2021 NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships

The 2021 NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships took place from March 18–20, 2021, in St. Louis, Missouri at the Enterprise Center. The tournament was the 90th NCAA Division I Wrestling Championship, following the cancellation of the 2020 edition, and featured 63 teams across that level.[1][2]

2021 NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships
Teams63
FormatKnockout
Finals siteSt. Louis
Enterprise Center
ChampionsIowa Hawkeyes (24th title)
Runner-upPenn State Nittany Lions
Semifinalists
Winning coachTom Brands (4th title)
Attendance25% capacity
TelevisionESPN Networks

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic in the United States, the event was forced to occur with modifications.[3] Due to the same reason, the Ivy League was unable to compete through the season, leaving out notable teams like Cornell and Princeton, therefore notable wrestlers such as two-time NCAA champion Yianni Diakomihalis and returning All-American Vito Arujau.[4]

In the tournament, Iowa clinched its first NCAA title since 2010 and finished with one individual national champion, while the defending Penn State became the runner-up of the tournament with four individual national champions.[5][2] Little Rock made its NCAA tournament debut with one national qualifier, while it was also the last year for Stanford and Fresno State.[6][7] Shane Griffith became the second ever NCAA champion from Stanford, and as a response to the cut of the school's wrestling team (Stanford eventually decided to keep the program), he wore a black singlet with no logo during the finals match, and was named the Outstanding Wrestler afterwards.[8] North Carolina also saw its first National champion since 1995, with Austin O'Connor at 149 pounds.[9]

Team results

edit
  • Note: Top 10 only
  • (H): Team from hosting U.S. state
Rank Team Points
1 Iowa 129
2 Penn State 11312
3 Oklahoma State 9912
4 Arizona State 74
5 Michigan 69
6 NC State 68
7 Minnesota 64
8 Missouri (H) 64
9 Ohio State 4612
10 Northwestern 45

Individual results

edit
  • Note: Table does not include wrestlebacks
  • (H): Individual from hosting U.S. State

Source:[2]

Weight First Second Third
125 lbs #1 Spencer Lee
Iowa
#3 Brandon Courtney
Arizona State
#15 Patrick McKee
Minnesota
133 lbs #2 Roman Bravo-Young
Penn State
#1 Daton Fix
Oklahoma State
#4 Austin DeSanto
Iowa
141 lbs #2 Nick Lee
Penn State
#1 Jaydin Eierman
Iowa
#4 Tariq Wilson
NC State
149 lbs #2 Austin O'Connor
North Carolina
#1 Sammy Sasso
Ohio State
#25 Yahya Thomas
Northwestern
157 lbs #2 David Carr
Iowa State
#4 Jesse Dellavecchia
Rider
#1 Ryan Deakin
Northwestern
165 lbs #8 Shane Griffith
Stanford
#3 Jake Wentzel
Pittsburgh
#6 Keegan O'Toole
Missouri (H)
174 lbs #3 Carter Starocci
Penn State
#1 Michael Kemerer
Iowa
#4 Mikey Labriola
Nebraska
184 lbs #1 Aaron Brooks
Penn State
#2 Trent Hidlay
NC State
#4 Parker Keckeisen
Northern Iowa
197 lbs #4 A.J. Ferrari
Oklahoma State
#6 Nino Bonaccorsi
Pittsburgh
#1 Myles Amine
Michigan
285 lbs #1 Gable Steveson
Minnesota
#2 Mason Parris
Michigan
#5 Tony Cassioppi
Iowa

References

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  1. ^ Scovel, Shannon. "2021 college wrestling championship: Selection show time, key dates | NCAA.com". www.ncaa.com. Retrieved 2021-03-09.
  2. ^ a b c "Penn State steals show in NCAA finals, Iowa claims 24th team title". InterMat. Retrieved 2021-03-21.
  3. ^ "What to expect from the 2021 college wrestling season | NCAA.com". www.ncaa.com. Retrieved 2021-03-21.
  4. ^ "College Wrestling 2021: RTCs could help programs in shortened season". WIN Magazine. 2020-12-01. Retrieved 2021-03-21.
  5. ^ "Iowa clinches team title during Saturday's medal round". InterMat. Retrieved 2021-03-21.
  6. ^ "Historic Second Season Comes to a Close for Little Rock Wrestling". Little Rock Athletics. Retrieved 2021-03-21.
  7. ^ "Fresno State to drop wrestling program". InterMat. Retrieved 2021-03-21.
  8. ^ Falk, Steven. "Shane Griffith enables Stanford wrestling program to go out on top with NCAA Tournament title". Asbury Park Press. Retrieved 2021-03-21.
  9. ^ "Mission Complete: Austin O'Connor Wins 149-Pound National Championship". University of North Carolina Athletics. Retrieved 2021-03-21.