NHSCA Performance Analysis
Analyzing North Carolina's performance in producing All-American wrestlers
North Carolina NHSCA Performance 2025
24
Total All-Americans
#5
National Ranking
Out of 46 states
60%
Growth from 2024
North Carolina's National Standing
2025 NHSCA Nationals Team Performance
Senior Division
1st Place Nationally
Led nation with 9 All-Americans
- 3 third-place finishers
- 2 fourth-place finishers
- 4 additional All-Americans
Sophomore Division
3rd Place Nationally
6 All-Americans
- 1 sixth-place finisher
- 3 seventh-place finishers
- 2 eighth-place finishers
- 3 returning All-Americans from 2024
Junior Division
13th Place Nationally
2 All-Americans
- 1 national finalist (2nd place)
- 1 third-place finisher
- Multiple wins over nationally ranked opponents
Freshman Division
5th Place Nationally
7 All-Americans
- 1 fourth-place finisher
- 1 fifth-place finisher
- 1 sixth-place finisher
- 1 seventh-place finisher
- 3 eighth-place finishers
Historic Achievement
24 Total All-Americans
Highest combined total in state history
60% increase from 2024 performance
7
Freshman
6
Sophomore
2
Junior
9
Senior
2025 NHSCA Nationals Update
Latest results from the 2025 NHSCA National Championships
2025 NHSCA Nationals Summary
24 AA
Total All-Americans
60% increase from 2024 performance
1
National Finalist
Lorenzo Alston in Junior Division
73%
Bonus Point Wins
Pins, tech falls, and major decisions
Multi-Time All-Americans
- Lorenzo Alston - 3x All-American (2023, 2024, 2025)
- Keyshon Morrison - 2x All-American (2024, 2025)
- Jack Harty - 2x All-American (2024, 2025)
- Cooper Foster - 2x All-American (2024, 2025)
- Liam Hickey - 2x All-American (2024, 2025)
- Hayden Haynes - 2x All-American (2024, 2025)
- Bentley Sly - 2x All-American (2024, 2025)
College Commitments
- NC State - Lorenzo Alston
- Appalachian State - Cooper Foster, Colt Campbell, Hayden Haynes
- UNC - Liam Hickey
- Gardner-Webb - Everest Ouellette
Freshman
7
All-Americans
4th Place:
1
5th Place:
1
6th Place:
1
7th Place:
1
8th Place:
3
Sophomore
6
All-Americans
6th Place:
1
7th Place:
3
8th Place:
2
Returning AAs:
3
Junior
2
All-Americans
2nd Place:
1
3rd Place:
1
Nationally Ranked Wins:
3
Returning AAs:
2
Senior
9
All-Americans
3rd Place:
3
4th Place:
2
5th Place:
1
6th Place:
2
8th Place:
1
College Commits:
6
Top Performing Clubs
Raleigh Area Wrestling
Darkhorse
Combat
K-Vegas
NC Pride
Mount Airy Wrestling Club
Wrestling Warehouse
Spartan Elite
Dogtown
OBX Wrestling Factory
No Club
0
2
4
6
8
Top Performing High Schools
Cardinal Gibbons
Hickory Ridge
Lumberton High School
Mount Airy High School
Northwest Guilford HS
Pinecrest High School
New Bern High School
Watauga High School
Lake Norman
Green Hope
Northern Guilford
Asheboro
Stuart Cramer
Avery County
First Flight
McDowell
North Guilford
Hough
Seventy-First
Wakefield HS
Blowing Rock
Northeast Guilford High School
0
2
4
6
8
National Comparison
How North Carolina compares to other states at the 2025 NHSCA Nationals
2025 NHSCA All-Americans by State (All Divisions)
PA
NY
NJ
VA
NC★
GA
OH
FL
CA
KS
AZ
MO
UT
MA
AL
0
12
23
35
46
Freshman
