By Brian Reinhardt
USA Wrestling

With the first semester across college campuses coming to an end, there will be an influx of talent as we head into the second half of the NCAA wrestling season.

There is a wide variety of reasons many top wrestlers had to sit out of the competition scene up to this point, but some very recognizable names will soon be returning to the mat.

Here is a short list of some of the top wrestlers who could make their season debuts any time now. The season will have to play out to see if anybody from this list decides to take the entire year off to save a year of eligibility.

133 pounds 

Lehigh’s Ryan Crookham was ranked #1 in the rankings last year at this time after coming off a third-place NCAA finish in 2024. He suffered an injury after last year’s 5-0 start and has not wrestled since December 2024. Head coach Pat Santoro expects his return to come in January.

141 pounds 

Crookham’s teammate at Lehigh, Luke Stanich, is a bit ahead of him in returning. Stanich finished fifth as a freshman at 125 pounds at the 2024 NCAA Championships. He deferred eligibility last year to work up to 141 pounds, and over the summer, he won gold at the U20 World Championships despite suffering an injury in his first bout. That injury has kept him out of the lineup thus far.

Dylan Ragusin has not seen action since the 2024 Cliff Keen Invite. He was a 2024 All-American at 133 pounds for Michigan.

Cornell’s Vince Cornella has been off the college mats since the 2024 EIWA Championships (back when Cornell was still in that conference). He did not see action last year but worked his way back this past weekend to a title at the Patriot Open, including a 10-4 win over #15 Tom Crook of Virginia Tech in the final. Cornell coach Mike Grey said Cornella will be the Big Red starter when he makes his return to the dual lineup.

CJ Composto enjoyed a breakout season at Penn last year, finishing fourth at the NCAA Championships and winning an Ivy League championship with a 29-5 record. At the NCAAs, he scored wins over three top-10 seeds. He has one season of eligibility left.

157 pounds 

An immediate title threat once again, Meyer Shapiro has placed third and fifth at NCAAs in his first two years at Cornell. He got banged up prior to the U23 Nationals this summer and did not get a full offseason of training. For that reason, he took the semester off from school but is now back for the second semester.

A three-time NCAA qualifier at Maryland, Ethen Miller transferred to Virginia Tech for his final season and is expected to return from injury soon.

174 pounds 

In his first season up at 174 pounds last year, Garrett Thompson of Ohio was named the Most Outstanding Wrestler at the MAC Championships and was the #4 seed at the NCAAs.

197 pounds 

A returning NCAA finalist, Penn State’s Josh Barr entered this year as the preseason #1 but has not suited up yet due to an injury suffered in freestyle action at the U23 Worlds. Penn State coach Cael Sanderson said this week, “(Barr) is getting close. He’s in here scrapping already, so he should be back soon.”

Colton Hawks was a three-time NCAA qualifier for Missouri before transferring to Arizona State for his final year. He has not competed up to this point.

Back In Action 

After the first weekend of December, some of the top wrestlers who were missing in early-season action have already returned.

• Up at heavyweight, NC State’s 2025 All-American #4 Isaac Trumble made his season debut last weekend. After his run at the NCAA Championships, he underwent knee surgery and missed the first month of the season. In the Pack’s dual win over Rutgers, Trumble opened his final season with a 9-1 major decision over #17 Hunter Catka of Rutgers.

• A second heavyweight returned to action in a big way, scoring a pair of top-12 wins. #7 Nathan Taylor of Lehigh had been out of action since being injured last December. He returned in a pair of duals last weekend, first he took out #11 Dayton Pitzer of Pitt, 5-4, in his home debut. Two days later at Penn State, he downed #9 Cole Mirasola, 7-2.

• At 125 pounds, Stanford’s #11 Nico Provo returned to action at the Cliff Keen Invite. He had been out of action since the 2024 NCAA Championships, missing all of last season. In Las Vegas, he came home with a third-place showing, with marquee wins over #16 Marc-Anthony McGowan of Princeton (2-1) and 2025 All-American #10 Stevo Poulin of Iowa State (7-0) in the third-place bout.

Finally, here is a look at some of the top duals this weekend.

#9 NC State at #2 Ohio State – Friday at 7 p.m. (ET) on B1G+ 

Top Match: #2 Nick Feldman vs. #4 Isaac Trumble at heavyweight 

As mentioned above, Trumble made his season debut this past weekend with a 9-1 major decision over #20 Hunter Catka of Rutgers. The former top recruit in his class, Feldman made waves earlier this season when he knocked off former national champion and top ranked AJ Ferrari of Nebraska in a dual, 5-4. He is undefeated this year, with a perfect 11-0 record and five bonus point wins. This will be the second meeting between the two. At the 2025 NCAA Championships in the Blood Round, Trumble came away with a 5-3 decision.

#17 West Virginia at #22 North Carolina – Friday at 7 p.m. (ET) on ACCN Extra 

Top Match: #9 Jett Strickenberger vs. #27 Kysen Terukina at 125 pounds 

Strickenberger and Terukina have a history as former Big 12 foes. Terukina transferred to UNC this offseason after previously being at Iowa State. Terukina took the first battle, 10-7, in a dual two years ago. However, it was Strickenberger who secured the last two wins, a fall at the 2024 Big 12 Championships and then a 4-1 victory in the dual last year.

#16 Pittsburgh at Maryland – Saturday at 12 p.m. (ET) on B1G+ 

Top Match: #8 Mac Stout vs. #17 Brandon John at 197 pounds 

Stout earned All-American honors for the first time last year, after winning the ACC title. John earned an NCAA bid last year as a true freshman.

#1 Penn State at Wyoming – Saturday at 8 p.m. (ET) on FloWrestling 

Top Match: #6 Joey Novak vs. #10 Connor Mirasola at 197 pounds. 

You could have picked any of the upper weights, as Wyoming is ranked between #6 and #13 from 184 to heavyweight. That said, all eyes might be on 197 pounds and who Penn State wrestles. Mirasola has filled in for returning NCAA finalist and preseason #1 Josh Barr all year and is a perfect 6-0. Novak earned All-American honors last year with a fifth-place finish.

#14 Missouri at #15 Northern Iowa – Sunday at 2 p.m. (ET) on FloWrestling 

Top Match: #10 Cam Steed vs. #19 Jared Simma at 174 pounds 

Steed is in his third different weight class, now up at 174 pounds. Last year, down at 165 pounds, he placed seventh at NCAAs and earned All-America honors. Simma is a two-time NCAA qualifier.

#5 Oklahoma State at #17 West Virginia – Sunday at 2:00 p.m. (ET) on ESPN+ 

Top Match: #8 Troy Spratley vs. #9 Jett Strickenberger at 125 pounds 

Not only a top-10 conference match-up, but who can forget their match-up in the dual last year in Stillwater? Strickenberger scored a first-period fall in that match, then followed up with a 5-2 OT win at the Big 12 Championships in the championship bout. Spratley does have a win in the series, 8-4 at the 2024 Big 12s.