Penn State Once Again Dominates Latest College Wrestling Rankings
Penn State retained its grip on the No. 1 ranking in college wrestling this week, as five Nittany Lions topped their weight classes and nine were in the top 10.
According to InterMat Wrestling's Feb. 13 rankings, Penn State (10-0) sat above Oklahoma State, Iowa and Nebraska, which visits State College on Sunday to close the Big Ten regular season. Penn State will defend its title at the Big Ten Championships, scheduled for March 9-10 at the University of Maryland.
Penn State delivered milestone victories in its last two matches, beating Iowa 29-6 for coach Cael Sanderson's 200th Penn State victory and Rutgers 35-3 for the program's 1,000th overall. The Nittany Lions have two matches left to secure their fourth consecutive undefeated regular season and eighth in the past nine seasons under Sanderson.
Penn State in the college wrestling rankings
Five Nittany Lions retained their No. 1 spots, according to InterMat, while two dipped after losses. Here's a look at this week's Penn State wrestling rankings:
125: Freshman Braeden Davis (15-1) fell four spots to No. 6 after his first loss, a 4-2 decision against Iowa's Drake Ayala. Davis rebounded for a 4-1 win in sudden victory against Rutgers' Dean Peterson.
133: Aaron Nagao is in a bit of a slump, having lost three of his last four bouts, including a 9-6 sudden-victory decision against Rutgers' Dylan Shawver. He fell out of the top 10, dropping five spots to No. 11.
141: Beau Bartlett (16-0) remained No. 1 after a big win over Iowa's Real Woods and a late-takedown decision against Rutgers.
149: Tyler Kasak (12-2) bounced back from a sudden-victory loss to Iowa's Caleb Rathjen by turning aside Rutgers' Michael Cetta 7-5. Despite the loss, Kasak moved up one spot to No. 9.
157: Levi Haines (13-0) declared his dominance at No. 1 with a pair of bonus-point victories, including a 12-0 major decision over fifth-ranked Jared Franek of Iowa.
165: Mitchell Mesenbrink (17-0) continued his unbeaten climb, inching up one spot to No. 6 after a decision and a fall.
174: Carter Starocci (9-0) didn't compete against Rutgers and has the fewest number of bouts among No. 1 wrestlers. He's setting the stage for a run to become Penn State's first four-time champion.
184: Bernie Truax (10-2) hung onto the No. 6 spot after a pair of shutout victories, including a major at Iowa.
197: No. 1 Aaron Brooks (12-0) has been among the most dominant wrestlers in the nation. After a 4-1 win against Iowa's Zach Glazier, who defended pretty well, Brooks won by fall against Rutgers. The pin was his fourth this season and his 11th bonus-point victory. Brooks can join Starocci in becoming a four-time champ
285: No. 1 Greg Kerkvliet (10-0) sat out the Rutgers match with an illness after punctuating Penn State's huge win at Iowa with a major decision.
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