InterMat Staff

The second half of the national recruiting rankings will be released later today. You can bet that Oklahoma will be prominently featured in those rankings after leading the nation by signing 11 of the top-250 prospects. Assistant coach Cam Sykora has joined us to talk about assembling this class - how this time of year is much less stressful than a year ago at this time, the Oklahoma brand name in the recruiting process, setting a foundation with this recruiting class and much more. For the full interview:

Recruiting class rankings are always unique in their own sort of way. This year, the number one spot was decided relatively early in the game and without much competition. The second spot kind of spoke for itself as well. 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 2024, 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 junior returning at the same weight. However, after coming off a "free year" in 2021, that throws a loop into everything. At this time, we don't know whether everyone will actually use that extra year of eligibility. Compared to years past, this category doesn't factor in, as much, unless it's very evident that a team has a glaring logjam at a particular weight or weight range. Fear not….we should be through this soon! - 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 California Baptist or Campbell sign the same prospect and he has the same career, it will have a much more significant impact on those two programs. Both California Baptist and Campbell may have benefitted from this criteria in 2024. So, with that out of the way, enjoy InterMat's 2024 Team Recruiting Rankings. 25. Bucknell Recruits: #50 Dillon Bechtold: Owen Roberts, PA (197), #203 Tyler Bienus: Mount Olive, NJ (184), #219 Creed Thomas: Jefferson, GA (184), #231 Kaden Schaefer: Fleming Island, FL (149), NR Ty Kapusta: Franklin Regional, PA (125), NR Chris Nucifora: Bergen Catholic, NJ (125) 2023 Ranking: #19 2022 Ranking: NR 2021 Ranking: NR For the second consecutive year, the Bison have cracked the top-25. The 2023 class provided a pair of starters that qualified for nationals in year one. I’m sure Bucknell head coach Dan Wirnsberger would like that sort of production from the 2024 group. Two-time Pennsylvania state finalist and one-time champion, Dillon Bechtold, leads the way. Bechtold is the first top-50 recruit to sign with the Bison in Wirnsberger’s tenure in Lewisburg. In addition to his PA state title, Bechtold was seventh in both styles last summer in Fargo and placed at the Super 32. Joining Bechtold providing reinforcements to the upperweights are big board’ers Tyler Bienus and Creed Thomas. Bienus was third in New Jersey this year and Thomas has earned All-American honors at the NHSCA grade-level tournament. The hard-to-address 125 lb weight class was bolstered with the addition of Ty Kapusta and Chris Nucifora. Kapusta was a Pennsylvania runner-up in 2024 - his third time making the state podium. Bucknell returns a team that features four national qualifiers so a talented class like this will continue to push the Bison in the right direction. 24. California Baptist Recruits: #46 Paul Kelly: Poway, CA (149), #156 Sonny Kling: Palm Desert, CA (197), #163 Caeden Olin: Millard South, NE (285), #232 Jeremy Ginter: Whitmer, OH (149), NR David Alonso: Palm Desert, CA (165), Damian Alvarez: Selma, CA (125/133), NR Devan Carter: Graham-Kapowsin, WA (165), NR Remy Murillo: Canyon Springs, California (133/141) 2023 Ranking: HM 2022 Ranking: NR 2021 Ranking: NR Last year, California Baptist was noted in our honorable mention section - now they’ve moved into the top-25 in our recruiting rankings for the first time since becoming a DI program. In-state recruiting will always be key for Derek Moore’s team and they were able to ink three wrestlers that finished in the top-three at the one-class California state tournament. Sonny Kling is the champ of the bunch; however, Paul Kelly is the highest-ranked of the crew. Kelly, a 2024 state runner-up, was fourth last summer in both styles in Fargo and then at the Super 32. Not only has California Baptist been able to nab some of the top in-state talent, but they’ve also ventured outside of the state borders and inked top-250 wrestlers from Nebraska and Ohio. The exposure from wrestling in the Big 12 should only enhance that ability to extend their recruiting reach going forward. Caeden Olin was a two-time state champion for one of Nebraska’s power programs, while Jeremy Ginter was a third-place finisher in Ohio’s largest classification. Depending on the strategy of the CBU staff, this class could have netted the Lancers multiple starters in one year. 23. Arizona State Recruits: #23 Kyler Larkin: Valiant Prep, AZ (141/149), #31 Pierson Manville: State College, PA (149), NR Caleb Camp: Buena Vista, CO (133/141), NR Nick Hutchins: Arizona College Prep, AZ (285), NR Javani Majoor: Falcon, AZ (157/165) 2023 Ranking: NR 2022 Ranking: #10 2021 Ranking: #2 If you pay attention to recruiting for long enough, you’ll notice different recruiting strategies at different schools. Even when Arizona State has gotten into the top-ten with their classes, they’ve tended to go with quality over quantity. This year is a prime example signing the #23 and #31 ranked wrestlers, but no other Big Boarder’s. The Sun Devils ranking is largely reliant on the two; however, even if they signed more top-250 kids, Kyler Larkin and Pierson Manville would be expected to make the biggest impact. Both of ASU’s marquee signees come from notable wrestling families. Kyler Larkin’s father, Eric, was a Hodge Trophy winner for the Sun Devils in 2003 and has begun to churn out top collegiate prospects at Valiant Prep. His older brother, Kaleb, is ready to be unleashed as a redshirt freshman for Arizona State. Kyler has won national freestyle titles at both age groups in Fargo and was a U17 world team member in 2022. Pierson Manville is the youngest of a highest decorated trio of brothers and has experienced success at every level thus far. Manville has placed third in both styles in Fargo, at the Junior level, in 2022 and 2023. At the 16U age division, Manville was a finalist in both styles. Last fall, in folkstyle, Manville earned a win at Who’s #1 and at the Walsh Ironman. In some instances, we may dock a team if they have a potential logjam with their signees. That certainly could happen with the Larkin brothers and Manville; however, Eric Larkin moved up in weight three times in college, so his sons likely will at least once. For the rest of the signing class, look at heavyweight prospect Nick Hutchins. He’s an Arizona state champion who might be the successor to 285 lb stalwart Cohlton Schultz. 22. Campbell Recruits: #89 Kendrick Hodge: Somerset, FL (165), #137 Phil Lamka: Fenton, MI (174), #143 Eugene Harney: Sycamore, OH (165), #145 Brent Slade: Southeast Polk, IA (184), #238 Lane Kiser: Trinity, Kentucky (197), #241 Colby Crouch: Triad, IL (133), NR Matthew Beem: Glenwood, IA (133/141), NR Jonathan Chang: Clarksburg, MD (141/149), NR Reese Courtney: Center Grove, IN (141), NR Brock Hacker: Johns Creek, GA (197), NR Seth Larson: Flowery Branch, GA (184), NR Parker Lyden: Forest Lake, MN (149), NR Ryan Phillips: Winter Springs, FL (141), NR Aaron Ries: Wadsworth, OH (285), NR Landon Sargent: Cape Fear, NC (285), NR Mikey Trujillo: Wyoming Seminary, PA/NM (141), NR Sawyer Van Rider: New Smyrna Beach, FL (184), NR Kaleb Wright: Gloucester City, NJ (165/174) 2023 Ranking: NR 2022 Ranking: NR 2021 Ranking: HM Campbell has been known for bringing in large recruiting classes and they have another this year. Six of them fall within the top-250 prospects in the nation - led by #89 Kendrick Hodge. Florida has been good to the Campbell program and Hodge is one of two signees from the Sunshine State headed to Buies Creek in the fall. Hodge has excelled at the NHSCA grade-level tournaments. He has made the finals in each of the last two years and won as a senior. Though Campbell has had success recruiting in the south (and continues to do so) they have brought in talent from all over the midwest. Just about every power state in that region is represented in this class. Others to watch in this class include Eugene Harney, an Ohio DI state champion and an Ironman placer. Brent Slade was a UWW U17 All-American in both styles in 2023 and Lane Kiser was an NHSCA Junior National All-American (4th). While this group has reinforcements for almost every weight class, it could most benefit the upperweights as 197 lber Levi Hopkins and heavyweight Taye Ghadiali are out of eligibility after the 2024-25 season. 