The 2025 NCAA DI Wrestling Championships are less than a week away! In a few short days, 330 wrestlers will make the trek to Philadelphia, with hopes of a national title on their minds. Now it's in a city that hasn't hosted nationals since 2011, but it’s within driving distance of some of the top wrestling areas in the country. The atmosphere for the national tournament is always great, but I expect these East Coast fans to bring a little extra to the Wells Fargo Center.
Before the action on the mat starts, InterMat will go through each individual bracket and highlight the favorites, top matches to watch, and much more.
The Top Seed: Luke Lilledahl (Penn State)
The top recruit in the high school Class of 2024, Luke Lilledahl, has lived up to his pre-college billing and has been everything that Penn State fans hoped he would be - in their never-ending search for continuity at 125 lbs. Lilledahl has been the day-one starter at 125 lbs and won his first 11 matches in a Nittany Lion singlet. Because of a second loss, to Ohio State’s Brendan McCrone, Lilledahl was given the fourth seed at his first Big Ten Tournament.
After a pair of bonus point wins, Lilledahl was pitted against the undefeated, top-seeded Matt Ramos of Purdue. Lilledahl set the stage for a shocking semifinal round of upsets with his 12-4 major decision win over the 2024 NCAA runner-up. A day later, he completed his run through the Big Ten Championships with a hard-fought, 4-3 win over Nebraska All-American Caleb Smith.
This marks the second straight year that a true freshman from Penn State has earned the #1 seed at the NCAA Tournament. Braeden Davis did so in 2024, but lost in the quarterfinals and Round of 12 - falling a match shy of All-American honors. He’s now at 133 lbs.
Lilledahl comes into Philly after posting four wins over top-eight seeds in his 20 wins. In addition to his two wins over Smith and the Ramos upset, he also had an early-season win over the eventual EIWA champion Sheldon Seymour. The dual win over Smith set the tone for the Nittany Lions as they rolled to a 32-7 win over #5 Nebraska.
The pre-college hype for Lilledahl largely centered around his achievements on the world level. He’s made the world finals in each of the last four years - across two different age groups. Lilledahl came away with a U17 world title in 2022 and U20 gold last year.
It’s no secret that Penn State is searching for its first All-American honor at this weight class since Nico Megaludis’ 2016 title. Lilledahl has the potential to snap that streak (and more) and is expected to hold this weight for a few years.
The Contenders: #2 Matt Ramos (Purdue), #3 Eddie Ventresca (Virginia Tech), #4 Vince Robinson (NC State), #5 Richie Figueroa (Arizona State), #6 Jett Strickenberger (West Virginia), #7 Troy Spratley (Oklahoma State)
The Conference Champs:
ACC: #3 Eddie Ventresca (Virginia Tech)
Big 12: #6 Jett Strickenberger (West Virginia)
Big Ten: #1 Luke Lilledahl (Penn State)
EIWA: #8 Sheldon Seymour (Lehigh)
Ivy: #13 Marc-Anthony McGowan (Princeton)
MAC: #16 Blake West (Northern Illinois)
Pac-12: #15 Maximo Renteria (Oregon State)
SoCon: #30 Gylon Sims (The Citadel)
Top First-Round Matches:
#16 Blake West (Northern Illinois) vs. #17 Max Gallagher (Penn)
#13 Marc-Anthony McGowan (Princeton) vs. #20 Brendan McCrone (Ohio State)
#14 Spencer Moore (North Carolina) vs. #19 Cooper Flynn (Minnesota)
#10 Stevo Poulin (Northern Colorado) vs. #23 Tanner Jordan (South Dakota State)
#15 Maximo Renteria (Oregon State) vs. #18 Jacob Moran (Indiana)
Last year, 125 lbs was the ongoing discussion point for the entire season, because of its unpredictability on a week-to-week basis. While that reared its ugly head from time to time, 2024-25 was more of a normal year. After an early season injury default and an extended period away from the mat, Richie Figueroa turned over the top ranking to Matt Ramos. Ramos grabbed the #1 ranking after a Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational title in a loaded bracket. He would maintain that ranking, and a perfect record, until the B1G semifinals and Luke Lilledahl.
