There is going to be a ton of great wrestling action at the NWCA National duals in Cedar Falls this Friday and Saturday. I wish I had time to preview all of the divisions (DI, DII, DIII, NAIA & Women's) but between working a shoot job 40+ hours a week, and other commitments I have in life, + the fact that brackets only came out a short time ago, I had to pick and choose what to preview. Decided to give NCAA DII the nod here.
In our first round, we have some very exciting dual meets. In these 8 duals, I've picked out what I feel will be the 16 most exciting matches.
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| #14 Jason Strope McKendree Vs #8 Logan Davis West Liberty 125 |
Here we have two wrestlers with very different paths going head to head. Jason Strope, a junior for the Bearcats has been around quite sometime & is finally getting his opportunity as a starter. Logan Davis is fresh out of high school, having himself one heck of a rookie season winning the Mount Union Open & the King Open, while going 14-1 thus far. Owns a very impressive 5-4 victory over All American Treyvon Gray.
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| #6 Cory Peterson McKendree Vs #9 Alec Cook West Liberty 165 |
The dual between the Bearcats & the Hilltoppers, will also feature two of the best 165 lbs in the DII nation. Cory Peterson, who has thus far had All American finishes 4th-3rd-4th, taking on Alec Cook who himself was an All American in 2023. Earlier this season, Peterson had a setback having to medical forfeit at the Midwest Classic, having finished 3rd & 2nd in previous tournaments. It's been a month, and hopefully we get to see him back in action. The last he and Cook met, it was a 4-1 s.v. decision for the bearcat.
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| #1 Ty McGeary West Liberty Vs #11 Zeke Waltz McKendree 184 |
At the current moment, two time NCAA DII champion Ty McGeary stands at 98-7, and hasn't lost to a D2 wrestler since the '22-'23 season. Stranger things have happened, but I don't know if we'll see him lose to another D2 wrestler again. With that noted, he will face some tough challenges this year, and one of them could be tomorrow against Zeke Waltz of McKendree. Waltz was one match shy of being an All American in 2023, and then finished one match shy of earning NCAA DII qualification last year.
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| #11 Cole Ritter Maryville Vs #15 Jakob Hurley Tiffin 174 |
Here's a match that interests me. At the Midwest Classic, All American Cole Ritter was set to meet Jakob Hurley in the bloodround, to see who would earn a medal. There ended up being no match as Ritter medical forfeited and Hurley eventually finished in 8th place. Hopefully when Maryville takes on Tiffin tomorrow, we won't see another medical forfeit.
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| #11 Ethen Doty Upper Iowa Vs #5 Gabe Onorato Glenville State 149 lbs |
Have a really good match here at 149 lbs, when Upper Iowa duals Glenville State. Ethen Doty, a senior for the Peacocks is one of the better wrestlers at 149 lbs who has yet to make the NCAA DI national tournament. Gabe Onorato, a former DI wrestler for Drexel, is continuing to make a name for himself in NCAA DII wrestling, competing for the Pioneers. These two have met on the mat once, with Onorato winning a tight 3-1 match at the Midwest Classic. He worked his way back up to a 3rd place finish, as Doty finished 8th. A win here for Doty would jump him up quite a few spots in the rankings. A win for Onorato, would be yet another impressive showing for the former Dragon as he took looks to climb the rankings.
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| #1 Hayden Pummel Glenville State Vs #6 Lawson Losee 174 |
Pardon the pun, but other than one, 1 point loss to last year's NCAA DII champion, former Northern Illinois Husky Hayden Pummel has been pummeling competition here in NCAA D2 wrestling. He earned his #1 ranking with an extremely impressive showing at the Midwest Classic, that included a win over Josh Kenny, in route to bringing home a gold medal. He still has a lot of challenges left this season though, and Lawson Losee will be one of them. Losee finished 5th at the Midwest Classic in his own right.
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| #8 Colter Bye Upper Iowa Vs #6 Kyle Homet Glenville State 184 |
Usually when you see you have a Bye in one of your wrestling matches, that's a good thing. Not in this case, not when it is a Colter Bye. Bye, an All American in 2023, recently finished in 6th place at the prestigious Midwest Classic. His opponent in this dual, Kyle Homet, finished in 4th place. Should be a good match between two talented athletes.
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| #1 Derek Blubaugh Indianapolis Vs #3 Jackson Kinsella Nebraska-Kearney 197 |
A three time NCAA DII national finalist & last year's NCAA DII champion, it's hard for me to picture anything other than '24-'25 ending with an undefeated record and a second national title. That doesn't mean others won't try though. Derek Blubaugh sits upon the throne with a humongous target on his back & many worthy adversaries ready to knock him off. One of them is Jackson Kinsella, who finished 4th in the DII nation last season. It'll be interesting to see how this match goes, as Kinsella at least on paper, should be one of Blubaugh's toughest challenges this season.
