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  • 2023-24 InterMat's Year-End Big 12 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. We’ll start with the Big 12 conference. 
    Big 12 Wrestler of the Year: Parker Keckeisen (Northern Iowa)
    Only four wrestlers finished the 2023-24 campaign as undefeated national champions and three of them wore Penn State singlets. The other? Northern Iowa’s Parker Keckeisen the winner of the 184 lb bracket. Keckeisen has been excellent for his entire career at Northern Iowa, but also turned it into another gear this season. At the NCAA Championships, Keckeisen was the only wrestler to notch bonus points in every one of his matches. In the NCAA finals, he majored Oklahoma State’s Dustin Plott, an opponent who earned bonus points in every one of his pre-finals matches. 
    For the year, Keckeisen tallied bonus points in over 90% of his matches. That total has put him right in the middle of the Hodge Trophy race. Keckeisen’s NCAA finals win over Plott was his third of the year over the Oklahoma State star and his second that included bonus points. The first of those two major decisions came in the Big 12 finals, where Keckeisen captured his fourth consecutive Big 12 crown. 
    During the regular season, Keckeisen was selected to compete in the NWCA All-Star match. There he edged new Penn State wrestler Bernie Truax in front of Truax’s home crowd and he had to mount a comeback to get the victory. Just over a week later, Keckeisen went out to Vegas for the CKLV Invitational. In Vegas, he dominated the field with bonus points in four of five matches to capture the title. Just to make the finals, Keckeisen needed to defeat two returning All-Americans. 
    For his career, Keckeisen is now 104-5 with four All-American finishes. He was second in 2023 and third in each of his first two seasons. During the 2023 and 2024 NCAA Tournaments, Keckeisen was given the number one seed. Keckeisen has twice made the CKLV finals - winning in 2023. He’ll head into his final year of eligibility a winner of 31 straight and 51 of his last 52 matches.
    Honorable Mention: David Carr (Iowa State)

    Big 12 Freshman of the Year: Ty Watters (West Virginia)
    From day one of the 2023-24 season, true freshman Ty Watters was West Virginia’s starter at 149 lbs. Right away, Watters showed that he had plenty of potential, as he earned a win over returning national qualifier Tom Crook at the Southeast Open. Watters also displayed early in the season his propensity for pins. He secured falls in seven of his first eight duals - a streak that preceded the Midlands Championships. At the Midlands, Watters made the championship finals and helped lead the Mountaineers to a third-place finish, as a team. 
    Down the homestretch, Watters won six of his final seven duals. In the postseason, Watters became only the fourth WVU wrestler to win a conference title since the move to the Big 12. He also was the first freshman conference champion since Brandon Rader in 2006. His performance at the Big 12 Championships provided him with the #5 seed in Kansas City. 
    At his first NCAA Tournament, Watters avenged a regular season loss to Willie McDougald to make the quarterfinals opposite Virginia Tech’s Caleb Henson. Henson defeated Watters and went on to win the national title - he was responsible for two of his six losses on the year. 
    After the Henson loss, Watters clinched All-American status with a second-period fall over past AA Jaden Abas (Stanford). In his next contest, Watters avenged yet another regular season loss by majoring Iowa State’s Casey Swiderski. To lock up a top-four finish, Watters also pinned four-time All-American Kyle Parco (Arizona State). Watters went on to finish fourth in the national which is the highest by a WVU wrestler since 2015. 
    Honorable Mention: Bennett Berge (South Dakota State

    Big 12 Coach of the Year: Damion Hahn (South Dakota State)
    South Dakota State started the 2023-24 campaign with wins over three non-DI foes before suffering close losses to Big Ten opponents Minnesota and Nebraska. After that stretch, Damion Hahn’s team reeled off nine straight wins - a streak that included a win over Michigan, along with Navy and Oklahoma. After a pair of losses, the Jackrabbits ended the year by crushing rival North Dakota State, 34-6. 
    At the Big 12 Championships, South Dakota State finished third with 122 points. It was the first time SDSU had scored over 100 points at the Big 12 meet and tied a program-best with their finish. The Jackrabbits also crowned a pair of champions, Cade DeVos (174) and Tanner Sloan (197). It was the first time since the 2018 tournament that SDSU had multiple champions. Hahn’s team also finished above a Missouri squad that had won the previous two Big 12 tournaments. 
    In Kansas City, South Dakota State set a new program record with four DI All-Americans. DeVos and Sloan made the podium, along with Tanner Jordan and freshman Bennett Berge. That was good enough for a 13th-place finish, which was one spot short of another program high. 
    Honorable Mention: Kevin Dresser (Iowa State)
     
    Previous Award Winners
    Big 12 Wrestler of the Year
    2023: Andrew Alirez (Northern Colorado)
    2022: Keegan O’Toole (Missouri)
     
    Big 12 Freshman of the Year
    2023: Michael Caliendo (North Dakota State)
    2022: Willie McDougald (Oklahoma)
     
    Big 12 Coach of the Year
    2023: Sam Barber (Air Force)
    2022: Brian Smith (Missouri)

    Earl Smith -

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    Who Should Central Michigan Hire?

