The 2025 NCAA Championships are in the books and what a tournament it was! We saw history made on many different fronts. With the ending to the final match, it will certainly be talked about for years to come.
Before the tournament, and after the brackets were released, we had a laundry list of random facts, stats, and trends relating to the brackets and conference tournaments. With the NCAA tournament complete, we have even more!
Enjoy them and let us know what you liked best or if you have some of your own!
Team Related Notes
Arizona State’s one All-American (Cohlton Schultz) is the school’s smallest number since 2016 (zero).
AJ Ferrari became CSU Bakersfield’s first top-three finisher since Stephen Neal won the second of his two titles in 1999.
Ferrari was the first non-California native to All-American for CSU Bakersfield since Paschal Duru (Denver, Colorado) made the national finals in 1996.
Lucas Byrd won the first national title by an Illinois wrestler since Isaiah Martinez in 2016. He’s also the first three-time All-American since Martinez made the national finals in 2017.
Though he was a two-time NCAA 5th place finisher, before Philly, Lucas Byrd only had three championship-side wins in his three prior appearances. In 2021, he lost in the Round of 16 and took fifth. In 2022, he was upset in the first round and wrestled back to his spot on the podium. In 2023, Byrd advanced to the quarters, but lost in the bloodround.
Illinois finished in the top-ten (10th) for the first time since 2016 when they tied for ninth.
DJ Washington is Indiana’s first All-American since Nate Jackson in 2017. In addition, he’s the first Hoosier All-American from the state of Indiana since Adam Chalfant got on the podium since 2014.
Drake Ayala is the first Iowa wrestler to lose in multiple national finals since Cory Clark in 2015 and 2016.
Stephen Buchanan’s win over Josh Barr was the first by an Iowa wrestler over Penn State in the NCAA finals since Matt McDonough defeated Nico Megaludis in 2012. Penn State had won six head-to-head finals matches during that span.
Since the inception of the current weights in (1998-99), Iowa had been without a national champion at 197 lbs. Stephen Buchanan is the first. The last Hawkeye in that general range to win was Lee Fullhart (190 lbs) in 1997.
After not having an All-American before 2024, Little Rock now has multiple All-Americans in back-to-back seasons.
Little Rock has now finished in the top 20 in back-to-back years.
Michigan’s two All-Americans was the school’s lowest number since the 2024 tournament.
Minnesota tied for a fifth-place finish. It was the first time that the Gophers have finished in the top five since 2014.
Gable Steveson joins Steve Mocco, Tony Nelson, and Nick Gwiazdowski as heavyweights within the last 20 years who were beaten as seniors attempting to win their third national title.
Navy had multiple All-Americans (Koderhandt/Wask) for the first time since 2009 when Joe Baker and Bryce Saddoris got on the podium.
Vince Robinson is NC State’s first NCAA champion since Mike Macchiavello in 2018. Robinson is also NC State’s first lightweight national champion. Before him, Darrion Caldwell (149 lbs) was the smallest champion for the Wolfpack.
Nebraska set a whole bunch of school records in Philly. Their second-place finish was a program high - as were their 117 team points and eight All-Americans.
Ridge Lovett (and then Antrell Taylor) became Nebraska’s first national champion since Jordan Burroughs in 2011 - which also occurred in Philly’s Wells Fargo Center.
Lovett and Taylor became the first Nebraska teammates to win in the same year since the Scherr’s (Jim and Bill) who both won in 1984.
Coming into Lovett’s match, Nebraska was 0 for their last 5 in NCAA finals matches. Since Burroughs’ 2011 win, TJ Dudley (2016), Tyler Berger (2019), Lovett (2022), Mikey Labriola (2023), and Brock Hardy (2025) all had lost in the NCAA championship bout.
For the first time in their era as a DI program, Northern Colorado put two wrestlers on the podium (Stevo Poulin and Vince Zerban).
Northern Iowa’s ninth-place finish was the best for the program since they were fifth in 1962.
Jesse Mendez won his second consecutive national title. He’s Ohio State’s first multi-time champion since Kyle Snyder was active in 2017.
