College Wrestling : 2023-2024 NCAA DI The Season: Top Returnees 149 lbs

In times where it seems no one will ever graduate, ironically enough 149 lbs was hit rather hard by "final season of eligibility" last season. Not only that, but there's a chance the weight class could missing even more standout talent from last season, but we'll get to that later. As for now, four All Americans from last season return, as does an NCAA finalist from '22. Let's take a look.

Shayne Van Ness
Penn State

It's a rare occasion that someone will place higher at the NCAA tournament than what they do at the BIG 10 tournament. This is both a testament to how loaded the BIG 10 is, & a testament to how well prepared Cael Sanderson has his men to peak at the right time. Shayne Van Ness, only a sophomore, was 4th in the BIG 10 & 3rd at the NCAA's. 24-7 on the season, he'll be a forerunner for the NCAA title this year.

Kyle Parco
Arizona State

Thus far Kyle Parco has been 6th-8th-4th in the NCAA DI championships & he is still by eligibility standards only a junior. With a shot to one day be one of the rare five time All Americans he put together a 27-6 record last year, winning a PAC-12 title, with runner-up finishes at both CKLV & the Midlands. Someone please remind me of why Terry Tumey wanted nothing to do with this outstanding young man.

Caleb Henson
Virginia Tech

I've been arguing for years that the state of Georgia needs a Division I wrestling team & talent like Caleb Henson is the exact reason why. Only a sophomore, the Hokie had an outstanding season going 27-5. Titles won at both the ACC & the Southeast Open, he was 3rd at the Keystone Classic, taking 5th place All American honors in the DI nation.

Brock Mauller
Missouri

Brock Mauller enters his final season of competition looking to earn his fourth NCAA DI All American honor. Thus far the Tiger has been 6th-5th-7th in the NCAA championships. 20-4 on the season, he was the BIG 12 runner-up last year.

Michael Blockhus
Minnesota

And the pot thickens....Recently announced, Michael Blockhus IS returning for a another season with the Golden Gophers. Makes me wonder how many more collegiate wrestlers will pull a "Rowdy Piper" before the season is said & done. A BIG 10 Runner-up, he was 8th in the DI nation. A 15-9 record. Truth to be known, I think if he wants it, he has '24-'25 too.

Graham Rooks
Indiana

One of the most improved wrestlers in the nation, Graham Rooks took a losing season of '20-'21 & then a .500 season of '21-'22 & turned it into a winning season of '22-'23. 30-10 on the year, he had some of his most impressive showings to date. A RENO champ, he actually defeated All American Caleb Henson 5-4 at the NCAA championships, before ultimately finishing R12 himself.

Chance Lamer
Cal Poly

After spending a redshirt & a freshman season at Michigan, Chance Lamer will join his brothers at Cal Poly this year. 15-9 on the season, he was 7th in the BIG 10, really coming alive at the NCAA championships, finishing one match shy of All American honors.

Paniro Johnson
Iowa State

At the time this writeup was written, the eligibility status of Paniro Johnson is still in question. He got into some trouble earlier this year & whether that will cause him to lose out on the rest of his career or not is still up in the air. What a tragedy it'd be for him, for the Cyclones & for the wrestling community if he does lose out on his remaining three seasons of eligibility.

As a freshman last season, he went 18-6 on the year. He not only defeated NCAA bronze medalist Shayne Van Ness 3-2, he also scored an 8-4 win over three time All American Brock Mauller in the BIG 12 finals. Let me also note that he took four time NCAA DI champ Yianni Diakomihalis into sudden victory. If a collegiate wrestling future exist for Johnson, a collegiate wrestling future is bright.

Jackson Arrington
North Carolina State

Another super tough freshman from last season, Jackson Arrington went 23-9 on the year, finishing one match shy of All American honors. 2nd in the ACC, he was 5th in CKLV.

Johnny Lovett
Central Michigan

Johnny Lovett reminds me of a slow cooker. He starts of cold, gets luke warm & by the end of the season, he's hot. 20-11 on the season, he defeated R12'er Chance Lamer 12-5. Thus far in the MAC he's been 3rd-2nd-1st as he heads into his junior year of competition. He was also 2nd at the Michigan State Open & one match shy of a top 8 showing at the Midlands.

Kellyn March
North Dakota State

There were times last season where Kellyn March looked unbeatable. In particularly he took names & kicked arse at the Southern Scuffle winning the title in fashion. 25-9 on the year, he was 4th at the BIG 12's & 2nd at the Daktronics Open.

