UNI Wrestling: 3 Panthers Lead Big 12 in Rankings

PDF OF RANKINGS
PDF OF RPI

CEDAR FALLS, Iowa – Three Panthers lead the Big 12 in the latest national wrestling rankings, and the Big 12 was allocated 45 automatic qualifying spots for the NCAA tournament.

UNI's Max Thomsen at 149 pounds, Taylor Lujan at 174 pounds and Drew Foster at 184 pounds are the highest ranked wrestlers in the Big 12.

The Big 12's 45 allocations ranks third among the conferences. The Big Ten leads the way with 80, and Eastern Intercollegiate Wrestling Association earned 47 spots.

Six Panthers remain in the national rankings, while seven earned a top-33 RPI.

WT	RANKED WRESTLER	RPI	RANK VS. BIG 12 FOES	ALLOCATIONS AT WT
125	No. 19 Jay Schwarm	14	5TH	7
141	No. 9 Josh Alber	2	3RD	3
149	No. 7 Max Thomsen	8	1ST	5
157	Logan Ryan	31	NR	3
174	No. 7 Taylor Lujan	7	1ST	5
184	No. 11 Drew Foster	5	1ST	4
197	No. 15 Jacob Holschlag	6	3RD	4

The official Big 12 preseeds for the conference championship will be announced Monday.

NATIONAL ALLOCATIONS

BIG 12 CHAMPIONSHIP BOOKED THROUGH 2020

The Big 12 Conference and the Tulsa Sports Commission have partnered to host the Big 12 Wrestling Championship at the BOK Center in Tulsa, Oklahoma, for the next two years. The 2019 Championship will be held March 9-10. The 2020 Championship will be March 7-8.

The Big 12 Wrestling Championship is the largest neutral-site wrestling conference championship in the NCAA. In 2017, a record crowd of more than 15,000 fans saw Oklahoma State win its 14th postseason conference championship.

The 2018 Big 12 Wrestling Championship will be held March 3-4 at Tulsa's BOK Center.

ALLOCATION EXPLANATION

Each qualifying tournament was awarded spots per weight class based on current year data. Each wrestler was measured on the following: Division I winning percentage at the weight class; ratings percentage index (RPI); and coaches' ranking.

For each wrestler that reached the threshold in at least two of the three categories, his qualifying tournament was awarded a qualifying spot in that weight class. Each qualifying tournament, with automatic qualifying status, was awarded a minimum of one wrestler per weight class, which will go to the tournament champion, even if they did not have any wrestlers reach at least two of the three thresholds. NCAA tournament spots for each qualifying event will be awarded at the tournament based solely on place-finish.

After all of the qualifying events have concluded, the NCAA Division I Wrestling Committee will meet in-person to select the remaining 47 at-large qualifiers, which will be announced on March 6. All weight classes will consist of 33 wrestlers. The at-large selections will be made based on the following criteria: head-to-head competition; quality wins; coaches' ranking; results against common opponents; RPI; qualifying event placement; and winning percentage.

COACHES RANKINGS AND RPI RANKINGS EXPLANATION

The coaches' rankings are compiled by a vote of coaches representing each conference. For ranking purposes, coaches may only consider a wrestler that has been designated as a starter at a respective weight class. To be eligible for the rankings, wrestlers must have participated in at least five matches against Division I opponents in the weight class and have wrestled within the last 30 days.

To be eligible for an RPI ranking, a wrestler must have a minimum of 17 Division I matches at a given weight class.

NATIONAL TOURNAMENT

The 2018 NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships takes place at Quicken Loans Arena in Cleveland March 15-17.

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