2025-2026 NCAA DI Preview = 133 lbs

 

Lucas Byrd
Illinois

23-1 on the season, the 2025 NCAA Division I national champion head into his final season of competition a three-time All-American with finishes of 5th-5th-1st.  He was also a BIG 10 champion last year as well. 

Drake Ayala
Iowa

Wrestling for a school that settles for nothing short of gold, Drake Ayala did win a Soldier Salute title this past season, as he's came very close the past two seasons at winning both BIG 10 gold & NCAA DI gold.  A two-time NCAA DI silver medalist, BIG 10 finishes have been bronze & silver.  21-3 in '24-'25, he was Byrd's only loss on the season, a 4-2 decision. 

Kale Petersen
Iowa

Backing up Drake Ayala will be Kale Petersen who finished as the Soldier Salute champion last year. 

Zeth Romney
Cal Poly

Keeping the spirit of California collegiate wrestling alive & well, Zeth Romney put together a record of 18-5 last season, winning a Cliff Keen Las Vegas invitational title & finishing 3rd in the DI nation.  He heads into his junior season of competition with 3rd & 2nd place PAC-12 finishes. 

Zan Fugitt
Wisconsin

During a downtime for the Badgers, Zan Fugitt came along & was the shot of Vitamin E that boosted some energy back into the program last season.  The Freshman had an outstanding NCAA DI tournament coming in at 4th place, after taking 9th at the BIG 10's.  23-9 on the season he was 2nd at the Michigan State Open. An NWCA scholar All-American. 

Braeden Davis
Penn State

17 & 7 on the year, Braeden Davis finished 4th in the BIG 10 & 5th at the NCAA DI championships. 

Jacob Van Dee
Nebraska

Jacob Van Dee heads into his junior season of competition having posted a 6th place finish in Vegas & a 7th place finish at the NCAA DI championships.  An NWCA Scholar All-American, JVD posted 19 wins on the season. 

Tyler Knox
Stanford

Only a freshman last season, Tyler Knox is well on his way to becoming one of the best wrestlers that Stanford has ever produced.   8th in the NCAA DI nation, Knox was 5th at CKLV & a Midlands champion posting 28 wins on the season.  One of those wins was a 15-10 decision over Drake Ayala.  Knox was also an NWCA Scholar All-American. 

Evan Frost
Iowa State

If you stop and think about the sport of wrestling & where talented wrestlers come from, Louisiana probably isn't a state you think of very often.  Yet before he finished off his high school career at Dowling Catholic in West Des Moines, Iowa, Evan Frost was as John Fogerty would say, "Born on the Bayou!"   A 6th place DI All-American in 2024, Frost came up one match shy of earning All-American honor #2 in 2025.  A two-time CKLV runner-up, he has BIG 12 finishes of 2nd & 7th.  22-6 on the year, a 3-1 decision over Tyler Knox. 

Nic Bouzakis
Ohio State

24-9 on the year, Nic Bouzakis heads into '25-'26 having collected a series of bronze medals from some of DI's toughest tournaments.  Twice 3rd in CKLV, he was 3rd in the BIG 10 & one match shy of All American honors. 

Ben Davino
Ohio State

It amazes me that collegiate wrestling has gotten so good that sometimes the best matches we'll see all season happen right at the beginning with wrestle-offs.  Hate to think either Nic Bouzakis or Ben Davino would not be varsity this season, but from the looks of it, that's where we stand.  19-1 as a redshirt last year, Davino won a Franklin & Marshall title, finishing 3rd at the Midlands.  He owns an official 5-3 decision over Bouzakis. 

Dylan Shawver
Rutgers

21-11 on the year, Dylan Shawver was a BIG 10 champion & 7th in the DI nation in 2024, but slipped to a 6th place finish at the BIG 10's & one match shy of earning another DI All American honor in 2025.  He did finish 2nd at the Midlands & had a 7-5 decision over Zan Fugitt. 

Sean Spidle
Northwestern

A Mid-American Conference (MAC) runner-up last season, Sean Spidle has decided to spend his final season at Northwestern.  A Kent State Holiday champion, Spidle was 5th at the Midlands & won 29 matches. 

Massey Odiotti
Northwestern

8th at the Midlands last year, Massey Odiotti will be redshirting this season. 

Jett Strickenberger
West Virginia

A BIG 12 champion at 125 lbs last year, Jett Strickenberger came within one match of being an All-American. 19 wins on the season, he'll test himself at 133 in '25-'26. 

**NOTE** - After seeing him listed at 133 lbs for a while, he's now listed back at 125.  So.....there's that. 

Ethan Berginc
Army

25-8 on the season, Ethan Berginc has been 4th-3rd-3rd in the EIWA.  A Franklin & Marshall Open runner-up, he won the Black Knight Open. 

T.K. Davis
Gardner-Webb

The Georgia native won a Southern Conference title last year as a freshman.  23-8 on the year, he finished 6th at the Southern Scuffle & 2nd at the Black Knight Open. 

Derrick Cardinal
South Dakota State

The Jackrabbit won 20 matches last season & heads into '25-'26 with BIG 12 finishes of 4th & 5th, as well as 6th & 7th place finishes at CKLV. 

Richard Figueroa
Arizona State

As a freshman, Richard Figueroa spent the season as one of the best backups in all of collegiate wrestling.  As a sophomore, he won an NCAA DI title.  Last year as a junior, he failed to place.  17-4 on the year, he heads into what will be the final chapter of his collegiate career. 

