Qualifiers (seeds listed, returning All-Americans in bold, qualifiers in italics)
Brackets

This weight, as much as any other, almost seems like a foregone conclusion for the top spot. Tate is going for his third title. He has not lost to a DIII opponent in two years, and he has placed at the Midlands twice. That said, nobody thought Tate himself had a chance to win the 2010 championship with both finalists back at his weight, so anything is possible. Myhrberg is undefeated, and Baxter has been able to raise his game at the NCAA championships in the past, though he did lose an overtime match to Faber of Wheaton in the regional semifinal.

Latella and Johnson are the other two returning All-Americans, though each has had a rocky road to the tournament. Latella did not start competing until January and started off with some bad losses before righting the ship, though he did also lose to Meaney. Johnson is only in the tournament as an injury replacement for Burkle of Coe at 285. Schmitz returns as well and was 4th at the Great Lakes, though he has split with region champ Baus. Mosquera won the Centennial for a second time and is athletic, if often fragile.

There seem to be a stratification in the talent level at this weight with a significant favorite, a group of contenders, and a larger group of wrestlers with little chance to place. Surprises happen, like Mulligan and Johnson placing here last year, but it seems like the seeding has a good chance to hold here.

Qualifiers (seeds listed, returning All-Americans in bold, qualifiers in italics)
Brackets

Five returning All-Americans highlight a weight class that, like 174, has a good group of returning qualifiers. Three of the top six are from the Metro conference as Martocello and Reilly traded wins, but both fell to Denver of TCNJ. Rau of Elmhurst has come on very strong this year, finishing 6th at the Midlands and going undefeated against DIII. He has not wrestled many close matches this year.

Rhoads fell out of the seeding as the final returning All-American. He has two losses to Pieper of Trine and one to Azinger of Wartburg, the wrestler he defeated to become an All-American last year. Pieper has split with 2011 qualifier Stewart of Messiah and had a number of other DIII losses along the way. Engelland is back after losing in the All-American round in 2011 and was the WIAC runner-up to Dwyer. Dwyer was an NJCAA and NAIA All-American previously and graduated high school in 2003.

Broll was a qualifier at 197 a year ago, while Jenkins returns again at 184 as OAC Champ. Hagen is another to watch now that he finally has a spot in the lineup this year.

It looks like any of the top six have a realistic shot at winning this tournament, and how it shakes out will be a lot of fun to watch.

Qualifiers (seeds listed, returning All-Americans in bold, qualifiers in italics)
Brackets

A lot of strength returns at 174 with four All-Americans and four qualifiers back. Schmitz was the 2010 champ, Banks was the 2011 runner-up, and Kwiat has placed twice, but the top ranked wrestler is new to DIII in Doliscar of Ithaca he earned his #1 spot with a win over Schmitz and has not let up since. He was tied with Cross near the end of the Empire finals before a late reversal and backpoints provided the margin of victory in a 9-4 win.

Schmitz, Banks, and Kwiat are a formidable trio with good NCAA experience, and any one of them could reasonably win this weight. Schmitz (3x) and Kwiat (2x) are both multiple time All-Americans, while Banks made a run from the 8th seed all the way to finals last year, knocking Kwiat off along the way. Kwiat and Schmitz are a contrast in styles, with Schmitz being very explosive on his feet while Kwiat racks up tons of back points on the mat.

Pfarr finished 7th last year, losing to Kwiat, and it took him a while to get down to 174 this year, but he settled in and won the Great Lakes Region. He has a loss to Tyler of Olivet as his only DIII blemish this year. King, Dormann, and Roosa all return from last year’s bracket, adding to the quality of the weight.

This one is tough to predict, Doliscar has earned his #1 spot, but he is far from unassailable. Kwiat, Banks, Schmitz, or even a dark horse having a great weekend could end up on top here.

Qualifiers (seeds listed, returning All-Americans in bold, qualifiers in italics)
Brackets

This weight class really cleared out after last season’s meatgrinder of a weight that featured two former champs as well as the guy who eventually won it. Only two All-Americans return, the better of which is the returning runner up at this weight, LeClere of Coe. He has been your wall to wall #1 ranked wrestler and his only losses were to a DI wrestler and an injury default. The only reason for pause with LeClere is the fact that his injury took him out for six weeks, and he only returned to competition for the IIAC Championships.

Myers of Olivet is the other returning All-American, and he is seeded 8th. He has some questionable defeats on his record so far, but his best win came early in a 2-1 decision over the 2nd seed Williams of Wartburg. Williams has made the most of his chance to start this year, and his only DIII losses this year are to Myers and the #1 seeds at 157 and 165.

Sanko of Ithaca, Favia of Stevens, and Hambleton of Cornell are the only other wrestlers with NCAA experience, and all three are seeded. Sanko beat Favia, while Favia beat the #5 seed Longo and split with #6 Thomson. Longo and Favia gave the freshman Thomson his only two losses of the year, and the rest of the field is making its first trip to the championships.

LeClere will be a tough out for anyone, and he certainly has the best pedigree, but if his layoff ends up hurting him, he could perhaps be had.

