The top seed at 165 lbs Matt Malcom of Nebraska-Kearney (Photo/Sam Janicki; SJanickiPhoto.com)125
The returning national champion Cole Laya (West Liberty) highlights a field full of monsters set to do battle in St Louis. The team race is going to be close and with the top four teams all having finalist threats at this weight, things will heat up quickly. Half of the 2021 All-Americans are back in the tournament, including the other finalist Nick Daggett (UNC Pembroke). Joe Arroyo (UW Parkside) is returning to the tournament and looking to make the jump from third to first. He will need to stay ahead of Paxton Rosen (Central Oklahoma), who enters as the two seed. Be in your seats for bout number two, Evan Carrigan (Newberry) will wrestle the fourth seed Christian Mejia (McKendree). The two met at the NWCA National Duals tournament and Carrigan won the matchup 13-2. Talk about upset special. The bottom of this bracket is total anarchy waiting to happen. Paxton Creese (St. Cloud State) missed out on a nationals trip in 2021, but he earned the three-seed after wins over 2019 finalist Josh Portillo (Nebraska Kearney), Daggett, and Arroyo. Daggett finds himself on Laya's side of the bracket, but the rest of them are all on the bottom side.
This weight class has been crazy all year, 2021 All-American Christian Mejia arrived second semester and promptly won the Midwest Classic. Do not overlook Dawson Collins (Colorado Mesa), he made a run at the MWC that saw him fall in finals to Mejia. Collins is just a freshman, but he holds an impressive resume full of wins over Isaiah DeLaCerda, Dagget, Rosen, and Cody Fatzinger (Western Colorado). A third-place finish in SRVI sees him as one of the best unseeded wrestlers at any weight class. I would be remiss if I did not mention the first NCAA Division II national qualifier in Davenport University history, Manuel Leija. The freshman made the SRIII finals and will need to ride that high to continue his charge through history.
Quarterfinals
#1 Cole Laya (West Liberty) v #8 Jacob Dunlop (Gannon)
#5 Nicholas Daggett (UNC Pembroke) vs Dawson Collins (Colorado Mesa)
#3 Paxton Creese (St. Cloud State) vs #6 Josh Portillo (Nebraska Kearney)
#2 Paxton Rosen (Central Oklahoma) vs Tyshawn White (Shippensburg)
I am picking two different early-round upsets at the weight. Evan Carrigan (Newberry) has already beaten Christian Mejia & a first-round matchup between the two could send the fourth seed to the consolation side early. That would create a match between two unseeded wrestlers in Carrigan & Dawson Collins. I mentioned Collins earlier because he is a young man who has played the role of spoiler well this season and he has already blown up one impressive bracket with his showing at the Midwest Classic. I am picking Tyshawn White (Shippensburg) to mess up seeding on the bottom half, because I think he poses a real style challenge to the seventh-seed Joe Arroyo. The best quarterfinal on paper is Paxton Creese taking on Josh Portillo. The two met at National Duals with the repeat freshman Creese earning a 5-3 victory. Portillo is a #SuperSenior looking to bounce back from a very disappointing tournament in 2021. This is the type of match that cements a legacy in a program, with every fiber of my being I want to pick him to win this match. But I just have a feeling that Creese has learned enough from his first freshman season to avoid the type of mistakes that would see him give up big points from his feet or bottom. The places that Portillo likes to feast. I do think that Paxton Rosen is going to have his hands full with either Joe Arroyo or Tyshawn White. They are both such technically sound on their feet that Rosen could find himself in a 3-2 match and any time the score is decided by the first takedown, anything can happen.
Semifinals
Cole Laya (West Liberty) vs Dawson Collins (Mesa)
Paxton Creese (St Cloud State) vs Paxton Rosen (Central Oklahoma)
I could see this weight class only sending one of the top four seeds into the semifinals, that is how thin the margin for error is. Cole Laya has lost just once at the national tournament in two appearances. He is the best wrestler at this weight class until someone proves me wrong on the biggest stage. I really want to see this other semifinal because, how often do two Paxtons meet in a national tournament semifinal match? There can be only one! I am looking for a Highlander situation where the loser of this match has to change their name. Here's the thing, Rosen could face Arroyo who has beaten him in the quarterfinals. Or he could face the very good Tyshawn White. This side of the bracket is just so deep. We could see Creese fall to Portillo in the quarters. This is going to be me making the pick because of what I am looking at now, not trying to hedge my bet and get the most finalists right. I am going with the older, more battle-tested Paxton and picking Rosen.
Finals
Cole Laya (West Liberty) vs Paxton Rosen (Central Oklahoma)
Cole Laya is very, very good. His only loss at the national tournament was in 2019 to eventual national champion Carlos Jacquez. I would have loved to see him in 2020 take on one of the best fields at any weight, thanks a lot Covid. In 2021 he went, Decision-Fall-Major Decision, to win his first title. I do not care who they put across from him in the finals, Danny Irwin may be the best coach in the country at making sure his top athletes' peak. Paxton Rosen will have earned the right to be in the finals if he makes it. That side of the bracket is just one land mine after another. He will earn the Brochos some much-needed points, but running into Laya just makes for a bad Saturday night.
1st Cole Laya - West Liberty University
2nd Paxton Rosen - University of Central Oklahoma
3rd Paxton Creese - St. Cloud State University
4th Dawson Collins - University of Colorado Mesa
5th Joe Arroyo - University of Wisconsin Parkside
6th Tyshawn White - Shippensburg University
7th Josh Portillo - University of Nebraska Kearney
8th Evan Carrigan - Newberry College
133
I honestly feel that the committee did itself a disservice by not making certain that Wesley Dawkins (Nebraska Kearney) and Jon Andreatta (Adams State) were not placed on the same side of the bracket. We missed our chance to see their grudge match in the SRVI finals after an MFF by Andreatta propelled Dawkins to the title. These two fan bases do not like each other and these two athletes seem to care for each other even less than that. They also happen to be two of the most exciting wrestlers at any weight. This weight class is bound to have some “upsets†brought about by the draw and seeding. It seems like the committee put a lot of weight on the performance at the Midwest Classic, and why not? Athletes that have won the MWC have historically done very well at the national tournament. Metzgar defeated fellow national qualifiers Eric Bartos (Mercyhurst), Tanner Hitchcock (Lindenwood), and Reece Barnhardt (Mary) there. His season from then on though was an 11-4 campaign that saw his best win as the replacement for Patrick Allis at Western Colorado, Alex Alvarez.
Majid Corbit (Limestone) is undefeated and a Super Regional II champion, he is unseeded. Eric Bartos (Mercyhurst) has an almost as impressive body of work and finished higher in his Super Regional than Metzgar did in his. Garrett Vos (St. Cloud State) also finished third in his Super Regional and still managed to earn a seventh-seed. Vos has won over national qualifiers Corey Gamet (Lake Erie), Elijah Lusk (Lander), and the fifth-seed Reece Barnhardt (Mary). The freshman Marauder did avenge that loss in the Super Regional V tournament though, he sent the returning national finalist to the consolation side. I kind of feel like they did not know what to do with the one-loss Collin Wickramaratna (Kutztown). He avenged his regular-season loss to Eric Bartos in the SRI finals, but his only other quality win is over Devin Flannery. He earned the sixth seed but opens his tournament against undefeated Corbit with the three-seed Jack Huffman (Augustana) looming. Huffman is another wrestler that seemed to be seeded due to some transitive properties, his two wins over Barnhardt highlighted his season results, and Barnhardt's big wins seemed to equal a jump in the seeding for Huffman. Huffman and Barnhardt are going to do damage and if Garrett Vos can bounce back, three podium spots should belong to the SRV crew.
I am a little surprised that Tanner Cole (Central Oklahoma) earned the top-seed over Dawkins, but the junior is undefeated with wins over Andreatta, Metzgar, and Tanner Hitchcock (Lindenwood). The 2021 7th-place All-American Hitchcock is unseeded and opens the tournament against Vos in bout number three. Do not be late getting into the arena.
Quarterfinals
#1 Tanner Cole (Central Oklahoma) vs #8 Collin Metzgar (Colorado Mesa)
#5 Reece Barnhardt (Mary) vs #4 Jon Andreatta (Adams State)
#3 Jack Huffman (Augustana) vs #6 Collin Wickramaratna (Kutztown)
#7 Garrett Vos (St. Cloud State) vs #2 Wesley Dawkins (Kearney)
The quarterfinal from the very bottom of this bracket is going to be huge for the team race, the winner between Garrett Vos and Wesley Dawkins will immediately earn All-American finish points for their program and give their team an early boost. I expect Tanner Cole to roll for Central Oklahoma, which puts a lot of pressure on the likes of St. Cloud State and Nebraska Kearney. The four vs five and three vs six battles both feel like toss-ups to me. I know that seems weird, especially in the match between Jack Huffman and Collin Wickramaratna, but this bracket seems poised to get crazy at the quarters. Reece Barnhardt pinned Jon Andreatta at the Midwest Classic and now he gets the chance to show that was not just freshman luck. He is very capable of pulling the “upset†again. I am not sure why I am not as high on Huffman as the seeding committee, but I have reservations. It is not like Wickramaratna has a much flashier resume, it is just the eye test. I hope he passes it on Friday evening.
Semifinals
Tanner Cole (Central Oklahoma) vs Jon Andreatta (Adams State)
Jack Huffman (Augustana) vs Wesley Dawkins (Kearney)
We may never see Garrett Vos take on Jack Huffman and that makes me sad. Augustana forfeited the weight in their dual despite having Brandon Carroll, who beat Vos early in the season, and Huffman on the roster. What we will get to see is Huffman take on two-time All-American and four-time national qualifier Wesley Dawkins. Nebraska Kearney fell a point and a half short of a team title in 2021; it stung. I think we are going to see the best effort the Lopers have at every weight. In the top-side battle, Tanner Cole takes on the dangerous Jon Andreatta. I am going to pick Cole because of his style of wrestling, it is just so fundamentally sound that I think he will frustrate Andreatta and create a mistake that he can take advantage of. I could be wrong though and Andreatta could toss him on his head.
Finals
Tanner Cole (Central Oklahoma) vs Wesley Dawkins (Kearney)
Wesley Dawkins and Tanner Cole will find themselves the focus of much of the arena when they meet in the finals. If the team race is still up for grabs, which it probably will be, the winner of this match could secure the trophy for their program and end St. Cloud State's reign. It will also be a rematch of the 2021 consolation finals that Tanner Cole won 12-7. That loss has to have stung looking at the point differential that separated Kearney from the trophy last year. I expect that there has been a freshman tasked with whispering in Dawkins ear at every meal, “remember the Bronchos .â€Hopefully, it works out better for him than it did for the Persians.
1st Wesley Dawkins - the University of Nebraska Kearney
2nd Tanner Cole - University of Central Oklahoma
3rd Garrett Vos - St. Cloud State University
4th Jack Huffman - Augustana University
5th Reece Barnhardt - University of Mary
6th Jon Andreatta - Adams State University
7th Eric Bartos - Mercyhurst University
8th Collin Metzgar - University of Colorado Mesa
141
If you want to see coaches argue and agree at the same time, ask the eighteen coaches how they feel about the seeding of this weight class. There are going to be some very upset program leaders and some very happy ones as well. A, for example, would be Keaton Schorr (Augustana), who was 5-6 at 149lbs before starting for the Vikings at the SRV tournament and making the finals. His best win is over fellow qualifier Tate Murty (Upper Iowa). Caleb Morris (Pitt-Johnstown) and Alexis Soriano (Mercyhurst) both have better season resumes. Unseeded, two-time national champion Tyler Warner has at least as impressive a resume this season, and given his history, deserves to be ahead of him. Morris, Soriano, and Warner's coaches have to be wondering how this happened. More than that, Schorr also got a great draw that should see him advance at least to the quarters. If you are Colby Smith (Lindenwood) or Nick James (Kearney), you have to look at your first match and feel like your path to a national championship is going to be a difficult one right away. Smith drew the 2019 All-American Soriano, while James hits the landmine that is Tyler Warner right away. Even the second-seed Branson Proudlock has to be on upset alert as he takes on Tate Murty (Upper Iowa) right away. Proudlock has been nearly perfect this season, including a Midwest Classic crown. But all it takes is one mistake at the national tournament to go from finalists to 0-2. There will be seeded wrestlers going down at this weight, I guarantee it and everyone should be on upset alert.
