Pictured: Northern Colorado's Andrew Alirez (149). Photo courtesy of Northern Colorado Sports Information. (Taken by Dean Popejoy.)
The 2021-2022 NCAA Division I wrestling season has finished Week Two. With that, bluebloods Penn State Oklahoma State both kicked off their dual meet seasons, Iowa sent a handful of starters to the Luther Open, and much more happened this week across NCAA Division on I wrestling.
Here are seven takeaways (in no particular order) from this past week (Nov. 8 – Nov. 14) in college wrestling.
Iowa and Arizona State Dominate Luther Open and App State Open
During Week Two, we saw a lot of new NCAA Division I firepower take to the mats for the first time of the 2021-22 season. The Hawkeyes sent 21 athletes (including six returning All-Americans) to the Luther Open in Iowa. Also, a large contingent (including six former All-Americans) were present in Boone, North Carolina, for the Sun Devils at the App State Open. Both the Hawks and Sun Devils brought home eight individual titles . If this first foray into competition proved anything, it validated that both can contend for a team trophy in late March in Detroit.
Other things we learned: Alex Marinelli is likely "the guy" at 165 for the Black and Gold after defeating talented youngster Patrick Kennedy, 3-2. It's hard to imagine a world where The Bull isn't the starter, but the battles between him and Kennedy have been close. It will be an exciting back-and-forth battle to monitor throughout the season.
We also learned that Austin DeSanto got into more off-the-mat antics. While I won't speculate or further spread rumors, it's clear that "something" happened that the coaching staff was less than thrilled with. Hopefully, DeSanto doesn't cost the squad points at a critical dual or postseason event.
Penn State needs help to challenge Iowa
This past weekend, Penn State took to the mat in a dual meet setting at the Spooky Nook Sports Complex (Manheim, PA). There, the Nittany Lions bested Sacred Heart and Oregon State in back-to-back duals. Cael & Co. won both duals convincingly, winning 17 of the 20 individual matches. What also became apparent, though, is that the Lions are far from a full lineup at the moment. Again, it's early, but PSU will need different answers at 125, 157, and 165 by late January and beyond if Penn State hopes to legitimately challenge Iowa for a national championship. Much can change by the postseason. I'm just stating the facts as they are now.
Additionally, early indications suggest that Cornell transfer Max Dean is getting the nod over 2021 freshman All-American Michael Beard.
Oklahoma State Stanford was the Dual of the Week…. And it was great
Sure, it wasn't the most competitive dual we'll see this season, but what this dual represented was meaningful. First and foremost, it represented the official "saving" of a proud, tradition-rich program at Stanford. No matter where your fandom allegiance resides, we can all agree that Stanford with a wrestling program is better for the sport. Period. Also, we saw two NCAA champs and an NCAA finalist in action, numerous former All-Americans, and two of the best coaches the sport has ever seen. We saw OSU's John Smith earned career win number 450. On the other side, we saw Rob Koll start a new era with Stanford.
Then, there was what we saw in the matches themselves. Here are some thoughts.
- Daton Fix won, but struggled mightily on the bottom. That could be a problem down the line.
- AJ Ferrari looked solid. But what was most impressive was his ability to turn from the top. Should AJ replicate that with consistency, he will be an absolute force during his sophomore season.
- At 165, Shane Griffith further validated precisely why he won it all in 2021. As for Whitlake, I'm surprised that the match was so lopsided, especially after the Cowboy fell behind.
- Jaden Abas absolutely outpaced Kaden Gfeller. The OSU vet was gassed by the end.
- Dakota Greer looked like a man on a mission. Anytime you put up 20-plus points, it's impressive no matter who you face. Doing so in match number one of the season is all the more noteworthy.
- Carter Young is officially eligible to compete for Oklahoma State following his recent transfer from Northwestern. I was a little surprised to see Dusty Hone get the start, but Hone looked great regardless. Dusty certainly won't be giving up the spot without a fight.
Non-medical forfeits are here to stay….
I referenced this during my TOM's Takeaways Story following "Opening Weekend," so I won't belabor the point much more. But the trend has continued into Week Two (and likely will all season). The truth is, rosters are bigger (in size) and older (in age) than they have ever been. With that, I expect that resting starters and letting backups get some experience will be more commonplace than ever before. As I said last week, I don't like a forfeit unless it is for legitimate medical necessity, but I accept it will happen this season with increasing frequency.
Needless to say, I'm less than thrilled about the news reported yesterday by Cody Goodwin of the Des Moines Register that Spencer Lee will not be in the starting lineup this weekend at Princeton for what would be a matchup of TOM's No. 1 in Lee vs. TOM's No. 3 at 125 pounds in Princeton's Pat Glory.
High schoolers continue to shine at college tournaments
Arguably the biggest headline from the Luther Open this weekend (beside Iowa's presence and the DeSanto situation) was that Iowa's Abe Assad, who was a starter in 2019 and a top-10-ranked wrestler at the start of 2021, lost 4-3 in the finals to high school senior and Missouri commit, Clayton Whiting. This upset comes a week after Nick Feldman stormed to the finals at the Clarion Open before defaulting out. Caleb Henson grabbed a Southeast Open title that same weekend. For Whiting, his upset may have been the biggest of Week Two. One thing that's for sure is the high school talent pool is as strong as ever.
It should be fun to watch and see if this match impacts whether Asaad or Nelson Brands is that starter this weekend at 184 as Iowa opens its dual meet schedule on the road at Princeton.
Wisconsin forfeited at 125 against Little Rock last Friday
This could be something, or it could be nothing. Wisconsin's Eric Barnett didn't wrestle last Friday night against Little Rock at the Battle of the Bluffs. If Barnett, a junior, is out due to injury, this could be a serious blow to an already young Badgers starting lineup. Hopefully, it was nothing too serious, and the 2021 All-American is back soon. Only time will tell.
The Wolfpack Open may have created more questions than answers for NC State
Pat Popolizio's 2021-22 NC State Wolfpack squad is one of the most talented and experienced in the country, returning the entire 2021 starting lineup, which has dominated the ACC and finished well at NCAAs in recent years. What we have learned since the start of the 2021-2022 season, however, is that the Pack is even deeper than we (and I) imagined.
At heavyweight, the reigning ACC champ, junior Deonte Wilson, and freshman Owen Trephan have been battling in wrestle-offs and the finals of tournaments. It seems as though Trephan has a slight advantage thus far.
Elsewhere, freshman Kai Orine just beat the presumptive 141-pound starter, Ryan Jack, in the App State Open finals this past weekend. Orine got the better of Jack, winning 2-0.
Also, at 174 and 184, you have four-time All-American Hayden Hidlay (174) and younger brother Trent at 184. Three-time NCAA qualifier Nick Reenan is listed as a backup at 174/184.
Nonetheless, this is a great problem to have if you're a Wolfpack fan.
Week 1: (Nov. 1-7) TOM's Takeaway Story – click here.
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