2025 NCAA Wrestling Championships: Preview and Predictions

The 2025 NCAA Wrestling Championships are finally here this week as the tournament heads to Philadelphia. With that, we have a preview and predictions!

We’ll go down the list at each weight, picking champions and All-Americans along the way. A very tough exercise considering the amount of bouts, but it’s all in good fun.

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The tournament is set for Thursday to Saturday, six sessions in total inside the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia. Let’s dive in!

125 lbs.

1. Luke Lilledahl, Penn State
2. Matt Ramos, Purdue
3. Caleb Smith, Nebraska
4. Richie Figueroa, Arizona State
5. Vincent Robinson, NC State
6. Jett Strickenberger, West Virginia
7. Dean Peterson, Rutgers
8. Eddie Ventresca, Virginia Tech

Lilledahl is ready to finish the freshman campaign on top. The Penn State lightweight showed he’s ready for the spotlight winning the Big Ten title. Ramos is certainly a threat to get back to the finals and finally claim gold as well. This weight is simply bonkers though.

133 lbs.

1. Nasir Bailey, Arkansas-Little Rock
2. Lucas Byrd, Illinois
3. Drake Ayala, Iowa
4. Dylan Shawver, Rutgers
5. Ethan Oakley, North Carolina
6. Tyler Knox, Stanford
7. Connor McGonagle, Virginia Tech
8. Braeden Davis, Penn State

I’ve stuck with Bailey all season long and won’t budge now. Little Rock gets their first champion in school history. Byrd has been awesome this year but will fall short. Expect great backside runs by Shawver and Knox.

141 lbs.

1. Andrew Alirez, Northern Colorado
2. Jesse Mendez, Ohio State
3. Beau Bartlett, Penn State
4. Vance Vombaur, Minnesota
5. Brock Hardy, Nebraska
6. Josh Koderhandt, Navy
7. Cael Happel, Northern Iowa
8. CJ Composto, UPenn

Going with Alirez here. I have been since the preseason. He’ll get his second national title while Mendez knocks off Bartlett in their epic college rivalry en route to the finals. Hardy is the No. 1 seed but I have him falling back to 5th.

149 lbs.

1. Caleb Henson, Virginia Tech
2. Ridge Lovett, Nebraska
3. Shayne Van Ness, Penn State
4. Kyle Parco, Iowa
5. Lachlan McNeil, North Carolina
6. Sammy Alvarez, Rider
7. Ethan Stiles, Oregon State
8. Kannon Webster, Illinois

This is Henson’s world and we’re all just living in it. I want to pick Lovett to finally get the title, but Henson is just too darn good and will win his second crown. Alvarez finally gets to wrestle in an NCAA Tournament and he’ll make it count.

157 lbs.

1. Tyler Kasak, Penn State
2. Meyer Shapiro, Cornell
3. Ryder Downey, Northern Iowa
4. Antrell Taylor, Nebraska
5. Jacori Teemer, Iowa
6. Rafael Hippolito, Virginia Tech
7. Brandon Cannon, Ohio State
8. Jude Swisher, UPenn

Kasak has gotten better all year after finishing third at 149 last season. He’s just a hair better than Shapiro right now. Teemer is an absolute wild card, health wise of course. He could certainly bust this bracket if he’s closer to full health.

165 lbs.

1. Mitchell Mesenbrink, Penn State
2. Mikey Caliendo, Iowa
3. Terrell Barraclough, Utah Valley
4. Peyton Hall, West Virginia
5. Cam Amine, Oklahoma State
6. Hunter Garvin, Stanford
7. Julian Ramirez, Cornell
8. Beau Mantanona, Michigan

Mesenbrink and then the field right? Caliendo closed the gap in the Big Ten finals, but I don’t think it’s going to be enough. Barraclough will have one heck of a tournament and Ramirez finally gets onto an NCAA Wrestling podium.

174 lbs.

1. Keegan O’Toole, Missouri
2. Levi Haines, Penn State
3. Dean Hamiti, Oklahoma State
4. Simon Ruiz, Cornell
5. Lenny Pinto, Nebraska
6. Carson Kharchla, Ohio State
7. Patrick Kennedy, Iowa
8. Garrett Thompson, Ohio

This one is razor thin. I had O’Toole, then Haines, then O’Toole again. Sticking with the Mizzou Tiger to get his third national title. Hamiti will fall short to Haines but wrestle back for third. I like Ruiz to have a strong tournament. Despite being the 5-seed, I think he’s being slept on.

184 lbs.

1. Carter Starocci, Penn State
2. Max McEnelly, Minnesota
3. Parker Keckeisen, Northern Iowa
4. Dustin Plott, Oklahoma State
5. Chris Foca, Cornell
6. Gabe Arnold, Iowa
7. Silas Allred, Nebraska
8. Edmond Ruth, Illinois

The stunner of, almost, all stunners. I have McEnelly over last year’s champ Keckeisen to get to the finals. However, Starocci wins title No. 5 in a feat that will never be duplicated again. At least, in this writer’s lifetime. Heck, even if the NCAA actually grants five years of eligibility to be the norm. It won’t happen.

197 lbs.

1. AJ Ferrari, Cal State Bakersfield
2. Jacob Cardenas, Michigan
3. Stephen Buchanan, Iowa
4. Josh Barr, Penn State
5. Michael Beard, Lehigh
6. Stephen Little, Arkansas-Little Rock
7. Mac Stout, Pittsburgh
8. Luke Stout, Princeton

Ferrari returns to the top for me. His defense is some of the best in college wrestling and he wrestles so smart. I think he knocks off Cardenas in the finals and Buchanan (again) along the way. The Stouts will wrestle each other twice but both finish on the podium.,

285 lbs.

1. Gable Steveson, Minnesota
2. Gerg Kerkvliet, Penn State
3. Wyatt Hendrickson, Oklahoma State
4. Ben Kueter, Iowa
5. Nick Feldman, Ohio State
6. Cohlton Schultz, Arizona State
7. Owen Trephan, Lehigh
8. Yaraslau Slavikouski, Rutgers

Steveson and then everyone else. The intriguing matchup might be Kerkvliet against Hendrickson in the semifinals. The Cowboy can do it, but Kerkvliet has proven otherwise in their careers. I like Slavikouski to get back on the podium if his shoulder holds up. It’s a big ask.