The NCAA Wrestling Championships produce a never-ending fountain of dramatic storylines of personal triumph and anguish. One thread of the complicated tapestry of sports and emotion we call the NCAA Tournament that I like to unravel involves following the progress of competitors who have qualified for their final tournament but have yet to earn All-American honors. These wrestlers are the conduits for our vicarious thrills from witnessing an athlete achieve a lifelong goal at the last possible opportunity. 

They're fun guys to follow in the bracket is what I'm saying. 

POST-NCAA UPDATE!

The tournament ended last week, so I'm jumping back into this article to let everyone know how our seniors fared in Philadelphia. 

Below are all the seniors who reached the podium in their final year of eligibility!

4th at 157: Trevor Chumbley, Northwestern

5th at 165: Terrell Barraclough, Utah Valley

5th at 285: Owen Trephan, Lehigh

6th at 133: Connor McGonagle, Virginia Tech

6th at 141: Joshua Koderhandt, Navy

7th at 149: Sammy Alvarez, Rider

7th at 285: Joshua Heindselman, Michigan

8th at 157: Caleb Fish, Oklahoma State

8th at 184: Donnell Washington, Indiana

How They Did It

Chumbley had the best tournament of any of the seniors who had yet to place, advancing all the way to the third-place bout from the #20 seed. The St Charles, Illinois native beat the #4 seed Rafael Hipolito in the second round and future All-American Caleb Fish (who we will mention again shortly) in the quarterfinals to punch his ticket to the semifinals and a guaranteed spot on the podium. 

Barraclough and Trephan both placed fifth as grad transfers, making the podium for their new team after spending five years at their previous institution: Penn State for Barraclough and NC State for Trephan. 

Barraclough lost to Christopher Minto in the quarterfinals but then won a bloodround bout over Nick Hamilton. The Utah native then beat All-Americans Cam Amine and Hunter Garvin in the consolations. Trephan beat Ben Kueter in the quarterfinals to reach the semis and guarantee himself All-American status. 

Connor McGonagle reached the top eight after leaving Lehigh and joining the Hokies. McGonagle was upset by Zan Fugitt in the quarterfinals but bounced back with a bloodround win over All-American Dylan Shawver. 

Navy's Josh Koderhandt pinned his way to the quarterfinals but then fell to Cael Happel. Koderhandt then beat Tagen Jamison in the round of 12 to earn head coach Cary Kolat his second All-American as head coach of the Midshipmen. Danny Wask would later join Koderhandt as a 2025 Navy All-American. 

It took Sammy Alvarez multiple schools (he qualified for the 2020 NCAAs at Rutgers and spent last season at Oklahoma State) and a couple of weight classes (he also wrestled 133 and 141) before finally reaching the promised land at 149lbs while at Rider. Alvarez defeated Jordan Williams in the round of 12. 

Josh Heindselman and Caleb Fish both reached the All-American rounds after switching schools as grad transfers. Heindselman became the second senior heavyweight to AA for the first time. He defeated Luke Luffman, a fellow senior who had yet to AA, in the bloodround. Caleb Fish also beat a senior who had yet to AA, and a former teammate at Michigan State, Chase Saldate, to earn AA honors. 

Finally, Donnell Washington, who didn't qualify for the 2024 tournament, reached the top eight from the #22 seed, the lowest of anyone on this list to AA. Washington beat another All-American, Edmond Ruth, to earn his laurels. 

So Agonizingly Close

Seven other seniors made it all the way to the round of 12 but fell one match shy of earning All-American honors. While they didn't reach their goals, their careers should be celebrated for advancing to the rarified air of the bloodround. 

12th at 133: Angelo Rini, Indiana

12th at 149: Malyke Hines, Lehigh

12th at 157: Tommy Askey, Minnesota

12th at 157: Chase Saldate, Michigan

12th at 165: Julian Ramirez, Cornell

12th at 174: Nick Incontrera, Pennsylvania

12th at 285: Luke Luffman, Illinois

51 other seniors qualified for the NCAAs but failed to find the podium. To those competitors, and everyone else whose collegiate careers have come to an end, we salute you! 

And now back to our regularly scheduled blog post that we published before the tournament began:

Below you will find at least one wrestler per weight who is going for his first All-American honor in his last year of college eligibility. It's fun to root for these guys and I encourage you to do so this weekend!

NCAA seed is listed before each wrestler. Also, quick note that determining eligibility has never been more difficult than it is now so please holler if you notice anything amiss or missing!