21. Air Force Recruits: #20 Karson Tompkins: Midlothian, TX (197), #88 Layton Schneider: Edmond North, Oklahoma (165), #99 Logan Fowler: Murfreesboro, TN (149), #146 Gianni Maldonado: Lake Gibson, Florida (165), #209 Gunner Cramblett: Graham, OH (174), #213 Talon McCollom: Edmond North, Oklahoma (184), #228 Anders Kittleson: Osage, IA (149), #244 Charlie LaRocca: Center Grove, IN (125), NR Jack Estevez: Poway, CA (149), NR Lincoln Gregersen: Ralston Valley, CO (133/141), Roman Lermer: Tampa Prep, FL (125), NR Cristian Rivera: Sunnyside, AZ (149), NR Tanner Spalding: Woodward Academy, GA (133), NR Jesse Vanorden: Wantagh, NY (149/157), NR Jake Wood: Perrysburg, OH (174) 2023 Ranking: #23 2022 Ranking: NR 2021 Ranking: HM At one time, Air Force making the recruiting rankings was a nice, new addition. We’re now at the point where it’s come to be expected after consecutive years in the top-25 and an honorable mention in 2021. The cornerstone of this group is 197 lb prospect Karson Tompkins. He is the first top-20 recruit to commit to Air Force since the Class of 2023 and is ranked higher than two-time AA Wyatt Hendrickson. Tompkins was a Junior placer in both styles in Fargo, fourth at the Super 32, and got a win at the Pittsburgh Wrestling Classic. Last year’s recruiting class was very heavy on upperweights and Air Force got one of the best in the nation with Tompkins. After his, this group focused heavily on the middleweights. Of Air Force’s eight Big Boarder’s, five fall within the projected range of 149-174. This group also features a pair of Big Boarder’s from Edmond North High School in Oklahoma, a team that finished the season ranked fourth in the nation. You have to like the idea of getting recruits from a proven high school program and one they could hit up in the future as well. One of them, Layton Schneider, was a fifth-place finisher at the Ironman and a two-time Fargo Junior freestyle All-American. 20. Lock Haven Recruits: #27 Tucker Hogan: Daniel Boone, PA (197), #112 Cole Bartram: Northern York, PA (184), #130 Dean Houser: Daniel Boone, PA (125/133), #149 Nick Kunstek: Pottsville, PA (157), #200 Ousmane Duncanson: Tioga, NY (165/174), NR Clayton Carr: Wyalusing, PA (133), NR Wyatt Dillon: Northern York, PA (149/157), NR Darren Florance: Harpursville, NY (125), NR Rocco Fratelli: Northern York, PA (141), NR Lucas Fye: Bald Eagle Area, PA (125), NR Hunter Gould: Conneaut Lake, PA (133), NR Wyatt Lazzar: Commodore Perry, PA (157), NR Alex Reed: Shikellamy, PA (125), NR Brandon Stiehler: Pocono Mountain West, PA (285), NR Griffin Walizer: Central Mountain, PA (141/149), NR Hudson Ward: Canton, PA (165) 2023 Ranking: NR 2022 Ranking: NR 2021 Ranking: NR This is the first time in this version of InterMat that Lock Haven has cracked the top-25 in recruiting rankings. Typically, Bald Eagle head coach Scott Moore and staff find some overlooked gems and coach them up to be productive collegiate wrestlers. That could be the case again here, but they also have some highly-ranked prospects in the mix, too. Lock Haven needs help at the upperweights and those have been addressed by the signings of Tucker Hogan and Cole Bartram - who are also the highest-ranked of the bunch. The pair go hand-in-hand, as they’ve met in the AAA state finals in each of the last two years, with Hogan getting his hand raised both times. It appears that one of the two could see action right away at 197 lbs. The Lock Haven staff has been proactive in their approach at the opposite end of the lineup, as well. In case Anthony Noto moves up or in preparation for life after Noto, there are some quality 125 lb prospects. Dean Houser was a three-time AAA state placer and Lucas Fye got on the podium twice at the AA level. Coming in from New York is three-time champion Darren Florance. A late addition to the Lock Haven class was two-time Fargo All-American Nick Kunstek. He was fourth in a deep PIAA AAA weight class and has been very active nationally for his entire high school career. This group, combined with existing talent on the Lock Haven roster, should be able to push the tiny PA power back into the national rankings. 19. Nebraska Recruits: #13 LJ Araujo: Bismarck, ND (165/174), #61 Omar Ayoub: Dublin Coffman, OH (149), #108 Marco Christensen: Minnetonka, MN (184), NR Colin McAlister: Mill Valley, KS (174) 2023 Ranking: #7 2022 Ranking: #8 2021 Ranking: #13 A staple in the recruiting rankings, Nebraska is actually lower than you’ve come to expect, but that’s a product of a very small class - after years of strong recruiting. Technically, Kael Lauridsen and Camden McDanel are both part of the Class of 2024 after grayshirting last year. They were already factored into the 2023 rankings. The highest-ranked of this bunch is LJ Araujo who rose in the final Big Board update and might still be unknown to some fans. In the past, Araujo’s best results came in Greco - two Junior Fargo placements (2,6); however, he dispelled the notion of being a Greco specialist by winning the Super 32 in the Fall of 2023. Two-time Ohio state champion Omar Ayoub has an incredible track record placing at most of your big national tournaments. Twice at the Ironman, twice in Junior freestyle in Fargo, twice at the Super 32, and once in UWW U17 freestyle. He joins his older brother, Ismael, who is already a member of the Husker team. Minnesota’s Marco Christensen was also a double All-American in Fargo last year. Looking at this group, the most attention was given to the 165-184 range, which is a smart decision based on the age of Nebraska’s starters and the depth behind them. 18. Cornell Recruits: #24 Jaxon Joy: Wadsworth, OH (149), #56 Lou Cerchio: Delbarton, NJ (174), #70 Cash Henderson: Woods Cross, UT (285), #109 Cy Kruse: Totino-Grace, MN (285), #129 Gabriel Bouyssou: Scituate, RI (157), NR Carter Chamberlain: Clearfield, PA (184/197), NR Luca Stefanelli: Delbarton, NJ (141/149), NR Ryder Yoshitake: San Marino, CA (149) 2023 Ranking: #4 2022 Ranking: NR 2021 Ranking: #3 Cornell tends to have huge recruiting classes in one year and then smaller ones the following year. They rarely have a medium-sized (or ranked) one like this class. In fact, the Cornell staff already has the pieces in place for another huge, highly-ranked group in 2025. But that’s for another time. Three-time Ohio state champion Jaxon Joy leads the 2024 class. Joy probably has the best opportunity to come in and make an immediate impact. Cornell has returning EIWA champion Ethan Fernandez at 149 lbs; however, Joy might be able to make a push. Joy placed twice in Junior freestyle and at the Ironman, plus he was third at the Super 32 last fall. It appears there was a concerted effort to add depth and bodies to the 285 lb weight class. Going back to the beginning of the Koll-era, that’s the only weight in which the Big Red have failed to produce an All-American, plus they’ve lost Lewis Fernandes to graduation. Cash Henderson is a top-100 recruit who projects at 285 lbs. He was a 16U freestyle national champion and was fourth in both Junior freestyle and UWW U17. Cornell also has some veterans in the 165-184 range, so it’s good to get #56 Lou Cerchio in the fold. The 2023 New Jersey state champion was a 16U freestyle national champion back in 2021. He and Luca Stefanelli hail from Delbarton, alma mater to head coach Mike Grey, and a frequent stop for Cornell on the recruiting trail. 