Nahshon Garrett is currently ranked No. 10 at 125 (Photo/Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWarriors.com)A fast-starting freshman with a record of 17-1, Garrett has 11 wins coming by way of bonus points. His only loss came in the finals of the Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational to Alan Waters, a guy who can challenge Matt McDonough for the NCAA title in 2013. The one caveat to Garrett's season is that he only has one high-profile win, a 13-9 decision over All-American Steve Bonanno of Hofstra. However, he's a tenacious competitor and will be in positioning to place come March. Not bad for a freshman in a loaded weight class.
Cody Brewer (Oklahoma, 133)
Most surprises on this list will be freshmen, and there's no difference at 133, where Cody Brewer has sprinted up the rankings with marquee wins over ranked opponents and dominating performances over those he's supposed to beat. Though he recently dropped matches to Nick Arajau of Cornell and Jon Morrison of Oklahoma State, Brewer is 8-2 with a win over Geoff Alexander of Maryland, who recently defeated Shelton Mack of Pitt.
Devon Lotito placed third at the CKLV Invitational (Photo/Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWarriors.com)The best-dressed wrestler on the list, the Pennsylvania native has been one of the most surprising wrestlers in the country. The freshman suffered a loss in the first weekend of the season (which he later avenged), but since then has been racking major decisions, tech falls, and falls. Lotito knows how to score lots of points, which means he's got offensive options, and those options will give him more ways to win as the season drags on. Oh, and his only other loss is to Logan Stieber, a guy who could very well end up a four-time NCAA champion.
K. Undrakhbayar (The Citadel, 141)
The Citadel is becoming synonymous with recruiting Mongolian wrestlers (See: Turtogokh), and if Undrakh and his success this season are any indication Coach Hjerling and his staff might be onto something. Undrakh, one of the very best neutral wrestlers in the NCAA, has learned to limit his vulnerability on the mat. Though he recently suffered a loss to fellow studly newcomer Evan Henderson (North Carolina), he has a marquee win over Zach Neibert (Virginia Tech) and has certainly come from seemingly nowhere (Ulaanbaatar) to become a legitimate All-American candidate.
Nick Brascetta (Virginia Tech, 149)
With a 10-1 start to the season, Brascetta has earned a top ten national ranking as a sophomore. Like several other highly ranked wrestlers at the weight, the Hokie has a loss to Air Force's Cole VonOhlen, but he's recently earned wins against All-Americans Cam Tessari (Ohio State) and Derek Valenti (Virginia).
Joey Napoli turned some heads when he topped Dylan Alton (Photo/Lehigh Sports Information)No, he wasn't able to beat top-ranked Derek St. John of Iowa, but that shouldn't detract the Mountain Hawks junior's solid start to the 2012-2013 campaign. Unlike most wrestlers who have ten-plus matches after the first month, Napoli is on the lower end with only six. However, two of those wins are over top ten opponents Dylan Alton of Penn State and Frank Hickman of Bloomsburg. Given Lehigh head coach Pat Santoro's reputation to improve the output of his wrestlers come NCAAs, it's easy to envision Napoli standing on the podium in March. Who knows ... maybe he'll even earn a trip to the finals and a rematch against St. John.
Alex Dieringer (Oklahoma State, 157)
Maybe wrestling fans expected the big recruit to make an impact, but it's always impressive to see consistent and dominating performances from redshirt freshmen. Dieringer is a perfect 9-0 with wins over Danny Zilverberg (Minnesota) and Matt Lester (Oklahoma). He'll be tested more in the coming weeks and at the very tough Southern Scuffle and a Jan. 13 date with top-ranked Derek St. John of Iowa. But to start the season Dieringer has looked every bit the role of freshman phenom.
Chris Chionuma (Oklahoma State, 184)
The oldest wrestler on the list, Chionuma is wrestling in his last season of eligibility. An NAIA champion transfer from Lindenwood, where he spent three seasons, he redshirted last season. His debut season as a starter for the Cowboys has been productive with an overall record of 7-2 with close losses to All-Americans Kevin Steinhaus (Minnesota) and Travis Rutt (Oklahoma). Those are tough matches for anyone, but it's Chionuma's wins that are impressive with the majority coming with extra points tacked on. He's not new to the sport or a starting lineup, but the Missouri native is someone to watch develop as the season progresses, with a possible coming-out party at the Southern Scuffle.
Jake Meredith is undefeated and ranked ninth at 197 (Photo/Larry Slater)The Temecula, Calif. native has always been a tough competitor with excellent top work. His long, lanky but tough frame created problems for wrestlers at 184 last season, but now up at 197 they've become an even more potent weapon. The 2012 Pac-12 champion is undefeated and only time and competition will tell if he'll be on track to make another appearance at the NCAA tournament. He recently majored Ohio State sophomore Andrew Campolattano, 8-0.
J.T. Felix (Boise State, 285)
A national qualifier in 2011, Felix's career seemed to be heading in the wrong direction after a disappointing fourth-place finish at the Pac-12s last season. Though he's 11-5, many of his losses have come at the hands of the very best wrestlers, including Oregon State's Chad Hanke, Minnesota's Tony Nelson, and Missouri's Dom Bradley. Despite those setbacks the junior is making a name for himself with wins over Connor Medbery of Wisconsin, Peter Capone of Ohio State, and Levi Cooper of Arizona State. Should he keep it up the surprise heavyweight could find himself standing on the podium in March.
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