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| #9 Brayden Mirjavadi Grand Valley State Vs #3 Cade Mueller Augustana (SD) 184 |
A three time NCAA DII qualifier and R12 in the D2 nation last season, Cade Mueller is on a mission to earn an All American honor in his last season of collegiate wrestling. Along the way, he'll have many obstacles, and first round national duals, will be Brayden Mirjavadi, who finished an impressive 7th at the Midwest Classic.
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| #15 Wyatt Miller Grand Valley State Vs #5 Max Ramberg Augustana (SD) 197 |
As fun and rewarding of a world as wrestling can be, it can also be a cruel and unforgiving place. Wyatt Miller was 8th in the D2 nation last season, but suffered an injury at the Midwest Classic, and it's been a rough go ever since. I think he's way better than the current #15 ranking he has, but I'm not sure if things are going to get any better tomorrow. First round, he has Max Ramberg, 6th in the D2 nation last season, who majored him 13-1.
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| #3 Jakason Burks Central Missouri Vs #11 Shane Corrigan UW-Parkside 125 |
Jakason Burks really ought to be endorsed by the NJCAA, as he is living, walking, breathing testimony as to why NAIA, D3, D2 & D1 ought to be scoping the community college wrestling scene every bit as much as they do the high school, when looking for recruits. Burks has taken the NCAA D2 nation by storm, winning the prestigious Midwest Classic with some very impressive wins. One of those wins was a mind-blowing 17-1 technical fall over two time NCAA D2 All American Shane Corrigan. Corrigan who had been 4th & 3rd in two previous Classics, ended up falling short of a third medal. These types of situations make great storylines in our sport. I mean, what happens when they meet today? How much of a psychological edge does Burks have over Corrigan going into this encounter? Corrigan wasn't just given those two All American honors, he earned them. Gotta think he goes into this match with absolute focus, determined to end in a completely different result. Anxious to see how this one turns out.
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| #5 Matt Chi UW-Parkside Vs #13 James Wright Central Missouri 133 |
Have a good, solid match here at 133 lbs between Matt Chi of UW-Parkside & James Wright of Central Missouri. I've been saying all season that Chi is probably the best 133 lbs'er yet to make the NCAA DII tournament. Not only do I think he'll finish top 21 this season, I believe he more than has the skills, talent & ability to finish top 8. He was recently 5th at the Midwest Classic & today he'll have a good challenge from James Wright, who himself finished one match shy of a medal at the Midwest Classic.
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| #4 Ben Durocher UW-Parkside vs #6 John Ridle Central Missouri 157 |
Of all the NCAA DII first round matches at the NWCA National Duals tomorrow, I think this match at 157 lbs is the one I'm looking most forward to. I'm a big fan of both of these guys & I'm almost certain this is going to be an outstanding confrontation. If you've been reading me very long, it doesn't take more than a couple of articles to gather that I champion wrestlers who have a chip on their shoulder. Ben Durocher's chip is having finished just shy of an All American honor last season. John Ridle's chip, is after earning All American honors, illness kept him from having the end to '23-'24 that he otherwise would have. Both of these guys are looking tough this season, Durocher 20-2 & Ridle 15-3. They met in the consolation finals of the Midwest Classic, with Durocher winning an 8-5 s.v. decision. Look forward to another barnburner.
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| #4 Reece Worachek UW-Parkside Vs #12 Damon Ashworth Central Missouri 184 |
Reece Worachek recently achieved an incredibly rare accomplishment, when he earned his fourth Midwest Classic medal in Indianapolis about a month ago. 6th-7th-4th-2nd. Come March, he wants to earn an even rarer accomplishment and become a four time NCAA DII All American. Thus far he is 8th-7th-4th. The Ranger has already accomplished so much in his collegiate career and he still has some lofty goals yet ahead of him. First round NWCA national duals, he'll have to contend with a tough Damon Ashworth. Despite a disappointing showing at the Midwest Classic, Ashworth is not one to be underestimated or overlooked. He was 5th in the D2 nation last year. A guy who can get hot, once the Bunson starts burning.
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| #3 Reece Barnhardt Mary Vs #10 Peter Rolle Central Oklahoma 133 |
Ironically enough, we get to talk about another wrestler in NCAA DII wrestling looking to achieve the rare accomplishment of being a four time All American. Reece Barnhardt made history back in December not only earning his fourth Midwest Classic medal, but by making the finals of the tournament for the third time! So far in the D2 nation he's been 4th-7th-4th. Peter Rolle, who is wrestling in his first season as the Broncos starter, after having been a backup his first four years, would love to knock off the Maurader. Rolle placed 7th at the Midwest Classic.
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| #8 Sean Solis Mary Vs #5 Dylan Lucas Central Oklahoma 141 |
Got a good one here at 141 between Mary and Central Oklahoma. 2023 All American Dylan Lucas (who was one match away from All American status in 2024) defeated former North Dakota State Bison Sean Solis 6-3 for 5th place at the Midwest Classic back in December. I estimate this will be another close encounter between these two All American candidates.
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