The Open Mat presents awards annually in three categories for each division of college wrestling at the conclusion of the season. Awards are presented for Wrestler of the Year, Freshman of the Year and Coach of the Year.

Wrestler of the Year: Shawn Streck (Central Oklahoma)

Central Oklahoma's Shawn Streck went wire-to-wire without a loss this season in a loaded heavyweight class. The weight class featured returning national champion Darrell Mason of Minnesota State, along with Nebraska-Kearney's Lee Herrington and Glenville State's Jared Campbell, among others. After missing the first month of the season while recovering from shoulder surgery, Streck made his season debut in early December at the Drury Open, where he went 5-0 with bonus-point victories in four of his five wins. One of his bonus-point wins came over 2023 NJCAA national champion Kale Schrader of Northeastern Oklahoma A&M. Two weeks later, Streck won the prestigious Midwest Classic, beating Campbell in the finals, 3-2. He went 9-0 in dual meets this season, with bonus wins in seven of the nine matches. His last dual win came over Herrington, a three-time All-American. After winning the Super Regional IV title over Ouachita Baptist's Johnny Green, Streck entered the NCAA Division II Wrestling Championships as the No. 1 seed. He won four consecutive controlled decisions to earn the title, with his championship victory coming over Campbell, 8-3. His title helped Central Oklahoma capture its first NCAA team title since 2007. Streck started his college wrestling career at Purdue, where was an NCAA Division I national qualifier in 2018. He left for the sport for a few years before coming to UCO in January of 2021. Last season, Streck lost in the NCAA semifinals before defaulting to sixth place due to injury. He finished this season 26-0 and has gone 38-2 over the past two seasons wrestling for the Bronchos.