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
125 pounds
The skinny: Five wrestlers have a good shot at a title, but placing in the top eight could be even tougher in this deep weight class. Minnesota's Jayson Ness cruised through the regular season, but lost to Indiana's Angel Escobedo in the Big Ten Championships. Defending champion Paul Donahoe quietly is 17-3.
The favorite: Escobedo. He's given Ness his only losses in his last 38 matches and is 29-1.
CMU's chances: A pair of freshmen will be senior Luke Smith's first two opponents if he starts 2-0 - Virginia freshman Ross Gitomer, the Atlantic Coast Conference champ, in the pigtail, and Iowa State's Tyler Clark in the first round. Things would get considerably tougher for Smith in the second round, likely against Minnesota's No. 2 seed Ness.
133 pounds
The skinny: The Big Ten has three of the top five wrestlers - Michigan State's Franklin Gomez, Illinois' James Kennedy and Iowa's Joey Slaton. Oklahoma State's Coleman Scott is 28-4 after a runner-up finish last season.
The favorite: Gomez. The sophomore beat Kennedy 3-1 to win the Big Ten Championships and is 28-1.
CMU's chances: Sophomore Conor Beebe has a tough first-round match against Wisconsin junior Zach Tanelli, the No. 9 seed. If Beebe advances, Minnesota's No. 8 seed Mack Reiter likely awaits. Reiter beat Beebe 10-1 earlier this season.
149 Pounds
The skinny: This arguably is the deepest weight class in the country. Iowa's Brent Metcalf and Minnesota's Dustin Schlatter are the premier wrestlers in the weight class, and a second meeting between the two could be an epic match. Harvard's J.P. O'Connor also could challenge, while North Carolina State's Darrion Caldwell has the potential to beat anyone.
The favorite: Metcalf. He beat Schlatter 5-3 in the Big Ten Championships final and is 34-1. His lone loss was to Caldwell by fall.
CMU's chances: Senior Brandon Carter drew a familiar opponent - Appalachian State's Scott Ervin, whom he beat 4-2 in overtime this season. However, Ervin is the No. 10 seed while Carter is unseeded. His second-round opponent also would be a tough task - either Boston's Mike Roberts or pinning machine Darrion Caldwell of North Carolina State.
The skinny: Five wrestlers have a good shot at a title, but placing in the top eight could be even tougher in this deep weight class. Minnesota's Jayson Ness cruised through the regular season, but lost to Indiana's Angel Escobedo in the Big Ten Championships. Defending champion Paul Donahoe quietly is 17-3.
The favorite: Escobedo. He's given Ness his only losses in his last 38 matches and is 29-1.
CMU's chances: A pair of freshmen will be senior Luke Smith's first two opponents if he starts 2-0 - Virginia freshman Ross Gitomer, the Atlantic Coast Conference champ, in the pigtail, and Iowa State's Tyler Clark in the first round. Things would get considerably tougher for Smith in the second round, likely against Minnesota's No. 2 seed Ness.
133 pounds
The skinny: The Big Ten has three of the top five wrestlers - Michigan State's Franklin Gomez, Illinois' James Kennedy and Iowa's Joey Slaton. Oklahoma State's Coleman Scott is 28-4 after a runner-up finish last season.
The favorite: Gomez. The sophomore beat Kennedy 3-1 to win the Big Ten Championships and is 28-1.
CMU's chances: Sophomore Conor Beebe has a tough first-round match against Wisconsin junior Zach Tanelli, the No. 9 seed. If Beebe advances, Minnesota's No. 8 seed Mack Reiter likely awaits. Reiter beat Beebe 10-1 earlier this season.
149 Pounds
The skinny: This arguably is the deepest weight class in the country. Iowa's Brent Metcalf and Minnesota's Dustin Schlatter are the premier wrestlers in the weight class, and a second meeting between the two could be an epic match. Harvard's J.P. O'Connor also could challenge, while North Carolina State's Darrion Caldwell has the potential to beat anyone.
The favorite: Metcalf. He beat Schlatter 5-3 in the Big Ten Championships final and is 34-1. His lone loss was to Caldwell by fall.
CMU's chances: Senior Brandon Carter drew a familiar opponent - Appalachian State's Scott Ervin, whom he beat 4-2 in overtime this season. However, Ervin is the No. 10 seed while Carter is unseeded. His second-round opponent also would be a tough task - either Boston's Mike Roberts or pinning machine Darrion Caldwell of North Carolina State.
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