InterMat Staff

Roman Bravo-Young gets in on a shot on Austin DeSanto in the Big Ten semifinals (Photo/Sam Janicki, SJanickiPhoto.com) The Big Ten Conference got a late start to the season and kept everything inside the confines of the conference. In many ways this limited the possible competition, but one positive is it also made stats easier to collect. Thanks to the Big Ten Network, I was able to collect scorebook information for all Big Ten duals this season. The following looks back on the regular season of Big Ten duals and previews the upcoming conference tournament this week. Note: the following information does not include the so-called "extra matches." Even though those matches are included on records, they were not always recorded or broadcast. Also, due to video issues, three other matches (Lucas Byrd vs. Nate Cummings, Rayvon Foley vs. Liam Cronin and Jordan Hamdan vs. Tucker Sjomeling) were not included. Top takedown artists As a team, Minnesota scored the most takedowns of any team in the conference. They collectively scored 192 takedowns across their nine duals. The biggest contributor was heavyweight No. 1 Gable Steveson, who scored 46 takedowns all by himself. That was the most of any wrestler in the conference. The total is actually more than the combined total of three entire Big Ten teams. With that being said, Minnesota wrestled nine matches. This year, that was a privilege not enjoyed by all teams. If you divide the number of takedowns by the number of matches, Steveson ends up with 5.11 takedowns per match. That rate is only the fourth highest in the conference. Steveson's takedown rate trails Aaron Brooks (Penn State), Austin DeSanto (Iowa) and the conference leader Roman Bravo-Young (Penn State). The 133-pound wrestler had six matches during the season and notched 40 takedowns. Despite wrestling three fewer matches than Steveson, he finished second in the conference with 40 total takedowns. The fact that both Bravo-Young (6.67 takedowns per match) and DeSanto (6.60 takedowns per match) had the two highest takedown rates in the conference sets up a very interesting potential final. They secured the top two seeds and have quite the history. DeSanto won their first two meetings during the 2019 season. However, Bravo-Young had the advantage in both of their encounters last season. He won the dual match via injury default and took a 3-2 decision at the 2020 Big Ten tournament. Generating points on top Many think the advent of the four-point near fall has changed college wrestling. Competitors with a slick tilt game can have a huge impact on their matches from the top position. Whether you think that is a positive or not, the ability to score from the top is embodied by No. 1 Spencer Lee (Iowa). Lee wrestled only four matches this season and scored falls in all four matches. Despite spending fewer than eight minutes on the mat, he scored seven four-point near falls. This was the second highest total in the conference, behind only No. 17 Devin Schroder (Purdue), who finished with nine. However, it was tops on a per match basis. His 1.75 four-point near falls per match was the highest. No. 19 Ridge Lovett (Nebraska) and No. 1 Ryan Deakin (Northwestern) tied for the second highest rate with 1.5, but both of them wrestled only two matches. The "No Twos Club" During the Big Ten regular season, 12 wrestlers did not surrender a single two-point score the entire season. Of these 12 competitors, four wrestled two or fewer matches. The list of those who wrestled at least three matches without allowing a single two-point score are No. 1 Gable Steveson (Minnesota), No. 2 Mason Parris (Michigan), No. 2 Nick Lee (Penn State), No. 3 Austin DeSanto (Iowa), No. 1 Spencer Lee (Iowa), No. 1 Michael Kemerer (Iowa), Kaleb Young (Iowa) and No 14 Griffin Parriott (Purdue). Obviously, the potential heavyweight final really stands out. Steveson and Parris captured the top two seeds after dominating the field. They also put up strong freestyle results during the extensive offseason. They met last year at the Big Ten tournament, and Steveson took an 8-6 decision. Another wild card in the heavyweight division is No. 6 Greg Kervliet (Penn State). He wrestled in only one dual match this season, a quick win over Maryland's Garrett Kappes. The former Minnesota prep added another quick victory over Kappes' teammate Connor Bowes in an extra match. Steveson and Parris remain the favorites to make the finals, but Kerkvliet has the pedigree to make it interesting. Iowa's Lee found his way onto this list, but he probably should have an honor on his own. While 12 wrestlers did not allow any two-point scores, Lee did not allow a score of any kind this season. In his four matches, his opponents failed to register a single point. He is the only wrestler to accomplish that during this season in the Big Ten. The toughest to ride reside at 133 Coaches hate reversals. If you go to any youth tournament throughout the country, you will likely hear at least one coach yelling, "one, not two!" while his/her charge is riding. Despite this some wrestlers excel at turning the bottom position into two points. In the regular season, Indiana's starter at 133 pounds, Kyle Luigs led the conference with seven reversals. Scoring from the bottom was an essential part of his offense as he managed only six takedowns throughout the season. Luigs wrestled seven dual matches on the year, so his average per match was an even 1. The only wrestler with a higher reversals per match rate was Rutgers' No. 6 Sammy Alvarez who scored four reversals through three matches also at 133 pounds. Luigs pulled the 13th seed, while Alvarez enters the tournament as the third seed. If these two happen to meet in the field, it could easily turn into a scramble-fest with both wrestlers doing solid work in the bottom position.

Link: Brackets The pairings have been announced for the 2021 Big 12 Wrestling Championship set to take place on March 6-7 at the BOK Center in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Brackets for all 10 weight classes can be found here. The Championship begins Saturday at 11 a.m. CT with preliminary & quarterfinal matches, while the Saturday night session starting at 5 p.m. CT features semifinal and consolation quarterfinal matches. Sunday's consolation semis, third and fifth-place matches start at 10 a.m. CT with the final culminating at 5 p.m. CT. Big 12 Now on ESPN+ will broadcast the first three sessions of the event, while the championship round will air on ESPN2 beginning at 5 p.m. CT. This is the sixth neutral-site conference championship for the sport and the fifth in Tulsa. Last year, the Oklahoma State Cowboys won their eighth consecutive team title and their 18th Big 12 title overall. The wrestlers participating in the Big 12 Championship will be competing for berths into the NCAA Wrestling Championship. Tickets for the 2021 Big 12 Wrestling Championship can be purchased online at www.bokcenter.com. All fans will be in POD seating, which increases distancing and minimizes fan crossover when entering and exiting their seats. Fans must purchase all tickets in a selected POD group, available in select section groupings of 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 and 8 seats. 2021 Big 12 Wrestling Championship Schedule (times are subject to change) Saturday, March 6 Session 1: Preliminary & Quarterfinal Matches [Big 12 Now on ESPN+] - 11 a.m. CT Session 2: Semifinal & Consolation Quarterfinal Matches [Big 12 Now on ESPN+] - 5 p.m. CT Sunday, March 7 Session 3: Consolation Semifinals, Third & Fifth Place Matches [Big 12 Now on ESPN+] - 10 a.m. CT Session 4: Championship Matches [ESPN2] - 5 p.m. CT

FREMONT, Neb. -- Midland University has announced the hiring of Chelsea Dionisio as its new women's wrestling coach. Dionisio will be taking the helm for the Warriors later this spring while current interim head coach Daviaire Dickerson transitions into an assistant coaching role for next season. Chelsea Dionisio"I'm extremely excited for the opportunity to take over the program and get to work with some amazing young women," Dionisio said. "Not only that, but I'm thankful to continue my coaching career at a university committed to building leaders, in and out of the classroom." Dionisio, a native of Santa Maria, California, spent the past two seasons as a graduate assistant for the University of Jamestown. Prior to that, she was a standout on the mat for the Jimmies. She was a two-time conference finalist, earning KCAC Championship in 2019, and was also a two-time U23 Nationals All-American. While coaching for Jamestown, she has helped coach the team to back-to-back conference titles that also included several individual champions. Last year the team finished 3rd at the WCWA Nationals and had a total of seven All-Americans. She has also spent time assisting Team North Dakota in preparation for the Fargo National Tournament. This year Jamestown was the KCAC Champion while Midland finished as the runner-up. Between the two schools, the Jimmies and Warriors swept the individual titles. When asked about her goals for the Midland program, she said, "I want to build a team of respectable leaders, upstanding community members, and dedicated student-athletes who successfully balance academics and athletics. I will be working toward a team conference championship, as well as becoming an NAIA National Scholar Team."

The Last Chance Qualifier, which is the final opportunity for wrestlers to qualify for the U.S. Olympic Team Trials - Wrestling, will be held at Texas Wesleyan University in Fort Worth, Texas, March 26-27. There will be a required COVID testing protocol for all athletes, coaches, team leaders and medical staff to participate in the event. All these people are required to show a negative COVID-19 PCR test result. Test must have been completed less than 72 hours before March 26, 2021. Only a PCR test will be accepted. Women's freestyle and Greco-Roman will be held on Friday, March 26, with men's freestyle on Saturday, March 27. There will be a limited number of spectators permitted. Tickets must be purchased online before March 24. This event will be streamed live by FloWrestling. The full schedule for this competition is below. Monday, March 23 Online Athlete Pre-Registration Deadline is 11:59 PM CT. Must verify weight, style and team name by this deadline for the seeding meeting. This can be done online when you register. If you miss this deadline, you can still sign up for Late Online Registration up until the day before competition. For seeding information contact Cody Bickley - cbickley@usawrestling.org Thursday, March 25 7:00 PM CT Deadline - Late Online Registration Deadline - Late registration will be conducted online and will be made available after the pre-registration deadline closes. 9:00 AM to 8:00 PM - Practice Facility - Spartan Mat Club, 10365 Alta Vista Road, Suite #111, Fort Worth, TX 76105 Please call or Email for appointment!! 972-207-4475 spartanmatclub@yahoo.com Note: Texas Wesleyan will only have weigh-ins and competition Friday, March 26 7:30 AM - 8:00 AM - Senior Women's Freestyle and Greco-Roman (scratch weight) Medical Check and Weigh-in 10:00 AM - 1:30 PM - Senior Women's Freestyle and Greco-Roman - Session I - Preliminaries, Quarterfinals, Semifinals, Consolation Rds. 4:00 PM - 5:30 PM - Senior Women's Freestyle and Greco-Roman - Session II - Consolation Semifinals and 3rd Place 5:30 PM - 7:30 PM - Senior Women's Freestyle and Greco-Roman - Session II - Finals - Followed by True 2nd 9:00 AM to 8:00 PM - Practice Facility - Spartan Mat Club, 10365 Alta Vista Road, Suite #111, Fort Worth, TX 76105 Please call or Email for appointment!! 972-207-4475 spartanmatclub@yahoo.com Note: Texas Wesleyan will only have weigh-ins and competition Saturday, March 27 7:30 AM - 8:00 AM - Senior Men's Freestyle (scratch weight) Medical Check and Weigh-in 10:00 AM - 3:00 PM - Senior Men's Freestyle - Session I - Preliminaries, Quarterfinals, Semifinals, Consolation Rds. 5:00 PM - 7:30 PM - Senior Men's Freestyle - Session II - Consolation Rds., Consolation Semifinal and 3rd Place 6:30 PM - 7:30 PM - Senior Men's Freestyle - Session II - Finals - Followed by True 2nd Sessions and schedule subject to change, all times are Central Time (CT) ADDITIONAL EVENT INFORMATION Last Chance Qualifier Information: • Location: Fort Worth, TX @ Texas Wesleyan University • Dates: March 26-27 • Required Testing - Prior to Arrival All athletes, coaches, team leaders and medical staff are required to show a negative COVID-19 PCR test result. Test must have been conducted less than 72 hours before March 26, 2021. Only PCR test will be accepted. Schedule Click for full schedule Registration: • Pricing: - PRE - Registration closes Monday, 03/22/2021 at 11:59 PM CT - $80.00 - LATE ONLINE Registration closes Thursday, 03/25/2021 at 06:00 PM CT - $120.00 Click to register for Last Chance Qualifier Coaches Bands Information: • All coaches that wish to purchase a coach's band to gain access to the competition floor to coach athletes must have a USA Wrestling Leader Membership Card. • Last Chance Olympic Trials Qualifier Coaches Band - $20.00. Must purchase before March 24th! Click for Coaches Band information Ticketing Information: Admission Prices - Must purchase before March 24th! Event Admission - $20.00. Click for Ticketing Information Accommodations: Click for Accommodations COVID-19 Screening: • The Last Chance Olympic Trials Qualifier will be conducted following the requirements of the state and local health authorities, as well as using the safety provisions of the USA Wrestling Return to Events Guidelines. USA Wrestling and the local organizers will monitor data and local trends closely leading up to the event. Click for Event Website

