The 2023 NCAA D1 Wrestling Championships kick off on Thursday in Tulsa, Oklahoma, at the BOK Center. This is the country’s premier wrestling event, a date wrestling fans have marked down on their calendars. Today, I will preview every weight and give you wrestlers to watch out for come Thursday. To view brackets for the 2023 NCAA D1 Wrestling Championships, visit my bracket hub, where you will find brackets and other information. Now, let’s get started.
125 LBS
Title Favorites/Contenders
(1) Spencer Lee (Iowa)
(2) Pat Glory (Princeton)
(3) Liam Cronin (Nebraska)
“Bracket Busters”
(9) Eric Barnett (Wisconsin)
(10) Brandon Courtney (Arizona State)
(11) Patrick McKee (Minnesota)
(12) Michael DeAugustino (Nortwestern)
(28) Killian Cardinale (West Virginia)
Former All-Americans
(1) Spencer Lee (Iowa) – 3x National Champion
(2) Pat Glory (Princeton) – 2nd in 2022 and 6th in 2019
(7) Brandon Kaylor (Oregon State) – 8th in 2022
(9) Eric Barnett (Wisconsin) – 7th in 2022 and 8th in 2021
(10) Brandon Courtney (Arizona State) – 6th in 2022 and 2nd in 2021
(11) Patrick McKee (Minnesota) – 5th in 2022 and 3rd in 2021
(12) Michael DeAugustino (Northwestern) – 4th in 2022
(28) Killian Cardinale (West Virginia) – 7th in 2021
Top Potential Matchups
Round of 16 – (9) Eric Barnett (Wisconsin) vs (8) Anthony Noto (Lock Haven)
Round of 16 – (3) Liam Cronin (Nebraska) vs (14) Noah Surtin (Missouri)
Round of 16 – (11) Patrick McKee (Minnesota) vs (6) Stevo Poulin (Northern Colorado)
Round of 16 – (7) Brandon Kaylor (Oregon State) vs (10) Brandon Courtney (Arizona State)
Quarterfinals – (3) Liam Cronin (Nebraska) vs (11) Patrick McKee (Minnesota)
Semi-Finals – (3) Liam Cronin (Nebraska) vs (2) Pat Glory (Princeton)
Finals – (1) Spencer Lee (Iowa) vs (2) Pat Glory (Princeton)
Top Half
Three-time National Champion Spencer Lee highlights the top half of this bracket. He takes the one seed and looks like the clear favorite to come out. Lee has been the definition of dominant this season, with a significant bonus win percentage at 88%, and has gone 17-0. Matt Ramos is the favorite to challenge Lee in this half of the bracket. Ramos has had a great year after finishing as a Round of 12 guy last year. Ramos is 31-4 on the year with wins over Patrick McKee, Eric Barnett, Stevo Poulin, and Brandon Kaylor, to name the notable wins. Although the impressive season, we saw the Ramos vs Lee match in a dual back in January, with Lee winning by fall. Killian Cardinale is an interesting wrestler in this bracket at the 28 seed. Cardinale has had a very lackluster year despite the 10-1 record. Cardinale has put everyone on upset alert because he has been in the Quarterfinals before. Caleb Smith has to open up with Cardinale and could stumble out of the gates. Michael DeAugustino is someone who could flip this bracket because of his 12 seed. DeAugustino could make it to the Quarterfinals and might challenge Ramos Friday morning.
Bottom Half
The bottom half of this bracket holds a highly anticipated Semi-Final matchup with Cronin vs Glory. Liam Cronin has had a breakout year, and people really started paying attention to him after he beat Patrick McKee and Michael DeAugustino in back-to-back duals. Since December, Cronin only has two losses, with those coming to Spener Lee, including a loss to Lee in the Big Ten finals. Pat Glory is a returning NCAA runner-up and is off to a 20-0 start. However, Glory has had an incredible season with wins over Brandon Kaylor, Brandon Courtney, and Dean Peterson in back-to-back appearances. Patrick McKee and Brandon Courtney could make things interesting in this bracket. Both are former All-Americans and can beat just about anyone in this field and have a shot at Quarterfinal appearances. Courtney, however, would have a PAC-12 Finals rematch in the Round of 16 against Brandon Kaylor, where Kaylor won 3-2 in the second tiebreaker.
