NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships: By the Numbers

We’re a society that obsesses about stats, numbers, factoids … anything to seem to have that much of an edge over our friends when discussing, well, anything.

Here’s some numbers from the NCAA Division I Wrestling Tournament that are newsworthy, notable, or simply amusing.

0

· Total number of All-Americans by traditional powers Oklahoma, Arizona State and Lehigh combined.

· Points scored by Boston U., Brown, Clarion, Duquesne, Eastern Michigan, Millersville, Rutgers and Virginia Tech.

· Total number of #1 seeds who did not place.

· All-Americans from the East Region.

· Neckties worn by Iowa head coach Tom Brands.

1

· Number of champions by Oklahoma State, Penn State, Cornell, Indiana, Northwestern and Pittsburgh.

· Number of wrestlers who went 3-1 in the tournament. Illinois’ Mike Poeta finished second and had a bye in the Round of 32.

· All-Americans from the SoCon and West Region.

2

· NCAA titles won by Iowa’s Mark Perry.

· Total number of All-Americans who received wildcards to qualify – Mark McKnight (Penn State) and Raymond Jordan (Missouri).

· Number of times UNC Greensboro 197-pounder Daren Burns has finished in the Round of 12.

· Number of non-Big Ten or Big 12 teams placing in the Top 10 (Cornell, Central Michigan).

· All-Americans from the ACC.

· Sinnott brothers who placed at the 2008 NCAA Tournament. They were the only set of brothers to both place.

· All-Americans who wrestled at Blair Academy in high school.

3

· Number of times Oklahoma State’s Nathan Morgan, Indiana’s Brandon Becker, Minnesota’s Mack Reiter, American’s Josh Glenn, Stanford’s Tanner Gardner, Michigan’s Josh Churella, Minnesota’s Dustin Schlatter, Edinboro’s Gregor Gillespie, Ohio State's J.D. Bergman and Central Michigan’s Wynn Michalak have placed at the NCAA Tournament.

· Number of falls by Gorriaran Award winner Lou Ruggirello of Hofstra.

· Number of times Arizona State 165-pounder Pat Pitsch has finished in the Round of 12.

· Number of wrestlers who came into the NCAA tournament with sub-.500 records.

· Number of Big 12 teams placing in the Top 10.

· All-Americans from the CAA.

· All-Americans produced by Davison H.S. in Michigan: Brent Metcalf, Paul Donahoe, Jon Reader.

· Number of Round of 12 wrestlers from Hofstra.

· Returning NCAA qualifiers from 2007-08 for Central Michigan, Minnesota, UT-Chattanooga, Michigan, Pittsburgh, Arizona State, Oklahoma, Stanford, American, Cal State-Bakersfield, Bucknell, Lock Haven, UC Davis, and Virginia.

4

· Number of unseeded wrestlers to place at the 2008 NCAA Tournament.

· Highest place earned by an unseeded wrestler – Penn State’s Mark McKnight, fourth at 125.

· Number of times Coleman Scott, Mark Perry, Eric Tannenbaum and Phil Davis placed at the NCAA Championships.

· Number of Round of 12 wrestlers from Arizona State and Boise State.

· Number of All-Americans from the MAC and Pac-10.

· Returning NCAA qualifiers from 2007-08 for Hofstra, West Virginia, Kent State, Lehigh, and Purdue.

5

· Number of freshmen who placed at the 2007-08 NCAA Championships. James Nicholson (ODU, 125); Mike Grey (Cornell, 133); Mack Lewnes (Cornell, 165); Jon Reader (Iowa State, 165); Kirk Smith (Boise State, 184).

· Number of Big Ten teams placing in the Top 10 (Iowa, Ohio State, Penn State, Michigan, Minnesota).

· Number of wrestlers in the Round of 12 from the Big 12, EWL and MAC.

· Returning NCAA qualifiers from 2007-08 for Wisconsin, Missouri, Penn State, and Cornell.

· Sets of brothers who qualified for the 2007-08 NCAA Tournament.

· Returning All-Americans from 2007-08 for Iowa.

6

· Number of medals at the NCAA Championships American University wrestlers have won under head coach Mark Cody.

