Previewing all 14 matches for FloWrestling's Who's #1

Photo of Alex Facundo at the 2018 Cadet World Championships courtesy of United World Wrestling.

High school wrestling fans rejoice! FloWrestling’s annual Who’s #1 event is tomorrow, and the card is stacked with the best wrestlers from across the country duking it out to prove they are the top dog. Before the action starts, let’s dive into the 14 matches that make up tomorrow’s card.

138 pounds – No. 3 Jesse Mendez vs. No. 4 Jordan Williams
Originally, 138 pounds was scheduled to feature a four-man bracket including No. 1 Shayne Van Ness and No. 2 Joel Vandervere. However, Van Ness was forced to pull out due to injury. Now, the winner of Mendez and Williams will face Vandervere later on the card.

Mendez is a 2019 Cadet World Team member and a two-time Indiana State champion. Last year, he wrestled in a four-man bracket at 132 pounds, defeating Ryan Jack before falling to Van Ness in the finals. Mendez is a junior and currently uncommitted.

Jordan Williams is also entering his junior season and uncommitted. He is a 2018 and 2019 Fargo 16U freestyle champion and a two-time Oklahoma state champion. He also won the prestigious Super 32 tournament.

138 pounds – No. 2 Joel Vandervere vs. Mendez/Williams
Vandervere will get the winner of Mendez vs. Williams in the 12th match of the night. Vandervere is a senior committed to Northwestern. He is a Super 32 and Illinois state champion. Of note, Vandervere and Mendez split matches last year. Mendez took the first bout, 14-11, in freestyle at FloNationals, while Vandervere took revenge at Super 32, defeating Mendez in ultimate tiebreaker.

145 pounds – No. 1 at 144 pounds Kylie Welker vs. No. 1 at 132 pounds Skylar Hattendorf
The second bout of the night, is one of two featured girl’s matches. This bout pits two of the most credentialed wrestlers on the card against each other with No. 1 at 144 pounds Kylie Welker taking on No. 1 at 132 pounds Skylar Hattendorf.

Both wrestlers are 2019 Cadet World medalists. Welker won bronze at 61 kg, while Hattendorf took silver at 57 kg. Welker and Hattendorf are both uncommitted juniors.

182 pounds – No. 1 Rylan Rogers vs. No. 3 at 170 Lenny Pinto.
Lenny Pinto will be bumping up to 182 pounds to take on No. 1 Rylan Rogers in the card’s third bout. The pair met in the 2019 Fargo 16U finals, with Pinto coming away victorious, 7-1.

Pinto also finished third in Greco-Roman at Fargo. He is a Pennsylvania state champion heading into his senior season and committed to wrestle for Nebraska.

Rogers is a National Prep champion for the illustrious Blair Academy. In addition to his runner-up finish at Fargo, he also placed second at the Cadet World Team Trials. Rogers is an Ironman champion and Beast of the East runner-up. He is uncommitted entering his junior year.

126 pounds – No. 1 Jordan Titus vs. No. 2 Dean Peterson
In the first No. 1 vs. No. 2 battle of the night, West Virginia commit Jordan Titus will take on Princeton commit Dean Peterson. The pair met in the 2019 Super 32 consolation semifinals, where Titus defeated Peterson, 10-4. Titus went on to finish fourth while Peterson placed fifth.

Titus, a senior, is a two-time New York state champion and four-time finalist. Last season, he won Ironman.

Peterson is also a senior. He is a three-time New Jersey state finalist and two-time champion. Last season, he won Beast of the East.

152 pounds – No. 1 Jagger Condomitti vs. No. 2 Victor Voinovich
Nebraska commit Jagger Condomitti and Oklahoma State Victor Voinovich will square off for the No. 1 spot at 152 pounds. Condomitti hails from Pennsylvania, where he is a two-time state placer and finished runner-up in 2019. Voinovich is a 2019 state champion from Ohio. He was unable to repeat last season as the Ohio State tournament was cancelled due to COVID-19.

This is Voinovich’s second appearance at Who’s #1. Last year, he had a spectacular showing, pinning Jesse Vasquez, a four-time California state champion, who at the time was ranked No. 1 at 145 pounds.

Both these wrestlers are seniors, and PA vs. Ohio always makes for a classic matchup.

285 pounds – No. 1 Kyonte Hamilton vs. No. 2 Chase Horne
Kyonte Hamilton, a Rutgers commit, is looking to retain his No. 1 spot over challenger Chase Horne, a recent NC State commit. Both wrestlers competed at 220 pounds last season and now are making their heavyweight debuts.

Hamilton, who wrestles for Georgetown Prep in Maryland, had a banner season, winning National Preps, Beast of the East and Escape the Rock. He is entering his senior year and currently plans on wrestling and playing football at Rutgers.

Horne, a Georgia state champion, placed third in freestyle and Greco at the 2019 Fargo 16U championships. He is also a Super 32 runner-up.

220 pounds – No. 1 Nick Feldman vs. No. 2 Kyle Haas
National Prep champion Nick Feldman is taking on 2019 Cadet World Team member Kyle Haas at 220 pounds.

Feldman, a product of Malvern Prep, is uncommitted entering his junior season. He is a 2019 16U Fargo Greco-Roman champion and also finished third in freestyle. Last season, Feldman won Beast of the East and finished runner-up at Ironman, Powerade and Escape the Rock.

