NCAA DII - SUPER REGION FIVE - (Sat March 1st)

 

I hope those participating in SUPER REGION FIVE are ready for an all out war, because that's exactly what it is going to be.  Every weight class features ranked wrestlers.  In fact, 9/10 weight classes feature at least three ranked wrestlers! I've heard many coaches say that it is easier for a wrestler to make All American honors at the NCAA DII tournament than it is to qualify for the NCAA DII tournament.  Just take a look at some of the talent in these weight classes & you'll easily see the truth in that sentiment. 

Featured today will be #1 St. Cloud State, #3 UW-Parkside, #8 Augustana (SD), #11 Mary & #17 Upper Iowa among many other talented teams.       

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 Two-time NCAA D2 runner-up Jaxson Rohman has yet to win a Region title, as he's been 3rd & 2nd in the past two.  However, he stuck rival Shane Corrigan at the 1:54 mark in a dual earlier this season. With that said, Corrigan is a two-time SUPER REGION V champion & he'll be looking to earn a third title.  He's also been 7th & 6th in the D2 nation.  Also in this bracket will be Conor Knopick, 3rd in the Region last year & R12 at the national tournament. He owns a 4-1 s.v. over Corrigan. 

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21-2 on the season Reece Barnhardt is looking to become both a four-time SUPER REGION V finalist (2nd-2nd-1st thus far) & a four-time NCAA D2 All American (4th-7th-4th).  With a 15-3 major over Matt Chi & a 2:09 fall over Beau Klingensmith, he is the favorite to win a title the weekend.  Matt Chi 27-4, has proven himself to be one of the best wrestlers in the D2 nation yet to make the national tournament.  He placed 4th in last year's Region.  Beau Klingensmith at 13-2, was a runner-up last year. 

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NCAA DII's most well known & famous (or in some cases infamous ;) ) figure, Cayden Henschel has but one thing left to do in his illustrious career.  Make All American status, and not only does he look to finish in the top 8 this year, he looks to finish at the very top.  With that said the Ranger will first need to look at winning SUPER REGION V on Saturday.  1st & 2nd the past two seasons in the Region, his biggest challenge will be from Sean Solis, who he defeated 5-4 earlier this year.  Solis is a transfer from North Dakota State and owns both a 4-2 & 4-1 win over Braydon Mogle, a strong candidate for the bronze medal. 

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It's one thing if you're a ranked wrestler and you're in a position to where you might not qualify for the NCAA D2 tournament.  It's a whole other, if you're a ranked wrestler, and it's going to be hard enough to even place top 6 within your own region!  Without a doubt 149 lbs, SUPER REGION V is the toughest bracket within all of the Regions! 

*NOTE* - Not sure what is up with Jalen Spuhler.  12-2 on the year, he's been 2nd & 3rd within the Region the past two seasons, as well as 4th & 6th in the D2 nation.  I don't think Easton Worachek would be beating him out for the starting spot, but Worachek is the one with the ranking.  

Cael Larson is our likely *1 seed here.  A SUPER REGION V runner-up last year & one match shy of D2 All American honors.  For whatever it's worth, he owns a 4-3 decision over Spuhler. 

18-3 on the season, Wyatt Turnquist has thus far been 3rd-3rd-5th within the Region.  He had an outstanding run at the 2023 NCAA DII championships where he pinned his way to a 3rd place finish.  Thus far this year he owns a 1-0 decision over Worachek, a 3-0 decision over Larson, and 9-0 major over Walker Bents. 

Ethen Doty with 25 wins on the season, was 4th in the Region last year.  He owns both a 15-0 tech & a 10-6 decision over Bents. 

Woracheck is 20-7 on the year.

Colby Njoys was a SUPER REGION V champion last year & 3rd in the D2 nation.  He owns a 1-0 decision over Bents, a 2-1 decision over Woracheck, a 4-3 decision over Larson & a 1-0 decision over Turnquist. 

Bents is a North Dakota State transfer. 

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19-0 on the season, Iowa transfer Joel Jesuroga is having an outstanding year. He owns a 5-1 decision over Ben DeRocher, a 14-3 major over Connor Simmonds & both a 4-2 & a 4-1 s.v. over Caleb Meunier.

Simmonds, probably the highest ranked wrestler ever with a .500 record, owns a 7-2 decision over DeRocher.

DeRocher, 27-6 on the year, has been 5th-4th-3rd in the region thus far & was a match shy of D2 All American honors last year.  He owns a 7-1 decision over Meunier. 

Meunier, who could be the "stealer" within this group of talent, is 25-6 on the year.  Owns a 6-3 decision over Simmonds. 

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1st & 2nd within the D2 nation & a two-time SUPER REGION V champion, Nick Novak might not score a lot in his matches, but what he does do, is win.  Has defeated Dajun Johnson by scores of 8-1 & 4-1 s.v.  He also owns a 2-0 decision over Kole Marko, a 5-0 decision over Peyton Handevidt & a 6-3 decision over Leo Mushinsky. 

