2016 Champion – Kenny Martin, Wartburg

149 has the fewest returning All-Americans of any weight with only two wrestlers in the bracket who have been on the podium, but they are a very good pair. Kenny Martin of Wartburg is the two time returning champion, though this will be his first trip to the tournament as the top seed. That said, the #1 seed at 149 has not won the tournament since 2008; every other weight has had a #1 seed win at least once since 2011. Martin is 14-0 in his second consecutive year of spring semester-only wrestling. The second seed Lansberry had to come back from a deficit in the Mideast Regional final but got the job done and enters the tournament without a loss. He was 4th here last year after making it to the semifinals.

Augsburg’s Ryan Epps is one of a handful of Augsburg freshmen who have made a big impact this season. Epps was a double All-American in Fargo last summer and a Minnesota state champ. He is one of 12 wrestlers at this weight making their first appearance at the NCAA Championships. Sam Schneider of Ithaca, Collin Saunders of Ferrum, and Austin Kelley of Olivet are all first timers who also won their respective regions. #4 Daniel Del Gallo of Southern Maine, however, is on his third trip to the championships, and this is his last chance to get on the podium. This is his first time as a seeded wrestler, so perhaps this will be his time.

2016 NCAA Champion – Drew Van Anrooy, Luther

The 141 weight class really cleared out from last year. Greg Warner of York is the only returning All-American at the weight, and he is not even seeded this year. Dustin Weinmann moved up from 133, where he finished 3rd last season to take the top seed at 141 for the host La Crosse. He is undefeated so far and won the Midwest Regional while only surrendering a single point. One of his opponents at the regional was last year’s most surprising NCAA champion Devin Broukal of Wabash. The unseeded Broukal dropped to 133 only for the postseason. At the NCAA Championships, he rode a pair of overtime wins into the finals where he upset the #2 seed to win. He will not sneak up on anyone this year.

Chaos ruled the 141 weight class during the regionals. Six of the wrestlers ranked in the last d3wrestle.com top ten before the tournament failed to qualify, including 2015 NCAA Champion Matthew Grossmann and 2015 All-American Layten Binion. This opened the door for some unexpected qualifiers. Josh Decatur of Baldwin Wallace got himself together at the right time after an up and down season and should be a threat to place. Castleton University had a qualifier in their first year as Zak Hale made the finals in the Northeast Region. He may be the first qualifier for Castleton, but Hale himself has NCAA experience during his time at Division II Anderson before that program was discontinued last January.

2016 Champion – Devin Broukal, Wabash

Troy Stanich came to Stevens after a 4th place finish at the 2016 New Jersey State Championships and has proceeded to roll off 41 straight victories to start his college career. He has wins over five of the other entrants at the weight including a pair of victories over Nathan Pike of NYU, the runner-up last season. There are not a lot of freshman national champions in Division III, but Stanich is in the driver’s seat to get it done. Pike is a two time All-American who became his school’s first ever finalist last year. He is just 11-2, with both losses to Stanich, but he has picked up where he left off last year and scores points in bunches. The only other returning All-American at this weight is Connor Campo of Wartburg who needed a 1-0 decision in the 3rd place match at the region to both get to the tournament and take his record above .500 for the year.

Chris Williams of Millikin is the only other returning All-American at this weight, though he got on the podium at 141 last season before dropping this year. He is 17-0 and will be a top contender. There are some good stories at this weight class worth noting. Ryan Flynn of York became his school’s all-time wins leader this year. Hunter Harris of Messiah now has 32 pins (30 in DIII) on the year to lead all divisions. Maverick Passaro was a 2012 New York state champion who made stops at Rutgers and Hofstra before landing at Cortland this year. Joe Brodman followed his coach from Heidelberg Whitewater and is making his first trip to the championships as a senior.

2016 Champion – Lucas Malmberg, Messiah

Three time finalist and defending champ Lucas Malmberg of Messiah looks to be head and shoulders above the rest of the field at this weight. He has 170 career wins and was the only Division III placewinner at the Midlands back in December. No Division III wrestler has gotten closer than six points to him this year, and he is a heavy favorite to make his fourth trip onto the stage on Saturday night. There is a possibility of a finals rematch, as CJ Pestano of Central will not surprise anyone the way he did last year when he made the finals as an unseeded wrestler. He lost by fall in the first period to Whitsel of Millikin early in the season but has defeated every other DIII opponent he has faced on his way to a Central Region title and a #2 seed at the Championships.

