This Week in Women’s Collegiate Wrestling (11/19/2024)
Top 3 Takeaways and Highlights
1. All-Star Classic Highlights Top-Ranked Wrestlers from NAIA and NCAA
The 2024 All-Star Classic got kicked off with five matchups between top-ranked athletes from NAIA and NCAA schools, and both conferences walked away with big wins. Starting at 110 lbs, #4 (NCAA) Kendra Ryan of North Central won a close decision against #1 (NAIA) Emma Baertlein of Southern Oregon. North Central then snagged another win when #1 (NCAA) Amani Jones pinned her opponent, #2 (NAIA) Maya Davis of Grand View, a 2x All-American.
The 131-pound matchup was my most anticipated as #1 (NCAA) Victoria Baez Dilone of King took on #1 (NAIA) Carolina Moreno of Southern Oregon. Moreno is a 3x NAIA champion and looked tough in this match, but Baez Dilone hit a huge move to laces early and held on to that lead to win 6-2. I would love to see these two compete again because their styles created a few flurries that could have been big points either way.
The evening finished off with back-to-back pins from the McBryde sisters of Life University against their opponents from King. First, #1 (NAIA) Jamilah McBryde got the quick pin of #2 Aine Drury in just 48 seconds. Her sister Latifah who is also #1 (NAIA) got the fall in just under 4 minutes against #1 (NCAA) Cheyenne Bowman. The McBryde sisters continue to show their dominance and gain notoriety for their impressive performances.
2. Grand Valley State University hosts inaugural home dual
#4 Grand Valley State hosted their first dual at Fieldhouse Arena over the weekend against Northern Michigan. The team reported a crowd of over 580 people for the matchup, following a youth clinic they hosted earlier in the day to coincide with the dual. Northern Michigan unfortunately did not present a full lineup, so there were two forfeits in favor of Grand Valley State. Outside of those matches, the Lakers secured wins in seven, only losing at the 207 lbs match. … more at … https://intermatwrestle.com/articles.html/women/this-week-in-womens-collegiate-wrestling-11192024-r99750/
28 nationally ranked teams headline massive Missouri Valley Women’s Open this weekend
Known as one of the largest and most challenge women’s college wrestling events, the 2024 Missouri Valley Women’s Open will feature 28 nationally ranked teams and dozens of nationally ranked individuals. With more than 700 entries, this two-day extravaganza will be held at the Burns Athletic Complex at Missouri Valley College on Friday and Saturday. The event will feature the new women’s college weight classes, and will have a huge impact on the team and individual national rankings for the NCAA, the NAIA and the NJCAA.
Of the 28 ranked college teams, there are 15 teams which are ranked in the top 10 of their division.
Six of the top 10 NAIA teams are entered, No. 1 Grand View, No. 4 University of the Cumberlands, No. 6 William Penn, No. 7 Campbellsville, No. 9 Missouri Valley College and No. 10 Texas Wesleyan.
Five of the top 10 NCAA teams will compete: No. 1 Iowa, No. 4 Grand Valley State, No. 5 McKendree, No. 7 Colorado Mesa and No. 8 Lindenwood.
The four NJCAA teams in the top 10 which are entered are No. 2 Carl Albert State, No. 5 Southeast CC, No. 6 Iowa Central CC and No. 10 Iowa Lakes CC. Also entered is the No. 4 ranked team from USports in Canada, the University of Alberta.
Last year, the University of Iowa led the field with six champions. Iowa returns two Missouri Valley Open champions, Brianna Gonzalez (117) and Samantha Calkins (207), the only two champions from 2023 who are entered.
Returning Missouri Valley Open runners-up in the field are Emilie Gonzalez of Iowa (110), Ava Bayless of Iowa (110), Gianna Moreno of Friends (138), Madison Sandquist of Sacred Heart (180), Alivia White of Iowa (207) and Isabeau Shalack of Colorado Mesa (207).
The eight No. 1 ranked college wrestlers in the field include … more at … https://www.themat.com/news/2024/november/21/28-nationally-ranked-teams-headline-massive-missouri-valley-women-s-open-this-weekend
How the Top 25 (and more) Fared: Nov. 11-17
A look at how all the teams in Division I did this week based on their ranking in the NWCA Division I Men’s Wrestling Coaches Poll.
