Preview – 125 lbs.

125 Rush vs Kist (32)

125 lbs.

2011 Seeds
1. Rush, Coe
2. Kist, Wartburg
3. McKinney, UW-Lax
4. Scholten, Augustana
5. Reynolds, Mount Union
6. Presler, Concordia
7. Mendoza, Luther
8. Crown, Waynesburg

Returning All-Americans
Rush, Coe, 1st in 2010, 5th in 2009, 2nd in 2008
Kist, Wartburg, 3rd in 2009
Alfaro, Merchant Marine, 8th in 2010

Clayton Rush of Coe is the defending champ and the 2010 d3wrestle.com Wrestler of the Year. He has been dominant this year, losing just to defending Division I champion McDonough of Iowa. Only a handful of wrestlers have even been able to hold Rush to a decision this year. If the seeds hold, the two time Illinois state champ will become a two time NCAA champ, three time finalist, and four time All-American. His chief competition should come from Mark Kist of Wartburg. The former Iowa State wrestler was upset a couple of times last year and failed to place after taking third in 2009. This year, he has managed to keep matches closer with Rush than most, and he has a lot of experience competing with him over the years.

A number of last year’s placers at this weight did not graduate, but are not here either. Finalist Erdman of Etown transferred to Division II, while Roberts of Augsburg and Mogg of Buena Vista failed to qualify in a weight where many of the wrestlers below the top two have been trading wins against each other throughout the year, making the seeding of #3-#8 interesting. McKinney and Reynolds are the two returning competitors here that have not yet been mentioned, and both are seeded high. Crown is the enigma here, as he is 30-2, but he has not wrestled any of the other competitors at this weight.

Prediction: Rush continues his dominance for a second year and finishes his career on top as a two time champ.

Last First School Record
Alfaro Jordan Merchant Marine 23 – 9
Cohen Max Ithaca 17 – 8
Colagiovanni Dave SUNY-Cortland 11 – 4
Crown Alex Waynesburg 30 – 2
Deluca Carl Wisconsin-Oshkosh 18-11
Drees Mack Wisconsin-Platteville 31-14
Gauthier Brandon Rhode Island College 36 – 6
Godine Steve The College of New Jersey 24 – 14
Greiner Kalen Central (IA) 17 – 12
Hood Timothy Cornell College 22 – 13
Kist Mark Wartburg 28-6
McKinney Lloyd Wisconsin-La Crosse 18 – 7
Mendoza Daniel Luther 17 – 10
Presler Ben Concordia-Moorehead 21 – 12
Reynolds Riki Mount Union 23 – 6
Rush Clayton Coe 31 – 1
Scholten Jacob Augustana (IL) 37 – 6