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Life powers to No. 7 in NAIA rankings; Grand View is No. 1 for 40th straight poll

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by Alan Grossbach, NAIA

Action photo courtesy of LifeRunningEagles.com

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Grand View (Iowa) locks down the No. 1 ranking for the 40th-consecutive edition of the NAIA Wrestling Coaches’ Top 20 Poll, the national office announced Wednesday. The next installment of the Coaches’ Poll is slated for December 6.

Top 25 Highlights (historical information dates back to 2000-01)
• Grand View boasts 11 ranked grapplers en route to 160 total points. The Vikings hold the No. 1 ranking for the 45th time in program history, which is the most for any program dating back to the start of the 2000-01 season
• The last time the Vikings were not ranked No. 1 was on October 17, 2012.
• Josh Wenger at 141 pounds and Grant Henderson at 165 pounds highlight the ranked grapplers for Grand View, as both individuals list atop their respective weight class. Wenger is 6-2 on the young season, while Henderson is 8-1.
• Sawyer Miller of Indiana Tech (125 pounds) and Dalton Bailey of Life (197 pounds) are the only new top-ranked individuals. Bailey spent a number of weeks at No. 1 last season before falling to Grand View’s Evan Hansen in the national championship final. However, the senior avenged that loss last week, downing Hansen 7-4 in the title match at the Grand View Open to retake the top spot.
• No. 16 Southeastern (Fla.) and No. 18 Reinhardt (Ga.) are the newcomers to the poll. Southeastern was ranked multiple times last season, while Reinhardt is garnering its first-ever top 20 mention.
• Since 2001, only Grand View (2013-14, 2014-15, 2015-16, 2016-17), former members Notre Dame (Ohio) (2010-11) and Lindenwood (Mo.) (2006-07) have spent the entire season ranked No. 1.

Poll Methodology
• The poll was voted upon by a panel of head coaches representing each of the eight conferences.
• Two days prior to the national poll, each qualifying group rater submits the top six individuals from each weight class in his conference into the system. Only wrestlers listed on a conference ballot are considered for the national ballot.
• The top 20 individuals in each weight class are based on how each voter ranks the best individuals. An individual receives 20 points for each first place vote, 19 for second place and so on through the list. This same point system is used to determine the team ranking.
• The postseason poll is determined using the individual and team results from the national championship
• For the complete Top 20 calendar, click here.

2017-18 NAIA Wrestling Coaches’ Top 20 Poll – No. 1 (November 15, 2017)

Rank Previous Rank School Total Team Points
1 1 Grand View (Iowa) 160
2 2 Missouri Valley 128
3 6 Indiana Tech 123
4 4 Menlo (Calif.) 118
5 3 Providence (Mont.) 101
6 7 Cumberlands (Ky.) 91
T7 11 Life (Ga.) 90
T7 5 Campbellsville (Ky.) 90
9 10 Williams Baptist (Ark.) 88
10 8 Embry-Riddle (Ariz.) 83
11 9 Southern Oregon 63
12 17 Montana State-Northern 60
13 15 Lindsey Wilson (Ky.) 59
14 13 Baker (Kan.) 57
15 12 Morningside (Iowa) 55
16 RV Southeastern (Fla.) 48
17 T18 Briar Cliff (Iowa) 45
18 RV Reinhardt (Ga.) 42
19 14 Midland (Neb.) 40
20 16 Concordia (Neb.) 36

Others receiving votes: Eastern Oregon 34; Benedictine (Kan.) 34; Lindenwood-Belleville (Ill.) 31; York (Neb.) 30; Oklahoma City 30; Graceland (Iowa) 28; Lyon (Ark.) 28; Northwestern (Iowa) 26; Truett McConnell (Ga.) 25; Missouri Baptist 25; Hastings (Neb.) 22; Bacone (Okla.) 22; Marian (Ind.) 20; Doane (Neb.) 20; Warner Pacific (Ore.) 19; Wayland Baptist (Texas) 19; Cumberland (Tenn.) 17; Ottawa (Kan.) 16; Jamestown (N.D.) 16; Saint Mary (Kan.) 13; William Penn (Iowa) 12; Hannibal-LaGrange (Mo.) 12; Bethany (Kan.) 9; Kansas Wesleyan 6; Lourdes (Ohio) 6; Brewton-Parker (Ga.) 5; Oklahoma Wesleyan 5; Waldorf (Iowa) 2. 