Quarterfinals
#1 Joe Bianchini (St Cloud State) vs #8 Keaton Schorr (Augustana)
#5 Christian Small (Kind) vs #4 Zeth Brower (Lander)
#3 Colby Smith (Lindenwood) vs Tyler Warner (West Liberty)
#7 Peter Kuster (Drury) vs #2 Branson Proudlock (Findlay)
I want to voice a complaint right away about this weight class, why are Christian Small and Zeth Brower on a collision course in the quarterfinals? I hate to see this matchup because I feel like after Joe Bianchini, this weight class could have been seeded in so many different ways. Colby Smith as a two seed with Branson Prouldock three could have been switched. Heck, Zeth Brower could be the three if you are going to put that much weight on his win over Small in the SRII finals. I also think that Keaton Schorr and Bianchini meeting in the quarterfinals is another head-scratcher. Why are we running those Super Regional finals again? I do not expect the results to change for either of these matches. The ones to watch will be Colby Smith taking on Tyler Warner and Peter Kuster battling Branson Proudlock. The Kuster match could be one of those sneaky upset specials. Proudlock only has the one loss to Soriano this season and Kuster is very similar. He also has some big wins on his resume. Can Tyler Warner pull a second upset in a row to make the semifinals? Sure. But he will have to be perfect against Colby Smith. Smith took losses to Kuster and Proudlock and then after the Midwest Classic never looked back. Warner has a loss to the Findlay wrestler as well so this match comes down to really, how much of a 141 Warner is. Colby Smith is full-sized and battle-tested at this weight. That could be the difference despite the incredible record of success that Warner has at this tournament.
Semifinals
Joe Bianchini (St. Cloud State) vs Zeth Brower (Lander)
Colby Smith (Lindenwood) vs Branson Proudlock (Findlay)
As badly as I want to predict anarchy at this weight, I think that most of it will occur on the backside of this bracket. Joe Bianchini has a clear path to the finals and St. Cloud State needs him to deliver a title to help them build for their team race. Zeth Brower will make history for his program if he makes the semifinals as their first All-American. But he will run into the buzzsaw that is Bianchini. He has scored bonus points in 13 of his 17 wins against Division II foes. Colby Smith versus Branson Proudlock is a rematch from the Midwest Classic that Proudlock won 4-1. If the first semifinal is favored one way, this one is a toss-up. I will probably just flip a coin.
Finals
Joe Bianchini (St. Cloud State) vs Colby Smith (Lindenwood)
A one seed versus a three seed is probably not a great surprise. But when we look back at this tournament bracket in a couple of seasons, I think we will see how impressive a run it was for these two athletes. I already spoke about how big of a weight class this is for St. Cloud State and even more than that, it is important for Bianchini to put a finals loss from 2021 in his rearview mirror. Colby Smith had his designs on a national title in 2021 and his third-place finish has to have been in his mind for the last 365 days. A narrow loss to eventual national champion Isiah Royal (Newberry) kept him from that career goal and now he has a chance at redemption. I worry that whoever comes out of this side of the bracket will have had to leave too much on the mat making the finals to have anything left in the tank. And you do not want to wrestle Bianichini with anything less than a full tank of premium gasoline.
1st Joe Bianichini - St. Cloud State University
2nd Colby Smith - Lindenwood University
3rd Tyler Warner - West Liberty University
4th Branson Proudlock - Findlay University
5th Zeth Brower - Lander University
6th Christian Small - King University
7th Peter Kuster - Drury University
8th Caleb Morris - University of Pittsburgh Johnstown
149
I do not hate the seeding at this weight, but having Dom Means (Gannon) as an unseeded wrestler creates a heck of a landmine at this weight. It may be a good thing that the three seed Noah Hermosillo has a first-round match to get warmed up, because he is not going to want to go into that matchup cold. 2021 141 lb national champion Isiah Royal (Newberry) will need to be ready right away himself, the one-seed draws the very tough sophomore from Northern State, Wyatt Turnquist. He has four wins over national qualifiers, including a regular-season win over Nick Novak (St. Cloud State). Novak rode the momentum of a Super Regional V crown to a seventh-seed at the tournament, and the true freshman will look to start writing his own history at the storied program during his first trip to the national tournament. The best story in college wrestling right now is Darick Lapaglia (Central Missouri), not only is he part of the resurgence of his program but he is also back in the national tournament eight years after earning All-American honors as a freshman for Maryville University. Craig Cook (Davis & Elkins) beat 2021 national champion Lukas Martin (Fairmont State) in his first match of the season, seemingly sending him into retirement. He capped the year off with a Super Regional III crown and now he needs to be on upset alert as he takes on the bigger of the #BaileyBros in round one. Logan Bailey (Indianapolis) has picked up big wins in his two years in the Hounds lineup and is a must-watch whenever he takes the mat. With West Liberty, Nebraska Kearney, and St. Cloud State all having wrestlers at this weight, Central Oklahoma will be hoping for big points from the two-seed Brik Filippo. He could carve a path right through West Liberty and St. Cloud State on his way to make the finals. On the other side of the bracket, Sam Turner (Nebraska Kearney) has a chance to advance through the quarters if he can find a way to beat Jacob Ealy (Pitt-Johnstown). I honestly think he could be a national finalist and from his fourth seed, his path seems very realistic.
Quarterfinals
#1 Isiah Royal (Newberry) vs Jason Hanenberg (Western Colorado)
#5 Sam Turner (Kearney) vs #4 Jacob Ealy (Pitt-Johnstown)
#3 Noah Hermosillo (Adams State) vs Logan Bailey (Indianapolis)
#7 Nick Novak (St. Cloud State) vs #2 Brik Filippo (Central Oklahoma)
In his last two trips to the national tournament where we had wrestling, Isaiah Royal has been a finalist both times. In 2021, he won the 141 crown over Joe Bianchini (St. Cloud State). It very nearly spoiled the Huskies' day and a chance at a national championship. He is going to make the finals again and while I expect Jason Hanenberg to cause a ruckus early, Royal is not one to relinquish the crown so easily. I think the best match of the quarters will be when Sam Turner takes on Jacob Ealy. Turner was the number one wrestler in the country, until his loss to Brik Filippo and to Noah Hermosillo at the SRVI tournament dropped him to the fifth seed at this weight. This hurt the Lopers because now he must face off against the surging Ealy who has gotten even better as the season has progressed. Noah Hermosillo looks to be on a mission and that means Logan Bailey is on the wrong railroad track. Nick Novak could boost the St. Cloud chances with a big upset of Brik Filippo, but I think the true freshman may find that he is running into a seasoned vet who has been here before.
Semifinals
Isiah Royal (Newberry) vs Jacob Ealy (Pitt-Johnstown)
Noah Hermosillo (Adams State) vs Brik Filippo (Central Oklahoma)
Isiah Royal will enter the national tournament without having really been tested, he wrestled such an abbreviated schedule in 2022 that you have to wonder if he is totally back. I do not think it matters, he has shown that he knows what he has to do to get it done at the national tournament, and woe to those who try to usurp the Royal crown. Jacob Ealy will be trying to do just that though. He is a seasoned veteran in his own right and the returning All-American is looking to make a big jump from his eighth-place finish a year ago. The repeat sophomore is going to find himself on the consolation side once again, but by making the semifinals he will guarantee himself a higher finish. The Noah Hermosillo versus Brik Filippo semifinals will have all kinds of storylines riding on it. The largest will be the team race factor. If the Central Oklahoma junior is the only athlete from the big four to make the finals at this weight and in doing so could hand head coach Todd Steidley a team trophy. The only wrestler to beat Hermosillo this season is Dom Means and guess what, he will not be wrestling Dom Means in this semifinal. Hermosillo is now a four-time national qualifier and seems a lock to improve upon his sixth-place finish from 2021.
