Facts, Trends, and Numbers from the 2024 NCAA Championships (post-Tournament)

One of my favorite things to do after the NCAA Tournament each year is to pick out some fun facts and trends that emerge from the action. This year was no different. There were plenty of “first since….” or “most since…” so let’s get to them! For the first time since 2009, there have been back-to-back years without a freshman national champion. You could make the case that it’s been three years. Keegan O’Toole won in 2022 and could be considered a freshman because of the extra year of eligibility in 2021. With titles from Richie Figueroa (#8), Vito Arujau (#6), and Carter Starocci (#9), 2024 was the first year since 2003 with three championships from the sixth seed or higher. That year Ryan Bertin (#6), Jake Rosholt (#10), and Damion Hahn (#6) won titles. That’s a bit misleading as Arujau and Starocci were obviously better than a typical #6 or a #9 seed. Starocci’s title made him the lowest-seeded champion since Myles Martin (#11) in 2016. The only national champion to earn bonus points in all five of his matches was Parker Keckeisen. Keckeisen majored Dustin Plott who had bonus’ed his way to the finals. Only three of the ten finals featured a #1 vs. #2 matchup. 141 (Mendez/Bartlett), 157 (Haines/Teemer), and 197 (Brooks/Hidlay). Titles from Arujau and Carr gave the 2016 Cadet men’s freestyle team a total of 12 collegiate national titles. Bravo-Young (2), Arujau (2), Yianni Diakomihalis (4), Carr (2), Steveson (2). 141 and 174 are the only weights to have wrestlers from the same conference placing first through third. At 141, it was Mendez, Beau Bartlett, and Brock Hardy; at 174 lbs Carter Starocci, Rocco Welsh, and Shane Griffith. All are from the Big Ten. The lowest-seeded All-American in 2024 was Vance Vombaur at #26. He was originally slated to be #27th but was bumped up a slot after Vince Cornella withdrew. Vombaur was seventh in the Big Ten. At one point during the NCAA quarterfinals, six straight (133-174) #3 vs #6 seeds went the way of the lower-seeded wrestlers (per Ryan Holmes). Austin Gomez (Wisconsin/Michigan), Jared Franek (North Dakota State/Iowa), Michael Caliendo (North Dakota State/Iowa), Izzak Olejnik (Northern Illinois/Oklahoma State), Shane Griffith (Stanford/Michigan), Bernie Truax (Cal Poly/Penn State), Stephen Buchanan (Wyoming/Oklahoma), Michael Beard (Penn State/Lehigh), and Lucas Davison (Northwestern/Michigan) are wrestlers that AA’ed for their second different school at the 2024 tournament. Two weight classes had three freshmen on the podium in 2024. 133 lbs: Ryan Crookham, Nasir Bailey, Evan Frost: 165 lbs: Mesenbrink, Hunter Garvin, Antrell Taylor. Four teams had multiple freshman All-Americans. Penn State (Kasak/Mesenbrink), Little Rock (Bailey/Little), Lehigh (Luke Stanich/Crookham), and Ohio State (Welsh/Nick Feldman). Braeden Davis is only the ninth #1 seed not to place in the last 25 years. Alex Marinelli most recently did that in 2021. You’d have to go back to 2011 to find the next most recent instance of that taking place - when Darrion Caldwell was injured. Davis and Big Ten finals opponent Patrick McKee both missed out on placing. The last time that both Big Ten finalists at a weight missed out on placing was in 2015 at 184 lbs with Dom Abounader (Michigan) and Brett Pfarr (Minnesota). The top portion of the 125 lb consolations saw #2 take on #4 and #1 versus #5 in the bloodround. Three bloodround matches featured returning All-Americans: Kai Orine/Aaron Nagao at 133, Izzak Olejnik/Dean Hamiti at 165, and Stephen Buchanan/John Poznanski at 197 lbs. State-Related Notes Caleb Henson is the first DI national champion from the state of Georgia Jesse Mendez’s title gave the state of Indiana a national champion for a fourth consecutive year. Mendez (24), Mason Parris (23), and Nick Lee (21/22). Previously, there hadn’t been a champ from Indiana since 2014. Pennsylvania had a pair of national champions (Levi Haines and Carter Starocci). They’ve had a champion in every national tournament since 2016, the longest active streak. Three of Carter Starocci’s four national titles have come against fellow Pennsylvania natives. (Welsh/24, Mikey Labriola/23, and Michael Kemerer/22). Starocci/Welsh was the seventh all-PA final since 2014. The three above, plus Retherford/Perry (18), Nolf/H. Hidlay (18), Cruz/Lizak (17), and Ruth/Sheptock (14). Since 1988 only two Maryland natives have won national titles. However, Aaron Brooks (4) and Kyle Snyder (3) have combined for seven. Wisconsin had five All-Americans for the first time since 2007. All of Wisconsin’s 2024 All-Americans finished in either fourth place or better. Keckeisen (1st), Mitchell Mesenbrink (2nd), Keegan O’Toole (3rd), Stephen Buchanan (3rd), and Eric Barnett (4th). 