133 LBS
Title Favorites/Contenders
(1) Roman Bravo-Young (Penn State)
(2) Daton Fix (Oklahoma State)
(3) Vito Arujau (Cornell)
“Bracket Busters”
(8) Aaron Nagao (Minnesota)
(10) Lucas Byrd (Illinois)
(11) Dylan Ragusin (Michigan)
(13) Jesse Mendez (Ohio State)
(23) Brody Teske (Iowa)
Former All-Americans
(1) Roman Bravo-Young (Penn State) – 2x National Champion and 8th in 2019
(2) Daton Fix (Oklahoma State) – 3x National Runner-up
(3) Vito Arujau (Cornell) – 3rd in 2022 and 4th in 2019
(4) Michael McGee (Arizona State) – 4th in 2022 and 6th in 2021
(6) Sam Latona (Virginia Tech) – 6th in 2021
(10) Lucas Byrd (Illinois) – 5th in 2022 and 5th in 2021
(12) Chris Cannon (Northwestern) – 7th in 2022 and 7th in 2021
(27) Taylor LaMont (Iowa) – 5th in 2021
Top Potential Matchups
Round of 16 – (9) Micky Phillippi (Pittsburgh) vs (8) Aaron Nagao (Minnesota)
Round of 16 – (13) Jesse Mendez (Ohio State) vs (4) Michael McGee (Arizona State)
Round of 16 – (7) Michael Colaiocco (Penn) vs (10) Lucas Byrd (Illinois)
Quarterfinals – (1) Roman Bravo-Young (Penn State) vs (8) Aaron Nagao (Minnesota)
Semi-Finals – (3) Vito Arujua (Cornell) vs (2) Daton Fix (Oklahoma State)
Finals – (1) Roman Bravo-Young (Penn State) vs (2) Daton Fix (Oklahoma State)
Top Half
The top half of the bracket is highlighted by back-to-back National Champion Roman Bravo-Young, who nabs the top seed. He has been having a great season going 16-0 with a 75% bonus rate. He holds wins over Aaron Nagao, Jesse Mendez, and Brody Teske, to name some of his notable. He does have a tough road to the finals with a Big Ten Finals rematch in the Quarterfinals against Aaron Nagao. Nagao gave Bravo-Young his most challenging match this season and has a great chance of doing it again Friday morning. Jesse Mendez has the opportunity to blow up this side of the bracket since he matches up well with Michael McGee in the Round of 16. If you are going to pick a high seed to make the Semi-Finals, he is a good pick.
Bottom Half
Maybe as anticipated as a Bravo-Young vs Fix rematch, Saturday night is the potential Semi-Final matchup between Daton Fix and Vito Arujau. Fix has been on a terror this year. He is off to a 26-0 record and has looked like a man on a mission to win a title. Unfortunately, his second test will not be pleasant, with Vito Arujau standing in his way in the Semi-Finals. Arujua is 20-1 on the year and has looked like a genuine title contender all year. Fix’s first test could come from Lucas Byrd in the Quarterfinals. Byrd has been solid all year with a 28-4 record, plus he is a two-time All-American.
