photo courtesy of Missouri athletics
Conference season is upon us. This week we have five DI conferences in action and each day, we’ll bring a new preview. We’ve already hit both coasts with the Pac-12 and the EIWA, so we may as well hit the Mid-American Conference, better known as the MAC. Last year, the conference expanded to include the old EWL teams, making this new-MAC tied for the second-largest conference in the country.
Like many conferences, with the temporary solution used to allocate NCAA qualifying bids, the MAC benefited greatly at some weight classes and will be in a serious pinch at others. In the case of the weight classes squeezed with limited qualifiers, MAC coaches can only hope to limit upsets around the country at other qualifying events.
One of the conference season’s surest bets is that we’ll see Brian Smith’s Missouri Tigers hoist a MAC Championship trophy for a ninth consecutive year. Mizzou enters Lawrenceville with nine of the ten wrestlers seeded in the top-two at their respective weights. The outlier, Zach Elam, is seeded third and ranked 11th in the nation. Six of the ten Missouri entrants are ranked in the top-ten nationally. With two blue-chip true freshmen in the lineup, it looks like more of the same in the future. Sadly, the race appears to be for second place. That is one that Central Michigan could win. The Chippewas are led by the star power at their bookends. Their 125 lber and heavyweight are both ranked in the top-four nationally and are strong favorites this weekend. Former EWL member Rider looks to have emerged as CMU’s top threat for second place. The Broncs are ranked in the top-25 in a tournament format and have heavy hitters of their own, with a pair of wrestlers ranked in the top-eight. After these three, whoever had the best weekend could end up in fourth-place. Quietly, Ryan Ludwig’s Northern Illinois team has improved year-by-year and features four ranked wrestlers.
Below, we’ve gone through each weight class and previewed its competitors and made predictions for the top four placewinners, along with national qualifiers, and the team race.
When: Friday, February 26th and Saturday, February 27th
Where: Lawrenceville, New Jersey
How to Watch: ESPN+
125 lbs
1st - #2 Drew Hildebrandt (Central Michigan)
2nd - #18 Connor Brown (Missouri)
3rd - #24 Jake Ferri (Kent State)
4th - Luke Werner (Lock Haven)
5th - Jonathan Tropea (Rider)
6th - Josh Jones (George Mason)
7th - Lucas Rodriguez (Edinboro)
8th - Tristan Daugherty (Buffalo)
Automatic NCAA Qualifying Spots Available (4)
Right away, we’ve got some moving parts at 125 lbs. Word out of Columbia, Missouri, is that Connor Brown will be pulled and freshman Noah Surtin will be added. Surtin is 2-0 in conference action, but did not face any of the top-eight seeds. That presumably bumps up Luke Werner from a fourth seed to three. Since this is Werner’s only event of the year, he’ll need to either win the title or compete in four matches to receive his bid to nationals. Last season, Werner earned honorable mention All-American honors after taking third in the MAC and receiving the 13th seed at nationals. Now winning the tournament will be a tall task because of second-ranked Drew Hildebrandt at the top of the bracket. Hildebrandt is a two-time MAC finalist and one-time champion. He was named a first-team All-American after earning the sixth seed at the 2020 NCAA Championships. The shuffling would likely result in Jake Ferri getting the second seed. Ferri has been on fire since a loss to #5 Sam Latona (Virginia Tech) the second week of the season. He has tallied bonus points in eight of those nine wins in the interim. In each of the last two years, Jonathan Tropea has come very close to qualifying for the NCAA Championships. He was fourth last season in a weight that took three wrestlers to nationals. Josh Jones spent his freshman year at 133 lbs, but has moved down this season and went 7-2. Two of his best wins include majoring the wrestler in the seed below him, Lucas Rodriguez, and he also defeated NCAA qualifier Antonio Minnino (Drexel).
