The University of Michigan wrestling team learned on March 11 the seeds and first-round matchups for its six qualifiers at the upcoming NCAA Championships, with three wrestlers earning top-10 seeds in their respective weight classes.
The announcement is significant as it sets the stage for Michigan’s performance at the national tournament, highlighting individual achievements and providing insight into potential matchups.
Graduate student Taye Ghadiali received the highest seed among Wolverines, securing the No. 3 spot at heavyweight. Ghadiali, who transferred from Campbell University where he was a 2024 NCAA All-American, holds a 23-2 record this season and recently won the Big Ten heavyweight title after defeating Nebraska’s A.J. Ferrari. He will face Jack Forbes of Utah Valley in his opening bout.
Redshirt freshman Brock Mantanona earned the No. 5 seed at 184 pounds for his first NCAA Championships appearance following a third-place finish at the Big Ten Championships. He will compete against Stanford’s Abraham Wojcikiewicz in round one. At 174 pounds, redshirt sophomore Beau Mantanona is seeded ninth; he narrowly missed All-America honors last year and enters this tournament with a 21-7 record, set to face Garrett Thompson of Ohio.
Graduate student Lachlan McNeil is seeded eleventh at 149 pounds after placing third in the Big Ten Championships. McNeil is now a four-time qualifier and has previously placed fifth, fourth, and sixth in past NCAA tournaments while competing for North Carolina. His first opponent will be Eligh Rivera from Princeton.
Two more Wolverines round out Michigan’s qualifiers: redshirt freshman Cameron Catrabone (No. 15 seed at 157 pounds) will debut against George Mason’s DJ McGee after finishing fourth in conference play; graduate student Diego Sotelo (No. 20 seed at 125 pounds), previously an NCAA qualifier for Harvard, faces Stevo Poulin of Iowa State after taking sixth place at Big Tens.
The NCAA Championships are scheduled to take place March 19-21 at Rocket Arena in Cleveland, Ohio.