No. 1 vs. No. 2 matchup headlines the finals at the Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational

Photo of Trent Hidlay by Justin Hoch.

Las Vegas, Nev. – The finals are set at the Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational, arguably the toughest tournament of the regular season. All 20 finalists are currently ranked in the top 20 in Flowrestling’s rankings.

The 184 pound final will feature the No. 1 wrestler in the country Zahid Valencia of Arizona taking on the No. 2 Trent Hildlay of NC State. Valencia is a two-time NCAA champion and finished third his redshirt freshman season. Hidlay is a redshirt freshman that is off to a 10-0 start this year. He has wins over the current No. 3, No. 4 and No. 5 wrestlers in his weight class.

At 149 pounds, two redshirt freshmen made the finals. Sammy Sasso of Ohio State and Brayton Lee of Minnesota will face off for the title. Sasso is currently ranked No. 10, while Lee is No. 12. Last season, the pair met at the Edinboro Open, with Sasso recording a 6-4 victory. In the spring, Lee defeated Sasso to claim the 70 kg spot on the Junior World Team, two matches to none, with 11-8 and 8-1 victories.

The finals will take place at 6:00 pm eastern time and can be streamed live on Flowrestling.

Finals Matches
125: Jack Mueller (Virginia) vs. Devin Schroder (Purdue)

133: Chas Tucker vs. Montorie Bridges (Wyoming)

141: Luke Pletcher (Ohio State) vs. Mitch McKee (Minnesota)

149: Brayton Lee (Minnesota) vs. Sammy Sasso (Ohio State)

157: Hayden Hidlay (NC State) vs. Ryan Deakin (Northwestern)

165: Isaiah White (Nebraska) vs. Josh Shields (Arizona State)

174: Bryce Steiert (Northern Iowa) vs. Dylan Lydy (Purdue)

184: Zahid Valencia (Arizona State) vs. Trent Hidlay (NC State)

197: Kollin Moore (Ohio State) vs. Christian Brunner (Purdue)

285: Mason Parris (Michigan) vs. Tanner Hall (Arizona State)

Semifinals Results
125
Jack Mueller (Virginia) dec. Michael DeAugustino (Northwestern), 3-0
Devin Schroder (Purdue) dec. No. 6 Alex Mackall (Iowa State), 6-2.

133
Chas Tucker (Cornell) dec. Dylan Koontz (Ohio State), 8-3
Montorie Bridges (Wyoming) dec. Ridge Lovett (Nebraska), 5-1

141
Luke Pletcher (Ohio State) maj. dec. Chad Red (Nebraska), 11-3
Mitch McKee (Minnesota) dec. Dom Demas (Oklahoma), 5-2

149
Brayton Lee (Minnesota) Max Thomsen (Northern Iowa), 4-2 SV
Sammy Sasso (Ohio State) by injury default over  Jarrett Degen (Iowa State)

157
Hayden Hidlay (NC State) maj. dec. Kendall Coleman (Purdue), 8-0
Ryan Deakin (Northwestern) dec. David Carr (Iowa State), 9-3

165
Isaiah White (Nebraska) dec. Ethan Smith (Ohio State), 4-1 TB2
Josh Shields (Arizona State) dec. Andrew Fogarty (North Dakota State), 8-2

174
Bryce Steiert (Northern Iowa) maj. dec. Anthony Valencia (Arizona State), 11-2
Dylan Lydy (Purdue) dec. Mikey Labriola (Nebraska), 3-1 SV

184
Zahid Valencia (Arizona State) maj. dec. Lou DePrez (Binghamton), 13-4
Trent Hidlay (NC State) dec. Taylor Lujan (Northern Iowa), 8-4

197
Kollin Moore (Ohio State) tech. fall Thomas Lane (Cal Poly), 16-1
Christian Brunner (Purdue) dec. Jake Woodley (Oklahoma), 2-1

285
Mason Parris (Michigan) dec. Christian Lance (Nebraska), 6-1
Tanner Hall (Arizona State) dec.Tate Orndorff (Utah Valley), 3-1