If we can compare wrestling to war real quick, 157 lbs is D-Day. Trying to break through to become an All American is like getting off the boats in Normandy & hoping to make it off the shore alive as you have Gatling gun fire & mortars exploding all around you. Heck that's more than just trying to become one of the top 8 by season's end, it's even finishing as one of the top 33. The battles start early too. There are so many good wrestle-offs between two (or more) good wrestlers at this weight, that we could literally hold a dual of nothing but 157 lbs wrestle-offs, and of all wrestle-offs in all of collegiate wrestling they may be the most exciting. There are going to be a lot of good wrestlers watching from the stands at the qualifying tournaments this year.
In the long run, that may end up being a good thing. I hate to know a wrestler, capable of NCAA DI qualification (somethings even more) is riding on the bench because there's only one varsity spot open per weight class. This gives reason to look at the current situation of transferring in a positive light. It sucks that a school might lose a talent, but in the long run this could benefit wrestling. If a talent isn't making the roster at a Penn State or an Iowa or an Ohio State, then maybe that talent might look at some of the non-traditional powerhouses, some of the small schools that could use a superstar.
Ok, enough thinking out loud....
Back to the specifics of those who return at 157....
I said loaded right?
6 of the 8 All Americans from last season return.
We also have an All American from 149 & two All Americans from seasons past who were injured last season.
That's 9 All Americans in this weight class. Of those 9 All Americans, one is looking to become a four time All American. He is also looking to become a three time NCAA DI finalist. 3 are looking to become three time All Americans. Five are looking to become five time NCAA DI qualifiers.
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| Levi Haines Terrell Barraclough Penn State |
Ooh I'm gonna ruffle some feathers here. The Nittany Lions got its Haines on just about everyone last year, as the true-freshman went 27-2 on the year, earning NCAA DI runner-up status, as well as a BIG 10 title. Is it blasphemy at this point to say that he will be challenged for his varsity position. It may be, but heresy as it may be, yes, I will suggest it. Terrell Barraclough is no pushover. Might not have quite the resume of impressive wins, but a 3-1 decision over Corbyn Munson & a 6-0 shut out over Derek Gilcher deserve mention. The only official match between Haines & Barraclough ended in a tight 2-1 decision for Haines.
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| Sammy Sasso Paddy Gallagher |
Sammy Sasso enters his final season of eligibility one of the best wrestlers yet to win an NCAA title. 5th in the DI nation in '22, he made the finals in both '21 & '23. All of that success, including a 29-3 record last season, winning his second BIG 10 title came at 149 lbs. Now this nasty, mean & starving shark will test the waters at 157 lbs, looking to devour all in his sight.
Now do I think Paddy Gallagher is going to shove Sasso out of his spot. Absolutely not. No one on the Ohio State team is gonna keep Sasso from his third & final shot at the NCAA DI title. I will say though that I think Gallagher helps to push him in the room. That he'll keep Sasso honest. An NCAA qualifier in his own right Gallagher was runner-up at the Michigan State Open. The Buckeyes already know they have nothing to worry about once Sasso graduates, cause he'll be there to more than fill the void.
*UPDATE* - Now that Sasso was recently shot, it makes me wonder how much of an effect that will have on his performance. Imagine if he's able to win an NCAA title after this unfortunate incident. What a story that would make.
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| Jared Franek Cobe Siebrecht Iowa |
Last season watching Jared Franek have the success he had was very rewarding to me as a wrestling fan. 3rd-2nd-2nd in the BIG 12, he finally won a conference title. R12-R12 at the NCAA championships, he finally broke through & earned an All American honor with a 4th place finish. Icing on the cake, add in a Southern Scuffle title on an overall record of 27-3. I have to admit, it's strange seeing him in Hawkeye gear, but I more than welcome him to Iowa City.
Before he gets started eyeing the BIG 10 competition, he'll first have to worry about the competition in the room. Cobe Siebrecht isn't going to give up his spot easy. An NCAA DI qualifier in his own right, he was 7th in the BIG 10's last year with 14 victories.
