Hello and welcome to another wonderful week in Wrestling World. I hope everyone is having a fantastic MLK Day and/or Inauguration Day or that at least whatever day you clicked open this article is satisfactory or better!We're deep within the dual meet portion of the 2024-25 NCAA D1 wrestling season, and week 12 has provided another cornucopia of notable wrestling events worthy of recapping. The season is flying by and it'll be the postseason before you know it!Box Scores | Rankings | Last Week's RoundupThere are many great wrestling programs currently competing. You don't need me to tell you that. However, it is because there are so many incredibly hard working people trying to elevate so many D1 programs that I find it noteworthy that such a high percentage of this season's news is being driven by just three programs: Penn State, Iowa, and Oklahoma State.It's also no coincidence that these are literally the three most successful wrestling programs in history, at least as judged by cumulative national team titles, which I think is a fair metric to judge history's greatest wrestling programs. Reaching the top of the mountain is one thing, however, staying there is quite another. And not only are these programs 1, 2, 3 in the current D1 team rankings, but they're also the top three programs for fan engagement at the moment, at least when measured by ticket sales and internet numbers (views, clicks, etc). I want to stress again that there are MANY excellent programs that have MANY rabid fans, and I am grateful for and appreciate them all! Additionally, as far as success on the mat goes, Penn State is currently in a group of one with only itself. Furthermore, several other programs will challenge Iowa and Oklahoma State for the next two placements at 2025 NCAAs. However, as the season goes on, the Nittany Lions, Hawkeyes, and Cowboys continue to impress in rare and unprecedented ways. So I put the question to you, dear reader, are they the Big 3 of college wrestling?And if not them, then who? I am merely posing the question. I do not wish to conclude an argument but rather start a conversation. You tell me what I'm missing and I'll be more than happy to listen! Dual of the Century of the WeekHeroic Huskers Halted By Powerhouse Penn State, 31-7As usual, there was fierce competition for the DotCotW, but I ultimately went with a lopsided Penn State lopsided (I don't think we'll say any other variety of PSU win this season) over Nebraska because it was the best dual meet environment I saw this week. Nebraska set an attendance record and fought valiantly in all 10 weight classes. Unfortunately for the Cornhusker faithful in the Devaney Center Friday night, this is a historically great Penn State team, and the Nittany Lions cruised to victory.There Is No Place Like Nebraska.#ToughTogether | #GBR pic.twitter.com/rsYV2Jpa6v— Nebraska Wrestling (@HuskerWrestling) January 18, 2025When you think about how long Nebraska has been running out national-caliber wrestlers in the Devaney Center (Brad Vering won a national title in 2000, Jordan Burroughs won his first in 2009, and so on), it is a testament to the community and the program that Mark Manning and company have continued to build that they were are able to set an attendance record in 2025. Truly great stuff.Below is the box score.174: #2 Levi Haines (PSU) over #15 Lenny Pinto (NEB) (Dec 9-2) 184: #1 Carter Starocci (PSU) over #7 Silas Allred (NEB) (MD 11-2) 197: #4 Josh Barr (PSU) over #26 Camden McDanel (NEB) (TF 19-4 6:43) 285: #2 Greg Kerkvliet (PSU) over #26 Harley Andrews (NEB) (TF 20-2 6:15) 125: #16 Luke Lilledahl (PSU) over #6 Caleb Smith (NEB) (Dec 4-2) 133: #16 Jacob Van Dee (NEB) over #6 Braeden Davis (PSU) (Dec 14-7) 141: #3 Beau Bartlett (PSU) over #6 Brock Hardy (NEB) (Dec 8-7) 149: #4 Ridge Lovett (NEB) over #2 Shayne Van Ness (PSU) (MD 10-2) 157: #3 Tyler Kasak (PSU) over #5 Antrell Taylor (NEB) (Dec 9-3) 165: #1 Mitchell Mesenbrink (PSU) over Bubba Wilson (NEB) (TF 20-3 5:44)The final was more or less what I said to expect in the preview I wrote, however, I may have been too conservative in picking Huskers