Longendyke, Howk, Wunnicke continue to lead NCAA pin rankings for Feb. 8

Donny Longendyke, Josh Howk, and T.J. Wunnicke continue to pin down the "most prolific pinner" title again this week in Division I-III college wrestling, according to the latest statistics released by the NCAA Wednesday.

Longendyke, heavyweight at University of Nebraska, again ranks No. 1 in falls so far this season in Division I, with 19. Right behind him is Roger Pena, Oregon State 157-pounder, with 18.

In Division II, the top two pinners are both from St. Cloud State: Howk has 16 pins to date at 149... while 165-pounder Tad Merritt has 14.

Wunnicke, 133-pounder at University of Wisconsin-Platteville, leads the way in falls in Division III with 22. In second place is Ithaca's Jules Doliscar at 174, with 17.

What's more, Merritt and Wunnicke rank as "Most Dominant Wrestler" in their respective divisions in the Feb. 8 rankings issued by the NCAA.

Technical falls: In Division I, University at Buffalo's 165 lb. Mark Lewandowski is No. 1 with ten tech falls so far this season. In Division II, Luke Rynish, 174-pounder at Wisconsin-Parkside, has nine... while, in Division III, Wilkes College's 125, Michael Fleck, has ten tech falls as of Feb. 8.

These new "most pins" and "most technical falls" tallies -- along with the Most Dominant Wrestler Award -- are the new three results-based awards for individual wrestlers announced by the NCAA Rules Committee last December for all three divisions.

Updated statistics are released each week. The idea behind these awards: to reward individual excellence... as well as to generate more fan excitement and media coverage during the regular season.

Want to know more? To see the top ten wrestlers in terms of falls and technical falls in each of the three NCAA divisions updated for Feb. 8, check out this chart at NCAA.com.