Iowa, Penn State & Nebraska are top 3 teams in Feb. 23 ranks as postseason begins
Note: There are seven conference tournaments that will eventually qualify 330 wrestlers for the 2021 NCAA Division I Championships that will be held March 18-20 in St. Louis, Mo.
NEWTON, Iowa — The two-month regular season has come to an end and Iowa, Penn State and Nebraska are considered the top three NCAA Division I teams, according to WIN Magazine’s Feb. 23 national rankings … as the 2021 postseason begins this weekend with five of seven NCAA-qualifying tournaments taking place.
The following are the seven scheduled conference tournaments that will be held the next two weekends. 330 wrestlers will qualify for the 2021 NCAA Championships, which will be held March 18-20 in St. Louis, Mo.:
| Feb. 26 | EIWA | Manheim, Pa. |
| Feb. 26-27 | MAC | Lawrenceville, N.J. |
| Feb. 28 | ACC | Raleigh, N.C. |
| Feb. 28 | Pac-12 | Corvallis, Ore. |
| Feb. 28 | SoCon | Boone, N.C. |
| March 6-7 | Big Ten | State College, Pa. |
| March 6-7 | Big 12 | Tulsa, Okla. |
Heading into the postseason, Iowa — which has not wrestled since Feb. 7 because of COVID protocol conflicts — ended the regular season as the top-ranked team with a 5-0 record and a 144 Tournament Power Index points. The Hawkeyes feature a ranked wrestler at all 10 weights, including four No. 1-ranked wrestlers: Spencer Lee (125), Jaydin Eierman (141), Alex Marinelli (165) and Michael Kemerer (174).
WIN’s TPI predicts approximately how many NCAA points a team will score in St. Louis, excluding bonus points, based on numbers associated with individual placements/rankings at this point in the season prior to seeds coming out: 20 for 1st, 16 for 2nd, 13.5 for 3rd, 12.5 for 4th, 10 for 5th, 9 for 6th, 6.5 for 7th and 5.5 for 8th. Wrestlers ranked 9-12 earn two points each, followed by 1.5 points for wrestlers ranked 13-16 and 1 point for those ranked 17-20.
Penn State (6-0) has moved into second place in WIN’s TPI with 77.5 points and nine ranked wrestlers. Four Nittany Lions are ranked No. 2 at their weight classes — Roman Bravo-Young (133), Nick Lee (141) and Aaron Brooks (184) — while Carter Starocci is rated No. 3 at 174 pounds. There is a question mark as to what Nittany Lions will compete heavyweight during the post-season, where both Greg Kerkvliet and Seth Nevills have wrestled this winter and have been nationally ranked.
Nebraska (7-1) is rated No. 3 in WIN’s TPI (6.5) and will send seven ranked wrestlers to the postseason, including Eric Schultz, the top-ranked wrestler at 197 pounds.
The next four schools — Arizona State, Oklahoma State, NC State and Virginia Tech — are separated by four TPI points. The Cowboys and Hokies also feature a No. 1-ranked wrestler in Daton Fix (133) and Hunter Bolen (184), respectively.
The other top-ranked individual wrestlers are North Carolina’s Austin O’Connor (149), Northwestern’s Ryan Deakin (157) and Minnesota’s Gable Steveson (Hwt.).
