InterMat Staff

Don Henry (Photo/Gannon Athletics) ST. LOUIS, Mo. -- On Thursday the National Wrestling Coaches Association announced the NCAA Division II National Coach of the Year and six finalists as selected by their peers. The award is presented to the coach that has demonstrated outstanding effort throughout the season in developing and elevating their program on campus and in the community. The NWCA National Coach of the Year awards program is presented by Defense Soap, the official Hygiene partner of the NWCA. "In continuing our mission, Defense Soap is proud to partner with the NWCA, to keep wrestlers on the mat with our products and education in hygiene." Guy Sako, Founder and CEO of Defense Soap. The recipient of this year's NCAA Division II National Coach of the Year is Don Henry of Gannon University (PA). Coach Henry is in his 37th year at Gannon and his achievements this season include capturing the program's first Super Regional championship with six individual champions and qualifying eight athletes for the NCAA Championships. He currently has 50 athletes on his roster. "On behalf of the NWCA and our Board of Directors it is my privilege to recognize Coach Don Henry of Gannon University as the National Coach of the Year," said Mike Moyer, NWCA Executive Director. "Don's long-lasting commitment to Gannon and his program is truly impressive and rarely seen. Congratulations to him and his team and good luck to them as they compete this weekend at the national championships." 2021 NCAA DIVISION II COACH OF THE YEAR AWARD FINALISTS Super Region 1 - Don Henry, Gannon University Super Region 2 - Cy Wainwright, Newberry College Super Region 3 - Danny Irwin, West Liberty University Super Region 4 - Todd Steidley, University of Central Oklahoma Super Region 5 - Rocky Burkett, Northern State University Super Region 6 - Dalton Jensen, University of Nebraska at Kearney ABOUT THE NWCA The National Wrestling Coaches Association, established in 1928, is a non-profit organization for the advancement of all levels of the sport of wrestling with primary emphasis on developing coaches who work in academic environments. The three core competencies of the NWCA are: Coaching Development, Student-Athlete Welfare, and the Promotion of Wrestling.

UNI's Parker Keckeisen is a MAC champion with an undefeated record (Photo/Mark Lundy, Lutte-Lens.com) Freshmen have made huge impacts in recent years at the NCAA Wrestling Championships. And it definitely could happen again at this year's NCAA Championships in St. Louis. Freshmen have only had limited mat time during this pandemic shortened season, but a number of newcomers are capable of finishing high on the podium. A number of this year's top college freshmen have already excelled on the world stage at the age-group levels. That experience is so valuable and important when dealing with the pressure of the three-day NCAA tournament. There isn't quite the star power of recent freshman classes, but there are still some excellent wrestlers in this class. Carter Starocci defeated Nebraska's Mikey Labriola in the Big Ten semifinals (Photo/Sam Janicki, SJanickiPhoto.com) 1. Carter Starocci (Penn State, 174) Starocci may be the best of Penn State's stable of standout freshmen. He has the potential to win it all and follow a path similar to Mark Hall for the Nittany Lions. Starocci looks to have a complete skill set. He's talented, skilled and wrestles hard. Look for him to battle top-seed Michael Kemerer of Iowa again and expect a great match if it happens. 2. Sam Latona (Virginia Tech, 125) Latona has had a fabulous first season for the Hokies. He secured the No. 2 seed at NCAAs after winning the ACC title. He has made significant gains this season and definitely has a shot to make the finals in a weight class that is led by heavily favored Spencer Lee of Iowa. Latona (10-0) is among numerous wrestlers battling for a title shot. 3. A.J. Ferrari (Oklahoma State, 197) Ferrari looked superb in being named Outstanding Wrestler after winning a Big 12 title. He's a driven and confident wrestler who will not back down from anybody. He is 15-1 and peaking at the right time. The 197 class is fairly wide-open and Ferrari is a guy who looks capable of excelling when the stakes are highest. It will be interesting to see how he fares. 4. Parker Keckeisen (Northern Iowa, 184) Keckeisen has continued UNI's strong tradition of standouts at 184 pounds, following in the footsteps of NCAA champion Drew Foster and four-time NCAA qualifier Taylor Lujan. Keckeisen earned a hard-fought 5-3 win over Wyoming's Tate Samuelson in the Big 12 finals. Keckeisen is 13-0 this season and is definitely capable of placing high in his first national tournament. ASU's Cohlton Schultz won a Pac-12 title (Photo/Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWarriors.com) 5. Cohlton Schultz (Arizona State, 285) Schultz is another wrestler who has already wrestled in his share of big matches, He is a Cadet world champion and Junior world silver medalist in Greco-Roman wrestling who is expected to contend for a spot on the Olympic Team. Schultz is 12-0 in his first season with the Sun Devils, who have their sights set on earning a team trophy. 6. Greg Kerkvliet (Penn State, 285) Kerkvliet is another young standout who excelled at the age-group levels. He was a Cadet world champion and Junior world silver medalist. He will be a tough matchup for anyone he faces in a very deep heavyweight class. Kerkvliet finished fourth at Big Ten's, but his only losses were to wrestlers ranked second and third in the country. 7. Lucas Byrd (Illinois, 133) Byrd looked very good in the Big Ten tournament. He is a gritty, hard-nosed competitor. He lost a close battle to All-American Austin DeSanto of Iowa before coming back to place third. He defeated another top freshman, Northwestern's Chris Cannon, 7-1 in the match for third. Byrd takes an 11-2 record into the national tournament. 8. Keegan O'Toole (Missouri, 165) Missouri rolled to its 10th straight MAC team title and O'Toole was one of four champions for the Tigers. O'Toole has scored his share of bonus points and that could be key for a Missouri team that qualified all 10 wrestlers. O'Toole is a perfect 13-0 this season. 9. Chris Cannon (Northwestern, 133) Cannon has put together a solid season. He will take an 8-2 record into NCAAs after placing fourth in a loaded weight class at the Big Ten tournament. Cannon is someone who can put points on the scoreboard and is fun to watch compete. Missouri's Rocky Elman is 11-0 heading into the NCAAs (Photo/Mark Lundy, Lutte-Lens.com) 10. Rocky Elam (Missouri, 197) The Tigers have another tough newcomer in Elam, a prized recruit who captured a MAC title. He's another big bonus point scorer for Missouri. Elam could be a factor in a 197 class that is fairly wide open. He has compiled an 11-0 record this season after bumping up a weight class. Other notable freshmen ... Jaden Abas (Stanford, 149) It's no surprise to see the talented Abas making a big impact. He will look to add to his family's impressive history of success in this tournament. He has compiled an 8-2 record in his first varsity season. He won a Pac-12 title and could make a big splash in St. Louis. John Poznanski (Rutgers 184) Poznanski made a huge impact during this shortened season. He went 7-2 at 184 with five wins over ranked opponents. He is peaking at the right time after an impressive third-place finish at Big Tens. He earned a No. 6 seed for the NCAA Championships.

USA Wrestling has released its expected schedule for the Olympic Team Trials - Wrestling, which is set for April 2-3, 2021, in Fort Worth, Texas, at Dickies Arena. Competition begins Friday at 10 a.m. CT with challenge tournament preliminary rounds and quarterfinals for all weights in all three Olympic styles. The semifinals and finals for the challenge brackets are set for Friday night beginning at 6:30 p.m. CT. Saturday afternoon's action will start at noon CT with consolation competition, concluding with third-place matches. Finally, starting at 6:30 p.m. CT on Saturday, the best-of-three finals series for each weight class will be contested. Tickets are still available HERE! USA Wrestling will update with the NBC broadcasting schedule when more information becomes available. OLYMPIC TEAM TRIALS - WRESTLING April 2-3, 2021 | Dickies Arena (Fort Worth, Texas) Competition schedule (U.S. Central Time) Friday, April 2 Session I - Challenge Tournament Preliminaries, Quarterfinals, Consolation Rd(s) (ALL STYLES AND WEIGHTS) *All Championship matches will wrestle prior to Consolation rd. 1 10:00 AM - 3:30PM Session II - Challenge Tournament Semifinals and Finals 6:30 PM - 10:00 PM Saturday, April 3 Session III - Challenge Tournament Consolation, 3rd Place, True 3rd IF NEEDED (ALL STYLES AND WEIGHTS) 12:00 PM - 4:00PM Session IV - Tournament FINAL: Best of 3 Series 6:30 PM - 10:00 PM

Penn State hosted the 2021 Big Ten Wrestling Championships (Photo/Sam Janicki, SJanickiPhoto.com) The Big Ten Network's coverage of the 2021 wrestling season concluded with a record breaking 324,322 viewers for the final session of the 2021 Big Ten Wrestling Championships. Viewership reflected +29% growth from the previous record, set in 2020, and made it the most-watched wrestling championship broadcast in network history. Sunday's high-water mark followed BTN's first-ever Saturday broadcasts from the wrestling championships. Session 1 averaged over 140,000 viewers across four hours and peaked with 236,000 viewers. The session 2 semifinals earned over 222,000 viewers with a peak of 296,000 during the event. On Saturday night, another record was set as a special 30-minute edition of the Big Ten Network's original wrestling series, On The Mat, debuted. The story of Iowa's Spencer Lee delivered 146,000 viewers, which bested the previous On The Mat record of 103,000 viewers. In addition to the television audience, nearly 9 million minutes (8,869,665) of individual mats and consolation matches were streamed via Big Ten Network+ and the FOX Sports app. Digital consumption from the championship, driven primarily by YouTube, resulted in over 4.5 million minutes watched across multiple platforms. Wrestling remains the most-watched sport on the Big Ten Network YouTube page as illustrated with 3.8 million minutes watched over the weekend. Facebook (715,000 minutes watched) and Twitter (196,000 minutes watched) provided fans with additional opportunities to observe matches and highlights. The strong performance followed an exceptional regular season, where the average audience for a wrestling broadcast climbed to 150,262, up +23% from last season's 122,073 average. The continued ascension of regular season wrestling viewership is particularly notable in a year where multiple high-profile duals were canceled or postponed. BTN's digital and social platforms also flourished during the regular season. On The Mat, which produced 17 digital features and several television episodes this year, garnered over 178,000 views on YouTube. The latest installment of the show, telling the tragic story of Christian Miller and his impact on Nebraska wrestling, can be seen here. Additionally, the @B1GWrestling Instagram account, which was launched in January, grew 3200% during the course of the season leading to over two million views on the platform.

