CP's 2013-2014 NCAA Predictions
Christian Pyles


In this piece, you'll find top 12 predictions, a write up as to how I reached the conclusion, and tiers that show the separation between all the opponents in a visual way.  You won't find a more comprehensive or detailed set of predictions anywhere else. I threw in team scores to boot for good measure.  

125

1. Nico Megaludis-Penn State
2. Jesse Delgado-Illinois
3. Nahshon Garrett-Cornell
4. Cory Clark-Iowa
5. Jarrod Patterson-Oklahoma
6. Nathan Kraisser-UNC
7. Anthony Zanetta-Pittsburgh
8. Josh Martinez-Air Force

R12: Tyler Cox-Wyoming, Dylan Peters-Northern Iowa, Eddie Klimara-Oklahoma State, Sean Boyle-Michigan

Thoughts:

Megaludis-He’s 2-2 against Delgado. I don’t see him as a guy who gets 2nd 3 or 4 times. He’s going to break through, and he can do it this year. He solved a lot of the problems Jesse gave him at Big 10’s by the time NCAA’s rolled around. He kept Delgado off of his legs for the majority of the match and was the aggressor throughout. Got a shot countered and that was the match.

Delgado-A favorite in the eyes of many. He’s the man for a reason. Great shot at a repeat, just went with my gut.

Garrett-Has major upside, but Jesse exposed him last year at NCAA’s. Garrett has reversed losses before(McD, Waters), so seeing him crash the finals should surprise nobody.

Clark-Maybe I’m being too cautious here. Never seen a redshirt as good as Cory’s. Win over Delgado, Sprenkle, Patterson, Boyle, Peters, etc. He may just take the whole dern thing. I haven’t been able to watch any of his relevant matches from last year, so I am holding back a bit here.

Patterson-Looked great at the All Star. Very much the same guy he always was, tough to take down, tough on top. I’d be surprised to see him off the podium.

Kraisser-Really solid season last year for a true Freshman. Nearly pulled the upset of the tournament against Delgado. He beat Jarrod Garnett, Matt Snyder and Martinez last year. Only losing to All Americans, and had one outlier loss to Patrick Hunter. I like him to wind up on the podium this year.

Zanetta-I’ve always been high on Zanetta. Hasn’t quite broken through yet, but his wins are on par with any guy out there. He beat Megaludis last year and has 2 wins over Alan Waters as well. He’s right there, and I think he breaks through his senior year.

Martinez- He gets on the podium just ahead of Cox based on superior wins. He beat Cox (twice), Triggas, Rauser, Sprenkle and Thorn. His losses were all to solid guys: Snyder, Rauser, Cox, Sprenkle, Bonanno. He didn’t have the inconsistency that Cox had, so I’m going with him. Could backfire, but oh well.

R12 thoughts: Peters and Klimara are upside/gut picks on my part. Boyle has been really solid throughout his career . Will the real Tyler Cox please stand up? Cox had a solid 8th place finish last season, but I can’t help but be a bit confused. Wins over Kraisser, Triggas and Soto are nice, but losses to Parisi, Hillehouse, Lambert, Terao, Rauser and Martinez give me some doubt. If I knew which Cox I’d be getting this season, it’d be easier to predict! Tough kid, but hard to know what you’re getting.

Tiers: I use tiers as a way of visually showing you how far I feel wrestlers are from one another. If they’re bunched up, those are matches that could perhaps be flipped. If they’re further away, I feel as though there’s more separation between the two.

Nico Megaludis
Jesse Delgado
Nahshon Garrett
Cory Clark

Jarrod Patterson
Nathan Kraisser
Anthony Zanetta

Josh Martinez
Tyler Cox
Dylan Peters
Eddie Klimara
Sean Boyle

133

1. Tony Ramos-Iowa
2. Tyler Graff-Wisconsin
3. Ryan Mango-Stanford
4. Mason Beckman-Lehigh
5. AJ Schopp-Edinboro
6. Jon Morrison-Oklahoma State
7. Mark Grey-Cornell
8. Cody Brewer-Oklahoma

R12: Jimmy Gulibon-Penn State, David Thorn-Minnesota, Joe Colon-Northern Iowa, George DiCamillo-Virginia

Thoughts:

Ramos-I think he breaks through here. His last 5 losses were to Logan. He’s gone, and I think he takes the reigns here of this weight. He sent an early message to the field bumping up and beating Devin Carter. Again.

Graff-Can’t sleep on Tyler this year. He and Tony are separated by inches, not miles. Though Tony has never lost to someone he’s beaten before, Graffs so close, one beautiful TD could be the difference. He has to get his conditioning improved, however.

