2024 Super Region III (Saturday March 2nd)

SUPER REGION III

We got some tough brackets here at the Super Region III.  Wrestlers are going to have to really wrestle well in order to earn a top three showing this weekend.

125 lbs 

Right from the get go things are starting off tough here at the Super Region III.  We have five of the top twenty wrestlers in NCAA Division II wrestling & only three of these outstanding talents will get to go to the national tournament this year.  

Leading the way will be Tiffin's Anthony Aniciete, who at 24-3 on the season, has breathed fire many times this year.  He owns an 8-0 major decision, as well as a 7-0 decision over Luke Acuna of Ashland & a 6:05 fall over Graham Shore of Findlay. 

Acuna is 24-9 on the year, owning a 12-2 major decision over Aaron Lucio of Grand Valley State. 

If you followed my series "Gone, Lost & Forgotten" where I covered 462 discontinued collegiate wrestling programs, then you are aware of how good Grand Valley State was at one time before they dropped their wrestling team. Upon restoration, I wondered how long it would take GVSU to reestablish themselves as a successful team, with successful individuals.  Throughout '23-'24 they have given a very simple answer.  "No time at all."  Throughout duals & tournaments, they are right here & they are right now.  This includes the Super Region III & bet your bottom dollar, the Lakers will have some NCAA DII qualifiers this weekend.  Lucio may very well be one of them.  12 wins on the season, he owns both a 7-1 decision, as well as a 20-4 technical fall over Shore.  He also stuck Acuna in thirty-two seconds. 

Manuel Leija of Davenport was an NCAA DII qualifier two seasons ago with a runner-up finish here at Super Region III. He narrowly missed out on a second qualification last year with a 4th place finish.   This year he's wrestled a handful of matches, but enough to warrant a ranking.  He'll once again be a threat to qualification. 

As to Shore, he was 3rd here last season.  Sorta in the same boat now, only this tournament he'll enter with a winning record.  He also has a 3:49 fall over Acuna. 

133 lbs 

I hear NCAA DI wrestling fans get excited about upsets, guys coming out of nowhere & parity all the time.  If people like unpredictability, craziness & hit with an s in front of it that just plain doesn't make sense, then for the love of gawd I wish I could get these people to pay attention to Division II.   That's all NCAA DII wrestling is.  There are some predictable, nearer to guarantees, but the wackiness is far greater than the normalacy. 

Like here at 133 lbs, it would seem fairly cut and dry wouldn't it?  Glenville State's Gavin Quiocho was a Super Region III champ & an NCAA DII champ last year.  Should be easy enough to win another title right? After all he's 30-1 on the season.   Here's the catch.  He hasn't wrestled Vincent Scollo of West Liberty yet this year.  Scollo is a two time NCAA DII qualifier with Super Region III finishes of 3rd & 2nd. He was also 6th in the DII nation last season.  Over all Quiocho is 3-1 against Scollo, but Scollo does have that one victory over him. 

As to Scollo, one of his losses this year is to Gavin Ritter of Findlay.  Ritter pulled off a huge 2-1 upset in a dual back in December.   While studying that, Ryan Wehner of Lake Erie, 3rd here a year ago, has two wins (9-4 & 7-1) over Ritter.    The semi-finals here will be interesting & the consolation final could resemble a Daniel Day Lewis film about oil, as in There Will Be Blood. 

141 lbs 

Undefeated on the year, a Super Region III champion & an NCAA DII champion, I believe that gold is already spoken for.  The name is Zack Donathan of Tiffin. 

As to silver & bronze?  Seeding should give us a good semi-final between Corey Gamet of Lake Erie & Khyvon Grace of West Liberty.   Gamet was a champion here two seasons ago & 5th in the DII nation.  Grace was one match shy of NCAA DII qualification last year, placing 4th.   The last the two met, Gamet scored a 4-1 s.v. 

Our darkhorse here I believe is Sean Johnson of Glenville State.  While Gamet handled him fairly easily 11-0, he's taken Grace into sudden victory on two occasions this season.  Could make for an intense consolation final & this time one of the most important desires is on the line. 

149 lbs 

The top three wrestlers in the DII nation are at this weight!  Doesn't exactly make it easy for anyone else, does it?  Sheesh! Put on your Tom Cruise sunglasses, cause we're looking at a Mission Impossible. 

A Super Region III runner-up & an NCAA DII runne-up last season, Christian Small of Lake Erie is currently sitting on an undefeated record of 14-0.  Guess what?  Chris Donathan, is also sitting on an undefeated record, 20-0.  I'm a big fan of both of these guys & look very forward to this probable final.  Earlier this season I said that Donathan had been in the shadow of Zack & the matriarch of the Donathan family didn't care for my choice of words.  So I'll try again & hopefully get across what it is I'm meaning to say.  What I want to imply is that it has been very rewarding watching Chris, at a school that has reinstated its wrestling program, do so well.  He had such a promising '19-'20 & then things didn't go as well as hoped. Yet now he's back & he's better than ever. Looking to challenge Small, the #1 wrestler in the DII nation for an opportunity to be the Lakers first ever Super Region III champ. 

Gotta get past a very tough Nico Taddy of West Liberty first though & that in itself will also be a tough challenge.  Taddy is 13-2 on the year

Asto the rest of the bracket?  Whether these guys are capable of beating Small, Donathan or Taddy is beside the point.  The issue is, Gessler, Kuhn & Hardy are all very good wrestlers & they deserve recognition as being so.  There's no solution to the huge problem that 18 qualifiers per weight class, to put it plain and simple, is not enough.  This is one of many examples as to why. 

157 lbs 

Talk about another tough bracket.  Son of a gun.  We have four all American candidates.  Three of these guys have been Super Region III champions in the past! 

Ironically enough, the one with the highest ranking has not won a Super Region III title yet.  Go figure.  4th & 3rd the past two Regions, Jack Haskin of Lake Erie is currently 20-0 on the year.  He has a 5-3 decision over Drew Wiechers of Ashland & both an 11-4 decision & 12-0 major decision over Casey Barnett of Tiffin. 

Wiechers won a Super Region III title back in 2022 & finished 5th in the DII nation.  Competing at 165 lbs last season, he finished 2nd in the Region. 17-4 on the year, he has a 9-4 win over Guy DeLeonardis of Glenville State & 6:47 fall over Barnett. 