Qualifiers (returning All-Americans in bold, qualifiers in italics)

After losing in the finals each of the last two years to a wrestler from Merchant Marine, Ponce of Augsburg can rest easy in knowing there is nobody in bracket from that school. However, he will have to deal with serious competition from a pair of outstanding wrestlers in Kulchytskyy and Larson. He won 9-4 against Kulchytskyy and has yet to face Larson, but any of those three would be a good bet to take the title here. Kulchytskyy and Larson wrestled a match that was won by Kulchytskyy on a last second takedown in the Wheaton finals.

The wildcard in this bracket is the tremendously talented Dukes of Case. He was the 2010 champ at 149 before finishing 3rd there last year. So far this season, he has had uneven results up a weight, but he lost a close 4-3 match to Larson in the Midwest final. He has not had the type of season one would expect, but if he shows up with anything like the ability showcased in the past, the rest of the field could be in trouble.

The last All-American to mention is Burdge of Centenary. He knocked off the top seed last year on his way to an 8th place finish. He has an early loss to Sterling, but that is the only blemish on his record. The top seed that he beat is Brenon of Ithaca. He, like Dukes, has had an uneven year, but seems to be coming on at the end. Handley of Coe won the IIAC and will be a threat to place high as well.

The top three of Ponce, Kulchytskyy, and Larson looks to be unassailable unless Dukes can deliver a throwback performance. Even with Ponce in the driver’s seat, predicting a champion here is difficult.

Qualifiers (returning All-American in bold, qualifier in italics)

Even though 149 does not have a returning champ in the bracket, Valek of Augsburg is a two-time returning runner-up at the weight who will be very tough to beat. He is undefeated on the year, though it did take some last minute heroics to pull ahead and win in the regional final. A quartet of returning All-Americans should prove to be his toughest test with Dattolo, Andrews, and Locke all back at this weight while 2x 141 runner-up Stierly is at 149 this season. Stierly is just 8-1, however, while Dattolo is 30-0. Andrews has only lost to Dattolo in DIII, while Locke was upset in the IIAC final by Wood of Loras for his only DIII loss.

Outside of the returning placewinners, all three returning qualifiers were at 157 last year, and all three went 0-2 in the NCAA Championships. Sarbacker won the WIAC, Willey won the NEWA, and Warcynski slipped in as the third place finisher in the IIAC. Also in from the IIAC is Waggenhoffer of Wartburg. He finished 6th there, but was one of the alternates and got into the tournament as one of the extra 10 qualifiers.

Wood and Quiros are making their first trip to the tournament, and any one of them could place after putting together nice seasons. Quiros had Valek on the ropes. Wood put together a nice tournament to win the IIAC while upsetting Locke.

The season so far suggests Valek will finally win in his third trip to the finals, but there are other guys close enough to him to make that result anything but a foregone conclusion.

2012 NCAA Championships Brackets

Two changes from initial qualifier list:
1. Burkle (Coe, 285) is out; Johnson (Dubuque, 197) is in
2. Foote (Williams, 285) is out; Schwartz (Wesleyan, 133) is in

Live, updating brackets will be found at here once the tournament starts.

Qualifiers (returning All-American in bold, qualifier in italics)

This is another weight with a returning NCAA champ. Yewah won the 2010 title at 133, then moved up to 141 in 2011 and repeated as champ. This year, he stayed at 141, and his only two losses came at the Midlands where he finished 5th to lead all DIII entrants. His top competition looks to be last year’s semifinal opponent Albright of York. Albright opened the year with a win over the top ranked 133 Ecker and finished it by avenging one of his losses at the Metro Championships.

Timmerman is the only other All-American back at this weight. He came out of nowhere to place third, dealing Albright a loss along the way. This year, he has only three DIII losses, and they are all to Keeter of Augsburg, who won the Great Lakes Regional. Zobac was Keeter’s foe in that final, while Denhof from Elmhurst is the fourth 141 to make it out of the Great Lakes region.

Marcello, Antista, and Malave are all now multiple time qualifiers, though none of them won even a match at last year’s championships. Malave is the one of the three most favored to place this year, however. Several newcomers are poised to make a run to the second day of the tournament, and that group is headlined by Silvestri, the IIAC champ from Wartburg. He was an NJCAA All-American and could find himself in the finals with a good weekend.

It seems unlikely that anyone will be able to challenge Yewah, especially since nobody has in quite awhile, though there are a few guys in this weight with the talent to take advantage if he falters.

Qualifiers (returning All-Americans in bold, qualifiers in italics)

Here is the first of three weights with a returning 2011 champion. Ecker started the year at 141 before making the cut to 133 a few weeks after dropping a decision to the returning champ at 141, Yewah of La Crosse. He has gone 7-0 since then, wrapping up the regular season with three first period falls in the Empire championships. If he is hitting on all cylinders, he can put a lot of points on the board. Brown from Thiel is a three time All-American looking for his fourth award after finishing 6th once

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and 8th twice. He wrestles a lot of close matches but finds a way to come out on top almost all the time.

