With the Olympic Team set and all of the quotas determined, one of the only things left in the run up to the 2024 Olympic Games is the Ranking Series event. Budapest, Hungary was the host for the Polyak Imre & Varga Janos Memorial Ranking Series event which will be used to determine seeds in Paris. 
At the Olympic level, not everyone necessarily cares about the seeds, which you can tell by the fact that not all countries or individuals have decided to participate. Some like the event as a tune-up or trial run for the real competition. 
On Thursday, the only US Olympian in action was men’s freestyle heavyweight Mason Parris at 125 kgs. The 2023 World bronze medalist proved he is ready for Paris by winning the gold medal against some quality competition. 
In the quarterfinals, Parris squared off with Givi Matcharashvili (Georgia) who has bounced between 97 and 125 kg over the last few years. Earlier this year, Matcharashvili won a European title at the lower weight. Additionally, he’s claimed World bronze medals at 97 kg in each of the last two years and has qualified for the Olympic Games at that weight. Parris controlled the action and cruised to a 9-2 victory. 
In the semifinals, Parris crushed Puerto Rico’s Jonovan Smith 10-0 in under a minute. 
That set up a finals matchup against Yusup Batirmurzaev of Kazakhstan. Batirmurzaev is the same opponent who Parris defeated in the opening round at the 2023 World Championships. The Kazakh big man made the finals after pinning 3x world champion and 10x World/Olympic medalist Geno Petriashvili (Georgia). 
As is typically the case, Parris got to his offense first and was in on a single leg. Batirmurzaev attempted to counter and expose the American, but ended up putting himself on his back and never was able to escape and gave up a fall in only :34 seconds. 
Parris wasn’t the only American in action on Thursday. Nahshon Garrett (61 kg) and Evan Henderson (70 kg) also took the mat. Garrett posted a 13-3 tech over Nika Zakashvili (Georgia) to earn a bronze medal. Henderson went 0-2 on the day and was fifth.

In our new series, “The Never Too Early Lineup Look,” we’ll preview a potential lineup for a particular school. Since we’re a few months away from even the preseason, there will likely be plenty of moving parts at most schools. And that’s okay. Fans enjoy debating how their favorite teams (or rivals) could look in the upcoming season. 
This feature kicks off by looking at Oregon State University. The Beavers will enter their fifth season under the direction of Chris Pendleton. Under Pendleton, the Beavers have gone 27-20 in dual competition and had wrestlers earn All-American honors on six occasions. 
In Pac-12 competition, Oregon State has finished second in the conference tournament on two occasions and took the title in 2023. In 2024, Little Rock slipped ahead of Oregon State by 4.5 points to claim second place. 
With conference realignment rearing its head again, the Pac-12 has seen almost all of its members flee to other conferences (for all sports). That leaves us wondering how it will impact wrestling and Oregon State? InterMat has been told that the Pac-12 has been giving a waiver to drop below six teams and will generally hold their conference tournament, as usual - minus Arizona State. 
Circling back to Oregon State, the Beavers will return a team that features only three wrestlers with past NCAA experience - including one All-American; however, there are some promising new faces and returning starters that have shown flashes of brilliance. 
 
125 - Maximo Renteria
Oregon State will look at a new face in the lineup at 125 lbs for the first time in a long time after five-year starter and 2022 All-American Brandon Kaylor has exhausted his eligibility. Hoping to stake his claim to the starting role for multiple years is Maximo Renteria who transferred from Illinois prior to the 2023-24 season. Renteria was the #29 overall recruit in the Class of 2021 after winning three state titles for Buchanan High School. In his only season as the full-time starter for Illinois, Renteria went 4-14 and did not qualify for the NCAA Tournament. 
Looking at his first year in Corvallis, Renteria has one win that stands out more than any other. He posted a 9-5 win over the eventual NCAA champion Richie Figueroa (Arizona State) during a late-season dual. Obviously, Figueroa improved as the year went on, but that’s still indicative of Renteria’s upside. All-in-all, Renteria went 6-0 during the 2023-24 season with four wins over DI competitors. 
With Renteria in the fold, the Beaver staff should be able to redshirt true freshman Hunter Taylor of Liberty High School in Missouri. Taylor was the #112 recruit in the Class of 2024 and won a pair of Junior National freestyle titles in Fargo. 
 
133 - Gabe Whisenhunt/Damion Elliott
133 lbs isn’t quite as clear-cut as 125 lbs. There are two solid options, both of which should see time in the OSU lineup. The incumbent is Gabe Whisenhunt, a redshirt sophomore. Whisenhunt started his first official year of competition with a win over returning All-American Sam Latona (Virginia Tech) at the Southeast Open, which put him into the national rankings. Whisenhunt couldn’t necessarily build off that momentum and then ran into a tough stretch that saw him face top-12 opponents in each of his four January duals. Whisenhunt eventually finished the year 10-11 and fourth in the Pac-12 and missed out on a trip to nationals. 
The other main option for the Beavers at 133 is another redshirt sophomore, Damion Elliott. He did not see action during the 2023-24 season, but did split matches with Whisenhunt during their redshirt campaign. Aside from that victory, Elliott’s most notable win during the 2022-23 season came over Hunter Leake (California Baptist) who would make the NCAA Tournament in 2024. 
 