Barnett was the Super Region III champ here last season & one match shy of DII All American honors.  14-3 on the season. 

DeLeonardis won a Super Region III title at 165 lbs last year & he too was one match shy of DII All American status. 

Semis, finals, consolation finals.  This is a weight class to check out. 

165 lbs      

 I'm not really sure what to make of 165, but I do think that Sevi Garza of Ashland will be one of our qualifiers.  Tough wrestler & goes in undefeated against Regional competition. 

174 lbs 

Chris Donathan isn't the only Laker looking to become Grand Valley State's first Super Region III champion since reinstatement.  Campbell transfer Josh Kenny has been having a very good season, picking up 23 wins against only 4 losses.  Among his victories both a 14-6 major & a 15-8 decision over Nate Barrett of Ashland. 

Barrett 21-6, was a Super Region III champion last season, finishing 8th in the DII nation.   James Penfold of Lake Erie is a two time Super Region III place winner with finishes of 2nd & 3rd, as well as a two time DII All American, with finishes of 8th & 4th. 

184 lbs 

We have the two best wrestlers at 184 lbs in NCAA DII wrestling here in the Super Region III.  So in other words, gold & silver are already spoken for.   Ty McGeary of West Liberty, ironically enough was 2nd here in the Super Region III last year, but the NCAA DII champ.  He's currently 25-0.  

Twice 3rd in the NCAA DII nation, Daniel Beemer of Ashland was the Super Region III champ last year. He's currently 11-0.  We have some damn good matches (potentially) coming up this tournament  & this will be one of them. 

Considering that he's been pinned & tech'd by McGeary and pinned by Beemer, I don't see a huge upset in Seth Konynenbelt's future.  However, what I do see is the bronze medal with his name written all over it, thus becoming yet another NCAA DII qualifier for the first year back Lakers. 

197 lbs 

Now here's a weight class that defines irony.  Both the Super Region III champion & the Super Region III runner-up return & if we're going based off of probable seeding BOTH will have to "steal" a spot in order to qualify this year! Isn't that just nuts? 

Here you thought I was done talking about Grand Valley State crowning champions in their first ever Super Region III tournament since getting back on the mat.  Not done yet.  Wyatt Miller 23-3 on the year, a transfer out of Appalachian State has been having a great season thus far.  Owns 13-1 major decisions over both Nick Johnson of Glenville State & Brylan Clouse of Lake Erie.  He owns an 8-4 decision over Walker Uhl of Ashland. 

Johnson who competed for Sierra last season, owns a 3:42 fall over Jacob Noon of Tiffin. 

Now we talk of Uhl, who might single-handedly be the reason why 197 is as awkward and goofy as what it is.  One match from DII All American status in 2022, he unfortunately got injured last season.  Had he not been injured, as he is this year, he would have been a contender to make the Super Region III finals/win the tournament.  Thus far this season, he owns a 5-0 win over Clouse. 

Clouse the Super Region III runner-up last year, has defeated the Super Region III champ this year on two occasions. Sticking him in 32 seconds, he also has a 4-1 win over Noon.  

HWT 

A 7th place NCAA DII All American in 2022 & R12 last season, Francesco Borsellino of West Liberty was a Super Region II runner-up last season.  At 14-0 & with a 6:34 fall over La'Ron Parks of THE REAL Notre Dame, it's very likely that he wins a title this weekend. 

Parks has been 3rd here the past two seasons. At 25-5 on the year, if he wants to trade in that bronze for silver (and maybe even avenge his loss to Borsellino for gold) he'll have to once against get past Gavin Shamblin of Glenville State whom he defeated 4-1 sudden victory earlier this year.   Shamblin has 27 wins on the year. 

2024 SUPER REGION II (March 2nd Saturday)

SUPER REGION II

125 lbs 

A Super Region II champ & 4th in the DII nation last season, James Joplin looks to win another title this weekend. 23-0 on the year, thus far Logan Seliga of UNC-Pembroke has given him two close matches in 6-4 & 4-2 decisions.  Against Zach Shupp, Joplin has won by a 6-2 decision. 

As to Seliga, he was an NCAA DII qualifier all the way back in 2020.  He looked poised to make another trip last season, but unfortunately had to medical forfeit to 6th place.  It looks like he will not be denied this season, as he carries a high ranking & a 12-2 record. 

As to our other qualifier here at 125 lbs?  I'd go with Zach Shupp of Newberry who finished as the runner-up here a year ago & one match shy of NCAA Division II All American honors. 

133 lbs

It's been a real treat thus far this year watching Campbell transfer Gabe Hixenbaugh give first year program Montevallo a lot of first.  At 21-0 he gave the Falcons their first Patriot Open Champion & their first Midwest Classic champion.  He is very likely to give them their first Super Region II champion this weekend & he could give them their first NCAA DII champion in a couple of weeks.  I wish wrestling fans truly understood the significance of what is happening here.  A wrestler from Alabama, wrestling for an Alabama school.  Not all that long ago the idea wasn't even fathomable.  You couldn't even imagine it.  Now, here we are. 

With that said, it's not a guarantee.  Hixenbaugh has beaten Elijah Lusk of Lander twice this season, but meeting number two (4-2) was a lot closer than meeting number one (11-4).  There's a reason Lusk has been 2nd & 1st in these championships the past two years & 8th in the D2 nation last year.  Should be a good final. 

141 lbs 

The name maybe Peace, but when the Bearcat steps on the mat, he goes to war.  21-6 on the season, Isham Peace owns both an 11-8 & a 9-5 decision over John Carayiannis of Belmont Abbey.  He should be the *1 seed this weekend. 

As we look at the other side of the bracket, we're bound to have a good semi-final between Carayiannis & Omar Armengol of Coker.  If won by Carayiannis, despite being 0-2 against Peace on the season, I still say he poses a threat to the Super Region II title.  He has been 8th & 6th in the D2 nation the past two seasons for good reason.  He knows how to win. 

149 lbs 

Here's the grand prize.  149 lbs.   We have five very talented wrestlers in this bracket & only three of them get to go to nationals this year. Bar none, it'll be the toughest of all the Super Region II weight classes. 

