrestlers like Rocco Welsh and Lennox Wolak, but struggled to break into the rankings. The second half of the season saw him score wins over Tate Picklo and Brody Conley to enter the national conversation. He was seventh at Big 12’s and received an At-Large qualifier bid for NCAA’s. Simma went on a surprise run in Kansas City upsetting Philip Conigliaro and Tyler Eischens. Narrow losses to Shane Griffith and Ben Pasiuk stopped him in the bloodround, but Simma enters next season as an entertaining dark horse. There is the aforementioned Lance Runyon who could reenter the conversation at this weight, but Simma was looking tough to the end of last year. photo courtesy of Tony Rotundo 184lbs: Parker Keckeisen (Senior) The returning national champion Keckeisen returns as the favorite to repeat after a 28-0 record with a 90% bonus rate. He became the program’s first undefeated national champion since 1963 and the first four-time Big 12 champ. His career has seen him finish 3rd, 3rd, and 2nd at NCAA’s previously with a career record of 105-5 and undefeated against conference opponents. The biggest challenge to Keckeisen running it back could come in Carter Starocci, who has been rumored to be moving up to 184/197. Last year’s runner-up Dustin Plott is also a threat, but a 14-5 major decision in the finals makes Keckeisen the heavy favorite. 197lbs: Wyatt Voelker (Soph.) Another wrestler who earned an At-Large bid last season, Voelker showed plenty of upside in his first season as a starter. The #70 recruit in 2022, Voelker had a solid redshirt season and made the U20 Greco World team where he finished fifth. Last season, he had wins over wrestlers like Evan Bockman and Luke Surber at Big 12’s before finishing in the Round of 16 at NCAA’s. Voelker continued his international success this offseason as well, making the U23 World team at 97 kg and finishing as runner-up in freestyle at 92 kg where he beat Christian Carroll and Zach Glazier. If Voelker makes a jump this offseason, he could end up becoming another podium threat for the Panthers next year. 285lbs: Jose Valdez (Senior) With the graduation of two-time qualifier Tyrell Gordon, NJCAA standout Jose Valdez is expected to enter the lineup after competing as a backup last season. Valdez was a NJCAA runner-up in 2021 and won a title in 2022. He went on to transfer to Northern Illinois where he competed unattached before transferring to UNI last season. Last year was his first year at heavyweight after competing at 197, and he showed promise. He had wins over Harley Andrews and Luke Rasmussen, two young wrestlers that showed have had good moments. Valdez’s ceiling is a question, but if he can develop like Tyrell Gordon, another former 197, then he could round out the Panthers lineup and turn into another potential qualifier. Previous “Never Too Early Lineup Looks:” Air Force Indiana Iowa State Lock Haven North Carolina Oregon State West Virginia

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 141 Top-20 Notes: This season five wrestlers passed the 100 Fpt mark, and Wyatt Henson was one of them. He had the most matches won coming into 2024 NCAAs and was one of the D1 Tech leaders with 14 countable matches being won by the ol’ 15 pt margin. Impressively, he had a stretch where he had seven techs out of eight matches (with that lone non-tech being a FFT good for +6). National Champion Jesse Mendez came in second while national runner-up Beau Bartlett came in fourth. Sandwiched between these two was Chattanooga’s True Freshman Isaiah Powe, who only had two regular season losses (one being a loss by Pin). He also benefited from not seeing any top-ranked competition for the entire regular season as well, which helps. The champion of the EIWA, Joshua Koderhandt was eight Fpts short of fourth place, but just barely edged out Jordan Titus thanks to the one extra match wrestled. That