Less than a week removed from a wild Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational that saw two former national champions take losses, some of the nation’s best college wrestlers will take the mat again this weekend for more high-profile matches as part of their teams' dual schedules.
Here are five specific matches you should pay attention to this weekend that will feature big-name ranked athletes:
Friday, December 8 at 6 p.m. ET (BTN+): No. 13 Rutgers vs. Princeton
Rutgers may be one of the most underrated teams in the country this semester, as the Scarlet Knights have ten ranked wrestlers and have climbed as high as No. 13 in the national rankings. Friday night’s dual against Princeton looks to be overwhelmingly in favor of Rutgers, though this dual is still worth watching because of the history of these two programs and the bragging rights on the line in this contest.
Plenty of standout moments from this historic rivalry.
— Rutgers Wrestling (@RUWrestling)
What are your favorite Rutgers/Princeton moments? |
Princeton and Rutgers have wrestled each other dating back to the 1930-1931 season and will meet for the 86th time on Friday with the Scarlet Knights holding the 46-34-5 series advantage. They’ll look to earn another dominant victory in their home gym on Friday, led by No. 7 Dean Peterson at 125 pounds and No. 7 Yaraslau Slavikouski at 285 pounds. Neither of those athletes will take on a ranked Tiger opponent either, as Princeton has Top 33 athletes at just 184 and 197 pounds in No. 23 Nathan Dugan and No. 10 Luke Stout. Both Dugan and Stout will face higher-ranked foes from Rutgers too, with Dugan set to wrestle Round of 16 finisher Brian Soldano and Stout slated to take on No. 8 John Poznanski. If Rutgers can stop these two upperweights, the Scarlet Knights could be looking at not only a win against the Tigers but possibly a shutout. However, crazy things happen in rivalry duals, so don’t dismiss the Tigers entirely. First-year Princeton head coach Joe Dubuque will not just roll over for this stacked Scarlet Knight squad.
Friday, December 8 at 8 p.m. ET (ESPN+): No. 11 Oklahoma State vs. No. 20 Lehigh
The Oklahoma State Cowboys have a huge weekend in front of them, taking on No. 20 Lehigh at home on Friday night before traveling to Norman on Sunday to wrestle No. 18 Oklahoma in the annual Bedlam dual.
One storyline runs across both matches though: will Daton Fix wrestle? The three-time NCAA finalist registered for the Cliff Keen Invitational but did not compete, and, with the 133-pound weight class so volatile so early in the season, successful performances from Fix could vault him back into the No. 1 spot.
Big weekend ahead. Ready to work. l
— OSU Cowboy Wrestling (@CowboyWrestling)
He’ll have his shot at the current top-ranked wrestler at the weight, Ryan Crookham, on Friday night against Lehigh if he competes, and Crookham will come into that bout with momentum, after having just beat Penn State All-American Aaron Nagao in State College 6-4. Crookham has emerged as the unexpected headliner this year, as he first gained national attention this fall when he beat his teammate and expected Lehigh 133-pound starter Connor McGonagle at the Journeymen Classic before knocking off NCAA champion and senior world champion Vito Arujau in the finals at that same event. McGonagle has also had a solid season, notably outscoring two-time All-American Sam Latona at the NWCA All-Star dual for the win. Crookham’s victory over Nagao though likely secured his starting spot, and, if he gets the chance to wrestle Fix, fans will really know where the breakout star stacks up against yet another proven veteran.
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Beyond Fix vs. Crookham — the match that everyone wants to see — the Lehigh vs. Oklahoma State will have a few additional key weights to watch as the Cowboys aim to hold off the Mountain Hawks and stay undefeated. Lehigh’s Michael Beard will likely get another ranked opponent in No. 12 Luke Surber, assuming both are healthy and ready to go, and No. 16 Nathan Taylor of the Brown and White will have a shot against No. 11 Konner Doucet as he looks to climb the ranks. Lehigh is only favored in three weights: 133 pounds with Crookham, 197 pounds with Beard and 157 pounds with Max Brignola. For the Mountain Hawks to pull off the upset, they will not only have to wrestle to their rankings in those three weights but flip at least two weights, potentially 141 pounds with Malyke Hines and heavyweight with Taylor, though this remains an uphill battle given the potential for Oklahoma State to score bonus from their All-Americans Izzak Olejnik and Dustin Plott at 165 pound and 184 pounds.
Sunday, December 10 at noon ET (Big Ten Network): No. 5 Ohio State vs. No. 19 Pittsburgh
While Princeton vs. Rutgers has the in-state history, and Bedlam (see preview below) has the conference rivalry factor, Sunday’s afternoon’s match between the No. 5 Ohio State Buckeyes and the No. 19 Pittsburgh Panthers is probably the biggest dual of the weekend.
