Notre Dame College Remains at No. 1 in NAIA Wrestling Coaches' Top 20 Poll
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Amanda Dahl (NAIA)
01/19/2010
KANSAS CITY, Mo. - For the fourth consecutive week, Notre Dame College (Ohio) tops the NAIA Wrestling Coaches' Top 20 Poll, the NAIA announced Tuesday. The Falcons earned 150 points with 12 wrestlers listed among the top-12 individuals in their respective weight class. Great Falls (Mont.) moved into second place with 94 points, its highest ranking of the season, with 94 points. Missouri Valley is listed third with 86.5 points, followed closely by No. 4 Lindenwood (Mo.) with 85.5 points. Southern Oregon rounds out the top five with 76 points.
Notre Dame retains its spot as the No. 1 team after winning the NWCA/Cliff Keen National Duals in Cedar Falls, Iowa, on Jan. 10. The Falcons finished the event with a 3-0 record, with wins over Oklahoma City (42-0), McKendree (Ill.) (29-8) and Missouri Valley (26-7).
Two Notre Dame grapplers own a No. 1 ranking with Adam Koballa at 141 pounds and Derek Foore at 197 pounds. Of the Falcons 12 ranked wrestlers, two individuals are listed at 125, 149 and 174 each. The only weight class that Notre Dame is not ranked is 133 pounds.
Third-ranked Missouri Valley boasts a ranked wrestler at each of the 10 weight classes, including the top-ranked 157-pounder Joseph Cornejo and second-ranked Collin Pierce at 133 pounds. The Vikings finished as runner-up to Notre Dame at the NWCA/Cliff Keen National Duals.
Five weight classes feature a new top-ranked wrestler: Samuel Schmitz of Lindenwood (149), Cornejo (157), Grand View's (Iowa) Brad Lower (165), Foore (197) and Arjan Bhullar of Simon Fraser (B.C.) (HWT).
Retaining their No. 1 ranking are Mitchell Lofstedt of Southern Oregon (125), Campbellsville's (Ky.) Tommy Pretty (133), Koballa (141), Enock Francois of California Baptist (174) and Great Falls' Michael French (184).
The poll was voted upon by a panel of head coaches representing each of the groupings. The next poll will be announced on Feb. 2.