Andrew Alirez announces he'll stay at 141 pounds for Northern Colorado in 2024-25

Northern Colorado wrestling star Andrew Alirez will remain at 141 pounds for his final season, he revealed on his podcast Monday.

Alirez recently entered the transfer portal but ultimately returned to Northern Colorado, where he won the 2023 NCAA title at 141 pounds. There were rumors of him going up to 149 for the 2024-25 season.

However, he’s ready to stay at 141 and try and win a second NCAA crown.

“The idea of going up to 149 (sounded like it could be easier on weight), but I’m going down,” Alirez said on his podcast: The970Show. “The king is back.”

Alirez just fell to Ohio State’s Jesse Mendez at the Beat The Streets charity event in a freestyle match. Mendez won the 141 pound title in 2024 while Alirez took an Olympic redshirt.

Going into next season, Alirez, Mendez and Penn State’s Beau Bartlett are expected to be the top contenders for the national title.

Bartlett opted to come back to Penn State for his final season and was the 2024 runner up to Mendez in Kansas City, back in March.

During his first year on campus, Alirez was a 2020 NCAA qualifier, going 19-4, but the tournament was canceled at the beginning of the pandemic.

He went 4-1 during the shortened 2021 campaign, but medically forfeited out of the Big 12 Tournament.

The 2022 tournament saw more success for Alirez as he finished the season 22-5 but fell one win shy of All-American status.

It was the following year where he jumped levels. Alirez went 27-0 en route to a national title at 141 pounds, beating Iowa’s Real Woods 6-4 in the final.

“I wanted to go to a place where wrestling is really supported. You win a national title here in Greeley, Colorado, and they love you. And I’ve felt that love throughout the community,” Alirez said. “I came here to get the ball rolling on a program I believed in, and now you’re starting to see it. We constantly, every year, get top 100 recruits in the country, we’ve gotten guys who are top 20 in the country, or in their weight class, are No. 1 in the country. We’re getting guys and moving in the right direction.” 

Alirez has a 72-10 career record and depending upon his match count this year, he could hit the century mark.