Joey Novak Earns All-American Status at NCAA Championships

PHILADELPHIA, Pennsylvania (3/21/25) – In the Blood Round, where everything hangs in the balance, Joey Novak stepped up. In a scenario where a win carries All-American recognition and a loss sends one home with nothing but a trip to the NCAA Championships, the University of Wyoming Cowboy seized the moment.

No. 15 Novak upset No. 5 Michael Beard (Lehigh) to earn All-American status on Friday inside the Wells Fargo Center. He backed it up with a win over No. 20 Camden McDanel (Nebraska) and will compete in the consolation semifinals Saturday morning.

“What a stud,” head coach Mark Branch said. “He came out like a beast today. I’ve never seen him wrestle the way he wrestled today. He just looked like he wanted it so bad. He looked powerful, strong and fast. That’s what you want to see. In a big moment, he stepped up and got some massive wins, and that’s what you have to do. He had to beat some studs today.”

And those two aforementioned wins weren’t the only ones for Novak on Friday. He also logged wins over No. 17 Nik Stemmet (Stanford) and No. 9 Zac Braunagel (Illinois). Both of those victories were via pin.

Eddie Neitenbach also competed Friday and went 1-1 to finish his first-career NCAA Championships at 2-2. He defeated No. 20 Nick Fine (Columbia) in the second round of the consolation bracket in sudden victory, 9-6. Neitenbach’s season came to a close in the next round, falling to No. 22 Donnell Washington (Indiana) via technical fall, 19-4.

Day 3 of the NCAA Championships begins at 9 a.m. On Saturday. Novak will take on No. 3 AJ Ferrari (CSU-Bakersfield).

Below is a list of all the Wyoming results from the NCAA Championships.

149: No. 30 Gabe Willochell (0-2)

First Round: No. 3 Shayne Van Ness (Penn State) fall Willochell, 4:12

Consolation Pigtail: Wynton Denkins (Campbell) sudden victory Willochell, 17-14

157: No. 13 Jared Hill (0-2)

First Round: No. 20 Trevor Chumbley (Northwestern) decision Hill, 2-0

Consolation First Round: No. 29 James Harrington (Harvard) fall Hill, 5:46

184: No. 19 Eddie Neitenbach (2-2)

First Round: No. 14 DJ Parker (Oklahoma) major decision Neitenbach, 10-0

Consolation First Round: Neitenbach fall No. 33 TJ McDonnell (Oregon State), 1:08

Consolation Second Round: Neitenbach sudden victory No. 20 Nick Fine (Columbia), 9-6

Consolation Third Round: No. 22 Donnell Washington (Indiana) technical fall Nietenbach, 19-4

197: No. 15 Joey Novak (5-1)

First Round: Novak decision No. 18 Dillon Bechtold (Bucknell), 8-1

Second Round: No. 2 Stephen Buchanan (Iowa) technical fall Novak, 16-1

Consolation Second Round: Novak fall No. 17 Nikolas Stemmet (Stanford), 4:23

Consolation Third Round: Novak fall No. 9 Zac Braunagel (Illinois), 5:31

Blood Round: Novak major decision No. 5 Michael Beard (Lehigh), 13-4

Consolation Quarterfinals: Novak decision No. 20 Camden McDaniel (Nebraska), 4-2

HWT: No. 30 Sam Mitchell (1-2)

First Round: No. 3 Greg Kerkvliet (Penn State) technical fall Mitchell, 15-0

Consolation Pigtail: Mitchell decision No. 33 Stephan Monchery (Appalachian State), 5-0

Consolation First Round: No. 19 Cory Day (Binghamton) fall Mitchell, 5:58