NCAA releases midseason coaches’ ranking and RPI

INDIANAPOLIS — The NCAA has announced the second coaches ranking and first Ratings Percentage Index (RPI) for the 2022 NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships.

The coaches’ rankings are determined by a vote of 14 coaches in each weight class with two head coaches from each of the seven conferences. For ranking purposes, coaches may only consider a wrestler that has been designated as a starter at a respective weight class. Wrestlers must have five Division I matches in the weight class to be considered with at least one within the last 30 days.

The RPI is a calculation that consists of three factors: winning percentage, opponent winning percentage (strength of schedule), and opponent’s opponent winning percentage (opponent’s strength of schedule). Only matches against Division I opponents at the designated weight class count towards the RPI and a wrestler needs to have wrestled 15 matches to be ranked.

Of the 10 weight classes, eight are led by former national champions, led by the Penn State quartet of Roman Bravo-Young at 133 pounds, Nick Lee at 141 pounds, Carter Starocci at 174 pounds, and Aaron Brooks at 184 pounds.

Two-time 141-pound national champion Yianni Diakomihalis of Cornell is back after winning titles in 2018 and 2019 and remains the top seed moving up to 149 pounds in 2022.

Other national champions leading their weight class in the 2022 rankings are Michigan’s Nick Suriano at 125 pounds, Iowa State’s David Carr at 157 pounds, AJ Ferrari of Oklahoma State at 197 pounds, and heavyweight Gable Steveson of Minnesota.

Missouri’s Keegan O’Toole is the only top-ranked wrestler by the coaches yet to win a national championship in his career at 165 pounds.

With many wrestlers still looking to reach the 15-match threshold to earn an RPI, the top of those rankings looks a little different than the coaches’ rank.

Mekhi Lewis of Virginia Tech highlights the top-ranked wrestlers in the RPI at the top of the 174-pound rankings after winning the 165-pound national championship in 2019.

At 149 pounds the top two ranked wrestlers in the RPI are the same as the coaches’ rank but flipped as Ohio State’s Sammy Sasso leads the RPI ahead of Diakomihalis.

The coaches ranking and RPI are two of several criteria that will be evaluated by the NCAA Division I Wrestling Committee during the at-large selection and seeding process along with head-to-head competition, quality wins, conference tournament placement, results versus common opponents and win percentage.

The first two rankings are used primarily for educational purposes to promote the selection criteria to coaches, student-athletes, media, and fans. The third ranking will be the ranking that will be used by the NCAA Wrestling Committee to assist in determining the advance allocations to each qualifying tournament. The final ranking following conference tournaments will be used to provide the most accurate and up-to-date rankings to the committee as an important element of the selection criteria during the in-person selection meeting.

A full description of the entire selection process for the 2022 Division I Wrestling Championships is available at ncaa.org.

The 2022 NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships take place March 17-19 at Little Caesars Arena in Detroit as the event returns to Michigan for the first time since being held in Auburn Hills, Michigan, in 2007.

NCAA Division I Wrestling Coaches Rank – Through Matches of Feb. 6

125

133

141

149

157

165

174

184

197

285

NCAA Division I Wrestling Ratings Percentage Index (RPI) – Through Matches of Feb. 6

15 match minimum vs. Division I opponents required to be ranked

125

133

141

149

157

165

174

184

197

285