No easy pickings here. If you want a spot at the 2025 NCAA DII championships in Indianapolis, you're going to have to earn it. This tournament is loaded with talent. We have #2 Glenville State, #6 Grand Valley State, #9 Tiffin (host), #10 West Liberty, #15 Lake Erie & #21 Ashland. There are again, only three per weight class that will be headed to nationals. Yet in most cases, many more than three who are eligible to take those spots.
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| 125 |
Talk about a tough weight class. You're achieving something if you can place top six here, let alone place top three. Anthony Anciete will be a favorite here to win a title. 15-3 on the season, the home crowd favorite was a Super Region III runner-up last season. He owns a 10-5 decision over Braden Hahlen. Luke Acuna was the Region champ last year. 24-8 on the year, he's defeated Colton Drousias twice by scores of 8-2 & 8-4. He also owns three victories over Hahlen by scores of 17-14, 8-6 & 15-2.
Drousias is a transfer of West Virginia, with 23 wins on the season, including a 7-1 decisin over Logan Davis. Davis is a tough freshman, 20-3 on the year, with an impressive 12-4 major decision over Acuna & a 4-2 decision over Hahlen. Hahlen owns a 9-4 decision over Drousias.
Then when also have Billy Smith, who has both an 8-4 decision over Drousias & an 8-3 decision over Acuna.
Parity ='s chaos right? To think, if NCAA DII were like the NAIA, we'd also have Cael Woods (Aniciete's backup) in this bracket too. He owns a 12-4 major over Acuna himself.
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133 |
Things are every bit as wild up at 133 as they are at 125. Another home crowd favorite, Max Shore looks to keep the 133 lbs title at home for the Dragons. 19-4 on the season, he was 3rd at the Super Region III last year. Owns both an 8-0 major & a 3-2 decision over Ashton Anderson. Owns a 16-6 major & a 19-4 tech over Anthony Sagaris.
Among Shore's challengers, Jak Keller owns 21 wins on the year, a 6-3 decision over Ross among them. Anderson was one match shy of NCAA DII qualification last year, finishing 4th in the Region. He owns both a 17-0 tech over Keller & an 8-4 decision over Sagaris.
Ross owns a 13-7 decision over Anderson & Sagaris owns a 4-2 decision over Anderson.
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| 141 |
A lot of things about this bracket interest me. I suppose first and foremost that Gavin Quiocho is ranked #2 at 133, yet hasn't (to my knowledge) competed at 133 this season. I'm almost positive that he'll be competing at 141 this weekend. The 2023 NCAA DII champ & 2024 NCAA DII runner-up, is 18-5 on the season. He's also, for the record a two-time Super Region III champion. This year he owns a 5-0 decision over Brock Durbin.
Christian Small, a 2023 NCAA DII runner-up, went a very disappointing 0-2 at last year's national championships. He's looking to make up for that this year & has thus far illustrated himself very well with a 8-0 major decision over Quiocho. He's been 2nd & 1st within the Region the past two season.
Here's a kicker though.... Small is 17-4 on the season & one of those losses is a 4-2 decision to teammate Carson Richards. I'm 99.9% positive the Storm is still going with Small, but I note that just in case.
In the hunt for the bronze medal will be Brock Durbin & Khyvon Grace, and perhaps Grace should be thought of as more than just a threat for the bronze. 4th & 3rd in the Region thus far, and 7th in the D2 nation, Grace recently took Small into the tiebreakers before losing a tight 7-6 decision.
May I also add how ridiculously tough it is for Quiocho to even make the varsity lineup. Glenville State is absolutely packed at 141 lbs. Caleb Brooks owns an 11-0 major over Durbin & a 9-6 s.v. over Grace! Another teammate, Zach Parker owns a 4-1 decision over Durbin! That's a ton of talent in one room!
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| 149 |
A Super Region III runner-up last year & one match shy of NCAA DII All American honors, Chris Donathan looks to make out like a '49'er and collect some gold this weekend! He hasn't wrestled a ton of matches this year, but does own a 5-3 decision over Gabe Onorato. Onorato a transfer out of Drexel, owns 20 wins on the season, including a 6-3 decision over Hayden Kuhn who I believe is a strong candidate for the bronze.
