Kerkvliet and Elam take over top spots in WIN’s Dec. 5 weekly rankings

Photos: Penn State’s Greg Kerkvliet (left) has taken over the No. 1 spot at heavyweight and Missouri’s Rocky Elam is rated No. 1 in WIN Magazine’s Dec. 5 weekly rankings. (Penn State and Missouri photos)

NEWTON, Iowa — There are changes at the top of two weight classes on the NCAA Division I level as Missouri’s Rocky Elam and Penn State’s Greg Kerkvliet are ranked No. 1 at 197 pounds and heavyweight, respectively, in WIN Magazine’s Dec. 5 Weekly Rankings, presented by Cliff Keen Athletic.

Elam, a sophomore, jumped up to the top spot after Penn State’s Max Dean, last year’s defending national champion, lost twice last weekend, to Rider’s Ethan Laird and Lehigh’s Michael Beard in a pair of dual meets. Kerkvliet, a junior, moved to No. 1 after Arizona State’s Cohlton Schultz, last year’s defending national runner-up, lost to South Dakota State’s A.J. Nevills at the Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational last weekend.

This means that Penn State, ranked No. 1 in WIN’s Tournament Power Index and Dual Rankings, still has four No. 1 wrestlers, including defending national champs Roman Bravo-Young (133), Carter Starocci (174) and Aaron Brooks (184). The other top-ranked wrestlers by weight include Iowa’s Spencer Lee (125), who had his first appearance of the season for the No. 2-ranked Hawkeyes, Northern Colorado’s Andrew Alirez (141), Cornell’s Yianni Diakomihalis (149), Princeton’s Quincy Monday (157) and Missouri’s Keegan O’Toole (165).

Standing behind Penn State and Iowa in the TPI are Missouri, Iowa State and Cornell.

Each of WIN’s individual rankings releases are a projection of where individuals will finish at next March’s Division I Championships in Tulsa, Okla. WIN’s Tournament Power Index is a total of a team’s possible NCAA points if their wrestlers finished where they are currently ranked. The following is a breakdown of the points from the TPI, based on a wrestler’s ranking: 20 for 1^st, 16 for 2^nd, 13.5 for 3^rd, 12.5 for 4^th, 10 for 5^th, 9 for 6^th, 6.5 for 7^th and 5.5 for 8^th. Wrestlers ranked 9-12 earn two points each, followed by 1.5 points for wrestlers ranked 13-16 and 1 point for those ranked 17-20.

There are 19 newcomers to this week’s rankings, including three from Nebraska, which won the team title at the Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invite: Liam Cronin (16^th at 125), Bubba Wilson (17^th at 165) and Lenny Pinto (14^th at 184). The Cornhusker who made the biggest jump was sophomore Brock Hardy, who moved from No. 19 to No. 4 after he won the 141-pound championship in Las Vegas.

Meanwhile, South Dakota State, which finished third at the Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invite, now has six ranked wrestlers as the Jackrabbits added three newcomers to WIN’s individual rankings: Tanner Jordan (14^th at 125): Tanner Cook (15^th at 165) and Cade King (17^th at 184).

WIN will announce one more set of rankings, Dec. 12, before Christmas, and resume its weekly rankings on Jan. 3, following the holiday tournaments.

WIN Magazine’s Dec. 5 Tournament Power Index

WIN Magazine’s Dec. 5 Dual Rankings

WIN Magazine’s Dec. 5 NCAA Div. I Individual Rankings

125 pounds    

133 pounds 

141 pounds                                                                                                                            

149 pounds       

157 pounds          

165 pounds   

174 pounds                                                                                                                            

184 pounds                                                                                                 

197 pounds                                                                                                                            

Heavyweight