Midwest Classic Preview (Dec 17th-18th) 184 lbs

 

Again we area looking at a very tough weight class. 14 of the top 20 NCAA Division II wrestlers at 184 lbs, plus another who was ranked at 174.  This includes 9 NCAA DII qualifiers with 5 All Americans & 6 returning Midwest Classic Place-winners. 

#3
Caden Steffen
Southwest Minnesota State 

The top competitor here for a Midwest Classic title is two time NCAA DII All American Caden Steffen. The Mustang has thus far finished 5th & 6th in the nation & will be going for his first medal, preferably gold, in Indianapolis.  Wins include a 20-5 technical fall over Wyatt Lidberg & a 3-1 victory over Logan Hall. While he owns a 5:15 fall over Reece Worachek, his other matches with him have been much closer, including a 3-1 decision & a 3-1 decision via overtime. 

#5
Reece Woracheck
UW-Parkside 

Challenging Steffen for a title will be Reece Woracheck. The Ranger has not only given the Mustang two really close matches as indicated above, he's also defeated him. Ironically enough, also by a score of 3-1.  An All American in his own right last season with an 8th place finish, he was 6th in last year's Midwest Classic.  A 6:31 fall over Cole Gray & a 6-2 decision over Wyatt Lidberg, Woracheck will have challenges of his own.  He's been able to slip past Josh Jones with 3-1 & 3-2 tiebreakers & Joey Williams has given him some fits as well in 3-1 s.v. & 6-5 decisions. 

#6
Treyton Cacek
Northern State 

A match away from earning NCAA Division II All American honors last season, Treyton Cacek will try and knock off both Caden Steffen & Reece Woracheck this weekend as he himself goes for the Midwest Classic title.  Thus far against the competition, a 7-1 victory over Logan Hall. 

#6 (At 174)
Dallin Ewart
King 

Will King crown a king in tomorrow's Midwest Classic? Dallin Ewart is 13-3 thus far, with most of his notable performances coming at 174 lbs. It'll be interesting to see how he matches up in a weight class known for strength & power. 

#8
Logan Hall
Lander 

Logan Hall was at Notre Dame (The real one in Ohio) for such a long time, that imagine my surprise when I saw that he still had eligibility left & that he completing his final season at Lander. Another great wrestler who finished one match shy of NCAA DII All American honors last season.  As he hopes for a medal at the end of the season, might as well pick up one at the Midwest Classic along the way to add to the collection.  He owns A 5-2 victory over Daniel Beemer & both a 4-1 & 3-2 victory over Cole Houser. 

#9
Daniel Beemer
Ashland 

3rd in the DII nation in 2021, Daniel Beemer finished one match shy of a second All American honor last season, although he was 6th at the Midwest Classic competing at 174 lbs.  Thus far against the competition at 184, he has looked pretty solid.  A 7-3 victory over Joey Petrella. 10-0, 3-1 & 3-1 o.t. victories against Josh Jones. A 10-7 & 11-4 decision over Brock Biddle. 

#11
Joey Petrella
Gannon 

Yet another wrestler who finished one match shy of being an All American last season. Joey Petrella finished 7th at last year's Midwest Classic.  Wins include a 3-2 tiebreaker over Josh Jones & a 6-4 victory over Brock Biddle. 

#12
Brock Biddle
Pittsburgh-Johnstown 

Four time NCAA DII qualifier Brock Biddle was 4th in the nation in 2019 &  6th in the nation in 2021. He unfortunately came up one match short in a bid for AA #3 last season, but he had an outstanding Midwest Classic performance bringing home a bronze medal. Against the field, he owns a first period 2:14 fall over Josh Jones. 

#13
Cole Houser 
Glenville State 

It's been interesting seeing Cole Houser grow as much as he has over the course of his career. Starting out at 157, he's grown into a 184 lbs'er & despite the 30+ lbs weight gain in such a short period of time, he's managed quite a bit of success. An NCAA DII qualifier last season, he owns a 3-2 victory over Logan Hall. 

#14
Josh Jones
McKendree 

Josh Jones isn't anywhere near as separated from those above him as the rankings would indicate. As noted above with exception to the fall he suffered against Brock Biddle, all of his other losses have been 1 or 2 point differences, many of them via sudden death or tiebreaker.  A three time NCAA qualifier he was 4th at the 2021 NCAA DII championships & 5th at last season's Midwest Classic. Those 1 & 2 point losses could easily be turned into victories. If you're looking for another "surprise" finalist, you may very well find one in Josh Jones. 

#15
Joey Williams
Maryville 

Ironically enough Joey Williams is another wrestler who owns a close, 3-1 decision over Josh Jones. 8th at last year's Midwest Classic, he will look to earn a second medal & improve upon his finish. 

#17
Kyle Daley 
Limestone 

Looking for a top 8 finish here at the Midwest Classic, Kyle Daley owns an 11-7 victory over Shylik Scriven. 

#18
Shylik Scriven
UNC-Pembroke 

Among those scrapping for a place on the award stand at tomorrow's Midwest Classic, Shylik Scriven thus far has a 9-1 record on the season.  He owns an 11-9 decision over Kyle Daley. 

#20
Wyatt Lidberg
Mary

It's going to require wrestling very well & some upsets but Wyatt Lidberg is very capable of making it to the blood round & even sneaking his way onto the award stand.  He owns a 2-1 tiebreaker victory over Cole Gray. 


As the the unranked.....

U.R.
Cole Gray
Western Colorado

An NCAA qualifier in his own right, I wouldn't be that surprised to see Cole Gray end up with a good showing here at the Midwest Classic. 

U.R.
Anthony Des Vigne
Central Oklahoma 

Every season in tournaments like these there is always a handful of guys who come out of nowhere and have the showing of a lifetime. Trying to predict who exactly that will be is like trying to say who will win the World Series in 2050. Nevertheless I like to try and do it anyway. Same reason I play the lottery once a week. Might as well. Who knows? I could be right.  If that someone happens to be a 184'er, I'm gonna guess Anthony Des Vigne.  14-2 on the season he already owns a very impressive 8-2 victory over Treyton Cacek.