DII wrestling gets the least attention out of the three NCAA divisions, it’s all because there arent as many programs as DIII nor the big money and names that are in DI. That being said, there are still a ton of great wrestlers who compete at the DII level and we’re here to give them their flowers. This year there were three New England native wrestlers who qualified for the DII national tournament which will take place on March 14-15th at Corteva Coliseum in Indianapolis, IN.
157
No. 4 Jake Nicolosi (Sr.) – University of Mt. OliveÂ
Haverhill, MA - Haverhill
High School Accolades:
2x MA All-State Placer (3rd 2019, 2nd 2020)
CNESSPA New England Champion (2020)
College Accolades:Â
2022:
2nd Super Region II (NQ)
2023:
4th Super Region IIÂ
2024:
6th Super Region II
2025:
1st Super Region II (NQ)
Just like in DIII, there are sibling national qualifiers. The elder Nicolosi has had a good season so far and won the Super Region II qualifier to punch his ticket to NCAAs for the second time in his career and first since his freshman year, where he came one match short of All-American status. In the regional final he avenged a previous loss to Trent Mahoney of King University who is a former All-American and currently ranked No. 7 at the weight; this makes him only the second Mt. Olive wrestler to win a regional title. Nicolosi enters nationals as the No. 4 ranked wrestler in the country at 157lbs and a record of 28-5 on the season.
No. 14 Tommy Nichols (Sr.) – American International CollegeÂ
Bristol, CT – Bristol Eastern
High School Accolades:
2x CT Open Placer (3rd 2019, 2nd 2020)
CNESSPA New England Placer (6th 2020)
College Accolades:Â
2022:
4th Super Region I
2023:
3rd Super Region I (NQ)
2025:
2nd Super Region I (NQ)
Nicols makes his second trip to NCAAs and first since 2023. He is the lone qualifier for the Yellow Jackets this year. Nichols has finished top 4 in Super Region I in each of the years he has competed (Nichols didn’t wrestle in the regional tournament in 2024, I believe he took a RS season). This season he boasts a 14-6 record and heads into the national tournament as the No. 14 ranked wrestler in the country at 157 lbs.
165
No. 7 Brent Nicolosi (Fr.) – University of Mt. OliveÂ
Haverhill, MA - Haverhill
High School Accolades:
MA All-State Champion (2024)
CNESSPA New England Champion (2024)
3x CNESSPA New England Placer (3rd 2022, 2nd 2023, 1st 2024)
College Accolades:Â
2025:
2nd Super Region II (NQ)
Brent Nicolosi, younger brother of Jake, has been a stud freshman for the Trojans this year. In the regional final he faced off with David Husenberger of Lander University who is the returning national champion at the weight and current No. 1 ranked wrestler. Nicolosi gave him all he could handle but ended up losing by a 1-point margin. It should be noted that Nicolosi beat Husenberger in a dual earlier in the season which is Husenberger’s only loss to a DII opponent on the season. Nicolosi has a good shot at earning All American status as a freshman and has even shown he can contend for the top spot. He has a record of 25-5 and enters the tournament as the No. 7 ranked wrestler at 165lbs.
All rankings come from The Open Mat.Â