Nebraska and Little Rock make big jumps in WIN’s Dec. 20 Rankings
Photo: Nasir Bailey, a freshman from the University of Little Rock, went from unranked to No. 8 at 133 pounds after he upset Iowa State’s Evan Frost during the Journeyman Collegiate Duals, which were held Monday and Tuesday in Nashville, Tenn. (Photo by Sam Janicki)
NEWTON, Iowa – Nebraska and Little Rock made the most noticeable of jumps among the NCAA Division I schools in WIN Magazine’s Dec. 20 national rankings, presented by Cliff Keen Athletic.
The Huskers moved up seven spots to No. 2 in WIN’s Tournament Power Index with seven ranked wrestlers, including a No. 1-ranked wrestler in Ridge Lovett and a pair of wrestlers at No. 2: Caleb Smith (125) and Peyton Robb (157). Nebraska earned 74 points in this week’s TPI.
Meanwhile, Little Rock, which did not have a college wrestling program until 2019-20, features three ranked wrestlers, including two ranked in the Top 8 of their weight class: 133-pound freshman Nasir Bailey and 197-pound Stephen Little. The Arkansas school is now ranked No. 26 in WIN’s TPI with 12 points.
WIN’s TPI predicts how high a team would finish in this year’s NCAA Division I Championships based on a point total associated with individual placement and advancement points that could be scored in the 2024 NCAAs.
The following is a breakdown of those points: 20 for 1st place, 16 for 2nd, 13.5 for 3rd, 12.5 for 4th, 10 for 5th, 9 for 6th, 6.5 for 7th and 5.5 for 8th. Wrestlers ranked 9-12 earn two points each, followed by one and a half points for wrestlers ranked 13-16 and one point for those ranked 17-20.
Also, it should be noted that WIN’s individual rankings are not necessarily simply an update of recent wins and losses, but more of a prediction at this point in the season of where wrestlers would be seeded at the 2024 NCAAs, which will be held in Kansas City, Mo., next March, if that event was held now.
Penn State, the defending champs with eight guys in the top eight, remains No. 1 in both WIN’s TPI and dual rankings with a 131 TPI points and a 2-0 record.
The Nittany Lions are followed by Missouri (4-0), Iowa (5-0), NC State (9-1) and Cornell (3-1) in the dual rankings, while Missouri, NC State and Cornell follow Penn State and Nebraska in the TPI.
Most NCAA Division I programs will now take a holiday break. WIN’s next rankings will be announced on Jan. 3, following tournaments like the Midlands in Evanston, Ill., and Soldier Salute in Coralville, Iowa (which both take place Dec. 29-30) and the Jan. 1-2 Southern Scuffle in Chattanooga, Tenn.
WIN Magazine’s Dec. 20 Dual Rankings
| Rk. | School (Record) | Prev. | Upcoming Action |
| 1. | Penn State (2-0) | 1st | off until Jan. 5 at Oregon State |
| 2. | Missouri (4-0) | 3rd | vs. Illinois, Dec. 21, in St. Louis |
