All The 2020 FloWrestling NCAA Award Nominees
All The 2020 FloWrestling NCAA Award Nominees
All the nominees for the 2020 FloWrestling NCAA Awards Show.
Nobody got the ending they wanted from the 2019-20 season. Covid-19 canceled the NCAA Championship Tournament, truncating a superb season before it could be properly concluded. But that doesn't mean we can't honor the extraordinary efforts the student-athletes put forth on the mat.
Watch the 2020 FloWrestling NCAA Awards Show Live
Friday, April 24 | 6:00PM ET
We doled out the pre-show awards last week. This week we will be revealing the nominees for the main awards, then announcing the winners Friday night. We hope you'll join us.
The 2020 Nominees for Team Upset of the Year
Virginia Tech 21, Ohio State 15
The Hokies won 6 of 10 bouts, including a first period pin of eventual three seed Sammy Sasso by Brent Moore, which you can watch below, to take out the third-ranked team in the country in their own gym.
Arizona State 19, over Penn State 18
Producing the rare student rushing of the mat, the Sun Devils put a stop to the Nittany Lions historic dual meet unbeaten streak.
Rider 21, Minnesota 17
The Broncs didn't wrestle like a small school when they traveled to Minneapolis to beat the Gophers in their home gym. The key individual upset was Dean Sherry pinning All-American Devin Skatzka at 164-pounds.
Northern Iowa 19, Oklahoma State 15
The hype for this match was too great for West Gym. The Panther Train toppled the Cowboys in front of over 4,000 ecstatic fans in the McLeod Center. Bryce Steiert and Keaton Geerts picked up key wins in the dual for UNI.
Michigan State 19, Wisconsin 17
The Badgers were looking like a trophy team this season, but Sparty had other plans for them in a late-season dual in Madison. Layne Malczewski got much-needed bonus points with a pin over Jared Krattiger, and Cam Caffey delivered a clutch win over Johnny Sebastian to push Michigan State over the top.
The 2020 Nominees for Breakout Performance
184: Hunter Bolen, Virginia Tech
Bolen went 0-2 at the 2018 NCAA Championships before taking a redshirt season. Bolen asserted himself at the CKLV and never looked back. He secured the #2 seed at the 2020 NCAAs after beating Trent Hidlay in the ACC finals.
174: Kaleb Romero, Ohio State
Romero couldn't fight his way onto the Buckeye lineup last season, but this year he was a stalwart for the Scarlet and Gray at 174. He broke into the top 10 after the CKLV and received the #6 seed after finishing fourth at Big Tens.
197: Noah Adams, West Virginia
Adams had a solid if unspectacular redshirt freshman season on the collegiate varsity circuit, going 1-2 at the 2019 NCAAs and finishing with a 19-15 record. His sophomore campaign was an awakening for the Coal City native. Adams won 32 matches against exactly zero losses.
Adams won both Southern Scuffle and Big 12 titles, earning himself the number two seed (behind also undefeated Kollin Moore) at the 2020 Tournament.
133: Roman Bravo-Young, Penn State
A true freshman RBY snuck onto the 133-pound podium last season in one of the toughest brackets in recent memory. Another year later and there can be no doubt that Arizona native is a contender. Bravo-Young was ranked either third or fourth all year long and finished as runner-up at the Big Ten Championships
157: Josh Humphreys, Lehigh
Humphreys had an up and down 2019 as a true freshman, but that extra year in the Mountain Hawk wrestling room paid dividends as the sophomore found better consistency this year, winning an EIWA title and earning a #6 seed at NCAAs.
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The 2020 Nominees for Coach of the Year
Matt Storniolo, Northwestern
Roster limits and enrollment standards at Northwestern put up more obstacles than most coaches have to deal with, but that didn't stop Coach Storniolo from crafting a lineup that had the Wildcats ranked fourth going into the NCAA tournament. Ryan Deakin and Sebastian Rivera both earned #1 seeds before nationals got canceled.
Tom Brands, Iowa
It would be easier to summarize all the accomplishments Coach Brands and company didn't achieve this season. The Hawkeyes didn't lose a dual meet all season long. The team didn't leave a tournament without the team trophy. The team didn't have a wrestler ranked outside the top 10 all season long (that one really blows our minds). And not only did coach Brands assemble one of the best Hawkeye teams in recent history, but he also got the team to improve as the year went on. Iowa had a remarkable season under Brands stewardship, regardless of the circumstances.
