Nickal and Nolf take over top spots for No. 1 Penn State in WIN’s Jan. 25 rankings

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Updated: January 26, 2016

NEWTON, Iowa — Bo Nickal and Jason Nolf (pictured above) may only be redshirt freshmen on the Penn State roster but the two young Nittany Lions each scored upset pins in the same dual against the No. 1-ranked wrestler at their respective weights. Nolf and Nickal take over the top spots at 174 and 157 pounds, respectively, in WIN’s Jan. 25 rankings, presented by Cliff Keen Athletic.

Nolf handed 2015 NCAA champion Isaiah Martinez his first college loss with a second-period fall last Saturday, when Nickal also flattened Illinois’ Zach Brunson, in the closing seconds of their match in the dual in Champaign, Ill.

These two victories also expanded Penn State’s lead in this week’s Tournament Power Index (TPI), which is based on where the teams’ individuals are projected — according to WIN’s individual rankings — to finish in this season’s NCAA Championships, March 17-19, in New York City, with Top-8 finishers earning All-American points.

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.

The Nittany Lions feature six wrestlers projected to earn All-American honors, including three wrestlers ranked No. 1 at this point in the season. In addition to Nolf and Nickal, 197-pound Morgan McIntosh is also rated No. 1 for coach Cael Sanderson and staff.

Remaining in second place is Oklahoma State, which is projected to see seven Cowboys earn All-American honors in this year’s NCAAs, including two wrestlers — 141-pound Dean Heil and 165-pound Alex Dieringer — ranked No. 1 at their weight class.

In WIN’s dual-team rankings, Penn State (11-0) and Iowa (13-0) remain the top two schools while NC State (17-0) and Oklahoma State (8-2) have moved up to third and fourth. The Wolfpack was scheduled to wrestle ACC-rival North Carolina today, while the Cowboys are coming off a 23-9 victory over No. 5 Missouri, which saw its 37-dual winning streak end in the loss to OSU last weekend.

 

WIN’S Jan. 25 Tournament Power Index (TPI)

Rank College Top 8 TPI
1 Penn State 6 101.5
2 Oklahoma State 7 88
3 Ohio State 4 73
4 Iowa 5 71
5 Virginia Tech 6 64
6 Illinois 4 62
7 Cornell 3 58.5
8 Missouri 4 50
9 NC State 3 46.5
10 Nebraska 4 39.5
11 Michigan 2 32.5
12 Lehigh 2 27
13 North Carolina 2 25
14 Wisconsin 2 24.5
15 Minnesota 2 22.5
16 Stanford 1 21
17 Edinboro 1 18.5
18t Kent State 1 17.5
18t Rutgers 2 17.5
20t Oklahoma 1 16.5
20t Old Dominion 2 16.5
22t Arizona State 1 15.5
22t Duke 1 15.5
22t Iowa State 2 15.5
25 Northwestern 1 12.5
26 Oregon State 1 12
27 American 2 11
28 South Dakota State 1 10.5
29 Ohio U. 1 9.5
30t Appalachian State 1 9
30t Pittsburgh 1 9
32t Northern Iowa 0 8.5
32t Virginia 1 8.5
34 North Dakota State 1 8
35 CSU Bakersfield 1 7
36 Purdue 1 6.5
37 Princeton 0 5.5
38 Penn 0 5
39t Central Michigan 0 4.5
39t West Virginia 0 4.5
41 Bucknell 0 4
42 Navy 0 3.5
43t Rider 0 3
43t Wyoming 0 3
45 Harvard 0 2.5
46t Air Force 0 2
46t Boise State 0 2
46t Drexel 0 2
46t Franklin & Marshall 0 2
46t Eastern Michigan 0 2
46t Indiana 0 2
46t Maryland 0 2
46t Utah Valley 0 2
54t Cleveland State 0 1.5
54t Michigan State 0 1.5
56t Campbell 0 1
56t Chattanooga 0 1
56t George Mason 0 1
56t Northern Colorado 0 1

 

