NOTE - 125 though 184 were written before preseeds came out, so I did my best to guess what they might be. 197 & HWT will actually feature what the seeds ACTUALLY are. I'm surprised we got to see these TWO days in advance. Usually we're only given the day before & usually they come out in the evening. Not near enough time to write-up 10 previews.
Five All Americans, 14 ranked wrestlers including 7 of the top 10. Four returning place-winners in all, including last year's champion and last year's 3rd place finisher. 184 lbs is stacked.
When I look at a guy like Northern Iowa's Parker Keckeisen, I am reminded of wrestlers of yesteryear like Cory Cooperman of Lehigh. A great wrestler who would have otherwise won a national title had it not been for Nate Gallick of Iowa State & Teyon Ware of Oklahoma. While Cooperman could not only beat, but often annihilate most of his other competition, he could never figure out Gallick or Ware. Aaron Brooks of Penn State, is thus far to Keckeisen what Gallick & Ware were to Cooperman. In partial that's why this tournament is so vital to Keckeisen. If he can come in here and win this tournament, that'll be huge on down the road when it comes time to do seedings for the NCAA's. He wants to be on the opposite side of the bracket of Brooks. Much easier said than done when you take a gander at who all the Panther has to go through in order to be named CKLV champ.
*2 here I think is obviously North Carolina State's Trent Hidlay. While he hasn't faced much of the compeition in this bracket yet, he did take it to Cornell's Jonathan Loew 20-9.
*3 I give to last year's champion Kaleb Romero of Ohio State. Not only did he win this tournament last season, owns victories over both Matt Finesilver of Michigan & Hunter Bolen of Virginia Tech.
*4 going with Trey Munoz Oregon State, who at this point I would call a sleeper. I don't think many are thinking he can win this tournament, but I'm thinking he can. He would definitely have to pull off two huge wins in a row to pull it off, but like father, like son, it's a possibility.
*5 I give to one of collegiate wrestling's most resilient wrestlers, Loew. This guy's ability to shake off a bad loss, put his nose to the grind and make a comeback is second to absolutely no one. Last year, he came in here & was tech'd by Taylor Venz of Nebraska in the semi-finals. He came right back through the consolations winning two hard fought battles at to finish 3rd. He turned around and did the same thing at the NCAA's. Lost 12-2 to Munoz & then got right back to work to earn All American honors. You can't shake this guy's belief in himself. In a tournament like this one, you need that type of relentlessness. In two matches with Keckeisen, he gave the Panther a 7-6 scare.
Hunter Bolen of Virginia Tech is who I'd give *6. Here's a guy that seems to me like he has a hibernating bear inside of him dying to wake up. I'm so ready for him to explode one of these days and have an outstanding showing, and I'm often left wondering why he's not. He owns a 7-2 victory over Loew & in his other match with him, took him into sudden victory before dropping a 7-5 decision. He also took Keckeisen into sudden victory, dropping a 4-2 decision.
*7 Matt Finesilver of Michigan & *8 Adam Kemp of Cal Poly are pretty much in the same boat. This is there first year at 184 lbs. Finesilver has had a little over half a dozen matches, whereas Kemp has yet to wrestle a match. It's a chance for both of them to show what they're made of in this weight class. Kemp was 6th here at 174 last season.
You can probably already tell by now that I don't agree with David Key's #29 ranking. I think he deserves to be ranked much higher than that & I think he's being overlooked. I'm sure I'll here some disagreements, but I stand by my decision to put him at *9. He was one match shy of a medal here last season & he also stuck Arizona State's Anthony Montalvo, who I put at *10 in 38 seconds. In two matches with Loew, he's taken the Big Red to 7-4 & 3-2 decisions. He's also wrestled Hidlay to a 3-2 decision.
*11 going with Jacob Armstrong of Utah Valley. He was 8th here last season and for the record does own a victory over Key. He took Keckeisen to a 5-3 match.
*12 going with Will Feldkamp of Clarion, a gritty wrestler always ready for battle.
As to the others?
It's simply a matter of other wrestlers who are bound to be tough. Wrestlers who will give it Hell in each match, who are capable of pulling off an upset & ending up top 12 or maybe even top 8 themselves. Really not a whole lot to say about them individually although I will say the one that fascinates me most of the bunch is Jack Jessen of Northwestern. His 4-20 record between 20'-21' & 21'-22' has to be among the least intimidating of stats. Heck this year he's 2-3. Yet I tell you looks can often be deceiving. He's probably the last wrestler in all of CKLV that anyone expects anything out of, but keep in mind that his collegiate career thus far does own a 9-5 victory over Loew. There are darkhorse place-winners & then there are how in the "Hell did you do that charcoal colts." That's what Jessen is.
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