Mango-Had an epic Midlands run beating Schopp, Thielke and Dan Dennis for good measure. This may be high for him, but I think he could be a sleeper here.

Beckman-Well, he has my attention. What a performance at the All Star. Had little issue penetrating and finishing on Schopp (not what I expected), nor did he have any issue getting away from AJ. Maybe it was a bad match for Schopp, but it just looked to me that Mason was better.

Schopp-I think AJ will be a solid guy in this weight, he will always be problematic if he can get any semblance of a ride going. But he needs to diversify a bit. I thought he attacked legs well, but he’ll need to finish better if he doesn’t want to be in the 4-6 range for the rest of his career. He was very solid last year with wins over Morrison, Dardanes (twice) and Thielke.

Morrison -Jon finally got over the hump and by and large was very solid throughout the year. He went back and forth with Dardanes and beat Nathan McCormick as well as Brewer. I don’t see much improvement coming his way but 3rd place is possible. I feel safer here though.

Grey -May be a bit low on Grey considering he was the only guy to knock off Ryan Mango last year. However, he lost to Anthony Abidin, Gulibon, Beckman as well as Dijulius. The triangle of Beckman, Gulibon, Grey was tough to wrap my mind around. Beckman owned Gulibon, Gulibon beat Grey, Grey beat Beckman 2-1. Good luck figuring that one out.

Brewer-Hard to believe that a Freshman AA coming off of a solid season like Cody is buried down at 8 again, but that’s just how I see it going. There’s been an influx of talent that I think is superior to Cody (or, should I say, on the level of Cody). He was a pillar of consistency all last year.

R12 Thoughts: Really deep weight here. Jimmy has as good a shot of placing as anyone, but it’s going to be brutal. Thorn was solid last year at 125, maybe he’s a different guy at 133, but he really hasn’t notched a win that gives you tons of confidence he will place again. Colon is a real wildcard here. He’s a guy with great wins, but outside factors seem to keep him from reaching his true potential. If he’s locked in all year, watch out, he’s a potential bracket buster. George is a stud, but this weight is just a bit too loaded. I think R12 is his ceiling.

Tiers: I use tiers as a way of visually showing you how far I feel wrestlers are from one another. If they’re bunched up, those are matches that could perhaps be flipped. If they’re further away, I feel as though there’s real separation between the two.

Tony Ramos

Tyler Graff

Ryan Mango
Mason Beckman
AJ Schopp
Jon Morrison
Mark Grey
Cody Brewer
Jimmy Gulibon
Joe Colon

George DiCamillo

141
NOTE: Ugi from Citadel is not included as there may be an issue preventing him from wrestling this year, I think he’s a top 5 guy this year if he wrestles.

1. Logan Stieber-Ohio State
2. Mitchell Port-Edinboro
3. Devin Carter-Virginia Tech
4. Chris Dardanes-Minnesota
5. Mike Nevinger-Cornell
6. Richard Durso-Franklin & Marshall
7. Evan Henderson-UNC
8. Jesse Thielke-Wisconsin

R12: Joey Lazor-Northern Iowa, Nick Lester-Oklahoma, CJ Cobb-Penn, Chris Mecate-ODU

Stieber-I mean, do I really need to explain? He runs through this weight.
Mitchell-I sold him short last year. Not making the same mistake twice.

Carter-Had a great redshirt year and had wins over Ugi and Henderson. I think he’s poised for a top 3 finish. I really feel like there’s a solid clump of guys that can get this high, but I think Devin is poised for a BIG year.

Dardanes-I expect a similar finish for him as his brother. They are very similar and I think he can be a top 4 guy. He will need to solve some mat issues as well, but I think a little more food in his belly will go a long way for his late match energy.

Nevinger-Had a very up and down season last year, but at the end of it all he had some great wins over Nick Dardanes (whom he owns), Mark Ballweg and Evan Henderson. He may have some sketchy matches, but he’s a proven NCAA wrestler, and I think he goes out a very under the radar 3x All American.

Durso-Speaking of under the radar, Durso was a guy who came into the year with little (actually, no) buzz. Had a ridiculous run of wins and just narrowly missed crashing the semis with a tight (and I mean TIGHT) loss to Hunter Stieber. He beat Dardanes, Cobb and Nevinger last year, but fell in the round of 12 to Zach Niebert. I think he places this year and gets an All American finish for Franklin and Marshall.

