Penn State is dominant No. 1 before Christmas in WIN’s Dec. 23 Rankings
By Mike Finn
Updated: December 23, 2024
Photo: Penn State sophomore Tyler Kasak (top), who defeated Missouri’s James Conway on Sunday in their 157-pound match at the Journeyman Collegiate Duals in Nashville, Tenn., is one of three Nittany Lions ranked No. 1 in WIN’s Dec. 23 Rankings. Penn State, 6-0, this season, has now won a school-record 61-straight dual meets. (Sam Janicki photo)
NEWTON, Iowa — It’s two days before Christmas and Penn State could be the merriest of NCAA Division I teams in WIN Magazine’s Dec. 23 Rankings, presented by Cliff Keen Athletic.
The Nittany Lions, coming off an impressive showing at the Journeyman Collegiate Duals, are ranked No. 1 in WIN’s dual-team rankings at 6-0 and hold a 64-point margin (146-82) over second-place Oklahoma State in WIN Magazine’s Tournament Power Index.
WIN’s TPI projects where programs would finish in the 2025 NCAA Division I Championships, which will be held March 20-22 in Philadelphia, if every wrestler finished the season where they are ranked now. The following is a breakdown of those individual TPI points per ranking: 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 one and a half points for wrestlers ranked 13-16 and one point for those ranked 17-20.
All 10 wrestlers in Penn State’s starting lineup are ranked in the Top 8 of their weight classes, including three wrestlers who are ranked No. 1 at their weight class: Tyler Kasak (157), Mitchell Mesenbrink (165) and Carter Starocci (184)
The other Top 5 programs in WIN’s TPI includes Oklahoma State (82), Iowa (75), Minnesota (74.5) and Virginia Tech (53.5). In WIN’s dual-team rankings, Iowa is rated No. 2, followed by Oklahoma State, Nebraska and Ohio State.
The other top-ranked individual wrestlers are Purdue’s Matt Ramos (125), Lehigh’s Ryan Crookham (133), Ohio State’s Jesse Mendez (141), Virginia Tech’s Caleb Henson (149), Missouri’s Keegan O’Toole (174), Iowa’s Stephen Buchanan (197) and Minnesota’s Gable Steveson (Hwt).
The next WIN rankings will come out Jan. 6, 2025, after notable tournaments like the Midlands (Dec. 29-30), Soldier Salute (Dec. 29-30) and the Southern Scuffle (Jan. 4-5) before most programs begin their conference schedules.
WIN Magazine’s Dec. 23 Top-20 Dual Teams
| Rk. | School | W-L | Prev. | Upcoming Action |
| 1. | Penn State | 6-0 | 1st | off until Jan. 10 vs. Michigan State |
| 2. | Iowa | 6-0 | 2nd | Dec. 29-30 at Soldier Salute |
| 3. | Oklahoma State | 6-0 | 3rd | off until Jan. 3 vs. Air Force |
| 4. | Nebraska | 5-0 | 4th | off until Jan. 5 at Northern Iowa |
| 5. | Ohio State | 7-0 | 5th | off until Jan. 5 vs. Oregon State |
| 6. | NC State | 6-0 | 6th | off until Jan. 10 vs. Duke |
| 7. | Virginia Tech | 3-1 | 7th | off until Jan. 4 at Southern Scuffle |
| 8. | Minnesota | 4-0 | 8th | Dec. 29-30 at Soldier Salute |
| 9. | Cornell | 1-1 | 9th | off until Jan. 3 at Missouri |
| 10. | Iowa State | 4-3 | 10th | off until Jan. 8 at West Virginia |
| 11. | Michigan | 3-0 | 11th | off until Jan. 10 vs. Maryland |
| 12. | Northern Iowa | 3-0 | 12th | Dec. 29-30 at Soldier Salute |
| 13. | Illinois | 6-0 | 14th | off until Jan. 10 vs. Ohio State |
