The 2022 NCAA Division 1 Championships kick off next Thursday in Motown - Detroit, Michigan. Before the action gets underway at the Little Caesars Arena, here is a breakdown of the athletes from New York as well as athletes representing colleges in New York.
Competing Wrestlers:
[2] Vito Arujau (Cornell)
First Round Opponent: Antonio Lorenzo (Cal Poly)
Arujau comes into Detroit with one loss (#3 Glory) however avenged that loss in convincing fashion in the finals of the EIWA, 19-6. All signs are pointing to round 3 with Glory in the semis even though the bottom half of the bracket consists of a handful of studs including [6] Eric Barnett (Wisconsin) and [7] Trevor Mastrogiovanni (Oklahoma St).
#17 Anthony Noto (Lock Haven)
First Round Opponent: Drew Hildenbrandt (Penn St)
4x NYS Champion Noto's draw may be more favorable than many think when seeing Penn St's Hildenbrandt on line #16. Hildenbrandt has only wrestled 12 matches in total, compared to Noto's 30. He has a rough B1G tournament where he was seeded second, but finished 10th. Taking out a Nittany Lion in Round 1 will give Noto the confidence and momentum for the rest of the tournament.
#29 Joe Manchino (Columbia)
First Round Opponent: [4] Brandon Courtney (Arizona St)
Manchino earned an at-large berth to Detroit out of the EIWA. The junior from Tabernacle, NJ draws returning NCAA Runner-Up, Courtney, in round 1. A tough draw nonetheless but does have a winnable round 1 backside match against likely Fabian Gutierrez of Chattanooga.
Competing Wrestler:
[32] Dom LaJoie (Cornell)
First Round Oppoenent: [33] Domenick Zaccone (Campbell)
Cornell's Lajoie will be one of the first ones on the mat when the tournament kicks off. The 32/33 matchup are generally evenly match but unfortunately the winner meets top seed, returning NCAA Champion Roman Bravo Young of Penn St. Both Dom and his opponent earned an at-large berth. Zaccone is 13-10 out of the SoCon conference. The Senior Captain Lajoie looks to cap off a fine career for the Big Red with a solid podium run.
Competing Wrestler:
[11] Matt Kazimir (Columbia)
First Round Opponent: [22] Shannon Hanna (Campbell)
Quietly, Kazmir is having a stellar season currently sitting at 22-4. I really like his spot on the bracket and can see Matt making Friday Morning's quarterfinal round. His opening round foe is SoCon Champion Shannon Hanna of Campbell. Hanna sits at 17-5.
Competing Wrestlers:
#1 Yianni Diakomihalis (Cornell)
First Round Opponent: [32] Zachary Sherman (North Caorlina)/[33] Dashawn Farber (Lock Haven)
2x NCAA Champion Yianni D is the heavy favorite at 149lbs. Yianni has the entire state of New York cheering him on as he aims for title #3. His biggest contender may be #4 Sammy Sasso of Ohio St, an NCAA Runner-Up @ 149lbs last season. If...I meant when Yianni gets by Sasso...good luck picking his opponent from the bottom half.
#16 Willie McDougald (Oklahoma)
First Round Opponent: [17] Jarrett Degen (Iowa St)
McDougald upended Degen in the semis of the Big 12 tournament, 5-4 to advance to the title bout. The Niagara Falls native will see the Cyclone yet again Thursday Morning. Should McDougald prevail, we will see an All-NY R16 match Thursday night. Yianni and Willie never competed against each other in high school. As a fan, I would love to see these two meet up on the grand stage in Detroit.
#20 Colin Realbuto (Northern Iowa)
First Round Opponent: [13] Beau Bartlett (Penn St)
Realbuto finished 3rd in the Big 12, by defeating the aforementioned Degen of ISU. His opponent, Bartlett, is 14-8 for the Nittany Lions and one of the best HS recruits to come out of Wyoming Seminary. A win over Bartlett will continue Colin's quest to advance to day 2.
#24 PJ Ogunsanya (Army)
First Round Opponent: [9] Kaden Gfeller (Oklahoma St)
Our New York contingent seems to either be from the Big 12 or will be wrestling a Big 12 conference member early on. Same goes with Army's Ogunsanya as he draws the Big 12 Champ, Gfeller. The Senior Cadet won the EIWA title in 2021 and went 2-2 at nationals. This season, he earned an at-large berth however comes to Detroit with a year of experience competing under the bright lights.
#29 John Arceri (Buffalo)
First Round Opponent: [4] Sammy Sasso (Ohio St)
We may be set up to see yet again another All-NY matchup, in the event both Arceri and Realbuto win or loss their first round matches. Arceri is a 2x NYS Finalist/Champion in 2015 and Realbuto finished with the bronze in 2018 during his senior campaign for the Gaels of Iona Prep.
