2025-26 Wrestling Roster

Taylor Newton
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Kaden Keiser

  • Position 149 pounds
  • Class Redshirt Junior
  • Hometown Winner, S.D.
  • High School Winner

Biography

Career: Has a 48-23 career record ... Made two dual starts in 2023-24 (at 141 and 149) before becoming a full-time starter at 149 in 2024-25 … Runner-up at 149 pounds during the 2025 SoCon Championship tournament.

2024-25: Went 20-8 overall, including a 9-3 record in duals and a 6-2 mark in SoCon duals ... SoCon finalist started 2-0 thanks to a tiebreaking takedown with one second left in a 4-1 quarterfinal victory against Chattanooga's Dayne Dalrymple and a 4-2 semifinal decision against Davidson's Tyler-Xavier McKnight .. Entered overtime of the 149 final tied at 1-all, and The Citadel’s Carson DesRosier won on a takedown 16 seconds into the Sudden Victory period … Entered the regular-season finale with a 13-1 record over his last 14 matches, after a decision against a 22-win opponent from Davidson ... From early November to late January, leading up to a dual at Bellarmine, had a 14-3 run with four pins, four tech falls and one major decision, as the only losses were by decision against ranked opponents (in the NC State dual and two losses at the Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational) ... Erased an 8-3 deficit in dual against Virginia Tech by finishing a 15-10 decision with two takedowns in the final 90 seconds against Hunter Mason at 149 pounds ... Won 8-3 decision in dual against The Citadel’s DesRosier, who entered the match with a 14-3 record and had only one SoCon loss ... Won by an 8-6 decision in tight dual win against Chattanooga ... Went 5-0 to win Wilkes Open title ... Had win by tech fall in dual against No. 19 West Virginia ... Of first five losses, four came against ranked opponents ... Went 2-0 to win Mountaineer Invitational title, scoring six points in the closing seconds of a 14-8 semifinal win against Davidson’s Anderson Heap via a near fall that followed a reversal. He then recorded a tiebreaking takedown with 24 seconds left in a 4-1 victory against Davidson’s McKnight in the 149 final ... At NC State, opened second period with back points from the top position for a 2-0 lead against No. 31 Koy Buesgens and was tied at 4-all in the third before Buesgens secured a go-ahead takedown with 39 seconds left in a 7-5 victory at 149.

2023-24: Went 17-10 wrestling at both 141 and 149 pounds … Had a 1-1 dual record and a 1-0 record in SoCon duals ... Made dual debut at 141 against NC State to open the season and ended regular season with a win by fall in 43 seconds against Gardner-Webb at 149 pounds … Had a ranked win against a top-20 opponent from North Carolina in a Tiebreaker 1 period at the Appalachian Open while wrestling at 149 late in the season … Placed third at the Battle at The Citadel and fifth at the Patriot Open, where he won by major decision against the SoCon’s third-place finisher.

2022-23: Redshirted as a true freshman ... Went 11-4 overall at 149 pounds when wrestling attached in the first semester (allowed under new redshirt rules) ... Won title at the Mountaineer Invitational (open division) with a 4-0 record ... Eighth place at the Keystone Classic with a 4-2 record ... Competing unattached in the second semester, placed second at the Appalachian Open by starting his day with a first-period pin and following that with a 12-7 decision against VMI starter Noah Roulo.

High School: Four-time state champion in South Dakota … Record of 187-3 from ninth grade through 12th grade, with a 286-22 mark counting seventh and eighth grade, making him the all-time wins leader in South Dakota … Folkstyle Nationals champion … Class B state champion at 145 pounds as a senior, when he capped a 54-0 season with four bonus-point victories at the state tournament … As a junior, also won a Class B state title at 145 pounds to wrap up a 40-0 season … Won a Class B state title at 126 pounds as a junior, when he went 47-2 … As a freshman, won a state title at 120 pounds to end a 46-1 season … Multi-sport standout was a two-time all-state football player (on a two-time state champion) and a two-time all-state golf qualifier.

Historical Player Information

  • 2022-23Freshman

    149 pounds
  • 2023-24Redshirt Freshman

    141 pounds
  • 2024-25Redshirt Sophomore

    149 pounds
  • 2025-26Redshirt Junior

    149 pounds