WIN’s Feb. 23, 2021 and final Team Dual Rankings
| Rk. | School | W-L | Previous |
| 1. | Iowa | 5-0 | 1st |
| 2. | Penn State | 6-0 | 2nd |
| 3. | Michigan | 5-1 | 3rd |
| 4. | Oklahoma State | 10-0 | 4th |
| 5. | Missouri | 10-0 | 5th |
| 6. | Nebraska | 7-1 | 6th |
| 7. | Virginia Tech | 9-0 | 7th |
| 8. | NC State | 6-1 | 8th |
| 9. | Arizona State | 6-0 | 9th |
| 10 | Minnesota | 7-2 | 10th |
| 11. | Illinois | 5-3 | 11th |
| 12. | Ohio State | 5-4 | 12th |
| 13. | Iowa State | 9-3 | 13th |
| 14. | North Carolina | 5-2 | 14th |
| 15. | Navy | 5-1 | 15th |
| 16. | Pitt | 3-4 | 16th |
| 17. | Wisconsin | 1-6 | 17th |
| 18. | Purdue | 4-5 | 18th |
| 19. | Northern Iowa | 4-4 | 19th |
| 20. | Oklahoma | 5-5 | 20th |
| 21. | Rutgers | 0-4 | 21st |
| 22. | Northwestern | 2-6 | 22nd |
| 23. | Virginia | 3-3 | 23rd |
| 24. | Michigan State | 2-5 | 24th |
| 25. | Binghamton | 3-1 | 25th |
WIN’s Feb. 23, 2021 Tournament Power Index
| Rk | School | Total Rank | Top 8 | TPI Pts |
| 1. | Iowa | 10 | 9 | 144 |
| 2. | Penn State | 9 | 5 | 77.5 |
| 3. | Nebraska | 7 | 4 | 65.5 |
| 4. | Arizona State | 8 | 5 | 57 |
| 5. | Oklahoma State | 8 | 4 | 56 |
| 6. | NC State | 9 | 5 | 55 |
| 7. | Virginia Tech | 6 | 4 | 53 |
| 8. | Michigan | 6 | 3 | 46 |
| 9. | Missouri | 9 | 3 | 39.5 |
| 10. | Iowa State | 7 | 4 | 39 |
| 11t. | Minnesota | 6 | 2 | 36 |
| 11t. | Ohio State | 6 | 3 | 36 |
| 13. | Central Michigan | 3 | 2 | 30 |
| 14. | North Carolina | 6 | 1 | 28.5 |
| 15. | Northwestern | 5 | 1 | 26.5 |
| 16. | Pitt | 4 | 2 | 25 |
| 17t. | Northern Iowa | 4 | 3 | 23.5 |
| 17t. | Rutgers | 3 | 2 | 23.5 |
| 19. | Illinois | 7 | 2 | 21 |
| 20. | Stanford | 3 | 1 | 18.5 |
| 21. | South Dakota State | 4 | 1 | 18 |
| 22. | Wyoming | 5 | 2 | 16.5 |
| 23. | Rider | 2 | 1 | 14 |
| 24. | Binghamton | 2 | 1 | 13.5 |
| 25. | Oklahoma | 5 | 1 | 12 |
| 26t. | Northern Colorado | 2 | 1 | 11.5 |
| 26t. | Purdue | 4 | 1 | 11.5 |
| 28t. | Navy | 2 | 1 | 11 |
| 28t. | Wisconsin | 2 | 1 | 11 |
| 30. | Utah Valley | 2 | 1 | 10.5 |
| 31. | Lehigh | 4 | 1 | 10 |
| 32. | Virginia | 7 | 0 | 9.5 |
| 33. | Northern Illinois | 2 | 1 | 8 |
| 34. | Bucknell | 2 | 1 | 7.5 |
| 35. | West Virginia | 2 | 1 | 6.5 |
| 36. | Appalachian State | 4 | 0 | 5.5 |
| 37. | Indiana | 3 | 0 | 5 |
| 38. | Michigan State | 2 | 0 | 4 |
| 39t. | Army West Point | 3 | 0 | 3 |
| 39t. | Oregon State | 2 | 0 | 3 |
| 41. | American U | 2 | 0 | 2.5 |
| 42t. | Cal Poly | 1 | 0 | 2 |
| 42t. | Campbell | 2 | 0 | 2 |
| 42t. | Clarion | 1 | 0 | 2 |
| 42t. | Fresno State | 1 | 0 | 2 |
| 46t. | Kent State | 1 | 0 | 1.5 |
| 46t. | North Dakota State | 1 | 0 | 1.5 |
| 48t. | Buffalo | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| 48t. | Drexel | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| 48t. | Edinboro | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| 48t. | Ohio | 1 | 0 | 1 |
