2014 NCAA Preview: 157 lbs.
2013 Champion: Devin Biscaha, Springfield
2014 Field (with rankings)
West 1 | (1) Kulchytskyy | Oshkosh |
West 2 | LeDuc | Concordia-Moorhead |
West 3 | Elmer | St. Olaf |
Central 1 | (2) Boyer | Coe |
Central 2 | (3) Dewitt | Loras |
Central 3 | (7) Yonkovic | Wartburg |
Midwest 1 | (5) Savenok | Wheaton |
Midwest 2 | (8) Tardy | North Central |
Midwest 3 | (6) Lefever | Wabash |
Mideast 1 | (4) Garrison | Mount Union |
Mideast 2 | Etzel | Washington & Jefferson |
Mideast 3 | (10) Gott | John Carroll |
East 1 | Krawchuk | Wilkes |
East 2 | Ajagbe | Delaware Valley |
East 3 | Jasinski | Ursinus |
Northeast 1 | (9) Lopez | Williams |
Northeast 2 | Collins | Ithaca |
Northeast 3 | Desilets | Johnson & Wales |
If the field at 165 breathed a sigh of relief, the 157 field had a very different feeling when Nazar Kulchytskyy came back to 157 after a year at 165 to seek his third consecutive NCAA Championship. For the second straight year, he has not lost to a DIII opponent and has just four decisions among this 37 wins. #2 Boyer only has a loss to #7 Yonkovic of Wartburg, with whom he has split a pair of matches this year. He also has a pair of wins over #3 Dewitt of Loras. Dewitt’s only DIII losses are to Boyer and one to #6 Lefever of Wabash. He also has a win over Lefever and has defeated #7 Yonkovic and #8 Tardy along with West runner-up LeDuc of Concordia-Moorhead. #4 Garrison of Mount Union put together a good second half with wins over last year’s runner-up Krawchuk, #5 Savenok, two wins and a loss to #10 Gott, and 2013 All-American Etzel. Savenok beat a pair of tough wrestlers when he topped Lefever and Tardy in consecutive matches to win the Midwest Regional, setting himself up nicely for a deep postseason run.
Three All-Americans from last year are both in this weight and unranked. The weight did not look very good when the year started, but it has gained steam as the season progressed. Krawchuk of Wilkes was the runner-up here last year, Etzel placed 6th, and Ajagbe was 8th (at 149). That is not nearly as surprising as the fate of last year’s champion at this weight. Devin Biscaha surprised everyone with his unseeded run to the championship where he defeated four seeded wrestlers to win the title. He was defeated in the consolation finals at the Northeast Regional by Everet Desilets of Johnson & Wales, the only Rhode Island native in the field this year.