Zeth Brower of Lander was an NCAA Division II champion in 2022 & he finished 5th in the DII nation last season competing at 141 lbs.  He he is up at 149 as he looks to win another Super Region II title this weekend.  He has a 1:27 fall over Devan Moore of Newberry, a 4-3 decision over Jake Piccirilli of UNC-Pembroke & a 15-0 tech over Demetri Teddlie of King. 

Moore was the Super Region II champ here last season & 8th in the D2 nation.  Carrying a 17-5 record he owns both a 3-1 as well as an 8-5 sudden victory over Teddlie.  He also owns a 7-6 decision over Dallas Wilson of Mount Olive. 

Wilson was 3rd here a year ago, finishing one match shy of All American honors.  He owns a 7-3 decision over Piccirilli & a 13-8 decision over Teddlie. 

Piccirilli was an NCAA DII qualifier in 2022 with a 3rd place finish, but was the odd man out in an equally tough bracket last year, finishing 4th.  On the season standing 17-3 overall, he has a 13-1 major over Moore & a 12-3 major over Teddlie. 

Teddlie, despite being unranked does own an 18-4 major over Moore & he was runner-up here two seasons ago. 

157 lbs 

Here's what's funny about this weight class. The rankings say one thing, the results say another.  Keegan Roberson of UNC-Pembroke is ranked higher than Jack Tangen of Lander, but it has been Lander who has won both of their meetings this season.  A 6:28 fall and a 21-12 major decision.  Roberson stands at 28-6 on the year, as Tanger was the Super Region II runner-up last season competing at 149 lbs. 

As we discuss those two plausible Super Region II champion contenders, let's not forget last year's champion Max Kiel of Belmont Abbey.  Roberson pinned Kiel at 1:29, but Kiel defeated Tangen 10-6. 

Parity anyone? 

165 lbs 

I swear, the strangest stuff happens in NCAA Division II wrestling.  If you grew up a fan of R.L. Stein & shows like Eeire, Indiana  then this is the division of collegiate wrestling for you.  David Hunsberger is the number one wrestler at 165 lbs & he carries a 26-1 record.  He was the Super Region II champ last year & 4th in the DII nation.

Any guess as to who that one lone loss is to? 

Trent Mahoney of King, who is currently unranked. It was in the first period at the 2:32 mark.  Was in a fluke? Was it legit?  Well, I'll say this.  Despite not being in the rankings, Mahoney competing at 157 last season was 2nd at the Super Region & 6th in the D2 nation.  Despite whatever happened in the Lander/King dual, we're most likely going to see the two go to battle again this weekend. 

174 lbs 

32-2 on the season, with titles won at the Pembroke Classic & the Midwest Classic, it has been one heck of a good season for West Virginia transfer Scott Joll.  The only prediction I make about 174 with confidence, is that I'm 99.99% positive the Brave will be our champion this weekend.  As to the rest of the bracket?  I'd like to think that last year's champ Calan Staub would pose threat to qualification, but he's had some weird losses thus far this season.  It's one of those deals where there's so much this guy beat that guy, but lost to this guy, who lost two these two guys....It's chaos.  Figure might as well sit back and watch what happens. 

184 lbs 

184 is even more complicated than 174 from where I sit.  I really don't know what to make of it or who out of a 12 man bracket will be the three remaining standing.  I can tell you though, that I believe there's no reason at all why ZeBrandon Gant of Newberry shouldn't be one of those three.  8-1 on the season, he is a three time NCAA DII qualifier, looking for his fourth trip to nationals. 

197 lbs 

Confident that our final here will be between Anthony Yacovetti of Lander & John Parker Wilson of Newberry.  While Yacovetti has the higher ranker & was the Super Region II champion last year, it is Wilson who owns a 5-1 decision over Yacovetti. 

As to our consolation final?  I believe that will be between Ethan Lopez of King & Micah Clemson of Emmanuel.  Clemson was 3rd here last year, but it is a Lopez who owns a 14-7 decision over Clemson. 

HWT

A Super Region II champion last year & 6th in the DII nation, Juan Edmond Holmes of Lander is looking to win another Super Region II title this weekend.  23-2 he owns a 2:25 fall over Devon Rice of Newberry who has been 5th & 3rd the past two Super Region II championships.  He carries a 25-5 record. 

2024 SUPER REGION I Preview (Saturday March 2nd)

SUPER REGION I 

 As I did for the NCAA DIII regionals, I am going to take a look at the NCAA Division II Regions & try and do my best to guess who will be most likely to qualify for the NCAA Division II championships.  I feel need first off to explain where I'm coming from, because I do look at and treat DII differently than I do DI, DIII & NAIA. 

For one, DII wrestling has always been a bit cryptic to me.  I suppose it's because I grew up in Iowa.  We had Iowa, Iowa State & Northern Iowa for DI.  There's a ton of DIII in the state & there's a fair amount of NAIA.  I mean for most of my time growing up, Iowa didn't even have NCAA Division II wrestling. I wasn't even alive when Northern Iowa transitioned from DII to DI.  Then I was senior in high school the first year Upper Iowa went from DIII to DII.  So that's one reason. It's not the only. 

The other reason is because DII wrestling seems to operate so much differently than the other Divisions do.  While the other Divisions seem to shy away from cross divisional competition as often as they can, DII teams seem to get as much of it as they can.  Hell, there are some DII wrestlers, all they wrestle against is DI, DIII, NAIA & NJCAA guys!  In 20 matches, the only thing you won't find on their record is a match against another DII wrestler! 

Then while some wrestlers have your typical 20 to 30 matches by this time in the season, there are many who have less than 15 matches.  Some even less than 10.  That seems way more common in DII, than it does in the other Divisions.  Seems a lot of wrestlers only compete in tournaments, others only duals.   This kind of information can make deducing, guessing and predicting more challenging. 

Not trying to write a novel here, but trying to provide substance for where my mind is at and why I think the way I do.  I imagine you may not agree with all of my analyses and that's fine.  I'm sure I wouldn't agree with all of your's either. 

Without further adieu.....

*NOTE* - For those of you unaware, like DIII, DII qualifies the top 3 per Regional. 

125 lbs 

I believe our final here at 125 lbs in the Super Region I will be a repeat of last year's finals.  Trevon Gray of Pittsburgh Johnstown defeated Jose Diaz of Gannon for a title last season, but it has been Diaz who has won both of their meetings so far this year with 6-5 & 11-2 victories.  For the record, Diaz was one match shy of NCAA Division II All American honors last year as well. 

