InterMat Staff

Mexico

Francis Howell Central

Sikeston

Sikeston

While most of the wrestling world is focused on the upcoming Olympic Games, most of the typical summer schedule is still taking place. One of the most interesting events of the season is the U20 U.S. Open. It is an interesting mix of the top prospects entering college from the high school ranks as well as wrestlers who have already dipped their toes into the collegiate scene. The following looks at some of the top statistical performers from the recent U20 tournament in men’s freestyle. Point Differential Jimmy Mullen redshirted this past season for Virginia Tech. There were certainly some highs for the well-regarded prospect as he went 6-1 in the Midlands tournament, but he went only 1-2 in his three dual-meet matches with losses against veterans Lewis Fernandes (Cornell) and Owen Trephan (NC State). However, his performance this past weekend at the U.S. Open will certainly get the fans excited in Blacksburg. Mullen not only won the U20 heavyweight crown, but he also averaged 4.98 points per minute, while only allowing his opponents to score 0.96 points per minute. His resulting +4.02 differential was the highest across the entire U20 freestyle tournament. Things got off to a blistering start for the heavyweight as he bested his first four opponents by a combined 40-0 score. He scored VSU wins over Kaiden Cisneros, Max Vanadia, and Jarrett Stoner before pinning Vincent Mueller while leading 9-0. Once Mullen reached the semifinals, the level of competition increased dramatically. In the semifinals, he faced off against the number-one seed Koy Hopke who is one of the top recruits in the 2024 class. The future Minnesota wrestler was able to score the first points of the tournament against Mullen, but the momentum could not be stopped. Mullen ended up terminating the match via a 16-4 score in the second period. In the finals, Mullen dealt with major adversity. He was actually trailing Nicholas Sahakian 8-6 when he was able to pick up his second fall of the tournament and take home the crown. About halfway through the first period, Mullen worked Sahakian to the edge, but Sahakian used that momentum to score a lateral drop for four. Thanks to the throw, Sahakian was up 8-2. With under a minute left in the period, Mullen hit a four-point throw of his own as he dropped his opponent with a foot sweep. He was able to secure the fall with 35 seconds left in the period. Top Five Point Differentials 125 kg: Jimmy Mullen +4.02 57 kg: Luke Lilledahl +3.39 92 kg: Connor Mirasola +3.18 86 kg: Aeoden Sinclair +2.87 70 kg: PJ Duke +2.84 Points per Minute Future West Virginia Wrestler Hoke Hogan was likely hoping for a better finish in the U20 86 kg weight class. After winning his first two matches in impressive fashion, he dropped two-straight bouts and failed to place. On the positive side, he did finish as the wrestler with the highest points per minute average across all 10 weights. Hogan absolutely ran wild on his first two opponents. He defeated Matthew Rodriguez and Peter Snyder by a combined score of 22-0 in a little over two minutes. However, in the round of 16, his trip to the title came to an abrupt end when he lost via fall against Eddie Neitenbach. In the bout, Hogan came out like a house afire and held a 12-6 lead with under 30 seconds left in the first period. He attempted to finish the contest with a series of head pinches, but Neitenback reversed the position and collected the fall. Despite leading 16-8 on the scoreboard, Hogan dropped the match. His run in the tournament came to an end in his first consolation match against Blake Jouret. He was not able to get on track, and he lost 13-2. Despite going only 2-2 in the event, he averaged 5.93 points per minute, which was the highest in the field. Top Five Points per Minute 86 kg: Hoke Hogan 5.93 61 kg: Drew Cooper 5.53 79 kg: Dany Tanefeu 5.03 125 kg: Jimmy Mullen 4.98 70 kg: Sergio Ramos 4.72 Points Against per Minute Connor Mirasola has not yet wrestled a match for Penn State, but it already looks like he has the potential to be another legend from the Nittany Lion program. At the recent Olympic Trials, Mirasola scored an impressive 4-0 victory over veteran David McFadden. Not only did he knock off a much more experienced competitor, but he also kept McFadden off the scoreboard entirely. That defense was once again on display at the U20 U.S. Open. On his way to the title at 92 kg, Mirasola did not surrender a single point. He was the only wrestler in the entire tournament to not allow a point. This is not to say that he was offensively stagnant, as he also put points on the board. Mirasola outscored his first four opponents by a combined 42-0 margin and terminated all matches early. The only wrestler to go the full six minutes against Mirasola was Justin Rademacher, who he faced in the finals. Mirasola scored four points in the first period, which was more than enough as he finished with the 5-0 shutout. Top Five Points Against Per Minute Connor Mirasola 0.00 Camden McDanel 0.11 Luke Lilledahl 0.16 PJ Duke 0.18 Aeoden Sinclair 0.20 Highest Scoring Match Neither Jimmey Loya nor Dustin Duette-Hall made it very far in the 65 kg division. However, when they met in the consolation bracket, they combined for a whopping 44 points, which was the most points scored in a match in the tournament. Loya started off the scoring with a takedown and turn inside the first 35 seconds of the match. After they were brought back to their feet, it was Duette-Hall’s opportunity to put some major points on the board. He hit a four-point throw and followed it up with several gut wrenches. After the referees got the score figured out, the scoreboard read 12-4. Loya worked to get back into the match, and they went to the break with Duette-Hall leading 14-11. In the second period, Loya reclaimed the lead with a four-point blast double. Duette-Hall then got back in front with a takedown and turn. Ultimately, Loya went on a run that saw him go ahead 24-18. Duette-Hall scored another exposure in the final seconds of the match, but it was too little too late. Top Six Highest Scoring Matches 65 kg: Jimmey Loya defeated Dustin Duette-Hall 24-20 79 kg: Roth Powers defeated Johnathan Foster 26-16 86 kg: Aiden Rice defeated Ira Sittner 24-17 86 kg: Lars Michaelson defeated Luke Vanadia 20-20 70 kg: Jonathan Malovich defeated Joe Anthony Perez 26-14 61 kg: Devon Conner defeated Corban Zugelder 21-19 Will Lewan Most Match Time Award Several of the brackets for the U20 were exceedingly huge. Some of the wrestlers who lost on the front side needed to wrestle through an extensive consolation bracket to place. That was certainly the case at 70 kg where Drayden Morton needed to wrestle 11 matches and spend over 46 minutes wrestling to finish fifth. Even though six of his 11 matches did not go the full distance, the sheer number of matches left the Cal Baptist wrestler with the most time spent on the mat across the entire tournament.