Gable Steveson and Mason Parris embrace after the Big Ten finals match in 2020 (Photo/Sam Janicki, SJanickiPhoto.com) The Big Ten Conference has crowned the last 13 NCAA team champions in wrestling. And that likely would have continued in 2020. The top-ranked Iowa Hawkeyes rolled to the team title at last year's Big Ten Championships and were heavily favored to win the NCAA team title before the event was canceled because of the COVID-19 pandemic. The Big Ten is as strong as it has ever been heading into this weekend's Big Tens at Penn State. That strength is reflected in the national rankings. Iowa, Penn State and Michigan occupy the top three spots in the country. It's a loaded tournament with so many great matches expected as we move closer to the NCAA tournament later this month in St. Louis. Here are some of top storylines to watch for at the Big Ten tournament: Iowa returns after long layoff The Hawkeyes have not wrestled since Feb. 7 after its last three duals were not held because of issues with the pandemic. Iowa is loaded from top-to-bottom. Leading the way is superstar and Hodge Trophy winner Spencer Lee at 125 pounds. He is ranked No. 1 and hasn't been tested this season. Lee will definitely be in contention to make the U.S. Olympic Team in freestyle this year. The Hawkeyes also feature top-ranked wrestlers in Jaydin Eierman (141), Alex Marinelli (165) and Michael Kemmerer (174). This could be the year Iowa wins its first NCAA crown since 2010. Don't forget about Penn State The Nittany Lions lost superstars Mark Hall and Vincenzo Joseph, but Cael Sanderson has another group of talented wrestlers who are capable of challenging Iowa twice in the next two weeks. Returning stars Roman Bravo-Young (133), Nick Lee (141) and Aaron Brooks (184) are legitimate national title contenders along with a number of standout newcomers. Gable's run of dominance How much fun has it been to watch Minnesota big man Gable Steveson? This is someone who could be contending for Olympic gold this summer. He is the total package with size, speed and strength. He has been dominant and his endurance has been superb. He's a dynamic and entertaining wrestler to watch. The Big Ten is very deep in this class and Michigan's second-ranked Mason Parris could present a challenge as could No. 3 Tony Cassioppi of Iowa and No. 6 Greg Kerkvliet of Penn State. Michigan has superb lineup The Wolverines are rolling again under Coach Sean Bormet and will make their share of noise in March. In addition to Parris, Michigan is led by Myles Amine (No. 2 nationally at 197) and Mason Parris (No. 2 at heavyweight). Logan Massa is fifth at 174. The Wolverines won't have second-ranked Stevan Micic at 133. He recently announced, due to an injury and timing, that he won't wrestle in the college postseason. Micic plans to compete for Serbia in the upcoming Olympics. Husker power Veteran Nebraska coach Mark Manning had a loaded team last year that was poised to win an NCAA trophy if not for the pandemic. The Huskers have followed with another superb season. Nebraska is led by top-ranked Eric Schultz at 197. NU's Mikey Labriola is No. 2 at 174 and two-time All-American Chad Red is No. 7 at 141. Loaded weight classes All of the weight classes are stacked with studs, but 141 and 197 each have the nation's top three wrestlers. At 141, Iowa's Jaydin Eierman is No. 1, Penn State's Nick Lee is No. 2 and Sebastian Rivera of Rutgers are ranked 1-2-3 in the country. At 197, the top three include Nebraska's Eric Schultz, Michigan's Myles Amine and Iowa's Jacob Warner. The 174 class has five of the top six wrestlers with Iowa's Michael Kemmerer and Nebraska's Mikey Labriola ranked 1-2. Ohio State's Sammy Sasso is pre-seeded No. 1 at 149 pounds (Photo/Sam Janicki, SJanickiPhoto.com) Sasso set for another shot Ohio State's Sammy Sasso would have been in the mix to win NCAAs as a freshman last year at 149. Sasso, No. 2 in the nation, is unbeaten again and ready to make a run at winning Big Tens and NCAAs. He's a dangerous wrestler who is a threat to pin anyone as he showed against Iowa's Max Murin, who is ranked sixth nationally. And don't forget about … Northwestern's Ryan Deakin, who also excels in freestyle, tops the national rankings at 157. There also are plenty other teams who can do their share of damage this week. They include No. 11 Minnesota, No. 12 Ohio State, No. 17 Northwestern, No. 18 Rutgers, No. 20 Illinois and No. 24 Purdue. You can't take any opponent lightly at Big Tens. Expanded coverage The Big Ten Network is really stepping up as it plans to provide coverage of both days of the league tournament. Shane Sparks was like a kid on Christmas Day when he broke the news on a recent broadcast that they were covering both days. Kudos to Sparky, Jim Gibbons and Tim Johnson for all of their awesome coverage. And most of all to BTN for recognizing the importance of this major event. This is a huge step for providing additional coverage of the sport. The competition on Day 1 is every bit as good as Day 2. Final note The Big Tens unfortunately were the last event of the 2019-20 season. Fortunately, that likely won't happen again. Kudos to everyone for battling through missed meets and mat time during the pandemic this season to hopefully have a safe and productive postseason. Looking forward to watching both days of action on BTN. Be sure to tune in and check it out. Can't wait to check it out. Craig Sesker has written about wrestling for more than three decades. He's covered three Olympic Games and is a two-time national wrestling writer of the year.

