JT1Wrestle Takes A Look At Rhode Island 2026-2027

 

The Anchormen lose a couple of their Regional I place-winners from last season, including Will Hunt who was 8th & Aidan Faria who was 6th. 

125
Dom Sousa

19 wins on the season, Dom Sousa placed 6th at Regional I as a freshman. 

JT1Wrestle Takes A Look At Plymouth State 2026-2027

 

The Panthers lose their best wrestler of the past couple of seasons.  Chase Anesitis won 74 matches during his time at Plymouth State, finishing 4th & 5th at Regional I his last two seasons.  Anxious to see who steps up & is the next standout for the white & green. 

JT1Wrestle Takes A Look At Pitt-Bradford 2026-2027

 

No thoughts on the pre-season about the Panthers. 

JT1Wrestle Takes A Look At Penn State Altoona 2026-2027

No Real thoughts on the Nittany Lions at this time as we head into 2026-2027. 

JT1Wrestle Takes A Look At Rochester Institute of Technology (R.I.T.) 2026-2027

 

What a career Josh Harkless had during his time as a Tiger.  119 career wins & a three-time All-American, he capped it all off with a national championship. 8th-3rd-1st at the NCAA D3 championships. On top of it all, he was the only Non-DI wrestler to earn a medal at the prestigious Midlands Championships, where he placed 7th. 

While the loss of one of the best wrestlers in NCAA D3 wrestling will be felt, the Tigers are still in great shape as we head into 2026-2027.  Five Regional II place-winners return, plus two more destined for success. 

141
Isaiah Shafer

A SUNY-AC champion for the Tigers last season, Isaiah Shafer won 17 matches & finished 5th at Regional II. 

133
Jackson Rush

Unfortunately, Jackson Rush had to medical forfeit out of Regional II last season.  Nevertheless, he did end his year with a 23-5 record, a champion of the R.I.T. Invitational. 

149
Max Watson

15 wins on the year, Max Watson finished 8th at Regional II. 

157
Josh Warland

A match shy of NCAA D3 qualification, Josh Warland won 14 matches last season & finished as the runner-up at Ned McGinley. 

174
Jack Lamson

An NCAA D3 qualifier for R.I.T. last season, Jack Lamson was 3rd at Regional II.  22 wins on the year & a Ned McGinley champion. 

184
Nick Smith

Nick Smith was a Ned McGinley champion last year, placing 8th at Regional II. 

197
Elon Martin

I can see Elon Martin doing some big things this season.  A 14-2 major decision over Brayden Vandenberg really sticks out to me. 

JT1Wrestle Takes A Look At Randolph 2026-2027

Theodore Piluso
165

Theodore Piluso returns for his junior season after having posted 16 wins last year in route to a 7th place finish at Regional IV.  He was also 3rd at the Ohio Northern Invitational. 

JT1Wrestle Takes A Look At Penn State Behrend 2026-2027

 

Jake Paulson made history by becoming the Lions first NCAA D3 qualifier a handful of years back & the question is, who is going to be the next? Plenty of applicable applicants as we head into '26-'27. 


Speaking of applicable applicants, Evan Whiteside sure came close last season with a 4th place finish at Regional II. Unfortunately, the Allegheny Mountain Collegiate Conference (AMCC) champ is now out of eligibility. 

133
Amarfio Reynolds

Amarfio Reynolds didn't wrestle much last season, but he wrestled enough to win an AMCC title & finish 6th at Regional II. 

149
Rudy Brown

15-3 on the season, Rudy Brown won an AMCC title & finished one match shy of being an NCAA D3 qualifier. 

165
Mason Savitz

Unfortunately, Mason Savitz was injured during the post season last year, but up until that point, he was 18-5 on the season. 

Abraham Keep
197

6th at Regional II, Abraham Keep was 18-5 on the season. 

HWT
Matt Caldwell

Matt Caldwell was 8th at Regional II last season, and 2nd at Lycoming. 

JT1Wrestle Takes A Look At Pennsylvania College Of Technology 2026-2027

 

The Wildcats look to be setting in pretty good shape as we head into '26-'27.  Four Regional II place-winners last season, three of which they sent to the NCAA D3 championships, everyone returns, plus another who looks like he'll join the party this year as well. 

141
Kaden Ware

17 wins on the season the two-time Allegheny Mountain Collegiate Conference (AMCC) champion qualified for D3's last year with a 3rd place finish at Regional II.  He also won Ken Ober. 

149
T.J. Martin

 

17 wins on the season, T.J. Martin heads into his senior season having finished 1st & 2nd thus far in the AMCC.  He also won the Ithaca Invitational. 

