Ryan Holmes

We've had three weeks of action and it’s only getting better in the Big Ten. Over the weekend we saw wrestlers from the B1G go 6-3 at the NWCA All-Star Classic with only one of those bouts being a conference matchup. Other than the All-Star Classic, there was a good amount of cross-conference competition where the B1G came out on top. Nebraska Completes a wild 2-0 sweep in North Carolina Scheduling 2 duals in one day where you need to drive a good distance to the second one might be one of the craziest road trips ever done. But the Huskers were up for it, and they took out both Campbell and UNC over the week. Against Campbell the dual started outdoors then was forced to move indoors when the rain came and included a CLAW match between Jordan Oliver and Bryce Andonian in the middle. Nebraska completed that dual with a 40-6 win over the Camels then sprinted to Chapel Hill and defeated UNC 34-3. It was quite the road trip, but they got the job done in very unique fashion. Van Ness returns & PSU’s lineup debut…kinda Top-ranked Penn State hit the mat for first time in the dual against Drexel and we got our first glimpse of what their lineup could look like this year. Prior to their dual, there were rumblings about Alex Facundo being down at 157 which was confirmed when he claimed the win over Luke Nichter, 8-6. Highly touted freshman Luke Lilledahl made his debut in a PSU singlet, however, there was no sweat put into it as he received a forfeit. The other notable lineup looks came at 141, 149 and 197. Both Beau Bartlett and Shayne Van Ness competed the night before in the All-Star Classic, so they had the following day off. Then at 197, Lucas Cochran took the mat and got a tech fall win. Lots have waited for U20 World Silver medalist Josh Barr would be in the lineup there, but will have to wait another week for his Nittany Lion debut. The biggest impact came during the All-Star Classic when Van Ness made his return to the mat and dominated Ty Watters 16-4. Ohio State Gives Sasso Warm Welcome Back Moment This past Thursday Ohio State welcomed the University of Tennessee Chattanooga into Columbus at home where they won 9 of the 10 duals. Their only loss came at 174 where Bryce Hepner had to bow out due to injury. But across the board the Buckeyes looked excellent. They surely were fired up by the return of Sammy Sasso at 165, who wrestled very well after such a long time away from the mats. Sasso continued to wrestle well as he competed Sunday as well against Edinboro as Ohio State won 9 of 10 matches against their MAC opponent as well. Once again, 174 was the only weight class lost in the dual, where Ohio State will look to figure out a plan at that weight as the season continues. Michigan takes care of Columbia In Ann Arbor, the Wolverines welcomed the Lions of Columbia on Sunday night. The Lions of Detroit had a strong day on Sunday, but Colombia didn’t fare quite as well. Michigan didn’t compete with all their starters, for a variety of reasons, but they still took 7 of 10 matches, dropping two of their matches in overtime. Credit to Colombia, who had an upset win at 184 with Nick Fine getting the OT win over Jaden Bullock, but the bulk of the victories were in favor of the Wolverines in their home opener. We also saw the debut of Jacob Cardenas in the maize and blue, with an 18-0 tech fall, but more impressively was the debut of true freshman Brock Mantanona, who had the 18-3 technical fall over Cesar Alvan of Colombia, who was ranked 25th in the country coming into the match. Mantanona showed that he has the horsepower and attack rate to compete right away, but we’ll see what the Wolverines decide to do in the absence of Beau Mantanona. Maryland Embarrasses American, 38 to -1 The Terrapins took on American on Saturday in what ended up being an extremely lopsided battle. American had looked to start this season against another B1G opponent in Michigan State, but Maryland has shown themselves to be on another level this year. Box scores for duals can be a little misleading, but this one largely told the story. There were two close matches with an OT win for Maryland at 125, and Kal Miller got a 3-2 win at 149, but the rest of the matches were controlled by Maryland. A dust up at the end of 157 had team points taken away from each team, which is the reason for the negative 1 score for American. Purdue competes hard in New York The Boilermakers headed east this weekend where they took on Buffalo and Army West Point in back-to-back duals. The B1G remains the preeminent wrestling conference, and Purdue helped maintain that established narrative as they posted a 45-0 win over MAC opponent Buffalo in the first dual. There were two regular decisions in that dual, otherwise it was a bit of a wake up for Buffalo, which hosted the tri-meet. Buffalo had another tough dual against Army shortly thereafter, losing 37-2. Purdue wrestled strongly in their next dual against Army West Point. It ended with Army getting the win on criteria after a 19-19 score. Purdue has had some solid performances from their main guys in Ramos and Blaze but have had some inconsistencies at some other weights where they were expected to have more production.

Minnesota and Gable Steveson announced his return to the Gopher lineup a week ago. And yesterday (Monday, Nov. 18), joined by head coach Brandon Eggum, Steveson answered questions about his return to NCAA wrestling along with his time spent in the NFL and WWE.

Week 2 gave us a lot of action and a ton of upset. We take a look at the performances that stuck out to us along with the return of Gable Steveson to college wrestling.

