NCAA Championships Brackets Announced

INDIANAPOLIS – The NCAA selection committee announced Wednesday the brackets and first-round pairings for the 2016 NCAA Wrestling Championships in New York City. Freshman Elijah Oliver earned the 16^th-seed in the 125 lbs. bracket, and he'll face a recent rematch against Sean McCabe (Rutgers). Junior and 2015 NCAA qualifier Nate Jackson earned the 12^th-seed in the 174 lbs. bracket, and he'll open the tournament against Michael Pavasko (Clarion).

2016 NCAA Wrestling Championships
Thursday, March 18-Saturday, March 20, 2016
Madison Square Garden • New York, N.Y.

No. 16 Elijah Oliver, Indiana (31-8, 6-3 Big Ten)
Freshman • Alabaster, Ala.
vs.
Sean McCabe, Rutgers (14-14, 3-5 Big Ten)
r-Junior • Ronkonkoma, N.Y.

Oliver will revisit his matchup in the Big Ten consolation quarterfinals in his opening-round bout against Sean McCabe. Although the Hoosiers met Rutgers at the end of their dual schedule, their matchup in the postseason is their only meeting this year. Oliver took that bout with an 8-6 decision.

Oliver punched his ticket after a fifth-place finish at the 2016 Big Ten Championships in Iowa City last weekend. The true freshman concluded a 4-2 weekend with a 6-3 decision win over No. 20 Conor Youtsey (Michigan) in the fifth-place bout.

As one of Indiana's only true freshman to start a Big Ten dual meet this year, Oliver is 31-8 in his first collegiate season and earned bonus points in 17 of his wins. He finished the 2015-16 regular season with a +34 dual point differential and five podium finishes at tournaments, including championships at the Keystone Classic and LHU Classic. Oliver has four wins against the NCAA field, including his two last weekend against McCabe and Conor Youtsey (Michigan).

Oliver is Indiana's first NCAA qualifier at 125 lbs. since NCAA Champion and four-time national qualifier Angel Escobedo (2007-10; Champion in 2008).

McCabe earned one of the tournament's at-large selections after an eighth-place finish at the 2016 Big Ten Championships. Like Oliver, he is making his NCAA Championships debut next weekend. He is 50-36 after three varsity seasons with the Scarlet Knights.

No. 12 Nate Jackson, Indiana (31-7, 6-3 Big Ten)
r-Junior • Crete, Ill.
vs.
Michael Pavasko, Clarion (21-13, 5-1 EWL)
Senior • Munhall, Pa.

Jackson will face off against Pavasko for the first time in his career to kick off his 2016 NCAA Championships campaign. Jackson returns to the tournament after a 3-2 showing in his sophomore season. For Pavasko, his EWL Championship gives the Clarion senior his first appearance in the NCAA Championships.

Jackson earned his second consecutive trip to the NCAA Championships after a fourth-place finish at the Big Ten Championships. Jackson fell short of a conference championship in the quarterfinals, but battled back through the consolation bracket. The junior's biggest win in his 4-2 weekend came in the consolation semifinals, when Jackson knocked off Iowa's Alex Meyer in a 7-4 decision.

After finishing last season with a 30-13 overall record with 11 bonus point wins, Jackson takes a 31-7 record with 20 bonus point wins into the NCAA postseason. He tallied a +32 dual point differential and five podium finishes, including championships at the Keystone Classic and LHU Classic and runner-up finishes at the EMU Open and the Reno Tournament of Champions.

After his weekend in Iowa City, Jackson boasts 10 wins against this year's tournament field. He has five wins against qualifiers inside the Big Ten and five out-of-conference. The Hoosier junior is the only wrestler to beat No. 1 Bo Nickal (Penn State) this season with his 7-6 decision win in Bloomington.

Pavasko earned the top seed in the EWL Championships and won three consecutive decisions for his first conference title, knocking off Cleveland State's Gabe stark, 7-3, in the final match. This is Pavasko's first trip to the NCAA Championships in his career, and he joins teammate Brock Zacherl (141) as the first wrestlers representing the Blue and Gold in the championships since 2014.

Tickets to the NCAA Championships are available for purchase through the NCAA Ticket Exchange. Buy and sell official tickets with other wrestling fans through the NCAA Ticket Exchange before it closes on Monday, March 14.

Indiana University Athletics

Related News

Players Mentioned

Nate Jackson

Elijah Oliver

Related Videos