NCAA Division II Wrestling - SUPER REGION ONE - Preview (Saturday March 1st)

 

Hosted by Fairmont State, SUPER REGION ONE will feature both #18 Pittsburgh-Johnstown & #20 Kutztown.  A reminder that like NCAA DIII wrestling, DII Regions only qualify the top three per weight class to the national tournament.  There will be some great wrestling in Super Region I. 

Hate to also remind you of this, but unless things change for the better this will also be the final Region tournament for American International as they are discontinuing their wrestling program at the end of this season.  

Here are the wrestlers I think contend for qualification this weekend. 

125

A two-time Super Region II champion & 7th in the D2 nation last season, Trevon Gray is an obvious favorite to win the title again this tournament.  However, look for Logan Sallot a transfer from Lock Haven to give him a run for his money.  19-5 on the season, he gave Gray a tough 5-4 match earlier this season.  As to our bronze medalist, I see Bryce Beatty, who was 4th in the Region last season taking that third place spot. 

133

19-3 on the season, Jerry Echevarria was 3rd in Super Region I last year & 5th in the D2 nation.  He'll be challenged by Taylor Robinson a transfer from Mount Olive who qualified for the NCAA DII championships in 2023.  Javien DeLeon 14-4 is a strong candidate for the bronze medal and was 5th in the Region a year ago.  I'm not sure if Thierno Diallo will be wrestling or not, but if he is, he is for sure a candidate for qualification.  I'd even say one to win the title.  A Super Region I runner-up, he was also 8th in the D2 nation last year. 

141

The Fighting Falcons will be looking to crown a Super Region I champion as host this tournament, and I say they crown one at 141 lbs.  25-3 on the season, thus far Colton Stoneking has been 5th & 3rd in the Region.  As to our silver & bronze medalists, I think we have a battle between Mason Myers & Brock Christian.  Myers a Super Region I runner-up last season, owns a 5-0 decision over Christian.  Christian owns an 11-6 decision over him.   

149

Not sure about bronze, but as to the battle for gold, I see a final between Army transfer Kenny Kiser & Jimmy Ryan.  Ryan, has had quite the career as well.  Started off at Long Island University, then transferred to Buffalo.  Then transferred to Gannon & now at Kutztown.  Thus far he has been 2nd & 3rd in the Region. 

157

Got a good group of wrestlers here going for NCAA D2 qualification.  Cooper Warshel won a Super Region I title last year, as Ethan Richner took runner-up honors.  Tommy Nichols trying to give A.I. a qualifier in their last year of competing, was a qualifier in 2023.  We also have Ali Alicea, who was 5th in the Region last season.  Warshel has a 4-1 decision over Alicea, as Richner pinned Alicea at the 6:41 mark.  Nichols has a 8-3 decision over Richner & Alicea owns a 13-1 major over Nichols. 

165

Bailey Gimbor was 3rd in Super Region I last year & 8th in the D2 nation.  He looks to be the favorite to win this year's title.  He owns both a 3-1 & a 6-3 decision over Gavyn Beck, a wrestler I believe will contend for qualification status in his own right.  Nick Delp, a transfer from Bucknell owns a 8-2 decision over Beck.  Ironically enough, although Delp is unranked, he did have notable wins while competing for the Bison.  Among those W's, NCAA DI qualifiers Nick Palumbo & Philip Conigliaro. 

174

Have war here at 174 to determine our champion.  Patrick Jackson, a transfer of Lock Haven is one of the candidates. Owns a 9-4 decision over Dalton Gimbor.  Gimbor has thus far been 3rd & 2nd in the Super Region I & was one match shy of All American status last year.  He owns a 9-5 decision over Jackson.  Our other candidate is Owen Butler, 17-2 on the year, a NCAA DII qualifier in 2023. 

#2
Matt Weinberg
Kutztown
184

Not sure who to pick for silver and bronze, but gold is an easy pick.  22-0 on the season thus far Matt Weinberg has been 2nd & 1st within the Region & 4th & 2nd in the D2 nation. 

197

I believe this will be our final at 197 lbs.  20-0 on the season, Dakoda Rodgers has been 5th-3rd-1st in the Super Region I thus far & will be looking to become a four-time place-winner & two-time champion.  He was also 7th at last year's D2 championships.  Wayne McIntyre is 16-3 on the year, and took 3rd at last year's Region. 

