Running from 11 July to 3 August, with six sports in action, it is an aquatic extravaganza set to thrill.

With 2024 champion high diver Aidan Heslop not competing due to injury, GB will have representation in five out of the six sports in Singapore: swimming, open water, artistic swimming, water polo and diving.

From history-making Olympic champions to senior debutants, the British squads are bursting at the seams with talent and here are just five of the names you should keep an eye on throughout the competition.

Swimming – Jacob Mills

Young gun on the block Jacob Mills will make his senior world championships debut in Singapore.

The 17-year-old, who trains at Repton, exploded onto the scene earlier this year after a series of speedy performances in the pool that catapulted him to the fifth fastest British man ever over 100m freestyle.

In fact, 2025 has been quite the year for the sprinter, who set a personal best of 49.33 at the Edinburgh International Meet before stopping the clock at a stunning 48.03s during the Aquatics GB Championships final for second place behind two-time Olympic champion Matt Richards.

Another silver, this time behind Paris 2025 silver medallist Ben Proud came over 50m for Mills at the champs.

Mills will take to the water in the individual 100m freestyle in Singapore as well as making up a strong-look team in the men’s 4x100m freestyle relay.

And whether or not another personal best comes his way, Mills is sure to impress on debut.

Open water – Hector Pardoe

Hardly a new name when it comes to British open water hopes, Hector Pardoe will head to Singapore looking to emulate his 2024 feat.

The 10km marathon swimmer clinched a maiden international title with bronze in the men’s event at last year’s world championships.

The two-time Olympian and AFC Wimbledon supporter has become a consistent contender at the top of the international circuit and will head to the 2025 world championships with a top 10 finish at the Open Water World Cup in Egypt to his name.

Just weeks after his competition in Singapore, Pardoe will return to the UK to tackle a world record as he attempts to swim 34.5 miles across Scotland, England and Wales’ biggest lakes – Loch Lomond (21 miles), Lake Windermere (10.5 miles) and Lake Bala (3 miles) in 24 hours.

Pardoe already holds the world record for the fastest time to swim Windermere in an incredible three hours 40minutes and 28 seconds.

Diving – Maisie Bond

Maisie Bond has been on the international diving scene for most of her teenage years but will make her senior world championship this summer.

Already a three-time world junior medallist, the Sheffield diver has seen incredible success on the junior stage.

Her 2025 opened with a storm, winning women’s synchronised 10m platform bronze alongside Lois Toulson at the Diving World Cup in Canada before backing it up with another bronze in the Super Final and individual 10m platform gold at the Aquatics GB Diving Championships.

The youngest of four, Bond took up diving after watching her siblings from the stands and has overcome two bone stress injuries in her back to reach the top ranks.

Now in a new partnership with three-time Olympian and Paris 2024 medallist Toulson, Bond will be leaning on her synchro partner’s experience to build her confidence going into Singapore.

Artistic swimming – Ranjuo Tomblin

Ranjuo Tomblin’s event may not be in the Olympics, but the British artistic swimmer has become an international star with his history-making success.

The 19-year-old became GB’s first male artistic swimming European champion in 2024, and added the title of the first male World Cup medal winner with Paris World Cup gold in March 2025.

Tomblin will once again team up with Olympic silver medallist Izzy Thorpe in the mixed duet, with the pair having joined forces this season.

Their partnership saw the duo win mixed duet technical silver at the recent European championships, with Tomblin also winning the men’s solo technical and mixed duet free bronze with Holly Hughes.

With the possibility of a maiden world medal on the cards, Tomblin will be looking forward to every possibility in Singapore.

Water Polo – Amélie Perkins

Amelie Perkins had just turned 16 when she became the youngest British female player to play at an official world aquatics Water Polo tournament in 2024.

The teenager stepped out at the European championships last year and scored two goals as GB clinched their best-ever finish in the event to qualify for the world championships stage for the first time in a decade.

