Utah Valley University moves into the Top 25 of the NWCA Div. I rankings after win over Rutgers
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by Jason Bryant, NWCA
Manheim, Pennsylvania - For just the second time in school history, Utah Valley University finds itself ranked in the Top 25 as the NWCA Division I Wrestling Coaches Poll was released on Tuesday.
The Wolverines (2-1) weren’t flawless this past weekend at the Journeymen MyHouse Northeast Duals in Troy, New York, but they were good enough to beat then-No. 15 Rutgers 24-14. The only other time Utah Valley was ranked in the Top 25 in school history came last season, when they appeared at No. 25 on February 8. Utah Valley enters this week at No. 21, the highest in the program’s 15-year history.
The top 14 schools remained unchanged as seven of them saw action in the second full week of Division I competition.
No. 1 Penn State (1-0) opened up the season with its 46th consecutive dual meet victory, a 52-3 pounding of Kent State (3-5). Kent State wrestled three ranked Big Ten teams over the weekend. The Nittany Lions earned seven falls, including six in a row from 149-197 pounds to please the sold-out crowd at Rec Hall.
Third-ranked Iowa (2-0) opened up on the road at Kent State for the Frenzy at the Fieldhouse. The Hawkeyes lost one individual bout in beating CSU Bakersfield 36-6 and host Kent State 45-0. Returning NCAA champion Spencer Lee of Iowa was dominant, picking up a pair of technical falls.
Fifth-ranked Michigan (1-0) started the Sean Bormet era with a 32-12 win on the road against rebuilding Central Michigan. The Wolverines earned five bonus victories to give the first-year head coach his first dual meet victory.
Seventh-ranked Missouri (2-0) continued its domination over Old Dominion (0-1), winning nine of 10 matches and earning six bonus victories in a 40-3 rout in Norfolk. In a matchup of All-Americans at 141 pounds, Missouri’s Jaydin Eierman pinned Sa’Derian Perry in the third period. Perry transferred from Eastern Michigan after the school unceremoniously dropped its rapidly improving wrestling program last spring.
No. 11 Arizona State (1-0) topped No. 19 South Dakota State (0-1) 30-9 in front of over 1,800 fans at the Sanford Pentagon in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. Both national champions in the dual - Seth Gross at 133 pounds for South Dakota State and Zahid Valencia at 174 pounds for Arizona State - were impressive in their victories.
Along with Utah Valley’s win, the lion’s share of the ranked teams competing this past weekend were at the Northeast Duals. No. 12 Nebraska went 3-0, getting past Utah Valley 19-15, Virginia 21-15 and Drexel 28-9. Rutgers (4-1) picked up a 26-9 win over Appalachian State, while No. 17 Purdue (2-0) opened the season with a 35-5 win over Bloomsburg and a 25-14 win over Drexel.
No. 21 Wyoming (2-0) started its dual season out with a pair of wins. The Cowboys knocked off Virginia 21-9 and Edinboro 33-6.
Elsewhere around the Top 25, No. 18 Wisconsin won two bouts at Kent State’s Frenzy at the Fieldhouse. The Badgers improved to 3-0 with a 37-13 win over host Kent State and a 28-12 win over CSU Bakersfield. North Dakota State (2-0) blasted Northern Illinois 35-4 in Fargo, North Dakota, while No. 24 North Carolina won the final seven bouts to top Chattanooga 23-10. No. 13 Minnesota headed west and topped Air Force 33-3 in Colorado Springs.
Others Receiving Votes: Appalachian State 10, Duke 10, Stanford 6, Virginia 3, Clarion 2, Iowa State 2, Pittsburgh 2, Army West Point 1, Drexel 1
Dropped Out: No. 25 Duke
The Wolverines (2-1) weren’t flawless this past weekend at the Journeymen MyHouse Northeast Duals in Troy, New York, but they were good enough to beat then-No. 15 Rutgers 24-14. The only other time Utah Valley was ranked in the Top 25 in school history came last season, when they appeared at No. 25 on February 8. Utah Valley enters this week at No. 21, the highest in the program’s 15-year history.
The top 14 schools remained unchanged as seven of them saw action in the second full week of Division I competition.
No. 1 Penn State (1-0) opened up the season with its 46th consecutive dual meet victory, a 52-3 pounding of Kent State (3-5). Kent State wrestled three ranked Big Ten teams over the weekend. The Nittany Lions earned seven falls, including six in a row from 149-197 pounds to please the sold-out crowd at Rec Hall.
Third-ranked Iowa (2-0) opened up on the road at Kent State for the Frenzy at the Fieldhouse. The Hawkeyes lost one individual bout in beating CSU Bakersfield 36-6 and host Kent State 45-0. Returning NCAA champion Spencer Lee of Iowa was dominant, picking up a pair of technical falls.
