2019 Freshman of the Year and All-Freshman Team

The d3wrestle.com Freshman of the Year award is given to the top Division III wrestler who competed in high school in the previous season. The 2019 d3wrestle.com Freshman of the Year is Antonio McCloud of Mount St. Joseph. McCloud came to the Lions from Cincinnati’s Elder High School where he was coached by former Mount St. Joseph All-American Jason Roush. McCloud won the 2018 Ohio Division I championship at 220 lbs. before heading to Mount St. Joseph this season.

McCloud finished 8th at 197 lbs. in the 2019 NCAA Championships, giving the Lions their first All-American since 2014 and first for new head coach Charles Mason. In addition to his All-American Award, McCloud was the Central Region champion, and he won the Patriot Open, Trine Invitational, and Waynesburg Invitational while finishing second at the Spartan Mat Classic and sixth at the Pete Willson Wheaton Invitational. He finished the year with a 29-6 record with all six losses to All-Americans or NCAA qualifiers. He is the first Mount St. Joseph wrestler to win the award and the fourth winner from a team currently in the Central Region.

The 2018-2019 d3wrestle.com All-Freshman team is listed below. The team is made up of wrestlers who are listed on their respective rosters with freshman eligibility and placed in the top eight at the 2019 NCAA Championships. Please leave a comment if any other 2019 All-Americans belong on this list.

125 Carlos Champagne, Wabash, 7th
125 Eron Haynes, Nebraska Wesleyan, 8th
133 Levi Englman, Ferrum, 7th
141 Brady Fritz, Wartburg, 6th
174 Ben Sarasin, Chicago, 7th
197 Antonio McCloud, Mount St. Joseph, 8th

Previous Freshman of the Year Winners
2018 – Brett Kaliner, Stevens
2017 – Troy Stanich, Stevens
2016 – Angus Arthur, Adrian
2015 – Matthew Grossmann, Wilkes
2014 – Riley Lefever, Wabash
2013 – Josh Thomson, Messiah
2012 – Nate Giorgio, Coast Guard
2011 – Chris Burdge, Centenary
2010 – Kyle Kwiat, Ohio Northern