Here’s a breakdown of how the action unfolded in Division I Men’s Wrestling this past week. Teams are sorted by their rank in the NWCA Division I Coaches Poll, then followed by the teams receiving votes (in the order they received votes), then the unranked teams in alphabetical order.
Highlighted in the dual results are upsets or ranked head-to-head matches of note. Individual rankings are via InterMat.
Top 25
1. Penn State (1-0)
WON Drexel 41-3
133: #9 Braeden Davis (Penn State) over Kyle Waterman (Drexel) D;7-5
165: #1 Mitchell Mesenbrink (Penn State) over #31 Cody Walsh (Drexel) T;21-4
174: #2 Levi Haines (Penn State) over Jack Janda (Drexel) T;16-0
184: #1 Carter Starocci (Penn State) over #32 Giuseppe Hoose (Drexel) T;19-3
285: #1 Greg Kerkvliet (Penn State) over Tanner Updegraff (Drexel) F;1:40
2. Iowa (3-0)
WON Bellarmine 49-0
125: #31 Kale Petersen (Iowa) over Jack Parker (Bellarmine) T;26-6
133: #7 Drake Ayala (Iowa) over Trayce Eckman (Bellarmine) M;14-6
141: #31 Ryder Block (Iowa) over David Mayora (Bellarmine) T;19-4
149: #4 Kyle Parco (Iowa) over Zac Cowan (Bellarmine) T;21-4
157: #1 Jacori Teemer (Iowa) over Gray Ortis (Bellarmine) F;:24
165: #2 Mikey Caliendo (Iowa) over Cole Nance (Bellarmine) T;21-6
174: #6 Nelson Brands (Iowa) over Grant O’Dell (Bellarmine) T;20-5
184: #9 Gabe Arnold (Iowa) over Devan Hendricks (Bellarmine) D;5-3
197: #2 Stephen Buchanan (Iowa) over Andrew Liber (Bellarmine) T;16-1
285: #11 Ben Kueter (Iowa) over Daulton Mayer (Bellarmine) F;:32
3. Oklahoma State (2-0)
WON #24 Oregon State 36-3
WON Utah Valley 38-6
125: #6 Troy Spratley (Oklahoma State) over #24 Maximo Renteria (Oregon State) D;7-4 SV
141: #14 Tagen Jamison (Oklahoma State) over Nash Singleton (Oregon State) M;11-3
149: #17 Carter Young (Oklahoma State) over Ayden Garver (Oregon State) M;14-4
157: #33 Ethan Stiles (Oregon State) over #9 Teague Travis (Oklahoma State) D;7-4
165: #5 Cameron Amine (Oklahoma State) over Murphy Menke (Oregon State) M;13-3
174: #5 Dean Hamiti (Oklahoma State) over #33 Sean Harman (Oregon State) T;18-1
184: #3 Dustin Plott (Oklahoma State) over TJ McDonnell (Oregon State) T;24-8
197: #20 Luke Surber (Oklahoma State) over #7 Trey Munoz (Oregon State) D;5-0
285: #2 Wyatt Hendrickson (Oklahoma State) over Brett Mower (Oregon State) T;16-1
125: #6 Troy Spratley (Oklahoma State) over Bridger Ricks (Utah Valley) D;5-3
141: #27 Haiden Drury (Utah Valley) over Kolter Burton (Oklahoma State) D;5-0
149: #17 Carter Young (Oklahoma State) over Q’Veli Quintanilla (Utah Valley) T;25-9
157: #9 Teague Travis (Oklahoma State) over Ryker Fullmer (Utah Valley) D;5-1
165: #6 Terrell Barraclough (Utah Valley) over #5 Cameron Amine (Oklahoma State) D;4-4 TB RT
174: #5 Dean Hamiti (Oklahoma State) over Mark Takara (Utah Valley) T;20-5
184: #3 Dustin Plott (Oklahoma State) over Caleb Uhlenhopp (Utah Valley) T;20-4
197: #20 Luke Surber (Oklahoma State) over Kael Bennie (Utah Valley) F;5:50
285: #2 Wyatt Hendrickson (Oklahoma State) over Jack Forbes (Utah Valley) T;24-7
4. Nebraska (3-0)
WON #25 North Carolina 34-3
WON Campbell 40-6
125: #27 Anthony Molton (Campbell) over Alan Koehler (Nebraska) D;8-3
133: #22 Domenic Zaccone (Campbell) over #11 Jacob Van Dee (Nebraska) D;4-1 SV … more at … https://mattalkonline.substack.com/p/how-the-top-25-and-more
