2023 was a monumental year in college wrestling. Penn State won its tenth title in 13 years, a new four-time champion was crowned and historic records fell.
Let's break down some of the biggest events that happened over the last 365 days as we look to the future.
March 6, 2023: Daton Fix, David Carr win fourth Big 12 titles
The Big Ten gets a lot of attention in the college wrestling world because of the dominance of the Nittany Lions and the history within Iowa's wrestling room, but, in early March, the spotlight was on the Big 12 as David Carr and Daton Fix, seniors at Iowa State and Oklahoma State respectively, earned their fourth Big 12 titles. Both will be looking to become five-time conference champions this spring at 165 and 133 pounds, though Carr's path will be a little more difficult than Fix's.
Daton Fix has lost just one match outside of the NCAA tournament in his entire career. He's 104-6 in five seasons as a varsity athlete, and, of those six losses, two came against Roman Bravo-Young in the national finals, one came against Nick Suriano in the national finals, one came against Vito Arujau in the national semfinals and one came against Michael McGee in the NCAA consolation finals. The lone loss beyond the championship tournament came in 2019 to Pittsburgh's Micky Phillippi. No one in the Big 12 has ever topped Fix.
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David Carr is in a different situation. He'll enter the 2024 Big 12 dual schedule with one of the most dominant athletes in the country at his weight: Keegan O'Toole. Carr beat O'Toole twice last year, including in the Big 12 finals to earn his fourth title, but O'Toole is tough. If Carr can top him again in the conference tournament, he could become the first five-time Big 12 champ in Iowa State history and potentially fight for a top seed at NCAAs.
No matter what happens this year, Carr and Fix added their names to an elite Big 12 club in 2023.
March 6, 2023: NC State wins fifth consecutive ACC title
Jumping to the East, it's the N.C. State Wolfpack who once again captured the ACC crown and extended their conference winning streak to five. This accomplishment becomes more impressive every year as the ACC continues to gain depth and strength, with teams like Virginia Tech, North Carolina and Pittsburgh pushing for top-ten rankings over the past several years.
All four of N.C. State's ACC champions returned this season, with Trent Hidlay bumping up from 184 pounds to 197 pounds, Kai Orine and Owen Trephan holding down their spots at 133 and 285 pounds, and Jarrett Trombley serving as a valuable backup to Orine up at 133 after winning the conference in 2023 at 125 pounds.
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With this lineup of stars, N.C. State rose as high as No. 2 in the country earlier this year, proving that their success didn't end at the end of the 2022-2023 season. While the Pack are now down to No. 4 following a loss to Ohio State, the expectations will certainly be for N.C. State to take home top ACC honors again and push for a team trophy in Kansas City at NCAAs.
Winning our 5th straight ACC Championship🤩
— NC State Wrestling 🤼♂️ (@PackWrestle)
March 17, 2023: Purdue's Matt Ramos upsets three-time NCAA champion Spencer Lee
The biggest moment of the year came on March 17th in what will no doubt continue to be known as the 'pin heard round the world.' With seconds remaining in the third period in the semifinal match between Purdue sophomore Matt Ramos and three-time NCAA champion Spencer Lee, Ramos did the unthinkable.
He rolled Lee to his back and held him there, driving him down on to the mat and pushing for the fall. Time ticked by. Ramos kept working. Three seconds before time expired, Ramos did it. He pinned Spencer Lee. He had just upset the champ.
Ramos exploded off the mat, his arms raised out in joy. Lee, meanwhile, looked dejected. Ramos would go on to drop his championship match to Princeton's Pat Glory, while Lee would medically forfeit out of the tournament, finishing sixth. Ramos' pin in that semifinal match will be a moment remembered throughout history.
March 18, 2023: Patrick Glory becomes the first national champion for Princeton in 72 years
Speaking of 125 pounds, the 2023 crown belonged to Princeton's Pat Glory. The senior lightweight came into the tournament expecting to wrestle Spencer Lee, and he intended to be the guy who took down the champ. Ramos had a similar plan — as he proved to be the one that stopped Lee — but Glory's national championship goal remained, regardless of his competition. He wanted to win his first national title and the first national title for Princeton in 72 years.
