Illinois’ Byrd New No. 1 at 133 in WIN’s Jan. 13 Rankings
By Mike Finn
Updated: January 13, 2025
Photo: Illinois senior Lucas Byrd, who finished fifth nationally in 2021 and 2022, but was injured last winter, is now ranked No. 1 at 133 pounds with an 11-0 record.
Jan. 13, 2025
NEWTON, Iowa — Lucas Byrd of Illinois has taken over the top spot at 133 pounds in WIN Magazine’s Jan. 13 national rankings presented by Cliff Keen Athletic.
Byrd, a senior, moved up from the No. 2 spot after the previous No. 1-ranked wrestler at 133 — Ryan Crookham of Lehigh — suffered an injury last weekend. A school spokesperson said the Mountain Hawk would miss the upcoming dual with Navy and was unsure how long Crookham would be out of action.
This new ranking now sets up an upcoming battle between Byrd and Iowa’s No. 2 Drake Ayala when the Big Ten teams meet this Friday in Iowa City, where Iowa — ranked No. 2 in WIN’s Dual-Team rankings and No. 3 in WIN’s Tournament Power Index — will entertain the Illini, which ranks No. 12 in the dual rankings and No. 7 in WIN’s TPI.
Penn State remains the top-ranked team in both team rankings and features three top-ranked wrestlers: Tyler Kasak (157), Mitchell Mesenbrink (165) and Carter Starocci. Oklahoma State, scheduled to wrestle Monday night against NC State, is ranked No. 3 in dual competition and No. 2 in WIN’s TPI.
WIN’s TPI projects where teams are expected to place in this season’s NCAA Championships in March, based on individual rankings at this point in the season. 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.
The other top-ranked wrestlers are Purdue’s Matt Ramos (125), 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).
WIN Magazine’s Jan. 13 Top-20 Dual Teams
| Rk. | School | W-L | Prev. | Upcoming Action |
| 1. | Penn State | 7-0 | 1st | Jan. 17 at Nebraska |
| 2. | Iowa | 7-0 | 2nd | Jan. 17 vs. Illinois |
| 3. | Oklahoma State | 7-0 | 3rd | Jan. 13 vs. NC State; Jan. 19 vs. West Virginia |
| 4. | Ohio State | 10-0 | 4th | Jan. 19 vs. Purdue |
| 5. | Nebraska | 6-1 | 5th | Jan. 17 vs. Penn State |
| 6. | Minnesota | 4-1 | 6th | Jan. 19 vs. Michigan |
| 7. | Northern Iowa | 8-0 | 9th | Jan. 17 at Arizona State |
| 8. | NC State | 7-0 | 7th | Jan. 13 at Oklahoma State; Jan. 17 vs. Virginia |
| 9. | Cornell | 3-1 | 10th | Jan. 19 at Cyclone Open |
| 10. | Iowa State | 7-3 | 11th | Jan. 19 at Cyclone Open |
| 11. | Virginia Tech | 3-2 | 8th | Jan. 19 at Appalachian State |
| 12. | Illinois | 7-1 | 13th | Jan. 17 at Iowa |
| 13. | Rutgers | 9-3 | 16th | Jan. 19 vs. Wisconsin |
| 14. | Pitt | 7-2 | NR | Jan. 17 at Bucknell |
| 15. | Michigan | 3-1 | 12th | Jan. 17 at Northwestern; Jan. 19 at Minnesota |
| 16. | South Dakota State | 8-3 | 15th | Jan. 17 at Cal Baptist; Jan. 18 at Air Force |
| 17. | Little Rock | 10-2 | 17th | Jan. 16 at Davidson Duals (Lock Haven, Brown, Hofstra) |