TOM Predictions
1st) Hildebrandt (Central Michigan)
2nd) Werner (Lock Haven)
3rd) Surtin (Missouri)
4th) Ferri (Kent State)
Projected Automatic Qualifiers: Drew Hildebrandt (Central Michigan), Luke Werner (Lock Haven), Noah Surtin (Missouri), Jake Ferri (Kent State)
133 lbs
1st - #8 Matt Schmitt (Missouri)
2nd - Brendon Fenton (Kent State)
3rd - #23 Drew Marten (Central Michigan)
4th - Tye Varndell (Edinboro)
5th - Mario Guillen (Ohio)
6th - Bryce West (Northern Illinois)
7th - Justin Patrick (Cleveland State)
8th - Aaron Schulist (SIU Edwardsville)
Automatic NCAA Qualifying Spots Available (5)
Now we’ve got a weight that will be favorable to the MAC in terms of the qualifying spots available. The clear favorite is Matt Schmitt, who stumbled in his first match of the year, but has been consistent since. The West Virginia transfer was fourth in the Big 12 in 2019 and won a pair of matches at NCAA’s. His two biggest wins of the season include a major decision over Pac-12 champion Devan Turner (Oregon State) and another over the third seed, Drew Marten. An undefeated regular season has netted Brendon Fenton the second seed. Fenton was the starter at 125 for Pittsburgh in 2018-19, but has thrived this year at 133. He owns wins over two other seeded foes, Tye Varndall and Justin Patrick. On his half of the bracket is Marten, who jumped in front of the line last year and grabbed a bid to nationals after taking third in the MAC. Marten experienced a tough run during mid-January but rebounded with four consecutive tech falls to end the season. One of those victims was Tye Varndall. Varndall’s only two losses this year came to Fenton and Marten. He’ll take the fourth seed primarily based on a pin of Bryce West. Bryce qualified for nationals back in 2019 at 125 lbs. That’s the same year that Mario Guillen qualified for Ohio. This year Guillen is 4-2 with a loss in extra matches to a non-starter from Kent State. A wild card in this bracket is eighth-seeded Aaron Schulist. Aaron has been out of action since January 10th but did defeat West and is 2-0 this season. Similarly, seventh-seeded Justin Patrick only has two matches on the year and none since an injury default on January 16th.
TOM Predictions
1st) Schmitt (Missouri)
2nd) Marten (Central Michigan)
3rd) Fenton (Kent State)
4th) Schulist (SIU Edwardsville)
Projected Automatic Qualifiers: Matt Schmitt (Missouri), Drew Marten (Central Michigan), Brendon Fenton (Kent State), Aaron Schulist (SIU Edwardsville), Bryce West (Northern Illinois)
141 lbs
1st - #6 Allan Hart (Missouri)
2nd - #13 Dresden Simon (Central Michigan)
3rd - #24 Saul Ervin (SIU Edwardsville)
4th - #30 Derek Spann (Buffalo)
5th - McKenzie Bell (Rider)
6th - Caleb Brooks (Northern Illinois)
7th - Kyle Schickel (Clarion)
8th - Josh Mason (Bloomsburg)
Automatic NCAA Qualifying Spots Available (4)
Even though Allan Hart is ranked sixth in the nation and undefeated, this weight class could be much closer than it appears on paper. Hart battled to 4-2 wins over the second and third seeds as this weight, with the Saul Ervin match going to sudden victory. The biggest win of the year for the Tiger 141 lber was when he handed Big 12 champion Ian Parker (Iowa State) his only loss of the year. Dresden Simon’s 4-2 loss to Hart is his only of the year and he has primarily dominated since. In his most recent match, Simon pinned two-time national qualifier, Derek Spann. Ervin split bouts with the seventh seed, Kyle Schickel, losing first before responding with a major decision a week later. He also owns a win over Spann. The Bulls 141 lbs is a past MAC runner-up who has gone 44-11 over the past two seasons. We’re not exactly sure where McKenzie Bell fits into this weight as his only MAC matches have come against opponents from George Mason. A head-to-head win by Caleb Brooks over Schickel provided him with the sixth seed. Eighth-seeded Josh Mason was one-point away from securing a bid to nationals last year, as he fell to DJ Fehlman (Lock Haven) in the fifth-place match. During that tournament, he did notch a win over Brooks.
