Division II wrestling’s marquee midseason tournament kicks off Saturday at the University of Indianapolis, where 15 of the nation’s top 20 teams will compete at the Midwest Classic. 

It’s a stacked field led by top-ranked Central Oklahoma, which is looking to improve on its third-place finish at last year’s Midwest Classic. 

The Midwest Classic serves as an annual checkpoint — it’s roughly the one-third mark of the season — and it provides clarity for how top teams and competitors stack up. 

Catch all the action this weekend live on Flowrestling. 

Here are five things to watch this weekend in Indy:

Central Oklahoma’s Chance To Flex 

Central Oklahoma won virtually everything in competed in last year when the Bronchos went 15-0 in duals and captured the D2 national title. Their one blemish: The third-place finish at the Midwest Classic. 

The Bronchos were without national champs Dalton Abney and Shawn Streck at last year’s Midwest Classic, and Central Oklahoma finished behind Lander and Wisconsin-Parkside. 

This year, Central Oklahoma is expected to be at full strength, and the Bronchos are headed to Indy with seven wrestlers ranked in the top six in their respective weight classes. 

Central Oklahoma is led by top-ranked Gabe Johnson (157), a returning national champion and runner-up at the 2023 Midwest Classic. He’ll be joined this weekend by a strong cast of teammates, including #4 Peter Rolle (133), #2 Dylan Lucas (141), and #4 Hunter Jump (165). 

Additionally, returning Midwest Classic champion and All-American #6 Garrett Wells (184) is looking to repeat in Indy. 

“It’s a huge tournament with most of the top teams in the country, so obviously it’s going to be a big test for us,” Central Oklahoma coach Todd Steidley said. “Our guys are going to have to be ready to wrestle and we need to respond if some things don’t go our way.” 

NCAA Preview At 157

This weekend’s brackets are leaded with high-caliber competitors, but the 157-pound weight is especially tough. The bracket is expected to feature the top five wrestlers in the national rankings, setting up a potential national tournament preview. 

Central Oklahoma’s top-ranked Gabe Johnson is the favorite, but Colorado Mesa’s second-ranked Ryan Wheeler is also expected to challenge for a title. Wheeler, who sat out last season, is 7-0 this season against Division 2 competition with six falls and a technical fall. 

The field also includes #3 Keegan Roberson (UNC-Pembroke), #4 Bailey Gimbor (Kutztown), #5 Ben Durocher (Wisconsin-Parkside), #7 Ethan Richner (Gannon), #10 Cooper Warshel (Pitt-Johnstown) and #11 Jake Nicolosi (Mount Olive). 

First Major Test 

For some teams and wrestlers, the Midwest Classic marks the first chance of the season to measure up against other top-level competition. 

“We really want our guys just going out there and wrestling free to see where they’re at,” said Dylan Cottrell, the coach of the seventh-ranked Glenville State Pioneers, “whether that is the best in the country or at #7. We want them to know when I wrestle how I can, that is where I’m at.”  

Steidley is approaching this weekend with curiosity about how the top-ranked Bronchos stack up. 

“A lot of our guys haven’t wrestled much yet and I’m anxious to see how they handle it when they get three, four, or five matches in one day,” he said. “It’s a great tournament that will certainly help tell us where we are and what we need to do moving forward.” 

Blubaugh Defends Title And Turf 

At 197 pounds the road to a Midwest Classic title runs through returning NCAA champion and #1 Derek Blubaugh from the University of Indianapolis. Blubaugh, who won the Midwest Classic in 2023, is off to a 5-0 start with four technical falls and a pin and will hope to leverage the hometown crowd to repeat as tournament champion in 2024. Challenging Blubaugh at 197 is #2 Logan Kvien (McKendree), who finished third at the NCAA tournament in 2024. 

Blubaugh is one of four returning Midwest Classic champions, along with #1 David Hunsberger (165) of Lander, #6 Garrett Wells (184) of Central Oklahoma and #5 Isaiah Vance (285) of Pitt-Johnstown.   

Wisconsin-Parkside Looks For Upset

Wisconsin-Parkside is no stranger to success at the Midwest Classic, finishing second at the tournament in 2023. The Rangers enter this year’s tournament ranked third behind Central Oklahoma and St. Cloud State. UW-Parkside has seven wrestlers ranked in the top 10. 

Leading the charge for the Rangers are #4 Shane Corrigan (125), #4 Cayden Henschel (141), #4 Jalen Spuhler (149), and #2 Reece Worachek (184). For Henschel, the early season tournaments represent a chance to grow. 

“It’s a great way to try new moves, do new techniques that maybe you don’t usually do,” he said. “So I think it is all about progressing.” 

If the Rangers are to succeed as a team at the Midwest Classic it will be due in part to their camaraderie and focus on the team as a whole. 

“It’s such a grind, it’s such a battle, but doing hard things together that’s what brings us together,” Henschel said.