Penn State's Roman Bravo-Young is pre-seeded No. 1 at 133 pounds (Photo/Sam Janicki, SJanickiPhoto.com) ROSEMONT, Ill. -- The Big Ten Conference announced the preliminary seeds for the 2021 Big Ten Wrestling Championships, which are set for March 6-7 at Penn State. Six schools boast at least one top-seeded wrestler, with Iowa leading the way with four No. 1 seeds. The pre-seeds, as voted on by the conference's coaches, rank 14 starters in all 10 weight classes. The Hawkeyes boast four top-seeded wrestlers, with 125-pounder Spencer Lee, 141-pounder Jaydin Eierman, 165-pounder Alex Marinelli and 174-pounder Michael Kemerer. Minnesota's Gable Steveson (285), Nebraska's Eric Schultz (197), Northwestern's Ryan Deakin (157), Ohio State's Sammy Sasso (149), along with Penn State's Roman Bravo-Young (133) and Aaron Brooks (184) round out the group of top-ranked grapplers. This year's field contains a combined six Big Ten individual championships (five wrestlers) and two NCAA individual championships (one wrestler). For more information on the 2021 Big Ten Wrestling Championships, visit the Big Ten Championships Central page. The complete list of Big Ten Championships pre-seeds can be found below. InterMat ranking listed to the right of the wrestler/school. 125: 1. Spencer Lee, Iowa -- No. 1 2. Liam Cronin, Nebraska -- No. 8 3. Malik Heinselman, Ohio State -- No. 9 4. Patrick McKee, Minnesota -- No. 13 5. Rayvon Foley, Michigan State -- No. 16 6. Eric Barnett, Wisconsin -- No. 12 7. Devin Schroder, Purdue -- No. 17 8. Michael DeAugustino, Northwestern -- No. 15 9. Dylan Ragusin, Michigan -- No. 7 10. Justin Cardani, Illinois 11. Robert Howard, Penn State 12. Jacob Moran, Indiana 13. Dylan Shawver, Rutgers 14. Zach Spence, Maryland 133: 1. Roman Bravo-Young, Penn State -- No. 2 2. Austin DeSanto, Iowa -- No. 3 3. Sammy Alvarez, Rutgers -- No. 6 4. Lucas Byrd, Illinois -- No. 11 5. Chris Cannon, Northwestern -- No. 8 6. Jack Medley, Michigan 7. Boo Dryden, Minnesota 8. Jordan Decatur, Ohio State 9. Jacob Rundell, Purdue 10. Kyle Burwick, Wisconsin 11. Tucker Sjomeling, Nebraska 12. Jordan Hamdan, Michigan State 13. Kyle Luigs, Indiana 14. Jackson Cockrell, Maryland 141: 1. Jaydin Eierman, Iowa -- No. 1 2. Nick Lee, Penn State -- No. 2 3. Sebastian Rivera, Rutgers -- No. 3 4. Chad Red, Nebraska -- No. 8 5. Dylan Duncan, Illinois -- No. 14 6. Marcos Polanco, Minnesota 7. Dylan D'Emilio, Ohio State 8. Drew Mattin, Michigan 9. Parker Filius, Purdue 10. Cayden Rooks, Indiana 11. Danny Bertoni, Maryland 12. Matt Santos, Michigan State 13. Colin Valdiviez, Northwestern 14. Dominic Dentino, Wisconsin 149: 1. Sammy Sasso, Ohio State -- No. 2 2. Max Murin, Iowa -- No. 6 3. Griffin Parriott, Purdue -- No. 14 4. Yahya Thomas, Northwestern -- No. 17 5. Kanen Storr, Michigan -- No. 9 6. Michael Blockhus, Minnesota 7. Ridge Lovett, Nebraska -- No. 19 8. Mike VanBrill, Rutgers 9. Graham Rooks, Indiana 10. Peyton Omania, Michigan State 11. Beau Bartlett, Penn State -- No. 10 12. Drew Scharenbrock, Wisconsin 13. Christian Kanzler, Illinois 14. Michael North, Maryland 157: 1. Ryan Deakin, Northwestern -- No. 1 2. Kaleb Young, Iowa -- No. 5 3. Brayton Lee, Minnesota -- No. 6 4. Kendall Coleman, Purdue -- No. 7 5. Brady Berge, Penn State -- No. 8 6. Will Lewan, Michigan -- No. 9 7. Chase Saldate, Michigan State 8. Garrett Model, Wisconsin 9. Elijah Cleary, Ohio State 10. Caleb Licking, Nebraska 11. Michael Doetsch, Maryland 12. Johnny Mologousis, Illinois 13. Luke Baughman, Indiana 165: 1. Alex Marinelli, Iowa -- No. 1 2. Dan Braunagel, Illinois -- No. 8 3. Ethan Smith, Ohio State -- No. 10 4. Cameron Amine, Michigan -- No. 13 5. Andrew Sparks, Minnesota -- No. 14 6. Joe Lee, Penn State -- No. 15 7. Peyton Robb, Nebraska -- No. 19 8. Jake Tucker, Michigan State 9. Nick South, Indiana 10. Gerrit Nijenhuis, Purdue 11. Jonathan Spadafora, Maryland 12. David Ferrante, Northwestern 13. Brett Donner, Rutgers 14. Josh Otto, Wisconsin 174: 1. Michael Kemerer, Iowa -- No. 1 2. Mikey Labriola, Nebraska -- No. 2 3. Carter Starocci, Penn State -- No. 4 4. Logan Massa, Michigan -- No. 5 5. Donnell Washington, Indiana -- No. 13 6. Kaleb Romero, Ohio State -- No. 6 7. Jackson Turley, Rutgers 8. Jared Krattiger, Wisconsin 9. Jake Allar, Minnesota 10. Drew Hughes, Michigan State 11. DJ Shannon, Illinois 12. Emil Soehnlen, Purdue 13. Troy Fisher, Northwestern 14. Philip Spadafora, Maryland 184: 1. Aaron Brooks, Penn State -- No. 1 2. Christopher Weiler, Wisconsin -- No. 7 3. Layne Malczewski, Michigan State -- No. 9 4. Owen Webster, Minnesota -- No. 10 5. John Poznanski, Rutgers -- No. 18 6. Taylor Venz, Nebraska -- No. 14 7. Max Lyon, Purdue -- No. 19 8. Zach Braunagel, Illinois -- No. 15 9. Nelson Brands, Iowa -- No. 16 10. Rocky Jordan, Ohio State -- No. 20 11. Kyle Cochran, Maryland 12. Jaden Bullock, Michigan 13. Jon Halvorsen, Northwestern 14. Santos Cantu III, Indiana 197: 1. Eric Schultz, Nebraska -- No. 1 2. Myles Amine, Michigan -- No. 2 3. Jacob Warner, Iowa -- No. 3 4. Cam Caffey, Michigan State -- No. 13 5. Lucas Davison, Northwestern -- No. 14 6. Thomas Penola, Purdue -- No. 17 7. Michael Beard, Penn State -- No. 15 8. Matt Wroblewski, Illinois 9. Gavin Hoffman, Ohio State 10. Billy Janzer, Rutgers 11. Garrett Joles, Minnesota 12. Jaron Smith, Maryland 13. Nick Willham, Indiana 14. Andrew Salemme, Wisconsin 285: 1. Gable Steveson, Minnesota -- No. 1 2. Mason Parris, Michigan -- No. 2 3. Tony Cassioppi Iowa -- No. 3 4. Luke Luffman, Illinois -- No. 10 5. Christian Lance, Nebraska -- No. 12 6. Trent Hillger, Wisconsin -- No. 13 7. Greg Kerkvliet, Penn State -- No. 6 8. Tate Orndorff, Ohio State -- No. 19 9. Christian Rebottaro Michigan State 10. Jack Heyob, Northwestern 11. Christian Colucci, Rutgers 12. Dorian Keys, Purdue 13. Rudy Streck, Indiana 14. Garrett Kappes, Maryland

The Big Ten Network is the destination for college wrestling fans this weekend as coverage of the 2021 Big Ten Wrestling Championships includes nearly 10 hours dedicated to the best collegiate wrestling in the country. As a result of schedule adjustments creating additional telecast windows, the Big Ten Network will broadcast live on Saturday of the championships for the first time ever. On Saturday, March 6, from 10 a.m. ET to 2 p.m. ET, BTN will provide whip-around coverage highlighting the best matchups of session 1 with limited commercial interruptions. On Big Ten Network+, individual mat cameras will be also available to provide a comprehensive look at the opening session. On Saturday night from 7:30 p.m. ET to 10 p.m. ET, a double-box presentation will be available on television for the session 2 semifinals while consolation mats will once again be streamed live on Big Ten Network+. On Sunday, March 7, competition kicks off with individual mat cameras for session 3 on Big Ten Network+ at noon ET, ahead of the main event. From 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. on Sunday, BTN will deliver three hours of the most exciting wrestling in the country as champions are crowned in session 4. "From the 125-pounders to heavyweights, the Big Ten Conference consistently delivers the best wrestling in the nation," said Michael Calderon, BTN's senior vice president of digital media and programming. "The Big Ten Network is the go-to destination for college wrestling fans and this weekend's coverage across both our television and digital platforms demonstrates our strong commitment to the sport." Big Ten Network veterans Shane Sparks, Jim Gibbons and Tim Johnson will anchor the broadcasts from BTN?s Chicago studio. Guest analyst and three-time Big Ten and NCAA Champion, Bo Nickal, will join reporter Ray Flores on-site for insight and analysis from State College. In preparation for the Big Ten Wrestling Championships, a special 90-minute edition of Wrestling in 60, highlighting 10 of the top matches from the regular season, will air at 3:30 p.m. ET on Tuesday, March 2. On The Mat, the Big Ten Network's digital, behind-the-scenes wrestling series, has also been edited to produce three television episodes that will air throughout the weekend. Additionally, the final On The Mat feature of the season will debut on Sunday afternoon with the story of Nebraska's Christian Miller, who was tragically killed in a car accident last November. On Saturday and Sunday, the B1G Wrestling Instagram page and Big Ten Network YouTube wrestling page will be updated with highlights, full matches and custom content. For details and subscription information regarding Big Ten Network+ coverage, please visit btnplus.com. Ten Big Ten teams are currently ranked in the top 20 of TrackWrestling's rankings, including the entire top three. No. 1 Iowa, No. 2 Penn State and No. 3 Nebraska lead the way, followed by No. 8 Michigan, No. 10 Ohio State, No. 11 Minnesota, T-No.14 Illinois, T-No. 14 Rutgers, No. 18 Northwestern and No. 19 Michigan State. Big Ten Wrestling Championships Schedule Saturday: Session 1 Big Ten Network 10 a.m. ET Session 1 - Individual Mat Cams Mat 1 | Mat 2 | Mat 3 | Mat 4 Big Ten Network+ 10 a.m. ET Semifinals - Session 2 Big Ten Network 7:30 p.m. ET Semifinals - Consolation Mat Cams Mat 1 | Mat 2 Big Ten Network+ 7:30 p.m. ET Sunday: Session 3 - Consolation Mat Cams Mat 1 | Mat 2 | Mat 3 Big Ten Network+ Noon ET Championships - Session 4 Big Ten Network 4 p.m. ET Session 4 - Consolation Mat Cams 3rd Place Mat | 5th Place Mat Big Ten Network+ 4 p.m. ET