    On March 11th, news broke that longtime Central Michigan head coach Tom Borrelli would step down from his post following the 2024 NCAA Championships. Borrelli spent 33 years as head coach of the Chippewas and coached one national champion, 45 All-Americans, and 93 MAC champions. CMU finished in the top ten at the NCAA Tournament on three occasions, topping out at fifth in 1998. 
    Now that the 2023-24 season is over, we can ask the question, who will replace Tom Borrelli? 
    The world out of Mount Pleasant is that heavy consideration will be given to candidates with a link to Borrelli and the program. 
    With that in mind, we’ve narrowed the list to some candidates that fit the bill (for the most part) and could be realistic hires. Saying CMU should hire Jordan Burroughs or David Taylor is fun, but not realistic. Also, we understand that CMU’s more prominent wrestling alum, Casey Cunningham, is not an option at this time. 
    So, here’s a group of potential candidates with a little bit about their background and why they may stand out from the others on the list.  
    Ben Bennett - Central Michigan Associate Head Coach
    While Coach Borrelli was a fixture on the CMU bench, his right-hand man Ben Bennett, is getting close to that status himself. Bennett was a top-100 recruit from the Class of 2008 who chose to stay in-state and Central Michigan, then proceeded to capture four MAC titles and earn All-American honors in each of his four years in the Chippewa lineup (6,8.6,4). Bennett is the only wrestler in school history to finish as an All-American four times and is one of only three four-time MAC champs.
    Immediately upon graduation, Bennett was appointed to the CMU coaching staff and just finished his 11th year. While on staff, four CMU wrestlers have earned All-American honors with the highest being Drew Hildebrandt’s fourth-place finish in 2021. Also, seven wrestlers have combined to win 14 MAC titles - headlined by Matt Stencel’s five at 285 lbs. 
    During Bennett’s 11 years on staff, Central Michigan has won the MAC regular season title on two occasions and recently captured the 2024 MAC Championship. This year, Central Michigan had three national qualifiers and saw 157 lber, Johnny Lovett, advance to the bloodround. 
    In a program that has had such continuity for decades, promoting Ben Bennett seems like a logical choice. With coach Borrelli stepping down, I’d assume he still has the ear of the athletic administration, so I’d imagine he vouches for his longtime assistant. 
     
    Jon Reader - University of Wisconsin Associate Head Coach
    As a prep wrestler at Davison High School, Jon Reader was one of the top recruits in the Class of 2006 and went to Iowa State. Reader earned All-American honors on three occasions and finished his career as an undefeated national champion in 2011. He was also a starter on two NCAA team trophy-winning teams for the Cyclones, as they took third in 2009 and 2010. 
    Reader’s coaching career got underway at his alma mater with a two-year stint as a volunteer assistant. In the summer of 2014, Reader joined fellow Cyclone alum, Chris Bono, on the South Dakota State coaching staff. While at SDSU, Reader helped lay the foundation for a Jackrabbit team that is regularly in the top 15 nationally. During his final year in Brookings, the Jackrabbits finished 12th in the nation on the strength of a national championship from Seth Gross. 
    While at SDSU, Reader was still active and competed at the 2016 Olympic Team Trials. 
    Since moving to Wisconsin, Reader has been a part of a squad that has finished in the top 20 in each of the last three seasons. While at Wisconsin, Reader has overseen five different wrestlers combined to earn All-American honors on ten occasions. Also, Wisconsin had three wrestlers named first-team All-Americans in 2020. 
    Reader has also been very influential in the Badgers recruiting efforts. They have inked top-25 classes in each of the last three seasons (25,14,14). 
    Getting a coach of Reader’s pedigree would be a coup for the Chippewas. Reader’s name often comes up during coaching vacancies and he is very respected amongst the coaching community. He has great name-brand recognition, plus in-state roots, to boot.
     
