Northern Colorado's national champion Andrew Alirez enters the NCAA transfer portal 

Northern Colorado’s Andrew Alirez has entered his name in the NCAA transfer portal. The national champion will use his extra year eligibility to land in a different school for the 2024-25 season.

Alirez didn't compete last season in the college competitions to focus on the International and national competitions. He had a year to remember in the Olympic red shirt at the senior level at 65 kg as he won the 2023 Senior Nationals with notable victories over Beau Bartlett, Alec Pantaleo, and Austin De Santo.

The 23-year-old also competed at the 2024 U.S. Wrestling Olympic Team Trials. He reached the semifinals of the 65 kg event with ease but lost a close contest with Nick Lee in a high-scoring match, 11-9.

Andrew Alirez has spent the last five years at Northern Colorado, and will now look for a change of program by making use of his extra year of COVID-19 eligibility. A fan reported the latest update on X (formerly Twitter), which was confirmed by the NIL tracking website On3 later.

The fan wrote:

"Did not see this one coming.,. NCAA Champ Andrew Alirez is in the portal."

Andrew Alirez has a dominating career record of 72-10. He won the 141-pound NCAA Wrestling Championship 2023 with Northern Colorado. While his weight class for the 2024-25 season isn't decided yet, the 23-year-old will likely go ahead with the 141 pounds.

Andrew Alirez weighs in on his career at Northern Colorado

US Olympic Trial: Wrestling

Andrew Alirez made his debut in the 2020-21 season and secured the qualification for the NCAA Championships. He was about to compete with a record of 19-4, but the tournament was canceled later due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The 23-year-old will now use that year at a different college.

Speaking with On3 in an interview, Alirez claimed that he wanted to go to a place where wrestling received a lot of support, and for him, Northern Colorado was that program.

"I wanted to go to a place where wrestling is really supported," Alirez said. "You win a national title here in Greeley, Colorado, and they love you. And I’ve felt that love throughout the community. I came here to get the ball rolling on a program I believed in, and now you’re starting to see it."

When asked about his decision to don the Olympic redshirt last season, Alirez claimed that he believed in his skills to excel on the international stage:

"It’s just my job to do what I’ve got to do, to stay on the path and go get it done."