InterMat Staff

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Link: Results A Twitter List by InterMat

Link: Results A Twitter List by InterMat

Link: Results A Twitter List by InterMat

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

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

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

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

Link: Results A Twitter List by InterMat

Link: Results A Twitter List by InterMat

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

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

MANHEIM, Pa. -- On Thursday, the National Wrestling Coaches Association announced the creation of the NWCA Division III Coaches Association National Wrestling Championships presented by ARMS Software, FloWrestling, and Reese's. The Xtream Arena (Coralville, IA) will play host on March 12-13 and will be allowing spectators. Tickets will go on-sale this Friday, February 26th at 10:00am through the Xtream Arena Box Office. Tickets may be purchased by visiting xtreamarena.com. All-session and single-day tickets will be available for $41 and $24, respectively. Fans not able to attend will be able to watch each match live on FloWrestling. On February 3, the NCAA announced the cancellation of the Division III winter championships for wrestling as well as basketball, indoor track and field, swimming and diving, and ice hockey. Following the NCAA's announcement, the NWCA Division III Leadership Group, led by Chairman Lonnie Morris, Head Coach at Johnson & Wales, began working to provide a championship experience for athletes who had just had their championship tournament canceled for the second year in a row. Morris shared, "It is an honor to be part of the leadership group that helped create this opportunity for our student-athletes." USA Wrestling, the national governing body for wrestling in the United States, announced on February 5 that it would host a tournament for Div. III wrestlers. With the assurance from the NWCA that this event will be held, USA Wrestling will help publicize the NWCA Division III Coaches Association National Wrestling Championships. The most important thing for the wrestling community is that these Div. III student-athletes have one season-ending event. The championships will place the top eight wrestlers, and each will earn NWCA All-America honors. There will be no team points kept and no team awards given. Athletes competing must be on their school's official roster and entered into the OPC, the NCAA's weight management program. Those interested in helping offset the estimated $100,000 cost of hosting the event may donate to the crowdfunding page set up by the NWCA by clicking here. All donations received will be put into a restricted NWCA Division III Wrestling Coaches Association account (administered by the NWCA) and used to defray costs associated with this championship. "The Division III Coaches Association stepped up tremendously and is providing their student-athletes an exciting season-ending opportunity when less than a month ago none existed. This group of highly dedicated coaches has spent long hours to make this event a possibility," said NWCA Executive Director Mike Moyer. "We couldn't have put all the pieces together without so many stakeholders pitching in and joining forces. Our Presenting sponsors, ARMS Software, FloWrestling, and Reese's a division The Hershey Company, have been rock stars and have committed much-needed resources. I would be remiss if I didn't extend a heartfelt thanks to USA Wrestling, especially Executive Director Rich Bender, for all the support during the planning stages." This event will be conducted following the requirements of the state and local health authorities. The local organizing committee is in regular communication with its partners at Johnson County public health and University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics. Masks are required to be worn at all times throughout this event and guests are asked to please adhere to all health and safety guidelines while inside Xtream Arena. EVENT DETAILS Date: March 12-13 Starting Times: Friday - 12 pm | Saturday - 10 am Location: Coralville, IA Venue: Xtream Arena Tickets: $41 All Sessions | $24 Single Day - Link How to Watch: FloWrestling - Link Presenting Sponsors: ARMS Software, FloWrestling, and Reese's Event Sponsors: USA Wrestling, Defense Soap, AAU Wrestling, and Resilite ABOUT THE NWCA The National Wrestling Coaches Association, established in 1928, is a non-profit organization for the advancement of all levels of the sport of wrestling with a primary emphasis on developing coaches who work in academic environments. The three core competencies of the NWCA are: Coaching Development, Student-Athlete Welfare, and the Promotion of Wrestling.

