The college season is underway and there are several great dual meets on FloWrestling this weekend. Check out the below article for a breakdown of some of the top matches that will take place live on Flo from Friday, December 8 through Sunday, December 10. 

Wyoming vs Missouri - Friday, December 8 at 8:00 pm (ET)

125 lbs - #10 Jore Volk, Wyoming vs #16 Noah Surtin, Missouri

Jore Volk is coming off a great CKLV where he defeated #8 Caleb Smith, #19 Brendan McCrone, and Anthony Molton while only losing to #14 Brandon Kaylor. Volk will look to test himself on Friday against Mizzou veteran Noah Surtin. Surtin is undefeated on the year but hasn’t yet faced a top-25 opponent. If Surtin wins, we can expect him to shoot up the rankings and cause even more chaos in the 125-pound weight class.

Jore Volk's win over Caleb Smith at the 2023 CKLV:

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197 lbs - #18 Joey Novak, Wyoming vs #7 Rocky Elam, Missouri

Joey Novak moved into the top 20 at 197 after placing 8th at the CKLV and recording wins over #19 Luke Geog, #21 Evan Bockman, and #33 Jack Wehmeyer. While that was an incredible run for Novak, three-time All-American Rocky Elam will be an entirely different challenge. Elam has consistently established himself as one of the best wrestlers in the country at 197 and will be a big favorite against Novak. It is also worth noting that Elam hasn’t wrestled much this year so his match against Novak will be a good test to see how close he is to 100%.

West Virginia vs Air Force - Friday, December 8 at 9:00 pm (ET)

125 lbs - #25 Jett Strickenberger, West Virginia vs #27 Tucker Owens, Air Force

This match isn’t the highest head-to-head matchup of the weekend but it still carries intrigue for both wrestlers. Steigenberger looked like an All-American contender at the Southeast Open when he defeated 2022 All-American #14 Brandon Kaylor in overtime. However, more recently, Strickenberger dropped a close, 6-4 match to Oklahoma’s #31 Conrad Hendriksen. 

Tucker Owens was a national qualifier last season but recently went 1-2 at the CKLV losing to #19 Brendan McCrone and Troy Hohman. Owens can get back on track against Strickenberger or Strickenberger can cement himself as a top 20-25 125-pounder. This is a great opportunity for bother wrestlers on Friday.

Strickenberger's win over Brandon Kaylor at the 2023 Southeast Open:

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165 lbs - #12 Peyton Hall, West Virginia vs #17 Giano Petrucelli, Air Force

2022 All-American Peyton Hall has had an up-and-down start to his season. He surprisingly dropped matches to Ohio’s #10 Garrett Thompson and Duke’s Gaetano Console. However, most recently Hall just beat #13 Cael Carlson, and it turns out Garrett Thompson is really good - Thompson just placed 5th at the CKLV. 

On the other side of things, Giano Petrucelli is wrestling beyond what most expected of him this year with wins over #19 Antrell Taylor, #20 Noah Mulvaney, and #24 Will Miller. This match will tell us a lot about both wrestlers and has the potential to be the best match of the dual. 

184 lbs - #24 Dennis Robin, West Virginia vs #10 Sam Wolf, Air Force

Sam Wolf shot up to #10 in the rankings after placing 5th at the CKLV with signature wins over All-Americans #14 Chris Foca and #12 Gavin Hoffman. However, this match against Robin could be a “trap match” for Wolf. Robin is 13-2 on the year with a ranked win over #26 Zayne Lehman and formerly ranked Caleb Hopkins. On top of that, Robin defeated #13 Dylan Fishback last season who just placed 7th at CKLV.

Sam Wolf's win over Chris Foca at the 2023 CKLV:

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Wisconsin vs Drexel - Saturday, December 9 at 6:00 pm (ET)

174 lbs - #6 (165) Dean Hamiti, Wisconsin vs #15 Micky O’Malley, Drexel

Dean Hamiti bumped up to 174 last week to help Wisconsin take out Bucknell and pinned Myles Takats in the first period. If Hamiti stays up this week, the potential match against O’Malley could be phenomenal. O’Malley and Hamiti both wrestle a wide-open, entertaining style and are pinners. If they wrestle, there’s a great chance this match ends before the 7-minute mark. 

Columbia vs Northern Iowa - Sunday, December 10

133 lbs - #11 Angelo Rini, Columbia vs #21 Julian Farber, Northern Iowa

Julian Farber placed 7th at the CKLV while recording ranked wins over #22 Ethan Oakley and #25 Gabe Whisenhunt. We didn’t get to see Rini in Vegas but his previous win on the year over #12 Nic Bouzakis makes this a great matchup to watch.

184 lbs - #22 Aaron Ayzerov, Columbia vs #1 Parker Keckeisen, Northern Iowa

Parker Keckeisen is the clear #1 at 184 pounds and the favorite to win an NCAA title this year at the weight. Keckeisen’s incredible offense combined with his strength and pace makes him a nightmare matchup for anyone in the country. All of that to say, Keckeisen is a huge favorite against Columbia’s Aaron Ayzerov.

However, it’s worth noting that Ayzerov just took out #14 Chris Foca at the CKLV last weekend and has several other ranked wins in his career. Ayzerov is tough, and while I’m certainly not picking the upset, I expect Ayzerov to leave it all on the mat against Keckeisen.

Keckeisen's win over Will Feldkamp in the 2023 CKLV Finals:

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West Virginia vs Northern Colorado - Sunday, December 10 at 3:00 pm (ET)

125 lbs - #25 Jett Strickenberger, West Virginia vs #6 Stevo Poulin, Northern Colorado

As mentioned, Strickenberger started the year off great by defeating All-American Brandon Kaylor but took a step back dropping a match to Conrad Hendriksen. Poulin is a big step up for Strickenberger and an opportunity for him to cement himself as an All-American contender.

Poulin has yet to face a ranked competitor this year and his match against Strickenberger could show us if Poulin is ready to take a step forward this season. Poulin finished in the round of 12 last year and has the potential to contend for a national title this season.

157 lbs - #28 Caleb Dowling, West Virginia vs #10 Vinny Zerban, Northern Colorado

Caleb Dowling is off to a great start in his first year as the starter for West Virginia at 157 pounds. He’s 12-3 on the year with 10 bonus point wins but has yet to record a ranked victory. If Dowling gets a win against Zerban on Sunday, it will absolutely be an upset. 

Zerban is 11-0 on the year with bonus wins in 10 of 11 matches with his only decision win coming over #10 Chase Saldate (9-5). Beyond that, Zerban finished in the round of 12 last season and was 1 of only 2 wrestlers to defeat #1 Levi Haines.

Vinny Zerban's win over Chase Saldate:

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