CKLV Sleepers And Dark Horses
CKLV Sleepers And Dark Horses
Check out the dark horses and sleepers going to the 2017 Cliff Keen Las Vegas NCAA wrestling tournament.
This year's Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational is one of the deepest midseason NCAA wrestling tournaments in recent memory. Here are the sleepers and dark horses you don't want to overlook at the Las Vegas Convention Center this weekend.
You may be familiar with the wrestlers we highlight, but by and large the following competitors will not be favorites to place highly and are more under the radar than their higher ranked peers. We think there is a good chance the wrestlers below will have raised their profile by the end of the tournament on Saturday.
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125 Pounds
No. 12 FR Taylor LaMont, Utah Valley
LaMont had a great start to the season, knocking off NCAA finalist Zeke Moisey twice in one weekend. With three All-Americans expected to be at the CKLV, a championship would be a tall order, but if this Utah headlocking machine can keep his early-season momentum going there is no limit to how far he can go.
SO Christian Moody, Oklahoma
Moody is entering his third year in Norman, having taken a redshirt as a true frosh and then qualifying for the NCAAs last year. Moody is on the bubble of the top 20 at the moment and will be one of the most dangerous unranked wrestlers in Vegas.
133 Pounds
No. 20 FR Ian Parker, Iowa St.
Ian Parker is a familiar name to the folks in Ames, Iowa, but to many college wrestling fans, their introduction to the Michigan native came by way of his defeat of true frosh phenom Austin DeSanto in a week two dual meet. Parker has a chance to make his name even more well known by the end of the tournament.
FR Austin DeSanto, Drexel
We would be remiss if we didn't mention DeSanto, even though he is hardly an unknown. If DeSanto can avoid getting chewed up on bottom, his pace from neutral will be a problem for even the studliest of hammers in the 133 bracket.
Watch Austin DeSanto rack up a 22-5 techfall against Anthony Rubinetti in 3:15:
141 Pounds
No. 16 SR Michael Longo, Oklahoma
A savvy veteran, Longo has made the NCAA tournament three times — twice with Appalachian State before transferring to OU — but has yet to make the podium. His bracket, like the weight class in general, will be stacked, but expect Longo to pull a few tricks from his sleeves and make some noise.
No. 17 FR Kanen Storr, Iowa St
One of Iowa State's several recent blue-chip recruits, Storr had the Cyclones faithful licking their chops this offseason after he put together an outstanding redshirt campaign. Storr suffered a pair of losses at the Parsi Open (including one to Longo), but Storr should have no trouble bouncing back in time to wreck house at the CKLV.
Watch Kanen Storr take out Nebraska's Chad Red in a freestyle match at the 2017 Junior World Team Trials:
149 Pounds
No. 11 Ke-Shawn Hayes, Ohio State
Hayes is hardly an unknown sleeper, but with five top 10 competitors expected to stuff the 149 bracket, he'll need to pull off a few upsets to break into the top three. A lot of 149-pound questions will be answered by the end of this tournament.
No. 19 JR Davion Jeffries, Oklahoma
The third Sooner on our list is evidence that OU coach Lou Rosselli has a good thing going on in Norman. Jeffries has been on the cusp of All-American status the last two years. Jeffries has some great wins to go along with some puzzling losses, so anything is possible when he steps on the mat.
157 Pounds
No. 19 SO Taleb Rahmani, Pitt
Rahmani came out of nowhere to win the ACC and make the NCAA tournament as a freshman last season. The Ohio native could scramble his way to a high placement with a similar performance this weekend.
No. 20 SR Justin Staudenmayer, Brown
A year of deferred eligibility may be what Staudenmayer needed to jump-start his collegiate career. Staudenmayer will enter the CKLV as a fifth-year senior and two-time NCAA qualifier with something to prove.
165 Pounds
No. 15 FR Evan Wick, Wisconsin
The competition at 165 pounds is going to be insane, but one man who could crazy things up even further is Evan Wick. The Badgers freshman has an impossibly tall frame that can make life miserable for his opponents in scramble positions.
Watch Evan Wick pin Taleb Rahmani in the consolation round of the 2017 World Team Trials:
No. 20 SO Demetrius Romero, Utah Valley
Romero is another young Wolverine who has Utah Valley supporters psyched about the team Greg Williams has assembled. Romero is going to be fed hammers early and often in Vegas, but his 14 wins on the season speaks to his capabilities.
174 Pounds
No. 16 SR CJ Brucki, Central Michigan
Brucki has proven that no match can be taken for granted, having beaten NCAA champion and junior world gold medalist Mark Hall at the Michigan State Open in 2016. Replicating that type of win will not be easy, but if Brucki can, no one in the bracket is safe.
No. 18 SO Ben Harvey, Army West Point
There are five All-Americans expected to be in the 174-pound bracket. Harvey has a win over one of them this season in Ethan Ramos. He'll likely need to beat a couple more to place on the podium in Vegas, a difficult but not impossible task.
184 Pounds
No. 13 FR Max Dean, Cornell
Max will continue his quest to replicate his older brother Gabe's unexpected monster freshman season. Max is undefeated on the year and has a win over All-American Drew Foster. If he can keep up his current pace, he'll do very well at the CKLV.
FR Kordell Norfleet, Arizona State
The Sun Devils freshman turned a lot of heads with this win over South Dakota State's Brady Ayers last week. Norfleet still has a ways to go to break into the top tier of 184-pounders, but he's on the right track so far.
197 Pounds
No. 14 SR Jeric Kasunic, American
Everyone at 197 is a long shot to get past Kollin Moore to claim the title, but Kasunic could do some damage to the rest of the field. The senior from Pennsylvania has been on a roll since last year's EIWAs. If he can keep things going in Vegas he could find himself high up on the award stand.
Watch Jeric Kasunic beat Army's Rocco Caywood in the consolation semis of the 2017 EIWA Championship:
No. 15 SO Christian Brunner, Purdue
Now in his second year in West Lafayette, IN, the true sophomore from Illinois is poised to have a breakout year. Brunner will have plenty of opportunities at yet another stacked weight class in Vegas.
285 Pounds
No. 16 SR Gage Hutchison, Eastern Michigan
The big man from Buchanan, MI, has made the NCAA tournament twice already, but Hutchison is still looking for his first podium placement. Hutchison is off to a hot start to his senior season, placing third in a loaded Keystone Classic bracket. There will be no shortage of ranked heavyweights this weekend, providing Hutchison an opportunity to keep his momentum going.
FR Carter Isley, Northern Iowa
Isley is coming off a quality redshirt campaign, and though he remains unranked after taking a few recent losses, he has the talent to pull off a couple few upsets this weekend.