The 2025 Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational is set to go down on December 5-6 and can be viewed live only on FloWrestling. The CKLV is the top regular-season individual college wrestling tournament and features many of the country's best Division 1 wrestlers. Check out the article below for a full preview with predictions for 125, 133, and 141 at this year's CKLV!

125 lbs - 13 Ranked

#6 Brady Roark, SD State

#10 Stevo Poulin, Iowa State

#12 Jett Strickenberger, West Virginia

#14 Blake West, Northern Illinois

#15 Maximo Renteria, Oregon State

#16 Tyler Klinsky, Rider

#21 Marc-Anthony McGowan, Princeton

#23 Diego Sotelo, Michigan

#25 Bridger Ricks, Utah Valley

#26 Koda Holeman, Cal Poly

#27 Conrad Hendriksen, Oklahoma

#28 Dedrick Navarro, Northwestern

#30 Marcello Milani, Cornell

The Contenders

• #6 Brady Roark, SD State
• #10 Stevo Poulin, Iowa State
• #12 Jett Strickenberger, West Virginia

The above three wrestlers are the most likely to come away from Vegas with gold at 125 pounds. Brady Roark made a huge jump in the rankings last week after he defeated Jore Volk in South Dakota State’s upset win over Minnesota. On top of that win, Roark won the Tiger Style Invitational earlier this year with a last-second win over Mack Maguer. Roark hasn’t lost in almost 2 years, and the CKLV will be a great litmus test for Roark in telling just how much of a threat he’ll be this year at 125 pounds.

Stevo Poulin is the only past All-American competing at 125 pounds. Poulin placed 8th last year at the NCAA Tournament after finishing in the round of 12 in the previous two seasons. Poulin has been incredibly consistent in his college career at 125 pounds, and if he’s wrestling his best, he’s capable of winning it all in Vegas. 

West Virginia’s Jett Strickenberger might be the most dangerous wrestler in the field, and his high-level wins are a reflection of that. Strickenberger has victories over Stevo Poulin (3), Troy Spratley (2), Zan Fugitt, and several other highly ranked wrestlers. However, Strickenberger also has some head-scratching losses in his career and will too often drop matches to wrestlers ranked outside of the top 15-20. Regardless of where he finishes in Vegas, Strickenberger might be the most exciting wrestler in this bracket and one you’re going to want to watch every time he takes the mat. 

Who Wins The 125-Pound Bracket In Vegas?

Though I only highlighted four wrestlers in this bracket, no one should be surprised if wrestlers like Blake West, Maximo Renteria, Tyler Klinsky, Marc-Anthony McGowan, or Diego Sotelo get hot and reach the finals. This is a deep field, and there are sure to be upsets from the first round on. Because of the depth of this field, I feel most comfortable picking the most consistent wrestler -  Stevo Poulin. 

Top 4 125 Predictions:

1. Stevo Poulin, Iowa State
2. Jett Strickenberger, West Virginia
3. Marc-Anthony McGowan, Princeton
4. Brady Roark, SD State

133 lbs - 10 Ranked

#3 Evan Frost, Iowa State

#6 Tyler Knox, Stanford

#11 Dillon Campbell, Virginia Tech

#20 Sean Spidle, Northwestern

#21 Derrick Cardinal, SD State

#23 Tyler Ferrara, Cornell

#26 Kyler Larkin, Arizona State

#27 Markel Baker, Northern Illinois

#28 Blake Boarman, Purdue

#30 Jarvis Little, App State

The Favorite

• #3 Evan Frost, Iowa State

Evan Frost enters the CKLV as the highest-ranked wrestler in the field and is coming off an impressive win over Iowa’s Drake Ayala (11-5). Frost is also 2-0 against the next highest-ranked wrestler in the field, Tyler Knox. It’s also worth noting that Frost hasn’t lost to any wrestler in the field and has other notable wins over Derrick Cardinal and Kyler Larkin. All of this points to the fact that if Frost wrestles to his potential, he’s the odds-on favorite to win the 133-pound bracket in Vegas. 

Frost's win over Tyler Knox at the 2024 CKLV:

The Contenders

• #6 Tyler Knox, Stanford
• #11 Dillon Campbell, Virginia Tech
• #26 Kyler Larkin, Arizona State

133 isn’t the deepest weight at the CKLV, but the above three wrestlers are worthy contenders and make this bracket interesting. Stanford’s Tyler Knox is coming off his first All-American finish after placing 8th at the 2025 NCAA Tournament. On top of that, Knox has an impressive hit list, including victories over Drake Ayala, Zeth Romoney, Jacob Van Dee, Dylan Shawver, Nic Bouzakis, and Richard Figueroa. As mentioned above, Knox is 0-2 against Frost, but both of those matches have been close (3-1 and 2-1). The CKLV will be a great opportunity for Knox to get revenge over Frost and win his first title in Vegas.

Dillon Campbell and Kyler Larkin are two freshmen who are off to a great start this year. Campbell vaulted up the rankings after defeating Maryland’s Braxton Brown and is currently 9-1 on the year, with his only loss coming against NCAA champ Lucas Byrd (5-2). Larkin is undefeated on the year with a 7-0 record, and his most recent win came over NCAA champ Richard Figueroa (10-5). The CKLV will show us just how close Campbell and Larkin are to challenging for All-American honors this year.