in the first five weight classes (though note that the dual started at 174 per Penn State's choice after winning the coin flip). And while the team score didn't have much drama, plenty of individual matches brought it.Haines, Starocci, Barr and Kerkvliet put the match effectively out of reach after four weights. Pinto scored a reversal on Haines and held him to a decision, neither are things I expect to happen often this season. Andrews also scored a reversal on Kerkvliet, which didn't do much to stop the tech-fall but the effort was appreciated in the Devaney Center and by those watching on the Big Ten Network. Things got more interesting during the fifth match. Lilledahl passed his first big collegiate test, scoring the only offensive points with a short-time takedown against Smith to notch the first top 10 win of his career. Expect Lightning Luke to climb up the rankings in a flash. Then Van Dee sent the record-setting Husker crowd into a frenzy when he built a 7-0 first period lead off a jonesy tilt. JVD kept the pressure on for the upset win at 133. Jacob's new year's resolution must have been something like, 'kick more butt', because he's 3-0 with three ranked wins so far in 2025, bringing his overall record to 7-5. Beau vs Brock was an adventure, and it looked like Hardy was going to pull off the upset before Bartlett scored the most clutchiest reversal of them all in the final seconds of regulation to not only gain the go-ahead points but also to erase just enough riding time that Hardy had amassed to keep the match from going into overtime. Then came the 149-pound stunner, when Ridge Lovett not only stopped Van Ness' five-bout pinning streak but also handed the 2023 third-placer his first loss since the 2023 NCAA Tournament. Lovett accomplished this task with his otherworldly mat wrestling from top. Kasak got things going back in the Nittany Lions' favor when he shut down Taylor in the penultimate bout. The evening concluded with Mesenbrink doing Mesenbrink things and a tech fall over Wilson, who was back in the Husker lineup after Christopher Minto had gotten the last few starts. Dual MVP was Lovett, who handed Van Ness the first bonus point loss of his career. Top-5 major decision for No. 4 at 149 lbs Ridge Lovett 🎬#B1GWrestling x @HuskerWrestling pic.twitter.com/yXEIbcfoS1— Big Ten Wrestling (@B1GWrestling) January 18, 2025Up next for the Nittany Lions is a dual in NJ at Rutgers. A week later they have a huge home dual against the Iowa Hawkeyes. Nebraska has a tour of the Mitten state with Michigan and Michigan State next weekend before they return home to host Wisconsin the following week. The Two Other Teams In The 'Large Triplet' Also CompetedIowa overpowered Illinois in a classic Carver-Hawkeye slobberknocker, 28-6.Illinois's team is much improved from last season's squad though were no match for the mighty Hawkeyes, despite Iowa still missing Jacori Teemer, though Teemer tweeted on January 8 that we should (hopefully) see him on the mat in a couple of weeks. The highlight of the dual was when Drake Ayala and Lucas Byrd faced off in a top five matchup. Ayala prevailed thanks to a decisive third period takedown that will likely cause their rankings to swap. Expect to Ayala to claim the #2 spot while Byrd will move to #3. Kyle Parco notched an impressive if not inspiring 1-0 victory over #15 Kannon Webster. But style points don't get your hand raised and this win will count just as much as any other when it comes time to qualify for NCAAs. Teemer's erstwhile substitute Miguel Estrada impressed in his 3-2 victory over the dangerous #15 Braden Scoles. Gable Arnold got the second straight start at 184 and looks firmly established as the starter. Angelo Ferrari will likely continue his freshman season in redshirt. Arnold got the convincing 5-1 victory over #13 Edmond Ruth. The best bout of the evening for the Illini was also the last as Luke Luffman gutted out a victory over redshirt freshman and two-sport blue-chip recruit Ben Kueter 3-1. Illinoi also got a ranked win when #17 Danny Pucino beat #21 Ryder Block.Had fun on Friday.