said, Gardner-Webb’s Todd Carter wrestled 35 regular season matches, but finished one Fpt behind Titus. Finishing with 58 Fpts was AA Lachlan McNeil along with Indiana’s Danny Fongaro, but McNeil takes the #8 spot by 0.01 PPM. Fongaro had a great start to the season with only one loss through the Southern Scuffle, but once the Big Ten dual season came around, he went 4-4. Don’t call it a comeback, Anthony Echemendia was dawning a different shade of red this season and was able to All-American after a very strong regular season showing. He also grabbed the #10 spot of Top-141 lbers Two non-starters made the 141 Top-20, Carter Bailey and redshirt Koy Buesgens. Bailey moved up from 125 in his 2023 season and Buesgens being a true freshman. A year out from being the 2023 season's Top 141, Brock Hardy finds himself in 2024 just outside the top 15. The reason? Seven fewer matches wrestled and a string of three losses at CKLV amounting to -11 Fpts. Had he repeated as CKLV champ, conservatively, it would have been a 20-point swing landing him at #5. Originally slated to redshirt the year, and enjoying his time up at 149, Tom Crook found himself taking one for the team and joining the starting lineup with a cut to 141. He finishes at #19 with 42 Fpts. Who Missed The Cut: The #26 seed at NCAAs snuck his way onto the podium but fell way short of breaking into the Top-20 at 141. Vance Vombaur (MINN) tied five other wrestlers with 37 Fpts but finished at #27 due to PPM: Nathan Higley (GMU) was the best with a 2.8 PPM at #25, Sam Hillegas (WVU) with 2.2 PPM, Vombaur with 1.9 PPM, Dario Lemus (MARY) with 1.5 as a True Freshman Redshirt, and 2022 AA CJ Composto (PENN) with 1.5 PPM at #29. Speaking of tired Fpt scores and PPM, The Citadel’s Jacob Silka tied #20 Jordan Hamdan but fell short by 0.2 PPM to be #21. Two wrestlers at opposite ends of their collegiate wrestling career find themselves next on the “Just Missed List” with #22 True Freshman Sergio Lemley (MICH) and #23 six-year Senior Mitch Moore (RUT). Lemley wrestled 20 matches while Moore had only 15, but Moore was only one point behind Lemley’s 40 Fpts. Other notables include #32 Malyke Hines (LEH) with 35 Fpts, #38 Tagen Jamison (OKST) with 33 Fpts, #41 Cleveland Belton (ORST), and #42 Cole Matthews (PITT) with 41 Fpts (and 1.4 PPM to 1.3 PPM, respectively), and #47 Clay Carlson (SDSU) with 28 Pts.

The 2024 Olympic Games came to an end on Sunday. Since there was so much action going on for the last week you're sure to have missed something along the way. We'll go through each weight class and have a wrap-up for each, which includes results and some notable facts related to the weight. Past weight classes Greco-Roman: 60 kg Greco-Roman: 77 kg Greco-Roman: 97 kg Greco-Roman: 130 kg Women's Freestyle: 50 kg Women's Freestyle: 68 kg Round of 16 Hasrat Jafarov (Azerbaijan) over Mohamed El Sayed (Egypt) 9-0 Valentin Petic (Moldova) over Nestor Almanza Truyol (Chile) 4-0 Amantur Ismailov (Kyrgyzstan) over Ramaz Zoidze (Georgia) 12-1 Parviz Nabisov (Ukraine) over Mate Nemes (Serbia) 3-2 Slavik Galstyan (Armenia) over Andres Montana Arroyo (Ecuador) 3-2 Mamadassa Sylla (France) over Souleyman Nasr (Tunisia) 1-1 Saeid Esmaeili Leivesi (Iran) over Ishak Ghaiou (Algeria) 10-0 Luis Orta Sanchez (Cuba) over Kyotaro Sogabe (Japan) 8-0 Quarterfinals Hasrat Jafarov (Azerbaijan) over Valentin Petic (Moldova) 3-1 Parviz Nabisov (Ukraine) over Amantur Ismailov (Kyrgyzstan) 7-6 Slavik Galstyan (Armenia) over Mamadassa Sylla (France) 3-2 Saeid Esmaeili Leivesi (Iran) over Luis Orta Sanchez (Cuba) 9-0 Semifinals Parviz Nabisov (Ukraine) over Hasrat Jafarov (Azerbaijan) 3-3 Saeid Esmaeili Leivesi (Iran) over Slavik Galstyan (Armenia) 10-4 Repechage Amantur Ismailov (Kyrgyzstan) over Mate Nemes (Serbia) 8-0 Luis Orta Sanchez (Cuba) over Ishak Ghaiou (Algeria) 9-0 Bronze Medal Matches Hasrat Jafarov (Azerbaijan) over Amantur