| 14. | Stanford | 4-1 | 16th | Dec. 29-30 at Midlands |
| 15. | South Dakota State | 5-2 | 15th | Dec. 29-30 at Soldier Salute |
| 16. | Rutgers | 8-2 | 17th | Dec. 29-30 at Midlands |
| 17. | Little Rock | 7-1 | 19th | off until Jan. 4 at Southern Scuffle |
| 18. | Lehigh | 1-2 | 18th | off until Jan. 11 at Binghamton |
| 19. | Missouri | 2-5 | 13th | off until Jan. 3 vs. Cornell |
| 20. | Oklahoma | 6-1 | 20th | off until Jan. 4 at Southern Scuffle |
WIN Magazine’s Dec. 23 Tournament Power Index
| Rk. | School | Total Rank | Top 8 | TPI Points |
| 1. | Penn State | 10 | 10 | 146 |
| 2. | Oklahoma State | 10 | 7 | 82 |
| 3. | Iowa | 7 | 6 | 75 |
| 4. | Minnesota | 9 | 6 | 74.5 |
| 5. | Virginia Tech | 10 | 2 | 53.5 |
| 6. | Nebraska | 8 | 4 | 51.5 |
| 7. | Ohio State | 9 | 3 | 48.5 |
| 8. | Iowa State | 8 | 4 | 42 |
| 9, | Northern Iowa | 8 | 3 | 40.5 |
| 10. | Missouri | 5 | 2 | 35 |
| 11t, | Cornell | 4 | 3 | 32.5 |
| 11t. | Stanford | 5 | 3 | 32.5 |
| 13. | Lehigh | 4 | 2 | 30.5 |
| 14. | Illinois | 8 | 1 | 27.5 |
| 15. | West Virginia | 2 | 2 | 27 |
| 16. | NC State | 6 | 2 | 23.5 |
| 17. | South Dakota State | 5 | 2 | 22.5 |
| 18. | Purdue | 2 | 1 | 22 |
| 19 | Michigan | 4 | 1 | 21 |
| 20. | Northern Colorado | 4 | 1 | 20.5 |
| 21. | Cal Poly | 2 | 2 | 18 |
| 22. | Penn | 4 | 1 | 15 |
| 23t. | Little Rock | 5 | 1 | 14.5 |
| 23t. | Ohio | 2 | 1 | 14.5 |
| 25. | Utah Valley | 2 | 1 | 14 |
| 26. | CSU Bakersfield | 1 | 1 | 13.5 |
| 27. | Maryland | 4 | 1 | 11 |
| 28. | Campbell | 1 | 1 | 10 |
| 29t. | North Carolina | 4 | 1 | 9.5 |
| 29t. | Rutgers | 6 | 0 | 9.5 |
| 31. | Arizona State | 3 | 1 | 9 |
| 32t. | Oklahoma | 5 | 0 | 8 |
| 32t. | Wyoming | 2 | 1 | 8 |
| 34t. | Navy | 2 | 1 | 7 |
| 34t. | Pitt | 5 | 0 | 7 |
| 36. | Appalachian State | 1 | 1 | 6.5 |
| 37. | Northwestern | 2 | 1 | 5.5 |
| 38. | Oregon State | 3 | 0 | 4.5 |
| 39. | Princeton | 2 | 0 | 3.5 |
| 40. | Rider | 3 | 0 | 3 |
| 41t. | Army-West Point | 2 | 0 | 2.5 |
| 41t. | Binghamton | 2 | 0 | 2.5 |
| 43. | Indiana | 2 | 0 | 2 |
| 44. | Bucknell | 1 | 0 | 1.5 |
| 45. | Central Michigan | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| 45. | Chattanooga | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| 45. | SIU-Edwardsville | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| 45. | Virginia | 1 | 0 | 1 |
WIN Magazine’s Dec. 23 Individual Rankings
125 Pounds
| Wt | Name | School | Yr. | Previous |
| 1. | Matt Ramos | Purdue | Sr. | 1st |
| 2. | Troy Spratley | Oklahoma State | So. | 2nd |
| 3. | Eddie Ventresca | Virginia Tech | Jr. | 3rd |
| 4. | Caleb Smith | Nebraska | Grad. | 4th |
| 5. | Vincent Robinson | NC State | RS Fr. | 5th |
| 6. | Luke Lilledahl | Penn State | Fr. | 6th |
| 7. | Jore Volk | Wyoming | Jr. | 7th |
| 8. | Cooper Flynn | Minnesota | Jr. | 8th |
| 9. | Brendan McCrone | Ohio State | So. | 9th |
| 10. | Sheldon Seymour | Lehigh | Jr. | 10th |
| 11. | Stevo Poulin | Northern Colorado | Jr. | 11th |
| 12. | Dean Peterson | Rutgers | Sr. | 12th |
| 13. | Nico Provo | Stanford | Jr. | 13th |
| 14. | Maximo Renteria | Oregon State | Sr. | 14th |
| 15. | Kysen Terukina | Iowa State | Sr. | 15th |