Finals
Isiah Royal (Newberry) vs Noah Hermosillo (Adam State)
You can call me crazy, but I think this is the finals match we see for no other reason than it is the one I want. If this is how the seeds and draws are going to be, then this is the finals match I want to watch. These two wrestlers are so good at what they do. Isiah Royal is smooth on his feet and puts a tough enough ride on even the best wrestlers that it shortens the match. Noah Hermosillo is a score from anywhere wrestler and that includes all three positions. It is not so much a battle of styles as a battle of wills. Which athlete can fully impose their will upon their opponent? There will be no team race implications here, just a matter of two guys who can go out there knowing that this is their last college match and they have nothing to lose.
1st Noah Hermosillo - Adams State University
2nd Isiah Royal - Newberry College
3rd Jacob Ealy - University of Pittsburgh Johnstown
4th Brik Filippo - University of Central Oklahoma
5th Dom Means - Gannon University
6th Nick Novak - St. Cloud State University
7th Logan Bailey - University of Indianapolis
8th Darick Lapaglia - Central Missouri University
157
This entire weight class was turned on its head when Chance Esmont (Ashland) upset returning national champion James Wimer at the SRIII tournament. Esmont went on to win the championships while Wimer missed the national tournament. Anthony Herrera (St. Cloud State) jumped John Ridle (Central Missouri) to earn the top-seed at the weight. A loss in the SRVI finals after an injury default kept Josiah Rider (Adams State) from earning the top spot as well. JoJo Gonzalez (American International) was able to navigate a very tough Super Regional I tournament and earn the fourth seed. Ty Lucas (Central Oklahoma) will have to carry the hopes of the Bronchos national tournament title and he has a very good chance to finish about his seed. The biggest surprise qualifier for me at this weight is Patrick “the Wonder Boy†Wunderlich (Coker) who battled back in SRII to finish third. He comes into the tournament at 68 in the D2Wrestlestat rankings. Dallas Boone (King) enters the tournament on a nine-match win streak and momentum can mean everything. That is why it is important to keep an eye on how Esmont starts off his tournament. If you want a real wildcard at the weight, Braydon Huber is one of the most explosive wrestlers at any weight and every time he steps on the mat there is the chance to see a big move. There is a lot of balance at this weight and there are probably six or seven wrestlers who could end up with the national title.
Quarterfinals
#1 Anthony Herrera (St. Cloud State) vs #8 Braydon Huber (Mary)
#5 Ty Lucas (Central Oklahoma) vs #4 JoJo Gonzalez (American International)
#3 Josiah Rider (Adams State)vs Nick Young (Gannon)
#2 John Ridle (Central Missouri) vs #7 Dawson Combest (Indianapolis)
The top half of this bracket should probably wrestle to seed. This is important because it sets up the possibility of a Central Oklahoma versus St. Cloud State semifinal. For that to happen, Anthony Herrera just needs to defeat the always dangerous Braydon Huber again. They met very early in the season and Herrera won that battle 6-3 at the prestigious Finn Grinaker Cobber Open. Then, Ty Lucas will need to “upset†2021 All-American JoJo Gonzalez. These two had a chance to meet at the Midwest Classic, but it did not happen. Gonzalez can go from zero to 60 faster than a Formula 1 racer and when he puts the pedal down is nearly unstoppable. He is a matchup nightmare for anyone. In a shoot-out, he can wrestle with the best in the country, and now as an All-American, he can wrestle without the pressure. Nick Young (Gannon) is two upsets away from being an All-American. An early win over Ryan Wheeler will put him just one away. Josiah Rider was the number one seed in the tournament before an injury default in the SRVI finals had him fall to the third. If he is healthy, he is a great finals bet. Dawson Combest and John Ridle is an SRIV battle and somehow will be the first meeting between these two. I know, it is really hard to believe that they have never wrestled each other. They are both sophomores so we should get to see this a few more times.
Semifinals
Anthony Herrera (St Cloud State) vs JoJo Gonzalez (American International)
Josiah Rider (Adams State) vs John Ridle (Central Missouri)
St. Cloud State needs to win this match, it is the chance for them to score points while Nebraska Kearney and West Liberty miss out. More than that, if Tyler Lucas does not make the semifinals they can stay ahead of Central Oklahoma at this weight as well. Anthony and JoJo Gonzalez have not met and there is no time that they would have matched up. On paper, this should be all Herrera, but not so fast my friend. Herrera wins a lot of matches, but he has done it without scoring big points. The redshirt sophomore has a decorated junior college career on his resume, but that is not the NCAA Division II national tournament. Everybody has a plan until they get hit in the face and I expect Gonzalez to come out swinging hard. On the other side, it is a battle between a couple of young wrestlers. Josiah Rider is a redshirt sophomore as well and he will take on the sophomore John Ridle in what could be the start of an awesome rivalry. Again, I worry about the health of Rider, anything less than 100%, and Ridle is going to be an NCAA finalist as a sophomore.
Finals
JoJo Gonzalez (American International) vs John Ridle (Central Missouri)
I could be way off on this prediction and it is just as likely that we see a battle between the redshirt sophomores Josiah Rider and Anthony Herrera, but I am going with my almost always wrong gut though and picking one of my favorite wrestlers at any weight and a young man who is part of the renaissance happening at Central Missouri under interim head coach John Feeney. The Mules had two national qualifiers and Ridle won their first Super Regional championship since 2015. If the “interim†does not disappear from before Feeney's name, there is something seriously wrong in that athletic department. Gonzalez has been very good for the last three seasons and after being locked out of the tournament in 2020, he made the podium in 2021. I can see him finishing his career with the title, the first finalist for the Yellowjackets since 2000.
