Big Ten champ Penn State picked to also win NCAAs
By Mike Finn
Updated: March 7, 2016
NEWTON, Iowa — One day after Penn State returned to the top of the Big Ten Conference, the Nittany Lions have been picked to also win the 2016 NCAA Division I Championships, based on WIN’s March 7 national rankings, presented by Cliff Keen Athletic.
The Nittany Lions, who yielded the top spot in both the Big Ten and NCAA tournaments in 2015 … after winning four straight conference and national titles (2011-14) … are projected to produce as many as two champions and six All-Americans (resulting in 97.5 points) at the 2016 Nationals, March 17-19, in New York City. That prediction is from WIN’s Tournament Power Index (TPI), which is based on WIN’s individual rankings and the NCAA points associated with those eventual national finishes, including Top 8/All-American placements.
WIN’s TPI point totals are broken down as follows: 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.
Ranked behind Penn State is Big 12 champion Oklahoma State with six predicted All-Americans and 85.5 points and defending national champion Ohio State (5/76). The Buckeyes are followed by Virginia Tech, which is projected to claim the most All-Americans (7), tallying 71. 5 points.
There were also changes at the top of three individual weight classes: Big Ten champ Zain Retherford is picked No. 1 at 149 pounds after beating Iowa’s Brandon Sorensen; Illinois’ defending national champ Isaiah Martinez returned to number one at 157 pounds after edging Penn State’s Jason Nolf; and 2014 national champ J’den Cox of Missouri is tabbed to win a second national title at 197 after dominating the MAC tournament.
WIN’s March 7 Tournament Power Index
| Rank | College | Top 8 | TPI Pts |
| 1 | Penn State | 6 | 97.5 |
| 2 | Oklahoma State | 6 | 85.5 |
| 3 | Ohio State | 5 | 76 |
| 4 | Virginia Tech | 7 | 71.5 |
| 5t | Iowa | 5 | 68.5 |
| 5t | Missouri | 6 | 68.5 |
| 7 | Cornell | 4 | 66 |
| 8 | NC State | 4 | 57.5 |
| 9 | Illinois | 4 | 54.5 |
| 10 | Michigan | 3 | 44.5 |
| 11 | Lehigh | 3 | 29 |
| 12 | North Carolina | 3 | 27 |
| 13 | Wisconsin | 2 | 26 |
| 14 | Nebraska | 3 | 25.5 |
| 15 | Rutgers | 2 | 23.5 |
| 16 | Stanford | 1 | 21.5 |
| 17 | Oklahoma | 1 | 19 |
| 18 | Edinboro | 1 | 17.5 |
| 19t | Duke | 1 | 16.5 |
| 19t | Minnesota | 1 | 16.5 |
| 21 | Arizona State | 1 | 16 |
| 22 | Kent State | 1 | 15.5 |
| 23t | CSU Bakersfield | 1 | 12 |
| 23t | Oregon State | 2 | 12 |
| 25 | Northwestern | 1 | 11.5 |
| 26 | Virginia | 1 | 10.5 |
| 27 | Ohio U. | 1 | 10 |
| 28 | Appalachian State | 1 | 9 |
| 29t | Central Michigan | 0 | 7 |
| 29t | Navy | 1 | 7 |
| 29t | Purdue | 1 | 7 |
| 29t | South Dakota State | 1 | 7 |
| 33t | Iowa State | 0 | 6.5 |
| 33t | Northern Iowa | 0 | 6.5 |
