We're nearly there! Another NCAA season is nigh upon us. 

In this preview we'll tackle all ten weight classes and breakdown all the favorites, contenders, sleepers and more! An NCAA wrestling season preview so large it could fill US Bank Stadium!

But if you're looking for just one particular weight class, we have those previews separated in the links below:

Weight Class Previews: 125 | 141 | 149 | 157 | 165 | 174 | 184 | 197 | 285

And now on to our super mega king kong preview. 

125 Pounds

125 pounds was unlike any other weight last season with 8 different wrestlers ranked in the #1 spot from the beginning to the end of the year. It’s worth noting that 3 of those wrestlers likely won’t be in the field at 125 this year - Drake Ayala, Luke Stanich, and Braeden Davis are either moving up in weight or redshirting. Even with those wrestlers not there, 125 will still be ultra-competitive and has the potential to be just as chaotic this year as last. 

The Favorite

• Richard Figueroa, Arizona State

Richard Figueroa is the returning NCAA champion and should be considered the favorite to win again in 2025 because of the run he went on at the 2024 NCAA Tournament. In consecutive matches, Figueroa took out Ethan Berginc (13-2), Patrick McKee (16-5), Braeden Davis (3-2), Anthony Noto (4-3), and Drake Ayala (7-2) on his way to his NCAA title. 

Despite Figueroa’s incredible NCAA tournament, he had some rocky moments during the regular season suffering losses to Nico Provo (13-8 in overtime), Maximo Renteria (9-5), Troy Spratley (13-5), and Jore Volk (6-4). Because of those losses, Figueroa was only the 8 seed at the NCAA Tournament before making his incredible run to gold. Those losses also point to how close the field was to Figueroa last year and how Figueroa will have to wrestle his best again at the 2025 NCAA Tournament to repeat as NCAA champion.

The Contenders

• Anthony Noto, Lock Haven
• Jore Volk, Wyoming
• Caleb Smith, Nebraska
• Matt Ramos, Purdue
• Tanner Jordan, SD State

In a wildly competitive and chaotic weight class, the above five wrestlers proved to be the most consistent last year and are the main contenders to knock Figueroa off his 125-pound throne. First up is Lock Haven’s Anthony Noto who placed 3rd last year at NCAA’s following up his 4th place finish in 2023. Beyond his finishes at NCAAs, Noto recorded notable victories over Eric Barnett, Caleb Smith, Matt Ramos, and Jakob Camacho last year. However, Noto suffered head-scratching losses last year to Joey Fischer (who didn’t qualify for NCAAs) and Diego Sotelo (went 2-2 at NCAAs). Even though those losses are surprising for a contender, Noto has consistently shown he wrestles his best at the NCAA Tournament and should be right in the mix to win 125 pounds this year.

Wyoming’s Jore Volk punched through at the 2024 NCAA Tournament by finishing 7th place. Volk had several ranked wins last year including victories over Richard Figueroa, Tanner Jordan (2), Caleb Smith (2), Troy Spratley, and Nico Provo. However, like Noto (and every other guy in the weight class), Volk dropped a few matches to lower-ranked wrestlers in including Diego Sotelo, Noah Surtin, and Nico Provo. Volk made some big jumps forward from year 1 to year at Wyoming, and if he continues to improve at the same rate, we could see him climb a little higher on the podium in 2024. 

Like Volk, Caleb Smith had a breakthrough year at 2024 NCAAs when he placed 6th at the NCAA Tournament with notable wins over Michael DeAugustino, Luke Stanich, Stevo Poulin, and Tanner Jordan. Along with those wins at NCAAs, Smith had significant wins during the regular season over Matt Ramos, Troy Spratley, Braeden Davis, and several other ranked guys. While Smith did lose 12 times last season, he was one of the few wrestlers in the weight class who only lost to All-Americans. Smith is capable of defeating anyone in the country on any day and should be a contender at the 2025 NCAA Tournament.

After finishing runner-up at the 2023 NCAA Tournament, Matt Ramos fell just short of All-American honors at 2024 NCAAs when he lost in 4-0 in the round of 12 to Luke Stanich. Despite a disappointing end to the year, Ramos still had a solid regular season with victories over Caleb Smith, Patrick McKee, Eric Barnett, Drake Ayala, and several other highly-ranked wrestlers. Ramos is one of the most complete wrestlers in this weight class and will look to end his career as an NCAA Champion and become Purdue’s fourth-ever NCAA Champ and first since 1992. 

Tanner Jordan is the final wrestler in the contender category and is coming off an 8th-place finish at the 2024 NCAA Tournament. Jordan had an up-and-down season dropping matches to Kysen Terukina, Stevo Poulin, and Noah Surtin, and only took 5th place at the Big 12 Tournament. However, Jordan proved he’s a contender by his performance at the NCAA Tournament with his wins over Troy Spratley, Patrick McKee, and Brett Ungar.

The Next Tier

• Troy Spratley, OK State - #6
• Jackob Camacho, NC State #1 
• Cooper Flynn, Minnesota #5
• Dean Peterson, Rutgers - #4
• Nico Provo, Stanford - #1
• Kysen Terukina, Iowa State - #10
• Stevo Poulin, Northern Colorado #3

The above tier of wrestlers consists of guys who were all ranked in the top 10 at some point of the season last year. In fact, Camacho and Provo climbed up to #1 in the 125-pound rankings last year. All of the guys in this tier were All-American contenders last season and it won’t be a surprise if any of them reach the podium in 2025. Check out the below list to see where each of them peaked in the rankings and each wrestler’s best win of the 2023-24 season.

• Troy Spratley (peaked at #6) - Wins over Tanner Jordan, Richard Figueroa, Luke Stanich, Cooper Flynn, Kysen Terukina, Jakob Camacho
• Jackob Camacho (peaked at #1) - Wins over Matt Ramos, Kysen Terukina, Brett Ungar, Cooper Flynn
• Cooper Flynn (peaked at #5) - Wins over Nico Provo, Noah Surtin, Brett Ungar
• Dean Peterson - Wins over Eddie Ventresca, Patrick McKee, Matt Ramos, Michael DeAugustino
• Nico Provo (peaked #1) - Wins over Matt Ramos, Jore Volk, Kysen Terukina, Brett Ungar, Richard Figueroa 
• Kysen Terukina (peaked at #10) - Wins over Eric Barnett, Stevo Poulin, Tanner Jordan
• Stevo Poulin (peaked at #3) - Wins over Nico Provo, Tanner Jordan, Jore Volk, Noah Surtin

This group really highlights the depth of 125 and how close this group is to the returning All-Americans and title contenders. Any one of this group of seven has the potential to reach the podium and even win an NCAA title. This is unlike any other weight in the country in this respect and we should be prepared for another chaotic year at 125 pounds. 

Sleepers & Landmines

• Luke Lilledahl,  Penn State
• Greg Diakomihalis, Cornell
• Maximo Renteria, Oregon State
• Vinny Kilkeary, Ohio State

The list of sleepers and landmines at 125 pounds could be much longer. Literally every ranked 125-pound wrestler should be considered an All-American contender. However, for the sake of time, I chose to only include 4 wrestlers to highlight in this pre-season preview.

Luke Lilledahl is entering is true freshman year at Penn State and though it’s not official yet, Lilledahl will likely start for the Nittany Lions this year. Lilledahl is coming off a U20 World title and also had notable freestyle wins over NCAA runner-up Brandon Courtney, All-American Liam Cronin, All-American Jore Volk, Daniel DeShazer, Jax Forrest, Vinny Kilkeary, and several other top guys. Lilledahl is as ready to go as any true freshman and is an immediate title contender for the Nittany Lions.

Greg Diakomihalis is slated to start this year for Cornell after being stuck behind Brett Ungar for the last 3 years. Ungar is now up at 133 pounds and Diakomihalis had solid results last year suggesting he could be an All-American contender this season. Diakomihals went 16-3 last year with notable victories over Kysen Terukina, Vinny Kilkeary, and Diego Stoelo. 

Oregon State’s Maximo Renteria is another wrestler to watch out for this year at 125. Last year Renteria only wrestled 6 matches but went 6-0 and defeated eventual national champion Richard Figueroa, 9-5. While that result is the best of Renteria’s career, it suggests he’s got potential and could surprise some people this year.

Ohio State’s Vinny Kilkeary is the final wrestler I chose to include in this category. Kilkeary redshirted last year and accumulated a 20-8 record with wins over national qualifiers Tristan Lujan and Ethan Berginc. However, Kilkeary’s most notable result was actually a controversial loss he suffered against Braeden Davis. In that match, Kilkeary almost had the match winning takedown as time expired. Kilkeary was the #34 overall recruit in the class of 2023 but will have to take out last year’s starter Brendan McCrone start this year for the Buckeyes. 

Who Wins The 2025 NCAA Tournament?

