The 2017 NCAA Wrestling Championships kick off on Thursday and 330 of the best wrestlers in the country will compete for 10 individual titles over the course of two days.
The Ohio State Buckeyes are riding high as they won their first outright Big Ten title since the 1950's, and Tom Ryan will doubtless have his nine qualifiers prepped and ready to chase the second NCAA title in program history.
| Day/Time | Round | How to watch |
|---|---|---|
| Thursday, March 16 - Noon EST | Session I- Pigtails and First Round | ESPN 3/ESPN U |
| Thursday, March 16- 7 PM EST | Session II- Championship second round, Wrestleback pigtails and first round | ESPN 3/ESPN U |
| Friday, March 17- 11 AM EST | Session III- Championship Quarterfinals and Wrestleback second and third rounds | ESPN 3/ESPN U |
| Friday, March 17 - 8 PM EST | Session IV- Championship Semifinals, wrestlebacks | ESPN (semifinals), ESPN U |
| Saturday, March 18- 11 AM EST | Session V- Wrestleback semifinals, Medal Round (3rd, 5th, 7th place matches) | ESPN 3/ESPN U |
| Saturday, March 18 - 8 PM | Session VI- Championship Finals | ESPN |
The tournament will feature a pair of Olympic medalists as gold medalist Kyle Snyder and bronze medalist J'Den Cox (Missouri) will represent their respective schools and seek their second and third NCAA titles, respectively. Also sure to be a major talking point this weekend is Cornell's Gabe Dean, who has mowed down all in his path this season as he chases his third NCAA title.
The tournament will be broadcast by ESPN's family of networks with unprecedented prime time coverage on ESPN on all three nights of the tournament. ESPN is advertising coverage of each match of the tournament through a combination of ESPN, ESPN U, and ESPN3.
The brackets for the tournament are updated in a timely fashion by the NCAA, while @wrestlingBucks and @CurtHeinrichs will be keeping you up to date on the Buckeyes on Twitter.
Let's take a look at what to expect in what promises to be an exciting weekend of wrestling.
| wt | wrestler | 1st round opponent |
|---|---|---|
| 125 | Jose Rodriguez | #11 Josh Terao (American) |
| 133 | #1 Nathan Tomasello | Korbin Myers (Edinboro) |
| 141 | #12 Luke Pletcher | Sal Profaci (Michigan) |
| 149 | #4 Micah Jordan | Troy Heilmann (North Carolina) |
| 157 | DNQ | |
| 165 | Cody Burcher | #7 Anthony Valencia (Arizona State) |
| 174 | #3 Bo Jordan | Josef Johnson (Harvard) |
| 184 | #6 Myles Martin | Garrett Hoffman (Bucknell) |
| 197 | #3 Kollin Moore | Malik McDonald (NC State) |
| HWT | #1 Kyle Snyder | Jake Gunning (Buffalo) |
125
2016 NCAA Champion- Nico Megaludis (Penn State)
Highest returning placer- Thomas Gilman (Iowa) - runner-up at 125
Returning All-Americans at 125- Thomas Gilman (Iowa), Darian Cruz (Lehigh), Joey Dance (Virginia Tech), Dylan Peters (Northern Iowa), Conor Youtsey (Michigan)
Top Four Seeds at 125- No. 1 Thomas Gilman (Iowa), No. 2 Joey Dance (Virginia Tech), No. 3 Nick Suriano (Penn State), No. 4 Darian Cruz (Lehigh)
Potential Dark Horse at 125- Conor Youtsey (Michigan)
Buckeye at 125- Jose Rodriguez (15-10)
Top Contenders- Gilman is undefeated this season and has made a real point of dominating his opponents, with 23 of his 27 victories coming by way of bonus points. He is bracketed favorably and should cruise to the semifinals, where he will likely meet Peters, Cruz, or Nebraska's No. 5 Tim Lambert who has given him a hard time both times they met this season.
The bottom half of the bracket is led by one-time All-American Dance, who only lost once to Cruz late in the season. Dance has a bad habit of disappearing in the post-season, but he will look to end his career on a high note with a decent placement this year. Penn State's Nick Suriano had an outstanding regular season, losing by just one to Gilman in their dual.
