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  • 4x Qualifier Saldate to Transfer to Michigan

    Just two days after hitting the transfer portal, Chase Saldate has announced his transfer destination. He’ll stay in Michigan and change colors moving from Michigan State to the maize and blue of the Wolverines. 
    Saldate, a four-time national qualifier at 157 lbs for the Spartans, will use his final year of eligibility wrestling for the University of Michigan. 
    The 2022-23 season was Saldate’s best as he finished fifth in the Big Ten and advanced to the NCAA Round of 12 after earning the 11th seed. 
    After four years at MSU, Saldate sports an 82-33 record. He recently went 25-8 at the 2024 NCAA Championships, losing a pair of 4-3 matches to Big Ten rivals. In the regular season, Saldate was seventh at the Midlands and a finalist at the Black Knight Invite. During the regular season, Saldate nearly pulled off one of the biggest upsets of the year when he pushed the eventual undefeated NCAA champion, Levi Haines, into tiebreakers. 
    Coming out of high school, Saldate was ranked #14 overall in the Class of 2020 after making a pair of California state finals - winning his senior season. Before his senior year, Saldate won a belt at the Super 32 and during the regular season, he was a champion at the Reno Tournament of Champions and the Doc Buchanan. 
    Michigan is losing two-time All-American Will Lewan at 157 lbs, so Saldate could step in and replace his former rival. There has also been some talk that Saldate would like to move up to 165 lbs. While Saldate only has a year of eligibility remaining, he does have a redshirt available, as well.

    Earl Smith -

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    2023-24 InterMat's Year-End MAC Awards

    The 2023-24 season is in the record books, but before moving on, it’s time to salute the top performers in each conference. Yesterday, we started with the Big 12 conference; now, onto the MAC. 
    MAC Wrestler of the Year: Anthony Noto (Lock Haven)
    This makes for the third consecutive year that Anthony Noto has been honored in our year-end awards. He was named the conference wrestler of the year in 2023, and in 2022, the freshman (newcomer) of the year. 
    Noto came into the 2023-24 season ranked second in the preseason after a fourth-place finish in 2023. At two points during this year, Noto held the number one spot in the nation. A few weeks after competing in the All-Star Classic, Noto defeated the eventual ACC champion, Jakob Camacho (NC State), who was ranked #1 in the country, at the time. 
    At the 2024 MAC Championships, Noto used a 13-5 major decision over Blake West to claim his third consecutive conference title. In doing so, Noto became the first Lock Haven wrestler to win three conference championships since 1997. 
    Despite dominating the MAC, Noto was given the 12th seed in Kansas City. That set him up for a first-round match against All-American Brandon Kaylor (Oregon State), the only first-round meeting between two All-Americans in the tournament. Noto won that bout 5-3 and another over Diego Sotelo (Harvard) to make the quarterfinals. In the quarters, Noto used an overtime takedown to defeat returning NCAA runner-up, Matt Ramos (Purdue). Ramos was the opponent who defeated Noto in the All-Star Classic. 
    After a close, one-point loss to the eventual national champion (Richie Figueroa - Arizona State) in the semifinals, Noto bounced back with wins over Big Ten opponents, Caleb Smith (Nebraska) then Eric Barnett (Wisconsin) to claim third place. 
    With at least another year of eligibility remaining, Noto holds an 84-10 career record and will be considered one of the top title contenders at a turbulent 125 lb weight class. 

    photo courtesy of George Mason athletics
    MAC Freshman of the Year: DJ McGee (George Mason)
    For the second year in a row, George Mason has the conference Freshman of the Year. This season’s honor goes to 157 lber DJ McGee, who finished with a 25-7 record. That was a bit unexpected after McGee went 7-3 during his redshirt season. 
    McGee started the year with a nine-match winning streak - one that included a title at the Battle at the Citadel and a shocking upset over returning All-American Michael Blockhus of Minnesota. McGee proved his Blockhus win was no fluke as he finished fourth at the Midlands just over a month later. 
    After the new year, McGee closed out the dual season with wins in five of his last six bouts. His only loss during that stretch came against eventual All-American Peyten Kellar (Ohio). McGee saw Kellar again in the MAC finals, but still fell 2-0. McGee ended up as the runner-up in the conference’s deepest weight class. In the MAC semis, McGee posted his second win of the season over eventual Round of 12 finisher Johnny Lovett (Central Michigan). 
    In Kansas City, McGee went 1-2 in a brutal 157 lbs weight class. His lone win came at the expense of North Carolina’s Sonny Santiago by a 4-2 score. The two opponents who defeated McGee were seeded in the top-11. 

    photo courtesy of Tony Rotundo; WrestlersAreWarriiors.com
    MAC Coach of the Year: Tom Borrelli (Central Michigan)
    Just two days after winning his 15th MAC title, Tom Borrelli announced he would step down from his post as Central Michigan’s head coach after 33 years at the helm for the Chippewas. In his final campaign with CMU, Borrelli’s squad went 8-8 with a 6-1 record in the conference. Three Central Michigan wrestlers earned a trip to nationals in Kansas City, led by 174 lb MAC champion Alex Cramer. 
    At his final national tournament, Borrelli saw Cramer go 2-2 and Lovett advanced to the bloodround before coming up a match shy of earning All-American status. Lovett suffered a first-round loss, but bounced back with wins over three opponents seeded higher than him to make the Round of 12. 
    The 2023-24 dual season brought Borrelli’s career record to 368-179. He ended up coaching 45 All-Americans and 93 MAC champions. Borrelli had a national champion (Casey Cunningham - 1999) and three top-ten finishes at the NCAA Tournament. CMU’s fifth-place finish in 1998 represented the highwater mark for Borrelli and the Chippewas. 
    As of now, three of his former wrestlers are current DI head coaches. 
     
