Final Women’s College Pound-For-Pound Rankings Are Here!
Check out the final 2022-23 women’s college pound-for-pound rankings.
The final women’s college pound-for-pound rankings are here following the completion of every national championship (NJCAA, NCWWC, and NAIA). Every wrestler listed reached the finals of her respective national tournament. Historical national placings are listed underneath each wrestler.
This is a collaboration between FloWrestling and American Women’s Wrestling.
Ranked by division
NCWWC (NCAA): 14
NAIA: 10
NJCAA: 1
1. Yelena Makoyed (North Central), SR, NCAA, 170 pounds
Makoyed pinned her way through her bracket at the National Collegiate Women’s Wrestling Championships, including a fall over King’s Cheyenne Bowman. Bowman defeated Makoyed at the 2022 National Duals which was Makoyed’s last college loss. The North Central senior completed season 28-0 with 15 falls and 11 techs.
NCWWC placings: 2-1-1-1
Previous: 1
2. Adaugo Nwachukwu (Iowa Wesleyan), SO, NAIA, 136 pounds
Nwachukwu blitzed her way through the NAIA Championships with three falls and a 15-2 tech in the finals. She finished the season with a 31-0 record, including 29 falls or techs.
NAIA placings: 1-1
Previous: 2
3. Dymond Guilford (Cumberlands), SR, NAIA, 170 pounds … rest of list at Flowrestling.org/articles/10779111-final-womens-college-pound-for-pound-rankings
Mercyhurst wrestling coach takes one for the OTHER team
In a sport like wrestling, athletes rely on their own individual abilities and, still, the competitiveness and camaraderie of a team sport through training, development, and support are ever apparent.
So, when Mercyhurst University Wrestling Coach Mike Wehler stepped out of his team’s inner circle to coach a wrestler on another team at the NCAA Division II Wrestling Championships in Iowa earlier this month, it was a moment that sparked both surprise and admiration.
Aaron King, NCAA championship manager for the Division II Wrestling Championships, tells it this way:
“During Session II, the Shippensburg head coach was transported to the hospital for treatment. Shippensburg had a 157 LB wrestler that was preparing for an enormous quarterfinal bout. Without hesitation, Mike stepped up to make sure the Shippensburg student-athlete was taken care of and offered to coach the student-athlete in the absence of any other representation from Shippensburg. Mike continued to coach the student-athlete throughout the remainder of the tournament.
Knowing Mike, he will play this off as if it is not a big deal, but to me this embodies the epitome of sportsmanship and I know it is something the student-athlete will never forget. I am very appreciative of Mike stepping up and want to commend him for what he did.”
King’s account was sent to Mercyhurst Assistant Vice President for Athletics Brad Davis, who reached out to Wehler to add, “To provide this support at a championship for another team is first class. Congrats on getting two All-Americans.”
That’s right. Mercyhurst’s wrestlers earned top-eight finishes that weekend. Eric Bartos earned fourth place while Jake Niffenegger placed seventh. Both were named All-Americans. … rest of story at Mercyhurst.edu/news/mercyhurst-wrestling-coach-takes-one-for-the-other-team
Ohio State recruits beat Penn State recruits, Pa. squad falls at Pittsburgh Wrestling Classic
By: Paul Schofield
Vinny Kilkeary and Rocco Welsh ended their high school careers with wins at the 49th annual Pittsburgh Wrestling Classic on Saturday at Peters Township.
And the future Ohio State commits did it by defeating two Penn State commits. This could be the start of a good wrestling rivalry.
While Kilkeary and Welsh were winners, the strong United States squad handed the Pennsylvania squad a sound 33-9 beating before a standing-room-only crowd.
On hand for the match were former Classic All-Stars Sammy Sasso of Ohio State and Bethel Park grad and Pitt national champion Nino Bonaccorsi, who received a standing ovation.
Kilkeary turned a back trip into a cradle for a four-point move in the third period in his 5-2 victory against Braeden Davis of Dundee, Mich.