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| Ed Scott A.J. Kovacs North Carolina State |
Here's another area some might get bent out of shape with me saying could be a very good wrestle-off. Seems that both Ed Scott & A.J. Kovacs started off their careers with a lot of potential. Scott got hot while Kovacs battled some injuries & now the whole wrestling world is Scott crazy while Kovacs has been forgotten. I haven't forgotten about him. This in no way shape or form is a slight at Scott. 24-9 on the season, 3rd in both the CKLV & the ACC, he was 5th in the DI nation. I love watching him wrestle & especially look forward to the unpredictable nature of his match. Nothing like seeing a headlock thrown out of nowhere. The point I'm trying to make is that Kovacs is a damn good wrestler. He was injured last season, but a healthy Kovacs is a tough, tough kid. 15-10 win over SOCON champ Tommy Askey, he does own a 9-8 win over Ed Scott. Don't try and decipher what I'm saying, cause I'm saying it. If Kovacs is 100% this season, he is going to make Scott earn the varsity spot.
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| Peyton Robb Nebraska |
Peyton Robb is holding up the #1 finger in this photo & that could very well be the case by the end of the '23-'24 season if the Husker can remain healthy. Posting a 28-4 record last year, he goes into his final season of competition looking to earn both his fifth NCAA DI qualification & his third All American honor. 4th in '22, he was 6th this past season. He also won both the Navy Classic & the CKLV.
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| Bryce Andonian Clayton Ulrey Virginia Tech |
Bryce Andonian believe it or not is a four time ACC runner-up. Does he finally break through & win a conference title this season? He sure is in good position to. The four time NCAA DI qualifier, is also a two time All American finishing 3rd & 7th the past two seasons.
Now, do I think Clayton Ulrey will challenge Andonian for the starting position. No, I don't. The varsity starter at 157 for the Hokies is going to be Andonian. However, I will say that if Andonian wasn't around, Ulrey would for sure be a force within the ACC & most likely an NCAA qualifier for Virginia Tech. A tough wrestler, had 15 victories last season.
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| Will Lewan Michigan |
Among the competition both within the NCAA & the BIG 10 we have Will Lewan. The Wolverine looks for his fifth NCAA DI qualification as well as his third All American honor this year. My question is, can he contend with Sasso, Haines, Robb & Franek for a BIG 10 title? Thus far he's collected silver & bronze within the conference. Can he contend for that gold? 24-9 on the year, he's also been 4th at the CKLV the past two seasons.
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| Jacori Teemer Arizona State |
All of the competition mentioned so far & we add yet another top contender to the list. Jacori Teemer was injured last season, but thus far in his career he's been 4th & 6th in the DI nation. Do I think he can contend for the national title this season? Well, let's put it this way. He owns an 8-6 dec over Sammy Sasso. He owns a 4-2 s.v. over Will Lewan. He also owns three victories over Jared Franek. So yes, I do.
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| Brayton Lee Indiana |
One of the biggest ? marks going into the '23-'24 season is the status of Brayton Lee. The 2021 All American (6th) was not at all himself last season. Now we wait in anticipation to see if he'll be back to his old ass kicking self this year or if he'll continue to struggle. If back (and hopefully better than ever) he's a serious monkey wrench to an already insane weight class. A healthy Lee has a 6-4 victory over Sasso, a 4-0 win over Robb, a 6-4 s.v. over Franek & he's defeated Lewan twice by scores of 5-4 & 8-3.
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| Daniel Cardenas Charlie Darracott Stanford |
With both of these outstanding talents at Stanford, I want to pull the hair out of my head that they're both still at the same weight. I estimate that the Cardinal will have six NCAA DI qualifiers this year & it'd be seven if these two weren't at the same weight! Obviously with Jaden Abas at 149, neither is gonna drop down. Could they lock Darracott in the weight room all summer & bump him up to 165? Maybe put Hunter Gavin at 174? I don't know. I have no idea. What I do know is that I hate watching either one of these guys not compete at the PAC-12's. With a 5-3, 7-4 & 6-4 s.v. decision over Darracott, the advantage obviously goes to Cardenas. Who by the way won a PAC-12 title last season, finished 3rd at the Southern Scuffle & finished one match shy of NCAA DI All American honors a 24-3 record. Darracott who would contend for a PAC-12 title himself if he is to win the position had 18 wins last season. 5th in the Southern Scuffle, he was 2nd at Reno.
