InterMat: Inside info from the N.W.C.A

Quick hits

Returning National Champion: Matt Valenti, Penn
Printable Bracket | Interactive Bracket (Premium Service)

Couple just one loss and a win over the defending national champion and that factors into to Michigan State's Nick Simmons garnering the top seed at 133 pounds. Simmons only loss came in a regular season dual meet to Ohio State's T.J. Enright will be looking for his first NCAA finals appearance after placing three previous times. The aforementioned returning champion, Matt Valenti of Penn will be the second seed and on the bottom half of the bracket with third seeded Adam Frey of Cornell, whom Valenti has beaten twice this season, sixth-seeded Darrell Vasquez of Cal Poly and seventh-seeded Mack Reiter.

Up top with Simmons is the fourth-seed and fifth seeds, Coleman Scott of Oklahoma State and Matt Keller of UT-Chattanooga -- both incredibly tough draws for the anointed #1. Also of note in the top bracket are eighth and ninth seeded Tyler McCormick of Missouri and Jimmy Kennedy of Illinois. Two-time All-American Evan Sola is the 10th seed and will see Reiter early on. Another All-American, Drew Headlee of Pittsburgh, is down low and could see Vasquez early on.

While not the most controversial in terms of seeds, the depth at 133 is quite good with Simmons, Valenti, Scott, Keller, Vasquez, Reiter, McCormick, Sola and Headlee as past All-Americans.

The Bad Draw ...

InterMat's breakdown of who the top guns don't want to see in the opening round.

Eric Albright, Virginia -- Ranked for much of the year, Albright's got a mix of funk and junk to go with a pretty good technical base. An opening round upset could be something that would help the ACC in the long run and get Albright back on track, since he's been average since mid-January.

Mark Budd, Buffalo -- Nationally ranked with some solid wins this season, Budd's a problem draw and people know it. The Bulls only qualifier this year, he's a candidate for a low AA finish, but in this weight, he'll have to beat an All-American to even get there.

Mario Galanakis, Iowa -- When there's an Iowa wrestler unseeded in a tournament, a win against him would send the anti-Iowa contingent into a roar. This is Galanakis' last shot and should he face a seeded wrestler right off the bat, expect a battle.

David Marble, Bucknell -- A true freshman and former New York state champ, he's adjusted nicely to collegiate wrestling after some early setbacks for the All-freshman Bucknell squad. This kid is a straight up goer.

Danny Mitcheff, Kent State -- If he's on his game, he could be a real bracketbuster, to borrow a term from the roundball folks. Up and down this season, but has a good style to win the close ones.

Lou Ruggirello, Hofstra -- Like Marble, Ruggirello has adjusted nicely to collegiate wrestling after some early season setbacks. The right mix of slick stuff on his feet with a solid top arsenal, including his feared double bar (yes, it still works) with a good ability to ride and Ruggirello will be in every match.

Christian Staylor, Old Dominion -- A veteran making his third trip to the NCAAs and first in two years, its also Staylor's last shot for one of the top wrestlers coming out of high school to make a run at the podium.

Seeds:
1. Simmons, Nick (Michigan State)
2. Valenti, Matt (Penn)
3. Frey, Adam (Cornell)
4. Scott, Coleman (Oklahoma State)
5. Keller, Matt (UT-Chattanooga)
6. Vasquez, Darrell (Cal Poly)
7. Reiter, Mack (Minnesota)
8. McCormick, Tyler (Missouri)
9. Kennedy, Jimmy (Illinois)
10. Sola, Evan (North Carolina)
11. Headlee, Drew (Pittsburgh)
12. Preston, Rob (Harvard)

2006 Medal Match Results
Finals: Matt Valenti (Penn) dec. Chris Fleeger (Purdue) 3-2
3rd: Shawn Bunch (Edinboro) dec. Mack Reiter (Minnesota) 8-2
5th: Tom Clum (Wisconsin) dec. Nathan Morgan (Oklahoma State) 9-6
7th: Tyler McCormick (Missouri) dec. Matt Keller (UT-Chattanooga) 6-4.