Iowa State's David Carr is pre-seeded No. 1 at 157 pounds (Photo/Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWarriors.com) The pre-seeds have been announced for the 2021 Big 12 Wrestling Championship set to take place on March 6-7 at the BOK Center in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Iowa State and Oklahoma State pace the field with three selections apiece, followed by two from Northern Iowa, and one each from South Dakota State and Utah Valley. For the first time, the Championship was seeded by an independent five-person panel. Iowa State's Ian Parker (141), David Carr (157) and Gannon Gremmel (HWT) earned top seeds. The Cowboys' three top-seeds were: Daton Fix (133), Boo Lewallen (149) and Travis Wittlake (165). Northern Iowa's Brody Teske (125) and Parker Keckeisen (184) collected No. 1 seeds in addition to South Dakota State's Tanner Sloan (197) and Utah Valley's Demetrius Romero (174). Tickets for the 2021 Big 12 Wrestling Championship can be purchased online at www.bokcenter.com. All fans will be in POD seating, which increases distancing and minimizes fan crossover when entering and exiting their seats. Fans must purchase all tickets in a selected POD group, available in select section groupings of 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 and 8 seats. This is the sixth neutral-site conference championship for the sport and the fifth in Tulsa. Last year, the Oklahoma State Cowboys won their eighth consecutive team title and their 18th Big 12 title overall. The wrestlers participating in the Big 12 Championship will be competing for berths into the NCAA Wrestling Championship. Big 12 Now on ESPN+ will broadcast the first three sessions of the event, while the championship round will air on ESPN2 beginning at 5 p.m. CT. 125: 1. Brody Teske (UNI) -- No. 10 2. Taylor LaMont (UVU) -- No. 4 3. Trevor Mastrogiovanni (OSU) -- No. 18 4. Killian Cardinale (WVU) 5. Danny Vega (SDSU) 6. Cody Phippen (AF) 7. Kysen Terukina (ISU) 8. Mason Naifeh (OU) 133: 1. Daton Fix (OSU) -- No. 1 2. Ryan Sullivan (WVU) -- No. 19 3. Zach Price (SDSU) -- No. 15 4. Jared Van Vleet (AF) 5. Mosha Schwartz (UNC) -- No. 17 6. Job Greenwood (WYO) 7. Zach Redding (ISU) -- No. 13 8. Ty Smith (UVU) -- No. 18 141: 1. Ian Parker (ISU) -- No. 5 2. Dom Demas (OU) -- No. 6 3. Clay Carlson (SDSU) -- No. 15 4. DJ Lloren (FS) -- No. 12 5. Lenny Petersen (AF) -- No. 19 6. Chris Sandoval (UNC) 7. Dylan Droegemueller (NDSU) 8. Chase Zollman (WYO) 149: 1. Boo Lewallen (OSU) -- No. 4 2. Andrew Alirez (UNC) -- No. 5 3. Mitch Moore (OU) -- No. 18 4. Triston Lara (UNI) 5. Jarrett Degen (ISU) -- No. 8 6. Dylan Martinez (AF) 7. Cameron Hunsaker (UVU) 8. Jaden Van Maanen (NDSU) 157: 1. David Carr (ISU) -- No. 3 2. Justin Thomas (OU) -- No. 11 3. Jared Franek (NDSU) -- No. 13 4. Cade DeVos (SDSU) 5. Jacob Wright (WYO) -- No. 18 6. Wyatt Sheets (OSU) -- No. 20 7. Danny Snediker (UVU) 8. Parker Simington (AF) 165: 1. Travis Wittlake (OSU) -- No. 2 2. Peyton Hall (WVU) 3. Cole Moody (WYO) 4. Luke Weber (NDSU) 5. Isaac Judge (ISU) 6. Jordan Robison (UNC) 7. Austin Yant (UNI) 8. Colten Carlson (SDSU) 174: 1. Demetrius Romero (UVU) -- No. 3 2. Hayden Hastings (WYO) -- No. 9 3. Dustin Plott (OSU) -- No. 17 4. Lance Runyon (UNI) 5. Cody Surratt (AF) 6. Jackson Hemauer (UNC) 7. Cade King (SDSU) 8. Anthony Mantanona (OU) 184: 1. Parker Keckeisen (UNI) -- No. 5 2. Tate Samuelson (WYO) -- No. 12 3. Dakota Geer (OSU) -- No. 13 4. Alan Clothier (UNC) 5. Sam Colbray (ISU) -- No. 8 6. Anthony Carman (WVU) 7. Darrien Roberts (OU) 8. Hunter Cruz (FS) 197: 1. Tanner Sloan (SDSU) -- No. 5 2. Stephen Buchanan (WYO) -- No. 6 3. Noah Adams (WVU) -- No. 7 4. AJ Ferrari (OSU) -- No. 9 5. Jake Woodley (OU) -- No. 16 6. Marcus Coleman (ISU) 7. Owen Pentz (NDSU) 8. Kayne Hutchison (AF) 285: 1. Gannon Gremmel (ISU) -- No. 7 2. Carter Isley (UNI) -- No. 17 3. Brian Andrews (WYO) -- No. 20 4. Josh Heindselman (OU) 5. Austin Harris (OSU) 6. Wyatt Hendrickson (AF) 7. Brandon Metz (NDSU) 8. Blake Wolters (SDSU)

Conference season is officially upon us. This weekend was the first of back-to-back weekends of postseason competition as far as college wrestling is concerned. Thus far, we have seen the Eastern Intercollegiate Wrestling Association (EIWA), Mid-American Conference (MAC), Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC), the Pac-12 Conference (Pac-12), and the Southern Conference (SoCon) take to the mats to crown its respective conference champions. These tournaments created some exciting headlines for sure. Here are five things that caught my eye from this past weekend (Feb. 27-29) in college wrestling. The team title winning streaks continue at conference tournaments This weekend, we saw five different conference wrestling tournaments take place. Each league saw a familiar face atop the team race standings when all was said and done at each respective tournament. In the EIWL, the Lehigh Mountain Hawks took home their fourth consecutive EIWA team title. Similarly, all 10 Lehigh entrants qualified for the NCAAs. In the MAC, the Missouri Tigers had a record-setting performance to claim the crown, their ninth in a row. Mizzou, like Lehigh, also qualified all 10 starters for the NCAAs. In the ACC, NC State also ran away with the 2021 team tournament championship, their third in a row. In the process, the Wolfpack advanced eight of 10 starters to the NCAA Championships. In the Pac-12, the Sun Devils of Arizona State were atop the tournament team race for the fourth team title in the last five seasons. Arizona State will send six to St. Louis later this month. Lastly, the Campbell Camels won their third straight SoCon team title, qualifying five for NCAAs. In the finals of the ACCs, the second iteration of this now budding rivalry unfolded. It was a low-scoring contest, but wasn't short on quality wrestling, flurries of action, and great scrambling. Latona bested Camacho once again and improves to 3-0 (including a redshirt win) versus Camacho in their young college careers. But, with the win, a rivalry between the two underclassmen lightweights has just been born. Both are talented wrestlers who may very well be on the podium next month in St. Louis. Regardless of who places higher, or if they place, I'm just excited to enjoy this rivalry for many more years to come.

Arizona State won its fourth Pac-12 title in five years (Photo/Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWarriors.com) Results: Brackets CORVALLIS, Ore. -- The Arizona State Sun Devils defended their Pac-12 wrestling title, claiming their fourth championship in five years and their 20th overall as a program with a victory Sunday at Oregon State's Gill Coliseum. The Sun Devils compiled five individual titles from Brandon Courtney (125), Jacori Teemer (157), Anthony Valencia (165), Kordell Norfleet (197) and Cohlton Schultz (HWT), ultimately earning 138 points on the evening. Schultz's win was the first conference title of his career, while the others were repeat champions. Oregon State, the host team, finished in second with 123 points. The Beavers saw Devan Turner (133) and Grant Willits (141) become the seventh and eighth wrestlers in program history to win multiple Pac-12 titles after Turner won his class last year and Willits captured his class in 2019. The Beavers were followed closely by Stanford, which finished with 115.5 points highlighted by Jaden Abas' win in the 149 pound class against top seed Legend Lamer of CAL POLY. With the victory, Abas becomes the eighth freshman in program history to win a conference title. As a team, the Cardinal will send at least five student-athletes to NCAA qualifiers for the eighth straight year. Cal Poly took fourth with 107 points, accentuated by Bernie Truax (174) becoming the program's first Pac-12 title winner in three years. The Mustangs' fourth place is their highest in 11 seasons. CSU Bakersfield finished in fifth with 97.5 points, netting a win from Dominic Ducharme (184), who captured his first career conference title. He will represent the Roadrunners at the NCAA Tournament, extending their streak of appearances at NCAAs to 48 seasons. In its second appearance in the Pac-12 Championships, Little Rock totaled 69 points -- an improvement of 6.5 points from its inaugural season -- highlighted by strong performances from a lineup featuring seven freshmen. The 2021 NCAA DI Wrestling Championships will take place from March 18-20 in St. Louis, Mo. Outstanding Wrestler of the Championships Arizona State's Anthony Valencia earned Outstanding Wrestler of the Championships after defeating Stanford's Shane Griffith in the 165 weight class, 7-1. Valencia entered the competition ranked No. 4 in the nation, with Griffith at No. 1. The win was Valencia's fourth Pac-12 title; last year he defeated Stanford's Jared Hill to take the championship in the 174 class after capturing consecutive titles at 165 in 2017 and 2018. He becomes the third Sun Devil to win four Pac-12 championships, joining Eric Larkin and Markus Mollica. The 2021 Most Falls Award went to Oregon State's Matt Olguin, who finished with two falls in 11:57. During the event, Stanford's Nathan Traxler was honored as 2021 Scholar-Athlete of the Year. Finals Results: 125 pounds: No. 3 Brandon Courtney (Arizona State) def. Jackson DiSario (Stanford). D; 6-2. 133 pounds: No. 22 Devan Turner (Oregon State) def. Chance Rich (CSU Bakersfield). D; 3-1. 141 pounds: No. 15 Grant Willits (Oregon State) def. Real Woods (Stanford). 2nd Round Fall. 149 pounds: No. 18 Jaden Abas (Stanford) def. No. 13 Legend Lamer (Cal Poly). D; 10-5. 157 pounds: No. 12 Jacobi Teemer (Arizona State) def. No. 14 Hunter Willits (Oregon State). D; 9-4. 165 pounds: No. 4 Anthony Valencia (Arizona State) def. No. 1 Shane Griffith (Stanford). D; 7-1. 174 pounds: No. 19 Bernie Truax (Cal Poly) def. No. 20 Trey Munoz (Arizona State). MD; 11-2. 184 pounds: Dominic Ducharme (CSU Bakersfield) def. No. 27 Ryan Reyes (Oregon State). D; 3-2 (OT). 197 pounds: No. 4 Kordell Norfleet (Arizona State) def. J.J. Dixon (Oregon State). MD; 16-4. 285 pounds: No. 5 Cohlton Schultz (Arizona State) def. Nathan Traxler (Stanford). D; 3-1. Team Standings: 1. Arizona State, 138 2. Oregon State, 123 3. Stanford, 115.5 4. Cal Poly, 107 5. CSU Bakersfield, 97.5 6. Little Rock, 69

