InterMat Staff

Falcon

Buena Vista

Middletown

I had the pleasure of speaking with J Jaggers before last season began, and again just earlier this week to recap the 2023-2024 season and beyond. A lot of things changed since the beginning of last season, and a lot of adjustments needed to be made by the Buckeyes with respect to their lineups, but not so much with the expectations. The youth in their lineup really stepped up and answered the call for their team. “After fifteen years you think I would learn that no season ever goes as planned.” The Buckeyes graduated three All-Americans from the 2022-23 season (Orndorff, Smith, and Romero), but they felt really good about how they reloaded and how they were positioned to enter the year. Sadly, the season began with the terrible news that Sammy Sasso had been shot and would miss the season, and possibly end his career. Next, they lost other All-Americans Carson Kharchla and Gavin Hoffman to season-ending injuries. “I’m not sure how many teams in the country could sustain the graduation of three All-Americans and season-ending injuries to three All-Americans, and come out of it as successful as we were. I think it was one of the better jobs we've done as a staff in my time here in managing all of those things and still managing to find a way to be successful.” J points out as well that this is an interesting sport in that most successful or unsuccessful seasons are judged on three days in March, but the road there can be successful and reflected on as such. “When you look at our season in totality, we were 16-2 in dual meets.” They battled Penn State as well as anyone did in a hostile environment, and they had a loss to Pitt. “We beat Virginia Tech when they were second in the country, we beat NC State when they were second in the country, Cornell, Michigan. Then obviously at the Nationals it was so tight 2-12, it was hard to look at the scores and wonder ‘if we had a healthy Sasso’ or where your team ends up. Super proud though, and anytime you can get an individual champion that is special, so all-in-all it was pretty successful.” Sometimes you see teams have bad injury luck like the Buckeyes did last season, and in that instance often those teams just “punt” on the season by keeping their young guys in their redshirts, allowing them to develop more slowly, and just accepting fate as it lays it’s cold hand on your shoulder. Not for Ohio State though, they had a strong recruiting class coming in, and some guys getting their opportunities in the lineup that they looked to. Even returning young guys like Jesse Mendez had to take another step for the team to be successful, and that’s exactly what happened. Let’s make sure we compare apples-to-apples for a moment though. Remember how Jesse Mendez started as a true freshman and was an All-American? I sure do. “We didn’t have the luxury of being able to redshirt him his first year. A lot of the talk this year was on some of these super freshmen, but a lot of those guys are the same age as Jesse.” We all know how the season ended with Mendez as an NCAA Champion, but with the exception of a close loss to Cole Matthews, and a loss to Beau Bartlett (which was avenged twice), he almost had a perfect season as a true sophomore. In addition to the young and talented Jesse Mendez, you had Nick Feldman stepping into the lineup, which was planned. What was unplanned was the impact of some of the guys like Rocco Welch and Ryder Rogotzke. “It felt like it was a different guy at each marquee event which was really cool, so they each got to feel a little bit of that juice that you get when you put the team on your back and get that signature win to win the dual. NC State it was the first three, McCrone, Bouzakis, and Mendez, all three got pins within ten minutes.” This was fun to relive with Jaggers because you can hear the energy and excitement from him almost re-experiencing these things and genuinely appreciating them in the moment. J continues “Feldman kind of came into his own in January when he had the match-winner against Cornell, and then again against Michigan. Ryder Rogotzke against Michigan set the table; so it was even possible for us to win. It was fun and the guys fed off of that. One thing about a team that is young is that they don’t know any better, so they just go out there and compete.” Covering the Buckeyes last year I certainly recalled a lot of the big moments for the young guys, but hadn’t really considered just how many of them had opportunities in big moments to step up, and more importantly how many of them followed through in those moments. It shows the confidence level instilled in these guys from day one in the room. Additionally though, their ability to adapt and their flexibility on the season was abundantly clear looking back. “It was a microcosm of our season. It was always something different. Whether it was a different lineup, or a different hero, it was just a really resilient group. It’s an imperfect group, not the group that we thought would have been in there six months ago, but it’s what it was and they found a way where maybe the pieces fit better, and it was perfect. Getting back to the NCAA Champion Jesse Mendez. He had such a great Olympic Trials that I wanted to see how that affected his confidence and approach. He didn’t get what he came for, but having a close loss to a World Champion in Zain Retherford, and having had several wins against top, world-level competitors in former Buckeye Joey McKenna, multiple-time world medalist James Green, and World silver medalist and 4x NCAA Champion Yianni Diakomihalis. I figured there were positives to take away from the experience. “You try to tell him as his coach ‘bro you’re different’, and they believe you a little bit, but until they have it, when he won the Nationals and was in the camp of NCAA