2019 Mideast Region Preview

2 NCAA Tournament,

NCAA Champ Ben Brisman has the #1 ranked wrestler in his weight this weekend

Date – Saturday and Sunday, February 23-24, 2019

Location – Special Events Recreation Center, College at Brockport, Brockport, NY

Homepage | TrackWrestling Site

Teams (18) – Alfred State, Brockport, Centenary, Cortland, Elizabethtown, Hunter, Ithaca, Keystone, Mount St. Vincent, Muhlenberg, Oneonta, Oswego, RIT, Scranton, Stevens, TCNJ, Ursinus, USMMA

Top Ten Ranked Individuals (2018 All-Americans in bold)
February 5th Rankings
125 – Mase (Ithaca)
133 –
141 – 1. Stanich (Stevens), 2. Brisman (Ithaca)
149 – 5. Kaliner (Stevens)
157 – 3. Winters (RIT)
165 – 7. King (RIT)
174 – 8. Kilroy (TCNJ)
184 – 1. Ashcraft (Ithaca), 8. Glantzman (USMMA)
197 – 1. Udott (Centenary)
285 – 2. Bethel (Oneonta), 6. O’Brien (Ithaca), 7. Bunce (USMMA), 10. Calkins (RIT)

Top 30 Teams (NWCA list)
6. Ithaca
13. TCNJ
19. RIT

Ithaca won this region a year ago on their way to a 3rd place NCAA finiah and is well-positioned to take home the title again. With four returning All-Americans including NCAA champion Ben Brisman, they will be a formidable opponent this weekend in Brockport. #1 ranked Jake Ashcraft is back after an abbreviated season and is looking for another podium finish while Ferdinand Mase and #6 Jake O’Brien were also wrestling on Saturday last season.

TCNJ has just one ranked wrestler in 2017 All-American Dan Kilroy, but there are five other Lions elsewhere in the rankings, and the team usually puts a strong wrestler at each of the ten weights. RIT is a little more top heavy with Winters, King, and Calkins all in the top ten. Winters and Calkins both qualified last season but failed to place.

Brett Kaliner of Stevens and James Bethel of Oneonta were both NCAA runners-up last year who are hoping to take one more step up the podium. Kaliner is up a weight and has taken a few DIII losses, while Bethel is 37-1 with his only loss to the #2 wrestler in Division II. Eyes will be on Troy Stanich of Stevens. Stanich entered the last two postseasons undefeated before finishing 3rd each year. This year, he is up to 141 and his only loss is to a DI wrestler at the Princeton Open. Is this the year he breaks through for his first title?

About The Author