Tuesday, September 17, 2024

Who's Who of D3 Collegiate Wrestling: Top Returnees 197 lbs for 2024-2025

 

Massoma Endene
Wisconsin



Massoma Endene ruled the roost last year in NCAA Division III wrestling.  A D3 national champion, he will now test himself at the NCAA Division I level......

UPDATE:  No, actually, he will not.  In what is probably the biggest news concerning NCAA Division III wrestling, Massoma Endene has decided NOT to compete for Wisconsin this year after all.  This changes the entire landscape of the 197 lbs weight class in NCAA Division III wrestling.  Amazing how all of the biggest news seems to be happening at 197, regardless of the Division. 

Montgomery Mills
Westminster

Montgomery Mills run to a 3rd place finish at the NCAA DIII championships was one of the most impressive displays I've seen in the sport of wrestling. You know what makes this guy so dangerous? The fact that he's going for the fall the entirety of the match.  He won 26 matches last season & 18 of them were via fall. 8th & 3rd thus far in the Lower Midwest Regional, Mills heads into his final season of competition looking to win an NCAA D3 title. 

Cameron Butka
Wilkes

After finishing 4th at the Southeast Regional in '22 & '23, it was rewarding to see Cameron Butka finally punch his ticket to the NCAA DIII championships by winning the Southeast Regional last year.  Not only did he make it to the Championships, he took a 4th place All American finish.   A Blue Jay Classic champ & 3rd at the Wilkes Open, he went 37-4 on the season. 

Dylan Harr
Johnson & Wales

Dylan Harr heads into '24-'25 now a two time NCAA Division III All American with 4th & 5th place finishes the past two seasons.  A two time Northeast Regional runner-up, he won the New Standard Invitational & had 27 wins on the year. 

Coy Spooner
USCGA

Coy Spooner could make history for the Bears this season in more than one way.  First off he looks to become a rare four time NCAA Division III All American, who thus far has finishes of 5th-2nd-6th.  A three time Northeast Regional champion, he also looks to become a four time Regional champion.  He was 19-3 on the year. 

Parker Venz                Tayler Raway
Augsburg   

23 wins on the season Parker Venz took 7th place honors at the NCAA DIII championships last season.  Finishing 2nd at the Luther Open, Venz heads into '24-'25 having twice placed 3rd at the Upper Midwest Regional & a two time North Central Invitational champion.   Venz will be backed up this season by a tough Tyler Raway.  A runner-up at the Augsburg Invitational, he won 21 matches in total, with a very impressive 10-4 decision over R12'er Demond Harrison. 

Ben Kawczynski                 Kasey Gish 
UW-La Crosse


27-6 on the year, Ben Kawczynski made the Upper Midwest Regional finals & then went on to take an 8th place finish at the NCAA DIII championships.  A North Central Invite runner-up, he has been 3rd & 1st thus far in the WIAC.   Also in the room at 197 lbs for the Eagles is a super tough Kasey Gish.  Last year as a freshman he let his presence be known by winning the prestigious Pete Willson Invitational.  23-6 on the year, he stuck Jacob Badger at 2:13 and Peyton Smith at 3:46.  He also had a 9-7 win over Treyten Steffen.   Officially Kawczynski pinned Gish at the 3:21 mark. 

Jaedyn Harris
McDaniel

6th-4th-1st in the Mideast Regional thus far in his career, Jaedyn Harris was one match shy of earning NCAA Division III All American honors last season.  25-5 on the year, he had a 4-1 s.v. over All American Cameron Butka. 

Darby McLaughlin
Castleton

One match shy of NCAA DIII All American status last season, Darby McLaughlin is another wrestler looking to become a four time Regional place-winner in '24-'25.  Thus far he has had Northeast Regional finishes of 6th-4th-3rd.  28 wins on the year, he won titles at the Roger Williams Invite, the Ithaca Invite & the Citrus Invite. 

   Demond Harrison           Matt Bollman 
       Albion     

I'm really anxious to see how this situation turns out for the Britons. Both of these talents are only sophomores this season & I can't see Coach Wilson not figuring out a way to utilize both.  Perhaps one will go down to 184 or put on some size and go HWT eventually.   Harrison won 27 matches last season, winning the Central Regional & finishing one match shy of D3 All American honors.  Matt Bollman only wrestled a handful of matches last season, but one of them was a 9-3 decision over Harrison.   We have two very good wrestlers here and unfortunately only one varsity spot at 197. 

