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Iowa Hawkeyes ranked No. 1 in InterMat preseason poll

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by InterMat

InterMat Team and Individual rankings

The USA Today/NWCA/InterMat Team & InterMat/NWCA/NWMA Individual Rankings have been released. The team rankings are topped by defending NCAA Champions Iowa.

The Hawkeyes were unanimously voted number one and return five All-Americans from last season. Those five include defending national champion Brent Metcalf at 149 and returning national finalist and number one ranked, Joey Slaton at 133.

Iowa State, Cornell, Ohio State, and Missouri round out the top five teams.

Iowa State had six All-Americans last year and all six return to the line-up this year. National finalist Jake Varner headlines that group and is ranked number one after moving up to 197. Also, Iowa State leads all teams with nine ranked wrestlers.

Cornell returns all four of its All-Americans from the 2007-2008 season, including NCAA Champion Jordan Leen at 157.

Ohio State returns two national champions, J Jaggers at 141 and Mike Pucillo at 184, along with Lance Palmer, an All-American at 149.

Missouri returns three All-Americans. Headlining the Tigers returnees is number one ranked Nick Marable, a third place finisher a year ago.

The individual rankings showcase five NCAA Champions that have returned to claim the number one ranking and defend their titles. Along with Jaggers, Metcalf, Leen, and Pucillo, Angel Escobedo of Indiana is back at 125 to defend his title.

Also returning is 2007 NCAA champ Jake Herbert from Northwestern. Herbert took an Olympic redshirt year last season. Herbert, now ranked second at 184, returns to NCAA competition at the same weight in which he won his national title. However, over the off-season many All-Americans did not follow Herbert's lead and moved up a weight class.

Jayson Ness of Minnesota, a runner-up at 125 last season, is now at 133 and ranked second. Mike Grey of Cornell and Matt Kyler of Army moved to 141 and 149 respectively, but the biggest change came at 149 with two highly ranked wrestlers moving up a weight class.

J.P. O'Connor of Harvard and three-time All-American Dustin Schlatter of Minnesota both jumped up to 157. Also, Raymond Jordan of Missouri made a significant move in the other direction, dropping to 174 after placing fifth at 184.

Rounding out the top-ranked wrestlers are Steve Luke of Michigan at 174 and Jared Rosholt of Oklahoma State at 285.

The USA Today/NWCA/InterMat Team Rankings are voted on by a representative coach from each Division 1 conference. The InterMat/NWCA/NWMA Individual Rankings are voted on by members of the National Wrestling Media Association. Rankings for both polls will be released every Tuesday throughout the season.

The National Wrestling Coaches Association, established in 1928, is a professional organization dedicated to serve and provide leadership for the advancement of all levels of the sport of wrestling with primary emphasis on scholastic and collegiate programs. The membership embraces all people interested in amateur wrestling.

The NWCA, through its organizational structure, promotes communication, recognizes achievement, recommends rules and regulations, sponsors events, and serves as an educational and informational source. Additionally, the NWCA strives to foster the sportsmanship and integrity that are the cornerstones of athletic competition.

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