InterMat Staff

Omaha Bryan

Center Grove

Fairport

Rochester Mayo

West Creek

York Institute

“I am committed to continuing our winning tradition both academically and athletically. I look forward to the work ahead with a focus on providing a championship caliber experience for our student-athletes, coaches, staff and the entire Campbell family. The future is bright for Campbell Athletics.” Those are the words for Campbell University’s Director of Athletics Hannah Bazemore shortly after being named the school’s athletic director in November 2022. Those words rang hollow just a day after the school’s wrestling team learned that they would have a significant amount of funding cut from them. Starting in the 2025-26 school year, the wrestling program will only be given three scholarships which is a sharp decrease from the nine they had been working with. In what seems to be an unusual move, wrestlers who wish to keep their scholarships would not be allowed to compete. InterMat reached out to AD Bazemore for comment on this story and/or more information about this situation and has yet to receive a response as of Tuesday morning. Men’s and women’s soccer, golf, tennis, and volleyball are also said to be impacted. This change comes on the heels of the school’s move from the Big South Conference to the Coastal Athletic Association (formerly the Colonial Athletic Association). The move put Campbell in a conference that stretches from Charleston, South Carolina to Boston, Massachusetts. It was likely supposed to boost the school’s profile in football and basketball but generally has added more in travel expenses for everyone else - a common thread in conference realignment. Another “big-picture” change that’s in play here is the announcement that college athletics must share revenue with their athletes. Campbell has reportedly "opted in" to participate in revenue sharing in the future. Administrators can stomach sharing revenue with football and basketball teams, but everyone else, not so much. That plays a part in this decision. The main theme here is that the school and the athletic department have grossly mismanaged their budget and overspent and athletes who had nothing to do with their incompetence are left holding the bag. In today’s NIL world, holding the bag is actually a good thing - in this context, it isn’t. In my seventeen years of covering collegiate wrestling, I’ve seen too many colleges drop wrestling. I could look up the number, but it would be just another painful stomach punch during a rough couple of days. Usually, when a program is dropped or the funding is severely cut, you have to step back and look at the wrestling program as a whole. There tend to be multiple factors that contribute to the death. Lack of competitiveness on the mat, lack of attendance or fan interaction/interest, an out-of-touch coaching staff, and a team that doesn’t get the job done in the classroom or on campus are all hallmarks of a program that gets dropped by the administration. With Campbell, none of those factors apply. Though they just missed out on the InterMat preseason team rankings, Campbell finished the 2023-24 season ranked #22 in the nation in duals. Since 2021-22, the team has combined to go 41-7 and 21-2 in SoCon matches. Last season ended with heavyweight Taye Ghadiali becoming the second All-American in school history. In the 2022-23 season, Campbell notched wins over two Big Ten teams. A year prior, they downed an ACC opponent and pulled an upset over #16 Lehigh. Campbell’s staff also got in done on the recruiting trail inking the #24 overall recruiting class in the country with six of the top-250 prospects in the country. The Campbell coaching staff and support staff have done an excellent job in making the team relevant for reasons outside of wins and losses. Their social media presence is excellent and always on the cutting edge - typically, displaying more humor than most team accounts. Campbell has also developed a partnership with UFC FightPass who has streamed a handful of their duals. The Campbell/UFC FightPass partnership hasn’t been limited to “just showing” matches, but the team has worked in conjunction with opponents to provide unique atmospheres to promote these duals. In 2022-23, Campbell wrestled Michigan and North Carolina in the “Battle at Bragg.” The teams squared off in a hangar at Pope Army Airfield on the base formerly known as Fort Bragg (now Liberty). Last year, Campbell and Army West Point had a similar dual. A few weeks later, Campbell defeated Wyoming in the “Battle in the Barn” The dual took place in a specially renovated barn at an altitude of 8,000 feet on Deerwood Ranch in Wyoming. This season, they are set to take on #3 Nebraska on the school’s baseball field. The bottom line is Campbell’s wrestling program has repeatedly thought out of the box to make their matches more than just another wrestling match, they’re trying to create events and build or increase their fanbase. Campbell has also taken care of business in the classroom. Over the last four years, they have been mentioned each time in the NWCA’s Team Scholar Athlete Awards - with the highest ranking coming in 2022 when their team GPA was fifth in the country at 3.484. The 2021 team was 15th, 2023 was 14th and the team was 28th last year. Campbell and Campbell’s staff have checked all of the appropriate boxes when it comes to doing their part in running a successful program, so why does this happen? As with most things in college athletics, the answer lies in money. Unless your team is generating massive amounts of money or you’re one of the select few blue-blood wrestling programs, this could happen to you. The wrestling team has already had to reportedly raise over six figures per year to make their operating budget and that was with nine scholarships. The sad reality is that there’s an unofficial playbook for administrators in these seemingly dire financial situations. It’s either eliminating programs without warning or floating the idea that programs will be dropped or funding will be severely cut - leading to donors stepping up and saving the program and endowing it for the future, thus easing financial burdens off of them. Of course, if the donors do not get to a level that is acceptable to the school, they can just eliminate the team and it’s another line item off the balance sheet. We’re thankful that AD Bazemore did not use option one. It irritates me that we’ll have to work with the second option again (see Stanford), but I’d rather the wrestling community have the option to save a program than not. Going forward, this may be a more common occurrence. Now, I’m here talking about worst-case scenarios. I know Campbell head coach Scotti Sentes a little bit. With nine scholarships or three, he’s still going to put his all into making Campbell a viable program and doing right by his student-athletes. But make no mistake, he’ll have his work cut out for him. There will likely be a handful of current wrestlers in the transfer portal and some talented recruits decommit. As of now, InterMat has seen six verbals for Campbell from the Class of 2025. InterMat reached out for a comment from the parent of a current Campbell starter who replied, “I’m at a loss honestly. I have no idea what my child should do. I don’t know how he protects himself. He has trusted the process, trusted the people in charge, and planned his college career in line with what made the most sense for him to be the best version of himself both on the mat and classroom. I know life lessons can be really rough… just hoping this doesn’t actually pan out to be one.” You also have to feel for current Campbell stars Anthony Molton and Shannon Hanna. Both were team members on the Old Dominion team that was dropped after the 2019-20 season. After leaving Old Dominion, Molton transferred to Fresno State, who dropped their team after the 2021 season. A brief look at Molton's resume by the uninformed eye might lead one to think he’s an example of what’s wrong with college athletics with two transfers - three schools in three years. Technically, they’d be right, but for the opposite reason. Molton is an example of being collateral damage for the failures of college administrators, over and over again. After a couple of minutes on Campbell University’s homepage, I stumbled across the school’s mission statement. There’s the statement itself, but after there are 12 points the University says it will do to fulfill the mission. I’d implore AD Bazemore and anyone involved with the decision-making process to re-read points #3 and #7. #3: influences development of moral courage, social sensitivity, and ethical responsibility. #7 encourages students to think critically and creatively. Are you holding yourself to the same standards that you’re holding these young men and women to? Think creatively and show moral courage, social sensitivity, and ethical responsibility. Back to our quote from AD Bazemore: “I am committed to continuing our winning tradition both academically and athletically. I look forward to the work ahead with a focus on providing a championship caliber experience for our student-athletes, coaches, staff and the entire Campbell family. The future is bright for Campbell Athletics.” Make sure the future is indeed bright for Campbell athletics. Not just holding out hope that a magical football run or Final Four berth in basketball will save you. The wrestling team is one that has delivered the championship caliber experience for Campbell. Do your best to support them rather than gut the program. To donate and support Campbell wrestling please follow this link . Make sure wrestling scholarships are noted in your donation. Make your voice heard by the Campbell administration. While we are all emotional about this situation, please be respectful of AD Bazemore or any administrators to contact. Personal attacks only make the program look worse and likely decrease their desire to help.

