InterMat's 2023-24 All-Freshman Team

Our post-NCAA coverage has seen award winners announced for each of the seven conferences. One of the last items from our 2023-24 coverage is the InterMat All-Freshman team. The future is bright as our first team combined for nine All-American honors and contains representation from four of the seven conferences. Below are the wrestlers selected for the first team with a notation for second-team selections. 125 lbs - Luke Stanich (Lehigh) As a true freshman, Luke Stanich was initially pegged to redshirt and wrestle at 133 lbs. That changed when he was able to make 125 lbs and showed he could be a contender in year one. Stanich entered the Midlands Championships with a 5-1 record and came away with a title and a win over an All-American and three other eventual qualifiers. Stanich was unbeaten against EIWA foes which resulted in a conference title and a second seed at his first NCAA Tournament. Though he suffered an upset in the second round, Stanich reeled off three consecutive wins to clinch All-American status. His bloodround win was a 4-0 shutout over 2023 NCAA runner-up Matt Ramos (Purdue). Stanich would finish his tournament avenging his earlier upset, by downing Caleb Smith (Nebraska) for fifth place. Second Team: Braeden Davis (Penn State) 133 lbs - Ryan Crookham (Lehigh) It only took two weeks for the wrestling world to get turned on its collective heads. That’s when redshirt freshman Ryan Crookham upset returning national champion Vito Arujau (Cornell) at the Journeymen Collegiate Classic. A few weeks after that stunning win, Crookham took out returning Big Ten runner-up and All-American Aaron Nagao (Penn State) - showing that he was no one-hit-wonder. Crookham replicated his win over Arujau in the EIWA finals and headed to Kansas City undefeated and seeded second. He would coast until the semifinals where he ran into Arujau for the third time. In this instance, Arujau looked more like his typical self and handed Crookham, what would be his only loss of the season. The Lehigh freshman bounced back and grabbed third place after wins over fellow freshman stars Nasir Bailey and Evan Frost. Second Team: Nasir Bailey (Little Rock) 141 lbs - Sergio Lemley (Michigan) Interestingly enough, 141 lbs is the only weight class where a freshman did not find their way to the NCAA podium. You could make a case for either Sergio Lemley or Tagen Jamsion, who defeated Lemley early in the season. Lemley got better as the year progressed and finished a bit stronger. In only his third dual, Lemley knocked off two-time All-American Clay Carlson (South Dakota State), which showed he was ready to compete at a high level as a true freshman. About a month later, he pulled a stunning upset by majoring returning NCAA runner-up Real Woods (Iowa). At the Big Ten Championships, Lemley finished fourth in a weight class that featured wrestlers who would go on to finish in the top four spots in Kansas City. At his first NCAA Tournament, Lemley earned a win and went on to face Brock Hardy (Nebraska) in the Round of 16. The two split matches previously; however, Hardy got the rubber match and went on to take third, Because of upsets throughout the bracket, Lemley had a difficult matchup in the consolations and was subsequently eliminated. Second Team: Tagen Jamison (Oklahoma State) 149 lbs - Tyler Kasak (Penn State) Initially, Penn State went into the 2023-24 season with All-American Shayne Van Ness as their probable starter. When Van Ness went down with an injury, the 141 lb true freshman Tyler Kasak stepped in and didn’t really miss a beat. After finishing third in the Big Ten, Kasak was given the seventh seed at nationals. Right off the bat, Kasak was stunned by 2021 All-American Jaden Abas (Stanford) in his NCAA debut. The early loss didn’t seem to phase Kasak, who battled all the way back and won seven straight consolation matches to take third place. Along the way, he racked up bonus points, with a fall and four major decisions. In the bloodround, with a spot on the podium hanging in the balance, Kasak edged #3 Jackson Arrington (NC State), 5-4. In the consolation semis, Kasak majored the top seed, Ridge Lovett (Nebraska) the Big Ten champion. Second Team: Ty Watters (West Virginia) 157 lbs - Meyer Shapiro (Cornell) As one might expect, Meyer Shapiro, the top recruit in the high school Class of 2023, had sky-high expectations for his first year on the collegiate scene. Despite wrestling in one of the deepest weight classes, Shapiro quickly established himself as one of the key contenders at the weight. Though he didn’t place at the CKLV Invitational, Shapiro did post an impressive major decision victory over Virginia Tech’s multi-time All-American Bryce Andonian. The two losses Shapiro suffered in Vegas accounted for almost all of his losses (3). Shapiro had a second half of the season that saw him earn wins over three returning All-Americans, an EIWA championship, and a third seed at the national tournament. After two dominating wins, Shapiro was beaten in the quarterfinals by Stanford’s Daniel Cardenas. Cardenas also defeated him in Vegas. Shapiro didn’t get down, he won three consecutive bouts by bonus points to book a rematch with Cardenas in the third-place bout. Shapiro got the best of him this time, by a 10-4 score, to finish third in the country. Second Team: Ryder Downey (Northern Iowa) 165 lbs - Mitchell Mesenbrink (Penn State) One of only two freshmen to capture Big Ten titles in 2024, Mitchell Mesenbrink stole the show with a 13-11 comeback win over two-time All-American Dean Hamiti (Wisconsin). The match lived