Six Seeded From @PackWrestle Lead School-Record Eight Total into NCAAs
3/9/2016 6:37:00 PM | Wrestling
2016 NCAA Championships Brackets | @PackWrestle's Night of Champions
RALEIGH, N.C. - With the second-most seeded wrestlers in NC State school history, the NCAA announced the seeds and brackets for the 2016 NCAA Championships Wednesday night. The Wolfpack has six seeded wrestlers, ranked among the top-16 in their respective weight classes, and will have a school-record eight overall competing for NCAA gold next week in New York.
For the second straight year, two-time defending NCAA champion Nick Gwiazdowski enters as the top-seed at 285 pounds. He becomes the first wrestler in school history to earn a top seed in back-to-back NCAA Championships. Gwiazdowski is a perfect 29-0 this season, and enters the NCAAs with a NCAA-best 84 match-winning streak in his final collegiate tournament. He is vying to become only the second wrestler in ACC history with three straight NCAA titles, and the third heavyweight in NCAA history with three in a row and fourth with three overall.
Fellow ACC Champions Kevin Jack (No. 3 seed at 141 pounds), Tommy Gantt (No. 2 seed at 157 pounds), and Max Rohskopf (No. 5 seed at 165 pounds) also were awarded top-five seeds. All three will be competing in their second NCAA Championships.
Jack went from unseeded to All-American with his fifth place finish last year as a true freshman, and this season he was won 17 straight entering the NCAAs. After redshirting last season, Gantt returns to the NCAA Championships after he was one win away from All-American honors in 2014. This season at 24-0, Gantt along with Gwiazdowski, are two of the remaining nine undefeated wrestlers. Rohskopf will also be making back-to-back NCAA trips, as he was an at-large selection last year. Along with three falls this season, Rohskopf has outscored his opponents 71-21 and has nine shutouts in those 14 matches that went the distance.
The other two seeded Wolfpack wrestlers are Pete Renda, seeded No. 13 at 184 pounds and sophomore Michael Boykin, seeded No. 12 at 197 pounds. Renda is making his third straight trip to the NCAA Championships, as he was an automatic qualifier at 174 pounds in each of his first two seasons at NC State. Boykin will be making his first trip to the NCAAs after going 3-1 at last weekend's ACC Championship with a pair of top-25 wins.
The Pack will also have a duo of grapplers making their first trip to the NCAA Championships, redshirt freshmen Sean Fausz (125) and Jamal Morris (133) in their first season as starters.
NC State's six seeded wrestlers are the second-most in school history, only behind seven in 1982. This season also marks only the only season in school history NC State will have four wrestlers seeded fifth or better.
The last season NC State had multiple seeded wrestlers at the NCAA Championships was in 1993 (with three), and the eight this season equals the total amount of NC State seeded wrestlers from 2009-15.
The eight NCAA qualifiers this season ties the school record, also reached in 1996. In head coach Pat Popolizio's first four seasons at NC State he has had 21 NCAA qualifiers, the most in a four-year span at NC State since also having 21 from 1998-01.
Competition starts next Thursday (March 17) and runs through the finals on Saturday (March 19) at Madison Square Garden. All matches will be streamed on ESPN3. ESPN will cover the semifinals on Friday and the finals on Saturday, and ESPNU will also offer coverage throughout the tournament.
Full brackets for the 2016 NCAA Championships can be found at the link here.
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RALEIGH, N.C. - With the second-most seeded wrestlers in NC State school history, the NCAA announced the seeds and brackets for the 2016 NCAA Championships Wednesday night. The Wolfpack has six seeded wrestlers, ranked among the top-16 in their respective weight classes, and will have a school-record eight overall competing for NCAA gold next week in New York.
For the second straight year, two-time defending NCAA champion Nick Gwiazdowski enters as the top-seed at 285 pounds. He becomes the first wrestler in school history to earn a top seed in back-to-back NCAA Championships. Gwiazdowski is a perfect 29-0 this season, and enters the NCAAs with a NCAA-best 84 match-winning streak in his final collegiate tournament. He is vying to become only the second wrestler in ACC history with three straight NCAA titles, and the third heavyweight in NCAA history with three in a row and fourth with three overall.
Fellow ACC Champions Kevin Jack (No. 3 seed at 141 pounds), Tommy Gantt (No. 2 seed at 157 pounds), and Max Rohskopf (No. 5 seed at 165 pounds) also were awarded top-five seeds. All three will be competing in their second NCAA Championships.
Jack went from unseeded to All-American with his fifth place finish last year as a true freshman, and this season he was won 17 straight entering the NCAAs. After redshirting last season, Gantt returns to the NCAA Championships after he was one win away from All-American honors in 2014. This season at 24-0, Gantt along with Gwiazdowski, are two of the remaining nine undefeated wrestlers. Rohskopf will also be making back-to-back NCAA trips, as he was an at-large selection last year. Along with three falls this season, Rohskopf has outscored his opponents 71-21 and has nine shutouts in those 14 matches that went the distance.
The other two seeded Wolfpack wrestlers are Pete Renda, seeded No. 13 at 184 pounds and sophomore Michael Boykin, seeded No. 12 at 197 pounds. Renda is making his third straight trip to the NCAA Championships, as he was an automatic qualifier at 174 pounds in each of his first two seasons at NC State. Boykin will be making his first trip to the NCAAs after going 3-1 at last weekend's ACC Championship with a pair of top-25 wins.
The Pack will also have a duo of grapplers making their first trip to the NCAA Championships, redshirt freshmen Sean Fausz (125) and Jamal Morris (133) in their first season as starters.
NC State's six seeded wrestlers are the second-most in school history, only behind seven in 1982. This season also marks only the only season in school history NC State will have four wrestlers seeded fifth or better.
The last season NC State had multiple seeded wrestlers at the NCAA Championships was in 1993 (with three), and the eight this season equals the total amount of NC State seeded wrestlers from 2009-15.
The eight NCAA qualifiers this season ties the school record, also reached in 1996. In head coach Pat Popolizio's first four seasons at NC State he has had 21 NCAA qualifiers, the most in a four-year span at NC State since also having 21 from 1998-01.
Competition starts next Thursday (March 17) and runs through the finals on Saturday (March 19) at Madison Square Garden. All matches will be streamed on ESPN3. ESPN will cover the semifinals on Friday and the finals on Saturday, and ESPNU will also offer coverage throughout the tournament.
Full brackets for the 2016 NCAA Championships can be found at the link here.
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