125 Pounds

#24 Nick Babin, Pittsburgh

Babin wrestled the first four years of his career at Columbia and is using his final year of eligibility at Pitt as a grad transfer. A native of Emerson, NJ, Babin reached the round of 16 at the 2023 NCAAs but fell just shy of qualifying at the 2024 tourney. 

As the #24 seed and #30 ranked wrestler in his weight class, Nick is a long shot to reach the All-America, but it's 125 so no cause to lose hope yet. 

There are also not many seniors at 125, unsurprisingly, given that it's the lightest weight class and college athletes moving up weights as they age is not uncommon. Other seniors in the 125 bracket in Philly include Indiana's Jacob Moran. Moran has a higher seed than Babin, however, this will be his first NCAAs. It will also be the first national tournament for North Dakota State's senior Tristan Daugherty. 

Additionally, Jett Strickenberger of West Virginia is the #6 seed and is listed as a senior but it appears he will still have one more year of eligibility. 

133 Pounds

#6 Connor McGonagle, Virginia Tech

McGonagle's career started at Lehigh with a fortuitous redshirt during the 2020 season. The New Hampshire native qualified for the next two NCAA tournaments (both times at 141lbs) but failed to advance past the round of 32. Injuries hampered McGonagle's 2024 season and he was unable to qualify for NCAAs. The following season, teammate Ryan Crookham took over the 133 spot in the Mountain Hawk lineup and McGonagle did not start. 

Connor transferred to Virginia Tech in the offseason where he has thrived. His 15-1 record and ACC title earned him the #6 seed and the #8 ranking, setting himself up nicely for one final run at the podium, though we can expect a dogfight early in the tourney with an expected second-round bout with #11 seed Evan Frost of Iowa State.

Ryan Miller of Penn, Angelo Rini of Indiana, and Kurt Phipps of Bucknell are three more seniors who have all qualified for multiple NCAAs in the past and are looking to finally break through to the final eight. They're all seeded between 16 and 25 but they should absolutely not be countered out in Philadelphia. 

141 Pounds

#4 Josh Koderhandt, Navy

Koderhandt will be participating in his fourth consecutive NCAA Championship. The Bellville, Illinois native went 1-2 at the 2022 NCAAs and 0-2 in 2023, though he reached the round of 12 in 2024, dropping a decision to Brock Hardy to fall one match shy of the podium. With the four seed, Koderhandt will be a heavy favorite to reach the quarterfinals in Philadelphia where he'll have a tough bout on his hands with his expected opponent, the #5 seed, Cael Happel of UNI. 

If Koderhandt drops into the consolation bracket from the semis and all seeds hold, his expected bloodround opponent would be the #10 seed, CJ Composto of UPenn. If he beats Happel, however, he will become the second All-American during head coach Cary Kolat's tenure at the Naval Academy. 

Senior 141-pounders Dylan Cedeno, Todd Carter, Shannon Hanna, Danny Pucino and Mosha Schwartz have also qualified for NCAAs in the past without reaching the podium. 

It's possible (likely?) that this is UVA's senior and Southern Scuffle champ Dylan Cedeno's final opportunity to AA.

149 Pounds

#10 Colin Realbuto, Northern Iowa

Realbuto took a circuitous path to his final season in Cedar Falls, Iowa. The New York native began his career at Brown University where he did not wrestle in the 2019 postseason. He then fortuitously deferred eligibility during the 2020 season. The following season he was at UNI but did not start in the postseason. 

In 2022, Realbuto qualified for the NCAAs and reached the round of 16, the furthest of his career so far. In 2023 Colin went 1-2 at NCAAs, and last season Realbuto donned a redshirt and did not take the mat. 

In Philly, Realbuto will be the slight underdog in the second round bout with an expected opponent of Kannon Webster, but an upset isn't out of the question, nor a deep run in the consolation rounds. 

Additionally, Senior Sammy Alvarez of Rider by way of Oklahoma State and Rutgers has had a long collegiate career. Somewhat shockingly this will be the first and only NCAA tournament in which he will take the mat (Alvarez also qualified in 2020). Malyke Hines of Lehigh, on the other hand, has competed in the last four NCAAs already, reaching the round of 12 in 2023. 

Rutgers' Andrew Clark is one-time NCAA qualifier who may or may not have one more year of eligibility. 

157 Pounds

#12 Caleb Fish, Oklahoma State

Caleb Fish started the season in redshirt, expecting to use his final year of eligibility in 2026. However, an injury to Teague Travis, who started the season at 157 but has since healed up and moved down to 149, pressed him into service this season. This is after Fish spent the last four seasons at Michigan State at 165 pounds. 

