Heindselman, Cardenas Secure NCAA All-America Honors
3/21/2025 11:59:00 PM | Wrestling
» Jacob Cardenas (197 pounds) and Josh Heindselman (Hwt) locked up NCAA All-America honors -- Cardenas for the third time in his career and Heindselman the first.
» Cardenas dropped a close 5-3 semifinal match to Penn State's Josh Barr after giving up a counter takedown out of a scramble early in the first period.
» Sergio Lemley, Chase Saldate and Beau Mantanona suffered losses in the Round of 12 -- two in overtime and another by just one point -- to finish one match shy of All-America honors.
Site: Philadelphia, Pa. (Wells Fargo Center)
Event: NCAA Championships (Day 2 of 3)
U-M Standing: Tied for 12th Place of 66 Teams (31 points)
Next U-M Event: Saturday, March 22 -- at NCAA Championships - Day Three (Philadelphia, Pa.), 11 a.m.
PHILADELPHIA, Pa. -- Graduate students Jacob Cardenas and Josh Heindselman of the University of Michigan wrestling team locked up All-America honors at the 2025 NCAA Championships on Friday (March 21) in front of a crowd of 18,099 at Wells Fargo Center. The Wolverines sit in a tie for 12th place (31 points) with Purdue in the team standings.
Cardenas earned All-America honors for the third time in his career, while Heindselman secured the first in his fifth and final NCAA Championships appearance. The duo ups Michigan's All-America total to 214 in program history. U-M has produced at least one All-American in 28 of the last 30 seasons.
It was a tough evening round for the Wolverines, who narrowly dropped their semifinal bout and went 1-for-4 in the Round of 12 -- with two losses in overtime and another by just one point.
Heindselman, seeded sixth at heavyweight, was the bright spot, bouncing back from a quarterfinal loss to Penn State's No. 3 seed and defending NCAA champion Greg Kerkvliet to earn a gritty overtime win in the bloodround. After several scrambles between Heindselman and Illinois' eighth-seeded Luke Luffman produced no scoring in regulation and sudden victory, the Wolverine earned a three-second escape in the first tiebreaker then hand fought to stave off Luffman and hang onto a 2-1 decision.
Heindselman, who fell in the Round of 12 last year while at Oklahoma, becomes Michigan's fourth straight heavyweight All-American, joining three-time All-American Adam Coon (2015-16, '18), NCAA champion and three-time All-American Mason Parris (2021-23) and NCAA finalist Lucas Davison (2024), who like Heindselman posted his best NCAA finish while at Michigan. Heindselman dropped his second consolation bout to NC State's No. 7 seed Isaac Trumble and will wrestle for seventh place Saturday.
Cardenas secured his All-America honors with a win in the morning quarterfinal round. The top seed at 197 pounds, Cardenas cruised to a 10-5 decision over Indiana's Gabe Sollars in the quarterfinals, building a big early lead with a first-period single leg and four-point tilt. Sollars narrowed the lead with a takedown early in the third, but the Wolverine picked up a quick escape and a riding-time point for his 1:10 advantage time.
Cardenas fell 5-1 to Penn State's No. 4 seed Josh Barr in the season rubber match between the two. Cardenas shot in almost immediately on a single but sacrificed an early takedown out of the ensuing scramble. He earned his escape and another in the third period and drew two third-period stall calls while pursuing Barr through the final frame but could not overcome the deficit.
The Wolverines fell in their other three Round-of-12 matchups, eliminating sophomore Sergio Lemley, graduate student Chase Saldate and sophomore/freshman Beau Mantanona from the tournament one win shy of the podium.
Lemley, seeded 14th at 141 pounds, scored on two single-leg takedowns in the first period and led early in the third in a 9-8 loss to Iowa State's No. 9 seed Jacob Frost. After Frost's go-ahead takedown midway through the third, Lemley earned another escape and was in deep on a single-leg shot over the last 10 seconds but ran out of time to finish. Lemley went 3-2 over the tournament with two wrestleback wins during the morning session, including a 4-1 overtime win against Illinois' Danny Pucino.
Saldate, seeded 23rd at 157 pounds, rallied to lead in the third period against Oklahoma State's 12th-seed Caleb Fish -- his former teammate at Michigan State -- but lost 7-4 on an overtime takedown. After a first-period OSU takedown, Saldate moved ahead with three back points in the third before Fish escaped to even the score and force extra time. Saldate also went 3-2 over the last two days and earned his second pin of the tournament with a quick cradle at 1:49 against George Mason's 17th-seeded DJ McGee.
Mantanona, seeded sixth in his first NCAA Championships at 165 pounds, also dropped a 4-1 overtime matchup to Missouri's ninth-seeded Cam Steed. Mantanona nearly scored the winning takedown out of a wild scramble in the final 10 seconds of the third period but needed one more second on the clock. Mantanona also dropped a 7-2 decision to Iowa's third-seeded Mike Caliendo in the quarterfinals on takedowns in the second and third periods.
The Wolverines will return for the NCAA Championships' fifth session on Saturday (March 22) at 11 a.m. at Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia, Pa. The morning session will feature third-, fifth- and seventh-place matches. The finals will kick off at 7 p.m. and will be broadcast live on ESPN.
Team Standings (Top 10)
1. Penn State   135.5
2. Nebraska          101.5
3. Oklahoma State     91
4. Iowa              73.5
5. Minnesota         47
6. Cornell           46
7. Northern Iowa     44.5
8. Ohio State        44
9. Illinois          40
10. Virginia Tech      40
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12. Michigan          31
Purdue            31
Michigan Results (Day 2)
Numbers listed are tournament seeds
141 Pounds -- #14 Sergio Lemley
Consolations - dec. #29 Jayden Scott (North Carolina), 2-1
Consolations - dec. #28 Danny Pucino (Illinois), 4-1 SV
Consolations - dec. by #9 Jacob Frost (Iowa State), 9-8
Eliminated with a 3-2 record
157 Pounds -- #23 Chase Saldate
Consolations - dec. #24 Dylan Evans (Pittsburgh), 8-2
Consolations - pinned #17 DJ McGee (George Mason), 1:49
Consolations - dec. by #12 Caleb Fish (Oklahoma State), 7-4 SV
Eliminated with a 3-2 record
165 Pounds -- #6 Beau Mantanona
Quarterfinals - dec. by #3 Mike Caliendo (Iowa), 7-2
Consolations - dec. by #9 Cam Steed (Missouri), 4-1 SV
Eliminated with a 2-2 record
197 Pounds -- #1 Jacob Cardenas
Quarterfinals - dec. #24 Gabe Sollars (Indiana), 10-5
Semifinals - dec. by #4 Josh Barr (Penn State), 5-3
Consolations - vs. #12 Stephen Little (Arkansas Little Rock)
Heavyweight -- #6 Josh Heindselman
Quarterfinals - dec. by #3 Greg Kerkvliet (Penn State), 5-0
Consolations - dec. #8 Luke Luffman (Illinois), 2-1 TB
Consolations - major dec. by #7 Isaac Trumble (NC State), 9-0
Seventh Place - vs. #5 Ben Kueter (Iowa)
• Day 1 Results
Players Mentioned
