141 Cliff Keen Las Vegas Preview (Fri Dec 1st - Sat Dec 2nd)

 

This could very well end up being our most fun & exciting weight class.  We have two returning CKLV champions & a returning CKLV finalist.  Not to mention, there's a lot of back and forth here.  The top talent in this bracket is a group of guys that know one another well.  From my vantage point, there's a good number legit title contenders, plus a few darkhorses.  Another thing that makes this weight class interesting is the fact that we have wrestlers here that have proven themselves at other weight classes, yet they have yet to really do anything at 141. Add in the fact that we also have some new faces, and suddenly you have yourself a bracket worth paying attention to. 

#3
Lachlan McNeil
North Carolina

He has a higher ranking, plus he owns a win over last year's CKLV champ Brock Hardy by a 5-2 score. I don't know for sure, but I would say that should give Lachlan McNeil the nod for the *1 seed.  Not only does he own the victory over Hardy, but he's also defeated Ryan Jack by a 3-1 score & he owns two victories (4-0 & 2-1 tiebreaker) over Vince Cornella.  He destroyed Cleveland Belton 14-2.  In the long history of the CKLV Invitational, I have to question, how many Canadians have won the tournament? 

#4
Brock Hardy
Nebraska

Looking to defend the CKLV title he won last season, Brock Hardy has victories over all formidable opponents with exception to McNeil.  A 6-0 decision over Kal Miller, he defeated Ryan Jack 5-4. Owning a 4-0 decision over Josh Koderhandt, he owns a 6-0 decision over Frankie Tal Shahar, a 6-1 decision over Cael Happel & a 7-5 s.v. over Clay Carlson. He's show himself susceptible to upset in the past, but that has usually been in dual meet situations. Come tournament time, Brock Hardy usually shows up. 

#5
Jesse Mendez
Ohio State

Jesse Mendez was an asskicker at 133 lbs & I have no doubt that he'll probably end up being as asskicker at 141 lbs. BUT...the truth of the matter is, he has yet to be tested at 141 lbs. He has yet to face any of the real competition at 141 lbs. He'll more than get his taste of it here at CKLV & we'll find out exactly where he stands. The rankers obviously have a lot of faith in him based on his results 8 lbs lighter.  Time to put that faith on the line. 

#6
Clay Carlson
South Dakota State

A CKLV champ himself two seasons ago, last year he was upset in the semis, then medical forfeiting to 6th place.  In my opinion, Carlson is one of the best top wrestlers in the nation. A scary ride, with the ability to score backpoints on just about anyone. He's one of the few who could be losing heading into the third period, chose up & I'd trust him to make a turn or two to win the match.  Again, not invincible.  He wins a second CKLV title, he's gonna have to earn it.  Testimony includes two victories over Vince Cornella (6-4 & 3-1), two victories of Josh Koderhandt (11-6 & 6:12 fall) & three victories over Cael Happel (7-3, 11-4 & 8-6).  He also owns a 2-1 tiebreaker over Ryan Jack. 

#7 
Ryan Jack
North Carolina State

Now you're starting to realize what I mean by how much fun this weight class could potentially be.  We're now up to our fifth legit title contender in Ryan Jack. Jack was 3rd here last season. Not only does he own victories over last year's champ (Brock Hardy by a 9-7 score) & last year's runner up (Cael Happel by a 6-3 score) he also owns two victories over likely *1 seed Lachlan McNeil (4-3 & 7-5).  Add in a 5:16 fall over Josh Koderhandt & a 6-1 decision over Cleveland Belton.  Ryan Jack more than makes the case James Dean. 

#9
Cael Happel
Northern Iowa

The Purple & Gold Panther has a Hell of a lineup he has to go through if he wants to make the CKLV finals again, but he already knows that. He's been here before. This isn't the first time he's had to silence his doubters.  He made the finals last season with a huge 4-1 upset over Clay Carlson, so the idea that he could do it again is not far fetched.  He also for the record owns a 3:54 fall over Zach Redding. 

#12
Kal Miller
Maryland 

Now we start getting into our darkhorse section. I say that realizing that if Kal Miller wrestles anything like he did in the dual against Pittsburgh, there really ain't a thing darkhorse about it.  Miller just destroyed Cole Matthews by a 12-4 major decision score. It was extremely impressive & an affirmation of the vast improvements that Miller has made. He wrestles like that in Vegas, he's a card you hit black jack. Owns both a 5-3 win over Josh Koderhandt & a 15-3 major over Jason Miranda. 

