2022 NCAA Preview: 184 lbs.
Rankings are from the February 18th NWCA Poll.
| Northeast 1 | 3. Detwiler | Coast Guard |
| Northeast 2 | Geyer | NYU |
| Northeast 3 | 15. Morales | Bridgewater State |
| Mideast 1 | 4. Chukwuezi | Ithaca |
| Mideast 2 | 13. Surich | TCNJ |
| Mideast 3 | Torres | Cortland |
| Southeast 1 | Sallah | Roanoke |
| Southeast 2 | 14. Babcock | Wilkes |
| Southeast 3 | Kassis | Alvernia |
| Central 1 | 6. McCloud | Mount St. Joseph |
| Central 2 | 7. Salmon | Baldwin Wallace |
| Central 3 | Baczek | Wabash |
| Lower Midwest 1 | 2. Liegel | Loras |
| Lower Midwest 2 | 1. Briggs | Wartburg |
| Lower Midwest 3 | 9. Schott | Coe |
| Upper Midwest 1 | 5. Shinhoster | UW-Whitewater |
| Upper Midwest 2 | 10. Rogge | Augsburg |
| Upper Midwest 3 | Pecci | Chicago |
2021 NWCA DIII 174 lbs. champ Kyle Briggs had been dominant all year with just two of his 14 matches lasting a full 7 minutes prior to the regional final. 2021 NWCA DIII 184 lbs. champ Shane Liegel of Loras put a great match together to avenge an earlier loss and come away with a 6-0 victory that ended Briggs’s bid for an undefeated season. The two may have a third match this season, but some tough competitors stand in their way.
Paul Detwiler of Coast Guard fell to Liegel in the NWCA finals last year and has not lost since. The Coast Guard schedule sometimes makes it tough to evaluate their wrestlers, but Detwiler has dominated the competition this year and just completed a second undefeated regular season (his first ended with the cancellation of the 2020 NCAA tournament). He defeated Upper Midwest runner-up Rogge in last year’s NWCA semifinals. Northeast runner-up Geyer made a late season move up to 184 that paid off, while third place finisher Edwin Morales makes his second trip to the tournament.
Chibueze Chukwuezi is a perfect 33-0 this season including three wins over Mideast runner-up Daniel Surich of TCNJ and two wins over 3rd place finisher Brian Torres. He won the Mideast in 2020 as well and was seeded 6th heading into the championship. Mahlic Sallah of Roanoke won the Southeast region, giving the Maroons a qualifier in their first season. Sallah was a 2020 NAIA All-American for Campbellsville. 2019 All-American Antonio McCloud defeated Lucas Salmon in the Central final in a matchup of #6 vs #7.
McCloud’s only loss this year is to Upper Midwest champ Jarrit Shinhoster of Whitewater. Shinhoster was the 4th seed in 2020. He defeated both of the other Upper Midwest qualifiers by 10-0 scores and is the only DIII wrestler with a win over McCloud this season. His only DIII loss is to Liegel. Nick Rogge was a semifinalist at the NWCA tournament last season and has made it to this tournament without beating any of the other qualifiers. Maguire Pecci of Chicago began his career in 2018 at 149 and makes his NCAA Championships debut four years and four weight classes later. The 2022 regional was his first postseason appearance.