This weekend there was a heavy presence of open tournaments with some big wins. A number of Big Ten teams crowned champions at several of them to get their seasons started. Byrd is the Word: Illinois claims blowout wins and 5 titles at Journeymen Ladies and gents, Luca Byrd is back, and he looks…controlled. Over the weekend he went undefeated in his return to the mat with a win over Cornell’s Brett Ungar in the finals. Kannon Webster joined Byrd in the winner’s circle. He defeated Jaden Pepe (Harvard), Alex Nini (Rutgers) and Cross Wasiliewski (Penn) in the finals at 149. The day prior to the individual tournament, Illinois defeated Binghamton and Arizona State, 30-10 and 37-6, respectively. Teemer Makes Hawkeye Debut: Iowa dominant in win over Stanford Top-ranked Jacori Teemer didn’t make the trip to Oregon State a week, but he definitely wasn’t missing his first chance to put on a show for his new home crowd as Iowa hosted a red-hot Stanford that was coming off an upset win over the Hawkeye’s in-state rival Iowa State Cyclones. But Carver Hawkeye isn’t a friendly place to visit and the hosting black and yellow put on a great show with all their new toys at 149 with Kyle Parco, 157 with Teemer and 197 with Stephen Buchanan. However, it wasn’t all good results. At 133, Tyler Knox defeated returning NCAA finalist Gabe Ayala, 15-10. Knox moved from #23 to #12 while Ayala dropped to #9 from #7. Gophers Bring Home 5 Titles at Mountaineer Invite Tyler Wells had a last second win at 133 over Virginia Tech’s Connor McGonagle. With less than 10 seconds on the clock, Wells score the winning takedown to win the title. Along with Wells, the Gophers had Vance VomBaur (141), Tommy Askey (157), Max McEnelly (184) and Isaiah Salazar (197) also took home titles. Purdue claims 1 title, Maryland claims 2 at Tiger Style Invite Despite having a few finalist, #4 Matt Ramos was the lone champion for Purdue at the Tiger Style Invite. Ramos scored four technical falls and gave up a combined four points on his way to the 125-pound title. Maryland came away with titles as Ethen Miller (157) and Seth Nevills (285) were victorious. Miller notably defeated #24 Matty Bianchi and #18 Joey Blaze in the semis and finals, respectively. Nevills took the dominant path on his way to the final with a pair of pins before getting the sudden victory win of Missouri’s Seth Nitzel to claim the title. The brunt of Big Ten teams took the trip to the Michigan State Open. Check out the full recap from the tournament here.

By Kelley S. Hughes NCAA wrestling champion John Hughes was eager and enthusiastic to come back to Happy Valley for another competition. This time, however, he wasn’t back to wrestle. Instead, his journey is that of pursuing excellence: bringing quality wrestling into Pennsylvania. The competition was fierce, with high-level action and great sportsmanship displayed by coaches, wrestlers, and fans, according to head official Brad Strubel, who officiated the event. More than 400 spectators came to watch America’s Wrestling Cup’s inaugural competition unfold at the Nittany Valley Sports Centre October 25-27, according to John Hughes, Executive Director, America’s Wrestling Cup. Hughes’ determination and grit secured more than 1,665 individual wrestling matches which included 75 exhibition matches to Happy Valley. “Pursuing excellence (Consequi Excellentiam-our motto) is a journey, not a destination,” said Hughes. “My parents, Scotty and Tucker Hughes, taught me the meaning of hard work on our family farm, Never Done Farm, where there’s always more to be done. Growing up at the farm inspired me to dream big. It still does. It shows me that with effort and the right attitude, anything is possible. Through wrestling, I’ve built core values like character, integrity, dedication, punctuality, grit, determination, and resilience – qualities every CEO in America seeks." Hughes’ first leg of the AWC journey was to provide quality over quantity in wrestling competition. He secured 6 mats and 300 wrestlers, with the help of many coaches. Hughes also contacted and received assistance from PAUSA State Chairman Joe Stabilito, Sr. “I’ve been friends with John’s family since he was 10.” Hughes’ aim: provide the best pre-season competition they could find on the East Coast. Additionally, he wanted to ensure those wrestlers and their families would enjoy their time in Happy Valley. Hughes succeeded partnering with the Happy Valley Adventure Bureau, USA Wrestling, PAUSA Wrestling, Happy Valley Sports & Entertainment Alliance, Nittany Valley Sports Centre, RUDIS and EventPipe. Wrestling club teams were diverse and represented more than 12 states, reaching as far as west as Kentucky and far north as Massachusetts. Representation came from MA, CT, NY, NJ, PA, DE, MD, VA, NC, WV, OH, and KY. Hughes’ alma mater wrestlers, K-8 and some high school wrestlers also made the 2-hour drive from Benton. “Teams were from all over...a lot of great wrestlers at both (K-8 and high school) levels), said Benton High School head wrestling coach B.J. Wise who attended the event. “I can’t wait to see what John does with this,” said Wise, a former 2X PIAA state place runner up and 2X All-American for Delaware Valley University. Team Mahindra, coached by Greg Humphreys and his son Josh Humphreys, NCAA wrestling runner-up and 3rd place winner, traveled from West Virginia. “Anytime our guys can compete with high-level competition, we want to be part of it…we knew we need to make the trip!” Humphreys said. “Our parents said they really enjoyed the convenience to the venue to the restaurants, hotels and PSU itself.” Coaches and officials feedback seemed positive as well. Anthony Ciolino, head coach of Team Kong, Long Island, NY, expressed he enjoyed his first time to Happy Valley and the Penn State campus. “I have been coaching for more than 40 years and have never been here! I love it!” Ciolino said. “Coach Ciolino and his talented Kong wrestlers brought some grit and fun to Happy Valley – true champions,” said Hughes. Team Kong wrestlers were victorious for AWC’s inaugural event. Handcrafted AWC authentic, rustic barnwood trophies Hughes designed were awarded to champions of boys K-8 division and boys high school division and outstanding wrestlers of each division. Future AWC events will include girls K-8 and high school division as Hughes’ program develops and grows. “Wrestling started promptly on time which is always important. John Hughes was very accessible, on top of things and made sure all the wrestlers got as many matches as possible (8-9) matches.” added Strubel. Noting the event was punctual, ending on time was important for visiting wrestlers and families as well. “The event ended on time giving us the ability to take in the Penn State experience and catch a PSU Ice Hockey and Soccer game experience on the same day, “said Chris Wagner, father of son Trey who competed for Team Kong. The Wagners are residents of Nazareth, Pa. “We’re thrilled with the success of the inaugural America’s Wrestling Cup this past weekend,” said Eric Engelbarts, STS – Executive Director, Happy Valley Sports & Entertainment Alliance. The event showcased incredible athleticism and drew an enthusiastic crowd, proving passion for wrestling here in Happy Valley, according to Engelbarts. “This partnership between the Happy Valley Sports & Entertainment Alliance and America’s Wrestling Cup has truly strengthened our commitment to supporting premiere events that bring excitement to our community,” added Engelbarts. Hughes’ vision for America’s Wrestling Cup, one built on relationships and a shared journey is off to a great start. He welcomes everyone who wants to be part of the America’s Wrestling Cup experience.

