Leaderboard

With every new season there’s a new group of stars emerge or breakout. Today we’re focusing on some of them. What constitutes a “breakout” star? For the purposes of this article, we’re not focusing on a top-25 freshman from the high school Class of 2023 who hasn’t had the opportunity to make his mark in college yet. That article is in the works too! The wrestlers we’re talking about are veterans who have been on the collegiate scene for a few years and have yet to compete at the NCAA Tournament. Below are representatives from each conference and a little bit of background information on their careers to date. ACC Spencer Moore (North Carolina) Last year, UNC saw graduate transfer Jack Wagner make the NCAA tournament at 125 lbs. Despite the growth of the program over the last decade, finding success at 125 lbs has proven to be difficult for the Tar Heels. Wagner’s trip to nationals marked only the third time since 2006 that UNC has sent a wrestler at that weight to nationals. That trend might get ruined in the future with the development of Spencer Moore. During the 2021-22 campaign, Moore started as a 17-year-old true freshman and fought to a 13-16 record. Last year, he took a redshirt behind Wagner and posted a respectable 8-3 record. Moore’s most significant win in 2022-23 came against Air Force’s Tucker Owens, an opponent that went 2-2 at nationals. While no one gives out medals for close losses, Moore’s three setbacks came against past qualifiers, two of which went to extra time. With another offseason in the UNC room, Moore could be ready to take the next step. Sam Fisher (Virginia Tech) Virginia Tech largely returns the bulk of a lineup that led to a ninth-place finish at the 2023 NCAA Championships. The only one of the Hokies ten NCAA qualifiers that does not return is All-American Hunter Bolen at 184 lbs. While Bolen had been a rock in the Virginia Tech lineup for a long time, there may not be a significant drop-off a the weight because of veteran Sam Fisher, who has been patiently waiting in the wings. After winning the 2022 UWW U20 Open, Fisher put together a 23-5 2022-23 season that included a fourth-place finish at the Southern Scuffle. Fisher started the year with a win over North Carolina’s Gavin Kane at the Southeast Open. Kane would end up on the NCAA podium with an eighth-place finisher at 184 lbs. Throughout the course of the season, Fisher posted wins over five past/eventual national qualifiers. Big Ten Drew Roberts (Minnesota) The Minnesota Golden Gophers will sport a new look in 2023-24 as four 2023 NCAA qualifiers and 2021 All-American Brayton Lee have moved on, opening up slots for plenty of new faces. One that is a new starter, but not totally new, is Drew Roberts at 149 lbs. Roberts put together a 15-4 record last year while redshirting and competing primarily unattached. He earned tournament titles at the Worthington and Edinboro Open’s, late in the regular season. At the Edinboro Open, Roberts notched a win over Manzona Bryant and then-high school senior Tyler Kasak, a top recruit for Penn State. His last bit of collegiate action came up a weight, at 157 lbs, when Roberts took on Wisconsin’s two-time national qualifier Garrett Model. Roberts fought valiantly to a 12-9 loss. Bryce Hepner (Ohio State) The departure of senior All-Americans at 174 and 184 lbs for Ohio State has forced fellow AA Carson Kharchla to move up from 165 to 174 lbs for the 2023-24 season. That leaves room for Bryce Hepner to bust into the lineup at 165 lbs. Hepner only saw action in December’s Cleveland State Open last year, but made his mark with a 6-4 victory over three-time All-American Cam Amine (Michigan). That was one of only five losses on the year for Amine, who went on to finish fourth in the nation. While Hepner was the Buckeye’s entrant at 157 lbs at the 2022 Big Ten Championships, this could be the first time that he’s been their starter for an extended amount of time. That year, Hepner saw action in two duals, but was out of action for three months before the conference tournament. A revamped Buckeye lineup could be in the hunt for a team trophy this season. A strong year from Hepner would only increase those efforts. Big 12 Eli Griffin (California Baptist) In today’s Big 12 predictions, James Hackney talks about why Griffin is his pick for conference breakout of the year. Jett Strickenberger (West Virginia) West Virginia has to replace a two-time All-American in Killian Cardinale and, while that sounds difficult, they do have an intriguing prospect in 2023 NJCAA national champion Jett Strickenberger. Strickenberger was a two-time NJCAA All-American competing for North Idaho College and NW Kansas Tech. As a