Last week, we reported on Lehigh’s getting their first verbal from the Class of 2026 when #25 overall Cael Wiedemoyer (Faith Christian, PA) committed. Now, Lehigh has received a second and it’s from another elite prospect. The latest is #16 overall Keanu Dillard, who is currently ranked #1 in the nation at 120 lbs. Dillard is also from Lehigh’s backyard as he has won a pair of Pennsylvania AAA state titles for Bethlehem Catholic High School. Over the summer, Dillard represented the United States at U17 World Championships wrestling 55 kg in freestyle. Dillard ended up coming home from Jordan with a bronze medal. To make the world team, Dillard won the UWW U17 Trials for the first time. He was fifth at the tournament in 2023 and fifth in Greco-Roman in 2022. Other notable accomplishments for Dillard include a runner-up finish at 16U freestyle nationals in Fargo in 2022. A year ago, Dillard was sixth at the Super 32. The fit between Dillard and Lehigh appears to be a good one. The Mountain Hawks EIWA Champion and All-American at 125 lbs, Luke Stanich, is redshirting and moving up a weight (or two). Current projected starter Sheldon Seymour is headed into his junior year of competition. After Seymour, there doesn’t appear to be a clear-cut starter waiting in the wings. Just two years ago, Lehigh retained another top prospect from their home turf in Ryan Crookham. Crookham was as good as advertised in 2023-24 and will start the year ranked #1 in the nation at 133 lbs. Also, Lehigh’s last national champion (Darian Cruz) was a 125 lber from Bethlehem Catholic. Dillard took a visit to Lehigh on the weekend of September 28th and it was one of six schools he visited. Nebraska, Penn, Princeton, Stanford, and Virginia are the others. For Lehigh’s current verbal commitments from the Class of 2025 and 2026 - click here.

Bethlehem Catholic

Will Denny photo courtesy of Sam Janicki; SJanickiPhoto.com Another edition of the Super 32 is in the books. As expected, the tournament did not disappoint. There was even a finals match that is already being discussed as one of the best high school matches ever. But, that’s a topic for a different day. Today, we’re looking at the placewinners from the boys high school division and where they are headed for college. Five different schools have commitments from four placewinners. Another four have commitments from three placers. As illustrated in the lead up to the tournament, the Super 32 can be a preview for success at the collegiate level. There no doubt that we’ll see many of the names below with deep runs at future NCAA Tournaments. Wrestlers have been sorted by the future school and listed with their home state. All wrestlers are from the Class of 2025 unless otherwise noted. Air Force Bradley Patterson (Georgia) - 3rd at 113 lbs American Colin Martin (Virginia) - 5th at 126 lbs Army West Point Jayce Paridon (Florida) - 5th at 138 lbs Brown Devon Magro (Pennsylvania) - 6th at 150 lbs Cal Poly Levi Bussey (California) - 4th at 190 lbs Cornell Adrian DeJesus (New Jersey) - 7th at 132 lbs Anthony Knox (New Jersey) - Champion at 126 lbs Joseph Toscano (California) - 4th at 144 lbs - Class of 2026 Sergio Vega (Arizona) - Champion at 138 lbs Indiana Carson Thomas (Ohio) - Champion at 190 lbs Iowa State Christian Castillo (Iowa) - Champion at 120 lbs Lehigh Chase Van Hoven (Virginia) - 4th at 150 lbs Maryland Brokton Borelli (California) - 5th at 190 lbs Michigan Gauge Botero (Pennsylvania) - 6th at 120 lbs Minnesota Leo Contino (California) - 8th at 157 lbs Missouri Dominic Bambinelli (Georgia) - Runner-Up at 165 lbs Seth Mendoza (Illinois) - Runner-Up at 132 lbs Kollin Rath (Pennsylvania) - Runner-Up at 157 lbs Navy Nikos Filipos (Pennsylvania) - 7th at 113 lbs NC State Will Denny (Illinois) - Champion at 157 lbs Dom Deputy (Pennsylvania) - 8th at 126 lbs - Class of 2026 Brogan Tucker (Ohio) - 4th Place at 157 lbs Daniel Zepeda (California) - Runner-Up at 144 lbs Nebraska Tyler Eise (California) - Champion at 175 lbs Nikade Zinkin (California) - 6th at 144 lbs Cade Ziola (Nebraska) - 3rd at 215 lbs North Carolina Nate Askew (North Carolina) - 8th at 144 lbs Jacob Levy (Georgia) - 4th at 285 lbs Mitchell Younger (Ohio) - 7th at 144 lbs Northern Iowa Logan Paradice (Georgia) - 3rd at 144 lbs Oklahoma Jake Hockaday (Indiana) - 3rd at 132 lbs Oklahoma State Beau Hickman (Oklahoma) - 8th at 150 lbs Ronnie Ramirez (California) - 6th at 126 lbs Landon Robideau (Minnesota) - Champion at 150 lbs Ethan Teague (Oklahoma) - 8th at 175 lbs Oregon State Nathan Carrillo (California) - 7th at 126 lbs - Class of 2026 Travis Grace (California) - 6th at 165 lbs - Class of 2026 Khale McDonnell (California) - 4th at 215 lbs Manny Saldate (Nevada) - 8th at 132 lbs Penn Brian Heard (Pennsylvania) - 7th at 175 lbs Eren Sement (Pennsylvania) - 8th at 138 lbs Penn State Asher Cunningham (Pennsylvania) - Champion at 165 lbs Nathan Desmond (Pennsylvania) - 4th at 126 lbs Dalton Perry (Pennsylvania) - Runner-Up at 138 lbs Pittsburgh Elijah Brown (Pennsylvania) - 7th at 190 lbs - Class of 2026 Princeton Vincenzo Lavalle (New Jersey) - Runner-Up at 190 lbs Purdue Noah Weaver (Indiana) - Runner-Up at 215 lbs Rutgers Jordan Chapman (New Jersey) - Runner-Up at 175 lbs Tahir Parkins (Pennsylvania) - 3rd at 138 lbs South Dakota State Jacob Herm (Wisconsin) - 5th at 157 lbs Stanford Dylan Pile (California) - 3rd at 175 lbs Angelo Posada (California) - Champion at 215 lbs Virginia Tech Collin Gaj (Pennsylvania) - 5th at 150 lbs Noah Nininger (Virginia) - 5th at 144 lbs Aaron Seidel (Pennsylvania) - Runner-Up at 126 lbs Claudio Torres (Florida) - 7th at 165 lbs Ben Weader (Virginia) - 6th at 157 lbs Wyoming Lane Foard (Virginia) - 6th at 190 lbs

