Finals set at NCWA Championships as Menlo (men) and Washington State (women) lead team race

BOSSIER CITY, La. – The finals have been set on day two of the 2025 National Collegiate Wrestling Association Nationals (NCWA), which features folkstyle wrestling.

In the men’s team race, Menlo leads with 176 points, followed by Apprentice with 155 points and Tarleton State with 150.5 points. Menlo is a varsity program which is in transition from NAIA to NCAA.

In the women’s team race Washington State remained in the lead with 103 points, with Utah Tech in second with 98.5 points and Tarleton State in third with 94.5 points.

There are no 2024 NCWA men’s champions who have advanced to the finals this year, as Cole Thomas of Thomas More (141) and Cesar Ubico of Utah Tech (197) were beaten today.

Returning women’s champions who have reached the finals are Genesis Vazquez of Washington State (117), Viveca Pannell of MIT (138), Veloria Pannell of MIT (145) and Renaeh Ureste of UNLV (207).

Competition continues on Saturday in both tournaments, starting with consolations then the championship finals.

The tournament is broadcast live on FloWrestling, https://www.flowrestling.org/live/149182 with results on FloArena. https://arena.flowrestling.org/event/6fddc43e-2938-42b2-a4e3-19bce67e13e4

Friday night wrap story by Scott Farrell

BOSSIER CITY, La. – Menlo College made a charge through the championship brackets Friday to take charge of the NCWA Championships and set themselves up for a run at the men’s title at the Brookshire Grocery Arena.

Five of the nine quarterfinalists won their bouts here Friday and five other wrestlers remain alive in consolation rounds that should maintain Menlo’s hefty lead over second place. The Oaks lead the field after two days with 176 points, 21 points ahead of The Apprentice School (155) and 25 ahead of first-day leader Tarleton State (150.5). Apprentice has 11 wrestlers still alive in the finals rounds but only two are in the finals. Tarleton State matches Menlo’s 10 total but with four in the finals.

In the women’s division, a five-team showdown will begin early in the day as Saturday’s placing rounds, minus the finals, begin at 9 a.m. CT. Washington State leads the field with 103 points and is tied for the teams’ lead with three finalists along with fourth-place UNLV (92.5) and sixth-place UCF (68). Utah Tech rests in second at 98.5 followed by Tarleton State with 94.5.

The national championship matches for both divisions begin at 2 p.m.

Six of the women’s national title matches have at least one wrestler from the current top five teams competing and four of the 11 weight classes offer both from contending teams. One of them, 110 pounds, features two Tarleton State wrestlers battling each other guaranteeing the Texans title team points as fifth-seed Rachel Corley takes on sixth-seed Emma Graves. One of them is a bout at 240 pounds between top seed O’Dessa Laititi of Utah Tech and two-seed Erin Kremer of Washington State that could decide the team title as well.

In the match just prior to it at 207 pounds, two-time national champion Renaeh Ureste of UNLV takes on two-seed Katrina Wangen of UCF. Ureste became the NCWA’s all-time wins leader in the women’s division during the tournament now with 59 career wins. Ureste won both titles wrestling for Grays Harbor College (Wash.) the past two years before GHC canceled its program last offseason.

Here is a class-by-class look at Saturday’s finals brackets, beginning with the men’s division:

125 lbs. – Two freshmen from transitioning teams battle for the title here having earned their first NCWA All-America finishes. Top-seeded Damion Ryan (27-9) of Menlo is the West Coast Conference champion and faces third-seed Trevor Wilcox (31-12) of Thomas More. More avenged an earlier loss when he upended second-seeded and two-time All-American Aiden Scheeringa of Liberty in the semifinals, 5-3. Scheeringa had pinned Wilcox in the third-place match at the National Duals in January.

133 lbs. – The cliché says the third time’s the charm. What does it say about the fourth? Apprentice’s Bruno Alves (21-4) looks for his first national title in four attempts Saturday as the top seed in this bracket. Alves rolled through the tournament thus far with three tech falls and an 8-4 decision in the semifinals, his 80^th career NCWA win. Can he finally get his first title? The last Apprentice wrestler to win a national title was Kolin Johnson at this weight in 2018. Alves takes on third-seeded Matthew Ellis (12-3) of Thomas More in a much-anticipated finals rematch from the NCWA National Duals when Ellis gave Alves one of his four losses, 12-9, in a pool match. Ellis has impressed in the bracket as well with two pins along the way to the final. Alves is one of only two wrestlers in national title matches for second-place Apprentice, a factor in the team race.