| 3. | Iowa (5-0) | 4th | off until Dec. 29 at Soldier Salute |
| 4. | NC State (9-1) | 2nd | off until Jan. 5 vs. Oklahoma State |
| 5. | Cornell (3-1) | 5th | off until Jan. 5 at Ohio State |
| 6. | Michigan (2-0) | 6th | off until Jan. 4 vs. South Dakota State |
| 7. | Iowa State (6-1) | 7th | off until Jan. 5 vs. Arizona State |
| 8. | Oklahoma State (4-0) | 8th | off until Jan. 5 at NC State |
| 9. | Nebraska (3-0) | 9th | off until Jan. 5 vs. Wyoming |
| 10. | Ohio State (7-1) | 10th | off until Jan. 5 vs. Cornell |
| 11. | Virginia Tech (3-1) | 11th | off until Jan. 2 at Missouri |
| 12. | Minnesota (5-0) | 12th | off until Dec 29 at Soldier Salute |
| 13. | Rutgers (5-1) | 13th | off until Jan. 6 at Penn |
| 14. | South Dakota State (3-2) | 14th | off until Dec. 29 at Soldier Salute |
| 15. | Oregon State (4-1) | 15th | off until Jan. 5 at Penn State |
| 16. | Stanford (5-1) | 16th | off until Jan. 1 at Southern Scuffle |
| 17. | Pitt (7-3) | 17th | off until Jan. 5 at Franklin & Marshall Open |
| 18. | Navy (5-0) | 18th | at American U. Dec. 21 |
| 19. | Northern Iowa (1-3) | 19th | off until Dec. 29 at Soldier Salute |
| 20. | Oklahoma (4-2) | 20th | off until Jan. 1 at Southern Scuffle |
| 21. | Lehigh (0-3) | 21st | off until Dec. 22 |
| 22. | West Virginia (7-1) | 22nd | off until Dec. 29 at Midlands |
| 23. | Arizona State (1-2) | 23rd | off until Dec. 29 at Midlands |
| 24. | North Carolina (6-3) | 24th | off until Dec. 29 at Soldier Salute |
| 25. | Maryland (2-1) | 25th | off until Jan. 5 at Franklin & Marshall Open |
WIN Magazine’s Dec. 20 Tournament Power Index
| Rk. | School | Total Rank | Top 8 | TPI Pts |
| 1. | Penn State | 8 | 8 | 131 |
| 2. | Nebraska | 7 | 5 | 74 |
| 3. | Missouri | 8 | 5 | 66 |
| 4. | NC State | 8 | 5 | 65 |
| 5. | Cornell | 7 | 5 | 63.5 |
| 6. | Oklahoma State | 7 | 4 | 59.5 |
| 7. | Virginia Tech | 8 | 4 | 51.5 |
| 8. | Iowa | 7 | 4 | 49 |
| 9. | Iowa State | 7 | 4 | 43 |
| 10t. | Michigan | 7 | 5 | 42 |
| 10t. | Ohio State | 7 | 3 | 42 |
| 12. | Arizona State | 3 | 3 | 40.5 |
| 13. | South Dakota State | 6 | 2 | 32 |
| 14. | Stanford | 5 | 3 | 27 |
| 15. | Northern Iowa | 5 | 1 | 26.5 |
| 16. | Oregon State | 5 | 2 | 24.5 |
| 17. | Lehigh | 4 | 2 | 23.5 |
| 18. | Air Force | 2 | 2 | 22.5 |
| 19. | Lock Haven | 1 | 1 | 20 |
| 20. | Rutgers | 8 | 1 | 17 |
| 21t. | Oklahoma | 4 | 1 | 13.5 |
| 21t. | Purdue | 1 | 1 | 13.5 |
| 23t. | Illinois | 3 | 1 | 13 |
| 23t. | North Carolina | 3 | 1 | 13 |
| 23t. | Wisconsin | 3 | 1 | 13 |
| 26. | Little Rock | 3 | 2 | 12 |
| 27. | Minnesota | 5 | 1 | 11.5 |
| 28. | Cal Poly | 2 | 1 | 11 |
| 29. | Pitt | 6 | 0 | 9 |
| 30. | Indiana | 3 | 1 | 8.5 |
| 31. | Maryland | 4 | 0 | 7.5 |
| 32. | Campbell | 1 | 1 | 6.5 |
| 33. | Penn | 4 | 0 | 6 |
