Blue White Illustrated

TOURNAMENT PREVIEW B Y T I M O W E N WHEN March 15-17 WHERE Scottrade Center, St. Louis, Mo. WHY Three hundred and thirty of the nation's best collegiate wrestlers descend on St. Louis for one pri- mary reason: to claim an individual NCAA championship. Many will also con- tribute to the quest for an NCAA team title, but realistically, only five or six programs have a fighting chance. We'll get to that later. LAST SEASON Before the final round even began in Philadelphia, Penn State had clinched its first national title in 58 years. The Lions outlasted Cornell and Iowa, which finished second and third, respectively. Penn State's win was also the first NCAA title for any East Coast uni- versity since 1953. The last to do it? Again, Penn State. FAVORITES On paper, the Nittany Li- ons are head-and-shoulders above the competition, ranking 29 points ahead of second-place Minnesota in Intermat's Tournament Power Index (TPI), a ranking system that employs a formula similar to the one used to determine the NCAA tournament's final standings. However, the Gophers won the national dual meet championship in February and also topped the Li- ons in a Rec Hall dual meet in No- vember. They appear to have the fire- power to defeat their Big Ten rival. Iowa, though still young and rela- tively unproven, can never be count- ed out, and Big 12 powerhouse Oklahoma State is the leading con- tender from outside the Big Ten tal- ent pool. DARK HORSE Although it's unlikely to finish in the top three, Missouri might catch some folks by surprise. With a roster full of promising young talent, the Tigers could finish with five or more All-Americans, es- pecially if they get some momentum from a home-state crowd. OW CANDIDATES David Taylor's stiffest competition for the tournament's Outstanding Wrestler award could be wearing the same-colored singlet. Taylor (165), Frank Molinaro (149) and Ed Ruth (174) are all viable candidates for the honor. Each will be competing for his first national championship. The leading OW hopefuls already W E I G H T - B Y - W E I G H T 125 A two-time national finalist who was also once a national champ, Iowa's Matt McDonough has been a mainstay atop this weight class for the past three years. How- ever, he fell to Illinois' Jesse Delgado earlier in the season, and Minneso- ta's Zach Sanders, a senior, is look- ing to go out on top. Penn State freshman Nico Megaludis is primed to earn All-America status, but he appears to be one year away from making a trip to the final. CHAMPION Matt McDonough, Iowa DARK HORSE Alan Waters, Missouri 133 Five of the top 10 wrestlers in this class hail from the Big Ten, but the best is from the Big 12. Jordan Oliver, the returning NCAA champi- on from Oklahoma State, is the top- ranked wrestler at 133 and is in po- sition to claim a second consecutive title. But he fell to Iowa's Tony Ramos in overtime earlier in the sea- son, his first loss in 39 bouts. He's vulnerable, but still the favorite. CHAMPION Jordan Oliver, Oklahoma State DARK HORSE Logan Stieber, Ohio State 141 In a weight class with six legiti- mate championship contenders, Michigan's Kellen Russell is the only returning champion, having won the 141-pound title last season. Howev- er, he fell to Ohio State's Hunter Stieber, a true freshman, earlier in the season, and Boris Novachkov of Cal-Poly and Mike Mangrum of Ore- gon State could make a run. And don't forget about Iowa's Montell Marion, a two-time All-American who reached the final two years ago. CHAMPION Kellen Russell, Michigan DARK HORSE Montell Marion, Iowa 149 Heading into the Big Ten tour- nament, Frank Molinaro hadn't lost since last year's championship round. The Penn State senior does- n't have any plans to lose again, but he could face a major obstacle in Jamal Parks of Oklahoma State. Parks is built like Molinaro but might be slightly quicker on his feet. Since the season began, writers from across the country have been predicting this pair will meet in the final. Anything else would be a sur- prise. W W W . B L U E W H I T E O N L I N E . C O M CHAMPION Frank Molinaro, Penn State DARK HORSE Cole VonOhlen, Air Force 157 Kyle Dake of Cornell continues his quest for four NCAA titles, but first he must win his third, and the junior has some solid competition standing in his way. Northwestern's Jason Welch poses the biggest threat with his funky California style. Other challengers include Iowa's Derek St. John (provided he's healthy enough to compete), Ameri- can's Ganbayar Sanjaa and Clari- on's James Fleming. But Dake is a strong favorite. Penn State's Dylan Alton lost by decision to Dake earli- er this season, but an All-America finish is within the redshirt fresh- man's reach. CHAMPION Kyle Dake, Cornell DARK HORSE James Fleming, Clarion 165 Penn State's David Taylor hates it when he's asked about his loss in the NCAA 157-pound final last year. It's a memory that still haunts him. He'll look to put the past to rest with another trip to NCAAs this year – this time with a win to cap things off. Compared to last year, the field is significantly less daunting. But Maryland's Josh Asper remains undefeated and could be the biggest threat to Tay- lor, who went 23-0 in the regular season. CHAMPION David Taylor, Penn State DARK HORSE Josh Asper, Maryland 174 As of this writing, Penn State's Ed Ruth hadn't lost since he took a medical forfeit after injuring his knee in the 2011 NCAA quarterfi- nals. That loss was to Stanford's Nick Amuchastegui, who, coinciden- tally, sat atop the 174-pound rank- ings headed into the postseason. Ruth will be seeking revenge. Okla- homa State's Chris Perry, however, is also undefeated this season and could surprise Ruth and Amuchastegui, who headline this class. CHAMPION Ed Ruth, Penn State DARK HORSE Chris Spangler, Iowa State SEE TOURNAMENT PAGE 37 M A R C H 2 3 , 2 0 1 2 15 have a title (or two) in their pocket. Cornell's Kyle Dake (157), who topped Molinaro in the 149-pound final a year ago for his second con- secutive title, is the top candidate for the award. Oklahoma State's Jordan Oliver, an Easton, Pa., native and the defending 133-pound champion, is another strong OW contender. PENN STATE'S OUTLOOK Anything less than three individual champions would be a letdown for the Lions. And you had better believe they're expecting more – maybe four, maybe even five, but who's counting? If they finish with three champs, it will be difficult for any opponent to match their effort. But winning a second consecutive team title won't be easy with Minnesota, Oklahoma State, Cornell and Iowa all standing in their way.

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