#14
Vince Cornella
Cornell

A guy bound and determined to climb up the ladder, Vegas would be the place to do it.  Thus far Vince Cornella owns a 4-2 decision over Cleveland Belton, a 7-4 decision over McKenzie Bell, a 6-1 decision over Zach Redding & a dominating 15-3 major over Josh Koderhandt. 

#15
Frankie Tal Shahar
Northwestern 

Frankie Tal Shahar has had some ups thus far in his career, but he has yet to really have that defining moment that he's been looking for.  CKLV provides him with the opportunity, and there is good reason to believe that he could deliver. An 8-2 decision over Kal Miller, he also owns a 4-3 decision over Clay Carlson.  Between transfers & graduation, Northwestern was hit hard & the Wildcats could use a new shining star. FTS has a good a shot as does anyone. 

#18 
Josh Koderhandt
Navy

There are only eight spots on the award stand & I've already named nine wrestlers.  Yet I gotta include Josh Koderhandt for a few different reasons.  First and foremost, he's already made the award stand twice. 5th two years ago, he was 4th last year.  Secondly, he owns a 5-1 decision over Kal Miller & a 15-14 decision over Cleveland Belton.  Thirdly, he's coached by Cary Kolat, a guy whose expertise is winning wrestling matches. Koderhandt has already shown signs of improvement since last season. It's a safe bet to think he'll continue to do so here in Vegas. 

#19 or U.R. 
Anthony Echemendia Or Zach Redding
Iowa State 

I think we're most likely going to see Anthony Echemendia in action for the Cyclones here at 141 lbs, but there is a chance we could see Zach Redding. Echemendia has thus far looked good ever since transferring to Iowa State. Redding fared well at 133, but has yet to show us much at 141.  Regardless of which suits up in the cardinal & gold for action, a good showing at CKLV would be essential for either. 

#21
Cleveland Belton
Oregon State

Cleveland Belton was R12 in last year's championships & it'll be a chore to finish top 12 again, let alone top 8.  Guy has proven he has what it takes to win big matches in the past & he'll once again have to do so if he wants to walk out of Vegas with a medal. 

#24 Or U.R. 
Tagen Jamison OR Sammy Alvarez
Oklahoma State 

Tagen Jamison just recently defeated Sammy Alvarez 4-1, so I guess that makes him the likely starter for the CKLV championships. At the same time though, we might still see Alvarez.  Hard to tell as John Smith's decisions seem to vary depending on the circumstances.  Obviously if Jamison can defeat Alvarez he's capable of some other big wins as well.  As to Alvarez he's proven that he knows how to win tough tournaments. While he's never competed in a CKLV, he has won a Southern Scuffle in the past.  A 5-2 win over Emilio Ysaguirre, he also owns a 18-6 major over Jason Miranda. 

#29
Jason Miranda
Stanford

The story repeats itself as we have yet another Stanford wrestler that is like so many are & so many have been in recent times.  A tough wrestler, with the ability to, yet has yet to really establish himself. Among the competition, we'd pretty much be asking for a miracle run, but in my 33 years of watching collegiate wrestling, miracle runs aren't as rare as you'd think.  He's taken Cleveland Belton into overtime on two occasions. 

#32
Sergio Lemley
Michigan 

We haven't seen a whole heck of a lot of Sergio Lemley yet, but we've seen enough of him to know what he's capable of. He recently tore McKenzie Bell apart in a dominating 19-4 technical fall.  Such results really make one question is at #32 he is ranked far lower than he ought to be.  With such questions lingering, answers await in Vegas. 

#33
McKenzie Bell
Rider 

Up, down, up, down, up, down, up.  It's like a game of musical chairs with McKenzie Bell. You never know quite what you're gonna get out of the wild Bronco, other than to know it'll be a wild ride. He's lost some ugly ones & he's won some good ones. Among his notable victories in reference to CKLV include a 6-0 win over Emilio Ysaguirre & a 3:54 fall over Kal Miller. 

