InterMat Staff

We’re only one day away from the start of Fargo! The women’s action starts on Saturday morning. At InterMat, we tend to look at events like this from a collegiate perspective and this week is no different. For the past two weeks, USA Wrestling has released a handful of state rosters each day. With each subsequent release, we’ve checked each roster to see how many team members have signed or committed to wrestle at the next level. Now, we have a gigantic list of wrestlers who are slated to appear in Fargo - sorted by their future college. Please let me know if anyone has been omitted! Adams State Dakota Hull (Colorado) 145 lbs Adrian Maddie Jones (Tennessee) 130 lbs Alma Shai Curtiss (Michigan) 120 lbs Augsburg Annabelle Gutormson (Minnesota) 145 lbs Augustana Mya Vasquez (Illinois) 95 lbs Aurora Sophia Ball (Illinois) 130 lbs Avila Addison Eddleman (Missouri) 115 lbs Kamahni Jackson (Missouri) 145 lbs Daijah Preston (Kansas) 140 lbs Bethany Kassandra Lindsay (New York) 135 lbs Brown Calli Gilchrist (Connecticut) 120 lbs Campbellsville Desi Lee (Ohio) 190 lbs Carthage Ashlyn Corey (Colorado) 130 lbs Chadron State Rowyn Wiltgen (Nebraska) 155 lbs Colorado Mesa Lily Harris (Wyoming) 130 lbs Kiera Hersel (Idaho) 105 lbs Columbia Mia Collins (New York) 130 lbs Jade Lawrence (South Carolina) 145 lbs Noa Omessi (Utah) 140 lbs Cornell (IA) Reese Jacobs (Missouri) 140 lbs Dickenson State Amie Hartman (Idaho) 207 lbs Isabella Smouse (Colorado) 110 lbs Evelyn Vargas (California) 190 lbs Doane Kitana Leafaatoto (Nevada) 235 lbs Eastern Zoey Haines (Pennsylvania) 140 lbs Anaelis Morales (Pennsylvania) 110 lbs Savannah Witt (Pennsylvania) 120 lbs Eastern Oregon McKayla Bonham (Oregon) 125 lbs Isabella Coronado (Nevada) 115 lbs East Stroudsburg Teegan Sibble (New York) 115 lbs Elmira Marissa Crofoot (New York) 190 lbs Emmanuel Alexandra Ford (Maryland) 145 lbs Felician Emily Doolittle (Florida) 105 lbs Jaylee Lopez (Washington) 170 lbs Fort Hays State Jaidyn Alvarado (Kansas) 100 lbs Peyton Hellman (South Dakota) 130 lbs Hayleen Martinez (Kansas) 190 lbs Morgan Maschmann (Nebraska) 120 lbs Friends Alexis Means (Kansas) 140 lbs Frostburg State Chaniah Bernier (Maryland) 170 lbs Naria Medrano (Virginia) 155 lbs Kayla Ward (Maryland) 145 lbs Grand Valley State Maggie Buurma (Michigan) 145 lbs Libby Roberts (Washington) 115 lbs Maddison Ward (Michigan) 155 lbs Grand View Izzy Apple (Missouri) 105 lbs Selena Mares-Castro (Washington) 170 lbs Jasmine Serrano (Florida) 125 lbs Hastings Jessica Farmer (Colorado) 115 lbs Raelynn O’Connor (Idaho) 105 lbs Illinois Wesleyan Beyonce Espinoza (Florida) 120 lbs Jillian Giller (Illinois) 145 lbs Angel Hill (California) 207 lbs Indiana Tech Ellen Ashabranner (Indiana) 190 lbs Lola Barkby (Michigan) 125 lbs Zoey Haney (Missouri) 95 lbs Iowa Harlee Hiller (Illinois) 115 lbs Iowa Central Mahalia Adams (Virginia) 190 lbs Zoey Barber (Nebraska) 155 lbs Paige Spomer (North Dakota) 145 lbs Iowa Lakes Soledad Luchman (Colorado) 235 lbs Iowa Western Emerson Gregg (Iowa) 125 lbs Carson Shank (Nebraska) 190 lbs Faith Tarrant (Washington) 235 lbs Ithaca Melina Georgas (New York) 170 lbs Jamestown Kiera Hagman (Minnesota) 115 lbs Emily Novak (Minnesota) 170 lbs King Jada Pichardo (New Jersey) 120 lbs Lehigh Natalia Accorsi (Connecticut) 125 lbs Alexa Ciliotta (New Jersey) 125 lbs Paige DeCaro (New Jersey) 155 lbs Julia Fongaro (New Jersey) 135 lbs Angelina Jiang (California) 155 lbs Cameron Millsapps (Virginia) 155 lbs Brynn Shepardson (New York) 170 lbs Mira Sonnen (Washington) 145 lbs Life Tiyanna Mack (South Carolina) 130 lbs Narvena Sallom (Nebraska) 170 lbs Lincoln Memorial Hannah Parrish (Tennessee) 135 lbs Lindenwood Taylor Dawson (Illinois) 135 lbs Ally Jelinek (Iowa) 120 lbs Keilikki Nau Rarick (Utah) 207 lbs Lindsey Wilson Kendall Bibla (Florida) 170 lbs Lock Haven Raegan Snider (Pennsylvania) 155 lbs Manchester Katy Vardaman (Indiana) 140 lbs Marymount Katianna Martinez (California) 190 lbs McKendree Mackenzee Bunton (Texas) 135 lbs Heather Crull (Indiana) 110 lbs Maycee Peacher (Nebraska) 130 lbs Katey Valdez (Colorado) 100 lbs Alena Williams (Arkansas) 120 lbs Menlo Navjot Waraich (California) 95 lbs Minot State Lillian Garrett (Illinois) 155 lbs Viola Pianetto (Illinois) 135 lbs Misericordia Kylee Gaddy (New Jersey) 145 lbs Missouri Baptist Kenlee Fish (Missouri) 170 lbs Zoe Fries (Idaho) 135 lbs Mount Union Erta Beqiri (Ohio) 115 lbs Lori Grimes (Ohio) 155 lbs Addi Lyon (Ohio) 135 lbs Muhlenberg Riley Lynch (Virginia) 135 lbs New Jersey City Marielys Lugo Fernandez (New York) 95 lbs North Central Natalie Klavetter (Wisconsin) 135 lbs Jael Miller (Pennsylvania) 170 lbs Layla Morris (Oregon) 125 lbs Tirza Twoteeth (Montana) 235 lbs Oklahoma State Kailey Benson (Missouri) 130 lbs Gigi Bragg (Michigan) 115 lbs Bayleigh Cooper (Kansas) 120 lbs Hannah Henderson (Missouri) 125 lbs Ottawa Kylee Lindsley (Montana) 170 lbs Kaitlyn Thorn (Montana) 145 lbs Otterbein Jada Weiss (Ohio) 155 lbs Pitt-Johnstown Tamara Humphries (Pennsylvania) 115 lbs Presbyterian Jenna Anderson (Virginia) 115lbs Kaylie Hall (West Virginia) 170 lbs Sloane Kruger (Washington) 100 lbs Providence Carlye Ana Boenau (New York) 105 lbs Elliza Brunner (Utah) 120 lbs McKenzie Mills (Oregon) 190 lbs Sydnee Nielson (Utah) 190 lbs Kaitelynn Oliver (Florida) 130 lbs Lucia Schlapfer (Montana) 130 lbs Joely Slyter (Idaho) 115 lbs Elise Twait (Idaho) 145 lbs Quincy Dempsey Atkinson (Illinois) 145 lbs Abigail Mendoza (Texas) 95 lbs Rio Grande Alexandria Evans (West Virginia) 100 lbs Jabea Ewane (Maryland) 235 lbs Sacred Heart Josephine Larson (Illinois) 190 lbs Tilisa Matakaiongo (Utah) 207 lbs Sioux Falls Sydnie Brown (Nebraska) 130 lbs Kristy More (Florida) 145 lbs Johanna Steinlicht (South Dakota) 135 lbs Southeast CC Emma Albanese (Nevada) 115 lbs Southern Oregon Sadie Hall (Oregon) 140 lbs Katelyn Wisman (Oregon) 135 lbs St. Mary Gwen Musser (Texas) 130 lbs The Cumberlands Sarina Gunn (Virginia) 110 lbs Ariyanah Parson (Virginia) 135 lbs Tiffin Sophia Antonio (Ohio) 140 lbs Ursinus Jurelys Peguero del Rosario (Pennsylvania) 170 lbs Wayland Baptist Madison Pena (Texas) 120 lbs Wartburg Kenzie Childers (Iowa) 130 lbs Alexis Pehrson (Nebraska) 135 lbs Aubrie Pehrson (Nebraska) 135 lbs Chloe Sheffield (Iowa) 100 lbs West Liberty Mariah Mills (Florida) 110 lbs Western New England Maia De La Cruz (New York) 120 lbs Lily Henderson (New Jersey) 115 lbs Wilkes Angel Upright (Pennsylvania) 140 lbs William Jewell Olivia Davis (California) 145 lbs William Penn Naomi Templeman (Iowa) 155 lbs Wisconsin-Oshkosh Haley Dezelske (Wisconsin) 115 lbs Wisconsin-Stevens Point Amiya Leverance (Wisconsin) 115 lbs Maggie Zuber (Illinois) 140 lbs

Bettendorf

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa.; July 10, 2025 – Nittany Lion wrestler Carter Starocci has been named the 2025 Big Ten Jesse Owens Male Athlete of the Year. Starocci was honored from a field that featured each of the 18 Big Ten members' Male Athletes of the Year. USC’s JuJu Watkins was named Big Ten Female Athlete of the Year. The Erie, Pa., native is the fourth Penn State male athlete to claim the Big Ten Athlete of the Year honor, three of whom have been wrestlers. Luis Vargas, men’s gymnastics, was the first to win the honor in 2005. Wrestler David Taylor won in 2014, and wrestler Bo Nickal won in 2019. Starocci capped off an historic collegiate career, becoming the first and only wrestler in NCAA Division I history to become a five-time NCAA National Champion. Starocci downed Northern Iowa’s Parker Keckeisen in the national finals in Philadelphia to claim his fifth crown in as many trips to the event. Starocci ended the year as one of ten All-Americans for Penn State as the Nittany Lions won their 12th NCAA title under head coach Cael Sanderson, 13th in school history and fourth straight for the third time since Sanderson’s arrival in Happy Valley. Starocci ended the season with a 26-0 record with six pins, 10 technical falls and five majors. He ended his career with a 104-4 career record with 20 falls, 25 techs and 21 majors, meaning 86 of his 104 wins were for bonus. Starocci was a Hodge Trophy finalist, the 2025 NCAA Championship Most Outstanding Wrestler, the 2025 Big Ten Wrestler of the Year, a 2025 Big Ten Champion and first team All-Big Ten honoree. Starocci leaves Penn State as a five-time NCAA champ, five-time All-American, three-time Big Ten Champion, three-time first team All-Big Ten selection, and the 2021 Big Ten Freshman of the Year. Penn State went 15-0 and won the 2025 Big Ten Regular Season Championship, 2025 Big Ten Championship and 2025 NCAA Championship. Starocci’s accolades are as follows: 2025 NWCA All-Star Classic Exhibition 2025 Big Ten Champion (184) 2025 First Team All-Big Ten 2025 Big Ten Wrestler of the Year 2025 All-American (184) 2025 National Champion (184) 2025 NCAA Championship Outstanding Wrestler 2025 Big Ten Sportsmanship Award Winner 2025 Penn State Male Athlete of the Year Hodge Trophy Finalist 5X All-American 5X National Champion 3X Big Ten Champion 3X First Team All-Big Ten Big Ten Freshman of the Year BIG TEN JESSE OWENS MALE ATHLETE OF THE YEAR AWARD WINNERS 1982 - Jim Spivey, Indiana, track and field/cross country 1983 - Ed Banach, Iowa, wrestling 1984 - Sunder Nix, Indiana, track and field 1985 - Barry Davis, Iowa, wrestling 1986 - Chuck Long, Iowa, football 1987 - Steve Alford, Indiana, basketball 1988 - Jim Abbott, Michigan, baseball 1989 - Glen Rice, Michigan, basketball 1990 - Anthony Thompson, Indiana, football 1991 - Mike Barrowman, Michigan, swimming 1992 - Desmond Howard, Michigan, football 1993 - John Roethlisberger, Minnesota, gymnastics 1994 - Glenn Robinson, Purdue, basketball 1995 - Tom Dolan, Michigan, swimming 1996 - Eddie George, Ohio State, football 1997 - Blaine Wilson, Ohio State, gymnastics 1998 - Charles Woodson, Michigan, football 1999 - Luke Donald, Northwestern, golf 2000 - Ron Dayne, Wisconsin, football 2001 - Ryan Miller, Michigan State, ice hockey 2002 - Jordan Leopold, Minnesota, ice hockey 2003 - Amer Delic, Illinois, tennis (co) 2003 - Matt Lackey, Illinois, wrestling (co) 2004 - Damion Hahn, Minnesota, wrestling 2005 - Luis Vargas, Penn State, gymnastics 2006 - Peter Vanderkaay, Michigan, swimming 2007 - Cole Konrad, Minnesota, wrestling 2008 - Brent Metcalf, Iowa, wrestling 2009 - Jake Herbert, Northwestern, wrestling 2010 - Evan Turner, Ohio State, basketball 2011 - David Boudia, Purdue, diving 2012 - Draymond Green, Michigan State, basketball 2013 - Derek Drouin, Indiana, track and field 2014 - David Taylor, Penn State, wrestling 2015 - Logan Stieber, Ohio State, wrestling 2016 - Denzel Valentine, Michigan State, basketball 2017 - Kyle Snyder, Ohio State, wrestling 2018 - Kyle Snyder, Ohio State, wrestling 2019 – Bo Nickal, Penn State, wrestling 2020 – Chase Young, Ohio State, football 2021 – Luke Garza, Iowa, basketball 2022 – Gable Steveson, Minnesota, wrestling 2023 – Zach Edey, Purdue, basketball 2024 – Zach Edey, Purdue, basketball 2025 – Carter Starocci, Penn State, wrestling BIG TEN FEMALE ATHLETE OF THE YEAR AWARD WINNERS 1983 - Judi Brown, Michigan State, track and field 1984 - Lisa Ishikawa, Northwestern, softball 1985 - Cathy Branta, Wisconsin, cross country/track 1986 - Stephanie Herbst, Wisconsin, cross country/track 1987 - Jennifer Averill, Northwestern, field hockey/lacrosse 1988 - Suzy Favor, Wisconsin, track and field/cross country 1989 - Suzy Favor, Wisconsin, track and field/cross country 1990 - Suzy Favor, Wisconsin, track and field/cross country 1991 - Julie Farrell-Ovenhouse, Michigan State, diving (co) 1991 - Joy Holmes, Purdue, basketball (co) 1992 - MaChelle Joseph, Purdue, basketball 1993 - Lara Hooiveld, Michigan, swimming 1994 - Kristy Gleason, Iowa, field hockey 1995 - Laura Davis, Ohio State, volleyball 1996 - Olga Kalinovskaya, Penn State, fencing 1997 - Kathy Butler, Wisconsin, track and field (co) 1997 - Gretchen Hegener, Minnesota, swimming (co) 1998 - Sara Griffin, Michigan, softball 1999 - Stephanie White-McCarty, Purdue, basketball 2000 - Lauren Cacciamani, Penn State, volleyball 2001 - Katie Douglas, Purdue, basketball 2002 - Christie Welsh, Penn State, soccer 2003 - Perdita Felicien, Illinois, track and field 2004 - Kelly Mazzante, Penn State, basketball 2005 - Jennie Ritter, Michigan, softball 2006 - Tiffany Weimer, Penn State, soccer 2007 - Jessica Davenport, Ohio State, basketball 2008 - Hannah Nielsen, Northwestern, lacrosse 2009 - Maria Hernandez, Purdue, golf 2010 - Megan Hodge, Penn State, volleyball 2011 - Shannon Smith, Northwestern, lacrosse 2012 - Christina Manning, Ohio State, track and field 2013 - Amanda Kessel, Minnesota, ice hockey 2014 - Dani Bunch, Purdue, track and field 2015 - Taylor Cummings, Maryland, lacrosse 2016 - Rachel Banham, Minnesota, basketball 2017 - Lilly King, Indiana, swimming 2018 - Lilly King, Indiana, swimming 2019 – Megan Gustafson, Iowa, basketball 2020 – Dana Rettke, Wisconsin, volleyball 2021 – Sarah Bacon, Minnesota, swimming and diving 2022 – Dana Rettke, Wisconsin, volleyball 2023 – Caitlin Clark, Iowa, basketball 2024 – Caitlin Clark, Iowa, basketball 2025 – JuJu Watkins, USC, basketball

