Rankings

Gophers Rise to No. 4 in Latest Polls

MINNEAPOLIS – The Minnesota wrestling program continues to climb in the national rankings, moving up to fourth in the latest NWCA/USA Today Division I Team Coaches Poll after scoring a pair of wins over ranked opponents over the weekend.

The Gophers (12-3 overall, 3-0 Big Ten) topped No. 23 Purdue 26-15 last Friday before closing out the weekend with a 21-16 win over 15th-ranked Illinois on Sunday. Minnesota’s three remaining home duals this season are all against nationally ranked programs including No. 3 Wisconsin this Sunday at the Sports Pavilion. The Badgers narrowly defeated the Gophers earlier this year at National Duals in Cedar Falls, Iowa.

Penn State has been credited as the nation’s new top team, clinching the No. 1 ranking this weekend as the Nittany Lions hold a perfect 13-0 record. They’ll be in Minneapolis on Feb. 13 for a Big Ten showdown with Minnesota, which currently sits atop the Big Ten with a 3-0 conference record. The Gophers close out the regular season with a Big Ten finale against No. 8 Iowa at Williams Arena on Feb. 20.

Cornell (No. 2) and Oklahoma State (5) close out the top five while Virginia Tech, Missouri, Iowa, Rutgers and Boise State close out the top ten, respectively.

USA TODAY-NWCA Division I Top 25

Jan. 25, 2011

Rank
School
Record
Points
Last week
1
Penn State
13-0
275
2
2
Cornell
5-1
263
1
3
Wisconsin
9-1-1
247
4
4
Minnesota
11-3
226
5
5
Oklahoma State
8-2-1
224
6
6
Virginia Tech
14-4
211
3
7
Missouri
14-5
206
7
8
Iowa
9-0-1
199
8
9
Rutgers
18-1
192
14
10
Boise State
6-2-1
181
9
11
Oklahoma
10-1
173
10
12
Lehigh
10-5
156
17
13
Michigan
7-2
154
11
14
Illinois
3-3-1
120
15
15
Iowa State
6-7
102
12
16
Nebraska
10-3
101
16
17
Kent State
10-5
98
18
18
Northwestern
15-1
84
19
19
American
11-4
77
20
20
Oregon State
8-4-2
72
13
21
Central Michigan
4-7
63
21
22
Cal Poly
6-1
47
24
23
Pittsburgh
8-6
43
22
24
Purdue
5-6-1
40
23
25
Wyoming
7-4
14
25


Others receiving votes: Arizona State, Hofstra, and Virginia.

Johnnie Wrestling Stays at No. 6, Baarson Ranked No. 1 at 165

COLLEGEVILLE, Minn. – The Saint John’s University wrestling team stayed at No. 6 in the latest Brute-Adidas National Wrestling Coaches Association (NWCA) Division III team rankings released Jan. 25.

NWCA Team Rankings | NWCA Individual Rankings

Other teams ranked from the NCAA Great Lakes Region include Augsburg (No. 3), Concordia-Moorhead (No. 7), North Central (No. 19) and Elmhurst (No. 24).

Five of the Johnnies’ starting 10 were ranked individually. Senior Matt Baarson (15-2 record; Brooklyn Park, Minn./Champlin Park) moved up two spots to No. 1 at 165 pounds despite not wrestling since the last rankings were released. He has won 13 of his last 14 matches, including each of the last seven. Baarson joins Concordia-Moorhead’s Phil Moenkedick (184 lbs.) as Minnesota’s other top-ranked wrestler in Division III.

Senior Minga Batsukh (12-1 record; Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia/St. Benedict’s Prep, N.J.) remained fourth at 149, junior Matt Pfarr (13-4 record; Le Sueur, Minn./Le Sueur-Henderson) held steady at No. 4 in the 174-weight class, and junior Dustin Baxter (13-4 record; Fairbanks, Alaska/West Valley) was seventh at 184. Pfarr started the season with a 4-3 record, but has won nine of his last 10 matches and each of the last six.

Senior Tony Willaert (9-7 overall record, 8-5 record at 197; North Mankato, Minn./Lake Crystal-Wellcome Memorial) moved up one spot to No. 9 at 197 despite a loss in his last match.

Pfarr and Baxter failed to move up the national rankings despite wins over nationally-ranked wrestlers from Division II St. Cloud State. Pfarr upset then-No. 6 Shamus O’Grady by a 6-5 margin, while Baxter posted a convincing 7-2 upset of then-No. 5 Mic Berg.

The Johnnies return to action with three duals this Friday, Jan. 28, in Perham. SJU is scheduled to face St. Olaf at 4 p.m., followed by showdowns with No. 7 Concordia-Moorhead (five ranked wrestlers) and No. 3 Augsburg (eight ranked wrestlers) at 6 and 8 p.m., respectively.

Bison’s Salminen, Sprenkle in First Edition of NCAA Coaches’ Rankings

INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. – North Dakota State Senior Vince Salminen is ranked No. 18 at 157 pounds and sophomore Trent Sprenkle is tied for No. 18 at 125 pounds in the first edition of the NCAA Division I Coaches’ Panel Rankings announced today by the NCAA.

Wrestlers in each weight class will be measured by winning percentage, rating percentage index (RPI) and coaches’ rankings to earn spots for the 2011 NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships. The coaches’ rankings are compiled by a vote of coaches across the nation. The final rankings will be one of the tools used as part of the selection process to determine the qualifiers for the 2011 NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships.  Overall, 14 wrestlers from the Western Wrestling Conference were ranked in the first edition.