Sophomore
Junior
Senior
Key Observations
- Pennsylvania leads all states with 46 total All-Americans, with exceptional strength in the Freshman (17), Sophomore (13), and Junior (13) divisions
- New Jersey (26) and Virginia (26) tie for third place, with Virginia showing remarkable strength in the Junior division (11)
- New York (29) ranks second, followed by North Carolina (24) in fifth place
- North Carolina led the nation in Senior division All-Americans (9), while Pennsylvania led the Junior division (13)
- Pennsylvania dominated both the Freshman (17) and Sophomore (13) divisions
Top Performers by Division
North Carolina's standout wrestlers at 2025 NHSCA Nationals
Senior Division Rankings
North Carolina led the nation with 9 Senior All-Americans in 2025
1. Cooper Foster (113 lbs)- Avery County / Dogtown
3rd Place5-1 RecordSeed: 5
Appalachian State
Appalachian StateNotable Wins:
- Defeated #3, #4, and #8 seeds
Ranking Note: Only loss was 10-9 to #1 seed and nationally ranked #18 Oumar Tounkara (Flo)
Previous: 3rd Place Junior in 2024
2. Colt Campbell (170 lbs)- Hickory Ridge / Combat
3rd Place6-1 RecordSeed: 7Appalachian State
Appalachian StateNotable Wins:
- Defeated #2, #4, and #17 seeds
Ranking Note: Only loss to #3 seed and nationally ranked #19 Elliott Humphries (Flo)
3. Everest Ouellette (285 lbs)- First Flight / OBX Wrestling Factory
3rd Place7-1 RecordSeed: UnseededGardner-Webb
Gardner-WebbNotable Wins:
- Most seeded wins (4) of any NC senior
- Beat #2, #5, #6, and #7 seeds
4. Liam Hickey (126 lbs)- Cardinal Gibbons / Raleigh Area Wrestling
4th Place6-2 RecordSeed: 4UNC
UNCNotable Wins:
- Defeated #6 and #7 seeds
Ranking Note: Lost 1-0 to #17 nationally ranked Colin Martin (Flo/SI #19) in 3rd-place match
Previous: 8th Place in 2024
5. Hayden Haynes (220 lbs)- McDowell / Combat
4th Place6-2 RecordSeed: 4Appalachian State
Appalachian StateNotable Wins:
- Defeated #8 seed
- Fought back with 5 straight wins to make the podium
Previous: 8th Place in 2024
Note: Lost early in the round of 16 via highly questionable disqualification
6. Nathan Mccartney (160 lbs)
5th Place5-2 RecordSeed: 16
Notable Wins:
- Defeated #7 and #9 seeds
Note: Biggest seed-to-placement leap among NC seniors
7. Jose Flores (220 lbs)- Hough / Darkhorse
6th Place4-3 RecordSeed: Unseeded
Notable Wins:
- Defeated #5 seed Myron Mendez in Round of 16
Note: Reached semifinals as an unseeded wrestler
8. Damien Couture (285 lbs)- Hickory Ridge / Darkhorse
6th Place3-1 RecordSeed: 6Ohio University
Ohio UniversityNotable Wins:
- Reached semifinals
Note: Medical forfeited last two matches, including bout vs. teammate Everest
9. Michael Vazquez (285 lbs)
8th Place6-2 RecordSeed: Unseeded
Notable Wins:
- Defeated #4 seed Sebastian Rivera (NC)
Note: Became one of three NC seniors to reach the podium at 285
2025 All-Americans
Complete list of North Carolina's 2025 NHSCA All-Americans
2025 NC All-Americans
37 Total Seeded Wins
| Name | Division | Weight | Placement | Record | Seed | School/Club | College |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cooper Foster | Senior | 113 lbs | 3rd Place | 5-1 | #5 | HS: Avery CountyClub: Dogtown | Appalachian State |
