InterMat Staff

Over the next three days, the U20 and U23 National Championships will take place in Geneva, Ohio. Today, we’re focusing specifically on the U20 freestyle tournament as winners of the U20 events will earn a spot on the U20 World Team in Pontevedra, Spain in early September. The U20 is always fun to follow because it usually incorporates a mix of high school superstars, collegiate wrestlers, and incoming college freshmen. As you’ll see this tournament will feature plenty of clashes between those three groups. Below are seven storylines to keep in mind as you follow the U20 tournament over the weekend. 1) Mega Prospects at 57 kg in freestyle With the quality and number of participants in the 57 kg weight class, it feels like we’ll look back at this bracket in five to seven years and marvel at the accomplishments of its participants. First and foremost, is the top recruit in the Class of 2024 Luke Lilledahl. The three-time age-group world finalist won the Open and sits in the finals waiting for a challenger to emerge. His opponent could be any number of wrestlers. Vinny Kilkeary was a highly sought-after recruit who signed with Ohio State and redshirted the 2023-24 season. He was a runner-up to Lilledahl at the Open. Finishing behind Kilkeary in Vegas were Anthony Knox (3rd) and Seth Mendoza (4th). In MatScouts updated Class of 2025 rankings, Knox comes in at fourth and Mendoza at sixth overall. Knox fought and lost 3-1 to Kilkeary, which is a result that could easily be flipped in the opposite direction. Perhaps the biggest threat to Lilledahl comes from Jax Forrest. Lilledahl has taken close wins over Forrest in each of the last two Ironmans; however, Forrest is also a U17 world finalist. He also placed higher than Lilledahl at the Olympic Trials, though they both had similar results. If that isn’t enough, we also have Christian Castillo a 2022 U17 world silver medalist down at 48 kg, and Iowa commit Leo DeLuca a Junior and 16U national champion in freestyle in Fargo. DeLuca is also a top recruit in the Class of 2025 (#7). 2) Does Nasir Bailey Stay Hot? Oklahoma State redshirt Cael Hughes gets to sit in the finals at 61 kg and has the advantage, but you can’t count out true freshman All-American Nasir Bailey. Bailey didn’t attend the Open, but has qualified and a Bailey/Hughes could be a matchup we haven’t seen in a while. The Little Rock star has plenty of chops in the freestyle game as he won a Fargo Junior freestyle weight class in 2021 that included Emilio Ysaguirre and Nic Bouzakis. Could the momentum from a historic freshman year at Little Rock be enough to steer the advantage away from Hughes? 3) Bassett vs Valencia III The 65 kg bracket is very small but it could produce the third and fourth (and perhaps fifth) rounds of Bo Bassett and Aden Valencia in just a few months. The two tangled in the quarterfinals of the Last Chance Qualifier and Valencia led 2-1 after a period; however, Bassett turned it on to win 7-4. They met later that month at the US Open and Bassett prevailed 5-2 in the finals. Most opponents are not able to sustain the onslaught of offense and pace that Bassett provides. Valencia has proven he can keep it close with Bassett. Maybe he can make an adjustment or two and turn the tide and make this a full-blown rivalry in Ohio. 4) How Does Class of 2025 #1 PJ Duke Handle Older Competition? Earlier this week, the Class of 2025 Big Board was updated and PJ Duke remained atop the rising senior class. A long body of work is responsible for his ranking, but a dominant showing at the US Open didn’t hurt. Duke either teched or pinned six of his seven opponents with the most notable being Kannon Webster in the semifinals. Webster had an impressive redshirt season for Illinois and was ranked in the top ten nationally for a portion of the 2023-24. Webster also won a pair of Junior National freestyle titles in Fargo and was a finalist for another. In short, he’s well-versed in freestyle. And he was teched by Duke, 12-1. In addition to Webster, the 70 kg bracket will also contain a handful of threats that are older than Duke. A top-ten recruit from 2024, Brock Mantanona, and a pair of 2024 NCAA All-Americans, Antrell Taylor and Tyler Kasak. Mantanona was a U17 world bronze medalist last year and a two-time 16U freestyle finalist in Fargo (one-time champ). Taylor was a finalist at this event in 2023, losing to the eventual world champion, Meyer Shapiro, in the best-of-three finals. Kasak was a 2022 U17 world silver medalist and turned heads in Kansas City with his consolation barrage to a third-place finish for Penn State. With those contenders (and more) the challenge bracket should have some incredible matchups even before throwing Duke into the mix. 5) Cadet World Champs Clashing at 74 kg? What about a pair of U17 world champions clashing in the best-of-three finals at 74 kg. That’s what could be on the docket with Ladarion Lockett and Joseph Sealey potentially renewing acquaintances. The two met in the US Open finals and it was all Lockett, to the tune of 8-2. Sealey wasn’t able to muster any two-point scores throughout the contest. This could be a fun matchup for the future, as well. Sealey is headed to Penn State in the fall and Lockett has pledged to stay home and wrestle for Oklahoma State. Shortly after the David Taylor hire, Lockett restated his commitment to the Cowboy program. With OSU potentially getting back into consistent national contender status, could this be a matchup we see in a big-time dual meet or the NCAA finals with team race implications? 6) College Stars versus Ryder The 79 kg bracket at the Open featured quite a few serious contenders from the college ranks, but it was high school senior Zack Ryder who took the title. For the most part, he did so in a convincing fashion. To win again, Ryder will still need to fend off the challenge from a host of capable competitors. During the Open, Ryder’s closest match was a one-point win over fellow Penn State recruit Will Henckel. Before that bout, Ryder survived a match against the unorthodox Stanford freshman Lorenzo Norman. Both are expected to be in the field. So is Ryder’s Open finals opponent Noah Mulvaney. The Bucknell freshman has proven to be even better in freestyle than folk. Their final matchup proved to be one-sided, but Mulvaney is very capable. Perhaps the biggest hurdle standing in the way of a U20 world team appearance for Ryder comes in the form of Iowa freshman Gabe Arnold. Arnold cruised through the opening rounds of this tournament in 2023 to meet his old high school club teammate Matt Singleton in the best-of-three finals. Arnold took the second match, but ultimately lost in the deciding match by a point. Singleton went on to claim a U20 world bronze medal, while Arnold crushed en route to a gold medal at U20 Pan-Am’s. An Arnold/Ryder matchup could be one of the best of the entire tournament. The two met in 2022 at the U17 Trials and Ryder got the win. 7) Ben Kueter in the Mix! It’s incredible to think that Ben Kueter won a U20 world title in 2022 and is still young enough to wrestle in this division in 2024. That’s what happens when you win gold before your senior year of high school, which is a remarkable feat at 125 kgs. Kueter famously stayed in-state and went to Iowa to play football and wrestle. We didn’t get to see much of him on the mat in 2023-24 as he started late due to football and ended up redshirting. In his final appearance of the season, Kueter posted a solid 5-1 win over Oklahoma State’s Konner Doucet. Doucet ended up winning two matches at nationals. Despite Kueter’s history and talent, there are some talented big men who could give him some trouble. We’ll start with Virginia Tech’s Jimmy Mullen who won the Open and sits in the finals. Mullen was a U17 world silver medalist in 2021. Another wrestler in the field with hardware is 2022 U17 world champion Koy Hopke, a Minnesota signee. Aden Attao is also a U17 world medalist, but his best results have come in Greco-Roman. One rising senior to watch is Nick Sahakian. The Michigan recruit was leading Mullen in the Open finals when he was pinned. He edged Attao by a point to make the Open finals.