#Hawkeyes pic.twitter.com/1se0i5MIxV— Iowa Hawkeye Wrestling (@Hawks_Wrestling) January 18, 2025Week 11's Loss is Week 12's GainLast week's Oklahoma State's dual against NC State had to be postponed due to travel delays, which made for a fan-friendly Monday night home dual in historic Gallagher-Iba Arena. The Cowboys thrashed the Wolfpack to the tune of 34-3, however, NC State redshirt freshman phenom Vincent Robinson made his return to the mat for the first time since the CKLV, defeating #4 Troy Spratley to climb into the top five rankings for the first time in his nascent career. Robinson has 15 wins on the season and his only loss is a 'countable' medical forfeit. No other Cowboys lost after that first bout, including Caleb Fish who picked up one of his best wins of the season with a 12-5 victory over Ed Scott. Both wrestlers went for broke with upper-body throws being attempted at almost every exchange. I highly recommend watching both wrestlers' matches for this reason. It's a knocking off AA's type of night.#GoPokes l @CalebFish_1 pic.twitter.com/aOaKHZyDI1— OSU Cowboy Wrestling (@CowboyWrestling) January 14, 2025The Cowboys also hosted West Virginia on Sunday in front of another raucous crowd in GIA. The Mountaineers acquitted themselves well in hostile territory. Jett Strickenburger had the upset of the night for the 'Neers, reversing and pinning Troy Sprately before emptying about half a clip into him during his celebration. Not the most demure way to celebrate a victory but what's a little imaginary gun play in Cowboy country? Guessing this is going to make the @CowboyWrestling bulletin board. pic.twitter.com/np51NGMsrh— Gif Tannen 🤠 (@gif_tannen) January 19, 2025West Virginia also got a win from their standard-bearer Peyton Hall at 165, who defeated Cam Amine 5-1. Unranked Ian Bush nearly got a big upset at 197 but Oklahoma State's Luke Surber rallied to win 6-5. Oklahoma State's big guns (haha get it?), #4 Tagen Jamison, #3 DJ Hamiti, #3 Dustin Plott and #3 Wyatt Hendrickson, all took care of business with bonus point wins. Hendrickson in particular has become a crowd favorite in Stillwater. The Cowboy fans were brought to their feet after the Air Force officer secured a 43 second pin that sent everyone home with a smile. The Mountaineers completed their tour of Oklahoma by splitting matches having defeated the Sooners 22-13 on Friday. Okay Enough Big 3 AlreadyNo problem, that's all the wrestling they did this week. On to other things that happened!Indiana beat Purdue 25-11 in the battle between the state's only D1 programs. The Hoosier's Derek Gilcher got an upset win over #26 Brody Baumann at 174 to give Purdue the lead which they would not relinquish as the won the subsequent three bouts to close out the rivalry meet. UNI defeated Arizona State 33-10. The match went as expected, which makes the score that much more impressive as it's an indication of how far ahead the Panthers are of a very good Sun Devils team. Maryland is 3-0 in the Big Ten for the first time ever. The Terps defeated Wisconsin 24-13 in yet another flex of Turtle Power. Navy upended EIWA rival Lehigh 21-15. The Mountain Hawks were short-handed, as they were still missing #1 Ryan Crookham, but credit to the Midshipmen for putting it on a historic foe when they had the opportunity. Minnesota bounced back from their bruising loss to Nebraska by defeating Michigan by a similar margin. Gopher #8 Vance Vombaur defeated #9 Sergio Lemley in one of the duals two top 10 battles.Michigan's redshirt freshman blue-chip recruit Beau Mantanona is starting to find his form as he defeated #10 Andrew Sparks 7-4.Jacob Cardenas continues to terrorize the 197lb field as he beat #10 Isaiah Salazar 8-3. I also made a terrible pun regarding Salazar's name on twitter. You can see it here if you like corny wordplay, just don't say I didn't warn you. Ohio State punished Purdue 34-10.Buckeyes Sammy Sasso and Paddy Gallagher completed a weight swap, with Sasso slimming down to 157 and Paddy bulking up to 165. #8 Joey Blaze defeated Sasso 5-1, while Gallagher pinned Stoney Buell in a dual that saw Ohio State win seven total bouts.Boilermaker