We have a great dual in NCAA Division II coming up this Saturday between the #7 Augustana (SD) Vikings and the #4 UW-Parkside Rangers. Five matches in particular stick out as "Must see" action in this battle between two D2 powerhouses.
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| #1 Jaxson Rohman Vs #4 Shane Corrigan 125 |
Ooh, is this going to be a good one! I said in my preseason previews that two time NCAA DII finalist Jaxson Rohman was going to have an assortment of talent looking to knock him off this season & right here, right now is one of his top challengers. Shane Corrigan is a two time All American himself with finishes of 7th & 6th. These two are no strangers to one another. They've battled a total of five times on the mat, and each time has been a war. Rohman owns 9-7, 6-4 & 7-4 decisions, whereas Corrigan owns 8-5 & 9-6 s.v. decisions.
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| #6 Cael Larson Vs #4 Jalen Spuhler 149 |
Cael Larson finished one match shy of being an All American last season & one of the highlights of his junior year was that he defeated two-time All American Jalen Spuhler (4th & 6th in the D2 nation) twice last season by scores of 7-4 & 9-5. Can the Viking once again overcome the Ranger? It's said in sport that one of the toughest things anyone can do is defeat a really good opponent three times in a row. This will be a great match.
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| U.R. Connor Simmonds Vs #5 Ben Durocher 157 |
I noted last season & I said at the very beginning of this season that I felt that backing up Cael Larson at 149 lbs last season, Connor Simmonds was one of the best reserves in NCAA D2 wrestling. I think win or lose this weekend, he resembles that remark when he takes on Ben Durocher who finished NCAA D2 R12 last year. D2 has some sleepers and I believe Simmonds is one of them.
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| #7 Cade Mueller Vs #3 Reece Worachek 184 |
Define irony. On one side of the mat we have a three time NCAA D2 qualifier, one of the best wrestlers in NCAA D2 wrestling yet to earn All American honors. On the other side of the mat, we have a three time NCAA D2 All American with finishes of 8th-7th-4th. A wrestler looking to become a rare four time All American, who I believe has a shot at challenging two time D2 champ Ty McGeary.
This will be the rubber match between these two top talents of 184 lbs. Worachek owns a 4-2 decision, whereas Mueller owns a 3-2 tiebreaker. A victory for Mueller would hopefully boost the Vikings confidence and propel him to finally get over that hump & earn All American honors . A victory for Worachek would notch another high profile win on the Ranger's resume as he continues to hold his high ranking. An important match for both of these individuals.
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| #5 Max Ramberg Vs U.R. Chase Stegall 197 |
Might raise a few eyebrows on this one. That's fine. Go ahead and raise your eyebrows. Roll your eyes if you need to. I'm predicting this to be a really good match, because I believe it will be. I understand that we're talking about a wrestler that finished 6th in the D2 nation last year Vs a wrestler who didn't even place at Regions. That's not lost on me. However, I believe Chase Stegall is so much better than what he performed last season. So much better, and it was simply a case of a nightmare tournament. That's all. The last time these two met, Ramberg won a wild 5-4 match. I think once again we'll have ourselves a barnburner.
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