And he did just that. After racing through his bracket and topping Brett Ungar, Liam Cronin, Brandon Courtney and Reece Witcraft, Glory took the mat against Ramos, ultimately stopping the Boilermaker in one-takedown match, 4-1. In an emotional post-match interview, Glory explained that he always believed he could do it, and he wanted to prove to the world what he already knew: that he was the best in the country at 125.
Mission accomplished.
March 18, 2023: Yianni Diakomihalis becomes the fifth athlete in NCAA history to win four individual national championships
March 18th was the night of celebration and achievement, and Yianni Diakomihalis was at the center of it all. The Cornell senior officially became the fifth four-time NCAA champion in program history on this Saturday night in March when he took down Ohio State's Sammy Sasso 4-2.
The tournament itself was anything but easy for Diakomihalis. He had to navigate past All-American Dom Demas, Jackson Arrington, All-American Max Murin and All-American Shayne Van Ness just to get to Sasso, with those last two matches being particularly intense. In the end, Diakomihalis prevailed. His fourth national championship made him the second Cornell wrestler in program history to accomplish the feat and put him in elite company.
BIG RED HISTORY:
Cornell as a team had a stellar championship, finishing third with Diakomihalis and teammate Vito Arujau winning titles and head coach Mike Grey winning Coach of the Year honors. It was a big night for the Big Red, and one that will be remembered beyond 2023.
March 18, 2023: Penn State wins 2023 NCAA wrestling team title, tenth championship under head coach Cael Sanderson
While the 2023 national tournament inspired individual heroics and notable personal moments, the team title — and the biggest championship headline — belonged to the Nittany Lions. Penn State, for the second year in a row, dominated its way to another golden moment, led by three-time NCAA champions Aaron Brooks and Carter Starocci.
While Starocci's finals pin over Nebraska's Mikey Labriola and Brooks' definitive win over Northern Iowa's Parker Keckeisen put exclamation points on the team's performance, they weren't the only athletes to walk away with hardware. Beau Barlett, Shayne Van Ness and Levi Haines also earned their first All-American honors at 141, 149 and 157 pounds with third, third and second-place honors, respectively, while Roman Bravo-Young earned his fourth podium finish with a runner-up finish at 133 pounds. At 197 pounds, Max Dean also earned his fourth career All-American finish with a seventh-place result, and heavyweight Greg Kerkvliet ended the tournament in second for his third All-American honor.
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The Blue and White put 55 points between themselves and second-place Iowa as a result of their starpower and depth, and the Nittany Lions will now gear up for another championship run in 2024.
March 24, 2023: Keegan O'Toole wins Big 12 Athlete of the Year Award
Missouri's Keegan O'Toole added more hardware to his trophy case this spring when he topped 2021 NCAA champion David Carr in the 165-pound NCAA finals to claim his second individual title. Earlier that season, Carr beat O'Toole both in the dual and in the Big 12 finals, pinning O'Toole in overtime of that second match. O'Toole, though, reversed those results on the biggest stage. His title elevated him to Big 12 Athlete of the Year honors a and Hodge Trophy finalist distinction.
O'Toole still holds down to the No. 1 spot in the weight right now, as he's 9-0 on the year with 100% bonus at 165 pounds and a decision win up at 174 pounds against No. 3 Edmond Ruth. He also won krikya18.com's 'Midseason Most Dominant Wrestler Award.'
March 27, 2023: Mason Parris becomes the first Michigan wrestler to win the Hodge Trophy
The University of Michigan has produced its fair share of champions with 24 individual winners, but prior to 2023, none of those winners had ever taken home college wrestling's most prestigious award: the Hodge Trophy.
