AAC Places 3 in NAIA Top 6; Six Team in All Receive Votes
KANSAS CITY, Mo. - The Appalachian Athletic Conference (AAC) had six teams receive votes in the NAIA Wrestling Coaches' Top 20 Poll, announced by the national office on Thursday.
The AAC has three members in the top 10 with Life landing at No. 2 with 234 voting points, Southeastern at No. 4 with 163 voting points, and Reinhardt at No. 7 with 123 voting points.
Also receiving votes are Keiser (60 points), St. Thomas (43 points), and Brewton-Parker (10 points).
The AAC also has four individual wrestlers to top the individual rankings. Keiser's Pat Gould tops the 141-pound class, Life's Brevin Balmededa the 149-pound class, Salvador Silva of Southeastern the 157-pound class, and Riley Smucker of Life the 174-pound class.
Poll Methodology
- The poll was voted upon by a panel of head coaches representing each of the eight conferences.
- Two days prior to the national poll, each qualifying group rater submits the top six individuals from each weight class in his conference into the system. Only wrestlers listed on a conference ballot are considered for the national ballot.
- The top 20 individuals in each weight class is based on how each voter ranks the best individuals. An individual receives 20 points for each first-place vote, 19 for second place, and so on through the list. This same point system is used to determine the team ranking.
- The highest and lowest ranking for each team (a non-rating is considered a low rating) is removed and the team's ranking will be recalculated with an additional point added to each team for every ballot
- The postseason poll is determined using the individual and team results from the national championship
- For the complete Top 20 calendar, click here.
| Rank | Last Time | Team | Points |
| 1 | 1 | Grand View (Iowa) | 276 |
| 2 | 2 | Life (Ga.) | 234 |
| 3 | 4 | Menlo (Calif.) | 174 |
| 4 | 3 | Southeastern (Fla.) | 163 |
| 5 | 6 | Doane (Neb.) | 155 |
| 6 | 11 | Providence (Mont.) | 127 |
| 7 | 13 | Reinhardt (Ga.) | 123 |
| 8 | 7 | Campbellsville (Ky.) | 120 |
| 9 | 10 | Cumberlands (Ky.) | 117 |
| 10 | 12 | Ottawa (Kan.) | 115 |
| 11 | RV | Missouri Valley | 103 |
| 12 | RV | Embry-Riddle (Ariz.) | 100 |
| 12 | 18 | Indiana Tech | 100 |
| 14 | 5 | Morningside (Iowa) | 99 |
| 15 | 15 | Cumberland (Tenn.) | 96 |
| 15 | 9 | Lindsey Wilson (Ky.) | 96 |
| 17 | 14 | Marian (Ind.) | 89 |
| 18 | 20 | Baker (Kan.) | 88 |
| 19 | 16 | Saint Mary (Kan.) | 87 |
| 20 | RV | Oklahoma City | 81 |
| 20 | 19 | Southern Oregon | 81 |
Receiving Votes: Eastern Oregon 76; Montana State-Northern 73; Keiser (Fla.) 60; Corban (Ore.) 55; Central Methodist (Mo.) 54; Lourdes (Ohio) 51; Briar Cliff (Iowa) 50; St. Thomas (Fla.) 43; Cornerstone (Mich.) 37; Texas Wesleyan 34; Rochester (Mich.) 29; William Penn (Iowa) 29; Graceland (Iowa) 27; Dakota Wesleyan (S.D.) 26; Wayland Baptist (Texas) 24; Midway (Ky.) 23; Avila (Mo.) 22; Northwestern (Iowa) 20; Concordia (Neb.) 19; Rio Grande (Ohio) 19; Vanguard (Calif.) 18; Missouri Baptist 16; Dickinson State (N.D.) 15; St. Ambrose (Iowa) 15; Oklahoma Wesleyan 11; Arizona Christian 10; Brewton-Parker (Ga.) 10; Simpson (Calif.) 8; Siena Heights (Mich.) 6; Friends (Kan.) 4; Jamestown (N.D.) 4; Central Baptist (Ark.) 2
Top-Ranked Individuals | Individual Rankings
125 – Hunter Sparks, Eastern Oregon
133 – Carson Taylor, Grand View (Iowa)
141 – Evan Potter, Southern Oregon
149 – Blake Gonzalez, Grand View (Iowa)
157 – Brevin Balmeceda, Life (Ga.)
165 – Matt Jenkins, Reinhardt (Ga.)
174 – Riley Smucker, Life (Ga.)
184 – Isaiah Luellen Grand View (Iowa)
197 – Owen Braungardt, Grand View (Iowa)
285 – Greg Hagan, Grand View (Iowa)