2023 ODAC Preview (Sat Feb 11th, 2023)

 

I don't know if collegiate wrestling fans realize how exciting, historical and monumental of an event this is. The Old Dominion Athletic Conference (ODAC) has been around since the 1975-1976 season, but only sponsored wrestling up through the 1979-1980 season. I wasn't even alive the last time we had an ODAC wrestling tournament! It has been 43 years since the conference has sponsored wrestling. How cool to know that it once again does! Heartbreakingly, I have to report that it no longer features Lynchburg, Eastern Mennonite, Hampden-Sydney or Guilford. We have regrettably lost those programs due to discontinuation.  In the fight will be Averett, Ferrum, Greensboro, Roanoke, Shenandoah, Southern Virginia and Washington & Lee.  Washington & Lee for the record won ODAC titles in '77, '78 & '79.  Do they add title #4 to their long list of accomplishments?  We'll find out this Saturday!! 

125 lbs 

On paper this looks like a rubber match final between #8 Mason Barrett of Averett & #9 Riley Parker of Washington & Lee.  Parker who was 6th in the NCAA Division III championships last season is currently tied with Barrett at one match apiece. Parker owns an 4-0 decision over Barrett, as Barrett owns a 3-1 decision over Parker. This isn't a guaranteed finals however.  Parker has also split matches with Mac Cafurello of Roanoke. Whereas Parker owns an 11-4 victory over Cafurello, Cafurello owns a 7-5 victory over Parker. Barrett on the other hand owns a 9-2 victory over Cafurello. I'd say between these three athletes we have our like gold, silver & bronze. I would look for a strong 4th place candidate in Trent Proctor of Ferrum. 

133 lbs 

I think we're looking at our top three place-winners at 133 lbs for the first modern day ODAC tournament. Sean Hall at 22-6 owns a 15-0 technical fall over 28-8 Sean Rinebolt as he's exchanged pins with David Rubin.  Pinning Rubin in 6:38, Rubin owns a 2:18 fall over him. As Washington & Lee looks to try & add a fourth ODAC team title to their resume, it should be noted how improved of a wrestler Rubin is. Last year he finished with an 11-17 record. This year he currently stands 20-6. 

141 lbs 

Very tough weight class featuring three NCAA Division III qualifiers, including two All Americans. Without a doubt Greensboro's Josh Wilson is our forerunner here, but if anyone can challenge him, I think it'll be Ferrum's Levi Englman. Although Wilson did pin Englman in 2:32, their other match was much closer in a 6-4 decision.  I'd also be anxious to see how rookie Evan Lindner ends up this tournament. 19-4 on the season, he survived a 7-2 match with Wilson earlier this season. With Englman owning both a 1:48 fall as well as an 8-2 decision over Morgan Robinson, I don't see Robinson sneaking into a spot in the top three.  I do think though that if he meets up with Hunter Campbell of Averett again, he will give him a better match this time than the 8-1 decision we saw last time. 

149 lbs 

Formally a Greensboro Pride, now an Averett Cougar you tell me how many other collegiate wrestlers in the history of our great sport have also dabbled in collegiate tennis? Football, baseball, swimming, gymnastics, heck, I've even seen basketball (there was a time believe it or not) but Hai Siu is the first time I've ran across tennis. An NCAA DIII qualifier last season, I would say he stands a very good shot at winning this year's ODAC title.  He owns a 2:22 fall over Southern Virginia's Elijah Blackwell who I believe will duke it out with Jarrod Pominville of Ronaoke in the semi-finals to see who meets Siu in the finals. If the match ends early, that favors Pominville who owns a 2:40 fall over Blackwell. If the match goes the distance of a full 7 minutes, it favors Blackwell who owns both a 3-1 & 4-3 victory over Pominville. 

157 lbs 

By all means, 4th in the DIII nation last season & currently 11-0, Ryan Luth of Washington & Lee should be ranked. I imagine he's not simply because he must not have had enough matches by the time rankings came out. None the less with both a 6-1 decision & a 10-1 major decision over Jesse Alvarado on his resume, I'd call him the favorite to win an ODAC title at 157 lbs.  I think Alvarado has more than proven himself to be our top candidate for silver & as to bronze, I'd take Ryan Foutz of Roanoke. 

