2012 – 174 lbs. Preview

10 NCAA Tournament,

2012 IIAC Finals 174 (10)

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

  • 1 Doliscar (Ithaca)
  • 2 Schmitz (La Crosse)
  • 3 Kwiat (ONU)
  • 4 Banks (Wartburg)
  • 5 King (Coe)
  • 6 Einerson (Dubuque)
  • 7 Tyler (Olivet)
  • 8 Pfarr (St. John’s)
  • Cross (Messiah)
  • Dormann (Stevens)
  • Heisey (York)
  • Kohler (Augsburg)
  • Richardson (Augustana)
  • Roach (St. Olaf)
  • Roosa (Wesleyan)
  • Schiferl (Oshkosh)

A lot of strength returns at 174 with four All-Americans and four qualifiers back. Schmitz was the 2010 champ, Banks was the 2011 runner-up, and Kwiat has placed twice, but the top ranked wrestler is new to DIII in Doliscar of Ithaca he earned his #1 spot with a win over Schmitz and has not let up since. He was tied with Cross near the end of the Empire finals before a late reversal and backpoints provided the margin of victory in a 9-4 win.

Schmitz, Banks, and Kwiat are a formidable trio with good NCAA experience, and any one of them could reasonably win this weight. Schmitz (3x) and Kwiat (2x) are both multiple time All-Americans, while Banks made a run from the 8th seed all the way to finals last year, knocking Kwiat off along the way. Kwiat and Schmitz are a contrast in styles, with Schmitz being very explosive on his feet while Kwiat racks up tons of back points on the mat.

Pfarr finished 7th last year, losing to Kwiat, and it took him a while to get down to 174 this year, but he settled in and won the Great Lakes Region. He has a loss to Tyler of Olivet as his only DIII blemish this year. King, Dormann, and Roosa all return from last year’s bracket, adding to the quality of the weight.

This one is tough to predict, Doliscar has earned his #1 spot, but he is far from unassailable. Kwiat, Banks, Schmitz, or even a dark horse having a great weekend could end up on top here.

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