TOM Predictions
1st) Simon (Central Michigan)
2nd) Hart (Missouri)
3rd) Ervin (SIU Edwardsville)
4th) Bell (Rider)
Projected Automatic Qualifiers: Dresden Simon (Central Michigan), Allan Hart (Missouri), Saul Ervin (SIU Edwardsville), McKenzie Bell (Rider)
149 lbs
1st - #3 Brock Mauller (Missouri)
2nd - Anthony Cheloni (Northern Illinois)
3rd - Tyler Vath (Edinboro)
4th - Kody Komara (Kent State)
5th - Ben Freeman (Buffalo)
6th - Marcus Robinson (Cleveland State)
7th - Corbyn Munson (Central Michigan)
8th - Seth Koleno (Clarion)
Automatic NCAA Qualifying Spots Available (4)
There is no bigger favorite in this tournament than Brock Mauller at 149 lbs. The two-time All-American is a national title threat and has only tasted defeat six times in his 81 bouts at Missouri. Mauller’s dominance is not always reflected on the scoreboard, as he has bonus points in only three of his 13 matches this year; however, he is rarely in danger. Brock will be gunning for his third MAC championship in as many tries. After Mauller, this bracket is extremely wide-open. Though there are three other NCAA qualifying slots up for grabs, none of the other entrants are ranked in the top-33. A 6-2 record and no conference losses, outside of Mauller, has netted Anthony Cheloni the second seed. Cheloni is a junior making his first postseason appearance for the Huskies. He also has head-to-head wins over the third and fourth seeds, Tyler Vath and Kody Komara, respectively. That loss to Cheloni is the only one of the year for Vath. Tyler is a senior that is on the brink of qualifying for nationals for the first time. Komara has paid his dues for the Golden Flashes and is now sporting a 9-4 record. His best win this year came when he pinned sixth-seeded Marcus Robinson. Robinson is a transfer from Buffalo that went 5-3 in the regular season with a win over the seven seed, Corbyn Munson. Marcus’ old team has the fifth seed in Ben Freeman, who went 2-2 this year.
TOM Predictions
1st) Mauller (Missouri)
2nd) Vath (Edinboro)
3rd) Cheloni (Northern Illinois)
4th) Komara (Kent State)
Projected Automatic Qualifiers: Brock Mauller (Missouri), Tyler Vath (Edinboro), Anthony Cheloni (Northern Illinois), Kody Komara (Kent State)
157 lbs
1st - #4 Jesse Dellavecchia (Rider)
2nd - #8 Jarrett Jacques (Missouri)
3rd - #19 Justin Ruffin (SIU Edwardsville)
4th - Alex Carida (Bloomsburg)
5th - #32 Jordan Slivka (Ohio)
6th - Johnny Lovett (Central Michigan)
7th - Anthony Gibson (Northern Illinois)
8th - Michael Petite (Buffalo)
Automatic NCAA Qualifying Spots Available (4)
A possible top-ten matchup in the finals highlights this deep weight class in the MAC. Jesse Dellavecchia is a two-time national qualifier that was bestowed with first-team All-American honors by the NWCA last season after earning the fourth seed at nationals. Since the start of the 2019-20 season, Dellavecchia is 34-2. All four of his 2021 wins have come via pin or tech fall. So could a rematch of the 2020 MAC finals be in the works? That match against Jarrett Jacques was won by a 4-0 shutout. Jacques is currently 8-1, with his only loss coming to national number-three, David Carr (Iowa). He tends to find a way to win tight matches, as only one of his wins have included bonus points. One of those narrow victories came against #19 Justin Ruffin, the third seed here. Ruffin’s 3-2 loss to Jacques was one of only two on the year. He is a two-time national qualifier that has finished fourth at the MAC Tournament, twice. Behind Ruffin is 2020 national qualifier Alex Carida. Alex earned his trip last season after placing fifth in the league. Carida was victorious in his only two bouts against conference competitors. The other ranked competitor at this weight is #32 Jordan Slivka. A win over seventh-seeded Anthony Gibson helped Slivka get the fifth seed. In between Slivka and Gibson is Johnny Lovett. Lovett majored Gibson and took a 3-2 decision over the eighth seed, Michael Petite. Gibson has proven that he’s capable of pulling an upset or two. Last season, while at 141 lbs, he downed Grant Leeth (Missouri) and Dresden Simon, both of which are All-Americans.
