Taking a closer look at WIN’s 2024-25 Preseason Rankings

WIN Magazine recently announced its first preseason NCAA Div. I Individual rankings, presented by Cliff Keen Athletic, and the following is a closer look those rankings; starting with 125 pounds and 165 pounds, where Arizona State’s Richard Figueroa (left) and Penn State’s Mitchell Mesenbrink are rated No. 1 at those weight classes.

To view a complete list of WIN’s preseason rankings and get updated rankings during the upcoming college season, click here or call 888-305-0606 to subscribe to WIN Magazine, which will unveil its college and high school season previews in the next issue, printed Sept. 26.

125 POUNDS

The native of Sanger, Calif., definitely made the most of his first chance as a full-time starter last winter … after sharing the weight class with former AA Brandon Courtney the year before when he was 14-0. The Sun Devil, who ended the year 15-5, surprised many when he won the 2024 NCAA title as a No. 8 seed in Kansas City, where he upset No. 1 seed Braeden Davis (Penn State) in the quarters and eventually Iowa’s No. 3 Drake Ayala, 7-2, in the finals.

The two-time All-American from Lima, N.Y., became his school’s latest AA by finishing fourth and third, respectively, the past two winters. After going 33-4 as a sophomore in 2023 (when he was seeded No. 8 and only lost to Iowa’s Spencer Lee and ASU’s Brandon Courtney), Noto was only seeded No. 12 (22-3) in the 2024 NCAAs. Among his biggest wins in KC was a 4-1 sudden victory over 2023 national runner-up Matt Ramos in the quarters and a victory over Wisconsin’s Eric Barnett for third place.

There is a good chance that this native of Roxbury, N.J., will redshirt this season after he won an EIWA championship, went 25-4 with 13 bonus wins and placed fifth last March. Stanich was a No. 2 seed in KC where he got upset in the second round but came back to win five of six wrestlebacks, including a 4-0 R12 win over Purdue’s Matt Ramos.

The native of High Point, N.C., enjoyed his transfer season from Appalachian State last winter when he went 24-12 and won his first two bouts in KC as a No, 15 seed, including a victory over Lehigh’s Luke Stanich. This came after he spent three seasons at App State, where he qualified for two NCAAs. His career mark is 91-37.

The native of Lakeville, Minn., became an immediate starter for the Cowboys two years ago when he qualified for the first of two NCAAs. And despite dealing with injuries last winter, Volk compiled a 27-8 record and clinched All-American status despite losing in the first round. He came back to win five of six wrestlebacks. That included an upset of No. 1 seed Braeden Davis of Penn State in R12.

A two-time national qualifier, the native of St. Paris, Ohio., earned his only All-American honors last March when he finished eighth as a No. 23 seed. This came after he lost in the first round, but he also came back to win four wrestlebacks, including wins over Minnesota’s Pat McKee and Oklahoma State’s Troy Spratley. His career mark is 75-53.

The Boilermaker’s biggest moment came in the semifinals of the 2023 NCAAs, where he pinned Iowa’s three-time champ Spencer Lee and settled for second place. Last winter, the native of Lockport, Ill., became the first Purdue wrestler in 20 years to be seeded in the top 5 in the NCAAs for two straight years and won his first two bouts in KC but lost two straight and failed to place. Originally a Minnesota Gopher, Ramos has compiled an 80-22 career record.

Since transferring from NC State in 2022, the native of Ballston Lake, N.Y., has just missed All-American honors the past two seasons, falling in the Round of 12 at both NCAA tournaments. Last March, the Golden Bear was seeded No. 20 and upset No. 13 Noah Surtin of Missouri in the first round, then won two wrestlebacks before being eliminated.

After redshirting in 2023 at Minnesota, the native of Eufala, Okla., compiled a 22-8 record for the Cowboys last winter when he finished second at the Big 12s and earned a No. 6 seed at the NCAAs. But after winning his first two bouts in KC, he lost two; the last in the R12.

