Here is the first annual d3wrestle.com All-Freshman Team for the 2009-2010 season.  Continue reading for the d3wrestle.com Freshman of the Year.

125 – Austin Mogg, Buena Vista – 36-10, 5th IIAC, 5th NCAA
133 – Joe Grippi, Springfield – 23-4, 1st NEWA, NCAA Qualifier
141 – Jake Strausbaugh, Wabash – 41-11, 1st Midwest, NCAA Qualifier
149 – Emanual Ajagbe, Delaware Valley – 28-9, 2nd Midwest, NCAA Qualifier
157 – Ryan Warcynski, Dubuque – 15-15, 2nd IIAC, NCAA Qualifier
165 – Jordan Schulte, UW-Stevens Point – 24-11, 2nd WIAC, NCAA Qualifier
174 – Kyle Kwiat, Ohio Northern – 41-6, 1st OAC, 4th NCAA
184 – Lukas Pariso, Brockport – 22-11, 2nd Empire
197 – Brian Broll, Buena Vista – 31-13, 3rd IIAC, NCAA Qualifier
285 – Jamison Sacco, Western New England – 25-3, 1st NEWA, NCAA Qualifier

The d3wrestle.com Freshman of the Year for 2009-2010 is Kyle Kwiat of Ohio Northern University.  Kwiat joined the Polar Bears after a stellar career at Tiffin Calvert where he was a three time place winner in the Ohio Division III state tournament, finishing 6th, 5th, and 3rd.  He also graduated as the career wins leader at the school.  Moving on to college, Kwiat got off to a good start and did not lose a match to a Division III opponent until he took on eventual NCAA champion Michael Schmitz at the Pete Willson Invitational in January.

In compiling a school record 41 wins on the year, Kwiat was 7th at the Midwest Classic, 3rd at the Pete Willson Invitational, and 2nd at the Ohio Northern Invitational.  He moved steadily up the national rankings, settling into the #4 slot and holding it for much of the year.  He entered the OAC tournament as a heavy favorite and came out on top for his first tournament title on the year.  Moving on to the NCAA Tournament, he earned the #4 seed and made the quarterfinals with a 5-0 win over Sam Engelland of UW-Oshkosh.  That set up a match with returning All-American Frank Heffernan of Wilkes.  Kwiat defeated Heffernan 10-5 earlier in the year, but he needed overtime to win this time and secure All-American honors.  After dropping his semifinal match to the eventual runner-up, Kwiat won again to make the consolation semifinals where he fell to #2 seed Zach Molitor of Augsburg to match his #4 seed with a fourth place finish.

This year will mark the first year that d3wrestle.com will be announcing year-end awards.  This week, d3wrestle.com will announce the Wrestler of the Year, Coach of the Year, Freshman of the Year, and All-Freshman team.  The announcements will start tomorrow with the All-Freshman team and Freshman of the Year followed by the Coach of the Year award on Thursday and the Wrestler of the Year award on Friday.

The photo gallery from Saturday’s finals is available now at the link below.  Included are shots of the top four teams and the podium shots.  If you are interested in full size versions of any of the photos in the gallery, please contact me.

2010 NCAA Finals Photo Gallery

Also, coming later this week will be results of the picks game and the d3wrestle.com awards for Wrestler of the Year, Coach of the Year, and Freshman of the Year.

125 – Clayton Rush (Coe) major decision Tyler Erdman (Elizabethtown) 14-3
For starters, Rush seemed to be significantly bigger than Erdman, and that may have been a factor in the match.  After wrestling last year’s tournament with a shoulder injury that required off-season surgery, Rush was healthy this year and dominant.  He scored a quick takedown and just kept at it the rest of the match.  Erdman was in on his leg a few times, but Rush was quick to dive through his legs and go for a funk roll.  Rush was able to neutralize Erdman’s effective tilt series and stay out of trouble, adding a takedown and some back points right at the end to secure the major.

133 – Bebeto Yewah (UW-La Crosse) decision Paul Bjorkstrand (Augsburg) 14-9
Both guys came out swinging in one of the night’s most exciting matches.  Each wrestler secured two first period takedowns, with Yewah taking the advantage by riding Bjorkstrand out after his second score.  Bjorkstrand was able to add a few more takedowns, but he was only able to trade them with Yewah, so he didn’t make much headway.  Yewah finished the second period on top as well to deny Bjorkstrand another point.  A highlight came late in the match when Bjorkstrand escaped to cut the lead to 11-9, but Yewah, not content to sit on the lead, immediately attacked again to put the match away and give La Crosse the first of three champions.

