Wednesday, August 31, 2022

2023 NCAA DII The Season: Ashland

 



First off I have to say that it absolutely breaks my heart that Aidan Pasiuk doesn't have another season of eligibility left. A four time NCAA DII qualifier & two time All American it was heartbreaking when he finished 4th at the Super Region III last season & missed out on his fifth NCAA Division II Championships appearance. It's such a tough lesson that this sport is never afraid to teach us. Nothing is a given. There are not guarantees. You have to earn it each time. Also gone is three time NCAA DII qualifier Carson Speelman who earned 5th place All American honors in 21', as well as qualifier Chance Esmont & Christian Wellman who was a 4th place All American in 21'. Of those returning, the Eagles bring back two qualifiers from last season, one of which earned All American honors & the other who was one match shy. 

133 lbs
Gavin Weaver 

Gavin Weaver enters his junior season having posted a 15-10 record & a 6th place finish at the Super Region III's. 

141 lbs
Luke Wymer 

An NCAA Division II qualifier in 21', Luke Wymer posted a 12-6 record last season, earning a 6th place finish at the Super Region III. 

165 lbs
Drew Wiechers

A two time NCAA Division II Qualifier, Drew Wiechers went 23-10 on the season last year, winning a Super Region III title & taking home 5th place NCAA Division II All American honors from the national tournament. 

174 lbs
Daniel Beemer 

Earning a 3rd place NCAA Division II All American honor in 21', Daniel Beemer came up a little short of a second All American honor this past season going 21-7 on the year.  The senior will look to redeem himself and earn AA #2 in his final season as an Eagle. 

197 lbs
Walker Uhl 

A Super Region III runner-up Walker Uhl came within one match of calling himself an NCAA Division II All American this past season. He went 18-7 on the year. 












2023 NCAA Division II The Season: New/Reinstated Teams & Miscellaneous

 


I'm very excited about the start of Quincy wrestling. There are a lot of question marks left unanswered at this point, but being in Illinois, I don't think recruiting will be an issue. Plenty of great kids in state & from nearby states. The Men & women's wrestling programs are in excellent shape to be successful. What I know of the program thus far is that they have an excellent transfer in Gavin Morawitz who was originally competing for Hannibal-LaGrange. An American Midwest Conference champion, he was 24-11 this past season. Depending on eligibility, he may still be a "freshman" this season as well.  I believe that Humberto Pintor another former Hannibal-LaGrange wrestler might be joining Morawitz as well. 


The Panthers made a huge statement this past season by crowing their first Region place-winner in Andrew Parker who finished in 6th place. That was the start & now that Parker has joined the coaching staff I believe we're going to see more successes for the program as time goes on. 



There were definitely some positives in the first year of reinstatement for William Jewell this past season. The first go round lasted from 1950-1951 through 1992-1993, which saw the Cardinals produce 14 conference champions & 19 national qualifiers.  I think in due time, the Cardinals will duplicate that success. They came very close to winning their first dual, when they lost a very tight matchup with Friends 27-30.  Julian Victoria had 18 victories last season & I would bet when the Cardinals crown their first Region place-winner Victoria will most likely be it. 



With a bitter taste still in my mouth from when Carson-Newman discontinued back in 2009, I was very, very happy to see the addition of wrestling at Lincoln Memorial. Tennessee was due for a new wrestling program, especially one at the DII level. Hope to see the Railsplitters have success in the years to come. 



Things have certainly been interesting at Wheeling. What I'll say is this. The Cardinals have shown they are capable of doing great things. During the 18'-19' season they went 14-3 in dual meets & took a 2nd place finish in the Super Region. I think what they need right now is a leader. Someone to put the train back on the track. I think that someone might very well be Julius Hobbs. We'll wait & see. 



