165 lbs NCAA DIII in '23-'24 will be fascinating for an assortment of reasons. First & foremost we have five All Americans returning & two of the R12'ers. I do believe there is a lot of room here for others to step up & I also think that when it comes to wrestle-offs, or in the least, tough backups, 165 lbs is where it is at.
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| Matt Lackman Alvernia |
45-1 on the season last year, Matt Lackman has won titles just about everywhere. The only one that has eluded him thus far is the NCAA Division III. Thus far 5th & 2nd the past two seasons in the D3 nation, he is the odds on favorite to walk away with a title this year. Winning back to back Southeast Regional titles in '22 & '23, last year he also won the Racich Rumble & the Middle Atlantic Conference.
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| Noah Leisgang UW-La Crosse |
27-3 on the season last year, Noah Leisgang won titles at both the WIAC & the Upper Midwest Regional, taking 3rd in the D3 nation. He'll battle it out with Cooper Willis both within the Regional as well as at nationals. Backing him up in the lineup will be Kelly O'Reilly who 19-7 on the season was runner-up at the WIAC.
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| Nick Sacco Alex Strashinsky |
An NCAA DIII title contender in his own right, Nick Sacco was a Mideast Regional champion, that took 4th in the D3 nation this past season. Ironically enough, he won't even have to leave his own wrestling room to face one of his greatest challenges of the '23-'24 season. Alex Strashinsky, a Binghamton transfer was 9-1 on the season last year with 5 falls. I do believe Sacco will keep the spot, but I do think this will be a good wrestle-off.
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| Cooper Willis Augsburg |
The Young-un out of a group full of juniors & seniors, Cooper Willis returns after a stellar freshman campaign that saw 32 victories, a runner-up finish at the Upper Midwest Regional & a 5th place finish at DIII nationals.
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| Cooper Pontelandolfo NYU |
Here's a guy to definitely keep an eye on this season. Two time NCAA DIII All American, Cooper Pontelandolfo has had back to back 6th place finishes. He's also had back to back runner-up finishes at the Northeast Regional. Meeting Matt Lackman three times last season, he took the NCAA DIII runner-up to both a 3-1 s.v. as well as a one point 3-2 decision. Against Noah Leisgang, it was also a close 3-1 s.v. loss. If Pontelandolfo can learn to turn these close losses into wins & figure out his Achilles heel which is ironically also named Cooper, we could be looking at our titlist.
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| Tristan Massie UW-Eau Claire |
A match away from NCAA DIII All American status in 2023, Tristan Massie enters his final season of eligibility having posted a 34-8 record this past year. A Pete Willson Invitational champion, thus far he's had 6th & 3rd place finishes at the Upper Midwest Regional, as well as 6th & 4th place finishes within the WIAC.
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| Gabe Fiser Loras |
An NWCA All American in 2021 with a 4th place finish, Gabe Fiser narrowly missed out on NCAA DIII All American honors last season, dropping two close matches, one via tiebreaker in the rounds to medal. 21-11 on the season, he enters his final season of eligibility having won the Lower Midwest Regional title last year.
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| Austin Lamb RIT |
The name may be Lamb, but he often competes like a wolf. 18-4 on the season, the two time Mideast Regional runner-up narrowly missed out on All American honor #2 as he was 8th in the D3 nation back in 2022. He will look to challenge Nick Sacco for a regional title this year & reclaim his top 8 showing.
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| Brian Schneider Elizabethtown |
Not many wrestlers in the D3 nation can claim that they earned four medals from their respective Regional tournament. It's a rare accomplishment only a few can claim. Brian Schneider looks to be one of those few as he has thus far been 6th-5th-3rd in the Mideast Regional, looking to claim a fourth medal. 32-5 on the season, he was also a Messiah champion & 4th in the Racich Rumble.
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| Cole Cervantes North Central |
24-11 on the season last year, Cole Cervantes collected his fair share of silver throughout the year. It was runner-up finishes at the Pointer Open, the North Central Invite & the Lower Midwest Regional. An NWCA All American in 2021 with an 8th place finish, he will look to earn DIII All American honors this season.
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| Harrison Kelly Washington & Lee |
Kelly had me a bit worried at the beginning of last season. Starting off 1-4, including being pinned twice in the first period, I was afraid of the ole "Sophomore slump." Thankfully it didn't last long though, as he soon shook of the rust & we saw quite a few good things out of the General. Among 28 victories, these included a 3rd place showing at the ODAC & a 2nd place finish at the Southeast Regional.