Salminen is 28-5 overall and 7-1 in duals this season.  He is ranked No. 19 by both WrestlingReport.com and D1 College Wrestling.  He is No. 18 in the latest WIN poll.

Sprenkle has a 24-6 overall record and a 7-1 mark in duals.  He is ranked No. 17 by InterMat, No. 19 by WrestlingReport.com, No. 16 by WIN and No. 23 by D1 College Wrestling.

The Bison are back in action Sunday, Jan. 23 hosting Northern Colorado at 1 p.m. at the Bison Sports Arena.

NCAA Releases Wrestling Coaches’ Panel Rankings

INDIANAPOLIS — The NCAA released the first of three coaches’ panel rankings for the 2010-11 wrestling season on Thursday. The final rankings will be one of the tools used as part of the selection process to determine the qualifiers for the 2011 NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships.

Wrestlers in each weight class will be measured by winning percentage, rating percentage index (RPI) and coaches’ rankings to earn spots for the 2011 NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships. The coaches’ rankings are compiled by a vote of coaches across the nation. Each qualifying tournament has five coaches rank the top 33 wrestlers in two weight classes. For ranking purposes, coaches must select a wrestler as a starter at a designated weight class. In addition, coaches may only select one wrestler per weight class.

The top-ranked wrestlers at each weight class in the inaugural rankings are: Brandon Precin, Northwestern (125 pounds); Jordan Oliver, Oklahoma State (133 pounds); Kellen Russell, Michigan (141 pounds); Kyle Dake, Cornell (149 pounds); Steve Fittery, American (157 pounds); Jordan Burroughs, Nebraska (165 pounds); Jonathan Reader, Iowa State (174 pounds); Kirk Smith, Boise State (184 pounds); Cam Simaz, Cornell (197 pounds) and Zachery Rey, Lehigh (Heavyweight).

Full rankings of each weight class (pdf)

SCSU Wrestling Ranked #3 in the Nation

Kahnke Earns Top Spot at 285-pounds

EDMOND, Okla. — The St. Cloud State University wrestling team (12-1) was ranked third in the nation in the latest NWCA Division II National Coaches’ poll, which was released on Jan. 19. This marks the first time this season that SCSU was not ranked among the nation’s top two NCAA Division II teams in the national poll.

The two-time defending national champion Nebraska Omaha, who edged Augustana (S.D.) 17-15 in the finals of the NWCA Division II National Duals on Jan. 9 in Cedar Falls, Iowa, received all eight first-place votes in balloting of coaches from around the country to top the poll with 160 points. UNO has been No. 1 in every poll the past two-plus seasons.

Augustana had 152 points and moved from third to second after its runner-up finish in the National Duals, switching places with St. Cloud State (Minn.). Newberry (S.C.) came in fourth in the rankings and Central Oklahoma was fifth.

In the individual rankings, SCSU sophomore Jake Kahnke (Shakopee/Prior Lake H.S.) was ranked first in the nation among 285-pound wrestlers for the second consecutive poll. Kahnke is 16-1 this season for the Huskies at 285.

Junior Tad Merritt (Canby) continued to hold a #2 ranking for the Huskies at 165-pounds in this poll. Merritt is 22-3 this winter with 11 pins to his credit.

Other Huskies to earn national rankings include Jacob D. Horn (Ephrata, Wash.) with a fourth place ranking at 149-pounds (his debut in the national rankings this year) and senior John Sundgren (Blaine), who was ranked 5th in the poll at 157-pounds. SCSU sophomore Shamus O’Grady (Coon Rapids) was ranked 7th in the nation at 174-pounds.

This will be a big week for the Huskies as they will travel to #1 ranked Nebraska Omaha on Jan. 21 for a 7 p.m. match. SCSU will finish the road swing with a visit to Southwest Minnesota State on Jan. 22 for a 7 p.m. dual against the Mustangs.

The top 20 poll, with points and the teams’ last ranking following by the top-eight rankings at each weight:

NCAA Division II Team Rankings
Rank  School (State) Points Last Ranking
1. Nebraska-Omaha  160 1st
2. Augustana (S.D.)  152 3rd
3. St. Cloud State (Minn.)  144 2nd
4. Newberry (S.C.) 136 5th
5. Central Oklahoma  128 9th
6. North Carolina-Pembroke 119 13th
7. Minnesota State  111 7th
8. San Francisco State (Calif.)  101 20th
9. Western State (Colo.)  88 4th
10. Upper Iowa  81 11th
11. Nebraska-Kearney  71 8th
12. Pittsburgh-Johnstown (Pa.)  63 6th
13. Grand Canyon (Ariz.)  62 10th
14. Gannon (Pa.) 55 NR
15. Findlay (Ohio)  51 14th
16. Wisconsin-Parkside  43 12th
17. Ashland (Ohio) 34 18th
18. Adams State (Colo.)  27 17th
19. Fort Hays State (Kan.)  22 16th
20. Minnesota State-Moorhead 14 NR

Others receiving votes: Central Missouri, Colorado School of Mines, Colorado State-Pueblo, Kutztown (Pa.) and West Liberty (W.Va.).

