Breaking Down WIN’s Rankings: 149 & 197 pounds

The start of the 2024-25 NCAA wrestling season is less than a month away and WIN Magazine is taking a closer look at its preseason NCAA Div. I individual rankings.

This includes 149 and 197 pounds, respectively, where Virginia Tech’s Caleb Henson returns as a defending champ and Stephen Buchanan starts his first season at Iowa after first wrestling at Wyoming and Oklahoma.

To view a complete list of WIN’s preseason rankings, click here or call 888-305-0606 to subscribe to WIN Magazine.

149  pounds                                                                                                                                     

Two years after graduating from Woodland High School in Cartersville, Ga., this Hokie has already earned two All-American honors; highlighted by his 2024 NCAA championship over Austin Gomez of Michigan as a No. 4 seed last March. One year earlier, Henson claimed fifth in 2023 despite getting upset in the second round. In that tourney, he came back to win five of six wrestlebacks. Overall, his career mark is 57-7.

This Nittany Lion is back in the lineup after the 2023 All-American sat out last year. Two years earlier, the native of Somerville, N.J., surprised many when he claimed third place as a No. 12 seed in that national tourney, where his only setback came in the semis to Cornell’s eventual champ Yianni Diakomihalis. Otherwise, he finished 24-7 and had wins over higher seeds Paniro Johnson (Iowa State), Caleb Henson (Va. Tech) and Kyle Parco (now with Iowa).

This Mountaineer also had a dominant true freshman campaign last winter, when this native of Imperial, Pa., compiled a 25-6 record, won a Big 12 championship, then finished fourth at the NCAAs where he defeated Stanford’s Jaden Abas in the R12 and Kyle Parco (now with Iowa) in the consolation semis.

The four-time All-American and native of Danville, Calif., actually started his career at Fresno State, where he finished sixth in 2021. But when FSU dropped its program, he headed to Tempe, Ariz., where he added three more AA honors: eighth in 2022, fourth in 2023 and fifth last March when he reached the semis as a No. 2 seed. Overall, his career record is 103-20.

The two-time All-American had his best of four NCAA tourney berths in 2022 when he reached the finals before losing to Cornell’s Yianni Diakomihali. After taking a redshirt in 2023, the native of Post Falls, Idaho, settled for sixth place as a No. 1 seed in KC last March when he got upset by eventual champ Henson of Virginia Tech. Lovett also qualified for the 2020 and 2021 NCAAs and has compiled a 75-19 career mark.

An immediate starter as a true freshman in 2022-23, the native of Sidman, Pa., has compiled a 43-14 record and qualified for each of the last two NCAAs but missed AA status by one match each year by losing in the bloodround. Last year as a No. 3 seed, he reached the quarterfinals before dropping two bouts. His biggest win last winter came against Tech’s Caleb Henson (4-1 sv) in the ACC championships.

As one of three Lamer brothers — joining Legend and Daschle — from Corvallis, Ore., Chance started his college career at Michigan, where he reached the bloodround in 2023. After transferring to San Luis Obispo, he qualified for a second NCAA and once again fell in the R12 after winning his first two bouts in KC, including second postseason win over Stanford’s Abas. His career mark is 34-16.

This marks the sixth year in Columbus for this native of Curtice, Ohio; a career highlighted by an AA (8^th) honor in 2023 at 141 pounds, when he was seeded No. 17 at the NCAAs. Last season, D’Emilio moved up to 149 and settled for a top-12 placement after losing in SV in the bloodround. In compiling a 72-46 career mark, the Buckeye also qualified for the 2021 and 2022 nationals.

The native of Durant, Okla., is expected to move up to 149 this winter after he returned to his native state redshirting in Minnesota in 2023. In compiling a 17-10 record at 141 pounds for the Cowboys last season, he earned a No. 10 seed in KC but lost both bouts.

The native of Erie, Pa., who could move up to 157, returns to the Cyclone lineup after he was suspended last winter. That came after he made a big splash as a redshirt freshman in 2023 when he won a Big 12 championship at 149 pounds and was seeded No. 5 at the NCAAs where he won his first match. But he lost two bouts and finished the season 17-6.

OTHERS RANKED AT 149 POUNDS

197 pounds

Iowa City marks the third stop for this native of Loyal, Wisc., who spent three years at Wyoming (where he qualified for three NCAAs and claimed two All-American honors, 8^th in 2021 and third in 2022 when he was also a Big 12 champ) before he took a redshirt in 2023 on his way to Oklahoma. While in Norman, Buchanan competed in last year’s nationals, where he once again won the consolation final as the No. 8 seed. His career record is 86-25.

This graduate from Cornell will spend his final season in Ann Arbor, bringing with him three years of NCAA experience and a 70-22 career record. The native of Kearny, N.J., won two All-American honors during his days in Ithaca, claiming eighth in 2023 and fourth last March, when he lost in the second round but battled back with five straight wrestleback wins, including in the R12 over Nebraska’s Silas Allred.

Wrestling without his graduated brother Zach for the first time, the native of Kansas City, Mo., is looking to become the school’s first five-time All-American (with teammate Keegan O’Toole). Since becoming a starter as a true freshman in 2021, Elam finished fifth in 2021, fourth in 2022, third in 2023 and sixth last March when he was seeded No. 12 and reached the semifinals. Overall, his career record is 69-17.

The 2021 NCAA champion from Oklahoma State (then a true freshman) finally found another college home after the native of Allen, Texas, was dropped from the Cowboy program in 2022 because of issues off the mat, then sat out the past two college seasons. Ferrari brings a 29-1 record to Bakersfield, which has not had an All-American since 2014 (Bryce Hammond) and champ since Stephen Neal in 1999.

After redshirting in 2023, this native of native of Sturgis, Ky., became one of the school’s first two All-Americans last March when he finished seventh as a No. 9 seed. In compiling a 25-4 record, Little won a Pac-12 championship and four of five wrestlebacks in KC, including a sudden victory over Binghamton’s Lou Deprez in the bloodround.

This native of Reading, Pa., started his career at Penn State, where he claimed the first of two All-American honors in his career with a seventh-place finish in 2021. After losing his starting spot in 2022, Beard headed east to Bethlehem, Pa., where he qualified for two nationals, reaching the bloodround in 2023 and claiming eighth place last March. Overall, his career record is 70-17 and 52-9 in is two years at Lehigh.

This Gopher is moving up a weight class after he qualified for three NCAAs at 184 pounds, including last March when he reached the semifinals before he claimed sixth as a No. 2 seed. With a career record of 58-15, this native of Greeley, Colo., also qualified for the 2022 NCAAs, before reaching the bloodround in 2023.

This Scarlet Knight is trying recapture the magic that saw the native of Colonia, N.J., earn All-American honors (4^th in 2021) as a true freshman at 184 pounds. Since then, Poznanski also qualified for the 2022 NCAAs (going 2-2) at 184, before he took a redshirt in 2023 and moved up to 197 last season when he lost in the bloodround to Stephen Buchanan. He is 46-13 in his career.

After coming to Lincoln in 2020-21, this native of Anderson, Ind., earned varsity status in 2023 and reached the bloodround in the past two NCAAs. Allred won a Big Ten championship in 2023, when he stunned No. 1 seed Max Dean (Penn State) but then failed to place. Last March, the Husker (51-15 in his career) won his first two bouts in KC, before dropping the next two.

The Hokie first became a starter in 2021, lost his spot in 2022 before returning and qualifying for the last two nationals. That included a Top-12 finish last fall when the native of Christiansburg, Va., and No. 26 seed upset Iowa’s Zach Glazier in the first round

OTHERS RANKED AT 197 POUNDS