141 – Minga Batsukh (St. John’s) decision Jeremy Stierly (Ithaca) 10-4
Back in the finals for a second year in a row Batsukh was not expecting to see the unseeded Stierly on the other side of the mat, but Stierly had the talent and grit to come out of the bottom half.  Much of the beginning of the match featured Stierly on the offense, but Batsukh was able to catch him on his knees and score defensively.  He also picked up some backpoints with an unusual hold where he just had Stierly’s legs.  Batsukh was able to neutralize Stierly’s scrambling ability and top wrestling to win going away.

149 – Isaac Dukes (Case) decision Tony Valek (Augsburg) 8-4
Dukes came from behind to win in the semifinals, but left no doubt here.  After a scoreless first period featuring shots by both wrestler’s, Valek chose bottom for the second period.  Dukes was able to lock up a near side cradle and take Valek over opposite the conventional way most wrestlers go with the cradle to secure three back points.  It was a precarious position relying on a strong grip from Dukes.  As the match wore on, Dukes’s outstanding speed and athleticism was too much for Valek.  Dukes scored with a pair of blinding double legs that Valek had no chance to stop, giving him a cushion to ride out the last few seconds and win the title.

157 – Luke Miller (Ohio Northern) decision Zach Mizer (Heidelberg) 4-2
This was the fourth meeting of the year for these two, and it was the first ever meeting of Ohio Athletic Conference wrestlers in the NCAA finals.  Miller won the first three coming in, but Mizer was quick to score the first takedown in this match.  After the 149 match, this was a bit of a slow down, as Miller relied on the superior riding and scrambling ability that got him this far to secure a win over a familiar opponent.

165 – Vincent Renaut (Merchant Marine) decision Orlando Ponce (Augsburg) 7-3
It was a matchup between the unseeded Renaut and 7th seeded Ponce in the biggest surprise matchup of the night.  Ponce knocked Renaut out of the tournament last year, so they had seen each other before.  A wild scramble at the end of the first period almost leave Renaut on his back, but he recovers to just give up the takedown and finishes the period trailing 2-0.  Renaut returns the favor, after dislocating his finger midway through the period, and secures a takedown of his own at the end of the third.  A quick escape sets up a 3-3 tie as the third period wound down.  As Ponce tries to fend off a takedown attempt, Renaut gets 2 and 2 to win 7-3 and become the first ever champ from his conference, picking up the Outstanding Wrestler award as well.

174 – Michael Schmitz (UW-La Crosse) decision Evan Brown (Dubuque) 5-2
Brown won last year’s championship by avoiding risk and punishing his opponents on top, and the same strategy got him to the final against the athletic Schmitz.  Schmitz kept his distance to avoid getting tied up, and then he used his superior speed to secure an early takedown.  Suprising some, he chose down in the third, going into Brown’s wheelhouse, but he scored a fairly quick escape.  Brown was able to fend off other takedown attempts, and the score was 3-2 as time ticked away.  Brown attempted an arm spin that Schmitz countered for a takedown to provide the final margin of victory.

184 – Phil Moenkedick (Concordia Moorhead) decision Brennan Ward (Johnson & Wales) 7-4
Ward reached the finals by headlocking the #1 seed in the quarters and hitting a cement mixer on the #4 seed in the semifinals, proving he is never out of a match.  Moenkedick respected this big move ability, and he was able to use his size and length to keep Ward at bay, scoring with some low singles and keeping Ward down with tough riding.  Things got exciting late in the match as Ward caught Moenkedick on his back briefly to tie up the match, but the Concordia wrestler was able to fight off his back and get the reversal for his fifth and sixth points.  After losing big in the finals last year, Moenkedick was on the right side of the result this year as the riding point gave the final margin.

197 – Byron Tate (Wartburg) decision Ryan Malo (Williams)
Tate’s win over the defending champion was a surprise in the semifinals, but his opponent was not, as Malo made his second straight finals appearance.  Tate, however, wrestled a great tournament to get the win.  He physically overpowered the very talented Malo, scoring with some nice double leg takedowns and weathering the storm on top.  Malo was able to get his legs in and work his power half, but Tate had enough strength to avoid the turn and build back to his base.  The first time starter became a first time NCAA champ.

285 – Dan Laurent (UW-La Crosse) decision John Helgerson (Wartburg) 2-0
Winning a third title is exciting enough, and that is a good thing since the match itself did not have a ton of action in it.  A scoreless first period led to Laurent taking a 1-0 lead after the second period.  Helgerson hoped to tie it up with an escape, but Laurent was able to keep him down the whole two minutes, denying the point and picking up one of his own for riding time.  He won his third title without ever coming in as a the top seed.  Not bad for a guy who showed up in Coach Dave Malecek’s office one day and said he wanted to wrestle.

