I was surprised to see Pittsburgh out of the rankings, considering the fact that they have a fairly solid team all the way up and down the lineup. I believe they will give the #20 Stanford Cardinal a good showing this Friday. 8 of the 10 matches we'll see, stick out for different reasons. It should be noted that Nico Provo is currently redshirting, thus most likely giving #17 Nick Babin & the Panthers some bonus points at 125 lbs.
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| #10 Tyler Knox Vs U.R. Vince Santaniello 133 |
Tyler Knox is having himself a phenomenal season. Started off with a huge win over NCAA DI finalist Drake Ayala, placed 5th at CKLV, and recently won the Midlands title. Vince Santaniello is a tough wrestler. I believe better than the current U.R. that he currently stands. With that said, Knox is on a roll. I smell bonus points here for the Cardinal.
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| U.R. Jason Miranda Vs #31 Anthony Santaniello 141 |
Jason Miranda has been a team player for the Cardinal for quite some time. Often an important piece within the chess matches we call duals, Miranda is often overlooked and underappreciated by the larger wrestling medias. I've noticed a lot of hype and attention for redshirt Aden Valencia, and rightly so, but Miranda is an important fixture for the black, white, red and cardinal. He showcased that recently by earning a 4th place finish at the Midlands. If he can earn a victory here over Anthony Santaniello (who finished one match shy of a medal at the Midlands) I would hope that he'll finally get a # next to his name. Easier said than done, as Santaniello will be ready for battle.
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| #8 Jaden Abas Vs #27 Finn Solomon 149 |
If I had to say who I've been impressed with most in NCAA DI wrestling, somewhere on the list, somewhere near the top would be Jaden Abas. '24-'25 did not start off good for Abas, but here not all that long ago, something snapped within him, and he's been looking as good as he's ever looked. Took a very impressive 3rd at CKLV & then turned around and won the Midlands championship. Finn Solomon is a tough opponent, finished 6th at Midlands in his own right, but I think we're looking at another W for the Cardinal.
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| #28 Grigor Cholokyan Vs #22 Dylan Evans 157 |
Two talented freshmen, we saw a great match between Grigor Cholokyan & Dylan Evans in the consolation quarterfinals of the Midlands championships. The Panther prevailed over the Cardinal, getting the takedown in sudden victory, winning the match by an 11-8 score. Evans took 5th place, as Cholokyan took 7th. This will once again be a tossup, perhaps the best match of the dual.
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| #5 Lorenzo Norman Vs #18 Luca Augustine 174 |
174 lbs is an extremely tough weight class, and it has been most impressive how Lorenzo Norman has climbed the ladder to find himself high within the rankings. A CKLV runner-up, Norman gave unappreciative Bernard Muir another Midlands champion a few weeks ago in Chicago. Luca Augustine is a tough wrestler, 6th at Midlands himself, but once again, this one favors Stanford.
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| #33 Tye Monteiro Vs #19 Reece Heller 184 |
125 favors the Panthers. 157, a toss-up, 133, 141, 149, 165 & 174, all favor the Cardinal. The momentum starts to shift the other direction once we get into the upper-weights, and it starts here at 184 lbs. Reece Heller is on a high after having recently won the Midlands title. If the Panthers win the 157 lbs tossup & keep other matches to a decision, they are still within grasp to upset the Cardinal. They would need a major or better here, which is within Heller's capabilities.
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| #12 Max Stout Vs #24 Nick Stemmet 197 |
Here's another match that favors the Panthers, but I wouldn't count out Nick Stemmet quite yet. He's came alive at different times throughout his career and if the dual is within question, I think we'll see him at his best. Max Stout won the Midlands title, defeating a wrestler in the finals who had tech'd Stemmet earlier in the tournament. The math adds up that we'd be looking at a major or better for the Panthers, but I'll say again, don't count out Stemmet quite yet.
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| U.R. Peter Ming Vs #14 Dayton Pitzer HWT |
Here we favor the Panthers once again. Daytor Pitzer hasn't wrestled much this season, but he's shown in previous seasons that he can be relied upon to get bonus points, when bonus points are crucial for dual victory. With that said, I beileve that Peter Ming has made some vast improvements. He was 6th at the Midlands championships, and could keep this match with Pitzer to a decision, which may very well be crucial in this dual against Pittsburgh.
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