Five returning champs earn Penn State WIN’s No. 1 Preseason Ranking

NEWTON, Iowa — Defending NCAA Division I champion Penn State is the preseason No. 1 team to start the season according to WIN Magazine’s Preseason Tournament Power Index and Rankings.

The Nittany Lions, who return five NCAA champions who are ranked No. 1 to start the 2017-18 season — Hodge Trophy winner Zain Retherford (149), Jason Nolf (157), Vincenzo Joseph (165), Mark Hall (174) and Bo Nickal (184) — are among eight wrestlers ranked in the Top 20 of their weight classes. Other rated Nittany Lions are Corey Keener (16^th at 133 and a transfer from Central Michigan), Matt McCutcheon (seventh at 197) and Nick Nevills (fifth at heavyweight).

Penn State is expected to be challenged by a pair of fellow Big Ten Conference programs: Ohio State and Michigan. Both the Buckeyes and Wolverines have seven individuals in the preseason Top 8 according to WIN’s individual rankings.

Among Ohio State’s top returning wrestlers are two-time NCAA champion Kyle Snyder, the 2016 Olympic gold medalist, who just won a second World title, and 2015 NCAA champion Nathan Tomasello, who will drop back down to 125 pounds after wrestling at 133 the past two seasons. Also, sophomore Kollin Moore is ranked No. 1 at 197 pounds, while NCAA runner-up Bo Jordan is ranked No. 2 at 174 and 2016 champion Myles Martin is No. 2 at 184. The Buckeyes also got a lift when All-American Joey McKenna — ranked seventh at 141 — transferred from Stanford.

Michigan returns three 2017 All-Americans in Stevan Micic (2^nd at 133), Logan Massa (third at 165) and Myles Amine (fourth at 174) and bring back three other Wolverine All-Americans who redshirted last season: Alec Pantaleo (fifth at 157) and Dominic Abounader (fourth at 184) and Adam Coon (second at heavyweight). Former Old Dominion All-American Kevin Beazley has transferred to Michigan is rated fourth at 197.

WIN’s TPI point totals are broken down by the following individual rankings: 1st – 20 (16 AA points + 4 advancement points); 2nd – 16 (12+4); 3rd – 13.5 (10+3.5); 4th – 12.5 (9+3.5); 5th – 10 (7+3); 6th – 9 (6+3); 7th – 6.5 (4+2.5); 8th – 5.5 (3+2.5). Additional points for other rankings include: 9th/12th – 2; 13th/16th – 1.5; 17th-20th – 1. TPI points will be lower than the final actual NCAA tournament points because it does not include bonus points.

Other wrestlers ranked No. 1 at their weights by WIN are defending champion Darian Cruz (125) of Lehigh, national runner-up Seth Gross (133) from South Dakota State and Oklahoma State’s two-time NCAA champ Dean Heil (141).

WIN does not include true freshmen in its preseason rankings.

WIN’s 2017-18 Preseason Tournament Power Index (TPI)