Place your results in the comments.  Make sure you use the same name and email address as you used in your initial entry.  List the weight class, name and number of points earned by each wrestler using the scoring system below.  Please include wrestlers who score zero points to make it easier to verify your entry.  Then, add up your score.  For now, only post your score if it is above 7,000.  If you posted your score in another spot, it has been deleted.  If you do not list the wrestlers the way indicated, your post will be deleted.

1st – 1000
2nd – 900
3rd – 800
4th – 700
5th – 600
6th – 500
7th – 400
8th – 300

Click the link below for the d3wrestle.com 2010 NCAA Championships homepage

2010 NCAA Tournament Coverage

Will have brackets, previews, link to d3wrestle.com Twitter updates, and more.  d3wrestle.com’s Twitter page will update periodically throughout the day.

A few videos from TheMat.com’s coverage of the NCAA tournament.

2010 NCAA Division III Championships

The deadline for the picks contest was 12pm Eastern Time today, so I have deleted all entries that came in today after the deadline.  Good luck!

This post will briefly go through each weight highlighting interesting matchups and who is sitting in a good spot, and who has a tough road ahead.  Upsets will almost surely throw a wrench into the works, but here is how things look before the first whistle blows.

125
The most intriguing potential quarterfinal is between #3 seed Erdman and #6 seed Marlow, the only wrestler to have defeated Erdman this year.  Can Erdman get revenge, or does Marlow have his number?  Terrance Clandenin is unpredictable in the #5 seed.  How good is the former Lehigh wrestler?  He didn’t wrestle enough this season for anyone to really know for sure.  Defending champ Oster is the #4 seed an has a first round match.  He’s missed big chunks of the season and every match is exciting.

133
We will find out quickly how good Livingston is.  He has the #8 seed first round in a winnable match, but will his five matches this season have been enough to prepare the former D1 starter?  If he wins his first match, he’s in good shape to place, especially if the other seeds hold.  #7 Nothern hasn’t had a great season, but he is the top returning placewinner, so #2 Fitzenreider can’t be too excited about facing him in the quarters.  Garber is a pretty scary matchup for anyone at this weight.  #3 Bjorkstrand can’t take him lightly in the opening round.

141
Any of the top four are good enough to win this bracket.  #5 Anderson drew the short straw, getting 2x All-American Matt Kelly right off the bat.  There’s a reason Kelly isn’t seeded, however.  The most interesting matchup will be between #1 seed Batsukh and Ryan Bridge.  I would not go as far as to predict an upset, but this is my pick for the #1 seed most likely to lose in the first round.

149
Having lost just 5-4 earlier this year, one has to think Paulish has a chance to knock off top seed Woszczak in the first round.  This weight class has a few spots where it looks like seeds could go down, and perhaps this weight will be like 157 was last year when four seeds lost in round one.  Marsh is the #6 seed based on winning New England and his outstanding record, but his only really good wins are against his conference foes Paulish and Sutherland.  His first round opponent, Britton, seems to be coming on at the right time.  Keep an eye on #5 Dukes and #4 Mauseth, the returning champ.  Should be a great quarter.

157
In his 4th trip to the tournament, Cammisa is in a fairly good spot with a winnable first round and a pretty good road back through the consolation round if he falls in the quarters.  Returning All-Americans Horwath and Adams go at it in the first round.  If Adams wins, it sets up a possible rematch of the consolation finals last year with Miller.  Mizer is the #6 seed, but his quarterfinal opponent could be #3 Milks, a wrestler Mizer beat at Wheaton.

165
Three weeks ago, LeClere vs. Banks looked like the probable final.  Instead, it could be one of the best semifinal matches this weekend.  #4 Morin has a pair of tough top wrestlers in his first two opponents, Alber and Dahlheimer, if Dahlheimer gets past the talented Renaut.  If he does, he could match up with top seed Terrell, who Morin beat at last year’s tournament.  Baarson has Zempel in the first round, the second year in a row he’s wrestled a Messiah wrestler in the first round.  He lost last year at 157, and he’ll be looking to avoid that fate two years in a row.

174
As stated in the 174 preview, seeds may not matter much past the top 3 or 4.  A lot of entrants here are good enough to place.  That said, it would be a surprise if the semifinals had anyone outside the top four seeds.  I would estimate that there are at least 8 guys vying for spots 4-8.  It’s hard to pinpoint specific matchups at this weigh since everyone is so close.

