2x NCAA All-American Brock Mauller (Photo/Larry Slater; Graphic/Anna-Lee Marie)Welcome to a new recurring feature from InterMat as we lead into the 2021-22 collegiate season. We are about 50 days away from the start of the new season, so what better way to ring in the new year than to use that time to count down the top-50 current collegiate wrestlers. Each day a new wrestler will be released.
These rankings have been compiled by members of the InterMat staff and used a combination of collegiate achievements, with 2021 accomplishments carrying more weight than past years, along with win-loss records and notable wins. While we are counting down the top-50 wrestlers based primarily on collegiate accomplishments, it is impossible to totally ignore achievements in the international settings, so they did factor in slightly, too.
Before getting to the next wrestler on the list, look at the wrestlers previously profiled:
#50 - Greg Kerkvliet (Penn State)
#49 - Ben Darmstadt (Cornell)
#48 - Dakota Geer (Oklahoma State)
#47 - Kaleb Young (Iowa)
#46 - Rocky Elam (Missouri)
#45 - Chad Red Jr. (Nebraska)
#44 - Brandon Courtney (Arizona State)
Next is…
#43 Brock Mauller (Missouri)
Weight: 149 lbs
Year: Junior
Career Record: 83-8
Hometown: Columbia, Missouri
College Accomplishments: 2021 NCAA 5th Place, 2019 NCAA 6th Place, 2020 NWCA 1st Team All-American, 3x MAC Champion
2021-22 Preseason Ranking: #5 at 149 lbs
The 2018 Missouri recruiting class was incredible and featured seven top-100 signees. The fifth-highest wrestler in the group and 73rd overall, Brock Mauller, has proven to be the most successful at the collegiate level. Like the bulk of this class, Mauller seemed poised to take a redshirt season during his first year on campus.
During his first appearance in open competition, Mauller showed he was ready to compete at a high level immediately. He captured a title at the Cyclone Open and knocked off the home team's returning NCAA Round of 12 finisher, Jarrett Degen.
A week later, Mauller cruised to a title at the Maryville Open. Degen got a small measure of revenge the following week as he posted a 7-4 win over Mauller at the Lindenwood Open. In early December, Mauller would claim his third open title of the year by grabbing four wins at the UNI Open.
The UNI Open ended up being Mauller's final competition under redshirt. Tiger head coach Brian Smith must have thought a 14-1 record unattached was enough to show Mauller was ready for a spot in the Mizzou lineup. He debuted on December 16th with an 8-2 win over Buffalo's Jason Estevez.
Mauller would go one to get his hand raised in his first 12 dual meets. That span included a win over returning All-American Max Thomsen (Northern Iowa) and stud freshman Kaden Gfeller (Oklahoma State). His only dual loss of the year came in the last weekend of the regular season to the same opponent who handed him his only defeat, Degen.
A flawless MAC record gave Mauller the top seed at his first conference tournament and he lived up to his billing. In a conference with only one automatic qualifier allocation, Mueller needed to be perfect, and he was. Three wins, none closer than four points, allowed Mauller to win his first MAC Championship.
As a freshman with a sparkling 29-2 record, Mauller was awarded the fourth seed at his first NCAA tournament in Pittsburgh. His first match at the NCAA Tournament was a 10-2 major decision over Appalachian State's Matt Zovistoski. Next up, was past All-American Tommy Thorn. Mauller cruised to a 5-1 decision over the Gopher star to earn a spot in the quarterfinals opposite Matt Kolodzik (Princeton).
The Princeton wrestler was victorious in the battle of Tigers by the score of 5-3. A loss in the quarters sent Mauller to the Round of 12, where he'd need to win to secure All-American status. A familiar face was waiting in the opposite corner in Northern Iowa's Thomsen. The two battled into the sudden victory period, where Mauller not only got a takedown, but finished with a fall. Next was the collegiate opponent who was most familiar with Mauller, in Degen. Brock evened up the season score to two matches apiece after his 10-7 win.