Campbell won its third straight title at the SoCon Championships (Photo/Campbell Athletics) Results: Brackets BOONE, N.C. -- Campbell held off a late Appalachian State surge to claim its third consecutive Southern Conference Wrestling Championship on Sunday at the Holmes Convocation Center. With eight Camels making finals appearances, Campbell held an 83-70 advantage heading into the consolation finals before the Mountaineers took an 87-86 lead, winning five individual titles at 125, 133, 141, 149 and 157. Four of those included head to head matchups between the Camels and Mountaineers (125, 141, 149 and 157). Austin Murphy gave Campbell the go-ahead title clinching points at 174 pounds, earning first period back points and hanging on for a 9-3 decision over App State's Thomas Flitz. Chris Kober added to CU's lead at 197 pounds, defeating Chattanooga's Logan Andrew 3-1, securing a third individual Campbell champion. Campbell finished with 92 team points, staving off Appalachian State's 87. Chattanooga took third with 64 points, followed by Gardner-Webb (50), The Citadel (43.5), VMI (18) and Presbyterian (6.5). Five Camels secured NCAA berths on the day, with three tournament champions, including Murphy, Kober and Caleb Hopkins at 184 pounds. Two Camels also took true place wins, with Josh Heil at 149 pounds and Taye Ghadiali at heavyweight earning NCAA berths. The SoCon was awarded two NCAA berths at three weight classes, including 149 pounds, 184 and heavyweight. Heil becomes Campbell's first four-time NCAA qualifier, while Kober picked up his second NCAA appearance, joined by first time qualifiers Murphy, Hopkins and Ghadiali. Eight Camels finished on the podium, with five runner-ups to go along with their three individual champions. Campbell's head coach Scotti Sentes was named the SoCon Coach of the Year, sweeping the league's regular season and tournament championships in his first season at the helm. Hopkins also earned the 2021 SoCon Pinnacle Award, given to the student-athlete with the highest GPA on the championship winning team. Chattanooga's Andrew Nicholson, meanwhile, was named the Tournament Most Outstanding Wrestler, winning the 165 title as the No. 3 seed. Top-seeded Murphy, a junior from Cincinnati, Ohio, reached the finals with a 6-1 decision over Chattanooga's Carial Tarter after earning a first round bye. Another one of Campbell's four No. 1 seeds, Kober locked in a first period fall over GWU's Sam Mora (1:17) to reach the finals. After going unbeaten in SoCon matches at 7-0 during the regular season, Hopkins clinched his first NCAA Championships berth with a 5-2 decision over Chattanooga's Matthew Waddell at 184 pounds. The Palmer, Alaska native also blanked VMI's Zach Brown 4-0 in the semifinals after receiving a first round bye. Making his fourth SoCon finals appearance, Heil, a three-time conference champion, suffered his first ever defeat at the hands of a SoCon opponent, with App State's Jonathan Millner taking the 2-1 decision in the title bout. Heil clinched a spot in the finals with a pair of bonus wins, pinning PC's Reid Stewart (2:07) and registered an 11-3 major decision over Gardner-Webb's Brandon Bright, officially earning his ticket to the NCAA Championships with a 4-3 true place decision over The Citadel's Selwyn Porter. Ghadiali also gained an automatic berth to the NCAA Championships, taking runner-up at heavyweight in a 5-3 decision against The Citadel's Michael McAleavey. The redshirt freshman, seeded third in the tournament, opened the day with a 20-5 tech fall over Presbyterian's Airin Spell, and topped Anthony Perrine of Gardner-Webb 3-1 in extra time. Seeded third at 125, Zurich Storm made his first SoCon finals appearance, topping No. 2 seed Fabian Gutierrez from UTC, 8-6 in overtime before falling 11-4 to App State's Codi Russell in the title round. Storm opened the day with a pin over GWU's Aedyn Concepcion (2:03). Making the final at 141 pounds, Hanna, seeded fourth, opened the tournament with a 20-5 tech fall over PC's Jacob Brasseur before taking down top-seeded Franco Valdes from Chattanooga, 4-2 in extra time. He fell to App State's Anthony Brito, 7-3, in the finals. Making his second SoCon finals appearance after earning the conference title in 2019, Barton took App State's Cody Bond to overtime, but fell 10-5, placing second. Barton defeated VMI's Blake Showers with an 18-7 major decision in the 157 semifinals. Campbell, also winners of three-straight SoCon regular season championships, has now claimed four of the last five SoCon tournament titles. The NCAA Championships are set for March 18-20 in St. Louis, Missouri. Team Standings: 1. Campbell - 92.0 2. Appalachian State - 87.0 3. Chattanooga - 64.0 4. Gardner-Webb - 50.0 5. The Citadel - 43.5 6. VMI - 18.0 7. Presbyterian - 6.5

NC State won its third straight title at the ACC Championships (Photo/Sam Janicki, SJanickiPhoto.com) Results: Brackets RALEIGH, N.C. -- It has been an unusual year for college wrestling, but one thing remained unchanged on Sunday night. NC State continues to sit atop the Atlantic Coast Conference. Buoyed by Trent Hidlay's overtime sudden victory over top-ranked Hunter Bolen of Virginia Tech at 184 pounds, plus dominating efforts by four-time ACC champion Hayden Hidlay at 157 and Tariq Wilson at 141, the nationally seventh-ranked Wolfpack captured its 18th ACC team title in convincing fashion Sunday night at Reynolds Coliseum. With Daniel Bullard (174 pounds) and Deonte Wilson (285) adding overtime wins of their own, NC State led the team scoring with 89.5 points. Virginia Tech held second place 24 points back at 65.5, followed by North Carolina (63), Virginia (55), Pitt (45) and Duke (7.5). Virginia Tech 133-pound senior Korbin Myers, who continued his streak of wins over ranked opponents with a 3-1 victory over two-time champion Micky Phillippi at 133 pounds, was selected the tournament's Most Outstanding Wrestler in a vote of the head coaches. The ACC title is Wolfpack's fourth under the watch of ninth-year head coach Pat Popolizio, and NC State's 18 total ACC titles are the most among current conference programs. "It's a credit to all the guys on our staff who work around the clock, and it's a tribute to our (wrestlers), because I know all that goes into it with their training and lifestyle they gotta live. And to the support we get here at NC State right now," Popolizio said. "It puts us one step closer to our ultimate goal of winning the national title." NC State became the first school to claim three consecutive ACC wrestling championships since North Carolina won four in a row from 1997-20. "It's not an easy thing to do," Popolozio said. "I don't know of any sport you're in - whether you're an individual or a team - getting three wins in a row in a conference is not an easy task. I am really proud of what the guys did today, stepping up to meet the challenge against some of the best teams in the country." The first match of the championship round saw Virginia Tech's Myers - ranked seventh nationally - scored his decision over Pitt's Phillippi. The No. 4-ranked Phillippi had won 20 consecutive matches and was 8-0 this season, but Myers entered this year's ACC Championship with impressive credentials of his own after defeating three straight fellow ranked conference opponents by major decision. But after Myers gave the Hokies some hope of coming from behind, NC State closed the door by winning five of the six championship matches in which it had wrestlers competing. NC State's Tariq Wilson avenged last year's ACC Championship loss to North Carolina's Zach Sherman at 141 pounds, defeating his Tar Heel counterpart by a 10-1 major decision. The win gave Wilson a sweep of the season series following his 9-6 win when the pair faced off at UNC on Jan. 29. North Carolina's top-ranked Austin O'Connor successfully defended his ACC title at 149 pounds by defeating Virginia Tech's Bryce Andonian for the second consecutive year, but it didn't come easy for the Tar Heel junior. O'Connor spotted Andonian 6-0 lead in the opening period before scrapping back to claim a 10-8 decision. O'Connor upped his career record to 66-7. The finals of the 157-pound bracket produced a historic win for Hayden Hidlay. With his 12-3 major decision over Virginia's Justin McCoy, the NC State senior became the 10th four-time ACC champion and the first since Virginia Tech's Devin Carter (at 141 pounds in 2011-12 and at 141 pounds in 2014-15). Hidlay is the sixth four-time ACC champion in a single weight class and the first since North Carolina's Matt Kenny (heavyweight) in 1999-02. The Lewistown, Pennsylvania, senior holds a 29-0 career mark versus ACC opponents. Pitt's 165-pound Jake Wentzel opened the 2021 season by earning National Wrestler of the Week honors, and the junior hasn't let up in the eight weeks since. Wentzel successfully defended his ACC title Sunday night, blanking Virginia's Jake Keating, 4-0. For the second consecutive year, NC State's Bullard and North Carolina's Clay Lautt waged a competitive battle at 174 pounds. Lautt claimed a one-point win in last year's meeting in Pittsburgh, but Bullard turned the tables with a takedown for a 4-2 sudden victory win on Sunday night. After coming excruciatingly close versus Virginia Tech's Bolen in last year's ACC final and in this year's regular-season match, the Wolfpack's third-ranked Trent Hidlay finally broke through on Sunday night. Hidlay's takedown in the first extra session netted a 3-1 victory following 2-1 losses in each of the two previous meetings. Pitt's Nino Bonaccorsi, who moved up a weight class this season to wrestle at 197 pounds, downed defending Jay Aiello of Virginia by a 10-4 Bolen entered the match ranked as the No. 1 184-pound wrestler in the country in each of the InterMat, FloWrestling and TrackWrestling rankings. He has also been the No. 1 choice in both NCAA Coaches Rankings. The final two matches of evening featured more overtime wrestling. Heavyweight Deonte Wilson outlasted Virginia Tech's Hunter Catka, 2-1, and the Hokies' Sam Latona edged NC State's Jakob Camacho by the same score. The Latona-Camacho bout was a rematch of their regular-season meeting, which Latona won 7-4 with a late takedown to help Virginia Tech claim the ACC dual team championship. Sunday night's finals featured all nine defending champions from 2020. Fourteen of the 20 wrestlers in this year's final championship round also reached the finals last season, and four of this year's title matches - at 141, 149, 174 and 184 - were rematches from last season. In addition to determining league champions, this year's ACC Wrestling Championship filled the conference's 33 automatic NCAA berths. The ACC is hopeful of landing additional at-large berths for the NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships, which are set for March 18-20 in St. Louis. The conference earned 38 total NCAA spots in the 2020 NCAA Championships, which were ultimately canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The ACC sent a league record 41 wrestlers to the NCAAs in both 2018 and 2019. Please see below for the results of Sunday night's championship matches. The winner and runner-up in each weight class earns 2021 All-ACC honors. Finals Results: 125: Sam Latona (VT) def. Jakob Camacho (NCS), TB 1; 2-1 133: Korbin Myers (VT) dec. Micky Phillippi (UP), 3-1 141: Tariq Wilson (NCS) major dec. Zach Sherman (UNC), 10-1 149: Austin O'Connor (UNC) dec. Bryce Andonian (VT), 10-8 157: Hayden Hidlay (NCS) major dec. Justin McCoy (UVA), 12-3 165: Jake Wentzel (UP) dec. Jake Keating (UVA), 4-0 174: Daniel Bullard (NCS) dec Clay Lautt (UNC), SV-1; 4-2 184: Trent Hidlay (NCS) dec.Hunter Bolen (VT) , SV-1; 3-1 197: Nino Bonaccorsi (UP) vs. Jay Aiello (UVA), 10-4 285: Deonte Wilson (NCS) dec. Hunter Catka (VT), TB-1; 2-1 Final Team Standings: 1. NC State 89.5 2. Virginia Tech 65.5 3. North Carolina 63 4. Virginia 55 5. Pitt 45 6. Duke 7.5