Immaculate Conception

St. Michael-Albertville

Skyview

Northfield Mt. Herman

St. Mark's

Rosemount

Huntingtown

Buford

95 lb Championship: Hailey Delgado (Texas) over Isla Silva (Pennsylvania) 10-0 Third Place Match: Lilly Breeden (Missouri) over Justice Gutierrez (Colorado) 4-4 Fifth Place Match: Gail Sullivan (New York) over Alliya Walker (Virginia) 10-0 100 lbs Championship: Jaclyn Bouzakis (Pennsylvania) over Katey Valdez (Colorado) 8-6 Third Place Match: Libertie Nigh (Ohio) over Madison Nieuwenhuis (Michigan) 6-4 Fifth Place Match: Summer Mutschler (Maryland) over Alexandria Barskiy (New Jersey) 7-1 106 lbs Championship: Kayla Batres (Connecticut) over Camryn Gresham (Ohio) 8-2 Third Place Match: Joslyn Johnson (Florida) over Julia Horger (Pennsylvania) Fall 1:14 Fifth Place Match: Sarissa Tucker (Virginia) over Avy Perez (California) MedFFT 112 lbs Championship: Reagan Mathers (Arizona) over Abbie Cooper (California) 6-3 Third Place Match: Gigi Bragg (Minnesota) over Taylor Whiting (Michigan) 10-7 Fifth Place Match: Marie Sharp (New Jersey) over Julianna Hernandez (New York) Fall 3:09 118 lbs Championship: Epenesa Eilson (California) over Riley Rayome (Texas) 10-0 Third Place Match: Caley Graber (Minnesota) over Savannah Witt (Pennsylvania) Fall 1:32 Fifth Place Match: Leiannah Landreth (Kansas) over Angela Bianchi (Wisconsin) 9-2 124 lbs Championship: Everest Leydecker (Arizona) over Emma Bacon (Pennsylvania) 10-0 Third Place Match: Victoria Carbonaro (New Jersey) over Molly Allen (Iowa) Fall 1:17 Fifth Place Match: Sierra Chiesa (Pennsylvania) over Lexy Pabon (Maryland) 8-4 132 lbs Championship: Taina Fernandez (Maryland) over Corynne McNulty (Massachusetts) 10-0 Third Place Match: Alexis Lazar (Michigan) over Samantha Sachs (California) MedFFT Fifth Place Match: Taina McGowan (New Jersey) over Taylor Ellis Hishaw (Oklahoma) MedFFT 138 lbs Championship: Riley Hanrahan (Wisconsin) over Zoey Haines (Pennsylvania) 8-2 Third Place Match: Camilla Hathaway (Pennsylvania) over Madeline Haynes (Missouri) Fall 3:03 Fifth Place Match: Isis France (Pennsylvania) over Louise Juitt (Missouri) MedFFT 148 lbs Championship: Violette Lasure (Pennsylvania) over Belicia Manuel (Michigan) Fall 2:59 Third Place Match: Ella Poalillo (New Jersey) over Sarah Henckel (Connecticut) Fall 3:51 Fifth Place Match: Gray Joyce (Kansas) over Ryen Hickey (Colorado) 7-3 160 lbs Championship: Kaili Manuel (Michigan) over Alexandria Alli (Ohio) 8-3 Third Place Match: Matilda Hruby (Colorado) over Juliet Alt (Pennsylvania) Fall 3:25 Fifth Place Match: Remington LaFlamme (Texas) over Raegan Snider (Pennsylvania) 9-5 175 lbs Championship: Jael Miller (Pennsylvania) over Kaylie Hall (West Virginia) 13-8 Third Place Match: Leilani Lemus (California) over Makayla Vasser (Nebraska) 6-0 Fifth Place Match: Ylyana Sandoval (Pennsylvania) over KyLee Lindsley (Montana) 8-0 200 lbs Championship: Josephine Larson (Illinois) over Grace Leota (Florida) 5-2 Third Place Match: Tirza Twoteeth (Montana) over Caroline Biegel (New Jersey) Fall 1:36 Fifth Place Match: Kitana Leafaatoto (Nevada) over Kinslee Collier (Oklahoma)

