University of Wisconsin's Andrew Howe capped off a perfect sophomore season by being selected the top seed in the 165-pound bracket at the 2010 NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships, to be held March 18-20 at Qwest Center in Omaha.
A three-time Indiana high school state champ, Howe has had a stellar career in his first two seasons as a Badger. Among the highlights: back-to-back Big Ten conference titles in 2009 and 2010... and being a finalist at the 2009 NCAAs as a true freshman.
The man he lost to last year in St Louis is Jarrod King of Edinboro University (Pennsylvania), who is seeded second in the bracket this year, despite being the defending champ at 165.
There are a dozen wrestlers in the 165-pound weight class who have earned seeds at the 2010 NCAAs, including five from the Big Ten. Here are brief bios, listed in the order of their seeding:
1. Andrew Howe, Wisconsin, a sophomore with a perfect 32-0 record, and a Big Ten championship.
2. Jarrod King, Edinboro, a redshirt senior, with 34 wins and 1 loss. Won the 2010 EWL (Eastern Wrestling League) title, and is the defending 2009 NCAA champ.
3. Nick Marable, Missouri, a senior with a 33-3 record this season. This Tiger claimed the 2010 Big 12 conference title.
4. Jon Reader, Iowa State, a junior with a won-loss record of 22-4. Reader lost a close finals match to Marable at the Big 12s.
5. Colt Sponseller, Ohio State, a sophomore with a 27-5 record. The Buckeye lost to Howe in the Big Ten finals.
6. Dan Vallimont, Penn State, a redshirt senior who brings a 27-7 record in Big Ten competition.
7. Ryan Morningstar, Iowa, a redshirt senior, with 26 wins, 6 losses.
8. Shane Onufer, Wyoming, a redshirt sophomore who won the West Regional title, and claims a 27-5 record this season.
9. Andrew Rendos, Bucknell, a senior with a 29-3 record, and the 2010 EIWA (Eastern Intercollegiate Wrestling Association) crown.
10. Alex Meade, Oklahoma State, a redshirt freshman with a 28-8 record for the Cowboys.
11. Rick Schmelyun, Bloomsburg (Pennsylvania), a senior with 28 wins, 7 losses.
12. Paul Young, Indiana, a redshirt junior with a 33-8 record this year.
Here are the first-round match-ups for the top four seeded wrestlers in the 165-pound bracket at the 2010 NCAAs:
No. 1 seed Andrew Howe, Wisconsin, vs. unseeded Chad Porter, Liberty University, a redshirt junior with a 23-9 record.
No. 2 seed Jarrod King, Edinboro vs. unseeded Eren Civin of Columbia University, a sophomore with 26 wins, 12 losses.
No. 3 seed Nick Marable, Missouri, vs. Nick Amuchastegui, Stanford, with a 30-4 record as a redshirt sophomore.
No. 4 seed Jon Reader, Iowa State vs. Chris Brown, Old Dominion, a redshirt senior with a 29-3 won-loss record.
NOTE: College Wrestling Examiner's "Mat Bracketology" feature is a series of articles that provides a quick preview of the seeded wrestlers in each weight class, along with opening matches for the top four seeds.
Resources
2010 NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships: Official website... List of seeds/qualifiers by weight... Brackets
TheMat.com: College postseason tournament schedule and scores
College Wrestling 101: Links to articles answering basic questions about wrestling, including rules, scoring, uniforms, more
Follow College Wrestling Examiner Mark Palmer on Twitter
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