Who's #1 Alumni Success At College & International Level
Who's #1 Alumni Success At College & International Level
Check out all of the success Who's #1 competitors have had on the collegiate and international levels.
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Entering its ninth year, Who's #1 has featured the nation's best high school wrestlers in the country year in and year out. Those high school stars have turned into stars on the collegiate and world levels. Check out how Who's #1 alumni have fared at the NCAA Tournament, on the Senior level, and the Cadet and Junior World Championships over the years.
NCAA Champions
NCAA Champions
3x Jason Nolf (Penn State)
2x Vincenzo Joseph (Penn State)
2x Zahid Valencia (Arizona State)
2x Yianni Diakomihalis (Cornell)
Roman Bravo-Young (Penn State)
David Carr (Iowa State)
Shane Griffith (Stanford)
Seth Gross (South Dakota State)
Mark Hall (Penn State)
Nick Lee (Penn State)
Myles Martin (Ohio State)
Gable Steveson (Minnesota)
Nick Suriano (Rutgers)
Isaiah White (DII - Notre Dame College)
14 different Who's #1 alumni have won an impressive 19 NCAA titles since 2016. When Nick Suriano and Daton Fix squared off on the big stage in Pittsburgh, it was the first time a Who's #1 rematch occurred in the NCAA finals.
Nine NCAA finalists in St. Louis and five of the champions wrestled at Who's #1 during the high school careers. Unfortunately, the cancellation of the 2020 NCAA Championships prevented this list from growing.
Watch Suriano knock off Fix in a controversial 2019 NCAA final.
NCAA All-Americans
Jaden Abas (Stanford)
Andrew Alirez (Northern Colorado) - Honorable Mention Team in 2020
Abe Assad (Iowa) - Second Team in 2020
Eric Barnett (Wisconsin)
Michael Beard (Penn State)
Kaid Brock (Oklahoma State)
Sammy Colbray (Iowa State) - Honorable Mention Team in 2020
Larry Early (Old Dominion)
Daton Fix (Oklahoma State)
Dakota Geer (Oklahoma State)
Pat Glory (Princeton)
Hayden Hidlay (NC State)
Trent Hidlay (NC State)
Michael Kemerer (Iowa)
Matt Kolodzik (Princeton)
Mikey Labriola (Nebraska)
Taylor LaMont (Utah Valley)
Brayton Lee (Minnesota)
Grant Leeth (Missouri)
David McFadden (Virginia Tech)
Mitch McKee (Minnesota)
Pat McKee (Minnesota)
Joey McKenna (Stanford & Ohio State)
Ryan Millhof (Oklahoma)
Keegan O'Toole (Missouri)
Nick Piccininni (Oklahoma State)
Luke Pletcher (Nebraska)
Chad Red (Nebraska)
Sean Russell (Edinboro)
Sammy Sasso (Ohio State)
Joe Smith (Oklahoma State)
Jacori Teemer (Arizona State)
Anthony Valencia (Arizona State)
Travis Wittlake (Oklahoma State)
Isaiah White (Nebraska)
Also, since 2016, 35 different Who's #1 alumni were All-Americans at the NCAA Championships. Add in the nine NCAA champions, and that means 49 former Who's #1 competitors have stood on the podium at the NCAA Championships.
Watch Pat McKee take out Brody Teske in the bloodround of the 2021 NCAA Championships.
Senior World & Olympic Team Members
Mason Manville (2017 Greco-Roman)
Daton Fix (2019 Freestyle)
Gable Steveson (2021 Freestyle Olympic Team)
Daton Fix became the second former Who's #1 competitor to make a freestyle Senior World Team when he knocked off Thomas Gilman at Final X in 2019. However, he wasn't the only former Who's #1 competitor at Final X. Yianni Diakomihalis and Gable Steveson both made Final X - Rutgers before falling to Zain Retherford and Nick Gwiazdowski respectively. Joey McKenna, Zahid Valencia, and Nick Reenan all made Final X - State College in 2018.
Gable Steveson became the first Who's #1 alumni to make an Olympic team when he swept Nick Gwiazdowski in two matches. Joey McKenna also made the Olympic Trials finals before falling to Jordan Oliver.
Watch Gable Steveson make the 2021 Olympic Team.
Junior World Medalists
Mark Hall (Two-time Champion)
David Carr (Gold)
Daton Fix (Gold, two-time Bronze)
Gable Steveson (Gold)
Macey Kilty (two-time Silver)
Mitch McKee (Silver)
Joey McKenna (Silver)
Zahid Valencia (Silver)
Brady Berge (Bronze)
Trent Hidlay (Bronze)
Taylor Lamont (Bronze)
Due to COVID-19, United World Wrestling canceled the Junior World Championships so we'll have to wait until 2021 to add some more names to the star-studded list.
Cadet World Medalist
Yianni Diakomihalis (Two-time Gold)
Gable Steveson (Two-time Gold)
Kurt McHenry (Two-time Gold)
Macey Kilty (Gold, Bronze)
Mark Hall (Gold)
Mason Manville (Gold)
Jarod Verkleeren (Gold)
Richard Figueroa (Silver)
Daton Fix (Bronze)
Jordan Wood (Silver)
Abe Assad (Bronze)
David Carr (Bronze)
Alex Facundo (Two-time Bronze)
Gracie Figueroa (Bronze)
Gavin Hoffman (Bronze)
Cade Olivas (Bronze)
Jacori Teemer (Bronze)
Travis Wittlake (Bronze)
Unfortunately due to COVID-19, United World Wrestling has canceled the 2020 Cadet World Championships so we'll have to wait until 2021 to add some more names to the star-studded list.