HWT

Tough bracket here at HWT.  Isaiah Vance is a two-time Super Region I finalist, winning the title last year.  He owns both a 5:31 fall & a 1-0 decision over Layton Schmick.  Dorian Crosby, a two-time NCAA DI qualifier for Bucknell, is 18-3 on the season.  Schmick with 21 wins, took 3rd at the Region last season. 

NCAA DIII - REGIONAL SEVEN - Preview (Fri Feb 28th & Sat March 1st)

 

Another super tough Regional within NCAA Division III wrestling.  Hosted by #4 Augsburg, we also have #2 UW-La Crosse & #5 UW-Eau Claire plus many other teams who will be going to war to try and send as many wrestlers as they can to the D3 championships.   Some of these brackets are insane.   It absolutely floors me the quantity of quality talent that will not be going to nationals this year simply because the numbers don't allow it.  D3 wrestling is insanely tough.   I've done my best to narrow it down to who I think contends for qualification this tournament. 

125

19-3 on the season, Izzy Balsiger was an Upper Midwest Regional champion last year & will look to win a title at the first ever Regional Seven.  On his side will be the fact that he already owns two victories, 12-7 & 12-5 over likely finals opponent Quintin Wolbert.   Also look for Wyatt Kaczrowski, who was 3rd at last year's Upper Midwest Regional & R12 at the D3's to earn qualification. 

133

Not feeling a silver or bronze here at the moment, but I do have a strong feeling for the gold.  Believe our champion here will be Chance Suddeth.  23-6 on the year, Suddeth was a Upper Midwest Regional runner-up last season. 

141

Thus far Ty Bisek has been 4th-3rd-5th in the Upper Midwest Regional & he was 6th in the D3 nation in 2023.  20-0 on the season I think he wins his first Regional title & I say he once again contends for All American honors.  His biggest challenge this tournament is going to be Sam Lorenz.  Lorenz hasn't wrestled much this season, but was a bronze medalist at the Lower Midwest Regional last year. 

149

Blugold Zach Sato has thus far been 3rd-4th-2nd in the Upper Midwest Regional.  30-2 on the year & 5th in the D3 nation last season, he's a favorite to win a title this weekend.   

I'm anxious to see who the Auggies start this tournament.  Truth is, I think both Matt Randolph and Lucas Jagodzinskie are likely Regional Seven finalist.  Randolph is 24-2 on the season & Jagodzinskie is 22-4.  For what it is worth, Randolph owns official 5-2 & 10-1 victories over Jagodzinskie, and that will probably be the difference maker.  Sato owns a 3-1 decision over Randolph. 

157

Tyler Goebel is still ranked at 165 lbs, but he's been competing at 157 for quite some time now, and I'd bet that he's going 157 for Regional 7.  The Eagle was an NCAA DIII runner-up last season, and has thus far been 3rd & 1st within the Lower Midwest Regional.  

As to who his finals opponent will be?  Well some might look at this and say, "Otis is the one with the ranking, so duh!"  I don't think it is that simple.  Augsburg has a ton of talent at this weight class & I'm very anxious to see who gets the nod.   Yes, Karsen Otis is ranked #7, but trust me if it were Charlie Stuhl or Blake Jagodzinskie eligible for ranking, they'd be ranked just as high.  

Otis is 18-5, and what he has going for him most is a 6-4 win over Goebel.  That very well could be what earns him the spot this weekend.  He also owns a 3:52 fall & a 4-2 decision over Stuhl. 

Stuhl to remind you, is 21-2 on the season & he was 8th at the D3 championships two years ago & R12 last year.  Jagodzinskie was an Upper Midwest Regional runner-up last season & 5th in the D3 nation.   

IF that's not a testimony to have insane it is to even make a lineup, you tell me what is!  Imagine if D3 wrestling were like the NAIA & you could send more than one wrestler per weight! 

165

24-0 on the year and a back-to-back NCAA D3 5th place finisher, Cooper Willis has thus far been silver & bronze within the Upper Midwest Regional as he'll go for Regional Seven gold this weekend.  He owns 8-5, 2-0, & 9-3 decision over Tate Flege who I believe will be his finals opponent. 

174

3rd-1st-1st in the Upper Midwest Regional.  2nd-1st in the D3 nation.  35-0 on the year.  Yeah, our pick for a Regional Seven champ here at 174 lbs is Jared Stricker.  

