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Las Vegas was the host city for the 2025 US Open and a city where countless individuals have “hit it big” over the years. That applies to wrestling as well. Sure, only a select few wrestlers walked out of Vegas with titles and Final X berths, but there were others who shined and provided hope for the future. By future, I mean collegiate careers. We’ve selected five wrestlers who have multiple years of collegiate eligibility remaining, but stood out in one way or another competing at the Senior level in Las Vegas. Even though some of them have huge expectations already, it seems as if they already raised them based on their performance last week. Ben Davino (Ohio State) A 19-1 redshirt season helped us realize that Ben Davino was for real and worthy of his #4 overall ranking within the Class of 2024. His performance in Vegas reinforced those thoughts and perhaps made you think even more highly about the redshirt freshman from Ohio State. Davino advanced to the quarterfinals after grinding out a 3-1 win over four-time All-American and 2016 NCAA champion Nico Megaludis. In the quarters it was the opposite of his previous match. Davino blew through Senior World medalist Daton Fix, grabbing a takedown and immediately transitioning into a leg lace. During that sequence, Fix was injured and unable to continue. Davino’s championship run was halted in the semifinals by the eventual champion Jax Forrest. Looking back at the results, Davino is the only opponent who took Forrest to the full six minutes. That wasn’t the end of Davino’s run. He also took out Austin DeSanto in the consolation semifinals before settling into fourth place. For those keeping track at home, Davino beat three veterans who have combined to earn NCAA All-American honors a whopping 12 times. While in Vegas, I spoke with multiple sources who claim that Ohio State might test the waters with Nic Bozuakis dropping to 125 lbs next year, to ensure both he and Davino are in the Buckeye lineup. Jackson Arrington (NC State) We hadn’t seen Jackson Arrington much in competition lately, so it was a nice treat to get to see the NC State star in action and thriving in Vegas. Arrington made the NCAA Round of 12 in each of his first two years in Raleigh, before sitting out the 2024-25 campaign with a redshirt. Arrington was in force at the Senior Open at 70 kg. After a loss in his second match to former U23 World Teamer, Yahya Thomas, Arrington reeled off three consecutive wins to solidify his spot among the top eight. The last of the three victories came over long-time world team contender Alec Pantaleo - a three-time All-American for Michigan. After dropping his next bout, Arrington got a measure of revenge with a 5-2 win over the former NCAA third-place finisher Thomas. Simon Ruiz (Cornell) The 2024-25 NCAA season was the breakout year for Simon Ruiz who ended up finishing fifth in a veteran-laden 174 lb weight class, as a freshman. Ruiz competed at 79 kg in Vegas, a weight that was wide open without any previous world team members. Ruiz showed that he’ll be one that should compete for the world team spots for the foreseeable future after his third-place finish. Ruiz’s 9-5 loss to the eventual champion, Evan Wick, was much closer than Wick’s finals bout with 2025 NCAA champion Dean Hamiti. Along the way, Ruiz notched a pair of wins over All-American Carson Kharchla and another over Senior level mainstay Muhamed McBryde. Chris Moore (Illinois) Another wrestler who redshirted during the collegiate season was Illinois’ Chris Moore. He made the 2024 NCAA Tournament at 165 lbs, but was up at 86 kg for the Open. Like Arrington, Moore suffered an early loss but strung together three straight wins to lock up a spot in the top eight. Along the way, Moore tallied wins over 2025 ACC champion Reece Heller and Oklahoma State’s Brayden Thompson. Moore will be a face to watch as he remerges in 2025-26 likely at 174 lbs for Illinois. Aeoden Sinclair (Missouri) Aeoden Sinclair showed his toughness and willingness to compete as he pulled double duty and wrestled in both the U20 and Senior level tournaments. Interestingly enough, he finished second in both tournaments. At the Senior Open, Sinclair made the finals after wins over tough veteran Cam Caffey and a 1-1 victory on criteria over 2018 NCAA champion Mike Macchiavello. What’s impressive is that Sinclair could deal with the horsepower of a Macchaivello (at 92 kg), while also making 86 kg for the U20 tournament. At U20’s Sinclair made the finals and suffered a close (potentially controversial) loss to 2025 NCAA third-place finisher Max McEnelly. Sinclair saw significant mat time while redshirting in 2024-25 and posted three wins over NCAA qualifiers (1 All-American). With another offseason under his belt, he should be a title threat in a fun, youth-laden 184 lb weight class.