2015 Midwest Regional
Saturday, February 28, 2015
Wabash College – Crawfordsville, Indiana – Event Website

February 18th d3wrestle.com Rankings

2014 Results

Teams
Alma, Chicago, Elmhurst, Manchester, North Central, Olivet, Trine, Wabash, Wheaton, Wisconsin-Whitewater, Wisconsin-La Crosse, Wisconsin-Stevens Point

Top Ten Ranked Individuals – 2014 All-Americans in bold
125 – none
133 – #8 Balsiger (La Crosse)
141 – #7 Adcock (Whitewater), # 9 Binion (North Central)
149 – #7 Perkin (Whitewater), #8 Einerson (La Crosse), Savenok (Wheaton)
157 – #2 Lefever (Wabash), #10 Gerszewski (Whitewater)
165 – #2 Schneider (La Crosse), #9 Tuttle (Alma), Aiello (Wheaton)
174 – #1 Lefever (Wabash), #3 Newman (Whitewater), #6 Jakes (Alma)
184 – #1 Lefever (Wabash), #7 Carlson (La Crosse), #9 Olsen (Wheaton)
197 – #1 Twohey (La Crosse), #2 Siefert (Whitewater)
285 – #3 Green (Trine), #8 Edgren (Whitewater), #10 Mahler (North Central)

Top 30 Teams (d3wrestle.com list)
#2 Whitewater
#5 La Crosse
#6 Wabash
#16 Alma

What the Midwest Region lacks in quantity of teams, it more than makes up for in quality of teams and individuals. Whitewater, Lacrosse, and Wabash all are legitimate contenders for the National Championship, if they can make it through the region with enough qualifiers. While other teams in the region may not have the same number of All-American candidates, almost every team has multiple individuals who are capable of making their own run at hardware in Hershey. Alma and North Central each boast two top ten individuals, while Wheaton will have two All-Americans from 2014 and one All-American from 2013 in the tournament.

The strength of the Wabash squad lies in the brothers Lefever. Riley (184) is defending national champ, Reese (157) a returning All American, and Conner is currently #1 ranked  at 174. Still, for the Little Giants to have a chance to win it all in Hershey, they will need some of their lesser known grapplers to step up at home. La Crosse and Whitewater both seem to have the numbers and Whitewater has been one of the national favorites all year long. They have been impressive in tournaments winning most notably at the Messiah-Petrofes, Wheaton Invitational and WIAC championships.

The best overall weight appears to be 174 with three top 10 ranked wrestlers and two other solid contenders in Frank Aiello (Wheaton) and Nick Allen (Olivet) who both have wins over individuals in the current top 10. Also of note, arguably the most dominant wrestler in all of DIII this season, 197 defending NCAA runner-up Shane Siefert (Whitewater) took his first loss of the year last week to Eric Twohey of Lacrosse. We could see a rematch in the regional finals.

2015 Central Regional
Saturday, February 28, 2015
Five Flags Center – Dubuque, Iowa

February 18th d3wrestle.com Rankings

2014 Results

Teams
Augustana, Buena Vista, Central, Coe, Cornell, Dubuque, Huntingdon, Knox, Loras, Luther, Simpson, University of the Ozarks, Wartburg

Top Ten Ranked Individuals – 2014 All-Americans in bold
125 – #8 Agnitsch (Wartburg), #9 Page (Central)
133 – #5 Campo (Wartburg), #7 Anderson (Central), #8 Obert (Luther)
141 – #2 Van Anrooy (Luther), #5 Steger (Loras)
149 – #3 Martin (Wartburg), #10 Engle (Cornell)
157 – #8 DeWitt (Loras)
165 – #1 Sewera (Coe), #3 Steiert (Wartburg)
174 – #2 Welter (Wartburg), #10 Hamm (Cornell)
184 – #4 DeVilbiss (Luther), #8 Lowy (Central), Sheldon (Coe)
197 – #7 Roman (Wartburg), #8 Seabold (Central), #9 Horner (Coe), #10 Watson (Loras)
285 – #5 Nagle (Wartburg)

Top 30 Teams (d3wrestle.com list)
#1 Wartburg
#9 Luther
#14 Central, Coe (tie)
#18 Loras

Wartburg started the year unranked and rightly so after graduating 100 team points and all of their All-Americans from last year’s championship team. They reloaded quickly and soon ascended back to the top of the rankings, and they enter the postseason as the favorite to win a fifth consecutive title. Unlike last year, their championship is far from a foregone conclusion, but their seven top ten individuals along with the rest of their strong lineup gives them a great shot at five in a row. Luther, Central, Coe, and Loras will be in the mix for second at the regional.

Only two All-Americans from last year return in the Central, but that has not kept the region from filling up the rankings as seen above. Coe’s Sewera is the only #1 ranked wrestler in the region, but he has yet to become an All-American. Both returning All-Americans are teammates of Sewera in Sheldon at 184 and Horner at 197, though both will have to perform to earn a repeat trip to the championships. Outside of Connor Campo, Wartburg’s only returning starter, the Wartburg lineup is full of wrestlers who have patiently waited their turns to shine. Agnitsch, Wagenhoffer, Welter, Roman, and Nagle are all upperclassmen who were not in the lineup last year. All but Wagenhoffer are ranked in the top ten, but Wagenhoffer was a 2o12 All-American.