| 18. | Stanford | 5-2 | 14th | Jan. 19 vs Arizona State |
| 19. | Lehigh | 2-3 | 18th | Jan. 17 at Navy |
| 20. | Oklahoma | 6-1 | 20th | Jan. 17 vs. West Virginia |
WIN Magazine’s Jan. 13 Tournament Power Index
| Rk. | School | Total Rank | Top 8 | TPI Points |
| 1. | Penn State | 10 | 10 | 148.5 |
| 2. | Oklahoma State | 10 | 7 | 85.5 |
| 3. | Iowa | 7 | 5 | 79 |
| 4. | Minnesota | 8 | 6 | 62.5 |
| 5. | Nebraska | 8 | 5 | 57 |
| 6. | Northern Iowa | 10 | 3 | 50.5 |
| 7. | Ohio State | 8 | 4 | 48 |
| 8. | Illinois | 9 | 2 | 36.5 |
| 9t. | Cornell | 3 | 3 | 35 |
| 9t. | Iowa State | 6 | 3 | 35 |
| 11. | Virginia Tech | 9 | 1 | 32.5 |
| 12. | Stanford | 4 | 3 | 30 |
| 13. | Northern Colorado | 4 | 2 | 28.5 |
| 14. | Missouri | 3 | 2 | 27.5 |
| 15. | NC State | 6 | 2 | 25.5 |
| 16. | Arizona State | 4 | 2 | 23.5 |
| 17. | Michigan | 5 | 1 | 23 |
| 18. | Purdue | 2 | 1 | 22 |
| 19t. | Little Rock | 5 | 2 | 20 |
| 19t. | Cal Poly | 2 | 2 | 20 |
| 21. | South Dakota State | 6 | 1 | 17 |
| 22. | West Virginia | 2 | 1 | 15.5 |
| 23t. | North Carolina | 5 | 1 | 14.5 |
| 23t. | Utah Valley | 2 | 1 | 14.5 |
| 25t. | Lehigh | 4 | 1 | 14 |
| 25t. | Maryland | 4 | 1 | 14 |
| 27t. | CSU Bakersfield | 1 | 1 | 13.5 |
| 27t. | Rutgers | 6 | 1 | 13.5 |
| 29. | Penn | 4 | 1 | 13 |
| 30. | Campbell | 1 | 1 | 12.5 |
| 31. | Ohio | 2 | 2 | 12 |
| 32. | Appalachian State | 1 | 1 | 9 |
| 33. | Pitt | 5 | 0 | 8 |
| 34. | Navy | 2 | 1 | 8.5 |
| 35. | Northwestern | 4 | 0 | 5.5 |
| 36. | Oregon State | 3 | 0 | 5 |
| 37. | Oklahoma | 3 | 0 | 4 |
| 38t. | Princeton | 2 | 0 | 3.5 |
| 38t. | Rider | 3 | 0 | 3.5 |
| 40t. | Indiana | 2 | 0 | 3 |
| 40t. | Wyoming | 2 | 0 | 3 |
| 42. | Army West Point | 2 | 0 | 2.5 |
| 43. | Binghamton | 2 | 0 | 2 |
| 44t. | Chattanooga | 1 | 0 | 1.5 |
| 44t. | SIU-Edwardsville | 1 | 0 | 1.5 |
| 46t. | Bucknell | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| 46t. | Central Michigan | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| 46t. | Drexel | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| 46t. | Harvard | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| 46t. | Lock Haven | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| 46t. | North Dakota State | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| 46t. | Virginia | 1 | 0 | 1 |
WIN Magazine’s Jan 13 Individual Rankings
125 Pounds
| Wt | Name | School | Yr. | Previous |
| 1. | Matt Ramos | Purdue | Sr. | 1st |
| 2. | Troy Spratley | Oklahoma State | So. | 2nd |
| 3. | Richard Figueroa | Arizona State | Jr. | NR |
| 4. | Caleb Smith | Nebraska | Grad. | 8th |
| 5. | Cooper Flynn | Minnesota | Jr. | 5th |
| 6. | Stevo Poulin | Northern Colorado | Jr. | 9th |
| 7. | Vincent Robinson | NC State | RS Fr. | 6th |
| 8. | Luke Lilledahl | Penn State | Fr. | 7th |
| 9. | Dean Peterson | Rutgers | Sr. | 11th |