With the conclusion of the NCAA wrestling tournament and the calendar changing over to April, you’d think that it means it’s the offseason for college wrestling and all focus should turn to the Olympic styles, right? Maybe in the past, but in a new era of collegiate athletics, once the final whistle has blown on a particular postseason, it means it’s time to turn your attention to the transfer portal. Love it or hate it, it’s the reality. Student-athletes have the ability to transfer much more freely than past generations. Couple that with the extra year of eligibility doled out by the NCAA in the aftermath of the COVID years and you have a wild combination. There was lots of movement last “offseason” and I don’t foresee that changing this year. Since the portal has closed for the summer and the All-Americans who were previously in have announced their transfer destinations (or lack thereof - Alirez/Slavikouski) it seems like news on the transfer front has slowed. That isn’t necessarily the case. Plenty of wrestlers have continued to announce where they’ll spend the 2024-25 season, they just are not DI All-Americans…maybe yet. Some of the more interesting names that have been added to the transfer list since our last update include Gerrit Nijenhuis, Bretli Reyna, Aziz Fayzullaev, and AJ Heeg. Nijenhuis was a huge recruit for Purdue and qualified for nationals twice before moving on to Oklahoma. He did so at Oklahoma in 2023 but entered the portal after this season. That leads him to CSU Bakersfield who didn’t have a qualifier in 2024. Nijenhuis could provide a big boost to Luke Smith’s program. Bretli Reyna was a top-50 recruit for Iowa who only saw action sparingly since his arrival in the fall of 2020. He’s coming closer to his Florida home with a transfer to Chattanooga. There’s potential for Reyna to make a big impact with the Mocs in the SoCon. Aziz Fayzullaev was a two-time NJCAA national champion for Northwest College in each of the last two seasons. It appears as if he has a redshirt available and that might be the best route to take in 2024-25. ASU has recently been very stout at the lower and middle weights, but has not had that same level of success at 165-197 since Anthony and Zahid Valencia have moved on. Northern Colorado has been active in the portal over the last few years and stays that way by bringing in AJ Heeg from Oklahoma State. Just a year ago, Heeg was a top-50 recruit. Heeg turned in a fine redshirt season - going 12-1 though most of his bouts were against non-DI competition. With the Bears returning talent and the addition of Heeg and Clay Ulrey - there’s a chance Northern Colorado could be in for a big year. Arizona State: Max Acciardi (197) - California Baptist Arizona State: Aziz Fayzullaev (184) - Northwest College Brown: Jacob Joyce (125) - Stanford Cal Poly: Joel Jesuroga (149) - Iowa Cal Poly: Korbin Shepherd (133/141) - Missouri Chattanooga: Bretli Reyna (149) - Iowa Chattanooga: Connor Strong (184) - Penn CSU Bakersfield: Gerrit Nijenhuis (174) - Oklahoma Drexel: Malachi Bordovsky (141) - Iowa Western Edinboro: Colton Camacho (125/133) - Pittsburgh Edinboro: Ryan Michaels (149) - Pittsburgh Edinboro: Cheaney Schoeff (133) - Indiana Franklin & Marshall: Michael Duggan (157) - Bloomsburg Illinois: Ramazan Attasauov (125/133) - Iowa State Illinois: Jason Kraisser (157) - Iowa State Illinois: Danny Nini (157) - North Carolina Indiana: Logan Frazier (133) - Virginia Tech Indiana: Angelo Rini (133) - Columbia Iowa: Kyle Parco (149) - Arizona State Iowa State: Evan Bockman (197) - Utah Valley Lehigh: Rylan Rogers (174/184) - Michigan Little Rock: Branson Britten (184) - Northern Colorado Little Rock: Brock DelSignore (184) - NC State Little Rock: Jaivon Jones (149) - Northern Illinois Lock Haven: James Lledo (184) - Pittsburgh Lock Haven: Nick Stampoulos (157) - Buffalo Michigan: Jacob Cardenas (197) - Cornell Michigan: Chase Saldate (157) - Michigan State Michigan State: Jay Nivison (174) - Buffalo Michigan State: Cody Phelps (133) - Western Wyoming Minnesota: Tommy Askey (157) - Appalachian State Minnesota: Cooper Flynn (125) - Virginia Tech Minnesota: Clayton Whiting (174/184) - Missouri Morgan State: Xavier Doolin (285) - Northern Colorado Morgan State: Darrien Roberts (184) - Oklahoma North Carolina: Ryan Boersma (285) - Missouri North Carolina: Nolan Neves (285) - Columbia North Carolina: Ethan Oakley (133) - Appalachian State North Carolina: Josh Ogunsanya (174) - North Carolina North Dakota State: Michael Baker (197) - Columbia North Dakota State: Andrew Blackburn-Forst (285) - Northern Colorado North Dakota State: Kyle Burwick (133) - Nebraska North Dakota State: Peyton Moore (133) - Missouri North Dakota State: Devin Wasley (184) - Minnesota North Dakota State: Bradley Whitright (197) - North Idaho Northern Colorado: AJ Heeg (174/184) - Oklahoma State Northern Colorado: Clayton Ulrey (157/165) - Virginia Tech Northern Illinois: Markel Baker (125/133) - George Mason Northern Illinois: Devon Dawson (285) - North Dakota State) Northern Illinois: Spencer Mooberry (197) - North Dakota State Ohio: TJ England (133) - Clarion Oklahoma: Fernando Barreto (133) - North Dakota State Oklahoma: Cleveland Belton (141) - Oregon State Oklahoma: Gaven Sax (174) - North Dakota State Oklahoma: Carter Schubert (165) - California Baptist Oklahoma State: Cam Amine (165) - Michigan Oklahoma State: Caleb Fish (165) - Michigan State Oklahoma State: Dean Hamiti (165/174) - Wisconsin Oklahoma State: Wyatt Hendrickson (285) - Air Force Oregon State: Sean Harman (174) - Missouri Pittsburgh: Nick Babin (125) - Columbia Pittsburgh: Mateo de la Pena (165) - California Baptist Pittsburgh: Chase Kranitz (184) - Buffalo Pittsburgh: Evan Tallmadge (125) - Navy Rider: Sammy Alvarez (149) - Oklahoma State Rutgers: Dagen Condomitti (157) - Oregon State SIU Edwardsville: Ben Lunn (141) - Minnesota SIU Edwardsville: Luke Odom (157) - Illinois SIU Edwardsville: Griffin Ray (165) - Nebraska Utah Valley: Tanner Frothinger (141) - Nebraska Virginia Tech: Connor McGonagle (133) - Lehigh Virginia Tech: Lennox Wolak (174) - Columbia West Virginia: Tommy Maddox (133) - Buffalo Wisconsin: Massoma Endene (197) - Wartburg Wisconsin: Wyatt Skebba (125) - Central Michigan Wyoming: Jared Hill (157) - Oklahoma Wyoming: Sam Mitchell (197) - Buffalo

