Full National Duals DII Bracket
National Duals Website
FORT WAYNE, Ind. – After last year's burst onto the national scene and runner-up finish, Wheeling Jesuit is set for another run in its third-straight invitational at the National Wrestling Coaches Association Division II National Duals this Thursday and Friday, Jan. 5-6.
The Cardinals open their 2018 National Duals docket with a 2017 semifinal rematch with the Thunderwolves of Colorado State University-Pueblo. The WJU vs. CSU-Pueblo match starting at 11 a.m. in Fort Wayne's War Memorial Colesium.
"Everyone is pumped to be taking on Pueblo again after the excitement that dual brought last year. This year, it isn't a Cinderella story for both teams as Pueblo is a highly-touted team coming with numerous individuals ranked. This is a ripe opportunity for us to showcase our skills and for our guys to make a name for themselves. We are prepared for it and I am ready to cut this team loose Thursday," explained WJU head coach Danny Irwin.
A year ago, WJU record three upsets of higher ranked teams starting with No. 6 Findlay (26-12) and No. 3 Maryville (18-17). The Cardinals followed by tying the No. 21 ThunderWolves, 21-21, but they claimed the win via criteria (22-21). The upstart WJU squad saw its superb weekend stopped in the DII title match against No. 1 St. Cloud State, 35-6.
Freshman Jake Donahue (125) led WJU last year with a 4-0 run, including a win over the defending national champion. Dom Nania (149) went 3-1 as the other top Cardinal.
In its first National Duals outing in January 2016, WJU dropped three close bouts against Upper Iowa (24-15), Findlay (19-15) and Indianapolis (24-18).
Thus, WJU is 3-4 in seven matches of its first two National Duals appearances.
Leading the 2018 charge, two-time All-American Dustin Warner (6-2) is ranked No. 2 nationally in the 133-pound weight class. Senior Sawyer Leppla (11-3) holds the No. 10 ranking at 197.
WJU Probable Lineup:
125 – TBA
133 – Dustin Warner (6-2) or Jaylin Hill (7-4)
141 – Tyler Warner (8-4)
149 – Daniel Romero (8-5)
157 – Connor Craig (12-4) or Dylan Taylor (8-7)
165 – Keegan Driscoll (9-4)
174 – Justice Avery (7-6)
184 – Aiden Pasiuk (9-3)
197 – Sawyer Leppla (11-3)
285 – Terrance Fanning (11-2)
NWCA DII PREVIEW:
Division II
Last year's Division II bracket was as unpredictable and upset-riddled as any in the event's history. While those types of scenarios are never truly expected, it gives fans a reason to keep an eye on every round of the competition. Three-time champion St. Cloud State looks to repeat. The top-ranked Huskies have finished in the top three six straight seasons and have won 136 of their last 145 duals.
St. Cloud State will open with 15th-ranked Lake Erie College in the opening round with the winner facing either ninth-ranked Indianapolis or unranked Kutztown. Lake Erie finished in seventh place a year ago, a program best. Third-ranked Ashland will enter as the No. 2 seed. The Eagles will open with 25th-ranked Seton Hill. It's been a while since Ashland had any notable success in the event. The last time the Eagles placed in the top eight came in 2006. Notre Dame College has won the event four different times -- twice in Division II and twice as an NAIA program. The Falcons, ranked eighth, will open up with 10th-ranked Upper Iowa, showcasing the depth of the Division II portion of the event. Nine of the top 10 teams in the country are competing in Fort Wayne. The winner of the Notre Dame-Upper Iowa dual will face the winner of the Ashland-Seton Hill match.
Also in the bottom bracket is third-seeded Cal Baptist, which is currently in its final year eligible to compete as a Division II program. The Lancers athletc department will begin the transition to Division I next season and coach Lennie Zalesky's team will try to claim the school's first NWCA National Duals title. The third-ranked Lancers open up with No. 18 Gannon.
Two of the culprits behind last year's shattered brackets -- CSU-Pueblo and Wheeling Jesuit -- will meet in the first round. Last season, both were unseeded and found their way into the semifinals. Wheeling Jesuit earned the finals berth with a 21-20 criteria win over the Thunderwolves. CSU-Pueblo's ranked seventh this time around, so if Wheeling Jesuit wants to make a return appearance, they'll have to start out with another sizeable upset. The winner will advance to face either Cal Baptist or Gannon.
Fifth-ranked McKendree opens up with No. 13 Central Oklahoma in the opening round with the winner advancing to face the winner of the Pitt-Johnstown-Nebraska-Kearney dual. Central Oklahoma won the first Division II crown back in 2002. Despite its stellar reputation as a formidable dual meet team, coach Pat Pecora's Mountain Cats have never won the event. They were third last year. Nebraska-Kearney has two championships, the most recent coming in 2007.
Individually, six No. 1 wrestlers are in the field in Division II and 68 wrestlers are ranked in the top 12. There are also five past national champions in the Division II field: St. Cloud State's Brett Velasquez at 125, McKendree's Darren Wynn at 141, Nebraska-Kearney's Keith Surber at 149, Pitt-Johnstown's Tyler Reinhardt at 174 pounds and Cal Baptist's Andrew Schulte, who won a 141-pound NAIA title at Concordia (Neb.) in 2016.
-GoCards-
