NORFOLK, Va. – After capturing its fifth-consecutive victory of the season, Old Dominion climbed to No. 17 in both the NWCA Coaches Poll and the Wrestling Report rankings. Lenny Richardson also cracked the top-10, while six other wrestlers are ranked.
The Monarchs are just one of two Mid-American Conference schools ranked in the top-20 in the coaches poll, as Missouri (18-0) sits in second place. ODU is 5-3 on the season against top-25 competition and is 10-3 in dual action overall. The Monarchs have taken down then No. 10 Edinboro, No. 21 Kent State, No. 22 Purdue, No. 23 Bucknell and No. 25 Chattanooga. ODU’s three losses have come to schools that are ranked in the NWCA top-20, as the Monarchs dropped matches to No. 2 Missouri, No. 9 Virginia Tech and No. 20 Wyoming. Since the loss to Virginia Tech at the Virginia Duals, the Wrestling Monarchs have gone on a five-match winning streak, taking down three MAC opponents in the process.
Richardson jumped into the top-10 of his weight class after defeating No. 7 Tywan Claxton from Ohio last weekend. That marked Richardson’s fourth-consecutive win and his third victory over a ranked opponent this season.
ODU is also led by returning All-American Jack Dechow, who is currently 21-1 overall and 12-1 in dual action, with his only loss coming to No. 12 Willie Miklus of No. 2 Missouri. Redshirt Senior, Tristan Warner, also provides a spark for ODU at 165 pounds, as he is 22-2 and a perfect 12-0 in dual meets. He leads the team with 49 total points scored in dual action this season.
Kevin Beazley has started to come into his own at 197 pounds, as he is 22-11 overall and 8-5 in dual meets. He ranks second on the team with six falls, with his fastest coming in just 18 seconds. Austin Coburn and TC Warner have also cracked the 20 wins mark, recording a 20-13 and 25-12 overall mark, respectively.
The stage is set for ODU to take on ACC rival NC State this weekend in its last home dual of the season. The match with the Wolfpack is set for 7:30 p.m. on Friday.
For an in depth look to everything Monarchs Wrestling, make sure to follow the team on Facebook, Twitter (@ODUWrestling) and YouTube and on ODUsports.com. Fans can join in on the conversation by using the hashtag #ODUWREST.
Listed below is the complete ranking breakdown.
Team Rankings:
NWCA Coaches Poll, No. 17
Wrestling Report, No. 17
Amateur Wrestling News, No. 18
WIN Magazine TPI, No. 19
Flowrestling, No. 20
Intermat TPI, No. 19
Intermat Dual, No. 21
Individual Rankings:
Brandon Jeske:
WIN Magazine, No. 17
Intermat, No. 19
NCAA Coaches Panel, No. 23
Wrestling Report, No. 24
Chris Mecate:
WIN Magazine, No. 9
Intermat, No. 10
NCAA Coaches Panel, No. 11
The Open Mat, No. 11
Wrestling Report, No. 12
Amateur Wrestling News, No. 12
Flowrestling, No. 14
Lenny Richardson:
Wrestling Report, No. 9
Flowrestling, No. 11
Intermat, No. 11
NCAA Coaches Panel, No. 12
Amateur Wrestling News, No. 12
WIN Magazine, No. 14
The Open Mat, No. 17
TC Warner:
NCAA Coaches Panel, No. 32
Tristan Warner:
Wrestling Report, No. 12
Amateur Wrestling News, No. 13
Intermat, No. 14
The Open Mat, No. 14
NCAA Coaches Panel, No. 16
Jack Dechow:
Amateur Wrestling News, No. 2
Wrestling Report, No. 2
NCAA Coaches Panel, No. 3
The Open Mat, No. 3
WIN Magazine, No. 3
Flowrestling, No. 4
Intermat, No. 4
Kevin Beazley:
NCAA Coaches Panel, No. 21
Wrestling Report, No. 22
Jake Henderson:
NCAA Coaches Panel, No. 27
Wrestling Report, No. 31