As to our bronze medalist? I can't see Will Burgess of Seton Hill beating either Diaz or Gray.  Diaz tech'd him 19-2 & Gray majored him 16-4.  However, I sure would like to see him take hold of the consolation bracket & nab that 3rd place finish.  Talk about heartbreaking endings to seasons, he's been 4th the past two seasons. To drive the dagger even further through the heart, the guy who beat him for qualification last season, he had beaten three times prior! Including earlier that day in the Region!  I once heard a wise man say that our disappointments are the gifts that make us cherish our triumphs.  May triump by the case for Burgess this weekend. 

133 lbs 

3rd & 2nd in the Super Region I and 7th & 5th in the D2 nation, I think Devin Flannery will finally win the Region title that has eluded him the past two seasons.  He currently holds an 18-3 record & has an 8-3 decision over Jerry Echevarria.  

As to Echevarria, he's a transfer from American International who has been having an outstanding season thus far with a 21-5 record.  He's most likely to be our finalist, although Thierno Diallo, a transfer of Binghamton, could plausibly give him trouble.  I talked a little about this in my D3 previews, but little makes me happier than to see a discontinued program, get restored. I think it's even more exciting when so earlier into their restoration, they already look to send wrestlers to the national tournament. That's exciting for our sport. 

141 lbs 

A Super Region I champion & 7th in the D2 nation last season, I feel confident that we will see Jake Niffenegger repeat as champion this year.  As to our silver & bronze medalist?  That's a little grayer of an area & here are my two guesses. 

I say on the opposite of the bracket from Niffenegger, we could very well see a good semi-final between Colton Stoneking of Fairmont State & Mason Myers of Pittsburgh-Johnstown.  18 wins on the season for Myers & 17 wins on the season for Stoneking, Stoneking won a wild 10-9 match against Myers the last the two met. 

149 lbs 

Here's where things might get weird. 

First off, let's get normal out of the way.  Jacob Ealy, four time NCAA DII qualifier, Super Region I champ last year & thus far 8th-3rd-5th in the D2 nation.  He's qualifying for his fifth appearance at the DII championships & he's heading their with another Super Region I title. 

Good, we got normal out of the way. 

Jimmy Ryan of Gannon, 17 wins on the year, and A Super Region I runner-up competing at 141 last season.  Still normal enough.   As is Gage Heilbrun, a freshman from Frostburg State, also looking to be a Q for the "We're BACK" program.  Has 23 wins on the season. 

So where exactly can things get weird? 

Craig Cook of Millersville. 

Here's the deal  He's lost to everyone listed above him.  Ealy pinned him at 6:15, Ryan majored him 10- & Heilbrun defeated him 6-1.  That's not all either, he has other losses to other Region opponents too.

But...but...but...but he's three time NCAA DII qualifier, who finished one match shy of his fourth qualification last season and I...CAN...NOT...IGNORE...THAT.   

I mean how can you? He's the type of wrestler that if you don't include him, don't mention his name & don't make aware what he's capable of, it'll come back to bite you in the Francis, and not everyone referred to Francis as a mule! 

So here's to Super Region I 149 lbs.  Good luck. 

157 lbs 

These are the three gentlemen I believe that will earn qualification here in the Super Region I & despite rankings, I could see them finishing in about any order.  

When Bailey Gimbor of Kutztown had to medical forfeit to 6th place in last year's Super Region I because of injury, I had a feeling he'd come back poised to earn the qualification that he may have very well have earned last year, had he not gotten hurt.  He owns a 2-1 tiebreaker over Cooper Warshell of Pittsburgh-Johnstown & he owns a 6-3 decision over Mercyhurst's Max Stedeford.  Between Warshell & Stedeford, Warshell owns a 12-9 s.v.   So as you can see, we're in for some good wrestling to see who ends up gold, who ends up silver & who ends up bronze.  For the record, Stedeford has been 4th & 5th the past two Regions. 

165 lbs 

In many of my Regional previews for NCAA Division III, it was more than obvious that in many cases, three qualifiers per weight wasn't enough. It happens in NCAA Division II too & Super Region I 165 lbs is evidence of it.  Here we have four of the top DII wrestlers at 165 lbs & at the end of the day, one of them is staying home. 

I talk all the time about how good some of our backups are around the country & Gannon's Nick Coreno is proof of that.  Behind 4th place DII All American Dom Means last season, Coreno has more than established himself as an All American candidate in his own right.  22-5 on the year, he has a 3-1 decision over Dalton Gimbor of Kutztown, a 6-5 decision over Dillon Walker of Mercyhurst & a 6:18 fall over Brandon Connor of Millersville.  Likely he'll be the *1 seed here in the Super Region I. 

Gimbor, like brother Bailey at 157, would like to be a Super Region I champ himself.  He was 3rd last year, then finishing a match shy of All American honors at DII nationals.  23-5 on the year, he owns both a 7-2 decision over Walker & a 6-3 decision over Conner. 

Two seasons ago, Walker was the Super Region I runner-up & he finished 5th in the D2 nation.  Last year he won a Super Region I title & finished one match shy of a second All American honor.  21-5 on the year, he owns two 10-3 decisions over Conner this season. 

Conner has been 2nd the past two Super Region I tournaments. 

Again, one of these top talents will be staying home this year. 

174 lbs 

The one thing I feel confident about saying about 174 lbs in the Super Region I is that I think Jack Mackiernan of American International will be our champion.  A qualifier for the Yellow Jackets with a 3rd place finish last year, he has 19 wins on the season. 

I also felt for quite a while that Cole Hivnor of Gannon would be another qualifier here at 174.  He was 6th in the Super Region I last year competing at 184 lbs.  15 wins on the season, the only thing now making me question is that fact that he was injured here not to long ago.  I'm not sure how serious the injury was.  A simple bounce back injury? Or one hat will seriously effect him this tournament?  We'll see. 

184 lbs

A Super Region I runner-up last season & 4th in the DII nation, Matt Weinberg of Kutztown will look to capture a title this weekend.  20-2 on the year, he has a 7-1 win over Cole Casilio of Gannon & both a 10-4 as well as an 8-2 decision over Anthony Giampietro of Millersville. 

