The 285-pound field continues to feature high-level wrestlers with high-level credentials. Six of eight All-Americans from the 2024 NCAA Championships return this season.

No heavyweight class compares to 2022. That field included six wrestlers with age-level World titles and three others with silvers. And, of course, 2020 Olympic gold medalist Gable Steveson.

Six age-level World champions and two silver medalists could compete at heavyweight this season.

Penn State’s Greg Kerkvliet, Oklahoma State’s Wyatt Hendrickson, and Arizona State’s Cohlton Schultz were part of that iconic 2022 group that will vie for the 2025 title during their senior seasons. 

All three are age-level World champions and have placed in the top three at the NCAA tournament.

North Carolina State’s Isaac Trumble moves into the 285-pound field following an Olympic redshirt and three seasons at 197 pounds. He reached the 97-kg (214 lbs) best-of-three finals at the 2024 Olympic Trials, falling to four-time World and Olympic champion Kyle Snyder. 

Iowa’s Ben Kueter will focus solely on wrestling this season following a true freshman campaign that saw him play football in the spring. The 2022 U20 World champion went 2-1 in varsity duals for the Hawkeyes, falling only to NCAA champion Greg Kerkvliet. 

Iowa State’s Yonger Bastida was undefeated entering the 2024 NCAA Championships but went 2-2 and didn’t place. The Kueter-Bastida showdown will be among the highlight matches of the season.

Ohio State’s Nick Feldman returns for his sophomore campaign after finishing fifth at the NCAA Championships. He fell to Kerkvliet, 1-0, in the quarterfinals before wrestling back for All-American honors as a freshman. 

Weight Class Previews

125 | 133 | 141 | 149 | 157| 165 | 174 | 184 | 197 | 285

Returning 2024 All-Americans

Greg Kervliet, SR (Penn State) — 1st
Wyatt Hendrickson, SR (Oklahoma State) — 3rd
Nick Feldman, SO (Ohio State) — 5th
Cohlton Schultz, SR (Arizona State) — 6th
Yaraslau Slavikouski, SR (Rutgers) — 7th
Taye Ghadiali, SR (Campbell) — 8th

Past All-Americans

Yonger Bastida, SR (Iowa State) — 5th in 2022 at 197

Key Departures

Lucas Davison (Michigan) — 3x All-American (2nd-5th-6th)
Zach Elam (Missouri) — 2x All-American (4th-6th)
Lewis Fernandes (Cornell) — R12 in 2022
Grady Griess (Navy) — 2x National Qualifier

Entering From Redshirt

Ben Kueter, FR (Iowa)
Braxton Amos, JR (Wisconsin)
Isaac Trumble, JR (NC State)
Jim Mullen, FR (Virginia Tech)
Jacob Bullock, SR (Indiana)

Heavyweights With World Championship Experience

The Favorite: Greg Kerkvliet (Penn State)

Kerkvliet is the overwhelming favorite to repeat as champion — and he should be. He went 20-0 last season with two falls, four techs, and eight major decisions. Besides the 1-0 win over Feldman, no wrestler came within five points of Kerkvliet all season. And that doesn’t include his 18-2 exhibition win over Hendrickson at the NWCA All-Star Classic.

The Inver Grove Heights, Minnesota, native has consistently improved, finishing seventh at nationals as a freshman, fourth as a sophomore, and second as a junior. Kervliet has made three age-level World teams, winning 2017 Cadet gold and 2018 silver. 

The Nittany Lion star is a three-position wrestler with the tools to repeat. Another NCAA title puts him in the conversation with Kerry McCoy as the greatest heavyweight in program history. McCoy won NCAA championships in 1994 and 1997 and only dropped one match during his final three seasons. 

Watch highlights from Kerkvliet's 2024 NCAA finals match

The Contenders

Wyatt Hendrickson (Oklahoma State)
Nick Feldman (Ohio State)
Cohlton Schultz (Arizona State)
Isaac Trumble (NC State)
Ben Kueter (Iowa)
Yonger Bastida (Iowa State)

Hendrickson transferred from Air Force to Oklahoma State to complete his final year of eligibility. Service academies are only allowed four seasons to compete so the former Falcon star will be a Cowboy for his COVID year.