Competing Wrestlers:
#3 Jacori Teemer (Arizona St)
First Round Opponent: #30 Hunter Richard (Cornell)
If this doesn't get your heart pumping, nothing will! Teemer vs Richard in round1, 5x Division 1 NYS champion against 3x Division 2 NYS Champion. This is definitely a dream match for a lot of New Yorkers who strongly dislike the two division system. It prevents match-ups of this magnitude especially with how dominant both competitors were during their high school days.
#23 Markus Hartman (Army)
First Round Opponent: #10 Peyton Robb (Nebraska)
Hartman is now a 3x NCAA Qualifier which makes things a little easier on the nerves. The Cadet Senior draws a solid competitor in round 1 in Peyton Robb, a 5th place finisher in the B1G. Hartman's seed may be a bit skewed IMO. He won 30 matches as a sophomore and went 2-2 at nationals last year. Don't be surprised if Hartman makes a run at the blocks in Detroit.
#29 Michael Petite (Buffalo)
First Round Opponent: #4 Ed Scott (North Carolina St)
Petite earned an at-large berth out of the MAC coming off line 5. The Junior from Piscataway, NJ will be making his second trip to nationals. Although an underdog in round 1, Petite has been here before and pulled off an upset last year over #15 Chase Saldate of Michigan St.
#30 Hunter Richard (Cornell)
First Round Opponent: #3 Jacori Teemer (Arizona St)
As I eluded to above, this is a match many New Yorkers are looking forward to. Hunter makes his second trip to Nationals, his first coming in 2020 after winning 25 matches for the Big Red at 149lbs. The Senior Captain from Holland Patent (Section 3) looks to add his name to an already illustrious list of All-Americans dawning the White "C" on their singlet.
Competing Wrestlers:
#13 Julian Ramirez (Cornell)
First Round Opponent: #20 William Formato (Appalachian St)
Freshman sensation Julian Ramirez has been having quite the year for the Big Red at 165lbs. He went into the EIWA's as the top seed and finished fourth. He has a winnable first round bout which should land him in the R16 against #4 Dean Hamiti of Wisonsin.
#14 Joshua Ogunsnaya (Columbia)
First Round Opponent: #19 Justin McCoy (Virginia)
Ogunsanya upended the aforementioned Ramirez in the semi-finals of EIWA before finishing runner-up to Harvard's Philip Conigliaro. This will be Joshua's first trip to the big dance. He has shined on the big stage before, winning three Illinois State titles and was a 3x Fargo All-American. I'm looking forward to see what he can do under the bright lights in Detroit.
#25 Brevin Cassella (Binghamton)
First Round Opponent: #8 Philip Conigliaro (Harvard)
Cassella draws the EIWA Champion in round 1. Luckily, perhaps, they didn't link up during Conigliaro's title run. Brevin enters with a plethora of knowledge and on-site scouting tools to pull the upset here. Conigliaro wasn't in the lineup when they squared off against Binghamton nearly a month ago.
#30 Evan Barczak (Drexel)
First Round Opponent: #3 Alex Marinelli (Iowa)
Barczak vs the Bull.....a tough one right out of the gate. Don't be alarmed however, last season Barczak was in this very same spot, #30 against #3 Jake Wentzel of Pittsburgh. Evan battled and dropped a 1-0 decision. Marinelli finds himself in an uncomfortable spot at #3, usually he is on the top line of the bracket. Marinelli does have a knack for "not performing" the best at nationals. Put one and one together and the Drexel Dragon may shock the Little Caesar Arena on Thursday.
Competing Wrestlers:
#14 Chris Foca (Cornell)
First round Opponent: #19 Thomas Flitz (Appalachian St)
For the second straight weight, Cornell battles App St. in round 1. Foca comes into the tournament seeded #14. An injury default at the EIWA's haulted his momentum moving forward. Hopefully the injury isn't a costly one and Chris is at 100% on Thursday. This is his first crack of the national spotlight in college. Prior to arriving in Ithaca, Foca was a New Jersey State champion, 2x Beast of the East Champion and a Fargo National Champion.
#28 Benjamin Pasiuk (Army)
First Round Opponent: #5 Michael Kemerer (Iowa)
The Cadet Sophomore qualifies for Nationals for the second straight season and again will square off against Iowa's Kemerer. Ben's experience should suit him well on the backside in the event he falls to the Hawkeye again.
#29 Jay Nivison (Buffalo)
First Round Opponent: #4 Hayden Hidlay (North Carolina St)
Nivision came to Buffalo by way of Davison, Michigan where his accolades are a mile long. His first crack at national prominence comes against NCAA Runner-Up Hayden Hidlay. Nivision may be able to keep it close. All 4 of his matches at the MAC Championships were within 2 points.
#30 Jacob Nolan (Binghamton)
First Round Opponent: #3 Logan Massa (Michigan)
The Pride of Section 7, Nolan, looks to expand upon his first NCAA appearance from a season ago. He already finished one place higher this season at the EIWA's than last (4th this year). He defeated Virginia's Victor Marcelli in his lone win at the NCAA's last year. If Nolan can string together a few solid outings, a podium finish is just on the horizon.
