NCAA alters finals lineup; makes possible Dake vs. Taylor bout the finale
Many wrestling people believe this year’s NCAA national tournament in Des Moines, Iowa, March 21-23, is going to be historic from a team-race perspective and the fact that 10 former national champions will be competing in eight different weight classes.
Cornell’s Kyle Dake (left) and Penn State’s David Taylor met in the finals of the 2013 Southern Scuffle in Chattanooga where the Big Red’s three-time NCAA champ defeated the 2012 Hodge Trophy winner, 3-2.
There are three weights where former champs could meet, especially at 165 pounds where Cornell’s Kyle Dake — looking to become the first wrestler to win four titles at four different weights — could meet last year’s champion, David Taylor of Penn State, was also named last year’s Dan Hodge Trophy winner as the nation’s most dominant wrestler.
With such a match probably happening because the two wrestlers are prohibitive No. 1 and No 2-ranked wrestlers, the NCAA has decided to adjust its Saturday night finals schedule where the 165-pound weight class will be the final match contested.
Instead of starting at 125 pounds and moving up to heavyweight, the first finals match will be 174 pounds and progress up the weight classes and have the 125-pound weight class come after the heavyweight final.
Click below for a complete look at the brackets.
Click below to see what wrestlers were selected on an at-large basis by the NCAA Wrestling Committee.