141 lbs. – Tarleton State gets its shot for the first national title in program history with upstart seven-seed Zachery Espalin (22-0). Under-seeded perhaps despite a 17-0 mark as the Southwest Conference champion, Espalin has taken it out on the bracket with three pins and a 9-2 decision semifinal win over last year’s 133-pound national runner up. The underdog Espalin faces another favorite in the final in two-time All-American Ryan Wilson (20-3) of Washington State. Wilson took seventh in this class last year and took advantage of a quarterfinals forfeit by the bracket’s top-seed in his half of the bracket to reach the final. He outlasted Liberty’s Garrett Good in the semifinals 2-1 on the second tiebreaker criteria. Espalin is the first of four Tarleton wrestlers in the finals looking to perhaps snap second place away from Apprentice.

149 lbs. – Menlo is up again in this final as top-seeded Noah Elliott looks to continue his roll that has produced three major decisions in his four tournament matches. He beat last year’s eighth-place All-American, Josiah Johnson of Washington State, 11-3 in the semifinals. He’ll face another of the NCWA’s best in the final against UCF’s Thomas McCane (16-0), now a four-time All-American (the NCWA’s 41^st in the men’s division) and a former national champion at 141 pounds from 2022. McCane placed third at 141 in 2024 and was the runner-up at 149 in 2023.  UCF could jump into the top five of the team standings with a McCane win here.

 157 lbs. – This weight class celebrates the NCWA’s recent expansion into Puerto Rico as the new Puerto Rico Conference now has its second title-match contender (also see 285 lbs.) in Rafael Garcia from Ana G. Mendez University. Garcia, a freshman, had only his conference title-match win on his ledger entering nationals but pulled off five wins in two days, two by tech fall, to reach the title. He faces another freshman, sixth-seeded Matox Allen of Liberty (27-10) in the final. Allen is the Mid-Atlantic Conference champion and Liberty’s lone finalist, although the Flames have eight wrestlers in the other placing matches Saturday. Liberty has had at least one national champion every season but one (2016) since it joined the NCWA in 2012. Allen is its only shot here, although it does extend its streak to 13 consecutive season with at least one national finalist.

165 lbs. – Tarleton State gets to showcase its roster here with both finalists, both of them freshmen. Finn Shepard (26-4), the eight seed, shook the bracket in the quarterfinals with an 11-6 win over top-seeded and two-time (now three-time) All-American, Keith Brubach of Slippery Rock.  He’ll face teammate and three-seed Joseph Liescheski (23-3), who has two falls and two major decisions in the tournament thus far. Liescheski topped Shepard by major decision, 11-3, for the Southwest Conference championship two weeks ago.

174 lbs. – Menlo is up again here with perhaps its top wrestler, Ledger Petracek (20-5). The senior is a two-time NJCAA All-American having placed fourth at 165 pounds the previous two seasons. He’ll face the tournament’s lowest-seeded finalist, Nurrideen Ahmad-Statts of the Williamson College of the Trades. Ahmad-Statts was seeded 15^th as the runner-up in the Mid-East Conference but has taken down the second, seventh and third seeds in succession, all by decision, to reach the final.

184 lbs. – The only weight class to serve up the top two seeds may also offer its best matchup. Menlo is up again on one side with 30-match winner Maximus Zamora (30-2), the West Coast Conference champion senior. Zamora took seventh at 174 pounds at the NAIA National Championships last season. On the other side is one of the NCWA’s most accomplished wrestlers in recent years, senior Graham Carson (14-0) of the Ohio State WC. Carson is now a four-time All-American (the 42^nd in the NCWA) coming off third- (last year), fifth- and sixth-place finishes in this class the last three years. If there’s an upset to be made Saturday, this might be the match.

197 lbs. – This class gave us the most surprising result of Friday’s action despite pairing two undefeated wrestlers in the semifinals. Paul Detwiler (13-0) of the Maryland WC, seeded 12^th, took down defending national champion and last year’s Most Outstanding Wrestler, Cesar Ubico of Utah Tech, by major decision 12-4. Detwiler, a graduate student and the Mid-East Conference champion, had two tech falls in his four-match run into the semifinals, one of them a 17-1 blasting of the four-seed in the quarterfinals. He’ll have to test his undefeated record against another of Menlo’s best, however, in freshman upstart and second-seeded Diego Morales (17-4), who placed second to Ubico in the West Coast Conference.

