The first two weeks of the college wrestling season brought a number of notable upsets — including both the No. 1 ranked athletes at 125 and 133 pounds taking losses — as well as some standout team performances. This week is expected to be similar, with over a dozen ranked teams and high-profile athletes taking the mat in DI duals as they look to climb the rankings and make some noise here in mid-November.
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While any of the events slated for this weekend would be worth watching, here are five standout matches that you won’t want to miss:
Friday, November 17: Wyoming vs. Campbell, 7 p.m. ET, UFC Fight Pass
Friday’s bout between Campbell and Wyoming includes just eight total ranked wrestlers across these two unranked programs, but this dual needs to be circled on the calendar because of the uniqueness of the match and the creativity around the promotion of the event. Campbell, a team that started its season by topping Army in a dual on a military hanger in North Carolina, will now take on the Cowboys of Wyoming in a barn. Yep, a barn.
For the Brand 🤠📸 pic.twitter.com/quDjWoLVRB
— Wyoming Cowboy Wrestling (@WyoWrestle) November 15, 2023
This meeting, appropriately named “The Battle in the Barn” will be held in Centennial, Wyoming in a setting that has previously been used to host weddings and other events. Hosting the dual in such an unconventional, intriguing setting is something that head coach Mark Branch hopes will continue to bring eyes to the sport of wrestling and grow fan interest. The dual will also be streamed on UFC Fight Pass, another twist that Branch believes adds to wrestling’s future.
"This is going to be something the wrestling world hasn't experienced yet and it's undoubtedly exciting," Branch said in the Wyoming Athletics press release about the event. "This unique match will be live streamed across the world, and we will have the opportunity to showcase the Wyoming wrestling brand to hundreds of thousands of martial arts fans."
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Campbell comes into the dual with the edge on paper, as the Camels will bring six ranked wrestlers out west, led by No. 14 Dom Zaccone and No. 15 Taye Ghadiali. Neither of these two athletes will face a ranked opponent from Wyoming; in fact, none of the ranked Campbell wrestlers will have a Top 33 opponent against the Cowboys as Wyoming’s two ranked athletes — No. 13 Jore Volk and No. 25 Gabe Willochell — both come in at weights where Campbell does not have a ranked foe. Willochell, notably, is ranked at 141 pounds but listed as a probable starter at 149 pounds, a weight where he could see Justin Rivera of Campbell in a bout where Willochell will be expected to notch a W. Wyoming’s other ranked athlete, Volk, will likely take on junior Anthony Molton, an athlete he has yet to compete against collegiately.
Duals to Watch → Week 3#NCAAWrestling pic.twitter.com/8A7CXhDzVU
— NCAA Wrestling (@NCAAWrestling) November 15, 2023
While the Camels will be favored in this bout, Wyoming is having a strong start to the year, recording dominant DI wins over California Baptist and CSU Bakersfield. This bout against Campbell will be the perfect opportunity for the Cowboys to put on a show in a fun setting alongside the Camels and identify any remaining gaps they need to address before heading to the Cliff Keen Invitational in Las Vegas in early December.
Sunday, November 19: No. 16 Oregon State vs. No. 3 Iowa, 10 a.m. ET, BTN+
The 2021 NCAA champion Iowa Hawkeyes kicked off their dual schedule in dominant fashion earlier this month, shutting out California Baptist with a lineup full of fresh faces. They’ll now welcome in their first ranked opponent of the season as the No. 16 Oregon State Beavers come to town with a lineup of eight ranked wrestlers who would love nothing more than to stop the Hawks.
Oregon State is 3-0 on the year with wins over Queens University of Charlotte, Greensboro College and No. 22 North Carolina, the latter of which showed just how strong the Beaver team is. Against the Tar Heels, Oregon State picked up wins from Noah Tolentino, Murphy Menke, Kekana Fouret, Travis Wittlake, Trey Munoz and Boone McDermott, and, of this group, Tolentino, Menke and Munoz are all set to face ranked foes against Iowa.
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Munoz leads the way for the Beavers with his No. 3 ranking and 2023 All-American honors, and he’s projected to wrestle No. 29 Brennan Swafford, a veteran athlete beginning his first season as a full-time starter for Iowa. Swafford is 6-0 on the year with his lone DI win coming by tech fall against California Baptist. Munoz, meanwhile, is 7-0 on the year with a 70%+ bonus rate. A bonus win at 184 for Oregon State could make this dual particularly interesting.
