7 Teams Represent the AAC in NAIA Men's Wrestling Poll
KANSAS CITY, Mo. - The Appalachian Athletic Conference (AAC) had seven teams receive votes in the NAIA Wrestling Coaches' Top 20 Poll, announced by the national office on Wednesday.
The AAC has two members in the top three with Life landing at No. 2 with 276 voting points and Southeastern at No. 3 with 242 voting points. Reinhardt is the only other team to make the top 20 as it sits at No. 11 with 120 voting points.
Also receiving votes are Keiser (36 points), Brewton-Parker (22 points), Montreat (13 points), and St. Thomas (6 points).
The AAC also has two individual wrestlers to top the individual rankings as Life's Jake Bass and Zane Lanham are the top wrestlers of the 165 and 197 weight classes, respectively.
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 | Team | Conference | Points |
| 1 | 1 | Grand View (Iowa) | Heart | 300 |
| 2 | 2 | Life University (Ga.) | Appalachian | 276 |
| 3 | 3 | Southeastern (Fla.) | Appalachian | 242 |
| 4 | 4 | Doane (Neb.) | Great Plains | 181 |
| 5 | 5 | Indiana Tech | Wolverine-Hoosier | 173 |
| 6 | 7 | Marian University ((Ind.) | Wolverine-Hoosier | 164 |
| 7 | 6 | Menlo (Calif.) | Cascade | 157 |
| 8 | 8 | Eastern Oregon | Cascade | 147 |
| 9 | 9 | Providence (Mont.) | Cascade | 126 |
| 10 | 14 | Morningside (Iowa) | Great Plains | 123 |
| 11 | 10 | Reinhardt (Ga.) | Appalachian | 120 |
| 12 | 11 | Ottawa (Kan.) | Kansas Collegiate | 117 |
| 13 | 12 | Campbellsville (Ky.) | Mid-South | 98 |
| 14 | 13 | Lindsey Wilson (Ky.) | Mid-South | 86 |
| 15 | 15 | Cumberland (Tenn.) | Mid-South | 82 |
| 16 | 20 | Cumberlands (Ky.) | Mid-South | 77 |
| 17 | 18 | Thomas More (Ky.) | Mid-South | 74 |
| 18 | 16 | Embry-Riddle (Ariz.) | Cascade | 73 |
| 19 | 17 | Baker (Kan.) | Heart | 72 |
| 20 | 18 | Missouri Valley | Heart | 70 |
| 20 | RV | Montana State-Northern | Cascade | 70 |
Receiving Votes: Southern Oregon 66; Oklahoma City 57; Central Methodist (Mo.) 48; Lourdes (Ohio) 46; Vanguard (Calif.) 46; Keiser (Fla.) 36; Saint Mary (Kan.) 36; Briar Cliff (Iowa) 33; Graceland (Iowa) 32; Corban (Ore.) 30; Cornerstone (Mich.) 26; Avila (Mo.) 23; Brewton-Parker (Ga.) 22; Midway (Ky.) 20; Dakota Wesleyan (S.D.) 19; Oklahoma Wesleyan 16; William Penn (Iowa) 16; Rochester (Mich.) 14; Concordia (Neb.) 13; Montreat (N.C.) 13; Wayland Baptist (Texas) 13; Benedictine (Kan.) 7; St. Thomas (Fla.) 6; St. Ambrose (Iowa) 5; Pikeville (Ky.) 4; Waldorf (Iowa) 4; Missouri Baptist 3; Texas Wesleyan 3; York (Neb.) 3; Dickinson State (N.D.) 2
Top-Ranked Individuals | Individual Rankings
125 – Esco Walker, Grand View (Iowa)
133 – Carson Taylor, Grand View (Iowa)
141 – Baterdene Boldmaa, Doane (Neb.)
149 – Ryan Moore, Thomas More (Ky.)
157 – Giovanni Bonilla, Grand View (Iowa)
165 – Jack Bass, Life (Ga.)
174 – Isaiah Luellen, Grand View (Iowa)
184 – Eric Vermillion, Indiana Tech
197 – Zane Lanham, Life (Ga.)
285 – Greg Hagan, Grand View (Iowa)