2012 – 157 lbs. Preview

Qualifiers (returning All-Americans in bold, qualifiers in italics)

After losing in the finals each of the last two years to a wrestler from Merchant Marine, Ponce of Augsburg can rest easy in knowing there is nobody in bracket from that school. However, he will have to deal with serious competition from a pair of outstanding wrestlers in Kulchytskyy and Larson. He won 9-4 against Kulchytskyy and has yet to face Larson, but any of those three would be a good bet to take the title here. Kulchytskyy and Larson wrestled a match that was won by Kulchytskyy on a last second takedown in the Wheaton finals.

The wildcard in this bracket is the tremendously talented Dukes of Case. He was the 2010 champ at 149 before finishing 3rd there last year. So far this season, he has had uneven results up a weight, but he lost a close 4-3 match to Larson in the Midwest final. He has not had the type of season one would expect, but if he shows up with anything like the ability showcased in the past, the rest of the field could be in trouble.

The last All-American to mention is Burdge of Centenary. He knocked off the top seed last year on his way to an 8th place finish. He has an early loss to Sterling, but that is the only blemish on his record. The top seed that he beat is Brenon of Ithaca. He, like Dukes, has had an uneven year, but seems to be coming on at the end. Handley of Coe won the IIAC and will be a threat to place high as well.

The top three of Ponce, Kulchytskyy, and Larson looks to be unassailable unless Dukes can deliver a throwback performance. Even with Ponce in the driver’s seat, predicting a champion here is difficult.