2015 NCAA Div. I Championships: 133 pounds

This page is a preview of the 133-pound weight class at the 2015 NCAA Division I Championships, which will be held March 19-21 in the Scottrade Center in St. Louis, Mo.

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2015 NCAA Preview: 133 pounds

Minnesota’s Chris Dardanes has been perfect this season at 133 pounds after competing at 141 pounds last winter, where the Gopher failed to earn an All-American honor after claiming fourth in 2012 and sixth in 2013 at 133. A native of Chicago and twin of Minnesota’s 141-pounder Nick Dardanes, Chris won the Las Vegas Invite in December and most recently claimed his first Big Ten title.

Chris Dardanes

A wrestler who has the resume to challenge the Gopher is Edinboro’s two-time All-American A.J. Schopp, who reached the semifinals the past two Nationals before losing to the eventual champions Logan Stieber of Ohio State and Iowa’s Tony Ramos. Unfortunately, the native of Tyrone, Pa., suffered an injury at the Midlands in December and wrestled just once before the EWL tournament, where Lock Haven’s Ron Perry upset the Fighting Scot in the semifinals.

If you’re looking for other top wrestlers at 133 pounds, continue to look at the Big Ten, where Wisconsin sophomore Ryan Taylor — up from 125 pounds in 2014 when the Badger was a national qualifier — is coming off a second-place finish to Dardanes.

Iowa’s All-American Cory Clark, who finished fifth at 125 pounds in 2014, has a Midlands championship on his resume this winter. The sophomore also lost in overtime to Dardanes in the Big Ten semifinal.

The Big 12 also features a pair of notable stars: Oklahoma’s Cory Brewer and Iowa State’s Earl Hall. The Sooner, a two-time All-American (seventh in 2013 and eighth in 2014) from Kansas City, is coming off a conference championship where he avenged an earlier season loss to Hall. The Cyclone, who finished eighth at 125 pounds last March, pinned Brewer earlier in the season. Hall, a native of Homestead, Fla., also won a Southern Scuffle championship in January.