Two MIAA Wrestlers Secure All-American Status at NCAA DIII Wrestling Championships

PROVIDENCE, R.I. -- The 2025 NCAA Division III Wrestling Championships took place on March 14-15 at the Amica Mutual Pavilion in Providence, Rhode Island, showcasing strong performances from Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association (MIAA) wrestlers. Representing Adrian College and The University of Olivet, five wrestlers competed on the national stage, with two earning All-America honors.

125 lbs: Olivet’s fifth-seeded Benyamin Kamali had a challenging start, falling to Roanoke’s Isaic Paulino in his opening match. Moving into the consolation bracket, Kamali rebounded with a pin against Delaware Valley’s Malik Asfour just 37 seconds into the second period. He continued his run with a 12-5 decision over seventh-seeded Gavin Bradley of Castleton. Kamali’ suffered a major decision loss (11-2) to sixth-seeded Jake Craig of Southern Maine. However, he secured a 10-4 decision victory over Alvernia’s Keito Shaw in the seventh-place match, earning All-America honors.

141 lbs: Olivet’s Dylan Phelps opened his tournament with a narrow 4-3 decision win over seventh-seeded Jake Eckerle of Johnson & Wales. In the quarterfinals, Phelps suffered a 4-3 loss to UChicago’s Sean Conway. His time in the consolation bracket was brief, as he fell 4-2 to Wartburg’s Tommy Thongseng.

149 lbs: Unseeded Comet Tyler Herrema started strong with a 10-4 decision win over eighth-seeded Zach Sato of Wis.-Eau Claire. In the quarterfinals, he was pinned at 3:11 by top-seeded Hayden Brown of JWU (Providence), who ultimately claimed the national title. In the consolation bracket, Herrema faced another tough opponent, falling to fifth-seeded Thomas Monn from McDaniel.

157 lbs: Adrian’s fifth-seeded Aiden Smith delivered an impressive performance, opening with a victory over Demetri Teddlie from Ozarks. Smith then fell to fourth-seeded Eric Kinkaid of Loras. In the consolation bracket, he bounced back with a technical fall win against Oswego State’s Tyler Rossini. Smith continued his streak with a 12-4 major decision over eighth-seeded Clayton McDonough from Luther and a 9-2 decision against seventh-seeded Tyler Goebel from Wis.-La Crosse. In a rematch against Kinkaid in the third-place bout, Smith narrowly lost in a 4-3 decision, finishing fourth and earning All-America status.

184 lbs: Bulldog Blake Williams faced an early setback, falling to Elizabethtown’s Ganon Smith by fall (5:52) in his opening match. In the consolation bracket, Williams responded with a dominant 17-4 major decision win over Wis.-Whitewater’s Gavin Kohel, followed by a hard-fought 6-4 decision victory against Baldwin Wallace’s Remington Bauer. His tournament concluded in the fourth round of the consolation bracket after a quick fall (0:36) against sixth-seeded Jared Voss from Coe.

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