The Latrobe senior, the Tribune-Review Westmoreland Wrestler of the Year, was the first Pennsylvania wrestler to win.
Pins by Destiny Rodriguez and Brayden Thompson gave the United States a quick 12-0 lead.
Three more close decisions pushed that lead to 21-0 before Kilkeary stepped on the mat.
“It’s such a great feeling to get that last one done and go to the next level at Ohio State,” Kilkeary said. “I never hit that move, and I said, ‘Oh it’s right there. I have to hit it.’ It’s in my profile. I used it my freshman year to win a match in the quarterfinals.”
Kilkeary said he and Welsh winning made the day good.
“We only won three matches, and Rocco and I took out two Penn State guys,” Kilkeary said. “You can’t be happier to do that.” … rest of story at Tribhssn.triblive.com/Pa-squad-falls-at-pittsburgh-wrestling-classic
USA BOYS WIN 20 GOLDS AND 54 TOTAL MEDALS AT THE TALLINN OPEN IN ESTONIA, WITH FIVE DOUBLE CHAMPIONS
TALLIN, Estonia – A large group of boys representing a variety of club programs from across the United States competed at the Tallinn Open this past weekend, the largest wrestling competition annually in Europe.
Combined, U.S. boys won 54 total medals in freestyle and Greco-Roman, with 20 champions and five double champions (winners in both freestyle and Greco-Roman).
There were three double champions in the U15 age group: Brycen Dawley (41 kg), Gabriel Logan of Apex + Top Team (62 kg) and Tanner Hodgins of Apex + Top Team (75 kg). Evan Restivo was a double champion in the Born 2010-2011 age group at 35 kg. Korbin Kiessling of Team Drago won the double title at 26 kg in the Born 2012 and younger age group.
Gold medalists in the Born 2012 and Younger Age group in addition to Kiessling were:
• Colton Bryce of Team Dragon (32 kg Freestyle)
• Devin Garcia of Suples (35 kg Freestyle)
Gold medalists in the Born 2010-2011 age group, in addition Restivo were:
• Carter Smith of USA (38 kg Freestyle), gold medal
• Shane Ostermiller of USA (47 kg Freestyle), gold medal
• Xavier Flores of USA (42 kg Greco-Roman), gold medal
Gold medalists in the U15 age group, in addition to Dawley, Logan and Hodgins were:
• Cooper Sandoval of USA (38 kg Freestyle)
• Shamus Regan of USA 44 kg Freestyle) … rest of story at Teamusa.org/USA-Wrestling/Features/2023/March/26/Boys-Tallinn-Open
Pembroke’s Johnson Selected as NWCA Bob Bubb Coaching Excellence Award Winner
CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa – The National Wrestling Coaches Association (NWCA) announced Othello “OT” Johnson of the University of North Carolina Pembroke as the 2023 Bob Bubb Coaching Excellence Award winner for NCAA Division II men’s wrestling.
“This is a testament to the guys who have trusted us to be their leaders and a part of their journeys here at UNCP,” Johnson said. “This award is theirs not ours. Thank you to my colleagues for believing in me and honoring me with this award.”
Johnson, who just closed out his 13th season at the helm of the Braves’ program, has sent 50 qualifiers to the NCAA Division II National Championships during his career. A UNCP graduate, Johnson has had 21 All-Americans as the Braves’ head coach. Johnson sent three to the NCAA Championships this season, after a season that saw UNCP finish as runner up in their conference and fourth at the Super Region 2 Tournament. … rest of story at NWCAonline/pembrokes-johnson-selected-as-nwca-bob-bubb-coaching-excellence-award-winner
Other National Championships
TDR Editor’s Notes; Yes, these articles are news from over a week ago but these champions also deserve recognition along with the more widely publicized Division I National Champions.
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VIKINGS CAPTURE 11TH NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP IN PROGRAM HISTORY
Wichita, KS – No. 1 Grand View wrestling claims their 11th NAIA National Championship team title in program history. Along with the team title, Grand View had three individual national champions that were crowned at 141, 197, and 285.
