Breaking Down WIN’s Rankings: 133 & 174 pounds

WIN Magazine recently announced its first preseason NCAA Div. I Individual rankings, presented by Cliff Keen Athletic. This week we are taking a closer look at 133 and 174 pounds, where Lehigh’s Ryan Crookham and Missouri’s Keegan O’Toole are respectively rated No. 1 at those weight classes.

For more information on Rankings Sponsor Cliff Keen, go to CliffKeen.com.

To view a complete list of WIN’s preseason rankings and get updated rankings during the upcoming college season, click here or call 888-305-0606 to subscribe to WIN Magazine, which will unveil its college and high school season previews in the next issue, printed Sept. 26.

These rankings are subject to change as teams finalize their lineups before the season starts in October.

133 POUNDS                                                                                                                                  

The native of Hellertown, Pa., enjoyed a banner season in his first year with the Mountaineers as he was first named OW at the EIWAs (where he upset Cornell’s eventual two-time champ Vito Arujau). He later placed third at the NCAAs as the No. 2 seed, beating Little Rock’s Nasir Bailey in the consolation final. He won his first 21 bouts last winter to end with a 23-1 mark.

As a true freshman in 2024, the native of Park Forest, Ill., became one of his school’s first All-Americans when he finished three spots higher than his No. 7 seed in KC. He compiled a 28-4 record last winter, including 5 of 7 NCAA bouts, including a 3-0 sudden victory in his R12 bout against Bucknell’s Kurt Phipps and 5-0 vs. Michigan’s Dylan Ragusin.

The fourth NCAA was the charm for this native of Elk Grove Village, Ind., as the graduate of Montini Catholic won four of six bouts as a No. 5 seed and finished fifth in Kansas City. Ragusin has compiled a 74-27 record in his Michigan career, including an 8-5 true freshman season in 2021 when he came off the bench to qualify for the NCAAs at 125. He has competed at 133 since 2022.

The native of Metairie, La., became the first Cyclone since 2016 to earn All-American honors at 133 pounds as he first finished second at the Big 12s, then won four of six bouts in KC as a No. 8 seed to place sixth. That included a 2-1 win over Minnesota’s Tyler Wells in the R12. His final record was 22-7.

The Hawkeye has moved up a weight after he finished second to Arizona State’s Richard Figueroa in last year’s NCAA final at 125 pounds. It was the second national tournament for the native of Ft. Dodge, Iowa, who subbed for an injured Spencer Lee in 2022 and went 1-2 in that national tournament. His overall record is 47-14.

After an injury sidelined the native of Lorain, Ohio, in 2023, Shawver responded with a strong season last winter when he became his school’s first Big 10 champ since 2019, then claimed seventh place as a No. 4 seed in Kansas City. Two years earlier, Shawver also qualified for the 2022 NCAAs at 125 pounds where he split four bouts. His career record is 62-26.

This winter marks the sixth season for this native of Imperial, Mo., in Raleigh, who is coming off his second straight ACC championship and All-American run; placing eighth in both 2023 and 2024. Orine also qualified for the NCAAs in 2022 and finished among the Top 16. His overall record is 71-27.

The native of La Habra, Calif., spent three seasons at Minnesota, highlighted by a fifth-place NCAA finish in 2023, before transferring to State College. Nagao, who is 46-16 in his career, finished 17-7 last winter with a third-place Big 10 finish. At the nationals, he lost his opening bout but came back to win three wrestlebacks before falling in the R12 to NC State’s Orine.

The Buckeye compiled a 23-11 record in his first season as a starter in 2024. That included a victory over NC State’s Orine in the Collegiate Duals, before Bouzakis qualified for the NCAAs and split four matches as a No. 16 seed. Originally a native of Tampa, Fla., he later moved to Pennsylvania to attend Wyoming Seminary. He has also excelled in freestyle, earning a bronze in the U20 Worlds in 2023 and will represent Team USA in the U23 Worlds this fall.