The native of Danbury, Conn., has qualified for the NCAAs four times, including 2020 when he was named the ACC’s Most Outstanding Wrestler before Covid cancelled those nationals. He went on to win two more conference titles. He went 2-2 at the 2021 and 2022 NCAAs before injuries sidelined him in 2023. Last winter, he earned a No. 7 seed, but also went 2-2 in KC.

OTHERS RANKED AT 125 POUNDS

165 POUNDS                                                                                                                                  

After redshirting as a freshman at California Baptist, the native of Hartland, Wisc., made an immediate impact on the Nittany Lion program by winning his first 26 bouts before losing 9-8 to Iowa State’s David Carr in the NCAA finals. Among his other big wins over wrestlers ranked at 165 this winter were two victories over Iowa’s Michael Caliendo and Oklahoma State’s Cam Amine.

This Hawkeye also started his college career elsewhere as the native of Geneva, Ill., spent two years at North Dakota State, where he earned the first of two All-American honors, a seventh-place finish in the 2023 NCAAs. Last year, Caliendo did even better as he finished 29-5 and won five of seven bouts in Kansas City, including over Cornell’s Peyton Hall and Bucknell’s Noah Mulvaney.

A native of Iowa City, Garvin enjoyed a redshirt freshman campaign in Palo Alto, as he ignored a No. 20 seed in Kansas City to earn his first All-American honor with a 25-12 record. After losing in the first round in the NCAAs, the Cardinal won four straight wrestlebacks, including a R12 win over Cam Amine, then with Michigan.

Hall has a chance to compete in five national tournaments this winter for the Mountaineers after the native of Chester, W. Va., earned his second All-American honor last March as a No. 9 seed; thanks to winning four of five wrestlebacks, including a R12 win over Cornell’s Julian Ramirez. Hall first qualified as a true freshman in 2021, when he reached the bloodround, before he finished eighth in the 2022 nationals. He went 1-2 in the 2023 NCAAs and now has a career mark of 92-27.

The Big Red wrestler hopes to finally end his college career on the All-American stand after losing in the bloodround each of the past three seasons. This came after he spent two years in Ithaca, not wrestling because of the pandemic. Last year, the native of Miami, Fla., won a second straight EIWA championship to earn a No. 3 seed. Unfortunately, he split his four bouts in KC.

After spending five seasons at Michigan, where he earned three All-American honors in four NCAAs, the native of Brighton, Mich., will spend his final season with OSU coach David Taylor and the Cowboys. During his time with the Wolverines, Amine compiled a 75-30 career record and placed seventh in 2021 and a pair of fourth-place finishes in 2022 and 2023. Last year, he lost in the R12 as a No. 10 seed.

This native of Lincoln, Neb., may not have the most impressive won-loss career record — going a combined 39-30 over the past two years, but the Wildcat did compete in two NCAAs and ignored his 15-15  record and No. 31 seed in Kansas City last March to win two of his four NCAA bouts; a sudden victory over Virginia Tech’s Connor Brady and 9-8 decision over Appalachian State’s Will Miller.

Miller has also qualified for the past two national tournaments and compiled a 48-20 record over that time but has yet to earn an All-American honor. Last year, the native of Helena, Ala., did win his first round NCAA bout and also won a Southern Conference championship after losing in the SoCon final in 2023.

A native of Hartland, Wisc., where he was a teammate of Penn State’s Mesenbrink, Mulvaney also put on quite a show as a true freshman with the Bison last winter, winning the Clarion Open and Southern Scuffle before earning an at-large berth in the NCAAs. Overall, he compiled a 28-9 record.

A second-place SoCon finish to App State’s Miller and a 18-9 record earned the native of New Kent, Va., his first NCAA tournament berth, where he won one of three bouts. Baker was the 2021-22 WIN Magazine Virginia Wrestler of the Year after winning three state titles for New Kent High School.

OTHERS RANKED AT 165 POUNDS