By Brian Reinhardt
USA Wrestling

We look at one major storyline from each of the 10 weight classes.

125 - Top Talent From 2025 To Run It Back In 2026 

Not only does this weight class return the reigning national champion, but six of the eight All-Americans, including all four semifinalists, are all returning to this same weight class. You can go even further; all four wrestlers that lost in the Blood Round are also back, meaning 10 of the top 12 finishers in 2025 at 125 pounds will compete for the 2026 national title.

NC State’s Vince Robinson is trying to become the first back-to-back national champion at 125 pounds since Iowa’s Spencer Lee won three straight from 2018-21 (2020 was canceled due to COVID). He will be challenged by returning national finalist Troy Spratley of Oklahoma State, 2025 U23 World champion Luke Lilledahl of Penn State, who was the #1 seed at NCAAs last year, and Virginia Tech’s two-time All-American Eddie Ventresca, who beat Robinson twice last year.

133 - Crookman Returns From Injury 

Coming off a third-place finish in 2024 in his first full season, Lehigh’s Ryan Crookman was off to a 5-0 start as was ranked #1 nationally before he suffered a season-ending injury last year. He is now back for the Mountain Hawks and is one of five projected Lehigh starters to start the season ranked in the top 10.

Illinois’ Lucas Byrd was one of only three #1 seeds last year to win a title and is back to defend the crown in his seventh season in college wrestling. He is trying to become the third straight wrestler to win back-to-back national titles at 133 pounds. Penn State’s Roman Bravo-Young won titles in 2021 and 2022, and Cornell’s Vito Arujau followed with titles in 2023 and 2024.

141 - Numerous All-Americans Stand In The Way Of Back-To-Back-To-Back 

When it comes to returning talent in a weight class, 141 pounds stands alone. The weight features the reigning two-time national champion in Ohio State’s Jesse Mendez, last year’s other NCAA finalist, Brock Hardy of Nebraska, and could feature as many as 12 total returning All-Americans if all the projected weight changes and returns from redshirts play out.

Mendez is the fourth different wrestler to win back-to-back national titles at 141 pounds over the last nine NCAAs but could be the first with three straight. Oklahoma State’s Dean Heil (titles in 2016 and 2017) failed in his quest for three straight, Cornell’s Yanni Diakomihalis (2018 and 2019) moved up to 149 pounds and won two more titles, and Penn State’s Nick Lee (2021 and 2022) won his second title as a senior.

149 - Henson Decides To Redshirt 

Virginia Tech recently announced that 2024 national champion and three-time All-American Caleb Henson will be utilizing his redshirt season this upcoming year. The preseason #1 at 149 pounds, Henson reached the NCAA finals last year, becoming the first Hokie to make the NCAA finals in back-to-back years. Over the last two years, he has a combined 56-3 record.

It appears the Hokies will let a pair of true freshmen battle it out for the spot. Collin Gaj was the #24 recruit in the Class of 2025, while Noah Nininger was #48.

157 - National Title Threat Shapiro Back From Health Scare 

It wasn’t made known until after his second All-American finish last March, but Cornell’s Meyer Shaprio had a major health scare last season. He revealed in an interview that he battled pneumonia, suffered multiple seizures and even fell into a coma just a month before NCAAs. Over the summer, he was a little banged up before the U23 Nationals and did not compete in freestyle action. He will sit out the first semester this year but will return to the Big Red lineup in mid-December.

At 157 pounds, reigning national champion Antrell Taylor of Nebraska returns, as does Penn State’s Tyler Kasak, who was the #1 seed at NCAAs last year. Another pair of title contenders are coming off redshirts: Daniel Cardenas of Stanford and Ty Watters of West Virginia.

165 – Mesenbrink Seeks Three Straight Saturday Night Matches At NCAAs 

Penn State’s Mitchell Messenbrink has made the NCAA finals in each of his first two years, and the 2025 165-pound national champion is looking to make it two straight titles. Messenbrink enters the season as the #1 pound-for-pound wrestler in the nation, and the early betting favorite to win the Hodge Award.

Messenbrink comes into the collegiate season after capturing gold at the U23 World Championships. After a fall in his first bout, he won his final four matches by a combined score of 41-8, with three techs, including 12-2 in the final. His top result came in the semifinals, a 7-4 win over 70 kg Senior World Champion Yoshinosuke Aoyagi of Japan.

174 - Loaded Veteran Field Returns 

The two 2025 NCAA finalists both graduated, but five of the other six 2025 All-Americans return at 174 pounds. Leading the way is 2024 national champion (at 157 pounds) Penn State’s Levi Haines, who prepped for the collegiate season by also claiming gold at the U23 World Championships.

Iowa’s Patrick Kennedy is in his fifth and final season and coming off a career-best fourth-place finish. Also added into the mix, coming up from 165 pounds, Nebraska’s Christopher Minto placed fourth last year in his first trip to the NCAAs.

184 - Big 12 Dominance At The Top To Start The Season 

Like the 174-pound weight class, both finalists from last year at 184 pounds are also gone. Examining the preseason rankings, the Big 12 appears poised to dominate this weight, occupying the top 6 spots with a mix of returnees and newcomers in new positions.

Preseason #1 Max McEnelly was named the 2025 Big 10 Freshman of the Year after his third-place finish a year ago. Two names we didn’t see last year in the postseason will be immediate title contenders. Angelo Ferrari is coming off his redshirt season at Iowa, and 2024 NCAA finalist (at 174 pounds) Rocco Welsh has made the move from Ohio State, where he redshirted last year, over to rival Penn State. The Buckeyes replaced him with NC State’s Dylan Fishback, who made the Blood Round in his two seasons in Raleigh. A pair of veterans, who were both once up at 197 pounds, will both be looking to go out on top in their final seasons in Maryland’s Jaxon Smith and Nebraska’s Silas Allred.

197 - Four-Time All-American Elam Switches It Up 

Iowa State’s Rocky Elam is the last of his kind. With the COVID year and a redshirt last year, he is entering his seventh season in college wrestling, and his first at Iowa State after transferring from Missouri. He is vying to become the final five-time All-American in college wrestling. With Missouri, he placed fifth, fourth, third and sixth at the NCAA Championships.

Elam will be challenged by an influx of youthful talent. 2024 NCAA finalist Josh Barr of Penn State returns after making Final X this offseason. Juniors Joey Novak (Wyoming), Stephen Little (Little Rock) and Mac Stout (Pitt) all return after all three earned All-American honors as sophomores last year. U20 World champion Justin Rademacher is coming off a redshirt season at Oregon State.

285 - Many New Faces For The New Wave Of Heavyweights 

The heavyweight division has been looking very different over the last few years, with more athletic and smaller wrestlers no longer tipping the scales at 285 pounds. This year will feature many new faces in the weight class, as only two of the eight All-Americans from last year return.

A 2021 national champion as a freshman at Oklahoma State, A.J. Ferrari is at his third collegiate stop, now at Nebraska, and up to heavyweight after placing third last year at 197 pounds. The two returning All-Americans are Isaac Trumble in his sixth season at NC State and sophomore Ben Kueter of Iowa. Two other immediate title contenders that are coming off missed 2025 campaigns are Yonger Bastida of Iowa State and Taye Ghadiali of Michigan, who transferred from Campbell.