17. West Virginia Recruits: #25 Rune Lawrence: Frazier, PA (285), #28 Hoke Hogan: Commerce, GA (184), #54 Shawn Taylor: West Allegheny, PA (174), #129 Mason Kernan: Bethel Park, PA (141), NR Bryce Arbogast: Benedictine Prep, VA (133), NR Anthony Clem: Wantagh, NY (133), NR Joey Clem: Wantagh, NY (125/133), NR TJ Langley: Western Reserve, OH (157), NR Tyler Wood: St. Mary’s Ryken, MD (125/133) 2023 Ranking: NR 2022 Ranking: NR 2021 Ranking: NR 2024 saw West Virginia place in the top-18 at the NCAA Championships for the first time in almost two decades and there’s potential for more after adding this impressive group of incoming freshmen. WVU makes the recruiting rankings for the first time in the last four years after inking a group that includes three of the top-54 recruits in the nation. The WVU staff has specifically targeted the upperweights with their most highly regarded recruits. Leading the way is Rune Lawrence, a three-time Super 32 placewinner - each time coming at fourth place or higher. Oh yeah, he’s also a four-time Pennsylvania AAA champion, an incredibly difficult feat for a freshman starting his high school career at 172 lbs. Also in the upperweights is Hoke Hogan, a two-time winner at the Georgia State tournament and NHSCA’s grade-level tournaments. Hogan was also a Junior freestyle All-American last summer in Fargo. You have to like what the West Virginia coaching staff has done from a regional recruiting standpoint. They’ve signed some of the best from western Pennsylvania and also prospects from neighboring Ohio and Maryland. While the big-name recruits in this class are upperweights, there are a lot of prospects at the hard-to-fill 125 lb weight class, along with 133. It appears that West Virginia should have some upperclassmen at those weights, so they should have time to develop. Overall, it’s great to see West Virginia amongst the recruiting heavyweights and could it be the start of many more rankings? 16. Oklahoma State Recruits: #2 Cody Merrill: Gilroy, CA (285), #21 JJ McComas: Stillwater, OK (133/141), #188 Kolter Burton: American Falls, ID (141), NR Rin Sakamoto: Jiyugaoka Gakuen, Japan (133) 2023 Ranking: #1 2022 Ranking: #6 2021 Ranking: #6 This is the recruiting class that was assembled by the previous Oklahoma State regime and Tyler Caldwell, the only holdover after David Taylor was hired. At this time, it appears all are still intending on wrestling for the Cowboys. As you look at recruiting classes years after the fact, there aren’t “that” many recruits that end up earning All-American honors and even fewer winning national championships. So, when you have a recruiting class that features a #2 overall recruit and a #21, it’s probably more likely to produce high achievements than a larger class with less credentialed prospects. Cody Merrill was arguably the top wrestler in the entire class. In each of the last two summers, Merrill dominated his way to Junior freestyle titles in Fargo. In 2021, he was a runner-up in 16U freestyle and a champion in Greco-Roman. Merrill also made a U17 World Team in Greco-Roman and he came away with a bronze medal. Maybe the only concern with Merrill is whether he’ll be able to grow into the 285 lb weight class. Last summer, JJ McComas had a huge breakout with a runner-up finish in Junior freestyle in Fargo and then he kept that momentum going with a Super 32 finals appearance. The other ranked wrestler in the class is Kolter Burton who was a five-time All-American in Fargo. Perhaps the most interesting member of the class is Japan’s Rin Sakamoto. Last year, Sakamoto was a U20 world team member in Japan. Obviously, there will be a transition period to folkstyle, but we have seen some recent examples of this gamble working out. 15. Illinois Recruits: #37 Colin Kelly: Mt. Carmel, IL (174), #39 Ryan Bennett: St. Edward, OH (149), #205 Anthony Ruzic: Auburn, IL (125), #218 Jayden Colon: St. Charles East, IL (141/149), NR Marko Ivanisevic: Hinsdale Central, IL (285), NR Jackson Herman: Cinco Ranch, TX (133/141) 2023 Ranking: #11 2022 Ranking: NR 2021 Ranking: NR A late flip by two-time Illinois state champion Colin Kelly helped push this class from the border of the top-25 to a second consecutive top-15 group for Illini head coach Mike Poeta. Kelly was an Ironman runner-up and previously had committed to Wisconsin. Right behind Kelly in the national rankings is two-time Ohio state champion Ryan Bennett. Bennett hails from the fabled St. Edward High School in Ohio which has been closely linked to Illinois for decades. In order for Bennett to claim his second state title he had to take out a top-100 prospect in Omar Ayoub. Despite being ranked lower than others in the recruiting class, Anthony Ruzic and Jayden Colon are both three-time Illinois state champions. Now Poeta has two full recruiting cycles under his belt and top-15 classes in both years. Illinois looks to be a major player now and going forward in the recruiting game. 14. Indiana Recruits: #71 Tyler Guerra: St. Charles East, IL (149), #96 Nick Pavlechko: State College, PA (285), #127 Caleb Marzolino: Abingdon Heights, PA (197), #138 Matt Hart: Western Reserve, OH (149), #148 Chris Crawford: Wyoming Seminary, PA (165), #150 Ryan Garvick: Central Dauphin, PA (165), #191 Lucas Peters: Kaukauna, WI (133), NR Chase Leech: Garrett, IN (174) 2023 Ranking: HM 2022 Ranking: NR 2021 Ranking: NR Two years in a row with a mention in the recruiting rankings - is it the start of something big in Bloomington? This wasn’t the best year for in-state talent in Indiana, so the Hoosier staff plucked talented recruits from power states within the Big Ten footprint. Indiana hasn’t had a national qualifier from Pennsylvania in over two decades. That could certainly change with this recruiting class - one that features three PA natives and another that went to high school in the state. Indiana has boosted its upperweights with a pair of state finalists from the Keystone State, Nick Pavlechkov and Caleb Marzolino. Pavlechkov placed in the top-three at the AAA state tournament on three occasions, while Marzolino was a 16U freestyle All-American in Fargo (Pavlechkov placed in Fargo in JR FR too). One of the late pickups, Tyler Guerra, was a Super 32 and Ironman placewinner who was second in Illinois AAA as a junior and third his sophomore year. An injury at the 2024 state tournament prevented him from that elusive title. The next tier of recruits for the Hoosiers includes an Ironman placer (Matt Hart), a UWW U17 freestyle AA (Chris Crawford), a three-time Pennsylvania state finalist (Ryan Garvick), and a three-time Wisconsin state finalist (Lucas Peters). Also, #59 from 2023, Sam Goin, is technically included in this class; however, for the purposes of our rankings he was counted last year - then he took a grayshirt. The 2024 NCAA Tournament saw Indiana with six representatives, which is the most for the school in almost 15 years. With back-to-back recruiting efforts like 23/24, it’s not hard to imagine them topping that number in the near future. 13. Iowa Recruits: #7 Angelo Ferrari: Melissa, TX (174/184), #64 Miguel Estrada: Frontier, CA (157), #66 Kael Voinovich: Iowa City, IA (165), #189 Keyan Hernandez: Billings West, MT (125), NR Dru Ayala: Fort Dodge, IA (125), NR Brady Benham: Sperry, OK (165), NR Otto Black: Mead, CO (141), NR Jake Howell: Cherry Creek, CO (197/285), NR Joey Kennedy: Kasson-Mantorville, MN (157) 2023 Ranking: #6 2022 Ranking: #11 2021 Ranking: #4 This is a lower-ranked recruiting class by Iowa’s standard, but one that still could be very useful. The headliner is Angelo Ferrari, a three-time Ironman champion, who was a winner at each of the last two Who’s #1 duals. Ferrari has the goods and should be in the national title hunt for the entirety of his collegiate career. On talent alone, Ferrari could have been in the hunt for the #1 overall ranking. The elephant in the room is the way his older brother's careers have played out thus far. Ordinarily, this may not be a concern; however, they are a very tight-knit family. The bottom line is, if Iowa gets four years of competition out of Ferrari, he likely outwrestles his ranking (and therefore the team’s would look better, as well). We mentioned family earlier, there are plenty of family ties between the Hawkeye Class of 2024 and the current roster. Kael Voinovich, Dru Ayala, and Joey Kennedy all have older brothers on the Iowa squad. They should help the transition from high school to college for the trio. Coming in from California is Miguel Estrada. Estrada’s ranking dropped after a tough state tournament, where he was prevented from winning his fourth state title. But, winning three California titles is an accomplishment in and of itself. Estrada was selected for the Pittsburgh Wrestling Classic and notched a win over Indiana recruit Ryan Garvick. Voinovich already followed his older brother to Iowa and notched a fourth-place finish at the Super 32 and an Iowa 3A state title. Recently, unranked Otto Black earned a spot on the U20 World Team in Greco-Roman. In 2021, he fell in the bronze medal match at the U17 World Championships.