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| Zach Needles Messiah |
32-15 on the season, Zach Needles saw his first NCAA DIII tournament with a 3rd place showing at the Southeast Regional. He enters his junior season having placed twice at the MAC (3rd & 6th) & having taken a 5th place finish at the Racich Rumble.
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| Chris Anderson Mount Union |
12-8 on the season last year, so many of Chris Anderson's losses are only by 1-3 points. I think he really illustrated how talented he is by coming close to NCAA DIII qualification last year, with a 4th place finish at the Central Regional.
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| Alex LaVeck McDaniel |
Alex LaVeck goes into his final season of eligibility having posted a 23-8 record this past year. 7th & 4th thus far in the Mideast Regional, he was also a runner-up at Messiah. Among his victories, a 3-0 decision over D3 Qualifier Zach Needles.
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| Harrison Hinojosa Stevens Tech |
19-8 on the season last year, Harrison Hinojosa was 2nd in the MAC & 4th in the Southeast Regional. I know some of the Stevens Tech guys don't care for me to mention their backups, but I can't help it. They have some of the best in the D3 nation. James Snyder is one of them. 14-7 on the season, he was 3rd in the MAC himself.
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| Andrew Sims Eureka |
There's nothing like being the first. Eureka, still within its infancy searches for its first NCAA DIII qualifier. Perhaps that someone will be Andrew Sims. Damn near going the distance last year with a 4th place Lower Midwest Regional finish, Sims was 31-13 on the year. He was also 3rd at the Pointer Open.
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| Ryan Vedner UW-Whitewater |
I find it hard to believe that Ryan Vedner would have an eligibility left, but with this COVD-19 stuff still lingering its ugly head, I don't know for sure. I've learned better to include someone that is done with their career than it is to exclude someone who still has eligibility left. With that said, Vedner had 25 wins on the season, a 3rd place showing at the WIAC, a 4th place showing at the Upper Midwest Regional & a 5th place showing at the Pete Willson Invite.
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| Travis Jones Ithaca |
I would imagine that things didn't quite end the way that Travis Jones would have liked for them to have last season. Having won the Mideast Regional title in 2020, as well as being named the outstanding wrestler, he was 2nd in 2022. This past season, he finished 5th at the championships. A two time ECWC champion, he settled for 2nd place. These types of things can happen when you make a jump from 133 lbs all the way up to 165 lbs. Now that he's had time to adjust to the weight, I would expect for him to make a better showing.
Here's a battle for varsity that will be well worth the watch. Hunter Kupniewski & Donovan Palmer officially met twice last season. Kupniewski nearly teched Palmer 15-3 in one of those matches, but it was Palmer who defeated Kupniewski 8-5 for a Baldwin Wallace Invite title. Kupniewski who was 31-15 on the season, was 5th at the Central Regional. Palmer an NCAA DIII qualifier in 2022, was also 3rd in the Central Regional that season.
The sophomore was 31-12 last year as a freshman, posting a 5th place finish at the Northeast Regional.
22-12 on the season, Mario Barberio was 6th at the Northeast Regional.
Here's another wrestle-off I am looking forward to. Both plausible official meetings that would have happened between the two ended in Medical Forfeits. Mawuli Nevis 23-12 on the season was 7th at the Central Regional. Jesse Herrera was 21-6.
A 12-6 showing for Jazz Bull this past season. He was 7th at the Mideast Regional.
26-18 on the season, the Delaware native was 7th at the Northeast Regional.
A 4th place NCAA DIII All American in 2022, who also took 3rd at the Lower Midwest Regional, Will Esmoil slipped to a 7th placed Regional finish this past season. 19-7 on the year, he was 3rd at the Luther Invite as he won a Coe Invitational. He will look to reclaim his All American status this year.
Both sophomores, the Maroons have two very tough wrestlers at 165 lbs. Jacob Cherry, 26-14 on the season was 7th in the Southeast Regional & 2nd at the ODAC. Jack Bobeck, 15 wins on the season, had two victories over D3 Qualifier Harrison Kelly by scores of 7-6 & 9-4. In an official meeting Cherry defeated Bobeck 5-3.
15-14 on the season, Elijah Hunt was 7th at the Upper Midwest Regional.
