Brew and Vanderhyde ready to compete at the 2009 D3 Wrestling National Championships

Seeds have been announced and the brackets have been drawn up for the 2009 NCAA Division III National Wrestling Championships this Friday and Saturday, March 6-7 at the U.S. Cellular Center in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. Olivet College senior Jason Brew (Sparta) has received the No. 2 seed at 157 pounds, while senior Kyle Vanderhyde (Sparta) is the No. 3 seed at 174 pounds.

"It's so terrific to head to the national tournament with two young men who have the confidence of knowing that they have done everything within their power to be national champions this weekend," said Head Coach Todd Hibbs. "They have done literally everything that they need to do...weight training, technical improvement, conditioning, diet and weight management, sacrifice of social life, sleep/recovery and rest, and the list goes on.

"With these two, there will be no lingering questions. They have prepared in the way that any coach would desire his athletes to prepare. Now it is time to perform and there is no doubt in my mind that they will. "

Brew enters the tournament with a 36-2 record, with his only two losses going to NCAA Division I wrestlers at the Midlands Tournament. In addition, 28 of his 36 wins have earned him bonus points – 10 by major decision, seven by technical fall and 11 by pin. A year ago, Brew earned All-American honors with a national runner-up finish. In the first round, he will face Jonas Flok from Lakeland (Wisc.) College.

"Since the day Jason enrolled at Olivet his goal has been to win a national title, and last year he barely fell short of that goal with a second-place finish," said Hibbs. "We feel good about the experience he gained in last year's tournament, but we also understand the competitive nature of the nationals and realize that it will take a performance similar to last year's – but just a little better to capture the title.

"Jason is prepared and confident in his ability, and to be honest, the only thought of our opponents is respect and a little scouting. With no disrespect intended to anyone, we believe at this point a title shot is merely about Jason wrestling to the best of his ability. If he does so, he should once again be in a position to potentially realize his goal on Saturday evening."

Vanderhyde enters the tournament with a 38-5 record. Three of his losses were to NCAA Division I wrestlers at the Midlands Tournament, while the other two were 5-3 to No. 1 seed Jerome Owens from Johnson & Wales (R.I.) University at the Desert Duals and 6-4 to No. 2 seed Rocky Mantella from Delaware Valley (Pa.) College at the NCAA Midwest Regional. Vanderhyde is a two-time All-American after finishing second at the 2007 national championships and fourth at the 2008 national championships. His first round opponent will be Andrew Scavuzzo from Baldwin-Wallace (Ohio) College.

"The past two years have taught Kyle a lot about the national tournament," said Hibbs. "While winning the title will require his best effort and will require defeating opponents that have beaten him in close matches this year, he is prepared to embrace such a challenge.

"Kyle is confident and ready to go. Once again, his opponents deserve great respect, but we believe that this weekend depends primarily upon his own performance, of which he has the control."