WIN’s 2025 NCAA DI Weight Class Preview: 149
Photo: Returning NCAA champion Caleb Henson of Virginia Tech remains undefeated heading into the 2025 NCAA DI Championships. Photo by Sam Janicki.
The following is a look at WIN’s top 149-pound contenders before the 2025 NCAA DI Championships commence in Philadelphia March 20-22.
*Note the rankings and records were last updated prior to the NCAA-qualifying tournaments. For WIN’s final TPI and individual ranks, click here.
1. Caleb Henson, Virginia Tech, Jr., Cartersville, Ga.
Note: Captured the 149-pound NCAA crown as a No. 4 seed during sophomore season in 2024.
Season/Career Record: 16-0/73-7
NCAA Resume: Third Nationals with a postseason record of 11-2: 1st in 2024; 5th in 2023.
Regular-Season Notes: Outside of sudden-victory triumphs over Nebraska’s Ridge Lovett and Pitt’s Finn Solomon, the defending national champion has been mostly dominant, boasting a bonus percentage of 75% with three falls, five tech falls and an additional four major decisions.
2. Shayne Van Ness, Penn State, Jr., Somerville, N.J.
Note: Missed the 2023-24 season due to injury.
Season/Career Record: 17-1/44-8
NCAA Resume: Second Nationals with postseason record of 5-1: 3rd in 2023.
Regular-Season Notes: Earned a major-decision victory over Iowa’s Kyle Parco and defeated Ohio State’s Dylan D’Emilio but suffered a loss to Nebraska’s Ridge Lovett, 10-2, on Jan. 17.
3. Kyle Parco, Iowa, Sr., Danville, Calif.
Note: Transferred from Fresno State in 2021.Transferred from Arizona State in 2024.
Season/Career Record: 18-1/109-19
NCAA Resume: Fifth Nationals with a postseason record of 16-10: 5th in 2024; 4th in 2023; 8th in 2022; 6th in 2021.
Regular-Season Notes: Secured victories over Ridge Lovett, Dylan D’Emilio and North Carolina’s Lachlan McNeil. Lone defeat of fifth-year senior campaign came against Shayne Van Ness, 17-6, on Jan. 31.
4. Ridge Lovett, Nebraska, Sr., Post Falls, Idaho
Note: The sixth-year senior was an NCAA finalist in 2022 before redshirting in 2023.
Season/Career Record: 15-2/88-21
NCAA Resume: Fifth Nationals with a postseason record of 8-6: 6th in 2024; 2nd in 2022; 1-2 in 2021; canceled due to COVID-19 pandemic in 2020.
Regular-season Notes: Lovett made a statement win on Jan. 17 by majoring Penn State’s Shayne Van Ness but was since defeated by Iowa’s Kyle Parco, 3-2, on Feb. 7. His other blemish came in the finals of the CKLV Invite to returning national champ Caleb Henson, 6-3 SV-1.
5. Dylan D’Emilio, Ohio State, Sr., Curtice, Ohio
Note: The sixth-year Buckeye will look to get back on the podium after an eighth-place finish in 2023.
Season/Career Record: 16-3/88-49
NCAA Resume: Fifth Nationals with a postseason record of 11-9: reached R12 in 2024; 8th in 2023; 1-2 in 2022; reached R16 in 2021.
Regular-Season Notes: Started season 10-0. Only three losses this season have come against Top-10 opponents Shayne Van Ness, Kyle Parco and Lachlan McNeil.
6. Ethan Stiles, Oregon State, RFr., Chicago, Ill.
Note: Started season at 157 before dropping to 149 in late January.
Season/Career Record: 14-4/14-4
NCAA Resume: First Nationals
Regular-Season Notes: Since debuting at 149 pounds, the freshman has knocked off four ranked opponents in Jordan Williams of Little Rock, Jaden Abas of Fresno State, Chance Lamer of Cal Poly and Lachlan McNeil of North Carolina. His lone setback at 149 came in his first match at the weight class against Wyoming’s Gabe Willochell, 11-10.
7. Lachlan McNeil, North Carolina, Jr., Toronto, Canada
Note: The two-time All-American moved up from 141 pounds for his junior season.
Season/Career Record: 18-4/68-20
NCAA Resume: Third Nationals with a postseason record of 8-5: 6th in 2024; 4th in 2023.
Regular-Season Notes: Earned Top-10 wins over Dylan D’Emilio and Colin Realbuto. Dropped final regular-season bout against Oregon State freshman Ethan Stiles, 5-3, on Feb. 23.
8. Colin Realbuto, Northern Iowa, Sr., Somers, N.Y.
Note: Seven years removed from high school graduation, the Empire State native is contending for an All-American finish for Doug Schwab’s Panthers.
Season/Career Record: 19-4/70-42
NCAA Resume: Third Nationals with a postseason record of 3-4: 1-2 in 2023; reached R16 in 2022.
Regular-Season Notes: Most significant win of the season came on Feb. 16 when Realbuto downed Iowa State’s Paniro Johnson, 10-7 SV-1.
9. Paniro Johnson, Iowa State, So., Erie, Pa.
Note: Sat out during the 2023-24 season.
Season/Career Record: 17-3/34-9
NCAA Resume: Second Nationals with a postseason record of 1-2: 1-2 in 2023.
Regular-Season Notes: Johnson has been the consummate team player this season, wrestling at 149, 157 and 165. His only loss of the season at his true weight class came on Feb. 16 at the hands of UNI’s Colin Realbuto.
10. Chance Lamer, Cal Poly, Jr., Corvallis, Ore.
Note: Transferred from Michigan in 2023.
Season/Career Record: 13-1/47-17
NCAA Resume: Third Nationals with a postseason record of 5-4: reached R12 in 2024; reached R12 in 2023.
Regular-Season Notes: The two-time returning Blood-Round finisher only tasted defeat once so far this season, that at the hands of Ethan Stiles, 4-2, on Feb. 7.
Others to Watch
• Penn freshman Cross Wasilewski has posted a 20-3 mark with ranked wins over Princeton’s Ty Whalen, Cornell’s Ethan Fernandez and a major decision over Wyoming’s Gabe Willochell. Wasilewski is riding a 15-match winning streak dating back to the Midlands Championships on Dec. 29.
• Illinois freshman Kannon Webster, 11-5 on the season, has proven he can tangle with the veterans at this weight, as the Illini rookie took Lachlan McNeil to overtime in a 4-1 SV-1 loss on Nov. 25 and has since had a one-point loss to No. 3 Kyle Parco and a two-point loss to No. 5 Dylan D’Emilio