| 10. | Eddie Ventresca | Virginia Tech | Jr. | 3rd |
| 11. | Sheldon Seymour | Lehigh | Jr. | 10th |
| 12. | Maximo Renteria | Oregon State | Sr. | 12th |
| 13. | Jeff Strickenberger | West Virginia | Sr. | NR |
| 14. | Kysen Terukina | Iowa State | Sr. | 14th |
| 15. | Spencer Moore | North Carolina | Jr. | 17th |
| 16. | Nick Babin | Pitt | RS Sr. | 16th |
| 17. | Trever Anderson | Northern Iowa | So. | 19th |
| 18. | Max Gallagher | Penn | So. | NR |
| 19. | Tanner Jordan | South Dakota State | RS Sr. | 15th |
| 20. | Diego Sotelo | Harvard | Sr. | 18th |
133 Pounds
| Wt | Name | School | Yr. | Previous |
| 1. | Lucas Byrd | Illinois | Sr. | 2nd |
| 2. | Drake Ayala | Iowa | Jr. | 3rd |
| 3. | Zeth Romney | Cal Poly | So. | 4th |
| 4. | Evan Frost | Iowa State | So. | 5th |
| 5. | Tyler Knox | Stanford | RS Fr. | 7th |
| 6. | Braeden Davis | Penn State | So. | 8th |
| 7. | Nasir Bailey | Little Rock | So. | 9th |
| 8. | Kai Orine | NC State | RSSr. | 14th |
| 9. | Reece Witcraft | Oklahoma State | Sr. | 11th |
| 10. | Jacob Van Dee | Nebraska | So. | 12th |
| 11. | Dylan Shawver | Rutgers | Sr. | 16th |
| 12. | Nic Bouzakis | Ohio State | So. | 6th |
| 13. | Tyler Wells | Minnesota | So. | 10th |
| 14. | Julian Farber | Northern Iowa | Jr. | NR |
| 15. | Dominick Serrano | Northern Colorado | Jr. | 13th |
| 16. | Braxton Brown | Maryland | Jr. | 18th |
| 17. | Connor McGonagle | Virginia Tech | Grad. | 17th |
| 18. | Ethan Oakley | North Carolina | Jr. | 19th |
| 19. | Kyle Burwick | North Dakota State | Sr. | 20th |
| 20. | Anthony Noto | Lock Haven | Sr. | NR |
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. | Tagen Jamison | Oklahoma State | So. | 4th |
| 5. | Cael Happel | Northern Iowa | Sr. | 5th |
| 6. | Brock Hardy | Nebraska | Jr. | 6th |
| 7. | Josh Koderhandt | Navy | Sr. | 7th |
| 8. | Vance VomBaur | Minnesota | Jr. | 8th |
| 9. | Sergio Lemley | Michigan | So. | 9th |
| 10. | Sam Latona | Virginia Tech | Grad. | 11th |
| 11. | Haiden Drury | Utah Valley | Sr. | 12th |
| 12. | CJ Composto | Penn | Sr. | 10th |
| 13. | Jacob Frost | Iowa State | So. | 14th |
| 14. | Joey Olivieri | Rutgers | Jr. | 15th |
| 15. | Julian Tagg | South Dakota State | Jr. | NR |
| 16. | Danny Pucino | Illinois | Sr. | 18th |
| 17. | Josh Edmond | Missouri | Jr. | 17th |
| 18. | Chris Cannon | Northwestern | Sr. | 13th |
| 19. | Dylan Chappell | Bucknell | Jr. | 19th |
| 20. | Mosha Schwartz | Oklahoma | Sr. | NR |
149 Pounds
| Wt | Name | School | Yr | Previous |
| 1. | Caleb Henson | Virginia Tech | Jr. | 1st |
| 2. | Shayne Van Ness | Penn State | Jr. | 2nd |
| 3. | Kyle Parco | Iowa | Sr. | 3rd |
| 4. | Ridge Lovett | Nebraska | Sr. | 4th |
| 5. | Lachlan McNeil | North Carolina | Jr. | 5th |
| 6. | Paniro Johnson | Iowa State | So. | 6th |
| 7. | Chance Lamer | Cal Poly | Jr. | 7th |
| 8. | Dylan D’Emilio | Ohio State | Sr. | 8th |