| 34. | Michigan State | 3 | 0 | 5.5 |
| 35. | Navy | 4 | 0 | 5 |
| 36t. | Columbia | 3 | 0 | 4 |
| 36t. | West Virginia | 3 | 0 | 4 |
| 38t. | Northern Colorado | 2 | 0 | 3.5 |
| 38t. | Ohio | 2 | 0 | 3.5 |
| 40t. | Central Michigan | 3 | 0 | 3 |
| 40t. | Wyoming | 2 | 0 | 3 |
| 42t. | Appalachian State | 2 | 0 | 2.5 |
| 42t. | North Dakota State | 2 | 0 | 2.5 |
| 44t. | Northwestern | 2 | 0 | 2 |
| 44t. | Rider | 1 | 0 | 2 |
| 44t. | Virginia | 1 | 0 | 2 |
| 47t. | Chattanooga | 1 | 0 | 1.5 |
| 47t. | Harvard | 1 | 0 | 1.5 |
| 47t. | Princeton | 1 | 0 | 1.5 |
| 50t. | Army West Point | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| 50t. | Binghamton | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| 50t. | Drexel | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| 50t. | Franklin & Marshall | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| 50t. | Utah Valley | 1 | 0 | 1 |
WIN Magazine’s Dec. 20 Individual Rankings
125 pounds
| Wt | Name | School | Yr. | Previous |
| 1. | Anthony Noto | Lock Haven | Jr. | 4th |
| 2. | Caleb Smith | Nebraska | Gr. | 5th |
| 3. | Matt Ramos | Purdue | Jr. | 8th |
| 4. | Nico Provo | Stanford | So. | 2nd |
| 5. | Brett Ungar | Cornell | So. | 3rd |
| 6. | Brandon Kaylor | Oregon State | Sr. | 7th |
| 7. | Drake Ayala | Iowa | So. | 10th |
| 8. | Michael DeAugustino | Michigan | Sr. | 6th |
| 9. | Patrick McKee | Minnesota | Sr. | 9th |
| 10. | Jakob Camacho | NC State | Jr. | 1st |
| 11. | Dean Peterson | Rutgers | So. | 11th |
| 12. | Eric Barnett | Wisconsin | Sr. | 12th |
| 13. | Noah Surtin | Missouri | Jr. | 13th |
| 14. | Brayden Palmer | Chattanooga | Sr. | 14th |
| 15. | Stevo Poulin | Northern Colorado | So. | 15th |
| 16. | Jore Volk | Wyoming | So. | 16th |
| 17. | Tanner Jordan | South Dakota State | Sr. | 17th |
| 18. | Troy Spratley | Oklahoma State | RSFr. | 18th |
| 19. | Cooper Flynn | Virginia Tech | Fr | NR |
| 20. | Max Gallagher | Penn | Fr. | 20th |
133 pounds
| Wt | Name | School | Yr. | Previous |
| 1. | Vito Arujau | Cornell | Sr. | 1st |
| 2. | Daton Fix | Oklahoma State | Sr. | 2nd |
| 3. | Ryan Crookham | Lehigh | Fr. | 3rd |
| 4. | Aaron Nagao | Penn State | So. | 5th |
| 5. | Kai Orine | NC State | Jr. | 4th |
| 6. | Sam Latona | Virginia Tech | Jr. | 6th |
| 7. | Chris Cannon | Michigan | Sr. | 7th |
| 8. | Nasir Bailey | Little Rock | Fr. | NR |
| 9. | Michael Colaiocco | Penn | Sr. | 9th |
| 10. | Dylan Shawver | Rutgers | So. | 10th |
| 11. | Evan Frost | Iowa State | RSFr. | 8th |
| 12. | Nic Bouzakis | Ohio State | RSFr. | 11th |
| 13. | Braxton Brown | Maryland | So. | 13th |
| 14. | Tyler Knox | Stanford | Fr. | 14th |
| 15. | Julian Farber | Northern Iowa | Jr. | NR |
| 16 | Brody Teske | Iowa | Sr. | 15th |
| 17. | Ethan Oakley | Appalachian State | So. | 17th |
