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The InterMat staff writers and executives have broken down the brackets for this week's NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships in St. Louis, Mo., and made their predictions. Andrew Hipps T.R. Foley Tom Franck Josh Lowe Will Koe Jim Beezer UFC Monster Brian Jerzak

125: It's hard to pick against Matt McDonough when he dominates the No. 2 guy as much as has. Prediction: No. 1 Matt McDonough (Iowa) over No. 2 Zach Sanders (Minnesota) 133: 24 wins, 23 came with bonus points. That is domination. Prediction: No. 1 Jordan Oliver (Oklahoma State) over No. 2 Logan Stieber (Ohio State) 141: I am not picking against Kellen Russell until he gives me a reason. Prediction: No. 1 Kellen Russell (Michigan) over No. 3 Montell Marion (Iowa) 149: I hate going with all No. 1 seeds, but so far it has been tough not going against the favorites. Prediction: No. 1 Frank Molinaro (Penn State) over No. 2 Jamal Parks (Oklahoma State) 157: I am not a big fan of the lower half of Kyle Dake's bracket. If Dake wrestles solid I don't see him getting challenged. Prediction: No. 1 Kyle Dake Cornell over No. 3 Jason Welch (Northwestern) 165: David Taylor finishes the deal his second time around. Prediction: No. 1 David Taylor (Penn State) over No. 3 Andrew Sorenson (Iowa State) 174: I almost went with Chris Perry here, but Ed Ruth has faced such tough competition and keeps coming out on top. Prediction: No. 1 Ed Ruth (Penn State) over No. 2 Chris Perry (Oklahoma State) 184: Steve Bosak gets by Joe LeBlanc and then wins the rubber match (this season) against Robert Hamlin. Prediction: No. 4 Steve Bosak (Cornell) over No. 2 Robert Hamlin (Lehigh) 197: With 12 pins in 27 matches this season, Simaz has proven he is a great finisher. Prediction: No. 1 Cam Simaz (Cornell) over Matt Wilps (Pittsburgh) 285: Tony Nelson has gotten better all season and is peaking at the right time. Prediction: No. 2 Tony Nelson (Minnesota) over No. 4 Zack Rey (Lehigh) Top Five Teams: 1. Penn State 2. Cornell 3. Minnesota 4. Iowa 5. Oklahoma State

125: Zach Sanders' three losses this year were all to Matt McDonough, who will not be denied a championship after losing to Anthony Robles in last year's final. Prediction: No. 1 Matt McDonough (Iowa) over No. 2 Zach Sanders (Minnesota) 133: Jordan Oliver's only loss was to Iowa's Tony Ramos, who lost twice to Logan Stieber. All of Oliver's wins earned bonus points except his previous 7-3 win over Stieber. Oliver gets it done again. Prediction: No. 1 Jordan Oliver (Oklahoma State) over No. 2 Logan Stieber (Ohio State) 141: Kellen Russell recently beat Montell Marion, 7-3, to win the Big Tens. He will repeat the effort here. Prediction: No. 1 Kellen Russell (Michigan) over No. 3 Montell Marion (Iowa) 149: Frank Molinaro is an undefeated beast who dominated in the Big Ten tourney with two tech falls and a pin in less than a minute and a half. He's at the top of his game, and won't have Kyle Dake riding him throughout. I give him the nod over Jamal Parks. Prediction: No. 1 Frank Molinaro (Penn State) over No. 2 Jamal Parks (Oklahoma State) 157: I can't get off the No. 1 seeds with Kyle Dake. The two-time NCAA champ is in a class of his own. Fleming has won 14 straight and will surprise. Prediction: No. 1 Kyle Dake (Cornell) over No. 6 James Fleming (Clarion) 165: David Taylor has completely dominated his competition again this year, with only two wins being non-bonus affairs. Taylor will be the biggest favorite on the board. After failing in the finals last year, he won't lose this year. Prediction: No. 1 David Taylor (Penn State) over No. 3 Andrew Sorenson (Iowa State) 174: Like David Taylor, Ed Ruth has dominated this year with an undefeated record. Amuchastegui struggled through a December injury, but has enough to beat Ruth again. I mean, not all No. 1 seeds will win, will they? Prediction: No. 3 Nick Amuchastegui (Stanford) over No. 1 over Ed Ruth (Penn State) 184: Another match that could go either way. Prediction: No. 1 Joe LeBlanc (Wyoming) over No. 2 over Robert Hamlin (Lehigh) 197: Golden Gopher Yohn's upset run falls short. Prediction: No. 1 Cam Simaz (Cornell) over No. 10 Sonny Yohn (Minnesota) 285: Another Gopher falls short after Zack Rey gets his revenge over Ryan Flores. Prediction: No. 4 Zack Rey (Lehigh) over No. 2 Tony Nelson (Minnesota) Top Five Teams: 1. Penn State 2. Iowa 3. Oklahoma State 4. Minnesota 5. Cornell

125: Matt McDonough is 31-1 and knows what it feels like to wrestle on the big stage, having made the NCAA finals in each of his first two seasons wrestling for the Hawkeyes. He has beaten the less physical Sanders three times this year. This weight is a no-brainer. Prediction: No. 1 Matt McDonough (Iowa) over No. 2 Zach Sanders or No. 6 Frank Perrelli (Cornell) 133: Jordan Oliver has been completely dominant this year after winning his first NCAA title last year. His lone loss to Tony Ramos of Iowa was an anomaly. I expect a comfortable 4-5 point win over Stieber in the finals following a string of major decisions, tech falls, and pins. Prediction: No. 1 Jordan Oliver (Oklahoma State) over No. 2 Logan Stieber (Ohio State) 141: Kellen Russell has quietly gone 66-1 the last two seasons. He "finally" won his first title last year. Make it two in a row, as he defeats Boris Novachkov in the finals. Prediction: No. 1 Kellen Russell (Michigan) over No. 6 Boris Novachkov (Cal Poly) 149: Frank Molinaro has been a beast this year! Jamal Parks has been dominant as well, but less impressive against similar opponents. Molinaro's time in the weight room pays off as he exercises the demons of last year's lopsided loss to Kyle Dake (see below). Prediction: No. 1 Frank Molinaro (Penn State) over No. 2 Jamal Parks (Oklahoma State) 157: Kyle Dake is a gamer. As a two-time defending national champion, he knows how to bring it when the stakes are high. James Fleming and his unorthodox and controversial turn will surprise people, but won't be enough to dethrone Dake. Who says you can’t move up a weight class each year and continue to be successful? "Don’t lose." Prediction: No. 1 Kyle Dake (Cornell) over No. 6 James Fleming (Clarion) 165: David Taylor rolls through the tournament thanks to a savage tan and unstoppable offense. I expect a major decision or tech fall in the finals. Prediction: No. 1 David Taylor (Penn State) over No. 11 Brandon Hatchett (Lehigh) 174: Nick Amuchastegui was working Ed Ruth in the semifinals of last year's NCAA tournament before an unknown injury ended the match. Amuchastegui is the better wrestler, and will win the title if he can get by Chris Perry of Oklahoma State in the semis. Prediction: No. 3 Nick Amuchastegui (Stanford) over No. 1 Ed Ruth (Penn State) 184: Quentin Wright has been inconsistent at best this year. But so was J Jaggers on his way to winning two NCAA titles. Wright will be fueled by the prospects of winning the team title. LeBlanc will wish he had better competition throughout the year. Prediction: No. 6 Quentin Wright (Penn State) over No. 1 Joe LeBlanc (Wyoming) 197: Simaz hasn't lost a match on the mat all year. I think he'll avoid the same fate that plagued Mack Lewnes (underperforming) and win the title at 197 pounds. Prediction: No. 1 Cam Simaz (Cornell) over No. 2 Chris Honeycutt (Edinboro) 285: Ryan Flores looked hungrier than defending NCAA champion Zack Rey in the EIWA finals. Nelson will continue Minnesota's long tradition of successful heavyweights, but won't be able to overcome Flores' athleticism. Prediction: No. 1 Ryan Flores (American) over No. 2 Tony Nelson (Minnesota)

125: Matt McDonough owns the series and enters the event as a guy who has already "been there." It may be too much to ask for Zach Sanders to break the streak now. This event will be staged in St. Louis, which happens to be long way from Hollywood. Prediction: No. 1 Matt McDonough (Iowa) over No. 2 Zach Sanders (Minnesota) 133: Since Jordan Oliver's loss to Tony Ramos in early January, he has rattled off 14 straight victories of which eight were by a tech fall or pin. If he is back to his original form ... and it looks like he is ... he will be on top of the podium. Tony Ramos vs. Logan Stieber in the semifinals is going to be worth the price of admission. Prediction: No. 1 Jordan Oliver (Oklahoma State) over No. 2 Tony Ramos (Iowa) 141: Kellen Russell's aggressiveness in the Big Ten finals was encouraging. After the event, he spoke about wanting to stay aggressive through the NCAAs. Unfortunately in his case, past performance is an indicator of future performance, and I don't think he can keep it up when the stakes are the highest. I am predicting that he reverts to his defensive style and is beaten by the talented and explosive Kendric Maple in the finals. Prediction: No. 2 Kendric Maple (Oklahoma) over No. 1 Kellen Russell (Michigan) 149: Frank Molinaro and Jamal Parks have been the class of this weight the entire season, but this is still an extremely deep weight. Bracket busters are littered all over this chart like zits on a teenager's face. Upset alerts: Mario Mason over Jamal Parks in the round of 16, Corey Janzen over Cam Tessari in the first round, Eric Terrazas over Ian Miller in the first round. Prediction: No. 1 Frank Molinaro (Penn State) over No. 2 Jamal Parks (Oklahoma State) 157: The bottom half of this weight class looks suspect to me. Derek St. John had a fantastic Big Ten tournament where he continued his dominance over Welch. Unfortunately, in 20 years of breaking down NCAA bracket sheets, I have learned that you cannot count on wrestlers battling knee injuries with tape and pain killers. Dustin Schlatter was a more extreme but recent example of this. Expect James Fleming to win the crowd by successfully riding his boa constrictor headlock to the finals. Prediction: Kyle Dake (Cornell) over No. 6 James Fleming (Clarion) 165: As I write this, David Taylor has been picked on 1,023 of the 1,039 InterMat Big Show Pick 'Em Contest tickets. The 16 contestants that didn't pick Taylor to win the event also happen to believe in fairy tales (including the one where all NCAA coaches agree to name two team national champions -- one for the dual tourney and one for the individual tourney). Prediction: No. 1 David Taylor (Penn State) over No. 7 Josh Asper (Maryland) 174: In the age of online match viewing and televised NCAA matches on ESPN, I can't believe I was the only one that was able to catch the match last year where Nick Amuchastegui handled Ed Ruth over to the point that defaulting was the best option for him. And by the way ... when was the last time a guy went into the NCAAs with a crazy hairdo and it worked out? Ruth should have consulted Gregor Gillespie (2008, No. 1 seed, leopard print hair, finished fifth) before we went with his new "Black and Tan" style that he sported during the Big Tens. Prediction: No. 3 Nick Amuchastegui (Stanford) over No. 1 Ed Ruth (Penn State) 184: In my opinion, 184 is the most balanced weight in the event and will provide the theater or the team race with Steve Bosak (Cornell), Quentin Wright (Penn State), Kevin Steinhaus (Minnesota), and Grant Gambrall (Iowa) all having similar chances to score big points for their teams. If you are interested in the team results, you are not going to want to grab your Dippin' Dots during the wrestlebacks for this weight. Prediction: No. 2 Robert Hamlin (Lehigh) over No. 4 Steve Bosak (Cornell) 197: Cam Simaz has had a fantastic year and has proven that he is the top wrestler in this weight. Expect him to wrestle close matches over tough opponents (like Matt Powless in the quarters!), but be in the finals against Chris Honeycutt. If you are looking for a bracket buster at this weight, Sonny Yohn is streaky, but should not be overlooked as the No. 10 seed in the lower half of the bracket. Prediction: No. 1 Cam Simaz (Cornell) over No. 2 Chris Honeycutt (Edinboro) 285: I know better than to go against the retuning national champion on the big stage. Zack Rey is a gamer who will find his way to the finals. Others I am looking forward to watching at this weight: the intriguing and untested Odie Delaney, the streaky Peter Sturgeon, and the young Matt Gibson. Prediction: No. 4 Zack Rey (Lehigh) over No. 3 Clayton Jack (Oregon State) Team: 1. Penn State 2. Minnesota 3. Iowa 4. Cornell 5. Oklahoma State

