Rankings are from the February 18th NWCA Poll. d3wrestle.com ranking to come next week.

Ohio State transfer Jacob Decatur continued his excellent first season at Baldwin Wallace with a win at the Central Region. His only loss this year is to the top-ranked wrestler in DII. He defeated 2019 All-American Carlos Champagne of Wabash in the finals for the second time this season. Third place at the same region was Jack Stanley of Mount Union. Stanley had previously been an NCAA qualifier for Baldwin Wallace before transferring before this season.

Shandon Akeo of Central remains undefeated after upsetting top seed Brady Kyner of Wartburg in the Lower Midwest final. An escape and a takedown in the last minute of the match erased a two point deficit to give Akeo the win. 7th seed Tommy Russel of Millikin took 3rd over three other NWCA-ranked individuals to earn a spot in Iowa.

Justin Lopez of JWU turned around an earlier loss against Arborio to win the Northeast region. He also knocked off 2022 NCAA qualifier Joey Manginelli to reach the finals. Matt Caccamise of Brockport, a previous NCAA qualifier, was the 4th seed in the Mideast, but he came away with the title over 6th-seeded Lamparelli of Muhlenberg. In the Upper Midwest, 3rd seed Stuhl beat 4th seed Mora in the finals, but the top seeded Wiegel, the only ranked individual in the weight, came back for 3rd.

Sam Braswell qualified again for Averett out of the Southeast. The 5th year wrestler is 38-0 as he heads to his third NCAA tournament. He is seeking his first trip to the podium, though he did finish in 3rd last year at the NWCA DIII tournament. He will try to end his career on the podium next week.

Get live results and video($) for all six regions here. The top three placers at each weight qualify for the 2022 NCAA Championships March 11-12 at the Alliant Energy Power House in Cedar Rapids, Iowa.

Results & Video
Friday & Saturday
Southeast – Lycoming – Live Results & Video | Host Site | Preview
Central – Adrian – Live Results & Video | Host Site | Preview
Upper Midwest – UW-Eau Claire – Live Results & Video | Host Site | Preview
Lower Midwest – Five Flags Center – Live Results & Video | Schedule | Preview

Saturday & Sunday
Northeast – Springfield – Live Results & Video | Host Site | Preview
Mideast – Elizabethtown – Live Results & Video | Preview

Rankings
d3wrestle.com Individual (February 4th)
NWCA Dual Team (February 19th)
NWCA Tournament Team & Individual (February 18th)
NWCA Individual Regional Rankings (February 18th)

Saturday & Sunday, February 26 & 27
Springfield College

Teams (19): Bridgewater State, Castleton, Coast Guard, Hunter, Johnson & Wales, Merchant Marine, New England College, NYU, Norwich, Plymouth State, Rhode Island College, Roger Williams, Southern Maine, Springfield, Trinity, Wesleyan, Western New England, Williams, WPI

NWCA Ranked Tournament Teams
5. Coast Guard
12. Johnson & Wales

Top Ten Ranked Wrestlers – February 4th Ranking
125: #7 Arborio (Western New England), #8 Manginelli (Springfield)
133: #8 Kaiser (Roger Williams)
141: #4 Brown (Johnson & Wales), #10 Rossetti (Williams)
149: #3 Ulaszek (Coast Guard)
157:
165: #10 Rogers (Coast Guard)
174: #6 Ross (Johnson & Wales)
184: #3 Detwiler (Coast Guard), #8 DeVivo (Johnson & Wales)
197: #4 Spooner (Coast Guard)
285: #7 Leka (Johnson & Wales)

Coast Guard is the top ranked tournament team in the region, while Johnson & Wales is ahead by one spot in the dual team rankings. Both have multiple wrestlers ranked in the top ten. NYU, Castleton, and Springfield also have strong dual meet teams that will do well in the regional format.

There are several undefeated wrestlers in this region including a trio of Coast Guard wrestlers #3 ranked Tony Ulaszek at 149, #10 Phil Rogers at 165, and #3 Paul Detwiler at 184. Nathan Lackman at 165 for Rhode Island College and teammates #6 Michael Ross at 174 and #7 Liridon Leka at 285 for Johnson & Wales are also unbeaten this season.

