INDIANAPOLIS -- The NCAA handed out the 2014 NCAA Most Dominant Wrestler Awards, in addition to awards for the most falls and tech falls within Divisions I, II and III at NCAA wrestling championships during the past two weeks. The awards only take into account matches between wrestlers from the same division.
The Most Dominant Wrestler standings are calculated by adding the total number of points awarded through match results and dividing that number by the total number of matches wrestled. Points awarded per match are as follows:
*Fall, forfeit, injury default or DQ = 6 points (-6 points for a loss)
*Tech falls = 5 points (-5 points for a loss)
*Major decision = 4 points (-4 points for a loss)
*Decision = 3 points (-3 points for a loss)
A minimum of 18 matches were required to be eligible for the Most Dominant Wrestler Award. Athletes redshirting the 2014 season were not eligible for any of the awards.
At the NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships at Chesapeake Energy Arena in Oklahoma City, Okla., Penn State’s David Taylor earned the Most Dominant Wrestler Award after finishing the season undefeated (34-0) on the way to the 165-pound national championship. Taylor had three pins and a major decision before shutting out 6-0 Tyler Caldwell of Oklahoma State in the final. Taylor finished the season with an average of 5.0909 points, which was the highest average across all divisions.
Taylor Walsh of Indiana earned the award for most pins in a tight race that came down to time against Bucknell heavyweight Joe Stolfi. Both wrestlers finished the season with 22 pins, but Walsh’s combined time of 65:09 at 157 pounds was 51 seconds faster than Stolfi. Walsh earned a pin against Alex Hudson of Chattanooga in 2:19 in the first round in Oklahoma City to clinch the award.
Ohio State 141-pounder Logan Stieber won his third consecutive national championship in Oklahoma City, in addition to taking the award for most tech falls with 11 in 2013-14, tied for the most across divisions. He earned his 11th tech fall of the season in the second round of the tournament with a 17-1 decision in 4:52 against Anthony Collica of Oklahoma State.
Joey Davis of Notre Dame (Ohio) completed a 39-0 season to win the 174-pound national title and earn the Most Dominant Wrestler Award at the NCAA Division II Wrestling Championships in Cleveland, Ohio. Davis picked up pins in the first two rounds on the way to a season average of 4.4211 as the Falcons claimed the team national championship.
Zachary Bennett of Pittsburgh-Johnstown (197 pounds) and heavyweight Austin Goergen of St. Cloud State both finished the season with 14 pins, but Bennett took the award with a combined time of 28:09, 16 minutes faster than Goergen. Bennett pinned Joe Grisko of Newberry in 1:57 in the first round for his 14th pin of the season.
The Division II awards were rounded out by Lake Erie 133-pounder Austin Gillihan taking the prize for most tech falls with eight, one more than his two closest competitors.
Cedar Rapids, Iowa, hosted the NCAA Division III Wrestling Championships where Wisconsin-Oshkosh 157-pounder Nazar Kulchytskyy earned the Most Dominant Wrestler Award with an even average of five points. He pinned the No. 2 seed, Dimitri Boyer of Coe, in the final for his third national championship to finish with a 42-2 season and 143-5 career record.
The most falls in Division III were also the most across divisions as Augustana (Ill.) 184-pounder Thomas Reyhons took the award with 25 of his 35 wins this season coming via pin.
Wisconsin-Whitewater 197-pounder Shane Siefert tied for the all-division lead as his 11 tech falls took the award in Division III, three more than the next highest total in the division. Siefert finished the season as the runner-up at 197 pounds with a record of 41-5.