ACC Receives 37 Allocations For NCAA Championships
CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. –The NCAA released the conference allocations on Friday (March 1) for the upcoming NCAA Championships and 37 automatic berths will be up for grabs at the ACC Championships. The 37 automatic berths is a record high for the ACC.
The ACC Championships will be held on Saturday, March 9, at Cassel Coliseum as Virginia Tech will host the event. Tickets are available online here or at the ticket office on site in Blacksburg. Students who attend an ACC institution will be admitted free with a valid student ID.
Each qualifying tournament was awarded automatic bids per weight class based on current year data. Each wrestler was measured on the following: Division I winning percentage at the weight class; ratings percentage index (RPI); and coaches’ ranking.
For each wrestler that reached the threshold in at least two of the three categories, his conference tournament was awarded a qualifying spot in that weight class. Each conference was awarded a minimum of one automatic bid per weight class, which will go to the tournament champion, even if they did not have any wrestlers reach at least two of the three thresholds. NCAA tournament spots for each qualifying event will be awarded at the tournament based solely on place-finish.
After all of the conference tournaments have concluded, the NCAA Division I Wrestling Committee will meet in-person to select the remaining 44 at-large qualifiers, which will be announced on March 12, while brackets and seeding will be announced on NCAA.com at 6 p.m. on March 13. All weight classes will consist of 33 wrestlers. The at-large selections will be made based on the following criteria: head-to-head competition; quality wins; coaches’ ranking; results against common opponents; RPI; qualifying event placement; and winning percentage.
Allocations for the ACC break down for the following weight classes: 125 (2), 133 (4), 141 (4), 149 (4), 157 (4), 165 (4), 174 (3), 184 (5), 197 (4) and 285 (3).
FINAL COACHES RANKINGS AND RPI RELEASED
In the final NCAA Coaches Panel Rankings and RPI released on Friday, the Cavaliers also had a solid presence. In all, Virginia had seven wrestlers ranked in the coaches rankings and five ranked in the RPI.
In the coaches rankings, the Cavaliers had Jack Mueller (5th, 125 pounds) Louie Hayes (26th, 133 pounds), Sam Krivus (24th, 141 pounds), Jake Keating (24th, 157 pounds), Cam Coy (19th, 165 pounds), Will Schany (27th, 184 pounds) and Jay Aiello (7th, 197 pounds).
In the RPI, ranked Cavaliers include Hayes (31st, 133 pounds), Krivus (24th, 141 pounds), Coy (20th, 165 pounds), Schany (22nd, 184 pounds) and Aiello (7th, 197 pounds).
The coaches’ rankings are compiled by a vote of coaches representing each conference. For ranking purposes, coaches may only consider a wrestler that has been designated as a starter at a respective weight class. To be eligible for the rankings, wrestlers must have participated in at least five matches against Division I opponents in the weight class and have wrestled within the last 30 days.
To be eligible for an RPI ranking, a wrestler must have a minimum of 17 Division I matches at a given weight class.