NCAA Tournament Previews: 174 Pounds
John Fuller/TheMat.com
One of the more experienced weight classes in the country is 174 lbs. However, no wrestler in the country has yet to consistently prove that they belong in the same class as Oklahoma State’s Chris Pendleton, the defending national champion, and Missouri’s Ben Askren, last year’s NCAA runner-up.
It would take a major upset for either one of these two wrestlers not to be in the finals this year. Last year, after Askren had downed Pendleton in the Big XII Tournament, Pendleton dominated Missouri’s freshman phenom in the NCAA finals, nearly winning by a major decision.
While their wrestling styles may be contrasting, their attitudes are very similar. Both Pendleton and Askren want to not only win, but do so in dominating fashion.
Pendleton has defeated Askren twice this year. Those are the only losses on the year for Askren. Pendleton’s only loss is to E.K. Waldhaus of Oklahoma in a Bedlam dual, where anything can happen. Waldhaus has fizzled at the end of the season.
Despite the power at the top of this weight, it is still very deep. Everyone seeded down to No. 12 will have a legitimate chance at earning an All-American place.
Pete Friedl of Illinois is the third seed. His losses this year are to Pendleton, fourth seed Jake Herbert of Illinois and ninth seed Eric Hauan of Northern Iowa. But his win over Herbert in the Big Ten finals sealed a No. 3 seed, putting him on the same side as Askren.
Herbert must now try to get through Cornell’s Joe Mazzurco, the fifth seed, before getting a shot at Pendleton. But many in the wrestling world were hoping for a matchup between Herbert, the top freshman at 174 this year, and Askren, who provides a similar style of wrestling.
Central Michigan’s Mitch Hancock is one of nine Chippewa wrestlers in this tournament, but he may be the best one. As the sixth seed, he sits on the same side as Friedl.
Travis Frick of Lehigh has not been as steady this year as he has been in the past couple of years, but he is still very dangerous. He is one of the toughest draws in this tournament, and he also has a couple of prior matchups with Pendleton. He knows how to wrestle with the best.
Andy Roy of Rutgers has also been solid this year. He had one nasty loss earlier in the year, but he also went overtime with Friedl. A red flag on his season may be getting majored by Mazzurco at the EIWA Tournament.
Top 4 Seeds: 1. Chris Pendleton (Oklahoma State), 2. Ben Askren (Missouri), 3. Pete Friedl (Illinois), 4. Jake Herbert (Northwestern)
Top Contenders: Askren, Pendleton
The Others: Travis Frick (Lehigh), Mitch Hancock (Central Michigan), Eric Hauan (Northern Iowa), Joe Mazzurco (Cornell), Andy Roy (Rutgers)
Darkhorse: Bryce Hasseman (Bloomsburg)
Top Freshmen: Herbert
Finals Prediction: Pendleton defeats Askren
Wrestling Gear