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

App State's Codi Russell is seeded No. 1 at 125 pounds (Photo/Sam Janicki, SJanickiPhoto.com) SPARTANBURG, S.C. -- The Southern Conference has released the seeds for the 2021 SoCon Wrestling Championship, the league office announced Wednesday afternoon. The No. 1 seed in each weight class will receive a bye for the first match. The championship is set to take place Sunday, Feb. 28, at the Holmes Convocation Center in Boone, North Carolina. Seven squads will compete for the 2021 SoCon title with 13 NCAA allocations available for the NCAA Championships. Campbell seeks to defend its last two tournament titles under first-year head coach Scotti Sentes. The Camels won their third straight regular-season title, going undefeated in SoCon action this season. App State, the 2021 preseason favorite, finished second in the conference standings with its only loss to Campbell as the Mountaineers look to uphold the preseason prediction at home. A pair of last year's SoCon individual champions return to the mat this season for the chance to defend their 2020 titles, both competing in the same weight class at 149 pounds. Campbell's Joshua Heil took home the 141-pound title at last year's championship, returning to 149 pounds this season after taking home the weight class title in 2019. Heil is a three-time SoCon individual champion, and if he takes the title again this season, he will be one of only 16 wrestlers to become a four-time champion in SoCon wrestling history. App State's Jonathan Millner (149) returns to defend his 2020 title after defeating No. 2 seed Tanner Smith of Chattanooga in final last year. The SoCon earned two NCAA allocations each at 149 pounds, 184 pounds and heavyweight. The remaining weight classes earned one allocation each, which is the automatic qualifier for the conference tournament champion. App State's Codi Russell (125), Millner (149) and Will Formato (165) enter the championship all seeded No. 1 in their respective weight classes. The Mountaineers' remaining seeded wrestlers include Anthony Brito (141, No. 2), Cody Bond (157, No. 2), Thomas Flitz (174, No. 2), Julian Gorring (184, No. 5), Mason Fiscella (197, No. 4) and Michael Burchell (285, No. 4). Campbell holds a league-best four No. 1 seeds for this year's championship in Benjamin Barton (157), Austin Murphy (174), Caleb Hopkins (184) and Chris Kober (197). The Camels will see Zurich Storm seeded third at 125 pounds and Gabriel Hixenbaugh (133) and Shannon Hannah (144) both seeded fourth, while Heil will have to settle for the No. 2 seed at 149 behind App State's Millner. The Citadel's Michael McAleavey headlines the heavyweight class seeded at the top, followed by Gardner-Webb's Anthony Perrine and Campbell's Taye Ghadiali, seeded second and third, respectively. App State's Burchell, Chattanooga's Grayson Walthall, Presbyterian's Airin Spell and VMI's Giomar Ramos will have to compete against the top seeds for a chance to take the 2021 SoCon heavyweight title. Jake Rotunda, competing at 133 pounds for the Bulldogs, is also seeded first in his weight class, while the remaining Citadel wrestlers, Jordie White (125, No. 5), Tyler Seeley (141, No. 4), Selwyn Porter (149, No. 4), Grant Speer (157, No. 7), Dazjon Casto (165, No. 4), Cole Burke (174, No. 4) Kyle Kretzer (184, No. 6) and Ben Stemmet (197, No. 6), will take the mat Sunday with hopes to earn the championship crown. Chattanooga's Franco Valdes (141) will enter the championship seeded first after going undefeated in SoCon action this season. Fabian Gutierrez (125) went 7-1 in conference duals and will arrive in Boone as the No. 2 seed in his weight class. Colton Landers (133), Weston Wichman (157), Drew Nicholson (165), Matthew Waddell (184) and Logan Andrew (197) all enter the tournament as the No. 3 seed in their respective weight classes. The Mocs' Austin Murphy (149) and Carial Tartar (174) sit as the No. 5 seeds for their matches. Gardner-Webb's RJ Mosley (165) sits behind App State's Formato seeded second, along with redshirt freshman Jha'Quan Anderson (184), who is also seeded second in his weight class. Teammates Trevon Majette (141) and Evan Schenk (174) are the No. 3 seeds in their individual weight classes. Presbyterian will compete in its second conference championship, as the squad finished its second season as a member of the SoCon. Seven Blue Hose wrestlers are set to take the mat Sunday to compete for their individual conference titles. VMI's Job Chisko (149) will face tough competition seeded third behind the two returning SoCon individual champions, Millner and Heil. Teammate Tyler Mousaw sits as the No. 2 seed at 197 pounds, while Zach Brown is seeded fourth at 184 pounds. Davidson, which has paused team activities due to positive COVID-19 test results among Tier 1 personnel, and first-year SoCon member Bellarmine, which is transitioning from NCAA Division II, will not compete in this year's championship. Due to COVID-19 protocols and adherence with local and state guidelines, there will be no general ticket sales at the SoCon Wrestling Championship. In addition to the teams, essential staff, workers and administrative personnel on site, a maximum of 13 student-athletes and three coaches per team are permitted to request two non-transferrable tickets each for immediate family members. A clear-bag policy will be in effect at the Holmes Convocation Center. The championship will be streamed in its entirety on ESPN+. 125 (1 NCAA allocation) 1. Codi Russell, Appalachian State 2. Fabian Gutierrez, Chattanooga 3. Zurich Storm, Campbell 4. B. Gomez, Presbyterian 5. Jordie White, The Citadel 6. Aedyn Concepcion, Gardner- Webb 7. Cliff Conway, VMI 133 (1 NCAA allocation) 1. Jake Rotunda, The Citadel 2. Sean Carter, Appalachian State 3. Colton Landers, Chattanooga 4. Gabriel Hixenbaugh, Campbell 5. Dominic Chavez, Presbyterian 6. Todd Carter, Gardner-Webb 7. Cameron Chicella, VMI 141 (1 NCAA allocation) 1. Franco Valdes, Chattanooga 2. Anthony Brito, Appalachian State 3. Trevon Majette, Gardner-Webb 4. Shannon Hanna, Campbell 5. Jacob Brasseur, Presbyterian 6. Tyler Seeley, The Citadel 7. Freddy Junko, VMI 149 (2 NCAA allocations) 1. Jonathan Milner, Appalachian State 2. Josh Heil, Campbell 3. Job Chishko, VMI 4. Selwyn Porter, The Citadel 5. Austin Murphy, Chattanooga 6. Brandon Bright, Gardner-Webb 7. Reid Stewart, Presbyterian 157 (1 NCAA allocation) 1. Benjamin Barton, Campbell 2. Cody Bond, Appalachian State 3. Weston Wichman, Chattanooga 4. Taylor Parks, Gardner-Webb 5. Blake Showers, VMI 6. Zachary Phillips, Presbyterian 7. Grant Speer, The Citadel 165 (1 NCAA allocation) 1. Will Formato, Appalachian State 2. RJ Mosley, Gardner-Webb 3. Drew Nicholson, Chattanooga 4. Dazjon Casto, The Citadel 5. Austin Kraisser, Campbell 6. Jon Hoover, VMI No Entry for Presbyterian 174 (1 NCAA allocation) 1. Austin Murphy, Campbell 2. Thomas Flitz, Appalachian State 3. Evan Schenk, Gardner-Webb 4. Cole Burke, The Citadel 5. Carial Tarter, Chattanooga 6. Joel Diaz, VMI 7. Victor Tello, Presbyterian 184 (2 NCAA allocations) 1. Caleb Hopkins, Campbell 2. Jha'Quan Anderson, Gardner-Webb 3. Matthew Waddell, Chattanooga 4. Zach Brown, VMI 5. Julian Gorring, Appalachian State 6. Kyle Kretzer, The Citadel No Entry for Presbyterian 197 (1 NCAA allocation) 1. Chris Kober, Campbell 2. Tyler Mousaw, VMI 3. Logan Andrew, Chattanooga 4. Mason Fiscella, Appalachian State 5. Samuel Mora, Gardner-Webb 6. Ben Stemmet, The Citadel No Entry for Presbyterian 285. (2 NCAA allocations) 1. Michael McAleavey, The Citadel 2. Anthony Perrrine, Gardner-Webb 3. Taye Ghadiali, Campbell 4. Michael Burchell, Appalachian State 5. Grayson Walthall, Chattanooga 6. Airin Spell, Presbyterian 7. Giomar Ramos, VMI