125: Already a national champion, Matt McDonough (Iowa) seeks a second title in three years having been derailed by Anthony Robles last season in the final. Based on Matt McDonough 's long-standing dominance against three-time All-American Zach Sanders (Minnesota), including a 3-0 mark against him this year, if he's going to lose it will probably be before the final ... and that's not too likely either. Prediction: No. 1 Matt McDonough (Iowa) over No. 2 Zach Sanders (Minnesota) 133: One of the dominant wrestlers in the game today, defending champion Jordan Oliver (Oklahoma State) gave brief hope to his opposition losing in mid-January to Tony Ramos (Iowa) and with a close win at the NWCA All-Star Classic against B.J. Futrell (Illinois). However, the rest of his results -- including a 7-3 victory over Stieber -- are a reflection of his pre-eminent place in college wrestling today. As for a finals opponent, it probably will be another superstar in redshirt freshman Logan Stieber (Ohio State), who is 2-0 against Tony Ramos (Iowa) and dominated Devin Carter (Virginia Tech) in November ... those being his likely semifinal opposition. Prediction: No. 1 Jordan Oliver (Oklahoma State) over No. 2 Logan Stieber (Ohio State) 141: Even with a national title, four-time Big Ten champion Kellen Russell (Michigan) has had a mixed bag in his journeys to nationals. As a true freshman, he failed to earn All-American honors; as a true sophomore, he finished seventh; then last year, as a redshirt junior, he won the last three matches by the skin of his teeth. During the redshirt senior season, Russell has shown greater proclivity to open up his matches and score more points. Other than a single isolated loss, 6-5 to possible semifinal opponent Hunter Stieber (Ohio State), so far it's been a season to remember. Look for that to continue at the national tournament. The other half of the draw is wide open, with Boris Novachkov (Cal Poly) just seemingly due for a big tournament, though he's got the most unpleasant of paths to the final. Prediction: No. 1 Kellen Russell (Michigan) over No. 6 Boris Novachkov (Cal Poly) 149: Despite both of the top seeds being undefeated, much of the discussion about them has been about other aspects of their careers. For three-time All-American Frank Molinaro (Penn State), it's about last year's championship match against Kyle Dake, when Dake accrued over six minutes of riding time. While for returning All-American Jamal Parks (Oklahoma State), it's either the fact he didn't AA until just last year, or Cowboys' fans constantly hoping to see even more out of him. Both wrestlers are key cogs in their teams' national title hopes, and should be on the raised mat Saturday night. Prediction: No. 1 Frank Molinaro (Penn State) over No. 2 Jamal Parks (Oklahoma State) 157: Twice a national champion in as many years, it's hard not to see Kyle Dake (Cornell) wrestling on Saturday night for a third time. First off, he is darn good. Secondly, his half of the draw is manageable to say the very least. The highest returning placer, other than Dake, in this weight is Derek St. John (Iowa), who spent the second half of the season injured or wrestling through injury. He comes in off an impressive Big Ten tournament, with overtime wins over James Green (Nebraska) and Dylan Alton (Penn State), along with a last second victory over Jason Welch (Northwestern) in the final. Welch was moments away from the NCAA final last year, when he was one won scramble away from upending Bubba Jenkins in the semifinal round. Prediction: No. 1 Kyle Dake (Cornell) over No. 3 Jason Welch (Northwestern) 165: Question one: Can anyone beat David Taylor (Penn State)? Better yet, question two: Can anyone even keep it close against Taylor. The answer to both this year has been a resounding no, 19 of his 27 victories have come by pin or technical fall with another six being major decisions. Unless, the NCAA makes a late ruling allowing Bubba Jenkins or Jordan Burroughs to come back into the fold, or Andrew Howe comes out of Olympic redshirt, expect more of the same this weekend. The magical career continues for Taylor with a first national title, and the Hodge Trophy along with a litany of other awards. Prediction: No. 1 David Taylor (Penn State) over No. 7 Josh Asper (Maryland) 174: The most sure fire prediction this weekend is that Nick Amuchastegui (Stanford) will win the NCAA's Elite 89 award for the competitor in the championships with the highest GPA. Amuchastegui, the resident brainiac in Division I wrestling, will win that honor for the third consecutive year -- and go on to do things outside of wrestling that very few of us can even fathom. Despite being runner-up last year, and undefeated this year, he is the third seed this year in part due to only four victories over fellow members of the tournament field. It seems that he's on a collision course with fellow undefeated Chris Perry (Oklahoma State) in the semifinal round, after having beaten super-star wrestlers Ed Ruth (Penn State) and Mack Lewnes just to reach the final last year. In the other half of the draw, Ruth has steamrolled through 26 opponents, with only three victories by decision all year. Prediction: No. 2 Chris Perry (Oklahoma State) over No. 1 Ed Ruth (Penn State) 184: For yet another year, this is a weight class that could be wrestled multiple times and yield many a different winner. Throwing all results out the window, the wrestler with the greatest ability potential is Quentin Wright (Penn State). Unlike last year, he's been more consistent this year; on the other hand, he's not "hot" at the right time right now, having lost to Josh Ihnen (Nebraska) two weeks ago at the Big Ten tournament. Last year's championship final between Wright and Robert Hamlin (Lehigh) could happen on the front-side as a semifinal on Friday night. Prediction: No. 6 Quentin Wright (Penn State) over No. 4 Steve Bosak (Cornell) 197: Rare is the time that two wrestlers who were No. 1 seeds in a prior year appear in the same bracket in a following year. This is one of those times with Cam Simaz (Cornell) and Chris Honeycutt (Edinboro). Simaz has just one official loss this year, by a medical default; while Honeycutt also has just one loss, in the conference meet to Matt Wilps (Pittsburgh) -- an opponent he had beaten twice earlier in the season. In the half of the draw with Simaz, Cayle Byers (Oklahoma State) could pose a challenge. While Wilps is present in Honeycutt's half of the draw, along with Sonny Yohn (Minnesota) and Brent Haynes (Missouri). Prediction: No. 2 Chris Honeycutt (Edinboro) over No. 5 Cayle Byers (Oklahoma State) 285: Like at 184 pounds, last year's NCAA final could happen in the semifinal round on Friday night. Defending champion Zach Rey (Lehigh) is the tournament's fourth seed, while runner-up Ryan Flores (American) is the top seed. Flores beat Rey in overtime in the EIWA championship match two weekends ago. The bottom half of the draw should break down to Big Ten champion Tony Nelson (Minnesota) and Las Vegas champion Clayton Jack (Oregon State). Prediction: No. 4 Zack Rey (Lehigh) over No. 2 Tony Nelson (Minnesota) Top Five Teams: 1. Penn State 2. Oklahoma State 3. Minnesota 4. Iowa 5. Cornell

Unlike last year, most weights have a clear front runner. A number of the top seeds have single losses, but in most cases, have made adjustments after the loss and reestablished themselves as the favorite. 149, 184 and heavyweight appear to be the most wide-open weight classes. 125: Matt McDonough has a remarkable ability to finish takedowns from extended positions. His size for the weight class makes him very difficult to score on. Zach Sanders has been exceptional this year, but hasn't seriously threatened McDonough. Prediction: No. 1 Matt McDonough (Iowa) over No. 2 Zach Sanders (Minnesota) 133: Jordan Oliver has been brilliant this season. His loss to Tony Ramos of Iowa (his only defeat in the past two seasons) is difficult to explain. His solid win over the very talented Logan Stieber of Ohio State was quite impressive and U.S. wrestling fans can't help but hope that he shows up at the Olympic Team Trials next month. Prediction: No. 1 Jordan Oliver (Oklahoma State) over No. 2 Logan Stieber (Ohio State) 141: 141 is a balanced weight class, but Kellen Russell has been exceptional since his early December loss to Hunter Stieber of Ohio State. Indeed, "Gyro" has added offense this season and looked remarkable against a talented Montell Marion of Iowa in his fourth Big Ten title. Prediction: No. 1 Kellen Russell (Michigan) over No. 6 Boris Novachkov (Cal Poly) 149: An upset pick here. Frank Molinaro is a returning finalist and has been more dominant than Jamal Parks, but Parks' defense is exceptional and could allow him the opportunity to steal a win over the Nittany Lion. Prediction: No. 2 Jamal Parks (Oklahoma State) over No. 1 Frank Molinaro (Penn State) 157: Kyle Dake will look to become the first wrestler to win an NCAA title at three different weights -- and he is only a junior. What sets Dake apart from the field is his determination. He simply refuses to let people score on him and will make whatever last-second adjustments are needed to prevent points for an opponent. Jason Welch was undefeated until the Big Ten finals where he gave up a late takedown to Derek St. John of Iowa. Welch also has amazing defense, flexibility and funk, but it probably won't be enough against Dake. Prediction: No. 1 Kyle Dake (Cornell) over No. 3 Jason Welch (Northwestern) 165: David Taylor has been simply remarkable. The field really hasn't been able to test the sophomore. It's a safe bet he will redeem himself for his lone college loss at last year's NCAAs. Prediction: No. 1 David Taylor (Penn State) over No. 3 Andrew Sorenson (Iowa State) 174: Like 157 last year, the field features three undefeated wrestlers. Ed Ruth has been so impressive this season that it seems like if there was a 174-pound weight class at the Olympics, he would be a gold medal contender. His loss last year to Nick Amuchastegui seemed out of character and he should be at the top of the podium this year. Prediction: No. 1 Ed Ruth (Penn State) over No. 3 Nick Amuchastegui (Stanford) 184: As mentioned previously, 184 is pretty wide open, but returning NCAA finalist Robert Hamlin has looked strong throughout the season. His recent win over Steve Bosak of Cornell, avenged his only loss of the season. Prediction: No. 2 Robert Hamlin (Lehigh) over No. 5 Kevin Steinhaus (Minnesota) 197: A final between Cam Simaz and Chris Honeycutt would not look like a normal 197-pound bout. Both are extremely active and mobile. Prediction: No. 1 Cam Simaz (Cornell) over No. 2 Chris Honeycutt (Edinboro) 285: A pretty balanced weight. The absence of the injured Alan Gelogaev of Oklahoma State makes the weight class less interesting. Prediction: No. 4 Zack Rey (Lehigh) over No. 2 Tony Nelson (Minnesota) Team: With three undefeated No. 1 seeds (Frank Molinaro, David Taylor, and Ed Ruth), Penn State would appear to be a clear favorite in this year's NCAA team race. Championships at this event are won with frontline strength, which the Nittany Lions have in spades. In addition to their "Big Three" PSU features seeded wrestlers Nico Megaludis, Dylan Alton, Cameron Wade, and returning NCAA champion Quentin Wright 6. Even with a few missteps, Penn State would appear to have enough firepower to repeat as team champs. The battle for second place will probably be more hotly contested with Minnesota, Iowa, Oklahoma State, and Cornell battling it out. 1. Penn State 2. Minnesota 3. Iowa 4. Cornell 5. Oklahoma State