I'll tell you what. The Big Blues went 4-14 in duals last season but they very well could have just as easily gone 8-10. Three of the duals they lost last year were by a single point. Another only by seven points. Winning 4 duals & hanging right in their with Lander, Emmanuel, Wheeling & Queens is saying something in your very first season on the mat. Some teams take years to win their first dual & like I said, tweak a thing here & there and Bluefield State might have won 8. The HBCU is already off to a great start & I think the future is bright for his young team. On an individual basis, I have to say it was heartbreaking to see Caleb Fritz's season end in injury.  Do I think he could have placed at Super Regions? Yes, I do think that was a possibility. 13-5 on the season, he will definitely contend for a top 6 placing at Super Regions this year. 




We actually won't be seeing this restoration until the 23'-24' season but to say I'm excited about it is an understatement. We're talking a very, very rich tradition.  Take a look for yourself...https://johnnythompsonnum1.blogspot.com/2020/05/gone-lost-forgotten-their-best-grand.html



I'm embarrassed by this but I have to admit my ignorance on this subject.  I attended Northwestern College for 3 seasons before transferring to another college. I was there from the 04'-05' school year to the 06'-07' school year. Orange City is only about an hour drive from Sioux Falls. Sioux Falls had wrestling during this time & I drove up to one home dual every year. I never mean for things to slip past me, but I honestly didn't even realize they had discontinued. As a result in the 462 discontinued programs that I did write about in "Gone, Lost & Forgotten" Sioux Falls was not one of them.  With that said, I am very happy to see that they are now back.  Wrestling begins in the 23'-24' season. 




First Huntingdon for NCAA Division III & now Montevallo for NCAA Division II. How cool is that? Alabama now has two varsity collegiate wrestling teams. To see wrestling continue to grow in the south is such a rewarding experience. Can't wait to see what other new programs we get. This is the 22'-23' season, I'll make a left fielder's bet. I say before the 29'-30' season we see our first varsity (already have an NCWA program) wrestling program in Mississippi.  





2023 NCAA Division I The Season: MIssouri

 

*NOTE* - I want to make it clear what this is and what this is not.  What this is NOT is an overview of the entire team. What this is, is a who’s who preview of THIS season 2022-2023. Meaning that I am going to talk about the starters who I feel will have an impact THIS year. Those who will win big matches in duals. Those who will earn placings in major tournaments like CKLV, RENO, MIDLANDS, MATMEN INVITE, SOUTHERN SCUFFLE, CONFERENCES & NCAA’s.  In some cases a weight class will have multiple talented wrestlers. I will note that & I will also be making posts later on about the best wrestle-offs to look forward to this season.  Then after that is determined I will make post later into the season of who our best backups are in the nation.

This post will NOT include redshirts. Those who are redshirting this season will be included in a separate post entitled “22’-23’ Best Redshirts.” 


The word here this year for Missouri is potential. While the Tigers return three All Americans to their lineup including a National Champion, they have five others who have finished one match shy of All American themselves. In terms of a team race & contending for one of those top four team trophies, there is a lot of difference between three All Americans and eight. So as you can see the potential for Missouri to do well in the post season is most certainly there. 

125 lbs
Noah Surtin 

Two time NCAA Qualifier Noah Surtin is one of those potentials I was talking about up above. He was one match shy of being an All American last season. 4th in the Southern Scuffle. 

133 lbs
Connor Brown 

An NCAA qualifier all the way back in 2018, I am anxious to see what Connor Brown can do in his final season of eligibility.  He's definitely had some nice wins in his career & he's done some other big things like take a 4th place finish at the Midlands in 2019. However, he's battled a ton of injuries during his career as well. If healthy, he'll be an asset to the Tiger lineup. 

141 lbs
Alan Hart 

16-7 on the year, three time NCAA qualifier Alan Hart was one match away from being an All American in 2021. Red hot at the Southern Scuffle last season, he made the finals with a very impressive win over Clay Carlson of South Dakota State. Performances like that are vital to the Tiger's success. 

149 lbs
Brock Mauller 

Two time All American Brock Mauller is back after redshirting this past season. 6th in 2019, he was 5th in 2021. While I'm going to stand on the hill that says Yianni Diakomihalis owns the 149 lbs weight class, I do think runner-up honors is at this point anyone's game & Mauller is for sure one of the top players. 