184
#8 Ward is one of three in this weight that are one win away from placing, and he seems to be in the best spot.  Even if he falls to Burkle in the quarters, he will likely have to defeat the winner of 12-9 Nic Barclay and unseeded Wake, who he has already beaten this year.  #3 Moenkedick and #4 Youel are in similar spots, but are both favored to make the semis.  Nick Kraus could also benefit from a well-placed bye.  Provided #1 Burkle wins in the first round, Kraus could end up facing his Midwest Regional finals opponent Semple with placement on the line.  If he turns that 10-5 loss around, he will wrestle on Saturday.

197
#5 Tate could meet #4 Carlson in a rematch of the bout that was mainly responsible for Carlson getting the #4 seed.  McNamara could very easily upset #8 Sottile with his excellent top wrestling.  That would send Sottile into the consolation round and a likely rematch with Pizarro.  Sottile won 3-2 in the first matchup.  The winner of the McNamara-Sottile match is in a lot better position than the loser, since the loser’s likely match in the All-American round is 2x All-American Kramer.

285
With 8 returning All-Americans, there’s no easy road, though Sutter is in a pretty good spot.  With a bye, he only needs one win, and it will probably be against the winner of freshman Sacco and unseeded Murphy.  As stated before, it’s not easy, but it’s better than taking on an All-American to place.  Witzel is in a similar situation, potentially only needing to defeat the winner of Broderick and Salyers to make it to Saturday.  If Plattner and Helgerson win in round one, they would meet up again for an IIAC finals rematch.  Plattner won that round but lost to the Wartburg backup in the dual.

Qualifiers at 285
Returning qualifiers in italics, All-Americans in bold, any year:
Kyle Bilquist (Delaware Valley)
Ed Broderick (TCNJ)
Mark Corsello (Elmhurst)
Brock Glotfelty (McDaniel)
John Helgerson (Wartburg)
Dan Laurent (UW-La Crosse)
Joe Murphy (Cortland)
Allyn Plattner (Luther)
Jamison Sacco (Western New England)
Adam Salyers (Wilmington)
Mitch Sander (Coe)
Jon Schmidt (UW-Whitewater)
Adam Sutter (Lakeland)
Andy Witzel (Augsburg)

All eight All-Americans from last year return at this weight, and that should make for a great tournament.  Just as last year, the 2x defending champ will not be the top seed.  Dan Laurent of La Crosse hopes to repeat last year’s performance and win the tournament from the bottom half of the bracket.  He deserves his #3 seed, having lost head to head to both #1 Mark Corsello of Elmhurst and #2 Kyle Bilquist of Delaware Valley.  Corsello was Laurent’s finals opponent last season and defeated him in the finals at Wheaton, using two stalling points and a last second escape to get the win.  Bilquist lost to Corsello in the tiebreaker in the semifinals last year and had beaten Laurent in the regular season last year as well.  Bilquist ended up fourth, losing to John Helgerson of Wartburg in the consolation finals.  Helgerson was the likely #4 seed at 285 until the IIAC tournament Luther’s Allyn Plattner came to the tournament and defeated Helgerson and All-American Mitch Sander of Coe to earn the fourth seed here.  He will be the only seeded wrestler who was not an All-American last  year.

The three remaining All-Americans at this weight are Great Lakes runner up Adam Sutter of Lakeland, his Great Lakes semifinal opponent Andy Witzel of Augsburg, and Centennial champ Brock Glotfelty.  Glotfelty is the odd man out in the seeding, and he has drawn Laurent in what should be a tough first round match for both wrestlers.  Ed Broderick of TCNJ was a qualifier last year at 197, and Empire champ Joe Murphy of Cortland is the last returning qualifier in a deep weight.  Freshman Jamison Sacco of WNEC is 25-1 against lesser competition than most at this weight, but he does have 19 of his 25 wins by fall.  With so much experience in the bracket and no overwhelming favorite, each wrestler in this bracket needs to have two great days in order to bring home the title.

Seeds
1. Corsello
2. Bilquist
3. Laurent
4. Plattner
5. Helgerson
6. Sutter
7. Sander
8. Witzel

Qualifiers at 197
Returning qualifiers in italics, All-Americans in bold, any year:
Brian Broll (Buena Vista)
Michael Burke (Wabash)
Troy Carlson (Chicago)
Rob Kramer (Coe)
Adam Latella (UW-Whitewater)
Ryan Malo (Williams)
Jared Massey (Augsburg)
Connor McNamara (Ursinus)
Bill Meaney (Elizabethtown)
Andy Moore (UW-La Crosse)
Zach Pizarro (Wilkes)
Martin Porter (Delaware Valley)
Bill Schindel (Mount Union)
Martino Sottile (Cortland)
Byron Tate (Wartburg)

The top two return from last year as the top two seeds.  Jared Massey of Augsburg dominated the field, including an 11-2 major decision over Ryan Malo of Williams in the 2009 final.  Malo looks to have a tough road ahead, but he has stepped up his game this year, and he comes into the NCAA tournament with 38 falls and an undefeated DIII record.  Massey is undefeated, the returning champ, and he owns a win over the top ranked wrestler in Division II as well as 197 qualifiers Carlson, Tate, Kramer, Latella, and Moore.  These two appear to be well ahead of the rest of the field.  Looking to play the spoiler are a solid mix of new and returning wrestlers.  Moore of La Crosse was 4th here, while Kramer of Coe was 4th.

