No. 1 seeds for 2023 NCAA Wrestling Championships announced

The 2023 NCAA Wrestling Championships in Tulsa are just days away. The No. 1 seeds in all 10 weight classes were revealed earlier this week.

There are certainly some dominant guys at the top of these brackets. Look no further than Iowa’s Spencer Lee at the top of 125 pounds. He’ll go for his fourth and final NCAA title starting Thursday.

Below are the 10 No. 1 seeds for the latest edition of the NCAA Wrestling Tournament.

The full brackets can be seen HERE.

2023 NCAA Wrestling No. 1 seeds

125 lbs. – Spencer Lee, Iowa (16-0)

Lee won three national titles in his career and a fourth could very well be on the way. The Hawkeye is one of the most dominant wrestlers of all time and could cement legendary status with a rare fourth title in Tulsa.

133 lbs. – Roman Bravo-Young, Penn State (16-0)

Bravo-Young won the last two titles over Oklahoma State’s Daton Fix. He’ll likely have to do it a third time if he wants to end his career on top. It would certainly be the best ending before a potential career in mixed martial arts.

141 lbs. – Real Woods, Iowa (16-0)

Woods excelled in his first season at Iowa after transferring from Stanford. He has yet to get to the NCAA finals but this is certainly his best shot in an open weight class.

149 lbs. – Yianni Diakomihalis, Cornell (16-1)

When Diakomihalis lost earlier this season, people were stunned. But people won’t be stunned if they witness history with his fourth NCAA title. There are only four four-time national champions in NCAA history (Cael Sanderso, Pat Smith, Logan Stieber and Kyle Dake). Diakomihalis and Lee can add to that list this tournament.

157 lbs. – Austin O’Connor, North Carolina (18-0)

O’Connor won the title at 149 pounds back in 2021 but suffered injuries during last year’s tournament, en route to an All-American finish. Now healthier and beefier, O’Connor looks like the man to beat once again.

165 lbs. – David Carr, Iowa State (22-0)

Carr made the bump to 165 pounds after the last two at 157. He won the title in 2021 and finished third last season. He also defeated conference foe and 2022 165 lbs. champion Keegan O’Toole (Missouri) twice this season. Guess what? O’Toole is the No. 2 seed.

174 lbs. – Carter Starocci, Penn State (19-0)

Starocci, due to the blanket waiver from COVID, can become the first, and likely only, five-time NCAA champion. He has this tournament plus two more seasons of eligibility to pad his resume. Starocci is the defending back-to-back champion at this weight and might be the heavy favorite to three-peat.

184 lbs. – Parker Keckeisen, Northern Iowa (22-1)

The perennial All-American has yet to make the NCAA finals but finally earned the top spot. Two-time defending champion Aaron Brooks (Penn State) is the No. 3 seed, so the two wouldn’t face off until the finals. That’s a good draw for the Panther. Can he get there?

197 lbs. – Nino Bonaccorsi, Pittsburgh (16-0)

This weight class is wild when the defending champion Max Dean (Penn State) is the No. 9 seed and this year’s Big Ten champion Silas Allred (Nebraska) is No. 8. Heck, Penn State transfer Michael Beard (Lehigh) is No. 5 and Rider’s Ethan Laird is No. 4. Yup, that’s all on Bonaccorsi’s side of the bracket. He could get Dean or Allred in the quarterfinals and then Laird or Beard in the semifinals. Talk about a brutal draw.

285 lbs. – Mason Parris, Michigan (28-0)

Parris defeated his Penn State nemesis Greg Kerkvliet twice this year to even up their long running series at 3-3. That included a Big Ten title over the Nittany Lion in Ann Arbor. They wouldn’t see each other until the finals since Kerkvliet is No. 3 on the same side as No. 2 Wyatt Hendrickson (Air Force). But Parris has been on another level in his final season.