The Women’s Collegiate Wrestling Coalition (WCWC), a group of national wrestling organizations which oversee NCAA women’s college wrestling, has announced the sites and dates for the eight Regional competitions which will serve as qualifiers for the National Collegiate Women’s Wrestling Championships (NCWWC), set for Xtreme Arena in Coralville, Iowa, March 7-8, 2025. During its meeting on May 23, the NCWWC Executive Committee reviewed bids from 21 NCAA institutions seeking to host a regional. The Executive Committee extended invitations to an institution in each of the eight NCWWC Regions, and all accepted their appointment. The venue, host institution and competition date for the 2025 NCWWC Regionals are: Region I – Buffalo State University Arena, Buffalo State University, Buffalo, New York, Saturday, February 22 Region II – Koehler Fieldhouse, East Stroudsburg University, East Stroudsburg, Pennsylvania, Sunday, February 23 Region III – Shaw Athletic Center, Emmanuel University, Franklin Springs, Georgia, Saturday, February 22 Region IV – Heminger Center, Tiffin University, Tiffin, Ohio, Saturday, February 22 Region V – Merillat Sport and Fitness Center, Adrian College, Adrian, Michigan, Saturday, February 22 Region VI – Hyland Arena, Lindenwood University, St. Charles, Missouri, Sunday, February 23 Region VII – Cowles Fieldhouse, Simpson College, Indianola, Iowa, Saturday, February 22 Region VIII – Kitty Magee Arena, Texas Woman’s University, Denton, Texas, Saturday, February 22 In April, the NCWWC Executive Committee approved increasing the number of regions from six in 2023-24 to eight for the 2024-25 NCAA women’s wrestling season. With four athletes per weight class qualifying through each of the Regionals, the field for 2025 NCWWC in Coralville will expand to 320 athletes, up from 240 this past season. NCAA women’s wrestling programs and the Regional assignments https://nwcaonline.com/sports/2023/5/9/NCAA_Womens-Teams.aspx Women’s Wrestling is an NCAA Emerging Sport for Women at all three NCAA Divisions. When NCAA women’s wrestling met required standards in terms of number of programs, roster size and competition schedules of its institutions, along with other considerations, the NCAA Committee on Women's Athletics (CWA) recommended in February 2024 that Divisions I, II and III sponsor legislation to add a national collegiate women's wrestling championship. If so approved, women’s wrestling would become the 91st NCAA Championship sport, with its projected first NCAA championship occurring in winter 2026. About the Women’s Collegiate Wrestling Coalition (WCWC) The Women’s Collegiate Wrestling Coalition is a group of national wrestling organizations which developed the proposal for NCAA Emerging Sport Status for women’s wrestling and currently oversees women’s college wrestling until the sport becomes an official NCAA Championship sport. WCWC organizations include (alphabetically): D1 Women’s Wrestling, National Wrestling Coaches Association, National Wrestling Hall of Fame, USA Wrestling, Wrestle Like A Girl and the Wrestlers In Business Network. For more information, visit: https://thewcwc.com/ About the National Collegiate Women’s Wrestling Championships (NCWWC) Organized by the Women’s Collegiate Wrestling Coalition, the National Collegiate Women’s Wrestling Championships is the annual national championships for NCAA women’s wrestling programs. Created in 2020, the NCWWC has been held in Adrian, Mich. (2020, 2022), Tiffin, Ohio (2021) and Cedar Rapids, Iowa (2023, 2024). The 2025 NCWWC is set for Xtreme Arena in Coralville, Iowa, March 7-8, 2025. Wrestle Like A Girl has been empowered by the WCWC to manage the National Collegiate Women’s Wrestling Championships, working closely with the NCWWC Championship Committee. For more information, visit https://www.ncwwc.com/