To determine our silver medalist, I think we're looking at a good semi-final between Seth Goetzinger & Eddie Simes.  I'm almost positive our starter for the Eagles here will be Simes, but I had to throw in Leo Draveling's name just in case.  Draveling is a tough wrestler, owns a 19-4 tech over ranked Carson Trotzer.  

Getting back to Goetzinger Vs Simes.... Goetzinger is 18-3 on the year & owns back to back 7th place finishes at the D3 championships.  He's been 3rd & 2nd thus far in the Upper Midwest Regional.  He owns 4-3 & 5-1 decisions over Simes thus far & for what it is worth a 9-6 s.v. over Draveling. 

Simes is 25-8 on the year,  was one match shy of NCAA D3 qualification last year when he finished 4th at the Upper Midwest Regional.  Id' say a 9-7 decision & a 4-1 s.v. over Draveling is what will get him the starting spot this weekend.   Again, a showcase of the talent some teams have in their room. 

184

Three of the best D3 wrestlers in the nation here at 184 lbs, and sorry to say I just don't think anyone else in the bracket stands a chance.  Brand Bombard is currently 21-5 on the season & has looked very good.  Owns a 2-1 tiebreaker over Schoenfelder.   Marcus Orlandoni is 13-2 & was a Upper Midwest Regional runner-up last season.  He owns both a 4-2 decision over Bombard & a 4-1 sudden victory over Schoenfelder.  Schoenfelder was 3rd in both the Upper Midwest Regional and the D3 nation last year.  

So I can't tell you who finishes gold, who finishes silver and who finishes bronze, but I can tell you with confidence these are the three men collecting those medals. 

197

Things will be interesting here at 197.  Parker Venz a two-time Upper Midwest Regional bronze medalist was 7th in the D3 nation last season.   Ben Kawzynski was 8th in the D3 nation & 2nd at the Upper Midwest Regional.  He owns a 16-2 major over Venz this year, despite losing his final match to him last year. 

Here's what is even more peculiar.  Kawcynski has wrestled Ian Pepple twice this season.  Kawczynski owns a 12-0 major, but more recently Pepple pulled off an 11-3 major over him! 

The other candidate in this bracket? Jacob Badger.  The Viking was 7th in last year's Lower Midwest Regional & he owns a 15-12 victory over Pepple. 

HWT

Two-time D3 All American Michael Douglas (8th & 2nd), has thus far had back-to-back runner-up finishes at the Upper Midwest Regional.  Standing at 18-1, he's a clear favorite to earn gold this weekend.  Finals opponent looks to be a good semi between Josh Woodrey and Tyler Raway.  Woodrey was one match shy of NCAA DIII qualification last season & despite being unranked, Raway took Douglas into overtime earlier this season. 

JT#1 The Fan in 2024-2025

 Didn't attend as many live wrestling events as I would have liked to have, but I did attend quite a few.  Have some really good things that could happen between now and next season, and if they do, I'll double or even triple the number of college wrestling events I attend next year.   Thought it'd be fun to remember the '24-'25 season in photos. 

My first dual of the season was a NCAA DIII dual between MSOE & Augustana (ILL).  I enjoy the hour drive to Rock Island.  We have friends in Davenport we like to stop and see, and can make a pretty fun day out of going to watch the Vikings wrestle.  This was a good dual meet full of some great action.  Found out one of the MSOE wrestler's fathers follows me on Twitter.  That was pretty cool. 

My next dual meet was Stanford at Iowa.  A great dual between two great NCAA DI teams.  Had a dish of the Hawkeyes' famous raspberry ice-cream (like I needed it, right?) and ran into one of my all time favorite Hawkeye wrestlers, 1997 NCAA champion Jesse Whitmer!  Made sure to tweet to the worthless Bernard Muir that I saw plenty of Stanford wrestling fans travel all the way from California to watch their Cardinal battle the Hawkeyes! 

Next we went and saw the Iowa Women dominate against both William Jewell & Cornell (IA).  We really enjoy watching the women & hope to get to more women's matches next season.  This year our schedules just did not match up very well.  Hopefully that is different next year. 

Post the dual, we later ran into Coach Boston Jacobs at the Hu Hot in Coralville.  Very happy to meet him.  Nice man.  Hope to see the lady Rams have more success in the future. 