Iowa is currently favored in seven of the ten weights in this bout including 125 pounds, 133 pounds, 141 pounds, 149 pounds, 157 pounds, 165 pounds and 197 pounds, and, among the weights, the biggest problems for the Beavers will likely come at 141, 149 and 157 pounds, as those rankings gaps between Iowa’s No. 1 Real Woods, No. 9 Victor Voinovich and No. 2 Jared Franek will be tough to overcome.
For Oregon State to stay competitive in this dual, All-American Brandon Kaylor will likely need to rebound for his loss last weekend against West Virginia and challenge Iowa lightweight Drake Ayala at 125, 2023 Pac-12 champion Matthew Olguin will need to push for the upset over No. 8 Mikey Caliendo at 165 pounds, All-American Wittlake will need bonus at 174 pounds and heavyweight No. 22 Boone McDermott will need to anchor his team strong. There’s potential here for Oregon State, but Iowa, even with all of its lineup changes in the last few months, has a solid squad that can defend itself on home turf.
Sunday, November 19: No. 20 Oklahoma vs. North Dakota State, 12 p.m. ET ESPN+
Iowa vs. Oregon State has a combined five more ranked athletes than this dual between the Sooners and the Bison, but this Big 12 battle has a different kind of distinct storyline that makes it a notable event to watch this weekend.
The Sooners, led by first-year Oklahoma head coach Roger Kish, come into this battle against Kish’s old program, North Dakota State, with a 1-0 record after a 29-11 win over Central Michigan, while the Bison travel to Norman with a 0-1 record following a tough loss to Nebraska. Last year, Kish coached the Bison to an 11-3 record and put two athletes, Jared Franek and Mikey Caliendo, on the podium. Caliendo and Franek are now both at Iowa, causing new North Dakota State head coach Obe Blanc to rebuild at North Dakota State as Kish settles in at Oklahoma.
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Kish’s Sooner squad will be heavily favored in this bout against the Bison, as this team will have the edge in all but two bouts, but this dual is a key opportunity to see where potential All-American caliber athletes are at in an early conference dual. One of the most intriguing Oklahoma wrestlers to watch is No. 9 Mosha Schwartz: the Northern Colorado transfer qualified for the national tournament last year in his first season with the Sooners, but now, under a new coach, he’ll look to break through and finish on the podium for the first time in his career.
Schwartz is 1-0 on the year with a 9-5 decision against Ja’Kerion Merritt, but he’ll have a ranked opponent this weekend in No. 30 Gavin Drexler, and this bout will offer Schwartz another data point on his progress as he looks to hold down his top-ten ranking and rack up ranked wins. In addition to Schwartz, Sooner junior Stephen Buchanan also comes into the dual ranked in the top ten at No. 2 at 197 pounds, though he is not projected to have a ranked foe, as North Dakota State’s only two top 33 athletes come at 141 pounds with Drexler and 149 pounds with No. 11 Kellyn March.
In an earlier interview with NCAA.com, March said been training with new assistant coach Hayden Hidlay, a five-time All-American from N.C. State, and Hidlay has also spoken highly of March’s effort and development, describing him as “one of the most exciting wrestlers to watch.”
March made it clear that he sees himself as a loyal leader on this Bison squad, and he’s ready to prove any doubters wrong this season.
“I would put it all on the line for the team and for myself and for everyone that wants to be part of NDSU wrestling,” March said.
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Against the Sooners, March will likely wrestle No. 17 Willie McDougald, a wrestler he has yet to compete against in college. For North Dakota State to avoid a blowout, March will need to notch a win with a bonus and help rally his team to some upset wins up and down the lineup.
Sunday, November 19: No. 21 Arizona State vs. No. 4 Missouri, 1 p.m. ET, FloWrestling
There’s nothing better than an early-season top-25 non-conference battle. Wrestling fans saw a version of this kind of dual last weekend when the then-No. 8 Buckeyes topped then-No. 5 Virginia Tech in Blacksburg, and now the No. 21 Sun Devils and No. 4 Missouri will deliver an exciting event of their own when they meet in Columbia on Sunday.
Behind the upset of Allan Hart by @jessevasquezz, No. 5 Arizona State defeats No. 3 Missouri 19-17.#NCAAWrestling x 🎥 @ASUWrestling pic.twitter.com/8Zj9gnKn1s
— NCAA Wrestling (@NCAAWrestling) November 18, 2022
Last year, Arizona State pulled off the win in this competitive dual 19-17, and while the Tigers have more ranked wrestlers than the Sun Devils this year and are in a position to take the win, Arizona State still has a sneaky dual lineup that could be a problem for Missouri, if all of the expected starters compete.