The phenomenal run by 141-pounder Shea Ruffridge (SR/Pocahontas, IA ) will go down in Grand View Wrestling history. The underdog all year would hold a 6th-ranked position, and heading into the last few weeks of the season Ruffridge would land at No. 4. After following his tremendous last-second win, Ruffridge proved it to be no fluke, and he would win by decision over Life University’s Julian Hernandez, 8-1 to take home his first ever Individual National Championship.
The Vikings would get their 2nd National Championship from the 197-pounder Owen Braungardt. Braungardt went on an absolute tear during his National Championship tenture – Braungardt started the majority of his season sidelined by an injury. During his final match, Braungardt won by a decision, 6-1 to be crowned a National Champion.
The final cherry on top for the Vikings would be the final match of the evening between former DI wrestlers Greg Hagan, and Austin Harris of Life University. Hagan wouldn’t waste any time and he would get a pin in the first period to end a whirlwind of a National Tournament for the Vikings. Grand View amassed a record of 52-13 through the entirety of the tournament. … rest of story at GVvikings.com/article/8027=Wrestling+News
Men’s Wrestling Records Program High Three Champions on Way to Second Place Finish at Nationals
WICHITA, Kan.— The weekend saw multiple program bests for the Life University men’s wrestling program at the NAIA Men’s Wrestling Championships, the team placing six guys in championship bouts with three of them earning the highest honors as the Running Eagles recorded a second place finish in Hartman Arena.
Despite being down two wrestlers, Life U amassed 157.5 team points, creating nearly 70 points of separation with the third placed team Southeastern, 90 points, but came up short of champions Grand View who won their 11th title in 12 years with 206 points.
Brandon Orum made his way to the 125 lbs title match for the third straight year, pulling off his second championship. The redshirt senior was the second highest scorer for the team with 23.0 points. His first day saw a pair of victories that came in the bonus, starting the day with a first period pin and ending the day in the quarterfinals with a 10-1 major decision over the 7-seed. Orum’s ability to force his opponent into his own pace could not have been more clear on the second day, earning a 1-0 decision victory over the 14-seed in the semis to secure a spot in the title bout. In his final match Saturday night, a late escape and riding time secured the Camden County native his second title in a 5-4 decision.
The second title of the night came from Brevin Balmeceda at 149 lbs. … rest of story at Liferunningeagles.com/news/2023/3/5/mens-wrestling-records-program-high-three-champions-on-way-to-second-place-finish-at-nationals
2023 NJCAA Wrestling Championships
Western Wyoming claims first National Championship
Council Bluffs, IA – Western Wyoming claimed its first NJCAA Wrestling Championship title Saturday in Council Bluffs. The Mustangs finished with a team score of 134 . Darion Johnson was the lone Western Wyoming wrestler to wrestle for an individual national title but fell Northwest Kansas Tech’s Jameel Coles in the 184 weight class. … rest of story at NJCAA.org/sports/wrest/2022-23/national_championship/championship_recap
INDIAN HILLS WINS FIRST NJCAA WOMEN’S INVITATIONAL, AHEAD OF RUNNER-UP UMPQUA
NJCAA WOMEN’S INVITATIONAL
At Council Bluffs, Iowa, March 3-4
101
1st Dutchess King (Indian Hills) VSU Nicole Montojo (Iowa Western), 10-0 4:11
3rd Chiara Barbieri (Niacc) VSU1 Chelsey Mendoza (Northwest Kansas Tech), 14-3 3:44
5th Mailien Tran (Southwestern Oregon) VFO Tenley Jones (Carl Albert State), 0-0
109
1st Lexi Miller (Carl Albert State) VPO1 Ryasia Mcdougle (Northwest Kansas Tech), 14-7
3rd Malachite Chunn (Indian Hills) VPO1 Dianna Pineda (Iowa Central), 9-9
5th Leila Sidhu (Umpqua) VSU1 Tatiana Hernandez (Niacc), 11-1 4:04
116
1st Shammilka Miranda Diaz (Indian Hills) VSU1 Flavia Nagatani (Iowa Western), 14-4 4:24
3rd Kailyn Younger (Iowa Central) VSU Lorelei Wydra (Iowa Western), 10-0 5:23
5th Javanica Mickens (Indian Hills) VFA Kendall Martin (Southwestern Oregon), 0-0 3:00 … rest of story at Teamusa.org/USA-Wrestling/Features/2023/March/05/NJCAA-Womens-Invitational
NORTH CENTRAL WOMEN CLAIM FIRST NCWWC NATIONAL TEAM TITLE; SHILSON AND KIMBER BECOME FOUR-TIME CHAMPIONS
CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa – Led by three individual champions and 15 All-Americans, North Central, a Div. III school in Illinois, won its first National Collegiate Women’s Wrestling Championships with an amazing team effort at the Alliant Energy Powerhouse.
