Penn State wrestling remains No. 2 in the final NWCA coaches poll of the regular season

Editor’s note: The Centre Daily Times will publish weekly updates based on NWCA coaches team and InterMat individual rankings to give readers a glimpse into how Penn State wrestling fits into the bigger picture.

Despite its two losses, Penn State wrestling still finishes the regular season ranked second in the latest National Wrestling Coaches Association Division I coaches poll, released Tuesday.

The Nittany Lions ended their dual season with a 40-3 win over American on Sunday, finishing with a 12-2 overall record, 8-1 in the Big Ten. The Nittany Lions recorded losses this season to both Iowa and Arizona State, which snapped Penn State’s 60 straight win streak in December.

The undefeated Big Ten champion Hawkeyes finished the regular season as the unanimous No. 1. The only other unbeaten team, ACC champ North Carolina State, finished at No. 3.

Both conferences dominated the top 10, with four Big Ten schools in No. 1 Iowa, No. 2 Penn State, No. 4 Nebraska and No. 5 Ohio State, and four ACC schools in No. 3 N.C. State, No. 7 North Carolina, No. 8 Pittsburgh and No. 9 Virginia Tech. The Pac-12’s Arizona State finished No. 6 and the EIWA’s Lehigh was No. 10.

The Big Ten has the most schools ranked overall with 10, including No. 13 Minnesota, No. 14 Wisconsin, No. 15 Purdue, No. 22 Michigan and No. 25 Rutgers.

The biggest movement in the individual InterMat rankings for Penn State this week was Jarod Verkleeren’s jump up three spots to No. 14 at 149 after his 3-1 win over American’s then-No. 8 Kizhan Clarke. Clarke fell to No. 15. Ohio state freshman Sammy Sasso (22-2) will end the regular season at No. 1. Verkleeren lost in sudden victory, 31, to Sasso on Feb. 15.

One of the other biggest changes in this week’s rankings was the removal of Arizona State’s two-time national champ Zahid Valencia at 184 pounds. Valencia was suspended “indefinitely” by the athletic department, the school confirmed last week, reportedly for failing a drug test.

InterMat’s new No. 1 at 184 pounds is Virginia Tech’s Hunter Bolen, who just suffered his second loss of the season Saturday, to Pitt’s Nino Bonaccorsi. The win for Bonaccorsi helped boost him to No. 5, jumping Penn State freshman Aaron Brooks, who maintained his No. 6 spot.

Penn State still has two No. 1s in Nick Lee at 141 and Vincenzo Joseph at 165 pounds. Roman Bravo-Young and Mark Hall are ranked No. 2 at 133 and 174 pounds, respectively. Freshman Seth Nevills remains No. 17 at heavyweight.

Despite improving his record to 5-4 with a pin Sunday, Penn State sixth-year senior Shakur Rasheed slipped one spot to No. 19 at 197 pounds. The previous No. 19, Rasheed’s former Penn State teammate and roommate Jordan Pagano, of Rutgers, jumped all the way up to No. 14 after a 10-9 decision over Princeton All-American Patrick Brucki. With the loss, Brucki fell three spots to No. 6. Rasheed bested Pagano 6-0 on Jan. 19.

The Nittany Lions won’t wrestle again until the Big Ten championships March 7-8 in Piscataway, New Jersey.

NWCA Division I Wrestling Coaches Poll

(Feb. 25, 2020)

Others Receiving Votes: Rider 10, Appalachian State 8, Northern Illinois 1, Northwestern 1

Dropped Out: None