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Mason Parris became the first Wolverine to accomplish this feat after he rolled through his season and the NCAA tournament in dominant fashion. He ended the year with a 33-0 record and 63.64% bonus rate, including bonus wins over All-Americans Tony Cassioppi and Lucas Davison at the national tournament.
Following his collegiate success, Parris qualified for the senior world championships by way of his runner-up performance at Final X, and he'll remain a frontrunner for the Olympic spot at 125kg this summer.
May 5, 2023: Nino Bonaccorsi adds his name to the Wall of Champions
Nino Bonaccorsi quietly had one of the best championship runs in the country last season. In a weight class that included NCAA champion Max Dean, NCAA finalist Jacob Warner, Big Ten Champion Silas Allred and All-Americans Michael Beard, Yonger Bastida, Rocky Elam, Gavin Hoffman and Bernie Truax, Bonaccorsi ran the table. He finished the year 22-0 with tournament wins over Max Shaw, Owen Pentz, Allred, Ethan Laird and Tanner Sloan to become the first NCAA champion under Pittsburgh head coach Kevin Gavin, a Panther champion himself.
Bonaccorsi accolade became memorialized forever on May 5 with his addition to Pittsburgh's famous "Walk of Championships." It's an honor that matches the value and caliber of Bonnacorsi's achievement.
June 27, 2023: Zack Esposito fills James Green's USA Wrestling coaching job, setting off a coaching carousel
Coleman Scott to Oklahoma State. Rob Koll to North Carolina. Chris Ayres to Stanford. Joe Dubuque to the head coaching role at Princeton.
All of these moves stemmed from one decision: James Green's choice to move back to the Nebraska Wrestling Training Center and continue his quest for freestyle glory after spending a little over a year as the USA Wrestling National Freestyle Developmental Coach.
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Oklahoma State associate head coach Zack Esposito ultimately filled Green's role at USA Wrestling, opening up the Esposito's job in Stillwater. It's a position that was filled by a seemingly unlikely candidate: UNC head coach Coleman Scott. A Cowboy alum, Scott now works alongside his former coach, head coach John Smith to lead Oklahoma State into a new era.
Following Scott's departure from North Carolina, Rob Koll, a UNC alum, left his post at Stanford to take over the Tar Heels, a move that led Princeton head coach Chris Ayres to move west and become the head Cardinal coach.
Welcome to The Farm, Coach Ayres!
— Stanford Wrestling (@CardWrestling)
This coaching carousel doesn't even include the moves from before Green came out of retirement. Just after the NCAA tournament in March, Lou Rosselli departed as the head coach of Oklahoma, a position that Roger Kish later inherited after 12 successful years at North Dakota State. The Bison replaced Kish with in-house leadership, elevating associate head coach Obe Blanc to the role. Blanc then brought in Hayden Hidlay as a head assistant from N.C. State.
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Each of these programs are finding their own forms of success under new leadership, but the changes at head coaching positions were a huge storyline in 2023 and will be a trend to watch in 2024 as these individuals settle into their roles.
September 16, 2023: Andrew Alirez announces Olympic redshirt
The 2024 calendar year will thrust wrestling, and perhaps some college wrestlers, into the spotlight beyond the United States. Andrew Alirez hopes to be one of those wrestlers making waves internationally.
After winning the 2023 NCAA title at 141 pounds over Iowa's Real Woods, the Northern Colorado champion announced on September 16 that he would be taking an Olympic redshirt this season to focus on freestyle. Alirez has since won senior nationals at 65kg and qualified for the Olympic Trials, putting him on step closer to his goals.
While the Bears will miss their leader on the collegiate stage, Northern Colorado won't be entirely without stars. The Bears will have Big 12 champion Stevo Poulin chasing All-American honors (and perhaps even an individual title) at 125 pounds, along with ranked athletes at 133, 157 and 165 pounds in No. 27 Dominick Serrano, No. 10 Vince Zerban, and No. 28 Baylor Fernandes, respectively.
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Alirez has been clear about the fact that he will remain involved with the team this year and continue to do what he can to inspire his team to maintain their momentum from the 2023 championships even as he pursues goals of Olympic glory in 2024.
