WIN’s Jan. 28 rankings features upcoming bouts between highly-ranked wrestlers

(Photo: The last time Princeton’s Matt Kolodzik (right) and Rutgers’ Anthony Ashnault met in a college match was during the 141-pound quarterfinals of the 2017 NCAA Championships, where Ashnault prevailed and both earned All-American honors. Nearly two years later, the wrestlers from New Jersey colleges are the top-ranked wrestlers at 149 pounds. No. 1 Kolodzik is expected to meet No. 2 Ashnault this Sunday at Rutgers.)

NEWTON, Iowa — As the calendar turns to February, all eyes will be on State College, Pa., this Friday, and Piscataway, N.J., this Sunday when big battles for several top-ranked wrestlers, according to WIN’s Jan. 28 rankings presented by Cliff Keen Athletic, could happen in both locations.

Penn State (9-0) remains top-ranked in WIN’s team dual rankings and Tournament Power Index and features three No. 1-rated wrestlers, who will be challenged by other Top-10 wrestlers from fourth-ranked Michigan (9-0), which is coming off a road upset of then second-ranked Ohio State.

Penn State’s Mark Hall (right) held off Michigan’s Myles Amine in the finals of the 2018 Big Ten Championships last March.

The best match-ups may be at 157, where PSU’s No. 1 Jason Nolf takes on No. 5 Alec Pantaleo; at 165 where the Lions’ No. 1 Vincenzo Joseph will be challenged by No. 8 Logan Massa; and at 174 where Penn State’s No. 1 Mark Hall will battle No. 3 Myles Amine. Meanwhile, other Top-10 battles should happen at 141, where Penn State’s No. 5 Nick Lee faces Michigan’s No. 8 Kanen Storr; and at heavyweight where the Lions’ No. 3 Anthony Cassar face off against No. 6 Mason Parris.

Two days later, there will be a battle of New Jersey’s highest-ranked Division I teams and the nation’s top wrestlers at 149 pounds as Princeton’s top-ranked Matt Kolodzik will face second-ranked Anthony Ashnault of Rutgers.

Overall, Iowa and Oklahoma State, both 10-0 on the season, have each moved up one spot to No. 2 and 3, respectively, in the dual rankings. In WIN’s Tournament Power Index, the Hawkeyes are rated No. 3 with nine ranked wrestlers and 82.5 points, while the Cowboys, with nine ranked wrestlers, are rated No. 4 with 72.5 TPI points.

Despite the dual loss, Ohio State, with seven rated wrestlers, remained the second-ranked team in the TPI (85), while Michigan is rated No. 5 with 66.5 TPI points.

WIN’s Tournament Power Index 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.

WIN’s Jan. 28 Tournament Power Index

WIN’s Jan. 28, 2019 Dual-Team Rankings

WIN’s Jan. 28, 2019 Individual Rankings

125 pounds                                               

133 pounds                                               

141 pounds

149 pounds

157 pounds                                               

165 pounds                                               

174 pounds                                               

184 pounds                                               

197 pounds

Heavyweight