235 lbs. – This is the key match in the team race between Apprentice and Tarleton State as the Builders’ veteran Caleb Hartung (30-5) takes on the Tarleton youngster in Koby Kidd (29-4) in a three-vs.-four-seed bout. Kidd is a returning All-American (now two-time) after taking sixth in this class a year ago and sending second-seeded Dylan Jahrling of UNLV to the consolations with an 11-4 decision in the semifinals. Hartung outlasted the field in the top half of the bracket after the top seed last in the Round of 32. Hartung has three pins and two major decisions in the tournament. With both programs jockeying behind Menlo, could this be the match that decides second place?

285 lbs. – This offers a feature match and another success story from the Puerto Rico Conference, Johnovan Smith (5-0) enters the title match with narrow wins over three opponents and a pin in the early rounds. Smith took second at heavyweight last season and is back to try and take the title again. He’ll face Utah Tech’s Micah Yuki (10-1), a returning (now two-time) All-American that took fifth in this class last season. Utah Tech could make a push into the top six teams with a win here and help from Ubico in consolations.

NCWA NATIONALS

At Bossier City, La., March 13-15, 2025

Men’s finals paitings

125 - Elijah Valencia (Menlo) vs. Trevor Wilcox (Thomas More)

133 - Bruno Alves (Apprentice) vs. Matthew Ellis (Thomas More)

141 - Ryan Wilson (Washington State) vs. Zachery Espalin (Tarleton State)

149 - Noah Elliott (Menlo) vs. Thomas Mccane (UCF)

157 - Rafael Garcia (Ana G Mendez) vs. Matox Allen (Liberty)

165 - Finn Shepard (Tarleton State) vs. Joseph Liescheski (Tarleton State)

174 - Ledger Petracek (Menlo) vs. Nurrideen Ahmad-statts (Williamson Trade)

184 - Maximus Zamora (Menlo) vs. Graham Carson (Ohio State)

197 - Paul Detwiler (Maryland) vs. Diego Morales (Menlo)

235 - Caleb Hartung (Apprentice) vs. Koby Kidd (Tarleton State)

285 - Jonovan Smith (Caribbean) vs. Micah Vuki (Utah Tech)

Men’s semifinal results

125 pounds

Elijah Valencia (Menlo) DEC Juan Cantu (Texas A&M), 4-2

Trevor Wilcox (Thomas More) DEC Aiden Scheeringa (Liberty), 5-3

133 pounds

Bruno Alves (Apprentice) DEC Gaetano Tedesco (Florida A&M), 8-4

Matthew Ellis (Thomas More) DEC Aidan Medina (Tarleton State), 8-7

141 pounds

Ryan Wilson (Washington State) DEC Garrett Good (Liberty), 2-1 TB2

Zachery Espalin (Tarleton State) DEC Ethan Vugman (Florida), 9-2

149 pounds

Noah Elliott (Menlo) MD Josiah Johnson (Washington State), 11-3

Thomas Mccane (UCF) DEC David Norris (Apprentice), 8-3

157 pounds

Rafael Garcia (Ana G Mendez) DEC Ezekiel Lara (Menlo), 11-5

Matox Allen (Liberty) DEC Lane Snyder (Tarleton State), 6-3

165 pounds

Finn Shepard (Tarleton State) MD Drake Bowers (Liberty), 16-3

Joseph Liescheski (Tarleton State) MD Landon Kissell (Apprentice), 15-4

174 pounds

Ledger Petracek (Menlo) MD Nikita Smatov (Menlo-NCWA), 13-5

Nurrideen Ahmad-statts (Williamson Trade) DEC Matthew Riehle (Hillsdale), 2-1

184 pounds

Maximus Zamora (Menlo) F Josh Seaton (Apprentice), 4:17

Graham Carson (Ohio State) DEC Gavin Blondeaux (Tarleton State), 12-7

197 pounds

Paul Detwiler (Maryland) MD Cesar Ubico (Utah Tech), 13-4

Diego Morales (Menlo) DEC David Mcelravy (Apprentice), 4-2

235 pounds

Caleb Hartung (Apprentice) F Keelen Mitcham (Washington State), 1:06

Koby Kidd (Tarleton State) DEC Dylan Jahrling (UNLV), 11-4

285 pounds

Jonovan Smith (Caribbean) DEC Ted-spencer Dacus (Life), 6-2

Micah Vuki (Utah Tech) DEC William Abbott (Life), 11-10

Men’s team standings after day two

1            Menlo    176       

2            Apprentice           155

3            Tarleton State      150.5

4            Liberty  119.5     

5            Thomas More      95

6            Life        88.5

7            Washington State 84.5

8            UCF       78.5      

9            Utah Tech            75.5      

10          Ohio State            61.5

11           Menlo-NCWA     57

12          Springfield Tech  46

13          Iowa State            45.5

14          Albany   42         

15          Slippery Rock      39.5

Women’s finals pairings

103 - Jasmine Cortez (Texas State (W)) vs. Makayla Lopez (Ottawa - Arizona (W))