NCAA Division II Individual Rankings
125 Pounds
1. Russell Weakley, North Carolina-Pembroke
2. Andy Forstner, Minnesota State
3. Trevor Franklin, Upper Iowa
4. Josh Smith, Nebraska-Kearney
5. Connor McDonald, Newberry (S.C.)
6. Corey Ulmer, Minnesota State-Moorhead
7. Kyle O’Brien, Western State (Colo.)
8. Pierre Bondoc, San Francisco State (Calif.)
133 Pounds
1. Kyle Pedretti, Upper Iowa
2. Todd Wilcox, Grand Canyon (Ariz.)
3. Ryan Link, Pittsburgh-Johnstown
4. Cody Zimmerman, Wisconsin-Parkside
5. B.J. Young, Newberry (S.C.)
6. Michael Magaha, Limestone (S.C.)
7. Trison Graham, Central Oklahoma
8. Aldon Isenberg, Fort Hays State (Kan.)
141 Pounds
1. Mario Morgan, Nebraska-Omaha
2. Naveed Bagheri, San Francisco State (Calif.)
3. Brady Schneeberger, Minnesota State-Moorhead
4. Jay Sherer, Augustana (S.D.)
5. Andre Harrison, Fort Hays State (Kan.)
6. Dalton Jensen, Nebraska-Kearney
7. Kenny Jordan, Adams State (Colo.)
8. A.J. Milanek, Gannon (Pa.)
149 Pounds
1. Esai Dominguez, Nebraska-Omaha
2. T.J. Hepburn, Nebraska-Kearney
3. Nick Walpole, Indianapolis (Ind.)
4. Jacob Horn, St. Cloud State (Minn.)
5. Dale Debacco, Newberry (S.C.)
6. Josh Hensley, Adams State (Colo.)
7. Matthew Thomas, San Francisco State (Calif.)
8. Nate Herda, Augustana (S.D.)
157 Pounds
1. George Ivanov, Nebraska-Omaha
2. Marcus Edgington, Augustana (S.D.)
3. Dillon Bera, Wisconsin-Parkside
4. Seth Phalen, West Liberty (W.Va.)
5. John Sundgren, St. Cloud State (Minn.)
6. Sean Byrnes, Newberry (S.C.)
7. Cory Dauphin, Central Oklahoma
8. Justin Morris, Western State (Colo.)
165 Pounds
1. Mike Williams, North Carolina-Pembroke
2. Tad Merritt, St. Cloud State (Minn.)
3. Michael Lybarger, Findlay (Ohio)
4. Jake Varilek, Belmont Abbey (N.C.)
5. Joey Wilson, Nebraska-Kearney
6. Gavin Nelson, Augustana (S.D.)
7. Travis Budke, Fort Hays State (Kan.)
8. Derrick Adkins, Central Oklahoma
174 Pounds
1. Luke Rynish, Wisconsin-Parkside
2. Tony Petrella, Gannon (Pa.)
3. Ryan Pankoke, Nebraska-Omaha
4. Victor Carazo, Grand Canyon (Ariz.)
5. Tim Darling, Kutztown (Pa.)
6. Carl Serck, Augustana (S.D.)
7. Shamus O’Grady, St. Cloud State (Minn.)
8. Ben Becker, Minnesota State
184 Pounds
1. Bryant Blanton, Newberry (S.C.)
2. Charlie Pipher, Western State (Colo.)
3. Aaron Denson, Nebraska-Omaha
4. Cale Cornemann, Northern State (S.D.)
5. Aaron Norgren, Minnesota State
6. Mitch Schultz, Upper Iowa
7. Tanner Keck, Central Oklahoma
8. Casey Bradley, Limestone (S.C.)
197 Pounds
1. Donovan McMahill, Western State (Colo.)
2. Ty Copsey, Augustana (S.D.)
3. Mitch Knapp, West Liberty (W.Va.)
4. Luke McPeek, Adams State (Colo.)
5. Jarrett Edison, Central Oklahoma
6. Carl Broghammer, Upper Iowa
7. Daniel Stevenson, Findlay (Ohio)
8. Matt Baker, Nebraska-Omaha
285 Pounds
1. Jacob Kahnke, St. Cloud State (Minn.)
2. Matt Meuleners, Northern State (S.D.)
3. Charlie Alexander, Western State (Colo.)
4. Ben Hohensee, Nebraska-Kearney
5. Zach Rosol, Upper Iowa
6. Jacob Southwick, Ashland (Ohio)
7. Matt Clum, Findlay (Ohio)
8. Taylor Escamilla, Nebraska-Omaha

Minnesota State Holds 7th-Place Ranking in NWCA DII Poll

Three Individual Wrestlers Remain Ranked in Respective Weight-Classes

Edmund, Okla. – The Minnesota State Mavericks remain the seventh-ranked team in the latest version of the NCAA Division II Wrestling Coaches Association poll after getting out to a perfect 2-0 start in NSIC action.

The Mavericks, who totaled 111 points, are one of five NSIC schools ranked in the top 20 poll. The Mavericks trail No. 2 ranked Augustana and No. 3 ranked St. Cloud State, while they hold higher rankings than No. 10 Upper Iowa and No. 20 Minnesota State-Moorhead.

Dropping one spot from last week in the individual rankings was MSU senior Andy Forstner. Despite a perfect 2-0 weekend, which improved his overall record to 14-9 (7-1 in duals), the 125-lb Forstner slipped one spot in the rankings behind North Carolina-Pembroke’s Russell Weakley. Forstner lost a 3-2 decision against Weakley on Jan. 9 in the NWCA/Cliff Keen National Duals.