U.R. 
Emilio Ysaguirre
Arizona State 

Here is our monkey-wrench. This is the guy that could ruin it all for those who will be placing bets. He's unranked & he's suffered his fair share of losses. On the same hand, he nearly majored last year's CKLV champ Brock Hardy 10-4. That's a fact I don't think you can ignore.  Was it just a fluke win? An off night for Hardy?  I don't know. Nevertheless I'm keeping an eye on Ysaguirre. 

133 lbs Cliff Keen Las Vegas Preview (Fri Dec 1st-Sat Dec 2nd)

 

Like I did with 125 lbs & as I will do with the other eight weight classes, my job right now is to try and determine who I think could possible win CKLV.  Who I think are the forerunners. Who I think are the darkhorses. Also wanna try and determine who's our top 8. Who's our top 8 on paper?  Who's our top 8 by potential despite what the rankings might say?  As was 125 lbs, 133 is full of talent.  We're talking 17 ranked wrestlers including the #1 & the #2.  Will it be a showdown between the two or could we possibly see one if not both knocked off along the way? In a world where it seems the only predictability is unpredictability, we head into Vegas. 

#1 
Daton Fix
Oklahoma State 

A three time NCAA finalist, I think it is safe to say that Daton Fix is the best wrestler in NCAA Division I wrestling yet to win a national title. Yet the most pressing question still remains. Can he beat Vitali Arujau? There one and only meeting, Arujau had an answer to everything Fix threw at him & it ended 11-3 for the Big Red. A guy like Fix hasn't just lucked his way into three NCAA final appearances though. He got there for good reason & even though it was a major decision loss, there's no reason to think that he couldn't possibly turn things around.  It's not a matter of can, it's a matter of will. Can he? Of course.  Will he? Now that's the question.  While focused on the Arujau question, the other concern here is of course avoiding any plausible upsets. Fix has been a working man's wrestler.  You don't see him duck or avoid. Against the competition otherwise, he's been fairly dominate.  Kai Orine gave him a 7-4 match, but even that doesn't concern me too much. I'd feel fairly confident that Fix will be in our final. 

#2
Vitali Arujau
Cornell

After watching him perform at the NCAA Division I championships last season, I truly wondered if anyone would ever come close to touching him again. He was unbelievably dominant the last three days of the '22-'23 season.  I'm still in shock that this early into the year, he already has a mark against him. It just goes to show how incredibly tough it is at this level to go undefeated & be at your best at all times. 

Now he comes into  CKLV, wanting to answer "No!" to our question of whether Fix will defeat him or not. He already knows that by year's end he's gonna have to deal with Fix again & that by handing him a loss here, it plays into the important psychological edge that is so important in this sport. 

As to anyone possibly knocking Arujau off? I think the Crookham loss really woke him up & made him reevaluate his position. Nevertheless Sam Latona who will also be participating in these championships was Arujau's only loss last season. Not extremely concerned about that though, as Arujua owns three wins over him otherwise.  

This is collegiate wrestling, in particularly NCAA Division I collegiate wrestling.  Yeah, anything can happen & anything often does happen.  BUT...I think Fix Vs Arujau is likely to be our final. 

#4
Kai Orine
North Carolina State

You want further testimony as to how competitive & tough CKLV is? How about the fact that Kai Orine, the #4 ranked wrestler who was an All American last season, finished one match shy of placing here? That's how tough this tournament is. While Orine is looking to knock off both Arujau & Fix, I think it's more likely that we see him fighting for bronze than it is we see him going after the gold.  Agaisnt others looking to stand in that 3rd place spot, Orine owns a 4-3 victory over Sam Latona. 

#6
Sam Latona
 Virginia Tech 

As previously mentioned, Sam Latona does own a victory over Vitali Arujau. He's never faced Daton Fix & despite having a loss to Kai Orine, he's also defeated him twice by 3-1 scores. The thing about it is, Latona is capable of winning CKLV. On the same hand, he's shown himself to be susceptible to loss. He's already been upset once this season, so thinking it might happen again is not out of the question. Kind leaves us in a pickle doesn't it?  We got a guy here that by all means could shock the wrestling world & win this tournament. He could also get upset along the way & end up much lower on the podium.  That's wrestling. He was 6th here last year. 

