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North Carolina's freshman class delivered a historic performance at the 2025 NHSCA Nationals, producing a record-tying seven All-Americans across six weight classes.
The total tied North Carolina for fifth nationally with Florida, behind Pennsylvania, Ohio, New York and New Jersey. It also nearly doubled the state's 20-year freshman average of 3.6 All-Americans.
Seven freshman All-Americans
Aaron Ellison
4th138 lbs · 5–2
Unseeded, Ellison defeated two seeded wrestlers, including a 9–0 quarterfinal major over No. 5 Timmy Boda, and reached the semifinals.
Aaron Ruiz-Angel
5th220 lbs · 4–2
The No. 5 seed twice major-decisioned nationally ranked Cody Alessi and opened his tournament with a 23-second pin.
Ryan Thompson
6th170 lbs · 4–3
Thompson opened with consecutive pins, reached the semifinals and closed with a 21–19 battle in the fifth-place bout.
Connor Reece
7th132 lbs · 5–2
The No. 9 seed recorded a technical fall, upset No. 7 Adrian Day and won the seventh-place bout by fall.
Mitchell Rowland
8th132 lbs · 5–3
Rowland produced consecutive technical falls and a 14–3 major, joining Reece as a second North Carolina placer at 132.
Jacob Perry
8th152 lbs · 6–3
Unseeded, Perry led the North Carolina freshmen in wins and recorded four technical falls, including consecutive 18–0 shutouts.
Coy Greer
8th160 lbs · 4–3
The No. 13 seed reeled off three consecutive consolation bonus-point wins: two technical falls and a 46-second pin.
Bonus-point dominance
Across 33 victories, North Carolina freshmen combined for seven pins, nine technical falls and eight major decisions. Seventy-three percent of their wins earned bonus points—a reflection of pace, offense and a willingness to pursue dominant results.
Historic context and outlook
The seven placers tied North Carolina's single-year freshman record. Their distribution from 132 through 220 pounds showed depth across the lineup, while their work through consolation brackets demonstrated resilience after setbacks.
Combined with six sophomore All-Americans, North Carolina produced 13 placers across the two underclass divisions—matching the state's best NHSCA performance from 2013. With the Class of 2028 only beginning its high school career, the results signaled a strong development pipeline for the years ahead.