Pitt.-Johnstown's Bennett leads in Most Dominant ratings

INDIANAPOLIS -- The NCAA has released the updated standings for the 2014 NCAA Most Dominant Wrestler Awards, in addition to 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 standings only include matches between wrestlers in the same division.

The 2014 NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships return to Oklahoma City March 20-22 at the Chesapeake Energy Arena. New ticket options, including hospitality, are still available, visit NCAA.com/Wrestling to purchase. The Division II and Division III Wrestling Championships are both March 14-15 in Cleveland, Ohio, and Cedar Rapids, Iowa, respectively.

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 18 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, three-time defending national champion Penn State retains the top two spots with 165-pounder David Taylor holding an average of 5.12 points and 184-pounder Edward Ruth keeping his at 4.7083 points.  Two-time NCAA champion Logan Stieber of Ohio State (141 pounds) is third with an average of 4.6667 points.

After the Super Regionals over the weekend, 197-pounder Zachary Bennett of Pittsburgh-Johnstown holds first place with an all-division high average of 5.2778 points.  Austin Goergen, a heavyweight from St. Cloud State, is second with 4.5652 points, while Bennett’s teammate Travis McKillop (184 pounds) is third with an average of 4.4211 points.

Nazar Kulchytskyy from Wisconsin-Oshkosh has a 5.2143 average at 165 pounds to lead Division III.  The next two spots flipped again with Wartburg 174-pounder Landon Williams taking second with 4.875 points and Wabash 184-pounder Riley Lefever is just .004 points behind.

Nothing has changed at the top of the Division I falls standings as one pin separates Indiana 157-pounder Taylor Walsh and Bucknell heavyweight Joe Stolfi in Division I with 20 and 19. Ohio 165-pounder Harrison Hightower is third with 12 pins.

Bennett’s move to the top spot in the most dominant standings in Division II was a result of a pair of pins last week to move into first place with 13 this season.  Five wrestlers have picked up 12 falls this season, led by Upper Iowa 149-pounder Edwin Cooper with his pins coming in a combined time of 19:28.

Thomas Reyhons of Augustana (Illinois) continues to pin people in Division III with two last week to raise his all-division lead to 25 pins at 184 pounds.  Ohio Northern heavyweight Cody Lovejoy is second with 23 pins and Johnson & Wales (Rhode Island) 174-pounder Colin Lenhardt has 22 falls.

Division I has no changes at the top of the tech fall standings with Ohio State 141-pounder Logan Stieber leading with nine in a combined time of 46:30, while Northern Iowa 133-pounder Joe Colon’s combined time of 51:40 in nine tech falls has him in second.

The top three positions in Division II stayed static for the fourth week in a row, but the numbers did change. Lake Erie 133-pounder Austin Gillihan picked up one to lead the division with eight.  Francis Mizia of Mercyhurst (157 pounds) and William Young of Newberry (141 pounds) follow Gillihan with seven tech falls.

The tech fall standings in Division III have Wisconsin-Whitewater’s Shane Siefert holding the all-division lead with 11 on the season, three more than Springfield 149-pounder Zach Joseph and Wilkes 149-pounder Mark Hartenstine with eight tech falls.

A complete listing of this week’s NCAA Wrestling Awards standings can be found here.