#7
Chris Cannon 
Michigan 

 
In a sport with so many highs & lows, redemption is often the story of wrestling. In many ways the 2022-2023 season didn't go for Chris Cannon quite the way he wanted it to. CKLV being no exception.  Two seasons ago, Cannon made the CKLV finals taking home a silver medal. Last year, he fought tooth & nail just to get on the podium taking home 8th.  Would I call him a darkhorse champion? With talent like Fix, Arujau, Latona & Orine, that's a mighty long stretch. The idea that he could maybe knock off one of them? Now that's more realistic. I think what is truly feasible though, is to think that Cannon could be the next best after the top four. While not a shoe-in, I see no reason at all to doubt that Cannon could be our 5th place.  I think that is a very doable task for the former Wildcat, now Wolverine. 

#9
Julian Chlebove
Arizona State

As far as I'm concerned places 6th, 7th & 8th are more up for grabs. Among the contenders is Arizona State's Julian Chlebove. While the Sun Devil has had some notable victories in his career, he has yet to defeat anyone of note in what will be this bracket. Now's as good of time as any to show up and wrestle. 

#10
Angelo Rini
Columbia 

Another contender for one of those spots 6th through 8th is Columbia's Angelo Rini. Like teammate Nick Babin, he's a senior, so the time has come to put up or shut up. As to put up, a recent 14-8 victory over Nic Bouzakis sticks out. As does the fact that he's defeated Brendan Ferretti on three occasions by scores of 14-9, 10-3 & 11-2. He also owns a 5-4 victory over Ethan Oakley & a 12-1 major over Dustin Norris. 

#11 
Brendan Ferretti
Navy 

While Ferretti has thus far struggled with Rini, he does currently own a #11 ranking & among his wins a 4-3 victory over Derek Cardinal. 

#13
Domenic Zaccone
Campbell

On paper, I'm sticking to my gut feeling that the first four spots are already spoken for, with a very small probability of it being any different.  Feel fairly strong about the 5th place spot, although the probability of that being different is much higher.  With that said, wrestling doesn't take place on paper, it takes place on mats. We're gonna see some upsets. Guys are coming into Vegas this weekend to make a name for themselves.  One of those guys is Domenic Zaccone.  Among his wins thus far Vs the competition, a 6-3 decision over Ethan Oakley & a 9-3 decision over Dustin Norris. 

#14
Nic Bouzakis
Ohio State 

Like I said when talking about McCone at 125, the Buckeyes came into the '23-'24 season overlooked & underrated and as a result they've been proving themselves over and over again.  Upsetting Virginia Tech, they completely shut out Edinboro, Columbia & Hofstra in dual action. Now it's time to show what the Buckeyes are capable of on the tournament front. They're young & lack experience, but what they lack in experience they make up for in pure tenacity. What a huge feather in the cap it'd be for Nic Bouzakis to capture a top 8 showing in Vegas.  He recently took Sam Latona to a 7-5 decision. 

#15
Braxton Brown
Maryland 

You know it wasn't all that long ago that Maryland was at the bottom of the barrel within the BIG 10 & struggling just to send wrestlers to the NCAA DI tournament.  Now they have an assortment of ranked wrestlers on their team & they're ranked 29th in the nation. Seems a lot of this has happened rather quietly & they haven't gotten much credit for the vast improvements that have been made & are continuing to be made. Through coaching and recruiting Coach Alex Clemsen is doing a great job of building the program.  One Hell of a challenge, but it'd not only be huge for Braxton Brown to finish top 8 here in Vegas, it'd also be great for Coach Clemsen & for the Terrapin program. 

#19
Evan Frost 
Iowa State 

I tell you what I like most about this kid. He knows how to turn even the ugliest of losses into wins. That takes tremendous courage & an ability to shake things off. It is also of course a testimony to the great coaching at Iowa State.  Evan Frost got his moke handed to him TWICE at the Harold Nichols Open by Julian Farber. Farber tech'd him 20-5 & then damn near tech'd him again 13-2.  A couple of weeks later at the UNI Open, Frost turned those embarrassing losses into an 8-5 victory.  Now that's saying something, which leads me think that Nevada can be the hottest state in the country, but we still might see some Frost. 

#23
Haiden Drury
Utah Valley 

Every weight class has those wrestlers who are "not quite there." They ride the fence of respectable showing Vs glorification.  Haiden Drury is one of those wrestlers.  The Wolverine has been around for a while.  Even started off as a Bulldog before the Fresno State program was erroneously discontinued. He's proven what he's capable of in Vegas before. He was 3rd here two seasons ago. Albeit, the bracket wasn't as loaded as what it'll be this weekend, but still a 3rd place CKLV showing is a 3rd place CKLV showing. He also took Kai Orine to a 3-2 decision. 