2024 ACTIVE Coaches – Top Dual Wins – D-III
TDR Editor’s Notes ; The following are Active head coaches grouped by divisions. This listing is for coaches of NCAA Division III college teams. We welcome, input such as corrections and additions. Please contact us at the editor’s email … martinkfleming@gmail.com so we can update these lists accurately after each season. +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
ACTIVE Coaches(D-III)– Top 35 (or so) with at least 100 wins
1.) Roger Crebs (Lycoming College) 450
2.) Lonnie Morris (Johnson & Wales) 446
3.) Ron Beaschler (Ohio Northern Univ.) 391
4.) Bruce Haberli (New York University) 345
5.) Dave Mitchell (Luther College) 327
6.) Tim Fader (Wis.-Eau Claire,Whitewater, LaCrosse) 319
7.) Martin Nichols (Ithaca College) 313
8.) Jon Laudenslager (Wilkes University) 290
9.) John Oostendorp (Coe College) 278
10.) Jay Jones (Rhode Island College) 274
11.) Bryan Brunk (Messiah College) 266
12.) Dave Malecek (Wisconsin-LaCrosse State) 232
13. Drew Black (Wesleyan Univ.) 227
14.) Duane Ritter (SUNY Oneonta State) 207
15.) Jon Egan (Roger Williams) – 193
16.) Mike Howard (SUNY-Oswego State) 189
17.) Eric Keller (Wartburg College) – 183
18.) Jon McGovern (Dubuque University) – 178
19.) Craig Thurber (Thiel College) – 171
20.) Jamie Gibbs (Baldwin-Wallace) – 169
21.) Brian Anderson (Wabash College) – 167
22.) Joe Galente (College of New Jersey) 158
23.) Leo Kocher (University of Chicago) 154 – inc. retired 2024
24.) Steve Marianetti (Elmhurst College) – 152
25.) Eric Van Kley (Central College,) – 148
26.) James Holder (Springfield College) 145
27.) Brandon Bissette (Olivet College) 138
28.) Jason Garriques (Centenary College) 130
29.) Greg Ilaria (U.S. Merchant Marine) – 127
30.) Al Russomano (Scranton Univ.) 119
31.) Joe Favia (Stevens Institute of Tech.) 116
32.) Duane Bastress (York College, Pa.) 109
33.) Keith Norris (John Hopkins Univ.) 105
34.) Nathan Shearer (Washington & Lee) 103
35.) Bill Schindel (Adrian/Mount Union) 100
36.) Scott Honacker (Williams College) 98
37.) Mike DeRoehn (Wisc-Platteville, Oshkosh, Lakeland) 94
Jones, McBryde sisters secure pins in women’s division at NWCA All-Star Classic
STATE COLLEGE, Pa. – The women’s division at the 2024 NWCA All-Star Classic got the marquee college event off to an explosive start with three pins across the five NCAA versus NAIA themed matchups. Top ranked NCAA wrestler and returning NCWWC champion Amani Jones of North Central struck fast with an inside trip to the back in the opening seconds of her 124-pound bout against Grand View’s Maya Davis. Jones pounced with a claw-ride finish for a pin in 1:20 over the two-time NAIA All American.
Jones is a two-time age-group World medalist for Team USA with bronze medal wins at the 2023 U20 World championships and the 2024 U23 World Championships. The Life duo of Jamilah and Latifah McBryde, both ranked No. 1 in the NAIA ranks, joined Jones with pinning combinations on Saturday evening at Penn State’s famed Rec Hall. It only took 48 seconds for Jamilah McBryde to end things against NCAA No. 2 Aine Drury of King at 145 pounds. Drury went for an over-under body lock toss, and nearly landed it, but McBryde was able float her hips over and wind up on top for the pin.
