Manheim, PA – The brackets and seeds for the 2013 NWCA/Cliff Keen National Dual Meet Championship Finals presented by Hibiclens and the Marines have been released, naming the nationally ranked No. 1 Oklahoma State Cowboys the top seed in the tournament.

The National Dual Meet Championship Finals, scheduled for February 22-23 in Williams Arena, located on the campus of University of Minnesota, will see first and second rounds of competition featuring the following match-ups:

#1 Oklahoma State v. #8 Illinois

#4 Ohio State v. #5 Missouri

#3 Minnesota v. #6 Virginia Tech

#2 Iowa v. #7 Cornell 

The Oklahoma State Cowboys reached the event after a dominating performance in last weekend’s Kent State Regional and will look to defend a 13-0 season record.  They are currently the No. 1 ranked team nationally, and will enter the National Dual Meet Championship Finals as the top seed.

The Cowboys, who held the top seed in their region, had an impressive outing that included a first round 34-10 victory against nationally unranked Kent State, followed by a 39-7 victory against the No. 24 ranked University of Northern Iowa Panthers. In addition to two victories, Oklahoma State wrestlers recorded six pins on the day.

Oklahoma State will face off against the eighth seeded Illinois. The Fighting Illini, currently ranked as the No. 8 team in the nation, hold a season record of 7-5 and received an automatic bid to the finals and did not compete in a regional event.

Iowa, currently the No. 2 ranked team in the nation, also received an automatic bid to the National Dual Meet Championship Finals. The Hawkeyes, 18-1 on the season, come in as the second seed and will look to take down seventh seeded Cornell in the opening round of competition.

Cornell advanced to the National Dual Meet Championship Finals after defeating nationally unranked Hofstra and No. 13 Nebraska in the Cornell Regional.

The tournament third seed belongs to the nationally ranked No. 4 Minnesota Gophers. The Gophers, who received an automatic bid to the National Dual Meet Championship Finals, hold a season record of 12-2 and will look to defeat sixth seeded Virginia Tech in front of a home crowd.

Virginia Tech, ranked as the No. 7 team in the nation with a 14-2 season record, advanced to the National Dual Meet Championship Finals after winning the Oregon State Regional defeating the No. 25 ranked Oklahoma Sooners 33-6 and No. 9 ranked Oregon State Beavers 19-15.

Ohio State, ranked No. 5 nationally, hold the tournament’s fourth seed and face off against the tournament’s fifth seed and nationally ranked No. 6 Missouri Tigers in the first round of competition. The Buckeyes reached the finals via an automatic bid and did not compete in a regional qualifying event. Ohio State currently holds an 11-3 season record.

Missouri however will enter the National Dual Meet Championship Finals fresh off a tournament win at the Missouri Regional. The Tigers earned their spot by defeating nationally unranked Maryland 27-13 and No. 16 Purdue 27-15. Missouri, like Ohio State, has wrestled to 11 season victories, however has suffered one less loss accounting for an 11-2 overall record.

Tickets to the event are on sale and can be purchased via Minnesota Athletics. For additional pricing, seating and purchasing information, visit the  Minnesota Athletics Site.  For more event information, go to the National Duals page at nwcaonline.com.