Injuries got the best of 8th place 2022 NCAA DIII All American who also won an Upper Midwest Regional title. 16-4 on the season, he ended up 8th at the Regional. Nevertheless, despite his hardships he was able to capture 6th place at the Pete Willson Invite & he scored a 2-1 victory over two time All American Cooper Pontelandolfo.
The Tennessee native was 21-12 on the season last year, earning an 8th place finish at the Lower Midwest Regional. Among his victories a 9-7 s.v. over D3 Qualifier Cole Cervantes.
14-7 on the season, Steve Rochard was 8th at the Northeast Regional.
It was A.J. DeVries who took an 8th place finish at last year's Southeast Regional, but I wouldn't be the least bit surprised if Josh Stahl doesn't end up challenging him for the starting position. He didn't spend a whole lot of time on the mat last season, but a 21-6 tech fall over James Snyder is enough for me to pay attention.
From Burg to Burg, Matt Rogge trades in the gray & maroon for the orange & black. A Lower Midwest Regional 4th place finisher in 2022, he will fill in for the now graduated Nathan Fuller who took 7th in the D3 nation for the Knights last season. There is plenty of reason to think that Rogge will challenge for top 3 in the Regional & top 8 in the D3 nation. Among his wins both a 6-0 & 7-0 decision over Marcus Mandler. Both a 7-3 & 3-1 victory over Lower Midwest Regional champ Gabe Fiser. A 6-4 s.v. over Will Esmoil & a 13-2 major decision over Andrew Sims.
Behind 8th place DIII All American Jordan Hardrick last season, Jayden Jones put together a 24 win season.
18 wins on the season for Sean Monteiro last year. Really seemed to have Myles Leonard's # as he soundly defeated the Pride 15-2 & 13-3.
A 2022 Southeast Regional 5th placer, James Geiger put together a 20-12 record this past season. Notable wins included a 4-2 decision over Harrison Hinojosa, a 7-3 decision over Jeremiah Oakes & a 9-5 decision over Jackson Gray.
Joseph McCullough took his fair share of bumps last season, as freshmen often do. However he showed promise at various times, including a 9-1 major of Jeremiah Oakes & a 4:28 over Alex LaVeck.
Ups & downs for Chase Chapman last season, but he was able to secure another Middle Atlantic Conference placement as he took 6th (also 6th in '22). Had a fall over Frankie Theroux.
25 wins on the season for Jeremiah Oakes. Two against Jake Hoffman (8-2 & 13-2) & two against Frankie Theroux (1:35 fall & 3-2).
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| Hunter Kupniewski Donovan Palmer Baldwin Wallace |
Here's a battle for varsity that will be well worth the watch. Hunter Kupniewski & Donovan Palmer officially met twice last season. Kupniewski nearly teched Palmer 15-3 in one of those matches, but it was Palmer who defeated Kupniewski 8-5 for a Baldwin Wallace Invite title. Kupniewski who was 31-15 on the season, was 5th at the Central Regional. Palmer an NCAA DIII qualifier in 2022, was also 3rd in the Central Regional that season.
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| Myles Leonard Springfield |
The sophomore was 31-12 last year as a freshman, posting a 5th place finish at the Northeast Regional.
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| Mario Barberio WPI |
22-12 on the season, Mario Barberio was 6th at the Northeast Regional.
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| Anthony Taylor Averett |
24-14 on the season, Anthony Taylor won a ODAC title & finished 5th at the Southeast Regional.
Tyler Bodovetz was 26-13 on the season, placing 6th at the Central Regional.
28-15 on the season, Jake Hoffman was 6th at the Mideast Regional.
Frankie Theroux was 18-9 on the season with a 6th place finish at the Southeast Regional.
20 wins on the season last year for Marcus Mandler. A 6th place finish at the Lower Midwest regional, one of those 20 victories, a 1:12 fall over All American Cooper Willis.
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| Tyler Bodovetz Ohio Wesleyan |
Tyler Bodovetz was 26-13 on the season, placing 6th at the Central Regional.
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| Jake Hoffman Johns Hopkins |
28-15 on the season, Jake Hoffman was 6th at the Mideast Regional.
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| Frankie Theroux King's |
Frankie Theroux was 18-9 on the season with a 6th place finish at the Southeast Regional.
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| Marcus Mandler Luther |
20 wins on the season last year for Marcus Mandler. A 6th place finish at the Lower Midwest regional, one of those 20 victories, a 1:12 fall over All American Cooper Willis.
