There are seven returning champions in D2 wrestling this year, but only two of those wrestlers come from the same program, and they are wrestling at consecutive weight classes. 

In 2022, Noah Hermosillo and Josiah Rider won titles in the 149-pound and 157-pound weight classes, respectively, for Adams State.  

Coach Jason Ramstetter attributes their success to being great practice partners.

“The dynamic between the two of them is something special because Josiah’s a little bit more of a mat wrestler and Noah’s a little bit more of a neutral wrestler,” Ramstetter said. 

With each wrestler’s strength pushing the other to improve in areas where they might not be as strong, both wrestlers have become more well-rounded.  

“Noah has been good on his feet since the day we got him — not that mat wrestling was a weakness, but he definitely got better,” Ramstetter notes. “He can get away from people. Even if they are good on top, he still chooses down, and that is because of Josiah.” 

While Hermosillo has improved his mat wrestling, Rider has become better from the neutral position. 

“Josiah has had to get better on his feet, both offensively and defensively,” Ramstetter said. “So their dynamic, the way it worked out, you couldn’t have planned it better.” 

To open the season, the two wrestlers have flip-flopped weight classes, with Rider competing in the 149-pound weight class and Hermosillo competing at 157. 

When asked about the switch Ramstetter said: “They are very similar size, so I said, ‘Let's just wrestle 157s then we’ll make up our mind,’ but it sounds like they just sorted it out.” 

Hermosillo is off to a 5-0 start after winning the Younes Hospitality Open with two pins and one major decision. He was also named the RMAC Wrestler of the Week. Rider was pulled from the tournament after tweaking his knee in the semifinals, however, Ramstetter notes that the move was precautionary and that he is ready to wrestle saying, “After a short break for Thanksgiving he came back and feels a lot better.”    

Top Teams Have Tough Rooms

Adams State is far from the only team to benefit from a core of talented practice partners. At the highest levels of wrestling, the top teams are almost all built with weight-class clusters of top talent. For example, the University of Nebraska-Kearney was able to reload after winning a team title in 2022 because the Lopers have a solid core group of wrestlers clustered at the upper weights, with wrestlers in the heaviest four weight classes all ranked in the top 5.

When asked about how this team is different from last year’s team, UNK head coach, Dalton Jensen said: “We had a unique team last year that was led by six Covid seniors. With those guys gone, it makes room for some fresh faces in the lineup that will be joining our four returning All-Americans.” 

This core of talented wrestlers also allows for leaders to develop within the wrestling room, which coach Jensen credits as a reason that UNK has seen such success. 

“Our program's consistency and success over the past few years has been attested to the leadership within our student-athletes,” he said. “This season also appears to showcase some great leaders within our program.” 

Quick Hits

— In one of the first open tournaments of the season, the Dakota Wesleyan University Open hosted top teams like Nebraska-Kearney, St. Cloud State, and Augustana. St. Cloud State dominated the competition with individual champions at 125, 141, 149, 157, 165, and 174. However, Joseph Airola, a freshman wrestling unattached for UNK dominated the 133-pound weight class and defeated #3, Caleb Meekins, from St. Cloud State in the finals. 

— The Younes Hospitality Open showed off top Division 2 talent and the Nebraska-Kearney hosts took home four first-place finishes — returning All-Americans #3 Nick James at 141-pounds, #2 Austin Eldredge at 174-pounds, #1 Billy Higgins at 184 pounds, and #2 Lee Herrington at 285 pounds. En route to the championship at 184, Higgins won a closely contested 3-2 match against Southwest Minnesota State’s #2 ranked Caden Steffen in a showcase of a potential NCAA finals matchup. Showing off the Lopers’ depth at the upper weights, UNK backup heavyweight Crew Howard placed third, losing only to the University of Nebraska’s Austin Emerson. 

— The Findlay Open saw a matchup between Penn State recruit Braeden Davis and two-time Division 2 NCAA champion Cole Laya at 125 pounds. In the match Davis scored first, getting a takedown and two near-fall points before allowing Laya to escape in the first period. In the third period, Laya gave up an escape before scoring a takedown to cut the score to 5-4, which was the final.