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| Sammy Sasso Ohio State |
Sammy Sasso is back & from the looks of it he is going to be competing at 157 lbs. Thus far competing at 149 lbs, Sasso has put together a very impressive resume. 2nd-5th-2nd in the NCAA, he'll be a contender for an NCAA title. 2nd-1st-2nd-1st, Sasso looks to become a five time BIG 10 finalist, and three time champion. 2nd-2nd-1st, Sasso looks to become a four time CKLV finalist & two time champion. Despite having such a disappointing '23-'24 to a horrific incident, '24-'25 could shape up to be an extremely rewarding year for the Buckeye.
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| Meyer Shapiro Cornell |
Theopenmat, Intermat, W.I.N., Flo, Wrestlestat, Track, NWCA...regardless of whose rankings you chose to follow, Cornell's Meyer Shapiro is going to start the season off ranked #1 in most of them. Which also gives precedence to my argument that CKLV can at times be just as tough, if not tougher than the actual NCAA tournament itself. Keep in mind, Shapiro was an EIWA champion & 3rd in the NCAA, yet he finished a match shy of placing at CKLV. Overall 29-3 on the year.
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| Daniel Cardenas Stanford |
Daniel Cardenas continues to shove it up the keister of Bernard Muir as he's one of many successes on the Stanford wrestling team. Of the three losses that Meyer Shapiro took last year, two of them, by scores of 8-5 & 5-4 were to Cardenas. 4th in the NCAA, Cardenas won a PAC-12 title in 2023, but settled for runner-up honors last season. He'll look to reclaim his title, as he looked for his third Southern Scuffle medal (3rd & 2nd thus far) and his second CKLV medal (5th last season).
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| Tyler Kasak Penn State |
Competing at 149 lbs last season, Tyler Kasak was 3rd in the BIG 10, as well as in the NCAA. He will test the waters up 8 lbs this season.
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| Peyten Keller Ohio |
It's been a while since the Bobcats of Ohio have crowned a three time All American, and with the course Peyten Kellar is on, he looks poised to be the next one. 5th last year in what eligibility wise was a "sophomore" season, he was also the MAC champion (3rd in '23). He'll look to add another All American honor, another MAC title, as well as another Southeastern Open title to his resume this year.
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| Ryder Downey Northern Iowa |
In many ways '24-'25 could very well shape up to be the best year head Coach Doug Schwab has had since taking over the UNI program. He has a heck of a good squad this season, one of which is Ryder Downey who finished one match shy of All American status last season. 24-6 on the year, he won titles at both the BIG 12 championships, as well as the Daktronics Open.
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| Ed Scott North Carolina State |
With one of the meanest headlocks in the country, Ed Scott won an ACC title last season & for the second year in a row finished 3rd at CKLV. 5th in the NCAA in 2023, he fell one match short of his second All American honor last year. The same as he finished in 2022. He'll look to reclaim a top 8 finish at the NCAA's, while going for another CKLV medal & another ACC title.
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| Paniro Johnson Iowa State |
2023 NCAA qualifier, Paniro Johnson went 7-1 last year during his redshirt, placing 3rd at the Soldier Salute. He should be without much challenge for the starting position on the Cyclone squad, as last year's BIG 12 runner-up Cody Chittum will be redshirting himself.
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| Cael Swensen South Dakota State |
Thus far Cael Swensen has been 5th & 3rd in the past two BIG 12 championships. 6th in CKLV two seasons ago, he finished a match away from placing last year. The Soldier Salute runner-up, the one loss Paniro Johnson had last season, was to him by a 4-1 s.v. decision.
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| Antrell Taylor Nebraska |
8th in the NCAA last season competing at 165 lbs, Antrell Taylor will move down to 157 for what will be his sophomore season of competition. 23 wins on the year, he was also a Navy Classic champion & 5th in the BIG 10.
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| Tommy Askey Minnesota |
Two time SOCON champion Tommy Askey will compete in the BIG 10 this season, as a member of the Minnesota Golden Gophers. 8th at CKLV two seasons ago, he won a title at the Mountaineer Open & he was a runner-up at the Keystone Classic.
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| Teague Travis Oklahoma State |
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| Johnny Lovett Central Michigan |
3rd-2nd-1st-3rd in the MAC championships thus far, Johnny Lovett looks to become a rare five time NCAA qualifier this season. R12 last season, he also looks to finally get over the hump and earn an All American honor. 30 wins last year, he won a title at the Michigan State Open & he finished 5th at the Midlands.
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| Vinny Zerban Northern Colorado |
Vinny Zerban has unfortunately struggled in the post season the past two years. Finishing 8th in the BIG 12 in 2023, he finished 7th last year. Here's the kicker though. If he can put it together at the "right time" as they say, the guy has the talent & the potential to join Andrew Alirez as one of the only two people to win a DI title for the Bears of Northern Colorado. I think he more than proved that with his outstanding performance at last year's Southern Scuffle. Not to mention he also owns an 8-5 s.v. over Daniel Cardenas.