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| Vinny Zerban Travis Mastrogiovanni Nathan Moore Northern Colorado |
I am very excited to see just how dangerous Vinny Zerban really is. He reminds me of a Nolan Ryan pitch. You aren't exactly sure where the ball is going to go, but you know that wherever it's going, it's coming at 1,000 mph. Getting the freshman jitters out of the way, perhaps he comes back this season still as deadly as ever, but with a bit more accuracy & control. An up and down season, he was 8th in the BIG 12, yet one match shy of NCAA DI All American honors. 22 wins on the season, he's the only person not named Austin O'Connor who's handed Levi Haines a loss (8-6 s.v.).
Also at this weight for the Bears is Oklahoma State transfer Travis Mastrogiovanni. Which has in the back of my mind if Troy will ever jump ship to join his brother. He's certainly in a better position than Travis was within the Cowboy lineup, but nevertheless he still has to contend with Troy Spratley & Reece Witcraft. As to Travis, he brings an 11-4 record to the table. One match shy of a top 8 showing at the Southern Scuffle, he dropped a 6-3 match to Zerban. Let's also add in the name Nathan Moore, who was 9-3 for the Bears last season.
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| Chase Saldate Michigan State |
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| Cael Swensen South Dakota State |
Another tough freshman from last season, Cael Swensen put together a 24-10 record. 5th in the BIG 12, he was 6th at CKLV & runner-up at the Soldier Salute.
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| Tommy Askey Appalachian State |
30-13 on the season, Tommy Askey won a SOCON title. Among his other accomplishments on the year, he was 8th at CKLV, 7th at the Southern Scuffle & 3rd at the Keystone Classic.
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| Trevor Chumbley Aiden Vandenbush Northwestern |
Trevor Chumbley more than impressed in his first season as a full time starter. 27-9 on the season he won a Michigan State Open title & really took the wrestling world by storm by winning the Midlands. 5th at CKLV, he was 4th in the BIG 10. Behind him in the lineup, he'll have a tough Aiden Vandenbush. 16 wins on the season, he was 7th in the Midlands.
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| Peyten Kellar Garrett Thompson Ohio |
The Bobcats have two tremendous talents at 157 lbs. Peyten Kellar who on a 24-9 record took home bronze medals from both the Navy Classic & the MAC championships. He was also one match shy of a medal at CKLV. Garrett Thompson, 14 wins on the season had a 13-5 major decision over SOCON champion Tommy Askey. Thus far in three official matches, Kellar leads over Thompson. Both a 4-0 & 4-2 decision Vs a 5-3 decision.
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| Nathan Lukez Army |
20 wins on the season, Nathan Lukez was 3rd in the EIWA championships.
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| Jason Kraisser Iowa State |
Winning the UNI Open title, Jason Kraisser was 4th in the BIG 12 championships & one match shy of a top 8 showing at the Southern Scuffle. He won 22 matches last season.
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| Corbyn Munson Central Michigan |
Corbyn Munson goes into this final season of competition a two time NCAA qualifier with MAC finishes of 3rd & 5th the past two years. 26 wins on the season, one of them was a 4-1 decision over All American Ed Scott.
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| Cesar Alvan Columbia |
Already a two time PAN-AMERICAN bronze medalist for Brazil, Cesar Alvan was an NCAA qualifier for the Lions last season, also placing 7th at CKLV.
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| Andrew Clark Rutgers |
6th in the Midlands championships & 20 wins on the season, Andrew Clark was an NCAA qualifier for the Scarlet Knights.
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| Jared Hill Oklahoma |
A tough sophomore, Jared Hill won 18 matches qualifying for the NCAA DI championships with a 6th place finish at the BIG 12 championships.
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| Andrew Cerniglia Navy |
It was obvious that Andrew Cerniglia was not 100% last season. Nevertheless, he is a two time NCAA DI qualifier & he owns a 7-2 decision over Nathan Lukez. If he's back to form, he'll be one of the top contenders for the EIWA title this season.
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| Derek Gilcher Indiana |
25 wins on the year, Derek Gilcher was 3rd at both the Midlands & RENO, qualifying for the NCAA championships with an 8th place finish at the BIG 10.
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| Tanner Peake Davidson |
The Wildcats have not had an NCAA qualifier since 2015. There best bet for one this season will be sophomore Tanner Peake. 15-4 on the year, he was the SOCON runner-up. Most likely he'll have to once again make the finals, if even that will be good enough amongst some pretty stiff competition. He owns a 4-3 decision over Troy Nation & a 3-1 decision over Job Chishko.
