MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – Three members of the West Virginia University wrestling team rank among the top 33 of their respective weight classes in the first NCAA coaches’ ranking, released Friday afternoon.
In all, four coaches’ rankings will be announced leading up to the NCAA Selection Show on Wednesday, March 9, at 6 p.m. ET.
The coaches’ rankings are determined by a vote of 14 coaches in each weight class with two head coaches from each of the seven conferences. For ranking purposes, coaches may only consider a wrestler that has been designated as a starter at a respective weight class. Wrestlers must have five Division I matches in the weight class to be considered with at least one within the last 30 days.
Redshirt senior Killian Cardinale, a 2021 All-American, leads the way at No. 6 in the 125-pound weight class. He also is the second-highest wrestler out of the Big 12 Conference in his division (No. 4 Trevor Mastrogiovanni – Oklahoma State).
At 165 pounds, sophomore Peyton Hall cracks the top 10 with a 17-1 record. Hall checks in at No. 9 and is third among conference competitors (No. 1 Keegan O’Toole – Missouri and No. 4 Travis Wittlake – Oklahoma State). Redshirt sophomore Michael Wolfgram rounds out the trio at No. 21 in the heavyweight rankings.
Additionally, the Big 12 totaled 69 grapplers, along with a conference-high nine wrestlers at 174 and 197 pounds, respectively.
The NCAA Championships will feature 330 wrestlers across ten weight classes clashing for a spot on the podium from March 17-19 in Detroit, Michigan. Detroit hosts the postseason event for the first time in NCAA Championship history. Last time the NCAA Championships were held in the state of Michigan, former Mountaineer standout Brandon Rader completed back-to-back sixth-place finishes on his way to earning a second consecutive All-America honor at 141 pounds to end the 2006-07 season.
Next up, WVU returns to action for back-to-back Big 12 road duals from Jan. 28-29. The Mountaineers open the weekend against South Dakota State on Friday at 8 p.m., before battling North Dakota State on Saturday at 2 p.m.
For more information on the Mountaineers, visit WVUsports.com and follow WVUWrestling on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.
