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How did the Super 32 field compare to Fargo this year?

Editor’s Note: This article appeared in WIN’s Volume 32 Issue 2, which printed on Oct. 31, 2025. Click here or call 641-792-4436 to subscribe to WIN Magazine. Buy a Digital or Combo Subscription to get immediate digital access to WIN’s Volume 32 Issue 2.

By Rob Sherrill
The Super 32 is an event that the nation’s top prep wrestlers look forward to every October. As the nation’s biggest single-field high school event, the Super 32 has drawn many comparisons to USA Wrestling’s giant 16U and Junior Nationals, which take place at the iconic Fargodome in July.
The styles are obviously different, with Fargo treating us to freestyle and Greco, the Super 32 to folkstyle. The ever-increasing popularity of the Super 32 also invites the real comparison that inquiring minds want to know about: Which one is tougher?
I decided to take a look. Using the individual rankings I compile for WIN as a guide, I compared the number of ranked wrestlers who competed at Fargo to the number of ranked wrestlers who competed in the Super 32. Granted, we’re comparing up to four Fargo tournaments to one Super 32. Still, the results were surprising, and they are a testament to the job that USA Wrestling has done selling its age-group development programs.
In 2025, the wrestler I had ranked No. 1 competed at Fargo, either in the 16U or in the Junior Nationals, in 11 of the 14 weight classes (I combined all weight classes 106 and below into a single weight class for this assessment, since the lowest weight class I rank is 106). The 165-pound class was led by the wrestler I had ranked No. 2, and 106 and 138 were headed by the wrestler I had ranked No. 3. But 11 out of 14? That’s a staggering number of top-ranked wrestlers in a single event.
By contrast, the Super 32 that just concluded contained only four wrestlers now ranked No. 1 – Ariah Mills (106) and Antonio Mills (126) of Georgia, Moses Mendoza (132) of California and Bo Bassett (150) of Pennsylvania. All four won their weight classes relatively easily — three months after Antonio Mills, Mendoza and Bassett won Junior National freestyle titles at Fargo, and Ariah Mills one-upped them with a U17 World freestyle gold medal. … more at … https://www.win-magazine.com/2025/11/05/how-did-the-super-32-field-compare-to-fargo-this-year/

November 7, 2025 Posted by | Uncategorized | , , | Leave a comment

Men’s College Notebook: Five Teams Looking To Rise Up This Season

Not only are these teams looking to make a push into the top 10 this upcoming year, but they could also vie for a team trophy by placing in the top four.
Here are five programs that finished outside the top 10 at the 2025 NCAA Championships but will now look to leap in the team standings come March in Cleveland.

Iowa State 
2025 NCAA finish: 27th place
Last top 10 NCAA finish: 2024 (4th place)
FloWrestling 2026 projected NCAA finish: 4th place

Two years ago, the Cyclones nabbed a team trophy by placing fourth at the 2024 NCAA Championships, but last year Iowa State suffered from lineup woes and underperformance at the NCAAs, dropping all the way down to 27th. If preseason indications hold, it will be a very different story in 2026.
At the lower weights all five of the projected starters in the first half of the lineup are all former All-Americans and start the season in the preseason top 10 in their respective weight classes: 2025 All-American, and a transfer from Northern Colorado, Stevo Poulin (#7 at 125 pounds), 2024 All-American Evan Frost (#9 at 133 pounds), 2024 All-American Anthony Echemendia (#7 at 141 pounds), 2025 All-American Jacob Frost (#6 at 149 pounds), and 2025 All-American, and another Northern Colorado transfer, Vinny Zerban (#6 at 157 pounds).
The upper weights will look very different this season and should be one of the best one-two-three punches in the nation. After being sidelined last year, Yonger Bastida returns at heavyweight and is an immediate national title contender. Four-time All-American Rocky Elam was brought in from Missouri to man 197 pounds, and 2025 MAC champion Isaac Dean comes from Rider and will go at 184 pounds. All three are in their final seasons.

Lehigh 
2025 NCAA finish: 15th place
Last top 10 NCAA finish: 2012 (8th place)
FloWrestling 2026 projected NCAA finish: 7th place

