The 2021 Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational and an intense Iowa vs Iowa State dual highlight some of the biggest stories of the week in college wrestling. Take a look below at the most impressive performances and important takeaways from the past week in division 1 college wrestling.

Is Evan Wick The Best 165 In The Country?

After a year off, Evan Wick is back and looks better than ever. Wick won the CKLV Invitational by taking out defending national champion Shane Griffith in the finals. Wick used takedowns in the first and third periods and rode Griffith for over 2 minutes to win a controlling 6-2 decision. 

In a field that also included Carson Kharchla, Julian Ramirez, and Cam Amine, the win for Wick puts him right at the top of favorites to win the 165-pound title in March. Wick passed the Griffith test, but history has shown he’s had trouble with Iowa’s Alex Marinelli. In their head-to-head matchups, Alex Marinelli is 4-1 against Wick and has won their last 4 meetings. Marinelli and Wick are both scheduled to wrestle at Midlands in a few weeks and will likely battle for the #1 spot in the country.

Wick’s finals win over Shane Griffith:

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Yianni’s Still A Wizard, Lovett Proves A Worthy Contender

149 was the premier weight in Las Vegas and Yianni Diakomihalis proved why he’s a two-time NCAA Champion. Yianni took out returning NCAA finalist Sammy Sasso in the CKLV Finals with a dominant 7-2 win and accumulated almost 3 minutes of riding time. After spending two years at 141, Yianni looks to be the favorite to bring home the title this year at his new weight class.

Though Yianni was the champ at 149, the story may have been how good Ridge Lovett fared against the two-time national champ. Lovett beat All-American Jaden Abas 9-2 before his showdown with Yianni Diakomihalis in the semis. Lovett tied the match at four by securing a reversal with a minute left in the match and rode out Diakomihalis to force overtime. Then, Lovett was in deep on a double leg before Yianni countered with a front roll and scored the match-winning takedown. Yianni proved to be a step better but Lovett showed he’s able to challenge anyone in the country at 149 pounds.

Yianni and Lovett’s Semi-Final match:

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Who’s Number 1 At 157 - Ryan Deakin Or David Carr?

Ryan Deakin blitzed his way through the CKLV at one of the toughest weights in Vegas. After pinning Kendall Coleman in the semi-finals, Deakin put an exclamation mark on his tournament with an 8-3 win over Quincy Monday in the finals. There are still 3 months left of the season but at this point, David Carr and Ryan Deakin look to be the class of 157. The two have met only once in college - back at the 2019 CKLV when Deakin came out on top in a 9-3 decision. They’re not scheduled to wrestle during the regular season so if they meet this year, it would likely be in the 2022 NCAA Finals. 

Deakin’s win over Quincy Monday:

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Cy-Hawk Dual = Can’t-Miss Wrestling

From start to finish (and everywhere in between) the Iowa vs Iowa State dual was ELECTRIC. Austin DeSanto walked the line with his post-match energy after his 6-4 win over Ramazan Attasauov. Jaydin Eierman’s creativity and counter wrestling were on full display in his major decision win over Zach Redding. David Carr left no doubt in his 6-2 decision win over All-American Kaleb Young. And HM Yonger Bastida brought the house down with his 4-3, upset win over #3 Jacob Warner. On top of the phenomenal wrestling, the post-match handshake almost erupted in a Cy-Hawk brawl. Take a look below to get a feel for the post-match tension.

Here’s a clip from the craziness post-dual after it seemed assistant coach Brands rushed the Iowa State corner. It’s hard to see with a lot of moving bodies. #Cyclones / ⁦@cyclonefanatic⁩ pic.twitter.com/KF7cehMgCq

— Jacqueline (@JacquelineCord) December 6, 2021

Nebraska Wins A DEEP CKLV Invitational

In the best early-season tournament of the year, Nebraska brought home the team title over second-place Ohio State and third-place Michigan. It was truly a team win for the Huskers with only one champion but eight total placers. Mikey Labriola at 174 was the lone champion for Nebraska and secured gold with a 7-5 overtime win over Ohio State’s Ethan Smith. Take a look at the rest of the places for Nebraska at the CKLV:

141 - Chad Red (3rd)

149 - Ridge Lovett (3rd)

157 - Peyton Robb (5th)

165 - Clayton Wilson (8th)

174 - Mikey Labriola (1st)

184 - Taylor Venz (2nd)

197 - Eric Schultz (2nd)

285 - Christian Lance (3rd)

The eight placers were the most of any college in the tournament and the first-place finish was the second championship in a row for Nebraska at the Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational.

Labriola's finals win over Ethan Smith:

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Take a look at the complete results for the 2021 CKLV HERE.

It was truly an incredible week of college wrestling and you can view a full list of Week 5 Box Scores HERE.