Like last season, predicting the 125 pound champ next year is almost impossible. On one hand, Richard Figueroa was clearly the best wrestler at the NCAA Tournament so he would be the safe pick to start the season. However, his losses to Provo, Renteria, Spratley, and Volk show just how close the rest of the field is. 

So who’s my pick to win 125 this year? I’m going with Penn State freshman Luke Lilledahl. Lilledahl has won just about everything leading up to his college career and enters State College with huge expectations. I’m predicting he’ll jump levels throughout his freshman season because of his new training partners and full-time exposure to the Penn State room. I know it’s early, and I know we haven’t seen him on the college mats yet, but Luke Lilledahl is my pick to stand on top of the podium next March at 125 pounds.

Full NCAA Predictions:

1. Luke Lilledahl, Penn State
2. Troy Spratley, Oklahoma State
3. Richard Figueroa, Arizona State
4. Matt Ramos, Purdue
5. Anthony Noto, Lock Haven
6. Jakob Camacho, NC State
7. Jore Volk, Wyoming
8. Stevo Poulin, Northern Colorado

133 Pounds

The story of 2024-25 season was that of two titans, Vito Arujau and Daton Fix, battling it out in their final year of eligibility, having finally reached the end of their respective collegiate journies after graduating high school in 2017. 

Vito would prevail once again, winning his second consecutive NCAA championship, earning titles that bracketed a senior world championship at 61kg. Fix would have to once more settle for a runner-up finish, his record-setting fourth trip to the finals without a title. Perhaps that is a dubious distinction but nonetheless, one that qualifies Fix as one of the best lightweights of his generation. 

This season, a new chapter in NCAA wrestling history will be written, and the likeliest duo to pick up the mantle from Vito and Daton are the next two placers at 2024's Kansas City NCAAs, Ryan Crookham of Lehigh and Nasir Bailey of Little Rock. 

Crookham defeated Bailey in the third-place bout, providing the opening salvo of what may become the next great NCAA wrestling rivalry. Notably, both wrestlers were in their freshman season, and both were from schools outside the power conferences (though despite it's mid-major status, Lehigh has one of the most storied histories in the sport). 

There are a plethora of contenders in the 133lb weight class, however, who might interrupt Crookham and Bailey's journey to the NCAA finals, including multiple All-Americans who weren't in the division last season due to redshirts, injuries, or weight changes. 

All that talent in a lightweight division is a recipe for a dynamic weight class. We'll do our best to make sense of a wide-open 133-pound weight class in our preview below. 

Current Top 10

(Carrer NCAA Placements in parentheses)

#1 Ryan Crookham, Lehigh, Sophomore (3rd)

#2 Nasir Bailey, Little Rock, Sophomore (4th)

#3 Drake Ayala, Iowa, Junior (DNP*, 2nd)

#4 Dylan Ragusin, Michigan, Senior (DNP, R12, R16, 5th)

#5 Evan Frost, Iowa State, Sophomore (6th)

#6 Dylan Shawver, Rutgers, Junior (DNQ, DNP, 7th)

#7 Kai Orine, NC State, Senior (DNS, R16, 8th, 8th)

#8 Aaron Nagao, Penn State, Junior (5th, R12)

#9 Lucas Byrd, Illinois, Senior (5th, 5th, R12)

#10 Tyler Wells, Minnesota, Sophomore (R12)

Other Returning All-Americans

Chris Cannon, Northwestern, Senior (7th, 7th, DNP)

Cannon is currently not in FloWrestling's NCAA rankings but our intrepid rankers have not updated those lists since Cannon announced he was returning to collegiate wrestling to his once and future home of Northwestern after spending a brief, injury-shortened season at Michigan. 

Check out the entire preseason rankings starting with the 133lb NCAA Rankings.

*DNP = did not place; DNQ = did not qualify; DNS = did not start

Title Contenders

#1 Ryan Crookham, Lehigh

#2 Nasir Bailey, Little Rock

#3 Drake Ayala, Iowa

We've already mentioned Crookham and Bailey, but it's worth expanding on how extraordinary their freshman seasons were (Bailey was a true freshman, Crookham a redshirt frosh). 

Lehigh Valley native Ryan Crookham only lost once last season, to eventual NCAA champ Vito Arujau in the NCAA semifinals. He defeated Arjua twice, once during the regular season and once in the EIWA finals. He also defeated Bailey twice at NCAAs, on both the championship and consolation side of the bracket. 

Bailey was only defeated four times last season: twice by Crookham, once by Vito, and once by Dom Serrano at the Southern Scuffle. The true freshman from Chicagoland was able to amass 29 wins in his true freshman campaign, including victories over All-Americans Dylan Ragusin Kai Orine at NCAAs. 

Besides Ryan and Nasir, Drake Ayala has to be included in the conversation of title contenders. Ayala, now in his fourth year in Iowa, proved his bona fides by making the 2024 NCAA finals, ultimately dropping his primetime bout against Richie Figueroa. 

Assuming Ayala can maintain his strength and craftiness (his slide-by is exceptional) up one weight class, he will be in the mix for a return trip to the sport's biggest platform in March. 

Other Contenders

#4 Dylan Ragusin, Michigan

#5 Evan Frost, Iowa State

#6 Dylan Shawver, Rutgers

#7 Kai Orine, NC State

#8 Aaron Nagao, Penn State

#9 Lucas Byrd, Illinois

Chris Cannon, Northwestern

Ten All-Americans return to 133, meaning at least two former podium placers are not going to make it to Saturday of the NCAA Championships in Philadelphia next March. 

Besides the aforementioned Ayala, there are no notable 125-pounders bumping up, nor are there any 141-pounders moving down a division. 

Ragusin and Orine will provide senior leadership for the weight class. Both veterans have proven their mettle in what has consistently been one of the deepest weight classes in the country over the last half-decade. 

Louisiana native Evan Frost was a pleasant surprise for the Cyclones last season, though there were undoubtedly many folks who saw that breakout performance coming. Frost adds depth to Iowa State's already-loaded roster in the lighter weights, and may have been at least part of the reason Ramazan Attasauov transferred to Illinois this offseason, though it should also be mentioned that Attasauov is penciled in at 125 this year. 

Ohio native Dylan Shawver scored big points for Rutgers last season. The 7th placer in Kansas City is one of four Scarlet Knight returning All-Americans expected in the lineup this season. 

Lucas Byrd and Chris Cannon are two Big Ten All-Americans returning to action after missing the previous season due to injury. 

And speaking of injuries, Aaron Nagao had to withdraw from U23 World Team Trials this summer. If the California native and transfer from Minnesota can't wrestle this season, expect true sophomore Braedan Davis to bump up from 125, where he made the round of 12, and handle duties at 133. 

Sleepers and Landmines

#13 Connor McGonagle, Virginia Tech

#17 Julian Chlebove, Arizona State

#23 Ryan Miller, Penn

McGonagle was displaced at Lehigh by Ryan Crookham but has the resume to reach the medal rounds at NCAAs. 

Julian Chlebove is one of the most electric wrestlers in any division, and Ryan Miller qualified for the 2022 and 2023 NCAAs before being squeezed out of the Quaker lineup in 2024.

Backup Watch

It's very rare for a preseason projected lineup to stay intact all the way to the postseason. Here are some 133-pounders that don't project onto a starting lineup at the moment, but could do serious damage in March if circumstances thrust them into a starting job. 

Braeden Davis, Penn State - Davis would be a podium threat if Aaron Nagao is forced to miss the postseason. 

Kale Peterson, Iowa - Peterson could step in for fellow Iowan native Drake Ayala if needed.

Brock Bobzein/Zan Fugitt, Wisconsin - Expect one of these redshirt freshmen to start will the other stays ready from the bench. 

Ben Davino, Ohio State - The blue chip recruit (#3 on the 2024 Big Board) would have to earn the spot over veteran Nic Bouzakis, but should be considered a AA threat if he does.

Jake Crapps, Missouri - Another highly rated Big Boarder from 2024 who could wrestle his way into a starting role. 

Adrian Meza, Iowa State - Will likely redshirt with Frost in the lineup but the Valient Prep grad will be ready if needed. 

Predictions

1st: Ryan Crookham, Lehigh

2nd: Nasir Bailey, Little Rock

3rd: Dylan Ragusin, Michigan

4th: Lucas Byrd, Illinois

5th: Drake Ayala, Iowa

6th: Evan Frost, Iowa State

7th: Dylan Shawver, Rutgers

8th: Connor McGonagle, Virginia Tech

I'm going with last year's highest placers to move up from the third-place bout to the finals, where I think Crookham will get it done once again to become Lehigh's first national champ since Darian Cruz in 2017.

Ragusin is certainly capable of going on a deep run, as is Byrd, though Ragusin did drop a 5-0 bout to Bailey at the  2024 NCAAs. We also haven't seen Byrd wrestle in a year. 

Ayala also proved he has the ability to make the NCAA finals, but that was at a lighter weight class, so I'm being conservative (perhaps too conservative) with his prediction. 