WIN’s Jan. 25 Dual-Team Rankings

Rk. Team Record Previous
1. Penn State 11-0 1st
2. Iowa 13-0 2nd
3. North Carolina State 17-0 4th
4. Oklahoma State 8-2 5th
5. Missouri 9-1 3rd
6. Virginia Tech 9-2 6th
7. Lehigh 11-1 7th
8. Michigan 9-1 8th
9. Ohio State 7-2 9th
10. Nebraska 9-4 10th
11. Illinois 9-4 11th
12. Oklahoma 9-2 12th
13. Cornell 3-4 13th
14. Rutgers 11-3 14th
15. North Carolina 9-2 15th
16. Pittsburgh 9-2 16th
17. Minnesota 7-6 20th
18. Kent State 11-3 19th
19. Arizona State 8-7 17th
20. Iowa State 7-5 18th
21. Virginia 5-3 22nd
22. Oregon State 5-4 23rd
23. Northern Iowa 3-5 25th
24. Stanford 9-2 NR
25. Purdue 7-4 21st

 

WIN’s Jan. 25 Individual Rankings

125 pounds

Rank Name School Year Prev
1. Nathan Tomasello Ohio State So. 1st
2. Thomas Gilman Iowa Jr. 2nd
3. Joey Dance Virginia Tech Jr. 3rd
4. Nico Megaludis Penn State Sr. 4th
5. Eddie Klimara Oklahoma State Sr. 5th
6. Ronnie Bresser Oregon State So. 6th
7. Tim Lambert Nebraska Jr. 7th
8. David Terao American U. Sr. 8th
9. Dylan Peters Northern Iowa Jr. 9th
10. Barlow McGhee Missouri So. 10th
11. Darian Cruz Lehigh So. 11th
12. Ryan Millhof Oklahoma So. 12th
13. Zeke Moisey West Virginia So. 13th
14. Paul Petrov Bucknell Sr. 14th
15. Josh Rodriguez North Dakota St. Jr. 15th
16. Drew Templeman Wyoming Jr. 16th
17. Connor Schram Stanford So. 17th
18. Chasen Tolbert Utah Valley Sr. 18th
19. Brandon Jeske Old Dominion Jr. 19th
20. Dalton Macri Cornell Fr. 20th

 

133 pounds

Rank Name School Year Prev
1. Nahshon Garrett Cornell Sr. 1st
2. Zane Richards Illinois Jr. 2nd
3. Cory Clark Iowa Jr. 3rd
4. Cody Brewer Oklahoma Sr. 4th
5. Ryan Taylor Wisconsin Jr. 5th
6. Jordan Conaway Penn State Sr. 6th
7. George DiCamillo Virginia Jr. 7th
8. Earl Hall Iowa State Sr. 8th
9. Rossi Bruno Michigan Sr. 9th
10. Geoffrey Alexander Maryland Sr. 10th
11. Johnni DiJulius Ohio State Sr. 11th
12. Josh Alber Northern Iowa Fr. 12th
13. Eric Montoya Nebraska Jr. 13th
14. Emilio Saavedra Old Dominion RSFr. 14th
15. Mack McGuire Kent State Jr. 15th
16. Anthony Giraldo Rutgers RSFr. 16th
17. Gary Wayne Harding Oklahoma State So. 18th
18. Josh Martinez Air Force Sr. NR
19. Nathan Kraisser Campbell Jr. 19th
20. Caleb Richardson Penn Jr. 20th

 

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. Mike Racciato Pittsburgh Jr. 6th
7. Anthony Ashnault Rutgers So. 7th
8. Matt Manley Missouri Jr. 9th
9. Tommy Thorn Minnesota RSFr. 10th
10. Joey Ward North Carolina Jr. 11th
11. Richard Durso Franklin & Marshall Sr. 14th
12. Chris Mecate Old Dominion Sr. 12th
13. Todd Preston Harvard Sr. 8th
14. Bryce Meredith Wyoming So. 13th
15. Javier Gasca Michigan State So. 15th
16. Jimmy Gulibon Penn State Jr. 16th
17. Randy Cruz Lehigh Jr. 19th
18. Anthony Abidin Nebraska Sr. NR
19. Tyler Smith Bucknell So. 18th
20. Zach Horan Central Michigan Sr. NR

