Class of 2020: 125 lbs

I've been following NCAA Division I wrestling since the 2001-2002 season.  While I don't follow every wrestler on every team, I do my best to keep up with as many as I can.  Throughout the years it has always bugged me that the end of all of a wrestler's career lies solely on whether he was an All American or not.  This may fall on deaf ears & to the ears in which hear, I imagine it will be disagreeable, but I look at the NCAA's as a tournament. It may be the toughest one & it may be the one of the most prestige but I think our sport is only doing itself a disservice by preaching, "the only one that matters."  I think placing at CKLV is a very big deal.  I think placing at the Midlands and Southern Scuffle is a big deal.   Two of the eight wrestlers mentioned here at 125 lbs were All Americans during their career. The other six were not. I think all despite what they may or may not have achieved deserve to be remembered. 

As I said, I wish I had the ability & time to keep up with everyone's career  but I don't.  Here are the eight at 125 lbs I kept up with throughout the years & why as a fan I enjoyed watching them perform.

NICK PICCININNI
OKLAHOMA STATE
Career Record: 129-1
NCAA: 17'4th-18'R12-19'5th
BIG 12: 1st-1st-1st-1st
RENO: 16'2nd, 19'1st
SOUTHERN SCUFFLE: 17'6th, 19'1st, 20'1st

In your face, intense & on fire Piccininni wrestled like a New Yorker.  The state of New York doesn't claim near as much in the sport of wrestling as does Ohio or Pennsylvania but in the year of 2020, here's one thing that it can claim;  Nick Piccininni was the only wrestler in all of Division I to end his career a four time conference champion.  I was really anxious to see him compete in his final NCAA tournament & it is a shame that it didn't happen. 

JACK MUELLER
VIRGINIA
Career Record: 85-14
NCAA: 17'6th, 18'R12, 19'2nd
ACC: 17'3rd, 18'2nd, 19'1st, 20'2nd
CKLV: 18'3rd, 20'1st
SOUTHERN SCUFFLE: 17'2nd, 18'1st

If you follow me very long, you'll know that I love watching wrestlers from the south.  Years ago I had a guy from Texas tell me that we'd never see wrestling in Texas, because "our boys just don't wanna wrestle."  I didn't buy that then & with talent like Jack Mueller, I'm not buying it now. The lone star state produced a wrestler that won titles at the Southern Scuffle, ACC & CKLV.  Not to mention he made the NCAA finals.  The way I see it, if we can get Division I wrestling in Arkansas, then I'm one to believe we can get it in Texas.  Imagine if you will Mueller having wrestled for the Longhorns or the Aggies or the Red Raiders or the Miners. 

JAY SCHWARM
NORTHERN IOWA
Career Record: 97-48
NCAA: Three time Qualifier
BIG 12: 18'4th, 19'5th, 20'4th
CKLV: 18'6th, 20'7th
SOUTHERN SCUFFLE: 17'R12, 18'2nd
MIDLANDS: 20'R12

My cousins went to Bettendorf high school (They weren't wrestlers. One played soccer & the other played baseball) & I have a friend that wrestled for them as well.  So whenever a good wrestler comes out of Bettendorf I usually pay attention to him.  What I loved about watching Schwarm wrestle was that he was a pinner.  Twenty-one wins this season, seventeen of them were by fall.  He won the most amount of pins in the least amount of time at CKLV.  Fun wrestler to watch.

CHRISTIAN MOODY
OKLAHOMA
Career Record: 72-59
NCAA: Four time NCAA Qualifier
BIG 12: 17'4th, 18'6th, 19'4th, 20'3rd
MIDLANDS: 17'8th
CKLV: 18'8th 

If there ever be an appropriately named wrestler..... The one thing you have to say about Christian Moody is that he was always in a Moody to wrestle at the BIG 12's.  His final tournament is the kind legends are made of. The kind that a screenplay writer out in Hollywood dreams up that we watch on screen saying those kind of things don't really happen.  He entered the tournament with only seven wins on the season.  To put the odds even further against him, he loses his first round match!  Then miraculously pins his way to a third place finish.  It was one of the greatest displays of intestinal fortitude I've ever witnessed.

TREY CHALIFOUX
ARMY
Career Record: 73-50
NCAA: Two Time Qualifier
EIWA: 19'6th, 20'5th 

From Nashville, Tennessee another wrestler from the south that I followed.  Had a workman's style on the mat. Nothing flashy or fancy, just good hard solid wrestling. Never an All American but still a respectable career on the mat.

JAKE GROMACKI
CLARION
Career Record: 59-29
NCAA: One Time Qualifier
EWL: 17'2nd 

Injury is a part of wrestling & often times it's why a wrestler's career doesn't turn out the way that it should. Never a state champion, Gromacki finished eighth, sixth, fourth, fifth in the state of Pennsylvania during his time in high school. I always root for the guys that never won a state title, especially those that never even made the finals. My Grandpa Richard Grimm has always championed the underdog and I guess I get that from him.  To give you an idea of what Gromacki was like before his injury he had wins over two time NCAA All American Zeke Moisey of West Virginia & multiple time NCAA qualifiers Noah Gonser of Campbell & Shakur Laney of Ohio.  If not for being injured I'm almost positive that he would have won an EWL title & competed hard in the MAC this season.  He tried to come back in late November & I admire the Hell out of that but it was clear that his injuries got the best of him.

LOGAN GRIFFIN
MICHIGAN STATE
Career Record: 63-46
NCAA: One Time NCAA qualifier
BIG 10: 20'8th 

This is a dude that had one varsity win as a sophomore. One, and he turned that into ten wins as a junior.  All American Rayvon Foley redshirted this season & Griffin made the most of his opportunity to be the Spartan's starter.  You see these are the types of stories I eat up as a fan.  With wins over Illinois's Justin Cardani & Penn State's Bryce Meredith he upset his way to NCAA qualification at the BIG 10 tournament.  A guy who "wasn't supposed to" who ended his career as an NCAA qualifier.  This is what the sport is all about.

NOLAN HELLICKSON
HARVARD
Career Record: 54-44
MIDLANDS: 20'8th 

I'm always fascinated by the Iowa kids that decide to wrestle out of state post high school. I lived in Des Moines, Iowa, a ten minute drive from Southeast Polk for eight years & I was excited when I first heard that Hellickson was going to continue his education at Harvard.  He never quite had the wrestling career I was hoping for but somehow or another he was able to give us a glimpse of his talent at this year's Midlands.  Wins over Joe Manchio of Columbia, Jay Schwarm of Northern Iowa, & Kyle Biscolgia of Northern Iowa to finish in eighth place.


These are the seniors (final season of eligibility 2019-2020) I kept up with the past 4-5 years.   133 lbs to come soon.