#31 Dennis Robin (West Virginia)
First Round Opponent: #2 Mekhi Lewis (Virginia Tech)
A date with a National Champion is what's on the agenda for Section 1 native, Dennis Robin. What better way to kick off your initial NCAA appearance than upending a returning NCAA Champ. The Arlington HS alum has had his share of big matches throughout his career, a win here would top them all.
Competing Wrestlers:
#11 Jonathan Loew (Cornell)
First Round Opponent: #22 Layne Malczewski (Michigan St)
Back in 2020, Jon Loew earned an at-large berth to Nationals. This season, the Big Red Junior left no doubt as he claimed the 184lb EIWA title in convincing fashion. He heads to Detroit as the number 11 seed and hopes to leave with an All-American status attached to his name. His opening round foe is from the B1G, Layne Malczewski of Michigan St. Loew carries an impressive 26-5 mark into nationals. Eclipsing the 30 win plateau this weekend should ensure that AA stature.
#31 AJ Burkhart (Lehigh)
First Round Opponent: #2 Aaron Brooks (Penn St)
Brooks is the returning 184lb NCAA Champion and is considered the favorite to repeat. Burkhart will have his work cut out for him regardless of his initial result. The backside journey towards the blocks is always a grueling one, a match at a time is always the mantra. Burkhart was a 99lb NYS Champion back in 2015 for Section 4's Waverly. He finished his high school career competing for Athens (PA) before heading to Bethlehem.
Competing Wrestlers:
#8 Lou Deprez (Binghamton)
First Round Opponent: #25 Jaron Smith (Maryland)
An illustrious career will come to a close this weekend for yet another Deprez brother that had the privilege of dawning the Bearcat Green. Lou is the third brother of the quartet to represent Binghamton. Already a 3x NCAA qualifier, he will look to close out with another All-American performance (8th last year). He kicks things off against B1G representative Jaron Smith of Maryland. If Lou wins his first two....an interesting match will ensue against former Cornell NCAA Finalist/current Penn St stud and top seed Max Dean.
#19 Jacob Cardenas (Cornell)
First Round Opponent: #14 Greg Bulsak (Rutgers)
The now-Sophomore Cardenas came to Cornell with the highest of accolades including a 2x New Jersey SC and Super 32 Champion. His first crack on the national spotlight will be a dandy. Rutgers' Greg Buslak carries the same 22-6 record as Cardenas. Getting a win and those first match jitters out of the way could prove crucial as B1G Runner-Up Eric Schultz most likely awaits in round 2.
#31 JT Brown (Army)
First Round Opponent: #2 Stephen Buchanan (Wyoming)
One final go for the senior from Elyria, Ohio. Brown has been a staple in the Cadet lineup since he was a freshman. He is a 2x NCAA Qualifier, going 1-2 last season. Although drawing the second seed in round 1 is never ideal, JT is battle tested and will give Buchanan all he can handle.
Competing Wrestlers:
#18 Lewis Fernandes (Cornell)
First Round Opponent: #15 Taye Ghadiali (Campbell)
It is nice to see a Cornell heavyweight breaking through and providing the Big Red with some stability towards the back end of their lineup. Fernandez is very similar to Cardenas as he is also a 2x New Jersey SC and was highlight recruited coming out of high school. The Sophomore will get his feet wet against Taye Ghadiali in round 1. Depending on the results, he could link up with Hofstra's Zachary Knighton-Ward, a rematch of the EIWA semi-finals....a 5-0 win for Fernandes.
#20 Joe Doyle (Binghamton)
First Round Opponent: #13 Tate Orndorff (Ohio St)
Doyle brings the momentum and it is hard NOT to root for him. I truly feel Doyle will prevail in round 1. Orndorff is solid but beatable. Joe never disappoints and is fully capable of putting opponents on their back. I see him advancing into round 2 against the All-American Kirkvliet.
#24 Sam Schuyler (Iowa St)
First Round Opponent: #9 Lucas Davidson (Northwestern)
As stated above with Doyle, Schuyler finds himself in the same position, a winnable first round match. Schuyler went 1-2 at the NCAA's as a member of the Buffalo squad. A senior now, wrestling for the Cyclones, Sam looks to close things out with a podium finish in a loaded 285lb weight class.
#31 Zachary Knighton-Ward (Hofstra)
First Round Opponent: #2 Cohlton Schultz (Arizona St)
ZKW received an at-large berth after finishing 6th at the EIWA's. A second chance has the upset minded Pride Senior in prime position to cause a buzz in the Little Caesars arena on Thursday. ZKW is very capable of a throw or two, many remember that classic State Finals match in 2017 against Terron Robinson of Walt Whitman. It felt like we were watching a Greco match to say the least. Schultz is a Greco specialist which could make this match a must see.
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