Three other 2016 All-Americans are back at this weight. Zac Denny was 4th for Whitewater last season and won the Midwest Region, avenging one of his two Division III losses in the process. He lost to Malmberg at the Midlands, but has defeated every other DIII opponent this year. Arnulfo Olea of Wartburg was 5th last year and a runner-up in the Central Region this year. He managed to reverse a previous loss in the regional semifinals to secure his spot in the tournament. James Kaishian of Ithaca finished in 7th place last year, but dropped the regional final to Bobby Jordan of JWU, who was the #2 seed last year but failed to place. He will give it another go this year from a lower spot in the bracket. Keep an eye on Zachary Beckner of Ferrum. The freshman just began competing in January but the former Virginia Tech signee has gone undefeated and won the East Regional.

The NCAA missed the published release time by a mile, but here they are.

Hoping for a PDF of the brackets soon, but this will do for now.

2017 NCAA Championships Brackets (TrackWresting)

UPDATE 10:10pm: PDF Brackets from NCAA.com

Monday 6pm: Brackets Released on NCAA.com

Tuesday: Previews of 125, 133, 141

Wednesday: Previews of 149, 157, 165, 174

Thursday: Previews of 184, 197, 285

Friday: Wrestling begins at 11:00AM Central

Here are the 44 wrestlers in the 2016 NCAA Championships who have been All-Americans at some point in the past. Please leave a comment if someone was missed.

125
Lucas Malmberg, Messiah – 2nd in 2014, 2nd in 2015, 1st in 2016
CJ Pestano, Central – 2nd in 2016
Zac Denny, Whitewater – 4th in 2016
Arnulfo Olea, Wartburg – 5th in 2016
James Kaishian, Ithaca – 7th in 2016

133
Nathan Pike, NYU – 6th in 2015, 2nd in 2016
Connor Campo, Wartburg – 8th in 2015, 7th in 2016
Chris Williams, Millikin – 6th in 2016 at 141

141
Greg Warner, York – 5th in 2016
Devin Broukal, Wabash – 1st in 2016 at 133
Dustin Weinmann, La Crosse – 3rd in 2016 at 133

149
Kenny Martin, Wartburg – 1st in 2015, 1st in 2016
Seth Lansberry, Lycoming – 4th in 2016

157
Robert Dierna, Cortland – 3rd in 2013, 2nd in 2014, 1st in 2016
Logan Meister, Ferrum – 6th in 2016
Grant Parker, Augsburg, 7th in 2016
Nick Bova, Wabash – 8th in 2016
Derek Arnold, Ursinus – 4th in 2015 at 149

165
Logan Hermsen, Stevens Point – 1st in 2016
Nolan Barger, Lycoming – 3rd in 2015, 3rd in 2016
Colin Navickas, Stevens – 4th in 2016
Nick Velez, Ithaca – 7th in 2016
Andrew Steiert, Wartburg – 6th in 2015
Larry Cannon, Messiah – 4th in 2016 at 157
Tristan Zurfluh, Luther – 5th in 2016 at 157

174
Ben Swarr, Messiah – 1st in 2016
Eric DeVos, Wartburg – 2nd in 2016
Sonnieboy Blanco, Washington & Jefferson – 5th in 2016
Tory Cain, RIT – 5th in 2015
Richard Carlson, La Crosse – 6th in 2015 at 184

184
Justin Kreiter, Luther – 4th in 2016
Christopher Chorzepa, Williams – 3rd in 2014, 4th in 2015
Jordan Newman, Whitewater – 8th in 2015 at 174
Doug Hamann, TCNJ – 8th in 2016 at 174

197
Michael Swider, Wheaton – 7th in 2016
Riley Lefever, Wabash – 1st in 2014, 1st in 2015, 1st in 2016 all at 184
AJ Kowal, Stevens – 3rd in 2016 at 184
Carlos Toribio, Ithaca – 5th in 2016 at 184
Matt Seabold, Central – 8th in 2015

285
Zach Roseberry, Delaware Valley – 4th in 2014, 3rd in 2015, 1st in 2016
Donny Longendyke, Augsburg – 1st in 2015, 2nd in 2016
Lance Evans, Wartburg – 3rd in 2016
Paul Triandafilou, Gettysburg – 5th in 2016
James Bethel, Oneonta – 4th in 2015

112 of the 180 qualifiers attend college in the same state as their listed hometown.

