How "good" do you need to be to wrestle Division I? Do you need to place in state, qualify etc? I'm talking about just getting on the team as a freshman, not necessarily starting even. You never know what happens in college, I just want to know what it takes to make the team.

To quote John Irving -''they just wanted it more ''. There is little difference in D1 from the top 10 to the 100th ranked wrestler -desire and toughness seperate the elite from the pack-look at 133 this year -Not one person expected Marble to upset Kennedy in the first round -Marble was hungrier and I think Kennedy may have been looking past him -same at 165 -all these kids run,lift weights ,work hard -just a 1% difference and you are beat .
Intangibles are nearly impossible to define -Gable once gave a lecture before a coupla hundred kids at a correctional facility and he said all he saw were potential champions staring back at him -look at Williams from ODU -he never placed above 7th in the state and was a National runner up .

Walk on and give yourself a chance .

Thanks alot, The reason I am asking is I'm considering colleges and I definitly want to wrestle in college. I would rather go to a DI college, but I want to be on the team, not an intramural club. I'm a quick learner and I know I could have a decent career even if it took a couple years, but I don't want to go to a college and end up getting cut. Can I still be part of the team and compete in exhibition matches even if I'm not the same caliber as others?

just show up to practice every time.

Aren't there cuts? Is there a large number of extra spots for kids who aren't starting?

some teams cut, i'd say most don't. depends on the program. my point is that a kid who is enthusiastic about training, shows up, makes improvements and trains hard can rise to the level of competition around him.