WILLIAMSPORT, Pa. – TCNJ highlights a group of 16 teams that will head to Lamade Gymnasium on Friday, Jan. 10, for the start of the two-day 32nd annual Budd Whitehill National Duals hosted by Lycoming College, as the field is again a very strong and deep one according to the schedule released by the rankings committee on Tuesday, Jan. 7.
 
One of the premier events in Division III wrestling, the tournament is named for legendary coach Budd Whitehill, who coached the Warriors for 37 years and won 376 matches and 10 Middle Atlantic Conference titles.
 
The tournament will once again feature four groups of four competing in a round robin on Friday, with the winners of the four groups being reseeded into a championship bracket on Saturday, Jan. 11, and competing in a four-team tournament for the championship. Brackets for Friday's second, third and fourth-place group finishers on Saturday will ensure each team five duals during the event.
 
TCNJ, ranked 12th in the nation, earned the top seed and will head Group A, which also features Cortland, Wesleyan and Southern Virginia. The group will begin its run at the tournament at 9 a.m. on Friday, also hitting the mat at 12 p.m. and 3 p.m.
 
Messiah, ranked 16th in the nation, earned the second seed and will head Group B, which also features Wis.-Stevens Point, Lycoming, and Williamsand will wrestle alongside Group B at 9 a.m., 12 p.m. and 3 p.m.
 
Group C will feature 21st-ranked Wis.-Eau Claire as the top seed, along with Springfield, Oswego and York (Pa.). Rounding out the tournament, Group D, which will wrestle alongside Group C, features 23rd-ranked Castleton, 25^th-ranked Washington & Lee, Wilkes and Ohio Northern. Both groups will begin their run at 10:30 a.m., also wrestling at 1:30 p.m. and 4:30 p.m.
 
Six rounds of the duals will take place on Friday, Jan. 10, with four matches taking place in each round on mats spread across Lamade Gymnasium. On Saturday, Jan. 11, the tournament will conclude with four rounds of wrestling. The championship round is set for 1:30 p.m. with the tournament awards following at 3 p.m.
 
Lycoming enters the duals with an 7-2 overall record, which includes most picking up wins over King's (44-10) and Pitt-Bradford (42-18) at the Rennie Rodarmel Allstate Duals, also falling to Cortland, 19-18, on Dec. 16.
 
The squad is paced by senior 174-pounder Hadyn Swartwood (Jersey Shore, Pa./Jersey Shore Area), ranked as honorable mention in the latest d3wrestle.com rankings. Swartwood has compiled a 17-3 record this season with eight pins. Nine Warriors projected to be in the starting lineup this weekend have posted winning records and eight have at least 10 wins in freshman Garrett Lee (Hollywood, Md./Leonardtown, 125, 11-8), freshman Sam Hanley (Danielsville, Pa./Northampton Area, 133, 16-5), senior Joe Santomarco (Manalapan, N.J./Manalapan, 149, 13-5), freshman Paul Santomarco (Manalapan, N.J./Manalapan, 157, 14-7), freshman Hunter O'Connor (Jersey Shore, Pa./Jersey Shore Area, 165, 10-9), Swartwood (174, 17-3), senior Brody Keefe (Effort, Pa./Pleasant Valley, 197, 11-8) and sophomore Nick Winfield (Orbisonia, Pa./Southern Huntingdon County, 285, 12-5).
 
The Warriors are looking to place at the event for the 20th time in its 32 years. In 2019, the Warriors took ninth place, posting wins over Castleton, Washington & Lee and Wesleyan.
 
Lycoming is seeded third in Group B and will open the duals by facing Wis.-Stevens Point on Mat 4 before facing Messiah on at 12 p.m. on Mat 3 and Williams at 3 p.m. on Mat 4. The Warriors are 83-51 (.619) all-time at the duals and have won titles in 1997 and 1999.
 
2020 Budd Whitehill Duals Schedule
Schedule of Matches/Results
Friday, Jan. 10, 2020
Round 1 – Group A + B - 9 a.m.
Mat 1: TCNJ vs. Southern Virginia
Mat 2: Cortland vs. Wesleyan
Mat 3: Messiah vs. Williams
Mat 4: Wis.-Stevens Point vs. Lycoming
 
Round 1 – Group C + D – 10:30 a.m.
Mat 1: Wis.-Eau Claire vs. York (Pa.)
Mat 2: Springfield vs. Oswego
Mat 3: Castleton vs. Ohio Northern
Mat 4:  Washington & Lee vs. Wilkes
 
Round 2 – Group A + B – 12 p.m.
Mat 1: TCNJ vs. Wesleyan
Mat 2: Cortland vs. Southern Virginia
Mat 3: Messiah vs. Lycoming
Mat 4: Wis.-Stevens Point vs. Williams
 
Round 2 – Group C + D – 1:30 p.m.
Mat 1: Wis.-Eau Claire vs. Oswego
Mat 2: Springfield vs. York
Mat 3: Castleton vs. Wilkes
Mat 4: Washington & Lee vs. Ohio Northern
 
Round 3 – Group A + B – 3 p.m.
Mat 1: TCNJ vs. Cortland
Mat 2: Wesleyan vs. Southern Virginia
Mat 3: Messiah vs. Wis.-Stevens Point
Mat 4: Lycoming vs. Williams
 
Round 3 – Group C + D – 4:30 p.m.
Mat 1: Wis.-Eau Claire vs. Springfield
Mat 2: Oswego vs. York
Mat 3: Castleton vs. Washington & Lee
Mat 4: Wilkes vs. Ohio Northern