Wrestling News & Views – Tom Elling
Here we go. As you are reading this, the NCAAs are underway in the City of Brotherly Love. All the experts expect the Nittany Lions to dominate once again. The seeding does seem a little more favorable this go-around.
Questions I have:
Will Bo Bartlett get his offense going at a higher gear than at the Big Tens?
How much will Josh Barr’s injury affect him?
Looking at Lock Haven University (LHU)
Will Anthony Noto keep his late-season heroics going at 133?
Can Wyatt Henson get his takedown attack in gear in what looks like a second-round matchup with top seed Brock Hardy? First, he must defeat Campbell’s Shannon Hanna.
Speaking of Campbell, as you know, they have decided to drop wrestling.
And then there is a first-round meeting between two super freshmen: Tucker Hogan (LHU) vs. Josh Barr (Penn State).
Scouting the Brackets
One intriguing possibility is a second-round meeting between the Stout brothers at 197 lbs. Mac wrestles for Pitt; Luke wrestles for Princeton. They did their schoolboy wrestling at Mount Lebanon.
Once again, Pennsylvania has the most wrestlers in the NCAAs with 41 entries. Ohio follows with 27, followed by New Jersey and California (26 each), Illinois (24), and New York (17).
Bellefonte alum Jude Swisher (Penn) is seeded #14 at 157 lbs. If both he and Ed Scott (DuBois) win their first two bouts, they could meet. Meyer Shapiro of Cornell, the #2 seed, has only one loss (via default). Can he overcome his nagging injuries to uphold that seed?
A Pennsylvania First-Round Alert:
#1 and returning champ Levi Haines (PSU) will face Lock Haven’s Avery Bassett in Round 1 at 174 lbs.
From the PA Northern Tier, Sheldon Seymour (Troy alum and two-time PIAA champ) is seeded #9.
Terrell Barraclough (Utah Valley), a transfer from Penn State, has earned a #4 seed. He is 27-2.
At 184 lbs:
Jared McGill (Edinboro) is the nephew of former LHU wrestler and Rider coach Barry Burtnett. His other uncle, Fred Burtnett, was a faculty member at Lock Haven High.
Also at 184 lbs is Malachi DuVall (George Mason). He wrestled at Penns Valley under BE-N grad Joel Brinker.
LHU’s Collin Fegley gets a tough draw with #3 Max McEnelly (Minnesota).
In an energy-draining battle, Gabe Arnold (Iowa) faces DJ Washington (Indiana). You may recall Arnold “guaranteed” he’d beat Carter Starocci when Iowa visited the BJC. Flashback: He wasn’t in the lineup and reportedly couldn’t even stay on the main floor to watch Starocci and Angelo Ferrari battle.
Lehigh’s Caden Rogers (who has Lock Haven ties, as mentioned in previous columns) faces TJ McDonnell in a pigtail match. The winner has the unenviable task of wrestling possibly 5-time champ Carter Starocci.
Heavyweight (HWT) Class
This weight class is personally compelling to me as I am friends with the families of three competitors:
Cohlton Schultz (Arizona State)
Gavin Hoffman (LHU)
Dayton Pitzer (Pitt)
I’ve also had a few chats with the parents of Greg Kerkvliet and Seth Nevills.
At 133 lbs, Six PA Wrestlers Are Competing:
Nic Bouzakis (Ohio State) – Best seed at #7
Jacob Van Dee (Nebraska) – #17
Kurt Phipps (Bucknell) – #25
Colton Camacho (Edinboro) – #28
Ethan Berginc (Army) – #27
LHU’s Noto will first face Julian Farber (Northern Iowa). If successful, he will likely take on #2 seed Drake Ayala (Iowa).
Joey Blaze (Purdue) at 157 lbs
Seeded #8, with a 20-5 record.
He is the older brother of top Penn State recruit Marcus Blaze.
Marcus recently bumped up two weight classes and still won the Ohio State championship, earning his 4th state title.
Future NCAA Wrestling Championship Sites
2026 – Cleveland (Rocket Arena) – March 19-21
2027 – St. Louis (Enterprise Center) – March 18-20
2028 – Minneapolis (U.S. Bank Stadium) – March 16-18
Other Important Wrestling Dates
April 15 – District Four Retired Coaches Brunch (Williamsport)
April 27 – PA Chapter of the National Wrestling Hall of Fame Banquet (Hershey)
March 23 – Mike Frank’s Birthday; May 7 – Central PA Wrestling Breakfast
Giving Back to PA Wrestling
Williamsport’s first PIAA Champion and entrepreneur Rick Mahonski will once again sponsor the PIAA Most Outstanding Wrestler Awards (for both Boys and Girls). Rick is a blessing to PA wrestling, epitomizing the true meaning of “giving back.”
