2x NCAA All-American Evan Wick (Photo/Tony Rotundo; WrestlersAreWarriors.com; Graphic/Anna-Lee Marie)
Welcome to a new recurring feature from InterMat as we lead into the 2021-22 collegiate season. We are about 50 days away from the start of the new season, so what better way to ring in the new year than to use that time to count down the top-50 current collegiate wrestlers. Each day a new wrestler will be released.
These rankings have been compiled by members of the InterMat staff and used a combination of collegiate achievements, with 2021 accomplishments carrying more weight than past years, along with win-loss records and notable wins. While we are counting down the top-50 wrestlers based primarily on collegiate accomplishments, it is impossible to totally ignore achievements in the international settings, so they did factor in slightly, too.
Before getting to the next wrestler on the list, look at the wrestlers previously profiled:
#50 - Greg Kerkvliet (Penn State)
#49 - Ben Darmstadt (Cornell)
#48 - Dakota Geer (Oklahoma State)
#47 - Kaleb Young (Iowa)
#46 - Rocky Elam (Missouri)
#45 - Chad Red Jr. (Nebraska)
#44 - Brandon Courtney (Arizona State)
#43 - Brock Mauller (Missouri)
#42 - Cohlton Schultz (Arizona State)
#41 - John Poznanski (Rutgers)
#40 - Brayton Lee (Minnesota)
#39 - Travis Wittlake (Oklahoma State)
#38 - Parker Keckeisen (Northern Iowa)
#37 - Tariq Wilson (NC State)
#36 - Jacob Warner (Iowa)
#35 - Jacori Teemer (Arizona State)
#34 - Tony Cassioppi (Iowa)
#33 - Vito Arujau (Cornell)
#32 - Patrick Glory (Princeton)
#31 - Max Dean (Penn State)
#30 - Keegan O'Toole (Missouri)
#29 - Mike Labriola (Nebraska)
#28 - Nino Bonaccorsi (Pittsburgh)
#27 - Austin DeSanto (Iowa)
#26 - Jake Wentzel (Pittsburgh)
Next is…
#25 Evan Wick (Cal Poly)
Weight: 165 lbs
Year: Senior
Career Record: 85-17
Hometown: San Marino, California
College Accomplishments: 2020 NWCA 1st Team All-American, 2019 NCAA 4th, 2018 NCAA 3rd
2021-22 Preseason Ranking: #4th at 165 lbs
The high school class of 2016 saw a pair of twins from California, Evan and Zander Wick, head across the country to enroll at Wisconsin. Evan was a California state champion as a senior and a two-time state placer that finished the year ranked top-three in the nation at 152 lbs.
During his first year on campus in Madison, Evan redshirted and competed unattached, primarily at 157 lbs. In his first event, Wick won four of five bouts at Iowa State's Harold Nichols Open. His only setback at the event was a one-point loss to Tyler Berger (Nebraska), who would finish fifth in the country later that year.
It was at the Midlands Championships that year where Wick really showed he was capable of winning at a high level. On his way to a fourth-place finish, Wick notched wins over four wrestlers that would qualify for nationals that year (Colin Heffernan - Central Michigan, Kyle Langenderfer - Illinois, Clay Ream - North Dakota State, and TJ Ruschell - Wisconsin). His win over teammate and starter, Ruschell, came via a 15-3 major decision.
After the Midlands, Wick went up to 165 lbs and dominated the competition at the Duhawk and Don Parker Open. Though most of his opponents were of the non-DI variety, Wick captured bonus points in eight of his nine contests.
Wick's first official competition in a Wisconsin singlet took place at the Michigan State Open. There he ran into Michigan's returning All-American Logan Massa. Wick fell to the Wolverine star in an 11-3 major decision.
It wouldn't take long for Wick to get a measure of revenge against Massa. Coming into the Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational as the ninth seed, Wick picked up two wins to set up a clash with Massa in the quarterfinals. The two were mired in a 4-all tie after two periods, but Wick pulled away in the final stanza to win 8-4. Wick had less trouble in the semis with Nick Wanzek (Minnesota), who he defeated by the score of 10-4. In the finals, he was pinned by returning All-American David McFadden (Virginia Tech), but Wick showed he could be a contender in year one.
In the post-CKLV dual season, Wick posted six consecutive wins with bonus points. From there, the competition got much more challenging and the Badger freshman fell in his next three bouts against Isaiah White (Nebraska), Isaiah Martinez (Illinois), and Richie Lewis (Rutgers).
Wick's first Big Ten Championship saw him fare well in an absolutely loaded bracket. He would tally wins against White and Massa, but lost again to Lewis during a fourth-place showing. Fourth place was good enough to provide him with the tenth seed at his first NCAA Tournament.
After a first-round win against Drew Daniels (Navy), Wick was slated for yet another bout against #7 Massa. Wick continued his trend against the Wolverine All-American and prevailed in an excellent 9-6 bout. Like in Vegas, after a win against Massa, Wick was left to deal with McFadden. This time Wick was able to keep it close, but still was on the wrong side of a 3-0 decision.
