NDSU Wrestling Heads to NCAA National Championships in Philadelphia

FARGO, N.D. – North Dakota State wrestling travels to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania this weekend for the 2025 NCAA Wrestling Championships. The event will take place Thursday, March 20 through Saturday, March 22 at the Wells Fargo Center.
 
Weekend Schedule
Thursday, March 20
Session 1 – Pigtails and First-Round – 11 a.m. CT (ESPNU)
Session 2 – Second Round, Wrestle-Back Prelims, Wrestle-Back First Round – 6 p.m. CT (ESPN)
 
Friday, March 21
Session 3 – Quarterfinals, Wrestle-Back Second and Third Rounds – 11 a.m. CT (ESPNU)
Session 4 – Semifinals, Blood Round, Consolation Fourth Round – 7 p.m. CT (ESPN 2)
 
Saturday, March 22
Session 5 – Medal Rounds – 10 a.m. CT (ESPNU)
Session 6 – Championships – 6 p.m. CT (ESPN)
 
Tickets
All-session tickets and individual single-session tickets are available through TicketMaster. Seats start as low as $35 for the first three sessions, with prices going up for the semifinal, medal round and championship sessions. To view all ticket options and availability, visit ticketmaster.com. A link to purchase tickets can be found on the wrestling schedule page at gobison.com.
 
TV Coverage and Live Statistics
All matches will be available on the ESPN family of networks. The day sessions will all be televised live on ESPNU, with evening sessions televised on ESPN on night one and the championship on Saturday and ESPN 2 for the semifinals and blood round on Friday. ESPN+ will also have individual mat feeds throughout the entire tournament. Statistics of all matches will be available through TrackWrestling. Links to watch and view statistics can be found on the wrestling schedule page at gobison.com.
 
Drexler Leads Seeds for Championships
Gavin Drexler (149) picked up the top seed for the Bison for the NCAA Championships, being selected as the No. 22 seed after a third-place finish at the Big 12 Championships and a 22-9 record this season. Aidan Brenot (184) was seeded one spot back at No. 23 slot after a season that included seven ranked wins, while Kyle Burwick (133) was tabbed with the No. 24 seed after posting a runner-up finish at the Big 12 Championships in Tulsa and six ranked victories. Tristan Daugherty (125) wraps up the seeds at No. 27, following two huge wins at the Big 12 Championships, including an upset of defending national champion Richard Figueroa, to qualify for nationals.
 
NCAA Debuts
Three Bison will make their NCAA Championship debuts this weekend, with all four making their first appearance at nationals for the Bison. Senior Kyle Burwick is the only returnee for NDSU, having qualified for NCAAs twice while a member of Wisconsin in 2021 and 2022.Gavin Drexler and Tristan Daugherty had postseason experience coming into the season, wrestling in conference championships, while Aidan Brenot is in his first postseason as a redshirt freshman.
 
Burwick Among Win Leaders
Kyle Burwick recorded 24 D1 victories this season, tied for 18th most in the NCAA. Last season he record eight D1 victories. His 16-win jump is tied for the second most in the NCAA this season, behind only Shannon Hanna (Campbell; +17).
 
On top of his total wins ranking among leaders, Burwick also ranks high in bonus victory statistics. He enters NCAAs seventh at 133 pounds in bonus win percentage at 48.57%, which is 88th across all weight classes. He enters the week with the third most falls at 133 pounds with four, third most tech falls with six, and sixth most major decisions with six.
 
Burwick On Dominant Stretch
Kyle Burwick has been on a dominant stretch to close the season, winning eight-straight Big 12 duals, including seven bonus-point decisions, before reaching the Big 12 finals with two more bonus point wins. During the winning run in Big 12 competition, the senior won four straight 15-0 shutout tech falls, before a win by fall, decision and then two major decisions headed into championship weekend, where he added a pair of majors. In his last 12 Big 12 matches (duals and championship), Burwick outscored his opposition by a combined total of 139-32 with an 11-1 record.
 
Drexler Looking To Build On Tulsa Finish
Gavin Drexler enters the NCAA Championships at 20-9 against D1 competition this season, an improvement of seven wins from 13-9 last year, which is tied for 39th most improved this season. After just one postseason win last year, Drexler recorded four wins this season to come through wrestle backs and claim third at the Big 12 Championships.
 
Drexler is tied for fifth most tech falls this season in the 149-pound weight class with five. He also shares for the lead in major decisions at 149 this year, recording seven entering Philadelphia.
 
Brenot Reaching New Heights In First Full Season
Redshirt Freshman Aidan Brenot enters the NCAA Championships after a 20-15 campaign that saw him record seven ranked wins in his first full season. Brenot was 8-8 as a true freshman redshirting. His 12 win increase is tied for 14th most in the NCAA. In his first full year, Brenot is tied for fourth in 184 pounds with four pins this season against D1 opposition. He also ranks third in major decision in 184 pounds with six this season.
 
Daugherty Claims Two Big Upsets at Big 12s
Tristan Daugherty went into the Big 12 Championships off of a 3-0 weekend in California with a major decision, and carried the momentum to upset No. 14 Kysen Terukina of Iowa State in the first round. He then sent shock waves around the BOK Center in Tulsa and across the country, taking down the defending national champion, Richard Figueroa of Arizona State with a 4-2 decision.
 
NCAA D1 Qualifiers
The Bison have had 69 NCAA Division I qualifiers in 17 years of postseason eligibility. Rich in wrestling history, North Dakota State as a Division II program sent 27 Bison to the NCAA Division I Championships from 1971 to 1991, bringing the total of national qualifiers to 96.
 
NCAA D1 All-Americans
The Bison have 12 All-Americans at the Division I Championships, including a best finish of 3rd by Steven Monk at 165 in 2014. In 2015, Kurtis Julson and Hayden Zillmer both placed in the top 8, while Jared Franek and Michael Caliendo were the most recent to earn All-American honors in 2023.
3rd – 1  |  4th – 3  |  5th – 1  |  6th – 3  |  7th – 3  |  8th – 1