I suppose it's a possibility we might also see Kase Mauger here instead. I wouldn't think so based on circumstance, but since when does anything make sense in collegiate wrestling?  He owns a very impressive 11-3 major over Sean Carter. 

#26
Gabe Whisenhunt
Oregon State

The Beaver pulled off a huge upset over Sam Latona here not too long ago.  Is Gabe Whisenhunt capable of pulling off some more upsets this season? If so, Vegas is certainly a place to do it. 

#27 Jacob Van Dee Or U.R. Kyle Burwick
Nebraska

I'm going to be honest here & say that I feel that most of Jacob Van Dee's #27 ranking comes from what he accomplished last year at 125 lbs & what he did while he was in high school.  He does own an overtime victory over #28 Gable Strickland of Lock Haven (who will not be competing in Vegas) but other than that, he resume at 133 doesn't amount to much.....yet.  I stress yet, because what could be is often as important as what is.  A great place to jump start your collegiate career would be Vegas. 

With that said, will Van Dee even be our starter here in Sin City? Kyle Burwick is one tough hombre himself.  A 17-0 tech over Evan Frost is all the testimony I need to be convinced of that.  He also owns a 5-3 victory over Dustin Norris. 

#29
Richie Koehler
Rider 

Here's a guy that I think could plausibly open up some eyes this tournament.  I said & I mean that the bottom half of the award stand is up for grabs. Richie Koehler is a tough wrestler.  A 19-4 tech over Domenic Zaccone proves it as does a 6-2 win over Ethan Oakley & an 11-7 decision over Sean Carter.

#31 Or U.R.
Ethan Oakley Or Sean Carter
Appalachian State 

 

Be it Ethan Oakley or Sean Carter, I think either one of these Mountaineers poses a threat to the CKLV podium. Matter of fact, even though Ethan Oakley is the one with the ranking, I would say even more so Sean Carter.  While it's thus far been a rough start (I question his health at the moment), let's keep in mind that Carter was one match shy of a top 8 showing here last year.  He owns a 3-1 s.v. over Kai Orine & he took Sam Latona into sudden victory before dropping a hard fought 3-1 decision. Oakley is dangerous as well. A 3-1 s.v. over Domenic Zaccone on his resume. 

U.R.
Derek Cardinal
South Dakota State

Among the unranked looking to be heard and seen, we have Derek Cardinal.  He's pulled off some quality victories in the past & I wouldn't put it past him to do it again. 

U.R. 
Julian Farber
Northern Iowa

I mentioned Farber's dismantling of Evan Frost at the Harold Nichols open last season.  He also owns a 12-5 victory over Hunter Leake & a 4-2 victory over Kyle Burwick.  Farber is one of those wrestlers that gets on a roll, gets on a streak. This is Vegas! Be not a better place to do so again. 

U.R. 
Jackson DiSario
Stanford

Jackson DiSario has been around for ever it seems.  It's like you know the guy has talent. You know the guy has ability.  Yet ever since moving up to 133 lbs from 125 lbs, he's had trouble finding his groove. It's not like he's been completely without substance.  He owns a 3-0 victory over Ethan Oakley & he's defeated Hunter Leake by scores of 7-2 & 7-0.  With that said, if he wants to earn a third trip to the NCAA's (hasn't been back since '21) in his final season, he's gonna have to pull off some huge victories. Among this sea of vast talent, the lady luck of Vegas will have to be on his side, but it is not impossible. 

U.R. 
Dustin Norris
Purdue

Ups & downs thus far as a Boilermaker, it doesn't escape me how often in the past unranked wrestlers have entered tournaments like these & just let loose. Dustin Norris strikes me as the type of potentially do such a thing. Thus far he seems to own Kyle Burwick's number with 3-1 & 6-2 decisions.  He also took Richie Koehler into overtime. 

