2018 NCAA Preview: 125 lbs.

2016 runner-up CJ Pestano of Central is looking for a second trip to the finals

Mat Talk Online DIII Championships Guide

  1. CJ Pestano, Central
  2. Jay Albis, Johnson & Wales
  3. Jonathan Haas, Brockport
  4. Peter Del Gallo, Southern Maine
  5. Carlos Fuentez, Wheaton
  6. Christopher Doyle, Baldwin Wallace
  7. Victor Gliva, Augsburg
  8. Nick Mancini, Mount Union

Josh Antoine, Cortland
Nick Barbaria, Roger Williams
Tristan Buxton, Waynesburg
Brennen Doebel, Wartburg
Devon Jackson, University of the Ozarks
Ferdinand Mase, Ithaca
Dylan Nuttal, York
Sean Redington, Messiah
Kordell Rush, Delaware Valley
Mike Tortorice, Whitewater

Four time finalist and two time champion Lucas Malmberg of Messiah has graduated, and 2017 finalist Zach Beckner of Ferrum is out with an injury, so the 125 weight class is a little bit more wide open than it has been in recent years. CJ Pestano comes in as the top seed and is currently undefeated. He was 4th here last year and 2nd in 2016, so he is used to the big stage of the NCAA Championships. He forfeited the finals of the regional to finish second behind Wartburg’s Doebel, but he has defeated a pair of the entries here in Jackson of Ozarks and Fuentez of Wheaton. Jonathan Haas of Brockport defeated Pestano last year in the 3rd place, and he has just one loss on the year to Peter Del Gallo of Southern Maine, brother of 2017 149 lbs. champion Daniel Del Gallo.

There are two more returning All-Americans at this weight. Victor Gliva of Augsburg finished in 8th place last season, losing a match to Pestano that dropped him into the 7th/8th bout. He finished 2nd at the Upper Midwest Region to Fuentez where he was able to turn around an earlier loss to Mike Tortorice of Whitewater to secure his trip to Cleveland. Jay Albis was an NCAA runner-up last year at 133 lbs. for Johnson & Wales, but he made a late drop to 125 this season. He dropped a match to Haas on his first day at 125 but has not lost since. He topped Del Gallo in the region final and comes in well-positioned to make a run. Before dropping to 125, he had defeated six wrestlers who ended up in the field at 133.