Casilio himself as a Super Region I runner-up last year, competing at 174 lbs.  18 wins on the season, one of which is a 12-9 decision over Giampietro.  Giampietro for the record was an NCAA DII qualifier in '22. 

197 lbs 

Silver & bronze as far as I'm concerned is a free-for-all at 197 lbs in Super Region I.  Gold on the other hand? Gold belongs to Dakoda Rodgers of Pitt-Johnstown.  5th & 3rd thus far in Super Region I, he was one match shy of All American honors last season. 

HWT

25-1 on the season & a Super Region I runner-up last season, take it to the bank that our champion here is most likely going to be Isaiah Vance of Pittsburgh-Johnstown.  Very confident to meet him there in the finals & possibly give him a challenge will be talented East Stroudsburg freshman Layton Schmick.  27-3 on the year, one of his only losses is a 9-4 decision to Vance. 

2024 Upper Midwest Regional Preview (March 1st & 2nd)

 UPPER MIDWEST REGIONAL 

The Upper Midwest Regional is the final qualifying NCAA DIII tournament to be covered here at JT#1.  Of the six Regionals, I find it to be the most convoluted. A lot of strange, unpredictable things seem to happen at this tournament.  I imagine this year will be no different.  

125 lbs 

Call up Ripley cause believe it or not, I'm about to tell you something that you may find hard to believe.  Izzy Balsiger of UW-Eau Claire is a sophomore this season.  Do you know when his freshman season was?  '12-'13 and no, that is not a typo.  He's been out of the game for 11 years & yet here he is ranked in the top 10, an All American candidate & he'll most likely be the *1 seed this weekend.  A WIAC champion with both a 10-4 & 8-6 victory over Luca Paladino of UW-Stevens Point.  

Here to challenge Balsiger for a title will be 2022 Upper Midwest Champion Derek Steele of Augsburg.  The Auggie finished 4th in last year's championships & wasn't none too happy about it.  16-3 on the season, he wants to reclaim that gold. 

A battle for 3rd, or perhaps knocking on the door to the finals themselves?  After all Paladino was the Upper Midwest Champion last season & he was one match shy of being an All American.  I really thought he'd step it up a notch this season & establish himself strong to repeat.  Instead it's been kind of a down season for him.  He's lost to more than just the three mentioned here & some of the losses have been down right ugly.  Nevertheless he's shown signs once again of what he is capable of.  A runner-up finish at the WIAC.  

Dunson, 5th here last year, was 3rd at the WIAC. 

133 lbs 

Parity is the element of wrestling that makes it as frustrating as it does fun.  We got a three man race to the Upper Midwest  title here at 133 lbs, between three very talented wrestlers. 

Ty Bisek was 3rd in the Upper Midwest Regional & 6th in the D3 nation last season.  He has Dominik Mallinder of UW-Whitewater figured out as he'd defeated the Warhawk by a 3-1 decision & a 3:37 fall.  Yet Bisek struggles with Tyler Fleetwood of UW-Eau Claire, as the Blugold has defeated him 9-0 & 6-3.  On the other hand, Mallinder has 9-3, 3-2 & 7-1 decisions over Fleetwood.  This makes things exciting, does it not? 

Mallinder was last year's Upper Midwest Champion, he came up short of All American honors.  Fleetwood was 2nd, earning 3rd at DIII nationals. 

141 lbs 

Want a peculiar fact about Sam Stuhl of Augsburg?  He was last year's NCAA Division III champion, yet at 2nd & 3rd, he has yet to win an Upper Midwest Regional title.  I think that'll change this year & he'll walk out of Stevens Point, Wisconsin carrying a gold medal. 

As to our silver/bronze debate?  I believe that'll be settled between UW-La Crosse's Sam Lorenz & UW-Whitewater's Ethan Pogorzelski.  Between the two, Lorenz owns a 8-3 decision & Pogorzelski owns a 10-6 decision. 

149 lbs 

Here is a tough weight class, where qualification will be earned.  Tyler Goebel, who competes for NCAA DIII championship host UW-La Crosse has looked exceptional this season.  3rd at the Upper Midwest Regional last year, he currently carries a 19-1 record with wins over all challengers.  8-1 & 9-8 decisions over Charlie Stuhl of Augsburg, it has been 8-3 & 4-1 wins over Scott Busse of UW-Whitewater. 

Stuhl was the Upper Midwest Regional champion last year & 8th in the D3 nation.  He's 20-3.  He's proven in the past that he can beat Goebel, with a 5-4 decision. 

Paper points to a final between Goebel & Stuhl, but I'm curious to see what Zach Sato of UW-Eau Claire might have to say about that.  He was an NCAA DIII qualifier in '22 with a 3rd place Upper Midwest Regional finish, but came up a hair short last year as he finished 4th.  A 7-0 decision over talented freshman Busse, gives precedence to a probable 3rd place finish. However, he could be in for better.  He's given Goebel a 2-1 match & he's given Stuhl two 2-1 matches, one of them ending in a tiebreaker. I would think matches that close have the potential of being turned into wins. 

Among this talent is there a darkhorse?  If there is, I say it is Ryan Fleck of Chicago.  5th in the Midwest Regional last season, he can wrestle those ranked above him tight and close.  Under the right circumstances, maybe a close loss could be turned into a win.  He lost 3-0 to Busse earlier this year. 

157 lbs 

I think things are pretty straight forward here at 157 lbs.  Last year's NCAA DIII champion Nolan Hertel of UW-La Crosse will be going for his third Upper Midwest Regional title & unless we find Elvis Presley swimming in the Lochness with Big Foot, he's going to win it. 

Silver will most likely go to Blake Jagodzinske of Augsburg, who has shown the DIII wrestling world he was one of the best reserves in the country, when he was behind three time All American Tyler Shilson last season. There are so many great backups, and year after year, we see them prove themselves as Jagodzinske has done this year. 

Bronze? Pretty sure that will be Pete Willson champ Jermaine Butler of UW-Whitewater. 

165 lbs 

You want a war? You got one.  There are four extremely talented, All American candidate wrestlers here & only three spots for NCAA DIII qualification. 

Cooper Willis was 2nd in the Midwest Regional last year & 5th in the D3 nation.  He's been on a war path this year nailing a 9-1 major decision on Noah Leisgang of UW-La Crosse & nearly majoring Tristan Massie of UW-Eau Claire 9-3. 