The other contender to know from the Big Ten is Caleb Smith, a sixth-place finisher at the 2024 tournament. Smith is battle-tested and a difficult matchup for anyone. He’ll certainly present Lilledahl with a challenge in the quarterfinals - provided they both advance to that point.
The Big 12 is where things were a bit wacky this year. Figueroa is the returning champion and he did so as the eighth seed last year. A third-place conference finish and the fifth seed shouldn’t discourage him, he knows how to win on the big stage.
With Figueroa’s early-season injury, it looks as if Troy Spratley would take the reins as the top lightweight in the Big 12. He was third at the CKLV and, shortly after, defeated runner-up Eddie Ventresca. At one point, Spratley held the #2 overall ranking.
The contender that very few saw coming was the Big 12 champion Jett Strickenberger. A national qualifier in 2024, Strickenberger started the year at 125, then moved up to 133 without the same level of success. Once he got in weight in order and dropped back to 125, Strickenberger found immediate success. He reeled off eight straight wins, highlighted by a first-period fall over Spratley. Strickenberger’s only loss since then came via major decision to Figueroa in the season finale. He rebounded to run the table at Big 12’s with wins over Spratley and former 2023 champion Stevo Poulin.
Strickenberger and Figueroa did not meet at the Big 12 Championships because of an early loss by Figueroa to North Dakota State’s Tristan Daugherty.
The ACC will also have something to say about this weight class with #3 Ventresca, #4 Vince Robinson, and #14 Spencer Moore. Ventresca showed us his struggles in 2023-24 were indeed attributed to injuries, as he turned in his most consistent campaign, to date. He was 18-3 overall - losing only to Moore after the calendar turned to 2025. Ventresca also survived a pair of one-takedown matches over freshman Vince Robinson. The top half of the bracket looks loaded and any potential matchup for Robinson could be fireworks.
Though they are not top-eight seeds, you shouldn’t be shocked if Poulin or Nicolar Rivera, or Dean Peterson make their way to the podium. Poulin didn’t compete much during the second half of the season and ended up taking fifth at Big 12’s. Rivera has gotten better as the season progressed and pushed Ramos to sudden victory at Big Ten’s. He ended up losing twice to the Boilermaker to get fourth place. Peterson is responsible for Lilledahl’s first loss of the season. He advanced to the Big Ten semifinals and was injured during a sudden victory loss to Smith and forfeited down to sixth place. Provided he’s healthy, Peterson could be a tough draw.
Darkhorse All-American Candidate: #13 Marc-Anthony McGowan (Princeton)
Claiming a #13 seed could make the podium isn’t going too far out on the ledge, but some may overlook Marc-Anthony McGowan because he was never ranked this high during his freshman year. McGowan was regarded as one of the top recruits in the Class of 2023 (#12), but was injured in the preseason and never took the mat (or started his eligibility clock).
This year, McGowan finally started working his way into the Tiger lineup after the Midlands. At the Midlands, he suffered close losses to Peterson and Indiana’s Jacob Moran. In dual competition, and at the Ivy League Championships, McGowan didn’t lose. His best win during that stretch was in the conference finals against #17 Max Gallagher (Penn).
One reason McGowan could be dangerous here is we don’t have much of a track record in college with him against elite competition. Peterson is the highest-ranked wrestler he’s faced. It shouldn’t take long to figure out where McGowan stands in the hierarchy of this weight. He has Ohio State’s Brendan McCrone right out of the gate. While McCrone is the 20th seed, he did spend some time ranked in the top-10 and also owns a win over Lilledahl. Should McGowan advance, he’d likely have Robinson in the Round of 16.