Lorenzo Pellot               Cam Cavins   
Roanoke

29 wins on the season, Lorenzo Pellot finished a hair shy of being an NCAA DIII All American last season.  A runner-up at the Southeast Regional, he was 3rd at the Citrus Invitational.  He will be backed up by a tough Cam Cavins, who won 14 matches last season & has thus far finished 1st & 2nd at the Cougar Open. 

Keevon Berry
Centenary



21 wins on the season, Keevon Berry heads into '24-'25 looking to become a two time NCAA DIII qualifier and a four time Regional place-winner.  Thus far in the Mideast Regional he has been 7th-5th-2nd. 

Ryan Galka
Ithaca

Here's a guy that made some major improvements.  A losing record in '22-'23, Ryan Galka wrestled well above his seed at last year's Mideast Regional, earning a 3rd place finish and NCAA DIII qualification. 

Bryce McCloskey
Thiel

Winning 19 matches on the season, Bryce McCloskey spent the majority of the year down at 184 & didn't move up to 197 until the Central Regional. He finished in 3rd place and earned NCAA Division III qualification. 

Gage Linahon
Central

3rd-2nd-2nd thus far in the Lower Midwest Regional, Gage Linahon enters his final season of collegiate competition looking to win a Regional title & earn NCAA DIII All American honors.  An Under Armor Champion last year, among his 29 victories, he had a 22-7 technical fall over Montgomery Mills. 

Mathieu Arsenault
Coe

25-7 on the year, Mathieu Arsenault finished one match shy of NCAA DIII qualification as he finished 4th at the Lower Midwest Regional.  A runner-up at the Coe Invitational, he had both a 1:59 fall & 14-11 decision over All American Dylan Harr. 

Jesse Kanatzar
John Carroll


An NCAA DIII qualifier in 2023, Jesse Kanatzar moved up to the 197 lbs weight class in late January, after competing earlier at 184.  Winning 26 matches on the year, he came up just a hair short of qualification #2 as he finished 4th at the Central Regional.  A Pete Willson finisher of 6th in 2023, he also came up just a hair short of another top 8 finish there as well. 

Spencer Fetrow 
Roger Williams

20-6 on the season, Spencer Fetrow heads into '24-'25 having thus far posted 6th & 4th place finishes at the Northeast Regional.  He has also thus far been 3rd & 2nd at the Roger Williams Invite. 

Dan Eckley
Delaware Valley

6th & 4th in the Southeast Regional thus far, Dan Eckley won 15 matches last season, including an 8-2 decision over qualifier Keevon Berry.  Although he was upset at last year's MAC, he is also a two time finalist. 

Treyten Steffen
Cornell (IA)

25 wins on the season last year, Treyten Steffen heads into '24-'25 having placed 7th & 5th thus far in the Lower Midwest Regional.  A Citrus Invitational champion, he was 4th at the prestigious Pete Willson Invite. A 12-4 as well as a 10-4 decision over R12'er Darby McLaughlin, he also had a 7-6 decision over Lorenzo Pellot another R12'er. 

Mike D'Orazio
Chicago

Mike D'Orazio was 5th at the Upper Midwest Regional last year. 

Neil Johnson
Wabash

31 wins on the season for Neil Johnson last year, who was 5th in the Central Regional. 

Carson LiCastri
SUNY-Oneonta

Great rookie season for Carson LiCastri last year, as he went 32-7 overall.  5th in the Mideast Regional, he made the finals of the SUNY-AC. 

Grant Mathias
USMMA

15 wins on the season, it was a 5th place showing at the Northeast Regional for Grant Mathias. 

John Santowski
Washington & Lee 


26-8 on the year, John Santowski placed 5th at the Southeast Regional.  Had a 4-1 decision over R12'er Lorenzo Pellot. 