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| Chase Saldate Michigan |
Saldate drops the state! No longer a Spartan, Chase Saldate will spend his final season competing for the Wolverines of Michigan. 7th place finishes at both the BIG 10's & the Midlands last year, Saldate was runner-up at the Black Knight Invitational.
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| Trevor Chumbley Northwestern |
An up and down season, an up and down career, Trevor Chumbley is a guy who on the right day I could see really making a lot of noise this season. He's not always "on" as they say, but when he is, he's about as good as anyone. 8th at CKLV last season, he's thus far been 1st & 2nd in the past two Midlands. Didn't fare as well as he could have by season's end, with an 8th place BIG 10 finish, but let's remind ourselves that the one loss that Meyer Shapiro had that wasn't to Daniel Cardenas was to Chumbley.
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| Paddy Gallagher or Isaac Wilcox Ohio State |
As of the time this was written (6-26-2024 if you're that curious), things are still up in the air concerning Sammy Sasso. Will he return to Ohio State to wrestle another season? If so, what weight will he compete at? While this question is pondering on the minds of many wrestling fans, I think as far as 157 lbs is concerned, the Buckeyes are still in excellent condition. Isaac Wilcox was an NCAA qualifier for Ohio State last season. Paddy Gallagher won a Clarion Open title & took 7th place honors at CKLV. Gallagher also scored a 6-5 decision over All American Peyten Kellar & a 4-1 decision over R12'er Ryder Downey.
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| Joey Blaze Purdue |
17 wins for Joey Blaze on the season last year, who took a 6th place finish at the BIG 10 championships. He had a 4-1 victory over Ed Scott.
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| Cam Steed Missouri |
A back-up for Brock Mauller last season, Cam Steed put together an 8-2 record. Winning what was the last Lindenwood Open we'll probably ever see, he stuck both Legend Lamer (0:26) and Luke Nichter (6:37).
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| Jude Swisher Pennsylvania |
25 wins on the year for NCAA qualifier Jude Swisher, who was also champion at the Franklin & Marshall Lehman Invitational.
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| Max Brignola Lehigh |
20 wins on the season for two time NCAA qualifier Max Brignola. An EIWA runner-up, he won the Princeton Open.
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| Sonny Santiago North Carolina |
An ACC finalist last season, Sonny Santiago was also 4th at the Soldier Salute. Scored an 8-5 s.v. over Ed Scott as well.
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| Cobe Siebrecht South Dakota State |
2023 NCAA qualifier Cobe Siebrecht returns to the Hawkeye varsity lineup for the '24-'25 season. Among his victories Vs the competition he has both a 6-3 decision over Trevor Chumbley & an 8-0 major decision over Paddy Gallagher.
UPDATE: As the Hawkeyes are getting transfer after transfer into the lineup, Siebrecht has decided to spend his final season of eligibility at South Dakota State. So now he gets to duke it out with Swensen for a varsity spot.
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| D.J. McGee George Mason |
25 wins on the year for George Mason's D.J. McGee. 4th at the Midlands, he was the MAC runner-up.
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| Legend Lamer Cal Poly |
It's been back to back 3rd place finishes at the PAC-12 championships for Legend Lamer the past two seasons. As he'll look for his fourth NCAA DI qualification, he'll also look for his second CKLV medal. He was 7th there three seasons ago.
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| Luke Nichter Drexel |
An NCAA qualifier in 2021, Luke Nichter took a redshirt last season. He'll be a junior eligibility wise this year, looking to once again qualify for the NCAA championships.
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| Jason Kraisser Illinois |
From Campbell to Iowa State, Jason Kraisser will spend his final season of eligibility at Illinois. An NCAA qualifier in 2023, Kraisser took 3rd at last year's Daktronics Open & 5th at the Soldier Salute.
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| Jared Hill Oklahoma |
It's been back to back 6th place BIG 12 finishes for Jared Hill the past two seasons. A RENO champion, he was 3rd at the Southern Scuffle.
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| Dylan Cedeno Virginia |
An NCAA qualifier in 2022, Dylan Cedeno was a runner-up at the Mountaineer Open & 3rd at the Southeast Open.
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| Colton Washleski Rider |
31 wins on the season for Bronco Colton Washleski. A runner-up at the Princeton Open, he was 6th at the Midlands & 5th at the MAC.
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| Blake Saito Brown |
Blake Saito heads into his senior season of competition looking for his first NCAA qualification. 23 wins on the year, he was 5th in the EIWA.
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| Nick Stampoulos Lock Haven |
An NCAA qualifier for Buffalo last season, Nick Stampoulos was 4th in the MAC. He will compete for Lock Haven this season.
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| Matty Bianchi Little Rock |
16 wins last year for NCAA qualifier Matty Bianchi.
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