North Central, ranked No. 2 coming in, scored 198 points, ahead of No. 1 King with 163 points. Rounding out the top five were McKendree with 147.5, Colorado Mesa with 108 and Augsburg with 87.5.
North Central becomes only the second school to ever win this event, which features only NCAA varsity programs. McKendree was the team champion for the first three years of the competition.
Two stars from McKendree became the first four-time NCWWC champions, Emily Shilson (109) and Sydnee Kimber (191).
No. 1 seed Shilson, who won her first three NCWWC titles for Augsburg before transferring this semester, fell behind early in her match against No. 2 Sage Mortimer of King, after Mortimer tossed her for four points in the first period. Shilson battled back to close the gap, and when the athletes got into a seatbelt position, Shilson threw Mortimer to her back to secure a fall at 3:46. … rest of story at … rest of story at Teamusa.org/USA-Wrestling/Features/2023/March/04/NCWWC
TDR Top Award Finalists
TDR Editor’s Notes; Top 5 finalists for the following 2023 TDR Trophy Awards. The Awards will be announced when the trophies come in. Final selections are difficult and as always we welcome input and information that readers want to share. Contact us at martinkfleming@gmail.com
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James Johnson Award ; Top Senior/s in Eastern North Carolina
113 – Jacob Kresicki (First Flight), 138 – Avery Buonocore (Laney), 182 – Alex Hopper (Laney), 220 – Caleb Beatty (Corinth-Holders), 285 -Taevion Cox (New bern) – All are state finalists with four champions and a combined record of 198 wins and just 7 losses.
Roy Heverly Award ; Top Underclassmen
106 – Alexander Barnett (New Bern), 132 – Ian Fritz (Topsail), 160 – Tristan Cotto (Laney), 170 – Kamar Brown (Northside), 220 – Tyler Stevens (Pamlico County)
Michael Stokes ; Top Senior in Rural Tar-Neuse-Roanoke (T.N.R.) Area
120 – Marcus Tyson (Pamlico Co.), 126 – Walker Bell (West Craven), 152 – Logan Haseley (Corinth-Holders), 170 – Franklin Melton (Clayton), 285 – Dyllin Ellis (Bunn).
Lee Carroll ; Top Senior in Rural T.N.R. Area
132 – Ryan Mann (N.E. Carolina Prep), 145 – Jacob Crump (North Pitt), 160 Kaleb Davis (Rosewood), 182 – Ryan DeLoatch (Rosewood), 220 – Dallas Bailey (C.B.Aycock)
Olivia Neal Award ; Top Female Scholastic Wrestler in Eastern North Carolina
107 – Reagan Riddick (First Flight), 120 – Anabel Rodriguez (Dixon), 138 – Angelica Steffy (Croatan), 152 – Natalie Titus (Havelock), & 185 – Elaina Pollock (Laney)
Top ranked in their weight class with a combined record of (132-10) for a winning percentage.
The above is the 2nd Annual Olivia Neal Award. The other awards are the same trophy but with different plaques.
Season 6, Column 83: Championship Meanderings and a double dose of straight shooting
The NCAA Division I Championships have come and gone with stories large and small worth noting and two eye-opening, thought-provoking books on where America has been, where it’s going, and options for change.