U.R. 
Hunter Leake
California Baptist 

I suppose at this point you could accuse me of calling the entire damn bracket top 8 contenders. Be so as it may, that's just the truth of the matter. These guys are all so good. So many of them right on pare with one another.  As I've now said four or five times, I do think we have clear favorites as to our top four.  One with a good shot at 5th & some suited better for 6th, 7th & 8th than others. Nevertheless with the parity, uncertainty & as of late the high number of upsets, it's difficult to leave anyone off the list that is even a smidgen within fate's chance. Hunter Leake may be the last name I mention on my 133 CKLV preview, but he's far from least. Tough guy. Has some notable wins. Perhaps he'll add a few more to the list. 

125 lbs Cliff Keen Las Vegas Preview (Fri Dec 1st-Sat Dec 2nd)

 

Year after Year I keep saying because it is the truth.  The Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational is the toughest in-season tournament in NCAA Division I wrestling.  We are talking 14 ranked programs, including the #2, #4, #5, #7, #8 & #9 teams. 

Here at 125 lbs, we're talking 20 ranked wrestlers! Plus a couple more studs who aren't currently ranked who are looking to be.   

As far as I'm concerned earning a top 8 showing here is only a smidgen below earning a top 8 showing at the NCAA tournament. It's about as prestigious of an honor as one can get. It shows how good you are and it's a credential that anyone should be very proud of. 

My job is to try and determine a handful of different things.  

Who are my championship contenders?
Who are my darkhorse Champion contenders?
Who is strongly looking for a top 8 finish?
Who could sneak in a top 8 finish?
Who could possibly be a monkey wrench? 

I hope to try and answer these questions as best I can.   Here's what I got...

#2
Richard Figueroa
Arizona State

Believe it or not, Richard Figueroa was a backup to multiple time All American Brandon Courtney last season. Nevertheless he did give us a glimpse of how good he was going to be by winning last year's Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational.  He did so by defeating eventual NCAA DI finalist Matt Ramos of Purdue by a 3-2 decision.  Now he enters his second CKLV championships, looking to defend his title & show that he deserves the high ranking he has been given.  Other victories over opponents he could very well see include a 6-2 tiebreaker over Brett Ungar, a 13-1 major decision over Diego Sotelo, a 6-3 victory over Tanner Jordan & a 13-5 major over Nico Provo. 

#3
Jakob Camacho 
North Carolina State 

Injuries have thus far kept the Wolfpack member from having the glory he most likely would have already experienced, but as of right now he's healthy, he's 100% & he currently holds a #3 ranking.  Winning a CKLV title would be huge for Jakob Camacho.  Evidence that he is more than a candidate goes far beyond his high ranking.  He also owns an 8-5 victory over Matt Ramos.  Other victories include an 8-5 decision over Dylan Ryder & a 7-2 decision over Spencer Moore. 

#4 
Matt Ramos
Purdue

Thus far 2023-2024 has been an up and down season for Matt Ramos of Purdue.  The 2023 NCAA DI finalist went into the season wanting to be everyone's favorite to win the 2024 NCAA DI title, & while some still have him picked, others have looked elsewhere.  Destroying #1 ranked Anthony Noto of Lock Haven 10-2 in the NWCA All Star Classic, he's kept himself on my radar. It would be a huge step for the Boilermaker to win this year's CKLV. It would help to silence the doubters and it would be a boost of confidence.  Thus far Ramos has been 8th & 2nd in these championships. 

#7 
Michael DeAugustino
Michigan 

The end of John Hughes' classic The Breakfast Club is flashing through my head as are the lyrics to Don't You Forget About Me by the Simple Minds.  I see a lot of discussion over who our candidates are for NCAA DI champions & I don't see many mentioning the name Michael DeAugustino.  I think they should & furthermore I think there's a good chance that they will once CKLV is all said and done. Dealing with injuries last season, let's keep in mind that he majored Matt Ramos 9-1 at the BIG 10 championships.  3rd at CKLV four seasons ago, he also owns a 6-1 victory over Anthony Molton, an 8-decision over Nick Babin, a 5-2 decision over Caleb Smith & a 6-1 decision over Brandon Kaylor. 

#8 
Kysen Terukina
Iowa State 

Figueroa, Camacho, Ramos & DeAugustino.  I think I have named the top four candidates to win this year's CKLV title at 125 lbs.  However, I question just how good Kysen Terukina is at the moment. Was his nearly tech'ing two time All American Eric Barnett of Wisconsin a testimony to how much he's improved over the summer? Or was it simply a really off day for Barnett? We'll see here at the CKLV championships as Terukina will more than have the opportunity to prove himself. Ironically enough, he has yet to face any of the ranked competition. 

