It’s October and that means the 2023-24 college wrestling season is right around the corner! In order to help you prepare for the upcoming season, we’ll be previewing all 10 Division 1 weight classes. Check out the article below for an in-depth look at 141 pounds.

Returning 2023 141-Pound All-Americans

• Real Woods - 2nd
• Beau Bartlett - 3rd
• Lachlan McNeil - 4th
• Clay Carlson - 5th
• Brock Hardy - 6th

Other All-Americans In The Field This Year

• Jesse Mendez - 6th at 133 in 2023
• Cole Matthews - 5th in 2022
• CJ Composto - 8th in 2022

The Favorite

Real Woods is coming off a runner-up finish at the 2023 NCAA Tournament and will be the favorite at 141 pounds entering the 2023-24 season. Last year Woods compiled a 20-1 record with his only loss coming in the NCAA finals against Andrew Alirez. Outside of the Alirez loss, Woods put together an incredible season with 12 of his 20 wins coming by bonus - 2 falls, 4 techs, and 6 majors. Alirez recently announced his plans to take an Olympic making the path even more open for Woods to win a title in his final collegiate season. 

On top of Real Woods being #1 at 141 pounds, he’s currently ranked #9 in our pound-for-pound rankings. Woods’ top game sets him apart from most wrestlers in the country and he might have the best cross-wrist tilt in college wrestling. In fact, Woods was able to turn Andrew Alirez in the NCAA finals and earned near-fall points in 4 of his 5 matches at the NCAA tournament. Beyond that, Woods finishes his single leg with a high rate of success, and is incredibly challenging to score on in the neutral position. To put it simply, Woods is the man to beat this year at 141 and it will be a tall task for any wrestler in the country to stop him from winning NCAAs.

Real Woods' win over Brock Hardy at the 2023 NCAA Tournament:

The Contenders

• Beau Bartlett, Penn State
• Lachlan McNeil, North Carolina
• Brock Hardy, Nebraska
• Jesse Mendez, Ohio State

Though Real Woods is the clear favorite, there are a number of worthy contenders at 141 pounds. The above 4 wrestlers all had phenomenal seasons last year and come into this season with high expectations. Beau Bartlett is at the top of this list after his finish to the season last year and the progress he’s made throughout his collegiate career. Bartlett took home 3rd place honors from NCAAs while defeating Lachlan McNeil, Clay Carlson (twice), Cole Matthews, and Shannon Hanna while only losing to eventual champion Andrew Alirez. Bartlett is outstanding at managing matches and has some of the best defense in the country regardless of weight class. In fact, Bartlett only allowed more than 4 points in a match just 3 times last season! If Bartlett improves his offensive abilities, he could absolutely come away with the 141-pound national title in 2024.

Beau Bartlett's win over Cole Matthews in the quarter-finals of the NCAA Tournament:

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Brock Hardy finished 6th last year at NCAAs and was actually 1 of 3 wrestlers to defeat the aforementioned Bartlett. Hardy was injured at the NCAA tournament and was forced to default out of his 5th-place match against Clay Carlson. Despite the injury, Hardy put together a season that showed he can compete with anyone in the country at 141 pounds. Along with his win over Bartlett, Hardy compiled notable victories over Cael Happel, Ryan Jack, Clay Carlson, Jake Bergeland, Dylan D’Emilio, and a number of other ranked wrestlers. Hardy also had two very competitive losses to Real Woods proving he’s only minor adjustments away from taking out Woods. The only argument against Hardy is his “odd” losses last year against opponents outside of the top tier. Last season Hardy suffered head-scratching losses to Emilio Ysaguirre and Dylan Dreogemueller. Hardy will need to show more consistency this year if he hopes to prove himself as a top-tier 141-pound contender and get the job done in March.

