Thursday, March 20
Philadelphia, Pa.
12 PM & 7 PM
Indiana University
vs
NCAA Championships
Six Wrestlers to Compete in NCAA Championships
3/19/2025 3:30:00 PM | Wrestling
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. –––– Indiana Wrestling has six NCAA qualifiers set to compete in the NCAA Championships for the second consecutive year.
The 2025 championships are from Thursday to Saturday (March 20-22) at the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia, Pa.
There are 330 total NCAA qualifiers with 33 wrestlers in a bracket at each of the 10 weight classes.
MARCH MATNESS:
-The NCAA Championships are back and in the heart of wrestling country as the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia is hosting the three-day event.
-The Championships will take place from March 20-22 with a total of six sessions split with two sessions taking place each day.
-Preliminary matches open the tournament with wrestlebacks going on in the first day. The second day will feature quarterfinal and semifinal matches along with wrestlebacks.
-On Saturday, the placing matches to set the podium will go on in the morning with the night session being just the finals matches at all 10 weights.
-For Indiana, it has four returning NCAA qualifiers and two first-timers.
-Jacob Moran (125) and Gabe Sollars (197) each are competing in their first NCAA Tournament.
-Angelo Rini (133), Tyler Lillard (165) and Jacob Bullock (285) are all each making their second NCAAs appearance.
-DJ Washington (184) is making his fourth NCAAs trip, he is one of nine four-time qualifiers in program history.
SEEDING SITUATION:
-Indiana's Jacob Moran is the highest ranked wrestler as he is seeded at No. 18 at 125 lbs.
-The rest of Indiana's qualifiers are seeded in the 20s.
-Graduate students Rini and Bullock each earned the No. 21 spot while Washington was at No. 22. Sollars was slotted at No. 24 while Lillard got No. 27 in his bracket.
THE PATHS:
-Four of Indiana's opening matches will start against a conference opponent.
-No. 27 Tyler Lillard will face No. 6 Beau Mantanona (Michigan), No. 22 DJ Washington will go against No. 11 Gabe Arnold (Iowa), No 24 Gabe Sollars will face off versus No. 9 Zac Braunagel (Illinois) and No. 21 Jacob Bullock will take on No. 12 Nick Feldman (Ohio State).
-All of those matches are rematches from earlier in the season. Mantanona, Braunagel and Feldman all won by decision.
-Arnold defeated Washington in the wrestlebacks by medical forfeit.
-No. 18 Jacob Moran and No. 21 Angelo Rini will each open with an opponent from another conference.
-Moran will go against No. 15 Maximo Renteria (Oregon State) and Rini will face No. 12 Ethan Oakley (North Carolina).
CHASING GLORY:
-Indiana is seeking to add to its prestigious national champion and All-American count.
-The Hoosiers have 11 NCAA Champions in its and 80 All-Americans in its program history.
-The last national champion was head coach Angel Escobedo in 2008 when he won first place at 125 lbs.
-The program's last All-American was Nate Jackson who took eighth place at 184 lbs. in 2017.
-In 2023, Graham Rooks reached the Round of 12 at 149 lbs. before he lost to Minnesota's Michael Blockhus. He has gone the furthest at NCAAs since Jackson.
The 2025 championships are from Thursday to Saturday (March 20-22) at the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia, Pa.
There are 330 total NCAA qualifiers with 33 wrestlers in a bracket at each of the 10 weight classes.
MARCH MATNESS:
-The NCAA Championships are back and in the heart of wrestling country as the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia is hosting the three-day event.
-The Championships will take place from March 20-22 with a total of six sessions split with two sessions taking place each day.
-Preliminary matches open the tournament with wrestlebacks going on in the first day. The second day will feature quarterfinal and semifinal matches along with wrestlebacks.
-On Saturday, the placing matches to set the podium will go on in the morning with the night session being just the finals matches at all 10 weights.
-For Indiana, it has four returning NCAA qualifiers and two first-timers.
-Jacob Moran (125) and Gabe Sollars (197) each are competing in their first NCAA Tournament.
-Angelo Rini (133), Tyler Lillard (165) and Jacob Bullock (285) are all each making their second NCAAs appearance.
-DJ Washington (184) is making his fourth NCAAs trip, he is one of nine four-time qualifiers in program history.
SEEDING SITUATION:
-Indiana's Jacob Moran is the highest ranked wrestler as he is seeded at No. 18 at 125 lbs.
-The rest of Indiana's qualifiers are seeded in the 20s.
-Graduate students Rini and Bullock each earned the No. 21 spot while Washington was at No. 22. Sollars was slotted at No. 24 while Lillard got No. 27 in his bracket.
THE PATHS:
-Four of Indiana's opening matches will start against a conference opponent.
-No. 27 Tyler Lillard will face No. 6 Beau Mantanona (Michigan), No. 22 DJ Washington will go against No. 11 Gabe Arnold (Iowa), No 24 Gabe Sollars will face off versus No. 9 Zac Braunagel (Illinois) and No. 21 Jacob Bullock will take on No. 12 Nick Feldman (Ohio State).
-All of those matches are rematches from earlier in the season. Mantanona, Braunagel and Feldman all won by decision.
-Arnold defeated Washington in the wrestlebacks by medical forfeit.
-No. 18 Jacob Moran and No. 21 Angelo Rini will each open with an opponent from another conference.
-Moran will go against No. 15 Maximo Renteria (Oregon State) and Rini will face No. 12 Ethan Oakley (North Carolina).
CHASING GLORY:
-Indiana is seeking to add to its prestigious national champion and All-American count.
-The Hoosiers have 11 NCAA Champions in its and 80 All-Americans in its program history.
-The last national champion was head coach Angel Escobedo in 2008 when he won first place at 125 lbs.
-The program's last All-American was Nate Jackson who took eighth place at 184 lbs. in 2017.
-In 2023, Graham Rooks reached the Round of 12 at 149 lbs. before he lost to Minnesota's Michael Blockhus. He has gone the furthest at NCAAs since Jackson.
Players Mentioned
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