The Big Ten Conference is hosting their 2025 Wrestling Championships at Northwestern University this Saturday and Sunday, March 8-9. The Big Ten is the deepest conference in NCAA D1 wrestling and this year’s championship tournament will be the largest concentration of wrestling talent you’ll find outside of the NCAA Championship. 

Wrestling begins Saturday morning at 11:00 AM Eastern, while the semifinals are slated for 8:00 PM. The finals will be held on Sunday at 5:30 PM. You can stream every mat with a BTN Plus subscription while all championship side rounds will be broadcast on the Big Ten Network. 

The complete schedule of events can be found here. 

You can find our preview of the first five weights here, in a far superior article by the inimitable Jon Kozak. 

All the pre-seeds at every weight class for the Big Ten Championships can be found here. 

Below are the previews plus predictions for the weight classes at the Big Ten Championships between 165 and 285 pounds. Pre-seeds are in (parentheses), national rankings are preceded by a #hashtag.

165 Pounds - 9 Allocations

(1) #1 Mitchell Mesenbrink (Penn State)

(2) #2 Mike Caliendo (Iowa)

(3) #13 Christopher Minto (Nebraska)

(4) #14 Beau Mantanona (Michigan)

(5) #15 Andrew Sparks (Minnesota)

(6) #16 Braeden Scoles (Illinois)

(7) #18 Tyler Lillard (Indiana)

(7) #17 Maxx Mayfield (Northwestern)

(9) #12 Paddy Gallagher (Ohio State)

(10) #28 Anthony White (Rutgers)

(11) Stoney Buell (Purdue)

(12) Alex Uryniak (Maryland)

(13) Cody Goebel (Wisconsin)

(14) Jay Nivison (Michigan State)

The Favorite

• Mitchell Mesenbrink (Penn State)

Mesenbrink has been text-book “next topic” so far this year. He’s got a 100% bonus rate and tech-falled the #2 ranked wrestler in the weight class. The sophomore from Wisconsin and transfer from California Baptist will be the prohibitive favorite to win his second consecutive Big Ten Championship. 

Watch Mesenbrink beat Dean Hamiti to win the 2024 Big Ten title:

Contenders

• Mike Caliendo (Iowa)
• Paddy Gallagher (Ohio State)
• Christopher Minto (Nebraska)
• Beau Mantanona (Michigan)
• Andrew Sparks (Minnesota)
• Braeden Scoles (Illinois)
• Maxx Mayfield (Northwestern)
• Tyler Lillard (Indiana)

With nine allocations, every Big Ten wrestler ranked in the top 20 will be favored to qualify for the 2025 NCAAs at Big Tens. 

North Dakota State transfer and two-time All-American Caliendo will be heavily favoried to make the finals but after that there’s a log jam of seven wrestlers all ranked between 12 and 18 who will be battling it out for Big Ten placements and NCAA seeds. 

Sleepers and Landmines

• Anthony White (Rutgers)
• Jay Nivison (Michigan State)

White is ranked in the top 33 but will have to steal a spot from someone else if he wants to qualify for the NCAAs by Sunday. However, he’ll likely get an at-large invite if he finished 11th, one spot away from qualifying.

Nivison is a tough former NCAA qualifier who transferred from Buffalo as a graduate student. 

Predictions

It’s hard to see anything but Mesenbrink over Caliendo in the finals. After that I’m basically throwing darts at a board. 

1. Mesenbrink, PSU
2. Caliendo, Iowa
3. Gallagher, tOSU
4. Mantanona, Michigan

174 Pounds - 8 Allocations

(1) #2 Levi Haines (Penn State)

(2) #4 Carson Kharchla (Ohio State)

(3) #11 Lenny Pinto (Nebraska)

(4) #7 Patrick Kennedy (Iowa)

(5) #21 Clayton Whiting (Minnesota)

(6) #22 Jackson Turley (Rutgers)

(7) #23 Danny Braunagel (Illinois)

(8) #24 Brody Baumann (Purdue)

(9) Lucas Condon (Wisconsin)

(10) #31 Derek Gilcher (Indiana)

(11) #32 Joseph Walker (Michigan)

(12) Branson John (Maryland)

(13) Ceasar Garza (Michigan State)

(14) Aiden Vandenbush (Northwestern)

The Favorite

• Levi Haines (Penn State)

Two-time finalist and 2024 157lb NCAA champs Haines has not been quite as dominant up at 174 as he was last season at 157, nor as dominant as his teammate Mitchell Mesenbrink, but he is 9-0 in the Big Ten and has wins over the next two most highly ranked challengers, Carson Kharchla and Patrick Kennedy. 