Champions, now he wrestled at the Olympic Trials like he was a guy.” It makes sense to me that winning would increase confidence levels, but J also points out that not only does winning an NCAA title help with confidence, but that he wouldn’t even be in the Trials at all if he didn’t win it unless he got through the Last Chance Qualifier. So he’s in the Trials, but that’s not even the most important piece of that championship when it relates to confidence. “Sometimes guys lose the Nationals that close, and then they struggle with doubt, and they get into close matches and wonder if they’re going to lose again.” But it’s amazing what unwavering confidence does for a guy. According to J, “He looked at the draw for 30 seconds and goes ‘I guess I have to run the gauntlet’ and then walked away”. That’s the sort of confidence that it takes to approach something like that, and he was damn close to finishing it off. He ultimately dropped his match to Zain 3-2, which amounted to a shot clock point, but he traded takedowns with the 65 kg Olympic representative for the United States, and defending 70 kg World Champion. Those are great takeaways from an otherwise unsuccessful Olympic Trials. 2024 174 lb NCAA runner-up Rocco Welsh To wrap up the interview, I needed to ask about two of their stud freshmen who ended up in the lineup, but were not the plans going in. Ryder Rogotzke and Rocco Welsh. Both of these guys were planning on redshirting this season, and through a series of injuries and successful redshirt seasons to that point in the year, they earned the chance to compete as true freshmen, and both really stepped up in big spots. Rocco made the NCAA finals, and Ryder was an OT loss to the 2 seed away from the NCAA quarterfinals. I equated watching Rogotzke to being on a boat in the ocean during a storm, and thinking it’s going to be okay, but really not being sure of what is going to happen. Something a little more intense than a roller coaster. He looks like he can beat anyone from anywhere at any time. “He’s doing a really good job of having the organized chaos. We don’t want to stifle that chaos at all. That’s what makes him great, but we are looking to be a little higher percentage and when he was an eyelash away from knocking off the number 2 seed and getting into the NCAA quarterfinals.” It’s wild to think of how close this sport can be and how quickly something can shift. “That’s our sport. That’s one thing that I always keep in mind when you talk about success, or not having success, one inch here or there and Ryder is in the quarters and you never know what’s going to happen from there, or one inch for Nic Bouzakis or an early takedown for him during his Daton Fix match and he’s in the quarters, and Mendez on the flip side could have given up the takedown against Echemendia, and is he a failure then if he loses that? I don’t think so. We become a prisoner to the result rather than looking at the totality of their wrestling, have they gotten better, obviously everyone wants to win the Nationals, and so do we, but every guy on our team got better whether their result was indicative of that or not on the correct weekend.” Rocco had his awesome run to the NCAA finals and I had a couple of chances to interview him throughout his run at the NCAA tournament. He had spoken with me about his goals to be a true freshman NCAA champion, and how this was all a part of his plan from the moment he knew he was going to be the guy for the rest of the season. Here J elaborates on that, “It didn’t take much convincing for him to come out of redshirt. He asked one time ‘Do you think I’m ready’, and we’re like ‘We do’, and he said ‘Let's go’. He just has unwavering belief in the program and in our staff, and I appreciate that very much from him and all of our athletes. When it’s reciprocal like that then great things can happen.” Sometimes a guy and their name don’t really match up. That’s not the case with Rocco Welsh. He mirrors his name with the physicality and activity in his wrestling style and physical stature. There are some parallels to the aforementioned Jesse Mendez and the success that Rocco had in his freshman season. “I see a lot of Jesse as a true freshman as I do in Rocco this year. ‘I can hang around with the greats, and I can make it close and I can bang with them’, but at what point are you going to start separating. He’s very active in his wrestling, and now we have to up the ante with the attacks.” The development of their talent over the years has been very impressive to watch. As referenced by J earlier, when the belief in the coaches, program, and training can go a long way. As far as continued growth and training style in the off-season, J continues “We’re always adapting and learning and trying to be on the cutting edge, whether that’s in technique or trends. With a young team, it’s cool because it’s a blank canvas, so you make sure that they have the fundamentals of the program and skills that we harp on, attacking and giving yourself a chance to finish, but we have a different theme per week to focus on struggles, or strengths that we can lean into.” He continues to describe how they are working to give small advantages in hand fighting and giving themselves a 60/40 advantage in the positioning, working towards a 70/30 advantage. The team and coaches seem to be on the same page with their approach and they have youth ready to answer that call. Moving forward the Young Buck(eyes) will have some young guys competing at U20s and U23s at the end of the month. They will also be hosting some summer camps, so for those of you who are interested in seeing for yourself what the program and coaches are all about, you can check that out here : As always, great connecting with J Jaggers, and looking forward to seeing what these young guys turn into as they continue to develop!