125: After having to endure an offseason filled with highlights of his 2011 loss to wrestling's newest poster boy, McDonough will secure his second national title. The Iowa junior has been wrestling his best when it matters most. Expect a 3+ point victory should he draw Alan "Dirty" Waters. Prediction: No. 1 Matt McDonough (Iowa) over No. 3 Alan Waters (Missouri) 133: The returning NCAA champion Jordan Oliver will make it two in a row with a lopsided victory over Logan Stieber of Ohio State. Oliver might've dropped a last-second decision to Tony Ramos of Iowa in the dual meet, but that was with less than two hours of recovery time after his large weight drop. Fully hydrated, there is little chance that Oliver is challenged in the semifinals or finals. Prediction: No. 1 Jordan Oliver (Oklahoma State) over No. 2 Logan Stieber (Ohio State) 141: Kellen Russell isn't afraid of a close match, and when it comes to close matches, he's been near-perfect. The four-time Big Ten champ had little problem with Montell Marion in the finals two weeks ago. Look for Maple to score big points on Marion early and hang on for the semifinal win. The finals match could be high scoring, but Russell has shown the ability to adapt, and he's been there before. Prediction: No. 1 Kellen Russell (Michigan) over No. 2 Kendric Maple (Oklahoma): 149: Jamal Parks has the ability to dominate opponents, and while Frank Molinaro hasn't had closer than a three-point match all season, he's yet to face a wrestler on par with Parks. It's a tossup, but Parks takes it in overtime. Prediction: No. 2 Jamal Parks (Oklahoma State) over No. 1 Frank Molinaro (Penn State) 157: Kid Dynamite has proved critics wrong again and again, and it's a fool's errand to bet against the NCAAs most athletic and explosive wrestler. However, should he get Jason Welch in the finals, look for the New York native to feel frustrated in staying on top and finishing shots. Also look for what will be the nicest scrambles of the tournament. Welch making it to the finals is contingent on his besting nemesis Derek St. John, which I think he'll do with several extra points. Prediction: No. 1 Kyle Dake (Cornell) over No. 3 Jason Welch (Northwestern) 165: Josh Asper was the true No. 2 seed, and though he now has to battle Cody Yohn of Minnesota in the second round, he'll recapture the seed in the quarters with a win over Shane Onufer of Wyoming. It'll be a nice season for Asper, who had the talent to win a title, but won't this year as he'll run into a very talented, very motivated David Taylor. The Penn State sophomore won't be denied. It's simply not happening. Prediction: No. 1 David Taylor (Penn State) over No. 7 Josh Asper (Maryland) 174: Ed Ruth's kryptonite, Nick Amuchastegui of Stanford, will be on the other side of the bracket, where he'll encounter a very talented Chris Perry of Oklahoma State. The undefeated Cowboy will head into the finals, but won't match up well with Ruth, who seems to be wrestling on a different level, especially late in matches. Prediction: No. 1 Ed Ruth (Penn State) over No. 2 Chris Perry (Oklahoma State) 184: The Vermonster is coming off a 3-2 won over No. 4 seed Steve Boask of Cornell in the EIWA finals. It was a win that avenged his only loss. There is nobody better than Hamlin right now and though LeBlanc has been wrestling well of late, he'll lose a close one-point decision. Prediction: No. 2 Robert Hamlin (Lehigh) over No. 1 Joe LeBlanc (Wyoming) 197: Though Chris Honeycutt lost in the EWL finals to Matt Wilps, expect an improved performance out of the Fighting Scot in St. Louis. Edinboro always comes to wrestle and Honeycutt will perform. However, Simaz (should he stay healthy) is the right combination of speed and strength to frustrate Honeycutt. Expect to see a three-point margin. Prediction: No. 1 Cam Simaz (Cornell) over No. 2 Chris Honeycutt (Edinboro) 285: Ryan Flores has a tough road to the finals. The senior wrestler drew a pigtail, then a possible match with a former teammate in Kevin Lester of Columbia. From there it's either Levi Cooper (Arizona State) who knocked of Zack Rey of Lehigh earlier in the year, or returning All-American Spencer Myers of Maryland. Should he manage that road, he'll likely face Rey in the semifinals, a wrestler he beat in overtime at the EIWA championships. After that's done, he'll face Nelson, who has had a great year, but look for him to have fits trying to stay off his back against a very dangerous Flores. Prediction: No. 1 Ryan Flores (American) over No. 2 Tony Nelson (Minnesota) Top Five Teams: 1. Penn State 2. Iowa 3. Cornell 4. Minnesota 5. Oklahoma State

