2018-19 Redshirt Report: 197 Pounds
2018-19 Redshirt Report: 197 Pounds
Several class of 2017 studs, an ACC transfer, and a few faces returning to the starting lineup make up the 197 pound redshirt report.
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Are you wearing your best red colored shirt right now? If not, that's OK, but we'll still be pressing on with Redshirt Report season!
For the fourth year in a row, FloWrestling will be doing a weight-by-weight breakdown of the best guys who did not wrestle last season. The word "redshirt" is being used as a catch-all term for pretty much every good non-starter from a year ago. This includes actual redshirts, injuries, and a few who just couldn't crack the starting lineup.
Previous Redshirt Reports
Some weights will have more names and more name cache than others, because not every weight is created equal. There is an intriguing group at 197lbs; five of them compete for programs that have won team trophies in recent years.
Several on the list below are re-entering the starting lineup after being NCAA qualifiers in the past, while a few others were studs from the high school graduating class of 2017. On to the list of 197 pounders you missed from the starting lineup last season.
Jacob Warner, Iowa
Along with NCAA champion Spencer Lee, Warner was a huge part of why Iowa had the second-best recruiting class in 2017. Now roommates, Lee and Warner are absolutely crucial in Iowa's attempt to knock off Penn State over the next several seasons. A 15-4 record during his redshirt season included wins over four-time NCAA qualifier Jake Smith and three-time All-American Willie Miklus.
His freestyle credentials are sterling, alternating Fargo titles as a Cadet in 2015 and Junior in 2017 with world teams. Warner was a bronze medalist at Cadet worlds in 2016 and in about a week will try to become the 92kg Junior world champion in Trnava, Slovakia. The Illinois native is very much in the hunt to finish on the podium this coming March in Pittsburgh at the national tournament. Iowa's last All-American at 197 was Nathan Burak's fourth-place finish in 2016.
Tom Sleigh, Virginia Tech
The Hokies picked up the three-time qualifier from Bucknell in the spring, which is why John Borst does not appear in this article, along with the fact that Borst is supposedly going heavyweight this season. Sleigh will have big shoes to fill in replacing three-time AA and NCAA finalist Jared Haught. A former 184, the senior is nearing 100 wins for his career.
Malik McDonald, NC State
McDonald is coming back down from heavyweight last season, where he won the National Collegiate Open. He'll be big for the weight, as he wrestled 97kg/213lbs at U23 Trials, where he got fourth. An NCAA qualifier in 2017, it will be difficult for him to match the performance of last year's starter in Mike Macchiavello, the national champion. The Wolfpack lost over half of their points from Cleveland, when they won the first team trophy in program history, and it will be up to the likes of McDonald to step up their performance this coming year.
Jake Woodley, Oklahoma
Woodley was the second highest rated 197 on the 2017 Big Board, finishing #18 to the #8 final ranking that Warner received. The two have met several times in both folkstyle and freestyle, splitting last year at open tournaments while both were redshirting. A two-time Pennsylvania state champ, Woodley posted a 15-3 record last season. He'll face stiff competition within his own conference, as he'll see three AAs between Miklus, Preston Weigel, and Jacob Holschlag.
Jacob Raschka, Missouri
Coming from 184, Raschka went 15-6 during his redshirt year. He'll battle Wyatt Koelling for the starting spot, who was the Tigers' MAC representative at heavyweight last season. A former Fargo Cadet national champ, he also won two Wisconsin state titles and placed at FloNationals while in high school.
Garrett Hoffman, Bucknell
The junior missed the last two and a half months of the season after getting injured at the Virginia Duals. He was 9-6 at that point at 197, after moving up from 184 where he qualified for NCAAs as a true freshman. His big win last season came over Anthony Cassar of Penn State in a dual in November.
Some other redshirts to keep an eye on this season include but are not limited to:
- Matt Correnti, Rutgers
- Jackson Striggow, Michigan
- Noah Adams, West Virginia
- Cale Davidson, Wyoming