DeKALB, Ill. -- The 2020 MAC Wrestling Championships will be held Saturday, March 7 and Sunday, March 8 hosted by Northern Illinois University. This 2020 MAC Regular Season Champion Missouri Tigers enter this weekend with a No. 24 national ranking and an impressive 12-7 overall regular season record, 8-0 in the MAC.  Currently Missouri is the seven-time defending MAC Wrestling Champion since joining the MAC as an affiliate member in wrestling in the 2012-13 season.  This year's host, Northern Illinois finished the regular season with a 13-4 overall record, and a 7-2 record to finish tied for second in the MAC West Division.

Also last week, the NCAA announced the qualifier allocations for the 2020 NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships and the MAC received 41 allocations, the fourth most of any conference in Division I Wrestling Conference. The results of the MAC Wrestling Championships will determine which wrestlers will qualify for the 2020 NCAA Wrestling Championships, in Minneapolis on March 19-21.

The MAC had 54 wrestlers earning spots in the recent NCAA RPI Rankings, including six wrestlers within the top ten of the weight classes, and 50 wrestlers ranked in the NCAA Coaches Rankings, including four wrestlers ranked in the top ten of the weight classes.  The final rankings will be one of the tools used as part of the selection process to determine the qualifiers for the 2020 NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships. 

In the RPI Rankings, Missouri's Brock Mauller (149) was ranked No. 3 and Central Michigan's Drew Hildebrandt (125), Rider's Jesse Dellavecchia (157) and Central Michigan's Matt Stencel (285) were ranked No. 7 in their respective weight classes.  Clarion's Greg Bulsak (197) was ranked No. 8 and Missouri's Wyatt Koelling (197) was ranked No. 10 both in the 197 weight class.  

Within the Coaches Rankings, Missouri's Brock Mauller (149) and Central Michigan's Matt Stencel (285) each ranked No. 4 in their respective weight classes.  Rider's Jesse Dellavecchia (157) was ranked No. 5, while Central Michigan's Drew Hildebrandt (125) was ranked No. 7.

2020 MAC Wrestling Championships Team Previews:
WATCH Bloomsburg head coach Marcus Gordon and senior Trevor Allard
WATCH Buffalo senior Troy Keller 
WATCH Central Michigan head coach Tom Borrelli
WATCH Clarion head coach Keith Ferraro, senior Brock Zacherl and junior Greg Bulsak
WATCH Cleveland State head coach Josh Moore and senior Evan Cheek
WATCH Edinboro head coach Matt Hill
WATCH George Mason head coach Frank Beasley and senior Colton DiBlasi
WATCH Kent State head coach Jim Andrassy, junior Andrew McNally and senior Tim Rooney
WATCH Lock Haven head coach Scott Moore and junior Luke Werner
WATCH Missouri head coach Brian Smith
WATCH Northern Illinois head coach Ryan Ludwig
WATCH Ohio head coach Joel Greenlee and senior Zac Carson
WATCH Old Dominion head coach Steve Martin and senior Larry Early
WATCH Rider head coach John Hangey, senior Jesse Dellavecchia, senior Dean Sherry and junior Ethan Laird
WATCH SIU Edwardsville head coach Jeremy Spates

2020 MAC Wrestling Championships Schedule of Events:
Saturday, March 7th (all times CT)
9:00 am      Doors open to public
10:00 am   Opening Round (70 matches, 4 mats)
12:30 pm   Championship Quarterfinals (40 matches, 2 mats)
                    Consolation Round 1 (40 matches, 2 mats)
4:00 pm     Championship Semifinals (20 matches, 2 mats)
                    Consolation Round 2 (40 matches, 2 mats)

Sunday, March 8th (all times CT)
11:00 am    Doors open to public
12:00 pm    Consolation Quarterfinals (20 matches, 4 mats)
12:45 pm    Consolation Semifinals (20 matches, 4 mats)
1:30 pm      Championship Finals Parade & Face Off Introductions
1:40 pm      Championship Finals