Individual rankings

25 Pounds
Weight Rank First Name Last Name Team League Total Points
125 1st Sawyer Miller Indiana Tech SAC 136
125 2nd Dustin Miller Lyon College AMC 135
125 3rd Keegan Hessler Morningside (Iowa) GPAC 127
125 4th Chandler Strand Embry-Riddle (Ariz.) Cascade 112
125 5th Hayden Lee Cumberlands (Ky.) Mid-South 107
125 6th Olson Delisca Southeastern Mid-South 99
125 7th Josh Johnson Warner Pacific Cascade 97
125 8th Sean Nguyen Cumberland (Tenn.) Mid-South 93
125 9th John Altieri William Penn (Iowa) Heart of America 83
125 10th Mhar Caballa Eastern Oregon University (OR) Cascade 82
125 11th Isaac Wilson Providence (Mont.) Cascade 66
125 12th Zane Baugh Baker (Kan.) Heart of America 61
125 13th Chad Lampe Lindsey Wilson (Ky.) Mid-South 57
125 14th Joel Timmons Grand View (Iowa) Heart of America 44
125 15th Devonte Upshaw Truett-McConnell (Ga.) AAC 38
125 16th Randy McCray Brewton-Parker (GA) Mid-South 28
125 17th Josh Venia Indiana Tech SAC 26
125 18th Robert Ozuna York (Neb.) KCAC 22
125 19th Triston Santos Doane College GPAC 17
125 20th Devin Phaly Morningside (Iowa) GPAC 16
133 Pounds
Weight Rank First Name Last Name Team League Total Points
133 1st Jake Sinkovics Cumberlands (Ky.) Mid-South 140
133 2nd Blaysen Terukina Menlo (Calif.) Cascade 130
133 3rd Erique Early Indiana Tech SAC 126
133 4th Cartland Allen Graceland University Heart of America 119
133 5th Michael Andreano Briar Cliff (Iowa) GPAC 107
133 6th Ethan Owen Southeastern Mid-South 100
133 7th Tanner Irwin Williams Baptist AMC 97
133 8th Zachary Durbin Missouri Valley Heart of America 78
133 9th Brandon Vela Bacone (Okla.) SAC 74
133 10th Brady Moser Lindsey Wilson (Ky.) Mid-South 68
133 11th Collin Anderson Embry-Riddle (Ariz.) Cascade 67
133 12th Giovanni Castillo Concordia (Neb.) GPAC 65
133 13th David Berryman Benedictine College Heart of America 59
133 14th Jaitlan Pitts Williams Baptist AMC 51
133 15th Tyler Dickman Baker (Kan.) Heart of America 49
133 16th Trevor Murano Grand View (Iowa) Heart of America 41
133 17th Haidon Allen St. Mary (KS) KCAC 21
133 18th Blake McNall Eastern Oregon University (OR) Cascade 15
133 19th Triston Blansit Reinhardt University (GA) AAC 12
133 20th Aaron Rugnao Campbellsville (Ky.) Mid-South 9
141 Pounds
Weight Rank First Name Last Name Team League Total Points
141 1st Josh Wenger Grand View (Iowa) Heart of America 140
141 2nd David Berg Midland (Neb.) GPAC 132
141 3rd Chase Zemenak Reinhardt University (GA) AAC 126
141 4th Devin Poppen Southern Oregon Cascade 119
141 5th Jayce Carr Campbellsville (Ky.) Mid-South 107
141 6th Nathan Ryan Briar Cliff (Iowa) GPAC 97
141 T7th Matt Weber Montana State-Northern Cascade 93
141 T7th Austin Roper Benedictine College Heart of America 93
141 9th Marcelo Sierra Lindenwood - Belleville (Ill.) AMC 85
141 T10th Sonny Gulesian Briar Cliff (Iowa) GPAC 68
