WIN’s Pre-NCAA Rankings Released, O’Connor new No. 1 at 157

Photo: Freshman Levi Haines (right) was one of four individual champions for Big Ten team champ Penn State at the 2023 conference tournament in Ann Arbor, Mich., where the Nittany Lion upset Nebraska’s top-ranked Peyton Robb at 157 pounds. (Ginger Robinson photo)

NEWTON, Iowa — The conference tournaments are now complete and Penn State remains the favorite to win the team title at the 2023 NCAA Division I Championship according to WIN Magazine’s final rankings of the season, presented by Cliff Keen Athletic.

Coming off a Big Ten championship, the Nittany Lions feature nine ranked wrestlers, including seven who are ranked in the top eight of their weight classes and are projected to earn All-American honors at the upcoming NCAAs, held March 16-18 in Tulsa, Okla. With 105 TPI points, Penn State has a wide lead over Big Ten rivals Iowa and Nebraska, which both earned 69 points in WIN’s TPI, and EIWA champion Cornell with 67 points.

WIN’s TPI is based on a point total associated with individual placement and advancement points scored at the upcoming NCAAs if wrestlers finished where they’re ranked. The following is a breakdown of those points: 20 for 1^st place, 16 for 2^nd, 13.5 for 3^rd, 12.5 for 4^th, 10 for 5^th, 9 for 6^th, 6.5 for 7^th and 5.5 for 8^th. 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.

Three of Penn State’s individual recent Big Ten champs are defending champions and are rated No. 1 in their weight class: Roman Bravo-Young (133), Carter Starocci (174) and Aaron Brooks (184).

Meanwhile, Penn State’s fourth Big Ten champ, freshman Levi Haines played a big part in changing the 157-pound weight class when he upset Nebraska’s top-ranked Peyton Robb in the finals of the conference meet last weekend. Because of that result, North Carolina’s Austin O’Connor, who won an NCAA title at 149 pounds in 2021, has taken over the top spot at 157 pounds, just ahead of the Husker while Haines is ranked No. 6.

Austin O’Connor

Meanwhile, the remaining six other top-ranked wrestlers are from six different schools: Iowa’s Spencer Lee (125), Northern Colorado’s Andrew Alirez (141), Cornell’s Yianni Diakomihalis (149), Iowa State’s David Carr (165), Pitt’s Nino Bonaccorsi (197) and Michigan’s Mason Parris (Hwt). Lee and Diakomihalis will be sh ooting for their fourth NCAA titles at the BOK Center; hoping to join four former wrestlers who all won four titles: Pat Smith (Oklahoma State), Cael Sanderson (Iowa State), Kyle Dake (Cornell) and Logan Stieber (Ohio State).

WIN’s March 6 Tournament Power Index

WIN Magazine’s March 6 NCAA Division I Individual Rankings

125 pounds  

133 pounds

141 pounds  

149 pounds

157 pounds        

165 pounds   

174 pounds  

184 pounds                                                                                                 

197 pounds  

Heavyweight