First and foremost, kudos to Cael Sanderson’s Penn State Nittany Lions who blitzed the field in fully expected fashion to claim the Division I National Team title again. Tom and Terry Brands Iowa Hawkeyes finished 2nd for the 2nd straight year with Cornell a somewhat suprising 3rd and an equally impressive Ohio State filling out the team podium placements at 4th. In reverse order from least to most shocking to the Scribe, these observations….Penn State won. The BIG 10 had five teams finish in the Top 10. Religion and a former President became hot button topics. And now the real news-this sites most beloved conference, the SoCon, bottomed out with a miniscule 15 participating athletes who collectively won 6 matches. Worst hurt-2X AA Jon Jon Millner of Appalachian State was waylaid by a wonky knee, unable to compete for a 3rd AA honor (he would have earned one), disallowed from raising his redunkulous career win total to nearly 130, and prevented from shepherding/uplifting/leading his 5 Mountaineer teammates into battle in Tulsa. Imagine Brad Pitts Achilles forced to stay in bed that morning (actually not that tough to imagine). What would have happened to Agammemnons boys? Exactly what occured to App State and, frankly, the SoCon as a whole. It can only get better, and it will. There’s too many quality coaches, too manygood athletes and too much program support for there not to be a better showing in Kansas City in 2024. App State wasn’t the only powerhouse conference champ to get beaten up, though. Newly crowned PAC12 bully boy Oregon State had their pelts handed to them as the Beavers rolled into Tulsa with 7 studs and left skinned. After the 1st day only 184lb Trey Munoz was still chasing a title. And that was the way the cookie crumbled for Chris Pendletons crew as Munoz alone limped home with a All American, 6th place finish. The Beavers say bye bye to just four folks so that plus great recruiting plus the rocket speed growth going on in Corvallis should make for a better NCAAs next year. On the positive side of things was the presence and progress of athletes from two teams this column has cast an admiring eye on this season, George Mason and American University. Coach Frank Beasley’s Patriots had Grad student and Mid American Conference champ Peter Pappas at 165 as well as rs freshman 149lb Nathan Higley hit the mats in Tulsa. … rest of story at Morewrestlingplease.wordpress.com/2023/03/21/season-6-column-83-championship-meanderings-and-a-double-dose-of-straight-shooting
NCAA Championships 2024
2023 NCAA Qualifiers Eligible to Return for 2023-24
by Earl Smith; Photo courtesy of Sam Janicki; SJanickiPhoto.com
It’s never too early to look ahead to next year! So, with that, we’ve highlighted all of the wrestlers that competed at the 2023 NCAA Championships and have eligibility to return for the 2023-24 season. Normally, this is easy to track, but with eligibility still out of wack due to the 2021 Covid year, these things can be difficult to follow.
Some of the wrestlers that qualified for nationals will have a decision to make, as to whether or not they intend on returning to the mat. Let me know if there is someone below who does not intend on competing in 2023-24 or if there is someone omitted who has been granted extra eligibility.
Wrestlers are grouped by their weight class and how they finished at nationals; starting with placewinners then by the farthest consolation round they advanced to.
125 lbs
Matt Ramos (Purdue) 2nd
Anthony Noto (Lock Haven) 4th
Eddie Ventresca (Virginia Tech) 7th
Round of 12
Eric Barnett (Wisconsin)
Dean Peterson (Rutgers)
Stevo Poulin (Northern Colorado)
Brett Ungar (Cornell)
Consolation Round of 16
Nick Babin (Columbia)
Patrick McKee (Minnesota)
Jarrett Trombley (NC State)
Consolation Round of 24
Braxton Brown (Maryland)
Michael DeAugustino (Northwestern)
Brandon Kaylor (Oregon State)
Ryan Miller (Penn)
Tucker Owens (Air Force)
Noah Surtin (Missouri)
Jore Volk (Wyoming)
Consolation Round of 32
Ethan Berginc (Army West Point)
Tanner Jordan (South Dakota State) … rest of list and story at Rokfin.com/article/13021/2023-NCAA-Qualifiers-Eligible-to-Return-for-202324
Who Returns The Most Team Points For The 2023-24 Wrestling Season?