Kharchla wrestled him close in a February dual, forcing Haines to dig deep and complete a come-from-behind 6-4 victory, but this is still Haines’ tournament to lose, which would give him three Big Ten titles in a row.  

Watch Haines secure the dub against Kharchla this season:

Contenders

• Carson Kharchla (Ohio State)
• Patrick Kennedy (Iowa)
• Lenny Pinto (Nebraska)
• Clayton Whiting (Minnesota)
• Jackson Turley (Rutgers)
• Danny Braunagel (Illinois)
• Brody Baumann (Purdue)

The aforementioned Kharchla perhaps showed the blueprint for dethroned Haines, the no-so-secret strategy of taking Haines down and then (hopefully) not getting taken down yourself. Still, six Big Ten opponents have held Haines to a regular decision, so this weight class is perhaps more closely bunched than some think. We might see a little Big Ten chaos in this bracket!

High flyers like Turley, Whiting and Pinto are certainly capable of hitting home runs in big matches. Braunagel, Baumann and Kennedy are more on the brawler side of the wrestling-style spectrum but are still capable of gutting out upsets.

Iowa fans and Big Ten watchers had some extra drama to consider at this weight as the Hawkeye postseason starter wasn’t known officially until pre-seeds were released on Wednesday. Senior Nelson Brands was the other potential starter but by Wednesday afternoon the wrestling community saw it would be Kennedy getting the nod. 

Sleepers and Landmines

• Derek Gilcher (Indiana)
• Branson John (Maryland)

Gilcher is a 2023 national qualifier that is still getting back to full strength after taking a medical redshirt last season. John showed his mettle by holding Haines to a regular decision in a February dual. 

Predictions

Can Kharchla get to the finals and then get revenge on Haines? Can anyone else stop Haines’ march to a title? I’m saying no, but it’s possible!

1. Haines, PSU
2. Kharchla, tOSU
3. Pinto, Nebraska
4. Kennedy, Iowa

184 Pounds - 8 Allocations

(1) #1 Carter Starocci (Penn State)

(2) #4 Max McEnelly (Minnesota)

(3) #6 Silas Allred (Nebraska)

(4) #7 Gabe Arnold (Iowa)

(5) #9 Jaxon Smith (Maryland)

(6) #11 Edmond Ruth (Illinois)

(7) #15 Shane Cartagena-Walsh (Rutgers)

(8) #16 Ryder Rogotzke (Ohio State)

(9) DJ Washington (Indiana)

(10) Jaden Bullock (Michigan)

(11) Jon Halvorsen (Northwestern)

(12) Lucas Daly (Michigan State)

(13) Orlando Cruz (Purdue)

(14) Dylan Russo (Wisconsin)

The Favorite

• Carter Starocci (Penn State)

I assume very few people reading this preview don’t know Starocci’s story, but, just in case you don’t: Carter is already a four-time NCAA champ and is using his extra covid year of eligibility to try and win an unprecedented fifth individual national championship. 

Starocci hasn’t lost since the 2021 Big Ten Championships when he was derailed by Michael Kemerer. Starocci would avenge that loss in the NCAA finals and hasn’t dropped a bout since, except for two medical forfeits at the 2024 Big Tens. Carter was injured in the final dual of the 2024 season but he said forget that noise and won a fourth NCAA championship anyway.  