Extreme (20+) Darkhorse All-American Contender: #23 Tanner Jordan (South Dakota State)
Look at that, a returning All-American all the way down as the #23 seed! That’s where Tanner Jordan will have to start in his quest to get back on the podium. It’s not unfamiliar as that is where Jordan began his tournament in 2024 - as the #23 seed. In that scenario, Jordan lost in the opening round and battled through the consolations for a spot amongst the top eight.
Jordan will open his tournament with a familiar face. He’ll take on Big 12 foe Stevo Poulin of Northern Colorado. Jordan is 0-2 career against Poulin, with neither loss being particularly close. The good news for Jordan is that neither of those matches took place this season and Poulin is likely dealing with some ailment that sidelined him for a month before the Big 12 Championships.
The Team Race:
Obviously, Penn State is a huge favorite to come home with the team trophy. Getting a high finish from Lilledahl is the icing on the cake.
We’ll focus on three other competitors from teams expected to be square in the team trophy hunt. Nebraska’s Smith, Virginia Tech’s Ventresca, and Oklahoma State’s Spratley.
Smith (#9) and Spratley (#7) have relatively modest seeds for someone of their ability. It wouldn’t be a huge surprise for either to finish in the top-three. For Spratley, being on the bottom half of the bracket - the slightly less intimidating half - a finals appearance wouldn’t be that much of a shocker. Smith would have to run the gauntlet to make the finals, but even if he doesn’t, I like him in the consi’s.
Ventresca has a bit of a challenging path. All three of the wrestlers that defeated him in the regular season are in his half. In the second round, he could see either Moore or former teammate Cooper Flynn. Though he swept Flynn in their official matches (5-0), their meetings were always extremely close. The quarters could be a pair of wide-open competitors in Rivera or Strickenberger. The semis might include Spratley or Ramos (both who have beaten Ventresca this year). Simply put, he’ll have to fight and scrap for every inch and just wrestle up to his third seed. It would be much more difficult for the Hokies to land a team trophy without a high finish from Ventresca.
Projected Quarterfinals:
#1 Luke Lilledahl (Penn State) vs. #9 Caleb Smith
#5 Richie Figueroa (Arizona State) vs. #4 Vince Robinson (NC State)
#3 Eddie Ventresca (Virginia Tech) vs. #6 Jett Strickenberger (West Virginia)
#2 Matt Ramos (Purdue) vs. #7 Troy Spratley (Oklahoma State)
Projected Semifinals:
#1 Luke Lilledahl (Penn State) vs. #5 Richie Figueroa (Arizona State)
#3 Eddie Ventresca (Virginia Tech) vs. #2 Matt Ramos (Purdue)
Projected All-Americans:
1st: Matt Ramos (Purdue)
2nd: Richie Figueroa (Arizona State)
3rd: Luke Lilledahl (Penn State)
4th: Caleb Smith (Nebraska)
5th: Troy Spratley (Oklahoma State)
6th: Eddie Ventresca (Virginia Tech)
7th: Jett Strickenberger (West Virginia)
8th: Stevo Poulin (Northern Colorado)
Projected Round of 12 Finishers:
#4 Vince Robinson (NC State), #11 Nicolar Rivera (Wisconsin), #13 Marc-Anthony McGowan (Princeton), #8 Sheldon Seymour (Lehigh)
Projected Consolation Round of 16 Finishers:
#16 Blake West (Northern Illinois), #20 Brendan McCrone (Ohio State), #12 Dean Peterson (Rutgers), #15 Maximo Renteria (Oregon State)
Kimball
Gibsonburg
Davenport
Brawley Union
Rock Hill
Bakersfield
Alma-Wabaunsee
Kokomo
Casco Viejo
Grant
Park City
Bishop Carroll
East Davidson
Chantilly
Allen Park
Dickson County
Riverdale
Tinley Park Andrew
Palm Coast
Fort Dorchester
Ola
Handley