Also dropping one spot in his respective weight class was 174-lb senior Ben Becker. Becker went 2-0 over the weekend as he participated in his first dual action of the season. Becker holds a 9-4 overall record on the season including a 3-0 record in matches determined by fall.

Junior Aaron Norgren fell two spots in the latest rankings as he is now ranked fifth in the 184-lb weight class. Norgren went 1-1 over the weekend including a loss to the now No. 4 ranked Cale Cornemann from Northern State University. Despite his first loss in the last seven matches, Norgren maintains a 16-8 overall record and a 7-1 dual record.

The Mavericks will be back in action this Thursday as they hit the road for their first NSIC action away from home. The Mavericks (6-2, 2-0 NSIC) will square off against Minnesota State – Moorhead (2-4, 0-1 NSIC) as they look to remain perfect in NSIC action.

The top 20 poll, with points and the teams’ last ranking following by the top-eight rankings at each weight:

NCAA Division II Team Rankings
Rank  School (State) Points Last Ranking
1. Nebraska-Omaha  160 1st
2. Augustana (S.D.)  152 3rd
3. St. Cloud State (Minn.)  144 2nd
4. Newberry (S.C.) 136 5th
5. Central Oklahoma  128 9th
6. North Carolina-Pembroke 119 13th
7. Minnesota State  111 7th
8. San Francisco State (Calif.)  101 20th
9. Western State (Colo.)  88 4th
10. Upper Iowa  81 11th
11. Nebraska-Kearney  71 8th
12. Pittsburgh-Johnstown (Pa.)  63 6th
13. Grand Canyon (Ariz.)  62 10th
14. Gannon (Pa.) 55 NR
15. Findlay (Ohio)  51 14th
16. Wisconsin-Parkside  43 12th
17. Ashland (Ohio) 34 18th
18. Adams State (Colo.)  27 17th
19. Fort Hays State (Kan.)  22 16th
20. Minnesota State-Moorhead 14 NR

Others receiving votes: Central Missouri, Colorado School of Mines, Colorado State-Pueblo, Kutztown (Pa.) and West Liberty (W.Va.).

NCAA Division II Individual Rankings
125 Pounds
1. Russell Weakley, North Carolina-Pembroke
2. Andy Forstner, Minnesota State
3. Trevor Franklin, Upper Iowa
4. Josh Smith, Nebraska-Kearney
5. Connor McDonald, Newberry (S.C.)
6. Corey Ulmer, Minnesota State-Moorhead
7. Kyle O’Brien, Western State (Colo.)
8. Pierre Bondoc, San Francisco State (Calif.)
133 Pounds
1. Kyle Pedretti, Upper Iowa
2. Todd Wilcox, Grand Canyon (Ariz.)
3. Ryan Link, Pittsburgh-Johnstown
4. Cody Zimmerman, Wisconsin-Parkside
5. B.J. Young, Newberry (S.C.)
6. Michael Magaha, Limestone (S.C.)
7. Trison Graham, Central Oklahoma
8. Aldon Isenberg, Fort Hays State (Kan.)
141 Pounds
1. Mario Morgan, Nebraska-Omaha
2. Naveed Bagheri, San Francisco State (Calif.)
3. Brady Schneeberger, Minnesota State-Moorhead
4. Jay Sherer, Augustana (S.D.)
5. Andre Harrison, Fort Hays State (Kan.)
6. Dalton Jensen, Nebraska-Kearney
7. Kenny Jordan, Adams State (Colo.)
8. A.J. Milanek, Gannon (Pa.)
149 Pounds
1. Esai Dominguez, Nebraska-Omaha
2. T.J. Hepburn, Nebraska-Kearney
3. Nick Walpole, Indianapolis (Ind.)
4. Jacob Horn, St. Cloud State (Minn.)
5. Dale Debacco, Newberry (S.C.)
6. Josh Hensley, Adams State (Colo.)
7. Matthew Thomas, San Francisco State (Calif.)
8. Nate Herda, Augustana (S.D.)
157 Pounds
1. George Ivanov, Nebraska-Omaha
2. Marcus Edgington, Augustana (S.D.)
3. Dillon Bera, Wisconsin-Parkside
4. Seth Phalen, West Liberty (W.Va.)
5. John Sundgren, St. Cloud State (Minn.)
6. Sean Byrnes, Newberry (S.C.)
7. Cory Dauphin, Central Oklahoma
8. Justin Morris, Western State (Colo.)
165 Pounds
1. Mike Williams, North Carolina-Pembroke
2. Tad Merritt, St. Cloud State (Minn.)
3. Michael Lybarger, Findlay (Ohio)
4. Jake Varilek, Belmont Abbey (N.C.)
5. Joey Wilson, Nebraska-Kearney
6. Gavin Nelson, Augustana (S.D.)
7. Travis Budke, Fort Hays State (Kan.)
8. Derrick Adkins, Central Oklahoma
174 Pounds
1. Luke Rynish, Wisconsin-Parkside
2. Tony Petrella, Gannon (Pa.)
3. Ryan Pankoke, Nebraska-Omaha
4. Victor Carazo, Grand Canyon (Ariz.)
5. Tim Darling, Kutztown (Pa.)
6. Carl Serck, Augustana (S.D.)
7. Shamus O’Grady, St. Cloud State (Minn.)
8. Ben Becker, Minnesota State
184 Pounds
1. Bryant Blanton, Newberry (S.C.)
2. Charlie Pipher, Western State (Colo.)
3. Aaron Denson, Nebraska-Omaha
4. Cale Cornemann, Northern State (S.D.)
5. Aaron Norgren, Minnesota State
6. Mitch Schultz, Upper Iowa
7. Tanner Keck, Central Oklahoma
8. Casey Bradley, Limestone (S.C.)
197 Pounds
1. Donovan McMahill, Western State (Colo.)
2. Ty Copsey, Augustana (S.D.)
3. Mitch Knapp, West Liberty (W.Va.)
4. Luke McPeek, Adams State (Colo.)
5. Jarrett Edison, Central Oklahoma
6. Carl Broghammer, Upper Iowa
7. Daniel Stevenson, Findlay (Ohio)
8. Matt Baker, Nebraska-Omaha
285 Pounds
1. Jacob Kahnke, St. Cloud State (Minn.)
2. Matt Meuleners, Northern State (S.D.)
3. Charlie Alexander, Western State (Colo.)
4. Ben Hohensee, Nebraska-Kearney
5. Zach Rosol, Upper Iowa
6. Jacob Southwick, Ashland (Ohio)
7. Matt Clum, Findlay (Ohio)
8. Taylor Escamilla, Nebraska-Omaha