September 17, 2023: Vito Arujau wins senior world title at 61kg
Alirez isn't the only athlete with world and Olympic dreams. One of those other athletes, Vito Arujau, achieved championship glory within and beyond the United States already this year. Here's how he did it and how he'll aim to build on these accomplishments in 2024:
Riding the momentum of his 2023 NCAA title and Final X victory, Cornell junior Vito Arujau entered his first senior world championships on fire. He stayed the course and beat everyone in his path, including Abasgadzhi Magomedov, adding 'World Champion' to his resume.
The number of college athletes who can win senior world championships or Olympic champions during their collegiate eligibility is low and, as of recently, includes the likes of Olympic gold medalist Kyle Snyder and Olympic gold medalist Gable Steveson.
Arujau is now part of that elite club.
His performance not only gives him confidence and demonstrates his talent, but his win also puts him in the Olympic Trials semifinals at 57kg or 65kg, depending on the weight Arujau elects to compete in this April.
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He's expected to drop to 57kg, and being able to sit to the semifinals will be a huge advantage in that deep field that could include three-time NCAA champion Spencer Lee, senior world champion and Olympic bronze medalist Thomas Gilman, senior world silver medalist Daton Fix, and tw-time NCAA champion Nick Suriano as well as 2023 senior world team member Zane Richards.
Before then becoming a 2024 NCAA champion is no doubt on Arujau's goal list as well.
August 4, 2023: Big 12 announces conference realignment including Arizona State's move to the Big 12 from the Pac-12
Conference realignment was a hot topic in 2023.
College wrestling will experience less disruption than college football, but there will be two big changes that could cause a ripple effect moving forward: Arizona State's move to the Big 12 and Stanford's move to the ACC.
The Arizona State news came first, on August 4, as the Big 12 announced the addition of the Sun Devils, Arizona Wildcats and Utah Utes.
— Sun Devil Wrestling (@ASUWrestling)
Given that Arizona State is the only one of these schools with a wrestling program, this shift isn't particularly dramatic, though it will add great depth to the Big 12, a conference that has recently been own by Missouri but historically led by Oklahoma State.
The Pac-12, however, will feel Arizona State's loss, and this wasn't the only piece of bad news for the conference. Less than a month later, Stanford also announced a change, as the institution elected to move to the ACC. These changes leave the Pac-12 with just four member and affiliate member schools: Cal Poly, CSU Bakersfield, Little Rock and Oregon State. While wrestling's Pac-12 conference looks healthier than the Pac-12 conference in other sports, the loss of Arizona State and Stanford will still hurt.
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The moves do open up some fun new dual possibilities in the ACC and Big 12 though. Time will tell just how much of a difference these programs make in their new conference homes.
September 28, 2023: Sammy Sasso returns to the Ohio State wrestling room
While much of 2023 brought joy and celebration, perhaps the most heartbreaking news came in early fall when Ohio State senior Sammy Sasso suffered a gunshot wound to the stomach. The Buckeye leader battled through this serious injury to ultimately make a recovery, and September 28 marked an important day in his journey as he was finally able to leave the hospital and visit his teammates in the wrestling room.
booom . straight from the hospital to practice. love these guys.
— sasso chamberlain (@sammysasso)
According to Sasso's , he "sustained severe nerve damage to his spine" following the incident and spent time in the ICU and the acute care unit. He was then transferred to a rehab facility to help him re-learn how to walk and gain mobility. Sasso spoke about his recovery on , explaining that while he's a wrestler at heart and the sport remains a key part of his identity, he is less focused on when he can wrestle again than he is, obviously, on dealing with the day-to-day challenges of recovery.
Since posting online that he was able to see his teammates in person outside of the hospital, Sasso has also shared images of himself in the corner, coaching his teammates. He remains actively involved in the Buckeye program and visible online. His journey is still ongoing, but 2024 will hopefully bring more healing and recovery for Sasso.
