SUPER REGION VI
Like the other five regions, Super Region VI is an absolute madhouse full of a ton of gifted & talented wrestlers all wanted to make a trip to the NCAA Division II tournament. It's amazing the journey one has to go through just to make it to the championships.
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| 125 lbs |
Four of the nation's top wrestlers and only three of them are going to the NCAA DII tournament. UNK's Josh Portillo was runner-up at the 2019 NCAA DII's but had a nightmare of a tournament at last year's DII's failing to place. This year he is bound and determined to take what was last year's nightmare and turn it into this season's dream. He's 2-1 Vs Adams State's Isaiah Delacerda, who was 7th at last year's DII's, owning a 13-5 major decision & a 9-7 decision Vs a loss by fall in 6:32. He also owns a 6-2 decision over Cody Fatzinger of Western Colorado.
Fatzinger is 1-2 against Delacerda himself having won a 9-5 decision, but having dropped a 7-5 decision and being pinned in 1:37.
Dawson Collins of Colorado Mesa, who could be our #1 seed due to his ranking, is 2-1 Vs Fatzinger. A 7-5 decision & a 7:06 win via fall Vs a 9-7 decision.
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| 133 lbs |
Four wrestlers all ranked in the top 8, all capable of being NCAA DII All Americans this season, and only three of them get to go. Wesley Dawkins two time All American (2nd in 2019, 4th in 2021) leads the way. While has a 5-3 loss to Adams State's Jonathan Andreatta he also owns a 31 second fall against him. He's also defeated Collin Metzgar of Colorado Mesa 10-5. He's pinned Patrick Allis of Western Colorado twice.
Andreatta, one match from being a DII All American in 2019, has defeated Metzgar twice. Once by major decision 10-2 & by fall in 2:54. He's dropped a 6-5 decision to Allis in the past.
Metzgar has met with Allis a total of 5 times going 2-3 against him. Winning by fall in 2:42, along with a 14-5 major decision, he has dropped an 8-5 decision, a 5-2 decision and an 8-6 sudden victory.
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| 141 lbs |
Again another extremely tough weight class. 5 ranked wrestlers, plus another in contention for a total of six extremely tough grapplers all looking for a spot in the top 3 in Super Region VI.
Joshua Fuentes-Noriyo has an impressive 5-3 sudden victory over Nick James of UNK, but it should be noted that in 2:35 precisely, Western Colorado's Dean Noble once handed him a loss by fall.
James who was 7th at last year's championships, owns a 15-9 victory over Noble, as well as both a 5-2 & a 10-8 sudden victory over Angel Flores of Adams State.
Noble along with his fall over Fuentes-Noriyo, also owns a 15-8 victory over Cyruss Meeks of CSU-Pueblo, but has a 10-2 loss to Grayston DiBlasi of Colorado School of Mines. He split with Flores, ironically trading 13-5 major decisions.
Flores owns a 9-7 sudden victory over DiBlasi & DiBlasi owns both a 1:46 fall as well as a 3-2 decision over Meeks.
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| 149 lbs |
UNK's Sam Turner, a four time NCAA DII qualifier who was 4th at last year's championships, 149 lbs is yet another war that will take place in Super Region VI. All five of these guys have been NCAA DII qualifiers in the past & Turner is one of two All Americans.
Vs The competition Turner is 1-2 Vs Noah Hermosillo of Adams State who was 6th in the nation last season. Turner owns a 2-1 tiebreaker, whereas Hermosillo owns a 2:16 fall & a 7-5 sudden victory. Vs Gavin Melendez (slippery finger above) of Colorado State Pueblo, Turner has won a 16-0 technical fall, an 8-0 major decision, a 5-1 decision and a 1-0 decision. Turner also owns a 3-0 decision over Jason Hanenberg of Western Colorado.
Hermosillo is 3-0 Vs Hanenbeg with two 3-2 wins & another by a score of 8-6. He defeated Melendez 3-2 & is 1-3 Vs Jonathan Trujillo of New Mexico Highlands. This includes a 4-1 victory Vs losses of 14-2, 5-2 & 8-6.
Hanenberg has split with Melendez winning a 4-0 decision & dropping one 5-1. He is 1-3 Vs Trujillo, owning a 5-0 decision Vs a 12-3 major decision and a 4-2 decision.
Trujillo also owns a 4-3 victory over Melendez.
The fight for a top 3 finish is real.
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| 157 lbs |
Logic & rationale are a little friendly to 157 lbs, at least on paper. Josiah Rider of Adams State has been having himself a fine season that includes a 7-1 victory over Mason Boutain of San Francisco State & two falls of Ryan Wheeler of Colorado Mesa. Wheeler could be the #2 seed, but will need to avoid a potential upset as he's already been pinned by Justin Davis of Colorado State Pueblo.
The real culprit here could very well be Jacob Wasser of UNK. Now it's no secret to anyone that he hasn't been having the best season. As of the time this was written, matter of fact, he had a losing record. Yet you can't tell me that a guy that who took DII 7th in the nation last season & who has a region title under his belt won't be a threat to at least qualify this season. If nothing else, I guarantee you he at least goes out and gives it Hell.