It is a strong weight featuring numerous wrestlers with minimal losses at this level.  Schindel was an All-American last year and is the fifth returning placewinner at this weight.  Both of his losses in DIII are to Pizarro of Wilkes, while Schindel has a win over Carlson.  Carlson of Chicago gave Massey a close match at the Great Lakes Region and has defeated IIAC champ Tate.  Tate has only that loss to Carlson to go along with two to Massey and should figure strongly in the placement rounds.  Someone may give the top two seeds a run for their money, but it would be an upset.  Each of them is a Division I transfer with championship level experience, and neither has bowed to any challenger in Division III yet.  Malo, for one, scored bonus points in every match against a DIII opponent this year, though his schedule is not quite as tough as Massey’s.  Fans will be watching to see if it will be a finals matchup and if Malo can turn the tables on Massey from last year.

Seeds
1. Massey
2. Malo
3. Moore
4. Carlson
5. Tate
6. Schindel
7. Kramer
8. Sottile

Salyers preps for national wrestling tournament

Mechanicsburg grad Salyers in D-III wrestling tourney

USM wrestling program thriving

Ben Anderson, three teammates qualify for NCAA Division III event

Ithaca College wrestlers seek individual, team honors at NCAA tournament

Skillings qualifies for Division III mat tourney

Former CT high school wrestlers earning accolades at the collegiate level

Qualifiers at 184
Returning qualifiers in italics, All-Americans in bold, any year:
Ben Adams (John Carroll)
Nic Barclay (Luther)
Todd Becker (Wartburg)
Tyler Burkle (Coe)
Mike Denver (TCNJ)
Ben Engelland (UW-Stevens Poing)
Nick Kraus (Trine)
Phil Moenkedick (Concordia Moorhead)
Nate Murren (Ursinus)
Corbin Semple (Waynesburg)
Josh Wake (Oneonta)
Brennan Ward (Johnson & Wales)
Gabe Youel (North Central)

Heads turned at the beginning of the season when Tyler Burkle moved up two weight classes from 165 to 184, but right now, it looks like a good decision, as Coe has filled 165 with the #3 seed, and Burkle comes in at 184 ranked #1.  No DIII losses and a win over last year’s runner-up have him poised to make a run for a second title to go with his championship at 165 in 2008.  Ben Engelland of Stevens Point is the top challenger with a 30-0 record and a win over Youel of North Central.  Phil Moenkedick of Concordia was the runner-up here last year and sits at #3, just ahead of Gabe Youel of North Central.  Youel has been fourth here twice, and he split with Moenkedick, losing in the Great Lakes final to cede the #3 spot and settle in at #4.

Mike Denver of TCNJ missed most of last year with an injury, but he has come back very strong, winning 42 matches and racking up a lot of bonus point wins.  He rarely sits on a lead.  Becker of Wartburg lost in overtime to Burkle in the IIAC final, serving notice that he will not be overlooked.  Corbin Semple of Waynesburg was a qualifier at 197 last year, but dropped for this season and won the Midwest again.  Brennan Ward of Johnson & Wales is 37-3 and handled New England without too much trouble.  Interestingly, all three of his losses were first period falls.  Adams of John Carroll is making his third trip to the tournament, but is looking for his first All-American award.  Kraus of Trine is a dangerous wrestler who scores in bunches and tries to put matches away early.  One of the more interesting entries here is Nic Barclay of Luther.  This is the third year in a row that Barclay has come into the IIAC tournament with a record suggesting a subpar season, but this will also be his third consecutive trip to the championships.  His records going into the NCAA finals each year: 12-9, 12-3, 17-14.  He’s not yet an All-American, but in a weight with only 13 athletes, everyone here has a reasonable shot.