Other All-Americans include the 4th place Mirocha, 5th place Sheley, and 7th place Henle. Mirocha did drop the IIAC final to Westfall of Coe, however and has also lost to Hohbein, Sheley, and Mileski as well. Sheley’s only DIII loss so far is to conference foe Wunnicke. Wunnicke was on a tear this year and is among the DIII falls leaders, but he lost twice in the WIAC championships, making him hard to read heading into the NCAA Championships. Mileski and Frederickson both topped Wunnicke in a weight class that brough four to the tournament from that one conference.

Herr, Grippi, Snider, and Hohbein were all here last year, though Grippi was at 141 last year and almost all of this year. Grippi lost twice the first weekend but has been undefeated since. Herr was another late dropper to this weight, though he did start the year at 133. Snider and Hohbein both wrestled tough schedules to get this far.

Ecker will be tough to beat, but there are pinners like Wunnicke and proven winners like Brown scattered throughout the weight, and any weight where more than half the entrants have NCAA experience makes for a tough weekend.

Qualifiers (returning All-Americans in bold, qualifiers in italics)

Right now, it looks to be a two man race for the top, though it could be argued that one of those two is pretty heavily favored. A 2011 All-American at 133, Fitzenreider dropped to 125 halfway through the year and has been on a tear ever since. His signature win so far has been the decisive 10-1 major decision win over the #2 ranked Anderson of Wartburg. Anderson has only lost that one match to Fitzenreider this year and has pretty clearly separated himself from the rest of the pack in the incredibly competitive IIAC. Four of the top five ranked wrestlers in the d3wrestle.com pre-Nationals rankings are from that conference including 2011 All-American Hood of Cornell.

Reynolds of Mount Union is a returning semifinalist at this weight, though he has only wrestled three times at 125 and 12 times overall this year. Whether he will be at the top of his game after a long layoff and only two times down to weight is an open question. The other returning All-American at this weight is Gauthier of Rhode Island College. He has ten losses on the year and is not seeded. He has lost four times this year to the Coast Guard freshman Giorgio who won the NEWA title. Another wrestler with a limited schedule this year is Sutter of Whitewater. He wrestled an open tournament or two at 141, then a few matches at 133 in January after officially joining the roster before making the final cut to 125 in February. He won the WIAC and is 9-0 in varsity matches.

Overall, it is a weight dominated by newcomers, as three of last year’s top four graduated and the fourth missed the regional with an illness. Fitzenreider looks like a heavy favorite, but it is a deep weight where there will probably be some surprises.

Full List by Weight | Full List by School | TheMat.com List by School/State/Winning %

Info from TheMat.com

Schools with Five or More Qualifiers

Schools with One Qualifier

Qualifiers by Home State

Top Winning % per Weight Class

125
Kenneth Anderson Wartburg, 30-1, 0.968
Nathan Fitzenreider, North Central, 31-4, 0.886

133
Corey Brown, Thiel, 36-1, 0.973
Joe Grippi, Springfield, 30-2, 0.938

141
Bebeto Yewah, La Crosse, 30-2, 0.938
Chris Albright, York, 24-2, 0.923

149
Tony Valek, Augsburg, 29-0, 1.000
Anthony Dattolo, Wilkes, 30-0, 1.000

157
Orlando Ponce, Augsburg, 20-0, 1.000
Chris Burdge, Centenary, 26-1, 0.963

165
Zach Thomson, Gettysburg, 38-2, 0.950
Nick LeClere, Coe, 22-2, 0.917

174
Kyle Kwiat, Ohio Northern, 35-1, 0.972
Michael Schmitz, La Crosse, 25-1, 0.962

184
Mike Denver, TCNJ, 30-0, 1.000
Alex Martocello, York, 30-2, 0.938

197
Jared Myhrberg, Cortland, 29-0, 1.000
Dustin Baxter, St. John’s, 32-2, 0.941

285
JD Zitone, Centenary, 25-0, 1.000
Derrick Hesson, Mount Union, 35-0, 1.000

The NCAA has released the names of the last ten qualifiers after applying the formula set ahead of time. The formula is based on past performance of the conference similar to the process that determines the number of wildcards for each conference. It is not an arbitrary selection process but one that depends on the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd alternate choices of each conference eligible for an additional spot. The primary goal is to ensure that every weight class has at least 16 competitors, and then after that, the selections are made in rank order. The additional ten qualifiers are as follows:

125 Zach Mueller, Oshkosh

141 Jake Denhof, Elmhurst

141 Sean Giblin, Rhode Island

149 Drew Waggenhoffer, Wartburg

165 Nick Bach, Centenary

165 Collin Crowell, Roger Williams

174 Josh Kohler, Augsburg

174 Dan Schiferl, Oshkosh

184 Greg Rhoads, Wabash

285 Joey Giaramita, Cortland

Full Qualifier List by Weight Class | Full Qualifier List by School

Friday/Saturday Results

Metro Brackets | Team Scores | Full Qualifier List

NEWA Brackets and Team Scores (team score on last page) | Wildcards: Tom Foote, Williams, 285; Brandon Gauthier, RIC, 125

Wisconsin Brackets | Team Scores and Qualifiers

Updated Qualifier List by Weight

Iowa Conference Brackets | Team Scores | Qualifier List | Wildcard: Hood, Cornell, 125