November 1, 2023: UFC Fight Pass airs the first college wrestling dual of the year
One of the more exciting developments in college wrestling this year was the partnership with UFC Fight Pass and the agreement that the network would broadcast several duals throughout the season.
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After its first six events of the season, the organization has received rave rave reviews for its investment and coverage of unique wrestling duals, including Wyoming and Campbell's dual inside a barn, Missouri's recent dual against Illinois in a theatre and Wisconsin vs. Iowa State's dual in Kevin Dresser's home gym in Humboldt, Iowa.
🐎 𝑩𝑨𝑻𝑻𝑳𝑬 𝑰𝑵 𝑻𝑯𝑬 𝑩𝑨𝑹𝑵
— CFFC MATCH DAY | College Wrestling (@cffcmatchday)
We’re back THIS FRIDAY NIGHT on at one of the wildest venues in featuring vs !
FRIDAY | 7PM ET | LIVE on
UFC Fight pass has three more events listed on the calendar for 2024, and all three of those duals, listed below, will be must-watch television:
- January 7th: West Virginia vs Columbia (Atlantic City, NJ)
- January 13th: Oregon State vs North Dakota State (Las Vegas, NV)
- February 2nd: Appalachian State vs Campbell (Buies Creek, NC)
November 4, 2023: Peyton Robb returns to the mat after a live-threatening infection
Nebraska All-American Peyton Robb is in the midst of one of the most incredible comeback wrestling seasons fans have seen in a long time. Just eight months ago, Robb was hospitalized due to illness following his consolation semifinal match where he was treated for a bacterial infection before returning to campus.
He was then rushed back to the hospital in Lincoln where doctors informed him that the infection had formed blood clots in his lungs. He was treated with blood thinners and given medical attention, but complications continued, as spots started appearing on Robb’s leg, suggesting that his skin was dying and infecting the rest of his body.
Throughout this process, doctors worried Robb could lose his leg, or possibly his life, as only one-in-five people survived this diagnosis. Robb not only beat the odds, but beat them handily. He regained health and strength and returned to the mat for Nebraska’s first dual of the season against North Dakota State where he subsequently recorded a major decision.
Robb was back.
He then went on to win the Cliff Keen Invitational, earn Most Outstanding Wrestler honors and capture a Big Ten Wrestler of the Week accolade. Peyton Robb is a title contender and if he wins in 2024, he will have written the script for an award-winning Hollywood film. Regardless of what happens next year, seeing Robb on the mat in November was a win for Nebraska, Robb and the sport of wrestling.
The following day, he was rushed back to the hospital in Lincoln where doctors informed him that the infection had formed blood clots in his lungs. He was treated with blood thinners and given medical attention, but complications continued, as spots started appearing on Robb’s leg, suggesting that his skin was dying and infecting the rest of his body. Throughout this process, doctors worried Robb could lose his leg, or possibly his life, as only one-in-five people survived this diagnosis.
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Robb not only beat the odds, but beat them handily. He regained health and strength and returned to the mat for Nebraska’s first dual of the season against North Dakota State where he subsequently recorded a major decision. Robb was back. He then went on to win the Cliff Keen Invitational, earn Most Outstanding Wrestler honors and capture a Big Ten Wrestler of the Week accolade. Peyton Robb is a title contender, and if he wins in 2024, he will have written the script for an award-winning Hollywood film.
Regardless of what happens next year, seeing Robb on the mat in November was a win for Nebraska, Robb and the sport of wrestling.
November 12, 2023: Lehigh's Ryan Crookham upsets Vito Arujau at the Journeymen Classic
While Matt Ramos' win over Spencer Lee in the national semifinals might have been the biggest upset of the 2023 calendar year, Ryan Crookham of Lehigh earned the biggest upset thus far of the 2023-2024 season.
