NCAA Conference Tournament Previews

The NCAA Conference Wrestling Tournaments are going down this weekend with MAC and EIWA starting on Friday and the rest kicking off Saturday. Michigan's 3 D1 programs Michigan, Michigan State, and Central Michigan are all in action, as well as numerous Michigan natives competing for out-of-state programs. Read below for a list of who to expect to see in action this weekend, their road to the NCAA Tournament in Kansas City, and how to follow along.

THE QUALIFYING PROCESS
The NCAA released the allocations a couple weeks ago (see image below) which allocates how many placewinners at each weight class from each conference will automatically qualify for the National Tournament.

For example, the Big Ten received 9 qualifications at 125 so the top-9 placers from the Big Ten tournament at 125 will automatically earn a berth to the NCAA Tournament. If it is more than 8, the conference will create a custom consolation bracket to wrestle back for 9th, 10th, 11th, etc as needed based on their allocation.

After the automatic bids are all earned, each weight has 4-6 "At-Large" bids that are selected by a committee of some sort the week after the conference tournaments. So any wrestler who had a great season, but maybe had a bad luck run at the conference tournament, will be able to still qualify for NCAAS with an at-large bid.

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125

• Braeden Davis (Penn State/Dundee HS) - Big Ten #6
• Michael DeAugustino (Michigan) - Big Ten #7
• Tristan Lujan (Michigan State) - Big Ten #10
• Sean Spidle (Central Michigan/Powers Catholic HS) - MAC #5
• Drew Heethuis (Princeton/Detroit Catholic Central HS) - EIWA #8

Two Michigan native true freshmen to watch here with Davis and Heethuis who met in the GFC finals twice in high school. Both have had very strong freshmen seasons, but Davis is in a better spot to qualify this weekend. The Big Ten takes 9 at this weight so Davis, along with Michigan's DeAugustino will qualify if they place at or above their seed. Both those guys also would be likely At-Large bids if something went wrong. MSU's Lujan is the 10 seed and will need to score a big win somewhere to get into the top 9 and advance to his first NCAA tournament. Flint Powers grad Sean Spidle is the 5-seed at the MAC tournament and will need a couple upsets to get to the finals and secure his spot.

133

• Dylan Ragusin (Michigan) - Big Ten #1
• Andrew Hampton (Michigan State/Stoney Creek HS) - Big Ten #12
• Vince Perez (Central Michigan/Tecumseh HS) - MAC #8
• Brenden Ferretti (Navy/Dakota HS) - EIWA #7
• Dom Lajoie (Stanford/Gaylord HS) - PAC #5

Dylan Ragusin is the best bet at 133lbs to secure an NCAA bid. Ragusin is already a 3x NCAA qualifier and is the top-seed in the B1G for the conference tournament. The B1G only takes 7 at this weight, so Hampton will have some work to do for an automatic berth. LaJoie is quietly having an outstanding season at Stanford, and he sits just outside a qualifying spot in the pre-seeds. One or two big wins would put him in the NCAA tournament. A season ago, Ferretti was one of only 17 true freshmen in the country to qualify for the NCAA tournament. He will need to have a big EIWA tournament, but he is battle tested and has a good chance to make it back to the NCAA tournament, especially with his likelihood for a wildcard if needed.

141

• Sergio Lemley (Michigan) - Big Ten #5
• Jordan Hamdan (Michigan State/Hudson HS) - Big Ten #10
• Josh Edmond (Missouri/Detroit Catholic Central HS) - Big 12 #6
• Jimmy Nugent (Central Michigan) - MAC #3
• Jacob Brya (Northern Illinois/St. John's HS) - MAC #2

This is a loaded weight for the state of Michigan. Sergio Lemley is having an outstanding true freshmen season for the Wolverines, highlighted by a major decision over returning NCAA finalist Real Woods (Iowa). He is a virtual lock for the NCAA tournament, especially with 11 qualifying spots from the B1G at 141lbs. 11 spots also benefits NCAA qualifier Jordan Hamdan in his bid to make it back to the NCAA tournament. The MAC will send just the champ to nationals, so Brya and/or Nugent would need an upset over the #1-seed Henson (Northern Iowa) for an automatic bid. There are 5 spots up for grabs in the Big 12, so Josh Edmond sits just outside qualifying based on the pre-seeds. We really like Edmond's chances to finish top-5 at the conference tournament, and he would be a viable candidate for a wildcard spot if needed.

149

• Casey Swiderski (Iowa State/Dundee HS) - Big 12 #1
• Austin Gomez (Michigan) - Big Ten #2
• Corbyn Munson (Central Michigan/Chelsea HS) - MAC #1
• Braden Stauffenberg (Michigan State) - Big Ten #12

Another deep weight class for Michigan Grapplers here, as three guys are projected to be conference tournament finalists. Swiderski is the 1-seed in the Big 12 tournament and will look for another trip to the NCAA tournament. Additionally, Corbyn Munson is the top seed in the MAC, and they take the top-3, so he has set himself up nicely for another NCAA tournament bid. In the Big Ten, All American Austin Gomez has essentially locked himself into a trip to Kansas City. As the 12-seed, Stauffenberg will have some work to do to finish inside the required top-9.

