The 2023-24 men's college wrestling season comes to a triumphant culmination this week in Kansas City with the NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships. In total, 330 wrestlers will take to the mat in hopes of reaching the top of the podium on Saturday night. After a season of unpredictable upsets and intense rivalries, only 80 will achieve the coveted All-American status and only 10 will be crowned 2024 national champions in their respective weight class.
The championships begin Thursday at noon ET on ESPNU and ESPN+ and continue through Saturday on ESPN, ESPNU and ESPN+.
Five key stories
1. Starocci goes for four
Nittany Lion senior Carter Starocci is seeking his fourth NCAA championship at 174 pounds, but the bigger question is how healthy he is. After suffering an injury during the final dual of the year, Starocci medically forfeited the Big Ten championship. With lost games counting as losses, Starocci owns a 12-2 record and saw its 64-game winning streak in NCAA DI come to an end. He enters the tournament as the ninth seed, a placement that could lead to a quarterfinal matchup between Starocci and Mekhi Lewis (Virginia Tech), and a semifinal between Starocci and fourth-seeded Shane Griffith (Michigan).
2. Returning Champions
Seven past NCAA champions are in the field, looking for another title to add to their legacy.
If Aaron Brooks and Starocci were to win their fourth titles, they would join a list of only five other wrestlers who have four titles attached to their names.
3. Don't sleep on these guys
Some of the tournament's best stories begin with the least expected fighters stepping up and running. Who remembers Kizhan Clarke (North Carolina), number 15, in 2022, who entered the final as the lowest seed in history? The following kids could have their own Cinderella story this week and add some drama in the process.
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125 pounds: Anthony Noto, 12 seed (Lock Haven); three-time MAC champion
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133 pounds: Nasir Bailey (Cal Poly), seventh seed; Pac-12 Champion
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141 pounds: Cole Matthews (Pittsburgh), 18 seed; The two-time ACC champion defeated top seed Jesse Mendez this season
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149 pounds: Jordan Williams (Oklahoma State), No. 20; missed injury in Big 12 championship; injured in the final against Ty Watters, fifth seed
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157 pounds: Cody Chittum (Iowa State), 14 seed; Impressive performance in Big 12 championship
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165 pounds: Joseph Bianchi (Little Rock), 13 seeds; Pac-12 Champion
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174 pounds: Peyton Mocco (Missouri), 22nd seed; only All-American returns on his side of the draw
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184 pounds: Ryder Rogotzke (Ohio State), 18 seed; Sixth seed Bernie Truax pinned this season and placed fifth at the Big Ten championship
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197 pounds: Levi Hopkins (Campbell), 13 seed; two-time SoCon champion, last six wins all in fall
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HWT: Nash Hutmacher (Nebraska), 29th seed; nicknamed “The Polar Bear”; Cornhuskers defensive lineman; His first college game was a win in the fall.
4. 125 pounds, anyone can win
With five different wrestlers ranked No. 1 for the season, no one came out unscathed. Matt Ramos (Purdue) held the coveted spot for the final six weeks of the regular season, earning him the top spot in the Big Ten championship. Just when everyone was starting to wonder if this was the weight Ramos needed to lose, ninth-seeded Dean Peterson (Rutgers) defeated Ramos in a decision victory. Braeden Davis, a freshman from Penn State, ended up taking the Big Ten title and the top berth to the NCAA tournament. These guys are tough and unpredictable.
5. Penn State dominance
Following their eighth Big Ten title under legend Cael Sanderson, the Nittany Lions are seeking their 11th team national championship title in the last 13 seasons. The team qualified at 10 weights for the first time in 10 seasons and was able to break previous records of five individual titles, the largest margin of victory (+73.75 by Iowa in 1986) and the most team points (170.5 by Iowa in 1997). The race for second and third place is where things could get interesting. Watch for NC State, Michigan, Nebraska and Iowa State to make potential efforts for a team trophy.
Weight class spotlights
125 pounds
With the revolving door at No. 1 all season long, as well as six All-Americans returning to the field, this weight could get crazy in the first round. True freshman Braeden Davis (Penn State) captured the Big Ten title and everyone will be watching to see what he can do in his first NCAAs. Keep an eye on 2023 NCAA runner-up Matt Ramos (Purdue) and three-time ACC champion Jakob Camacho (NC State).
