NCAA.com | January 19, 2018
NCAA releases Division I wrestling coaches’ panel rankings
College Wrestling: Greatest Programs | High Five
INDIANAPOLIS — The NCAA released the first of four coaches’ panel rankings for the 2017-18 wrestling season. The final rankings will be one of the tools used as part of the selection process to determine the qualifiers for the 2018 NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships. This year’s event is March 15-17 at Quicken Loans Arena in Cleveland.
RELATED: Iowa up to No. 4 Top 25 | Updated award standings
Wrestlers in each weight class will be measured by winning percentage, rating percentage index (RPI) and coaches’ rankings to earn spots in their qualifying tournaments for the 2018 NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships. The coaches’ rankings are compiled by a vote of coaches representing each qualifying tournament. For ranking purposes, coaches may only consider a wrestler that has been designated as a starter at a respective weight class. To be eligible for the rankings, wrestlers must have participated in at least five matches against Division I opponents in the weight class and have wrestled within the last 30 days.
Among the top-ranked wrestlers are six former national champions with Darian Cruz of Lehigh (125 pounds), Zain Retherford of Penn State (149), Jason Nolf of Penn State (157), Vincenzo Joseph of Penn State (165), Bo Nickal of Penn State (184) and Kyle Snyder of Ohio State (heavyweight).
The additional top-ranked wrestlers at each weight class in the inaugural rankings are: Seth Gross, South Dakota State (133 pounds); Bryce Meredith, Wyoming (141); Zahid Valencia, Arizona State (174) and Kollin Moore, Ohio State ( 197).
| Rank | Name | School | League |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Darian Cruz | Lehigh | EIWA |
| 2 | Nick Suriano | Rutgers | Big Ten |
| 3 | Sean Fausz | NC State | ACC |
| 4 | Ethan Lizak | Minnesota | Big Ten |
| 5 | Spencer Lee | Iowa | Big Ten |
| 6 | Ronnie Rios | Oregon St. | Pac 12 |
| 7 | Taylor LaMont | Utah Valley | Big 12 |
| 8 | Nicholas Piccininni | Oklahoma St. | Big 12 |
| 9 | Sebastian Rivera | Northwestern | Big Ten |
| 10 | Sean Russell | Edinboro | EWL |
| 11 | Louie Hayes | Virginia | ACC |
| 11 | Luke Welch | Purdue | Big Ten |
| 13 | Drew Mattin | Michigan | Big Ten |
| 14 | Zeke Moisey | West Virginia | Big 12 |
| 15 | Ryan Millhof | Arizona St. | Pac 12 |
| 16 | Christian Moody | Oklahoma | Big 12 |
| 17 | Jacob Schwarm | UNI | Big 12 |
| 18 | Travis Piotrowski | Illinois | Big Ten |
| 19 | Brock | Hudkins | Northern Ill. |
| 20 | Michael McGee | Old Dominion | MAC |
| 21 | Jake Gromacki | Clarion | EWL |
| 22 | Gabe Townsell | Stanford | Pac 12 |
| 23 | Korbin Meink | Campbell | SoCon |
| 24 | RayVon Foley | Michigan St. | Big Ten |