She will now make her world debut in Singapore with a whirlwind of experience behind her.

Perkins scored 30 goals in five games, including seven in the final, to help England win Under-18s European Union Nations Cup gold in the Czech Republic last year, as well as helping her side to a fourth-place finish at the Water Polo World Cup in December.

You can watch all the live action from the 2025 World Aquatics Championships for free on the Aquatics GB YouTube channel.

Sportsbeat 2025

Release Courtesy Baruch Athletic Communications
 

NEW YORK – Anna Carbone has been named Head Coach of the Baruch College Women’s Volleyball Team.

The announcement was made by Baruch College Director of Athletics and Recreation, Heather MacCulloch on Wednesday.

Carbone has reputable leadership experience. She is the Head Coach of Queens Apex Volleyball, a GEVA club based in Elmhurst, New York, and a Nike retail leader, where she has developed a reputation for empowering teams, fostering growth, and leading with purpose both on the court and in the field. 

Carbone attended Saint Joseph’s University of Brooklyn where she played on their women’s volleyball team for four seasons. She also played on the soccer team as well as the swimming team.

She was named to the All-Association of Division III Independent Awards Second Team and the Hudson Valley Intercollegiate Athletic Conference All-Academic Team, both in 2013. She also earned the United States Collegiate Athletic Association (USCAA) All-Academic Team honor twice, once on their soccer team (2013) and a second time on their volleyball team (2014).

“We are excited to welcome Anna Carbone as the new Head Coach of Baruch College Women’s Volleyball,” said Heather MacCulloch, Director of Athletics. “Her passion for the game, strong leadership, and commitment to academic and athletic excellence make her a perfect fir for our program. As we build on the proud tradition of Bearcat volleyball, we’re confident that Coach Carbone will inspire our student-athletes to reach new heights on and off the court.”

She achieved first-place on St. Joseph’s University of Brooklyn’s career all-time rankings for digs (1,134) and digs per set (3.83) as well as fourth in assists (682). Additionally, Carbone finished in fifth place for total sets played (296) as she appeared in all matches and played in every set during her freshman and sophomore years.

For her single-match highs, Carbone accumulated 35 digs in a match on October 20, 2013 against the Culinary Institute of America. She also dished out 43 assists against Brooklyn College on October 20, 2015.

“I’m so excited to step in as the new women’s volleyball head coach at Baruch College.” Carbone mentions, “Volleyball has always been such an important part of my life, so it’s an amazing opportunity to share that passion, and to lead this group of athletes, build a strong team culture, and compete at a high level. I’m ready to get to work and develop confident leaders both on and off the court.

She graduated from Saint Joseph’s of Brooklyn with a Bachelor’s Degree in Biology (2016) and a Master’s in Applied Physiology and Kinesiology with a concentration in Human Performance from the University of Florida (2022).

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Bret Harte’s Brayden Bowersox played water polo, soccer, and tennis during his junior year. Guy Dossi/Calaveras Enterprise

It would be hard to find someone who takes both the “student” and “athlete” roles as seriously as junior Brayden Bowersox. As a student, Bowersox has one of the top GPAs in his class. As an athlete, he was a three-sport standout, excelling in water polo, soccer and tennis.

In the fall, Bowersox was a key member of Bret Harte’s undefeated Sierra Valley Conference championship team. He helped guide the Bullfrogs to the playoffs, where his late goal in overtime secured the program’s first-ever home playoff win. Bowersox finished with 33 goals, scored more than once in 10 games, and recorded a season-high four goals in a 14-10 win over Franklin.

“Brayden is ridiculously talented, quick to smile, quick to help,” Bret Harte head water polo coach Mike Kelly said. “He’s clearly a superior athlete, and as a junior, has earned a starting position through a ferocious work ethic and an abundance of natural athletic talent. And he’s not just a really good water polo player, he’s an academic prodigy, a multi-sport athlete and a musician. He’s an exemplary young man, and I’m so happy he decided to join us, instead of some rock band or the math club. With the departure of our seniors, Brayden is going to be one of the cornerstones of next year’s team, and I’ve every confidence that he’s going to thrive in that position of leadership.”

