West Wrestler of the Week
Garrett Thompson, Ohio, Redshirt Sophomore, 165 lbs
Garrett Thompson was the individual champion for the 165-pound weight class in the Open Division at the Southeast Open this weekend. The redshirt sophomore had a remarkable run en route to the title, knocking of North Carolina's Marcus Murabito and Life University's Kieshaun Stephens in the opening two rounds. Thompson would then beat Jaxon Garoutte from Utah Valley by way of a 5-0 decision. In the semifinals, Thompson would face off with Peyton Hall from West Virginia. A reigning All-American and tenth-ranked in the WrestleStat's 165-pound rankings, Hall would undoubtedly test Thompson's abilities. The Bobcat did not back down, defeating the All-American with an 8-5 decision. Thompson would then face Oregon State's Kekana Fouret in the final who entered the match with a 6-0 record to begin the year. Thompson would give Fouret his first loss of the year, earning the individual championship with a 7-1 decision. The win gave Thompson the first championship of his collegiate career.
 
East Wrestler of the Week
John Meyers, Clarion, Junior, 285 lbs
Meyers was the Clarion Open Runner-up this weekend. He worked his way to the finals, including an upset win over his bracket's top seed. Meyers started the day with an 8-3 decision over Kent State's Brentan Simmerman, and a major decision over Michigan State's James Campbell. The quarterfinal bout with Columbia's Nolan Neves was a tight one, with neither man recording anything other than an escape through the first six minutes. At that point Neves came in on a single leg and elevated, attempting to drive Meyers back and to the mat. Meyers kept his balance and used Neves' momentum against him, spinning around and throwing him to his back for a quick third period fall. Meyers then authored what was perhaps the biggest upset of the day for any Golden Eagle, beating Bucknell's Dorian Crosby in the semifinal. Crosby – ranked 24th in FloWrestling's opening rankings and a 2023 NCAA qualifier – could not manage a takedown against Meyers, but the latter was able to ride him down in a thunderous takedown early in the second period to take a 4-0 lead. Meyers held on for a 4-3 decision for the upset victory, though he fell by decision in the final to another nationally-ranked opponent, Ohio State's Nick Feldman.