| 25 | Barlow McGhee | Missouri | MAC |
| 26 | Elijah Oliver | Indiana | Big Ten |
| 27 | Sergio Mendez | CSU Bakersfield | Pac 12 |
| 28 | Gerald (JR) Wert | Rider | EWL |
| 29 | Connor Brown | South Dakota St. | Big 12 |
| 30 | Alonzo Allen | Chattanooga | SoCon |
| 31 | Ibrahim Bunduka | George Mason | EWL |
| 32 | Anthony DeCesare | Air Force | Big 12 |
| 33 | Kyle Akins | Buffalo | MAC |
| Rank | Name | School | League |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Seth Gross | South Dakota St. | Big 12 |
| 2 | Luke Pletcher | Ohio St. | Big Ten |
| 3 | Kaid Brock | Oklahoma St. | Big 12 |
| 4 | Austin DeSanto | Drexel | EIWA |
| 5 | Jack Mueller | Virginia | ACC |
| 6 | Stevan Micic | Michigan | Big Ten |
| 7 | John Erneste | Missouri | MAC |
| 8 | Montorie Bridges | Wyoming | Big 12 |
| 9 | Scott Parker | Lehigh | EIWA |
| 10 | Josh Terao | American | EIWA |
| 11 | Dom Forys | Pittsburgh | ACC |
| 12 | Mitch McKee | Minnesota | Big Ten |
| 13 | Dennis Gustafson | Virginia Tech | ACC |
| 14 | Ali Naser | Arizona St. | Pac 12 |
| 15 | Cameron Kelly | Ohio | MAC |
| 16 | Scott Delvecchio | Rutgers | Big Ten |
| 17 | Bryan Lantry | Buffalo | MAC |
| 18 | Korbin Myers | Edinboro | EWL |
| 19 | Ian Parker | Iowa St. | Big 12 |
| 20 | Zachary Sherman | North Carolina | ACC |
| 21 | Ben Thornton | Purdue | Big Ten |
| 22 | Corey Keener | Penn St. | Big Ten |
| 23 | Colin Valdivez | Northwestern | Big Ten |
| 24 | Rico Montoya | Northern Colo. | Big 12 |
| 25 | Nathan Boston | Campbell | SoCon |
| 26 | Tariq Wilson | NC State | ACC |
| 27 | Cam Sykora | North Dakota St. | Big 12 |
| 28 | Sean Nickell | CSU Bakersfield | Pac 12 |
| 29 | Dylan Duncan | Illinois | Big Ten |
| 30 | Anthony Cefelo | Rider | EWL |
| 31 | Anthony Tutolo | Kent St. | MAC |
| 32 | Matthew Schmitt | West Virginia | Big 12 |
| 33 | Andy Schutz | Bloomsburg | EWL |
| 33 | Caleb Richardson | Old Dominion | MAC |
| Rank | Name | School | League |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Bryce Meredith | Wyoming | Big 12 |
| 2 | Kevin Jack | NC State | ACC |
| 3 | Jaydin Eierman | Missouri | MAC |
| 4 | Dean Heil | Oklahoma St. | Big 12 |
| 5 | Yianni Diakomihalis | Cornell | EIWA |
| 6 | Brock Zacherl | Clarion | EWL |
| 7 | Josh Alber | UNI | Big 12 |
| 8 | Nick Lee | Penn St. | Big Ten |
| 9 | Mason Smith | Central Mich. | MAC |
| 10 | Joey McKenna | Ohio St. | Big Ten |
| 11 | Thomas Thorn | Minnesota | Big Ten |
| 12 | Chad Red | Nebraska | Big Ten |
| 13 | Tyler Smith | Bucknell | EIWA |
| 14 | Kanen Storr | Iowa St. | Big 12 |
| 15 | Nick Zanetta | Pittsburgh | ACC |
| 16 | Luke Karam | Lehigh | EIWA |
| 17 | Cole Weaver | Indiana | Big Ten |
| 18 | Austin Headlee | North Carolina | ACC |
| 18 | Nate Limmex | Purdue | Big Ten |
| 20 | Nicholas Gil | Navy | EIWA |
