Ryan Holmes

Experience. That’s that comes to mind when you look at Minnesota’s 2024-25 lineup. They’ve added a good amount of experience to their coaching staff as five-time All-American Michael Kemerer has joined the staff, and they also picked up a few transfers, including a pair of NCAA qualifiers, to fill key vacancies in their lineup as well. Potential Lineup 125: Cooper Flynn 133: Tyler Wells 141: Vance VomBaur 149: Drew Roberts 157: Tommy Askey 165: Andrew Sparks or Blaine Brenner 174: Clayton Whiting 184: Max McEnelly 197: Isaiah Salazar 285: Bennett Tabor Listen to Minnesota Head Coach Brandon Eggum discuss this year’s team and season: Biggest Duals 1/11/25 – at Nebraska 1/19/25 – vs Michigan 2/7/25 – at Ohio State 2/14/25 – vs Iowa Here is a look at the key losses, returners and newcomers we will see in the Gophers’ lineup this season. Key Losses 125: Patrick McKee – 2x NCAA All-American 157: Michael Blockhus – 2023 NCAA All-American Summary: For the first time since 2016 there is no “Mckee” in the lineup as Patrick McKee has now graduated and handed off the leadoff hitting duties. Additionally, Michael Blockhus, who, like McKee, took a 6th year a season ago, has now gone back to the cage. Blockhus had taken his first MMA fight on a Bellator card before deciding to come back, and now will focus on throwing punches full-time. New Lineup Additions 125: Cooper Flynn – Transfer from Virginia Tech, ACC runner-up, NCAA qualifier 157: Tommy Askey – Transfer from App State, 2x SoCon Champ, 2x NCAA qualifier 174: Clayton Whiting – Transfer from Missouri, went 10-3 in 2023-24 season 184: Max McEnelly – Undefeated redshirt season winning four open tournaments Summary: Despite two key losses at 125 and 157 where McKee and Blockhus have now went on to their post collegiate careers, the Gophers picked up a pair of NCAA qualifiers from the transfer portal as Cooper Flynn and Tommy Askey have now joined the team. Flynn was taking an Olympic redshirt last season while at Virginia Tech, but an injury to the Hokies’ starter forced Flynn into the lineup where he saw a good bit of success and his first NCAA Championship berth. Askey comes to the Gophers as a graduate transfer from Appalachian State where he was a two-time SoCon champ. Additionally, Clayton Whiting has is another transfer portal addition coming from Missouri where he finished his redshirt freshman season with a 10-3 record. Lastly, there is Max McEnelly. He is coming off of a redshirt season in the Minnesota program where he went undefeated and won four opens. He appeared in one dual meet last season and got the win over Rutgers’ two-time NCAA qualifier Brian Soldano. Key Returners 133: Tyler Wells – NCAA qualifier (Bloodround) 141: Vance VomBaur – Returning All-American (8th) 149: Drew Roberts – NCAA qualifier 165: Andrew Sparks – NCAA qualifier 165: Blaine Brenner – NCAA qualifier 197: Isaiah Salazar – Returning All-American (6th) 285: Bennett Tabor – NCAA qualifier Summary: Seven NCAA qualifiers with two of which brining All-American honors back with them. Vance VomBaur returns to man the spot at 141 again after placing 8th last year. And at the top of the lineup, Isaiah Salazar will go up to 197 after winning a Big Ten title and finishing 6th at 184 a season ago. Along with the AA’s the Gophers have qualifiers at five other weights as well. Tyler Wells, who was a very tough freshman last season finishing the year coming up 1-point short in a bloodround loss, returns to his spot at 133. Before last season, Eggum was very high on the youngster and he didn’t disappoint in his first season in the lineup. Also, Drew Roberts returns at 149 along with Andrew Sparks and Blaine Brenner battling it out for the starting spot at 165 this year. Brenner and Sparks filled the 165 and 174 spots a season ago, but Sparks will come down this season. Lastly, Bennett Tabor returns at 285 as well.

Coach Brandon Eggum talks with Ryan Holmes about the upcoming season, what his potential lineup could look like and getting a second chance to host the NCAA tournament in 2028.

The University of Minnesota was set to host the 2020 NCAA Wrestling Championships but due to the COVID pandemic it was cancelled. But now they will get a second chance as the NCAA announced they will be heading there for the 2028 tournament. Gophers' head wrestling coach Brandon Eggum talked about how excited he is to get a chance to re-host in the coming years.

New Minnesota Assistant Coach Micheal Kemerer talks with Ryan Holmes about why he made the move to Minnesota, how coaches like the Brands brothers and Jody Strittmatter shaped his coaching style and how hard it was to step away from competition.

The first set of NWCA All Star matches have been released. The team digs into what they think of the bouts and who they are putting their money on. Also, top prospect Jax Forrest released his top ten schools so we discuss where we could see him heading after high school.

Stellar Trained will take on POWA in the finals at 3pm ET. Watch Elite 8 Duals live on YouTube! Potential Championship Matchups Round 1 (9am ET) Mat 1: Black Mambas vs Metro West Mat 2: Beast of the East vs NJ Commission Mat 3: Stellar Trained vs Roundtree Mat 4: POWA vs Team Thunder Mat 5: Dynasty vs Team Carnage Round 2 (11am ET) Mat 1: Stronghold vs Minion Legends Mat 2: Dynasty vs Roundtree Mat 3: Team Carnage vs Steller Trained Mat 4: POWA vs Beast of the East Mat 5: Team Thunder vs NJ Commission Round 3 (1pm ET) Mat 1: Team Thunder vs Black Mambas Mat 2: Roundtree vs Minion Legends Mat 3: NJ Commission vs Stronghold Mat 4: Dynasty vs Metro West Round 4 (3pm ET) Mat 1: Stronghold vs Metro West Mat 2: Black Mambas vs Minion Legends

As we prepare for more top tier competition this weekend at Elite 8 Duals, we take a look back at one of the best matchups to ever go down at the high-level high school event. Also, check out the full rosters, day 1 matchups and schedule.

It was announced today (Sept. 19) that Morgan State's wrestling team would be joining the the EIWA conference this season. Head Coach Kenny Monday sits down with Ryan Holmes to talk about the recent news and the growth of the program.

Last weekend we saw some of the all-time greats take the mat and reclaims their spot on the Men's Freestyle World Team. On this week's show we discuss the huge performance by Marcus Blaze, Jordan Burroughs' change in style, James Green's dominance and if we think David Taylor competes at the World Championships.