We finally got some competition last week and it was everything we thought it would be. The team discusses the biggest results and what they are looking forward to in week 2.

Jason Bryant is part of the 1-2 punch that is the soundtrack to the NCAA Championship tournament. Listen as he talks with Ryan Holmes about his preparation for the NCAA tournament and World Championships and his journey to becoming the voice of the most prevalent tournament of the year.

The season has begun. All over the country Big Ten teams hit the mats in various open tournaments and non-conference duals. The athletes looked to be just as excited about the season as we are to have them back in actions. So, let’s get to some results that stood out to us in the first weekend of the 2024-25 season. Indiana has successful trip to California During his pre-season interview, head coach Angel Escobedo said that his team was eager to get the season started and wanted to face off with a different opponent other than their teammates. And to get things started the Hoosier headed to California where they dominated in their duals against Cal Baptist and Cal Poly. Indiana lost just three matches combined in their season-opening cross-country road trip with a 34-4 win over CBU and a 31-11 win over Cal Poly. Illinois welcomes back the big guns Last season, Illinois was without a few of its top guys, but they have returned in a big way. Notably there were five guys that made a big impact over the weekend that weren’t in the lineup last season and they all recorded bonus point wins. Lucas Byrd won by major decision at 133, Kannon Webster recorded a technical fall at 149 followed by transfer Jason Kraisser’s pin at 157 and then the Braunagels – Danny and Zac – each had tech falls as well. Needless to say, the Illini got its power back this season. Maryland begins the season 2-0 Maryland hosted Kent State and Bucknell in a tri-meet this weekend in College Park and finished with solid wins over both programs. Notably, Braxton Brown got a win over #11-ranked Kurt Phipps of Bucknell in an exciting matchup. Brown was undefeated on the weekend with a major decision over Tyeler Hagensen of Kent State. Others to go undefeated included Kal and Ethen Miller at 149 and 157, respectively, and Jaxon Smith and Seth Nevills at 184 and 285. Maryland heads to the Tiger Style Invite on November 9th this week. Michigan and Ohio State look good at the Clarion Open Is 7 titles and 10 finalists good? Seems good. That’s what Ohio State did this weekend at the Clarion Open. The Buckeyes even had both finalists at 125- and 133-pounds with Brendan McCrone getting the win over Vincent Kilkeary, 5-3, and Ben Davino defeating Nic Bouzakis, 5-3 as well. Very interesting result at 133 with Bouzakis being the expected starter for the season, but highly touted freshman Davino showed that he is ready for the big time. Jesse Mendez had a dominant victory over returning All-American Luke Stanich, who is up from 125, in the finals. Dylan D’Emilio got the win at 149 over Kade Brown of Pittsburgh and redshirt freshman Brock Herman was dominant on his way to a title. Interestingly, Rocco Welsh last year’s 174-pound NCAA runner-up, competed at 184 for this tournament. This will probably not be long term, but it’s certainly noteworthy. Bumping up was not a problem though, as he beat a Wolverine in Jaden Bullock in the finals. The big guys also made the finals with Luke Geog dropping his match to Michael Beard of Lehigh, 7-5, while Nick Feldman got the win in the finals against his Lehigh opponent, Nathan Taylor. The Buckeyes welcome University of Tennessee Chattanooga next on November 14th at the Covelli Center. Michigan also brought a contingent of athletes to Clarion, with some solid results. 8 place winners are coming home from PA, with 3 making the finals, and 1 champion. Joseph Walker was the lone champion at 174 pounds with a win over John Worthing of Clarion in the finals. Brock Mantanona (165) and Bullock also made the finals. Mantanona failed in his comeback attempt against Lehigh’s Max Brignola, while Bullock fell to Rocco Welsh, as previously mentioned. Mantanona had a strong tournament with three of his first four wins being by technical fall. Additional bright spots came from Sergio Lemley (141) and Dylan Gilcher (149) both rebounding from semifinal losses to claim third, along with Zack Mattin at 157. Lemley lost to Lehigh’s Stanich in overtime, while Gilcher dropped his semifinal match to D’Emilio of Ohio State. The Wolverines will be back in action this weekend at the MSU Open on November 9th. Iowa looks every bit as advertised The Hawkeyes traveled to Corvallis, Oregon this past Saturday to face Oregon State. They showed no signs of weariness from the travel as they took eight of the 10 matches. Not only did they win most of the matches, they were dominant in doing so. Of those eight wins three were by technical fall, and they won the marquee matchup of the evening as #2-ranked Stephen Buchanan claimed a come from behind win over #7-ranked Trey Munoz. Munoz started strong in the match, but as it went on, Buchanan imposed his will as he rattled off two takedowns in the third, paired with riding time, to take the 9-5 win. Jacori Teemer, another big transfer for the Hawkeyes, did not compete in this dual but the other part of the ASU to Iowa acquisition, Kyle Parco, got his first win in an Iowa singlet (5-1). Nelson Brands made his triumphant return to the Hawkeyes for his final season got a hard fought 2-1 win, followed by Gabe Arnold firing off attack after attack as he dominated in his first match of his first full season. The Hawkeyes host Stanford in Carver Hawkeye this coming weekend on November 9th, which should be an exciting out of conference battle.

