Taylor Most Dominant Wrestler Award standings

INDIANAPOLIS – The NCAA has released the initial standings for the 2014 NCAA Most Dominant Wrestler Awards and the second round of standings for the most falls and tech falls within Divisions I, II and III. These awards will be presented in March at the respective NCAA Wrestling Championships.

The Most Dominant Wrestler standings are calculated by adding the total number of points awarded through match results and dividing that number by the total number of matches wrestled. Points awarded per match are as follows:

• Fall, forfeit, injury default or DQ = 6 points (-6 points for a loss)
• Tech falls = 5 points (-5 points for a loss)
• Major decision = 4 points (-4 points for a loss)
• Decision = 3 points (-3 points for a loss)

This week a minimum of 13 matches are required to be eligible for the Most Dominant Wrestler standings. That required match total will increase by one per week until 18 matches is reached. Athletes redshirting the 2014 season are not eligible for any of the award standings.

In the Most Dominant standings, 2012 NCAA Most Dominant Wrestler David Taylor of Penn State leads the way with an average of 5.2632 points. The 165-pounder’s tally is the highest across all three divisions. Oklahoma 174-pounder Andrew Howe checks in second with 4.9286 points, while Taylor Walsh of Indiana (157 pounds) comes in third with 4.84 points.

Division II is paced by Alex Johns of Indianapolis with a 4.5714 average at 125 pounds, while Central Oklahoma 149-pounder Jordan Basks follows with an average of 4.1053 points. Newberry takes the next two spots with William Young (141 pounds) and Jeffrey Vesta (125 pounds) putting up 3.8824 and 3.75 points, respectively.

Ohio Northern heavyweight Cody Lovejoy and Alma 165-pounder Matthew Tuttle are tied for the lead in Division III with an average of 5.0588 points. Closely behind the top duo is 184-pounder Riley Lefever of Wabash with an even average of five points.

In the falls standings, Indiana’s Walsh maintains his lead with 19 pins at 157 pounds, while Bucknell heavyweight Joe Stolfi has added a pair of pins to pull closer in second with 14 falls.The rest of the pack is bunched with five wrestlers tied for third with nine pins.

A four-way tie exists in Division II at eight pins each, but Edwin Cooper of Upper Iowa at 149 pounds takes the top spot this week with his falls coming in a combined time of 13:32. Two more wrestlers at 149 pounds are second and third with Ian Steen of Western State (30:05) and Brent Fickel of Ashland (33:58). Newberry’s Vesta rounds out the quartet with his eight pins taking 40:14. Five more wrestlers follow closely behind with seven pins this season.

A two-pin week allowed Colin Lenhardt of Johnson & Wales (Rhode Island) to hang on to the top spot in Division III with 16 pins at 184 pounds. Western New England heavyweight Jamison Sacco is second with 14 pins in 21:33, while SUNY Oneonta’s Chad Obzud (197 pounds) is third with 14 pins in 30:36.

In the tech fall standings, Cody Brewer of Oklahoma (133 pounds) leads Division I with seven, while a pair of Nittany Lions is close behind with six. Taylor is second with his coming in a combined time of 38:08 and Penn State’s 184-pounder Edward Ruth has six tech falls in a combined 39:58.

Austin Gillihan has six tech falls in Division II for Lake Erie at 133 pounds, two more than a trio of wrestlers.

Wisconsin-Whitewater’s Shane Siefert leads Division III with an NCAA-high eight tech falls this season at 197 pounds, two more than his nearest competitor.

A complete listing of this week’s NCAA Wrestling Awards standings is as follows: