Did you know 35 NCAA All-American placewinners will be competing at the Collegiate Wrestling Duals? Of course, that’s assuming teams wrestle their full lineup of starters. Iowa still has yet to start 3X NCAA Champion Spencer Lee and NCAA finalist Michael Kemerer. We’re still not sure if those Hawkeyes will be wrestling in the event, especially since they are not listed on the team’s projected lineup on Rokfin.
But let’s assume they will take the mat so we can look at these quick stats on the Collegiate Wrestling Duals.
Individual Stats
First, let’s look at some stats on the individuals competing in this event. Again, this is based on the assumption that teams will wrestle their starting lineups.
26 Top-3 Ranked Wrestlers
There will be 26 wrestlers ranked at #1, #2, or #3 competing in the event. #3 Austin DeSanto (IOWA) will be ready to wreak havoc on the 133 lb field, #3 Keegan O’Toole (MIZZ) will look to make a lasting impression at the event, and #3 Jacori Teemer (ASU) will try to prove his dominance at 157 lbs. And those are just a few of the top wrestlers. . .
35 NCAA placewinners
Wrap your head around this: there will be 35 placewinners from four NCAA Wrestling Championships (2017, 2018, 2019, & 2021) at the event. There is at least one All-American from nearly every team competing.
6 #1 Ranked Wrestlers
The six #1 ranked wrestlers competing in the Collegiate Duals are all from Penn State or Iowa. Spencer Lee and Alex Marinelli are the #1 ranked wrestlers from Iowa, while Roman Bravo-Young, Nick Lee, Carter Starocci, and Aaron Brooks are the #1 ranked wrestlers from Penn State (rankings by Intermat).
7 NCAA Champions
When is the last time seven D1 NCAA Champions all competed in an event of this proportion? Not in recent history, that’s for sure! These champs are: Spencer Lee (IOWA), Roman Bravo-Young (PSU), Nick Lee (PSU), Carter Starocci (PSU), Aaron Brooks (PSU), Mekhi Lewis (TECH), and Yianni Diakomihalis (COR).
On top of the seven champions, there are six other finalists, including Max Dean (PSU), Jaydin Eierman (IOWA), Michael Kemerer (IOWA), Hayden Hidlay (NCST), Trent Hidlay (NCST), and Brandon Courtney (ASU).
4 Top-Ranked Competitors at 174 lbs
Every NCAA Champion and NCAA finalist at 174 lbs will be in attendance of the event. Last year’s NCAA Champ from Penn State, Carter Starocci, will be competing in the Blue Pool and could run into Virginia Tech’s 2019 NCAA Champ, Mekhi Lewis. In the Red Pool, Hayden Hidlay and Michael Kemerer could clash in a day two matchup.
26 Potential Top-10 Matchups
You’ve seen the quick stats on the field of competitors, now think about all of the potential matchup opportunities across both days. Just based on the event format, not all 26 matchups will definitely happen. However, wrestling fans could be treated to some elite matchups.
Below is a table with one potential top-10 matchup from every weight:
| Weight | Wrestler | VS. | Wrestler |
| 125 | #3 Brandon Courtney (ASU) | vs. | #10 Brody Teske (UNI) |
| 133 | #5 Vito Arujau (COR) | vs. | #1 R. Bravo-Young (PSU) |
| 141 | #2 Jaydin Eierman (IOWA) | vs. | #8 Dresden Simon (CMU) |
| 149 | #3 Tariq Wilson (NCST) | vs. | #8 Max Murin (IOWA) |
| 157 | #8 Kaleb Young (IOWA) | vs. | #10 Josh Humphreys (LEH) |
| 165 | #10 Julian Ramirez (COR) | vs. | #6 Anthony Valencia (ASU) |
| 174 | #4 Mekhi Lewis (TECH) | vs. | #1 Carter Starocci (PSU) |
| 184 | #4 Parker Keckeisen (UNI) | vs. | #9 Hunter Bolen (TECH) |
| 197 | #3 Max Dean (PSU) | vs. | #8 Kordell Norfleet (ASU) |
| 285 | #9 Matt Stencel (CMU) | vs. | #8 Jordan Wood (LEH) |
Team Stats
Next, let’s move to quick stats on the teams competing in the Collegiate Wrestling Duals.
8 Top-25 Ranked Teams
Based on Intermat’s dual meet rankings, there are two ranked teams per conference. Of those teams, six of them are ranked in the top ten.
6 of 7 Conferences Represented
Almost every single D1 wrestling conference will be represented at the event. The only conference that will not be competing is the SoCon. Although top teams from every conference received an invitation to the event, not all of them accepted.
18 Total Duals to Watch
Across the two days of competition on December 20-21, you’ll have a chance to watch 18 Division I dual meets. On day one, you can watch top-ranked matchups such as #1 Iowa vs #21 Lehigh, #2 Penn State vs #11 Cornell, #5 NC State vs #10 Mizzou, and #6 Arizona State vs #9 Virginia Tech. And who knows what duals day two has in store for wrestling fans. . .
You can watch the Collegiate Wrestling Duals live on Rokfin on December 20-21.
