It’s Official: Six UW Wrestlers Headed to NCAA Championships

LARAMIE -- The NCAA released its field for the NCAA Championships on Tuesday. Six University of Wyoming student-athletes, five qualifiers and one alternate, are headed to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

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The field reveal Tuesday didn’t concern three of the six Pokes. Jared Hill (157), Eddie Neitenbach (184) and Sam Mitchell (HWT) all secured an automatic bid via their placement at the Big 12 Tournament. Neitenbach and Mitchell both took fourth, while Hill placed fifth.

Joey Novak (197) didn’t technically have a spot following a fifth-place finish at Big 12s, but his computer numbers – No. 10 in Coaches’ Rank and No. 9 in RPI – essentially made it a moot point.

Gabe Willochell (149) was more bubbly after his eighth-place finish at the conference tournament, however, his strong regular season – ranked No. 24 in Coaches’ Poll and No. 17 in RPI – earned him a ticket to Philly, as well.

Cole Brooks (141) is the first alternate at his weight class. He will travel and in the event that a 141-pounder doesn’t make weight or can’t compete for whatever reason, Brooks will step in and go.

The NCAA will now seed all the wrestlers and build the bracket. That will be released on Wednesday at 6 p.m. The Championships run from March 20-22 inside the Wells Fargo Center.

University of Wyoming’s Top 50 Football Players

During the summer of 2021, 7220Sports.com counted down the Top 50 football players in University of Wyoming history, presented by Premier Bone & Joint Centers, Worthy of Wyoming.

The rules are simple: What was the player's impact while in Laramie? That means NFL stats, draft status or any other accolade earned outside of UW is irrelevant when it comes to this list.

This isn't a one-man job. This task called for a panel of experts. Joining 7220's Cody Tucker are Robert Gagliardi, Jared Newland, Ryan Thorburn, and Kevin McKinney.

We all compiled our own list of 50 and let computer averages do the work. Think BCS -- only we hope this catalog is fairer.

Don't agree with a selection? Feel free to sound off on our Twitter: @7220sports - #Top50UWFB

Gallery Credit: 7220Sports.com

- University of Wyoming’s Top 50 Football Players

Filed Under: Wyoming wrestling