Wrestling: Preseason Rankings Announced
October 15, 2003 03:14 PM | General
October 15, 2003
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – The West Virginia University wrestling team has been tabbed the nation’s 15th best team in the preseason poll released by Amateur Wrestling News (AWN).
The Wrestling Mall.com (TWM) had the Mountaineers ranked 16th in the nation while Intermatwrestle.com (InterMat) ranked WVU 20th.
In addition to the team's top 20 rankings, seven WVU wrestlers are nationally ranked. Junior Greg Jones, the 2002 NCAA champion, is the top-ranked wrestler at 174 pounds according to InterMat.com and AWN. Jones is the third wrestler in WVU history to hold a No.1 ranking and could see time on the mat at 184.
Junior Brent Miller secures the heavyweight spot and is ranked as high as fifth in the nation by TWM and AWN.
Ryan Wilman, an NCAA qualifier last year, is ranked in the top 15 in two polls at 184. Wilman holds the 12th ranked position by AWN and 13th spot by TWM.
Two sophomores, Seth Lisa and Matt Lebe, enter 2003-2004 with top 20 rankings. Lisa and Lebe, both NCAA qualifiers a year ago, enter the season ranked ninth (125) and 10th (157) by TWM.
Hofstra transfer Matt Daddino enters the polls ranked for West Virginia at 18th by InterMat.
Princeton transfer Joe Clarke also enters the season ranked among the nations best. Clarke slips into the polls for WVU ranked 20th by AWN.
West Virginia delivered one of the most colorful seasons in recent history a year ago. The Mountaineers won the EWL regular season championship and posted a 17th-place finish at last year's NCAA Championships.
The Mountaineers return 11 letterwinners from last year’s EWL regular season championship. Craig Turnbull enters his 26th season at the helm of WVU’s wrestling program.