| 9. | Ty Whalen | Princeton | Jr. | 10th |
| 10. | Jaden Abas | Stanford | Sr. | 11th |
| 11. | Jordan Williams | Little Rock | So. | 12th |
| 12. | Colin Realbuto | Northern Iowa | RSSr. | 13th |
| 13. | Willie McDougald | Oklahoma | Jr. | 14th |
| 14. | Kannon Webster | Illinois | RS Fr. | 9th |
| 15. | Jesse Vasquez | Arizona State | Sr. | 15th |
| 16. | Caleb Tyus | SIU-Edwardsville | Sr. | 16th |
| 17. | Carter Young | Oklahoma State | Jr. | 17th |
| 18. | Sammy Alvarez | Rider | Sr. | 18th |
| 19. | Malyke Hines | Lehigh | Sr. | NR |
| 20. | Gabe Willochell | Wyoming | Jr. | 19th |
157 Pounds
| Wt | Name | School | Yr. | Previous |
| 1. | Tyler Kasak | Penn State | So. | 1st |
| 2. | Meyer Shapiro | Cornell | So. | 2nd |
| 3. | Ryder Downey | Northern Iowa | So. | 3rd |
| 4. | Antrell Taylor | Nebraska | So. | 4th |
| 5. | Ethen Miller | Maryland | Jr. | 6th |
| 6. | Cody Chittum | Iowa State | So. | 7th |
| 7. | Peyten Kellar | Ohio | Jr. | 5th |
| 8. | Tommy Askey | Minnesota | Sr. | 8th |
| 9. | Paddy Gallagher | Ohio State | Jr. | 9th |
| 10. | Ed Scott | NC State | Sr. | 10th |
| 11. | Joey Blaze | Purdue | So. | 11th |
| 12. | Trevor Chumbley | Northwestern | RS Sr. | 12th |
| 13. | Rafael Hipolito | Virginia Tech | RS Fr. | 13th |
| 14. | Caleb Fish | Oklahoma State | Sr. | 14th |
| 15. | Jason Kraisser | Illinois | Sr. | NR |
| 16. | Chase Saldate | Michigan | Grad. | 15th |
| 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. | Julian Ramirez | Cornell | Sr. | 5th |
| 6. | Will Miller | Appalachian State | Sr. | 6th |
| 7. | Hunter Garvin | Stanford | So. | 7th |
| 8. | Cam Amine | Oklahoma State | RS Sr. | 8th |
| 9. | Nico Ruiz | Arizona State | Fr. | 12th |
| 10. | Tyler Lillard | Indiana | So. | 13th |
| 11. | Braeden Scoles | Illinois | Fr. | 11th |
| 12. | Andrew Sparks | Minnesota | Sr. | 9th |
| 13. | Drake Rhodes | South Dakota State | So. | 10th |
| 14. | Maxx Mayfield | Northwestern | Sr. | 14th |
| 15. | Brock Mantanona | Michigan | Fr. | 15th |
| 16. | Gunner Filipowicz | Army West Point | So. | 16th |
| 17. | Jack Thomsen | Northern Iowa | Sr. | 18th |
| 18. | Chris Minto | Nebraska | RSFr. | NR |
| 19. | Nick Hamilton | Virginia | So. | 19th |
| 20. | Mac Church | Virginia Tech | Fr. | 20th |
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. | Patrick Kennedy | Iowa | Jr. | 6th |
| 6. | Nick Incontrera | Penn | Sr. | 5th |
| 7. | Carson Kharchla | Ohio State | Sr. | 8th |
| 8. | Garrett Thompson | Ohio | Jr. | 9th |
| 9. | Cade Devos | South Dakota State | RS Sr. | 7th |
| 10. | Danny Wask | Navy | So. | 10th |
| 11. | Lenny Pinto | Nebraska | Jr. | 11th |
| 12. | Jared Simma | Northern Iowa | Jr. | 12th |
| 13. | Luca Augustine | Pitt | Jr. | 13th |
| 14. | Sergio Desiante | Chattanooga | So. | 14th |
| 15. | Gaven Sax | Oklahoma | Sr. | 15th |
