Super Match 1 Full Preview + Predictions
Super Match 1 Full Preview + Predictions
A full preview and prediction for Rudis' upcoming Super Match 1 event.
Before the NCAA Tournament kicks off on Thursday morning, wrestling fans will be treated to a 15-match all-star event in Detroit on Wednesday night. Take a look below for a full prediction and preview for every match on the Super Match card presented by Rudis.
Match 1: #1 (at 138) Jesse Mendez vs #2 Casey Swiderski, 145 lbs
Casey Swiderski was the talk of Who’s Number 1 last September when he took out Jesse Mendez. Though he may have surprised everyone (including Mendez), that match wasn’t a fluke but highlighted the talent of the Iowa State commit. Though slightly undersized, I expect Mendez to make the adjustments in the upcoming matchup and win a close decision - decided by less than a takedown.
Prediction: Jesse Mendez
Swiderski's win over Mendez from Who's Number 1:
Match 2: #1 Caleb Henson vs #3 Hunter Garvin, 152 lbs
Virginia Tech commit Caleb Henson is the #1 ranked high schooler in the country at 152 pounds and earned that top ranking by taking out Jordan Williams at Who’s Number 1 last September. Stanford commit Hunter Garvin is currently ranked #3 at 152 and should be a worthy challenger to Henson. Along with being at the top of their weight class, Henson and Garvin come in at #4 and #21 respectively in our class of 2022 high school big board and could be battling for years to come in college.
Prediction: Caleb Henson
Match 3: David McFadden vs Mitch Finesilver, 79kg
Mitch Finesilver has been representing Israel on the senior level for two years now and had a breakout year in 2021. He won a bronze medal at the 2021 European Championships and was one match away from qualifying for the Olympics. However, those results have been down at 74kg. Up in weight at the event on Wednesday, I give a slight edge to David McFadden. The former Hokie is coming off a 5th place finish at the Yasar Dogu highlighted by a win over 2014 world champion Khetik Tsabolov.
Prediction: David McFadden
Match 4: #5 Emily Shilson vs #6 Erin Golston, 50kg
These two last met in the first round of the 2021 World Team Trials with Emily Shilson coming out on top, 10-3. That win for Shilson avenged a loss from January 2021where Golston won 8-5. I give a slight edge to Shilson here who we saw make great improvements throughout last year highlighted by her junior and U23 world championships.
Prediction: Emily Shilson
Shilson's win over Golston at the 2021 WTT:
Match 5: Evan Henderson vs Seth Gross, 65kg
This one should be fun! Both Gross and Henderson aren’t afraid to surrender points during a match because they’re usually scoring plenty of their own. It will also be interesting to see Seth Gross competing up at 65kg against a solid competitor such as Henderson.
Prediction: Evan Henderson (in a 20 point match)
Match 6: Derek White vs Amar Dhesi, 125kg
It’s been about a year and a half since we last saw Derek White in competition and his match against Amar Dhesi should tell us where he fits in the heavyweight landscape. Dhesi, a Toyko Olympian, has been Canada’s best heavyweight for the past two years and has been in and out of the top 20 in our international rankings.
Prediction: Amar Dhesi
Match 7: #2 Kennedy Blades vs #4 Victoria Francis, 72kg
Kennedy Blades is the future but Victoria Francis has been a mainstay on the senior level for Team USA for years. Along with the age difference, this is a bit of a style clash as well - Blades is a dynamic offensive attacker while Francis uses her strength with strong defense and mat control. In this match, I favor the offense of Blades to overcome Francis’ defense.
Prediction: Kennedy Blades
Match 8: #20 Kollin Moore vs Nate Jackson, 97kg
While this match is taking place at 97kg, we last saw this match in the semi-finals of the 2021 World Team Trials at 92kg. In that match, Jackson took a 6-4 lead into the second period and held that lead until Moore scored the go-ahead takedown with just over 30 seconds remaining in the match. Moore scored another takedown and two turns in the closing seconds to win 12-6. I favor Moore again in the rematch primarily because of his recent showing at the Yasar Dogu where he took home a bronze medal.
Prediction: Kollin Moore
Match 9: #2 Kyler Snyder vs #3 (at 92kg) J’den Cox, 97kg
The main event of the evening - the match we all wanted to see last year at the Olympic Trials is finally happening! Although it’s been SEVEN YEARS, these two last met in 2015 in the semifinals at the US Open where Snyder won a tight, 4-3 decision. They also met the month prior in the semifinals of the NCAA tournament where Snyder also won, 3-2. Since those matches in 2015, Snyder and Cox have been two of the best for Team USA at their respective weight classes. Cox was forced to move down to 86kg and took home a bronze at the Olympics and world championships in 2016 and 2017 before moving up to 92kg and winning world titles in 2018 and 2019. Snyder has medaled in eight straight world and Olympics with three golds, three silvers, and a bronze medal.