Finally, it goes without saying (though I'll type it here anyway) that there are many worthy contenders for the podium, with about a dozen other wrestlers with legit claims to being All-American caliber. Overwhelmed with deserving choices, I'm going with two wrestlers who reached the final eight last season, plus McGonagle, who beat Sam Latona at last year's NWCA All-Star Classic, as a bit of a wild card pick.

141 Pounds

Few weight classes in Division I wrestling possess more top-end talent this season than 141 pounds. 

There could be nine past All-Americans in the weight class at some point this season, including two NCAA champions, three wrestlers who have reached the national finals and the top three returning placewinners from last season. It’s a group headlined by 2023 NCAA champ Andrew Alirez of Northern Colorado, 2024 champ Jesse Mendez of Ohio State and returning finalist Beau Bartlett of Penn State. 

But that’s not all. 

Nebraska’s Brock Hardy is coming off his second straight All-America season after placing third in Kansas City. Conference champions Anthony Echemendia of Iowa State and North Carolina State’s Ryan Jack could be back in the 141-pound mix after earning All-America status last season. 

And Minnesota’s Vance VomBaur, 2022 All-American C.J. Composto of Penn and Virginia Tech’s Sam Latona, who earned All-America status at 125 and 133, are also in the picture at 141 after reaching the NCAA podium. 

Returning 2024 All-Americans

Jesse Mendez, JR (Ohio State) — 1st 

Beau Bartlett, SR (Penn State) — 2nd 

Brock Hardy, JR (Nebraska) — 3rd

Anthony Echemendia, SR (Iowa State) — 5th 

Ryan Jack, SR (North Carolina State) — 7th 

Vance VomBaur, JR (Minnesota) — 8th 

Previous Year All-Americans 

Andrew Alirez, SR (Northern Colorado) — 1st in 2023 

C.J. Composto, SR (Pennsylvania) — 8th in 2022

Sam Latona, SR (Virginia Tech) — 6th in 2021 at 125, 7th in 2023 at 133 

The Favorites 

Ten current wrestlers at the D1 level have won NCAA titles and two of them could collide sometime this season at 141 pounds. 

Alirez begins the season ranked #1 after becoming Northern Colorado’s third national champion and first since 1962. He went 28-0 en route to the 2023 title before stepping away from the college scene last year to focus on freestyle. 

After placing sixth as a true freshman at 133, Mendez moved up to 141 last season and compiled a 30-2 record. He pulled out dramatic, down-to-the-wire wins against Bartlett in the Big Ten and NCAA finals after losing to the Nittany Lion earlier in the season, winning the conference crown on a footsweep to a double-leg in the closing seconds and then rolling his way out of trouble and into the winning takedown just before time expired in the national finals.  

The Contenders 

The narrow, last-second losses were the only blemishes on Bartlett’s 24-2 record last season. Over the course of the last two years, he’s 51-5. His last four losses have come against the other three wrestlers in the top four — two to Mendez, a 6-2 defeat against Alirez in the 2023 NCAA semifinals and a 7-3 setback against Hardy in the 2023 Big Ten Championships. 

Hardy reached the NCAA semis as a freshman in 2023 but got off to a 10-5 start last season, which contributed to his #9 seed in Kansas City. Nonetheless, he rounded into form at the national tournament and won four consecutive consolation matches to finish third. 

It remains to be seen where Echemendia will wind up in the Iowa State order. The Cyclones have plenty of options with the front half of their lineup. Echemendia began last season at 149 before cutting down to 141, where he won 21 of his 27 matches, captured a Big 12 title and reached the NCAA semis. 

Jack is coming off the best season of his career after winning his first ACC title and punching through to the NCAA podium in his third trip to the national tournament. But he has options and so does his team. Jack could redshirt or move up to 149. If he opts for either of those routes, it creates a path for two-time All-American Kai Orine to move up from 133. 

VomBaur entered the NCAA Championships as the #26 seed and left as an All-American, thanks to overtime wins against Northern Iowa’s Cael Happel and Missouri’s Josh Edmond. 

Latona has been a consistent winner during his time at Virginia Tech and he has the frame to handle the move up to 141 after earning All-America honors at 125 and 133. 

Breakthrough Candidates 

There’s a pack of highly-skilled wrestlers looking to break through after falling short of the podium last season, including all four wrestlers who lost in the 141-pound bloodround in Kansas City — Happel, Edmond, Navy’s Josh Koderhandt and Cleveland Belton, who transferred to Oklahoma after wrestling last season for Oregon State. 

Happel’s record — he went 18-8 as a sophomore and 22-10 as a junior — might not illustrate the strides he made last season. But he notched two wins over Hardy and posted victories against Echemendia, All-American Cole Matthews, Edmond and Michigan’s Sergio Lemley and Oklahoma State’s Tagen Jamison, both of whom were seeded in the top 10 at the NCAA Championships. 

Koderhandt registered 10 wins against ranked opponents last season and owns a 75-29 record the past three seasons.  

Lemley and Jamison looked like podium contenders heading into Kansas City. Both posted head-turning wins last season. Lemley majored returning NCAA finalist Real Woods in February and Jamison notched five victories over All-Americans. 

Arizona State’s Jesse Vasquez went 11-4 last year as a sophomore. The four-time California state champion’s losses came against three All-Americans and Koderhandt, who ended his season in the round of 16 in Kansas City.

Newcomers, Old Faces And New Places 

West Virginia’s Jordan Titus, Cornell’s Vince Cornella, Lehigh’s Malyke Hines are past NCAA qualifiers here. Titus went 21-6 last season for the Mountaineers. Cornella has posted wins in college over All-American Cole Matthews, Belton, Edmond, Hines and Koderhandt. Hines reached the round of 12 in 2023 when he posted a major decision win against Jack at the NCAA Championships. 

Oklahoma’s Mosha Schwartz, a three-time NCAA qualifier, is back after an injury shelved him for much of last season. It remains to be seen whether he’ll lock down the 141-pound spot for the Sooners or if Oklahoma will use Belton here. Both could be candidates to cut down to 133 as well. 

Northwestern’s Frankie Tal-Shahar is back after a medical hardship season a year ago. He’s a two-time NCAA qualifier for the Wildcats and has been battle-tested in the Big Ten. 

Rutgers senior Joey Olivieri was an NCAA qualifier two seasons ago at 133. He compiled a 7-1 record last season at 141 while redshirting. 

Campbell’s Shannon Hanna took a redshirt season last year after posting a 24-10 mark and reaching the NCAA Championships in 2023. 

Iowa’s Ryder Block and Maryland’s Dario Lemus are two of the freshmen to keep an eye on here. Block was a two-time Fargo freestyle champion. Lemus won a California state title as a senior.  

Predictions 

Flowrestling’s Jon Kozak’s predictions of who will finish where on the 141-pound podium in Philadelphia:  

1. Jesse Mendez (Ohio State)

2. Andrew Alirez (Northern Colorado)

3. Beau Bartlett (Penn State) 

4. Brock Hardy (Nebraska)

5. Tagen Jamison (Oklahoma State) 

6. Kai Orine (NC State)

7. Cael Happel (Northern Iowa)

8. Josh Edmond (Missouri) 

149 Pounds

It’s almost time for the college wrestling season and we’re previewing every weight class before the season starts. In the below article, I preview 149-pounds by breaking down the names you need to know to help you get prepared for the college season.

Departed

• Austin Gomez, Michigan (done)
• Tyler Kasak, Penn State (not confirmed, but likely redshirting or moving up)
• Casey Swiderski, Iowa State (redshirting)
• Quinn Kinner, Rider (done)
• Graham Rooks, Indiana (done)
• Cody Bond, App State (done)

Moving In

• Anthony Echemendia, Iowa State (not official yet, but likely up from 141)
• Lachlan McNeil, North Carolina (up from 141)

Coming Off Of Redshirt

• Paniro Johnson, Iowa State (potentially, but might be going 157)
• Kannon Webster, Illinois
• Ty Whalen, Princeton

Coming Back Off Of Injury

• Shayne Van Ness, Penn State

The Favorites

• Caleb Henson, Virginia Tech
• Shayne Van Ness, Penn State
• Ridge Lovett, Nebraska

Caleb Henson is your defending 149 lb national champion. He became just the second ever Hokie to win it and the first ever D1 NCAA champion from Georgia. Henson beat Ty Watters, Ridge Lovett, and Austin Gomez en route to his title. With a final record of 30-2, he had the highest final win percentage of any NCAA qualifier from last season. His two losses came to Ridge Lovett at CKLV and Jackson Arrington at ACCs, both of which were extremely close and a little controversial.

Some might be surprised to see Lovett in the favorites category after he took sixth place at NCAAs last season. However, I take his two consolation losses at NCAAs with a grain of salt. He was not the same wrestler that he was in the regular season after he lost to Henson in the semis by one point. Lovett was the clear #1 seed going into NCAAs with wins over Henson, Gomez X2, Kasak X2, and only one loss to Kyle Parco.

