Seeds And Brackets Announced For NCAA Wrestling Championships
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CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. –The brackets and seeds for the 2019 NCAA Wrestling Championships were announced by the NCAA on Wednesday (March 13) and both junior Jack Mueller (Dallas, Texas) and redshirt sophomore Jay Aiello (Chantilly, Va.) are seeded within the top 10 at their respective weight classes.
It is the first time the NCAA has seeded every wrestler at each weight class rather than just releasing the top 16 seeds at each weight. The 2019 NCAA Wrestling Championships will be held March 21-23 at PPG Paints Arena in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
Mueller is the No. 5 seed at 125 pounds after posting a 17-0 record this season and claiming the ACC Championship with a win over NC State’s Sean Fausz. Of his 17 victories this season, Mueller won 16 by bonus points that included five pinfalls, five technical falls and five major decisions. His five seed is the highest for a Virginia wrestler since 2015 when Nick Sulzer earned a four seed at 165 pounds. It’s the highest seed ever earned by 125-pound wrestler in Virginia program history. It is Mueller’s third consecutive NCAA Championship appearance, the second at 125 pounds. Mueller will face Dack Punke of Missouri is his opening-round match.
Krivus enters the NCAA Tournament as the No. 26 seed after earning an at-large bid at 141 pounds. He posted a 16-10 record on the season and wrestled 14 of his 26 matches against wrestlers ranked in the last RPI released by the NCAA. It is the third consecutive NCAA Championship appearance for Krivus. Krivus will face seventh-seeded Mitch McKee of Minnesota in his first match.
Coy, who is making his first NCAA Championship appearance, is seeded No. 25 at 165 pounds after going 19-14 on the season with 17 matches coming against wrestlers ranked in the last RPI released by the NCAA. Coy will face eighth-seeded Mekhi Lewis of Virginia Tech in his opening match.
Schany is making his second consecutive NCAA Championships appearance and will be the No. 29 seed at 184 pounds after locking up the fifth automatic spot for the ACC at 184 pounds by virtue of his finish at the ACC Championships. Schany wrestled at 174 pounds last season on his way to his first NCAA Championship berth. Schany will face fourth-seeded Emery Parker of Illinois in his first match.
Aiello will be the No. 7 seed at 197 pounds, the highest seed for a 197-pound wrestler in Virginia program history and the first time a 197-pounder has received a top-10 seed for the Cavaliers. Aiello finished as the runner-up at the ACC Championships and posted a 23-6 record on the season. He posted seven victories over nationally-ranked wrestlers this season and posted a third-place finish at the Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational earlier this season. It is his first NCAA Championship berth. Aiello will face Anthony McLaughlin of Air Force in his opening match.
VIRGINIA OPENING-ROUND MATCHUPS
125:No. 5 seed Jack Mueller vs. No. 28 seed Dack Punke (Missouri)
141:No. 26 seed Sam Krivus vs. No. 7 seed Mitch McKee (Minnesota)
165:No. 25 seed Cam Coy vs. No. 8 seed Mekhi Lewis (Va. Tech)
184:No. 29 seed Will Schany vs. No. 4 seed Emery Parker (Illinois)
197:No. 7 seed Jay Aiello vs. No. 26 seed Anthony McLaughlin (Air Force)