Huntley carries a 15-13 record in his rookie campaign and owns wins over three members of the NCAA field at 197 pounds. He has placed in all four tournament appearances this season, including an eighth-place showing at last weekend's Big Ten Conference Championships (March 3-4). He will face Missouri's No. 6-seeded Brent Haynes in the first round.
Joining Huntley at the NCAA Championships will be U-M's six automatic qualifiers who all placed among their weight classes' allocated number at the Big Ten Championships.
For the second straight season and third time in his career, fifth-year senior Kellen Russell (High Bridge, N.J./Blair Academy) will enter the NCAA Championships with the No. 1 seed at 141 pounds after capturing his fourth Big Ten title and improving to 28-1 on the season. Russell is the defending NCAA champion, posting a perfect 38-0 record last season, and a two-time All-American. He will face Missouri's Nicholas Hucke in the first round.
Senior Zac Stevens (Monroe, Mich./Monroe HS) and junior/sophomore Eric Grajales (Brandon, Fla./Brandon HS) earned No. 8 seeds at 133 and 149 pounds, respectively, after posting top-four finishes at the Big Ten Championships, while fifth-year senior Justin Zeerip (Fremont, Mich./Hesperia HS) enters the tournament with the No. 12 seed at 174 pounds.
Junior/sophomore Dan Yates (Hesperia, Mich./Hesperia HS) and senior/junior Ben Apland (Woodridge, Ill./Downers Grove South HS) round out Michigan's NCAA contingent at 165 pounds and heavyweight, respectively. It will be the second straight NCAA appearance for both Wolverine wrestlers.
The NCAA Championships are scheduled for Thursday through Saturday, March 15-17, at the Scottrade Center in St. Louis, Mo.
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