Iowa Vs Iowa State was the next dual I attended.  Phone wasn't working real great this particular day, so didn't take many pictures.  As it always is though, the crowd was electric & it was a great set of 10 matches in the Hawkeyes Vs Cyclones rivalry.  

My first dual of the season at UNI was against South Dakota State.  This particular meet was at the UNI-Dome.  If you've never experienced the UNI-Dome, I highly recommend it.  It's a magical place.  Some good wrestling this dual.  Always enjoy the 1 & a half drive up to Cedar Falls to watch Panther wrestling. 

 Nebraska Wesleyan @ Dubuque was my next dual meet of the season.  I'd never been to a dual at Dubuque before & Ashley (my girlfriend) has never been to the city of Dubuque.  So, it was sort of a first for both of us.  I was a little annoyed at the fact that the dual started a good 10-15 minutes before the start time.  We missed the 125 lbs match & came in about half way through the 133 lbs match.   Normally I'm the type that's a good hour (if not more) early for events because of this very reason.  The problem here was, Ashley wanted to go with me & by the time she got off work, it was going to be a "get there right on time" situation.  

No bother, this was still a fun dual.  Enthusiastic Spartan fans.  I really, really liked the referee for this dual.  He was a no-nonsense kind of guy.  He was very fair, but very strict.  Laid down the law.  I enjoy those types of officials. 

I tell you what.  Northern Iowa doesn't get anywhere near the credit it deserves for the massive fanbase that it has.  We hear a lot in the media about Hawkeye fans & Cyclone fans, but we don't hear as much about Panther fans.  You're talking to a guy that supports all three programs, and I can tell you the Panther wrestling fans are every bit as electric and pumped as are the Hawkeye and Cyclone.  This dual at the McCleod Center Vs Nebraska was packed. The fans were on their feet & they were yelling and screaming the entire dual.  It was a lot of fun.  

Always love going to St Ambrose to watch from Fighting Bee wrestling.  Coach Bo Bettinson is one of my absolute favorite coaches in collegiate wrestling today & it is always an honor and a privilege to run into him.  They wrestled Waldorf this night, with some really good matches on the card.  Love the environment & atmosphere that Bettinson has created at St. Ambrose.  His team is a truly a team & everyone of his guys cheers for their teammates.  It's a cool place. 

It's about a 2 1/2 hour drive to Dekalb, Illinois, so as soon as the St Ambrose Vs Waldorf meet was over, we jumped into the car & headed up to Dekalb.  I had been to Dekalb once many years ago, but it was quick up and there and back trip so I didn't see much of the city.   This time we spent the night at a hotel & drove around both the city and the University checking it out.  A small town for a DI school.  

I really hope that the MAC championships will come back to Northern Illinois soon.  I'm definitely going the next time the Huskies host.  

On this particular day the Huskies hosted the Purdue Boilermakers.  No t-shirts, but posters, foam fingers, and other novelties were being given away as you walked in.  I think more schools should do this.  I thought I took more pictures here than what I did.   

Back to St Ambrose for a dual Vs Southeast CC.  I've been wanting to see Southeast CC live in action for a long time, but the 5 hour drive is a little far for me.   Thankfully, they came to Davenport and I got an opportunity to see them.   Got to run into Coach Terry Pack, another favorite of mine & pick up some SECC wrestling gear.   Great dual meet & went to dinner with a good friend of ours after the dual was over. 

Never been up to Platteville, Wisconsin before.  Reminds me a lot of a town I grew up near, Oskaloosa, Iowa.   This was a fun dual meet, one of the many I drug Ashley to this season.  Trust me, I'm going to make up for it.  I'm taking her to a BIG TIME RUSH concert later this year, my ears are already thinking of leaving my head.   

This dual meet was between the Pioneers & the UW-Whitewater Warhawks.  UW-WW showed their dominance, but the Pioneers put up a good fight in many of the matches.  I again really enjoyed the officiating of this match.  Officiating is one of the hardest jobs in collegiate wrestling, and it is rarely thanked.  I actually got an opportunity to thank the referee for a job well done, and I did. 

