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Big Ten Wrestling: Ranking the top three wrestlers at each weight class

By Chris Snyder

Penn State's Roman Bravo-Young, left, celebrates after scoring a decision against Oklahoma State's Daton Fix at 133 pounds in the finals during the sixth session of the NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships, Saturday, March 19, 2022, at Little Caesars Arena in Detroit, Mich.220319 Ncaa Session 6 Wr 011 Jpg
Penn State's Roman Bravo-Young, left, celebrates after scoring a decision against Oklahoma State's Daton Fix at 133 pounds in the finals during the sixth session of the NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships, Saturday, March 19, 2022, at Little Caesars Arena in Detroit, Mich.220319 Ncaa Session 6 Wr 011 Jpg /
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Mar 20, 2021; St. Louis, Missouri, USA; Iowa Hawkeyes wrestler Spencer Lee is introduced prior to the championship match of the 125 weight class against Arizona State Sun Devils wrestler Brandon Courtney during the finals of the NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships at Enterprise Center. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Curry-USA TODAY Sports
Mar 20, 2021; St. Louis, Missouri, USA; Iowa Hawkeyes wrestler Spencer Lee is introduced prior to the championship match of the 125 weight class against Arizona State Sun Devils wrestler Brandon Courtney during the finals of the NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships at Enterprise Center. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Curry-USA TODAY Sports /

Running down the top three grapplers at each weight class in the Big Ten heading into the 2022-2023 season

The 2022-2023 Nittany Lion Wrestling season is a mere 120 days away, with the Big Ten wrestling portion of the schedule less than 180 days in the future. Blink and it will be here fast.

To classify this portion of the year as “slow” in terms of collegiate wrestling news would be an insult to grass and its ability to swiftly grow. Well, normally it’s a slow time of the year, what with the recent news surrounding A.J. Ferrari and his departure from Oklahoma State.

But that’s a story and discussion for another day.

Let’s officially rip the seal off of the 2022-2023 wrestling season and spotlight the top three Big Ten wrestlers at each weight class

125

1. Spencer Lee (Iowa)
2. Patrick McKee (Minnesota)
3. Michael DeAugustino (Northwestern)

It appears all signs point towards a healthy return to the mat for three-time NCAA champion and 2021 Dan Hodge Trophy co-winner Spencer Lee. Which is excellent news for Iowa and bad news for the rest of the Big Ten wrestlers at 125.

Nick Suriano took his 2022 NCAA trophy (and cornrows) and sailed into the sunset following the conclusion of last season. And let’s face it, he’s realistically the only guy in the Big Ten who could come close to pushing Lee.

Spencer will certainly have some stiff competition across the entire NCAA landscape as Princeton’s Pat Glory and Cornell’s Vito Arujau round out the clear-cut top three at 125. But in terms of the Big Ten, Lee is head and shoulders above everyone else.

And in this next tier is where things could get interesting during the season. Both McKee and DeAugustino are seasoned veterans with Patrick earning his second straight All-American honors and Michael landing his first with a fourth place finish in the 2022 NCAA’s. Which is why I have them at No. 2 and No. 3 respectively.

For now …

Wisconsin’s Eric Barnett and Ohio State’s Malik Heinselman have also seen their fair share of collegiate matches (189 combined) with Barnett cracking the All-American tier twice and Malik yet to break through. Could both of these grapplers supplant McKee and DeAugustino by the end of the year?

Absolutely!

And what about Penn State’s Robbie Howard? Assuming his shoulder is ready to go a full season, it wouldn’t be a shock to see him crack the top three in the Big Ten. The talent is there, it’s just a matter of putting it all together with the Nittany Lions’ elite coaching staff and top flight wrestling room.

The best in the Big Ten at 125 is practically a foregone conclusion for the 2022-2023 season. But the battle for No. 2 through No. 8 is going to be a wild and exciting ride!

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