InterMat: Inside info from the N.W.C.A
brought to you byBrute Wrestling
Division I Championships
Scottrade Center
March 20-22, 2008
2007 Champion: Matt Valenti, Penn
Printable Bracket | Interactive Bracket
Once-beaten Franklin Gomez of Michigan State will enter his first NCAA championship as the top seed. Gomez failed to qualify last season after a horrendous Big Ten Tournament, but this season, he turned it around and avenged his only loss of the season by beating Iowa's Joey Slaton in the semis of the Big Ten.
Gomez's lack of tournament experience could make him prone to an early upset, but his dynamic style and quickness make him a favorite in nearly every match. A potential quarterfinal will see him face one of two Big Ten foes, should they both reach the Round of 16 -- #8 Mack Reiter of Minnesota or #9 Zach Tanelli of Wisconsin.
Jimmy Kennedy of Illinois will earn the #2 seed, making it two wrestlers who didn't place last season seeded above returning finalist Coleman Scott of Oklahoma State, who comes in seeded third.
Kennedy, a Round of 12 finisher a year ago, will await the winner of #7 Mike Grey of Cornell and #10 Pat Castillo of Northern Illinois.
Grey was ranked second in the nation until he was upset by #11 seed Joe Baker of Navy. Grey is the only freshman seeded in the Top 12. Castillo won the MAC and comes in 27-5. Three of Castillo's five losses are to Fanthorpe. He's 6-5 against NCAA qualifiers with the only other losses coming to Slaton and Reiter.
Scott will await either #11 Baker or #6 Lou Ruggirello of Hofstra. Ruggirello beat Scott in November at the Northeast Duals, but was voted one spot above Grey despite two head-to-head losses to the Cornell freshman during the season.
Slaton will earn the fourth seed after finishing third in the Big Ten. Slaton will be relied upon by the Hawkeyes to pick up big tournament points, but like Gomez, this is his first trip to the NCAA championships. Slaton could see Nick Fanthorpe of Iowa State in the quarters, but Slaton won't have a seed in the Round of 16, while Fanthorpe will likely have returning All-American Andrae Hernandez of Indiana.
Baker earns the #11 after winning the EIWA championship.
The Bad Draw
InterMat's close-up on wrestlers the top seeds don't want to see right off the bat.
Tyler McCormick, Missouri -- An obvious choice as the two-time All-American won't be seeded. Coming in with a sub-.500 record, McCormick's win over Scott in the Big 12 semifinals was crucial in him qualifying, since the conference has left All-Americans home during the wildcard process. McCormick started the year ranked second in the nation and has been riddled with injuries. He's wrestling at his best going into the tournament and he's a very dangerous draw for non-Big 12 seeds in the opening round.
Jeff Hedges, UNC Greensboro -- The former Junior College All-American makes his first appearance at the Division I Championships for the Spartans. Hedges had a solid run in Las Vegas at the Cliff Keen Invitational and was average at the Southern Scuffle, but he does have big-tournament experience, just not D1 championship experience. He's 5-4 against NCAA qualifiers (not counting Vegas) and coming from the Southern Conference, is an unknown entity to many.
Rick Deubel, Edinboro -- After qualifying as a freshman, Deubel sat home last year after a second straight meltdown at the EWL Championships. Deubel seemed to be on the same path after being upset in the first round in the conference championship, but he recovered, finished third, and earned a trip to St. Louis.
Ryan Dunn, Oregon -- One of two qualifiers for coach Chuck Kearney and the Ducks, Dunn made the Pac-10 finals and finished out the season strong. A late season win over Scott gave Dunn a push and then an upset victory over Pac-10 top-seed T.J. Dillashaw of Fullerton got him qualified. Nothing's more dangerous than a kid that has nothing to lose.
Reece Humphrey, Ohio State -- Unseeded, Big Ten = yikes. Humphrey didn't get credit for some solid victories in Las Vegas or he might have snuck into the Top 12. With half of the top seeds coming from the Big Ten, Humphrey could be matched up with a lower seed and be real problematic.
Seth Ciasulli, Lehigh -- Sparky's a real tough opponent to wrestle, because he's good on his feet and a grinder on the mat. He wrestles a post-season, low-scoring opportunistic style that will get him some wins at the tournament.
Top 12 Seeds
1. Franklin Gomez (Michigan State, So.)
2. Jimmy Kennedy (Illinois, So.)
3. Coleman Scott (Oklahoma State, Sr.)
4. Joey Slaton (Iowa, So.)
5. Nick Fanthorpe (Iowa State, So.)
6. Lou Ruggirello (Hofstra, So.)
7. Mike Grey (Cornell, Fr.)
8. Mack Reiter (Minnesota, Sr.)
9. Zach Tanelli (Wisconsin, Jr.)
10. Pat Castillo (Northern Illinois, Sr.)
11. Joe Baker (Navy, Jr.)
12. Andrae Hernandez (Indiana, Jr.)
2007 Placement Results
(Courtesy wrestlingstats.com)
Finals: Matt Valenti (Penn) dec. Coleman Scott (Oklahoma State) 4-0.
3rd: Nick Simmons (Michigan State) maj. dec. Matt Keller (UT-Chattanooga) 8-0.
5th: Darrell Vasquez (Cal Poly) dec. Tyler McCormick (Missouri) 7-4.
7th: Jake Strayer (Penn State) FALL Andrae Hernandez (Indiana) 2:38.
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