Colts Neck

Pacific

Marquette

Union

Kirkwood

Schaumburg

Streamwood

June 21st, 2021 is a day that will live in infamy for some wrestling fans and, perhaps, coaches. On the other hand, it’s also a day that student-athletes will appreciate. That was the day that the United States Supreme Court ruled that the NCAA can’t limit education-related benefits for student-athletes. Basically, collegiate athletes would be allowed to earn money based on their name, image, and likeness (NIL), which was previously a no-no. The NIL ruling, along with the pre-existing transfer portal, completely changed the landscape of college athletics - some for the better, and in a lot of ways, it turned out to be opening Pandora's box. Earlier today, we reported that 2023 NCAA Champion, Andrew Alirez, has entered the transfer portal. With a year of eligibility remaining and a likely high NCAA finish looming, Alirez should have no shortage of possible suitors and draw interest from some of the highest-profile schools in the country. With Alirez’s name in portal, we’re taking a look at some of the notable wrestlers that had already earned All-American honors before entering the portal. The wrestlers have been grouped by their first year at their transfer destination. 2024-25 Jacob Cardenas (Cornell/Michigan) Pre-Transfer: 2x All-American (4,8), 2023 EIWA Champion Dean Hamiti (Wisconsin/Oklahoma State) Pre-Transfer: 2x All-American (6,6), 2023 Big Ten Champion Yaraslau Slavikouski (Rutgers) Entered the portal, but will not transfer. Lennox Wolak (Columbia/Virginia Tech) Pre-Transfer: 2024 NCAA 6th Place, 2024 EIWA Champion Andrew Alirez, Kyle Parco, and Wyatt Hendrickson are also past All-Americans that are currently in the transfer portal. An asterisk indicates a wrestler has eligibility for the 2024-25 campaign. 2023-24 Stephen Buchanan (Wyoming/Oklahoma) * Pre-Transfer: 2x All-American (3,8), 2022 Big 12 Champion Post-Transfer: 2024 NCAA 3rd Place, 2024 Big 12 3rd Place Michael Caliendo (North Dakota State/Iowa) * Pre-Transfer: 2023 NCAA 7th Place, 2023 Big 12 3rd Place Post-Transfer: 2024 NCAA 4th Place, 2024 Big Ten 3rd Place Chris Cannon (Northwestern/Michigan) * Pre-Transfer: 2x NCAA All-American (7,7), 3x NCAA Qualifier Post-Transfer: Injured Lucas Davison (Northwestern/Michigan) Pre-Transfer: 2x NCAA All-American (5,6), 4x Big Ten 5th Place Post-Transfer: 2024 NCAA Runner-Up, 2024 Big Ten 3rd Place Michael DeAugustino (Northwestern/Michigan) Pre-Transfer: 2022 NCAA 4th Place, 2020 Big Ten 3rd Place, 4x NCAA Qualifier Post-Transfer: 2024 NCAA Qualifier, 2024 Big Ten 6th Place Will Feldkamp (Clarion/Iowa State) Pre-Transfer: 2023 NCAA 7th Place, 2023 MAC Champion Post-Transfer: 2024 NCAA Qualifier, 2024 Big 12 6th Place Jared Franek (North Dakota State/Iowa) Pre-Transfer: 2023 NCAA 4th Place, 2023 Big 12 Champion, 2x NCAA Round of 12 Finisher Post-Transfer: 2024 NCAA 8th Place, 2024 Big Ten 4th Place Austin Gomez (Wisconsin/Michigan) Pre-Transfer: 2022 NCAA 4th Place, 2022 Big Ten Champion Post-Transfer: 2024 NCAA Runner-Up, 2024 Big Ten Runner-Up Shane Griffith (Stanford/Michigan) Pre-Transfer: 3x NCAA All-American (5,2,1), 2021 NCAA Champion, 2020 Pac-12 Champion Post-Transfer: 2024 NCAA 3rd Place, 2024 Big Ten Runner-Up Brayton Lee (Minnesota/Indiana) Pre-Transfer: 2021 NCAA 6th Place, 2021 Big Ten 3rd Place Post-Transfer: 2024 NCAA Qualifier, 2024 Big Ten 5th Place Aaron Nagao (Minnesota/Penn State) * Pre-Transfer: 2023 NCAA 8th Place, 2023 Big Ten Runner-Up Post-Transfer: 2024 NCAA Round of 12, 2024 Big Ten 3rd Place Izzak Olejnik (Northern Illinois/Oklahoma State) Pre-Transfer: 2023 NCAA 8th Place, 2x MAC Champion, 4x MAC Finalist Post-Transfer: 2024 NCAA 5th Place, 2024 Big 12 3rd Place Bernie Truax (Cal Poly/Penn State) Pre-Transfer: 3x NCAA All-American (4,4,4), 2x Pac-12 Champion Post-Transfer: 2024 NCAA 5th Place, 2024 Big Ten Runner-Up 2022-23 Michael Beard (Penn State/Lehigh) * Pre-Transfer: 2021 NCAA 7th Place, 2021 Big Ten 6th Place Post-Transfer: 2024 NCAA 8th Place, 2024 EIWA Champion Dom Demas (Oklahoma/Cal Poly) Pre-Transfer: 2019 NCAA 4th Place, 2x Big 12 Champion Post-Transfer: 2023 NCAA Qualifier Taylor LaMont (Utah Valley/Wisconsin) Pre-Transfer: 2021 NCAA 5th Place, 2018 NCAA Round of 12, 2021 Big 12 Runner-Up Post-Transfer: 2023 NCAA Qualifier Real Woods (Stanford/Iowa) Pre-Transfer: 2022 NCAA 6th Place, 2021 NCAA Round of 12, 2x Pac-12 Champion Post-Transfer: 2x All-American (4,2), 2023 Big Ten Champion 2021-22 Max Dean (Cornell/Penn State) Pre-Transfer: 2x NCAA All-American (2,8), 2019 EIWA Champion Post-Transfer: 2x NCAA All-American (7,1), 2022 NCAA Champion, 2022 Big Ten Champion Drew Hildebrandt (Central Michigan/Penn State) Pre-Transfer: 2021 NCAA 4th Place, 2x MAC Champion Post-Transfer: 2022 NCAA Qualifier Kyle Parco (Fresno State/Arizona State) Pre-Transfer: 2021 NCAA 6th Place, 2021 Big 12 3rd Place Post-Transfer: 3x NCAA All-American (5,4,8), 3x Pac-12 Champion Nick Suriano (Rutgers/Michigan) Pre-Transfer: 2x NCAA All-American (1,2), 2019 NCAA Champion, 2019 Big Ten Champion Post-Transfer: 2022 NCAA Champion, 2022 Big Ten Champion

