174 Pound Pre-Season NCAA Wrestling Preview & Predictions

A preview with predictions for the 2023-24 season at 174-pound weight class in Division 1 college wrestling.

Oct 11, 2023 by Jon Kozak

174 Pound Pre-Season NCAA Wrestling Preview & Predictions

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 74 pounds.

Returning 2023 All-Americans

Carter Starocci - Champ
Chris Foca - 3rd place
Mekhi Lewis - 4th place
Nelson Brands - 5th place
Peyton Mocco - 8th place

Other NCAA All-Americans

Shane Griffith - NCAA champ (2021), Runner-up (2022), 5th place (2023) at 165
Carson Kharchla - 7th Place at 165 in 2022
Travis Wittlake - 4th place at 165 in 2021

The Favorite

Carter Starocci, Penn State

Carter Starocci is looking to become just the 6th-ever 4-time NCAA champion this season and is the big favorite in the 174-pound weight class. Through three seasons in the starting lineup at Penn State, Starocci has accumulated a 61-2 record and has avenged his only two losses against Donnell Washington and Michael Kemerer. Beyond that, Starocci’s college hit list is incredible, including wins over Mekhi Lewis (2), Mikey Labriola (4), Chris Foca (2), Nelson Brands, Hayden Hidlay, Logan Massa (3), Michael Kemerer (3), Kaleb Romero (3), and a number of other past All-Americans.

Starocci doesn’t always put up as impressive of bonus-point numbers as some of the other Penn State greats, but instead displays his dominance by hardly ever giving up a takedown and controlling his opponent in the top position. Starocci might be the biggest NCAA title favorite of anyone in the country entering the season and looks poised to make history with another NCAA title in March.

Starocci's win in the 2023 NCAA Finals over Mikey Labriola:

Already a subscriber? Log In

The Contenders

Chris Foca, Cornell
Mekhi Lewis, Virginia Tech
Shane Griffith, Michigan

Though Starocci is a huge favorite, the contender field at 174 pounds is outstanding. Shane Griffith and Mekhi Lewis are past NCAA champions and Chris Foca placed 3rd last year taking out the aforementioned Lewis. On top of the third-place finish, Foca put together a phenomenal 2022-23 season with a 30-2 overall record with his only losses coming against Carter Starocci (at NCAAs) and Mekhi Lewis (at the CKLV). Foca clearly jumped levels last season and if continues to show improvements this year, we can expect him to push Starocci for an NCAA title.

Chris Foca's win over Mekhi Lewis in the 3rd place match at the 2023 NCAA Tournament:

Already a subscriber? Log In

Shane Griffith made headlines this past off-season after transferring from Stanford to Michigan and will now take on a whole new weight class in his final year of college wrestling. With the move up in weight, Griffith is a bit of an unknown against this field and doesn’t have any matches in his college career against Carter Starocci, Chris Foca, Mekhi Lewis, or a number of the other top guys at 174. That unknown makes Griffith incredibly interesting to watch this year, especially at the CKLV and once he hits Big 10 competition. The CKLV field could see a bracket with Foca, Griffith, Lewis, and Kharchla and then Griffith could potentially wrestle Carter Starocci on January 19, Carson Kharchla on January 26, and Nelson Brands on February 2. The outcome of those matches will obviously tell us how close Griffith is to challenging the best in the country at 174.

Shane Griffith's 2021 NCAA Finals Match against Jake Wentzel:

Mekhi Lewis is entering his final collegiate season and looking to win his second NCAA title after winning as a freshman in 2019 (at 165 pounds). Lewis finished 4th at the 2023 NCAA Tournament and compiled a 22-3 record on the season. Interestingly enough, Lewis’ only 3 losses on the year were in overtime against Mikey Labriola (2) and Chris Foca. On top of those overtime losses, Lewis had a legendary NCAA finals overtime loss to Carter Starocci in 2022 where Lewis lost by just 15 seconds of riding time. Lewis might have the best style and overall wrestling ability of anyone in the country to defeat Starocci. However, we’ll likely have to wait until the NCAA tournament to see that match considering Virginia Tech and Penn State aren’t set to meet anytime during the regular season.

Mekhi Lewis' win over Chris Foca at the 2022 CKLV:

Already a subscriber? Log In

The Next Tier

Nelson Brands, Iowa
Peyton Mocco, Missouri
Carson Kharchla, Ohio State
Edmond Ruth, Illinois
Travis Wittlake, Oregon State

174 pounds stands out amongst many weights because of the depth of this “third tier”. Nelson Brands, Peyton Mocco, Carson Kharchla, and Travis Wittlake are all past All-Americans while Edmond Ruth finished in the round of 12 last season.

