2023-2024 NCAA Division II The Season: Top Returnees 184 lbs

 Now here is a tough freakin' weight class. Not only are we talking six returning All Americans, four of those six are looking to become three time All Americans this season! Then we have another two time All American returning on top of them! Add in six more returning qualifiers, two of which are looking for their third qualification. This will not be an easy weight class for newcomers to break through. The established look to keep their place & not a one of them looks to be denied. 

Ty McGeary
 West Liberty 

Only a junior & already an NCAA Division II champion. Ty McGeary won the DII national title last season, with his only loss on the season being in the finals of the Super Region III.  Also 3rd at the NCAA DII's in 2022, he was 29-1 on the year. 

Matt Weinberg
Kutztown 

28-3 on the season, Matt Weinberg finished 4th in the DII nation after a runner-up finish at the Super Region I. He also won a title at the Shorty Hitchcock Invite. 

Alex Kauffman
Central Oklahoma

An NJCAA All American & now a two time NCAA DII All American, Alex Kauffman was 5th in the DII nation this past season, after having placed 6th in 2022.  In the Super Region IV he's thus far been 3rd & 2nd. He will look to earn his fourth All American honor overall & contend for a region title this year. 

Billy Higgins
Nebraska-Kearney

The two time Super Region VI champion has thus far earned All American honors of 3rd & 6th in the last two NCAA DII tournaments. 26-4 on the season, he also won a UNK-Hospitality Open. Behind him in the lineup gaining valuable experience will be a tough Dylan Vodicka. Runner-up at the Dakota Wesleyan Open, he had two wins over Bryce Westmoreland by scores of 11-4 & 10-4. 

Reece Woracheck
UW-Parkside

Whether it be in the classroom or on the mat, Reece Woracheck takes care of business no matter where he goes.  Thus far he's proven himself among the grapplers with an 8th place DII finish in 2022 & a 7th place finish this past year. In the Super Region V, he's been 2nd & 1st. 32-6 on the season, he's also a two time Midwest Classic place-winner with finishes of 6th & 7th.  Not to mention, he won the Pointer Open last year too. 

Colter Bye
Upper Iowa

Here's a guy that really turned things around last season. In '21-'22, Colter Bye ended the year with a 4-9 record. Last year he won 16 matches, which included making the finals of Super Region V & taking an 8th place finish at the NCAA DII tournament.  In the lineup with him is a very tough Cameron Lopez. Despite not wrestling many matches last season, the ones he did left an impression. 15-13 s.v. over Jordan Barnett, he majored Bryce Westmoreland 15-6 & stuck Iran Love in 5:27. 

Keegan Gehlhausen
Chadron State 

A runner-up at Super Region VI, Keegan Gehlhausen was one match shy of NCAA DII All American honors. 

Austin Gibson
Fairmont State

22 wins on the season, Austin Gibson qualified for the DII's with a 3rd place finish at Super Region I. 

Shylik Scriven
UNC-Pembroke

25-7 on the year, Shylik Scriven qualified for the NCAA DII tournament with a 2nd place finish at Super Region II. 

Joey Williams
Maryville 

The future state trooper goes into his final season of competition now a two time NCAA DII qualifier having posted back to back 3rd place showings at Super Region IV. 26-10 on the season, he missed out on a second Midwest Classic top 8 showing by one match, having placed 8th in '22.  4th at the Kaufman Brand, he was 5th at the Lindenwood Open. 

Cade Mueller
Augustana (SD) 

Cade Mueller goes into his junior season now a two time NCAA qualifier.  A Super Region V champion in '22, he was 3rd this past season. 16 wins on the season, one of them was a 5-0 decision over two time All American Alex Kauffman. He was 4th in the Yellow Jacket Open. 

Hunter Tobiasson
Adams State 

20-9 on the season, Hunter Tobiasson qualified for the NCAA DII championships with a 3rd place showing at the Super Region VI (he was 5th in '22).  One match shy of a medal at the Midwest Classic, he stuck two time All American Alex Kauffman in 2:48. 

Riley O'Mara
Seton Hill 

Spending most of the season at 197, Riley O'Mara moved down to 184 at the last second & nearly qualified for DII nationals when he finished 4th at Super Region I.  On the year he majored DII qualifier Austin Gibson 15-6. 

John Gholson
William Jewell

18 wins on the season for the sophomore who nearly qualified for the DII championships last year as a freshman with a 4th place finish at Super Region IV. 

Wyatt Lidberg
Mary

Very nice season for the future accountant. 26-9 on the year, Wyatt Lidberg was a match shy of NCAA DII qualification with a 4th place Super Region V finish. Winning the Yellow Jacket Open, he was 5th at the UNK-Hospitality & one match shy of placing at the Midwest Classic. He had a 4-0 win over DII qualifier Cade Mueller. 

Jason Bynarowicz
Colorado Mesa

18 wins on the season, Jason Bynarowicz came close to NCAA DII qualification with a 4th place finish at Super Region VI. 6th at the UNK-Hospitality, he pinned DII qualifier Shylik Scriven in 4:45 & he majored DII qualifier Hunter Tobiasson 12-2. 

Josh Leidig
East Stroudsburg 

Josh Leidig goes into his junior season of competition now a two time Super Region I place-winner. 6th in '22, he was 5th this past year. 