125 is a tough weight with three of the four top placewinners from the last Northeast Regional back in the field. #7 Arborio won the region, #8 Manginelli was 3rd, and Justin Lopez of Johnson & Wales was 4th. 141 is similarly tough with multiple 2020 qualifiers in the field. #4 Brown and Springfield’s Chris Trelli qualified at 133 in 2020, while #10 Rossetti was a qualifier in 2019 & 2020. 184 features a pair of ranked wrestlers in Detwiler (2021 NWCA DIII runner-up) and DeVivo along with Izaake Zuckerman of NYU, a 2020 qualifier at 174 and Edwin Morales of Bridgewater State, a 2020 qualifier at 184.

Very little competition happened with the teams in this region last season. Coast Guard attended the NWCA DIII tournament, and several teams had unattached representation at the NUWAY D3 tournament in the spring, but the mats were mostly quiet in the northeast part of the country. Wrestlers who missed out on a chance to wrestle in the 2020 championships and the entirety of the following season will try to make up for lost time as they aim for a spot in the top three and trip to Iowa next month.

Friday & Saturday, February 25 & 26
University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire

Teams (18): Augsburg, Aurora, Carthage, Chicago, Concordia-Moorhead, Concordia Wisconsin, Elmhurst, Lakeland, MSOE, Pacific, St. John’s, UW-Eau Claire, UW-La Crosse, UW-Oshkosh, UW-Platteville, UW-Stevens Point, UW-Whitewater, Wheaton

NWCA Ranked Tournament Teams
6. Augsburg
9. UW-La Crosse
12. UW-Oshkosh
16. UW-Eau Claire
T-18. UW-Stevens Point
T-18. Chicago
21. Elmhurst
23. UW-Whitewater

Top Ten Ranked Wrestlers – February 4th Ranking
125:
133: #3 Fleetwood (UW-Eau Claire), #7 Berlin (UW-Stevens Point), #10 Harsted (Wheaton)
141: #1 McAuliffe (Elmhurst), #7 Stuhl (Augsburg), #8 Sato (UW-Eau Claire)
149: #8 Parker (UW-Platteville), #9 Burford (UW-Whitewater)
157: #2 Smiley (UW-Stevens Point), #3 Shilson (Augsburg), #6 Hertel (UW-La Crosse), #7 Estevez (Chicago)
165: #5 Schmidt (UW-Eau Claire), #6 Brossard (UW-La Crosse), #7 Peckham (UW-Stevens Point)
174: #3 Sarasin (Chicago), #4 Nielsen (Augsburg), #10 Silva (Aurora)
184: #5 Shinhoster (UW-Whitewater), #9 Pecci (Chicago)
197: #2 Lahr (UW-Lacrosse), #3 Yineman (UW-Oshkosh)
285: #3 Lemcke (UW-Oshkosh), #4 Hawkins (UW-Eau Claire), #5 Kim (Augsburg), #9 Kawczynski (UW-La Crosse), #10 Koeppel (UW-Whitewater)

There are six teams in the WIAC, and five appear in the latest tournament team rankings. All five are in this region along with Augsburg, the top ranked team in the Upper Midwest. The sixth WIAC team has two wrestlers ranked in the top ten. There should be a real battle for the top spot in the standings, and a surprise winner is not out of the question.

The lone top-ranked wrestler in the region is Jimmy McAuliffe of Elmhurst at 141. He won the NWCA DIII tournament last year and has held onto the top ranking since then. He was an NCAA All-American when he finished 7th way back in 2018 and is a 3x NCAA qualifier. The NWCA has McAuliffe ranked 2nd but has Beau Yineman of UW-Oshkosh as the lone #1 ranked wrestler in the region. Yineman has one DIII loss and is coming off a WIAC Championship.

157 and 165 will be hard-fought with multiple top-ten wrestlers in each weight. Smiley was undefeated until Hertel knocked him out in the WIAC finals. Shilson has put up a ton of bonus points this year and finished 3rd in the NWCA DIII last season. Estevez has multiple ranked wins and was the runner-up to Smiley at Wheaton. Three ranked WIAC wrestlers will fight it out a 165. Brossard beat Schmidt in the WIAC finals after Schmidt beat Peckham in the semis to take a 2-1 lead in the season series.