The crew discusses all of the fallout from David Taylor heading to lead the Oklahoma State program, along with assistant coaches Jimmy Kennedy and Thomas Gilman. Will it work? How will it work? They also talk about Spencer Lee and Zain Retherford's productive weekend in Turkey - officially qualifying for the 2024 Olympic Games. Do their medal chances go up with their performances? Before they go, the guys also talk about fixing Greco and Aaron Brooks' situation. For the full show:

A week after their rivals stole all of the collegiate wrestling headlines, Oklahoma struck with a move of their own. The Sooners made a strong addition to their wrestling support staff as Mark Hall was brought aboard as the team’s Director of Operations. The 2017 NCAA champion spent the last three years on staff as an assistant coach at the University of Pennsylvania. Hall recently competed at the 2024 Olympic Team Trials and left his shoes on the mat to signify retirement after a consolation loss to Trent Hidlay. Collegiately, Hall wrestled at Penn State and was deemed the unanimous #1 overall recruit in the high school Class of 2016. He was pulled from redshirt midseason and went on to claim an NCAA title. His championship gave Penn State five national titles from their memorable 2017 team. Hall went on to win Big Ten titles in each of the three years that followed. He made it back to the national finals in both 2018 and 2019 but was beaten by Zahid Valencia on both occasions. Like many others, Hall’s final season in a Penn State singlet was cut short as the 2020 NCAA Tournament was canceled at the outset of the COVID pandemic. Before matriculating at Penn State, Hall captured gold at the Cadet and Junior World Championships. He’d add a second Junior World title in 2017, a few months after winning his NCAA crown. Hall will work in conjunction with an Oklahoma staff that is led by Roger Kish, who is in his second year at the helm in Norman. The Sooners return one All-American and have inked a recruiting class that is sure to fit in InterMat’s top-ten in our upcoming recruiting rankings.

