CMU's Horan Seeded 10th for NCAA Championships
3/11/2015 12:00:00 AM | Wrestling
2015 NCAA Brackets
Andy Sneddon, CMUChippewas.com
MOUNT PLEASANT, Mich. - Central Michigan's Zach Horan was seeded 10th at 141 pounds for the NCAA Wrestling Championships at Scottrade Center in St. Louis.
Horan, who last weekend won his second Mid-American Conference title, is one of three Chippewas who will partake in the championships.
The others are Colin Heffernan (149) and Jordan Ellingwood (174). Both are freshmen and both earned their bids by virtue of their respective finishes in the MAC Championships. Ellingwood was third, Heffernan fifth. Neither is seeded for the NCAA Championships.
No CMU wrestlers were among the 71 who received at-large bids to the championships, as selected by a committee and released on Wednesday.
Among the factors considered by the committee in issuing bids are head-to-head competition, quality wins, win percentage, rating percentage index (RPI), and coaches rankings.
Thirty-three wrestlers comprise the bracket in each of the 10 weight classes for the championships. Sixteen wrestlers per weight class are seeded.
Horan, a junior who is 20-4 on the season, is scheduled to open against Matthew Kraus (20-10) of Arizona State in the tournament, which begins on Thursday, March 19.
It is Horan's third career trip to the NCAA Championships.
The winner will face either seventh-seeded Anthony Ashnault (26-6) of Rutgers or Mike Longo (21-14) of Appalachian State.
Heffernan (22-12) is slated to open against ninth-seeded Gabe Moreno (26-6) of Iowa State. The other side of the bracket pits eighth-seeded Alexander Richardson (25-7) of Old Dominion against Chris Perez (16-9) of Princeton.
Ellingwood (18-11) is scheduled to open against Blaise Butler (18-4) of Virginia with the winner advancing to face either Jadaen Bernstien (25-13) of Navy or Kyle Crutchmer (19-6) of Oklahoma State. Butler is seeded fifth, Crutchmer 12th.
The NCAA Championships conclude on Saturday, March 21.
