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    Christopher Miller •

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    Five takeaways on NCAA Division I wrestling brackets

    Hunter Bolen received the No. 5 seed at 184 pounds after falling to Trent Hidlay in the ACC finals (Photo/Virginia Tech Athletics)

    Sadly, for all the NCAA Division I wrestling fans out there, you had a weekend free from competition. On the bright side, we are now just three days away from the pinnacle event of the season: 2021 NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships at Enterprise Center in St. Louis, March 18-20.

    With no new Division I events to derive my typical five takeaways article from, I decided to use this piece to give commentary on some issues I had with the brackets.

    Here are some thoughts:

    The NCAA Wrestling Committee did Hunter Bolen wrong with his seed

    As the saying goes, everybody is a critic. Whether the saying has any truth to it or not, I won't hesitate to criticize the decisions made when seeding the 184-pound weight class. Hunter Bolen is the No. 5 seed and that is entirely too low in my opinion. At worst I believe he should be the No. 3 seed behind Aaron Brooks (Penn State) at No. 1 and Trent Hidlay (NC State) at No. 2.

    Bolen is 6-1. His lone loss is a 3-1 sudden victory defeat to second-seeded Hidlay in the finals of the ACC Championships. Bolen also beat Hidlay in a 2-1 decision when the two teams met for a dual meet. By putting undefeated conference champions Lou DePrez (Binghamton) No. 3 and Parker Keckeisen (UNI) No. 4, it shows that the NCAA prioritizes undefeated records and conference champions over all else, including signature wins.


    I admit, rankings never please everyone, and seeding harder this season with limited matches, but earning the No.5 seed is one stiff price to pay for a nail-biting overtime loss to the No. 2 seed in the ACC finals.

    Real Woods qualified for NCAAs

    Stanford standout 141-pounder, Real Woods, is 4-1. He had a runner-up finish at the Pac-12 Championships to his credit as well. However, after his runner-up showing at Pac-12s on Feb. 28, Woods didn't meet the four-match minimum to qualify for an at-large bid to NCAAs. As such, Stanford and CSU Bakersfield organized some sort of exhibition event on March 6 for Woods and CSU-Bakersfield starting 133-pounder Chance Rich, who was also a 2021 conference runner-up. The goals were simple: Get Woods the necessary number of matches to go to NCAAs, and bolster Rich's resume with some extra W's, further ensuring that the Roadrunner lightweight also goes to St. Louis.

    I understand why both schools participated in this sham of an exhibition event. Both coaches did what was required to get their guys to NCAAs -- the ultimate goal. I don't fault either coach or institution.

    With that being said, the minimum match requirement should have never existed to begin with. Both wrestlers are clearly among the top 33 in the nation at their weight classes. These two glorified junior varsity matches were not beneficial for any wrestler involved, nor did they show the section committee anything about Woods' abilities or Rich's abilities that the committee didn't already know.

    To me, both schools having to do this just marred the integrity and spirit of Division I wrestling.


    Limited matches may have cost PSU's Beau Bartlett

    The 2021 NCAA wrestling season has not been a fair one. The COVID-19 pandemic forced the season to condense and resulted in significantly less matches across the board. Beau Bartlett (8-3) isn't going to NCAAs in his rookie year at Penn State as a result.

    The 149-pound weight classes felt like a game of musical chairs in Happy Valley. It seemed as if the starter was changing on a match-by-match basis early in the season. This year, Terrell Barraclough (2-2), Jarod Verkleeren, Luke Gardner (4-1) and Bartlett all split time at 149 pounds.

    In limited time as a starter, Bartlett proved he's definitely the best Nittany Lion in the room at 149 pounds and certainly a top-33 caliber wrestler with respect to talent and ability. Unfortunately, due to limited time in the starting lineup, he narrowly misses the cut for St. Louis.

    While I cannot speculate as to why Barraclough, Verkleeren and Gardner got a combined five starting nods at the weight toward the beginning of the season, I have to wonder: If Bartlett is the starter from day one, does he rack up some extra wins and qualify for NCAAs as a true freshman? It's definitely possible.

    Devastated for Andrew Alirez, Justin Ruffin, and others no longer in the bracket

    Andrew Alirez (Northern Colorado), who qualified as an at-large selection, will not compete at the championships due to an injury sustained in practice prior to the Big 12 Championships.

    In a similar fashion SIU Edwardsville's Justin Ruffin has also withdrawn from the tournament due to injury. Ruffin was the No. 27 seed but suffered a shoulder injury at the MAC Championships. Oklahoma State announced on Twitter that Wyatt Sheets would be taking his place.

    As hard as these athletes have worked to not only get through this strange season, but to make the NCAAs, I hate to see the opportunity stripped away at the last moment due to forces beyond their control.


    My fingers are crossed that no one else in the participant field has their tournament opportunity taken away due to an injury or positive COVID-19 test in the days leading up to their March Matness appearance.

    Time to talk Hodge Trophy

    At this stage, I think few would argue that the race for the Hodge is down to Spencer Lee (Iowa) and Gable Steveson (Minnesota). Both are undefeated, have been ridiculously dominant, and are as close to a "sure thing" as is possible for winning a title this weekend.

    The criteria for college wrestling's version of the Heisman Trophy are as follows:

    1. Record
    2. Number of pins
    3. Dominance
    4. Past credentials
    5. Quality of competition
    6. Sportsmanship and citizenship
    7. Heart

    For the sake of comparison, here is how the two have performed across a few key categories via WrestleStat:

    Spencer: 7-0 Record 100% Win Rate 100% Bonus Rate 5 Pins NA (0.684) RPI
    Gable: 12-0 Record 100% Win Rate 100% Bonus Rate 3 Pins NA (0.669) RPI

    The truth is, you can't go wrong choosing either wrestler. However, this criterion is deeply flawed. One flaw, criteria No. 6 and No. 7 are incredibly subjective. Another flaw is that criteria No. 5 is completely out of their control. Neither can help it if their individual weight class is strong or weak. Another problem is that criteria No. 4 has the ability to give an unfair advantage to any former winners from the start. This shouldn't be the case.

    In the end, I expect Lee to win. But if both win titles on Saturday, Steveson's 2021 crown is more impressive in my eyes given the strength of the weight class. Again, Lee has zero control over this, neither does Steveson for that matter. Similarly, I think Lee already has a lead due to his accolades and achievements from last season. Lastly, Steveson is an entertainer and a showman out there on the mat, but unfortunately that doesn't always resonate well with voters. Lee will win the Hodge, but I hope both put on a show and prove why they are two of the best competitors the world.

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