| 16. | Matt Singleton | NC State | So. | 16th |
| 17. | Josh Ogunsanya | North Carolina | Sr. | 20th |
| 18. | Danny Braunagel | Illinois | RS Sr. | 18th |
| 19. | Brevin Cassella | Binghamton | Sr. | 19th |
| 20. | Lennox Wolak | Virginia Tech | Grad. | 17th |
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. | Max McEnelly | Minnesota | Fr. | 5th |
| 5. | Bennett Berge | South Dakota State | So. | 4th |
| 6. | Chris Foca | Cornell | Sr. | 6th |
| 7. | Colton Hawks | Missouri | Jr. | 7th |
| 8. | Silas Allred | Nebraska | Jr. | 8th |
| 9. | Gabe Arnold | Iowa | RS Fr. | 9th |
| 10. | Dylan Fishback | NC State | So. | 10th |
| 11. | Edmond Ruth | Illinois | Sr. | 11th |
| 12. | Reece Heller | Pitt | Grad. | 12th |
| 13. | Evan Bockman | Iowa State | Sr. | 13th |
| 14. | Jaxon Smith | Maryland | Jr. | 15th |
| 15. | Isaac Dean | Rider | Jr. | 17th |
| 16. | Brock Delsignore | Little Rock | Sr. | 19th |
| 17. | Brian Soldano | Rutgers | Jr. | 20th |
| 18. | Gavin Kane | North Carolina | Sr. | NR |
| 19. | Ryder Rogotzke | Ohio State | So. | 16th |
| 20. | Maximus Hale | Penn | 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. | 3rd |
| 4. | Josh Barr | Penn State | Fr. | 4th |
| 5. | Stephen Little | Little Rock | So. | 5th |
| 6. | Michael Beard | Lehigh | Sr. | 6th |
| 7. | Luke Surber | Oklahoma State | Sr. | 7th |
| 8. | Isaiah Salazar | Minnesota | Sr. | 8th |
| 9. | Andy Smith | Virginia Tech | RS Sr. | 9th |
| 10. | Trey Munoz | Oregon State | RS Sr. | 10th |
| 11. | Wyatt Voelker | Northern Iowa | So. | 11th |
| 12. | Joseph Novak | Wyoming | So. | 12th |
| 13. | John Poznanski | Rutgers | Sr. | 14th |
| 14. | Luke Stout | Princeton | Sr. | 15th |
| 15. | Mac Stout | Pitt | So. | 16th |
| 16. | Zac Braunagel | Illinois | Sr. | 13th |
| 17. | Seth Shumate | Ohio State | So. | NR |
| 18. | Michael O’Malley | Drexel | Sr. | 18th |
| 19. | Zach Glazier | South Dakota State | Sr. | 19th |
| 20. | Evan Bates | Northwestern | Jr. | 20th |
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. | Taye Ghadiali | Campbell | Grad. | 4th |
| 5. | Nick Feldman | Ohio State | So. | 5th |
| 6. | Isaac Trumble | NC State | Jr. | 6th |
| 7. | Cohlton Schultz | Arizona State | RS Sr. | 7th |
| 8. | Luke Luffman | Illinois | Sr. | 8th |
| 9. | Owen Trephan | Lehigh | Jr. | 9th |
| 10. | Yaraslau Slavikouski | Rutgers | Grad. | 10th |
| 11. | Jimmy Mullen | Virginia Tech | Fr. | 11th |
| 12. | Josh Heindselman | Michigan | Grad. | 12th |
| 13. | Seth Nevills | Maryland | Grad. | 13th |
| 14. | Lance Runyon | Northern Iowa | Sr. | 14th |
| 15. | Dayton Pitzer | Pitt | So. | 15th |
| 16. | Ben Kueter | Iowa | RS Fr. | 16th |
| 17. | Cory Day | Binghamton | Grad. | 17th |
| 18. | Jacob Bullock | Indiana | RSSr. | 18th |
| 19. | Lucas Stoddard | Army West Point | So. | 19th |
| 20. | David Szuba | Rider | Sr. | 20th |