Stevan Micic gets his hand raised after winning in the semifinals of the European Games (Photo/Gabor Martin, United World Wrestling) Three-time All-American Stevan Micic of Michigan will not compete in NCAA wrestling this season. The University of Michigan's wrestling Twitter account posted an update on Micic Wednesday afternoon, citing injuries and timing, as to why he won't be in the Wolverine lineup. Micic, who competes internationally for Serbia, qualified for the Tokyo Olympic Games at 57 kilograms.

CLEVELAND -- On Feb. 22, New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy announced a plan to allow limited spectators at professional and collegiate athletic contests. Since that time, the Mid-American Conference and Rider University (host of the 2021 MAC Wrestling Championships) have evaluated the feasibility of allowing limited spectators, primarily the parents and guardians of the competitors, to attend the 2021 MAC Wrestling Championships that will take place at the Cure Insurance Arena in Trenton, NJ on February 26 and 27. Although the Mid-American Conference and Rider University would like to be able to provide this opportunity for spectators, maintaining a secure competition environment to ensure the health and safety of all participating teams, student-athletes, and the residents of the State of New Jersey remains our first priority. As such, extensive safety measures have been put into place to adhere to state and local COVID-19 social distancing and contract tracing guidelines. These safety measures have eliminated most usable public spaces inside the Cure Insurance Arena, including the concourse which will be utilized as team warmup spaces, therefore no spectators will be permitted to attend. Additionally, New Jersey has not removed its seven-day quarantine recommendation for persons entering from certain states. With the MAC's wrestling membership representing multiple states, the timing of Governor Murphy's announcement regarding spectators does not allow for travel to New Jersey and adherence to the recommended seven-day quarantine period prior to start of the 2021 MAC Wrestling Championships on Friday. Adding further complications, a separate part of the Arena is currently being utilized as a COVID-19 vaccination site. The priority of the Mid-American Conference and Rider University is to ensure that we provide a safe environment for our student-athletes that affords them the greatest opportunity to compete for a MAC Championship and an NCAA Championship bid. While it is unfortunate that our safety efforts will not permit spectators to attend this year's championships, we are proud to be offering fans the opportunity to watch most of the championship matches via digital stream through the Rider Athletics website gobroncs.com and ESPN+. For the complete broadcast schedule, please visit gobroncs.com or getsomemaction.com. We appreciate your support and understanding and look forward to crowning MAC Champions this weekend.

