NCAA Division I Wrestling Championship picks

The real March Madness begins Thursday morning, and it’s taking place on a wrestling mat, rather than a basketball court. The NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships will be going on this weekend at Madison Square Garden in New York, showcasing some of the best wrestling the collegiate level has to offer. As a former high school wrestler, I’ve been following this tournament for at least seven or eight years, therefore I feel I’m important enough to give my picks for every weight in the tournament. If only if were acceptable to post brackets like with basketball. Here are my picks for the top three placers at each weight in the tournament, and make sure to check out the semi-finals Friday night and the finals Saturday night, both televised on ESPN at 8 p.m.

125 pounds

1. Nathan Tomasello (Ohio State)

2. Nico Megaludis (Penn State)

3. Joey Dance (Virginia Tech)

133 pounds

1. Cody Brewer (Oklahoma)

2. Zane Richards (Illinois)

3. Nahshon Garrett (Cornell)

141 pounds

1. Dean Heil (Oklahoma State)

2. Joey McKenna (Stanford)

3. Kevin Jack (NC State)

149 pounds

1. Zain Retherford (Penn State)

2. Brandon Sorensen (Iowa)

3. Jason Tsirtsis (Northwestern)

157 pounds

1. Isaiah Martinez (Illinois)

2. Jason Nolf (Penn State)

3. Thomas Gantt (NC State)

165 pounds

1. Alex Dieringer (Oklahoma State)

2. Isaac Jordan (Ohio State)

3. Bo Jordan (Wisconsin)

174 pounds

1. Bo Nickal (Penn State)

2. Brian Realbuto (Cornell)

3. Ethan Ramos (North Carolina)

184 pounds

1. Gabe Dean (Cornell)

2. Nate Brown (Lehigh)

3. Vic Avery (Edinboro)

197 pounds

1. Morgan McIntosh (Penn State)

2. J’Den Cox (Missouri)

3. Connor Hartmann (Duke)

285 pounds

1. Kyle Snyder (Ohio State)

2. Nick Gwiazdowski (NC State)

3. Adam Coon (Michigan)

Team Finishes

1. Penn State

2. Oklahoma State

3. Ohio State