WIN’s Feb. 23, 2021 Individual Rankings
125 pounds
| Wt | Name | School | Year | Previous |
| 1. | Spencer Lee | Iowa | Senior | 1st |
| 2. | Drew Hildebrandt | Central Michigan | Senior | 2nd |
| 3. | Brandon Courtney | Arizona State | Junior | 3rd |
| 4. | Liam Cronin | Nebraska | Senior | 4th |
| 5. | Sam Latona | Virginia Tech | RS Freshman | 5th |
| 6. | Jakob Camacho | NC State | Sophomore | 6th |
| 7. | Brody Teske | Northern Iowa | RS Freshman | 8th |
| 8. | Malik Heinselman | Ohio State | Junior | 10th |
| 9. | Patrick McKee | Minnesota | Sophomore | 12th |
| 10. | Rayvon Foley | Michigan State | Junior | 11th |
| 11. | Michael DeAugustino | Northwestern | Sophomore | 7th |
| 12. | Justin Cardani | Illinois | Sophomore | 13th |
| 13. | Devin Schroder | Purdue | Senior | 14th |
| 14. | Jaret Lane | Lehigh | Junior | 15th |
| 15. | Brock Hudkins | Indiana | Senior | 16th |
| 16. | Taylor Lamont | Utah Valley | Junior | 17th |
| 17. | Connor Brown | Missouri | Junior | 18th |
| 18. | Cage Curry | American U. | Senior | 19th |
| 19. | Trevor Mastrogiovanni | Oklahoma State | Freshman | 20th |
| 20. | Cody Russell | Appalachian State | Senior | NR |
133 pounds
| Wt | Name | School | Year | Previous |
| 1. | Daton Fix | Oklahoma State | Sophomore | 1st |
| 2. | Roman Bravo-Young | Penn State | Junior | 2nd |
| 3. | Austin DeSanto | Iowa | Senior | 3rd |
| 4. | Mickey Phillippi | Pittsburgh | Junior | 4th |
| 5. | Michael McGee | Arizona State | Junior | 5th |
| 6. | Sammy Alvarez | Rutgers | Sophomore | 6th |
| 7. | Korbin Myers | Virginia Tech | Senior | 7th |
| 8. | Matt Schmitt | Missouri | Grad. | 8th |
| 9. | Zach Price | South Dakota State | Sophomore | 9th |
| 10. | Chris Cannon | Northwestern | Freshman | 10th |
| 11. | Jamie Hernandez | North Carolina | Junior | 11th |
| 12. | Lucas Byrd | Illinois | RS Freshman | 12th |
| 13. | Zach Redding | Iowa State | Freshman | 13th |
| 14. | Kyle Biscoglia | Northern Iowa | Sophomore | 14th |
| 15. | Louie Hayes | Virginia | Senior | 15th |
| 16. | Mosha Schwartz | Northern Colorado | Sophomore | 16th |
| 17. | Darren Miller | Bucknell | Sophomore | 17th |
| 18. | Jarrett Trombley | NC State | Sophomore | 18th |
| 19. | Mario Guillen | Ohio | Senior | 19th |
| 20. | Ryan Sullivan | West Virginia | RS Freshman | 20th |
141 pounds
| Wt. | Name | School | Year | Previous |
| 1. | Jaydin Eierman | Iowa | Senior | 1st |
| 2. | Nick Lee | Penn State | Senior | 2nd |
| 3. | Sebastian Rivera | Rutgers | Grad. | 3rd |
| 4. | Chad Red Jr. | Nebraska | Senior | 4th |
| 5. | Allen Hart | Missouri | Junior | 5th |
| 6. | Ian Parker | Iowa State | Senior | 6th |
| 7. | Dom Demas | Oklahoma | Junior | 7th |
| 8. | Tariq Wilson | NC State | Senior | 8th |