| Colt Campbell | Senior | 170 lbs | 3rd Place | 6-1 | #7 | HS: Hickory RidgeClub: Combat | Appalachian State |
| Everest Ouellette | Senior | 285 lbs | 3rd Place | 7-1 | Unseeded | HS: First FlightClub: OBX Wrestling Factory | Gardner-Webb |
| Liam Hickey | Senior | 126 lbs | 4th Place | 6-2 | #4 | HS: Cardinal GibbonsClub: Raleigh Area Wrestling | UNC |
| Hayden Haynes | Senior | 220 lbs | 4th Place | 6-2 | #4 | HS: McDowellClub: Combat | Appalachian State |
| Nathan Mccartney | Senior | 160 lbs | 5th Place | 5-2 | #16 | HS: North Guilford | - |
| Jose Flores | Senior | 220 lbs | 6th Place | 4-3 | Unseeded | HS: HoughClub: Darkhorse | - |
| Damien Couture | Senior | 285 lbs | 6th Place | 3-1 | #6 | HS: Hickory RidgeClub: Darkhorse | Ohio University |
| Michael Vazquez | Senior | 285 lbs | 8th Place | 6-2 | Unseeded | HS: Seventy-First | - |
| Lorenzo Alston | Junior | 145 lbs | 2nd Place | 7-1 | #2 | HS: Uwharrie Charter HSClub: Raleigh Area Wrestling/K-Vegas | NC State |
| Bentley Sly | Junior | 138 lbs | 3rd Place | 7-1 | #6 | HS: Stuart Cramer High SchoolClub: Darkhorse Wrestling | - |
| Tobin McNair | Sophomore | 152 lbs | 6th Place | 4-2 | Unseeded | HS: Raleigh | - |
| Keyshon Morrison | Sophomore | 220 lbs | 7th Place | 6-2 | #6 | HS: Lake Norman | - |
| Jack Harty | Sophomore | 182 lbs | 7th Place | 5-2 | #4 | HS: Northern Guilford | - |
| Gavin Lopez | Sophomore | 195 lbs | 7th Place | 4-2 | Unseeded | HS: Green Hope | - |
| Aidan Plemons | Sophomore | 195 lbs | 8th Place | 3-3 | Unseeded | HS: Blowing Rock | - |
| Antonio Escobar | Sophomore | 285 lbs | 8th Place | 4-3 | Unseeded | - | |
| Aaron Ellison | Freshman | 138 lbs | 4th Place | 5-2 | Unseeded | HS: Lumberton High SchoolClub: NC Pride | - |
| Aaron Ruiz-Angel | Freshman | 220 lbs | 5th Place | 4-2 | #5 | - | |
| Ryan Thompson | Freshman | 170 lbs | 6th Place | 4-3 | #4 | HS: Cardinal Gibbons High SchoolClub: Raleigh Area Wrestling | - |
| Connor Reece | Freshman | 132 lbs | 7th Place | 5-2 | #9 | HS: Northwest Guilford HSClub: K-Vegas Wrestling | - |
| Mitchell Rowland | Freshman | 132 lbs | 8th Place | 5-3 | #4 | HS: Pinecrest HSClub: Combat | - |
| Jacob Perry | Freshman | 152 lbs | 8th Place | 6-3 | Unseeded | HS: New Bern HSClub: Wrestling Warehouse | - |
| Coy Greer | Freshman | 160 lbs | 8th Place | 4-3 | #13 | HS: WataugaClub: Darkhorse | - |
Historical Performance Analysis
Long-term analysis of North Carolina's performance at NHSCA Nationals
North Carolina Wrestling Historical Analysis (1990-2025)
Key Observations
- 2025 marks a historic high with 24 total All-Americans
- Senior division had its best performance ever with 9 All-Americans in 2025
- Freshman division had its second-best showing with 7 All-Americans in 2025
- Prior to 2025, the highest total was 23 All-Americans in 2013
- 60% increase from 2024 (15 All-Americans) to 2025 (24 All-Americans)
- The program has shown consistent growth since 2017
NC Wrestling Legacy
Celebrating North Carolina's 318 All-Americans since 1990