The man with the most questions in this weight is Shayne Van Ness, and that is because he was sidelined in December with a leg injury that required surgery.

Van Ness took 3rd as a freshman in 2023 with wins over Henson and Parco, but he did have a rocky regular season dropping six matches. It looked like the SVN we saw at NCAAs wasn’t a fluke, but the new standard moving forward when he dominated Parco at the All-Star Classic last season just a couple of weeks before his injury. We still have yet to see the Nittany Lion against Lovett and the best version of Henson, however. Two of my most anticipated matches of the season regardless of weight! We also have yet to see him against Ty Watters, one of the top contenders at the weight. However, we will get to see that one early in the season at the All-Star Classic!

The Contenders

• Ty Watters, West Virginia
• Anthony Echemendia/Paniro Johnson, Iowa State
• Kyle Parco, Arizona State
• Jackson Arrington, NC State
• Ty Whalen, Princeton
• Lachlan McNeil, North Carolina

This tier of six wrestlers are guys who aren't going to be Vegas favorites to win the title but have the ability to if they wrestle their best. 

Ty Watters had a phenomenal true freshman season last year going 26-5 and taking 4th place. I expect another A+ season out of the Mountaineer and could see him pushing into the favorites category given he now has a full college year under his belt. However, Henson did have his number last season defeating him twice - once in the first tournament of the year and once at the last. We will have a good idea of where Watters is at in the pecking order when he takes on Van Ness at the All-Star Classic on November 16th.

I’m not sure who is going to start for Iowa State at 149 lbs. I don’t think they even know yet. However, I know with two options like Anthony Echemendia or Paniro Johnson, they’re going to really good. Echemendia is coming off of 5th place NCAA finish at 141 lbs, but it sounds like he has put on some size and will likely be moving up. Johnson is coming off a redshirt, but started for the Cyclones in the 2022/23 season where he was a national qualifier. He remained active over the past year, making the U23 World Team. He will compete in Tirana, Albania October October 21-27 live on FloWrestling. Iowa State held their wrestle-offs around the same time as the U23 World Championships last year.

Ty Whalen is another very interesting name coming off redshirt. After an average true freshman year for Princeton two seasons ago at 157 and 165 lbs, he seems to be better suited at 149 lbs. During redshirt last season he looked great at Midlands winning the 149 lb title with wins over Ty Watters and Kyle Parco.

A 4X All-American, Kyle Parco has been a staple of this weight class for the past four years. However, this year will be different for the California native as he has transferred to the Universiyt of Iowa after four years at Arizona State. We don’t normally see a big jump from guys in terms of results this late in their career, even if they do transfer. However, with wins over two wins over Ridge Lovett last season, Parco is absolutely a title contender.

Lachlan McNeil will be a new face in this weight class. He’s coming up from 141 lbs where he’s All-Americaned the past two seasons. He should have a fun rivalry with conference opponent Jackson Arrington of NC State who has twice finished in the round of 12 at this weight. North Carolina and NC State normally have at least three opportunities to see each other before NCAAs (dual, CKLV, and conference tournaments).

The 'Big Potential' Tier Guys

Chance Lamer, Cal Poly

Jaden Abas, Stanford

Kannon Webster, Illinois

Dylan D'Emilio, Ohio State

Colin Realbuto, Northern Iowa

Kaleb Larkin, Arizona State

This tier of guys haven’t proven themselves as title contenders yet, but show a lot of potential. Two names I really want to highlight are Kannon Webster and Kaleb Larkin. Both will be coming off of redshirt freshman seasons. Webster was the #13 overall recruit in the class of 2023 and went 16-1 only losing to Watters 4-2 last year and Larkin was extremely active on the freestyle scene picking up wins over Jesse Mendez, Matthew Kolodzik, Pat Lugo, Jackson Arrington, Daniel Cardenas, and more. I expect both of them to contend for AA honors this year, and Larkin may even be a title. 

Predictions

1. Ridge Lovett, Nebraska
2. Shayne Van Ness, Penn State
3. Caleb Henson, Virginia Tech
4. Ty Watters, West Virginia
5. Kaleb Larkin, Arizona State
6. Kyle Parco, Iowa
7. Anthony Echemendia/Paniro Johnson, Iowa State
8. Lachlan McNeil, North Carolina

157 Pounds

Last year's 157-pound champ, Levi Haines, has moved on to greener, heavier pastures, and is currently projected to ply his trade at the 174-pound division this upcoming season. That means that the 2025 157-pound national champ will be making their first trip to the top of the NCAA podium.

Technically it's possible that Henson or Mendez bumps up and wins their second NCAA title at 157 but we're not going to spend any longer considering such preposterous hypotheticals - we are simply getting ahead of anyone trying to "well-actually" that previous sentence. 

And there is plenty to discuss at this weight without getting into hypotheticals!

Current Top 10

(Carrer NCAA Placements in parentheses)

#1 Jacori Teemer, Iowa, Senior (RS, NQ, 4th, 6th, MedRS, 2nd, ?)

#2 Meyer Shapiro, Cornell, Sophomore (3rd, ?, ?, ?)

#3 Daniel Cardenas, Stanford, Junior (R12, 4th, ?, ?)

#4 Tyler Kasak, Penn State, Sophomore (3rd, ?, ?, ?)

#5 Peyten Kellar, Ohio, Junior (RS, DNP, 5th, ?, ?)

#6 Ryder Downey, Northern Iowa, Sophomore (RS, R12, ?, ?, ?)

#7 Antrell Taylor, Nebraska, Sophomore (RS, 8th, ?, ?, ?)

#8 Ed Scott, NC State, Senior (DNQ, R12, 5th, R12, ?)

#9 Paddy Gallagher, Ohio State, Junior (RS, R16, DNS, ?, ?)

#10 Tommy Askey, Minnesota, Senior (DNS, RS, DNP, R12, ?, ?)

Check out the entire preseason rankings starting with the 157ln NCAA Rankings.

*DNP = did not place; DNQ = did not qualify; DNS = did not start

Teemer is back for a seventh season, an occurrence that used to generate a lot of takes and commentary but has become rather common over the last couple of years. Teemer is also in a new singlet, having traded his Sun Devil uniform for Hawkeye togs. 

The next three ranked wrestlers, Shapiro, Cardenas, and Kasak, all have a redshirt available, although Shapiro likely won't take one as per Ivy League rules. 

Kasak is also coming up a weight class, having competed last season at 149 as he filled in for an injured Shayne Van Ness, who placed third at 2023's NCAAs. Kasak did a pretty good job filling in as he got third at 2024's NCAAs. 

Peyten Kellar returns after a breakout performance for the Bobcats last season, as does Ryder Downey who fell one match away from the podium in his redshirt freshman campaign. 

Antrell Taylor is moving down from 165 as the top half of Nebraska's lineup is all squeezing into lower weight classes, so Allred to 184, Pinto to 174, Wilson to 165, and Taylor to 157. 

Ed Scott returns for a final season. The Buckeyes won't miss a beat after losing Isaac Wilcox to graduation with Paddy Gallagher returning to the lineup. And a former App State Mountaineer rounds out the top 10, as Askey moved from Boone, North Carolina to Minneapolis, Minnesota over the summer. He also may have another year of eligibility, although who can say anymore. 

Other Notable Wrestlers Returning From Redshirts

Paniro Johnson, Iowa State, Sophomore

Alex Facundo, Penn State, Sophomore

Rafael Hipolito, Virginia Tech, Freshman

More info can be found in our Middleweight Redshirt Report.

Paniro Johnson and Alex Facundo are both national qualifiers returning after a year of deferred eligibility. There was more to the story of Paniro not wrestling last season, but that'll all behind him now and the year will functionally serve as a redshirt season.

Facundo will have to battle it out with Kasak, who placed third last year, to make the Nittany Lion lineup at 157, or stay at 165 and win the spot over Mitchell Mesenbrink, who is a 2024 NCAA runner-up. Facduno is a two-time U17 world bronze medalist and a U20 world teamer, to give you an idea of how deep Penn State's wrestling room is. 

Rafael Hipolito may be one of the best kept secrets in D1 wrestling, though that will likely end this season. Hipolito is from Manaus, Brazil grew up participating in Brazillian jiu-jitsu, adding some dangerous techniques to his arsenal. 

Title Contenders

Jacori Teemer, Iowa

Meyer Shapiro, Cornell

Daniel Cardenas, Stanford

There's no runaway favorite at 157, but these three contenders have separated themselves from the pack. 

There's no guarantee that another contender won't arise as the season progresses, but then there are very few guarantees in life and even fewer in sports. However, Teemer, Shapiro, and Cardenas all wrestled full seasons and did not shy away from competition. While they all took multiple losses during the season, they also proved to be the most accomplished 157-pounders in the field going into the new season.

