Every March the best college wrestlers in the country, get together for the NCAA Wrestling Championships! This tournament is the culmination of a lifetime of hard work for these young men, and only one (in each weight class) can be crowned champion.

This year’s tournament takes place March 21-23th, in Kansas City, Missouri, at the T-Mobile Center.

In this article we will discuss last year’s 133 lb champion and who the top contenders are for this season.

2023 Champion: Vito Arujau, Last season Vito had one of the most impressive NCAA tournament runs in recent memory. Its not just that he dominated, it was who he dominated. Beating Dayton Fix in the semi’s and RBY in the finals. Out scoring them by a combined 21-7.

This Year’s Contenders:

Vito Arujau: Vito is back for his senior season and is looking to repeat his 2023 performance. The Cornell standout has missed a good part of the season and is currently 13-2. Not only is he the returning NCAA Champion, but his is also the reigning world champion after capturing gold last summer at the 2023 World Championships.

Daton Fix: Daton had an outstanding high school career, winning 4 Oklahoma state titles, while finishing a perfect 168-0. He was also a 4x world medalist as well as a 2017 junior World Champion! Since joining the college ranks, Daton has compiled a 52-3 record, while becoming a 4x all-american as well as a 2x NCAA finalist. Daton has quality wins over Austin DeSanto, Nick Suriano, and Ethan Lizak. He is 17-0 on the season and ranked #2 in the nation. Daton is a 4X all-american.

Ryan Crookham: Ryan was a 3X Pennsylvania AA state champion with 116-3 career record and 51 falls in high school. He has been equally impressive since joining the college ranks at Lehigh. He is currently 19-0 and has 2 high profile wins over Vito Arujau this season. Crookman is ranked #1 in the country.

Dark Horse Contenders: Evan Frost of Iowa State has the potential to make a deep run at the NCAA Tournament, he is currently ranked 7th in the country and is 15-3.  Dylan Ragusin of Michigan is 20-1 and ranked 5th in the country.