Ohio State’s two All-Americans are a low that has only bit hit one other time during the Tom Ryan era (2007-2025)
With Dean Hamiti and Wyatt Hendrickson winning national titles for Oklahoma State, it marked the first time that the Cowboys have produced multiple champions in the same season since 2016 (Heil/Dieringer).
CJ Composto is Penn’s first multiple-time All-American since his coach, Matt Valenti, finished his career as a three-time AA in 2007.
Penn’s 16th-place finish was their first in the top-20 since they were 20th in 2016.
Not only did Penn State put 10 wrestlers on the podium, but eight of them were in third place or better. Of the other two, Greg Kerkvliet lost in the semifinals and forfeited down to sixth place.
Penn State’s team point record jumped from 172.5 last year to 177 this weekend.
Matt Ramos became Purdue’s first two-time All-American since Chris Fleeger and Ben Wissel got on the podium in 2006.
Purdue’s 13th-place finish was the program’s best since a 12th-place showing in 1992.
Rider had an All-American for a third consecutive season (Sammy Alvarez/Quinn Kinner/Ethan Laird). The last time the Broncs hit that mark was 2015-17. They’ve had an AA in each of the last two years at 149 lbs.
Alvarez was also the only All-American for the MAC.
Caleb Henson became only the second Virginia Tech wrestler to make multiple national finals appearances.
Peyton Hall became the second West Virginia wrestler to earn All-American honors on three occasions. Greg Jones (2002-05) is the other.
West Virginia (18-tie) finished in the top 20 for a second consecutive year. It was the first time they’ve achieved that feat since 2004-05.
State Related Notes
Zeth Romney was the only 2025 All-American to hail from California. This is the lowest total in 30+ years….maybe the lowest ever.
Christopher Minto is the first freshman from Florida to make the NCAA podium since Scotti Sentes did so for Central Michigan in 2009.
The three All-Americans from Georgia (Caleb Henson/Matty Singleton/Jaxon Smith) are the most ever from the state. Georgia has now produced multiple All-Americans in each of the last three years.
Ridge Lovett is the first national champion from Idaho since Jake Rosholt won his third NCAA title in 2006.
The five All-Americans from the state of Iowa are their most since hitting that same number in 2017.
Wyatt Hendrickson is the first three-time All-American from Kansas since Kendric Maple finished his career in 2014. Hendrickson is also the first national champion from Kansas since Maple.
Stephen Little is the first two-time All-American from Kentucky since Kyle Ruschell in 2009 and 2010.
Tyler Knox is the first NCAA All-American from Massachusetts since Vic Avery made the podium for Edinboro in 2015.
Both All-Americans from the state of Missouri are freshmen. Luke Lilledahl and Zan Fugitt.
Antrell Taylor is the first national champion from the state of Nebraska since Brad Vering won in 2000.
There were a pair of All-Americans from Nebraska (Taylor/Isaac Trumble) for the first time since 2009 when Brandon Browne and Craig Brester got on the podium.
Connor McGonagle is the first New Hampshire native to make the NCAA podium since Eric Bradley was eighth for Penn State in 2006.
Stevo Poulin was the only All-American from New York. Their one All-American is the smallest total for New York since 2001 when they had zero.
The six All-Americans from Pennsylvania is the state’s lowest total in over 30+ years.
Owen Trephan is the first All-American to call South Carolina home since TJ Dudley got on the podium in 2017.
Brock Hardy is the first NCAA finalist from Utah since Matt Brown won a national title in 2015. This was the first time since 2013 that multiple Utah natives made the podium - this year it was Hardy/Terrell Barraclough. In 2013, it was Jason Chamberlain, Brown, and Ethen Lofthouse.
The state of Wisconsin had a pair of national champions (Mesenbrink/Buchanan). The last time multiple Wisconsin natives won titles was in 2007 with Ben Askren and Cole Konrad.
Wisconsin matched Pennsylvania with six All-Americans. It’s the most in 30+ years and likely the most in history for the state.
Wisconsin also had a finalist in four consecutive weights (165-197).
The team title for Penn State is the 12th for head coach Cael Sanderson. That puts him ahead of Ed Gallagher on the all-time list and has him trailing only Dan Gable (15).
