KANSAS CITY, Mo. – The first NAIA Men’s Wrestling Coaches’ Top 20 Poll of 2024 was released Thursday by the national office. The Cascade Collegiate Conference saw nine teams represented with six being ranked and three received votes.
Menlo College held its No. 3 rank for the third straight poll to continue to lead the Cascade Conference. University of Providence and Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University both dropped two positions to land at No. 10 and No. 11, respectively. Southern Oregon University advanced two to sit at No. 16 while Eastern Oregon University jumped up one spot to No. 18. Montana State University-Northern rounded out the poll at No. 20.
Corban University, Vanguard University, and Simpson University all received votes.
Hunter Sparks (125lbs) of Eastern Oregon, Evan Potter (141lbs) of Southern Oregon, and Keller Rock (165lbs) of Embry-Riddle all maintained the Top-Ranked Individual spots in their respective weight classes.
2023-24 NAIA Men’s Wrestling Coaches’ Top 20 Poll – No. 4
| Rank |
Last Time |
Team |
Points |
| 1 |
2 |
Life (Ga.) |
273 |
| 2 |
1 |
Grand View (Iowa) |
270 |
| 3 |
3 |
Menlo (Calif.) |
212 |
| 4 |
6 |
Campbellsville (Ky.) |
165 |
| 5 |
5 |
Doane (Neb.) |
159 |
| 6 |
4 |
Southeastern (Fla.) |
151 |
| 7 |
7 |
Cumberlands (Ky.) |
142 |
| 8 |
10 |
Ottawa (Kan.) |
133 |
| 9 |
12 |
Cumberland (Tenn.) |
123 |
| 10 |
8 |
Providence (Mont.) |
120 |
| 11 |
9 |
Embry-Riddle (Ariz.) |
114 |
| 12 |
11 |
Indiana Tech |
111 |
| 13 |
13 |
Lindsey Wilson (Ky.) |
108 |
| 14 |
14 |
Missouri Valley |
96 |
| 15 |
14 |
Reinhardt (Ga.) |
93 |
| 16 |
18 |
Southern Oregon |
91 |
| 17 |
17 |
Saint Mary (Kan.) |
90 |
| 18 |
19 |
Eastern Oregon |
89 |
| 19 |
16 |
Morningside (Iowa) |
74 |
| 20 |
RV |
Montana State-Northern |
65 |
Dropped From Top 20: Oklahoma City
Receiving Votes: Oklahoma City 62, Lourdes (Ohio) 61, Baker (Kan.) 59, Central Methodist (Mo.) 55, Marian (Ind.) 52,
Corban (Ore.) 43, Briar Cliff (Iowa) 43, Keiser (Fla.) 36, Cornerstone (Mich.) 32,
Vanguard (Calif.) 31, Texas Wesleyan 31, Dickinson State (N.D.) 30, Rochester (Mich.) 28, Rio Grande (Ohio) 26, Wayland Baptist (Texas) 23, St. Thomas (Fla.) 23, Dakota Wesleyan (S.D.) 23, Concordia (Neb.) 21, Midway (Ky.) 20, Graceland (Iowa) 20, Avila (Mo.) 19, Northwestern (Iowa) 15, Missouri Baptist 15, Brewton-Parker (Ga.) 13, St. Ambrose (Iowa) 12,
Simpson (Calif.) 8, William Penn (Iowa) 6, Oklahoma Wesleyan 6, Jamestown (N.D.) 6, Siena Heights (Mich.) 5, Waldorf (Iowa) 2, Central Baptist (Ark.) 2
Top-Ranked Individuals | Individual Rankings
125 – Hunter Sparks, Eastern Oregon
133 – Carson Taylor, Grand View (Iowa)
141 – Evan Potter, Southern Oregon
149 – Blake Gonzalez, Grand View (Iowa)
157 – Brevin Balmeceda, Life (Ga.)
165 – Keller Rock, Embry-Riddle (Ariz.)
174 – Riley Smucker, Life (Ga.)
184 – Isaiah Luellen Grand View (Iowa)
197 – Bradley Antesberger, Doane (Neb.)
285 – Greg Hagan, Grand View (Iowa)
Rating Methodology:
- The rating was voted upon by a panel of head coaches representing each of the eight conferences/groups.
- Two days prior to the national rating, each qualifying group rater submits the top 10 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 25 individuals in each weight class is based on how each voter ranks the best individuals. An individual receives 25 points for each first place vote, 24 for second place and so on through the list. This same point system is used to determine the team ranking.
- The highest and lowest ranking for each team (a non-rating is considered a low rating) is removed and the team's ranking will be recalculated with an additional point added to each team for every ballot
- For the complete Top 20 calendar, click here.