Lehigh has finished 15th in back-to-back trips to the NCAA Championships and has nine top 20 finishes overall dating back to 2014. This season, expectations are high for the Mountain Hawks, as their lineup features multiple national title contenders and four wrestlers who were not in the lineup last year, all ranked in the top 10 in the preseason rankings.
Lehigh will look to dominate duals with three ranked wrestlers who all start the season in the top 5 in the lower weights. As the eighth seed last year at NCAAs at 125 pounds, Sheldon Seymour knocked off top-seeded Luke Lilledahl of Penn State and advanced to the semifinals before placing sixth. Ryan Crookham returns from injury and will look to improve upon his third-place finish in 2024. Last year, he was undefeated and ranked #1 at 133 pounds before suffering a season-ending injury after the fall semester. Luke Stanich deferred eligibility last year to move up from 125 to 141 for this year. He placed fifth in 2024 in his first trip to NCAAs.
There are also a pair of top-10 wrestlers in the back half of the lineup. Max Brignola (#7 at 165 pounds) also deferred eligibility last year. He is a two-time NCAA qualifier and went 15-0 last year, winning six tournament titles. Nathan Taylor (#8 at heavyweight) also lost during the season due to an injury last year. Also a two-time NCAA Qualifier, he won the 2024 EIWA title at heavyweight before falling one win shy of All-American honors.

Oklahoma 
2025 NCAA finish: 38th place
Last top 10 NCAA finish: 2014 (10th place) … more at … https://www.themat.com/news/2025/october/27/men-s-college-notebook-five-teams-looking-to-rise-up-this-season

November 7, 2025 Posted by | Uncategorized | , | Leave a comment

3 takeaways and key notable moments from the 2025 NWCA All-Star Classic

The NWCA All-Star Classic offers some early season fireworks for wrestling fans, exhibition-style. Six former NCAA and NCWWC champs took the mat as part of the event in New Jersey, with five of those former title winners securing victories to kick off their season while a number of other All-Americans and high-profile stars showcased their potential for greatness this season.

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Here’s what you need to know about the results and what they could mean for the early part of the season. 
Ryder impresses in Oklahoma State exhibition debut 
Of all of the NWCA All-Star winners, only one — Zack Ryder of Oklahoma State — has never been on the podium. Ryder, a freshman transfer from Penn State, made headlines this summer when he moved to Stillwater to train with David Taylor following Rocco Welsh’s transfer to Penn State from Ohio State. The move has paid off for Ryder.
In his first college exhibition match with the Cowboys, Ryder majored Maryland senior All-American Jaxon Smith 14-4, leaving no doubt that Ryder is not only at the level he needs to be at but could potentially compete for a title as a rookie. Ryder was all offense from the starting whistle too, and his confidence and aggressiveness will serve him well in his deep weight class. … more at … https://www.ncaa.com/news/wrestling-men/article/2025-11-02/3-takeaways-and-key-notable-moments-2025-nwca-all-star-classic

November 7, 2025 Posted by | Uncategorized | Leave a comment

Isaac Trumble Ready For Last Run At NC State After Life-Changing Year

After knee surgery and marriage, expecting father and All-American heavyweight Isaac Trumble is ready for a big year with the NC State wrestling program.
The past year for NC State’s Isaac Trumble has been life-changing, to say the least.
He started his first two seasons for the Wolfpack at 197 pounds before taking a redshirt as he made the move up to heavyweight. 
The end result was good for Trumble in his first season at 285 pounds — a fourth-place finish at the 2025 NCAA Championships, netting him All-American honors for the first time in his career. But a late-season setback pushed Trumble to the limit during his postseason run. “I was feeling good all season long — really good,” Trumble said. “Then, against Virginia Tech in that final dual, I tore (my knee). I tore my meniscus and MCL and I had no option but to get surgery before the ACC Championship.”
Despite the injury he suffered during the match, Trumble finished it out for a 5-3 win over #13 Jimmy Mullin. He went into the ACCs as the top seed at heavyweight, one of only six ACC wrestlers to go a perfect 6-0 in conference duals during the season.
But fans were quick to notice the huge brace Trumble had on his knee when he came out for his first bout of the day. His mobility was severely limited, and he dropped that quarterfinal bout. “I had my first surgery and tried wrestling seven days after (at ACCs) and it didn’t go anywhere as planned,” Trumble said. “So, I forfeited out (after the loss), which was hard. My first year being here and us not winning the ACC team title.”
There was a longer break before the NCAA Championships, but how good would the knee be going into the hardest tournament of the year? Trumble drew the seventh seed at the national tournament. He soon found out the answer of how long his knee would hold up.
His first two bouts went fine, seeing ACC foes for the second time this year. It was an opening 18-2 tech fall over Stanford’s Peter Ming before a 5-2 revenge win over Pitt’s Dayton Pitzer, who scored a win over Trumble at the ACCs en route to winning the ACC title. The quarterfinals were a different story on Day 2 of the NCAAs. Not only was it his third bout, but he was also facing the eventual national champion, Wyatt Hendrickson of Oklahoma State. “I tore a bunch of things again against Hendrickson,” … more at … https://www.flowrestling.org/articles/14715602-isaac-trumble-ready-for-last-run-at-nc-state-after-life-changing-year

November 7, 2025 Posted by | Uncategorized | , | Leave a comment