It’s been a bit quiet on the transfer portal front lately - that was until Wednesday morning. That’s when the name of 2023 NCAA champion Andrew Alirez appeared in the portal. Alirez was one the number three overall recruit in the high school Class of 2019 and chose to stay at home and compete for the local Bears of Northern Colorado. While wrestling in Greeley, Alirez amassed a 78-10 record across four seasons and captured a pair of Big 12 titles. His 2022 conference title was the first of the Big 12 era for the Bears and his NCAA championship was the first for Northern Colorado since 1962. As a true freshman, Alirez was named an honorable mention All-American by the NWCA After the 2020 NCAA Tournament was canceled. A year later, he earned an at-large berth but was unable to compete due to an injury. After winning his first Big 12 title, in 2022, Alirez was named the fifth seed at 141 lbs and came up a match shy of the NCAA podium. It all came together in 2022-23, as Alirez completed a perfect 28-0 season and downed Real Woods (Iowa), 6-4, in the NCAA finals. Alirez redshirting the 2023-24 season in an attempt to make the 2024 Olympic Team at 65 kg. Over the summer, he competed in/and won, the Poland Open and notched a win over three-time world champion Haji Aliyev of Azerbaijan. At the Olympic Trials, Alirez went 1-1, defeating Penn State star Beau Bartlett, before losing to former PSU two-time champion, Nick Lee, in an 11-9 shootout in the semifinals of the challenge tournament. With Alirez’s talents and possible NCAA point-scoring ability, he should draw interest from most of the blue-blood programs and NCAA team trophy contenders. He, along with Wyatt Hendrickson and Kyle Parco, are the highest profile names left in the portal. Obviously, we’ll have more on his potential transfer destinations as this story develops.