157

• Chase Saldate (Michigan State) - Big Ten #6
• Will Lewan (Michigan) - Big Ten #7
• Johnny Lovett (Central Michigan) - MAC #3

Three projected NCAA qualifiers here, as Michigan, MSU, and CMU all have pre-seeded representatives inside their conferences' automatic bid spots. All American Will Lewan and qualifier Chase Saldate are probables to return to the NCAA tournament, as is Johnny Lovett in the MAC. The B1G will take 9 at 157, while the MAC will take the top-5.

165

• Caleb Fish (Michigan State/Eaton Rapids HS) - Big Ten #4
• Cameron Amine (Michigan/Detroit Catholic Central HS) - Big Ten #6
• Stoney Buell (Purdue/Dundee HS) - Big Ten #7
• Tyler Swiderski (Central Michigan, Dundee HS) - MAC U/S
• James Johnston (Long Island/Davison HS) - EIWA #12

Fish, Amine, and Buell have situated themselves nicely in the B1G, all seeded in the top-7. The B1G received 10 automatic bids here, and all have solid resumes that they can build on with nice showings this weekend. Tyler Swiderski and James Johnston will have some work to do, as Swiderski is currently unseeded in the MAC and will need to reach the finals for a chance at a wildcard, or win the tournament for the automatic bid. The EIWA will take 5, so Johnston will have to out-wrestle his seed and knock off a few ranked wrestlers to qualify for NCAAs.

174

• Shane Griffith (Michigan) - Big Ten #2
• Alex Cramer (Central Michigan) - MAC #1
• DJ Shannon (Michigan State) - Big Ten #13
• Jay Nivison (Buffalo/Davison HS) - MAC #6

The MAC secured two automatic bids at 174lbs, so Alex Cramer will need to reach to the finals for his bid. As the 1-seed, Cramer will obviously be favored to make that run and return to the NCAA tournament. NCAA champion Shane Griffith is putting together another nice season and is a virtual lock to return to NCAAs. Nivison was an NCAA qualifier for Buffalo two seasons ago and will need to outplace his seed to make a return. The same can be said for DJ Shannon, as he is seeded 13th and will need to place top-8.

184

• Will Feldkamp (Iowa State/Dexter HS) - Big 12 #5
• Jaden Bullock (Michigan) - Big Ten #5
• Layne Malczewski (Michigan State/Dakota HS) - Big Ten #6
• Adrien Cramer (Central Michigan) - MAC U/S
• Ethan Weatherspoon (Virginia/Napoleon HS) - ACC #5

Will Feldkamp leads the way here as an All American, as he is seeded 5th and will need to match his seed for an automatic berth. Even without a fantastic Big 12 tournament, Feldkamp is a likely wildcard recipient, so he is a virtual lock to make it back to the big tournament. Bullock and Malczewski have set themselves up nicely in the B1G, both being able to achieve NCAA qualification if they wrestle to their seeds. In the ACC, there are 4 qualifying spots at 184lbs, so Weatherspoon is one upset away from qualifying.

197

• Kael Wisler (Michigan State/New Boston Huron HS) - Big Ten #11
• Bobby Striggow (Michigan) - Big Ten #13
• Cameron Wood (Central Michigan) - MAC #4

197 is the weight Michigan Grapplers will need the most help to have a qualifier. The B1G only takes the top-7 spots, so Wisler and Striggow will have to significantly outplace their pre-seed to reach the NCAA tournament. The MAC only takes the two finalists, so Cameron Wood will need to upset the 1-seed in the semis to qualify (or beat the runner-up in a true second scenario).

285

• Lucas Davison (Michigan) - Big Ten #3
• Taye Ghadiali (Campbell/Warren Fitzgerald HS) - SOCON #1
• Josh Terrill (Michigan State/Holt HS) - Big Ten #9
• Bryan Caves (Central Michigan) - MAC #4
• Josh Boggan (Kent State/Kalamazoo Central HS) - MAC #7

Taye Ghadiali has quietly had an outstanding career at Campbell. Already a 3x NCAA qualifier, Ghadiali will look to finally reach the podium this year. He has positioned himself as the #1 seed in the Southern Conference, so he has a very good chance to wrestle in Kansas City. All American Lucas Davision is the 3-seed in the B1G, and he is a virtual lock to be back at the NCAA tournament. Josh Terrill will need one or two upsets in the B1G, while Caves and Boggan will need the same in the MAC tournament. The MAC will bring the top-3, so Caves is in a slightly better position, but either Caves or Boggan would qualify with a great conference tournament.