Every weight class is unique, but 141 pounds is absurd.

How’s this for a loaded field? 

There are 12 returning All-Americans, with Ohio State’s Jesse Mendez seeking his third straight NCAA championship. Mendez is the favorite, of course, after winning the past two 141-pound titles. Only one wrestler in the field — Nebraska’s Brock Hardy — has a college win over the Buckeye star. 

Hardy should not be overlooked, though. He notched a 9-8 victory over Mendez at the 2025 Big Ten Championships and fell 12-9 to him in the NCAA finals. The two have squared off four times, with Mendez holding a 3-1 edge, but 38 points over the last two matches make this an edge-of-your-seat series you won’t want to miss. 

Lehigh’s Luke Stanich will shake things up following a 12-1 redshirt season and a fifth-place finish at 125 pounds during the 2024 NCAA Championships. Stanich’s lone loss was a 14-3 setback to Mendez at the Clarion Open, but he defeated Penn’s CJ Composto — a fourth-place finisher at the 2025 national championships — at the Journeyman Classic, 8-2. 

His stock soared after winning the U20 Freestyle World Championships this summer. We might not see the Mountain Hawk star until the second semester, but he is a legitimate national title contender once he enters the line-up. 

Composto lost twice to Penn State’s Beau Bartlett at the 2025 NCAA Championships after compiling a 29-5 season record. His remaining losses were to Stanich, NCAA champion Andrew Alirez (8-2) of Northern Colorado, and South Dakota State’s Julian Tagg (4-1). 

Minnesota’s Vance VomBaur finished eighth at 141 the past two NCAA tournaments, with Iowa State’s Anthony Echemendia (5th) and North Carolina State’s Ryan Jack (7th) securing All-American honors in 2024. 

Zeth Romney (Cal Poly), Braeden Davis (Penn State), Aaron Nagao (Penn State), Nasir Bailey (Iowa), and Dylan Ragusin (Michigan) are returning 133-pound All-Americans who are presumably moving up to 141 (although that could change). 

Davis is Penn State’s assumed starter at 141, but he has an in-room battle with Nagao for the spot if both stay at the weight. This spot is far from guaranteed for the Nittany Lions, but they will have an All-American regardless. 

Add it all up, and that’s 12 All-Americans. 

And that doesn’t include Dylan Chappell (Bucknell) and Joey Olivieri (Rutgers), who reached the Round of 12. It definitely doesn’t include Round of 16ers Tom Crook (Virginia Tech), Danny Pucino (Illinois), Braden Basile (Army), Eligh Rivera (Princeton), and Tagg. 

Add it all up, and that’s 19 returners who have been in the top half or better at the NCAA Championships. Don’t forget freshmen Pierson Manville (Arizona State) and Aden Valencia (Stanford), who want to spoil the party. And they could, too. 

Let the fun begin. Every win or loss has heightened implications, and no one is safe.

NCAA Weight Class Preview

125 | 133 | 141 | 149 | 157 | 165 | 174 | 184 | 197 | 285 

Returning 2025 All-Americans

Jesse Mendez (Ohio State), SR — 1st
Brock Hardy (Nebraska), SR — 2nd
CJ Composto (Penn), SR — 4th
Vance VomBaur (Minnesota), SR — 8th
Zeth Romney (Cal Poly), JR — 3rd at 133
Braeden Davis (Penn State), JR — 5th at 133

Past All-Americans

Nasir Bailey (Iowa), JR (4th, 2024, 133) — for Little Rock
Luke Stanich (Lehigh), SO (5th, 2024 at 125)
Dylan Ragusin (Michigan), SR (5th, 2024, 133)
Aaron Nagao (Penn State), JR (5th, 2023, 133) — for Minnesota
Anthony Echemendia (Iowa State), SR (5th, 2024 at 141)
Ryan Jack (NC State), SR (7th, 2024 at 141)

Returning National Qualifiers

Dylan Chappell (Bucknell), SR — NQ, NQ, R12
Joey Olivieri (Rutgers), SR — NQ, R12
Tom Crook (Virginia Tech), JR — NQ, R16
Danny Pucino (Illinois), SR — NQ, R16
Julian Tagg (South Dakota State), SR — R16
Braden Basile (Army), JR — R16
Eligh Rivera (Princeton), JR — R16
Wyatt Henson (Lock Haven), SR — NQ, NQ, NQ
Jordan Titus (West Virginia), SR — NQ, NQ, NQ
Carter Young (Oklahoma State), SR — NQ, NQ
Frankie Tal-Shahar (Northwestern) — NQ, NQ
Vince Cornella (Cornell), SR — NQ
Josh Sanders (Cornell), SR — NQ
Greyson Clark (Purdue), JR — NQ, NQ
Jordan Soriano (Drexel), SR — NQ
Haiden Drury (Utah Valley), SR — NQ
Nash Singleton (Oregon State), JR — NQ
Jayden Scott (North Carolina), JR — NQ
Briar Priest (Pittsburgh), JR — NQ
AJ Rallo (Bellarmine), SO — NQ
Lorenzo Frezza (Columbia), JR — NQ