Next week, the final pieces of the Olympic puzzle will fall into place as the final three slots at each weight class will be filled at the World OG Qualifier otherwise known as the “Last Chance Qualifier.” Wrestlers/Countries that have not secured a place in an Olympic weight class can send a representative to Istanbul, Turkey with hopes of placing in the top-three. Unlike your typical international tournament, there will be a wrestle-off between bronze medal winners to determine that all-important third quota at the Olympic Games. As you probably know, the United States needs to qualify five weights for the Olympic Games. 57 and 65 kg for men’s freestyle and 60, 67, and 77 kg for Greco-Roman. All six women’s weights have been qualified. Yesterday, United World Wrestling released an entry list at each weight class for the event. Below, are entries for the five weights that the American fans are following most closely. They’ve been sorted via continental qualifier. Men’s Freestyle 57 kg Africa/Oceania Ibrahim Bunduka (Sierra Leone) Roland Tambi (Cameroon) Ben Tarik (Morocco) Asia Ali Aburumaila (Palestine) Muhammad Bilal (Pakistan) Chong Han (North Korea) Zhipeng Jiang (China) Rakhat Kalzhan (Kazakhstan) Sunggwon Kim (South Korea) Kabe Matjanov (Turkmenistan) Alireza Sarlak (Iran) Aman Sehrawat (India) Tsz Shing Leung (Hong Kong) Zanabazar Zandanbud (Mongolia) Europe Suleyman Atli (Turkey) Roberti Dingashvili (Georgia) Vladimir Egorov (North Macedonia) Thomas Epp (Switzerland) Razvan Kovacs (Romania) Horst Lehr (Germany) Levan Metreveli (Spain) Ilman Mukhtarov (France) Simone Piroddu (Italy) Georgi Vangelov (Bulgaria) Andrii Yatsenko (Ukraine) Pan America Darthe Capellan (Canada) Peter Hammer Cude (Costa Rica) Spencer Lee (USA) Guesseppe Rea (Ecuador) 65 kg Africa/Oceania Alibeg Alibegov (Bahrain) Junjun Asebias (Micronesia) Lowe Bingham (Nauru) Gibriel Chow (Gambia) Josh Failauga (American Samoa) Sahid Kargbo (Sierra Leone) Cristian Nicolescu (Palau) Davies Oriwa (Kenya) Anthony Wesley (Cape Verde) Asia Muhammad Abdullah (Pakistan) Adlan Askarov (Kazakhstan) Ibrahim Guzan (Yemen) Tsz Hei Heung (Hong Kong) Umidjon Jalolov (Uzbekistan) Sujeet Kalkal (India) Kwang Jin Kim (North Korea) Abdulmazhid Kudiev (Tajikistan) Jelaletdin Seyidov (Turkmenistan) Tulga Tumur Ochir (Mongolia) Baowen Wei (China) Junsik Yun (South Korea) Europe Besir Alili (North Macedonia) Khamzat Arsamerzouev (France) Erik Arushanian (Ukraine) Abdullah Assaf (Palestine) Krzysztof Bienkowski (Poland) Kizhan Clarke (Germany) Stefan Coman (Romania) Islam Dudaev (Albania) Ahmet Duman/Abdullah Toprak (Turkey) Josh Finesilver (Israel) Nino Leutert (Switzerland) Ayub Musaev (Belgium) Mikyay Naim (Bulgaria) Maxim Sacultan (Moldova) Niurgun Skriabin (AIN - Belarus) Pan America Shannon Hanna (Bahamas) Josh Kramer (Ecuador) Lachlan