    Previous Award Winners
    MAC Wrestler of the Year
    2023: Anthony Noto (Lock Haven)
    2022: Matt Stencel (Central Michigan)
     
    MAC Freshman of the Year
    2023: Nathan Higley (George Mason)
    2022: Anthony Noto (Lock Haven)
     
    MAC Coach of the Year
    2023: Keith Ferraro (Clarion)
    2022: Scott Moore (Lock Haven)

    Earl Smith -

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    Jagger's Friday Mailbag - 3/29/2024

    Well, another college wrestling season is in the books. It always seems like it flies by and then you realize how far back November was and you remember how long it really is. We were probably in about week nine of the football season. Halloween candy was still strewn about. The World Series just ended. Ok, you get my point. We go to witness all the heartbreak and triumph. We started out with 17-year-old high school kids tearing up open tournaments and ended with teammates making history by both winning their fourth title. Personally, I thought it was an excellent season with a final tournament to match. So, let's talk about it! 
    15 years from now, you look back and think about the 2023-2024 season, what’s gonna stick out to you? Dysen Gould 
    Well, the Brock Hardy incident certainly “sticks out” for me right now and years down the road. I can’t remember 15 minutes ago, so I seriously doubt I’ll remember Vance Vombaur placing from the #26 seed. Or Shane Griffith coming back from 5-0 in the quarters. I doubt I’ll remember Parker Keckeisen going bonus all the way through. Or the Chairgate incident between Mekhi Lewis and Ben Pasiuk. I probably won’t recall Mason Beckman making Daniel Cormier nearly quit on live television. Hopefully, I’ll forget Virginia Tech ruining the perfect Jagger Night record. But I will remember that spladle for the rest of my life. 
    Who never technically won NCAA’s but is a national champion in the Jagger personal record book? Rhino 
    That would be you, my friend. You’re a great man. I drunkenly called you on Christmas Eve last year and you loved it. But also, Peyton Robb for what he went through just to come back this year and get on the podium again. And Trent Hidlay for being not only a beast but everything you want in a wrestler and teammate. Austin Gomez for never giving up on his dreams and never holding back out there on the mat. Now he’s earned a trip to the Olympics this summer because of it. And Kevin Claunch for having the guts to wear a sun hat. All champions in my book. 
    How much are we booing Fix at the Olympic Team Trials? Personally, I'm trying to sound like the ghost of 2nd places past every time he steps on the mat. Thicccolas 
    Oh, come on now. I’m probably as guilty as anyone is when it comes to goofing on his longevity, but it’s all in fun. The man is an exceptional wrestler. Over a seven-year run, Daton has five conferences, five AA’s, four finals appearances, multiple Senior world teams, a Senior world finals appearance, and a Junior world title. In an era where guys compete less and less, Daton Fix just never stopped. Yeah, things seemed to take a weird turn last week in all his matches. But he might deserve some applause for everything he has accomplished in his career. Or boo him. I don’t care. You bought the ticket and this is America last I checked. 
    Which outfit was your favorite? Rachel Gallardo 
    I admit I’m partial to the red sweatpants that Earl busted out on Saturday night to honor the Tiger Woods Sunday red. 
    Can the Jays get 90 wins this year? Eric Asselin 
    You do have 28 games against the Yankees and Boston. I’m sure you can conjure up 62 more wins somewhere. Daniel Vogelbach is worth at least ten wins by himself. 
    Will Danny Burgers be an All-Star this year? IndianaMat 
    You just saw me say the guy will lead Toronto to 90 wins. I’m expecting MVP votes.
    Which school with a coaching opening is the best job? Luke Wise 
    I feel it’s pretty even between CMU and Buffalo with the slight edge to CMU. I just hope both schools give their best effort in looking for the next guy. With so many great coaches in the land and so few D1 jobs, you have more than enough candidates. Hire the guy who is the best fit and not because he went undefeated in his career or something. That stuff never works. 
    And now to close out the regular season mailbag we take it to the newcomer of the year and his never-ending run of questions. Once more, take us home, Burger King of Kings. 
    Who's the coolest wrestling person you've interacted with on Twitter? 
    Old School Wrestling Clips. His rizz level is Anakin Skywalker class. I’ve never seen anything like it.
    Do you save my unanswered questions, or do you need me to resubmit?
    It would behoove you to resubmit them. 
    Who are you going to challenge in street league 2024? 
    Not Jesse Mendez. Possibly Hijo de JL Vice. Idiot troll, I bet he says hi to my face. 
    Favorite delay/challenge brick of the tournament? 
    I loved all the delays in the 133 final. I don’t care who knows it. I‘m sure it was awful in the arena but it was perfect from the couch. First off, we were only the third match in so the crowd was properly buzzed to just be raucous. Add in all the online takes and opinions and the fact that this is a common occurrence in Fix matches and it was pure anarchy. 
    Well, that’s going to do it for this week’s bag. Soon I’ll pick the third annual All-Jagger team that still has no actual criteria. Hey, it’s the highest honor we got.

    Jagger -

    Read more...
    • 4x Qualifier Saldate to Transfer to Michigan

      4x Qualifier Saldate to Transfer to Michigan

    • 2023-24 InterMat's Year-End MAC Awards

      2023-24 InterMat's Year-End MAC Awards

    • Jagger's Friday Mailbag - 3/29/2024

      Jagger's Friday Mailbag - 3/29/2024



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