NewsUSA WrestlingCollegeUSAW

NCAA most dominant wrestler award standings updated led by Hendrickson (DI), McGeary (DII), Houser (DIII)

by Liz Wacienga, NCAA

Photo of West Liberty’s Ty McGeary, courtesy of West Liberty Athletics.


INDIANAPOLIS — The NCAA has released updated standings for the 2023 NCAA Wrestling Awards that will be awarded in March at the respective Division I, II and III Wrestling Championships.


The inaugural NCAA Wrestling Awards were presented at the 2012 wrestling championships. The three awards, given in each division, honor the Most Dominant Wrestler as well as the student-athletes that have accumulated the most falls and the most technical falls throughout the course of the regular and postseasons.


For results to be counted for the awards they must come against opponents in the same division (i.e. Division II vs. Division II). Ties in the falls and tech falls categories are broken based on the aggregate time.


This week features the fourth standings of the Most Dominant Wrestler award, which features a 17-match minimum to qualify for the standings.


The Most Dominant Wrestler standings are calculated by adding the total number of team points awarded through match results and dividing that number by the total number of matches wrestled. Points per match are awarded as follows.


Fall, forfeit, injury default or DQ = 6 points (-6 points for a loss)

Tech falls = 5 points (-5 points for a loss)

Major decision = 4 points (-4 points for a loss)

Decision = 3 points (-3 points for a loss)

THE LIST: Click or tap here to view the most dominant, tech falls and falls leaderboard in each division


With Division I conference tournaments set for this weekend, there was minimal movement in all three award rankings. Mason Leiphart of Franklin & Marshall remains atop tech falls with nine while Wyatt Hendrickson of Air Force leads both falls and most dominant wrestler.


The most dominant wrestler in both Division II and Division III is locked in a dead heat with 0.01 points per match separating first and second. In Division II, West Liberty’s Ty McGeary sits in first with 4.78 points per match followed by Glenville State’s Jared Campbell at 4.77 points per match. In Division III, Jack Heldt of Wabash has tallied 5.56 points per match while Xavier Pena of Centenary (NJ) has 5.55 points per match.


In Division II tech falls, Cole Houser of Glenville State remains in first with 13 tech falls on the season. He is trailed by Austin Eldredge of Nebraska-Kearney wit nine.


Jared Kuhns of York (Pennsylvania) continues to lead Division III tech falls with 12 on the season. Tyler Fleetwood of Wisconsin-Eau Claire trails him by one.


Division II falls remains a close race with three wrestlers tabbing 14 falls. They are led by UIndy’s Logan Bailey with an aggregate time of 13:20 followed by Jared Campbell of Glenville State at 24:43 and Christian Small of Lake Erie at 45:07.


Myles Leonard continues to set the pace for Division III with 27 falls on the season. Teammate Jake Deguire trails him by three.