157
David M'Balla

18 wins on the season, David M'Balla finished 8th at Regional II. 

165
Carter Davis

A two-time AMCC champion, Carter Davis won 29 matches last year in route to making the Regional II finals. A match shy of being an NCAA D3 All-American, he won the Ithaca Invite. 

197
Nick Woodruff

3rd at Regional II last season, Nick Woodruff won 14 matches & won an AMCC title. 

JT1Wrestle Takes A Look at Pacific 2026-2027

Anxious to see who the next Boxer star will be. Was sad to see T.J. Turner's career end the way it did. An NCAA DIII qualifier in 2025, he came up short of placing at Regional VII last year. 

JT1Wrestle Takes A Look at Otterbein 2026-2027

 

The Cardinals do lose two-time Regional IV place-winner Logan Cormell who was 7th & 8th the past two seasons.  

157
Luke Dolan

6th & 7th thus far in Regional IV, Luke Dolan looks to be the star of the Cardinals in '26-'27.  26 wins on the season, this guy is a monster on top.  Techs & pins, he knows how to turn people & put shoulders on mats.  A Lycoming champion, he was 2nd at Ohio Northern. 

JT1Wrestle Takes A Look At Oswego 2026-2027

 

The Lakers placed two at Regional II last season & both are back for action in 2026-2027. 

174
Jaydin Kiell

18 wins on the season, Jaydin Kiell was 8th at Regional II

184
Avery Canzano

29 wins on the season, Avery Canzano was 7th at Regional II.  3rd at SUNY-Ac, he was 2nd at the Ithaca Invitational. 

JT1Wrestle Takes A Look At Olivet 2026-2027

 

The Comets put three on the award stand at Regional V last season & return two of the three for competition in 2026-2027. 

Gideon Loeway, 7th at Regional V last season is out of eligibility. 

165
Juwan Vines

23 wins on the season, Juwan Vines finished 6th at Regional V.  2nd at Ohio Northern, he was 3rd at Bruce Dickey. 

HWT
Mason Knight

22 wins on the season, Mason Knight was 5th at North Central & 6th at Regional V. 

JT1Wrestle Takes A Look At Ohio Wesleyan 2026-2027

 

174
Magnus Lloyd

Are the Battling Bishops going to have a Regional place-winner this season?  I say yes and I say that someone is Magnus Lloyd.  14-2 last season, he won Albion. 

JT1Wrestle Takes A Look At NYU 2026-2027

 

Anxious to see what NYU wrestling has in store for the 2026-2027 season.  Last year the Violets took huge advantage of the transfer portal, picking up a couple of DI transfers & I'm anxious to see if that may end up being the case once again.  Even if not, the black and violet look super tough, as they return 3 of their 7 Regional place-winners, which includes both an NCAA D3 national champion & a NCAA D3 national champion contender.  Plus three others I feel are very capable of some high accomplishments as well. 

Gone are...

Jake Venezia, a two-time NCAA D3 qualifier with Regional III finishes of 2nd & 3rd. Finished a match shy of being an All-American. 

Nicky Bell, 82 career wins, who qualified for the D3 championships with a Regional III finish of 3rd. 

Virginia Tech transfer Ty Finn, who finished 2nd at Regional III & 5th in the D3 nation. 

Cornell (NY) transfer Justin Mayes who finished 2nd at Regional III & 8th in the D3 nation. 

125
Alex Diaz

31-1 on the year, Alex Diaz heads into '26-'27 a contender for the NCAA D3 national title.  Bronze a year ago, he won gold at Regional III, Ned McGinley & the Racich Rumble. 

125
Xavier Diaz

With Jake Venezia now out of eligibility, I wouldn't be surprised to see Xavier Diaz bump up to 133 lbs.  23-3 on the year, he had win over D3 qualifier Dom Terracciano, placing 2nd at Racich Rumble & 3rd at Petrofes. 

141
James Carlock

James Carlock came up short of a top 8 finish at Regional III last season, but looked good at other times during the season.  23 wins on the year, he won Racich Rumble & finished 3rd at Ned McGinley. 

174
Cristian Gioia

20-3 on the season last year, look for Cristian Gioia to be an excellent replacement for Ty Finn.  Among the sophomore's wins, he defeated Regional champion Joey Bolduc 5-4.  Runner-up honors at both Ned McGinley & Petrofes, he was 3rd at Racich Rumble. 