125: Iowa's Matt McDonough has constantly been reminded of his NCAA finals loss a year ago to Arizona State's Anthony Robles. Clips of that loss to Robles were shown to almost two million viewers of the ESPYs, and millions of others on late-night talk shows. Those reminders have served as motivation for McDonough to get back on top. Minnesota's Zach Sanders, a soon-to-be four-time All-American, will go down as one of Minnesota's greatest, but he has not been able to solve the McDonough puzzle to date. Wrestlers like Teyon Ware and Mark Perry showed that all that matters is the final tournament in March when they won NCAA titles over rivals who had the upperhand. Sanders is hoping to be added to the list. Minnesota coach J Robinson has said that Sanders only has to beat McDonough once ... and he's right. But I'm not picking against McDonough. Prediction: No. 1 Matt McDonough (Iowa) over No. 2 Zach Sanders (Minnesota) 133: The 133-pound weight class has been one of the most talked about weight classes all season. Oklahoma State's Jordan Oliver took a surprise loss to Iowa's Tony Ramos in front of a hostile crowd at Carver-Hawkeye Arena on Jan. 7. A day later, Ohio State's Logan Stieber, ranked No. 2 at the time, dropped a match to a hungry Chris Dardanes of Minnesota in Minneapolis. Since then, both Oliver and Stieber have separated themselves from the pack. The two met at a National Duals regional in February, with Oliver coming out on top 7-3. The match was tied 2-2 with 90 seconds remaining before Oliver pulled away late. Stieber was in on some shots in the match, but could not convert those shots to takedowns. Oliver racked up almost three minutes of riding time in that match. The match could not have played out much worse for Stieber. It didn't help that it was on Jordan Oliver's home arena either. There will no home mat advantage on Saturday night. I expect Stieber to win the takedown battle, use his top game more to his advantage, and avenge his loss to Oliver. Prediction: No. 2 Logan Stieber (Ohio State) over No. 1 Jordan Oliver (Oklahoma State) 141: Michigan's Kellen Russell has turned his wrestling up a notch this season with Donny Pritzlaff and Sean Bormet now on the Wolverine coaching staff, and several top senior level freestyle wrestlers at his disposal. Russell is coming off arguably the best match of his college wrestling career -- a 7-3 victory over Iowa's Montell Marion in the Big Ten finals. Russell was aggressive throughout the match and scored three takedowns off a single leg. I see Cal Poly's Boris Novachkov coming out of the bottom side of the bracket as the sixth seed to set up a rematch of last year's NCAA finals match. The two also met earlier this season in the consolation semifinals at the Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational, with Russell coming out on top in tiebreaker. Prediction: No. 1 Kellen Russell (Michigan) over No. 6 Boris Novachkov (Cal Poly) 149: Penn State's Frank Molinaro and Oklahoma State's Jamal Parks are the top two seeds. Both are undefeated. Molinaro was untested at the Big Tens, picking up bonus points in all three of his matches. Parks has a likely second-round match against a dangerous unseeded wrestler in Mario Mason of Rutgers, who has beaten several quality wrestlers throughout his career, including Molinaro, Dylan Alton of Penn State, and Ganbayar Sanjaa of American. I like Parks to sneak past Mason, but I think Parks' run ends when he meets a red-hot Tyler Nauman of Pitt in the semifinals. Nauman, a senior, earned All-American honors in 2010, which included a quarterfinal victory over Parks. Molinaro will be too much for Nauman in the finals. Molinaro and Nauman met last month, with Molinaro getting the 5-2 victory. I expect a similar result when they meet in the NCAA finals. Prediction: No. 1 Frank Molinaro (Penn State) over No. 6 Tyler Nauman (Pitt) 157: I know better than to pick against Cornell's Kyle Dake at the NCAAs. He has been dominant this season, and what's scary is that he seems to perform at an even higher level at the NCAAs. Dake will likely see another EIWA wrestler in the semifinals -- either Harvard's Walter Peppelman or American's Ganbayar Sanjaa. Dake defeated Peppelman, 3-0, to win the EIWA title. Dake has not faced Sanjaa this season, but did defeat Sanjaa at last year's NCAAs, 4-0. St. John, an NCAA fourth-place finisher a year ago as a freshman, has battled a serious knee injury all season, and there was a point this season when many thought his season was done. Very few gave St. John a chance when he entered the Big Tens as the No. 6 seed. But the Hawkeye sophomore went on a spectacular (and unlikely) run, showing tremendous heart, to win the Big Ten title, which included a victory over Northwestern's Jason Welch in the finals. The match was a barnburner, with St. John scoring a last-second takedown to win. If the two meet again in the NCAA semifinals, expect another tight match that could go either way. I'm taking Welch to come out of the bottom side to face Dake in the finals. But Dake won't be denied in the finals. After Saturday night he will have three NCAA titles in three different weight classes. Prediction: No. 1 Kyle Dake (Cornell) over No. 3 Jason Welch (Northwestern) 165: There's not much I can say about Penn State's David Taylor that has not already been said. I was at Iowa State during the Cael era, and what Taylor is doing now is very similar to what Cael was doing as a collegiate competitor. He crushes everyone. It has gotten to the point where if Taylor doesn't get bonus points, people want to know if there is something wrong with him. Taylor is relentless and can score so many different ways. There are some very talented wrestlers in this weight class, but none are on Taylor's level. Maryland's Josh Asper was ranked No. 2 (behind Taylor) heading into the postseason, but suffered an overtime loss to Virginia Tech's Peter Yates, and slid to the No. 7 seed. I like Asper to bounce back from his ACC tournament loss and come out of the bracket, where he will get a crack at Taylor in the NCAA finals. But this is Taylor's weight class, and I expect him to get bonus points in every match this week, including his NCAA finals match. Prediction: No. 1 David Taylor (Penn State) over No. 7 Josh Asper (Maryland) 174: This might be the most intriguing of the 10 weight classes because it includes three undefeated wrestlers: Penn State's Ed Ruth, Oklahoma State's Chris Perry, and Stanford's Nick Amuchastegui. It's hard to pick against any of these three because they all have been dominant this season. Ruth and Perry get the most attention because they wrestle for top programs in power conferences, but Amuchastegui is the highest returning NCAA finisher in the weight class. He topped Ruth in the NCAA quarterfinals last season en route to finishing as NCAA runner-up to Iowa State's Jon Reader. I'm taking Amuchastegui to cap off a remarkable collegiate wrestling career with wins over two previously unbeaten wrestlers, and give Stanford coach Jason Borrelli his first NCAA champion. Prediction: No. 3 Nick Amuchastegui (Stanford) over No. 1 Ed Ruth (Penn State) 184: There are eight wrestlers capable of winning NCAA titles in this weight class, which will make for a very interesting quarterfinal round. Last season it was Quentin Wright who caught fire in March and won the NCAA title as the No. 9 seed. This season Wright comes in as the No. 6 seed after finishing third at the Big Tens. For Wright to reach the NCAA finals again, he will likely have to get past No. 3 Ben Bennett of Central Michigan and No. 2 Robert Hamlin of Lehigh. I like him to get past Bennett in the quarterfinals, but not past the Vermonster in the semifinals. Hamlin has a gaudy 61-4 record over the past two seasons. The top side of the bracket has four returning All-Americans, with Wyoming's Joe LeBlanc being the top seed. I'm taking Cornell's Steve Bosak to come out of the top side of the bracket with a win over LeBlanc in the semifinals, avenging a loss in the Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational finals in early December. That will set up an EIWA finals rematch between Hamlin and Bosak. It will be the sixth meeting between the two over the past two seasons. All five meetings have been either one or two-point matches. Hamlin won all three meetings between the two last season. The two have split two matches this season, with Hamlin winning the most recent meeting in the EIWA finals. I like Hamlin to win and become the first Vermont native to win an NCAA Division I wrestling title. Prediction: No. 2 Robert Hamlin (Lehigh) over No. 4 Steve Bosak (Cornell) 197: All season it appeared that Cornell's Cam Simaz and Edinboro's Chris Honeycutt were destined to meet in the NCAA finals. Both were dominant during the regular season. Two weeks ago Simaz cruised to his fourth EIWA title, while Honeycutt took a surprise loss in the EWL finals to Pitt's Matt Wilps, a wrestler Honeycutt had beaten twice this season. I don't see anyone stopping Simaz on the top side of the bracket. I see the bottom side of the bracket being up for grabs, with three or four wrestlers capable of reaching the NCAA finals. Call it a gut feeling, but I'm taking Missouri's Brent Haynes to come out of the bottom side of the bracket despite a recent loss in the Big 12 finals and a lopsided 14-4 loss to Honeycutt earlier this season. Haynes is a monster on the mat ... and if gets on a roll he will be tough to beat. But Simaz will be one getting his hand raised on Saturday night. Prediction: No. 1 Cam Simaz (Cornell) over No. 6 Brent Haynes (Missouri) 285: Returning NCAA finalists Ryan Flores of American and Zack Rey of Lehigh entered the postseason ranked No. 1 and No. 2 respectively. They met in the EIWA finals, with Flores coming out on top in overtime. Rey, a returning NCAA champion, comes in as the No. 4 seed, and a meeting with top-seeded Flores in the semifinals seems likely. I'm taking Rey to avenge his recent loss to Flores and reach the finals against No. 2 Tony Nelson of Minnesota. Rey has been on the elevated mat before and knows how to get it done when it counts. Prediction: No. 4 Zack Rey (Lehigh) over No. 2 Tony Nelson (Minnesota) Top Five Teams: 1. Penn State 2. Minnesota 3. Iowa 4. Cornell 5. Oklahoma State

If you are a fan of parity, then 2011-2012 was your season. The Iowa Hawkeyes, Penn State Nittany Lions, Minnesota Gophers, and Oklahoma State Cowboys all had their time atop the rankings. The wrestling season is a trudge and despite injuries and disappointments, these four teams, along with Cornell, managed to remain in title contention come March. In our pre-NCAA tournament ranking system, which uses the current seeds to determine team placements, Iowa will win the NCAA tournament title by 10 points over Cael Sanderson's defending NCAA champion Penn State program. The likelihood that all the seeds hold and that not a single wrestler registers a bonus point is impossible, which leaves fans and media to wonder which teams will perform by improving on their seeds, capturing bonus points, and coming away with individual national champions. One of the other factors deciding this year's race will be the effect this year's mismanaged seeding process will have on the No. 1 and No. 2 tournament seeds with formidable semifinal opponents. Falls, techs, and major decisions earned with consistency could make up for a faltering semifinalist, and a courageous Ironman-like performance by early losers should also impact the team race. Keep your brackets handy, with one of the most level talent fields, this year's tournament might come down to a single technical fall or upset run. It'll be "matness." Minnesota Gophers The Minnesota team is one of the most consistently performing squads in the nation. For 10 years every wrestler not named Ness has looked like the progeny of Luke Becker, big-thighed behemoths with vicious short offense. The Minnesota style wins, and this year the Gopher squad is loaded with talent and potential. The only thing holding them back from a team title in 2012 is lack of certain NCAA champion talent. The squad could make up for it by placing all their available wrestlers, a task that earned them the 2001 NCAA championship. J Robinson has nine seeded wrestlers, but does he have enough horses to win the team title? (Photo/Bill Ennis)That won't happen this year. The Gophers earned nine spots with four Minnesota wrestlers entering as returning All-Americans. All nine Gophers who qualified are seeded. Zach Sanders, seeded No. 2 at 125, and Tony Nelson, seeded No. 2 at heavyweight, are the team's best bets for reaching the NCAA finals. There are plenty of team points to be found in the wrestlebacks, but Minnesota isn't known for scoring bunches of bonus points, and while every single wrestler has a seed, four of them are lower seeds: No. 10 Chris Dardanes (133). No 9. Nick Dardanes (141), No. 10 Cody Yohn (165), and No. 10 Sonny Yohn (197). The three other Gopher wrestlers are seeded within All-American status: No. 7 Dylan Ness (149), No. 4 Logan Storley (174) and No. 5 Kevin Steinhaus (184) Without question, the number of weapons at J Robinson's disposal allows the team to think of making a potential title run, but to do that he'll need a convergence of good wrestling and luck. He'll need his two No. 2 seeds to make the finals, and for one to win in an upset. He'll then need all three of his seeded wrestlers to not just place, but earn bonus points and outperform their seeds. Finally, to win the NCAA title, Robinson will need two of his lower-seeded wrestlers to place. Seven All-Americans and and an NCAA champion might get the job done. Might. Prediction: Fourth Place, 79 Points (Five All-Americans) Cornell Big Red Cornell's Kyle Dake is a strong favorite to win at 157 pounds (Photo/Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWarriors.com)Coach Rob Koll has always led a well-balanced NCAA team, placing 13 wrestlers over the past three seasons, second-most behind Iowa. The team has two wrestlers entering as undefeated top seeds, Kyle Dake (157) and Cam Simaz (197). Other All-American candidates include No. 6 Frank Perrelli (125), No. 4 Steve Bosak (184) both of who can place with little additional support. To have a shot at a team trophy the Big Red will need another of their qualifiers -- Nick Arujau (133), Mike Nevinger (141), Chris Villalonga (149), Marshall Peppleman (165) and Maciej Jochym (285) -- to place, and one or two more to win at least three matches. Prediction: Third Place, 85 Points (2 Champions, 4 All-Americans) Iowa Hawkeyes The Brands brothers are hoping to bring the NCAA championship trophy back to Iowa City (Photo/Bill Ennis)There weren't many prognosticators willing to give Brands and Co. a shot at the title after Penn State won last year's tournament with a team filled with underclassmen. However, in true Iowa fashion, the team was able to rebound and see improved regular season performances from wrestlers like Tony Ramos (133) and Derek St. John (157), whose last-second takedown against Jason Welch in the Big Ten finals earned him a No. 2 seed and some much-needed momentum for the tournament. The Hawkeyes will almost certainly have a champion in Matt McDonough (125) and likely another finalist between No. 3 Montell Marion (141), Ramos (133), and St. John (157). Like many teams, the Hawkeyes' ability to win the championship will depend on their ability to score bonus points in the early rounds, but unlike other teams they have a secret weapon: Grant Gambrall (184). The unseeded wrestler spent most of his season at 197, and though he only has a 10-10 record, he's the returning third-place finisher at the weight class and has every ability to make the semifinals, or further. If Gambrall can help Iowa get six into the semifinals, then they can compete for an NCAA title. If not, then they might be destined to a runner-up position. Prediction: Second Place, 91 Points (1 Champion, 6 All-Americans) Penn State Nittany Lions Cael Sanderson's team has looked vulnerable this season, with a streaky Quentin Wright giving wrestling fans in Happy Valley cause for refilling their prescription blood pressure medication before the trip to St. Louis. The team is so loaded, and there are so many talents that feel generational, I can't come to grips with the idea that they won't all perform ... something they have a habit of doing (2011 Big Tens, 2011 NCAAs, 2012 Big Tens). If a team can show their will to win in three of the last three big tournaments, there is no reason to doubt their ability to do it a fourth time. Cael Sanderson has four potential NCAA finalists, with three of those wrestlers seeded No. 1 (Photo/Bill Ennis)For Penn State to win they'll need the Big 3 to win with bonus points. Top seeds Frank Molinaro (149), David Taylor (165) and Ed Ruth (174) haven't lost this season and have dominated opponents. None of them has had a one or even two-point match. That's 81 matches and not a single opponent could've gotten a last second takedown to secure an overtime. That's domination. Add in a potential finals run by Q-Tip Wright and you're looking at four potential NCAA finalists. What makes Penn State so formidable is that they will get at least three to the finals with plenty of extra bonus points, and potentially placings from a handful of other wrestlers: No. 10 Nico Megaludis (125), No. 7 Andrew Alton (157), and No. 6 Cameron Wade (285). On top of those likely placers are potential point-scorers Frank Martellotti (133) and Morgan McIntosh (197). Penn State scored 107.5 points at the 2011 NCAA tournament with one champion, two runner-ups, and a third-place finisher. This year's tournament will likely produce an additional champion, two more All-Americans than last season, and a whole bunch of bonus points. Prediction: Champion, 124 Points (3 Champions and 6 All-Americans)

