The stage is set for this weekend’s NCAA Division II Championships in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. No team is better positioned to take home the team title than #3 Central Oklahoma. The Bronchos qualified at all 10 weight classes, securing nine top-eight seeds, including two #1 seeds —  returning champion Dalton Abney at 197 pounds and Shawn Streck at 285 pounds. 

Based on the seeding, the Bronchos are the team to beat. 

"Seedings and rankings don't mean anything at this point," Central Oklahoma coach Todd Steidley said. "Our guys still have to go out and take care of business. There's a lot of parity in Division II and every round is going to be a challenge."

Lander and West Liberty are Poised To Take The Next Step

Central Oklahoma has the firepower to win it all, but the Bronchos are far from a lock to win the team title. Both #6 Lander and #5 West Liberty have the depth and top-end talent too. 

Lander enters the national tournament with seven wrestlers seeded in the top eight and five in the top four, including returning champion Zeth Brower (#1 seed at 141), third-seeded 125-pounder James Joplin, fourth-seeded 133-pounder Elijah Lusk, fourth-seeded 165-pounder David Hunsberger and fourth-seeded 184-pounder Logan Hall. 

The Bearcats’ lineup and depth give them the opportunity to compete with Central Oklahoma on the biggest stage. 

West Liberty also has an opportunity to make a run at the national tournament and could improve on its top-three finish in 2022, thanks in large part to a qualifying eight wrestlers out of their Super Regional. 

“To have eight qualifiers, they had to bring it,” West Liberty coach Danny Irwin said. “We had eight last year and to have eight this year gives us what we need to compete in Cedar Rapids.” 

The Hilltoppers are led by two-time national champion  Cole Laya, the #1 seed at 125 pounds. In addition to Laya, the Hilltoppers also have #3 Ty McGeary who is sitting at the top of the D2 Most Dominant Wrestler standings for wins with bonus points. These two, plus three other wrestlers in the top eight give West Liberty a chance to finish on the podium as a team. 

Don’t Sleep On St. Cloud State 

#1 St. Cloud State is facing a numbers deficit compared to some of the other top contenders. Six Huskies qualified for Cedar Rapids. 

Asked how he felt about his team’s Super Regional performance, St. Cloud State coach Steve Costanzo said: “I'm proud of all 10 guys. They battled. It's a really tough region. There's more parity in the region than I think there's ever been. … If you get out of here as a qualifier, you have a good chance to become an All-American.”

What the Huskies are missing in quantity they make up for in quality with five of the six taking home a Super Regional Championship. They continue to be led by #1 Abner Romero at 174 pounds and #2 Nick Novak at 157 pounds, both are undefeated heading into the national tournament. In addition to Novak and Romero, the Huskies also hope that #4 Joey Bianchini and #2 Dominic Murphy can contend for titles. 

Looking forward, for Costanzo, it is all about getting wrestlers mentally and physically prepared to compete at nationals. 

“(We will) get them a couple of days' rest, then get back at it and sharpen up some of our skills,” he said. “We'll do a little bit of problem-solving, then get ready to go down and make some noise in Cedar Rapids.”

Potential Matchups To Watch

The Division II Championships will have some fantastic matchups and storylines to follow in each weight class including: 

125 pounds – Can #2 Cole Laya (West Liberty) capture his third title? To do so he will possibly need to overcome #12 Dawson Collins (Colorado Mesa) in the quarterfinals. Collins defeated Laya earlier this year at the NWCA National Duals. 

133 pounds – Which version of Dylan Lucas will show up? The Central Oklahoma 133-pounder has had a rollercoaster season, beating #8 Collin Metzgar (Colorado Mesa), #9 Reece Barnhard twice, and pinning the #1 ranked Eric Bartos (Mercyhurst), while also losing to multiple unranked wrestlers. Lucas has the upside to win it all. 

141 pounds – This appears to be #1 Zeth Brower’s weight to lose. The Lander 141-pounder has already beaten #2 Christian Small (Lake Erie) and #3 Peter Kuster (Drury) and the matches were not close. 

149 pounds – #1 Jacob Ealy (Pitt-Johnstown) and #2 Josiah Rider (Adams State) are on track to meet in the finals, Rider’s only loss in DII this year came to Ealy at the Midwest Classic, a 4-3 decision of Ealy. Can Rider turn the table and win his second national title, or will Ealy cement his position as the best at 149?

157 pounds – #9 Ryan Wheeler (Colorado Mesa) and #2 Nick Novak (St. Cloud State) will meet in the first round. Wheeler is the returning third-place finisher from 2022 and Novak is 23-0. 

165 pounds – #1 Shane Gantz (Wisconsin-Parkside) has been dominant this season. He is undefeated and looking to defend his title. On the bottom half of the bracket, #6 Alex Farenchak is also undefeated. 

174 pounds – #1 Abner Romero (St. Cloud State) has beaten #2 Max Bruss (UMary) three times this season with scores of 5-2, 5-3, and 5-0. Can Bruss break through if he gets a fourth shot?

184 pounds – Return All-American #1 Billy Higgins (Nebraska-Kearney) was a machine at Super Regionals, winning each match by technical fall. He is undefeated in DII this year and looks to continue that run. 

197 pounds – #1 Dalton Abney (Central Oklahoma) and #2 Derek Blubaugh (Indianapolis) have met twice this season with each wrestler winning a match, setting up a potential rubber match in the finals. 

285 pounds – This is perhaps the most interesting weight class in the tournament. The #1 seed, Shawn Streck (Central Oklahoma), is undefeated, and the #2 seed, Lee Herrington (Nebraska-Kearney), has only 1 loss in D2, to Streck. But the #6 seed, Darrell Mason (Minnesota State) is the returning champion and was the Outstanding Wrestler at last year’s national tournament, where he beat Streck. All of this could mean that we are in for a lot of drama to end the D2 season.