141 LBS
Title Favorites/Contenders
(1) Real Woods (Iowa)
(2) Andrew Alirez (Northern Colorado)
(3) Cole Matthews (Pittsburgh)
“Bracket Busters”
(6) Beau Bartlett (Penn State)
(9) Mosha Schwartz (Oklahoma)
(12) Parker Filius (Purdue)
Former All-Americans
(1) Real Woods (Iowa) – 6th in 2022
(3) Cole Matthews (Pittsburgh) – 5th in 2022
(11) Clay Carlson (South Dakota State – 8th in 2021
(20) Jake Bergeland (Minnesota) – 7th in 2022
Top Potential Matchups
Round of 16 – (9) Mosha Schwartz (Oklahoma) vs (8) Allan Hart (Missouri)
Round of 16 – (11) Clay Carlson (South Dakota State) vs (6) Beau Bartlett (Penn State)
Round of 16 – (7) Vince Cornella (Cornell) vs (10) Lachlan McNeil (North Carolina)
Quarterfinals – (3) Cole Matthews (Pittsburgh) vs (6) Beau Bartlett (Penn State)
Semi-Finals – (3) Cole Matthews (Pittsburgh)/(6) Beau Bartlett (Penn State) vs (2) Andrew Alirez (Northern Colorado)
Finals – (1) Real Woods (Iowa) vs (2) Andrew Alirez (Northern Colorado)
Top Half
Real Woods highlights the top half of the bracket. Woods is 16-0 on the year and has looked good all year. He has wins over a good chunk of the top half of the bracket, including wins over Parker Filius, Brock Hardy, and Carter Young. The redshirt freshman Brock Hardy looks like the best contender in the field. Although he has lost twice to Woods, they were tight matches that could have gone either way. Watch out for the 12 and 13 seeds in this bracket. Parker Filius has been excellent this season but does have to open up with Cleveland Belton, who he lost to this year at the Cliff Keen Invitational. But Filius has some great wins this year over Vince Cornella and Dylan D’Emilio. Carter Young can be sneaky good and could get hot this tournament. He has beaten some guys seeded ahead of him, like Allan Hart and Mosha Schwartz. Young will face Jake Bergeland in the first round a returning All-American.
Bottom Half
Some could argue that Andrew Alirez has been the best wrestler at 141 lbs this season, and I would hear your argument. Alirez has the best win of the year that did not even count, and that was the win over Cole Matthews at the 2022 NWCA All-Star Classic. Alirez has great wins over Allan Hart and Carter Young this season. After another great season, Cole Matthews will be Alirez’s best challenger on this side of the bracket. Matthews is a returning All-American with a 19-1 record on the year, with his lone loss coming via upset from West Virginia’s Jordan Titus. Despite that, Matthews has looked great all year with wins over Ryan Jack and Lachlan McNeil. The Beau Bartlett vs Cole Matthews Quarterfinal is potentially the best Quarterfinal this tournament with two high-quality wrestlers. Bartlett has the opportunity to bust this bracket wide open by taking out the three and two seeds in back-to-back matches. Watch out for the Vince Cornella vs Lachlan McNeil Round of 16 matchup. Both are young, talented wrestlers, and the winner of that matchup could give Andrew Alirez a difficult match in the Quarterfinals.
149 LBS
Title Favorites/Contenders
(1) Yanni Diakomihalis (Cornell)
(2) Sammy Sasso (Ohio State)
(3) Kyle Parco (Arizona State)
(4) Caleb Henson (Virginia Tech)
(14) Austin Gomez (Wisconsin)
“Bracket Busters”
(5) Paniro Johnson (Iowa State)
(14) Austin Gomez (Wisconsin)
Former All-Americans
(1) Yianni Diakomihalis (Cornell) – 3x National Champion
(2) Sammy Sasso (Ohio State) – 5th in 2022 and 2nd in 2021
(3) Kyle Parco (Arizona State) – 8th in 2022 and 6th in 2021
(6) Brock Mauller (Missouri) – 5th in 2021 and 6th in 2019
(7) Yahya Thomas (Northwestern) – 3rd in 2021
(9) Jaden Abas (Stanford) – 7th in 2021
(14) Austin Gomez (Wisconsin) – 4th in 2022
(33) Dom Demas (Cal Poly) – 4th in 2019
Top Potential Matchups
Round of 16 – (9) Jaden Abas (Stanford) vs (8) Max Murin (Iowa)
Round of 16 – (5) Paniro Johnson (Iowa State) vs (12) Shayne Van Ness (Penn State)
Round of 16 – (3) Kyle Parco (Arizona State) vs (14) Austin Gomez (Wisconsin)
Quarterfinals – (5) Paniro Johnson (Iowa State) vs (4) Caleb Henson (Virginia Tech)
Semi-Finals – (1) Yanni Diakomihalis (Cornell) vs (5) Paniro Johnson (Iowa State)/(4) Caleb Henson (Virginia Tech)
Semi-Finals – (14) Austin Gomez (Wisconsin) vs (2) Sammy Sasso (Ohio State)
Finals – (1) Yanni Diakomihalis (Cornell) vs (2) Sammy Sasso (Ohio State)
Top Half
Yanni Diakomihalis is the highlight of the top half of the bracket. He has had another impressive year going 16-1, with his lone loss coming to Austin Gomez, but he holds wins over Kyle Parco, Paniro Johnson, and Caleb Henson. The three-time National Champion has a challenging path back to the finals. Murin or Abas will be tough Quarterfinal matchups for Yanni to get through. Then we come to the outstanding young talents in this weight Paniro Johnson and Caleb Henson. Johnson has a rough path to the Quarterfinals, with Shayne Van Ness possibly waiting for him in the Round of 16, a 3-2 match in favor of Johnson at the Collegiate Duals. Henson started the year with a win over Sammy Sasso and has looked just as good since that win.