25 of the 50 states are represented.

List of Qualifiers by School Including Hometowns

Map of Qualifiers

View 2017 NCAA Division III Qualifiers in a full screen map

Qualifiers by State

Northeast – Live Results | Preview | Official Website
Mideast – Live Results | Preview | Official Website
East – Final Results | Preview | Official Website
Midwest – Team Scores | Final Brackets | Preview | Official Website
Central – Final Results | Preview | Official Website
West – Team Scores | Final Brackets| Preview | Official Website

2017 NCAA Qualifiers Link

List of NCAA Qualifiers as of Saturday Night

Live Results for Today:
Northeast – Saturday & Sunday – Live Results | Preview | Official Website
Mideast – Saturday & Sunday – Live Results | Preview | Official Website

Final Results so Far:

East – Friday & Saturday – Final Results | Preview | Official Website
Midwest – Friday & Saturday – Team Scores | Final Brackets | Preview | Official Website
Central – Saturday – Final Results | Preview | Official Website
West – Saturday – Team Scores | Final Brackets| Preview | Official Website

The top three finishers in each weight class move on to the 2017 NCAA Division III Championships March 10-11 in La Crosse, Wisconsin.

East – Friday & Saturday – Live Results | Preview | Official Website

Midwest – Friday & Saturday – Live Results | Preview | Official Website

Central – Saturday – Live Results | Preview | Official Website

West – Saturday – Live Results | Preview | Official Website

Northeast – Saturday & Sunday – Live Results | Preview | Official Website

Mideast – Saturday & Sunday – Live Results | Preview | Official Website

Date – Saturday and Sunday, February 25-26, 2017

Location – York College; York, PA

Teams (19) – Baldwin-Wallace, Brockport, CWRU, Elizabethtown, Heidelberg, John Carroll, Keystone, Lycoming, Messiah, Mount Union, Muskingum, Oswego, RIT, Scranton, Thiel, Washington & Jefferson, Waynesburg, Wilkes, York

Top Ten Ranked Individuals (2016 All-Americans in bold)
125 – #1 Malmberg (Messiah), #5 Haas (Brockport), #7 Rea (Wilkes)
133 – #4 Flynn (York)
141 – #2 Grossman (Wilkes), #6 Cotton (Mt. Union)
149 – #2 Lansberry (Lycoming), #5 Peacock (Brockport)
157 – none
165 – #4 Cannon (Messiah), #5 Barger (Lycoming), #10 Seymour (Oswego)
174 – #1 Swarr (Messiah), #5 Blanco (W&J), #7 Cain (RIT)
184 – #5 Bushey (Oswego), #8 Decker (Heidelberg)
197 – #6 Engle (Brockport), #9 Koser (Messiah)
285 – none

Top 30 Teams (d3wrestle.com list)
#2 Messiah College
#12 Lycoming
#14 Brockport
#15 Wilkes
#28 Baldwin Wallace
#28 Oswego
#28 RIT

Messiah College has won the Mideast Region three years in a row, and the Falcons look to run their streak to four in 2017. Messiah boasts four wrestlers ranked in the top 10 and several others should threaten to make the trip to Lacrosse including 2016 All American Jeff Hojnacki at 157 and NCAA pins leader Hunter Harris at 133. If the Falcons have any chance to make noise at the NCAA tournament they will have to battle through a deep, talented region.

One of the deepest teams in the region is Baldwin Wallace. The Yellow Jackets have an individual ranked somewhere on the d3wrestle.com list in nearly every weight. With a peak performance they could easily put together enough team points to threaten for the team title. Brockport is a bit more top heavy as their lineup has been bolstered by DI transfers Haas (125) and Peacock (149). Those two combined with regional favorite Tristan Engle at 197 make the Golden Eagle squad a force to reckon with. Lycoming College is led by Senior All Americans Nolan Barger and Seth Lansberry; both should score a lot of point at the regionals and nationals.

