EVANSTON, Ill. – Two-time All-American Chris Cannon will return to Northwestern University to wrestle with the Wildcats this upcoming 2024-25 season, head coach Matt Storniolo announced on Wednesday.
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Cannon, a three-time NCAA qualifier who wrestled with the Wildcats from 2019-2023, returns to Evanston after spending the previous season at the University of Michigan.
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"I cannot overstate how trilled we are to welcome Chris back to Evanston," Storniolo commented. "I believe his return to Northwestern speaks volumes to just how special it is to be a member of the Wildcat Wrestling family, as well as a student-athlete at Northwestern. I am proud of the way Chris handled what must've been an extremely difficult situation to navigate. He is setting a great example for his teammates as one of the future leaders of our program and I am excited to continue helping Chris grow as both a competitor and a young man."
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During his four seasons in Evanston, Cannon compiled a 71-23 record wrestling with the Wildcats, placing seventh in the NCAA Championships in back-to-back years (2021, 2022) while helping lead Northwestern to consecutive Top-10 team finishes on the national stage.
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"I'm very excited to return to Evanston," Cannon said. "I can't wait to put on the Northwestern colors once again and represent the 'Cats!"
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Cannon originally arrived at Northwestern in the Fall of 2019 after a decorated high school career at Blair Academy. He immediately turned heads wrestling unattached as a true first-year with three tournament wins in the Freshman/Sophomore division and a seventh-place finish at the 2019 Midlands Championships.
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In his first season wrestling as a starter in the Wildcats' lineup in 2021, Cannon posted a 12-4 record at 133 pounds, earning bonus points in nine of his victories, placing fourth in the Big Ten Championship and ultimately securing All-American honors with a seventh-place finish at the 2021 NCAA Championships. It marked the highest finish by a Wildcat in their redshirt first-year campaign since 2018.
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Cannon built off his successful 2021 campaign the following season, securing a fifth-place finish at the 2022 Big Ten Championships while earning the No. 10 national seed in the NCAA Championships. Cannon went 4-2 in the championships to secure a seventh-place national finish for the second year in a row, becoming the first Wildcat to be named an All-American in each of his first two seasons wrestling in the Northwestern lineup since Sebastian Rivera.
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Cannon closed his redshirt junior season with the Wildcats going 20-10 overall, including 7-2 in Big Ten dual action. He matched his career-best finish at the Big Ten Championships, placing fourth with a 4-2 record, en route to punching his third-straight ticket to the NCAA Championships. After transferring to Michigan, Cannon appeared in the Wolverines' 2023-24 dual opener against Columbia before missing the majority of the season due to injury.
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The Oceanport, New Jersey native also wrestled for the United States at the 2021 U23 World Championships, earning a fifth-place finish at 61kg. Cannon previously earned his bachelor's degree from Northwestern in learning and organizational change in 2023. He is a four-time Academic All-Big Ten recipient, as well as an NWCA Scholar All-America honoree.
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Cannon, a three-time NCAA qualifier who wrestled with the Wildcats from 2019-2023, returns to Evanston after spending the previous season at the University of Michigan.
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"I cannot overstate how trilled we are to welcome Chris back to Evanston," Storniolo commented. "I believe his return to Northwestern speaks volumes to just how special it is to be a member of the Wildcat Wrestling family, as well as a student-athlete at Northwestern. I am proud of the way Chris handled what must've been an extremely difficult situation to navigate. He is setting a great example for his teammates as one of the future leaders of our program and I am excited to continue helping Chris grow as both a competitor and a young man."
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During his four seasons in Evanston, Cannon compiled a 71-23 record wrestling with the Wildcats, placing seventh in the NCAA Championships in back-to-back years (2021, 2022) while helping lead Northwestern to consecutive Top-10 team finishes on the national stage.
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"I'm very excited to return to Evanston," Cannon said. "I can't wait to put on the Northwestern colors once again and represent the 'Cats!"
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Cannon originally arrived at Northwestern in the Fall of 2019 after a decorated high school career at Blair Academy. He immediately turned heads wrestling unattached as a true first-year with three tournament wins in the Freshman/Sophomore division and a seventh-place finish at the 2019 Midlands Championships.
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In his first season wrestling as a starter in the Wildcats' lineup in 2021, Cannon posted a 12-4 record at 133 pounds, earning bonus points in nine of his victories, placing fourth in the Big Ten Championship and ultimately securing All-American honors with a seventh-place finish at the 2021 NCAA Championships. It marked the highest finish by a Wildcat in their redshirt first-year campaign since 2018.
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Cannon built off his successful 2021 campaign the following season, securing a fifth-place finish at the 2022 Big Ten Championships while earning the No. 10 national seed in the NCAA Championships. Cannon went 4-2 in the championships to secure a seventh-place national finish for the second year in a row, becoming the first Wildcat to be named an All-American in each of his first two seasons wrestling in the Northwestern lineup since Sebastian Rivera.
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Cannon closed his redshirt junior season with the Wildcats going 20-10 overall, including 7-2 in Big Ten dual action. He matched his career-best finish at the Big Ten Championships, placing fourth with a 4-2 record, en route to punching his third-straight ticket to the NCAA Championships. After transferring to Michigan, Cannon appeared in the Wolverines' 2023-24 dual opener against Columbia before missing the majority of the season due to injury.
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The Oceanport, New Jersey native also wrestled for the United States at the 2021 U23 World Championships, earning a fifth-place finish at 61kg. Cannon previously earned his bachelor's degree from Northwestern in learning and organizational change in 2023. He is a four-time Academic All-Big Ten recipient, as well as an NWCA Scholar All-America honoree.