standard-bearer Matt Ramos beat #11 Brendan McCrone 3-0 to run his season record to a perfect 19-0. Wyoming got a big pin from #11 Joey Novak at 197 to seal the deal against Oregon State.The Cowboys were able to overcome the loss of their team leader Jore Volk at 125, while the Beavers are still without the services of Trey Munoz at 197. #24 Gable Willochell and #23 Ethen Stile had a wild one at 149, ultimately won 11-1 by Willochell.Former Pac-12 rivals Stanford and Arizona State had an ACC vs Big 12 battle instead. Stanford won 24-18 thanks to a big upset by EJ Parco over #16 Jesse Vazquez.Both wrestlers at 149 had the right to remain silent during their match, though anything #29 Jason Miranda and Daniel Miranda said and did could be held against them. Jason won by tech. Attorneys will now be appointed. Stanford is still without the services of Nico Provo and forfeit 125. The Cyclone Open returned, hosted by, you guessed it, the Iowa State Cyclones.The most notable result was Minnesota's true freshman Charlie Millard beating Iowa State's #6 Cody Chittum in the 157lb finals. Millard is redshirting this season and is 11-1 on the season. Cornell freshman Mikey Dellagatta likely entrenched himself as Cornell's starter at 197, as he won the 197lb bracket in which his teammate, Aiden Hanning, was also entered. Missouri's #9 Cam Steed and Seth Nitzel were in action for the first time in 2025 as the Tigers try and get healthy for the postseason. Steed won the 165lb bracket. Iowa State starters won 125, 133, 141, 149 and 285, although heavyweight may still be undecided if Yonger Bastida can get healthy by March. If not, expect Cyclone Open champ Daniel Herrera to get the nod. The Davidson Duals featured a half-dozen teams in a deluge of dual meets. Morgan State won its first dual against D1 competition since reinstating when they beat the hosts 26-13. Morgan State also beat Queens last season but the Royals were still in the midst of transitioning from DII to DI at the time and then they dropped their wrestling program over the summer, so I dunno if that counts. Little Rock and Lock Haven didn't wrestle each other and were able to both go undefeated, which they did. They also both competed at the Journeymen Collegiate Duals where they also didn't face each other. Brown's unranked Andrew Reall had the upset of the event when he beat Little Rock's #10 Brock DelSignore in sudden victory at 184lbs. Several other programs had some exciting duals that may have flown under your radar. SIUE defeated Kent State 18-16 in a battle of MAC West foes.American needed criteria to beat Harvard 20-19.Gardner-Webb picked up a win over in-state ACC rival Duke, 23-19. Heavy Metal MatnessA section in which I compare heavy metal bands to wrestling teams, because I like both of those things and it's fun for me. Today I will compare Silverchair to West Virginia. Silverchair emerged from the grunge era with a great album called Frogstomp in 1995. I haven't really kept up with them since, but I do know they are Australian. West Virginia is an interesting state geographically speaking because it's not quite Midwest, it's not quite East Coast, and it's not quite the South either. Australia is an interesting country geographically speaking because they're not quite a continent and not quite an island either. It's already really late Sunday night so I'll just leave it at that. Listen to Silverchair and watch West Virginia wrestling. What Would YOU Like To See In This Blog? It wouldn’t exist with you so I implore you to provide feedback! Send all suggestions, requests, commendations and condemnations to me at [andrew.spey@flosports.tv]. I’m also usually available on Twitter (@speywrestle). News that you'd like to see in this blog is the most appreciated feedback, but proofreading and spell-checking assistance is also welcome! Pobody's nerfect, least of all your humble blogger! Another week of wrestling brings another week of gratitude! Not just because I get to enjoy rad college wrestling competitions but because I get to share my experience with you, and I will never stop appreciating that!