Latifah McBryde was pushed a little harder by top-ranked NCAA athlete Cheyenne Bowman of King. Bowman took a 4-0 lead just over one minute into the 160-pound contest with a takedown-to-turn sequence. McBryde took the momentum in the back half of period one with a step out and takedown heading into the break. Early in the second period, McBryde went high-flyer off a Bowman single leg to get the pin in 3:40. Earning decision wins were athletes representing the NCAA division … more at … https://www.themat.com/news/2024/november/16/jones-mcbryde-sisters-secure-pins-in-women-s-division-at-nwca-all-star-classic?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email
Starocci stakes claim to 184 with sudden victory win over Keckeisen to cap eventful NWCA All-Star Classic
STATE COLLEGE, Pa. – Round one to Carter Starocci. The four-time NCAA champion for Penn State defeated returning NCAA champion Parker Keckeisen of Northern Iowa in sudden victory overtime to punctuate an eventful night of wrestling at the 2024 NWCA All-Star Classic.
The 184-pound showdown at Rec Hall was a match of positioning and patience. Starocci and Keckeisen dueled to a 1-1 stalemate at the end of regulation, both men earning an escape point. The only difference in the match to that point was negligible, Starocci escaping in seven seconds compared to Keckeisen’s 35-second escape time.
In the two-minute sudden victory period, it was Starocci who controlled the center of the mat, doing well with his underhook tie. Starocci fought through a lengthy finish from an outside single leg attempt to end the match, 4-1, with 27 seconds left in overtime and send the Penn State faithful home on a positive note. Starocci bumped up from 174 pounds where he has won the last four NCAA tournaments and came into the season ranked No. 1 at 184 pounds. Keckeisen is the reigning 184-pound national champion and has finished in the top three of the weight class the past four years.
Another Nittany Lion made the decision to bump up in weight and declared themselves a top contender with an impressive win on Saturday night. Levi Haines, last year’s NCAA champion at 157 pounds, took out No. 3 Cade Devos of South Dakota State, 7-0, to solidify his No. 2 ranking at 174 pounds. Haines looked every bit his normal self up two weight classes.
Also picking up wins for the top-ranked Nittany Lions were No. 2 Shayne Van Ness at 149 pounds and No. 4 Tyler Kasak at 157 pounds, both of whom are past third-place finishers at the NCAAs. Van Ness put it on No. 3 Ty Watters of West Virginia with a 16-4 major decision win. Kasak emerged with a controlled, 4-2, win against No. 5 Peyten Kellar of Ohio. The 141-pound NCAA finals rematch between Ohio State’s Jesse Mendez and Penn State’s Beau Bartlett had a similar tenor to their previous matches. … more at … https://www.themat.com/news/2024/november/16/starocci-stakes-claim-to-184-with-sudden-victory-win-over-keckeisen-to-cap-eventful-nwca-all-star-classic?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email
Women’s College Opens this past weekend: Albion, Blue Hose, Millersville, Mike Clock and Mile High Opens held
Each week as appropriate, USA Wrestling will post the results from women’s college open tournaments from the weekend. There were five more tournaments held across the nation during the third weekend of the season. This past weekend’s tournaments were the Albion Open in Michigan, the Blue Hose Challenge in South Carolina, the Millersville Open in Pennsylvania, the Mike Clock Open in Oregon and the Mile High Open in Arizona.