In the winter, Bowersox returned to the soccer field, where he helped guide the Bullfrogs to a return trip to the playoffs. He finished his season tied for third on the team with six goals. His best performance came when he recorded a hat trick at home against Big Valley Christian. He was a second-team all-Mother Lode League selection and also received Bret Harte’s Character Award.

“Brayden’s development from his sophomore to his junior year as a member of the varsity soccer squad at Bret Harte can be best characterized by a measurable increase in his confidence as a player on the field, both on and off the ball, and particularly in front of the goal,” Bret Harte head soccer coach Jeff Gouveia said. “Brayden seemed to better absorb and synthesize the coaching information provided to him by the coaching staff during his junior year which manifested tactically to a higher soccer IQ and unequivocally more production in matches. Brayden was also elected co-captain during his junior year and assumed the lead in this role with impressive results from his teammates. The coaching staff anticipates further improvement and development in all of these areas in Brayden’s senior year with spectacular results.”

In the spring, Bowersox made the difficult, but ultimately correct, decision to trade in his baseball bat for a tennis racquet. In his first full season as a tennis player, Bowersox went undefeated in Mother Lode League competition and was an individual league champion. He picked up a playoff singles victory and had a strong performance at sections.

“Brayden brings excitement, joy, and happiness to the game of tennis,” Bret Harte head tennis coach Jason Burita said. “He doesn’t want to be anywhere else. He has presence and he is present. Brayden is not only a great tennis player, but a great part of our success. And yes, there are times when he has simply outsmarted his opponent this year, and it’s important for our younger players to see that. Moral character is a big part of the Bowersox personae, and I would say that is true of our team in general. But Bowersox knows when to ‘sweep the leg’ so to speak – in a gentleman’s way – when it comes to finishing off an opponent. Brayden also has been very vocal on campus about how fun tennis is – he may end up being vital to the future of Bret Harte tennis – the word’s out, tennis is fun, and Brayden has embraced being an ambassador for that.”

SINGAPORE – Serbia’s water polo gold rush at the Olympics began in Rio 2016, followed by triumphs in Tokyo 2020 and Paris 2024.

Last August, their three-peat sparked celebrations in the Paris La Defense Arena, when the coaching staff celebrated with the players by leaping into the pool fully clothed.

The water polo giants will be hoping for more scenes of joy when the action kicks off at the World Aquatics Championships at the OCBC Aquatic Centre on July 11, with the women’s tournament, followed by the men a day later.

While Serbia have dominated at the Olympics, top honours at the world event has been elusive of late.

Since winning the world title in 2015 and earning bronze in 2017, their results have steadily declined: two fifth-placed finishes, fourth, and most recently, sixth in Doha in 2024.

On the hunt to end their decade-long drought, the team chose not to refresh their squad after the end of the Olympics, with nine members of the Paris Games champions among their 15-man team in Singapore.

Strahinja Rasovic, 33, a key member of the team here, has two Olympic golds (2020, 2024) but no world championship medals.

In 2017, when Serbia won bronze at the World Championship, he was injured and not selected.

Rasovic told the World Aquatics website that the absence of medals at World and European championships rankles.

“When you are playing for Serbia, expectations are always the highest. I miss medals from World and European competitions; I hope and I believe that I will win them with my friends,” said Rasovic, who plays for Serbian club Radnicki Kragujevic.

Serbia are in Group A alongside Italy, Romania, and South Africa.

He added: “Like always, the preparation period is so intensive. We’re in a good atmosphere and doing hard work, so we are getting ready for Singapore.”

Beaten finalists in Paris, Croatia are also out for redemption after losing 13-11 in a tightly contested final battle with the Serbs.