It was a little over a two hour drive down to Quincy, Illinois to watch the Hawks do battle with the Indianapolis Greyhounds.  A different experience than what I'm used to.  Here we sat in folding chairs to watch the action.  We were right next to the mat.  Like literally, could stretch your feet out and touch the mat with the end of your shoes.  It was fun to be that close.    Had an opportunity after the meet to get a quick picture with one of DII's best  NCAA D2 champ Derek Blubaugh. 

Drove 2 hours to Des Moines and made an entire weekend out of it.  Went to a dual featuring Grand View, St Ambrose, Williams Woods & Missouri Baptist.  Lots of good wrestling.  Got to stop and say hi to Aden Reeves, my favorite NAIA wrestler.  Reeves great Aunt dated my Grandpa Harry for 10 years.  Thought of him as family when he was a baby, and a part of me still does even though my Grandpa and his aunt haven't been together for many years.  Is always a pleasure running into him.  Really hope to see him win the NAIA title this year. 

Also got to run into Coach Bettinson again too.  Love talking wrestling with him.  Always a pleasure to get to do so. 

While in Des Moines we went out with my best friend Joel and had a few drinks.  I've taken Ashley to many Hawkeye events over the course of the year.  Truth is, she grew up a Cyclone fan.  So of course we had to hit at least one Cyclone meet.  This one was against the Panthers of Pittsburgh.   Again a very fun dual meet. 

Bittersweet moment for me as the Oklahoma State Vs Iowa dual was the last of the year for me.  I'll be watching more wrestling via television & internet streaming, but this is the last live wrestling I'll see this season.  (Small chance I may go up and watch day two of Regional 6 at Coe, but I've already got plans for that day that I promised I'd attend.)  

What a way to go out though.  Tremendous wrestling between two of the best teams in NCAA DI wrestling.  On top of it, got to run into Coach Al Chapman, one of my favorite people in all of wrestling.  If JT#1 isn't college wrestling's #1 fan, then Al Chapman is! 

====

So that's it for me.   15 college wrestling events this year.   Not great, but not bad.   As I said at the beginning, I'm hoping for double that number next season, but certain things need to happen in my life in order for that to be a reality. 

I've got a new computer, a new camera, a new video camera & I've taught Ashley quite a bit about wrestling.  I want to get a headset and microphone & I want to look into doing more actual coverage of wrestling next year.  Of course, again it depends on other factors happening in my life. 

My other thought here is....I sure as Hell ain't winning any beauty contest! That's for sure. 

NCAA DIII - REGIONAL SIX Preview - (Fri Feb 28th & Sat March 1st)

 

 
Hosted by #25 Coe, Regional Six will also feature #1 Wartburg, #8 Loras & #17 Luther among many other teams looking to send wrestlers to the NCAA Division III wrestling tournament.  Each bracket will feature ranked wrestlers, and many of them at least three, if not more.  We're talking a very tough Regional, and by the end of it, many good wrestlers will be staying home.   

125

Speaking of staying home, that's what James Levy has done the past two Lower Midwest Regionals with "right there" finishes of 5th & 4th. He doesn't look to be staying home this year though, he looks to be packed and ready to for flight to Providence, Rhode Island!   Looking to join him in my estimation will be Connor Fiser & Brayden Parke.  Fiser owns 18 wins on the season, including a 16-5 major over Parke. Parke is 20-5 on the year, some odd losses, but wrestling in Cedar Rapids in front of a home crowd of screaming Kohawk fans I believe will make the difference. 

133

A tough bracket, I think we 're looking at a probable final between Josh Gervey, and home crowd favorite Bryce Parke.  Parke a two-time NCAA DIII qualifier with back to back 3rd place finishes at the Lower Midwest Regional, recently defeated Gervey in a 10-9 tiebreaker. He also owns a 12-1 major over Aiden Evans & an 11-5 dec over Eli Sneed.  Evans himself owns a 9-6 decision over Gervey & Sneed owns a 7-4 decision over Evans. 

Want to add in that while Trevor Hedges is currently hurt & probably not going to be wrestling this tournament, if he were healthy & a go, he'd be a part of the conversation. 

141

Not sure who we'll see in that third place, bronze medal spot, but I'm pretty positive we're going to see a final over Kyler Romero Vs Pierre Baldwin.  Romero is 22-1 on the season, a Lower Midwest Regional Champion last year & 5th in the D3 nation.  Baldwin, 18-1 on the year was a runner-up at the Lower Midwest Regional last year & one match shy of D3 All American honors. 