| 18. | Derrick Cardinal | South Dakota State | So. | 16th |
| 19. | Brendan Ferretti | Navy | So. | 19th |
| 20. | Angelo Rini | Columbia | Sr. | 20th |
141 pounds
| Wt | Name | School | Yr. | Previous |
| 1. | Real Woods | Iowa | Sr. | 1st |
| 2. | Beau Bartlett | Penn State | Sr. | 2nd |
| 3. | Jesse Mendez | Ohio State | So. | 3rd |
| 4. | Ryan Jack | NC State | Jr. | 4th |
| 5. | Lachlan McNeil | North Carolina | So. | 5th |
| 6. | Tagen Jamison | Oklahoma State | RSFs. | 6th |
| 7. | Brock Hardy | Nebraska | So. | 7th |
| 8. | Anthony Echemendia | Iowa State | Jr. | 8th |
| 9. | Cael Happel | Northern Iowa | Jr. | 9th |
| 10. | Clay Carlson | South Dakota State | Sr. | 10th |
| 11. | Kal Miller | Maryland | So. | 11th |
| 12. | Vince Cornella | Cornell | So. | 13th |
| 13. | Mitch Moore | Rutgers | Gr. | 14th |
| 14. | Josh Koderhandt | Navy | Jr. | 16th |
| 15. | Mosha Schwartz | Oklahoma | Sr. | 15th |
| 16. | Malyke Hines | Lehigh | Jr. | 17th |
| 17. | Frankie Tal Shahar | Northwestern | Jr. | 18th |
| 18. | Josh Edmond | Missouri | So. | 19th |
| 19. | C.J. Composto | Penn | So. | 20th |
| 20. | Cole Matthews | Pitt | Sr. | 12th |
149 pounds
| Wt | Name | School | Yr. | Previous |
| 1. | Ridge Lovett | Nebraska | Jr. | 1st |
| 2. | Caleb Henson | Virginia Tech | So. | 2nd |
| 3. | Kyle Parco | Arizona State | Jr. | 3rd |
| 4. | Jackson Arrington | NC State | So. | 6th |
| 5. | Dylan D’Emilio | Ohio State | Sr. | 4th |
| 6. | Chance Lamer | Cal Poly | So. | 5th |
| 7. | Casey Swiderski | Iowa State | So. | 7th |
| 8. | Jaden Abas | Stanford | Sr. | 8th |
| 9. | Kannon Webster | Illinois | Fr. | 9th |
| 10. | Ethen Miller | Maryland | So. | 11th |
| 11. | Joe Zargo | Wisconsin | Jr. | 12th |
| 12. | Quinn Kinner | Rider | Sr. | 13th |
| 13. | Graham Rooks | Indiana | Sr. | 15th |
| 14. | Drew Roberts | Minnesota | So. | 14th |
| 15. | Kellyn March | North Dakota State | Sr. | 10th |
| 16. | Victor Voinovich | Iowa | So. | 16th |
| 17. | Trae McDaniel | Army West Point | So. | 17th |
| 18. | Corbyn Munson | Central Michigan | Sr. | 18th |
| 19. | Willie McDougald | Oklahoma | So. | 19th |
| 20. | Ty Watters | West Virginia | Fr. | 20th |
157 pounds
| Wt | Name | School | Yr. | Previous |
| 1. | Levi Haines | Penn State | So. | 1st |
| 2. | Peyton Robb | Nebraska | Sr. | 2nd |
| 3. | Jacori Teemer | Arizona State | Sr. | 3rd |
| 4. | Jared Franek | Iowa | Gr. | 4th |
| 5. | Brock Mauller | Missouri | Sr. | 5th |
| 6. | Ed Scott | NC State | Jr. | 6th |
| 7. | Daniel Cardenas | Stanford | So. | 8th |
| 8. | Bryce Andonian | Virginia Tech | Sr. | 7th |
| 9. | Will Lewan | Michigan | Sr. | 9th |
| 10. | Chase Saldate | Michigan State | Sr. | 10th |
| 11. | Paddy Gallagher | Ohio State | So. | 11th |
| 12. | Vinny Zerban | Northern Colorado | So. | 12th |
