Rutgers’ Suriano emerges No. 1 at 125 in WIN’s Jan. 22 ranks after upset weekend

NEWTON, Iowa — With three higher-ranked wrestlers losing to lower-ranked foes last weekend — led by Iowa’s Spencer Lee’s upset of Ohio State’s top-ranked Nathan Tomasello on Sunday — Rutgers’ Nick Suriano has emerged as the new No. 1-ranked wrestler at 125 pounds in WIN’s Jan. 22 rankings, presented by Cliff Keen Athletic.

Suriano, who wrestled for Penn State last year before transferring to Rutgers, now leads the field at the lightest weight. Lehigh’s defending national champ Darian Cruz is ranked third and Lee, the true freshman who was ranked eighth a week ago after his redshirt was removed on Jan. 5, is third. Tomasello, the 2015 NCAA champion and three-time All-American who competed at 133 pounds the last two years, dropped to No. 4 at 125 pounds. Also dropping were Minnesota’s Ethan Lizak, the 2017 national runner-up, who lost to Michigan’s Drew Mattin, and Oregon State’s Ronnie Bresser, who lost to Arizona State’s Ryan Millhof.

Among the other nine weight classes, the top-ranked wrestlers remained the same, including at 133 pounds where South Dakota State’s Seth Gross moved up to 141 pounds for his team’s dual with Wyoming and lost to the Cowboys’ top-ranked Bryce Meredith.

Overall, Penn State remained the top-ranked team in WIN’s Tournament Power Index, followed by Ohio State, Iowa and Oklahoma State, Michigan and NC State. The Nittany Lions feature eight-ranked wrestlers, including four top-ranked wrestlers and defending national champs: Zain Retherford (149), Jason Nolf (157), Vincenzo Joseph (165) and Bo Nickal (184). Ohio State has a wrestler ranked at all 10 weight classes, including top-ranked Kollin Moore (197) and Kyle Snyder (heavyweight).

WIN’s Tournament Power Index (TPI) awards team points for individuals ranked in the respective weight classes based on how many potential All-Americans each school could produce at the 2018 NCAA Championships this March. 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.

Penn State also leads WIN’s dual rankings, followed by Ohio State, Michigan and Iowa. The Nittany Lions and Buckeyes will meet in State College, Pa., on Feb. 3, while the Wolverines visit the Hawkeyes — which lost to Ohio State last weekend — in Iowa City this Saturday, Jan. 27.

In breaking down the 200 ranked wrestlers by year in school, there are 66 seniors, 58 juniors, 45 sophomores, 18 redshirt freshmen, 11 true freshmen and two graduate students.

WIN’s Jan. 22, 2018 Tournament Power Index

WIN’s Jan. 22, 2018 Dual Rankings           

WIN’s Jan. 22, 2018 Individual Rankings

125 pounds                                               

133 pounds                                               

141 pounds                                               

149 pounds                                               

157 pounds                                               

165 pounds

174 pounds                                               

184 pounds                                               

197 pounds                                               

Heavyweight