Elite 8 is set. Check out the rosters and the pools for this weekend's dual tournament. For full tournament details, visit elite8duals.com. Rosters BLACK MAMBAS Corey Brown Cason Craft #22 Dom Morrison #9 Kavin Muyleart Griffin Rial Christian Fretwell Tyler Traves #22 Carlos Stanton #24 Junior Kross Cassidy #9 Chase Van Hoven #8 Jordan Chapman #9 Salah Tsarni #15 De’Alcapon Veazy #4 Landon Jobber Spence Brandon Hill BEAST OF THE EAST Traevon Ducking - #3 MS Brandon Bickerton Killian Coluccio #18 / Kole Davidheiser Landon Sidun #7 Karson Brown #13 / Caio Aron #25 Ryan DeGeorge Caedyn Ricciardi #3 @ 144 Beau Hickman #17 @ 150 Zach Ballante #14 @ 157 Leo Contino #9 Alessio Perentin #2 Bryce Burkett #18 John Murphy #10 Ben Schultz #9 Rocco Dellagatta #4 DYNASTY Cruzer Dominguez #13 Caleb Noble #16 Abdi Unle #6 Ben Ziola #97 CO '27 Slater Hicks #5 Seth Mendoza #2 Nate Askrew #7 Dorian Olivarez #4 Lorenzo Allston Vince Bouzakis #2 Riley Johnson #24 Ty Eise #3 Carson Thomas #3 Cade Ziola #2 / Blaise Turner Mark Effendian #7 METRO WEST Kaiden Belinsky HM Cole Lemovitz HM Oumar Tounkara #25 / Cooper Merli #23 Jared Hood HM Jackson Heslin #24 / Kadish Charlie Lussier / George McAteer Brent Von Magnus Dom Wilson #20 Hunter Sturgill #19 Michael Boulanger / Declan Bligh Elliott Humphries #12 Lucas Alvan HM Preston Marchassualt #21 George McAteer HM Michael DiOrio HM MINION LEGENDS Ace Chittum #2MS Gabe Swann #6 Bradley Patterson JoJo Uhorchuk #19 Ethan Uhorchuck John Stewart #20 Will Anderson / Colson Hoffman Logan Paradise #6 Michael Turi Anothony Evanasky #16 Kalias Nazario Max Norman Ryder Wilder #19 Hudson Skove Tyson Russell NJ COMISSION Cole Rebels Charlie Esposito #23 Johnathan Mcginty Curt nelson Patrick O’Keefe #22 Vincent Paino Drew Gorman #3 Tyler Hood #20 Brandon Dean Gavin Hawk #20 Bode Marlow #11 Ryan Burton #1 Harvey Ludington #1 Anthony Harris #5 Mason Brancato POWA Laz Mccewen MS #8 Case Bell #12 Brayden Teumissen #21 Rocco Cassioppi Sebastian DeGennaro #15 Moses Mendoza #7 Gunner Andrick - Rofkin #17 Daniel Zepeda - Rofkin #2 Will Denny - Rofkin #10 Brogan Tucker #11 Asher Cunningham #5 Emitt Sherlock #6 Laine Foard #7 Noah Weaver #18 Justice El Sayad ROUNDTREE Cody Clarke / Ariah Mills #1 MS Teequavious Mills #13 Austin Bickerton Antonio Mills #11 Nico Fanella Trey Wagner #9 Blue Stiffler #12 Derek Barrows #19 Danny Heiser #14 Chase Hontz Dom Bambinelli #13 Chris Mance #25 Conor McCloskey Cason Howle #21 Leland Day STELLAR TRAINED Justin Farnsworth #6 A.J.Kane / Dom Powell Max Tancini Brock Rothermel #8 120lbs Aaron Seidel #2 126lbs Grayson Music #9 126lbs Eren Sement #14 138lbs Blase Mele / Mac Speece Collin Gaj #4 157lbs Kollin Rath #3 150lbs Ben Smith #20 165 Connor Wetzel #16 175lbs Mike Spielman Decker Bechtold Dean Bechtold #6 STRONGHOLD Jameson Thomas Corue Powe Kyan Simons / Will Attickson Sam Comes Quinn Ivey Nick Sykes Bradley William Kiowa Vines Zachery Little Damarcus Powe Cody Kirk Brody Casto Ashton Boswell JJ stephen Martin Thomas TEAM THUNDER Chase Karenbauer #18 Brayden Wenrich #5 Alex Rozas #14 Matt O’Neill Israel Borge Anthony Mutarelli #10 Jesse Grajeda #6 Noah Nininger #6 Ryan Lawler #15 Max Stein #8 Adrien Reyes #5 Dylan Pile #13 Jaxon Penovich #12 Mark Marin Everest Ouellette TEAM CARNAGE Turner Ross #3 Carter Shin #9 Roman Luttrell Isaiah Jones #19 Antonio Rodriguez Jake Hockaday #3 Camden Baum #10 Joseph Joyce#16 / David Perez #16 Blake Cosby #9 Joe Jeter #7 / Luke Sipes #15 Gage Wentzel #15 Mason Ontiveros #13 Brokton Borelli #7 Connor Bercume #13 Charles Weidman #11 / Brady Griffin HM Pools & Matchups

Going into this weekend’s World Team Trials where the four non-Olympic freestyle weights will be contested, we’ve got plenty to keep our eyes on. We will potentially have rematches that we saw at last season NCAA tournament along with some that come with some controversial history. And lastly, the potential ending of multiple careers. It’s going to have it all and it’s safe to expect that everything will be left on the mat. As we prepare for what’s to come, let’s look at the entries, seeds and storylines going into the weekend. Schedule Saturday, September 14
 • 10 a.m. CT: Quarterfinals and Consolations
 • 5:00 p.m. CT: Semifinals and Consolations

