I could in all reality have said the same thing about some of the other weights, what I'm about to say about 165. What really astonishes me about this weight class is that in returning 6 All Americans, three of them were 3rds, two of them were champions & one of them was a 2nd. Matter of fact, the NCAA DII champ was 3rd in his Region & the guy who beat him wasn't a finalist. That means that the guy who beat the DII champ at Regions, didn't even qualify. It gives perspective. I think that's why qualifying is treated with such a high prestige at this level. Why the regions & the Midwest Classic is respected with the utmost importance. You don't have the "nationals is all that matters" mentality, treating everything else as a distant second like you do in NCAA Division I. While I still hold camp that I'd like to see more qualifiers at this level, a part of me appreciates how much honor & pride is taken in accomplishments other than making All American. With that off my chest, I have to say that I found 165 lbs '22-'23 to be such a strange weight.
For one, I still can't get over Shane Gantz finishing R12. Especially the way he went out in his final match. It was shocking & it was heartbreaking, but it's a part of our sport. Fortunately, so are the heartwarming stories....
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| Chase Luensman Upper Iowa |
Monticello, Iowa is known for the famous Jones County Fair & for producing NCAA DII champion Chase Luensman. In many ways, he really was the feel good story of '22-'23. A two time NCAA DII qualifier going into the '21-'22 season, he finished a disappointing 6th at the Super Region V. He was then nearly majored early on in the Region this past season & he had to win some tough matches to work his way back to the qualifying finish of 3rd. Watching him win the NCAA DII title last year, in front of a home crowd (Upper Iowa was the host), was exceptionally rewarding. 32-3 on the year, he also won the Augsburg Invite & he was 2nd at the Midwest Classic.
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| David Hunsberger Lander |
It was one Hell of a rookie season for David Hunsberger last season. 32-5 on the year, he won the Super Region II & he was 4th in the DII nation.
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| Alex Farenchak Gannon |
Alex Farenchak goes into his final season of competition a three time Super Region I finalist, having won titles the past two seasons. An NCAA DII finalist in 2021, he was 5th this past season on a 15-2 record.
Behind him in the lineup will be a very tough Ethan Richner. Among his victories a 7-4 decision over Matt Ortiz & a 4-1 win over Jacob Potok.
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| Alec Cook West Liberty |
26-13 on the season, Alec Cook was 3rd in the Super Region II & 6th in the DII nation. Behind him in the lineup, a talented Toby Abbott, who with 29 wins last season, majored Brad Galassi 10-2.
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| Anthony Herrera St Cloud State |
Having placed 5th & 7th in the last two NCAA DII championships, Anthony Herrera goes into his junior season of competition now a two time All American. 2nd in the Super Region V & a Dakota Wesleyan Open champion, he was 18-8 on the year.
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| Mikey Vernagallo Mount Olive |
Pulling off one of the biggest upsets in NCAA DII wrestling last season, Mikey Vernagallo pinned Shane Gantz in just 34 seconds to secure All American honors. Another unlikely story, when you really take into account that Gantz was 2nd in the nation in '22, while Vernagallo had a 6-2 record, coming off of a 1-5 record the season before that. It just goes to show you that in this sport, last year, last month, last week, yesterday, last match....NONE of it matters. The only thing that counts when you step out there on the mat, is what happens during THAT moment. 23-8 on the season & also 3rd at the Super Region II, Vernagallo proved that.
28-16 on the season it was a match away from a top 8 showing for Guy DeLeonardis at both the NCAA DII tournament as well as a the Midwest Classic. A Super Region III champ, he was 4th at the Bob Del Rosa invite. He had both a 9-5 decision as well as a 5-3 s.v. over All American Alec Cook.
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| Guy DeLeonardis Glenville State |
28-16 on the season it was a match away from a top 8 showing for Guy DeLeonardis at both the NCAA DII tournament as well as a the Midwest Classic. A Super Region III champ, he was 4th at the Bob Del Rosa invite. He had both a 9-5 decision as well as a 5-3 s.v. over All American Alec Cook.
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| Aaden Valdez Adams State |
19-4 on the season, Aaden Valdez won the Super Region VI, finishing one match shy of NCAA DII All American honors.