We’re only a few days away from the start of Fargo! The men’s action starts on Monday morning in freestyle with Greco to follow on Friday. On InterMat, we tend to look at events like this from a collegiate perspective and this week is no different. For the past two weeks, USA Wrestling has released a handful of state rosters each day. With each subsequent release, we’ve checked each roster to see how many team members have signed or committed to wrestle at the next level. Now, we have a gigantic list of wrestlers who are slated to appear in Fargo - sorted by their future college. If they are from the Class of 2025, then there is no other descriptor next to their name/state/weight. If they are in the Class of 2026 (or 2027 in one case), that is denoted next to their name. Please note, there are a couple of states that haven’t been posted by USAW as of Thursday morning. Once posted, this list will be updated - we just wanted to get the information on the InterMat site ASAP. Air Force Tyler Harrill (Nebraska) 157 lbs - Class of 2026 Trey Wagner (Pennsylvania) 138 lbs - Class of 2026 Arment Waltenbaugh (Pennsylvania) 165 lbs - Class of 2026 American Reagan Milheim (Pennsylvania) 157 lbs - Class of 2026 Appalachian State Caleb Cady (Wisconsin) 165 lbs Bentley Sly (North Carolina) 150 lbs - Class of 2026 Arizona State Gabriel Delgado (Nevada) 157 lbs Rylan Seacrist (Ohio) 113 lbs - Class of 2026 Justin Wardlow (Illinois) 150 lbs - Class of 2026 Army West Point Garett Kawczynski (Wisconsin) 215 lbs - Class of 2026 James Lindsay (Ohio) 150 lbs - Class of 2026 Joe Uhorchuk (Tennessee) 120 lbs - Class of 2026 Augsburg Cole Dummer (Wisconsin) 157 lbs Aidan Gruenenfelder (Wisconsin) 126 lbs Brayden Hilyar (Minnesota) 190 lbs Colton Loween (Minnesota) 165 lbs Ethan Swenson (Minnesota) 215 lbs Augustana Carter Katherman (Minnesota) 126 lbs Lucas Kral (Iowa) 157 lbs Hudson Loges (Nebraska) 144 lbs Cole Welte (Nebraska) 113 lbs Aurora Kalani Khiev (Illinois) 132 lbs Bellarmine Bowden Delaney (Illinois) 175 lbs Isaac Johns (Kentucky) 150 lbs Travis Long (Colorado) 132 lbs Binghamton Ryan Ferrara (New York) 138 lbs - Class of 2026 Bloomsburg Justin Jones (Virginia) 120 lbs Philly Provenzano (New York) 144 lbs Brecken Strickland (Pennsylvania) 138 lbs Brown Maximus Norman (Tennessee) 175 lbs Bucknell Brian Chamberlain (Pennsylvania) 157 lbs - Class of 2026 Jackson Heslin (Connecticut) 126 lbs - Class of 2026 Hudson Hohman (Pennsylvania) 150 lbs - Class of 2026 Buffalo Mason Rohr (Ohio) 138 lbs - Class of 2026 Dalton Weber (New Jersey) 126 lbs - Class of 2026 California Baptist Adonis Bonar (Nebraska) 190 lbs Jackson Butler (Pennsylvania) 150 lbs - Class of 2026 Hunter Vander Heiden (Wisconsin) 285 lbs Cal Poly Levi Bussey (California) 215 lbs Chadron State Iverson Mejia (Nebraska) 157 lbs Chattanooga Ethan Uhorchuk (Tennessee) 132 lbs Clarion Gabe Lilly (Pennsylvania) 175 lbs Columbia Kingston Daniells Silva (Connecticut) 215 lbs Marc Maurath (Connecticut) 157 lbs Coe Carter Siebel (Iowa) 132 lbs Cornell Elijah Cortez (California) 138 lbs Isaiah Cortez (California) 132 lbs Joe Knackstedt (Illinois) 144 lbs Samson McKissick Staley (New York) 144 lbs - Class of 2026 Santino Rodriguez (New Jersey) 175 lbs - Class of 2026 Tyler Traves (Virginia) 144 lbs - Class of 2026 Michael Turi (Pennsylvania) 150 lbs - Class of 2026 CSU Bakersfield Saxton Scott (Idaho) 126 lbs Rider Seguine (Idaho) 132 lbs Drexel Oumar Tounkara (New York) 126 lbs Edinboro Tyson Clear (Ohio) 175 lbs Fort Hays State Will Burchard (Kansas) 144 lbs Franklin & Marshall Brendan Sholders (Virginia) 144 lbs Gardner-Webb Isaiah Guerrero (Wisconsin) 175 lbs George Mason Herbert Billups (Virginia) 215 lbs Jeffrey Huyvaert (Indiana) 150 lbs - Class of 2026 Jackson Palzet (Illinois) 138 lbs Grand View Xayvion Anderson (Iowa) 165 lbs Harvard Connor Bercume (Michigan) 285 lbs Robert Kucharczk (Florida) 190 lbs Illinois Nicholas Garcia (Illinois) 120 lbs - Class of 2026 Josh Hoffer (Illinois) 215 lbs - Class of 2026 Wyatt Medlin (Illinois) 157 lbs - Class of 2026 Jaxon Penovich (Illinois) 190 lbs - Class of 2026 Indiana Peyton Schoettle (Indiana) 120 lbs - Class of 2026 Iowa Owen McMullen (Pennsylvania) 150 lbs - Class of 2026 Michael Mocco (Florida) 285 lbs - Class of 2026 Iowa State TJ Koester (Iowa) 132 lbs Kent State Mason Higley (Pennsylvania) 215 lbs Silas Stits (Indiana) 157 lbs Lehigh Dean Bechtold (Pennsylvania) 285 lbs - Class of 2026 Jason Singer (Pennsylvania) 215 lbs - Class of 2026 Little Rock Tre Haines (Washington) 157 lbs - Class of 2026 Jadyn Johnson (Texas) 175 lbs Ryder Smith (Tennessee) 285 lbs - Class of 2026 Jackson Tucker (Missouri) 144 lbs Taye Wilson (Kansas) 165 lbs Justyce Zuniga (Washington) 138 lbs - Class of 2026 Lock Haven Caiden Judice (Pennsylvania) 150 lbs - Class of 2026 Chris Noto (New York) 132 lbs - Class of 2026 Connor Wetzel (Pennsylvania) 175 lbs Long Island Luke Nieto (New York) 157 lbs Mary Kale Baumann (Montana) 157 lbs Ben DeForest (North Dakota) 132 lbs Emery Slater (North Dakota) 215 lbs Maryland Devin Downes (New York) 215 lbs - Class of 2026 Ryan Kennedy (Ohio) 144 lbs Marymount Joshua Estrada (Virginia) 157 lbs Michigan Blake Cosby (Michigan) 157 lbs - Class of 2026 Cooper Hinz (Iowa) 132 lbs - Class of 2026 Moses Mendoza (California) 138 lbs - Class of 2026 Haakon Peterson (Wisconsin) 144 lbs - Class of 2026 Michigan State Evan Gosz (Illinois) 150 lbs Owen Segorski (Michigan) 165 lbs Nick Sorrow (Michigan) 132 lbs - Class of 2026 Minnesota Trey Beissel (Minnesota) 132 lbs - Class of 2026 Mason Carlson (Utah) 132 lbs - Class of 2026 Tyler Dekraker (Pennsylvania) 138 - Class of 2026 Nico DeSalvo (Iowa) 120 lbs - Class of 2027 Joel Friederichs (Minnesota) 120 lbs - Class of 2026 Titan Friederichs (Minnesota) 120 lbs - Class of 2026 Evan McGuire (Minnesota) 215 lbs Brett Swenson (Minnesota) 132 lbs Charles Vanier (Minnesota) 144 lbs Michael White (Indiana) 190 lbs - Class of 2026 Missouri Hank Benter (Missouri) 126 lbs Cash Cooley (Texas) 215 lbs - Class of 2026 David Gleason (Missouri) 157 lbs Peyton Westpfahl (Missouri) 175 lbs Mount Olive Braden Reynolds (North Carolina) 157 lbs Navy Evan Boblits (Maryland) 150 lbs Oliver Phillips (Tennessee) 157 lbs Sammy Spaulding (New Jersey) 138 lbs - Class of 2026 NC State Lander Bosh (Utah) 126 lbs - Class of 2026 Kai Calcutt (Illinois) 215 lbs - Class of 2026 Dom Deputy (Pennsylvania) 126 lbs - Class of 2026 Griffin LaPlante (New York) 157 lbs - Class of 2026 Michael Saba (Colorado) 144 lbs - Class of 2026 Nebraska Davis Parrow (Minnesota) 150 lbs - Class of 2026 Mason Petersen (Nebraska) 150 lbs - Class of 2026 Niko Rotella (Nebraska) 157 lbs - Class of 2026 Abdi Unle (Nebraska) 120 lbs Cade Ziola (Nebraska) 215 lbs Nebraska-Kearney Kaedun Goodman (Nebraska) 144 lbs Hudson Oliver (Nebraska) 215 lbs North Carolina Lincoln Jipp (Iowa) 175 lbs - Class of 2026 Brody Kelly (Illinois) 175 lbs - Class of 2026 Jacob Levy (Florida) 285 lbs Lukas Littleton Mascaro (Pennsylvania) 126 lbs - Class of 2026 Dunia Sibomana (New York) 120 lbs - Class of 2026 North Dakota State Peyton Cox (Illinois) 150 lbs Lawson Eller (Minnesota) 132 lbs Luke Hoag (Minnesota) 165 lbs Ben Schultz (Minnesota) 190 lbs Zytavius Williams (Minnesota) 138 lbs Northern Illinois Anthony Kroninger (Ohio) 175 lbs Northern Iowa Waylon Cressell (Indiana) 175 lbs - Class of 2026 Cael Gilmore (Ohio) 157 lbs - Class of 2026 Ashton Honnold (Iowa) 285 lbs - Class of 2026 Northern State Calder Sheehan (Minnesota) 150 lbs Northwestern Travyn Boger (Utah) 285 lbs - Class of 2026 Jaxon Miller (Iowa) 175 lbs - Class of 2026 Alex Smith (Florida) 215 lbs Peter Snyder (Maryland) 215 lbs - Class of 2026 Norwich Nicholas Berrena (Pennsylvania) 144 lbs NYU Brady Knaupp (Connecticut) 132 lbs Ouachita Baptist Hagen Crockett (New Mexico) 138 lbs Ohio Damien Couture (North Carolina) 285 lbs Carson Weber (Ohio) 157 lbs Ohio State Adam Waters (Pennsylvania) 190 lbs - Class of 2026 Oklahoma Bryce Burkett (Minnesota) 175 lbs Christian Jelle (Minnesota) 138 lbs - Class of 2026 Mason Ontiveros (California) 175 lbs - Class of 2026 Mikey Ruiz (Texas) 126 lbs - Class of 2026 Carter Vannest (California) 190 lbs - Class of 2026 Oklahoma State Jordyn Raney (Kentucky) 138 lbs - Class of 2026 Dreshaun Ross (Iowa) 285 lbs - Class of 2026 Kellen Wolbert (Wisconsin) 138 lbs Rocklin Zinklin (California) 120 lbs - Class of 2026 Oregon State Travis Grace (California) 175 lbs - Class of 2026 Manny Saldate (Nevada) 132 lbs Ottawa Parker Burk (Kansas) 126 lbs Penn Deven Casey (Illinois) 138 lbs Isaak Chavez (Colorado) 175 lbs - Class of 2026 Charlie DeSena (Florida) 150 lbs - Class of 2026 Anthony DiAndrea (New Jersey) 132 lbs - Class of 2026 Elliott Humphries (Massachusetts) 175 lbs Jordan Segal (New Jersey) 126 lbs - Class of 2026 Penn State Sam Herring (Pennsylvania) 132 lbs - Class of 2026 Pittsburgh Caleb Rodriguez (Pennsylvania) 285 lbs - Class of 2026 Kyle Scott (Pennsylvania) 175 lbs - Class of 2026 Tristan Steldt (Wisconsin) 175 lbs Pitt-Johnstown Ethan Osburn (Virginia) 190 lbs Princeton Mark Effendian (Pennsylvania) 285 lbs - Class of 2026 Matthew Martino (Idaho) 150 lbs Blase Mele (New Jersey) 150 lbs Purdue Camden Baum (Pennsylvania) 144 lbs - Class of 2026 Aidan Costello (Indiana) 175 lbs Ty Henderson (Indiana) 126 lbs Drake Hooiman (Nevada) 138 lbs - Class of 2026 Adrian Pellot (Indiana) 165 lbs Nathan Rioux (Indiana) 132 lbs - Class of 2026 Isaiah Schaefer (Indiana) 138 lbs Griffin Van Tichelt (Indiana) 175 lbs - Class of 2026 Noah Weaver (Indiana) 215 lbs Roanoke Jackson Rowling (North Carolina) 150 lbs Troy Shannon (North Carolina) 157 lbs Taven Williams (Virginia) 175 lbs Rutgers Alex Reyes (New Jersey) 190 lbs - Class of 2026 Sacred Heart AJ Falcone (New Jersey) 165 lbs Samuel Henry (New Jersey) 285 lbs Seton Hill Joshua Joubert (New Jersey) 175 lbs Shenandoah James Battulga (Virginia) 165 lbs Hayden Thompson (Virginia) 150 lbs Sioux Falls Hank Meyer (Minnesota) 215 lbs SIU Edwardsville Myron Mendez (Florida) 215 lbs South Dakota State Conlan Carlson (Minnesota) 150 lbs Bas Diaz (Iowa) 157 lbs Carson Dupill (South Dakota) 126 lbs Micah Hach (South Dakota) 285 lbs Jacob Herm (Wisconsin) 157 lbs Riley Johnson (Nebraska) 190 lbs - Class of 2026 Liam Neitzel (Wisconsin) 132 lbs Keenan Sheridan (South Dakota) 175 lbs Jarrett Wadsen (Minnesota) 190 lbs Stanford Zeno Moore (Florida) 157 lbs - Class of 2026 Siraj Sidhu (California) 126 lbs - Class of 2026 Jarrett Smith (Michigan) 113 lbs - Class of 2026 St. Cloud State Maximus Riggins (Iowa) 126 lbs Sam Zanton (Wisconsin) 165 lbs - Class of 2026 Utah Valley Chris Dennis (Pennsylvania) 165 lbs - Class of 2026 Geromino Rivera (Utah) 138 lbs Jason Worthley (Utah) 150 lbs Virginia Liam Crook (Wisconsin) 165 lbs - Class of 2026 Jayce Paridon (Florida) 144 lbs Virginia Tech Revin Dickman (Indiana) 120 lbs - Class of 2026 VMI Malachi Ortiz (Florida) 126 lbs Wartburg Caden Correll (Illinois) 113 lbs Wesleyan Reese Spiro (Massachusetts) 190 lbs Western Colorado Charlie Herting (Colorado) 175 lbs West Virginia Alex Berisha (New York) 215 lbs Mason Jakob (Tennessee) 120 lbs - Class of 2026 Williams Baptist Caiden Saavedra (Arkansas) 144 lbs Wisconsin Ty Imhoff (Wisconsin) 165 lbs Eli Leonard (Wisconsin) 175 lbs - Class of 2026 Collin McDowell (Wisconsin) 144 lbs Hunter Stevens (Wisconsin) 144 lbs - Class of 2026 Wisconsin-LaCrosse Cole Gentsch (Illinois) 126 lbs Asher Sheldon (Illinois) 285 lbs Wisconsin-Parkside Lincoln Flayter (Wisconsin) 132 lbs Tanner Gormanson (Wisconsin) 285 lbs Sullivan Ramos (Wisconsin) 165 lbs Thomas Reilly (Wisconsin) 215 lbs Nathan Stiebs (Wisconsin) 285 lbs Wyoming Gunner Henry (Indiana) 190 lbs Owen Hull (Oregon) 165 lbs John Murphy (Minnesota) 190 lbs - Class of 2026 Tucker Roybal (Utah) 165 lbs