157 lbs
Jarrett Jacques 

A four time NCAA qualifier with two MAC titles & an impressive 3rd place finish at the Southern Scuffle last season, I am rather shocked that Jacques doesn't already have a top 8 NCAA finish somewhere on his resume. He was close in 2021, when he made the round of 12.  This is his final shot to do so & call him a senior, super senior, grad student or at this point an elder, this is his final shot. 

165 lbs
Keegan O'Toole 


3rd in 2021 & a national champion this past season, Keegan O'Toole has lost exactly once in his entire collegiate career thus far. If that doesn't say it all, little else will. 

174 lbs
Peyton Mocco 


Peyton Mocco is another Tiger who really turned it on and turned it up at the Southern Scuffle last season. Handled Stanford's Tyler Eischens 5-2 in the quarterfinals & then stuck Duke's Matt Finesilver in route to a runner-up finish in the semi-finals. Also had a very nice BIG 12 tournament, sticking Oklahoma's Anthony Mantanona & securing a 2-0 victory over South Dakota State's Cade Devos which also led to a runner-up finish. At the NCAA's he lost first round & came all the way back to the round of 12, which again included victories over both Finesilver & Mantanona. He's proven he can be top 8 NCAA's, it's simply a matter of making it happen. 

184 lbs
Sean Harman 

Sean Harman had some successes last season at 174 lbs.  Impressive wins over Wyoming's Hayden Hastings & Oklahoma State's Dustin Plott. Anxious to see how he does at 184. 

197 lbs
Rocky Elam 

I'll probably get some flack for saying this, but I believe that 197 lbs is a still a fairly open weight class & I do think that Rocky Elam is among the contenders.  5th in 2021 & 4th in 2022, the young Tiger is well on his way to becoming a five time All American & seeing a 1st within those finishes wouldn't surprise me in the least.  He's got some things to figure out, Stephen Buchanan & Yonger Bastida being two of them. 

HWT
Zach Elam 

Like four of his other teammates it is a bit surprising that Zach Elam hasn't made the award stand at the NCAA's yet. He certainly has the talent & the ability.  A three time NCAA qualifier, he was one match shy of All American honors this past season.  Trent Hillger of Wisconsin & Matt Stencel of Central Michigan, both All Americans are among many of the impressive victories Elam has had thus far in his career. 
















Tuesday, August 30, 2022

2023 NCAA Division I The Season: Iowa

 *NOTE* - I want to make it clear what this is and what this is not.  What this is NOT is an overview of the entire team. What this is, is a who’s who preview of THIS season 2022-2023. Meaning that I am going to talk about the starters who I feel will have an impact THIS year. Those who will win big matches in duals. Those who will earn placings in major tournaments like CKLV, RENO, MIDLANDS, MATMEN INVITE, SOUTHERN SCUFFLE, CONFERENCES & NCAA’s.  In some cases a weight class will have multiple talented wrestlers. I will note that & I will also be making posts later on about the best wrestle-offs to look forward to this season.  Then after that is determined I will make post later into the season of who our best backups are in the nation.

This post will NOT include redshirts. Those who are redshirting this season will be included in a separate post entitled “22’-23’ Best Redshirts.”  



Some of the heavy artillery from Iowa's incredible lineup from last season has since graduated as the Hawkeyes reload with an arsenal that will challenge for an NCAA team title.  Gone is Energizer Bunny Norman Bates Austin DeSanto who left plenty to be desired in terms of sportsmanship but always poured his heart & soul out on the mat in earning NCAA DI finishes of 5th-3rd-3rd during his time as a Hawkeye. His efforts were always a huge help to the Hawks in team points & his absence will be felt.  Also gone is Jaydin Eierman who despite missing out on his fifth All American honor last season, was also vital to many of Iowa's successes.  Kaleb Young, who in my opinion never got the credit or recognition he deserved, a two time All American has graduated as we also say goodbye to Alex Marinelli who with four BIG 10 titles, three Midlands titles & finishes of 6th-7th-5th at the NCAA's, I feel perfectly comfortable in naming one of the best ever to never make an NCAA finals. At 3rd-4th-2nd-4th we'll add Mike Kemerer to the list as one of the best to never win an NCAA title.  Last but certainly not least I'm going to throw in a word for Vince Turk. He may not have been the varsity starter last season but it is guys like him that help to pump the blood that beats the Heart of Iowa wrestling. 