#11
Brett Ungar
Cornell 

The young Big Red was 7th in these championships last season, looking to climb higher on the podium this season. What gives me confidence that he could do very well here, is the fact that he owns a lot of wins over quality opponents.  He's beaten Brandon Kaylor & he's beaten Eddie Ventresca.  What concerns me though is that so many of Ungar's victories are by a single point.  At the end of the day a W is a W, but it can be risky keeping every match close. 

#12 
Caleb Smith 
Nebraska 

The former Mountaineer, now a Husker is looking for his first major moment as a member of his new team. CKLV provides an excellent opportunity for Caleb Smith & there's plenty of reason to think that he could deliver.  Thus far he owns two victories of All American Eddie Ventresca by scores of 6-3 & 5-3.  Sticking Brett Ungar in 7:14, he has also defeated Tucker Owens twice by scores of 9-1 & 5-1.  A 4-1 victory over Anthony Molton, he owns a 7-3 decision over Spencer Moore. 

#13
Jore Volk
Wyoming 

The young sophomore has given illustrations that he is capable of doing some great things in his career as well as this season. CKLV provides the Cowboy with an opportunity to do well & really cement his name among the top at 125 lbs.  His most notable win thus far is a 3-1 s.v. over Michael DeAugustino.  With wins over Nick Babin, Anthony Molton & Tucker Owens, its safe to assume he's capable of more. 

#16
Brandon Kaylor 
Oregon State

An All American two seasons ago, thus far in 2023-2024 Brandon Kaylor has had his fair share of ups & downs.  Coming off a huge win against Iowa's Drake Ayala, I'd say he's going into CKLV on a high.  The other thing he has going for him is that he has always performed well in Vegas taking 3rd & 4th place finishes the last two seasons respectively.  No question about it, he's probably not to keen on his current #16 ranking & a good showing here will propel him up the rankings. 

#19 
Nico Provo 
Stanford

Here's a a guy I would definitely keep an eye on this weekend. Placing bets? Wanting to maybe earn a little dinero on a bold pick? Don't know if I'd go as far as to think Provo might win a title here in Vegas, but I would be comfortable calling for a few upsets.  It's not so much his victories that are speaking to me right now either.  He's got them.  Nearly tech'ing Tucker Owens 14-1, he also owns a 6-4 s.v. over Troy Spratley.  However,  it's the fact that he's had such good, close matches in some of his losses.  He's wrestled Brandon Kaylor to 6-5 & 3-2 decisions.  He gave Matt Ramos a 3-2 match. I don't think I'm stretching the laws of probability too much in thinking he might be able to turn some of these close losses into wins. 

#20
Troy Spratley 
Oklahoma State 

The young Cowboy is thus far 5-0 in competition. Yet he has yet to face any ranked opponents this year & against those whom he'll be competing, his sole victory is a 4-3 decision over Tanner Jordan whom he defeated last year.  CKLV will give us a chance to see exactly where he stands amongst some of the best 125 has to offer in a very large & prestigious tournament. 

#21
Tucker Owens
Air Force 

The Young Falcon has pulled off some big upsets thus far in his career & he'll need to pull off a few more here if he wants to try and make the top 8 in CKLV.  Against the competition, he thus far owns a 2-1 decision over Tanner Jordan. 

#22
Tanner Jordan
South Dakota State 

Here's a guy whose career has been full of ups and downs. 20-17, 18-16, the past two seasons he has stayed a hair above a .500 record & he's had as many head scratcher losses as he has quality wins.  You never know quite what to expect with a guy like Tanner Jordan & I suppose that's what makes the sport of wrestling so much fun, especially in a place like Vegas.  He's already proven that he knows what it takes to make the CKLV award stand as he was 6th in last year's championships.  A 6:10 fall over Tucker Owens & a 4:11 fall over Anthony Molton, the Jackrabbit knows how to pin. He also owns a 5-3 victory over Eli Griffin & an 8-6 overtime win over Caleb Smith. 

#23
Brendan McCrone
Ohio State 

A recently 11-3 major decision over All American Eddie Ventresca, I'm anxious to see just how fair or unfair Brendan McCrone's #23 ranking truly is. The entire Ohio State squad has been wrestling this season as if they have something to prove. A top 8 showing here at CKLV, would indeed be proving a lot. 