A pair of highly ranked transfers could be challenging for national titles out of this region. Second ranked Drew Van Anrooy came to Luther from Oregon State and is undefeated at 141 in Division III after spending time in the Beavers starting lineup a year ago. Kenny Martin came to Wartburg from Clackamas Community college and has settled into the #3 spot in Division III. One more transfer to keep an eye on is 184 lbs. Devin Peterson. Peterson surfaced at Wartburg in the second semester. His performance has been a bit uneven, but he was once the #11 recruit nationally in his senior class.

2015 Northeast Regional
Saturday & Sunday, February 28-March 1, 2015
Roger Williams University – Bristol, Rhode Island – Event Website

February 18th d3wrestle.com Rankings

2014 Results

Teams
Bridgewater State, Coast Guard, Cortland, Daniel Webster, Ithaca, Johnson & Wales, Norwich, Oneonta, Plymouth State, Rhode Island, Roger Williams, Springfield, Trinity, University of Southern Maine, Wesleyan, Williams, Western New England, WPI

Top Ten Ranked Individuals – 2014 All-Americans in bold
125 – #10 Kaishian (Ithaca)
133 – #1 Giorgio (Coast Guard), #4 Gomez (Ithaca)
141 – #10 Ferinde (JWU)
149 – none
157 – #4 Lopez (Williams), #7 Hamrick (Springfield)
165 – #5 Foley (Springfield), #10 Colom (Roger Williams)
174 – none
184 – #2 Chorzepa (Williams), #3 Beckwith (Cortland), #5 Deupree (Southern Maine)
197 – #4 Giaramita (Cortland), #5 Welch (Roger Williams)
285 – #4 Jean-Jacques (Rhode Island), #9 Bethel (Oneonta)

Top 30 Teams (d3wrestle.com list)
#11 Williams
#12 Cortland, Ithaca (tie)
#23 Springfield
#27 Roger Williams

The Northeast region surprised some last year with a very strong performance at the NCAA Championships. The teams here will try to do so again, though they will be doing it without a number of last year’s All-Americans who still have eligibility but did not compete this year for one reason or another. Williams is the only team with more than one returning All-American, while Ithaca has a strong top to bottom lineup that should score well here. Roger Williams won the NEWA Duals earlier this season and should also put a good number into the placing rounds.

Coast Guard’s top ranked Nathaniel Giorgio looks to put a cap on a career that has seen him qualify three times and become an All-American twice. He is undefeated this year at 133 with wins in multiple tournaments and an 11-5 victory over returning NCAA runner-up and likely #2 seed Alex Gomez of Ithaca. Giorgio and Gomez, along with Jorge Lopez of Williams at 157, will all be looking for their third All-American awards, though Lopez did take a loss in his last regular season match against Springfield’s Hamrick. 184 and 197 are notable weights at the region with three top ten wrestlers at 184 (along with Ithaca’s Toribio who just beat #3 Beckwith of Cortland) and a pair of returning All-American’s at 197.

Also of note here is the Williams duo of Savoca and Garripoli who recently dropped to 141 and 149 from 149 and 165 and could make an impact at those weights this weekend. Heavyweight will be interesting thanks to a pair of newcomers. #4 ranked Terrance Jean-Jacque of Rhode Island transferred in from the University of Iowa and has had a dominant season without taking a loss. His closest match of the year so far was during his first competition against Oneonta freshman #9 James Bethel. These two will also have to contend with 2014 NCAA qualifier Lance Moore of Cortland. Bethel and Moore have split, while Jean-Jacques has yet to face Moore.

2015 East Regional
Sunday, March 1, 2015
Roanoke Civic Center – Roanoke, Virginia – Event Website

February 18th d3wrestle.com Rankings

2014 Results

Teams
Centenary, Delaware Valley, Ferrum, Gettysburg, Hunter, Johns Hopkins, King’s, McDaniel, Merchant Marine Academy, Mount Saint Vincent, Muhlenberg, New York University, Scranton, Stevens Institute of Technology, The College of New Jersey, Ursinus, Washington & Lee, Wilkes

Top Ten Ranked Individuals – 2014 All-Americans in bold
125 – #6 Bewak (JHU), #7 Rea (Wilkes)
133 – #3 O’Boyle (McDaniel), #10 Grossman (Wilkes)
141 – #3 Palmer (Hunter), #4 Jones (NYU)
149 – #1 Fava (Delaware Valley), #9 Arnold (Ursinus)
157 – #5 Polizzi (Stevens), #6 Jasinski (Ursinus)
165 – #6 Bader (Hunter)
174 – #5 Zotollo (TCNJ), #7 Kowal (Stevens)
184 – none
197 – #3 Karns (Delaware Valley)
285 – #7 Roseberry (Delaware Valley)

Top 30 Teams (d3wrestle.com list)
#7 Delaware Valley
#18 Hunter and Stevens (tie)
#25 Ursinus
#29 NYU, TCNJ, Wilkes (tie)

Wilkes, Ursinus, and Delaware Valley all topped 100 points in the 2014 regional, and all three are part of the lead pack again in 2015. With three All-Americans returning, Delaware Valley has their sights set on a team trophy at the NCAA Championships. Stevens is coming off of their first Centennial Conference championship and has a few guys who expect to be heard from in Hershey. NYU has a strong overall lineup that should score well in this format.