A breakdown of the returning team points for every team at the 2023 NCAA Wrestling Championships.
The 2023 NCAA Tournament just concluded and it was incredible! So, what will the 2024 Tournament look like? We can’t forecast everything yet but we can look at how many team points every team in the country is returning. The below article has a breakdown of a “way-too-early” look at the landscape of next year’s team race by examining returning points and rosters for the top 10 teams.
Team Rank By Returning Points From 2023 NCAAs
The table below shows the ranking of every team based on points scored at the 2023 NCAA Championships from athletes who are eligible to return in the 2023-24 season. We also included columns that show the points scored by each team at the 2023 Tournament along with the points earned that each team will “lose” from wrestlers graduating.
| Rank | School | Returning Points | 2023 Finish | 2023 Points | Points Lost |
| 1 | Penn State | 114 | 1 | 137.5 | 23.5 |
| 2 | Missouri | 61 | 5 | 64.5 | 3.5 |
| 3 | Cornell | 54.5 | 3 | 76.5 | 22 |
| T4 | Iowa | 48 | 2 | 82.5 | 34.5 |
| T4 | NC State | 48 | 10 | 48 | 0 |
Facts, Trends, and Numbers from the 2023 NCAA Championships (post-Tournament)
by Earl Smith; Photo courtesy of Sam Janicki; SJanickiPhoto.com
The NCAA Tournament has come and gone, along with the 2022-23 season. With a boatload of results, 80 All-Americans and ten national champions there are plenty of opportunities for me to have fun. And by fun, I mean looking for new facts, trends, and numbers to talk about from the tournament. Here’s the pre-tournament version that focuses on conference results, seeding, and qualifiers.
And I’ll need your help with the fact at the end of this article. It’s rare, I’m just not sure how rare!
NCAA Title Notes
Keegan O’Toole is only the third multi-time champion for the Missouri Tigers (Ben Askren and J’den Cox are the others).
Nino Bonaccorsi won Pittsburgh’s first national title since his head coach Keith Gavin did so in 2008.
With Austin O’Connor (North Carolina) and Nino Bonaccorsi (Pittsburgh) winning titles, it marked the first time since 1994 that the ACC had multiple national champions. Back in ’94, Sammie Henson (Clemson) and TJ Jaworsky (North Carolina) won titles.
After going ten years between national titles (2012-22), Michigan has had champs in back-to-back seasons (Nick Suriano/21 and Mason Parris/22).
Cornell had multiple champions for the first time since the 2016 tournament (Nahshon Garrett – 133 and Gabe Dean – 184).
Carter Starocci and Aaron Brooks’ titles extended Penn State’s streak with at least one national champion, one that dates back to the 2011 tournament.
Penn State’s two national champions are the school’s fewest since they had two in 2016 (Nico Megaludis/125 and Zain Retherford/149).
The 2023 Tournament was the first one since 2013 where a freshman did not capture a title (if you’re counting Keegan O’Toole as a freshman in 2022).
Team-Related Notes
Andrew Alirez’s performance set plenty of records at Northern Colorado. He was the first All-American since future-UFC star Justin Gaethje in 2010 and the first national champion since 1962 when Jack Flasche won the 157 lb weight class. Alirez is also the first NCAA placewinner for the Bears under head coach Troy Nickerson. … rest of story at Rokfin.com/article/Facts-Trends-and-Numbers-from-the-2023-NCAA-Championships-postTournament
TDR blog
After 20 seasons of publicizing wrestling The TakeDown Report’s (TDR) focus has changed to the collecting of college coaching records from North America since 1903. We will continue to recognize and reward successful wrestlers in eastern North Carolina (east of Raleigh & Fayetteville), assist with schools in starting or re-starting a team and this blog. Join us on our FaceBook Page – “The TakeDown Report” for photos and news. Please send results, stories, links and news to pass along. E-mail us at takedownreport@gmail.com
Martin Fleming, Editor
Takedown Report