Augustana jumps to No. 2 in national rankings

EDMOND, Okla. – Augustana climbed one spot and is ranked No. 2 in the latest NCAA Division II wrestling rankings released Wednesday by the National Wrestling Coaches Association.  The Vikings received 152 points and had six individuals ranked.

Nebraska-Omaha kept its No. 1 spot, garnering 160 points and all eight first-place votes.

The Vikings moved from third to second after a strong showing at the NWCA National Duals earlier this month, where they knocked off then No. 2-ranked St. Cloud State 18-15 and nearly beat UNO. Augustana fell to the Mavericks 17-15 in the finals.

The Vikings topped Minnesota State Moorhead 29-6 in their conference opener last Friday.

Defending national champion Jay Sherer gave up his No. 1 position at 149 pounds for the first time this season, falling to No. 4.

Marcus Edgington (157 pounds) and Ty Copsey (197 pounds) were both No. 2 at their respective weights.

Gavin Nelson (165 pounds) and Carl Serck (174 pounds) were both No. 6, while Nate Herda (149 pounds) was No. 8).

Augustana (7-1, 1-0 NSIC) travels the Dakotas this week to continue Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference action, facing Northern State (3-3, 0-2 NSIC) on Thursday at 7 p.m. and U-Mary (0-4, 0-2 NSIC) on Friday at 7 p.m.

The top 20 poll, with points and the teams’ last ranking following by the top-eight rankings at each weight:

NCAA Division II Team Rankings
Rank  School (State) Points Last Ranking
1. Nebraska-Omaha  160 1st
2. Augustana (S.D.)  152 3rd
3. St. Cloud State (Minn.)  144 2nd
4. Newberry (S.C.) 136 5th
5. Central Oklahoma  128 9th
6. North Carolina-Pembroke 119 13th
7. Minnesota State  111 7th
8. San Francisco State (Calif.)  101 20th
9. Western State (Colo.)  88 4th
10. Upper Iowa  81 11th
11. Nebraska-Kearney  71 8th
12. Pittsburgh-Johnstown (Pa.)  63 6th
13. Grand Canyon (Ariz.)  62 10th
14. Gannon (Pa.) 55 NR
15. Findlay (Ohio)  51 14th
16. Wisconsin-Parkside  43 12th
17. Ashland (Ohio) 34 18th
18. Adams State (Colo.)  27 17th
19. Fort Hays State (Kan.)  22 16th
20. Minnesota State-Moorhead 14 NR

Others receiving votes: Central Missouri, Colorado School of Mines, Colorado State-Pueblo, Kutztown (Pa.) and West Liberty (W.Va.).

