When it has been one or the other for every year since 1994, it starts to become inconceivable.

But a little more than 24 hours before the Division III NCAA wrestling championships begin at Amica Mutual Pavilion in Providence, R.I., 2025 could be the season.

Will somebody finally dethrone the Augsburg-Wartburg death grip on the National Championship trophy?

A year after one of the closest races and where Augsburg captured its second consecutive title to match Wartburg with 15 overall crowns, the gap between the Burgs and the rest of the field has narrowed significantly.

Between Augsburg and Wartburg, the Auggies and Knights have just one wrestler seeded #1, two-time 197-pound champion Massoma Endene.

The parity at this year’s championships is perhaps greater than ever. 

Ithaca College won the D3 title in 1994. That’s the last time a team other than Augsburg or Wartburg won the Division III crown.

Why Wisconsin-La Crosse Should Be Favored

For the first time in history and after eight second place finishes in the regional format, Wisconsin-La Crosse captured its first regional title when it beat Augsburg two weeks ago with 192.5 points — 5.5 more than the Auggies — inside Augsburg’s Si Melby Hall.

The Eagles crowned four champions, the most in school history, and they lead all teams at the championships with nine qualifiers.

UWL is matched only by Johnson & Wales with six seeded wrestlers, including top-seeded Michael Douglas at 285, where he took second last year.

Douglas, Ben Kawczynski and 2024 national runner-up Tyler Goebel give the Eagles three returning All-Americans, and former Wisconsin four-time high school champion and North Dakota State transfer Tanner Gerber gives UWL another potential finalist. He is seeded second at 165.

Sam Lorenz at 141 and Marcus Orlandoni at 184 are also seeded.

Why The Host School Could Win

Johnson & Wales should and could be 1B with La Crosse the 1A as title favorites.

The Wildcats have six seeded wrestlers, including two-time champion Joziah Fry at 125.

Johnson and Wales also has two #2 seeds — freshman Peyton Ellis at 133 and Hayden Brown at 149. Three potential finalists could produce a lot of points.

Additionally, Jordan Eckerle is seeded seventh at 141, Jack Richardson sixth at 165 and past All-American Dylan Harr is seeded seventh at 197.

With most likely a huge home crowd advantage, the Wildcats could channel that energy into a big weekend.

Why The Burgs Could Continue Their Grip On The D3 Title 

Augsburg, with five seeded wrestlers, including four seeded fourth or better, finds ways to win titles, and the Auggies have shown in past national championships it can rack up bonus point wins at a ridiculous pace. This season, the Auggies’ eight national qualifiers have combined for 105 bonus wins, including 45 falls.  

Augsburg has five seeded wrestlers, but its highest seeds are Cooper Willis and Brandt Bombard, third at 165 and 184, respectively.

Wartburg has the closest thing to a sure thing with Endene at 197, but of the Knights’ six qualifiers only Kasey Ross (#2 at 184) and All-American Kyler Romero (#6 at 149) are seeded.

The Knights, who saw potential All-American threats James Levy and then-#1 Charlie Dojan go down with season-ending knee injuries at the NWCA duals, will need their unseeded wrestlers to have big weekends to be a threat.

Three-Timers?

Johnson & Wales junior Joziah Fry at 125 and Wartburg College’s Massoma Endene at 197 will each chase their third NCAA titles this weekend. Fry has never lost to a Division III wrestler and carries a career mark of 107-1 into the tournament. Endene has not lost since his freshman season and is 71-1 in his career. Both are top seeds at their respective weights.

Champs Returning 

In addition to Fry and Endene, Chase Randall of Coast Guard is the top seed at 133 as will look to defend his crown, and two-time national finalist and reigning 174-pound champion Jared Stricker of UW-Eau Claire is the top seed at that weight. Nathan Lackman of Alvernia won at 165 in 2023 and is seeded third at 174. Greensboro’s Josh Wilson is back to defend at 141 and is #1, and Nick Sacco of The College of New Jersey is unseeded at 165 after winning at that weight last year. 

Moving On Up 

Several national runners-up from 2024 are also back in the field. Christian Guzman of North Central is the 2 seed behind Fry at 125, Jaden Hinton of Baldwin Wallace is seeded fifth at 133, Jacob Reed of Ohio Northern is the 2 at 141, Tyler Goebel of Wisconsin-LaCrosse moves up from 149 and is seeded seventh at 157, Matthew Lackman of Alvernia, second at 165 in 2023, is seeded #1 at 165, and Michael Douglas of La Crosse is the #1 seed at 285.

He’s Back

For the third time in his career, Ferrum College’s Zach Beckner is back in the championship field. He is an interesting fact: He was the national runner-up at 125 in 2017. He won his second regional title earlier this month. He returned to Ferrum during the 2023-24 season after taking a few years off wrestling. He is the third seed at 125.