Recent MAC Wrestling News:
MAC Announces Pre-seeding for 2020 MAC Wrestling Championships
MAC Allocated 41 Qualifiers For 2020 NCAA Wrestling Championships March 19-21
Final MAC Wrestling Coaches Rankings

2020 MAC Wrestling Championships Team-By-Team Previews:
Bloomsburg:
Huskies Allard Tops At 184, Mason Fifth At 133
WATCH Bloomsburg Preview
Bloomsburg Roster
BLOOMSBURG, Pa. -- Bloomsburg redshirt senior Trevor Allard  is the top seed at 184 pounds and redshirt freshman Josh Mason is seeded fifth at 133 pounds as the Bloomsburg University wrestling team heads to Northern Illinois University this weekend for the Mid-American Conference (MAC) Championships. Action gets underway on Saturday, March 7, and concludes on Sunday, March 8. Allard has been nationally ranked for a majority of the 2019-20 season and brings a 21-2 overall record into the conference championships. The redshirt senior finished the year with a 12-1 record in duals and finds himself seven victories shy of becoming the 19th member of the 100-win club in program history. Allard went 11-0 against MAC opponents during the regular season.  Full Story...

Buffalo:
Bulls Head to MAC Championships with Five Wrestlers Pre-Seeded
WATCH Buffalo Preview
Buffalo Roster
BUFFALO, NY – The Mid-American Conference has announced the pre-seeding for the 2020 MAC Wrestling Championships coming March 7-8 and hosted by Northern Illinois University in DeKalb, IL. The Bulls have five wrestlers in the pre-seeding. Troy Keller leads the way as the top seed at 165 lbs. Back to defend his 2019 MAC title, Keller is 17-4 overall, 16-2 in duals and 9-1 in MAC duals on the season. His 16 dual wins are tied for eighth in school history for a single season.  Full Story....

Central Michigan:
Three Chippewas Seeded No. 1 For MAC Championships
WATCH Central Michigan Preview
Central Michigan Roster
MT. PLEASANT, Mich. -- The CMU wrestling team is set to join 14 others in the Mid-American Conference Championships this weekend at Northern Illinois' Convocation Center in DeKalb. It's the largest field in tournament history, the result of the conference expanding to 15 teams prior to the 2019-20 season. CMU finished 8-4 in duals, including 7-2 in the MAC. The Chippewas' losses came to Missouri and at Northern Illinois. Missouri finished 8-0 in league duals (12-7 overall). CMU and NIU finished tied for second behind the Tigers in the MAC West.  Full Story...

Clarion:
Golden Eagles Head to First MAC Championship
WATCH Clarion Preview
Clarion Roster
CLARION, Pa. -- The Golden Eagle wrestling team will compete in its first-ever Mid-American Conference Championships this weekend, when they head to Northern Illinois for the 2020 championship tournament. Clarion went 10-6 overall and 7-4 in the conference, besting all three of their in-state rivals – Edinboro, Bloomsburg, and Lock Haven – for the first time since the 1991-92 season. At 10-6 overall, Clarion posted their third straight season with a dual match record at or over .500, their first such run since a nine-year stretch from 1978-79 to 1986-87.  The Golden Eagles have five wrestlers pre-seeded in the top-8 in their respective weight classes, including top-seeded Greg Bulsak (197) and second-seeded Brock Zacherl (149).  Full Story...

Cleveland State:
Vikings Set for MAC Championships Debut
WATCH Cleveland State Preview
Cleveland State Roster
CLEVELAND, Ohio -- The Cleveland State University wrestling team will continue its season of firsts this weekend as the Vikings are set to make their debut appearance in the Mid-American Conference Championships. Five of the 10 Vikings competing this weekend earned a seed for the upcoming event. Redshirt senior Evan Cheek leads the way for the Vikings as he earned the second seed at 141 pounds. Cheek, who was listed inside the top 15 in the final regular-season RPI, went 33-4 during the regular season. He went 12-1 in MAC duals and registered 18 victories via bonus points.  Full Story...

