Can Carter Starocci do what’s never been done before, and in all likelihood never be done again? Does the Penn State 184-pounder become the first and only five-time NCAA Champion? We’ll find out this weekend in Philadelphia at the 2025 NCAA D1 Wrestling Championships!
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Every article about the 2025 NCAA Wrestling Championships
CP’s take:
2025 Top Eight Seeds (Name, School, Season Record)
1) Carter Starocci, Penn State, 21-0
2) Parker Keckeisen, Northern Iowa, 24-0
3) Max McEnelly, Minnesota, 20-1
4) Dustin Plott, Oklahoma State, 18-4
5) Bennett Berge, South Dakota State, 26-5
6) Chris Foca, Cornell, 19-1
7) Isaac Dean, Rider, 24-7
8) Jaxon Smith, Maryland, 20-7
2024 All-Americans
1st: Parker Keckeisen, Northern Iowa
2nd: Dustin Plott, Oklahoma State
3rd: Trey Munoz, Oregon State
4th: Bennett Berge, South Dakota State
5th: Bernie Truax, Penn State
6th: Isaiah Salazar, Minnesota
7th: TJ Stewart, Virginia Tech
8th: David Key, Navy
Last 10 165lb NCAA Champs
2024: Parker Keckeisen, Northern Iowa
2023: Aaron Brooks, Penn State
2022: Aaron Brooks, Penn State
2021: Aaron Brooks, Penn State
2019: Drew Foster, Northern Iowa
2018: Bo Nickal, Penn State
2017: Bo Nickal, Penn State
2016: Gabe Dean, Cornell
2015: Gabe Dean, Cornell
2014: Ed Ruth, Penn State
The Favorites
*Rank/Seed
#1/#1 Carter Starocci, Penn State
#2/#2 Parker Keckeisen, Northern Iowa
#3/#4 Dustin Plott, Oklahoma State
#4/#3 Max McEnelly, Minnesota
There are arguments to be made for narrowing this list of names down to anywhere from three to two to one. Starocci is undefeated and hasn’t lost a collegiate match since the Big Ten finals in 2021. He defeated Parker Keckeisen in the NWCA All-Star Classic and Max McEnelly in the 2025 Big Ten finals.
Watch Starocci beat Keckeisen at the ASC:
Keckeisen is 6-0 in his career over Dustin Plott, while Max McEnelly has just one loss in his collegiate career, which includes this season and last year’s redshirt season.
Plott has been the model of consistency for the Cowboys, having now qualified for his fifth NCAAs and finishing on the podium in each of the last three seasons.
Starocci, Keckeisen and Plott are all using their fifth and final year of eligibility, while McEnelly is using his first.
There is arguably a separation between Starocci and Keckeisen and a definite separation between Keckeisen and Plott. Where McEnelly fits into the equation is a bit more of a mystery due to his limited action against the rest of the top tier guys. All four have separated themselves from the rest of the contenders.
The Contenders
#5/#5 Bennett Berge, South Dakota State
#6/#6 Chris Foca, Cornell
#7/#10 Edmond Ruth, Illinois
#8/#8 Jaxon Smith, Maryland
#9/#11 Gabe Arnold, Iowa
#10/#12 Silas Allred, Nebraska
#11/#9 Reece Heller, Pittsburgh
#12/#15 Dylan Fishback
As with all tiers of wrestlers, your mileage may vary as far as who you are including. I tried to narrow it down to a dozen or so that would surprise me the least if they finished the season as All-Americans.
Besides our four favorites, Bennett Berge and Chris Foca have the highest NCAA finish. Foca placed third in 2023 and Berge placed fourth in 2024, though it’s going to be a challenge for either of them to beat their personal best finish in Philly. Foca is out of eligibility after this season and only had a half a season of varsity matches due to Ivy rules forcing him to delay re-enrollment until the second semester. Berge has two more bites at the apple after this year.
Watch Berge take third at 2024’s CKLV:
Along with his five Terrapin teammates in Philly, Jaxon Smith will attempt to become the first All-American of the Clemsen era at Maryland. The Georgia native will be at his third NCAAs. Smith’s best tournament was 2023 when he made the bloodround.
Silas Allred will also be at his third NCAA Championship and will also be looking to reach the podium for the first time. He finished in the round of twelve in both 2023 and 2024.
Gabe Arnold has a very high upside but some close losses late in the season hindered both his seed and ranking. The Hawkeye from Georgia is still capable of competing with the best in the division.
Dylan Fishback, a bloodrounder in 2024, will have two more years of eligibility after this tournament. Reece Heller, an Illinois native who started his career at Hofstra, won’t have an easy path to the podium (those basically don’t exist) but he will be in Philadelphia for his last shot at All-American status with the highest seed of his career.
Sleepers & Landmines
#15/#7 Isaac Dean, Rider
#19/#27 Ross McFarland, Hofstra
#32/#22 Donnell Washington, Indiana
Isaac Dean is already having a breakout year, qualifying for his first NCAAs in his third varsity season at Rider, and he’s notched impressive wins over the likes of Bennett Berge and Jaxon Smith. Some odd losses over the season have hurt his ranking but a MAC title helped him earn the #7 seed and the inside track to becoming John Hangey’s fourth All-American as head coach of RIder.
Watch Dean upset Berge in the second round of the 2024 CKLV:
Ross McFarland finally broke through at EIWA’s to earn a title and punch his ticket to his first NCAA Championship in his final year of eligibility. Donnell Washington, a U20 world teamer, is looking to earn All-American honors in his fourth trip to the NCAAs in his final year of eligibility.
Predictions
1st: Starocci, PSU
2nd: Keckeisen, UNI
3rd: McEnelly, Minnesota
4th: Plott, OKST
5th: Berge, SDSU
6th: Ruth, Illinois
7th: Foca, Cornell
8th: Arnold, Iowa
R12: Fishback, NCSU
R12: Smith, UMD
R12: Allred, Nebraska
R12: Heller, Pitt
I had a real tough time picking the bloodround matches, and would not be surprised in the slightest if the final results swapped the R12 finishes for the 5th through 8th placers.
I was more confident in the placements of the top four, but there is a real possibility we see a mild upset or two in those semifinals or the third-place bout.
