Wednesday, Nov. 1 marks the first day of the 2023-24 college wrestling competition schedule, and two programs — Campbell and Army — are wasting no time in kicking off their dual seasons.
These two teams will meet on Wednesday night at 5 p.m. on a military hanger at Fort Liberty for a dual that will be streamed on UFC Fight Pass and feature 11 ranked wrestlers. This match will be followed by another dual between NC State and Presbyterian for a unique double-header event in North Carolina.
🤼 𝑻𝑯𝑬 𝑩𝑨𝑻𝑻𝑳𝑬 𝑨𝑻 𝑳𝑰𝑩𝑬𝑹𝑻𝒀 🪖
— CFFC MATCH DAY | College Wrestling (@cffcmatchday)
We’re kicking off the 2023/2024 season NEXT WEDNESDAY 11/1 on from one of the most unique venues in the sport - an active hangar at Fort Liberty, NC hosting back-to-back matches!!…
These kinds of unconventional, creative matches are just the beginning for what will be a season of exciting developments in the college wrestling space. Between , fresh faces and around the country, this year has the potential to be a memorable one for the sport.
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For now, though, here’s what you need to know about opening weekend, including the Army vs. Campbell dual as well as four other high-profile events happening this weekend:
November 1: Army vs. Campbell, 5 p.m. ET, UFC Fight Pass
Army and Campbell are two teams that know how to market a dual. These programs have been clapping back at one another on social media for the last few weeks, setting the stage for what should be a fairly evenly matched contest to start the year.
The Camels finished 16-9 in the 2022-23 season, sending five athletes to NCAAs in Tulsa, while the Black Knights went 6-7 with three national qualifiers. All eight of those total qualifiers return, with Army’s Ben Pasiuk holding the highest preseason rank among them at No. 11 at 174 pounds.
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If all expected starters compete, Pasiuk could meet Campbell’s No. 30 Austin Murphy, a redshirt senior and 2021 Round of 12 finisher. These two athletes have never met in college despite competing in the same weight class together for the last four years.
The 174-pound matchup is potentially the only weight where both teams will field ranked wrestlers, as Army boasts ranked athletes at 125, 149, 157, 165 and 174 pounds, while Campbell has ranked athletes at 133, 141, 174, 184, 197 and 285. The Camels have the slight edge, with six ranked wrestlers compared to Army’s five, but, on paper, both teams are favored in five matches each.
This won’t be the only unique wrestling setting for a Camels dual this year either. Following the Army dual, Campbell will compete at the Southeast Open and in a dual against Nebraska before traveling to Wyoming to wrestle in a barn. Yep, you read that right. A barn. First, a military hanger, then a barn. Stay tuned.
Nov. 2: Oregon State vs. North Carolina, 5 p.m. ET, ACC Network Extra
Just 90 minutes north of Fort Liberty, another North Carolina team will take on a non-conference foe, as the Tar Heels host Oregon State the following day for a battle between two teams that finished on the verge of breaking into the top 25 rankings last year. The Beavers have steadily been on the rise under fourth-year head coach Chris Pendleton, while the Tar Heels are looking to reset and reload under the new leadership of first-year head coach Rob Koll.
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The dual will feature eight ranked wrestlers total, but all eyes will be on 184 pounds as All-Americans No. 3 Trey Munoz and No. 6 Gavin Kane could potentially meet for one of the biggest early season matchups of the year. Munoz finished sixth last year while Kane ended up eighth, though these two wrestlers never met for a head-to-head dual.
In addition to Munoz vs. Kane, North Carolina All-American Lachlan McNeil could also have a ranked opponent in No. 22 Cleveland Belton, a junior who finished 18-10 last year after going 0-2 at the NCAA tournament with losses to Parker Filius and Saul Ervin.