149

Got a tough one here at 149 lbs.  Obvious favorite is Charlie Dojan, a Lower Midwest Regional runner-up last season who took 3rd in the D3 nation last year.  His finals opponent looks to be the winner of a probable semi-final between Chase Fiser & Duncan Delzell.  Fiser is 18-4 on the year, with a nice 10-3 win over Landon Card.  Delzell hasn't wrestled much at all this season, but has impressed the ranking committee enough to earn a #13 ranking.  Card has a 28-4 record, and a 4-2 win over Dresden Grimm.  Grimm 18 wins on the season, owns a 14-12 decision over Fiser. 

157

Three ranked wrestlers, and all three All-American candidates, you'd think the story here would be an open and shut case.  However, I'm not sold.  There's one non-ranked wrestler that will be in this bracket that I think could potentially make some noise.  

Blain Christie 17-5 on the season, owns victories over all of the other three candidates. 3-2 over Clayton McDonough, 10-7 s.v. over Eric Kinkaid & a 9-7 decision over Carter Martinson. 

McDonough, 3rd in the Lower Midwest Regional last year, and 4th in the D3 nation.  25-5 on the year, he owns a 6-1 decision over Martinson. 

Kinkaid, 18-3 on the year, competed at 149 last year, he was 4th in the D3 nation himself, and owns Lower Midwest Regional finishes of 3rd & 1st. Kinkaid owns a 4-0 decision over Christie. 

Martinson an Iowa transfer, stands at 17-3. He owns an 8-4 decision over Kinkaid. 

165

Another bracket with three ranked wrestlers & a Martinson who could spoil the plans on paper.  Dustin Bohren 3rd in the Lower Midwest Regional last year & 7th in the D3 nation leads the way.  19-5 on the season, he owns a 4-0 decision over Bryce McDonough.   Aiden Brosinski, one match shy of D3 All American honors in 2023, owns a 6-1 decision over McDonough.    

McDonough 18-6 on the year, is one of the best wrestlers yet to make the NCAA DIII tournament.  He's been 5th & 4th thus far in the Lower Midwest Regional.  

Martinson, who like his brother Carter is an Iowa transfer, is 12-2 on the year.  Owns an 11-4 decision over McDonough. 

Then we have Kale Roth.  A wrestler like Roth makes the life of anyone who is trying to make predictions a living nightmare.  11-11 on the year, you never know what you're going to get with a guy like Roth.  Yet the Spartan owns both an 8-2 decision over Martinson & an 11-8 decision over Brosinski.  Results like that, cannot be ignored. 

174

16-0 on the year & a Lower Midwest Regional champion last year, I believe our first ever Regional Six 174 lbs champ is likely to be Zeb Gnida.  He was also 3rd in the D3 nation last year & owns a 4-2 decision over L.J. Richardson. 

Richardson, 18-3 on the year, was a Lower Midwest Regional runner-up in 2023, earning 6th place D3 All American honors.  Last year, he was one match shy of NCAA DIII qualification.  

Our other candidate for a top three finish here is Matt Rogge. 

184

I said there would be some really good wrestlers here in Regional Six that wouldn't be going to the NCAA DIII tournament, and I meant it.  When there are only 21 available slots and 125 guys in total going for those spots, that's bound to happen.  Here at 184 lbs, we have four very talented wrestlers & only three of them are headed to Providence. 

Kasey Ross, 22-1, is a favorite to win.  He was a Lower Midwest Regional champion last yeaar, and owns both a 4-1 decision over Jared Voss & a 14-6 major over Sam West. 

Voss, has been 3rd & 5th thus far in the Lower Midwest Regional.  He is 19-3 on the year, and owns an 11-2 decision over West. 

Cael McLaren was a Lower Midwest Regional runner-up last year, and owns three 4-1 decisions over West. 

West was 6th in the Lower Midwest Regional last year. 

197

The sun will rise, the moon will rotate around the Earth, the Earth will rotate around the sun, and Massoma Endene will be our champion here at 197 lbs.  Already a two-time Lower Midwest Regional champion & a two-time NCAA D3 champion, he's collecting more gold this weekend.   As to who his finals opponent will be?  Looks to be an outstanding match between Matt Arsenault & Treyten Steffen.  Arsenault was 4th at the Lower Midwest Regional last season & Steffen has finishes of 7th & 5th thus far in the Lower Midwest Regional.  The last the two met, Steffen won a 6-5 decision. 