Missouri’s biggest strength comes in the back half of the lineup, as No. 1 Keegan O’Toole is known for a bonus at 165 pounds and No. 4 Rocky Elam, a fellow junior world champ, has a history of putting up points for the Tigers. O’Toole will not have a ranked opponent from the Sun Devils, so look for the two-time NCAA champ to get funky and roll over his foe. Elam is slated to compete against No. 30 Anthony Montalvo, though Montalvo has not wrestled yet this year as the Sun Devils started Jacob Meissner in his place against North Carolina last weekend. Meissner is 1-4 on the year with his lone win coming against Brad Morrison of Lock Haven, so he’ll have quite the challenge if he faces off against Elam.
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Tiger All-American No. 7 Peyton Mocco, who took a loss last weekend but will be expected to rebound, will also not have a ranked opponent at 174, so these weights could be an opportunity for Missouri to separate itself. If Arizona State rolls out its best ten wrestlers, including No. 4 heavyweight Cohlton Schultz and No. 2 lightweight Richie Figueroa, the team absolutely has the potential to upset Missouri. But a lineup of missing starters will likely lack the firepower to stop this team.
One of Arizona State’s biggest names who has competed already this season is No. 3 Kyle Parco, a title contender at 149 pounds. Parco is 2-0 on the year with a 50% bonus rate, and he’s expected to wrestle the only Missouri starter not in the top 33 now that All-American No. 7 Brock Mauller has moved up to 157 pounds for the Tigers. Arizona State will count on big points from Parco and his teammate No. 10 Julian Chlebove at 133 pounds if the Sun Devils want to stay competitive with the Tigers — a team that finished fifth at NCAAs last year and is on a trophy hunt in 2023.
Sunday, November 19: No. 18 Wisconsin vs. No. 10 Iowa State, 3 p.m. ET, UFC Fight Pass
Much like the Tigers, the Iowa State Cyclones have one of their best lineups in recent program history, and they’re on a quest to rise in the team rankings and compete for hardware at the national tournament. Led by No. 2 David Carr at 165 pounds, Iowa State has ten ranked wrestlers, and the Cyclones will be the favorites in most of their duals, (with a few expectations) this year. The Wisconsin bout will certainly be one of those contests where the Cardinal and Gold will be looking for a definitive W.
Carr, Iowa State’s 2021 NCAA champion, will have the highest-profile match of the night, and he’s projected to wrestle No. 4 Dean Hamiti of Wisconsin for the second time in his career. Hamiti and Carr started the season last year by wrestling in this Iowa State vs. Wisconsin dual, and Carr earned the 7-5 victory.
Carr’s only loss last year came against two-time NCAA champion Keegan in the national finals, and he’s been open about his intention to improve on his performance last year, reverse that loss and win another title in his final season. Hamiti can pose a tough challenge, particularly given his length and unconventional style, though Carr will come into what should be a tight individual contest with a slight edge.
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The only other ranked matchups in this dual are expected to come at 125 pounds, 149 pounds and 174 pounds, and all of those, on paper, favor the Badgers. Of these three though, the 149 battle is most interesting.
Anthony Echemendia, a former Ohio State wrestler who rejoined the Cyclones this year after initially committed to the program in 2019, beat out teammate and Round of 12 finisher Casey Swiderski in the 149-pound wrestle-offs and is 2-0 on the season for the Cyclones at the weight with 100% bonus. If he gets the nod for this dual, he’ll likely wrestle Joe Zargo of Wisconsin, a two-time national qualifier who is currently 4-1 on the year with his only loss coming against Corbyn Muson of Central Michigan by fall. Echemendia has been on and off the collegiate scene for several years, but he hasn’t faced a ton of ranked, national-qualifier-caliber wrestlers outside of his own teammates. His win against Swiderski suggests he could compete for All-American honors, but his match against Zargo will be another important test to understand where Echemendia is at the moment.
Wisconsin will need to win 149 pounds, earn a bonus at 125 pounds, pick up a victory at 174 pounds and fight for some upsets at 133, 141 and 197 pounds, if they want to stay in this dual. Iowa State comes into this battle with more firepower on paper, and Carr is certainly a formidable opponent, even for someone like Hamiti, but the dual will be interesting and notable regardless of the result because of the opportunity to see so many ranked opponents compete in a high-level non-conference battle so early in the season.
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