Recruiting rankings are ready to drop and we figured we'd talk to some coaches involved in some of the most prominent recruiting class for 2024. That brings us to Rutgers - a team that has signed 8 of the top 250 prospects in the nation, including four of the top 50. Assistant coach Steve Mytych stops by to talk about assembling this group and how far in advance they knew it would be special. Mytych gives an inside look at how the Rutgers staff will put together a class, expanding Rutgers' recruiting footprint, and the benefits of signing wrestlers from consistent power programs. Before we go, Mytych does a fun word-association game with wrestlers from the Class of 2024. For the full interview:

In our new series, “The Never Too Early Lineup Look,” we’ll preview a potential lineup for a particular school. Since we’re a few months away from even the preseason, there will likely be plenty of moving parts at most schools. And that’s okay. Fans enjoy debating how their favorite teams (or rivals) could look in the upcoming season. Today, we’re checking out Lock Haven University. The Bald Eagles are led by head coach Scott Moore who is entering his 12th season at the helm. Lock Haven is looking to return to the top of the MAC Conference after finishing fourth in 2024. Three individual conference champions weren’t enough to put them within 30 points of champion Central Michigan. Lock Haven had previously won the previous two MAC Tournaments. The leader of the Bald Eagles is their 125 lber Anthony Noto, who made the NCAA podium for a second straight year. Lock Haven also had All-Americans in back-to-back years under Moore in 2018 and 2019. For the 2024-25 season, if they get a few breaks and fewer injuries, the starting ten for Lock Haven could be very tough and worthy of a dual ranking. With a potential high NCAA finish from Noto and perhaps a few others pushing for the podium, Lock Haven could break into the top-20 again. They last hit that mark in 2019 when they finished 18th in the country, behind two All-Americans. Hallmarks of Lock Haven teams under Moore have been physicality and toughness. He typically gets the most out of overlooked recruits. There are some elements to this in 2024-25; however, Lock Haven will be included in our recruiting rankings for the Class of 2024 (due later this week), so there are some talented youngsters in the pipeline (some of which could make an impact in 2024-25). This Lock Haven team will include five wrestlers with prior NCAA experience, a few others who have been on the cusp of qualification, and some hungry freshmen. 2x NCAA All-American Anthony Noto; Photo courtesy of Sam Janicki; SJanickiPhoto.com 125 lbs - Anthony Noto/Dean Houser/Lucas Fye The centerpiece and mainstay of the Lock Haven lineup has been Anthony Noto - now a two-time NCAA All-American. Though he started the 2024 NCAA Tournament as the 12th seed, Noto advanced to the national semifinals and settled in with a third-place finish. To lock up All-American honors, Noto knocked off the returning national runner-up, Matt Ramos, in sudden victory in the quarters. Through three years at Lock Haven, Noto has amassed an 85-10 career record. He has won MAC titles in each of the last three seasons - making him Lock Haven’s first three-time conference champion since 1995-97. Noto did spend time holding the #1 ranking at this crazy weight class on two occasions this season. Over the past two years, Noto has taken an unusual loss or two during the regular season; however, he comes to wrestle in the postseason. We’ll talk more about Noto in a moment, but there are a couple of true freshmen who could see time at 125 lbs this year. Dean Houser was a three-time Pennsylvania AAA state medalist (2,5,6) and ranked #130 overall in the Class of 2024. Lucas Fye finished fifth in Pennsylvania’s AA tournament on two occasions for the local Bald Eagle Area. 133 lbs - Gable Strickland/Anthony Noto Last weekend, we saw Noto compete at 61 kg at the U23 National Championships where he compiled a 6-2 record and finished in seventh place. There’s a chance we see him move up for the 2024-25 season, but at this time, the plan is to go 125. Having Noto back at 125 lbs gives Lock Haven its best lineup as it gives Gable Strickland a spot in the lineup. Strickland is a two-time MAC champion who went 1-2 at the big show last year. In the first consolation round, Strickland pulled a slight upset with a sudden victory win over #11 Zeth Romney (Cal Poly). Strickland has been one of the most durable competitors in the nation over the past two years. In 2023-24, Strickland saw action in 46 matches, winning 33. Strickland competed immediately for Lock Haven during the 2021-22 season so he does have a redshirt at his disposal. Should Noto move up, Strickland could use one this year. 141 lbs - Wyatt Henson/Conner Heckman Like Noto, someone that we recently saw in action and posting plenty of wins was Wyatt Henson who was the U23 runner-up at 65 kg. Henson started his collegiate career at Iowa but transferred to Oklahoma after a redshirt season. He earned a trip to nationals with Oklahoma, but then transferred to Lock Haven before the 2023-24 season. There were some questions surrounding Henson’s eligibility, so he couldn’t compete attached for the Bald Eagles until January. While hitting the open circuit, Henson claimed four tournament titles and won 28 of his first 29 matches. In the process, Henson lit up the scoreboard earning bonus points in just under 70% of his bouts. All of Henson’s conference duals and MAC Tournament matches ended with bonus points. Henson did have a rough showing in Kansas City, losing both of his NCAA Tournament matches despite entering the tournament with the #12 seed. Another option for Lock Haven at 141 is redshirt freshman Conner Heckman. Heckman was in the starting lineup for WrangleMania, but was injured in his second dual and didn’t wrestle for over two months. Overall, he finished the year with a 10-6 record, though he didn’t have any signature wins. Returning 149 lb starter Nick Stonecheck; Photo courtesy of Sam Janicki; SJanickiPhoto.com 149 lbs - Nick Stonecheck/Lucas Kapusta Over the past two years, Nick Stonecheck has been a solid contributor for Lock Haven and in each year he’s spent some time in the national rankings. 2024-25 should be the year he takes the next step and firmly cements himself as a national qualifier. During the 2023-24 regular season, Stonecheck picked up a win over the eventual conference champion and NCAA All-American Quinn Kinner (Rider). But in the postseason, he went 1-2 and wasn’t able to place at one of the MAC’s deepest weights. Stonecheck has been able to put together a 42-23 record in his last two seasons. For this upcoming year, he’ll need to continue some of the long winning streaks he’s been able to string together, yet cut down on the losing skids that have seemed to follow. Right on Stonecheck’s heels is redshirt freshman Lucas Kapusta. Kapusta is coming off a 19-8 redshirt campaign that saw him compete primarily in open tournaments. During his only dual appearance of the year, Kapusta downed Navy’s Kaemen Smith, 10-3. He also picked up a win over Buffalo’s national qualifier Nick Stampoulos, who we’ll mention shortly. 157 lbs - Nick Stampoulos/Connor Eck Like most of the lineup, Lock Haven has another 2023-24 starter returning in Conner Eck. Eck spent the first month and a half of the season competing in open tournaments, but broke into the Lock Haven lineup at the Collegiate Duals. He started the 2024 calendar year strongly, but ended in a slump that saw him lose his final four duals and then Eck went 0-2 at the MAC Championships. After three years with Lock Haven, Eck has a 48-42 record. Lock Haven has typically been active in the transfer portal and this offseason was no exception. With the Buffalo coaching change, Nick Stampoulos put his name in the portal and decided to stay in the MAC and wrestle for the Bald Eagles. Stampoulos started the 2023-24 season at 149 lbs, but wisely moved up to 157 and went on a late-season run at the new weight. His second match at 157 lbs was a 7-3 victory over Eck. Despite coming into the MAC Tournament unseeded, Stampoulos managed to take out a pair of top-five seeds to make the semifinals. An 11-1 major decision in the consolations, over former qualifier Marcus Robinson, ensured Stampoulos would finish in the top-four and qualify for nationals. At his first NCAA Tournament, Stampoulos went 0-2 - losing to a wrestler he beat at the MAC Championships, Colton Washleski. 165 lbs - Avery Bassett/Caden Dobbins Like 157 lbs, we have an incumbent that could get pushed by a transfer. Avery Bassett has started for three years in the MAC and accumulated a 53-20 record, spending his freshman year at George Mason and moving to Lock Haven before the 2022-23 season. Despite a 19-5 record and a third-place finish in 2023, Bassett was unable to secure a trip to the NCAA Tournament. Last year, Bassett spent time in the national rankings but dropped out after some early losses. Bassett was injured during the Little Rock dual in mid-January and was lost for the year. To that point, his most significant win of the season was a fall over Bubba Wilson (Nebraska), a returning national qualifier, at the Navy Classic. Provided he’s healthy, Bassett seems like a logical breakout candidate for 2024-25 and a threat to make his first national tournament. Helping out at 165 lbs will be Bloomsburg transfer Caden Dobbins. Dobbins was likely the Huskies top grappler in 2023-24 with a 19-13 record and a fourth-place finish at the MAC Tournament. During his conference tournament run, Dobbins was able to record wins over the second and fifth seeds. Now in a room with a deeper talent pool, Dobbins may develop at a quicker pace and be ready to unseat Bassett as the projected starter. Both wrestlers do have a redshirt year available, so if a starter emerges early on, we could see Coach Moore going the redshirt route with the other. 2023 NCAA Qualifier Tyler Stoltzfus; Photo courtesy of Sam Janicki; SJanickiPhoto.com 174 lbs - Tyler Stoltzfus/Ousmane Duncanson Before this year’s recruiting class, one of the most highly-ranked signees for Coach Moore’s team was Tyler Stoltzfus, who was ranked #55 in the Class of 2020. Stoltzfus went 21-14 as a freshman, then 31-14 the following year to qualify for the 2023 NCAA Championships. Stoltzfus’ 2023-24 campaign never really got off the ground, as he missed the first month-plus of the season and went 1-2 at his debut - the Collegiate Duals. Stoltzfus never could build any momentum and ended up finishing in sixth place in a MAC weight class that was only allocated two spots at nationals. If back to his 2022-23 form, Stoltzfus could help make this a rock-solid Lock Haven lineup. Don’t be surprised to see true freshman Ousmane Duncanson get some reps in dual competitions during the first semester. Duncanson is a New York state champion who was ranked #200 overall in the Class of 2024. In each of the last two years, Duncanson has reached the fifth-place bout at the NHSCA grade-level tournament. 184 lbs - Colin Fegley/James Lledo A couple of veterans will fight it out to see who gets the starting spot at 184 lbs. The returning starter is sixth-year senior Colin Fegley. Fegley has won 16 matches or more in each of the last two seasons and has been Lock Haven’s entry in the postseason for the last four. Fegley has finished in fourth place at the last two MAC Tournaments. During the 2023-24 regular season, Fegley notched a win over the Naval Academy’s David Key, who went on to earn All-American honors later in the year. Another new addition to the Lock Haven lineup is Pittsburgh transfer James Lledo. Lledo saw significant action during the 2021-22 and 2022-23 season’s though he was never the Panthers long-term starter. One of his best performances came at the 2021 Clarion Open, where Lledo won four of his five bouts, defeating Key and Fegley, along with Maryland’s Kyle Cochran. Lledo did not get any mat time in 2023-24, so it’s difficult to judge exactly where he’s at right now, though a wrestle-off between the pair is likely tight. #27 overall recruit Tucker Hogan at the Pittsburgh Wrestling Classic; Photo courtesy of Sam Janicki; SJanickiPhoto.com 197 lbs - Tucker Hogan/Cole Bartram Coach Moore really wanted to add some talent to the upperweights and that’s what they have at 197 lbs with a pair of true freshmen that could find their way into the lineup immediately in year one. Tucker Hogan is a massive recruit for the Bald Eagles, coming in at #27 overall in the Class of 2024. Hogan won a pair of AAA Pennsylvania state titles and did so by defeating……Cole Bartram both times. Hogan was also a two-time Fargo All-American, both in freestyle, and once per age division, to go along with a fifth-place finish at the Super 32. After winning his second state title, Hogan was selected to represent Team Pennsylvania at the Pittsburgh Wrestling Classic. Bartram is a three-time Pennsylvania state placewinner and was third in the country at NHSCA Sophomore Nationals in 2022. He has been listed as a 184/197 lb recruit, so his 2024-25 weight could be decided once he hits the Lock Haven campus in the fall. Ideally, you’d like to have Hogan take the 197 lb by storm and redshirt Bartram for his first year, then have a potent 1-2 punch at the back of the LHU lineup. 285 lbs - Ethan Miller It appeared as if veteran Isaac Reid would be the starter for the 2023-24 season; however, he was unavailable and Ethan Miller was thrust into the Lock Haven lineup and fought to a 6-22 record. Miller ended up going 0-2 at his first MAC Tournament. Aside from your top, blue-chip athletes, heavyweights tend to take longer to develop and physically mature to handle the rigors of DI wrestling. That could be the case here for Miller. With another year in the Lock Haven room and some young talented training partners, maybe we will see a big step forward in 2024-25. Previous “Never Too Early Lineup Look:” Oregon State

Bishop McDevitt

Chestnut Ridge

Fort Dodge

Last night, first-year Utah Valley head coach Adam Hall received his most significant commitment during his short tenure as Wolverine head coach. Penn State graduate Terrell Barraclough has decided to come back to his home state and use his final year of eligibility at UVU. Barraclough was never the postseason starter for Penn State, but has shown that he has the potential to make a deep NCAA Tournament run if given the opportunity. With returning wrestlers like NCAA champion Levi Haines, runner-up Mitchell Mesenbrink, and Alex Facundo returning from 157-174 lbs - it doesn’t appear that there would have been a spot for him in the Nittany Lion lineup. During the 2023-24 season, Barraclough amassed a 12-2 record and saw action in three dual meets. His only losses on the came to the eventual second and third-place finishers at 165 lbs (teammate Mitchell Mesenbrink and Shane Griffith - Michigan). Early in the season, Barraclough scored a win via fall over returning NCAA Round of 12 finisher Caleb Fish (Michigan State). During his final appearance of the year, Barraclough bumped up to 174 lbs for the Rutgers dual and defeated former All-American Jackson Turley. In 2022-23, Barraclough went 7-3 at 157 lbs and tallied wins over four All-Americans. Utah Valley will have only one NCAA qualifier returning (Haiden Drury/133 lbs - 2022), so the addition of someone with Barraclough’s potential is a great start for Hall. Back in Utah, Barraclough won four state titles for Layton High School - becoming the first wrestler in school history to accomplish the feat. He was also a champion at the Reno Tournament of Champions and a runner-up at NHSCA Senior Nationals. Before his commitment to the Wolverines, Barraclough was one of the most impactful names left in the transfer portal.

