MID-AMERICAN CONFERENCE ANNOUNCES 2019 DECEMBER WRESTLING RANKINGS
Missouri selected as the favorite in December rankings over Old Dominion, Rider and Lock Haven
CLEVELAND, Ohio – The Mid-American Conference (MAC) has embarked on a historic 2019-20 wrestling season as the MAC welcomes seven new affiliate members this season as the Conference membership increases to 15 wrestling members, the second-largest NCAA Division I Wrestling Conference in the nation.
2019-20 MAC December Rankings
1. Missouri (36.0)
2. Old Dominion (25.0)
3. Rider (22.0)
4. Lock Haven (21.0)
5. Central Michigan (19.0)
6. Buffalo (13.0)
t-7. Clarion (12.0)
t-7. Northern Illinois (12.0)
9. Edinboro (11.0)
t-10. Ohio (8.0)
t-10. George Mason (8.0)
12. SIUE (7.0)
t-13. Cleveland State (6.0)
t-13. Kent State (6.0)
15. Bloomsburg (4.0)
The Mid-American Conference wrestling coaches announced the December weight class individual rankings and team rankings in conjunction with the league office today. Based on the rankings, seven-time defending MAC Champion Missouri Tigers (36.0 points) were selected first in the Conference over second-place Old Dominion (25.0 points), third-place Rider (22.0 points) and fourth-place Lock Haven (21.0 points).
The December ranking witnessed Central Michigan (19.0 points) in fifth place and Buffalo (13.0 points) in sixth place. Clarion (12.0 points) and Northern Illinois (12.0 points) were tied for seventh-place, while Edinboro ranked ninth (11.0 points). Ohio (8.0 points) and George Mason (8.0 points) were tied for tenth place, while SIUE (7.0 points), Cleveland State (6.0 points), Kent State (6.0 points) and Bloomsburg (4.0 points) rounded out the team scoring.
Currently, the MAC is home to three programs ranked in the Top 25 with No. 19 Missouri, No. 20 Rider and No. 25 Lock Haven.
Last season, the MAC witnessed six All-Americans and 31 wrestlers seeded in the 2019 NCAA Wrestling Championship, and the rise of MAC wrestling continues with great expectations for the 2019-20 wrestling season.
The MAC had six All-Americans in 2019 and will see three of these All-Americans returned this season, including sophomore Brock Mauller (Missouri, 149), who finished fifth at the NCAA Championships, junior Matt Stencel (Central Michigan, 285), who placed seventh at the NCAA Championships and senior Larry Early (Old Dominion, 157), who finished eighth at the NCAA Championships last season.
In addition, six MAC wrestlers who won their respective weight class at the 2019 MAC Wrestling Championships have returned this season as well: junior Michael McGee (Old Dominion, 125), sophomore Brock Mauller (Missouri, 149), sophomore Jarrett Jacques (Missouri, 157), senior Troy Keller (Buffalo, 165), senior Dylan Wisman (Missouri, 184) and junior Matt Stencel (Central Michigan, 285
Last March, the MAC announced a historic membership expansion in the sport of wrestling as the MAC added seven new affiliate members – Bloomsburg, Clarion, Edinboro, Lock Haven, Rider, George Mason and Cleveland State – to begin competing in the MAC with the 2019-20 wrestling season.
The addition of seven new affiliate members increases MAC wrestling membership to 15 total members. Bloomsburg, Clarion, Edinboro, Lock Haven, Rider, George Mason and Cleveland State all joined the MAC from the Eastern Wrestling League (EWL) making the MAC the second largest NCAA Division I Wrestling conference.