The final pieces of the Olympic puzzle fell into place over the weekend as the OG World Qualifier took place in Istanbul, Turkey. The final three wrestlers at each weight earned quotas for the 2024 Olympic Games. Along the way, there were some interesting trends or facts that emerged. The following wrestlers had four repechage wins to earn qualification for the Olympic Games: Wanhao Zou (57 kg - MFS/China), Zain Retherford (65 kg - MFS/USA), Mohamd El Sayed (67 kg - MGR/Egypt), and Zoltan Levai (77 kg - MGR/Hungary). China’s Feng Zhou (68 kg) was the only semifinal winner who teched or pinned all of their opponents on the way to the finals (which weren’t wrestled). She had a :26 second fall and two techs. Though she fell in the semifinals, Mariya Stadnik rebounded to earn her spot in a fifth Olympic Games at 50 kg in women’s freestyle. The continent (or qualifier) that put the most wrestlers in a single weight class was Europe at 87 kg in Greco-Roman. They have 9 of the 16 wrestlers in the bracket. With Spencer Lee and Zain Retherford qualifying for the United States, we are the only country to have all of our men’s and women’s freestyle wrestlers qualified for Paris. The Olympic weight class with the most US collegiate flair is 57 kg in men’s freestyle. It will have four former NCAA finalists with Stevan Micic (Serbia/Michigan), Spencer Lee (USA/Iowa), Roman Bravo-Young (Mexico/Penn State), and Darian Cruz (Puerto Rico/Lehigh). No country had more than three quota’s earned in a particular style this weekend. China gained three in men’s freestyle, while Azerbaijan and Russia (under Individual Neutral Athlete label) both had three. Those three countries also had a total of four new quotas earned across all three styles. The OG Qualifier was dominated by European nations in Greco-Roman. Only two of the 18 quotas were earned by wrestlers outside of the continent (Egypt, Kyrgyzstan). Greco-Roman also had the fewest number of countries that picked up quota’s (13). On the other side of things, Ukraine suffered three losses across all three styles in matches to qualify for the Olympic Games. Two in men’s freestyle and one in women’s. Uzbekistan and Romania both had two losses. These are the quotas that were earned by country - by style. Men’s Freestyle Albania: 2 Bulgaria: 1 China: 3 Georgia: 1 Germany: 1 Greece: 1 Hungary: 1 India: 1 Kyrgyzstan: 1 Mongolia: 1 Poland: 1 Slovakia: 1 Tajikistan: 1 USA: 2 Women’s Freestyle Azerbaijan: 1 AIN (Belarus): 1 Brazil: 1 Bulgaria: 1 Canada: 1 China: 1 Germany: 1 India: 1 Italy: 1 Moldova: 1 Mongolia: 2 North Korea: 1 Romania: 2 AIN (Russia): 1 Turkey: 2 Greco-Roman Azerbaijan: 3 AIN (Belarus): 2 Bulgaria: 1 Egypt: 1 Finland: 1 Georgia: 1 Hungary: 1 Kyrgyzstan: 1 Moldova: 1 Poland: 1 Romania: 1 AIN (Russia): 3 Serbia: 1 Total Albania: 2 Azerbaijan: 4 AIN (Belarus): 3 Brazil: 1 Bulgaria: 3 Canada: 1 China: 4 Egypt: 1 Finland: 1 Georgia: 2 Germany: 2 Greece: 1 Hungary: 2 India: 2 Italy: 1 Kyrgyzstan: 2 Moldova: 2 Mongolia: 3 North Korea: 1 Poland: 2 Romania: 3 AIN (Russia): 4 Serbia: 1 Slovakia: 1 Tajikistan: 1 Turkey: 2 USA: 2 Quota’s per Qualifier 57 kg Men’s freestyle Africa/Oceania: 2 Asian: 5 European 6 Pan-American: 3 65 kg Men’s Freestyle Africa/Oceania: 2 Asian: 4 European: 6 Pan-American: 4 74 kg Men’s Freestyle Africa/Oceania: 2 Asian: 4 European: 7 Pan-American: 3 86 kg Men’s Freestyle Africa/Oceania: 2 Asian: 5 European: 6 Pan-American: 3 97 kg Men’s Freestyle Africa/Oceania: 2 Asian: 4 European: 7 Pan-American: 3 125 kg Men’s Freestyle Africa/Oceania: 2 Asian: 5 European: 6 Pan-American: 3 Men’s Freestyle Quota’s per Qualifier Africa/Oceania: 12 Asian: 27 European: 38 Pan-American: 19 Quota’s per Qualifier 50 kg Women’s freestyle Africa/Oceania: 2 Asian: 6 European: 5 Pan-American: 3 53 kg Women’s freestyle Africa/Oceania: 2 Asian: 5 European: 6 Pan-American: 3 57 kg Women’s freestyle Africa/Oceania: 3 Asian: 3 European: 6 Pan-American: 4 62 kg Women’s freestyle Africa/Oceania: 2 Asian: 5 European: 8 Pan-American: 2 68 kg Women’s freestyle Africa/Oceania: 2 Asian: 6 European: 5 Pan-American: 3 76 kg Women’s freestyle Africa/Oceania: 2 Asian: 5 European: 4 Pan-American: 5 Women’s Freestyle Quota’s per Qualifier Africa/Oceania: 12 Asian: 30 European: 34 Pan-American: 20 Quota’s per Qualifier 60 kg Greco-Roman Africa/Oceania: 2 Asian: 7 European: 5 Pan-American: 2 67 kg Greco-Roman Africa/Oceania: 3 Asian: 3 European: 7 Pan-American: 3 77 kg Greco-Roman Africa/Oceania: 2 Asian: 5 European: 7 Pan-American: 2 87 kg Greco-Roman Africa/Oceania: 2 Asian: 3 European: 9 Pan-American: 2 97 kg Greco-Roman Africa/Oceania: 2 Asian: 4 European: 7 Pan-American: 3 130 kg Greco-Roman Africa/Oceania: 3 Asian: 4 European: 6 Pan-American: 3 Greco-Roman Quota’s per Qualifier Africa/Oceania: 14 Asian: 26 European: 41 Pan-American: 15

Second year Princeton head coach Joe Dubuque talks with Austin Sommer about the whirlwind first year at the helm leading the Princeton Tigers. Dubuque took over in the fall and didn't have the usual time to assemble a coaching staff. This year he's very excited about his new staff. Cody Brewer is already aboard. Dubuque talks about why he's a good fit for him and the program and gives some hints about the forthcoming hires. The two also discuss the transfer portal and why it's a non-issue for Dubuque at Princeton. They close by talking 2025 Ivy League Championships. Princeton will host the first Ivy League tournament and Dubuque adds why he believes the conference and its fans will really embrace the event.

