ANNAPOLIS, Md. – The Navy wrestling team (0-1) will compete in two duals on Saturday in the Navy Tri Meet at Alumni Hall in Annapolis, Md. The Mids will wrestle Drexel (0-0) at 1:30 p.m. and No. 25 North Carolina (0-0) at 3 p.m.

Streaming Info

Both duals will be streamed on Navy Athletics YouTube page. Links can be found on navysports.com.

Quad Meet Timeline

Noon – No. 25 North Carolina vs. Drexel

1:30 p.m. – Drexel vs. Navy

3 p.m. – No. 25 North Carolina vs. Drexel


Projected Navy Lineup

125: Garrett Totten or Nick Treaster

133: Brendan Ferretti or Hunter Heflin

141: No. 9 Josh Koderhandt or Adam Heckman

149: Kaemen Smith or James Latona

157: Jonathan Ley or Devon Deem

165: Tyler Sagi or Elijah Penton

174: No. 22 Danny Wask or Sammy Starr

184: Zyan Hall or Daniel Williams

197: Payton Thomas

285: Alistair Larson or Ben Farabaugh

Road to 100

After a gritty victory over Pittsburgh's Anthony Santaniello last week, senior team captain and ninth-ranked Josh Koderhandt now sits at 80-career victories. The Belleville, Ill., native hopes to become the 17th Midshipmen to eclipse 100-career victories. The three-time national qualifier has averaged 26 wins per season in his previous three seasons. 

No Place Like Home

Navy has been a tough team to beat on its home mats. The Mids ended last season 5-1 in Annapolis, their lone loss was decided by one point against Army, 18-17. The Midshipmen have posted a .500 or better record at home for 10-straight seasons, their last losing record at home was in 2014 (1-2).

In the last 10 home openers, Navy is 6-4 and is winners of three of the last five.

Clarion Open Results
Head coach Cary Kolat also sent 15 wrestlers to compete at the Clarion Open last Sunday in Clarion, Pa.

Daniel Williams (184) had the top placement for the Mids, finishing in third place in his respective weight class. The sophomore won four of his five matches, which included his first career ranked victory over No. 30 Michael Bartush of Bucknell.

Additionally, Cael Crebs (184), Sammy Starr (174) and Nicholas Vafiadis (149) each advanced to the quarterfinals in their respective weight classes.

Navy Team Notes

• The Mids started the season falling on the road to 25th-ranked Pittsburgh. It was the first victory by the Panthers over Navy in Pittsburgh since 1989.

• Three Midshipmen - Jack Bergmann (125), Isaac Hampton (125) and Hunter Heflin (133) - earned their first collegiate victories last Sunday at the Clarion Open.

• Despite the outcome at Pittsburgh, the Mids were in nearly every bout as five of the nine matches lost were by decision.

• The Midshipmen will have an early season Eastern Intercollegiate Wrestling Association (EIWA) test against Drexel. It will be the first time in program history that Navy faces against an EIWA team in the month of November.

• Five freshmen Mids - Nick Treaster (125), Heflin, Adam Heckman (141), Elijah Penton (165) and Payton Thomas - are listed as probable starters and could make their home debut this weekend.

• Sophomore 22-ranked Danny Wask (174) squared off against Pittsburgh's No. 19 Luca Augustine last week. The two wrestlers previously faced each other in last year's dual between the teams in Annapolis where Augustine escaped with a 9-7 decision victory. This year's bout was no different as both wrestlers were again in a tight battle, but an Augustine first-period takedown was the difference maker as he walked away with a 4-3 victory.

• Navy compiled an 8-6 record last season, its best outing since the 2019-20 season (8-6). The Mids went 2-3 against Eastern Intercollegiate Wrestling Association (EIWA) opponents in 2023-24 with victories over American (38-0) and Bucknell (34-7). Navy also wrestled in three tournaments during the regular season.

• The Mids finished in sixth place out of 17 teams at the 2024 EIWA Championship. Five Midshipmen posted podium finishes in the event, led by 141-pound champion Josh Koderhandt.

• Brendan Ferretti, Koderhandt and Wask are the lone returners who have competed in the NCAA Championships.