Suriano was unable to compete at the Big Ten tournament after injuring his ankle in the NWCA Dual Championship series against Oklahoma State in a match he was winning. If Suriano is healthy enough to compete near his potential, he could very well have a rematch with Gilman on Saturday night for the NCAA title.
Buckeye Outlook at 125- Jose Rodriguez didn't do himself any favors in placing seventh at the Big Ten tournament as he will start his tournament against No. 11 seed Josh Terao of American University. If that name sounds familiar, his brother David wrestled Nathan Tomasello for third place at last year's tournament. The Terao's are well-versed in judo, so they have an interesting skill set that puts opponents in odd positions.
133
2016 NCAA Champion at 133- Nahshon Garrett (Cornell)
Highest Returning Placer at 133- Cory Clark (Iowa)- runner-up at 133, Nathan Tomasello (Ohio State)- NCAA Champion at 125 in 2015
Returning All-Americans- Cory Clark (Iowa), Nathan Tomasello (Ohio State), Zane Richards (Illinois), Earl Hall (Iowa State), Eric Montoya (Nebraska), Connor Schram (Stanford)
Top Four Seeds at 133- No. 1 Nathan Tomasello (Ohio State), No. 2 Seth Gross (South Dakota State), No. 3 Kaid Brock (Oklahoma State), No. 4 Cory Clark (Iowa)
Potential Dark Horse at 133- No. 5 Stevan Micic (Michigan)
Buckeye at 133- No. 1 Nathan Tomasello (19-0)
Contenders- This weight is one of the deepest weights at the national tournament, and those looking for proof should look no further than Cory Clark. Clark is a two-time NCAA runner-up, yet is seeded fourth at 133 for his senior season. Clark has been hampered by a shoulder injury for the latter part of his senior year, but he's still capable of putting the pieces together for a run deep in the tournament. No. 2 seed Seth Gross lost just once on the season to Montoya, and has an inside track on how to wrestle Clark should they meet deep in the tournament as Gross spent his first year of college at Iowa before legal issues sent him to SDSU. Oklahoma State's Kaid Brock defeated Clark in January, but his two losses this season came to Gross and the pair may meet in the semifinals. This weight class could be huge for team points as Oklahoma State and Ohio State each have title contenders at 133, while Penn State didn't qualify a wrestler at this weight.
Buckeye Outlook at 133- Tomasello is undefeated on the season, but didn't quite look himself at the Big Ten tournament. While he was able to win his third conference title, the Buckeye junior lacked his usual explosiveness. Tomasello has a great chance to make another title run, but could meet Illinois' Zane Richards in the quarterfinals and either Clark or Michigan's Stevan Micic in the semifinals. Tomasello hasn't faced Brock or Gross this season, but he has slim wins over Clark and Micic from the Big Ten tournament, which should give him a boost. Look for Tomasello to finish in the top three this weekend.
141
2016 NCAA Champion- Dean Heil (Oklahoma State)
Highest Returning Placer at 141- Heil
Returning All-Americans at 141- Dean Heil (Oklahoma State), Anthony Ashnault (Rutgers), Jimmy Gulibon (Penn State), Joey McKenna (Stanford), Joey Ward (North Carolina), Kevin Jack (NC State), Bryce Meredith (Wyoming), Randy Cruz (Lehigh)
Top Four Seeds at 141- No. 1 Dean Heil (Oklahoma State), No. 2 Kevin Jack (NC State), Joey McKenna (Stanford), Matthew Kolodzik
Potential Dark Horse at 141- No. 6 George DiCamillo (Virginia)
Buckeye at 141- No. 12 Luke Pletcher (25-7)
Contenders at 141- Heil, an Ohio native and part of St. Edward's ridiculous string of NCAA All-Americans, is the defending champ at this weight, but he lives and dies by wrestling in tight matches and has just one bonus point victory this year over an NCAA qualifier. Kevin Jack has often been a top contender, but has fallen short in the past. Joey McKenna of Stanford and Matthew Kolodzik of Princeton are both explosive youngsters with just three losses between them. DiCamillo is a Cleveland native, and has fallen a match short of All-American status three times in his career, but is in good position to advance past the blood round this year. Bryce Meredith is a funky wrestler that rode that trait all the way to a runner-up finish to Heil last year, but the field seems to have caught on to him.