| 9. | Zachary Sherman | North Carolina | Junior | 9th |
| 10. | Dylan Duncan | Illinois | Senior | 10th |
| 11. | Cody Trybus | Navy | Senior | 11th |
| 12. | D.J. Loren | Fresno State | Senior | 12th |
| 13. | Grant Willits | Oregon State | Junior | 13th |
| 14. | Brian Courtney | Virginia | Junior | 14th |
| 15. | Cole Matthews | Pittsburgh | Sophomore | 15th |
| 16. | Dresden Simon | Central Michigan | Senior | 16th |
| 17. | Pete Lipari | Arizona State | Senior | 17th |
| 18. | Derek Spann | Buffalo | Senior | 18th |
| 19. | Zach Trampe | Binghamton | Senior | 19th |
| 20. | Clay Carlson | South Dakota State | Sophomore | 20th |
149 pounds
| Wt. | Name | School | Year | Previous |
| 1. | Austin O`Connor | North Carolina | Junior | 1st |
| 2. | Sammy Sasso | Ohio State | Sophomore | 2nd |
| 3. | Brock Mauller | Missouri | Junior | 3rd |
| 4. | Boo Lewallen | Oklahoma State | Senior | 4th |
| 5. | Andrew Alirez | Northern Colorado | Sophomore | 5th |
| 6. | Max Murin | Iowa | Junior | 6th |
| 7. | Jarrett Degen | Iowa State | Senior | 7th |
| 8. | Mike Carr | Illinois | Junior | 9th |
| 9. | Bryce Andonian | Virginia Tech | Sophomore | 12th |
| 10. | Jonathan Millner | Appalachian State | Junior | 11th |
| 11. | Griffin Parriott | Purdue | Senior | 10th |
| 12. | Kanen Storr | Michigan | Senior | 8th |
| 13. | Graham Rooks | Indiana | Sophomore | 14th |
| 14. | Jaden Abas | Stanford | RS Freshman | 15th |
| 15. | Beau Bartlett | Penn State | Freshman | NR |
| 16. | Michael Blockhus | Minnesota | Sophomore | NR |
| 17. | Yahya Thomas | Northwestern | Junior | 13th |
| 18. | Joshua Heil | Campbell | Senior | 17th |
| 19. | Mitch Moore | Oklahoma | Junior | 18th |
| 20. | P.J. Ogunsanya | Army | Junior | 20th |
157 pounds
| Wt. | Name | School | Year | Previous |
| 1. | Ryan Deakin | Northwestern | Senior | 1st |
| 2. | Hayden Hidlay | NC State | Senior | 2nd |
| 3. | David Carr | Iowa State | Sophomore | 3rd |
| 4. | Jesse Dellavecchia | Rider | Grad | 4th |
| 5. | Kaleb Young | Iowa | Senior | 5th |
| 6. | Brayton Lee | Minnesota | Sophomore | 6th |
| 7. | Kendall Coleman | Purdue | Sophomore | 7th |
| 8. | Josh Humphreys | Lehigh | Junior | 8th |
| 9. | Justin Thomas | Oklahoma | Senior | 9th |
| 10. | Jarrett Jacques | Missouri | Junior | 10th |
| 11. | Brady Berge | Penn State | Junior | 11th |
| 12. | Will Lewan | Michigan | Sophomore | 12th |
| 13. | Jacori Teemer | Arizona State | Sophomore | 13th |
| 14. | Jared Franek | North Dakota State | Sophomore | 14th |
| 15. | Jacob Wright | Wyoming | Junior | 15th |
| 16. | Hunter Willits | Oregon State | Junior | 17th |
| 17. | Requir Van der Merwe | Stanford | Senior | 18th |
| 18. | Markus Hartman | Army West Point | Junior | 19th |
| 19. | Justin McCoy | Virginia | Sophomore | 20th |