Penn Associate Head Coach Matt Valenti has worn the hats of an administrator as well as a coach and has some keen insight of what the future could hold for wrestling and other Olympic sports as new revenue sharing rules take shape in college sports. Valenti discusses the intricacies of how the House vs NCAA case could impact wrestling and other Olympic sports and how Penn and other schools like it could approach the new rule set in 2025-26.

The season is here! Campbell and Wyoming will be kicking off the 2024-25 season on Halloween and there are a number of great duals and matchups going down in week 1. We do our previews and picks and give props to Wyoming and Campbell for continuing to innovate and bring a different type of dual meet atmosphere.

There will be a healthy contingent of new faces in the lineup for Northwestern this year with a very big boost from transfer Chris Cannon who returns to the lineup after being away for a year at Michigan. But there will also be a pretty big loss where Frankie Talshahar, who most thought would return this year after a medical redshirt, will still be out as he struggles with the same injury. So, while the excitement of the return of Cannon is high, it’s somber times for Talshahar. On top of that, they return all three NCAA qualifiers (Trevor Chumbley, Maxx Mayfield and Evan Bates). But as I said, there is a strong group in this lineup looking to make the 1-9 dual meet record a thing of the past and not an indication of the future. Potential Lineup 125: Dedrick Navarro 133: Luis Bazan 141: Chris Cannon 149: Sam Cartella 157: Trevor Chumbley 165: Maxx Mayfield 174: Joseph Martin 184: Jon Halvorsen 197: Evan Bates 285: Dirk Morley Listen to Northwestern Head Coach Matt Storniolo discuss this year’s team and Cannon’s return: Biggest Duals 1/12/25 – at Illinois 1/17/25 – vs Michigan 1/26/25 – vs Minnesota 2/16/25 – at Iowa New additions to the lineup 125: Dedrick Navarro 133: Luis Bazan 149: Sam Cartella 174: Joseph Martin 184: Jon Halvorsen 285: Dirk Morley Summary: All the newcomers to the lineup wrestled primarily in open tournaments last season with Navarro and Cartella being the only guys to make an appearance in any dual meets last year. Navarro saw some time at 133 in the two dual meets he competed in and recorded a 10-4 win over NCAA qualifier Cayden Rooks of Indiana. Cartella had a very healthy redshirt season where he had over 30 matches and recorded bonus point wins when he was in the lineup against Purdue and Illinois. At 174, 184 and 285, Martin, Halvorsen and Morley all had limited competition wrestling only in open tournaments last season. The same can be said for Bazan at 133. Key Returners 141: Chris Cannon 157: Trevor Chumbley 165: Maxx Mayfield 197: Evan Bates Summary: During my conversation with Coach Storniolo he said that Chris Cannon would be back in his old spot at 133, however, when asked who would take Frankie Talshahar’s spot at 141 he said, with a grin, they were still figuring it out. However, it looks like Cannon will be moving up to 141. Also, key returner Chumbley, Mayfield and Bates, who were all NCAA qualifiers last year, will be back in their old spots as well. The leadership of these four guys will be a very good boost for their lineup this year.

Northwestern head coach Matt Storniolo had a huge off season addition return to the lineup as Chris Cannon made his way back to the team. Storniolo talks about his impact on the team as well as the outlook going into this season.

Embrace the climb. That’s the mentality for this year’s team according to head coach Angel Escobedo. The Hoosiers have some strong leadership returning and some promising new freshman that Coach Escobedo says he’s waiting to emerge. Potential Lineup 125: Jacob Moran 133: Angelo Rini or Logan Frazier 141: Henry Porter or Joey Butler 149: Anthony Bahl or Aiden Torres 157: Bryce Lowery 165: Tyler Lillard or Derek Gilcher 174: Roman Rogotzke 184: DJ Washington 197: Gabe Sollars 285: Jacob Bullock Listen to Indiana Head Coach Angel Escobedo discuss this year’s team: Note: This interview took place before their team wrestle-offs on Oct. 25. Biggest Duals 12/6/24 - vs Illinois 1/10/25 - vs Rutgers 1/26/25 - at Michigan 2/9/25 - vs Ohio State 2/16/25 - at Nebraska Key Losses 133: Cayden Rooks – 2x NCAA qualifier 141: Dan Fongaro – 2024 NCAA qualifier 149: Graham Rooks – 4x NCAA qualifier 157: Brayton Lee – 2021 All-American, multiple time NCAA qualifier 285: Nick Willham – 2024 NCAA qualifier Summary: A lot of experience has left the Hoosier lineup from last season, with Graham Rooks being the vet whose shoes will be tough to fill. He may not have made his way onto the podium, but he made four National tournament appearances during his career. Along with Graham Rooks the contingent of NCAA qualifiers Cayden Rooks, Dan Fongaro, Brayton Lee, who was only in the Indiana lineup for one year as a transfer from Minnesota and Nick Willham, will also be missed as well. But some strong newcomers are poised to replace them. New additions to the lineup 133: Angelo Rini or Logan Frazier 141: Henry Porter or Joey Butler 149: Anthony Bahl or Aiden Torres 157: Bryce Lowery 197: Gabe Sollars Summary: Specifically, we are looking at that spot at 149. During my conversation with Coach Escobedo, he said that he was waiting for one of his young freshmen to step up and take the spot. Well, that was before they had their wrestle-offs and as off last Friday (Oct. 25) it looks like Anthony Bahl stepped up in a big way with an 11-3 major decision over Aiden Torres. There will certainly be more to prove, but with that result it looks like Bahl’s spot. Additionally, Angelo Rini, a transfer from Columbia, defeated Virginia Tech transfer Logan Frazier, 4-2 at 133 to claim the spot as well. Other notable results include Henry Porter’s 4-1 sudden victory win over Joey Butler at 141 and Bryce Lowery won his match too. Key Returners 125: Jacob Moran 165: Tyler Lillard or Derek Gilcher 174: Roman Rogotzke 184: DJ Washington 285: Jacob Bullock Summary: A solid cast returns this year. Some returners are back after a redshirt year like Jacob Moran and Jacob Bullock, and Derek Gilcher is back after taking a medical redshirt due to injury last year. Other key returners include Tyler Lillard, who defeated Gilcher in the wrestle-off, DJ Washington,a multiple-time NCAA qualifier, and Roman Rogotzke, who lost his wrestle-off to Nick South, 2-1.

We have a number of new coaches around the NCAA. We discuss which staff we have our eye on and what type of expectations we have as they go into their first (or second) season.

Indiana Head Coach Angel Escobedo discusses this year's lineup, some of the new freshman that are stepping up and how he has his team embracing the climb of the season.

This year there are going to be a lot of new faces in the lineup for Wisconsin. To be exact, there are seven guys that could see some action for the first time. Needless to say, these young Badgers are going to have to step up and follow the lead of some vets that are both in and out of the lineup. Also, there’s a new coach on staff as multiple-time NCAA All-American Anthony Cassioppi has joined Coaches Bono and Reader with Seth Gross leaving to start his own club. Potential Lineup 125: Nicolar Rivera 133: Zan Fugitt 141: Dylan Coy or Brock Bobzien 149: Daniel Sheen 157: Luke Mechler 165: Cale Anderson 174: Lucas Condon 184: Dylan Russo 197: Nicolo Colucci 285: Gannon Rosenfeld Listen to Wisconsin Head Coach Chris Bono discuss this year’s team: Biggest Dual 1/12/25 – vs Iowa 1/19/25 – at Rutgers 1/24/25 – vs Minnesota 1/31/25 – at Nebraska Here is a look at the key losses, returners and newcomers we will see in the Huskers’ lineup this season. Key Losses 125: Eric Barnett – 3x All-American 165: Dean Hamiti – 2x All- American 174: Max Maylor – 2023 NCAA qualifier 184: Shane Liegel – 2023 NCAA qualifier Summary: Eric Barnett was a consistent leadoff hitter for the Badgers at 125 as he collected All-America honors three times during his career. He was certainly a tone setter that will be missed. Additionally, it was announced shortly after the NCAA tournament last year that two-time All-American Dean Hamiti would be transferring to Oklahoma State. Hamiti was the leader of the Badgers during his tenure there. While Maylor and Liegel didn’t have as big of an impact, their NCAA qualifiying finishes last year is still something that one of the new youngsters in the lineup will have to live up to. New additions to the lineup 141: Dylan Coy or Brock Bobzien 149: Daniel Sheen 165: Cale Anderson 174: Lucas Condon 184: Dylan Russo 197: Nicolo Colucci Summary: As Coach Bono alluded to during his pre-season interview, there are going to be a lot of new faces getting into the lineup for the first time. Notably, at 184, Dylan Russo will be slotting in there. Russo was a top 10 recruit at 220 coming out of the class of 2023. But he has since slimmed down and will be in the lineup during his redshirt freshman year after not seeing any action last year due to an injury. The rest of the newcomers have gotten some mat time, but it was exclusively in open tournaments over the last year or two. Then at 197 Nicolo Colucci, a transfer from Rutgers, is the lone guy listed at this weight on the roster. He spent some time at 285 before joining the Badgers as well. Key Returners 125: Nicolar Rivera - Returning NCAA qualifier 133: Zan Fugitt 149: Joey Zargo - Returning NCAA qualifier 157: Luke Mechler 285: Braxton Amos Returning NCAA qualifier; Gannon Rosenfeld Summary: Although most of the lineup is filled with first-time starters, vets such as Nicolar Rivera and Zan Fugitt will be returning down below at 125 and 133, respectively. Rivera manned the spot at 133 last season and will be making the move down in hopes of filling the shoes of three-time All-American Eric Barnett. Fugitt, who wrestled in four duals last year at 133 will be a full-time starter this year in that spot. Fugitt finished the season with an 8-5 record. Also returning is Luke Mechler to the 157-pound spot once again. He had a rough season a year ago posting just eight wins on the year. It’s likely that vets Joey Zargo and Braxton Amos won’t be returning to the mat this season. Zargo has double hip surgery in the off-season and Amos suffered his second dislocated shoulder injury wrestling at the Greco Olympic World Team Trials and had another surgery to repair the damage. While Zargo would be making a return at 149 if he was to come back, Amos is “a good sized heavyweight” now according to Coach Bono. The likely scenario is that we don’t see them back to action until next year. Gannon Rosenfeld will be back in the lineup at 285.

On this week's episode the crew discusses Zahid Valencia making the move to Cowboy RTC, coaches recruiting wrestlers after they've made a verbal commitment to another school, Nick Stemmet trash talking AJ Ferrari before they meet to kick off the season and the full All-Star classic lineup.

Going into this year Wisconsin Head Coach Chris Bono will have a lot of new faces in the lineup and is hoping to get his vets back from injury.

Coach Scott Goodale is tired of being just a top 20 team with a bunch of NCAA qualifiers. Both Goodale and his team want more this year and with 12 wrestlers who have experience wrestling at the national tournament – two of which are returning All-Americans – the Scarlett Knights are poised to do exactly that. With this year’s #4-ranked recruiting class, it won’t just be experience rocking the block “R”, it’s also youthful depth that will be carrying the squad as well. Potential Lineup 125: Dean Peterson 133: Dylan Shawver 141: Joe Olivieri 149: Andrew Clarke or Michael Cetta 157: Connor Harer or Andrew Barbosa 165: Tony White, Luke Gayer or Al DeSantis 174: Jackson Turley 184: Brian Soldano 197: John Poznanski 285: Yaraslau Slavikouski Listen to Rutgers Head Coach Scott Goodale discuss this year’s team and season: Biggest Duals 11/17/24 – vs NC State 11/22/24 – at Virginia Tech 1/19/25 – at Ohio State 1/24/25 – vs Penn State 1/26/25 – vs Illinois 2/2/25 – at Minnesota Here is a look at the key losses, returners and newcomers we will see in the Scarlett Knights’ lineup this season. Key Losses 149: Mitch Moore – 5x NCAA qualifier Summary: Mitch Moore came in last season as a graduate transfer and added a veteran presence. He finished his career with a 17-8 record along with making his fifth trip to the NCAA tournament. New Lineup Additions 149: Alex Nini 157: Connor Harer, Andrew Barbosa 165: Luke Gayer Summary: The middle of the lineup is going to have a potential youth movement. Freshman Connor Harer and Andrew Barbosa could see time at 157 this year. Barbosa could also be in the lineup at 165 as well. Luke Gayer, who has wrestled in five duals over the last two years and along with competing in open tournaments can get into the lineup as well from time to time. Coach Goodale mentioned that Barbosa will be starting in a redshirt and using the five allotted dates to gain experience along with Alex Nini who competed for Italy at this year’s U20 World Championships. Key Returners 125: Dean Peterson 133: Dylan Shawver 141: Joey Olivieri 149: Andrew Clark, Michael Cetta 165: Tony White, Al DeSantis 174: Jackson Turley 184: Brian Soldano 197: John Poznanski 285: Yaraslau Slavikouski Summary: Despite the youthful depth, the entire lineup consists of high-level experience from top to bottom. 12 guys return this season with experience wrestling the NCAA tournament at some point during their career with four guys being All-Americans during that timespan. At 141 Joey Oliveri is returning, but Joe Fongaro and Max Hermes can get into the action as well. Andrew Clark will look to get back into the mix at 149 after an injury ended his season in 2024. Returning NCAA qualifier Michael Cetta will battle with Clark for the spot at 149 as well. At 165 NCAA qualifier Tony White returns as well along with Al DeSantis, who is up from 157 last season. Returning All-Americans Dylan Shawver (133), who was also the Big Ten Champion last year, and Yaraslau Slavikouski (285) are back and looking for more hardware. In addition, Jackson Turley (174) and John Poznanski (197), who have both made the podium in 2021 but haven’t since, are hungry to get back to where they were with AA finishes. And lastly, Dean Peterson (125), who Coach Goodale named the “best athlete on the team” is poised to make a big impact on the team in a weight class that is ripe for the picking.

Rutgers Head Coach Scott Goodale talked with Ryan Holmes about the 2024-25 lineup, replacing Donny Pritzlaff, the impact of Sebastian Rivera and the outlook for the upcoming season.