Henderson-Had a really solid season. I don’t think he has the game on his feet to ever compete for a title, but his mat savvy is one of the best at this weight. He jumped levels from his Freshman season and will be a bear to get off the podium this year.

Thielke-More/less a gut pick. Jesse has all the upside in the world. Great motor, strength and athleticism. Going to make his money with superior positioning and counters from his feet as well as tough riding. He will need to develop his leg attacks to make serious noise. Last year he didn’t notch a signature win apart from Sentes, and lost to Beckman and Mango at 133. Like I said, gut pick.

R12 Thoughts: Lazor and Lester are definite guys I could see placing this year. Lester down a weight will be interesting to see. Maybe he should have always been a 141 pounder. We will see how it helps. Cobb and Mecate were very solid last year, but probably not ready to make the AA jump.

Tiers: I use tiers as a way of visually showing you how far I feel wrestlers are from one another. If they’re bunched up, those are matches that could perhaps be flipped. If they’re further away, I feel as though there’s real separation between the two.

Logan Stieber


Mitchell Port
Devin Carter

Chris Dardanes
Mike Nevinger
Richard Durso
Evan Henderson

Jesse Thielke
Joey Lazor
Nick Lester

CJ Cobb
Chris Mecate

149:
Still no clue about who Nebraska is starting at 149. I’d probably have one of their guys in there, but right now, I didn’t even want to speculate. So neither is in.

1. Kendric Maple-Oklahoma
2. Scott Sakaguchi-Oregon State
3. Nick Dardanes-Minnesota
4. Drake Houdashelt-Missouri
5. Jason Tsirtsis-Northwestern
6. Zach Neibert-Virginia Tech
7. Josh Kindig-Oklahoma State
8. Andrew Alton-Penn State

R12: Dave Habat-Edinboro, Cam Tessari-Hofstra, Mitch Minotti-Lehigh, Ian Paddock-Ohio State

Thoughts:

Maple-Easy choice. He outclasses this field in a big way. Undefeated from here on out. Unchallenged throughout.

Sakaguchi-Probably the most well rounded and solid guy in the field. This group of 149’s is a field mired with inconsistency. Scott brings a level of consistency that makes me feel comfortable putting him in the 2 spot.

Nick Dardanes-I’m excited to see how he does up a weight. This is not a great field. A little improvement from bottom and he can place this high, if not a notch higher. He’s another fairly consistent guy, which is why he’s so high for me.

Houdashelt-I’m operating under the assumption that the top 20ish guy we once knew is now gone and that the new Drake is the guy we saw at NCAA’s and this year (dominated Sueflohn). Last year he lost to Jusin Gonzalez and Villalonga. By years end he had beaten Alton and Ness. Word is he’s a relentless worker. That bodes well for this prediction.

Tsirtsis-Much like Thielke this is more of a gut pick. He wasn’t great last year honestly. During his redshirt year he lost to Henderson and Lazor. However, wins over Neibert,Vaith and Box instilled some confidence. He’s got D1 defense right away. If his offense picks up a bit, he’ll place. Very interested to see him up at 149.

Neibert-I think Zach really benefits from getting to go up a weight. He’s funky and has notched some legit wins in the last few years. I think the move up does wonders for him and he can improve on last years finish up a weight at 149.

Kindig-Somewhat of a gut pick, but the talent has never been a question. I think a redshirt year and getting to go up a weight are just what the doctor ordered for Josh. He didn’t compete too much last year, and did get injured this Spring against LeValley. Otherwise I might have had him a touch higher.

Alton-Why? Well, not sure. I’m normally all about having good wins, and to be honest, Andrew doesn’t have them. He beat Paddock and Grajales last year, but not one All American. Going back to his True Freshman year the only All American he beat was Kemerer. So it’s possible Andrew is just a solid guy who can’t beat the elite dudes. I’m betting that’s not the case. I see a new and improved Alton sneaking on the podium.

R12 Thoughts: Habat and Tessari definitely have AA potential. Very curious what Tessari will be like when 2nd semester comes around. Does he need the tough training environment of Ohio State to return to an All American level guy, or does Hofstra give him the fresh start he needs? Minotti will be very solid all year and I like Paddocks drive. Don’t think they can place, however.

Tiers: I use tiers as a way of visually showing you how far I feel wrestlers are from one another. If they’re bunched up, those are matches that could perhaps be flipped. If they’re further away, I feel as though there’s real separation between the two.