141 - Nash Singleton
Oregon State lost their 2023-24 starter and Round of 12 finisher, Cleveland Belton, to the transfer portal. With the spot at 141 seemingly open, look for last year’s starter at 149 lbs, Nash Singleton, to move down to handle the starting role. Like Whisenhunt, Singleton started the year strong. He picked up wins at the Menlo and Mike Clock Opens before taking sixth at the Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational. In Vegas, Singleton managed an 8-6 win over eventual All-American Quinn Kinner (Rider). 
After Vegas, Singleton only managed one non-forfeit win during the remainder of the regular season. He would finish the year fourth in the Pac-12. 
Since Singleton might be moving down a weight, you could make the case that he may have been outgunned at a higher weight as the year progressed. 
 
149 - Noah Tolentino
With Singleton likely headed down to 141 lbs, it appears as if Noah Tolentino is the man at 149 lbs. Tolentino is a redshirt sophomore who could be a breakout candidate for Oregon State in 2024-25. Last year, he started the season as the starter at the season-opening quad at the University of North Carolina. Tolentino went unbeaten at the event but suffered an injury and was lost for the year. At UNC he was able to pick up an overtime win over the host school’s starter Jayden Scott - who ended up as a borderline national qualifying candidate. 
During Tolentino’s redshirt season, he was 12-7 with the best win coming over Army West Point’s Matthew Williams, a national qualifier a year later. 
Keep an eye out for Tolentino as the 2024-25 season progresses. 
 
157 - Steele Starren/CJ Hamblin
Oregon State had some issues at 157 during the 2023-24 season and ended up starting redshirt freshman CJ Hamblin for the final dual of the year and in the Pac-12 Championships. Hamblin was 7-6 overall, but only 2-3 versus DI competition. 
Moving down and throwing his hat into the ring at 157 lbs is Steele Starren. Starren came to Oregon State prior to the 2023-24 season after winning a NJCAA national title at Clackamas. We don’t have much of a frame of reference for Starren at the DI level as he didn’t take the mat for Oregon State last year. 
 
165 - Matthew Olguin
During the 2023-24 season, Oregon State had All-American Travis Wittlake transfer back to his home state and looked poised for a big year at 174 lbs. Wittlake, unfortunately, suffered a tragic accident while working on his truck and was unable to compete for the remainder of the season. 
With 174 lbs unexpectedly open, Matthew Olguin moved up and saw the bulk of the dual action at the weight. He went 5-3 at the weight, but didn’t have any signature wins, and gave way to Mason Reiniche at the conference tournament. 
For 2024-25, Olguin is expected to go back to 165 lbs, the same weight class where he defeated Shane Griffith (Stanford) to win the 2023 Pac-12 title. Olguin is also a two-time CKLV Invitational placewinner, taking third in 2022 and seventh in 2023. 
Back at 165 lbs, Olguin could be a serious podium contender for Oregon State. 
 
174 - Sean Harman
Once again, Oregon State will fill the 174 lb weight class with a graduate transfer coming home. Sean Harman spent five years at Missouri and will finish his career in his home state. Harman has spent significant time in the Mizzou lineup and was even in the national rankings. Some of his biggest wins have come over All-American Dustin Plott (Oklahoma State) and NCAA Round of 12 finisher Hayden Hastings (Wyoming). In 2023-24, Harman did not suit up for a dual meet with the Tigers but did go 10-6. With regular reps and dual meet action as the probable starter, Harman could be in the running for a conference title in 2024-25. 
Reiniche should be in the mix, as well. Last season, he picked up a pair of wins over past national qualifiers on his way to a 16-9 record. Redshirt sophomore, Graham Gambrall, also had plenty of mat time in 2023-24, though he did not compete in any duals. Gambrall was 18-7 in open competition though the bulk of his wins came against non-DI competition. 
 
