*NOTE* - Two things I want to say before giving my list of the top 197'ers & HWTs that did not qualify for the NCAA D3 championships this year. 1 - 197 & HWT were the only weight classes where all those ranked in the top 20 are going to nationals. Still a lot of great wrestlers who didn't make it, but the 20 projected to be qualifiers, were qualifiers. I thought that was pretty interesting. 2 - I want to remind you all that this is only including varsity wrestlers. Wrestlers who tried to qualify for the 2026 championships, but came up short. I say this because the HWT weight class is full of tremendous backups/reserves this season. I'm talking some of the reserves had better overall resumes than the starters. HWT saw some graduation this season & believe you me, the replacements are looking good. Matter of fact there are a few 2026 D3 qualifiers who every loss they had this year, was to a backup!! Blows your mind doesn't it?
Anyway, the list.....
 |
| Josh Negron Castleton 197 |
My heart goes out to Josh Negron. In his one & only season as the post-season varsity starter, he racked up 36 wins on the year, with five of them being over NCAA D3 qualifiers. He himself, finishing one match shy of being an NCAA D3 qualifier. 92 career wins in all. Here are those four wins.
4-0 over Regional 1 runner-up Zach Borzio
5-0 & 2-1 over Nick Ross 3rd at Regional 1
7-2 over Regional 2 runner-up Ryan Galka
6-2 over Mateo Casillas 3rd at Regional 5
 |
| Will Davis Elizabethtown 197 |
An NCAA D3 R12'er in 2025, Will Davis came up one match short of making a return trip to the national tournament finishing in 4th place at Regional 1. A 33-5 senior campaign, he actually nearly tech'd Mohammed Talebi who later defeated him for 3rd, 14-3 at Regional 3. He also nearly majored Regional 4 champion Myles Johnson 10-3. Davis ended his time with the Blue Jays with 100 career wins.
 |
| John Santowski Washington & Lee 197 |
5th-4th-4th in Regional 4. John Santowski came close during his time as a general, but no cigar. 14-4 in his final year in D3 wrestling, he was 1st-1st-2nd at the Old Dominion Athletic Conference.
 |
| Jackson Brinker Cornell (IA) 197 |
95 career wins & 45 of them via fall, Jackson Brinker is yet another testimony to just how insanely hard it can be to qualify for the NCAA Division III championships. 5th-7th-4th at Regional 6, one of the highlights of '25-'26 was placing 4th at Pete Willson. Had a 2-0 decision over Sam West who upended him for the trip to Cedar Rapids on the year.
 |
| Ben Strehlow Luther 197 |
An NCAA DIII qualifier last year, Ben Strehlow came up a bit short in his final season, finishing 5th at Regional 5. He was 23-8 on the year, with a 4-1 win over Sam West & a 5-1 over Regional 6 runner-up Jean Ngoma.
 |
| Kain Killmer UW-Platteville 197 |
7th & 6th the past two Regional 7's, Kain Killmer provides depth to just how insanely loaded these Regional tournaments often are. 25 wins on the year, Killmer stuck Regional 6 champion Cal Dorota at the 2:34 mark & he majored Regional 7 3rd place finisher Ian Pepple 15-7. The Pioneer has two years of eligibility left.
 |
| Tucker Seidel Messiah 197 |
The freshman won 40 matches this season, took 8th at Pete Willson & finished 5th at Regional 3. Among his wins a 6-1 decision over Regional 1 runner-up Zach Borzio. Will continue to do great things for Messiah the next three years.
 |
| Ivan Neal Lycoming 197 |
Ivan Neal, who had a 4-1 win over Regional 2 champion Carson LiCastri, finished one match shy of D3 qualification with a 4th place finish at Regional 2. Neal has one season of eligibility remaining.
 |
| Abe Keep PSU-Behrends 197 |
An Edinboro transfer, sophomore Abe Keep finished off the season 18-5, with a 6th place showing at Regional 2. On the season, he majored Regional 2 champion Carson LiCastri 9-0.
 |
| Joe Bernard WPI 197 |
25 wins on the season, Joe Bernard finished 6th at Regional 1. Had a 9-6 win over Regional 2 champion Carson LiCastri. Has the '26-'27 season to go in his career.
 |
| Tyler Haydon UW-Whitewater 197 |
Tyler Haydon belong on this list? I don't know. With a 16-22 record, probably not. Yet, here's the thing, the guy saved his best wrestling for last finishing 4th at Regional 5. On top of that had an 11-2 major over Mateo Casillas at the Regional 5 tournament!
Last but not least, the HWT's....
 |
| Adolfo Betancur Johnson & Wales HWT |
A two-time NCAA D3 qualifier & 6th in the D3 Nation last season, it made me cringe to see Adolfo Betancur come up one match short of seeing qualification #3. Nonetheless, to demonstrate just how tough Betancur is, he stuck Regional 7 champion Tyler Raway at the 3:18 mark.
 |
| Sav Niewadomy Elizabethtown HWT |
28-8 on the season, sophomore Sav Niewadomy now has back-to-back 5th place showings at Regional 3. A 1:27 fall over Regional 2 runner-up Mike Welsh.
 |
| Scotty Edwards Muskingum HWT |
Another tough sophomore, Scotty Edwards went 21-8 on the season, finishing one match shy of NCAA D3 qualification at Regional 4. On the year had a 5-1 win over Tom Lunt who was 3rd at Regional 5. He actually defeated Nick Cook 4th at Regional 4 5-2 s.v., but then lost a close one to him in the match to go.
 |
| Leno Campbell Millikin HWT |
An NCAA D3 qualifier last season, Leno Campbell came up a bit short of qualification #2 in his final season with the Big Blue. He was 5th at Regional 5. On the year stuck Tom Lunt at 5:31
 |
| Ka'Ron Lewis Ozarks HWT |
Looking back, I feel that Ka'Ron Lewis should've had a much better career than what he did. Every season & I mean every season he had the type of wins that support the argument. For the life of me, I don't think I'll ever understand why he chose to go neutral when down 1-0 in the match to qualify for nationals. Was taken down & then he immediately got an escape. So, the idea that he couldn't escape at this point is null & void. I digress.
On the year Lewis majored Owen Reber 3rd at Regional 3 10-1. He also nearly majored Nick Cook 3rd at Regional 4 8-1.
 |
| Troy Dyszkiewicz Ohio Northern HWT |
24 wins on the season, freshman Dyszkiewicz has plenty of reason to be confident heading into his sophomore year in '26-'27. 5th at Regional 4, he proved himself to be a pinner this year. 4:39 over Regional 5 runner-up Cayden Bell & 5:17 over Regional 5 3rd place finisher Tom Lunt.
 |
| Steve Marra Mount Union HWT |
Steve Marra is evidence of how unforgiving this sport can be at times. One match from qualifying last year, Marra didn't even place at Regional 4 this year. Nonetheless, he demonstrated throughout the season why he does belong on this list. 4th at Pete Willson, had a 4-3 decision over Nick Cook & a 4-2 decision over Tom Lunt.
====
Are there other HWTs who could make the list? I'm sure there are, just like there are at every weight class. Nonetheless, JT1Wrestle did his best to include those who belong. My goal here was to demonstrate that qualifying for D3 nationals is no joke. It's a grueling grind, that deserves respect & recognition for the accomplishment that it is. I believe I've made my case.
No comments:
Post a Comment