    Wynn Michalak - Campbell University Associate Head Coach
    Like Bennett, Wynn Michalak is a Central Michigan alum and one of the best to ever come out of Borrelli’s program. Michalak won every MAC title between 2005-08 at 197 lbs and earned All-American honors three times along the way. Michalak's best NCAA finish was during his senior season when he made the NCAA finals and finished as a runner-up to Penn State’s Phil Davis. He remains the last Chippewa wrestler to earn the #1 seed at nationals (2006). 
    After his collegiate career was over, Michalak had a decorated Senior-level career. He competed at a pair of Olympic Trials and was a Senior National champion in 2015. 
    Michalak joined the coaching ranks as a member of the CMU staff in a volunteer assistant capacity. He did stints in the Big Ten at Illinois and Michigan State before moving to Campbell. 
    Last week, at the NCAA Tournament, Campbell had just their second All-American in school history, Taye Ghadiali at 285 lbs. One would think that Ghadiali worked closely with Michalak during the past couple of years. 
    During the regular season, Campbell went 14-3 in dual competitions and crushed the rest of the SoCon. They finished the dual season ranked #22 in the nation by InterMat. Ghadiali ended up being one of six national qualifiers for the Camels and one of three conference champions in 2024.  
    Michalak might have the most complete resume of the bunch. He fits the bill as being from the Borrelli coaching tree, has high-level experience as an athlete, and has coached a variety of schools - with a mix of sizes and stature. 
     
    Jason Borrelli - Head Coach American University
    We couldn’t end without mentioning Tom Borrelli’s son, Jason, the current head coach at American University. The younger Borrelli just finished his third season at the helm in Washington DC. Borrelli has had an NCAA qualifier in each of the last two seasons, after inheriting a difficult situation at American following the Covid pandemic. 
    Prior to coming to American, Borrelli was named the 2021 WIN Magazine National Coach of the Year at Stanford after leading Shane Griffith to a national title during the push to save Stanford Wrestling. Borrelli spent 13 years at Stanford and was named the Pac-12 Coach of the Year in 2019 after guiding the Cardinal to their first Pac-12 Championship in school history. 
    Borrelli’s highwater mark at Stanford was an 11th-place finish at the NCAA Championships in 2011. That year the Cardinal had three All-Americans and amassed 44 team points, a school high. 
    Before being named Stanford’s head coach, Borrelli served on Kerry McCoy’s Stanford staff. He also has experience on the CMU bench. 
    Jason Borrelli is the only person on this list with head coaching experience which would give him a leg up on anyone in the group. He also has the family connection at the school - in addition to it being his alma mater. 
    You have to wonder if Borrelli is interested in making another move just three years after going cross-country from Palo Alto, California to DC. Under his direction, American has been recruiting well and recently broke ground on a new state-of-the-art facility. 

    Earl Smith -

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    2x All-American Hamiti to Transfer to Oklahoma State

    Only four days removed from the end of the 2024 NCAA Tournament, the transfer season is already heating up!
    Yesterday, we mentioned how two-time All-American Dean Hamiti had entered the transfer portal. Hamiti had earned All-American honors twice in three years for Wisconsin; however, he was seeking a new home and was labeled as “Do Not Contact.” in the portal. That means schools were not able to initiate contact and Hamiti likely had a school or schools in mind to pursue. 
    That proved to be the case as Hamiti announced today that he would be transferring to Oklahoma State University. That seems like a logical fit as the Cowboys will lose two-time All-American Izzak Olejnik. Olejnik earned All-American honors in 2023 for Northern Illinois, then joined OSU as a graduate transfer in 2023-24. 
    Hamiti is linked to Oklahoma State by his matches with their previous starter, Olejnik. The two met in the 2023 NWCA All-Star Match and Olejnik shocked the reigning Big Ten champion, 8-2. The pair clashed again, in Kansas City, in the NCAA bloodround and Olejnik prevailed in sudden victory. 
    In his social media announcement, Hamiti states how “it’s been a dream of mine since I was little, I wanted to wrestle as a Cowboy!” 
    Oklahoma State loses two of their three 2024 All-Americans; however, the bulk of a lineup that went 14-1 in 2023-24 returns. Sliding into the 165 lb spot vacated by Olejnik makes the most sense; however, Hamiti did briefly bump up to 174, so that may be an option in Stillwater. Oklahoma State’s returning starter is true freshman Brayden Thompson, who does have a redshirt year available. 
    In three years with the Badgers, Hamiti amassed an 81-14 record with two NCAA sixth-place finishes, a Big Ten title, and two B1G finals appearances.

    Earl Smith -

    Read more...
    • 2023-24 InterMat's Year-End Big 12 Awards

      2023-24 InterMat's Year-End Big 12 Awards

    • Who Should Central Michigan Hire?

      Who Should Central Michigan Hire?

    • 2x All-American Hamiti to Transfer to Oklahoma State

      2x All-American Hamiti to Transfer to Oklahoma State



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