With the final 47 at-large bids officially allocated today, all 330 NCAA qualifiers have now been announced.
Let's break down some of the most notable at-large bid decisions.
All-Americans Will Feldkamp, Carter Starocci, Bryce Andonian, Brandon Kaylor and Michael Blockhus earn at-large bids
The biggest story heading into the 2024 conference weekend was the health of Penn State's three-time NCAA champion Carter Starocci at 174 pounds. After injuring his leg in his final match against Edinboro, Starocci's status was uncertain. The Penn State coaches did not provide any specifics on the nature of Starocci's injury or his potential to compete for another Big Ten title, but a social media clip posted by the team's account featuring Starocci walking into the Xfinity Center in College Park, Maryland ahead of the Big Ten tournament prompted fans to think that Starocci might have been healthy enough to wrestle and earn an auto-qualifying spot.
Happy to be back at Maryland! Grateful for the chance to compete this weekend!
— Penn State WRESTLING (@pennstateWREST)
Ultimately, though, Starocci injury defaulted out of both of his matches in the tournament, posting an 0-2 record and giving up an opportunity to earn an automatic qualifier spot at 174 pounds. His potential to earn an at-large bid was all but guaranteed, and the krikya18.committee's decision today confirms that Starocci will indeed have the chance compete in the 2024 NCAA tournament next weekend. Starocci's health is still a question, but at least now he knows that he can book his ticket to Kansas City.
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With this at-large decision, Starocci becomes the tenth Penn State wrestler to qualify for the tournament and sets the Nittany Lions up to chase the all-time scoring record and potentially put all ten qualifiers on the podium.
Starocci though, is far from the only All-American who was waiting for an at-large bid today. Virginia Tech's Bryce Andonian similarly fell short of an auto-qualifier spot after taking a major decision loss to Ed Scott in the ACC tournament. Andonian has battled an injury in the second half of the season, but at full health, the Hokie can beat everyone. Now with this at-large bid, he'll have a chance to chase a national title in Kansas City.
2023 All-Americans Will Feldkamp and Michael Blockhus nearly missed out on their chances to end up on the podium again this year too, but at-large bids keep both of them in the mix at 184 and 157 pounds, respectively. Both athletes have unique stories too, with Feldkamp transferring to Iowa State for his graduate year and winning a Big 12 team title with the Cyclones last weekend, while Blockhus is competing this year for the Gophers again after temporarily retiring at the conclusion of last year to pursue a career in MMA.
It's rare for an All-American to be seen as an underdog at the NCAA tournament, but these two athletes are potential sleeper title contenders at their weights. They'll find out tomorrow just how hard the path through their bracket might be.
We can't forget about Brandon Kaylor either in this All-American discussion, as the Oregon State Beaver snuck into the tournament with an at-large bid at 125 pounds. The 125-pound weight class is so crazy that Kaylor is not only in the conversation to be an All-American again but potentially a title contender if he can go on a run when it matters most. Kaylor beat Big Ten bronze medalist Drake Ayala earlier this year, and he's a tough draw for anyone.
Michael Colaiocco, Kade Moore and Nic Bouzakis could be at-large All-American threats at 133 pounds
Penn's Michael Colaiocco, Missouri's Kade Moore and Ohio State's Nic Bouzakis are also All-American contenders in their weight classes, despite needing at-large bids to make the tournament.
Colaiocco, a 2022 EIWA champion, has qualified for the tournament three times already in his college career, finishing in the Round of 16 last year. He's 16-10 on the year this season with his best win coming against All-American Sam Latona, but his 1-2 performance at EIWAs this year prevented him from being an auto-qualifier. His at-large bid gives him one more chance to fight for a spot on the podium.
Missouri's Kade Moore has a similar background. The Tiger is 11-5 on the year with a win over Latona, but he too went 1-2 at his conference tournament. If Moore can make a deep run through a 133-pound bracket that includes 2023 senior world champion Vito Arujau, 2021 world silver medalist Daton Fix and No. 1-ranked Ryan Crookham, he could play a key part in Missouri's chase for a team trophy.
Another team in the mix for a trophy that will be counting on points from its at-large qualifiers is Ohio State. The Buckeyes added two more qualifiers through the at-large process including 125-pounder Brendan McCrone and 133-pounder Nic Bouzakis. Both have a chance to do some damage in their bracket, but Bouzakis in particular is someone who has serious podium potential. The Young Buck is 21-9 on the season with wins over All-American Kai Orine and Aaron Nagao, but he failed to earn an auto spot at the Big Tens, partially because of a bracket draw that had him facing off against No. 14 Brody Teske of Iowa in the first round. Bouzakis then also lost to Jacob Van Dee of Nebraska in a wild 10-8 match. Bouzakis should not be overlooked heading into Kansas City, despite these losses. He strong, tough and funky, and he'll come looking to score points for himself and his team.
Bouzakis, Moore and Colaiocco will need more wins at nationals than they earned at their conference's tournaments, but all three have tremendous potential that make them dangerous bracket busters.
➡️ 2024 DI WRESTLING CHAMPIONSHIP: Selection show schedule, championship information
Little Rock's Matt Bianchi adds another qualifier for the Trojans amidst an historic season
With an at-large bid at 157 pounds, Little Rock's Matt Bianchi becomes the fourth Little Rock wrestler to qualify for the NCAA tournament, a program record. He follows in the footsteps of his older brother Paul who became the first NCAA qualifier for Little Rock in program history in 2021, and continues to add the Bianchi name to the Little Rock wrestling history books.
MAKING HISTORY: Inside Little Rock wrestling's historic season
His teammate, Tyler Brennan, was named first alternate at 174 pounds, as well. This is a team that took second at Pac-12s in just its fifth year in existence and is only continuing to rise.
California Baptist is also making program history with its two qualifiers including auto qualifier Hunter Leake and at-large qualifier Eli Griffin. LIU also qualified its first DI wrestler for the tournament in Anthony D'Alesio, who punched his ticket to Kansas City at 184 pounds in the EIWA tournament.
It's shaping up to be a legendary championship in Kansas City.
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