Buckeye Outlook at 141- Pletcher earned the No. 12 seed at 141 despite having his redshirt pulled back in December. Pletcher is always in great position, but he'll likely run into Anthony Ashnault of Rutgers in the second round on Thursday night. That puts him behind the eight ball as far as placement is concerned as he could meet Jimmy Gulibon in the third round of wrestlebacks. Pletcher has a great wrestling IQ, but his small stature for 141 may be his downfall. He is certainly capable of a low placement, but he'll have his work cut out for him.
149
2016 NCAA Champion at 149- Zain Retherford (Penn State)
Highest Returning Placer at 149- Retherford
Returning All-Americans at 149- Zain Retherford (Penn State), Brandon Sorensen (Iowa), Lavion Mayes (Missouri), Solomon Chisko (Virginia Tech), Anthony Collica (Oklahoma State), Justin Oliver (Central Michigan)
Top Four Seeds at 149- No. 1 Zain Retherford, No. 2 Anthony Collica, No. 3 Lavion Mayes, No. 4 Micah Jordan (Ohio State)
Potential Dark Horse at 149- No. 9 Justin Oliver (Central Michigan) or Matthew Cimato (Drexel)
Buckeye at 149- No. 4 Micah Jordan (28-3)
Contenders at 149- It would be easy to summarize 149 as follows: Zain Retherford vs. The Field, but that's surprisingly not the case. While Retherford is unscathed for the second straight year, he looks more human this year than last season. Collica took him to a 2-1 decision, Sorensen lost to him in TB2 by a point, and Micah Jordan was able to take him down twice in their dual meet before Zain turned on the jets and earn a tech fall. Retherford is an absolute machine on top, so any upset-minded opponents will do well to avoid taking the bottom position. Like Heil at 141, Collica is an Ohioan with a fondness for winning tight matches. He could advance to the finals, but he'll have Chisko and familiar foe Mayes vying for a spot in the championship bout. Retherford will likely see the winner of Sorensen and Micah Jordan in the semifinals in the top-half of the bracket.
Buckeye Outlook at 149- As previously mentioned, Jordan will likely meet Brandon Sorensen of Iowa in the quarterfinals on Friday morning with the winner getting another crack at Retherford that evening. Mick lost in the blood round last year at 141, but should be confident in earning a high All-American finish this year at 149.
157
2016 NCAA Champion at 157- Isaiah Martinez (Illinois)
Highest Returning Placer at 157- No. 1 Jason Nolf (Penn State)- runner-up in 2016
Returning All-Americans at 157- Jason Nolf (Penn State), Dylan Palacio (Cornell), Joe Smith (Oklahoma State),
Top Four Seeds at 157- No. 1 Jason Nolf (Penn State), No. 2 Michael Kemerer (Iowa), No. 3 Joey Lavallee (Missouri), No. 4 Tyler Berger (Nebraska)
Potential Dark Horse at 157- No. 14 Sal Mastriani (Virginia Tech)
Buckeye at 157- None
Contenders at 157- Jason Nolf has laid waste to everyone he's faced this season and only No. 2 Michael Kemerer has been able to prevent bonus points. Kemerer impressed in his freshman campaign and has only lost two matches to Nolf while racking up some nice wins in the process. This weight may be the easiest to predict a final as Nolf and Kemerer are clearly the class of 157 this year. While he's not a contender, you have to feel bad for Michigan's Brian Murphy, who initially earned the No. 10 seed, but was forced to withdraw from the tournament due to injury sustained at the Big Ten tournament. Murphy was an All-American early in his career, but was nagged by injury for the last few years and ultimately ended his career due to one final bite from the injury bug.
