2020-21 NCAA Division II Rankings

NCAA DII 125-Pound Rankings

The season cannot get here soon enough! Last season ended in an unprecedented manner. Wrestlers were at Nationals, preparing to compete the next day, when the announcement came out that the tournament was being canceled with the uncertainty of COVID-19. Like Division I, there has been a waiver passed for Division II for this upcoming season. There were a number of top wrestlers who were planning on redshirting this season. Those wrestlers aren't in these rankings, but do know that we could see them pop up, with the waiver being passed. 

If you are new to Division II, to qualify for the championships, you must place top three in a Super Region. There are six Super Regions, split geographically. So with that being said, only three from each region can qualify, but I still did my rankings trying to rank the "best 15 guys." There have been a number of teams and schools that have yet to be approved for their winter season. This will also be something to keep an eye on.

125 was a loaded weight from top to bottom last season. We can really see that when five of the top six seeds from nationals last season graduate or move weights, and this is still a deep, tough weight class! Three-time All-American Josh Portillo will be the man with the target on his back to start the season, but know that there are a number of different wrestlers who will be in the mix to be a national champ this season at 125. A few new names that I am interested to see thrown into the mix are Charlie Lenox (NC State transfer) of Gannon, Cody Fatzinger of Western St. who is dropping down from 133, and 2019 All-American Cole Jones of Moorhead is back from his redshirt last season.

Freshmen to Watch

Aizayah "Maka" Yakapin - Simon Fraser - 2x Washington state champ, 3x finalist. Look for him to make an impact on Simon Fraser's lineup this season

Questions or comments? Email Ryan Bauer about the Division II rankings at rbauer@lps.org.