2018 NCAA Preview: 184 lbs.

Jordan Newman made a late drop to 184 to defend his title from last season

Mat Talk Online DIII Championships Guide

  1. Jordan Newman, Whitewater
  2. Jake Ashcraft, Ithaca
  3. Tyler Lutes, Wartburg
  4. Khamri Thomas, Johnson & Wales
  5. Christos Giatras, Augustana
  6. Keajion Jennings, Millikin
  7. John Boyle, Western New England
  8. Dan Squires, Stevens Point

Hunter Bates, Wabash
Derek Beitz, Messiah
Joe Cutugno, RIT
Deuly Espinal, Cortland
Tyler Hammack, Heidelberg
Connor Humphries, Roger Williams
Frankie Krauss, York
Sebastian Larson, Augsburg
Zeckary Lehman, Baldwin Wallace
Isaac Morales, Johns Hopkins

** Grant Wedepohl, Platteville, qualified with a runner-up finish at the Upper Midwest Regional. He is unable to compete and has been replaced by Sebastian Larson, the 4th place finisher in that region.

Jordan Newman did not wrestle 184 this season until the regional tournament. He had been ranked #1 at 197 and would likely have been the top seed there as well. As it is, his late drop gives us the second weight in a row where there could be a repeat champion. There are only two 2017 champs back in the tournament this year—Newman and Eric DeVos at 174. With Wedepohl exiting the tournament, Newman has wrestled just one entry in the tournament this year, Dan Squires of Stevens Point. There is just one other All-American at this weight in Christos Giatras, the 7th place finisher last year for Augustana. He has just two losses on the year. He split with #6 seed Keajion Jennings of Millikin and lost to Wedepohl at the Cornell tournament.

Derek Beitz of Messiah and Deuly Espinal were both in this bracket last year, though neither made it past the first round of consolation. Beitz lost to the #1 seed and then to Giatras on the back side. Espinal won a preliminary consolation bout last year before bowing out in the next round. This year, he has a win over Squires and losses to Frankie Krauss of York and the #2 seed, Jake Ashcraft of Ithaca who has pinned him twice. Ashcraft missed out on qualifying last year when Espinal defeated him in the 3rd place match at the regional. This year, he is 34-3 with two losses to DI wrestlers and one to last year’s 4th place finisher Jordan Bushey of Oswego who only wrestled in two events this year. Ashcraft has also dealt #3 seed Tyler Lutes of Wartburg his only loss of the year at the National Duals.