NCAA Division II Individual Rankings
125 Pounds
1. Russell Weakley, North Carolina-Pembroke
2. Andy Forstner, Minnesota State
3. Trevor Franklin, Upper Iowa
4. Josh Smith, Nebraska-Kearney
5. Connor McDonald, Newberry (S.C.)
6. Corey Ulmer, Minnesota State-Moorhead
7. Kyle O’Brien, Western State (Colo.)
8. Pierre Bondoc, San Francisco State (Calif.)
133 Pounds
1. Kyle Pedretti, Upper Iowa
2. Todd Wilcox, Grand Canyon (Ariz.)
3. Ryan Link, Pittsburgh-Johnstown
4. Cody Zimmerman, Wisconsin-Parkside
5. B.J. Young, Newberry (S.C.)
6. Michael Magaha, Limestone (S.C.)
7. Trison Graham, Central Oklahoma
8. Aldon Isenberg, Fort Hays State (Kan.)
141 Pounds
1. Mario Morgan, Nebraska-Omaha
2. Naveed Bagheri, San Francisco State (Calif.)
3. Brady Schneeberger, Minnesota State-Moorhead
4. Jay Sherer, Augustana (S.D.)
5. Andre Harrison, Fort Hays State (Kan.)
6. Dalton Jensen, Nebraska-Kearney
7. Kenny Jordan, Adams State (Colo.)
8. A.J. Milanek, Gannon (Pa.)
149 Pounds
1. Esai Dominguez, Nebraska-Omaha
2. T.J. Hepburn, Nebraska-Kearney
3. Nick Walpole, Indianapolis (Ind.)
4. Jacob Horn, St. Cloud State (Minn.)
5. Dale Debacco, Newberry (S.C.)
6. Josh Hensley, Adams State (Colo.)
7. Matthew Thomas, San Francisco State (Calif.)
8. Nate Herda, Augustana (S.D.)
157 Pounds
1. George Ivanov, Nebraska-Omaha
2. Marcus Edgington, Augustana (S.D.)
3. Dillon Bera, Wisconsin-Parkside
4. Seth Phalen, West Liberty (W.Va.)
5. John Sundgren, St. Cloud State (Minn.)
6. Sean Byrnes, Newberry (S.C.)
7. Cory Dauphin, Central Oklahoma
8. Justin Morris, Western State (Colo.)
165 Pounds
1. Mike Williams, North Carolina-Pembroke
2. Tad Merritt, St. Cloud State (Minn.)
3. Michael Lybarger, Findlay (Ohio)
4. Jake Varilek, Belmont Abbey (N.C.)
5. Joey Wilson, Nebraska-Kearney
6. Gavin Nelson, Augustana (S.D.)
7. Travis Budke, Fort Hays State (Kan.)
8. Derrick Adkins, Central Oklahoma
174 Pounds
1. Luke Rynish, Wisconsin-Parkside
2. Tony Petrella, Gannon (Pa.)
3. Ryan Pankoke, Nebraska-Omaha
4. Victor Carazo, Grand Canyon (Ariz.)
5. Tim Darling, Kutztown (Pa.)
6. Carl Serck, Augustana (S.D.)
7. Shamus O’Grady, St. Cloud State (Minn.)
8. Ben Becker, Minnesota State
184 Pounds
1. Bryant Blanton, Newberry (S.C.)
2. Charlie Pipher, Western State (Colo.)
3. Aaron Denson, Nebraska-Omaha
4. Cale Cornemann, Northern State (S.D.)
5. Aaron Norgren, Minnesota State
6. Mitch Schultz, Upper Iowa
7. Tanner Keck, Central Oklahoma
8. Casey Bradley, Limestone (S.C.)
197 Pounds
1. Donovan McMahill, Western State (Colo.)
2. Ty Copsey, Augustana (S.D.)
3. Mitch Knapp, West Liberty (W.Va.)
4. Luke McPeek, Adams State (Colo.)
5. Jarrett Edison, Central Oklahoma
6. Carl Broghammer, Upper Iowa
7. Daniel Stevenson, Findlay (Ohio)
8. Matt Baker, Nebraska-Omaha
285 Pounds
1. Jacob Kahnke, St. Cloud State (Minn.)
2. Matt Meuleners, Northern State (S.D.)
3. Charlie Alexander, Western State (Colo.)
4. Ben Hohensee, Nebraska-Kearney
5. Zach Rosol, Upper Iowa
6. Jacob Southwick, Ashland (Ohio)
7. Matt Clum, Findlay (Ohio)
8. Taylor Escamilla, Nebraska-Omaha

SJU Ranked Sixth Nationally, Five Wrestlers in Top 10

COLLEGEVILLE, Minn. – The Saint John’s University wrestling team fell to No. 6 in the latest Brute-Adidas National Wrestling Coaches Association (NWCA) Division III team rankings released Jan. 11.

NWCA Team Rankings | NWCA Individual Rankings

Other teams ranked from the NCAA Great Lakes Region include Augsburg (No. 3), Concordia-Moorhead (No. 7), Elmhurst (No. 24) and North Central (No. 27).

Five of the Johnnies’ starting 10 were ranked individually: senior Matt Baarson (15-2 record; Brooklyn Park, Minn./Champlin Park) moved up two spots to No. 3 at 165 pounds; senior Minga Batsukh (11-1 record; Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia/St. Benedict’s Prep, N.J.) slipped one spot to No. 4 at 149; junior Matt Pfarr (12-4 record; Le Sueur, Minn./Le Sueur-Henderson) rejoined the rankings at No. 4 at 174; junior Dustin Baxter (12-4 record; Fairbanks, Alaska/West Valley) moved up one spot to No. 7 at 184; and senior Tony Willaert (9-6 overall record, 8-4 record at 197; North Mankato, Minn./Lake Crystal-Wellcome Memorial) stayed at No. 10 at 197.

The Johnnies return to action this Friday, Jan. 14, against No. 2 (Division II) St. Cloud State. The dual is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. at Sexton Arena in Collegeville and will be broadcast live on WBHR-660 AM The Bear.

Auggies back in top spot in national rankings

MINNEAPOLIS — The 11-time national champion Augsburg College wrestling team has returned to the No. 1 spot in the latest National Wrestling Coaches Association Division III national rankings, and will be the top-ranked team in this weekend’s NWCA/Cliff Keen Division III National Duals, presented by Hibiclens and The Marines, in Cedar Falls, Iowa.

