Chance Marsteller, Kennard-Dale
File photo by Ken Inness
The 2013-14 high school wrestling season will be one of renewed hope for wrestlers all over the country. The reinstatement of the sport of wrestling to the 2016 Olympic Games, after it had been eliminated a year earlier, will have many wrestlers preparing in earnest for a shot at a gold medal two years from now.
One of those wrestlers, Kyle Snyder, has already taken steps toward preparing for the Olympic Games. He forfeited his senior season at Good Counsel (Olney, Md.) to train at the Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs, Colo. Snyder begins the season ranked No. 1 in the nation at 220 pounds based on a compilation of four national ranking services.
Four wrestlers were consensus No. 1 picks in all four of the ranking services, which include Amateur Wrestling News, Intermat, Flowrestling and WIN Magazine. Chance Marsteller is the No. 1 ranked wrestler at 160 pounds (or 170, depending on the ranking service) and he is considered the top recruit in the country. He has never lost a high school match in winning three Pennsylvania state championships.
The other consensus preseason All-Americans include Bryce Brill of Mount Carmel (Chicago), Aaron Pico of St. John Bosco (Bellflower, Calif.) and Lance Benick of Totino-Grace (Fridley, Minn.).
Here's a closer look at each of the preseason No. 1-ranked wrestlers based on the composite list of ranking services.
Everybody's 2013-14 Wrestling All-Americans
106 pounds
Spencer Lee, Franklin Regional (Murrysville, Pa.), Freshman
A transfer from Saegerstown, Lee was one of the top eighth-grade wrestlers in the country last year. He's already taken first place at 113 pounds at the Super 32 Challenge. Lee was also a national cadet freestyle champion last summer.
113 poundsNick Suriano, Bergen Catholic (Oradell, N.J.), Sophomore
Suriano went 39-0 last year and has won multiple national freestyle championships in his career. He won a state championship in New Jersey, but lost in the finals of the Super 32 Challenge to Lee last month. He's the top-ranked 113-pounder if Lee drops to 106 pounds.
120 poundsSteven Micic, Hanover Central (Cedar Lake, Ind.), Senior
A two-time state champion, Micic competed in the FILA Cadet Freestyle World Championships in Serbia as part of the U.S. National Team. Micic has won 95 straight matches since finishing third at the state meet his freshman year.
126 poundsJered Cortez, Glenbard North (Carol Stream, Ill.), Senior
Cortez has won three state titles and has been undefeated the past three seasons. He is headed to Illinois and this past summer won a national junior freestyle championship.
132 poundsJason Nolf, Kittanning (Pa.), Senior
Nolf won state titles as a junior and freshman and has just one loss in his high school career. Headed to Penn State, Nolf has a 132-1 career record according to the Patriot News.
138 poundsAaron Pico, St. John Bosco (Bellflower, Calif.), Sophomore
Pico went undefeated and won a state championship as a freshman last year, a rare occurrence in California. He also captured gold in Serbia over the summer at the World FILA Cadet Freestyle Championships.
145 poundsBryce Brill, Mount Carmel (Chicago), Senior
Brill has lost just one match in his high school career, including undefeated seasons as a freshman and junior. He lost in the state finals as a sophomore. He was a national junior freestyle champion in 2012, but sat out last year's tournament with an injury.
152 poundsRyan Blees, Bismarck (N.D.), Senior
Blees is a three-time state champion in North Dakota and he won a junior freestyle national championship last year. He has committed to Oklahoma State.
160 poundsChance Marsteller, Kennard-Dale (Fawn Grove, Pa.), Senior
Considered the nation's No. 1 wrestling recruit, Marsteller committed to Penn State over the summer, but changed his choice to Oklahoma State in November. A three-time Pennsylvania state champion, Marsteller has a 125-0 record in high school.
170 poundsBo Nickal, Allen (Texas), Senior
Headed for Penn State, Nickal is a two-time state champion and he was a Cadet Triple Crown winner last summer. He was also named the Most Outstanding Wrestler at the Cadet Nationals.
182 poundsJohnny Sebastian, Bergen Catholic (Oradell, N.J.), Senior
A two-time state champion, Sebastian is 82-3 over the past two seasons and is aiming to become just the sixth three-time state champion in Bergen County history.
195 poundsLance Benick, Totino-Grace (Fridley, Minn.), Junior
Benick captured state championships as a freshman and sophomore, including a win in the state finals over a defending state champion last year in triple overtime. Benick is also a three-year starter for the varsity football team.
220 poundsKyle Snyder, Coronado (Colorado Springs, Colo.), Senior
The former Good Counsel wrestler was a two-time All-Met Wrestler of the Year by the Washington Post, but he transferred to Colorado to train at the Olympic Training Center his senior year. He is officially a student at Coronado in order to maintain his eligibility to wrestle at Ohio State next year, according to the Post. Snyder won the junior world championships in Serbia over the summer.
285 pounds
Nick Nevills, Clovis (Calif.), Senior
A two-time state champion, Nevills is also one of the top offensive linemen in the Central Section of California. He's headed to Penn State next year. He was 53-0 as a junior with 44 pins.