| 35 | Old Dominion | 0 | 4.5 |
| 36t | Bucknell | 0 | 4 |
| 36t | Harvard | 0 | 4 |
| 38t | American | 0 | 3.5 |
| 38t | North Dakota State | 0 | 3.5 |
| 38t | Penn | 0 | 3.5 |
| 38t | Rider | 0 | 3.5 |
| 42t | Princeton | 0 | 3 |
| 42t | Indiana | 0 | 3 |
| 42t | West Virginia | 0 | 3 |
| 45t | Cleveland State | 0 | 2.5 |
| 45t | Wyoming | 0 | 2.5 |
| 47t | Boise State | 0 | 2 |
| 47t | Drexel | 0 | 2 |
| 47t | Franklin & Marshall | 0 | 2 |
| 50t | Army | 0 | 1.5 |
| 50t | Maryland | 0 | 1.5 |
| 50t | Michigan St | 0 | 1.5 |
| 50t | Campbell | 0 | 1.5 |
| 54t | Pitt | 0 | 1 |
| 54t | Northern Illinois | 0 | 1 |
| 54t | Clarion | 0 | 1 |
| 54t | Chattanooga | 0 | 1 |
| 54t | Northern Colorado | 0 | 1 |
| 54t | Lock Haven | 0 | 1 |
| 54t | Utah Valley | 0 | 1 |
| 54t | Columbia | 0 | 1 |
WIN’s March 7 Individual Rankings
125 pounds
| Rank | Name | School | Year | Prev |
| 1. | Nathan Tomasello | Ohio State | So. | 1st |
| 2. | Nico Megaludis | Penn State | Sr. | 4th |
| 3. | Thomas Gilman | Iowa | Jr. | 2nd |
| 4. | Joey Dance | Virginia Tech | Jr. | 3rd |
| 5. | Darian Cruz | Lehigh | So. | 7th |
| 6. | Eddie Klimara | Oklahoma State | Sr. | 5th |
| 7. | Barlow McGhee | Missouri | So. | 11th |
| 8. | Ronnie Bresser | Oregon State | So. | 8th |
| 9. | Ryan Millhof | Oklahoma | So. | 9th |
| 10. | Tim Lambert | Nebraska | Jr. | 12th |
| 11. | Dylan Peters | Northern Iowa | Jr. | 6th |
| 12. | Paul Petrov | Bucknell | Sr. | 14th |
| 13. | Josh Rodriguez | North Dakota State | Jr. | 15th |
| 14. | Connor Schram | Stanford | So. | 18th |
| 15. | Sean Fausz | NC State | RSFr. | 17th |
| 16. | David Terao | American U. | Sr. | 10th |
| 17. | Drew Templeman | Wyoming | Jr. | 16th |
| 18. | Conor Youtsey | Michigan | Jr. | NR |
| 19. | Zeke Moisey | West Virginia | So. | 13th |
| 20. | Elijah Oliver | Indiana | Fr. | 20th |
133 pounds
| Rank | Name | School | Year | Prev |
| 1. | Nahshon Garrett | Cornell | Sr. | 1st |
| 2. | Cory Clark | Iowa | Jr. | 3rd |
| 3. | Zane Richards | Illinois | Jr. | 2nd |
| 4. | Cody Brewer | Oklahoma | Sr. | 4th |
| 5. | Ryan Taylor | Wisconsin | Jr. | 10th |
| 6. | George DiCamillo | Virginia | Jr. | 6th |
| 7. | Jordan Conaway | Penn State | Sr. | 5th |
| 8. | Eric Montoya | Nebraska | Jr. | 8th |
| 9. | Earl Hall | Iowa State | Sr. | 7th |
| 10. | Johnni DiJulius | Ohio State | Sr. | 13th |
| 11. | Mack McGuire | Kent State | Jr. | 9th |
| 12. | Anthony Giraldo | Rutgers | RSFr. | 17th |
| 13. | Cameron Kelly | Ohio U. | Fr. | 12th |
| 14. | Nathan Kraisser | Campbell | Jr. | 18th |
| 15. | Geoffrey Alexander | Maryland | Sr. | 11th |
| 16. | Dom Malone | Northwestern | Sr. | 20th |
| 17. | Jade Rauser | Utah Valley | Sr. | NR |
| 18. | Gary Wayne Harding | Oklahoma State | So. | 16th |
| 19. | Dom Forys | Pittsburgh | So. | NR |
| 20. | Rossi Bruno | Michigan | Sr. | 14th |
141 pounds
| Rank | Name | School | Year | Prev |
| 1. | Dean Heil | Oklahoma State | So. | 1st |
| 2. | Joey McKenna | Stanford | Fr. | 2nd |
| 3. | Kevin Jack | NC State | So. | 3rd |
| 4. | Micah Jordan | Ohio State | Fr. | 4th |
| 5. | Solomon Chishko | Virginia Tech | RSFr. | 5th |
| 6. | Anthony Ashnault | Rutgers | So. | 6th |
| 7. | Joey Ward | North Carolina | Jr. | 7th |
| 8. | Matt Manley | Missouri | Jr. | 8th |
| 9. | Tommy Thorn | Minnesota | RSFr. | 9th |
| 10. | Richard Durso | Franklin & Marshall | Sr. | 10th |
| 11. | Todd Preston | Harvard | Sr. | 11th |
| 12. | Randy Cruz | Lehigh | Jr. | 13th |
| 13. | Chris Mecate | Old Dominion | Sr. | 15th |
| 14. | Jimmy Gulibon | Penn State | Jr. | 19th |
| 15. | Javier Gasca | Michigan State | So. | 16th |
| 16. | Danny Sabatello | Purdue | Sr. | NR |
| 17. | Steve Bleise | Northern Illinois | RSFr. | NR |
| 18. | Zach Horan | Central Michigan | Sr. | 17th |
| 19. | Anthony Abidin | Nebraska | Sr. | 20th |
| 20. | Brock Zacherl | Clarion | Fr. | NR |
149 pounds
| Rank | Name | School | Year | Prev |
| 1. | Zain Retherford | Penn State | So. | 2nd |
| 2. | Brandon Sorensen | Iowa | So. | 1st |
| 3. | Alex Pantaleo | Michigan | So. | 6th |
| 4. | Lavion Mayes | Missouri | Jr. | 4th |
| 5. | Jason Tsirtsis | Northwestern | Jr. | 5th |
| 6. | Anthony Collica | Oklahoma State | Jr. | 7th |
| 7. | Jake Sueflohn | Nebraska | Sr. | 3rd |
| 8. | Evan Henderson | North Carolina | Sr. | 9th |
| 9. | Matt Cimato | Drexel | Jr. | 11th |
| 10. | Michael DePalma | Kent State | Sr. | 19th |
| 11. | Justin Oliver | Central Michigan | RSFr. | 8th |
| 12. | Geo Martinez | Boise State | So. | 12th |
| 13. | Alex Richardson | Old Dominion | Sr. | 10th |
| 14. | Jake Short | Minnesota | So. | 15th |
| 15. | Tyson Dippery | Rutgers | So. | 20th |
| 16. | Mitch Finesilver | Duke | So. | 13th |
| 17. | Dan Neff | Lock Haven | Sr. | NR |
| 18. | B.J. Clagon | Rider | So. | 14th |
| 19. | Matt Kraus | Arizona State | Sr. | 17th |
| 20. | Davion Jeffries | Oklahoama | Fr. | NR |
157 pounds
| Rank | Name | School | Year | Prev |
| 1. | Isaiah Martinez | Illinois | So. | 2nd |
| 2. | Jason Nolf | Penn State | RSFr. | 1st |
| 3. | Thomas Gantt | NC State | Sr. | 3rd |
| 4. | Joe Smith | Oklahoma State | Fr. | 8th |
| 5. | Ian Miller | Kent State | Sr. | 4th |
| 6. | Dylan Palacio | Cornell | Jr. | 7th |
| 7. | Nick Brascetta | Virginia Tech | Sr. | 6th |
| 8. | Cody Pack | South Dakota State | Sr. | 5th |
| 9. | Brian Murphy | Michigan | So. | 10th |
| 10. | John Boyle | American U. | Sr. | 12th |
| 11. | Dylan Cottrell | West Virginia | Jr. | 13th |