Pac-12 rivals Grant Willits and Real Woods will meet in the first round (Photo/Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWarriors.com) This year's opening round at the NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships may be one of the most exciting in several years. There are many intriguing matchups happening in the opening session that should be happening in the second or even third session. The NCAA Wrestling Committee faced a tall order seeding 33 wrestlers in 10 weight classes in a shortened season. Seeding was all over the board this season. There were seeds -- and even weight classes -- that were seeded well. Conversely, there were head-scratching seeds, which caused a bracket chaos and brought about some interesting early matchups. Let's examine the best first-round matchup in each of the 10 weight classes. 125: No. 6 Jakob Camacho (NC State) vs. No. 27 Gage Curry (American) Camacho had a strong season, going 8-2, with both of his losses coming to second-seeded freshman Sam Latona of Virginia Tech. The NC State sophomore could see Latona for a third time this season in the semifinals but has a tough path to get there. He opens with American's Gage Curry, a four-time NCAA qualifier who had a late start to his season due to American University not competing in the regular season. Curry is a dangerous matchup for Latona. He went 31-9 last season and placed fourth at the EIWA Championships. This year, Curry improved on his conference tournament finish, placing third. While Camacho remains a strong favorite here, look for Curry to make it a competitive match. 133: No. 14 Zach Price (South Dakota State) vs. No. 19 Chance Rich (CSUB) Price made a big leap from last season, going from slightly under .500 and failing to qualify for the NCAAs to posting a 14-4 record and earning a No. 14 seed in St. Louis. He had a bit of a disappointing Big 12 tournament, losing in the opening round as the No. 3 seed to Oklahoma's Tony Madrigal. Price battled back to place fifth. Rich wrestled only two matches prior to the Pac-12 Championships, beating NCAA qualifier Paul Bianchi of Little Rock and losing to Stanford's Jason Miranda. Rich got on a little bit of a roll at the Big 12 Championships, first beating Bianchi for a second time before giving Arizona State's Michael McGee his first and only loss of the season. Rich was able to get two extra matches after the conference, scoring a pair of technical falls. He earned an at-large berth on Tuesday. These two wrestlers are evenly matched, and it should be a fun one to watch. 141: No. 12 Grant Willits (Oregon State) vs. No. 21 Real Woods (Stanford) This is a matchup most wrestling fans circled when the brackets were released Wednesday night. It's a rematch from the finals of the Pac-12 Championships. Woods, a third seed at the NCAAs last season as a freshman, missed the entire regular season in 2021. He entered the Pac-12 tournament as the third seed and, as expected, appeared a little rusty. He won a pair of tight 3-2 matches to reach the finals against Willits. In the finals, Willits pinned Woods to claim the Pac-12 title. Willits, a three-time NCAA qualifier, brings a 9-2 record into the NCAAs. These two wrestlers met twice last season, with Woods winning both matches by major decision. 149: No. 1 Sammy Sasso (Ohio State) vs. No. 32 Andrew Alirez (Northern Colorado) The top-seeded Sasso will face a very tough first-round opponent in Alirez, a Senior Nationals freestyle champion (assuming Alirez gets past Greg Gaxiola of Hofstra in a pigtail match). Sasso enters the NCAAs undefeated (12-0) after claiming the Big Ten title. Northern Colorado's Alirez has battled injuries and injury defaulted at the conference tournament. The injury default loss is his only loss of the season. No matter how one looks at it, the fact that the NCAA Wrestling Committee seeded Alirez No. 32 in a field of 33 wrestlers is embarrassing. He might be the most talented wrestler in the bracket and he has to face the top-seeded wrestler in the first round. It remains to be seen how healthy Alirez will be in St. Louis, but this match could bring some fireworks in the opening session. Note: Alirez withdrew from the NCAAs after this article was published. 157: No. 6 Brayton Lee (Minnesota) vs. No. 27 Justin Ruffin (SIUE) Lee put together a strong season after moving up from 149 pounds. His only losses this season have come against the No. 1 and No. 5 seeds. Lee is coming off a strong third-place finish at the Big Ten Championships, with his lone defeat being a tiebreaker loss in the semifinals to Iowa's Kaleb Young. Ruffin, a three-time NCAA qualifier, won eight of his first nine matches this season. He was seeded third at the MAC Championships and opened with a victory before getting injured in his second match. He was forced to injury default in that match as well his next match. A healthy Ruffin could make it an interesting match. He's very skilled and has beaten some quality opponents throughout his career. But Ruffin does not appear to be healthy … and there is a chance he might not even take the mat in St. Louis. Note: Ruffin withdrew from the NCAAs after this article was published. 165: No. 10 Travis Wittlake (Oklahoma State) vs. No. 23 Joe Lee (Penn State) Wittlake looked to be on track to be the No. 2 seed at the NCAAs before getting upset in the Big 12 semifinals by North Dakota State's Luke Weber. He brings a 16-1 record to St. Louis. His No. 10 seed seems to be a major overreaction from the NCAA Wrestling Committee. Wittlake has a 44-3 record in his two seasons as Oklahoma State's 165-pound starter. Lee came into the season with high expectations after posting a 14-2 record last season as a redshirt. He has battled some inconsistency this season and enters the NCAAs with a 6-5 record. Lee was upset in the opening round of the Big Ten Championships by Maryland's Jonathan Spadafora and wound up eighth. Wittlake and Lee met last season in the consolation semifinals of the Southern Scuffle, with Wittlake taking the 8-4 victory. 174: No. 14 Hayden Hastings (Wyoming) vs. No. 19 Michael O'Malley (Drexel) Both these wrestlers have flown under the radar this season. Hastings, a three-time NCAA qualifier, won 13 of his first 14 matches this season, with the only during that span coming to Utah Valley's Demetrius Romero, who enters the NCAAs seeded No. 2. It looked as though Hastings and Romero would meet again in the Big 12 finals as the two entered the tournament as the top seeds. Hastings, though, fell in the semifinals to Northern Colorado's Jackson Hemauer and finished third. Drexel's O'Malley, a two-time NCAA qualifier, was undefeated heading into the EIWA Championships and earned the No. 1 seed. He reached the finals before losing a tight match (2-1) in the finals to Army West Point's Ben Pasiuk. This is a match that could go either way. 184: No. 4 Parker Keckeisen (Northern Iowa) vs. No. 29 Samuel Colbray (Iowa State) Northern Iowa's Keckeisen, a two-time Wisconsin state champion, has been one of the most impressive freshmen in the nation this season. He brings an unblemished record of 13-0 into the NCAAs after winning a MAC title. Colbray, a three-time NCAA qualifier, enters the tournament with a 6-3 record. All three of his losses this season have come to higher seeds, with one being to Keckeisen, 4-3. In that match, Keckeisen scored a late takedown and rode out Colbray for the victory. Round 2 could be another tight battle. 197: No. 5 Jacob Warner (Iowa) vs. No. 28 Nick Reenan (NC State) Iowa's Warner was awarded the No. 5 seed for the second consecutive season. He placed seventh at the NCAAs in 2019 and was expected to finish on the podium again last season before the NCAA tournament was canceled. He is 8-2 this season, with his only losses coming to the top two seeds, No. 1 Myles Amine of Michigan and No. 2 Eric Schultz of Nebraska. Reenan, a three-time NCAA qualifier, split time with Isaac Trumble in NC State's lineup this season but secured the starting spot late in the season. He finished fourth at the ACC Championships and brings a 7-3 season mark into the NCAAs. Reenan is a talented competitor who has battled injuries throughout his college career. He reached Final X in 2018. Reenan has beaten Warner before (prior to college). This is a big match for team race. The Hawkeyes need Warner to make a run through the championship side of the bracket, while NC State is hoping Reenan can overperform as the No. 28 seed. 285: No. 9 Greg Kerkvliet (Penn State) vs. No. 24 Michael McAleavey (Citadel) Kerkvliet, a multiple-time age-group world medalist and 2017 cadet world champion, was the nation's top recruit in the Class of 2019. Last season, Kerkvliet competed in open tournaments, compiling an 8-0 record. It looked as though he might be sidelined this season due to injury but was inserted into Penn State's lineup late in the season. Kerkvliet wrestled a couple matches prior to the Big Ten Championships, getting two pins against Maryland. He went on to finish fourth in a deep and talented weight class at the Big Tens. He notched victories over NCAA qualifiers Christian Lance of Nebraska and Trent Hillger of Wisconsin and took losses to Michigan's Mason Parris and Iowa's Tony Cassioppi. McAleavey comes into the NCAAs with a 15-1 record this season. Over half his wins this season have come by pin. He won the SoCon title with a 5-3 victory over Campbell's Taye Ghadiali, becoming the first Citadel wrestler to win a conference championship since 2015.

