NAIA Wrestling Coaches' Preseason Top 20 Poll
KANSAS CITY, Mo. – After winning its seventh-consecutive national title last year, Grand View (Iowa) again starts the season as the No. 1 team in the NAIA Wrestling Coaches’ Preseason Top 20 Poll. The next installment of the Coaches’ Poll is scheduled for Nov. 21.
Top 25 Highlights (historical information dates back to 2000-2001)
- Grand View is No. 1 in the poll for the 46th-consecutive time and the 49th time in program history. This is the most for any institution since the start of the 2000-01 season.
- The last time Grand View was not ranked No. 1 was on Oct. 17, 2012. “Taken 2” was No. 1 at the box office. “One More Night” by Maroon 5 was in week two of its nine-week run as the No. 1 song in the Billboard Hot100. Grand View has had more staying power than both.
- Grand View had three individual national champions a year ago, and one returns. Evan Hansen follows-up his national championship year by starting the 2018-2019 at No. 1 at 197 pounds.
- Four wrestlers who finished last year at No. 1 also start this season at No. 1: Hayden Lee (125) of Cumberlands (Ky.), Nosomy Pozo (157) of Life (Ga.) and Lucas Lovvorn (174) of Baker (Kan.), in addition to Evan Hansen (197).
- There are six new wrestlers at No. 1 to begin the poll: Erique Ealy (133) of Indiana Tech, Matt Weber (141) of Montana State-Northern; Tres Leon (149) of Cumberlands (Ky.); Andrew Bartel (165) of Montana State-Northern; Zach Linton (184) of Doane (Neb.) and Brandon Reed (285) of Lindsey Wilson (Ky.)
- Seven teams are new to the poll, based on the postseason poll from last season: No. 16 Reinhardt (Ga.), No. 17 Brewton-Parker (Ga.), No. 18 Southeastern (Fla.), No. 19 Northwestern (Iowa), and Briar Cliff (Iowa), Dickinson State (N.D.) and Missouri Baptist, all tied for 20th.
- Since 2001, only Grand View (2013-14, 2014-15, 2015-16, 2016-17, 2017-2018), former members Notre Dame (Ohio) (2010-11) and Lindenwood (Mo.) (2006-07) have spent the entire season ranked No. 1.
Poll Methodology
- The poll was voted upon by a panel of head coaches representing each of the eight conferences.
- Two days prior to the national poll, each qualifying group rater submits the top six individuals from each weight class in his conference into the system. Only wrestlers listed on a conference ballot are considered for the national ballot.
- The top 20 individuals in each weight class are based on how each voter ranks the best individuals. An individual receives 20 points for each first-place vote, 19 for second place and so on through the list. This same point system is used to determine the team ranking.
- The postseason poll is determined using the individual and team results from the national championship
- For the complete Top 20 calendar, click here.
2018-2019 NAIA Wrestling Coaches’ Preseason Top 20 Poll (Oct. 24, 2018)
| Rank |
Previous |
Team |
League |
Points |
| 1 |
1 |
Grand View (Iowa) |
Heart of America |
173 |
| 2 |
7 |
Indiana Tech |
SAC |
136 |
| 3 |
4 |
Montana State-Northern |
Cascade |
125 |
| 4 |
9 |
Providence (Mont.) |
Cascade |
124 |
| 5 |
2 |
Cumberlands (Ky.) |
Mid-South |
120 |
| 6 |
10 |
Menlo (Calif.) |
Cascade |
98 |
| 7 |
T12 |
Baker (Kan.) |
Heart of America |
93 |
| 8 |
5 |
Lindsey Wilson (Ky.) |
Mid-South |
76 |
| 9 |
6 |
Missouri Valley |
Heart of America |
73 |
| 10 (T) |
3 |
Williams Baptist |
AMC |
70 |
| 10 (T) |
RV |
Embry-Riddle (Ariz.) |
Cascade |
70 |
| 12 |
8 |
Life University |
Mid-South |
68 |
| 13 |
14 |
Midland (Neb.) |
GPAC |
66 |
| 14 |
11 |
Campbellsville (Ky.) |
Mid-South |
65 |
| 15 |
20 |
Oklahoma City |
SAC |
62 |
| 16 |
RV |
Reinhardt University (GA) |
AAC |
55 |
| 17 |
RV |
Brewton-Parker (GA) |
Mid-South |
51 |
| 18 |
NR |
Southeastern |
Mid-South |
49 |
| 19 |
RV |
Northwestern (Iowa) |
GPAC |
44 |
| 20 (T) |
RV |
Briar Cliff (Iowa) |
GPAC |
36 |
| 20 (T) |
RV |
Dickinson State (N.D.) |
Heart of America |
36 |
| 20 (T) |
RV |
Missouri Baptist University |
AMC |
36 |
|
Others Receiving Votes: Southern Oregon 35, Eastern Oregon 34, Concordia (Neb.) 32, Morningside (Iowa) 32, Lindenwood-Belleville (Ill.) 30, Marian University (Ind.) 27, Graceland 26, Bethany (Kan.) 20, Doane (Neb.) 20, Hastings (Neb.) 20, Kansas Wesleyan 15, Cumberland (Tenn.) 15, Wayland Baptist (Texas) 13, Lourdes University 11, Saint Mary (Kan.) 10, Benedictine (Kan.) 10, Ottawa (Kan.) 9, Life Pacific 7, Simpson (Calif.) 4, Jamestown (N.D.) 2, Hannibal-LaGrange (Mo.) 2, Truett-McConnell (Ga.) 1
Top-ranked Individuals | Individual Rankings
125 – Hayden Lee, Cumberlands (Ky.)
133 – Erique Early, Indiana Tech
141 – Matt Weber, Montana State-Northern
149 – Tres Leon, Cumberlands (Ky.)
157 – Nosomy Pozo, Life (Ga.)
165 – Andrew Bartel, Montana State-Northern
174 – Lucas Lovvorn, Baker (Kan.)
184 – Zach Linton, Doane (Neb.)
197 – Evan Hansen, Grand View (Iowa)
285 – Brandon Reed, Lindsey Wilson (Ky.)