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| Josh Wilson Greensboro |
Last year's DIII national champ returns looking to become a four time All American and a two time champ. 38-3 overall last season, all three of his losses were to DI opponents. He stands at 5th-8th-1st in the D3 nation.
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| Jacob Reed Ohio Northern |
The two time Central Regional champion, who also won Pete Willson last season, now stands at 3rd-3rd-2nd in the NCAA DIII. What does this make Jacob Reed? I'd say one of the best wrestlers in the D3 nation yet to win a national title. 26-1 last year, his only loss was to Wilson in the finals.
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| Mark Samuel Roanoke |
What an improvement it was from freshman to sophomore year for Mark Samuel. 6th in the Southeast Regional in 2023, he was not only 3rd in the Regional last year, he was also 3rd in the D3 nation! 35-6 on the year, he won the Citrus Invitational.
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| Kyler Romero Wartburg |
Kyler Romero heads into '24-'25 having won the Lower Midwest Regional & having placed 5th in the D3 nation on a 24-3 record.
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| Ethan Pogorzelski & Justin Fortugno UW-Whitewater |
Heck of a good season for Ethan Pogorzelski last year, as he was 4th at Pete Willson, 2nd at the Upper Midwest Regional & 8th in the D3 nation. 23 wins on the season. Also in the UW-WW room is a very tough Justin Fortugno. 18 wins on the season, thus far 3rd & 2nd in the WIAC.
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| James Rodriguez Castleton |
When I made a commitment to start following DII, DIII & NAIA wrestling as well as I followed DI years ago, one of the first wrestlers I started paying attention to was James Rodriguez. I personally like to refer to him as James "Wrestleback" Rodriguez. That's a term of endearment, to emphasis the heart, tenacity and intestinal fortitude that this kid has. He's worked his way back to 3rd place at the Northeast Regional three years in a row! Do you know the kind of mental toughness that takes? To know as you enter the consolation bracket, that if you want a trip to nationals, you HAVE to win from here on out? He did it three times! Not only that but he's placed 8th & 7th in the D3 nation too! Unfortunately he came up short last year & finished in the R12. I say he's good enough to be a finalist this year. He took Wilson into sudden victory last year & two years ago was one of his only losses with a 3-2 decision. A two time Roger Williams champ, 42-6 last year, he was 3rd at the Citrus Invitational.
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| Pierre Baldwin Central |
33-4 on the season, Pierre Baldwin was a runner-up at the Lower Midwest Regional, coming within one match of All American honors at the D3 championships. A Pointer Open champion, he nearly teched All American Ethan Pogorzelski 14-2.
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| Bobur Berdiyorov New England College |
Only a sophomore, the Uzbekistan native put together a 14-4 record last season, making the Northeast Regional finals & finishing one match shy of All American honors.
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| Gabe Goss SUNY-Oswego |
A super tough freshman from last season, Gabe Goss went 24-11 earning NCAA DIII qualification with a runner-up finish at the Mideast Regional.
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| Xavier Pena Centenary |
2nd-1st-3rd thus far in the Mideast Regional, Xavier Pena heads into the '24-'25 season looking to become a four time NCAA DIII qualifier. 29-3 on the year, he won the Ken Oberman Memorial.
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| Dylan Phelps Olivet |
Dylan Phelps collected 18 victories last season in route to qualifying for the NCAA DIII championships with a 3rd place finish at the Central Regional. He was also 7th at Pete Willson.
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| Sam Lorenz UW-La Crosse |
15 wins on the year, Sam Lorenz took 3rd at the Upper Midwest Regional and 2nd at the North Central Invitational.
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| Avery Leonard Alvernia |
An NCAA DIII qualifier in 2023, Avery Leonard came up a hair short last season finishing 4th at the Southeast Regional. 36-7 on the year, he is thus far 2nd & 3rd in the Middle Atlantic Conference, making the Citrus Invitational finals.
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| Hayden Myers Wesleyan |
Another tough freshman from last season, Hayden Myers nearly qualified for the NCAA DIII championships with a 4th place finish at the Northeast Regional. He won 17 matches.
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| Andrew Loniewski Muhlenberg |
Andrew Loniewski took a few lumps last season in his first year of DIII competition, but managed 25 wins nonetheless, as he nearly qualified for the NCAA DIII championships with a 4th place finish at the Mideast Regional.
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| Jalen Schropp Loras |
From my neck of the woods, as you've probably read in past articles. Jalen's relation, Nick struck me out plenty of times in baseball and there was once during a game, I was the only one to get a hit off of him. He himself a strong wrestler, placing 5th at the Iowa High School State Championships in 2003. I'm getting to the age now, where I don't see as many familiar, "from my area" names anymore. So it's kinda exciting when I do.
Jalen has been oh so close to NCAA DIII qualification the past three years. 4th-6th-4th at the Lower Midwest Regional, he pinned All American Kyler Romero at the 3:39 mark.
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| Art Martinez Case Western Reserve |
Art Martinez has came extremely close the past two seasons of NCAA DIII qualification. He heads into the '24-'25 season having posted 4th & 5th place finishes at the Central Regional. He won 32 matches last year.
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| Sean Conway Chicago |
A Trine Invitational champion & 5th at Pete Willson, Sean Conway was one match shy of NCAA DIII qualification with a 4th place finish at the Upper Midwest Regional. 30 wins on the year, he defeated qualifier Dylan Phelps 9-3.