Jaden Abas
Stanford

An All American (7th) & a PAC-12 champion in 2021, Jaden Abas has came up a little short of both in the past two seasons. 4th at the PAC-12's in '22, he was 2nd this past season. 23-7 overall, he was 3rd at the Southern Scuffle. He will contend with Kyle Parco & Chance Lamer to reclaim the top spot in the PAC-12, as he also looks to reclaim All American honors this season.

Nathan Higley
George Mason

In the minds of some, through accurate assessment, Nathan Higley seemed to come out of nowhere at last year's MAC championships, making the finals. He did after all have 17 losses on the season, some of them pretty ugly. Nevertheless, one can also argue that the sophomore proved himself to be a tournament wrestler, as he took an impressive 8th place finish at the Midlands. He also stuck NCAA DI R12'er Graham Rooks in 4:58.

Victor Voinovich
Iowa

I'm anxious to see after a year of being in the Iowa room & competing for the black & gold, if Victor Voinovich's comparisons reflect that of Ray Brinzer. The famed former Cowboy turned Hawkeye, that earned two NCAA 3rd place finishes for Iowa back in the 90's. It was fun to listen to Brinzer reminisce about the major differences between Oklahoma State & Iowa. Last year Voinovich won 17 varsity matches, taking runner-up honors at the Southern Scuffle & 6th in the BIG 12.

Quinn Kinner
Rider

The 2022 MAC champ was upset in last year's tournament, but came back strong to earn both a 3rd place finish & NCAA qualification. 24-9 on the season he was also 4th at the Keystone Classic & 6th at the Southern Scuffle.

Isaiah Delgado
Utah Valley

An NCAA DI qualifier for the Wolverines last year, Isaiah Delgado won 17 matches, placing 7th at the BIG 12. He also placed 4th at the Michigan State Open.

Ryan Burgos
Edinboro

It's no secret to anyone that Edinboro wrestling is currently in a slump & could use an uplifting moment. With both a 6:27 fall over Nathan Higley & a 10-8 victory over Quinn Kinner, there's no reason to think that Ryan Burgos isn't capable of winning a MAC title this season. He was 4th last year.

Ethen Miller
Maryland

The other half of the Miller clan who is helping to grow Terrapin wrestling, Ethen qualified for the NCAA DI championships last year on a 27-9 record. He was 8th in the BIG 12 & 4th at the Southern Scuffle.

Caleb Tyus
SIUE

To give indication to just how loaded the MAC will be this season, keep in mind that Caleb Tyus did defeat champ Johnny Lovett 5-4 last season. 6th in the MAC himself, Tyus was also 4th at the Midlands. A 6-5 victory over NCAA DI R12'er Graham Rooks on the year.

Ridge Lovett
Nebraska

Among the vast competition looking to walk out of Kansas City the #1 wrestler at 149 lbs, count Ridge Lovett among them. Taking a redshirt this past season, he was an NCAA DI finalist in 2022.

Noah Castillo
Chattanooga

John Millner has owned the 149 lbs weight class in the SOCON for the past five seasons. Now that he has graduated, it begs the question; who will be the new face of the SOCON at 149 lbs? Nothing is a given, but if you ask JT#1 to make a guess, I'm going with Noah Castillo of Chattanooga. The Moc made the SOCON finals last season & won 10 matches on the season.

Max Brignola
Lehigh

Speaking of changes, the EIWA at 149 is going to go through a major makeover itself. Four time NCAA DI champ Yianni Diakomihalis has graduated, as has tough Doug Zapf & Dylan Chappell is moving down to 141 lbs. So what will the weight class look like this year? I'm not sure. It wouldn't surprise me however if Max Brignola took a stand. An NCAA DI qualifier in '22, he was 6th at last year's Midlands. A 5-3 s.v. over Trae McDaniel, he also defeated Luke Nichter 11-7.

Nick Stonecheck Connor Eck

Nick Stonecheck failed to place at last year's MAC championships, but I would still be well aware of the danger he posses within the conference. He majored MAC finalist Nathan Higley 16-7 & he defeated 3rd place Quinn Kinner 6-4. 4th in the Lehman Open, he was 25-11 on the season.