Julian Farber
Northern Iowa

I talk a lot about the magic that Coach Doug Schwab has about getting inside his wrestler's heads & getting them to wrestle at their best.  We saw this last year with Julian Farber at the BIG 12's when he finished an impressive 3rd.  18 wins on the season, the Georgia native had a wild 14-13 win over R12'er Evan Frost. 

Dom Serrano
Northern Colorado

The Bears lost some talent from '24-'25 due to both graduation & transferring, but don't kid yourself, they have some coming back in '25-'26.  Dom Serrano, is one of them.  A two-time Southern Scuffle runner-up, he won a BIG 12 title last year. 

Ethan Oakley
 North Carolina 

3rd at the Southern Scuffle, Ethan Oakley was also 3rd at the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC).  23-7 on the year, he defeated All-American Jacob Van Dee 10-9 & had both a 4-2 as well as a 3-1 win over All-American Tyler Knox. 

Blake Boarman
Purdue

A SOCON runner-up last season, with 4th & 5th place finishes at the Southern Scuffle, Blake Boarman has decided to spend his final year competing for Purdue.  He was 20-8 in '24-'25. 

Tyler Ferrara
Cornell

The freshman won 13 matches last season & made the Ivy League finals. 

Kade Moore
Missouri

A rather unpredictable wrestler, it's become a yearly tradition for Kade Moore to pull off a major upset or two each season.  Last year, it was a 20-6 dismantling of R12'er Evan Frost.  4th in the BIG 12, Moore won 14 matches in total. 

Braxton Brown
Maryland

A three-time NCAA DI qualifier, I have no reservation whatsoever in calling Braxton Brown one of the best seniors of '25-'26 yet to be an All-American.  24-6 on the year, a 10-2 major over Zan Fugitt & a 2-0 decision over Jacob Van Dee speak for themselves.  6th & 5th thus far in the BIG 10. 

Ryan Crookham
Lehigh

Injured last season, many eagerly await the return of Ryan Crookham to the NCAA DI ranks.  For good reason too.  24-1 in 2024, Ryan Crookham finished 3rd in the DI nation, with two victories of that year's DI champ. 

Gable Strickland
Lock Haven 

An NCAA DI qualifier in '23 & '24, Gable Strickland returns to the Lock Haven varsity lineup after redshirting this past season.   He looks to win his third MAC title. 

Brendan Ferretti
Navy

A NCAA DI qualifier in 2023, Brendan Ferretti has one more shot to make it back to the dance.  He finished 3rd at the Navy Classic last year. 

Alex Almeyda
Pennsylvania

A backup to Ryan Miller last year, there is as Adam Duritz would say, "reason to believe" that Alex Almeyda will fill into the 133 lbs spot very nicely for the Quakers this season.  Thus far Almeyda has been 1st & 2nd at the Keystone Invitational. 

Dylan Ragusin
Michigan

A four-time NCAA DI qualifier, who finished 5th in the DI nation in 2024, unfortunately Dylan Ragusin's '24-'25 ended on the sour note of injury.  1st-5th-8th at CKLV, the Wolverine has licked his wounds, sharpened his claws & heads into '25-'26 ready for war. 

Richard Murillo
California Baptist

A redshirt in 2025, Richard Murillo won a RENO title, finished 13-3 on the season & owned a 7:41 fall over Jett Strickenberger. 

Marcel Lopez
SIUE

A graduate of New London, Iowa, a school I grew up not too far from, Marcel Lopez heads into his junior season looking for his first NCAA DI qualification.  He won 14 matches last season & finished one match shy of a top 8 finish at Midlands. 

Bryce Luna
Chattanooga

A redshirt last season, with the transfer of Blake Boarman, Bryce Luna steps into the 133 lbs spot for the Mocs.  He was 8th at the Southern Scuffle last year. 

Max Leete
American

28-6 on the year, Max Leete redshirted in 2024-2025, finishing 3rd at the Franklin & Marshall open.  He was an NCAA DI qualifier in 2024. 

Kyle Waterman
Drexel

Kyle Waterman enters '25-'26 having made the EIWA finals this past season. 

Markel Baker
Northern Illinois

Just shy of the top 33 cut last season, Markel Baker won 17 matches last year. One of which was a 7-6 decision over All American Zeth Romney. 

Chris Cannon
Minnesota

"A gun with only one bullet, is still a loaded gun."   It's stories like Chris Cannon that can make this sport such a fun and intriguing world.  Cannon took back-to-back 7th place NCAA DI All-American finishes, among an assortment of other accolades in 2021 & 2022.  Hampered by injuries ever since, in many ways that seems like such a long time ago.  Yet the story is far from over & Chris Cannon is far from given up.  He may be among a world full of those equipped with machine guns, uzi 9 millimeters, and miniguns but give one man defending his honor a single shot rifle, and that may very well be all he needs. 

Louie Gill
West Virginia

Redshirting for North Carolina State last season, Louie Gill has decided to do his first year of varsity wrestling at West Virginia.  14-3 on the season last year competing at 125 lbs, he did have a 5-2 s.v. over Marcello Miliani .  Now he'll test himself at 133 lbs. 

Gabe Wisenhunt
Oregon State

Gabe Wisenhunt seems to get into slumps from time to time, but has proven that he can be dangerous as well.  A 10-9 win over Sam Latona & a 12-4 major decision over Richard Castro-Sandoval.  For what it is worth, the Beaver also has a 7-1 win over NCAA D2 champion Johnny Lopez. 

Joey Fischer
Clarion 

Having redshirted last season, Joey Fischer heads into '25-'26 with Mid-American Conference finishes of 2nd-5th-6th.  He won 25 matches last year, including an 11-10 victory over Colton Camacho.