The college wrestling season is quickly approaching and i’m getting so pumped for the upcoming year. Numerous story-lines have already begun emerging. Will AJ Ferrari return? Is Spencer Lee healthy? Will the departure of Vince McMahon, lead to the return of Gable Steveson? ETC ETC. In this article I will examine some of the matches i’m looking forward to the most in the upcoming season. Some of these may not even happen, and that’s okay. It’s still fun to speculate.
1 Dayton Fix VS Roman Bravo Young
If Dayton Fix doesn’t win a NCAA title this year, he will likely go down as the best wrestler to never win an NCAA title. While this is quite an honor, to someone like Fix it will represent a major failure in his life. It’s because of this he has been training extra hard all summer long. He has made changes in his speed and strength training, and seems more focused than ever. RBY has been working nonstop with world champion Thomas Gillman, and as a result has taken his hand fighting to another level. With his lightning fast reflexes, and superior game planning he will be extremely difficult to defeat. More then likely these two will meet in the NCAA finals for the 3rd straight year. Young is the defending 2x NCAA champion and is looking to add to his legacy. Fix is a world class wrestler, capable of beating anyone at any given time. We have already seen this match before, but that doesn’t mean its any less of a dream match-up for wrestling fans.
2 David Carr VS Keegan O’Toole
Two NCAA Champions looking to add more hardware to their trophy case.
Carr brings in a 68-2 college record and is a 2x all-american, and a 2021 NCAA Champion at 157 pounds. he is also a 3x Big 12 Champion, and a 2019 Junior World Champion. In two NCAA tournaments he has finished 3rd in 2022, and was an NCAA Champion in 2021.
O’Toole comes in with a 44-1, record and is also a 2x all-american, and a 2022 NCAA Champion at 165 pounds. He is a 2x Big 12 Champion, finishing 1st and 3rd at the national tournament. He is also a 2021 Junior World Champion.
Both of these athletes are world class competitors, and the real winners of this match is the wrestling fans. There is a strong chance these two will meet more then once during the season.
3 Penn State Vs Missouri
In the tournament setting, this match-up isn’t the least bit exciting. In a dual meet, it gets very interesting.
Penn State returns 4 NCAA Champions and is set to repeat as tournament champions, but also has a lot of new and unproven faces in the lineup.
Missouri returns 10 national qualifiers, with all 10 of them ranked within Intermat’s preseason national rankings, including their own 165 lb NCAA Champion in Keegan O’Toole.
This meet if it happens could come down to the very last match, and its really a toss up on which team would walk away the victor.
4 Greg Kerkvliet VS Cohlton Schultz
This is a battle for the ages, currently ranked number 1 and 2 in the country. Both are former world champions, both returning All-Americans. At last years NCAA tournament they were both defeated by Olympic Gold Medalist Gable Steveson. Greg lost 8-3 while Cohlton lost in the finals 6-2. Both wrestlers are still sophomores as well so there is still a lot of wrestling that could take place between the two of them.
5 Mekhi Lewis VS Carter Starocci
Another battle of returning NCAA Champions, we saw this one play out last season in the 174 NCAA finals, in which Starocci emerged victorious after two tie breakers. The big question is if Mekhi can stay healthy this season, he has battled injuries most of his college career. Mekhi was a 2018 Junior World Champion while Carter is a 2X NCAA Champion, making this a battle of two outstanding wrestlers!
6 Austin Gomez VS Yianni Diakomihalis
On paper this doesn’t seem like a great match-up. I mean the best Austin has ever done at the NCAA tournament is placing 4th, while losing twice to a guy most people have never heard of. Yanni on the other hand is a world beater, he is a 3x NCAA Champion, and a 2X age-group World Champion. The thing is though, they are two of the most exciting wrestlers in college wrestling today, and Austin can never be counted out of a match, as he showed against Roman Bravo Young scoring the second period pin over the future NCAA Champion. Gomez is so dangerous with his throws and he loves to press the action, while Yianni is a technical wizard on the mat. Either way this is a fun match to watch.
7 Max Dean Vs Aj Ferrari
This match is a real long shot, as Ferrari is currently not enrolled in college and is facing serious legal problems. But that’s what this list is about in the first place. Matches we will hopefully see, and this one is near the top of everyone’s list. Another match-up of returning NCAA Champions.
Ferrari had a Cinderella season his freshman year, entering as the number 4 seed and battling all the way to the NCAA title. he was poised to repeat last season and was a perfect 11-0, before suffering a season ending injury the result of a terrible car crash.
Dean transferred into Penn State and has looked incredible since doing so. Last year he battled his way through the NCAA tournament, defeating Iowa’s Jacob Warner in the Finals 3-2. (Ferrari beat Warner a year earlier 4-3)
It’s hard to say if this match will happen or if we will ever see Ferrari wrestle again. But if these two ever take the mat its sure to be a battle for the ages.
8 Spencer Lee Vs Patrick Glory
This is another match that isn’t really in super high demand, but I couldn’t leave Spencer off the list and this match isn’t nearly as one sided as it may seem.
Spencer Lee is a once a generation type of talent and its been an absolute pleasure watching him compete these last few years. He has run roughshod over the 125 lb division and has some of the fastest tech-falls I have ever seen at the college level. As far as I can tell these two have wrestled twice already in their college careers. This first match was a 18-2 2nd period technical fall. The second match at Midlands was a 12-5 war in which Lee was rode out the entire third period.
Since that time Spencer has become one of the most dominant champions in NCAA history. Already a 3x NCAA Champion, Lee is on a quest to win his 4th straight national title and Glory is just another wrestler in his way. Lee is also recovering from season ending knee surgery, and has faced a long layoff.
Glory on the other hand, had a fantastic year last season. After trading wins and losses with the outstanding Vito Arujau, Glory reached the NCAA finals for the first time. While he lost a close match against 2x NCAA Champion Nick Suriano, Glory proved to everyone that he was the real deal, and could compete with the best in the division.
Both Lee and Glory are hammers on top, and seem to have similar abilities in the take-down department. Glory seems to have a deeper gas tank, but Lee can put up points very quickly. The health of Lee is also a question. this is his 3rd knee injury in college. Its hard to say how he will look. If Lee is in top form, this match may not be close at all. Glory will also likely have to get through the always tough Arujau to reach Lee. No matter what happens, Spencer Lee is always must see TV.
9 Mason Parris VS Cohlton Schultz
This is a match-up of two GREAT heavyweights, neither of which has yet one a NCAA title. Both of these wrestlers are world class and both have already won their own World Title. In most other years these two would have already won an NCAA title or two. But the Gable Steveson era has prevented several outstanding wrestlers from reaching the top of the podium. These two met in the quarterfinals of the 2022 NCAA tournament with Schultz escaping with a 6-5 win. The match was much closer than the score reflects, and a rematch is likely to be another classic!
10 Iowa VS Penn State
This is one of those dual meets that just needs to happen EVERY YEAR. The last few years its been back and fourth, and as a result wrestling benefits. The meet has been mentioned on ESPN, Fox Sports and many other news outlets that rarely cover college wrestling. Both have massive fan bases, and regularly compete in sold out arenas. During the 19-20 season Iowa won the dual meet, and again defeated PSU at the Big 10 Tournament. In the 20-21 season Iowa again defeated Penn State at the Big 10 and National Tournament. In the 21-22 season Penn State defeated Iowa in the dual meet, and at the Big 10, and NCAA tournament. Once again they are ranked number 1 and 2 in the country, although Penn State is heavily favored this year. This is a meet that simply needs to happen. Every year!