NAIA Team & Individual Rankings released for Dec. 8

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Amanda Dahl (NAIA)
12/08/2009


Kansas City, Mo. - Notre Dame College (Ohio) remained at No. 1 in the second edition of the NAIA Wrestling Coaches' Top 20 Poll, the NAIA announced Tuesday. The Falcons earned 101 points with 10 wrestlers listed among the top-12 individuals in their respective weight class. California Baptist moves to No. 2 with 85.5 points and are followed by No. 3 Missouri Valley with 84 points, No. 4 Great Falls (Mont.) with 82.5 points and Southern Oregon at No. 5 with 78 points.

Notre Dame boasts a ranked wrestler in every weight class except 133 pounds and heavyweight. A pair of Falcon grapplers are ranked at the top of their weight class, with Adam Koballa headlining 141 pounds and Thomas Straughn topping 157 pounds. At 125, Tyler Savage and Dante Rini are listed second and third, respectively. Jeffrey Pelton is the other Falcon grappler ranked among the top three, coming in third at 149 pounds.

Second-ranked California Baptist has eight individuals ranked, including the No. 1 at 174 pounds and the No. 2 heavyweight. Enock Francois tops the 174 pounders and heavyweight Joshua Marquez is listed second. Like Notre Dame, the Lancers have a pair of wrestlers ranked in the same weight with Christopher Knowland joining Francois at 174.

McKendree, ranked sixth in the team standings, sports a pair of No. 1s with 165-pounder Aaron Winning and Andrew Sanchez at 197 pounds.

Other schools with top-ranked grapplers include No. 5 Southern Oregon's Mitchell Lofstedt (125), Cameron Ream of No. 8 Oklahoma City (133), No. 7 Grand View's (Iowa) Matt Burns (149), Michael French of No. 4 Great Falls and No. 10 Cumberland's (Tenn.) Byron Stewart (HWT).

The poll was voted upon by a panel of head coaches representing each of the groupings. The next poll will be announced on Dec. 22.

Rankings link above.