2008 Woodie Awards
Breaking down the bracket
Sports Editor Robbie Sgro breaks down Thursday-Saturday's NCAA Wrestling Championships in St. Louis.
By: Robbie Sgro
Issue date: 3/19/08 Section: Sports
157 pounds
The skinny: Graduation and injuries have made this class wide open. Iowa State's Trent Paulson, last season's champion, graduated. The runner-up, Craig Henning of Wisconsin, failed to qualify for the tournament this season. And Minnesota's C.P. Schlatter, the No. 5 seed this season, comes into the tournament after an injury-plagued Big Ten Championships.
The favorite: Edinboro's Gregor Gillespie. He won a title at 149 pounds last season and is 32-2. Illinois' Mike Poeta and Penn State's Dan Vallimont, who went one-two at the Big Ten Championships, also should challenge.
CMU's chances: Sophomore Steve Brown has a winnable first-round match against Army's Christian Snook, but would have a tough time in the second round against Penn State's No. 3 seed Vallimont.
165 pounds
The skinny: After seniors Eric Tannenbaum of Michigan and Mark Perry of Iowa, the top wrestlers are mostly inexperienced.
The favorite: Tannenbaum. He beat the defending national champion for the Big Ten title, and Perry has battled injuries while returning to form.
CMU's chances: Junior Trevor Stewart's first-round opponent could be tougher than his second-round. Stewart, the No. 9 seed, drew a tough first-round opponent in Illinois' Roger Smith-Bergsrud, who wrestles mostly low-scoring matches. Northern Iowa's No. 8 seed Moza Fay hasn't performed as well against the top wrestlers and competes in a weaker conference.
174 pounds
The skinny: Five wrestlers have a shot at a national title, including CMU senior Brandon Sinnott.
The favorite: Pittsburgh's Keith Gavin. He's undefeated and was the runner-up last season. Also contending are Michigan's Steve Luke, Nebraska's Brandon Browne, Iowa's Jay Borschel and Sinnott.
CMU's chances: Sinnott, the No. 5 seed, should get by California's-Davis' Tyler Bernacchi, the Pacific-10 runner-up in the first round. From there, he could have two rematches - a Mid-American Conference match against Northern Illinois' Duke Burk and a chance to avenge an earlier loss against Borschel.
The skinny: Graduation and injuries have made this class wide open. Iowa State's Trent Paulson, last season's champion, graduated. The runner-up, Craig Henning of Wisconsin, failed to qualify for the tournament this season. And Minnesota's C.P. Schlatter, the No. 5 seed this season, comes into the tournament after an injury-plagued Big Ten Championships.
The favorite: Edinboro's Gregor Gillespie. He won a title at 149 pounds last season and is 32-2. Illinois' Mike Poeta and Penn State's Dan Vallimont, who went one-two at the Big Ten Championships, also should challenge.
CMU's chances: Sophomore Steve Brown has a winnable first-round match against Army's Christian Snook, but would have a tough time in the second round against Penn State's No. 3 seed Vallimont.
165 pounds
The skinny: After seniors Eric Tannenbaum of Michigan and Mark Perry of Iowa, the top wrestlers are mostly inexperienced.
The favorite: Tannenbaum. He beat the defending national champion for the Big Ten title, and Perry has battled injuries while returning to form.
CMU's chances: Junior Trevor Stewart's first-round opponent could be tougher than his second-round. Stewart, the No. 9 seed, drew a tough first-round opponent in Illinois' Roger Smith-Bergsrud, who wrestles mostly low-scoring matches. Northern Iowa's No. 8 seed Moza Fay hasn't performed as well against the top wrestlers and competes in a weaker conference.
174 pounds
The skinny: Five wrestlers have a shot at a national title, including CMU senior Brandon Sinnott.
The favorite: Pittsburgh's Keith Gavin. He's undefeated and was the runner-up last season. Also contending are Michigan's Steve Luke, Nebraska's Brandon Browne, Iowa's Jay Borschel and Sinnott.
CMU's chances: Sinnott, the No. 5 seed, should get by California's-Davis' Tyler Bernacchi, the Pacific-10 runner-up in the first round. From there, he could have two rematches - a Mid-American Conference match against Northern Illinois' Duke Burk and a chance to avenge an earlier loss against Borschel.
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