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 184 lb champion and who the top contenders are for this season.

2023 Champion:  Mason Parris of Michigan went 33-0 last season claiming the NCAA title as well as the prestigious Hogge trophy. He has since graduated, opening the door for a new contender.

This Year’s Contenders:

Greg Kerkvliet of Penn State was a Was a four-time Minnesota state champion in high school, as well as a cadet World Champion in 2017. At Penn State he is a 3X NCAA All-American. He is currently 18-0 and just captured the Big 10 title in dominating fashion.

Wyatt Hendrickson of Air Force Wyatt was a 2X Kansas State Champion in high school and is a 2X All-american. He is also a 2X Big 12 champion and has led the nation in pins the last 2 seasons. He is 22-1 on the year and ranked 2nd in the class.

Yonger Bastida of iowa State is 24-0 on the year and has looked very impressive with wins over  Cohlton Schultz and Wyatt Hendrickson. Yonger has been a pleasant addition to the heavyweight ranks this season and he has a unique balance of speed and strength that makes him a serious threat to everyone he faces.

Dark Horse Contenders:

Cohlton Schultz of Arizona State has had an off year and has dealt with a mixture of injury and illness. He is currently 9-1 and ranked 4th in the country. Cohlton is a 3X all-american and 4X US Open Champion, he is also a former NCAA finalist. While he has flown under the radar this season, he is more than capable of winning an NCAA title.

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 184 lb champion and who the top contenders are for this season.

2023 Champion: Nino Bonaccorsi  of Pitt had an incredible season going 26-0 and capturing his only NCAA title, defeating  Tanner Sloan in the finals 5-3. Nino has since graduated, opening the door for someone new to win the title this year.

This Year’s Contenders:

Last years NCAA runner up Tanner Sloan of South Dakota State, returns for his senior season and looks focused to claim the title he failed to reach last season. Tanner is 22-1 and ranked 4th in the country.

Aaron Brooks of Penn State is back and looking to claim his 4th straight NCAA title. He is currently 20-0 and ranked 1st in the nation.  He recently captured his 4th Big 10 title as well.

Trent Hidlay of North Carolina State has had an impressive year going  25-0 and ranked 2nd in the country he is  a force to be reckoned with. Hidlay finished 4th at last year’s tournament and is a serious contender to top the podium this season.

Dark Horse Contenders:

Michael Beard of Lehigh is 26-1 and ranked 3rd in the class. Beard has a talent for pulling off upsets, and could make some noise come tournament time.

Zach Glazier of Iowa is 24-2 and his only loses have come to 3X NCAA champion Aaron Brooks.

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 184 lb champion and who the top contenders are for this season.

2023 Champion: Aaron Brooks of Penn State captured his 3rd straight NCAA title defeating Parker Keckeisen  in the finals by a 7-2 score. Luckily for the rest of the 184 pound division, Brooks has decided to move up and wrestle his senior season at 197.

This Year’s Contenders:

Parker Keckeisen of the University of Northern Iowa is the odds on favorite to win his first NCAA title. He was a 2X Wisconsin state champion in high school and is already a 3X all-american, finishing 3rd twice and finishing 2nd last season. Parker has won the Big 12 tournament, the Cliff Keen Invitational, and defeated Bernie Turax at the NWCA all star classic. Parker is 23-0 and ranked first in the nation.

Dustin Plott of Oklahoma State was a 2X Oklahoma state champ in 2018 and 2019, he is also a 2X Big 12 champion and 2X all-american! Plott is 25-3 on the season and currently ranked 2nd in the nation.

Trey Munoz of Oregon State is a 3X NCAA qualifier, a 2X Pac 12 Champion, and a 2023 all-american. He is 18-3 and ranked 3rd in the country.

Dark Horse Contenders: 

Isaiah Salazar of Minnesota had a very impressive Big 10 tournament, capturing his first Big Championship. He was a 4X Colorado state champion, compiling a 143-6 career record. and has qualified for the NCAA tournament 3X, he is 21-1 and ranked 6th in the nation.

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 174 lb champion and who the top contenders are for this season.

2023 Champion: Carter Starocci was the 2023 NCAA Champion for Penn State. Carter pinned Mikey Labriola of Nebraska in the finals, putting an exclamation point on his dominant season. That was Carter’s 3rd straight championship.

This Year’s Contenders: 

Carter Starocci is back and looking for his 4th NCAA title, and the way he has been wrestling this year, I would be surprised to see anything less. Carter is currently 12-2 on the year, and barring injury, he is the man to beat.

Other Contenders: This is Carter’s weight to lose, however there are two other NCAA Champions in the bracket that need to be taken seriously.

Shane Griffith of Michigan was a 3X New Jersey State Champion in high school and is also a 2021 NCAA Champion. He is currently ranked 3rd in the nation and has a 14-3 record. Another championship calibaliar wrestler that is battling injury.

Mekhi Lewis of Virginia Tech was a 2019 NCAA Champion, and is currently 15-0 on the year. He is incredibly hard to take down and a tough out for anyone he wrestles. Mekhi is ranked 2nd in the country and placed 4th at last year’s NCAA tournament. With Carter and Griffith injured, Mekhi may have a case for his second NCAA Championship.

Dark Horse Contenders: 

Edmond Ruth of the University of Illinois was a 2X state champion in high school going 105-1. He is currently 22-2 on the year and ranked 7th in the country. He has a unique blend of speed, strength, and technique, that make him difficult to defeat. He is also the reigning Big 10 Champion.

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 125 lb champion and who the top contenders are for this season.

2023 Champion: Keegan O’Toole of Missouri has been utterly dominate throughout his college career. In the 2023 final he defeated 2021 NCAA Champion David Carr 8-2. This victory propelled him to his 2nd straight NCAA title.

This Year’s Contenders: 

Keegan O’Toole of Missouri is back and in hot pursuit of his 3rd straight NCAA championship. He is currently 19-0 and ranked 1st in the country. Keegan has quality wins over NCAA Champions David Carr, and Shane Griffith. He has an impressive career record of 79-3, and is also a 3X Big 12 Champion.

David Carr of Iowa State. Carr was a 4X Ohio State Champion and an 1X Kentucky State Champion as an 8th grader, making him an extremely rare 5X state champion. He is also a 2019 Junior World Champion and sports an impressive 137-6 college record.

Mitchell Mesenbrink of Penn State. Mitchell was a 3X Wisconsin state champion. He is currently 22-0 and ranked 5th in the country. In 2023 he captured the U20 World Championship at 74 kg. Mitchell pushes a relentless pace and and is always looking to score. Although not as experienced at the college level, being a freshman, he is a force to be reckoned with and has all the potential to win it all.

Dark Horse Contenders:

Dean Hamiti of Wisconsin has really come into his own this year. He is 26-2 on the season and is extremely dangerous with his cradles.Had it not been for a brief lapse of judgement in the Big 10 finals he would likely be the number 2 seed, and Big 10 Champion. Look for him to make a deep run in March.