HWT

Some of these Regional brackets have no business being anywhere near as tough as they are, yet here we are.  HWT features four ranked wrestlers, and all four are All-American candidates!  Yet one of them (maybe more) will not being going to the NCAA DIII championships.  

Walter West has been having one heck of a season. 15-1 on the year, he was 3rd at the Lower Midwest Regional, and 7th in the D3 nation last season.   Mitch Williamson is currently undefeated standing at 14-0.  He was 2nd in the Lower Midwest Regional last year & one match shy of D3 All American honors.  He owns a 2-1 decision over Justin Matson. 

Matson himself is 19-2 on the year, and was 7th at the Lower Midwest Regional last year. 

We also have Jacob Kaminski, who owns a 4:30 fall over Matson.

Last but not least, it wouldn't seem with four ranked wrestlers anyone else would stand a shot, bust Austin Cooley does.  22-1 on the year, he owns a 9-1 major decision over Kaminski. 

NCAA DIII - REGIONAL FIVE - Preview (Friday Feb 28th - Saturday March 1st)

 

Holy cow, what a tough Regional, Regional Five will be! 18 teams in total, a mixture of the Lower Midwest Regional, The Upper Midwest Regional & the Central Regional.  We have #11 UW-Whitewater, #13 North Central & #19 Wabash.  Every weight class will feature at least one ranked wrestler, many of them even more.   You want to get out of here with a gold, silver or bronze medal, you better be prepared to be at 100% and wrestle at 100%.  Physically and mentally, any less %, won't suffice. 

125

26-0, a two-time Lower Midwest Regional champion & thus far 2nd & 3rd in the NCAA D3 nation, I think we have a safe bet in Christian Guzman.  I'd also say, at 21-3, an Upper Midwest Regional champion & one match shy of being a D3 All American himself, we have another in Jalen Dunson. 

Ben Kamali is my pick for the bronze here, and I'll say this about the Comet.  He has had a journey of a career.  Albion, trying his hand in DI at Virginia, I say the destination ends on a high note of NCAA DIII qualification as he enters the tournament with a 23-1 record. 

133

There ought to be a law against having this much talent in one bracket.  I mean this is insane.  Five ranked wrestlers + another wrestler who would for sure be ranked if D3 rankings went to 25, or in Rustad's case, even top 20.  This is a very loaded bracket, and again, only three of these standouts are heading to Providence. 

Two-time Upper Midwest Regional champion Dom Mallinder looks to be one of them.  6th in the D3 nation last year, the Warhawk is 17-2 on the season.  Owns a 15-3 major over Julian Valtierrez & a 15-9 decision over Coby Haney. 

James Day was 3rd in the D3 nation last season & has 2nd-3rd place finishes with the Central Regional.  He currently carries a record of 30-4. 

Coby Haney, 24-3 on the season has thus far been 7th & 6th in the Lower Midwest Regional.  Seems to have Art  Martinez's # with 12-0 & 7-0 victories. 

Valtierrez has been a backup the past two seasons (one of the best in the D3 nation) and he has a shot in his final year of competition to make the NCAA DIII tournament. 

Martinez has been a nosehair's length from qualification in the past, with 5th & 4th place finishes in the Central Regional.  He has 36 wins this season, many quite impressive. 

Last by certainly not least, we also have Jackson Rustad.  He'd have to pull out some mighty impressive upsets to be top three by the end of this weekend, but I wouldn't rule it out.  6th in the Upper Midwest Regional last year, he owns an 8-6 victory over Martinez. 

141 lbs

Another tough bracket full of many qualifier candidates to take those top three spots.  Evan Onstad a tough sophomore with 27 wins, could likely get the *1 seed.  Bradley Rosen, 15-2 has been NCAA D3 R12 in the past & has won a Lower Midwest Regional title.  He owns a 7-5 s.v. over Dylan Phelps. 

Desmond Diggs  has Central Regional finishes of 3rd & 2nd, and was 8th in the D3 nation last season.  He currently stands 23-6.  Phelps, 24-6, was an NCAA DIII qualifier last year with a 3rd place finish at the Central Regional.  Another candidate, Sean Conway owns a 6-5 decision over Phelps among other victories of note. 

