ST. LOUIS - Redshirt freshman Jaden Abas placed seventh at the NCAA Championships, Saturday, at the Enterprise Center.
The No. 8 seed at 149 pounds, Abas earned a 5-3 decision over No. 7 seed Jonathan Millner of Appalachian State in the seventh-place bout. He is just the second Cardinal wrestler to earn NCAA All-America status as a freshman, joining Joey McKenna (2016). Teammates Shane Griffith and Real Woods were both NWCA First Team All-Americans as freshmen in 2020.
Abas, the 2021 Pac-12 champion, finishes his NCAA run with a 5-2 record in the tournament. He is now 13-4 overall in his collegiate career.
The NCAA finals will begin at 4 p.m. PT on ESPN and will start at 133 pounds. Griffith will face No 3 seed Jake Wentzel of Pittsburgh for a chance at an individual NCAA title.
#26 Jackson DiSario, 125 pounds | 0-2
| Opponent | Result |
|---|---|
| lost to #7 Taylor LaMont (Utah Valley) | 19-1 (5:37) |
| lost to #10 Malik Heinselman (Ohio State) | 10-3 |
#21 Real Woods, 141 pounds | 2-2
| Opponent | Result |
|---|---|
| dec. #12 Grant Willits (Oregon State) | 6-3 |
| dec. #5 Dom Demas (Oklahoma) | 3-1 (SV) |
| lost to #4 Tariq Wilson (NC State) | 3-1 |
| lost to #15 Clay Carlson (South Dakota State) | 11-4 |
#8 Jaden Abas, 149 pounds | 5-2 (7th)
| Opponent | Result |
|---|---|
| lost to #25 Yahya Thomas (Northwestern) | 6-2 |
| dec. #24 Luke Nichter (Drexel) | 7-1 |
| dec. #23 Triston Lara (Northern Iowa) | 4-1 |
| dec. #16 PJ Ogunsanya (Army) | 9-2 |
| dec. #12 Max Murin (Iowa) | 2-1 TB-1 |
| lost to #25 Yahya Thomas (Northwestern) | 7-1 |
| dec. #7 Jonathan Millner (Appalachian State) | 5-3 |
#17 Requir van der Merwe, 157 pounds | 2-2
| Opponent | Result |
|---|---|
| dec. #16 Justin McCoy (Virginia) | 3-2 |
| lost to #1 Ryan Deakin (Northwestern) | 4-2 |
| dec. #31 Michael Petite (Buffalo) | 8-4 |
| lost to #7 Jarrett Jacques (Missouri) | 11-3 |
#8 Shane Griffith, 165 pounds | 4-0
| Opponent | Result |
|---|---|
| dec. #25 Justin Tucker (Michigan State) | 5-2 |
| dec. #9 Luke Weber (North Dakota State) | 7-5 |
| dec. #1 Alex Marinessli (Iowa) | 3-1 (SV) |
| dec. #5 Zach Hartman (Bucknell) | 9-2 |
#27 Nick Stemmet, 197 pounds | 0-2
| Opponent | Result |
|---|---|
| lost to #6 Nino Bonaccorsi (Pittsburgh) | 15-2 |
| lost to #22 Chris Kober (Campbell) | 12-7 |
#25 Nathan Traxler, 285 pounds | 3-2
| Opponent | Result |
|---|---|
| lost to #8 Jordan Wood (Lehigh) | 6-1 |
| tech. fall #24 Johnathan Birchmeier (Navy) | 15-0 (5:30) |
| fall #10 Deonte Wilson (NC State) | F1:18 |
| maj. dec. #15 Carter Isley (Northern Iowa) | 10-0 |
| lost to #4 Cohlton Schultz (Arizona State) | F0:44 |