Four Wrestling Monarchs Featured in NCAA Division I Coaches' Panel Rankings

INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. – The NCAA released the first of four coaches' panel rankings for the 2019-20 wrestling season on Friday afternoon, and four members of Old Dominion's wrestling team are featured in the rankings. 
 
Killian Cardinale (125), Sa'Derian Perry (141), Larry Early (157) and Shane Jones (165) are the four Monarchs listed in the rankings. The four Monarch wrestlers are also featured in the latest Mid-American Conference (MAC) rankings, that came out on January 23. 
 
Cardinale checks in at No. 17 in the coaches' panel rankings at 125 pounds. Cardinale leads the Monarchs in wins this season with 16, four of which have come against ranked opponents. This is Cardinale's first season as the Monarch starter at 125 pounds, as the redshirt sophomore started at 133 pounds for the majority of last season. 
 
At 141 pounds, Perry was ranked No. 25 in the poll. The 2018 All-American has wrestled to an 11-7 record so far this season, taking down two ranked opponents, Missouri's Grant Leeth and Lock Haven's Kyle Shoop, both of which are listed above Perry in the rankings. 
 
At 157 pounds, Early ranks the highest of the four Monarchs, as the All-American checks in at No. 12 in the NCAA coaches' panel. The Illinois native sits at 11-4 on the season, has won eight of his last nine bouts and has accumulated four ranked victories. His four losses this season have all come against fellow ranked wrestlers.  
 
Jones, coming off of two major decision victories over Lock Haven's Austin Bell and Rider's Joe Casey, cracks the top-33 list at 165 pounds, checking in at No. 28 in the nation. Jones is 14-11 this season, with four of his wins coming by major decision. 
 
The rankings are determined by a vote of 14 coaches in each weight class with two head coaches from each of the seven conferences (ACC, Big Ten, Big 12, EIWA, MAC, Pac-12 and SoCon), which is double the amount of voters that had previously been used for the coaches' panel rankings. For ranking purposes, coaches may only consider a wrestler that has been designated as a starter at a respective weight class. Wrestlers must have participated in at least five matches against Division I opponents in the weight class and have wrestled within the last 30 days to be ranked.
 
The NCAA will be releasing three more rankings during the season after today's initial poll. The second coaches' panel ranking will come out on February 13, while the third will come out two weeks later on February 27. The final ranking will be released after the conference tournaments, and will be one of the criteria used as part of the selection process to determine qualifiers and seeding for the 2020 NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships on March 19-21 at U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis. To see the full NCAA release, click here.
 
NCAA Division I Coaches' Panel Rankings (First of Four)
125: No. 16 Killian Cardinale
141: No. 25 Sa'Derian Perry
157: No. 12 Larry Early
165: No. 28 Shane Jones