Markis Hill
Emmanuel

Take out your dictionary and look up the word perseverance. You may very well find this young man's picture. 2-20 in his first year. 4-10 in his second year. 5-14 in his third year.  Here's a guy with every reason to have given up on himself & little reason to have continued to have faith in himself. Nevertheless Markis Hill knows a starving man will get nothing to eat if he doesn't put the work in. He continued to work & it paid off in a big way.  17 wins for the Lion last season & a 5th place showing at Super Region II. 

Jordan Barnett            Vinny Scaramuzzino 
Lake Erie

I can see this being a very good wrestle-off between two talents on the storm roster.  Jordan Barnett with 11 wins last season was 5th in Super Region III. He had a 5-3 decision over DII qualifier Austin Gibson.  Vinny Scaramuzzino, 13-5, had a 9-2 decision over Iran Love. 

Zach Hazen
Central Missouri

13 wins on the season, Zach Hazen was 5th at the Super Region IV. 

Bryce FitzPatrick Shaeden Scheidt Tyson Meyer
St Cloud State 

St Cloud State is like a redneck's shotgun, it's always loaded with slugs ready to do some serious damage. The Huskies are not hurting at 184 lbs. Bryce FitzPatrick had 11 wins on the season. Matter of fact, he defeated Cade Mueller 10-6 at the Super Region V. Yet while Mueller came back to 3rd place qualification, FitzPatrick ended up 5th.  

Scheidt, also 11 wins on the season was 2nd at the Yellow Jacket Open & 3rd at the Dakota Wesleyan Open.  Tyson Meyer, 15-3 on the year was 3rd at the Yellow Jacket Open. A 12-1 major over R12'er Keegan Gehlhausen & a 7-3 win over Bryce Westmoreland. 

Ryan Cody
Colorado School of Mines

20-9 on the season, the Florida native was 5th at Super Region VI & one match shy of placing at the Midwest Classic. He had a 4:51 fall over R12'er Keegan Gehlhausen. 

Bryce Westmoreland
Fort Hays State

Don't let the record fool you, Bryce Westmoreland can be downright tough when he wants to be. Despite a 10-21 showing, he beat both All American Colter Bye 8-3 & R12'er Keegan Gehlhausen 7-6. He was 6th at Super Region VI. 

Cole Hivnor
Gannon 

11 wins on the season, Cole Hivnor was 6th in Super Region I. 

Cayden White
Minot State 

6th in the Super Region V, the Washington native collected 16 victories last season. 

Aidan Peterson
Indianapolis

Aidan Peterson was 6th at Super Region IV last season. 

Iran Love
Tiffin 

From 3-10 as a freshman to 13-9 as a sophomore, Iran Love enters his junior season of competition having posted a 6th place finish at Super Region III. 

Caden Steffen
Southwest Minnesota State 

It was looking good for the two time NCAA DII All American as he was nearing the end of last season. 6th in '21 & 5th in '22 he was injured in a match right before the post season & had to heartbreakingly medical forfeit out of the Super Region V.  Before that though, I would argue that he was placing himself in the hunt for the DII national title. Winning both the Dakota Wesleyan Open & the Midwest Classic, he was 2nd at the UNK-Hospitality.  For the record, father Link won a national title for SMSU in 1998. 

Cole Gray
Western Colorado

Cole Gray had some impressive wins last season. A 10-1 major decision over R12'er Keegan Gehlhausen, he defeated Jason Bynarowicz 6-4 & Bryce Westmoreland 4-0. 

Shane Gibson
Minnesota State Mankato

13-4 on the season, Shane Gibson had a 3-2 victory over Colter Bye. 

Chase Stein
Mercyhurst

9 wins on the season, one of which was a 6-4 decision over Riley O'Mara for Chase Stein last year. 

Anthony Giampetro
Millersville

An NCAA DII qualifier in '22, I believe Anthony Giampetro redshirted this past season. He scored a 1:48 fall over Josh Leidig. 

Owen Koch
Shippensburg

13 wins on the season for Owen Koch. One of which was a 3-1 decision over Josh Leidig. 

Sam Kruger
Northern State

Sam Kruger didn't wrestle much last season, but a couple of the matches he did compete in really stick out. A 6-1 win over Bryce Westmoreland, he defeated Zach Hazen 10-2 major decision. 

Vaughn Petty
Findlay 

What I can't ignore about Vaughn Petty's record last year is two wins over Iran Love. One of which was a 17-2 technical fall. He also defeated the Dragon 1-0. 

2023-2024 NCAA DII The Season: Top Returnees 165 lbs

 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....

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. 

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. 

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. 

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. 

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. 

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. 

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. 

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. 

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. 

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. 

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. 

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. 

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. 

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. 

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. 

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. 

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. 

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. 

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. 

Gary Nilson
Findlay 

Breaking even at 18-18 last season, Gary Nilson was 4th in Super Region III. 

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. 

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. 

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. 

Jake Potok
Lake Erie

18 wins on the season, Jake Potok was 5th at Super Region III. 

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. 

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. 

Brad Galassi 
Davis & Elkins

12 wins on the season, Brad Galassi was 6th in Super Region III. 

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. 

Elijah Valdez
CSU-Pueblo

10 wins on the season, Elijah Valdez was 6th in Super Region VI. 

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.