Drexel Projected Starting Lineup

125: Desmond Pleasant or Gabe Giampietro

133: Kyle Waterman or Chandler Sewell

141: Jordan Soriano or Deon Pleasent

149: Dom Findora or Jon Fuller

157: Luke Nichter or Aboubakare Diaby

165: No. 31 Cody Walsh

174: Jack Janda or Dom D'Agostino

184: No. 32 Giuseppe Hoose or Ethan Wilson

197: No. 21 Mickey O'Malley or Dan Rella

285: Tanner Updegraff or Dom Petracci

Scouting Drexel

• Drexel will open its 2024-25 season in Annapolis on Saturday.

• The Dragons are guided by Matt Azevedo who is in his 14th season as the head coach. Azevedo boasts a coaching record of 102-117. 

• InterMat ranked three Drexel wrestlers in the top 33 of their respective weight classes with one in the top 25. Graduate 21st-ranked Mickey O'Malley (197) enters as the Dragons highest-ranked wrestler. Joining O'Malley in the rankings are No. 31 Cody Walsh (165) and No. 32 Giuseppe Hoose (184).

• O'Malley is Drexel's most experience wrestlers in the lineup with four NCAA national appearances, including a trip to the blood rounds as a sophomore in 2022.

• In the 2023-24 season, the Dragons went 8-10 and finished in 12th place at the EIWA Championships.

• Two Drexel wrestlers posted podium finishes at the conference championships, led by Dom Findora (149) with a six-place finish. Joining Findora on the podium was Walsh who placed seventh in his respective weight class.

History Against the Dragons

• Saturday's dual will be the 19th meeting and the first since 2020 between Navy and the Dragons. In the last meeting it was a back-and-forth battle between the two teams, the Mids led as many as 14 (14-0) and trailed by as many as one (15-14). Navy ended the match winning the final three bouts at 184, 197 and 285 to leave Philadelphia with a 23-15 victory.

• The Mids lead the all-time series 15-3.

North Carolina Projected Starting Lineup

125: No. 26 Spencer Moore or Marco Tocci

133: No. 17 Ethan Oakley

141: Jayden Scott or Jace Palmer

149: No. 6 Lachlan McNeil

157: No. 26 Sonny Santiago or Joey Showalter

165: Nicholas Fea

174: Isaias Estrada or Cade Tenold

184: No. 22 Gavin Kane

197: Cade Lautt or Aidan Schlett

285: No. 33 Aydin Guttridge 

Scouting North Carolina

• The Tar Heels opened their season at the Southeast Open last Saturday in Roanoke, Va. Seven North Carolina wrestlers finished atop the podium. Spencer Moore (125), Ethan Oakley (133) and Jayden Scott (141) won their respective weight classes in the Open Division. In the Freshman/Sophomore division, Elias Navida (133), Nick O'Neil (141), Jake Dailey (184) and Robert Platt (197) each took first.

• At the helm for the Tar Heels is second-year head coach Rob Koll. In his first season at North Carolina, the Tar Heels had their most dual victories (11) since the 2019-20 season (14).

• Heading into his 32nd overall season as a head coach, Koll boasts a career record of 339-119-5.

• North Carolina is well represented in the latest InterMat rankings with six wrestlers ranked in their respective weight classes. Leading the pack is sixth-ranked Lachlan McNeil (149), he finished his 2023-24 season collecting his second-straight All-America honors. Joining McNeil in the rankings are 26th-ranked Spencer Moore (125), 17th-ranked Ethan Oakley (133), 26th-ranked Sonny Santiago (157), 22nd-ranked Gavin Kane (184) and 33rd-ranked Aydin Guttridge (285).

History Against the Tar Heels

• The Mids will face the Tar Heels in Annapolis for the first time since 2015. Navy leads the series, 38-20-1, which dates back to 1930. Navy has won six of the last 10 meetings including a stretch of five-straight from 2010-14.

• The Mids lost last season's back-and-forth battle, 20-17, at Chapel Hill.

Up Next

Navy will hit the road for another big test when it faces No. 6 Iowa State at the Hilton Coliseum in Ames, Iowa. Action is set to begin 8 p.m. ET (7 p.m. CT).