Big Ten teams released their schedules, so we dove in to find the top duals and matchups to watch for this season. Plenty of the usual suspects are on the list, but there are some rivalries and some sneaky good bouts that could be fun to watch. Let’s check out the B1G duals you need to see this year and the matches that deserve the spotlight during the upcoming season. Check out The Intermat Podcast full season preview: View the full Big Ten TV Schedule here! 1. #1 Penn State vs #2 Iowa This dual will be awesome at every single weight class. This year the Nittany Lions host the Hawkeyes in the Bryce Jordan Center, which tends to bring in a contingent of Penn State fans to warmly welcome the competition. Weights to Watch 165: Mitchell Messenbrink vs Mikey Caliendo 149: Shayne Van Ness vs Kyle Parco 285: #1 Greg Kerkvliet vs Ben Kueter 2. #1 Penn State vs #3 Nebraska This has the potential to be the matchup of the year and yes, I know that this is the #2 spot on the list, but the top two teams meeting should always be at the top of a must-watch list, however, these matchups just bring something different. Last season the Huskers won three out of the first five bouts and they return each one of those guys this year. Penn State flexed on the back half and is obviously the top dog on the block, but the Huskers have some serious hammer that can compete and it should be expected that this one is going to be good. Matches to Watch 141: #3 Beau Bartlett vs #4 Brock Hardy 149: #2 Shayne Van Ness vs #5 Ridge Lovett 157: #4 Antrell Taylor vs #5 Tyler Kasak 3. #2 Iowa vs #3 Nebraska This dual will be a very close second for match of the year behind the bout we have second on this list. A season ago, Iowa was dominant in their 22-10 win as they took seven of the 10 bouts. And this year, these lineups look very different, but still very powerful. Matches to watch 149: #4 Kyle Parco vs #5 Ridge Lovett 157: #1 Jacori Teemer vs #4 Antrell Taylor 174: #8 Patrick Kennedy or Gabe Arnold vs #9 (at 184) Lenny Pinto 184: #7 Nelson Brands vs #9 Silas Allred 4. #3 Nebraska vs #9 Minnesota Both teams return a healthy helping of experience. Last year, the dual came down to the battle at heavyweight that was won by Harley Andrews with a 10-7 decision over Bennett Tabor. Both are back this year and could have to play the role of the closers again this season. Going into the season every match but one will feature a pair of ranked guys going head-to-head. Weights to Watch 125: #4 Caleb Smith vs #10 Cooper Flynn 141: #4 Brock Hardy vs #6 Vance VomBaur 157: #4 Antrell Taylor vs #8 Tommy Askey 5. #1 Penn State vs #7 Ohio State Let’s be honest. This matchup may lack the stars like Bo – Nickal or Jordan, take your pick – or David Taylor or Logan Stieber, but this is always a must watch dual meet. The team score was lopsided last season in favor of the Nittany Lions, but there were still upsets and very close matches between Mendez and Bartlett that has proved to be a match that demands all attention. Weights to Watch 141: #2 Jesse Mendez vs #3 Beau Bartlett 174: #2 Levi Haines vs #3 Rocco Welsh 285: #1 Greg Kerkvliet vs #3 Nick Feldman 6. #7 Ohio State vs #9 Minnesota Depth makes for great duals, and both teams have a lot of it. Minnesota starts the season ranked 9th as a dual meet team, with Ohio State beginning the year at 7th. The argument for Ohio State in this dual is certainly their high-level talent, and potentially higher ceiling as a result. These teams didn’t wrestle each other last season, but when they met during the 2021-2022 season tOSU won 24-14. This season should have a lot of fun battles. Weights to Watch 125: #10 Cooper Flynn vs #17 Brendan McCrone 141: #2 Jesse Mendez vs #6 Vance VomBaur 197: #11 Luke Geog vs #7 Isaiah Salazar 7. #7 Ohio State vs #12 Illinois This is a sneaky good matchup. Illinois gets a lot of fire power back in the lineup and after Ohio State recorded its largest margin of victory in the history of this dual meet a season ago with a 36-6 win, the Fighting Illini looks poised for a get back. The last time Illinois came away with a win against the Buckeyes happened in 2021 when they won 18-15. The Braunagel brothers and Lucas Byrd were all a part of that team and all recorded upset wins over higher ranked guys. Surely they’d like to finish their careers the same way they started them against OSU. Weights to Watch #3 Lucas Byrd vs #15 Nic Bouzakis #11 Kannon Webster vs #12 Dylan D’Emilio #8 Edmond Ruth vs #18 Ryder Rogotzke 8. #7 Ohio State vs #14 Michigan There are few other rivalry matchups on here, but this one always has something extra to it because it goes further than the mat. The refusal of each team to use the other’s names with Ohio State referring to the University of Michigan as TTUN (That Team Up North). It may have started with football, but it’s taken seriously on the mat as well and as they both come into the pre-season ranked in the top 10, this one is sure to be another battle for the ages between these rivals. Weights to Watch 133: #4 Dylan Ragusin vs #15 Nic Bouzakis 141: #2 Jesse Mendez vs #8 Sergio Lemley 184: #17 Ryder Rogotzke vs #15 Jaden Bullock 9. #9 Minnesota vs #14 Michigan Once again, we find Michigan up against a rival. This dual has the potential to be an absolute slobber knocker. The Battle for the Brown Jug on the football field always seems to raise the level of each of those squads, and it seems to bleed into the wrestling rivalry as well, as each block “M” squad tries to establish B1G dominance. Minnesota starts the season ranked 9th, as the Wolverines begin the season at #14. Weights to Watch 133: #4 Dylan Ragusin vs #13 Tyler Wells 141: #8 Sergio Lemley vs #6 Vance VomBaur 157: #13 Chase Saldate vs #8 Tommy Askey 197: #3 Jacob Cardenas vs #7 Isaiah Salazar 10. #2 Iowa vs #12 Illinois Last season, Illinois had a lot of their most talented guys taking redshirts. Zac Braunagel took an Olympic redshirt season, Lucas Byrd took a medical redshirt, Kannon Webster managed to maintain his redshirt status as well despite going an impressive 20-1 in his afforded competition dates. Iowa has talent top to bottom in their lineup, and added some serious fire power with transfers #4 Kyle Parco and #1 Jacori Teemer, both from Arizona State and #2 Stephen Buchanan from Oklahoma. They’ll be favored going into the dual, especially with it being in Iowa City, but there will be some exciting matches along the way. Weights to Watch 133: #3 Lucas Byrd vs #7 Drake Ayala 149: #4 Kyle Parco vs. #11 Kannon Webster 197: #2 Stephen Buchanan vs #10 Zac Braunagel 11. #1 Penn State vs #14 Michigan Michigan’s lineup has some new pieces that could make a difference in this dual, specifically at 197 where we will most likely see Cornell transfer #3 Jacob Cardenas take on Michigan native Josh Barr who claimed a silver medal at the U20 World Championships this summer. Despite the gap in the team rankings, this will be a good match and I don’t expect as wide of a margin as last year’s 27-9 win by PSU. Weights to Watch 133: #4 Dylan Ragusin vs #11 Braeden Davis 141: #3 Beau Bartlett vs #8 Sergio Lemley 157: #5 Tyler Kasak vs #13 Chase Saldate 165: #1 Mitchell Messenbrink vs #13 Beau Mantanona 12. #29 Purdue vs #30 Indiana Rivalries are always fun, especially when it’s two schools sharing the same state. We see this a couple of times in the B1G with Michigan and Michigan State and Illinois and Northwestern. Both Purdue and Indiana are schools that have a lot of pride, and you know they want to leave this dual with the knowledge that cements their belief that they are the best wrestling team in the state of Indiana. Purdue has largely been on the winning side of this rivalry since 2005, with a 13-5 record in that time frame, however, Indiana has the bragging rights having won the last matchup, 22-9. The previous two seasons (22-23 and 21-22), this dual was a 1-point match with the teams splitting 16-17 decisions. This season the Boilermakers host the Hoosiers in West Lafayette and look to re-establish themselves as the top dogs in Indiana. Weights to Watch 125: #5 Matt Ramos vs #26 Jacob Moran 141: #26 Greyson Clark vs #32 Henry Porter

