Undefeated 2022 NCAA Champion Keegan O'Toole of Missouri (Photo/Sam Janicki; SJanickiPhoto.com)When the dust cleared from Detroit and the ten national champions were crowned Saturday evening, one interesting fact stuck out to me. Of the ten winners, eight of them finished the year unbeaten! That “seemed†like a big number, but was it actually? Just to make sure, we've gone through the list of NCAA champions since the turn of the century to validate that eight was an incredible total.
Below are the undefeated champions by year. For the bulk of this time period (2000-22) pin/tech/major decision totals have been included too. As we went back closer to 2000, those numbers became more difficult to obtain.
2022
125 lbs - Nick Suriano (Michigan) 16-0: 3 falls, 2 techs, 7 majors
133 lbs - Roman Bravo-Young (Penn State) 22-0: 4 falls, 4 techs, 4 majors
141 lbs - Nick Lee (Penn State) 22-0; 2 falls, 4 techs, 6 majors
149 lbs - Yianni Diakomihalis (Cornell) 28-0; 5 falls, 4 techs, 4 majors
157 lbs - Ryan Deakin (Northwestern) 18-0; 6 falls, 1 tech, 2 majors
165 lbs - Keegan O'Toole (Missouri) 25-0; 7 falls, 2 techs, 7 majors
174 lbs - Carter Starocci (Penn State) 23-0; 4 falls, 5 techs, 4 majors
285 lbs - Gable Steveson (Minnesota) 18-0; 1 fall, 6 techs, 7 majors
2021
125 lbs - Spencer Lee (Iowa) 12-0; 5 falls, 3 techs, 2 majors
133 lbs - Roman Bravo-Young (Penn State) 14-0; 1 fall, 2 techs, 2 majors
149 lbs - Austin O'Connor (North Carolina) 13-0; 2 falls, 4 majors
157 lbs - David Carr (Iowa State) 20-0; 4 falls; 4 techs, 5 majors
184 lbs - Aaron Brooks (Penn State) 14-0; 2 techs, 5 majors
285 lbs - Gable Steveson (Minnesota) 17-0; 4 falls, 6 techs, 3 majors
2019
141 lbs - Yianni Diakomihalis (Cornell) 29-0; 7 falls, 4 techs, 5 majors
149 lbs - Anthony Ashnault (Rutgers) 32-0; 8 falls, 4 techs, 7 majors
157 lbs - Jason Nolf (Penn State) 31-0; 15 falls, 4 techs, 6 majors
197 lbs - Bo Nickal (Penn State) 30-0; 18 falls, 3 techs, 6 majors
2018
149 lbs - Zain Retherford (Penn State) 31-0; 17 falls, 5 techs, 4 majors
174 lbs - Zahid Valencia (Arizona State) 32-0; 9 falls, 7 techs, 9 majors
184 lbs - Bo Nickal (Penn State) 31-0; 16 falls, 1 tech, 6 majors
2017
141 lbs - Dean Heil (Oklahoma State) 32-0; 2 falls, 4 techs, 6 majors
149 lbs - Zain Retherford (Penn State) 28-0; 17 falls, 7 techs, 1 major
157 lbs - Jason Nolf (Penn State) 27-0; 14 falls, 8 techs, 3 majors
197 lbs - J'den Cox (Missouri) 28-0; 6 falls, 6 techs, 6 majors
285 lbs - Kyle Snyder (Ohio State) 17-0; 4 falls, 5 techs, 4 majors
2016
133 lbs - Nahshon Garrett (Cornell) 37-0; 11 falls, 7 techs, 7 majors
149 lbs - Zain Retherford (Penn State) 35-0; 16 falls, 8 techs, 7 majors
165 lbs - Alex Dieringer (Oklahoma State) 33-0; 12 falls, 7 techs, 8 majors
285 lbs - Kyle Snyder (Ohio State) 11-0; 1 fall, 5 techs, 2 majors
2015
141 lbs - Logan Stieber (Ohio State) 29-0; 10 falls, 8 techs, 4 majors