Massie was 3rd at last year's Midwest Regional & a match shy of All American honors.  He owns a 9-2 decision over Leisgang & a 5-3 decision over Brayden Peet of UW-Whitewater on a 23-4 overall record. 

Peet is 19-3 on the year & owns a 4-1 win over Leisgang. 

Leaves Leisgang as the odd man out, doesn't it? 

I don't think so. 

Leisgang was last year's Upper Midwest Regional champion & he was 3rd in the D3 nation.  Do I think for a second, when La Crosse is hosting the D3 championships that Leisgang is going to be watching his teammates from the stands?  No, not for a second.  Results can be what they can be, as can rankings.  He's beaten both Willis & Massie in the past.  Anything can happen & often does in wrestling, but if we're placing bets, I'm not making one against Leisgang. 

174 lbs 

An Upper Midwest Champion (3rd in '22) & an NCAA D3 runner-up last season, I'm very confident that our champion this year will be 24-0 Jared Stricker of UW-Eau Claire.  The Blugold owns both an 11-4 decision over Seth Goetzinger of Augsburg & a 5-1 decision over Leo Draveling of UW-La Crosse. 

As gold is spoken for, I believe so is silver.  Goetzinger was 3rd in the Upper Midwest Regional & 7th in the D3 nation last year.  23-4 he has a 12-7 win over Draveling. 

As to our bronze medalist?  That'll be a fight between Ryan Riser of UW-Whitewater & Draveling.  Draveling pinned Riser at the 4:26 mark earlier this season. 

184 lbs 

With the listening skills of Harry Dunne, I'm not sure if the Doctor of Pins was listening to me when I told him his brother beat a damn good wrestler earlier this year, but let me repeat, his brother beat a damn good wrestler earlier this year.  Matter fact at 24-1, the only loss Bentley Schwanebeck Ostermann of Augsburg has this season is to Brennan Swafford. Other than that the two time D3 All American ('22 4th, '23 6th) has been taking names all season.  2nd at last year's Upper Midwest Regional, he looks to win a title this weekend & then another title in a couple of weeks. 

As to our silver medalist? I said at the end of last season, I thought Niall Schoenfelder was simple a victim of circumstance.  He finished 6th at the Upper Midwest Regional & I had a feeling that he'd have a breakout year this season & so far, so good.  12-2 record. 

The battle for bronze I believe will be between Marcus Orlandoni of UW-La Crosse & Jonathan Pullen who will look to be a qualifier for Concordia (WIS). 

197 lbs 

There were a lot of huge shockers in '22-'23, but to me one of the biggest was when Ben Kawczynski of UW-La Crosse failed to place at last year's Upper Midwest Regional.  Throughout the season, I'll often try and configure who I think will be the top eight by year's end.  Kawczynski was often on my list & he didn't even make top 8 in the Regional, let alone in the nation.  That's not a knock on him, but a reflection of just how tough, rough & unforgiving this sport can be at times.  It's also to note that '22-'23 was THEN & '23-'24 is NOW. 

I don't think the 2022 R12'er is going to do anything other than make the finals this weekend & go for an Upper Midwest Regional title.  He'll have to duke it out with last year's 3rd place finisher, Parker Venz of Augsburg.  Thus far Venz owns a 1-0 win over Kawczynski & Kawczynski owns a 4-1 victory over Venz. 

Our bronze medalist?  Well, maybe more too, but I have a feeling it's going to be Gabe Zierden of Concordia (MN).  Back to back 4th place finishes in the Upper Midwest Regional, I can only imagine how starved he is for qualification this year.  For the record, he does own a 5:48 fall over Kawczynski. 

HWT 

At the beginning of the season, I thought that no one would come close to touching Tyler Kim of Augsburg.  I really thought that last year's Upper Midwest Regional champion who has been 4th & 3rd in the D3 nation would end the season as national champion, with an undefeated record.  When Robby Bates of North Central handed him a loss, I wasn't overtly shocked, but when Michael Douglas defeated him, it did throw me off guard. 

2nd in the Upper Midwest Regional & 8th in the DIII nation last year, Kim defeated Douglas twice earlier this season by scores of 2-0 & 5-2.  Yet in an extremely well wrestled match, it was Douglas who got his hand raised in their last meeting with a 6-2 decision.  Both of these guys are extremely tough and extremely talented.  Should be a great finals. 

As to bronze?  

I'm excited because I believe that in only their second year back on the mat since reinstatement, Linfield will qualify Jacob Barnes to the NCAA DIII tournament. He was 5th in the Regional last season. 

2024 Lower Midwest Regional Preview (February 29th-March 1st)

 LOWER MIDWEST REGIONAL 

Tough is a word that can be defined in many ways.  How tough is the Lower Midwest Regional?  Let me put it this way.  There are 12 returning All Americans.  Of the 53 wrestlers that I think will contend for NCAA DIII qualification, only 7 of them are unranked.  We're going to have some extremely good wrestlers who won't be heading to La Crosse, Wisconsin in a couple of weeks.  Originally this tournament was supposed to take place Friday-Saturday, but of course it had to be moved to Thursday-Friday.  Twenty minutes from my house & it gets moved to Thursday-Friday.  Oh well, in the long run maybe this is a good thing.  I'm already taking vacation to see D3 Nationals here in a couple of weeks & the gf is tagging along. Not sure if it'd be wise to make her sit through two huge wrestling tournaments in a row.  Nonetheless though, this is going to be a great tournament.  

125 lbs 

The top three in NCAA Division III wrestling at 125 lbs. So, good luck anyone else, right? Christian Guzman of North Central was a Lower Midwest Regional Champion last year, finishing 3rd in the D3 Nation.  27-3 on the year, he owns a 4-3 win over Brady Koontz of Dubque & he's defeated Zac Blasioli of Millikin on four occasions (7-5, 4-1, 3-2 & 5-2).  

Koontz was 3rd at last year's Lower Midwest Regional & 7th in the D3 nation.  Oddly enough in a Division of wrestling that has a large variety of tournaments, Koontz has wrestled nothing but duals so far this season. He's currently 12-0 on the year. 