Seeds
1. Burkle
2. Engelland
3. Youel
4. Moenkedick
5. Denver
6. Becker
7. Semple
8. Ward

Qualifiers at 174
Returning qualifiers in italics, All-Americans in bold, any year:
Dylan Azinger (Wartburg)
Bobby Bishop (Stevens)
Evan Brown (Dubuque)
Cowan Brown (North Central)
Mike Ciaburri (Cortland)
Dan Daddino (Delaware Valley)
Ross Dankers (Concordia Moorhead)
Sam Engelland (UW-Oshkosh)
Frank Heffernan (Wilkes)
Greg Hurd (Wesleyan)
Chris Karl (UW-Stevens Point)
Kyle Kwiat (Ohio Northern)
Colin Lenhardt (Johnson & Wales)
Zach Molitor (Augsburg)
Seth Rehn (Coe)
Mike Schmitz (UW-La Crosse)
Chris Wade (Oneonta)

Evan Brown of Dubuque was a surprise finalist last year as the 8th seed, and he took the title with a 1-0 victory over #2.  It was a weight where #1, #3, and #4 all failed to place, leaving the door open for Brown.  This year, Brown comes in as the clear #1, having no DIII losses and wins against several of the other competitors, including #3 Schmitz of UW-La Crosse.  Schmitz is the next highest returning placewinner after a fourth place finish a year ago, and his only losses are to those seeded above him.  One of those is Augsburg’s Zach Molitor.  He has not seen Brown yet, and his only loss is to a wrestler from his region who failed to qualify.  He was close to making the finals last year, losing an entertaining semifinal to the eventual runner-up.  The seeds are pretty clear cut up through #4, where the outstanding freshman Kyle Kwiat of Ohio Northern has put together an impressive debut season, losing only to Schmitz to go 31-1 in DIII.  The only remaining All-American at this weight is Frank Heffernan of Wilkes coming in at #5.  He was an unseeded placewinner last year, and he avenged a loss from earlier in the season in the Metro finals to earn his 2nd trip.

Moving down the seeds, things started to get a little messy in terms of figuring out who goes where.  Lenhardt, Ciaburri, Bishop, and Wade all appear to be very close.  They’ve gone back and forth and around with each other all year.  In the end, it looks like the seeding committee went with head to head matchups and returning All-American status (for Heffernan) to sort things out.  Do not be surprised if the seeds fail to hold here.  Even beyond the seeds, the weight class seems to have some parity and depth.  Many of the unseeded wrestlers have proven to have talent and could present matchup problems for their first round opponents.

Seeds
1. Brown
2. Molitor
3. Schmitz
4. Kwiat
5. Heffernan
6. Bishop
7. Ciaburri
8. Lenhardt

Qualifiers at 165
Returning qualifiers in italics, All-Americans in bold, any year:
Vinnie Alber (UW-Platteville)
Matt Baarson (St. John’s)
Carrington Banks (Wartburg)
Justin Barowski (Delaware Valley)
Matt Curley (Heidelberg)
Chris Dahlheimer (Lycoming)
Joey Favia (Stevens)
Cory Ferguson (UW-La Crosse)
Nick LeClere (Coe)
Mike Morin (Southern Maine)
Kyle Packer (TCNJ)
Orlando Ponce (Augsburg)
Vincent Renaut (Merchant Marine)
Jordan Schulte (UW-Stevens Point)
Josh Terrell (Dubuque)
Josef Waples (St. Olaf)
Trent Zempel (Messiah)

This weight class seemed to be pretty straightforward at the top.  The top guy had beaten everyone below him, the next guy beat everyone else, and so on.  Then Josh Terrell and the IIAC tournament happened.  Terrell, a two time All-American, wrestled a great tournament and beat the #1 and #2 ranked wrestlers at his weight.  This will be a fun weight to watch to see if the seeds hold up.  The presumptive top two wrestlers before Terrell did his work were Carrington Banks of Wartburg and Nick LeClere of Coe.  Neither were in Division III last year, but both defeated the previous #1, Mike Morin of Southern Maine, on the same day in December, and then  Banks beat LeClere in their dual meet.  Banks was a junior college champion last year, while LeClere was wrestling for Iowa.  Morin is the top returner at this weight having defeated Terrell in last year’s tournament.  All three of his losses this year were on December 20th at the Desert Duals.  Otherwise, he’s been rolling.

Chris Dahlheimer of Lycoming is the only other All-American back at this weight.  He won the Empire Conference, defeating Messiah’s Zempel, and he also beat Curley of Heidelber earlier this year.  He has not wrestled the same type of schedule as those above him, but he is undefeated in DIII except for a loss to Luke Miller of Ohio Northern, who happens to be in this tournament but at a lower weight.  Curley, Ferguson, Ponce, and Renaut all return at this weight, while Zempel was a qualifier in 2008, and Baarson was a 2009 qualifier at 157.  There are a few interesting matchups to consider at this weight that made seeding interesting.  Zempel beat Renaut.  Renaut beat Favia.  Favia beat Zempel.  Ponce beat Waples.  Waples beat Baarson.  Baarson beat Ponce.  There may be others, but the point is made.  Two surprise entries here are Packer from TCNJ and Waples from St. Olaf.  Waples was not on our radar at 165 after splitting time between there and 157 and only having a 12-4 DIII record, but he made the Great Lakes final to take an automatic slot.  Packer was likely assuming next year would be his year to shine until an injury to DiColo and the decision by Bonitatis to drop to 157 opened a spot for him at 165 and he took full advantage.