Johnson, a Northern Iowa transfer, is 26-5 on the year. Owns both an 11-2 major over Marko, as well as 4-2 & 7-6 decisions over Handevidt.

Marko has thus far been 4th & 5th within the Region. 

Two plausible "thieves" in this bracket.  Handevidt owns an 11-5 decision over Marko, as well as a 4-1 decision over Leo Mushinsky.  Mushinsky, a 2022 NCAA DII R12'er, owns a 4-2 decision over Handevidt. 

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18-3 on the season, Bryce Dagel has been wrestling exceptionally well thus far in '24-'25.  Owns an 8-2 decision over Lawson Losee, and an 8-5 decision over Drake Hayward. 

Losee, is 22-9 on the year. 6th in the SUPER REGION V last year, he owns a 14-6 major over Hayward.  Hayward is 22-5 in his own right, and owns both a 4-1 decision over Dagel & a 14-3 major over Losee.  Will be fun to see what happens in the Losee Vs Hayward rematch, should that happen. 

Also wanna say that Brady Schuh will be a threat to qualification.  Injuries have unfortunately taken their shot at the Ranger this season, otherwise, I think he too would be ranked.  Was 4th in the Region last year. 

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27-3, Reece Worachek has the opportunity to cement himself in history as both a four-time SUPER REGION V finalist (2nd-1st-1st thus far) & a four-time NCAA D2 All American (8th-7th-4th).  The Ranger owns both a 4-3 decison over Colter Bye & an 8-6 decision over Bryce Fitzpatrick. 

Bye, an NCAA D2 8th place All American in 2023, was the Region runner-up that season, but finished 4th in the Region a year ago.  He'll look to reclaim his status this weekend. 

Fitzpatick was 3rd in the Region last year & 8th in the D2 nation. 

Do we have a thief among the three All Americans?  Absolutely we do.  Cade Mueller is no stranger to success, and he himself is a three-time NCAA D2 qualifier with Region finishes of 1st-3rd-2nd.  Owns a 4-1 s.v. over Worachek & a 3-0 over Fitzpatrick. 

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Another freakin' insane weight class.  Way tougher & way more competitive than ranking suggest.  The # next to your name may get the better *, but it isn't going to necessarily keep you safe.  Not in this bracket, not with this amount of talent. 

Two-time SUPER REGION V champ & two-time NCAA D2 All American (4th & 5th) Dom Murphy is currently 20-0 on the season.  Owns both a 3:46 fall & an 8-3 decision over Chase Stegall. Also owns an 8-1 decision over Matt Kaylor & an 8-4 decision over Max Ramberg. 

Ramberg is 28-4 on the year.  4th & 3rd thus far in the Region, he was 6th in the D2 nation a year ago.  Owns a 19-9 major over Stegall. 

Geoff Freeman, I spoke of at the end of last season as the best NJCAA wrestler in recent times to not make All American status. I said that I felt he could be a wrestler who came up short of top 8 finish within the NJCAA that was capable of earning a top 8 finish in a higher division of wrestling.  I'm standing by that statement, because I still believe that is a possibility.   He owns a 7-6 decision over Cannon Potts. 

Matt Kaylor is perhaps the best wrestler at 197 who isn't currently ranked.  A two-time NCAA D2 qualifier he's been 3rd-3rd-5th within the region.  He was also 5th in the D2 nation two seasons ago. 

Stegall, while inconsistent, is still a threat to qualification.  A qualifier in 2022, he owns an 8-3 decision over Kaylor & an 8-3 decision over Potts. 

Potts, 4th in the Region last year, owns a 5-4 decision over Stegall. 

HWT

Looking over all of SUPER REGION V, I just cannot believe the massive amount of talent this Region produces.  It's unreal.  Hate to say it, but there is just no way around it.  A lot of really good wrestlers, as in All American caliber wrestlers are going to be staying home this year.  It goes to show just how freakin' good you have to be to make it to the national tournament. 

La'Ron Parks, a three-time NCAA DII qualifier & 4th place All American is looking to make a fourth trip to the national tournament & looks to do so by winning a title this weekend.  Owns a 9-5 decision over Lloyd Reynolds, a 4-1 decision over Luke Tweeton, a 2-1 decision over Jake Swirple & a 7-2 decision over Clay Ours. 

Reynolds is 22-8 on the season.  A region Runner-up last season, he owns a 2-1 tiebreaker over Parks.  He also owns a 2-1 tiebreaker over Jake Swirple, as well as a 7-5 decision over Ours & a 5-1 decision over Tweeton. 

Swirple was 8th in the D2 nation in 2023, with 3rd & 4th place finishes within the Region. A very impressive 13-2 major over Tweeton, he owns an 8-2 decision over Nathan Schauer.  Ours owns a 12-6 decision over Schauer. 

Schauer the unranked who could possibly steal a spot, has a very impressive 14-4 victory over Reynolds.