Division II has regularly staged some of the most fascinating team races in recent years. 

St. Cloud State won consecutive titles in 2018, 2019 and 2021, but each race went down to the wire. Nebraska-Kearney brushed off the disappointment of losing the 2021 national championship on the tournament's final match by blowing away the field in what looked like a competitive race on paper. The Lopers racked up 127 points to finish 41 ahead of second-place Central Oklahoma in the largest D2 margin of victory since 2010. It was just the fourth time in the last 12 tournaments that the D2 title race was decided by more than 12 points. 

Based on the rankings, this is setting up to be another highly-competitive trophy race — one of the top storylines to follow this season in what could be a banner year for Division II wrestling. 

Here's a look at some of the top contenders: 

#1 Nebraska-Kearney 

The Nebraska-Kearney Lopers are the defending champs and they are #1 in the preseason polls for a reason. With five wrestlers ranked in the top four, UNK is locked and loaded with its eyes on back-to-back titles. 

If the Lopers are to repeat as champions, they will do it at the upper weights with #2 Austin Eldredge at 174, #1 Billy Higgins at 184, #4 Hayden Prince at 197, and #2 Lee Herrington at 285 leading the way, with 141-pound wrestler #3 Nick James bolstering a lineup that could bring home a ton of hardware in March.  

#2 University of Central Oklahoma

The Central Oklahoma Bronchos are undoubtedly coming into this year with a lot of confidence and belief that they can make waves this season. As the national runner-up last year, the Bronchos have the talent on their roster to be as good as they want to be. 

Anchored by returning champion and top-ranked Dalton Abney at 197, UCO has seven ranked wrestlers with four listed in the top five at their respective weight classes. At 141, the Brochos have #11 Nate Keim, #3 Brik Filippos slots in at 149, #10 Gabe Johnson at 157, # 5 Alex Kauffman at 185, and #3 Shawn Streck at 285 rounds out the lineup. 

#3 Indianapolis

Indianapolis is looking to put itself in the title race after finishing sixth at the NCAA Championships in March. The Greyhounds are ranked third to start the season. With a number of wrestlers looking to break through into the upper echelon, Indianapolis is poised to have a great season, with six wrestlers ranked in the preseason polls, including returning runner-up Derek Blubaugh at 197 pounds.

However, the Greyhounds aren’t ranked in the top three on Blubaugh’s back alone. They also sport ranked wrestlers at 5 other weights, including #7 Breyden Bailey at 133, #5 Logan Bailey at 149, #3 Dawson Combest at 157, #6 Jack Eiteljorge at 165 and #7 Cale Gray at 285. 

#4 St. Cloud State 

St. Cloud State University is coming off of a fourth-place finish in 2022 after winning the previous three titles in 2018, 2019, and 2021 (2020 was canceled due to COVID) and the Huskies are ready to compete and reclaim the title. 

Coach Steve Costanzo is placing the emphasis this year on brotherhood, something that he feels has been lost in the last couple of years. 

“This year we are focusing and paying a lot more attention to our culture and team chemistry,” he said. “Over the last couple of years, I believe that these two areas have taken a back seat in our program. If our team can rally around a strong culture of brotherhood, this team could do some good things.” 

St. Cloud State has the talent to match Nebraska-Kearney in March, led by top-ranked 174-pounder Abner Romero, who won a D2 title in 2021 for Lindenwood before joining the Huskies. Along with Romero, St. Cloud State has six wrestlers in the preseason top 12, including #6 Paxton Creese at 125, #2 Joey Bianchini at 141, #8 Nick Novak at 149, #5 Colby Njos at 157 and #11 Anthony Herrera at 165. 

Augustana Makes Leap 

Augustana cracked the top 10 at the NCAA Championships in seven of coach Jason Reitmeier’s first nine seasons with the Vikings. Though they’ve been close a time or two, they haven’t reached the top 10 since 2012. 

This could be the season Augustana rejoins the D2 elite in March. 

After finishing 30th at the NCAA Championships last season, the Vikings start this season ranked seventh, thanks to five ranked wrestlers, including three ranked in the top five.  

“I think I am most excited just to see this team compete again after a long offseason,” Reitmeier said. “We have a very tough schedule with a couple of very good D1’s, SDSU and Minnesota. We schedule great non-conference matches in UNK, Western State, National Duals, and our conference, the NSIC, is super competitive. 

“(This is) Definitely one of my more talented teams throughout the lineup with a good balance of experience upper-classman and youth.” 

The Vikings have highly-ranked wrestlers at both ends of their order with #5 Jaxson Rohman at 125, #2 Jack Huffman at 133 and #4 Steven Hajas at 285.

Returning Champions

Seven NCAA champions are back this season in Division II:

West Liberty 125-pounder Cole Laya — A two-time NCAA champ who's taking aim at a third title as a senior. Laya has won 43 of his 47 matches during the past two seasons.  

Lander 141-pounder Zeth Brower — The first All-American in Lander history went 18-0 last season on his way to the 141-pound D2 title. 

Adams State 149-pounder Noah Hermosillo — Went 24-1 last season with 10 bonus-point victories on his way to the 149-pound title. 

Adams State 157-pounder Josiah Rider — Capped a 28-2 season with a fall in the 157-pound D2 title bout. 

St. Cloud State 174-pounder Abner Romero — Started his career at Old Dominion before winning a D2 title in 2021 for Lindenwood. 

Central Oklahoma 197-pounder Dalton Abney — Compiled a 26-0 record last season with 14 bonus-point victories . 

Minnesota State heavyweight Darrell Mason — The NWCA D2 wrestler of the year last season went 22-0 on his way to the heavyweight title. 

Must-See Duals

Circle these dates on the D2 calendar. These five duals are must-see this season: 

Dec. 17: #7 Augustana at #1 Nebraska-Kearney

Jan. 11: #7 Augustana at #4 St. Cloud State

Jan. 26: #8 Adams State at #9 Colorado Mesa University 

Feb. 10: #4 St. Cloud State at #16 Mary

Feb. 12: #1 Nebraska-Kearney at #2 Central Oklahoma