Iowa's Michael Kemerer is seeded No. 1 at 174 pounds (Photo/Sam Janicki, SJanickiPhoto.com) 125: No. 1 Spencer Lee (Iowa) 7-0 No. 2 Sam Latona (Virginia Tech) 10-0 No. 3 Brandon Courtney (Arizona State) 11-0 No. 4 Drew Hildebrandt (Central Michigan) 10-0 No. 5 Brody Teske (Northern Iowa) 12-1 No. 6 Jakob Camacho (NC State) 8-2 No. 7 Taylor LaMont (Utah Valley) 9-1 No. 8 RayVon Foley (Michigan State) 8-4 No. 9 Devin Schroder (Purdue) 9-4 No. 10 Malik Heinselman (Ohio State) 10-3 No. 11 Dylan Ragusin (Michigan) 7-3 No. 12 Michael DeAugustino (Northwestern) 6-3 No. 13 Liam Cronin (Nebraska) 9-3 No. 14 Jaret Lane (Lehigh) 9-0 No. 15 Patrick McKee (Minnesota) 8-6 No. 16 Codi Russell (Appalachian State) 15-1 No. 17 Killian Cardinale (West Virginia) 12-4 No. 18 Noah Surtin (Missouri) 8-4 No. 19 Eric Barnett (Wisconsin) 7-5 No. 20 Jake Ferri (Kent State) 13-2 No. 21 Trevor Mastrogiovanni (Oklahoma State) 13-4 No. 22 Daniel Vega (South Dakota State) 14-6 No. 23 Robert Howard (Penn State) 5-4 No. 24 Fabian Gutierrez (Chattanooga) 14-3 No. 25 Logan Treaster (Navy) 11-2 No. 26 Jackson DiSario (Stanford) 7-3 No. 27 Gage Curry (American) 4-1 No. 28 Brandon Kaylor (Oregon State) 9-5 No. 29 Zurich Storm (Campbell) 8-5 No. 30 Micah Roes (Binghamton) 6-2 No. 31 Jonathan Tropea (Rider) 6-4 No. 32 Patrick McCormick (Virginia) 8-5 No. 33 Kysen Terukina (Iowa State) 8-5 133: No. 1 Daton Fix (Oklahoma State) 9-0 No. 2 Roman Bravo-Young (Penn State) 9-0 No. 3 Korbin Myers (Virginia Tech) 8-0 No. 4 Austin DeSanto (Iowa) 7-1 No. 5 Micky Phillippi (Pittsburgh) 8-1 No. 6 Matt Schmitt (Missouri) 10-1 No. 7 Lucas Byrd (Illinois) 11-2 No. 8 Chris Cannon (Northwestern) 8-2 No. 9 Michael McGee (Arizona State) 8-1 No. 10 Louie Hayes (Virginia) 10-4 No. 11 Anthony Madrigal (Oklahoma) 6-9 No. 12 Jarrett Trombley (NC State) 7-4 No. 13 Zach Redding (Iowa State) 10-5 No. 14 Zach Price (South Dakota State) 14-4 No. 15 Mosha Schwartz (Northern Colorado) 6-4 No. 16 Devan Turner (Oregon State) 6-4 No. 17 Malyke Hines (Lehigh) 6-1 No. 18 Kyle Burwick (Wisconsin) 6-6 No. 19 Chance Rich (CSU Bakersfield) 5-2 No. 20 Ryan Sullivan (West Virginia) 7-3 No. 21 Jared Van Vleet (Air Force) 5-5 No. 22 Mario Guillen (Ohio) 8-3 No. 23 Boo Dryden (Minnesota) 7-7 No. 24 Richie Koehler (Rider) 9-2 No. 25 Jacob Rundell (Purdue) 6-7 No. 26 Darren Miller (Bucknell) 9-2 No. 27 Jacob Allen (Navy) 8-5 No. 28 Ty Smith (Utah Valley) 8-5 No. 29 Paul Bianchi (Little Rock) 10-4 No. 30 Jordan Hamdan (Michigan State) 6-6 No. 31 Sean Carter (Appalachian State) 14-6 No. 32 Cole Rhone (Bloomsburg) 5-2 No. 33 Bryce West (Northern Illinois) 10-5 141: No. 1 Jaydin Eierman (Iowa) 8-0 No. 2 Nick Lee (Penn State) 8-1 No. 3 Sebastian Rivera (Rutgers) 8-1 No. 4 Tariq Wilson (NC State) 9-0 No. 5 Dom Demas (Oklahoma) 13-1 No. 6 Allan Hart (Missouri) 13-1 No. 7 Ian Parker (Iowa State) 13-2 No. 8 Chad Red (Nebraska) 11-3 No. 9 Dresden Simon (Central Michigan) 9-1 No. 10 Zachary Sherman (North Carolina) 8-2 No. 11 Cody Trybus (Navy) 12-0 No. 12 Grant Willits (Oregon State) 9-2 No. 13 DJ Lloren (Fresno State) 11-1 No. 14 Dylan Duncan (Illinois) 7-4 No. 15 Clay Carlson (South Dakota State) 16-6 No. 16 Cole Matthews (Pittsburgh) 6-5 No. 17 McKenzie Bell (Rider) 7-3 No. 18 Parker Filius (Purdue) 7-7 No. 19 Lane Peters (Army West Point) 6-2 No. 20 Brian Courtney (Virginia) 9-4 No. 21 Real Woods (Stanford) 4-1 No. 22 Anthony Brito (Appalachian State) 17-3 No. 23 Saul Ervin (SIU Edwardsville) 10-5 No. 24 Connor McGonagle (Lehigh) 5-4 No. 25 Drew Mattin (Michigan) 4-6 No. 26 Colin Valdiviez (Northwestern) 4-8 No. 27 Angelo Martinoni (CSU Bakersfield) 4-1 No. 28 Marcos Polanco (Minnesota) 6-7 No. 29 Chase Zollmann (Wyoming) 12-6 No. 30 Dylan D'Emilio (Ohio State) 7-6 No. 31 Julian Flores (Drexel) 6-3 No. 32 Cayden Rooks (Indiana) 5-9 No. 33 Vinny Vespa (Hofstra) 4-5 149: No. 1 Sammy Sasso (Ohio State) 12-0 No. 2 Austin O`Connor (North Carolina) 8-0 No. 3 Brock Mauller (Missouri) 17-0 No. 4 Boo Lewallen (Oklahoma State) 16-1 No. 5 Ridge Lovett (Nebraska) 8-1 No. 6 Bryce Andonian (Virginia Tech) 8-2 No. 7 Jonathan Millner (Appalachian State) 13-1 No. 8 Jaden Abas (Stanford) 8-2 No. 9 Legend Lamer (Cal Poly) 11-1 No. 10 Mike Van Brill (Rutgers) 5-4 No. 11 Kanen Storr (Michigan) 7-4 No. 12 Max Murin (Iowa) 4-3 No. 13 Mitch Moore (Oklahoma) 9-5 No. 14 Michael Blockhus (Minnesota) 8-6 No. 15 Griffin Parriott (Purdue) 7-2 No. 16 PJ Ogunsanya (Army West Point) 9-0 No. 17 Kyle Parco (Fresno State) 14-1 No. 18 Jarrett Degen (Iowa State) 6-3 No. 19 Casey Cobb (Navy) 8-1 No. 20 Joshua Heil (Campbell) 7-2 No. 21 Graham Rooks (Indiana) 4-5 No. 22 Jimmy Hoffman (Lehigh) 4-4 No. 23 Tristan Lara (Northern Iowa) 6-6 No. 24 Luke Nichter (Drexel) 8-1 No. 25 Yahya Thomas (Northwestern) 8-5 No. 26 Anthony Cheloni (Northern Illinois) 10-3 No. 27 Josh Finesilver (Duke) 6-3 No. 28 Peyton Omania (Michigan State) 4-6 No. 29 Kody Komara (Kent State) 12-6 No. 30 Marcus Robinson (Cleveland State) 8-4 No. 31 Cory Crooks (Arizona State) 8-5 No. 32 Andrew Alirez (Northern Colorado) 4-1 No. 33 Greg Gaxiola (Hofstra) 4-3 157: No. 1 Ryan Deakin (Northwestern) 6-0 No. 2 Hayden Hidlay (NC State) 9-0 No. 3 David Carr (Iowa State) 15-0 No. 4 Jesse Dellavecchia (Rider) 7-0 No. 5 Kaleb Young (Iowa) 5-1 No. 6 Brayton Lee (Minnesota) 10-3 No. 7 Jarrett Jacques (Missouri) 10-2 No. 8 Jared Franek (North Dakota State) 11-3 No. 9 Kendall Coleman (Purdue) 11-3 No. 10 Justin Thomas (Oklahoma) 11-4 No. 11 Jacori Teemer (Arizona State) 7-1 No. 12 Brady Berge (Penn State) 8-3 No. 13 Hunter Willits (Oregon State) 9-3 No. 14 Will Lewan (Michigan) 7-3 No. 15 Chase Saldate (Michigan State) 8-5 No. 16 Justin McCoy (Virginia) 9-2 No. 17 Requir van der Merwe (Stanford) 7-3 No. 18 Cade DeVos (South Dakota State) 13-9 No. 19 Holden Heller (Hofstra) 8-0 No. 20 Cody Bond (Appalachian State) 15-4 No. 21 Andrew Cerniglia (Navy) 8-1 No. 22 Benjamin Barton (Campbell) 10-2 No. 23 Jacob Wright (Wyoming) 16-4 No. 24 Nicholas Palumbo (Sacred Heart) 5-3 No. 25 Parker Kropman (Drexel) 6-2 No. 26 Johnny Lovett (Central Michigan) 8-3 No. 27 Justin Ruffin (SIU Edwardsville) 9-3 No. 28 Connor Brady (Virginia Tech) 7-5 No. 29 Caleb Licking (Nebraska) 5-6 No. 30 Joshua McClure (North Carolina) 5-5 No. 31 Markus Hartman (Army West Point) 5-2 No. 32 Michael Petite (Buffalo) 8-6 No. 33 Luca Frinzi (Lehigh) 4-3 165: No. 1 Alex Marinelli (Iowa) 5-0 No. 2 Anthony Valencia (Arizona State) 10-0 No. 3 Jake Wentzel (Pittsburgh) 9-1 No. 4 Mekhi Lewis (Virginia Tech) 8-2 No. 5 Zach Hartman (Bucknell) 10-0 No. 6 Keegan O`Toole (Missouri) 13-0 No. 7 Ethan Smith (Ohio State) 11-2 No. 8 Shane Griffith (Stanford) 6-1 No. 9 Luke Weber (North Dakota State) 13-2 No. 10 Travis Wittlake (Oklahoma State) 16-1 No. 11 Cameron Amine (Michigan) 9-2 No. 12 Jake Keating (Virginia) 10-3 No. 13 Tanner Skidgel (Navy) 11-2 No. 14 Peyton Robb (Nebraska) 9-5 No. 15 Dan Braunagel (Illinois) 7-2 No. 16 William Formato (Appalachian State) 17-2 No. 17 Thomas Bullard (NC State) 5-5 No. 18 Izzak Olejnik (Northern Illinois) 14-2 No. 19 Gerrit Nijenhuis (Purdue) 9-5 No. 20 Cole Moody (Wyoming) 13-5 No. 21 Peyton Hall (West Virginia) 13-4 No. 22 Kennedy Monday (North Carolina) 7-5 No. 23 Joe Lee (Penn State) 6-5 No. 24 Andrew Sparks (Minnesota) 9-4 No. 25 Jake Tucker (Michigan State) 5-7 No. 26 Andrew Nicholson (Chattanooga) 12-3 No. 27 Jake Silverstein (Rider) 9-3 No. 28 Rodrick Mosley (Gardner-Webb) 11-4 No. 29 Brian Meyer (Lehigh) 4-6 No. 30 Evan Barczak (Drexel) 6-3 No. 31 David Ferrante (Northwestern) 4-8 No. 32 Ricky Stamm (Hofstra) 7-2 No. 33 Austin Yant (Northern Iowa) 4-2 174: No. 1 Michael Kemerer (Iowa) 7-0 No. 2 Demetrius Romero (Utah Valley) 16-0 No. 3 Carter Starocci (Penn State) 8-2 No. 4 Mikey Labriola (Nebraska) 11-1 No. 5 Logan Massa (Michigan) 8-3 No. 6 Andrew McNally (Kent State) 10-1 No. 7 Kaleb Romero (Ohio State) 9-4 No. 8 Daniel Bullard (NC State) 8-1 No. 9 Donnell Washington (Indiana) 9-5 No. 10 Peyton Mocco (Missouri) 11-1 No. 11 Austin Murphy (Campbell) 12-0 No. 12 Bernie Truax (Cal Poly) 9-1 No. 13 Jackson Hemauer (Northern Colorado) 9-2 No. 14 Hayden Hastings (Wyoming) 15-2 No. 15 Thomas Flitz (Appalachian State) 16-3 No. 16 Clay Lautt (North Carolina) 5-3 No. 17 Benjamin Pasiuk (Army West Point) 5-0 No. 18 Dustin Plott (Oklahoma State) 14-4 No. 19 Michael O`Malley (Drexel) 7-1 No. 20 Trenton Munoz (Arizona State) 5-2 No. 21 Jacob Oliver (Edinboro) 11-4 No. 22 Mason Kauffman (Northern Illinois) 13-4 No. 23 Anthony Mantanona (Oklahoma) 8-7 No. 24 Jake Allar (Minnesota) 7-6 No. 25 Cody Surratt (Air Force) 6-5 No. 26 Jackson Turley (Rutgers) 6-3 No. 27 Cody Howard (Virginia Tech) 5-5 No. 28 Timothy Fitzpatrick (American) 5-1 No. 29 Lance Runyon (Northern Iowa) 7-5 No. 30 Victor Marcelli (Virginia) 8-5 No. 31 Jake Logan (Lehigh) 4-6 No. 32 Drew Hughes (Michigan State) 3-7 No. 33 Jacob Nolan (Binghamton) 6-2 184: No. 1 Aaron Brooks (Penn State) 9-0 No. 2 Trent Hidlay (NC State) 6-1 No. 3 Lou Deprez (Binghamton) 7-0 No. 4 Parker Keckeisen (Northern Iowa) 15-0 No. 5 Hunter Bolen (Virginia Tech) 9-1 No. 6 John Poznanski (Rutgers) 7-2 No. 7 Brit Wilson (Northern Illinois) 13-1 No. 8 Taylor Venz (Nebraska) 7-3 No. 9 Jeremiah Kent (Missouri) 9-1 No. 10 Tate Samuelson (Wyoming) 13-3 No. 11 Dakota Geer (Oklahoma State) 15-3 No. 12 Nelson Brands (Iowa) 7-4 No. 13 Christopher Weiler (Wisconsin) 6-4 No. 14 Caleb Hopkins (Campbell) 11-1 No. 15 Layne Malczewski (Michigan State) 9-4 No. 16 Max Lyon (Purdue) 7-6 No. 17 Owen Webster (Minnesota) 7-5 No. 18 Alan Clothier (Northern Colorado) 9-3 No. 19 Zach Braunagel (Illinois) 6-6 No. 20 David Key (Navy) 10-1 No. 21 Dominic Ducharme (CSU Bakersfield) 5-0 No. 22 Devin Kane (North Carolina) 8-3 No. 23 Charles Small (Hofstra) 7-2 No. 24 Rocky Jordan (Ohio State) 5-8 No. 25 Matthew Waddell (Chattanooga) 11-5 No. 26 DeAndre Nassar (Cleveland State) 9-3 No. 27 Taylor Brown (Army West Point) 6-4 No. 28 Dylan Ammerman (Lehigh) 3-2 No. 29 Samuel Colbray (Iowa State) 6-3 No. 30 Gregg Harvey (Pittsburgh) 6-6 No. 31 Ryan Reyes (Oregon State) 6-4 No. 32 Jhaquan Anderson (Gardner-Webb) 9-2 No. 33 Joe Accousti (Sacred Heart) 4-4 197: No. 1 Myles Amine (Michigan) 6-0 No. 2 Eric Schultz (Nebraska) 10-1 No. 3 Kordell Norfleet (Arizona State) 9-0 No. 4 AJ Ferrari (Oklahoma State) 15-1 No. 5 Jacob Warner (Iowa) 8-2 No. 6 Nino Bonaccorsi (Pittsburgh) 9-1 No. 7 Rocky Elam (Missouri) 11-0 No. 8 Stephen Buchanan (Wyoming) 11-3 No. 9 Noah Adams (West Virginia) 13-3 No. 10 Cameron Caffey (Michigan State) 8-4 No. 11 Jay Aiello (Virginia) 9-2 No. 12 Lucas Davison (Northwestern) 7-3 No. 13 Tanner Sloan (South Dakota State) 14-2 No. 14 Greg Bulsak (Clarion) 11-1 No. 15 Michael Beard (Penn State) 6-4 No. 16 Jake Jakobsen (Lehigh) 8-3 No. 17 JT Brown (Army West Point) 7-2 No. 18 Jacob Koser (Navy) 7-3 No. 19 Thomas Penola (Purdue) 10-4 No. 20 Max Shaw (North Carolina) 8-4 No. 21 Marcus Coleman (Iowa State) 7-4 No. 22 Chris Kober (Campbell) 6-0 No. 23 Bryan McLaughlin (Drexel) 6-2 No. 24 Benjamin Smith (Cleveland State) 5-4 No. 25 J.J Dixon (Oregon State) 7-4 No. 26 Jake Woodley (Oklahoma) 10-7 No. 27 Nick Stemmet (Stanford) 7-2 No. 28 Nick Reenan (NC State) 7-3 No. 29 Colin McCracken (Kent State) 8-5 No. 30 Trey Rogers (Hofstra) 6-3 No. 31 Owen Pentz (North Dakota State) 7-4 No. 32 Logan Andrew (Chattanooga) 10-6 No. 33 Billy Janzer (Rutgers) 3-5 285: No. 1 Gable Steveson (Minnesota) 12-0 No. 2 Mason Parris (Michigan) 8-1 No. 3 Matt Stencel (Central Michigan) 10-0 No. 4 Cohlton Schultz (Arizona State) 12-0 No. 5 Tony Cassioppi (Iowa) 8-2 No. 6 Gannon Gremmel (Iowa State) 15-1 No. 7 Ethan Laird (Rider) 8-1 No. 8 Jordan Wood (Lehigh) 7-2 No. 9 Greg Kerkvliet (Penn State) 6-2 No. 10 Deonte Wilson (NC State) 9-0 No. 11 Zach Elam (Missouri) 10-4 No. 12 Christian Lance (Nebraska) 9-5 No. 13 Brian Andrews (Wyoming) 6-4 No. 14 Trent Hillger (Wisconsin) 6-4 No. 15 Carter Isley (Northern Iowa) 9-5 No. 16 Luke Luffman (Illinois) 8-5 No. 17 Wyatt Hendrickson (Air Force) 13-3 No. 18 Hunter Catka (Virginia Tech) 9-2 No. 19 Josh Heindselman (Oklahoma) 10-5 No. 20 Quinn Miller (Virginia) 9-2 No. 21 Tate Orndorff (Ohio State) 7-8 No. 22 Brandon Metz (North Dakota State) 9-6 No. 23 Michael McAleavey (The Citadel) 15-1 No. 24 Johnathan Birchmeier (Navy) 7-2 No. 25 Nathan Traxler (Stanford) 6-2 No. 26 Sam Schuyler (Buffalo) 8-2 No. 27 Zachary Knighton-Ward (Hofstra) 7-3 No. 28 Jon Spaulding (Edinboro) 11-4 No. 29 Austin Harris (Oklahoma State) 9-6 No. 30 Joe Doyle (Binghamton) 2-2 No. 31 Andrew Gunning (North Carolina) 4-4 No. 32 Taye Ghadiali (Campbell) 7-5