Kendric Maple





Scott Sakaguchi
Nick Dardanes
Drake Houdashelt

Jason Tsirtsis
Zach Neibert
Josh Kindig
Andrew Alton
Dave Habat
Cam Tessari

Mitch Minotti
Ian Paddock

157

1. Derek St. John-Iowa
2. James Green-Nebraska
3. Alex Dieringer-Oklahoma State
4. Dylan Alton-Penn State
5. Dylan Ness-Minnesota
6. Isaac Jordan-Wisconsin
7. Kyle Bradley-Missouri
8. RJ Pena-Oregon State

R12: Joey Napoli-Lehigh, Brian Realbuto-Cornell, Taylor Walsh-Indiana, Ian Miller-Kent State

Thoughts:

St. John-Will need to find more offense to keep guys like Dieringer and Green at bay. He’s still 2-1 against Green and 2-0 against Dieringer, but things may be trending the wrong way for the Hawkeye. He was the most consistent guy last year and had the best wins, so I went with him, but truly feel Green and Dieringer could unseat him.

Green-Don’t know what happened to James at NCAA’s. Really thought he had a shot at the finals, but he had some tough losses. I love his upside and think he’s the best neutral wrestler at 157 and that’s why I went with him for the 2 spot. He’ll need to shore up some of his mat issues to break through.

Dieringer-Maybe selling him short here, who knows. Maybe I’m over-rating him. The fact is he (through little fault of his own) did not beat but 1 seeded wrestler (12 seed Jedd Moore) at NCAA’s this year. That was my gripe with him coming into NCAA’s. He had hardly beaten any top 12 ranked guys all year. He did well against Bradley, Bonin and Zliverberg, but coming into NCAA’s they were little more than average guys. Anyways, Dieringer is a bit confusing, but I’m erring on the side of him being awesome.

Alton-A lot was made of Alton’s NCAA finish last year. Many looked at it as a choke, or poor performance. A closer look reveals anything but that. A tight, last second defeat at the hands of Welch(whom he had beaten twice before) puts him in the semis and quite possibly the finals (I believe he takes care of Bonin). Instead he drops a heartbreaker only to face James Green in the round of 12. Brutal. I think Alton gets back on track this year.

Ness-Dylan is an interesting guy coming up a weight. He was solid last year but had some head scratchers falling to Ervin, Von Ohlen, Houdashelt, Santos, and some other guys you wouldn’t expect a returning national finalist to lose to. He goes up a weight now, and I’m not sure where he fits in. I don’t think he can afford to give up his legs as much as he had before, but with his crazy style, he can be getting crushed then pin you. I more/less split the difference here and plopped him at 5. Until I see a bit more consistency, I’m not willing to put him much higher.

Jordan-Super Freshman alert! Big time upside here for Isaac who probably had the 2nd best redshirt season I saw last year. Notched wins over RJ Pena, Jesse Dong, Walter Peppelman, Taylor Walsh and Jackson Morse. His only defeats were to Welch and Conrad Polz. Isaac could be a breakthrough guy and I don’t mean just placing. I think great things are coming for Isaac and it starts with placing his Freshman year.

Bradley-I wavered on my last two spots. Bradley had the best wins, so I went with him. He beat St. John, Green, Demas, Zilverberg and Bonin last year. That’s legit. I think he’ll be a bit more consistent this year and get over the hump.

Pena-Maybe I’m being a bit conservative for Pena. He beat Fleming and Moore last year, but I see guys having the advantage on their feet against Pena. He still places, but not as high as last year.

R12 Thoughts: Some tough dudes on the outside looking in. Originally had Napoli in and Bradley out, but thought better of it. Realbuto is very tough, just the weight will be a bit much for the Freshman. Taylor Walsh has been right around this range for some time now. Miller was a gut pick, and had nothing to do with his Redshirt season last year where he lost to Copeland, Pelton, Bohl and Walsh. I’m no expert, but those aren’t good losses. Maybe he comes back to form this year and we see the guy from his True Freshman season.

Tiers: I use tiers as a way of visually showing you how far I feel wrestlers are from one another. If they’re bunched up, those are matches that could perhaps be flipped. If they’re further away, I feel as though there’s real separation between the two.

Derek St. John
James Green
Alex Dieringer

Dylan Alton
Dylan Ness
Isaac Jordan

Kyle Bradley
RJ Pena
Joey Napoli

Brian Realbuto
Taylor Walsh

Ian Miller

165

1. David Taylor-Penn State
2. Tyler Caldwell-OK State
3. Michael Moreno-Iowa State
4. Steven Monk-ND State
5. Nick Sulzer-Virginia
6. Danny Zilverberg-Minnesota
7. Nick Moore-Iowa
8. Dan Yates-Michigan
R12: Josh Veltre-Bloomsburg, Jackson Morse-Illinois, Zach Toal-Missouri, Austin Wilson-Nebraska

Thoughts:

Taylor-He’s going to devastate this entire weight class. Don’t see him challenged at any point. He’s battling himself here to see how much he can run up the score on guys. And it’s going to be a lot.

