University of Northern Colorado Athletics
Thursday, March 21
Pittsburgh, PA.
All Day
University of Northern Colorado
vs
NCAA Championships
Three Travel to Pittsburgh for NCAA Championships on Thursday
3/19/2019 1:12:00 PM | Wrestling
RIco Montoya, Chris Sandoval and Jacob Seely will represent Northern Colorado at the DI wrestling championships
The 2019 NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships begin on Thursday and three Northern Colorado wrestlers will head to Pittsburgh for the tournament. Rico Montoya, Chris Sandoval and Jacob Seely will make the trip looking to get on the podium and earn All-American status for the program for the first time since 2010.
Montoya qualified for his third consecutive NCAA Championships after earning an at-large selection last week. On the season, Montoya has a 16-10 record and placed sixth at the Big 12 Championships.
Montoya's seeding has shifted after initially being the No. 25 seed in the 125 lb bracket, but Arizona State's Ryan Millhof, the No. 14 seed, was injured and withdrew from the championships. With the injury, Montoya moves up one spot to No. 24 and will wrestle the No. 9 seed, Rayvon Foley, from Michigan State. Montoya was originally matched up against the No. 8 seed, Cornell's Vitali Arujau.
Sandoval pulled off one of the biggest upsets of the Big 12 Championships when he defeated No. 1 Josh Alber from Northern Iowa, on his way to a fifth place finish. The win is the first time a UNC wrestler has beaten a top-seed at the Big 12s in program history. Sandoval's fifth place finish automatically qualified him for the NCAA Championships and he will be the No. 32 seed. This will be Sandoval's first appearance of his career and the first UNC freshman to qualify since the program moved back to division I for the 2006-07 season.
Sandoval has an 8-10 record this season, 8-8 wrestling at 141 lb. In his first match in Pittsburgh, Sandoval will face Rutgers Pete Lipari, the No. 33 seed in the pigtail round.
Seely qualified for his second consecutive NCAA Championships this season after earning an at-large selection in the 197 lb bracket. At the Big 12 Championships, Seely placed eighth and has a 13-10 overall record this season.
In the first round match, Seely will wrestle the No. 3 seed Preston Weigel from Oklahoma State.
At the 2018 NCAA Championships, Northern Colorado finished tied for 38th, the highest finish for the program since returning to DI.
Following the Bears.
The 2019 NCAA Championships begin on Thursday, March 21st, with pigtail and first-round matches starting at 10 am MST, followed by second-round and preliminary wrestleback matches starting at 5 pm. On Friday, March 22nd, the quarterfinal and wrestlebacks will begin at 9 am, with semifinal and additional wrestleback matches starting at 6 pm. The wrestlebacks and medal rounds will begin at 9 am on Saturday, March 23rd, with the championship round starting at 5 pm.
The morning sessions will be aired live on ESPNU with all night sessions being aired on ESPN. Each match on every mat will be streamed live on ESPN3.com via the ESPN App, with each mat receiving its own dedicated stream.
Follow the championships on Twitter for live updates and results with @UNCBearsWrestle.
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Montoya qualified for his third consecutive NCAA Championships after earning an at-large selection last week. On the season, Montoya has a 16-10 record and placed sixth at the Big 12 Championships.
Montoya's seeding has shifted after initially being the No. 25 seed in the 125 lb bracket, but Arizona State's Ryan Millhof, the No. 14 seed, was injured and withdrew from the championships. With the injury, Montoya moves up one spot to No. 24 and will wrestle the No. 9 seed, Rayvon Foley, from Michigan State. Montoya was originally matched up against the No. 8 seed, Cornell's Vitali Arujau.
Sandoval pulled off one of the biggest upsets of the Big 12 Championships when he defeated No. 1 Josh Alber from Northern Iowa, on his way to a fifth place finish. The win is the first time a UNC wrestler has beaten a top-seed at the Big 12s in program history. Sandoval's fifth place finish automatically qualified him for the NCAA Championships and he will be the No. 32 seed. This will be Sandoval's first appearance of his career and the first UNC freshman to qualify since the program moved back to division I for the 2006-07 season.
Sandoval has an 8-10 record this season, 8-8 wrestling at 141 lb. In his first match in Pittsburgh, Sandoval will face Rutgers Pete Lipari, the No. 33 seed in the pigtail round.
Seely qualified for his second consecutive NCAA Championships this season after earning an at-large selection in the 197 lb bracket. At the Big 12 Championships, Seely placed eighth and has a 13-10 overall record this season.
In the first round match, Seely will wrestle the No. 3 seed Preston Weigel from Oklahoma State.
At the 2018 NCAA Championships, Northern Colorado finished tied for 38th, the highest finish for the program since returning to DI.
Following the Bears.
The 2019 NCAA Championships begin on Thursday, March 21st, with pigtail and first-round matches starting at 10 am MST, followed by second-round and preliminary wrestleback matches starting at 5 pm. On Friday, March 22nd, the quarterfinal and wrestlebacks will begin at 9 am, with semifinal and additional wrestleback matches starting at 6 pm. The wrestlebacks and medal rounds will begin at 9 am on Saturday, March 23rd, with the championship round starting at 5 pm.
The morning sessions will be aired live on ESPNU with all night sessions being aired on ESPN. Each match on every mat will be streamed live on ESPN3.com via the ESPN App, with each mat receiving its own dedicated stream.
Follow the championships on Twitter for live updates and results with @UNCBearsWrestle.
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