Staley

Camden County

All photos (excluding Craig) courtesy of Tony Rotundo; WrestlersAreWarriors.com MatScouts recently released the final Senior Big Board for the high school Class of 2024 and lightweight sensation Luke Lilledahl led the way as the top recruit. As Willie Saylor said on his recap show, these wrestlers will now carry those rankings with them throughout their collegiate careers. Whether Lilledahl is a four-time national champion or doesn’t ever qualify for NCAA’s he’ll be known as the top recruit from this crop of wrestlers. How will Lilledahl fare at Penn State? I think most observers familiar with his game and Cael Sanderson’s staff’s reputation for hitting on blue-chipper’s agree that he’ll have a great career in State College. One way to predict the future is to look at the past. How have #1 overall recruits fared in college? Surprisingly well. Especially as there are more national tournaments to compare wrestlers against each other and more video to study. With that being said, we’ve looked at 20 years of #1 overall wrestlers to see how they did at the next level and beyond. 20 is our number (one because it's a nice round number, plus 2004-05 is around the time when these types of lists were starting to get regularly made). As you’ll find out, if history is an indicator, he’ll turn out just fine….probably better than fine. Before reviewing each of the 20 wrestlers, here are some facts about #1 overall recruits. - Every #1 between 2014 and 2020 won at least one national title. - 15 of the 20 made at least one NCAA final - 11 of the 20 have won national championships (Three non-champions are still active, AJ Ferrari and Gable Steveson potentially are active too). - 6 of the 20 have won multiple titles. - 6 of the 20 won NCAA titles as freshmen - 4 of the 20 have won the Hodge Trophy - 3 of the 20 have won Olympic Gold Medals - 5 of the 20 have won Senior World medals - Only 3 of the 20 did not achieve All-American status at least once (Gallagher - still active) - Ohio State signed 6 of the 20 #1’s. - Counting Ferrari, four of the 20 transferred away from the school they originally signed with - 6 of the 20 went to college in their home state 2023: Meyer Shapiro (Cornell) Pre-Collegiate Credentials: 2023 U20 World Champion, 2021 U17 World Champion, 2023 National Prep Champion Year one (of competition): Shapiro entered college with the label of being Cornell’s next great freshman picking up where Kyle Dake and Yianni Diakomihalis left off, winning a national title less than a year removed from high school. Despite such lofty expectations, Shapiro managed to have an excellent freshman campaign that included an EIWA title and a third-place finish at NCAA’s. Shapiro avenged a quarterfinal loss to Daniel Cardenas (Stanford) in the third-place bout. His 29-3 record came in a weight class that was extremely deep and filled with returning All-American and talented youngsters, alike. Collegiate Career: TBD 2022: Nick Feldman (Ohio State) Pre-Collegiate Credentials: 2022 Junior World Team member, Ironman/Beast of the East/Powerade winner as a senior, 3x National Prep champion Year one (of competition): Because an injury sidelined Feldman for his entire redshirt season, we weren't sure what to make of Feldman coming into the 2023-24 season. Feldman jumped into the Buckeye lineup and did what was expected of him, which was to score points in bunches at the heavyweight class. In Ohio State’s dual with Michigan, Feldman showed that merely “getting on the podium” in year one wasn’t going to be an issue, it was more of a matter of “how high.” In that match, he used a late takedown to knock off returning multi-time All-American Lucas Davison. At the Big Ten Championships, he posted a more decisive win over his foe from Michigan. Unfortunately, at nationals, Davison was on the bottom half of the bracket and advanced to the NCAA finals. Feldman lost to the eventual champion, Greg Kerkvliet, and third-place finisher Wyatt Hendrickson (Air Force) and settled for fifth. Two wrestlers that finished above Feldman on the NCAA podium are gone, so expect him to start the year ranked top-three in the nation and close the gap between the two wrestlers that defeated him at NCAA’s. Collegiate Career. TBD 2021: Paddy Gallagher (Ohio State) Pre-Collegiate Credentials: 2019 Fargo Junior National Champion, 2019 Walsh Ironman Champion, 2x Ohio State champion Year one (of competition): After a promising 16-2 redshirt campaign, Gallagher found a spot in the Ohio State lineup at 157 lbs. He had a decent year; however, not one that you may expect from a wrestler who carries the #1 overall ranking. A 0-3 showing at the 2023 Big Ten Championships led Gallagher to rely on an at-large berth for his first NCAA Tournament and he was saddled with the #28 seed. To his credit, Gallagher picked up a pair of wins over higher-seeded opponents before bowing out at 2-2. Gallagher’s final record as a redshirt freshman was 12-11. Collegiate Career: Gallagher’s sophomore year was much more consistent than his first year in the lineup and he appeared to be on the way to establishing himself as an All-American threat at the loaded 157 lb weight class; however, he suffered a season-ending injury in early-January. He finished the year with a 16-5 record. A healthy Gallagher could be an x-factor needed to boost the Buckeyes into team trophy contention in 2024-25. 2020: AJ Ferrari (Oklahoma State) Pre-Collegiate Credentials: 2018 Cadet World bronze medalist, 2x Ironman Champion, 2017 Fargo Cadet Freestyle Champion Year one (of competition): The 2021 season was an unusual one as it took place with the aftereffects of COVID still impacting the sport. Since student-athletes active in that season were given a “free year” of eligibility there was no harm in throwing out a true freshman like AJ Ferrari. Maybe the free year wouldn’t have made a difference because Ferrari ended up winning the whole thing at 197 lbs on the strength of his physicality and stout defense. Ferrari suffered only one loss in his 21 matches on the year. His NCAA title came after back-to-back-to-back wins over Jacob Warner, Myles Amine, and Nino Bonaccorsi. Each would go on to make an NCAA final. Ferrari’s title made him only the third true freshman in the illustrious history of Oklahoma State wrestling to win a national title and the first since Pat Smith in 1990. Collegiate Career: In Ferrari’s second year, he appeared to be headed to a second straight national title; however, that was derailed by a severe automobile accident in late January. Following the 2021-22 season, Ferrari was dismissed from the Oklahoma State team and had legal issues that followed. In late 2023, Ferrari followed his younger brother, Anthony, to Iowa City in an attempt to enroll at the University of Iowa. He competed at the Soldier Salute and was disqualified in the championship finals and then did the infamous “split and double birds.” Ferrari was not granted admission to Iowa and his status as a collegiate wrestler is questionable, at best. 2019: Greg Kerkvliet (Ohio State) Pre-Collegiate Credentials: 2018 Cadet World silver medalist, 2017 Cadet World champion, 4x Minnesota state champion Year one (of competition): Kerkvliet actually signed with Ohio State but didn’t make it through a full year with the Buckeyes. He left for Penn State shortly after Kyle Snyder signed with the Nittany Lion Wrestling Club. Kerkvliet officially got started with Penn State during the abridged 2021 season. He finished the year fourth in the Big Ten and seventh in the nation, which is very solid for freshmen heavyweights. However, he was dealing with an injury and only saw action in one event prior to the postseason. There are plenty of people who claim their favorite wrestlers were injured, but in this instance, after seeing him compete in the ensuing years, it probably did hamper him. Collegiate Career: Kerkvliet still has another year of eligibility and recently announced that he intends to use it. Despite competing in a weight class that featured the eventual Hodge Trophy winner on three occasions, Kerkvliet has still managed to put together some incredible numbers. He has improved his Big Ten and NCAA placement in each of his four seasons, capped off by titles in both in 2024. Kerkvliet will head into his final year in State College with a 71-10 record and a 20-match winning streak. 