Top Ten Upsets Of The 2019-2020 NCAA Season

Top Ten Upsets Of The 2019-2020 NCAA Season

In a wild and crazy year with many upsets, here were the top 10.

Mar 17, 2020 by JD Rader
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Let’s not be too sad about how the NCAA season ended. Let’s think about all the awesome upsets that occurred. In a crazy year with a lot of upsets, these were the top 10.

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Let’s not be too sad about how the NCAA season ended. Let’s think about all the awesome upsets that occurred. In a crazy year with a lot of upsets, these were the top 10.

*Every wrestler's listed ranking was their ranking at the time of the match.

#21 Brent Moore, Virginia Tech Over #6 Sammy Sasso, Ohio State

It should be a surprise that one of the biggest dual upsets of the year at the time gave us one of the biggest individual upsets of the year as well. Virginia Tech’s #21 Brent Moore was able to perfectly time a counter to Ohio State’s #6 Sammy Sasso shot, leading to a fall in the first period. 

Sasso had looked so great in the first two weeks of his varsity career that many wrestling fans were picking Sasso to win it all in March. 

Sasso was able to avenge this loss at CKLV, which would end up being Moore’s last competition of the season. Sasso, however, finished the season ranked #2 in the country.


#15 Kennedy Monday, North Carolina Over #3 David McFadden, Virginia Tech

Kennedy Monday beating David McFadden = surprising. Kennedy Monday tech falling David McFadden = jaw-dropping. The 21-6 tech fall was the best win of the year for Monday and only the second bonus-point loss of McFadden's three-time All-American career.


Jaron Jensen, Wyoming Over #2 Brock Mauller, Missouri

Occurring at the South Beach Duals and at the same time as Midlands, this one flew under the radar a little bit for how large of an upset it was. Jensen used a pair of first-period takedowns en route to a 6-5 victory. 

The second-year starter for the Cowboys finished the season with an 18-16 record and 0-2 at the Big 12 Championships. Meanwhile, this was Mauller’s only loss of the season.


Brandon Whitman, North Carolina Over #3 Ben Darmstadt, Cornell

Brandon Whitman was just 12-12 coming into this match and Ben Darmstadt was fresh off of an 11-4 victory over Patrick Brucki one week prior. Whitman came out hot getting the first takedown and early and didn’t let off of the brakes winning 6-2. 

Whitman would go on to lose three of his last five matches and fail to qualify for the NCAA tournament, while Darmstadt won his last five and earned the #4 seed at NCAAs.


Theorious Robison, Northern Colorado (Unattached) Over #7 Montorie Bridges, Wyoming
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You have to go all the way back to week one of the season to recall this one. True freshman and redshirt Theorious Robison outlasted All-American Montorie Bridges and then rode the pony on the Cowboy in front of his home crowd. 

It will be interesting to see how Robinson’s career plays out as well as the UNC 133-pound situation with Mosha Schwartz plays out.


#3 Michael Kemerer, Iowa Over #1Mark Hall, Penn State

This wasn’t the biggest upset on paper, but make no mistake about it, three-time NCAA finalist Mark Hall was the clear favorite in his match. Momentum was swinging in favor of Penn State in this historic dual and this win by Kemerer got the Hawkeyes back on track.

The hype going in, Penn State vs Iowa, Carver, the comeback, the team momentum swing...everything about this match was great.

It also set up a great rematch in the Big Ten finals where Hall was able to get his revenge.


Caleb Rea, West Virginia Over #6 Dom Demas, Oklahoma

West Virginia's Caleb Rea entered the dual against Oklahoma with an 11-11 record and very little indication that he was ready to notch a win over Dom Demas, who many were picking to win it all at 141 in the preseason. That didn't matter to Rea, though, as he picked up a pin over Demas in Norman.

Demas struck first, getting the first takedown of in the match, but Rea escaped and then earned a takedown of his own. Once on top, Rea turned and subsequently pinned #6 Demas with just two seconds left in the first period.


157: Markus Hartman, Army West Point Over #6 Quincy Monday, Princeton
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Looking at this result now, it doesn’t seem like much of an upset. Quincy Monday and Markus Hartman finished the season ranked #7 and #8, respectively. At the time, however, this was huge. Hartman had quite a breakthrough performance at the Midlands. Picking up several upsets en route to making the finals, the biggest one of the tournament came in the round of 16 when he beat then #6 Quincy Monday in a sudden victory thriller.


#20 Collin Purinton, Nebraska Over #3 Max Thomsen, Northern Iowa
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Once again, after the season Purinton had, this isn’t really an upset. Nebraska's Collin Purinton came into his match against #3 Max Thomsen as a major underdog, however, having lost an 11-4 decision to Thomsen a season ago. That didn't stop Purinton from knocking off the UNI All-American in an overtime match that played a major role in Nebrada's win against the third-ranked Panthers.


Dean Sherry, Rider Over #7 Devin Skatzka, Minnesota
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This match was wild for ending in the first period. After Skatzka escaped the first cradle, I thought there was no way Sherry would be able to slap another one on, let alone convert it into a fall. This match was also another case of an individual upset helping to create a team upset as well.