B1G Receives 74 Automatic Bids for NCAAs

Feb. 23, 2012

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IOWA CITY, Iowa — The NCAA has announced the qualifier allocations for the 2012 NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships. The Big Ten is receiving 74 automatic qualifiers for the March 15-17 NCAA Championships in St. Louis, more than any other conference and 10 more than it received a year ago.

The Big Ten will receive at least five automatic qualifiers at every weight, including a conference-high 10 qualifiers at 285 pounds and a conference-low five qualifiers at 141 pounds. The top nine wrestlers at 149 and 174 earn automatic bids, as do the top eight wrestlers at 165. The top seven wresters at 133, 184 and 197 earn a berth, and the top six wrestlers at 125 and 157 automatically qualify.

The Big Ten Championships on March 3-4 in West Lafayette, Ind., is one of 10 qualifying tournaments across the country. After all of the qualifying events have concluded, the NCAA Division I Wrestling Committee will meet in-person to select the remaining 40 at-large qualifiers. All weight classes will consist of 33 wrestlers.

The NCAA also released its 2012 RPI rankings. The Hawkeyes have six wrestlers ranked in the top 10, including top-ranked Tony Ramos (133). Matt McDonough (125) and Ethen Lofthouse (174) were each ranked second at their respective weights. Montell Marion was ranked No. 5 at 141, and Mike Evans (165) and Bobby Telford (285) were each ranked tenth.

Final Coaches’ Panel Rankings | RPI

Qualifier Allocations

Conference	125	133	141	149	157	165	174	184	197	285	Total
Atlantic Coast Conference	4	3	4	2	3	3	2	2	1	1	25
Big 12 Conference	4	3	3	3	3	4	3	3	3	2	31
Big Ten Conference	6	7	5	9	6	8	9	7	7	10	74
Colonial Athletic Association	1	2	2	2	2	4	2	2	3	3	23
Eastern Intercollegiate Wrestling Association	3	5	6	6	6	4	4	4	5	3	46
Eastern Wrestling League	2	3	2	2	2	1	3	3	3	3	24
Mid-American Conference	4	1	3	1	1	1	2	3	1	3	20
Pacific-12 Conference	2	2	2	1	2	1	2	2	3	2	19
Southern Conference	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	2	1	11
West Regional	2	2	1	2	3	2	1	2	1	1	17
TOTAL QUALIFIERS	29	29	29	29	29	29	29	29	29	29	290