197
Mo Taleb

It's not just actors & golfers that come out of Beverly Hills, California.  Great wrestlers do too & Mo Taleb proved that last year by winning an NCAA D3 title.  15-1 on the season, he was also 3rd at Regional III. 

HWT
Nathan Faxon

7th at Regional III, Nathan Faxon was 3rd at Ned McGinley & 2nd at Racich Rumble. 

JT1Wrestle Takes A Look At Oneonta 2026-2027

 

The Dragons say goodbye to three outstanding talents as we head into '26-'27, with another three looking to make some noise themselves. 

Jack Ryan was a Dragon that sure breathed fire during his collegiate career.  The Four time NCAA D3 qualifier went 3rd-2nd-1st-2nd at Regional II earning D3 All-American finishes of 7th & 3rd during his sophomore & junior seasons.  97 career wins. 

Avery Leonard was an inspiring story that ended on a high note.  An NCAA D3 qualifier as a freshman, he missed out on another trip by one match as a junior, to finally making it back as a senior this year with a 3rd place showing at Regional II.  Won 124 matches during his career. 

Carson LiCastri finished out his career at two-time NCAA D3 qualifier, one match shy of being an All-American.  89 career wins, he was 5th-3rd-1st at Regional II & a SUNY-AC champ. 

133
Trevor Cortright

If you've been following along & reading other JT1Wrestle thoughts concerning other teams, you know I've already named a wrestler who didn't even place at Regionals last season, who I think is capable of being an All-American this year.  Well, let me name you another.  Trevor Cortright had back-to-back 4th place finishes at Regionals in his freshman & sophomore seasons.  Yet he failed to make the award stand last year.  17-4 on the year, he won a SUNY-AC title & finished 3rd at the  R.I.T. invite.  He will be a contender for a Regional title in 2027. 

165
Ryley Monica

27-7 on the season, Ryley Monica finished one match shy of NCAA D3 qualification last year.  A New York States champ, he finished 2nd at SUNY-AC. 

Ayden DeForest
174

15 wins on the season, Ayden DeForest was 7th at Regional II. 

JT1Wrestle Takes A Look At Ohio Northern 2026-2027

 

Personally, I like a bit of a warmer winter.  Makes travel easier.  Yet I know the colder it gets, the more suited and ideal it is for Polar Bears.  If there ever be a time when the Polar Bears looked better, name it, because the momentum they have going into '26-'27 is extremely good, and if they can stay healthy it might be even better come 2027-2028.  

Ohio Northern put all 10 on the Regional IV award stand last year.  6 of those 10 earned NCAA Division III qualification.  Not only are 9 of those 10 back for action this season, but as long as they stay healthy and/or don't transfer, all 9 will be back in '27-'28.  We're talking about a very young, very good squad of Polar Bears. 

Ajay Locke finished out his career with 4th & 6th place finishes at Regional IV.  Placed 5th at this year's Pete Willson. 

125
Kurt Mokros

Super strong freshman campaign for Kurt Mokros last season.  34 career wins, finished 3rd at Regional IV & 5th at Pete Willson. A Ohio Northern Invite champion. 

133
Chase Vanderhorst

Chase Vanderhorst has been 6th & 4th thus far in Regional IV.  13 wins last season. 

141
Casper Caizzo

32-9 on the season, Casper Caizzo was 5th at both Regional IV & Pete Willson.  An Ohio Northern Invite runner-up, he was 3rd at Mount Union. 

149
Jovanni Greco

29 wins on the season, Jovanni Greco made the finals of Regional IV.  Took 3rd place finishes at both Ohio Northern & Mount Union.  One match shy of placing at Pete Willson. 

157
Londen Murphy

An NCAA D3 qualifier for the Polar Bears last year, Londen Murphy was 33-7 on the season.  3rd at Regional IV, he won both Mount Union & Ohio Northern.  Took 6th at Pete Willson. 

165
Ben Hegler

Ben Hegler won 29 matches last year in route to a 3rd place showing at Regional IV.  An Ohio Northern Invite champion. 

174
Jack Hoffman 

19 wins on the season, Jack Hoffman was 3rd at Regional IV & one match shy of placing at Pete Willson. 

197
Miles Johnson 

Only a junior & already a two-time Pete Willson place-winner with finishes of 3rd & 5th. Miles Johnson, a Regional IV champion, earned 6th place All-American honors in the D3 nation last year.  2nd at Mount Union & a champion at Ohio Northern, he was 32-7. 

HWT
Troy Dyszkiewicz

The Tennessee native won 24 matches last year, 5th at Regional IV & 7th at Pete Willson.