 

149 pounds

Rank Name School Year Prev
1. Brandon Sorensen Iowa So. 1st
2. Zain Retherford Penn State So. 2nd
3. Lavion Mayes Missouri Jr. 3rd
4. Jason Tsirtsis Northwestern Jr. 4th
5. Jake Sueflohn Nebraska Sr. 5th
6. Evan Henderson North Carolina Sr. 6th
7. Alex Richardson Old Dominion Sr. 7th
8. Anthony Collica Oklahoma State Jr. 9th
9. Alex Pantaleo Michigan So. 11th
10. Matt Cimato Drexel Jr. 8th
11. Geo Martinez Boise State So. 13th
12. Mitch Finesilver Duke So. 14th
13. B.J. Clagon Rider So. 12th
14. Jake Short Minnesota So. 10th
15. C.J. Cobb Penn Sr. 15th
16. Pat Lugo Edinboro Fr. 20th
17. Chris Perez Princeton Sr. 16th
18. Michael DePalma Kent State Sr. 18th
19. Matt Kraus Arizona State Sr. 19th
20. Paul Fox Stanford RSFr. 17th

 

157 pounds

Rank Name School Year Prev
1. Jason Nolf Penn State RSFr. 3rd
2. Isaiah Martinez Illinois So. 1st
3. Ian Miller Kent State Sr. 2nd
4. Thomas Gantt NC State Sr. 4th
5. Joe Smith Oklahoma State Fr. 7th
6. Cody Pack So. Dakota State Sr. 6th
7. Nick Brascetta Virginia Tech Sr. 5th
8. John Boyle American U. Sr. 8th
9. Mitch Minotti Lehigh Sr. 10th
10. Richie Lewis Rutgers Jr. 12th
11. Brian Murphy Michigan So. 9th
12. Dylan Palacio Cornell Jr. NR
13. Dylan Cottrell West Virginia Jr. 13th
14. Bryce Steiert Northern Iowa Fr. 14th
15. Chad Walsh Rider So. NR
16. Luke Smith Central Michigan Sr. 19th
17. Edwin Cooper Iowa Sr. 20th
18. Austin Matthews Edinboro So. 11th
19. Spartak Chino Ohio U. Sr. 17th
20. Greg Flournoy George Mason Sr. 18th

 

165 pounds

Rank Name School Year Prev
1. Alex Dieringer Oklahoma State Sr. 1st
2. Bo Jordan Ohio State So. 2nd
3. Isaac Jordan Wisconsin Jr. 3rd
4. Stephen Rodriguez Illinois Sr. 4th
5. Tanner Weatherman Iowa State Sr. 5th
6. Daniel Lewis Missouri RSFr. 6th
7. Chad Welch Purdue Sr. 7th
8. Anthony Perrotti Rutgers Sr. 8th
9. Max Rohskopf NC State Jr. 9th
10. Austin Wilson Nebraska Sr. 10th
11. Duke Pickett Cornell Sr. 12th
12. Ryan Preisch Lehigh Fr. 11th
13. John Staudenmayer North Carolina Sr. 13th
14. Dave McFadden Virginia Tech Fr. 14th
15. Jim Wilson Stanford Jr. 15th
16. Cooper Moore Northern Iowa Jr. 16th
17. Shakur Rasheed Penn State RSFr. 17th
18. Jake Faust Duke So. 18th
19. Seth Thomas Oregon State Sr. 19th
20. Devon Gobbo Harvard Sr. 20th

 

