New Faces Highlight Thrilling Big Ten Tournament

Saying that the Big Ten Wrestling tournament was one of the most exciting events of the college wrestling season isn’t exactly saying much.

You might as well tell some that the sky is blue.

But this year’s tournament was different. Because not only was it thrilling, but it delivered several fresh faces that could be stars in the college wrestling world for years to come.

This year’s Big Ten finals featured 12 first-time finalists and an incredible eight first-time Big Ten champions.

Only Penn State’s Levi Haines and Aaron Brooks were repeat winners. None of the eight first-time winners are out of eligibility following the 2023-24 season, and only Greg Kerkvliet of Penn State has even discussed the idea of wrapping up his college career following the completion of the season.

So, what did these first-time winners have to say? Well, gratitude was a common theme. But so was the idea that, for them, the Big Ten Tournament only marks the start of their quest to top the podium in March.

“In a conference like this, there’s a hammer every weekend,” Ohio State’s Jesse Mendez said after his 4-1 win over Beau Bartlett of Penn State. “So you have to be ready. Knowing I could have a Real Woods or a Lemley or a Hardy that next weekend makes me work that much harder.

“But, you know, none of this matters unless I get a national title. So the work doesn’t stop yet.”

That was a common refrain among the conference champions. Even those such as Rutgers’ Dylan Shawver, who most fans would not have predicted to come out of a stacked 133-pound weight class.

“I manifest these things,” Shawver said of his big weekend. “When I say I manifest them, I think about it. I know it’s going to come true as long as I believe. And that’s me, I believe. Once you give up, you lose all hope. And that’s something I don’t have. I always give it all. And giving it all is what matters.”

That confidence is something that Illinois’ Edmond Ruth said that he’s developed since joining the Fighting Illini after starting his career at Lehigh.

Ruth’s path to a championship at 174 pounds was unconventional. Both top-seeded Carter Starocci of Penn State and No. 2 Shane Grifftih of Michigan defaulted out of the tournament, with the latter doing so in the final. But Ruth isn’t taking any less pride in his accomplishment.

“It’s feels really good being able to actually get it done,” Ruth said of his Big Ten crown. “There’s been a lot of doubts in my mind like ‘will I give up a takedown? Is my body going to shut down for some reason?’

“But I had to just believe in myself, believe in the work that my coaches put in me. If I’m still healthy enough, and I can still move all my limbs, I have to just step on the line and see where things take me.”

The new champs now move forward to the NCAA Tournament in Kansas City as the hunted, rather than the hunters. And if they’re able to duplicate their feat and stand atop the podium, it’ll truly signify a new era in the college wrestling landscape.