Men’s Freestyle 61 kg Bronze Medal Match: Nahshon Garrett over Nika Zakashvili (Georgia) 13-3 Semifinals: Taiyrbek Zhumashbek Uulu (Kyrgyzstan) over Nahshon Garrett Fall 4:58 Quarterfinals: Nahshon Garrett over Abdelhak Kherbache (Algeria) FFT 70 kg Bronze Medal Match: Akaki Kemertelidze (Georgia) over Evan Henderson 14-4 Quarterfinals: Arman Andreasyan (Armenia) over Evan Henderson 9-2 86 kg Gold Medal Match: Hassan Yazdani (Iran) over Trent Hidlay 12-2 Semifinals: Trent Hidlay over Evsem Shvelidze (Georgia) 13-3 Quarterfinals: Trent Hidlay over Bobur Islomov (Uzbekistan) 11-0 125 kg Gold Medal Match: Mason Parris over Yusup Batirmurzaev (Kazakhstan) Fall :34 Semifinals: Mason Parris over Jonovan Smith (Puerto Rico) 10-0 Quarterfinals: Mason Parris over Givi Matcharashvili (Georgia) 9-2 Women’s Freestyle 50 kg Round of 16: Nadezhda Sokolova (Russia) over Audrey Jimenez (USA) 10-0 55 kg Bronze Medal Match: Amanda Martinez over Mariana Dragutan (Moldova) 11-2 Semifinals: Jowita Wrzesien (Poland) over Amanda Martinez Fall 2:09 Round Robin 3: Amanda Martinez over Marina Sedneva (Kazakhstan) 12-2 Round Robin 2: Amanda Martinez over Roza Szenttamasi (Hungary) Fall 1:32 62 kg Quarterfinals: Orkhon Purevdorj (Mongolia) over Kayla Miracle 14-10 Greco-Roman 60 kg Quarterfinals: Abdelkarim Fergat (Algeria) over Dalton Roberts 6-3 72 kg Quarterfinals: Shmagi Bolkvadze (Georgia) over Alex Sancho 3-2 77 kg Quarterfinals: Burhan Akbudak (Turkey) over Jesse Porter 9-0 82 kg Bronze Medal Match: Karlo Kodric (Croatia) over Spencer Woods Fall 1:32 Semifinals: Gela Bolkvadze (Georgia) over Spencer Woods 9-0 Quarterfinals: Spencer Woods over Ashkan Saadati Fard (Iran) 10-3 87 kg Round of 16: Ali Cengiz (Turkey) over Payton Jacobson 4-1 97 kg Bronze Medal Match: Giorgi Melia (Georgia) over Joe Rau 11-4 Repechage: Joe Rau over Tamas Levai (Hungary) FFT Quarterfinals: Mohammadhadi Saravi (Iran) over Joe Rau 10-1 130 kg Round of 16: Abdellatif Mohamed (Egypt) over Adam Coon 3-1

June 7 ONE 167 (Prime Video) Blake Cooper (Warner Pacific) vs. Kade Ruotolo June 7 Ring of Combat 84 (torotv.net) Cole Cameron (Elizabethtown) vs. Eliab Evangelista David Rice (NYU) vs. Nick Navarro Andrew Stock (Johnson & Wales) vs. Alberto Borgwardt June 7 DCS 92 “Summer Kickoff 2024” (TrillerTV) Taylor Escamilla (Omaha) vs. Zach Hughes Carter Cox (Cumberland) vs. Francisco Juan June 7 LFA 185 (UFC Fight Pass) Richie Lewis (Rutgers) vs. Kagan Gennrich (Wisconsin) Jordan Burkholder (Miskingum) vs. Miguel Sanson June 8 UFC Fight Night (ESPN+) Punahele Soriano (Wartburg) vs. Miguel Baeza Cody Stamann (Grand Valley State) vs. Taylor Lapilus Julian Marquez (Missouri Valley) vs. Zachary Reese John Castaneda (Minnesota State Mankato) vs. Daniel Marco June 9 RIZIN 47 (RIZIN.tv) Juan Archuleta (Purdue) vs. Kleber Koike Erbst June 9 Fury FC 91 (UFC Fight Pass) Freddie Rodriguez (SIU-E) vs. Paris Moran* Austin O’Connor (North Carolina) Camden Fontenot Don Doyle (Texas Wesleyan) vs. Sam Kilmer June 13 PFL 4 2024 (ESPN+) Tyrell Fortune (Grand Canyon) vs. Marcelo Golm Timothy Johnson (Minnesota State Moorhead) vs. Danilo Marques June 15 UFC Fight Night (ESPN+) Alex Perez (West Hills) vs. Tatsuro Taira June 21 PFL 5 2024 (ESPN+) Josh Silveira (Arizona State) vs. Rob Wilkinson Alex Polizzi (Northwestern) vs. Antonio Carlos Junior Andrew Sanchez (McKendree) vs. Karl Albrektsson June 22 UFC on ABC 6 (ABC/ESPN+) Khamzat Chimaev (Swedish national champion) vs. Robert Whittaker (Australian national champion) Kelvin Gastelum (North Idaho) vs. Daniel Rodriguez June 22 Bellator Champions Series 3 (MAX) Tyler Mathison (St. Cloud State) vs. Khasan Magomedsharipov June 28 PFL 6 2024 (ESPN+) Logan Storley (Minnesota) vs. Laureano Staropoli Brennan Ward (Johnson & Wales) vs. Magomed Umalatov Bubba Jenkins (Penn State/Arizona State) vs. Gabriel Braga Jordan Oliver (Oklahoma State) vs. Isaiah Hokit (Drexel/Fresno State) Tyler Diamond (NDSU) vs. Jose Perez June 29 UFC 303 (ESPN PPV) Michael Chandler (Missouri) vs. Conor McGregor

Earlier this week, Purdue announced that Leroy Vega had been promoted to head assistant coach. Vega sits down with Kevin Claunch to talk about how he came to the program, supposedly just "twice a week" with the RTC and now he's the head assistant five years later. He also talks about the evolution of Purdue wrestling since he's been in West Lafayette and the recruiting and camp season. Looking back, Vega shares some excellent JRob stories, talks about how a subpar performance at the NCAA Tournament his senior year helped change his life, and the intensity of the 28-day camps. They close with Vega disclosing who is Purdue's best handball player and the guy that "thinks" he's the best. For the full interview:

Baylor School

As we hit the outer edges of Spring and edge into Summer, I admit I’ve checked out a bit when it comes to the wrestling world. Which probably isn't a good thing when I’m supposed to be writing about the sport on a weekly basis. Quite frankly, I don’t know how the pros can keep coming up with content to produce on a daily basis. But that’s why they win awards and I’m up early on a Friday trying to think of something you might enjoy reading while on the edge of your toilet bowl. Much like the movie Edge of Tomorrow, I‘m just trying to reset the day after every Mets loss until they can string a few wins together and we can move on. This bullpen has me living on the edge, that’s for sure. I’ve just about run out of ways to work the word “edge” into this article so perhaps it’s time to move on to the questions and bang out the edgiest column in this sport of ours. How do I deal with the boredom until wrestling starts again? Rage Against the Pusheen Do what I did and start watching the WNBA. Some of the games are just wild. And no, I don’t give a you-know-what about Caitlin Clark. I’m all New York Liberty. My Libs are on a five-game heater and have the real greatest college player ever in Breanna Stewart. I will break the Jagger jinx of all my sports teams being terrible or I will take this team down with me. But there is still some wrestling out there so don’t go all Budd Dwyer just yet. Last week, we had the U20 and U23 trials and we’re only about a month away from Fargo. Usually, we are gearing up for Final X right now so it does seem to be a bit more of a lull with the Olympic Teams already set. There’s also a good handful of international events coming up and I’m sure we will have some alliterative Summer tournaments here and there if you’re really jonesing for some action. Right now your best bet is to hole up in the air conditioner and catch up on some TV as some good shows are actually coming back in the next few weeks. HotD comes back on HBO next week if you’re still into the whole Game of Thrones thing. The Bear comes back soon if comedies that aren’t actually comedies are your thing. If comedies that ARE actually comedies are your thing, I suggest knocking out the first two seasons of Shoresy on Hulu. Season three starts in two weeks which gives you plenty of time to watch all twelve episodes at least twice. It’s edgy Canadian humor at its best. Also, you live in San Francisco. Just go sit on the dock of the bay until the Olympics start. Watch the tide roll away. There’s also Trent Hidlay against Yazdani in a few hours, so that’s pretty cool. Jags, who will be the next head coach hired? Not assistants, not volunteers. Who will take these NY-centric jobs? I feel like an HC opportunity should garner more interest than it feels like there’s been. We need your insight. Who would AD Jagger hire? Kevin Claunch Your guess is as good as mine. Probably better. I admit it would behoove these schools to maybe hire a head man considering the next recruiting cycle is about to start. If I’m Hofstra, I’m thinking outside the box and kicking the tires on Vito Arujau’s dad. Take a chance. If I’m Columbia, I’m promoting from within and going with Joe Nord. Or both schools can choose from some of the other thousand candidates out there. What would you do if you saw CLAW coming through your neighborhood? Richard Mann Let me tell you something, brother. You know you’re interested to see what CLAW is all about. And I’m interested in wiping the floor with celebrity GM Billy Baldwin as the leader of my own team. But perhaps my profile isn’t famous enough to run a team. Perhaps the brother of Biodome star Stephen Baldwin is blackballing me from the league. Whatever the conspiracy is, this league needs Jagger. You know it and I know it. What's the best snack for summer? What will be the breakout song of the Summer? Burger King of Kings Ice cream, of course. As a Burger King guy, you should be partial to the Hershey Sundae Pie if that still exists. Summer song you say? I have been out of the loop on new music for over a decade now so you're asking the wrong guy. Do you know that I’ve never heard a Drake song? I mean, I’m sure I have, but I just don’t know that it’s him. Back in my prime, the Summer song usually came from the Summer hit movie and I feel we’ve lost that dynamic somewhere along the way. That’s sad. If I had my druthers, and I still don’t know what that means, the Summer song would be Far Behind by Candlebox. Thirty years running now and those opening chords still take me back to 1994. A glorious time. A simpler and more innocent time. Except for that whole OJ thing. Well, I’ve just about hit the edge of my deadline and it’s time to go to my other job. Have a good weekend, all. And thanks for reading!