The following wrestlers earned All-American honors for the fifth time: Keegan O’Toole (Missouri), Parker Keckeisen (Northern Iowa), Carter Starocci (Penn State), Greg Kerkvliet (Penn State), Cohlton Schultz (Arizona State).
The following head coaches had their first All-Americans during their head coaching tenure: Angel Escobedo (Indiana), Alex Clemsen (Maryland), Obe Blanc (North Dakota State), David Taylor (Oklahoma State), and Adam Hall (Utah Valley).
Bracketing/Seeding notes
The only weight class that saw the top-four seeds finish in the top-four - from #1 through #4 - was 184 lbs.
The best bracket for the Big 12 was 165 lbs as they had four of the eight All-Americans.
The Big Ten accounted for 37 of the 80 All-Americans.
The Big Ten had five All-Americans at both 133 and 184 lbs.
Some of the weirdest All-American finishes (compared to the conference tournaments) came in the 133 lb bracket. The fourth-place finisher, Zan Fugitt, was ninth in the Big Ten and the #14 seed. The seventh-place finisher, Jacob Van Dee, was eighth in the Big Ten and the #17 seed. The eighth-place finisher, Tyler Knox, did not qualify through ACC and had to get an at-large berth and was the #13 seed.
Gavin Drexler and DJ Washington tied for the lowest seeds to make the podium. They were both #22 seeds.
Five weight classes featured three or more double-digit seeds to make the podium. 133, 149, 157, 174, and 197.
Only four top-four seeds failed to make the podium. Three #4’s and one #3. The #3 was Nasir Bailey, and the #4’s were Paniro Johnson, Rafael Hipolito, and Garrett Thompson.
This tournament featured a pair of past national champions who failed to make the podium. Richie Figueroa and Andrew Alirez.
11 freshmen made the NCAA podium in 2025 - down from 15 in 2024.
Luke Lilledahl was the only true freshman from the Class of 2024. Camden McDanel is classified as a true freshman, but he took a greyshirt year in 2023-24.
Recruiting related Notes
Of the NCAA champions, only Stephen Buchanan was not listed on the MatScouts Big Board coming out of high school.
Three of the ten NCAA champions were ranked in the top-10 overall coming out of high school. #4 Jesse Mendez (2022), #6 Dean Hamiti (2021), #9 Carter Starocci (2019).
Three others were ranked in the top 25. #16 Ridge Lovett (2019), #18 Lucas Byrd (2019), #25 Antrell Taylor (2022).
Half of the ten NCAA runner-up’s were ranked in the top-10 overall coming out of high school. #1 Gable Steveson (2018), #4 Drake Ayala (2021), #4 Josh Barr (2023), #5 Keegan O’Toole (2020), #9 Brock Hardy (2018).
Seven of the 80 All-Americans were not listed on MatScouts final Big Board in their respective senior years of high school. Caleb Smith, Matt Ramos, CJ Composto, Terrell Barraclough, DJ Washington, Buchanan, and Josh Heindselman.
