Five ODU Wrestlers Listed in Latest NCAA Rankings

INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. – The NCAA revealed the latest Division I wrestling coaches' rankings and ratings percentage index (RPI) rankings on Thursday afternoon, and five Old Dominion wrestlers can be found between the two lists. 
 
Both Larry Early and Killian Cardinale are featured on both the coaches' panel and the RPI rankings. Early is the highest-ranked Monarch on both lists at 157 pounds, as the RPI has him tied for 11th and the coaches' poll has him checking in at 14th.  The All-American from a season ago has won 17 bouts this season, five against ranked opponents, and is currently in a stretch of winning six of his last seven battles.
 
At 125 pounds, Cardinale can be found in the top-20 in both lists, coming in at No. 15 in the coaches' panel and No. 20 in the RPI Rankings. Cardinale has a team-high 22 wins this season and like Early, the redshirt sophomore has five wins against nationally-ranked combatants. The Bristow, Virginia native also has some momentum heading into the Mid-American Conference (MAC) Championships after winning eight of his last nine bouts. 
 
Redshirt senior Sa'Derian Perry is featured on the coaches' panel in the 141-pound weight class, coming in at No. 25 in the country. Perry, an All-American two seasons ago, has won three of his last four matches, two of which earned bonus points for ODU in duals. He's coming off of an 11-2 major decision victory over Marco Macrino of Bloomsburg in the Monarchs' regular season finale. 
 
There are two additional Monarch grapplers featured in the RPI rankings, as redshirt seniors Shane Jones (165 pounds) and Kenan Carter (149 pounds) come in at No. 29 and No. 30, respectively in their weight classes. Jones has accumulated 17 wins on the season, seven of which came with bonus points. He also took down NC State's Thomas Bullard, who was ranked 10thin the nation at the time and is currently sitting at No. 8 in the RPI ranking, in a 3-2 decision. 
 
Carter is currently on a five-bout winning streak and has four pins this season, tied for the second-most on the Monarchs. The Aurora, Illinois native has 19 wins this season, 13 of which have come in dual action, and has taken down two ranked wrestlers. 
 
In the same release, the NCAA has announced the qualifier allocations for the 2020 NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships, with the MAC earning 41 qualifier allocations. The MAC Championships will take place in DeKalb, Illinois on the campus of Northern Illinois on March 7-8. For tickets to the conference championships, follow this link.
 
This is the third of four ranking periods the NCAA releases throughout the wrestling season. This ranking was used by the NCAA Wrestling Committee to assist in determining the advance allocations to each qualifying tournament. The final ranking, which will be revealed following the conference tournaments, will be used to provide the most accurate and up-to-date rankings to the committee as an important element of the selection criteria during the in-person selection meeting.

To read the full NCAA release, click here.
 
The NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships will take place on March 19-21 at U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis, Minnesota. For tickets or more information about the 2020 NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships, visit http://www.ncaa.com/wrestling.