 Sunday, September 15
 • 10 a.m. CT: Consolations, Third Place and Round 1 of Championship Series
 • 2 p.m. CT: Rounds 2 and 3 of Championship Series 61kg Sitting out to finals: Vito Arujau (Spartan Combat RTC/TMWC) Pre-seeds: 1. Nahshon Garrett (LVWC/TMWC) 2. Daton Fix (Cowboy RTC/TMWC) 3. Austin Desanto (HWC/TMWC) 4. Seth Gross (Wisconsin RTC) 5. Marcus Blaze (Perrysburg WC) 6. Jax Forrest (Young Guns) 7. Nasir Bailey (Arkansas RTC) 8. Liam Cronin (Nebraska WTC) 9. Devan Turner (NYAC/Indiana RTC) 10. Michael Tortorice (Team Tortorice WC) 11. Nico Provo (Connecticut) 12. Kyle Burwick (Bison WC) Top Contenders: Vito Arujau (Spartan Combat RTC/TMWC) Nahshon Garrett (LVWC/TMWC) Daton Fix (Cowboy RTC/TMWC) Austin Desanto (HWC/TMWC) Seth Gross (Wisconsin RTC) Darkhorse(s): Nasir Bailey (Arkansas RTC) Marcus Blaze (Perrysburg WC) Jax Forrest (Young Guns) Commentary: After declining to go to the Olympic trials because of injury and a tough weight cut, returning World Champion Vito Arujau will be back in action for the first time since winning his second NCAA title over Daton Fix, who is the #2-seed here. Arujau will be sitting out until the finals where he could potentially face Fix again. For Fix, the question here for me is how he looks under the new coaching staff at Oklahoma State/Cowboy RTC. He is now able to work with World Champion and Olympic bronze medalist Thomas Gilman, who is now the assistant coach in Stillwater. A recent video shows the two working out where Gilman talks about showing Fix the holes in his game that he was able to exploit when he defeated him 6-0 in the Olympic Trials semifinals. Despite being the #2-seed, Fix is the guy most are circling to face Arujau in the best-of- three finals. But Fix will most likely have to go through 2016 NCAA Champion Nahshon Garrett, the top-seed in the bracket. Garrett has seen some success on the senior level throughout his career but has only made one World team where he unfortunately had to withdraw from the team due to injury in 2018. He has also faced Arujau in the past, but came up short at Final X in 2023 before Arujau went on to win his world title. A guy that brings a very different style is #4-seed Seth Gross, a 2022 World Team member. Gross and Garrett have met several times before and could potentially meet again in the semifinals this weekend. Just about every time they do there’s a lot of points on the scoreboard. Look for this one to have a lot of action should it happen. And although #3-seed Austin Desanto doesn’t have the resume of the guys I’ve spoken about already, he shouldn’t be overlooked. Just a year ago he defeated Gross in the US Open semifinals before losing to Arujau in the finals. Keep your eyes on the youth in this bracket. Jax Forrest and Marcus Blaze are both very promising up and comers. Blaze recently won bronze at the U20 World Championships. Both Blaze and Forrest competed at this year Olympic Trials and Blaze defeated Forrest in the 3rd place bout. One other guy I’m intrigued about here is Nasir Bailey. He recently became the first All-American in Little Rock history and has some great offense. Picks: 1. Arujau 2. Fix 3. Garrett 70kg Pre-Seeds: 1. Alec Pantaleo (CKWC/TMWC) 2. James Green (Nebraska WTC) 3. Jordan Oliver (NYAC) 4. PJ Duke (KD Training Center) 5. Jarrett Jacques (Tiger Style WC) 6. Evan Henderson (LVWC/TMWC) 7. Bryce Andonian (SERTC/TMWC) 8. Paniro Johnson (Cyclone RTC) 9. Yahya Thomas (NJRTC/TMWC) 10. Will Lewan (Cliff Keen WC) 11. Jakob Bergeland (Gopher WC) 12. Kaleb Larkin (Atreus WC) 13. Ian Parker (Cavalier WC) 14. Daniel Cardenas (Bear Cave WC) 15. Vince Bouzakis (Wyoming Seminary) 16. Wyatt Sheets (Cowboy RTC/TMWC) 17. Jaden Abas (California RTC) 18. Ryan Jack (Wolfpack WC/TMWC) 19. Jackson Arrington (Wolfpack WC/TMWC) 20. Dayne Morton (West Coast RTC) 21. Isaiah Delgado (Brunson UVRTC) Top Contenders: Alec Pantaleo (CKWC/TMWC) James Green (Nebraska WTC) Jordan Oliver (NYAC) Darkhorse(s): Bryce Andonian (SERTC/TMWC) Paniro Johnson (Cyclone RTC) Yahya Thomas (NJRTC/TMWC) Will Lewan (Cliff Keen WC) Kaleb Larkin (Atreus WC) Commentary: The seasoned vets sit atop the contenders list here. Alec Pantaleo, James Green and Jordan Oliver received the top three seed, in that order. Green is the favorite here. Before announcing his retirement a few years ago, he was the king of this weight class as he medaled twice at the World Championships during his tenure. He collected bronze in 2015 and silver in 2017. He made his return to competition this year where he wrestled at 65kg at the Olympic Trials which hasn’t been the best spot for him, but his return to his old weight class can prove beneficial for the rejuvenated former Husker. So, despite not being the top seed, he’s the guy to beat. Sitting at the top of the bracket is Alec Pantaleo, who also didn’t have the finish he wanted at the Olympic Trials at 65kg, but like Green, 70kg has proved to be a better spot for him. Jordan Oliver is making his return to the mat after making the move to the cage the last few years. This will be his first competition since 2022 where he lost to World Champ Zain Retherford in the best-of-three finals at Final X. Despite not focusing on solely wrestling the past few years, you’d have to put Oliver in the mix to win this spot. Like at 61kg, the youth is making a push here as well as recent U20 bronze medalist PJ Duke has entered and gets the #4-seed. Duke is another one of the promising talents that we are sure to be seeing a lot from in the coming years. In addition to Duke, I’m intrigued by 7th-seeded Bryce Andonian, 10th-seeded Will Lewan and 12th- seeded Kaleb Larkin. Andonian is also has a U20 bronze medal on his resume and as we all know has a wild style that’s puts a lot of points on the board. Lewan, who has shown to be the most stubborn folkstyle competitor, has proved to be a more dynamic scorer in international styles. And Larkin showed that he’s a guy to keep an eye one as he gave 4-time NCAA Champion and World silver medalist Yianni Diakomihalis a great run at the Olympic Trials despite losing 5-4. He also won the Bill Farrell with wins over Pat Lugo, Matt Kolodzik and 2024 NCAA Champ Jesse Mendez. Picks: 1. Green 2. Pantaleo 3. Oliver 79kg Pre-Seeds: 1. Chance Marsteller (NJRTC/TMWC) 2. Jordan Burroughs (Pennsylvania RTC) 3. Alex Dieringer (CKWC/TMWC) 4. Keegan O’Toole (Tiger Style WC/TMWC) 5. David Carr (Cyclone RTC/TMWC) 6. Evan Wick (SoCal RTC/TMWC) 7. Hunter Garvin (Iowa) 8. Joey Lavallee (Brunson UVRTC/TMWC) 9. Joey Bianchi (Arkansas RTC) 10. Kennedy Monday (NJRTC/TMWC) 11. Matthew Bianchi (Arkansas RTC) 12. Andrew Dickson (George Mason Univ.) 13. Noah Mulvaney (Buffalo Valley RTC) 14. Sam Beckett (Pennsylvania) 15. Demetrius Romero (Brunson UVRTC) 16. Clay Lautt (Tarheel WC) 17. Justin Grant (McDoubles Wrestling) Top Contenders: Chance Marsteller (NJRTC/TMWC) Jordan Burroughs (Pennsylvania RTC) Alex Dieringer (CKWC/TMWC) Darkhorse(s): Keegan O’Toole (Tiger Style WC/TMWC) David Carr (Cyclone RTC/TMWC) Evan Wick (SoCal RTC/TMWC) Kennedy Monday (NJRTC/TMWC) Commentary: Nothing but action from top to bottom when you look at these seeds. Top two seeds Chance Marstellar and Jordan Burroughs had a wild three match battle at Final X in 2023 that was ultimately won by Marstellar to make his first World Team. He will have to crank it up a notch to repeat against the seven-time World and Olympic champion, who could be competing for the very last time in his career. While I fully expect these two to meet again in the best-of-three finals, there are a few others that can play spoiler starting with three-time NCAA Champion Alex Dieringer, who is coming down from 86kg. Ringer, like Burroughs, could call it a career this year as well so expect for him to let it all hang out. He can potentially meet Burroughs for a rematch of their 2022 World Team Trials finals bout. On the other side of the bracket is the potential for a rematch that has had us glued to the 165lbs weight class at the Big12 and NCAA tournaments the last few years as Keegan O’Toole and David Carr receive the four and five seeds, respectively. Carr defeated O’Toole to win his second NCAA title back in March, but this would be the first time that these two face off in freestyle. The winner of this potential quarterfinal would face Marsteller in the semis. Lastly, currently unseeded NCAA Champian Levi Haines entered (after pre-seeds were released). At this time we don’t know where he will be slotted but no matter what he will be a threat to just about everyone he faces. Picks: 1. Burroughs 2. O’Toole 3. Marstellar 92kg Sitting out to finals: Zahid Valencia (Atreus WC) Pre-Seeds: 1. David Taylor (Cowboy RTC/TMWC) 2. Trent Hidlay (Wolfpack WC/TMWC) 3. Jonathan Aiello (Pennsylvania RTC/TMWC) 4. Michael Macchiavello (LVWC/TMWC) 5. Eric Schultz (Nebraska WTC) 6. Aeoden Sinclair (Tiger Style WC) 7. Patrick Downey (NYAC) 8. Marcus Coleman (Cyclone RTC) 9. Cameron Caffey (Michigan WC) 10. Maximus Hale (Pennsylvania RTC) 11. Nick Stemmet (Illinois) 12. Zane Mulder (Burg Training Center) 13. Luke Duthie (Pennsylvania) 14. Eze Chukwuezi (Spartan Combat RTC) 15. Aidan Brenot (Bison WC) Top Contenders: David Taylor (Cowboy RTC/TMWC) Trent Hidlay (Wolfpack WC/TMWC) Jonathan Aiello (Pennsylvania RTC/TMWC) Michael Macchiavello (LVWC/TMWC) Darkhorse(s): Eric Schultz (Nebraska WTC) Aeoden Sinclair (Tiger Style WC) Patrick Downey (NYAC) Commentary: Zahid Valencia is waiting in the finals for winner of the challenge tournament as he is the returning bronze medalist at this weight. For the first time, multiple-time World and Olympic Champion David Taylor will be competing for his new team and in a new weight class. Taylor, who is now the head coach at Oklahoma State had previously said he was hanging up his shoes as he accepted the new position, however, the competition flames are hard to put out and he will be in the mix here at 92kg. Taylor is surely the favorite to win the spot here. But there are some very tough competitors in the challenge tournament that will look to stand in the way starting with Trent Hidlay. Originally the top-seed here until Taylor entered, Hidlay and his underhook have amassed four All-America finishes with two of those being NCAA finals appearances. He and Valencia have met twice in freestyle and once in folkstyle with every match going in favor of Valencia. But Hidlay has looked extremely tough on the freestyle mats as he won the Bill Farrell during last year’s NCAA season in impressive fashion. His former Wolfpack brother Michael Macchiavello, now of LVWC, is another contender here who, like Hidlay, is making the move down to 92 after being up at 97kg for the Olympic Trials. He faced Valencia at Final X a year ago for this spot on the World Team. Picks: 1. Taylor 2. Valencia 3. Hidlay