Springboro

Bishop Hartley

Tampa Jesuit

In the month since David Taylor was named head coach at Oklahoma State University, we’ve seen the Cowboys get multiple commitments from All-American transfers. First, Wyatt Hendrickson and then Cam Amine. Now we’ve seen the first high school wrestlers to commit to OSU under Taylor’s direction. This evening, Willie Saylor reported that Oklahoma 6A state champion Kody Routledge (Edmond North, Oklahoma) has flipped his commitment from Nebraska to stay in-state and attend Oklahoma State. In MatScouts recent update for the 2025 Big Board, Routledge moved up from #30 to #16 overall among rising high school seniors. Before winning his first state title, Routledge made the finals of the Super 32 and Walsh Ironman in late 2023. Also in 2023, Routledge was fifth in Junior freestyle in Fargo and third in U17 freestyle at the UWW Trials in Vegas. The previous year he was a 16U freestyle national champion in Fargo. Over the weekend, Routledge participated in the U20 World Team Trials. He went 2-2 and took fourth place at 74 kg. During his high school career, Routledge was a state finalist as a sophomore and fourth in his freshman year. Routledge projects at 157 or 165 lbs at the next level. The Cowboys don’t have any young blue-chippers at either weight; however, they do have 2025 #2 Ladarion Lockett (Stillwater, OK) and #107 Beau Hickman (Tuttle, OK) committed for 2025 in this weight range. A potential Routledge/Lockett one-two punch could be a very imposing middle of the lineup in the future. Oklahoma State now has six commitments from Big Boarder’s from the Class of 2025 and seven total. Here are the other six that Routledge will join.

With the Olympic Team set and all of the quotas determined, one of the only things left in the run up to the 2024 Olympic Games is the Ranking Series event. Budapest, Hungary was the host for the Polyak Imre & Varga Janos Memorial Ranking Series event which will be used to determine seeds in Paris. At the Olympic level, not everyone necessarily cares about the seeds, which you can tell by the fact that not all countries or individuals have decided to participate. Some like the event as a tune-up or trial run for the real competition. On Thursday, the only US Olympian in action was men’s freestyle heavyweight Mason Parris at 125 kgs. The 2023 World bronze medalist proved he is ready for Paris by winning the gold medal against some quality competition. In the quarterfinals, Parris squared off with Givi Matcharashvili (Georgia) who has bounced between 97 and 125 kg over the last few years. Earlier this year, Matcharashvili won a European title at the lower weight. Additionally, he’s claimed World bronze medals at 97 kg in each of the last two years and has qualified for the Olympic Games at that weight. Parris controlled the action and cruised to a 9-2 victory. In the semifinals, Parris crushed Puerto Rico’s Jonovan Smith 10-0 in under a minute. That set up a finals matchup against Yusup Batirmurzaev of Kazakhstan. Batirmurzaev is the same opponent who Parris defeated in the opening round at the 2023 World Championships. The Kazakh big man made the finals after pinning 3x world champion and 10x World/Olympic medalist Geno Petriashvili (Georgia). As is typically the case, Parris got to his offense first and was in on a single leg. Batirmurzaev attempted to counter and expose the American, but ended up putting himself on his back and never was able to escape and gave up a fall in only :34 seconds. Parris wasn’t the only American in action on Thursday. Nahshon Garrett (61 kg) and Evan Henderson (70 kg) also took the mat. Garrett posted a 13-3 tech over Nika Zakashvili (Georgia) to earn a bronze medal. Henderson went 0-2 on the day and was fifth.

In our new series, “The Never Too Early Lineup Look,” we’ll preview a potential lineup for a particular school. Since we’re a few months away from even the preseason, there will likely be plenty of moving parts at most schools. And that’s okay. Fans enjoy debating how their favorite teams (or rivals) could look in the upcoming season. This feature kicks off by looking at Oregon State University. The Beavers will enter their fifth season under the direction of Chris Pendleton. Under Pendleton, the Beavers have gone 27-20 in dual competition and had wrestlers earn All-American honors on six occasions. In Pac-12 competition, Oregon State has finished second in the conference tournament on two occasions and took the title in 2023. In 2024, Little Rock slipped ahead of Oregon State by 4.5 points to claim second place. With conference realignment rearing its head again, the Pac-12 has seen almost all of its members flee to other conferences (for all sports). That leaves us wondering how it will impact wrestling and Oregon State? InterMat has been told that the Pac-12 has been giving a waiver to drop below six teams and will generally hold their conference tournament, as usual - minus Arizona State. Circling back to Oregon State, the Beavers will return a team that features only three wrestlers with past NCAA experience - including one All-American; however, there are some promising new faces and returning starters that have shown flashes of brilliance. 125 - Maximo Renteria Oregon State will look at a new face in the lineup at 125 lbs for the first time in a long time after five-year starter and 2022 All-American Brandon Kaylor has exhausted his eligibility. Hoping to stake his claim to the starting role for multiple years is Maximo Renteria who transferred from Illinois prior to the 2023-24 season. Renteria was the #29 overall recruit in the Class of 2021 after winning three state titles for Buchanan High School. In his only season as the full-time starter for Illinois, Renteria went 4-14 and did not qualify for the NCAA Tournament. Looking at his first year in Corvallis, Renteria has one win that stands out more than any other. He posted a 9-5 win over the eventual NCAA champion Richie Figueroa (Arizona State) during a late-season dual. Obviously, Figueroa improved as the year went on, but that’s still indicative of Renteria’s upside. All-in-all, Renteria went 6-0 during the 2023-24 season with four wins over DI competitors. With Renteria in the fold, the Beaver staff should be able to redshirt true freshman Hunter Taylor of Liberty High School in Missouri. Taylor was the #112 recruit in the Class of 2024 and won a pair of Junior National freestyle titles in Fargo. 133 - Gabe Whisenhunt/Damion Elliott 133 lbs isn’t quite as clear-cut as 125 lbs. There are two solid options, both of which should see time in the OSU lineup. The incumbent is Gabe Whisenhunt, a redshirt sophomore. Whisenhunt started his first official year of competition with a win over returning All-American Sam Latona (Virginia Tech) at the Southeast Open, which put him into the national rankings. Whisenhunt couldn’t necessarily build off that momentum and then ran into a tough stretch that saw him face top-12 opponents in each of his four January duals. Whisenhunt eventually finished the year 10-11 and fourth in the Pac-12 and missed out on a trip to nationals. The other main option for the Beavers at 133 is another redshirt sophomore, Damion Elliott. He did not see action during the 2023-24 season, but did split matches with Whisenhunt during their redshirt campaign. Aside from that victory, Elliott’s most notable win during the 2022-23 season came over Hunter Leake (California Baptist) who would make the NCAA Tournament in 2024. 141 - Nash Singleton Oregon State lost their 2023-24 starter and Round of 12 finisher, Cleveland Belton, to the transfer portal. With the spot at 141 seemingly open, look for last year’s starter at 149 lbs, Nash Singleton, to move down to handle the starting role. Like Whisenhunt, Singleton started the year strong. He picked up wins at the Menlo and Mike Clock Opens before taking sixth at the Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational. In Vegas, Singleton managed an 8-6 win over eventual All-American Quinn Kinner (Rider). After Vegas, Singleton only managed one non-forfeit win during the remainder of the regular season. He would finish the year fourth in the Pac-12. Since Singleton might be moving down a weight, you could make the case that he may have been outgunned at a higher weight as the year progressed. 149 - Noah Tolentino With Singleton likely headed down to 141 lbs, it appears as if Noah Tolentino is the man at 149 lbs. Tolentino is a redshirt sophomore who could be a breakout candidate for Oregon State in 2024-25. Last year, he started the season as the starter at the season-opening quad at the University of North Carolina. Tolentino went unbeaten at the event but suffered an injury and was lost for the year. At UNC he was able to pick up an overtime win over the host school’s starter Jayden Scott - who ended up as a borderline national qualifying candidate. During Tolentino’s redshirt season, he was 12-7 with the best win coming over Army West Point’s Matthew Williams, a national qualifier a year later. Keep an eye out for Tolentino as the 2024-25 season progresses. 157 - Steele Starren/CJ Hamblin Oregon State had some issues at 157 during the 2023-24 season and ended up starting redshirt freshman CJ Hamblin for the final dual of the year and in the Pac-12 Championships. Hamblin was 7-6 overall, but only 2-3 versus DI competition. Moving down and throwing his hat into the ring at 157 lbs is Steele Starren. Starren came to Oregon State prior to the 2023-24 season after winning a NJCAA national title at Clackamas. We don’t have much of a frame of reference for Starren at the DI level as he didn’t take the mat for Oregon State last year. 165 - Matthew Olguin During the 2023-24 season, Oregon State had All-American Travis Wittlake transfer back to his home state and looked poised for a big year at 174 lbs. Wittlake, unfortunately, suffered a tragic accident while working on his truck and was unable to compete for the remainder of the season. With 174 lbs unexpectedly open, Matthew Olguin moved up and saw the bulk of the dual action at the weight. He went 5-3 at the weight, but didn’t have any signature wins, and gave way to Mason Reiniche at the conference tournament. For 2024-25, Olguin is expected to go back to 165 lbs, the same weight class where he defeated Shane Griffith (Stanford) to win the 2023 Pac-12 title. Olguin is also a two-time CKLV Invitational placewinner, taking third in 2022 and seventh in 2023. Back at 165 lbs, Olguin could be a serious podium contender for Oregon State. 174 - Sean Harman Once again, Oregon State will fill the 174 lb weight class with a graduate transfer coming home. Sean Harman spent five years at Missouri and will finish his career in his home state. Harman has spent significant time in the Mizzou lineup and was even in the national rankings. Some of his biggest wins have come over All-American Dustin Plott (Oklahoma State) and NCAA Round of 12 finisher Hayden Hastings (Wyoming). In 2023-24, Harman did not suit up for a dual meet with the Tigers but did go 10-6. With regular reps and dual meet action as the probable starter, Harman could be in the running for a conference title in 2024-25. Reiniche should be in the mix, as well. Last season, he picked up a pair of wins over past national qualifiers on his way to a 16-9 record. Redshirt sophomore, Graham Gambrall, also had plenty of mat time in 2023-24, though he did not compete in any duals. Gambrall was 18-7 in open competition though the bulk of his wins came against non-DI competition. 184 - Trey Munoz The centerpiece of the Oregon State lineup is two-time All-American Trey Munoz. Munoz has made the NCAA podium in each of the last two years and has gone 51-7 during that time. In each of those two seasons, Munoz has made the NCAA semifinals and fallen to Parker Keckeisen (Northern Iowa). After an uncharacteristic showing at the CKLV, Munoz lost only twice during the rest of the 2023-24 season and both came to the eventual national finalists. Along the way, he captured a third consecutive Pac-12 championship. At the 2024 NCAA Tournament, Munoz rebounded from his semifinal loss to Keckeisen to finish third after pinning former conference rival, Bernie Truax (Penn State), and holding off freshman Bennett Berge (South Dakota State) 9-7 in his final bout. His finish was the highest for an Oregon State wrestler since Amar Dhesi was third in 2018 at 285 lbs. If you were paying attention to U23 Nationals, you might have noticed that Munoz was competing at 92 kg, which is slightly over 200 lbs. At these offseason tournaments, you never know what to make of weights. Some wrestlers don’t want to cut weight like they would during the regular season. At this point, it looks like Munoz is still targeting a return to 184 lbs. 197 - Justin Rademacher We’ve written a lot about the U20 World Team within the last week. The only member of the team that actually competed during the collegiate postseason in 2023-24 was Justin Rademacher. Rademacher made the team after unseating a previous U20 world bronze medalist in Camden McDanel. In a veteran-laded 197 lb weight class last season, Rademacher may have flown under the radar, a bit. His performance at the U20 Trials may prevent that from happening again. Rademacher was labeled the #56 overall recruit in the Class of 2023 and made his way into the Beaver lineup immediately. While Rademacher compiled some early wins against solid competition, it wasn’t until late in the regular season that he proved that was ready for a postseason run. In OSU’s dual with Stanford, he majored veteran national qualifier Nick Stemmet - an opponent that defeated him in Vegas. Rademacher would duplicate that result at the Pac-12 Championships. At his first national tournament, Rademacher went 1-2 with a win over the #13 seeded SoCon champion Levi Hopkins (Campbell). Since Rademacher immediately competed in 2023-24, he does have a redshirt available. While a redshirt isn’t likely, Oregon State does have plenty of options behind him at the weight with Asher Ruchti, Mason Christiansen, Brett Mower, Vaun Halstead, and Donivan Giangregorio. 285 - Aden Attao/Charley Hastriter During the 2023-24 season, graduate transfer Boone McDermott held down the fort at 285 lbs and was a conference runner-up and top-15 seed at nationals. Now, Oregon State has to turn the page and will have a pair of options at heavyweight. Rademacher isn’t the only U20 world teamer on the roster, Aden Attao is a U20 world bronze medalist in Greco-Roman and just made the squad for a third consecutive year. While Attao’s best results have come in Greco, he does have a very good freestyle resume, too. Regardless, his talent should translate to folkstyle at heavyweight. In Attao’s only match during his redshirt campaign, he pinned teammate Charley Hastriter. Hastriter is a junior who has gone 11-12 over the past two seasons. During that time, he’s seen action in four duals and picked up wins in three of them.

