Terriers Set to Host CAA Championships on Saturday
March 5, 2013 | Men's Wrestling
March 5, 2013
2013 BU Wrestling CAA Championship Preview Videos
BOSTON - For the first time since 2005, Boston University will host the Colonial Athletic Association (CAA) Wrestling Championships with Case Gymnasium serving as the venue on Saturday, March 9. Up to 70 wrestlers spread out amongst 10 different weight classes from seven schools will compete for the 19 automatic NCAA Championship berths available.
The CAA Championships will kick off at 10 a.m. with the quarterfinals and then close with the finals, which start at 7 p.m. Adults can purchase tickets ahead of time for $22 by clicking here or purchase them on the day of the event for $25. Tickets will be $15 for youth (17 and under) and college students with valid ID.
Fans just looking to attend the finals session can purchase tickets for $15 (adults) and $10 (youth/college students), respectively. CAASports.com will also be providing a live stream of the event free of charge along with updated results on the site and on Twitter (@CAAWrestling13).
Boston University enters the event ranked in a tie for third in the conference alongside Binghamton and Hofstra. The Pride have won 10 of the last 11 team titles but will face a stiff challenge from the Terriers, the Bearcats, Rider, Drexel and George Mason.
Old Dominion sits atop the league rankings with a perfect 6-0 CAA record but is ineligible for the team title this year due to its upcoming change in conference affiliation. Despite not being able to earn team points, the Monarchs' 10 wrestlers will be eligible to compete for the 19 automatic berths.
The CAA this year has been granted three berths apiece at the 133, 141 and 197 weight classes. The champion and runner-up at 149, 157 and 285, respectively, will earn an automatic bid to the NCAAs, while only the winner at 125, 165, 174 and 184, respectively, will advance.
Featuring seven wrestlers ranked in the top four of their respective weight class in the CAA, the Terriers enter the event looking to finish in the top two as a team for the first time since joining the conference at the start of the 2001-02 season. BU has placed fourth each of the last two seasons with the program last earning a third-place result in 2004.
Junior Nestor Taffur is the conference's top wreslter at 157 with a 6-0 CAA record and 31-7 overall mark. He also owns a national RPI ranking of 19 and will have his sights on claiming BU's first individual title since John Hall won the 197 title in 2011.
Junior Kevin Innis is No. 28 in the RPI national rankings for the heavyweight division and holds a 4-2 record in the CAA this season along with an 18-6 overall mark. Sophomore Tyler Scotton is also ranked 28th nationally but in the 141 weight class. He went 2-3 this year against CAA opponents and posted a 15-13 overall record.
Innis is third in the CAA rankings, while Scotton is fourth for his weight class. Other Terriers ranked include No. 3 Bubba McGinley (125), No. 3 Mitchell Wightman (165), No. 3 Alex Najjar (184) and No. 4 Kyle Czarnecki (174).
Following the CAA Championships, the 19 automatic berth recipients will compete at the NCAAs on March 21-23 in Des Moines, Iowa. The remaining 40 NCAA at-large bids from across the country will be announced on March 13.