#24
Nick Babin 
Columbia 

Much easier said than done amongst this incredible competition, but being a senior, it's do or die time for Nick Babin.  He'd have to pull off some major upsets, while at the same time, avoiding being upset if he were to make the podium here in Vegas.  Signs of capability include a 7-2 victory over Diego Sotelo & more impressive a 14-5 major decision over McCrone. 

#25
Diego Sotelo
Harvard

I feel similarly to Diego Sotelo as I do to Nico Provo.  Here's another guy with a ton of potential that could rocket up the rankings, if he could just learn how to turn close losses into wins. He's beaten Brett Ungar 1-0, also given him a 3-2 match, taking into overtime in another.  He also owns both a 4-1 as well as a 3-2 victory over Nick Babin. I've said it once, I've said it 100 times. The Crimson is looking to get back what they once were not all that long ago. A good performance from Sotelo here at CKLV could possibly be the spark that starts the fire. 

#27
Spencer Moore
North Carolina

I said in a recent write-up, that I felt that Spencer Moore has thus far shown himself to be one of the most improved wrestlers in the nation.  Now it's really time to see how much he's improved here in Vegas.  You know as well as I do that CKLV will be full of huge surprises & shocking upsets. That's the nature of sin city.  As to who will be pulling them off? Spencer Moore could very well be one of them.  Thus far, owns a 5-4 tiebreaker over Tucker Owens. 

#28
Eddie Ventresca
Virginia Tech 

As to actual capability and potential, it wouldn't be that much of a shock to see Eddie Ventresca come in here & have a phenomenal tournament.  As to rankings though? It'd be a huge upset.  In reality all a ranking is, is how you are currently performing at the given time.  With as much parity & chaos as their is in wrestling, especially at the lower weights, that can all change dramatically on a dime.  After all Ventresca was an All American last season, so he obviously knows how to perform in high pressure situations.  Coming out of here with a CKLV title would be a bit surprising, but coming out of here with a top 8 medal, not so much.  I will say though, in reference to just how tough & honorable of a tournament CKLV is, while Ventresca earned an NCAA DI medal last season, he failed to place here. 

#31
Dom Mendez
Cal Poly 

There have been a lot of positive happenings & changes in San Luis Obispo & Dom Mendez has been one of them. As the Mustangs continue to work extraordinarily hard towards improving their wrestling program, they will look to perform well here at CKLV.  Mendez among their ammunition. 

#32
Eli Griffin
California Baptist 

Here's another California guy looking to do well in Vegas. Don't let the fact that he has a lower ranking at the moment fool you either. He's capable of doing quite a bit.  A 4-2 decision over Kysen Terukina, he owns a major over Jore Volk 10-1 & a major over Nico Provo 11-2.  Rankings & seedings be what they may, I wouldn't go into a match with Griffin looking at the next round. Anyone does that, they could very well find themselves in the consolations. 

U.R.
Anthony Molton
Campbell

All of this immense talent, including twenty ranked opponents & I have the audacity to include an unranked wrestler in plausible top 8 talks? You damn right I do.  Anthony Molton as far as I'm concerned is getting severely disrespected by being left out of the top 33 at the moment. After all he accomplished last season & his only loss being to #13 Jore Volk, I think it's the definition of getting shafted.  No matter.  CKLV gives Molton plenty of opportunity to open up the eyes of his deniers & prove that he indeed deserves a ranking.  Want testimony?  How does a 6-4 s.v. over Matt Ramos last season strike you? Or a 14-6 major decision over Eddie Ventresca?  For the record he also owns a 6-3 decision over Spencer Moore. 

U.R.
Dylan Ryder
Hofstra

Ok, now you can accuse me of being delusional.  The thing is, Dylan Ryder is a very talented wrestler. As to what he can do & what he is capable of, I have no problem thinking we could find him in the R12 looking for a place on the podium.  After all, he finished in the bloodround here four seasons ago. Then again, that was four seasons ago. Between injuries & reasons unknown to me, he also completely missed both the 2021-2022 & 2022-2023 seasons.  Recently against Brendan McCrone he really showed how detrimental all of the time off has been .  I can't help but hope though, that he still has a little something left in him. That he's still capable of doing some big things this season. I'll hold on to that hope for now & see what happens.