The lineups have been finalized for the 2012 USA Wrestling National Team All-Star Dual Meet on Thursday, March 15 in St. Louis, Mo. The international-style event will held as part of the festivities at the 2012 NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships in St. Louis, Mo. This is the third straight year that a USA Wrestling exhibition will be provided free of charge to wrestling fans who are attending the championships. The event will be held between the first and second competition sessions on Thursday. It will be located at the Peabody Opera House, which is adjacent to Scottrade Center. The approximate start time will be at 3 p.m. The meet will start off with a Greco-Roman match at 66 kg/145 lbs., as a pair of USOEC Northern Michigan Greco-Roman stars will battle, Kendrick Sanders (Homestead, Fla./New York AC) and Jonathan Drendel (North Aurora, Ill./USOEC). Sanders, who started his career at Purdue before switching to full-time Greco-Roman, recently won a gold medal at the Dave Schultz Memorial International. The next four matches will be in men’s freestyle. Chase Pami (Colorado Springs, Colo. (Sunkist Kids), who was an NCAA runner-up at Cal Poly, will battle former Iowa star Joe Johnston (Columbia, Mo./Missouri WF) at 66 kg/145 lbs. Both were two-time NCAA All-Americans. The 74 kg/163 lbs. battle will pit 2011 U.S. Open runner-up Nick Marable (Columbia, Mo./Sunkist Kids), a two-time All-American for Missouri, against Tyler Caldwell (Wichita, Kan./Sunkist Kids), who starred for Oklahoma. Both were two-time All-Americans. At 96 kg/211.5 lbs., 2010 World Team member J.D. Bergman (Columbus, Ohio/New York AC), an Ohio State NCAA runner-up, squares off with former Virginia star Brent Jones (Colorado Springs, Colo./OTC). Bergman won three All-American honors for the Buckeyes. The heavyweight showdown features a pair of stars who are on Olympic redshirt, Chad Hanke (Dayton, Ore./Northwest RTC) of Oregon State against Jarod Trice (Highland Park, Mich./Gator WC) of Central Michigan. Hanke was second at the 2011 U.S. World Team Trials at 96 kg/211.5 lbs., but has moved up in weight this season. Trice boasts two All-American honors for the Chippewas. An additional bout may be added to the card later this week. The USA Wrestling All-Star Dual has become a traditional part of the NCAA Championships each year. This event will serve as a tune-up competition for the athletes prior to the 2012 U.S. Olympic Team Trials for Wrestling, which will be hosted at Carver-Hawkeye Arena at the University of Iowa in Iowa City, Iowa, April 21-22. USA Wrestling will also participate at the NCAA Fan Festival with National Team practice sessions, which are open to the public. Last year at the NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships in Philadelphia, the format was a USA vs. International Team match. Team USA won the dual by a 12-10 margin, At the 2010 NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships in Omaha, Neb., USA Wrestling hosted a Big Ten vs. Big 12 Challenge, featuring Freestyle Team USA. The Big Ten earning bragging rights in the friendly competition. For more information on the NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships, visit NCAA.com/wrestling. USA WRESTLING NATIONAL TEAM ALL-STAR DUAL At St. Louis, Mo., March 15 Match lineups, with residence, club, and college affiliation 66 kg/145.5 lbs. Greco-Roman Kendrick Sanders, Homestead, Fla. (New York AC) -- Northern Michigan, Purdue Jonathan Drendel, North Aurora, Ill. (USOEC) -- Northern Michigan 66 kg/145.5 lbs. men’s freestyle Chase Pami, Colorado Springs, Colo. (Sunkist Kids) -- Cal Poly Joe Johnston, Columbia, Mo. (Missouri WF) - Iowa 74 kg/163 lbs. men’s freestyle Nick Marable, Columbia, Mo. (Sunkist Kids) -- Missouri Tyler Caldwell, Wichita, Kan. (Sunkist Kids) - Oklahoma 96 kg/211.5 lbs. freestyle J.D. Bergman, Columbus, Ohio (New York AC) -- Ohio State Brent Jones, Colorado Springs, Colo. (OTC) -- Virginia 120 kg/264.5 lbs. freestyle Chad Hanke, Dayton, Ore. (Northwest RTC) -- Oregon State Jarod Trice, Highland Park, Mich. (Gator WC) -- Central Michigan

Pittsburgh -- The Wrestling Classic committee selected the Teams for the Dapper Dan Wrestling Classic, the most prestigious high school all-star wrestling meet in the United States. The Wrestling Classic will be on Sunday, March 25, 2012 at the University of Pittsburgh’s Fitzgerald Field House. This year, Team Maryland will challenge the Western Pennsylvania All-Stars in the preliminary dual meet beginning at 4:00 p.m. The feature match, between the Pennsylvania and USA All-Stars is at 6:00 p.m. View Team USA View Team Pennsylvania View Team WPIAL

Wrestling in the state tournament brings about many emotions. They can either serve to elevate performance, or unfortunately at times lead to results that are below expectations. These surprise outcomes help create the drama associated with the state championship weekend for fans across the country. Below are 10 such weight classes across the country where an unexpected champion emerged after win(s) against higher profile opposition. Gilroy's Nikko Villarreal defeated Selma's Alex Cisneros in dramatic fashion (Photo/John Sachs, Tech-Fall.com)California 132: No. 13 Nikko Villarreal (Gilroy), ranked nationally at 138 pounds, dropped down into this weight class, upending No. 1 Alex Cisneros (Selma), 5-3, in the state championship match. Trailing 3-0 with less than 15 seconds remaining, Villarreal threw Cisneros to his back, ending Cisneros's hopes of being the second four-time state champion in Golden State history. California 138: Brian Sergi (College Park), never a state placer prior to this year, upended two nationally ranked opponents in order to win a state title. In the state semifinal, Sergi beat No. 11 Natrelle Demison (Bakersfield) -- who placed fifth and third at state the two previous years -- by a 7-4 decision. Then in the final, he avenged an earlier season loss against No. 18 Shayne Tucker -- who placed fourth at state last year -- in earning a 4-3 victory. Iowa 3A 160: Zeb Wahle (Lewis Central) with a 3-2 finals victory over No. 14 Justin Koethe (Iowa City West), after Koethe had pins in his first three matches of the tournament in order to reach his first state final. The loss reduced Koethe to being one of the better wrestlers in Hawkeye State history to never win a state title -- as he placed fourth, third, third, and second during his career. Illinois 3A 145: Kevin Moylan (Paolos Hills Stagg) beats No.7 Bryce Brill (Mt. Carmel), a defending state champion, 3-2 on a rideout in the ultimate tiebreaker. That reversed a loss from the semifinals at the sectional tournament the week before. Prior to the loss in the final, Brill had dominated his earlier opponents -- with technical falls in the opening two rounds, followed by a 14-4 major decision in the semifinal match. Illinois 3A 170: Jake Residori (Minooka) upends No. 13 Ricky Robertson (Carl Sandburg) 7-3 in the championship match. The Cadet freestyle champ Robertson was undefeated prior to that match. Indiana 120: Fourth in the state last year, and runner-up as a sophomore, Paul Petrov (Hanover Central) started his state tournament journey with an 18-3 technical fall and second period pin. His semifinal was against defending state champion Mason Todd (Pendleton Heights) -- ranked No. 8 nationally -- and he secured a second period pin in that match to advance to the final. That match would be against fellow three-time state placer Brendan Campbell (New Castle), ranked No. 15 nationally. With the 14-11 victory, Petrov relegated Campbell to a second straight runner-up finish. Missouri Class 4 285: Donnell Walker (Parkway South) earned a pin in 4:50 against No. 10 Austin Boehm (Lee's Summit West), a defending state champion and top four in the state during all four years of his high school career, in the state championship match. New Jersey 152: Raamiah Bethea (Trenton Central) pinned No. 17 Sal Mastriani (Don Bosco Prep) in a battle of undefeated wrestlers in the state final. Earlier in the year, Mastriani was champion at the Beast of the East, and outplaced Bethea (fourth vs. sixth) in last year’s state tournament at 145. Texas 138: Dominic Yang (South Grand Prairie) with the 3-2 ultimate tiebreaker decision victory over No. 14 Jack Bass (Allen). The result made the sophomore Bass, also a Cadet freestyle runner-up last summer, finish second in the state in back-to-back seasons; he was also runner-up last year while competing for Robinson High School in Virginia at 125 pounds. Texas 152: For a second straight year, No. 6 Oliver Pierce (Allen) saw an undefeated season ends in the state tournament. After winning state as a freshman two years ago, Pierce lost in the semifinal round at state last year, but came back to take home third place. This year he was upended, 4-3, in the state finals match by defending champion Aaron Walker (Judson). For his high school career, Pierce has not lost a single match outside of the Texas state tournaments, which includes winning three Mid-America Nationals titles, championships at the Kansas City Wrestling Classic each of the two years, and a title at the Cheesehead this season.

