Wolverines' Recruiting Class of 2023 Ranked No. 2 Nationally
6/16/2023 2:35:00 PM | Wrestling
ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- The University of Michigan wrestling program has landed the nation's No. 2 recruiting class, announced by InterMat on Friday (June 16). Head coach Sean Bormet's eight-man class combined for 20 state titles over their high school careers.
The Wolverines' Class of 2023 signees include Dylan Gilcher (West Bloomfield, Mich.), Amaan Gulacha (Hamilton, Ontario), Caden Horwath (Davison, Mich.), Sergio Lemley (Chesterton, Ind.), Beau Mantanona (Bermuda Dunes, Calif.), Connor Owens (Fenton, Mich.), Zack Ramsey (Las Vegas, Nev.) and Hayden Walters (Central Point, Ore.).
The class includes five individuals listed among the top 35 national recruits by FloWrestling and are ranked among the top 10, including five in the top five, at their respective weight classes.
"We think this is an incredibly special class on and off the mat," said Bormet, "and we think this core group will have a huge impact on our program for the next 4-5 years. It's a big class, which covers a lot of weights, and it's full of talent and success in all three styles -- from numerous state titles to world teams. They wrestle an exciting style and are big point scorers, so our fans will love watching them compete in maize and blue. They're going to fit well into our room, and we can't wait to get them to Ann Arbor."
Ranked as high as No. 2 nationally at 152 pounds and the No. 23 overall recruit by Flowrestling and No. 16 by MatScouts, Gilcher is a four-time Michigan state champion for Detroit Catholic Central High School, most recently winning at 150 pounds after previous titles at 112, 135 and 140 pounds. A three-time Super 32 placewinner, winning the 145-pound title in 2022, Gilcher posted a 140-4 career record and helped DCC to a pair of team state titles. He won double Pan Am gold in 2017, is a Fargo freestyle All-American and a four-time U.S. World Team Trials placewinner, including fourth-place showings at the U20 tournament in 2022 and 2023. He is projected to wrestle at 149 pounds at Michigan.
Gulacha is a three-time Canadian freestyle national champion, winning twice at U20 and once at U17, and will again represent Team Canada at 74kg/163 pounds at the Junior World Championships later this summer. An Ontario provincial champion, Gulacha claimed U20 freestyle bronze at both the 2021 and 2022 Pan American Championships. He will wrestle at 157 or 165 pounds for the Wolverines.
Horwath, who is ranked as high as No. 4 nationally at 126 pounds and the No. 30 overall recruit by Flowrestling and No. 38 by MatScouts, is also a four-time Michigan state champion for Davison High School, winning most recently at 126 pounds this season. His previous titles came at 103, 119 and 125 pounds. He compiled a 130-7 career prep record and contributed to two Davison team state titles. He captured a Super 32 title (2020) and is a two-time Fargo freestyle finalist at 100 and 120 pounds (2019, '22). He likely will wrestle at 125 or 133 pounds for Michigan.
Listed as the nation's No. 2-ranked 132-pound wrestler and No. 16 overall recruit by Flowrestling and No. 11 by MatScouts, Lemley captured four state titles -- three for Mount Carmel High School in Illinois, including the 132-pound crown this past season, and one in Indiana. He moved up one weight class in each of his high school years, going from 113 to 120 to 126 to 132, and posted a 150-7 career record. He won his bout at the prestigious Who's Number One event last September, captured a Super 32 title a month later and was a two-time Ironman placewinner. He was a 2021 USAW Folkstyle Nationals champion and took second in freestyle. Lemley is projected to wrestle at 141 pounds for Michigan.
Mantanona, the nation's top-ranked 152-pounder and No. 14 overall recruit by Flowrestling and No. 7 by MatScouts, captured the California state title at 150 pounds last season and was a two-time state finalist and three-time placewinner for Palm Desert High School. He posted a career prep record of 125-5, earned a pin at the 2022 Who's Number One event and captured titles at Super 32 (2021) and Doc Buchanan (2022, '23). Mantanona was a 2021 U.S. Cadet freestyle world team member (60kg), a two-time Fargo placewinner, including a 2022 finalist, and twice placed at the U.S. World Team Trials. He is projected to wrestle between 157 and 174 pounds for Michigan.
Owens captured a Michigan state title at 160 pounds as a junior (2022) and was a three-time state finalist, finishing second at 165 pounds this past season, and four-time placewinner for Flint Powers Catholic High School. He also won three Saginaw Valley League titles and was a four-time district and regional champion. He posted a 101-13 career prep record, including an 18-0 mark as a junior. He likely will wrestle at 165 or 174 pounds at Michigan.
Ramsey was a two-time Nevada state champion, winning at 145 and 150 pounds as a junior and senior (2022, '23) for The Meadows School. He compiled a career prep record of 51-23, including a 37-9 mark over his last two seasons, and did not allow a takedown as a senior. Off the mat, he was a two-year football starter at center and outside linebacker, earning all-conference honors and contributing to The Meadows School's back-to-back appearances in the Nevada state championship game -- and 2022 Nevada state title. He is projected to wrestle at 149 or 157 pounds at Michigan.
Ranked as high as No. 3 nationally at 220 pounds and as the No. 31 overall recruit by Flowrestling and No. 51 by MatScouts, Walters captured four Oregon state crowns, most recently at 220 pounds for Crater High School after previous titles at 182 (2020) and 195 pounds (2021, '22). The western region winner of the 2023 Dave Schultz High School Excellence Award, he posted a 101-6 career record, captured a Super 32 title (2022) and was a multi-time placewinner at the tournament as well as the Ironman, Reno TOC and Doc Buchanan events. He was a two-time Fargo All-American and twice placed top four at the U.S. U20 World Team Trials (2022, '23). He is projected to wrestle at 197 pounds for the Wolverines.
The Wolverines' top-ranked incoming freshman class joins graduate transfers Chris Cannon, Lucas Davison, Michael DeAugustino and Shane Griffith, who have combined for an NCAA title and 11 All-America honors in their collegiate careers to date, to bring 12 newcomers to the U-M program this fall.