106 lbs Championship: Caleb Noble (Illinois) fall Sean Kenny (New Jersey) 5:45 Third place: Hayden Schwab (Iowa) fall Julian Rios (Massachusetts) 5:12 Fifth place: Brayden Wenrich (Pennsylvania) dec Turner Ross (Oklahoma) 4-0 Seventh place: Chase Karenbauer (Pennsylvania) dec Keegan Bassett (Pennsylvania) 4-0 113 lbs Championship: Freddy Bachmann (Pennsylvania) over Johnathon McGinty (New Jersey) 4-2 Third place: Bradley Patterson (Georgia) maj CJ Caines (Pennsylvania) 12-3 Fifth place:Ignacio Villasenor (Oklahoma) maj Dunia Sibomana (New York) 13-2 Seventh place: Nikos Filipos (Pennsylvania) dec Oumar Tounkara (New York) 5-3 120 lbs Championship: Christian Castillo (Iowa) dec Antonio Mills (Georgia) 6-5TB Third place: Joseph Uhorchuk (Tennessee) dec Joe Bachmann (Pennsylvania) 6-0 Fifth place: Aydan Thomas (Oklahoma) dec Gauge Botero (Pennsylvania) 7-5 Seventh place: Grey Burnett (Ohio) dec Sean Willcox (California) 8-5 126 lbs Championship: Anthony Knox (New Jersey) dec Aaron Seidel (Pennsylvania) 3-2 Third place: Moses Mendoza (California) dec Nathan Desmond (Pennsylvania) 7-4 Fifth place: Colin Martin (Virginia) MedFFT Ronnie Ramirez (California) Seventh place: Nathan Carrillo (California) dec Dom Deputy (Pennsylvania) 5-2 132 lbs Championship: Jax Forrest (Pennsylvania) dec Seth Mendoza (Illinois) 9-3 Third place: Jake Hockaday (Indiana) dec Layne Kleimann (Utah) 5-2 Fifth place: Zach Stewart (Illinois) MedFFT Gavin Mangano (New York) Seventh place: Adrian DeJesus (New Jersey) maj Manuel Saldate (Nevada) 11-2 138 lbs Championship: Sergio Vega (Arizona) maj Dalton Perry (Pennsylvania) 18-5 Third place: Tahir Parkins (Pennsylvania) dec Sam Herring (Pennsylvania) 11-5 Fifth place: Jayce Paridon (Florida) dec Tyler Traves (Virginia) 8-3 Seventh place: Jason Worthley (Utah) dec Eren Sement (Pennsylvania) 6-4 144 lbs Championship: Bo Bassett (Pennsylvania) dec Daniel Zepeda (California) 10-7SV Third place: Logan Paradice (Georgia) dec Joseph Toscano (California) 10-7 Fifth place: Noah Nininger (Virginia) dec Nikade Zinkin (California) 4-1 Seventh place: Mitchell Younger (Ohio) dec Nate Askew IV (North Carolina) 4-1 150 lbs Championship: Landon Robideau (Minnesota) tech Blake Cosby (Michigan) 20-5 Third place: Dorian Olivarez (Texas) maj Chase Van Hoven (Virginia) 8-0 Fifth place:Collin Gaj (Pennsylvania) dec Devon Magro (Pennsylvania) 7-3 Seventh place: Zeno Moore (Florida) dec Beau Hickman (Oklahoma) 2-0 157 lbs Championship: Will Denny (Illinois) dec Kollin Rath (Pennsylvania) 7-3 Third place: Melvin Miller (Pennsylvania) dec Brogan Tucker (Ohio) 5-4 Fifth place: Jacob Herm (Wisconsin) dec Ben Weader (Virginia) 9-8 Seventh place: Joey Canova (New Jersey) fall Leo Contino (California) 1:39 165 lbs Championship: Asher Cunningham (Pennsylvania) dec Dominic Bambinelli (Georgia) 12-11 Third place: Salah Tsarni (Maryland) dec Liam Carlin (New York) 6-5 Fifth place: Aidan Costello (Indiana) fall Travis Grace (California) Fall 2:27 Seventh place: Claudio Torres (Florida) maj Mario Carini (California) 11-3 175 lbs Championship: Tyler Eise (California) fall Jordan Chapman (New Jersey) 2:45 Third place: Dylan Pile (California) MedFFT Jonathan Rocha (California) Fifth place: Tyler Morrison (Pennsylvania) maj Waylon Cressell (Indiana) 11-3 Seventh place: Brian Heard (Pennsylvania) MedFFT Ethan Teague (Oklahoma) 190 lbs Championship: Carson Thomas (Ohio) dec Vincenzo Lavalle (New Jersey) 7-1 Third place: Ryder Wilder (Georgia) dec Levi Bussey (California) 4-1SV Fifth place: Brokton Borelli (California) MedFFT Lane Foard (Virginia) Seventh place: Elijah Brown (Pennsylvania) Fall Alex Reyes (New Jersey) Fall 3:47 215 lbs Championship: Angelo Posada (California) fall Noah Weaver (Indiana) Fall 1:56 Third place: Cade Ziola (Nebraska) maj Khale McDonnell (California) 10-2 Fifth place: Conor Delaney (New Jersey) dec Jason Singer (Pennsylvania) 5-2 Seventh place: Ashton Honnold (Iowa) maj Lincoln Carlson (Connecticut) 13-2 285 lbs Championship: Dean Bechtold (Pennsylvania) dec Michael Mocco (Florida) 5-0 Third place: Mark Effendian (Pennsylvania) dec Jacob Levy (Georgia) 1-0 Fifth place: Mark Marin (California) MedFFT Landon Jobber-Spence (Virginia) Seventh place: James Hartleroad (Indiana) MedFFT Mateo Vinciguerra (New Jersey)