The 2025 NCAA DI Wrestling Championships are less than a week away! In a few short days, 330 wrestlers will make the trek to Philadelphia, with hopes of a national title on their minds. Now it's in a city that hasn't hosted nationals since 2011, but it’s within driving distance of some of the top wrestling areas in the country. The atmosphere for the national tournament is always great, but I expect these East Coast fans to bring a little extra to the Wells Fargo Center. Before the action on the mat starts, InterMat will go through each individual bracket and highlight the favorites, top matches to watch, and much more. Top Seed: Lucas Byrd (Illinois) This weight was in flux for most of the year as the top returner at the weight, Ryan Crookham of Lehigh suffered a serious injury and his status was unclear for much of the season. During the final week of the regular season, Crookham confirmed he’d be out for the postseason, which made this weight up for grabs. Regardless of Crookham’s status, Lucas Byrd had already established himself as one of those on the shortlist of title contenders. Byrd has qualified for the NCAA Tournament on two prior occasions - taking fifth twice and finishing in the Round of 12 once. Byrd was unable to compete, because of an injury, during the 2023-24 season and was able to receive a medical waiver for the year. In the event that the wrestling community might have forgotten about Byrd as a top-tier contender, he reminded them by edging returning NCAA fourth-place finisher, Nasir Bailey, at the early-season, All-Star Classic. Byrd started the season with 11 straight wins before running into Iowa’s Drake Ayala. The two had a tactical low-scoring affair that Ayala took with a late takedown. Undeterred, Byrd bounced back with wins over top-ten opponents Braxton Brown and Dylan Shawver in his next two outings. Byrd got his opportunity for revenge in the Big Ten finals against Ayala. It appeared as if the two were on their way to another tight match; however, Byrd locked up a cow-catcher and tossed Ayala to his back for a fall. With his win, Byrd became the first Illini wrestler since Isaiah Martinez in 2018 to earn the top seed at the NCAA Championships. For Byrd to have the type of tournament he envisions, he’ll need to start his NCAA Tournament better than in past years. Though he’s made the podium twice, he’s only won in the opening round once. The Contenders: #2 Drake Ayala (Iowa), #3 Nasir Bailey (Little Rock), #4 Zeth Romney (Cal Poly), #5 Dom Serrano (Northern Colorado), #6 Connor McGonagle (Virginia Tech) The Conference Champs: ACC: #6 Connor McGonagle (Virginia Tech) Big 12: #5 Dom Serrano (Northern Colorado) Big Ten: #1 Lucas Byrd (Illinois) EIWA: #25 Kurt Phipps (Bucknell) Ivy: #16 Ryan Miller (Penn) MAC: #15 Anthony Noto (Lock Haven) Pac-12: #3 Nasir Bailey (Little Rock) SoCon: #19 TK Davis (Gardner-Webb) Top First-Round Matches: #17 Jacob Van Dee (Nebraska) vs. #16 Ryan Miller (Penn) #21 Angelo Rini (Indiana) vs. #12 Ethan Oakley (North Carolina) #13 Tyler Knox (Stanford) vs. #20 Blake Boarman (Chattanooga) #7 Nic Bouzakis (Ohio State) vs. #26 Kai Orine (NC State) #15 Anthony Noto (Lock Haven) vs. #18 Julian Farber (Northern Iowa) This was a bit of an unusual weight class during the 2024-25 season. Byrd and Ayala were very consistent and always appeared to be title contenders. After that, there was a lot of chaos. Ayala, the 2024 NCAA runner-up at 125 lbs, moved up to 133 and had no issues. He only suffered one loss heading into the Big Ten finals. A couple of podium threats that were consistently in the top-ten for the entire season, Evan Frost and Tyler Knox, missed out on automatically qualifying for the tournament and needed at-large berths. While he ended up righting the ship and winning a tough Pac-12 final against Zeth Romney, Bailey even had a few unforeseen losses throughout the year. Romney had one of the breakout performances of the year with his title at the Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational. Because of some upsets at the conference tournament, the bottom half of the bracket looks much more imposing than the top. There are seven returning All-Americans at this weight and six of them are on the bottom. The top half has some established veterans, like Romney and Dom Serrano, who still looking to get on the podium for the first time. They, along