We’ll highlight Nelson Brands first considering his name was associated with some of the Iowa gambling allegations. Though these speculations were never officially confirmed, there were questions on whether or not he’d be in the lineup this year for the Hawkeyes. However, the NCAA is now considering reduced penalties for gambling-related suspensions and it looks as though Brands (and the rest of the Iowa lineup) will be eligible to compete this year in his final season of eligibility. That’s great news for the Hawks but bad news for the rest of the country at 174 pounds. Last season, Brands finished his season with a 5th place performance at NCAAs highlighted by wins over Dustin Plott, Peton Mocco, Edmond Ruth, and Ethan Smith. If Brands carries that momentum into this season, we should expect him back on the podium in March.

Nelson Brands breaks down his performance at the 2023 NCAA Tournament:

Peyton Mocco finally got on the podium at NCAAs last season after coming up just short in both 2021 and 2022. Mocco’s 8th place finish at NCAAs highlighted a season that saw Mocco accumulate notable wins over Dustin Plott, Mickey O’Malley, Tate Picklo, and Cade DeVos. Beyond those wins, Mocco has proven to be a challenging matchup for Mekhi Lewis. They’ve met twice in their college careers with Mocco losing in overtime in 2021 and by a narrow 3-2 margin in 2022. Mocco absolutely has the potential to move up the podium this year and take out a number of higher-ranked wrestlers.

Like Shane Griffith, Carson Kharchla is moving up from 165 pounds and will be a major factor up in weight this season. In his two years starting at Ohio State, Kharchla has been incredibly consistent but fell one match short of All-American honors last season. Kharchla will have the ability to prove himself at 174 right away this year with the Buckeyes set to take on Virginia Tech in the opening dual of the season on November 10. If Kharchla can take out Mekhi Lewis there, he’ll instantly announce himself as a title contender.

Carson Kharchla's gives insight on his college career and move up to 174 pounds:

As mentioned earlier, Edmond Ruth is the only wrestler in this tier who isn’t a past All-American but finished 1 match shy of AA honors losing in the round of 12 last year. Despite that, Ruth accumulated a number of wins over quality opponents last season that prove he should be included in this group. Last year Ruth tallied victories over the likes of Peyton Mocco, Rocky Jordan, Nelson Brands, and Donnell Washington. Ruth should not be underestimated this season and will certainly be an All-American contender in March.

Travis Wittlake is the final wrestler we’ll highlight in this section and is finishing his career at Oregon State after spending the first 5 years of his career at Oklahoma State. Along with moving schools, Wittlake is also moving weight classes after wrestling at 165 from 2020-2022 and 184 last season. Wittlake will be tested at the CKLV in early December but also has potential matches against Nelson Brands (November 19) and Carter Starocci (January 5th).

Sleepers & Dark Horses

Lennox Wolak, Columbia
Mickey O’Malley, Drexel
Elise Brown Ton, Nebraska

174 pounds is a deep weight class with a number of wrestlers in the rankings that are worthy of being highlighted. However, in this category, we’ll dive into some of the wrestlers who might not be on the national radar but have shown they have the potential to make some noise this year at 174. Lennox Wolak headlines this list as a 2023 NCAA qualifier for Columbia last season. On top of that, Wolak recorded wins last year over Phillip Conigliaro, Mickey O’Malley, and All-American Ethan Smith. Wolak proved to make major improvements last season and should be on everyone’s radar this year.

Lennox Wolak's win over Mickey O'Malley from last season:

Already a subscriber? Log In

Drexel’s Mickey O’Malley is another dark horse entering this season. As a 4-time NCAA qualifier, O’Malley will look to conclude his career by getting on the podium in March for the first time. Throughout his career, O’Malley has proven to be a highly entertaining wrestler with high-profile wins over Rocky Jordan, Demetrius Romero, Lance Runyon, and Chris Foca. O’Malley will have his chance to make some noise early this season at the Keystone Classic on November 19 with a potential match against Mekhi Lewis.

Hear Mickey O'Malley talk about his unique wrestling style:

Already a subscriber? Log In

Elise Brown Ton has big shoes to fill for Nebraska as he’ll take over the 174-pound starting position from 4-time All-American Mikey Labriola. Husker fans should be optimistic about Brown Ton’s potential considering his results in open tournaments over the past two years. Last year Brown Ton defeated NCAA qualifiers Sam Wolf and Sal Perrine while only losing close matches to Joel Devine (4-2) and Ben Mower (7-6). Those results, along with Nebraska’s proven ability to develop their wrestlers make Brown Ton the perfect sleeper to watch out for this year at 174.

Pre-Season 174-Pound Predictions

Carter Starocci is the favorite entering this season and he’s my pick to make history by winning his 4th NCAA title. While the field of contenders may be deep, Starocci has consistently proven he’s the man to beat at 174 pounds.

Full 174 Pound Predictions: