Navy senior Casey Cobb (149 / Kuna, Idaho) and sophomore John Birchmeier (285 / Ashburn, Va.) were among 64 wrestlers who on Tuesday were named at-large selections for the 2021 NCAA Wrestling Championship slated for March 18-20 at the Enterprise Center in St. Louis, Mo. The 64 additions join the 266 student-athletes who qualified automatically through their respective conference tournaments over the last two weeks.

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.

After putting together a 5-0 regular season, Birchmeier took fifth place at the EIWA Championship where he dropped decisions to third-seeded Bobby Heald of Army and fifth-seeded Joe Doyle of Binghamton. He secured fifth place with a 3-2 victory over Drexel's Sean O'Malley who he defeated in the opening round.

Meanwhile, Cobb, who missed the 2021 EIWA Championship due to COVID-related protocol, was rewarded for a solid season that saw him post an 8-1 record and earn a No. 19 ranking in the second NCAA Coaches Panel Rankings. Cobb earned an at-large berth a year ago in what would have been his first NCAA appearance, but just days later the championship would be cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Birchmeier and Cobb join teammates Logan Treaster (125 / Sr / Newton, Kan.), Jacob Allen (133 / Jr / Poway, Calif.), Cody Trybus (141 / Sr / Elkton, Md.), Andrew Cerniglia (157 / Fr / Nazareth, Pa.), Tanner Skidgel (Sr / 165 / Tulsa, Okla.), David Key (184 / Fr / Norcross, Ga.) and Jacob Koser (197 / So / Dillsburg, Pa.), who received automatic berths by way of their placement at the EIWA Championship on Feb. 26. First-time qualifiers include Treaster, Allen, Cerniglia, Key, Koser and Birchmeier, while Cobb and Trybus are two-time qualifiers and Skidgel a three-time qualifier. Koser was selected as an alternate a year ago.

This will be just the third time in school history that Navy has sent nine or more wrestlers to compete at the NCAA Wrestling Championship and the first since 1969. Navy qualified 11 wrestlers in 1968 (11 weight classes that year) and nine in 1969.

Seeding and brackets for this year's event will be revealed tomorrow (March 10) during the NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships Selection Show on NCAA.com at 6:00 pm (ET).

### Go Navy ###