| 12. | Edwin Cooper | Iowa | Sr. | 15th |
| 13. | Richie Lewis | Rutgers | Jr. | 9th |
| 14. | Austin Matthews | Edinboro | So. | NR |
| 15. | Bryce Steiert | Northern Iowa | Fr. | 14th |
| 16. | Jake Ryan | Ohio State | RSFr. | 17th |
| 17. | May Bethea | Penn | So. | 20th |
| 18. | Chad Walsh | Rider | So. | 18th |
| 19. | Markus Scheidel | Columbia | Jr. | 19th |
| 20. | Luke Smith | Central Michigan | Sr. | 16th |
165 pounds
| Rank | Name | School | Year | Prev |
| 1. | Alex Dieringer | Oklahoma State | Sr. | 1st |
| 2. | Isaac Jordan | Wisconsin | Jr. | 2nd |
| 3. | Bo Jordan | Ohio State | So. | 3rd |
| 4. | Daniel Lewis | Missouri | RSFr. | 5th |
| 5. | Stephen Rodriguez | Illinois | Sr. | 4th |
| 6. | Max Rohskopf | NC State | Jr. | 6th |
| 7. | Anthony Perrotti | Rutgers | Sr. | 7th |
| 8. | Chad Welch | Purdue | Sr. | 8th |
| 9. | Tanner Weatherman | Iowa State | Sr. | 9th |
| 10. | Austin Wilson | Nebraska | Sr. | 10th |
| 11. | Devon Gabbo | Harvard | Sr. | NR |
| 12. | Jim Wilson | Stanford | Jr. | 14th |
| 13. | Ryan Preisch | Lehigh | Fr. | 12th |
| 14. | John Staudenmayer | North Carolina | Sr. | 15th |
| 15. | Cooper Moore | Northern Iowa | Jr. | 13th |
| 16. | Jake Faust | Duke | So. | 17th |
| 17. | Duke Pickett | Cornell | Sr. | 11th |
| 18. | Clark Glass | Oklahoma | Jr. | 18th |
| 19. | Dave McFadden | Virginia Tech | Fr. | 19th |
| 20. | Adam Fierro | CSU Bakersfield | Sr. | NR |
174 pounds
| Rank | Name | School | Year | Prev |
| 1. | Bo Nickal | Penn State | RSFr. | 1st |
| 2. | Brian Realbuto | Cornell | Jr. | 2nd |
| 3. | Ethan Ramos | North Carolina | So. | 5th |
| 4. | Zach Epperly | Virginia Tech | So. | 3rd |
| 5. | Blaise Butler | Missouri | Sr. | 8th |
| 6. | Zac Brunson | Illinois | Jr. | 4th |
| 7. | Cody Walters | Ohio U. | Sr. | 7th |
| 8. | Myles Martin | Ohio State | RSFr. | 15th |
| 9. | Bryce Hammond | CSU Bakersfield | Sr. | 10th |
| 10. | Mike Ottinger | Central Michigan | Sr. | 11th |
| 11. | Nate Jackson | Indiana | Jr. | 12th |
| 12. | Alex Meyer | Iowa | Jr. | 6th |
| 13. | Brian Harvey | Army | Sr. | 17th |
| 14. | Lelund Weatherspoon | Iowa State | Jr. | 20th |
| 15. | Matt Reed | Oklahoma | Jr. | 16th |
| 16. | Jadaen Bernstein | Navy | So. | 18th |
| 17. | Chandler Rogers | Oklahoma State | RSFr. | NR |
| 18. | Casey Kent | Penn | Sr. | 13th |
| 19. | Nick Wanzek | Minnesota | So. | 19th |
| 20. | Jon Schleifer | Princeton | So. | 14th |
184 pounds
| Rank | Name | School | Year | Prev |
| 1. | Gabe Dean | Cornell | Jr. | 1st |
| 2. | Victor Avery | Edinboro | Sr. | 2nd |
| 3. | Blake Stauffer | Arizona State | Sr. | 4th |
| 4. | Domenic Abounader | Michigan | Jr. | 5th |
| 5. | Nathaniel Brown | Lehigh | Sr. | 3rd |
| 6. | Zack Zavatsky | Virginia Tech | So. | 6th |