Centennial Conference Brackets | Team Scores | Wildcard: Thomson, Gettysburg, 165

Midwest Regional Brackets and Team Scores | Wildcard: Dukes, Case, 157

Great Lakes Regional Brackets | Teams Scores and Qualifiers

Empire Conference Brackets and Team Scores | Full Qualifier List

Ohio Conference Brackets and Team Scores | Qualifier List | Wildcard: Letcher, ONU, 157

New England Day 1

Great Lakes Region Championships – 32 qualifiers

Saturday, February 25, 2012 at Augsburg
Returning Qualifiers/AA: Nathan Fitzenreider (North Central, 3rd @133, 125), Chad Henle (St.Johns, 7th, 133), Daron Hohbein (Conc-Moorhead, 133), Ryan Timmerman (St. Olafs, 3rd, 141), Andrew Zobac (North Central, 141), Jacob Narverson (MSOE, 141), Tony Valek (Augsburg, 2nd, 149), Eric Oyster (North Central, 149), Orlando Ponce (Augsburg, 2nd, 157), Matthew Pfarr (St.Johns, 7th, 174), Josef Rau (Elmhurst, 7th, 184), Dustin Baxter (St.Johns, 3rd@184, 197), Nathan Schmitz (Conc-Moorhead, 197), Tom Bouressa (Conc-Moorhead, 4th, 285), Chad Johnson (Augsburg, 7th, 285)

Augsburg has been a dominant force in the Great Lakes Region and the nation for years, however, several programs have closed the gap in St.Johns, Concordia-Moorehead, North Central, and Elmhurst College. Furthermore with 32 qualifiers and two at large bids, a lot of individuals will have the chance to earn their trip to Lacrosse, Wisconsin and the NCAA Championships.

125 lbs.
d3wrestle.com Ranked Wrestlers – Fitzenreider (North Central, #1), Fuenffinger (Augsburg, Contender)
Fitzenreider made a bold move when he dropped down to 125 midseason in hopes of not only repeating as an All American but winning the national title. He is the odds on favorite, but he has been out of the lineup since the Wheaton Invitational in late January. Fuenffinger should almost certainly take one of the automatic bids, but the third spot will be up for grabs. Look for Johnson (Elmhurst) to lead the pack of contenders for the third spot.

133 lbs.
d3wrestle.com Ranked Wrestlers – Hohbein (Conc-Moorhead, #5), Henle (St.Johns, Contender), Kuehn (Augsburg, Contender)/Suparat (Augsburg, Contender), Bullard (Elmhurst, Contender), Poffenberger (Augustana, Contender)
This weight could be extremely interesting and the top guys could easily shift spots anywhere in the top six. Hohbein has been the top performer this season and Henle is a returning All American. It’s unclear who Augsburg will enter, but either of their possibilities is a threat. Bullard has looked very tough when healthy as well and has a recent win over Poffenberger. Anyone of the five could win the conference or earn one of the three automatic bids to the nationals.

141 lbs.
d3wrestle.com Ranked Wrestlers – Timmerman (St.Olafs, #4), Zobac (North Central, #5), Keeter (Augsburg, #7), Sanders (Conc-WI, HM), Denhof (Elmhurst, HM)
The 141 lb weight is both very strong and fairly deep. Keeter dropped in the national rankings with a recent dual loss to Kust of Stevens Point, but he still should be the #1 seed in this weight. He has a win over Timmerman. Timmerman went on a phenomenal run through last year’s National Championships earning a third place finish. Zobac is solid as well and has put together another strong campaign. After the big three, the talent and experience falls off a bit, but Greg Sanders has exhibited a lot of athleticism and could be a dark horse and Narverson (MSOE) has Nationals experience on his resume.

149 lbs.
d3wrestle.com Ranked Wrestlers – Valek (Augsburg, #1), Quiros (Augustana, #10), Early (Elmhurst, HM), Oyster (North Central, HM)
It’s Valek and everyone else at this weight as the two time National Runner-up should not be tested at the regional. Quiros has wrestled extremely well in the second semester, making his name known with a runner-up finish at the Wheaton Invitational. He is dynamic from neutral, but he’s not a lock to make the finals. Oyster is a returning national qualifier; he’s struggled at times, but has some very big wins and looks to go on another post season tear. Early is also a highly touted wrestler, and Mark Savenok from Wheaton may be as talented as any if he is in fact healthy.

157 lbs.
d3wrestle.com Ranked Wrestlers – Ponce (Augsburg, #1), Bodi (NC, HM)
Ponce highlights another weight that is very, very top heavy. He is another two time National Runner-up and the overwhelming favorite in the region. Unlike 149 there isn’t as much depth to chase the next two spots to the bid dance. Bodi has been hot and cold but can beat good wrestlers and Layton (Chicago) is talented enough but has not wrestled much and has spent a lot of time wrestling 165. St. John’s could enter any number of wrestlers into the conversation as Arne, Stevermer, and Seppelt have all spent time as their starter and all have good records. Others that could be in the mix include Grice (Elmhurst) and Fynboh (Conc-Moorhead)

165 lbs.
d3wrestle.com Ranked Wrestlers – Renon (Lakeland, Contender), Schuler (St.Johns, Contender)
As the only weight that does not feature a top 10 wrestler, this may be the most wide open battle. Renon and Schuler have both produced big wins and lulls in performance and there’s no telling who the favorite is between them. It’s equally unclear who the favorite might be to claim the third automatic bid. Lewis (Elmhurst) has a win over former All-American Myers (Olivet)*Midwest region, but followed it up with a loss to Burns (Augustana) who has also beaten Myers. Burns, at 23-15, has been up and down throughout the year.