Yesterday, we looked at some of the top freshmen who should take the NCAA by storm in their first year of eligibility. Today, we’re going to the other end of the spectrum. Seniors or super Seniors. These wrestlers have already had excellent careers, yet are seeking to make the NCAA podium for the first time. Most of them have resumes filled with quality wins over All-Americans or wrestlers of that ilk. They just need to get it done on Friday at the NCAA Tournament. If you don’t have a dog in the fight at one of these weights, they might be someone to pull for. In my opinion, it’s always a special sight when that battle-tested senior finally breaks through and gets the proverbial monkey off his back with an NCAA quarterfinal or bloodround win. Here are ten top seniors to watch in 2024-25: #8 Jacob Camacho (NC State) - 125 lbs Jakob Camacho has been so good for so long that he had an excellent opportunity to make the NCAA podium in the 2020 tournament that was canceled during the onset of the COVID pandemic. During that season, Camacho claimed the first of his three ACC titles. Interestingly enough, the year he did not win ACC’s (2021) was the season where he advanced farthest at nationals. There he lost in tiebreakers to Killian Cardinale (West Virginia) in the bloodround. The following two seasons, Camacho has been eliminated in the NCAA Consolation Round of 16. Through his four years at NC State, Camacho has amassed a 63-21 record. At one point during the 2023-24 season, Camacho held the #1 ranking after a 7-0 start and a win over returning national runner-up, Matt Ramos (Purdue). That led to an 0-3 showing at the Collegiate Duals. Looking at Camacho’s losses from his last two NCAA Tournament’s, they all come to legit studs. Both wrestlers to defeat Camacho in 2024 ended up in the top five. In 2022, he fell to NCAA runner-up Pat Glory (Princeton) and Eric Barnett (Wisconsin). Conversely, Camacho also has a win 2022 NCAA Tournament win over 2024 runner-up, Drake Ayala (Iowa). 125 lbs could be as wide open in 2024-25 as it was last season. That means Camacho could rise up the ranks pretty quickly, but also is on upset alert every match. #10 Connor McGonagle (Virginia Tech) - 133 lbs While others on this list have compiled lofty win totals and deep NCAA Tournament runs, Connor McGonagle is a bit of an outlier. McGonagle first appeared for Lehigh during the abridged 2021 season at 141 lbs and made the NCAA Tournament. A year later, still at 141, McGonagle missed the first month of the season and was about .500 when he came back and had a second straight 0-2 showing at nationals. The 2022-23 season marked the first time McGonagle was able to compete at his ideal weight class and he thrived down at 133 lbs. McGonagle went 11-2 during the regular season and notched wins over eventual All-American Kai Orine (NC State) and perennial All-American contender Mickey Phillippi (Pittsburgh). Unfortunately, McGonagle was injured at the EIWA Championships and was unable to compete in Tulsa, though he initially received an at-large berth. In 2023-24, Lehigh was ready to unleash super-freshman Ryan Crookham at 133 lbs. Crookham and McGonagle met early in the year at the Journeymen Collegiate Classic and Crookham prevailed in sudden victory. At that point, McGonagle already had been selected to participate in the NWCA All-Star Classic. He ended up wrestling and beating current Virginia Tech teammate Sam Latona in a match that went to extra time. McGonagle would later enter the portal and transfer to the Hokies. It’s difficult to gauge where McGonagle fits into a very solid 133 lb weight class. Aside from Orine, most of his best wins have come against opposition no longer at the weight. The same goes for some of his losses. If healthy, and that’s a big if, the change of scenery and one last shot could be all that McGonagle needs to get on the podium. #7 Cael Happel (Northern Iowa) - 141 lbs It might be hard to believe but last year was the first time that Cael Happel earned an automatic berth to the NCAA Tournament. Despite racking up a 35-18 record during his first two seasons in Cedar Falls, Happel did not receive an at-large berth as a freshman and needed one as a sophomore. Last year, Happel maintained the momentum he created by finishing fourth at the Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational, by advancing to the Big 12 finals in a deep conference weight class. Unfortunately, Happel dropped his next match, too. It was in the first round of the NCAA Championships in sudden victory against Vance Vombaur (Minnesota). Happel would later get eliminated in the bloodround after a 5-2 loss to returning national runner-up, Real Woods (Iowa). During the 2023-24 regular season, Happel notched wins over eventual All-Americans Brock Hardy (Nebraska) and Anthony Echemendia (Iowa State) - along with NCAA top-ten seeds Sergio Lemley (Michigan) and Tagen Jamison (Oklahoma State). As a sophomore, Happel had multiple wins over wrestlers who would end up on the podium - Clay Carlson (South Dakota State) and Dylan D’Emilio (Ohio State). As we’ve seen for a few years now, Happel can beat just about anyone in the country on any given day. He just needs to do so at the right time in March. #9 Josh Koderhandt (Navy) - 141 lbs Last year, the Naval Academy brought through and had their first All-American since 2016 as David Key took eighth place at the 184 lb weight class. Now, can Navy produce All-Americans in back-to-back years for the first time since 2008-09? It’s possible with returning EIWA champion, Josh Koderhandt. Through three years of competition at Navy, Koderhandt’s record sits at 75-29. He has qualified for the NCAA Tournament in all three years, including a pair of EIWA finals appearances. After failing to win a match at the 2023 NCAA Tournament, Koderhandt advanced to the Round of 12 in Kansas City before falling to Brock Hardy (Nebraska). In fact, looking at Koderhandt’s resume, seven of his eight 2023-24 losses came to wrestlers that ended up on the podium in KC (Tagen Jamison was the other). So generally, Koderhandt almost always beats the guys you’d expect him to beat. Koderhandt started his 2023-24 season by downing past All-American Cole Matthews in Navy’s surprising upset of Pittsburgh. Later in the year, he downed multiple-time All-American Clay Carlson (South Dakota State). At the EIWA Championships and NCAA’s he picked up wins over 2022 AA, CJ Composto (Penn). The 141 lb weight should look pretty similar to the 2023-24 version of the weight class. The top three finishers all return, along with 2023 champion Andrew Alirez (Northern Colorado) and the two wrestlers at the backend of the podium. Those challengers, along with Koderhandt, Happel, and other potential first-time AA’s like Lemley and Jamison make for a deep group. To get on the podium, Koderhandt will have to pick up a win or two over an opponent who you probably wouldn’t expect him to beat. #13 Chase Saldate (Michigan) - 157 lbs A top-15 prospect from the Class of 2020, Chase Saldate was one of the highest-ranked recruits to sign with Michigan State in some time. Saldate had a solid career for the Spartans, but has never been able to get over that proverbial hump. In the offseason, he transferred to rival Michigan in hopes that a new environment and a talented group of training partners could be the push needed to get onto the NCAA podium (and perhaps more). Saldate’s best Big Ten finish came as a true freshman in 2021 when he was fourth in the conference at 157 lbs. His best all-around season was in 2022-23, when he finished fifth at the Big Ten meet, earned the #11 seed at nationals and advanced to the NCAA Round of 12. Unfortunately, at that point, Saldate ran into the high-flying Bryce Andonian (Virginia Tech) and fell via third-period pin in a back-and-forth affair. At the NCAA Tournament that year, Saldate posted wins over a pair of Big Ten foes who had given him trouble in the past (Trevor Chumbley/Northwestern and Kendall Coleman/Purdue). Unfortunately, Chumbley turned the tables and eliminated Saldate from the 2024 national tournament. We’ll have to see how the new room, coaching staff, and training partners benefit Saldate. In his recent interview with our Kevin Claunch, Saldate seemed refocused and reinvigorated. Could that different frame of mind lead to an uptick in results on the