All three were at the Cliff Keen Las Vegas and the NCAA Championships, and Cardenas wrestled both Shapiro and Teemer at both the CKLV and NCAAs. As they were both in the Pac-12, Teemer and Cardenas faced off four times last season, with Teemer winning all four. 

Cardenas daw Shapiro three times, with Daniel winning in Las Vegas and on the championship side of the NCAA tournament, though it was Shapiro who prevailed in the thrid-place match in Kansas City. 

Teemer joined a new conference when he transferred to Iowa but even if he had stayed at Arizona State he'd have been in a new conference championship tournament, as ASU joined the Big 12 over the summer. Cadenas and Shapiro will also start their postseasons in new tournaments, as Cornell left the EIWA will wrestle in the inaugural Ivy League Championship this March, and Stanford participated in the realignment party by joining the ACC.

Other Contenders

Tyler Kasak, Penn State

Peyten Kellar, Ohio

Ryder Downey, Northern Iowa

Antrell Taylor, Nebraska

Ed Scott, NC State

Paddy Gallagher, Ohio State

Paniro Johnson, Iowa State

Cobe Siebrecht, South Dakota 

As returning All-Americans who also had full, consistent seasons, Tyler Kasak and Peyten Kellar could work their way into title contenders this year. The same can be said for Ryder Downey, who made the bloodround as a freshman. 

Antrell Taylor is perhaps the most intriguing new addition to the division. He placed eighth at 165-pounds and it was widely assumed that he was often giving up some size in many matches and that he would've been down at 157 if it weren't for senior Peyton Robb, a three-time All-American at 157-pounds who ran out of eligibility last March. Could Taylor make a title run at his more natural weight? It should surprise no one if he does!

After a promising true freshman campaign on redshirt, Paddy Gallagher had a brutal schedule that still saw him go 2-2 at NCAAs, despite a nearly .500 record. Gallagher's only losses last season were to guys ranked 8th or better, or to Bryce Andonian, and could be due for a bounce-back season in 2025. 

One of those losses was to Ed Scott, who's been a consistent feature in the Wolfpack lineup over the last four seasons. Scott is looking to return to his fourth NCAA tournament and earn his second All-American honor. 

A stellar true freshman season in 2022 brought Paniro Johnson a lot of attention and expectations from Cyclones fans. Unfortunately, Johnson wasn't able to compete for Iowa State last season, however he did enter several opens as an unaffiliated competitor, dropping only one match in 14, to South Dakota State's Cael Swensen. 

Finally, don't sleep on Cobe Siebrecht, the 2023 NCAA qualifier for Iowa who has since transferred to South Dakota State. He brings a lot of funk and length to 157-pounds. 

Sleepers and Landmines

Trevor Chumbley, Northwestern

DJ McGee, George Mason

Kaleb Larkin, Arizona State

#2 ranked Meyer Shapiro took three losses last season. Two of them were at the hands of #3 Daniel Cardenas, the third was to #14 Trevor Chumbley, a competitor as dangerous as anyone in the division. 

DJ McGee could be George Mason's best shot at an All-American since Cayle Byers made the round of 12 in 2009. McGee was a runner-up at the MAC Championships, giving eventual All-American Peyten Kellar a tough 2-0 match. He also pushed Jacori Teemer into overtime at the Midlands. He'll need more than close losses to climb the podium, but McGee is also just a redshirt sophomore and has time to make the necessary jumps. 

Kaleb Larkin has some big shoes to fill if he's taking over 157 from Jacori Teemer. Thankfully for the Sun Devil faithful, Larkin is a blue-chip recruit whose dad, Eric, is a former national champ for Arizona State. 

Predictions

1st: Meyer Shapiro, Cornell

2nd: Daniel Cardenas, Stanford

3rd: Jacori Teemer, Iowa

4th: Antrell Taylor, Nebraska

5th: Peyten Kellar, Ohio

6th: Tyler Kasak, Penn State

7th: Ryder Downey, Northern Iowa

8th: Paniro Johnson, Iowa State

I'd be the furthest thing from shocked if either Cardenas or Teemer win a national championship. I picked Shapiro, however, based on what I perceive to be a slightly higher ceiling, with his youth and international freestyle success suggesting he has higher levels to which he might ascend. Of course, is Cardenas redshirts, which is an option, he would obviously not be placing at this season's NCAA tournament. 

I'm most intrigued by Antrell Taylor, an incredible talent who I believe could also have the highest ceiling among the rest of the contenders now that he is down to 157. 

The prognostication gets hazier the further down podium you go, however I feel comfortable saying Kellar, Kasak, Downey and Johnson are All-American threats, though I could just as easily see another wrestler earning a spot on the podium.

165 Pounds

It’s almost time for the college wrestling season and we’re previewing every weight class before the season starts. In the below article, we preview 165-pounds by breaking down the favorite, contenders, and sleepers to watch out for to help you get prepared for the college season.

2024 NCAA All-Americans

1. David Carr, Iowa State
2. Mitchell Mesenbrink, Penn State
3. Keegan O'Toole, Missouri
4. Michael Caliendo, Iowa
5. Izaak Olejnik, Oklahoma State
6. Hunter Garvin, Stanford
7. Peyton Hall, West Virginia
8. Antrell Taylor, Nebraska

2024 Round of 12 Finishers

• Dean Hamiti, Wisconsin
• Giano Petrucelli, Air Force
• Cam Amine, Michigan
• Julian Ramirez, Cornell

The Last 10 165 Pound NCAA Champions

2024 - David Carr, Iowa State

2023 - Keegan O'Toole, Missouri

2022 - Keegan O'Toole, Missouri

2021 - Shane Griffith, Stanford

2019 - Mekhi Lewis, Virginia Tech

2018 - Vincenzo Joseph, Penn State

2017 - Vincenzo Joseph, Penn State

2016 - Alex Dieringer, Oklahoma State

2015 - Alex Dieringer, Oklahoma State

2014- David Taylor, Penn State

The Favorits

• Mitchell Mesenbrink, Penn State

Mitchell Mesenbrink is coming off his redshirt freshman season, finishing as the NCAA runner-up with an incredible 26-1 record. Beyond that, Mesenbrink was insanely dominant with an over 70% bonus rate accumulating 4 pins, 9 techs, and 4 majors. While only losing to David Carr in the NCAA finals, Mesenbrink’s hit list included victories over Michael Caliendo (three times), Cam Amine (twice), Dean Hamiti, Antrell Taylor, and several other ranked wrestlers. Mesenbrink is the far-and-away favorite to win the NCAA title at 165 this year and has the potential to contend for the Hodge trophy. 

The Contenders

• Michael Caliendo, Iowa
• Hunter Garvin, Stanford
• Peyton Hall, West Virginia
• Cam Amine, Oklahoma State
• Julian Ramirez, Cornell
• Garrett Thompson, Ohio

The above six wrestlers are all a tier behind Mesenbrink but are the clear best contenders to earn All-American honors. Caliendo leads this list as a two-time All–American and is the highest-returning placer after Mesenbrink. Caliendo placed 7th at NCAAs in 2023 and moved up the podium to 4th last year losing only to Keegan O’Toole and Mitchell Mesenbrink at NCAAs but recording wins over Izzak Olejnik and Julian Ramirez. Considering his results last year, Caliendo might be the pre-season favorite to make the finals.

Hunter Garvin had an up-and-down regular season last year but peaked at the NCAA Tournament where he finished in 6th place. Garvin defeated Peyton Hall, Cam Amine, Andrew Cerniglia, Nick Hamilton, and Joey Bianchi to earn his spot on the podium. Despite his incredible performance at NCAAs, Garvin suffered losses to 6 different non-All-Americans last year - Joey Bianchi, Tyler Lillard, Dom Baker, Connor Brady, Garrett Thompson, and Julian Ramirez. Those losses, in comparison to his NCAA Tournament, make it hard to predict how Garvin will perform this year. Will he establish himself as a legitimate title threat, or will he dip out of the top 10 like last year? Only time will tell but Garvin will be a wrestler to keep an eye on in this weight.

Peyton Hall earned his second All-American honors last year by placing 7th at 2024 NCAAs to add to his 8th place finish at the 2022 NCAA Tournament. If you’re looking for someone to challenge Mesenbrink, Peyton Hall might be the toughest match for Mesenbrink this year. Hall is one of the best scramblers in the weight class and he wrestled both David Carr and Keegan O’Toole to close matches last year - Carr beat Hall 5-1, and O’Toole beat Hall 8-7. Outside of the close losses, Hall also put together wins last year over Antrell Taylor, Julian Ramirez, and Izzak Olejnik. Hall has established himself as a top 165-pounder over the past four years and has the potential to make the NCAA finals.