174 lbs.
d3wrestle.com Ranked Wrestlers – Pfarr (St.Johns, #7), Baldares (Elmhurst, Contender), Kohler (Augsburg, HM)
Pfarr returns as an All American and has had a good second semester after making his way down to the weight class. He has beaten everyone else in the region and there’s little reason to believe that he won’t be the #1 guy. Baldares made a big splash early in the season by beating National Runner-up Banks (Wartburg), but since then has come down to a Earth a bit. He’s a very good upper body wrestler and shows true grit and determination when he wrestles so he has a chance in every match. Kohler is a newcomber to Augsburg’s lineup and has had a fair amount of success against very good competition. There are several others that could enter the conversation come tournament time. Richardson (Augustana) had a lot of success before dropping from 184, but seemed to have trouble adjusting to the weight until the CCIW tournament. There he beat Baldares soundly and will be a serious contender if he can duplicate the effort.

184 lbs.
d3wrestle.com Ranked Wrestlers –Rau (Elmhurst, #3), Hagan (St.Johns, #9), Steed (Wheaton, Contender)
Rau is not only the favorite to win the weight but also one of the favorites to win the Nationals. He is explosive, technical and very experienced as a returning All American. He will be most challenged by another talented upper weight from St. John’s in Hagan. Hagan has finally found his niche after being the odd man out of the lineup last season and is 23-5. Mitch Steed is an Oregon State transfer to Wheaton and one of the schools top wrestlers. He should be the clear #3 seed.

197 lbs.
d3wrestle.com Ranked Wrestlers – Baxter (St.John’s, #2), Schmitz (Conc-Moorhead, #4), Baus (Augsburg, #8), Faber (Wheaton, HM), Vargas (Elmhurst, HM)
After earning All American honors at 184 last year, Baxter moves up. He is 28-1 and has not lost in D.III. He could face some stiff competition with two other wrestlers ranked in the top 10. Schmitz was a qualifier last season and has only one loss outside of Baxter and National Champ Byron Tate in division. That loss happens to be to Baus, who Schmitz has split with. In a very deep weight the likes of Faber, Vargas, Feraco (Augustana), and Mahler (North Central) could be in an important battle for fourth place and a chance at one of the regions wild cards.

285 lbs.
d3wrestle.com Ranked Wrestlers – Johnson (Augsburg, #1), Bouressa (Conc-Moorhead, Contender), Brooks (Elmhurst, Contender)
Johnson has followed up his first All American performance with a dominating campaign. In Region he should not be tested, however, Bouressa was the nation’s top returner at the weight and could make things interesting. He has only wrestled in two events and quite possibly is not even Concordia’s entry. If that is the case it will open things up for a slew of contenders, most notably Brooks. Others with some hope to qualify are Schraidt (Augustana) and Kasprick (Conc-Moorhead) if Bouressa is not their entry.

The Case website already has an excellent weight by weight preview up on their site, so this preview will be abbreviated to include the returning qualifiers, ranked wrestlers, and some minor comments.

Midwest Regional – 12 qualifiers

Saturday, February 25, 2012 at Case
Returning Qualifiers/All-Americans:
Crown (Waynesburg, 4th, 125), Brown (Thiel, 8th, 133), Brady (Manchester, 149), Dukes (Case, 3rd, 157), Larson (3rd, 157), Myers (Olivet, 6th, 165), Tyler (Olivet, 174), Rhoads (Wabash, 8th, 184), Fedorka (Waynesburg, 285)

125 lbs.
d3wrestle.com Ranked Wrestlers: Bidlingmaier (Olivet, 10th), Crown (Waynesburg, Contender)
All-American Crown will have to reverse an earlier loss to Bidlingmaier to make a return trip. He also split with Velez-Lara of Thiel.

133 lbs.
d3wrestle.com Ranked Wrestlers: Brown (Thiel, 3rd)
Should be a pretty smooth ride for Brown, though he does wrestle a lot of close matches.

141 lbs.
d3wrestle.com Ranked Wrestlers: Etzel (Washington & Jefferson, HM)
This is not a strong weight. Richmond (Olivet) and Black (Mount St. Joseph) could also contend.

149 lbs.
d3wrestle.com Ranked Wrestlers: Brady (Manchester, 7th), Strausbaugh (Manchester, 8th), Pederson (Olivet, Contender)
A good weight with wildcard possibilities. Brady and Strausbaugh only had 4 losses each.

157 lbs.
d3wrestle.com Ranked Wrestlers: Larson (Trine, 3rd), Mena (Olivet, Contender), Dukes (Case, Contender), Johnston (Waynesburg, HM), Fehring (Mount St. Joseph, HM)
Tough weight with some real top level talent. Is Dukes anywhere close to the last two years? Let’s hope so.

