From injury woes to lineup challenges and some disappointing defeats, this season has thrown its share of adversity at the Michigan wrestling program. 

Coach Sean Bormet, however, is elated that the Wolverines have emerged from it all to keep an impressive streak intact. 

For the 15th consecutive season, Michigan is sending at least seven wrestlers to the NCAA Championships, where Bormet is hoping the Wolverines can extend their streak of top 10 finishes to nine. 

"The commitment, heart and teamwork displayed throughout the season's challenges has been outstanding," he said. "The progress we made together is a true testament to this group's character."

Those challenges began during the offseason when graduation and the transfer portal claimed all but three of Michigan's starters from a 2023-24 squad that finished second in the Big Ten and third at the NCAA Championships. 

Bormet and his staff undertook the painstaking process of figuring out what the Wolverines' revamped lineup would look like.

Fortunately, they were able to offset some of the losses by adding transfers Jacob Cardenas (Cornell), Josh Heindselman (Oklahoma) and Chase Saldate (Michigan State), who have now combined for 14 NCAA Championships appearances, including two All-American finishes for Cardenas.

Unfortunately, 2024 All-American and four-time NCAA qualifier Dylan Ragusin (133 pounds) was lost for the season to a knee injury in early December and the lineup also began suffering other dings.

In all, 23 different Wolverines started at least one of the team's 12 duals and only Cardenas (197), Sergio Lemley (141) and Nolan Wertanen (125/133) started them all. Michigan posted winning overall dual records at only four weight classes compared to nine the previous season and finished below .500 (3-5) in Big Ten duals for the first time since 2016-17.

Still, growth throughout roster continued the entire season, Bormet said, and the Wolverines took a healthier lineup into the Big Ten Tournament. It showed as they placed six in the top eight and clinched seven automatic NCAA berths while finishing seventh. 

"Our staff is proud of what our team accomplished at Big Tens despite some of the challenges we dealt with regarding roster depth and experience this season," Bormet said. "Several guys stepped up and showed a lot of resilience in their efforts. With a tournament of that magnitude, there were key matches where we had opportunities but fell short. At the same time, we saw guys dig deep and rise to the occasion to earn really hard-fought wins."

Cardenas has emerged as the NCAA Championships' top seed after knocking off then #2-ranked Josh Barr (Penn State) and top-ranked and unbeaten Stephen Buchanan (Iowa) at the Big Championships. He avenged his only loss of the season with a 4-1, sudden-victory decision over Barr in the semifinals before decisioning Buchanan, 4-2, in the final, avenging a loss to the three-time All-American at last season’s NCAA Championships.

Cardenas is 20-1 this season with 13 bonus-point wins and finished with a team-leading 47 dual points. 

The two-time U23 World Championships medalist owns a 15-4 record against wrestlers on his side of the bracket with his only losses coming to Barr and two-time All-American Michael Beard (Lehigh). 

In fact, Beard has given Cardenas the most trouble, winning three of their four meetings, but they have not met this season. Cardenas would not face Barr or Beard until the semifinals.

“Since the day he got here, Jacob has been an incredible worker and leader," Bormet said. “He's passionate about wrestling, very talented and ultimately, he consistently puts in the work that success in wrestling demands. He's wrestling very well right now, and we have a ton of confidence in him."

Podium Pursuit

Heindselman, seeded sixth at heavyweight, has posted the highest winning percentage of his career with a 22-4 record, including 11 technical falls and three pins. He is first among heavyweights and tied for sixth in the nation in techs.

Heindselman, fourth at the Big Ten Tournament, has gone 5-7 against wrestlers on his side of the NCAA bracket with all the losses coming to either Greg Kerkvliet (Penn State) or Wyatt Hendrickson (Oklahoma State). 

He should reach the quarterfinals, where Kerkvliet will likely be waiting. Hendrickson would be next should Heindselman pull that upset. 

Still, his chances of finishing in the eight appear solid. Heindselman has gone 13-13 in his career against the entire field, including wins over All-Americans Nick Feldman (Ohio State) and Yaraslau Slavikouski (Rutgers) this season. 

Saldate, the #23 seed at 157, is 10-9 with five bonus-points wins. 

He appears to have a more difficult road to the podium, right from his opening match against Maryland's Ethen Miller, who edged Saldate, 4-2, earlier this season. Saldate is 6-5 against wrestlers on his side of the bracket and 10-11 against the field overall.

He does own a win over All-American Antrell Taylor (Nebraska), but Taylor has won their last two meetings.  

"Josh and Chase have brought a ton of infectious energy and positive morale to the team," Bormet said. "Both are extremely personable and well-liked by their teammates. They've also brought a ton of appreciation and gratitude for their how we do things here at Michigan. Our staff believes them both to be more than capable of reaching the podium this week."

Redshirt freshman Beau Mantanona, seeded sixth at 165, has enjoyed a breakout season with a 15-4 record, including eight bonus-point wins. He is tied for the team lead with five pins. 