McNeil (Canada) Zain Retherford (USA) Greco-Roman 60 kg Africa/Oceania Ibrahim Bunduka (Sierra Leone) Ismail Ettalibi (Morocco) Josh Failauga (American Samoa) Romio Goliath (Namibia) Asia Aslamjon Azizov (Tajikistan) Munkh Erdene Batkhuyag (Mongolia) Sumit Dalal (India) Umit Durdyyev (Turkmenistan) Rayan Hawsawi (Saudi Arabia) Dahyun Kim (South Korea) Europe Pridon Abuladze (Georgia) Razvan Arnaut (Romania) Virgil Bica (Sweden) Daniel Bobillo Vigil (Spain) Melkamu Fetene (Israel) Gevorg Gharibyan (Armenia) Aleksandrs Jurkjans (Latvia) Christopher Kraemer (Germany) Sadyk Lalaev (AIN - Russia) Hleb Makaranka (AIN - Belarus) Murad Mammadov (Azerbaijan) Nikolai Mohammadi (Denmark) Edmond Nazaryan (Bulgaria) Justas Petravisius (Lithuania) Viktor Petryk (Ukraine) Bajram Sina (Albania) Georgij Tibilov (Serbia) Michal Tracz (Poland) Leo Tudezca (France) Ilias Zairakis (Greece) Pan-American Dalton Roberts (USA) Alexis Rodriguez (Mexico) UWW Jamal Valizadeh 67 kg Africa/Oceania Mohamed El Sayed (Egypt) Sahid Kargbo (Sierra Leone) Asia Muhammad Aliansyah (Indonesia) Abdullo Aliev (Uzbekistan) Ahmed Barahmah (Saudi Arabia) Ashu Bazard (India) Din Koshkar (Kazakhstan) Ji Leng (China) Firuz Mirzorajabov (Tajikistan) Begmyrat Nobatov (Turkmenistan) Yong Jin Ro (North Korea) Hansu Ryu (South Korea) Europe Abu Amaev (Bulgaria) Mateusz Bernatek (Poland) Selcuk Can/Murat Firat (Turkey) Dominik Etlinger (Croatia) Adomas Grigaliunas (Lithuania) Artur Jeremejev (Estonia) Haavard Joergensen (Norway) Etienne Kinsinger (Germany) Aliaksandr Liavonchyk (AIN - Belarus) Matias Lipasti (Finland) Mihai Mihut (Romania) Niklas Oehlen (Sweden) Valentin Petic (Moldova) Gjete Prenga (Albania) Andrea Setti (Italy) Krisztian Vancza (Hungary) Andreas Vetsch (Switzerland) Aslan Visaitov (AIN - Russia) Ramaz Zoidze (Georgia) Pan-American Ellis Coleman (USA) Julian Horta Acevedo (Colombia) Nilton Soto Garcia (Peru) 77 kg Asia Tongyu Chen (China) Vikas Dalal (India) Bazargeldi Ezimov (Turkmenistan) Dowon Lee (South Korea) Europe Riccardo Abbrescia (Italy) Hassan Barnawi (Saudi Arabia) Tsimur Berdyieu (AIN - Belarus) Ihor Bychkov (Ukraine) Ilie Cojocari (Romania) Kamil Czarnecki (Poland) Fabio Dietsche (Switzerland) Paulius Galkinas (Lithuania) Ibrahim Ghanem (France) Alexandrin Gutu (Moldova) Idris Ibaev (Germany) Antonio Kamenjasevic (Croatia) Oliver Krueger (Denmark) Kevin Kupi (Albania) Per Anders Kure (Norway) Zoltan Levai (Hungary) Iuri Lomadze (Georgia) Aik Mnatsakanian (Bulgaria) Viktor Nemes (Serbia) Per Olofsson (Sweden) Georgios Prevolarakis (Greece) Marcos Sanchez (Spain) Adlet Tiuliubaev (AIN - Russia) Oldrich Varga (Czech Republic) Pan-American Emmanuel Benitez (Mexico) Kamal Bey (USA) Joilson Ramos (Brazil) Jonathan Viruet (Puerto Rico) John Yeats (Canada) For the list of all other remaining weights, check the UWW site.

