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First Indi­vid­ual Rank­ings Released for Men’s Division

| Bryan Knepper

The NCWA Men's Division does not appear to have a runaway team as it has had in past years. The top-5 in D1 consist of Menlo (66 points), Apprentice (47), Liberty (45), Thomas More (32), and Washington State (32). Of note only one team has a ranked wrestler in each of the 11 weight classes - Tarleton State, the soon to be NCAA-D1 program in Texas (currently tied for 6th with Springfield Tech. Division 2 is once again led by THE Ohio State (25 points) making it the 8th best program in the NCWA currently. Chasing the Buckeyes are Slippery Rock (15), Iowa State (14), Clemson (12), and West Chester (11).

2024 Championship Match at 141 - #1 Cole Thomas (Thomas More) vs. #2 Bruno Alves (Apprentice)


The #1 wrestlers at each weight class are currently as follows:

125 - Aiden Scheeringa - Sr - Liberty - 2024 National Runner-Up
133 - Ethan Vugman - So - Florida - 2024 National Runner-Up
141 - Cole Thomas - So - Thomas More (NCAA) - 2024 National Champion
149 - Lincoln Vick - So - Iowa State (NCWA) - 2024 3rd Place
157 - Kanaipono Tapia - Jr - Menlo (NCAA)
165 - Keith Brubach - Sr - Slippery Rock - 2024 National Runner-Up
174 - Isaiah Morales - Jr - Menlo (NCAA)
184 - Graham Carson - Sr - Ohio State (NCWA) - 2024 3rd Place / 3x All-American
197 - Cesar Ubico - So - Utah Tech - 2024 National Champion
235 - Christopher San Paolo - So - Rowan - 2024 3rd Place
285 - Jonovan Smith - So - Caribbean - 2024 National Runner-Up

For a full list of the Men's Team Rankings, click HERE. To see the current top-20 in each weight class, click HERE.

Lib­er­ty’s Wheel­er Takes Heavy­weight Crown at Life University

| Liberty SID

Junior heavyweight Wade Wheeler won all five of his matches by fall to capture first place in the Silver Division of Saturday's Lucha Open at Life University in Marietta, Ga., highlighting a strong showing for Liberty University's men's wrestling team.



The Flames also recorded very respectable fourth- and sixth-place individual showings and a 5-1 finish from freshmen in a field of 68 NAIA and NCWA colleges and universities represented. No team scores were kept.

"We are very encouraged by the team's performance this weekend," Liberty Head Coach Jesse Castro said. "We are extremely young yet eager to improve. Our main objective was to get more gritty, to show courage, perseverance, and

Appren­tice Fin­ish­es Big Week­end in Geor­gia and North Carolina

| Apprentice SID

NEWPORT NEWS - The Apprentice School men's wrestling team has completed its weekend of action as the team was split between the Lucha Open near Atlanta and a quad match at East Carolina Saturday.



Starting with the Lucha Open, the Builders sent 10 wrestlers to the Peach State for competition. In the Gold Division, Ethan Baker and Caleb Hartung each notched a win in their competitions. Baker, wrestling at 174, started his tournament with a quick pinfall of St. Thomas's Daniel Garlin before falling in a pair of close decisions. Hartung had a long first match of the day at 285 but finished it off with a pinfall in the final minute of the match. He then fell in a close decision to Life's Nate Glass before a major decision loss in the consolation bracket.

In the Silver Division, Lucas Vannostrand saw a lot of action at 125, wrestling in six matches. He started the day with

NCWA Wom­en’s Team Rankings

| Bryan Knepper

The women's division has grown by leaps and bounds over the last few years; however, the division remains top heavy with four teams at the top and then the rest. Look for Ottawa-Arizona to attempt to get back to the top of the podium (1st in 2023, 2nd in 2024) and Washington State, Utah Tech, and UNLV to battle it out for the top spot. Click on READ MORE for a top-25 team preview!

NCWA Men’s Team Rankings

| Bryan Knepper

Now that the 2x Defending National Champions, Bellarmine University, have moved on to full NCAA-D1 status, the battle for the 2025 NCWA Men's National Championship seems to be a dog-fight between around 5 programs. Liberty graduated some top talent including National Champions but also brought in a stellar recruiting class. Thomas More and Apprentice re-loaded their rosters with several key returners. Menlo College will be in a NCAA-transition year along with Vanguard University. Tarleton State will be in their first year with a NCAA-recruited team. Then there are the upstart programs that have made a recent mark such as Washington State, Utah Tech, and Springfield Tech. For the top-25 Men's team (NCWA-D1 and D2 ranked together, click READ MORE).

Hen­son, McEl­ravy Fin­ish Sec­ond at Cougar Open

| Apprentice

DANVILLE, Va. - The Apprentice School men's wrestling program wrapped up their second event of the year Sunday at the Cougar Open with Matthew Henson and David McElravy, Jr. each earning second place finishes to lead the way for the Builders.



Henson started his road to the podium at 184 with a 4-1 decision win over Allen's Jerrel Baskings before a 4-2 win over Bluefield State's Aiden Santos in the quarterfinals. Henson then got a medical forfeit in the semifinals to earn his second place finish. More

Tar­leton State Wrestling Makes Waves at The Viking Open in Oklahoma

| Jim Giunta

Tarleton State University made a strong statement at this weekend's Viking Open, hosted by Carl Albert College in Poteau, Oklahoma. Competing against a talented field in their first season under coaches Grant Leeth and Dalton Brady, Tarleton’s wrestlers claimed impressive individual victories and clinched second place overall with 112.5 points. They finished just behind North Eastern Oklahoma, who led the team scores with 124 points.

Navy transfer Zach Espalin dominated the 133-pound bracket with an undefeated 4-0 record, taking home the title in his weight class. True freshman Finn Shephard turned in an outstanding performance, winning five matches against 0 losses in a tough 32-man bracket at 165 pounds, securing another championship for Tarleton.

Other notable performances came from 184 lb Laird Borbon 5-1 with a solid second place finish ,141 pound

NCWA Wom­en’s Wrestling Membership Explodes

| NCWA

The National Collegiate Wrestling Association is seeing unprecedented growth in its women’s wrestling division. Since introducing a national championship for women in 2007 with just seven teams, the NCWA has expanded to 86 schools now sponsoring women’s wrestling programs. This season alone, 27 new programs joined, adding to last year's total of 59 teams.

The surge highlights a rising demand for women’s wrestling opportunities in collegiate athletics. The NCWA’s steady commitment to supporting and promoting women’s wrestling is paying off as the sport continues to grow nationwide. This years Nationals will be expanded from a two day event to three days with competition beginning Thursday March 13th 2025. With a vibrant community of 86 schools, NCWA women’s wrestling is primed for an exciting year.

Teams to watch this season include Washington State, Ottawa University Arizona, Utah Tech, Tarleton State in Texas, and Liberty University in Virginia—all strong contenders likely to vie for the national championship title. With these powerhouse programs, the race for this year’s championship promises some of the most intense competition in women's wrestling nationwide.

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