LANCASTER, Pa. – Defending champion Merchant Marine and defending runner-up Ursinus have been selected as co-favorites in the 2025-26 Centennial Conference Wrestling Preseason Poll. The Mariners and Bears each secured three first-place tallies and 22 points in a vote among CC head coaches.
Muhlenberg (15 points) edged Gettysburg (14) as the projected third-place team, followed by McDaniel (12) and Johns Hopkins (5) in fifth and sixth place, respectively.
The 2025-26 season begins this weekend with all six CC squads competing at invitationals. Gettysburg and Muhlenberg will take part in the Tonee Ellis Invitational at Alvernia, Johns Hopkins, McDaniel and Ursinus will travel to the Messiah Invitational, and Merchant Marine will open up the season at the Ned McGinley Invitational hosted by King's.
Conference dual action is set to begin in January, with the CC championship slated for Saturday, Feb. 14 at Merchant Marine.
2025-26 Centennial Conference Wrestling Preseason Poll
| Rank | Institution (First-Place Votes) |
Points |
| 1T. Merchant Marine (3) |
22 |
| 1T. Ursinus (3) |
22 |
| 3. Muhlenberg |
15 |
| 4. Gettysburg |
14 |
| 5. McDaniel |
12 |
| 6. Johns Hopkins |
5 |
2025-26 Schedule | 2025 Championship Results | 2025 All-Centennial Team | NWCA Rankings
Merchant Marine secured its fifth Centennial title and first since 2011 last winter, knocking off two-time defending champion Ursinus by the smallest margin of victory in conference championship history (1.5 points). Merchant Marine's previous four titles came in a four-year stretch from 2008-11. The Mariners now enter the 2025-26 campaign tied with former CC associate member Stevens for the second-most team titles in CC history with five. Ursinus owns a conference-best 13 CC titles, followed by Merchant Marine (5), Stevens (5), McDaniel (4), Washington and Lee (2), Johns Hopkins (1) and Muhlenberg (1).
McDaniel's Thomas Monn and Merchant Marine's Tyler Withers headline the list of returners to the conference this season as defending regional champions and All-Americans. Competing at 149 pounds, Monn is a two-time All-American, the three-time reigning CC Wrestler of the Year and a two-time Most Outstanding Perfomer at the conference championship meet. The senior is the only wrestler is CC history to win Wrestler of the Year three times in a career and will aim to become just the ninth wrestler in conference history to win CC gold four times. Monn's 102 career wins (102-11) is tied for 24th on the all-time CC career list entering his senior campaign. He finished fifth at the NCAA Championships last winter and sixth as a freshman in 2023.
Withers, a junior 184-pounder, is off to a superb start to his career with a 55-15 overall record, one regional title and one All-America award. He is the two-time defending CC champion at 184 pounds, shared Most Outstanding Performer of the championship honors with Monn as a freshman in 2024, and already ranks 11th in the CC record book in career pins with 42. He finished sixth at NCAAs last winter.
Five of the six Centennial wrestlers who qualifed for the 2025 NCAA Championship are back this winter. Along with Monn and Withers, Gettysburg's Gavin Pascoe (157) and Justin Richey (165) and Muhlenberg's Andrew Loniewski (141) return as national qualifiers.
A total of 14 wrestlers from five teams with All-Centennial laurels to their names are back in the CC this season, with Ursinus leading the way with four returning all-stars. Seven CC wrestlers will enter the season in the National Wrestling Coaches Association (NWCA) preseason individual national rankings, while 18 are currently regionally ranked.
Monn is the top-ranked wrestler in the conference by the NWCA entering the season, coming in at No. 3 in the 149-pound rankings. Withers is next at No. 5 in the 184-pound rankings, while Loniewski is also among the top-10 of his weight class at No. 8 for 141-pounders. Also nationally-ranked entering the year are Richey (11th at 165), Merchant Marine's Grant Mathias (12th at 197), Pascoe (13th at 157) and Ursinus' AJ Cerulli (15th at 174).
Returning All-Americans (2)
Thomas Monn, McDaniel, Sr., 149 (2025 5th place, 2023 6th place)
Tyler Withers, Merchant Marine, Jr., 184 (2025 6th place)
Returning NCAA Qualifiers (5)
Gavin Pascoe, Gettysburg, Jr., 157 (2025)
Justin Richey, Gettysburg, Sr., 165 (2025)
Thomas Monn, McDaniel, Sr., 149 (2023 & 2025)
Tyler Withers, Merchant Marine, Jr., 184 (2025)
Andrew Loniewski, Muhlenberg, Jr., 141 (2025)
Returning All-Centennial (14)
Gavin Pascoe, Gettysburg, Jr., 157 (2025 Second Team, 2024 Second Team)
Justin Richey, Gettysburg, Sr., 165 (2025 First Team)
Ethan Composto, Gettysburg, Jr., 149 (2025 Second Team)
Thomas Monn, McDaniel, Sr., 149 (2025 Wrestler OTY, 2025 First Team, 2024 Wrestler OTY, 2024 First Team, 2023 Wrestler OTY, 2023 Rookie OTY, 2023 First Team)
Tyler Withers, Merchant Marine, Jr., 184 (2025 First Team, 2024 First Team)
Wesley Wydick, Merchant Marine, Sr., 133 (2025 First Team)
Grant Mathias, Merchant Marine, Jr., 197 (2025 Second Team)
Andrew Loniewski, Muhlenberg, Jr., 141 (2025 First Team, 2024 Second Team)
CJ Horvath, Muhlenberg, Jr., 133 (2025 Second Team)
Ryan Fairchild, Muhlenberg, Sr., 184 (2024 Second Team)
Nils Updale, Ursinus, Sr., 197 (2025 Second Team, 2024 Second Team)
Anthony Cerulli, Ursinus, Sr., 174 (2025 First Team)
Andrew Schaen, Ursinus, Jr., 141 (2025 Second Team)
Braden Kmak, Ursinus, Jr., 165 (2025 Second Team)