Spanaway Lake

Parsippany Hills

Boardman

Central Dauphin

Central Catholic

Alvirne

Andover

Last week, we released a hallmark of InterMat Wrestling, the re-ranking of a recruiting class five years after it occurred. That feature focused on the high school Class of 2019. Because of the extra year of COVID eligibility, plenty of wrestlers from that class will be active in 2024-25. That means we’ll likely have to revisit that class. With that in mind, we should probably take another look at the Class of 2018. Almost everyone from that recruiting class either finished their collegiate career in either 2023 or 2024. With another year's worth of results in the books, there’s plenty of movement as we re-rank the recruiting class. Starting at the top… Italics denotes a wrestler that moved up since the 2023 re-ranking; An asterisk indicates another possible year of eligibility. 1. Aaron Brooks (North Hagerstown, MD) - Penn State (High School Rank: #2) 4x NCAA Champion, 4x NCAA All-American (1,1,1,1), 2020 1st Team All-American, 5x Big Ten Finalist, 4x Big Ten Champion, 2024 Hodge Trophy winner - 2023 re-ranking (#2) 2. Gable Steveson (Apple Valley, MN) - Minnesota (High School Rank: #1) 2020 Olympic Gold Medalist, 2x NCAA Champion, 2x Hodge Trophy Winner, 3x NCAA All-American (1,1,3), 2020 1st Team All-American, 3x Big Ten Champion - 2023 re-ranking (#1) 3. David Carr (Massillon Perry, OH) - Iowa State (High School Rank: #5) 2x NCAA Champion, 4x NCAA All-American (2,3,1, 1), 2020 1st Team All-American, 4x Big 12 Champion - 2023 re-ranking (#4) 4. Roman Bravo-Young (Sunnyside, AZ) - Penn State (High School Rank: #12) 2x NCAA Champion, 4x NCAA All-American (2,1,1,8), 2020 1st Team All-American, 4x Big Ten Finalist, 3x Big Ten Champion - 2023 re-ranking (#3) 5. Mason Parris (Lawrenceburg, IN) - Michigan (High School Rank: #3) 2023 NCAA Champion, 2023 Hodge Trophy Winner, 3x NCAA All-American (1,5,2), 2020 1st Team All-American, 3x Big Ten Finalist, 2023 Big Ten Champion - 2023 re-ranking (#5) 6. Patrick Glory (Delbarton, NJ) - Princeton (High School Rank: #17) 2023 NCAA Champion, 3x NCAA All-American (1,2,6), 2020 1st Team All-American, 4x EIWA Finalist, 3x EIWA Champion - 2023 re-ranking (#6) 7. Shane Griffith (Bergen Catholic, NJ) - Stanford (High School Rank: #19) 2021 NCAA Champion, 4x NCAA All-American (3, 5,2,1), 2020 1st Team All-American, 2020 Pac-12 Champion - 2023 re-ranking (#7) 8. Trent Hidlay (Mifflin County, PA) - NC State (High School Rank: #18) 4x NCAA All-American (2, 4,5,2), 2x NCAA Finalist, 2020 1st Team All-American, 5x ACC Finalist, 4x ACC Champion - 2023 re-ranking (#9) 9. Sammy Sasso (Nazareth, PA) - Ohio State * (High School Rank: #4) 2x NCAA Finalist, 3x NCAA All-American (2,5,2), 2020 1st Team All-American, 4x Big Ten Finalist, 2x Big Ten Champion - 2023 re-ranking (#8) 10. Real Woods (Montini Catholic, IL) - Stanford (Iowa) (High School Rank: #21) 3x NCAA All-American (4, 2,6), 2023 NCAA Finalist, 2020 1st Team All-American, 2023 Big Ten Champion, 2x Pac-12 Champion - 2023 re-ranking (#11) 11. Bernie Truax (Rancho Buena Vista, CA) - Cal Poly (Penn State) (High School Rank: NR) 4x NCAA All-American (5, 4,4,4), 2x Pac-12 Champion, 3x Pac-12 Finalist, Big Ten runner-up - 2023 re-ranking (#12) 12. Quincy Monday (Carrboro, NC) - Princeton (High School Rank: #40) 2x NCAA All-American (3,2), 2022 NCAA Finalist, 2020 1st Team All-American, 3x EIWA Finalist, 2022 EIWA Champion - 2023 re-ranking (#10) 13. Tony Cassioppi (Hononegah, IL) - Iowa (High School Rank: #14) 3x NCAA All-American (4,7,3), 2020 1st Team All-American, 2022 Big Ten Runner-Up - 2023 re-ranking (#13) 14. Jacori Teemer (Long Beach, NY) - Arizona State * (High School Rank: #8) 3x NCAA