141 T10th DeMarco Speller Wayland Baptist (Texas) SAC 68
141 12th Mason Calvert Life University Mid-South 47
141 13th Gaige Torres Indiana Tech SAC 43
141 14th AJ Rockwell Eastern Oregon University (OR) Cascade 39
141 15th Andrew Ramirez Southern Oregon Cascade 37
141 16th Jared McKinley Marian University (IN) AMC 36
141 17th Cameron Huizar Embry-Riddle (Ariz.) Cascade 26
141 18th Taylor Moeder Kansas Wesleyan KCAC 21
141 19th Taylor Lehman Waldorf (Iowa) Heart of America 19
141 20th David Salazar Embry-Riddle (Ariz.) Cascade 18
149 Pounds
Weight Rank First Name Last Name Team League Total Points
149 1st Jaedin Sklapsky Campbellsville (Ky.) Mid-South 140
149 2nd Thomas Garty Indiana Tech SAC 128
149 3rd Steven Garcia Morningside (Iowa) GPAC 127
149 4th Tres Leon Cumberlands (Ky.) Mid-South 120
149 5th Nosomy Pozo Life University Mid-South 111
149 6th Shonn Roberts Providence (Mont.) Cascade 107
149 7th Dante Preciado Northwestern (Iowa) GPAC 97
149 8th Kenny Boyd Missouri Valley Heart of America 94
149 9th Terrill Sidner Menlo (Calif.) Cascade 83
149 10th Justin Atkinson Indiana Tech SAC 71
149 11th Chandler Michael Southern Oregon Cascade 64
149 12th Dominique Evans Midland (Neb.) GPAC 61
149 13th Kyle Lee Williams Baptist AMC 40
149 14th Dylan Chatterton Southeastern Mid-South 31
149 15th Jerod Booth Embry-Riddle (Ariz.) Cascade 26
149 16th Calab Ashe Graceland University Heart of America 25
149 17th Matt Landgraff Oklahoma City SAC 24
149 18th Kalvin Harris Reinhardt University (GA) AAC 21
149 19th Jose Intrago Lindenwood - Belleville (Ill.) AMC 19
149 20th Shea Swafford Graceland University Heart of America 18
157 Pounds
Weight Rank First Name Last Name Team League Total Points
157 1st Brandon Weber Montana State-Northern Cascade 140
157 2nd Cam Tessari Lindsey Wilson (Ky.) Mid-South 133
157 3rd Tobias Barnes Missouri Valley Heart of America 126
157 4th Kevin James Menlo (Calif.) Cascade 105
157 5th Martin Phillips Doane College GPAC 103
157 6th James Williams Embry-Riddle (Ariz.) Cascade 97
157 7th Mason Miller Grand View (Iowa) Heart of America 90
157 8th Chase Hack Indiana Tech SAC 89
157 9th Hunter Hodges Southern Oregon Cascade 83
157 10th Kalob Rahoi Life University Mid-South 81
157 11th Casey Dobson Providence (Mont.) Cascade 64
157 12th Brandon Lawson-Archuleta Bethany (Kan.) KCAC 57
157 13th Daniel Rittell Williams Baptist AMC 52
157 14th Austin Coy York (Neb.) KCAC 39
157 15th Tyler Wilson Lourdes University SAC 32
157 16th Brandon Seward Graceland University Heart of America 30
157 17th Chris Vaughan Hastings (Neb.) GPAC 27
157 18th Drake Randall Eastern Oregon University (OR) Cascade 25
157 19th Caleb Mariakis Reinhardt University (GA) AAC 21
157 20th Keanu Tom Concordia (Neb.) GPAC 18
165 Pounds
Weight Rank First Name Last Name Team League Total Points