An injury sidelined this native of Cincinnati, Ohio, last winter after he twice earned All-American honors — placing fifth in both 2021 and 2022 — and reached the R12 in 2023. Overall, his record is 79-19. What was remarkable about his AA finishes is that 11 of his 12 NCAA victories in those tourneys came in wrestlebacks and both of fifth-place victories were pins.

OTHERS RANKED AT 133 POUNDS

174 POUNDS                                                                                                                                  

Already a four-time All-American, the Hartland, Wis. native won back-to-back NCAA titles in 2022 and 2023 before he was dethroned in last season’s national semifinals by in-conference nemesis David Carr of Iowa State. Moving up a weight class for his fifth-year campaign, O’Toole and teammate Rocky Elam are on a quest to become Mizzou’s first-ever five-time All-Americans.

The Nittany Lion posted an unblemished 23-0 mark en route to winning his first NCAA title at 157 a season ago. The two-time national finalist may be making the jump to 174, setting up a potential collision course between former champs and two of the top pound-for-pound wrestlers, with O’Toole also moving up to 174.

Welsh, a native of Waynesburg, Pa., reached the NCAA finals at 174 as a true freshman last season for the Buckeyes, proving he could win the close matches with three consecutive sudden victory takedowns. The sixth-seed turned national finalist remains in a weight class vacated by four-time champ Carter Starocci but now inhabited by the likes of O’Toole and Haines.

The fifth-year senior Jackrabbit entered the 2024 NCAA Championship as a No. 2 seed but was upset in the quarters by Lennox Wolak, then of Columbia, before avenging the loss in the fifth-place match. The Southeast Polk, Ia. native and four-time NWCA Scholar All-American will look to compete in his fifth NCAA Tournament this season.

The senior transfer from Wisconsin impressed from the start, as he was thrust into the Badger lineup at 165 as a true freshman and earned a sixth-place finish at the 2022 NCAA Championships. The Joliet, Ill. native followed that with another sixth-place finish in 2023 before falling in the round of 12 last season. With 81 career wins, Hamiti will exhaust his final season of eligibility under the tutelage of Olympic champion David Taylor in Stillwater.

Transferring into a weight class manned for five of the past six seasons by former NCAA champ and four-time All-American Mekhi Lewis, the Columbus, Ohio native became just the sixth wrestler in Columbia history to earn All-American status. The seventh seed at the 2023 NCAA Championships, Wolak reached the semifinals before dropping three-straight bouts to finish sixth.

The two-time NCAA qualifier from Kasson-Mantorville, Minn. returns to the Hawkeye lineup for his senior season after falling in the round of 2012 in 2024, finishing one win shy of All-American status. Kennedy dropped his first-round match to UNC’s Tyler Eischens before reeling off three-straight victories in the consolations. His AA hopes were dashed by four-time All-American and NCAA champ Mekhi Lewis.

Sax, who transferred to Norman from North Dakota State and will reunite with former head coach Roger Kish, improved vastly from a 12-12 sophomore season in 2022-23 to reach the NCAA round of 12 in his home state of Missouri last March. Entering as a No. 14 seed, Sax was pinned in the opening round by No. 19 Alex Cramer of Central Michigan before winning three-straight matches, two of which came via bonus points. Sax was eliminated in a border war matchup by SDSU’s Cade Devos.

The Blair Academy grad hailing from Wantage, N.J. won 27 bouts as a freshman for the Midshipmen last season. Wask pushed No. 6 seed and eventual finalist Rocco Welsh of Ohio State in the opening round, falling 4-2, but went on to win two consolation matches including one over former All-American Peyton Mocco of Missouri. Wask enters the season as the top-ranked EIWA athlete in the weight class.

After posting a 2-2 record at the 2024 NCAA Championships as a No. 10 seed, the three-time NCAA qualifier, and fellow Blair Academy grad out of Flemington, N.J., will make one final appearance for the Quakers in Roger Reina’s final season at the helm. The 68-match winner has improved his win total each season as a starter, accumulating 21, 23 and 24 victories, respectively.

OTHERS RANKED AT 174 POUNDS