Entering From Redshirt/Injury/Transfer/Other

Luke Stanich (Lehigh), SO — redshirt
Anthony Echemendia (Iowa State), JR — redshirt
Ryan Jack (NC State), SR — redshirt
Frankie Tal-Shahar (Northwestern), SR — redshirt
Aden Valencia (Stanford), FR — redshirt
Tom Crook (Virginia Tech), JR — redshirt
Vince Cornella (Cornell), SR — injury
Pierson Manville (Arizona State), FR — redshirt

Key Departures

Beau Bartlett (Penn State) — 3x All-American (3rd-2nd-3rd), graduated
Cael Happel (Northern Iowa) — 1st All-American (5th), graduated
Josh Koderhandt (Navy) — 1x All-American (6th), graduated
Sam Latona (Virginia Tech) — 2x All-American (6th, 7th), graduated
Jacob Frost (Iowa State) — 1x All-American (7th), moving up to 149
Tagen Jamison (Oklahoma State) — 2x NQ (R12), moving up to 149

The Favorite: Jesse Mendez (Ohio State)

Mendez has lived up to the hype since entering Ohio State as the country’s #3 overall recruit. He’s already in elite company within the program, joining Kevin Randleman, Tommy Rowlands, and J Jaggers as two-time NCAA champions.

Up next is the three-timers club, of which former Buckeyes Kyle Snyder and Logan Stieber (four titles) are members. Mendez said he wants to win one more than Jaggers, his Buckeye coach. Winning five matches at the 2026 NCAA Championships will make that a reality. 

He is still on track to do it, but, as mentioned above, it’s no easy task. 

Mendez is 78-14 at Ohio State, with only five losses over the past two seasons. He had a memorable six-match college series with Penn State’s Beau Bartlett, with each winning three, but the former Nittany Lion star graduated. Hardy is formidable, and Stanich should be much improved since their last meeting. 

The rest of the field will attempt to knock off the 141-pound King from Crown Point, Indiana. 

Jesse Mendez At The NCAA Championships

Title Contenders

Brock Hardy (Nebraska)
Luke Stanich (Lehigh)

Hardy has a solid body of work, finishing sixth, third, and second at the NCAA Championships, along with a bronze medal at the 2023 U23 World Championships, and boasting an 88-24 career college record. He was a crucial piece of Nebraska’s program-high second-place finish and 117 points. 

The Brigham City, Utah, native can light up a scoreboard, and there’s every reason to believe he can win it all this season. He has a win over Mendez, and was dominant on his way to the 2026 national finals, avenging a 7-5 loss to Northern Iowa’s Cael Happel with an 11-4 semifinal win before falling to Mendez 12-9 in the finals. 

Stanich stepped in front of the remaining All-Americans with his 12-1 redshirt season and his gritty run at the 2025 World Championships. Moving up two weight classes will only help Lehigh’s sophomore star. 

Lehigh's Luke Stanich won the 2025 World Championships at 65 kg

All-American Threats

CJ Composto (Penn)
Vance VomBaur (Minnesota)
Zeth Romney (Cal Poly)
Braeden Davis or Aaron Nagao (Penn State)
Nasir Bailey (Iowa)
Dylan Ragusin (Michigan)
Anthony Echemendia (Iowa State)
Ryan Jack (NC State)

The remaining returning national place winners are listed as All-American threats, but this is hardly inclusive. There are at least 10 others knocking on the door and, with the right tournament and a good draw, could reach the podium.

Echemendia has a stellar takedown game, but he’ll need to make gains on top and bottom to be a serious title threat. We’ll learn more when he faces Mendez at the NWCA All-Star Classic on November 1. This is a rematch of the 2024 NCAA tournament semifinals won by Mendez, 6-4

Composto has a knack for turning it on at the NCAA Championships, and his fourth-place finish earlier this year as the 10-seed proved he belongs. He secured a consolation win over Vombaur, who has two eighth-place finishes. 

Romney and Bailey were Pac-12 rivals who faced off four times over two seasons. Bailey transferred to Iowa from Little Rock and holds a 3-1 series lead. Romney finished third at the 2025 NCAA Championships, and Bailey went 2-2 after a fourth-place finish in 2024. 

Ragusin finished fifth in 2024, falling 5-0 to Bailey in the consolation semifinals, but he might be a second-semester addition after a 2025 season cut short by injury. 

It’s assumed that Davis and Nagao will battle for the 141-pound Penn State spot (although one could move to 133), and Jack rounds out the All-American field. 

CJ Composto picked up an important Round of 16 win at the 2025 NCAA Championships

Returning All-Americans

Sleepers and Landmines

Aden Valencia (Stanford), FR
Pierson Manville (Arizona State), FR
Carter Young (Oklahoma State), SR

Valencia and Manville could be All-American threats, but there isn’t a large enough sample size to know where they stand. Valencia was 3-3 as a redshirt, going 3-1 in duals, with a loss at 157 to NC State’s Ed Scott. Manville was 5-2, going 2-1 in varsity duals at 149.

Young has so many significant freestyle wins that he deserves landmine status. He’s moving back down to 141 after two seasons at 149. He qualified twice for nationals at the lower weight and is seeking All-American status as a senior. 

Predictions

1. Jesse Mendez (Ohio State)
2. Brock Hardy (Nebraska)
3. Luke Stanich (Lehigh)
4. Anthony Echemendia (Iowa State)
5. CJ Composto (Penn)
6. Vance Vombaur (Minnesota)
7. Braeden Davis (Penn State)
8. Aden Valencia (Arizona State)