Blasioli is 17-2.  He was runner-up at last year's Lower Midwest Regional & 5th in the DIII nation.  He does own a 3-2 victory over Koontz & he won the Coe Invitational earlier this year. 

Three returning All Americans.  Is anyone dare bold enough to come in here and pull off an upset?  It's highly unlikely, especially considering that Guzman has nearly tech'd him & Koontz has tech'd him, but if anyone is to keep one of these three from going to La Crosse, Wisconsin, it'll be Wartburg's James Levy.  5th in the Lower Midwest Regional last year, he's 11-1 on the season. 

133 lbs 

2nd-1st-1st in the D3 Nation the past three years, Robbie Precin heads into his final Lower Midwest Regional with a career record of 130-2.  He's 15-0 on the year & there's not a soul who's going to keep him from a gold medal this weekend. It's just that simple. 

As to silver and bronze? 

Joey Pins, or as I like to call him Joey "Technically" Pins (the guy has 16 tech falls in his 20-0 record this season) of Wartburg was 8th in the D3 nation two seasons ago.  Last year finishing 3rd in the Lower Midwest Regional, he finished one match shy of earning another All American honor.  18-3 & 13-3 wins over Coby Haney of Millikin, he also owns a 7-1 win over Bryce Parke.  He'll be the favorite to meet Precin in the finals. 

With that said, don't overlook Trevor Boryla of Augustana (ILL).  The Viking has been a nosehair's length of qualification the past two seasons with Lower Midwest Regional finishes of 4th & 5th.  A Pete Willson Invitational champion, he's defeated Haney every time he's stepped on the mat with him. 

Nothing is written in stone though & we still have more qualification contenders.   Brock Beck of Central has really stepped it up a notch this season. 7th in the Lower Midwest Regional in '22, he failed to place last season.   Now he's looking nab the silver or the bronze.  A 4-2 victory over Boryla suggest the probability.  He also owns a 4-2 decision over Parke. 

As to Parke he was 3rd in the Lower Midwest Regional two seasons ago.  Last season he moved up to 141 lbs & that proved overall to be an unwise decision.  He's doing much better back at 133, including a runner-up finish at the Luther Open.  He also owns a 14-12 victory over Boryla.    

Haney was 7th here a year ago. 

141 lbs 

I preach year in and year out that some of the best wrestlers are backups to other super talented wrestlers.  So be the case with Kyler Romero of Wartburg who was behind All American Kristian Rumph last season. He has dominated this season with 16 wins to only one loss.  Among his victories, a 6-4 decision over Jalen Schropp of Loras & a 14-1 major over Dresdon Grimm on Coe. 

Here to challenge Romero will be Pierre Baldwin of Cornell who has really taken the D3 wrestling world by storm since finished 5th at the Lower Midwest Regional a year ago.  28-1 on the year, he has a 5-3 decision over Bradley Rosen of North Central.   

Rosen was the Lower Midwest Regional champion last year, who finished just shy of DIII All American honors.  19-4 on the year, he has a 16-1 tech over Grimm. 

If you've followed JT#1 for long, you know I'm a Schropp fan.  Grew up seeing family member Nick a various tournaments throughout the years & played baseball against Nick for years.  He's been 4th & 6th the past two Lower Midwest Regionals.  A 3:39 fall over Romero tells me that he can contend for a qualification spot in the top 3.  He also has a 1-0 victory over Jake Dado of Ozarks and a 2:03 fall over Grimm. 

Dado is in a similar boat as to Schropp. He's been 6th & 4th the past two seasons. 18-3 on the year, he took 3rd at the Pete Willson Invitational. He owns a 3-2 win over Baldwin. 

Grimm for the record owns a 3:44 fall over Baldwin. 

149 lbs 

These are the three gentlemen that I believe will take our gold, silver and bronze here at the Lower Midwest Regional.  As to what order they'll finish in?  That I do not know.   Charlie Dojan, who was competing for North Central, who now competes for Wartburg is 19-5 on the season.  He owns both a 19-6 as well as a 7-6 decision over Eric Kinkaid.  

Axel Hernandez of Buena Vista is one of the most improved wrestlers in the country.  8th in the Lower Midwest Regional last season, the work he put in over the summer & fall has been more than apparent.  He's 18-2  & he won the Pete Willson Invitational.  Owns a 4-3 win over Kinkaid. 

With that noted, Kinkaid also owns a 7-0 decision over Hernandez.  Despite being unranked, he may very well be the only unranked wrestling in the entire Lower Midwest capable of winning a title this tournament. 

157 lbs 

The war for NCAA DIII qualification is real isn't it?   Competing at 149 lbs last season, Javen Estrada was 2nd in both the Lower Midwest Regional as well as the D3 nation last year.  He carries a 19-2 record & based on results, should rip through this bracket as if it were tinfoil.  He has a 20-5 tech over Nathan Callaway of Millikin & a 2:47 fall over Clayton McDonough of Luther. 

Callaway was 4th at last year's Lower Midwest Regional, just shy of qualification.  24-4 on the season, he has a 9-3 win over McDonough.  McDonough, like Estrada competed at 149 lbs last season & was 3rd at the Lower Midwest Regional.  He owns a 13-2 major over Gabriel Smith of Cornell (IA).   

Smith was 3rd at the Pete Willson Invitational. 

Pretty safe bet with Estrada as Callaway, McDonough & Smith will duke it out for silver and bronze. 

Story doesn't end here though.

I have no idea what is up with Gabe Fiser of Loras.  A Lower Midwest Regional champion, he was one match shy of D3 All American honors competing at 165 last year.  So far '23-'24 has not been his season, but I'm not stupid enough to not include him in this write up.  I know what he's capable of.  He's not beating Estrada, but as to the rest of the field?  He's had close matches with Callaway, McDonough & Smith.  If 157 lbs is going to have a bracket buster, Fiser is it. 

165 lbs 

Keep in mind that here at the Lower Midwest Regional, only the top 8 earn a place-winner status.  It'll be as much of a fight just to earn a top 8 showing here, as it will be to try and earn a top 3.  Where as some fights for qualification don't really start to begin until the semi-finals/consolation semi-finals/consolation finals, here it starts much earlier.  

Leading the way will be Alex Villar of North Central.  A 4th place NCAA DIII All American at 149 in '22, he slipped to a R12 finish last season, after taking 3rd at the Lower Midwest Regional. 12-2 on the year he has both a 6-2 & 7-3 decision over Bryce McDonough and a 6-0 win over David Burgess.

