MJ Gaitan

Photo by: Jeff Spaur

Photo by: Jeff Spaur

Weight:
174
Class:
Junior
Hometown:
Temecula, Calif.
High School:
Temecula Valley

YEAR	WEIGHT	RECORD	DUAL RECORD	FALLS	TECH FALLS	MAJOR DECISIONS	^TAKEDOWNS FOR (AGAINST)	BIG 12 FINISH	NCAA FINISH
*2022-23	174	4-4	2-3	1	0	1	N/A	-	-
2023-24	174	22-9	13-2	10	1	4	53 (28)	4th	R12
2024-25	165/174	17-11	4-6	5	1	3	27 (23)	3rd	R24
2025-26	174	10-2	5-0	3	2	3	30 (5)	-	-
CAREER	-	53-26	24-11	19	4	11	110 (56)	-	-

*Redshirted (Record includes only attached matches from season)
^Takedown tally does not include open tournaments

Awards & Accomplishments
2x NCAA Qualifier (2024, ‘25)
2025 Big 12 Championship (Third Place)
2024 Big 12 Championship (Fourth Place)
Big 12 Commissioner's Honor Roll (F24)
Big 12 Wrestler of the Week (12/3/25)

2024-25
2025 NCAA Qualifier … posted a 17-11 record in a roller coaster season battling injury and changing weight classes … began the season at 165 pounds before moving back to 174 after the New Year … registered nine bonus-point victories (five falls, one tech fall, three major decisions) … upset the No. 10 seed, Central Michigan’s Alex Cramer, in the First Round at the NCAA Championships … earned an automatic berth to the NCAA Championships thanks to a third-place finish at the Big 12 Championships as the No. 7 seed … after a quarterfinal loss at the Big 12 Championship, won four-in-a-row on the back side, including two against top-15 opponents, to punch his ticket to the national tournament … trailed SDSU’s No. 7 Cade DeVos, 9-0, late at the 2025 Big 12 Championship but used a timely headlock to pull out a victory ... defeated Oklahoma’s No. 8 Gaven Sax, 7-2, which was the highest ranked win of his career at the time … finished the season with seven ranked wins, including three top-10 victories … tallied 27 takedowns and allowed 23.

2023-24
2024 NCAA Qualifier … registered a 22-9 record in his redshirt freshman season … won 15 matches with bonus points (10 falls, one tech fall, four major decisions) … 10 pins were the most on the team and tied for the 17^th-most nationally … hit his stride late in the year, winning 16 of his final 20 matches, including 10 consecutive victories to close the regular season … scored 4.5 points and advanced to the Round of 12 at the NCAA Championships … lost his first match at the national tournament before winning three-straight bouts on the back side, including a pin and major decision … eventually fell in the blood round to Illinois’ No. 3 Edmond Ruth, 8-6, in the blood round … placed fourth at the Big 12 Championship … defeated Missouri’s No. 10 Peyton Mocco by major decision, 13-5, in the conference tournament … finished eighth at the Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational … recorded a 13-2 dual record … one of two Cyclones to not miss a dual … registered 53 takedowns and allowed 28.

2022-23
Took advantage of the NCAA’s new redshirt rule which allows freshmen to wrestle on up to five countable dates and maintain their redshirt status … compiled a 6-4 overall record, including 4-4 in countable matches, during his redshirt season … made Cyclone debut against Little Rock in the first dual of the season … while trailing, pinned Triston Wills in his first match in 5:27 … won a pivotal match against No. 24 Lance Runyon in the dual against Northern Iowa … trailed Runyon but scored two takedowns and four near fall in the final period to secure the win … placed first at the North Country Open and Second at the Last Chance Open.

High School
Four-year varsity wrestler for Temecula Valley … rated as the top 160-pound wrestler in the country and 35th overall … ranked fourth at 160 pounds by FloWrestling … 2022 California State Champion at 160 pounds … went 5-0 at the state tournament, including a pair of falls … also a Super 32 Champion and 2021 Junior Greco National Champion … silver medalist at U20 Pan-American Championships.

Personal
Majoring in Kinesiology.