Courtney, Marcelli earn at-large bids to NCAA Championships

Courtesy UVA Media Relations

Virginia wrestlers Brian Courtney (Athens, Pa.) and Vic Marcelli (Massillon, Ohio) have received at-large bids to the upcoming NCAA Wrestling Championships it was announced the organization on Tuesday (March 9).

The at-large selections were made by the NCAA Division I Wrestling Committee using the following selection criteria: head-to-head competition, quality wins (defined as wins against wrestlers already in the field), coaches ranking, results against common opponents, conference tournament placement and winning percentage. The committee was also able to use subjective criteria such as, but not limited to, historical performance.

Courtney went 9-4 this season at 141 pounds and is currently ranked No. 18 nationally at his weight class in the latest InterMat rankings. Marcelli posted an 8-5 record at 174 pounds. Both wrestlers advanced to the third-place match at the ACC Championships (Feb. 28).

With Courtney and Marcelli receiving at-large bids, the number of Virginia wrestlers slated to compete in the event grows to eight as the pair join six wrestlers who had previously locked up bid to the NCAA Championships. Jay Aiello (Chantilly, Va.), Louie Hayes (Orland Park, Ill.), Jake Keating (Naperville, Ill.), Patrick McCormick (Poquoson, Va.), Justin McCoy (New Paris, Pa.) and Quinn Miller (Lilburn, Ga.) all earned bids based on their finishes at the ACC Championships.

The NCAA Championships will run March 18-20 at the Enterprise Center in St. Louis, Mo. Brackets and seeds for each weight class will be announced in an NCAA selection show streamed on NCAA.com at 6 p.m. ET on Wednesday (March 10).

The eight selections is the most for Virginia since the 2014 season when Virginia also had eight wrestlers earn bids to the NCAA Championships. Virginia had a program-record nine wrestlers compete in the NCAA Championships in the 2013 championship.

UVA NCAA Qualifiers

• 125: Patrick McCormick
• 133: Louie Hayes***
• 141: Brian Courtney
• 157: Justin McCoy**
• 165: Jake Keating
• 174: Vic Marcelli
• 197: Jay Aiello***
• HWT: Quinn Miller**

* Represents number of career NCAA Championship bids for wrestlers with multiple career bids