The Replacements: Who Takes Over for 2023's Graduated Stars?

One of the idiosyncrasies of college athletics is that student-athletes only get four years of collegiate competition before either going to pursue their sport professionally or moving on to other ventures. Of course, COVID and extra eligibility have thrown that traditional four-year mark for a loop these past few years. As we move farther away from the extra eligibility and more towards normalcy, more college athletes will graduate and move on. 

This applies to wrestling like any other sport. Today, we’ll look back at some of the collegiate stars who have graduated and moved on after the 2023 tournament. As it applies to the upcoming season, we’ll look at the wrestlers slated to replace those greats. Replace may not be the best word, because, in a lot of these instances, it will be extremely difficult to replicate the production and leadership that these great wrestlers provided at their respective institutions. That being said, someone had to try! 

Below we’re going weight-by-weight and have singled out some of the notable seniors and have information on the wrestler (or wrestlers) that will replace them in the lineup:

125

Patrick Glory (Princeton)

Replacement: Marc-Anthony McGowan - It’s not easy replacing the first national champion for your program in 70 years, so suffice it to say that Marc-Anthony McGowan has big shoes to fill. McGowan is very capable though, he was ranked #12 overall in the Class of 2023 and is expected to be a day-one starter for the Tigers. McGowan was a Cadet World Champion and a three-time Walsh Ironman finalist (two-time champion). 

To see the full article purchase an InterMat Premium membership for $10 per month or $50 per year. This gives you access to the top coverage of wrestling throughout the season.
Click here to purchase your Premium membership today!