New rankings released; Two No. 1 vs. 2 bouts set for All-Star meet

Photo: Penn State’s Greg Kerkvliet (left) defeated Air Force’s Wyatt Hendrickson in the semifinal of the 2023 NCAAs in Tulsa. The two heavyweights are ranked No. 1 and 2 in WIN’s Nov. 20 rankings and will meet in the NWCA All-Star Classic in State College, Pa., on Tuesday night. (Tony Rotundo photo)

NEWTON, Iowa — With the 2023 NWCA All-Star Classic set to be held Tuesday night in State College, Pa., there will be two No. 1 vs. No. 2 match-ups of wrestlers who are rated in WIN Magazine’s Nov. 20 Rankings, presented by Cliff Keen Athletic. In addition, three other top-ranked wrestlers will face Top-5 opponents

The following are the nine matchups of NCAA Division I wrestlers who will wrestle at Rec Hall and their current WIN rankings:

• 125 – No. 1 Anthony Noto (Lock Haven) vs. No. 4. Matt Ramos (Purdue)
• 133 – No. 4 Sam Latona, Virginia Tech vs. Connor McGonagle, Lehigh
• 141 – No. 3 Lachlan McNeil, North Carolina vs. Josh Koderhandt, Navy
• 149 – No. 2 Shayne Van Ness, Penn State vs. No. 3 Kyle Parco, Arizona State
• 165 – No. 4 Dean Hamiti, Wisconsin vs. No. 6 Izzak Olejnik, Oklahoma State
• 174 – No. 1 Carter Starocci, Penn State vs. No. 3 Mekhi Lewis, Virginia Tech
• 184 – No. 1 Parker Keckeisen, Northern Iowa vs. No. 2 Bernie Truax, Penn State
• 197 – No. 1 Aaron Brooks, Penn State vs. No. 3 Tanner Sloan, South Dakota State
• 285 – No. 1 Greg Kerkvliet, Penn State vs.  No. 2 Wyatt Hendrickson, Air Force

Meanwhile the other five top-ranked wrestlers are Cornell’s Vito Arujau (133), Iowa’s Real Woods (141), Nebraska’s Ridge Lovett (149), Penn State’s Levi Haines (157) and Missouri’s Keegan O’Toole.

In WIN’s Tournament Power Index, Penn State remains No. 1 with nine ranked wrestlers with 148 points. The Nittany Lions are followed by Cornell and Missouri, which are tied for second with 67 points.

WIN’s TPI is based on a point total associated with individual placement and advancement points that could be scored in the 2024 NCAAs if wrestlers finish where they are ranked. The following is a breakdown of those points: 20 for 1st place, 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 one and a half points for wrestlers ranked 13-16 and one point for those ranked 17-20.

Also, it should be noted that WIN’s individual rankings are not necessarily simply an update of recent wins and losses, but more of a prediction at this point in the season of where wrestlers would be seeded at the 2024 NCAAs, which will be held in Kansas City, Mo., next March, if that event was held now.

WIN Magazine’s Nov. 20 Tournament Power Index (TPI)

WIN Magazine’s Nov. 20 Individual Rankings

125 pounds 

133 pounds   

141 pounds                                                                                                 

149 pounds                                                                                                 

157 pounds                                                                                                 

165 pounds                                                                                                 

174 pounds                                                                                                 

184 pounds                                                                                                 

197 pounds                                                                                                 

Heavyweight