IIAC Preview

Iowa Intercollegiate Athletic Conference – 33 qualifiers
Friday, February 25, 2011 at Simpson
Returning Qualifiers/AA: Rush (Coe, 1st, 125), Kist (Wartburg, 125), Mogg (Buena Vista, 5th, 125), Hinschberger (Coe, 133), Matt Kelly (Wartburg, 3rd, 141), Kevin Donahue (Cornell, 4th, 141), C. LeClere (Coe, 141), Bokoski (Luther, 141), Groth (Wartburg, 149), Handley (Coe, 157), Warcynski (Dubuque, 157), Loughlin (Cornell, 157), Hanson (Loras, 157), Weber (Wartburg, 6th, 157, now at 165), Banks (Wartburg, 7th, 165, now at 157), N. LeClere (Coe, 4th, 165), Rehn (Coe, 7th, 174, now 184), Becker (Wartburg, 184), Tate (Wartburg, 1st, 197), Broll (Buena Vista, 197), Helgerson (Wartburg, 2nd, 285)

Each year, it seems like the other eight schools are fighting for second place behind Wartburg. It seems that way because it is true, as the Knights will be going for their 18th straight IIAC title. The #1 ranked Knights will be challenged mainly by #5 Coe for the second year in a row. It looks to be a two team race, as those are the only teams in the conference ranked in the top 15, with Cornell coming in next at #19. On an individual level, the tournament should be very competitive, as there are at least 21 returning NCAA qualifiers and 22 wrestlers in the latest d3wrestle.com top ten. Wartburg returns six All-Americans as well as several other qualifiers from last season. They were dominant in the conference schedule, not letting any IIAC reach double digits in the team score. While they are strong up and down the lineup, they really bring the hammer down in the last two weights where returning finalists Tate and Helgerson were both Midlands placewinners this year. Coe is led by defending champ and d3wrestle.com Wrestler of the Year Clayton Rush at 125. He has only lost to the DI champ this year and is heavily favored at both this tournament and the NCAA. As usual, the tournament should be fiercely contested as some good wrestlers will be left home, even with 33 allocated qualifiers.

125
d3wrestle.com Ranked Wrestlers – Rush (Coe, 1st), Kist (Wartburg, 2nd), Taylor (Dubuque, 6th), Mendoza (Luther, 7th), Mogg (Buena Vista, 8th), Hood (Cornell, 9th)
Obviously, this is the weight with the mostpower at the top, as no less than six of the top ten in the country are here. Though Rush is the heavy favorite, Kist has kept it closer with Rush than most. The real drama here is determining who will get the three automatic spots and whether or not any of the wildcards will come to this weight. It seems likely that at least one of the IIAC’s three wildcards will come at 125, and the new system allocating the ten extra qualifiers this year could get another one of this talented group to La Crosse. The freshman Mendoza has had a great season and looks to have a bright future at this weight, especially after it clears out with the graduation of Rush and Kist.

133
d3wrestle.com Ranked Wrestlers – Mirocha (Wartburg, 9th), Snider (Cornell, Contender), Hinschberger (Coe, Contender)
There was some turnover at this weight in the IIAC, with only Hinschberger returning from last year’s qualifiers. He is, however a clear #3 right now in the conference after taking losses to both Mirocha and Snider. Mirocha has lost just twice in DIII at 133, and both losses were to wrestlers ranked above him. He swept the IIAC schedule, pinning Hinschberger and defeating Snider twice. Snider has defeated everyone in the conference except for Mirocha. Nationally, the power in this weight is spread out with six of the nine qualifiers represented in the top ten, so it is a contrast to the IIAC-centric 125 class.

141
d3wrestle.com Ranked Wrestlers – Kelly (Wartburg, 8th), Donahue (Cornell, 10th), C. LeClere (Coe, Contender), Bokoski (Luther, Contender)
Kelly entered the NCAA tournament last season as a bit of an underdog, having not had the season expected, but he turned it on in Cedar Rapids and finished 3rd. This year has been more in line with expectations, even though he has only wrestled ten matches after joining the team in December. He lost to Bokoski in a close one, but came back to subsequently defeat both the All-American Donahue and LeClere. Regardless, he cannot be counted out come tournament time. Donahuehas wrestled well as of late including two major decision victories against Bokoski and a close win against LeClere. Seeding could be a little tricky with Bokoski’s win over Kelly, but it should shake out, and this could be a weight with a wildcard qualifier.

