Wrestling award winners crowned at NCAA championships

INDIANAPOLIS — The NCAA presented the 2022 NCAA Wrestling Awards to eight student-athletes at the Divisions I, II and III Wrestling Championships over the last two weekends.

The inaugural NCAA Wrestling Awards were presented at the 2012 wrestling championships. The three awards, given in each division, honor the Most Dominant Wrestler as well as the student-athletes that have accumulated the most falls and the most technical falls throughout the course of the regular and postseasons.

For results to be counted for the awards they must come against opponents in the same division (i.e. Division II vs. Division II). Ties in the falls and tech falls categories are broken based on the aggregate time.

In Division I, Air Force heavyweight Wyatt Hendrickson was presented with two awards at Little Caesars Arena in Detroit as the winner for Most Dominant Wrestler and most falls. Hendrickson had 16 falls on the season, including one fall and one major decision during the NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships, to finish the season averaging 4.70 team points per match.

The Division I winner for most technical falls was Sebastian Rivera of Rutgers with 14 this season to help him finish second in the race for most dominant with 4.39 average team points.

Yianni Diakomihalis of Cornell became a three-time national champion in Detroit winning at 149 pounds and took third in most dominant with 4.36 average points.

The Most Dominant Wrestler standings are calculated by adding the total number of team points awarded through match results and dividing that number by the total number of matches wrestled. Wrestlers need a minimum of 17 matches and must qualify for the national tournament to win the award. Points per match are awarded as follows.

  • Fall, forfeit, injury default or DQ = 6 points (-6 points for a loss)
  • Tech falls = 5 points (-5 points for a loss)
  • Major decision = 4 points (-4 points for a loss)
  • Decision = 3 points (-3 points for a loss)

In Division II, Matt Malcom of Nebraska-Kearney won his second national championship to complete a 24-0 season vs. Division II competition at 165 pounds and helped the Lopers win the fourth national championship in school history and earn Most Dominant Wrestler with a 4.63 average team points this season.

His teammate, Austin Eldredge, also took home a performance trophy as his 16 tech falls at 174 pounds was three more than the next best in Division II, while Nicholas Mason of Tiffin took the award for most falls with 17 this season at 197 pounds.

Division III featured a very close race for Most Dominant Wrestler that came down to the final round of competition at the NCAA Division III Wrestling Championships in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. Millikin’s Bradan Birt earned a 14-2 major decision victory to win the 165-pound national championship and complete a 40-0 season against D-III competition to win with an average of 5.45 team points per match, edging Kaidon Winters of RIT (5.20 average) and Kaleb Reeves of Coe (5.19).

Reeves edged Birt for most falls in Division III with 24 at heavyweight, which was one more than Birt’s 23.

Michael Ross of Johnson & Wales rounded out the award winners in Division III with 22 tech falls to take that prize.

NCAA Stat Leaders – Most Dominant

17-match minimum in division & qualified for NCAAs required to be ranked

Division I

RankNameSchoolWeightAvg. Team Points
1Wyatt HendricksonAir Force2854.7
2Sebastian RiveraRutgers1414.39
3Yianni DiakomihalisCornell1494.36
4Gable StevesonMinnesota2854.29
5Keegan O’TooleMissouri1654.23
6Ryan DeakinNorthwestern1574.22
7Carter StarocciPenn St.1744.18
8Roman Bravo-YoungPenn St.1334.09
9Daton FixOklahoma St.1334.08
10Nick LeePenn St.1413.95
11Michael O’MalleyDrexel1743.82
12David CarrIowa St.1573.81
12Cohlton SchultzArizona St.2853.81
14Aaron BrooksPenn St.1843.77
15Trent HidlayNC State1843.65
16Evan WickCal Poly1653.64
17Max DeanPenn St.1973.58
18Mekhi LewisVirginia Tech1743.5
19Greg KerkvlietPenn St.2853.44
20Parker KeckeisenUNI1843.42