165 lbs.
d3wrestle.com Ranked Wrestlers: Markou (Trine, Contender), Myers (Olivet, HM), Moore (Wabash, HM), DiBenedetto (Washington & Jefferson, HM), Lowry (Thiel, HM)
Deep weight. Myers was an All-American last year but has stumbled a bit in the second half. This will be a competitive weight.

174 lbs.
d3wrestle.com Ranked Wrestlers: Tyler (Olivet, 6th), Lowry (Thiel, 174)
Tyler qualified last year, and the other Lowry has had a good freshman season. The two have yet to meet. Manning also a factor.

184 lbs.
d3wrestle.com Ranked Wrestlers: Rhoads (Wabash, 5th), Pieper (Trine, Contender), Crawford (Olivet, HM), Graber (Manchester, HM)
Rhoads is definitely the favorite after placing last year. Pieper lost 7-6 to Rhoads early this year.

197 lbs.
d3wrestle.com Ranked Wrestlers: Leonard (Olivet, Contender), O’Neal (Wabash, HM)
Another weaker weight. O’Neal was  the runner up last year, but Leonard beat him this year.

285 lbs.
d3wrestle.com Ranked Wrestlers: Renas (Olivet, Contender), Potts (Washington & Jefferson, HM), Fedorka (Waynesburg, HM)
Fedorka won last year, but has split with Potts. Renas has a win over Fank (Wartburg).

Iowa Intercollegiate Athletics Conference – 31 qualifiers

Friday, February 24, 2012 at Coe
Returning Qualifiers/All-Americans:
Hood (Cornell, 8th, 125), Mendoza (Luther, 125), Greiner (Central, 133), Mirocha (Wartburg, 4th, 133), Holmes (Loras, 133), Snider (Cornell, 133), LeClere (Coe, 141), Schwebke (Cornell, 149), Warcynski (Dubuque, 149), Locke (Coe, 7th, 149), Loughlin (Cornell, 157), Hambleton (Cornell, 165), LeClere (Coe, 2nd, 165), Banks (Wartburg, 2nd, 174), King (Coe, 174), Azinger (Wartburg, 184), Roberts (Cornell, 184), Tate (Wartburg, 1st, 197), Johnson (Dubuque, 6th, 197), Broll (Buena Vista, 184), Burkle (Coe, 285)

Another year, and little has changed at the top of the Iowa Conference. Wartburg continued their long streak of conference dual meet wins and comes into the tournament ranked first in the nation. Coe, however, is trying to make a run this year, and they did manage to outpoint the Knights at an early season invitational. They are the #3 team in the NCAA. Also ranked in the top 30 are Cornell at #6, Luther, at #10, and Dubuque at #21, making the IIA as tough as usual. Byron Tate will be looking for his third NCAA title and is the only returning NCAA champion in the conference. There are six other returning 2011 All-Americans and a big group of returning qualifiers. Wartburg reloaded last year’s NCAA championship team and will be tough to beat. Also of note is the loss of a few qualifiers from last year. The conference will select just one wildcard after the top three finisher qualify automatically.

125 lbs.
d3wrestle.com Ranked Wrestlers: Anderson (Wartburg, 2nd), Taylor (Dubuque, 3rd), Mendoza (Luther, 4th), Gotto (Coe, 5th), Hood (Cornell, 6th), Pfantz (Loras, Contender), Mogg (Buena Vista, Contender)
In case you weren’t counting, that’s seven names that appear in our rankings and five in the top ten. It is very likely that a former All-American will be left home, and it seems likely the wildcard will come from this weight. Anderson has burst onto the scene, winning the starting spot and has separated himself from the rest of the pack here. Taylor has only wrestled a few matches, but they were wins against Mendoza, Mogg, and Pfantz. The rest of the top guys have traded wins all year, so it should be a great weight on Friday afternoon.

133 lbs.
d3wrestle.com Ranked Wrestlers: Mirocha (Wartburg, 8th), Snider (Cornell, 9th), Westfall (Coe, 10th), Holmes (Loras, Contender), Sokol (Dubuque, HM)
This is a competitive weight class without a clear favorite. Mirocha was an All-American last year, but he has lost to Westfall who has lost to Snider who lost to Mirochas, so it’s anyone’s title to win. Holmes and Snider were qualifiers last year, as was Greiner (Central) at 125, but Greiner has a losing record this season. Based on the rankings, a few of these guys will fight it out for low placements at the NCAA tournament, but the experienced group could certainly overperform those rankings.

141 lbs.
d3wrestle.com Ranked Wrestlers: Silvestri (Wartburg, 3rd), Windquist (Luther, Contender), LeClere (Coe, Contender)
This weight class does not have nearly the firepower of the first two, and newcomer Silvestri looks to be the class of the bunch with wins over Keeter (Augsburg) and Zobac (North Central). Windquist has had a nice 28 win season so far including a win over LeClere, who has not had nearly the success of years past. Furseth of Dubuque and Courier of Simpson have also topped 20 wins at this weight.

