MOUNT PLEASANT - The NCAA has allocated the Mid-American Conference 20 automatic bids to the 2012 NCAA Wrestling Championships.
The MAC received four bids at the 125-pound weight class, three at 141, 184 and 285 pounds and two at 174 pounds. The remaining five weight classes were allocated one automatic bid.
The MAC wrestlers who receive the automatic bids will be determined by the final place finishes at next week's MAC Championships.
The NCAA also released the final coaches' panel rankings and RPI rankings for the 2011-12 season on Thursday. Five Chippewas are ranked in the top-33 nationally of their weight class:
Joe Roth (125 Pounds): No. 16 Coaches' Rankings / No. 6 RPI
Donnie Corby (157 Pounds): No. 27 Coaches' Rankings / NR RPI
Mike Ottinger (165 Pounds): No. 26 Coaches' Rankings / NR RPI
Ben Bennett (184 Pounds): No. 4 Coaches' Rankings / No. 11 RPI
Peter Sturgeon (285 Pounds): No. 16 Coaches' Rankings / No. 9 RPI
Ohio University will host the Mid-American Conference Championships next Sunday, March 4, beginning at 10 a.m. The conference tournament is a one-day event this year after previously being held over the course of two days. CMU has won the MAC Championships team title each of the last 10 seasons.
NCAA Qualifier Allocation Details
Each qualifying tournament was awarded spots per weight class based on current year data. Each wrestler was measured on the following: Division I winning percentage; rating percentage index (RPI); and coaches ranking.
For each wrestler that reached the threshold in at least two of the three categories, his qualifying tournament was awarded a qualifying spot in that weight class. Each qualifying tournament, with automatic qualifying status, was awarded a minimum of one wrestler per weight class, which will go to the tournament champion, even if they did not have any wrestlers reach at least two of the three thresholds. NCAA tournament spots for each qualifying event will be awarded at the tournament based solely on place-finish.
After all of the qualifying events have concluded, the NCAA Division I Wrestling Committee will meet in-person to select the remaining 40 at-large qualifiers, which will be announced on March 7. All weight classes will consist of 33 wrestlers. The at-large selections will be made based on the following criteria: head-to-head competition; qualifying event placement; quality wins; results against common opponents; winning percentage; RPI; coaches ranking and the number of matches contested at that weight class.
