The 184-pound class will crown a new NCAA champion for the first time since 2021. Penn State’s Aaron Brooks had a lockdown on the weight for three straight seasons but moved up to 197 for his senior year. 

Northern Iowa’s Drew Foster won the title in 2019 and was the last wrestler other than Brooks to win this weight since the tournament was canceled in 2020. Parker Keckeisen — another Panther wrestler — is the top seed following national finishes of 3-3-2. 

2024 NCAA Bracket

2023 Place Winners

1. Aaron Brooks, Penn State
2. Parker Keckeisen, Northern Iowa
3. Kaleb Romero, Ohio State
4. Trent Hidlay, NC State
5. Marcus Coleman, Iowa State
6. Trey Munoz, Oregon State
7. Will Feldkamp, Clarion
8. Gavin Kane, North Carolina

2024 Top Eight Seeds

1. Parker Keckeisen, Northern Iowa, 26-0
2. Isaiah Salazar, Minnesota, 21-1
3. Dustin Plott, Oklahoma State, 27-3
4. Trey Munoz, Oregon State, 19-3
5. Lenny Pinto, Nebraska, 22-4
6. Bernie Truax, Penn State, 14-4
7. Thomas Stewart, Virginia Tech, 10-2
8. Sam Wolf, Air Force, 18-4

The Favorite — #1 Parker Keckeisen (Northern Iowa)

Keckeisen seems destined to win this year after finishing third, third, and second at the NCAA Championships. He has five career losses with three to Brooks, one to NC State’s Trent Hidlay, and one to Penn State’s Bernie Truax, who was with Cal Poly then.

Brooks and Hidlay moved up to 197 this season, leaving Truax as the only wrestler in the weight to defeat Keckeisen. The former Mustang star secured a 6-5 victory over Keckeisen during the 2022 NCAA Championships quarterfinals but Keckeisen returned the favor with a 6-4 win in the third-place match. Keckeisen secured a 7-5 win over Truax during the 2023 All-Star Classic on November 21, but it doesn’t count on his official record since it was an exhibition. 

The Panther junior is 26-0 on the season and is peaking at the right time. He blitzed through the Big 12 Championships, including a 14-5 finals win over third-seeded Dustin Plott of Oklahoma State. Keckeisen also has wins over #2 Isaiah Salazar of Minnesota (2023 NCAA tournament quarters, 3-2) #4 Trey Munoz of Oregon State (2023 NCAA tournament semis, 5-1), and Lenny Pinto of Nebraska (twice at the Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invite). 

Keckeisen could meet All-American Will Feldkamp of Iowa State in the second round assuming Feldkamp, seeded #17, gets by #16 Nate Duggan of Princeton. Feldkamp fell to his in-state counterpart, 14-4, at the Cliff Keen-Las Vegas Invite, but Keckeisen needs to be ready for his big moves. Truax is on the opposite side of the bracket so the two wouldn’t meet until the finals or in a consolation round. 

Parker Keckeisen At The NCAA Championships: 15-3

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Watch Northern Iowa's Parker Keckeisen and Penn State's Bernie Truax wrestle at the 2023 NWCA All-Star Classic.

Contenders

#2 — Isaiah Salazar (Minnesota)
#3 — Dustin Plott (Oklahoma State)
#4 — Trey Munoz (Oregon State)
#5 — Lenny Pinto (Nebraska)
#6 — Bernie Truax (Penn State)

Truax is the only wrestler in the field with a win over Keckeisen, and Salazar kept it close during his 3-2 loss at nationals. Salazar is trending upward after his recent Big Ten title including an 8-1 sudden victory win over Truax in the finals. His lone loss this season was an 11-5 setback to Missouri’s Colton Hawks on December 2. 

Plott has a pair of losses to Keckeisen and a 12-10 setback to Pinto during the Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invite quarterfinals — a loss he avenged a day later with an 11-7 win in the third-place match. 

Munoz has a 4-2 loss to Plott but was pinned by Feldkamp at CKLV, which is the red flag warning for anyone in the bracket. The Cyclone star has nine losses this season but has big move potential. 

Pinto is seeded fifth but his losses are to #1 Keckeisen, #2 Salazar, #3 Plott, and #6 Truax; however, he has wins over Plott and Truax during the season. 

Truax is a man of many weights. His college career began at 149 and peaked last season at 197. The former Cal Poly star transferred to Penn State and moved back down to 184 following fourth-place finishes at nationals each of the past three seasons. 

Salazar, Plott, Munoz, Pinto, and Truax have a game of musical chairs with wins and losses to each other. Keckeisen is the favorite in the top half but Salazar, Plott, and Truax can reach the finals. 

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Lenny Pinto defeated Dustin Plott, 12-10, in the quarterfinals of the Cliff Kee Las Vas Invitational

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Dustin Plott defeated Lenny Pinto, 11-7, for third at the Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational

Sleeper And Landmines

#9 — Bennett Berge (SDSU)
#14 — Chris Foca (Cornell)
#17 — Will Feldkamp (Iowa State)
#18 — Ryder Rogotzke (Ohio State)

It feels like Berge is ripe for a breakthrough after a pair of losses to Air Force’s Sam Wolf at the Big 12 Championships and a sudden victory loss to Plott in the dual. 

Foca finished third last year at 174 but has six losses this season. He has added incentive to perform since Cornell is in trophy contention.

Feldkamp, a returning All-American, is dangerous — as mentioned above. 

Rogotzke has 15 falls on the season, including a win by pin over Truax in the dual. That makes him especially dangerous if he loses and goes on a pinning spree on the backside of the bracket. 

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Will Feldkamp showed how dangerous he can be during his match against Trey Munoz at the 2023 Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational

Division III vs Division I

Before transferring to Wisconsin this season, Shane Leigel spent three seasons at Division III Loras College in Dubuque, Iowa. Leigel placed first (2021), fourth (2022), and second (2023) at D3 nationals and is seeded #24 in his first D1 national tournament. 

Predictions

This is Keckeisen’s weight until proven otherwise. His three-season track record and recent Big 12 performance make him the favorite. 

Truax could reach the finals but he’s a sentimental favorite to finish fourth to keep the streak alive. Salazar is on a hot streak but his recent matches have been close. Oklahoma State needs Plott to place high after the team's 18th-place finish last year. Keep an eye on Rogotzke. His dangerous style makes him. This weight should be fun and the matches competitive. 

Full All-American predictions

1. Parker Keckeisen, Northern Iowa
2. Isaiah Salazar, Minnesota
3. Trey Munoz, Oregon State
4. Bernie Truax, Penn State
5. Lennie Pinto, Nebraska
6. Dustin Plott, Oklahoma State
7. Sam Wolf, Air Force
8. Ryder Rogotzke, Ohio State

Check out our 184-pound rankings here.