Blaise Wagner
Stevens Tech

6th at the Southeast Regional & a runner-up at the MAC, Blaise Wager racked up an assortment of impressive victories last year.  An 8-6 decision over R12'er Darby McLaughlin, he scored a technical fall over qualifier Ryan Galka 21-5.  Sticking Spencer Fetrow in 4:46, he defeated Dan Eckley 7-4. 



Casey Allen
Springfield

17 wins on the season, Casey Allen was 6th in the Northeast Regional. 

Braydon Vandenberg
St John Fisher

The former Buffalo Bull is making strides at the recently reinstated St John Fisher.  A SUNY-AC champion, he went 25-4 last year, placing 6th at the Mideast Regional. 

Caleb Tackett
Wilmington

Caleb Tackett took 6th place honors at the Central Regional last year. 

Peyton Smith
Concordia (WIS)

7th & 6th thus far in the Upper Midwest Regional, Peyton Smith posted 24 wins last season.  He was also 8th at the Pete Willson Invitational. 

Jacob Badger
Augustana (ILL)

A Pete Willson Invitational finalist last season, Jacob Badger won 18 matches on the year & placed 7th at the Lower Midwest Regional. 

Logan Neitzel
UW-Stevens Point

18 wins on the season & a 7th place Upper Midwest Regional finish for Logan Neitzel last season. 

Jackson Beck Calvert
Adrian



The Bulldog was 7th at the Central Regional last season, winning 18 matches. 

Anthony Cascen
SUNY-Oswego

29 wins on the season, Anthony Cascen was 3rd at the SUNY-AC & 7th at the Mideast Regional.  Among his victories he defeated R12'er Lorenzo Pellot 7-4, with both a 17-5 major & 7-2 decision over qualifier Ryan Galka. 

Jamar Christian
Averett

29-5 on the season, Jamar Christian finished 7th at the Southeast Regional. 

Kody Krupp
Olivet

17 wins on the season for Kody Krupp who was 8th at the Central Regional. 

Mauro Pellot
Alvernia

I've said it once, I've said it 1,000 times.  Injuries S-U-C-K and such is the case with Mauro Pellot.  The two time NCAA DIII qualifier, who was 3rd at the Southeast Regional in '22 & '23, went into last year's tournament with a 23-1 record.  He won two matches & ended up getting injured, being forced to default to 8th place.  Earlier in the season, he won the MAC. 

Anthony Mears
Southern Maine

13 wins on the year, Anthony Mears was 7th at the Northeast Regional. 

Nero Bono
Keystone

21 wins on the season, Nero Bono took 8th place at the Mideast Regional. 

Thoren Berg
Norwich

8th in the Northeast Regional, Thoren Berg was 17 matches in '23-'24. 

Cole Matulenko
UW-Eau Claire

R12 at the Pete Willson Invitational, Cole Matulenko won 22 matches, including a very impressive 17-2 technical fall over Lorenzo Pellot. 

Johnny Black
Ferrum

Johnny Black didn't take to the mat many times last season, but what sticks out to me is a 17-16 victory over R12'er Lorenzo Pellot. 

D.J. Henry
TCNJ

Another wrestler who didn't wrestle much last season, yet scored an impressive 5:46 fall over All American Dylan Harr was D.J. Henry. 

Jake Steenhoek
Luther

Consistency wasn't a friend of Jake Steenhoek's last season, but when he was on, he was ON.  A 16-5 major over Demond Harrison, he pinned Blaise Wagner at the 1:19 mark & pinned Mathieu Arsenault at 6:56 mark.  He also defeated Peyton Smith 5-2. 

Trai Roland
Elizabethtown

14-5 on the year, Trai Roland scored both a 12-10 decision over R12'er Lorenzo Pellot & a 5-2 decision over Nero Bono. 

Sawyer Dereszynski
Messiah

17 wins on the season, what sticks out to me most about Sawyer Dereszynski was a 17-2 technical fall over qualifier Ryan Galka. 

Ajay Locke
 Ohio Northern 

20 wins on the season, Ajay Locke had an impressive 8-5 decision over qualifier Ryan Galka. 

Greyson Gardner
Wartburg

10 wins on the season, a 1:13 fall over Jacob Badger & a 4:57 fall over Mathieu Arsenault. 




















































































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