TOM Predictions
1st) Dellavecchia (Rider)
2nd) Jacques (Missouri)
3rd) Ruffin (SIU Edwardsville)
4th) Lovett (Central Michigan)
Projected Automatic Qualifiers: Jesse Dellavecchia (Rider), Jarrett Jacques (Missouri), Justin Ruffin (SIU Edwardsville), Johnny Lovett (Central Michigan)
165 lbs
1st - #11 Keegan O’Toole (Missouri)
2nd - #16 Izzak Olejnik (Northern Illinois)
3rd - #25 Colt Yinger (Ohio)
4th - #30 Jake Silverstein (Rider)
5th - Alex Cramer (Central Michigan)
6th - Riley Smucker (Cleveland State)
7th - Kolby Ho (Clarion)
8th - Neil Schuster (George Mason)
Automatic NCAA Qualifying Spots Available (2)
It’ll be the first postseason exposure for one of the top freshmen in the conference and the whole country as Keegan O’Toole seeks his first MAC crown. O’Toole competed at 157 lbs during the first week of the season but moved up to 165 and has been just as good. Keegan has four techs and three pins during his nine wins. One of the two opponents who limited O’Toole to a regular decision was Izzak Olejnik, the second seed. That was the only loss of the year for the NIU sophomore, who went 10-1 overall. Among those ten wins, seven came via bonus points. Colt Yinger started the season in the national rankings and kept his place based on a 3-2 performance. Yinger logged a solid 16-8 record as a true freshman in 2018-19, but did not compete last season due to injuries. Fourth-seeded Jake Silverstein is in his first year back east after spending two years with Nebraska. The change of scenery has helped, as Silverstein has won five of his six bouts and crept into the national rankings. Alex Cramer was forced to relocate after Old Dominion dropped their program. He stayed in the MAC and moved to Central Michigan, where he has gone 4-2. A 3-2 win over Riley Smucker has ensured that Cramer receives the sixth seed ahead of his foe from Cleveland State.
TOM Predictions
1st) O’Toole (Missouri)
2nd) Olejnik (Northern Illinois)
3rd) Silverstein (Rider)
4th) Cramer (Central Michigan)
Projected Automatic Qualifiers: Keegan O’Toole (Missouri), Izzak Olejnik (Northern Illinois)
174 lbs
1st - #9 Andrew McNally (Kent State)
2nd - #10 Peyton Mocco (Missouri)
3rd - #19 Mason Kauffman (Northern Illinois)
4th - Angel Garcia (Rider)
5th - Paul Pierce (George Mason)
6th - #20 Jacob Oliver (Edinboro)
7th - Anthony Rice (Cleveland State)
8th - Austin Bell (Lock Haven)
Automatic NCAA Qualifying Spots Available (3)
We’ve got a weight where Kent State comes in as the slight favorite as a pair of top-ten ranked wrestlers occupy the one and two seeds. Andrew McNally is a two-time NCAA qualifier trying to get over the hump and win his first conference title. Both times he’s qualified for nationals, McNally has finished as the conference runner-up. This year he comes in at 7-1, with the only loss coming via injury default. Right on his heels is Peyton Mocco. When O’Toole moved up to 165 after the first weekend, it forced Mocco up a weight. He has fared well with three wins over ranked opponents, including one in tiebreakers against the third-seed, Mason Kauffman. Mocco is currently undefeated at 9-0. The only two losses on Kauffman’s 2021 record have come to the two wrestlers seeded above him. Kauffman is one of many NIU wrestlers that have made gradual improvements over their career. He went from 13-16 as a redshirt freshman, to 13-10 last year, and 9-2 in 2021. Kauffman’s biggest win of the year came over two-time nationals qualifier, Jacob Oliver. Jacob sits at the sixth seed after a loss to Paul Pierce, who is 3-3. In between the two is Angel Garcia, a true freshman that sports a 5-1 record. Garcia has a one-point win over Pierce and his only loss of the season came to Michael O’Malley (Drexel), the top-seed in the EIWA.