Doug Schwab, Northern Iowa
UNI got its first national champion of the Schwab Era last season when Drew Foster won the 184-pound title. The Panther Train was poised to score back-to-back champs at that weight after Taylor Lujan received the #1 seed at the 2020 Tournament. Schwab also coached his squad to one of their most impressive victories of his tenure, an upset over Oklahoma State at home in front of over 4,000 purple and gold-clad fans.
Cael Sanderson, Penn State
It would be difficult to leave Coach Sanderson out any conversation regarding NCAA coaching. Despite not reaching the same heights as some of the previous legendary teams during the Sanderson dynasty, Penn State still managed to produce five wrestlers that got seeded in the top 5 of the 2020 Tournament. This Nittany Lion squad also suffered from multiple season-ending injuries to key starters, which made Sanderson keeping his team competitive and in the title hunt all the more impressive.
Chris Ayres, Princeton
Few coaches have had as dramatic an impact on a programs' status as Chris Ayres has had at Princeton. From the depths of the EIWA to being on the cusp of a top 10 finish and potentially a team trophy. Princeton has made incredible strides this season, which includes beating Cornell and winning their first Ivy Title since 1986.
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The 2020 Nominees for Team of the Year
Penn State Nittany Lions
The Nittany Lions finished the season with a 12-2 record. They were runners-up at the Black Knight Invitational and the Big Ten Championship. Penn State qualified seven wrestlers for the 2020 NCAAs, led by #1 seed Mark Hall. Vincenzo Joseph, Nick Lee, Roman Bravo-Young, and Aaron Brook all received top-5 seeds as well.
Lehigh Mountain Hawks
The Mountain Hawkes capped off another stellar season by winning their third-straight EIWA title in March. Lehigh boasted three conference champs and three wrestlers seeded in the top 8 of the 2020 NCAAs, ultimately qualifying nine. Two-time All-American Jordan Kutler led the way with the best seed at #3.
Ohio State Buckeyes
The Buckeyes took what could have been considered a rebuilding year and instead put together one of the most impressive lineups in the NCAAs. Seniors Kollin Moore and Luke Pletcher led the way, both of them winning titles at the Michigan State Open, the Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational, and the Big Ten Champions. Eight Buckeyes qualified for the NCAA Championship with Pletcher and Moore earning #1 seeds.
Oklahoma State Cowboys
A somewhat bumpy season was smoothed over when the Cowboys won their eighth-straight Big 12 Conference championship, outpacing their nearest rival, Iowa State, by over 30 points. Nick Piccininni, Boo Lewallen, and Travis Wittlake all won titles. Piccinini was the highest-seeded of nine Cowboys to qualify for Nationals with the #3 seed.
Iowa Hawkeyes
The Hawkeyes won everything just about everything this year, save for the sadly canceled NCAA Championship. They demolished the field at Midlands, winning by over 95 points, and thumped nearly every team they faced in a dual meet. Penn State gave them their toughest contest, one which saw the Hawkeyes ultimately prevail by the score of 19-17. The Big Ten Championships brought another Iowa victory, this time by over 25 points.
Iowa qualified all ten Big Ten starters for the NCAA championships, all of whom were, astonishingly, ranked in the top 10 at the end of the season, which was also the case for nearly the entire season. Three Hawkeyes -- Spencer Lee, Pat Lugo, and Alex Marinelli -- received #1 seeds, and no one received a seed lower than 11.
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The 2020 Nominees for Freshman of the Year
165: Shane Griffith, Stanford
Griffith finished his inaugural varsity season undefeated, earning the number three seed in a stacked bracket. The New Jersey native won the Southern Scuffle, beating Travis Wittlake, the #4 seed at NCAAs, in the semifinals and Tanner Skidgel, the eventual #11 seed, in the finals.
184: Trent Hidlay, North Carolina State
Hoagie Hidlay amassed a 23-4 record in his varsity debut. He was thrice runner-up at major tournaments, placing second at the Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational, the Southern Scuffle, and the ACC Championship. The Pennsylvania native received the #5 seed at the 2020 NCAA Tournament. Hidlay was also one of just two wrestlers to hand the #1 seed, Taylor Lujan, a loss this season.
285: Tony Cassioppi, Iowa
Big Tone provided an anchor for the Hawkeyes, winning 20 of 23 bouts this season. His only losses were to #1 ranked Gable Steveson and #2 Mason Parris. Naturally, Cassioopi was the #3 seed heading to Nationals. The Illinois native was also a Midlands champ, beating All-American Matt Stencel in the finals.