Bottom Half
Does Austin Gomez at the 14 seed make this half of the bracket prime for implosion? Yes. Gomez took some injury forfeits at Big Tens, which set him up as the 14 seed. Besides Gomez at the 14, Kyle Parco sits at the three seed, getting a massive matchup against Gomez in the Round of 16. That will be one of the premier matches for Thursday night. Sammy Sasso’s path looks the easiest out of anyone in this bracket. He may see Yahya Thomas in the Quarterfinals, which could be a tight match. The winner of that Parco vs Gomez match could be Sasso’s opponent in the Semi-Finals to set up a great matchup.
157 LBS
Title Favorites/Contenders
(1) Austin O’Connor (North Carolina)
(2) Levi Haines (Penn State)
(3) Peyton Robb (Nebraska)
“Bracket Busters”
(7) Bryce Andonian (Virginia Tech)
(8) Ed Scott (NC State)
(22) Derek Holschlag (Northern Iowa)
Former All-Americans
(1) Austin O’Connor (North Carolina) – 8th in 2022, 2021 NCAA Champion, and 3rd in 2019
(3) Peyton Robb (Nebraska) – 4th in 2022
(7) Bryce Andonian (Virginia Tech) – 3rd in 2022
(9) Will Lewan (Michigan) – 5th in 2022
Top Potential Matchups
Round of 16 – (9) Will Lewan (Michigan) vs (8) Ed Scott (NC State)
Round of 16 – (3) Peyton Robb (Nebraska) vs (14) Cobe Siebrecht (Iowa)
Round of 16 – (7) Bryce Andonian (Virginia Tech) vs (10) Kaden Gfeller (Oklahoma State)
Quarterfinals – (1) Austin O’Connor (North Carolina) vs (8) Ed Scott (NC State)
Quarterfinals – (7) Bryce Andonian (Virginia Tech) vs (2) Levi Haines (Penn State)
Semi-Finals – (3) Peyton Robb (Nebraska) vs (2) Levi Haines (Penn State)
Finals – (1) Austin O’Connor (North Carolina) vs (2) Levi Haines (Penn State)/(3) Peyton Robb (Nebraska)
Top Half
The top seed is Austin O’Connor, who has been on another level this year. He is 18-0 with a 78% bonus rate. Plus, he adds very quality wins over Ed Scott and Bryce Andonian. His path looks relatively easy until the Quarterfinals, where he could see a possible rematch with Ed Scott or Michigan’s Will Lewan. O’Connor won a tight match over Ed Scott last month in a 3-1 match. Will Lewan can make any match “interesting” because he seems to like overtime matches, with 9 overtime matches this year going 6-3. The 4 and 5 seeds should not have too much trouble making it to the Quarterfinals, with this being the most likely “chalk” bracket out there.
Bottom Half
Since the redshirt was pulled in December, Levi Haines has looked about as good as anyone in this field and picked up the best win in this field over Peyton Robb in the Big Ten Final. Haines is 23-1 on the year with impressive wins over Kendall Coleman, Cobe Siebrecht, and Will Lewan to go with that Robb win. Before his loss to Levi Haines, Peyton Robb looked like the best wrestler in this weight with some very impressive wins, including Ed Scott, Chase Saldate, Jared Franek, and Kendal Coleman. Those two appear to be on a collision course to the Semi-Finals but watch out for Bryce Andonian. Andonian can turn things on like he did last year and start picking off the top guys in the weight. Andonian vs Gfeller on Thursday night should be a good match.
All stats and records were provided by wrestlestat.com
One comment
Comments are closed.