TOM Predictions
1st) McNally (Kent State)
2nd) Mocco (Missouri)
3rd) Garcia (Rider)
4th) Kauffman (Northern Illinois)
Projected Automatic Qualifiers: Andrew McNally (Kent State), Peyton Mocco (Missouri), Angel Garcia (Rider)
184 lbs
1st - #20 Brit Wilson (Northern Illinois)
2nd - #6 Jeremiah Kent (Missouri)
3rd - #26 George Walton (Rider)
4th - DeAndre Nassar (Cleveland State)
5th - Max Wohlbaugh (Clarion)
6th - #31 Kyle Davis (George Mason)
7th - Tyler Bates (Kent State)
8th - Ryan Yarnell (SIU Edwardsville)
Automatic NCAA Qualifying Spots Available (3)
Occasionally in conference tournaments, we’ll have seeding that makes some sense, but also appears odd on paper. 184 lbs is one of those situations. The top seed is the returning MAC champion, Brit Wilson. In both appearances at the conference championships, Wilson has made the finals. As a freshman, Wilson was seeded 13th at the NCAA Championships, while he garnered the 19th seed last year. Brit is 10-1 on the year and captured a win over Missouri’s true freshman Colton Hawks. The second seed belongs to Jeremiah Kent, who is significantly higher in the national rankings compared to Wilson. Kent saw significant time in the lineup in 2019-20, as a freshman, but ultimately did not get the call for the postseason. Now up a weight class, Kent is 7-0 with five bonus-point wins. One concern is that Kent has not competed since January 17th, so rust may be a factor. The third seed belongs to George Walton, who is currently 4-1. Walton was pinned by #3 Louie DePrez (Binghamton) in his 2021 debut, but has been impressive since. He notched a 6-4 decision over the fifth-seed Max Wohlbaugh for one of his two conference wins. Wohlabaugh is 3-3 and is the entrant in the postseason, a third time in his career. This could be a breakout tournament for either the fourth seed DeAndre Nassar or sixth-seeded Kyle Davis. Nassar is 5-2 and both of his losses have come in overtime. Though he didn’t qualify for nationals in 2019-20, Davis was Sacred Heart’s top grappler, sporting an 18-7 mark. He has since transferred to George Mason, where he’s gone 3-1. Even the eighth seed, Ryan Yarnell, is dangerous. Yarnell has wins over Wohlbaugh and Hawks, but has fallen to seventh-seeded Tyler Bates.
TOM Predictions
1st) Kent (Missouri)
2nd) Wilson (Northern Illinois)
3rd) Davis (George Mason)
4th) Nassar (Cleveland State)
Projected Automatic Qualifiers: Jeremiah Kent (Missouri), Brit Wilson (Northern Illinois), Kyle Davis (George Mason)
197 lbs
1st - #5 Greg Bulsak (Clarion)
2nd - #15 Rocky Elam (Missouri)
3rd - Colin McCracken (Kent State)
4th - Ben Smith (Cleveland State)
5th - #31 Landon Pelham (Central Michigan)
6th - #28 Austin Stith (George Mason)
7th - Cody Mulligan (Edinboro)
8th - #33 Gage Braun (Northern Illinois)
Automatic NCAA Qualifying Spots Available (3)
For the last two weights, we have a lot of talent and not a whole lot of national tournament allocations to go around. Clarion has a top-seed here with senior Greg Bulsak. Last year, Bulsak became the first Golden Eagle wrestler to claim a MAC championship. That led to a tenth seed at nationals and second-team All-American honors from the NWCA. Bulsak is 7-0 this year and has racked up three falls along the way. His biggest competition could come from the true freshman Rocky Elam. Rocky has an identical record and has a pair of wins over past national qualifiers on his resume. In a typical season, he may have had more opportunities to rise up the rankings. Coming in as the third seed is Colin McCracken, who won 24 matches and placed fifth at the 2020 MAC Championships, but did not make it to nationals. McCracken is 8-3 with a win over national qualifier Gage Bruan, an opponent who defeated him last season. Behind him is Ben Smith, who is 3-3 on the year. All of Smith’s losses this season have come to quality competition and he is 0-5 career against McCracken. Landon Pelham has to assume the fifth seed after losing to Smith. Pelham was fourth in the conference last season and downed McCracken at the 2020 conference meet with a trip to nationals hanging in the balance. Presbyterian transfer Austin Stith has begun to flourish at George Mason. He is 4-2 this season with wins over two past national qualifiers. A head-to-head win over 2020 MAC third-place finisher, Braun, gives Cody Mulligan the nod over his competitor from Northern Illinois.