Augsburg will attempt to become the first school to win three straight titles in the 10-year history of the NWCA Division III National Duals. Action begins on Saturday at 9 a.m., as Augsburg faces No. 29-ranked Luther (Iowa), and will face either No. 10-ranked Wisconsin-Stevens Point or No. 12-ranked Cornell (Iowa) on Saturday at 1 p.m. Action will continue both Saturday and Sunday at the UNI-Dome, with the Division III championship match slated for Sunday at 3 p.m.

All 16 teams in the Division III field are ranked in the top 30 in the latest Division III national poll, with the top seven ranked teams all represented in the field.

Since the NWCA began the Division III National Duals in 2002, the trophy has rested at either Augsburg or Wartburg (Iowa). Augsburg has won the title five times (2002, 2005, 2007, 2009, 2010), while Wartburg has won the crown four times (2003, 2004, 2006, 2008).

Augsburg is 32-4 in NWCA Division III National Duals competition since 2002. Augsburg also appeared in five NWCA National Duals competitions prior to the 2002 season, when the defending Division III national champion was invited to compete with Division I squads. Augsburg is 37-13 all-time in NWCA National Duals competition. In its 36 Division III National Duals meets, Augsburg has outscored its competition by a 1,109-336 margin, an average score of 30.8 to 9.3.

After winning its 11th NCAA Division III national title last March, the Auggies opened the 2010-11 campaign in the top spot in the NWCA Brute/Adidas Division III national rankings. But after a 25-6 loss to Augustana (S.D.) on Nov. 24, the Auggies slipped to the No. 6 spot in the rankings in the third and fourth polls of the season.

However, with the return to the Auggie lineup of three All-Americans who will compete in the second semester — 165-pounder Orlando Ponce (SR, Hialeah, Fla./Hialeah-Miami Lakes HS), 174-pounder Zach Molitor (SR, Cambridge, Minn./Cambridge-Isanti HS) and 197-pounder Jared Massey(SR, Circle Pines, Minn./Centennial HS) — and an outstanding performance at the Florida Citrus Open on Dec. 29-30, the Auggies have returned to the top spot in the national polls.

Eight individuals are ranked in the top 10 in their weight classes, including three wrestlers at No. 2 — 149-pounder Tony Valek (JR, Belle Plaine, Minn./Scott West), Ponce at 165 and Molitor at 174. Massey is ranked No. 3 at 197. Josh Roberts (SO, Grand Forks, N.D./Grand Forks Central HS) is ranked No. 5 at 125, Brad Baus (JR, Mukwonago, Wis.) is ranked No. 7 at 184, Cody Hansen (SO, Albert Lea, Minn.) is ranked No. 8 at 184 and Chad Johnson (FY, Ferryville, Wis./DeSoto HS) is ranked No. 8 at heavyweight.

St. Cloud State Ranked #2 in the Nation

Jacob Kahnke Earns #1 Ranking at 285-pounds

The St. Cloud State University wrestling team (7-0) maintained its second place ranking in the latest NCAA Division II Coaches poll, which was released on Jan. 4.  The Huskies posted 153 points in the poll and also gained one first place vote in the poll.

Nebraska-Omaha stayed atop the poll with 159 points and also had eight first place votes.  Augustana (S.D.) remained third with 140 points, followed by Western State (Colo.) and Newberry (S.C.).  Rounding out the top 10 is Pittsburgh-Johnstown (Pa.), Minnesota State, Nebraska-Kearney, Central Oklahoma and Grand Canyon (Ariz.).

Individually, St. Cloud State sophomore Jacob Kahnke earned a first place ranking for the first time this season at 285-pounds.  In the previous poll, Kahnke was ranked #2 in the poll and this marks the first time this season that a Husky has gained top honors in the Division II poll.

At 141-pounds, senior Gabe Suarez was ranked 7th in the nation, while senior John Sundgren earned a #6 ranking at 157-pounds for the Huskies.  At 165-pounds, junior Tad Merritt remained at the #2 spot in the poll this week, while NSIC Wrestler of the Week sophomore Shamus O’Grady was ranked #6 in the poll at 174-pounds.  At 184-pounds, Mic Berg joined the poll for the first time this season with a 5th place ranking.

Sixteen teams (including SCSU) will compete in the NWCA Division II National Duals, which open Saturday morning and run through Sunday afternoon at the UNI Dome on the Northern Iowa campus.  Joining Nebraska-Omaha in the field  will be No. 2 St. Cloud, No. 3 Augustana, No. 4 Western State, No. 5 Newberry, No. 7 Minnesota State, No. 9 Central Oklahoma, No. 10 Grand Canyon, No. 11 Upper Iowa, No. 12 Wisconsin-Parkside, No. 13 North Carolina-Pembroke, No. 14 Findlay and No. 20 San Francisco State along with Central Missouri, Limestone (S.C.) and Minnesota State-Moorhead.

The top 20 poll, with points and the teams’ last ranking following by the top-eight rankings at each weight:

Rank        School (State)    Points      Last Rankin
1.    Nebraska-Omaha          159         1st
2.    St. Cloud State         153         2nd
3.    Augustana (S.D.)       140         3rd
4.    Western State (Colo.)   131         4th
5.    Newberry (S.C.)         129         5th
6.    Pittsburgh-Johnstown    106         9th
7.    Minnesota State         105         6th
8.    Nebraska-Kearney       100         8th
9.    Central Oklahoma       99          12th
10.   Grand Canyon (Ariz.)    97          11th
11.   Upper Iowa             88          10th
12.   Wisconsin-Parkside      70          13th
13.   North Carolina-Pembroke 64          20th
14.   Findlay (Ohio)          61          7th
T15.  West Liberty (W. Va.)   43          14th
T15.  Fort Hays State (Kan.) 43          15th
17.   Adams State (Colo.)     29          16th
18.   Ashland (Ohio)          27          17th
19.   East Stroudsburg (Pa.)  14          18th
20.   San Francisco State     10          19th

Others receiving votes: Belmont Abbey (N.C.), Colorado State-Pueblo, Gannon (Pa.), Minnesota State-Moorhead, Southwest Minnesota.