165 lbs 

Anxious to see how this one turns out. Morgan Peterson has the ability to give Southern Virginia an ODAC champion. 18-4 on the season, he's split two close matches with Harrison Kelly of Washington & Lee. A 5-3 decision for Peterson & a 5-4 decision for Kelly.  Jack Campbell strikes me as one who might win this bracket as well. 20-10 on the season, he spent a year in the DI room of Appalachian State. Anxious to see what Averett's Nathan Mallery does this tournament as well. 

174 lbs 

Two time NCAA DIII qualifier, 7th in the nation in 2021, Averett's Alex Turley looks to be the forerunner for an ODAC title this weekend. Currently 11-3 on the season, he owns falls over both Kyle Lee (5:50) of Roanoke & Dylan Weaver (3:19) of Shenandoah. Weaver looks good for a spot opposite Turley in the finals with both a 5:31 fall & a 7-2 decision over Lee, as well as an 11-3 major over Jak Krouse of Washington & Lee.  Look for Lee & Krouse to battle it out for bronze as the last time the two met, Lee took a 7-5 decision. 

184 lbs 

7th in the DIII nation last season & currently 20-1 on the season, our favorite for a ODAC title here is Roanoke's Mahlic Sallah.  I do feel though that likely finals opponent Khalil Mitchell of Averett can give him a decent match. The two have met twice thus far, with Sallah taking both an 8-3 & a 3-0 decision. Against the competition, Mitchell has dominated Southern Virginia's Scott Chambers in both an 11-4 decision and a 25-10 technical fall. He does have a 7-3 loss to Cameron Blizzard of Washington & Lee, but in their more recent meeting completely dominated the General 15-3.  Blizzard a candidate for 3rd here, owns a 6-2 victory over Chambers.  For the record, Sallah owns a 9-3 decision over Blizzard. 

197 lbs 

Here's where things may get very interesting.  I think it's safe to say that with three technical falls (21-4, 21-4 & 16-1) Braden Homsey of Ferrum pretty much has Billy Baldwin of Averett's number. Oddly enough though, Baldwin has managed to keep it close with Washington & Lee's John Sedovy & he's even managed to defeat him once.  Scores have been in favor of Sedovy, 3-1, 5-2 & 3-1 s.v.  Baldwin's win was a 3-2 decision.  Then of course to make everything easy to follow & predict, Sedovy owns a 6-4 s.v. over Homsey.   Norman Greenbaum's Spirit In The Sky only knows what this would do for Baldwin's confidence to win an ODAC title, but it'd be good for Homsey as well as Sedovy.  Homsey an NCAA DIII qualifier in both '20 & '21, looks to make another trip to the national tournament this season. An ODAC title would only help. 

HWT 

I wouldn't call it a shoe-in, but I would say with the role he's been on that it is highly likely that we see Ferrum's RayShawn Dixon walk out of here with an ODAC title.  He did lose 9-2 to Greensboro's Brandon Williams the first time they met, but he's defeated him every time since. This includes decisions of 7-3, 3-2, 5-3 & 4-2. Williams who has pins over both Matt Majoy of Washington & Lee (6:44) & Bryan Guzman of Shenandoah (1:44) looks to be a fine candidate for the silver medal. However he may have some challenge from Jamar Christian of Averett who took him into sudden victory the last time they met. Then there could also be challenge from Majoy who defeated Christian 8-4 & gave Dixon a close 4-2 match. 

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Very excited for our first ODAC tournament in 43 years, as I should be! This is great for the sport of wrestling. It's one thing to see wrestling reinstated at a school, but it's a whole new level when we get to see it restored at a conference! 

2023 WIAC Preview (Sat Feb 11th)

 

When it comes to the overlooked, underrated & underappreciated, I don't know if a state fits the description more than that of Wisconsin in terms of what it produces and what it offers in terms of NCAA Division III wrestling. In a world that is fixated with Division I, the UW system in the Badger state has six DIII schools, all of which are pretty competitive. UW-Eau Claire, UW-La Crosse, UW-Oshkosh, UW-Platteville, UW-Stevens Point & UW-Whitewater.  Just think, if it weren't for discontinuation you could also add UW-River Falls, UW-Stout & UW-Superior to the list as well. 

