Wrestling Set for 2025-26 Season Opener at Princeton

Sunday, November 2

Princeton, N.J.

ALL DAY (9:00 a.m. start)

Army West Point

Princeton Open

Wrestling Set for 2025-26 Season Opener at Princeton

October 31, 2025 | Wrestling

PRINCETON, N.J. – The road to Cleveland starts this weekend.

Also getting underway for Army West Point wrestling is the Troy Nickerson era, with his first regular season event as the Class of 1972 Head Men's Wrestling Coach after being hired for the position in June.

The mission begins Sunday with the Princeton Open.

Action for the day begins at Jadwin Gymnasium at 9:00 a.m. Brackets will be available after weigh-ins. Fans can follow along on FloWrestling with live results available. ESPN+ will carry the mat streams.

The Black Knights return six NCAA Championship qualifiers from last season in Charlie Farmer (125 lbs), Ethan Berginc (133 lbs), Trae McDaniel (149 lbs), Gunner Filipowicz (165 lbs) Wolfgang Frable (197 lbs) and Brady Colbert (285 lbs). 2023-24 qualifiers Braden Basile and Lucas Stoddard will also feature in 2025-26. Farmer, Berginc, Shane Percelay and Cole Stone will serve as 2025-26 team captains.

Army finished 8-4 in dual matches a season ago, including a 5-2 mark vs. EIWA opponents. The Black Knights finished in a tie for third at the EIWA Championships and defeated Navy in the Star Series presented by USAA for the seventh time over the past 11 seasons.

In last season's Princeton Open, Berginc (133 lbs), Filipowicz (165 lbs) and Dalton Harkins (174 lbs) each won the title in their respective weight classes. Cooper Haase (174 lbs) and Sam Sorenson (285 lbs) were finalists in their career debuts, with the 174 lb title bout being an all-Army affair.

Farmer (125 lbs), Frable (197 lbs) and Colbert (285 lbs) each finished third. Ryan Franco (141 lbs) and Mark Metz (157 lbs) followed in fourth, McDaniel (149 lbs), Dakota Morris (157 lbs) and Austin Kohlhofer (197 lbs) were fifth and Richard Treanor (141 lbs) claimed sixth place.

Nickerson brings back associate head coach Scott Green, assistant coach Steve Bleise and Director of Wrestling Development Jeff Breese in 2025-26, and also added assistant coach Alan Clothier, who wrestled for Nickerson at Northern Colorado.

Army opens the season ranked No. 24 in the NWCA Coaches Poll. The preseason individual rankings are as follows.

InterMat
125 | No. 21 Charlie Farmer
133 | No. 23 Ethan Berginc
141 | No. 30 Braden Basile
157 | No. 32 Trae McDaniel
165 | No. 18 Gunner Filipowicz
197 | No. 27 Wolfgang Frable
285 | No. 13 Brady Colbert
Team Dual | No. 23

Flo
125 | No. 32 Charlie Farmer
133 | No. 24 Ethan Berginc
141 | No. 22 Braden Basile
157 | No. 32 Trae McDaniel
165 | No. 15 Gunner Filipowicz
197 | No. 21 Wolfgang Frable
285 | No. 13 Brady Colbert
Team Tournament | No. 31

After the Princeton Open, the Black Knights will gear up for its opening dual, a matchup at Nebraska November 7. The squad will then compete at the Journeyman Round Robin in Bethlehem, Pa. November 9 before its first home event—The Black Knight Open—on November 16.

Follow the Black Knights

Follow Army Wrestling on X @ArmyWP_Wrestling. Fans can also like Army West Point Athletics on Facebook and learn more about wrestling and other programs at goarmywestpoint.com.