Seeds
1. Terrell
2. Banks
3. LeClere
4. Morin
5. Dahlheimer
6. Baarson
7. Ponce
8. Curley

Qualifiers at 157
Returning qualifiers in italics, All-Americans in bold, any year:
Jason Adams (Augsburg)
Carl Breitenstein (Williams)
Frank Cammisa (Bridgewater State)
Taylor Green (King’s)
Dale Handley (Coe)
Jesse Harrington (Delaware Valley)
William Horwath (Ithaca)
Nicholas Loughlin (Cornell)
Matt Magill (Newe York University)
Bryan Massong (Mount St. Joseph)
Jesse Milks (UW-Platteville)
Luke Miller (Ohio Northern)
Zach Mizer (Heidelberg)
Justin Skillings (St. Olaf)
Dan Twito (Merchant Marine)
Ryan Warcynski (Dubuque)
Adam Weber (Wartburg)

This is another weight class where one wrestler appeared to be the clear preseason #1, but some losses since then have dropped him down.  Jason Adams was 3rd here last year and the highest returning placewinner, but he dropped two in a row down in Florida and then lost in the 2nd dual meet with Wartburg.  He could easily outplace his seed and add a 1st to go with his 3rd from 2009 and 2nd from 2008.  The top seed here earned his spot with a win over Adams, and Jesse Harrington of Delaware Valley has not let it go since then.  He has wins over five other entries at this weight and is making the most of his chances after missing all of last season with an injury.  Nicholas Loughlin of Cornell was not in the starting lineup for the Rams last year, but he has stepped up big, compiling a 32-2 record and winning the IIAC title to secure the 2nd seed.

Further down, Milks of Platteville, Miller of Ohio Northern, and Mizer of Heidelberg have gone in circles this year.  Milks beat Miller, Miller beat Mizer, and Mizer beat Milks.  The draw will have a lot to say about what happens with those three.  Each has experience at the tournament, and Miller and Milks are both All-Americans.  Cammisa of Bridgewater State is making his fourth trip to the NCAA tournament.  His current tournament record is 1-6, and this is his last chance to bring back some hardware.  He is wrestling well at the right time, having won the NEWA.  Breitenstein of Williams has split 4 matches with Cammisa and has also defeated a few of the other competitors at 157.  Dan Twito of Merchant Marine will make his 3rd trip to the tournament, and returning All-American Willie Horwath has fallen out of the seeds and could be a nasty first round matchup.  Warcynski of Dubuque and Handley of Coe are two surprise entries here.  Warcynski was seeded 6th in Iowa with a 13-12 record but made the finals to earn an automatic spot.  Handley got a wildcard with a 14-12 record, and he has not won more than three matches in a row this season.

Seeds
1. Harrington
2. Loughlin
3. Milks
4. Miller
5. Adams
6. Mizer
7. Weber
8. Cammisa

The brackets for the NCAA tournament are now available on the NCAA website.

2010 NCAA Division III Championship Brackets

It seems like some people are having problems entering the picks game due to the number of entries.  If you are having trouble getting your entry in, try leaving your entry as a comment to this post.  I’ll link to the point sheet again below.

Final d3wrestle.com Rankings and Picks Game Point Sheet – February 24, 2010

Qualifiers at 149
Returning qualifiers in italics, All-Americans in bold, any year:
Emanuel Ajagbe (Delaware Valley)
Justin Berns (Concordia Moorhead)
Tye Boyer (Elizabethtown)
Isaiah Britton (Lycoming)
Mark Carey (Coe)
Richie Clark (Mount Union)
Charlie Curran (Elmhurst)
Isaac Dukes (Case)
Jacob Groth (Wartburg)
Andy Johnston (UW-Eau Claire)
John Marsh (Bridgewater State)
Matt Mauseth (UW-La Crosse)
Connor McCormick (Ursinus)
Corey Paulish (Williams)
Jason Pyle (Luther)
Kevin Sutherland (Rhode Island)
Tony Valek (Augsburg)
Blaine Woszczak (Ithaca)

Even though he is the returning champion, a few losses early in the season knocked Matt Mauseth of La Crosse from the top spot in the rankings, and Blaine Woszczak of Ithaca has held it for most of the year.  Woszczak is undefeated in DIII after coming from an unseeded spot to place 4th last year, beating the #8, #6, and #1 seeds along the way.  This is, however, a weight class where any number of wrestlers could take the title without it being a major surprise.  Tony Valek of Augsburg and Jason Pyle of Luther were the two entrants here that defeated Mauseth during the season, and each is coming off a win in their respective qualifier.  Pyle was 7th at this weight in 2009, while Valek lost in the All-American round at 141.  Isaac Dukes of Case is seeded this year after dropping from 157, and his speed will cause problems for his opponents just as it did in the first round last year when eventual champ Wernimont escaped with a 7-6 win.