Afterwards Croatia veteran Maro Jokovic told reporters he felt “a huge emptiness”, and that “all I know is that this defeat will be in our minds for a long time”.

Revenge could be a dish best served cold in the Singapore heat. The defending champions are in Group D with Montenegro, Greece and China.

Croatia captain and goalkeeper Marko Bijac said at the World Aquatics Championships press conference on July 10 that his team are very motivated.

He added: “This (World Championships) is, with Olympics, the biggest competition, that a water polo player can be part of, so motivation for sure will not be a problem here.”

Other teams who are in the mix include Spain, who won the 2025 Water Polo World Cup in April, perennial contenders Hungary and Paris Olympics bronze medallists United States.

The 16 teams have been split into four groups of four for the preliminary round, with group winners advancing to the quarter-finals while the second and third teams enter the play-off with another chance to qualify for the last eight.

In the women’s tournament, other nations are also aiming to end their title droughts.

Spain, who claimed their first-ever Olympic gold medal in women’s water polo at Paris 2024, are aiming for their first world title since 2013.

Heading into the Lion City with a fresh world No. 1 ranking, they will face Britain, South Africa and France in Group D.

Spanish water polo star Bea Ortiz told the World Aquatics website that winning the Olympic gold was the highlight of her career, and that she was thrilled to see Spain’s success recognised in the world rankings.

Ortiz, 30, said: “Women’s water polo is developing rapidly around the world, and there are so many strong teams in competition, so to be ranked above all of them is a great honour. This will motivate us to try and maintain top spot, beginning at the World Aquatics Championships in Singapore.”

Also out for redemption are the US women’s team, who had a disappointing campaign in Paris as the three-time Olympic champions finished outside the medals for the first time. Winner of five of the last six world titles, for the Americans a sixth victory here will go some way to soothing their Paris pain.

But the teams should watch out for other contenders like Greece – who won the World Cup in April – Australia and the Netherlands, who won the silver and bronze respectively at the Olympics.

Body confidence from the early years

The confidence that Paula Leitón has in her body stems from her childhood. Other members of her family are also tall and similarly built, so that type of physique was “always treated as completely normal”.

Leitón remembers one episode in particular: “I was 10 years old and couldn’t buy clothes in the children’s section. Now I know where to shop, where to find what I need. But back then, I remember telling my mum, ‘I don’t get it. Why can’t I wear that?’ And she would calmly say, ‘They just don’t have what you need here. We’ll find it somewhere else, don’t worry’. She made it feel normal: ‘If not here, then somewhere else. It’s not your fault’. That attitude meant everything.”

While Leitón has learned to embrace her shape since she was a child, the athlete notes that she was not completely immune to all body-related insecurities. If the negative comments she got after Paris 2024 had come 10 years earlier, Leitón said, they would have affected her differently.

It was her family’s support and the extensive mental work she did to become a stronger athlete and individual that have helped her to deal with the body shaming as lightly as she did, but Leitón is well aware other people may need extra support.

Given how important her own childhood was in building the body confidence she has now, it is not surprising that the Olympic champion aspires to work with children when she retires from competitive sport. Leitón is working towards a teaching degree and is in her second year of studies, soon to start a practicum at a school.

“Teaching is my calling after water polo,” she said. “I’d love to work in education, especially in sport, to share how I learned to love it. And I know I can pass on values like teamwork, camaraderie, sacrifice…Everything sport has taught me in the pool, why not pass that on in the classroom too?”

Getting a sneak peek at Paula Leitón the teacher, the Olympic champion offered this advice to young girls: “If you enjoy something and it makes you happy, then keep doing it. That’s the most important thing. Don’t let what others say affect you, just enjoy what you do and make sure you’re doing it for yourself. And if you find something that truly fulfils you, especially in sport, it will be an incredible journey.”