WIN’s 2017-18 Preseason Individual Rankings

125 pounds

Rk. Name School 2017 Finish Year

1 Darian Cruz Lehigh 1st Senior

2 Nathan Tomasello Ohio State 3rd/133 Senior

3 Ethan Lizak Minnesota 2nd Junior

4 Nick Piccininni Oklahoma State 4th Sophomore

5 Jack Mueller Virginia 6th Sophomore

6 Sean Russell Edinboro 7th Junior

7 Zeke Moisey West Virginia dnp Junior

8 Sean Fausz NC State NQ Junior

9 Josh Terao American U. NQ Junior

10 Kyle Akins Buffalo NQ Junior

11 Shakur Laney Ohio U. NQ Junior

12 Brock Hudkins Northern Illinois NQ Sophomore

13 Ronnie Bresser Oregon State RS Junior

14 Gabe Townsell Stanford NQ Sophomore

15 Travis Piotrowski Illinois NQ Sophomore

16 Johnny Jimenez Wisconsin NQ Senior

17 Sean Nickell CSU Bakersfield NQ Junior

18 Noah Gonser Eastern Michigan NQ Sophomore

19 Barlow McGhee Missouri NQ Senior

20 Elijah Oliver Indiana NQ Junior

133 pounds

Rk Name School 2017 Finish Year

1 Seth Gross So. Dakota State 2nd Junior

2 Stevan Micic Michigan 4th Sophomore

3 Kaid Brock Oklahoma State 5th Sophomore

4 Scott Parker Lehigh 8th Junior

5 Bryan Lantry Buffalo NQ Junior

6 Mitch McKee Minnesota NQ Sophomore

7 Dom Forys Pitt NQ Senior

8 Connor Schram Stanford NQ Senior

9 John Erneste Missouri NQ Junior

10 Scott Delvecchio Rutgers NQ Senior

11 Josh Alber Northern Iowa NQ Junior

12 Luke Pletcher Ohio State NQ/141 Sophomore

13 Tyler Goodwin Maryland Injured Senior

14 Nathan Boston Campbell Transfer Junior

15 Ryan Millhof Arizona State Transfer Junior

16 Corey Keener Penn State Transfer Graduate

17 Korbin Myers Edinboro NQ Sophomore

18 Anthony Tutolo Kent State NQ Junior

19 Tariq Wilson NC State RS RS Freshman

20 Cam Sykora No. Dakota State NQ Sophomore

141 pounds

Rk Name School 2017 Finish Year

1 Dean Heil Oklahoma State 1st Senior

2 Kevin Jack NC State 3rd Senior

3 Bryce Meredith Wyoming 4th Senior

4 Jaydin Eierman Missouri 5th Sophomore

5 Anthony Ashnault Rutgers 6th Senior

6 Tommy Thorn Minnesota 8th Junior

7 Joey McKenna Ohio State NQ Transfer – Junior

8 Javier Gasca III Michigan State NQ Senior

9 Colton McCrystal Nebraska NQ Senior

10 Tyler Smith Bucknell NQ Senior

11 Jared Prince Navy NQ Sophomore

12 Brock Zacherl Clarion NQ Junior

13 Jack Hathaway Oregon State NQ Senior

14 Cole Martin Wisconsin NQ Sophomore

15 Mitch Bengtson No. Dakota State dnp Senior

16 Tyson Dippery Rider Transfer Senior

17 Russell Rohlfing CSU Bakersfield NQ Sophomore

18 Kanen Storr Iowa State RS RS Freshman

19 Mike Longo Oklahoma NQ Senior

20 Kyle Shoop Lock Haven NQ/149 Sophomore

149 pounds

Rk Name School 2017 Finish Year

1 Zain Retherford Penn State 1st Senior

2 Brandon Sorensen Iowa 3rd Senior

3 Micah Jordan Ohio State 4th Junior

4 Max Thomsen Northern Iowa 5th Sophomore

5 Solomon Chishko Virginia Tech 6th Junior

6 Matthew Kolodzik Princeton 7th/141 Sophomore

7 Justin Oliver Central Michigan NQ Junior

8 Jason Tsirtsis Arizona State Transfer Senior

9 Geo Martinez Oklahoma State Transfer Senior

10 Andrew Crone Wisconsin NQ Senior

11 Steve Bleise Minnesota NQ/Transfer Junior

12 Ryan Deakin Northwestern RS RS Freshman

13 Matt Zovistoski Appalachian State NQ Junior

14 Mitch Finesilver Duke RS Junior

15 Alfred Bannister Maryland NQ Junior

16 Troy Heilmann North Carolina NQ Senior

17 Davion Jeffries Oklahoma NQ Junior

18 Eric Barone Illinois NQ Sophomore

19 Jamal Morris NC State NQ/133 Junior

20 Ronnie Perry Lock Haven NQ Senior

157 pounds

Rk Name School 2017 Finish Year

1 Jason Nolf Penn State 1st Junior

2 Joey Lavallee Missouri 2nd Senior

3 Michael Kemerer Iowa 3rd Sophomore

4 Tyler Berger Nebraska 5th Junior

5 Alec Pantaleo Michigan RS Junior

6 Josh Shields Arizona State NQ Sophomore

7 Paul Fox Stanford 7th Junior

8 Jake Short Minnesota NQ Senior

9 Colin Heffernan Central Michigan NQ Senior

10 Richie Lewis Rutgers Injured Graduate

11 Clayton Ream No. Dakota State NQ Senior

12 Cole Walter Lehigh NQ/165 Sophomore

13 Archie Colgan Wyoming NQ Senior

14 May Bethea Penn NQ Senior

15 B.J. Clagon Rider NQ Senior

16 Kyle Langenderfer Illinois NQ Senior

17 Andrew Atkinson Virginia NQ Senior

18 Taleb Rahmani Pitt NQ Sophomore

19 Justin Staudenmayer Brown RS Senior