149

3rd-2nd-3rd in the Central Regional, the favorite here to win a Regional Five title at 149 lbs is Daniel Uribe.  The Little Giant was one match shy of being a D3 All American last year.   As to silver & bronze?  I think we'll see a great match between Tyler Herrema & Jalin Conner in the semi-finals.  Both Herrema & Conner were one match shy of D3 qualification last year.  Herrema 4th at the Central Regional & Conner 4th at the Upper Midwest Regional.  Whoever comes up short here, should come back to take 3rd. 

157

We have three ranked wrestlers here at 157 lbs, and all three of them are within the top 10.  It seems like an open and shut case, but it isn't.  We have two other wrestlers in this bracket, very capable of stealing a spot.  Aiden Smith a former DI wrestler of Northern Illinois is currently 21-1 on the season.  He owns an 11-2 major decision over Tim Smith. Tim Smith, a Central Regional champion last year & one match shy of D3 All American honors, owns a 12-3 major over Rhenzo Augusto. 

Jermaine Butler, was also one match shy of D3 All American honors last season & was 3rd in the Upper Midwest Regional.  Augusto is currently 29-2 on the season, with an 8-3 decision over Jermaine Butler & a 4-2 decision over Darian Estevez.  Estevez was a D3 All American back in 2022, with an 8th place finish.   

We're going to see two good semi-finals in this bracket, two good consolation semis, a great consolation final & a great final.  A lot on the line to determine our top three. 

165

One match shy of NCAA DIII qualification last season, Brayden Peet looks to try and win a Regional Five title this weekend.  16 wins on the season, owns a tight 4-3 decision over likely finals opponent Alex Villar.  Villar himself was 4th in the D3 nation back in '22, and has since finished one match shy of All American honors in '23 & '24.  Standing at 20-5 on the year,  he's been 3rd & 2nd at the last two Lower Midwest Regionals.   My pick for bronze here is Joey Jens.  I realize he has that ugly 14-4 loss to Austin Martin, but consider it to have been a very off day as he defeated Martin on two other occasions this year 9-4 & 4-2. 

174

I'm not sure what to say as far as bronze is concerned, but what I can tell you is that the likely finals match here at 174 is going to be very good.  We have Dejon Glaster 26-2, who was 3rd at the Lower Midwest Regional & 6th in the D3 nation last year.   Javen Estrada 15-3, is currently carrying a huge chip on his shoulder & I think we see him get the monkey off his back the remainder of the year.  Twice a Lower Midwest Regional runner-up & a runner-up at the 2023 NCAA DIII national tournament, he was 4th at the Lower Midwest Regional last season.   Redemption anyone? 

184

5th-7th-5th in the Lower Midwest Regional, Payton Geigner has yet to make it to the NCAA DIII championships, but I say he not only achieves that goal this weekend, he achieves it in style. He's currently 26-3 on the season.  Here to challenge him will be Blake Williams, a Central Regional runner-up with a 23-4 record.  Look for Owen McDaniel, 5th in the Central Regional last year to also contend for qualification honors. 

197

The obvious favorite for gold here is Charles Baczek.  20-2 on the season a two-time Central Regional champion, with D3 All American finishes of 6th & 7th.   

Silver & Bronze?  That's a whole other story.  I think it'll be absolute chaos between four talented wrestlers to determine who takes up those other two qualification spots.  Casey Aikman is 22-6 on the year, with a very impressive 8-7 decision over Baczek.  Gunnar Garriques is 12-3, finished 5th in the Upper Midwest Regional last year.  Jesse Kanatzar with 19 wins on the season, was 4th at the Central Regional.  Then of course we have Jackson Punzel, an inconsistent wrestler who doesn't mind being the monkey wrench thrown into the bracket every once in a while. 

HWT

6th & 4th place finishes in the D3 nation & a Lower Midwest Regional champion last year, Robby Bates is a favorite to win the first ever Regional Five HWT title.  With that said, Mike D'Orazio is 9-0 on the year, and he owns a 2:01 fall over Bates.  Was it a fluke or is D'Orazio for real? We find out this weekend!   Also look for Cam'Ron Harper, 25 wins on the season to contend for NCAA DIII qualification.  He took Bates into the tiebreakers earlier this year, before ultimately losing 4-1.