Two more matches have been added to Real American Freestyle’s (RAF) inaugural card and each will feature opponents with world-level credentials clashing. They are Yianni Diakomihalis vs. Bajrang Punia and Bo Nickal against Jacob Cardenas. Diakomihalis and Punia are both past world finalists. Punia is an Olympic bronze medalist and a four-time world medalist - placing second once and third on three occasions. He also has a pair of gold medals from the Asian Championships. The Indian star earned a reputation for being one of the more exciting and high-scoring wrestlers of his era. Diakomihalis was a four-time national champion for Cornell and has appeared on two Senior world teams. He claimed a silver medal at the 2022 World Championships and stopped a 15-year medal-less drought for the United States at 65 (and 66) kg. Diakomihalis won the 2025 US Open and was recently in action at Final X, where he dropped a three-match series to fellow New York native, PJ Duke. The pair clashed in the co-main event of the 2019 Beat the Streets NYC event and Diakomihalis stunned Punia scoring in a late scramble to win 10-8. We recently discussed the signing of 2019 Hodge Trophy winner and UFC star Bo Nickal. The three-time national champion from Penn State is making his return to the wrestling mat after suffering his first MMA loss earlier this year. In addition to his collegiate exploits, Nickal is also a U23 world champion and was a finalist at the 2020 Olympic Team Trials. Nickal will take on three-time NCAA All-American Jacob Cardenas. Cardenas earned All-American honors twice for Cornell before moving on to Michigan as a graduate student. At Michigan, Cardenas won the 2025 Big Ten title at 197 lbs and earned the top seed at nationals. In Philadelphia, Cardenas finished fourth for a second consecutive season. On the freestyle scene, Cardenas has been a member of the U23 world team in each of the last three years. Each time, Cardenas has returned with a world medal - twice taking silver. RAF’s August 30th card now looks like this: Real Woods vs. Darrion Caldwell Austin Gomez vs. Lance Palmer Sarah Hildebrandt vs. Zeltzin Hernandez Guerra Kennedy Blades vs. Alejandra Rivera Arriaga Bo Nickal vs. Jacob Cardenas Yianni Diakomihalis vs. Bajrang Punia

Welcome to a new recurring feature on InterMat celebrating the first 25 years of the 21st century. Every couple of days, we’ll examine a particular collegiate program and highlight its accomplishments over the past quarter century. First up for us is Minnesota. Minnesota is a team that claimed three NCAA team titles within the first seven years of the quarter century. Since then, they’ve remained a consistent force in the Big Ten. As you can see below, we can form two teams consisting entirely of All-Americans for the Gophers. Minnesota has long been regarded as “Heavyweight U” for college wrestling. That is on full display here as they’ve had a remarkable three multi-time national champions at 285 lbs since 2007. In making our first, second, and third teams, heavyweight was an extremely difficult choice. Also, there could be some discussion surrounding the following weights: 125, 149, and 184. At 149 lbs, we have a national champion and one of the most outstanding wrestlers of his time on the second team. 125 has a national runner-up on the third team ahead of two wrestlers who never make the finals. The only active wrestler on any of these teams comes at 184 lbs. With another year or two’s worth of results, he might have been able to make a case for his spot on the first team. Wrestlers considered for the three teams had to compete from 2001-25. For the wrestlers early in this timeframe, their entire collegiate body of work was considered. Only collegiate results were taken into consideration. Even if a wrestler was successful at multiple weights, they were only selected for one weight - typically it was based on the strongest possible first team. After the three All-Century teams, there are some fun facts about Minnesota’s results over the past 25 years. Minnesota First Team 125 lbs - Zach Sanders: Wabasha, Minnesota: 4x AA (3,5,5,6), Big Ten Runner-Up, NCAA #2 seed 133 lbs - Jayson Ness: Bloomington, Minnesota: 4x AA (1,3,2,5), 2x Big Ten Champion, Hodge Winner 141 lbs - Mike Thorn: St. Michael, Minnesota: 2x AA (3,7), Big Ten Champion, NCAA #2 seed 149 lbs - Jared Lawrence: Sandpoint, Idaho: 4x AA (2,1,6,6) 2x Big Ten Champion, 4x Big Ten finalist 157 lbs - Luke Becker: Cambridge, Minnesota: 4x AA (4,1,4,6), 2x Big Ten Champion, 4x Big Ten finalist 165 lbs - Jacob Volkmann: Henning, Minnesota: 3x AA (4,3,4), Big Ten Champion, 2x Big Ten finalist 174 lbs - Logan Storley: Roslyn, South Dakota: 4x AA (4,3,4,6), Big Ten Runner-Up 184 lbs - Roger Kish: Lapeer, Michigan: 2x AA (3,2), Big Ten Champion, 2x Big Ten finalist, 2x NCAA #2 seed 197 lbs - Damion Hahn: Lakewood, New Jersey: 4x AA (1,1,5,5), 3x Big Ten Champion 285 lbs - Gable Steveson: Apple Valley, Minnesota: 4x NCAA AA (3,1,1,2), 4x Big Ten Champion, 2x Hodge Winner Second Team 125 lbs - Leroy Vega: Portage, Indiana: 3x AA (3,5,5), Big Ten Champion, 2x Big Ten finalist, NCAA #2 seed 133 lbs - Ryan Lewis: Vernal, Utah: 2x AA (2,2), Big Ten Champion, 2x Big Ten finalist, NCAA #1 seed 141 lbs - Chad Erikson: Apple Valley, Minnesota: 2x AA (7,8), 2x Big Ten Runner-Up 149 lbs - Dustin Schlatter: Massillon, Ohio: 3x AA (7,3,1), 2x Big Ten Champion, 3x Big Ten finalist, NCAA champ as TRFR 157 lbs - Dylan Ness: Bloomington, Minnesota: 4x AA (6,2,4,2), Big Ten Champion, 3x Big Ten finalist 165 lbs - Brad Pike: Brownsdale, Minnesota: 2x AA (4,7), Big Ten Runner-Up 174 lbs - Devin Skatzka: Richmond, Michigan: 1x AA (8), NWCA 1st Team AA, 4x NCAA qualifier 184 lbs - Kevin Steinhaus: Pennock, Minnesota: 3x AA (5,5,8), Big Ten Champion, 3x Big Ten finalist 197 lbs - Brett Pfarr: LeSueur, Minnesota: 2x AA (2,3), 2x Big Ten Runner-Up, NCAA #2 seed 285 lbs - Cole Konrad: Freedom, Wisconsin: 4x AA (1,1,2,4), 3x Big Ten Champion, 2 undefeated seasons Third Team 125 lbs - Ethan Lizak: Schnecksville, Pennsylvania: 3x AA (7,4,2), Big Ten Runner-Up 133 lbs - Mack Reiter: Gilbertville, Iowa: 3x AA (5,4,4), Big Ten Champion, 2x Big Ten Runner-Up 141 lbs - Manny Rivera: El Monte, California: 1x AA (7), Big Ten Runner-Up, 3x NCAA Qualifier, NCAA #4 seed 149 lbs - Brayton Lee: Brownsburg, Indiana: 1x AA (6), NWCA 1st Team AA, 3x NCAA Qualifier 157 lbs - CP Schlatter: Massillon, Ohio: 1x AA (6), 2x Big Ten Champion, NCAA #2 seed 165 lbs - Matt Nagel: Frazee, Minnesota: 1x AA (6), Big Ten Runner-Up 174 lbs - Gabe Dretsch: Frazee, Minnesota: 4x NCAA Qualifier, Big Ten Runner-Up 184 lbs - Max McEnelly*: Waconia, Minnesota: 1x AA (3), Big Ten Runner-Up, NCAA #3 seed 197 lbs - Owen Elzen: Dover, Minnesota: 2x AA (4,3), Big Ten Champion, NCAA #3 seed 285 lbs - Tony Nelson: Cambridge, Minnesota: 4x AA (2,1,1,7), 3x Big Ten Champion, 4x Big Ten finalist *= Still Active Fun Facts The Golden Gophers have won three (2001, 2002, 2007) NCAA team titles in this quarter century Minnesota wrestlers have captured 18 NCAA titles in the last 25 years Minnesota has four, two-time NCAA champions since 2001 Of their four two-time champions, three have wrestled at heavyweight One of their 18 NCAA titles, one has been won by a freshman (D. Schlatter) 30 Minnesota wrestlers have made the NCAA finals during this time Minnesota wrestlers have gotten onto the NCAA podium 106 times this quarter century In addition, four Minnesota wrestlers were named NWCA All-Americans in 2024 (3 1st Team, 1 2nd Team) Two Minnesota wrestlers (J. Ness/G. Steveson x2) have combined to win three Dan Hodge trophies Minnesota’s 2001 team put all 10 wrestlers on the NCAA podium and none were finalists Minnesota wrestlers have won a total of 35 Big Ten titles since 2001 - Gable Steveson was the only 4x’er As a team Minnesota has captured five Big Ten titles, including the first three of this quarter century Gopher wrestlers have earned the #1 seed at NCAA’s 15 times during this quarter century Minnesota has only had two head coaches during this quarter century (J Robinson and Brandon Eggum) 54 of the 106 All-American honors in this span were earned by a Minnesota native Minnesota only finished outside of the top 20 at the NCAA Championships once during this span (2024). Minnesota has earned an NCAA team trophy (top-four finish) eight times in the last 25 years

