Seven AAC Teams Receive Votes in NAIA Preseason 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 Thursday.
The AAC has two members in the top three with Life landing at No. 2 with 227 voting points and Southeastern at No. 3 with 168 voting points. Reinhardt is the only other team to make the top 20 as it sits at No. 12 with 104 voting points.
Also receiving votes are Keiser (60 points), St. Thomas (32 points), Brewton-Parker (5 points), and Montreat (3 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) | 250 |
| 2 | 2 | Life (Ga.) | 227 |
| 3 | 3 | Southeastern (Fla.) | 168 |
| 4 | 7 | Menlo (Calif.) | 144 |
| 5 | 13 | Campbellsville (Ky.) | 142 |
| 6 | 10 | Morningside (Iowa) | 141 |
| 7 | 20 | Montana State-Northern | 118 |
| 8 | 9 | Providence (Mont.) | 116 |
| 9 | 12 | Ottawa (Kan.) | 114 |
| 10 | 16 | Cumberlands (Ky.) | 113 |
| 11 | 4 | Doane (Neb.) | 109 |
| 12 | 11 | Reinhardt (Ga.) | 104 |
| 13 | 15 | Cumberland (Tenn.) | 102 |
| 14 | 14 | Lindsey Wilson (Ky.) | 101 |
| 15 | 5 | Indiana Tech | 100 |
| 16 | RV | Oklahoma City | 96 |
| 17 | 8 | Eastern Oregon | 92 |
| 18 | 6 | Marian (Ind.) | 85 |
| 19 | 19 | Baker (Kan.) | 84 |
| 20 | RV | Southern Oregon | 75 |
Receiving Votes: Embry-Riddle (Ariz.) 74; Missouri Valley 71; Keiser (Fla.) 60; Briar Cliff (Iowa) 58; Lourdes (Ohio) 58; Central Methodist (Mo.) 54; Saint Mary (Kan.) 52; William Penn (Iowa) 46; Corban (Ore.) 45; Midway (Ky.) 45; Cornerstone (Mich.) 44; Dakota Wesleyan (S.D.) 37; Oklahoma Wesleyan 33; Texas Wesleyan 33; St. Thomas (Fla.) 32; Rio Grande (Ohio) 32; Wayland Baptist (Texas) 32; Avila (Mo.) 28; Graceland (Iowa) 24; Northwestern (Iowa) 22; Vanguard (Calif.) 22; Dickinson State (N.D.) 21; St. Ambrose (Iowa) 20; Concordia (Neb.) 17; Missouri Baptist 16; Simpson (Calif.) 12; Arizona Christian 10; Bethany (Kan.) 8; Rochester (Mich.) 8; Waldorf (Iowa) 6; Brewton-Parker (Ga.) 5; York (Neb.) 5; Montreat (N.C.) 3; Central Baptist (Ark.) 2
Top-Ranked Individuals | Individual Rankings
125 – Hunter Sparks, Eastern Oregon
133 – Carson Taylor, Grand View (Iowa)
141 – Pat Gould, Keiser (Fla.)
149 – Brevin Balmeceda, Life (Ga.)
157 – Salvador Silva, Southeastern (Fla.)
165 – Rysan Leong, Menlo (Calif.)
174 – Riley Smucker, Life (Ga.)
184 – Jesse Daniel Perez, Ottawa (Kan.)
197 – Owen Braungardt, Grand View (Iowa)
285 – Greg Hagan, Grand View (Iowa)