| 21 | Javier Gasca III | Michigan St. | Big Ten |
| 22 | Eli Stickley | Wisconsin | Big Ten |
| 23 | Alex Madrigal | Old Dominion | MAC |
| 24 | Kyle Shoop | Lock Haven | EWL |
| 25 | Russell Rohlfing | CSU Bakersfield | Pac 12 |
| 26 | Mike Longo | Oklahoma | Big 12 |
| 27 | Salvatore Profaci | Michigan | Big Ten |
| 28 | Michael Carr | Illinois | Big Ten |
| 29 | Tyson Dippery | Rider | EWL |
| 30 | Alexander Jaffe | Harvard | EIWA |
| 31 | Colton Schilling | Cal Poly | Pac 12 |
| 32 | Brent Moore | Virginia Tech | ACC |
| 33 | Tim Rooney | Kent St. | MAC |
| Rank | Name | School | League |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Zain Retherford | Penn St. | Big Ten |
| 2 | Brandon Sorensen | Iowa | Big Ten |
| 3 | Justin Oliver | Central Mich. | MAC |
| 4 | Troy Heilmann | North Carolina | ACC |
| 4 | Ryan Deakin | Northwestern | Big Ten |
| 6 | Ke-Shawn Hayes | Ohio St. | Big Ten |
| 7 | Max Thomsen | UNI | Big 12 |
| 8 | Grant Leeth | Missouri | MAC |
| 9 | Matthew Kolodzik | Princeton | EIWA |
| 10 | Jason Tsirtis | Arizona St. | Pac 12 |
| 11 | Colton McCrystal | Nebraska | Big Ten |
| 12 | Eleazar Deluca | Rutgers | Big Ten |
| 13 | Beau Donahue | NC State | ACC |
| 14 | Boo Lewallen | Oklahoma St. | Big 12 |
| 15 | Steve Bleise | Minnesota | Big Ten |
| 16 | Ronald Perry | Lock Haven | EWL |
| 17 | Michael Sprague | American | EIWA |
| 18 | Jarrett Degen | Iowa St. | Big 12 |
| 18 | Cortlandt Schuyler | Lehigh | EIWA |
| 20 | Jared Prince | Navy | EIWA |
| 21 | Alfred Bannister | Maryland | Big Ten |
| 22 | Khristian Olivas | Fresno St. | Big 12 |
| 23 | Sam Krivus | Virginia | ACC |
| 24 | Sam Turner | Wyoming | Big 12 |
| 25 | Davion Jeffries | Oklahoma | Big 12 |
| 26 | Ryan Blees | Virginia Tech | ACC |
| 27 | Tyler Buckiso | The Citadel | SoCon |
| 28 | Kyle Gliva | North Dakota St. | Big 12 |
| 28 | Trevor Elfvin | Drexel | EIWA |
| 30 | Nicholas Monico | Kent St. | MAC |
| 31 | Malik Amine | Michigan | Big Ten |
| 32 | Kenan Carter | Old Dominion | MAC |
| 33 | Kyle Springer | Eastern Mich. | MAC |
| Rank | Name | School | League |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Jason Nolf | Penn St. | Big Ten |
| 2 | Michael Kemerer | Iowa | Big Ten |
| 3 | Hayden Hidlay | NC State | ACC |
| 4 | Joseph Lavallee | Missouri | MAC |
| 5 | Alec Pantaleo | Michigan | Big Ten |
| 6 | Joshua Shields | Arizona St. | Pac 12 |
| 7 | Micah Jordan | Ohio St. | Big Ten |
| 8 | Tyler Berger | Nebraska | Big Ten |
| 9 | Clayton Ream | North Dakota St. | Big 12 |
| 10 | Archie Colgan | Wyoming | Big 12 |
| 11 | Mitch Finesilver | Duke | ACC |
| 11 | Luke Zilverberg | South Dakota St. | Big 12 |
| 13 | John Vanschenkbrill | Rutgers | Big Ten |
| 14 | Mike D`Angelo | Princeton | EIWA |
| 15 | Markus Scheidel | Columbia | EIWA |
| 16 | Coleman Hammond | CSU Bakersfield | Pac 12 |