2018: Gable Steveson (Minnesota) Pre-Collegiate Credentials: 2x Cadet World Champion, 2017 Junior World Champion, 2015 Fargo Cadet Freestyle Champion, 4x Minnesota state champion Year one (of competition): Not only was Steveson deemed the top recruit in the Class of 2018, but some argued he may be the top wrestling recruit EVER! A good compromise would be saying the best since Steve Mocco (2001). Steveson took the collegiate wrestling world by storm with his blend of technique and physicality. He won his first 30 matches in a Gopher singlet, a streak that stretched into the Big Ten finals. There he’d lose to Anthony Cassar, the same opponent that would edge him in the NCAA semifinals. Steveson would rebound and took third and those remain his only collegiate losses. Collegiate Career: A few months after winning his first NCAA title, Steveson went on to capture an Olympic Gold Medal at the 2020(1) Games in Tokyo. He would capture the Hodge Trophy in both the 2021 and 2022 seasons. Over those two years, he amassed bonus points in 30 of 35 matches, a staggering number for a heavyweight. After the loss to Cassar in the NCAA semifinals, he’s reeled off 52 straight wins. In a recent interview, Steveson has hinted at returning to the college wrestling world to use a final year of eligibility. Following the 2021-22 season, he had turned his attention to a career with the WWE. 2017: Spencer Lee (Iowa) Pre-Collegiate Credentials: 2x Junior World Champion, 2014 Cadet World Champion, 3x Ironman Champion, 2x Super 32 Champion, 3x Pennsylvania state champion Year one (of competition): A knee injury suffered late in his senior year of high school put some doubts as to whether or not Lee would be able to wrestle in year one for the Hawkeyes or perhaps, he’d just redshirt. After a semifinal appearance at the Midlands, Lee was pulled out of redshirt and inserted into the Hawkeye lineup. From there, he’d win his first 11 matches in the Iowa singlet before losing to 2015 champion Nate Tomasello (Ohio State) in the Big Ten finals. Lee would get his revenge with a fall over Tomasello in the NCAA semis before downing longtime rival, Nick Suriano (Rutgers), for national title number one. Collegiate Career: Lee had an unusual collegiate career that could be deemed as injury-plagued, while at the same time, he collected three national titles and was favored to win in 2020 when the national tournament was canceled. He would receive a share of the Hodge Trophy in 2020 and 2021, both seasons where Lee finished undefeated. Other notable collegiate achievements include three Big Ten titles, three Big Ten Wrestler of the Year awards, and a 98-6 career record. 40 of those bouts ended in the first period and he held a 58-match winning streak that spanned from 2019 to the 2023 NCAA semifinals. Lee has re-emerged on the freestyle scene and won the 2024 Olympic Trials. He was also a dominating force at the World OG Qualifier and locked up a spot for the United States (and himself) at 57 kg for the 2024 Olympic Games. 2016: Mark Hall (Penn State) Pre-Collegiate Credentials: 2016 Junior World Champion, 2014 Cadet World Champion, 2012 Super 32 Champion, 6x Minnesota state champion Year one (of competition): The Penn State brass was undecided on whether to let Mark Hall compete or redshirt for the first half of the season. A title at the Southern Scuffle (unattached) with wins over a pair of returning All-Americans helped make that decision. Though he lost his official debut in Iowa’s Carver-Hawkeye Arena, Hall still managed to have an excellent season that resulted in a Big Ten finals appearance and an NCAA title. In the national finals, Hall defeated Bo Jordan (Ohio State), the opponent who beat him for a Big Ten crown. Collegiate Career: Although that 2017 national title was the only of Hall’s career, he still lived up to the immense hype with three Big Ten championships and three losses for the remainder of his career. During each of his last two seasons, Hall was seeded #1 at the national tournament. He is another victim of the canceled 2020 tournament - that occurred during his senior season. Hall finished his career with a 115-6 record and three NCAA finals appearances - including the 2017 win. 2015: Zahid Valencia (Arizona State) Pre-Collegiate Credentials: 2015 Junior World Team member, 4x Ironman Champion, 2014 Super 32 Champion Year one (of competition): Valencia’s redshirt freshman year was remarkable as he captured titles at the Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational and Midlands, which propelled him to the top seed at his first NCAA Tournament. In their first collegiate meeting, Valencia suffered a controversial loss to Mark Hall in the NCAA semifinals, with the deciding point coming via a headgear pull. Valencia bounced back to take third and finished the year with a nearly perfect 35-1 record. Collegiate Career: Valencia got a measure of revenge in 2018 and 2019 as he would beat Hall in the NCAA finals in both seasons. The 2017-18 campaign saw him finish with a perfect 31-0 record. Valencia was on the brink of winning a third national championship; however, he was subjected to a late-season suspension right before the Covid pandemic. At the time, he was 18-0. Valencia’s final collegiate record came to 115-3 with four Pac-12 titles and three All-American finishes. In 2023, Valencia made his first Senior World Team at 92 kg and came away with a World bronze medal. While at ASU, Valencia earned a Junior World silver medal in 2017 and made another team the previous season. 2014: Kyle Snyder (Ohio State) Pre-Collegiate Credentials: 2013 Junior World Champion, 2014 Junior World Bronze Medalist, 2x Ironman Champion, 3x Beast of the East Champion, 3x National Prep Champion Year one (of competition): Snyder competed right away for Ohio State at 197 lbs and was an integral part of the school’s only national team title. During the regular season, Snyder dropped a pair of bouts and then was beaten in the Big Ten finals by fellow #1 recruit Morgan McIntosh (Penn State). That resulted in a #4 seed at his first national tournament. To make the national finals, Snyder defeated his high school rival, J’den Cox, who had won the weight class the previous year. On the big stage, Snyder was stunned and pinned by Iowa State senior Kyven Gadson. During his first year at Ohio State, Snyder made the Senior World team and claimed a world championship at 97 kg. Collegiate Career: Snyder intended on redshirting in 2015-16, but was pulled out after New Year’s and wrestled an abbreviated season up at 285 lbs that saw him defeat two-time returning champion Nick Gwiazdowski (NC State) in an instant classic. Snyder would split the rest of his career between Senior-level freestyle and collegiate folkstyle and suffered only one more loss. In 2018, he capped his career with a third consecutive national title at 285 lbs. In doing so, he became the first wrestler since Carlton Haselrig (1987-89) to win three DI titles at heavyweight. Snyder’s final collegiate record was 75-5. While mixing styles in college, Snyder managed to win an Olympic gold medal (2016) and a second world title (97 kg) and clinched a team title for the United States with his remarkable win over the legendary Abdulrashid Sadulaev. 2013: Bo Jordan (Ohio State) Pre-Collegiate Credentials: Two-time Ironman Champion, Four-time Ohio state champion Year one (of competition): After a perfect redshirt season, Bo Jordan stepped into the Buckeye lineup and went unbeaten until losing to his cousin, Isaac, in the Big Ten finals. Since he took a redshirt, Jordan was synced up with Sndyer and another important freshman on the Buckeyes national championship-winning 2015 team. That loss gave Jordan the fifth seed and he was on the top side of his first NCAA bracket. He would lose to the returning champion, Alex Dieringer, but ended up taking third. Collegiate Career: Once again, Jordan took third as a sophomore and all three of his losses came via his cousin. He would break through and make the finals as a junior; however, Mark Hall overturned their Big Ten result. Jordan dealt with injuries throughout his final year of competition, but still managed to take fifth in the nation. All told, Jordan made three Big Ten finals (winning one) and was top-three at the NCAA Championships on three occasions. He would finish with an 87-14 career record. 2012: Jason Tsirtsis (Northwestern) Pre-Collegiate Credentials: 2011 Fargo Junior Freestyle Champion, 2010 Super 32 Runner-Up, 4x Indiana state champion Year one (of competition): After a strong redshirt season, Jason Tsirtsis continued to roll while officially in the Northwestern lineup and didn’t lose a bout until the 2011 Midlands, where he took fifth place. At his first Big Ten tournament, Tsirtsis avenged one of his regular-season losses and grabbed the title. Despite being the fifth seed, Tsirtsis became the first Northwestern freshman to win a national title. He did so in what would become his trademark style, a low-scoring, marathon affair. Three of his five NCAA wins were gained in extra time and his largest margin of victory was 4-1. Collegiate Career: After climbing to the top of the mountain as a freshman, Tsirtsis was unable to recreate that magic during his final three years. He did go 36-2 as a sophomore and was third at nationals. Tsirtsis ended up transferring to Arizona State for his final year of eligibility after he missed the podium in 2016. He would cap his career with another podium finish and was seventh. Tsirtsis finished with a 102-22 career record, three conference titles (2 B1G, 1 Pac-12), and three All-American finishes. 