Brock Hardy's win over Cael Happel in the finals of the 2022 CKLV:

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Lachlan McNeil put together a great freshman season last year for the Tar Heels by bringing home 4th place honors from the NCAA Tournament. McNeil lost only to Bartlett and Alirez but defeated Brock Hardy, Dylan D’Emilio, Malyke Hines, Vince Cornella, and Cole Mattin. Along with his NCAA performance, McNeil showed solid progression throughout his freshman campaign and avenged early season losses to both Tom Crook and Cole Mattin. Should we expect another level jump from McNeil this season? If so, we shouldn’t be surprised if he notches wins over anyone in the country at 141 pounds.

Jesse Mendez is the final wrestler in the contender tier after earning 6th place All-American honors in his true freshman year at 133 pounds for the Buckeyes. An accomplished freestyle wrestler, there’s still a chance Mendez takes an Olympic redshirt this year in a push to earn the Olympic team spot at 65 kg. Mendez won a silver medal over the summer at the U20 World Championships and has been vocal about his Olympic aspirations. Despite that, Ohio State will be a trophy-contending team with Mendez in the lineup at 141 pounds, and for that reason, we should expect to see Mendez contend for a national title this year for the Buckeyes.

Hear Jesse Mendez talk about his freshman season at Ohio State:

These Guys Can Beat Anyone

• Cole Matthews, Pittsburgh
• Clay Carlson, SD State
• CJ Composto, Penn
• Ryan Jack, NC State
• Vince Cornella, Cornella

The above group of wrestlers represents the next tier at 141 pounds which are incredibly dangerous but not preseason title picks. Cole Matthews headlines this group and an argument can be made for Matthews to be in the contender tier. Matthews finished 5th at the 2022 NCAA tournament where the defeated Real Woods, 7-3. However, last year Matthews finished in the round of 12 losing at NCAAs in overtime matches to both Beau Bartlett and Dylan D’Emilio. Matthews also suffered an odd loss to Jordan Titus in the regular season and has the propensity to wrestle matches closer than he should. Matthews obviously has the ability to defeat anyone in the bracket at 141 pounds. The question is, can he put together a tournament of 5 straight wins in matches that will likely be decided by 1 or 2 points? 

Hear Cole Matthews open up about his 2023 NCAA Tournament and college career:

Clay Carlson and CJ Composto are similar to Matthews in that they have both reached the podium at NCAAs but their lack of consistency keeps them out of the top tier at the weight class. Carlson is entering his senior season as a two-time All-American placing 8th in 2021 and 5th in 2023. On top of that, Carlson’s hit list includes wins over Andrew Alirez (2), Real Woods, Jake Bergeland (3), and Allan Hart (2). However, Carlson suffered losses last year to Mosha Schwartz, Vance Vombaur, Cael Happel, Carter Young, and Ty Smith. Carlson will absolutely be an All-American contender and a landmine at the NCAA Tournament but it will be a big surprise to see him in the NCAA Finals Saturday in March.

CJ Composto was a surprise All-American in 2022 when he placed 8th at the NCAA with wins over Stevan Micic and Andrew Alirez. During that 2021-22 season, Composto also recorded a win over Cole Matthews at the Illinois Matmen Open. Composto redshirted last season and only wrestled 3 matches unattached. Composto did wrestle at the U23 nationals over the summer where he placed 4th losing only to Cole Matthews and Brock Hardy. Composto will be an interesting addition to the 141-pound field this year and will be tested early with a potential match against #1 Real Woods on December 1st in Penn’s dual against Iowa.

Ryan Jack and Vince Cornella have yet to earn All-American honors but two wrestlers worthy of being included in this category. Last year, Jack defeated Lachlan McNeil twice while also defeating Brock Hardy, Tom Crook (twice), and a number of other ranked wrestlers. Cornella lost to McNeil in overtime at the NCAA tournament but was ranked all last season in the top 10-15. Though Jack and Cornella had disappointing post-seasons, we shouldn’t be surprised if they end up on the podium this year. 