To lock up All-American honors, Wick needed to go through Wanzek. After only :17 seconds in the second period, Wick had pinned the Gopher and became the school's first freshman AA since Isaac Jordan in 2014.
That was far from the end of the road for the freshman who reeled off three more wins to finish in third place. His victims included Jon Jay Chavez (Cornell), Alex Marinelli (Iowa), and Chase Marsteller (Lock Haven). The last Badger freshman to finish in the top-three was Andrew Howe in 2009. Wick also became the final All-American during the Barry Davis era.
In the offseason, the Badgers brought in Chris Bono as the school's next head coach. Wick rang in the Bono-era with 18 consecutive wins. That span includes the first five matches at the Midlands. Prior to that tournament, Wick's notable wins include Bryce Steiert (Northern Iowa), Demetrius Romero (Utah Valley), White, and Josh Shields (Arizona State). To make the championship bout at the Midlands, Wick majored Steiert, 9-0.
The Midlands finals saw the second career meeting between Wick and Marinelli. This time the Hawkeye star returned the favor and got his hand raised after a 4-3 win. Wick's only loss during the remainder of the 2018-19 regular season? Yes, to Marinelli in dual action in sudden victory.
The second loss to Marinelli gave Wick the third seed at the Big Ten Championships and put the two on the same half of the conference bracket. Seeds held and the pair met again in the B1G semis. For the third time that year, in excruciatingly close circumstances, Marinelli won, 2-1. In the third-place bout, Wick renewed acquaintances with Massa, who also prevailed by a 2-1 score.
A loss to Massa in the Big Ten consolation finals didn't hurt Wick too badly in NCAA seeding. He received the fourth seed in Pittsburgh. The Badger was in top form in the early going at the 2019 NCAA Championships, as he majored Nick Kiussis (West Virginia) in his opening match, then put together a solid seven-point win over #13 Andrew Fogarty (North Dakota State). In the quarters, he pinned All-American Chance Marsteller in the opening period.
The Marsteller win clinched All-American status for Wick as he was in his first NCAA semifinals. Opposing Wick was the equally hot freshman Mekhi Lewis (Virginia Tech). Lewis had already unseated, undefeated #1 Marinelli in the quarters. The Virginia Tech freshman continued his heater versus Wick with a 4-1 win.
Wick's loss dropped him into the consolation semifinals against White, where he got by with a 4-3 win. The Badger was unable to replicate his third-place showing from the previous year as he was edged by Marsteller in the final bout.
2019-20 season started with seven consecutive wins, six of which came via bonus points. That season-opening winning streak was put to a halt by Marinelli, who defeated him in dual competition, 4-2. Wick rebounded with four more wins, all coming via tech or fall, heading into the Midlands.
At the Midlands, Wick ran into a familiar opponent in the semifinals, David McFadden. Again, McFadden continued his winning ways over the Badger, 6-5.
For the remainder the 2019-20 regular season, Wick won eight of his final nine bouts. The only loss came to two-time national champion Vincenzo Joseph (Penn State).
Down the stretch, Wick got banged up. He weighed in at the 2020 Big Ten Championships, but injury defaulted out after only one second and didn't compete for the rest of the tournament.
Since Wick did not wrestle at the Big Ten meet, his stock took a hit by the seeding committee and he was given the #8. That didn't matter as the 2020 NCAA Championships were cancelled with the Covid pandemic. Had the tournament been conducted, Wick was set to face #25 Izzak Olejnik (Northern Illinois). Other notables on his half of the bracket included #1 Marinelli, #4 Travis Wittlake (Oklahoma State), #5 White, and #9 Tanner Skidgel (Navy).
Wick has always excelled in freestyle. His fourth-place finish at 2019 Senior Nationals allowed him to take an Olympic redshirt in 2020-21. At the delayed Olympic Trials, in April, Wick finished in third place at the 74 kg Challenge Tournament.
After the Olympic Trials, Wick appeared in the transfer portal and later announced his intentions to transfer back to his home state and compete for Cal Poly.
Strengths: First and foremost, Wick's height and length make him a difficult matchup nightmare for anyone in the nation. He's a busy handfighter with heavy hands and has good snap downs and go-behind's. Offensively, he has a good arsenal of low-leg attacks and can scramble with the best of them. Wick's top-game is pretty unusual for someone with such strong freestyle chops. He will ride with legs, use an array of tilts, and can lock up a cradle.
2021-22 Outlook: For the bulk of his career, Wick has been amongst the NCAA title contenders at 165 lbs. There's no reason to think he won't be again this year. The transfer has moved him away from rivals like Marinelli and may be beneficial as it could limit damage to his body down the stretch in the postseason.
2x NCAA All-American Evan Wick(Photo/Tony Rotundo; WrestlersAreWarriors.com)
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