| 13. | Peyten Kellar | Ohio | So. | 13th |
| 14. | Michael Blockhus | Minnesota | Sr. | 14th |
| 15. | Ryder Downey | Northern Iowa | RSFr. | 15th |
| 16. | Tommy Askey | Appalachian State | Jr. | 16th |
| 17. | Trevor Chumbley | Northwestern | Sr. | 17th |
| 18. | Cody Chittum | Iowa State | Fr. | 18th |
| 19. | Johnny Lovett | Central Michigan | Sr. | 19th |
| 20. | Andrew Clark | Rutgers | Jr. | 20th |
165 pounds
| Wt | Name | School | Yr. | Previous |
| 1. | Keegan O’Toole | Missouri | Jr. | 1st |
| 2. | Izzak Olejnik | Oklahoma State | Sr. | 2nd |
| 3. | David Carr | Iowa State | Sr. | 3rd |
| 4. | Julien Ramirez | Cornell | Jr. | 4th |
| 5. | Cam Amine | Michigan | Sr. | 5th |
| 6. | Dean Hamiti | Wisconsin | Jr. | 6th |
| 7. | Mitchell Mesenbrink | Penn State | RSFr. | 7th |
| 8. | Michael Caliendo | Iowa | So. | 8th |
| 9. | Peyton Hall | West Virginia | Jr. | 10th |
| 10. | Holden Heller | Pitt | Sr. | 9th |
| 11. | Garrett Thompson | Ohio | Fr. | 11th |
| 12. | Matt Olguin | Oregon State | Sr. | 12th |
| 13. | Derek Gilcher | Indiana | Sr. | 13th |
| 14. | Caleb Fish | Michigan State | Sr. | 16th |
| 15. | Joshua Ogunsanya | Columbia | Sr. | 18th |
| 16. | Connor Brady | Virginia Tech | xx | NR |
| 17. | Tanner Cook | South Dakota State | Sr. | 14th |
| 18. | Bubba Wilson | Nebraska | Jr. | NR |
| 19. | Andrew Cerniglia | Navy | Sr. | 19th |
| 20. | Blaine Brenner | Minnesota | So. | 20th |
174 pounds
| Wt | Name | School | Yr. | Previous |
| 1. | Carter Starocci | Penn State | Sr. | 1st |
| 2. | Mekhi Lewis | Virginia Tech | Sr. | 2nd |
| 3. | Cade DeVos | South Dakota State | Jr. | 3rd |
| 4. | Carson Kharchla | Ohio State | Sr. | 4th |
| 5. | Peyton Mocco | Missouri | Sr. | 5th |
| 6. | Edmond Ruth | Illinois | Jr. | 6th |
| 7. | Shane Griffith | Michigan | Sr. | 7th |
| 8. | Donnell Washington | Indiana | Sr. | 8th |
| 9. | Nick Incontrera | Penn | Jr. | 9th |
| 10. | Travis Wittlake | Oregon State | Sr. | 10th |
| 11. | Justin McCoy | Virginia | Gr. | 11th |
| 12. | Adam Kemp | Cal Poly | Gr. | 12th |
| 13. | Luca Augustine | Pitt | So. | 13th |
| 14. | Patrick Kennedy | Iowa | So. | 14th |
| 15. | Lennox Wolak | Columbia | Sr. | 15th |
| 16. | Phillip Conigliaro | Harvard | Sr. | 16th |
| 17. | Alex Cramer | Central Michigan | Sr. | 18th |
| 18 | Mickey O’Malley | Drexel | Gr. | 19th |
| 19. | Jackson Turley | Rutgers | Sr. | 20th |
| 20. | Gaven Sax | North Dakota State | Jr. | NR |
184 pounds
| Wt | Name | School | Yr. | Previous |
| 1. | Parker Keckeisen | Northern Iowa | Jr. | 1st |
| 2. | Bernie Truax | Penn State | Sr. | 2nd |
| 3. | Dustin Plott | Oklahoma State | Sr. | 3rd |
| 4. | Lenny Pinto | Nebraska | So. | 4th |
| 5. | Trey Munoz | Oregon State | Jr. | 5th |
| 6. | Chris Foca | Cornell | Sr. | 7th |
