First NCAA Coaches’ Panel Rankings Released
January 18, 2018 04:30 PM | Wrestling
OKLAHOMA CITY, Okla. – The first of four coaches' panel rankings for the 2017-18 wrestling season was released on Thursday, with four members of the West Virginia University wrestling team appearing in the top 33 of their respective weight classes.
The final rankings will be used in determining qualifiers for the 2018 NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships, which will be held in Cleveland, Ohio, at the Quicken Loans Arena, from March 15-17.
Wrestlers in each weight class will be measured by winning percentage, rating percentage index (RPI) and coaches' rankings to earn spots in their qualifying tournaments for the NCAA Championships. The coaches' rankings are compiled by a vote of coaches representing each qualifying tournament. For ranking purposes, coaches may only consider a wrestler that has been designated as a starter at a respective weight class. To be eligible for the rankings, 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.
Following a redshirt season, redshirt junior Zeke Moisey ranks 14th at 125 pounds. The two-time NCAA qualifier became the Cinderella story at the 2015 NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships, where he upset four seeded opponents to become the first unseeded wrestler since 2003 to make an NCAA championship final. Moisey, WVU's first All-American since 2007, is tied for the team lead with 15 wins this season. He also paces the Mountaineers' with 19 match points and sports a team-best 16 takedowns and four pins on the year.
Redshirt senior Jacob A. Smith sits in 17th in his respective pool of 197 pounds. Despite missing a pair of duals and the 2017 Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational with an injury, the redshirt senior from Charleston, West Virginia, holds a 6-3 overall record on the year as well as a perfect 2-0 mark in Big 12 matches this season. He will look to qualify for his fourth straight NCAA Championships this March.
Redshirt freshman Matthew Schmitt (133) and redshirt sophomore Zachary Moore (157) each enter the coaches' panel rankings for the first time in their careers at No. 32 in their respective weight classes. Schmitt is tied with Moisey for the team lead with 15 wins, while Moore currently holds a 12-7 overall mark on the year.
West Virginia embarks on its first Big 12 Conference road trip of the season with a dual meet at No. 5 Oklahoma State on Friday, Jan. 19, held at Gallagher-Iba Arena, in Stillwater, Oklahoma. Friday's 8 p.m. ET match with the Cowboys will be streamed live on FloWrestling.com. Live stats also can be found at TrackWrestling.com.
For more information on the Mountaineers, visit WVUsports.com and follow WVUWrestling on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.
The final rankings will be used in determining qualifiers for the 2018 NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships, which will be held in Cleveland, Ohio, at the Quicken Loans Arena, from March 15-17.
Wrestlers in each weight class will be measured by winning percentage, rating percentage index (RPI) and coaches' rankings to earn spots in their qualifying tournaments for the NCAA Championships. The coaches' rankings are compiled by a vote of coaches representing each qualifying tournament. For ranking purposes, coaches may only consider a wrestler that has been designated as a starter at a respective weight class. To be eligible for the rankings, 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.
Following a redshirt season, redshirt junior Zeke Moisey ranks 14th at 125 pounds. The two-time NCAA qualifier became the Cinderella story at the 2015 NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships, where he upset four seeded opponents to become the first unseeded wrestler since 2003 to make an NCAA championship final. Moisey, WVU's first All-American since 2007, is tied for the team lead with 15 wins this season. He also paces the Mountaineers' with 19 match points and sports a team-best 16 takedowns and four pins on the year.
Redshirt senior Jacob A. Smith sits in 17th in his respective pool of 197 pounds. Despite missing a pair of duals and the 2017 Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational with an injury, the redshirt senior from Charleston, West Virginia, holds a 6-3 overall record on the year as well as a perfect 2-0 mark in Big 12 matches this season. He will look to qualify for his fourth straight NCAA Championships this March.
Redshirt freshman Matthew Schmitt (133) and redshirt sophomore Zachary Moore (157) each enter the coaches' panel rankings for the first time in their careers at No. 32 in their respective weight classes. Schmitt is tied with Moisey for the team lead with 15 wins, while Moore currently holds a 12-7 overall mark on the year.
West Virginia embarks on its first Big 12 Conference road trip of the season with a dual meet at No. 5 Oklahoma State on Friday, Jan. 19, held at Gallagher-Iba Arena, in Stillwater, Oklahoma. Friday's 8 p.m. ET match with the Cowboys will be streamed live on FloWrestling.com. Live stats also can be found at TrackWrestling.com.
For more information on the Mountaineers, visit WVUsports.com and follow WVUWrestling on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.
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