The Bucks welcome a Panthers squad to the Covelli Center that boasts eight ranked wrestlers to Ohio State’s ten ranked athletes, but Pitt has a few dangerous weapons in its lineup that could pose some challenges.
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The 141-pound weight class is particularly interesting in this dual as No. 3 Jesse Mendez will enter his bout against No. 20 Cole Mathews as a significant favorite, but Matthews, throughout his career, has shown flashes of brilliance and finished as high as fifth on the podium. He’s also represented the U.S. on the U23 world stage, so, like Mendez, he brings international experience to the mat. While Matthews has taken some losses this year and Mendez has looked dominant up a weight at 141 pounds this year, this bout shouldn’t be disregarded too quickly. If Matthews can slow down Mendez, he could be a contender, and his team will be counting on him to do so if the Panthers want any chance of stopping a deep, tough Buckeye squad.
The other intriguing matchup in this dual comes at heavyweight when freshman star No. 18 Nick Feldman could wrestle another young phenom in No. 14 Dayton Pitzer. Feldman, who finished sixth at the Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitation, enters this bout with a 14-2 record after taking an injury default loss to Taye Ghadiali of Campbell and losing by major to Iowa State’s Yonger Bastida. Pitzer, on the other hand, is 5-1, his lone loss coming against Grady Greiss of Navy in a dual where the Panthers dropped the Midshipmen. It’s unlikely that the dual will come down to heavyweight, as the Bucks are favored in seven of the ten matches on paper, but, if it does, two freshmen both on a national podium quest this year, could meet head-to-head with everything on the line.
Beyond heavyweight and 141 pounds, here are the other six ranked matches potentially slated for Sunday’s dual:
• 133 pounds: No. 12 Nic Bouzakis (Ohio State) vs. No. 23 Vince Santaniello (Pittsburgh)
• 149 pounds: No. 5 Dylan D’Emilio (Ohio State) vs. No. 19 Finn Solomon (Pittsburgh)
• 165 pounds: No. 20 Isaac Wilcox (Ohio State) vs. No. 8 Holden Heller (Pittsburgh)
• 174 pounds: No. 9 Carson Kharchla (Ohio State) vs. No. 19 Luca Augustine (Pittsburgh)
• 184 pounds: No. 15 Gavin Hoffman (Ohio State) vs. No. 20 Reece Heller (Pittsburgh)
• 197 pounds: No. 22 Luke Geog (Ohio State) vs. No. 17 Luke Stout (Pittsburgh)
Sunday, December 10 at 3 p.m. ET (ESPN+): No. 11 Oklahoma State vs. No. 18 Oklahoma
There’s something different about Oklahoma State vs. Oklahoma dual. Wrestling fans have seen some great matches already this year (i.e. Ohio State vs. Virginia Tech or Iowa vs. Iowa State), but Bedlam is different. It just is. It’s Bedlam. The history and intensity of this dual runs deep and this year’s matchup is set to be particularly exciting.
BEDLAM:
The Sooners, led by new head coach Roger Kish, will welcome the Cowboys to Norman on Sunday with the hopes of upsetting the No. 11 team in the country and ending a winning streak for Oklahoma State that extends back to December 1, 2013. The Cowboys, though, are 44-4-1 against Oklahoma since 1999, and they’ll be favored on paper again this year. However, there is a path to victory for the Sooners. Let’s break it down.
Oklahoma State has the edge early, with No. 21 Troy Spratley holding an 11-ranking advantage over Conrad Conrad Hendriksen, and while neither of these athletes have a win over a DI national qualifier this season, Spratley has competed tough against athletes like Caleb Smith, and he does have a win over a scrappy Spencer Moore of North Carolina, currently ranked No. 25, and a DII All-American in Christian Mejia. He also has a career win over South Dakota State’s Tanner Jordan who sits at No. 18. The advantage for Oklahoma State starts early with Spratley and continues through 133 pounds and 141 pounds where No. 3 Daton Fix and No. 9 Tagen Jamison will look to pick up wins against No. 27 Jace Koelzer and No. 10 Mosha Schwartz if all four of these athletes are healthy and ready to go.
Injuries could play a role here in the lightweights, as Oklahoma State’s Fix sat out of the Cliff Keen Invitational out of injury precaution, and Oklahoma’s Schwartz injury defaulted out of his bracket at CKLV.
It was a busy weekend of wrestling and now we have a big dual waiting for us on Sunday.