| 17 | Kennedy Monday | North Carolina | ACC |
| 18 | Bryant Clagon | Rider | EWL |
| 18 | Paul Fox | Stanford | Pac 12 |
| 20 | Jake Short | Minnesota | Big Ten |
| 21 | Andrew Crone | Wisconsin | Big Ten |
| 22 | Taleb Rahmani | Pittsburgh | ACC |
| 23 | Larry Early | Old Dominion | MAC |
| 24 | Garett Hammond | Drexel | EIWA |
| 25 | Ian Brown | Lehigh | EIWA |
| 26 | Justin Staudenmayer | Brown | EIWA |
| 27 | Tyler Marinelli | Gardner-Webb | SoCon |
| 28 | Zachary Davis | Navy | EIWA |
| 29 | Andrew Shomers | Edinboro | EWL |
| 30 | Jonce Blaylock | Oklahoma St. | Big 12 |
| 31 | Alex Mossing | Air Force | Big 12 |
| 32 | Zach Moore | West Virginia | Big 12 |
| 33 | Justin Thomas | Oklahoma | Big 12 |
| Rank | Name | School | League |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Vincenzo Joseph | Penn St. | Big Ten |
| 2 | Isaiah Martinez | Illinois | Big Ten |
| 3 | David McFadden | Virginia Tech | ACC |
| 4 | Chad Walsh | Rider | EWL |
| 5 | Logan Massa | Michigan | Big Ten |
| 5 | Evan Wick | Wisconsin | Big Ten |
| 7 | Alex Marinelli | Iowa | Big Ten |
| 8 | Chance Marsteller | Lock Haven | EWL |
| 9 | Chandler Rogers | Oklahoma St. | Big 12 |
| 10 | Nicholas Wanzek | Minnesota | Big Ten |
| 11 | Richie Lewis | Rutgers | Big Ten |
| 12 | Isaiah White | Nebraska | Big Ten |
| 13 | Te`shan Campbell | Ohio St. | Big Ten |
| 14 | Branson Ashworth | Wyoming | Big 12 |
| 15 | Anthony Valencia | Arizona St. | Pac 12 |
| 16 | Demetrius Romero | Utah Valley | Big 12 |
| 17 | Gordon Wolf | Lehigh | EIWA |
| 18 | Andrew Fogarty | North Dakota St. | Big 12 |
| 19 | Drew Daniels | Navy | EIWA |
| 20 | Jonathan Schleifer | Princeton | EIWA |
| 21 | Jonathon Chavez | Cornell | EIWA |
| 22 | Keilan Torres | Northern Colo. | Big 12 |
| 23 | Connor Flynn | Missouri | MAC |
| 24 | Dawaylon Barnes | Oklahoma | Big 12 |
| 25 | May Bethea | Penn | EIWA |
| 26 | Jacob Morrissey | Purdue | Big Ten |
| 27 | Quentin Perez | Campbell | SoCon |
| 28 | Brian Hamann | NC State | ACC |
| 29 | Vincent Deprez | Binghamton | EIWA |
| 30 | Andrew Atkinson | Virginia | ACC |
| 31 | Jonathan Viruet | Brown | EIWA |
| 32 | Chad Pyke | Chattanooga | SoCon |
| 33 | Ebed Jarrell | Drexel | EIWA |
| Rank | Name | School | League |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Zahid Valencia | Arizona St. | Pac 12 |
| 2 | Mark Hall | Penn St. | Big Ten |
| 3 | Bo Jordan | Ohio St. | Big Ten |
| 4 | Daniel Lewis | Missouri | MAC |
| 5 | Jordan Kutler | Lehigh | EIWA |
| 6 | Myles Amine | Michigan | Big Ten |
| 7 | Taylor Lujan | UNI | Big 12 |
| 8 | Jadaen Bernstein | Navy | EIWA |
| 9 | David Kocer | South Dakota St. | Big 12 |
| 10 | Keaton Subjeck | Stanford | Pac 12 |
| 11 | Yoanse Mejias | Oklahoma | Big 12 |
| 12 | Dylan Lydy | Purdue | Big Ten |
| 13 | Jacobe Smith | Oklahoma St. | Big 12 |
| 14 | Christian Brucki | Central Mich. | MAC |
| 15 | Forrest Przybysz | Appalachian St. | SoCon |
| 16 | Johnny Sebastian | Northwestern | Big Ten |
| 17 | Devin Skatzka | Indiana | Big Ten |
| 18 | Brandon Womack | Cornell | EIWA |
| 19 | Daniel Bullard | NC State | ACC |
| 20 | Ty Schoffstall | Edinboro | EWL |
| 21 | Josef Johnson | Harvard | EIWA |
| 22 | Joseph Gunther | Iowa | Big Ten |
| 23 | Seldon Wright | Old Dominion | MAC |
| 24 | Ben Harvey | Army West Point | EIWA |
| 25 | Will Schany | Virginia | ACC |
| 26 | Ryan Christensen | Wisconsin | Big Ten |
| 27 | Matt Finesilver | Duke | ACC |
| 28 | Christopher Pfarr | Minnesota | Big Ten |
| 29 | Andrew Morgan | Campbell | SoCon |
| 30 | Austin Rose | Drexel | EIWA |
| 31 | Hunter Bolen | Virginia Tech | ACC |
| 32 | Kyle Pope | Wyoming | Big 12 |
| 33 | Tyrel White | Columbia | EIWA |
| Rank | Name | School | League |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Bo Nickal | Penn St. | Big Ten |
| 2 | Myles Martin | Ohio St. | Big Ten |
| 3 | Pete Renda | NC State | ACC |
| 4 | Domenic Abounader | Michigan | Big Ten |
| 5 | Emory Parker | Illinois | Big Ten |
| 6 | Taylor Venz | Nebraska | Big Ten |
| 7 | Zachary Zavatsky | Virginia Tech | ACC |
| 8 | Ricky Robertson | Wisconsin | Big Ten |
| 9 | Drew Foster | UNI | Big 12 |
| 10 | Steven Schneider | Binghamton | EIWA |
| 10 | Maxwell Dean | Cornell | EIWA |
| 10 | Bryce Carr | Chattanooga | SoCon |
| 13 | Jordan Ellingwood | Central Mich. | MAC |
| 14 | Michael Coleman | Navy | EIWA |
| 15 | Nick Gravina | Rutgers | Big Ten |
| 16 | Canten Marriott | Missouri | MAC |
| 17 | Chip Ness | North Carolina | ACC |
| 18 | Christian LaFragola | Brown | EIWA |
| 19 | Mitchell Bowman | Iowa | Big Ten |
| 20 | Dylan Gabel | Northern Colo. | Big 12 |
| 21 | Joe Heyob | Penn | EIWA |
| 22 | Owen Webster | Minnesota | Big Ten |
| 23 | Martin Mueller | South Dakota St. | Big 12 |
| 24 | Keegan Moore | Oklahoma St. | Big 12 |
| 25 | Alan Clothier | Appalachian St. | SoCon |
| 26 | Mitch Sliga | Northwestern | Big Ten |
| 27 | Noah Stewart | Army West Point | EIWA |
| 28 | Alexander DeCiantis | Drexel | EIWA |
| 29 | Nick Corba | Cleveland St. | EWL |
| 30 | Greg Bulsak | Clarion | EWL |
| 31 | Corey Hazel | Lock Haven | EWL |
| 32 | Michale Fagg-Daves | Rider | EWL |
| 33 | Gregg Harvey | Pittsburgh | ACC |
| 33 | Kordell Norfleet | Arizona St. | Pac 12 |
| Rank | Name | School | League |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kollin Moore | Ohio St. | Big Ten |
| 2 | Jared Haught | Virginia Tech | ACC |
| 3 | Michael Macchiavello | NC State | ACC |
| 4 | Cash Wilcke | Iowa | Big Ten |
| 5 | Ben Darmstadt | Cornell | EIWA |
| 6 | William Miklus | Missouri | MAC |
| 7 | Anthony Cassar | Penn St. | Big Ten |
| 7 | Frank Mattiace | Penn | EIWA |
