Amateur Wrestling News will present The Hammer, its annual award, to Oklahoma State’s Dean Hamiti.
The award is presented to the wrestler who wins the national title at what the writers at AWN determine to be the most competitive weight class during the NCAA Tournament.
Hamiti won the 174-pound title in Philadelphia by defeating two-time NCAA champion Keegan O’Toole, Missouri, in the finals, and returning champ Levi Haines, Penn State, in the semifinals.
The Cowboy, a transfer from Wisconsin, had never appeared in an NCAA title match before. Hamiti is now a three-time All-American. This was also his fourth year competing. The Cowboy never used his redshirt, nor did he utilize an Olympic redshirt, or benefit from the additional COVID season.
Past Hammer recipients include Logan Stieber, Alex Dieringer, Spencer Lee, Zahid Valencia, Bo Nickal, Nick Lee, Keegan O’Toole, Vito Arujau, and David Carr.
An award is only as prestigious as the quality of those who have previously won it.
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