mat? Last year, we saw two of Michigan’s super-seniors advance to the NCAA finals (Austin Gomez and Lucas Davison) for the first time in their highly decorated careers, why not Saldate? #16 Johnny Lovett (Central Michigan) - 157 lbs We mentioned Chase Saldate, so how about an opponent he’s clashed with frequently over the year, in-state rival Johnny Lovett. Saldate’s move from MSU to Michigan keeps the rivalry alive, as the Chippewas are on Michigan’s dual schedule, as per usual. Lovett is 1-2 career against Saldate. The two split matches in 2023-24. The Chippewa got the best of Saldate at the Midlands and Saldate returned the favor in their dual. Even though Saldate posted the more recent head-to-head win, it was Lovett who advanced further in Kansas City. After an opening round upset loss, Lovett defeated three consecutive higher seeds to earn a berth in the the bloodround. There his season came to an end after a major decision loss to Meyer Shapiro (Cornell). Still, it accounts for Lovett’s deepest NCAA run in his four appearances. Throughout his career, Lovett has bounced between 149 and 157 lbs. He spent his first two years at 157, but dropped down and won a MAC championship at 149, yet went 1-2 at the NCAA Tournament in 2023. He returned to 157 last year and expects to compete there as well in 2024-25. Lovett heads into his final year in Mount Pleasant with a career mark of 81-34. He has shown the ability to beat All-Americans (multiple wins over Will Lewan) and has the resiliency to flip past results from losses to wins. He’s also competing in perhaps the deepest MAC weight, which might account for an extra loss or two, but ultimately prepares him for Philadelphia. #5 Julian Ramirez (Cornell) - 165 lbs If we were ranking the wrestlers in this feature, Julian Ramirez may be at the top of this list. Ramirez is a two-time EIWA Champion and a three-time NCAA Round of 12 finisher. Over the past two years, he’s come into national with the fourth and third seed at 165 lbs, respectively. At the 2023 NCAA Championships, Ramirez was shocked in the opening round by Caleb Fish (Michigan State) but rebounded with three straight wins before he met former national champion Shane Griffith (Stanford) in the bloodround. Last year, he was edged by Mikey Caliendo in the quarters and shocked by Peyton Hall (West Virginia) in the Round of 12. Ramirez’s best performance of the 2023-24 season came in Vegas at the CKLV where he stunned the eventual national champion, David Carr (Iowa State), in the semifinals. Earlier in the tournament, he majored Hunter Garvin (Stanford), who later would finish sixth in the nation. For a good portion of the season, after Vegas, Ramirez was ranked second in the country. Ramirez has always had good showings in Vegas - winning the tournament in 2022 and taking fourth as a freshman. Ramirez heads into his final season with a 73-19 career record and is ranked fifth in the country. Based on his talent, that is even slightly lower than what he “should” be. Because of his NCAA finish and a win over Hall, Garvin comes in at number three. In Vegas, we could sort some of this out. The two wrestlers ranked directly above Ramirez are slated to appear, as are the four directly below him. #7 Nick Incontrera (Penn) - 174 lbs Ramirez’s Blair Academy teammate, Nick Incontrera is also someone who has been in the mix for most of his career at Penn, yet has to achieve All-American status. Over the past two NCAA Tournaments, of the four wrestlers that have defeated Incontrera, three of them he has beaten previously. It’s not necessarily a question of whether or not Incontrerra can beat the upper-echelon wrestlers at this weight, it’s doing it when the stakes are the highest. The 2024 NCAA Tournament saw Incontrera fall to Lennox Wolak (Columbia) in the championship Round of 16, 4-2. Just under two months before Kansas City, Incontrera was victorious in dual action, 5-3. A pre-final loss at the EIWA Championships prevented the two from clashing and Incontrera settled for fifth-place and the #10 seed at nationals. Perhaps Incontrera’s best regular season win last year came early in the year when he majored Iowa’s Patrick Kennedy. For the second straight year, Incontrera had a strong showing at the Midlands. He was third at the 2023 tournament after making the 2022 finals. In both years, his only loss came to Illinois’ Big Ten champion and All-American Edmond Ruth. With the Ivy League’s separation from the EIWA and Wolak’s transfer to Virginia Tech, Incontrera will start the year as the favorite to claim his first conference crown. Through three years of competition, the three-time national qualifier sports a 71-27 career record. #9 Zach Glazier (South Dakota State) - 197 lbs Most of the wrestlers on this list have a long track record of success and near misses at the national tournament. Zach Glazier is the exception. He was a spot starter for Iowa for the first few years of his career and ended up as the starter last season after Jacob Warner exhausted his eligibility. You’ve probably heard the story hundreds of times by now, but there were overtures from the Hawkeye Wrestling Club towards 2021 NCAA Champion AJ Ferrari to come in and wrestle 197 lbs for Iowa last year. Those didn’t work out. Late in the summer of 2024, Iowa was able to secure the transfer of three-time All-American Stephen Buchanan. That led to Zach Glazier’s transfer to South Dakota State. At this time last year, we didn’t know what to expect from Glazier. Through three years of limited competition, Glazier had tallied a 10-5 record filling in, as needed. Glazier showed he was capable in the early going with a 7-3 win over Iowa State’s Julien Broderson, which clinched the Cy-Hawk dual for the Hawkeyes. In his first Big Ten dual of the year, Glazier majored the returning Big Ten champion, Silas Allred (Nebraska). After the smoke cleared from the Big Ten Championships, Glazier was ready for nationals with a 24-2 record. He was the lone Hawkeye representative in the Big Ten finals and received the seventh seed in Kansas City. Unfortunately, Glazier was upset in the opening round by Virginia Tech’s Andy Smith in sudden victory. Two matches later, he was knocked out by Little Rock freshman Stephen Little, also in extra time. Glazier fills a hole perfectly for SDSU, as he’ll replace two-time All-American and NCAA runner-up Tanner Sloan. This Jackrabbit team had a great showing at the NCAA Tournament with a 13th-place finish - on the strength of four All-Americans. Three return in 2024-25. He, along with four-time All-American Rocky Elam (Missouri), will be the favorites at 197 lbs in the Big 12. #10 Zac Braunagel (Illinois) - 197 lbs Last year, injuries and redshirts held Illinois back and the squad was only able to muster a 5-9 dual record. Now, with the young kids and veterans off redshirt and assuming full health, Illinois could be a team that opens some eyes in 2024-25. One of the wrestlers who sat out and took an Olympic redshirt was Zac Braunagle at 197 lbs. Though still in college, Braunagel has already represented the United States at the World Championships in Greco-Roman. While he wasn’t able to make the 2024 Olympic Team, Braunagel was able to gain valuable experience and likely saved his body from the grind of a Big Ten season. In each of his last two years of collegiate competition, Braunagle’s NCAA Tournament has ended in the Round of 12. In 2022 it was at 184 lbs and, a year later, 197. Both times came after a top-four showing at the Big Ten Championships and a top-12 seed at nationals. Coincidentally, both bloodround losses have come to Cornell wrestlers (Jacob Cardenas in 2023 and Jonathan Loew in 2022). In addition, during the 2023 tournament, Braunagel had an excruciatingly close 3-2 loss to Ethan Laird (Rider) in the quarterfinals, where a win would have secured All-American honors. Amazingly enough, during his most recent year of collegiate competition, Braunagel notched four wins over current/future All-Americans (Michael Beard, Younger Bastida, Jacob Warner, and Gavin Hoffman). Braunagel’s final campaign will take place in a new look Big Ten. The conference favorites are both multi-time All-American transfers, Stephen Buchanan (Iowa) and Cardenas (Michigan). Should Braunagel be able to get on the podium, it might help propel the Illini to their first top-ten finish since 2016.