165 1st Grant Henderson Grand View (Iowa) Heart of America 140
165 2nd Andrew Simmons Missouri Valley Heart of America 133
165 3rd Dalton Tipton Missouri Valley Heart of America 125
165 4th Tristan Macri Cumberlands (Ky.) Mid-South 117
165 5th Lucius Van Rensburg Life University Mid-South 111
165 6th Mitch Roadruck Indiana Tech SAC 101
165 7th Joseph Jauregui Menlo (Calif.) Cascade 93
165 8th Jonathan Blackwell Baker (Kan.) Heart of America 73
165 9th Josh Romero Benedictine College Heart of America 69
165 10th Andrew Bartel Montana State-Northern Cascade 66
165 11th Brok Williams Oklahoma City SAC 62
165 12th Riley Jaramillo St. Mary (KS) KCAC 58
165 13th Taylor Owens Embry-Riddle (Ariz.) Cascade 47
165 14th Micah Miller Ottawa University KCAC 45
165 15th Trezdon O`Neal Marian University (IN) AMC 43
165 16th Jonathan Lado Concordia (Neb.) GPAC 41
165 17th Jonathan Stewart Williams Baptist AMC 39
165 18th Brett Johnson Marian University (IN) AMC 22
165 19th Connor Webber Lyon College AMC 16
165 T20th Stephon Gray Midland (Neb.) GPAC 12
165 T20th Matthew Cates Southeastern Mid-South 12
174 Pounds
Weight Rank First Name Last Name Team League Total Points
174 1st Nicholas Meck York (Neb.) KCAC 139
174 2nd Dylan Blackford Grand View (Iowa) Heart of America 134
174 3rd Justin Brown Campbellsville (Ky.) Mid-South 125
174 4th Anthony Orozco Menlo (Calif.) Cascade 120
174 5th Mike Zupan Jamestown (N.D.) GPAC 109
174 6th Adrian Lyons-Lopez Providence (Mont.) Cascade 106
174 7th Kody Davis Embry-Riddle (Ariz.) Cascade 100
174 8th Colton Gonzalez Lindsey Wilson (Ky.) Mid-South 83
174 T9th Randy Keesler Providence (Mont.) Cascade 79
174 T9th Jeremiah Reed Hannibal-LaGrange (MO) AMC 79
174 11th Joe Robinson Lindenwood - Belleville (Ill.) AMC 67
174 12th Tyler Noon Menlo (Calif.) Cascade 56
174 13th Keion McVay Williams Baptist AMC 50
174 14th Scott Sopko Indiana Tech SAC 42
174 15th Brandon Shuler Northwestern (Iowa) GPAC 41
174 16th Joseph McAleavey Bacone (Okla.) SAC 30
174 17th Max Emerson Cumberlands (Ky.) Mid-South 27
174 18th Nathan Garcia Briar Cliff (Iowa) GPAC 21
174 T19th LJ Henderson Campbellsville (Ky.) Mid-South 17
174 T19th Alex Destra Missouri Valley Heart of America 17
184 Pounds
Weight Rank First Name Last Name Team League Total Points
184 1st Charles Sharon Campbellsville (Ky.) Mid-South 140
184 2nd Josh Chiles Williams Baptist AMC 133
184 3rd Hunter Smith Life University Mid-South 126
184 4th Ethan Leighton Grand View (Iowa) Heart of America 116
184 5th Logan Moore Morningside (Iowa) GPAC 110
184 6th Jacob Smith Baker (Kan.) Heart of America 100
184 7th Tristan Ramberg Missouri Valley Heart of America 92
184 8th Justin Harbison Providence (Mont.) Cascade 87
184 T9th Joshua Nelsen Concordia (Neb.) GPAC 79
184 T9th Bruce Valdez Menlo (Calif.) Cascade 79
