Photo: Oklahoma State’s Nick Piccininni declared himself a strong candidate to win the 125-pound NCAA championship next month when the Cowboy pinned Iowa’s defending national champion Spencer Lee on Feb. 24 in Stillwater, Okla. (Jeremy Cook photo)
NEWTON, Iowa — Oklahoma State put an exclamation mark to the end of the regular season with a 27-12 dual victory over Iowa, especially 125-pound Nick Piccininni who pinned defending champ Spencer Lee and has moved up to second in WIN’s Feb. 25, 2019 Rankings, presented by Cliff Keen Athletic.
The Cowboys (15-0) are ranked second in WIN’s final dual-team rankings and third in the Tournament Power Index with nine ranked wrestlers and 77 points.
Defending national champ Penn State (14-0) remained the top-ranked team in both ratings as the Nittany Lions (with 123 TPI points) also feature nine ranked wrestlers, including four wrestlers — Jason Nolf (157), Vincenzo Joseph (165), Mark Hall (174) and Bo Nickal (197) — who are ranked No. 1 at their weight class.
The remaining six top-ranked wrestlers also remained the same, including Cornell’s 141-pound Yianni Diakomihalis, who defeated Ohio State’s second-ranked Joey McKenna last weekend.
WIN’s weekly individual rankings are a prediction of final NCAA tournament placements at the 2019 NCAA Championships, March 21-23 in Pittsburgh, and based on each wrestler’s full season of competition up until each week’s release. WIN’s Tournament Power Index is a total of the TPI points that all the wrestlers on a respective team have earned based on their ranking. A team’s TPI points and TPI ranking is a prediction of a where a team might finish at the national tournament at this point in the season with their current line-up.
WIN's TPI point totals
WIN’s TPI point totals are broken down by the following individual rankings:
- 1st – 20 (16 AA points + 4 advancement points);
- 2nd – 16 (12+4);
- 3rd – 13.5 (10+3.5);
- 4th – 12.5 (9+3.5);
- 5th – 10 (7+3);
- 6th – 9 (6+3);
- 7th – 6.5 (4+2.5);
- 8th – 5.5 (3+2.5).
Additional points for other rankings include:
- 9th/12th – 2;
- 13th/16th – 1.5;
- 17th-20th – 1.
TPI points will be lower than the final actual NCAA tournament points because it does not include bonus points.
NCAA Division I schedule
Teams will now take two weeks off to prepare for one of eight NCAA Div. I qualifying tournaments, which will eventually send 330 wrestlers to the national tournament:
- ACC —March 9, Blacksburg, Va.
- Big 10 —March 9-10, Minneapolis, Minn.
- Big 12 —March 9-10, Tulsa, Okla.
- EIWA —March 8-9, Vestal, N.Y.
- EWL —March 9, Fairfax, Va.
- MAC —March 8-9, Norfolk, Va.
- Pac-12 —March 9, Tempe, Ariz.