Some days you just need to get in there a go with the young bucks 🐏
— Tony Ramos 🐏 (@T_Ram133)
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Belton came to Oregon State after three years with Arizona State, and he’s one of several transfers — including former Oklahoma State wrestler Travis Wittlake and previous Rutgers heavyweight Boone McDermott — over the last few years for the Beavers who could make an impact not only in this dual but throughout the season.
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Wittlake, specifically, brings All-American credentials to the Beavers, as he finished on the podium in 2021 and qualified for the national tournament in 2020 and 2023. The Oregon native has been up and down the lineup, wrestling as light at 165 pounds and as heavy as 184 pounds, but he’s expected to settle into the 174-pound spot for the Beavers, where he could meet North Carolina’s Cade Tenold, a redshirt freshman who went 12-13 last year at 174 pounds.
The Oregon State vs. North Carolina dual is one of several bouts featured as part of the Carolina duals, hosted by the Tar Heels, with Queens University of Charlotte and Greensboro College also participating, but the two DI programs will headline this event.
Nov. 3: NC State vs. Appalachian State, 7 p.m. ET, ACC Network Extra
This dual between North Carolina in-state foes has become such a fun annual event. While the Wolfpack have dominated the series and won by nearly identical scores for the last few seasons, topping the Mountaineers, 26-12, 25-10, 24-12, 24-12 and 29-9 in the previous five years, Appalachian State always brings a fight. In fact, the last time the Mountaineers hosted the Pack in 2021, they filled their arena and hosted 1,206 fans for a standing-room only experience in Varsity Gym.
This year’s dual is back in Boone, and the Mountaineers will bring four ranked wrestlers to the mat when they take on the Wolfpack.
Sean Carter, the only returning ranked Appalachian State wrestler who earned a win against NC State in the 2022 dual, will have his chance to take on All-American No. 5 Kai Orine of State again at 133 pounds, if both teams wrestle their best lineup. Carter beat Orine last year in sudden victory, though Orine outplaced him at the NCAA tournament and finished the year 18-8 while Carter ended up 13-7. If Appalachian State wants to stay in this dual in a competitive way, the Mountaineers will be counting on Carter to put up a similarly exciting performance against Orine. Such a win would not only swing points towards Appalachian State but would elevate Carter in the individual rankings at his weight. He currently sits at No. 12, one spot ahead of All-American Chris Cannon.
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Appalachian State’s No. 19 Tommy Askey and No. 31 Carson Floyd will also have their shot against All-American Wolfpack, as Askey could see No. 5 Ed Scott and Floyd is likely to take on No. 5 Trent Hidlay.
Askey qualified for the national tournament last year but went 0-2 after losses to All-American Will Lewan and former SoCon foe Jason Kraisser. Such a result may not stand out on paper, but Askey has made notable improvements since arriving on campus as a redshirt freshman ahead of the 2020-21 season. He went 7-5 that first year in redshirt before posting an 11-10 record as a freshman and then a 30-13 record last season. Ed Scott is elite, boasting career wins over All-American Lewan, NCAA champion Austin O’Connor, NCAA finalist Quincy Monday and All-American Kaleb Young, and he’ll be expected to roll through this bout, but keep your eye on Askey in this match and throughout the season as a potential breakthrough athlete.
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Floyd will have an equally tough test, as Hidlay, NC State’s 197-pounder who earned three All-American honors at 184 pounds, is without a doubt a title contender at this new weight and someone always looking for bonus points.
This year’s NC State squad is stacked from top to bottom with nine total ranked wrestlers and six of those nine ranked in the top 10. Head coach Pat Popolizio’s squad has the chance to compete for a team trophy this year if everyone performs at their peak, so while Appalachian State’s road to a win in this bout will be as tough as ever, this is still a must-watch event because of the intensity of these two teams, the environment in Varsity Gym and the talent on the mat overall.
Nov. 3: Rutgers vs. Cal Poly, 10:30 p.m. ET, Cal Poly All-Access
If this dual isn’t already circled on your calendar, circle it now.
