TULSA, Okla. – A program record six Lions are set to compete in the 2023 NCAA Wrestling National Championships this week in Tulsa, Oklahoma.
Junior
Nick Babin (125), junior
Angelo Rini (133), senior
Matt Kazimir (141), sophomore
Cesar Alvan (157), junior
Joshua Ogunsanya (165) and junior
Lennox Wolak (174) make up the historical group that will represent Columbia at the NCAA Championships.
Babin, Rini, Kazimir, Ogunsanya and Wolak all earned automatic bids to the championships based on their placings at the EIWA Championships two weeks ago. Alvan was selected as an at-large bid in the field.
Ogunsanya earned the highest seed of the Tulsa-bound Lions with the No. 16 seed at 165. He will meet the No. 17 seed Austin Yant of Northern Iowa in the first round. Kazimir earned the No. 19 seed in the 141 bracket to set up a first-round bout with Northern Iowa's No. 14 seed Cael Happel.
Wolak was given the No. 21 seed at 174. He will face Oregon State's No. 12 seed Aaron Olmos in the first round. Babin drew the No. 24 seed in the 125 bracket and will have a first-round bout with No. 9 seed Eric Barnett from Wisconsin. Alvan took the No. 27 seed at 157 as an at-large. He will meet Stanford's No. 6 seed Daniel Cardenas in the first-round matchup.
Rini rounded out the list of Lions with a No. 30 seed at 133. He has since been moved up to the No. 29 seed due to bracket changes and will face No. 4 Michael McGee from Arizona State.
Kazimir and Ogunsanya will be making their second consecutive appearances at the NCAA Championships. Kazimir also qualified for the championships in 2020 before they were cancelled as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Columbia is coming off its best finish in school history at the EIWA Championships. The Lions finished tied for fourth place and earned a team total 95 points, which is the most in school history.
"Up and down the lineup, we performed at a championship level," Andrew F. Barth Head Coach of Wrestling
Zach Tanelli said. "It was gritty, tough wrestling from everyone that makes me proud to be their coach. They represented their families and Columbia University proudly. This is a tremendous team that will be ready to compete when we touch down in Tulsa for the NCAA Championships."
SEEDED LIONS
125: No. 24
Nick Babin
133: No. 29
Angelo Rini
141: No. 19
Matt Kazimir
157: No. 27
Cesar Alvan
165: No. 16
Joshua Ogunsanya
174: No. 21
Lennox Wolak
FIRST ROUND MATCHUPS
125: (24)
Nick Babin vs. (9) Eric Barneet (Wisconsin)
133: (29)
Angelo Rini vs. (4) Michael McGee (Arizona State)
141: (19)
Matt Kazimir vs. (14) Cael Happel (Northern Iowa)
157: (27)
Cesar Alvan vs. (6) Daniel Cardenas (Stanford)
165: (16)
Joshua Ogunsanya vs. (17) Austin Yant (Northern Iowa)
174: (21)
Lennox Wolak vs. (12) Aaron Olmos (Oregon State)
TOURNAMENT SCHEDULE
The NCAA Championships are divided into six sessions over three days of competition. Each day will consist of a morning and evening session. A look at the full schedule:
Thursday, March 16
Session 1 - 11 a.m.
First Round Matches
Session 2 - 6 p.m.
Second Round & Consolation First Round
Friday, March 17
Session 3 - 11 a.m.
Quarterfinals & Consolation Second and Third Rounds
Session 4 -7 p.m.
Semifinals & Consolation Quarterfinals
Saturday, March 18
Session 5 - 10 a.m.
Consolation Semifinals & 3rd, 5th Place Matches
Session 6 - 6 p.m.
Championship Matches
FOLLOWING THE ACTION
Each session of the 2023 NCAA DI Wrestling Championships will air nationally through ESPN networks. The morning sessions (1, 3, 5) can be seen entirely on ESPNU. The evening sessions (2, 4, 6) will be televised on ESPN each night. ESPN+ will also have a watch every mat, every match coverage throughout the tournament with streams of individual mats to follow along with the Lions.
Updates will also be provided through the Columbia Wrestling Twitter account (@CULionsWR). Fans can follow the action online through live results at www.TrackWrestling.com.
Thursday Morning:
ESPNU
Thursday Evening:
ESPN
Friday Morning:
ESPNU
Friday Evening:
ESPN
Saturday Morning:
ESPNU
Saturday Evening:
ESPN
FOLLOWING THE LIONS
Stay up to date on all things Columbia Wrestling by following the Lions on Twitter (@CULionsWR), Instagram (@culionswr) and on Facebook (@ColumbiaAthletics).
