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.
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.
“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.”
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.
“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!”
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
“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.”
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.
“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!”
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
