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The NCWWCs concluded on Saturday after a nail-biter team race that had returning champs North Central up by 17 points going into the finals. However, after an impressive final round that concluded by a tech fall from Kylie Welker in the final match of the night, the Hawkeyes finished with 204 team points over North Central’s 198. Here are some takeaways from one of the most exciting national tournaments as far as team race goes. 1. Iowa in pivotal matches The race between Iowa and North Central was close throughout the tournament. The Hawkeyes really put themselves in a winnable position during the semis, however, winning all five matches where Iowa wrestlers faced off against North Central. This included Sterling Dias over Madison Avila at 101 lbs, Ava Bayless over Jaslynn Gallegos at 109 lbs, Brianna Gonzalez over Sydney Petzinger at 116 lbs, Marlynne Deede over London Houston at 155 lbs, and Jaycee Foeller over Traeh Haynes at 191 lbs. Then in the finals, Iowa sent in eight wrestlers, including two matches where teammates faced off at 101 lbs and 116 lbs, and in the end, they crowned six individual champs, only dropping one championship match at 191 lbs where Sandra Guerrero of New Jersey City got the fall over Jaycee Foeller. In addition to Kylie Welker, Hawkeye champs were Emilie Gonzalez, Ava Bayless, Felicity Taylor, Reese Larramendy, and returning champ Marlynne Deede. 2. Cam Guerin adds to her legacy Another notable result from the finals was McKendree’s Cam Guerin winning her fourth national title, as she took out her opponent Maria Baez Dilone of King in a 2-1 decision. This comes after she teched her other three opponents, including Alexis Janiak of Aurora. Guerin still has another year of eligibility which she hinted at using during post-match interviews. It will be interesting for fans to wait and see if she will attempt the historic accomplishment of becoming a 5xer. 3. Championship finishes for North Central and King wrestlers While Iowa took up most of the top spots on the podium, North Central and King, who finished the team race in second and third respectively, were also crowned champions. For North Central, Amani Jones at 123 lbs took out Virginia Foard of King by a 3-1 decision. Jones notched falls in her first two matches before a dominant 13-4 decision in the semis over King’s other 123 lb wrestler Montana Delawder to end up in the finals and become a 3x All-American. King returned the favor however with Claire DiCugno’s tech fall over Yele Aycock of North Central at 136 lbs. DiCugno had an incredible tournament as well, getting two tech falls and a 10-2 decision over Viktorya Torres of McKendree to put herself in the finals. 4. King University generated some serious upsets King University came in third place behind Iowa and North Central, however, their wrestlers created some upsets that really shook up the brackets. #4 Virginia Foard found her way to the finals with a tech fall over #1 Shelby Moore of McKendree in the semis. This was a flipped result from their matchup earlier this year where Moore got the tech over Foard. #6 Aine Drury also took out a top-ranked contender with her semifinal decision win over Alara Boyd of North Central. #3 for the Tornado Montana DeLawder also had a win over McKendree’s #1 Shelby Moore in the third-place match. Yasmine Kallily Oliveira, who entered the tournament unranked, won her first match over Iowa’s #5 Ella Schmit. Finally, #7 Alexa Garcia got a big 9-0 win over #4 Sara Lake of Lindenwood in the consolation semis. While King was not able to rack up the points needed to move ahead of the other top teams, they showed a lot of grit and tenacity to continue to battle on the backside and have 12 of 15 wrestlers earn All-American honors. 5. Olympic Implications The NCWWC tournament is one of the qualifiers for the U.S. Olympic Team trials happening later this spring. If a wrestler who has not already qualified another way finishes as the champion in her weight class, she can advance to the trials. Those wrestlers from this tournament were Emilie Gonzalez of Iowa, Ava Bayless of Iowa, Felicity Taylor of Iowa, Claire DiCungo of King, and Reese Larramendy of Iowa. Amani Jones of North Central, Cam Guerin of McKendree, Marlynne Deede of Iowa, Kylie Welker of Iowa had already qualified from other competitions. Sandra Guerrero of New Jersey City plans to compete for Puerto Rico.

Saying that the Big Ten Wrestling tournament was one of the most exciting events of the college wrestling season isn’t exactly saying much. You might as well tell some that the sky is blue. But this year’s tournament was different. Because not only was it thrilling, but it delivered several fresh faces that could be stars in the college wrestling world for years to come. This year’s Big Ten finals featured 12 first-time finalists and an incredible eight first-time Big Ten champions. Only Penn State’s Levi Haines and Aaron Brooks were repeat winners. None of the eight first-time winners are out of eligibility following the 2023-24 season, and only Greg Kerkvliet of Penn State has even discussed the idea of wrapping up his college career following the completion of the season. So, what did these first-time winners have to say? Well, gratitude was a common theme. But so was the idea that, for them, the Big Ten Tournament only marks the start of their quest to top the podium in March. “In a conference like this, there’s a hammer every weekend,” Ohio State’s Jesse Mendez said after his 4-1 win over Beau Bartlett of Penn State. “So you have to be ready. Knowing I could have a Real Woods or a Lemley or a Hardy that next weekend makes me work that much harder. “But, you know, none of this matters unless I get a national title. So the work doesn’t stop yet.” That was a common refrain among the conference champions. Even those such as Rutgers’ Dylan Shawver, who most fans would not have predicted to come out of a stacked 133-pound weight class. “I manifest these things,” Shawver said of his big weekend. “When I say I manifest them, I think about it. I know it’s going to come true as long as I believe. And that’s me, I believe. Once you give up, you lose all hope. And that’s something I don’t have. I always give it all. And giving it all is what matters.” That confidence is something that Illinois’ Edmond Ruth said that he’s developed since joining the Fighting Illini after starting his career at Lehigh. Ruth’s path to a championship at 174 pounds was unconventional. Both top-seeded Carter Starocci of Penn State and No. 2 Shane Grifftih of Michigan defaulted out of the tournament, with the latter doing so in the final. But Ruth isn’t taking any less pride in his accomplishment. “It’s feels really good being able to actually get it done,” Ruth said of his Big Ten crown. “There’s been a lot of doubts in my mind like ‘will I give up a takedown? Is my body going to shut down for some reason?’ “But I had to just believe in myself, believe in the work that my coaches put in me. If I’m still healthy enough, and I can still move all my limbs, I have to just step on the line and see where things take me.” The new champs now move forward to the NCAA Tournament in Kansas City as the hunted, rather than the hunters. And if they’re able to duplicate their feat and stand atop the podium, it’ll truly signify a new era in the college wrestling landscape.

After a wild weekend of conference tournament action; rankings have been updated! They are headlined by a pair of new #1 ranked wrestlers. Leading into the NCAA Tournament there's a lot of movement at almost every weight. Full Rankings: Click Here

Luke Stanich Ryan Crookham Josh Koderhandt Ethan Fernandez Meyer Shapiro Julian Ramirez Lennox Wolak Aaron Azyerov Michael Beard Nathan Taylor Anthony D'Alesio Joe Patrovich Jake Logan