We have seven ranked wrestlers here at 165 lbs, with a clear favorite to win the title & what should be an excellent semi-final to determine our runner-up. That doesn't mean upsets aren't applicable, because as they always are, they are. Let's take a look at 165 lbs Soldier Salute.
Mikey Caliendo was last year's Soldier Salute champion & the over/under is saying that he's most likely to repeat as Champion again this tournament. Andrew Sparks has given him some close matches, but Caliendo has managed to defeat the Golden Gopher 2-1, 11-10 & 5-2. He also owns an 8-3 win over Cam Steed, a 17-5 major decision over R.J. Weston & a 20-4 tech over Drake Rhodes.
It looks like Bubba Wilson saved the best for last, because in his final season of eligibility he is looking as good as he's ever looked. Coming off of a 4th place finish in Vegas, he currently holds the highest ranking of his career. Owns a 3-2 win over Andrew Sparks, and a 7-4 decision over Drake Rhodes. He was 4th here a year ago.
In and out of the Gopher lineup for quite some time, Andrew Sparks has been looking exceptionally good so far in '24-'25. I'd even say that he is a candidate to win the Soldier Salute, although he'll have to go through both Bubba Wilson & Mikey Caliendo in order to do so. Owning a 6-1 over Wilson, he also owns a 9-4 decision over Jack Thomsen & an 8-4 decision over Drake Rhodes.
It's clear to see with a recent 12-7 win over Jack Thomsen & an even more recent 5th place finish at the Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational, that Drake Rhodes has made some serious improvements this season. It'll be fun to see how he does here at the Salute.
M.J. Gaitan finished one match shy of a medal at CKLV about a month ago. He owns a 19-5 maj Dec over Jack Thomsen. He'll be a tough opponent for anyone he steps onto the mat with.
Hard to say how Cam Steed will do this Soldier Salute. We haven't seen him against the competition yet, but he's ranked #19 for a reason. Will be interesting to see how he does this weekend/Weekstart.
Although Jack Thomsen didn't place at Cliff Keen Las Vegas himself, he did pull off a huge 10-5 upset over Terrell Barraclough, proving that he's capable of beating top ranked opponents. Coming into the Soldier Salute, he owns 9-8, 12-9 & 4-1 s.v. wins over Drake Rhodes.
Many good "wrestle-off" situations that could concur here at the Soldier Salute. I don't think we know yet who will start at the BIG 12's, and if both R.J. Weston & Jack Thomsen are competing, it could give us a good indication depending on who outperforms who. Weston is a tough wrestler. Owns a 12-4 major decision over Drake Rhodes & he was 5th here a year ago.
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| #2 Mikey Caliendo Iowa |
Mikey Caliendo was last year's Soldier Salute champion & the over/under is saying that he's most likely to repeat as Champion again this tournament. Andrew Sparks has given him some close matches, but Caliendo has managed to defeat the Golden Gopher 2-1, 11-10 & 5-2. He also owns an 8-3 win over Cam Steed, a 17-5 major decision over R.J. Weston & a 20-4 tech over Drake Rhodes.
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| #7 Bubba Wilson Nebraska |
It looks like Bubba Wilson saved the best for last, because in his final season of eligibility he is looking as good as he's ever looked. Coming off of a 4th place finish in Vegas, he currently holds the highest ranking of his career. Owns a 3-2 win over Andrew Sparks, and a 7-4 decision over Drake Rhodes. He was 4th here a year ago.
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| #9 Andrew Sparks Minnesota |
In and out of the Gopher lineup for quite some time, Andrew Sparks has been looking exceptionally good so far in '24-'25. I'd even say that he is a candidate to win the Soldier Salute, although he'll have to go through both Bubba Wilson & Mikey Caliendo in order to do so. Owning a 6-1 over Wilson, he also owns a 9-4 decision over Jack Thomsen & an 8-4 decision over Drake Rhodes.
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| #12 Drake Rhodes South Dakota State |
It's clear to see with a recent 12-7 win over Jack Thomsen & an even more recent 5th place finish at the Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational, that Drake Rhodes has made some serious improvements this season. It'll be fun to see how he does here at the Salute.
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| #14 M.J. Gaitan Iowa State |
M.J. Gaitan finished one match shy of a medal at CKLV about a month ago. He owns a 19-5 maj Dec over Jack Thomsen. He'll be a tough opponent for anyone he steps onto the mat with.
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| #19 Cam Steed Missouri |
Hard to say how Cam Steed will do this Soldier Salute. We haven't seen him against the competition yet, but he's ranked #19 for a reason. Will be interesting to see how he does this weekend/Weekstart.
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| #22 Jack Thomsen Northern Iowa |
Although Jack Thomsen didn't place at Cliff Keen Las Vegas himself, he did pull off a huge 10-5 upset over Terrell Barraclough, proving that he's capable of beating top ranked opponents. Coming into the Soldier Salute, he owns 9-8, 12-9 & 4-1 s.v. wins over Drake Rhodes.
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| B.U. R.J. Weston Northern Iowa |
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