As the 2021 NCAA Division I wrestling regular season winds down, wrestlers, coaches and fans alike prepare for postseason action. Part of that preparation includes understanding the qualifier allocations for the NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships. However, comprehending the NCAA's rationale for the qualifier allocations during this COVID-19-condensed college season isn't so simple. Not only did the NCAA have to use a different formula to come up with these allocations, but the NCAA got them wrong. In 2021, the college wrestling season was different and drastically shortened. With that, the typical method for determining the qualifiers had to be adjusted accordingly. Per the NCAA's Feb. 11 release, the weight class conference champion in each qualifying tournament will earn an automatic berth to the NCAAs. Each conference was awarded additional pre-allocations based on the five-year average (2016-20) of pre-allocations earned by the conference in each weight class. In recent years, pre-allocations have been determined by a formula measuring Division I winning percentage, ratings percentage index and coaches' ranking. A decrease in overall matches, and in particular non-conference matches, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, led the NCAA Division I Wrestling Committee to transition to using the five-year historical average to determine pre-allocations for 2021. For any adjustments in conference alignment over the last five years, historical pre-allocations stayed with the conference where they were earned. The competition status of schools for 2021 also did not impact the calculation of pre-allocations. "The committee knew that there wasn't going to be enough regular-season competition to utilize the existing process where wrestlers earned pre-allocations for their conference based on regular season performance," said Karen Langston, senior associate athletics director at California State University, Bakersfield and chair of the wrestling committee in the release. "The option to utilize the five-year historical average was an equitable alternative, and the way it worked out has opened more at-large spots this year for deserving wrestlers who don't qualify through their conference tournament." I acknowledge that there is no perfect solution to this pre-allocation conundrum, but few can deny that the chosen option for 2021 is deeply flawed. Here's why: Three main problems 1. These allocations did not factor in (or factor out I should say) teams that did not compete at all during the 2021 season. 2. These allocations did not adequately adjust for teams that may have switched conferences at some point during that five-year window between 2016 and 2020. 3. The five-year historical window used to get these averages is entirely too large. What these problems mean 1. Last year, the Eastern Intercollegiate Wrestling Association (EIWA) got 44 allocations automatic bids prior to the conference tournament. This year though, the EIWA received 45 spots despite the conference's top teams -- those in the Ivy League -- are not competing in 2021. This is because, in November, the Ivy League decided to cancel competition for all of its winter sports programs. So, in summary, the EIWA has seven of their 17 teams (six Ivies, plus fellow conference affiliate Franklin & Marshall) not on the mat in 2021, yet, as a conference, it received one more allocation spot than last year when every EIWA team competed. This simply isn't right. Furthermore, according to the NCAA Division I Wrestling Coaches Rank -- through Feb. 7 matches -- there are 35 ranked EIWA wrestlers listed. So, the EIWA could possibly be bringing roughly a dozen unranked wrestlers. 2. With respect to problem No. 2, it is interesting to me that in situations where a school may have switched conference affiliations during the five-year window from 2016 to 2020, the bids allocated during that window are awarded to the conference they were earned in, rather than the conference where the school now belongs. In other words, all of UNI and Fresno State's numbers don't necessarily benefit their new conference, the Big 12, rather they benefit the Mid-American Conference. For comparison sake, last year the Big 12 had 54 pre-allocations. In 2021 the Big 12 was awarded 45. One could argue that the Big 12 is a stronger conference this year than it was last year. Additionally, the MAC, which absorbed seven Eastern Wrestling League (EWL) schools (Bloomsburg, Clarion, Edinboro, Lock Haven, Rider, George Mason and Cleveland State) gets absolutely zero benefit from the pre-allocations of the various EWL schools that were earned prior to the merger in 2019-20. Wyoming's Mark Branch, Oklahoma State's John Smith, and Clarion's Keith Ferraro were just a few of the college wrestling coaches to categorically dislike the way in which the 2021 conference pre-allocations were awarded. Some called for these pre-allocations to be further readjusted. Smith also told Jason Elmquist of Stillwater News Press that he was not happy, saying, "There's not very many people happy -- and that's all I'm going to say, because I have absolutely nothing good to say about it," Smith said Wednesday, Feb. 17. "Hopefully, they'll revisit it. I think it needs to be revisited." With respect to problem No. 3, one might also argue that the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) -- along with the Big 12 -- was another conference that was under-allocated by this new pre-allocation method. This is because the data being used from four and five years ago isn't reflective of the top-to-bottom strength that the conference now has in 2021. This year, The ACC has consistently had five of its six schools ranked in the NWCA Coaches Poll during the regular season. During that five-year window, from 2016-2020, the ACC wasn't as talented conference-wide. Thus, its allocation numbers during those sessions were lower than they have been recently. As far as the ACC is concerned the data utilized to arrive at the 33 pre-allocations that the ACC earned isn't indicative of the conference's strength in recent years, 2021 in particular. How to fix these conference pre-allocation issues As was mentioned before, 2021 has been a challenging season. The NCAA was given a fairly small sample size of matches to work with during the regular season. For this reason, trying to determine the appropriate conference pre-allocations for the national tournament in St. Louis next month is an unenviable task. However, at the very least, the NCAA must do the following to rectify the currently inaccurate pre-allocations: 1. Produce an entirely new set of conference pre-allocations. 2. In creating this new set of pre-allocations using historical averages, do not include data from teams that are not competing during the 2021 season. 3. Base the historical averages on the last two or three seasons as opposed to the last five seasons. This will help increase the accuracy and validity of these averages. While the three "fixes" referenced above do not create the "perfect" solution, they would be a step in the right direction. Under the current pre-allocation structure, there will be some very talented and deserving competitors left at home. Simply put, the current system does not ensure that the nation's best 330 NCAA Division I wrestlers are all competing in the pinnacle event of the season. This is an unfortunate injustice that the NCAA must rectify to the best of its ability.

