Three-time national qualifier Jacob Robb of Mercyhurst (Photo courtesy of Mercyhurst athletics)Did you know the first known usage of the phrase “dark horse†is from some guy named Benjamin Disraeli's novel The Young Duke way back in 1831? What it meant and still means, is a horse that gamblers do not really know much about and is therefore tough to place odds on. In the #D2Wrestle world, and therefore in my world, it means a wrestler who I think will challenge for a national title that most people will not see coming, if all they look at is the top seeds in the brackets. In 2021, Fairmont State University had a national champion in Division I transfer Lukas Martin (149). In 2019, I picked Kutztown's heavyweight Andrew Dunn to make a run, and then he went out and exceeded my expectations, winning a national title.
I do not expect you to go out on a limb; that is my job. So watch me walk way out on these branches as I pick a wrestler at each weight. I expect to not only upset the apple cart, but to flip the whole thing over.
125
Josh Portillo - University of Nebraska Kearney
There is no one in Division II I am a bigger fan of than Josh Portillo. He is a four-time NCAA Division II national qualifier. You would think that the 2019 finalist would be resting on his laurels. One of those laurels is the NCAA Elite 90 Award, which basically means he is the smartest guy in all of Division II (it really means he had the highest GPA of all qualifiers). He has been open about his battle with mental health in an attempt to dispel the stigma among athletes. He and his brother are active on social media and had one of the most exciting matches in college this season when Grand View traveled to Kearney. He has also promised to become my internet nemesis after this season. All of that aside, let's look at the bracket. As the sixth-seed, he has a path that would include the three-seed Paxton Creese (St. Cloud State) and the two-seed Paxton Rosen (Central Oklahoma) to make the finals. They are both wrestlers who defeated him this season. A year ago, a loss in the bloodround ended his season and may have mathematically cost the Lopers the team championship. In 2022, I don't think there is any way that he comes up short again. He has put his heart and soul into this team.
133
Collin Wickramaratna - Kutztown University
Collin Wickramaratna was a Division III national qualifier for Ursinus College back in 2019. He is now a two-time Division II national qualifier and will look to end his junior season as an All-American. He sits in the bracket as the sixth-seed with a path to the quarterfinals and semifinals within reach. Two seasons ago, he upset returning national champion Tyler Warner (West Liberty) in the SRI finals (Warner was at Pitt-Johnstown at the time), but was denied his chance to wrestle for the podium by the cancellation of the tournament. He is 28-1 against Division II foes, with the lone loss to Eric Bartos (Mercyhurst) avenged in the SRI finals. I want to watch the New Jersey native go full Jersey Shore and fist pump on the podium. He hails from Cherokee High School in Marlton, which is closer to PA than to the shore, but I am not about to let geography rain on my parade.
141
Tyler Warner - West Liberty University
Why is a three-time All-American, two-time defending national champion a “dark horse� Well, when you go up a weight class and then take two losses on the season, you have to wonder if he has lost a step. Then again, he is the most decorated wrestler in all of Division II at the moment. When you add in his 2020 NWCA All-American honors, he is already a four-time All-American. Some athletes just know when to turn it on and Tyler Warner has shown me over his history that when the lights shine the brightest, he will be ready. He would have back-to-back matches against 2021 All-Americans to just make the semifinals, where he gets a shot at revenge against Branson Proudlock (Findlay). Every win he earns in St. Louis adds to his legacy and the history books he has been writing alongside head coach Danny Irwin since their time together at Wheeling Jesuit.
149
Dom Means - Gannon University
The 2020 NWCA All-American from Gannon University, Dom Means, is the 2022 Midwest Classic Champion. That tends to bode well for performance at the national tournament and, while I understand that he has taken two losses late in the season, they were to Jacob Ealy (Pitt-Johnstown) and to the undefeated at the time Josh Laubach (Alderson Broaddus). Means already has a win over Noah Hermosillo (Adams State), Wyatt Turnquist (Northern State), Jason Hanenberg (Western Colorado), and Brik Filippo (Central Oklahoma). From his position, he is what we like to refer to as a “bracket buster.†Pick against him at your own peril.
157
Chance Esmont - Ashland University
It is unclear to me how Chance Esmont did not do enough at the SR3 tournament to warrant a seed in St Louis. The #SuperSenior from Pickerington, Ohio, has saved his best for last. His win over 2021 returning national champion James Wimer (Findlay) propelled him to the national tournament and his victory over three-time national qualifier Noah Tarr (Davis & Elkins) made him a super-regional champion. An early test against the dangerous Mason Boutain (San Francisco State) looms and after that, he faces 2021 All-American Ty Lucas (Central Oklahoma). If he continues his hot streak, those are winnable matches. I want to see his story continue and he has the skill set to keep writing his name upon the record books.