Mission Oak via Jarvis Christian
North Montgomery
Mason
Nicholas County
Temescal Canyon
Sioux City East
Cherry Hill West
Custer County
With the conclusion of the NCAA wrestling tournament, you’d think that it means it’s the offseason for college wrestling and all focus should turn to the Olympic styles, right? Maybe in the past, but in a new era of collegiate athletics, once the final whistle has blown on a particular postseason, it means it’s time to turn your attention to the transfer portal. Love it or hate it, it’s the reality. Student-athletes have the ability to transfer much more freely than past generations. There was lots of movement last “offseason” and I don’t foresee that changing this year. It’s only been a few days since the NCAA Tournament finished so there haven’t been many transfers announced, however, the portal numbers are starting to grow. In Philly, we noticed a few prominent names in the portal, so it seemed like the perfect time to start our “Portal Watch.” The first list of wrestlers we’ve listed have already publicly committed to a new transfer destination. That new school is listed first, along with their projected weight, followed by their former school. Below them are notable wrestlers that have gone into the transfer portal. It is not a comprehensive list. Expect many updates to this feature in the coming weeks and months. Transfers Michigan: Taye Ghadiali (285) - Campbell Portal Nasir Bailey (133) - Little Rock Christian Carroll (197) - Iowa State Hunter Catka (285) - Virginia Tech Cody Chittum (157) - Iowa State Remy Cotton (197) - Michigan State Isaac Dean (184) - Rider David Evans (149) - Penn State Alex Facundo (157/165) - Penn State Joe Fongaro (149) - Rutgers Luke Gayer (165) - Rutgers Louie Gill (125) - NC State Bryce Hepner (157/165) - Ohio State) Chase Horne (285) - NC State Hunter Mason (141) - Virginia Tech Lachlan McNeil (149) - North Carolina Billy Meiszner (149) - Kent State Spencer Moore (125) - North Carolina Draegen Orine (133) - NC State Isaiah Powe (141) - Chattanooga Caleb Rathjen (149) - Iowa Zach Redding (141) - Iowa State Gary Steen (125/133) - Penn State Mike Slade (184/197) - Campbell Casey Swiderski (141/149) - Iowa State David Szuba (285) - Rider Kysen Terukina (125) - Iowa State Colton Washleski (157) - Rider Jordan Williams (149) - Little Rock
Lawndale
Case
River Ridge
Spain Park via King U
Passaic County Tech
Copper Hills
Becton
Gateway
Princeton
Nutley
The 2025 NCAA Championships are in the books and what a tournament it was! We saw history made on many different fronts. With the ending to the final match, it will certainly be talked about for years to come. Before the tournament, and after the brackets were released, we had a laundry list of random facts, stats, and trends relating to the brackets and conference tournaments. With the NCAA tournament complete, we have even more! Enjoy them and let us know what you liked best or if you have some of your own! Team Related Notes Arizona State’s one All-American (Cohlton Schultz) is the school’s smallest number since 2016 (zero). AJ Ferrari became CSU Bakersfield’s first top-three finisher since Stephen Neal won the second of his two titles in 1999. Ferrari was the first non-California native to All-American for CSU Bakersfield since Paschal Duru (Denver, Colorado) made the national finals in 1996. Lucas Byrd won the first national title by an Illinois wrestler since Isaiah Martinez in 2016. He’s also the first three-time All-American since Martinez made the national finals in 2017. Though he was a two-time NCAA 5th place finisher, before Philly, Lucas Byrd only had three championship-side wins in his three prior appearances. In 2021, he lost in the Round of 16 and took fifth. In 2022, he was upset in the first round and wrestled back to his spot on the podium. In 2023, Byrd advanced to the quarters, but lost in the bloodround. Illinois finished in the top-ten (10th) for the first time since 2016 when they tied for ninth. DJ Washington is Indiana’s first All-American since Nate Jackson in 2017. In addition, he’s the first Hoosier All-American from the state of Indiana since Adam Chalfant got on the podium since 2014. Drake Ayala is the first Iowa wrestler to lose in multiple national finals since Cory Clark in 2015 and 2016. Stephen Buchanan’s win over Josh Barr was the first by an Iowa wrestler over Penn State in the NCAA finals since Matt McDonough defeated Nico Megaludis in 2012. Penn State had won six head-to-head finals matches during that span. Since the inception of the current weights in (1998-99), Iowa had been without a national champion at 197 lbs. Stephen Buchanan is the