Heavyweight is the headliner here with five ranked wrestlers. The four WIAC guys plus NWCA DIII runner-up Kim have been beating up on each other all season. Koeppel might be the only one of the five without a win over one of the other four. Stick around to the end to see how many ranked wrestlers make it, and how many have their season end.

Friday & Saturday, February 25 & 26
Five Flags Center – Dubuque, Iowa

Teams (18): Augustana, Buena Vista, Central, Coe, Cornell, Dubuque, Fontbonne, Huntingdon, Loras, Luther, Millikin, Nebraska Wesleyan, North Central, Schreiner, Simpson, University of the Ozarks, Wartburg, Westminster

NWCA Ranked Tournament Teams
1. Wartburg
2. North Central
7. Loras
10. Coe
20. Millikin

Top Ten Ranked Wrestlers – February 4th Ranking
125: #3 Akeo (Central), #4 Rankin (Ozarks), #5 Friddle (Coe), #6 Kyner (Wartburg)
133: #1 Precin (North Central), #2 Pins (Wartburg), #9 Parke (Coe)
141: #3 Estrada (North Central), #6 Terukina (Wartburg)
149: #2 Rumph (Wartburg), #5 Villar (North Central), #6 Areyano (Central)
157: #4 Smith (Loras), #5 Hollingsworth (Wartburg)
165: #1 Birt (Millikin)
174: #2 Mulder (Wartburg), #5 Krakow (Loras), #9 Westphal (Coe)
184: #1 Briggs (Wartburg), #2 Liegel (Loras), #10 Schott (Coe)
197: #1 Baldridge (North Central), #5 Woods (Wartburg), #6 Corn (Luther)
285: #2 Reeves (Coe), #6 Brandon (Wartburg), #8 Vogel (Loras)

With four top ten teams, four #1 ranked wrestlers, and five #2 ranked wrestlers, the Lower Midwest is as tough as ever. Wartburg holds the number one spot, but the title is far from assured with #2 North Central right on their heels and with a dual meet win over the Knights this season. Loras and Coe also have wrestlers throughout the individual rankings. Wrestlers in the top ten (or NWCA top 15) will be left home after this weekend.

Seven of the champions (and 5 runners-up) from last year’s NWCA DIII tournament are expected to compete this weekend in the Lower Midwest. Bradan Birt of Millikin was the Outstanding Wrestler of that tournament and is undefeated this season at 165. He is the only top-ten ranked wrestler at his weight in the region, though as of this writing, 2019 NCAA runner-up at 157 Antwon Pugh is registered for Wartburg. Pugh last stepped on the mat at the 2020 regional for Mount Union and will make his season debut this weekend if he competes.

#3 Shandon Akeo of Central dropped to 125 this season and will tangle with #5 Alex Friddle and #6 Brady Kyner, the finalists at 125 last season. Add #4 Nathaniel Rankin to the mix, and the three spots will be hotly contested with Hensley (Loras), McChesney (Simpson), and Russell (Millikin) adding to the dogfight at the lowest weight.

As of the February 4th rankings, Wartburg had 10 wrestlers appear somewhere on the list, Coe and Loras had 9, and North Central had 8. Seven weights had at least three ranked wrestlers. Just getting to Saturday will be an accomplishment this year, and if one of these teams hopes to win the NCAA championship two weeks later, they will need to have a great performance to make sure they have enough guys left to score in Cedar Rapids.

