2016 NCAA Wrestling Championships: Alex Dieringer, Dean Heil receive No. 1 seeds

Eight of the 10 Oklahoma State wrestlers that will compete at the NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships received seeds Wednesday night.

The Cowboys quest for its NCAA-leading 35th national team title will be led by a pair of No. 1 seeds. Two-time defending national champion Alex Dieringer at 165 pounds and returning All-American Dean Heil at 141 earned top seeds. Dieringer's quest for a third national title begins against Austin Trott of George Washington, while Heil goes for his first title run against Javier Gasca III of Michigan State.

Austin Marsden was the next highest seed at No. 4 at 285. He'll start his tournament run against Riley Shaw of Cleveland State. A potential semifinal match against two-time national champion Nick Gwiazdowski of North Carolina State looks likely. Marsden's lone loss this season was to the Wolf Pack wrestler.

Eddie Kilmara (125) and true freshman Joe Smith (157) both earned No. 6 seeds in their respective weight classes. Kilmara will face Connor Youtsey of Michigan in the opening round, while Smith draws Jake Ryan of Ohio State, pitting two coaches sons against each other.

Nolan Boyd (No. 8 at 184), Chandler Rogers (No. 9 at 174) and Anthony Collica (No. 11 at 149) round out the seeded wrestlers for OSU. Gary Wayne Harding (133) and Preston Wiegel (197) are the lone Cowboy wrestlers that did not receive a seed.

2016 d 1 Wrestling by Brianne Dyer