2024 NCAA Preview: 285 lbs.
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Returning 2023 All-Americans in Bold
| Northeast 1 | Carl DiGiorgio | Coast Guard |
| Northeast 2 | Reid Garrison | Merchant Marine |
| Northeast 3 | Adolfo Betancur | Johnson & Wales |
| Mideast 1 | Dylan Waller | Elizabethtown |
| Mideast 2 | Peter Wersinger | TCNJ |
| Mideast 3 | Nick Franco | Brockport |
| Southeast 1 | Rayshawn Dixon | Ferrum |
| Southeast 2 | Trent Ragland | Averett |
| Southeast 3 | Caleb Burkhart | Wilkes |
| Central 1 | Doug Byrne | Baldwin Wallace |
| Central 2 | Donovan King | Olivet |
| Central 3 | Mason Slocum | Adrian |
| Lower Midwest 1 | Robby Bates | North Central |
| Lower Midwest 2 | Mitch Williamson | Wartburg |
| Lower Midwest 3 | Walter West | Luther |
| Upper Midwest 1 | Tyler Kim | Augsburg |
| Upper Midwest 2 | Michael Douglas | UW-La Crosse |
| Upper Midwest 3 | Guyon Cyprian | UW-Oshkosh |
Four All-Americans return at this weight and one more is up from 197, but none of them are seeded first here. Rayshawn Dixon has gone undefeated with his signature win a fall over then-#1 Donovan King of Olivet in the finals at Wheaton. He lost an absolute heartbreaker in the round of 12 last year. His coaches challenged for a last second takedown and the third party review occurred, but a radio miscommunication resulted in Dixon having his hand raised just before another official came sprinting to the mat to relay the actual decision that resulted in his opponent winning the match. He hopes for less drama this year.
He will have a strong field to reckon with. Tyler Kim, the 3rd place finisher from last year (4th in 2022) is back, as is King who placed 5th last year and 2nd in 2022. Carl DiGiorgio of Coast Guard defeated Michael Douglas of UW-La Crosse in the 7th place match, and both return. DiGiorgio is also undefeated, and his best wins are over the two other Northeast Qualifiers. Last year’s champion at this weight, Jack Heldt, moved up from 197 the previous year and won the tournament after beating King in the Central Region finals. This year, All-American Doug Byrne moved up from 197 and defeated King in the Central Region finals.
Robby Bates made an unseeded run to the semifinals in the 2022 tournament before finishing 6th. He beat the undefeated top seed in round one and ultimately fell in the semifinals to the the eventual champ (that was later vacated). He did not qualify last year, but he is back in the bracket in 2024 after winning the Lower Midwest region with an overtime fall in the finals. His opponent in that match was Wartburg’s Mitch Williamson, a 2021 NJCAA champion for Iowa Lakes.
Guyon Cyprian entered the regional unseeded with a losing record on the year. He then lost his first match to the 3rd seed. He proceeded to win six matches in a row to claim the final qualifying spot in the Upper Midwest, beating the 3rd seed in their rematch in the consolation semis. He has managed to push his record to 14-11 with that performance.