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. -- Notre Dame College came away with three national champions and 11 All-Americans, and that success in the finals rounds compounded its impressive start as the Falcons won the National Collegiate Wrestling Association championship Saturday. Notre Dame racked up 168 points, leading from start to finish of the three-day tournament, and withstood final-day charges by runner-up California Baptist (161 points) and Liberty (150.5) to take the title. The Falcons got national title winners in Cody Shivener (149 pounds), Ashtin Primus (157) and Jonathan Bittinger (174) to sweep their finals appearances. The Falcons’ success isn’t a surprise to most. They won the NAIA national championship in the two seasons prior to joining the NCWA this year. The NDC wrestlers flashed ‘3’ on their fingers while taking their championship photos, representing a three-peat of sorts. But it took the rest of the Falcons’ All-Americans – they scored one in every weight class but two – to clinch the title past former NAIA foe California Baptist and Liberty, which gave chase throughout. Mike Smilek (3rd at 174 pounds), Maurice Miller (4th at 141), Daniel Demick (4th at 285), Austin Sanders (5th at 141), Tony Burge (6th at 165), Charles Mason (6th at 184), Louden Gordon (7th at 149), Paul Rose (8th at 133) and Justin Schafrath (8th at 235) made sure Notre Dame’s cushion never faltered, even when California Baptist moved to within two points before Saturday’s finals matches. Clutch points earned with wins in the consolation rounds boosted NDC back into control. The Falcons gained control of the tournament early on when it scored 26 bonus points by recording 13 pins as a team in the first two rounds and having 16 of their 17 qualifiers still alive going into the second day. Notre Dame will transition into NCAA Division II membership next year. Liberty (five) and California Baptist (four) actually had more national finalists than NDC, but couldn’t find an edge against its consistent success. CBU, trailing by two points, was poised to make a run with its three finalists among the first four matches Saturday. Jimmy Martinez took a 5-4 win over MIT’s Sam Shames for the 125 title, but Alex Anunciation had to settle for second at 133. At 149, the Lancers could have taken another chunk out of NDC’s lead, but the Falcons’ Shivener topped CBU’s Dylan Cataline in the final, 7-3. The 149 title match was one of only two that paired NDC, CBU or Liberty wrestlers against each other. The other was CBU’s Zach Merrill’s 5-4 win over Liberty’s Andrew Wilson at heavyweight. Besides its four finalists, CBU’s other All-Americans were Preston Brown (4th at 165), Bradford Gerl (6th at 141). Liberty wrestlers were 2-4 in finals matches, which included a 197-pound title match between teammates as Aaron Thompson beat Nick Knowles, 6-3. The pair also placed 1-2 at the North Central Conference Championships two weeks ago. Scott Clymer’s 19-2 tech fall in the 141 final put Liberty in scoring range of the title if NDC was to collapse in its middle weights. But title-match losses at 165 and 184 halted the charge, and the Flames settled for All-American finishes from Bobby Clymer (2nd at 165), Royal Brettrager (2nd at 184) and Wilson (2nd at 285). In the Division II race, Wichita State used two All-American finishes within its eight qualifiers to win its first national title with 57.5 points, good for 14th overall. Aaron Hynick took third at 165 pounds with a 5-3 win over CBU’s Brown, and Pat Mosley was fourth at 157. Wichita State coach Paul Myers won the association’s Coach of the Year Award. Mathew Miller earned the tournament’s Most Outstanding Wrestler award after taking the 184 title with a 2:03 pin over Brettrager. Miller, a freshman at the U.S. Air Force Academy Prep School, won three of his five matches by fall. In the NCWWA women’s division, Southwest Oregon Community College parlayed three champions in the middle weights into enough points to run away with the women’s division title. Biridiana Mendoza started the run with the 130 title, followed by Hannah Moon at 139 and Caroline Crawford at 148. SOCC also had All-Americans in Shay Workman at 121 and Hannah Francis at 176. The women’s MOW was Erica Poe of Lindenwood-Belleville, who pinned her way through four matches and the 121 title. The NCWWA Coach of the Year from Rob Redman of San Jose State. Here are the final standings and championship results from the 2012 NCWA Championships. Further details from the tournament will appear in follow-up stories through the upcoming week. FINAL STANDINGS Division I Programs 1. Notre Dame College (Ohio) 168 2. California Baptist 161 3. Liberty 150.5 4. Lindenwood-St. Charles (Mo.) 114 5. Simon Fraser (B.C.) 102.5 6. U.S. Naval Academy Prep 89.5 7. Southern Illinois-Edwardsville 87 8. Central Florida 79.5 9. McKendree 69.5 10. Lindenwood-Belleville 68 11. The Apprentice School (Va.) 61 12. Maryland-Baltimore County 59 13. Massachusetts Inst. of Tech. 58.5 14. Marion Military Inst. (Ala.) 51 15. West Chester 48.5 16. Mercer 43 17. Penn College of Technology 42.5 18t. U.S. Air Force Academy Prep 38 18t. Grand Valley State 38 20. New Hampshire 36 21. Middle Tennessee State 28 22. St. Andrew’s (N.C.) 27 23. Penn State-DuBois 20.5 24. Blair Academy (N.J.) 20 25. Georgia Southern 19.5 26. Minot State (N.D.) 19 27. Carroll (Wis.) 16.5 28. Southern Virginia 13.5 29. East Tennessee State 10 30. Wayne State (Neb.) 6 31. Colorado State 5 32. West Virginia Tech 4 33. Douglas College (B.C.) 2 Did not score: Connecticut, Minnesota-Duluth, San Jose State, Williamson Sch. of Mech. Trades. Division II Emerging Programs 1. Wichita State 57.5 2. Northwest Missouri State 27 3t. Georgia 26 3t. South Carolina 26 5t. Northeastern 19 5t. Rutgers 19 7. Central Washington 18 8. Amherst 16 9. Florida Gulf Coast 14 10t. Tallahassee CC (Fla.) 11 10t. Utah State 11 12. Texas 10 13. Auburn 9.5 14. Illinois State 9 15t. Florida 8 15t. North Florida 8 17t. Iowa State 7 17t. Massachusetts 7 18t. Bridgewater (Va.) 6 18t. Colorado 6 18t. Lafayette 6 18t. Michigan 6 18t. Slippery Rock 6 24. Cincinnati 5 25t. Bowling Green 4 25t. Washington County CC (Maine) 4 27t. Hudson Valley CC (N.Y.) 3 27t. Vermont 3 29t. Kansas State 2 29t. Rensselaer Polytechnic. Inst. 2 29t. Texas-Arlington 2 29t. Texas-San Antonio 2 33. Sacramento State 1 Did not score: Florida A&M, Kennesaw State (Ga.), Saginaw Valley State (Mich.), South Florida, Texas A&M, Toledo, Virginia Military Inst., William and Mary, Winona State (Minn.) NCWA CHAMPIONSHIP MATCH RESULTS 125 lbs. – Jimmy Martinez, California Baptist, def. Sam Shames, Mass. Inst. of Tech., 5-4 133 lbs. – Brendan Murphy, SIU-Edwardsville, def. Alex Anunciation, California Baptist, 4-3 141 lbs. – Scott Clymer, Liberty, def. Craig Chiles, Lindenwood-St. Charles, 19-2 149 lbs. – Cody Shivener, Notre Dame, def. Dylan Cataline, California Baptist 157 lbs. – Ashtin Primus, Notre Dame, def. Santiago Martinez, Central Florida, 4-1 165 lbs. – Clayton MacFarlane, Lindenwood-St. Charles, def. Bobby Clymer, Liberty, 9-0 174 lbs. – Jonathan Bittinger, Notre Dame, def. Deshoun White, SIU-Edwardsville, 6-3 184 lbs. – Mathew Miller, U.S. Naval Academy Prep, def. Royal Brettrager, Liberty, by fall 2:03 197 lbs. – Aaron Thompson, Liberty, def. Nick Knowles, Liberty, 6-3 235 lbs. – Dustin Fullerton, Lindenwood-Belleville, def. Josh Woods, Central Florida, by fall 4:26 285 lbs. – Zach Merrill, California Baptist, def. Andrew Wilson, Liberty, 5-4 Most Outstanding Wrestler: Mathew Miller, U.S. Naval Academy Prep School Coach of the Year: Paul Myers, Wichita State NCWWA FINAL STANDINGS (women’s division) 1. Southwest Oregon Community College 83.5 2. Pacific Univ. (Ore.) 61.5 3. Lindenwood-Belleville (Ill.) 42.5 4. Central Washington 28.5 5. Middle Tennessee State 23 6. San Jose State 20.5 7. East Tennessee State 20 8. South Florida 16.5 9. Winona State (Minn.) 15 10. North Florida 14 11. Mercer 10 12. Massachusetts Inst. of Technology 9 13t. Carroll Univ. (Wis.) 7 13t. New Hampshire 7 15. Kansas State 6.5 16. Massachusetts 6 17. Bowling Green 2.5 Did not score: Colorado. NCWWA CHAMPIONSHIP MATCH RESULTS 105 lbs. – Jordyn Lee, Pacific, def. Megan Chum, Pacific, by fall 1:42 112 lbs. – Andrina Ramos, Pacific, def. Ashley Rodriguez, North Florida, by fall 2:51 121 lbs. – Eric Poe, Lindenwood-Belleville, def. Kelli Rasmussen, Winona State, 7-4 130 lbs. – Biridiana Mendoza, SW Oregon CC, def. Rustee-Ann Johansen, Pacific, 15-3 139 lbs. – Hannah Moon, SW Oregon CC, def. Cindy Kuang, San Jose State, 8-1 148 lbs. – Caroline Crawford, SW Oregon CC, def. Ada Hagan, East Tennessee State, by fall 2:24 159 lbs. – Christina Ordonez, Central Washington, def. Morgan Pittsford, East Tennessee State, by fall 6:13 176 lbs. – Mei Ling Keiki, Lindenwood-Belleville, def. Jasmine Grant, South Florida, 19-3 209 lbs. – Dana Tatum, Middle Tennessee State, def. Cymone Jenkins, Mercer, by fall 2:45. Most Outstanding Wrester: Erica Poe, Lindenwood-Belleville Coach of the Year: Rob Redman, San Jose State

PUEBLO, Colo. -- Northern State junior Matt Meuleners' national title defense ended just the way he envisioned it – with a second straight NCAA Division II national championship. Meuleners defeated St. Cloud State's Jacob Kahnke in the championship match on Saturday, scoring the match's only takedown in the sudden victory overtime period to secure the win. With that win, his 32nd of the season, Meuleners becomes only the second 2-time national champion in NSU wrestling history and the only one to do it in Division II. Saturday's title bout opened with a scoreless first period, after which each man scored an escape early in their respective down position periods. Kahnke took a late shot in the third stanza, but Meuleners was able to fend off the attack and send the match into the overtime. The Young America, Minn. native then scored the match's only takedown in that winner-takes-all period to claim the national title. No stranger to each other, Meuleners and Kahnke have battled back and forth for the last two seasons, trading the No. 1 and No. 2 national rankings back and forth throughout. Kahnke has won four regular season meetings and the 2011 Super Region III meeting, while Meuleners has claimed each of the national championship meetings.