The rankings will be released each month throughout the season, with one additional ranking system (two total) in January and February. The December rankings are voted on by the league’s head coaches in an open forum as follows:
2019-20 MAC Weight Class Rankings:
125 lbs. weight class
1. Drew Hildebrandt (Central Michigan, Junior)
2. Michael McGee (Old Dominion, Junior)
3. Jonathan Tropea (Rider, Junior)
4. Bryce West (Northern Illinois, Sophomore)
5. Luke Werner (Lock Haven, Junior)
6. Logan Heil (Cleveland State, Freshman)
133 lbs. weight class
1. Derek Spann (Buffalo, Junior)
2. DJ Fehlman (Lock Haven, Senior)
3. Allan Hart (Missouri, Sophomore)
4. Tim Rooney (Kent State, Senior)
5. Tye Varndell (Edinboro, Freshman)
6. Mario Guillen (Ohio, Junior)
141 lbs. weight class
1. Grant Leeth (Missouri, Junior)
2. Sa’Derian Perry (Old Dominion, Senior)
3. Kyle Shoop (Lock Haven, Senior)
4. Dresden Simon (Central Michigan, Junior)
5. Evan Cheek (Cleveland State, Senior)
6. Shakur Laney (Ohio, Senior)
149 lbs. weight class
1. Brock Mauller (Missouri, Sophomore)
2. Brock Zacherl (Clarion, Senior)
3. Colston DiBlasi (George Mason, Senior)
4. Alec Hagan (Ohio, Sophomore)
5. Kevin Budock (Old Dominion, Junior)
6. Tyshawn Williams (SIUE, Senior)
157 lbs. weight class
1. Larry Early (Old Dominion, Senior)
2. Jarrett Jacques (Missouri, Sophomore)
3. Jesse Dellavecchia (Rider, Senior)
4. Logan Parks (Central Michigan, Senior)
5. Alex Klucker (Lock Haven, Senior)
6. Justin Ruffin (SIUE, Sophomore)
165 lbs. weight class
1. Troy Keller (Buffalo, Senior)
2. Shane Jones (Old Dominion, Senior)
3. Cornelius Schuster (George Mason, Sophomore)
4. Izzak Olejnik (Northern Illinois, Redshirt Freshman)
5. Luke Fortuna (Missouri, Junior)
6. Tracy Hubbard (Central Michigan, Redshirt Freshman)
174 lbs. weight class
1. Dean Sherry (Rider, Senior)
2. Jacob Oliver (Edinboro, Sophomore)
3. Jeremiah Kent (Missouri, Redshirt Freshman)
4. Andrew McNally (Kent State, Junior)
5. Jared Siegrist (Lock Haven, Senior)
6. Kenny Moore (Northern Illinois, Senior)
184 lbs. weight class
1. Corey Hazel (Lock Haven, Senior)
2. Dylan Wisman (Missouri, Senior)
3. Trevor Allard (Bloomsburg, Junior)
4. Brit Wilson (Northern Illinois, Sophomore)
5. George Walton (Rider, Sophomore)
6. Antonio Agee (Old Dominion, Senior)
197 lbs. weight class
1. Ethan Laird (Rider, Junior)
2. Greg Bulsak (Clarion, Junior)
3. Wyatt Koelling (Missouri, Junior)
4. Ben Smith (Cleveland State, Sophomore)
5. Gage Braun (Northern Illinois, Redshirt Freshman)
6. Sam Schuyler (Buffalo, Sophomore)
285 lbs. weight class
1. Matt Stencel (Central Michigan, Junior)
2. Colton McKiernan (SIUE, Sophomore)
3. Jon Spaulding (Edinboro, Junior)
4. Jordan Earnest (Ohio, Redshirt Freshman)
5. Ty Bagoly (Clarion, Sophomore)
6. Will Hilliard (Old Dominion, Junior)
The December team rankings were also decided in the same forum. The 15 schools were ranked based on the number of first through sixth-place votes that were earned in the individual voting system. A first-place vote was worth six team points; a second-place vote earned five team points; third-seeded votes were worth four team points, while a fourth-place tally earned three points, with a fifth-place vote earned two points and a sixth-place vote received one point in the team ranking system. The team rankings for the MAC are as follows:
The 2019 MAC Wrestling Championships will be held March 7-8 and hosted by Northern Illinois University in DeKalb, Ill.
Last year, Missouri won its seventh consecutive MAC Championship with 180 points, followed by second-place Buffalo (113.5 points) and third-place Central Michigan (112.5 points). Old Dominion (111.0 points) finished fourth, followed by Ohio (99.5 points), Northern Illinois (98.0 points), SIU Edwardsville (68.5 points) and Kent State (66.0 points).