| 16. | Tanner Jordan | South Dakota State | RS Sr. | 16th |
| 17. | Nick Babin | Pitt | RS Sr. | 17th |
| 18. | Spencer Moore | North Carolina | Jr. | 18th |
| 19. | Greg Diakomihalis | Cornell | Sr. | 19th |
| 20. | Max Gallagher | Penn | So. | 20th |
133 Pounds
| Wt | Name | School | Yr. | Previous |
| 1. | Ryan Crookham | Lehigh | So. | 1st |
| 2. | Lucas Byrd | Illinois | Sr. | 3rd |
| 3. | Drake Ayala | Iowa | Jr. | 4th |
| 4. | Zeth Romney | Cal Poly | So. | 5th |
| 5. | Evan Frost | Iowa State | So. | 6th |
| 6. | Nic Bouzakis | Ohio State | So. | 7th |
| 7. | Tyler Knox | Stanford | RS Fr. | 8th |
| 8. | Braeden Davis | Penn State | So. | 9th |
| 9. | Nasir Bailey | Little Rock | So. | 2nd |
| 10. | Tyler Wells | Minnesota | So. | NR |
| 11. | Reece Witcraft | Oklahoma State | Sr. | 13th |
| 12. | Jacob Van Dee | Nebraska | So. | 15th |
| 13. | Dominick Serrano | Northern Colorado | Jr. | 16th |
| 14. | Kai Orine | NC State | RSSr. | 13th/141 |
| 15. | Cory Land | Northern Iowa | So. | 17th |
| 16. | Dylan Shawver | Rutgers | Sr. | 18th |
| 17. | Connor McGonagle | Virginia Tech | Grad. | 19th |
| 18. | Braxton Brown | Maryland | Jr. | NR |
| 19. | Cleveland Belton | Oklahoma | Sr. | 20th |
| 20. | Ethan Oakley | North Carolina | Jr. | 12th |
141 Pounds
| Wt | Name | School | Yr. | Previous |
| 1. | Jesse Mendez | Ohio State | Jr. | 1st |
| 2. | Andrew Alirez | Northern Colorado | Grad. | 2nd |
| 3. | Beau Bartlett | Penn State | Sr. | 3rd |
| 4. | Vance VomBaur | Minnesota | Jr. | 4th |
| 5. | Tagen Jamison | Oklahoma State | So. | 5th |
| 6. | Brock Hardy | Nebraska | Jr. | 6th |
| 7. | Cael Happel | Northern Iowa | Sr. | 7th |
| 8. | Josh Koderhandt | Navy | Sr. | 8th |
| 9. | Sergio Lemley | Michigan | So. | 9th |
| 10. | Mosha Schwartz | Oklahoma | RS Sr. | 10th |
| 11. | CJ Composto | Penn | Sr. | 11th |
| 12. | Sam Latona | Virginia Tech | Grad. | 12th |
| 13. | Haiden Drury | Utah Valley | Sr. | 16th |
| 14. | Josh Edmond | Missouri | Jr. | 19th |
| 15. | Dylan Chappell | Bucknell | Jr. | 17th |
| 16. | Chris Cannon | Northwestern | Sr. | NR |
| 17. | Jacob Frost | Iowa State | So. | 20th |
| 18. | Danny Pucino | Illinois | Sr. | NR |
| 19. | Joey Olivieri | Rutgers | Jr. | NR |
| 20. | Isaiah Powe | Chattanooga | So. | NR |
149 Pounds
| Wt | Name | School | Yr | Previous |
| 1. | Caleb Henson | Virginia Tech | Jr. | 1st |
| 2. | Shayne Van Ness | Penn State | Jr. | 2nd |
| 3. | Ty Watters | West Virginia | So. | 3rd |
| 4. | Kyle Parco | Iowa | Sr. | 4th |
| 5. | Ridge Lovett | Nebraska | Sr. | 5th |
| 6. | Anthony Echemendia | Iowa State | Sr. | 6th |
| 7. | Lachlan McNeil | North Carolina | Jr. | 9th |
| 8. | Chance Lamer | Cal Poly | Jr. | 7th |
| 9. | Dylan D’Emilio | Ohio State | Sr. | 8th |
| 10. | Kannon Webster | Illinois | RS Fr. | 10th |
| 11. | Ty Whalen | Princeton | Jr. | 11th |
| 12. | Jaden Abas | Stanford | Sr. | 12th |
| 13. | Logan Gioffre | Missouri | Sr. | 13th |
| 14. | Jordan Williams | Little Rock | So. | 14th |
| 15. | Willie McDougald | Oklahoma | Jr. | 16th |
| 16. | Jesse Vasquez | Arizona State | Sr. | 17th |
| 17. | Caleb Tyus | SIU-Edwardsville | Sr. | 18th |