Edinboro:
Fighting Scots Ready to Make Initial Appearance in MAC Championships
WATCH Edinboro Preview
Edinboro Roster
EDINBORO, Pa. -- The Edinboro wrestling team will make its first-ever appearance at the MAC Championships after previously competing in the Eastern Wrestling League since 1988-89. The seven Eastern Wrestling League members became affiliate members of the MAC last summer. The move brought the MAC to 15 teams, the second-largest wrestling conference in Division I.  The 15 teams will converge on DeKalb, Illinois as Northern Illinois hosts the 2020 MAC Championships. A year ago, the Fighting Scots finished fourth at the EWL Championships. Jacob Oliver is looking to make a return appearance to the NCAA Division I National Championships. The redshirt sophomore finished second at the EWL Championships a year ago at 174 lbs. Full Story...

Kent State:
Flashes Gearing Up for MAC Championships
WATCH Kent State Preview
Kent State Roster
KENT, Ohio -- Kent State is set to head to DeKalb for the 2020 Mid-American Conference wrestling championships, a two-day event held on the campus of Northern Illinois. The double-elimination tournament will have the opening rounds on Saturday and the championship rounds on Sunday. The Flashes are coming off a nice break, having last wrestled on February 14th in a dual against Clarion. Three Kent State wrestlers earned a tournament seed at their respective weight classes. Tim Rooney earned the top seed at 133 after a 6-2 conference mark that saw wins over the #2 seed (Derek Spann, Buffalo) and the #3 seed (Allan Hart, Missouri). Andrew McNally is seeded third at 174 pounds after an impressive 8-1 conference record. Colin McCracken is the seventh seed at 197. He went 2-3 against the top eight wrestlers at 197, with none of the losses by more than two points. Outside of the top-eight seeds, the conference will randomly draw to fill out the 16-man bracket at each weight. Full Story....

George Mason:
Patriots Compete at MAC Championships this Weekend
WATCH George Mason Preview
George Mason Roster
FAIRFAX, Va. -- The Patriots wrestling team will compete at the Mid-American Conference (MAC) Championship for the first time in school history, Saturday and Sunday, March 7-8 at Northern Illinois in DeKalb, Illinois. The Patriots finished the season 9-9, matching last season's win total. In the first season in the MAC Eastern Division, the Patriots finished 3-5 with wins against Clarion, Edinboro, and Bloomsburg.  Full Story...

Lock Haven:
Wrestling set for first-ever MAC Tournament
WATCH Lock Haven Preview
Lock Haven Roster
LOCK HAVEN, Pa. -- For the first time in school history, the Lock Haven University wrestling team will compete at the Mid-American Conference (MAC) Tournament. The 2019-20 MAC Championships are set for Saturday and Sunday, March 7-8 at Northern Illinois University in DeKalb, Illinois. This is the first season in the MAC for LHU after last spring's historic expansion that saw all the former Eastern Wrestling League (EWL) teams move over to the MAC.  Lock Haven is predicted to finish fourth and the Bald Eagles are poised to take a run at the top and unseat longtime perennial power Missouri. Missouri has won seven straight MAC titles and the Tigers were ranked No. 23 in the final National Wrestling Coaches' Association (NWCA) regular season poll.  Full Story...

Missouri:
Mizzou Wrestling Heads to MAC Championships in Search of Ninth Straight Tournament Title
WATCH Missouri Preview
Missouri Roster
COLUMBIA, Mo. – Mizzou Wrestling heads to the 2020 MAC Wrestling Championships this weekend, March 7-8, in search of its ninth consecutive postseason conference tournament championship. The two-day championship event gets underway Saturday, March 7 at 10 a.m. The MAC Championships not only serve as a chance to crown a league champion, but it also determines which MAC wrestlers will head to the NCAA Championships later this month. The league's 15 teams qualified 41 spots over the 10 weight classes, all of which will be up for grabs this weekend. The league averaged 2.7 bids per team this season, and Mizzou led the league with eight of the 41 spots. Mizzou comes into the event wrestling arguably the best it has all season, coming off of a win over Big 12 Champion Iowa State, 27-6, to close the regular season. The Tigers won six of their final eight duals to close the regular season, taking No. 5 Arizona State to the wire in one of its two losses as well.  Full Story...

