Here is a look at 10 wrestlers (non-freshmen) coming off redshirt seasons that will be in the hunt for All-American honors and NCAA titles in 2016.
Nico Megaludis (Penn State)
Nico Megaludis has been a national title contender at 125 pounds since his true freshman season in Happy Valley. In three NCAA tournament appearances, Megaludis has only suffered three losses. After NCAA runner-up finishes as a freshman and sophomore, Megaludis placed third as a junior, losing to Cornell's Nahshon Garrett, 6-4, in the NCAA semifinals. He spent his redshirt season focusing on freestyle. In January, Megaludis won a gold medal at the Guelph International Open in Canada.
Zain Retherford battles Jordan Oliver in the semifinals of the Dave Schultz Memorial (Photo/John Sachs, Tech-Fall.com)Two seasons ago, Zain Retherford showed he can not only compete with the nation's best wrestlers, but also beat them. The 2012 Cadet World freestyle champion sent shockwaves through the college wrestling world when he defeated eventual four-time NCAA champion Logan Stieber of Ohio State in a December dual meet. Retherford finished fifth in his first NCAA tournament, losing to the NCAA finalists at 141 pounds from this past season, Stieber and Edinboro's Mitchell Port. He spent his redshirt season adding bulk and will likely move up a weight class for the 2015-16 season.
Evan Henderson (North Carolina)
Evan Henderson, a Pennsylvania native, is a two-time All-American and three-time NCAA qualifier. He has amassed a career record of 103-30 during his time in Chapel Hill. In 2014, Henderson stunned top-seeded Mitchell Port of Edinboro in the NCAA quarterfinals. He would end up finishing fourth in the tournament, losing the second meeting to Port in the third-place match. Henderson has been competing in freestyle competitions during his redshirt campaign. He was a runner-up to Jason Chamberlain at the Bill Farrell International.
Rick Durso (Franklin & Marshall)
In 2014, Rick Durso became Franklin & Marshall's first All-American in wrestling since 1981 with an eighth-place finish at 141 pounds. The three-time NCAA qualifier moved up a weight class as a redshirt and posted a 31-3 season record. Two of his three losses as a redshirt came at the Midlands Championships where he placed fifth. One of his wins at the Midlands came over Old Dominion's Alexander Richardson, who wound up earning All-American honors in March. Durso is expected to move back down to 141 pounds for his senior season at F&M.
Jake Sueflohn rides Oklahoma State's Josh Kindig at the 2014 NCAAs (Photo/Milena Wick, Tech-Fall.com)The Wisconsin native Sueflohn is arguably the best college wrestler without an All-American honor. He has been productive ever since stepping in the Husker lineup as a true freshman. Sueflohn has been seeded in the top 10 in all three of his NCAA tournament appearances, and has five NCAA tournament wins. During the 2013-14 season, Sueflohn went 3-0 against Michigan's Eric Grajales, who found up placing third at the NCAAs. He was expected to finish out his career in Lincoln this past season, but tore his ACL before the season, which caused him to redshirt.
Amarveer Dhesi (Oregon State)
A native of Canada, Amarveer Dhesi is a rising star in freestyle. Last year, Dhesi won a Junior World title in freestyle, finished runner-up at the Canada Cup and won the Pan American Junior championship. He defeated Michigan's Adam Coon in the semifinals of the Junior Worlds in Zagreb, Croatia. Dhesi qualified for the NCAAs at heavyweight in his only collegiate wrestling season in 2013-14. Before the start of the 2014-15 season, Dhesi injured his knee in the semifinals of the Bill Farrell Invitational while wrestling Tyrell Fortune, which prevented him from competing for the Beavers.
Darian Cruz escapes from ISU's Earl Hall in the seventh-place match at the NCAAs (Photo/LehighSports.com)As a true freshman two seasons ago, Darian Cruz had an unlikely run to All-American honors at 125 pounds. He entered the tournament unseeded and lost by technical fall in the opening round to Penn State's Nico Megaludis. He then reeled off four straight victories before losing to Virginia Tech's Joey Dance. He came back to win his seventh-place match against Iowa State's Earl Hall. Cruz compiled a 22-3 record this past season as a redshirt.
Nathan Kraisser (Campbell)
Nathan Kraisser, a two-time NCAA qualifier at UNC, redshirted this past season after transferring to Campbell, a program that was ineligible for the postseason in 2014-15. He came to Campbell to be with his former coach Cary Kolat, who took over the program a year ago. Kraisser was a four-time Maryland state champion and one of the nation's top recruits in the Class of 2012. He was the ACC Freshman of the Year in 2013, and the following year claimed an ACC title at 125 pounds. He will be looking to become Kolat's first All-American at Campbell.
Mathew Miller (Photo/NavySports.com)Mathew Miller has qualified for the NCAAs in each of his first two seasons in Navy's lineup. During those two seasons he has won 48 of 61 matches. In 2014, Miller dropped his opening match at the NCAAs, then won three consecutive matches to reach the round of 12 before losing to Penn State's Matt Brown. He suffered an injury that prevented him from competing this past season.
Mike Ottinger (Central Michigan)
Mike Ottinger is a two-time MAC champion and three-time NCAA qualifier, but is still in search of his first All-American honor. He went 2-2 in his last NCAA tournament, but had a forgettable finish to his season as he was disqualified for biting in his last match against the aforementioned Miller.
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