— Oklahoma Wrestling (@OU_Wrestling)
Coach Kish has you covered with a great recap of our two road duals and a preview of Bedlam in our first edition of Coaches Corner!
Even if Fix opts not to wrestle though, Oklahoma State has a dangerous backup in Reece Witcraft who qualified for the national tournament twice and will be expected to compete with Koelzer. If Schwartz is out for the Sooners, Oklahoma might be in trouble, as Jamison looks ready to bonus anyone, after outscoring All-American Brock Hardy of Nebraska 13-5. Jamison is young, wrestling in just his first season as a starter, and he has taken two losses but both came against All-Americans, one of which did include Hardy, the same athlete he also bonused. But this is someone who wrestles hard, scores points and competes. And in a Bedlam setting, this is not someone Oklahoma would want facing off against their backup athlete.
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Beyond the lightweights, the dual becomes a little more interesting. Oklahoma is favored at 149 pounds with No. 22 Willie McDougald, though Oklahoma State's No. 24 Jordan Williams holds the better record, as the Cowboy is 8-2 while the Sooner is 4-4. This is a winnable match for the Cowboys, but if Oklahoma wants to stay in the fight, this is a weight the Sooners will need to own. The 149-pound weight class is one of four weights where Oklahoma is favored, so the Sooners will not only need to win this one, they'll also need to win 174 pounds with No. 17 Tate Picklo, 197 pounds with No. 2 Stephen Buchanan and 285 pounds with Josh Heindselman. Heavyweight will be the trickiest of these three, as Heindselman's opponent is expected to be No. 11 Konner Doucet, if he's healthy. Doucet's only loss this year came by injury default to Grady Greiss at the Cliff Keen Invitational, so if the Cowboy is ready, he could put up a fight, but, if not, the Sooners will come looking for bonus.
Much like in the bout against Lehigh, Oklahoma State will be looking to pull ahead at 165 pounds and 184 pounds with No. 3 Izzak Olejnik and No. 3 Dustin Plott, given that both athletes are set to face opponents ranked at least 13 spots below them. For Oklahoma to win, the Sooners need to avoid bonuses at those two weights, win the four weights they are expected and earn at least a decision at 157 pounds. Again, injuries and athlete health will play a big role for both teams in this dual, but, regardless of how many of the 17 ranked athletes across both teams compete, Bedlam always delivers the drama.
Sunday, December 10 at 3 p.m. ET (Morgan State All Access): Maryland vs. Morgan State
The Morgan State vs. Maryland dual is the only event on this list that does not include a top-25 team, but this bout between the Terps and the Bears is still a notable match on the calendar. Maryland only just slipped out of the NWCA polls this week after Indiana entered into the rankings following the Hoosiers' win over Princeton, and while a win against Morgan State may not be enough to elevate Maryland back into the Top 25, the dual will be a good chance for some of the Terp stars to look for bonus and sharpen their skills.
New Clemsen’s Corner recapping Jaxon’s big performance in Vegas and previewing our dual at Morgan State this Sunday with a special shoutout to Jahi Jones!🐢💪 x
— Maryland Wrestling (@TerpsWrestling)
Maryland currently boasts seven ranked wrestlers, with No. 5 Jaxon Smith leading the way at 197 pounds. No. 15 Braxton Brown and No. 12 Kal Miller also hold down top-15 spots at 133 and 141 pounds respectively. All three athletes qualified for the national tournament last year along with No. 18 Ethan Miller, and all are set to face unranked Bears over the weekend.
In fact, Morgan State does not have any ranked wrestlers in the lineup right now, though they do have a particularly tough competitor at 184 pounds in Kingsley Menifee who will compete against Maryland’s unranked Chase Mielnik in a dual where the Bears will be looking for a win to avoid the shutout.
MORGAN STATE Q&A:
In an earlier interview with krikya18.com, Morgan State head coach Kenny Monday said he intentionally scheduled duals against ranked opponents and big-name programs within stronger conferences like the Big Ten because he wanted his athletes to face the best competition right away. He wanted to set a standard that Morgan State competes against the best, and he wanted to build his team around the mindset that they can compete at that level. In the weeks following the Maryland dual, Morgan State will wrestle Princeton and North Carolina, both teams on the top 25 bubble as well, and while these duals give the Tigers and the Tar Heels opportunities for bonus points, they also provide a chance for these new Bear wrestlers to see national qualifier-caliber competition and improve.
This weekend’s dual against Maryland will be historic for Morgan State and the state of Maryland as a whole. Maryland will be expected to roll through for a win and improve their record to 2-1, but keep an eye out on the Bears. This is a team that will take some time to rise, but Monday is putting the right pieces in place to help elevate his new program.
