Brackets (.pdf)
INDIANAPOLIS - Brackets and pairings for the 2010 NCAA Division II Wrestling Championships, scheduled for March 12-13 in Sapp Fieldhouse at Nebraska-Omaha, have been released by the NCAA. Western State is sending seven wrestlers to the national tournament and is one of 12 teams competing with seven or more athletes.
Regional champion and defending All-American heavyweight wrestler Charlie Alexander will open with Southwest Minnesota State's Brian Rodas, the fourth-place wrestler from Super Region Three. The two will then face off against either Kutztown's Kevin Bolinsky, the third-place wrestler from Region One, or Central Oklahoma's Dustin Finn, the runner-up in Region Two.
Alexander lost to Finn earlier this season by a 2-0 decision at the NWCA National Duals Jan. 9. Finn holds the No. 3 spot in the latest coaches national rankings, followed by Alexander at No. 4.
McMahill, who won his second regional championship last weekend, will start his run for a third All-America title at 197 pounds against Kutztown's Scott Snyder, the fourth-place wrestler from Region One. Two will then take on either St. Cloud State's Lucas Munkelwitz, the runner-up in Region Three, or Jon Treml of Wisconsin-Parkside, the third-place wrestler from Region Two.
If McMahill were to meet Munkelwitz, it wold be a rematch of last season's opening round of the national tournament when McMahill recorded a 14-2 major decision victory.
Pipher, the No. 1 wrestler in the latest coaches poll at 184 pounds, will start the national tournament with Central Oklahoma's Tanner Keck, the fourth-place wrestler from Region Two. The two will face either Pittsburgh-Johnstown's Patrick Walsh, the runner-up in Region One, or Mary's Brady Anderson, the third-place wrestler from Region Three.
Pipher holds the best win percentage of those four wrestlers with .880 on a 22-3 record. None of the four wrestlers were in the tournament last season, although Pipher will be going for his first All-America title since 2007.
Zach Frazier will make his first appearance in the Division II national tournament against Region Three runner-up Shamus O'Grady of St. Cloud State. The two would then face off against either North Carolina-Pembroke's J.J. Davis, the Region One champion, or Central Oklahoma's Cody Rowell, the No. 4 wrestler from Region Two.
If Frazier and Rowell were to meet in the next round, it would be a rematch from the NWCA National Dual Tournament Jan. 9.
Kyle Francis starts the 157 tournament with the Super Region Two champion, Dillon Bera of Wisconsin-Parkside. Francis will then either face Anderson's lone wrestler of the tournament, Jonathan Jackson, or Super Region Three runner-up John Sundegren of St. Cloud State.
Jesse Cruz has the least number of matches of any wrestler at 141 pounds after claiming the fourth-place title at least weekend's regional tournament. He starts with Super Region One champion Jeremy Parker, who has won 33 matches this season. Cruz will then face either Ashland's Daniel Genetin or St. Cloud State's Gabriel Suarez in the second session of the tournament.
Kyle O'Brien will be the first Mountaineer to take the mat at 125 pounds against Upper Iowa's Tyler Mumbulo, a 21-5 wrestler this season who won the Super Region Three title last weekend. O'Brien will then either face North Carolina-Pembroke's Russell Weakley or Terrell McKinney from the host school of the tournament, Nebraska-Omaha.
The Mountaineers won their second straight RMAC and Super Region Four title last weekend and placed nine wrestlers in the top six. Western State has finished in the top 10 of the national tournament the last three seasons, including a seventh-place finish in 2009.