125 lbs
Spencer Lee 

When it comes to all of the things there is to do in collegiate wrestling you can take an ink pen and check off damn near every box when it comes to the Iowa Hawkeyes. One of the only things they have yet to do is crown a four time NCAA Division I champion. This is the year to do it & the man's name is Spencer Lee. 

133 lbs
Brody Teske           OR     Cullan Schreiver 

The Black & Gold faithful are pretty excited about the incoming of transfer Brody Teske & they should be. The former Northern Iowa Panther is a two time NCAA Qualifier & a BIG 12 champion. However, I wouldn't count out Cullan Shreiver. A 15-5 record he has wins over Kyle Biscoglia of Nothern Iowa as well as Derek Spann of Buffalo.  Let's keep in mind that Teske is a 125'er moving up to 133 lbs. That 8 lbs of difference at these lower weights is pure muscle. This will be a wrestle-off worth paying attention to. 

141 lbs
Real Woods 

Winters are going to be quite a bit colder in Iowa City than what they were in California. Stanford transfer Real Woods has thus far earned three trips to the NCAA championships, a 6th place finish this past season.  17-4 on the season, he was also a Southern Scuffle champion. 

149 lbs
Max Murin 

R12 in 2019. R12 in 2021. R12 in 2022. Dear lord somebody rest assure me that Max Murin is going to make All American status this season. Hell, as far as I'm concerned he's good enough to make the finals. I think Yianni Diakomihalis is the armor that can't be penetrated but there's nobody else here that Murin can't beat. He's as good as NCAA DI silver as far as I'm concerned. 

157 lbs
Bretli Reyna 

If you would have told me that I'd live to see the day when the varsity lineup at Iowa would feature both a Californian & a Floridian, I don't think I would have believed it. Yet, here we are.  IMO his most impressive win last season was his 6-5 tiebreaker victory over Turk. Anxious to see what this kid can do. 

165 lbs 
Patrick Kennedy 

Now that the varsity spot is his & he has free range, I am very excited to see Patrick Kennedy in full gear. 17-3 on the season, he was 6th at the Southern Scuffle.  In order for Iowa to make up for what they have lost in starters DeSanto, Eierman, Young, Marinelli & Kemerer, they are going to have to have guys step up & go above & beyond. I think Kennedy will do just that. 

174 lbs
Nelson Brands          OR    Brennan Swafford 

This is the wrestle-off I am looking most forward to when it comes to Iowa. 2021 NCAA qualifier Nelson Brands against two time NAIA national champion Brennan Swafford who finished 6th at the Southern Scuffle last season. I would say that this inner-feud will not be settled by the results of a first wrestle-off. Whether Iowa competes in the Midlands or the Mat Men Invitational this season, I would say that would be when we know who's suiting up for sure come March. 

184 lbs
Abe Assad 

A two time NCAA DI qualifier, it was a disappointing end to the season last year for Abe Assad. He has the tools to be an All American this season. 

197 lbs
Jacob Warner 

Senior Jacob Warner really stepped it up a notch last season & showed what he was made of by make the NCAA finals. The three time All American (7th in 19' & 4th in 21') will need to continue down that path & prove himself NCAA champion worthy as the Hawks prove themselves NCAA team champion worthy. 

HWT 
Tony Cassioppi 

3rd in 2021, Tony Cassioppi finished 7th in the nation this past season. As of right now, he seems to have Penn State's Greg Kerkvliet all figured out, but it is Michigan's Mason Parris who is giving him fits. BIG 10's, NCAA's, he'll need to figure out the Wolverine. He'll have other challenges this season, but if he makes the types of improvements that it's almost certain that he did, he too will challenge for an individual NCAA title. 
























2023 NCAA Division II The Season: New Mexico Highlands

 



The Cowboys return two Region Place-winners one of which earned NCAA Division II All American honors this past season. 