| 20. | Wyatt Sheets | Oklahoma State | Junior | 16th |
165 pounds
| Wt. | Name | School | Year | Previous |
| 1. | Alex Marinelli | Iowa | Senior | 1st |
| 2. | Shane Griffith | Stanford | Sophomore | 2nd |
| 3. | Mekhi Lewis | Virginia Tech | Sophomore | 3rd |
| 4. | Travis Wittlake | Oklahoma State | Sophomore | 4th |
| 5. | Anthony Valencia | Arizona State | Senior | 5th |
| 6. | Tanner Skidgel | Navy | Senior | 6th |
| 7. | Zach Hartman | Bucknell | Junior | 7th |
| 8. | Dan Braunagel | Illinois | Sophomore | 8th |
| 9. | Ethan Smith | Ohio State | Junior | 9th |
| 10. | Keegan O’Toole | Missouri | Freshman | 10th |
| 11. | Jake Wentzel | Pittsburgh | Senior | 11th |
| 12. | Andrew Sparks | Minnesota | Freshman | 12th |
| 13. | Jake Keating | Virginia | Senior | 13th |
| 14. | Kennedy Monday | North Carolina | Senior | 14th |
| 15. | Thomas Bullard | NC State | Senior | 15th |
| 16. | Tanner Cook | South Dakota State | Sophomore | 16th |
| 17. | Peyton Robb | Nebraska | Sophomore | 17th |
| 18. | Cameron Amine | Michigan | RS Freshman | 18th |
| 19. | Joe Lee | Penn State | RS Freshman | 19th |
| 20. | William Formato | Appalachian State | Sophomore | 20th |
174 pounds
| Wt. | Name | School | Year | Previous |
| 1. | Michael Kemerer | Iowa | Grad. | 1st |
| 2. | Mikey Labriola | Nebraska | Junior | 2nd |
| 3. | Carter Starocci | Penn State | RS Freshman | 6th |
| 4. | Logan Massa | Michigan | Senior | 4th |
| 5. | Kaleb Romero | Ohio State | Junior | 3rd |
| 6. | Demetrius Romero | Utah Valley | Senior | 5th |
| 7. | Daniel Bullard | NC State | Senior | 8th |
| 8. | Hayden Hastings | Wyoming | Junior | 9th |
| 9. | Devin Kane | North Carolina | Senior | 10th |
| 10. | Trey Munoz | Arizona State | RS Freshmen | 12th |
| 11. | Donnell Washington | Indiana | Freshman | 13th |
| 12. | Bernie Truax | Cal Poly | Sophomore | 14th |
| 13. | Dustin Plott | Oklahoma State | Freshman | 11th |
| 14. | Andrew McNally | Kent State | Senior | 15th |
| 15. | Thomas Flitz | Appalachian State | Senior | 16th |
| 16. | Mason Kaufmann | Northern Illinois | Junior | 17th |
| 17. | Clay Lautt | North Carolina | Junior | 18th |
| 18. | Austin Murphy | Campbell | Junior | 19th |
| 19. | Michael O`Malley | Drexel | Sophomore | 20th |
| 20. | Jacob Oliver | Edinboro | Junior | NR |
184 pounds
| Wt. | Name | School | Year | Previous |
| 1. | Hunter Bolen | Virginia Tech | Junior | 1st |
| 2. | Aaron Brooks | Penn State | Sophomore | 2nd |
| 3. | Trent Hidlay | NC State | Sophomore | 3rd |
| 4. | Lou Deprez | Binghamton | Junior | 4th |
| 5. | Parker Keckeisen | Northern Iowa | RS Freshman | 5th |
| 6 | Chris Weiler | Wisconsin | Senior | 6th |
| 7. | Brit Wilson | Northern Illinois | Junior | 7th |
| 8. | Dakota Geer | Oklahoma State | Senior | 9th |
| 9. | Taylor Venz | Nebraska | Senior | 11th |