A redshirt freshman with the Mountain Hawks, Crookham wasn't even necessarily projected to be the starter this year, as teammate Connor McGonagle was slated to return at 133 pounds after an injury last season. Before McGonagle even had the chance to wrestle in the NWCA All-Star match in which he was invited to compete, Crookham topped his teammate in the Journeymen Classic in sudden victory. Crookham then followed that win with an 8-4 decision against 2023 senior world champion and 2023 NCAA champion Vito Arujau, a win that, combined with Crookham's 6-4 win over All-American Aaron Nagao, would give Crookham the No. 1 spot in the country at 133 pounds.
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Crookham will come into 2024 with higher expectations and a bigger target on this back, but he's shown that he's ready for the best of the best. He's a title contender and perhaps one that no one predicted heading into 2023.
November 12, 2023: Iowa hosts trailblazer duals for first DI women's wrestling programs
The 2023-2024 season is just the beginning for women's college wrestling, and if these first few weeks have shown us anything, it's that these women are thriving and more programs are needed to keep the sport growing.
𝗟𝗶𝘃𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗱𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗺...✨
— Iowa Women's Wrestling (@IowaW_Wrestling)
2023-24 intro video ⬇️
The talent in collegiate women's wrestling right now was on full display on November 12, when the University of Iowa, the first Big Ten school to offer a DI women's wrestling program, hosted the "Trailblazer Duals," a day-long event featuring three other Division I women's wrestling programs: Lindenwood, Presbyterian and Sacred Heart.
The Hawks dominated their opponents, beating Presbyterian 44-1, Lindenwood 43-0 and Sacred Heart 40-4 with depth across all ten weight classes. A half-dozen Hawkeye women secured three individual bonus point wins in the event, led by Marlynne Deede at 155 pounds, who earned a forfeit and two pins, followed closely by Brianna Gonzalez and Kylie Welker who each notched two techs and a pin. Welker's performance was particularly notable, as she wrestled at both 171 and 190 during these duals.
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When Iowa first announced that it would be starting a varsity women's wrestling program in 2021, expectations were high. Based on their limited 2023 performances, those expectations appear to be met. The goal now will be to not only stay undefeated but to send some Hawks to the Olympic Trials finals in April on the road to Paris.
November 20, 2023: Austin O'Connor honored with his championship ring in the North Carolina vs. Illinois dual
Sometimes wrestling creates some perfect full-circle moments, and that's exactly what happened on November 20th when North Carolina two-time NCAA champion was honored by his alma mater at the dual between the Tar Heels and the Illini in Champaign, Illinois.
The Champ 🏆
— UNC Wrestling (@UNCWrestling)
Proud to present Austin O’Connor with his National Championship and ACC Championship rings prior to yesterday’s dual against Illinois! |
An Illinois native, O'Connor spent six years in North Carolina competing for the Tar Heels, earning two All-American honors and two national titles in 2021 and 2023 during that time. Since his graduation, O'Connor moved to Illinois to take an assistant coaching job with the Illini closer to his hometown, but his legacy is still remembered at Carolina.
As a way to honor his achievements and celebrate his career with the Tar Heels, North Carolina arranged to have O'Connor presented with his ACC and NCAA championship rings in Illinois during the dual in November, allowing O'Connor to share a memorable, notable memory with his old coaching staff and his new team. It's one of those special wrestling moments and certainly a top moment of 2023.
November 20, 2023: Morgan State wins first home dual since bringing back to the program
The Morgan State Bears have been making history all season. From their first team competition at the Southeast Open to their first DI dual to home dual, this is a memorable season for head coach Kenny Monday and his program.
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November 20th was a particularly special day for the Bears, as they welcomed Marymount University to Baltimore for the season home opener and ultimately shutout their opponents 53-0.
Monday spoke extensively to krikya18.com about the feeling of both shutting out opponents and being shut out, but this win was meaningful for the new head coach not just because of the score. He told krikya18.com that having former Morgan State wrestlers in the crowd — athletes who competed for the team before it was cut in the late 1990's — helped showcase the community and legacy embedded within this program.