This weekend in Omaha, NE the non-Olympic weight World Team Trials will be contested with some of the competitors registered to take the mats. According to USA Wrestling the "seeding was done by the USA Wrestling National Staff. Pre-seeds are subject to change through the completion of medical check and weigh-ins on Saturday, September 14." 61 kg Men’s Freestyle Sit-out to Championship Series: Vito Arujau (Spartan Combat RTC/TMWC) Pre-Seeds 1. Nahshon Garrett (LVWC/TMWC) 2. Daton Fix (Cowboy RTC/TMWC) 3. Austin Desanto (HWC/TMWC) 4. Seth Gross (Wisconsin RTC) 5. Marcus Blaze (Perrysburg WC) 6. Jax Forrest (Young Guns) 7. Nasir Bailey (Arkansas RTC) 8. Liam Cronin (Nebraska WTC) 9. Devan Turner (NYAC/Indiana RTC) 10. Michael Tortorice (Team Tortorice WC) 11. Nico Provo (Connecticut) 12. Kyle Burwick (Bison WC) 70 kg Men’s Freestyle Pre-Seeds 1. Alec Pantaleo (CKWC/TMWC) 2. James Green (Nebraska WTC) 3. Jordan Oliver (NYAC) 4. PJ Duke (KD Training Center) 5. Jarrett Jacques (Tiger Style WC) 6. Evan Henderson (LVWC/TMWC) 7. Bryce Andonian (SERTC/TMWC) 8. Paniro Johnson (Cyclone RTC) 9. Yahya Thomas (NJRTC/TMWC) 10. Will Lewan (Cliff Keen WC) 11. Jakob Bergeland (Gopher WC) 12. Kaleb Larkin (Atreus WC) 13. Ian Parker (Cavalier WC) 14. Daniel Cardenas (Bear Cave WC) 15. Vince Bouzakis (Wyoming Seminary) 16. Wyatt Sheets (Cowboy RTC/TMWC) 17. Jaden Abas (California RTC) 18. Ryan Jack (Wolfpack WC/TMWC) 19. Jackson Arrington (Wolfpack WC/TMWC) 20. Dayne Morton (West Coast RTC) 21. Isaiah Delgado (Brunson UVRTC) 79 kg Men’s Freestyle Pre-Seeds 1. Chance Marsteller (NJRTC/TMWC) 2. Jordan Burroughs (Pennsylvania RTC) 3. Alex Dieringer (CKWC/TMWC) 4. Keegan O’Toole (Tiger Style WC/TMWC) 5. David Carr (Cyclone RTC/TMWC) 6. Evan Wick (SoCal RTC/TMWC) 7. Hunter Garvin (Iowa) 8. Joey Lavallee (Brunson UVRTC/TMWC) 9. Joey Bianchi (Arkansas RTC) 10. Kennedy Monday (NJRTC/TMWC) 11. Matthew Bianchi (Arkansas RTC) 12. Andrew Dickson (George Mason Univ.) 13. Noah Mulvaney (Buffalo Valley RTC) 14. Sam Beckett (Pennsylvania) 15. Demetrius Romero (Brunson UVRTC) 16. Clay Lautt (Tarheel WC) 17. Justin Grant (McDoubles Wrestling) 92 kg Sit-out to Championship Series: Zahid Valencia (Atreus WC) Pre-Seeds 1. Trent Hidlay (Wolfpack WC/TMWC) 2. Jonathan Aiello (Pennsylvania RTC/TMWC) 3. Michael Macchiavello (LVWC/TMWC) 4. Eric Schultz (Nebraska WTC) 5. Aeoden Sinclair (Tiger Style WC) 6. Patrick Downey (NYAC) 7. Marcus Coleman (Cyclone RTC) 8. Cameron Caffey (Michigan WC) 9. Maximus Hale (Pennsylvania RTC) 10. Nick Stemmet (Illinois) 11. Zane Mulder (Burg Training Center) 12. Luke Duthie (Pennsylvania) 13. Eze Chukwuezi (Spartan Combat RTC) 14. Aidan Brenot (Bison WC)