· Seed for Arizona State’s Chris Drouin in the Pac-10 Tournament. He ended up finishing one win short of All-American honors.

· Returning NCAA qualifiers from 2007-08 from Iowa, Illinois, Ohio State, Maryland, Liberty and Old Dominion.

· Returning All-Americans from 2007-08 for Iowa State.

· Number of seconds of riding time that gave Ohio State’s Mike Pucillo the title at 184 pounds.

· Number of seconds which decided finishing in second place and fifth place in the team race– again, the 184-pound final.

7

· All-Americans for Iowa and Iowa State.

· Number of NCAA tournaments wrestled since Iowa’s last Division I championship.

· Number of matches Army 141-pounder Matt Kyler wrestled against seeded wrestlers in St. Louis on the way to a sixth-place finish.

· Number of wins by Michigan’s Tyrel Todd.

· Returning NCAA qualifiers from 2007-08 for Northern Iowa, Indiana and Nebraska.

8

· Number of wrestlers in the Round of 12 from the Pac-10.

· Lowest numbered seed to win an NCAA Championships, Cornell’s 157-pounder Jordan Leen.

· Matches wrestled by Tyrel Todd, Brandon Becker, Mark McKnight and Josh Churella.

· All-Americans hailing from the state of Michigan and Pennsylvania.

· Returning NCAA qualifiers from 2007-08 for Iowa State and Penn.

9

· Number of wrestlers in the Round of 12 from the Big Ten.

· Lowest number of team points by a school with an All-American (UT-Chattanooga).

· Total points scored by the East Region.

· All-Americans hailing from Ohio.

· Returning NCAA qualifiers from 2007-08 for Boise State.

· Former All-Americans that did not compete in the 2007-08 NCAA Tournament who will be eligible to return next season: Jake Herbert, Alex Tsirtsis, Josh Arnone, Troy Nickerson, Obe Blanc, Louis Caputo, Mike Miller, Jake Strayer and Wade Sauer.

10

· Number of qualifiers brought by Iowa State and Edinboro.

· Number of wrestlers who went 5-0 in the tournament. All were champions.

· Returning NCAA qualifiers from 2007-08 for Edinboro.

11

· Number of All-Americans from the EIWA.

13

· Number of years since Old Dominion last had an All-American.

17

· Number of years since Oklahoma didn’t have an All-American.

19

· Number of All-Americans from the Big 12.

23

· Returning team points for Oklahoma State.

· Number of points scored by Raymond Jordan in his opening round technical fall victory at 184 pounds. The 23 points was the most by any single wrestler in one bout in the event.

25

· Team points scored by Iowa’s Mark Perry, good enough to have placed him in 21st place in the team standings by himself.

· Team points scored by the Southern Conference.

27

· Senior All-Americans.

31

· Total number of points in Mike Sees’ victory over Collin Cudd of Wisconsin in the opening round at 125 pounds. Sees won 21-10.

32

· All-Americans from the Big Ten.

37

· Number of wrestlers in the tournament’s largest bracket, 149 pounds.

38.5

· Point differential between first and second place in the team standings – Iowa 117.5, Ohio State 79. Also the difference between second and 14th-place – Ohio State 79, Illinois 40.5.

· Returning team points for Penn State.

39

· Number of wins for 149-pound champion and Outstanding Wrestler Brent Metcalf this season.

40

· Percentage of All-Americans from the Big Ten.

41.5

· Team points scored by the West Region.

44.4

· Percentage of Big Ten qualifiers who earned All-American status.

47

· Number of cautions/false starts called by officials during the tournament.

48

· Number of wrestlers who went 2-2 in the 2008 NCAA Tournament.

49

· Number of takedowns in the first round at 184 pounds, 10 of which were recorded by Missouri’s Raymond Jordan.

· Seconds Oklahoma State’s Coleman Scott spent on the mat during his 133-pound final.

50

· Percentage of Big 12 qualifiers who earned All-American status.

52

· Team points scored by the ACC.

53

· Returning All-Americans from 2007-08.

56.9

· Percentage of Big Ten qualifiers who finished in the Top 12.

58

· Team points scored by the CAA.

59

· Returning team points for Ohio State.