Mauller dropped his final two matches at the tournament to Austin O'Connor (North Carolina) and Kolodzik to finish in sixth place. He finished his true freshman season with a 33-5 record, was named the MAC's Freshman of the Year and became only the fifth Mizzou freshman to claim All-American honors.
There was no sophomore slump for Mauller as he began his second year in Columbia in similar fashion to the first. He won his first 13 bouts of the year, before suffering a 6-5 loss to Jaron Jensen (Wyoming) at the South Beach Duals. That streak included tournament titles at the Southeast Open and the Cougar Clash. Once the calendar flipped over to 2020, Mauller did not lose again. He picked up sudden victory wins over a pair of past All-Americans in Thomsen and Boo Lewallen during the remainder of the dual season.
Mauller then collected his second MAC title after winning four bouts, one of which came over a game Brock Zacherl (Clarion) in the conference final. A 29-1 regular season provided Mauller with the fourth seed again at nationals. Unfortunately, he, along with the other 329 NCAA qualifiers were unable to compete as the tournament was canceled due to Covid. The Tiger sophomore was set to square off in the opening round with #29 Jared Prince (Navy). Awaiting him in the Round of 16 was either #13 Thomsen or #20 Bryce Andonian (Virginia Tech). The other high seeds on his half of the bracket were #5 Lewallen and #1 Pat Lugo (Iowa). Mauller would be named a first-time NWCA All-American for his exploits up to the national tournament.
Last season, Mauller started off streaking and didn't end until the NCAA Championships. He went unbeaten during the regular season with a 13-0 record. The highlight of the regular season was a win in sudden victory over Lewallen. Before the NCAA Championships, Mauller logged victories over four eventual national qualifiers.
Before nationals, Mauller had business to tend to at the MAC Championships. He claimed his third title in as many tries and didn't have a match closer than six points. An unbeaten record and strong track record gave Mueller the third seed at the 2021 NCAA Tournament.
In front of a home crowd in St. Louis, Mauller had a MAC finals rematch with Marcus Robinson (Cleveland State) during the opening round. He had little trouble with Robinson and posted his sixth bonus-point win of the year amid a 10-2 major decision. Wins over #14 Michael Blockhus (Minnesota) and #6 Bryce Andonian (Virginia Tech) propelled Mauller to his first NCAA semifinal, opposite Austin O'Connor. This was the same opponent who defeated Brock in the consolations his freshman year. The two embarked on a hard-fought defensive struggle and O'Connor came out on top 2-1 in sudden victory. He would go on to win a national title the following evening.
Mauller, on the other hand, wasn't able to rebound Saturday morning and suffered a consolation semifinal loss to #25 Yahya Thomas (Northwestern). Brock finished his tournament with an 8-5 win over surprising Fresno State freshman Kyle Parco to clinch fifth-place, one spot higher than his 2019 placement.
Strengths: Mauller is a high IQ wrestler. From his feet, he'll typically control the center of the mat and the ties. He's a high-percentage shooter, rarely taking a bad shot. More common is that he'll lure an opponent into a poor shot or nullify an attack with his heavy hips. On the mat, he can be a smothering rider. Against the top-shelf competition, Mauller probably won't get turns, but can get riding time. He does have some tilts in his arsenal, though.
2021-22 Outlook: For the past three years, Mauller has been among the elite 149 lber and a national title contender. That was evident by his match against O'Connor in the 2021 NCAA semifinals. O'Connor has decided to move up to 157, but two-time NCAA champion Yianni Diakomihalis (Cornell) is expected back and up at 149 lbs. That will make him the distinct favorite; however, Mauller is on the shortlist of candidates that can push Yianni and threaten for a chip himself.
2x NCAA All-American Brock Mauller (Photo/Tony Rotundo; WrestlersAreWarriors.com)
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