2024 was the first year since 2017 that New Jersey didn’t have an NCAA finalist. Ryan Jack was the first All-American from Connecticut since his brother Kevin Jack in 2018. You have to go back to Orville Palmer in 2000 to find an AA from Connecticut not named Jack. Stephen Little was the first All-American from Kentucky since Kyle Ruschell (Wisconsin - 4th/149) in 2010. Evan Frost was the first All-American from Louisiana since David Bonin (Northern Iowa - 4th/157) in 2013. Antrell Taylor was the first All-American from Nebraska since Aaron Studebaker (Nebraska - 5th/197) in 2017. This continued a trend that every All-American from Nebraska over the last 25 years has wrestled for the Cornhuskers. Drake Ayala is the first Iowa native to make the finals for the Hawkeyes since Cory Clark’s national title in 2017. Team-Related Notes Surprisingly, the school that broke the longest NCAA champion-less drought was Ohio State. Jesse Mendez’s title was the Buckeyes first since Kyle Snyder (285) in 2018. Vito Aruaju became the fifth multi-time national champion for Cornell. Caleb Henson won Virginia Tech’s second-ever national title. Taye Ghadiali became the first NCAA All-American for Campbell head coach Scotti Sentes and only the second-ever for the Camels. Lennox Wolak was Columbia’s first All-American since Steve Santos (3rd - 149) in 2013. He’s also the first for head coach Zach Tanelli. Ben Pasiuk was Army’s first NCAA All-American since Matt Kyler (6th - 141) in 2008. He’s also the first for Kevin Ward as a head coach. Little Rock finished with a pair of All-Americans (Nasir Bailey/Stephen Little). They are the first AA’s in the short history of Trojan wrestling (5 years). Both are freshmen. South Dakota State has four DI All-Americans for the first time in their history. Tanner Jordan (8th/125), Cade DeVos (5th/174), Bennett Berge (4th/184), and Tanner Sloan (5th/197). Second place Cornell finished with 72.5 points. That total is generally one that is good for fourth through sixth place in most national tournaments. West Virginia had multiple All-Americans (Ty Watters/Peyton Hall) for the first time since 2005 (Matt Lebe/Greg Jones). Watters was the first freshman All-American from WVU since Brandon Rader in 2006. West Virginia’s 17th place showing was their best since 2004 (16-tie). Their 31.5 team points were the highest for the program since 2003 (33.5). Nebraska finished in ninth with five All-Americans. The only team that had equal/more AA’s than the Cornhuskers was Penn State. Though Nebraska finished in ninth, their 60.5 points were their most since 2009 (78.5 points - 4th place). Missouri’s 11th place (tie) finish was their lowest since 2014 when they were 14th. NC State has posted an almost identical team score in each of the last three years. 2023 (49.5), 2022 (48), 2021 (49). In their first year under Chris Ayres, Stanford had a pair of All-Americans and finished in 16th place. The last time they finished in 16th was in 2012. Peyten Kellar was Ohio’s first All-American (157/5th) since assistant coach Cody Walters was seventh at 174 lbs in 2016. Kellar is the highest-placing Bobcat wrestler since Jake Percival (3rd) in 2005. Ohio’s 25th-place finish is their best since 1998 (when they had two national finalists). It’s already been mentioned on multiple platforms but all three service academies had an All-American for the first time since 2003. This year it was Air Force (Wyatt Hendrickson), Army (Ben Pasiuk), and Navy (David Key). In 2003, Kevin Hoy (Air Force), Phillip Simpson (Army West Point), and Frank Edwards (Navy) got on the podium. The only teams with three losses in the bloodround this year were NC State and Northern Iowa. Iowa finished without a national champion for the third consecutive year. The last time the Hawkeyes have gone that long without a champ was pre-Gable in 1970-72. Iowa State’s fourth-place finish was the school’s first top-ten finish under Kevin Dresser and the highest for the program since 2010 (3rd). David Carr is also ISU’s first two-time champion since Jake Varner in 2009 and 2010. Dyson Dunham got a pigtail win at 133 lbs for VMI. He’s the first Keydet wrestler to win a match at NCAA’s since Josh Wine at 285 lbs in 2008. Penn State Notes Carter Starocci and Aaron Brooks became Penn State’s first and second four-time national champions, respectively. Starocci and Brooks are the first teammates to have won four titles. 2024 was the first time that two wrestlers finished with four titles in the same national tournament. Penn State outdistanced second-place Cornell by 100 points. If you added Cornell and third-place Michigan’s points together (143.5), Penn State would still win by 29 points. Penn State now has 13 straight years with at least one national champion and eighth straight with at least two. Carter Starocci’s fourth national title at 174 lbs gives Penn State seven national titles at that weight since 2012. Starocci (4), Mark Hall (1), Matt Brown (1), and Ed Ruth (1). Four national champions finished the year undefeated. Three were from Penn State (Haines, Brooks, Kerkvliet). Keckeisen was the other non-PSU wrestler. Penn State had eight All-Americans for a second consecutive year and the third time since 2018. Since Minnesota’s 10 AA’s in 2001, only four other schools have had eight in a season. Iowa (2010), Minnesota (2013), Oklahoma State (2017), Ohio State (2018). Incredibly, only Iowa captured a title that season.

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Facts, Trends, and Numbers from the 2024 NCAA Championships (post-Tournament)

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