The NCAA finalized the brackets for the 2011 NCAA Wrestling Championship on Wednesday night. The Binghamton University wrestling team had four wrestlers automatically qualify for the tournament and were expecting one at-large bid, but unexpectedly came away with two.
Senior Ryan McGarity and sophomore Nate Schiedel earned at-large bids at 174 and 184 pounds, respectively. McGarity (30-17) did not place at the Colonial Athletic Association Championship last weekend, which had seemingly put an end to his collegiate career. However, despite losing to Old Dominion University freshman Tristan Warner in the consolation semifinals 11-3, McGarity earned an at-large bid. McGarity was ousted from the championship bracket in the semifinals after losing to Hofstra University senior Ryan Patrovich 4-1 in the semifinals.
McGarity is set to face Ohio University junior Nick Purdue (29-4) in the opening round. During Binghamton’s 17-16 victory over Ohio on Dec. 12, Purdue defeated McGarity 9-3. BU head coach Pat Popolizio said he wasn’t surprised by McGarity’s bid, and he was excited.
“It was a long shot, but he’s beaten a lot of kids in that bracket and he’s had a lot of close matches with kids in there,” Popolizio said. “So looking at it now in the big picture, he belongs there.”
As anticipated, Schiedel (32-7) earned an at-large bid at 184 pounds. Schiedel took second at the CAA tournament, but has been ranked nationally by several publications all season long — he’s currently ranked No. 18 by InterMat — and his place in the tournament was not in much doubt. His scheduled opponent in the first round is University of Wisconsin junior Travis Rutt (33-2), who is the No. 4 seed in the bracket. Rutt and Schiedel met in last year’s first round; Rutt won the bout 7-3.
“It gives him life again,” Popolizio said of Schiedel. “These guys have to take advantage of those opportunities. Nate, he was disappointed in his performance at the CAAs, so this gives him a chance to go out on a high note. His first-round draw is the first round draw he had last year in the NCAA tournament, so he knows what to expect.”
With the two at-large bids, Binghamton now has six wrestlers in the national tournament, which equals last year’s Division I program record. Five of last year’s qualifiers returned for this season. The only wrestler who didn’t return was Josh Patterson, who graduated after an illustrious career that saw him qualify for the national tournament four times. As a junior, he became the program’s first D-I All-American. With Schiedel now in the tournament, all five of the returning qualifiers have qualified for the second consecutive year.
Binghamton’s only seeded wrestler in the tournament is sophomore Donnie Vinson (26-4), who is the No. 9 seed at 149 pounds. He is set to face Wisconsin’s Coulthurst Schmitt (23-11) in the first round. Vinson’s seed met Popolizio’s expectations, as he thought he would be seeded anywhere from eighth to 12th.
“[Vinson’s seed] shows that in people’s eyes he’s good enough to be an All-American this year and compete for a national title,” Popolizio said. “He’s beaten guys ahead of him, and he’s lost to a couple of guys below him. He’s going to have to put together a couple of tough matches and he’ll find himself in a position to compete for a national title.”
Junior 165-pounder Justin Lister, whose fourth-place finish at 157 pounds earned him All-America honors at last year’s tournament, is set to face Appalachian State University junior Kyle Blevins (36-8). If Lister wins, he could have a tough matchup in the second round if No. 1 seed senior Jordan Burroughs (31-0) of Nebraska advances. Burroughs defeated Lister 8-4 at last season’s Northeast Duals on Nov. 28, 2009.
“He wrestled Burroughs two years ago to a very close match when Lister was just starting out,” Popolizio said. “It’ll be interesting to see how he competes against someone like that. Obviously Burroughs is a very good wrestler. I like the fact that Justin has a lot of athletic ability. Wrestling a kid that’s going to be fast and very offensive, that’s good for Lister.”
Two-time CAA champion senior Anwar Goeres (24-8) is scheduled to face Penn State University freshman Andrew Alton (28-8) in the first round at 141 pounds. Alton is the No. 6 seed in the bracket. Popolizio thinks “it’s a good spot” for Goeres to be in his bracket.
“Any time you wrestle a kid who’s [wrestling for the] first time in the national tournament, that’s what you want … Anwar can beat anybody on any given day. It’s a matchup we’re excited to see,” Popolizio added.
Fresh off his first CAA title, junior Matt Kaylor (28-9) is set to face Northern Iowa freshman David Bonin (25-11) in the opening round. Kaylor won his opening round match in last year’s tournament before losing his next two matches. Kaylor could potentially see the No. 3 seed, freshman David Taylor (34-0) of Penn State, in the second round.
“It’s a matchup we’re very excited for,” Popolizio said of Kaylor’s first-round draw. “[Bonin] beat Lister earlier in the year; we know what he does; we know what he’s about. Kaylor’s going to wrestle hard and be in a position to beat that kid. He deserves to be in the tournament and he’s dangerous. Kaylor is a kid that can beat anybody, so that’s another match that we’re looking forward to seeing.”
Bonin defeated then-No. 8 Lister 6-4 on Nov. 27 at the Northeast Duals.
The Bearcats finished tied for 21st in the team standings at last year’s tournament, the team’s best D-I finish ever. Now with six qualifiers, they have a better chance for another top-25 finish than they did a few days ago. The NCAA Wrestling Championship is scheduled for March 17-19 at the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia, Pa.