Academic All-Big 12 Wrestling First Team (2022-23)
2022-23: Capped his collegiate career by once again qualifying for the NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships ... ended the season with a 22-8 overall record, including a 14-1 mark in duals ... won each of his first four matches by fall and tallied nine pins on the season ... was co-champion of heavyweight division at the Daktronics Open (11/20) ... went 3-3 to place sixth at the Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational, including notching a win over top-ranked Cohlton Schultz of Arizona State in the quarterfinals (12/2-3) ... reeled off nine consecutive dual victories before suffering lone dual loss of the season at the hands of Air Force's Wyatt Hendrickson ... placed sixth at the Big 12 Wrestling Championship (3/4-5) and closed out postseason competition with a 2-2 mark at the national meet
2021-22: Made an immediate impact in the Jackrabbit lineup, compiling a 28-13 overall record at heavyweight that included a 14-3 mark in duals ... was nationally ranked for most of the season ... began campaign with a runner-up finish at the Bison Open by turning in a 3-1 record (11/13) ... placed sixth at the Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational with a 4-3 record over two days (12/3-4) ... won all three of his dual matches in a quadrangular hosted by Northern Illinois (12/18) ... kicked off a six-match winning streak with a 4-3 decision in dual action against Northern Iowa's Tyrell Gordon (1/9) ... capped dual win over ninth-ranked Missouri with a 2-0 decision over nationally ranked Zach Elam (1/22) ... had another six-match winning streak end in the semifinals of the Big 12 Wrestling Championship ... placed fifth at the conference meet with a 3-2 record over two days (3/5-6) ... notched a 1-2 record at the NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships in Detroit
BEFORE SDSU: A.J. transferred to South Dakota State after earning two trips to the NCAA Championships while wrestling at Fresno State ... reached the Big 12 Conference finals twice in the heavyweight division ... posted a team-high 28 victories as a freshman during the 2017-18 season and added 24 wins during his sophomore season compiled a 30-6 career record in duals at Fresno State ... redshirted during the 2019-20 season and sat out during the 2020-21 campaign ... originally committed to Penn State ... in high school, won the 2016 CIF state championship at 220 pounds ... his two older brothers, Zach (Stanford) and Nick (Penn State), both wrestled collegiately, while his younger brother, Seth, has wrestled and played football at Penn State