 |
Isaac Trumble
North Carolina State |
Without a single ounce of fat on his body, it's hard to think "HWT" when you see Isaac Trumble, but that's exactly what he is. 21-7 on the year, he was 4th in the DI nation as he heads into '25-'26 with CKLV finishes of 1st & 2nd.
 |
Ben Keuter
Iowa |
A guy that just as easily could have put his time & focus into football, lucky for us, Ben Keuter has decided to make wrestling his focus. Earning 8th place All-American honors last year, he won a Soldier Salute title & finished 3rd in the BIG 10. 21-9 on the year.
 |
Nick Feldman
Ohio State |
5th in the DI nation in 2024, the Buckeye finished one match shy of NCAA DI All American honors this past season. Twice 6th at the Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational, he was 5th at the BIG 10's & 20-8 overall.
 |
Luke Luffman
Illinois |
A match shy of All-American honors last season, Luke Luffman heads into his final season of collegiate competition looking for his fourth NCAA DI qualification & for his first All American honor. 19 wins last year, one of which was a 3-1 decision over All American Ben Kueter.
 |
Dayton Pitzer
Pittsburg |
17-6 on the year, Dayton Pitzer was one match shy of NCAA DI All American honors. He heads into '25-'26 with ACC finishes of 3rd & 1st.
 |
A.J. Ferrari
Nebraska |
Little shocks or surprises me much in this life anymore, but A.J. Ferrari to Nebraska was something I never would've guessed. In fact, if I had a list of the plausible 80 options, it probably would've been my 77th guess behind Oklahoma State, Iowa, and Bakersfield. Everything I know about Mark Manning & having observed him since I was a kid, this really threw me for a loop. Nevertheless, Cowboy, Roadrunner, Ferrari is now a Husker. He's now a HWT. A national champion & 3rd at 197, we'll see his 665 lbs deadlift in action against guys that weigh nearly 100 lbs more than what he is used to. Should be fun.
 |
Harley Andrews
Nebraska |
As A.J. Ferrari navigates through this video game we call DI wrestling, level one/boss one will be teammate Harley Andrews. 8th at CKLV, a 16-13 decision over Trevor Tinker & a 9-1 major of Max Vanadia.
 |
Yonger Bastida
Iowa State |
The future Cuban World & Olympic medalist heads into his final season of collegiate competition looking for redemption. 5th in the DI nation in 2022 & a match shy of his second All-American honor in 2024, he was injured last season. A healthy Bastida, if he is 100% this season owns a 7-2 decision over All American Ben Keuter, as well as a 13-5 major decision & a 6-3 decision over R12'ers Nick Feldman & Dayton Pitzer.
 |
Dan Herrera
Iowa State |
When Yonger Bastida was injured last season, Dan Herrera really stepped it up a notch & did his best filling in the spot. I think he deserves some major credit for it, & I'm giving him his due. 27 wins on the season he was a match shy of placing at CKLV, 3rd at the Soldier Salute & 5th at the BIG 12's. He will be redshirting this year.
 |
Jimmy Mullen
Virginia Tech |
21-7 on the year, Jimmy Mullen won a Southeast Open title, finished 2nd in the ACC & took 4th at CKLV. Owned a 13-4 major decision over R12'er Dayton Pitzer.
 |
Taye Ghadiali
Michigan |
Fresh off a redshirt & now competing for a new school 2024 NCAA DI All American (8th) & four-time NCAA DI qualifier Taye Ghadiali returns to 2025-2026 to find where he stands among the BIG 10 & NCAA HWT competition of today.
 |
Trevor Tinker
Cal Poly |
A three-time NCAA DI qualifier for the Mustangs, Trevor Tinker has PAC-12 finishes of 2nd-4th-1st as he heads into '25-'26. 24-7 on the year he was also R12 at CKLV.
 |
Luke Rasmussen
South Dakota State |
23-11 on the year, Luke Ramussen really came alive at the BIG 12's, wrestling the best he wrestled all season taking home a 3rd place finish. He too was one match shy of a medal at CKLV.
 |
Max Vanadia
Michigan State |
7th at the Midlands, Max Vanadia was 8th at the BIG 10's.
 |
Wyatt Voelker
Northern Iowa |
An NCAA DI qualifier, Wyatt Voelker won 28 matches last year for the Panthers at 197 lbs. He will now test the waters of HWT.
 |
Brady Colbert
Army |
35-9 on the season, Brady Colbert won the Lehman Open, taking 3rd at both the Southern Scuffle & the EIWA.
