Life Acsends to No. 1 in NAIA Coaches' Poll; Six AAC Teams Collect 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 Friday.
The AAC has three members in the top 15 with Life taking over the top spot with 273 voting points, Southeastern at No. 6 with 151 voting points, and Reinhardt at No. 15 with 93 voting points.
Also receiving votes are Keiser (36 points), St. Thomas (23 points), and Brewton-Parker (13 points).
The AAC also has two individual wrestlers to top the individual rankings. Life's Brevin Balmededa the 149-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 | 2 | Life (Ga.) | 273 |
| 2 | 1 | Grand View (Iowa) | 270 |
| 3 | 3 | Menlo (Calif.) | 212 |
| 4 | 6 | Campbellsville (Ky.) | 165 |
| 5 | 5 | Doane (Neb.) | 159 |
| 6 | 4 | Southeastern (Fla.) | 151 |
| 7 | 7 | Cumberlands (Ky.) | 142 |
| 8 | 10 | Ottawa (Kan.) | 133 |
| 9 | 12 | Cumberland (Tenn.) | 123 |
| 10 | 8 | Providence (Mont.) | 120 |
| 11 | 9 | Embry-Riddle (Ariz.) | 114 |
| 12 | 11 | Indiana Tech | 111 |
| 13 | 13 | Lindsey Wilson (Ky.) | 108 |
| 14 | 14 | Missouri Valley | 96 |
| 15 | 14 | Reinhardt (Ga.) | 93 |
| 16 | 18 | Southern Oregon | 91 |
| 17 | 17 | Saint Mary (Kan.) | 90 |
| 18 | 19 | Eastern Oregon | 89 |
| 19 | 16 | Morningside (Iowa) | 74 |
| 20 | RV | Montana State-Northern | 65 |
Receiving Votes: Oklahoma City 62, Lourdes (Ohio) 61, Baker (Kan.) 59, Central Methodist (Mo.) 55, Marian (Ind.) 52, Corban (Ore.) 43, Briar Cliff (Iowa) 43, Keiser (Fla.) 36, Cornerstone (Mich.) 32, Vanguard (Calif.) 31, Texas Wesleyan 31, Dickinson State (N.D.) 30, Rochester (Mich.) 28, Rio Grande (Ohio) 26, Wayland Baptist (Texas) 23, St. Thomas (Fla.) 23, Dakota Wesleyan (S.D.) 23, Concordia (Neb.) 21, Midway (Ky.) 20, Graceland (Iowa) 20, Avila (Mo.) 19, Northwestern (Iowa) 15, Missouri Baptist 15, Brewton-Parker (Ga.) 13, St. Ambrose (Iowa) 12, Simpson (Calif.) 8, William Penn (Iowa) 6, Oklahoma Wesleyan 6, Jamestown (N.D.) 6, Siena Heights (Mich.) 5, Waldorf (Iowa) 2, 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 – Keller Rock, Embry-Riddle (Ariz.)
174 – Riley Smucker, Life (Ga.)
184 – Isaiah Luellen Grand View (Iowa)
197 – Bradley Antesberger, Doane (Neb.)
285 – Greg Hagan, Grand View (Iowa)