Ismailov (Kyrgyzstan) 8-0 Luis Orta Sanchez (Cuba) over Slavik Galstyan (Armenia) 7-0 Gold Medal Match Saeid Esmaeili Leivesi (Iran) over Parviz Nabisov (Ukraine) 6-5 Notes: In his first Senior World-level tournament, 21-year-old Saeid Esmaeili Leivesi claimed the Olympic gold medal. Esmaeili Leivesi was the youngest Greco-Roman gold medalist in 2024. This is the second straight Olympics with an Iranian champion at 67 kg. In 2020, Mohammadreza Geraei captured the gold. Esmaeili Leivesi’s most surprising win came in the quarterfinals over 2020 Olympic gold medalist (60 kg) and 2023 world champion Luis Orta Sanchez (Cuba). Earlier this year, Orta Sanchez defeated him at the Hungarian Ranking Series event, 9-7. With Esmaeili Leivesi’s gold medal and Saravi’s at 97 kg’s, it was the first time since 2012 that Iran had multiple Olympic champions (in 2012 they had three). Parviz Nasibov is now a two-time Olympic silver medalist. Nasibov has medaled at both Olympic events he’s entered yet never medaled at the World Championships - in four tries. There were no easy matches for Nasibov, who won a pair of one-point matches and another decided on criteria to make the finals - before losing by a single point in the gold medal match. Orta Sanchez is now a two-time Olympic medalist and three-time World/Olympic medal winner. Orta Sanchez was the third Cuban to get on the medal stand for Greco this Olympic games, making it the second time in three Olympics that Cuba had three. Hasrat Jafrarov claimed his first Olympic medal. He now has three World/Olympic medals at the Senior level. The first round at this weight class saw an Olympic silver medalist (Nasibov) square off against a 2022 world champion (Mate Nemes). Nemes along with Ramaz Zoidze (Georgia) are past world medalists who lost in the first round. Nemes was the only seeded wrestler to fall in the opening round. He was the #4 seed. Mamadassa Sylla was the only qualifier for the host country and therefore responsible for France’s only win in Greco.

This weekend the first-ever Craig Jones Invitational will take place at the Thomas & Mack Center in Las Vegas. The two weight class winners of the submission grappling event will take home $1 million in prize money. Scattered throughout those two brackets are some names that will be rather recognizable to wrestling fans: Jason Nolf, Pat Downey, and Greg Kerkvliet. Outside of those names, the event is likely to raise some questions for those who do not follow grappling. What exactly is this event? How did it come about? What are the rules? How can I watch it? What chance do the wrestlers have? The following attempts to answer those questions. Event background Since its inaugural event in 1998, the pinnacle of no-gi grappling has been the Abu Dhabi Combat Club Submission Fighting World Championship more commonly known as ADCC. Winners of the event are often considered the best in the grappling world and some have used the event as a launching point for decorated MMA careers. Craig Jones, the founder of the Craig Jones Invitational, is a two-time ADCC medalist. He took second in the under 88 kg division in 2019 and returned in 2022 to score another silver medal, this time in the under 99 kg weight class. Per the ADCC website, the top four placers in the five men’s weight classes are rewarded with the following prize money: $10,000 for first, $5,000 for second, $3,000 for third, and $1,000 for fourth. Jones scoffed at what he considered paltry prizes and decided to launch his own event. Perhaps out of spite, it will take place on the same weekend, and in the same city, as this year’s ADCC. Reportedly, all 32 entries in the CJI, 16 in the under 80 kg division and 16 in the over 80 kg division, will receive $10,001 for simply appearing, while the champions will each take home $1 million. The event will stream live and free on YouTube. Day one starts