Five AAC Teams Receive Votes in NAIA Poll; Four Land in Top 25
KANSAS CITY, Mo. - The Appalachian Athletic Conference (AAC) had five 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 15 with Life checking in at No. 2 with 271 points, Southeastern at No. 5 with 178 points, and Reinhardt at No. 13 with 101 voting points.
Also receiving votes are St. Thomas (17 points) and Brewton-Parker (12 points).
The AAC also has two individual wrestlers to top the individual rankings. Life's Brevin Balmededa 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 25 calendar, click here.
| RANK | LAST TIME | INSTITUTION | FINAL POINTS |
| 1 | 1 | Grand View (Iowa) | 233 |
| 2 | 2 | Life (Ga.) | 232 |
| 3 | 5 | Southeastern (Fla.) | 187 |
| 4 | 10 | Cumberlands (Ky.) | 179 |
| 5 | 7 | Doane (Neb.) | 167 |
| 6 | 4 | Providence (Mont.) | 166 |
| 7 | 11 | Embry-Riddle (Ariz.) | 159 |
| 8 | 6 | Campbellsville (Ky.) | 154 |
| 9 | 14 | Southern Oregon | 146 |
| 10 | 12 | Indiana Tech | 136 |
| 11 | 18 | Saint Mary (Kan.) | 133 |
| 12 | 16 | Missouri Valley | 117 |
| 13 | RV | Corban (Ore.) | 116 |
| 14 | 13 | Reinhardt (Ga.) | 104 |
| 15 | 9 | Cumberland (Tenn.) | 101 |
| 16 | RV | Central Methodist (Mo.) | 96 |
| 17 | RV | Dickinson State (N.D.) | 77 |
| 18 | RV | Oklahoma City | 74 |
| 19 | 20 | Montana State-Northern | 68 |
| 20 | RV | Lourdes (Ohio) | 65 |
| 21 | RV | Graceland (Iowa) | 64 |
| 22 | RV | Cornerstone (Mich.) | 62 |
| 23 | RV | St. Thomas (Fla.) | 56 |
| 24 | 17 | Morningside (Iowa) | 55 |
| 25 | RV | Texas Wesleyan | 46 |
Receiving Votes: Lindsey Wilson (Ky.) 42, Eastern Oregon 41, Missouri Baptist 41, Arizona Christian 40, Concordia (Neb.) 38, Friends (Kan.) 38, Wayland Baptist (Texas) 33, Marian (Ind.) 31, Dakota Wesleyan (S.D.) 28, Oklahoma Wesleyan 28, Briar Cliff (Iowa) 24, Rio Grande (Ohio) 22, St. Ambrose (Iowa) 20, Siena Heights (Mich.) 17, William Penn (Iowa) 16, Midway (Ky.) 14, Waldorf (Iowa) 13, Baker (Kan.) 10, York (Neb.) 10, Northwestern (Iowa) 8, Brewton-Parker (Ga.) 6, Benedictine (Kan.) 3, Rochester Christian (Mich.) 2, Simpson (Calif.) 2
Top-Ranked Individuals | Individual Rankings
125 – Trevor Marsman, Cornerstone (Mich.)
133 – Thaddeus Long, Life (Ga.)
141 – Hartwell Taylor, Saint Mary (Kan.)
149 – Nathan Lendt, Doane (Neb.)
157 – David Rubio, Corban (Ore.)
165 – Jonathan Kervin, Indiana Tech
174 – Alex Reynolds, Grand View (Iowa)
184 – Jesse Perez, Life (Ga.)
197 – Garavous Kouekabakilaho, Grand View (Iowa)
285 – Kenneth Copley, Embry-Riddle (Ariz.)