NCAA Tournament Previews: 165 Pounds
John Fuller/TheMat.com
Who would have thought that one of the first matches of the season may have also been an NCAA finals preview at 165 lbs.?
In that match, Troy Letters of Lehigh, the defending NCAA champion and a two-time finalist, dropped Michigan’s Ryan Churella, 13-5. Since then, Churella has won 33 consecutive matches, including two against the fourth seed Mark Perry of Iowa, a freshman.
Churella moved up two weight classes this year, as he and his coaches felt it would be better for their lineup. It may go down as the best coaching move of the season, as he has become a dominant force at this weight class.
Letters, of course, is like a freight train. Powerful and explosive, he has recorded seven pins, three technical falls and six major decisions, including the one over Churella.
Churella’s major competition should come from third seed Johny Hendricks of Oklahoma State, only a sophomore. Hendricks has lost four matches this year, two of them two Letters. Neither of those losses was by more than three points. But after starting the year very strong offensively, Hendricks seems to have worn down some, holding on to matches rather than taking control of them.
Perry is going to be one of the next great wrestlers. He is that good. However, he has struggled at times against the top competition. He has lost twice each to Churella and Hendricks. In each instance, he has gotten off to a very slow start and had to try to come from behind. He has to change that to even have a chance of making the finals. Letters is one of the best wrestlers in the nation with a lead, and as the fourth seed, that is who Perry would have to go through to make the finals.
The rest of the wrestlers at this weight class are just that “the rest. David Bolyard of Central Michigan enters at the ninth seed. He has faced Letters in a couple of very close matches over the last two years.
Jacob Klein of Nebraska and Jon Sioredas of Tennessee-Chattanooga are also two opponents that could give the higher seeds fits. Both have defeated Hendricks this season.
This may be Letters’ toughest draw since he has been competing in the NCAA Tournament. But he is the best in the country, and those are obstacles he has climbed over before.
Top 4 Seeds: 1. Troy Letters (Lehigh), 2. Ryan Churella (Michigan), 3. Johny Hendricks (Oklahoma State), 4. Mark Perry (Iowa)
Top Contenders: Churella, Hendricks, Letters, Perry
The Others: David Bolyard (Central Michigan), Jacob Klein (Nebraska), Travis Paulson (Iowa State), Jon Sioredas (Tennessee-Chattanooga), Tyron Woodley (Missouri)
Darkhorse: Matt Nagel (Minnesota)
Top Freshmen: Perry
Finals Prediction: Letters defeats Churella
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