149 lbs
Jonathan Trujillo 

An NCAA Division II qualifier in 2020, Jonathan Trujillo nearly made trip two to the NCAA DII championships last season when he finished 4th at the Super Region VI. 

174 lbs
Allen Michel 

Allen Michel had an outstanding season last year going 20-10 on the year, earning runner-up honors at the Super Region VI & placing 8th at the NCAA Division II championships. 




2023 NCAA Division II The season: San Francisco State

 


I'll start off by saying that I thought Mason Boutain, 3rd in the Super Region VI last season on a 16-8 record had more time left on his eligibility clock, but I do not see him on the current roster.  With that said, the Gators do return two Super Region place-winners this season. 

141 lbs
Josh Fuentes Nrikiyo

Two time CCCAA medalist Josh Fuentes Norikiyo nearly made his first NCAA Division II championships appearance last season when he finished 4th at the Super Region VI. 

149 lbs
Josh Tolentino 

15-8 on the season, Josh Tolentino took a 6th place finish at the Super Region VI. 






2023 NCAA Division II The Season: Simon Fraser

 

I probably have no business being as fascinated as I am with Simon Fraser wrestling, but the fact that it is our only foreign team in all of NCAA wrestling will always make it mystical to me. The team without a name returns two of their four Region Place-winners from last season.  Riley Prough and Randy MacDonald both 6th in the Region last season, have since graduated. 

165 lbs
Magnus McCrackin 

Alberta native Magnus McCrackin earned a 5th place finish at the Super Region VI last season. 

HWT 
Taniela Feliciano-Takafua

If I spelled that right, I highly doubt I pronounced it right.  The California native looked very sharp last season going 14-3 coming within one match shy of NCAA Division II qualification when he finished 4th at the Super Region VI. 






2023 NCAA Division II The Season: Colorado School of Mines

 



The Orediggers return quite a bit of talent including six of seven Region Place-Winners, two of which were NCAA Division II qualifiers & an All American. Gone is four time NCAA Division II qualifier Weston Hunt who took 4th place All American honors last season. 

125 lbs
Christian Lopez 

Christian Lopez enters his junior season now a two time Super Region place-winner. 4th in 2021, he was 6th last year. 

133 lbs
Tyler Krause 

Senior Tyler Krause enters his final season as an Oredigger after posting a 5th place finish at Super Region VI this past season. 

141 lbs
Grayston DiBlasi 

Grayston DiBlasi had himself a very nice freshman season last year going 26-7 on the season, earning a 3rd place showing at Super Region VI & finishing one match shy of his first NCAA Division II All American honor. 

157 lbs
Carter Noehre

After finishing as the Super Region VI runner-up in 2021, Carter Noehre slipped to 5th place this past season. The senior will look to redeem himself this year & once again see himself in the Super Region finals. 

165 lbs
Jack Damenti 

Unfortunately Jack Damenti missed out on a medal at the Super Region VI last season, but he definitely has proven that he more than has the ability to earn a top six showing this season.  Last year among his victories an 8-5 decision over Sam Loera of Adams State & a 6-3 decision over Alex Holguin of Colorado Mesa, who placed 6th & 4th respectively. 

174 lbs
Ryan Fidel              OR   Garrett Bakarich 

Two time Region Place-winner Ryan Fidel enters his final season after posting a 6th place finish at the Super Region VI. A finalist in 2021, like teammate Noehre, he'll look to reclaim his place in the finals this year.  Backing him will be tough junior Garrett Bakarich. 

184 lbs
Anderson Salisbury 

Senior Anderson Salisbury has went above & beyond in representing the talent to come out of the state of Texas. A two time All American he was 8th in 2021 & 7th this past season.  3rd in the Super Region VI, he won a title in 2021.  He'll look to earn another Super Region VI title & a third NCAA Division II All American honor this season. 

197 lbs
Cody Ryan 

After going 10-1 in his initial redshirt this past season, Florida native Cody Ryan looks to do big things for the Orediggers this year as a freshman.