NCAA Wrestling Championships: Penn State Wrestling’s title Contenders
By Chris Snyder
![ST. LOUIS, MO - MARCH 18: Vincenzo Joseph of the Penn State Nittany Lions runs to the mat as he is introduced during the championship finals of the NCAA Wrestling Championships on March 18, 2017 at the Scottrade Center in St. Louis, Missouri. (Photo by Hunter Martin/NCAA Photos via Getty Images) ST. LOUIS, MO - MARCH 18: Vincenzo Joseph of the Penn State Nittany Lions runs to the mat as he is introduced during the championship finals of the NCAA Wrestling Championships on March 18, 2017 at the Scottrade Center in St. Louis, Missouri. (Photo by Hunter Martin/NCAA Photos via Getty Images)](https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/c_fill,w_720,ar_16:9,f_auto,q_auto,g_auto/shape/cover/sport/2ca43c4d6d76bc071e7f6448cba9b0a6a8ddacdb9b8a1ce30652c6552e9122a4.jpg)
197
(1) Myles Amine (MICH) 6-0
(2) Eric Schultz (NEB) 10-1
(3) Kordell Norfleet (ASU) 9-0
(4) AJ Ferrari (OKST) 15-1
Past Matchups
03/06/21 Amine dec. Schultz, 7-3
Wow. What a vast history between these four wrestlers. To be fair, AJ Ferrari is a true freshman so it makes sense he’s never faced any of these guys before. The last time Myles Amine competed at the NCAA’s he was at 174, so again not surprising he’s had one career match against Schultz.
Looking at their resumes, Amine is clearly the most decorated athlete in being crowned this year’s B1G Champion and finishing 3rd twice (2018-2019) and 4th once (2017) in the NCAA’s.
Schultz has never made it past the round of 16 at nationals and he’s been the runner up in the B1G the past two seasons.
Arizona State’s Kordell Norfleet has never won an NCAA Championship match and he only faced two top 25 ranked wrestlers this season, winning both matchups.
As with the heavyweight class, 197 is also going to have a wildcard in Oklahoma State’s AJ Ferrari. The true freshman has been very impressive this season in going 15-1, winning the Big 12 Championship, and beating 5 top 25 ranked wrestlers. His lone loss came at the hands of No. 9 seed Noah Adams of West Virginia (3-2 decision).
The 197 bracket will be a fun one to watch in this year’s NCAA tournament as it’s really up in the air.
Sleeper: (7) Rocky Elam (MIZZ) 11-0
Winning breeds more winning, right? Mizzou’s Rocky Elam has certainly done a lot of winning himself this season in compiling a perfect record of 11-0. No. 3 seed Kordell Norfleet and No. 2 seed Eric Schultz potentially stand in the way of the talented freshman if looks to make a run for the finals.