This week we jump into the latest coaching changes as Kyle Borshoff steps down at Binghamton, Teyon Ware is hired at Northern Colorado and other spot are still TBD. We also discuss the upcoming World Team final between Vito Arujau and Jax Forrest as well as the new NCAA rule changes, our thoughts on Real American Freestyle and the potential matchup. We end on a funny note as we dig into Mark Manning's comments on the small impact that Bill Belichick's girlfriend, Jordan Hudson, had on AJ Ferrari not getting into UNC. Timestamps: 0:00 - Intro 3:35 - Weigh In 10:00 - Coach changes: Kyle Borshoff steps down at Binghamton, Teyon Ware hired at Northern Colorado, other coaching openings 31:32 - Vito Arujau vs Jax Forrest 44:04 - New NCAA Rule Changes 1:03:13 - Real American Freestyle: thoughts on the league and the potential matchups 1:17:21 - Did Bill Belichick’s girlfriend have something to do with AJ Ferrari’s denial from UNC??

Madrid, Spain — Darian Cruz delivered a flawless performance at the 2025 Grand Prix of Spain, winning the gold medal at 57kg and outscoring his opponents by a combined margin of 29-0. The title marks Cruz’s first championship at the prestigious international event, after earning silver and bronze in previous years.The Pennsylvania Regional Training Center (PRTC) athlete made a statement in everymatch on his way to the top of the podium: ● In the quarterfinals, Cruz shut out Spain’s Raymel Quiñones with a 7-0 decision. ● He followed up with a dominant 11-0 technical fall over Peter Cude of Costa Rica in the semifinals. ● Cruz capped off his run with another 11-0 technical fall in the finals against Yelaman Amangeldy of Kazakhstan. “Winning the Spanish Grand Prix is pretty awesome, especially after getting silver and bronze in the years prior,” said Cruz. “I just feel like it’s a good testament to what we have been building back home at Penn with the PRTC.” Cruz, a Bethlehem, Pennsylvania native and NCAA Champion, continues to build on a strong 2025 campaign. His gold medal performance reflects the ongoing momentum of the PRTC, which has grown into a top-tier training environment for elite athletes. “I feel super grateful for the opportunity to compete, let alone the opportunity to compete for the PRTC,” Cruz said. “It’s exciting to see the representation from the commitment and work we have been putting in here. This family is growing and it means even more to be able to say that everybody in the Philly community has contributed and can take credit for this medal. The most rewarding part is knowing that this is only the beginning... to many more.” With this victory, Cruz adds an international title to his growing list of accolades and reinforces his standing as one of the premier 57kg wrestlers in the world.

We're less than a week away from the 2025 16U and Junior National Championships - affectionately known as "Fargo." Thousands of wrestlers will descend upon the FargoDome in search of "Stop Signs" representing national championships. They will seek to etch their names next to some of the already-legendary names below which are the Junior National Champions from Fargo for the last 15 years. Junior Men's Freestyle Junior Greco-Roman Junior Women's Freestyle

Earlier today, we posted an article on the 2025 offseason coaching carousel and anticipated further action. We didn’t realize that "further action" would come today as Binghamton announced that head coach Kyle Borshoff has stepped down from his position after 10 years with the school. Eight of them were spent as head coach for the Bearcats. During his time at Binghamton, Borshoff guided 25 wrestlers to the NCAA Tournament. Current assistant coach Lou DePrez earned All-American honors for Borshoff in 2021 and was named a first-team All-American by the NWCA in 2020. He also oversaw four individual EIWA titles - three from DePrez and another from Brevin Cassella in 2024. Binghamton also racked up 56 dual wins under Borshoff’s leadership. Borshoff’s father, Tim, was a national finalist for Binghamton in 1975. Kyle is reportedly stepping down to work with his father in the real estate business. Binghamton is coming off a 10-9 season in which they finished sixth in the new-look EIWA conference with a pair of finalists. Both of the Bearcats 2025 national qualifiers have exhausted their eligibility, so there are currently none on the Binghamton roster; however, they have a couple of wrestlers that appeared in the 2024-25 national rankings in Carson Wagner (125) and Will Ebert (184). We’ll have more information about the Binghamton coaching search as it develops.

Last week, the coaching carousel continued to turn as two-time NCAA finalist Sammy Sasso was hired by Lehigh and two-time national champion Teyon Ware took over at Northern Colorado. With Ware moving on, Oklahoma will have an opening on their staff. That vacancy should garner plenty of interest with a relatively new coaching staff and a talented, young Sooners team. In addition to the Oklahoma opening, there are still plenty of good opportunities from an assistant standpoint. We also have one head coaching vacancy with Campbell’s job open. Now that we’ve gotten some movement, I think the coaching carousel will only pick up steam. Also, we’re less than a week away from action getting underway in Fargo. Fargo provides an excellent opportunity for networking, so some coaching deals could be struck in the FargoDome (or perhaps the Bison Turf). Coaching Changes Army West Point: Troy Nickerson (Head Coach) Binghamton: Brevin Cassella (Assistant Coach) Brown: Tyler Grayson (Assistant Coach) Kent State: Josh Moore (Head Coach) Lehigh: Sammy Sasso (Assistant Coach) Mercyhurst: Jimmy Overhiser (Head Coach) Missouri: Keegan O’Toole (Assistant Coach) NC State: Malik McDonald (Assistant Coach) North Dakota State: Willie Miklus (Assistant Coach) Northern Colorado: Teyon Ware (Head Coach) Oklahoma State: Kevin Ward (Assistant Coach) Penn: Matt Valenti (Head Coach) Princeton: Ryan Wolfe (Assistant Coach) Purdue: Matt Ramos (Assistant Coach) RTC/Club Lee Roper (Cowboy RTC) Open Appalachian State: Assistant Coach Bellarmine: Assistant Coach Campbell: Head Coach Drexel: Assistant Coach George Mason: Assistant Coach Kent State: Assistant Coach Little Rock: Assistant Coach Maryland: Assistant Coach Michigan State: Assistant Coach Northern Iowa: Assistant Coach Oklahoma: Assistant Coach Penn: Assistant Coach

Over the last few weeks, we’ve done a lot with recruiting. Our Class of 2025 recruiting rankings dropped as did our honorable mentions. With another year’s worth of recruiting data, it’s a good time to add it to the recent past, in order to see who have been the consistent forces on the recruiting trail. We’ve taken recruiting data from 2021-25 (since Willie Saylor took over InterMat) and compiled it in such a manner to hopefully answer questions about who has been the most consistent in the recruiting game. During this span, we have mentioned the top 25 teams in our rankings, plus listed five honorable mentions. A team that was ranked #1 for a particular year has received 30 points. #2 was worth 29 points…an so on. Once we got a point total, it was divided by five for the five years observed - giving us a particular average. Teams below have been sorted in order of their average - largest to smallest. The teams listed below have appeared at least once in our recruiting rankings (2021-25) or honorable mentions. 1. Oklahoma State: 124 points - 24.8 average 2. Penn State: 118 points - 23.6 average 3. Iowa: 113 points - 22.6 average 4. NC State: 111 points - 22.2 average 5. Ohio State: 104 points - 20.8 average 6. Virginia Tech: 103 points - 20.6 average 7. Nebraska: 101 points - 20.2 average 8. Cornell: 96 points - 19.2 average 9. Stanford: 95 points - 19 points 10. Iowa State: 93 points - 18.6 points 11. Rutgers: 81 points - 16.2 average 12. Missouri: 77 points - 15.4 average 13. Michigan: 71 points - 14.2 average 14(t). Minnesota: 68 points - 13.6 average 14(t). North Carolina: 68 points - 13.6 average 16. Arizona State: 58 points - 11.6 average 17. Oklahoma: 48 points - 9.6 average 18. Wyoming: 46 points - 9.2 average 19(t). Pittsburgh: 43 points - 8.6 average 19(t). Oregon State: 43 points - 8.6 average 21(t). Army West Point: 42 points - 8.4 average 21(t). Penn: 42 points - 8.4 average 23. Wisconsin: 40 points - 8.0 average 24. Purdue: 38 points - 7.6 average 25. Virginia: 37 points - 7.4 average 26. Illinois: 36 points - 7.2 average 27. Indiana: 34 points - 6.8 average 28(t). Lehigh: 33 points - 6.6 average 28(t). Navy: 33 points - 6.6 average 30. South Dakota State: 33 points - 6.6 average 31. Princeton: 32 points - 6.4 average 32. North Dakota State: 31 points - 6.2 average 33. Maryland: 27 points - 5.4 average 34. Northwestern: 24 points - 4.8 average 35(t). Air Force: 23 points - 4.6 average 35(t). Bucknell: 23 points - 4.6 average 37. Northern Iowa: 20 points - 4.0 average 38. Little Rock: 17 points - 3.4 average 39. West Virginia: 15 points - 3.0 average 40(t). Campbell: 12 points - 2.4 average 40(t). Northern Colorado: 12 points - 2.4 average 42(t). Brown: 11 points - 2.2 average 42(t). Lock Haven: 11 points - 2.2 average 44. Columbia: 10 points - 2.0 average 45. California Baptist: 8 points - 1.6 average 46. Drexel: 6 points - 1.2 average 47. Cal Poly: 5 points - 1.0 average 48. SIU Edwardsville: 4 points - 0.8 average Of course, recruiting is only part of the game when it comes to success at the collegiate level. There is also retention and development. Schools that have poor retention might have a higher recruiting score, while programs known for their development might end up with better results than this study would indicate.

Predicting the Arujau vs. Forrest Wrestle-Off: A Historical Analysis On July 14, 2025, in Fargo, North Dakota, world champion Vito Arujau faces high school phenom Jax Forrest in a special wrestle-off for the 61 kg U.S. World Team spot, delayed from June 14 due to Arujau’s injury. To predict the outcome, we analyze six historical special wrestle-offs involving delays, examining who delayed, the results, and their implications for this high-stakes matchup. Historical Precedents 2000: Gutches vs. Burton Les Gutches, the 2000 U.S. Nationals champion at 85 kg, delayed his Olympic Team Trials wrestle-off against Charles Burton due to injury. In Fargo, Burton won 2-1 (4-1, 3-4, 5-0). Burton’s first-match gut wrench and final-match three takedowns exploited Gutches’ rustiness, securing the Olympic berth. The injury-related delay hindered Gutches’ sharpness, favoring the healthier Burton. 2002: Zadick vs. Bono Bill Zadick, the 2002 U.S. Nationals champion at 66 kg, postponed his World Team Trials wrestle-off against Chris Bono due to injury. In Fargo, Bono won 2-1 (2-3, 3-1, 3-2 in overtime). Bono’s consistency in close bouts leveraged his Trials momentum. Zadick’s injury-related delay disrupted his rhythm, allowing Bono to claim the World Team spot. 2003: Cormier vs. Morrison Daniel Cormier delayed his 2003 World Team Trials wrestle-off at 96 kg against Dean Morrison due to the tragic loss of his infant daughter, not injury. In Fargo, Cormier won 2-1 (0-3, pin at 2:58, overtime takedown). His resilience and prior 3-0 win over Morrison at Nationals overcame the delay, making him one of two delaying wrestlers to prevail. 2006: Gallick vs. Zadick Nate Gallick, the 2006 U.S. Nationals champion at 60 kg, delayed his World Team Trials wrestle-off against Mike Zadick due to a foot injury. In Colorado Springs, Zadick swept 2-0 (0-1, 1-0, 4-2; 1-0, 0-1, 3-0). In match one, Zadick’s late double-leg takedown for three points clinched the win. In match two, Zadick’s chest wrap for exposure after a ball draw secured victory. Gallick’s injury-related delay and rustiness handed Zadick, a 2006 World silver medalist, the World Team spot. 2015: Marable vs. Green Nick Marable, the 2015 U.S. Open champion at 70 kg, made a request to delay his World Team Trials wrestle-off due to a reported head injury while he was at the World Team Trials and just about to weigh in! The appeal for delay was initially denied and then after an arbitrator got involved it was granted. The two were set to wrestle in Fargo in 2015. James Green swept the Fargo series 2-0 (4-0, 2-1). Green’s pushout, passivity point, and double-leg takedown in match one, plus a counter-takedown from a quad pod in match two, outshone Marable’s rustiness, earning him the World Team spot and a 2015 World bronze. 2019: Dake vs. Dieringer Kyle Dake, the 2018 World Champion at 79 kg, delayed his Final X wrestle-off against Alex Dieringer due to injury, rescheduling to August 17 in Round Rock, Texas. Dake swept 2-0 (3-2, 4-1), overcoming an early passivity point with step-outs and tactical acumen. His experience made him the only wrestler to win a special wrestle-off after an injury-related delay. Arujau vs. Forrest: The Matchup Vito Arujau, a 2023 World Champion and 2024 bronze medalist, brings incredible speed and a win in the 2024 World Team Trials Challenge tournament of which Forrest was in the field. His injury-related delay, however, mirrors the struggles of Gutches, Zadick, Gallick, and Marable. Jax Forrest, a high school senior and 2025 U.S. Open champion, dominated with a 19-8 technical fall over Seth Gross. His aggressive style aligns with the momentum of Burton, Bono, Zadick, and Green. Why Delays Often Fail Injury-related delays often lead to losses due to disrupted training and rustiness, as seen with Gutches’ shutout, Zadick’s close defeat, Gallick’s late-match collapses, and Marable’s tactical errors. Cormier’s 2003 non-injury win and Dake’s 2019 injury-related success, driven by elite experience, are exceptions. Dake’s ability to overcome injury suggests a rare path for success. The Prediction Four of six special wrestle-offs favored the non-delaying wrestler, with injury-related delays (2000, 2002, 2006, 2015) consistently leading to losses due to lost momentum. Cormier’s 2003 non-injury win and Dake’s 2019 injury-related victory show that exceptional resilience or experience can prevail, but injury delays tilt heavily against the delaying wrestler. Arujau’s pedigree gives him a chance to emulate Dake, but Forrest’s health, youth, and aggressive style mirror the profiles of Burton, Bono, Zadick, and Green. History predicts a Forrest victory, likely 2-1 in a tactical series, unless Arujau’s recovery and technical mastery prove decisive.

