NCAA Tourn 2024 Finals and Medal Round

CHAMPIONSHIP FINAL RESULTS:

125 - Richard Figueroa (Arizona State) dec. Drake Ayala (Iowa) 7-2

133 - Vito Arujau (Cornell) dec. Daton Fix (Oklahoma State) 5-3

141 - Jesse Mendez (Ohio State) dec. Beau Bartlett (Penn State) 4-1

149 - Caleb Henson (Virginia Tech) maj. dec. Austin Gomez (Michigan) 15-7

157 - Levi Haines (Penn State) dec. Jacori Teemer (Arizona State) 5-0

165 - David Carr (Iowa State) dec. Mitchell Mesenbrink (Penn State) 9-8

174 - Carter Starocci (Penn State) dec. Rocco Welsh (Ohio State) 2-0

184 - Parker Keckeisen (Northern Iowa) maj. dec. Dustin Plott (Okla St) 14-5

197 - Aaron Brooks (Penn State) dec.Trent Hidlay (NC State) 6-1

285 - Greg Kerkvliet (Penn State) maj. dec. Lucas Davidson (Michigan) 13-4

OSW Award: Aaron Brooks (Penn State)

Most Falls Award: Keegan O'Toole (Missouri)

MAT NOTES:

Penn State set an NCAA team scoring record with 172.5 points at the 2024 NCAA meet and eclipsed the mark set by Iowa (170 points) in 1997. The Hawkeyes crowned five champions in 1986 and 1997, Oklahoma State also had five titlists in 2005, and most recently Penn State in 2017. Head coach Cael Sanderson now has 11 NCAA titles, Penn State has 12 overall (first was in 1953) and he is now tied with coach Ed Gallagher (Oklahoma State). The leader is legendary Dan Gable's stronghold of 15 titles while at the helm of the Iowa mat dynasty.

Oklahoma State is still the NCAA team leader with 34 team national championships, 143 individual NCAA champions and 485 All-American honors. Head coach John Smith, 33 years at the helm, won six World titles and a pair on NCAA crowns himself he has compiled an impressive 490-73-6 dual meet ledger during his tenure as the venerable Cowboy coach.

Cornell finished as team runners-up and tallied 72.5 points and had three All-Americans. Two-time NCAA champion Vito Arujau was a four-time AA with placings of 4-3-1-1, he finished the season at 18-2, 93-9 career, and became the Big Red's 25th NCAA champion. In his epic 21 minute final battle against four-time NCAA finalist, Daton Fix (21-1) of Oklahoma State, the bout included blood stoppages, coaches challenges and a few call reversals of takedowns. In the post match interview, Arujau said: " I don't think a single call went my way. But persevering, getting your head down, staying in the fight and just let it rip". Arujau maintained his grit and performed as the true champion that he always has been.

Arujau became the 16th wrestler from Long Island to win a national title and the first two-time NCAA champ from Nassau County. The only other two-time champions from Long Island were Brentwood's Carl Adams (77-9-4) of Iowa State and Longwood's Kerry McCoy (150-18) from Penn State. In the 1972 NCAA finals, Adams defeated Stan Dziedzic, 7-4, at 158 pounds and in 1997, McCoy edged Stephen Neal (Cal State Bakersfield), 3-2, for the 275-pound title. The last LI national champion was three-time All-American Jesse Jantzen (SWR-Harvard) in 2004, who compiled an impressive 131-13, 50 falls, career ledger.

In NCAA championship meets, Arujau had 20 wins, and joins the elite group of Cornell NCAA champions, Troy Nickerson, Kyle Dake and Yianni Diakomihalis that tallied 20 victories in NCAA meets. Dake and Diakomihalis were a perfect 20-0 in NCAA tournaments and each capture four NCAA crowns.

The Big Red's other All-Americans were Meyer Shapiro (28-8) at 157 and Jacob Cardenas (29-3) at 197 pounds. Both are underclassmen, Shapiro is a freshman and Cardenas is in his junior season. Both will challenge for NCAA titles at the 2025 meet.

Long Beach HS product, Jacori Teemer (25-4) was a five-time state champion and the second wrestler from Long Beach to finished as runnerup at the NCAAs. Al Palacio, a three-time state king and a two-time AA, was a national finalist at North Carolina in the 118 pound class in 1987.

Once again, PA led all home states witn 10 All-Americans, followed by OH (7), and CA, NJ and Wisconsin had 5 AAs. The state of Wisconsin was bolstered by two-time champ Keegan O'Toole and Mitchell Mesenbrink, as both were teammates at Arrowhead HS in Hartland, WI. The Empire State had three All-Americans, the aforementioned Arujau and Teemer, along with Lock Haven junior Anthony Noto (22-3), a two-time All-American at 125 pounds.

Only four wrestlers remained unbeaten on the season, Levi Haines (23-0), Parker Keckeisen (31-0), Aaron Brooks (22-0) and Greg Kerkvliet (20-0). The combined record of the ten NCAA champions was an unbelievable mark of 235 victories and 15 losses.

In the finals, there were 15,950 fans that witnessed NCAA history, as two wrestlers won their fourth NCAA titles, Carter Starocci (17-2) at 174 and Aaron Brooks (22-0) in the 197-pound class. The Nittany Lions have crowned 59 NCAA champions and have 254 All-Americans.

Special thanks to NCAA media coordinator, David Lentz, for running a smooth and enjoyable tournament for all the media members. There have been great reviews of the T-Mobile Center (built in 2007) as a great venue and Kansas City as a top-notch host city. Many true wrestling fans are hoping in the next cycle on NCAA Championship sites, that Kansas City will be on the list.

The 2025 NCAA Championships will be held March 20th-22nd, at the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia, PA.

Team Scores:

1. Penn State (172.5 points)

2. Cornell (72.5)

3. Michigan (71)

4. Iowa State (68.5)

5. Iowa (67)

6. Arizona State (64.5)

7. Virginia Tech (64)

8. Ohio State (62)

9. Nebraska (60.5)

10. Oklahoma State (58)

- EARNING BRONZE MEDALS -

125- Anthony Noto (Lock Haven) d. Eric Barnett (Wisconsin) 7-3.
133- Ryan Crookham (Lehigh) d. Nasir Bailey (Little Rock) 4-3.
141- Brock Hardy (Nebraska) d. Real Woods (Iowa) 7-6.
149- Tyler Kasak (Penn State) d. Ty Watters (WVU) 3-2.
157- Meyer Shapiro (Cornell) d. Daniel Cardenas (Stanford) 10-4.
165- Keegan O'Toole (Missouri) d. Mike Caliendo (Iowa) 12-8.
174- Shane Griffith (Michigan) d. Mekhi Lewis (Virginia Tech) 4-0.
184- Trey Munoz (Oregon State) d. Bennett Berge (S Dakota State) 9-7.
197- Stephen Buchanan (Oklahoma) d. Jacob Cardenas (Cornell) 9-4.
285- Wyatt Hendrickson (Air Force) d. Zach Elam (Missouri) 14-2.

Penn State true freshman Tyler Kasak (24-5) lost his first bout Thursday morning and then reeled off seven consecutive victories to claim third place in the 149-pound class. The first wrestler in NCAA history to accomplish that feat was former three-time state champion John Lange (Longwood HS) who dropped his first bout and then won seven straight at the 1998 NCAA meet while competing for Penn State.

Cornell's four-time All-American Vito Arujau (18-2, 93-9 career) from Syosset HS won his second NCAA title and helped Big Red finish as runners-up in the team scoring at the NCAA Championships in Kansas City.