Each and every year we see a new crop of freshmen that take the college world by storm. The jump from high school to college is significant, but there are a select few who appear to make that leap seamlessly. Just last year we saw Rocco Welsh (Ohio State) come out of a potential redshirt to make the national finals, while #1 overall recruit Meyer Shapiro (Cornell) was as good as advertised and finished third at a deep 157 lb weight class. Nasir Bailey (Little Rock) finished fourth in the country and is the centerpiece of an upstart Little Rock program and Luke Stanich (Lehigh) captured an EIWA title and was seeded second in the nation. Pennsylvania natives Tyler Kasak (Penn State) and Ty Watters (West Virginia) ended up wrestling each other for third place at nationals. We are usually shocked at just how good these young kids are and, at this point, maybe we shouldn’t be surprised. Whether we realize it or not, there will be a handful of true freshmen who end up making a deep run at the 2025 NCAA Tournament in Philadelphia. So, who are they? InterMat has tried to identify seven true freshmen who have a path to a starting role and have the talent to win and win in a big way in year one. The key phrase in the previous sentence is “path to a starting role.” This isn’t just a regurgitation of the top high school wrestlers from 2024. Many of those wrestlers have a veteran in front of them on the depth chart, which leads you to believe that they’ll spend the 2024-25 season in redshirt. But, as we saw last year with Welsh or Kasak, an injury can change everything and occasionally thrusts a freshman into an unexpected role. The wrestlers have been listed along with their Big Board ranking from the Class of 2024 and their projected weight for the 2024-25 campaign. #1 Luke Lilledahl (Penn State) - 125 lbs All signs point to the top overall recruit in the Class of 2024 getting the opportunity to compete right away for Penn State at 125 lbs. Incredibly, 125 lbs has been a revolving door for the Nittany Lions which has produced zero All-American honors since Nico Megaludis’ national title in 2016. That may not be much of a drought for many schools, but at Penn State, one that has produced All-Americans and national champions with such great regularity, it is quite surprising. Since 2017, the other nine weights have combined for 49 All-American honors. Back to Lilledahl. After this summer, Lilledahl is a four-time age-group world finalist - winning a gold medal in freestyle at the U17 and U20 World Championships. Each title came after settling for silver in the previous year. Domestically, Lilledahl won a pair of National Prep Championships, along with two titles at the Walsh Ironman and the Super 32. Additionally, Lilledahl did compete in a few collegiate opens during the 2022-23 season and compiled a 9-2 overall record. His most significant win came over Northern Iowa’s Trever Anderson who started the preseason ranked #28 in the nation. Expect Lilledahl to come in and threaten for a national title in year one. Lilledahl has answered the bell at every level and exceeded expectations at every stop. Key Date: December 15th vs. Wyoming. This could be the first All-American for Lilledahl as Wyoming has the returning Big 12 champion and NCAA seventh-place finisher Jore Volk. A match against Volk should go a long way in determining how good Lilledahl can be in year one. The pair met at the 2023 U20 Open and Lilledahl prevailed over Volk who was a returning world champion. #26 Conner Harer (Rutgers) - 157 lbs Rutgers has done a good job on the recruiting trail at keeping some of their home state’s best talent at home. With Conner Harer’s signing (along with Mason Gibson), Rutgers has signaled that they are ready to take some of Pennsylvania’s best. 157 has been a bit of a problem for Rutgers as they have only qualified it for nationals once in the last four years. With Harer aboard, that all could change. Since there isn’t a clear-cut established starter holding down the position, Harer gets his shot immediately. Harer is a three-time Pennsylvania AA state champion and four-time medalist. He was twice a Super 32 third-place finisher and twice an NHSCA grade-level national champion. Without factoring Harer into the national rankings, Rutgers is already a top-20 dual and tournament team. Should Harer make the impact that the Rutgers staff believes he can, they could move up significantly in both rankings. Key Date: November 17th vs. NC State The Jersey Jostle! This will be the first opportunity for Harer to see a past All-American in NC State’s Ed Scott. Scott’s dangerous, wide-open style should be an excellent litmus test for the true freshman. For those who love high school wrestling, it’ll be a clash of wrestlers who combined to win five Pennsylvania state titles. #27 Tucker Hogan (Lock Haven) - 197 lbs It can be difficult for Lock Haven to compete with the top title-contending teams in the recruiting battles, so frequently Scott Moore and his staff have to develop overlooked gems. Tucker Hogan is the rare exception. He’s a two-time Pennsylvania AAA state champion who decided to stay in his home state and compete for the Bald Eagles - a program that already had his older (smaller) brother. Hogan has placed once in Fargo at both age groups (fifth in Juniors) and was third at the 2023 Super 32. In winning both of his Pennsylvania state titles, Hogan defeated now-teammate Cole Bartram, who was also a top-150 prospect. 197 lbs can be a difficult weight for a true freshman to break through and make an impact. The size and physicality can be too much for many true freshmen. In this instance, I can see it working out well. Anyone that Moore sends out on the mat has a chip on their shoulder and is a fighter. I’d expect Hogan to follow suit. Hogan will compete in a MAC weight class that did not have a single wrestler in the preseason rankings, so should he develop quickly, he could certainly be in the mix for a conference title. Key Date: November 3rd at Princeton Open It’s always hard to project who will or won’t be wrestling at open tournaments. As of now, we know that Lehigh, Princeton, and Drexel are slated to compete at the Princeton Open. Their starters are #7 Michael Beard, #19 Mac Stout, and #22 Mickey O’Malley, respectively. Matches against all of the three during week one will represent “getting thrown into the fire” for Hogan. The key date might be the Journeymen Collegiate Classic the following week to see how he responds to his first taste of collegiate action. #44 Max Shulaw (Virginia) - 197 lbs Sticking with the 197 lbers, Virginia has a top-50 prospect that is a potential starter in 2024-25 in Max Shulaw. Shulaw was a three-time Ohio DII state finalist and two-time champion for St. Francis DeSales HS. During his final title run, Shulaw pinned his way through the tournament. The only loss of Shulaw’s senior season came at the Walsh Ironman - where he ended up in third. Shulaw won the tournament in 2022. As a sophomore, he was a finalist at the Beast of the East. Shulaw steps into an ACC weight class that is loaded with veteran talent. There are four conference wrestlers ranked within the top 28 and three of them are seniors. That being said, none would be considered NCAA title contenders. A realistic scenario for Shulaw could be taking a few lumps during the regular season, but improving and outwrestling his seed at the ACC Tournament. Key Date: November 24th vs Michigan We could say the Southeast Open on the first weekend of the regular season. There’s the potential for a handful of solid 197’s to be in attendance. But on November 24th, it gets really real. Two-time All-American Jacob Cardenas, who is on the short list of potential NCAA champion-types. Cardenas is a huge full-sized 197 lber, one who is a handful for most 197’s, much less a true freshman. #46 Paul Kelly (California Baptist) - 149 lbs Still relatively new to the DI scene, California Baptist made waves in 2024 as they earned they held down the #24 spot in InterMat’s Recruiting Rankings. The centerpiece of a loaded recruiting class was Poway, California’s Paul Kelly. Kelly was a three-time California state medalist, finishing third and then second during his final two years of high school. Kelly really shined in the international styles, placing six times in Fargo and once at the UWW U17 Trials. Over the summer, Kelly made the Junior freestyle national finals and was third in Greco. Back in folkstyle, Kelly was fourth at the Super 32 and a Doc Buchanan champion his senior year. The Lancers took huge strides last year with their first two DI national qualifiers. Now a national recruiting ranking and one of those top recruits (Kelly) getting the nod in year one. A big year from the true freshman could drive California Baptist recruiting to even bigger heights. Kelly and California Baptist compete out of the Big 12 which is generally strong in every single weight class. 149 lbs is no different. There should be a pair of All-Americans at the weight and seven wrestlers featured in our preseason rankings. That being said, the final three of those are in the 27-33 range, so it could be semi-manageable for a stud freshman. Key Date: December 6/7th at the Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational If Kelly is as good as his pre-collegiate accolades would lead you to believe, there’s a path that could have him unbeaten or with just a loss heading into the Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational. It’s way too early to project who might be wrestling in Vegas, but three of the top-five and five of the top eight wrestlers at 149 lbs have this on their respective schedules. #50 Dillon Bechtold (Bucknell) - 197 lbs Here’s one more 197 lber to watch out for! Dillon Bechtold is a two-time Pennsylvania AAA state finalist and finished his career on top of the podium. Prior to his senior season, Bechtold was seventh in the Junior division in Fargo at both styles and then was fifth at the Super 32. Just last year, Bucknell sent a pair of true freshmen (at 165/174) to the NCAA Tournament, so could Bechtold have a similar impact in year one? Bechtold will compete in an EIWA weight class that features a pair of past conference champions, Michael Beard (Lehigh) and Mickey O’Malley (Drexel), but isn’t necessarily deep after those two. He should have the opportunity to put together a strong year one and has a few examples in the Bison room to learn from. Key Date: November 15th vs Minnesota In Bucknell’s second event of the year, they’ll travel to Minnesota who has 2024 Big Ten champion (at 184 lbs) and NCAA All-American Isaiah Salazar. This will be one of Salazar’s first events at his new weight and should give Bechtold an early indication of what the top contenders at this weight feel like. #87 Chris Vargo (Edinboro) - 125 lbs Kudos to the Edinboro coaching staff as they identified and signed Chris Vargo before he really took off. Vargo created a national stir last year when he defeated Jax Forrest in the Pennsylvania AA Southwest Regional. Forrest would turn the tables in the state finals, but Vargo was able to do something that very few wrestlers at any age, in any style have been able to do, which is defeat Forrest. Vargo finished his high school career as a four-time state placewinner - twice making the state finals. He’s a throwback to the type of recruits that Edinboro signed when his new assistant coach, AJ Schopp, competed. Small school wrestlers that may not have a ton of national credentials, but are hungry to compete and improve. Speaking of Schopp, he’ll be a great mentor for the true freshman Vargo. In his coaching career, Schopp has worked closely with NCAA champion Seth Gross, runner-up Matt Ramos, and Big Ten finalist Devin Schroder. Each also had a top game that improved significantly under Schopp’s teaching. 125 should be one of the best weights in the MAC. They’ll have NCAA title contender #2 Anthony Noto (Lock Haven) along with ranked wrestlers like #23 Blake West (Northern Illinois) and potentially Joey Fischer (Clarion). Fischer is also a potential redshirt candidate. Key Date: November 9th at the Michigan State Open Again, we don’t know exactly who will or won’t be at the MSU Open, but generally, you get quality competition from the Big Ten and MAC. There could be multiple ranked wrestlers for Vargo to see in East Lansing. Edinboro is also slated to attend the Clarion Open the previous weekend, which might have a good field too. Special Note: Also, look out for Princeton 125 lber Marc-Anthony McGowan. McGowan was tabbed the #12 overall wrestler in the Class of 2023. He suffered an injury over the summer and didn’t enroll in 2023-24, which allows him to be considered a freshman this year. Should the injury be a non-factor, McGowan could be a significant factor at 125 lbs this year. His resume includes three National Prep titles, a U17 world title, and two Walsh Ironman championships. Princeton also has an excellent pair of lightweight coaches with Joe Dubuque and Cody Brewer. The following wrestlers don’t have as clear of a path to a starting role. They might need to win a wrestle-off or need their respective coaching staff to green-light them competing immediately in year one. #3 Aeoden Sinclair (Missouri) - 184 lbs #25 Rune Lawrence (West Virginia) - 197 lbs #31 Pierson Manville (Arizona State) - 149 lbs #32 Nate Blanchette (Rutgers) - 165 lbs #36 Luke Simcox (North Carolina) - 141 lbs #67 Chris Kiser (Michigan) - 125 lbs #68 Adrian Meza (Iowa State) - 125 lbs #81 Nate Taylor (Penn) - 184/197 lbs #89 Kendrick Hodge (Campbell) - 165 lbs #160 Xavier Giles (Princeton) - 174 lbs #182 Branson John (Maryland) - 174 lbs