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| Michael North Maryland |
Making it out of the insanely loaded BIG 10 this season will be no easy task, but Michael North has it in him to head south to Kansas City with a ticket punched to compete at nationals. The Terrapin had 16 wins on the year.
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| Cameron Steed Jerrdon Fisher Missouri |
Missouri has two talented freshman here at 157, both of which stood out in their redshirts last season. Cameron Steed, 16 wins on the season placed 4th at the Southern Scuffle up at 165. Jerrdon Fisher, 10 wins on the season was 2nd at the Cougar Clash & a match shy of a top 8 showing at the Midlands. Among his victories, a 3-1 decision over NCAA DI qualifier Jared Hill. This will be a fun wrestle-off between these two rookies.
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| Nick Delp Bucknell |
12 wins on the season, one of which was 5-3 decision over Andrew Cerniglia & a R12 showing at CKLV, Nick Delp will contend for NCAA qualification this season.
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| Troy Nation Campbell |
The battle to make the SOCON finals this season in hopes that it might translate into NCAA DI qualification will be a fierce one. One of the top contestants in this battle will be Campbell senior Troy Nation. 14 wins on the season, he was 3rd in the SOCON last year. One of his wins a 3-1 decision over Job Chishko.
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| Luka Wick Cal Poly |
Barring a huge upset, I'm almost positive we're going to see an Arizona State/ Stanford PAC-12 final. The real question here is, who will bring home PAC-12 bronze? Luka Wick seems as likely as does anyone. A PAC-12 finalist this past season, he was also one match shy of a medal in Vegas.
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| Caleb Dowling West Virginia |
25-6 on the season, look for Caleb Dowling to contend for a top 8 showing at the BIG 12's & NCAA DI qualification. Among his victories a 3-1 s.v. over SOCON champ Tommy Askey.
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| Job Chishko VMI |
Right back to talking about the war that will be making the SOCON Finals this season, Job Chishko is another top candidate. 4th in the SOCON championships, it was at the Soldier Salute that Chishko really came alive last year. It was there he pulled off an impressive 6-5 victory over Nathan Lukez. Overall he was 18-11 on the season.
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| Matt Bianchi Little Rock |
The younger brother of Little Rock's first NCAA DI qualifier Paul Bianchi, Matt could very well be looking at NCAA qualification himself this season. A candidate for PAC-12 bronze, making the finals is one Hell of a stretch, but not completely out of the question. He does after all own an 8-5 win over Charlie Darracott.
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| Sonny Santiago North Carolina |
Sonny Santiago returns to varsity competition after posting a 9-1 record during a redshirt last season, which saw a title won at the Southeast Open.
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| Lincoln Heck Chattanooga |
It'd take a heck of a good tournament for Lincoln Heck to make the SOCON finals, but I'll throw his name in there as a darkhorse. The inconsistent one scored a 14-2 major decision over Job Chishko during the season. Granted Chishko then handed him a 16-1 tech fall loss at the conference championships, but still it proves what Heck is capable of on a good day.
The ACC is pretty stacked this season, but nevertheless I do see freshman Jared Keslar fitting in somewhere. Competing mostly at 165 last season, he had 11 victories, one over SOCON champ R.J. Mosley.
In the hunt for PAC-12 bronze, consider Isaiah Crosby with two victories over Matt Bianchi among the candidates.
An NJCAA champion for Harper in 2021, Zuunbayan has shown signs of potential as he heads into his final season of competition. Will this translate into getting past Peyten Kellar or Corbyn Munson within the MAC? I don't know. I also don't know if we've seen Zuunbayan at 100% yet during his time as a Husky. He's one I'd keep an eye on though. I do know that.
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| Jared Keslar Pittsburgh |
The ACC is pretty stacked this season, but nevertheless I do see freshman Jared Keslar fitting in somewhere. Competing mostly at 165 last season, he had 11 victories, one over SOCON champ R.J. Mosley.
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| Isaiah Crosby Oregon State |
In the hunt for PAC-12 bronze, consider Isaiah Crosby with two victories over Matt Bianchi among the candidates.
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| Tulga Zuunbayan Northern Illinois |
An NJCAA champion for Harper in 2021, Zuunbayan has shown signs of potential as he heads into his final season of competition. Will this translate into getting past Peyten Kellar or Corbyn Munson within the MAC? I don't know. I also don't know if we've seen Zuunbayan at 100% yet during his time as a Husky. He's one I'd keep an eye on though. I do know that.
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