The highlight of the dual was when Drake Ayala and Lucas Byrd faced off in a top five matchup. Ayala prevailed thanks to a decisive third period takedown that will likely cause their rankings to swap. Expect to Ayala to claim the #2 spot while Byrd will move to #3. Reaching the top of the mountain […]

The highlight of the dual was when Drake Ayala and Lucas Byrd faced off in a top five matchup. Ayala prevailed thanks to a decisive third period takedown that will likely cause their rankings to swap. Expect to Ayala to claim the #2 spot while Byrd will move to #3. Reaching the top of the mountain is one thing, however, staying there is quite another. And not only are these programs 1, 2, 3 in the current D1 team rankings, but they’re also the top three programs for fan engagement at the moment, at least when measured by ticket sales and internet numbers (views, clicks, etc). Beau vs Brock was an adventure, and it looked like Hardy was going to pull off the upset before Bartlett scored the most clutchiest reversal of them all in the final seconds of regulation to not only gain the go-ahead points but also to erase just enough riding time that Hardy had amassed to keep the match from going into overtime. Iowa overpowered Illinois in a classic Carver-Hawkeye slobberknocker, 28-6.The Cowboys also hosted West Virginia on Sunday in front of another raucous crowd in GIA. 285: #2 Greg Kerkvliet (PSU) over #26 Harley Andrews (NEB) (TF 20-2 6:15) However, as the season goes on, the Nittany Lions, Hawkeyes, and Cowboys continue to impress in rare and unprecedented ways. So I put the question to you, dear reader, are they the Big 3 of college wrestling?Kasak got things going back in the Nittany Lions’ favor when he shut down Taylor in the penultimate bout. The evening concluded with Mesenbrink doing Mesenbrink things and a tech fall over Wilson, who was back in the Husker lineup after Christopher Minto had gotten the last few starts. And if not them, then who? The best bout of the evening for the Illini was also the last as Luke Luffman gutted out a victory over redshirt freshman and two-sport blue-chip recruit Ben Kueter 3-1. Illinoi also got a ranked win when #17 Danny Pucino beat #21 Ryder Block.

