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| #5 Drake Ayala Iowa |
An NCAA DI finalist last season, competing at 125 lbs, Drake Ayala has thus far had Soldier Salute finishes of 2nd & 1st. Now up at 133 lbs, he will once again look to win the Hawkeye's home tournament. Owns both an 11-7 decision over Evan Frost & a 7-2 decision over Cory Land.
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| #6 Evan Frost Iowa State |
Not sure if there will be frost on the ground outside of Xtreme Arena in Coralville, Iowa or not but I can guarantee you there will be Frost within it. Evan Frost that is. The Cyclone has proven on more than one occasion that he more than embraces the grind of a tough tournament. He recently made his second CKLV finals appearance in a row & he owns a 2-1 decision over Tyler Wells.
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| #10 Tyler Wells Minnesota |
The way Minnesota has looked thus far in dual action, I'm excited to see if they can replicate in tough tournament action. Tyler Wells has looked very sharp thus far & has some very impressive victories coming into this tournament. An 11-2 major decision over Jacob Van Dee, he's beat up on Derek Cardinal in 19-4 technical fall & 10-2 major decisions. He also owns both a 3-2 & 7-3 decision over Kade Moore.
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| #13 Ethan Oakley North Carolina |
The former Mountaineer packed his bags and headed 2 1/2 hours east to become a Tar Heel. So far has been competing pretty well for the Carolina blue and white. Owns a 10-9 decision over Jacob Van Dee.
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| #20 Jacob Van Dee Nebraska |
You know as well as I do that we're going to see some major upsets here at the Salute this weekend. Jacob Van Dee is no stranger to upsets, as he pulled off a huge one in Vegas about a month ago, knocking off Dylan Ragusin by a 10-4 score. The Husker was 2nd here a year ago & owns a 5-1 decision over Julian Farber.
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| #21 Cory Land Northern Iowa |
Cory Land has been looking exceptionally good this season. Picked up a 9-7 decision over Derek Cardinal & he also for the record owns both a 6-2, as well as a 13-1 win over Evan Frost. What concerns me here, is that Land had to medical forfeit out of the Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational. Some injuries heal up pretty quickly and hopefully that is the case here in Coralville. We'll see.
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| #22 Derrick Cardinal South Dakota State |
Here's a guy you never know quite what to expect out of. There are times when he wrestles exceptionally tough and to be frank, times when he does. When he's on, especially in the top position, he can be downright brutal. 7th at Cliff Keen, he owns both a 4-1 s.v. as well as an 8-3 decision over Julian Farber.
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| B.U. Julian Farber Northern Iowa |
We haven't seen Julian Farber compete this year. Not sure if he's hurt, if Land is simply beating him out for the starting spot, or what the deal is. What I do know is that if Julian Farber is competing this weekend/Weekstart, he is a guy to keep an eye on. A 10-9 decision over Ethan Oakley, he's defeated Jacob Van Dee twice by scores of 8-1 & 9-5.
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| U.R. Kade Moore Missouri |
'24-'25 hasn't started off the way that Kade Moore was hoping that it would, but keep in mind that the Tiger was an NCAA DI qualifier last season, despite being unranked at the moment. He's pulled off some notable wins in the past, and as to the future, the Salute provides an opportunity to once again do so.
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| U.R. Brendan Ferratti Navy |
Another wrestler who isn't having the season he was probably hoping to have. Nevertheless collegiate wrestling last nearly 6 months. No one ever said that if things didn't start off good, that they can't end that way. As mentioned previously, upsets are bound to happen as they do in any major tournament. Ferratti owns a 4-3 decision over Derrick Cardinal.
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| R.S. Osmany Diversent Iowa State |
Osmany Diversent hasn't faced much NCAA DI competition yet, but gawd has he looked good against smaller division competition. Aden Reeves of Grand View was 3rd in the NAIA nation last season & is without question an NAIA title contender. Osmany defeated him by a 5-2 decision. Not too long ago, Jakason Burks of Central Missouri looked like a million bucks winning NCAA DII's toughest in-season tournament, the Midwest Classic. Earlier this year Osmany nearly majored Burks 10-4. Take it like a Buffalo Springfield, for what it's worth.
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