The 2021 NCAA Division I wrestling season was one-of-a-kind. The season wasn't fair at times, as a litany of teams had COVID-19-related pauses and stoppages. But, at the end of it all, 80 All-Americans, ten individual champs, and a team champion stood above the rest at the season's end – these feats alone are reasons to be grateful.
Another unexpected outcome from this pandemic-altered 2021 campaign was getting to see newcomers shine, many of whom made a big splash into the starting lineup as true freshmen. Watching a true freshman burst onto the NCAA scene sans a redshirt year of unattached wrestling is relatively uncommon under normal circumstances.
In 2021 however, the season did not count against an athlete's four seasons of eligibility, allowing true freshmen to get some action in the varsity lineup without compromising eligibility. As such, watching the true freshman starter was a routine occurrence in 2021. And, my goodness, weren't these freshmen studs it fun to watch?
This season, there were 14 total freshman NCAA All-Americans, and seven of those first-year's were able to find the podium as true freshmen. Most impressive, two of those seven true freshmen were national champions at their respective weights and heavier weight classes at that. Carter Starocci (Penn State - 174) and AJ Ferrari (Oklahoma State - 197) both found gold in St. Louis.
Despite being their first foray in a Division I varsity lineup, These 14 freshmen All-Americans showed they were ready for the spotlight.
For Same Latona, his signature moment came in front of a national television audience with his team's hopes for an ACC dual meet title on the line. Latona showed that he had ice water in his veins and secured the Hokies a 2021 ACC team title with a 7-4 upset decision against a top-5 lightweight in NC State's Jakob Camacho.
Similarly, Oklahoma State freshman phenom AJ Ferrari made John Smith proud at the Big 12 Championships in Tulsa, Oklahoma, last month when he took home the 197-pound conference crown. Ferrari's performance helped the Cowboys preserve a share of the Big 12 Tournament team title, shared with bitter rival Oklahoma. What made Ferrari's finals performance even more special was that it came against a high-quality opponent – fellow All-American Stephen Buchanan of Wyoming – who spent most of the season as consensus a top-15-ranked competitor. Ferrari didn't just beat the sophomore Buchanan; he dominated him, winning 13-8 in the conference finals.
For the Penn State trio of young All-Americans Starocci, Michael Beard, and Greg Kerkvliet, being podium placers in St. Louis was particularly important because these three helped lead the Nittany Lions to a silver medal finish in the team race. In Beard's case, he peaked at the right time and drastically outperformed his No. 15 seed. With Kerkvilet, his seventh-place finish as the No.9-seed in a stacked heavyweight field was solid. The big man had recently returned to the lineup after an injury. Kerkvliet made his Lion debut at the Big Ten Wrestling Champions. For true freshman national champ Carter Starocci, he used his two weeks between the conference meet and nationals wisely. He reversed his fortunes from the conference meet at nationals. At Big Tens, Starocci fell to Iowa's Michael Kemerer, 7-2. At NCAAs, however, Starocci bested Kemerer, 3-1, in the first sudden-victory period of the national finals to earn gold. As is typical with Cael Sanderson-trained grapplers, they flourish on the national stage, even as freshmen.
In the 149-pound division, the All-American efforts for Fresno State's Kyle Parco and Stanford's Jaden Abas are simply outstanding. The pair achieved top-eight finishes amidst the news that both Fresno and Stanford would be dropping their wrestling programs next season. To see such individual success when both guys are uncertain where they will wrestle in 2021-22 is commendable.
Missouri's Rocky Elam finished ahead of his No. 7-seeded projection, placing fifth in a deep 165-pound class. The Mizzou Tiger was a near-perfect 19-1 on the season. After the season, Elam was named the Mid-American Conference Freshman of the Year, announced by the league office on April 5. O'Toole, the 165-pound MAC champ, recorded the highest finish by a Tiger freshman since J'den Cox won his first national championship in 2014.
At 184, Northern Iowa's redshirt freshman Parker Keckeisen proved that he is ready to take over what has become a rich tradition of 184-pound class for the UNI Panthers. Former 184-pounders to wear the Purple and Gold in Cedar Falls recently have included three-time NCAA qualifier Taylor Lujan and 2019 184-pound national champion Drew Foster. Despite the lofty expectations, Keckeisen proved he was ready to step in and fill the weight admirably. Keckeisen placed third in St. Louis. To earn his bronze medal, Keckeisen met a formidable opponent in Rutgers true freshman John Poznanski. The duo had quite the showdown in the battle for bronze, but Keckeisen prevailed narrowly, 5-4. Poznanski placed fourth.
At 133, Northwestern's Chris Cannon was part of a small but mighty Wildcat contingent with a surprisingly strong team tournament, finishing in tenth place overall as a team. Cannon, a redshirt freshman, placed seventh to take home the first All-American finish of his career. A coaching change at Maryland became the good fortune of Big Ten foe Illinois. After the change, redshirt freshman Lucas Byrd switched his commitment to the team wearing orange and blue in Champaign, Illinois. Boyd was a bright spot for the Illinois program in 2021. The 133-pounder quietly put together a 17-4 season and took fifth. He had multiple wins over raked foes on the year.
Concerning true freshman Cameron Amine of Michigan, the young Wolverine lived up to the family lineage during his first trip to the national tournament. The No. 11-seeded Anime ended the year in seventh.
Arizona State's Cohlton Schultz had the rather unenviable task of being in a very deep heavyweight bracket, one that has one of America's best wrestlers in the 2021 Olympian, Gable Steveson. Despite the heavyweight depth, Schultz, who is just a redshirt freshman, stormed to a fourth-place finish.
As the eligibility rules return to normal in 2022, it is unlikely that we see so many storylines from the freshmen class next year in 2022. That said, the Class of 2021's 14 freshmen All-Americans were a bright spot during this trying and difficult 2021college wrestling season.
2021 NCAA Freshmen All-Americans
125: Sam Latona (Virginia Tech – 6th)
133: Lucas Byrd (Illinois – 5th), Chris Cannon (Northwestern – 7th)
141: None
149: Jaden Abas (Stanford – 7th)
157: None
165: Keegan O’Toole (Missouri – 3rd), Cameron Anime (Michigan – 7th)
174: Carter Starocci (Penn State – 1st)
184: Parker Keckeisen (Northern Iowa – 3rd), John Poznanski (Rutgers – 4th)
197: AJ Ferrari (Oklahoma State – 1st), Rocky Elam (Missouri – 5th, Michael Beard (Penn State – 7th)
285: Cohlton Schultz (Arizona State – 4th), Greg Kirkvliet – 7th)
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