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| Mawuli Nevis Jesse Herrera Wabash |
Here's another wrestle-off I am looking forward to. Both plausible official meetings that would have happened between the two ended in Medical Forfeits. Mawuli Nevis 23-12 on the season was 7th at the Central Regional. Jesse Herrera was 21-6.
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| Jazz Bull Jersey City |
A 12-6 showing for Jazz Bull this past season. He was 7th at the Mideast Regional.
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| Patrick Wisniewski Johnson & Wales |
26-18 on the season, the Delaware native was 7th at the Northeast Regional.
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| Will Esmoil Coe |
A 4th place NCAA DIII All American in 2022, who also took 3rd at the Lower Midwest Regional, Will Esmoil slipped to a 7th placed Regional finish this past season. 19-7 on the year, he was 3rd at the Luther Invite as he won a Coe Invitational. He will look to reclaim his All American status this year.
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| Jacob Cherry Jack Bobeck Roanoke |
Both sophomores, the Maroons have two very tough wrestlers at 165 lbs. Jacob Cherry, 26-14 on the season was 7th in the Southeast Regional & 2nd at the ODAC. Jack Bobeck, 15 wins on the season, had two victories over D3 Qualifier Harrison Kelly by scores of 7-6 & 9-4. In an official meeting Cherry defeated Bobeck 5-3.
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| Elijah Hunt Concordia (MN) |
15-14 on the season, Elijah Hunt was 7th at the Upper Midwest Regional.
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| Darian Estevez Chicago |
Injuries got the best of 8th place 2022 NCAA DIII All American who also won an Upper Midwest Regional title. 16-4 on the season, he ended up 8th at the Regional. Nevertheless, despite his hardships he was able to capture 6th place at the Pete Willson Invite & he scored a 2-1 victory over two time All American Cooper Pontelandolfo.
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| Dejon Glaster Millikin |
The Tennessee native was 21-12 on the season last year, earning an 8th place finish at the Lower Midwest Regional. Among his victories a 9-7 s.v. over D3 Qualifier Cole Cervantes.
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| Steve Rochard USCG |
14-7 on the season, Steve Rochard was 8th at the Northeast Regional.
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| A.J. DeVries Josh Stahl York (PA) |
It was A.J. DeVries who took an 8th place finish at last year's Southeast Regional, but I wouldn't be the least bit surprised if Josh Stahl doesn't end up challenging him for the starting position. He didn't spend a whole lot of time on the mat last season, but a 21-6 tech fall over James Snyder is enough for me to pay attention.
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| Matt Rogge Wartburg |
From Burg to Burg, Matt Rogge trades in the gray & maroon for the orange & black. A Lower Midwest Regional 4th place finisher in 2022, he will fill in for the now graduated Nathan Fuller who took 7th in the D3 nation for the Knights last season. There is plenty of reason to think that Rogge will challenge for top 3 in the Regional & top 8 in the D3 nation. Among his wins both a 6-0 & 7-0 decision over Marcus Mandler. Both a 7-3 & 3-1 victory over Lower Midwest Regional champ Gabe Fiser. A 6-4 s.v. over Will Esmoil & a 13-2 major decision over Andrew Sims.
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| Jayden Jones Ohio Northern |
Behind 8th place DIII All American Jordan Hardrick last season, Jayden Jones put together a 24 win season.
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| Sean Monteiro Western New England |
18 wins on the season for Sean Monteiro last year. Really seemed to have Myles Leonard's # as he soundly defeated the Pride 15-2 & 13-3.
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| James Geiger Wilkes |
A 2022 Southeast Regional 5th placer, James Geiger put together a 20-12 record this past season. Notable wins included a 4-2 decision over Harrison Hinojosa, a 7-3 decision over Jeremiah Oakes & a 9-5 decision over Jackson Gray.
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| Joseph McCullough Delaware Valley |
Joseph McCullough took his fair share of bumps last season, as freshmen often do. However he showed promise at various times, including a 9-1 major of Jeremiah Oakes & a 4:28 over Alex LaVeck.
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| Chase Chapman Lycoming |
Ups & downs for Chase Chapman last season, but he was able to secure another Middle Atlantic Conference placement as he took 6th (also 6th in '22). Had a fall over Frankie Theroux.
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| Jeremiah Oakes Scranton |
25 wins on the season for Jeremiah Oakes. Two against Jake Hoffman (8-2 & 13-2) & two against Frankie Theroux (1:35 fall & 3-2).
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