During this week's conversation the crew gives their take on Pursuit Wrestling's video telling kids about being held back, whether or not Bo Bassett is doing too much and what the future of NIL in wrestling could look like.

Lots of movement in the NCAA, but how are all these transfers happening right now? The crew discusses AJ Ferrari and his new home along with all the other movements and the announcements from Jordan Burroughs and Jason Nolf as we get closer to the Non-Olympic Weight World Team Trials.

In 17 days the action begins with our Greco and women’s freestyle teams starting things off in Paris on August 5th. And now we can start setting our reminders with the viewing schedule now out. Check out when your favorite Team USA wrestlers will be hitting the mats at the Olympic Games. Click here: Olympic Games TV Schedule Team USA Roster Greco 77kg: Kamal Bey 87kg: Payton Jacobson 97kg: Josef Rau 130kg: Adam Coon Women’s Freestyle 50kg: Sarah Hildebrandt 53kg: Dominique Parrish 57kg: Helen Maroulis 62kg: Kayla Miracle 68kg: Amit Elor 76kg: Kennedy Blades Men’s Freestyle 57kg: Spencer Lee 65kg: Zain Retherford 74kg: Kyle Dake 86kg: Aaron Brooks 97kg: Kyle Snyder 125kg: Mason Parris

Last week it was reported that a number of Russian and Belarusian wrestlers would be ineligible to compete at the 2024 Olympic Games and now United World Wrestling has announced the reallocations for the games in Paris, France. Of note, the United States Greco team will have an additional competitor as Kamal Bey (77kg) will join the three other qualifiers for the US. Additionally, Italy's Frank Chamizo, who had an extremely controversial qualifying journey before coming up short, will also be added to the pack at 74kg. Below is the full release from UWW.org. --- CORSIER-SUR-VEVEY, Switzerland (June 27) -- United World Wrestling has reallocated 16 wrestling quotas for Paris 2024. This decision was taken after the International Olympic Committee, last week, released a list of eligible athletes in the first group of sports that have finished their qualifying process for the Olympic Games Paris 2024. The IOC had approved 16 out of the 26 Individual Neutral Athletes who won the Paris Olympic spots in various qualifying tournaments of UWW. However, six wrestlers did not accept the invitation to Paris 2024 despite being deemed eligible by the IOC. The 16 reallocations were carried out by UWW to the next highest-ranked eligible NOC, not yet qualified, at the event at which the quota place was obtained, respecting the maximum quota per gender and per NOC. The NOCs must confirm the reallocated quotas respecting the deadlines imposed by United World Wrestling. List of Paris 2024 quotas reallocations Freestyle 57kg - North Macedonia (Baku) 74kg - China (Belgrade) 74kg - Italy (Baku) 97kg - Ukraine (Baku) 97kg - Moldova (Baku) 125kg - Poland (Baku) Greco-Roman 60kg - Romania (Istanbul) 77kg - United States (Istanbul) 87kg - Georgia (Istanbul) 130kg - Bulgaria (Baku) 130kg - Estonia (Istanbul) Women's Wrestling 50kg - Lithuania (Baku) 53kg - Greece (Belgrade) 57kg - Ukraine (Baku) 57kg - Mongolia (Istanbul) 62kg - Sweden (Istanbul) In Freestyle, the 57kg reallocation went to North Macedonia as Vladimir EGOROV (MKD). He finished as the highest-ranked wrestler after the quota winners at the European Olympic Qualifier in Baku. Two 74kg quotas were reallocated. The spot from the World Championships in Belgrade was awarded to China as Feng LU (CHN) was the best-ranked non-qualified wrestler. Originally, Turan BAYRAMOV (AZE) finished as the best-ranked wrestler but he qualified Azerbaijan from Baku hence making him ineligible for the reallocation. The second reallocation was for the Baku quota after an approved wrestler did not accept the invitation. The Baku spot will now go to Italy. Similarly, there were two reallocations at 97kg, both from Baku. Ukraine and Moldova got the Paris 2024 spots from the European OG Qualifier. Ukraine got the spot despite Zbigniew BARANOWSKI (POL) being the next best-ranked wrestler in Baku because the Polish wrestler qualified his country in Istanbul. The next best after Ukraine was Moldova which will have an Olympian in Freestyle for the first time in eight years. Moldova was the beneficiary of a declined invitation from an approved wrestler at this weight class. At 125kg, Poland was awarded the reallocation quota from the European OG Qualifier in Baku. Greco-Roman saw the reallocations awarded to Romania at 60kg, the United States at 77kg, Georgia at 87kg , and Bulgaria and Estonia at 130kg. Romania, the United States and Georgia finished the best-ranked wrestlers after the qualified wrestlers at the World Olympic Qualifier in Istanbul while the 130kg quota to Bulgaria was reallocated from Baku. Azerbaijan and Romania were the next best wrestlers in Baku but both NOCs qualified the weight class in Istanbul, leaving Bulgaria getting the spot. The second 130kg was reallocated from Istanbul with Estonia being the next best non-qualified NOC at the event after an approved wrestler declined the invitation. Women's Wrestling saw five Paris 2024 spots being reallocated. Lithuania, Greece, Ukraine, Mongolia and Sweden were the beneficiaries of the reallocations. Lithuania is set to send its first-ever wrestler in Women's Wrestling after it got the allocation at 50kg from the European OG Qualifier in Baku. Anastasia BLAYVAS (GER) finished third in Baku but she qualified Germany from Istanbul, and the Baku quota was transferred to Lithuania. The 53kg reallocation was from the Belgrade World Championships after an approved wrestler did not accept the invitation. The quota will now go to Greece as it had the next-best wrestler at the event after the quota-winning wrestlers. Two 57kg quotas were reallocated, one each from Baku and Istanbul. Ukraine received the 57kg quota from Baku after Alina HRUSHYNA (UKR) finished third at the European OG Qualifier in Baku. The second reallocated quota at 57kg went to Mongolia after an approved wrestler did not accept the invitation to participate in the Paris Games despite being deemed eligible by the IOC. Mongolia had the best wrestler at 57kg in Istanbul and with this reallocation, it will become the third country, after Japan and the United States, to qualify in all six weight classes of Women's Wrestling for Paris 2024. At 62kg, Sweden will now have two wrestlers in women's wrestling after it received a quota reallocated from Istanbul. Sweden was the best NOC after the qualified wrestlers at the World Olympic Qualifier. The country already has a spot at 53kg from the World Championships. The deadline for the AINs to accept the invitation for Paris 2024 was June 20 after which UWW proceeded with the reallocations. The AINs who have accepted the invitation have agreed to the Conditions of Participation applicable to all participants that contain a commitment to respect the Olympic Charter, including “the peace mission of the Olympic Movement”. The following are the eligible AINs who accepted the invitation to compete at the Olympic Games Paris 2024: Wrestlers with a Russian passport: Freestyle Nachin MONGUSH Shamil MAMEDOV Arslan BAGAEV Abdulla KURBANOV Greco-Roman Alan OSTAEV Magomed MURTAZALIEV Women's Wrestling Natalya MALYSHEVA Alina KASABIEVA Elizaveta PETLIAKOVA Wrestlers with a Belarusian passport Greco-Roman Abubakar KHASLAKHANAU