With that said, also be on the lookout for Connor Eck. Not near as consistent as Stonecheck, he's always game when he steps out on the mat. 4th in the Navy Classic, he defeated NCAA DI qualifier Dylan Martinez 5-4.

John Wiley Willie McDougald
Oklahoma

Here is a wrestle-off that will be good. An NCAA qualifier in '22, Willie McDougald will take on John Wiley for the starting spot at 149 lbs. Among his 6 varsity wins last year, Wiley defeated Paniro Johnson 6-4.

Trae McDaniel Thomas Deck
Army

As the EIWA 149 reforms itself, one of the contenders for a title this season could be whoever wins this wrestle-off between Trae McDaniel & Thomas Deck of the Army. 32-11 on the season, McDaniel owns an official 6-4 s.v. over Deck. He also owns a 3-0 decision over Luke Nichter & he was 3rd at the Lehman Open. Deck was 14-5 on the year.

Kyle Schickel
Clarion

When I said the MAC 149 was going to be competitive, I meant it. 14 wins on the season, Kyle Schickel was 8th at last year's championships. Among his victories he pinned both MAC champion Johnny Lovett at 5:34 & MAC runner-up Nathan Higley at 7:00.

Michael Gioffre
Virginia

Redshirt freshman Michael Gioffre prepares for his first season of varsity competition in '23-'24. 12-5 on the season he had wins of NCAA DI qualifiers Jaden Abas (3-1 s.v.) & Alec Hagan (3-2), while also placing 5th at the Southern Scuffle.

Sam Hillegas
West Virginia

17 wins on the season, Sam Hillegas was was 2nd at the Southeast Open & one match from a top 8 showing at the Midlands.

Casey Swiderski
Iowa State

Heck of a rookie start for Casey Swiderski last season. Competing at 141 lbs, had 15 wins on the year, placing 4th at the BIG 12's & missing out on All American honors by one match. He'll test his skills at 149 this year.

Jacob Butler
Rutgers

An NCAA DI qualifier for the Oklahoma Sooners in '22, Jacob Butler will compete for Rutgers this season.

Danny Nini
North Carolina

Look for redshirt freshman Danny Nini to make an immediate impact for the Tar Heels this season. Among his victories last year, a 5-1 decision over MAC champ Johnny Lovett.

Manzona Bryant
Northern Colorado

Years ago I did an article on a former Wisconsin wrestler by the name of Tony Black. Black had an unusual career. A varsity starter for the Badgers for four seasons, he did not qualify for the NCAA championships in his first three years. Matter of fact, he didn't even place in the top eight at the BIG 10's. Then as a senior, it's almost as if he were a completely different wrestler. He not only qualifies for the NCAA's, he places 5th at the championships, losing a 1 point match to the eventual national champion. May I also add that he tech'd the returning NCAA finalist from the previous season.

I wondered for years what the difference maker was for Black that season. As do nearly all wrestling fans, I assumed it had to do with work ethic, discipline & commitment. Turns out it, there was a lot more to it than that. When I finally got a chance to talk to Black, he explained.

He had always been a very hard worker & he put in a lot of time concerning technique, strategy, strength, and conditioning. Yet no matter what he did, he was always plum wore out & deprived of energy at the end of the match. He lost a lot of matches in the third period. Turns out Black had a rare condition that was severely effecting his stamina and conditioning. Treating this condition made all the difference in the world. He went from being a guy that never made it out of the BIG 10 in three years to being the #5 wrestler in the country.

Now, why do I bring all of this in regards to Manzona Bryant? I feel there's a chance he could be suffering from the same condition that Black did. I watch him compete & can tell the guy has some obvious skills. A 4-3 win over Dom Demas for example proves that. Yet he seems to get unusually gassed in his matches. I'm not going to be typical & jump to the conclusion that he simply isn't working hard enough on his conditioning. I think there's more to it. If he can get his Oxygen tank in good working order, I think Bryant can be a star that shines for the Bears this season.

Kyle Dutton
Little Rock

Another redshirt freshman to look out for this season, Kyle Dutton pinned John Wiley last season at 4:48.

Luke Nichter
Drexel

In the EIWA discussion, Luke Nichter is a part of it. 17 wins on the season, he was an NCAA DI qualifier in '21.

Marcos Polanco
Purdue

An NCAA DI qualifier for the Minnesota Golden Gophers in '21, Marcos Polanco will compete for the Boilermakers of Purdue this season. 13 wins on the year, he was 4th at the Daktronics.