125-1. Spencer Lee (Iowa)
         2. Patrick Glory (Princeton)
         3. Matt Ramos (Purdue)
         4. Liam Cronin (Nebraska)
         5. Eric Barnett (Wisconsin)
         6. Anthony Noto (Lock Haven)
         7. Patrick McKee (Minnesota)
         8. Stevo Poulin (North Colorado)

133-1. Roman Bravo-Young (Penn St.)
         2. Daton Fix (Oklahoma State)
         3. Vito Arujau (Cornell)
         4. Michael McGee (Arizona St.)
         5. Micky Phillippi (Pitt)
         6. Aaron Nagao (Minnesota)
         7. Sam Latona (Virginia Tech)
         8. Kai Orine (NC State)

141-1. Real Woods (Iowa)
         2. Andrew Alirez (N Colorado)
         3. Brock Hardy (Nebraska)
         4. Cole Matthews (Pitt)
         5. Beau Bartlett (Penn State)
         6. Ryan Jack (NC State)
         7. Vince Cornella (Cornell)
         8. Alan Hart (Missouri)

149-1. Yianni Diakomihalis (Cornell)
         2. Sammy Sasso (Ohio State)
         3. Paniro Johnson (Iowa State)
         4. Kyle Parco (Arizona State)
         5. Michael Blockhus (Minnesota)
         6. Max Murnin (Iowa)
         7. Brock Mueller (Missouri)
         8. Austin Gomez (Wisconsin)

157-1. Austin O’Connor (NCarolina)
         2. Levi Haines (Penn State)
         3. Peyton Robb (Nebraska)
         4. Josh Humphreys (Lehigh)
         5. Jared Frank (N Dakota State)
         6. Bryce Andonian (Virg Tech)
         7. Ed Scott (NC State)
         8. Will Lewan (Michigan)​​

165-1. David Carr (Iowa State)
         2. Keegan O’Toole (Missouri)
         3. Dean Hamiti (Wisconsin)
         4. Julian Ramirez (Cornell)
         5. Shane Griffith (Stanford)
         6. Quincy Monday (Princeton)
         7. Patrick Kennedy (Iowa)        
         8. Carson Kharchla (Ohio State)

174-1. Carter Starocci (Penn State)
         2. Mikey Labriola (Nebraska)
         3. Mekhi Lewis (Virginia Tech)
         4. Chris Foca (Cornell)
         5. Ethan Smith (Ohio State)
         6. Edmond Ruth (Illinois)
         7. Dustin Plott (Oklahoma St.)
         8. Peyton Mocco (Missouri)

184-1. Aaron Brooks (Penn State)
         2. Parker Keckeisen (N Iowa)
         3. Trent Hidlay (NC State)
         4. Trey Munoz (Oregon State)
         5. Marcus Coleman (Iowa State)
         6. Kaleb Romero (Ohio State)
         7. Hunter Bolen (Virginia Tech)
         8. Matt Finesilver (Michigan)

197-1.Nick Bonaccorsi (Pittsburgh)
         2. Bernie Truax (Cal Poly)
         3. Rocky Elam (Missouri)
         4. Silas Allred (Nebraska)
         5. Max Dean (Penn State)
         6. Jacob Cardenas (Cornell)
         7. Issac Trumble (NC State)
         8. Michael Beard (Lehigh)

285-1. Mason Paris (Michigan)
         2. Greg Kerkvliet (Penn State)
         3. Cohlton Schultz (Arizona St.)
         4. Tony Cassioppi (Iowa)
         5. Wyatt Hendrickson (AForce)
         6. Lucas Davison (Northwest)
         7. Sam Schuyler (Iowa State)
         8. Zach Elam (Missouri)

NCAA qualifier Vito Arujau from Cornell.

Roman Bravo-Young (Penn State) defeated Daton Fix (Okla State) in last year's NCAA final.

NCAA qualifier Trey Rogers from Hofstra.

Cornell's Yianni Diakomihalis will seek his fourth NCAA title.