The 2025 U23 World Team is set! On Wednesday afternoon, USA Wrestling announced the rosters for each of the three styles and they are star-studded to say the least. The U23 team is different from others as the national tournament doesn’t necessarily determine the representatives at each weight. If a wrestler makes the Senior National Team and qualifies via the age requirement, then they have the right of first refusal for the spot. The men’s freestyle team, for example, has six wrestlers that participated in the main event at Final X. The U23 World Championships will take place October 20-26th in Novi Sad, Serbia. Men’s Freestyle 57 kg - Luke Lilledahl 61 kg - Jax Forrest 65 kg - Marcus Blaze 70 kg - PJ Duke 74 kg - Mitchell Mesenbrink 79 kg - Levi Haines 86 kg - Rocco Welsh 92 kg - Josh Barr 97 kg - Garavous Kouekabakilaho 125 kg - Daniel Herrera Women’s Freestyle 50 kg - Audrey Jimenez 53 kg - Brianna Gonzalez 55 kg - Cristelle Rodriguez 57 kg - Cecilia Williams 59 kg - Alexis Janiak 62 kg - Adaugo Nwachukwu 65 kg - Isabella Mir 68 kg - Kennedy Blades 72 kg - Jasmine Robinson 76 kg - Kylie Welker Greco-Roman 55 kg - Jayden Raney 60 kg - Max Black 63 kg - Kaden Ercanbrack 67 kg - Otto Black 72 kg - Aliasandr Kikiniou 77 kg - Aydin Rix McElhinney 82 kg - Beka Melelashvili 87 kg - Payton Jacobson 97 kg - Max Ramberg 130 kg - Aden Attao

Real American Freestyle (RAF) announced a huge signing today as they made an announcement on social media that UFC star Bo Nickal had signed with the organization. Earlier today, Nickal was on Ariel Helwani’s show and stated that he would be fighting on RAF’s inaugural card on August 30th. As of now, an opponent has not been named. In the interview, he did mention potential matches with 2025 World Team representative Trent Hidlay or 2024 national champion Parker Keckeisen. Nickal has a professional MMA record of 7-1 and is 4-1 in UFC events not including two wins on Dana White’s Contender Series. In his most recent outing, Nickal suffered a loss via TKO to Dutch fighter Reinier de Ridder. Before getting into the cage, Nickal put together a remarkable career at Penn State. He was a four-time national finalist and three-time NCAA champion. Nickal also captured three Big Ten titles. As a senior, Nickal was named the Hodge Trophy recipient after going 30-0 with 18 falls. Nickal finished his collegiate career on a 68-match winning streak. Penn State won national titles in each of Nickal’s four years as a starter. In 2018, he clinched the team title with his fall over Ohio State’s national champion Myles Martin. On the freestyle scene, Nickal captured a U23 world championship in 2019. Nickal also made the finals of the 2020(1) Olympic Team Trials but fell to fellow Penn State grad, David Taylor, the eventual gold medalist. We’ll keep you posted once an opponent for Nickal has been named or any other RAF updates. With Nickal’s addition, the RAF roster now looks like this: Ben Askren Beau Bartlett Kennedy Blades Aaron Brooks Darrion Caldwell David Carr Kyle Dake Austin Gomez James Green Seth Gross Wyatt Hendrickson Zeltzin Hernandez Sarah Hildebrandt Trent Hidlay Parker Keckeisen Will Lewan Bo Nickal Austin O'Connor Lance Palmer Matt Ramos Alejandra Rivera Nathan Tomasello Zahid Valencia Evan Wick Real Woods Hayden Zillmer The matches announced thus far for RAF’s first event on August 30th are: Real Woods vs. Darrion Caldwell (145 lbs) Austin Gomez vs. Lance Palmer (155 lbs) Sarah Hildebrandt vs. Zeltzin Hernandez Guerra (120 lbs) Kennedy Blades vs. Alejandra Rivera Arriaga (150 lbs) James Green vs. Austin O'Connor (155 lbs) Aaron Brooks vs. Hayden Zillmer (UNL)

Last week, InterMat’s Class of 2025 Recruiting Rankings were released and they featured the top-25 recruiting classes in the nation. Trying to cut down to the top 25 is an arduous task and one that involves splitting hairs and being very picky. Just because a team may not have made the top 25 doesn’t mean that they didn’t have a good recruiting class. That’s why we end up mentioning five additional classes that didn’t make the top-25, yet will likely be very productive for their school. Even after this list, there are still some really good classes out there, and ones that will be extremely helpful, though they didn’t feature a handful of ranked wrestlers. Bucknell Top Recruits: #124 Lucas Lawler (Bishop McDevitt, PA), #129 Ryan Lawler (Bishop McDevitt, Pennsylvania), #163 Shane McFillin (Bethlehem Catholic, PA), #172 Blue Stiffler (Mill Creek, GA), #217 Bryce Manera (Southern Regional, NJ), NR Will Greenberg (Hawken, OH) Bucknell continues to get it done. They now have three straight years with a mention in the recruiting rankings. It has translated onto the mat, as well. Each of the previous two ranked classes has yielded at least one true freshman national qualifier (all at 165 or above). The Lawlers were both PA state finalists in 2025 and Shane McFillin was third at the AAA level. A potential dark horse here is Blue Stiffler who was a 16U Fargo freestyle champion and a double All-American at the UWW U17 Trials. Recent Recruiting History: 2024 (25), 2023 (19), 2022 (NR), 2021 (NR) Lehigh Top Recruits: #44 Chase Van Hoven (Brooke Point, VA), #110 Vaughn Spencer (Pine-Richland, PA), #118 Rowan Holmes (Somerset, PA), #220 Brady Collins (Clearfield, PA), NR Anthony Evanitsky (Wyoming Seminary, PA), NR Chase Quenault (Delbarton, NJ) It’s back-to-back honorable mentions for Lehigh. There’s a lot of excitement around this program with three returning All-Americans and a high-profile assistant coaching hire. Plus, a huge recruiting class is on the horizon in 2026. This one isn’t quite as loaded as next year’s appears to be, but it’s very solid. With Vaughn Spencer and Rowan Holmes, the Mountain Hawks get help in the upperweights, a place where they could use more depth immediately and in the future. Recent Recruiting History: 2024 (HM), 2023 (21), 2022 (17), 2021 (NR) Little Rock Top Recruits: #123 Jackson Tucker (Hillsboro, MO), #149 Landon Jobber-Spence (Staunton River, VA), #162 Jadyn Johnson (Melissa, TX), #189 Billy Greenwood (Poudre, CO), #215 Taye Wilson (Pratt, KS), #221 Isael Perez (Hope, RI) Years of huge recruiting classes have allowed Little Rock to dial it back a bit with this class - in terms of the actual number of wrestlers in the class. The quality is still there with six Big Boarders. That’s typically a number that gets a slot in the top 25; however, this year they just missed. The Trojans continue to expand their recruiting footprint each year. Most of the recruits come from Little Rock’s usual stomping grounds, but this year they’ve added ones from Colorado, Rhode Island, and Virginia. Recent Recruiting History: 2024 (NR), 2023 (NR), 2022 (19), 2021 (HM) Princeton Top Recruits: #64 Vincenzo Lavalle (Hanover Park, NJ), #66 Matthew Martino (Eagle, ID), #159 Blaise Mele (Princeton, NJ), #176 Gavin Hawk (Phillipsburg, NJ), NR Conor Delaney (Rumson Fair Haven, NJ), NR Conor McCloskey (Buford, GA) This will be the first mention in the recruiting rankings for Princeton with Joe Dubuque at the helm. A pair of top 75 recruits is always a good sign. The Tigers finished with four Big Boarders; however, their other two top recruits have been ranked at one point or another in their careers. This class focused heavily on the upperweights. If one of them (Lavalle, Delaney, McCloskey) can contribute and win early on, then Princeton will be a very tough dual team. Recent Recruiting History: 2024 (NR), 2023 (12), 2022 (20), 2021 (NR) West Virginia Top Recruits: #74 Brock Kehler (University, WV), #76 Cole Evans (Perrysburg, OH), #102 Leo Contino (Buchanan, CA), #141 Casen Roark (Father Ryan, TN), #161 Luke Satriano (Valley Central, NY), #169 Gunnar Andrick (Point Pleasant, WV), NR Carmine Lenzi (Berks Catholic, PA), NR Jason Torres (Malvern Prep, PA), NR Lonzy Vielma (Connellsville, PA) It appears as if Tim Flynn and company have really found their groove on the recruiting trail at West Virginia. The Mountaineers 2024 class was their first ranking in about a decade, now they have back-to-back classes with mentions. This is a massive class that features help at most weight classes. Though top recruit Brock Kehler is a heavyweight prospect, the WVU staff really focused on the light and middleweights. West Virginia could be pretty senior-laden in 2025-26, but a class like this will ensure there’s no huge drop-off after March. Recent Recruiting History: 2024 (17), 2023 (NR), 2022 (NR), 2021 (NR)

The University of Northern Colorado announced this afternoon that they’ve hired Oklahoma assistant coach Teyon Ware to be their next head coach. Ware had spent the last three seasons as an assistant coach at his alma mater. Before his return to Oklahoma, Ware was an assistant on the Wyoming staff for eight years. Ware got his collegiate coaching career started with a three-year stint at Binghamton. Before Binghamton, Ware was on staff at Penn State’s Nittany Lion Wrestling Club. While at Oklahoma, Ware helped oversee a squad that sent 18 wrestlers to the NCAA Championships during his three years. The Sooners had one All-American during that span (Stephen Buchanan). Ware also played a role in helping the Sooners ink the #3 overall recruiting class in 2024. Buchanan was also an All-American for Ware at Wyoming. During his time in Laramie, six Wyoming wrestlers earned a spot on the NCAA podium. As an athlete, Ware was a four-time All-American and two-time national champion for the Sooners. He won his first title as a true freshman in 2003 (when it was a rare feat) and again in 2005. He was a three-time Big 12 champion and three-time national finalist. He also made an impact on the international scene with a berth on the 2011 World Team in freestyle and two Pan-American medals. Ware inherits a Northern Colorado squad that finished fifth in the Big 12 and produced a pair of All-Americans (a first in their DI era). Unfortunately, during the coaching transition, both All-Americans (Stevo Poulin and Vinny Zerban) transferred to Iowa State. The Bears still have 2025 Big 12 champion Dominick Serrano returning. Ware’s addition makes him the eighth head coach in the history of Northern Colorado wrestling. The position was open after Troy Nickerson accepted the heading coaching position at Army West Point.