The 2021 NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships will take place St. Louis (Photo/Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWarriors.com The brackets have been released for the 2021 NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships. The event takes place March 18-20 in St. Louis. Link: Brackets

Iowa's Spencer Lee is seeded No. 1 at 125 pounds (Photo/Sam Janicki, SJanickiPhoto.com) The NCAA has started revealing the No. 1 and No. 2 seeds in each weight class for the 2021 NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships. The NCAA's selection show, which will unveil the complete list of seeds and brackets, is scheduled for 6 p.m. ET and can been be seen at NCAA.com. Below is a look at the No. 1 and No. 2 seeds revealed so far. Note: Refresh to see the latest updates.

A new wrestling coaching book called "A Coach's Manual: Everything You Need to be a Successful Coach" is now available for purchase at Championship Products. The book was written by longtime wrestling coach John Klessinger. To purchase the book, click here. Features & Benefits Master every aspect of the art of coaching and become the ultimate leader for your team! Learn the 21 concepts that John Klessinger learned in 21 years as a head wrestling coach Discover what it takes to succeed as a coach, both in your sport's competition and behind the scenes of your program Get the most out of your athletes by building a personal relationship with them and tailoring your communication approach to each athlete There is so much more to coaching than teaching an athlete how to shoot a jump shot, how to pin an opponent, or how to hand-off a baton when running a relay. That's why John Klessinger, with over 20 years of experience as a high school wrestling coach, decided to put together A Coach's Manual- Everything You Need To Be A Successful Coach. Inside, Coach Klessinger leaves no stone unturned addressing everything that coaches must consider when assisting or leading a program. He gives readers important questions to ask themselves as they develop their coaching abilities, plus examples from his own wrestling program that are sure to sound oh-so-familiar to anyone that's spent time as a coach. Whether you're just beginning as a coach or want to refresh your approach after years in charge, this book will give you the blueprint you need to find success with all aspects of your program and profession. Book excerpt SETTING THE EXAMPLE "You can't force your will on people. If you want them to act differently, you need to inspire them to change themselves." -Phil Jackson, 9X NBA Championship Coach As I said earlier, after three years as a head wrestling coach, I was frustrated and felt stuck. Three consecutive losing seasons. Honestly, it was four straight losing seasons as a head coach, including one year in North Carolina right after college. I contemplated quitting. Coaching was not rewarding for me, and losing didn't help matters. I did not walk into an established program, and I was naïve that showing up each day teaching wrestling moves was enough to win. I didn't know how to motivate athletes or get the best out of them. I lacked adequate knowledge of developing accountability and discipline. Like many young coaches, I knew a lot about the sport and little about coaching -- a big difference. After that third year, I decided that I was responsible for whether we win or lose. I had to first "set the example" for my team. I had to build our program like a carpenter building a house. We had to start from the ground up. First, create the foundation and then construct the frame of the house. It started with my own enthusiasm and belief in what we were doing. I had to teach them a strong work ethic. I did this by participating in most wrestling and conditioning drills for the next 7-8 years. If I wanted them to work hard, I had to show them how to do it. Next, I knew we needed to improve our daily attendance, out-of-season lifting and wrestling, and attitude to be successful. I made a decision that has changed my coaching career. I decided to be at every practice, no excuses, and no exceptions. I know now that leadership starts in the front, and I had to model it first for others to buy-in. I then changed our program's mindset and attitude. Part of that was changing my mindset and attitude. I studied and learned sports performance, personal development, and leadership. Today, I teach my athletes ways to improve their mindset to enhance their performance, starting the first practice. The building and construction of my program meant that I needed to be a model as a teacher, coach, citizen, father, and husband. It became a priority to live life and be the person I wanted my athletes to be. I had to "set the example" for them. Setting the example is doing all the right things first, then helping those around you do the same. Bear in mind; this wasn't only due to wanting a winning team. I was fed up on both a personal and professional level. Much of our success has been a by-product of me changing my mindset and attitude. Setting the Example in Action You already know the action steps I took to develop a winning program. It was a personal choice and no way a requirement to be successful. By doing the things I did, I developed a stronger rapport with my athletes. Completing workouts with them showed that I was willing to suffer alongside them. It still does, although it is becoming difficult to "keep up" as I get older. I used to drag them and show them they can do more than they think they are capable of. The reverse has become true these days. They drag and encourage me. Deciding to be the model for attendance has come with sacrifice. I have sacrificed time with my family to make sure I can be at every practice and workout. It is a conscious decision. One that I make each year to teach my athletes commitment and accountability. Again, I cannot expect others to do what I am not willing to do first. If I want them to be at every practice and workout, I have to be the one who demonstrates it first. Not everyone buys into 100% attendance. Coaching a winter sport comes with sick athletes and family events during Thanksgiving and Christmas. It's a battle at times, but our commitment level has improved tremendously over the years and certainly has contributed to our success each season. What can you do today? 1. What are some ways you can "set the example" for your athletes? Make a list. 2. What are some actions you can take to improve your program? 3. Gandhi said, "be the change you wish to see in others." How can you be the change for your athletes? What can you teach them by modeling? 4. Refer back to your mission statement. Why is it essential for you to set the example for your team?

