Let's not kid ourselves. As of right now many (and rightly so) believe that our NCAA DI HWT battle at the end of the year will be between Gable Stevenson and Greg Kerkvliet. A question everyone has on their mind is, is there anyone else at the HWT field who could possibly knock off one of these two seemingly unstoppable giants. At this point in time, someone even remotely challenging Steveson is unfathomable. Perhaps the honest question here is who is the strongest candidate for NCAA DI bronze? I think the answer to that question will be heavily suggested here in Vegas.
CKLV HWT will feature 15 ranked wrestlers, 5 of those wrestlers ranked in the top 10. We have both the HWT champion from last year, as well as the 197 lbs champion from two seasons ago. Add in three other returning place-winners plus a lot more talent looking to bring home a medal.
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| #3 Wyatt Hendrickson Oklahoma State |
If there is anyone out there that could stop Steveson or Kerkvliet from being NCAA DI finalist this year, many believe that wrestler is Wyatt Hendrickson. The former Falcon, now a Cowboy needs to show that he can overcome the massive amount of challenge to win a CKLV title first. 4th here a year ago, he owns many impressive wins, including a 14-5 major over Nick Feldman & an 11-5 decision over Cohlton Schultz.
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| #4 Yonger Bastida Iowa State |
I think some wrestling fans forget just how good Yonger Bastida was wrestling last season before injuries unfortunately got the best of him. Not only did the future Cuban Olympic & World medalist win a CKLV title last season, he also defeated Wyatt Hendrickson by a score of 10-7. A 13-5 major decision over Nick Feldman & a 4-3 decision of Cohlton Schultz, Bastida will look to make like a leprechaun and fiercely defend his gold.
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| #5 Cohlton Schultz Arizona State |
A four time NCAA DI All American going for his fifth All American honor this season, Cohlton Schultz has more than proven that he knows how to compete at a tough tournament. With that said, he's only competed at one CKLV championship in his career, two seasons ago, where he took 8th. Schultz has shown that he will win most upperbody confrontations, which is exactly the situations he hopes to find himself in this weekend. He recently pinned Isaac Trumble at the 1:04 mark.
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| #6 Isaac Trumble North Carolina State |
A CKLV champion at 197 lbs two seasons ago, "Ready to Rumble" Isaac Trumble has shown that he is more than ready to tango with the 285 lbs'ers this weekend. Among his many impressive wins so far in the HWT division, he owns a 12-4 major decision over Jim Mullen.
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| #8 Nick Feldman Ohio State |
Nick Feldman had himself one heck of a freshman season last year for the Buckeyes and among the many credentials he picked up along the way, a 6th place CKLV finish was one of them. The scarlet and grey representative will look to earn another medal this tournament.
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| #12 Josh Heindselman Michigan |
We haven't seen the four time NCAA DI qualifier compete for his new school of Michigan yet. CKLV could very well be where we see Josh Heindselman make his debut. He's looking to do a lot of "first" in his last year of collegiate eligibility and picking up a medal from these prestigious championships would be among them. Many notable W's under his belt, what sticks out to me is that he's given Cohlton Schultz a one point match & he's taken Nick Feldman into sudden victory.
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| #16 Jim Mullen Or U.R. Hunter Catka Virginia Tech |
I'm not sure who the Hokies start this weekend. What I do know is that Jim Mullen or Hunter Catka, either way, they have a very strong candidate for a CKLV place-winner. Mullen who recently pinned Catka in formal competition, also scored a 4:04 fall over Trevor Tinker. Catka, who for the record has defeated Mullen in the past, also owns both a 17-3 major decision as well as a 4-1 decision over Michael Wolfgram. He also gave Nick Feldman a 3-2 match.
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| #17 Cory Day Binghamton |
A member of the not nearly credited enough Bearcat wrestling squad, Cory Day was 7th at CKLV a year ago. He, along with other members of the Binghamton wrestling team, looks to pick another medal this weekend.
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| #21 Sam Mitchell Wyoming |
In his first season competing at HWT, in his first season competing for Wyoming, the former Bull, now Cowboy looks to be among those looking for a top 8 finish this CKLV championships.
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| #22 Jordan Greer Ohio |
Among the competition this weekend, Jordan Greer looks to fight for a good finish this weekend.
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| #27 Lance Runyon Northern Iowa |
I tell you what, Lance Runyon has done nothing but impress, impress, impress so far in '24-'25. No one knew quite what to think when he jumped from 174 all the way up to HWT, but he's shown that he can more than hang with the big boys. Now it's really time to see what this Panther can do. See what he's really made of. Exciting, isn't it?
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| #28 Luke Rasmussen South Dakota State |
Luke Rasmussen looks to battle for a good showing this weekend in Las Vegas.
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| #29 Michael Wolfgram West Virginia |
Here's a guy that I've felt from day one has never wrestled to his true potential. I think Michael Wolfgram is capable of so much more than what we've seen of his thus far in his career. He's shown us glimpses before. He's defeated Cory Day in the past by an 11-2 score. He also always wrestles Josh Heindselman very close, including defeating him twice by scores of 3-2 & 3-1. I'd really like to see Wolfgram let loose and have a great CKLV. He's more than capable of it.
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| #30 Trevor Tinker Cal Poly |
Trevor Tinker is among the talent that will be contending for a top 8 finish this CKLV championship. He's pulled off some big wins in the past & will need to do so again to earn a medal.
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| #32 Ashton Davis Cornell |
The Big Red has a lot of young talent they are wanting to show off this weekend, and Ashton Davis is one of them.
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| R.S. David Szuba Rider |
David Szuba is currently redshirting for the Broncos this season, so it's highly unlikely that we'll see him in action this weekend. However, if for someone reason he is in competition, he is certainly among the medal candidates. Many notable wins in his career thus far, one of them is a 13-1 major decision over Jordan Greer.
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