2022 Southeast Region Preview
Friday & Saturday, February 25 & 26
Lycoming College | Host Site
Teams (20): Alvernia, Averett, Delaware Valley, Ferrum, Gettysburg, Greensboro, King’s, Lycoming, Messiah, Penn State Behrend, Roanoke, Shenandoah, Southern Virginia, Stevens, Thiel, Washington & Jefferson, Washington & Lee, Waynesburg, Wilkes, York
NWCA Ranked Tournament Teams
10. Stevens
22. Averett
24. York
Top Ten Ranked Wrestlers – February 4th Ranking
125: #2 Braswell (Averett), #9 Fashouer (Wilkes)
133: #5 Rohrbaugh (York)
141: #5 Slendorn (Stevens), #9 Gehr (Messiah)
149: #1 Kaliner (Stevens)
157: #8 Barnhart (Messiah), #9 Luth (Washington & Lee), #10 Gutierrez (Stevens)
165: #4 Lackman (Alvernia)
174:
184:
197: #10 Dooley (Stevens)
285:
Stevens won this region the last time it was contested and will battle a strong Averett squad as well as Messiah, Washington & Lee, Alvernia, and York. The Ducks have the lone top-ranked wrestler in the region along with three others in the top ten, and they won the MAC Championship last month.
Brett Kaliner, the top ranked 149 for Stevens, has had an outstanding career. He was NCAA runner-up in 2018, 3rd in 2019, seeded 2nd at the canceled 2020 tournament, and finished 3rd at the NWCA DIII tournament last season. This year, he is 21-0 with 17 bonus point wins. He enters the postseason looking to become the first NCAA wrestling champion for Stevens.
One weight above Kaliner, the 157 class features three ranked wrestlers and one late addition who had been ranked at the weight above. #8 Nick Barnhart (Messiah), #9 Ryan Luth (Washington & Lee), and #10 Hunter Gutierrez (Stevens) are joined by York’s Eric Hutchinson, a 2x NCAA qualifier who made a late drop to 157. Hutchinson beat Gutierrez in a late season dual, as did Barnhart and Luth. Barnhart gave Luth his only loss early in the season, and Luth was the 2020 regional champion at this weight.
Two other weights should be competitive at the top. At 125, Sam Braswell of Averett (3rd at NWCA DIII tournament) beat Austin Fashouer 7-5 in the first week of the season, and they could meet again here, though there are numerous wrestlers just outside the top ten in this weight. At 141, Kyle Slendorn of Stevens and Josiah Gehr of Messiah are experienced and ranked. Slendorn has won both matchups this season, though Gehr has a win over one of the two wrestlers to beat Slendorn so far.