Division II

RankNameSchoolWeightAvg. Team Points
1Matt MalcomNeb.-Kearney1654.63
2Dalton AbneyCentral Okla.1974.35
3Cole LayaWest Liberty1254.26
4Andrew DunnKutztown2854.22
5Nicholas MasonTiffin1973.97
6Joey BianchiniSt. Cloud St.1413.92
7Joel LeiseGannon1973.89
8Francesco BorsellinoWest Liberty2853.82
9Jonathan AndreattaAdams St.1333.74
10Darrell MasonMinnesota St.2853.71
11Ty McGearyWest Liberty1743.65
12Jacob EalyPitt.-Johnstown1493.63
13Dillon KeanePitt.-Johnstown1653.62
14Austin EldredgeNeb.-Kearney1743.56
15Kameron TeacherSt. Cloud St.2853.5
16Shane GantzWis.-Parkside1653.48
17Noah HermosilloAdams St.1493.44
18Jacob DunlopGannon1253.37
19Josiah RiderAdams St.1573.36
20Weston HuntColo. Sch. of Mines2853.35

Division III

RankNameSchoolWeightAvg. Team Points
1Bradan BirtMillikin1655.45
2Kaidon WintersRIT1575.2
2Kaleb ReevesCoe2855.19
4Brett KalinerStevens1495
4Cornell BeachemMt. St. Joseph1745
6Nathan LackmanRhode Island Col.1574.68
7Paul DetwilerCoast Guard1844.61
8Jarrit ShinhosterWis.-Whitewater1844.59
9Matt LackmanAlvernia1654.47
10Kyle HatchWabash1654.42
11Michael RossJWU (Providence)1744.39
11Jordan WallaceIthaca1974.39
13Jimmy McAuliffeElmhurst1414.29
14Kyle SlendornStevens1414.26
15Jacob DecaturBaldwin Wallace1254.25
15Zane MulderWartburg1744.25
17Jack HeldtWabash1974.21
18Kyle BriggsWartburg1844.16
19Dalton RohrbaughYork (PA)1334.15
20John FulmerLycoming2854.1

NCAA Stat Leaders – Falls

Division I

RankNameSchoolWeightFallsTime
1Wyatt HendricksonAir Force2851639:26
2King SandovalMaryland1331325:09
3Josh MasonBloomsburg1411333:41
4Owen PentzNorth Dakota St.1971226:25
5Tanner CookSouth Dakota St.1651227:41
6Michael O’MalleyDrexel1741232:46
7Matt StencelCentral Mich.2851235:55
8Anthony SobotkerBinghamton1331038:54
9Zach HartmanBucknell165919:42
10Josh KoderhandtNavy133937:28
11Donnell WashingtonIndiana184817:09
12Ed ScottNC State157818:02
13Fabian GutierrezChattanooga125819:54
14Grady GreissNavy285821:51
15Will FeldkampClarion197822:39
16Joe DoyleBinghamton285823:15
17Shane FinneyNavy184825:36
18Dean HamitiWisconsin165830:50
19Kyle BiscogliaUNI133834:44
20Chase SaldateMichigan St.157712:50

Division II

RankNameSchoolWeightFallsTime
1Nicholas MasonTiffin1971752:56
2Logan BaileyUIndy1491224:09
3Joel LeiseGannon1971229:17
4Hunter DeLongGlenville St.1741142:20
5Augustus DaltonColorado Mesa1651016:25
6Juan HolmesLimestone2851021:11
7Jacob RobbMercyhurst2851024:53
8Logan BranhamBelmont Abbey1971025:45
9Francesco BorsellinoWest Liberty2851029:26
10Dalton AbneyCentral Okla.197918:34
11Evan CarriganNewberry125931:08
12John PenfoldLake Erie174818:33
13Walker HeckendorfWestern Colo.165821:29
14Ryan RipplingerMcKendree133824:23
15Ryan WheelerColorado Mesa157824:40
16Lee HerringtonNeb.-Kearney285824:47
17Grayston DiBlasiColo. Sch. of Mines141825:50
18Peter KusterDrury141828:00
19Ogden AtwoodPitt.-Johnstown285828:07
20Christian SmallKing (TN)141828:36