2011: Morgan McIntosh (Penn State) Pre-Collegiate Credentials: 2011 Fargo Junior National Champion, 3x California state champion Year one (of competition): Morgan McIntosh stepped into the Penn State lineup without redshirting and did battle at 197 lbs in the Big Ten. McIntosh finished fifth in the Big Ten and was 1-2 at his first national tournament. One of his best regular season wins came in Penn State’s dual against Iowa, where he topped returning All-American Grant Gambrall in sudden victory. Collegiate Career: After redshirting the 2012-13 season, McIntosh returned to the lineup as a title contender and earned All-American honors in each of his final three seasons. Every year during that span, McIntosh earned a top-three seed at nationals. He was second in the Big Ten as a sophomore and then won it in his last two seasons. McIntosh finished his career with an NCAA finals appearance in 2016 and a sparkling 114-19 record, along with three NCAA team titles as a starter. 2010: Logan Stieber (Ohio State) Pre-Collegiate Credentials: FILA Junior freestyle champion, World Team Trials 4th Place, 4x National Champion in Fargo, 4x Ohio state champion Year one (of competition): Stieber had the opposite first-year experience from many wrestlers on this list. Initially, Ohio State planned to wrestle Stieber; however, he was injured in Vegas at the Cliff Keen and was able to use the 2010-11 season as a redshirt. In 2011-12, Stieber went 33-2 and took out the returning national champion, Jordan Oliver (Oklahoma State), to win his first national title. Collegiate Career: Stieber had one of the most storied careers in college wrestling history becoming the the fourth wrestler to win four national titles and the first B1G wrestler to do so. He also claimed four Big Ten and CKLV championships. After leading Ohio State to a 2015 national title, Stieber was named the Hodge Trophy winner. He finished both his sophomore and senior seasons undefeated. 2009: David Taylor (Penn State) Pre-Collegiate Credentials: 4x Ironman champion, 5x National Champion in Fargo, 4x Ohio state champion Year one (of competition): After a redshirt, David Taylor took the college wrestling world by storm with a bonus-point-filled season that saw him go undefeated up until the NCAA finals. There he was shocked and pinned by former teammate Bubba Jenkins, who had transferred to Arizona State. Taylor would go on to win every major National Freshman of the Year Award. That year also saw Penn State win their first team title under Cael Sanderson. Collegiate Career: As a sophomore, Taylor moved up from 157 lbs to 165 and was even more dominant. He was able to notch 15 falls in his 32 wins - to go along with 9 tech falls. Taylor captured his first national title with a tech in the NCAA finals. For his troubles, he was awarded the first of two Hodge Trophy’s. Taylor went on to become a four-time national finalist and two-time champion and finished with a career record of 134-3. At the time, he was only the third wrestler to win the Hodge Trophy on multiple occasions. Penn State went on to win team titles in each of the four years in which Taylor started. 2008: Jason Welch (Northwestern) Pre-Collegiate Credentials: 3x California state champion, 2006 Ironman Champion Year one (of competition): Northwestern was coming off a top-15 finish in 2008 and had a pair of All-Americans returning so it made sense for Jason Welch to go right away. Welch had a solid 26-10 record and made it to the Big Ten finals where he lost to fellow #1 overall recruit, Mike Poeta. At nationals, Welch went 2-2 with a win over the wrestler who was ranked directly behind him #2 Scott Winston - someone who had beaten him earlier in the season. Collegiate Career: After his freshman year, Welch took a redshirt and came back to turn in three straight All-American performances. He made two more Big Ten finals - winning as a senior. During that senior campaign, Welch advanced to the NCAA finals and lost a close, possibly controversial match to Derek St. John (Iowa). Welch finished his career with a 116-22 career record and was, at the time, Northwestern’s sixth three-time All-American. 2007: Cody Gardner (Virginia Tech) Pre-Collegiate Credentials: Fargo Junior Freestyle Champion, 3x Beast of the East Champion, 2006 Ironman Champion, 4x Virginia state champion Right after taking over at Virginia Tech, Kevin Dresser got his prized pupil from Christiansburg High School to stay home and wrestle for the Hokies. Cody Gardner’s career never really got off the ground at Virginia Tech and he transferred to Ohio State where he went 14-11. After one year, Gardner left Ohio State and resurfaced at DIII Delaware Valley. Gardner passed away in December of 2016. 2006: David Craig (Lehigh) Pre-Collegiate Credentials: 2006 NHSCA Senior National Champion, Beast of the East Champion, Ironman Champion, 3x Fargo National Champion, 4x Florida state champion Year one (of competition): Craig was Lehigh’s starter at 184 lbs from day one and compiled a 27-6 record as a true freshman. He was fourth in a deep EIWA weight class and advanced to the NCAA Round of 12 before falling to Edinboro’s Alex Clemsen. Collegiate Career: Craig would never advance to the Round of 12 again. He was unable to finish his sophomore season due to academic issues, but came back and won the EIWA in 2009. In both of his final two seasons with Lehigh, Craig earned a top-12 seed at nationals. Craig finished up with an 87-28 career record. In the middle of his senior season, there was a controversial article on InterMat in which Craig described his feelings for the sport of wrestling. 2005: Dustin Schlatter (Minnesota) Pre-Collegiate Credentials: 2005 NHSCA Senior National Champion, 6x Fargo National Champion, 4x Ohio state champion Year one (of competition): The high school recruiting class of 2005 remains one of the best of this “recruiting rankings” era and the wrestler that was deemed the best of the bunch was Dustin Schlatter. His high school battles with Brent Metcalf instantly found their way into wrestling lore. Schlatter wrestled right away for Minnesota and showed he would live up to the hype with a win over returning national champion Zack Esposito at the National Duals. Schlatter put on a show in a dominating 2006 Big Ten finals win over Troy Tirapelle (Illinois). At nationals, he downed #3 Ty Eustice (Iowa) to claim his national title. Collegiate Career: Schlatter only lost once, early in his true freshman season, and carried a 65-match winning streak into the 2007 NCAA semifinals. There he was stunned by Gregor Gillespie, the wrestler ranked third at 145 lbs in high school, behind Schlatter/Metcalf. He would come back to get third. During his final two years with Minnesota, Schlatter battled injuries, finishing seventh in 2008 before defaulting out of the 2010 tournament. Schlatter did sit out in 2009 and redshirted while making the Senior World Team. 2004: Mike Poeta (Illinois) Pre-Collegiate Credentials: 5x Fargo National Champion, 2004 NHSCA National Champion, 2x Illinois state champion Year one (of competition): The 2004-05 Illinois team was a special one, as they went on to capture their first Big Ten Championship since the 1952 season. The Illini staff must have sensed this possibility as they needed their best wrestlers in the lineup and had true freshman Mike Poeta wrestle 165, because of the presence of returning national finalist Alex Tirapelle at his ideal weight (157 lbs). Despite being undersized, Poeta finished third in the Big Ten and came up a match shy of the NCAA podium. Collegiate Career: For the next three years, Poeta would compete at 157 lbs. He’d finish in the top three at the NCAA Tournament on all three occasions with two NCAA finals appearances. In both of his final two seasons, Poeta was awarded the #2 seed at nationals. As a junior, he was an upset victim at the hands of Jordan Leen - his senior year he fell to Jordan Burroughs. Poeta’s career mark at Illinois was 105-14 which is good enough for third all-time on the Fighting Illini list of winning percentage. Poeta is considered one of the best wrestlers of his era without an NCAA title. He recently wrapped up his third year as the head coach at his alma mater.

