Top-ranked wrestlers make up the the big story lines at the 2016 Defense Soap & Flips Wrestling Southern Scuffle. With seven of the 10 No. 1s in the current Intermat rankings set to make the trip to Chattanooga for the Jan. 1-2 competition, action is going to be just as exciting as years past.
TheSouthernScuffle.com continues its breakdown of the field with a look at two of those seven No. 1s. Oklahoma State sophomore Dean Heil is currently in the top spot at 141, while Penn State sophomore Zain Retherford is No. 1 at 149.
Heil leads a loaded 141 bracket that includes nine of the top-20, three All-Americans and 10 who have placed at least once at the Scuffle. Heil had an eighth place finish last year. That helped spark his run to All-American honors at the NCAAs. He is off to an 8-0 start in 2015-16, but is expected to be tested by a number of competitors in this year's lineup.
Other returning All-Americans at 141 include Penn State junior Jimmy Gulibon and North Carolina senior Evan Henderson. Gulibon is currently No. 6 with a 5-2 overall record, while Henderson checks in at No. 7 at 7-2. Gulibon was a runner-up at the Scuffle in 2014 and finished 4
th at 133 last season. Henderson placed fifth in 2014, but redshirted last year and did not compete.
Stanford freshman Joey McKenna could pose the biggest threat to Heil's top spot. He is 7-0 and ranked No. 4 in the country. He already has wins over both Gulibon and Henderson is expected to make a run at the finals.
Pittsburgh junior Mikey Ricciato is the other top-10 in the field. He is currently No. 9 with a 7-1 record. He place seventh at 149 last year and just helped the Panthers score a 25-8 upset over No. 15 Wisconsin on Saturday.
Others ranked at 141 include Minnesota freshman Tommy Thon (11), Lehigh junior Randy Cruz (12), Wyoming sophomore Bryce Meredith (15) and Central Michigan senior Zach Horan (16). Horan has made it to the podium twice at the Scuffle, finishing fourth last season and eighth in 2014.
There are five others competing at 141 who placed at last year's tournament. Drexel junior Kevin Devoy and Cornell junior Mark Grey were fifth and seventh at 133. North Carolina's Joey Ward, Penn State's Kade Moss and Michigan's George Fisher were fifth, sixth and seventh at 141.
The host-Mocs are also strong at 141 with junior Michael Pongracz. He was slowed by an injury early in the year that kept him out of the Hokie Open, but he recovered quickly to win the Wolfpack Open on Nov. 22. He is currently undefeated at 8-0 and has only allowed one takedown this season. He is coming off two shutouts in Southern Conference action and will have a chance to place at the upcoming Scuffle.
Here is a quick look at the top competitors in the field at 141.
| 141 | | | |
| Rank | Name | Year | Team |
| 1. | Dean Heil | So. | Oklahoma State |
| 2015 All-American - Scuffle 8th | | |
| 4. | Joey McKenna | Fr. | Stanford |
| 6. | Jimmy Gulibon | Jr. | Penn State |
| 2015 All-American - Scuffle 4th (133) | | |
| 2014 Scuffle 2nd | | |
| 2013 Scuffle 4th | | |
| 7. | Evan Henderson | Sr. | North Carolina |
| 2014 All-American | | |
| 2014 Scuffle 5th | | |
| 2013 All-American | | |
| 9. | Mikey Ricciato | Jr. | Pittsburgh |
| 2015 Scuffle 7th (149) | | |
| 11. | Tommy Thon | Fr. | Minnesota |
| 12. | Randy Cruz | Jr. | Lehigh |
| 15. | Bryce Meredith | So. | Wyoming |
| 16. | Zach Horan | Sr. | Central Michigan |
| 2015 Scuffle 4th | | |
| 2014 Scuffle 8th | | |
| Kevin Devoy | Jr. | Drexel |
| 2015 Scuffle 5th (133) | | |
| George Fisher | So. | Michigan |
| 2015 Scuffle 7th | | |
| Mark Grey | Jr. | Cornell |
| 2014 Scuffle 7th (133) | | |
| Kade Moss | So. | Penn State |
| 2015 Scuffle 6th | | |
| Joey Ward | Jr. | North Carolina |
| 2015 Scuffle 5th | | |
The 149 bracket is not quite as deep as 141, but half of the top-10 is still scheduled to be here. Retherford won the Scuffle at 141 during his All-American freshman campaign in 2014. He redshirted last year and is taking a shot at another title at 149. He is currently 8-0 and yet to be tested this season.
Last's year's 141 runner-up at the Scuffle, Boise State's Geordan Martinez, has also bumped up to 149. He is No. 18 in the country and coming off a seventh place finish at the Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational.
Penn senior C.J. Cobb is up to No. 6 in the rankings, followed by Central Michigan's eighth-ranked Colin Heffernan. Heffernan placed eighth at last year's Scuffle, while Cobb is off to an 11-0 start.
Others in the top 10 include No. 9 Matt Cimato, a junior from Drexel, and Minnesota's 10
th-ranked sophomore Jake Short. Oklahoma State junior Anthony Collica is No. 11 and Michigan sophomore Alex Pantelo is No. 12, giving this bracket at total of eight ranked competitors. Collica placed seventh at 157 last year.
The lack of depth at 149 doesn't mean that it will be any less exciting than the other weight classes. It just shows that there is an chance for a number of individuals to step up to the opportunity to make a name for himself.
|
| 149 | | | |
| Rank | Name | Year | Team |
| 1. | Zain Retherford | So. | Penn State |
| 2014 All-American | | |
| 2014 Scuffle Champion | | |
| 6. | C.J. Cobb | Sr. | Penn |
| 8. | Colin Heffernan | So. | Central Michigan |
| 2015 Scuffle 8th | | |
| 9. | Matt Cimato | Jr. | Drexel |
| 10 | Jake Short | So. | Minnesota |
| 11. | Anthony Collica | Jr. | Oklahoma State |
| 12. | Alex Pantelo | So. | Michigan |
| 18. | Geordan Martinez | So. | Boise State |
| 2015 Scuffle Finalist | | |
Tickets are on sale now for the 201y Defense Soap & Flips Wrestling Southern Scuffle on TheSouthernScuffle.com. Hosted by the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga, the Scuffle takes place at McKenzie Arena on Jan. 1-2. Full details, hotel information and a schedule of events are all available on TheSouthernScuffle.com.
