The NCAA News - News and Features

The NCAA News -- February 15, 1999

Division II Wrestling

Field: A total of 140 individual qualifiers will be selected from four regions and one conference. The team champion is determined by totaling the team points scored by each qualifying individual.

Dates and site: The championships will be held March 12-13 at the University of Nebraska, Omaha.

Information/results: The fax-on-demand telephone number is 770/563-1133 (pin code 1915). The request number is 5340 for the qualifiers, current brackets and team scores. The championships game story and results will be published in the March 29 issue of The NCAA News.

Championships notes: North Dakota State, which had not won since 1988, won last year's championship in a runaway, bettering second-place South Dakota State, 112-78. The last time a team from the North Central Conference won was 1991, when Nebraska-Omaha turned the trick ... Of the teams still in Division II, Central Oklahoma leads in team championships with four. The Bronchos won 1992-1995 but have not been in the top two in the last two years. Central Oklahoma also leads active Division II teams in individual titles with 21, followed by North Dakota State with 19 ... Six of last year's 10 weight-class champions return, as do two runner-ups ... Two-time heavyweight champion Ryan Resel of South Dakota State leads the way. Runner-up Tim Croft of Carson-Newman, who lost in last year's final, 3-1, also is back ... The defending champions are led by Steve Saxlund, who won the 167-pound class the past two years and has competed this year in the 174-pound class ... Seeking to become a repeat champion in front of a home crowd is Braumon Creighton, who won the 134-pound class last year and is competing at 141 pounds this season.