- SoCon —March 10, Boone, NC
WIN Magazine’s Feb. 25, 2019 Dual-Team Rankings
| Rk | School | Record | Previous |
| 1. | Penn State | 14-0 | 1st |
| 2. | Oklahoma State | 15-0 | 3rd |
| 3. | Iowa | 14-1 | 2nd |
| 4. | Michigan | 13-1 | 4th |
| 5. | Ohio State | 12-2 | 5th |
| 6. | Missouri | 16-1 | 6th |
| 7. | Cornell | 13-3 | 7th |
| 8. | Nebraska | 12-5 | 8th |
| 9. | NC State | 16-3 | 9th |
| 10. | Minnesota | 14-3 | 10th |
| 11. | Northern Iowa | 7-5 | 11th |
| 12. | Iowa State | 10-4 | 12th |
| 13. | Virginia Tech | 9-5 | 13th |
| 14. | Wyoming | 16-4 | 14th |
| 15. | Rutgers | 12-6 | 15th |
| 16. | North Carolina | 12-7 | 16th |
| 17. | Pitt | 13-3 | 17th |
| 18. | Wisconsin | 9-6 | 18th |
| 19. | Princeton | 9-6 | 19th |
| 20. | Virginia | 12-10 | 20th |
| 21. | Lehigh | 9-9 | 21st |
| 22. | Lock Haven | 10-3 | 22nd |
| 23. | Purdue | 7-10 | 23rd |
| 24. | Oklahoma | 10-6 | NR |
| 25. | North Dakota State | 10-6 | 24th |
WIN Magazine’s Feb. 25, 2019 Tournament Power Index (TPI)
| Rk | School | Total | Top 8 | TPI |
| Ranked | Ranked | Points | ||
| 1. | Penn State | 9 | 7 | 123 |
| 2. | Ohio State | 9 | 5 | 80 |
| 3. | Oklahoma State | 9 | 5 | 77 |
| 4. | Iowa | 9 | 6 | 73 |
| 5. | Michigan | 8 | 6 | 63 |
| 6. | Missouri | 7 | 4 | 46 |
| 7. | Minnesota | 6 | 4 | 44 |
| 8. | Cornell | 7 | 3 | 41.5 |
| 9t. | NC State | 5 | 4 | 39 |
| 9t. | Nebraska | 8 | 3 | 39 |
| 11. | Northwestern | 3 | 2 | 35.5 |
| 12. | Lehigh | 5 | 3 | 35 |
| 13. | Rutgers | 3 | 2 | 34 |
| 14. | Illinois | 6 | 2 | 31.5 |
| 15. | Arizona State | 5 | 2 | 30 |
| 16. | Princeton | 3 | 2 | 29 |
| 17t. | Oregon State | 2 | 2 | 25 |
| 17t. | Wisconsin | 6 | 2 | 25 |
| 19. | Virginia Tech | 6 | 2 | 23 |
| 20. | Northern Iowa | 6 | 2 | 21 |
| 21. | Iowa State | 6 | 1 | 17.5 |
| 22t. | Virginia | 3 | 2 | 16.5 |
| 22t. | Wyoming | 5 | 2 | 16.5 |
| 24. | Pitt | 4 | 1 | 15.5 |
| 25. | Duke | 2 | 1 | 14 |
| 26t. | Lock Haven | 4 | 1 | 13 |
| 26t. | North Carolina | 3 | 1 | 13 |
| 28. | Central Michigan | 1 | 1 | 9 |
| 29. | North Dakota State | 3 | 1 | 8 |
| 30t. | Army | 2 | 1 | 7.5 |
| 30t. | Utah Valley | 4 | 0 | 7.5 |
| 32. | Purdue | 5 | 0 | 6.5 |
| 33. | Old Dominion | 4 | 0 | 5.5 |
| 34. | Stanford | 3 | 0 | 5 |
| 35. | Drexel | 3 | 0 | 4.5 |
| 36t. | Buffalo | 2 | 0 | 3.5 |
| 36t. | Michigan State | 2 | 0 | 3.5 |
| 38. | Oklahoma | 2 | 0 | 2.5 |
| 39t. | Binghamton | 1 | 0 | 2 |
| 39t. | Bucknell | 1 | 0 | 2 |
| 39t. | Campbell | 1 | 0 | 2 |
| 39t. | Northern Illinois | 1 | 0 | 2 |
| 39t. | Ohio U. | 2 | 0 | 2 |
| 44t. | American U. | 1 | 0 | 1.5 |
| 44t. | Brown | 1 | 0 | 1.5 |
| 44t. | Clarion | 1 | 0 | 1.5 |
| 44t. | George Mason | 1 | 0 | 1.5 |
