Ryan Crookham has officially entered the NCAA transfer portal as a graduate student, ending his time at Lehigh University. His time at the university was marked by high-level success as well as repeated injury setbacks.
Crookham emerged as one of the top wrestlers of the university during the 2023-24 season, as he competed in the 133-pound weight category and secured a dominant record of 23-1. He secured a third-place finish in the 2024 NCAA Championships to earn All-American honors. However, his journey was disrupted by injuries. He was sidelined in the 2024-25 season after suffering an elbow injury.
The athlete returned to the mat for a while but faced another setback in early 2026. His final appearance came at the Bloomsburg Open, where he was forced to withdraw due to yet another injury. It later required surgery, ruling him out of the remainder of the season and the NCAA Championships. However, he is now ready to compete as a graduate student.
Crookham is gearing up to join another program and make use of his remaining two-year eligibility. FloWrestling shared this news on X, revealing details of his eligibility and him entering the transfer portal. Posting a picture of him, they wrote:
“Ryan Crookham has officially entered the transfer portal as a graduate student. The 2024 All-American has 2 years of eligibility remaining.”
When Ryan Crookham Opened Up About His Performance at the 2024 NCAA Wrestling Championships
Ryan Crookham entered the 2024 NCAA Wrestling Championships as the top seed in the 133-pound category. He delivered a strong performance in the quarterfinals, where he bested Nasir Bailey with a 4-2 win, securing his place in the semifinals. However, he could not reach the finals after losing to Cornell’s Vito Arujau, who claimed a 13-3 major decision.
The Lehigh wrestler bounced back from the semifinal loss to win consecutive matches in the consolation bracket, ultimately securing third place. He then addressed the media, opening up about his performance, saying he was heartbroken after the loss.
“After that semi-final loss you know it was pretty heartbreaking it was a little bit hard to get motivated but you know I just thought shows a lot of character if you come back and take third and like I didn’t think I’d represent my family my school anyone really that well in the semis you know what I mean he (Vito) kind of put it on me he’s a good wrestler and I just wanted to come back today and show you guys that you know that wasn’t really a good representation of myself and you know hats off to him I mean he wrestled great you know what I mean and he’s probably going to do well in the finals,” said Ryan Crookham.
Also read:
Nebraska Volleyball Ends 2nd Straight Transfer Portal with Zero Exits As Sigler, Hunter Return
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