Like their previous matches, I expect the matches in this series to be decided by the slimest of margins. Snyder will likely get to the legs of Cox and be in position to score throughout the match, however Cox is one of the hardest wrestlers in the world to finish on. Snyder will need to finish on a takedown or at least use his size and strength to force numerous step-outs. On the other side of things, Cox will need to generate his own offense and force Snyder to wrestle in positions in which he is uncomfortable. Will Cox be able to counter Snyder’s attacks and use Snyder’s pressure against him? Or will Snyder’s handfighting and offensive attacks be too much for Cox too handle? I’m expecting Snyder to win this battle because of his ability to get to legs and control matches in the hand fight. However, the wizardry of J’den Cox does not provide me with confidence in this pick.
Prediction: Kyle Snyder (in 2 straight)
Highlights of Snyder’s win over Cox at 2015 NCAAs
Match 10: #12 Isaiah Martinez vs #5 Alex Dieringer, 79kg
The first time Alex Dieringer and Isaiah Martinez wrestled was all the way back at the 2017 World Team Trials. In that match, Dieringer controlled most of the action and won a tight 4-2 bout. They met again at the 2021 World Team Trials where Dieringer won a more decisive, 6-1 bout. This matchup will show us if IMar has made the necessary adjustments to take out Dieringer and potentially challenge Jordan Burroughs at this year's Final X.
Prediction: Alex Dieringer
Dieringer's win over Martinez in the semifinals at the 2021 World Team Trials:
Match 11: #1 Kayla Miracle vs #1 (at 65kg) Emma Bruntil, 62kg
Emma Bruntil has been on a tear over the past two months! In January she traveled to Russia and won the Yarygin defeating fellow American, and 2021 world bronze medalist, Forrest Molinari in the finals. Then in February, Bruntil won the Kolov in Bulgaria with a win over 2018 world bronze medalist Mallory Velte. And if that wasn’t enough, Bruntil took home a bronze at the first ranking series event in Turkey, the Yasar Dogu. With all that in mind, Kayla Miracle is a completely different challenge for Bruntil. Miracle won a silver medal at the 2021 World Championships and was the 62kg representative for America at the Tokyo Olympics. I expect Miracle’s offense to be a bit too much for Bruntil to handle and for Miracle to come out on top in a close decision.
Prediction: Kayla Miracle
Match 12: Myles Martin vs Mark Hall, 86kg
We saw this match go down at the 2021 Matteo Pellicone with Mark Hall’s freestyle savvy on full display. In that match, Hall took a 4-2 lead into the second period before he ended the match with one of the more unique pins you’ll see (a double leg-to Peterson). This match could play out in an entirely different scenario and I expect Martin to be in on Hall’s legs multiple times throughout the match. However, the true test for Martin will be whether or not he can convert on those offensive attacks or if Hall will counter them for points of his own.
Prediction: Mark Hall
Mark Hall's win over Myles Martin at the 2021 Matteo Pellicone:
Match 13: #14 Jordan Oliver vs Alec Pantaleo, 70kg
We saw this match in the opening round of the 150 lbs 8-man tournament with Pantaleo coming out on top in a close, match. I expect a similar bout this time around with Pantaleo being able to convert on a takedown or two and edge out Oliver in a close decision.
Prediction: Alec Pantaleo
Pantaleo's win over Oliver at the 150-pound tournament from December 2020:
Match 14: #16 Zain Retherford vs #3 James Green, 70kg
This is one of the most intriguing matches of the night and could be a preview of this year’s Final X at 70kg. On top of the future implications, both men are coming off fantastic showings in their last international performances. At the Kolov in February, Retherford took home gold highlighted by his 10-6 win in the gold medal match over #17 Ramazan Ramazanov. James Green had an equally impressive performance at the Yasar Dogu where he took home a silver medal and defeated Russia’s #4 Viktor Rassadin along the way.
Retherford looks to be a worthy challenger but Green has been the best wrestler at 70kg for the United States since 2015. I’m expecting this to be a tight match, decided by one takedown or less. Can Retherford control the ties and use his pace and handfighting to shut down Green’s offense? Or will Green be able to convert on his attacks and get to his patented leg-lace? Whatever happens, expect a highly competitive and exciting bout.
Prediction: Zain Retherford
Match 15: #1 (at 50kg) Sarah Hildebrandt vs #3 Ronna Gross, 53kg
Sarah Hildebrandt had a banner 2021 season bringing home a bronze medal from the Tokyo Olympics and a silver medal from the world championships. Hildebrandt should still be the favorite but will be coming up in weight to wrestle Gross at 53kg. Gross should not be taken lightly as she was one of the standouts of the Olympic Trials last year making the finals as the 5 seed. Hildebrandt should be able to get to her offense and has the ability to end any match with her leg lace. However, Gross is dangerous in her own right with the ability to pin at a high rate.
Prediction: Sarah Hildebrandt
The matches go down on Wednesday, March 16th at 6:30 pm (ET). You can watch it live on Rudis here.
Check out our rankings to see where some of the wrestlers on this card stack up against the best in the country and world: