2024 NCAAs Preview: 141 pounds
RETURN TO CHAMPIONSHIPS CENTRAL
Second-Round Notes
- Top-seed Jesse Mendez of Ohio State recorded his second straight bonus-point victory with a fall in 4:37 against Chattanooga’s Isaiah Powe.
- Nebraska’s Brock Hardy scored two of his three takedowns in the first period to beat Michigan freshman Sergio Lemley, 10-4.
- Iowa’s Real Woods rode Arizona State’s Jesse Vasquez for 2:31 en route to an 8-0 major decision. It was the Hawkeye’s second bonus-point win.
- Minnesota’s Vince Vombaur, the No. 26 seed, advanced to the quarterfinals with a 5-0 decision against No. 23 seed Danny Fongaro of Indiana.
- North Carolina’s Lachlan McNeil, a native of Canada, defeated Navy’s Josh Konderhandt, 8-5. The Tar Heel scored the deciding points of an escape with 31 seconds left and takedown with two seconds remaining.
First-Round Notes
- Missouri’s Josh Edmond, seeded No. 21, upset No. 12-seedory. The Tiger scored the takedown with 1:17 left in overtime.
- Virginia Tech’s Tom Crook, seeded No. 20, also scored a 4-1 upset victory over No. 13 seed Jordan Titus of West Virginia. The Hokie scored the only takedown with 45 seconds left in the second period.
- Minnesota’s Von Baum, whose seeding improved from No. 27 to 26 when the bracket was redrawn, used the moment to also stun Northern Iowa’s No. 7 Cael Happel, 8-5 in sudden victory. The Panther scored a first period takedown and led 4-2 midway through the third period when the Gopher scored a takedown with 51 seconds left. Happel earned an escape to force overtime, but Von Vaum ended the bout on a takedown with 44 second left in SV.
- Indiana’s Danny Fongaro was seeded No. 23, but still upset Oklahoma State’s No. 10 Tagen Jamison, 9-8. The Cowboy scored two first-period takedowns to lead 7-4 before the Hoosier rallied on takedown with 59 seconds left, then added a riding point to break an 8-8 deadlock.
The following is a look at WIN’s Top-10 rated wrestlers, plus other notable wrestlers, at 133 pounds before the conference/NCAA qualifying tournaments. Go to WIN-Magazine.com for an updated NCAA preview after the qualifiers.
1. Beau Bartlett, Penn State, Sr., Tempe, Ariz.
Note: The Arizona-born wrestler moved to Kingston, Pa., to wrestle at Wyoming Seminary in high school.
Season Record/Career Record: 18-0/60-13
NCAA Resume: Third Nationals with a 6-3 record. That included a third-place finish in 2023, when he lost 6-2 in the semis to eventual champ Andrew Alirez of Northern Colorado. Went 1-2 in 2022.
Regular-season Notes: Defeated Real Woods, 7-2, and Jesse Mendez, 4-1 sv, in consecutive dual bouts.
2. Real Woods, Iowa, Sr.,
Albuquerque, N.M.
Note: Transferred from Stanford in 2022 after attending high school at Montini Catholic (Ill.).
Season Record/Career Record: 14-2/72-11
NCAA Resume: Fifth Nationals, including the Covid-cancelled event in 2020, with a 9-6 record. That includes two AAs: second last year and sixth for Stanford in 2022. He also reached the R12 in 2021.
Regular-season Notes: Defeated both Oklahoma State’s Tagen Jamison and Iowa State’s Anthony Echemendia by 4-1 decisions.
3. Jesse Mendez, Ohio State, So., Crown Point, Ind.
Note: Won the Junior Hodge Trophy in 2021.
Season Record/Career Record: 21-2/40-11
NCAA Resume: Second Nationals after he finished sixth in 2023 at 133 pounds; going 5-3 after losing in the second round in Tulsa.
Regular-season Notes: Pinned NC State’s Ryan Jack on Dec. 19 and won by TF over Cornell’s Vince Cornella in winning the Las Vegas Invite.
4. Ryan Jack, NC State, Jr., Danbury, Conn.
Note: Brother of NC State’s three-time AA Kevin Jack.
Season Record/Career Record: 16-3/60-20
NCAA Resume: Third Nationals with a record of 3-4. Reached R16 in 2022 and went 1-2 in ‘23.
Regular-season Notes: Won a pair of matches of North Carolina’s Lachlan McNeil and a 6-4 decision over Oklahoma State’s Tagen Jamison.
5. Tagen Jamison, Oklahoma State, RSFr., Durant, Okla.
Note: Transfer from Minnesota last year.
Season Record/Career Record: 14-6/14-6
NCAA Resume: First Nationals
Regular-season Notes: Split two matches with Nebraska’s Brock Hardy at the Las Vegas Invite and beat ISU’s Anthony Echemendia 4-1 sv.
6. Anthony Echemendia, Iowa State, Jr., Cabaiguan, Cuba
Note: The Cuban spent a year at Sunnyside (Ariz.) High before he initially attended Ohio State in 2021 before suffering a knee injury. Wrestled unattached last winter.
Season Record/Career Record: 16-4/20-5
NCAA Resume: First Nationals
Regular-season Notes: Beat Northern Iowa’s Cael Happel, 9-6, and Cornell’s Vince Cornella, 13-4.
7. Brock Hardy,
Nebraska, So.,
Brigham City, Utah
Note: Won a U23 World bronze medal in 2023
Season Record/Career Record: 15-6/50-17
NCAA Resume: Second Nationals after claiming sixth last March when he reached the semis but settled for sixth with a 3-3 record.
Regular-season Notes: Defeated Michigan’s Sergio Lemley, 13-9.
8. Cael Happel, Northern Iowa, Jr., Lisbon, Iowa
Note: Became the state of Iowa’s 28th all-time four-time state champ in 2020.
Season Record/Career Record: 17-6/55-26
NCAA Resume: Second Nationals after going 2-2 and reaching the R16 last March.
Regular-season Notes: Split a pair of matches with ISU’s Anthony Echemendia and beat Oklahoma State’s Tagen Jamison, 4-2.
9. Lachlan McNeil, North Carolina, So., Toronto, Canada
Note: Representing Team Canada, McNeil competed in the 2023 Senior World Championships.
Season Record/Career Record: 18-5/44-14
NCAA Resume: Second Nationals after finishing fourth in 2023 when he went 5-2; lost 6-4 to eventual champ Andrew Alirez in the quarters.
Regular-season Notes: Defeated Tagen Jamison, Anthony Echemendia and Cael Happel, all at the Las Vegas Invite.
10. Vince Cornella, Cornell, So.,
Lafayette, Colo.
Note: Former four-time Colorado state champ from Monarch High
Season Record/Career Record: 13-7/33-13
NCAA Resume: Second Nationals after going 1-2 in Tulsa last March.
Regular-season Notes: Won last six matches before EIWAs. Also defeated Pitt AA Cole Matthews in December.
Others to Watch
• Michigan’s true freshman Sergio Lemley caught everyone’s attention when the native of Chesterton, Ind., and later an Illinois state champ from Mt. Carmel, upset Iowa’s Real Woods by a 14-4 major decision. He was 14-5 before the Big Tens.
• Now competing for his third school, Rutgers graduate student Mitch Moore had qualified for four previous NCAAs: two for Virginia Tech in 2019 and 2020; and for Oklahoma in 2021 and 2023. He has a 5-6 career NCAA mark and reached the R12 in 2021 before suffering an injury in 2022.
• Pitt senior Cole Matthews earned fifth place in 2022. Last March, Matthews went 2-2 in Tulsa, and owns a 7-6 career NCAA mark. This year, he was 15-9 before the ACCs.
