2022 NCAA Preview: 197 lbs.
Rankings are from the February 18th NWCA Poll.
| Northeast 1 | 5. Spooner | Coast Guard |
| Northeast 2 | Arata | Roger Williams |
| Northeast 3 | 12. Kelly | NYU |
| Mideast 1 | 7. Haddad | TCNJ |
| Mideast 2 | Wallace | Ithaca |
| Mideast 3 | Harkless | RIT |
| Southeast 1 | Farrow | York |
| Southeast 2 | Pellot | Alvernia |
| Southeast 3 | Crebs | Lycoming |
| Central 1 | 4. Heldt | Wabash |
| Central 2 | 15. Wellbaum | Adrian |
| Central 3 | Setliff | Otterbein |
| Lower Midwest 1 | 2. Baldridge | North Central |
| Lower Midwest 2 | 6. Corn | Luther |
| Lower Midwest 3 | Linahon | Central |
| Upper Midwest 1 | Hannah | UW-Platteville |
| Upper Midwest 2 | 10. Schwanebeck-Ostermann | Augsburg |
| Upper Midwest 3 | 1. Yineman | UW-Oshkosh |
197 has a lot of wrestlers who have beat each other, and that includes the Upper Midwest region. Tyler Hannah avenged two earlier losses to Beau Yineman to make the regional finals. There, he met Bentley Schwanebeck-Ostermann, a wrestler with a name that belongs in a John le Carré novel, and won by injury default, turning around another earlier loss. Yineman had just one prior DIII loss to a wrestler who was not in the postseason this year. It was a good weekend for Hannah who brings double digit losses into the tournament.
Yineman’s signature win this season came first week out against Cody Baldridge of North Central, the 2021 NWCA champ. Baldridge has not lost in DIII since and even placed in the Matmen Open that replaced this year’s Midlands. He won the Lower Midwest final over Donovan Corn on a stalling call that was strange more for its timing than whether or not it was warranted (video here to see for yourself).
#3 ranked Doug Byrne of Baldwin Wallace was a late scratch in the Central region, and #4 Jack Heldt of Wabash was able to take advantage. He had little trouble, dominating the field and winning 15-0 in the finals over Wellbaum. In the Southeast, Camden Farrow of York won a region where the #1 seed failed to place. Third place finisher Gable Crebs qualified for Lycoming where his father is the head coach, joining Bradan Birt at 165 as the second wrestler in the tournament competing with dad in the corner.
Northeast champ Coy Spooner is the only North Dakota native in the field, and he wrestles for Coast Guard despite coming from a town that is almost as far from the coast as you can get in this country. 6th seed pulled a pair upsets, including one over #12 Matt Kelly of NYU, to earn his spot in the field. Quinn Haddad won the Mideast region and has a win over Southeast region champ Farrow. He won by forfeit in the finals against Jordan Wallace of Ithaca who is 15-0 this season.