 |
Lucas Stoddard
Army |
Challenging Colbert for the starting spot on the Black Knight lineup will be 2024 NCAA DI qualifier Lucas Stoddard. He was the Southern Scuffle runner-up.
 |
Connor Barket
Duke |
I've mentioned other reasons to be excited about Duke wrestling this season & here is another reason. An NCAA DI qualifier for the Blue Devils last season, Barket was 7th at the Southern Scuffle.
 |
Stephan Monchery
Appalachian State |
The true-freshman won 18 matches last season, winning a SOCON title.
 |
Nolan Neves
North Carolina |
16 wins on the season & an NCAA DI qualifier, Nolan Neves had a 14-9 decision over Dayton Pitzer.
 |
Ashton Davis
Cornell |
18 wins on the season, Ashton Davis, a Tennessee native won an Ivy League title.
 |
Hayden Filipovich
Purdue |
Hayden Filipovich was an NCAA DI qualifier for the Boilermakers last season.
 |
Nathan Taylor
Lehigh |
A two-time NCAA DI qualifier in '23 & '24, Nathan Taylor was injured last season. He returns in '26.
 |
Konner Doucet
Oklahoma State |
Behind NCAA DI champion Wyatt Hendrickson last season, two-time NCAA DI qualifier Konner Doucet returns to the Cowboy varsity lineup. A Michigan State Open champ, he had a 5-0 win over Max Vanadia last year.
 |
Hunter Catka
Rutgers |
A three-time NCAA DI qualifier, who finished one match shy of All-American honors in 2024, Hunter Catka split time with Jimmy Mullen at Virginia Tech last year. This season, Catka will be competing for the Scarlet Knights of Rutgers.
 |
Sebastian Garibaldi
Princeton |
18 wins on the season, including an 8-0 major decision over Hayden Filipovich, Sebastian Garibaldi was 5th at the Midlands.
 |
Juan Mora
Oklahoma |
12 wins on the season last year, Juan Mora defeated Luke Rasmussen 10-3.
 |
Nick Pavlechko
Indiana |
8th at the Midlands last season, Nick Pavlechko stuck Max Vanadia at the 2:52 mark.
 |
Jonathan Chesser
The Citadel |
I've spoken a lot to how sometimes I'm a bit puzzled by who makes the cut & who doesn't in the final selections for At Large/Wildcard bids. Jonathan Chesser was one not selected that surprised me a bit. Earlier in the season he had a win over Stephan Moncherry and then lost to him by 1 point in the SOCON finals.
 |
Bryan Caves
Central Michigan |
21 wins on the season, Bryan Caves nearly tech'd Luke Rasmussen 14-1.
 |
Bennett Tabor
Minnesota |
Replacing a legend like Gable Steveson is a mission that not even Tom Cruise would want to be assigned, but Minnesota has done a pretty good job here. An NCAA DI qualifier for the Golden Gophers in 2024, Bennett Tabor resumes the position. A Soldier Salute runner-up last year, he wrestled All American Ben Kueter to a 1-0 decision.
 |
Spencer Lanogsa
Navy |
Here's another exception to where I'll speak about a true freshman when normally, I do not. Spencer Lanogsa went 14-3 last year against collegiate competition. He placed 4th at the Soldier Salute.
 |
Cole Mirasola
Penn State |
Replacing a guy like Greg Kerkvliet is no easy task, but when it comes to finding replacements, no one does it better than Penn State. Nittany Lion fans are excited about Cole Mirasola & have good reason to be. The Freshman won the Southern Scuffle last season.
 |
Xavier Doolin
Morgan State |
As Morgan State still looks for its first NCAA DI qualifier since reinstation, Xavier Doolin steps up as a worthy candidate. 6th at the Southern Scuffle last season.
 |
David Szuba
Rider |
An NCAA DI qualifier in 2024, David Szuba redshirted this past season of 2025. He was 3rd at the Lehman Open on a 12-1 record.
 |
Braxton Amos
Wisconsin |
The Two-time NCAA DI qualifier had me curious if he might be able to contend for the NCAA DI title one day competing at 197 lbs. Now my curiosity is at an all time high wondering how he'll fare amongst competition as big as 285 lbs.
 |
Christian Carroll
Wyoming |
From Oklahoma State to Iowa State, and now to Wyoming, much like Braxton Amos, Christian Carroll has shown the wrestling community there was good reason to think his collegiate career could end up very bright at 197 lbs. Now it's time to see if the same fate awaits him up at HWT.
 |
Daulton Mayer
Bellarmine |
I was rather shocked to find out that Daulton Mayer still had eligibility left. Happily shocked, but still shocked.