| 44t. | Maryland | 1 | 0 | 1.5 |
| 44t. | Navy | 1 | 0 | 1.5 |
| 44t. | Penn | 1 | 0 | 1.5 |
| 51t. | CSU Bakersfield | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| 51t. | Fresno State | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| 51t. | Northern Colorado | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| 51t. | Rider | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| 51t. | VMI | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| 51t. | West Virginia | 1 | 0 | 1 |
WIN Magazine’s Feb. 25, 2019 Individual Rankings
125 pounds
| Rk. | Name | School | Year | Previous |
| 1 | Sebastian Rivera | Northwestern | So. | 1st |
| 2 | Nick Piccininni | Oklahoma State | Jr. | 3rd |
| 3 | Spencer Lee | Iowa | So. | 2nd |
| 4 | Ronnie Bresser | Oregon State | Sr. | 4th |
| 5 | Jack Mueller | Virginia | Jr. | 5th |
| 6 | Sean Russell | Minnesota | Sr. | 6th |
| 7 | Vitali Arujau | Cornell | Fr. | 8th |
| 8 | Brent Fleetwood | North Dakota State | Sr. | 9th |
| 9 | Rayvon Foley | Michigan State | So. | 7th |
| 10 | Ryan Millhof | Arizona State | Sr. | 10th |
| 11 | Sean Fausz | NC State | Sr. | 11th |
| 12 | Pat Glory | Princeton | Fr. | 12th |
| 13 | Travis Piotrowski | Illinois | Jr. | 13th |
| 14 | Drew Mattin | Michigan | So. | 14th |
| 15 | Zeke Moisey | Nebraska | Sr. | 15th |
| 16 | Michael McGee | Old Dominion | So. | 17th |
| 17 | Jay Schwarm | Northern Iowa | Jr. | 18th |
| 18 | Cole Verner | Wyoming | Jr. | 19th |
| 19 | Luke Werner | Lock Haven | So. | 20th |
| 20 | Alex Mackall | Iowa State | So. | 16th |
133 pounds
| Rk. | Name | School | Year | Rk |
| 1 | Stevan Micic | Michigan | Jr. | 1st |
| 2 | Daton Fix | Oklahoma State | RS Fr. | 2nd |
| 3 | Austin DeSanto | Iowa | So. | 3rd |
| 4 | Nick Suriano | Rutgers | Jr. | 4th |
| 5 | Micky Phillippi | Pitt | RS Fr. | 5th |
| 6 | Tariq Wilson | NC State | So. | 6th |
| 7 | Montorie Bridges | Wyoming | So. | 7th |
| 8 | John Erneste | Missouri | Sr. | 10th |
| 9 | Austin Gomez | Iowa State | RS Fr. | 8th |
| 10 | Chas Tucker | Cornell | Jr. | 12th |
| 11 | Ethan Lizak | Minnesota | Jr. | 11th |
| 12 | Roman Bravo-Young | Penn State | Fr. | 13th |
| 13 | Luke Pletcher | Ohio State | Jr. | 9th |
| 14 | Korbin Myers | Virginia Tech | Jr. | 14th |
| 15 | Josh Terao | American U. | Sr. | 15th |
| 16 | Gary Wayne Harding | North Carolina | Sr. | 17th |
| 17 | Ben Thornton | Purdue | Sr. | 18th |
| 18 | Sean Nickell | CSU Bakersfield | Sr. | 19th |
| 19 | Cam Sykora | North Dakota State | Jr. | 16th |
| 20 | Dylan Duncan | Illinois | So. | 20th |
141 pounds
| Rk. | Name | School | Year | Previous |
| 1 | Yianni Diakomihalis | Cornell | So. | 1st |