All-American (2,6,4), 2020 2nd Team All-American, 4x Pac-12 Champion - 2023 re-ranking (#2) - 2023 re-ranking (#18) 15. Lucas Davison (Chesterton, IN) - Northwestern (Michigan) (High School Rank: #49) 3x NCAA All-American (2,5,6), 2024 NCAA Runner-Up, 2020 Honorable Mention All-American - 2023 re-ranking (#17) 16. Peyton Robb (Owatonna, NE) - Nebraska (High School Rank: #31) 2x NCAA All-American (7,6,4) 2020 Honorable Mention All-American, 2023 Big Ten Runner-Up - 2023 re-ranking (#15) 17. Tanner Sloan (Alburnett, IA) - South Dakota State (High School Rank: NR) 2x NCAA All-American (2,5), 2023 NCAA Runner-Up, 2024 Big 12 Champion, 3x Big 12 Runner-Up - 2023 re-ranking (#16) 18. Brock Mauller (Father Tolton, MO) - Missouri (High School Rank: #73) 3x NCAA All-American (7,5,6), 2020 1st Team All-American, 3x MAC Champion, 2023 Big 12 Finalist - 2023 re-ranking (#14) 19. Brock Hardy (Box Elder, UT) - Nebraska * (High School Rank: #9) 2x NCAA All-American (3,6), 2023 Big Ten Runner-Up - 2023 re-ranking (#29) 20. Josh Humphreys (Parkersburg South, WV) - Lehigh (High School Rank: #71) 2023 NCAA All-American (3), 2020 1st Team All-American, 2x Round of 12 Finisher, 3x EIWA Champion - 2023 re-ranking (#19) 21. Jared Franek (West Fargo, ND) - North Dakota State (Iowa) (High School Rank: #48) 2x NCAA All-American (8,4), 2x Round of 12 Finisher, 3x Big 12 Finalist, 2023 Big 12 Champion, 2020 Honorable Mention All-American - 2023 re-ranking (#24) 22. Will Lewan (Montini Catholic, IL) - Michigan (High School Rank: #28) 2x NCAA All-American (8,5), 2020 2nd Team All-American, 2x Big Ten Runner-Up - 2023 re-ranking (#20) 23. Patrick McKee (St. Michael-Albertville) - Minnesota (High School Rank: #38) 2x NCAA All-American (5,3), 5x NCAA Qualifier, 2024 Big Ten Runner-Up - 2023 re-ranking (#21) 24. Zach Elam (Staley, MO) - Missouri (High School Rank: #54) 2x NCAA All-American (4,6), 2x Round of 12 Finisher, 5x Conference 3rd Place (3x Big 12/2x MAC) - 2023 re-ranking (#28) 25. Izzak Olejnik (Bakersfield, CA) - Northern Illinois (Oklahoma State) (High School Rank: NR) 2x NCAA All-American (5,8), 2024 Big 12 3rd Place, 2x MAC Champion, 4x MAC Finalist - 2023 re-ranking (#37) 26. Brayton Lee (Brownsburg, IN) - Minnesota (Indiana) (High School Rank: #13) 2021 NCAA All-American (6), 2020 1st Team All-American, 2021 Big Ten 3rd Place - 2023 re-ranking (#22) 27. Clay Carlson (Willmar, MN) - South Dakota State (High School Rank: NR) 2x NCAA All-American (5,8), 2022 Round of 12 Finisher, 2x Big 12 3rd Place - 2023 re-ranking (#23) 28. Cole Matthews (Reynolds, PA) - Pittsburgh (High School Rank: #79) 2022 NCAA All-American (5), 2x ACC Champion, 2023 Round of 12 Finisher - 2023 re-ranking (#25) 29. Michael Beard (Malvern Prep, PA) - Penn State (Lehigh) * (High School Rank: #11) 2x NCAA All-American (8,7), 2024 EIWA Champion, 2x EIWA Finalist, 2023 Round of 12 Finisher - 2023 re-ranking (#32) 30. Michael DeAugustino (Flagler Palm Coast, FL) - Northwestern (Michigan) (High School Rank: NR) 2022 NCAA All-American (4), 2020 1st Team All-American, 2020 Big Ten 3rd Place - 2023 re-ranking (#26) 31. Travis Wittlake (Marshfield, OR) - Oklahoma State (High School Rank: #6) 2021 NCAA All-American (4), 2020 1st Team All-American, 2020 Big 12 Champion - 2023 re-ranking (#27) 32. Michael Blockhus (New Hampton, IA) - Northern Iowa (Minnesota) (High School Rank: #44) 2023 NCAA All-American (8), 2023 Big Ten Runner-Up, 5x NCAA Qualifier - 2023 re-ranking (#30) 33. Gavin Hoffman (Montoursville, OH) - Ohio State (High School Rank: #10) - 2023 re-ranking (#31) 34. Nelson Brands (Iowa City West, IA) - Iowa * (High School Rank: #93) - 2023 re-ranking (#33) 35. Peyton Mocco (West Allis, WI) - Missouri (High