STATE COLLEGE, Pa. -- Preparation for the U.S. Olympic Team Trials - Wrestling was business No. 1, as a number of the nation's best Olympic-style wrestlers got in some important matches during the Nittany Lion WC 5 card on Tuesday evening at C3 Sports. There were 17 Senior-level bouts on the main card, featuring both men's and women's freestyle wrestling. What made this card so interesting was the fact that a number of the wrestlers agreed to compete in more than one match as a way to get valuable match experience only a few weeks prior to the Trials in Fort Worth, Texas. 2016 Olympic champion and two-time world champion Kyle Snyder won all three of his matches on the card. Read complete story on TheMat.com. Results Main Card: Kyle Snyder dec. Nate Jackson, 6-1 Zach Sanders pinned Thomas Gilman, 1:47 Vito Arujau tech. Sean Russell, 14-3 Jason Nolf tech. Jevon Balfour, 10-0 Kyle Dake tech. Vincenzo Joseph, 10-0 Mallory Velte dec. Jen Page, 6-1 Ale Bonilla dec. Kendall Bostelman, 8-0 Max Dean dec. Nate Jackson, 5-5 Kyle Snyder tech. Scottie Boykin, 11-0 Gabe Dean dec. Bo Nickal, 3-2 Vito Arujau dec. Zach Sanders, 6-0 Thomas Gilman tech. Sean Russell, 11-0 Jane Valencia tech, fall Ronna Heaton, 12-2 Vincenzo Joseph dec. Jevon Balfour, 8-2 Zain Retherford dec. Evan Henderson, 6-2 Kyle Snyder tech. Gabe Dean, 13-2 Kyle Dake dec. Jason Nolf, 5-0 Junior Card: Jim Mullen pinned Chase Horne, 2:08 Sage Mortimer pinned Rianne Murphy, 3:37 Cole Rees dec. TJ Stewart, 12-7 Tyler Lillard dec. Erik Gibson, 12-9 Grace Stem dec. Elleni Johnson, 7-4 Dalton Perry tech. Kai Owen, 13-0 Gabe Arnold dec. Aaron Ayzerov, 12-4 Nic Bouzakis tech. Nico Nardone, 10-0 Shayne Van Ness tech. Josh Saunders, 15-4