| 18. | Carter Young | Oklahoma State | Jr. | 19th |
| 19. | Sammy Alvarez | Rider | Sr. | 20th |
| 20. | Logan Gioffre | Missouri | Sr. | NR |
157 Pounds
| Wt | Name | School | Yr. | Previous |
| 1. | Tyler Kasak | Penn State | So. | 1st |
| 2. | Meyer Shapiro | Cornell | So. | 2nd |
| 3. | Antrell Taylor | Nebraska | So. | 3rd |
| 4. | Peyten Kellar | Ohio | Jr. | 4th |
| 5. | Ryder Downey | Northern Iowa | So. | 5th |
| 6. | Tommy Askey | Minnesota | Sr. | 6th |
| 7. | Ethen Miller | Maryland | Jr. | 7th |
| 8. | Cody Chittum | Iowa State | So. | 14th |
| 9. | Paddy Gallagher | Ohio State | Jr. | 9th |
| 10. | Ed Scott | NC State | Sr. | 8th |
| 11. | Joey Blaze | Purdue | So. | 10th |
| 12. | Jude Swisher | Penn | So. | 12th |
| 13. | Trevor Chumbley | Northwestern | RS Sr. | 13th |
| 14. | Rafael Hipolito | Virginia Tech | RS Fr. | 15th |
| 15. | Caleb Fish | Oklahoma State | Sr. | 11th |
| 16. | Chase Saldate | Michigan | Grad. | 16th |
| 17. | Ethan Stiles | Oregon State | Fr. | 17th |
| 18. | Vince Zerban | Northern Colorado | Jr. | 18th |
| 19. | Matt Bianchi | Little Rock | Jr. | 19th |
| 20. | Johnny Lovett | Central Michigan | Sr. | 20th |
165 Pounds
| Wt | Name | School | Yr. | Previous |
| 1. | Mitchell Mesenbrink | Penn State | So. | 1st |
| 2. | Michael Caliendo | Iowa | Jr. | 2nd |
| 3. | Peyton Hall | West Virginia | RS Sr. | 3rd |
| 4. | Terrell Barraclough | Utah Valley | Sr. | 4th |
| 5. | Hunter Garvin | Stanford | So. | 5th |
| 6. | Julian Ramirez | Cornell | Sr. | 6th |
| 7. | Will Miller | Appalachian State | Sr. | 7th |
| 8. | Cam Amine | Oklahoma State | RS Sr. | 8th |
| 9. | Andrew Sparks | Minnesota | Sr. | 9th |
| 10. | Drake Rhodes | South Dakota State | So. | 12th |
| 11. | Braeden Scoles | Illinois | Fr. | 13th |
| 12. | Nico Ruiz | Arizona State | Fr. | 14th |
| 13. | Maxx Mayfield | Northwestern | Sr. | 17th |
| 14. | Bubba Wilson | Nebraska | Sr. | 10th |
| 15. | Brock Mantanona | Michigan | Fr. | 15th |
| 16. | Gunner Filipowicz | Army West Point | So. | 16th |
| 17. | Jack Thomsen | Northern Iowa | Sr. | 18th |
| 18. | Tyler Lillard | Indiana | So. | 19th |
| 19. | Nick Hamilton | Virginia | So. | NR |
| 20. | Mac Church | Virginia Tech | Fr. | NR |
174 Pounds
| Wt | Name | School | Yr. | Previous |
| 1. | Keegan O’Toole | Missouri | Sr. | 1st |
| 2. | Levi Haines | Penn State | Jr. | 2nd |
| 3. | Dean Hamiti | Oklahoma State | Sr. | 3rd |
| 4. | Lorenzo Norman | Stanford | RS Fr. | 4th |
| 5. | Nick Incontrera | Penn | Sr. | 6th |
| 6. | Lennox Wolak | Virginia Tech | Grad. | 5th |
| 7. | Nelson Brands | Iowa | Sr. | 7th |
| 8. | Cade Devos | South Dakota State | RS Sr. | 8th |
| 9. | Gaven Sax | Oklahoma | Sr. | 9th |
| 10. | Carson Kharchla | Ohio State | Sr. | NR |
| 11. | Jared Simma | Northern Iowa | Jr. | 11th |
| 12. | Garrett Thompson | Ohio | Jr. | 12th |
| 13. | Luca Augustine | Pitt | Jr. | 13th |
| 14. | Danny Wask | Navy | So. | 14th |
| 15. | Brevin Cassella | Binghamton | Sr. | 15th |
| 16. | Matt Singleton | NC State | So. | NR |
| 17. | Lenny Pinto | Nebraska | Jr. | 16th |
| 18. | Danny Braunagel | Illinois | RS Sr. | 17th |
| 19. | Clayton Whiting | Minnesota | So. | 18th |