Leitón will next compete at the 2025 World Aquatics Championships in Singapore where she will try to win the last title still missing from her name, that of world champion.

All 330 NCAA wrestling championship qualifiers learned their seed on Wednesday afternoon, eight days before they all take the mat in Philadelphia to compete against one another for championship honors under the bright lights of the Wells Fargo Arena. Here’s what you need to know about leaders of each weight class, their path to success and under-the-radar names to watch next week. 

CLICK HERE FOR THE COMPLETE PRINTABLE BRACKETS

125 pounds

Title contenders: No. 1 Luke Lilledahl, No. 2 Matt Ramos, No. 3 Eddie Ventresca, No. 4 Vince Robinson, No. 5 Richie Figueroa
All-American sleeper: No. 27 Tristan Daugherty 

The 125-pound weight class, as usual, is chaos. No athlete enters the NCAA tournament undefeated, and only one athlete — 2023 NCAA finalist and Big Ten bronze medalist Matt Ramos — comes in with just one loss. Ramos is currently seeded No. 2 after falling to Penn State’s No. 1 seed Luke Lilledahl in the Big Ten semifinals. Lilledahl then went on to win the conference tournament over No. 9 Caleb Smith of Nebraska 4-3. Smith and Lilledahl could rematch in the quarterfinals if the first round goes chalk and Smith beats No. 8 Sheldon Seymour of Lehigh. 

Richard Figueroa, last year’s national champion at the weight, comes in as the No. 5 seed following a loss to North Dakota State’s Tristan Daugherty at Big 12s. Meanwhile, Daugherty comes in as the No. 27 seed after posting a 10-14 record on the year. His record may not suggest that he could be in the mix for All-American honors, but his win over Figueroa this point in the season immediately elevates him into this conversation. 

The only other returning All-American in the bracket is South Dakota State’s Tanner Jordan, who will, much like last year, attempt to make the podium from a 20+ seed. This year, he’s seeded No. 23 with a first-round match against in-conference foe Stevo Poulin. Jordan is 0-2 against Poulin, most recently losing to the Northern Colorado star 14-6 in last year’s dual. The winner of Poulin vs. Jordan will take on the winner of No. 7 Troy Spratley of Oklahoma State, who has been ranked as high as No. 2 this year, and No. 26 Keyveon Roller of Virginia. 

133 pounds

Title contenders: No. 1 Lucas Byrd, No. 2 Drake Ayala 
All-American sleeper:  No. 26 Kai Orine

For most of the year, the 133-pound weight class was led by Lehigh’s Ryan Crookham, a sophomore who finished third last season and started the 2024-2025 season with a 5-0 record. After Crookham announced his decision not to compete in the postseason due to injury, Iowa’s Drake Ayala slotted into the No. 1 spot, only to be leapfrogged by Illinois’ Lucas Byrd several days later after Byrd topped Ayala in the Big Ten finals by fall. 

Byrd, a two-time All-American for the Illini, now comes into the NCAA tournament as an undefeated No. 1 seed with Ayala sitting at the No. 2 seed. Ayala’s only other loss this year came against No. 13 Tyler Knox who sits on Byrd’s side of the bracket and will take on No. 20 Blake Boarmann of Chattanooga in the first round. This doesn’t mean that the Hawkeye has an easy path back to the finals, though, as his first match will come against Missouri’s No. 31 Kade Moore, who has career wins over All-Americans Evan Frost and Sam Latona. The winner of that match will face the winner of No. 15 Anthony Noto, a former All-American at 125 pounds, vs. No. 18 Julian Farber of Northern Iowa. 

All-Americans Nasir Bailey, Dylan Shawver and Kai Orine and will also be in the mix, seeded No. 3, No. 10 and No. 26 respectively. One first-round match to circle is Orine vs. Ohio State’s No. 7 Nic Bouzakis. Both of these wrestlers are wild and put on a show. There’s nothing predictable about the outcome of that match. 