149
d3wrestle.com Ranked Wrestlers – Groth (Wartburg, 8th), Locke (Coe, Contender), Schwebke (Cornell, HM)
Groth was a qualifier at this weight last year and is the only top contender at this weight with NCAA experience. He has split with Locke this year, winning the most recent matchup. His other losses in DIII were to wrestlers ranked above him in the top ten. Locke swept both matches from Schwebke and has lost to some of the same highly ranked wrestlers who have taken down Groth. Schwebke is a clear #3 at this weight and has a win over OAC favorite Shadrach of Mount Union. One name to watch for here is Jason Pyle of Luther. He has only wrestled three matches at the beginning of the semester and is unlikely to be here, but if he enters, it could throw a wrench in the works, as he is a returning All-American.

157
d3wrestle.com Ranked Wrestlers – C. Banks (Wartburg, 2nd), Handley (Coe, 5th), Loughlin (Cornell, 8th), Hanson (Loras, 10th)
Another very deep weight for the IIAC, and the list above does not include one of last year’s qualifiers Warcynski of Dubuque. Banks has dropped a weight from his All-American turn at 165 last year, swapping with teammate Weber, and he has only lost a 12-10 match to the top ranked Brenon. He defeated each of the other top contenders at some point throughout the year. Handley’s only DIII loss is to Banks, and he should contend for the title both here and two weeks later in Wisconsin. Loughlin was the NCAA #2 seed last year before failing to place, but he has bounced back and should be seeded third. Hanson came back after some time off to have a good season as he seeks to become an All-American. His only losses of any kind this year are one each to Banks, Handley, and Loughlin. This should be an easy weight to seed.

165
d3wrestle.com Ranked Wrestlers – Terrell (Dubuque, 2nd), N. LeClere (Coe, 3rd), Weber (Wartburg, 10th), Hambleton (Cornell, HM)
It looks like a two man race between some very talented wrestlers in Terrell and LeClere, though Weber was an All-American at 157 and cannot be counted out. LeClere bested Terrell in their first meeting this season back in the season’s first week, but Terrell returned the favor in late January to earn the top spot at this weight. LeClere has one other DIII lost to the top ranked Baarson of St. John’s. Weber, like teammate Kelly at 141, only joined the team midseason and has a win over Hambleton and a loss to LeClere. It would be a surprise if the final was anything other than Terrell vs. LeClere, and it would not be a shock if that final repeated itself two weeks later in the NCAA finals.

174
d3wrestle.com Ranked Wrestlers – B. Banks (Wartburg, Contender), King (Coe, Contender)
This is not one of the top weights for the IIAc, as it is the only one without a top ten ranked individual. Banks takes the top spot based on winning the starting job at Wartburg and topping King in their match. A few other wrestlers who could work their way into the conversation here include Van Renterghem of Central, Minch of Dubuque, and Munsey of Cornell. It seems unlikely that a wildcard will come fromt his weight.

184
d3wrestle.com Ranked Wrestlers – Becker (Wartburg, 5th), Rehn (Coe, HM), Einerson (Dubuque, HM), Roberts (Cornell, HM)
Becker was an NCAA qualifier last year at this weight and has had some recent good wins to earn his top spot in the conference. Rehn was an All-American last year at 174, but he has not had nearly that level of success up at 184. He has been better lately, winning over Einerson and Roberts. Einerson dealt Becker a loss early in January and beat Roberts a few weeks later. No one else should really be able to insert himself into the NCAA qualifying conversation, as there are only three wrestlers in the tournament at this weight with more than 20 wins.

197
d3wrestle.com Ranked Wrestlers – Tate (Wartburg, 1st), Broll (Buena Vista, 8th), Johnson (Dubuque, Contender), Widmer (Cornell, Contender)
There is Tate, and then there is everybody else at 197. He has only lost in the Midlands final after winning the NCAA championship last season. He beat Broll, Johnson, and Widmer by bonus points in the last two months and only four DIII competitors have kept matches to a decision all season. Broll qualified last year and will challenge to be an All-American, even if he will not challenge to win the IIAC. Johnson split with Broll, so he may be able to slip into the final and earn his spot at the NCAA championships. Widmer will hope for a good performance to potentially either score an upset or get a wildcard.

285
d3wrestle.com Ranked Wrestlers – Helgerson (Wartburg, 1st), Burkle (Coe, 5th)
Helgerson also placed in the Midlands, knocking off more than one top ten ranked DI wrestler along the way. The only blemish on his DIII record is a disqualification for an illega slam against St. John’s. He has pinned almost every other contender in his conference and is as overwhelming a favorite in this tournament as there is. One can argue who is better between Tate and Helgerson but not where each belongs in the national rankings. Burkle has come on strong this year, and he has done well when not facing Helgerson. Klein of Loras may contend here as well and pick up that third spot at the NCAA tournament.