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| Patrick Wunderlich Coker |
His 11-11 record may have only been .500 but his accomplishments in his rookie season were aiming towards the fence. A Super Region II runner-up, Patrick Wunderlich was one match away from being an All American in his first season as a Cobra.
A transfer from Franklin & Marshall, Dalton Gimbor was 21-11 on the season. A 3rd place finish at Super Region I, he was one match shy of being an All American.
Winning Super Region IV titles in '20, '22 & '23 (he was 4th in '21), Jack Eiteljeorge goes into his final season of competition looking to earn his fourth Region title & his fifth placement overall. Ironically enough though, he has yet to win a match at the NCAA DII tournament. He most certainly can. Matter of fact, he's an All American contender. 4th & 6th thus far in the Midwest Classic, he's got the tools to keep one of the titles one this season, right there in Indianapolis. He was 22-7 on the year.
In the shadow of older brother, four time DII qualifier/two time All American Peter, now's as good of a time as is any for Will Kuster to really step out and make a name for himself. He had a heck of good start last season with 19 wins & a 3rd place showing at the Super Region IV. He was also a match away from a top 8 showing at the Midwest Classic.
Brandon Connor goes into the '23-'24 season having finished as Super Region I runner-up the past two years in a row. He had a record of 20-8 on the year.
Here's a wrestle-off I am looking very forward to. Either guy, Drew Wiechers or Sevi Garza, I think Ashland has an NCAA DII qualifier/All American hopeful at 165 lbs. Wiechers, a two time NCAA DII qualifier already, was 5th in the DII nation in 2022. Also a Super Region III champ in 2022, he was 2nd this past season. Other accomplishments on the year were an 8th place finish at the Midwest Classic & a runner-up showing at Bob Del Rosa.
Sevi Garza is no slouch in his own right. 24 wins on the season, he defeated All American Alec Cook 9-4. He also defeated Gary Nilson by scores of 6-1 & 3-1, as well as an 11-4 decision over Jake Potok.
Officially, Wiechers defeated Garza 4-1 last year.
An NCAA DII qualifier with a 3rd place finish at the Super Region VI last year, Kaden Hart was also 5th at the UNK-Hospitality open. Behind him in the lineup is a tough Wyatt Hayes, who along with earning 6th at the UNK-Hospitality Open, was also 3rd at the Dakota Wesleyan Open. For the record, the official match between Hart & Hayes ended 6-2 in favor of Hart.
Luke Ciampa has been close the past couple of seasons to earning NCAA DII qualification. He was 6th at Super Region I in 2022 & 4th this past season on a 24-6 record.
30-7 on the season, sophomore Kole Marko finished one match shy of NCAA DII qualification with a 4th place finish at the Super Region V.
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| Dalton Gimbor Kutztown |
A transfer from Franklin & Marshall, Dalton Gimbor was 21-11 on the season. A 3rd place finish at Super Region I, he was one match shy of being an All American.
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| Jack Eiteljeorge Indianapolis |
Winning Super Region IV titles in '20, '22 & '23 (he was 4th in '21), Jack Eiteljeorge goes into his final season of competition looking to earn his fourth Region title & his fifth placement overall. Ironically enough though, he has yet to win a match at the NCAA DII tournament. He most certainly can. Matter of fact, he's an All American contender. 4th & 6th thus far in the Midwest Classic, he's got the tools to keep one of the titles one this season, right there in Indianapolis. He was 22-7 on the year.
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| Will Kuster Drury |
In the shadow of older brother, four time DII qualifier/two time All American Peter, now's as good of a time as is any for Will Kuster to really step out and make a name for himself. He had a heck of good start last season with 19 wins & a 3rd place showing at the Super Region IV. He was also a match away from a top 8 showing at the Midwest Classic.
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| Brandon Connor Millersville |
Brandon Connor goes into the '23-'24 season having finished as Super Region I runner-up the past two years in a row. He had a record of 20-8 on the year.
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| Drew Wiechers Sevi Garza Ashland |
Here's a wrestle-off I am looking very forward to. Either guy, Drew Wiechers or Sevi Garza, I think Ashland has an NCAA DII qualifier/All American hopeful at 165 lbs. Wiechers, a two time NCAA DII qualifier already, was 5th in the DII nation in 2022. Also a Super Region III champ in 2022, he was 2nd this past season. Other accomplishments on the year were an 8th place finish at the Midwest Classic & a runner-up showing at Bob Del Rosa.
