Jason McDonnell 13y

157 Pounds: Preview

157 Pounds:

The Favorites:

No. 1 Steve Fittery, Senior (American), Record: 28-0

Fittery made a splash last season, placing fifth at the NCAA tournament after finishing runner-up twice at the NCAA Division II championships. The American senior is excellent with his hand control and can pin opponents with precision and power. Fittery owns wins over No. 7 Bryce Saddoris (Navy), No. 8 Jason Welch (Northwestern) and No. 12 Daryl Cocozzo (Rutgers), including 13 wins by way of fall. It remains to be seen how he will stack up with the rest of the top-five wrestlers at the weight class though.

No. 2 Adam Hall, Senior (Boise State), Record: 25-0

The Pac-10 champion put together an unbeaten season by honing his skills as a whole. Hall has great mat presence and is very tough to score on. The Bronco senior owns wins over No. 4 Bubba Jenkins (Arizona State) twice, No. 7 Bryce Saddoris (Navy) and No. 5 at 165 pounds Colt Sponseller (Ohio State). Competing with Fittery and Taylor will be a different story though, but having the No. 1 seed at nationals will help Hall avoid them until the finals.

No. 3 David Taylor, Freshman (Penn State), Record: 34-0

Taylor has been possibly the most dominant freshman in Division I history. The Big Ten champ is not only unbeaten, but he has won all but two matches by way of bonus points. The Nittany Lion grappler owns victories over No. 5 Jesse Dong (Virginia Tech), No. 6 Derek St. John (Iowa) twice and No. 5 at 165 pounds Colt Sponseller (Ohio State). Taylor is a complete wrestler with a motor matched by few. Should he not be overtaken by the magnitude of the national tournament, he could find himself atop the podium in Philadelphia.

No. 4 Bubba Jenkins, Senior (Arizona State), Record: 16-3

Jenkins was a NCAA runner-up back in 2009 but has battled injuries and transferring from Penn State ever since. The Sun Devil senior has lost twice to Hall, but does own a win over No. 7 Bryce Saddoris (Navy). Jenkins will need to be sharp and create opportunities if he wants to take home the crown in Philadelphia though.

No. 5 Jesse Dong, Junior (Virginia Tech), Record: 32-3

Dong is the wildcard at 157 pounds. He possesses exceptional skills but is not overpowering like Fittery or quick and technical like Taylor. The Hokie junior just does on thing – wins. Dong won the ACC title this season and has defeated No. 10 Neil Erisman (Oklahoma State) and held Taylor to one of only two decisions this season for the Penn State star.

Others to watch:

No. 6 Derek St. John, Freshman (Iowa), Record: 19-4

No. 7 Bryce Saddoris, Senior (Navy), Record: 33-6

No. 8 Jason Welch, Sophomore (Northwestern), Record: 26-4

Predicted Winner: David Taylor (Penn State)

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