2x NCAA Runner-Up Daton Fix (Photo/Tony Rotundo; WrestlersAreWarriors.com; 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)
#43 - Brock Mauller (Missouri)
#42 - Cohlton Schultz (Arizona State)
#41 - John Poznanski (Rutgers)
#40 - Brayton Lee (Minnesota)
#39 - Travis Wittlake (Oklahoma State)
#38 - Parker Keckeisen (Northern Iowa)
#37 - Tariq Wilson (NC State)
#36 - Jacob Warner (Iowa)
#35 - Jacori Teemer (Arizona State)
#34 - Tony Cassioppi (Iowa)
#33 - Vito Arujau (Cornell)
#32 - Patrick Glory (Princeton)
#31 - Max Dean (Penn State)
#30 - Keegan O'Toole (Missouri)
#29 - Mike Labriola (Nebraska)
#28 - Nino Bonaccorsi (Pittsburgh)
#27 - Austin DeSanto (Iowa)
#26 - Jake Wentzel (Pittsburgh)
#25 - Evan Wick (Cal Poly)
#24 - Alex Marinelli (Iowa)
#23 - Ryan Deakin (Northwestern)
#22 - Sebastian Rivera (Rutgers)
#21 - Sammy Sasso (Ohio State)
#20 - Trent Hidlay (NC State)
#19 - Stevan Micic (Michigan)
#18 - Hayden Hidlay (NC State)
#17 - Mekhi Lewis (Virginia Tech)
#16 - Michael Kemerer (Iowa)
#15 - Mason Parris (Michigan)
#14 - Shane Griffith (Stanford)
#13 - AJ Ferrari (Oklahoma State)
#12 - Carter Starocci (Penn State)
#11 - Jaydin Eierman (Iowa)
#10 - Myles Amine (Michigan)
Next up is…
#9 Daton Fix (Oklahoma State)
Weight: 133 lbs
Year: Junior
Career Record: 48-3
Hometown: Sand Springs, Oklahoma
College Accomplishments: 2021 NCAA 2nd Place, 2019 NCAA 2nd Place, 2x Big 12 Champ
2021-22 Preseason Ranking: #2 at 133 lbs
A silver medal at the Youth Olympic Games and a bronze at the Cadet World Championships helped Daton Fix establish himself as the top wrestler in the Class of 2017, a group that included Iowa's Spencer Lee. Before officially starting at Oklahoma State, Fix won a Junior World title and earned a place on the U23 World Team.
After competing at U23's, there wasn't much time for open competition during Fix's redshirt season. His only event during the 2017-18 campaign was the Reno Tournament of Champions. There he won a title with wins over a pair of returning NCAA Round of 12 finishers, Sean Fausz (NC State) and Ronnie Bresser (Oregon State).
It didn't take long for Fix to make an impact once officially competing in a Cowboy singlet. In just his second dual meet, Fix took out 2017 NCAA runner-up, Ethan Lizak (Minnesota), 6-1. A week later, he defeated another All-American, Montorie Bridges (Wyoming).
Fix would go all the way through mid-January before tasting defeat. That streak included wins at Reno and the Southern Scuffle, along with returning national runner-up Nick Suriano (Rutgers). The Suriano match had multiple replays and ended up being a marathon match.
Daton's first actual loss came at the hands of Micky Phillipi (Pittsburgh) in dual competition at Pittsburgh. The defensive-minded Phillipi was able to shut down Fix and take a 3-1 win. It remains the only non-NCAA finals loss of Fix's collegiate career.
The most notable win for Fix during the homestretch of the dual season was a 2-0 win over Iowa's Austin DeSanto. That victory helped the Cowboys to a stunning 27-12 rout of their hated rivals.
Another win over Bridges in the Big 12 Championship final gave Fix a conference title and locked up the #1 seed for him in what was thought to be the most star-studded collegiate bracket in a decade. As the top seed, Fix cruised to the semifinals with little trouble. There he met Luke Pletcher (Ohio State), who was wrestling in his backyard as the tournament was held in Pittsburgh. Fix managed to get the win 4-2 and lock up a place in the national finals.
It would be a familiar face in the title bout as Suriano was the other finalist. Not only had they met earlier that year, but the two also tangled in high school at Who's #1. The bout went into overtime, which had no clock and the pair ended up wrestling for over 30 minutes before Suriano pulled out the winning takedown. The NCAA final ended up just as controversial as their dual meeting, as Fix was riding Suriano out in the tiebreakers; however, a stalemate was called with about :08 remaining. Suriano escaped on the ensuing restart and proceeded to grab the winning takedown in the next sudden victory period.
Despite the finals loss, over the course of his freshman year, Fix defeated the wrestlers that went on to place 1st (Suriano), 4th (Pletcher), 5th (DeSanto), 6th (John Erneste - Missouri) and 7th (Lizak).
After the 2018-19 season ended, Fix went out to the US Open and won a title by upsetting returning World silver medalist Thomas Gilman. The two would meet later in the summer and Fix pulled out a pair of victories at Final X to earn a spot on the World Team.
Fix's world team berth allowed him to take an Olympic redshirt for the 2019-20 season to focus on preparation for the Trials. During that year, Fix was suspended for accidentally ingesting a banned supplement.
The suspension ended up carrying over into the majority of the abridged 2021 season. Fix was able to compete in mid-February at the Cowboy Challenge and pinned three of his four opponents. In his only dual appearance of the year, Fix pinned Bedlam rival Anthony Madrigal (Oklahoma).
Though Fix's 133 lb bracket was extremely deep at the Big 12 Championships, he was not tested and had three bonus-point victories and a 6-1 win over Madrigal in the title match.
Once again, Fix was given the #1 seed at the NCAA Championships. This year, Fix crushed the competition leading up to the semis. He notched a 16-3 major decision in the opening round, followed by a pair of pins. The semis had another meeting with DeSanto, whom Fix edged by the score of 3-2.
The DeSanto win elevated Fix to his second NCAA final, this time against Roman Bravo-Young (Penn State). Once again, it came down to sudden victory and Fix was on the wrong side of a 4-2 decision.
In September, Fix moved up to 61 kg and earned a spot on the 2021 World Team. From there, he blew through the competition and earned his first medal at the Senior medal (silver).
Strengths: During the World Team Trials and World Championships, we got a taste of Fix's offensive arsenal. At times, against top collegiate competition, Fix hasn't been able to get to his offense. Maybe that will change in 2021-22 after his Senior-level success. Dating back to his Cadet days, Fix has been known for his inside trips, which are deadly. Fix's footwork and quickness are critical to his work from neutral, offensively and defensively. From the top, Fix tends to look for double boots and will grind his opponents into the mat with power half and bars.
2021-22 Outlook: With a handful of great wins at the collegiate level, success in freestyle, and only three collegiate losses, Fix will be on the very short list of title favorites at 133 lbs. In addition to Bravo-Young, he'll have to contend with three-time All-American Stevan Micic (Michigan), who was third at his 2019 weight class, though the pair did not cross paths.
2x NCAA Runner-Up Daton Fix(Photo/Tony Rotundo; WrestlersAreWarriors.com)
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