2012 NCAA Division III Midwest Wrestling Regional Weight Class Preview
CLEVELAND, Ohio – Case Western Reserve University will serve as host for the 2012 NCAA Division III Wrestling Midwest Regional Championship on Saturday, February 25 at Horsburgh Gymnasium inside the Veale Convocation, Athletic and Recreation Center. More than 100 wrestlers from 10 different NCAA institutions will be competing for 12 bids (10 champions plus 2 wild-card entries) to the NCAA Division III Wrestling Championship held in March in LaCrosse, Wisconsin.
View the official Midwest Regional information site HERE.
125 pounds
Junior defending 125-pound champion Alex
Crown of Waynesburg University returns with a 22-6 overall
record. Crown was an All-American last season,
placing fourth in the nation at 125, and was an alternate to
nationals in 2010 after winning the true second-place match.
Sophomore Robbie Bidlingmaier of Olivet College is
the highest ranked grappler in the bracket and the favorite to earn
the automatic bid to nationals despite being a rookie at the event.
With a 25-8 overall record, Bidlingmaier is ranked
eighth in the nation at 125.
133 pounds
Senior Corey Brown of Thiel College is
the defending champion and overwhelming favorite at 133 pounds with
a 32-1 overall record. Ranked second in the nation at 133,
Brown is Thiel’s only three-time
All-American with eighth-place national finishes in each of the
last two years and a sixth-place showing as a freshman.
Brown recently became the third wrestler in Thiel
history to reach the 100-win plateau. Marc Escobeo
of Wabash College finished third in the region as a rookie at 133
last season and is 13-15 in 2011-12.
141 pounds
Last year’s regional runner-up, sophomore
Josh Etzel of Washington & Jefferson College,
and 133-pound runner-up Kenny Richmond of Olivet
are the favorites. Etzel is 21-3 in his sophomore
campaign and Richmond is 22-12 after moving up a
class from last season. Sophomore Wayne Black
(33-21) of the College of Mount St. Joseph enters with the most
match experience this year and will also be looking to work his way
into the championship mix.
149 pounds
Two-time defending champion Isaac Dukes
of Case Western Reserve has moved up to 157, but a stacked class
remains with Jake Strausbaugh of Wabash and Gage
Pederson of Olivet as the favorites.
Strausbaugh, the nation’s eighth-ranked
wrestler at 149, is 42-4 this season after placing third in the
region last season. Pederson, last year’s
fifth-place finisher, is 30-9 and the nation’s 10th-ranked
grappler at 149. Cameryn Brady of Manchester
College, the 2010-11 regional runner-up, upset
Strausbaugh last season and has posted a 23-4
record as a sophomore with the No. 7 ranking in the nation ta
149.
157 pounds
The 157-pound bracket is also stacked with junior
defending regional champion Elias Larson of Trine
University back as the favorite with a 33-2 overall record.
Larson placed third in the nation last season and
is the third-ranked wrestler in the nation at 157 this season. Not
far behind Larson are last year’s second and
third-place finishers, Garett Johnston of
Waynesburg and Steven Mena of Olivet.
Johnston was runner-up in 2011 and boasts a record
of 31-3 this season. Mena was third last year and
is 20-11 this season. Thomas Fehring of Mount St.
Joseph is also back with a 32-14 record after just missing the
top-five last season. Case Western Reserve’s Isaac
Dukes should also be in the mix as the nation’s
eighth-ranked wrestler in the nation at 157. Dukes
is a two-time All-American at 149 at the national champion in
2010.
165 pounds
Junior James Myers of Olivet, the
reigning regional champion, and Wabash senior Jake
Moore, the regional runner-up a year ago, headline another
strong class at 165. Myers enters at 22-9 overall
after placing sixth in the nation last season at 165, while
Moore enters the meet with a 16-9 overall mark.
Also expected to be in the mix is Washington & Jefferson
sophomore David Dibenedetto with a 25-12 record in
his second season as well as Waynesburg sophomore Sam
Lombardo (22-9), who placed fifth in the region last
season. Trine senior George Markou was runner-up
at 174 a year ago, and has posted a 28-7 record after dropping down
a weight class this season.
174 pounds
Olivet senior Trevor Tyler pulled off a
mini upset to win the region last season as the No. 2 seed. This
season, Tyler is the No. 7-ranked wrestler in the
nation at 174 and enters this weekend’s meet with a 29-8
overall record. Last year’s runner-up, George
Markou, and third-place finisher Billy
Malicote of Mount St. Joseph, have each moved to different
weight classes. Malicote’s freshman teammate
Nicholas Manning looks to challenge for the weight
class title entering the regional with a 30-15 mark.
184 pounds
Returning to defend his 2011 regional title will be Wabash
senior Greg Rhoads. The fourth-year Little Giant
enters this weekend’s action ranked No. 6 in the nation at
184 with a 44-6 record. Rhoads surrendered just four total
points in his three victories at regionals last season. Mount St.
Joseph’s Billy Malicote, last season’s
third-place finisher at 174, moves up a class and will look to
contend as will Trine’s Jason Alber (22-11)
who finished fourth a year ago.
197 pounds
The 197 bracket may be the most wide open of the classes
as the top-four finishers from a year ago do not return. Olivet
senior Justin Leonard, the fifth-place finisher a
season ago, enters action with a 25-14 mark this winter and looks
to be a strong competitor to win the title. Thiel senior
Patrick Morris should also be in the mix with a
25-7 record this season.
285 pounds
Headlining the heavyweight class will be the top-two
wrestlers from a year ago in Olivet junior Logan
Renas and Wayneburg sophomore Brandon
Fedorka. Fedorka, the No. 2 seed last
winter, upset top-seeded Renas in the finals by a
3-1 count. Fedorka enters action tallying a 13-7
overall record while Renas, the No. 8
nationally-ranked heavyweight grappler, enters with a 20-10 record.
Case Western Reserve senior Cale Harter (22-11)
also looks to utilize the home-mat advantage and work himself into
the championship mix.