Friday at 6:00 p.m. ET, and continues Saturday at 8:00 p.m. ET. Rules For those not familiar with competitive submission grappling, the rules can vary drastically from one event to another. This event will certainly continue that trend with the implementation of an entirely new set of rules. Tournament bouts prior to the finals will be scheduled for three five-minute rounds, and the finals of each division will be five five-minute rounds. Unlike most grappling competitions, the bouts will be scored on the 10-point must system, which is used in MMA and boxing. The winner of each round will receive 10 points, while the loser will receive nine or fewer based on the level of domination. The judges will use the following criteria, in order, to determine a round winner: initiating action, close submissions, dynamic action, and positional control/dominant control. The full rules document is available here. It is difficult to predict how the new rules will help or hurt the chances of wrestlers with limited submission grappling experience since this will be the first tournament conducted under the regulations. InterMat spoke with combat sports journalist and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu black belt Raphael Garcia on how this new and innovative ruleset could impact the wrestling-based entrants. “Expert wrestlers may come into CJI with high-level skills in that specific area, but the CJI rules immediately put them at a disadvantage,” Garcia said. “The lack of opportunity to run up the score by taking your opponent down immediately puts you in the wheelhouse of the more experienced submission grapplers and puts you in a position where the danger is most prevalent. This tournament is filled with Jiu Jitsu players that can get off their back and into attacking positions, leaving even the best wrestler on the defensive or worse, locked into a submission they don't know how to escape.” First Round Matches Jason Nolf (+700) vs. Tye Ryotolo (-1000) In the first round of the under 80 kg division, Nolf will take on perhaps the tournament favorite in Tye Ruotolo. Back in June, Nolf made his grappling debut against former NAIA All-American Andrew Simmons. The former Penn State wrestler scored an early takedown and eventually worked his way into a match-ending arm-triangle choke. While that was a solid dip into the pond, he will be jumping into the deep end at CJI. Ruotolo is only 21 years old, but he has already put together an extensive resume highlighted by a bronze medal-winning performance at the 2022 edition of ADCC. He is also the current ONE Championship welterweight submission grappling world champion. Pat Downey (+220) vs. Luke Rockhold (-280) In the over 80 kg division, Downey has drawn one of the most recognizable names in the field. The former Iowa State wrestler will face off against former UFC and Strikeforce middleweight champion Luke Rockhold. While Rockhold did come up as a grappler, he has been away from the sport for quite some time. He left the UFC in 2022 after three straight losses. Since then, he has dropped a bare-knuckle boxing match against Mike Perry and won a Karate Combat fight over kickboxer Joe Schilling. Daniel Kerkvliet (+350) vs. Fellipe Andrew (-450) In his grappling debut, Kerkvliet will face off against the 2023 IBJJF world champion Fellipe Andrew. The IBJJF, which stands for International Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Federation, world event is considered the pinnacle of GI grappling. Andrew won the tournament in the under 94 kg division and followed that up with another victory at the 2024 Pan American Championships. Since losing to Rayron Gracie earlier this year, Andrew has gone on a 12-match winning streak that includes a submission victory over Anderson Munis less than 20 days ago. All odds courtesy of BetOnline.AG. Raphael Garcia is on Twitter (X) at @RGarcia_Sports.