| 2 | Joey McKenna | Ohio State | Sr. | 2nd |
| 3 | Jaydin Eierman | Missouri | Jr. | 3rd |
| 4 | Michael Carr | Illinois | So. | 4th |
| 5 | Nick Lee | Penn State | So. | 5th |
| 6 | Josh Alber | Northern Iowa | Sr. | 6th |
| 7 | Mitch McKee | Minnesota | Jr. | 7th |
| 8 | Kanen Storr | Michigan | So. | 8th |
| 9 | Matt Findlay | Utah Valley | So. | 9th |
| 10 | Tristan Moran | Wisconsin | Jr. | 10th |
| 11 | Bryan Lantry | Buffalo | Sr. | 11th |
| 12 | Ian Parker | Iowa State | So. | 12th |
| 13 | Kaid Brock | Oklahoma State | Jr. | 13th |
| 14 | Dom Demas | Oklahoma | RS Fr. | 14th |
| 15 | Sam Turner | Wyoming | So. | 15th |
| 16 | Nick Gil | Navy | Sr. | 16th |
| 17 | Sa’Derian Perry | Old Dominion | Jr. | 17th |
| 18 | Cameron Kelly | Ohio U. | Sr. | 18th |
| 19 | Chad Red | Nebraska | So. | 19th |
| 20 | Max Murin | Iowa | RS Fr. | NR |
149 pounds
| Rk. | Name | School | Year | Previous |
| 1 | Anthony Ashnault | Rutgers | Sr. | 1st |
| 2 | Micah Jordan | Ohio State | Sr. | 3rd |
| 3 | Matt Kolodzik | Princeton | Jr. | 2nd |
| 4 | Mitch Finesilver | Duke | Sr. | 7th |
| 5 | Austin O’Connor | North Carolina | RS Fr. | 4th |
| 6 | Justin Oliver | NC State | Sr. | 8th |
| 7 | Pat Lugo | Iowa | Sr. | 9th |
| 8 | Brock Mauller | Missouri | Fr. | 5th |
| 9 | Kaden Gfeller | Oklahoma State | RS Fr. | 6th |
| 10 | Max Thomsen | Northern Iowa | Jr. | 10th |
| 11 | Josh Heil | Campbell | So. | 11th |
| 12 | Parker Kropman | Drexel | So. | NR |
| 13 | Brady Berge | Penn State | RS Fr. | 12th |
| 14 | Jarrett Degen | Iowa State | So. | 13th |
| 15 | Requir Van Der Merwe | Stanford | So. | 14th |
| 16 | Anthony Artalona | Penn | Fr. | 16th |
| 17 | Cole Martin | Wisconsin | Jr. | 17th |
| 18 | Josh Maruca | Arizona State | Jr. | 18th |
| 19 | Christian Monserrat | West Virginia | Sr. | 20th |
| 20 | Davion Jeffries | Oklahoma | Sr. | NR |
157 pounds
| Rk. | Name | School | Year | Previous |
| 1 | Jason Nolf | Penn State | Sr. | 1st |
| 2 | Tyler Berger | Nebraska | Sr. | 2nd |
| 3 | Ryan Deakin | Northwestern | So. | 3rd |
| 4 | Hayden Hidlay | NC State | So. | 4th |
| 5 | Alec Pantaleo | Michigan | Sr. | 5th |
| 6 | Kaleb Young | Iowa | So. | 6th |
| 7 | Ke-Shawn Hayes | Ohio State | Jr. | 7th |
| 8 | Steve Bleise | Minnesota | Sr. | 8th |
| 9 | Larry Early | Old Dominion | Jr. | 9th |
| 10 | Eric Barone | Illinois | Jr. | 10th |
| 11 | Jarrett Jacques | Missouri | Fr. | 12th |
| 12 | Zach Hartman | Bucknell | Fr. | 11th |
| 13 | Taleb Rahmani | Pitt | Jr. | 16th |
| 14 | Paul Fox | Stanford | Sr. | 13th |
| 15 | John Van Brill | Rutgers | Sr. | 15th |
| 16 | Josh Humphreys | Lehigh | Fr. | 17th |
| 17 | Griffin Parriott | Purdue | So. | 14th |