Sevi Garza is no slouch in his own right. 24 wins on the season, he defeated All American Alec Cook 9-4. He also defeated Gary Nilson by scores of 6-1 & 3-1, as well as an 11-4 decision over Jake Potok.
Officially, Wiechers defeated Garza 4-1 last year.
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| Kaden Hart Nebraska Kearney |
An NCAA DII qualifier with a 3rd place finish at the Super Region VI last year, Kaden Hart was also 5th at the UNK-Hospitality open. Behind him in the lineup is a tough Wyatt Hayes, who along with earning 6th at the UNK-Hospitality Open, was also 3rd at the Dakota Wesleyan Open. For the record, the official match between Hart & Hayes ended 6-2 in favor of Hart.
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| Luke Ciampa East Stroudsburg |
Luke Ciampa has been close the past couple of seasons to earning NCAA DII qualification. He was 6th at Super Region I in 2022 & 4th this past season on a 24-6 record.
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| Kole Marko Minnesota State Mankato |
30-7 on the season, sophomore Kole Marko finished one match shy of NCAA DII qualification with a 4th place finish at the Super Region V.
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| Bo Perkins King |
The Florida native was 18-6 on the season, nearly qualifying for the NCAA DII championships with a 4th place showing at Super Region II.
I tell you what, Nolan Saale had himself a pretty respectable season last year. Finished one match shy of NCAA DII qualification at the Super Region IV. However, I do think that the starting spot at 165, will return to John Ridle who won the Super Region IV in 2022 & finished 4th in the DII nation. Last season I believe he was redshirting, but he still made his presence known. 5th in the Midwest Classic, he defeated three time Super Region IV champ Jack Eiteljeorge 4-3. He also had a 6-4 decision over Dillon Keane & a 4-2 decision over Cole Ritter.
Breaking even at 18-18 last season, Gary Nilson was 4th in Super Region III.
A Super Region I champ in 2022, Dillon Keane didn't quite finish where he wanted to last season when he ended up in 5th. Nevertheless, still a lot of highlights on the season. A 4-2 win over R12'er Guy DeLeonardis, a 6-2 win over DII qualifier Brandon Connor & a 7-1 decision over DII qualifier Drew Wiechers.
22-9 on the season, Cole Ritter was 3rd at the Kaufman Brand, 4th at the Midwest Classic & 5th at Super Region IV. Among his victories an 8-7 decision over All American Mikey Vernagallo, a 5-2 decision over R12'er Guy DeLeonardis & a 6:23 fall over DII qualifier Jack Eiteljeroge.
Gus Dalton was 7th at the Midwest Classic & 5th at Super REgion VI. He had a 7-5 s.v. over All American David Hunsberger.
18 wins on the season, Jake Potok was 5th at Super Region III.
Riley Noble...... This picture about says it all. He's an interesting cat. 16-15 on the year, his season was a roller coaster. What sticks out most about it? The fact that he nearly majored the eventual NCAA DII champ Chase Luensman 17-10 at the Super Region V. He kept the man who would stand above everyone else at the end of it all fighting off his back. You can't ignore that. Nor can you ignore that Noble also defeated All American Alec Cook 6-4 s.v. as well as two time All American Anthony Herrera 4-3. Yet, he ended up finishing in 6th place.
What do you do with all of this information? Clearly Noble has the tools & the talent to contend with anyone at 165. Yet he's inconsistent & unpredictable. Obviously a very dangerous wrestler, I'd say once he gets things figured out mentally, he could be 165's biggest threat.
Also in the Mary lineup at 165 will be Joey Mushinsky, who with 13 wins on the season had a 7-6 decision over Kole Marko.
Sometimes the level of competition is more important than is wins and losses. Certainly the case with Garrett Starks who was 6th in the Super Region II last season.
12 wins on the season, Brad Galassi was 6th in Super Region III.
It was a good start to the season last year for two time DII All American Cory Peterson. 4th in '21 & '3rd in 22, he started off with a 3rd place showing at the Kaufman Brand Open & a 5-4 win over All American David Hunsberger. Having finished 2nd at the '22 Midwest Classic, he unfortunately suffered a season ending injury & had to Medical Forfeit to a R12 finish last year. Matt Ortiz then took over the starting spot & did a pretty respectable job himself. A 6th place finish at Super Region IV, he had a 10-4 win over R12'er Patrick Wunderlich.
