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2005 National Champion: Travis Lee, Cornell
Printable Bracket | InterMat Interactive Bracket (Premium Service)

Returning NCAA runner-up Shawn Bunch of Edinboro is the top seed. The senior from Leavenworth, Kansas is a slight favorite to win his first NCAA championship and the Fighting Scots’ first title since Josh Koscheck won the championship in 2001 at 174 pounds.

The problem for Bunch could be the lack of competition down the stretch. Since winning the title at the Cliff Keen Invitational in Las Vegas, Bunch lost to Buffalo’s Mark Budd in overtime, Bunch’s only loss this season, and has since reeled off 19 straight victories. Only one of those victories was against a ranked opponent, Minnesota’s Mack Reiter, who comes in seeded fourth.

Oklahoma State’s Nathan Morgan has had slightly better competition down the stretch and he, like Bunch, has a victory over Reiter. Morgan’s only loss was to UT-Chattanooga’s Matt Keller, who comes in as the eighth seed. Morgan wrestles close matches and comes out on top in nearly every situation. Regardless of the opponent, Morgan should come out with a handful of one and two-point victories at the Ford Center, but with Keller and Reiter in the opposite bracket, Morgan doesn’t have a free ride, but it’s a tad easier than Bunch’s road.

Morgan’s got to contend with third-seeded Tom Clum of Wisconsin. The Big 10 champion, Clum is 14-2 after missing the first two months of the season. His losses came to Keller at the Lone Star Duals and to Purdue’s Chris Fleeger, the fifth-seed, in a January dual meet. Since then, Clum beat Fleeger in the Big 10 semis before knocking off Reiter in overtime in the Big 10 finals. Clum’s wrestling well and could be a threat to Morgan in the semifinals, should Clum get there.

With Fleeger seeded fifth, it loads up the top bracket with Bunch, Reiter, Fleeger, and Keller, while the bottom bracket has sixth-seeded Matt Valenti of Penn and seventh-seeded Jake Strayer of Penn State lurking. Valenti’s been wrestling very solid and could pose a threat to both Clum and Morgan, but even before Valenti sees either, he’ll likely be faced with an EIWA final rematch with Harvard’s Rob Preston, the 11 th seed.

Scott Jorgenson of Boise State’s two wins over Darrell Vasquez of Cal Poly pushed Jorgenson to the ninth seed, while Vasquez comes in at 10th. Vasquez at 10 is dangerous, since he went into overtime with high school teammate Morgan in the Cal Poly-Oklahoma State dual. Strayer-Vasquez is a quality early round match.

Preston, as mentioned, is the 11 th seed and is one of five Harvard wrestlers competing in the event. Michigan’s Mark Moos is seeded 12 th.

The Bad Draw ...

With no clear cut separation between the lower seeds and the unseeded wrestlers, upset potential looms large. Here’s who not to draw.

Mark Budd, Buffalo: Been very steady this season and would be a candidate to knock someone off even if he’d not beaten Bunch early in the season. Ranked much of the year, he’s really come on in the last year and a half and with the right draw, he might not only knock off a high seed, but he could place as well.

Jason Borrelli, Central Michigan: Likely lost a seed with an upset loss in the MAC semifinals to Eastern Michigan’s Philip Plowman. Was seeded ninth last season and went a disappointing 1-2. Can wrestle close with the nation’s best.

Joe Baker, Navy: Came back to the Naval Academy and immediately made people take notice, beating two-time All-American Evan Sola of North Carolina at the East Stroudsburg Open. A California native, Baker didn’t come into the Navy lineup until January. Finished a solid third in the EIWA, beating Cornell’s Mike Mormile along the way.

Zack Cunliffe, Rider: Don’t sleep on this kid, he’s got a nice arsenal of scoring moves from the top and he’s solid on his feet. Won the CAA and his most notable victory this season is over Mormile.

Josh Pniewski, Gardner-Webb: Coach Dick Wince’s Bulldogs qualified four and Pniewski is back for round two at the NCAA’s. Notable wins? None to speak of, but overlooking him would be a bad idea.

Jesse Sundell, Iowa State: A veteran wrestler that’s been to the show and can win on this level. Sundell’s going to be the guy that puts one of the “darkhorses” out to pasture real quick. Had some good wins at the tournament last year.

Seeds:
1. Bunch, Shawn - Edinboro - Sr
2. Morgan, Nathan - Oklahoma State - So
3. Clum, Tom - Wisconsin - Sr
4. Reiter, Mack - Minnesota - So
5. Fleeger, Chris - Purdue - Sr
6. Valenti, Matthew - Penn - Sr
7. Strayer, Jake - Penn State - Fr
8. Keller, Matt - UT-Chattanooga - Jr
9. Jorgensen, Scott - Boise St - Sr
10. Vasquez, Darrell - Cal Poly - Jr
11. Preston, Robert - Harvard - Jr
12. Moos, Mark - Michigan - Jr

2005 Medal Match Results
Finals: Travis Lee (Cornell) dec. Shawn Bunch (Edinboro) 6-3
3rd: Tom Clum (Wisconsin) dec. Mack Reiter (Minnesota) 2-1
5th: Matt Sanchez (Cal State-Bakersfield) dec. Evan Sola (North Carolina) 10-5
7th: Mark Jayne (Illinois) dec. Drew Headlee (Pittsburg) 5-3