Wrestling Weight-Class Breakdown for Nebraska: 165 Pounds

We are moving on in our series of deep-dives into each and every weight class — we’re onto 165 pounds now. We’re moving weight-by-weight with each preview coming out on Wednesday. You’ll get a detailed summary and outlook of the roster going into the 2024-25 season, see what the weight class looks like nationally, look ahead to who could be next in line, and look back at who has excelled and earned All-American honors at the weight in the past for the Huskers.

Previous Weight Class Previews

125 pounds

133 pounds

141 pounds

149 pounds

157 pounds

Everything you’ll need to know to get ready for this coming season (which will be here before we know it) is right here. Check back each Wednesday for the next preview, with the 165-pound weight class coming next week.

Roster Outlook for 2024-25

This is by far Nebraska’s most wide-open weight class where we really have no idea who will get the nod as the starter. On the front half of the lineup (125-157), Nebraska has four All-Americans and a returning national qualifier. On the back half, it’s a different story.

Nebraska returns some wrestlers here who are short on experience but big on potential. Then there’s the incoming freshman who just won five state titles and took bronze at both the U20 World Championships and the U20 Pan American Championships in freestyle. Beyond that, there are a few more names that will likely serve as backups, open tournament wrestlers, practice partners, and redshirts.

Let’s look at the frontrunners:

First, there’s Jagger Condomitti, a former Pennsylvania state champion and top recruit in 2021. He was ranked #13 on the class of 2021 Big Board and #4 in the country at 160 pounds. A Fargo All-American, Condomitti also wrestled at FloWrestling’s Who’s #1 in 2020. In high school, Condomitti finished his career with a 141-26 record in the toughest wrestling state in the country.

Condomitti arrived in Lincoln in 2021 and redshirted as a freshman, going 7-2 in open tournaments. The next season, as a redshirt freshman, Condomitti went 1-1 in duals at 165 pounds and finished the season with a 3-5 record.

Unfortunately, Condomitti has dealt with concussion issues since arriving in college that have hindered his ability to perform. However, he did wrestle a couple open tournaments this past season, going a perfect 9-0. He won titles at both the Hastings Open and the Missouri Valley Open.

Most recently, Condomitti competed this summer at the U23 World Team Trials at 74 kg where he went 3-2 but didn’t place. If Condomitti is healthy this season, I think he’s the front runner to earn the starting spot at 165.

Next up would be sophomore Dez Gartrell out of Dublin, Ohio. A former high school teammate of both Ismael and Omar Ayoub, Gartrell was injured as a senior at districts and didn’t get a chance to compete at state. He finished his senior year with a 47-3 record and went 136-36 in his high school career.

This past season at Nebraska, Gartrell went 8-4 in open tournaments and showed some promise, although he twice lost to Condomitti (4-0 and 5-4). He’ll have another shot at Condomitti this fall in Nebraska’s wrestle-offs.

In freestyle, Gartrell recently went an impressive 5-2 at the U23 World Team trials at 74 kg. Despite missing the podium, Gartrell won four straight matches on the back side of the bracket before getting knocked out.

Incoming freshman LJ Araujo looks like the kind of freshman who can break into the lineup right away, despite Nebraska generally redshirting their incoming freshmen.

In high school, Araujo was a five-time North Dakota state champion, meaning he won a state title as an 8th grader, at 106 pounds. He then won titles at 126, 145, 160 and 172 pounds. His high school career record was 140-3 with two losses coming in eighth grade and the other as a freshman.

Nationally, Araujo has been impressive, especially in folkstyle. A dominant top wrestler, Araujo excels in the college style. Last fall, he came out of nowhere and won a title at Super 32 (watch that match below at the 1:31:35 mark), the toughest folkstyle tournament of the year in high school, just days after committing to Nebraska.

In freestyle, Araujo recently won a bronze medal at both the U20 World Championships and the U20 Pan American Championships at 79 kg. Considering that 79 kg is 174 pounds, Araujo will obviously have to cut a bit to make it to 165 for college. So, what weight class will Arajuo be at this fall? If he does indeed go 165, he may be the favorite to earn the starting gig. If he goes 174, he’ll likely redshirt behind senior Bubba Wilson.

Regardless, Araujo is destined to be at 174 pounds. One great option for him would be having him compete for the 165-pound starting spot this year before moving up to 174 to take over for Wilson as a sophomore. Another option would be to redshirt Araujo this year in an attempt to get him acclimated and let him develop before starting in 2025-26 at 174 pounds for four years.

