Brackets Released for NCAA Wrestling Championships

INDIANAPOLIS — The NCAA has announced the brackets and seeding for the 2020 NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships and all three Utah Valley University national qualifiers have earned top-20 seeds.

The sophomore heavyweight Tate Orndorff leads the way by earning the highest national seed in program history, as he'll enter the 2020 NCAA Championships at the No. 8 seed. Junior 133-pounder Taylor LaMont is next by earning the No. 17 seed, while senior 174-pounder Kimball Bastian will head to Minneapolis as the No. 19 seed.

All three Wolverine grapplers earned automatic bids to the 2020 NCAA Championships at the Big 12 Championships last week. Orndorff and Bastian led the way by both placing fifth in their respective weight class, while LaMont bounced back to force and win a true eighth-place match to get in. The NCAA also announced the at-large selections to the 2020 NCAA Championships on Tuesday and unfortunately senior and three-time NCAA qualifier Tanner Orndorff (197 pounds) did not get picked up.

The NCAA appearance will mark the third for the senior Bastian, as well as the second for both LaMont and Tate Orndorff.

Tate Orndorff has earned the No. 8 seed at 285 pounds after compiling an 18-4 record on the season. He is also ranked seventh on the latest NCAA Coaches' Panel ranking and fourth in the most recent RPI. He had just two losses on the year before going 2-2 at the Big 12 Championship last week. He will open his second straight trip to nationals against the No. 25 seed in Edinboro's Jon Spaulding (26-9).

LaMont has earned the No. 17 seed at 133 after going 17-7 on the season. He is currently ranked 15th in his weight class in the latest coaches' panel ranking and 12th on the RPI. After finishing with a 3-2 outing and earning the true eighth-place finish at the Big 12s last week, LaMont will enter his second trip to nationals against the No. 16 seed Anthony Madrigal (21-9) of Oklahoma.

Bastian will enter as the No. 19 seed at 174 after posting a 17-8 record on the year. The now three-time UVU NCAA qualifier is currently ranked 13th in his weight class in the latest coaches' panel ranking and ninth on the latest RPI. He then went 3-2 at the Big 12s on his way to placing fifth for his fourth career podium finish at the Big 12 Championship. Bastian will open his third trip to the NCAAs against the No. 14 seed from North Carolina Clay Lautt (21-7).

In 2019, Demetrius Romero entered nationals at UVU's highest seed up to that point as the No. 9 seed at 165 pounds.

The 2020 NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships will be held March 19-21 at U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis, Minnesota.