MAT NOTES:
     Penn State  is the clear favorite to capture their tenth team title at the 92nd annual NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships at Tulsa, OK. Head coach Cael Sanderson is now in his 12th year at the helm. The Nittany Lions have produced 32 individual NCAA champions during his tenure. 

​

     At the 2023 NCAA meet, they boast their quartet of returning champs, including two-time titlist, Roman Bravo Young (16-0), CarterStarocci (19-0), Aaron Brooks (12-1) and Max Dean (20-3) at 197. They will bring nine wrestlers to the 2023 meet.
   

     Iowa's Spencer Lee (16-0, 95-5 career) looks to be the Hawkeyes first ever four-time NCAA champion. The Hawks have another have title threat with Big Ten champion Real Woods (16-0)  and have ten qualifiers.

     There are 11 NCAA champions in the field, including three-time champion Cornell's Yianni Diakomihalis (16-1,110-2 career) and hopes to join the Big Red's Kyle Dake (137-4) on that elite list. Dake (2010-13) is the only four-time titlist to win four titles in four different weights. ​​​

     Three NCAA kings are in the loaded 165-pound

bracket. Reigning champ Keegan O’Toole (15-2), Big 12 titlist David Carr (22-0) and Shane Griffith (23-3) will battle for the gold medal.

     Other NCAA kings are Austin O’Connor (18-0) the top-seed at 157 and Mekhi Lewis (18-1) at 174.

     At 197, top-ranked Nick Bonaccorsi (16-0) is the slight favorite in a well- balanced bracket.
     In the rugged 285-pound class are Mason Parris (28-0), Greg Kervliet (15-2), Cohlton Schultz (20-2) and tough Tony Cassioppi (21-3).

     Of the 330 wrestlers entered in the tournament, there are only eleven unbeaten grapplers; the aforementioned Lee, RBY, Woods, O'Connor, Carr, Starocci, Bonaccorsi and Parris. Others are Patrick Glory (20-0) at 125, Daton Fix (26-0) at 133 and Andrew Alirez (23-0) at 141 pounds.

     At 133 pounds, RBY (98-9 career) seeks his third title and could meet Oklahoma State's Daton Fix (98-4) in the championship bout for the third consecutive year. Fix has been an NCAA runner-up for the past three seasons. Some of their parallels are both were four-time undefeated state champions. Young (182-0) hails from Sunnyside, AZ and Fix (168-0) is a local product from Sand Springs, OK. If Fix reaches the final, he could ride his bike to the gold medal match, as he grew up only 7.5 miles from the BOK Center.

​     Only four schools will send all ten wrestlers to the championships, the aforementioned Iowa, Missouri, Oklahoma State and Virginia Tech.

     The Cowboys have an NCAA leading 34 team titles and 143 individual NCAA champions.

     Looming in the bottom bracket at 133, is two-time EIWA champion and two-time All American Vito Arujau (70-7). He could meet Fix in a battle Friday night which could be the marquee match of the semi final round.

     Cornell with six EIWA champions are poised for a team trophy in Tulsa. EIWA finalist Brett Ungar (125) and champion Vince Cornella (19-4) at 141, both freshmen, could score valuable team points. Ungar won two state titles in high school, one in NJ and one in PA, while Cornella is a four-time Colorado state champion.

     Other Big Red firepower will come from a pair of fourth-seeds; EIWA champs, tough Julian Ramirez (23-3, 46-13) at 165 and Chris Foca (24-1, 49-9) at 174. Ramirez was a two-time FL state champ and added two national prep titles at Blair Academy (NJ). Foca won a NJ state crown and was a Fargo national champion. Also to watch is EIWA winner Jacob Cardenas (16-3, 39-11), a two-time NJ state titlist and Super 32 champion in the 197 pound bracket.

     Cornell has garnered 22 NCAA individual titles.

