My goal here today is to try and determine who out of those that did not qualify for the NCAA Division I championships, stand the best shot at earning a At-Large/Wildcard Bid. I did my best to narrow it down as far as I could.
125 lbs gets 5 At Large/Wildcards this year.
I have narrowed it down to 7
The first thing I want to do is talk about those that I have already eliminated and why I have eliminated them.
Those Already Eliminated
#32 - Dedrick Navarro of Northwestern - Barely above .500 record. No w
ins over any current NCAA DI qualifiers. Not placing in the BIG 10's. I realize he's ranked #32, but I don't see it happening.
#33 Travis Clawson of Clarion - Even though the sophomore is also ranked in the top 33, I simply believe that there are too many other candidates ahead of him, for him to stand a shot at being a qualifier in 2026. The sophomore put together a 24-7 season this year, but not enough quality wins.
Richard Castro-Sandoval of Bakersfield - An NCAA DI qualifier last season, the Roadrunner was always fun to watch with his wild & unpredictable style. 3rd at the PAC-12's, simply didn't have the steam to make Cleveland this season.
Carson Wagner of Binghamton - 24-10 on the year, was 4th at the EIWA championships. Again, much like I said for Clawson, I can't see him getting in this year due to the mass number of those standing before him in line.
Charlie Farmer of Army - An NCAA DI qualifier in 2025 with a EIWA runner-up finish, Farmer finished in 5th place this weekend. Considering only the top two were awarded DI qualification, I highly doubt Farmer makes a return trip to the championships.
Sulayman Bah of Columbia - One match shy of NCAA DI qualification in 2025, I unfortunately believe that things end the same way for the Lion in 2026. 22 wins on the season, I don't see any of them helping him to get in. However many the Ivy takes in 2027, I hope he doesn't place one spot lower.
Greg Diakomihalis of Cornell - I was always hoping the little brother of Yianni would make the NCAA DI championships at least once. I think on a good day he could have been an Ivy League finalist, but it was not meant to happen.
Now for the candidates....
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| #18 Nicolar Rivera Wisconsin |
What He Has Going For him: The highest ranking of all of the 125 lbs'ers looking for a wildcard. An NCAA DI qualifier last season, among his 18 wins, the ones that help him the most here are a 14-6 win over Zeke Witt & a 7-6 decision over Deigo Sotelo.
What He Has Going Against him: Nothing really, not at this point. I'd be shocked if he's not one of the five.
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| #21 Brady Roark South Dakota State |
What He Has Going For Him: The Freshman has had his ups and downs this season, but like Nicolar Rivera, a high ranking is in his favor. Finishing one match shy of true qualification at the BIG 12's, a 5-4 tiebreaker win over BIG 10 finalist Jore Volk lays heavily in the Jackrabbit's favor
What He Has Going Against him: Push will come to shove in these at large selections & while his win over Volk sticks out, it's the only one of his wins that really does. I think it'll be enough though.
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| #25 Desmond Pleasant Drexel |
What He Has Going For Him: 23-8 on the season, the Dragon finished one match shy of true qualification in a rather loaded EIWA bracket that saw last year's finalist take 5th.
What He Has Going Against Him: The ranking says one things, but you need those wins when it comes to comparisons & Pleasant doesn't have them. Two of the 7 I name here are going to be staying home, and at this point I'm concerned for the senior trying to make his first dance.
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| #26 Blake West Northern Illinois |
What He Has Going For Him: The two-time NCAA DI qualifier went 3rd-2nd-1st-4th at the MAC championships during his career. 20 wins on the year, a 6-5 decision over Tyler Chappell.
What He Has Going Against Him: The loss to Chris Vargo in the MAC consolation finals I think was a death sentence for the Husky. Had he taken 3rd, I'd feel very confident that Blake West would be making his third trip to the NCAA Championships. The loss to Vargo, who ironically also owns a win over Chappell (9-4) is very daunting. Nevertheless, I still think West is in the running.
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| #27 Trever Anderson Northern Iowa |
What He Has Going For Him: The 2025 NCAA DI R12'er was having a pretty respectable season up until getting injured and having to medically forfeit out of the BIG 12 tournament. The win that will get him in is an 8-7 decision over Jett Strickenberger.
What He Has Going Against Him: In turn, this is the very thing that the other six wrestlers I have listed here could have going FOR them. I'm not sure how severe Anderson's injuries were. The type that will be healed up & ready to perform in two weeks? Or the type that give the haunting news that both his season & his career are over? I'm sure no one wants their seat on the plane heading to Cleveland to be the one that otherwise would've been for the Panther, but this is a part of the sport.
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| #29 Mack Mauger Missouri |
What He Has Going For Him: Someone tweeted on Twitter recently, "What's the point of wrestling matches anyway? Can't you just earn a high ranking & then MFF your way in?" It was a sarcastic remark, but unfortunately, it has some truth to it. I think in the case of Mack Mauger though, actually wrestling matches & facing the competition could pay off. He may not have as high of a ranking as some above him, but what he does have are quality wins. I would think at this point wins > ranking.
1:35 fall over Diego Sotelo
5-2 over Spencer Moore
7-2 over Kysen Terukina
Granted Roark placed 6th to his 7th at the BIG 12's, but these wins definitely favor the Tiger
What He Has Going Against Him: Roark placing ahead of him I would think gives Roark the nod over him, and I feel very confident that if we're picking these in order, the #1 spot is going to Rivera. That would make Mauger #3 at best & that's not a guarantee as we have Pleasant, West, & Anderson all ranked above him.
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| #31 Keyveon Roller Virginia |
What He Has Going For Him: An NCAA DI qualifier last season, he finished one match shy of another qualification this year, 6th in the ACC. Owns an 8-5 s.v. over Tyler Chappell
What He Has Going Against Him: While I think he stands a better shot at qualification than do Dedrick Navarro & Travis Clawson, I'm not sure if his #31 ranking is going to apply here or not. 5 qualification spots left & 7 (at least in my opinion) in the running for them.
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