Follow WIN Magazine during the 2022 NCAA Wrestling Postseason
Between March 16-20, WIN Magazine will be in Detroit, Mich., for the...
Editor’s Note: Due to press deadlines, the following profiles of WIN’s ranked wrestlers were written prior to the NCAA qualifying tournaments.
Updated 2016 NCAA Brackets
1. Bo Nickal, Penn State, RS Freshman, Allen, Texas
NCAA Resume: 1st tournament
2. Brian Realbuto, Cornell, Junior, Somers, N.Y.
NCAA Resume: 7-4 (6th, 2nd) in two tournaments — Realbuto competed at 157 pounds the past two seasons and reached the finals with a overtime quarterfinal win over Kent State’s Ian Miller and by injury default over Minnesota’s Dylan Ness before losing to Illinois’ Isaiah Martinez in the finals. One year earlier, the Big Red wrestler finished sixth after winning his first three bouts, including over Iowa’s defending NCAA champ Derek St. John.
3. Zach Epperly, Virginia Tech, Sophomore, Christiansburg, Va.
NCAA Resume: 4-2 (7th) in one tournament — The Hokie lived up to his No. 7 seeding last March when he won his first two bouts before losing 2-1 to eventual champ Matt Brown (Penn State) in the quarterfinals. Epperly clinched AA status when he pinned Blaise Butler (then with Virginia) in 6:25 in the R12. A 3-2 win over NDSU’s Kurtis Julson gave him seventh place.
4. Zac Brunson, Illinois, Junior, Eugene, Ore.
NCAA Resume: 5-4 in two tournaments — Brunson went 2-2 as a No. 16 seed at 157 pounds in 2014, then moved up two weights last season when he just missed All-American honors as a No. 11 seed when he lost a R12 bout to top-seed Robert Kokesh (Nebraska).
5. Ethan Ramos, North Carolina, Sophomore, Hawthorne, N.J.
NCAA Resume: 3-3 (6th) in one tournament — Seeded 15th last March at 165 pounds, Ramos defeated Seth Thomas (Oregon State), Austin Wilson (Nebraska) and Pierce Harger (Northwestern) to reach semifinals before losing 5-0 to Indiana’s Taylor Walsh and a pair of consolation bouts.
• By the time Blaise Butler arrived on campus at Missouri — to begin his graduate work — the Tiger already appeared in two NCAA tournaments while representing Virginia. But Butler is still searching for his first All-American honor after he lost in the R12 to Virginia Tech’s Zach Epperly. This season, the native of Belvidere, Ill., stood 17-3 prior to the MAC tournament, including a 3-1 sudden victory over Oklahoma State’s Kyle Crutchmer.
• Oklahoma State’s Kyle Crutchmer opened the season No. 1 in the nation considering the junior from Tulsa, Okla., owned the highest national finish (5th) among returning All-American. But by the end of the regular season, the junior was in jeopardy of losing his starting spot to redshirt freshman Chandler Rogers, who beat Crutchmer at the Southern Scuffle before also beating UNC’s Ethan Ramos on Feb. 19.
• Bryce Hammond of CSU Bakersfield got off to a great start to his career by winning two Pac-12 championships and becoming the first Roadrunner since 2010 to earn All-American honors when he finished eight in 2014. Unfortunately, his third season as a starter came to a halt last year because of a shoulder injury. This winter, the native Bakersfield stood 16-3 prior to the conference meet with a championship at the Roadrunner Open and victories over Missouri’s Blaise Butler and Iowa State’s Lelund Weatherspoon.
• Indiana’s Nate Jackson wants to be known by more than just being the only wrestler to beat Penn State’s Bo Nickal (7-6 on Jan. 10). Earlier, the Hoosier finished second at the Reno TOC, where he beat Central Michigan’s Michael Ottinger.
• Iowa’s Alex Meyer took two years to earn a permanent starting spot for the Hawkeyes and stood 21-2 heading into the Big Tens. That includes a third straight placement at the Midlands, claiming third this winter.
• Cody Walters of Ohio U. is looking to earn his second All-American honor — the first coming as a redshirt freshman in 2013 when he finished eight — and the Bobcat made a big move towards doing that when he became the first Ohio U. wrestler to win a Midlands title.