10 wins on the season, Elijah Valdez was 6th in Super Region VI.
A good start to the career of Coy Gunderson, who with 19 wins finished 2nd at both the Dakota Wesleyan Open as well as the Lindenwood open. He had a 2-1 win over Kole Marko.
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| Nolan Saale John Ridle Central Missouri |
I tell you what, Nolan Saale had himself a pretty respectable season last year. Finished one match shy of NCAA DII qualification at the Super Region IV. However, I do think that the starting spot at 165, will return to John Ridle who won the Super Region IV in 2022 & finished 4th in the DII nation. Last season I believe he was redshirting, but he still made his presence known. 5th in the Midwest Classic, he defeated three time Super Region IV champ Jack Eiteljeorge 4-3. He also had a 6-4 decision over Dillon Keane & a 4-2 decision over Cole Ritter.
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| Gary Nilson Findlay |
Breaking even at 18-18 last season, Gary Nilson was 4th in Super Region III.
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| Dillon Keane Pittsburgh-Johnstown |
A Super Region I champ in 2022, Dillon Keane didn't quite finish where he wanted to last season when he ended up in 5th. Nevertheless, still a lot of highlights on the season. A 4-2 win over R12'er Guy DeLeonardis, a 6-2 win over DII qualifier Brandon Connor & a 7-1 decision over DII qualifier Drew Wiechers.
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| Cole Ritter Maryville |
22-9 on the season, Cole Ritter was 3rd at the Kaufman Brand, 4th at the Midwest Classic & 5th at Super Region IV. Among his victories an 8-7 decision over All American Mikey Vernagallo, a 5-2 decision over R12'er Guy DeLeonardis & a 6:23 fall over DII qualifier Jack Eiteljeroge.
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| Gus Dalton Colorado Mesa |
Gus Dalton was 7th at the Midwest Classic & 5th at Super REgion VI. He had a 7-5 s.v. over All American David Hunsberger.
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| Jake Potok Lake Erie |
18 wins on the season, Jake Potok was 5th at Super Region III.
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| Riley Noble Mary |
Riley Noble...... This picture about says it all. He's an interesting cat. 16-15 on the year, his season was a roller coaster. What sticks out most about it? The fact that he nearly majored the eventual NCAA DII champ Chase Luensman 17-10 at the Super Region V. He kept the man who would stand above everyone else at the end of it all fighting off his back. You can't ignore that. Nor can you ignore that Noble also defeated All American Alec Cook 6-4 s.v. as well as two time All American Anthony Herrera 4-3. Yet, he ended up finishing in 6th place.
What do you do with all of this information? Clearly Noble has the tools & the talent to contend with anyone at 165. Yet he's inconsistent & unpredictable. Obviously a very dangerous wrestler, I'd say once he gets things figured out mentally, he could be 165's biggest threat.
Also in the Mary lineup at 165 will be Joey Mushinsky, who with 13 wins on the season had a 7-6 decision over Kole Marko.
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| Garrett Starks Limestone |
Sometimes the level of competition is more important than is wins and losses. Certainly the case with Garrett Starks who was 6th in the Super Region II last season.
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| Brad Galassi Davis & Elkins |
12 wins on the season, Brad Galassi was 6th in Super Region III.
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| Cory Peterson Matt Ortiz McKendree |
It was a good start to the season last year for two time DII All American Cory Peterson. 4th in '21 & '3rd in 22, he started off with a 3rd place showing at the Kaufman Brand Open & a 5-4 win over All American David Hunsberger. Having finished 2nd at the '22 Midwest Classic, he unfortunately suffered a season ending injury & had to Medical Forfeit to a R12 finish last year. Matt Ortiz then took over the starting spot & did a pretty respectable job himself. A 6th place finish at Super Region IV, he had a 10-4 win over R12'er Patrick Wunderlich.
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| Elijah Valdez CSU-Pueblo |
10 wins on the season, Elijah Valdez was 6th in Super Region VI.
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| Coy Gunderson Augustana (SD) |
A good start to the career of Coy Gunderson, who with 19 wins finished 2nd at both the Dakota Wesleyan Open as well as the Lindenwood open. He had a 2-1 win over Kole Marko.
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