Edmond, Okla. – Minnesota State is ranked second in the preseason poll of the NCAA Division II Wrestling Coaches Association. The Mavericks return six NCAA qualifiers from last season’s third-place team, three of them with All-American honors to their name. Defending NCAA champion Nebraska-Omaha is the consensus #1 pick, with Newberry, Nebraska-Kearney and Adams State rounding out the top-5. Three fellow Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference members join MSU in the poll. St. Cloud State and Upper Iowa are tied for eighth while Augustana sits at 19th.
Individually, five Mavericks earned recognition in their respective weight classes. Three-time All-American Brady Wilson (Faribault, Minn.) is rated #2 at heavyweight following a third-place national finish and a 33-4 record as a junior. Junior Andy Forstner (Madelia, Minn.), an All-American last season with a sixth-place finish, is ranked fourth at 125 pounds. Sophomore Pat Mahan (Owatonna, Minn.) is ranked sixth at 197, senior Travis Elg (Mountain Lake, Minn.) is seventh at 157 and senior Ben Becker (Fort Dodge, Iowa) is eighth at 174. All three were qualifiers to the NCAA meet last season.
The Mavericks open the 2009-10 season on Nov. 7th with a trip to Brookings, S.D., for the SDSU Open. They will host Waldorf College on Nov. 11th at Bresnan Arena, beginning at 7:00 p.m.
Rank School (State) Points 2009 National Finish
1. Nebraska-Omaha 160 1st
2. Minnesota State 148 3rd
3. Newberry (S.C.) 138 2nd
4. Nebraska-Kearney 132 4th
5. Adams State (Colo.) 123 5th
6. Central Oklahoma 121 6th
7. Western State (Colo.) 103 7th
T8. St. Cloud State (Minn.) 95 8th
T8. Upper Iowa 95 10th
10. Pittsburgh-Johnstown (Pa.) 90 14th
11. Mercyhurst (Pa.) 77 9th
12. Wisconsin-Parkside 68 12th
13. San Francisco State (Calif.) 65 13th
14. Fort Hays State (Kan.) 53 17th
15. Central Missouri 45 18th
16. West Liberty (W.Va.) 42 T15th
17. Gannon (Pa.) 41 T15th
18. Chadron State (Neb.) 34 11th
19. Augustana (S.D.) 21 21st
20. Kutztown (Pa.) 8 19th
Others receiving votes: Ashland (Ohio), East Stroudsburg (Pa.), Findlay (Ohio), Mesa State (Colo.), New Mexico Highlands, North Carolina-Pembroke, Shippensburg (Pa.).
125 Pounds
1. Arsenia Barksdale, Adams State (Colo.)
2. Tommy Edgmon, Fort Hays State (Kan.)
3. Matt Oliver, Newberry (S.C.)
4. Andy Forstner, Minnesota State
5. Russell Weakley, North Carolina-Pembroke
6. Cody Zimmerman, Wisconsin-Parkside
7. Matt Rein, Nebraska-Omaha
8. Chris Sheets, Kutztown (Pa.)
133 Pounds
1. Shane Valko, Pittsburgh-Johnstown (Pa.)
2. Cody Garcia, Nebraska-Omaha
3. Naveed Bagheri, San Francisco State (Calif.)
4. Joey Morrison, Nebraska-Kearney
5. Scott Berens, Central Oklahoma
6. Trevor Franklin, Upper Iowa
7. Rhett Breed, Mesa State (Colo.)
8. Nick Wykoff, West Liberty (W.Va.)
141 Pounds
1. Adam Whetsone, Pittsburgh-Johnstown (Pa.)
2. Ben Lockett, San Francisco State (Calif.)
3. Jay Sherer, Augustana (S.D.)
4. Cory Bloodgood, Central Missouri
5. Steven Baker, Upper Iowa
6. Jimmy Savala, Chadron State (Neb.)
7. Jeremy Parker, Limestone (S.C.)
8. Matt Irwin, Indianapolis (Ind.)
149 Pounds
1. Esai Dominguez, Nebraska-Omaha
2. Craig Becker, Wisconsin-Parkside
3. Mitch Smith, West Liberty (W.Va.)
4. Kevin McElhaney, Gannon (Pa.)
5. William Forrest, Central Missouir
6. Joey Deaguero, Adams State (Colo.)
7. Colby Robinson, Central Oklahoma
8. Jacob Robets, St. Cloud State (Minn.)
157 Pounds
1. Travis Eggers, Upper Iowa
2. Andy Lamancusa, Mercyhurst (Pa.)
3. Danny Grater, Fort Hay State (Kan.)
4. Denis Ryzhov, Central Missouri
5. Ryan Etherton, Nebraska-Kearney
6. Noomis Jones, Adams State (Colo.)
7. Travis Elg, Minnesota State
8. John Sundgren, St. Cloud State (Minn.)
165 Pounds
1. Josh Shields, Mercyhurst (Pa.)
2. Tad Merritt, St. Cloud State (Minn.)
3. Taylor May, Nebraska-Kearney
4. Kyle Keane, Pittsburgh-Johnstown (Pa.)
5. Justin Shannon, Findlay (Ohio)
6. Skye Wells, Western State (Colo.)
7. Jordan Larson, Colorado School of Mines
8. Gavin Nelson, Augustana (S.D.)
174 Pounds
1. Aaron Denson, Nebraska-Omaha
2. Mitch Norton, Upper Iowa
3. Derek Skala, St. Cloud State (Minn.)
4. Chris Barrick, Shippensburg (Pa.)
5. J.J. Davis, North Carolina-Pembroke
6. Jarret Hall, Minnesota State-Moorhead
7. Luke Rynish, Wisconsin-Parkside
8. Ben Becker, Minnesota State
184 Pounds
1. Kyle Sand, Adams State (Colo.)
2. Bryant Blanton, Newberry (S.C.)
3. Austin Boehm, Nebraska-Omaha
4. Lucas Haag, Wisconsin-Parkside
5. Nick Henning, Augustana (S.D.)
6. Patrick Walsh, Pittsburgh-Johnstown (Pa.)
7. Derek Ross, Nebraska-Kearney
8. Charlie Pipher, Western State (Colo.)
197 Pounds
1. Keeno Griffin, Newberry (S.C.)
2. Jacob Marrs, Nebraska-Omaha
3. Luke McPeek, New Mexico Highlands
4. Ty Copsey, Augustana (S.D.)
5. Donavan McMahill, Western State (Colo.)
6. Pat Mahan, Minnesota State
7. Mitch Knapp, West Liberty (W.Va.)
8. Lucas Munkelwitz, St. Cloud State (Minn.)
285 Pounds
1. Dustin Finn, Central Oklahoma
2. Brady Wilson, Minnesota State
3. Charlie Alexander, Western State (Colo.)
4. Nail McGrath, Gannon (Pa.)
5. Steve Franklin, San Francisco State (Calif.)
6. Chris Dempsey, Pittsburgh-Johnstown (Pa.)
7. Elijah Madison, Nebraska-Omaha
8. Jesse Boggs, New Mexico Highlands
