Oklahoma State defeated West Virginia and South Dakota State this week to continue its undefeated streak.
As wrestling season continues, there is little change in the top half of the weekly power rankings. See what's happening in the wrestling world with the Week 7's Power Rankings:
1 – Oklahoma State: After hammering West Virginia last Friday, the Cowboys won 7 of 10 in a 31-9 victory over a scrappy South Dakota State squad on Sunday. The Cowboys (8-0) will be challenged this Friday in Columbia against a Missouri program that beat OSU, 22-10, the last time they wrestled on Missouri’s home mat. Rivals Lavion Mayes of the Tigers and Anthony Collica, unbeaten for the Cowboys, are sure to entertain in the 149-pound bout. MU All-American Daniel Lewis was pinned by OSU’s Chandler Rogers in the Southern Scuffle final at 165 pounds. Key bouts could also occur at 125, 141, and 157 pounds.
Another dual and another win for your top-ranked, 8-0 Cowboys yesterday. Check out highlights from the win over South Dakota State! #okstate pic.twitter.com/BMfVXsC050
— OSU Cowboy Wrestling (@CowboyWrestling) January 23, 2017
2 – Penn State: The Nittany Lions, thanks in part to Bo Nickal’s pin at 184 pounds, beat Iowa in Carver-Hawkeye Arena last Friday. Already with a strong lineup, head coach Cael Sanderson pulled the redshirt off the nation’s top recruit, Mark Hall, for the Iowa dual. Hall, a Junior World champion in freestyle, lost to Alex Meyer in his debut but is sure to bounce back. PSU (8-0) travels to Wisconsin Friday and hosts Northwestern on Sunday. Wrestling fans cannot wait until Feb. 3 when Sanderson’s high-flying bunch visits Columbus for a dual with Ohio State.
3 – Ohio State: The Buckeyes are also 8-0 after beating Maryland, 30-12, last week. It’s this OSU’s turn to wrestle Iowa as head coach Tom Ryan’s talented group visits Carver-Hawkeye for a Friday night dual. A good place to start in this dual is Nathan Tomasello, unbeaten and ranked No. 1 at 133 pounds, versus two-time NCAA finalist Cory Clark. Micah Jordan (21-0) will challenge Brandon Sorensen (17-2) at 149 pounds and Ryan also has top-ranked Bo Jordan (174), national champion Myles Martin (184) and rookie 197-pounder Kolin Moore, who is 20-2. All-World Kyle Snyder will not suit up due to international obligations, but the Hawkeyes are without their heavyweight too, lost to injury.
4 – Iowa: The Hawkeyes (7-2) lost at Oklahoma State and at home to Penn State last Friday. Losing heavyweight Sam Stoll for the season does not help, but Iowa, who hosts Ohio State this Friday, still has plenty of firepower with top-ranked Thomas Gilman (19-0, 125), Cory Clark (10-1, 133), Sorensen (17-2, 149), redshirt-freshman Michael Kemerer (19-1, 157), and All-American Sam Brooks (16-2, 184), who will be gunning for OSU’s Myles Martin this Friday in front of another capacity crowd inside Carver-Hawkeye Arena.
#Hawkeyes B1G Win Streak Snapped in Loss to Penn Statehttps://t.co/3lnN0tcG8B pic.twitter.com/HNZ3vTwSRB
— Hawkeye Wrestling (@Hawks_Wrestling) January 21, 2017
5 – Virginia Tech: The Hokies whipped Pittsburgh, 38-9, last Friday and got by rival Virginia, 29-14, two days later. Kevin Dresser’s bonus-point bonanza at the upper weights continued as Zach Epperly (174), Zack Zavatsky (184), Jared Haught (197), and Ty Walz (285) combined for three major decisions and a pin after trailing the Cavaliers, 14-11, through 165 pounds. Tech takes a 13-1 mark to Lehigh this Friday for what should be a very entertaining dual. This Hokie team has the firepower to challenge for top honors this March.
6 – Nebraska: Mark Manning’s Huskers won the last five bouts to beat Minnesota, 21-11, last Friday. Since losing to Penn State on Jan. 8, NU (10-1) has wins over Wisconsin, Michigan, and the Gophers with trips to Purdue and Indiana this weekend. Ohio State visits Lincoln Feb. 10 and NU travels to Iowa City Feb. 12. Eric Montoya (133) and TJ Dudley (184) are a combined 39-2 this season and six NU starters have at least 20 victories. Six seniors suit up for Manning.
7 – Missouri: The Tigers improved to 9-2 with a solid 24-8 win over Mid-American Conference rival Central Michigan last Sunday; it was MU’s 27th consecutive MAC victory. Olympic bronze medalist J’Den Cox remains unbeaten at 197 pounds and four other Tigers are ranked among the top 10. Oklahoma State visits Columbia this Friday.
FINAL | #Mizzou defeats No. 16 Central Michigan, 24-8!#Mizzou will host No. 1 Oklahoma State on Jan. 27 at the Hearnes.#MIZ #TigerStyle pic.twitter.com/LDsTolRvzH
— #TigerStyle (@MizzouWrestling) January 22, 2017
8 – Cornell: The Big Red return to the top eight after beating Lehigh, 21-20, last Saturday. Rob Koll’s 1-2-3 punch of Dylan Palacio (165), Brian Realbuto (174), and Gabe Dean (184) sparked CU, Realbuto (13-1) and Dean (20-0) recording pins. On Sunday, Cornell beat Lock Haven, 31-15, to move to 7-2. Palacio has been out most of the season, but his return gives Koll three solid All-America candidates. Up next is Brown and Harvard and a stretch of five straight Ivy League duals.
Knocking on the door: Lehigh, North Carolina State, Minnesota, Wisconsin, South Dakota State, Michigan, Stanford, Oklahoma