with, Braeden Davis and Braxton Brown, look should provide a challenge for Byrd. So could the ACC duo which includes Ethan Oakley and Knox. Though Knox didn’t qualify automatically, he was responsible for Ayala’s only regular-season loss and posted an early-season win over Romney. Don’t be surprised if either Oakley or Knox pulls an upset or two. Another potential threat on the bottom half of the bracket is Nic Bouzakis. In what is becoming a trend, Bouzakis fell in the first round of the Big Ten Championships, but roared back to take third place. That led to a seventh seed. Normally, that would be a good starting point, but we’ll have more about his first-round matchup later. The ACC champion, Connor McGonagle, is also in the bottom half. His only loss of the year came during the second week of the regular season. He’s proven to be clutch in tight matches or in sudden victory. That ability can either help one get high on the podium or leave them susceptible to an upset. Darkhorse All-American Candidate: #15 Anthony Noto (Lock Haven) Another notable in the bottom half of the bracket is two-time All-American Anthony Noto. He’s finished in the top four at nationals down at 125 lbs in each of the last two seasons. Noto moved up in weight and captured his fourth consecutive MAC title, something that hadn’t previously been done by a Lock Haven wrestler. What makes Noto dangerous is his experience in these types of situations. He’s been seeded eighth and 12th during his two All-American runs. I have a feeling the 15th seed won’t matter much for him mentally. Should Noto get by a tough Julian Farber in the opening round, he could meet #2 Ayala. If that were to happen it would pit the 2024 125 lb NCAA runner-up against the third-place finisher. Noto has a history with Iowa as he gave Spencer Lee a challenge in a 2023 NCAA quarterfinal bout that was much closer than the 14-4 final score might indicate. Extreme (20+) Darkhorse All-American Candidate: #26 Kai Orine (NC State) It’s not every year that you see a two-time All-American down at the 26th seed. That’s the case at 133 lbs with Kai Orine. Orine started the year at 141 lbs, but made a drop down to 133 for a late-December dual with Cornell. Orine didn’t end up with enough matches at 133 lbs and didn’t earn an allocation for the ACC. He did pick up a solid win over Ethan Oakley to make the ACC finals and lock up his trip to Philly. In the ACC finals, Orine suffered his second sudden victory loss of the year to McGonagle. This was an extremely close match with some scrambles that could have gone his way. Orine’s first-round matchup with Bouzakis is one of the most intriguing at this weight class and among any other. Bouzakis has had some issues with his opening-round matches. That’s been well-documented. Orine off the scale may not be that much of an issue in such a large tournament, but you never know. Putting aside the ugly-looking seed, Orine still has the talent to finish in the upper half of the podium. Team Race: This is where Iowa could get some big points from Ayala. He’s one of a pair of two-seeded Hawkeyes; however, he might have the best shot at making the NCAA finals. With the potential for a lot of fluctuation at this weight, it could create some significant point-swinging opportunities for trophy-contending teams. Virginia Tech, NC State, Ohio State, and Penn State all have wrestlers that are podium-capable, but by no means locks. Projected Quarterfinals: #1 Lucas Byrd (Illinois) vs. #8 Braeden Davis (Penn State) #12 Ethan Oakley (North Carolina) vs. #13 Tyler Knox (Stanford) #3 Nasir Bailey (Little Rock) vs. #11 Evan Frost (Iowa State) #10 Dylan Shawver (Rutgers) vs. #2 Drake Ayala (Iowa) Projected Semifinals: #1 Lucas Byrd (Illinois) vs. #13 Tyler Knox (Stanford) #3 Nasir Bailey (Little Rock) vs. #2 Drake Ayala (Iowa) Projected All-Americans: 1st: Lucas Byrd (Illinois) 2nd: Nasir Bailey (Little Rock) 3rd: Drake Ayala (Iowa) 4th: Evan Frost (Iowa State) 5th: Connor McGonagale (Virginia Tech) 6th: Tyler Knox (Stanford) 7th: Dom Serrano (Northern Colorado) 8th: Anthony Noto (Lock Haven) Projected Round of 12 Finishers: #12 Ethan Oakley (North Carolina), #8 Braeden Davis (Penn State), #10 Dylan Shawver (Rutgers), #18 Julian Farber (Northern Iowa) Projected Consolation Round of 16 Finishers: #26 Kai Orine (NC State), #19 TK Davis (Gardner-Webb), #4 Zeth Romney (Cal Poly), #7 Nic Bouzakis (Ohio State)