There are always some standout statistical performances at the big summer tournaments, but the recent U23 Nationals event appeared to really turn some heads. The following looks at some of the top performances and some other odd statistical occurrences. Point Differential After a big tournament, point differential is often one of the most interesting metrics to look at, because it measures both a wrestler’s offensive and defensive performance simultaneously. In most cases, the top performers in terms of point differential have had the most impressive tournaments. That is certainly the case when looking at this past weekend’s U23 freestyle nationals. The heavyweight champion Lucas Stoddard averaged 4.92 points per minute while allowing his opponents to only score 0.07. His resulting +4.85 point differential was the highest across the tournament by a pretty wide margin. This past season as a freshman at Army West Point, Stoddard went 22-16 and qualified for the NCAA tournament. He came up short in his quest to become an All-American as he dropped both of his NCAA matches against veterans Lucas Davison (Michigan) and Hunter Catka (Virginia Tech). Stoddard’s performance in freestyle paints the picture of a competitor ready to take another step forward. The Black Knight wrestler entered the event as the 30th seed, but he was still able to win all seven of his matches by superiority. He allowed only a single match point in the event. That point came against Logan Shephard in the quarterfinals. In the first 30 seconds of the match, the Bucknell wrestler was able to get to a standing single. It looked like he was going to be able to finish the hold, but Stoddard held his whizzer, and Shephard was forced to settle for a step out. Stoddard then took over. By the time the buzzer sounded for the end of the first period, he was up 11-1, and the match was over. In the finals, Stoddard faced off against a familiar opponent. This past college season, he faced off twice against conference rival Nathan Taylor of Lehigh. Their first meeting came in early November. Taylor scored a 19-3 technical fall with nearly two minutes left in the bout. They rematched in February, and the Lehigh wrestler was slightly less dominant and walked away with a 15-3 major decision. Perhaps Stoddard learned something from those encounters, he has an edge in freestyle or both. This past weekend, it was entirely one-way traffic in the opposite direction. Stoddard scored a pair of 10-0 victories, and Taylor failed to even make it out of the first period. Top Five Point Differentials 125 kg: Lucas Stoddard +4.85 79 kg: Patrick Kennedy +3.63 86 kg: John Gunderson +3.51 61 kg: Drake Ayala +3.11 61 kg: Nic Bouzakis +2.71 Points per Minute East Stroudsburg wrestler Luke Ciampa went 26-10 this past season but came up short of qualifying for the NCAA Division II tournament. He has one year left to try to earn a trip to the national tournament. If his performance at U23 nationals is any indication, he will not be afraid to go for it. He finished only 2-2 at 86 kg in the event, but all of his matches were fast and decisive. Both of Ciampa’s victories were finished inside the first period. He scored a 13-2 superiority victory over Luke Justice and pinned Jet Galbreath while leading by a 10-2 score. On the other side of the equation, both of his losses were shutout 10-0 victories in under a minute. Interestingly, all of the quick matches left him with the highest scoring rate of the entire tournament. He averaged 5.17 points per minute, which slightly outpaced Stoddard. Even with the high scoring rate, his boom-or-bust style left him with a substandard point differential. He actually finished with a negative point differential (-0.22) as his opponents average 5.39 points per minute Top Five Points per Minute 86 kg: Luke Ciampa 5.17 125 kg: Lucas Stoddard 4.92 70 kg: Samuel Hillegas 4.66 79 kg: Brendon Abdon 4.56 65 kg: Carter Schmidt 4.55 Points Against per Minute As previously established, Stoddard allowed only one point on his way to the title at 125 kg. However, he surprisingly did not have the best points against per minute rate. That honor belongs to Massoma Endene. Like Stoddard, he only allowed a single point on his path to the title at 97 kg. However, he had slightly less match time, so he finished with 0.05 points against per minute rate, which eclipses Stoddard’s 0.07. The score against Endene came in the semifinals where he faced off against Stanford’s Nick Stemmet. While holding a 7-0 lead, Endene avoided a hard charge from Stemmet. He held off the takedown, but he did step out in the scramble. That was the only point he allowed in the tournament. For the last two seasons, Endene was wrestling for Wartburg. He was 54-1 and captured a pair of Division III national titles at 197 pounds. This past season, he transferred to Wisconsin, and he is expected to start for the Badgers in the brutal Big Ten conference. Top Five Points Against Per Minute 97 kg: Massoma Endene 0.05 125 kg: Lucas Stoddard 0.07 92 kg: Jacob Cardenas 0.14 65 kg: Roman De La Cruz 0.17 79 kg: Patrick Kennedy 0.20 Highest Scoring Match In some big tournaments like this, wrestlers will drop out of the event once they hit the consolation bracket. Some other wrestlers will end up in shootouts and fill up the scoreboard. Benjamin Mower and Mikey Squires met in the 86 kg consolation Round of 16 and ended up combining for a whopping 52 points, which was the most of the tournament. It was clear from the start that it was going to be a high-scoring match. Mower scored a step out in the first five seconds of the contest. He then scored a takedown and a pair of gut wrenches to go up 7-0. However, Squires scored a reversal of his own and followed that up with a turn. After multiple scrambles and reviews, the two went to the break with Mower leading by a 14-13 score. The second period was more of the same as both wrestlers continued to get to their offense. Eventually, Mower was able to take over late in the contest. He held a 23-21 lead with 1:16 left in the bout. He spun behind for a takedown and then went to work on top with a pair of gut wrenches. That put him up 29-21. When the match returned to its feet, Squires was visibly exhausted, and Mower got behind for another score. The match was finally over. Top Four Highest Scoring Matches 86 kg: Benjamin Mower defeated Mikey Squires 31-21 79 kg: Brodie Porter defeated Brady Schuh 26-20 74 kg: Christopher Earnest defeated Tyler Swiderski 21-19 61 kg: Kevin Honas defeated Genaro De La Garza 20-19 Will Lewan Most Match Time Award The large brackets can also make for some extensive runs through the consolation bracket. Nobody in the tournament spent more time on the mats than Oklahoma State’s Brayden Thomspon. The redshirt freshman lost against Maximus Hale in the Round of 16, but he fought all the way back to a sixth-place finish. Along the way, Thompson wrestled nine matches and collected 47:55 of match time. Multiple wrestlers had 10 matches in the bracket, but nobody spent more time wrestling than Thompson. Victory From the Mouth of Defeat With the ability to win by fall, a wrestler is never technically out of a match until the final buzzer. That was likely never more true than it was for Cole Handlovic. The Cornell wrestler was trailing West Virginia wrestler Samuel Hillegas by an 8-0 score when he reversed a chest wrap and locked up the fall. He scored the victory despite trailing 8-2 on the scoreboard. Across the event, there were 14 matches where the trailing wrestler won by fall, but nobody accomplished this with a greater deficit than Handlovic did against Hillegas.

