Penn State is No. 1 in WIN’s first dual team rankings; updated TPI features 23 newcomers

NEWTON, Iowa — College wrestling moves into the month of December and defending NCAA champion Penn State remains the team-to-beat in both tournament and dual competition. The Nittany Lions have now earned the top rating in WIN Magazine’s first dual team rankings of the season and remain No. 1 in WIN’s Tournament Power Index and Individual Rankings, presented by Cliff Keen Athletic.

With seven ranked wrestlers, all in the Top 8 of their weight classes, Penn State stands 3-0 on the season and leads WIN’s TPI with 113.5 points.

Ohio State, which is coming off a team championship at last weekend’s Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational, is ranked No. 2 in both rankings. The Buckeyes, featuring eight ranked wrestlers, six in the Top 8, are also 3-0 on the season and have produced 79 points in WIN’s TPI.

Iowa, which edged instate rival Iowa State, 19-18, last weekend is rated third in both rankings with a 5-0 record and 71 TPI points. Oklahoma State is ranked No. 4 in both with a 3-0 mark and 69.5 TPI points.

WIN’s Tournament Power Index (TPI) awards team points for individuals ranked in the respective weight classes based on how many potential All-Americans each school could produce at the 2019 NCAA Championships, March 21-23, in Pittsburgh, Pa.

WIN’s TPI point totals are broken down by the following individual rankings: 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.

In WIN’s updated individual rankings, all ten top-ranked wrestlers remain the same. There are also 23 athletes among the 200 total rated wrestlers who are ranked for the first time this season:

Air Force’s Alec Opsal (149), Arizona State’s Christian Pagdilao (157), Campbell’s Josh Heil (149), Drexel’sJoey Goodhart (Hwt),Fresno State’s Khristian Olivas (149), Iowa State’s Ian Parker (141) and Samuel Colbray (184), Lehigh’s Jake Jacobsen (197), Michigan’s Kanen Storr (141) and Jackson Striggow (197), Nebraska’s Eric Schultz (197), NC State’s Jamal Morris (141) and Thomas Bullard (165), North Dakota State’s Brent Fleetwood (125), Ohio State’s Chase Singletary (Hwt), Old Dominion’s Seldon Wright (174), Pitt’s Demetrius Thomas (Hwt), Purdue’s Ben Thornton (133), Virginia’s Will Schany (184) and Jay Aiello (197), West Virginia’s Matt Schmitt (133), Wisconsin’s Cole Martin (149) and Wyoming’s Brian Andrews (Hwt).

WIN’s Dec. 3, 2018 Dual Team Rankings

WIN’s Dec. 3 Tournament Power Index (TPI)

WIN’s Dec. 3, 2018 Individual Rankings

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Heavyweight