1st JoJo Gonzalez - American International University
2nd John Ridle - Central Missouri University
3rd Anthony Herrera - St. Cloud State University
4th Ty Lucas - Central Oklahoma University
5th Dawson Combest - the University of Indianapolis
6th Josiah Rider - Adams State University
7th Braydon Huber - University of Mary
8th Chance Esmont - Ashland University
165
When Alex Faranchek (Gannon) succumbed to a knee injury late in the season, this weight class appeared to be a one-horse race. 2019 national champion and three-time All-American Matt Malcom is back in his fifth national tournament and against anyone not named Fred Green has seemed unstoppable the last three seasons. If there is going to be a challenger though to his attempt to ride off into the sunset a champion, it may come from the redshirt junior from Wisconsin Parkside, Shane Gantz. He is undefeated this season and the Midwest Classic champion. John Dean (Belmont Abbey) will be on the same side of the bracket as Gantz, and the junior wrestled the Super Regional tournament back at 165 after spending part of the second semester at 157. A :20 pin by James Burks (Northern State) is the only blemish on his Division II record this season, and other than that total anomaly he has been perfect. If there is going to be a wrestler to stop him it will almost certainly have to be one of those two. The fourth and fifth seed on Malcom's side includes the surging Jack Eiteljorge (Indianapolis) and undefeated in #D2Wrestle competition Dillon Keane (Pitt Johnstown). Even after his SRIV crown, Eitejorge is a surprise four seed. He has seven losses on his D2 season including to wrestlers who unseeded in this tournament or did not qualify. I thought he was a six or maybe seven seed, but now he has all the pressure of someone expected to make the semifinals.
Talon Seitz (Newberry) got into the tournament and the former Loper gets the first crack at his old teammate Matt Malcom in the first round. He is back in the Carolinas and now he is a national qualifier. I wonder if James Penfold's (Lake Erie) MFF in the SRIII finals caused him to fall down the seeds, but at the seventh, he has a path to the quarters. He took an injury default against a teammate during the Storm Open and other than that would be undefeated. Eight of his 12 wins in D2 are by fall, those are some video game-type results. Corey Peterson (McKendree) finished fourth in 2021, but this year was the last wrestler out of SRIV. This weight has clear favorites and then wrestlers who should be All-Americans, the question is who will mess this all up.
Quarterfinals
#1 Matt Malcom (Kearney) vs #8 Nate Trepanier (Lindenwood)
#5 Dillon Keane (Pitt-Johnstown) vs #4 Jack Eiteljorge (Indianapolis)
#3 John Dean (Belmont Abbey) vs #6 Corey Peterson (McKendree)
#2 Shane Gantz (UW Parkside) vs #7 James Penfold (Lake Erie)
Nate Trepanier was looking great in #SRIV headed into the tournament and seemed ready for a rematch against Corey Peterson in the finals. Along came Jack Eiteljorge and a top-six seed turned into the eighth and a quarterfinal match against Matt Malcom. These are both seasoned veterans with plenty of experience, but one of them has the accolades and has proven he can perform when it counts. Jack Eiteljorge will have a chance to prove the doubters wrong right away, as he will battle Dillon Keane, the redshirt freshman who has made a big jump in his third year in the Johnstown room. Then we have a sneaky matchup between John Dean and Corey Peterson. They finished fourth and fifth in 2021 with Peterson picking up a win in their head-to-head meeting in St Louis. Can he do it again? The last quarterfinal could have been a battle of undefeated, but that teammate loss has Penfold sitting on the one. Regardless, after this match, he will have a second. Gantz has looked like a monster this season just going out and winning match after match.
Semifinals
Matt Malcom (Nebraska Kearney) vs Dillon Keane (Pitt Johnstown)
Corey Peterson (McKendree) vs Shane Gantz (UW Parkside)
I feel bad for anyone standing in the way of Matt Malcom making the finals. He has a 75% bonus rate this season and that is against all competition, not just Division II. When you factor in just matches against Division II wrestlers, it is an astounding 85%. I think that Dillon Keane can pull the upset in the quarterfinals to become an All-American, but he will have to do the rest of his work in the consolation rounds. Much like Kean, Corey Peterson can pull that quarterfinal upset. But like Kean, he will run into a buzzsaw in the next round. Gantz has scored bonus points himself in 12 of his 17 matches against Division II. He seems on a collision course with Malcom in the 165 finals.
Finals
Matt Malcom (Nebraska Kearney) vs Shane Gantz (UW Parkside)
This is the final I want to see and I believe it is the one we deserve to see. These two athletes have been the best at the weight this year and they will put on a show in St Louis. One of these two #SuperSeniors will walk away into retirement as a national champion and the other will just walk away. I mean with an All-American finish, so it is not like they will leave empty-handed. In a match that turns into a scoring fest, Matt Malcom will have the advantage. He will also have the most pressure as his winning a title boosts his team's chances at the trophy. If this match stays close, Shane Gantz has more than enough offense to find that final takedown. He has a heck of a coach in his final who just happens to know a thing or two about winning Division II national titles. Even if his brother tried to run me over with a scooter last year.
1st Matt Malcom - University of Nebraska Kearney
2nd Shane Gantz - University of Wisconsin Parkside
3rd Corey Peterson - McKendree University
4th John Dean - Belmont Abbey College
5th Nate Trepanier - Lindenwood University
6th Dillon Keane - University of Pittsburgh Johnstown
7th John Penfold - Lake Erie University
8th Jack Eiteljorge - University of Indianapolis
174
The University of Nebraska Kearney did a bit of a weight class shuffle late in the season and Austin Eldredge moved down from 184 to start at the 174 class. He has won all 11 of his matches at the weight by tech fall, I feel like I'm telling a lie typing that. He has wrestled 11 matches at 174 and he has won every one of those matches by tech fall. If you want to be even more impressed, he has only allowed a total of nine points in those 11 matches. He has found a #D2Wrestle cheat code. New Mexico Highland University may have taken longer than any team in the country to update their roster, hopefully, they get a jump on 2023 and add “national qualifier†to the bio of Allen Michel. The senior almost won more matches in 2022 than he did his first three seasons wrestling for New Mexico Highlands. Hunter DeLong won 37 matches this season and this is his reward? He faces the third seed Andrew Sams (Indianapolis) in the first round. Sams is a very solid three-seed and a semifinal matchup with Cade Mueller (Augustana) is looking likely. Mueller just won the #SRV crown after beating Trevor Turriff (MSU Mankato) and the Viking could be the first Augustana finalists since 2019. I spoke about Caleb Spears in my “dark horse†article, if Dan Beemer (Ashland) is still injured then he could be a quarterfinalist very quickly. Heck, Beemer needs to be on upset alert as he takes on Dillon Walker (Mercyhurst). The freshman has come into Division II ready to wrestle and is a terrible draw for anyone who is not 100%. Job Ayala (UW Parkside) wrestled matches at 197 last season, he either cut off a leg or sold his soul to the devil to make 174. Either way, he is a national qualifier and a very serious All-American threat from the eighth seed. West Liberty's Ty McGeary is on Eldredge's side of the bracket and if they match up it will impact the team race. Central Oklahoma has Alex Kauffman facing Mueller in the first round, so the junior JUCO college All-American may need to do some work on the consolation side to feed the Bronchos title hopes. This is a big weight because those three teams can all make up ground or possibly build leads while St. Cloud State is without a point scorer. Just a note, 2021 fourth-place finisher Josh Jones (McKendree), is unseeded. So is two-time All-American Brock Biddle (Pitt-Johnstown), it goes to show the committee is looking for what you did this season.
Quarterfinals
#1 Austin Eldredge (Nebraska Kearney) vs #8 Job Ayala (UW Parkside)
#5 Ty McGeary (West Liberty) vs #4 Trevor Turiff (MSU Mankato)
#3 Andrew Sams (Indianapolis) vs Caleb Spears (Newberry)
Josh Jones (McKendree) vs #2 Cade Mueller (Augustana)
I fully expect the tech fall run to continue for Austin Eldredge at the national tournament. This means that Job Ayala is going to have his hands full with the hottest wrestler in Division II at the worst possible time. The Parkside Ranger is going to have to win a match on the consolation side if he wants to be an All-American. In what is a tiny bit of an upset, I think that Ty McGeary gets it done against Trevor Turiff in the quarters. The Hilltopper only has a loss to Dan Beemer on his record and he did not get the chance to avenge that in the SRIII finals. Turiff was a national finalist in 2021, but this season has been tougher with the addition of Cade Mueller to the weight class and it puts him on a much tougher path to return to the stage. Andrew Sams is firing on all cylinders at the right time and the Greyhound is going to be a very tough matchup for Cade Mueller in the semifinals. Josh Jones is now a three-time national qualifier, he knows what it takes to win big matches, but he is wrestling a man who is fully prepared for the national tournament.
Semifinals
Austin Eldredge (Nebraska Kearney) vs Ty McGeary (West Liberty)
Andrew Sams (Indianapolis) vs Cade Mueller (Augustana)
If the streak is still alive for Eldredge, this is where it stops. He is not going to come out and just steamroll Ty McGeary off the mat. He will still probably beat him and it could possibly even be a major decision, but it will not be a match termination. West Liberty arrives at the national tournament ready to wrestle and that is a good thing. When that whistle blows, Eldredge is going to be coming forward looking to score. The match between Andrew Sams and Cade Mueller is going to come down to the first takedown. The matches that Sams has lost this season have all seemed to happen when he allows his opponents to score first. In low-scoring matches or when he has the lead to build on, Sams can shut them down. Cade Mueller can score but can let high-level competitors hang around. Someone is going to get that first takedown and whoever does is going to win.
Finals
Austin Eldredge (Nebraska Kearney) vs Cade Mueller (Augustana)
I just do not know how you could pick against Austin Eldredge, unless you are an Augustana fan, or possibly a St. Cloud State one. You know that they and Central Oklahoma will be cheering for Cade Mueller in this match. If the Lopers can get two finalists, that would be two more than they had when they fell short in 2021. Matt Malcom seems to be one, and Austin Eldredge could be number two. Cade Mueller will be looking to be the first Augustana national champion since 2010.
1st Austin Eldredge - University of Nebraska Kearney
2nd Cade Mueller - Augustana University
3rd Andrew Sams - University of Indianapolis
4th Ty McGeary - West Liberty University
5th Alex Kauffman - University of Central Oklahoma
6th Brock Biddle - University of Pittsburg Johnstown
7th Trevor Turiff - Minnesota State University Mankato
8th Josh Jones - McKendree University
184
Coming into the 2021 season, I do not think that was the only person following Division II wrestling who thought this weight class wasn't Heath Gray (Central Oklahoma) and then everyone else. Billy Higgins (Kearney) has entered the lobby. He ended Gray's 50-plus match win streak, knocked him to the second seed despite being the returning national champion, and set up a possible semifinal match with huge team race ramifications. This is another weight without a St. Cloud State wrestler, so the points that West Liberty, Central Oklahoma, and Nebraska Kearney all earn here are huge. It just so happens that those three teams all have top three seeded athletes. 2019 national champion and 2021 runner-up Connor Craig (West Liberty) sits atop the bracket. Caden Steffen (Southwest State) was a bit of a surprise All-American last season, although given his lineage he should not have been. This season he is not sneaking up on anyone and as the fifth-seed will have expectations to shoulder. 2021 All-American Noah Curreri made history for Queens as their first All-American in program history, if he wants to add to that total he will do so starting unseeded. He also draws returning All-American Dan Filipek (McKendree) right out of the gate. Martin Verhaeghe (Fort Hays State) has won well over 100 matches in his career, it will take at minimum three more for him to become a first-time All-American, before he graduates this spring. He needs to be on upset alert as he will face Kutztown's, Matt Weinberg. Kutztown has Weinberg listed as a freshman but some results from the Penn State Wrestling Club list him as a sophomore. Whatever class he is, he's dang good. Cole Houser lost his program at Urbana and then helped to build Glenville State into a surprise sophomore contender. He earned a spot at his first national tournament to be part of his new program's history. Heath Gray is good. If he had not lost that squeaker to Higgins, this weight class would write itself.
Quarterfinals
#1 Connor Craig (West Liberty) vs Logan Hall (Notre Dame)
#5 Caden Steffen (Southwest State) vs #4 Dan Filipek (McKendree)
#3 Billy Higgins (Nebraska Kearney) vs Matt Weinberg (Kutztown)
#7 Anderson Salisbury (Colorado Mines) vs #2 Heath Gray (Central Oklahoma)
West Liberty needs wins, but they also need them to include bonus points. I am not sure they can match their three finalists from 2021, but if they cannot they need to add bonus points to every win. Connor Craig can turn it on and he needs to do so against a familiar foe in Logan Hall. Caden Steffen will have the chance to join his father, Link Steffen, in Southwest Minnesota State program history as a semifinalist. Last season, Jackson Ryan accomplished the feat, and imagine what it would be like for Steffen to do the same. In 2021, Dan Filipek had the fastest pin of the tournament against Steffen in :17, I expect this go-around to be a much different match. The four-time national qualifier has the experience on Steffen, but the gap has closed in 2022 between these two. Against anyone not named Billy Higgins in the last three seasons, Heath Gray has walked away with a Division II victory. He is not wrestling Higgins in the quarterfinals, so I expect history to hold. Anderson Salisbury (Colorado Mines) will need to win one more match on the backside to become a two-time All-American. What I expect to be a very good match will be Billy Higgins taking on the unseeded and upset-minded Matt Weinberg. We all want to see the rematch between Higgins and Gray, but the Loper will have to make it that far for us to get what we want.