MANHEIM, PA - The National Wrestling Coaches Association announces the inaugural honorees for the Trailblazer Award, honoring those who have championed the sport of women's wrestling in the collegiate space. Gary Abbott, Clarissa Chun and Ashley Flavin are the 2024 Trailblazer Award honorees, as nominated by the NWCA's member women's wrestling coaches. The Leadership Group members from both the NCAA and NAIA then voted on the honorees, with Abbott, Chun and Flavin rising to the top of those nominated. "There is so much great work that has been done to lay the foundation for the growth of women's wrestling and it is bolstering our sport overall," NWCA President Tony Ersland said. "Honoring these individuals for their part in building our sport is something the NWCA is proud and excited to do." Gary Abbott, Director of Communications and Special Projects at USA Wrestling, has been involved with the promotion and development of women's wrestling since its inception, nationally and internationally, in the late 1980s. In his 35 years serving the sport, Gary has provided coverage of all United States Women's World and Olympic teams, as well as every women's collegiate national championship. He also created both the North American women's collegiate wrestling rankings as well as the ASICS Girls High School All-American Team. A National Wrestling Hall of Fame Order of Merit honoree in 2020, Abbott also received the NWCA Meritorious Service Award in 2005. He has also served on the Committee for the Advancement of Women's Wrestling, the National Collegiate Women's Wrestling Championship committee, and is a liaison for the women's collegiate wrestling coalition to the NCAA Committee on Women's Athletics to champion women's wrestling as an NCAA championship sport. Clarissa Chun, the first women's wrestling coach at Power 5 institution and head coach of the 2024 NCWWC Champions in the Iowa Hawkeyes, was the first girl's high school wrestling state champion in Hawaii in 1998. After a collegiate career at Missouri Valley College, she went on to represent the United States at 48 kilograms at both the 2008 Beijing and 2012 London Olympics. Chun won the bronze medal in London, and also wrestled at five Senior World Championships, taking the gold medal at the 2008 Worlds in Tokyo. One of only four females to earn Distinguished Member honors as a National Wrestling Hall of Fame inductee, Chun won five U.S. Open titles. She was a 2011 Pan American Games silver medalist and won four gold medals at the Pan American Championships. She was a runner-up at four U.S. World Team Trials and three U.S. Opens, in a career which spanned 18 years competing at the Senior level. After retiring from competition, Chun became an assistant coach for the USA Wrestling women's national team from 2017-2021, helping lead the US to 17 World medals, including seven gold, four silver and six bronzes, as well as an Olympic gold, Olympic silver and two Olympic bronzes. Ashley Flavin, the first woman to win an NWCA Coach of the Year honor, is the current head coach at perennial NAIA powerhouse Life University. She was a state champion for Lake Worth (Florida) High School in 2001, and spent five years as a resident athlete at the United States Olympic Training Center. She was a runner-up at the Women's College Wrestling Championships for Oklahoma City University, a 2008 Olympic Team Trials Qualifier, 2008 US Open Bronze Medalist, and a US Open Bronze Medalist and World Team Trials Qualifier in 2011. The first woman to lead a program to a National title, Flavin did so with the 2022 NWCA National Duals championship won by the Running Eagles. During her decade at the helm of the Life program she has produced two team national championships, five individual National Champions, more than 30 All-Americans, five Olympic Team Trials Qualifiers, 11 World Team Trials Qualifiers and a World Team Member. The 2024 Trailblazer Awards will be presented at the Celebration of Women in Wrestling, July 27, as a part of the 2024 NWCA Convention in Ponte Vedra Beach, Fla.

Since the completion of the U20 World Team Trials, on Saturday afternoon, we’ve spoken at length about the potential of the U20 men’s freestyle team. And for good reason. They have two returning U20 world finalists and six wrestlers that have age-group world medals to their credit. But the men’s freestyle is only one-third of the contingent headed to Spain in early September. The Greco-Roman team was also decided in Ohio and the women’s freestyle squad had already been established in mid-April. Both of those teams have plenty of potential, as well. The women’s freestyle team has three wrestlers with past U20 world team experience and three team members with age-group world medals. It’s no secret that Greco-Roman has lagged behind its freestyle counterparts at all age groups, but this appears to be one of the better American Greco squads recently assembled. Heavyweight Aden Attao anchors the team and has made his third U20 world team. In 2022, he came away with a bronze medal. Counting Attao, there are three wrestlers amongst this year’s contingent that have prior age-group world medals. Below are the three teams. Each wrestler is noted at their respective weight class with their home state featured beside their name - plus their best international credentials. Men’s Freestyle 57 kg - Luke Lilledahl (Missouri) - 2022 U17 World Champion, 2023 U20 World silver medalist, 2021 U17 World silver medalist 61 kg - Marcus Blaze (Ohio) - 2023 U17 World Champion 65 kg - Bo Bassett (Pennsylvania) - 2021 U17 World Champion 70 kg - PJ Duke (New York) 74 kg - Ladarion Lockett (Oklahoma) - 2023 U17 World Champion 79 kg - Zack Ryder (New York) - 2x U17 World bronze medalist 86 kg - Josh Barr (Michigan) 92 kg - Connor Mirasola (Wisconsin) 97 kg - Justin Rademacher (Oregon) 125 kg - Ben Kueter (Iowa) - 2022 U20 World Champion Greco-Roman 55 kg - Isaiah Cortez (California) - 2021 U17 Pan-American gold medalist 60 kg - Cory Land (Alabama) - 2021 U17 World silver medalist, 2x U17 World Team member 63 kg - Otto Black (Colorado) - 2021 U17 World Team member (5th place) 67 kg - Joel Adams (Nebraska) - 2022 U17 World champion, 2023 U20 World Team member 72 kg - Patrick Brackett (Colorado) 77 kg - Aydin Rix-McElhinney (Maine) 82 kg - Arian Khosravy (California) 87 kg - Ryder Rogotzke (Minnesota) - 2021 U17 World Team member 97 kg - Soren Herzog (Minnesota) 130 kg - Aden Attao (Idaho) - 2022 U20 World bronze medalist, 2x U20 World Team member Women’s Freestyle 50 kg - Anaya Falcon (California) 53 kg - Brianna Gonzalez (California) - 2021 U17 Pan-American gold medalist 55 kg - Cristelle Rodriguez (California) - 2019 Cadet World silver medalist, 2023 U20 World Team member 57 kg - Carissa Qureshi (California) 59 kg - Alexis Janiak (Illinois) - 2023 U20 World bronze medalist 62 kg - Cadence Diduch (Illinois) - 2023 U20 Pan-American gold medalist 65 kg - Reese Larramendy (Nevada) - 2022 U20 World Team (5th Place) 68 kg - Caitlyn Davis (South Carolina) 72 kg - Jasmine Robinson (Texas) - 2023 U17 World bronze medalist, 2x U17 World Team member 76 kg - Naomi Simon (Iowa)

One of the mainstays of spring wrestling is the Beat the Streets Gala from New York City. Over the years, this event has raised large amounts of money to benefit young wrestlers in the Big Apple. This year’s event was a bit different as it was on the heels of the 2024 Olympic Team Trials. In lieu of a card full of matches, the event featured guest speakers Neal DeGrasse Tyson, Tim Ferriss, and the legendary Jordan Burroughs. As is typically the case, there were a few matches that involved local wrestlers affiliated with Beat the Streets NYC. The main event did feature a pair of familiar faces - Jesse Mendez and Andrew Alirez; the two most recent national champions at 141 lbs. Both recently competed at the Olympic Team Trials, though they did not clash in State College. The Mendez/Alirez clash was the main event of the evening from the Ziegfeld Ballroom in Manhattan. As high-profile matches can produce - the bout was filled with handfighting and some hesitancy from both parties regarding taking a committed attack. With that being the case, Alirez was put on the shot clock and could not score, giving Mendez a 1-0 lead at the break. In the second stanza, the roles were reversed and Alirez got on the board after Mendez’s inability to score on the shot clock. Alirez’s lead was short-lived as Mendez quickly responded by shooting Alirez off the edge for a step-out point. 2-1 is the way the match would go heading into the final :15 seconds. At that point, Alirez turned up the intensity and frequency of his attacks. Desperate for a takedown, Alirez appeared to go for a last-ditch throw effort; however, that was thwarted by Mendez for a takedown of his own. Shortly after, the final buzzer sounded and Mendez got his hand raised after a 4-1 victory. While the actual action during the main event left fans wanting more and hoping for a rematch between these two offensive-minded grapplers, the event served its purpose and generated plenty of money which will be used to benefit the young wrestlers of New York City. Hats off to Mendez and Alirez for taking the bout, on short notice, and likely not in peak condition considering the quick turnaround from the Olympic Trials.

The guys are back and they have plenty to talk about this week. Coaching changes at Princeton and Utah Valley. Still more transfer news, specifically All-American's Cam Amine and Kyle Parco. Ben Kueter committing to wrestling. Gable Steveson going to the NFL. revenue sharing coming to college athletics and more: For the full show:

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