Watch Starocci beat Rocco Welsh in the finals of the 2024 finals:

Contenders

• Max McEnelly (Minnesota)
• Silas Allred (Nebraska)
• Gabe Arnold (Iowa)
• Jaxon Smith (Maryland)
• Edmond Ruth (Illinois)
• Shane Cartagena-Walsh (Rutgers)
• Ryder Rogotzke (Ohio State)

There was lineup drama for the Hawkeyes at 184 as well, as true freshman Angelo Ferarri had just beaten #3 Dustin Plott in the last dual of the season and many were speculating that Ferarri would get his redshirt pulled. But in the end it was always going to be Arnold, and the world found out the answer to who would get the postseason nod also on Wednesday when the pre-seeds came out. 

The presence of Arnold as the #4 seed sets up a highly anticipated matchup between Starocci and Arnold in the semis. Redshirt freshman phenom McEnelly vs 2023 Big Ten Champ Allred is another fire semifinal bout we should see. 

But don’t sleep on Smith or Ruth, who have shown flashes of brilliance throughout their careers, or Cartagena-Walsh, who won the spot from Rutgers teammate Brian Soldano late in the season, nor Rogotzke, who wrestles like an absolute mad man. 

Sleepers and Landmines

• DJ Washington (Indiana)
• Jon Halvorsen (Northwestern)

Washington is a U20 world teamer who has always been an extremely dangerous opponent in the bracket. Halvorsen is a sixth-year season looking to finally have a breakthrough performance. With eight bids and eight ranked wrestlers in the field, anyone looking to auto-qualify is probably going to have to upset someone to do it. 

Predictions

Some of the most anticipated matchups could come from this bracket, and it’s highly unlikely everything goes chalk, but it’s also even more unlikely that anything else besides chalk plays out, so that’s what I’m picking: chalk!

1. Starocci, PSU
2. McEnelly, Minnesota
3. Allred, Nebraska
4. Arnold, Iowa

197 Pounds - 10 Allocations

(1) #1 Stephen Buchanan (Iowa)

(2) #2 Josh Barr (Penn State)

(3) #3 Jacob Cardenas (Michigan)

(4) #9 Isaiah Salazar (Minnesota)

(5) #12 Zac Braunagel (Illinois)

(6) #20 Camden McDanel (Nebraska)

(7) #19 Evan Bates (Northwestern)

(8) #21 Gabe Sollars (Indiana)

(9) #22 Seth Shumate (Ohio State)

(10) #23 Remy Cotton (Michigan State)

(11) #33 Ben Vanadia (Purdue)

(12) Chase Mielnik (Maryland)

(13) PJ Casale (Rutgers)

(14) Niccolo Colluci (Wisconsin)

The Favorites

• Stephen Buchanan (Iowa)
• Josh Barr (Penn State)
• Jacob Cardenas (Michigan)

Finally, we get to pluralize the Favorite(s) category! 

Redshirt freshman Josh Barr has been a revelation at 197 for Penn State, moving up from 184 where he was last year as a true freshman on redshirt. Barr's big moment came when he beat two-time All-American and fellow contender Jacob Cardenas in a dual meet. Cardenas, a grad transfer from Cornell, has been lights out against everyone else this year except Barr, who he lost to in overtime tiebreakers. 

Buchanan, a grad transfer from Oklahoma by way of Wyoming, has a spotless record having vanquished all of his opponents this season, including Barr 4-1. He has yet to wrestle Cardenas, however, and Buchanan hasn’t quite separated himself enough to warrant crowding out the other two favorites from the category. 

However – spoiler alert – I’m still picking Buchanan to win this bracket. 

Watch Buchanan defeat Barr in this season's dual meet:

Contenders

• Isaiah Salazar (Minnesota)
• Zac Braunagel (Illinois)
• Evan Bates (Northwestern)
• Camden McDanel (Nebraska)
• Gabe Sollars (Indiana)
• Seth Shumate (Ohio State)
• Remy Cotton (Michigan State)

Isaiah “Salad Bar” Salazar, or Isaiah Salazar’s Endless Salad Bar, as I prefer to call him, has the strongest claim among the rest of the competitors to be included in the 'favorites' section. The senior is up at 197 this season, having spent the past four seasons at 184, yet was still able to hold Barr and Cardenas to regular decisions, something few other opponents have been able to do. 

