And That's a Career - A final salute to the Class of '25 - NCAA Division 2 141 lbs

 

Christian Small
Lake Erie

I tell you what, 141 lbs in NCAA Division II broke my heart in many ways this season.  I was always hoping to see Christian Small win an NCAA II title during his career, but between bad luck & injury, things unfortunately didn't work out that way.  An NCAA DII runner-up as a sophomore, he had a nightmare tournament as a junior going 0-2 & this year injury saw him finish a match shy of D2 All American honors.  3rd-1st-1st at Super Region III, he was the Midwest Classic runner-up this season.  When it comes to class & sportsmanship, one of the best ever. 

Brayden Lowery
Indianapolis

Braydon Lowery fought hard to earn the varsity spot at Indianapolis this season & made the most of it by winning Super Region IV & finishing one match shy of D2 All American honors. 

Angel Flores
Adams State

Angel Flores ended an outstanding collegiate career as a two-time NCAA D2 qualifier, with an All American finish of 4th in 2024.  Was 3rd & 2nd at Super Region VI. 

Cayden Henschel
UW-Parkside

As said when I spoke of Small,  141 lbs in D2 was very heartbreaking this year.  Cayden Henschel seemed to have done everyone in D2, except make All American honors.  Not only did he seem poised to make the award stand, he looked like he was going to stand a top of it.  He beat everyone this year. Wins over nearly everyone who made All American honors.   Yet come Super Region V time, a tournament he had previously finished 1st & 2nd at, things fell apart for him & he took 5th.   I've spoken of this many times already this season, but the fact that many celebrated his tragedy, I find injudicious & concerning.   Henschel was very self-promoting, but I never saw him degrade anyone else. It's like in wrestling so many want the sport to grow in terms of popularity & viewership, yet they want the masses to come to us like the Prince who suddenly shows up to awaken Cinderella & Sleeping Beauty with a kiss out of nowhere.  It doesn't work that way.  It's us that has to attract them.  It takes going the extra mile and doing things like what Henschel did, which in many ways takes a lot of courage.  I personally think he was one of the best things to happen to D2 wrestling.   His highlights were the prestigious Midwest Classic, where he was 8th-3rd-1st. 

Grayson DiBlasi
Colorado School of Mines

While Cayden Henschel is probably the best to not qualify for the NCAA DII championships this year at 141 lbs, Grayson DiBlasi is a very, very close second.  An unorthodox wrestler, who made it up as he goes, this is a guy I'm going to miss seeing on the mat.  You knew any time he stepped his toe to the line, as Doc Brown would say in Back to the Future you were about to see some serious shit.   3rd & 2nd in his first two Super Region VI tournaments, DiBlasi was a victim of loaded brackets in both his junior & senior years, finishing 5th & 4th.  Matter of fact, in his final collegiate match, he gave Johnny Lopez a tough 11-9 match.  Lopez went on to win the D2 title.   DiBlasi was 7th-7th-4th at the Midwest Classic. 

Mason Myers
Pittsburgh-Johnstown

An NCAA DII qualifier last year as a junior with a 2nd place finish at Super Region I, Mason Myers came up a little short in his final attempt as he finished 5th at Super Region I. 

And That's a Career - A final salute to the Class of '25 - NCAA Division 2 133 lbs

 

Reece Barnhardt
Mary

What a rewarding career Reece Barnhardt had at Mary.  4th-7th-4th in his first three years at the NCAA DII championships, Barnhardt capped off his career as a National Champion.  98 career wins, Barnhardt was also 2nd-2nd-1st-3rd at Super Region V & 2nd-2nd-7th-2nd at the Midwest Classic. 

Peter Rolle
Central Oklahoma

4th at Super Region IV a year ago, Peter Rolle wasn't going to be denied in his final season of collegiate wrestling.  This year he not only won Super Region IV, he made it all the way to the NCAA DII finals, ending his career with D2 silver.  He was also 7th at this year's Midwest Classic.

Jerry Echevarria
Gannon

The Long Beach, New York native has a fantastic career at Gannon, racking up a series of accomplishments & credentials in his final two seasons.  5th & 7th in the D2 Nation, Echevarria was 3rd-3rd at Super Region I & 5th-8th at the Midwest Classic. 

Sam Spencer
St. Cloud State

In his final season as a Husky, Sam Spencer won Super Region V & took 6th place in the D2 nation. 

Thierno Diallo
Frostburg State

A fellow creative writer, Thierno Diallo came to Frostburg State after spending some time at Binghamton.  Since reinstating their wrestling program, the Bobcats have produced a few stars & Diallo has been one of them.  A two-time Super Region I runner-up, Diallo took 8th place All American honors last year, and came up one match short this season. 

Elijah Boyd
Belmont Abbey

One match shy of NCAA DII qualification a year ago, the Psychology major would not be denied in his final attempt as he took Super Region II runner-up honors & qualified for the DII championships. 

Wayne Joint
Minot State

Wayne Joint came to Minot State after winning back-to-back CCCAA titles for West Hills.  During his time as a Beaver he took back-to-back 5th place finishes at Super Region V. 

Ashton Anderson
Findlay

Another tough wrestler who never quite made the NCAA DII championships, Ashton Anderson finished out his career with Super Region III finishes of 4th & 5th. 

And That's a Career - A final salute to the Class of '25 - NCAA Division 2 125 lbs

 

Jakason Burks
Central Missouri

From Oklahoma State, to a standout NJCAA career at Iowa Central, Jakason Burks ended his collegiate career on top of the NCAA Division III world by winning titles at the Midwest Classic, Super Region IV, and the NCAA DII championships.  

Jaxson Rohman
Augustana (SD)

2nd-2nd-3rd in the D2 nation, have to conclude that Jaxson Rohman is one of the all-time best to never win a national title.  Was 3rd-2nd-2nd-1st at Super Region V, and 23-5 in his final season. 

Trevon Gray
Pittsburgh-Johnstown

Trevon Gray ended his outstanding career as a Mountain Cat as a three-time Super Region I champion, with back to back NCAA DII All American finishes of 7th & 4th.  A two-time Midwest Classic place-winner with back-to-back 8th place finishes. 

Studd Morris
Central Oklahoma

Most certainly have to conclude Studd Morris as one of the best in recent times to not make All American status during his career.  This season he was 3rd at the Midwest Classic & 2nd at Super Region IV.  25-4 on the year, owned a 10-4 victory over Trevon Gray. 

Kaden Kuenzi
Lander

Spending the bulk of his career at Oregon State, Kaden Kuenzi made the most of his final season, transferring to Lander & ending his career as a Super Region II champion. 

Corey Gallivan
Coker

Corey Gallivan qualified for the NCAA DII championships in his final attempt with a 3rd place showing at Super Region II. 

Christian Lopez
Colorado School of Mines

It's so incredibly tough to qualify for nationals at the NCAA DII level & Christian Lopez is all the proof you'll need to know why.  NCAA DII champ Jakason Burks didn't have many losses this season, but Lopez was one of them in a 4-1 s.v.   Lopez had Super Region VI finishes of 6th & 5th, and was twice one match shy of placement at the prestigious Midwest Classic. 

And That's a Career - A final salute to the Class of '25 - NCAA Division III HWT

 

RayShawn Dixon
Ferrum

105 career victories, RayShawn Dixon collected a series of credentials & accomplishments over his career.  3rd-1st-1st at Regionals, Dixon was a three-time Pete Willson Invitational champion.  D3 All American finishes of 5th & 4th.  33-3 in his final season. 

Josh Harkless
R.I.T. 

32-1 on the season, after finishing 8th in the D3 nation a year ago, Josh Harkless finished off his collegiate career with a 3rd place finish at nationals. 

Mauro Pellot-Vasquez
Alvernia

Earning D3 All American honors of 7th, Mauro Pellot-Vasquez finished off his career as a four-time Regional place-winner with finishes of 3rd-3rd-8th-1st. 

Robby Bates
North Central

Robby Bates ended his career as a three-time NCAA DIII All American with finishes of 6th, 4th & 8th. 

Caleb Burkhart
Wilkes

104 career wins, Caleb Burkhart, 5th at Pete Willson this season, was 5th-3rd-2nd at Regionals during his time as a Colonel. 

Reid Garrison
USMMA

27-4 on the year, Reid Garrison finished off his collegiate career one match shy of D3 All American honors. 

Michael Douglas
UW-La Crosse

Things don't always end the way they should, but in this sport it's important to look at an entire career, rather than just the way it ended.  Michael Douglas earned D3 All American honors in '23 & '24 of 8th & 2nd respectively.  Unfortunately this year, he came up short of AA #3.   Nevertheless, a great career that saw WIAC finishes of 3rd-1st-1st the past three seasons & Regional finishes of 2nd & 1st the past two seasons.  

Nick Franco
SUNY-Brockport

Nick Franco ended his collegiate career as a two-time NCAA DIII qualifier with back-to-back 3rd place Regional finishes. 

Walter West
Luther

Walter West ended his career with 3rd & 1st place Regional finishes.  20-3 on the season, was 7th in the D3 nation last year as a junior. 

Peyton Smith
Concordia (WIS)

In his final season, Peyton Smith has a strong showing at Pete Willson placing 4th.  He also had a 5-01 win over Caleb Burkhart on the year. 