Olympic and World bronze medalist Myles Amine sits down with Kevin Claunch to discuss a variety of topics. First up is his new venture, the Hot Seat podcast. Who doesn't want wrestling talk from a sauna? Amine also discusses the prospect of having a handful of Cliff Keen Wrestling Club teammates training for the upcoming Olympics alongside him and how this second Olympic experience may be different than the first. A five-time All-American for the University of Michigan, you know we couldn't let him go without some Wolverine talk. Amine talks about the past season, the program's reputation for accepting transfers, and the character of the wrestlers on the team. That and much more....

St. Christopher's

Cold Spring Harbor

Baylor School

Batavia

Lock Haven head coach Scott Moore made a strong addition to his coaching staff today as the school announced the hiring of former Ohio State All-American Gavin Hoffman as the team’s volunteer assistant for the 2024-25 campaign. Hoffman saw his Ohio State career end prematurely in 2023-24 as he suffered a season-ending injury and didn’t compete after early January. Ironically, Hoffman’s final win came at the Collegiate Duals against Lock Haven’s Colin Fegley. His Buckeye career ended with a 66-43 record; highlighted by an incredible run at the 2022 NCAA Tournament. As the 21st seed, Hoffman’s tournament started with three straight wins over higher-ranked opponents (#12 Tanner Sloan, #5 Nino Bonaccorsi, #13 Jake Woodley) and it landed him in the NCAA semis. He would end up dropping that match to Max Dean of Penn State and settling for sixth place. Hoffman qualified for the NCAA Championships on two occasions, both coming at 197 lbs, and his best Big Ten finish was an eighth-place showing in 2022. He came to Columbus after a remarkable high school career, winning three PIAA AA state titles for Montoursville and earning the #10 overall ranking in the high school Class of 2018. Lock Haven in 2024-25 will feature a squad that sent three wrestlers to the 2024 NCAA Championships, led by third-place finisher Anthony Noto. They have also added another national qualifier from Buffalo via the transfer portal. The move to Lock Haven will bring Hoffman close to home as Montoursville is just over 30 miles away from Lock Haven’s campus. Adding a young upperweight coach seems like a smart move for Moore who has an incoming freshman class that features a couple of excellent 184-197 lb prospects. According to MatScouts’ recently released final Big Board for 2024, Tucker Hogan (Daniel Boone, PA) comes in at #27 and Cole Bartram (Northern York, PA) is #112. The two actually met in the AAA 189 lb state finals in each of the last two years, with Hogan winning both matchups. Here is Lock Haven’s full Class of 2024.

