Brandon Sorensen and Micah Jordan have split two matches this season (Photo/Mark Lundy, Lutte-Lens.com)The quarterfinal round of the NCAA Division I Championships offers some of the most compelling, hard-fought and best wrestling you will ever see at the collegiate level.
This is the round where nearly all of the matchups feature seeded wrestlers for the first time in the tournament. The team race also starts to come much more sharply into focus.
Stakes are obviously very high in this round with winners punching their ticket into the semifinals and clinching a top-six finish.
It also is a tough, grueling round where conditioning comes even more into play as wrestlers are competing for the third time in the tournament after making weight for the second time in as many days.
As is customary, the 40 quarterfinal matches on Friday in St. Louis feature no shortage of outstanding battles.
Here is a quick snapshot of my picks for best quarterfinal matchup in each weight class:
125: No. 6 Ethan Lizak (Minnesota) vs. No. 14 Freddie Rodriguez (SIU Edwardsville)
Made possible with the injury to No. 3 Nick Suriano of Penn State, Rodriguez has taken advantage of the opportunity. He's a dynamic wrestler who already has won a junior college national title. Lizak is another dangerous wrestler who can put a lot of points on the board. Lizak scored a combined 25 points in his first two wins of the tournament and Rodriguez 26. Look for plenty of points and fireworks in this match. Fans won't want to miss this one. Should be a fun match to watch.
133: No. 4 Cory Clark (Iowa) vs. No. 5 Stevan Micic (Michigan)
Clark is nowhere near 100 percent with a bad shoulder, but there may not be a tougher, more hard-nosed competitor in this tournament than him. Clark also owns a 2-0 win this season over Micic, a terrific talent who is very slick on his feet. Look for this match to come down to the last 30 seconds. Clark is great in the top position and that likely holds the key in this bout. If Micic can stay off bottom or get out quickly when he is there then he could pull this out. Clark has been fifth, second and second in this tournament so that will be no small feat. We will see how Clark's shoulder holds up on Day 2 after he had a pair of tough matches on Thursday.
141: No. 4 Matt Kolodzik (Princeton) vs. No. 5 Anthony Ashnault (Rutgers)
These wrestlers know each other well and this promises to be an excellent match between two guys each capable of winning the whole thing. Kolodzik, a freshman, earned a tough 4-3 win over Ashnault, a junior, in an early season dual. Ashnault is a two-time All-American and was fourth in this event last year. Kolodzik is a freshman but has been in his share of big matches. He wrestled for prep powerhouse Blair Academy. Both of these guys are established freestyle wrestlers with tons of quality mat time between them.
149: No. 4 Micah Jordan (Ohio State) vs. No. 5 Brandon Sorensen (Iowa)
They've met twice this season and a total of five, yes five, points were scored in those matches. Sorensen won 2-0 in the dual in Iowa City and Jordan prevailed 2-1 at Big Tens. This is a huge match on a number of fronts, including how it impacts the team race. Both of these guys have strong offensive arsenals, but will either guy open up? It may be another tactical match where wrestlers are trying to avoid mistakes. My guess is we will at least see their highest-scoring match of the season. Sorensen has placed second and fourth in this tournament already. He's the favorite in my opinion.
157: No. 2 Michael Kemerer (Iowa) vs. No. 7 Dylan Palacio (Cornell)
Kemerer has had a superb freshman year and his only two losses are to top seed Jason Nolf of Penn State. But Kemerer will have his hands full with an established and experience senior in Palacio, who was fourth at the 2016 NCAAs. This will be Kemerer's first true test on the NCAA tournament stage. Kemerer has shown a knack for being very consistent and steady as well as being very calm and composed. He will need every bit of that to prevail in this match.
165: No. 2 Logan Massa (Michigan) vs. No. 7 Anthony Valencia (Arizona State)
I can't wait to see this battle between these two superstar freshmen. Massa has had a better season to date, but none of that matters now. Both these wrestlers are aggressive, go-for-broke athletes. Massa has teched his first two opponents and Valencia scored a combined 20 points Thursday. Valencia is better at freestyle, but he has come on in folkstyle late in the season. Massa beat Valencia 17-4, but that was three months ago. Look for a much better match this time. Valencia likes to shoot right off the first whistle and his double leg attack is very lethal.
174: No. 3 Bo Jordan (Ohio State) vs. No. 11 Alex Meyer (Iowa)
Meyer had a bad Big Ten tournament, losing twice, but the senior All-American has quickly regrouped in the final tournament of his career in St. Louis. Meyer knocked No. 6 Ryan Preisch of Lehigh 7-5 in the second round on Thursday. Now he earns a shot at a two-time All-American in Jordan, who beat Meyer 3-2 in the dual. Jordan cruised to wins in his first two matches Thursday and is hitting his peak again at the right time. He's ready to climb the NCAA podium after placing third as a freshman and sophomore. Jordan is very good defensively and very tough to score on.
184: No. 2 Bo Nickal (Penn State) vs. No. 7 T.J. Dudley (Nebraska)
This is a matchup of a pair of runner-up finishers from the 2016 NCAA tournament. Nickal was second at 174 last year and Dudley second at 184. One promise that will be made here: no way that this match will be boring. These guys are both talented wrestlers and excellent athletes with big-point capability. Nickal is a pinning machine who is always looking to hit a big move. Nickal and Dudley met just 13 days ago at Big Tens with Nickal earning a wild 14-9 win in the third-place match. Nickal has won by two techs in St. Louis while Dudley won by technical fall and a 6-1 decision. Don't look away during this match. If you do, chances are you might miss something.
197: No. 3 Kollin Moore (Ohio State) vs. No. 6 Preston Weigel (Oklahoma State)
This is another big head-to-head matchup that will will have a huge impact on a tight team race. Moore, the Big Ten freshman of the year, and Weigel, a sophomore, are two top young prospects who have had superb seasons. Moore won Big Tens and rolled to major decisions in his first two matches of his first two NCAA bouts. Moore is a dangerous guy who can put you on your back in the blink of an eye. Weigel has been a solid and steady performer for the powerful Cowboys. These are guys we will see a lot of in the next few years.
285: No. 1 Kyle Snyder (Ohio State) vs. No. 8 Michael Kroells (Minnesota)
This won't be the closest quarterfinal, but you don't want to miss seeing the amazing Snyder put on another clinic. The reigning Olympic, World and NCAA champion has won by a pair of techs in his first two matches in St. Louis. He's setting the standard as a heavyweight with a lethal combination of strength, skill, speed, intelligence and drive. He has it all. We may be watching a guy who could go down as the best wrestler in American history. He's obviously a special athlete who has raised the bar immensely for what a U.S. wrestler can achieve. And he's just 21 years old. Pay attention when he steps on the mat.
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