We're talking ranked wrestlers in nearly every weight class, All American contenders & even some NCAA DIII champion contenders. The UW system provides great opportunities at the DIII level for in-state and out of state wrestlers to continue their careers and education.  From a fan perspective each weight is full of wrestlers very familiar with one another. A ton of back and forth as well as parity in this tournament.  Will be full of fun, exciting and unpredictable action. 

Let's take a look weight by weight at the 2023 WIAC (Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference) Championships. 

125 lbs 

Ask me who I think makes the award stand at 125 lbs WIAC, and these are the names I give you. Ask me to try and predict what order they'll finish in? I haven't got a clue.  Having been 3rd & 2nd thus far in his career, I'd like to see Luc Valdez make a run at the title.  He has wins over both Brandon Murphy & Nolan McKittrick, but here's the deal. They both have wins over him too.  He's met up with Murphy a total of 8 times & he's only won two of those meetings.  Wins for Murphy include 2-1, 7-4, 9-2, 4-1 & 5-1 decisions, plus a 2:16 fall. Valdez's wins include an 11-0 major decision & a 1-0 decision. Against Kittrick he is 2-1, with both a 10-3 & 7-2 decision against a 9-3 decision for McKittrick. Against one another Murphy owns a 4-2 s.v. over Kittrick.  In relation to Murphy he's had a rather disappointing season in regards to his expectation. He was an NCAA DIII qualifier last year, but so far has a disappointing 6-10 record. This late into the season, now would be a good time to make things happen, and win a conference title. Easier said than done as Carter Schulz owns a 4-2 victory over him & teammate Remington Bontreger pinned him at the 2:05 mark.  For those of you who love parity, McKittrick majored Bontreger 13-4. McKittrick also owns a 5-2 victory over Schulz. If you want to try and make predictions here you can, but I'm gonna just sit back and see what happens. 

133 lbs 

He may not have a coach in his corner for the WIAC championships, but I still wouldn't be surprised to see two time NCAA DIII All American Zach Thompson in the finals this weekend.  It's a real possibility that he could be opposite Tyler Fleetwood. The Pioneer & the Blugold have met a total of three times, with Fleetwood owning two wins & Thompson owning one.  Fleetwood's wins a 12-4 major & a 3-2 decision Vs Thompson's 5-2 decision.  Thompson has split with Zach Weiler, owning a 13-4 major, yet getting pinned by the Eagle in 1:38.  Against Denis Murphy, Thompson owns both a 22-7 technical fall as well as a 16-4 major decision.  He majored Dominik Mallinder 11-2.  Fleetwood on the other hand has had more of a struggle with Murphy & Mallinder. He defeated Mallinder 5-0, but had to use overtime in order to defeat Murphy 6-4.  To finish up stats, Mallinder owns a 13-4 major over Weiler as well as a 14-10 decision over Murphy.  Once again, here are the guys I think will make the award stand, but good luck trying to determine the exact order they'll finish in. 

141 lbs 

Dakarai Clay may be the only one going into this with a ranking, but trust me, he's far from a shoe-in to win a WIAC title. If he is to win a championship on Saturday, he's going to have to earn it. Thus far in six matches, he is 3-3 with Tyler Shackle. Owning a 6:38 fall over the Eagle, he also owns a 6-4 s.v. as well as an 11-10 decision. On the flip side, Shackle owns a 15-0 technical fall, a 6-2 decision & a 17-15 decision. These guys have put on high packed action extravaganzas in the past, and it's likely they will again should the two meet. No guarantees however, as Zach Licht owns a 7:00 fall over Shackle & Ethan Pogozelski owns a 5-4 decision over Shackle. To make the bracket even more fun, Sam Lorenz owns a 5:19 fall over Pogozelski. 

