The Ironman is great every year, but this, the 25th edition of the premier event, felt like a particularly deep year even by event standards.

Over 90 of the nation's 240 ranked individuals were in the field, which made for ranked head-to-heads early and often.

Obviously the 14 champs were the biggest stars. But in scouring the brackets there were dozens of really strong performances from the placewinners. Here I'll identify the 10 wrestlers I felt performed above the level of what they previously had.

Consider them "on the rise."

20. Nico Incontrera, Blair Academy, New Jersey (152)

Fourth at 152: it was a good start to the season for Incontrera. His losses were to Dover and Gandara, both nationally ranked.

19. Matt Lackman, Bethlehem Catholic, Pennsylvania (138)

Lackman was fifth at 138. His big win came in the quarters where he blanked #8 Peyton Hall, 7-0.

18. Ashton Habeil, Lake Gibson, Florida (170)

Habeil beat nationally ranked Christian Rodriguez to make consi finals. His two losses were both to Nevan Snodgrass, who finished third at 170.

17. Drew Munch, Wyoming Seminary, Pennsylvania (126)

Sixth at 126: Munch lost to Dylan Ragusin in the quarters before reeling off four straight on the back side, including wins over Devin Murphy and Mosha Schwartz.

16. Anthony D'Alesio, Canfield, Ohio (182)

D'Alesio beat Blair's Peyton Craft and the breakout star of S23, Sam Fisher, to finish fourth at 182. His only two losses were at the hands of #1 Devin Winston.

15. Trent Dooley, Allen, Texas (138)

Fourth at 138, Dooley lost to a top-10 Luke Baughman in the quarters. He then beat both Peyton Hall and Jackson Dean to reach consi finals. 

14. Tim Levine, St. John Bosco, California (113)

With 11 ranked wrestlers in the field, Levine beat #3 Logan Agin just to reach the quarters. He'd go on to beat Colton Drousias and last year's runner-up Ryan Miller to take fourth at 113. Both losses were to Troy Spratley.

13. Frankie Tal-Shahar,  American Heritage, Florida (132)

Tal-Shahar reached the finals in Akron, but he didn't perform great at Fargo or S32. He was great here though, beating two-time Fargo runner-up Ryan Franco and S32 champ D'Emilio. 

12. Gary Steen, Reynolds, Pennsylvania (106) 

Third at 106, Steen beat two nationally ranked wrestlers. His only loss was to Rowan, the champ. Already a state champ as a freshman, Steen looks poised to repeat.

11. Cael Valencia, St. John Bosco, California (145)

Cael continues to get better and better. He beat FloNationals' champ Mike North, Pennsylvania runner-up Caleb Dowling and Illinois champ Trevor Chumbley. In the third-place bout, Cael avenged his only loss, to Fargo Champ Travis Mastrogiovanni.

10. Nathan Dugan, Lake Norman, North Carolina (195)

There may have be no one else I enjoyed watching compete this weekend more than I did Dugan. Like a prize fighter that just keeps coming at you, Dugan battles the whole way. He was fourth at 195, giving #1 AJ Ferrari a battle (9-6) in the semis. The kid has a bright future at Princeton.

9. Sam Dover, St. Edward, Ohio (152)

I put Dover on this list more for the manner in which he wrestled than in the results. He was already a top-10 guy, and the No. 3 seed, so his title isn't surprising. But man, was he aggressive and assertive. And he got the title by beating former S32 champ and #1 Brevin Balmeceda.

8. Chris Rivera, Lake Highland, Florida (138)

How improbable was Rivera making the finals? He only wrestled 132 because his brother Justin, who has better national credentials, dropped to 132. Chris had never had a national placing. He beat #7 Chase Saldate and Fargo third Jackson Dean along the way.

7. Lachlan McNeil, Wyoming Seminary, Pennsylvania (120)

A Canadian who made two World Teams, McNeil is in his first year at Sem. After falling to Pennsylvania state champ Beau Bayless in the quarters, McNeil won four straight, including wins over NHSCA sophomore champ Kysen Terukina and another top-10 guy in Nick Bouzakis to take fourth at 120.

6. Kyle Mosher, South Side, New York  (160)

Fresh off a placing at S32 that earned him his first national ranking, Mosher took third at 160. His only loss was to the champ Connor Brady in the semis and he beat #6 Thayne Lawrence and #3 Dom Mata.

5. Alejandro Herrera, Seneca Valley, Pennsylvania (113) 

Herrera was ranked in the top 5 at the end of last season when he won a state title. But he didn't perform well at 113 at Fargo. Well, he's back in a big way. He beat #8 Dustin Norris and then both of last year's 106 Ironman finalists: Jacob Decatur and Ryan Miller. His only loss was a nail-biter to #1 Richie Figueroa in the finals.

4. Ryan Anderson, Bethlehem Catholic, Pennsylvania (145)

Anderson has spent almost his entire career recognized as a top prospect. So why's he here? Like Dover, it's not because he won, but because he looked like the best version of himself last weekend. He beat Fargo Champ Mastrogiovanni and Super 32 Champ #5 Jaden Abas.

3. John Birchmeier, Broad Run, Virginia (285)

Winning Beast last year let us know Birchmeier was pretty good. How good, we just didn't know. He looked like the real deal this weekend, wrestling overall #1 Cohlton Schultz to a good bout in which he didn't give up a takedown. Birchmeier has officially added his name to the list of the great young crop of heavyweights of last year and this year.

2. Shayne Van Ness, Blair Academy, New Jersey (132)

Fresh off an improbable Super 32 title in what might have been the toughest bracket, Van Ness moves up to 132 after losing the wrestleoff to Michael Colaiocco. And what does he do for his second act? Beats the #1 wrestler (Decatur) and wins another prestigious title in one of the tournament's toughest weights.

1. Reece Witcraft, Broken Arrow, Oklahoma (126)