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2008 Champion: Seth Flodeen, Augsburg
Returning All-Americans: Flodeen, Clayton Rush (Coe), Jake Oster (Elmhurst), Chris Sheetz (Delaware Valley)

Both of last year’s finalists return from a match where both wrestlers were on their backs, yet the whole thing was over barely two minutes after it started.  Seth Flodeen, the champ, is back but has lost to a few of the other wrestlers in the bracket.  Clayton Rush has lost just once since his defeat in the finals last year. That loss was to the always dangerous Jake Oster of Elmhurst.  Oster, the top seeded wrestler at 125, has pinned both Rush and Flodeen this year on his way to a 23-0 record with 17 falls.  No matter the score, he is always a threat to pin.  Delaware Valley All-American Chris Sheetz can also win a match at any time with his outstanding headlock.

The weight class also features a number of talented newcomers in their first year in Division III wrestling.  Iowa State transfer Mark Kist of Wartburg has had close matches with Rush.  Pennsylvania placewinners and fellow freshmen Seth Ecker (Ithaca) and Tyler Erdman (Elizabethtown) have also had very good debut seasons, each winning their conference tournaments.  In terms of returning athletes, McInally of RIT and Hoxie of Heidelberg were also in this weight class last year.

If the seeds hold, we could see a pair of rematches in the semifinals between Oster and Flodeen at the top of the bracket and Sheetz and Rush on the bottom with the potential for #1 Oster and #2 Rush to meet up again in what would surely be an exciting final.

Seeds
1. Oster, Elmhurst
2. Rush, Coe
3. Sheetz, Delaware Valley
4. Flodeen, Augsburg
5. Ecker, Ithaca
6. McInally, RIT
7. Kist, Wartburg
8. Erdman, Etown

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20 COMMENTS

  2. I hope to see a McInally-Sheetz match up in the Quarters.McInally’s only lose this year is to Ecker who he beat in December 5-1.

  7. I don’t see Oster beating Rush by a score of 8-0. When Oster beat Rush out in vegas Rush was taking it to him and got caught in a scramble.

  9. When Oster beat Rush out in vegas Rush was taking it to him and got caught in a scramble.

    Taking it to him for an extremely long minute and 33 seconds.

  10. huh,

    yes he had already taken Oster down twice in that minute and 33 seconds, I would say that is taking it to him early in the match.

  11. He took oster down once, he was in on another shot when oster countered it for a take down of his own to rush’s back and the fall. So, oster was winning 3-2 when he pinned rush.

  12. el barto

    You are correct, however Rush was the obvious aggressor early on. I don’t know if anyone can beat Rush if the match goes the full 7 minutes.

  13. It seems like a few people can “take it to him” then, Flodeen led 10-0, but not many can finish a whole match against him.

  14. I’m calling Sheetz by fall in the semis, not sure if he is going to stick Kist or Rush though.

  15. No matter what it will be a battle of the midgets in the Kist/Rush quarterfinal. That is if Rush can get past “Mad” Max Oldenburg.

  16. I don’t think Rush is getting enough credit here. Let me remind you Iowa Central’s 125 lber that just won a national title, Rush teched him in the 2nd period with a bad shoulder.

  17. Rush will win the National title this year. He will control every match the entire way through.

  18. Good call man. I was right all along. Rush couldn’t live up the hype.

    Augsburg fans are brutal: “Just like last year!”

  19. “I don’t know if anyone can beat Rush if the match goes the full 7 minutes.”

    …two words. Mike McInally!

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