Indiana's Nick South, who beat multiple NCAA qualifiers, failed to earn an at-large berth (Photo/Sam Janicki, SJanickiPhoto.com) The 64 at-large selections for the 2021 NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships were announced Tuesday. Overall, the NCAA Wrestling Committee did a nice job of ensuring the most deserving wrestlers received at-large selections. The selections were made busing the following criteria: head-to-head competition, quality wins (defined as wins against wrestlers already in the field), coaches ranking, results against common opponents, conference tournament placement and winning percentage. Subjective criteria, like past performance, could also be used, according to the NCAA. Let's examine 10 notable wrestlers -- one in each weight class -- who failed to qualify for NCAAs. 125: Cody Phippen (Air Force) Phippen, a sophomore, had a strong season, compiling a 12-4 record. Three of his four losses came against NCAA qualifiers (two to Oklahoma State's Trevor Mastrogiovanni and one to WVU's Killian Cardinale). He entered the Big 12 Championships seeded No. 6. After falling in the quarterfinals to Mastrogiovanni in sudden victory, Phippen rebounded with a victory before losing to Iowa State's Kysen Terukina. That loss is likely what kept him out of the tournament as Terukina received an at-large selection. 133: Haiden Drury (Fresno State) The true freshman from Washington had an up-and-down season, finishing with a 9-7 mark. His most notable win came on Feb. 6 when he defeated Northern Colorado's Mosha Schwartz, who was ranked No. 7 at the time. The two would meet again in the opening round of the Big 12 Championships, with Schwartz coming out on top this time, 7-2. Drury bounced back with a pair of wins in the consolation bracket before facing Schwartz for a third time this season in the consolation semifinals. Once again, Schwartz came out on top, 14-4, which sent Drury to the fifth-place match. He dropped that match to South Dakota's State's Zach Price, 8-1. 141: Sammy Hillegas (Virginia Tech) Hillegas, a true freshman from Pennsylvania, found himself on the outside looking in after a disappointing ACC tournament, where he went 0-2. He dropped his opening match at the ACCs to Pitt's Cole Matthews in tiebreaker. He then fell to Virginia's Brian Courtney, 7-2. Hillegas started his season 4-0 before going 1-5 over his last six matches to finish the season 5-5. All five of his losses came against NCAA qualifiers. Hillegas may have qualified for the NCAAs in a normal season, but with a loaded conference tournament weight class and limited schedule, he was unable to get the quality wins needed to earn a qualifying spot. NC State's Ed Scott had a win over three-time NCAA qualifier Josh Finesilver of Duke (Photo/NC State Athletics) 149: Ed Scott (North Carolina State) Scott stepped into NC State's lineup as a true freshman and had a productive season. He notched a win over three-time NCAA qualifier Josh Finesilver of Duke in his final match of the regular season. Scott entered the ACC tournament seeded third, one spot ahead of Finesilver. He opened his tournament by defeating Pitt's Mick Burnett. Scott then fell in the semifinals to Virginia Tech's Bryce Andonian, 11-6. He came back to beat Virginia's Denton Spencer before losing to Finesilver by major decision in the third-place match. 157: Wyatt Sheets (Oklahoma State) Sheets, a 2020 NCAA qualifier, had his most disappointing loss when it mattered most, which is ultimately what kept him out of the NCAA tournament. Seeded sixth at the Big 12 Championships, Sheets opened his tournament with a major decision. He then dropped his quarterfinal match to North Dakota State's Jared Franek, 7-5. Sheets was then paired with Alex Hornfeck of West Virginia in his first consolation match. The two met earlier in the season, with Sheets winning 8-2. This time it was Hornfeck who came out on top, 6-3. 165: Nick South (Indiana) One might wonder why a wrestler with a 5-8 record is included on this list. But dig a little deeper and you will see that all eight of his losses this season came against NCAA qualifiers. In addition, he had wins over NCAA qualifiers David Ferrante of Northwestern and Jake Tucker of Michigan State. Indiana head wrestling coach Angel Escobedo shared his frustration on Twitter after South was left off the list of at-large selections on Tuesday. 174: Jared Krattiger (Wisconsin) Krattiger, like the aforementioned South, had a losing record in the Big Ten (4-5), but all of his losses this season came against NCAA qualifiers. He posted a 2-0 record against NCAA qualifier Jake Allar of Minnesota, with one of those wins coming at the Big Ten Championships. 184: Michael Battista (Virginia) Battista looked like a solid bet to qualify for the NCAAs heading into the postseason. He took a 6-2 record to the ACC Championships and earned a No. 4 seed. The Virginia junior was edged in his first match by Pitt's Gregg Harvey, a wrestler he defeated earlier in the season. He then dropped his next match to UNC's Devin Kane, 8-3. Harvey, despite having a worse record, was selected over Battista for an at-large spot based on the higher conference finish and most recent head-to-head victory. 197: Gavin Hoffman (Ohio State) Hoffman, who beat out 2019 NCAA qualifier Chase Singletary to earn his spot in the Buckeye lineup, was seeded ninth at the Big Ten Championships in a weight class with six qualification spots. He started his tournament by beating eighth-seeded Matt Wroblewski of Illinois, avenging a loss from earlier in the season. He was then defeated in the quarterfinals by top-seeded Eric Schultz of Nebraska, 2-0. Hoffman met Billy Janzer of Rutgers in his first consolation match. The two met earlier in the season, with Hoffman winning that meeting 3-2. Janzer flipped the result at the Big Tens, taking a 3-2 victory, which eliminated Hoffman from the tournament. Janzer earned one of the six at-large selections at 197 pounds, while Hoffman was left out. 285: Colton McKiernan (SIU Edwardsville) McKiernan, a 2019 NCAA qualifier, started his season by winning six of his first seven matches, before losing narrowly -- in sudden victory -- to Missouri's Zach Elam in the final match of the regular season. He was seeded sixth at the MAC Championships, which pitted him against the third-seeded Elam in the quarterfinals. Elam took the match 5-1. McKierman battled back to win his next two matches before losing 3-0 to Edinboro's Jon Spaulding in the consolation quarterfinals.

Max Mejia (Photo/Augsburg Athletics) MINNEAPOLIS -- Augsburg University women's wrestling head coach Max Mejia has submitted his resignation, after leading the Auggie program for the past two seasons, the university announced on Tuesday. Mejia helped to launch the Auggie women's wrestling program in 2019, coaching the team through its first two seasons. The Auggies finished fifth at the 2021 National Collegiate Women's Wrestling Championships (NCAA schools) on Saturday, the best finish among all NCAA Division III teams at the event. "I have appreciated my time here in the Augsburg Athletics Department," Mejia said. "It has been a blessing to be involved with a university with such a strong wrestling culture. It was special to be a part of the process that led to establishing the only women's wrestling program in the state of Minnesota." Mejia is scheduled to complete his coaching responsibilities on March 12, before relocating to Oregon to be with his fiance. A national search will begin immediately for Mejia's replacement, according to Augsburg Athletic Director Jeff Swenson. 2021 NCWWC Augsburg womens wrestling team photo"I want to thank Max for his leadership of the women's wrestling program," Swenson said. "Our dreams are being realized with starting a women's wrestling program just two years ago. Our numbers are strong and Max has given us a great foundation to build on. We wish Max the best in his future endeavors." In his two seasons at Augsburg, Mejia coached the Auggies to three top-10 national finishes, including this season's fifth-place finish at the 2021 NCWWC. Under his guidance, the Auggies won three individual national titles, earned 12 All-American honors and one NCWWC Outstanding Wrestler of the Meet honor. In just two short years, Mejia has led the Auggies to become one of the top collegiate women's wrestling programs in the country.