The Newton, Kansas, native is arguably the greatest wrestler the Air Force Academy has produced. He finished third at the 2023 and 2024 NCAA Championships — becoming one of nine All-Americans and the first since 2003 — and is a U23 World champion.

In 2023, Hendrickson won five national tournament matches by bonus points (3 falls and 2 major decisions), leading Air Force to a tie for 18th with Oklahoma State — a team with 34 NCAA titles. 

Hendrickson was 27-2 last season with 18 falls. He fell in the Big 12 finals to Bastida, 10-7, and to Michigan’s Lucas Davison in the NCAA championship semifinals, 13-7. Now that he’s a Cowboy, he’ll get multiple shots at Bastida throughout the season. 

Watch highlights from Wyatt Hendrickson's third-place match at the 2024 NCAA Championships

Feldman brings a unique style and skillset to the 285-pound class. He is shorter and smaller than his opponents, making him difficult to gameplan. He was 29-7 last season, falling three times to Kerkvliet and once to Hendrickson. His biggest wins were an 8-6 victory at the Big Ten Championships over Michigan’s eventual national finalist Lucas Davison and an 11-4 win over Schultz. 

Schultz is a Greco-Roman specialist, who finished fourth, second, seventh, and sixth at the past four NCAA Championships. He was 12-4 last season, falling to Bastida in a dual before three national tournament losses. 

Kueter only has three college matches under his belt but a full-time focus on wrestling should make a difference this season. He won the 2022 U20 World Championships before securing silver earlier this year. His ceiling is high. 

Trumble didn’t reach the national podium in 2022 and 2023 at 197, but he’s a title contender at 285. He was a 2023 U23 World Champion at 97 kg, reaching the best-of-three finals at the Olympic Trials. The Springfield, Nebraska, native won the 2023 Midlands Championships at heavyweight with three falls and a major decision. 

Bastida entered the 2024 NCAA Championships seeded second but lost in the quarters to Davison and in the Round of 12 to Slavikouski. The Cuban star was a two-time age-level World medalist trending upward all season. He notched wins over Hendrickson, Elam, Schultz, Davison, and Feldman but went 2-2 at nationals. 

Watch highlights from Ben Kueter's 2022 U20 World Championship gold medal final

All-American Threats

Yaraslau Slavikouski (Rutgers)
Taye Ghadiali (Campbell)
Jim Mullen or Hunter Catka (Virginia Tech)
Nathan Taylor (Lehigh)
Braxton Amos (Wisconsin)

Slavikouski and Ghadiali reached the podium last season but the field got tougher with the addition of Trumble, Kueter, and Amos. The timeline for Amos’s return following a medical redshirt is unknown, but the former 197-pounder will compete at heavyweight this season if he does. Amos is a three-style star who twice qualified for the NCAA Championships and has age-level World medals in freestyle and Greco. 

Virginia Tech has two quality options that could reach the podium. Catka is a three-time national qualifier, reaching the Round of 12 at the 2024 NCAA Championships. He’ll get challenged by Mullen — a 2021 Cadet World silver medalist — for the spot. Catka defeated Mullen, 4-1, at the Keystone Classic on November 19, 2023. 

Taylor reached the Round of 12 at the 2024 NCAA Championships, falling to Schultz and Ghadiali in sudden victory. Two of his five losses on the season were to Kekvliet. 

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Braxton Amos won the 2021 Freestyle World Championships

Sleepers and Dark Horses

Luke Luffman (Illinois)
Dayton Pitzer (Pittsburgh)

Don’t sleep on Luffman. He is a two-time national qualifier who went 8-3 during his redshirt year, with one-point losses to Trumble and Elam. Pitzer has wins over Luffman and Taylor, and he typically keeps matches close. He’s someone to keep an eye on as the season progresses.

Pre-season 285-pound Predictions

1. Greg Kerkvliet (Penn State)
2. Wyatt Hendrickson (Oklahoma State)
3. Nick Feldman (Ohio State)
4. Ben Kueter (Iowa)
5. Isaac Trumble (NC State)
6. Cohlton Schultz (Arizona State)
7. Yonger Bastida (Iowa State)
8. Yaraslau Slavikouski (Rutgers)