The move to Stillwater and to 157 has worked out for the Eaton Rapids, Michigan native, though Fish will still be a minor underdog to make the medal round after drawing the #12 seed. Fish is only seeded to match his previous best of a bloodround finish, which he accomplished in 2023, but his 2024-25 results after a year in the Cowboy wrestling room is cause for optimism. 

Johnny Lovett of Central Michigan and Chase Saldate of Michigan by way of Michigan State have both finished in the bloodround, agonizingly close to All-American status. They'll make their final attempt at the record books with the #15 and #23 seed, respectively. 

Cobe Siebrecht and Trevor Chumbley are two more former qualifiers headed to their final collegiate wrestling tournament. Tommy Askey of UNC by way of App State is another wrestler whose eligibility status is unclear to me. Askey may be in his final year of eligibility and his highest previous finish was the round of 12 last year. 

165 Pounds

#4 Terrell Barraclough, Utah Valley

Barraclough has never qualified for an NCAA tournament before, but that's not because he didn't have the wrestling chops, it's because he was stuck behind Penn State All-Americans Brady Berge and Levi Haines the last four years. Barraclough transferred back to his home state of Utah and the Utah Valley Wolverine wrestling program this offseason and the results have been spectacular, with Terrell earning both the #4 seed and a #4 ranking. Barraclough will be a favorite to make the quarterfinals where he'll likely have a match up with Julian Ramirez, who just so happens to be the next wrestler we're about to talk about. 

#5 Julian Ramirez, Cornell

Ramirez has the dubious distinction of having the most impressive resume of anyone on this list, having finished in the round of 12 the last three seasons. The Florida native is hoping to pull a George DiCamillo, who repped UVA in the 2017 NCAA finals after getting stopped in the bloodround in the three previous years. 

Ramirez's path to the podium will likely go through the aforementioned Barraclough in the quarters or a bloodround match with either Hunter Garvin or, incidentally, the next wrestler about whom we'll discuss. 

#10 Andrew Sparks, Minnesota

Sparks is the third top 10-seeded senior wrestler at 165 who has yet to medal. The California native has been to three previous tournaments, making the round of 24 twice in 2023 and 2024. Sparks isn't in the same quarter as Ramirez and Barraclough but if he loses to #7 Hunter Garvin his path in the consis goes through the loser of Barraclough and Ramirez's quarterfinal bout. Hopefully, all three of these seniors can find their way to a Saturday match but sometimes the bracket gods don't cooperate!

Maxx Mayfield, Jack Thomsen, and Joseph Bianchi have also qualified in the past and are still seeking their first AA honors. 

174 Pounds

#10 Alex Cramer, Central Michigan

Cramer, one of the few former Old Dominion wrestlers still competing (RIP Monarch wrestling), found a home in Mount Pleasant, Michigan after ODU shut their program down. A native of Grayslake, Illinois, Cramer will have a solid opportunity to be the first CMU AA since Drew Hildebrant in 2021 and the last ODU AA in history. 

Additionally, Gaven Sax of Oklahoma by way of North Dakota State reached the round of 12 in 2024, his last season with the Thundering Herd. While Nick Incontrera of UPenn has been to three previous NCAAs, all with the Quakers, his highest finish was last year in the round of 16. 

Finally, Josh Ogunsanya of UNC by way of Columbia may or may not be done after this season.

184 Pounds

#9 Reece Heller, Pittsburgh

Heller has reached the end of his sixth and final collegiate season and his third and final season at Pittsburgh. The Riverwoods, Illinois native spent three seasons at Hofstra before transferring to Pittsburg. Heller qualified for the last two NCAAs as a Panther, reaching the round of 24 on both occasions. As the nine seed he's slated for a second-round bout against Jaxon Smith of Maryland. A win there would likely mean a bout with Carter Starocci. A loss to Starocci would have Heller just one win away from AA territory, but a costly loss to Smith would put Heller three wins away from an All-American honor. 

#13 Evan Bockman, Iowa State

Bockman's career started back in 2019 with a redshirt season at Cal Baptist. In 2020 Bockman used a medical redshirt, and in the free year of 2021 Bockman did not start in the postseason. The Anchorage, Alaska native then transferred to Utah Valley where he qualified for three consecutive NCAAs, making the round of 24 in the last two seasons. 

Additionally, Donnell Washington of Indiana has qualified for three NCAAs in the past, with his high water mark coming in 2023 with a round of 16 finish. Maximus Hall of Penn has also qualified for one past tournament. 

197 Pounds

#8 Luke Surber, Oklahoma State

Surber has been a stalwart in the Cowboy lineup over the last four years. The Tuttle, Oklahoma native started his career in Stillwater with a redshirt season in 2021. In 2022 he qualified for NCAAs at heavyweight. The next two years he was at the Big Dance at 197, where his best finish was in the round of 16 in 2023. This season Surber will have his best seed yet by a significant margin, hoping for one last good ride, cowboy. 