Caldwell-Clear number 2 here, but that’s his ceiling. Had a weird loss to Lear last year as well as the loss to Moreno. It will be interesting to watch those two this year as conference rivals.

Moreno-One of the big NCAA tournament surprises last year. It wasn’t a conveinient run of lesser opponents, he rank through tough guys to place beating Nick Sulzer, Nick Moore and Taylor Massa (whom he teched!). He just rode DT for as long as I’ve seen anyone ride him not named Kyle Dake. Opened my eyes a bit.

Monk-Was very solid last year only losing two regular season bouts to Dake and Peter Yates. Had wins over Polz, Sulzer and Yohn last year, but dropped the r12 match to Polz and came home empty handed. I don’t see that happening this year. Great style to watch and a big time points scorer.

Sulzer-The St. Ed’s product keeps the streak alive another year placing for the 2nd time. He was consistent throughout last year, and to be frank, this weight is not terribly strong. He should place with little issue.

Zilverberg-I really like Danny. He’s underrated. Wins last year over Alton, Napoli, Bradley, Dong, Bonin, Walsh, Dong and Taffur. That’s not by accident. He is legit. He moves to a much weaker weight at 165 compared to 157. I am curious about his size, but if that’s up to par, he has a great shot at placing.

Moore-The weight starts dropping off a bit here. Moore had a solid campaign last year, and I expect him to be better this year. Had wins over Moreno and Yohn last year, but had a poor NCAA’s. Hawkeyes need Moore to step up and I feel he does in a very light 165 pound class.

Yates-Really tough to fill this last spot. At 174 last year he had wins over Storley, West, Liegel, and Stauffer. So I went with him. Don’t feel great, but whatever. I have to pick somone.

R12: Thoughts: Morse is my upside guy. Doesn’t have the wins but has tons of talent. Veltre, Wilson and Toal were the most solid choices, but I really don’t have tons of confidence in any of them.

Tiers: I use tiers as a way of visually showing you how far I feel wrestlers are from one another. If they’re bunched up, those are matches that could perhaps be flipped. If they’re further away, I feel as though there’s real separation between the two.

David Taylor









Tyler Caldwell

Michael Moreno
Steven Monk

Nick Sulzer
Danny Zilverberg

Nick Moore
Dan Yates
Josh Veltre

Jackson Morse

Zach Toal
Austin Wilson

174

1. Andrew Howe-Oklahoma
2. Chris Perry-Oklahoma State
3. Logan Storley-Minnesota
4. Matt Brown-Penn State
5. Mike Evans-Iowa
6. Robert Kokesh-Nebraska
7. Cody Walters-Ohio
8. Tanner Weatherman-Iowa State
R12: Bryce Hammond-Cal Bakersfield, Mat Miller-Navy, Lee Munster-Northwestern, Tony Dallago, Illinois

Thoughts:


Howe-Clear number 1 in my mind. I thought he looked great against Brown. Still don’t know what he was doing on top after that first stall warning. He had the 2-0 lead and over 1:30 of RT. Brown was never close to a TD at any point, so I didn’t understand his reluctance to cut him. Anyways. He won. Lots of people watched that match and felt Brown was right there. Apart from match management tactics, Howe dominated every aspect. As I said many times, he isn’t getting taken down, and you’re not riding him. Howe got the TD, the ride and got away. Explain to me how Brown was “right there.”

Perry-Really tight bunch here after Howe. Perry split with Storley last year, and had the odd loss to Porter as well. He is probably the best gameplanner/tactician out there, so I gave him the narrow edge over Storley/Brown. Emphasis on narrow.

Storley-Didn’t close the season how I thought he might. He had a terrible Big 10’s, then lost to Brown and Kokesh(whom he had wins over earlier in the year). Then again his style lends itself to close matches, he’ll need to widen the gap so he doesn’t let inferior guys stay so close. I think he has finalist potential and he's a guy with wins over Perry, Brown, Evans, Kokesh. That's not for nothing.

Brown-Great finish to his season avenging losses to Storley, Evans and Heflin. He’s right there with Perry and Storley. Matt needs more leg attacks to set himself apart. Love how he brawls and he will be a bear to beat by anyone this year. He’s always coming at you. I think Storley is a hair better. Could be off on this one.