TOM Predictions
1st) Bulsak (Clarion)
2nd) Elam (Missouri)
3rd) McCracken (Kent State)
4th) Stith (George Mason)
Projected Automatic Qualifiers: Greg Bulsak (Clarion), Rocky Elam (Missouri), Colin McCracken (Kent State)
285 lbs
1st - #4 Matt Stencel (Central Michigan)
2nd - #8 Ethan Laird (Rider)
3rd - #11 Zach Elam (Missouri)
4th - #32 Sam Schuyler (Buffalo)
5th - #33 Jon Spaulding (Edinboro)
6th - #29 Colton McKiernan (SIU Edwardsville)
7th - Max Ihry (Northern Illinois)
8th - Tyler Bagoly (Clarion)
Automatic NCAA Qualifying Spots Available (3)
Our final weight class has three automatic bids available for a weight class featuring eight past national qualifiers and a UWW Junior National Champion. Needless to say, when all is said and done and at-large berths are doled out, there will be a few high-quality big men from this conference staying home. We’ll take a wild guess and state that Matt Stencel won’t be one of those left in the cold. Stencel is one of the most prolific pinners in all of DI wrestling, so it’s semi-surprising that he only has one during his seven wins this year. Stencel has faced excellent competition, downing national qualifiers in five of those seven contests. Another undefeated wrestler at this weight is Ethan Laird. Ethan was a MAC runner-up last year and an EWL champion in 2019 at 197 lbs. Laird has registered bonus points in all of his 2021 matches, but one. That happened to be when he knocked off two-time All-American Jordan Wood (Lehigh), 8-5. Don’t be fooled by the three losses from third seed Zach Elam this season. All three came at the hands of top-ten opponents. Elam still managed three wins over past nationals qualifiers, including 2020 Big 12 champion Brian Andrews. A win over Jon Spaulding gives Sam Schuyler the fourth seed, though he has a small sample size this year, with only four matches. Schuyler has competed at 197 for the first three years of his collegiate career, but has never been able to find consistency. Spaulding was a conference runner-up last year but fell to the fifth seed after the loss to Schuyler. He’s 8-2 with a win over fellow 2020 national qualifier Max Ihry this season. Colton McKiernan looks destined to meet Elam in the quarterfinals. The Tiger was responsible for McKiernan’s only conference loss of the year. Ihry and Tyler Bagoly were both at-large selections last season, but will have lots of work to break into the top three. Another notable unseeded entrant at this weight is Jordan Earnest (Ohio), who was third in the MAC last year.
TOM Predictions
1st) Stencel (Central Michigan)
2nd) Elam (Missouri)
3rd) Laird (Rider)
4th) McKiernan (SIU Edwardsville)
Projected Automatic Qualifiers: Matt Stencel (Central Michigan), Zach Elam (Missouri), Ethan Laird (Rider)
Projected Team Race
1st) Missouri
2nd) Central Michigan
3rd) Rider
4th) Kent State
5th) Northern Illinois
6th) Lock Haven
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