The Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational is one of college wrestling’s premier tournaments. It’s a precursor to the NCAA Championships, with end-of-year implications. 

As always, a loaded field is only as good as the participants. Below are previews for 184, 197, and 285, assuming that every ranked wrestler competes. 

Watch the Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational LIVE on FloWrestling Friday, December 5 and Saturday, December 6. 

184 lbs - 15 Ranked

#7 Brock Mantanona, Michigan
#10 Isaac Dean, Iowa State
#11 James Conway, Franklin & Marshall
#12 Brian Soldano, Oklahoma
#13 Eddie Neitenbach, Wyoming
#15 Aaron Ayzerov, Columbia
#16 Jared McGill, Edinboro
#18 Ian Bush, West Virginia
#19 Kole Mulhauser, Princeton
#21 Sal Perrine, Ohio
#23 Jaden Bullock, Virginia Tech
#26 Christian Hansen, Cornell
#28 Ceasar Garza, Cal Poly
#31 TJ McDonnell, Oregon State
#33 Caleb Uhlenhopp, Utah Valley

2024 Placers
1. Parker Keckeisen — Northern Iowa
2. Dustin Plott — Oklahoma State
3. Bennett Berge — South Dakota State
4. Seth Shumate — Ohio State
5. Isaac Dean — Rider
6. Evan Bockman — Iowa State
7. Dennis Robin — West Virginia
8. Jaden Bullock — Michigan

Isaac Dean is the highest returning placer from last year, but now he’s with Iowa State instead of Rider. His fifth-place CKLV finish led to a Round of 16 finish at the 2025 NCAA Championships, before moving to Ames for his senior season.

Interest in Dean is high after falling to Iowa’s top-ranked Angelo Ferrari, 2-1, in the Cy-Hawk dual on Sunday, November 30. He showed stellar defense against Ferrari, but he’ll need more offensive output to win this prestigious tournament. 

Michigan’s Brock Mantanona has plenty of offense, so a possible match against Dean would be a stylistic clash. Mantanona competed mostly at 165 last season, finishing fifth at the 2024 CKLV. The Bermuda Dunes, California, native posted a 10-8 win over returning All-American Silas Allred (Nebraska) at the National Duals, but fell 21-4 against Missouri’s Aeodon Sinclair at the same event. 

This is an important tournament, since 184 pounds is loaded with high-level wrestlers, and reaching the national podium (top eight) will be a challenge. A win in Las Vegas will be a building block for March.

There are 13 wrestlers ranked between #11 and #33, offering an opportunity to gain ground on the middle part of the field. 

James Conway (Franklin & Marshall) has looked good during his senior campaign. He has an 11-1 season record, with a 7-4 loss to #5 Jaxon Smith (Maryland), but wins over #15 Aaron Ayzerov of Columbia, 13-4, #16 Jared McGill of Edinboro, 10-3, and #23 Jaden Bullock of Virginia Tech, 17-2. These are important matches for Conway since his dual schedule doesn’t have many wrestlers ranked in the top 33. 

Ayzerov is 5-4 but has faced several quality opponents. He dropped an 8-7 match to Mantanona and fell to Conway, but can collect important wins for a second-semester push. The Paramus, New Jersey, native can chase down takedowns and is an effective scrambler. 

Brian Soldano of Oklahoma transferred from Rutgers after reaching the national tournament twice. Soldano has four wins this season, but it’s his first test against high-level competition since he defaulted against Sinclair at the Tiger Style Invite. 

McGill, Ian Bush (West Virginia), Kole Mulhauser (Princeton), Sal Perrine (Ohio), and Jaden Bullock (Virginia Tech) are bunched together in the middle of the rankings. Lots of movement can happen here depending on matchups and results. 

McGill is in his seventh season after beginning his career at Pittsburgh. He qualified for his first national tournament in 2025 and is 4-1 this season with a loss to Conway. 

Bush is 8-1 this season after qualifying for nationals at 197, but has a 4-3 loss to Bullock, who is 4-6. Bullock’s first 10 matches have been no picnic, with two tech fall losses to 2025 U20 World champion Max McEnelly (Minnesota). 

Mulhauser is 3-1 with a loss to Bush. Perrine has two dual wins and is looking for a signature win or two. 

Christian Hansen (Cornell), Ceasar Garza (Cal Poly), TJ McDonnell (Oregon State), and Caleb Uhlenhopp (Utah Valley) are at the bottom of the rankings and can move up with the right wins in Vegas. 

Brock Mantanona won a 10-8 shootout against Nebraska's Silas Allred at the National Duals. 

197 lbs - 14 Ranked

#2 Rocky Elam, Iowa State
#6 Justin Rademacher, Oregon State
#7 Bennett Berge, SD State
#8 Joey Novak, Wyoming
#14 Deanthony Parker, Oklahoma
#18 Sonny Sasso, Virginia Tech
#19 Payton Thomas, Navy
#21 Rune Lawrence, West Virginia
#22 Brock Zurawski, Rider
#26 Jack Wehmeyer, Columbia
#28 Colton Hawks, Arizona State
#29 Karson Tompkins, Air Force
#30 Ben Vanadia, Purdue
#32 Hayden Walters, Michigan

2024 Placers
1. Jacob Cardenas — Michigan
2. Evan Bates — Northwestern
3. Luke Surber — Oklahoma State
4. Joey Novak — Wyoming
5. Trey Munoz — Oregon State
6. Andy Smith — Virginia Tech
7. Wyatt Voelker — Northern Iowa
8. Christian Carroll — Iowa State

Rocky Elam is the man to beat. The Cyclone senior is ranked second after a successful career at Missouri, with finishes of 5th, 4th, 3rd, and 6th at the NCAA Championships. The U20 World champion redshirted last season and looks ready to make a title run. 

