Years ago we had the unfortunate burden of COVID-19 and all of the negatives that came along with it. As Mr. Fred Rogers would often say, whenever something negative happens, you look for the positive within it. The silver lining here, is that we ended up getting a new tournament out of it. A fun, competitive tournament, full of some great wrestling. The thing I love most about the Solider Salute is that while it has specific teams invited, it is treated more like an open in the respect that we'll see both backups and redshirts competing here. This in many ways, for some teams could be like a final wrestle-o
ff. Not a guarantee but in some weights where a team has two (or more) really good wrestlers, this could be the deciding factor as to who starts come qualifier time.
Here at 125 lbs, we have eight ranked wrestlers, plus as said before some pretty good redshirts and backups. Let's take a look at the field.
#5
Caleb Smith
Nebraska
11-2 on the season, All American Caleb Smith is coming off of a 4th place finish at Cliff Keen Las Vegas & he could very well end up being the *1 seed here. Owns both an 8-2 as well as a 7-3 decision over Spencer Moore and he owns both a 6-4 as well as a 5-2 s.v. over Tanner Jordan. 
#7
Jore Volk
Wyoming
Thus far All American Jore Volk has had 3rd & 2nd place finishes here at the Soldier Salute. Time to add a gold to those bronze and silver finishes, and there is plenty of reason to think the Cowboy will. 5-1 & 4-2 decisions over Caleb Smith, he owns 4-0, 7-1 & 1-0 victories over Tanner Jordan. Add in a 5-1 decision over Cooper Flynn & a 9-4 victory over Kael Lauridsen.
#9
Cooper Flynn
Minnesota
If you've been following Golden Gopher wrestling this season, Coach Eggum & staff have had their wrestlers prepared for dual meets this season. They have outscored four other teams 148-6, winning 38 matches and only losing 2. While they have competed in some opens, the Soldier Salute will be the first real test to see if the Gophers can perform as well in major tournament settings as they have been in duals. Cooper Flynn owns a 7-2 decision over Tanner Jordan and he's defeated Spencer Moore by 4-2 & 5-1 decisions.
#14
Tanner Jordan
South Dakota State
An All American last season, Tanner Jordan has dropped a bit in the rankings, but has proven that he knows how to win in important situations. 7th at the Cliff Keen Las Vegas, Jordan owns an 8-6 s.v. over Caleb Smith & a 2-1 decision over Jore Volk.
#23
Spencer Moore
North Carolina
One of the best wrestlers at 125 lbs yet to make the NCAA DI tournament, if Spencer Moore were to pick up a win (or more) over one of the wrestlers ranked above him, that would certainly up his stock. Koll & Ramos will have him prepared.
#28
Adrian Meza
Iowa State
Making a name for yourself in NCAA DI wrestling is never an easy task, but so far freshman Adrian Meza has done a pretty respectable job. One match shy of placing about a month ago in Vegas, he owns a 5-1 win over Kale Petersen.
#30
Joey Cruz
Iowa
Of all the transfers Iowa received for the '24-'25 season, the one that has received the least amount of attention and press has been Joey Cruz. Perhaps here at the Soldier Salute, will be his opportunity to shine.
#32
Kyle Gollhofer
Northern Iowa
Kyle Gollhofer has been a member of the Northern Iowa Panther wrestling program and in his final season, he's finally getting his shot to show his stuff. He took Tanner Jordan into sudden victory & he was one match shy of a medal at CKLV. He's "right there" as they say but he could use a really good performance and some top notch wins. The Soldier Salute provides an opportunity to do both.
B.U.
Kale Petersen
Iowa
I feel like we've seen more out of Kale Petersen this year than we have Joey Cruz, but it is Cruz right now who has the ranking. Petersen had some nice wins at 133 lbs last season & he placed 4th here a year ago. Time to see how he does at 125.
R.S.
Kael Lauridsen
Nebraska
This being Caleb Smith's final year of eligibility, I believe that the Cornhuskers have one heck of a good fill in for the '25-'26 season. Kael Lauridsen has some very impressive victories over some of the top competition in NCAA Division II. The Soldier Salute will provide us an opportunity to see how he does against DI.
B.U.
Kysen Terukina
Iowa State
While Adrian Meza has the ranking and is the starter as of right now, I'm not convinced that he'll be the starter come BIG 12's. Kysen Terukina is a three time NCAA DI qualifier & he owns a 10-6 victory over Tanner Jordan. He competes here, and has a good performance, this is what could win him his spot back.
U.R.