149 lbs.
d3wrestle.com Ranked Wrestlers: Locke (Coe, 4th), Waggenhoffer (Wartburg, 9th), Wood (Loras, HM), Warcynski (Dubuque, HM)
Locke was an All-American last year and can put points on the board. He has no DIII losses so far this year. Waggenhoffer is another newcomer from Wartburg that helps keep the team on top year after year. He lost close to Locke and has defeated everyone else in the conference. Warcynski has qualified to the NCAAs before but is low in the rankings, while Schwebke (Cornell), another qualifier doesn’t appear at all. Wood has wins over both of those guys, so some returning qualifiers are probably staying home.

157 lbs.
d3wrestle.com Ranked Wrestlers: Handley (Coe, 5th), Welter (Wartburg, 7th), Loughlin (Cornell, 9th)
Three top ten wrestlers and three spots at the tournament. Loughlin has the most NCAA experience, but he has failed to place in two trips so far when he has been seeded. Handley defeated Welter 2-1 and hasn’t seen Loughlin yet. Welter defeated Loughlin, setting up the seeding nicely. Any of these three look like they could be All-Americans, even if they are a step below the top three of Ponce, Kulchytskyy, and Larson.

165 lbs.
d3wrestle.com Ranked Wrestlers: LeClere (Coe, 1st), Williams (Wartburg, 2nd), Bonte (Luther, 6th), Hambleton (Cornell, 7th)
Here is another weight class with wildcard possibilities with four in the top ten. LeClere was the NCAA runner-up last year, but his status is a bit uncertain. He defaulted his last match in the middle January and has not competed since. Williams is very good on top and in position to capitalize if LeClere is either not competing or not at full strength. His only DIII loss of note is to Myers of Olivet. Bonte and Hambleton have split matches this year, and either would have a case for a wildcard if he takes 4th.

174 lbs.
d3wrestle.com Ranked Wrestlers: Banks (Wartburg, 4th), King (Coe, 5th), Einerson (Dubuque, 8th)
Banks was a surprise finalist out of the 8th seed last year, and he seems to have righted the ship after some early defeats. He has wins this semester over King and Einerson, securing himself the top seed in the tournament. King was a qualifier a year ago and seems primed to make it to the second day in La Crosse. Einerson has lost to Banks and King, but he has beated every other DIII opponent he has faced.

184 lbs.
d3wrestle.com Ranked Wrestlers: Azinger (Wartburg, 4th), Broll (Buena Vista, 10th), Ball (Coe, HM), Lowy (Central, HM), Kirkland (Loras, HM), Roberts (Cornell, HM)
Azinger placed at 174 in 2010 before falling a match shy last season. This year, his only loss to a DIII opponent was 3-1 to the third ranked Rau (Elmhurst). Broll dropped to 184 for the second semester and has beaten Roberts. Roberts has lost a number of matches in the IIAC after qualifying for the NCAAs last season and may be on the outside looking in this year. Ball moved up from 174 part way through the year and has performed consistently.

197 lbs.
d3wrestle.com Ranked Wrestlers: Tate (Wartburg, 1st), Flegel (Luther, 5th), Coolidge (Cornell, 6th), Johnson (Dubuque, 7th), Horner (Coe, Contender)
Tate is a two time national champion, and he should continue his dominance over Division III like he did last season. His 31 DIII wins includes just 5 regular decisions. Johnson was an All-American last year but lost to Coolidge and Flegel. He may garner wildcard support if he takes 4th. Flegel has had an excellent season, as has Coolidge, though Flegel did win their matchup.

285 lbs.
d3wrestle.com Ranked Wrestlers: Burkle (Coe, 4th), Fank (Wartburg, 6th)
It is not a great weight class in the conference, but it still has two in the top ten. Burkle qualified last year but did not place. This year, his only DIII losses are to #3 Anderson (Whitewater), and a bumped up Tate in a tournament. He beat Fank 7-3. Fank steps into the spot filled by NCAA champ Helgerson and has acquitted himself well as a freshman with a win over the All-American Mayer (UW-Lax). Others to watch are Sefcik (Buena Vista) and Crawford (Central).

Metro Conference – 20 qualifiers

Sunday, February 26, 2012 at Elizabethtown
Returning Qualifiers/All-Americans:
Herr (TCNJ, 141), Dattolo (Wilkes, 8th, 149), Albright (York, 5th, 141), Andrews (Delaware Valley, 5th, 149), Burdge (Centenary, 8th, 157), Reilly (King’s, 6th, 184), Martocello (York, 4th, 184), Denver (TCNJ, 6th, 184), Lutke (Centenary, 7th, 197), Zitone (Centenary, 285)

There are a number of solid teams that will vie for the Metro title in 2012. York is the top ranked team at #15, and they set a school record with 24 dual meet wins. They return a pair of All-Americans each eyeing the top of the podium. Centenary is the defending champion in the Metro, and they have a pair of All-Americans of their own. Wilkes has their typical strong team with good top to bottom strength. IF Elizabethtown’s best lineup is available, they could make some noise as well, while TCNJ, King’s, and Delaware Valley each have some outstanding individuals.