133 pounds
Reigning EIWA 133-pound conference champion Ryan Crookham (Lehigh) posted a record of 18-0 this season. His best two wins came over 2023 NCAA champion and world medalist Vito Arujau (Cornell), who dropped to sixth in this year's standings. Top-seeded Daton Fix (Oklahoma State) became the first five-time Big 12 champion this season and has appeared in the 133-pound NCAA Finals three times during his legendary career with the Cowboys.
141 pounds
After making weight at the Big Tens in a win over second seed Beau Bartlett (Penn State), Jesse Mendez was awarded the top seed at the NCAAs. Michigan's Sergio Lemley took eighth place after handing third-place Real Woods (Iowa) its first loss of the season. Keep an eye on 18th-seeded Cole Matthews (Pitt) who has wins over 4th-seeded Mendez, 4th-seeded Ryan Jack (NC State) and 6th-seeded Lachlan McNeil (North Carolina) this season.
149 pounds
Top-seeded Ridge Lovett is looking to win Nebraska's first national title since 2011, when legend Jordan Burroughs won for the Cornhuskers. Lovett's only loss of the season came during his matchup with second seed Kyle Parco (Arizona State) on February 6. Favorite Austin Gómez (Michigan) has had a great performance in the last month, qualifying Mexico at 65 kg for the Paris 2024 Olympics and taking second place in the Big Ten tournament.
157 pounds
One of the deepest weights in the NCAA tournament this season, this group has all the ingredients to get funky. Penn State's Levi Haines, who is a perfect 18-0 on the season, took first place with Arizona State's four-time Pac-12 champion Jacori Teemer in second place. Possible second-round matchups include ninth-seeded Will Lewan (Michigan) against eighth-seeded Peyton Robb (Nebraska) and third-seeded Meyer Shapiro (Cornell) against 14th-seeded Cody Chittum (Iowa State).
165 pounds
Junior Keegan O'Toole has been the definition of the Tiger style for Missouri as it enters the tournament hungry for its third straight title. If we're lucky, we'll see O'Toole's fifth delivery against fourth seed David Carr (Iowa State). O'Toole has won the last two meetings, both by decision. He doesn't forget second seed Mitchell Mesenbrink, a freshman for the Nittany Lions. He and O'Toole attended the same high school and are both products of Missouri great Ben Askren.
174 pounds
With Carter Starocci medically missing the Big Ten championships and those counting as losses this season, he dropped to ninth in the NCAA. The problem? The top half of the field contains top seed Mekhi Lewis, fourth seed Shane Griffith and ninth seed Carter Starocci, all of whom have won an NCAA championship. There is a possibility of seeing Lewis against Starocci in the quarterfinals and Starocci against Griffith in the semifinals, unless all participants are healthy and ready to play. The bottom half of the bracket? Former All-American Peyton Mocco (Missouri), who placed eighth last season, is ranked 22nd.
184 pounds
The clear number one at this weight is Parker Keckeisen, a redshirt junior from Northern Iowa. He has a 26-0 record and an 88% bonus percentage in his matches, which includes 10 technical falls on opponents. Seventh-seeded TJ Stewart, a freshman from Virginia Tech, took the ACC title and has been on an impressive run; his last loss was on January 26 in a sudden victory against North Carolina's Gavin Kane.
197 pounds
Top-seeded Aaron Brooks moved up in weight and went for his fourth title and went 17-0 this season while claiming his fourth Big Ten title. The Penn State senior boasts a 94% bonus percentage and, if he wins the title, could be the favorite for the 2024 Dan Hodge Trophy. On the other side of the pack is second seed Trent Hidlay (NC State ), who has also gained weight this season. Brooks and Hidlay have met in the last three NCAA semifinals and finals, where Brooks has a 3-0 record. Don't count Hidlay out just yet though, he has a 24-0 record, is a four-time ACC champion and has an 83% bonus percentage. Is it the year of Hidlay?
H.T.
If you love drama, look no further than the heavyweights. Penn State redshirt junior Greg Kerkvliet earned the top spot in this group after posting a 15-0 record and his second Big Ten title. Second seed Yonger Bastida (Iowa State) is also undefeated on the season with a 24-0 record. He has taken to social media over the past few weeks declaring himself the Grim Reaper. The last person on his list? Greg Kerkvliet. Will we see a clash of titans in the final?