61.2

· Win/Loss Percentage of wrestlers from the Big Ten (197 wins, 125 losses).

63.2

· Percentage of Big 12 qualifiers who finished in the Top 12.

63.5

· Returning team points for Iowa State.

69

· Points scored by Michigan and Central Michigan.

72

· Points scored by Iowa State and Oklahoma State.

· Returning team points for Nebraska.

74

· Number of schools that sent at least one wrestler to the 2008 NCAA Tournament.

75

· Points scored by third-place Penn State.

79

· Points scored by second-place Ohio State.

80

· Number of wrestlers who went 1-2 at the 2008 NCAA Tournament.

81.5

· Returning team points for Iowa.

84

· Team points scored by the MAC.

85

· Number of wrestlers who went 0-2 at the 2008 NCAA Tournament.

97

· Team points scored by the EWL.

98

· Team points scored by the Pac-10.

99

· Number of takedowns awarded at 285 pounds during the entire tournament, lowest among the 10 weights.

100

· Number of senior NCAA qualifiers.

106

· Seconds Cornell’s Adam Frey spent on the mat in his first round technical fall victory at 141 pounds.

112

· Total number of stall warnings (just warnings, not points) issued during the 2008 NCAA Championships. The most coming at 157 pounds.

113

· Total number of wins by Big 12 wrestlers.

117.5

· Points scored by NCAA Division I team champions, the Iowa Hawkeyes.

162

· Team points scored by the EIWA.

183

· Number of takedowns awarded at 149 pounds during the entire tournament, highest among the 10 weights.

197

· Total number of wins by Big Ten wrestlers.

230

· Number of 2007-08 NCAA qualifiers returning next season.

233

· Total number of reversals awarded at the 2008 NCAA Tournament.

245

· Number of wrestlers that won at least one match at the 2008 NCAA Tournament.

274.5

· Team points scored by the Big 12.

587.5

· Team points scored by the Big Ten.

640

· Total bouts at the 2008 NCAA Tournament.

1.000

· Winning percentage for Pittsburgh’s Keith Gavin, the only undefeated Division I NCAA champion this season.

1,343

· Total number of takedowns in the 2008 NCAA tournament.

1,480

· Total number of escapes in the 2008 NCAA tournament.

3,674

· Total number of miles St. Louis is from George Mason 197-pounder Cayle Byers’ hometown of Chugiak, Alaska.

16,154

· Attendance for Saturday night’s final session.

94,243 • Total attendance for all six sessions at the 2008 NCAA Tournament.

LASportsblogAAA-er

634 days ago

Score 6

Through and well done. Although I'm not interested in college wrestling I am always informed because of your well written articles. Nice job, Intermat.

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Tyrone BriggsHall of Famer

634 days ago

Score 4

It really sucks how this website will generate 100s of benign stupid comments about the Yankees, Patriots and Red Sox but ignore fine efforts such as Intermat's work. Get off your butts people and start reading (and supporting) something new for a change. You never know, you just might broaden a horizon.

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RomiezzoLegend

633 days ago

Score 3

Intermat, I honestly think that your articles are the most underrated articles on AGM. College Wrestling is never talked about, yet you still come back and write these articles. They're thorough, and much better than a bunch of baseball predictions (that take about 10 minutes to write). Nicely done. I'd give you a thousand +s if I could.

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Steel TownDraft Pick

633 days ago

Score 2

I got my Verizon Fios last weekend and actually got to watch the championships (or was it two weeks ago?). The Verizon guy was showing me how to navigate my new cable and he turned to ESPNU and the championships were on. I made him leave it on and told him to just explain the rest to me (I mean, how hard is it to use a cable box anyway?). The four letter network actually showed something that wasn't the Yankees.

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Anonymous Fanatic #1

633 days ago

Score 0

I caught some of the finals on TV while the #4v5 MSU game was on that weekend. Hailing from U of Michigan, and a highschool that is a on and off again state power here in MI I tend to follow collegiate wrestling from time to time. Thanks for the great article, a lot of stuff here I had no idea about.

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SchmiggyJKJV Squad

633 days ago

Score 2

Ya that was me up there. Forgot to log in. =p

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