Cam Amine is a three-time All-American and will end his career at Oklahoma State after spending five years at the University of Michigan. Amine failed to place at last year’s NCAA Tournament where he finished one match shy of AA honors but placed 7th in 2021 and 4th in 2023 and 2023. Amine has an incredible college hit list that includes wins over Peyton Robb, Carson Kharchla, Izzak Olejnik, Alex Marinelli, Dean Hamiti, Patrick Kennedy, Shane Griffith, and several others. Amine suffered two losses last year to Mesenbrink losing 11-1 in the dual but closed the gap to 6-1 at the NCAA Tournament. Amine’s strong defensive style, and the new environment in Stillwater, could see Amine close the gap even more on Mesenbrink this year. 

Ohio's Garrett Thompson might be the least known of this bunch but Thompson had a fantastic year last season that might have gone under the radar because he finished off the podium at NCAAs. Last year, Thompson accumulated wins over Hunter Garvin, Peyton Hall, Matt Olguin, Noah Mulvaney, Maxx Mayfield, Caleb Fish, and several other ranked wrestlers. Thompson missed All-American honors by one match last year but he absolutely has the skills to finish in the top 8 this season.

Julian Ramirez is the final wrestler in the contender list and although he’s not an All-American, Ramirez has some of the best wins of anyone in the country at 165 pounds. Over the past four years, Ramirez has accumulated wins over All-Americans David Carr, Shane Griffith, Cam Amine, Hunter Garvin, and Quincy Monday. Despite those wins, Ramirez has finished one match shy of All-American honors three times in his college career and has one final opportunity to reach the podium. 

Sleepers & Landmines

• Matt Olguin, Oregon State
• Terrell Barraclough, Utah Valley
• Cameron Steed, Missouri
• Beau Mantanona, Michigan
• Bubba Wilson, Nebraska
• Nicco Ruiz, Arizona State

The above group of five wrestlers has all had past results that suggest they could insert themselves into the contender category as the season progresses. Leading this list with the most experience and best wins of the bunch is Oregon State’s Matt Olguin. Olguin is a two-time national qualifier and has two past wins over national champion Shane Griffith. Olguin peaked in the rankings at #8 last year and if he wrestles to his potential, he’ll be right in the mix to reach the podium in March.

Penn State transfer Terrell Barraclough will start this year for Utah Valley and is an interesting addition to the 165-pound field. Last year, Barraclough only lost to Mesenbrink 8-5 and Shane Griffith 2-1. After those close losses, he recorded notable wins over Jackson Turley and Caleb Fish. Barraclough also had solid freestyle results over the past year with notable wins over Tyler Berger, Yahya Thomas, Paddy Gallagher, and Joey Lavallee. With those types of results in limited action, Barraclough should provide some disruption to 165 this year.

Missouri’s Cam Steed will step into the lineup at 165 pounds for the Tigers with Keegan O’Toole moving up to 174 pounds. Steed had an impressive redshirt year two years ago tallying victories over All-American Hunter Garvin and national qualifiers Cael Carlson and Will Formato. Last year, Steed attempted to make the starting lineup at 157 pounds but was beaten out by All-American Brock Mauller and then had his season cut short with an injury. Despite the short season, Steed still took out national qualifiers Legend Lamer and Nathan Lukez. We have Steed ranked #15 in the country right now but I wouldn’t surprised if he moves up into the top 10 as the season unfolds. 

Redshirt freshman Beau Mantanona is the likely starter for Michigan this season at 165 pounds and the Wolverines should have high expectations for Mantanona. During his redshirt year, Mantanona tallied wins over national qualifiers Tanner Cook, Caleb Fish, and Maxx Mayfield while losing to Michael Caliendo (9-4), Bryce Hepner (12-10), Dean Hamiti (by fall), Maxx Mayfield, and Dalton Harkins. Those results don’t place Mantanona in the top 24 just yet, but Mantanona has incredible potential. Most recently Mantanona made the U20 World Team Trials finals where he defeated Joe Sealey, Cam Steed, and Charlie Millard before losing a wild, three-match series to eventual U20 world silver Ladarion Lockett (Mantanona beat Lockett in 1 of 3 matches).

Nebraska’s Bubba Wilson is another wrestler in this category who could insert himself as a contender. Wilson wrestled 174 last year for the Huskers and he surprisingly didn’t qualify for NCAAs. Now back at his true weight class, Wilson should have a much better year this season. Wilson qualified for NCAAs both in 2022 and 2023 at 165 and has notable career wins over Matt Olguin, Cam Amine, Caleb Fish, and Alex Facundo. Wilson should have a great senior season and has the potential to end his college career on the podium in March.

Arizona State's Nicco Ruiz is the final wrestler to watch and maybe one of the most interesting redshirt freshmen in the country. Last year, Ruiz went 11-2 in his redshirt season with notable wins over Matt Olguin and Cael Carlson, only losing to David Carr (20-4) and Mitchell Mesenbrink (14-10). Though he lost, Ruiz was incredibly impressive in defeat and gave Mesenbrink one of his toughest matches of the year. In that match, Ruiz displayed a great scrambling ability and even put Mesenbrink on his back with a cradle. Ruiz is dangerous and I expect him to take out some established guys this year at 165. 

Don’t Forget About Sammy Sasso

Sammy Sasso is making his return to college wrestling after missing all of last season recovering from getting shot last August. Sasso’s return to wrestling is remarkable in and of itself, but it’s also noteworthy that he’ll be wrestling two weights up from where he’s competed at the rest of his college career. Sasso is already a three-time All-American finishing runner-up in 2021 and 2023 along with a fifth place finish in 2022. If Sasso is back to 100%, I expect him to contend for a national title this year at 165 pounds.

Who Wins The 2025 NCAA Tournament?

I don’t think anyone is a bigger favorite to win a title entering the season this year than Mitchell Mesenbrink. Mesenbrink’s pace, relentless attacks, creativity, and dominance have quickly made him one of the most entertaining wrestlers in college wrestling and he’s my pick to finish on the top of the podium in March. There is a solid group of wrestlers that could make it challenging for Mesenbrink but I don’t think any of them have what it takes to keep Mesenbrink from winning his first NCAA title this season. 

Full 165-Pound 2025 NCAA All-American Predictions:

1. Mitchell Mesenbrink, Penn State
2. Michael Caliendo, Iowa
3. Cam Amine, Ok State
4. Sammy Sasso, Ohio State
5. Peyton Hall, West Virginia
6. Julian Ramirez, Cornell
7. Beau Mantanona, Michigan
8. Bubba Wilson, Nebraska

174 Pounds

It’s almost time for the college wrestling season and we’re previewing every weight class before the season starts. In the below article, I preview 174-pounds by breaking down the names and dates you need to know to help you get prepared for the college season.

Departed

• Carter Starocci, Penn State (moving up)
• Shane Griffith, Michigan (done)
• Mekhi Lewis, Virginia Tech (done)
• Ben Pasiuk, Army (done)
• Edmond Ruth, Illinois (moving up)

Moving In

• Keegan O’Toole, Missouri (up from 165)
• Levi Haines, Penn State (up from 157)
• Dean Hamiti, Oklahoma State (up from 165)
• Lenny Pinto, Nebraska (down from 184)
• Clayton Whiting, Minnesota (down from 184)

Coming Off Of Redshirt

• Gabe Arnold, Iowa
• Nelson Brands, Iowa
• Simon Ruiz, Cornell
• Dan Braunagel, Illinois
• Matthew Singleton, NC State
• Lorenzo Norman, Stanford

Coming Back Off Of Injury

• Joshua Ogunsanya, North Carolina
• Carson Kharchla, Ohio State (the starter will likely be Rocco Welsh, but Welsh could redshirt)

The Favorites

• #1 Keegan O’Toole, Missouri
• #2 Levi Haines, Penn State

I can’t recall another time in recent history when two NCAA champions moved into the same weight class in the same year. Keegan O’Toole won the 165 lb title in 2022 and 2023 before being stopped by David Carr in the semifinals last season. Levi Haines took 2nd as a true freshman in 2022 before winning the 157 lb title last year. Now, they're both at 174!

We got a preview of this potential NCAA final at the 2024 Senior World Team Trials. If there were any questions about Haines’ ability to move up in weight and still use his horsepower, he put those to rest. The Nittany Lion won handily 6-0. Now, this was a consolation freestyle match, so while I think it’s a very relevant data point, I’m not 100% certain this would be replicated in an important in-season folkstyle match.

The Contenders

• #3 Rocco Welsh, Ohio State
• #4 Cade DeVos, SDSU
• #5 Dean Hamiti, Oklahoma State
• #6 Lenny Pinto, Nebraska
• #7 Gabe Arnold/Nelson Brands, Iowa

2024 174 lb NCAA finalist Rocco Welsh is the highest-returning placer at this weight. He went 24-5 en route to making the finals last season as a true freshman before losing to Carter Starocci. With the experience of an NCAA tournament plus another year of college training under his belt, Welsh is going to be dangerous this season.