The season hasn't even started yet, but we're making picks as to who we see winning each weight class at the 2024-25 NCAA Championships.

This year the Nebraska lineup is undergoing some shifts. Four of their returning starters, including an All-American, will be dropping down into a new weight class for the #3 pre-season ranked Huskers. Potential Lineup 125: Caleb Smith 133: Jacob Van Dee 141: Brock Hardy 149: Ridge Lovett 157: Antrell Taylor 165: Bubba Wilson 174: Lenny Pinto 184: Silas Allred 197: Camden McDanel 285: Harley Andrews Listen to Nebraska Head Coach Mark Manning discuss this year’s team and season: Biggest Duals 1/5/25 – at #10 UNI 1/11/25 – vs #9 Minnesota 1/17/25 – vs #1 Penn State 1/24/25 – at #14 Michigan 2/7/25 – at #2 Iowa Here is a look at the key losses, returners and newcomers we will see in the Huskers’ lineup this season. Key Losses 157: Peyton Robb – 3x NCAA All-American 285: Nash Hutmacher – NCAA qualifier Summary: Peyton Robb was a staple of consistency for Nebraska during the years he manned the spot at 157, with his final season being probably the most challenging. But after rebounding from an illness that had him hospitalized in the off-season, he returned to the lineup to claim his third straight All-American finish. Nash Hutmacher is back on his NFL journey this year, sacking quarterbacks like Shedeur Sanders on the way. But last year he spent the winter in the wrestling room where he bolstered the Huskers’ lineup at 285 where he finished as a national qualifier. New Lineup Additions 174: Christopher Minto 197: Camden McDanel 285: Harley Andrews Summary: Harley Andrews split time with Hutmacher last season but will be in the lineup more consistently this year at 285. After a season where he competed exclusively in open tournaments during a gray shirt year, McDanel will fill the open spot at 197 this year. He went 8-1 in those tournaments. Christopher Minto finished his redshirt year with an 19-5 record, wrestling only in open tournaments, and could see some time at 174. Key Returners 125: Caleb Smith - Returning All-American (6th) 133: Jacob Van Dee - Returning NCAA qualifier 141: Brock Hardy - Returning All-American (3rd) 149: Ridge Lovett - Returning All-American (6th) 157: Antrell Taylor - Returning All-American (8th) 165: Bubba Wilson - NCAA Qualifier (2022, 2023) 174: Lenny Pinto - Returning NCAA qualifier 184: Silas Allred - Returning NCAA qualifier Summary: Four All-Americans return to the Nebraska lineup this year along with NCAA qualifiers Jacob Van Dee, Bubba Wilson, Lenny Pinto and Silas Allred. Most notably, All-American Antrell Taylor, who finished 8th last season, will be dropping to 157 this year and NCAA qualifiers Lenny Pinto and Silas Allred, the 2023 Big Ten Champion at 197, will be moving down as well. They’ll wrestle 174 and 184, respectively. Taylor’s move to 157 means Wilson will also be dropping down to fill the spot at 165. The three other AAs – Caleb Smith (125), Brock Hardy (141) and Ridge Lovett (149) – return to their same weight classes this season.

Coach Mark Manning discusses the Huskers' upcoming season and gives his potential lineup for 2024-25.

We are a few weeks away from the season so we dig into the dual meet schedules from the top conferences, duals we wish we were getting, pre-season NCAA Champ picks and so much more.