The 2024 Olympic Games came to an end on Sunday. Since there was so much action going on for the last week you're sure to have missed something along the way. We'll go through each weight class and have a wrap-up for each, which includes results and some notable facts related to the weight. Past weight classes Greco-Roman: 60 kg Greco-Roman: 77 kg Greco-Roman: 97 kg Greco-Roman: 130 kg Women's Freestyle: 68 kg Round of 16 Vinesh Phogat (India) over Yui Susaki (Japan) 3-2 Oksana Livach (Ukraine) over Aktenge Keunimajeva (Uzbekistan) 10-0 Gabija Dilyte (Lithuania) over Alisson Cardozo Rey (Colombia) Fall 4:14 Yusneylis Guzman Lopez (Cuba) over Evin Demirhan (Turkiye) 7-6 Ziqi Feng (China) over Nada Mohamed (Egypt) Fall 4:16 Sarah Hildebrandt (USA) over Ibtissem Doudou (Algeria) 10-0 Mariya Stadnik (Azerbaijan) over Anastasia Blayvas (Germany) 6-2 Otgonjargal Dolgorjav (Mongolia) over Emanuela Liuzzi (Italy) FFT Quarterfinals Vinesh Phogat (India) over Oksana Livach (Ukraine) 7-5 Yusneylis Guzman Lopez (Cuba) over Gabija Dilyte (Lithuania) 10-0 Sarah Hildebrandt (USA) over Ziqi Feng (China) 7-4 Otgonjargal Dolgorjav (Mongolia) over Mariya Stadnik (Azerbaijan) 4-4 Semifinals Vinesh Phogat (India) over Yusneylis Guzman Lopez (Cuba) 5-0 Sarah Hildebrandt (USA) over Otgonjargal Dolgorjav (Mongolia) 5-0 Repechage Ziqi Feng (China) over Ibtissem Doudou (Algeria) 10-0 Bronze Medal Matches Ziqi Feng (China) over Otgonjargal Dolgorjav (Mongolia) 6-4 Yui Susaki (Japan) over Oksana Livach (Ukraine) 10-0 Gold Medal Match Sarah Hildebrandt (USA) over Yusneylis Guzman Lopez (Cuba) 3-0 Notes: Of course, we had the unusual and unique situation where Vinesh Phogat did not make weight and wasn’t able to claim the silver medal. Based on UWW policies, Yusneylis Guzman Lopez, the opponent Phogat defeated in the semifinals advanced to face Hildebrandt. In previous (and future) weight classes, we’ve looked at some of the unusual happenings related to that respective class. This takes the cake, but we’ll proceed as planned. Sarah Hildebrandt’s win made her American’s fourth-ever Olympic gold medalist in women’s freestyle. Hildebrandt’s win gave the United States two women’s gold medalists (with Amit Elor) for the first time in one Olympic Games. With her gold medal, Hildebrandt is now a two-time Olympic medalist and a six-time World/Olympic medalist. Even with six World/Olympic medals, this is the first gold for Hildebrandt. The gold medal matchup between Hildebrandt and Guzman Lopez was the first Olympic gold medal between two Pan-American wrestlers since women’s wrestling was introduced in 2004. Hildebrandt made the Olympic finals after defeating Otgonjargal Dolgorjav, the opponent who beat her in the semifinals of the last two world tournaments. Hildebrandt is the first non-Japanese wrestler to win a gold medal at the lowest women’s weight since Carol Huynh (Canada) won the 48 kg weight class in 2008. Each of the semifinals at this weight ended by identical 5-0 scores. Guzman Lopez’s medal was the first-ever for Cuba in women’s freestyle. Phogat’s first round upset of Susaki was the first blemish on an 82-0 international record for the Japanese star. Phogat versus Susaki was the only first round matchup between past World medalists. Susaki is now a two-time Olympic medalist and a six-time World/Olympic medal winner. This is the first time since 2019 that a wrestler who is not Japanese has won the 50 kg weight class at the Olympics or World Championships. That 2019 champion was Mariya Stadnik of Azerbaijan. Susaki and Hildebrandt are the two wrestlers that made the medal stand in 2020 and 2024. Stadnik came into this tournament as a four-time Olympic medalist; however, she was unable to make it a fifth time in 2024. Had Phogat made weight on day two, she would have become India’s first Olympic finalist and gold/silver medalist in women’s freestyle. Three of the eight seeded wrestlers in this bracket were defeated in the first round. #1 Susaki, #4 Evin Demirhan, #5 Alisson Cardozo Rey. Three of the four quarterfinal matchups included battles between past world medalists. The only one that didn’t was the bout between Guzman Lopez and Dilyte. For the second consecutive Olympic Games, Oksana Livach came up one match shy of earning a medal. photo courtesy of Tony Rotundo; WrestlersAreWarriors.com