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It’s Official: Six Wrestlers are Headed to Philadelphia for NCAA Championships

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By
Bud Denega, Communications Coordinator for Soccer, Wrestling and Swim&Dive for the University of Wyoming

LARAMIE, Wyoming (3/11/25) – The NCAA released its field for the NCAA Championships on Tuesday. Six University of Wyoming student-athletes, five qualifiers and one alternate, are headed to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

The field reveal Tuesday didn’t concern three of the six Pokes. Jared Hill (157), Eddie Neitenbach (184) and Sam Mitchell (HWT) all secured an automatic bid via their placement at the Big 12 Tournament. Neitenbach and Mitchell both took fourth, while Hill placed fifth.

Joey Novak (197) didn’t technically have a spot following a fifth-place finish at Big 12s, but his computer numbers – No. 10 in Coaches’ Rank and No. 9 in RPI – essentially made it a moot point. Gabe Willochell (149) was more bubbly after his eighth-place finish at the conference tournament, however, his strong regular season – ranked No. 24 in Coaches’ Poll and No. 17 in RPI – earned him a ticket to Philly, as well.

Cole Brooks (141) is the first alternate at his weight class. He will travel and in the event that a 141-pounder doesn’t make weight or can’t compete for whatever reason, Brooks will step in and go.

The NCAA will now seed all the wrestlers and build the bracket. That will be released on Wednesday at 6 p.m. The Championships run from March 20-22 inside the Wells Fargo Center.

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