Rutgers and Cal Poly have both been building sneaky strong lineups over the past season, and they’ll come into the bout with a combined 14 ranked wrestlers, 10 of which come from the Rutgers roster.
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The two highest-ranked athletes in this dual will be No. 6 Dean Peterson and No. 6 Yaraslau Slavikouski at 125 and 285 pounds for the Scarlet Knights, and both athletes will start this year looking for their first All-American honor after finishing in the Round of 12 last season. Slavikouski could meet notable Cal Poly closer No. 27 Trevor Tinker in his bout, if both ranked athletes compete, while Peterson will likely take on Dom Mendez, an unranked lightweight but someone that head coach Jon Sioredas is particularly excited about this year.
Cal Poly, as a team, won the Pac-12 regular season title, and they’ve been rebuilding, as a program. The Mustangs have grown their RTC, brought in notable transfers, including No. 8 Chance Lamer from Michigan, and worked to develop All-American talent. In fact, three-time podium finisher Bernie Truax finished fourth for Cal Poly last year, and while Truax has since transferred to Penn State, his impact is still felt by his teammates who watched him achieve that feat.
The Mustangs will host Rutgers as the underdogs, but they are favored at Lamer’s 149-pound weight class and at 174-pounds, a weight where No. 23 Adam Kemp will be expected to take on All-American Jackson Turley, who comes into the season ranked No. 28. The 157-pound bout could also feature a ranked matchup with No. 21 Andrew Clark of Rutgers potentially taking on No. 24 Legend Lamer of Cal Poly.
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For the Scarlet Knights, this dual is a chance for the team to see strong competition early and prepare for the grind of the rest of the season. Following Cal Poly, Rutgers will compete against Virginia Tech on Nov. 17 in another elite nonconference dual where all 10 of their top 33 athletes will have an opportunity to potentially earn high-quality wins or at least see top-tier competition. Rutgers has been a team with flashes of greatness over the past few seasons — notably finishing in the top 10 in 2019 and crowning two national champions — and this is another Scarlet Knight squad that could make some noise come March.
First, though, they’ll have to get past the Mustangs.
Nov. 4: Nebraska vs. North Dakota State, 3 p.m. ET, NDSU All-Access
The Bison pulled off a serious upset last year in this dual when they topped the Huskers 20-16 in Lincoln, but now Nebraska will travel to Fargo and look to take revenge against a scrappy North Dakota squad to kick off the season.
The rosters for both teams will look quite different this year, as Nebraska fields just three of the same starters who competed against the Bison last year after graduating a number of stars — including All-Americans Liam Cronin and Mikey Labriola — and North Dakota State also looks to rebuild following the departure of two All-American transfers.
Despite the lineup shuffles, Nebraska still kicks off the year as one of the deepest teams in the country, with all 10 starters ranked in the top 33 including No. 1 Ridge Lovett at 149 pounds. Lovett, in fact, is the only Nebraska wrestler likely to compete against a ranked North Dakota State foe, as he’s expected to wrestle No. 12 Kellyn March, a 2023 NCAA qualifier who posted a 25-9 record last season. Lovett redshirted last year and did not get a chance to compete in this dual, and he has never wrestled March in his college career, but this opening bout gives him the chance to start his redshirt junior season with a competitive, ranked foe.
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North Dakota State, as a program, had an unconventional offseason, as the team’s former head coach Roger Kish left to take over the head coaching role at Oklahoma, a decision that prompted a number of transfers out of the program, including Jared Franek and Mikey Caliendo, who finished fourth and seventh respectively in their weights at NCAAs. The future, however, still looks bright in Fargo, as new head coach Obe Blanc has brought in a stellar assistant coaching staff to help him rebuild the program. Though this year’s North Dakota State team may lack the firepower of last year’s squad and will certainly come into this dual as notable underdogs, the Nebraska dual will give Blanc & Co. a chance to see where their athletes are at heading into what will be a long season.