141 pounds

Title contenders: No. 1 Brock Hardy, No. 2 Beau Bartlett, No. 3 Jesse Mendez, No. 4 Josh Koderhandt, No. 5 Cael Happel, No. 6 Vance Vombaur, No. 7 Tagen Jamison, No. 8 Andrew Alirez
All-American sleeper: No. 14 Sergio Lemley

Nebraska All-American Brock Hardy blew up the 141-pound bracket last weekend when he beat 2024 NCAA champion Jesse Mendez and All-American Vance Vombar in his conference semifinals and finals respectively to win Big Tens and earn the No. 1 seed. Jesse Mendez, who won the NCAA tournament last year in a short-time takedown against Bartlett, meanwhile lost to Bartlett for the second time this year in the consolation finals, to earn the No. 3 seed while Bartlett is at the No. 2. 

The Big 12 conference results created similar disruption in the national seeds, with Oklahoma State’s Tagen Jamison beating 2023 NCAA champion Andrew Alirez, only to fall to Northern Iowa’s Cael Happel in the finals. Happel now leads that group as the No. 5 seed, followed by Jamison at the No. 7 and Alirez at the No. 8 seed. Navy’s Josh Koderhandt, who won the EIWA tournament, comes in at No. 4. Of this group, Jamison, Happel and Koderhandt are all looking for the first All-American honors of their career. Happel and Jamison though could both hit All-Americans in their second matches if the bracket goes chalk, with Happel set to No. 12 Sam Latona of Virginia Tech if Latona beats No. 21 Dylan Chappell, and Jamison likely to wrestle No. 10 CJ Composto if both of these athletes win their first round matches against No. 26 Eligh Rivera of Princeton and No. 23 Josh Edmond, respectively. 

149 pounds

Title contenders: No. 1 Caleb Henson, No. 2 Ridge Lovett, No. 3 Shayne Van Ness, No. 4 Paniro Johnson, No. 5 Kyle Parco
All-American sleeper: No. 11 Sammy Alvarez

Virginia Tech’s Caleb Henson is back to defend his crown. The 2024 NCAA champion junior earned his No. 1 seed with an 18-0 record, including a 2-0 performance at the ACC championships, where he claimed his second title. Now he’ll have the benefit of being the opposite side of the bracket of two Big Ten foes — No. 2 Ridge Lovett and No. 3 Shayne Van Ness — after Lovett, Van Ness and Iowa’s No. 5 Kyle Parco battled each other out at their conference tournament. Henson’s reward for his strong performances thus far this year will be a first-round match against the winner of the pigtail battle between No. 33 Teague Travis and No. 32 Wynton Denkins, the former of whom finished in the Round of 16 last year and was a late addition to the Oklahoma State lineup in place of Carter Young. Lovett, meanwhile, will have No. 31 Sam Cartella of Northwestern. 

Big 12 champion Paniro Johnson will also be a name to watch at the No. 4 seed, as he seems to be hitting his prime here in the heat of the postseason. Johnson will take on No. 29 Jack Gioffe of Virginia in the first round, and, if he wins and the match above him goes chalk, he could see Ohio State All-American No. 23 Dylan D’Emilio in the second round. 

157 pounds

Title contenders: No. 1 Tyler Kasak, No. 2 Meyer Shapiro 
All-American sleeper: No. 22 Ed Scott

Injuries have defined the 157-pound weight class this year, but, as the athletes head into the final two weeks of the season, it’s Penn State’s Tyler Kasak, who emerges as the No. 1 seed. Kasak is 18-1 on the year, with his lone loss coming during his injury default match against Maryland’s Ethen Miller. Meanwhile, Miller, who earned the No. 1 seed at Big Tens, secured the No. 10 seed, giving him a first-round matchup with in-conference foe No. 23 Chase Saldate. Miller beat Saldate 4-2 in their last meeting. 