Gainesville

Recruiting class rankings are always unique in their own sort of way. This year, the number one spot seemed to be locked up early; however, a furious push from the second-place team ensued. Third was pretty easy to determine, but after that, there were a lot of teams that could make a case for the remainder of the top ten. Then, as you made your way down to the 25 spot, there were a handful of teams that could’ve made a case for their inclusion. Some of it came down to how you value quantity over quality. As you peruse the rankings, you’ll see plenty of classes that had both. Recruiting rankings mark the end of the respective class and put a bow on the hard work of coaching staffs around the nation. The question you ask is, how are these rankings tabulated? First, we have used the big board rankings courtesy of our sister-site MatScouts. Willie Saylor has taken the arduous task of projecting the top-250 wrestlers in the Class of 2025, making calculating these rankings slightly easier. Some of the factors that are taken into account when putting these rankings together include: - Numbers: Where were the signees ranked? How many top-ten, top-50, top-100, top-250, etc., does a school have? - Fit: After years of following these programs and their coaching staffs, does a particular recruit fit the "type" of kid that has success at their respective team. Or maybe a style of wrestling. - Filling a need: In years past, I have weighed this very heavily. Signing two highly ranked 184 lb prospects doesn't appear to fit a need when you have a stud sophomore returning at the same weight. - Impact on a program: This is subjective, but tends to favor teams that aren't consistent NCAA trophy contenders. If Iowa or Penn State sign the #80 overall recruit and he turns out to AA twice, taking seventh and eighth for them, it has a particular impact. But if Brown or Wyoming sign the same prospect and he has the same career, it will have a much more significant impact on those two programs. Both Brown and Wyoming may have benefitted from this criteria in 2025. So, with that out of the way, enjoy InterMat's 2025 Team Recruiting Rankings. 25. Iowa State Top Recruits: #14 Christian Castillo (Ames, IA), #107 Carter Pearson (Southeast Polk, IA), #139 TJ Koester (Bettendorf, IA), NR Jacob Helgeson (Johnston, IA) Not every class has to have 10 incoming freshmen and eight Big Boarders. It’s difficult to pull off and maybe even more so with roster limits looming. All of that to say, Iowa State doesn’t have a huge class, but that’s not a bad thing. The Cyclones have had some very strong classes of late. That combined with some key transfers doesn’t leave them with many holes. Actually, they’ll have some interesting roster decisions. With the Class of 2025, Iowa State did sign U17 world silver medalist and two-time Super 32 champion Christian Castillo. Castillo, an Arizona native, already spent his senior year of high school in Ames and has likely been working closely with the RTC. He’s a great prospect at 125 lbs. Aside from Castillo, Kevin Dresser’s team was able to get some quality prospects from in-state with Big Boarders Carter Pearson, TJ Koester, and Jacob Helgeson. Recent Recruiting Rankings: 2024 (9), 2023 (10), 2022 (2), 2021 (16) 24. Brown Top Recruits: #82 Max Norman (Baylor School, TN), #210 Kaleb Jackson (St. Joseph’s Regional, NJ), #224 Preston Marchesseault (Ponaganset, RI), #238 Khimari Manns (St. Edward, OH), NR Riley McPherson (Brecksville, OH) You have to love the way that Jordan Leen and his staff have been hustling on the recruiting trail since his hire before the 2022-23 season. At that time, Brown had fallen behind some of their Ivy League rivals in the recruiting game; however, now they are in the mix for plenty of Big Board talent. They’ve done so well that there have been a couple of instances where they got in early on a prospect, only to have him picked up by another school later in the game, after he has a breakout. That happened a couple of times this year. Even so, Brown has a good crew coming to Providence. Whether it was planned or not, the Brown staff has brought in kids from traditional power programs, ones that they’ll be able to hit again and again over the years. The local New England scene is slowly getting more competitive nationally and Brown seemed ready to take advantage of that. Brown’s 2024-25 squad featured four senior starters so this group should be counted on to start early. Recent Recruiting Rankings: 2024 (NR), 2023 (NR), 2022 (NR), 2021 (HM) 23. Penn Top Recruits: #90 Max Stein (Faith Christian Academy, PA), #131 Liam Carlin (Burnt Hills-Ballston Lake, NY), #155 Deven Casey (IC Prep, IL), #164 Elliott Humphries (Northfield Mt. Hermon, MA), #170 Wyatt Stout (Southern Regional, NJ), #228 Greyson Meak (Cold Spring Harbor, NY), #234 Donny Almeyda (St. Joseph’s Regional, NJ), NR Brian Heard (Abingdon Heights, PA) Of late, Penn has routinely brought in huge recruiting classes. This is more of the same. They’ve also been a regular in the recruiting rankings. Despite some coaching changes in the last couple of years, recruiting has maintained and continued. Years of strong recruiting means that this class won’t be pressed into duty immediately; however, since they can’t use redshirts, if one of these recruits can come in and push a starter it makes for a more competitive room. Penn continues to dip into New Jersey for talent, while getting some homegrown talent, and reaching into New York, as well. This is a blueprint that the Penn staff continues to follow. Recent Recruiting Rankings: 2024 (HM), 2023 (20), 2022 (18), 2021 (23) 22. Purdue Top Recruits: #70 Noah Weaver (Rossville, IN), #142 Adrian Pellot (Merrillville, IN), #160 Isaiah Schaefer (Mater Dei, IN), #178 Vinny Paino (Emerson-Park Ridge, NJ), #193 Brody Saccoccia (Steubenville, OH), #201 Aidan Costello (Hobart, IN) Looking at this class combined with the early Class of 2026, it looks like Purdue will continue to be a mainstay in the recruiting rankings. It makes sense as the Boilermakers are coming off a season in which they put multiple wrestlers on the NCAA podium for the first time since 2006. The Purdue staff did a great job at making sure their home state’s best wrestlers were kept within its borders. Three of the in-state recruits (Weaver, Pellot, Schaefer) were 2025 state champions. They also did well at filling potential holes in the future. Paino, Costello, and Weaver all are projected at weights where the returning starter is a senior, so they should be ready to go after a redshirt. You have to like a school that has seen its recent success translate onto the recruiting trail and can take care of business recruiting at home (along with picking up some others from Big Ten country). Recent Recruiting Rankings: 2024 (NR), 2023 (13), 2022 (NR), 2021 (20) 21. Navy Top Recruits: #42 Caedyn Ricciardi (St. Peter’s Prep, NJ), #148 Tyler Hood (St. Christopher’s, VA), #167 Evan Boblits (St. Mary’s Ryken, MD), #202 Nikos Filipos (Wyoming Seminary, PA), NR Coltyn Reedy (Sheridan, OH), NR Gavin Cole (Council Rock South, PA) The Navy recruiting classes tend to be large and this one is no different. It is headed up by one of the more overlooked stars in the top-50 two-time New Jersey champion and three-time finalist Caedyn Ricciardi. Ricciardi is also a three-time Beast of the East finalist and one-time champ. As can often be the case, the Navy staff looked to the National Prep ranks to find a handful of recruits - Tyler Hood, Evan Boblits, and Nikos Filipos. All three were National Prep AA’s in 2025 and Hood was a finalist, while Boblits was third, both at the 150 lb weight class. Navy is back in the mix after missing out on the rankings in each of the last two seasons. I’d expect them to be in the rankings next year, as well. Recent Recruiting Rankings: 2024 (NR), 2023 (NR), 2022 (21), 2021 (18) 20. South Dakota State Top Recruits: #77 Jacob Herm (Neenah, WI), #89 Micah Hach (Watertown, SD), #177 Liam Neitzel (Hudson, WI), #190 Zach Ballante (St. Joseph’s Regional, NJ), #192 Carson Dupill (Greeneville, TN), #200 Bas Diaz (Waverly-Shell Rock, IA), #212 Jarrett Wadsen (St. Michael-Albertville, MN), #214 Keenan Sheridan (O’Gorman, SD), #242 Conlan Carlson (Willmar, MN) Oftentimes, in recruiting, the number of swings at the pinata is an important factor. There are bound to be some wrestlers who don’t live up to their pre-collegiate credentials, but if you get a large number of quality recruits some will work out. South Dakota State has the numbers with a ridiculous nine(!) Big Boarders. They were able to keep their home state’s best prospect within their borders with the signing of Micah Hach. Hach was an NHSCA Junior champion and a Fargo Junior finalist in Greco; however, they will have to share him with the football team. Two of the three highest-ranked recruits for Damion Hahn’s team come from Wisconsin, a state they’ve added to their normal recruiting rotation. The highest-ranked of the bunch is Jacob Herm, who has shined in Greco, but was fifth at the Super 32 last fall. The Jackrabbits have recruited well of late, so they don’t go into 2025-26 with any major holes in the lineup. A large group like this should let them redshirt everyone and continue to build depth and create quality DI wrestlers that might have initially been overlooked. Recent Recruiting Rankings: 2024 (NR), 2023 (HM), 2022 (HM), 2021 (12) 19. Wyoming Top Recruits: #38 Lane Foard (Benedictine, VA), #86 Gunner Henry (Brownsburg, IN), #100 Luke Willochell (Greater Latrobe, PA), #199 Isaiah Harrison (Mountain View, CO), #229 Brad Farrer (Pleasant Grove, UT) Make it four straight years with Wyoming getting at least a mention in our recruiting rankings. The Cowboys chug along with three top 100 recruits and five Big Boarders. National Prep champion Lane Foard and NHSCA Sophomore champion Gunner Henry will make the Cowboy upperweights even more formidable than they are presently. Two-time Pennsylvania state finalist Luke Willochell is the younger brother of Wyoming national qualifier, Gabe. With recruits from Virginia, Indiana, and Pennsylvania, Wyoming continues to widen its recruiting bases. They’ve also found a way to stay true to their normal recruiting turf (Colorado/Utah). The additions of Foard/Henry in particular fall into a familiar pattern for Wyoming. They had homegrown All-Americans from the recruiting classes of 2022 and 2023, who were both ranked between #55 and #65 in their recruiting classes. Slightly overlooked, but also experienced on a national level. Recent Recruiting Rankings: 2024 (HM), 2023 (16), 2022 (13), 2021 (NR) 18. Army West Point Top Recruits: #49 Joseph Antonio (St. John Bosco, CA), #136 Charles Weidman (Xavier, CT), #182 Cadell Lee (Brooke Point, VA), #191 Ben Smith (NY Military Academy, NY), NR Johnny Green (Aurora, OH), NR Hayden Hochstrasser (Southern Regional, NJ), NR Evan Roudebush (Bloomington South, IN), NR Josh Vasquez (Aurora Christian, IL), NR Primo Catalano (Chaminade, CA) New head coach Troy Nickerson has a lot to work with between the existing talent in the room and the wrestlers on their way to West Point from the Class of 2025 (and beyond). Past Army recruiting classes have been filled with Big Boarders, but not many in the top half of the top 100. That is remedied with the pickup of two-time California state finalist Joseph Antonio. Antonio was a Super 32 finalist prior to his junior year in high school. On the other hand, Army does very well at developing non-blue chip recruits, so their past history gives them a slight bump when it comes to the recruits they’ve locked down outside of the top 50. It’s a testament to the West Point staff that Army has been a regular in the recruiting rankings, moreso than some from the traditional power conferences. Recent Recruiting Rankings: 2024 (NR), 2023 (17), 2022 (23), 2021 (24) 17. Northern Iowa Top Recruits: #43 Logan Paradice (Colquitt County, GA), #61 Kyler Knaack (Don Bosco, IA), #130 Max Brady (Mariner, FL), #150 Jace Hedeman (Union, IA) Northern Iowa hasn’t been a regular in the recruiting rankings. More often than not, the Panthers find overlooked gems and develop them into strong collegiate wrestlers. Now, Doug Schwab’s staff has a pair of top-100 recruits and four Big Boarders to work with. Top recruit, Logan Paradice, was a two-time top-four finisher at the Super 32 and was a three-time Georgia state champion. Kyler Knaack was the highest-ranked senior in the state of Iowa and a huge pickup for the Panthers. Knaack was a double 16U Fargo champion and a runner-up last year at the UWW U17 Trials. Recent Recruiting Rankings: 2024 (NR), 2023 (NR), 2022 (25), 2021 (NR) 16. Virginia Top Recruits: #29 Emmitt Sherlock (Gilman, MD), #67 Jayce Paridon (Lake Highland Prep, FL), #154 Ethan Timar (St. Edward, OH), #194 Aiden King (Bishop Hartley, OH), #204 Macon Ayers (Staunton River, VA), #207 Rocco Hayes (Carl Sandburg, IL), #227 Adam Butler (St. Edward, OH) The UVA staff got in on Emmitt Sherlock early and he ended up becoming the talk of the 2024 UWW U17 Trials with titles in both styles. Sherlock went on to the U17 World Championships, competed in both styles, and advanced to the bronze medal match in freestyle. Virginia’s other top 100 recruit, Jayce Paridon, was a late flip from Army West Point. With a loaded Lake Highland Prep schedule, Paridon hit all of the big tournaments and won National Preps, the Powerade, and NHSCA Senior Nationals. This group also features a duo from St. Edward, Ohio - Ethan Timar and Adam Butler. St. Ed’s has been one of the most consistent producers of talent at the high school level and a place where UVA has a long tradition of finding talent. Recent Recruiting Rankings: 2024 (NR), 2023 (NR), 2022 (9), 2021 (NR) 15. Indiana Top Recruits: #35 Carson Thomas (LaSalle, OH), #79 Jackson Blum (Lowell, MI), #113 Hunter Sturgill (Baylor School, TN), #119 Gavin Jendreas (Crown Point, IN), #121 Matt Kowalski (Springboro, OH), NR Anthony Gutierrez (St. Charles East, IL) Indiana is becoming a regular in the recruiting rankings thanks to coach Angel Escobedo and his staff. They have back-to-back top 15 classes, which is also coming on the heels of the first All-American of Escobedo’s tenure. The highest-ranked wrestler in this class is Carson Thomas who skipped his final season of collegiate wrestling to train at the OTC. In between his junior and senior seasons, Thomas was third at the UWW U17 Trials and Fargo Junior freestyle before winning the Super 32. He’s an excellent pickup for the Hoosiers. Looking at Indiana’s class, they’ve been able to nab top prospects from a handful of their neighboring Big Ten states. That is in addition to inking Indiana state finalist and Fargo All-American Gavin Jendreas. If Indiana can continue to stack recruiting classes like these on top of each other they’ll continue to move up in a loaded conference. Recent Recruiting Rankings: 2024 (14), 2023 (HM), 2022 (NR), 2021 (NR) 14. Stanford Top Recruits: #13 Angelo Posada (Poway, CA), #95 Brokton Borelli (Los Banos, CA), #109 Edwin Sierra (Poway, CA), #114 Dylan Pile (Los Gatos, CA), #196 Adam Mattin (Delta, OH) After three incredible classes for Stanford, there aren’t too many holes in the potential Cardinal lineup for 2025-26. Hence a smaller recruiting class in 2025. The class is small on numbers, but big on talent. Angelo Posada is someone who has continued to grow and get better as he’s moved up in weight. Since last summer he won Fargo Junior freestyle, the Super 32, and the Doc B. He also was selected for Who’s #1 and won at the Pittsburgh Wrestling Classic. Also, staying at home are, Brokton Borelli, Edwin Sierra, and Dylan Pile. Each finished in the top-three in California last year. The future (and the present) is very exciting for Stanford wrestling. Recent Recruiting Rankings: 2024 (2), 2023 (8), 2022 (5), 2021 (NR) 13. Oregon State Top Recruits: #71 Manny Saldate (SLAM Academy, NV), #83 Anthony Mutarelli (Council Rock South, PA), #88 Khale McDonnell (Fountain Valley, CA), #117 Koy Davidson (Fort Dodge, IA), #135 Beau Priest (Bakersfield, CA), #153 Adrien Reyes (Clovis, CA), #195 Jeff Lopez (Clovis West, CA) Since Chris Pendleton took over in the spring of 2020, recruiting in California has been a priority for Oregon State. That is very evident with the Class of 2025. Khale McDonnell, Beau Priest, Adrien Reyes, and Jeff Lopez all finished in the top four, at one time or another, at the state tournament. McDonnell and Lopez have been finalists. Not only has Oregon State dominated recruiting in California, but they’ve also done well with the West Coast, in general. The top recruit, Manny Saldate, is from Nevada and seemingly goes to and places at every national tournament. Oregon State was patient and waited till late in the game (for today’s standards) to receive a commitment from Pennsylvania AAA state champion Anthony Mutarelli. Recent Recruiting Rankings: 2024 (NR), 2023 (15), 2022 (22), 2021 (NR) 12. Pittsburgh Top Recruits: #41 Vince Bouzakis (Wyoming Seminary, PA), #65 Bode Marlow (Thomas Jefferson, PA), #87 Carson Walsh (Pope John XXIII, NJ), #93 Evan Petrovich (Connellsville, PA), #181 Nico Fanella (Indiana, PA) This is easily the best recruiting class of the Kevin Gavin-era and probably the best for Pitt since 2016. The class got a late boost as #41 Vince Bouzakis flipped from Ohio State. Bouzakis had a massive junior season, one that saw him win a Junior freestyle title in Fargo, followed by a third place finish at the Super 32 and championships at the Ironman and Powerade. He didn’t compete very often as a senior, so he could end up outwrestling his current ranking. The Pitt staff did what they needed to do in retaining Big Boarders from Western Pennsylvania in Bode Marlow, Evan Petrovich, and Nico Fanella. Marlow was a state runner-up in one of the tougher brackets in the country. You also have to like the signing of New Jersey state finalist Carson Walsh. The Pitt staff seems to be dipping into Jersey pretty often, of late. Recent Recruiting Rankings: 2024 (NR), 2023 (24), 2022 (15), 2021 (HM) 11. North Carolina Top Recruits: #56 Matt Botello (Wyoming Seminary, MA), #60 Jacob Levy (Lake Highland Prep, GA), #80 Mitchell Younger (Bishop Watterson, OH), #94 Nate Askew (Baylor School, GA), #138 Devon Miller (Edmond North, OK), #147 Luke Sipes (Altoona, PA), NR Liam Hickey (Cardinal Gibbons, NC). The second recruiting class under the watchful eye of Rob Koll was almost as good as the first. Four top 100 prospects. Six Big Boarders in total. I usually try to look for consistent recruiting trends with schools - maybe a certain area of the country. North Carolina kind of has guys coming in from everywhere. They did hit the National Prep level pretty hard and ended up signing two 2025 champions, Matt Botello and Jacob Levy. The UNC staff had their eyes open in 2024 with a couple of late flips. This year they had two flips from Big Boarders with Devon Miller and Luke Sipes. With a massive class in 2024 and this group, combined with transfers, the projected lineup for this year and going forward will include almost all recruits from the Koll-era. Recent Recruiting Rankings: 2024 (8), 2023 (NR), 2022 (16), 2021 (21) 10. Rutgers Top Recruits: #25 Tahir Parkins (Nazareth, PA), #40 Devon Magro (Bishop McCort, PA), #69 Jordan Chapman (Cranford, NJ), #98 Billy Townson (Poway, CA), NR Easton Doster (New Haven, IN) It’ll be back-to-back top ten ranked recruiting classes for Rutgers. Likely for the first time in program history. Once again, the Rutgers staff ventured into Pennsylvania and emerged with a pair of state champions and two of the best seniors in the state. Rutgers also has recently branched out to California and Indiana, those states have produced recruits in 2025, as well. Rutgers’ bread-and-butter thus far has been their in-state wrestlers. Keeping Jordan Chapman at home was a strong signing. Chapman has placed at all of the big national events and typically puts up a lot of points along the way. Strong recruiting and portal additions will allow the Rutgers staff to redshirt this entire class, if they see fit. Recent Recruiting Rankings: 2024 (4), 2023 (NR), 2022 (12), 2021 (17) 9. Michigan Top Recruits: #20 Nick Sahakian (St. John Bosco, CA), #32 Eren Sement (Council Rock North, PA), #58 Gauge Botero (Faith Christian Academy, PA), #78 De’Alcapon Veazy (Ponderosa, CO), #108 Cooper Hilton (Wyoming Seminary, PA), #187 Charles Walker (Joliet Central, IL) It’s hard to believe that Michigan missed out on our recruiting rankings at the beginning of this cycle; however, they are in the top 11 for the third straight season. This year saw Sean Bormet’s team venture into Pennsylvania more than in past year - which is never a bad idea. The Wolverines got a late flip from #32 Eren Sement, who might have been one of the biggest risers in the nation during the 2024-25 season. He went from #107 to #32 over the course of his senior year. The top recruit for the Wolverines is Nick Sahakian, who might be the best pure heavyweight prospect in this class. Sahakian also was a flip toward Michigan. He was a U17 World Team member in Greco-Roman and a three-time UWW U17 Trials placer in both styles. Late addition, Charles Walker, is an intriguing prospect who did not place in Illinois at 215 lbs as a junior, but won a loaded 285 lb bracket. Three strong recruiting classes in a row will help Michigan restock and could have them relying on the transfer portal less in the future. Recent Recruiting Rankings: 2024 (11), 2023 (2), 2022 (NR), 2021 (NR) 8. Iowa Top Recruits: #7 Leo DeLuca (Blair Academy, NJ), #10 Harvey Ludington (Brick Memorial, NJ), #52 Claudio Torres (Lake Highland Prep, FL), #146 Ty Miller (St. Edward, OH) A couple of high-profile late flips helped the Hawks get into the top five. Harvey Ludington initially committed to Arizona State and Claudio Torres had signed with Virginia Tech. Both are now headed to Iowa City. The New Jersey duo of Leo DeLuca and Ludington represent a pair of top ten recruits. Iowa now has signed multiple top-ten recruits in back-to-back years. Before 2024, the last time they had two top ten wrestlers in the same class was 2017. That’s a great sign as they are looking to unseat Penn State. Not only did Tom Brands’ squad get some high-caliber prospects, but they also come at weights of need. The wrestlers in DeLuca, Ludington, and Torres’ projected weights are heading into their senior seasons. Had they not signed these three, there were no obvious replacements on the roster. Iowa is also currently thin at the upperweight and Ohio’s Miller twins can help out there. Ty is headed straight to Iowa, while Jarrell will go to Iowa Central first. Much has been made about Iowa’s foray into the transfer portal for veterans. Getting a class like this with multiple potential superstars could prevent them from having to do that in the future. Recent Recruiting Rankings: 2024 (13), 2023 (6), 2022 (11), 2021 (4) 7. Nebraska Top Recruits: #19 Tyler Eise (Ponderosa, CO), #34 Nikade Zinkin (Clovis, CA), #36 Jake Hockaday (Brownsburg, IN), #37 Cade Ziola (Skutt Catholic, NE), #84 Abdi Unle (Omaha Bryan, NE) One of the most consistent recruiting forces in the nation is Nebraska. Their 19th place ranking in 2024 was their lowest in almost a decade. In 2025, they are in a spot they’re more accustomed to in eighth place. There’s a lot to like about this group for Nebraska. Two of their signees have competed in FloWrestling’s Who’s #1 dual event (Ziola/Eise). Three have finished in the top three at the Super 32. You also have to like the Huskers keeping a pair of top 100 recruits at home. Their home state doesn’t produce Big Boarders at the same rate as other states, so it’s important to grab them when available. The Nebraska staff also addressed some potential needs at 141 and 149 with Hockaday and Zinkin, as the starters at both weights will be seniors in 2025-26. Recent Recruiting Rankings: 2024 (19), 2023 (7), 2022 (8), 2021 (13) 6. NC State Top Recruits: #8 Daniel Zepeda (Gilroy, CA), #21 Will Denny (Marist, IL), #28 Brogan Tucker (Graham, OH), #85 Casen Howle (Greenwood, SC), #145 Jason Kwaak (Brentwood, NY), NR Xavier Wilson (Eastern Guilford, NC) NC State has become a mainstay in recruiting rankings and has another high-quality class in 2025. Even with NC State’s success on the recruiting trail. They’ve only inked one top ten prospect since their top-ranked Class of 2016. Now, Daniel Zepeda is another. He’s a three-time California state champion and has the ability to become a cornerstone of the Wolfpack program. The next recruits in line, in terms of recruiting rankings, were two of the prospects that seemed to generate less hype than others ranked in the same range - Will Denny and Brogan Tucker. Combined with Zepeda, they could form a formidable 1-2-3 punch in the middle of NC State for years to come. You also have to like getting a local-ish product in the upperweights with Casen Howle, an NHSCA Senior National champion with a long list of national level accolades, despite hailing from South Carolina. Recent Recruiting Rankings: 2024 (12), 2023 (18), 2022 (3), 2021 (5) 5. Missouri Top Recruits: #11 Seth Mendoza (Mt. Carmel, IL), #23 Kollin Rath (Bethlehem Catholic, PA), #46 Sampson Stillwell (St. Michael, MO), #48 Dom Bambinelli (Mill Creek, GA), #91 Peyton Westpfahl (Liberty, MO), #99 Danny Heiser (Evansville, WI), #111 David Gleason (Staley, MO), NR Gerald Harris (Cascia Hall, OK), NR Hank Benter (Hickman, MO) Up until this year, Missouri’s recent recruiting history had them with a huge class one year, then a smaller class the next. Now, they’ve got back-to-back with highly ranked recruiting classes - seventh last year and now sixth in 2025. As you might expect, the Mizzou staff took care of business at home with two top-100 signees from the Show Me State and three Big Boarder’s total. Seth Mendoza leads the way and he has remained one of the top wrestlers in the Class of 2025 since setting foot on a high school mat. He’s competed everywhere and typically placed very high. Over the last year, he was a finalist in Fargo (Junior freestyle), the Super 32, and the Ironman. Getting Kollin Rath was huge for the Tiger staff on the mat and on the recruiting trail. Rath finished his high school career as the second ranked 157 lber in the country. In the long term, this move has significant recruiting implications. Missouri hadn’t landed a wrestler of Rath’s caliber from Pennsylvania in quite some time (Troy Dolan - 2007?). Getting a foothold into the Pennsylvania landscape is always a good thing. Recent Recruiting Rankings: 2024 (7), 2023 (NR), 2022 (4), 2021 (NR) 4. Virginia Tech Top Recruits: #12 Ryan Burton (St. Joseph’s Regional, NJ), #15 Aaron Seidel (Northern Lebanon, PA), #27 Colin Gaj (Quakertown, PA), #51 Noah Nininger (Staunton River, VA), #55 Drew Gorman (Buford, GA), #92 Ben Weader (Chantilly, VA) Even a late flip isn’t enough to knock the Hokies from their perch at #4. The coaching staff hit some of the favorite and most fruitful recruiting locations (New Jersey/Pennsylvania/Georgia), while also keeping two of their home states best seniors within their borders. Years of great recruiting and transfer portal management have given the Virginia Tech staff the opportunity to redshirt this entire class, if need be. The top two recruits for Virginia Tech (Burton/Seidel) both captured Junior freestyle national titles last summer in Fargo. Four future Hokies (Burton/Seidel/Gaj/Gorman) were invited to participate in in FloWrestling’s Who’s #1 Dual. Nininger and Weader both finished top six at the U20 Open in Vegas. Recent Recruiting Rankings: 2024 (10), 2023 (9), 2022 (7), 2021 (22) 3. Cornell Top Recruits: #4 Anthony Knox (St. John Vianney, NJ), #9 Jude Correa (Wyoming Seminary, NH), #16 Alessio Perentin (Delbarton, NJ), #30 Rocco Dellagatta (St. Joseph’s Regional, NJ), #33 Isaiah Cortez (Gilroy, CA), #45 Eljiah Cortez (Gilroy, CA), #53 Elijah Diakomihalis (Hilton, NY), #68 Adrian DeJesus (St. Joseph’s Regional, NJ), #236 Jake Conroy (Ringgold, PA) Eight big boarders - two of which are in the top ten, is a nice haul for a Cornell team that is traditionally a recruiting power. The highest rated of the bunch come at the bookends for Mike Grey’s team. Four-time New Jersey state champion and U20 team member Anthony Knox could start right away at 125 lbs and stay there for a few years. On the other end of the lineup, three-time National Prep champion and Who’s #1 winner Jude Correa awaits. Correa will attempt to become the first Cornell heavyweight to make the NCAA podium. In addition to Correa, Cornell also has Rocco Dellagatta and Jake Conroy as big boarders that could end up wrestling heavyweight. Elijah Diakomihalis is another in the line of Diakomihalis boys to wrestle for the Big Red - he should contribute at 184/197. Cornell has had success with wrestlers from Grey’s alma mater, Delbarton, and another one in Alessio Perentin, a three-time state champion, should help in the upper middlweights. This class, along with existing talent in the room, should help boost Cornell back into NCAA team trophy contention. The Class of 2025 gives Cornell three top-four recruiting classes in the last five years. Recent Recruiting Rankings: 2024 (18), 2023 (4), 2022 (NR), 2021 (3) 2. Oklahoma State Top Recruits: #3 Ladarion Lockett (Stillwater, OK), #5 Landon Robideau (St. Michael-Albertville, MN), #6 Sergio Vega (Sunnyside, AZ), #24 Cody Routledge (Edmond North, OK), #26 Ronnie Ramirez (Walnut, CA), #50 Austin Johnson (Muncy, PA), #62 Ishmael Guerrero (Bixby, OK), #63 Cruz Goff (Blackwell, OK), #72 Beau Hickman (Tuttle, OK), #205 Ethan Teague (Tuttle, OK) In many years, this type of talent would be enough to take home the recruiting crown. If you want to call Oklahoma State #1, I’m not mad at that! For the power programs, star power is key and Oklahoma State has plenty of that potential with three top ten prospects and five of the top 30. The first full recruiting class under David Taylor featured the Cowboys keeping one of the nation’s most highly-sought after prospects, one from their backyard, home in Ladarion Lockett. They were also able to flip the next three-highest recruits - Landon Robideau (Minnesota), Sergio Vega (Iowa State), and Kody Routledge (Nebraska). Based on talent and the way the lineup could shake out, we might see Lockett in year one. Over the summer, he’ll chase his second consecutive U20 world medal. Many expect Oklahoma State to threaten Penn State in the next couple of years, having a group this star-laden will help set the foundation for the team title to come back to Stillwater. Recent Recruiting Rankings: 2024 (16), 2023 (1), 2022 (6), 2021 (6) 1. Penn State Top Recruits: #1 PJ Duke (Minisink Valley, NY), #2 Marcus Blaze (Perrysburg, OH), #18 Will Henckel (Blair Academy, CT), #22 Asher Cunningham (State College, PA), #39 Nathan Desmond (Wyoming Seminary, PA), #54 Dalton Perry (Central Mountain, PA) The rich get richer with back-to-back #1 recruiting classes. Something that hasn’t been done in the era of recruiting rankings (2005-25). Penn State’s top three recruits all earned a spot on the U20 world team and two (Duke/Blaze) already have medals from the 2024 tournament. Even though there isn’t a huge “need” compared to other programs for wrestlers at weights like Duke and Henckel, they have the ability to come in, take over and immediately contend. Blaze comes at a weight range (133/141) that is more of an immediate need. He could start in year one. Penn State’s track record and hit rate with mega recruits supersedes and thoughts of redundancy with this group. Recent Recruiting Rankings: 2024 (1), 2023 (3), 2022 (NR), 2021 (1)

