Notre Dame maintains No. 1 in Jan 3 NCAA Div. II Rankings

EDMOND, Okla. — Notre Dame (Ohio) maintained its hold on the top spot in the NCAA Division II wrestling poll that was released Friday by the Division II Wrestling Coaches Association.

The Falcons earned six first-place votes and finished with 158 points in balloting of head coaches from around the country to keep the No. 1 spot it earned in the pre-season rankings and the first regular season poll.  Two-time defending national champion Nebraska-Kearney came in second with the two remaining first-place votes and 150 points, while Central Oklahoma is third with 146 points.

Newberry (S.C.) stayed fourth and St. Cloud State (Minn.) fifth, with Adams State (Colo.), Kutztown (Pa.), Indianapolis (Ind.), Western State (Colo.) and Upper Iowa rounding out the top 10.

Notre Dame, Nebraska-Kearney and Central Oklahoma each have two top-ranked individuals — 165-pounder Eric Burgey and 174-pounder Joey Davis for the Falcons, 133-pounder Daniel DeShazer and 197-pounder Romero Cotton for the Lopers and 149-pounder Jordan Basks and 157-pounder Cory Dauphin for the Bronchos.

Ten of the top-20 teams will compete in the 16-team NWCA Division II National Duals Jan. 11-12 in Des Moines, Iowa, including seven top-10 squads — Notre Dame, Central Oklahoma, Newberry, St. Cloud State, Kutztown, Indianapolis and Upper Iowa.

The top 20 poll, with points and each team’s pre-season ranking, following by the individual rankings at each weight:

1. Notre Dame (Ohio) 158 1st

2. Nebraska-Kearney 150 3rd

3. Central Oklahoma 146 2nd

4. Newberry (S.C.) 134 4th

5. St. Cloud State (Minn.) 128 5th

6. Adams State (Colo.) 120 6th

7. Kutztown (Pa.) 90 11th

8. Indianapolis (Ind.) 89 9th

9. Western State (Colo.) 88 8th

10. Upper Iowa 86 13th

11. Mercyhurst (Pa.) 84 10th

12. Ouachita Baptist (Ark.) 77 7th

13. McKendree (Ill.) 70 17th

14. Pittsburgh-Johnstown (Pa.) 60 12th

15. Maryville (Mo.) 43 14th

16. Ashland (Ohio) 39 15th

17. California Baptist 25 NR

18. Colorado Mesa 23 16th

19. Lake Erie (Ohio) 20 NR

20. Gannon (Pa.) 12 NR

Others receiving votes:  Augustana (S.D.), Chadron State (Neb.), Colorado State-Pueblo, East Stroudsburg (Pa.), Fort Hays State (Kan.), Minnesota State-Mankato, North Carolina-Pembroke, San Francisco State (Calif.), Truman State (Mo.).

Individual Rankings

125 Pounds

1. Skylor Davis, Simon Fraser (Canada)

2. Alex Johns, Indianapolis (Ind.)

3. Jeff Vesta, Newberry (S.C.)

4. Dave Fogle, Pittsburgh-Johnstown (Pa.)

5. T.J. North, Augustana (S.D.)

6. Adam Ludwin, Fort Hays State (Kan.)

7. Bryden Lazaro, California Baptist

8. Garrett Evans, Ouachita Baptist (Ark.)

133 Pounds

1. Daniel DeShazer, Nebraska-Kearney

2. Andy Pokorny, St. Cloud State (Minn.)

3. Michael Labry, Ashland (Ohio)

4. Dustin Stodola, Chadron State (Neb.)

5. Casy Rowell, Central Oklahoma

6. Marty Carlson, Notre Dame (Ohio)

7. Evan Yenolevich, Kutztown (Pa.)

8. Justin Reinsma, Southwest Minnesota

141 Pounds

1. Ryan Fillingame, Adams State (Colo.)

2. Matt Nelson, St. Cloud State (Minn.)

3. Brock Coutu, Nebraska-Kearney

4. Maurice Miller, Notre Dame (Ohio)

5. B.J. Young, Newberry (S.C.)

6. Daniel Ownbey, North Carolina-Pembroke

7. Dylan D’Urso, Mercyhurst (Pa.)

8. Dave Cawley, Pittsburgh-Johnstown (Pa.)

149 Pounds

1. Jordan Basks, Central Oklahoma

2. James Martinez, Colorado Mesa

3. Frank Cagnina, Central Missouri

4. Cameryn Brady, Indianapolis (Ind.)

5. Edwin Cooper, Upper Iowa

6. Ryan Maus, Truman State (Mo.)

7. Trevor Johnson, Mary (N.D.)

8. Art Hobley, West Liberty (W.Va.)

157 Pounds

1. Cory Dauphin, Central Oklahoma

2. Zak Vargo, Lake Erie (Ohio)

3. Chase White, Nebraska-Kearney

4. Clint Poster, St. Cloud State (Minn.)

5. Brady Bersano, California Baptist

6. John Crowley, Colorado Mines

7. Josh Ballard, McKendree (Ill.)

8.            Braden Turner, East Stroudsburg (Pa.)

165 Pounds

1. Eric Burgey, Notre Dame (Ohio)

2. Cody Quinn, Minnesota State-Mankato

3. Chris Watson, Central Oklahoma

4. Gabe Fogarty, St. Cloud State (Minn.)

5. Justin Samora, Adams State (Colo.)

6. Tyler Tesney, Lake Erie (Ohio)

7. Blake Ridenour, Newberry (S.C.)

8. Nick Giulietti, American International (Mass.)

174 Pounds

1. Joey Davis, Notre Dame (Ohio)

2. Adam Walters, Findlay (Ohio)

3. Elliot Copeland, Western State (Colo.)

4. Patrick Martinez, Nebraska-Kearney

5. Brendan McKeown, East Stroudsburg (Pa.)

6.. Michael Joseph, Minnesota State-Moorhead

7. Jacob Begin, Southwest Minnesota

8. Chester Granard, Colorado Mesa

184 Pounds

1. Dallas Smith, Ouachita Baptist (Ark.)

2. Travis McKillop, Pittsburgh-Johnstown (Pa.)

3. Bryson Hall, Ashland (Ohio)

4. Blake Sorensen, Upper Iowa

5. Zack Zelcs, Gannon (Pa.)

6. Kyle Piatt, Western State (Colo.)

7. Jordan DeBus, Chadron State (Neb.)

8. Sean Derry, Augustana (S.D.)

197 Pounds

1. Romero Cotton, Nebraska-Kearney

2. Carl Broghammer, Upper Iowa

3. Brandon Johnson, Notre Dame (Ohio)

4. Davion Willis, Wisconsin-Parkside

5. Jayd Docken, Augustana (S.D.)

6. Julian Smith, McKendree (Ill.)

7. Joe Brandt, Ashland (Ohio)

8. Joe Grisko, Newberry (S.C.)

285 Pounds

1. Ziad Haddad, Kutztown (Pa.)

2. Orlando Scales, Notre Dame (Ohio)

3. Cody Dauphin, Central Oklahoma

4. Trey Page, Fort Hays State (Kan.)

5. Matt Wade, Newberry (S.C.)

6. Kevin Christman, Tiffin (Ohio)

7. Niko Bogojevic, Colorado State-Pueblo

8.            Lorenzo Serna, Newman (Kan.)