Mantanona, third at the Big Ten Tournament, boasts a 7-2 record against wrestlers on his side of the bracket and is 7-6 against the entire field. 

Returning to the NCAA Championships after going 1-2 in his first appearance last season, Lemley is 20-9 with six technical falls, four major decisions and a pin. Mantanona's roommate is seeded 14th following a fifth-place finish at the Big Ten Tournament. 

Lemley faces a tough road and will likely have to pull some upsets to reach the podium.

Opening with a win over Oklahoma's Mosha Schwartz in the first meeting between the two, will likely mean a match against defending champion and two-time All-American Jesse Mendez (Ohio State). Lemley has dropped a pair of major decisions to Mendez this season. 

Lemley is 4-8 against wrestlers on his side of the bracket and 5-15 against the field overall, but edged top seed and two-time All-American Brock Hardy (Nebraska) during last year's Big Ten Tournament. Hardy has beaten him three other times. 

"Our staff loves the trajectory Beau and Sergio are on and as we move into the NCAA Championships," Bormet said. "We love the way they feed off each other and they both have high expectations. We're extremely confident in both of them and their abilities." 

Redshirt freshman Dylan Gilcher, another first-time NCAA qualifier, and is seeded 28th at 149 pounds after taking eighth at the Big Ten Tournament. He is 10-10 this season with a pair of major decisions.

Gilcher has drawn a very difficult first assignment against four-time All-American Kyle Parco (Iowa) whom he has never faced. Northwestern's Sam Cartella, seeded 31st, is the only one in the field Gilcher has beaten, but Bormet likes his chances of making some noise.

"I'm proud of Dylan's commitment and his growth over the course of this season," he said. "I fully expected him to qualify for the NCAA tournament. That's just the first step because we believe in him and believe he's capable of being on the podium."

Wertanen, seeded 33rd at 133, overcame steep odds to qualify for his first NCAA Championships.

Entering the Big Ten Tournament with just a 5-15 record, Wertanen was winless on day one before going 2-1 on day two to clinch the conference's final automatic qualifying spot at 133. 

He began the second day with a 20-12 win over Purdue's Dustin Norris, who had beaten Wertanen, 8-1, less than 24 hours earlier. A forfeit win over Minnesota's Tyler Wells punched his ticket to Philadelphia. 

"Nolan is an incredible story of just continuing to show up and do the work, which is what Nolan did every day all season long," Bormet said. "Now, he's in the NCAA tournament, and it's time to let it rip."

Looking Ahead

This offseason’s rebuilding task should not be quite as daunting even with the graduation of five starters, including Cardenas, Heindselman and Saldate.

In addition to Ragusin's return and the likelihood of continued success netting talent from the transfer pool, a pair of true freshmen appear poised to fill starting roles next season.

Brock Mantanona and Cam Catrabone combined for a 24-7 record, including 4-2 in duals, while retaining their redshirts. 

Mantanona, who did not celebrate his 18th birthday until Feb. 28, went 12-3 at 165 and 174, including nine bonus-point wins. Despite being limited to five competition dates, he is tied for fourth on the team in technical falls with five.

Mantanona proved himself against stiff competition, including a 9-8 decision over three-time NCAA qualifier Alex Cramer (Central Michigan), now ranked #7 at 174. 

In all, Mantanona bested six wrestlers currently ranked in the top 30. In addition to Cramer, he defeated ranked 165-pounders Jack Thomsen (#18, Northern Iowa), Nick Hamilton (#19, Virginia), Cesar Alvan (#22, Columbia), Mac Church (#25, Virginia Tech) and Kyle Mosher (#28, Hofstra). 

Mantanona was named Big Ten Freshman of the Week in November following bonus-point wins over Hamilton and Alvan. He will likely either replace departing starter Joseph Walker at 174 or take over the 165-pound spot if brother Beau bumps up to 174. 

Catrabone finished 11-4 at 149 pounds is tied for the team lead with five pins, despite wrestling in fewer matches than 10 of his teammates. The number of pins is not entirely surprising given Catrabone's pedigree. His father, Jeff, was a three-time All-American for the Wolverines in the 1990s and still ranks second in program history with 55 career pins. 

Cam Catrabone gained valuable experience by starting three Big Ten duals against talented competition. He helped Michigan to a dual win over Indiana by decisioning Joey Buttler, 8-1. 

Catrabone's most impressive performance of the season was outlasting Northwestern's Sam Cartella in a 16-14 slugfest during the Cliff Keen Invitational. Cartella is currently ranked #30 at 149. 

Catrabone could succeed Saldate at 157 or slide into the lineup at 149 should Gilcher move up.

"We love the experience Brock and Cam got in their five competition dates this season and couldn't be more excited about what we saw from them," Bormet said. "They are both really passionate and excited about wrestling and hungry to do the work. I think they feed off each other and they're team-first guys, willing to compete at whatever weight we need them to."