Hass, a senior committed to Oklahoma State, finished runner-up at the 2019 Kansas state tournament. In 2019, Haas won both the Greco-Roman and freestyle Cadet World Team Trials. He opted to only compete in freestyle at the World Championships and finished eighth. Haas is a 2018 Fargo 16U runner-up in Greco-Roman and third-place finisher in freestyle. Additionally, he is a 2018 Cadet folkstyle national champion.

145 pounds – No. 1 Wyatt Henson vs. No. 2 Cody Chittum
Iowa commit Wyatt Henson will take on the up-and-coming sophomore Cody Chittum for the top spot at 145 pounds.

Henson, a 2020 Pennsylvania state champion originally from Missouri, where he also won a state title, is the son of legendary World champion and Olympic silver medalist Sammie Henson. Wyatt has already accomplished a lot in his own right, including a third-place performance in Junior freestyle at Fargo in 2019. He also finished third in the 16U division in 2018.

Chittum was a National Prep runner-up for Blair Academy last season as a freshman. He also was named the outstanding wrestler at Beast of the East. Hailing from Tennessee, he is a 2019 Fargo 16U runner-up in Greco-Roman and third-place finisher in freestyle. In 2018, he placed third in Greco-Roman and fifth in freestyle at Fargo.

195 pounds – No. 1 Seth Shumate vs. No. 2 Tate Picklo

At 195 pounds, Ohio State commit Seth Shumate and Oklahoma commit Tate Picklo will battle for supremacy.

Shumate, a junior, won 16U titles in both Greco-Roman and freestyle at Fargo in 2019. He was also a Cadet World Team runner-up in freestyle. Shumate won Ironman last year, and already has a state title under his belt form his from his freshman season.

Picklo is a 2019 Cadet Greco-Roman World Team member. A two-time Oklahoma State champ, Picklo won a 16U Fargo title in freestyle and finished third in Greco-Roman. In 2019, he finished runner-up in Greco-Roman and third in freestyle.

112 pounds – No. 1 at 106 pounds Mia Palumbo vs. No. 1 at 100 pounds Sage Mortimer
The second girl’s bout of the event also features a No. 1 vs. No. 1 showdown between Mia Palumbo and Sage Mortimer.

Palumbo is a 2018 Fargo champion in both the 16U and Junior divisions. In 2018, Palumbo became the first girl to win a match at the boy’s state tournament in Illinois. Palumbo, a senior, is back on the mats after an injury sidelined her for much of the 2019 season.

Mortimer is a 2019 Cadet World Team member. In 2019, she won titles in both the Junior and 16U divisions at Fargo. In 2018, she became the first girl to place in the Junior Greco-Roman division at Fargo, finishing seventh. That year, she also won a 16U title and finished runner-up in the Junior division. Mortimer hails from Utah.

160 pounds – No. 1 Paddy Gallagher vs. No. 2 Travis Mastrogiovanni
Paddy Gallagher and Travis Mastrogiovanni both dropped bouts at last year’s Who’s #1. Gallagher was pinned by Keegan O’Toole at 160 pounds, while Mastrogiovanni fell to Sonny Santiago, 5-3, at 152 pounds. You can bet that both wrestlers will be hungry for redemption.

Gallagher, a senior committed to Ohio State, is a 2019 Fargo Junior champion. He is also a 2019 Ohio state champion and a 2019 Ironman champion.

Mastrogiovanni is a Senior at Blair Academy and is committed to Oklahoma State. He is a two-time National Preps finalist and one-time champion. He did not compete at National Preps last year due to injury. Mastrogiovanni is a 2018 16U Fargo champion and a 2019 Cadet World Team Trials runner-up.

120 pounds – No. 1 Richie Figueroa vs. No. 2 Drake Ayala
In the co-main event, Richie Figueroa will attempt to become the first wrestler to win three times at Who’s #1. Last year, Figueroa bested Steveo Poulin, and in 2018 he defeated Jacob Decatur. Figueroa is a two-time Cadet World Team member and finished with silver at the 2018 Cadet World Championships. Figueroa is a senior committed to Arizona State and the No. 1 pound for pound ranked wrestler in the country. He is a three-time California state champion and has won titles at Super 32 and FloNationals.

Looking to stop him will be Iowa commit Drake Ayala. A senior and two-time Iowa state champion, Ayala is a 2019 Junior Fargo Junior champion. He is also a 2019 Junior Folkstyle Nationals champion and a 2017 Fargo 16U champion.

170 pounds – No. 1 Alex Facundo vs. No. 2 Cael Valencia
The main event will feature two-time Cadet World bronze medalist Alex Facundo taking on Cael Valencia.

This is Facundo’s third Who’s #1 event. In 2018, he defeated Brevin Balmeceda, and last year he fell to Patrick Kennedy. Facundo is a Penn State commit and claimed bronze at the 2018 and 2019 Cadet World Championships. He is a 2017 Fargo 16U champion and a three-time Michigan State champion.

Cael Valencia is the younger brother of Arizona State studs Zahid and Anthony Valencia. He is one of the top uncommitted seniors in the country. Last season, Valencia won Super 32 and defeated Paddy Gallagher to bring home a Doc Buchannan title. He is a two-time California state runner-up.

The event kicks off in Austin, Texas this Saturday at 6 pm EST and can be streamed live on FloWrestling.