125 Preview

2008 Champion: Seth Flodeen, Augsburg
Returning All-Americans: Flodeen, Clayton Rush (Coe), Jake Oster (Elmhurst), Chris Sheetz (Delaware Valley)

Both of last year’s finalists return from a match where both wrestlers were on their backs, yet the whole thing was over barely two minutes after it started.  Seth Flodeen, the champ, is back but has lost to a few of the other wrestlers in the bracket.  Clayton Rush has lost just once since his defeat in the finals last year. That loss was to the always dangerous Jake Oster of Elmhurst.  Oster, the top seeded wrestler at 125, has pinned both Rush and Flodeen this year on his way to a 23-0 record with 17 falls.  No matter the score, he is always a threat to pin.  Delaware Valley All-American Chris Sheetz can also win a match at any time with his outstanding headlock.

The weight class also features a number of talented newcomers in their first year in Division III wrestling.  Iowa State transfer Mark Kist of Wartburg has had close matches with Rush.  Pennsylvania placewinners and fellow freshmen Seth Ecker (Ithaca) and Tyler Erdman (Elizabethtown) have also had very good debut seasons, each winning their conference tournaments.  In terms of returning athletes, McInally of RIT and Hoxie of Heidelberg were also in this weight class last year.

If the seeds hold, we could see a pair of rematches in the semifinals between Oster and Flodeen at the top of the bracket and Sheetz and Rush on the bottom with the potential for #1 Oster and #2 Rush to meet up again in what would surely be an exciting final.

Seeds
1. Oster, Elmhurst
2. Rush, Coe
3. Sheetz, Delaware Valley
4. Flodeen, Augsburg
5. Ecker, Ithaca
6. McInally, RIT
7. Kist, Wartburg
8. Erdman, Etown