Wilkes University should benefit from two 2015 All Americans who were not in the lineup last year. Matt Grossmann won a national title at 133, but did not compete last season. His results suggest that he should be in the running to challenge for regional and national gold at 141 this year. Similarly 125 lbs. Guesseppe Rea sat out last season after an All-American performance in 2015. While those two were All-Americans in 2015 but not 2016, there are two 2016 All-Americans not in the list above because they are currently outside the top ten in their respective weights. Hojnacki (Messiah) was mentioned previously, and the other is Warner (York) who lost his preliminary match in Cedar Rapids but won five matches after that to finish 5th.

Date – Saturday, February 25, 2017

Location – Concordia College, Moorhead, Minnesota

Teams (11) – Augsburg, Concordia-Moorhead, Concordia Wisconsin, Eau Claire, Lakeland, MSOE, Oshkosh, Pacific, Platteville, St. John’s, St. Olaf

Top Ten Ranked Individuals (2016 All-Americans in bold)
125 – #9 Gliva (Augsburg)
133 – none
141 – none
149 – #8 Epps (Augsburg)
157 – #7 Sladek (Concordia-Moorhead)
165 – none
174 – #4 Goetz (Platteville), #10 Mergener (Concordia Wisconsin)
184 – #2 Webster (Augsburg)
197 – #7 Baumgartner (Concordia Wisconsin)
285 – #3 Longendyke (Augsburg), #6 Bellile (MSOE), #10 Davis (Concordia-Moorhead)

Top 30 Teams (d3wrestle.com list)
#5 Augsburg
#17 Platteville
#28 Concordia-Moorhead

Augsburg will again be a heavy favorite in what is again the weakest region by far. The Auggies have nine wrestlers who appear in the d3wrestle.com rankings, while no other team in the region has more than four. They also have the only two returning All-Americans in the region in two time finalist Longendyke at 285 and 7th place finisher Parker at 157. Concordia-Moorhead is the host and has finished in second place each of the past three years, while Platteville had five qualifiers last season and could qualify a big group again.

Heavyweight is where the action will be in the West region this year, as there are three top ten ranked wrestlers including the already mentioned Longendyke. He won the NCAA championship in 2015 before dropping the finals match last year. Davis of Concordia-Moorhead was a 2015 qualifier, while Bellile of MSOE is 21-2 and has avenged one of those losses late this season. Also in the mix could be Johnson of Platteville who qualified at this weight last season.

Augsburg has a trio of highly ranked freshmen in the lineup this year in Gliva (125), Epps (149), and Webster (184). All three were Minnesota state champions before heading to Augsburg and have combined for just 5 total DIII losses among them. Webster was the #40 overall recruit in his class and is currently ranked 2nd in the d3wrestle.com rankings and will be a title contender for sure in La Crosse.

With only 11 teams, the brackets will be small, but there will also be a good number of brackets with fewer than 11 wrestlers. Beyond that, there could be 15 or more wrestlers in the tournament with fewer than five wins on the year. It seems likely that there will be fewer than 100 entries overall. Thirty of these will qualify for the NCAA Championships. This is a problem in need of a solution.

Date – Saturday and Sunday, February 25-26, 2017

Location – Roger Williams University, Bristol, Rhode Island

Teams (19) – Bridgewater State, Castleton, Coast Guard, Cortland, Ithaca, Johnson & Wales, New England College, Norwich, Oneonta, Plymouth State, Rhode Island, Roger Williams, Springfield, Trinity, Southern Maine, Wesleyan, Williams, Western New England, Worcester Polytechnic Institute