In a similar situation to reclaim his status, Will Esmoil of Coe was 4th in the D3 nation in 2022, after placing 3rd here at the Lower Midwest Regional.  He slipped to a disappointing 7th failing to qualify last year, & is on a mission to reclaim both qualification & All American honors.  22-3 on the year he has a 6-2 win over McDonough, a 5-0 win over Alonzo Smiley & a 9-7 win over Dustin Bohren. 

Bohren is 20-9 on the year with a 10-8 decision over Smiley & 5-0,4-0, and 15-0 victories over McDonough. 

Smiley is 19-7.  A 4-3 win over McDonough & a 3-1 win over Nathan Fuller. 

Fuller only has a .500 record of 7-7, but has enough quality wins to warrant a ranking.  Among them a 5-3 decision over McDonough.  He was 7th in the D3 nation a year ago. 

McDonough, 5th here a year ago, has both a 9-8 victory over David Burgess & a 12-4 major over Smiley.

Burgess, 7th here a year ago carries a 25-3 record.  

Quarters on, we're gonna see some good wrestling. 

174 lbs 

4th in the D3 nation in 2022 & a national champion last year, Zane Mulder of Wartburg is most likely going to win his third Lower Midwest Regional title this tournament.  Matter of fact, based on results, I'd bank on it.  His two biggest challenges here, Zeb Gnida of Loras & L.J. Richardson of Coe, he's beaten both multiple times & by rather decisive scores, may I add. 

As to whether it'll be Gnida or Richardson that meets Mulder in the finals?  That'll be a good semi-final.  Richardson was a Lower Midwest Regional runner-up last season, placing 6th in the D3 nation.  He has a 6-3 decision over Gnida.  Gnida who was 5th here last year, has both a 9-2 & 5-3 decision over Richardson. 

To spoil the plans of either Gnida or Richardson?   Could very well be Dejon Glaster of Millikin. 8th in the Lower Midwest Regional a year ago, he's been doing quite well this season.  Owns a 12-10 victory over Richardson. 

184 lbs 

Got five qualification candidates here at 184 lbs & again, only three spots for them.

 Kasey Ross of Wartburg currently carries a 12-4 record. Wins include a 4-1 victory over Cael McLaren of Cornell (IA), a 3-0 win over Jared Voss of Coe & an 11-8 win over Cole Cervantes of North Central. 

McLaren who was 4th in last year's Lower Midwest Regional, has 17 wins on the season, one of which includes a 3:00 fall over Voss.  He won the Pete Willson Invitational. 

Voss was 3rd competing at 197 lbs last year in the Lower Midwest Regional.  He Owns both a 1:45 fall over McLaren, as well as a 1:49 fall over Cervantes. 

Nicholas Brashear of Huntingdon was 5th in the Regional last year. 

Cervantes, despite being unranked was a Lower Midwest Regional runner-up last season, competing at 165 lbs.  Earlier this season, he was 2nd at Pete Willson. 

197 lbs 

A Lower Midwest Regional champion & a NCAA DIII champion last season, Massoma Endene of Wartburg looks to once again collect gold medals at both.  19-0 on the season, I would expect that column on the right to stay at zero once this tournament is said & done. 

Thus far 3rd & 2nd in the Lower Midwest Regional, I feel pretty safe predicting that Gage Linahon  of Central will be our runner-up.  6-2 & 8-3 victories over Treyten Steffen of Cornell (IA), he owns an 11-3 major decision over Mathieu Arsenault of Coe.  

Arsenault stands at 22-5 on the year.  He's defeated Steffen six times, including pinning him in the first period of three of those six  times.  Steffen has pinned him once & Steffen was 4th at the Pete Willson Invitational. 

Eli Pannell is an interesting case.  A backup at Wartburg for most of his career, he transferred to Dubuque for his final season.  Owns a 53 second fall over Linahon. 

Lastly, if 197 lbs has a bracket buster, I predict for it to be Augustana's (ILL) Josh Badger. A tough wrestler who despite being unranked was runner-up at the Pete Willson Invitational. 

HWT 

For many reasons, HWT in the Lower Midwest Regional is a very interesting weight class.  I can see a lot going down here & possible chaos erupting. 

Robby Bates of North Central was 6th in the D3 nation in '22, but failed to make a return trip to the national tournament when he slipped to 5th place here in the Regional last season.  How he's poised and determined to walk out of Cedar Rapids holding a gold medal & a bracket sheet.  Four victories of Damari Dancy of Coe (3-1, 6:18 fall, 7-5 & 4-2 s.v.), he's defeated Ka'Ron Lewis of Ozarks three times (6-3, 1-0 & 16-2). 

Truth to be known, Mitch Williamson of Wartburg hasn't hardly wrestled at all this season.  Yet a lot of weight (pardon the pun) is being placed on the fact that he took #1 Tyler Kim of Augsburg to a 2-1 tiebreaker decision.  

Dancy, a former Knight of Wartburg himself, was 6th in the Lower Midwest Regional last year.  11-1 on the season, he has already proven than he can beat Bates with an 8-4 decision. 

In the many surprises of the '22-'23 season, I think what shocked me most in NCAA Division III wrestling was Ka'Ron Lewis failing to place at last year's Midwest Regional.  As far as I'm concerned he is an AA candidate & he didn't even make top 8 in the Regional last year.  Just goes to show you how insanely tough these Regionals can be.  I don't think that'll be a problem this year.  He's 14-1 on the year & he was 6th at Pete Willson. 

Now here comes the possible Darkhorses....

Cullen Quick isn't having anywhere near the kind of season that I thought he would. I really thought that he might take D3 wrestling by storm this season & instead he's just one win above .500.  With that said, I still know the kind of danger he can threaten, if he's wrestling at his best.   A 4-2 win over Bates, he's defeated Dancy twice (3-2 & 8-1). 


The other guy to watch for here as a possible bracket buster is Josh Woodrey of Augustana (ILL).  Why he's not ranked, I have no idea.  20-2 on the year, he was 3rd at Pete Willson.  He also has both a 3-1 win over Bates & a 2-0 win over Lewis. 

So as you can tell on the mat, HWT could turn out to be far more exciting than what it is on paper.