2012 NCAA Brackets | List of Qualifiers | NCAA At-Large Bid Release

ITHACA, N.Y.—The NCAA has released the 2012 NCAA Championship brackets. Cornell senior Maciej Jochym received an at-large bid at heavyweight to total nine qualifiers for the Big Red. Senior Cam Simaz (197) and junior Kyle Dake (157) have both earned the top seeds at their respective weight classes. Steve Bosak is the No. 4 seed at 184 pounds, while senior Frank Perrelli is No. 6 at 125.

Cornell's nine qualifiers ties its school best. The Big Red also sent nine to the NCAAs in 2011, 2009, 2005 and 1964. Cornell placed second as a team in 2010 and 2011.

Two Cornell wrestlers have met their first NCAA opponent already this season. At 149 pounds, Chris Villalonga drew No. 1 Frank Molinaro of Penn State. Molinaro won a 9-3 decision over Villalonga in January at the Southern Scuffle. Bosak will also see a familiar face next Thursday morning in his opponent Braden Atwood of Purdue.  Bosak won a 10-0 major decision over Atwood at the National Duals in February.

Simaz will take on Drexel's Brandon Palik in the first round at 197 pounds. Simaz won a 5-3 decision over Palik at the Binghamton Open in November of the 2009-10 season. At heavyweight, Jochym will face No. 11 Tucker Lane, who is the older brother of his Cornell teammate Stryker Lane.

The NCAA championships will begin Thursday, March 15 and run through Saturday, March 17.

Cornell First Round Match-Ups (seed)

125: Frank Perrelli (6) 30-5
Perrelli vs. Erik Spjut (Virginia Tech, 28-13)

133: Nick Arujau,  5-5
Arujau vs. Zachary Stevens (8) (Michigan, 23-9)

141: Mike Nevinger, 28-10
Nevinger vs. Scott Mattingly (Central Michigan, 15-22)

149: Chris Villalonga, 25-10
Villalonga vs. Frank Molinaro (1) (Penn State, 28-0)

157: Kyle Dake (1), 30-0
Dake vs. John Nicholson (Old Dominion, 26-6)

165: Marshall Peppelman, 21-12
Peppelman vs. Pierce Harger (Northwestern, 21-12)

184: Steve Bosak (4), 28-4
Bosak vs. Braden Atwood (Purdue, 21-13)

197: Cam Simaz (1) 26-1*
Simaz vs. Brandon Palik (Drexel, 25-13)
*Simaz's only loss is an injury default

HWT: Maciej Jochym, 19-15
Jochym vs. Tucker Lane (11) (Nebraska, 24-7)