up to the pre-match hype and was immediately deemed an instant classic. An undefeated record and a Big Ten title was enough to give Mesenbrink the number two seed at his first NCAA Tournament. Mesenbrink continued his point-scoring barrage at NCAA’s. After two bonus-point wins, he had to contend with multi-time All-American Cam Amine (Michigan). Mesenbrink’s major decision over Amine earlier in the season was a key win that showed he would be a contender in year one. While he didn’t get another major, Mesenbrink controlled the pace in a 6-1 victory. For a berth in the NCAA finals, Mesenbrink gave up an early takedown to Michael Caliendo (Iowa), then turned up the heat in a 17-9 major decision. It was the second time he notched bonus points on Caliendo in three matches this season. An NCAA finals berth made Mesenbrink one of only two freshmen to make the 2024 finals. In a highly anticipated bout, Mesenbrink met David Carr (Iowa State) who was seeking his second national title. After trailing by four points at the end of two periods, Mesenbrink continued pushing and closed the final deficit to 9-8. Second Team: Hunter Garvin (Stanford) 174 lbs - Rocco Welsh (Ohio State) At 174 lbs, we have another true freshman who was assumed to be redshirting in the 2023-24 campaign. With All-American Carson Kharchla in the starting lineup, Rocco Welsh started the year competing in open tournaments; however, he moved into the starting lineup for good after the New Year. Even though he was a true freshman, it was evident that Welsh could physically handle the rigors of the Big Ten schedule. Though he dealt with a few conference losses, Welsh was able to neutralize the offensive attack of some of the best wrestlers in the nation. When NCAA brackets were released, there was plenty of talk about a lopsided bracket and who would emerge from the bottom half. It ended up being the true freshman Welsh. The third time was the charm for Welsh against Big Ten champion Edmond Ruth (Illinois). Ruth had defeated Welsh by extremely close margins earlier in the season, but Welsh prevailed when it counted. Welsh would go on to lose 2-0 to Carter Starocci (Penn State) in the NCAA finals for Starocci’s fourth national title. Second Team: MJ Gaitan (Iowa State) 184 lbs - Bennett Berge (South Dakota State) Even though he missed the first month of the season, Bennett Berge quickly established himself as a difference-maker in the South Dakota State lineup. In just his second dual, Berge posted a major decision over recent CKLV placewinner Jadon Bullock who was instrumental in the Jackrabbits win over Michigan. That started a nine-match winning streak that was finally halted by the eventual national runner-up Dustin Plott (Oklahoma State). Berge ended up fourth in a Big 12 weight class that featured both of the eventual national finalists. He’s another freshman that was beaten in the opening round of the NCAA Tournament, but battled back with an incredible run through the consolations. In his first match on the backside, Berge majored #8 Sam Wolf (Air Force), an opponent that defeated him at the Big 12 Championships. To lock up his spot on the podium, Berge got by the fifth seed Lenny Pinto (Nebraska), 13-8. In the consolation semis, Berge edged the Big Ten champion, Isaiah Salazar (Minnesota). He would finish his first national tournament in fourth place. Second Team: TJ Stewart (Virginia Tech) 197 lbs - Stephen Little (Little Rock) A 13-4 redshirt season for Stephen Little gave a few hints that the Kentucky native could be on the brink of a great freshman year in 2023-24. In his second event of the season, Little posted a 7-3 win over returning Round of 12 finisher Jaxon Smith (Maryland). During the regular season, Little only lost a pair of matches and he entered the NCAA Tournament on a 14-match winning streak. In Kansas City, Little thrived in pressure situations, scoring two of his biggest wins in extra time. In his first consolation bout, Little knocked off Big Ten runner-up Zach Glazier (Iowa) in sudden victory. Two matches later, he knocked off All-American Louie DePrez (Binghamton) in overtime. Little finished his tournament with a win over the EIWA champion and #4 Michael Beard (Lehigh) in the seventh-place bout. Prior to the 2024 national tournament, Little Rock only had one national qualifier. With Little’s win and Nasir Bailey’s finish, the Trojans left with a pair of freshman All-Americans. Second Team: Joey Novak (Wyoming) 285 lbs - Nick Feldman (Ohio State) The top recruit in the Class of 2022, Nick Feldman, was injured during his redshirt campaign and didn’t compete at all so expectations were tempered a bit for him in his first year as the Buckeyes starter. Feldman was solid in the early going but really seemed to get better as the year progressed. In Ohio State’s surprising upset of Michigan, Feldman’s win over two-time All-American Lucas Davison slammed the door shut. Feldman proved that was no fluke with another win over Davison in the Big Ten semifinals. Despite making the Big Ten finals, Feldman was given the ninth seed at nationals. Feldman put up a pair of bonus point wins before a narrow 1-0 loss to the eventual champion, #1 Greg Kerkvliet (Penn State), in the quarters. After securing All-American honors, Feldman closed his freshman year with an 11-4 win over perennial contender Cohlton Schultz (Arizona State). Second Team: Dayton Pitzer (Pittsburgh)

Sign In

InterMat's 2023-24 All-Freshman Team

User Feedback

Recommended Comments

Create an account or sign in to comment

Create an account

Sign in

Categories

Rankings

Browse

Activity

Support