A few other sports such as swimming and track and field are in the process of figuring out who will represent the United States, but in wrestling the team has been set for quite some time and the last set of qualifiers are solidified as well. With our reps being set for so long, USA wrestling fans have been without some hype for a while - obviously excluding the latest news on the Russian opponents that won’t be making the trip to Paris this year. But getting back to Team USA, let’s take another look at our team and some of their storylines going into the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris this summer. Men’s Freestyle Team 57 kg: Spencer Lee – 1st Olympic Team 65 kg: Zain Retherford – 1st Olympic Team 74 kg: Kyle Dake – 2nd Olympic Team (Bronze in 2020) 86 kg: Aaron Brooks – 1st Olympic Team 97 kg: Kyle Snyder – 3rd Olympic Team (Gold in 2016, Silver in 2020) 125 kg: Mason Parris – 1st Olympic Team
 Commentary The pair of Kyles are the vets on this year’s Olympic teams. Kyle Dake (74kg) and Kyle Snyder (97kg) have three Olympic medals between the two of them with Dake winning bronze in 2020 and Snyder winning gold in 2016 and silver and 2020. For Snyder, he will be looking to claim his 10th straight Senior level World or Olympic medal. Currently, the seven-time World and Olympic finalist has four gold, 3 silver and 2 bronze medals. Dake will be looking for his 6th straight Senior level medal as he has already claimed four World titles and a bronze medal in the 2020 Games. The other four guys on this year’s Olympic team are all first timers. Specifically, Spencer Lee (57kg) and Aaron Brooks (86kg) are on their first Senior level teams of their career. Zain Retherford (65kg) and Mason Parris (125kg) may be making their first Olympic teams, but each has some Senior level hardware in their trophy cases. Retherford has made the World finals twice and brought home a gold medal in 2023 and a silver in 2022, both at 70kg. The Parris to Paris train will be looking for his second consecutive Senior level medal after claiming bronze at last year’s world championships. Just a few weeks ago, he won the UWW ranking series event in Hungary where he mowed down the field with wins of 9-2, 10-0 and a 34-second pin in the finals. The long awaited Senior level debut of Spencer Lee has proved to be fruitful as he dominated the field at the trials then carried that momentum into the qualifier where he was able to qualify the weight. Lee has a long list of age level world gold medals to go along with his three NCAA National Championships, but this will be his first major tournament since winning his third straight world title in 2016 at 50kg at the U20 World Championships. And coming off the biggest win of the Trials was four-time NCAA Champion Aaron Brooks, who took out four-time World and Olympic Champion David Taylor to make this year's team. Like Lee, Brooks will be making his debut at a major tournament and he also has a few age level world medals with a U23 Gold medal joining his list of accolades last year. Watch Snyder win his first World Gold medal in 2015

It looks like a pair of heavy hitters will be joining the Iowa lineup next season. On Tuesday, (May21) there were two announcements that brought the Hawkeye faithful to their feet. First, Nelson Brands announced that he would be back next season then about 30 minutes later Kyle Parco, who entered the transfer portal a month ago, announced he would be joining the Hawkeyes next season as well. Parco comes to Iowa City with a 91-18 career record (according to Wrestlestat) and four All-America finishes of 6th ('21), 8th ('22), 4th ('23), and 5th ('24) last season all coming at 149-pounds. He was also a three-time Pac-12 champion while at ASU. Brands, who is coming off a one-year suspension after being involved in the widely talked about gambling situation, makes things very interesting. The 2023 NCAA All-American will be part of a bit of a log jam in the Hawks lineup at 174/184 next season. Of note, Iowa returns Patrick Kennedy, who manned the spot at 174, as well as Gabe Arnold, who had some very impactful moments during his true freshman redshirt year at both 174 and 184. Add in top-10 recruit Angelo Ferrari who projects to be a 174/184 as well. While the Hawks definitely got stronger with the pair of Tuesday evening announcements, it got a little difficult as well. Iowa's Lineup Possibilities So, what could the Iowa lineup look like next season with all this middleweight firepower? Let’s take a look some of the possibilities. 125: Drake Ayala – ‘24 NCAA runner-up 133: Cullan Schriever – wrestled both 133 and 141 in 23-24 season 141: Cade Siebrecht – competed at 149 in his two seasons at Iowa 149: Kyle Parco or Caleb Rathjen or Victor Voinovich – Parco earned 4th AA at ASU; Rathjen went 1-2 at ’24 NCAAs; Voinovich was a qualifier in ’23 at OK State 157: Parco or Rathjen or Voinovich or Cobe Siebrecht – Siebrecht was a qualifier in ’23 165: Michael Caliendo – 2x NCAA All-American 174: Nelson Brands or Patrick Kennedy or Gabe Arnold or Angelo Ferrari – (Notes above) 184: Brands or Kennedy or Arnold or Ferrari 197: Zach Glazier – ’24 NCAA qualifier 285: Ben Kueter or Bradley Hill – Hill went 1-2 at ’24 NCAAs; Kueter looked promising coming off first football season Focusing on 141, 149, 157 first. Someone at 149 will have to drop and someone will have to go up. Parco could go up and contend for the spot at 157 against Cobe Siebrecht, a 2023 NCAA qualifier, while Rathjen and Voinovich, battle it out at 149 with whoever loses the wrestle-off dropping to 141. At 174 my guess is it will probably come down to Brands vs Kennedy for the spot with Arnold taking over fully at 184 next season. The easiest approach to Ferrari is for him to redshirt, despite his want to be in the lineup as a true freshman. And speaking of Ferrari, it’s yet to be determined (or officially announced) if his older brother AJ, the 2021 197-pound NCAA Champion, will be sporting the black and gold next year. Right now, the only indicators are pictures of him and Kueter flexing in the Iowa room or videos of him working out in their room. If he joins the squad that will make things tough at 197 with Glazier returning as well. We all know how that interaction went down at the Soldier Solute. In the end, next year’s Iowa lineup could be very dangerous, it’s just a matter of who will be manning the battle stations in a few key spots.