Division III

RankNameSchoolWeightFallsTime
1Kaleb ReevesCoe2852434:14
2Bradan BirtMillikin1652349:19
3Kaidon WintersRIT1572363:28
4Joe SalernoWash. & Lee1652140:16
5Michael GonyeaCastleton1332040:40
6Matt LackmanAlvernia1652048:06
7Mitchell ArchCWRU1491830:47
8Michael BlandoSUNY Oneonta1411831:20
9Evan FidelibusNew England Col.1491838:03
10Beau YinemanWis.-Oshkosh1971840:57
11Jake DeguireSpringfield1571843:16
12Colin HonderdCornell Col.1841847:40
13Gable CrebsLycoming1971720:59
14Javen EstradaNorth Central (IL)1411726:35
15Colton BabcockWilkes1841734:03
16Jeff NugentElmhurst1651737:32
17Tyler KimAugsburg2851738:00
18Peter McCuskerMillikin1571760:42
19Kyle SlendornStevens1411766:26
20Nick BarnhartMessiah1571768:42

NCAA Stat Leaders – Tech Falls

Division I

RankNameSchoolWeightTech FallsTime
1Sebastian RiveraRutgers1411486:19
2Austin DeSantoIowa133838:33
3Michael McGeeArizona St.133732:21
4Cole UrbasPenn197732:41
5Yianni DiakomihalisCornell149623:57
6Braxton AmosWisconsin197627:55
7Gable StevesonMinnesota285628:16
8Devin SchroderPurdue125631:14
9Nick IncontreraPenn174634:16
10David CarrIowa St.157634:56
11Dean HamitiWisconsin165635:01
12Codi RussellApp State133635:36
13Cody HowardVirginia Tech197522:07
14Derek SpannBuffalo141522:11
15Logan MesserGeorge Mason174522:12
16Ed ScottNC State157525:11
17Max DeanPenn St.197526:51
18Kai OrineNC State133527:17
19Dakota GeerOklahoma St.184527:35
20Evan WickCal Poly165527:44

Division II

RankNameSchoolWeightTech FallsTime
1Austin EldredgeNeb.-Kearney1741651:49
2Matt MalcomNeb.-Kearney1651354:14
3Cole HouserGlenville St.1841039:40
4Brock BiddlePitt.-Johnstown1741041:17
5Nicholas DaggettUNC Pembroke125935:46
6Nick NovakSt. Cloud State149620:09
7Jonathan AndreattaAdams St.133625:21
8Jacob EalyPitt.-Johnstown149626:24
9Andrew SamsUIndy174628:32
10Nick JamesNeb.-Kearney141519:48
11Darius ParkerLander197521:14
12Taylor JokerstMaryville (MO)141521:34
13Seth LathamColorado Mesa174522:25
14Josh PortilloNeb.-Kearney125524:15
15Vincent ScolloDavis & Elkins133524:26
16Wyatt TurnquistNorthern St.149526:55
17Nolan KroneColorado Mesa184528:43
18Cole LayaWest Liberty125529:05
19Matt WildeKutztown125529:47
20Caleb MorrisPitt.-Johnstown141529:54

Division III

RankNameSchoolWeightTech FallsTime
1Michael RossJWU (Providence)1742292:39
2Tyler ShilsonAugsburg1571674:01
3Cooper PontelandolfoNYU1651347:38
4Nick RoggeAugsburg1841239:30
5Quinn TobinAlvernia1411249:33
6Schuyler CaprellaOhio Northern1571138:09
7Fox MaxwellBridgewater St.1741142:10
8Brett KalinerStevens1491165:14
9Bradan BirtMillikin1651038:57
10Gavin HollingsworthAlvernia174936:26
11Brock HendersonCoe141944:35
12Trevor BorylaAugustana (IL)133951:22
13Jacob DecaturBaldwin Wallace125954:47
14Chris PerryTrinity (CT)141835:41
15Albert XingWilliams157836:54
16Jarrod BrezovecJohn Carroll141837:47
17Ethan HarstedWheaton (IL)133729:37
18Nicholas ArborioWestern New Eng.125731:09
19Jacob KrakowLoras174732:16
20Samuel BraswellAverett125741:32