Sleepers And Dark Horses

• Josh Edmond, Missouri
• Sammy Alvarez/Tagen Jamison, Oklahoma State
• Dylan Ragusin/Sergio Lemley, Michigan
• Dylan Layton, Cleveland State

141 is a unique weight in that a number of wrestlers currently ranked between 11-20 could finish in the top 8 and it wouldn’t be all that shocking. Guys like Malyke Hines, Mosha Schwartz, Frankie Tal-Shahar, Cael Happel, and Mitch Moore are all wrestlers who fit that description. However, the “Sleepers and Dark Horses” category is meant to highlight some of the lower-ranked guys or wrestlers who could put together a surprise season.

Missouri’s Josh Edmond will take over the 141-pound starting spot after redshirting last season and qualifying for the NCAA tournament in 2022 at 149 pounds. Last year, Edmond recorded notable wins over Franke Tal-Shahar, Sammy Alvarez, and Brian Courtney while only dropping matches to Cole Matthews (3-1) and Jacob Frost (7-3). This will be Edmond’s first full year at 141 pounds and he’ll be tested early in the season with potential ranked matches against Jesse Vasquez, Mosha Schwartz, and Kal Miller in the first few weeks of the year. 

Oklahoma State and Michigan will have interesting roster decisions to make this year at 141 pounds. The Cowboys have 3 solid options - Sammy Alvarez, Carter Young, and Tagen Jamison. Young suffered an injury late last season and will likely redshirt this year but Jamison and Alvarez are solid options for Oklahoma State. Alvarez was a national qualifier for Rutgers in 2020 down at 133 and has accumulated a number of quality wins throughout his career. Jamison started his collegiate career at Minnesota but had limited matches after battling injuries in 2021 and 2022. Jamison was a highly touted recruit out of high school highlighted by wins over both Cody Chittum and Casey Swiderski. Either Alvarez or Jamison could be major factors in the national landscape at 141 pounds this year.

Sammy Alvarez's win over Emilio Ysaguirre at the 2023 Edinboro Open:

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Like Oklahoma State, Michigan hasn’t yet announced who they’ll be rolling out at 141 pounds. With All-American Chris Cannon transferring in from Northwestern at 133, Dylan Ragusin could move up this season. However, Ragusin still has a redshirt available and might be undersized for 141. Michigan also has the option to roll out true freshman Sergio Lemley who was the #16 overall ranked recruit coming out of the class of 2023. Lemley won Who’s Number One in 2022 over Kannon Webster and defeated the likes of Kyler Larkin, Brock Mantanona, Zan Fugitt, and Vincent Robinson last year. If the Wolverines send Lemley out this season, we should expect him to move up the rankings at 141.

Cleveland State’s Dylan Layton is the final wrestler we’d like to highlight in this category. Layton put together a great redshirt year last season highlighted by wins over Parker Filius and Jordan Decatur while only suffering losses against Jesse Vasquez, Brian Courtney, Jordan Titus, and Dylan Chappell. Layton will be an interesting wrestler to watch this year and will be tested right out of the gate against Zach Redding (November 5th) and Jordan Titus (November 12th). 

Pre-Season 141-Pound Predictions

Real Woods is the favorite entering this season and he’s my pick to take home the title this year. The landscape at 141 pounds will be fascinating to watch play out this year and wrestlers like Beau Bartlett, Brock Hardy, Jesse Mendez and more have the ability to challenge Woods for gold. Despite the deep field, I believe Woods is the best overall wrestler and will prove that in Kansas City this March.

Full 141 Pound Predictions:

1. Real Woods, Iowa
2. Beau Bartlett, Penn State
3. Jesse Mendez, Ohio State
4. Brock Hardy, Nebraska
5. Cole Matthews, Pittsburgh
6. Lachlan McNeil, North Carolina
7. Ryan Jack, NC State
8. Vince Cornella, Cornell

Check out the pre-season 141-pound rankings here.