The start of the college wrestling season must be getting close; the pre-season predictions and rankings are already making an appearance.
The amateur wrestling website WrestlingReport.com weighs in with their NCAA Division I team rankings for the 2009-2010 season... along with ranking individual wrestlers on a weight-by-weight basis.
In WrestlingReport.com's team rankings, college editor Gregg Henry has the 2009 NCAA team champs the University of Iowa Hawkeyes at the top of his rankings, followed by cross-state rival, the Iowa State Cyclones. In third place are the Ohio State Buckeyes, with the University of Minnesota Golden Gophers and the Broncos of Boise State rounding out the top five.
For each weight class, WrestlingReport.com has the top 33 wrestlers ranked. Here are the top wrestlers in each weight class:
125: Troy Nickerson, Cornell University
133: Franklin Gomez, Michigan State
141: Nick Gallick, Iowa State
149: Damion Caldwell, North Carolina State (rankings made before the announcement about Caldwell redshirting because of upcoming shoulder surgery; next in the rankings: Brent Metcalf, University of Iowa
157: Jordan Burroughs, Nebraska
165: Jarrod King, Edinboro
174: Mark Miller, Central Michigan
184: Mike Pucillo, Ohio State
197: Jake Varner, Iowa State
Hwt: Mark Ellis, Missouri
No real surprises in terms of the top-ranked guys -- after all, many are defending champs. However, the real fun -- and potential arguments -- lie in the rankings from No. 2 through No. 33.
Resources
WrestlingReport.com pre-season rankings for 2009-2010
Follow College Wrestling Examiner Mark Palmer on Twitter
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