165
2016 NCAA Champion at 165- Alex Dieringer (Oklahoma State)
Highest Returning Wrestler at 165- No. 4 Isaac Jordan (Wisconsin)- runner-up at 165 in 2016, No. 1 Isaiah Martinez (Illinois) two-time NCAA champion at 157
Returning All-Americans at 165- Isaiah Martinez (Illinois), Isaac Jordan (Wisconsin), Chad Walsh (Rider), Daniel Lewis (Missouri)
Top Four Seeds at 165- No. 1 Isaiah Martinez (Illinois), No. 2 Logan Massa (Michigan), No. 3 Vincenzo Joseph (Penn State), No. 4 Isaac Jordan (Wisconsin)
Potential Dark Horse at 165- No. 6 Daniel Lewis (Missouri) or No. 15 Drew Hughes (Michigan State)
Buckeye at 165- Cody Burcher (17-16)
Contenders at 165- How bad do you feel for a guy like Isaac Jordan? The poor guy was an NCAA runner-up last year to three-time champ Alex Dieringer, and just when Isaac has to feel good about his chief rivals graduating (Dieringer) and moving up a weight class (Bo Jordan), IMar, Massa, and Joseph rear their ugly heads at him. IMar is not mentioned as much now that he doesn't have a rivalry with Nolf, but he's still undefeated and as dominant as ever. Massa's two losses are both by decision to IMar while he has three wins over Jordan. Massa hasn't met Joseph yet this season, but they could meet in Friday night's semifinal in the bottom half of the bracket if Daniel Lewis doesn't interfere from the No. 6 seed. IMar should have smooth sailing to the semifinals, where he'll likely face No. 4 Jordan or No. 5 Chad Walsh of Rider.
Buckeye Outlook at 165- If the Buckeyes are going to win their second NCAA title, they're going to need to milk every point possible out of guys like Burcher. He could possibly win a match, but isn't likely to go much farther than that.
174
2016 NCAA Champion at 174- Myles Martin (Ohio State)
Highest Returning Placer at 174- No. 2 Brian Realbuto (Cornell) runner-up at 157 in 2015, No. 4 Zach Epperly (Virginia Tech) 3rd at 174 in 2016
Returning All-Americans at 174- Epperly (Virginia Tech), Realbuto (Cornell), Bo Jordan (Ohio State), Casey Kent (Penn), Ethan Ramos (North Carolina), Lelund Weatherspoon (Iowa State), Alex Meyer (Iowa), Kyle Crutchmer (Oklahoma State), Brian Realbuto (Cornell)
Top Four Seeds at 174- No. 1 Zahid Valencia (Arizona State), No. 2 Brian Realbuto (Cornell), No. 3 Bo Jordan (Ohio State), No. 4 Zach Epperly (Virginia Tech)
Potential Dark Horse at 174- No. 6 Ryan Preisch (Lehigh)
Buckeye at 174- No. 3 Bo Jordan (14-1)
Contenders at 174- This weight class is crazy in that any upset will radically alter the placement order. This weight is so deep and there are guys that are bad matchups for others that you could have a bracket that you toss in the trash early on. None of the front-runners really has a clear path to the title with the amount of quality in this weight class. Zahid Valencia is top seeded wrestler at 174 after a 33-0 regular season, including a win over Realbuto.
He ran roughshod over the field in the Pac 12, but that isn't a great litmus test as to Valencia's ability as his conference is exceptionally down this season. Realbuto handed Bo Jordan his only loss of the season, but doesn't always show killer instinct when he has the talent to really put guys away.
Mark Hall is an incredible talent for Penn State as a true freshman and is bracketed favorably for a run deep in the bracket. Lehigh's Ryan Preisch is my dark horse pick at 174 and is a guy that crept up the rankings and earned a No. 6 seed with his only losses coming to Realbuto, Hall, and a strange one to Pagano of Rutgers, who he'll face in the opening round.
Preisch even handed No. 4 seed Zach Epperly his only loss of the season when they met at the end of January. Kyle Crutchmer of Oklahoma State drew the No. 7 seed and is positioned nicely to score some points for the Cowboys before a potential quarterfinal match against Realbuto.
Buckeye Outlook at 174- A healthy Bo Jordan is dangerous, but Bo at less than 100% could be even more dangerous because he'll have to plan his attacks wisely and be economically aggressive.
Bo has placed third in each of his first two seasons after advancing to the semifinals, so he's going to be hungry to get that win on Friday night and advance to the finals for the first time. He should get an opportunity to avenge his only loss of the season if he and Realbuto advance to the semifinals.