Cade DeVos is the quintessential South Dakota State wrestler - nothing incredibly flashy, but gritty and consistent improvement. The Iowa native went from a 14-11 national qualifier freshman season to 26-3 5th-place season last year. The Big 12 champion with only a loss to Shane Griffith, DeVos was the two seed headed into NCAAs last year.

Dean Hamiti has been one of the most fun wrestlers to watch at 165 lbs for the past three years and I don’t expect this season at 174 lbs to be any different. The interesting thing about Hamiti is that while he has struggled to defeat the NCAA finalist tier of wrestlers, he almost always destroys everyone he is ranked ahead of. He is a guy I think will benefit tremendously from the tutelage of David Taylor. A 2X All-American while at Wisconsin the past three seasons, Hamiti has a career record of 81 - 14. Surprisingly, the only time he met Keegan O’Toole was at the 2022 All-Star Classic where it was all O’Toole 7-1. Can a new head coach and weight class change that outcome?

Lenny Pinto is a big question mark for me this year. He was a strong, powerful, and full-sized 184-pounder, but is being squeezed down to 174 with Silas Alred coming down to 184 so that Camden McDanel can get in the lineup for the Huskers at 197. If he can keep his horsepower and stamina, he’s going to be problems. He had wins last season over Dustin Plott, Bernie Truax, and Bennett Berge. When he’s at his best, Pinto is a bad man.

The Iowa 174 lb situation is a tough one, but a good problem to have if you’re a Hawkeye. It sounds like both Gabe Arnold and Nelson Brands are planning to start the season at 174 lbs and try and win the spot. Brands finished 5th place at this weight in 2023 but was sidelined last year while serving a suspension for violating the NCAA’s gambling policy. Gabe Arnold came in for a handful of duals as a true freshman and did exceptional beating All-Americans Travis Whitlake, Lennox Wolak, and Wil Feldkamp while only losing to Dustin Plott 5-1. Patrick Kennedy was the starter at the end of the year and finished 18-8 losing in the bloodround at NCAAs to Mekhi Lewis. I believe Kennedy will also be throwing his hat in the ring at 174. You can watch him compete for a U23 World title this week live on Flo!

The ‘Keep An Eye On Him’ Tier Guys

• #8 Lennox Wolak, Virginia Tech
• #12 Simon Ruiz, Cornell
• Matthew Singleton, NC State
• #14 Clayton Whiting, Minnesota

Lennox Wolak will have a new home in Blacksburg, Virginia this season after All-Americaning in his final season last year at Columbia. Wolak is a guy with a judo background who can go feet-to-back on just about anyone. 

You might be less familiar with the other three names on this list. Simon Ruiz was the #27 overall recruit coming out of high school in 2023. While in redshirt last season he went 14-1 with 12 bonus point victories. One of his decision wins came over Wolak. His only loss was to Rocco Welsh in overtime 4-1.

Matthew Singleton and Clayton Whiting are both one year older than Ruiz. Singleton was the #10 recruit in the class of 2022 and Whiting the #32. Singleton was thrown into the lineup as a true freshman at NC State at 165 lbs two years ago and he struggled going 10-7 and failing to qualify for the national championship. However, I believe 165 was too low and 174 is the right weight for him. This is a guy who beat Welsh in the Super 32 finals.

Whiting, on the other hand, struggled to find the starting lineup come post-season time while he was at Missouri. Despite beating Colton Hawks in competition, the Missouri staff opted to sit Whiting behind Hawks as Hawks had better wins. Now Whiting is at Minnesota and down to a weight class where he will be in the starting lineup. 

Predictions

1. Keegan O’Toole, Missouri
2. Levi Haines, Penn State
3. Dean Hamiti, Oklahoma State
4. Rocco Welsh, Ohio State
5. Gabe Arnold/Nelson Brands, Iowa
6. Cade DeVos, SDSU
7. Lenny Pinto, Nebraska
8. Simon Ruiz, Cornell

184 Pounds

College wrestling’s most compelling weight class this season might be 184 pounds. 

Penn State’s Carter Starocci is bidding for an unprecedented fifth Division I NCAA title after winning four championships at 174 pounds. Northern Iowa’s Parker Keckeisen is chasing his second straight national title after a dominant run through the 184-pound bracket last season in Kansas City. 

Oklahoma State’s Dustin Plott returns after making a finals appearance in March. Fellow All-Americans Trey Munoz, Bennett Berge and T.J. Stewart are also back after claiming podium spots in Kansas City. 

Additionally, there’s a host of high-caliber move-ins — both from 174 and 197 — set to join the mix at 184 and they could turn this into one of college wrestling’s deepest brackets next March in Philadelphia. 

The Favorites 

Starocci takes a 78-4 career record into his fifth season in the Penn State lineup. Cast aside the two matches he dropped by injury default at the Big Ten Championships last March and he hasn’t lost a match he’s been able to finish since the 2021 Big Ten finals. 

Despite the knee injury that knocked him out of the Big Ten Championships and forced him to adjust at the NCAA Championships, he still navigated his way to the top of the podium in Kansas City, finishing the tournament with three consecutive shutout victories. 

Now he makes the move up to 184 and into the weight class Keckeisen dominated last year. 

Keckeisen went 31-0 last season, becoming Northern Iowa’s first undefeated D1 champ since 1963. Moreover, he notched 28 bonus-point victories and scored bonus in his final 14 matches. He was the only wrestler ton bonus his way through the national tournament last March. 

It was the fourth straight year Keckeisen has placed third or better at the NCAA Championships. He takes a 105-5 career record into his final season with the Panthers. 

Starocci and Keckeisen are set to tangle Nov. 16 in State College at the NWCA All-Star Classic, which could be a preview of the national title bout in March. 

The Contenders 

Plott turned in the best year of his career last season when he reached the NCAA finals. He lost all three head-to-head battles with Keckeisen and went 31-1 against everyone else. His other loss was a 12-10 shootout with Nebraska’s Lenny Pinto in Las Vegas, but he avenged that defeat later in the tournament. 

Plott has made gradual improvement throughout his career with the Cowboys, going from a national qualifier in 2021 to two straight sixth-place finishes to the runner-up spot last season with his win percentage ticking up each season. Can new Oklahoma State coach David Taylor unlock another level to elevate Plott into another category?

Much like Plott, Munoz has been trending upward during his college career. He was an NCAA qualifier for Arizona State as a freshman, transferred to Oregon State and reached the round of 12 before placing sixth as a sophomore and third last season. He compiled a 51-7 record the past two seasons. 

Berge’s excellent freshman season ended with a fourth-place finish in Kansas City. He got upset in the opening-round of the national tournament and then reeled off six straight consolation wins before dropping a 9-7 decision against Munoz. His backside run began with an 11-0 major decision against Air Force’s Sam Wolf, who handed Berge a pair of losses at the Big 12 Championships. 

Stewart took over as Virginia Tech’s starter at 184 in January and took off after that. He won his final six matches of the regular season, won the ACC title and took a 10-match winning streak into the NCAA quarterfinals. Stewart was on the verge of reaching the semifinals, but Salazar rallied past him on a takedown with 12 ticks remaining. 

North Carolina State’s Dylan Fishback went 20-9 as a freshman and reached the bloodround in Kansas City. He wrestled Keckeisen to a closer margin than anyone last year when the eventual NCAA champ beat Fishback 5-2 in a December dual. 

Don’t lose track of Cornell’s Chris Foca or North Carolina’s Gavin Kane here. Both All-Americans fell short of the podium in Kansas City and they begin the year ranked outside the top 10 — Foca is 14th and Kane is 19th — but they’ve proven they’re plenty capable in the past. Foca placed third at the NCAA Championships in 2023 at 174 pounds and Kane placed eighth in 2023 at 184. 

Moving In 

Iowa has several 174-pound options with All-American Nelson Brands, Big Ten finalist Patrick Kennedy and decorated freshman Gabe Arnold each vying for the starting job. Somebody’s going to get squeezed out and will likely move up to 184. Brands and Arnold have both won big matches for the Hawkeyes at 184 and seem like more likely candidates to move up than Kennedy, who was Iowa’s starter two years ago at 165. Top freshman Angelo Ferrari is another option for the Hawkeyes at 184. 

Edmond Ruth is making the move up from 174, where he qualified for the national tournament twice, won a Big Ten title last season and reached the podium in Kansas City. His 26-4 junior season concluded with a seventh-place finish at the NCAA Championships. 

Nebraska is shuffling its upperweight lineup with Lenny Pinto and Silas Allred both moving down a weight. Allred compiled a 51-15 record during the past two seasons at 197. He won a Big Ten title there in 2023. Now he’s cutting down to 184 to take the spot previously occupied by Pinto. 

Maryland’s Jaxon Smith is also moving down from 197, where he reached the NCAA round of 12 in 2023. 

Minnesota freshman Max McEnelly enters the mix at 184 after a 15-0 redshirt season that included a 23-6 technical fall win over 2024 bloodrounder Colton Hawks. McEnelly, who starts the season ranked 10th, also notched wins against NCAA qualifiers Aaron Ayzerov and Brian Soldano. 

