Menlo College

Jovan Garcia (133) - National Champion

After placing 7th in the National Championship last season, #2 seeded Jovan Garcia was well prepared to take the title in his last ride. A first round bye would send Isaiah Miller (Jamestown) as Garcia's first opponent of the tournament. Jovan built up a hefty lead which would result in a 20-3 tech fall to advance to the quarterfinals. There he would face 10th seed Alex Pena (Wayland Baptist) and totaled up an 11-4 win by decision to make it to the semifinal match. #6 Dominic Chavez (Texas Wesleyan) put up a tough fight in the semis taking a 2-3 lead going into the third period. It was an all-out brawl in the third with Chavez and Garcia each taking one another down and earning escapes. Down by two points with time expiring down to 8 seconds, Jovan found it in him to get the takedown and punch his ticket to the championship rounds. The Championship match was against #4 seeded Thaddeus Long (Life) who took a 1-5 lead before Jovan flipped the script and got a takedown and a near fall. After that the momentum was in the Oaks corner and was able to hold the lead until the very end. Jovan Garcia came to Menlo as a junior transfer and left his mark on the Wrestling program history books as a 2x All-American and 2024 National Champion!