| 20. | Jackson Turley | Rutgers | Grad. | 19th |
184 Pounds
| Wt | Name | School | Yr | Previous |
| 1. | Carter Starocci | Penn State | RS Sr. | 1st |
| 2. | Parker Keckeisen | Northern Iowa | Sr. | 2nd |
| 3. | Dustin Plott | Oklahoma State | Sr. | 3rd |
| 4. | Bennett Berge | South Dakota State | So. | 4th |
| 5. | Max McEnelly | Minnesota | Fr. | 8th |
| 6. | Colton Hawks | Missouri | Jr. | 6th |
| 7. | Chris Foca | Cornell | Sr. | 9th |
| 8. | Gabe Arnold | Iowa | RS Fr. | 7th |
| 9. | Silas Allred | Nebraska | Jr. | 11th |
| 10. | Dylan Fishback | NC State | So. | 10th |
| 11. | Jaxon Smith | Maryland | Jr. | 12th |
| 12. | Edmond Ruth | Illinois | Sr. | 13th |
| 13. | Reece Heller | Pitt | Grad. | 5th |
| 14. | Evan Bockman | Iowa State | Sr. | 16th |
| 15. | T.J. Stewart | Virginia Tech | So. | 14th |
| 16. | Ryder Rogotzke | Ohio State | So. | 15th |
| 17. | Gavin Kane | North Carolina | Sr. | 17th |
| 18. | Isaac Dean | Rider | Jr. | 20th |
| 19. | Donnell Washington | Indiana | Sr. | NR |
| 20. | Brock Delsignore | Little Rock | Sr. | NR |
197 Pounds
| Wt | Name | School | Yr. | Previous |
| 1. | Stephen Buchanan | Iowa | Sr. | 1st |
| 2. | Jacob Cardenas | Michigan | Grad. | 2nd |
| 3. | A.J. Ferrari | CSU Bakersfield | Jr. | 4th |
| 4. | Isaiah Salazar | Minnesota | Sr. | 6th |
| 5. | Josh Barr | Penn State | Fr. | 8th |
| 6. | Stephen Little | Little Rock | So. | 5th |
| 7. | Michael Beard | Lehigh | Sr. | 9th |
| 8. | Luke Surber | Oklahoma State | Sr. | 10th |
| 9. | Andy Smith | Virginia Tech | RS Sr. | 7th |
| 10. | Trey Munoz | Oregon State | RS Sr. | 11th |
| 11. | John Poznanski | Rutgers | Sr. | 12th |
| 12. | Wyatt Voelker | Northern Iowa | So. | 13th |
| 13. | Joseph Novak | Wyoming | So. | 14th |
| 14. | Zac Braunagel | Illinois | Sr. | 15th |
| 15. | Luke Stout | Princeton | Sr. | 16th |
| 16. | Mac Stout | Pitt | So. | 17th |
| 17. | Luke Geog | Ohio State | So. | 18th |
| 18. | Evan Bates | Northwestern | Jr. | 20th |
| 19. | Zach Glazier | South Dakota State | Sr. | 19th |
| 20. | Christian Carroll | Iowa State | RSFr. | NR |
Heavyweight
| Wt | Name | School | Yr | Previous |
| 1. | Gable Steveson | Minnesota | Grad. | 1st |
| 2. | Greg Kerkvliet | Penn State | RS Sr. | 2nd |
| 3. | Wyatt Hendrickson | Oklahoma State | Sr. | 3rd |
| 4. | Yonger Bastida | Iowa State | Sr. | 4th |
| 5. | Taye Ghadiali | Campbell | Grad. | 5th |
| 6. | Nick Feldman | Ohio State | So. | 6th |
| 7. | Isaac Trumble | NC State | Jr. | 7th |
| 8. | Cohlton Schultz | Arizona State | RS Sr. | 8th |
| 9. | Yaraslau Slavikouski | Rutgers | Grad. | 9th |
| 10. | Luke Luffman | Illinois | Sr. | 10th |
| 11. | Owen Trephan | Lehigh | Jr. | 11th |
| 12. | Jimmy Mullen | Virginia Tech | Fr. | 12th |
| 13. | Josh Heindselman | Oklahoma | Grad. | 13th |
| 14. | Seth Nevills | Maryland | Grad. | 14th |
| 15. | Lance Runyon | Northern Iowa | Sr. | 15th |
| 16. | Dayton Pitzer | Pitt | So. | 16th |
| 17. | Ben Kueter | Iowa | RS Fr. | 17th |
| 18. | Cory Day | Binghamton | Grad. | 18th |
| 19. | Lucas Stoddard | Army West Point | So. | 19th |
| 20. | David Szuba | Rider | Sr. | NR |
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