Life Climbs to No. 4; 4 AAC Teams Land in NAIA Top 20
KANSAS CITY, Mo. - Life is the new No. 1 team, and four Appalachian Athletic Conference (AAC) teams rank in the top 20 of the NAIA Wrestling Coaches' Top 25 Poll, announced by the national office on Thursday.
Life garnered 266 voting points to edge Grand View (Iowa) by one point for the top spot.
Southeastern sits third with 210 voting points, while Reinhardt is ranked 10th with 136 voting points.
St. Thomas claimed five spots to No. 16, having received 74 voting points.
The AAC also has two individual wrestlers to top the individual rankings. Life's Thaddeus Long the 133-pound class, and Jesse Perez of Life the 184-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.
| ank | Last Time Rank | Team | Points |
| 1 | 2 | Life University | 266 |
| 2 | 1 | Grand View (Iowa) | 265 |
| 3 | 3 | Southeastern | 210 |
| 4 | 4 | Embry-Riddle (Ariz.) | 208 |
| 5 | 5 | Cumberlands (Ky.) | 180 |
| 6 | 8 | Doane University | 173 |
| 7 | 6 | Campbellsville (Ky.) | 166 |
| 8 | 9 | Southern Oregon | 157 |
| 9 | 7 | Indiana Tech | 145 |
| 10 | 10 | Reinhardt University (GA) | 136 |
| 10 | 12 | Providence (Mont.) | 136 |
| 12 | 10 | University of Saint Mary (KS) | 125 |
| 13 | 13 | Corban University | 111 |
| 14 | 14 | Eastern Oregon University (OR) | 84 |
| 15 | 15 | Montana State-Northern | 79 |
| 16 | 21 | St. Thomas University | 74 |
| 17 | 24 | Texas Wesleyan | 65 |
| 18 | 15 | Central Methodist | 63 |
| 18 | 19 | Oklahoma City | 63 |
| 20 | 15 | Missouri Valley | 60 |
| 21 | 18 | Dickinson State (N.D.) | 54 |
| 22 | 21 | Lourdes University | 53 |
| 23 | RV | Marian University (IN) | 51 |
| 23 | 20 | Cornerstone | 51 |
| 25 | 25 | Graceland University | 48 |
| 25 | 23 | Cumberland (Tenn.) | 48 |
Receiving Votes: Morningside (Iowa) 45, Arizona Christian 39, Friends (Kan.) 39, Missouri Baptist 38, Lindsey Wilson (Ky.) 37, Concordia (Neb.) 35, Wayland Baptist (Texas) 27, Briar Cliff (Iowa) 17, Cleary (Mich.) 16, St. Ambrose (Iowa) 14, William Penn (Iowa) 14, Dakota Wesleyan (S.D.) 12, Northwestern (Iowa) 12, Siena Heights (Mich.) 10, Oklahoma Wesleyan 10, Baker (Kan.) 10, Waldorf (Iowa) 8, Simpson (Calif.) 7
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 – Aden Graves, Providence (Mont.)
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.)