Dual of the Century of the Week

Heroic Huskers Halted By Powerhouse Penn State, 31-7

And while the team score didn’t have much drama, plenty of individual matches brought it.It wouldn’t exist with you so I implore you to provide feedback!

Hello and welcome to another wonderful week in Wrestling World. I hope everyone is having a fantastic MLK Day and/or Inauguration Day or that at least whatever day you clicked open this article is satisfactory or better!— Nebraska Wrestling (@HuskerWrestling) January 18, 2025

Nebraska set an attendance record and fought valiantly in all 10 weight classes. Unfortunately for the Cornhusker faithful in the Devaney Center Friday night, this is a historically great Penn State team, and the Nittany Lions cruised to victory.141: #3 Beau Bartlett (PSU) over #6 Brock Hardy (NEB) (Dec 8-7) I am merely posing the question. I do not wish to conclude an argument but rather start a conversation. You tell me what I’m missing and I’ll be more than happy to listen! Things got more interesting during the fifth match. Lilledahl passed his first big collegiate test, scoring the only offensive points with a short-time takedown against Smith to notch the first top 10 win of his career. Expect Lightning Luke to climb up the rankings in a flash. Oklahoma State’s big guns (haha get it?), #4 Tagen Jamison, #3 DJ Hamiti, #3 Dustin Plott and #3 Wyatt Hendrickson, all took care of business with bonus point wins. Hendrickson in particular has become a crowd favorite in Stillwater. The Cowboy fans were brought to their feet after the Air Force officer secured a 43 second pin that sent everyone home with a smile. 165: #1 Mitchell Mesenbrink (PSU) over Bubba Wilson (NEB) (TF 20-3 5:44)125: #16 Luke Lilledahl (PSU) over #6 Caleb Smith (NEB) (Dec 4-2) As usual, there was fierce competition for the DotCotW, but I ultimately went with a lopsided Penn State lopsided (I don’t think we’ll say any other variety of PSU win this season) over Nebraska because it was the best dual meet environment I saw this week. I want to stress again that there are MANY excellent programs that have MANY rabid fans, and I am grateful for and appreciate them all! Additionally, as far as success on the mat goes, Penn State is currently in a group of one with only itself. Furthermore, several other programs will challenge Iowa and Oklahoma State for the next two placements at 2025 NCAAs. Below is the box score.Last week’s Oklahoma State’s dual against NC State had to be postponed due to travel delays, which made for a fan-friendly Monday night home dual in historic Gallagher-Iba Arena. Dual MVP was Lovett, who handed Van Ness the first bonus point loss of his career. It’s already really late Sunday night so I’ll just leave it at that. Listen to Silverchair and watch West Virginia wrestling. Kyle Parco notched an impressive if not inspiring 1-0 victory over #15 Kannon Webster. But style points don’t get your hand raised and this win will count just as much as any other when it comes time to qualify for NCAAs. Then Van Dee sent the record-setting Husker crowd into a frenzy when he built a 7-0 first period lead off a jonesy tilt. JVD kept the pressure on for the upset win at 133. Jacob’s new year’s resolution must have been something like, ‘kick more butt’, because he’s 3-0 with three ranked wins so far in 2025, bringing his overall record to 7-5. Box Scores | Rankings | Last Week’s RoundupWest Virginia also got a win from their standard-bearer Peyton Hall at 165, who defeated Cam Amine 5-1. Unranked Ian Bush nearly got a big upset at 197 but Oklahoma State’s Luke Surber rallied to win 6-5. No problem, that’s all the wrestling they did this week. On to other things that happened!149: #4 Ridge Lovett (NEB) over #2 Shayne Van Ness (PSU) (MD 10-2) Send all suggestions, requests, commendations and condemnations to me at [andrew.spey@flosports.tv]. I’m also usually available on Twitter (@speywrestle). News that you’d like to see in this blog is the most appreciated feedback, but proofreading and spell-checking assistance is also welcome! Pobody’s nerfect, least of all your humble blogger! 184: #1 Carter Starocci (PSU) over #7 Silas Allred (NEB) (MD 11-2)

Then came the 149-pound stunner, when Ridge Lovett not only stopped Van Ness’ five-bout pinning streak but also handed the 2023 third-placer his first loss since the 2023 NCAA Tournament. Lovett accomplished this task with his otherworldly mat wrestling from top. — Big Ten Wrestling (@B1GWrestling) January 18, 2025

Illinois’s team is much improved from last season’s squad though were no match for the mighty Hawkeyes, despite Iowa still missing Jacori Teemer, though Teemer tweeted on January 8 that we should (hopefully) see him on the mat in a couple of weeks.

The Two Other Teams In The ‘Large Triplet’ Also Competed

133: #16 Jacob Van Dee (NEB) over #6 Braeden Davis (PSU) (Dec 14-7) The final was more or less what I said to expect in the preview I wrote, however, I may have been too conservative in picking Huskers in the first five weight classes (though note that the dual started at 174 per Penn State’s choice after winning the coin flip). Up next for the Nittany Lions is a dual in NJ at Rutgers. A week later they have a huge home dual against the Iowa Hawkeyes. Nebraska has a tour of the Mitten state with Michigan and Michigan State next weekend before they return home to host Wisconsin the following week. Another week of wrestling brings another week of gratitude! Not just because I get to enjoy rad college wrestling competitions but because I get to share my experience with you, and I will never stop appreciating that!Top-5 major decision for No. 4 at 149 lbs Ridge Lovett #B1GWrestling x @HuskerWrestling pic.twitter.com/yXEIbcfoS1Teemer’s erstwhile substitute Miguel Estrada impressed in his 3-2 victory over the dangerous #15 Braden Scoles. Gable Arnold got the second straight start at 184 and looks firmly established as the starter. Angelo Ferrari will likely continue his freshman season in redshirt. Arnold got the convincing 5-1 victory over #13 Edmond Ruth.