On the opposite side of the bracket is No. 2 Meyer Shapiro of Cornell, who has had his fair share of injuries but will now look to string together five winning matches and compete for his first NCAA title. Shapiro finished third last year at 157 pounds, while Kasak took third at 149 pounds. Shapiro could have a tough second-round match on this side of the bracket, though. If he beats first-round opponent No. 31 Noah Castillo, he’ll face the winner of No. 15 Johnny Lovett and No. 18 Jacori Teemer. Iowa’s Teemer finished second at the weight class last year but has taken four losses this year after battling injuries most of the season. 

The parity at this weight produced a number of elite first-round matches, including No. 19 Cobe Siebrecht vs. No. 14 Jude Swisher and No. 11 Matty Bianchi vs. No. 22 Ed Scott. Ohio State’s Brannon Cannon at the No. 5 seed will also be a name to watch as Cannon built a name for himself in his first Big Ten tournament by making the finals and will now chase his first All-American honors in Philly. His first round match will be No. 28 Chris Hamblin of Oregon State, with the winner facing the victor in the bout between No. 12 Caleb Fish and No. 21 Logan Rozynski of Lehigh. 

165 pounds

Title contenders: No. 1 Mitchell Mesenbrink, No. 2 Peyton Hall, No. 3 Mikey Caliendo
All-American sleeper: No. 26 Paddy Gallagher

Heading into the Big Ten championships last weekend, Penn State’s No. 1 Mitchell Mesenbrink was the runaway favorite to win this weight class after finishing as a runner-up last year to Iowa State’s David Carr. Mesenbrink is still the top seed and the most likely title contender, but Iowa’s No. 3 Mikey Caliendo closed the gap and gave Mesenbrink a 4-1 match after being teched earlier in the season. For Caliendo to get another shot at Mesenbrink in the NCAA finals this year, though, he’ll need to go through No. 2 Peyton Hall of West Virginia, who won Big 12s last weekend and enters NCAAs with a 30-1 record, his lone loss coming against Terrell Barraclough earlier in the year. Barraclough is the No. 4 seed and in a position to earn All-American honors for the first time in his career for Utah Valley after spending the first four years of his career as a backup for Penn State. 

The big problem for everyone in this bracket will be No. 5 Julian Ramirez, who won the Ivy League championships last weekend and already has wins over two NCAA champions in his career: David Carr and Shane Griffith. Michigan’s Beau Mantanona will also be a problem, as he’s a pinner and can put almost anyone on their back. Mantanona will have Tyler Lillard of Indiana first, an athlete he beat 8-5 earlier this year. 

174 pounds

Title contenders: No. 1 Keegan O’Toole, No. 2 Levi Haines, No. 3 Dean Hamiti
All-American sleeper: No. 16 Lorenzo Norman 

The top three in this weight could all win NCAAs on any given day. Missouri’s two-time NCAA champ Keegan O’Toole paces the group after earning sudden victory wins over No. 2 Levi Haines and No. 3 Dean Hamiti earlier this year. Haines won Big Tens and NCAAs last year at 157 pounds and just claimed another Big Ten title this year up at 174 pounds against No. 8 Lenny Pinto. His win, and his subsequent No. 2 seed, puts him in a good spot in the bracket, opposite Pinto, No. 24 All-American Lennox Wolak, No. 9 All-American Carson Kharchla, No. 13 All-American Cade DeVos and Cliff Keen runner-up No. 16 Lorenzo Norman. 

Haines will still have a tough road, as he’ll be expected to meet No. 3 Dean Hamiti in the semifinals if both of them can survive their first three matches. Just to demonstrate the depth of the weight, Hamiti’s first-round match will come against All-American Jackson Turley of Rutgers. The winner will get the victor between No. 19 Jared Simma and No. 14 Matty Singleton. 