184 - Trey Munoz
The centerpiece of the Oregon State lineup is two-time All-American Trey Munoz. Munoz has made the NCAA podium in each of the last two years and has gone 51-7 during that time. In each of those two seasons, Munoz has made the NCAA semifinals and fallen to Parker Keckeisen (Northern Iowa). 
After an uncharacteristic showing at the CKLV, Munoz lost only twice during the rest of the 2023-24 season and both came to the eventual national finalists. Along the way, he captured a third consecutive Pac-12 championship. 
At the 2024 NCAA Tournament, Munoz rebounded from his semifinal loss to Keckeisen to finish third after pinning former conference rival, Bernie Truax (Penn State), and holding off freshman Bennett Berge (South Dakota State) 9-7 in his final bout. His finish was the highest for an Oregon State wrestler since Amar Dhesi was third in 2018 at 285 lbs. 
If you were paying attention to U23 Nationals, you might have noticed that Munoz was competing at 92 kg, which is slightly over 200 lbs. At these offseason tournaments, you never know what to make of weights. Some wrestlers don’t want to cut weight like they would during the regular season. At this point, it looks like Munoz is still targeting a return to 184 lbs. 

 
197 - Justin Rademacher
We’ve written a lot about the U20 World Team within the last week. The only member of the team that actually competed during the collegiate postseason in 2023-24 was Justin Rademacher. Rademacher made the team after unseating a previous U20 world bronze medalist in Camden McDanel. In a veteran-laded 197 lb weight class last season, Rademacher may have flown under the radar, a bit. His performance at the U20 Trials may prevent that from happening again. 
Rademacher was labeled the #56 overall recruit in the Class of 2023 and made his way into the Beaver lineup immediately. While Rademacher compiled some early wins against solid competition, it wasn’t until late in the regular season that he proved that was ready for a postseason run. In OSU’s dual with Stanford, he majored veteran national qualifier Nick Stemmet - an opponent that defeated him in Vegas. Rademacher would duplicate that result at the Pac-12 Championships. 
At his first national tournament, Rademacher went 1-2 with a win over the #13 seeded SoCon champion Levi Hopkins (Campbell). 
Since Rademacher immediately competed in 2023-24, he does have a redshirt available. While a redshirt isn’t likely, Oregon State does have plenty of options behind him at the weight with Asher Ruchti, Mason Christiansen, Brett Mower, Vaun Halstead, and Donivan Giangregorio. 
 
285 - Aden Attao/Charley Hastriter
During the 2023-24 season, graduate transfer Boone McDermott held down the fort at 285 lbs and was a conference runner-up and top-15 seed at nationals. Now, Oregon State has to turn the page and will have a pair of options at heavyweight. 
Rademacher isn’t the only U20 world teamer on the roster, Aden Attao is a U20 world bronze medalist in Greco-Roman and just made the squad for a third consecutive year. While Attao’s best results have come in Greco, he does have a very good freestyle resume, too. Regardless, his talent should translate to folkstyle at heavyweight. In Attao’s only match during his redshirt campaign, he pinned teammate Charley Hastriter. 
Hastriter is a junior who has gone 11-12 over the past two seasons. During that time, he’s seen action in four duals and picked up wins in three of them.

There are always some standout statistical performances at the big summer tournaments, but the recent U23 Nationals event appeared to really turn some heads. The following looks at some of the top performances and some other odd statistical occurrences. 
Point Differential
After a big tournament, point differential is often one of the most interesting metrics to look at, because it measures both a wrestler’s offensive and defensive performance simultaneously. In most cases, the top performers in terms of point differential have had the most impressive tournaments. That is certainly the case when looking at this past weekend’s U23 freestyle nationals. The heavyweight champion Lucas Stoddard averaged 4.92 points per minute while allowing his opponents to only score 0.07. His resulting +4.85 point differential was the highest across the tournament by a pretty wide margin.
This past season as a freshman at Army West Point, Stoddard went 22-16 and qualified for the NCAA tournament. He came up short in his quest to become an All-American as he dropped both of his NCAA matches against veterans Lucas Davison (Michigan) and Hunter Catka (Virginia Tech). Stoddard’s performance in freestyle paints the picture of a competitor ready to take another step forward.
The Black Knight wrestler entered the event as the 30th seed, but he was still able to win all seven of his matches by superiority. He allowed only a single match point in the event. That point came against Logan Shephard in the quarterfinals. In the first 30 seconds of the match, the Bucknell wrestler was able to get to a standing single. It looked like he was going to be able to finish the hold, but Stoddard held his whizzer, and Shephard was forced to settle for a step out. Stoddard then took over. By the time the buzzer sounded for the end of the first period, he was up 11-1, and the match was over.
In the finals, Stoddard faced off against a familiar opponent. This past college season, he faced off twice against conference rival Nathan Taylor of Lehigh. Their first meeting came in early November. Taylor scored a 19-3 technical fall with nearly two minutes left in the bout. They rematched in February, and the Lehigh wrestler was slightly less dominant and walked away with a 15-3 major decision.
Perhaps Stoddard learned something from those encounters, he has an edge in freestyle or both. This past weekend, it was entirely one-way traffic in the opposite direction. Stoddard scored a pair of 10-0 victories, and Taylor failed to even make it out of the first period.

