This Saturday the #7 Johnson & Wales will be hosting a series of duals that will involve the #9 Castleton Spartans, the #17 United State Coast Guard Academy Bears & the NCAA DII #19 West Liberty Hilltoppers. Although Stevens Tech isn't currently ranked, they still have some very tough hammers on their team that will be worth paying attention to.
Weight by Weight, here are the best matches of the evening.
**NOTE** - Black = D3 rankings Blue = D2 Rankings
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| #14 #4 #15 Logan Davis Gavin Bradley Nikko Beato 125 |
A match shy of being an NCAA DII qualifier last season, Logan Davis will have his hands full against NCAA DIII competition this weekend when the Hilltoppers dual both West Liberty & the USCGA.
Bradley R12-7th-R12 in the D3 nation thus far in his illustrious career not only wants to make the award stand again, he wants to be standing on top of it. He's 5-0 Vs Beato, including majoring him twice, as well as pinning him. A win over a ranked D2 opponent would be good for morale.
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| #9 #12 #6 J.J. Armstrong Drew Marchese Peyton Ellis 133 |
Really, really looking forward to the meeting between J.J. Armstrong & Peyton Ellis. We have a D2 Super Region III champ, taking on a D3 Regional 1 runner-up, who was one match shy of being an All-American last year. Coach Morris & I discussed on JT1Wrestle here a while back how we're both very confident that Ellis will end his career as a three-time All-American. Coach Morris said he thinks he can be a national champion this year. A win over Armstrong this weekend would help to solidify that premonition. May I also say, with Armstrong having his sights set on being an All American, a win over Ellis would in turn do the same for him.
Thus far, Ellis has defeated Drew Marchese by scores of 17-2 & 16-5.
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| #15 #2 #5 Nico Diaz Khyvon Grace Jake Eckerle 141 |
Nico Diaz is a super tough kid that qualified for the NCAA DIII championships in 2023 & won a Middle Atlantic Conference (MAC) title in 2024, sitting out the 2025 season. A top 21 NCAA D3 qualifier by '26's end for sure. With that said, he has a tough day ahead of him when Stevens Tech duals West Liberty and Johnson & Wales.
As to Khyvon Grace Vs Jake Eckerle? Here's where we get to really evaluate D2 Vs D3 wrestling. Grace already gave a nod to D2 when he defeated Mark Samuel at the NWCA All-Star Dual & now has a chance to prove it again against Jake Eckerle. This should be and probably will be a great match.
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| #12 #11 Gabe Goss Nate Fitt 149 |
Really, really looking forward to this one. We have two wrestlers, neck-in-neck in the rankings, both of whom are looking for redemption. Gabe Goss, a transfer from Oswego, now at Castleton, was an NCAA D3 qualifier with a runner-up showing at Regionals in 2024. Last year, he slipped to 7th place. Nate Fitt? Similar story. A regional champion in 2024, who slipped to a 5th place finish last year. Both of these guys want to get back to where they were in 2024. This match is a matter of pride, and a matter of prestige.
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| #4 #10 #7 #8 Ryan Smith Nico Taddy Nate Camiscioli Jake Woodburn 157 |
A lot to unpack here at 157 lbs. Speaking specifically to NCAA D3, as shown we have the #4, #7 & #8 ready to do battle this year. Ryan Smith, a three-time NCAA D3 All-American (8th-6th-7th) leads the way with two-time NCAA D3 qualifier Nate Camiscioli & one-time D3 qualifier Jake Woodburn hot on his tail. Woodburn has dropped an 11-1 major to Smith, but he's also kept it much closer with the Duck in 6-2 & 6-3 scores. He also took Camiscioli into sudden victory the last they met, before ultimately dropping a 6-3 match. In terms of potential & opportunity, Woodburn is in a good position.
As to Nico Taddy? One match shy of NCAA DII All-American honors last season, the pressure is on. D2 vs D3, Taddy has the toughest day of all the D2 talent.
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| #16 #5 #18 Jashon Holmes Jack Richardson Landon Kearns 165 |
The saga that is Jashon Holmes Vs Landon Kearns intrigues me quite a bit. The first time these two talents met, it was all Holmes in a 17-2 technical fall. The second time they met, the match went into sudden victory & Kearns scored all of the points in a 7-1 decision. They met again at Regionals & Kearns won a tight 4-3 match. Meeting #4 is going to be fun.
Richardson, who was one match shy of being an All American last year, owns a 7-3 decision over Holmes.
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| #17 #8 Carter Winegardner Connor Gregory 174 |
Another D2 Vs D3 battle at 174 lbs. Carter Winegardner, 4th at Super Region III last season, is a senior looking to end his final year of competition with a trip to the D2 national tournament. Gregory, who has to battle daily to keep his varsity spot with other very talented Spartans, was an NCAA D3 qualifier last season. Confidence building, a win for either of these guys here would be good.
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| #20 #19 Josh Negron Kevin Pandorf 197 |
Have a good match here at 197 lbs between two D3 qualifier candidates. Josh Negron, much like Connor Gregory is in a daily war in his own wrestling room just to keep his varsity spot. He's looking to build upon his resume, and avenging a loss to Kevin Pandorf would certainly do that. Pandorf was a backup at HWT last year to Carl DiGiorgio. One of the best backups who proved it by defeating Caleb Burkhart & Mason Sprinkle, who were both ranked at HWT last year. He's now moved down to 197, where he already owns a 8-2 decision over Negron.
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| #12 #16 #5 #2 Parker Bentley Evan Day Adolfo Betancur Carl DiGiorgio HWT |
If you thought Nico Taddy had it rough at 157, wait until you see what Parker Bentley has in front of him at HWT. If he's going to make a statement for D2 > D3, he's got one hell of a day ahead of him. 5th at Super Region III last season, Bentley has shown that there isn't any reason at all why he shouldn't be among the final 18 by season's end. If he could go the day undefeated, especially with wins over Betancur & DiGiorgio, those are the types of wins that could mentally help propel him from a top 12 wrestler into a top 8.
Evan Day an NCAA D3 qualifier, Adolfo Betancur 6th in the D3 nation & Carl DiGiorgio who with D3 finishes thus far of 7th-3rd-2nd is looking at becoming the best wrestler ever in USCGA history. When I say there is some serious D3 talent competing in Providence, Rhode Island this weekend, I mean it.
Day wants that All-American status that both Betancur & DiGiorgio have already experienced. Despite a 7-0 loss to Betancur, he's defeated Betancur 7-0 & also owns a 4-1 decision over him as well. He's never defeated DiGiorgio, but he's kept it close on three occasions, including once in sudden victory. The scores have been 8-6, 8-5 & 8-4.
DiGiorgio has defeated Betancur by scores of 21-4 & 5-1.
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This is a series of duals worth paying attention to. Have some great D2 Vs D3 cross division, crossfire & within D3 have some great matches that will affect rankings as well as potential seeds come regionals.
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