Albion Open (at Albion)
Sunday, November 17
Notes: NCAA No. 4 Grand Valley State had a strong performance at the Albion Open, with four individual champions: Ana Malovich (117), Hannah Palise (131), Elleni Johnson (145) and Aaliyah Grandberry (207). Johnson defeated teammate Skylar Little Soldier in the finals. NAIA No. 10 Indana Tech had three champions. Makayla Young (103), Tehani Soares (110) and Rose Kaplan (124). Bo Geibe, an Indiana Tech wrestler competing unattached, won the 160-pound title. The other champions were Madison Small of NCAA Trine (138) and Abbie Miles of NCAA Albion (180)
103
1st Place Match – Makayla Young (Indiana Tech) won by tech fall over Kirsten Cortez (Carthage College) (TF 10-0)
3rd Place Match – Kyleigh Honaker (Manchester University) won by fall over Gabby Motz (Albion) (Fall 1:56)
5th Place Match – Abigail Alvarado (Manchester University) won by fall over Lexi Doerflinger (Hiram) (Fall 2:19)
110
1st Place Match – Tehani Soares (Indiana Tech) won by fall over Kylee Bentley (Hiram) (Fall 0:40)
3rd Place Match – Allison Hancher (Indiana Tech) won by decision over Julia Snyder (Rochester Christian University) (Dec 7-4)
5th Place Match – Caroline Farris (Alma) won by decision over Lynsey Light (Albion) (Dec 6-2)
117
1st Place Match – Ana Malovich (Grand Valley State) … more at … https://www.themat.com/news/2024/november/18/women-s-college-opens-this-past-weekend-albion-blue-hose-millersville-mike-clock-and-mile-high-opens-held
WIN’s First Regular-Season Rankings include 34 Newcomers, 9 Freshmen
NEWTON, Iowa — The college season has been going on for two weeks and opened the door for 34 wrestlers to join WIN Magazine’s Nov. 11 NCAA Division I Individual Rankings and Tournament Power Index, presented by Cliff Keen Athletic.
Among those newcomers are six who are ranked in the Top 10 of their weight classes: Chris Cannon (Northwestern) and Tyler Knox (Stanford) at 133; Casey Swiderski (Iowa State) at 141; Lorenzo Norman (Stanford) and Carson Kharchla (Ohio State) at 174; and Gabe Arnold (Iowa) at 184.
Knox, Norman and Arnold are also among nine freshmen in WIN’s first weekly rankings. The others include Illinois’ Kannon Webster and Penn’s Cross Wasilewski at 149 pounds, Cornell’s Simon Ruiz at 174, Minnesota’s Max McEnelly at 184, Iowa State’s Christian Carroll at 197 and Iowa’s Ben Kueter at heavyweight.
All wrestlers, ranked No. 1 at their weight in WIN’s preseason ranking, remain on top at their weights. That includes former national champs Richard Figueroa (125) of Arizona State, Jesse Mendez (141) of Ohio State, Caleb Henson (149) of Virginia Tech, Keegan O’Toole (174) of Missouri, Carter Starocci (184) of Penn State and Greg Kerkvliet (Hwt) of Penn State. Other defending champs Levi Haines (Penn State) and Parker Keckeisen (Northern Iowa) are rated No. 2, respectively, at 174 and 184 pounds.
Defending national champ Penn State remains No. 1 in WIN’s Tournament Power Index, which is team-race prediction at this point in the season for the 2025 NCAA Division I Championships, March 20-22, in Philadelphia; and based on where their wrestlers are ranked in WIN’s individual ratings.
The following is a breakdown of those individual TPI points per ranking: 20 for 1st, 16 for 2nd, 13.5 for 3rd, 12.5 for 4th, 10 for 5th, 9 for 6th, 6.5 for 7th and 5.5 for 8th. Wrestlers ranked 9-12 earn two points each, followed by one and a half points for wrestlers ranked 13-16 and one point for those ranked 17-20.
The Nittany Lions, which feature nine ranked wrestlers and eight ranked in the Top 8 of their weight class, earned 125.5 TPI points in these rankings. … more at … https://www.win-magazine.com/2024/11/11/wins-first-regular-season-rankings-include-34-newcomers-9-freshmen/
NCWA Teams’ Rankings
NCWA Men’s Team Rankings
Now that the 2x Defending National Champions, Bellarmine University, have moved on to full NCAA-D1 status, the battle for the 2025 NCWA Men’s National Championship seems to be a dog-fight between around 5 programs. Liberty graduated some top talent including National Champions but also brought in a stellar recruiting class. Thomas More and Apprentice re-loaded their rosters with several key returners. Menlo College will be in a NCAA-transition year along with Vanguard University. Tarleton State will be in their first year with a NCAA-recruited team. Then there are the upstart programs that have made a recent mark such as Washington State, Utah Tech, and Springfield Tech.