Eight 2014 All-Americans return in the East,, and they are led by Vinny Fava of Delaware Valley. Fava is the highest returning placewinner at 149 and has been ranked #1 in all nine individual rankings this season. He was 3rd in the NCAA last season and has not lost in Division III this year. Four wrestlers will be looking for their third All-American awards in Hershey. Paul Bewak of Johns Hopkins is ranked 6th at 125 and has a pair of 7th place finishes to his name. Brandon Jones of NYU is 4th at 141 and has placed 5th and 3rd in 2013 and 2014. Zach Zotollo of TCNJ is ranked 5th at 174 and has finished 4th and 6th. Finally, Aaron Karns is 3rd at 197 for Delaware Valley and has finished 6th and 4th.

A wrestler to watch is 174 lbs. freshman AJ Kowal of Stevens. Kowal dropped to 174 in the second half of the season and has now pinned all 11 wrestlers he has faced at that weight while remaining undefeated in DIII at any weight. Also in the mix, if not the rankings, is a late-arriving wrestler from Ursinus. Matan Peleg came back from his injury just this month, and the 2014 regional heavyweight finalist has wrestled just five times since his February 7th debut.

Regional Preview Schedule
Monday 10:00am – West
Tuesday 8:00am – East
Tuesday 12:00pm – Northeast
Wednesday 10:00am – Central
Wednesday – NWCA Rankings scheduled to be released
Thursday 10:00am – Midwest
Friday 10:00am – Mideast

2015 West Regional
Saturday, February 28, 2015
Augsburg College – Minneapolis, Minnesota – Event Website

February 18th d3wrestle.com Rankings

2014 Results

Teams
Augsburg, Concordia-Moorhead, Concordia Wisconsin, Lakeland, Milwaukee School of Engineering, Pacific, St. John’s, St. Olaf, Eau Claire, Oshkosh, Platteville

Top Ten Ranked Individuals – 2014 All-Americans in bold
125 – #1 Fuenffinger (Augsburg)
133 – #6 Ambrocio (Concordia Wisconsin)
141 – #6 Bergeron (Concordia-Moorhead), #8 Henle (St. John’s)
149 – none
157 – none
165 – #4 Krogstad (Concordia-Moorhead)
174 – #8 Gardner (Concordia-Moorhead)
184 – none
197 – #6 Michaelis (St. John’s)
285 – #2 Longendyke (Augsburg)

Top 30 Teams (d3wrestle.com list)
#8 Augsburg
#9 Concordia-Moorhead

It should be a two team race in the smallest region with Augsburg and Concordia-Moorhead again vying for the top spot. Those teams were comfortably ahead of the field last season, and this year should be more of the same. The West was the lowest performing region at the 2014 NCAA Championships, and 2015 looks to be more of the same, barring some unexpected performances. Augsburg may have just two wrestlers in the latest top ten, but they have three others sitting just below that list, and it would not shock to see those wrestlers on the podium, especially since two of them (Keeter and Hechsel) have been All-Americans in the past. The top two teams should each send a sizable contingent to Hershey, giving them a lot of chances to put wrestlers on the podium.

Mike Fuenffinger has been the wire to wire #1 ranked wrestler at 125 following his outstanding championship performance a year ago. This year, he is undefeated against Division III competition with only a single 3-1 loss against the #6 ranked DII wrestler. He will be seeking a third All-American award and a second championship. Augsburg is also strong at the other end of the lineup with transfer Donny Longendyke. The 285 lb. Nebraska transfer joined the official roster for the second semester and has not yet lost in an Augsburg singlet. His results so far suggest he will enter the NCAA Championships as one of the favorites. Outside of Fuenffinger, there are just two other 2014 All-Americans in the field. Sean Ambrocio placed at 125 last year before making the move to 133 this season, while Jacoby Bergeron made a similar move from 133 to 141.

141 is the only weight with more than one top ten ranked wrestler, as #8 Henle joins #6 Bergeron. In addition, 2013 All-American Nathaniel Behnke of Eau Claire will be looking for another All-American award after missing out last year. 133 is also a good weight with Contenders Bartschenfeld (Augsburg) and Foltz (Concordia-Moorhead) knocking on the door of the rankings. 149 goes the other way, as only one wrestler appears anywhere in the d3wrestle.com Rankings. Regardless of overall performance, the West has a good chance to match last year’s two NCAA Champions with Augsburg’s lineup bookends.