2017-18 Season Possible Lineups

Well, maybe it's too early for this to start but hey why not get it going early. Here is what I think next years team could look like

125 Paul Bianchi
Although it will be tough to replace the production that we received from Josh I think Bianchi will do well for us next year. He had a very good Midlands Tournament and it was great to see that he should be able to step in and contribute right away

133 Cam Sykora
No doubt that this is Cam's spot next year, I think he will work hard and be even better next year.

141 Bengtson/Colunga
It will be interesting to see how Mitch comes back from his ankle issues this year after not being on the mat for entire season. Although I wouldn't rule out Nico putting up a good challenge for this spot. Nico has grown a lot this off season and I think his 133 days are long behind him. A little more muscle added this off season and he can be right in the mix. ( I think Taylor Nein will be Redshirting next year)

149 Friedman/Gliva
I think these two will be back battling it out for this spot again next season. I think both will put in the work this off season since both would love the starting spot next year. I wouldn't rule out Bengston maybe wanting to move up and challenge at this weight as well.

157 Clay Ream
Clay has some unfinished business in his final year wrestling for the Bison. I look for him to be on the mats and in the weight room this off season to finish out his final season strong.

165 Andrew Fogarty Andrew is coming off a very good Redshirt Freshman Season and I look for him to be even better next season.

174 Urbach/Popp/Thompson/Witzig
This weight is wide open in my opinion and is there for the taking by any of the wrestlers listed. Although I would tend to give Urbach the edge in this group I think they all are in the mix.

184 Tyler McNutt
I think if Tyler can hit the weight room hard this off season he could make some noise next season and have a breakout year. It wouldn't surprise me however if one or more of the guys down at 174 moves up to challenge Tyler for the spot but I think it's Tyler's to loose.

197 Cordell Eaton
I think if you followed Cordell this year you saw signs of how good he can become. I think he let off the gas a little too early in some matches this year and it cost him a few wins. With year under his belt and some off season weights he could position himself for a nice season.

285 Stibral/Metz
This could be interesting to see how the coaches decide to move forward on this one. The question is do you Redshirt Metz or put him out there and see how he does as a True Freshman. If they Redshirt Metz I'm confident that Stribal can step in and do a good job for us as well and I think it will all depend on what the coaches decide to do with Mr Metz.

I know the NCAAs just ended but I'm already ready for next year to get rolling.

Congrats to Clay on winning his second Elite 90 Award: https://theguillotine.com/2017/03/nd...ps/#more-55340

What about Nielsen at 174? I know his 3-4 record doesn't sound that great, but all of the losses came to NCAA qualifiers.

I'm kind of expecting Gliva to make a comeback next year, unless Bengtson moves up. Outside of a bad weekend at Midlands, Kyle's only other losses were to NCAA qualifiers as well.

Never too early to think about next year!

At first glance, it looks like the team will be solid again. To me, the key will be how the guys who were right around "average" in DPI rankings improve. The 149 guys, 174, 184, and 197 were all right in the middle of those rankings, but outside the top 40. If they can get in the top 40, the team will be greatly improved and that would put some of those guys in the mix for NCAA spots.
125- Bianchi, I expect him to do very well. His Midlands was great and I think he can really build on it. A little added strength and an added year in a D1 room and he should be outstanding. I expect him to be an NCAA qualifier at a minimum.
133- Sykora, Cam will likely start the year in top 20 in most polls. He's going to be very good again and I expect another NCAA tourney birth. I'd love to see him add more strength, as he isn't very big for 133 and I think more strength would only help his great top game. Diversifying his leg attacks could serve him well too.
141- If Bengston can make this weight and come back 100%, that would be great and he'd likely make another NCAA appearance. If he is out, I think we could see either Nate Smith or Nico. Nico needed to add a bunch of strength, but his true freshman year intrigued me. Smith had decent results last year.
149- Friedman and Gliva were both passable and each would be fine as a starter. If Bengston can't make it back at 141, I'd be intrigued by one of them at 141. I really think Gliva in particular has the body to get to 141. Wouldn't surprise me at all to see Bengston here.
157- Ream, He'll be in the top 10-15 in most polls and should be set for a big year. He should push for AA status his SR year and be very successful. Mergen appeared to take a bit of a step backward this ear, but his freshman year was promising.
165- Fogarty had a good year and should be right in the mix for top 20. Better leg attacks and shot defense would be a big step forward.
174- Witzig's results weren't very good and Urbach was mediocre at best. I really think Nielson is the best of the bunch, but he isn't on the roster anymore. Clingenpeel doesn't really have the height for 174 otherwise I'd include him.
184- I expect McNutt to take a step forward with a full offseason of strength training to grow into 184. I think he can compete for a spot in NCAAs.
197- I'm most intrigued by what Cordell looks like next year. He made strides late in the year and appears to have all of the physical tools, just needs more mat time/consistency and a better gas tank.
HWT- I expect Metz to be the guy. It is a huuuuuuuge step up from ND HS HWT wrestling to D1 wrestling, but he has a tremendous greco background, moves well, and is a big strong guy. I see Stibral as an average D1 HWT, which is nothing to scoff at, but I think Metz is ready and has a higher ceiling.

Here are the comings and goings I gathered based on the gobison roster.

Returning:
Paul Bianchi (125)
Tirso Lara (125) (back on roster)
Cam Sykora (133)
Nico Colunga (141) (was 133)
Taylor Nein (141)
Nate Smith (141)
Mitch Bengtson (149) (was 141)
Mitch Friedman (149)
Sam Gilseth (149) (back on roster)
Kyle Gliva (149)
Sam Hampton (149) (was 141)
Clay Ream (157)
Colton Clingenpeel (165) (was 157)
Andrew Fogarty (165)
Nick Knutson (165)
Nick Mergen (165) (was 157)
Dylan Urbach (174)
Cole Witzig (174)
Tyler McNutt (184)
Charley Popp (184) (was 174)
Alex Bleeker (197) (was 184)
Cordell Eaton (197)
August Peplinski (197)
Jerrad Nieland (285) (back on roster)
Dan Stibral (285)

Incoming:
Brent Fleetwood (125)
Sawyer Degen (133)
McGwire Midkiff (133)
Austin Braun (149)
Brody Schmidt (149)
Gavin Sutton (149)
Jaden Van Maanen (149)
Michael Otomo (174)
Jesse Shearer (174)
Brandon Metz (285)

Outgoing:
Arthur Payne (125)
Josh Rodriguez (125)
Holden Youngs (125)
Joe Umlauf (141)
Wyatt Becker (141)
Nate Rykerd (149)
Blake Thompson (174)
Vincent Feola (184)
Jonah Lange (184)
Logan Paxton (184)
Ben Tynan (285)