The 2025 NCAA DI Wrestling Championships are less than a week away! In a few short days, 330 wrestlers will make the trek to Philadelphia, with hopes of a national title on their minds. Now it's in a city that hasn't hosted nationals since 2011, but it’s within driving distance of some of the top wrestling areas in the country. The atmosphere for the national tournament is always great, but I expect these East Coast fans to bring a little extra to the Wells Fargo Center. Before the action on the mat starts, InterMat will go through each individual bracket and highlight the favorites, top matches to watch, and much more. The Top Seed: Luke Lilledahl (Penn State) The top recruit in the high school Class of 2024, Luke Lilledahl, has lived up to his pre-college billing and has been everything that Penn State fans hoped he would be - in their never-ending search for continuity at 125 lbs. Lilledahl has been the day-one starter at 125 lbs and won his first 11 matches in a Nittany Lion singlet. Because of a second loss, to Ohio State’s Brendan McCrone, Lilledahl was given the fourth seed at his first Big Ten Tournament. After a pair of bonus point wins, Lilledahl was pitted against the undefeated, top-seeded Matt Ramos of Purdue. Lilledahl set the stage for a shocking semifinal round of upsets with his 12-4 major decision win over the 2024 NCAA runner-up. A day later, he completed his run through the Big Ten Championships with a hard-fought, 4-3 win over Nebraska All-American Caleb Smith. This marks the second straight year that a true freshman from Penn State has earned the #1 seed at the NCAA Tournament. Braeden Davis did so in 2024, but lost in the quarterfinals and Round of 12 - falling a match shy of All-American honors. He’s now at 133 lbs. Lilledahl comes into Philly after posting four wins over top-eight seeds in his 20 wins. In addition to his two wins over Smith and the Ramos upset, he also had an early-season win over the eventual EIWA champion Sheldon Seymour. The dual win over Smith set the tone for the Nittany Lions as they rolled to a 32-7 win over #5 Nebraska. The pre-college hype for Lilledahl largely centered around his achievements on the world level. He’s made the world finals in each of the last four years - across two different age groups. Lilledahl came away with a U17 world title in 2022 and U20 gold last year. It’s no secret that Penn State is searching for its first All-American honor at this weight class since Nico Megaludis’ 2016 title. Lilledahl has the potential to snap that streak (and more) and is expected to hold this weight for a few years. The Contenders: #2 Matt Ramos (Purdue), #3 Eddie Ventresca (Virginia Tech), #4 Vince Robinson (NC State), #5 Richie Figueroa (Arizona State), #6 Jett Strickenberger (West Virginia), #7 Troy Spratley (Oklahoma State) The Conference Champs: ACC: #3 Eddie Ventresca (Virginia Tech) Big 12: #6 Jett Strickenberger (West Virginia) Big Ten: #1 Luke Lilledahl (Penn State) EIWA: #8 Sheldon Seymour (Lehigh) Ivy: #13 Marc-Anthony McGowan (Princeton) MAC: #16 Blake West (Northern Illinois) Pac-12: #15 Maximo Renteria (Oregon State) SoCon: #30 Gylon Sims (The Citadel) Top First-Round Matches: #16 Blake West (Northern Illinois) vs. #17 Max Gallagher (Penn) #13 Marc-Anthony McGowan (Princeton) vs. #20 Brendan McCrone (Ohio State) #14 Spencer Moore (North Carolina) vs. #19 Cooper Flynn (Minnesota) #10 Stevo Poulin (Northern Colorado) vs. #23 Tanner Jordan (South Dakota State) #15 Maximo Renteria (Oregon State) vs. #18 Jacob Moran (Indiana) Last year, 125 lbs was the ongoing discussion point for the entire season, because of its unpredictability on a week-to-week basis. While that reared its ugly head from time to time, 2024-25 was more of a normal year. After an early season injury default and an extended period away from the mat, Richie Figueroa turned over the top ranking to Matt Ramos. Ramos grabbed the #1 ranking after a Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational title in a loaded bracket. He would maintain that ranking, and a perfect record, until the B1G semifinals and Luke Lilledahl. The other contender to know from the Big Ten is Caleb Smith, a sixth-place finisher at the 2024 tournament. Smith is battle-tested and a difficult matchup for anyone. He’ll certainly present Lilledahl with a challenge in the quarterfinals - provided they both advance to that point. The Big 12 is where things were a bit wacky this year. Figueroa is the returning champion and he did so as the eighth seed last year. A third-place conference finish and the fifth seed shouldn’t discourage him, he knows how to win on the big stage. With Figueroa’s early-season injury, it looks as if Troy Spratley would take the reins as the top lightweight in the Big 12. He was third at the CKLV and, shortly after, defeated runner-up Eddie Ventresca. At one point, Spratley held the #2 overall ranking. The contender that very few saw coming was the Big 12 champion Jett Strickenberger. A national qualifier in 2024, Strickenberger started the year at 125, then moved up to 133 without the same level of success. Once he got in weight in order and dropped back to 125, Strickenberger found immediate success. He reeled off eight straight wins, highlighted by a first-period fall over Spratley. Strickenberger’s only loss since then came via major decision to Figueroa in the season finale. He rebounded to run the table at Big 12’s with wins over Spratley and former 2023 champion Stevo Poulin. Strickenberger and Figueroa did not meet at the Big 12 Championships because of an early loss by Figueroa to North Dakota State’s Tristan Daugherty. The ACC will also have something to say about this weight class with #3 Ventresca, #4 Vince Robinson, and #14 Spencer Moore. Ventresca showed us his struggles in 2023-24 were indeed attributed to injuries, as he turned in his most consistent campaign, to date. He was 18-3 overall - losing only to Moore after the calendar turned to 2025. Ventresca also survived a pair of one-takedown matches over freshman Vince Robinson. The top half of the bracket looks loaded and any potential matchup for Robinson could be fireworks. Though they are not top-eight seeds, you shouldn’t be shocked if Poulin or Nicolar Rivera, or Dean Peterson make their way to the podium. Poulin didn’t compete much during the second half of the season and ended up taking fifth at Big 12’s. Rivera has gotten better as the season progressed and pushed Ramos to sudden victory at Big Ten’s. He ended up losing twice to the Boilermaker to get fourth place. Peterson is responsible for Lilledahl’s first loss of the season. He advanced to the Big Ten semifinals and was injured during a sudden victory loss to Smith and forfeited down to sixth place. Provided he’s healthy, Peterson could be a tough draw. Darkhorse All-American Candidate: #13 Marc-Anthony McGowan (Princeton) Claiming a #13 seed could make the podium isn’t going too far out on the ledge, but some may overlook Marc-Anthony McGowan because he was never ranked this high during his freshman year. McGowan was regarded as one of the top recruits in the Class of 2023 (#12), but was injured in the preseason and never took the mat (or started his eligibility clock). This year, McGowan finally started working his way into the Tiger lineup after the Midlands. At the Midlands, he suffered close losses to Peterson and Indiana’s Jacob Moran. In dual competition, and at the Ivy League Championships, McGowan didn’t lose. His best win