School Rank: #39) - 2023 re-ranking (#34) 36. Brandon Kaylor (Bonney Lake, WA) - Oregon State (High School Rank: NR) - 2023 re-ranking (#35) 37. Quinn Kinner (Mullica Hill, NJ) - Ohio State (Rider) (High School Rank: #15) - 2023 re-ranking (NR) 38. Jonathan Loew (Wantagh, NY) - Cornell (High School Rank: NR) - 2023 re-ranking (#36) 39. Malik Heinselman (Castle Rock, CO) - Ohio State (High School Rank: #37) 40. Kendall Coleman (Mt. Carmel, IL) - Purdue (High School Rank: #36) 41. Anthony Artalona (Tampa Prep, FL) - Penn (High School Rank: #26) 42. Jarrett Jacques (Father Tolton, MO) - Missouri (High School Rank: #42) 43. Jakob Camacho (Danbury, CT) - NC State * (High School Rank: #23) 44. Rocky Jordan (St. Paris Graham, OH) - Ohio State (Chattanooga) (High School Rank: #35) 45. Mickey O’Malley (Hasbrouck Heights, NJ) - Drexel * (High School Rank: #43) 46. Brody Teske (Fort Dodge, IA) - Penn State (Northern Iowa/Iowa) (High School Rank: #34) 47. Justin McCoy (Chestnut Ridge, PA) - Virginia (High School Rank: #92) 48. Phil Conigliaro (Belmont Hill, MA) - Harvard (High School Rank: #75) 49. Jarrett Trombley (Lake Fenton, MI) - NC State (High School Rank: #74) 50. Mitch Moore (St. Paris Graham, OH) - Virginia Tech (Oklahoma/Rutgers) (High School Rank: #87) 51. Jeremiah Kent (Hickman, MO) - Missouri (High School Rank: #89) There’s clearly a discussion that needs to be made about #1 and #2. Gable Steveson reigned supreme over an incredibly talented heavyweight bracket for three years, which netted him two national titles and potentially a third in 2020. In both, 2021 and 2022, Steveson was awarded the Hodge Trophy. Shortly after winning his first, Steveson captured an Olympic gold medal. He left two more potential national titles on the table after focusing on WWE. Clearly, Aaron Brooks has superior collegiate credentials compared to Gable Steveson, since he competed for five seasons. He had some hiccups along the way, in terms of losses during championship seasons, but was about as dominant as Gable during the 2023-24 campaign. When it was all said and done, Brooks doubled Steveson’s NCAA title haul. Additionally, Brooks knocked returning Olympic gold medalist David Taylor off his spot on the 2024 Olympic Team. There’s a saying in the NFL that your “best ability is availability” so using that logic, if you had to choose between two recruits that are comparable in terms of talent, wouldn’t you want the one that you’d be able to have more often and for longer? That’s why we’ve flip-flopped Steveson and Aaron Brooks. I’m sure Minnesota was pleased with what Steveson brought them from 2018-2022, while Penn State got similar production - plus another two years from Brooks. The other change to the top five came with David Carr taking over the #3 spot from Roman Bravo-Young. Carr gets the nod after never finishing below third at the NCAA Tournament and beating a previously undefeated two-time national champion to win his final title. Also in the top ten, Trent Hidlay moves up a spot after his second NCAA finals appearance, fourth NCAA All-American honor and fourth ACC title. Rounding out the top ten is Real Woods who got on the NCAA podium for a third time. Altogether, some of the biggest movers were Lucas Davison, Brock Hardy, Izzak Olejnik, and Michael Beard. Davison finishes as a three-time All-American and an NCAA finalist (with some huge NCAA wins along the way). We won’t be doing a re-re-re-ranking, but Hardy has two more years of eligibility and could conceivably pass a handful of those ahead of him. Olejnik and Beard both entered the year as one-time low AA’s that were previously in the 30’s, but have risen with another trip to the podium.

Bishop McCort

Reynoldsburg