The top point-scorer in fantasy wrestling for the 2022-23 season Mason Parris (photo courtesy of Sam Janicki; SJanickiPhoto.com)We are now a couple months out from when the final whistle in Tulsa signaled the conclusion of the 2023 NCAA season, and we took that time to dive into everything that came with the #FCW23 season. That, and just about everyone else's "Year End Awards" articles are done.
Like other major sports, the NBA in particular which just recently came out with their All-NBA 1st/2nd/3rd teams, we have a season-end tradition of awarding those wrestlers that showed up and stepped on the line with our annual All Fantasy Teams.
Just a reminder of how points were tallied in WrestleStat Leagues:
The scoring used was Standard Team Scoring across all competitions (+3 for a win by decision, -4 for a loss by Major, etc.)
Scoring only counted against D1 competition
Wins via Forfeits (FFT) Injury (INJ) would count as +6 towards a wrestler's point total.
Wins or Losses by Medical Forfeit (MFF) did not count as + or - towards a wrestler's point total.
Points were only accumulated only during the regular season.
Compared to last season, this group of 36 wrestlers outscored their 2022 counterparts by 257 Fpts (2,979 Fpts this season compared to 2,722 in 2022). This year also outplaced 2022 with 25 All Americans:
2022 - 1st Place (2), 2nd Place (2), 3rd Place (4), 4th Place (2), 5th Place (2), 6th Place (2), 7th Place (0), 8th Place (2) = Total (16)
2023 - 1st Place (3), 2nd Place (5), 3rd Place (5), 4th Place (3), 5th Place (1), 6th Place (5), 7th Place (2), 8th Place (1) = Total (25)
All Fantasy First Team
125: Anthony Noto (LHU)- 91 Fpts
133: Daton Fix (OKST)- 87 Fpts
141: Brock Hardy (NEB)- 90 Fpts
149: Jon Jon Millner (APP)- 108 Fpts
157: Peyton Robb (NEB)- 94 Fpts
165: Evan Barczak (DREX)- 85 Fpts
174: Tyler Stoltzfus (LHU)- 87 Fpts
184: Will Feldkamp (CLAR)- 82 Fpts
197: Tanner Sloan (SDSU)- 86 Fpts
285: Mason Parris (MICH)- 116 Fpts
Floater 1: Wyatt Hendrickson (AF)- 114 Fpts [@ 285]
Floater 2: Sammy Sasso (OHST)- 98 Fpts [@ 149]
Like last season, the All Fantasy First Team only had one National Champion (Parris), and scored a total of 1,138. That shadows last year's team by 119 Fpts! Three wrestlers in the 2024 First Team All Fantasy reached the 100 point club, with Hendrickson reaching it for the second consecutive season.
Noto finds himself on his second consecutive All Fantasy First Team, while Daton Fix makes his third. Noto and Fix bested their previous season Fantasy Point totals by five and 11 Fpts, respectively. Hendrickson also makes his second straight Fantasy First Team, but this time as the first Floater. He too bested his score from 2022, by 10 points.
Millner is technically the only wrestler not to wrestle at NCAAs in any of the three teams, but that was due to injury/infection so we won't count that against him. He was the #9 seed after winning the SoCon before withdrawing.
Eligibility wise, this team had no true Freshmen make the list this year. Brock Hardy was the only Freshman (due to the COVID year) and two Sophomores, five Juniors, and three Seniors round out the team. Fun fact, of the Average Draft Position data for #FCW23 (which goes up to 221), he did not have an ADP to be within that 221. Same goes for 174 Tyler Stoltzfus.
The #1 overall wrestler this season, Mason Parris, had his best bonus rate (full season, excluding the 2021 COVID year), which helped him eek out Fantasy Wrestler of the Year over Floater #1 Wyatt Hendrickson… and I guess helped in securing the Hodge Trophy too.
All Fantasy Second Team
125: Matt Ramos (PUR)- 84 Fpts
133: Michael McGee (ASU)- 71 Fpts
141: Andrew Alirez (UNCO)- 88 Fpts
149: Ethen Miller (MD)- 74 Fpts
157: Kendall Coleman (PUR)- 81 Fpts
165: Izzak Olejnik (NIU)- 76 Fpts
174: Michael Labriola (NEB)- 82 Fpts
184: Trey Munoz (ORST)- 74 Fpts
197: Max Dean (PSU)- 78 Fpts
285: Grady Greiss (NAVY)- 90 Fpts
Floater 1: Anthony Cassioppi (IOWA)- 82 Fpts [@ 285]
Floater 2: Colton McKiernan (SIUE)- 82 Fpts [@ 285]
Like the First Team, the All Fantasy Second team only had one Champion with Alirez at 141. This is the first time in the past four seasons that Alirez has been in the Top-10 at any weight for Fantasy, with his last highest placing in 2020 at 8th in the 149 weight class. Even though he only had three decisions and fell two Fpts behind the top spot at 141, he wrestled eight total less matches than Hardy and had the highest PPM in the weight class (4.4).
Kendall Coleman put together his best season since his Redshirt Freshman campaign (coincidently he had the same record of 29-8). The difference this year? Having a better bonus rate of 33% compared to his 2020 rate of 21.6%.
Even though he had a perfect regular season, and even though he had a regular season bonus rate over 50%, Michael Labirola finds himself just slightly behind Tyler Stolzfuz (LHU) on the First Team due solely for Stolzfus wrestling in 18 more matches.
The two floater spots are occupied by two more heavyweights, which bring the total to five between the First and Second Teams. Grady Greiss makes his second consecutive Second Team as the 285 starter,
The 2023 All Fantasy Second Team scored 962 total Fpts, which outscored the 2022 squad by 59 Fpts
All Fantasy Third Team
125: Spencer Lee (IOWA)- 73 Fpts
133: Lucas Byrd (ILL)- 70 Fpts
141: Beau Bartlett (PSU)- 70 Fpts
149: Caleb Henson (VT)- 67 Fpts
157: Austin O'Connor (UNC)- 74 Fpts
165: Peyton Hall (WVU)- 74 Fpts
174: Chris Foca (COR)- 79 Fpts
184: Parker Keckeisen (UNI)- 72 Fpts
197: Ethan Laird (RID)- 75 Fpts
285: Taye Ghadiali (CAMP)- 80 Fpts
Floater 1: Quincy Monday (PRIN)- 73 Fpts [@ 165]
Floater 2: Caleb Smith (APP)- 72 Fpts [@ 125]
Spencer Lee makes his first All Fantasy team in the past four years, with #3 at 125 being his highest placing, even though he's held the #1 Overall ADP of in 2023, 2022, 2021, and #3 in 2020. The last time Lee was in the Top-10 of Fpts was in 2020 were he was #6. He was #16 in 2021 and #51 in 2022 (where he only wrestled at the Collegiate Duals in Destin, FL).
Just like the other two teams this year, there was only one Champion on the All Fantasy Third Team with Austin O'Connor at 157.
Caleb Smith just makes the cut as the last floater to make his second consecutive Third Team roster. He was the 2022 All Fantasy Third Team 125 rep a season ago.
This group of 12 scored just 29 more Fpts than the 2022 Third Team squad (850 Fpts).
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Be on the lookout for our upcoming articles of the Top-20 wrestlers of each weight from the #FCW23 season!