165
Dillon Keane - University of Pitt-Johnstown
Let me be clear, Dillon Keane is my pick to make it to the 165 semifinals against Matt Malcom (Kearney). What will happen when he gets there is up to him. Keane is a redshirt freshman out of Bradford High School in McKean, Pennsylvania, who was unable to advance to the national tournament in 2021. This season he has run his record to a perfect 15-0 against Division II wrestlers and earned himself the 5th seed at the national tournament. He will open the tournament with Rashaan Vereen (UNC Pembroke) and after that test, he will have Drew Weichers (Ashland). The two met early in the season and Keane was able to win a 9-7 match in TB1. Two wins to start the day and he will meet the surprise fourth-seed Jack Eiteljorge (Indianapolis) with All-American status on the line. Besides the win over Weichers early on, he also owns a win over 2021 national qualifier Chase Morgan (West Liberty) and 2020 national qualifier Evan Fisler (Gannon).
174
Dillon Walker - Mercyhurst University
If you are looking for a first-round upset special, keep an eye on true freshman Dillon Walker when he takes on Daniel Beemer (Ashland) right away. Beemer was forced to MFF from the SR3 finals and it cost him at the seeding meeting. He now meets a very good athlete in Dillon Walker who can and will take full advantage if he is not 100%. The path for Walker is set after that as he would face Caleb Spears (Newberry). Spears has won 12 straight matches, but at the Midwest Classic, he fell to Walker by technical fall. Looking at the freshman's results this season, it is weird to see three matches lost in SV-1 by the score of 3-1. If he can win one or two of those next weekend, he will be an All-American. Walker has made the jump from being a two-time Ohio state placer for LaSalle High School in Cincinnati to a possible All-American in his first season in Division II.
184
Billy Higgins - University of Nebraska Kearney
I am sure everyone is aware of Billy Higgins after his win over returning national champion Heath Gray (Central Oklahoma) in their dual meeting. But here is the thing, at this weight, that was only good enough for the third seed. A two-time Nebraska Class B state champion at Omaha Skutt Catholic High School, Higgins found himself wrestling in Colorado in college. After three years with the University of Northern Colorado, Higgins transferred to Kearney and took over the 174-pound spot. It did not seem like a great fit, though; he started off with just a 7-6 record. Then came the move to 184 and a 10 match winning streak that saw him defeat Gray, Nolan Krone (Colorado Mesa), and Martin Verhaeghe (Fort Hays State) twice. He is one of the most important parts of the Loper push for a team trophy. If he wrestles as well as I think he can, he could be the athlete who brings the team title back to Kearney.
197
Nicholas Mason - Tiffin University
But Bryce, Mason is a 2019 NCAA champion; he cannot be a dark horse. I disagree. It has been three years since his run to the top of the podium and since then, he has had a national tournament canceled in 2020 and gone 0-2 at the 2021 tournament. It's been three years since he has won a match on the biggest stage. This season he has taken three losses in Division II. Going into the postseason, he was ranked outside the top five by myself. Do you want to read a crazy statistic, Nicholas Mason is 16-3 in his Super Regional with a 14 match win streak and four straight titles. Do you want dominance? How about 10 falls? Or maybe you will be impressed by six consecutive pins and an MFF (in the finals, no less). Nicholas Mason is a #SuperSenior with unfinished business and the talent to back up that hunger. The Utica High School product out of Shelby Township in Michigan, has been a staple of Division II these last few years and capping his career off with another crown would be Manning retiring after a Superbowl win. The perfect ending to an amazing story. Not too shabby for a kid who was just a two-time state qualifier, never placing higher than 5th.
285
Jacob Robb - Mercyhurst University
At a weight class with a clear favorite in Andrew Dunn (Kutztown) and another returning national champion, it is hard to see someone else making a run to the finals. And most people would pick a wrestler like Darrell Mason (MSU Mankato) or Shawn Streck (Central Oklahoma) if they were going to pick anyone. Streck has dominated since entering the lineup in the second semester and Mason just defeated Kam Teacher in the Super Regional V finals. But give me the pinning machine #SuperSenior from Armstrong High School in Kittanning, Pennsylvania. He is a member of the century club in Division II and, for the last three seasons, has been one of the most prolific bonus machines in the country. As a heavyweight! His four losses in Division II this year? Andrew Dunn and Ian Kuehl (McKendree). He was undefeated a year ago before injury ended his season. Robb just pushed Dunn to an overtime match in the Super Regional I finals. Sleep on this explosive big man if you want, but I, for one, could see him going on a run and finding himself in the NCAA finals. Nearly half of his wins this season have come by fall. Overlook him at your own peril.
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