| 9 | Nate Rotert | South Dakota St. | Big 12 |
| 10 | Jeric Kasunic | American | EIWA |
| 11 | Scottie Boykin | Chattanooga | SoCon |
| 12 | Kevin Beazley | Michigan | Big Ten |
| 13 | Jacob Holschlag | UNI | Big 12 |
| 14 | Matt Williams | CSU Bakersfield | Pac 12 |
| 15 | Daniel Chaid | North Carolina | ACC |
| 16 | Stephen Loiseau | Drexel | EIWA |
| 17 | Jacob Smith | West Virginia | Big 12 |
| 18 | Corey Griego | Oregon St. | Pac-12 |
| 19 | Patrick Brucki | Princeton | EIWA |
| 20 | Jacob Seely | Northern Colo. | Big 12 |
| 21 | Christian Brunner | Purdue | Big Ten |
| 22 | Nathan Traxler | Stanford | Pac 12 |
| 23 | Thomas Lane | Cal Poly | Pac 12 |
| 24 | Kyle Conel | Kent St. | MAC |
| 25 | Eric Schultz | Nebraska | Big Ten |
| 26 | Jake Jakobsen | Lehigh | EIWA |
| 27 | Hunter Ritter | Wisconsin | Big Ten |
| 28 | Rocco Caywood | Army West Point | EIWA |
| 29 | Jordan Atienza | Central Mich. | MAC |
| 30 | Garrett Hoffman | Bucknell | EIWA |
| 31 | Jay Aiello | Virginia | ACC |
| 32 | Anthony McLaughlin | Air Force | Big 12 |
| 32 | Andrew Dixon | Oklahoma | Big 12 |
| 32 | Kevin Mulligan | Rutgers | Big Ten |
| 32 | Dustin Conti | Clarion | EWL |
| 32 | Christian Dulaney | SIUE | SoCon |
| Rank | Name | School | League |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kyle Snyder | Ohio St. | Big Ten |
| 2 | Adam Coon | Michigan | Big Ten |
| 3 | Samuel Stoll | Iowa | Big Ten |
| 4 | Tanner Hall | Arizona St. | Pac 12 |
| 5 | Jacob Kasper | Duke | ACC |
| 6 | Youssif Hemida | Maryland | Big Ten |
| 7 | Nathan Butler | Stanford | Pac 12 |
| 8 | Nick Nevills | Penn St. | Big Ten |
| 9 | Mike Hughes | Hofstra | EIWA |
| 10 | Derek White | Oklahoma St. | Big 12 |
| 11 | Amar Dhesi | Oregon St. | Pac 12 |
| 12 | Jordan Wood | Lehigh | EIWA |
| 13 | Thomas Haines | Lock Haven | EWL |
| 14 | Garrett Ryan | Columbia | EIWA |
| 15 | Ryan Solomon | Pittsburgh | ACC |
| 16 | Shawn Streck | Purdue | Big Ten |
| 17 | Andrew Dunn | Virginia Tech | ACC |
| 18 | William Miller | Edinboro | EWL |
| 19 | Matt Stencel | Central Mich. | MAC |
| 20 | Conan Jennings | Northwestern | Big Ten |
| 21 | Gage Hutchison | Eastern Mich. | MAC |
| 22 | Jeramy Sweany | Cornell | EIWA |
| 23 | Jake Gunning | Buffalo | MAC |
| 24 | Cory Gilliland-Daniel | North Carolina | ACC |
| 25 | Brett Dempsey | American | EIWA |
| 26 | Dustin Dennison | Utah Valley | Big 12 |
| 27 | Michael Boykin | NC State | ACC |
| 28 | AJ Nevills | Fresno St. | Big 12 |
| 29 | Jere Heino | Campbell | SoCon |
| 30 | Matt Voss | George Mason | EWL |
| 31 | Antonio Pelusi | Franklin & Marshall | EIWA |
| 32 | Cary Miller | Appalachian St. | SoCon |
| 33 | Marcus Harrington | Iowa St. | Big 12 |
| 33 | Daniel Stibral | North Dakota St. | Big 12 |
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