No other Cowboys lost after that first bout, including Caleb Fish who picked up one of his best wins of the season with a 12-5 victory over Ed Scott. Both wrestlers went for broke with upper-body throws being attempted at almost every exchange. I highly recommend watching both wrestlers’ matches for this reason. — Iowa Hawkeye Wrestling (@Hawks_Wrestling) January 18, 2025

Week 11’s Loss is Week 12’s Gain

157: #3 Tyler Kasak (PSU) over #5 Antrell Taylor (NEB) (Dec 9-3) 174: #2 Levi Haines (PSU) over #15 Lenny Pinto (NEB) (Dec 9-2) It’s also no coincidence that these are literally the three most successful wrestling programs in history, at least as judged by cumulative national team titles, which I think is a fair metric to judge history’s greatest wrestling programs.

Guessing this is going to make the @CowboyWrestling bulletin board. pic.twitter.com/np51NGMsrh— OSU Cowboy Wrestling (@CowboyWrestling) January 14, 2025

West Virginia is an interesting state geographically speaking because it’s not quite Midwest, it’s not quite East Coast, and it’s not quite the South either. Australia is an interesting country geographically speaking because they’re not quite a continent and not quite an island either. 197: #4 Josh Barr (PSU) over #26 Camden McDanel (NEB) (TF 19-4 6:43)

The Mountaineers acquitted themselves well in hostile territory. Jett Strickenburger had the upset of the night for the ‘Neers, reversing and pinning Troy Sprately before emptying about half a clip into him during his celebration. Not the most demure way to celebrate a victory but what’s a little imaginary gun play in Cowboy country? — Gif Tannen (@gif_tannen) January 19, 2025

A section in which I compare heavy metal bands to wrestling teams, because I like both of those things and it’s fun for me. When you think about how long Nebraska has been running out national-caliber wrestlers in the Devaney Center (Brad Vering won a national title in 2000, Jordan Burroughs won his first in 2009, and so on), it is a testament to the community and the program that Mark Manning and company have continued to build that they were are able to set an attendance record in 2025. Truly great stuff.Haines, Starocci, Barr and Kerkvliet put the match effectively out of reach after four weights. Pinto scored a reversal on Haines and held him to a decision, neither are things I expect to happen often this season. Andrews also scored a reversal on Kerkvliet, which didn’t do much to stop the tech-fall but the effort was appreciated in the Devaney Center and by those watching on the Big Ten Network.

Okay Enough Big 3 Already

The Cowboys thrashed the Wolfpack to the tune of 34-3, however, NC State redshirt freshman phenom Vincent Robinson made his return to the mat for the first time since the CKLV, defeating #4 Troy Spratley to climb into the top five rankings for the first time in his nascent career. Robinson has 15 wins on the season and his only loss is a ‘countable’ medical forfeit.