Fifth-ranked Michigan (1-0) started the Sean Bormet era with a 32-12 win on the road against rebuilding Central Michigan. The Wolverines earned five bonus victories to give the first-year head coach his first dual meet victory.
Seventh-ranked Missouri (2-0) continued its domination over Old Dominion (0-1), winning nine of 10 matches and earning six bonus victories in a 40-3 rout in Norfolk. In a matchup of All-Americans at 141 pounds, Missouri’s Jaydin Eierman pinned Sa’Derian Perry in the third period. Perry transferred from Eastern Michigan after the school unceremoniously dropped its rapidly improving wrestling program last spring.
No. 11 Arizona State (1-0) topped No. 19 South Dakota State (0-1) 30-9 in front of over 1,800 fans at the Sanford Pentagon in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. Both national champions in the dual - Seth Gross at 133 pounds for South Dakota State and Zahid Valencia at 174 pounds for Arizona State - were impressive in their victories.
Along with Utah Valley’s win, the lion’s share of the ranked teams competing this past weekend were at the Northeast Duals. No. 12 Nebraska went 3-0, getting past Utah Valley 19-15, Virginia 21-15 and Drexel 28-9. Rutgers (4-1) picked up a 26-9 win over Appalachian State, while No. 17 Purdue (2-0) opened the season with a 35-5 win over Bloomsburg and a 25-14 win over Drexel.
No. 21 Wyoming (2-0) started its dual season out with a pair of wins. The Cowboys knocked off Virginia 21-9 and Edinboro 33-6.
Elsewhere around the Top 25, No. 18 Wisconsin won two bouts at Kent State’s Frenzy at the Fieldhouse. The Badgers improved to 3-0 with a 37-13 win over host Kent State and a 28-12 win over CSU Bakersfield. North Dakota State (2-0) blasted Northern Illinois 35-4 in Fargo, North Dakota, while No. 24 North Carolina won the final seven bouts to top Chattanooga 23-10. No. 13 Minnesota headed west and topped Air Force 33-3 in Colorado Springs.
|
Rank |
Team (First) |
Record |
Points |
Conference |
Previous |
|
1 |
Penn State (16) |
(1-0) |
400 |
Big Ten |
1 |
|
2 |
Ohio State |
(1-0) |
375 |
Big Ten |
2 |
|
3 |
Iowa |
(2-0) |
370 |
Big Ten |
3 |
|
4 |
Oklahoma State |
(0-0) |
347 |
Big 12 |
4 |
|
5 |
Michigan |
(1-0) |
334 |
Big Ten |
5 |
|
6 |
Lehigh |
(0-0) |
317 |
EIWA |
6 |
|
7 |
Missouri |
(2-0) |
308 |
MAC |
7 |
|
8 |
NC State |
(0-0) |
297 |
ACC |
8 |
|
9 |
Cornell |
(0-0) |
270 |
EIWA |
9 |
|
10 |
Virginia Tech |
(0-0) |
254 |
ACC |
10 |
|
11 |
Arizona State |
(1-0) |
228 |
Pac-12 |
11 |
|
12 |
Nebraska |
(3-0) |
224 |
Big Ten |
12 |
|
13 |
Minnesota |
(1-0) |
217 |
Big Ten |
13 |
|
14 |
Northern Iowa |
(0-0) |
191 |
Big 12 |
14 |
|
15 |
Purdue |
(2-0) |
152 |
Big Ten |
17 |
|
16 |
Illinois |
(0-1) |
151 |
Big Ten |
16 |
|
17 |
Wisconsin |
(3-0) |
145 |
Big Ten |
18 |
|
18 |
Wyoming |
(2-0) |
105 |
Big 12 |
21 |
|
19 |
Lock Haven |
(0-0) |
92 |
EWL |
20 |
|
20 |
North Dakota State |
(2-0) |
85 |
Big 12 |
22 |
|
21 |
Utah Valley |
(2-1) |
82 |
Big 12 |
NR |
|
22 |
South Dakota State |
(0-1) |
70 |
Big 12 |
19 |
|
23 |
Rutgers |
(4-1) |
66 |
Big Ten |
15 |
|
24 |
North Carolina |
(1-0) |
49 |
ACC |
24 |
|
25 |
Northwestern |
(0-1) |
34 |
Big Ten |
23 |
Others Receiving Votes: Appalachian State 10, Duke 10, Stanford 6, Virginia 3, Clarion 2, Iowa State 2, Pittsburgh 2, Army West Point 1, Drexel 1
Dropped Out: No. 25 Duke
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