“My heart and soul is Hofstra wrestling.” These are the words that were repeated a handful of times by former Hofstra Head Coach, Dennis Papadatos. He continued, “I was the head coach for my alma mater where I also grew up, in my backyard. While I was the head coach, we hosted the NCAA tournament at Madison Square Garden. Not many people get to say that.” The passion and emotion in his voice were very clear, as he discussed his newly acquired role in the athletic department – stepping away from coaching entirely. His new role as Assistant Director of Athletics for Athletic Development and Strategic Partnerships may sound intimidating to some, but Dennis was the guy the athletic department wanted for the job since it became available. When it comes to developing (and keeping) relationships, fundraising, and strategizing long-term, Dennis proved over his 20 years of experience that he was the best man for this role. He has all the tools a head coach needs outside of the wrestling aspect, including a Master’s in Higher Education Leadership – which is his second master’s degree. He worked in sales before getting into coaching as well. Years of coaching at a mid-major school takes “a grinder” as the coach put it. You need to fundraise nonstop, put in the miles for recruiting, and keep current wrestlers happy to avoid the possibility of them going into the dreaded transfer portal – which has become almost the norm as of late. The job is almost never-ending when you want to compete, and win. “I was so wrapped up in this life, I feel like I missed out on family. I was there, but I wasn’t THERE” Coach Papadatos explained with emphasis on the latter “there.” Then he continued, “My mind was always spinning – I need to call this alum back. I need to send this quick email. I need to call this recruit. This week’s practice plan isn’t done yet…” I envisioned the inside of Coach’s head spinning like the classic cartoon of a hamster running on a hamster wheel until it becomes too much and just goes for a ride on the wheel. If you know Dennis, you know his high-energy personality. He will still be able to be himself in his new role, but he’ll be able to “shut it off” much more often in comparison to being a coach. Dennis always had a dream of taking on an athletic director-type role. He had a plan of doing this at around age 55 (then eventually – age 50), but when the opportunity arose shortly after his 46th birthday, it was hard to turn down. “I knew I didn’t want to retire as a coach. I could not see myself being in the room at like age 60. That’s just not me.” His future plans to potentially move down south once his three kids are in college were taken into consideration. “An administration role is a lot easier to transfer down south compared to a wrestling coach. There are many more options in this type of role, across many levels of higher education. The athletic department approached Dennis in April. After turning down the job a handful of times, it finally set in that this may be the opportunity he was looking for. The key turning point could have been when Dennis was still the head coach. He was recruiting five or six recruits from the transfer portal only a few weeks after NCAAs. Within a few days, they all committed to Power-5 schools. The “grind” mentioned earlier comes with a heavy price when things do not turn out in your favor. Shortly after this - with some nudging from his wife and multiple people within the athletic department, plus some further self-reflection - Dennis accepted the job in late April. “How can I pass up an opportunity that’s better for my future, just because it’s not on the exact timeline I wanted to do it?” When the coach puts it this way, it makes too much sense. He even jokingly asked if the department could hold the position for him for two more years – as he laughed knowing how silly that question must have been in the moment. It takes great courage to admit what Dennis did when he said “I am just not sure how much longer I can put all of this emotional energy into coaching. I did not want to be a disservice to the university and wrestling program that I love.” Along the same lines, he continued, “There are not a ton of people in administration who support wrestling… maybe the best thing I can do for Hofstra wrestling, and for the sport, is to bite the bullet and step back from the position that everyone wants. Maybe the best thing for me to do is be an advocate for the sport on ‘the other side.’” Dennis was much more philosophical than I anticipated coming into this discussion. It goes to show how deeply he has thought about this and how hard the decision was for him and his family. As with any major decision, Dennis had questioned if this was the best option moving forward. Will he regret it? Did he make the right choice? In the end, he believes he can be of more assistance to the wrestling program (and other non-revenue sports) at Hofstra in his current role. He can help fundraise for multiple sports – not just wrestling. He can help coordinate NIL deals for all athletes – not just wrestlers. Corporate sponsorship can go a long way to helping create revenue for sports like wrestling. Hofstra has a contract with Madison Square Garden. You can bet Dennis will be pushing to have NCAA’s back at the historic venue in the future. Things like this can help bring many eyes (and money) to an athletic department like Hofstra. Of course, it should be noted that he will not have a direct report to wrestling – due to the obvious conflict of interest and allowing the new coach to come in with a fresh mindset and “make it his program.” Maybe down the line, things will change. Dennis was in agreement with this rationale, as he feels he should step away and possibly come back in a few years once the new coach is up and running full steam ahead. “Ultimately, my goal is to alleviate the headache of excessive fundraising for the next coach.” Without this emphasis, more focus can be turned toward recruiting, developing wrestlers, and other things that make a wrestling program great. Although Dennis is not officially on the search committee for the new coach, he will be able to voice his opinion on future candidates. The athletic department trusts Dennis enough to offer his honest opinion on potential options. It is still very early in the coaching search, as the job is still open. There have not been any initial phone calls or interviews, but Dennis has a general idea of who the likely candidate would be. Papadatos stated “The new coach will need to get his hands dirty and fundraise. You need that at a small school.” His opinion is that the new coach would have experience with the administrative aspect at a similar-sized school. The ideal candidate would be younger and be ready to grind. He’s expecting a quick decision and no drastic changes to the resources – meaning do not expect a David Taylor to Oklahoma State type of hire. This is important to understand. The new coach will need to recognize this and work with the available resources. Let’s not get it twisted - Hofstra does not lack traditional resources. The program is a fully funded (9.9 scholarship) program with two full-time assistants. The extra resources mentioned are the extravagant multi-million-dollar facilities that are a drop in the bucket at larger schools – just as an example. When asked if the new coach needs connections to Long Island, Dennis was not married to that idea. “Long Island is down. I’m a Long Island guy – it’s down. I hate to admit it” East Coast ties are important, according to him. “You must be able to recruit New York, Pennsylvania, and New Jersey,” he mentioned. “The New England states are improving also.” This makes sense, as these areas are drivable to Hofstra’s campus on Long Island. Hopefully, in a month we will have a better understanding of who will be picked to be the new head coach. No matter who becomes the next coach Dennis explained, “I want the next coach to come in and win. I want the kids I recruited to win. I will do everything I can to help support them while being a fan in the stands.” I’m sure this will be a bittersweet but refreshing change of pace for him. On behalf of all wrestling fans, thank you, Dennis, for your contributions as a coach – and for your future contributions to the sport of wrestling in your next role.

Last week, Princeton head coach Joe Dubuque announced that Anthony Ashnault would join Cody Brewer on the Tiger coaching staff for the 2024-25 season. Today, Dubuque has rounded out his coaching staff by hiring Nate Jackson. Jackson is a familiar face for followers of the Princeton team, as he had spent six years previously on the Tiger coaching staff. Like Dubuque, Jackson is an Indiana alum and wrestled for the Hoosiers while Dubuque was on staff. In Bloomington, Jackson captured a pair of All-American honors - placing fifth as a junior and eighth as a senior. Since his graduation, Jackson has been a fixture on the freestyle scene. In 2022, he was a match away from making the Senior World Team at 92 kg. Jackson advanced to Final X and took a match from two-time world champion, J’den Cox, but ultimately fell in the deciding contest. In Austin Sommer’s interview with Dubuque, he stressed the importance of having a specific coach to work with the lightweights, middleweights, and heavyweights. With Brewer already aboard and presumably working with the smaller guys, it leaves Ashnault in the middleweights and Jackson assuming control of the big men. The Princeton staff has to be one of the most decorated in all of college wrestling. Each coach AA’ed at the DI level multiple times, with Ashnault and Brewer doing so four times. Those two along with Dubuque each have national titles to their name. Jackson is the most accomplished from a freestyle standpoint.

Last week, 2023 NCAA champion Andrew Alirez made headlines as he announced his intentions to return to Northern Colorado despite a stint in the transfer portal. Alirez speaks with Ryan Holmes and discloses why he went into the portal and why he ultimately chose to finish his collegiate career wrestling for his hometown school. He also talks about the 2023-24 season and how different it was taking an Olympic redshirt, his performance at the Trials, a possible weight class change for 2024-25, his upcoming Beat the Streets match with 2024 national champion Jesse Mendez, some boxing and much more. For the full interivew:

Seaford

Suffern Central

Gilbert

Menchville

Cheyenne Central

Pine Creek

Greenfield

Mepham

Blair Academy

South Western