The drama and bad headlines keep rolling in for PSU. On this week's show we dive into the Carter Starocci allegations, Beau Bartlett speaking out, Aaron Brooks failed drug test and how PSU is handling things to this point. We also discuss Gabe Arnold being dismissed from Iowa and Sammy Sasso being the newest addition to the Lehigh coaching staff. Timestamps: 0:00 - Intro 0:38 - Weigh in 5:13 - Penn State's silence throughout the chaos 17:05 - Aaron Brooks fails drug test 35:40 - Carter Starocci allegations + Beau Bartlett speaks out 59:09 - Is PSU dominance at stake? 1:02:17 - Gabe Arnold dismissed from Iowa 1:10:00 - Sammy Sasso joins Lehigh staff

One of the best wrestlers to come from the fabled Lehigh Valley over the last decade is headed back home as Lehigh University announced that Sammy Sasso has been hired as an assistant coach. Sasso compiled a 106-18 career record competing at Ohio State from 2018-2025. While in Columbus, Sasso earned NCAA All-American honors three times - including a pair of NCAA finals berths. He appeared in four Big Ten finals bouts and won two. As a redshirt freshman, Sasso was seeded third at the 2020 NCAA Tournament that was canceled. During the four times he qualified for nationals, Sasso was never seeded lower than fourth. Sasso’s career took a detour in the summer of 2023 when he was shot during a carjacking. He spent nearly a month in the hospital and missed the entire 2023-24 campaign. Sasso miraculously returned to the Buckeye squad in 2024-25 and was victorious in his first match in 450+ days - 12-6 against Chattanooga’s Jackson Hurst. During the 24-25 campaign, Sasso competed in the 157 and 165 lb weight class but ended up retiring before the postseason with a 12-7 record. Before coming to Ohio State, Sasso was tabbed the #4 overall recruit in the Class of 2018 after winning two Pennsylvania AAA state titles and never finishing lower than third for Nazareth High School. Along the way, he won titles at the Ironman, Beast of the East, and Super 32. Sasso will get to work with a talented group of Lehigh middleweights that include NCAA qualifiers Kelvin Griffin, Logan Rozynski, and Max Brignola. Also in that group is incoming freshman Chase Van Hoven, who was the #44 overall recruit in the Class of 2025.

June 15th was New Year’s Day for those college coaches recruiting the Class of 2027 and the student-athletes waiting to plan out their futures. The 15th was the first day that collegiate coaches could officially contact rising juniors and there has been plenty of activity on the recruiting front. Since the 15th, some of the nation’s top prospects have released lists of their top schools. Rather than trying to dig through social media or click through a bunch of state sites, we have compiled this list of these top recruits and their potential future homes. Remember recruiting is a fluid process, so another school, currently unlisted, could jump into the picture for a recruit. Conversely, the recruits could trim their list at any time. This is a feature that will be revisited as needed throughout the recruitment process. #1 Melvin Miller (Bishop McCort, PA) - Arizona State, Michigan, Missouri, NC State, Nebraska, Oklahoma State, Penn State, Pittsburgh #3 Sonny Amato (Rumson-Fair Haven, NJ) - Arizona State, Cornell, Iowa, Iowa State, Nebraska, Ohio State, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, Penn, Pittsburgh, Rutgers, Virginia Tech #5 Israel Borge (Westlake, UT) - Arizona State, Iowa, Michigan, Missouri, Nebraksa,Oklahoma State, Penn State #9 Mario Carini (Poway, CA) - Cornell, Iowa State, Michigan, Minnesota, North Carolina, Ohio State, Oklahoma State, Princeton, Purdue, Rutgers, Stanford, Virginia Tech #14 Max Konopka (Simsbury, CT) - Cornell, Lehigh, NC State, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, Penn State, Princeton, Rutgers, Stanford, Virginia Tech, Wisconsin #15 Hayden Schwab (Don Bosco, IA) - Cornell, Iowa, Nebraska, Northern Iowa, Oklahoma State, Stanford, Virginia Tech #30 Jimmy Mastny (Marian Central, IL) - Air Force, Arizona State, Army, Cornell, George Mason, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Iowa State, Little Rock, Michigan, NC State, Nebraska, North Carolina, Northern Iowa, Ohio State, Oklahoma State, Oregon State, Penn, Purdue, Princeton, SIU Edwardsville, Stanford, Virginia Tech, Wisconsin #38 Dawson Youngblut (Don Bosco, IA) - Cornell, Iowa, Iowa State, NC State, Nebraska, Northern Iowa #39 Gage Lohr (Watertown, SD) - Cornell, Indiana, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Carolina, Oklahoma, South Dakota State, Wisconsin, Wyoming #41 Dale Corbin (Wyoming Seminary, PA) - Army West Point, Cornell, Lehigh, Maryland, Minnesota, NC State, North Carolina, Northwestern, Oklahoma, Rutgers, Utah Valley, Virginia Tech, Wisconsin #52 Luke Hayden (Hickman, MO) - Air Force, Cornell, Missouri, North Dakota State, Northern Iowa, Northwestern, Oregon State, Princeton, Purdue, South Dakota State, Virginia, Virginia Tech, Wisconsin #54 Steel Meyers (Allen, TX) - Air Force, Brown, California Baptist, Cornell, Harvard, Little Rock, Missouri, NC State, North Carolina, Northwestern, Oklahoma State, Oregon State, Penn, Princeton, Stanford, Virginia, Virginia Tech, Wyoming #107 Caleb Tyler (Delone Catholic, PA) - Clarion, Duke, Franklin & Marshall, Virginia, Wisconsin

With the school year over, the end of year awards and accolades start getting passed out for a season well-done. As for us in Fantasy D1 Wrestling, the data has been processed, the charts have been reviewed, and the evaluations are complete. The breakdown of the Top Fantasy Wrestlers of the 2025 season is here to help you start your 2025 season research. Just like in the past few years, some names are going to be expected, while a lot more may not be. That's the beauty of Fantasy Wrestling, where any wrestler can be the star of the weekend and win the dual for you. To compile these lists, we used standard WrestleStat Fantasy College Wrestling Data & Scoring. Just a reminder of how points were tallied in WrestleStat leagues: 1) The scoring used was standard team scoring across all competitions (+3 for a win by decision, -4 for a loss by major, etc) 2) Scoring only counted against D1 competition 3) Wins via forfeits (FFT) would count as +6 towards a wrestler's point total 4) Wins or losses by medical forfeit (MFF) did not count as + or - towards a wrestler's point total 5) Points were only accumulated during the regular season 149 Top-20 Notes: As the saying goes, if you score more points than your opponent, most of the time you're going to win the game. Well, the same goes for pins in Fantasy Wrestling. The 2025 pin leader Kelvin Griffin also was the #1 Fantasy Wrestler at 149 this year, powered behind 17 countable pins (despite seven D1 losses totaling -30 Fpts!). In the 2024 season, Griffin finished #3 behind Caleb Henson and Ridge Lovett. You would think being the pin leader for the season across all weights would put a pretty decent gap with between the next closest wrestler, but not in this case. #2 through #5 were within 12 Fpts, with Shayne Van Ness being the closest by six Fpts. Van Ness only had one loss in the regular season and only three decisions in his 17 wins. That loss, a loss by major to Ridge Lovett, had he won would have been #1 at 149. Speaking of Ridge Lovett, the 149 national champion finds himself at #9 this season, after being #2 in 2024. Besides having fewer matches in 2025, he had one more loss and a PPM down by 0.6 which can account for the “fall” in the standings. That said, national finalist Caleb Henson, had less matches in 2025 than his 2024 campaign (where he was #1 at 149) but a higher PPM by 0.5. Lachlan McNeil wrestled up a weight this past season, and landed at #8 just like he did in 2024 at 141 (and #6 in 2023 at 141). Through the past three seasons, McNeil has been pretty consistent with matches wrestled (22 in 2025, 23 in 2024, and 25 in 2023) and points (63Fpts, 58 Fpts, and 61 Fpts respectively). The saying is, there are no guarantees or locks, but Kyle Parco being a Top-10 Fantasy Wrestler is just about a stone-cold-lock if there ever was one. All five seasons at 149, from 2021 to 2025, the lowest Parco has ever been was #9 at 149 in 2024. Unfortunately an injury at NCAAs derailed his probable fifth AA trophy. Replacing Parco in Iowa City will (possibly) be Jordan Williams, who transferred in after a #12 fantasy season at Little Rock. Taking 4th place at the 2025 Nationals as a 13th seed was certainly a surprise, but Dylan D’Emilio was pretty consistent. Even though he did not have a very high-ranking win during the regular season (#11 Kannon Webster (ILL) was his best and ranked one ahead of D’Emilio at the time), he only lost three times to guys ranked in the Top 8. Five All Americans made the Top-20 Who Missed The Cut: Four All Americans at 149 were seeded ninth or above. Three of them fell just short of making the Fantasy Top-20. #22 seed Gavin Drexler (NDSU) was the #21st best Fantasy Wrestler this year, falling just three points shy with 45 Fpts. Sammy Alvarez (RID) was right behind him with 42 Fpts. The last AA that missed the cut was Ethan Stiles (ORST) at #25 with 38 Fpts. Other notables include Jaden Abas (STAN) & Dylan Layton (CSU) tied at #23 with 39 Fpts, Malyke Hines (LEH) at #29 with 36 Fpts, Kannon Webster (ILL) at #30 with 34 Fpts, Sam Cartella (NW) at #34 with 32 Fpt, Paul Kelly (CBU) at #37 with 28 Fpts, and Gabe Willochell (WYO) at #40 with 27 Fpts.

On Friday, 2024 Olympic bronze medalist Aaron Brooks released a statement on social media that might contain a reference to a suspension due to a failed drug test. At this time, a suspension and a failed drug test have not been made public by any of wrestling's governing bodies. Brooks starts the statement noting that he's dealt with a variety of injuries - he hasn't competed at all in 2025. We'll have more information as it becomes public regarding Brooks and this situation.