| 18 | Zac Carson | Ohio U. | Jr. | 18th |
| 19 | BC LaPrade | Virginia Tech | So. | 19th |
| 20 | Christian Pagdilao | Arizona State | Sr. | 20th |
165 pounds
| Rk. | Name | School | Year | Previous |
| 1 | Vincenzo Joseph | Penn State | Jr. | 1st |
| 2 | Alex Marinelli | Iowa | So. | 2nd |
| 3 | Evan Wick | Wisconsin | So. | 3rd |
| 4 | Josh Shields | Arizona State | Jr. | 4th |
| 5 | Chance Marstellar | Lock Haven | Sr. | 5th |
| 6 | Isaiah White | Nebraska | Jr. | 6th |
| 7 | Branson Ashworth | Wyoming | Sr. | 7th |
| 8 | Logan Massa | Michigan | Jr. | 8th |
| 9 | Chandler Rogers | Oklahoma State | Sr. | 9th |
| 10 | Mekhi Lewis | Virginia Tech | RS Fr. | 12th |
| 11 | Demetrius Romero | Utah Valley | Jr. | 10th |
| 12 | Bryce Steiert | Northern Iowa | Sr. | 11th |
| 13 | Andrew Fogarty | North Dakota State | Jr. | 13th |
| 14 | Connor Flynn | Missouri | Jr. | 14th |
| 15 | Jon Viruet | Brown | Sr. | 15th |
| 16 | Ebed Jarrell | Drexel | Jr. | 16th |
| 17 | Joey Gunther | Illinois | Jr. | 17th |
| 18 | Jesse Dellavecchia | Rider | Jr. | 18th |
| 19 | Cam Coy | Virginia | RS Fr. | 19th |
| 20 | Te’Shan Campbell | Ohio State | Sr. | 20th |
174 pounds
| Rk. | Name | School | Year | Previous |
| 1 | Mark Hall | Penn State | Jr. | 1st |
| 2 | Daniel Lewis | Missouri | Sr. | 2nd |
| 3 | Zahid Valencia | Arizona State | Jr. | 3rd |
| 4 | Myles Amine | Michigan | Jr. | 4th |
| 5 | Jordan Kutler | Lehigh | Jr. | 5th |
| 6 | Jacobe Smith | Oklahoma State | Sr. | 10th/184 |
| 7 | David McFadden | Virginia Tech | Jr. | 7th |
| 8 | Taylor Lujan | Northern Iowa | Jr. | 8th |
| 9 | Mikey Labriola | Nebraska | RS Fr. | 9th |
| 10 | Ryan Christiansen | Wisconsin | Sr. | NR |
| 11 | Kimball Bastian | Utah Valley | Jr. | 11th |
| 12 | Brit Wilson | Northern Illinois | RS Fr. | 12th |
| 13 | Matt Finesilver | Duke | So. | 13th |
| 14 | Dylan Lydy | Purdue | Jr. | 14th |
| 15 | Brandon Womack | Cornell | Jr. | 10th |
| 16 | Ethan Smith | Ohio State | Fr. | 20th |
| 17 | Seldon Wright | Old Dominion | Sr. | 15th |
| 18 | Ben Harvey | Army | Jr. | 16th |
| 19 | Devin Skatzka | Minnesota | Jr. | 18th |
| 20 | Neal Richards | VMI | Jr. | 19th |
184 pounds
| Rk. | Name | School | Year | Previous |
| 1 | Myles Martin | Ohio State | Sr. | 1st |
| 2 | Shakur Rasheed | Penn State | Sr. | 2nd |
| 3 | Emery Parker | Illinois | Sr. | 3rd |
| 4 | Ryan Preisch | Lehigh | Sr. | 5th |
| 5 | Zack Zavatsky | Virginia Tech | Sr. | 7th |
| 6 | Max Dean | Cornell | So. | 6th |
| 7 | Nick Reenan | NC State | Jr. | 4th |
| 8 | Taylor Venz | Nebraska | So. | 8th |
| 9 | Lou DePrez | Binghamton | Fr. | 9th |
| 10 | Dakota Geer | Oklahoma State | So. | 10th |