125 lbs.
d3wrestle.com Ranked Wrestlers: Fleck (Wilkes, HM), Frankel (Delaware Valley, HM)
Bentley (Elizabethtown) leads the Metro rankings, but does not appear in the d3wrestle.com latest list, showing the depth and parity in this weight. Fleck, Frankel, Parker (Centenary), and Giaccio (York) all appear to have a chance to win here. Fleck, in particular, is good enough on top to break a close match wide open. Albert (Hunter) is a long shot but should not be overlooked.

133 lbs.
d3wrestle.com Ranked Wrestlers: McCann (Delaware Valley, Contender), Mendoza (Wilkes, Contender), Gerondal (Hunter, HM), Glatz (York, HM)
More parity here, as none of the top contenders stands out markedly from the rest. McCann has shown flashes this year, while Mendoza is excellent when he is on. Gerondal has come on well in the second half of the year, and there is a possibility that Herr (TCNJ) will get back to 133 and make an appearance to go for another trip to La Crosse. If no Herr, it looks to be Schmidt (TCNJ).

141 lbs.
d3wrestle.com Ranked Wrestlers: Albright (York, 2nd), Herr (TCNJ, Contender), Messina (Hunter, Contender), Wilson (Wilkes, Contender), Montgomery (Centenary, Contender)
This is a very good weight where the Metro is likely to send multiple qualifiers. After some early season wavering, Albright came back and beat 133 champ Ecker (Ithaca), perhaps encouraging him to drop back to 133. Herr could be here rather than 133, and he is solid along with Wilson and Montgomery. Messina is a bit of a wildcard with big move potential and a recent win over Albright to his credit.

149 lbs.
d3wrestle.com Ranked Wrestlers: Andrews (Delaware Valley, 2nd), Dattolo (Wilkes, 5th)
The first weight with two top ten wrestlers should be very competitive. Andrews has a fantastic headlock that keeps him within striking distance in any match and he is undefeated against DIII. Dattolo also was an All-American last year and is experienced, technically sound, and 27-0. Gugilotti (York) and Mazzocchi (King’s) have both had excellent seasons and should place.

157 lbs.
d3wrestle.com Ranked Wrestlers: Burdge (Centenary, 4th), Darling (TCNJ, 10th), Ajagbe (Delaware Valley, Contender)
It looks to be a three man race with Burdge clearly in control. He was a freshman All-American last year and followed that up with a great season so far, losing early only to Sterling (Cortland). Darling has worked his way back into the national rankings with a number of wins against those now ranked just below him like Ajagbe and McGilvray (Springfield). Ajagbe is right there with the top two and could pull an upset or two.

165 lbs.
d3wrestle.com Ranked Wrestlers: Eno (Elizabethtown, 9th), Bach (Centenary, HM), White (Wilkes, HM)
Eno has had a good second half of the year including a runner up finish at Wheaton and wins over the likes of Plummer (Messiah), Markou (Trine), and Bach. Bach is undefeated since that January loss to Eno and could be peaking at the right time. White has been consistenly solid all year, but he did lose big to Bach way back in November. That top three could be joined by Murphy (TCNJ), Bader (Hunter), or Bond (York) in the top four.

174 lbs.
d3wrestle.com Ranked Wrestlers: Meaney (Elizabethtown, Contender), Heisey (York, Contender), Stark (King’s, HM), Stough (Wilkes, HM)
It is a deeper weight, and a lot of what happens may depend on the health of Julian Meaney. He is definitely the most talented and athletic wrestler at this weight, but he has trouble staying on the mat. Heisey has put together a solid career and beaten Stark and Stough. The seeding for the top four should be pretty easy as there haven’t been any surprises and they have all mostly wrestled.

184 lbs.
d3wrestle.com Ranked Wrestlers: Denver (TCNJ, 1st), Martocello (York, 3rd), Reilly (King’s, 8th)
This is the best weight in the conference and one of the best weights in any conference this year. Three All-Americans all ranked in the top ten with five losses between them. All three should be making the trip to La Crosse, but how they are seeded there will have a lot to do with what happens in the tournament. Denver and Martocello battled to overtime in the York finals, and Martocello decisioned Reilly first week out at King’s. It will be fun.

197 lbs.
d3wrestle.com Ranked Wrestlers: Lutke (Centenary, 9th), Meaney (Elizabethtown, Contender), De’Reese (Hunter, HM)
Lutke started at 184 before the toughness of both the cut down and the 184 weight class pushed him back up to 197 where he is a clear favorite and hopes to get another shot at the podium. There is a decent amount of talent after him including Meaney, De’Reese who beat him, Oberrender (Wilkes), and Minogue (York). Lutke should win, but he could be pushed.

285 lbs.
d3wrestle.com Ranked Wrestlers: Zitone (Centenary, 5th), Saliba (York, Contender), Gardner (Delaware Valley, HM)
Zitone has had a great season and is currently undefeated with his eye on an All-American award. He has yet to face Saliba who is having a good season of his own with over 30 wins and no losses since December. Gardner is an enigma as he is on his third college team and is only sporadically in the lineup. If the former #1 overall recruit can regain some of what earned him that accolade, he will be dangerous as well, though it seems like a long shot for him to even appear. Others in the weight worth considering include Dwyer (King’s) and Bodden (Hunter).