There's going to be a lot of great NCAA Division II wrestling this weekend and in my opinion one of the best duals will take place between the Augustana Vikings & the UW-Parkside Rangers. While all matches should be good in this important dual between two ranked programs, four matches stick out in particularly to me.
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| #1 Jaxon Rohman Vs #3 Shane Corrigan 125 lbs |
These are the types of matches that make a guy like me the fixated and enthusiastic fan that I am. You just know going into this one it is going to be an absolute barnburner. We have last year's NCAA DII finalist in Jaxon Rohman taking on last year's DII 7th place finisher. The thing about it is, this isn't the first time these two have met either. Rohman owns both a 6-4 & 7-4 victory over Corrigan, but Corrigan owns an 8-5 decision over Rohman. It's time to take precedence. Really show who deserves that #1 ranking. While some matches hold more water than others, this one is extremely vital to both Corrigan and Rohman. Both are in the Super Region V & there can be a world of difference between a *1 seed and a *2 seed when you enter a tournament that only sends the top three to nationals. This match holds a lot of weight in more ways than one.
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| #20 Tyler Wagener Vs #10 Brady Schuh 165 lbs |
Brady Schuh ended last season with a losing record & came into this season to earn a #10 ranking a little less than a month into action. Talk about a world of improvement. He'll have a mighty good test in Tyler Wagener. A NCAA DII qualifier for the Vikings in '22, he missed out on a second qualification this past year. Parkside is picked to win this dual and most of the matches. I can't say I see Augustana posing a threat of an upset, but I can see them pulling off a few upsets individually. This is definitely a match that they can win.
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| #13 Cade Mueller Vs #5 Reece Worachek 184 lbs |
Here's a match that I think will be far better on the mat than what it is on paper. Two time NCAA DII All American ('22 8th, '23 7th) Reece Worachek is highly favored in this match, but do keep in mind that Cade Mueller is a two time D2 qualifier in his own right & they don't exactly just hand those out either. Three time All Americans in NCAA Division II are so exceptionally rare, but on the same hand so is simply qualifying for D2's on three occasions. Both of these guys are in Super Region V & let's not forget they aren't the only two either. There is actually a lot of talent in Super Region V & when it's said and done, only three of them will be going to nationals. Mueller's goal here is to pull off a huge upset & Woracheck's goal is to demonstrate why he's 8 spots higher in the rankings.
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| #12 Chase Stegall Vs #15 Max Ramberg 197 lbs |
Here's another great match between two talented grapplers at 197 lbs. Chase Stegall & Max Ramberg. Stegall was an NCAA DII qualifier back in 2022 & both of these guys are gunning for NCAA DII qualification this year. This is one reason to enjoy this level of collegiate wrestling because this isn't a throw away dual or something that can be seen as "doesn't really matter." It matters a great deal because you have two wrestlers hoping to earn a top three finish come Super Region V. So there's a lot on the line here. A win means a higher seed and that higher seed could be the difference between making the Region final or having to battle it back through the backside. There's solace in taking second place at the Region. You don't get that luxury if you finish 4th or lower. With these two guys being so close in the rankings, we should see some good action on the mat.
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