Bo has always been one of my favorite guys to watch, dating back to his high school days, but he's going to have a tough go of it this year at the tournament with the draw he's got.
184
2016 NCAA Champion at 184- Gabe Dean (Cornell)
Highest Returning Placer at 184- Dean, who is looking for his third NCAA title
Returning All-Americans at 184- Gabe Dean (Cornell), TJ Dudley (Nebraska), Bo Nickal (Penn State), Sammy Brooks (Iowa), Myles Martin (Ohio State), Nolan Boyd (Oklahoma State), Jack Dechow (Old Dominion), Nate Jackson (Indiana)
Top Four Seeds at 184- No. 1 Gabe Dean, No. 2 Bo Nickal, No. 3 Sammy Brooks, No. 4 Nolan Boyd
Potential Dark Horse at 184- No. 12 Drew Foster (Northern Iowa)
Buckeye at 184- No. 6 Myles Martin (26-7)
Contenders at 184- I can't think of any way that this plays out where Gabe Dean doesn't beat Bo Nickal in the finals. Dean will be seeking his third NCAA title, and his only career loss at the tournament was to redshirt senior Ed Ruth when Dean was a freshman.
Dean is 30-0 on the season and his only victories not by bonus points were decisions over Boyd and Martin, and a forfeit. He is a one-of-a-kind talent and the field at 184 will not be sad to see him graduate.
Nickal's lone blemish on the season is to Myles Martin in the Big Ten semis, but Martin will have to finally get a win over Iowa's No. 3 Sammy Brooks in the quarterfinals if he's going to try and upset Nickal again in the semis.
Brooks is a talented wrestler, but will have his hands full with a tough quarter bracket. Martin will likely face No. 11 Emory Parker of Illinois in the second round before yet another match with Brooks in the quarterfinals. The Iowa senior has had Martin's number this year, but Myles has shown that he can adjust well after losing tough matches (just ask Bo Nickal).
Speaking of Nickal, he should roll up some serious bonus points for the Nittany Lions in his quarter of the bracket with the only real threat being a banged up TJ Dudley of Nebraska in the quarters. Look for Dean against Nickal in the finals, but don't be surprised if Nickal gets picked off in looking ahead to a match with Dean.
Buckeye Outlook at 184- Myles Martin is the defending NCAA champion at 174 from last year, but he's the No. 6 seed this year at 184. Myles benefited from a bracket full of upsets a year ago as well as him catching fire at the right time as he won the NCAA title as an eleventh seed.
His minor adjustments have been evident when wrestling Nickal, so he has to feel ok about wrestling Brooks. Expect Martin to place high again this year and have to beat some familiar foes on his way to the podium.
197
2016 NCAA Champion at 197- J'Den Cox (Missouri)
Highest Returning Placer at 197- Cox, who is chasing his third title
Returning All-Americans at 197- J'Den Cox (Missouri), Brett Pfarr (Minnesota), Jared Haught (Virginia Tech), Brett Harner (Princeton)
Top Four Seeds at 197- No. 1 J'Den Cox, No. 2 Brett Pfarr, No. 3 Kollin Moore (Ohio State), No. 4 Jared Haught (Virginia Tech)
Potential Dark Horse at 197- No. 10 Kevin Beazley (Old Dominion)
Buckeye at 197- No. 3 Kollin Moore (28-3)
Contenders at 197- Cox won a bronze medal at the 2016 Olympics in Rio, and has been a powerhouse at 197 since bursting onto the scene as a freshman. He is as smooth of a wrestler as you're likely to see at 197, making takedowns look effortless while displaying an arsenal of attacks.
I have a feeling we'll see Cox vs Haught and Moore vs Pfarr in the semifinals on Friday night as they are clearly the best wrestlers in the field at 197. Haught's only two losses have come to Cox and Pfarr while Pfarr has only lost to Moore and Cox.
Buckeye Outlook at 197- Moore avenged two earlier losses to Brett Pfarr by winning the Big Ten title over Pfarr 15-11 two weeks ago. He is seeded third and bracketed away from Nebraska's Aaron Studebaker, who always seems to give Moore fits.