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| 157 |
22-6 on the year, Guy DeLeonardis was 3rd in the D2 nation last season & has thus far been 1st & 2nd in the Super Region III as he'll look for gold this weekend. He owns a 5-2 decision over Jordan Watters.
Casey Barnett, one match shy of D2 All American honors in his own right in 2023, is 14-3 on the season looking to challenge DeLeonardis. Watters, a D2 qualifier back in 2022, is 10-1 on the season.
Could we have a theif among these three ranked talents? I say yes, we do. Matt Kaufmann a transfer from The REAL Notre Dame is currently competing for Lake Erie. 5th & 4th thus far in the Region, he's been "right there" the past two seasons. He's likely to either finish "right there" again or literally RIGHT THERE. He has the tools to be top three this tournament.
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| 165 |
Talk about a tough group of wrestlers. You take gold, silver or bronze here, there's a very high probability you place top 8 at the D2's. Hard to believe that as good as Nolan Gessler has wrestled this season he was only 5th at the Super Region last year. A 4:14 fall over Jack Haskin & a 5-3 decision over Nate Barrett. Haskin himself has thus far been 4th-3rd-1st, as he looks to not only defend his title, but also become a rare, four-time Region place-winner. 18-3 on the season, he was 4th in the D2 nation last year. Owns an 11-2 major over Nate Barrett.
Barrett, 24-8 on the season was a D2 All American in 2023 with an 8th place finish & just missed out on another AA honor last season. He's been 1st & 2nd within the Region the past two season.
With that kind of talent in the bracket, how could I dare mention anyone else's name? Well, I'm going to. I may not be able to spell or pronounce his name right, but I know Loranzo Rajaonarivelo is a 'secret weapon' the Pioneers have ready to launch this Saturday. A George Mason transfer, he has 27 wins on the season.
Also want to put in a word for Gessler's backup Emilio Arellano. Have to illustrate once again how much talent there is in some of these D2 rooms. Arellano owns both a 12-6 & a 6-4 decision over Barrett!
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| 174 |
Ooh, rubber matches, gotta love 'em! 33-5 on the season, Northern Illinois transfer Hayden Pummel is among the vast amount of talent at 174 looking to win an NCAA DII title this season. The focus this weekend however, will be the Super Region III title. He owns an 11-7 decision over Josh Kenny, who won both the Region title & the D2 title last year. Kenny owns a 5-4 decision over Pummel. Who wins meeting three at the Super III? For the record Pummel also owns a 2-0 decision over Sevi Garza & both a 13-10 & 6-4 decision over Carter Winegardner.
Garza has been a Super Region III champion in his own right. He's 23-2 on the season & Winegardner is 17-3.
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| 184 |
3rd-1st-1st in the D2 nation, I'm going to say that the gold medal here at the Super Region III is already spoken for. Ty McGeary is 22-1 on the season, and doesn't look to be adding anything to column two ever again. Owns two majors 17-5 & 14-6 over Kyle Homet.
Brayden Mirjavadi, owns 18 wins this season. One an 11-4 decision over Homet & two more over Peyton Lemon (4-3 & a 2:12 fall.)
Lucky Starr, Kyle Homet is 32-7 on the year. He's defeated Mirjavadi 14-10 & 12-7. He also owns a 4-2 decision over Lemon.
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| 197 |
Another tough bracket. Last year's Super Region III champ Nick Johnson is currently 24-5 on the season. Owns both a 20-4 tech & a 2:12 fall over Kaine Morris. Morris has 21 victories this season, including a 14-5 major over Lucas Salmon.
Wyatt Miller, to be quite frank hasn't had the season he should be having and that's mainly due to injury. 3rd in the Region last year & 8th in the D2 nation, he's still a threat to qualification (as well as All American status) this weekend. However, not being 100%, I think opens up the door for Salmon to sneak into that bronze medal position. Salmon was 5th at the Region last year & does own a 7-6 decision over Morris.
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| HWT |
21-4 on the season, Michigan State transfer Carter Blough looks to be our Super Region III champion this Saturday. Owns a 14-1 major over Isaiha Casto, who was 4th in the Region last year. 21-5 on the year, Casto owns both a 4-2 & an 8-0 major over Parker Bentley, who himself is 21-7 on the year.
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