Stanford's Real Woods received an at-large berth at 141 pounds (Photo/Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWarriors.com) INDIANAPOLIS -- The NCAA announced the 64 at-large selections for the 2021 NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships at the Enterprise Center in St. Louis. The at-large selections, listed in alphabetical order by weight class, join the 266 student-athletes that qualified through their conference tournament finishes over the last two weekends. The at-large selections were made by the NCAA Division I Wrestling Committee using the following selection criteria: head-to-head competition, quality wins (defined as wins against wrestlers already in the field), coaches ranking, results against common opponents, conference tournament placement and winning percentage. The committee was also able to use subjective criteria such as, but not limited to, historical performance. Seeding and brackets for this year's event will be revealed tomorrow, March 10, during the NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships Selection Show on NCAA.com at 6 p.m. ET. 125: Eric Barnett Wisconsin 7-5 Big Ten Liam Cronin Nebraska 9-3 Big Ten Fabian Gutierrez Chattanooga 14-3 SoCon Brandon Kaylor Oregon State 9-5 Pac 12 Micah Roes Binghamton 6-2 EIWA Zurich Storm Campbell 8-5 SoCon Kysen Terukina Iowa State 8-5 Big 12 133: Paul Bianchi Little Rock 10-4 Pac 12 Michael McGee Arizona State 8-1 Pac 12 Chance Rich CSU Bakersfield 5-2 Pac 12 Ty Smith Utah Valley 8-5 Big 12 Ryan Sullivan West Virginia 7-3 Big 12 Jared Van Vleet Air Force 5-5 Big 12 141: Brian Courtney Virginia 9-4 ACC Dylan D'Emilio Ohio State 7-6 Big Ten Marcos Polanco Minnesota 6-7 Big Ten Cayden Rooks Indiana 5-9 Big Ten Real Woods Stanford 4-1 Pac 12 Chase Zollmann Wyoming 12-6 Big 12 149: Andrew Alirez Northern Colorado 4-1 Big 12 Casey Cobb Navy 8-1 EIWA Cory Crooks Arizona State 8-5 Pac 12 Max Murin Iowa 4-3 Big Ten Peyton Omania Michigan State 4-6 Big Ten Yahya Thomas Northwestern 8-5 Big Ten 157: Benjamin Barton Campbell 10-2 SoCon Cade DeVos South Dakota State 13-9 Big 12 Markus Hartman Army West Point 5-2 EIWA Justin Ruffin SIU Edwardsville 9-3 MAC Requir van der Merwe Stanford 7-3 Pac 12 Jacob Wright Wyoming 16-4 Big 12 165: Dan Braunagel Illinois 7-2 Big Ten Alex Cramer Central Michigan 7-4 MAC William Formato Appalachian State 17-2 SoCon Mekhi Lewis Virginia Tech 8-2 ACC Kennedy Monday North Carolina 7-5 ACC Rodrick Mosley Gardner-Webb 11-4 SoCon Andrew Sparks Minnesota 9-4 Big Ten 174: Thomas Flitz Appalachian State 16-3 SoCon Mason Kauffman Northern Illinois 13-4 MAC Anthony Mantanona Oklahoma 8-7 Big 12 Victor Marcelli Virginia 8-5 ACC Lance Runyon Northern Iowa 7-5 Big 12 Cody Surratt Air Force 6-5 Big 12 Jackson Turley Rutgers 6-3 Big Ten 184: Jhaquan Anderson Gardner-Webb 9-2 SoCon Zach Braunagel Illinois 6-6 Big Ten Samuel Colbray Iowa State 6-3 Big 12 Gregg Harvey Pittsburgh 6-6 ACC Rocky Jordan Ohio State 5-8 Big Ten Ryan Reyes Oregon State 6-4 Pac 12 197: Logan Andrew Chattanooga 10-6 SoCon Billy Janzer Rutgers 3-5 Big Ten Colin McCracken Kent State 8-5 MAC Thomas Penola Purdue 10-4 Big Ten Owen Pentz North Dakota State 7-4 Big 12 Nick Reenan NC State 7-3 ACC Tanner Sloan South Dakota State 14-2 Big 12 285: Johnathan Birchmeier Navy 7-2 EIWA Austin Harris Oklahoma State 9-6 Big 12 Carter Isley Northern Iowa 9-5 Big 12 Luke Luffman Illinois 8-5 Big Ten Sam Schuyler Buffalo 8-2 MAC Jon Spaulding Edinboro 11-4 MAC

Iowa's Michael Kemerer defeated PSU's Carter Starocci to win the Big Ten title at 174 pounds (Photo/Sam Janicki, SJanickiPhoto.com) The Big Ten tournament wrapped up on Sunday afternoon. The Iowa Hawkeyes won the team title with four individual champions. After this performance, they enter the NCAA tournament as the clear favorites. Richard Mann (@richardamann) and Clay Sauertieg (@ByCSauertieg) returned from hiatus to break down all of the matches from the finals. 0:00 - Open 3:59 - Spencer Lee vs. Devin Schroder 6:40 - Roman Bravo-Young vs. Austin DeSanto 11:22 - Jaydin Eierman vs. Nick Lee 17:30 - Sammy Sasso vs. Ridge Lovett 21:10 - Ryan Deakin vs. Kaleb Young 23:47 - Alex Marinelli vs. Ethan Smith 28:22 - Michael Kemerer vs. Carter Starocci 31:52 - Aaron Brooks vs. Taylor Venz 36:53 - Myles Amine vs. Eric Schultz 41:34 - Gable Steveson vs. Mason Parris 49:57 - Final thoughts

Sam Schmitz TIFFIN, Ohio -- On Saturday following the National Collegiate Women's Wrestling Championships, the National Wrestling Coaches Association announced the winner of the NCAA Women's Defense Soap National Coach of the Year. NWCA Executive Director Mike Moyer presented Sam Schmitz of McKendree University with the award after he was selected by his peers for a second consecutive year. The award is presented to the coach that has demonstrated outstanding effort throughout the season in developing and elevating their program on campus and in the community. The NWCA National Coach of the Year awards program is presented by Defense Soap, the official Hygiene partner of the NWCA. "In continuing our mission, Defense Soap is proud to partner with the NWCA, to keep wrestlers on the mat with our products and education in hygiene." Guy Sako, Founder and CEO of Defense Soap. McKendree took home the team title for the second year in a row with 209 pts over second-place King University 171.5 pts. The Bearcats of McKendree also brought home 14 individual All-Americans with eight national finalists and six national champions. The NCWWC currently serves as the national championships for NCAA-affiliated women's programs until the sport receives championship status. "On behalf of the NWCA and our Board of Directors, it is an honor to recognize Coach Schmitz as our Defense Soap National Coach of the Year," said NWCA Executive Director Mike Moyer. "What Sam has been able to build and sustain at McKendree is nothing short of amazing. He truly is a wonderful ambassador for our sport and more specifically women's wrestling." ABOUT THE NWCA The National Wrestling Coaches Association, established in 1928, is a non-profit organization for the advancement of all levels of the sport of wrestling with primary emphasis on developing coaches who work in academic environments. The three core competencies of the NWCA are: Coaching Development, Student-Athlete Welfare, and the Promotion of Wrestling.

Adeline Gray after getting a victory at 2020 Senior Nationals (Photo/Sam Janicki, SJanickiPhoto.com) Five-time world champion Adeline Gray penned a letter to women's wrestlers on International Women's Day. The letter was posted by Wrestle Like a Girl. To the girls on the mat, We see you. Your heart is brave. Your vision is wide. You thrive in challenging yourself. You like to make your own decisions. You feel natural in leading yourself in school, with your friends and family. Wrestling is a home, one where we challenge ourselves mentally, physically and emotionally. We set goals. We achieve them and we fall short. We win and we lose. We receive instruction and adapt. We learn grit, patience, self-acceptance, self-belief. We meet our feelings - ​happiness, excitement, frustration, sadness, anger, and we learn that moving through them keeps us moving forward. We learn who the right people are to put in our corner because we know they will support us, encourage us, and love us regardless of the outcome. We become disciplined by making choices that keep our health, academics, and training at a level of excellence. We come to know humility, sisterhood and a bond that is greater than what we have known before. And time goes on, we learn that we have become leaders. We have the confidence, critical thinking, and emotional resilience to reach our full potential in every part of our lives. Welcome home -- I'm proud to be your sister-in-wrestling and I stand-by watching you make HERstory. Adeline Gray Olympian and 5x World Champion

CORSIER-SUR-VEVEY, Switzerland -- When Nenad Lalovic was appointed interim president of the international federation for wrestling in 2013 the sport faced an uphill battle for Olympic reinstatement and lacked wide-reaching respect among those in the global sports community. Behind the scenes, the federation was suffering from a number of issues, primary among them an ineffective outreach to female athletes and leaders. Few opportunities existed for women interested in taking the mats and even fewer were available for those interested in positions of leadership. On the mats women only had four Olympic weight categories while their male counterparts in freestyle enjoyed seven. There were few female bureau members, no commissions aimed at increasing diversity, and an overall dearth of experienced women in place to change the future. "We knew that we needed to change," said Lalovic. "Re-branding and changing the rules were important, but as a federation it was vital we make efforts to diversify and include more women. We wanted to find a way to promote their activities and give them opportunities to succeed and gain experience." The 2016 Games in Rio saw male and female freestyle wrestlers compete in the same number of weight categories for the first time ever. The first change was increasing the number of competed Olympic opportunities to ensure that men's and women's freestyle were equal with six categories a piece. Having an equal playing field, meant having more gold medal opportunities. The media splash from that move was well-documented, but behind the scenes a larger - and arguably more important mission -- was made clear: equalize the opportunities for women to participate in the organization and to take leadership positions within their own NF's. Eight years later Lalovic and the worldwide wrestling family are witnessing an era of unparalleled opportunity for women. With an eye on total gender equality, wrestling implemented a vision where wrestling would be 50-50 male/female participation at the 2022 Youth Olympic Games in Dakar (now postponed to 2026). The sport of women's wrestling has also garnered an incredible online following with the top social media moments in four of the last five years belonging to women. The most-watched match on the United World Wrestling YouTube page features female wrestlers Vinesh Phogat (IND) and Victoria Anthony (USA). "I'm very pleased with the performance of our women," said Lalovic. "When I look around an arena and see the crowds growing, I'm grateful but also not that surprised. We have the toughest women in the world, and they train as hard as anyone else. I'm happy for their continued success." But the triumph of wrestling's eight years promoting women's wrestling isn't contained to the mats. Scroll past the action posts and you'll find that women are also being provided opportunities to take leadership opportunities off-the-mat - a powerful option to create a sport that is stronger and more diverse than previous to 2013. "We aren't reinventing the wheel," said United World Wrestling development director Deqa Niamkey. "We have fantastic existing programs with room to accommodate our gender and diversity goals. Our national federations have responded well and have been using quotas for men and women." The programming works, and with more attention to quotas and educating the national federations on the benefits of sending female leaders on educational and professional development programs, the opportunities for women have flourished. Niamkey herself was named as a member of ASOIF's Gender Equality and Diversity Committee. "Professional opportunities equal to that of men are important because it allows the women to be promoted on merit throughout their national federations and to take leaderships positions within our commissions and committees," said Niamkey. "They now can attain the same qualifications and that's the key." In addition to the existing programming, there has been an effort to create conversation and collaboration via initiatives like the Women's Global Wrestling Forum, which began three years ago in Mexico. The second conference included female wrestling leaders from each continent and more than 20 nations across five days of unique programming, networking, and educational seminars in Istanbul. The forum was last hosted in 2019 and will be held again this November at a location to be determined. Since 2015 wrestling has also recognize powerful leaders in the women's wrestling community through the "Women's Prize Award" a certificate noting the individual's unique work in the space and a generous $10,000 award to support their initiatives to promote women's wrestling from the grassroots level to the elite. The development department has also added women referee's educational courses, coaching courses, and created women's wrestling training camps to respond to the needs of the national federations. "We are on a path to long term success," said Niamkey. "These opportunities will help create a new, diverse class of leaders which will be the backbone for the next generation of wrestling."