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| Bradley Rosen & Josh Robison North Central |
Said many times at this level of collegiate wrestling, NCAA DIII can often be an unforgiving world, with no room for error. 2023 Lower Midwest Regional champion Bradley Rosen found out the hard way, when he finished in 5th place last year. Nevertheless, still had many highlights on his 24-6 season including winning the North Central Invitational & finishing 2nd at the Pointer Open. Among his wins defeated qualifier Sam Lorenz twice by scores of 11-3 and 2-0.
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| Nico Diaz Stevens Tech |
Like Rosen, things didn't go as well for Nico Diaz at the Southeast Regional as he would have hoped. A champion in 2023, he was 5th last season. Nevertheless, 31-5 on the year, still picked up many notable wins. 4-1 over All American Mark Samuel, he defeated R12'er James Rodriguez 8-6 & qualifier Sam Lorenz 15-2. He was a Middle Atlantic Conference finalist.
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| Luke Kowalski Gettysburg |
Not exactly sure what went wrong for Luke Kowalski last season, but he did not have the Southeast Regional that he was capable of having. 7th in the D3 nation in 2023, he was 8th in the Regional last year. Tight lids are often kept on the status of injuries and illnesses, and I wonder if something might have been up with Kowalski at the time. 13-4 on the year, defeated Andrew Loniewski by scores of 10-3 & 8-3.
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| Drew Kested UW-Eau Claire |
21 wins on the season, Drew Kested was 5th at the Upper Midwest Regional. He heads into '24-'25 having placed 4th & 3rd at the WIAC thus far.
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| Bryson Vaughn & Isaiah Shafer R.I.T. |
Bryson Vaughn who 31 matches last season, placing 5th at the Mideast Regional. Thus far he's been able to stay one step ahead of teammate Isaiah Shafer for the varsity spot, winning very close 6-5, 5-3 & 2-1 matches. Shafer himself had 18 wins last season, including a 17-9 major decision over qualifier Gabe Goss.
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| Austin Matheney Albion |
21 wins on the season, Austin Matheney was 5th at the Central Regional.
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| Ryan Kelly Delaware Valley |
Moving up from 133 lbs in January, Ryan Kelly eventually finished 6th at the Southeast Regional. He had 31 wins on the year.
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| Owen Woolcott USCGA |
16 wins on the season, Owen Woolcott was 5th at the Northeast Regional. Had an 18-15 victory over Luke Kowalski.
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| Nick Kruczynski NYU |
7th-8th-7th thus far at the Northeast Regional, Nick Kruczynski heads into the '24-'25 season looking to become a four time Regional place-winner for the Violets this season. He won 20 matches last season.
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| Ryan Kozdra Springfield |
24 wins & a 6th place Northeast Regional finish for Ryan Kozdra last season.
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| Noah Hunt Penn Tech |
29 victories last season, including a 7:00 fall over qualifier Gabe Goss, Noah Hunt heads into his final season of competition looking to become a four time Regional place-winner. Thus far in the Mideast Regional, he's been 5th-6th-8th.
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| Austin Monteiro Western New England |
23 wins on the year for Western New England's Austin Monteiro who placed 8th at the Northeast Regional.
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| Robby Palmieri & David Panda Baldwin Wallace |
I believe we're looking at an excellent wrestle-off between two very talented wrestlers for the 141 lbs spot at Baldwin Wallace. Robby Palmieri, 7th at the Central Regional won 30 matches last season. David Panda won 20, including defeating qualifier Gabe Goss twice! Once by a 20-4 technical fall! Head to head, Palmieri won an official 8-7 decision last season.
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| Culley Bellino SUNY-Cortland |
6th at Pete Willson & 6th at the Mideast Regional, Culley Bellino won 28 matches last season.
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| Sam Kotch TCNJ |
16 wins on the season, Sam Kotch was 7th at the Mideast Regional.
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| Drew Miller Heidelberg |
20 wins on the year, Drew Miller was 6th at the Central Regional.
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| Cale Coppes Wheaton |
19 wins on the season, Cale Coppes was 6th at the Upper Midwest Regional.
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| Troy Mock Elmhurst |
22 wins on the year, it was a 7th place finish at the Upper Midwest Regional for Troy Mock last season.
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| Connor Krueger St John's |
21 wins on the season for the sophomore last year, who was 8th at the Upper Midwest Regional.
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| Ryan Cripe Luther |
24 wins on the season, Ryan Cripe was 7th at the Lower Midwest Regional.
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| Dresden Grimm & Brody Neighbor Coe |
Here's another good fight for the varsity spot. This one at Coe. Sophomore Dresden Grimm was 8th at the Lower Midwest Regional last season, also a runner-up at the Coe Invitational. Among his victories a 3:44 fall over R12'er Pierre Baldwin. 11 wins on the season for Brody Neighbor, who upset All American Ethan Pogorzelski 5-4.
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| Blake McGee Wabash |
Behind two time NCAA DIII qualifier Evan Burge last season, I'm anxious to see what Blake McGee might end up doing this year. 4th at the North Central Invitational last year, he won 26 matches.
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| Jake Penzato Aurora |
Chalk it up to the fact of how tough these regionals can sometimes be, don't let the fact that Jake Penzato came up short of a top 8 finish at the Upper Midwest Regional fool you. The Spartan won 25 matches last season as a freshman. Most notable, a 6-2 decision over Sam Stuhl.
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| Joseph Lotruglio Norwich |
11-3 on the season, Joseph Lotruglio had a 23-13 major decision over Robby Palmieri & a 1:20 fall over Hayden Myers.
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| Max Sanderfoot MSOE |
21 wins on the season, including a 14-6 major decision over Sean Conway, Max Sanderfoot was a match shy of a medal at Pete Willson.
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| Jett Boots Trine |
21 wins on the year, Jett Boots was runner-up at the Trine Invitational.
