Nebraska-Kearney has the top-ranked team and a full lineup in the field. 

St. Cloud State still wears the crown, having won the last two Division II national titles and four of the last five. 

Lindenwood might be light on numbers, but it’s long on high-end talent, matching St. Cloud State with a tournament-high three No. 1 seeds. 

The NCAA Division II Championships begin Friday at America’s Center Convention Complex in St. Louis.

The D2 tournament typically provides individual intrigue and late-round team drama. Five of the last seven title races have been decided by eight or fewer points, and St. Cloud State has had a penchant for finding a way to hoist the championship trophy. 

Will this year be different? The Lopers from Nebraska-Kearney certainly hope so. They’re the only squad in the field that has a representative at all 10 weight classes, and they’re seeded in nine of them. UNK has a trio of No. 3 seeds, including 2019 national champion Matt Malcom (165) and runner-up Wesley Dawkins (133). 

The most-recent title for the Lopers came in 2013 when they won a pair of head-to-head final-round battles and edged St. Cloud State 108-105. 

St. Cloud State was still on the rise then, still searching for its first title, which came two years later and started the run of four championships in five years for the Huskies. They’re still a factor with three No. 1 seeds — Garrett Vos (133), Devin Fitzpatrick (165) and Kameron Teacher (285) — and three others, including No. 3 Joey Bianchini at 141. 

Teacher is a three-time All-American who reached the finals twice and placed third for Notre Dame prior to transferring to St. Cloud State. 

Lindenwood’s margin for error is small with five qualifiers, but the quintet is a combined 43-4 this season and three of those defeats came in a dual meet against Iowa State. Appalachian State transfers Colby Smith (141) and Gavin Londoff (149) and Abner Romero (174) grabbed No. 1 seeds, while Ronnie Gentile (No. 3 at 157) and Tanner Hitchcock (No. 4 at 133) could make the Lions a factor. 

Smith, a three-time Missouri state high school champion, placed third at the Southern Scuffle and qualified for the NCAA Championships as a true freshman for Appalachian State in 2017. His only loss in the past two seasons was a 2-0 defeat against 2020 Big 12 champion Ian Parker of Iowa State. 

Most Qualifiers 

10 — Nebraska-Kearney

8 — Gannon, St. Cloud State 

7 — Central Oklahoma, McKendree

Past champions in the field 

133 — Tyler Warner (West Liberty) 

165 — Matt Malcom (Nebraska-Kearney) 

184 — Connor Craig (West Liberty) 

197 — Nicholas Mason (Tiffin) 

No. 1 seeds 

125 — Isaiah DeLaCerda (Adams State) 

133 — Garrett Vos (St. Cloud State) 

141 — Colby Smith (Lindenwood) 

149 — Gavin Londoff (Lindenwood) 

157 — James Wimer (Findlay) 

165 — Devin Fitzpatrick (St. Cloud State)

174 — Abner Romero (Lindenwood) 

184 — Heath Gray (Central Oklahoma) 

197 — Ryan Vasbinder (McKendree)

285 — Kameron Teacher (St. Cloud State) 

Team champions in the last 10 years 

2019 — St. Cloud State

2018 — St. Cloud State 

2017 — Notre Dame 

2016 — St. Cloud State 

2015 — St. Cloud State

2014 — Notre Dame 

2013 — Nebraska-Kearney

2012 — Nebraska-Kearney 

2011 — Nebraska-Omaha