first. The last Hawkeye in that general range to win was Lee Fullhart (190 lbs) in 1997. After not having an All-American before 2024, Little Rock now has multiple All-Americans in back-to-back seasons. Little Rock has now finished in the top 20 in back-to-back years. Michigan’s two All-Americans was the school’s lowest number since the 2024 tournament. Minnesota tied for a fifth-place finish. It was the first time that the Gophers have finished in the top five since 2014. Gable Steveson joins Steve Mocco, Tony Nelson, and Nick Gwiazdowski as heavyweights within the last 20 years who were beaten as seniors attempting to win their third national title. Navy had multiple All-Americans (Koderhandt/Wask) for the first time since 2009 when Joe Baker and Bryce Saddoris got on the podium. Vince Robinson is NC State’s first NCAA champion since Mike Macchiavello in 2018. Robinson is also NC State’s first lightweight national champion. Before him, Darrion Caldwell (149 lbs) was the smallest champion for the Wolfpack. Nebraska set a whole bunch of school records in Philly. Their second-place finish was a program high - as were their 117 team points and eight All-Americans. Ridge Lovett (and then Antrell Taylor) became Nebraska’s first national champion since Jordan Burroughs in 2011 - which also occurred in Philly’s Wells Fargo Center. Lovett and Taylor became the first Nebraska teammates to win in the same year since the Scherr’s (Jim and Bill) who both won in 1984. Coming into Lovett’s match, Nebraska was 0 for their last 5 in NCAA finals matches. Since Burroughs’ 2011 win, TJ Dudley (2016), Tyler Berger (2019), Lovett (2022), Mikey Labriola (2023), and Brock Hardy (2025) all had lost in the NCAA championship bout. For the first time in their era as a DI program, Northern Colorado put two wrestlers on the podium (Stevo Poulin and Vince Zerban). Northern Iowa’s ninth-place finish was the best for the program since they were fifth in 1962. Jesse Mendez won his second consecutive national title. He’s Ohio State’s first multi-time champion since Kyle Snyder was active in 2017. Ohio State’s two All-Americans are a low that has only bit hit one other time during the Tom Ryan era (2007-2025) With Dean Hamiti and Wyatt Hendrickson winning national titles for Oklahoma State, it marked the first time that the Cowboys have produced multiple champions in the same season since 2016 (Heil/Dieringer). CJ Composto is Penn’s first multiple-time All-American since his coach, Matt Valenti, finished his career as a three-time AA in 2007. Penn’s 16th-place finish was their first in the top-20 since they were 20th in 2016. Not only did Penn State put 10 wrestlers on the podium, but eight of them were in third place or better. Of the other two, Greg Kerkvliet lost in the semifinals and forfeited down to sixth place. Penn State’s team point record jumped from 172.5 last year to 177 this weekend. Matt Ramos became Purdue’s first two-time All-American since Chris Fleeger and Ben Wissel got on the podium in 2006. Purdue’s 13th-place finish was the program’s best since a 12th-place showing in 1992. Rider had an All-American for a third consecutive season (Sammy Alvarez/Quinn Kinner/Ethan Laird). The last time the Broncs hit that mark was 2015-17. They’ve had an AA in each of the last two years at 149 lbs. Alvarez was also the only All-American for the MAC. Caleb Henson became only the second Virginia Tech wrestler to make multiple national finals appearances. Peyton Hall became the second West Virginia wrestler to earn All-American honors on three occasions. Greg Jones (2002-05) is the other. West Virginia (18-tie) finished in the top 20 for a second consecutive year. It was the first time they’ve achieved that feat since 2004-05. State Related Notes Zeth Romney was the only 2025 All-American to hail from California. This is the lowest total in 30+ years….maybe the lowest ever. Christopher Minto is the first freshman from Florida to make the NCAA podium since Scotti Sentes did so for Central Michigan in 2009. The three All-Americans from Georgia (Caleb Henson/Matty Singleton/Jaxon Smith) are the most ever from the state. Georgia has now produced multiple All-Americans in each of the last three years. Ridge Lovett is the first national champion from Idaho since Jake Rosholt won his third NCAA title in 2006. The five All-Americans from the state of Iowa are their most since hitting that same number in 2017. Wyatt Hendrickson is the first three-time All-American from Kansas since Kendric Maple finished his career in 2014. Hendrickson is also the first national champion from Kansas since Maple. Stephen Little is the first two-time