Link: Results A Twitter List by InterMat

Link: Results A Twitter List by InterMat

Link: Results A Twitter List by InterMat

Missouri claimed its ninth consecutive MAC title and broke the tournament scoring record Links: Brackets | Team Scores TRENTON, N.J. -- The No. 5 Missouri Tigers won their ninth consecutive Mid-American Conference Wrestling Championship with a MAC record 188.5 total team points today at the Cure Insurance Arena in Trenton, N.J. A total of eight Missouri wrestlers competed in the final, with four of them coming away as champions. Missouri's Matt Schmitt (133 lbs.), Brock Mauller (149 lbs.), Keegan O'Toole (165 lbs.) and Rocky Elam (197 lbs.) all secured individual MAC titles. Central Michigan's Matt Stencel became the ninth wrestler in Mid-American Conference history to win four individual league titles when he defeated Rider's Ethan Laird, 7-2, in the final at 285 pounds. CMU's Drew Hildebrandt (125) and Dresden Simon (141) repeated as champions in their respective weight classes, joining Stencel in leading CMU to a runner-up finish behind fifth-ranked Missouri. Final Team Results 1. Missouri -- 188.5 (MAC RECORD) 2. Central Michigan -- 129 3. Rider -- 120.5 4. Northern Illinois -- 90 5. Edinboro -- 80 6. Cleveland State -- 68 7. Clarion -- 57.5 8. Kent State -- 54 9. Buffalo -- 44 10. SIU Edwardsville -- 43.5 11. George Mason -- 35 12. Ohio -- 34 12. Bloomsburg -- 28.5 13. Lock Haven -- 15 Championship Matches: 125: No. 1 seed Drew Hildebrandt (Central Michigan) def. No. 4 Noah Surtin (Missouri), 6-1 133: No. 1 seed Matthew Schmitt (Missouri) def. Unseeded Richie Koehler (Rider), 9-6 141: No. 2 seed Dresden Simon (Central Michigan) def. No. 5 seed McKenzie Bell (Rider), 12-5 149: No. 1 Brock Mauller (Missouri) def. No. 6 Marcus Robinson (Cleveland State), 6-0 157: No. 1 Jesse Dellavecchia (Rider) def. No. 2 Jarrett Jacques (Missouri), 3-2 165: No. 1 Keegan O'Toole (Missouri) def. No. 2 Izzak Olejnik (Northern Illinois), 6-2 174: No. 1 Andrew McNally (Kent State) def. No. 2 Peyton Mocco (Missouri), 8-7 184: No. 1 Brit Wilson (Northern Illinois) def. No. 2 Jeremiah Kent (Missouri), Fall (4:33) 197: No. 2 Rocky Elam (Missouri) def. No. 4 Ben Smith (Cleveland State), 10-4 285: No. 1 Matt Stencel (Central Michigan) def. No. 2 Ethan Laird (Rider), 8-2

Lehigh claimed the EIWA championship (Photo/Sam Janicki, SJanickiPhoto.com) MANHEIM, Pa. -- Lehigh crowned four individual champions, but it was a total team effort that carried the Mountain Hawks to their fourth consecutive EIWA team title Friday at Spooky Nook Sports Complex. All 10 Lehigh entrants placed in the top five of their respective weight classes and all 10 qualified for the NCAA Championships as the Mountain Hawks scored 158.5 points to pull away from Navy and Army West Point. The four individual champions for Lehigh were junior Jaret Lane (125), freshman Malyke Hines (133), senior Jake Jakobsen (197) and senior Jordan Wood (285). Wood becomes just the fifth four-time EIWA Champion in Lehigh history and the first EIWA heavyweight to win four titles. Lehigh's four champs outscored their opponents 18-2 in those four finals bouts. The Mountain Hawks had five total finalists with nine of their 10 entrants placing in the top four. As a team, Lehigh went 27-8 on the day with 13 bonus point wins. Nine of Lehigh's 10 entrants had at least one bonus win. "We had a really good training cycle, we just didn't know if it was going to pay off," said Lehigh head coach Pat Santoro, who was named EIWA Coach of the Year for the second straight year and sixth time overall. "There's that mental part. We knew they were ready but they hadn't shown it. "Having 10 guys place is a great thing," Santoro continued. "Having nine in the top four is a great thing. Having four champions is great. It was the whole team and it was consistent. Having 10 guys wrestle at the same level is really hard to do in a tournament. Everybody's happy with the way they wrestled." Navy finished second with 129 points, while Army West Point was third with 119.5. Lane won his first career title and punched his first ticket to NCAAs by outscoring his three opponents 24-1 to improve to 8-0 on the season. After opening with a 13-1 major decision over Army's Ryan Chauvin, Lane blanked Binghamton's Micah Roes 6-0. In the finals, he beat Navy's Logan Treaster 5-0 behind a second period reversal, third period takedown and 2:17 of riding time. Hines followed suit with a 4-2 decision over Navy's Jacob Allen in the finals, giving Lehigh head-to-head wins over the Mids in the first two weights. Hines scored a first period takedown off a double leg shot and added a pair of third period escapes. Earlier Friday he cradled Sacred Heart's Kyle Randall for a fall in a mere 31 seconds then posted an 8-0 major decision over Navy's Jacob Allen. In addition to his first title, Jakobsen won the Sheridan Award for most falls in the championship bracket, pinning his first two opponents in 9:34. In the finals, he defeated Army's JT Brown for the second time this season, this season by a 3-0 final. After a scoreless first period Jakobsen scored a takedown in the second and added a third period escape. Wood's fourth title began with a second period pin of Sacred Heart's Dante DelBonis before blanking Zachary Knighton-Ward of Hofstra 2-0 in the semifinals. Wood met Bobby Heald of Army in the finals and posted a 6-0 decision, scoring takedowns in the second and third periods plus a second period escape and riding time. He is the first four-time EIWA Champion for Lehigh since Darryl Burley accomplished the feat in 1983. Wood captured the Fletcher Trophy for most career team points scored at the EIWA Tournament. "Jordan was wrestling freestyle all summer but you could see him getting more comfortable each week," Santoro said. "He was grinding. Working hard on top. That's where he has always been strong but you could see it coming back. The last two weeks he was getting better and better. He's a smart wrestler and wrestles with intensity. Now he just has to tighten some things up for the NCAA Tournament." Junior Jimmy Hoffman was Lehigh's fifth finalist. He won each of his first two bouts by 16-0 technical fall but came up on the short end of an 8-3 decision against Army's PJ Ogunsanya. Hoffman qualified for NCAAs for the second straight year. The Mountain Hawks had two third-place finishers in freshman Connor McGonagle (141) and sophomore Brian Meyer (165). McGonagle rebounded from a 2-1 semifinal loss to eventual champion Cody Trybus of Navy, beating LIU's Drew Witham 11-2 to qualify for NCAAs and then beating Julian Flores of Drexel for the second time Friday in the third place match. Meyer scored a late takedown and two point near fall to knock off third-seeded Ricky Stamm of Hofstra 5-1 in the quarterfinals. After a semifinal loss to Tanner Skidgel of Navy, Meyer came back to win his next two bouts, including a major decision in the consolation semifinals to clinch the NCAA tournament berth. Freshmen Luca Frinzi (157) and Jake Logan (174) both qualified with fourth place finishes. Frinzi's top moment came in the consolation semifinals against Bucknell's Jaden Fisher. Trailing 3-2 with under 10 seconds remaining, Frinzi cradled Fisher and took him to his back for the fall at 6:58, securing a NCAA berth in the process. Logan rebounded from a heartbreaking tiebreaker loss in the semifinals to punch his ticket with a 4-0 decision over Vincent Andreano of Bucknell. He medically forfeited to fourth place. Wrestling his first bouts of the season, senior Dylan Ammerman secured qualification with a fifth place finish at 184. He went 3-2 on the day, staying alive with a fall in the pigtail consolations and then securing his place at NCAAs with a 9-7 win over Drexel's Josh Stillings. "The three weeks of training leading up to this tournament made a huge difference," Santoro said. "Before this we hadn't had more than two weeks. The guys won all the tight matches today. They were winning third periods. That's typically what we've done but we hadn't done it all year. They really wrestled well. I'm really proud of them." Lehigh's NCAA tournament qualifiers will move on to the NCAA Championships, March 18-20 at Enterprise Center in St. Louis. The NCAA will announce the at-large qualifiers and complete field of 330 on Tuesday, March 9 and will then unveil the seeds and brackets the following day at 6 p.m. The Mountain Hawks will be sending a full team to NCAAs for the first time since 2018. Team Scores 1. Lehigh 158.5 2. Navy 129 3. Army West Point 119.5 4. Hofstra 106.5 5. Drexel 89.5 6. Bucknell 84.5 7. Binghamton 75.5 8. Sacred Heart 39 9. American 30.5 10. LIU 24.5

Keegan O'Toole was one of eight Mizzou Tigers to advance to the finals (Photo/Missouri Athletics) TRENTON, N.J. -- Mizzou Wrestling leads the MAC Wrestling Championships after the first day with 161.5 points. The Tigers lead second-place Central Michigan by 65.5 points. Eight Tigers have qualified for the finals in their respective weight classes, with two other Tigers competing in third place matches. Seven Tigers have already secured their spots at the NCAA Championships, while the other three can all secure their spots with wins tomorrow. Below are the Tigers in the finals: Sophomore Noah Surtin - 125 Pounds Redshirt junior Matt Schmitt - 133 Pounds Junior Brock Mauller - 149 Pounds Junior Jarrett Jacques - 157 Pounds Freshman Keegan O'Toole - 165 Pounds Redshirt sophomore Peyton Mocco - 174 Pounds Redshirt sophomore Jeremiah Kent - 184 Pounds Freshman Rocky Elam - 197 Pounds Below are the Tigers in third-place matches: Junior Allan Hart - 141 Pounds Redshirt sophomore Zach Elam - 285 Pounds TEAM STANDINGS 1. Mizzou ­- 161.5 2. Central Michigan - 96.5 3. Rider - 96.0 4. Cleveland State - 56.5 5. Northern Illinois - 54.0 6. Edinboro - 49.0 7. Kent State - 43.0 8. Clarion - 37.0 9. SIU-Edwardsville - 31.0 10. George Mason - 30.5 11. Ohio - 26.5 12. Buffalo - 25.5 13. Bloomsburg - 22.0 14. Lock Haven - 9.5

ASU's Kordell Norfleet is seeded No. 1 at 174 pounds (Photo/Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWarriors.com) SAN FRANCISCO -- The Pac-12 has finalized its championship bracket for the 2021 Pac-12 Wrestling Championships on Sunday, February 28. Each of the 10 weight classes features six wrestlers, one from each of the conference's wrestling programs. The top two seeds in each class will receive byes, while first round matches will feature the No. 6 against the No. 3 seed, and the No. 5 seed against the No. 4. This year's field includes a number of high-profile names, including the No. 1 wrestler in the 174 weight class, Stanford's Shane Griffith. The No. 4 wrestler in that same class, Arizona State's Anthony Valencia, enters this weekend as a No. 2 seed, potentially setting up one of the top matchups in the nation in the finals. The full bracket can be viewed here. The No. 1 seeds for each weight class are as follows: Arizona State's Brandon Courtney (125), Arizona State's Michael McGee (133), Oregon State's Grant Willits (141), Cal Poly's Legend Lamer (149), Oregon State's Hunter Willits (157), Stanford's Shane Griffith (165), Cal Poly's Bernie Truax (174), Oregon State's Ryan Reyes (184), Arizona State's Kordell Norfleet (197) and Arizona State's Cohlton Schultz (285). First round matchups begin at 11:30 am PT / 12:30 pm MT from Oregon State's Gill Coliseum, while second round matchups are scheduled for 4:30 pm PT / 5:30 pm MT. Both rounds will be available via livestream on Oregon State's live stream platform and on pac-12.com. Championship finals will be broadcasted on Pac-12 Network and the Pac-12 Now App, with coverage beginning at 6:00 pm PT / 7:00 pm PT. For more information, click here.