184 11th Bryce Fisher Grand View (Iowa) Heart of America 65
184 12th Chris Williams Southeastern Mid-South 44
184 13th Zach Davis Indiana Tech SAC 39
184 14th Alexander Miller Lindenwood - Belleville (Ill.) AMC 37
184 15th Charlie Hill Marian University (IN) AMC 34
184 T16th Joe Dickinson Warner Pacific Cascade 26
184 T16th Antonio Stewart Reinhardt University (GA) AAC 26
184 18th Tanner O`Donnell Kansas Wesleyan KCAC 25
184 19th Jacob Matheson Truett-McConnell (Ga.) AAC 24
184 20th Max Hane Southern Oregon Cascade 23
197 Pounds
Weight Rank First Name Last Name Team League Total Points
197 1st Dalton Bailey Life University Mid-South 140
197 2nd Evan Hansen Grand View (Iowa) Heart of America 133
197 3rd Jeremiah Gerl Hastings (Neb.) GPAC 126
197 4th Tanner Fischer Southern Oregon Cascade 115
197 5th Donavan Fouchey Missouri Valley Heart of America 107
197 6th Isaac Bartel Montana State-Northern Cascade 106
197 T7th John Hensley Providence (Mont.) Cascade 95
197 T7th David Dow Baker (Kan.) Heart of America 95
197 9th Eric Deluse Cumberlands (Ky.) Mid-South 82
197 10th Andrew Mahone Missouri Baptist University AMC 75
197 11th Eric Fan Eastern Oregon University (OR) Cascade 65
197 12th Alexander Reimers Concordia (Neb.) GPAC 55
197 13th Elias Mason Embry-Riddle (Ariz.) Cascade 53
197 14th Jacob Hill Lyon College AMC 36
197 15th Nicholas Null Northwestern (Iowa) GPAC 35
197 16th Jovani Virgen Bacone (Okla.) SAC 29
197 17th De`Andre Jones Cumberland (Tenn.) Mid-South 28
197 18th Austin Brown Reinhardt University (GA) AAC 26
197 19th Chandler Knight Doane College GPAC 24
197 20th Riley Williams Wayland Baptist (Texas) SAC 17
285 Pounds
Weight Rank First Name Last Name Team League Total Points
285 1st Demetrius Thomas Williams Baptist AMC 140
285 2nd Dean Broghammer Grand View (Iowa) Heart of America 133
285 3rd Javier Gonzalez Menlo (Calif.) Cascade 126
285 4th Jeff Chandler Truett-McConnell (Ga.) AAC 117
285 5th Bryson McGowan Oklahoma City SAC 112
285 6th Jesse Gomez Missouri Valley Heart of America 102
285 7th Cory Flemming Missouri Baptist University AMC 100
285 8th Nate Jackson Campbellsville (Ky.) Mid-South 91
285 9th Mathew Hopkins Providence (Mont.) Cascade 74
285 10th Aaron Rafalko Midland (Neb.) GPAC 68
285 11th Cooper Thomas Grand View (Iowa) Heart of America 66
285 12th Richard Schooler Ottawa University KCAC 47
285 13th Brandon Reed Lindsey Wilson (Ky.) Mid-South 45
285 14th Vernon Willis Wayland Baptist (Texas) SAC 35
285 15th Hinton Bolinger Reinhardt University (GA) AAC 32
285 T16th Kyler Childers Oklahoma Wesleyan KCAC 30
285 T16th Quandre Chisolm Cumberlands (Ky.) Mid-South 30
285 18th Johnathon Hill Reinhardt University (GA) AAC 28
285 19th Phil Rasmussen Morningside (Iowa) GPAC 24
285 20th Aris Knight Southeastern Mid-South 22

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