NORFOLK, Va. – The Old Dominion Monarchs enter the final regular season weekend ranked as high as No. 16 in the nation. The team is ranked in the top-25 in seven different polls, while seven grapplers are earning national recognition.
The Monarchs are just one of two Mid-American Conference schools ranked in the top-20 in the coaches poll, as Missouri (21-0) sits in second place. ODU has defeated five teams ranked in the top-25 competition and is 12-4 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 four 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, No. 17 Wyoming and No. 20 NC State.
The Wrestling Monarchs also have seven grapplers ranked in the top-25 of their respective weight class. They are led by returning All-American Jack Dechow, who is currently 24-1 overall and 15-1 in dual action, with his only loss coming to No. 14 Willie Miklus of No. 2 Missouri. Redshirt Senior, Tristan Warner, also provides a spark for ODU at 165 pounds, as he is 25-2 and a perfect 15-0 in dual meets. He leads the team with 60 total points scored in dual action this season.
The stage is set for ODU to take on two MAC rivals this weekend, as the Monarchs are on the road to Cedar Falls, Iowa to take on Northern Iowa on Friday and then DeKalb, Ill. to battle Northern Illinois on Sunday.
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:
Amateur Wrestling News, No. 16
Wrestling Report, No. 17
WIN Magazine TPI, No. 19
Intermat TPI, No. 19
Flowrestling, No. 19
NWCA Coaches Poll, No. 21
Intermat Dual, No. 21
Individual Rankings:
Brandon Jeske:
NCAA Coaches Panel, No. 25
Wrestling Report, No. 30
Chris Mecate:
WIN Magazine, No. 9
Intermat, No. 11
NCAA Coaches Panel, No. 12
The Open Mat, No. 13
Wrestling Report, No. 12
Amateur Wrestling News, No. 12
Flowrestling, No. 12
Lenny Richardson:
Wrestling Report, No. 9
Intermat, No. 10
Amateur Wrestling News, No. 11
Flowrestling, No. 12
WIN Magazine, No. 12
NCAA Coaches Panel, No. 12
The Open Mat, No. 15
Tristan Warner:
Wrestling Report, No. 13
Amateur Wrestling News, No. 14
Intermat, No. 15
The Open Mat, No. 14
NCAA Coaches Panel, No. 16
WIN Magazine, No. 18
Flowrestling, No. 18
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. 23
Jake Henderson:
NCAA Coaches Panel, No. 28