during that stretch was in the conference finals against #17 Max Gallagher (Penn). One reason McGowan could be dangerous here is we don’t have much of a track record in college with him against elite competition. Peterson is the highest-ranked wrestler he’s faced. It shouldn’t take long to figure out where McGowan stands in the hierarchy of this weight. He has Ohio State’s Brendan McCrone right out of the gate. While McCrone is the 20th seed, he did spend some time ranked in the top-10 and also owns a win over Lilledahl. Should McGowan advance, he’d likely have Robinson in the Round of 16. Extreme (20+) Darkhorse All-American Contender: #23 Tanner Jordan (South Dakota State) Look at that, a returning All-American all the way down as the #23 seed! That’s where Tanner Jordan will have to start in his quest to get back on the podium. It’s not unfamiliar as that is where Jordan began his tournament in 2024 - as the #23 seed. In that scenario, Jordan lost in the opening round and battled through the consolations for a spot amongst the top eight. Jordan will open his tournament with a familiar face. He’ll take on Big 12 foe Stevo Poulin of Northern Colorado. Jordan is 0-2 career against Poulin, with neither loss being particularly close. The good news for Jordan is that neither of those matches took place this season and Poulin is likely dealing with some ailment that sidelined him for a month before the Big 12 Championships. The Team Race: Obviously, Penn State is a huge favorite to come home with the team trophy. Getting a high finish from Lilledahl is the icing on the cake. We’ll focus on three other competitors from teams expected to be square in the team trophy hunt. Nebraska’s Smith, Virginia Tech’s Ventresca, and Oklahoma State’s Spratley. Smith (#9) and Spratley (#7) have relatively modest seeds for someone of their ability. It wouldn’t be a huge surprise for either to finish in the top-three. For Spratley, being on the bottom half of the bracket - the slightly less intimidating half - a finals appearance wouldn’t be that much of a shocker. Smith would have to run the gauntlet to make the finals, but even if he doesn’t, I like him in the consi’s. Ventresca has a bit of a challenging path. All three of the wrestlers that defeated him in the regular season are in his half. In the second round, he could see either Moore or former teammate Cooper Flynn. Though he swept Flynn in their official matches (5-0), their meetings were always extremely close. The quarters could be a pair of wide-open competitors in Rivera or Strickenberger. The semis might include Spratley or Ramos (both who have beaten Ventresca this year). Simply put, he’ll have to fight and scrap for every inch and just wrestle up to his third seed. It would be much more difficult for the Hokies to land a team trophy without a high finish from Ventresca. Projected Quarterfinals: #1 Luke Lilledahl (Penn State) vs. #9 Caleb Smith #5 Richie Figueroa (Arizona State) vs. #4 Vince Robinson (NC State) #3 Eddie Ventresca (Virginia Tech) vs. #6 Jett Strickenberger (West Virginia) #2 Matt Ramos (Purdue) vs. #7 Troy Spratley (Oklahoma State) Projected Semifinals: #1 Luke Lilledahl (Penn State) vs. #5 Richie Figueroa (Arizona State) #3 Eddie Ventresca (Virginia Tech) vs. #2 Matt Ramos (Purdue) Projected All-Americans: 1st: Matt Ramos (Purdue) 2nd: Richie Figueroa (Arizona State) 3rd: Luke Lilledahl (Penn State) 4th: Caleb Smith (Nebraska) 5th: Troy Spratley (Oklahoma State) 6th: Eddie Ventresca (Virginia Tech) 7th: Jett Strickenberger (West Virginia) 8th: Stevo Poulin (Northern Colorado) Projected Round of 12 Finishers: #4 Vince Robinson (NC State), #11 Nicolar Rivera (Wisconsin), #13 Marc-Anthony McGowan (Princeton), #8 Sheldon Seymour (Lehigh) Projected Consolation Round of 16 Finishers: #16 Blake West (Northern Illinois), #20 Brendan McCrone (Ohio State), #12 Dean Peterson (Rutgers), #15 Maximo Renteria (Oregon State)
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