Draws released for EAS/NWCA Division I National Duals

[TomM]

Draws released for EAS/NWCA Division I National Duals
Date:   Tue 02/11/14 04:54 PM
The National Wrestling Coaches Association has released the draws for the upcoming EAS Sports Nutrition/NWCA Division I National Duals presented by Hibiclens and the United States Marine Corps in honor of Cliff Keen.

Set to take place at St. John Arena on the campus of Ohio State University on February 16-17, the event brings 14 programs together to crown a Division I dual meet champion.

Ten of the 14 teams are ranked in the Top 25 by the USA Today/NWCA Division I Coaches Poll, with newly-anointed No. 1 Minnesota and third-ranked Cornell leading the pack.

Wrestling begins at 1 p.m. Sunday with four first-round matchups, followed by the remaining first round matches at 3 p.m.

The Gophers (10-1) will have a first-round bye and face the winner of the Chattanooga-North Dakota State dual.

Cornell (10-0) will also have a first-round bye and face the winner of the Virginia Tech-Oregon State dual.

First round matches pit Oklahoma (9-3) against Bloomsburg (7-6) with the winner facing either Illinois (9-6) or Central Michigan (8-7). Oklahoma is ranked 10th this week, while Illinois is ranked 18th.

Host Ohio State (9-4) will face Hofstra (6-7) in the opening round with the winner taking on either Iowa State (8-4) or Kent State (10-9).

Teams were seeded and matched up according to several factors including team ranking and conference affiliation as well as taking into account past and future matches scheduled for this season.

Quarterfinal winners will face off Sunday evening at 7 p.m. Action continues on Monday with the semifinals at 1 p.m. and the finals set for 4 p.m.

The semifinals and finals will be televised live on the Big Ten Network with early rounds and consolations streamed on Flowrestling.

"We believe we have a great event set for St. John Arena and the fans on hand will have an opportunity to witness some of the best action Division I wrestling has to offer," said NWCA Executive Director Mike Moyer. "We've brought the National Duals back to campus and giving the campus community a chance to experience high-level Division I wrestling where every match matters."

Draws (USA Today/NWCA Coaches Poll ranking noted)
#1 Minnesota first-round bye
#19 Chattanooga vs. #20 North Dakota State
#17 Iowa State vs. Kent State
#13 Ohio State vs. Hofstra
#10 Oklahoma vs. Bloomsburg
#18 Illinois vs. Central Michigan
#16 Virginia Tech vs. #25 Oregon State
#4 Cornell first-round bye

Stats
Ranked Teams: 10
Ranked Individuals (TheOpenMat.com): 63
Returning All-Americans expected to compete: 24

Schedule
Sunday, February 16
Preliminaries – 1 p.m., 3 p.m.
Consolations – 5 p.m.
Quarterfinals – 7 p.m.

Monday, February 17
Semifinals & Consolations – 1 p.m.
Finals & Third Place – 4 p.m.

For ticket prices and media inquiries, check out the Ohio State National Duals page athttp://www.ohiostatebuckeyes.com/sports/m-wrestl/spec-rel/nwca-national-duals-2014.html

Live results are available at Trackwrestling.com by clicking here: http://www.trackwrestling.com/teamtournaments/VerifyPassword.jsp?tournamentId=170071