#9 Zac Braunagel, Illinois

Zac Braunagel, of the wrestling Braunagels of Belleville, Illinois, began his career in Champaign, Illinois in 2019. Two redshirt seasons (one of the Olympic variety) and four qualifications for the NCAA Tournament (two of them resulting in bloodround finishes) and Zac is finally headed to the last tournament of his college career. The expected second-round matchup between him and the recently discussed Surber could be the difference between one becoming an All-American and one missing out yet again. 

There's another handful of seniors with previous NCAA experience still looking for their first AA at 197. Luke Stout of Pittsburg has the #11 seed and a #17 ranking. Zach Glazier of South Dakota State by way of Iowa is the #14 seed and a #16 ranking. 

Andy Smith of Virginia Tech is the #19 seed. The Virginia native finished in the round of 12 last year. Mickey O'Malley of Drexel also has a bloodround finish on his resume. He accomplished that feat in 2022 at 174lbs. 

Finally, seniors Nick Stemmet of Stanford and Levi Hopkins of Campbell also have tournament experience. 

285 Pounds

#4 Owen Trephan, Lehigh

Trephan did not take the most conventional route to the #4 seed at the 2025 NCAA Championships. Originally from Summerville, South Carolina, Trephan attended Blair Academy, then spent the next five years in Raliegh, North Carolina with the Wolfpack. Trephan qualified for the 2023 and 2024 NCAAs, reaching the round of 16 and 24, respectively, but this season teammate Isaac Trumble bumped up from 197 and won the starting job for NC State. That resulted in a mid-semester transfer to Lehigh, where Trephan was eligible to compete varsity in the second semester. A dual win over Cohlton Schultz and an EIWA title later and now Trephan has the highest seed of any Mountain Hawk in Philadelphia. Trephan will likely have to get by Iowa's Ben Keuter in the quarterfinals to guarantee himself an All-American honor by Friday afternoon. If not, he'll have to win a bloodround bout Friday night. 

#6 Joshua Heindselman, Michigan

Heindselman also did not have a typical journey for a college wrestler sitting with the #6 seed at NCAAs. The Piedmont, Oklahoma native spent the past five seasons at Oklahoma University, where he qualified for four NCAA tournaments for the Sooners. Heindselman's highest finish was in the bloodround last season, where Nick Feldman denied him a podium step. Heindselman transferred to Michigan in the offseason, a program with an incredible pedigree at heavyweight, and promptly had the best season of his career (although 2024 was pretty good as well). As the #6 seed, Heindselman will likely see Greg Kerkvliet in the quarterfinals. A loss would mean Heindselman would need a bloodround win against one wrestler from a quarter of the bracket that includes Cohlton Schultz, Yaraslu Slavikouski, or the next wrestler in our article. 

#8 Luke Luffman, Illinois

Luffman has spent the past six years at the University of Illinois. He qualified for the 2021 and 2022 seasons but was not in the postseason lineup for a variety of reasons during three of the other years. This year the Urbana, Illinois native put together his most impressive season yet, which resulted in the best seed of his career. Just like Heindselman, however, Luffman will have to run the gauntlet to find his way to the podium. 

There's a sizable collection of additional seniors who have yet to AA in the heavyweight division this season. Seth Nevills of Maryland by way of Penn State has the #13 seed. Jake Andrews of CSU-Bakersfield is the #17 seed. 

Coming in with the #19 seed is Binghamton's anchor Cory Day. Jacob Bullock of Indiana by way of Old Dominion has the #21 seed (he could, like Alex Cramer, become the last ODU AA in history). Sam Mitchell of Wyoming by way of Buffalo has the #32 seed. 

Finally, with the #23 seed, Cleveland State's Daniel Bucknavich will be the fan favorite for numerous reasons, chief among them being that Cleveland State has announced that they will be shuttering their program at the end of the season and Bucknavich is the only CSU Viking qualified for the 2025 NCAAs. 

Before we go, below are all the wrestlers in their final year of eligibility we could find, as well as all their previous results and their 2025 seeds. As mentioned, determining eligibility can be quite the task so please let us know if we missed anyone or if there are any errors in the data that need correcting!

*NQ = National Qualifier; MRS = Medical Redshirt; ORS = Olympic Redshirt; DNQ = Did Not Qualify; DNS = Did Not Start; DNW = Did Not Wrestle

Good luck to all the seniors looking for their first podium appearance!