McNeil, Sotelo Join Wolverines as Grad Transfers
4/17/2025 5:50:00 PM | Wrestling
ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- University of Michigan wrestling head coach Sean Bormet announced Thursday (April 17) the addition of graduate transfers Lachlan McNeil and Diego Sotelo to its 2025-26 roster. Both signed earlier this week and will join the Wolverines this summer with one year of eligibility remaining.
"We are so excited to have Lachlan and Diego join us at Michigan," said Bormet. "Both bring great experience, leadership and an outstanding work ethic, and I know both are excited to challenge themselves in a new environment. They also fit the student-athlete mold that we like here at Michigan; they're academically driven and see the value in a Michigan graduate degree and our professional network. We can't wait to get them here to Ann Arbor and get to work."
McNeil is a three-time All-American, earning NCAA finishes of fourth (2023) and sixth place (2024) at 141 pounds before bumping up and taking fifth place at 149 pounds this season in Philadelphia. He is just the sixth North Carolina wrestler in program history to earn three or more All-America honors. He placed top three in each of his ACC Tournament appearances and was a 2025 finalist at 149 pounds, narrowly falling to defending NCAA champion Caleb Henson in overtime. He compiled an 83-24 record over his four years at UNC, including a 25-7 mark last year. A business administration major at North Carolina, he is a three-time NWCA Scholar All-American and two-time All-ACC Academic Team honoree.
A native of Toronto, McNeil has represented Canada at cadet, junior and senior-level freestyle at six World Championships, dating back to 2016. He claimed 65kg silver at the 2022 Commonwealth Games and is a three-time Pan American champion, twice winning at cadets before claiming the 65kg junior title in 2021. More recently, he placed fifth at the Hungary UWW Ranking Series Tournament in 2023 and finished one win shy of qualifying for the Paris Olympics at last year's Pan Am Qualifier.
He is projected to wrestle at 149 pounds next season for Michigan.
"Lachlan is a tenacious competitor," said Bormet. "As I have gotten to know him, I can already tell that he's also very coachable and is hungry to be pushed by all the middleweight training partners we have. He's excited to compete in the Big Ten for his final season and has plans to compete through 2028, so we're thrilled to have him here for several years."
Sotelo, a native of Plainfield, Ill., is a two-time NCAA qualifier at 125 pounds and reached the Round of 16 in 2024 while representing Harvard. He defeated Wyoming's No. 5-seeded Jore Volk in the opening round of NCAAs that year after earlier knocking off Lock Haven's No. 1 Anthony Noto in Harvard's first dual weekend. He placed third at the 2024 EIWA Championships and earned All-Ivy second team (2023) and honorable mention (2024) recognition. He accumulated a 55-34 record over four seasons at Harvard, including a 25-9 mark during his breakout junior season.
Sotelo is a two-time NWCA Scholar All-American and is a three-time EIWA Academic Achievement Award winner as a human development and regenerative biology major at Harvard.
He will compete at 125 pounds for the Wolverines next season.
"Diego and I have several mutual connections back in Illinois," said Bormet, "so I know we are getting a high-character guy who is passionate for the sport and well respected by teammates and coaches alike. He already has great relationships with several guys in our program and club. We think he has a tremendous amount of upside. He is already dominant in the top position, and we see a lot of potential to further improve other areas of his wrestling. He has several outstanding wins on his record over the last couple years, and we look forward to helping him reach all his goals in his final season."
McNeil and Sotelo join incoming graduate student Taye Ghadiali, an All-America heavyweight from Campbell, as Michigan additions out of the transfer portal.