Nazar Kulchytskyy (So., Sosnivka, Ukraine) closed a record-breaking season by winning the 157-pound weight class at the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division III Wrestling Championship held Friday and Saturday (March 9-10) in La Crosse. Kulchytskyy (45-2) posted a 10-9 victory over Orlando Ponce of Augsburg College (Minn.) in the championshio bout to become the first NCAA Division III champion in UW-Oshkosh history. Kulchytskky took a 5-0 lead with a minute to go in the first period, converting a drive into a takedown and three-point near-fall. He extended the lead to 8-3 early in the third period, but Ponce began a strong comeback, claiming two takedowns and receiving two stalling penalty points in the final 1:22 of the third period to cut the lead to the final score. UW-Oshkosh had Zachary Mueller (Sr., Jackson) and Dan Schiferl (So., Stoughton) finish ninth in the tournament with 1-2 records. Competing at 125 pounds, Mueller (33-9) dropped a 10-1 decision to top-ranked Nathan Fitzenreider of North Central College (Ill.). He then posted a 17-0 win over eighth-ranked Stephen Hinton of Lycoming College (Pa.) before losing a 7-0 result to third-seeded Jimmy Gotto of Coe College (Iowa). Mueller ends his UW-Oshkosh career with a 96-49 record. Schiferl (27-13) opened his activity at 174 pounds with a 9-4 loss to eighth-seeded Matthew Pfarr of St. John's University (Minn.). He then pinned Josh Kohler of Augsburg College in 1:03 before suffering a 3-2 loss to Matt Cross of Messiah College (Pa.). The final UW-Oshkosh wrestler to compete on Friday was seventh-seeded Sam Engelland (Sr., Neenah). Engelland (27-5) went winless at 184 pounds after losing decisions of 5-4 to Timothy Stewart of Messiah College and 10-8 to Ryan Pieper of Trine University (Ind.). Engelland ends his UW-Oshkosh career with a 117-41 record Augsburg College finished second with 86.5 points, behind national champion Wartburg College with 141.5 points. Coe College (Iowa) was third with 74.0 points, UW-La Crosse was fourth with 65 points and Ithaca College (N.Y.) was fifth with 61.5 points. UW-Oshkosh placed 14th with 26 points.

Trevor Franklin capped his career-best season tonight at the 2012 NCAA DII Wrestling Championships with a 3-2 victory in the finals of the 133-pound bracket. Franklin pushed his win streak to 44 straight matches and finished this season with a 28-0 record. His win came over St. Cloud State University's Andrew Pokorny. Franklin is one of 11 Upper Iowa wrestlers to win a National Championship; but now he joins three other Peacocks that have won a pair of titles. Two other Peacocks have earned NCAA Division II Champion honors; Ryan Phillips, the current Peacock assistant coach, who won the title at 197 pounds in 2007, and Travis Eggers, who won the title at 165 pounds in 2010. As time wound down in the first period, Franklin was able to score a takedown just before the clock ran out. Pokorny answered with an escape in the second period and built up over a minute of ride time in the final period, but Franklin got the win with an escape late in the period to claim the 3-2 win. Franklin won his four matches at the Championships thanks to a pair of decisions, a major decision and a fall. In the first round, Franklin defeated Matthew Greene of Western State College by major decision, 15-1. In the quarterfinals, he won by fall (1:54) over Adli Edwards of Ashland University. The Peacock junior won a 4-1 decision over Ryan Fillingame of Adams State College in the semis to earn his shot at a second straight title. Following the match, the Peacocks jumped from a three-way tie for seventh to sole possession of sixth place just a half point behind fifth place Newberry College. The University of Nebraska-Kearney won the team title behind three individual champions and St. Cloud State finished second. Grand Canyon University and the University of Findlay tied for third place.

PUEBLO, Colo. -- Adams State senior Luke McPeek (Albuquerque, N.M.) came from behind to force a sudden victory period in the 197-pound championship match at the NCAA Division II Wrestling Championships Saturday night, and scored a 14-12 victory to claim his first individual championship and was also named the Outstanding Wrestler of the Tournament, while Grizzlies Ryan Fillingame (Victorville, Calif.) and Josh Hensley (Alamosa, Colo.) each earned all-American honors during the morning session. Ranked eighth in the final DII poll of the season, the Grizzlies finished tied for eighth at the NCAA Championships alongside North Carolina-Pembroke, as each tallied 42.5 points. The University of Nebraska-Kearney dominated the team field with 107.0 points for its first team title, while runner-up St. Cloud State (Minn.) racked up 95.0 points. Findlay (Ohio) and Grand Canyon (Ariz.) tied for third with 58.0 points, followed by fifth place Newberry with 46.0. Sixth place was shared between Upper Iowa and Wisconsin-Parkside with 45.5 points, while Augustana (S.D.) and Central Oklahoma tied for 10th with 41.5. The Outstanding Wrestler of the Tournament award, voted on by the National Wrestling Coaches' Association (NWCA), was bestowed upon McPeek after he came back to force overtime and eventually defeat previoualy unbeaten and top-ranked Daniel Scanlan of Limestone (S.C.) for the title. McPeek trailed 6-0 in the first period after getting taken down and then giving up a pair of 2-point near falls. But McPeek scored a first period reversal, and then tallied a take down of his own after a Scanlan escape with no time left in the first to cut the gap to 4-7 at the end of one period. Scanlan started down in the second period and extended his lead to 10-4 with an escape and take down. McPeek answered back with an escape but was quickly taken down and put in a seven point hole, 5-12. Once again, however, McPeek managed to get out and scored two points on a take down with not enough time left for Scanlan to reply with an escape, and McPeek was down just 8-12 entering the third. The only four points of the final period of regulation were scored by McPeek. After starting down, the Grizzly senior cut the margin to three points with an escape before a take down with 1:25 left made it 11-12. At that point, Scanlan held a riding time advantage of 1:20, but McPeek stayed on top for the remainder of the match to negate the riding time, and earned a point for stalling in the process to knot the bout up at 12-12 and force a one minute sudden victory period. Each recorded three take downs during regulation, but Scanlan was the first to shoot in the overtime. McPeek managed to block the shot, and circled around to score the championship take down. Now a 3-time all-American, including twice for Adams State, McPeek ends his senior season with a mark of 28-4. McPeek becomes the first individual NCAA DII champion for Adams State since 2009, when current Grizzly assistants Arsenia Barksdale and Kyle Sand were each crowned champions. McPeek’s lone bout of the Saturday morning session came against King (Pa.) College’s Charles Morgan, ranked sixth individually in DII. McPeek, ranked No. 4, scored a 3-2 win which set up his match with Scanlan. The only other Grizzly wrestler to enter Saturday still competing in the championship bracket was junior 133-pounder Fillingame, where he faced DII’s top-ranked Trevor Franklin of Upper Iowa in a semifinal match-up and suffered a 1-4 loss.] Fillingame would rebound from his only loss of the tournament with back-to-back wins in the consolation bracket. After a 2-1 win over 6th-ranked Michael Magaha of Limestone, he scored a 4-2 victory over Kutztown’s (Pa.) Evan Yevelovich in the third place match. For Fillingame the all-American honors are the first of his collegiate career. Hensley started day two of the championships in the consolation bracket against Ethan Swope of Gannon (Pa.), and came up just on the short end of a 2-3 decision. The loss dropped Hensley into the seventh place match, where the 149-pound senior hung on for 12-10 win over Marc Huff of Ashland (Ohio). The win gave Hensley his second career all-American accolades in three trips to the NCAA DII Championships. Adams State's eighth place team finish was its first top 10 showing since 2009 when the Grizzlies wrapped up a 3-year stretch of fifth place finishes.

The biggest challenge Victor Carazo had at the NCAA Division II Wrestling Championships was hoisting the program’s third-place trophy. “That was a lot heavier than I thought it was going to be,” said Carazo, who exaggerated the trophy weight – he and his teammates help Grand Canyon earn over the weekend in Pueblo, Colo. -- at 90 lbs. Carazo, in the 174-pound class, and Kyle McCrite, at 125, each won national championships to lead GCU to its best-ever finish in its brief five-year history. “Coming into the tournament we knew (Nebraska-Kearney) had so much fire power. We only had six guys and third is as about as best we could have done and we got there,” said GCU head coach R.C. LaHaye. The Antelopes were seventh last season and got their first-ever individual champion in Todd Wilcox (133). They added two more champs and four more All-American to the short-lived, but quickly-rising, program’s history. Carazo and McCrite earned All-American status along with Bobby Ward, who was third at 149, and Celic Bell, who took eighth at 197. For Carazo it was his third straight All-American honor, but he’d never won. He was third in last year’s championships and came into this year’s tournament ranked a modest fifth in the nation. “I came in and felt it was my time,” Carazo said. “After two years getting to the semifinals, I was so close. I had to work a little harder and fix the little things.” Along his national tournament path, Carazo disposed of two three-time All-Americans, including St. Cloud State’s Shamus O’Grady, who had handed him his lone loss of the season. In the title match, Carazo dominated top-ranked Luke Rynish of Wisconsin-Parkside, a three-time national finalist, for an 8-3 win. It was as close as anyone would get to Carazo all weekend. Three of his four wins were by five points and he added a technical fall win in the first round. “I felt comfortable and calm and never felt panic (all weekend),” said the senior from Modesto, Calif. “It doesn’t get any better than this. To go out a national champion, I guess I can close that chapter now and keep moving on.” “He got better and better each match,” said LaHaye. “He dominated what was maybe the deepest weight class in the tournament. He had lost a couple of times in the semis and I think that fueled his fire for his senior year.” McCrite, from Rathdrum, Idaho, was his stellar-self throughout his four matches in the two-day event. He defeated Augustana’s Cody Lensing 9-3 in the title match after besting Dave Fogle of Pittsburgh-Johnstown 5-3 in the semis. McCrite, who came in ranked No. 4, upset No. 1 Corey Ulmer of Minnesota State-Morehead in the quarterfinals Friday. “I’m overwhelmed with excitement and happy to achieve my goal,” said McCrite. “Coming into the tournament I knew what I had to do. I was able to execute that and I’m happy with the results.” McCrite will be the first GCU national champion that will have an opportunity to defending his crown. He is a junior and both Carazo and Wilcox won as seniors. “He turned it up at the exact right time,” LaHaye said of McCrite. “He dug deep and found a way and will have a chance to repeat as a senior.” McCrite finished the year with 38 wins, tying a school record set last season by both Wilcox and Carazo.