freshman, Strickenberger lost to former blue-chip recruit Jakason Burks (Iowa Western) in the national semifinals before settling for third. In 2023, Strickenberger downed Burks in tiebreakers (7-6) to claim his national title. Last season, Strickenberger also was unbeaten against DI competition. While there may be a bit of an adjustment period to that level of competition day-in and day-out, Strickenberger has the talent to make the transition from Cardinale, as seamless as possible. EIWA Trae McDaniel (Army West Point) A huge second-half surge, sparked by a weight change nearly led to Trae McDaniel making the 2023 NCAA Championships. McDaniel finished in fourth place at 149 lbs in the 2023 EIWA Championships and amassed a 32-11 record. He started the year at 157 lbs and was 6-4 before dropping down for the Soldier Salute in late December. After the New Year, McDaniel went on a 14-match winning streak capturing a title at the New York State Collegiate Championships and was unbeaten at the Mat Town Open. At 149 lbs, McDaniel earned wins over a pair of past NCAA qualifiers. His late-season run set the foundation for a #30 ranking in the preseason. Logan Deacetis (Bucknell) Another EIWA wrestler who didn’t qualify for nationals last year, yet has found himself in the preseason top-33 is Logan Deacetis, who comes in at #24 at 184 lbs (right behind another member of this list, Sam Fisher). Deacetis saw action in four duals and two tournaments before his 2022-23 season ended in December. In limited competition, Deacetis still managed wins over a pair of eventual national qualifiers in Zayne Lehman (Ohio) and Giuseppe Hoose (Buffalo; now Oklahoma). As a true freshman, Deacetis started his collegiate career with wins in 11 of his first 13 contests. MAC Alejandro Herrera-Rondon (Clarion) After winning three Pennsylvania AAA state titles for Seneca Valley, Alejandro Herrera-Rondon was labeled a top-ten recruit in the Class of 2021 and inked with Oklahoma. After a redshirt season that saw him go 11-2, Herrera-Rondon saw plenty of mat time in 2022-23, but only participated in two dual meets. He ended up getting a win in that first dual; one that led to the Sooners topping Navy 28-12 at the Virginia Duals. After the season, with the coaching change in Norman, Herrera-Rondon entered the transfer portal and made his way back to PA, landing at Clarion. With the Golden Eagles, Herrera-Rondon has surrounded himself with a tough group of workout partners and could thrive with more opportunities to start. Avery Bassett (Lock Haven) Through two seasons of competition, Avery Bassett has compiled a 43-14 record for George Mason, then Lock Haven, yet he’s still waiting for his first trip to the NCAA Championships. Bassett started the year with falls in six of his first seven matches and took the title in the Mat Town Open hosted by his home school. Bassett also was perfect in MAC Duals and was the second seed heading into the conference tournament. In the semifinals, Bassett was upset by Enrique Munguia, then of Kent State. Somewhat surprisingly, Bassett did not receive an at-large berth. Bassett is part of a rock-solid Lock Haven team that will feature five returning national qualifiers and is a favorite for the conference title. Pac-12 Triston Wills (Little Rock) One of the more consistent grapplers for Little Rock, Triston Wills is seeking his first NCAA Championship berth. Willis appeared to be comfortably headed for one last season, but had a late-season swoon that saw him lose six straight duals, five of which came against Pac-12 opposition. Earlier in the year, Wills was third at the Southern Scuffle and a champion at SIU Edwardsville’s Cougar Clash. Even though he didn’t make it to nationals, Wills did earn a win over a qualifier, Cael Valencia (Arizona State), at the Pac-12 Championships. In 2023-24, Wills is expected to move up to 184 lbs which is a weight class that doesn’t appear to have the same depth as 174 does. SoCon Anthony Molton (Campbell) One of the most unusual seasons to evaluate was Campbell’s Anthony Molton at 125 lbs. Molton finished 13-9 and fourth in the SoCon, but had a win over former high school teammate Matt Ramos (Purdue), the eventual NCAA runner-up. Other notables on his resume include 2022 NCAA Round of 12 finisher Joey Prata (Oklahoma) and two-time national qualifier Jake Ferri (Kent State). In conference, Molton also tallied two wins over 2022 qualifier Logan Ashton (Chattanooga). Molton has been able to hang with, and beat, the best in the nation, he just needs to be slightly more consistent. With Campbell’s schedule, Molton is tentatively scheduled to meet up with some of top-level competition, so he’ll have his opportunities.