149 lbs 

Very tough weight class, featuring three top 15 ranked wrestlers, two of which were NCAA DIII qualifiers last season.  Thus far earning bronze & silver medals at the WIAC, Jake Burford will most likely go in as the *1 seed looking to earn his first gold. As long as he can stay off his back, he should be able to get past Zach Sato if the two are to meet up.  Having been pinned at the 2:50 mark by the Blugold, he owns decisions of 3-2, 11-9 & 11-10.  Against Tyler Goebel, our likely *2 seed, Burford has won two close 6-4 decisions.  Goebel Vs Sato, our likely semi-final? Goebel owns a 6-3 decision, whereas Sato owns an 11-7 decision. The darkhorse in this bracket could very well end up being Parker Kratochvill. While he doesn't own any victories against his ranked foes, he has kept it pretty close with them. An 8-5 loss to Burford & an 8-6 sudden victory loss to Goebel. 

157 lbs 

This is about the only cut and dry weight class there is in this year's WIAC. I can't see anyone even remotely challenging two time WIAC champion Nolan Hertel as he goes for his third title. Even against what should be his stiffest competition he has completely dominated. A 12-3 win over Aiden Brosinski, he's defeated Nate Stokhaug 11-2, 14-3, 10-1 & 10-2. The real question here is who between Brosinski and Stokhaug will be his finals opponent? 

165 lbs 

This will be a very fun weight class to see unfold. Our forerunner here as far as the rankings are concerned is Noah Leisgang.  He has a one point 4-3 victory over Tristan Massie & a two point 3-1 victory over Ryan Vedner. He also owns a 4-1 victory over Brandon Peckham.  Here's where a bit of parity comes into play. Vedner owns a 6-4 victory over Massie. Yet, Peckham owns both a 3-1 s.v. as well as a 3-2 victory over Vedner, whereas Massie has defeated Peckham by scores of 7-1 & 10-6. For the record, Peckham also owns a 8-0 major decision over Cody Welker. 

174 lbs 

7th in the nation last year & a NCAA DIII title contender this season, our likely WIAC champion at 174 lbs will be Seth Brossard. Completely dominant this season at 21-2, he's scored 11 falls thus far & that includes pinning everyone you see here. A 2:38 fall over Nathan Wynsma, he's pinned Jared Stricker in 2:21 & Ryan Riser in 4:18.  Although Rankings would lead you to believe differently, it is Stricker who owns two victories over Wynsma. A 5-0 & a 9-3 decision. He also three victories, 5-2, 10-5 & 6-0over Riser. Wynsma owns a 6-3 victory over Riser. 

184 lbs 

One of the best wrestlers in NCAA DIII wrestling, look for Jaritt Shinhoster to win this third WIAC title this weekend. Do I think anyone here could give him a decent match in the finals? No. His likely finals opponent Niall Schoenfelder he's defeated 15-4 and 11-2 thus far. He also owns a 9-0 major decision over Kasey Ross & both a 4:16 fall as well as a 16-0 technical fall over Trystan Altensey.  Schoenfelder owns a 3-0 victory over Kalyn Jahn, & he's defeated Ross 3-1 & 3-0. Altensey actually owns a 12-9 decision over Schoenfelder, while Schoenfelder owns both a 9-4 decision as well as a 3:49 fall over Altensey.  Jahn owns a 6-0 victory over Ross. 

197 lbs 

A very competitive weight class that includes a returning NCAA DIII All American and two others who were one match shy of All American honors last year.  This also includes two returning WIAC champions & a WIAC runner-up. 

Ben Kawczysnski owns an 8-4 victory over Chase Melton & a 2-0 victory over Beau Yineman. 

Yineman owns a 10-3 victory over Tyler Hanna & both a 10-3 as well as a 7-2 decision over Sam Melton.  Against Marcus Orlandoni, he owns an 8-3 decision, yet dropped a 3-2 decision. 

Sam Melton owns a 3-1 win over Chase Melton as well as an 8-5 decision over Orlandoni. 

Hanna owns four victories over Sam Melton, which include 4-0, 3-0 & 2-0 decisions as well as a 3-2 tiebreaker. 

HWT 

Tons of close matches here, suggest that a variety of possibilities could happen here.  Brett Schoenherr owns a 3-2 victories over both Michael Douglas and Shelby Jones. He also owns a 2-1 tiebreaker over Jones. Douglas owns a 3-1 s.v. over Jackson Schichel. This tells me our semi-final, our final & our consolation final are all likely to be close, tight matches.  