Gage Walker
Missouri
The unfortunate news of Noah Surtin's career prematurely coming to an end was both disappointing and heartbreaking. He for sure would have been a title contender here at the Soldier Salute. Yet as we mourn, we also have to move forward. Gage Walker is now the starter for the Tigers & has the opportunity to showcase what he has to offer here at the Soldier Salute. Thus far owns a 4-0 decision over Kyle Gollhofer.
Years ago we had the unfortunate burden of COVID-19 and all of the negatives that came along with it. As Mr. Fred Rogers would often say, whenever something negative happens, you look for the positive within it. The silver lining here, is that we ended up getting a new tournament out of it. A fun, competitive tournament, full of some great wrestling. The thing I love most about the Solider Salute is that while it has specific teams invited, it is treated more like an open in the respect that we'll see both backups and redshirts competing here. This in many ways, for some teams could be like a final wrestle-o
ff. Not a guarantee but in some weights where a team has two (or more) really good wrestlers, this could be the deciding factor as to who starts come qualifier time.
Here at 125 lbs, we have eight ranked wrestlers, plus as said before some pretty good redshirts and backups. Let's take a look at the field.
|
| #5 Caleb Smith Nebraska |
|
| #7 Jore Volk Wyoming |
Thus far All American Jore Volk has had 3rd & 2nd place finishes here at the Soldier Salute. Time to add a gold to those bronze and silver finishes, and there is plenty of reason to think the Cowboy will. 5-1 & 4-2 decisions over Caleb Smith, he owns 4-0, 7-1 & 1-0 victories over Tanner Jordan. Add in a 5-1 decision over Cooper Flynn & a 9-4 victory over Kael Lauridsen.
|
| #9 Cooper Flynn Minnesota |
If you've been following Golden Gopher wrestling this season, Coach Eggum & staff have had their wrestlers prepared for dual meets this season. They have outscored four other teams 148-6, winning 38 matches and only losing 2. While they have competed in some opens, the Soldier Salute will be the first real test to see if the Gophers can perform as well in major tournament settings as they have been in duals. Cooper Flynn owns a 7-2 decision over Tanner Jordan and he's defeated Spencer Moore by 4-2 & 5-1 decisions.
|
| #14 Tanner Jordan South Dakota State |
An All American last season, Tanner Jordan has dropped a bit in the rankings, but has proven that he knows how to win in important situations. 7th at the Cliff Keen Las Vegas, Jordan owns an 8-6 s.v. over Caleb Smith & a 2-1 decision over Jore Volk.
|
| #23 Spencer Moore North Carolina |
One of the best wrestlers at 125 lbs yet to make the NCAA DI tournament, if Spencer Moore were to pick up a win (or more) over one of the wrestlers ranked above him, that would certainly up his stock. Koll & Ramos will have him prepared.
|
| #28 Adrian Meza Iowa State |
Making a name for yourself in NCAA DI wrestling is never an easy task, but so far freshman Adrian Meza has done a pretty respectable job. One match shy of placing about a month ago in Vegas, he owns a 5-1 win over Kale Petersen.
|
| #30 Joey Cruz Iowa |
Of all the transfers Iowa received for the '24-'25 season, the one that has received the least amount of attention and press has been Joey Cruz. Perhaps here at the Soldier Salute, will be his opportunity to shine.
|
| #32 Kyle Gollhofer Northern Iowa |
Kyle Gollhofer has been a member of the Northern Iowa Panther wrestling program and in his final season, he's finally getting his shot to show his stuff. He took Tanner Jordan into sudden victory & he was one match shy of a medal at CKLV. He's "right there" as they say but he could use a really good performance and some top notch wins. The Soldier Salute provides an opportunity to do both.
|
| B.U. Kale Petersen Iowa |
I feel like we've seen more out of Kale Petersen this year than we have Joey Cruz, but it is Cruz right now who has the ranking. Petersen had some nice wins at 133 lbs last season & he placed 4th here a year ago. Time to see how he does at 125.
|
| R.S. Kael Lauridsen Nebraska |
This being Caleb Smith's final year of eligibility, I believe that the Cornhuskers have one heck of a good fill in for the '25-'26 season. Kael Lauridsen has some very impressive victories over some of the top competition in NCAA Division II. The Soldier Salute will provide us an opportunity to see how he does against DI.
|
| B.U. Kysen Terukina Iowa State |
While Adrian Meza has the ranking and is the starter as of right now, I'm not convinced that he'll be the starter come BIG 12's. Kysen Terukina is a three time NCAA DI qualifier & he owns a 10-6 victory over Tanner Jordan. He competes here, and has a good performance, this is what could win him his spot back.
|
| U.R. Gage Walker Missouri |
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