Last week, we found out that AJ Schopp was coming home to Edinboro - the same school that Schopp earned three All-American honors while wrestling for and helped lead to a third-place finish at the 2015 NCAA Championships. Schopp sat down with us to discuss the rationale to leave Purdue and return to his home state. He also discusses the close bond between the Edinboro alums in the coaching ranks and with the fanbase, as well. We close by talking about his memorable run through the consolations at the 2015 NCAA Championships - seven straight wins, four of which came via fall. For the full interview:

The transfer portal has only grown in popularity and usage, as team building has taken on a new wrinkle the past few seasons. The portal officially closed on Friday, May 3rd and while plenty of wrestlers have chosen new teams, there are a number of impact wrestlers still weighing their options. With that, here is what the portal movement for each Big 12 team has been along with the potential impact it may have in their lineup next season. Any wrestler still “in the portal” always has the option to return to their original school. Arizona State In the portal: Tristan Mascarenas (125), Corey Camden (141), Aidan Hernandez (157), Kyle Parco (149) Four-time All-American Cohlton Schultz briefly entered the portal this offseason, but later announced that he would be returning to Arizona State for his final season. Mascarenas has been a career 125lber and went 2-5 for the Sun Devils last season while filling in for Richie Figueroa. Neither Corey Camden nor Aidan Hernandez have wrestled a collegiate match yet. Kyle Parco is one of the biggest names remaining in the portal and has been in the portal since April 18th. The four-time All-American is entering his final year of eligibility and would have an instant impact at nearly any school. Arizona State is deep at this weight, however, as young phenom Kaleb Larkin is projected at this weight. Larkin pinned ISU’s Zach Redding in 0:48 seconds in a dual while redshirting this season and qualified for the Olympic Trials by winning the Bill Farrell with wins over Jesse Mendez, Pat Lugo, and Matthew Kolodzik. Larkin went 1-2 at the Trials, with another win over Kolodzik. Air Force In the portal: Wyatt Hendrickson (HWT) Another massive name in the transfer portal is U23 World champ and two-time winner of NCAA’s Most Dominant Wrestler is Wyatt Hendrickson. He had a more unique situation as he had another year of eligibility due to COVID but was not able to use it at Air Force. After NCAA’s he was able to receive United States Air Force clearance and approval, and was allowed to seek another school to pursue a master’s degree and a final year of eligibility. So far he has taken visits to Oklahoma State and Minnesota, with rumors of visits to Michigan and Missouri in his future. In a recent episode of Baschamania he confirmed that his official announcement will come on May 20th. California Baptist Departures: Carter Schubert (165 - Oklahoma) In the portal: Matteo De La Pena (165), Mahmoud Smith (184), Spencer Von Savoye (133), Max Acciardi (285), Kaiser Simpson (141) The Lancers have five wrestlers still in the portal, while one has already chosen a new school for next season. Smith, Von Savoye, and Simpson are all fellow redshirt freshmen in the portal. Carter Schubert was a top 200 recruit in the class of 2023 and went 3-1 last season in duals. He has since committed to fellow Big 12 school Oklahoma. Max Acciardi was also a top 200 recruit in 2023 and went 0-4 in duals at heavyweight. Matteo De La Pena was CBU’s starter in 2024 where he went 9-8. Frank Almaguer was the starter at 165 in 2023 and had solid wins over Izzak Olejnik and Giano Petrucelli but did not compete in 2024 and could be someone to look to return next season. Iowa State Additions: Evan Bockman (197 - Utah Valley) Departures: Andrew Huddleston (165 - Maryville), Drew Woodley (141 - Grandview), Ramazan Attasauov (133 - Illinois), Jason Kraisser (157 - Illinois) In the portal: Carter Schmidt (174) Iowa State has not been a team with many holes the past two years but has smartly filled any with strong transfers. Evan Bockman was a three-time qualifier for Utah Valley and due to two redshirts in key years, he still has one year of eligibility remaining which would be his seventh year of eligibility. He’s gone 1-2 at NCAA’s the past two years but has a number of ranked wins in his career. The Cyclones depth took a bit of a hit in some weights