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| 165 lbs |
Pretty clear, cut and dry here at 165 lbs too. Matthew Malcom of UNK, our likely Super Region VI champion has already defeated likely finals opponent Hunter Mullin of Western Colorado twice & rather convincingly may I had. Two 15-0 technical fall. Mullin has defeated likely semi-final opponent Alex Holguin of Colorado Mesa twice by scores of 6-4 and 3-2.
Now do I see Holguin in the third place spot? I think it's a strong possibility but I wouldn't count out Samuel Loera of Adams State either.
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| 174 lbs #5 Austin Eldredge UNK |
I never want to appear lazy but I'm ok with appearing unsure. The only one in Super VI that I'm really sure about is UNK's Austin Eldredge who was fourth at last year's NCAA DII's. Other than that, I think 2nd & 3rd place are up for grabs, I really do. I'd like to think that Seth Latham of Colorado Mesa, a 2020 NCAA DII qualifier will be another, but I'm not sold.
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| 184 lbs |
Three ranked wrestlers, one returning DII All American, four returning NCAA DII qualifiers & another wrestler who competed in Division I until this season. I'd call 184 lbs Super Region VI tough.
One of the candidates for qualification and a top three finish is Colorado School Of Mines' Anderson Salisbury who finished 8th at the NCAA DII's last season. He owns a 6-1 victory over Martin Verhaeghe of Fort Hays State & he's 2-2 with Nolan Krone of Colorado Mesa. Salisbury has won 2-1 & 12-4 matches, whereas Krone has won 7-2 & 6-4 matches.
Verhaeghe an NCAA DII qualifier in 2020 owns a 9-7 decision over Krone, but dropped a 3-1 decision to Billy Higgins of UNK, who competed for Northern Colorado up until this season.
Krone was an NCAA DII qualifier in 2020, as was Logan Nelson of Simon Fraser.
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| 197 lbs |
Looking for a final between Colorado Mesa's Donald Negus & UNK's Hayden Prince. Should be a good one as the last time these two met (as of the time this was written) Negus who was 5th at the 2021 NCAA DII tournament, won a high scoring 10-8 match. Negus also owns three wins over Tereus Henry twice pinning him & a 7-0 decision. Prince also owns a 7-0 decision over Henry.
The battle for bronze here will be between Henry & Adams State's Hunter Tobiasson.
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| HWT |
Whatever sanity we reestablished there for a while, you can now completely throw it out. Super Region VI HWT is absolutely insane. Six of the top 16 wrestlers in the entire DII nation are going to compete for a top three spot here, just to go to DII nationals! This includes two DII All Americans & four DII qualifiers. The medals they're handing out for the awards better be made of real gold, real silver and real bronze, because at the end of the day, whoever is holding them, sure has earned them. Just take a look at this field.
Weston Hunt of Colorado School of Mines. Already a three time NCAA DII qualifier. He dropped a close one to Lee Herrington of UNK 2-1. He is 5-0 against Sammy Deseriere of Western Colorado winning major decisions of 11-2 & 13-5, with decisions of 4-3, 4-3 & 9-6. He is 4-0 against Gavin Nye of Colorado State Pueblo. A fall in 6:26, with very close matches of 3-1 sudden victory & two 3-2 decisions. He's 2-1 Vs A.J. Cooper of Fort Hays State. 4-2 & 6-2 decisions Vs a 7-6 decision. He's 2-0 Vs Mason Watt of Chadron State winning 4-2 & 7-4 decisions.
Herrington who was 4th at the 2021 NCAA DII's, has went back and forth with pretty much everyone in the bracket. With Deseriere he's won 17-6 & 14-6, having lost 5-4 & by fall in 6:28. Vs Nye, he owns a 4:32 fall Vs a 3-2 loss. Vs Cooper He's won by fall in 1:36 with 3-1 & 7-5 decisions Vs a loss by fall in 8:29, a 12-3 major decision and an 8-3 decision. Vs Watt, looking at a 2:10 fall, a 10-4 & a 4-1 decision Vs a loss by fall at 6:59 & an 8-5 decision.
Deseriere's been able to figure out Herrington a few times, but he hasn't had a whole lot of luck with the rest of the field. He's 0-4 against Nye, dropping a 6-3 decision & 3 falls. 0-4 Vs Cooper, an 18-2 technical fall, a 10-2 major decision & 2-0 & 8-6 decisions. A 9-3 loss to Watt & while he has pinned Taniela Feliciano-Takafura of Simon Fraser twice in the first period, their most recent match ended with TFT taking a 3-1 win in sudden victory.
Nye, a NCAA DII qualifier in 2020, is 3-1 Vs Cooper. Exchanging shoulders to the mat in 4:38 Vs 4:11, Nye has won decisions of 6-3 & 4-2. It seemed for the longest time that he had Watt's # with a 3:19 fall, an 18-1 technical fall, a 15-6 major decision & a 7-3 decision. Yet in their most recent meeting Watt's won 6-3. Nye also owns a 4-2 win over Fleiciano-Takafura.
Cooper 5th at last year's NCAA DII's, also plays football for Fort Hays State. Along with matches already mentioned he owns a 2:58 fall over Watt.
Lastly Watt also owns two victories over Feliciano-Takafura 9-6 & 9-2.
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That concludes my regional previews for NCAA DII. I hope I have illustrated just how incredibly competitive and challenging it is for these guys to even call themselves NCAA qualifiers, let alone All Americans.
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