After announcing on May 1 that he would be looking for a new home, 2023 NCAA Champion Andrew Alirez announced via his Instagram he’s staying at Northern Colorado. Alirez added this statement on his Instagram story: This past season Alirez took an Olympic redshirt in preparation for the Olympic Trials, but ultimately came up short in his quest to claim the spot at 65kg when he lost to Nick Lee, who was recently named Assistant Coach at Penn State, 11-9 in the semifinals. Now, the Greeley, Colorado native will return to UNC to complete his college career after exploring his options in the transfer portal. The last time Alirez was in the lineup for the Bears he went undefeated (28-0) winning a Big 12 title before becoming the University of Northern Colorado’s first NCAA Champion since 1969. Watch Alirez’s 2023 Championship Win over Iowa’s Real Woods Although we now know that he will be putting his home state’s singlet back on for another year, we do not know if he will be returning to the 141-pound weight class or moving up to 149 for the 2024-25 season.

The wrestling schedule for the 2024 Olympic Games is set. Check out when your favorite wrestlers will be competing. For mobile, view the schedule here! Date Event Time (ET) August 5 Men's Greco-Roman 60kg Round of 16 Women's Freestyle 68kg Round of 16 Men's Greco-Roman 130kg Round of 16 Men's Greco-Roman 60kg Quarterfinals Women's Freestyle 68kg Quarterfinals Men's Greco-Roman 130kg Quarterfinals 9a-11a August 5 Men's Greco-Roman 60kg Semifinals Men's Greco-Roman 130kg Semifinals Women's Freestyle 68kg Semifinals 3p-4p August 6 Men's Greco-Roman 60kg Repechage Women's Freestyle 68kg Repechage Men's Greco-Roman 130kg Repechage Men's Greco-Roman 77kg Round of 16 Women's Freestyle 50kg Round of 16 Men's Greco-Roman 97kg Round of 16 Men's Greco-Roman 77kg Quarterfinals Women's Freestyle 50kg Quarterfinals Men's Greco-Roman 97kg Quarterfinals 5a-7:30a August 6 Men's Greco-Roman 77kg Semifinals Men's Greco-Roman 97kg Semifinals Women's Freestyle 50kg Semifinals Men's Greco-Roman 60kg Bronze Men's Greco-Roman 60kg Gold Medal Men's Greco-Roman 130kg Bronze Men's Greco-Roman 130kg Gold Medal Women's Freestyle 68kg Bronze Women's Freestyle 68kg Gold Medal 12:15p-4p August 7 Men's Greco-Roman 77kg Repechage Women's Freestyle 50kg Repechage Men's Greco-Roman 97kg Repechage Men's Greco-Roman 67kg Round of 16 Women's Freestyle 53kg Round of 16 Men's Greco-Roman 87kg Round of 16 Men's Greco-Roman 67kg Quarterfinals Women's Freestyle 53kg Quarterfinals Men's Greco-Roman 87kg Quarterfinals 5a-7:30a August 7 Men's Greco-Roman 67kg Semifinals Men's Greco-Roman 87kg Semifinals Women's Freestyle 53kg Semifinals Men's Greco-Roman 77kg Bronze Men's Greco-Roman 77kg Gold Medal Men's Greco-Roman 97kg Bronze Men's Greco-Roman 97kg Gold Medal Women's Freestyle 50kg Bronze Women's Freestyle 50kg Gold Medal 12:15p-4p August 8 Men's Greco-Roman 67kg Repechage Women's Freestyle 53kg Repechage Men's Greco-Roman 87kg Repechage Men's Freestyle 57kg Round of 16 Women's Freestyle 57kg Round of 16 Men's Freestyle 86kg Round of 16 Men's Freestyle 57kg Quarterfinals Women's Freestyle 57kg Quarterfinals Men's Freestyle 86kg Quarterfinals 5a-7:30a August 8 Men's Freestyle 57kg Semifinals Men's Freestyle 86kg Semifinals Women's Freestyle 57kg Semifinals Men's Greco-Roman 67kg Bronze Men's Greco-Roman 67kg Gold Medal Men's Greco-Roman 87kg Bronze Men's Greco-Roman 87kg Gold Medal Women's Freestyle 53kg Bronze Women's Freestyle 53kg Gold Medal 12:15p-4p August 9 Men's Freestyle 57kg Repechage Women's Freestyle 57kg Repechage Men's Freestyle 86kg Repechage Men's Freestyle 74kg Round of 16 Women's Freestyle 62kg Round of 16 Men's Freestyle 125kg Round of 16 Men's Freestyle 74kg Quarterfinals Women's Freestyle 62kg Quarterfinals Men's Freestyle 125kg Quarterfinals 5a-7:30a August 9 Men's Freestyle 74kg Semifinals Men's Freestyle 125kg Semifinals Women's Freestyle 62kg Semifinals Men's Freestyle 57kg Bronze Men's Freestyle 57kg Gold Medal Men's Freestyle 86kg Bronze Men's Freestyle 86kg Gold Medal Women's Freestyle 57kg Bronze Women's Freestyle 57kg Gold Medal 12:15p-4p August 10 Men's Freestyle 74kg Repechage Women's Freestyle 62kg Repechage Men's Freestyle 125kg Repechage Men's Freestyle 65kg Round of 16 Women's Freestyle 76kg Round of 16 Men's Freestyle 97kg Round of 16 Men's Freestyle 65kg Quarterfinals Women's Freestyle 76kg Quarterfinals Men's Freestyle 97kg Quarterfinals 5a-7:30a August 10 Men's Freestyle 65kg Semifinals Men's Freestyle 97kg Semifinals Women's Freestyle 76kg Semifinals Men's Freestyle 74kg Bronze Men's Freestyle 74kg Gold Medal Men's Freestyle 125kg Bronze Men's Freestyle 125kg Gold Medal Women's Freestyle 62kg Bronze Women's Freestyle 62kg Gold Medal 12:15p-4p August 11 Men's Freestyle 65kg Repechage Women's Freestyle 76kg Repechage Men's Freestyle 97kg Repechage Men's Freestyle 65kg Bronze Men's Freestyle 65kg Gold Medal Men's Freestyle 97kg Bronze Men's Freestyle 97kg Gold Medal Women's Freestyle 76kg Bronze Women's Freestyle 76kg Gold Medal 5a-8:30a