JT#1's Notes, Thoughts & Observations for Week 15 of the '22-'23 Collegiate Wrestling Season

 We're winding down towards the last weeks of the regular season as we take a look at the happenings of week 15! 

Pikeville Crowns First Ever Cumberland Open Champion 

It's been a rough inaugural season for the Bears of Pikeville, but they had a reason to celebrate this weekend! Steve Lawrence, a senior out of Portage, Indiana claimed the 165 lbs Cumberland Open title, making him the first ever from Pikeville to win a championship. 

NCWA Represents at Cumberland Open 

The NCWA picked up a couple of bronze medals at the Cumberland Open as Florida's Riley Hackworth & Tennesee's Drew Welch both took 3rd at 174 & 184 lbs respectively. 

Freshman Dylan Marlow knocks off NAIA Qualifier to Win Dave Edmonds Invite 

It was a great weekend for Dickinson State's Dylan Marlow, as he hit a major decision on NAIA qualifier Tyler Okada of Waldorf in the semi-finals of the Dave Edmonds Invite. Winning 15-6, he went on to then defeat Steve Aranda of Midland in the finals. 

Former UNC Greensboro/Purdue Wrestler Ivan Loupanchanski Wins Greyhound Open 

After the Spartans dropped their wrestling program after the 2010-2011 season, I never thought I'd again see a former UNC-Greensboro wrestler at a collegiate wrestling tournament.  Nearly 10 years removed since he earned All American honors for Purdue, Loupanchanski looked anything but a decade off the mat. He won his Greyhound Open title with an impressive 15-7 major over NCAA DIII qualifier Daniel Uribe of Wabash. 

Doug Byrne Defeats 2022 All American to win John Summa Invite 

I said at the very beginning of the season that if 2020 NCAA DIII qualifier Doug Byrne was going to make it back to the national championships he was gonna have to step it up a notch. He's done just that again and again, week after week, all season. 23-1 on the year, he defeated NCAA DIII 7th place finisher Gable Crebs of Lycoming, 3-1 to win the John Summa Inviate. 

Hocus Pocus Alimagocus! Carter Urich is alive! 

Tournament after tournament, dual after dual, I've been completely lost as to where Carter Urich has been. 15 weeks into the season, I was at a point to where I was gonna sum up that wherever he was, he wasn't gonna be seen in the '22-'23 season. Then of course he shows up at the Messiah Open to take runner-up honors.  Not sure if he's sitting this year out, if he's been hurt all season or what the deal is. Was happy to see him back on the mat though. 

Jett Boots Avenges Two Losses to Win MIAA title 

After suffering two losses to the Bulldog, Trine's Jett Boots was finally able to figure out Adrian's Tanner Smith in a 10-5 decision to win the MIAA title at 141 lbs. 

You Stalled! I Stalled! You didn't Stall! I didn't Stall! Who Stalled!?!?! 

A lot of debate over who was the aggressor and who the staller as two NCAA title contenders went at it this weekend in Sammy Sasso of Ohio State Vs Yahya Thomas of Northwestern.  The match was ultimately decided in a tiebreaker where the Buckeye prevailed 2-1 t.b.  Even Thomas' father felt that the current rules of collegiate wrestling is what kept this match from being the classic that it could have been. Agree or disagree with him, it brings up a fair point. When it comes to excitement and action in collegiate wrestling, how much to current rules hold us back? 

Cael Valencia's Switch Permanently Set to On For the Rest of The Season???

I predicted he'd do this and most certainly he is. Wrestle like poo at the beginning & middle of the season and then start to pick it up towards the end.  Cael Valencia looked very good this weekend with two important in-conference dual victories. A 6-4 s.v. over Aaron Olmos of Oregon State & a 5-1 win over Triston Wills of Little Rock.  Back in November I was wondering if he'd even place at the PAC-12's. Now I'm considering the fact that he's a legit threat to win the tournament. 

A Glimpse of the Old Turley 

After earning All American honors in 2021, Jackson Turley suffered a season ending injury in 2022 & hasn't been the same sense.  It's been a challenging return, but this weekend he scored a nice 5-1 victory over NCAA qualifier Dominic Solis of Maryland. 

