2023 NCAA Preview: 157 lbs.

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Northeast 1Jake DeguireSpringfield
Northeast 2Tommy Dell’AeraWPI
Northeast 3Peter KaneWilliams
Mideast 1Wenchard Pierre-LouisIthaca
Mideast 2Matt SaccoTCNJ
Mideast 3Brandon BowlesMuhlenberg
Southeast 1Ryan SmithStevens
Southeast 2Jason RezacAlvernia
Southeast 3Ryan LuthWashington & Lee
Central 1Patrick McGrawJohn Carroll
Central 2Thomas WestBaldwin Wallace
Central 3Ryan WhittenOtterbein
Lower Midwest 1David HollingsworthWartburg
Lower Midwest 2Zeke SmithLoras
Lower Midwest 3Alex VillarNorth Central
Upper Midwest 1Nolan HertelUW-La Crosse
Upper Midwest 2Tyler ShilsonAugsburg
Upper Midwest 3Aiden BrosinskiUW-Platteville

Sorting out the top of 157 is quite the ordeal, as nobody has gotten through the season unscathed. Hollingsworth beat Zeke Smith in the regional final after losing earlier and gave Hertel one of his two losses. Shilson lost to Smith, beat Hollingsworth, and dropped 2 of 3 to Hertel, losing most recently in the Upper Midwest final. Luth was the last undefeated wrestler standing at this weight until getting upset by Rezac in the Southeast semis. Shilson is the top returning placer, winning over Luth in the third place match last year. Hertel took a forfeit win over Hollingsworth for 5th place in the same weight class.

Shilson and Hollingsworth both had a rough National Duals. Shilson lost to Zeke Smith, Nolan Hertel, and Hayden Brown of JWU, who is now at 149. Without that weekend, Shilson is sitting on one loss to Hertel, who he has also beaten. Hollingsworth just once that weekend, but his loss came to the 7th place finisher in the Northeast region. He went on to lose his next two matches to Shilson and Zeke Smith, but got himself together and cruised through the Lower Midwest region.

Patrick McGraw qualified at 165 last year but swapped weights with his teammate and 2022 All-American at 157 Luke Reicosky. He reversed an earlier loss to Thomas West of Baldwin Wallace, winning 8-7 on a late stalling call in the Central final. Both of them lost to Augsburg backup Blake Jagodzinske who must be one of the top reserves in DIII and also has a win over Peter Kane of Williams. Third in the Central was 2020 qualifier Ryan Whitten. Whitten missed out on the tournament last year and spend most of this season at 165 before dropping down to earn his second trip to the tournament and first since his freshman year.

Matt Sacco is back in the tournament for TCNJ after a second place finish in the Mideast. He lost for the second time to Wenchard Pierre-Louis of Ithaca in the regional final, though he defeated top seed and third place finisher, and 2022 149 lbs. qualifier, Brandon Bowles of Muhlenberg in the semifinals. Ryan Smith of Stevens won the Southeast region without having to face the top-seeded Luth, though he did have to turn around an earlier loss to Alvarado of Averett in the semifinals to punch his ticket through to Roanoke. Northeast champ Jake Deguire of Springfield has 24 falls, including 3 at the regional.