     The last time the NCAAs were in the OK state was in 2014 at Oklahoma City. Cornell assistant coach Nick Gwiazdowski (NC State) won the NCAA title and defeated rugged Tony Nelson (Minnesota), 4-2, at 285. Gwiazdowski would win two NCAA crowns and is a former two-time state king from Duanesburg HS.

     The Empire State has 19 high school prepped wrestlers in the NCAA field. They are:

125- Anthony Noto - Lock Haven - (Honoye Falls-Lima HS)

         Stevo Poulin - U No Colorado - (Shenendehowa HS)

133- Vito Arujau - Cornell - (Syosset HS)

         Zach Redding - Iowa State - (Eastport S Manor HS)

141- Jordan Titus - West Virginia - (Center Moriches HS)

149- Yianni Diakomihalis - Cornell - (Hilton HS)

         Ryan Burgos - Edinboro - (Hilton HS)

         Colin Realbuto - U Northern Iowa - (Iona Prep HS)

157- Tommy Askey - Appalachian St - (Pine Bush HS)

         Peter Pappas - George Mason U - (Plainview JFK HS)

165- Evan Barczak - Drexel - (Monroe-Woodbury HS)

         Tanner Cook - S Dakota St U - (Central V Academy)

174- Sam Wolf - Air Force - (Warsaw HS)

         John Worthing - Clarion - (Tioga HS)

184- Jacob Ferreira - Hofstra - (Horace Greeley HS)

         Giuseppe Hoose - Buffalo - (Southwestern HS)

         Jacob Nolan - Binghamton - (Saranac HS)

285- Cory Day - Binghamton - (Iroquois HS)

         Sam Schuyler - Iowa State - (Kings Park HS)

     Missing from that impressive list are three NY natives and returning All-Americans that suffered season ending injuries. Binghamton senior Lou DePrez (Hilton HS)  is now an assistant coach for the Bearcats.  Juniors that had a shortened season and should make some NCAA noise at the 2024 meet are AAs, Jacori Teemer (Long Beach HS - Arizona State) and Jonathan Loew (Wantagh HS - Cornell). Both could vie for NCAA titles in their respective weight classes.

     The leading states that produced HS prepped wrestlers at the 2023 NCAA Championships are: PA (46), IL (32), NJ (23), OH (22) and NY rounding out the top five with 19. 

     A look back 50 years ago, the 43rd annual NCAA Championships were held in Seattle, WA, and Iowa State (85 points) won the tournament, as Penn State (24.5) finished in tenth place. Clarion State had three champions, Don Rohn (134), Wade Schalles (158) and Bill Simpson at 167pounds.

     Interesting to note, back then the NCAA only recognized the top six place-winners as All-Americans. At 118 pounds, former NYS champions Sal Lanuto (Walt Whitman HS -Columbia) and Jack Spates (Smithtown HS - Slippery Rock) would've wrestled for 7th place. Another Long Islander and all-state performer Tim Granowitz (Massapequa HS - Florida) could have wrestled for the 7th place award at 142 pounds.

      In 1979, the NCAA recognized the top eight place finishers in each weigh class and earned AA accolades.

     The 2023 edition of the NCAA Championships will begin on Thursday, March 16th at 12:00 PM. Session One will be televised on ESPNU and other telecasts on both ESPN channels throughout the tournament.

Returning NCAA champion Aaron Brooks from Penn State.

Returning NCAA champion Carter Starocci from Penn State.

NCAA qualifier Cory Day from Binghamton.

NCAA DIVISION I WRESTLING CHAMPIONSHIP RANKINGS

NCAA qualifier Jacob Ferriera from Hofstra.

NCAA qualifier Jacob Nolan from Binghamton.

   TOP TOURNAMENT TEAMS
         1. Penn State
         2. Iowa
         3. Cornell
         4. Nebraska
         5. Missouri
         6. Iowa State
         7. Ohio State
         8. Oklahoma State
         9. NC State
       10. Arizona State
       11. Michigan
       12. Virginia Tech

       13. Lehigh

       14. Wisconsin

       15. Pittsburgh

Returning NCAA champion Max Dean (98 wins) from Penn State.