Link: Results A Twitter List by InterMat

Link: Results A Twitter List by InterMat

PSU coaches Cody Sanderson and Cody Sanderson talk to Nick Lee during a dual vs. Michigan (Photo/Sam Janicki, SJanickiPhoto.com) The conference tournaments start this weekend with the EIWA, MAC, ACC, Pac-12 and SoCon all taking place. The athletes have been through a tremendous season unlike any in the last 70 years and while there is tremendous frustration with the allocations and the number of matches everyone was able to wrestle, it's incredible that the sport has made it this far in 2021. I had my doubts. Here and in private conversations I saw no way for the NCAA to allow football, much less wrestling, to compete in this school year. Part of that doubt was naivete about the NCAA's drive to see a financial return on their investment, and at least some part was not recognizing that fewer deaths was not seen as universally a good thing. No matter the circumstances on how the season got its push to start, it was always on the athletes to follow the regulations to make sure that they could continue to compete. These young men were seeing friends, taking classes remotely, eating alone, training in pods, wearing masks everywhere, and in general being asked to sacrifice more than any other class before them. And they succeeded. There is plenty of on-the-mat action to consume this weekend and next, but before the first whistle blows take a moment and recognize just how sizable an accomplishment it was for these athletes to make it from the searing center of a plague to the mat at their conference tournament. Bravo to them, their families, their coaches and their universities. To your questions … Q: With Penn State now adding Greg Kerkvliet, Beau Bartlett and Robbie Howard to the lineup, do you think the Nittany Lions can challenge Iowa? -- Mike C. Foley: Greg Kerkvliet re-emerged this weekend in a Penn State stomping of Big Ten foe Maryland. The heavyweight had an expectedly great performance and gave rise to the thought that Penn State would have enough horsepower to challenge top-ranked Iowa. The addition of Kerkvliet is certainly a positive for the Nittany Lions, as are Bartlett and Howard, both of whom seem like top All-American candidates in 2021. If you look at the updated points as predicted by the InterMat rankings there is a 71-point difference in their expected outcomes. That might get chipped away with some top-level performances by the above trio, and maybe further whittled down by some bonus points. However, a 10-touchdown difference is extremely difficult to overcome. The Big Ten weekend will be the test of each team's strengths and weaknesses, but from a higher perspective it would seem you should always favor the experienced winners over the newcomers. There are plenty of ways in which I can and probably will be proven wrong, but if you're putting money on the outcome of the NCAAs I think it's foolish to discount the Hawkeyes. Q: Which college match that has not happened yet are most looking forward to this postseason? -- Mike C. Foley: Richard Mann wrote a great article this week on that topic. Check it out. For me it'll be anytime there is a direct matchup between Penn State and Iowa, but also Daton Fix vs. RBY MULTIMEDIA HALFTIME Trailer for the Pellicone! Q: What are you most looking forward to seeing at the Matteo Pellicone? -- Mike C. Foley: The Matteo Pellicone is the first Ranking Series tournament of the 2021 season. The outcome of the tournament won't impact the 2021 seeds or points, but it will influence the seeds at the world championships and who will end up winning the Ranking Series at the end of the season. The Belgrade Individual World Cup last December has proven to be a success with few issues arising from the health protocols and efforts to create a bubble resulting in a safe environment. Now, with vaccines being rolled out around the world and in-airport testing becoming more prevalent, a number of the top wrestlers in the world are expected to compete in next week's competition. More importantly, I'm finally being released to start covering events in person again and am looking forward to seeing the action on the mats and maybe tipping back a few glasses of Barolo. The tournament itself is built around 74 kilograms and the expected matchup between Jordan Burroughs and Italy's own favorite adopted son, Frank Chamizo. The duo has met a number of times and each episode of their saga tells us something new about their outlook and techniques. While I think that Burroughs is the favorite, what is most compelling to me is his eagerness to travel so close to the Olympic Trials. That will certainly mean it'll be a more cautious Burroughs on the mat, though he's certain to be as competitive as ever. The weight class also features Franklin Gomez (Puerto Rico) and world bronze medalist Daniyar Kaisanov (Kazakhstan). All eyes will be on 74 kilograms. Q: The Capitol Cup this weekend will feature a women's Greco-Roman exhibition match between Xochitl Mota-Pettis and Koral Sugiyama. What do you think about this? Do you think women's Greco could have a future in the wrestling landscape? -- Mike C. Foley: I'm interested in seeing the response to the match. The Canadians had a program for some time, but didn't see a lot of excess interest in the sport. In Europe its essentially a non-starter for most federations as they think Greco-Roman is far too brutal for women to undertake. You might agree or disagree with that perspective, but the buy-in of the European and Asian nations is necessary for the sport to be undertaken in any meaningful manner. The IOC is serious about sports accomplishing gender equity, and soon, equality. The 2022 YOG in Senegal were meant to be the first gender equal games. They are now postponed, but that is the direction the sporting landscape has taken into the future. For wrestling, the pressure to be gender equal will almost certainly result in even more investment in beach wrestling. The sport is consumer friendly and can be practiced anywhere at any time. There is no necessary equipment and nations that might otherwise be disadvantaged in Olympic style might find growth and success in beach wrestling. To me, beach wrestling has always been the answer. Greco-Roman on the men's side has faced issues for the better part of 40 years so I think it would be unwise for the sport to point in the direction of the past, rather than the future.

Following a change of venue from Penn State University, USA Wrestling is truly thankful to have secured Dickies Arena, a brand-new world-class arena in Fort Worth, Texas, to host of the 2020 Olympic Team Trials - Wrestling on April 2-3. The first priority of USA Wrestling has always been to hold the safest competition possible for the participants, while complying with all of the local and state health requirements, and utilizing the event safety protocols established by USA Wrestling and other sports organizations during the pandemic. The proposed event plan for Fort Worth, which must be approved by the U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Committee, will include a safety "bubble" that will be provided for athletes, coaches and tournament staff, and mandated testing protocols. Another major priority is to provide the athletes with the atmosphere for which this event is known for and celebrated, and to include spectators - with athlete families being prioritized - as permitted. USA Wrestling is happy to share that it will be able to accommodate spectators at a reduced level and in coordination with Dickies Arena and local health officials, is providing a spectator solution that allows for physical distancing and the ability to keep small groups of ticket-holders safely apart during the event. The total number of tickets available, based upon the arena capabilities and safety procedures is 4,900. For comparison, there were 12,000 tickets sold for the Olympic Trials at Penn State before the pandemic began. In order to ensure that tickets were available to the athletes and their families and those who were most impacted by the postponement and the change of venue, a plan for pre-sales of tickets has been established. A limit has been set upon specific groups who were offered the pre-sale opportunity. The athletes who have qualified to compete at the U.S. Olympic Team Trials, as well as the coaches for these athletes, were given a pre-sale opportunity to purchase a limited number of tickets. In addition, tickets are also being held to be offered to athletes who qualify to compete at the Olympic Trials in Fort Worth from the four remaining qualifying events (NCWWC Nationals, NAIA Women's National Invitational, NCAA Div. I Championships, Last Chance Qualifier). A small group of sponsors and donors, staff, USA Wrestling volunteer leaders (Board members and state chairpersons) and alumni athletes were also given a pre-sale opportunity, with a limit on the number of seats and a short time frame. Finally, original ticket holders who purchased their tickets directly from Penn State to attend the 2020 U.S. Olympic Team Trials will have a pre-sale opportunity for the event in Fort Worth, again with a limit on tickets as well as a short time frame to act. This phased pre-sale runs from Feb. 22-26. If the arena is not sold-out after the pre-sale ends, remaining tickets will be available to the general public on a first-come, first-served basis, starting Saturday, Feb. 27 at 10:00 a.m. CT here. We wish we could accommodate the high demand for tickets for the U.S. Olympic Team Trials, but the current realities of the pandemic make it impossible. We know that the families of the athletes have been provided the opportunity to be there, and that there will be a fitting atmosphere provided for the athletes to compete. As has been the position of USA Wrestling since the pandemic began, the health and safety of the participants and all involved in the event remains the most important priority.

MANHEIM, Pa. -- On Thursday, the National Wrestling Coaches Association announced the creation of the NWCA Division III Coaches Association National Wrestling Championships presented by ARMS Software, FloWrestling, and Reese's. The Xtream Arena (Coralville, IA) will play host on March 12-13 and will be allowing spectators. Tickets will go on-sale this Friday, February 26th at 10:00am through the Xtream Arena Box Office. Tickets may be purchased by visiting xtreamarena.com. All-session and single-day tickets will be available for $41 and $24, respectively. Fans not able to attend will be able to watch each match live on FloWrestling. On February 3, the NCAA announced the cancellation of the Division III winter championships for wrestling as well as basketball, indoor track and field, swimming and diving, and ice hockey. Following the NCAA's announcement, the NWCA Division III Leadership Group, led by Chairman Lonnie Morris, Head Coach at Johnson & Wales, began working to provide a championship experience for athletes who had just had their championship tournament canceled for the second year in a row. Morris shared, "It is an honor to be part of the leadership group that helped create this opportunity for our student-athletes." USA Wrestling, the national governing body for wrestling in the United States, announced on February 5 that it would host a tournament for Div. III wrestlers. With the assurance from the NWCA that this event will be held, USA Wrestling will help publicize the NWCA Division III Coaches Association National Wrestling Championships. The most important thing for the wrestling community is that these Div. III student-athletes have one season-ending event. The championships will place the top eight wrestlers, and each will earn NWCA All-America honors. There will be no team points kept and no team awards given. Athletes competing must be on their school's official roster and entered into the OPC, the NCAA's weight management program. Those interested in helping offset the estimated $100,000 cost of hosting the event may donate to the crowdfunding page set up by the NWCA by clicking here. All donations received will be put into a restricted NWCA Division III Wrestling Coaches Association account (administered by the NWCA) and used to defray costs associated with this championship. "The Division III Coaches Association stepped up tremendously and is providing their student-athletes an exciting season-ending opportunity when less than a month ago none existed. This group of highly dedicated coaches has spent long hours to make this event a possibility," said NWCA Executive Director Mike Moyer. "We couldn't have put all the pieces together without so many stakeholders pitching in and joining forces. Our Presenting sponsors, ARMS Software, FloWrestling, and Reese's a division The Hershey Company, have been rock stars and have committed much-needed resources. I would be remiss if I didn't extend a heartfelt thanks to USA Wrestling, especially Executive Director Rich Bender, for all the support during the planning stages." This event will be conducted following the requirements of the state and local health authorities. The local organizing committee is in regular communication with its partners at Johnson County public health and University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics. Masks are required to be worn at all times throughout this event and guests are asked to please adhere to all health and safety guidelines while inside Xtream Arena. EVENT DETAILS Date: March 12-13 Starting Times: Friday - 12 pm | Saturday - 10 am Location: Coralville, IA Venue: Xtream Arena Tickets: $41 All Sessions | $24 Single Day - Link How to Watch: FloWrestling - Link Presenting Sponsors: ARMS Software, FloWrestling, and Reese's Event Sponsors: USA Wrestling, Defense Soap, AAU Wrestling, and Resilite 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 a 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.