Top Five Point Differentials
125 kg: Lucas Stoddard +4.85
79 kg: Patrick Kennedy +3.63
86 kg: John Gunderson +3.51
61 kg: Drake Ayala +3.11
61 kg: Nic Bouzakis +2.71
Points per Minute
East Stroudsburg wrestler Luke Ciampa went 26-10 this past season but came up short of qualifying for the NCAA Division II tournament. He has one year left to try to earn a trip to the national tournament. If his performance at U23 nationals is any indication, he will not be afraid to go for it. He finished only 2-2 at 86 kg in the event, but all of his matches were fast and decisive.
Both of Ciampa’s victories were finished inside the first period. He scored a 13-2 superiority victory over Luke Justice and pinned Jet Galbreath while leading by a 10-2 score. On the other side of the equation, both of his losses were shutout 10-0 victories in under a minute. 
Interestingly, all of the quick matches left him with the highest scoring rate of the entire tournament. He averaged 5.17 points per minute, which slightly outpaced Stoddard. Even with the high scoring rate, his boom-or-bust style left him with a substandard point differential. He actually finished with a negative point differential (-0.22) as his opponents average 5.39 points per minute
Top Five Points per Minute
86 kg: Luke Ciampa 5.17
125 kg: Lucas Stoddard 4.92
70 kg: Samuel Hillegas 4.66
79 kg: Brendon Abdon 4.56
65 kg: Carter Schmidt 4.55
Points Against per Minute
As previously established, Stoddard allowed only one point on his way to the title at 125 kg. However, he surprisingly did not have the best points against per minute rate. That honor belongs to Massoma Endene.
Like Stoddard, he only allowed a single point on his path to the title at 97 kg. However, he had slightly less match time, so he finished with 0.05 points against per minute rate, which eclipses Stoddard’s 0.07. The score against Endene came in the semifinals where he faced off against Stanford’s Nick Stemmet. While holding a 7-0 lead, Endene avoided a hard charge from Stemmet. He held off the takedown, but he did step out in the scramble. That was the only point he allowed in the tournament.
For the last two seasons, Endene was wrestling for Wartburg. He was 54-1 and captured a pair of Division III national titles at 197 pounds. This past season, he transferred to Wisconsin, and he is expected to start for the Badgers in the brutal Big Ten conference. 
Top Five Points Against Per Minute
97 kg: Massoma Endene 0.05
125 kg: Lucas Stoddard 0.07
92 kg: Jacob Cardenas 0.14
65 kg: Roman De La Cruz 0.17
79 kg: Patrick Kennedy 0.20
Highest Scoring Match
In some big tournaments like this, wrestlers will drop out of the event once they hit the consolation bracket. Some other wrestlers will end up in shootouts and fill up the scoreboard. Benjamin Mower and Mikey Squires met in the 86 kg consolation Round of 16 and ended up combining for a whopping 52 points, which was the most of the tournament.
It was clear from the start that it was going to be a high-scoring match. Mower scored a step out in the first five seconds of the contest. He then scored a takedown and a pair of gut wrenches to go up 7-0. However, Squires scored a reversal of his own and followed that up with a turn. After multiple scrambles and reviews, the two went to the break with Mower leading by a 14-13 score. 
The second period was more of the same as both wrestlers continued to get to their offense. Eventually, Mower was able to take over late in the contest. He held a 23-21 lead with 1:16 left in the bout. He spun behind for a takedown and then went to work on top with a pair of gut wrenches. That put him up 29-21. When the match returned to its feet, Squires was visibly exhausted, and Mower got behind for another score. The match was finally over.
Top Four Highest Scoring Matches
86 kg: Benjamin Mower defeated Mikey Squires 31-21
79 kg: Brodie Porter defeated Brady Schuh 26-20
74 kg: Christopher Earnest defeated Tyler Swiderski 21-19
61 kg: Kevin Honas defeated Genaro De La Garza 20-19
Will Lewan Most Match Time Award
The large brackets can also make for some extensive runs through the consolation bracket. Nobody in the tournament spent more time on the mats than Oklahoma State’s Brayden Thomspon. The redshirt freshman lost against Maximus Hale in the Round of 16, but he fought all the way back to a sixth-place finish. Along the way, Thompson wrestled nine matches and collected 47:55 of match time. Multiple wrestlers had 10 matches in the bracket, but nobody spent more time wrestling than Thompson. 

Victory From the Mouth of Defeat
With the ability to win by fall, a wrestler is never technically out of a match until the final buzzer. That was likely never more true than it was for Cole Handlovic. The Cornell wrestler was trailing West Virginia wrestler Samuel Hillegas by an 8-0 score when he reversed a chest wrap and locked up the fall. He scored the victory despite trailing 8-2 on the scoreboard. Across the event, there were 14 matches where the trailing wrestler won by fall, but nobody accomplished this with a greater deficit than Handlovic did against Hillegas.