| 10. | Zach Braunagel | Illinois | Sophomore | 8th |
| 11. | Nelson Brands | Iowa | Sophomore | 10th |
| 12. | Jeremiah Kent | Missouri | Sophomore | 12th |
| 13. | Tate Samuelson | Wyoming | Junior | 13th |
| 14. | Tanner Harvey | American | Senior | 14th |
| 15. | Owen Webster | Minnesota | Grad | 15th |
| 16. | Max Lyon | Purdue | Senior | 16th |
| 17. | Sam Colbray | Iowa State | Senior | 17th |
| 18. | John Poznanski | Rutgers | Freshman | 18th |
| 19. | Rocky Jordan | Ohio State | Sophomore | 19th |
| 20. | Michael Battista | Virginia | Junior | 20th |
197 pounds
| Wt. | Name | School | Year | Previous |
| 1. | Eric Schultz | Nebraska | Senior | 1st |
| 2. | Jacob Warner | Iowa | Junior | 2nd |
| 3. | Tanner Sloan | South Dakota State | Sophomore | 3rd |
| 4. | Myles Amine | Michigan | Grad | 4th |
| 5. | Kordell Norfleet | Arizona State | Junior | 6th |
| 6. | Nino Bonaccorsi | Pittsburgh | Junior | 5th |
| 7. | Stephen Buchanan | Wyoming | Sophomore | 7th |
| 8. | Noah Adams | West Virginia | Junior | 8th |
| 9. | Jay Aiello | Virginia | Senior | 9th |
| 10. | Greg Bulsak | Clarion | Senior | 10th |
| 11. | Cameron Caffey | Michigan State | Junior | 11th |
| 12. | A.J. Ferrari | Oklahoma State | Freshman | 12th |
| 13. | Lucas Davison | Northwestern | Sophomore | 13th |
| 14. | Jake Woodley | Oklahoma | Junior | 14th |
| 15. | Rocky Elam | Missouri | Freshman | 15th |
| 16. | Michael Beard | Penn State | RS Freshman | 16th |
| 17. | Jake Jakobsen | Lehigh | Senior | 17th |
| 18. | JT Brown | Army West Point | Junior | 18th |
| 19. | Isaac Trumble | NC State | Freshmen | 19th |
| 20. | Marcus Coleman | Iowa State | Junior | NR |
Heavyweight
| Wt. | Name | School | Year | Previous |
| 1. | Gable Steveson | Minnesota | Junior | 1st |
| 2. | Mason Parris | Michigan | Junior | 2nd |
| 3. | Tony Cassioppi | Iowa | Sophomore | 3rd |
| 4. | Matt Stencel | Central Michigan | Senior | 4th |
| 4. | Greg Kerkvliet | Penn State | Freshman | NR |
| 6. | Cohlton Schultz | Arizona State | RS Freshman | 5th |
| 7 | Gannon Gremmel | Iowa State | Senior | 6th |
| 8. | Carter Isley | Northern Iowa | Senior | 7th |
| 9. | Jordan Wood | Lehigh | Senior | 8th |
| 10. | Trent Hillger | Wisconsin | Junior | 9th |
| 11. | Zach Elam | Missouri | Sophomore | 10th |
| 12. | Luke Luffman | Illinois | Sophomore | 11th |
| 13. | Tate Orndorff | Ohio State | Junior | 13th |
| 14 | Brian Andrews | Wyoming | Senior | 14th |
| 15. | Ethan Laird | Rider | Senior | 15th |
| 16. | Christian Lance | Nebraska | Senior | 16th |
| 17. | Deonte Wilson | NC State | Junior | 17th |
| 18. | Josh Heindselman | Oklahoma | RS Freshman | 18th |
| 19. | John Borst | Virginia Tech | Junior | 19th |
| 20. | Quinn Miller | Virginia | Junior | 20th |
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