NCAA Tournament Previews: 141 Pounds
John Fuller/TheMat.com
One of the deepest weight classes in the land, the race for 141 pounds promises to be thrilling all the way through. As many as six different wrestlers could conceivably come away with the title this year, and the matchups based on projected seeds should be exciting for the fans.
Nate Gallick of Iowa State enters the postseason undefeated and the clear choice for the top seed. He owns wins over every major contender except for Michigan’s freshman sensation, Josh Churella and Lehigh’s Cory Cooperman. Twice Gallick has downed 2003 NCAA champion Teyon Ware of Oklahoma, he defeated Andy Simmons in the Midlands finals and toppled 2004 NCAA runner-up Matt Murray of Nebraska.
Ware and Churella will most likely be the second and third seeds, respectively. Ware actually has a more impressive resume than Gallick, except for his two losses to Gallick this year. He has also split matches with Murray, but defeated Churella and Cooperman. While he is still known as a counter wrestler, Ware has improved offensively over the past year. Aggressiveness may have been the reason he was knocked out of the NCAA Tournament last year.
Churella has stormed onto the scene this year, losing only once this year in a match to Ware. His youth may be his biggest asset. He presents a flashy style on the mat, and while he has not necessarily faced any of the top contenders in this weight twice this year, he is tough to defeat twice in one year.
Cooperman has not really been tested all season long, and when he has, he has gone down. Once was to Dewitt Driscoll of Penn State and the other time was to Ware. In a weight class this deep, it is not to one’s benefit to not have matches against the top contenders, meaning Cooperman will have quite an uphill battle.
Michigan State sophomore Andy Simmons has also grown up a lot this season, but he has struggled to find any offense in matchups with the premier competitors of this weight class. Most of his losses have him scoring either one or two points.
Murray was one of those wrestlers that everyone in the wrestling world said would never make it back to the NCAA finals. He has had a solid season, after it appeared for a while he would redshirt, but has losses to Churella, Gallick, Ware and even Oklahoma State freshman Daniel Frishkorn. However, Murray took a very similar course last year before earning a trip to the NCAA finals.
There is a strong crop of freshman in the 141-pound weight class this year. Churella clearly leads the pack, but Big Ten foes Ryan Lang of Northwestern and Alex Tsirtsis of Iowa will also get their noses dirty in the All-American race. Frishkorn has struggled all season long, but in true Jake Rosholt fashion, he had a huge Big XII Tournament and now looks to be a point-scorer for the Cowboys.
Projected Top 4 Seeds: 1. Nate Gallick (Iowa State), 2. Teyon Ware (Oklahoma), 3. Josh Churella (Michigan), 4. Cory Cooperman (Lehigh)
Top Contenders: Churella, Gallick, Simmons, Ware
The Others: Cooperman, Matt Murray (Nebraska), Andy Simmons (Michigan State)
Darkhorse: Ricky LaForge (Hoftra)
Top Freshmen: Churella, Daniel Frishkorn (Oklahoma State), Ryan Lang (Northwestern), Alex Tsirtsis (Iowa)
Finals Prediction: Gallick defeats Churella
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