All-American from Kentucky since Kyle Ruschell in 2009 and 2010. Tyler Knox is the first NCAA All-American from Massachusetts since Vic Avery made the podium for Edinboro in 2015. Both All-Americans from the state of Missouri are freshmen. Luke Lilledahl and Zan Fugitt. Antrell Taylor is the first national champion from the state of Nebraska since Brad Vering won in 2000. There were a pair of All-Americans from Nebraska (Taylor/Isaac Trumble) for the first time since 2009 when Brandon Browne and Craig Brester got on the podium. Connor McGonagle is the first New Hampshire native to make the NCAA podium since Eric Bradley was eighth for Penn State in 2006. Stevo Poulin was the only All-American from New York. Their one All-American is the smallest total for New York since 2001 when they had zero. The six All-Americans from Pennsylvania is the state’s lowest total in over 30+ years. Owen Trephan is the first All-American to call South Carolina home since TJ Dudley got on the podium in 2017. Brock Hardy is the first NCAA finalist from Utah since Matt Brown won a national title in 2015. This was the first time since 2013 that multiple Utah natives made the podium - this year it was Hardy/Terrell Barraclough. In 2013, it was Jason Chamberlain, Brown, and Ethen Lofthouse. The state of Wisconsin had a pair of national champions (Mesenbrink/Buchanan). The last time multiple Wisconsin natives won titles was in 2007 with Ben Askren and Cole Konrad. Wisconsin matched Pennsylvania with six All-Americans. It’s the most in 30+ years and likely the most in history for the state. Wisconsin also had a finalist in four consecutive weights (165-197). The team title for Penn State is the 12th for head coach Cael Sanderson. That puts him ahead of Ed Gallagher on the all-time list and has him trailing only Dan Gable (15). The following wrestlers earned All-American honors for the fifth time: Keegan O’Toole (Missouri), Parker Keckeisen (Northern Iowa), Carter Starocci (Penn State), Greg Kerkvliet (Penn State), Cohlton Schultz (Arizona State). The following head coaches had their first All-Americans during their head coaching tenure: Angel Escobedo (Indiana), Alex Clemsen (Maryland), Obe Blanc (North Dakota State), David Taylor (Oklahoma State), and Adam Hall (Utah Valley). Bracketing/Seeding notes The only weight class that saw the top-four seeds finish in the top-four - from #1 through #4 - was 184 lbs. The best bracket for the Big 12 was 165 lbs as they had four of the eight All-Americans. The Big Ten accounted for 37 of the 80 All-Americans. The Big Ten had five All-Americans at both 133 and 184 lbs. Some of the weirdest All-American finishes (compared to the conference tournaments) came in the 133 lb bracket. The fourth-place finisher, Zan Fugitt, was ninth in the Big Ten and the #14 seed. The seventh-place finisher, Jacob Van Dee, was eighth in the Big Ten and the #17 seed. The eighth-place finisher, Tyler Knox, did not qualify through ACC and had to get an at-large berth and was the #13 seed. Gavin Drexler and DJ Washington tied for the lowest seeds to make the podium. They were both #22 seeds. Five weight classes featured three or more double-digit seeds to make the podium. 133, 149, 157, 174, and 197. Only four top-four seeds failed to make the podium. Three #4’s and one #3. The #3 was Nasir Bailey, and the #4’s were Paniro Johnson, Rafael Hipolito, and Garrett Thompson. This tournament featured a pair of past national champions who failed to make the podium. Richie Figueroa and Andrew Alirez. 11 freshmen made the NCAA podium in 2025 - down from 15 in 2024. Luke Lilledahl was the only true freshman from the Class of 2024. Camden McDanel is classified as a true freshman, but he took a greyshirt year in 2023-24. Recruiting related Notes Of the NCAA champions, only Stephen Buchanan was not listed on the MatScouts Big Board coming out of high school. Three of the ten NCAA champions were ranked in the top-10 overall coming out of high school. #4 Jesse Mendez (2022), #6 Dean Hamiti (2021), #9 Carter Starocci (2019). Three others were ranked in the top 25. #16 Ridge Lovett (2019), #18 Lucas Byrd (2019), #25 Antrell Taylor (2022). Half of the ten NCAA runner-up’s were ranked in the top-10 overall coming out of high school. #1 Gable Steveson (2018), #4 Drake Ayala (2021), #4 Josh Barr (2023), #5 Keegan O’Toole (2020), #9 Brock Hardy (2018). Seven of the 80 All-Americans were not listed on MatScouts final Big Board in their respective senior years of high school. Caleb Smith, Matt Ramos, CJ Composto, Terrell Barraclough, DJ Washington, Buchanan, and Josh Heindselman.
West Deptford
Athens
Rockhurst
Marshalltown
Roland-Story