Division I standings are set as teams head to nationals

INDIANAPOLIS — The NCAA has released updated standings for the 2018 NCAA Wrestling Awards that will be awarded in March at the Division I Wrestling Championships.

The inaugural NCAA Wrestling Awards were presented at the 2012 wrestling championships. The three awards, given in each division, honor the Most Dominant Wrestler as well as the student-athletes that have accumulated the most falls and the most technical falls throughout the course of the regular and postseasons.

For falls and tech falls to be counted they must come against opponents in the same division. Ties in the two categories are broken based on the aggregate time.

NCAA wrestling brackets: Breaking down the 2018 Division I wrestling championship field class by class

The Most Dominant Wrestler award standings requires a 17-match minimum in the division to qualify.

Last year’s winner, Zain Retherford of Penn State, has put himself in a strong position to repeat by averaging 5.35 team points per match after winning another Big Ten championship over the weekend. Teammate Bo Nickal is at 5.00 points at 184 pounds, while undefeated Missouri 174-pounder Daniel Lewis is third with 4.95 points after winning a Mid-American Conference championship.

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 per match are awarded as follows.

MORE: Interactive bracket | Selection show

•  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)

Hofstra heavyweight Mike Hughes will enter the NCAA Championships with 18 falls, two more than Ben Darmstadt (Cornell), Jason Nolf (Penn State) and Retherford.  

Cam Sykora of North Dakota State and Kyle Shoop of Lock Haven will both head to Cleveland with 12 tech falls. Sykora owns the tiebreaker edge with an aggregate time of 47:59 to 53:53 for Shoop. Drexel’s Austin DeSanto, Jamel Morris of NC State and Ohio State’s Myles Martin are in the next group of wrestlers with 10.