Jake Wentzel defeated Mekhi Lewis on Feb. 12 (Photo/Virginia Tech Athletics) The shortened 2021 regular season is over, and now it is time for the conference tournaments to begin. Across all NCAA Division I tournaments, there will be a variety of top matches. The following is a preview of the top potential individual bouts from each conference tournament. EIWA (Friday) 165: No. 7 Zach Hartman (Bucknell) vs. No. 12 Tanner Skidgel (Navy) The EIWA took a big hit this season as all the teams from the Ivy League are not competing. However, there is still potential for a strong ranked match at 165 pounds. Hartman is a two-time NCAA qualifier. Last year, he went 27-8 and made the finals of the EIWA tournament. This year, the Bucknell wrestler has won all seven of his matches. In his last match, he scored a 15-0 technical fall over Owen Brown (Army). Skidgel won the EIWA tournament last year and returned as one of the top wrestlers in the conference. He lost his season opening match against No. 6 Jake Wentzel (Pittsburgh), but bounced back with nine-straight victories. Eight of those victories came with bonus points. Skidgel won his EIWA title over Hartman last year. Hartman upset Harvard's Phil Congilaro in the semifinals, while Skidgel was the No. 1 seed. It was a two-point match, and this one will likely be as close. Skidgel has looked very solid all season and should be in peak form. Prediction: Skidgel decision over Harman MAC (Friday/Saturday) No. 4 Matt Stencel (Central Michigan) vs. No. 8 Ethan Laird (Rider) Stencel is the returning MAC champion. For his senior season, he has won all seven of his matches. Stencel's toughest competition came early in the season, as he defeated No. 17 Zach Elam (Missouri) in his second match of the season. The Central Michigan wrestler then turned around and defeated Brian Andrews (Wyoming) on the same day. Laird moved up to heavyweight for his senior season after spending the first three seasons of his career at 197 pounds. He has won all six of his matches, including a signature 8-5 victory over All-American No. 9 Jordan Wood (Lehigh). All of his other wins were bonus-point victories. Stencel has held down the fourth spot in the rankings all season behind No. 1 Gable Steveson (Minnesota), No. 2 Mason Parris (Michigan) and No. 3 Tony Cassioppi (Iowa) of the Big Ten. The veteran has proved to be one of the top heavyweights in the country even if the competition has not been the toughest at points during this season. Laird has been a revelation after making the move up in weight, but he will be up against it here. Prediction: Stencel decision over Laird ACC (Sunday) 165: No. 6 Jake Wentzel (Pittsburgh) vs. No. 4 Mekhi Lewis (Virginia Tech) Lewis returned to the college mats after taking an Olympic redshirt during the 2020 season. During the 2019 season, he surprisingly won an NCAA title at 165 pounds as a redshirt freshman. When he returned this year, he assumed the No. 1 ranking based on a victory over No. 1 Alex Marinelli (Iowa) in the semifinals of the 2019 national tournament. Lewis won his first eight matches of the year including victories over No. 13 Kennedy Monday (North Carolina) and No. 19 Thomas Bullard (North Carolina State). The Virginia Tech representative then ran into Wentzel earlier this month. Wentzel built a 3-0 lead and had the riding time locked before Lewis suffered an injury. Lewis has not returned to action since, but he was seeded and drawn into the bracket for the ACC tournament. Wentzel had a strong season overall. He finished the regular season with a 7-1 record that included victories over Monday and Tanner Skidgel (Navy). This should be an interesting match if it happens. Wentzel was rightly awarded the No. 1 seed for his victory over Lewis. However, the match between the fourth and fifth seed will feature a Monday and Bullard who are both ranked. Bullard holds a victory over Wentzel, so he should have a tough road to the finals. It is hard to imagine Lewis reversing the recent result with Wentzel. Even before the injury, the Pitt wrestler was in the driver's seat. Lewis excels defensively, but if he tries to make it a one-move match, he will leave himself very little room for error. Prediction: Wentzel decision over Lewis Pac-12 (Sunday) No. 2 Shane Griffith (Stanford) vs. No. 5 Anthony Valencia (Arizona State) Prior to this season, it was announced that Stanford would discontinue wrestling after the 2021 season. Fans never want to see a program dropped, especially a program with a wrestler who has a legit shot at an NCAA title. Last year as a redshirt freshman, Griffith built an undefeated 28-0 record and won the Pac 12 championship. He never got the chance to face off against many of the top wrestlers since the NCAA tournament did not materialize. This year, he has returned and gone 5-0 with four of those victories coming with bonus points. Valencia has never really been able to duplicate his freestyle success on the folkstyle mats, and he will get one more chance as a senior. Last October, he finished second at the 2020 Senior Nationals with victories over the likes of No. 2 (157) Hayden Hidlay (NC State) and Evan Wick (Wisconsin). After going 22-6 last year, he has returned for his final season and put together an 8-0 record. In his last match, Valencia scored a second-period fall over Pat Schoenfelder (Northern Iowa). Griffith has been untouchable for two seasons in a row. Valencia is certainly dangerous, but it is hard to see him holding up for an entire seven-minute match against the pressure of Griffith. Prediction: Griffith decision over Valencia SoCon (Sunday) 149: No. 12 Josh Heil (Campbell) vs. No. 14 Jonathan Millner (Appalachian State) Heil will be looking for his third-straight SoCon championship. The Campbell wrestler won the tournament and qualified for the NCAA tournament at 141 pounds before moving up this year. He lost his first match of the season against Bryce Andonian (Virginia Tech). However, since that match, Heil has gotten back on track with five-straight wins. In his last match, Heil scored a 4-0 decision over Aiden Murphy (Chattanooga). Millner went 31-4 last year and qualified for the NCAA tournament by winning the SoCon tournament. He has already wrestled 12 matches despite the shortened season and won 11 of those. His only loss came against Hunter Lewis (NC State). Since that loss, Millner won eight-straight matches, including a victory over Heil's teammate Jason Kraisser. This will be an interesting match between returning SoCon champions. Heil has been one of the best wrestlers in the conference this year, and that should lead him to a victory here. Millner may have the physical edge, but look for Heil to pull out the decision victory. Prediction: Heil decision over Millner Big Ten (March 6-7) 141: No. 1 Jaydin Eierman (Iowa) vs. No. 2 Nick Lee (Penn State) The Big Ten tournament could feature four different matches between the No. 1 and No. 2 wrestlers. Some might prefer one of the other matches, but this one might have the most interesting backstory. These two met at the 2018 NCAA tournament. Lee had been upset in the first round of the tournament by Ryan Diehl of Maryland and wrestled his way all the way back to the consolation semifinals. Eierman, who at the time was wrestling for Missouri, had lost in sudden victory against Yianna Diakomihals (Cornell) in the semifinals and dropped into the wrestlebacks. On that day, Eierman scored a 12-4 major decision. That was their most recent meeting in folkstyle. However, they also collided at the 2019 Senior Nationals in freestyle. In that match, Lee had the advantage. He was able to get to legs, and he was able to score off Eierman's attacks. Lee also showed the ability to finish clean, which will be vital against Eierman in folkstyle. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KbEHGJEJOtw&ab_channel=USAWrestling After transferring to Iowa and sitting out with an Olympic redshirt, Eierman made his Hawkeye debut this year. He has won all five of his matches. After scoring a decision over No. 7 Chad Red (Nebraska) in his season debut, Eierman broke off a run of four-straight bonus-point victories. In his last match, he scored a second-period fall over Anthony Echemendia (Ohio State). Lee went 20-1 last year and was one of the clear favorites to make the finals of the NCAA tournament that did not happen. This season, he has won all six of his matches with five coming with bonus points. The only wrestler to escape giving up bonus this year was Drew Mattin (Michigan). In his last match, Lee scored a 14-2 major decision over Danny Bertoni (Maryland). In order to knock off Eierman and claim No. 1 seed for the NCAA tournament, Lee will need to finish clean and not give up any points on the bottom. Eierman has worked hard to improve his neutral attacks, but Lee's pace might still be too much. Eierman has more paths to win, but Lee's pressure and tenacity might rule the day. Prediction: Lee decision over Eierman Big 12 (March 6-7) 149: No. 4 Boo Lewallen (Oklahoma State) vs. No. 5 Andrew Alirez (Northern Colorado) Lewallen finished eighth as a sophomore in 2018 to become an All-American. He qualified through the Big 12 last year and finished with a 21-2 record. Lewallen returned to the Cowboys for his senior year, and he finished the regular season with a 12-1 record. He has picked up a pair of victories over No. 19 Mitch Moore (Oklahoma), and his only defeat came in ride outs against No. 3 Brock Mauller (Missouri). It will be interesting to see how Alirez performs at the Big 12 tournament. He has always had outstanding performances in freestyle, including a victory at the 2020 Senior Nationals this past October. In the event, he scored victories over veterans Mitch McKee, Joey McKenna and Evan Henderson. This season, on the folkstyle mats, Alirez has wrestled only four matches. He returned on Feb. 20 for the first time since Jan. 8 and picked up a first-period fall over James Emmer (Utah Valley). These two wrestled during the regular season last year. At the time, Alirez was on a bit of a roll, and his only loss was a one-point decision. Lewallen dominated the match and took an 11-4 victory. If Alirez can make this a takedown contest, he has a real shot to take it, but Lewallen will have too many chances to make him work on the mat and take the advantage. Prediction: Lewallen decision over Alirez