Top Ten Ranked Individuals (2016 All-Americans in bold)
125 – #4 Jordan (JWU), #6 Kaishian (Ithaca)
133 – #5 Albis (JWU)
141 – #7 Wahba (Ithaca),
149 – #3 Del Gallo (Southern Maine), #4 Schneider (Ithaca)
157 – #1 Dierna (Cortland), #2 Joseph (Springfield), #5 Sullivan (Coast Guard)
165 – #3 Jarrell (JWU), #6 Velez (Ithaca)
174 – #6 Barber (Cortland)
184 – #3 Chorzepa (Williams), #9 Espinal (Cortland)
197 – #3 Thomas (JWU), #4 Carrillo (Wesleyan), #5 Toribio (Ithaca)
285 – #4 Bethel (Oneonta), #5 Foster (Roger Williams), #9 O’Brien (Ithaca)

Top 30 Teams (d3wrestle.com list)
#2 Ithaca
#4 Johnson & Wales
#9 Cortland
#17 Roger Williams
#26 Springfield
#28 Southern Maine

The Northeast regional could see a tight battle between Ithaca and JWU, a pair of top five teams with designs on a team trophy in La Crosse. Ithaca has five wrestlers ranked in the top ten, while JWU has four of its own. With three returning All-Americans, Ithaca hopes to defend its title from last season while bringing a strong contingent to Wisconsin. Johnson & Wales has taken a step up this year and will be a force. #9 Cortland will also be in the mix with strong competitors at every weight including the only returning NCAA Champion in the tournament in Bobby Dierna at 157.

A couple of former All-Americans are looking to make a return trip to the podium after missing out last season. Chorzepa (Williams) is a two time All-American who missed the podium during his junior season. Bethel (Oneonta) placed as a freshman but did not compete last year at all. Both of them are ranked to place in La Crosse but will face stiff tests in a tough region. A pair of familiar foes will again match up at the 125 lbs. weight class as Jordan (JWU) and Kaishian (Ithaca) should be the top two seeds. They have gone back and forth over the years. Last season Jordan was the #2 seed at the NCAA Championships but failed to place while the #6 seed Kaishian came home with a seventh place finish. The next few weeks are their last chance to meet up, as Kaishian is a senior.

Southern Maine has relied on a pair of brothers to lead the team this year. Senior Daniel Del Gallo is looking for his first All-American award after qualifying each of the past two years. The two time Elite 90 award winner (given to the NCAA qualifier with the highest overall GPA) is ranked 3rd and will be aiming to go out on a high note. His brother, freshman Peter Del Gallo, is 31-1 with a single overtime loss. The Maine Wrestler of the Year in 2016 is hoping to join his older brother to give the Huskies multiple qualifiers from the same family in 2017.

Date – Saturday, February 25, 2017

Location – Five Flags Center, Dubuque, Iowa

Teams (15) – Augustana, Buena Vista, Central, Coe, Cornell, Dubuque, Huntingdon, Loras, Luther, MacMurray, Millikin, Nebraska Wesleyan, Simpson, University of the Ozarks, Wartburg

Top Ten Ranked Individuals (2016 All-Americans in bold)
125 – #2 Pestano (Central), #10 Rosenberg (Coe)
133 – #2 Williams (Millikin), #10 Timok (Central)
141 – #9 Cannone (Wartburg)
149 – #1 Martin (Wartburg)
157 – #4 Thomsen (Wartburg), #10 Kalkbrenner (Dubuque)
165 – #2 Vandall (Central)
174 – #2 DeVos (Wartburg), #8 Maksimovic (Cornell)
184 – #4 Kreiter (Luther), #6 Levsen (Wartburg), #7 Giatras (Augustana)
197 – #2 Fank (Wartburg), #10 Patron (Loras)
285 – #2 Evans (Wartburg), #7 Jones (Augustana)

Top 30 Teams (d3wrestle.com list)
#1 Wartburg
#11 Central
#21 Augustana, Millikin
#26 Cornell

Wartburg won this region by 30 points last year and followed it up two weeks later by winning the NCAA Championship by 29.5. The Knights look to run away with the regional title again this year. They have seven wrestlers ranked in the top ten with two more lurking just outside. One of those just outside the rankings is returning All-American Olea at 125 who is certainly a threat to be back on the podium this March. Central has come a long way since head coach Eric Van Kley took over, and they will be the top challenger with three top ten individuals including last year’s surprise finalist Pestano at 125. Coe does not have many top ranked individuals, but the Kohawks have seven wrestlers appearing somewhere in the d3wrestle.com rankings.