The question really becomes this: Does Nebraska want to preserve and maximize Araujo’s eligibility? Or do they think they have the type of team that is one piece away from earning a team trophy at NCAAs?

In my opinion, Nebraska has a trophy-caliber team this year with guys like Ridge Lovett, Brock Hardy, Caleb Smith, Antrell Taylor, Lenny Pinto and Silas Allred. The biggest hole/unknown in the lineup right now is at 165, so if the Huskers can plug in a difference-maker, they should do it.

I imagine that decision won’t be made until after the wrestle-offs, but it’s still fun to think about. Regardless, Araujo will get at least a year in the room learning from Lovett (who is regarded as one of the best top wrestlers in college regardless of weight class) about top wrestling. That will only help Araujo improve his skills on top that are already elite for his age.

Behind that trio, Nebraska has both Josh and Jake Licking and incoming freshman Colin McAlister.

The Licking brothers were both Nebraska state champs for Norfolk in high school. A junior, Josh Licking went 2-2 last season and has a career 6-12 record. Jake Licking redshirted last year as a freshman, going 4-5 in open tournaments.

A state champion out of Kansas, McAlister is a solid prospect. He recently competed at Fargo in the Junior division, going 3-2. He’ll redshirt this season and add depth to the lineup as Nebraska has a number of seniors and juniors at 165 and 174.

The 2024-25 NCAA Field

The field at 165 pounds kind of clears out a bit this year with two-time NCAA champ Keegan O’Toole of Missouri moving up to 174 and 2024 NCAA champ David Carr graduated.

That means that top-ranked Mitchell Mesenbrink, the returning NCAA finalist, will be the heavy favorite. As a redshirt freshman, Mesenbrink went undefeated for Penn State until losing a 9-8 decision to Carr in the NCAA final. A Big Ten champion and U20 World Champion, Mesenbrink is as elite as they come in college, and I truly think he could go undefeated from here on out for his career.

Behind Mesenbrink, there’s Iowa’s #2 Michael Caliendo, a two-time All-American who placed fourth for Iowa last year after transferring from North Dakota State. Caliendo finished seventh at NCAAs as a redshirt freshman for the Bison. To put into perspective how much of a favorite Mesenbrink is next season, he beat Caliendo via 23-7 tech fall at Big Tens and 17-9 major decision at the NCAA tournament. His 1-point loss to Carr shows the level he’s at even at such a young age. Honestly, the only guy I could see taking a match from Mesenbrink going forward would be Cornell’s Meyer Shapiro if he ever moves up from 157 pounds.

The next best in the Big Ten would be #10 Maxx Mayfield of Northwestern and #13 Andrew Sparks of Minnesota, so behind the duo of Mesenbrink and Caliendo, the Big Ten schedule at 165 may be fairly manageable.

Future Starter/Recruiting Target

Despite having possibly six guys at this weight this year, Nebraska has a serious need here for an impact recruit. With Condomitti a junior, Gartrell a sophomore, and Araujo likely landing at 174, Nebraska should be searching for a future star.

The Huskers could have just that if they are able to secure the commitment of Aaron Stewart of Illinois. I touched on him in depth here, and he already has elite credentials going into his junior season in high school.

A four-time 16U Fargo National Champion in both freestyle and Greco-Roman, Stewart would be an amazing get. He recently took an official visit to Nebraska during the weekend of the Colorado football game. He’s also visited both Oklahoma State and in-state Illinois this season.

Watch Stewart (1:26:05 mark) in action in his Fargo final this summer.

Husker All-Americans since 1998-99

The modern-day weight classes first started in 1998-99. That coincides almost exactly with Mark Manning’s start as Nebraska’s head coach, his first year at the helm being the 1999-2000 season. So, we’re going back 26 years here to show you Nebraska’s All-Americans at 165 pounds.

2004- Jacob Klein (7th)

2008- Stephen Dwyer (8th)

2011- Jordan Burroughs (1st)

2016- Austin WIlson (7th)

2019- Isaiah White (5th)

2024- Antrell Taylor (8th)

As you can see, Antrell Taylor broke a five-year drought on the podium for Nebraska when he placed eighth as a freshman, but he’s moving down to 157 for his sophomore season.

It’ll be a long shot for Nebraska’s 165-pounder (whoever it ends up being) to find the podium this season, but it’s not out of the question. In my opinion, the best chance Nebraska has at a podium finish is from another freshman in Araujo if he does in fact go 165 this season.