184 pounds

Title contenders: No. 1 Carter Starocci, No. 2 Parker Keckeisen, No. 3 Max McEnelly 
All-American sleeper: No. 15 Dylan Fishback

Not only does 184 pounds have two former NCAA champions in No. 1 Carter Starocci vs. No. 2 Parker Keckeisen, but Minnesota freshman Max McEnelly also inserted himself into the title conversation when he earned a takedown against four-time NCAA champion Starocci in the Big Ten finals. Starocci ended up beating McEnelly 8-5 in the conference finals, but McEnelly’s performance put the country on notice. He’ll be expected to meet Parker Keckeisen — who won his fifth Big 12 title — in the semifinals. 

Starocci has a reasonably smooth path to the semifinals, though he does have three All-Americans that he could clash with, including No. 4 Dustin Plott of Oklahoma State, No. 5 Bennett Berge of South Dakota State and No. 17 Gavin Kane of North Carolina. On the other side, McEnelly could see All-American No. 6 Chris Foca in the quarterfinals, while Keckeisen could meet with All-American Edmond Ruth of Illinois at No. 10. 

This is Starocci’s weight until proven otherwise, but Keckeisen is in peak form, and McEnelly proved he can compete with the champ. Buckle up. The 184-pound bracket is full of storylines. 

197 pounds

Title contenders: No. 1 Jacob Cardenas, No. 2 Stephen Buchanan, No. 3 AJ Ferrari, No. 4 Josh Barr
All-American sleepers: No. 14 Zach Glazier

Michigan graduate student Jacob Cardenas secured the No. 1 seed in the NCAA tournament with his first Big Tens on Sunday night. Iowa’s Stephen Buchanan, who lost to Cardenas in the finals, earned the No. 2 seed, while 2021 NCAA champion AJ Ferrari picked up the No. 3 seed. Buchanan losing the No. 1 seed to Cardenas sets up a potential rematch with Ferrari in the semifinals, and Ferrari has the last win over the Hawkeye back in 2022.

Cardenas doesn’t have an easy draw on his side either, though, as he’ll be expected to rematch No. 4 Josh Barr in the semifinals, an athlete he has split matches with thus far this year. All-Americans Trey Munoz and Stephen Little at the No. 13 and No. 12 spots, respectively, on Cardenas’ side of the bracket are also notable. 

285 pounds

Title contenders: No. 1 Gable Steveson, No. 2 Wyatt Hendrickson, No. 3 Greg Kerkvliet 
Under-the-radar names to watch: No. 14 Gavin Hoffman

Heading into the season, two big questions surrounded 285 pounds: 1.) Can reigning NCAA champion Greg Kerkvliet challenge 2021 Olympic gold medalist Gable Steveson? 2.) What kind of jumps can All-American Wyatt Hendrickson make up new head coach David Taylor? The first question was answered at Big Tens, as Steveson beat Kerkvliet three takedowns to none with a score of 10-3 to claim his fourth Big Ten title. Steveson earned the No. 1 seed with that win, putting Kerkvliet at the No. 3. Big 12 champion Wyatt Hendrickson survived four-time All-American Cohlton Schultz to win his conference title, remain undefeated and position himself opposite to No. 1 Steveson at the bracket at the No. 2. 

Both Schultz and All-American Yaraslau Slavikouski could await Steveson in the second and third rounds of the tournament. Meanwhile, EIWA champion Owen Trephan sits at the No. 4 seed while Iowa’s Ben Kueter’s third-place Big Ten finish earned him the No. 5, an excellent position for the rookie big man. Kueter could have a rematch against All-American Nick Feldman in the second round, though Kueter has shown he can win that match. 

One fun potential second-round match to watch is No. 7 Isaac Trumble vs. No. 10 Dayton Pitzer. Pitzer beat Trumble at ACCs, forcing Trumble to need a wildcard to make it into this tournament. A healthy Trumble is a dangerous thing for the weight, but Pitzer also made it clear that he’s not afraid to compete (and win) against the U23 gold medalist Wolfpack veteran.