141: Real Woods, Stanford
The second Stanford Cardinal to be nominated, Real Woods was almost as perfect as his teammate Shane, going 19-1 in his first season in the lineup. Woods was won a Southern Scuffle title when he beat Kaden Gfeller in the finals and stopped the Cowboy redshirt sophomore from becoming a three-time Scuffle champ.
149: Sammy Sasso, Ohio State
Slammin Sammy was a middleweight stalwart for the Buckeyes. Sasso sported a 24-3 record going into NCAAs, where he received the #3 seed. Sasso also spent time ranked number this season, after he defeated Brayton Lee and Pat Lugo in the back-to-back dual meets. Sasso is known for his thrilling matches like his tiebreakers win over Yahya Thomas at the Big Ten Championships.
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The 2020 Nominees for the Best Individual Upset
174: Dean Sherry, Rider over Devin Skatzka, Minnesota
Sherry was unranked when he decked All-American Skatzka in the first period. The fact that the upset helped push Rider over the top and secure the upset over the Gophers only made the victory that much sweeter for the senior Bronc.
141: Caleb Rea, WVU over Dom Demas, Oklahoma
As the highest placing returning 141-pounder, Dom Demas started the year ranked number one. Unranked true Sophomore Caleb Rea was undaunted when they met in a dual meet late in January.
149: Jaron Jensen, Wyoming over Brock Mauller, Missouri
Jensen showed no fear when taking out Mauller in South Florida. Mauller is an All-American and was ranked second in the nation at the time.
125: Jakob Camacho, NCSU over Jack Mueller, UVA
Jakob Camacho saved the best match of his redshirt freshman season for last, knocking of the previously undefeated Jack Mueller in the ACC finals.
197: Brandon Whitman, UNC over Ben Darmstadt, Cornell
Whitman came up clutch in his match with All-American Darmstadt. The true sophomore Tar Heel secured the upset and North Carolina beat Cornell.
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The 2020 Nominees for the Most Improved Wrestler
125: Pat Glory, Princeton
Glory placed sixth as a freshman but had earned the #2 seed at the 2020 NCAAs. The New Jersey Native was 30-7 last season but finished this season undefeated, having won the Princeton Open, Midlands, and the EIWAs.
149: Pat Lugo, Iowa
A four-time NCAA qualifier, Lugo's highest finish at the Big Dance was eighth last season. But going into the 2020 tournament Lugo locked up both the #1 seed in a brutally stacked weight class. Lugo won Midlands and avenged his only loss on the season, to Sammy Sasso, at Big Tens.
184: Taylor Lujan, Northern Iowa
Another four-time qualifier, Lujan finished in the round of 12 at the last two NCAA Tournaments. Previously, Lujan's best seed at NCAAs was seventh, this year, Lujan secured up the #1 seed after winning the Big 12 Championship and finishing the season on a 19-match winning streak.
285: Mason Parris, Michigan
The phrase 'jumped-levels' may get worn out over the course of a collegiate season, but it is the best way to describe Parris' incredible growth from his true freshman to true sophomore seasons at Michigan. After a bloodround finish and a 33-9 record to finish the 2019 season, Parris peeled off 28 straight wins to start the 2020 season, losing for the first time in the Big Ten finals to #1 seed Gable Steveson.
174: Dylan Lydy, Purdue
Lydy suffered double-digit losses in each of his first three seasons at Purdue. The Indiana native kicked it up a notch for his senior campaign, losing only twice, to the #1 and #2 seeds, winning the CKLV, Midlands, and finishing as runner-up at the Big Ten Championship while sporting a 31-2 record. He received the #4 seed at the 2020 NCAAs, besting last year's seed of 11th.
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The 2020 Nominees for FloWrestler of the Year
125: Spencer Lee, Iowa
The two-time reigning NCAA champion was having his most dominant season yet. Lee won all but one of his 18 bouts this season by bonus, and ended 13 of them early via pin or tech-fall.
197: Kollin Moore, Ohio State
The unanimous #1 ranked 197-pounder in the country, the undefeated Moore was seeded #1 at the 2020 NCAAs. Moore added CKLV and Big Ten titles to his resume this season.
157: Ryan Deakin, Northwestern
Deakin had a sparking 21-0 record going into the national championship, having won both the Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational and Big Tens.
285: Gable Steveson, Minnesota
As the #1 seed, Steveson was poised to improve on his third-place finish last season. The Minnesota native defeated the #2 and #3 ranked wrestlers at the Big Ten Championships.
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