20 Markus Scheidel Columbia NQ Senior

165 pounds

Rk Name School 2017 Finish Year

1 Vincenzo Joseph Penn State 1st Sophomore

2 Isaiah Martinez Illinois 2nd Senior

3 Logan Massa Michigan 3rd Sophomore

4 Chandler Rogers Oklahoma State 5th Junior

5 Chad Walsh Rider 7th Senior

6 Anthony Valencia Arizona State NQ Sophomore

7 Brandon Womack Cornell 8th Junior

8 Jordan Kutler Lehigh Injured Sophomore

9 David McFadden Virginia Tech RS Sophomore

10 Drew Hughes Michigan State NQ Sophomore

11 Bryce Steiert Northern Iowa NQ Junior

12 Nick Wanzek Minnesota NQ Senior

13 Te Shan Campbell Ohio State NQ Transfer-Junior

14 Branson Ashworth Wyoming NQ Junior

15 Austin Matthews Edinboro NQ Senior

16 Alex Marinelli Iowa RS RS Freshman

17 Yoanse Mejias Oklahoma NQ Senior

18 Jonathan Schleifer Princeton NQ/174 Senior

19 Keilan Torres Northern Colorado NQ Senior

20 Isaiah White Nebraska Transfer Sophomore

174 pounds

Rk Name School 2017 Finish Year

1 Mark Hall Penn State 1st Sophomore

2 Bo Jordan Ohio State 2nd Senior

3 Zahid Valencia Arizona State 3rd Sophomore

4 Myles Amine Michigan 4th Sophomore

5 Daniel Lewis Missouri 6th/165 Junior

6 Ryan Preisch Lehigh NQ Junior

7 Jadaen Bernstein Navy NQ Senior

8 Taylor Lujan Northern Iowa NQ Sophomore

9 Ethan Ramos North Carolina NQ Senior

10 CJ Brucki Central Michigan NQ Senior

11 Keaton Subjeck Stanford NQ/165 Senior

12 Ryan Christensen Wisconsin NQ Junior

13 Jacobe Smith Oklahoma State Transfer Senior

14 Jordan Pagano Rutgers NQ Junior

15 Ty Schoffstall Edinboro NQ Senior

16 Kaleb Young Iowa RS RS Freshman

17 Forrest Przybysz Appalachian State RS Senior

18 Josef Johnson Harvard NQ Senior

19 Christopher Pfarr Minnesota NQ Senior

20 David Kocer So. Dakota State NQ Senior

184 pounds

Rk Name School 2017 Finish Year

1 Bo Nickal Penn State 1st Junior

2 Myles Martin Ohio State 5th Junior

3 Pete Renda NC State RS Senior

4 Domenic Abounader Michigan RS Senior

5 Drew Foster Northern Iowa 7th Junior

6 Emery Parker Illinois NQ Junior

7 Zack Zavatsky Virginia Tech NQ Junior

8 Jordan Ellingwood Central Michigan NQ Senior

9 Nick Gravina Rutgers NQ Senior

10 Steven Schneider Binghamton NQ Senior

11 Bryce Carr Chattanooga NQ Senior

12 Michael Coleman Navy NQ Senior

13 Hunter Ritter Wisconsin NQ Sophomore

14 Owen Webster Minnesota Transfer Sophomore

15 Dylan Gabel Northern Colorado NQ Junior

16 Nick Corba Cleveland State NQ Senior

17 Mitch Sliga Northwestern NQ Senior

18 Garrett Hoffman Bucknell NQ Sophomore

19 Joe Heyob Penn NQ Senior

20 Alexander DeCiantis Drexel NQ Senior

197 pounds

Rk Name School 2017 Finish Year

1 Kollin Moore Ohio State 3rd Sophomore

2 Jared Haught Virginia Tech 4th Senior

3 Preston Weigel Oklahoma State 6th Junior

4 Kevin Beazley Michigan 8th Gr/Transfer

5 Willie Miklus Missouri Injured Senior

6 Jake Smith West Virginia Injured Senior

7 Matt McCutcheon Penn State NQ Senior

8 Mike Macchiavello NC State NQ/184 Senior

9 Nate Rotert So. Dakota State NQ Senior

10 Daniel Chaid North Carolina NQ Senior

11 Frank Mattiace Penn NQ Senior

12 Matt Williams CSU Bakersfield NQ Senior

13 Cash Wilcke Iowa NQ Sophomore

14 Corey Griego Oregon State NQ Junior

15 Ben Honis Cornell NQ Junior

16 Christian Brunner Purdue NQ Sophomore

17 Tom Sleigh Bucknell NQ Senior

18 Steban Cervantes Navy NQ Senior

19 Jeric Kasunic American U NQ Senior

20 Scottie Boykin Chattanooga RS Senior

Heavyweight

Rk Name School 2017 Finish Year

1 Kyle Snyder Ohio State 1st Senior

2 Adam Coon Michigan RS Grad

3 Amarveer Dhesi Oregon State Injured Senior

4 Tanner Hall Arizona State 3rd Junior

5 Nick Nevills Penn State 5th Junior

6 Jacob Kasper Duke 6th Senior

7 Youssif Hemida Maryland NQ Junior

8 Sam Stoll Iowa Injured Junior

9 Ryan Solomon Pitt NQ Senior

10 Nathan Butler Stanford NQ Senior

11 Conan Jennings Northwestern NQ Junior

12 Thomas Haines Lock Haven NQ Junior

13 Jere Heino Campbell NQ Junior

14 Jordan Wood Lehigh RS RS Freshman

15 Dustin Dennison Utah Valley NQ Senior

16 Billy Miller Edinboro NQ Junior

17 Garrett Ryan Columbia NQ Senior

18 Michael Boykin NC State RS Senior

19 Newton Smerchek Central Michigan NQ Senior

20 Jake Gunning Buffalo NQ Junior