as Ramazan Attasauov and Jason Kraisser weren’t starters in 2024, but both are former qualifiers. Schmidt, Woodley, and Huddleston are all seniors, with Woodley and Huddleston expected to start at their new schools. Missouri: Departures: Clayton Whiting (174 - Minnesota), Ryan Boersma (285 - North Carolina), Korbin Shepherd (133 - Cal Poly), Sean Harman (174 - Oregon State) In the portal: Brant Whitaker (165), Peyton Moore (141), Seth Nitzel (285) The Tigers are another team that lost depth to the portal this offseason, with six wrestlers hitting the portal. Clayton Whiting battled Colton Hawks for the starting spot at 184 this season but did not start in the postseason. He was 12-3 as a starter with three years of eligibility remaining and could potentially compete at either 174 or 184 for Minnesota. Sean Harman has also started in duals for the Tigers and scored quality ranked wins, but is headed back to his home state of Oregon for his final season. Korbin Shepherd and Ryan Boersma struggled with injuries at Missouri but were top 70 recruits out of high school. Brant Whitaker and Peyton Moore both competed in open tournaments last season but did not start. Seth Nitzel was the expected starter for 2024 at heavyweight after redshirting last season and has wins over national qualifiers in his career. With Wyatt Hendrickson supposedly having a Missouri visit scheduled, this is a name to keep an eye on. North Dakota State: Additions: Devin Wasley (184 - Minnesota) Departures: Gaven Sax (174 - Oklahoma), Fernando Barreto (133 - Oklahoma), Spencer Mooberry (285 - Northern Illinois), Walker Bents (Minnesota St-Mankato), Zane Licht (165 - Wartburg) In the portal: Macray Klohs (197), Lathan Duda (197), Amantee Mills (133), Mason Gode (174), Devon Dawson (285), Pedro Velazquez (149), Sean Solis (141), Carlos Negrete Jr. (125), Landon Johnson (157), Trate Thilmony (149), Tanner Gerber (149) It doesn’t look like any school has been hit harder than NDSU in the past two seasons. They’ve got a whopping 11 wrestlers still in the portal, with five committed elsewhere. Gaven Sax and Fernando Barreto have both committed to Oklahoma with former NDSU head coach Roger Kish. Sax and Barreto are joined by Spencer Mooberry, Devon Dawson, and Landon Johnson as starters from last season in the portal. The team still has several returning young wrestlers who could make an impact next season at various weights. They also have a large recruiting class coming in, with four wrestlers in the top 200. If a handful of the wrestlers in the portal return then the Bison could still be in solid shape next season. Northern Colorado: Additions: Clayton Ulrey (165 - Virginia Tech) Departures: Branson Britten (184 - Little Rock), Xavier Doolin (285 - Morgan State), Damen Pape (184 - Northern State University) In the portal: Andrew Alirez (141), Eyan Chavez (141), Andrew Blackburn- Forst (285) The Big 12 has a number of high-profile transfers this season, but none are bigger than Andrew Alirez. After going undefeated with a national title in 2023, the Greeley native took an Olympic redshirt year. He had freestyle success with a Senior Nationals title, but lost in the semifinals at the Olympic Trials. He has one year of eligibility remaining and could go at 141 or 149. In a recent Greeley Tribune article Alirez says that “All offers are on the table” with rumors and offers swirling, including staying at Northern Colorado. He did not list a potential commitment date. Northern Colorado made a solid addition with senior Clayton Ulrey, a four-year wrestler at Virginia Tech who started at 165 in 2022. He has spent the past two seasons at 157, but could potentially move up with Vinny Zerban currently projected there. Britten and Doolin were both starters in 2024 but did not qualify. Northern Iowa: The Panthers have had a quiet offseason, with no one entering or leaving in the portal. Oklahoma State: Additions: Caleb Fish (165 - Michigan State), Dean Hamiti (174 - Wisconsin) Departures: Sammy Alvarez (149 - Rider) After getting three impact starters from the portal last season the Cowboys already have two more with Caleb Fish and Dean Hamiti. They both have one year of eligibility remaining along with a redshirt which could create some interesting lineup choices as both are career 165lbers. Fish is a three-time qualifier who made the round of 16 last season and the bloodround in 2023 while Hamiti is a two-time All-American who finished in the bloodround in 2024. If both get