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As always could say a lot more about the week.  I was vastly disappointed to see the attendance numbers so low for the Michigan Vs Oklahoma State dual in Arlington, Texas. It was depressing that the dual didn't draw more.  Catching glimpses of both Ohio State Vs Penn State & Iowa Vs Minnesota, I was expecting the Buckeyes to give the Nittany Lions a bit more of a fight than they did.  I knew the Golden Gophers despite not being a top 4 team at the time would hold their own against Iowa. If Brayton Lee were back to form & had they put out O'Reilly instead of Carlson, it might have been even closer. 

In some ways seems that the season just started & here we are nearly towards the end of it! 

Michigan Vs Oklahoma State Preview 2-3-23 (Friday)

 

We got a little BIG 10 Vs BIG 12 action this Friday as the #11 Wolverines of Michigan take on the #16 Cowboys of Oklahoma State. This particular dual is taking place in Arlington, Texas, home of the UT-Arlington Mavericks. It'd be nice to think that maybe holding a dual with two of our most storied programs (if you disagree with Michigan being one, let me say they've been around forever & with stats/facts they ARE the best team in DI wrestling overall yet to win an NCAA DI team title) that there might be a chance of seeing DI wrestling in Texas again. I'd even like to think with nearby Texas Wesleyan only a half hour away, maybe the Patriots of Arlington Baptist, an NAIA institution are considering fielding a team.  

The dual takes place at Globe Life Field, home of the Texas Rangers Major League Baseball team. Capacity sits 40,300.   It'd be a dream come true for someone who wants to see collegiate wrestling continue to grow in Texas, if we were able to fill that stadium for the dual.  Hell, I'd be ecstatic with half at around 20,000.  Even a 1/4 at a little of 10,000 would make me happy. I'd like to think that is realistic.  Not sure if it is. 

Stillwater to Arlington is a touch of four hours away, so I can see those die hard Cowboy fans who might want to make a weekend out of it maybe making the trek. I think we can rely on some of them to anyway. For the most part though, I think who does attend will be from Texas. Anxious to see what the final draw is. 

Now for a look at the matches.....

#20 Jack Medley Vs U.R. Reece Witcraft
125 lbs 

I'm not sure if Trevor Mastrogiovanni is hurt or if Reece Witcraft recently won a wrestle-off or what exactly the deal is, but to my understanding for this dual, Witcraft will be the starter.  14-4 at 133 lbs,  Witcraft was an NCAA qualifier back in 2020. This will be his first match at 125 lbs this season. I wouldn't let the #20 Vs U.R. fool you, this will be a good match. Medley favored, I wouldn't rule out an upset. 

#12 Dylan Ragusin Vs #2 Daton Fix
133 lbs 

Dylan Ragusin is an extremely tough wrestler who will contend for All American honors by season's end, but Daton Fix is in a league of his own. Matter of fact, at 133 lbs it is fairly safe to say that there is Roman Bravo Young & Daton Fix, and then there is everybody else. I'm not completely ruling out the idea that someone could get hot and pull off the miracle upset, but I am saying the probability is low. Seeing the same two guys in the NCAA finals three years in a row is a rarity, but I do think we'll see it. Ragusin will give him a fight, but Fix will have an answer to anything and everything that he tries. 

#25 Cole Mattin Vs #22 Carter Young 
141 lbs 

This will be fun contest between two talents at the heaviest of the lightweight classes. Both Cole Mattin & Carter Young have had their ups and downs this season. Ironically enough, Mattin started off the season hot, but has since gotten cold.  Beginning of the season saw victories over Mosha Schwartz of Northern Colorado, Shannon Hanna of Campbell and Lachlan McNeil of North Carolina. Yet lately, he's been in a bit of a slump having dropped his last three matches.  Young's season has been completely the opposite. 9-8 thus far on the season, one of his best showings thus far was this past weekend where he majored Northern Iowa's Cael Happel & then used a strong ride to shut out Iowa State's Casey Swiderski 3-0.  Mental edge is so important at this level of wrestling & you gotta think with recent results, the edge goes to Young. With that said, you don't become a DI wrestler unless you know how to overcome adversity & get yourself to where you need to be mentally. Young may very well continue his hot streak, but it's also plausible that Mattin reignites his. 