1. Thomas More University (Crestview Hills, KY) – NCAA-D2 Transition
2. The Apprentice School (Newport News, VA) – NCWA-D1
3. Menlo College (Atherton, CA) – NCAA-D2 Transition
4. Liberty University (Lynchburg, VA) – NCWA-D1
5. Tarleton State University (Stephenville, TX) – NCWA-D1
6. Washington State University (Pullman, WA) – NCWA-D1
7. Vanguard University (Costa Mesa, CA) – NCAA-D2 Transition
8. Utah Tech University (St. George, UT) – NCWA-D1
9. University of Central Florida (Orlando, FL) – NCWA-D1
10. Springfield Tech CC (Springfield, MA) – NCWA-D1
11. West Chester University (West Chester, PA) – NCWA-D2
12. University of Florida (Gainesville, FL) – NCWA-D1
13. University of Nevada, Las Vegas (Las Vegas, NV) – NCWA-D1
14. University of Michigan (Ann Arbor, MI) – NCWA-D2
15. The Ohio State University (Columbus, OH) – NCWA-D2 … more at … https://ncwa.net/news/2024/ncwa-mens-team-rankings
And …
NCWA Women’s Team Rankings
The women’s division has grown by leaps and bounds over the last few years; however, the division remains top heavy with four teams at the top and then the rest. Look for Ottawa-Arizona to attempt to get back to the top of the podium (1st in 2023, 2nd in 2024) and Washington State, Utah Tech, and UNLV to battle it out for the top spot.
1. Ottawa University – Arizona (Surprise, AZ)
2. Washington State University (Pullman, WA)
3. Utah Tech University (St. George, UT)
4. University of Nevada, Las Vegas (Las Vegas, NV)
5. Liberty University (Lynchburg, VA)
6. Tarleton State University (Stephenville, TX)
7. Grand Canyon University (Phoenix, AZ
8. Colorado State University (Fort Collins, CO)
9. The Apprentice School (Newport News, VA)
10. University of Central Florida (Orlando, FL)
11. Massachusetts Institute of Technology (Cambridge, MA)
12. Springfield Tech CC (Springfield, MA)
13. Texas A & M University (College Station, TX)
14. Santa Rosa Junior College (Santa Rosa, CA)
15. The University of Texas (Austin, TX) … more at … https://ncwa.net/news/2024/ncwa-womens-team-rankings
Stanford’s upset over Iowa State triggers movement in Top 10
Manheim, Pennsylvania – A weekend excursion by Stanford into Iowa provided mixed results in terms of wins and losses, but it proved to create the first big shift in the NWCA Division I Men’s Wrestling Coaches Poll released on Tuedsay.
Stanford’s 23-21 win in Ames over then-No. 6 Iowa State dropped the Cyclones five spots to No. 11, while it elevated the Cardinal to No. 14, a six-spot improvement from the previous week. The Cardinal are tied at 14 with Northern Iowa.
Stanford couldn’t repeat the feat in Iowa City as second-ranked Iowa (2-0) beat the Cardinal 32-9.
The top five remained the same as Iowa, fourth-ranked Nebraska and then-No. 7 NC State saw dual action over the weekend.
Nebraska (1-0) opened up with a 32-7 win over visiting Utah Valley, while NC State throttled Campbell 44-3 at Journeymen’s Wranglemania event in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania.
With Iowa State dropping to No. 11, that moved Cornell into the Top 10 for the first time this season.
Illinois had a strong weekend, defeating then-No. 19 Arizona State 37-9 and Binghamton 30-10. The Fighting Illini moved up one spot to No. 16 this week. West Virginia (1-0) won its only dual of the week over Division II Glenville State 35-10. Arizona State topped LIU 38-3 to split its weekend in Pennsylvania.
Then-No. 23 Oregon State topped North Dakota State 35-6 in Fargo, while No. 25 North Carolina opened up with a pair of wins, topping Drexel 33-9 and Navy 23-16. … more at … https://nwcaonline.com/news/2024/11/12/ncaa-division-1-men-stanfords-upset-over-iowa-state-triggers-movement-in-top-10.aspx