in the lineup this year, look for Hamiti at 174 as he went 3-0 at that weight in duals for Wisconsin last season. OK State has also had a visit with Wyatt Hendrickson plus rumors about Andrew Alirez. Even with a new head coach in David Taylor, the team impressively has only one wrestler who left this offseason. After a midseason transfer from Rutgers in 2023, Alvarez went back and forth with Jordan Williams this season, but Williams locked up the spot into the postseason. With Coach Taylor leading the way and significant financial support, I expect the Cowboys to be a popular destination list for wrestlers in the portal. Oklahoma: Additions: Gaven Sax (174 - NDSU), Carter Schubert (165 - CBU), Fernando Barreto (133 - NDSU) In the portal: Gerrit Nijenhuis (174), Jared Hill (157) Oklahoma got strong additions with returning Big 12 finalist Gaven Sax reuniting with former head coach Roger Kish. Sax broke out this past season and will be an interesting addition with last year’s starter Tate Picklo there. Picklo was 2-1 against Sax last season, but was pinned in their last match at the Southern Scuffle. Barreto started for NDSU last season and missed on qualifying, but could end up in another starting spot with the Sooners, who used transfer Jace Koelzer at this weight last season. Schubert, like Sax, is coming into a weight with a solid starter in Cael Carlson, but could be in a lineup battle. Nijenhuis is a three-time qualifier who transferred to Oklahoma from Purdue, where he qualified twice at 165 and 174. After a solid 16-9 season at 165 in 2023, Nijenhuis went back to 174 for most of the season but lost to Picklo in overtime at the Reno Tournament of Champions. He won a match against South Dakota State at 165 in February, but did not compete again that season. Jared Hill was a two-time qualifier for the Sooners and had to win the spots in both years, managing to get hot late in the year to qualify for NCAA’s as well. He has taken visits to California Baptist and Little Rock publicly so far. Both wrestlers could be quality starters and potential qualifiers for any school they end up at. South Dakota State: The Jackrabbits had no wrestlers enter the portal or make any additions this offseason. Utah Valley: Additions: Tanner Frothinger (141 - Nebraska) Departures: Evan Bockman (197 - Iowa State) Another Big 12 school with a new head coach, Adam Hall has done an excellent job maintaining most of the roster. They did lose Evan Bockman, who had just one year of eligibility and was a graduate transfer. So far the Wolverines have added one wrestler in redshirt freshman Tanner Frothinger. The Idaho native wrestled in opens while redshirting this past season. West Virginia: Additions: Tommy Maddox (133 - Buffalo) West Virginia was one of the most improved teams last season and made a quality addition with Tommy Maddox. A senior who spent the past two seasons starting for Buffalo, he hasn’t qualified yet but has a handful of ranked wins while competing in the MAC. The Mountaineers have struggled at this weight the past couple of seasons so Maddox looks like he could be a solid upgrade. Wyoming: Additions: Sam Mitchell (197 - Buffalo) Departures: Brayden Sonnentag (141 - MSU Mankato) The coaching change at Buffalo sent a lot of Bulls wrestlers to the portal. One of their NCAA qualifier, Sam Mitchell, headed out west to Wyoming. Provided he stays at 197 lbs, he gives the staff the flexibility to redshirt NCAA qualifier Joey Novak, while having a strong competitor at the weight.

Cumberland Valley

James Logan

Varina

Bella Vista

Yuma Catholic

Mounds View

Broadway

Red Mountain via Cloud County CC

Greenbrier

Blythewood

Lincoln Southeast

Western Harnett

Sunday marked the final day of competition in Men's Freestyle from the Last Olympic Games Qualifier in Istanbul, Turkey. That means that the entire field has been determined for Men's Freestyle at the 2024 Olympic Games. With that being said, below are the countries that have qualified for the Olympics in Greco, who earned that qualification quota, and when. As a reminder, though the wrestler earns a quota for their country, it doesn't necessarily mean that they will be the ones wrestling in Paris; however, in many countries that is the case. The United States qualified all six weights; however, one of the wrestlers that earned a quota won the Olympic Trials. In that instance, another column has been added to denote the wrestler who won the Trials. 57 kg 65 kg 74 kg 86 kg 97 kg 125 kg