Michigan
Big Ten Championships
Cardenas Wins 197-Pound Big Ten Title, Wolverines Earn Seven Automatic NCAA Bids
3/9/2025 9:34:00 PM | Wrestling
» Jacob Cardenas defeated Iowa's top-ranked Stephen Buchanan, 4-2, to capture the Big Ten 197-pound title.
» Beau Mantanona (165 pounds) finished in third place, Josh Heindselman (Hwt) took fourth, Sergio Lemley (141) placed fifth, and Dylan Gilcher (149) and Chase Saldate (157) finished eighth.
» Michigan placed seventh in the team standings (71 points) with six placewinners and seven NCAA automatic qualifiers.
Site: Evanston, Ill. (Welsh-Ryan Arena)
Event: Big Ten Championships (Day 2 of 2)
U-M Standing: 7th Place of 14 Teams (71 points)
Next U-M Event: Thu-Sat., March 20-22 -- at NCAA Championships (Philadelphia, Pa.)
EVANSTON, Ill. -- Graduate student Jacob Cardenas knocked off Iowa's top-ranked Stephen Buchanan, 4-2, to capture the 197-pound title and headline the University of Michigan wrestling team's performance at the 2025 Big Ten Championships on Sunday (March 9) at Northwestern's Welsh-Ryan Arena. The Wolverines placed seventh overall with 71 points and secured seven automatic qualifiers for the NCAA Championships.
Cardenas, ranked third, secured a low single-leg takedown midway through the second period to take the lead, quickly escaped in the third, and shut down Buchanan's scoring attempts for the remainder of the bout. It marked Buchanan's first loss of the season.
Cardenas, who avenged his only loss of the season with a semifinal win over Penn State's second-ranked Josh Barr, became Michigan's 132nd Big Ten champion and fifth since 2021. He is now a two-time conference champion, previously winning a 2023 EIWA title at 197 pounds while at Cornell. Cardenas improved to 20-1 on the season.
Sophomore/freshman Beau Mantanona, ranked 10th at 165 pounds, finished third in his Big Ten Championships debut with a 4-1 record. He defeated Minnesota's 11th-ranked Andrew Sparks, 2-1, in the third-place match—his second win over Sparks this weekend and third this season. His second-period reversal proved decisive as Sparks opted for neutral in the third.
Mantanona also earned a bonus win in the consolation semifinals when Northwestern's 18th-ranked Maxx Mayfield injury defaulted at the 6:22 mark. Mantanona led 9-3 at the time, having secured takedowns in the first and third periods.
Graduate student heavyweight Josh Heindselman, ranked eighth, took fourth place following a 2-1 loss to Iowa's 11th-ranked Ben Keuter in the third-place bout. Heindselman was ridden for the entire second period and trailed 2-0 after Keuter's escape in the third. He controlled the pace but earned only one stall point. Heindselman picked up a top-10 win in the consolation semifinals with a 7-3 decision over Illinois' 10th-ranked Luke Luffman, scoring takedowns in the first and second periods.
Sophomore Sergio Lemley, ranked 12th, took fifth place at 141 pounds, splitting his day-two bouts. He lost an 11-3 major decision to Ohio State's second-ranked and defending NCAA champion Jesse Mendez in the consolation semifinals. Lemley rebounded with a 5-1 win over Rutgers' 13th-ranked Joey Olivieri, securing a second-period takedown and dominating the final period with 2:08 of riding time.
Sophomore/freshman Dylan Gilcher and graduate student Chase Saldate each placed seventh at 149 and 157 pounds, respectively. Gilcher fell to Maryland's Kal Miller for the second time this weekend, 4-1 in sudden victory. Saldate surrendered a five-point reversal early in the third and fell 8-3 to Iowa's third-ranked Jacori Teemer.
Senior/junior Nolan Wertanen secured an automatic NCAA bid at 133 pounds before Sunday's session began when he received a forfeit from Minnesota's Tyler Wells in the ninth-place bracket semifinals.
Fifth-year senior Jaden Bullock finished one spot outside the automatic qualifiers at 184 pounds, taking ninth place with an 8-5 comeback win over Ohio State's Ryder Rogotzke. Bullock secured a counter takedown in the third period and won an extended scramble in sudden victory to avenge his loss to Rogotzke from the dual season. Bullock will require an at-large selection to qualify for NCAAs.
The Wolverines' seven NCAA qualifiers will take a two-week break before heading to the NCAA Championships, scheduled for March 20-22 at Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia, Pa. NCAA at-large selections will be announced on Tuesday (March 11), with seeds and full brackets released Wednesday (March 12).
Final Team Standings
1. Penn State 181.5 2. Nebraska 137.0 3. Iowa 112.0 4. Minnesota 108.5 5. Illinois 105.5 6. Ohio State 95.5 7. Michigan 71.0 8. Maryland 54.0 9. Rutgers 46.0 10. Purdue 44.5 11. Indiana 33.0 12. Northwestern 21.5 13. Wisconsin 19.0 14. Michigan State 11.5
Michigan Results
Numbers listed are tournament seeds
141 Pounds -- #5 Sergio Lemley
Consolations - major dec. by #2 Jesse Mendez (Ohio State), 11-3
Fifth Place - dec. #6 Joey Olivieri (Rutgers), 5-1
Finished in fifth place with a 4-2 record
149 Pounds -- #9 Dylan Gilcher
Seventh Place - dec. by #8 Kal Miller (Maryland), 4-1 SV
Finished in eighth place with a 1-3 record
157 Pounds -- #9 Chase Saldate
Seventh Place - dec. by #4 Jacori Teemer (Iowa), 8-3
Finished in eighth place with a 1-3 record
165 Pounds -- #4 Beau Mantanona
Consolations - injury def. #8 Maxx Mayfield (Northwestern), 6:22
Third Place - dec. #5 Andrew Sparks (Minnesota), 2-1
Finished in third place with a 4-1 record
197 Pounds -- #3 Jacob Cardenas
Final - dec. #1 Stephen Buchanan (Iowa), 4-2
Finished as 197-pound champion with a 4-0 record
Heavyweight -- #3 Josh Heindselman
Consolations - dec. #5 Luke Luffman (Illinois), 7-3
Third Place - dec. by #7 Ben Kueter (Iowa), 2-1
Finished in fourth place with a 3-2 record
» Day 1 Results
Players Mentioned
