Is Anthony Ashnault a title contender if he moves up to 149 pounds?

Four-time NJSIAA wrestling champion Anthony Ashnault will be back in the Rutgers lineup next year, the team announced Friday.

All indications are that Ashnault, the only three-time All-American in school history, will move up from 141 pounds to 149 for his final season.

The 149-pound weight class seems to be wide open now that Penn State's 3-time NCAA champion Zain Rutherford has run out of eligibility. Four more of last year's top eight placers were also seniors.

So is Ashnault, who has placed seventh, fourth and sixth at 141 pounds, now the favorite at 149 pounds?

Here is a look at some of the other contenders:

Matt Kolodzik, Princeton

Kolodzik, a Blair Academy product who will be a junior at Princeton next year, beat Ashnault early in the 2016-17 season before losing to him in the NCAA Tournament.

Kolodzik moved to 149 pounds last season and finished finished strong, going from the No. 11 seed to take third at the NCAA Tournament.

Grant Leeth, Missouri

Leeth, who missed multiple seasons with injuries and now wears a neck brace during matches, went 23-2 last season to earn the No. 3 seed at the NCAA Tournament.

After a quarterfinal loss to Kolodzik, Leeth ended up placing sixth at the NCAA Tournament.

Ke-shawn Hayes, Ohio State

Hayes moved up to 149 pounds last season, going 26-5 to earn the No. 5 seed at the NCAA Tournament.

But he went 2-2 in Cleveland, missing the podium by one round.

Austin O'Connor

O'Connor redshirted during his true freshman season last year and went 20-3.

He reportedly beat teammate Troy Heilmann at times during practice, and Heilmann placed fourth at the NCAA Championships as a senior.

Ryan Deakin, Northwestern

Deakin impressed during his redshirt freshman season, going 30-5 to earn the No. 7 seed at the NCAA Tournament.

His run in Cleveland featured three close matches, but he ended up on the wrong side of two of them and missed the podium.

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