2005 NWCA/Cliff Keen National Duals Division I Preview: Many Dream Matchups Loom
Not everything will go as planned, but here is a look at some potential matchups and scenarios at the 2005 National Duals
By Matt Krumrie “Senior Editor
Please send comments, questions or replies to: [email protected]
The 2005 NWCA/Cliff Keen National Duals kick off at the Convocation Center on the campus of Cleveland State University Friday morning.
Pairings were released Tuesday evening, and potential team and individual matchups already have wrestling fans talking. And for good reason. This weekend promises to be everything it’s built up to be. Some of the best Division I, II, III, NAIA, Juco and women’s teams in the nation getting together to fight for the right to call themselves the 2005 National Dual Champions.
In a sport that places so much emphasis on individual accomplishment to achieve a year-end national champion, this is the only tournament where all 10 wrestlers in a lineup can play a crucial role in a teams success. You might have a 133 pounder who won’t qualify for nationals, but if he gets some key wins, maybe some bonus points, and wrestles well, that could be the key to winning a close dual. On the contrary, an injury, an open spot in the lineup, or a bad weekend can swing things the other way.
Michigan enters the national duals dealing with the latter. The #3 seed Wolverines open against unseeded Arizona State Saturday morning at 11 a.m., and will do so in that match and throughout the tournament without anyone competing at 125. Mark Moos recently moved up to 133, and although Jim Shutich, a sophomore from Rockford, Michigan, is ready to go at that weight, he wrestled at 133 at the Buffalo Open in late December. Because of the NCAA weight-reduction rule, Shutich is not eligible to wrestle until the weekend of Jan. 28-30, when the Wolverines wrestle at Wisconsin and Minnesota.
“We’ll just have to take it round-by-round and one dual at a time,” said Michigan coach Joe McFarland. “These guys need to continue wrestling the way they are now, and I think if they’re able to do that – being aggressive, scoring points and getting those bonus points – we’ll be in good shape. It’s tough to be going in without a 125-pounder, that’s not the tournament where you want to be missing somebody. Some of these guys are going to need to step up and win some tough matches for us. That will be a key for us, especially in the later rounds. Nobody likes to give up six points, and we’ll get Jimmy back in the lineup in a couple weeks. He’s chomping at the bit, he’s ready to wrestle. “
Last year the Wolverines registered their best-ever performance at the National Duals, posting a 4-1 mark to claim third place among the 16-team field. U-M rolled past early-session competition, defeating West Virginia (29-16) and conference-foe Minnesota (30-6) in the first and quarterfinal rounds. The Wolverines suffered their only setback of the two-day tournament in the semifinals, narrowly falling to top-ranked Oklahoma State 20-13 in the evening session despite winning the opening three weight classes. U-M rallied on the second day with back-to-back wins over Hofstra (31-10) and Penn State (21-17) to earn the third-place trophy.
Illinois makes it’s first-ever appearance in the National Duals. Senior Mark Jayne is a native of Elyria, Ohio, a suburb of the Cleveland area. He hails from St. Edward High School. If Illinois and Michigan face each other, Jayne could have a chance to meet fellow St. Ed alum, Mark Moos of Michigan, in a potential dual this weekend. Junior Kyle Ott came to the Illini from Huber Heights, around the Dayton area.
Illinois 184 pounder Brian Glynn will attempt to get his 100th career win this weekend. It’s going to happen at some point this weekend, but Glynn would love to have it happen in the opening round when Illinois, the #2 seed, faces West Virginia, led by two-time national champion and top-ranked 184 pounder Greg Jones. This will be the toughest match thus far this season for Jones, who is 9-0.
Oklahoma State, the #1 seed, opens with The Citadel. The Cowboys, barring a collapse, will advance to likely face #8 Cornell in the quarterfinals. Cornell faces host Cleveland State. While Oklahoma State is the favorite, an interesting match looms at 133 between Cornell’s Travis Lee and Oklahoma State freshman Nathan Morgan, and at 149 between Oklahoma State’s Zack Esposito and Cornell’s Dustin Manotti. Another good matchup at 197 between the Cowboys’ Jake Rosholt and Cornell’s Jerry Rinadli will provide fans with more interesting subplots.
Lehigh, the #4 seed, opens with Cal Poly, a match that once had the potential to be a great battle now heavily favors Lehigh. Hofstra, the #5 seed, opens against Northern Iowa. A good matchup here will be at 197 when Hofstra’s Chris Skretkowicz faces UNI’s Sea Stender in a battle of two of the nation’s best at this weight class.
Continue reading at the source.
Wrestling Gear
