As we approach the prestigious Collegiate Wrestling Duals that begins the new week, there was a great mix of wrestling that went down this past weekend.
Between elite-level recruits and older veterans trying to give it another go, Senior Nationals was an early Christmas gift to us all. Especially in a loaded 65kg bracket that featured multiple national champions and some recruits who will be heard of for a long time to come.
Additionally, some great dual meets around the nation continued to roll on and there were multiple upsets to go along with them.
Here is a recap of everything that happened in This Week In Wrestling:
65KG BLOODBATH
Time until the 2024 Olympic Team Trials is ticking down and it was the last chance for some to punch their ticket to State College in April.
It’s very important to note that since this is an Olympic year, the number of weight classes dropped to six making it nearly twice as hard to earn a spot on the United States Olympic Team. Especially at 65kg, where we saw an unbelievably loaded bracket with some of the best guys in the world stacked against each other.
Andrew Alirez would go on to take that crown at 65kg, shutting out Beau Bartlett 8-0 in the finals and narrowly defeating Alec Pantaleo 4-3 in the semifinals.
Despite Alirez looking really sharp, Bartlett turned many heads with his performance as well. Bartlett defeated Luke Pletcher, Matt Kolodzik, and then Joey McKenna en route to his second place finish.
Looking ahead at the 65kg Olympic Trials bracket… Oh my.
Here is a list of all current 65kg wrestlers in the mix: (Note: Anyone not in this bracket must win an NCAA Title or compete at the Last Chance Qualifier for a chance to be a member).
Yianni Diakomihalis
Zain Retherford
Nick Lee
Andrew Alirez
Logan Stieber
Beau Bartlett
Joey McKenna
Seth Gross
Austin Desanto
Kaleb Larkin
DUALS!
There were some interesting meetups set for this weekend, and it delivered in a good way.
App State will steal the headlines this week after defeating a tough #21 North Carolina squad 24-14. However, the Tar Heels did not have #5 Lachlan McNeil in the lineup due to him qualifying for the 65kg spot for Team Canada this past weekend. Regardless, a great win for App State against a fellow North Carolina team that could help them start winning recruits over.
Shifting down to Blacksburg, Virginia, the #11 Hokies got a great team win over #19 Stanford 29-7. Another #1 goes down at 125-pounds, this time it being Nico Provo for Stanford. Cooper Flynn, an Olympic Redshirt, seems to have earned the job over Eddie Ventresca who has had a disappointing start to his 2023-2024 season after starting the year ranked in the top five.
#3 Missouri got some more work in this weekend as well, pummeling Air Force in a 38-3 victory. #1 Keegan O’Toole continues to prove those right in picking him for the Hodge Trophy, as all of his victories this season have been by bonus points.
UPSET TRACKER
Notable Upsets:
Jack Janda (DREX) over #24 Sal Perrine (OHIO), 5-2
Jore Volk (Wyoming) over #3 Richard Figueroa (Arizona State), 6-4
#7 Daniel Cardenas (STAN) over #6 Bryce Andonian (VT), 15-7
#26 Connor Brady (VT) over #16 Hunter Garvin (STAN), 10-3
Sonny Sasso (VT) over #16 Nick Stemmet (STAN), 8-4
#10 Sam Wolf (AF) over #7 Clayton Whiting (MIZZ), (SV-1 4-1)
WHAT’S NEXT
Notable Duals:
Collegiate Wrestling Duals Include –
#2 NC State
#5 Ohio State
#6 Cornell
#7 Iowa State
#19 Pittsburgh
Northern Iowa
Lock Haven
Little Rock
#19 Stanford vs Campbell, 12/19
#9 Oklahoma State vs Wyoming, 12/19
Notable Tournaments:
Sheridan Invitational, 12/22
Wilkes Open, 12/22