Final WIN ranks feature four new No. 1s; Iowa picked to win NCAAs

Photos: Iowa recently won its 36th all-time Big Ten title and is now picked to capture the school’s 24th all-time NCAA championship in Minneapolis, where Northwestern’s Sebastian Rivera, Ohio State’s Luke Pletcher, Iowa’s Alex Marinelli and Penn State’s Mark Hall earned No. 1 individual rankings by WIN Magazine.

NEWTON, Iowa — The 330-wrestler field is set for the 2020 NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships in Minneapolis, March 19-21, and Big Ten champion Iowa is picked to claim its first national team championship since 2010, according to WIN’s March 10 Tournament Power Index and Individual Rankings, presented by Cliff Keen Athletic.

WIN’s final rankings of the season also features four new No. 1-ranked wrestlers at their weight class following the recent conference tournaments: Northwestern’s Sebastian Rivera (125), Ohio State’s Luke Pletcher (141), Iowa’s Alex Marinelli (165) and Penn State’s Mark Hall (174).

WIN’s TPI is a prediction of where teams could finish in the 2020 NCAA Division I Championships that will be held in U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis, and is based on teams’ individual rankings and predictions to where wrestlers might place at the NCAAs. There is more movement in the individuals in this rankings set because WIN is seeking to predict NCAA tournament individual finishes based on projected seeds as well as past NCAA tournament showings and regular season match-ups.

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.

The Hawkeyes earned 115.5 TPI points and feature a ranked wrestler at all 10 weight classes, including a trio of top-ranked wrestlers: two-time defending champ Spencer Lee (125) and returning All-Americans Pat Lugo (149) and Marinelli. Five other Hawkeyes are also rated in the Top 8, which would earn them an All-American honor: Austin DeSanto (4^th at 133), Max Murin (8^th at 141), Michael Kemerer (2^nd at 174), Jacob Warner (6^th at 197) and Anthony Cassioppi (3^rd at heavyweight).

Penn State, which has won the last four NCAA team titles and eight over the past nine years, is ranked second with 80 points. The Nittany Lions feature seven ranked wrestlers, including five rated in the Top 8: Roman Bravo-Young (2^nd at 133), Nick Lee (2^nd at 141), Vincenzo Joseph (2^nd at 165), Hall and Aaron Brooks (5^th at 184).

Ohio State is ranked No. 3 with 63 TPI points as the Buckeyes feature seven ranked wrestlers, including another top-ranked wrestler in three-time All-American Kollin Moore at 197 pounds.

Oklahoma State is ranked No. 4 with 49 points, followed by Northwestern and Nebraska, which are tied with 46 points. The Cornhuskers finished second in the recent Big Ten Championships and the Wildcats feature another No. 1-ranked wrestler in Ryan Deakin at 157 pounds.

The other top-ranked wrestlers are Northern Iowa’s Taylor Lujan (184) and Minnesota heavyweight Gable Steveson.

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WIN Magazine’s March 10, 2020 Tournament Power Index

WIN Magazine’s March 10, 2020 Individual Rankings

125 pounds

133 pounds                                               

141 pounds

149 pounds           

157 pounds           

165 pounds                                               

174 pounds

184 pounds

197 pounds

Heavyweight