157 lbs - Isaiah Martinez (Illinois) 35-0; 6 falls, 11 techs, 7 majors
165 lbs - Alex Dieringer (Oklahoma State) 32-0; 11 falls, 4 techs, 12 majors
285 lbs - Nick Gwiazdowski (NC State) 32-0; 14 falls, 1 tech, 9 majors
2014
165 lbs - David Taylor (Penn State) 34-0; 16 falls, 8 techs, 8 majors
2013
133 lbs - Logan Stieber (Ohio State) 27-0; 14 falls, 7 techs, 2 majors
141 lbs - Kendric Maple (Oklahoma) 31-0; 7 falls, 4 techs, 8 majors
149 lbs - Jordan Oliver (Oklahoma State) 38-0, 17 falls
165 lbs - Kyle Dake (Cornell) 37-0, 18 falls, 2 techs, 8 majors
184 lbs - Ed Ruth (Penn State) 33-0, 12 falls, 4 techs, 10 majors
197 lbs - Quentin Wright (Penn State) 32-0, 11 falls, 4 majors
2012
149 lbs - Frank Molinaro (Penn State) 33-0; 4 falls, 7 techs, 11 majors
157 lbs - Kyle Dake (Cornell) 35-0; 12 falls, 3 techs, 6 majors
165 lbs - David Taylor (Penn State) 32-0, 15 falls, 9 techs, 6 majors
174 lbs - Ed Ruth (Penn State) 31-0, 10 falls, 7 techs, 9 majors
2011
125 lbs - Anthony Robles (Arizona State) 36-0, 2 falls, 24 techs, 5 majors
133 lbs - Jordan Oliver (Oklahoma State) 29-0, 11 falls, 6 techs, 7 majors
141 lbs - Kellen Russell (Michigan) 38-0, four falls, 1 tech, 9 majors
165 lbs - Jordan Burroughs (Nebraska) 36-0, 6 falls, 14 techs, 9 majors
174 lbs - Jon Reader (Iowa State) 39-0, 3 falls, 11 techs, 13 majors
2010
133 lbs - Jayson Ness (Minnesota) 31-0, 19 falls
157 lbs - JP O'Connor (Harvard) 35-0, 4 falls, 6 techs, 7 majors
174 lbs - Jay Borschel (Iowa) 37-0, 10 falls, 11 majors
197 lbs - Jake Varner (Iowa State) 31-0, 10 falls, 1 tech, 10 majors
2009
125 lbs - Troy Nickerson (Cornell) 25-0
157 lbs - Jordan Burroughs (Nebraska) 35-0
174 lbs - Steve Luke (Michigan) 32-0
184 lbs - Jake Herbert (Northwestern) 34-0
2008
174 lbs - Keith Gavin (Pittsburgh) 27-0
2007
141 lbs - Derek Moore (UC Davis) 24-0
174 lbs - Ben Askren (Missouri) 42-0
184 lbs - Jake Herbert (Northwestern) 34-0
285 lbs - Cole Konrad (Minnesota) 35-0
2006
141 lbs - Nate Gallick (Iowa State) 35-0
157 lbs - Ben Cherrington (Boise State) 20-0
174 lbs - Ben Askren (Missouri) 45-0
285 lbs - Cole Konrad (Minnesota) 41-0
2005
184 lbs - Greg Jones (West Virginia) 25-0
285 lbs - Steve Mocco (Oklahoma State) 37-0
2004
157 lbs - Matt Gentry (Stanford) 42-0
184 lbs - Greg Jones (West Virginia) 26-0
2003
125 lbs - Travis Lee (Cornell) 34-0
149 lbs - Eric Larkin (Arizona State) 34-0
165 lbs - Matt Lackey (Illinois) 38-0
285 lbs - Steve Mocco (Iowa) 34-0
2002
125 lbs - Stephen Abas (Fresno State) 35-0
197 lbs - Cael Sanderson (Iowa State) 39-0
2001
125 lbs - Stephen Abas (Fresno State) 34-0
141 lbs - Michael Lightner (Oklahoma) 41-0
157 lbs - TJ Williams (Iowa) 29-0
174 lbs - Josh Koscheck (Edinboro) 42-0
184 lbs - Cael Sanderson (Iowa State) 40-0
2000
133 lbs - Eric Juergens (Iowa) 31-0
174 lbs - Byron Tucker (Oklahoma) 34-0
184 lbs - Cael Sanderson (Iowa State) 40-0
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