#21 Chance Lamer Vs #20 Victor Voinovich
149 lbs 

As a fan of collegiate wrestling, you have got to be looking forward to this match. Chad Lamer needs to go into this match realizing that it'll be full throttle the entire seven minutes. Victor Voinovich has a gas take that reads full at all times. Let me put it this way, if he were a vehicle instead of a collegiate wrestler, he'd put all the economy cars to shame. You'd be able to drive from N.Y. to L.A. on one tank of gas, because that's how good the mileage would be. When I say the Cowboy has a gas tank, I mean he has a gas tank!! Conditioning is only one factor of a match though. Many other factors to take into consideration here. I'd say technique wise these guys are pretty even & I'm not sure who will win in terms of power & strength. This is a toss-up match that could go either way. 

#10 Will Lewan Vs #14 Kaden Gfeller 
157 lbs 

Here's another match I'd call a toss-up. Straight forward, ranking gives the edge to Will Lewan but off and on again Kaden Gfeller is one you can never count out in a match. Lamer is 10-3 with two of his losses being to NCAA finalist contenders Austin Gomez of Iowa State & Kyle Parco of Arizona State. His 13-2 loss to Jackson Arrington of North Carolina State sticks out, particularly due to the score. On the same hand though, he owns a technical fall over Northern Iowa's Colin Realbuto.  Go figure that Realbuto then defeated Arrington! Welcome to collegiate wrestling right??

Gfeller, 13-4 had a heck of a time with team Stanford at the Southern Scuffle & he recently dropped an overtime match to Derek Holschlag of Northern Iowa.  On the plus side, he's defeated Brayton Lee of Minnesota & Cesar Alvan of Columbia. Taking all of this information into account, it leaves you with nothing more than a wild guess. 

#5 Cam Amine Vs #24 Wyatt Sheets
165 lbs 

The thing I love about this dual is that you have so many alike wrestlers who compare going head to head. On paper, this is my favorite match & I would suspect that it'll live up to expectation on the mat. Both Cam Amine & Wyatt Sheets are what I like to call "under the lights" competitors. They thrive for big match moments where the opportunity to be the hero of the dual presents itself. When Amine is hot, he's hard to stop. Yet the same thing can be said for Sheets! When he gets on a hot streak, he's hard to stop. Amine is more consistent, which gives him the edge but in a dual of this magnitude I wouldn't overrule Sheets. 

#28 Max Maylor Vs #6 Dustin Plott
174 lbs 

As I look over this dual meet, I have to say that in many ways this could end in an Oklahoma State victory. There's literally no reason at all to think that the Cowboys couldn't upset the Wolverines in this dual. As far as I'm concerned the only shoe-in victory Michigan has in this dual is HWT. Oklahoma State on the other hand I would say has 133, 197 & this match at 174 already in the bag.  The Wolverines may be favored in some of the other matches, but as far as I'm concerned, the other seven matches are tossups. Okie State pulls off a few upsets here and there, and suddenly they've won the meet. 

Do I feel that Plott could possibly get the major here? Yes, but I wouldn't necessarily count on it. I can't see Maylor upsetting Plott, but I can see him keeping the match close & respectable. 

#9 Matt Finesilver Vs #11 Travis Wittlake
184 lbs 

The "something to prove" match. Finesilver, a senior who has yet to make All American goes into this match looking to add a top quality win to his resume, which in turn will help him to get a higher seed come tournament time. Wittlake, who was a title contender a couple of years ago at 165 lbs, an opportunity to continue to show that he can be a force at 184. This match is very important, both from a team perspective and from an individual perspective. 

#1 Mason Parris Vs #24 Konner Doucet
HWT 

As said, Oklahoma State heavily favored at 133, 174 & 197, we could be going into this HWT match with Michigan not only needing a win, but a bonus point victory in order to secure the dual. Luckily for them, they have a man very capable of getting those bonus points. Konner Doucet is going to want to keep this to a decision, but the rankings aren't putting the #1 next to Mason Parris's name just for the Hell of it. He's #1 for a reason right now & he'll show the lone star state exactly why.  