NCAA Division II Individual Rankings

125 Pounds
1.    Andy Forstner, Minnesota State
2.    Russell Weakley, North Carolina-Pembroke
3.    Trevor Franklin, Upper Iowa
4.    Alex Meger, Augustana (S.D.)
5.    Josh Smith, Nebraska-Kearney
6.    Connor McDonald, Newberry (S.C.)
7.    Alex Johns, Indianapolis (Ind.)
8.    Ben Sergent, Findlay (Ohio)

133 Pounds
1.    Kyle Pedretti, Upper Iowa
2.    Todd Wilcox, Grand Canyon (Ariz.)
3.    Ryan Link, Pittsburgh-Johnstown
4.    Aldon Isenberg, Fort Hays State (Kan.)
5.    B.J. Young, Newberry (S.C.)
6.    Michael Magaha, Limestone (S.C.)
7.    Cody Gillenwater, Central Missouri
8.    Trison Graham, Central Oklahoma

141 Pounds
1.    Jay Sherer, Augustana (S.D.)
2.    Mario Morgan, Nebraska-Omaha
3.    Andre Harrison, Fort Hays State (Kan.)
4.    Dalton Jensen, Nebraska-Kearney
5.    Naveed Bagheri, San Francisco State (Calif.)
6.    Jimmy Savala, Chadron State (Neb.)
7.    Gabe Suarez, St. Cloud State (Minn.)
8.    Deral Brown, Newberry (S.C.)

149 Pounds
1.    Esai Dominguez, Nebraska-Omaha
2.    T.J. Hepburn, Nebraska-Kearney
3.    Nate Herda, Augustana (S.D.)
4.    Jeremy Espinoza, Findlay (Ohio)
5.    Dale Debacco, Newberry (S.C.)
6.    Josh Hensley, Adams State (Colo.)
7.    Mitchell Means, Fort Hays State (Kan.)
8.    Jesse Snider, Colorado Mines

157 Pounds
1.    George Ivanov, Nebraska-Omaha
2.    Marcus Edgington, Augustana (S.D.)
3.    Dillon Bera, Wisconsin-Parkside
4.    Seth Phalen, West Liberty (W.Va.)
5.    Sean Byrnes, Newberry (S.C.)
6.    John Sundgren, St. Cloud State (Minn.)
7.    Cory Dauphin, Central Oklahoma
8.    Justin Morris, Western State (Colo.)

165 Pounds
1.    Josh Shields, Mercyhurst (Pa.)
2.    Tad Merritt, St. Cloud State (Minn.)
3.    Jake Varilek, Belmont Abbey (N.C.)
4.    Derrick Adkins, Central Oklahoma
5.    Joey Wilson, Nebraska-Kearney
6.    Matt Gille, Wisconsin-Parkside
7.    Gavin Nelson, Augustana (S.D.)
8.    Justin Grant, Colorado State-Pueblo

174 Pounds
1.    Luke Rynish, Wisconsin-Parkside
2.    Anthony Petrella, Gannon (Pa.)
3.    Ryan Pankoke, Nebraska-Omaha
4.    Victor Carazo, Grand Canyon (Ariz.)
5.    Tim Darling, Kutztown (Pa.)
6.    Shamus O’Grady, St. Cloud State (Minn.)
7.    Ben Becker, Minnesota State
8.    Mason True, Findlay (Ohio)

184 Pounds
1.    Bryant Blanton, Newberry (S.C.)
2.    Charlie Pipher, Western State (Colo.)
3.    Aaron Norgren, Minnesota State
4.    Aaron Denson, Nebraska-Omaha
5.    Mic Berg, St. Cloud State (Minn.)
6.    Brady Anderson, Mary (N.D.)
7.    Ryan Becerra, Grand Canyon (Ariz.)
8.    Tanner Keck, Central Oklahoma

197 Pounds
1.    Donovan McMahill, Western State (Colo.)
2.    Ty Copsey, Augustana (S.D.)
3.    Mitch Knapp, West Liberty (W.Va.)
4.    Luke McPeek, Adams State (Colo.)
5.    Jarrett Edison, Central Oklahoma
6.    Carl Broghammer, Upper Iowa
7.    Frank Morgan, King (Tenn.)
8.    Daniel Stevenson, Findlay (Ohio)

285 Pounds
1.    Jacob Kahnke, St. Cloud State (Minn.)
2.    Charlie Alexander, Western State (Colo.)
3.    Ben Hohensee, Nebraska-Kearney
4.    Matt Meuleners, Northern State (S.D.)
5.    Taylor Escamilla, Nebraska-Omaha
6.    J.D. Ramsey, West Liberty (W.Va.)
7.    Chris Dempsey, Pittsburgh-Johnstown (Pa.)
8.    Brian Rodas, Southwest Minnesota

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