Campbell's win over Maryland's Braxton Brown:

Larkin's win over Michigan's Gauge Botero:

Who Wins The 133-Pound Bracket In Vegas?

Evan Frost is the safe pick to win 133 in Vegas, and if he wrestles anywhere close to what we saw against Drake Ayala, he should reach the top of the podium at the CKLV. While I’m tempted to pick Kyler Larkin, I’m concerned with how often he allows wrestlers to get to his legs. Larkin is an incredible scrambler, but I don’t feel comfortable picking him over Frost just yet. 

Top 4 133 Predictions:

1. Evan Frost, Iowa State
2. Kyler Larkin, Arizona State
3. Tyler Knox, Stanford
4. Dillon Campbell, Virginia Tech

141 lbs - 14 Ranked

#5 Zeth Romney, Cal Poly

#6 Anthony Echemendia, Iowa State

#8 Julian Tagg, SD State

#15 Tom Crook, Virginia Tech

#18 Caedyn Ricciardi, Navy

#20 Elijah Griffin, Rider

#22 Greyson Clark, Purdue

#24 Haiden Drury, Utah Valley

#25 Lorenzo Frezza, Columbia

#27 Tyler Wells, Oklahoma

#28 Nash Singleton, Oregon State

#30 Pierson Manville, Arizona State

#32 Jack Consiglio, Stanford

#33 Jesse Vasquez, California Baptist

The Favorites

• #5 Zeth Romney, Cal Poly
• #6 Anthony Echemendia, Iowa State

Zeth Romney is coming off a third-place finish at the 2025 NCAA Tournament down at 133 pounds and will now be tested by a deep field at 141 pounds. Romney has only wrestled one match this year and needed tie-breakers to defeat Purdue’s Greyson Clark. Because of that close win and his lack of competition since, I don’t have a lot of confidence in picking Romney in Vegas. However, if he wrestles like he did at the NCAA Tournament last year, he’s absolutely capable of defeating anyone in this bracket. 

Anthony Echemendia missed most of last season with an injury but finished in 5th place at the 2024 NCAA Tournament. Back healthy, Echemendia looks as if he’s wrestling as good as ever and is coming off a 15-2 win over Iowa’s Nasir Bailey. Echemendia has outstanding neutral offense, and few can match his strength and athleticism. This will be Echemendia’s third time wrestling at the CKLV - he placed 7th  in 2023 and 4th last year (at 149). If Echemedia keeps his momentum rolling from the Cy-Hawk dual, I expect him to win the CKLV this year.

Hear from Anthony Echemendia on his mindset coming into the 2025-26 season:

The Contenders

• Dylan Ragusin, Michigan
• #8 Julian Tagg, SD State
• #15 Tom Crook, Virginia Tech
• #30 Pierson Manville, Arizona State

We recently removed Dylan Ragusin from the rankings because he hasn’t wrestled since last year’s CKLV. However, if he’s in the bracket, he’ll be a threat to win. Ragusin placed 5th at 133 pounds at the 2024 NCAA Tournament, and he's been incredibly consistent in his college career for the Wolverines. Ragusin has a hit list that includes victories over Evan Frost, Dylan Shawver, Aaron Nagao, Tyler Wells, Nic Bouzakis, Lucas Byrd, and Jesse Mendez. If he’s at his best and healthy, Ragusin is an NCAA title threat this year at 141. Vegas could tell us where he stands and how close he is to 100%.

Hear from Ragusin on his recovery from injury and move up to 141:

Julian Tagg has emerged as an All-American threat after his recent 5-1 win over two-time All-American Vance VomBaur. Tagg also has a past win over two-time All-American CJ Composto, but has struggled with consistency, finishing in the round of 16 last year at the NCAA Tournament. Tagg will be tested in Vegas, and a top 4 finish could prove he’s taken a big step forward this year. 

Tom Crook is the final wrestler in this field that I consider a contender. He’s had up and down results throughout his career for the Hokies, but at his best, he’s recorded wins over Lachlan McNeil, Nic Bouzakis, Brandon Cannon, and several other ranked wrestlers. I don’t expect Crook to win, but I wouldn’t be surprised if he makes a deep run or records a big upset.

Pierson Manville is an interesting wrestler to watch, and as a freshman, he’s 5-1 with his only loss coming against #2 Sergio Vega (8-3). Manville has outstanding positioning and is challenging to open up on his feet. He also wrestles hard from start to finish and is underrated in scramble positions. Manville has had limited collegiate results, but he was a high-level recruit as the #14-ranked wrestler in the class of 2024. I expect him to take out some veterans in this field and continue to climb the 141-pound rankings

Who Wins The 141-Pound Bracket In Vegas?

Though I only highlighted the five wrestlers, the 141-pound field is deep with 14 wrestlers ranked in the top 33. That depth makes it challenging to predict how this bracket will play out, but I’m rolling with Anthony Echemendia. He looks to be wrestling as good as ever, and I don’t think anyone in this bracket has the offense to match Echemendia.

Top 4 141 Predictions:

1. Anthony Echemendia, Iowa State
2. Dylan Ragusin, Michigan
3. Julian Tagg, SD State
4. Pierson Manville, Arizona State