110 - Rachel Corley (Tarleton State (W)) vs. Emma Graves (Tarleton State (W))

117 - Genesis Vazquez (Washington State (W)) vs. Mia Shepard (UNLV (W))

124 - Sabrina Cunha (Sacramento State (W)) vs. Jada Yamada (Western Washington (W))

131 - Paige Kalish (UCF (W)) vs. Skylar Schaefer (Apprentice (W))

138 - Viveca Pannell (MIT (W)) vs. Miyuki Pugrad (Sacramento State (W))

145 - Veloria Pannell (MIT (W)) vs. Katherine Stewart (UCF (W))

160 - Maya Marroquin (Texas A&M (W)) vs. Cassandra Freundlich (UNLV (W))

180 - Katie Law (Utah Tech (W)) vs. Petra Bernsten (Washington State (W))

207 - Renaeh Ureste (UNLV (W)) vs. Katrina Wangen (UCF (W))

240 - O`dessa Laititi (Utah Tech (W)) vs. Erin Kremer (Washington State (W))

Women’s semifinal results

103 pounds

Jasmine Cortez (Texas State (W)) TF Kaelynn Seidl (UNLV (W)), 17-1

Makayla Lopez (Ottawa - Arizona (W)) DEC Lilia Davila ortiz (Western Washington (W)), 14-9 TB2

110 pounds

Rachel Corley (Tarleton State (W)) F Krystal Corona (UNLV (W)), 2:30

Emma Graves (Tarleton State (W)) MD Liliana Voakes (Ottawa - Arizona (W)), 9-0

117 pounds

Genesis Vazquez (Washington State (W)) TF Leah Ben-israel (UCF (W)), 21-4

Mia Shepard (UNLV (W)) MD Kylie Wood (Tarleton State (W)), 14-1

124 pounds

Sabrina Cunha (Sacramento State (W)) DEC Daniela Martinez (Tarleton State (W)), 11-9

Jada Yamada (Western Washington (W)) DEC Madison Moody (Florida State (W)), 8-2

131 pounds

Paige Kalish (UCF (W)) TF Mia Garza (Texas (W)), 18-3

Skylar Schaefer (Apprentice (W)) F Mckinley Jovanovic (Maryland (W)), 5:47

138 pounds

Viveca Pannell (MIT (W)) F Anja Hansen (Ottawa - Arizona (W)), 6:32

Miyuki Pugrad (Sacramento State (W)) F Lia Hornby (Washington State (W)), 5:56

145 pounds

Veloria Pannell (MIT (W)) F Ashley Lavarias (Utah Tech (W)), 1:11

Katherine Stewart (UCF (W)) DEC Ava Collins (Treasure Valley (W)), 13-6

160 pounds

Maya Marroquin (Texas A&M (W)) DEC Tayleigh Robertson (Utah Tech (W)), 8-2

Cassandra Freundlich (UNLV (W)) F Natalie Venable (Tarleton State (W)), 4:06

180 pounds

Katie Law (Utah Tech (W)) DEC Lyla Tree (Ottawa - Arizona (W)), 5-1

Petra Bernsten (Washington State (W)) DEC Krysta Luce (Grand Valley State (W)), 13-11

207 pounds

Renaeh Ureste (UNLV (W)) F Karina Delgado urbina (Pacific Lutheran (W)), 0:45

Katrina Wangen (UCF (W)) F Jocelyn Hepler (Utah Tech (W)), 3:38

240 pounds

O`dessa Laititi (Utah Tech (W)) F Stephanie Romero (Treasure Valley (W)), 0:41

Erin Kremer (Washington State (W)) F Evelynn Coronado (Ottawa - Arizona (W)), 1:09

Women’s team standings after day two

1            Washington State (W)        103       

2            Utah Tech (W)     98.5      

3            Tarleton State (W)             94.5      

4            UNLV (W)           92.5      

5            Ottawa - Arizona (W)        91         

6            UCF (W)             68         

7            Sacramento State (W)        42.5      

8            Western Washington (W)   40.5      

9            MIT (W)              40         

10          Apprentice (W)   33         

11           Liberty (W)         26         

11           Treasure Valley (W)           26         

13          Lyon (W)             23.5

14          Florida A&M (W)              20.5      

15          Grand Valley State (W)     18.5