Josh Woodrey
Augustana (ILL) 

The Viking ended his career an NCAA DIII qualifier with a runner-up finish at Regionals.  He was also 3rd & 2nd in the past two Pete Willson Invitationals. 

Mason Sprinkel
Norwich

I have no idea why Mason Sprinkel didn't compete in this year's Regionals, but he most certainly deserves to be mentioned along with the other HWT seniors of 2025. 98 career wins & 81 of them were via fall.  Talk about a guy who knew how to put shoulders to the mat. 

And That's a Career - A final salute to the Class of '25 - NCAA Division III 197 lbs

 

Cameron Butka
Wilkes

124 career wins, Cameron Butka achieved an assortment of credentials during his time as a Colonel.  4th-4th-1st-1st at Regionals, he was 4th in the D3 nation a year ago & he made the D3 finals this year.  39-3 on the season, he also won the Pete Willson Invitational. 

Chase Baczek
Wabash

A three-time Regional champion, Chase Baczek ended his career as a three-time NCAA D3 All American, with honors of 6th-7th-3rd.  Was 29-3 on the year. 

Dylan Harr
Johnson & Wales

A great career for Dylan Harr.  Was 2nd-2nd-1st at Regionals & 4th-5th-5th at the D3 national championships. 

Ben Kawczynski
UW-La Crosse

2nd & 1st Regional finishes the past two years, Ben Kawczynski earned D3 All American finishes of 8th & 7th.  Won 21 matches this season. 

Jackson Punzel
Wheaton 

A four-time Regional place-winner, Jackson Punzel made the most of his final season, making the NCAA D3 tournament & capturing an 8th place All-American finish.  8th-8th-4th-2nd in the Regionals. 

Blaise Wagner
Stevens Tech 

Blaise Wagner made the Regional finals this season, going 32-7 on the year & finishing one match shy of D3 All American honors.   Was 6th at Regionals last year. 

Parker Venz
Augsburg

Parker Venz closes out an outstanding career that saw three NCAA D3 qualifications with Regional finishes of 3rd-3rd-2nd, & a 7th place finish at the national championships last year. 

Gavin Layman
Ohio Northern

100 career wins, Gavin Layman ended his career as a three-time NCAA D3 qualifier, with Regional finishes of 2nd-2nd-3rd.  He also made the Pete Willson Finals this year. 

Bryce McCloskey
Mount Union 

Bryce McCloskey ended his career as a two-time NCAA D3 qualifier with Regionals finishes of 3rd & 2nd. 

Will Davis
Elizabethtown

Will Davis finished off his collegiate career with a seasonal record of 34-5 & an NCAA DIII qualification with a runner-up finish at Regionals.

Sawyer Dereszynski
Messiah

26 wins in his final season, Sawyer Dereszynski was 8th at the Pete Willson Invitational & 3rd at Regionals. 

Haven Tatarek
Castleton

98 career wins, Haven Tatarek finished off his collegiate career with an NCAA D3 qualification, placing 3rd at Regionals. 

Ben Strehlow
Luther

21 wins on the season, the Wisconsin native made a trip to the NCAA DIII championships with a 3rd place showing at Regionals. 

Treyten Steffen
Cornell (IA)

Treyten Steffen may have never made the NCAA DIII championships, but he still had an outstanding career with many highlights.  Twice 4th at the Pete Willson Invitational, Steffen was 5th-7th-5th at Regionals.  34-7 on the year, a 4-2 win over Bryce McCloskey & a 5-3 win over Chase Baczek. 

Jacob Badger
Augustana (ILL) 

In English or Spanish, Jacob Badger could probably give you a listen in biology.  Another tough wrestler who fell a bit short of D3 qualification during his career.  2nd & 7th place finishes at Pete Willson, he was 7th & 4th at Regionals.  1st & 3rd at the past two CCIW's.  23-6 on the year. 

Aris Dashiell
Wesleyan 

30-6 in his final season, Aris Dashiell narrowly missed out on D3 qualification with a 4th place finish at Regionals. 

Spencer Fetrow
Roger Williams

23-7 on the year, Spencer Fetrow ended his career as a three-time Regional place-winner.  6th-4th-6th. 

Nick Brashear
Huntingdon

The Alabama native is another who ended his collegiate career a three-time Regional place-winner.  5th-8th-4th. 

Jesse Kanatzar
John Carroll

Jesse Kanatzar ended his collegiate career a two-time Regional place-winner with finishes of 4th & 7th. 

Mathieu Arsenault
Coe

Mathieu Arsenault was another two-time Regional place-winner who ended his collegiate career at '24-'25.  4th & 6th at Regionals for the Kohawk.