Indiana beat Purdue 25-11 in the battle between the state’s only D1 programs. The Hoosier’s Derek Gilcher got an upset win over #26 Brody Baumann at 174 to give Purdue the lead which they would not relinquish as the won the subsequent three bouts to close out the rivalry meet.
UNI defeated Arizona State 33-10. The match went as expected, which makes the score that much more impressive as it’s an indication of how far ahead the Panthers are of a very good Sun Devils team.
Maryland is 3-0 in the Big Ten for the first time ever. The Terps defeated Wisconsin 24-13 in yet another flex of Turtle Power.
Navy upended EIWA rival Lehigh 21-15. The Mountain Hawks were short-handed, as they were still missing #1 Ryan Crookham, but credit to the Midshipmen for putting it on a historic foe when they had the opportunity.
Minnesota bounced back from their bruising loss to Nebraska by defeating Michigan by a similar margin.
- Gopher #8 Vance Vombaur defeated #9 Sergio Lemley in one of the duals two top 10 battles.
- Michigan’s redshirt freshman blue-chip recruit Beau Mantanona is starting to find his form as he defeated #10 Andrew Sparks 7-4.
- Jacob Cardenas continues to terrorize the 197lb field as he beat #10 Isaiah Salazar 8-3. I also made a terrible pun regarding Salazar’s name on twitter. You can see it here if you like corny wordplay, just don’t say I didn’t warn you.
Ohio State punished Purdue 34-10.
- Buckeyes Sammy Sasso and Paddy Gallagher completed a weight swap, with Sasso slimming down to 157 and Paddy bulking up to 165. #8 Joey Blaze defeated Sasso 5-1, while Gallagher pinned Stoney Buell in a dual that saw Ohio State win seven total bouts.
- Boilermaker standard-bearer Matt Ramos beat #11 Brendan McCrone 3-0 to run his season record to a perfect 19-0.
Wyoming got a big pin from #11 Joey Novak at 197 to seal the deal against Oregon State.
- The Cowboys were able to overcome the loss of their team leader Jore Volk at 125, while the Beavers are still without the services of Trey Munoz at 197.
- #24 Gable Willochell and #23 Ethen Stile had a wild one at 149, ultimately won 11-1 by Willochell.
Former Pac-12 rivals Stanford and Arizona State had an ACC vs Big 12 battle instead.
- Stanford won 24-18 thanks to a big upset by EJ Parco over #16 Jesse Vazquez.
- Both wrestlers at 149 had the right to remain silent during their match, though anything #29 Jason Miranda and Daniel Miranda said and did could be held against them. Jason won by tech. Attorneys will now be appointed.
- Stanford is still without the services of Nico Provo and forfeit 125.
The Cyclone Open returned, hosted by, you guessed it, the Iowa State Cyclones.
- The most notable result was Minnesota’s true freshman Charlie Millard beating Iowa State’s #6 Cody Chittum in the 157lb finals. Millard is redshirting this season and is 11-1 on the season.
- Cornell freshman Mikey Dellagatta likely entrenched himself as Cornell’s starter at 197, as he won the 197lb bracket in which his teammate, Aiden Hanning, was also entered.
- Missouri’s #9 Cam Steed and Seth Nitzel were in action for the first time in 2025 as the Tigers try and get healthy for the postseason. Steed won the 165lb bracket.
- Iowa State starters won 125, 133, 141, 149 and 285, although heavyweight may still be undecided if Yonger Bastida can get healthy by March. If not, expect Cyclone Open champ Daniel Herrera to get the nod.
The Davidson Duals featured a half-dozen teams in a deluge of dual meets.
- Morgan State won its first dual against D1 competition since reinstating when they beat the hosts 26-13. Morgan State also beat Queens last season but the Royals were still in the midst of transitioning from DII to DI at the time and then they dropped their wrestling program over the summer, so I dunno if that counts.
- Little Rock and Lock Haven didn’t wrestle each other and were able to both go undefeated, which they did. They also both competed at the Journeymen Collegiate Duals where they also didn’t face each other.
- Brown’s unranked Andrew Reall had the upset of the event when he beat Little Rock’s #10 Brock DelSignore in sudden victory at 184lbs.
Several other programs had some exciting duals that may have flown under your radar.
- SIUE defeated Kent State 18-16 in a battle of MAC West foes.
- American needed criteria to beat Harvard 20-19.
- Gardner-Webb picked up a win over in-state ACC rival Duke, 23-19.

Heavy Metal Matness

It’s a knocking off AA’s type of night.#GoPokes l @CalebFish_1 pic.twitter.com/aOaKHZyDI1Today I will compare Silverchair to West Virginia. There are many great wrestling programs currently competing. You don’t need me to tell you that. However, it is because there are so many incredibly hard working people trying to elevate so many D1 programs that I find it noteworthy that such a high percentage of this season’s news is being driven by just three programs: Penn State, Iowa, and Oklahoma State.There Is No Place Like Nebraska.#ToughTogether | #GBR pic.twitter.com/rsYV2Jpa6vWe’re deep within the dual meet portion of the 2024-25 NCAA D1 wrestling season, and week 12 has provided another cornucopia of notable wrestling events worthy of recapping. The season is flying by and it’ll be the postseason before you know it!

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Silverchair emerged from the grunge era with a great album called Frogstomp in 1995. I haven’t really kept up with them since, but I do know they are Australian. The Mountaineers completed their tour of Oklahoma by splitting matches having defeated the Sooners 22-13 on Friday. Had fun on Friday.#Hawkeyes pic.twitter.com/1se0i5MIxV