174 pounds

Rank Name School Year Prev
1. Bo Nickal Penn State RSFr. 2nd
2. Zac Brunson Illinois Jr. 1st
3. Brian Realbuto Cornell Jr. 4th
4. Ethan Ramos North Carolina So. 5th
5. Kyle Crutchmer Oklahoma State Jr. 3rd
6. Zach Epperly Virginia Tech So. 6th
7. Alex Meyer Iowa Jr. 7th
8. Cody Walters Ohio U. Sr. 8th
9. Mike Ottinger Central Michigan Sr. 10th
10. Blaise Butler Missouri Sr. 11th
11. Nate Jackson Indiana Jr. 9th
12. Davonte Mahomes Michigan RSFr. 14th
13. Bryce Hammond CSU Bakersfield Sr. NR
14. Jadaen Bernstein Navy So. 13th
15. Jon Schleifer Princeton So. 12th
16. Myles Martin Ohio State RSFr. 15th
17. Casey Kent Penn Sr. 16th
18. Micah Barnes Nebraska Jr. 17th
19. Ricky Robertson Wisconsin So. 20th
20. Matt Reed Oklahoma Jr. NR

 

184 pounds

Rank Name School Year Prev
1. Gabe Dean Cornell Jr. 1st
2. Victor Avery Edinboro Sr. 2nd
3. Nathaniel Brown Lehigh Sr. 3rd
4. Blake Stauffer Arizona State Sr. 4th
5. Timothy Dudley Nebraska Jr. 5th
6. Zack Zavatsky Virginia Tech So. 6th
7. Hayden Zillmer North Dakota St. Sr. 8th
8. Jack Dechow Old Dominion Jr. 10th
9. Willie Miklus Missouri So. 7th
10. Sammy Brooks Iowa Jr. 9th
11. Domenic Abounader Michigan Jr. 11th
12. Matt Miller Navy Sr. 13th
13. Lorenzo Thomas Penn Sr. 14th
14. Nolan Boyd Oklahoma State Jr. 18th
15. Jeff Koepke Illinois Jr. 16th
16. Matt McCutcheon Penn State So. 12th
17. Kenny Courts Ohio State Sr. 15th
18. Pete Renda NC State Jr. 17th
19. Abram Ayala Princeton Sr. 19th
20. Andrew Romanchik Ohio U. Sr. 20th

 

197 pounds

Rank Name School Year Prev
1. Morgan McIntosh Penn State Sr. 1st
2. J’den Cox Missouri Jr. 2nd
3. Brett Pfarr Minnesota Jr. 3rd
4. Conner Hartmann Duke Sr. 4th
5. Nathan Burak Iowa Sr. 5th
6. Max Huntley Michigan Sr. 6th
7. Aaron Studebaker Nebraska Jr. 7th
8. Reuben Franklin CSU Bakersfield Sr. 8th
9. Jared Haught Virginia Tech So. 9th
10. Zach Nye Virginia Sr. 10th
11. Phillip Wellington Ohio U. Sr. 11th
12. Brett Harner Princeton Jr. 12th
13. Jake Smith West Virginia Jr. 13th
14. Nate Rotert So. Dakota State So. 14th
15. Mike Boykin NC State So. 15th
16. Kyle Conel Kent State RSFr. 16th
17. Anthony Abro Eastern Michigan Sr. 17th
18. Parker Hines Air Force Jr. 18th
19. Trent Noon Northern Colorado Sr. 20th
20. Derek Thomas Utah Valley Sr. NR

 

Heavyweight

Rank Name School Year Prev
1. Kyle Snyder Ohio State So. 1st
2. Nick Gwiazdowski NC State Sr. 2nd
3. Adam Coon Michigan Jr. 3rd
4. Ty Walz Virginia Tech Jr. 4th
5. Austin Marsden Oklahoma State Sr. 5th
6. Denzel Dejournette Appalachian St. Sr. 6th
7. Max Wessell Lehigh Sr. 7th
8. Michael Kroells Minnesota Jr. 9th
9. Sam Stoll Iowa Fr. 10th
10. Tanner Hall Arizona State Fr. 8th
11. Amarveer Dhesi Oregon State So. 11th
12. Billy Smith Rutgers Sr. 12th
13. Riley Shaw Cleveland State Sr. 13th
14. Blaize Cabell Northern Iowa Sr. 14th
15. Joe Stolfi Bucknell Sr. 15
16. Nathan Butler Stanford So. 19th
17. Ross Larson Oklahoma Jr. 16th
18. Colin Jensen Nebraska Jr. 17th
19. Jared Johnson Chattanooga Jr. 18th
20. Gabe Hutchison Eastern Michigan So. 20th