Sun Valley

State College

Gonna go on record and say Rutgers is a real player for Bo Bassett. Tell us why it makes sense, Jagger. Willie Saylor This drew a good amount of attention in the social media land and rightfully so. Making the claim that one of the top high school recruits in a generation may possibly bypass the bluebloods of the sport and take his talents to New Jersey is certainly newsworthy. But it’s also based in reality. Sure, most people assume Bo will just end up at Penn State because, well, many top recruits go to Penn State. But why have this marathon song and dance if you’re going to end up where everyone thinks you will end up? I truly believe the Bassett family is looking at this with a completely open mind to find the best fit, or deal, for their son. So why can’t it be Rutgers? This is the type of recruit that potentially changes the entire landscape of your program. If he is giving you a chance then you make the best of that chance and go for it. Unleash the best recruiting pitch you have in your arsenal. And they have. Assistant coach and PA native Steve Mytych was first on the scene when the clock struck midnight. They want him and believe they can get him. Let's face it. Bo likes the attention. And he handles it just fine. He seems to thrive on it. Does that mean he’s going to go unnoticed at one of the powerhouse schools? Of course not. But coming to a school like Rutgers gives you a chance to form your own path and build your own legacy. And if they decide to travel to your home visit in a Brinks truck, well that’s fine, too. It doesn’t hurt that Rutgers already has Mason Gibson in the fold to help butter the bread a bit. These guys are a close-knit group and may want to stay together. Rutgers is a program on the rise that has hit the Pennsylvania recruiting trail hard over the last few years. They have a rabid fanbase that packs the arena every time out. They have a brand new facility. They have Jagger Night. They’re a short drive from the media capital of the world. They wrestle in the top conference. Sure, you can go to Penn State or Ohio State or Iowa. That’s easy. But going somewhere else to try and beat those guys? That’s the stuff legends are made of. So while I still think it’s a long shot, it’s a legit shot. And sometimes all you need is a shot. Nick here, longtime reader, friend of the program. What's one preseason wrestling story we are seemingly overlooking now that we're in October? I'll hang up and listen. Nick Kosko Good question. I’ll have to think about that. Perhaps the return of Sammy Sasso? The guy is just over a year removed from getting shot in the stomach and not even being able to walk afterward. I’ll admit I thought his career was over. But like with most things, I was wrong. The former Nazareth star is back in the fold for the Buckeyes and up at 165. I’m not sure what more I can really say here. He nearly lost his life and he’s back a year later. Truly remarkable stuff and I wish him the best. Nothing would make me happier than to see Sammy and his patented backpack run out for one more NCAA final. Does the timing of WNO take the shine off any potential Super 32 matchups for you or more excited for the potential immediate rematches? Rhino I like it. I like the way the fall preseason works out. There’s no real National high school circuit, so this time of year provides the best competition for the top kids before they all compete in their respective high school seasons. As great as WNO is, it’s an all-star event for kids who may not have even had a legit match in months. Maybe you’re a bit rusty. Maybe your weight isn’t quite right yet. Maybe you’re better after wrestling all day as opposed to one match. Maybe you and your opponent weren’t even the top guys and now you have your shot at the top guy. I also like that we get some good folkstyle primers before the college season hits. Once we get to November it’s just overloaded with open tournaments and random duals. October is the perfect time for the future of the sport to get their own spotlight. In other words, no shine is taken off anything. It seems the high school to college recruiting forecasts and announcements get earlier and earlier every year. When should I start paying attention? Burger King of Kings You don’t stop paying attention. You don’t even sleep. Just drink coffee and refresh message boards until your head explodes. When will the "Phillies fans save Trea Turner's 2023 season" documentary come out? Do we need to have a watch party? Earl Smith Too soon. This column has a loyal Philadelphia fanbase and we do not want to anger them at this time. Look, it was nice that a fanbase as salty and mean as the Philly faithful gave their star shortstop a bunch of juice boxes to get him going. It was cute. I hope they saved some for Jalen Hurts.