Predictions 

Flowrestling's Jon Kozak's predictions on who will finish where on the 184-pound podium in March at the NCAA Championships:

1. Carter Starocci (Penn State)

2. Parker Keckeisen (Northern Iowa)

3. Dustin Plott (Oklahoma State)

4. Nelson Brands (Iowa)

5. T.J. Stewart (Virginia Tech)

6. Dylan Fishback (NC State)

7. Bennett Berge (South Dakota State)

8. Max McEnelly (Minnesota) 

197 Pounds

It’s almost time for the college wrestling season and we’re previewing every weight class before the season starts. In the below article, we preview 197-pounds by breaking down the favorite, contenders, and sleepers to watch out for to help you get prepared for the college season.

The Favorites

• AJ Ferrari, Cal State Bakersfield
• Stephen Buchanan, Iowa
• Jacob Cardenas, Michigan
• Rocky Elam, Missouri
• Trey Munoz, Oregon State

The above of wrestlers are the top tier of 197 pounds and displays the parity at the weight. Of this group, only AJ Ferrari is a past national champion. Ferrari won his title back in 2021 but has since missed the last three NCAA Tournaments due to injury and off-the-mat issues. Despite his time off, Ferrari still has the best results of this group with career victories over Stephen Buchanan (2), Myles Amine, Jacob Warner, Tanner Sloan (2), and a host of other credentialed wrestlers. 

Ferrari almost made a return to the mats last year for Iowa and even competed at the Soldier Salute where he defeated NCAA qualifier Joey Novak (7-2) but lost by disqualification in overtime against Zach Glazier. It’s worth noting that Ferrari secured the match-winning takedown but was dq’d after he attempted to slap Glazier. Ferrari returning to NCAA wrestling is one of the biggest stories of the year and if he’s back to wrestling how he was in 2021, he can absolutely win his second career NCAA title. 

Stephen Buchanan is the highest returning placer at 197 pounds and might be the biggest favorite entering the season to win a title. Buchanan began his college career at Wyoming where he placed 8th (2021) and 3rd (2022) before transferring to Oklahoma and earning another 3rd place finish last season. Now at Iowa, Buchanan is looking to end his college career on the top of the podium. Outside of AJ Ferrari, Buchanan has beaten just about everyone in this weight class and has all the tools to win a title this season.

Jacob Cardenas is coming off his highest finish at NCAAs taking 4th last season after he placed 8th in 2023. Cardenas finished up his eligibility at Cornell and is now competing as a graduate transfer for the University of Michigan. Cardenas has never wrestled AJ Ferrari, but he has experience against the rest of the field and has accumulated wins over Rocy Elam, Stephen Little, Michael Beard, and several other top 197-pounders. With Mason Parris as a training partner and a new training environment in Ann Arbor, it will be interesting to see if Cardenas can make a jump in his final year of college wrestling.

Rocky Elam is already a 4-time All-American and has finished everywhere on the podium from 3rd to 6th place for Missouri at 197 pounds. Elam has consistently been a title contender but hasn’t yet been able to put together the perfect NCAA tournament to finish on top of the podium. Elam has wins over Stephen Buchanan, Michael Beard, Jacob Cardenas, Bernier Truax, Tanner Sloan, Yonger Bastida, and a host of other All-Americans. Elam has all the skills to win 197 pounds this year and if he wrestles his best in March, no one should be surprised to see him on the top of the podium. 

Trey Munoz is the final wrestler who I think should be considered a title contender at 197 pounds. Munoz is a two-time All-American at 184 pounds finishing 6th in 2023 and 3rd in 2024 and we currently have him ranked #4 at 184 pounds. However, word out of Oregon State is that Munoz is moving up to 197 pounds this year. Munoz’s addition to the weight class will be very interesting to watch this year, especially considering Oregon State’s schedule.  Munoz could face Buchanan the first weekend of the year with Oregon State hosting Iowa on November 2. Then at the CKLV, Munoz could have potential matches against AJ Ferrari and Jacob Cardenas. 

The Contenders

• Stephen Little, Little Rock
• Isaiah Salazar, Minnesota
• Michael Beard, Lehigh

This group of three really displays how deep 197 pounds is - honestly you could make a case for any one of these three to win a title in 2025. Little Rock’s Stephen Little leads this list and is coming off a 7th-place finish at NCAAs. Little made the podium with wins over Michael Beard, Lou DePrez, Joey Novak, and Zach Glazier, only losing to Cardenas and Buchanan. Little established himself as a clear top-8 guy last year and if he makes any improvements, he’ll be a title contender this year. 

Isaiah Salazar finished 6th last year at 184 pounds and will be moving up to wrestle 197 pounds this year for Minnesota. Salazar was incredibly consistent last season with a 24-4 record and notable wins over TJ Steward, Bernie Truax, and Lenny Pinto. Along with his success last year, Salazar has a great style that will transition well to the heavier weight - he holds position well, rides tough on top, has great reattacks, and has the strength to handle even the bigger 197-pounders. I don’t think Salazar will need any adjustment period to find success at 197 and I expect him to take out some of the contenders as the season unfolds. 

Michael Beard is the final wrestler who should be considered a contender heading into the season. Beard is now a two-time All-American with an 8th place finish last year and a 7th place finish in 2021. Though he finished in the last spot on the podium last year, Beard had an incredible regular season losing only once to Trent Hidlay with wins over Jacob Cardenas (2), Lou DePrez, Mac Stout, Luke Stout, Sonny Sasso, Andy Smith, Lucas Cochran, and several other ranked wrestlers. Beard has some of the best reattacks in the country and if he’s fully healthy and wrestling his best, he can beat anyone in the field at 197. 

Sleepers & Landmines

• Lucas Cochran/Josh Barr, Penn State
• Luke Surber, Oklahoma State
• Christian Carroll, Iowa State
• Sonny Sasso/Andy Smith, Virginia Tech

The above wrestlers are all guys who could insert themselves into All-American contention this year. First up, is the Nittany Lions - either Josh Barr or Lucas Cochran. Barr is probably a true 184 pounder but with Starocci moving up, Barr’s only place in the lineup is up at 197. Barr is fresh off winning a silver medal at the U20 and had an undefeated redshirt season with a 15-0 record. 

Barr would be the clear starter if it wasn’t for Lucas Cochran who is a more true 197-pounder. Cochran had an 11-2 record last year for Penn State and even defeated heavyweight All-American Yaraslau Slavikousi. Both Barr and Cochran are solid options for Penn State and have the potential to score significant team points at NCAAs for the Nittany Lions.

Oklahoma State’s Luke Surber is someone who I thought could have had a breakout year for the Cowboys last season but injuries kept him from wrestling his best. In fact, two years ago Surber had his best year when he reached the round of 16 at the NCAA tournament and even tallied a win over Missouri’s Rocky Elam during the regular season. If he’s healthy, Surber could shoot up the rankings and knock off some of the “contenders” in this weight.

Christian Carroll is the likely starter this year for the Cyclones and has incredible potential. Carroll was the #8 overall recruit in the class of 2023 and made a U20 world team at 125 kg in 2023. Most recently, Carroll finished third at the U23 World Team Trials where he defeated Trey Munoz, Seth Shumate, and Levi Hopkins but lost to Wyatt Voelker. Before that, Carroll qualified for the Olympic Trials with notable wins over All-Americans Jacob Warner and Tony Cassioppi. Carroll is incredibly dynamic from neutral, and if he can translate his freestyle success to college this year, we can expect big things from Carroll. 

Virginia Tech, like Penn State, has two quality potential starters at 197 - Andy Smith and Sonny Sasso. Smith has started the last two years for the Hokies and reached the round of 12 last year with wins over Zach Glazier, Cole Urbas, and Nick Stemmet at the 2024 NCAA Tournament. Sasso had a solid redshirt year with notable wins over Nick Stemmet, Evan Bates, and Levi Hopkins. Both are solid options and it will be interesting to see how Virginia Tech sorts out who will start for them this year. 

Who Wins The 2025 NCAA Tournament?

197-pounds might be one of the toughest weights to predict and there are several guys who are capable of winning NCAAs. Predicting this weight feels a little big like pulling a name out of a hat but that’s not going to stop me from making a prediction! I'm picking Rocky Elam as my 197-pound 2025 NCAA Champion - he's been right there for the past 4 years, and I think he finally gets it done this year to end his career on top at 197.

Full 197-Pound 2025 NCAA All-American Predictions:

1. Rocky Elam, Missouri
2. Stephen Buchanan, Iowa
3. Trey Munoz, Oregon State
4. AJ Ferrari, Cal State Bakersfield
5. Michael Beard, Lehigh
6. Jacob Cardenas, Michigan
7. Stephen Little, Little Rock
8. Josh Barr, Penn State

285 Pounds

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. 

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)

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. 

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. 

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. 

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. 

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)