| 11 | Nino Bonaccorsi | Pitt | Fr. | 13th |
| 12 | Samuel Colbray | Iowa State | So. | 17th |
| 13 | Drew Foster | Northern Iowa | Sr. | 11th |
| 14 | Chip Ness | North Carolina | Sr. | 14th |
| 15 | Cash Wilcke | Iowa | Jr. | 12th |
| 16 | Cameron Caffey | Michigan State | So. | 16th |
| 17 | Max Lyon | Purdue | So. | 15th |
| 18 | Mason Reinhardt | Wisconsin | Jr. | 18th |
| 19 | Corey Hazel | Lock Haven | Jr. | 19th |
| 20 | Dylan Wisman | Missouri | Jr. | 20th |
197 pounds
| Rk. | Name | School | Year | Previous |
| 1 | Bo Nickal | Penn State | Sr. | 1st |
| 2 | Kollin Moore | Ohio State | Jr. | 2nd |
| 3 | Patrick Brucki | Princeton | So. | 3rd |
| 4 | Preston Weigel | Oklahoma State | Sr. | 6th |
| 5 | Jacob Warner | Iowa | RS Fr. | 4th |
| 6 | Willie Miklus | Iowa State | Sr. | 5th |
| 7 | Rocco Caywood | Army | Sr. | 7th |
| 8 | Jay Aiello | Virginia | So. | 8th |
| 9 | Christian Brunner | Purdue | Jr. | 9th |
| 10 | Nathan Traxler | Stanford | So. | 10th |
| 11 | Tom Sleigh | Virginia Tech | Sr. | 11th |
| 12 | Eric Schultz | Nebraska | So. | 12th |
| 13 | Ben Honis | Cornell | Sr. | 13th |
| 14 | Greg Bulsak | Clarion | So. | 19th |
| 15 | Tanner Orndorff | Utah Valley | Jr. | 16th |
| 16 | Jackson Striggow | Michigan | Jr. | 14th |
| 17 | Wyatt Koelling | Missouri | So. | 18th |
| 18 | Stephen Loiseau | Drexel | Sr. | 15th |
| 19 | Chris Weiler | Lehigh | So. | 20th |
| 20 | Jacob Seely | Northern Colorado | Jr. | 17th |
Heavyweight
| Rk. | Name | School | Year | Previous |
| 1 | Gable Steveson | Minnesota | Fr. | 1st |
| 2 | Derek White | Oklahoma State | Sr. | 2nd |
| 3 | Anthony Cassar | Penn State | Sr. | 3rd |
| 4 | Amar Dhesi | Oregon State | Sr. | 4th |
| 5 | Jordan Wood | Lehigh | So. | 5th |
| 6 | Matt Stencel | Central Michigan | So. | 6th |
| 7 | Mason Parris | Michigan | Fr. | 7th |
| 8 | Trent Hillger | Wisconsin | RS Fr. | 8th |
| 9 | David Jensen | Nebraska | Jr. | 9th |
| 10 | Demetrius Thomas | Pitt | Jr. | 10th |
| 11 | Sam Stoll | Iowa | Sr. | 11th |
| 12 | Conan Jennings | Northwestern | Sr. | 12th |
| 13 | Youssif Hemida | Maryland | Sr. | 13th |
| 14 | Jake Gunning | Buffalo | Sr. | 14th |
| 15 | Matt Voss | George Mason | Sr. | 15th |
| 16 | Chase Singletary | Ohio State | RS Fr. | 16th |
| 17 | Thomas Haines | Lock Haven | Sr. | 17th |
| 18 | Jeremy Sweany | Cornell | Sr. | 18th |
| 19 | A.J. Nevills | Fresno State | So. | 19th |
| 20 | Brian Andrews | Wyoming | So. | 20th |
Mike Finn, who became editor of WIN Magazine in 2003, has been covering amateur wrestling for the past 33 years. He can be reached at mikef@win-magazine.com.
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