Semifinals
Connor Craig (West Liberty) vs Dan Filipek (McKendree)
Billy Higgins (Nebraska Kearney) vs Heath Gray (Central Oklahoma)
I am not certain the last time that Heath Gray walked out on a mat with the expectations that he will be carrying during his semifinal battle. He has fallen short of the finals once before in this round and this time, as a senior trying to win an individual and team title I wonder how heavy that burden must be. Billy Higgins wants to help his team win a trophy and earn his own crown, but this will not be his last trip to the championship. A tight Heath Gray and a loose confident Billy Higgins could spell doom for the Bronchos. Then again, this is Heath Gray and we all know this is the match he wants. Connor Craig has never wrestled in the NCAA tournament and has not been a national finalist. He wants to be a national champion again and only one more win stands between him and a chance at revenge against Gray. Dan Filipek is good, but much like Gray, Connor Craig is on a different level. Three of the top-four seeds at this weight will graduate after the 2022 season, that is just crazy.
Finals
Connor Craig (West Liberty) vs Heath Gray (Central Oklahoma)
Wrestling is all about adjustments. I believe that Heath Gray will make them in his rematch against Billy Higgins and I know that Connor Craig will make them when he faces off against Gray again. The match was a 3-2 win for Gray in 2021 and it kept West Liberty from finishing third in the team race. I remember talking with him and his teammates after the tournament and you could already see the hunger in his eyes. It is very easy to switch those types of results between two top-tier athletes and while Gray needs to be thinking about Higgins, Connor Craig is already focused on what he needs to do to beat Gray.
1st Connor Craig - West Liberty University
2nd Heath Gray - University of Central Oklahoma
3rd Billy Higgins - University of Nebraska Kearney
4th Dan Filipek - McKendree University
5th Martin Verhaeghe - Fort Hays State University
6th Matt Weinberg - Kutztown University
7th Anderson Salisbury - Colorado School of Mines
8th Logan Hall - Notre Dame College
197
We could wrestle this bracket 100 times and we would probably see 100 different top eights, and that is just a guess because I do not remember how to do the math of probabilities like that. I just mean to say that this weight is poised on the razor's edge of anarchy and, as an agent of chaos, I am always happy to advocate for that. We could see upsets right away out of Walker Uhl (Ashland) and Logan Kemp (West Liberty). They are both very dangerous unseeded wrestlers who have landed in the bracket in a great place to cause havoc. Logan Kemp is a national qualifier again, but for West Liberty to challenge for a team trophy they need him to finally break through and become an All-American. St. Cloud State will have the two-seed Noah Ryan, the returning All-American could make a run to the finals. Central Oklahoma has its own firepower here in returning national finalist Dalton Abney. One of the strongest, smoothest, most dominating wrestlers in the country will have a shot at putting away the team trophy race if he can win it all. The Lopers will have the sixth seed in Hayden Prince. Prince has lost to four of the national qualifiers, but two of those were to Abney and Ryan. A bracket-buster would benefit West Liberty the most here. Alderson Broaddus is still looking for the first All-American in program history, and Gino Sita has been close before. In 2019, he lost in the blood round, falling just short of standing on the podium. Darius Parker (Lander) has his name in the Lander history books, and he can add to it by becoming the first All-American for head coach RC LaHaye. Brian Kennerly (Kutztown) is a tough wrestler to grade, he enters as the fourth-seed after winning SRI but without the history in #D2Wrestle, it is hard to know just how good he is. I know he is good, but is he making a run to the finals good? To do so he will have to get through 2019 national champion Nicholas Mason (Tiffin). The Dragon is up to his old tricks again after blowing through the #SRIII regional tournament. He seems poised to put the 0-2 2021 national tournament in his rearview mirror and end his career as an All-American.
Quarterfinals
#1 Dalton Abney (Central Oklahoma) vs #8 Gino Sita (Alderson Broaddus)
#5 Nicholas Mason (Tiffin) vs #4 Brian Kennerly (Kutztown)
#3 Derek Blubaugh (Indianapolis) vs Logan Kemp (West Liberty)
#7 Joel Leise (Gannon) vs #2 Noah Ryan (St. Cloud State)
The quarterfinals could look very different than my prediction, but I expect that Dalton Abney and Noah Ryan are safe bets to make it that far. Brain Kennerly was a heavyweight for Division I Virginia in 2020 and 2021. You may remember that the last wrestler from a Division I school in Virginia who transferred to Kutztown found a lot of success. He was not tested this season before the Super Regional and then he just went out and pinned Gino Sita in overtime and beat Joel Leise by a major decision 15-6. I don't know. It may be sentimental, my picking of Nicholas Mason in this match, but we all know how good Mason can be when he is good. Derek Blubaugh has a chance to make the finals for the Hounds, but he will need to make his way past Logan Kemp here. I have Kemp earning the upset first round over Hayden Prince (Nebraska Kearney), but either way, Blubaugh should be the favorite in the quarters. The Joel Leise matchup with Noah Ryan is one of those you want to take a little longer look at. Ryan beat him in the wrestlebacks in 2021 and this could come down to who has gotten better since then. The record seems to show that it is Noah Ryan.
Semifinals
Dalton Abney (Central Oklahoma) vs Nicholas Mason (Tiffin)
Derek Blubaugh (Indianapolis) vs Noah Ryan (St Cloud State)
I am sure of my pick for Dalton Abney to reach this point but I keep wanting to go back and change my Nicholas Mason/Brian Kennerly prediction. It is too late, I broke my “delete†button on this keyboard years ago and have never looked back. Either way, I believe that Abney is the wrestler to beat at this weight and he should advance. Derek Blubaugh taking on Noah Ryan is a redshirt freshman taking on a redshirt junior. If Indianapolis is in the middle of the team race, despite my bold “pretender†prediction, this semifinal looms large for the Hounds. It's a chance to score big points while also knocking out a team race competitor. That holds true for Noah Ryan too, the Huskies will need every point they can find to hold off Central Oklahoma and Nebraska Kearney. The margin for error is so small in these matches that I will lean on the experience of Noah Ryan to get it done.
Finals
Dalton Abney (Central Oklahoma) vs Noah Ryan (St. Cloud State)
Dalton Abney can ride. This match may come down to what Noah Ryan chooses when he has to make a decision. Does he go under and know that he will need to find a way to earn an escape, or does he choose neutral and rely on his offense. It also may come down to how the referee interprets “stallingâ€. If the official allows Abney to control the position from top without really attempting a turn, it could be a rough finals match for Ryan. On their feet, I would grade these two fairly close. That mat wrestling is going to be the decision-maker. Knowing he may be unable to choose bottom adds that much more urgency to every exchange for Ryan and can cause mistakes.