| 7. | Sammy Brooks | Iowa | Jr. | 12th |
| 8. | Matt Miller | Navy | Sr. | 10th |
| 9. | Nolan Boyd | Oklahoma State | Jr. | 9th |
| 10. | Timothy Dudley | Nebraska | Jr. | 7th |
| 11. | Hayden Zillmer | North Dakota State | Sr. | 8th |
| 12. | Pete Renda | NC State | Jr. | 11th |
| 13. | Jack Dechow | Old Dominion | Jr. | 14th |
| 14. | Matt McCutcheon | Penn State | So. | 17th |
| 15. | Lorenzo Thomas | Penn | Sr. | 15th |
| 16. | Willie Miklus | Missouri | So. | 13th |
| 17. | Jordan Ellingwood | Central Michigan | So. | NR |
| 18. | Nicholas Gravina | Rutgers | So. | 19th |
| 19. | Jeff Koepke | Illinois | Jr. | 16th |
| 20. | Kenny Courts | Ohio State | Sr. | 18th |
197 pounds
| Rank | Name | School | Year | Prev |
| 1. | J’den Cox | Missouri | Jr. | 2nd |
| 2. | Morgan McIntosh | Penn State | Sr. | 1st |
| 3. | Conner Hartmann | Duke | Sr. | 4th |
| 4. | Nathan Burak | Iowa | Sr. | 5th |
| 5. | Brett Pfarr | Minnesota | Jr. | 3rd |
| 6. | Reuben Franklin | CSU Bakersfield | Sr. | 6th |
| 7. | Jared Haught | Virginia Tech | So. | 7th |
| 8. | Aaron Studebaker | Nebraska | Jr. | 9th |
| 9. | Phillip Wellington | Ohio U. | Sr. | 11th |
| 10. | Mike Boykin | NC State | So. | 10th |
| 11. | Max Huntley | Michigan | Sr. | 8th |
| 12. | Brett Harner | Princeton | Jr. | 13th |
| 13. | Zach Nye | Virginia | Sr. | 14th |
| 14. | Kyle Conel | Kent State | RSFr. | 16th |
| 15. | Ryan Wolfe | Rider | Jr. | 20th |
| 16. | Nate Rotert | South Dakota State | So. | 15th |
| 17. | Preston Weigel | Oklahoma State | RSFr. | NR |
| 18. | Sam Wheeler | Cleveland State | Sr. | 18th |
| 19. | Pat Downey | Iowa State | Jr. | NR |
| 20. | Trent Noon | Northern Colorado | Sr. | 17th |
Heavyweight
| Rank | Name | School | Year | Prev |
| 1. | Kyle Snyder | Ohio State | So. | 1st |
| 2. | Nick Gwiazdowski | NC State | Sr. | 2nd |
| 3. | Ty Walz | Virginia Tech | Jr. | 3rd |
| 4. | Adam Coon | Michigan | Jr. | 4th |
| 5. | Austin Marsden | Oklahoma State | Sr. | 5th |
| 6. | Denzel Dejournette | Appalachian State | Sr. | 6th |
| 7. | Amarveer Dhesi | Oregon State | So. | 8th |
| 8. | Max Wessell | Lehigh | Sr. | 9th |
| 9. | Michael Kroells | Minnesota | Jr. | 10th |
| 10. | Billy Smith | Rutgers | Sr. | 11th |
| 11. | Joe Stolfi | Bucknell | Sr. | 14th |
| 12. | Nathan Butler | Stanford | So. | 15th |
| 13. | Tanner Hall | Arizona State | Fr. | 12th |
| 14. | Blaize Cabell | Northern Iowa | Sr. | 13th |
| 15. | Riley Shaw | Cleveland State | Sr. | 16th |
| 16. | Tanner Harms | Wyoming | xx | NR |
| 17. | Ross Larson | Oklahoma | Jr. | 18th |
| 18. | Jared Johnson | Chattanooga | Jr. | 20th |
| 19. | Brooks Black | Illinois | Jr. | NR |
| 20. | Colin Jensen | Nebraska | Jr. | 19th |
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