Top 5 Matches At The 2023 Journeymen Collegiate Classic
Top 5 Matches At The 2023 Journeymen Collegiate Classic
Check out a breakdown of the top 5 potential matches at the 2023 Journeymen Collegiate Classic on Sunday, November 12, 2023.
The Journeymen Collegiate Classic is set to go down Sunday, November 12, and will feature over 30 ranked wrestlers. You can view all of the ranked wrestlers by clicking the link here but the below article will highlight the top 5 potential matches at the Journeymen Collegiate Classic.
157 pounds Pool A - #4 Jacori Teemer, Arizona State vs #21 Meyer Shapiro, Cornell
Meyer Shapiro’s college debut is officially here! Shapiro has incredible hype coming into the year and he has the opportunity to live up to that hype this weekend against Jacori Teemer. Shapiro was dominant in his run to make the U20 World Team and capped off his summer by winning gold at the U20 World Championships. Teemer is a two-time All-American and a legitimate title contender at 157 pounds. This will be a huge test for both wrestlers and has the potential to be the best match of the weekend.
Meyer Shapiro's U20 World Finals Match:
197 pounds Pool A - #5 Trent Hidlay, NC State vs #9 Michael Beard, Lehigh
Hidlay vs Beard are both past All-Americans and two of the best wrestlers in the country at 197 pounds. Hidlay is also moving up to 197 pounds after spending the last 4 years at 184 pounds. The match against Beard will be a great test for Hidlay and tell us a lot about both wrestlers.
141 Pounds Pool A - #2 Beau Bartlett, Penn State vs #7 CJ Composto, Penn
Beau Bartlett is one of the main title contenders at 141 pounds this year but will be tested by 2022 All-American CJ Composto. Penn’s Composto placed 8th at the 2022 NCAA Tournament where he defeated Stevan Micic and Andrew Alirez. However, last year he took a gray shirt and might have fallen off the radar of some wrestling fans. Composto is back and his potential match against Bartlett on Sunday will tell us just how close he is to challenging the best in the country at 141 pounds.
Composto's win over Stevan Micic at the 2022 NCAA Tournament:
133 Pound Pool A - #6 Connor McGonagle, Lehigh vs Ryan Crookham, Lehigh
Connor McGonagle is one of the best 133-pound wrestlers in the country but he’s in a roster battle with teammate Ryan Crookham. McGonagle was ranked as high as #5 last year based on his wins over Mickey Phillippi and Kai Orine but went down at the EIWA Tournament with an injury that caused him to miss the post-season. Crookham was the #11 overall recruit out of the class of 2022 and put together an 8-1 record last year in redshirt highlighted by wins over NCAA Qualifiers Kurt Phipps and Joe Heilmann. The match between McGonagle and Crookham should be a tight one and could tell us who will start at 133 pounds this year for the Mountain Hawks.
133 Pounds Pool A - #1 Vito Arujau, Cornell vs #6 Michael Colaiocco, Penn
Returning NCAA Champion and World Champion Vito Arujau will take the mat on Sunday and be tested right away against #6 Michael Colaiocco. Penn’s Colaiocco had notable wins last year over past All-Americans Lucas Byrd and Chris Cannon. However, Colaiocco also dropped two matches to Aruajua last year. One of those matches was an 8-0 major decision but the other was a wild, 13-7 match. Arujau’s the favorite year but this one has the potential to be a lot of fun. It’s also worth noting that the winner of this match will likely face off against the winner of McGonagle-Crookham!
Arujau's win over Colaiocco in the 2023 EIWA Finals:
