Every year, the NCAA awards All-American honors to the top 8 finishers in each of the ten weight classes at the NCAA Division 1 Wrestling Championships. The first step in the process of becoming an All-American is to qualify for the NCAA Championships either through one of seven conference championships or an at-large bid.

How To Place Top 8 At NCAAs

33 wrestlers qualify for each weight class at the NCAA Wrestling Championships. All 40 wrestlers who win quarterfinal matches at the NCAA Championships are guaranteed a top-six finish and All-American honors. All other wrestlers need to advance through the consolation bracket and win in the round of 12 which is often referred to as the blood round.

Round of 12 consolation matches take place during the Friday night session of the NCAA Wrestling Championships during the semifinals. All winners in the round of 12 are All-Americans, and all losers are eliminated.