Evans-Wasn’t 100% at NCAA’s, but I still think he’s a notch behind Storley(0-3 against), Brown (1-1 against) and Perry(0-1 against).  Like many, he needs more offense, and can’t simply push his way to wins.  More attacks, more motion, and quality set ups will tell the tale for Evans.  Also, he lost his top edge he was so famous for in high school.  He needs to evolve on top.  He can ride the lesser opponents, but the better guys not only get away, they frequently reverse him.  Needs an adjustment here to jump levels.

Kokesh-Some may think I’m selling Kokesh a bit short this year considering he was 3rd last year, but let’s take a look. He avenged losses to both Storley and Evans. I don’t think that means he’s better than those guys though. Against Evans he is 1-3 and has been outscored 37-15 in those 4 matches. Evans is the better guy. Just a bad NCAA’s and still only a 1 point loss. Against Storley he is 1-1 with both matches being 3-1. He does have the 10-7 win over Brown, so maybe that should hold more weight. He’s in the conversation with these guys, I think he’s just a touch behind.

Walters-He was very consistent all last year. Didn’t notch that signature win last year, so this is where the weight drops off. He was 35-2 coming into NCAA’s which is still impressive. No bad losses all year. He’ll only get better, but his placement will only improve slightly.

Weatherman-Has the win over Blanton last year which could give him a case for 7, but I think Walters is a touch better. Real solid guy that I think is just a bit better than the guys behind him. Not much extra room for Weatherman, but I think he finds his way into the top 8.

R12 Thoughts: Hard to find 4 names you feel good about here. Miller and Hammond have the most upside with Munster and Dallago being more gut picks. Dallago could be very interesting down a weight. He’s just not been consistent throughout his career.

Tiers: I use tiers as a way of visually showing you how far I feel wrestlers are from one another. If they’re bunched up, those are matches that could perhaps be flipped. If they’re further away, I feel as though there’s real separation between the two.

Andrew Howe


Chris Perry
Logan Storley
Matt Brown

Mike Evans
Robert Kokesh



Cody Walters
Tanner Weatherman

Bryce Hammond
Mat Miller
Lee Munster
Tony Dallago

184

1. Ed Ruth-Penn State
2. Kevin Steinhaus-Minnesota
3. Ethen Lofthouse-Iowa
4. Jimmy Sheptock-Maryland
5. Ryan Loder-Northern Iowa
6. Max Thommusseit-Pittsburgh
7. Patrick Downey-Nebraska
8. Gabe Dean-Cornell
R12: Kenny Courts-Ohio State, Jacob Swartz-Boise State, Jon Fausey-Virginia, Ben Stroh-Wyoming

Thoughts:

Ruth-The man. One of the best I’ve ever seen. Nobody is going to touch him this year. Enjoy it, we won’t see another one like Ed for a long time.

Steinhaus-Got injured last year and it really impacted his performance. I was shocked when he didn’t place. In my mind, if healthy, the clear number 2. Love watching him wrestle. Very clutch and exciting in all positions.

Lofthouse-Will need to show more consistency this year. Had some very strange spots last year but got hot late. I think we see a more consistent guy this year for Ethen’s senior campaign.

Sheptock-Looked good at the All Star, would have liked to see more offense, but he is who he is at this point. I’d be fairly surprised to see him off the podium but I feel 4 is his ceiling this year.

Loder-I think the Panther is on the podium again. Not sure he has the upside to break into the top 4, but he was good all last year beating Ihnen and Sheptock as well as Larson. Look for a solid season that could maybe go as high as the 4 spot.

Thommusseit-Was a rock all last year. Just missed placing falling to Larson in the round of 12. Got everyones attention when he gave Ruth a tough match in Freestyle this Spring. The weight is a bit less congested this year and leaves room for the Panther.

Downey-Probably a surprise pick for most. I’ve been hearing good things about how he’s done in the room and expect him to have a great season for a Freshman. He’s still a bit of an unknown for Folkstyle but his pedigree is solid, so I expect big things.

Dean-And another surprise pick. I have it on good authority that Gabe Dean is the real deal and will turn some heads this year. This weight runs out of dudes to an extent after Thommusseit, so I wanted to put a few curve balls out there. I feel good about them both, honestly.

R12 thoughts: Courts could certainly place this year and not surprise me one bit. Swartz just doesn’t have the offense to place in my opinion. Stroh is another flyer of a solid first weekend and Fausey ends his career just short.

Tiers: I use tiers as a way of visually showing you how far I feel wrestlers are from one another. If they’re bunched up, those are matches that could perhaps be flipped. If they’re further away, I feel as though there’s real separation between the two.

