Instant Classic:

How close UCF came to shocking Duke

Relive the thrilling finish

Duke-UCF stats

Check your bracket

wrestling-d1 flag

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).

125 Pounds
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

133 Pounds
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

141 Pounds
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

149 Pounds
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

157 Pounds
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

165 Pounds
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

174 Pounds
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

184 Pounds
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

197 Pounds
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

Heavyweight
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