| 7. | Sam Wolf | Air Force | Sr. | 8th |
| 8. | Isaiah Salazar | Minnesota | Sr. | 10th |
| 9. | Will Feldkamp | Iowa State | Sr. | 6th |
| 10. | Layne Malczewski | Michigan State | Gr. | 11th |
| 11. | Brian Soldano | Rutgers | So. | 12th |
| 12. | Clayton Whiting | Missouri | Fr. | NR |
| 13. | Dylan Fishback | NC State | RSFr. | 15th |
| 14. | Jaden Bullock | Michigan | Jr. | 13th |
| 15. | Gavin Kane | North Carolina | Jr. | 16th |
| 16. | Reece Heller | Pitt | Sr. | 14th |
| 17. | James Conway | Franklin & Marshall | Jr. | 17th |
| 18. | Jacob Nolan | Binghamton | Sr. | 18th |
| 19. | Gavin Hoffman | Ohio State | Sr. | 19th |
| 20. | Triston Wills | Little Rock | Jr. | NR |
197 pounds
| Wt | Name | School | Yr. | Previous |
| 1. | Aaron Brooks | Penn State | Sr. | 1st |
| 2. | Trent Hidlay | NC State | Sr. | 2nd |
| 3. | Tanner Sloan | South Dakota State | Sr. | 3rd |
| 4. | Rocky Elam | Missouri | Jr. | 4th |
| 5. | Stephan Buchanan | Oklahoma | Jr. | 5th |
| 6. | Jacob Cardenas | Cornell | Sr. | 6th |
| 7. | Michael Beard | Lehigh | Jr. | 7th |
| 8. | Stephen Little | Little Rock | RSFr. | 8th |
| 9. | Jaxon Smith | Maryland | So. | 9th |
| 10. | Luke Surber | Oklahoma State | Sr. | 10th |
| 11. | Silas Allred | Nebraska | So. | 11th |
| 12. | John Poznanski | Rutgers | Jr. | 12th |
| 13. | Luke Stout | Princeton | Jr. | 13th |
| 14. | Sonny Sasso | Virginia Tech | Fr. | NR |
| 15. | Joey Novak | Wyoming | Fr. | 15th |
| 16. | Max Shaw | North Carolina | Jr. | 16th |
| 17. | Nick Stemmet | Stanford | Sr. | 14th |
| 18. | Andy Smith | Virginia Tech | Jr. | 18th |
| 19. | Mac Stout | Pitt | RSFr. | 19th |
| 20. | Evan Bockman | Utah Valley | Sr. | 20th |
Heavyweight
| Wt | Name | School | Yr. | Previous |
| 1. | Greg Kerkvliet | Penn State | Sr. | 1st |
| 2. | Wyatt Hendrickson | Air Force | Sr. | 2nd |
| 3. | Cohlton Schultz | Arizona State | Jr. | 3rd |
| 4. | Yonger Bastida | Iowa State | Sr. | 4th |
| 5. | Lucas Davison | Michigan | Gr. | 5th |
| 6. | Zach Elam | Missouri | Sr. | 6th |
| 7. | Taye Ghadiali | Campbell | Sr. | 7th |
| 8. | Yaraslau Slavikouski | Rutgers | Gr. | 8th |
| 9. | Luke Luffman | Illinois | Jr. | 9th |
| 10. | Dayton Pitzer | Pitt | RSFr. | 10th |
| 11. | Nathan Taylor | Lehigh | So. | 12th |
| 12. | Konner Doucet | Oklahoma State | Jr. | 13th |
| 13. | Boone McDermott | Oregon State | Sr. | 14th |
| 14. | Owen Trephan | NC State | Jr. | 15th |
| 15. | Tyrell Gordon | Northern Iowa | Sr. | 11th |
| 16. | Grady Griess | Navy | Sr. | 16th |
| 17. | Josh Heindselman | Oklahoma | Sr. | 17th |
| 18. | Nick Feldman | Ohio State | RSFr. | 18th |
| 19. | Lewis Fernandes | Cornell | Sr. | 19th |
| 20. | Michael Wolfgram | West Virginia | Sr. | 20th |
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