North Carolina Vs Pittsburgh Preview (Friday 2-3-23)

 

The #20 North Carolina Tar Heels will test their skills against the #6 Pittsburgh Panthers this Friday. In my estimation while 165 & HWT will probably be blowouts for the higher rated team, the other eight matches should be rather competitive. 

#19 Jack Wagner Vs #33 Colton Camacho
125 lbs 

North Carolina goes into this match favored, but not guaranteed. Colton Camacho pulls off a handful of upsets every season & this could be one of them. While I would predict Wagner to win this match, it wouldn't surprise me if Camacho pulled it off. 

U.R. Joey Melendez Vs #6 Micky Phillippi 
133 lbs 

We have an unranked wrestler taking on the #6, who in the opinions of many (including JT#1) is one of the best wrestlers in the nation yet to make All American. I do not see an upset here, but I do think Melendez can keep this match to a decision. NCAA DI wrestling is so loaded this season, that we're seeing a lot of quality wrestlers outside of the top 33 rankings. Melendez is one of them. On paper it would look to be a situation where one wrestler just destroyed the other.  While Phillippi should win this one comfortably, I don't think that'll be the case. 

#13 Lachlan McNeil Vs #3 Cole Matthews 
141 lbs 

With six freshmen currently in the rankings, the 141 lbs class is just loaded with new, young and fresh talent.  Thus far Cole Matthews has bested one of them (Tom Crook of Virginia Tech 6-2) & he'll get tested by another, as he'll take on Canadian sensation, Lachlan McNeil. A methodical and patient wrestler, I say Matthews will pick and choose his shots in what I predict to be a tactical match. 

#27 Zach Sherman Vs #29 Tyler Badgett 
149 lbs 

Rankings suggest that this will be a good, competitive match & I predict the same.  Badgett has had an up and down season, 14-8 on the year, having gone 2-3 in his last five matches.  Zach Sherman, who hasn't wrestled nearly as many matches, has pretty much faired the same way, currently at 4-3.  Both recently lost close decisions to Virginia's Jared Verkleeren.  At the current moment, both Sherman and Badgett could use a high caliber victory. Come Friday night, one of them will get it. 

#3 Austin O'Connor Vs U.R. Dazjon Casto
157 lbs 

Here's a match that I can see going completely different than it did the last time these two met. At the 2022 NCAA championships, Dazjon Casto pulled off the biggest upset of his career, when he knocked off Austin O'Connor in an 8-2 sudden victory effort. The only thing that would top it or match it, depending on your personal perspective, is if he were to upset him again on Friday. I do not see that happening. O'Connor is 100% at the moment, both mentally and physically. 13-0 on the moment, he's on a roll, focused and determined.  Casto on the other hand has seemed to have lost himself. Currently 5-6 on the season, he is struggling much more than anyone could have ever imagined. I do think there is potential for him to once again find himself this season, but I do not think it'll be in this match against O'Connor.  My prediction? Vengeance be mine, sayeth the O'Connor. 

#8 Clay Lautt Vs U.R. Luca Augustine 

I feel about this match the same way I feel about 133 lbs. On paper it would look like a #8 would just destroy an U.R. but on the mat, I think Augustine will keep it respectable against Lautt. Can't see Lautt ever being in danger during this match, but I don't think he'll blow Augustine out of the water either. 7-2, 5-1, I predict a score like that. 

#13 Gavin Kane Vs #18 Reece Heller 

This is a match that interest me. Kane likes to slow the match down & go at a calculated, methodical pace. He doesn't mind winning a match by a point or two. Heller on the other hand wrestles at a faster rate of speed. Whose style will ultimately win out? I can see Kane frustrating Heller, as he's difficult to score on. I can see Heller going for some offensive moves & Kane being able to fend them off, thus slowing Heller down. However, if Heller is able to penetrate Kane's defense, I can see the match going his way. 

U.R. Max Shaw Vs #2 Nino Bonaccorsi

Now here's a meeting that you would think would end in a major decision, yet in two meetings thus far, it hasn't.  Max Shaw has been able to keep it to a decision each time he's wrestled Nino Bonaccorsi. The matches have ended 7-1 & 9-3 in favor of the Panther. Therefore, I would think Shaw should be able to keep this to a decision once again.