The Bears are currently 1-9 on the year with a brutal schedule ahead of them, as they prepare to take on Edinboro, Princeton, Bucknell, Clarion and West Virginia all in the month of January and almost exclusively on the road. This is a rebuilding and development year for Monday and his team, but as Morgan State continues to build, this a program to keep an eye on.
November 27, 2023: Iowa holds off Iowa State to win its 18th consecutive Cy-Hawk dual
In front a national audience on ESPN and a soldout crowd in Hilton Coliseum, the Iowa Hawkeyes did Iowa Hawkeye things and stopped a red-hot Iowa State team for the 18th year in a row. Head coach Tom Brands maintained his undefeated streak against the Cyclones, but the match was not without drama.
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Iowa and Iowa State split decision matches at 125, 133, 141, and 149 and 157 pounds, but Iowa State's Anthony Echemendia and Cody Chittum nearly pulled off upsets against Real Woods and Jared Franek at 141 and 157 pounds. With his team needing a spark, Iowa State's David Carr took the mat for the final Cy-Hawk dual of his career and majored All-American Mikey Caliendo of Iowa to give Iowa State a 10-9 lead, but with Carr behind them, Iowa started to make some unexpected lineup changes.
The Hawks debuted Patrick Kenendy at 174 pounds, who held on for a narrow win, and then Iowa rolled out true freshman Gabe Arnold who upset All-American Will Feldkamp. Iowa's Zach Glaizer sealed the dual win with a victory at 197 pounds, ensuring that even with Iowa State's Yonger Bastida scoring bonus at 285 pounds, the Hawks would prevail. Iowa remained a Hawkeye State for another year, but Iowa State is hungry, and they showed that on November 27.
December 14, 2023: Michigan adds its fifth All-American transfer to the program
One of the biggest stories of 2023 was the shuffling of transfers across teams in the off-season, but one team maximized the transfer portal more than anyone else: Michigan. The Wolverines picked up three All-Americans from Northwestern over the summer, including Michael DeAugustino, Chris Cannon and Lucas Davison as well as Stanford NCAA champion transfer Shane Griffith. Also, the Maize and Blue capped up this roster reloading with Wisconsin All-American transfer Austin Gomez at 149 pounds.
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Michigan certainly wasn't the only team to add transfers this year as Penn State picked up All-Americans Bernie Truax and Aaron Nagao, and Oklahoma State and Iowa State added All-Americans Izzak Olejnik and Will Feldkamp respectively, but Michigan's five new All-Americans is still unmatched.
The Wolverines are currently 2-0 on the year with wins over Columbia and Rider, but the real tests will come when the conference schedule starts on January 12 against Maryland and continues with Michigan State, Penn State, Rutgers, Ohio State, Iowa, Nebraska and Indiana. Austin Gomez, the most recent transfer, is set to make his debut January 4 against South Dakota State.
December 19, 2023: Ivy League announces departure from EIWA in 2025
With 11 days left in 2023, the Ivy League dropped a key announcement that proved notable enough to make its way onto this end-of-year roundup.
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The Ivy League, a longtime partner with the EIWA, has historically named its own regular season wrestling championship team, but individual honors and conference allocations were determined at the EIWA — the Eastern Intercollegiate Wrestling Association — conference tournament. Now after 120 years, the Ivy League will host its own tournament in 2025. Conference allocations will have to be reset for the EIWA and Ivy Leagues independently, and teams like Princeton, Columbia, Harvard, Brown, and Cornell will no longer compete against fellow EIWA foes, including American, Bucknell, Lehigh, Binghamton, Army, Drexel, Franklin & Marshall, Long Island University, Hofstra, Navy, Army and Sacred Heart.
The Ivy League has announced the addition of a postseason wrestling tournament, set to begin in the 2024-25 academic year. In the last 10 years, Ivies have been crowned national champions 10 times and have earned 50 All-American honors. 🌿🤼
— Ivy League (@IvyLeague)
📰 »
The full implications of this decision are unknown at the time, but what we do know is that this year's EIWA championship will be the last event with the Ivy League schools for the foreseeable future.
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