It’s official. The David Taylor era has begun in Stillwater, Oklahoma as he addressed a full press room that included his future wrestlers, the media, Cowboy fans, and alumni. Taylor spoke about the importance of family as he spoke of his mom, dad and wife along with the things he wants to bring to the Oklahoma State wrestling program. If you missed it, you can watch the full press conference here. 1. Will he continue to compete? After wondering what Taylor would do since leaving the mat after losing to Aaron Brooks in the Olympic Trials finals a few weeks ago, we now have our answer. The Magic Man’s competitive career has come to an end. Taylor spoke to making the decision and how “it was tough to continue” competing after winning Olympic gold in 2021. He mentioned that he felt the desire dwindling and after a lot of thought, tears, and contemplation he believed it was the right time to move on to the next chapter, which is now becoming the head coach of the Cowboys. He also included his new assistant coach Thomas Gilman when speaking of how they both are now done competing. 2. What brought Taylor to Stillwater? The right situation, with the right resources, and a program that can win. That was the formula for bringing Taylor to Stillwater, OK. He and Director of Athletics Chad Weiberg spoke about the opportunity of taking over and that he was incredibly honored just to be mentioned for the job. Ultimately, the support of the athletic department along with Paycom CEO Chad Richison and the formula Taylor feels he can succeed with is what got the job done. 3. What’s the David Taylor program? When it came to the wrestling program, Taylor brought the same outlook that we’ve heard from him as a competitor as well as his former coach, Cael Sanderson, at Penn State – score points and have fun. It’s that approach that many believed Taylor would be bringing with him from the perennial championship program in State College, PA he was a part of as a collegiate champion. Taylor also spoke to the impact that Sanderson and his high school coach, Jeff Jordan, had on him when it came to creating his own philosophy and what he looks to bring to the Cowboys. 4. RTC Outlook On the RTC side of things, he said that the “first order of business” was making sure that Daton Fix was staying to train at the Cowboy RTC. Taylor said that he and Fix sat down and talked and made sure that the now former Cowboy multiple-time NCAA finalist and All-American wasn't going anywhere. Furthermore, he said that there will be a "grass roots approach" to things that expands beyond the college and international level and down to the youth because while he wants to raise the bar for wrestling at Oklahoma State he also wants to raise the bar for wrestling in the state of Oklahoma. 5. Coaching Staff There have already been 2 hires to the staff as Jimmy Kennedy will be Taylor's Associate Head Coach and Thomas Gilman will be an Assistant. When it came to who else would be joining the staff, Taylor mentioned that they are still figuring that out and that there could be more additional coaches coming. With Tyler Caldwell sticking around right now to train the team until things get settled, you wonder if he will remain on staff in some role moving forward. 6. Timeline There is a lot of moving parts and things to figure out when it comes to moving his family from Pennsylvania to Oklahoma along with many other things, but he stressed the importance of getting into the room to help his guys prepare for the upcoming U20 and U23 trials. In the interim, Tyler Caldwell, who was an assistant on John Smith’s staff, will be filling in to keep things moving and help the guys prepare, along with Daton Fix, who is remaining with the RTC.

David Taylor and the new staff at Oklahoma State are ready to get started. Watch the introductory press conference of Taylor, Thomas Gilman and Jimmy Kennedy as they address Cowboy nation for the first time.

This morning the second installment of the NCAA Coaches Poll and first RPI rankings were released. The coaches' rankings are determined by a vote of 14 coaches in each weight class with two head coaches from each of the seven conferences. For ranking purposes, coaches may only consider a wrestler that has been designated as a starter at a respective weight class. Wrestlers must have eight Division I matches in the weight class to be considered with at least one within the last 30 days. The RPI is a calculation that consists of three factors: winning percentage, opponent winning percentage (strength of schedule) and opponent's opponent winning percentage (opponent's strength of schedule). Only matches against Division I opponents at the designated weight class count towards the RPI and a wrestler needs to have wrestled 15 matches to be ranked. Click here to view the full list.

In Braxton Amos’ first match at the 2023 NCAA Championships his shoulder dislocated and in 1-minute and 38 seconds his run came to an end. But he’s making his way back to the mat with a different goal in mind. During this conversation with Ryan Holmes, Amos discusses what happened in the match, back in the tunnel afterwards, his recovery and what his future plans entail. (Click picture below to watch)

The 2023 offseason coaching carousel got off to a slow start, but has picked up steam. This past week, in particular, there were a handful of notable names that changed jobs. Movement begats movement and as new jobs are accepted, typically new positions open up. We’ll certainly have more updates as the summer progresses and fades into fall and the college preseason. Obe Blanc (North Dakota State Head Coach) - North Dakota State Associate Head Coach Steve Bleise (Army West Point) - CSU Bakersfield Assistant Coach Tyler Caldwell (Oklahoma State Assistant Coach) - Oklahoma State recruiting coordinator Marcus Coleman (Davidson Assistant Coach) - Iowa State athlete Evan DeLong (Clarion Assistant Coach) Ceron Francisco (North Dakota State Assistant Coach) - Nittany Lion WC athlete Ben Freeman (Buffalo Volunteer Assistant) - Buffalo athlete BJ Futrell (Northwestern Assistant Coach) - Penn Assistant Coach Tommy Gantt (NC State Assistant Coach) - Wolfpack Wrestling Club James Green (Nebraska Assistant Coach) - USA Wrestling Freestyle Development Gary Wayne Harding (Oklahoma State Recruiting Coordinator Josh Heil (Campbell Assistant Coach) - Campbell Director of Operations Hayden Hidlay (North Dakota State Assistant Coach) - NC State Student-Athlete Development Coordinator Roger Kish (Oklahoma Head Coach) - North Dakota State Head Coach Austin Marsden (Oklahoma Assistant Coach) - North Dakota State Assistant Coach Scott Mattingly (North Dakota State Assistant Coach) - Gardner-Webb Associate Head Coach Quincy Monday (Princeton Assistant Coach) - Princeton athlete Steve Mytych (Rutgers Assistant Coach) - Rutgers Director of Operations Austin O’Connor (Illinois Assistant Coach) - North Carolina athlete Donny Ooten (Bucknell Assistant Coach) Peter Pappas (George Mason Assistant Coach) - George Mason athlete Ian Parker (Virginia Assistant Coach) - Army West Point Assistant Coach Coleman Scott (Oklahoma State Associate Head Coach) - North Carolina Head Coach Charles Small (Long Island Assistant Coach) - Purdue Graduate Assistant Devin Schroder (Wyoming Assistant Coach) - Cleveland State Assistant Coach Cam Sykora (Oklahoma Volunteer Assistant) - North Dakota State Volunteer Assistant Ty Walz (Brown Assistant Coach) - SERTC athlete