Baylor wrestling made a statement on the national stage this past weekend at Lehigh University in Bethlehem, PA as 10 Red Raiders competed in the 92nd National Prep Wrestling Championships, the oldest running high school wrestling tournament in the country.
A school record-tying seven Baylor wrestlers earned National Prep All-American status, and Baylor placed 6th out of 124 teams with qualifying wrestlers. Wrestlers from over 400 prep schools across the country compete to qualify for the field.
Completed brackets and team results can be viewed on FloArena here.
Headlining the Red Raiders was senior Titus Norman (165 lbs.), who became the second wrestler from Tennessee to win the title since TSSAA D-II wrestlers were invited to qualify for the event in 2015. Baylor's Khamari Whimper was the first National Prep champion from Tennessee, earning the title in 2017. Norman becomes Baylor's 11th National Prep champion in school history; in addition to Norman and Whimper, nine Baylor wrestlers won National Prep titles between 1962 and 1970 during the Mid-South conference era.
National Preps tournament history, including all All-Americans since the championship's inception in 1935 can be found here.
After consecutive years of falling one-match short of Prep All-American status after moving up weight classes to help the team's prospects at the state tournament, Norman rose all the way to the top of a 165-pound bracket that featured six wrestlers ranked in the top-20 nationally; Norman himself entered the field as the #12 ranked wrestler in the nation. In the semi-finals, Norman took out Blair Academy's (NJ) #15-ranked Barry Noman in a tight 1-0 match before advancing to the finals, where he used a reversal and set of backpoints to solidify his title victory against Northfield Mount Herman's (MA) #14-ranked Nate Consigli 7-2. Norman will compete for the United States Military Academy this fall.
Highlights of Norman's finals match and his post-match celebration were featured on Flowrestling here.
Joining Norman in the finals was senior teammate Gabe Swann at 120 pounds. Swann, the three seed entering the tournament, defeated the country's 10th ranked wrestler, New York Military Academy's Cooper Merli, 11-2 in the semi-finals on the strength of a third-period barrage of eight points that included a takedown and set of back points in the final 30 seconds. In the finals, Swann fell to Wyoming Seminary's (PA) Wyatt Spencer in an action-packed match that was determined by one 50-50 sequence. This is Swann's second Prep All-American honor after earning 5th last year at 126 lbs. while, like Norman, bumping up a weight for the team. Swann is set to compete for Jordan Leen's (Baylor '04) Brown University Brown Bears this fall.
Five other Red Raiders joined Norman and Swann on the podium, all becoming Prep All-Americans for the first time: Junior Malachi Puckett (138 lbs.) overcame illness to place 4th, becoming the 3rd highest placer from Tennessee in the field. Senior George Emendorfer (144 lbs.) and freshman Riley Alcantar (113 lbs.) earned 6th-place honors. Sophomore Rock Shurrette (215 lbs.) defeated McCallie state champion Cooper Gentile 7-2 in the 7th/8th medal match, and senior Dylan Reel placed 8th place at 190 lbs.
Three other Baylor wrestlers qualified for National Preps as well: Senior Oliver Phillips, who placed 8th at National Preps last year, was one match away from placing in a very deep bracket at 157 lbs. Phillips will compete at the United States Naval Academy next year. Junior Chris Phillips went 2-2 at 126 lbs., and returning 8th-place medalist Triston Mouton (junior, 106 lbs.) contributed a win as well.
Titus Norman, Gabe Swann, Malachi Puckett, George Emendorfer, Dylan Reel, and Oliver Phillips all earned TSSAA D-II state titles the week before National Preps.
2026 National Prep All-Americans
1st - Titus Norman - 165
2nd - Gabe Swann - 113
4th - Malachi Puckett - 138
6th - Riley Alcantar - 113
6th - George Emendorer - 144
7th - Rock Shurette - 215
8th - Dylan Reel - 190
Baylor National Prep Champions
2026 - Titus Norman - 165
2017 - Khamari Whimper - 170
1970 - Al Wilson - 133
1969 - Randy Weinberg - 115
1969 - Rob Healy - 183
1968 - Rob Healy - 183
1967 - Alex Roberts - 141
1967 - John Hannah - HWT
1965 - Lane Headrick - 136
1965 - Chip Healy - HWT
1964 - Chip Healy - 183
1962 - Ralph Trail - 136
1962 - Charles Moore - 183
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