1st Dalton Abney - University of Central Oklahoma
2nd Noah Ryan - St. Cloud State University
3rd Nicholas Mason - Tiffin University
4th Derek Blubaugh - University of Indianapolis
5th Brian Kennerly - Kutztown University
6th Logan Kemp - West Liberty University
7th Gino Sita - Alderson Broaddus University
8th Walker Uhl - Ashland University
HWT
Andrew Dunn (Kutztown), Francesco Borsellino (West Liberty), and Kameron Teacher (St Cloud State) have a combined 2021 record of 52-1 in Division II. Dunn is the 2019 national champion. Borsellino is a returning All-American. Teacher is a three-time All-American and 2021 national champion. They are all on the same side of the bracket. Opposite of them are SRIV champion Shawn Streck (Central Oklahoma), SRV champion Darrell Mason (MSU Mankato), and 2021 finalist Weston Hunt (Mines). This bracket is the “fair and balanced†of brackets. Darrell Mason's upset finals victory over Teacher threw this entire weight class into disarray and took what should have been the premier finals match and made it a semifinal battle. Good for him. A miserable failure for me as a fan. Returning All-Americans Steven Hajas (Augustana) and AJ Cooper (Fort Hays State) are not even seeded in the bracket. Neither is Weston Hunt who finds himself in an opening-round match against Division I transfer Shawn Streck. Lee Herrington (Nebraska Kearney) can keep his team's hopes alive if he can finish his season with a win, he fell to Steven Hajas in the consolation finals last year. AJ Cooper starts right off against Jacob Robb (Mercyhurst), have your cameras ready because these two will go big quickly. Robb has lost to Dunn and Ian Kuehl (McKendree) both twice this season. That was enough to propel Kuehl to the fifth seed despite not even being a #SRIV finalist. Or at least that is what I have to think. Neither of his losses to Division II wrestlers was to an athlete who qualified for the national tournament. This weight class could finish exactly how the seeds play out and I would still argue that it was seeded wrong. I mean, Borsellino is a returning All-American who won all of his matches scoring bonus in more than 80% of them and you are telling me should be seeded LOWER than where he finished in 2021?
Quarterfinals
#1 Andrew Dunn (Kutztown) vs #8 Francesco Borsellino (West Liberty)
#5 Ian Kuehl (McKendree) vs #4 Kam Teacher (St. Cloud State)
#3 Shawn Streck (Central Oklahoma) vs #6 Lee Herrington (Kearney)
#7 Jacob Robb (Mercyhurst) vs #2 Darrell Mason (MSU Mankato)
I can admit when I am wrong and I am going to be wrong at about at least one name in these quarterfinals. The separation among these athletes is so thin that I expect to see more than one first-round match go into sudden victory. When that happens, upsets are sure to follow. I feel like Andrew Dunn and Kameron Teacher are going to be exceptions to that rule as neither of them should be tested right away. Francesco Borsellino and Ian Kuehl will start their days off with tough matches. I feel that Borsellino is better than the eighth, but no matter his seed, there is too much separation between him and Dunn. The same thing goes with Kuehl and Kam Teacher. Shawn Streck has been perfect since joining Central Oklahoma and they will need him to send the Kearney big man to the consolation side to maximize their team points. Herrington was a 2021 All-American, but in their dual meeting, Streck was the victor, 5-2. I am picking an upset special this round, Jacob Robb will find a way to score the takedown he needs to beat the two-seed Darrell Mason. Mason is coming off a huge win over Kam Teacher in the #SRV finals, but he only wrestled one Division II wrestler who was not from that Super Region. His lone win out of #SRV was McKendree backup heavyweight Julian Ramirez. He is going to be tested in round one by Freddie Nixon (Gannon) and from there it does not get any easier.
Semifinals
Andrew Dunn (Kutztown) vs Kam Teacher (St. Cloud State)
Shawn Streck (Central Oklahoma) vs Jacob Robb (Mercyhurst)
Am I a little bitter that that is a semifinal instead of a finals match at this weight? Am I upset that this super match could be how we ended the 2022 NCAA Division II Men's Wrestling National Tournament and instead it is a semifinal? Have I wracked my brain wondering why this is happening? The answer to all of those questions is yes. The last time these two met was the 2019 national tournament semifinals in Cleveland, so I guess they should meet in this round again. Then it was Andrew Dunn pulling the upset and sending the second-seed Kam Teacher into the consolation of the bracket. Will Kam Teacher return the favor and vault his team ahead on the leaderboard? Shawn Streck was a national qualifier as a freshman for Purdue in Division I. His arrival in Division II at Central Oklahoma was a huge boon to their national title hopes and may end up being the difference. He will face the dangerous Jacob Robb in the second semifinal. This could be a battle of styles as Robb tends to be more successful when there is more mat action. Streck is so strong and keeps such great positioning that it may end up difficult for Robb to find those attack angles that lead to big points.
Finals
Andrew Dunn (Kutztown) vs Shawn Streck (Central Oklahoma)
I am rolling with “Dunnyboi†no matter who, where, or why in this national tournament. He has not lost a match to a Division II wrestler. He is now a four-time national qualifier and the way he has bounced back after being forced to miss all of the 2021 season due to Covid is a testament to his mental fortitude and commitment to the sport of wrestling. If he passes the test in Kam Teacher in the semifinals he faces a fellow Division I transfer in Streck. They have a history dating all the way back to 2018 CKLV. There Streck was a 5-1 victor over Dunn in what would be their only collegiate meeting. Their paths have diverged since then, but now they find themselves on a collision course with a national title on the line. Andrew Dunn is the champion of this weight until someone defeats him and it has not happened yet.
1st Andrew Dunn - Kutztown University
2nd Shawn Streck - Central Oklahoma University
3rd Kameron Teacher - St Cloud State University
4th Francesco Borsellino - West Liberty University
5th Jacob Robb - Mercyhurst University
6th Darrell Mason - Minnesota State University Mankato
7th Lee Herrington - University of Nebraska Kearney
8th Weston Hunt - Colorado School of Mines
I know you are all dying to see my team race prediction as well. I truly believe that this will be a four-team race between Nebraska Kearney, St Cloud State, West Liberty, and Central Oklahoma. Keep your eye on Indianapolis, Gannon, and Kutztown as they look to play spoiler while pushing for the top five as well.
Team Champions: University of Nebraska-Kearney
Runner-up: Central Oklahoma University
3rd Place: St Cloud State University
4th: West Liberty University
5th: University of Indianapolis
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