He is 4-0 this season, notching the final win in Iowa State’s 20-14 vicotry over Iowa on November 30. Elam is tall and rangy, capable of high-level takedowns and turns on top. 

He’ll face a stiff test against three top-10 opponents, two of whom are returning All-Americans. 

Oregon State’s Justin Rademacher hasn’t reached the podium yet, but was the talk of wrestling over the summer. He won the 97 kg division at the U20 World Championships, thrusting his name into NCAA title contention. Some have predicted he will win nationals this season, and his 10-0 record proves he’s on track. Winning CKLV will strengthen that belief following a 19-11 2024 true freshman campaign and a 2025 redshirt year.

South Dakota State’s Bennett Berge is only 1-0 on the season, but his win was big. He defeated Minnesota’s Gavin Nelson, 2-1, as part of the Jack Rabbits’ 18-14 win over the Golden Gophers — the first in 51 years. 

Berge is up from 184, where he finished third at CKLV last season and fourth at the 2024 NCAA Championships. 

Wyoming’s Joey Novak finished fifth at the 2025 NCAA Championships, but suffered a 12-2 setback against Virginia Tech’s Sonny Sasso at the National Duals Invitational. He quieted the crowd with a fall the following week against Cal Baptist, giving the Cowboy star a 2-1 record. 

Oklahoma’s Deanthony Parker reached the Round of 12 at nationals last season and will be a threat to reach the semifinals. He’s 5-1 on the season, with a 13-3 loss to Connor Mirasola during the Penn State dual.

There are plenty of landmines to dodge here, including Sasso, who is 9-2 on the season with setbacks to Nelson, 7-0, and West Virginia’s Rune Lawrence, 7-6, at the Southeast Open. Lawrence is expected to compete, offering a web of interesting match-ups. The Mountaineer freshman is 7-2, with a surprising loss by fall to Glenville State’s Nick Johnson in a dual. 

Rider’s Brock Zurawski is a national qualifier who fell to Lawrence, 11-8, in sudden victory during a dual on November 23, and to Rademacher, 16-5, at the Princeton Open. He lit up the scoreboard in a few of his matches, and a 5-2 record puts him in contention to place at CKLV. 

Navy’s Payton Thomas is 3-4 on the season but has faced tough competition, including losses to All-Americans Mac Stout (Pitt) and Camden McDanel (Nebraska).

Elam, Rademacher, Berge, and Novak seem like safe bets to reach the semifinal round, but the remaining four places seem wide open. Expect lots of fun matches and unusual results here. 

Watch Justin Rademacher win the 2025 U20 World Championships

285 lbs - 10 Ranked

#1 Yonger Bastida, Iowa State
#5 Taye Ghadiali, Michigan
#11 Spencer Lanosga, Navy
#15 Jimmy Mullen, Virginia Tech
#21 Luke Rasmussen, SD State
#23 Trevor Tinker, Cal Poly
#24 Juan Mora, Oklahoma
#26 Christian Carroll, Wyoming
#30 Devon Dawson, Northern Illinois
#31 Hayden Filipovich, Purdue

2024 Placers
1. Wyatt Hendrickson, Oklahoma State
2. Isaac Trumble, NC State
3. Cohlton Schultz, Arizona State
4. Jimmy Mullen, Virginia Tech
5. David Mower, Oregon State
6. Nick Feldman, Ohio State
7. Lance Runyon, Northern Iowa
8. Harley Andrews, Nebraska

Iowa State’s Yonger Bastida is the clear favorite after an injury redshirt season. The Cuban star is already 4-0, with wins over past U20 World champions Braxton Amos (Wisconsin) and Ben Kueter (Iowa). 

Bastida picked up win after win during the 2024 season, including victories over Wyatt Hendrickson (Air Force), Zach Elam (Missouri), Josh Heindselman (Oklahoma), and Cohlton Schultz (Arizona State). He was 24-0 entering the 2024 NCAA Championships, won his first two matches, then lost in the quarters and the Round of 12. The Cyclone senior hasn’t reached the national podium since a fifth-place finish at the 2022 NCAA Championships when he competed at 197. 

Michigan’s Taye Ghadiali could be a breakout star this season. He fell by a major decision to Nebraska’s AJ Ferrari at the National Duals, but is 5-1 with all bonus-point victories. The former Campbell All-American is a serious threat to reach the finals and, if he’s on, win the tournament. He fell to Bastida, 8-2, at the NWCA All-Star Classic in an exhibition match, so this is an opportunity to make gains. 

Navy’s Spencer Lanosga is 7-0 this season with two wins over Pitt’s Dayton Pitzer (R12 in 2025) and a 5-2 SV win over age-level World Teamer Hunter Catka of Rutgers. 

Jimmy Mullen (Virginia Tech) is 12-3 with two tiebreaker losses and a 12-1 setback against Minnesota’s Koy Hopke. 

South Dakota State’s Luke Rasmussen might be a little underrated and will be one of the biggest threats at this weight. He is 2-0 on the season but secured a huge 7-4 win over Minnesota’s Koy Hopke to clinch the dual for the Jack Rabbits over the Golden Gophers. 

Wyoming’s Christian Carroll has shown glimpses throughout his career — especially in freestyle — and this could be the breakthrough tournament he needs. He has competed for Oklahoma State and Iowa State before landing in Laramie. He is 2-2 this season, with setbacks to Mullen and Ohio State’s Nick Feldman. 

Watch Yonger Bastida and Taye Ghadiali wrestle at the 2025 All-Star Classic.