Saturday & Sunday, February 26 & 27
Elizabethtown College

Teams (20): Alfred State, Brockport, Centenary, Cortland, Elizabethtown, Elmira, Ithaca, Johns Hopkins, Keystone, McDaniel, Muhlenberg, New Jersey City, Oneonta, Oswego, Penn College, Pitt-Bradford, RIT, Scranton, TCNJ, Ursinus

NWCA Ranked Tournament Teams
17. RIT
25. Johns Hopkins

Top Ten Ranked Wrestlers – February 4th Ranking
125: #10 Griffin (Ithaca)
133:
141:
149:
157: #1 Winters (RIT)
165: #3 Reyes (Johns Hopkins)
174: #7 Grygas (Oswego), #8 Henry (Cortland)
184: #6 Chukwuezi (Ithaca)
197: #9 Wallace (Ithaca)
285:

RIT and Johns Hopkins are the top two teams in the tournament rankings, but that is largely on the strength of a single individual for each squad. The College of New Jersey and Ithaca will each factor heavily in the final standings along with Cortland.

Kaidon Winters of RIT has been the top ranked wrestler at 157 most of the season and remains undefeated in Division III. He has scored bonus points in every DIII match but one and leads the nation in the Most Dominant standings. He should still be leading those standings as we head to the national tournament next month.

#3 Dominick Reyes is undefeated at 165, just like the #1 and #2 wrestlers at this weight. He is a two-time NCAA qualifier with a win over the 4th ranked wrestler at this weight. Johns Hopkins has moved to the Mideast Region this year, so he will not defend his Southeast title from 2020, but he will have a shot at a second regional championship.

Ithaca has three ranked wrestlers in Matthew Griffin at 125, Chibueze Chukwuezi at 184, and Jordan Wallace at 197. Chukwuezi and Wallace are both undefeated so far, though Wallace is just 11-0 after beginning his season in January. Chukwuezi was also a 2020 NCAA qualifier.

Friday & Saturday, February 25 & 26
Adrian College

Teams (20): Adrian, Albion, Alma, Baldwin Wallace, Case Western Reserve, Defiance, Heidelberg, Hiram, John Carroll, Manchester, Mount St. Joseph, Mount Union, Muskingum, Ohio Northern, Ohio Wesleyan, Olivet, Otterbein, Trine, Wabash, Wilmington

NWCA Ranked Tournament Teams
3. Wabash
4. Baldwin Wallace
8. Mount Union
14. Mount St. Joseph
15. Olivet

Top Ten Ranked Wrestlers – February 4th Ranking
125: #1 Decatur (Baldwin Wallace)
133: #4 Massey (Mount Union), #6 Perelka (John Carroll)
141: #2 James (Mount Union)
149: #4 Petrella (Baldwin Wallace), #7 Murphy (Olivet), #10 Sumner (Ohio Northern)
157:
165: #2 Hatch (Wabash)
174: #1 Beachem (Mount St. Joseph)
184: #4 McCloud (Mount St. Joseph), #7 Salmon (Baldwin Wallace)
197: #7 Byrne (Baldwin Wallace), #8 Heldt (Wabash)
285: #1 Bishop (Wabash)

Wabash and Baldwin Wallace lead the way here. They are 3rd and 4th in the tournament rankings and 4th and 5th in the last NWCA Dual Rankings. Both teams have multiple ranked wrestlers and a slew of guys just outside the top ten. The schools wrestled to a close 18-15 Wabash win at the National Duals. The teams bookend the national individual rankings with Decatur of Baldwin Wallace 1st at 125 and Bishop of Wabash 1st at 285.

Jacob Decatur transferred to Baldwin Wallace this year after a few seasons at Ohio State. His older brother Jordan was a two-time NCAA qualifier for Baldwin Wallace in 2015 and 2017. This year, Jacob Decatur is 27-1 with his only loss coming to the #1 ranked defending Division II champion Cole Laya of West Liberty.

Cornell Beachem was the undefeated top seed heading into the canceled 2020 championship at 174 lbs., and he enters the postseason in 2022 in a similar spot. He is 14-0 and won the Pete Willson Wheaton Invitational. Max Bishop is 28-1 and ranked 1st at heavyweight. His only loss was outside DIII. He, along with teammate and 165 lbs. #2 ranked Kyle Hatch (#1 in NWCA rankings, 24-0 record), gives the Little Giants two great shots at individual titles in Cedar Rapids.

Finally, there is one returning NCAA Champion in this field. Jordin James of Mount Union was the 2019 champion at 133 lbs. He is 14-0 at 141 and will be looking to add another championship trophy to his collection.

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.