Northern Illinois:
Huskies To Pursue MAC Title at Home
WATCH NIU Preview
Northern Illinois Roster
DeKALB, Ill. -- Fifteen schools will converge on DeKalb to compete for 10 individual championships and one team title when the 2020 Mid-American Conference Wrestling Championships takes place at the Northern Illinois University Convocation Center this weekend. The Huskies, who enjoyed their best regular season since 2004-05, posted a 13-4 regular season record and a 7-2 mark in conference action. However, NIU head coach Ryan Ludwig knows that means little heading into this weekend's tournament. NIU had seven grapplers seeded in the 10 weight classes, with Izzak Olejnik earning the highest seed at No. 3 wrestling at 165. The redshirt freshman went 16-9 on the season and 7-2 in MAC competition. 

Fans will be able to watch the championships from 10 a.m.-3 p.m. Saturday free via NIUTube on NIUHuskies.com. Each mat will have its own stream. Starting at 4 p.m. Saturday, the action shifts to ESPN+. The championship bouts will also be shown on ESPN+ starting at 1:30 p.m. All times listed are Central. Trackwrestling will provide live scoring throughout the championships and the link will be available later Friday.  Full Story...

Ohio:
Bobcats Set for 2020 MAC Championships At NIU
WATCH Ohio Preview
Ohio Roster
ATHENS, Ohio -- The Ohio wrestling team (9-8, 5-4 MAC) is in DeKalb, Ill., this weekend to compete in the 2020 MAC Championships, which are being held at the Convocation Center on the campus of Northern Illinois. Redshirt senior Zac Carson is Ohio's top-seeded wrestler heading into the conference championships, coming in as the No. 2 seed at 157 pounds. Redshirt freshman Jordan Earnest is the No. 3 seed at 285 pounds while redshirt sophomore Alec Hagan  is the No. 5 seed at 149 pounds. Redshirt senior Shakur Laney and redshirt junior Joe Terry are seeded sixth at 141 pounds and 165 pounds, respectively. Full Story...

Old Dominion:
Monarchs Ready For MAC Championships At NIU
WATCH Old Dominion Preview
Old Dominion Roster
NORFOLK, Va. -- Old Dominion has six wrestlers seeded in the top-eight in their weight classes. Killian Cardinale and Sa'Derian Perry are both the third seed in their weight classes, 125 pounds and 141 pounds, respectively. Larry Early and Shane Jones round out the top-five seeds at 157 pounds and 165 pounds. At 184 pounds, Antonio Agee was tabbed as the sixth seed, while Kenan Carter was named the seventh seed at 149 pounds. Shannon Hanna II, Alex Cramer, Timothy Young and Jacob Bullock were all outside the top-eight seeds, meaning that they will be randomly drawn to fill the spots in their brackets.  Full Story...

Rider:
Broncs Compete in MAC Championships at NIU This Weekend
WATCH Rider Preview
Rider Roster
LAWRENCEVILLE, N.J. -- The Rider University wrestling team heads to the MAC Championships, hosted by Northern Illinois, this Saturday and Sunday.  The two-day format features eight pre-seeds in each weight class with the remaining wrestlers being randomly placed to fill out the 16-man brackets.  Rider is in its first year in the MAC, having joined the league with its six other former EWL members. Dean Sherry (174) and Ethan Laird (197) both won EWL Championships a year ago, while Jesse Dellavecchia was runner up at 165 and Anthony Cefolo finished second at 133. Full Story...

SIUE:
Cougars Set For MAC Championships
WATCH SIUE Preview
SIUE Roster
EDWARDSVILLE, Ill. -- The Mid-American Conference (MAC) announced the seeding for the 2020 MAC Wrestling Championships coming March 7-8 and hosted by Northern Illinois University (NIU) in DeKalb, Ill. The full brackets will be released Friday evening. Tyshawn Williams (149), Justin Ruffin (157) and Colton McKiernan (285) each received No. 4 seeds. Listed below is the pre-seeding for the MAC Wrestling Championships following today's conference call with all 15 MAC head wrestling coaches.  Each weight class will feature a 16-man bracket and feature full double-elimination.  Full Story...