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.
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.
Among the top-ranked wrestlers by the coaches are five former national champions with Darian Cruz of Lehigh (125 pounds), Zain Retherford, Penn State (149), Jason Nolf, Penn State (157), Isaiah Martinez, Illinois (165) and Bo Nickal, Penn State (184).
The additional top-ranked wrestlers at each weight class in the coaches' rankings are: Seth Gross, South Dakota State (133), Bryce Meredith, Wyoming (141), Zahid Valencia, Arizona State (174), Jared Haught, Virginia Tech (197) and Adam Coon, Michigan (heavyweight).
In the RPI, top-ranked wrestlers include: Taylor Lamont, Utah Valley (125 pounds), Stevan Micic, Michigan (133), Jaydin Eierman, Missouri (141), Brandon Sorensen, Iowa (149), Joshua Shields, Arizona State (157), Vincenzo Joseph, Penn State (165), Valencia (174), Myles Martin, Ohio State (184), Michael Macchiavello, NC State (197) and Coon (heavyweight).
Zahid Valencia and Adam Coon are the only two wrestlers ranked first in both the coaches' ranking and the RPI.
The 2018 NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships takes place at Quicken Loans Arena in Cleveland March 15-17. Wrestling fans can buy and sell official tickets through the NCAA Ticket Exchangeâ„¢. This gives ticket holders who are unable to attend a session a place to safely sell their tickets. Buyers can also get their tickets knowing the tickets are authentic and guaranteed, visit http://www.ncaa.com/tickets/wrestling/d1 for more information.
A full description of the entire selection process is in the 2018 Division I Wrestling Championships Pre-Championships Manual which is available at NCAA.org.
Recommended Comments
There are no comments to display.
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now