LACROSSE, Wis. -- Junior Kyle Kwiat wrapped up a magical season by winning the national title in the 174-pound weight class at the NCAA Division III Wrestling Championships Saturday night at the LaCrosse Center. Third-seeded Kwiat ends his season with a 39-1 record after his 7-4 victory over fourth-seeded Bradley Banks (30-4) of Wartburg (Iowa) in the finals. Kwiat is Northern's fourth national champion and its third three-time All-American. He also won a new award presented by the National Wrestling Coaching Association for the most technical falls in the nation with 16. "Kyle came out and wrestled aggressive all week," ONU head coach Ron Beaschler said. "He maintained his composure. He got takedowns and did exactly what he was supposed to do and what you need to do to win at this level. We are very proud of him. He had a great season." In the title match, Banks got a takedown just five seconds into the match to take a quick 2-0 lead, but that did not faze Kwiat. He got an escape about a minute later and a takedown later in the period to take a 3-2 lead. Leading 5-4 in the third period, Kwiat got another takedown at the 1:05 mark and rode Banks the remainder of the match to grab the title. "I'm on a cloud right now," Kwiat said. "I was really focused and tried to be aggressive. The early takedown might have gotten me down in the past but tonight I was going to be aggressive throughout and it paid off. I still can't believe it. It really hasn't sunk in." Kwiat turned in an impressive performance to defeat second-seeded Michael Schmitz of host Wisconsin-LaCrosse in the semifinals Saturday morning. Schmitz had defeated Kwiat in each of the two previous NCAA Championships tournaments, but it was Kwiat's turn in 2012. Kwiat started strong with a takedown in the first 15 seconds of the match to take a quick 2-0 lead. Schmitz countered with a reversal, and after a Kwiat escape, a takedown to go up 4-3. Kwiat again escaped and the first period ended in a 4-4 tie. Kwiat got a quick escape to begin period two and his second takedown of the match gave him a 7-4 lead heading into the third and final period. The Polar Bear put the match away with a 2-point near fall midway through the period and rode out Schmitz to grab the riding time point and the 10-4 victory. He guaranteed himself All-America honors with a 17-0 tech. fall victory over James Roach of Saint Olaf (Minn.) in the quarterfinals Friday night. He defeated Ryan Dorman of Stevens (N.J.) 7-1 in the first round Friday morning and is 3-0 in the tournament. Kwiat earned All-America honors with a fourth place finish in 2010 and accomplished the feat again with a fifth place finish in 2011. Senior Mick Letcher (32-11) ended the tournament with a 2-2 record at 157 pounds and was one victory away from a top-8 finish and All-America honors for the second consecutive season. He wrapped up his career with a 107-41 record in four seasons at ONU. Senior Billy Painter went 0-2 at 165 pounds on Friday and ends his season with a 26-9 record. In his four years as a Polar Bear, Painter boasts an 87-39 career record. Junior Jeremy Jones went 0-2 Friday afternoon in the 133-pound weight class and ended his season with a 22-14 record.

LA CROSSE, Wis. -- The Coe College wrestling team tied a school record with six All-Americans and had its best finish in school history at the NCAA Championships, where they finished third this weekend. The Kohawks entered the championship round Saturday night assured of at least a third place finish, with a shot at second. Coe needed to win both matches, including one with bonus points, and have Augsburg lose both of its championship matches. Only one of the four matches went the direction the Kohawks needed, as they finished third with 74 points. Coe's first finalist was senior Jordan Westfall (Riverside, Iowa/Highland) at 133 pounds. Westfall entered the tournament as the seventh-seeded wrestler, upsetting the number two and three seeds to reach the finals. Faced with three-time All-American, and defending National Champion, Seth Ecker of Ithaca, Westfall gave up a takedown with one minute left in the first period and trailed 5-0 at the end of the period, as Ecker earned back points with under :10 left in the period. Ecker added a takedown in the second period and a point for riding time for the 8-0 major decision. Westfall ends the season 25-9 and wraps up his career with a 74-32 record. The 165 pound championship match was a rematch of the Iowa Conference Finals between top-seeded Nick LeClere (Coggon, Iowa/North-Linn) and Wartburg's second-seeded Landon Williams. LeClere scored an early takedown, but Williams tied the match with a late reversal to tie the match at the end of the first period. LeClere started the second period on the bottom and took a 4-2 lead on a reversal. With less than :10 to go in the period, Williams escaped, cutting the lead to 4-3 going into the third period. Williams escaped to start the period and earned a takedown in the final seconds. After a point for riding time, Williams won 7-4. It is the second-straight runner-up finish for LeClere, who was a three-time All-American for the Kohawks. LeClere was 29-3 this season and wrapped up his career with a 91-15 record. On top of the best finish in wrestling history, Coe's third place finish was the second best finish any athletic team at Coe has ever had. The 2009 softball team was the National Runner-Up and the only other team to finish in the top three of an NCAA Championship. Wartburg won the team title with 141.5 points, with Augsburg finishing second with 86.5. Wisconsin-La Crosse was fourth with 65, while Ithaca was fifth with 61.5. Loras placed 29th with 11.5 points, Luther 33rd with 10 points and Cornell 38th with 5.5.

LACROSSE, Wis. -- Senior Seth Ecker (Pottstown, Pa./Pottstown) and graduate student Jeremy Stierly (Pottstown, Pa./Owen J. Roberts) of the Ithaca College both won individual titles in Saturday's final session at the NCAA Championships. Ecker won his second straight NCAA title at 133 pounds and Stierly claimed the crown at 149 pounds to highlight for the weekend for the Bombers, who finished in fifth place in the team standings. Ecker and Stierly's titles bring the program's total to individual national champions; they were two of Ithaca's five all-Americans. Joining Ecker and Stierly as all-Americans were junior Jules Doliscar (Trinity/Dix Hills), who placed seventh at 174; graduate student Nick Sanko (Lenhartsville, Pa./Hamburg Area), who finished seventh at 165; and senior Derek Brenon (Watertown/Immaculate Heart Central), who took eighth at 157. Ithaca's sixth entrant, senior heavyweight Matt Mahon (Rochester/Brighton) went 1-2 Friday and was eliminated. As a team the Bombers placed fifth in the standings; following a fourth-place showing last year and sixth-place efforts in 2009 and 2010, Ithaca's four straight top-1o finishes match the school record set from 1992-95. Ithaca's five all-Americans are one short of the school record set by the 1988 team. Brenon, Doliscar and Sanko all earned all-America honor for the first time; Ecker and Stierly are three-time all-Americans. Ecker, the top seed, became the first Ithaca wrestler to win more than one individual NCAA championship. He recorded an 8-0 major decision over seventh-seeded Jordan Westfall of Coe in the title bout (Coe upset the second and third seeds in the quarterfinal and semifinal rounds). He beat Wartburg's Thomas Mirocha 4-0 then beat eighth-seeded Timothy Wunnicke of Wisconsin-Platteville 5-2 in the quarterfinals. In the semifinals, Ecker recorded his ninth fall of the season, planting unseeded Joe Mileski of Wisconsin-Stevens Point (who had upset the fourth and fifth seeds) in 4:25. The pin in the semifinals was the 34th of Ecker's career; he went 30-4 this season with a career record of 108-20. He's ninth all-time in wins as a Bomber. Stierly finished the 2010 and 2011 season as NCAA runner-up at 141 pounds; he moved up a class for his final season and ended the year with his hand raised as the national champion. Stierly, who was seeded fourth, edged second-seeded Anthony Dattolo of Wilkes 3-1 to win the title. Stierly earned two points with a first-period takedown and the two wrestlers each picked up an escape (Dattolo in the second and Stierly in the third). He posted a 10-2 major decision over Wartburg's Drew Wagenhoffer to open competition Friday, then defeated fifth-seeded James Locke of Coe 7-4 in the next round. Stierly's semifinal win came by a 6-4 count on a takedown in the second overtime period against eighth-seeded Joe Wood of Coe (who was coming off an overtime win against the top seed). Stierly joined John Gemmell as the only Bombers to reach the finals three times (Gemmell also finished second twice, then moved up a weight class and won the title in his final season) and posted a record of 12-1 this season. Stierly's career mark is 91-18. Ecker and Stierly are the 11th and 12th Bomber wrestlers to earn all-America honors three times (joining Bart Morrow, 1983-84-85; Bob Panariello, 1983-84-87; Mike Fusilli, 1988-89-90; Bomber head coach Marty Nichols, 1988-89-90; Mike Murtha, 1992-93-94; Kent Maslin, 1992-93-94; Chris Matteotti, 1992-93-95; John Gemmell, 1996-97-98; Ryan Ciotoli, 2000-01-02; and Blaine Woszczak (Manasquan, N.J./Wall), 2009-10-11; Doliscar was a 7-1 winner over Augustana's Jordan Richardson in the seventh/eighth-place match. Seeded first, Doliscar opened competition Friday by defeating Josh Kohler of Augsburg, 9-4 before being upset by eighth-seeded Matthew Pfarr of St. John's in the quarterfinal round. Doliscar outscored his consolation quarterfinal opponent 14-10, beating seventh-seeded Trevor Tyler of Olivet, then lost 8-6 to fifth-seeded Scott King of Coe in the next round. Doliscar finishes the season with a record of 36-4 (only four Bombers have ever won more bouts in a season). Sanko won his seventh/eighth-place bout 11-4 over Quint Eno of Elizabethtown. He was seeded third and dropped a 3-2 decision to Kevin O'Brien of Wisconsin-LaCrosse in his first match. Sanko defeated Colin Crowell of Roger Williams (4-3) and Matt Burns of Augustana (8-2) in elimination matches. Sanko lost to eighth-seeded James Myers of Olivet in the consolation semifinal round. He posted a record of 19-5 on the year and finishes his career with mark of 55-24. Brenon, the eighth seed, was a 7-3 winner over John Carroll's Terner Gott before losing to the top seed, Augsburg's Orlando Ponce. Brenon pinned Michael Letcher of Ohio Northern in 1:24 in the consolation quarterfinals to clinch all-America honors for the first time in his career, then lost 13-2 to fifth-seeded Dale Handley of Coe and was pinned by sixth-seeded Isaac Dukes of Case Western Reserve in the seventh/eighth-place match. Brenon went 15-7 this year and is 60-16 as a Bomber. Mahon lost 9-3 to fourth-seeded Corey Anderson of Wisconsin-Whitewater in the opening round. He picked up a late takedown to beat Gettysburg's Kevin Poplaski 11-9 in the consolation bracket before being eliminated. Mahon finishes his career 91-35 (he was 26-9 this winter) with a school-record 55 pins. Ecker and Stierly were the second and third Bombers to win an NCAA title this weekend; senior Emma Dewart successfully defended her pentathlon title Friday at the NCAA Women's Indoor Track & Field Championships.