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ITHACA, N.Y. – The 13^th-ranked Ithaca College wrestling program will get the second semester underway this weekend when it heads to Louisville, Kentucky, for the 2020 National Wrestling Coaches Association Multidivisional National Duals. The event has been an annual staple for the Bombers over the past decade and will certainly test Ithaca's mettle against the nation's elite this weekend.
 
The NWCA officially published its Division III bracket on Tuesday evening. For the first time in recent years the Bombers were not tabbed with a Top-8 seed that would have ensured the program a First-Round bye. The Bombers will have the potential to compete in three duals on Friday depending on results.
 
Ithaca will begin the competition during the 9:00 a.m. window with an Opening Round dual against Western New England. The winner of that clash will have a quick turnaround with a dual against sixth-seeded No. 6 Coe College looming during the 11:00 a.m. start window. A loss would drop the team to the consolation bracket, which is set to get underway at 1:00 p.m. The Quarterfinal Round will cap the opening day of action at the event, with a projected start time of 3:00 p.m. If Ithaca should make through the first two matches unscathed its opponent would come from the group of Heidelberg, No. 19 Wisconsin-Whitewater, and No. 3 Wabash, who earned the first-round bye in that pod.
 
The Bombers have gotten off to a strong start to the 2019-20 campaign. Ithaca boasts a 4-2 record in dual competition thus far, most recently dispatching Oswego State and Jamestown Community College in dominant fashion during a home tri-meet on Saturday, December 14. While Ithaca's dual lineup has been flexible for much of the first semester, IC's projected top lineup figures to have several key matchups during the opening part of this weekend. The Bombers boast four nationally-ranked grapplers in the latest installment of rankings by the two main sources. Senior 141-pounder Ben Brisman check in at 10^th in the latest NWCA poll, while redshirt-sophomore Sam Schneider was tabbed 10^th at 157-pounds by d3wrestle.com. Ithaca's other two wrestlers have been ranked by both services. Redshirt-senior Austin Whitney is ranked sixth in both the NWCA and d3wrestle.com polls, while junior transfer Jordan Wallace ranks fifth and seventh, respectively, by the outlets.
 
Some of the most interesting battles during Friday's first match-up with Western New England will likely come at the 125-pound, 157-pound and 184-pound slots.
 
In the latter, sophomore 184-pounder Eze Chukwuezi will face his toughest bout of the season to-date in the reigning National Champion John Boyle. The Golden Bears top man is ranked fourth by NWCA and first by d3wrestle.com, while Chukwuezi has been on the periphery of the Top-10 rankings for much of the season. A victory for Chukwuezi would certainly push him forward into the national conversation at the weight.        
 
The projected 157-pound matchup also has the potential for a ranked-on-ranked battle, as Schneider faces Western New England's Ryan Monteiro. Schneider has managed his reps during the early part of the season in his long-awaited return to competition, while Monteiro has been a breakout performer for the Golden Bears. He enters the weekend ranked ninth by the NWCA, while Schneider sits slightly ahead in the d3wrestle.com poll. The match-up figures to be quite close and could serve as a swing bout if the dual is close.
 
The projected 125-pound matchup may fly under-the-radar, but looks to be a clash between two grapplers looking to spark a second-half run into the national conversation. Ithaca's sophomore Logan Ninos has definitely taken the next step in his second year with the program, posting a 17-5 record during the fall. Likely standing opposite him for Western New England is junior Nick Arborio who notched 29 victories a season ago and is once-again off to a hot start this season. Both wrestlers rank just outside the Top-10 coming into this weekend.
 
Looking ahead to a potential match-up with Coe College in the second round features several enticing bouts as well. Coe's strength certainly resides in the back half of its talented lineup with five ranked wrestlers over its final six lineup slots from 157-pounds and up.  
 
Cole Erickson is currently ranked sixth and seventh, respectively, at 157-pounds. Coe boasts a pair of strong grapplers at 174-pounds with Tristin Westphal tabbed eighth by NWCA and Ryan Schott ranked eighth by d3wrestle.com. At 197-pounds, Taylor Mehmen is unanimously ranked second by both outlets, while Kaleb Reeves is ranked ninth and 10^th, respectively, and will be a challenging match-up at heavyweight.
 
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