The Big Ten Wrestling Championships, the nation's premier conference wrestling tournament, took place Saturday and Sunday at Penn State. Below are my takeaways from the event. Iowa dominated With a lineup that is as veteran-heavy and as star-studded as this Hawkeye lineup is, I don't think the result really surprised anyone. The conjecture has always been that 2020 and 2021 looked to favor the Hawks. If the performances at the Bryce Jordan Center where indicative of what is to come, this is Iowa's year. The Black and Gold put six in the finals and crowned four champs to win the team title by 35.5 points. The Hawks won't win nationals by as wide of a margin, but I believe they will win in 2021, their first national championship since 2010.

Conference season has officially concluded. All that is left is the 2021 NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships in St. Louis, Missouri, March 18-20. That said, the second and final weekend of conference action ended in style. Both the Big Ten and the Big 12 each held their respective conference tournaments this past weekend. The events more than lived up to the hype. Here are six takeaways from the Big 12 Wrestling Championships. Oklahoma State keeps Big 12 Championship team title steak alive … kind of The Oklahoma State wrestling team claimed a school-record ninth consecutive conference tournament title Sunday night as the Cowboys went 3-0 in the finals and finished with 124 team points to earn a co-championship with Oklahoma at the 2021 Big 12 Championships. The run of nine straight conference tournament titles marks the longest streak in Big 12 wrestling history and breaks OSU's former school record of eight consecutive championships that was set from 1921-1928. However, the historic win was marred by the fact that they had to share the conference crown with bitter rival Oklahoma, who also finished with 124 total team points.

Results: Brackets Oklahoma and Oklahoma State shared the 2021 Big 12 Wrestling Championship after securing 124 points each in the two-day event at the BOK Center. In a rematch of last year's title bout at 141, Oklahoma's Dom Demas outlasted Iowa State's Ian Parker in a 4-3 in tiebreaker 2 to reclaim his title and earn the second in his career. The point total boosted the Sooners to 124 on the evening. Behind by four points, it came down to Oklahoma State freshman AJ Ferrari at 174 pounds to give the Cowboys a tie for the title. He registered a 13-6 decision over Wyoming's Stephen Buchanan to pick up the crown and give OSU its ninth-consecutive and 18th Big 12 Championship title. The Sooners claimed their third title and first since 2002. Ferrari was named the Most Outstanding Wrestler for the event, while Oklahoma coach Lou Rosselli was named Coach of the Year. After the Sooners and Cowboys, Iowa State finished third with 117.5 points, Wyoming fourth with 105.5 points and Northern Iowa with 79.0 points to round out the top five. In other bouts on the evening, Northern Iowa's Brody Teske became the first Panther to win the 125 weight class with a 9-7 decision over Utah Valley's Taylor LaMont. Oklahoma State's Daton Fix, the nation's top wrestler in the 133, claimed his second title and the first since 2019 with a 6-1 decision over Oklahoma's Tony Madrigal. Boo Lewallen picked up his third Big 12 title and crucial team points for Oklahoma State with a 7-6 decision over Oklahoma's Mitch Moore in the 149 weight class. Iowa State's David Carr repeated as the champion at 157 with an 8-2 win over North Dakota State's Jared Franek. North Dakota State's Andrew Weber collected the first team title for the Bison at 165 pounds with an 11-7 decision. Utah Valley's Demetrius Romero claimed his second Big 12 crown and the first in the 174 pounds category with his 6-2 decision over Northern Colorado's Jackson Hemauer. Parker Keckeisen claimed the 184 title with his 5-3 decision over Wyoming's Tate Samuelson. In a rematch of last year's heavyweight title bout, Iowa State's Gannon Gremmel closed out the evening with a 2-0 decision against Wyoming's Brian Andrews. The NCAA awarded the Big 12 45 pre-allocations this season. The allocations are spread amongst all 10 weight classes, with six classes earning five spots (125, 133, 149, 165, 197 and 285). The 141, 174 and 184 earned four allocations, while 157 collected three. The Division I Wrestling Committee will meet to select the remaining at-large qualifiers to fill out the 33-person bracket in each weight class, which will be announced March 10, via NCAA livestream while brackets and seeding will be announced on NCAA.com at 4 p.m. March 11. Final Team Standings 1. Oklahoma - 124 points 1. Oklahoma State - 124 points 3. Iowa State - 117.5 points 4. Wyoming - 105.5 points 5. Northern Iowa - 79.0 points 6. North Dakota State - 78.0 points 7. Northern Colorado - 70.5 points 8. South Dakota State - 67.5 points 9. West Virginia - 57.0 points 10. Utah Valley - 55.0 points 11. Air Force - 32.5 point 12. Fresno State - 31.0 points Individual Winners 125 - Brody Teske, Northern Iowa 133 - Daton Fix, Oklahoma State 141 - Dom Demas, Oklahoma 149 - Boo Lewallen, Oklahoma State 157 - David Carr, Iowa State 165 - Andrew Weber, North Dakota State 174 - Demetrius Romero, Utah Valley 184 - Parker Keckeisen, Northern Iowa 197 - AJ Ferrari, Oklahoma State Heavyweight - Gannon Gremmel, Iowa State

Iowa claimed the team title at the 2021 Big Ten Wrestling Championships (Photo/Sam Janicki, SJanickiPhoto.com) Results: Brackets UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. -- The top-ranked University of Iowa wrestling team won the 2021 Big Ten Championships on Sunday, scoring 159.5 team points and crowning four individual champions. Alex Marinelli won his third straight 165-pound conference title, and Spencer Lee defended his 125-pound championship. Jaydin Eierman and Michael Kemerer became first-time Big Ten champions, leading Iowa to its second straight and 37th Big Ten Conference title. The team title is Iowa's second in as many years and the 37th in program history. The Hawkeyes 35.5 point margin of victory is the largest by a conference champion since the 2010 Hawkeyes won by 37 points. "We're going to St. Louis in less than two weeks. That's really where their heads are. That's where my head is," said Iowa head coach Tom Brands. "You talk about performance, let's do it again. (Someone) mentioned finishing at your seed or performing above your expectations, and that's what competitors do. Let's do it in St. Louis." INDIVIDUAL CHAMPIONS Lee surrendered the first takedown of the 125-pound title bout but went on to outscore Purdue's Devin Schroder, 21-1, over the next four minutes. He led 11-3 by the end of the first period and terminated the match leading 21-3 with 30 seconds left in the second. He outscored his three opponents in the tournament, 44-7, winning twice by technical fall and once by fall. "This was the qualifier for the next thing and the next thing is the NCAA tournament," said Lee. "I don't want you to think I don't appreciate winning, but this was the next thing and as soon as it's over you have to get ready for what's next… NCAA, Olympic Trials. We were in a tight team race. I did my job for the team." Eierman traded takedowns with Nick Lee in the first period at 141, but he totaled nearly two minutes of riding time and led 3-2 after the first period. Eierman escaped in the second to extend his lead to 4-2. In the third period, Lee added a takedown and point for stalling, but another Eierman escape and a point for riding time gave him the 6-5 lead. "This is an unreal feeling," said Eierman. "Last year I was on the outside looking in. It's a lot more fun being on the inside. I'm getting a better feel every match. This is a great tournament, a great opponent every match. It is a great preview for nationals." Marinelli used a second-period takedown and third-period escape to win the 165-pound title, 3-2, against Ohio State's Ethan Smith. The Big Ten title is the third for Marinelli. He is one of 26 Hawkeyes in program history to win three conference championships, joining a list of seven four-timers and now 19 three-timers. "The only thing I can say is that I am thankful to be wrestling with my guys," said Marinelli. "We have waited a whole year and come full circle. I am thankful to be on the board with the three-time champs and feel very blessed. I have the best teammates and coaches in the world." Twice a Big Ten runner-up, Kemerer controlled the 174-pound finals and earned a 7-2 decision against Penn State's Carter Starocci. Kemerer scored a takedown in the first, added another in the second, and tacked on a pair of back points to earn his first career Big Ten title. "It feels good to be on top. Knowing how it feels to not be on top makes it feel better," said Kemerer. "We feel like we're better every time we get on the mat. Whether it's a match or a workout, every time on the mat increases our scoring abilities. We need to keep the momentum going." Nine Hawkeyes finished fourth or better at the better in the tournament. Austin DeSanto and Kaleb Young placed runner-up at 133 and 157, respectively. Jacob Warner and Tony Cassioppi rebounded from semifinal losses with a pair of wins Saturday to place third. Nelson Brands won four matches over the weekend to place fourth at 184. The Hawkeyes were 28-8 in the two-day tournament, winning six times by fall, twice by technical fall and two times by major decision. AWARDS SEASON Lee was named Big Ten Conference Wrestler of the Year for the second straight year. He heads into the NCAA Championships ranked No. 1 in the country with a 7-0 record. He has pinned five of his seven opponents, all in the first period, and won the other two bouts by technical fall. He has outscored his opponents 82-7. Tom Brands was named Big Ten Conference Coach of the Year for the second straight year and the fifth time in his career. He was won the award more than any other coach in school history. He was previously recognized in 2008, 2009, 2010 and 2020 following conference titles. Iowa has six Big Ten championships under Brands (2008, 2009, 2010, 2015, 2020, 2021). ON TO THE NCAA CHAMPIONSHIPS Nine Hawkeyes earned automatic berths to the national tournament in St. Louis on March 18-20. The Big Ten Conference tournament is one of seven NCAA qualifying tournaments across the country. The NCAA will announce the tournament qualifiers Tuesday. Iowa's Max Murin did not earn an automatic qualifying spot but is eligible for an at-large berth at 149. The entire brackets will be released Wednesday at 5 p.m. (CT) on the NCAA Selection Show at NCAA.com. NOTABLES • Spencer Lee was named Big Ten Conference Wrestler of the Year. He also won the award in 2020. He is the third Hawkeyes to earn the award more than once (Royce Alger, 1987-1988; Mark Ironside, 1996-1997-1998) • Tom Brands was named Big Ten Conference Coach of the Year, his fifth career honor (2008, 2009, 2010, 2020, 2021). • Iowa's team title is the 37th in program history, best in the Big Ten. • Iowa's point total (159.5) is its highest since 1995 (185). • Iowa's 35.5 point margin of victory is the largest by a conference champion since the 2010 Hawkeyes won by 37 points. • Spencer Lee became the 57th multi-Big Ten champion in program history. • Jaydin Eierman became the 116th Big Ten Champion in program history • Michael Kemerer became the 117th Big Ten Champion in program history • Marinelli became the first Hawkeye to win three conference titles since T.J. Williams in 1999-2001. There have been 19 three-time Big Ten champions and seven four-time champions in program history. FINALS RESULTS 125 - #1 Spencer Lee (IA) tech. fall #7 Devin Schroder (PU), 21-3 (4:30) 133 - #1 Roman Bravo-Young (PSU) dec. #2 Austin DeSanto (IA), 5-2 141 - #1 Jaydin Eierman (IA) dec. #2 Nick Lee (PSU), 6-5 157 - #1 Ryan Deakin (NU) dec. #2 Kaleb Young (IA), 6-0 165 - #1 Alex Marinelli (IA) dec. #3 Ethan Smith (OSU), 3-2 174 - #1 Michael Kemerer (IA) dec. #3 Carter Starocci (PSU), 7-2 THIRD-PLACE RESULTS 184 - #5 John Poznanski (RUT) dec. #9 Nelson Brands (IA), 3-2 197 - #3 Jacob Warner (IA) dec. #4 Cameron Caffey (MSU), 8-3 285 - #3 Tony Cassioppi (IA) major dec. #7 Greg Kerkvliet (PSU), 9-0 FINAL TEAM STANDINGS 1 IOWA 159.5 2 Penn State 124.0 3 Nebraska 105.5 4 Michigan 92.0 5 Minnesota 77.5 6 Purdue 76.0 7 Northwestern 74.0 8 Michigan State 73.5 9 Ohio State 69.5 10 Rutgers 52.0 11 Illinois 32.0 12 Wisconsin 30.5 13 Indiana 22.0 14 Maryland 2.0 BIG TEN WRESTLING CHAMPIONSHIPS INDIVIDUAL AWARDS Wrestler of the Year: Spencer Lee, IOWA Freshman of the Year: Carter Starocci, PSU Coach of the Year: Tom Brands, IOWA Outstanding Wrestler of the Championships: Gable Steveson, Minnesota 2021 ALL-BIG TEN TEAM Spencer Lee, IOWA Jaydin Eierman, IOWA Alex Marinelli, IOWA Michael Kemerer, IOWA Roman Bravo-Young, PSU Sammy Sasso, OSU Ryan Deakin, NU Aaron Brooks, PSU Myles Amine, MICH Gable Steveson, MINN

Link: Results A Twitter List by InterMat

Link: Results A Twitter List by InterMat

WICHITA, Kan. -- [Brackets | Team Scores] The 2021 NAIA Men's Wrestling National Championship was full of firsts. Many first-time qualifiers, first-time All-Americans, first time finalists and individual titles. The biggest first however, happened at the conclusion of the championship when Life University (Ga.) was crowned 2021 NAIA Men's Wrestling National Champions. The Running Eagles will leave Wichita with 10 All-Americans, one individual champion and one team title highlighted by a red banner. Life clinched the 2021 title with 158 points just five points ahead of defending national champion Grand View (Iowa) who had 153. Rounding out the top five of the championship was Lindsey Wilson (Ky.), Indiana Tech and Cumberland (Tenn.). Final Team Standings: Life (Ga.) 158.0 Grand View (Iowa) 153.0 Lindsey Wilson (Ky.) 89.0 Indiana Tech 75.5 Cumberland (Tenn.) 74 Reinhardt (Ga.) 65.5 Southeastern (Fla.) 60.5 Thomas More (Ky.) 49 Graceland (Ky.) 48.5 Cumberlands (Ky.) 36.5 Championship Highlights: 14 different schools were represented in finals. Life (Ga.) headlined the finals with three wrestlers competing for titles. Grand View (Iowa), Indiana Tech, Southeastern (Fla.) and Lindsey Wilson (Ky.) all had two finalists. Life started the finals in the lead by one and then quickly got their national champion, Brandon Orum (125). No. 5 seed Denver Stonechek (149) and No. 10 seed Asher Eichert (174) finished as runner-ups. At 141, Baterden Boldmaa of Doane (Neb.) defended his national title to become a back-to-back champion. Boldmaa won over Ryan Moore of Thomas More (Ky.). Southeastern (Fla.) went two-for-two in its first two championship bouts. Two wrestlers, Andreus Bond (149) and Kyle Kirkham (165), entered the field unseeded and proceeded to win individual titles. Indiana Tech also had two national champions: No. 3 seed Conner Gimson (133) and No. 2 seed Eric Vermillion (184). C. Gimson beat No. 5 seed Esco Walker of Cumberland, 4-2. Twin brother Matt Gimson lost in the semifinals to Walker, earning third place. E.Vermillion pinned No. 9 seed Tyson Beauperthuy of Midland in 3:16. Top-seeded Brennan Swafford was able to repeat 2020 and earn his second individual national title. Swafford beat No. 10 Asher Eichert of Life (Ga.) 10-7. No. 1 seed Isaac Bartel of Montana State-Northern at 197 earned a victory in championship bout. He was the winner over No. 2 seed Trevor Lawson of Lindsey Wilson. Brandon Reed of Lindsey Wilson (Ky.) became a four-time All-American and three-time national champion.

The No.1 McKendree University women's wrestling team defended its national championship at the second-annual Cliff Keen National Collegiate Women's Wrestling Championship (NCWWC) Saturday afternoon. The Bearcats also added six individual champions. Sam Schmitz's team was represented by 15 wrestlers, where eight made it into the finals. In the end, McKendree won its second consecutive NCWWC Title with 209 points while 14 Bearcats were named All-Americans. Six Bearcats were crowned individual National Champions, and head coach Schmitz was named Coach of the Year and Coach of the NCWWC Tournament. This tournament was also a qualifier for the U.S. Olympic Team Trials, that will take place in Fort Worth, Tex., April 2-3. According to the procedures, "the highest placed NCWWC Senior Women's Freestyle athlete per weight category who has yet to qualify, will qualify to enter the 2020 U.S. Olympic Team Trials - wrestling at the weight category she chooses". There were 10 women who punches their ticket to Fort Worth, including five Bearcats.

Jaydin Eierman advanced to the finals by defeating Nebraska's Chad Red (Darren Miller, Iowa Athletics) UNIVERISTY PARK, Pa. -- The top-ranked University of Iowa wrestling team advanced six Hawkeyes to the finals and sits in first place at the 2021 Big Ten Championships following Saturday night semifinal action at the Bryce Jordan Center. Defending champions Spencer Lee and Alex Marinelli are returning to the finals. Lee is defending the 125-pound title and Marinelli is aiming for his third straight conference title at 165. Lee and Marinelli are joined in the finals by Austin DeSanto (133), Jaydin Eierman (141), Kaleb Young (157) and Michael Kemerer (174). Kemerer is a two-time runner up making his third finals appearance. DeSanto, Eierman and Young are all first-time Big Ten conference finalists. Lee won by fall in 23 seconds, tying the school record for fastest pin at a Big Ten Championships. The record was matched earlier in the day by Tony Cassioppi, and first set in 1992 by Bart Chelesvig. Lee defends his 125-pound title against seventh-seeded Devin Schroder of Purdue. It is a rematch of the 2020 conference finals when Lee defeated Schroder by 16-2 major decision. Marinelli is back in the finals following a 2-0 decision at 165. He will meet Ohio State's third-seeded Ethan Smith. Marinelli won conference titles in 2019 and 2020. In the history of the program, there have been seven four-time champions and 18 three-time champions. Marinelli could become the 26th Hawkeye in school history to win three conference titles. Kemerer advanced to the finals with a 4-2 decision. He meets Penn State's third-seeded Carter Starocci in the 174-pound finals. DeSanto and Eierman are both in the Big Ten finals for the first time in their careers. DeSanto advanced with a 5-4 win at 133. Eierman, who won three MAC titles for Missouri from 2017-19, won by 7-1 decision. DeSanto faces Penn State's top-seeded Roman Bravo-Young, and Eierman gets Penn State's Nick Lee, the No. 2 seed. Young won 3-2 in the second tiebreak period to advance to the finals, where he meets Northwestern's top-seeded Ryan Deakin. Iowa dropped a pair of matches in the semifinals. Jacob Warner lost 3-1 in sudden victory and Tony Cassioppi lost by fall. Both wrestlers return to action Sunday in the consolation semifinals. Max Murin and Nelson Brands competed on the backside of the bracket Saturday night. Brands picked up a pair of wins and has earned an automatic berth at 184 pounds to the 2021 NCAA Championships on March 18-20 in St. Louis. Murin, ranked No. 5 in the coaches poll, dropped his consolation match and is eligible for at-large consideration to the national championships at 149 pounds. The Hawkeyes are in first place after Session II with 126.5 points. Penn State, Nebraska, Michigan and Purdue round out the top five. QUOTING COACH TOM BRANDS "Opening comment number one, there is a lot of wrestling left to do. Opening comment number two, we have got to get ready to wrestle tomorrow. Opening comment number three, we are going to have some tough matches. This is the qualifier and we are going to another tournament. We have to stay tough, have got to keep doing what we are doing and add to it a little bit. "Nelson Brands just won two big matches on the backside of the bracket, that is huge. We got a couple guys who did not get what they wanted on that front side and they are going to be in the consolation bracket tomorrow and they have to come back strong. We have some guys in the finals and we are going to have to go out and be ready, ready. And I mean ready, ready." NOTABLES • Spencer Lee's 23-second fall ties for the fast fall by a Hawkeye at the Big Ten Championships. Bart Chelesvig did it in 1992, and Tony Cassioppi did it in Session I of the 2021 Big Ten Championships (today). • Lee's fall was the 26th of his career, 21 have been in the first period. The 23-second fall was a career best. • Alex Marinelli is one win shy of his third straight Big Ten title. There have been 18 three-time conference champions in program history, the last was T.J. Williams from 1999-2001. (There have been seven four-time champions in school history.) • Kemerer is back in the conference finals for the third time (2017, 2020). • Nine Hawkeyes have earned automatic berths to the 2021 NCAA Championships. UP NEXT Session III of the Big Ten Championships begins Sunday at 11 a.m. (CT) and will be streamed on BTN Plus. The finals, third-place, and fifth-place matches begin at 3 p.m. The finals are televised live on BTN.