Ten of the entrants at this weight will be making their first trip to the tournament, but a trio of New Englanders will all be making return appearances.  Marsh of Bridgewater State won the NEWA championship and was last seen here in 2007 at 141.  He is 30-1, and he has not lost since the first week of the season.  That loss was to Sutherland of Rhode Island, a qualifier from last season who has since dropped four in a row to Marsh.  Paulish of Williams made a surprise run to 4th place last year at 141 before moving up in 2009-2010.  He is 0-2 against Marsh and 1-3 against Sutherland.  Predictions for NEWA wrestlers can be tough, because most of the NEWA teams do not stray from from their conference, and that is why you see wrestlers matching up 3 and 4 times in a single season.  An unseeded wrestler to watch for is Lycoming’s Isaiah Britton.  In continuing a theme from the lower weights, he is not traditionally aged, graduating high school in 2004 and spending time at UNC before coming home to Williamsport.  He is wrestling well right now, though he does have a recent loss to Paulish.

Seeds
1. Woszczak
2. Valek
3. Pyle
4. Mauseth
5. Dukes
6. Marsh
7. Groth
8. Ajagbe

Qualifiers at 141
Returning qualifiers in italics, All-Americans in bold, any year:
Ben Anderson (Concordia Moorhead)
Minga Batsukh (St. John’s)
Austin Bautista (UW-Whitewater)
Kevin Bokoski (Luther)
Ryan Bridge (Stevens)
Sam Delpra (Heidelberg)
Kevin Donahue (Cornell)
Matt Kelly (Wartburg)
Chris LeClere (Coe)
Gregg Martino (New York University)
John Starzyk (North Central)
Jeremy Stierly (Ithaca)
Jake Strausbaugh (Wabash)
Vince Tucker (Olivet)
Matt Ulrich (Southern Maine)
Jafari Vanier (Augsburg)

This has been a pretty exciting year in a lot of weights, as the fans have watched top contenders fall, only to see the new king be dethroned the next week.  The 141 weight class has been no exception.  The returning champ, Batsukh of St. John’s, missed a big chunk of the year and sits at 14-2 with both losses to wrestlers in his own region.  In fact, four of the top five wrestlers in the country are in the Great Lakes Region.  The Great Lakes champ is a familiar face in Jafari Vanier Augsburg.  He was last seen making the finals in 2006 & 2007 at 133.  He’s back at 141 after joining the team in January and is one of two wrestlers at this weight who are well beyond the traditional age of a college athlete.  John Starzyk of North Central has been impressive in his first season in Division III, though that was to be expected from a 3x Illinois state champ who was originally recruited to Oklahoma.   Austin Bautista, last year’s #1 seed at this weight, has been working his way up the DIII ranks during his time at Whitewater, and he is looking to put last year’s semifinal upset loss to Batsukh behind him and ascend the top of the podium in his final season.  Ben Anderson of Concordia is the fourth top wrestler out of the Great Lakes, and he has spent some time ranked #1 this season.

As alluded to earlier, there is another wrestler who has taken a circuitous route to his current spot in the 141 bracket.  Ryan Bridge of Stevens was a New Jersey champ who originally went to Cornell in 2003, and he has spent some time in the military as well before making his way to Hoboken to continue his career.  His season was somewhat abbreviated, so the rest of the field has not had a good look at what he is capable of.  There are a couple of freshmen to look out for as well.  Jake Strausbaugh of Wabash already has 40 wins and dealt Bautista one of his only two DIII losses.  Bautista won the season series 2-1.  The other freshman is Chris LeClere of Coe.  Brother of teammate and #3 ranked 165 Nick LeClere, Chris is just 13-7 in DIII, but he was 2nd in the IIAC and has a win over returning All-American Kevin Donahue of Cornell.  The last wrestler to mention here is Matt Kelly of Wartburg.  The two time All-American started the year at 133 before moving up to 141 near the end of January.  He’s 13-5 and without any high caliber wins, but two trips to the podium can’t be overlooked.

Seeds
1. Batsukh
2. Vanier
3. Bautista
4. Starzyk
5. Anderson
6. Tucker
7. Donahue
8. Strausbaugh