Ed Ruth





Kevin Steinhaus

Ethen Lofthouse
Jimmy Sheptock
Ryan Loder

Max Thomusseit
Patrick Downey
Gabe Dean
Kenny Courts
Jacob Swartz
Jon Fausey

Ben Stroh

197
1. Morgan McIntosh-Penn State
2. Scott Schiller-Minnesota
3. Taylor Meeks-Oregon State
4. Kyven Gadson-Iowa State
5. Blake Rosholt-Oklahoma State
6. Travis Rutt-Oklahoma
7. Nick Heflin-Ohio State
8. Nathan Burak-Iowa
R12: Mario Gonzalez-Illinois, Richard Perry, Bloomsburg, Christian Boley-Maryland, Brandon Palik, Drexel

Thoughts:

McIntosh-What a pick, right? The truth is I feel that 1-4 are very hard to place in an order. McIntosh has the 11-6 win over Meeks, Meeks owns Schiller, Schiller beat McIntosh. You sort it out! I’m going with the guy I think has the most upside and the best training situation. Have less confidence in this pick than any one I’ve made so far. #YOLO

Schiller-I love how many attempts he gets off in a match. Relentless. He’s not the biggest 197, but I think he’s got the best tank. He’s ready to beat Meeks. I think that is pretty evident after their All Star match.

Meeks-Putting him behind Schiller is pretty ballsy (or is the word moronic?). I think Schiller is on his way to a great season. People won’t consistently be dummied into taking dumb shots against Meeks all year is my feeling and I’m not sure he has the leg attacks to get it done. Of course he could very well win a title also.

Gadson-I love this guy. Great competitor and what he did at NCAA’s last year after what he had been through was inspiring. He’s right in the mix to win, but I think I believe in the other guys a bit more. He’s awesome on his feet and great at attacking legs. Just needs a bit more consistency.

Rosholt-I think this is where the separation begins. Yes Rosholt has a win over Gadson, but he doesn’t have the elite wins that match the other guys. Id be surprised to see him in the top 4 and I’d be surprised to see him not place. Though he’s ahead of the guys behind him by inches, not feet.

Rutt-Curious to see what Rutt is this year at 197. He had so-so success last year losing to John Eblen, but also beating Ryan Loder. He will be able to handfight with the best guys, but whether he can put the points on the board consistently will tell the tale. Some view him as a title contender, but I’m not sure I do. I do think he places, however. Maybe I’m sleeping on him considering he has wins over Quentin Wright, Bosak, Loder(twice), Hamlin, Ihnen(twice), Steinhaus(three times). Yet I have to balance the fact that he’ll be up a weight and those wins were some time ago.

Heflin-Nick jumps 2 weights from a year ago. I’m curious if this will lead to a more active Heflin, or if he will just stay the same guy who wrestles tight matches. I think he probably stays more reserved. He, like Rutt, is tough to project since he’s such an unknown at this weight. I think he places, but a top 5 finish would surprise me.

Burak-Nathan had great development throughout the year. His ability to get to legs consistently really impressed me. I think he shores up some of his finishing issues and is a very tough out. I think he beats one or more of the guys I have picked ahead of him this year. Love his motor, and his upper body stuff as well. Remember, he was only a True Freshman last year.

R12 Thoughts: Perry, Boley and Gonzalez all have top 8 potential, it will come down to them putting it all together. From 7 on I think this weight is quite interchangeable. Palik was kind of a best of the rest kinda pick.

Tiers: I use tiers as a way of visually showing you how far I feel wrestlers are from one another. If they’re bunched up, those are matches that could perhaps be flipped. If they’re further away, I feel as though there’s real separation between the two.

Morgan McIntosh
Scott Schiller
Taylor Meeks
Kyven Gadson

Blake Rosholt
Travis Rutt

Nick Heflin
Nathan Burak
Richard Perry
Christian Boley
Mario Gonzalez

Brandon Palik

285

1. Tony Nelson-Minnesota
2. Mike McMullan-Northwestern
3. Nick Gwiazdowski-NC State
4. Bobby Telford-Iowa
5. Connor Medbery-Wisconsin
6. Austin Marsden-OK State
7. Mike McClure-Michigan State
8. Adam Chalfant-Indiana
R12: Spencer Myers-Maryland, JT Felix-Boise State, Amarveer Dhesi-Oregon State, Joe Stolfi-Bucknell

Thoughts:

Nelson-He's never had an undefeated season, but I think he does this year. Yes I saw Fortune and Gwiazdowski dominate him this Spring in Freestyle. I don’t really care. I think there’s a comfort and skill set that he brings to folk that he may not have in Free. Don’t forget he beat Gwiaz 4-1 at the Scuffle last year. McMullan can keep it close, but I can’t say I see how he beats him. 3 time champ for a heavyweight puts him in rarefied air.

