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| David Hunsberger Lander |
54-6 overall & 33-1 last season, it has so far been a fantastic career for David Hunsberger. Last season he won titles at the Midwest Classic, Super Region II & the NCAA DII championships.
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| Cory Peterson McKendree |
Cory Peterson is another senior who comes into the '24-'25 season having posted a phenomenal career thus far. 4th-3rd-4th in the DII nation, he has Midwest Classic finishes of 2nd & 3rd. 29 wins last year.
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| Cole Ritter Maryville |
31 wins on the season last year, Cole Ritter was 2nd at Super Region IV & 5th in the NCAA DII. Although he came up a hair short of a medal at the Midwest Classic, he has been 4th there in year's past.
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| Nick Coreno Gannon |
A Super Region I champion, Nick Coreno took 6th place finishes at both the NCAA Division II championships & the Midwest Classic.
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| Aaden Valdez Adams State |
Two time Super Region VI champion Aaden Valdez finished 7th in the DII nation last season, with a total of 28 victories.
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| Dalton Gimbor Kutztown |
Dalton Gimbor enters his junior season of competition, having been one match shy of DII All American honors the past two years. 3rd & 2nd thus far in Super Region I, Gimbor took 7th place honors at the Midwest Classic. 27 wins, one of which was an 8-6 victory over All American Cole Ritter.
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| Sevi Garza Ashland |
A Super Region III champion last year with 18 wins, Sevi Garza was one match shy of DII All American honors.
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| Kaden Hart Or Tyler Collins Nebraska Kearney |
As usual, the Lopers have more than one talent at the weight. Two time bronze medalist Kaden Hart, finished one match shy of being an All American last year, with a 9-6 win over All American Cole Ritter. Tyler Collins, a tough wrestler in his own right, pinned qualifier Brady Ross at the 4:09 mark.
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| Kyle Botelho San Francisco State |
15 wins on the season, Kyle Botelho was an NCAA DII qualifier with a 2nd place finish at Super Region II.
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| Brady Ross Glenville State |
Brady Ross made out like the three bears last year, as he tried out 184 & 174 lbs before settling on the 165 lbs weight class. 22 wins on the season, he was an NCAA DII qualifier & a Super Region III runner-up.
The Pioneers also picked up standout NJCAA wrestler Cole Price of Iowa Western. A two time North Central District champion, Price earned back to back NJCAA All American honors of 5th & 8th.
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| Caleb Grau UNC-Pembroke |
18 wins on the season, Caleb Grau punched his ticket to the NCAA DII championships with a 2nd place finish at Super Region II.
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| Alec Cook West Liberty |
An All American in 2023, Alec Cook qualified for his second NCAA DII tournament with a 3rd place finish at Super Region III. 20 wins on the season, he'll look for his second All American honor & his third qualification in '24-'25.
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| Jace Fisher Newman |
An NCAA qualifier in 2023, Jace Fisher just narrowly missed qualifying again in 2024. Thus far has 2nd & 4th place finishes at Super Region IV. 27 wins on the season, he was 4th at the Midwest Classic.
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| Brady Schuh UW-Parkside |
Brady Schuh just narrowly missed out on NCAA DII qualification himself last season. 4th at Super Region V, he took a very impressive 3rd place finish at the Midwest Classic. On the season had a 1-1 tiebreaker victory over All American Cory Peterson & a 7-2 decision over R12'er Sevi Garza.
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| Trammel Robinson Grand Valley State |
In their very first season of restoration, it was astonishingly impressive how well Grand Valley State did, and how much the accomplished. They had four NCAA DII qualifiers and damn near had two more! One of which was Trammel Robinson who finished 4th at Super Region III. 25 wins on the season, he stuck All American Nick Coreno in 2:02.
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| Dillon Walker Mercyhurst |
Looking for a wrestler at 165 lbs who did not qualify who could very well challenge for the NCAA DII title this year? Here's your answer. Dillon Walker of Mercyhurst. A two time qualifier, he was 5th in the DII nation in 2022 & one match shy of another All American honor in 2023. Unfortunately found out the hard way that there is no forgiveness at this level for a bad tournament. He DNP at the Super Region I last season & while NJCAA, DI & the NAIA have at large/wildcard berths, DII does not.
Despite his tough outcome, here's why I'll stand by calling him a national champ contender. He defeated All American Nick Coreno twice last season, both by 10-3 decisions. He had a 6-5 tiebreaker over All American Cory Peterson. A 2-0 win over R12'er Sevi Garza, nearly tech'd qualifier Alec Cook 15-3.
NOTE: Mercyhurst will be going NCAA DI this season, but will not be eligible for the post season. Not sure if they'll compete NCWA or not.
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| Dillon Keane Pittsburgh-Johnstown |
Dillon Keane won the Super Region I in 2022, but he's came up a hair short the past two seasons of making a return trip to the NCAA DII championships with Region finishes of 5th & 4th. He'll look to reclaim his Q status (+ maybe more) as he heads into '24-'25. 19 wins on the season, including a 9-2 decision over R12'er Sevi Garza.
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| Luke Ciampa East Stroudsburg |
26 wins on the season, Luke Ciampa was 5th at Super Region I.
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| Tristin David Colorado School of Mines |
5th at Super Region VI, Tristin David also had a 7-1 win over R12'er Kaden Hart.
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| Kole Marko Minnesota State Mankato |
28 wins on the season, Kole Marko has thus far been 4th & 5th in Super Region V.
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| Gary Nilson Findlay |
15 wins on the year, Gary Nilson has Super Region III finishes of 4th & 6th.
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| Walker Heckendorf Or Ryan Dirksen Western Colorado |
Western Colorado has two talents at 165 lbs & it'll be interesting to see which Mountaineer reaches the peak that is varsity status one wrestle-offs are said and done. Walker Heckendorf had 15 wins on the season & a 6th place Super Region VI finish. He majored All American Cole Ritter 13-2.
Ryan Dirksen had 10 wins on the season himself. A 4:24 fall over qualifier Kyle Botelho & a 1:16 fall over Gary Nilson.
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| Brendan Barnes Minot State |
Dillon Walker isn't the only super tough wrestler who came up short of a top 6 finish at his respective Region last season. Brendan Barnes despite having a standout year, had a disappointing Region. 24-6 on the season, just take a look at the resume of talent he defeated on the year. A 13-8 victory over three time DII All American Anthony Hererra. A 6:33 fall over three time DII qualifier Braydon Huber. Also add in a 4-1 win over Kole Marko & a 3:33 fall over Brady Schuh. I preach all the time that there's so much more to collegiate wrestling than the last 2 (or 3) days of it. Barnes is an example of why I preach.
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| Dayton Fields Newman |
Dayton Fields didn't compete much last season, but a 2023 NCAA DII qualifier, you know he'll once again be a threat in '24-'25.
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