Major team points could be on the line on Friday morning if Moore meets No. 6 Preston Weigel of Oklahoma State in the quarterfinals as both the Buckeyes and Cowboys are likely to be in the thick of a tight team race. Moore took J'Den Cox to the edge, nearly defeating him in the dual meet in December and looked better against Pfarr each time they met.
Don't be surprised if Moore ends up wrestling for an NCAA title against J'Den Cox on Saturday night, but he is quite likely to finish in the top four as a redshirt freshman.
HWT
2016 NCAA Champion at HWT- Kyle Snyder (Ohio State)
Highest Returning Placer at HWT- Snyder
Returning All-Americans at HWT- Snyder, Connor Medbery (Wisconsin), Ty Walz (Virginia Tech), Michael Kroells (Minnesota)
Top Four Seeds at HWT- No. 1 Kyle Snyder, No. 2 Connor Medbery, No. 3 Ty Walz, No. 4 Jacob Kasper (Duke)
Potential Dark Horse at HWT- No. 14 Thomas Haines (Lock Haven)
Buckeye at HWT- No. 1 Kyle Snyder (12-0)
Contenders at HWT- The movie poster of this weight class would probably read Heavyweights: Everyone vs. Kyle Snyder. Snyder was the tentative underdog last year against Nick Gwiazdowski, who was on his way to a third NCAA title before Snyder derailed him in overtime, but Snyder is the obvious favorite this time around. Nobody disputes this. Nobody. Except maybe the family of some of the other heavyweights in the field, but that's ok.
Medbery and Walz are the No. 2 and No. 3 seeds, and a potential semifinal match between the two is the stuff that Mickey Marrioti's dreams are made of. Walz has only lost to Medbery and Kasper in his senior season, but avenged the loss to Kasper at the ACC Tournament. Medbery's lone loss came to Snyder in the Big Ten championship match.
Ohio native Jacob Kasper has exploded onto the national scene at heavyweight, snagging the No. 4 seed, but he may fall short in his desire to wrestle Snyder as he will likely face Penn State's No. 5 Nick Nevills in the quarterfinals in a match that the Nittany Lions would like to have to pad their team score.
Buckeye Outlook at HWT- Snyder was reportedly quite under the weather throughout the Big Ten tournament, and still managed to win his second conference title. If Snyder's healthy, nobody will touch him. If he's still sick, he should still win his second title.
Team Race
Oklahoma State, Penn State, and Ohio State will all make a push for a team title, though Penn State is probably the prohibitive favorite despite not winning the Big Ten. If you remember correctly, I picked Penn State to win the Big Ten, and look how that turned out for the Buckeyes. Nick Suriano contributing the same number of points at Big Tens as I did certainly hurt Penn State, as did Jimmy Gulibon taking a nose dive at 141.
Since they're in the Big Twelve, I admittedly don't know as much about Oklahoma State as I do Penn State or Ohio State, but the Cowboys look to have a point-scorer in nearly every weight class. Guys like Dean Heil and Anthony Collica are going to be legitimate title contenders, but Oklahoma State will need every extra point that the rest of the lineup can muster if they're going to hang tough with the Nittany Lions and Buckeyes.
Iowa was thought to be a title contender heading into the season, but they are likely to wind up third or fourth on the strength of the efforts of an excellent senior class (Gilman, Clark, Brooks, Meyer).
Ohio State and Penn State are going to likely go down to the wire in the team race. Each team has two top-seeded wrestlers, so it'll probably come down to whichever team dodges upsets and scores some points in the wrestlebacks. Jimmy Gulibon has been hot and cold for his entire career, but he has the capability to end up an All-American if he's hot.
The Buckeyes could use some help from guys like Jose Rodriguez and Cody Burcher, who are unlikely to All-American but could score a few points in the wrestlebacks to help the cause. Penn State is going to get big-time bonus points from Retherford, Nolf, and Nickal in the early rounds, but the Buckeyes will be able to hang with the Nittany Lions if they avoid upsets and wrestle up to their potential, which is ridiculously high.
At any rate, the team race will hopefully continue through Saturday night, where the Buckeyes will have an excellent shot at earning the second national championship in program history.