McMullan-Wavered on whether to go with Gwiaz or McMullan here, but went with the more proven guy. McMullan has been phenomenal both NCAA’s he’s participated in. Don’t see that changing. I think he’ll be more tested than Gwiaz will have been this year and that will help him for the big show.

Gwiazdowski-Any fantasy football players here? You know how when you draft that young sleeper guy nobody knows about and he rocks for you all year. You feel a sense of “that’s my guy, I saw this coming” type of feeling towards them from then on. That’s how I feel about Gwiaz. I saw him coming his Freshman year at Binghamton and predicted big things. He placed, and I felt smart! So I have to take a step back sometimes when it comes to how I evaluate him as I am a fan of his. Certainly he could have what it takes to win here. Great leg attacks, awesome scrambling and a bear on top. As I write this I’m talking myself into him winning it all! Stop it CP!..moving on before I predict a Hodge 3 peat for Gwiaz.

Telford-What will he be post knee injury? Had a solid season last year and really hit his stride at Big 10s dominating all opponents save that Nelson guy. He beat McClure 4-0, Chalfant 7-3 and Medbery 5-2. Some pretty big scores for a heavyweight. I think he goes on a tear this year and expect a high placement. This weight is fairly weak after Bobby, so I think it’s a matter of how high he places instead of if he places. He split with McMullan their Freshman year and has never faced Gwiazdowski. So I’m excited to see those potential match ups again.

Medbery-Had a very solid Freshman campaign and just fell short at the big show. Couldn’t believe he lost to Levi Cooper, who was very mediocre last year (of course he’s a guy with a win over Zach Rey, so how much can you fault losing to him?). Wins over McClure, Gibson and Chalfant suggested the Freshman was ready. He’ll need more consistency and I think he’ll have it this year.

Marsden-Not a great redshirt year and maybe I’m putting stock into things I shouldn’t like pedigree and Freestyle success. I just like his game. Really solid on his feet with position and a nice variety of leg attacks. Flip flopped on whether to put him ahead of or behind Medbery.

McClure-Mike was nasty for awhile last year. Wins over Hanke, Delaney, Jeremy Johnson, Trice and a major of Matt Gibson. Really faltered late losing to Apland(whom he’d beaten) and Gibson. I’m betting McClure puts it together at the end of this season and has a nice finish.

Chalfant-Another guy with big wins and upside. He shocked many when he beat McMullan last year, which speaks to his upside. However had a rough path losing 4 in a row at one point and fell to Gingrich as well (fortunately for Chalfant, PSU rolled Lawson out for Big 10’s and beat Jimmy 8-4). I don’t feel great about this one, but this weight drops off considerably and there’s a few guys all in the same tier that are difficult to discern between.

R12 thoughts: Honestly all these guys could place. Myers has done it before, Felix has beaten guys on this list as has Stolfi. Dhesi is my long shot guy. Great upside, but can he wrestle folk? That remains to be seen.

Tiers: I use tiers as a way of visually showing you how far I feel wrestlers are from one another. If they’re bunched up, those are matches that could perhaps be flipped. If they’re further away, I feel as though there’s real separation between the two.

Tony Nelson

Mike McMullan
Nick Gwiazdowski
Bobby Telford




Connor Medbery
Austin Marsden
Mike McClure

Adam Chalfant
Spencer Myers
JT Felix
Joe Stolfi

Amarveer Dhesi

Team: Just pulled the individual finishes into my scoring rubric. No bonus points taken into account. Note the TIE for 1st. Crazy. Remember it’s just the top 12 scorers, so there’s 80 points out there for grabs between these( and other teams).

1. Penn State-112.5
1. Minnesota-112.5
3. Iowa-100.5
4. OK State-82
5. Oklahoma-66.5
6. Wisconsin-40.5
7. Oregon State-37.5
8. Nebraska-33.5
9. Iowa State-31.5
10. Ohio State-30.5
11. Northwestern-28
11. Edinboro-28
13. Cornell-27.5
14. Virginia Tech-22.5
15. Illinois-22
16. Missouri-21
17. Maryland-16.5
17. Lehigh-16.5
19. Northern Iowa-16
20. UNC-15.5
20. Pittsburgh-15.5