Kenny Martin returned at 149 for Wartburg in January and has only wrestled ten matches, but he has managed to go undefeated so far in his quest for a third consecutive NCAA championship. In each of the past two seasons, he has managed to be at his best when the lights are brightest. Wartburg’s other returning finalist, Eric DeVos, has had a similar season to Martin with only 12 matches to his name. Only one opponent has manager to avoid giving up bonus points, however. Wartburg will hope that the lack of matches this season will not slow these two down as they work toward the top of the podium.

There are several returning All-Americans whose seasons have not warranted top ten status at this point in the year, Olea has already been mentioned, but his teammate Campo (133) has gone just 7-9 this year after a 7th place finish in 2016 and an 8th place finish in 2015. Similarly, Harrington of Coe placed 3rd at 174 last year and 4th the year before, but he dropped to 165 this season where he has gone 10-7. Both of these competitors have shown the ability to get the job done in February and March, and neither will be an easy out this weekend or, potentially, in La Crosse two weeks later.

Date – Friday and Saturday, February 24-25, 2017

Location – Allen County War Memorial Coliseum, Fort Wayne, Indiana (Manchester hosting)

Teams (17) – Adrian, Alma, Chicago, Elmhurst, La Crosse, Manchester, Mount St. Joseph, North Central, Ohio Northern, Olivet, Otterbein, Stevens Point, Thomas More, Trine, Whitewater, Wabash, Wheaton

Top Ten Ranked Individuals (2016 All-Americans in bold)
125 – #3 Denny (Whitewater), #8 Fuentez (Wheaton)
133 – #6 Brodman (Whitewater), #7 Weinmann (La Crosse) #9 Braun (Elmhurst)
141 – #1 Weinmann (La Crosse), #3 Binion (North Central), #4 Wilson (Manchester), #8 Hauser (Elmhurst)
149 – #6 Kelley (Olivet), #7 Geary (La Crosse)
157 – #3 Bova (Wabash)
165 – #1 Hermsen (Stevens Point), #7 Brummett (Wabash), #9 Noverini (Elmhurst)
174 – #3 Carlson (La Crosse)
184 – #1 Newman (Whitewater), #10 Fekete (Wheaton)
197 – #1 Lefever (Wabash)
285 – none

Top 30 Teams (d3wrestle.com list)
#5 Wabash
#7 La Crosse
#8 Whitewater
#17 Elmhurst
#21 Olivet, Wheaton, Stevens Point
#28 North Central

There has only been one four time Division III champion in the 40+ years of Division III. Marcus LeVesseur won four in a row for Augsburg without taking a loss in his career. Riley Lefever of Wabash is working toward becoming the second four time champ in Divison III history. He will not finish his career undefeated, but he has never lost to a Division III opponent. He hopes to keep that streak alive for two more tournaments. His team is the favorite to defend their regional championship from last year. Teammate Broukal is also a returning DIII champ, but has had limited action this season. #7 La Crosse and #8 Whitewater will have something to say about the team title here, as both have strong squads. Each boasts a #1 ranked wrestler and others who will be in the mix for podium spots in their home state two weeks later.

Logan Hermsen was a bit of a surprise NCAA champion last year out of the 5th seed, but he has followed up that win with an outstanding season. He has one loss at 165 to a Division I wrestler and was the champ at the tough Wheaton Invitational. He has a tough weight with two other ranked wrestlers and two d3wrestle.com Contenders. The toughest weight, for the second year in a row, looks to be 141 with four wrestlers in the top ten. That does not even include Broukal, who won the NCAA title at 133 a year ago. At least one top ten wrestler is guaranteed to have his season end at this tournament, and it could be two if Broukal has more late season magic in him.

Several of the wrestlers listed above missed all or most of last season for various reasons. Fuentez (Wheaton) was a qualifier at 125 in 2015 but was sidelined with an injury in 2016. Carlson (La Crosse) was an All-American in 2015 but missed last year. Newman also placed in the same bracket as Carlson in 2015 and is back after only wrestling in a pair of opens last season. All three will be contenders this weekend and in La Crosse two weeks later.