Braunagel is not far behind Salazar in credentials, while after that I expect a dog fight in the consolation rounds with the rest of the ranked wrestlers. 

Sleepers and Landmines

• Ben Vanadia (Purdue)
• PJ Casale (Rutgers)

There is an NCAA bid for all the Big Ten 197-pounders with a top 20, but no more, which means #33 Vanadia or Casale, who assumed the starting role for Rutgers very late in the season, or the rest of the bracket will need to steal a bid to punch a ticket to Philly this weekend. 

Predictions

These semifinals should be absolutely tremendous, and I wish I had the courage to pick something other than chalk, but (spoiler alert) I don’t. 

1. Buchanan, Iowa
2. Barr, PSU
3. Cardenas, Michigan
4. Salazar, Minnesota

285 Pounds - 10 Allocations

(1) #1 Gable Steveson (Minnesota)

(2) #2 Greg Kerkvliet (Penn State)

(3) #7 Joshua Heindselman (Michigan)

(4) #8 Nick Feldman (Ohio State)

(5) #10 Luke Luffman (Illinois)

(5) #9 Yaraslau Slavikouski (Rutgers)

(7) #11 Ben Kueter (Iowa)

(8) #19 Jacob Bullock (Indiana)

(9) #12 Seth Nevills (Maryland)

(10) Hayden Filipovich (Purdue)

(11) #28 Harley Andrews (Nebraska)

(12) #33 Max Vanadia (Michigan State)

(13) Dirk Morley (Northwestern)

(14) Gannon Rosenfeld (Wisconsin)

The Favorite

• Gable Steveson (Minnesota)

Olympic gold medalist Gable Steveson is a generational talent, hence he stands alone in the favorites category. I mean this with absolutely, positively zero disrespect to any of the other heavyweights in the field, but the only question in my mind for Steveson is how much he wants to push himself in these matches. He may have a close bout or two on the scoreboard but I don’t think he is going to be challenged in many positions. However, I’m also happy to be proven wrong and get some drama in his matches!

I know it's a freestyle bout but is anybody really going to complain that I'm dropping Gable's gold medal-winning bout here now? What a classic.

Contenders

• Greg Kerkvliet (Penn State)
• Joshua Heindselman (Michigan)
• Nick Feldman (Ohio State)
• Yaraslau Slavikouski (Rutgers)
• Luke Luffman (Illinois)
• Ben Kueter (Iowa)
• Seth Nevills (Maryland)
• Jacob Bullock (Indiana)

2024 NCAA champs Kerkvliet stands out by a good distance from the rest of the contenders. There’s a clear gap between him and Gable (in my mind anyway) and then another, perhaps larger gap, between him and the rest of the field. Kerk and Steveson haven’t met yet this year, which means Kerkvliet is on a 36 bout winning streak spanning nearly two full calendar years. 

Heindselman, Slavikouski and Nevills, to their credit, all held Kerkvliet to a regular decision in matches late in the season, and they have reason to be included in the contenders field. 

Additionally, Feldman beat Luffman, Luffman beat Kueter, and Kueter beat Feldman, so those guys are all on close to equal levels with other other aforementioned contenders, with Bullock just outside that tier but still favored to earn an NCAA bid. 

Sleepers and Landmines

• Hayden Filipovich (Purdue)
• #28 Harley Andrews (Nebraska)
• #33 Max Vanadia (Michigan State)

With 10 allocations, there’s a good chance the final 10th bid to the NCAAs will be fought over by one of these three wrestlers, with Filipovich earning the #10 seed but with Andrews and Vanadia earning a national ranking while Filipovich is on the bubble. 

Predictions

The first two spots are easy to figure. The next two I’m far less confident on!

1. Steveson, Minnesota
2. Kerkvliet, PSU
3. Feldman, tOSU
4. Kueter, Iowa

We’ll see how it all goes down in Evanston, Illinois soon!