EVANSTON, Ill. — Six Wildcats are listed among the NCAA's first Division I wrestling coaches' panel rankings announced for the 2017-18 season, it was released Thursday. Four of the NU grapplers are in the top-20 in the nation in their weight class.
The NU representatives are the following:
The NCAA releases the top-33 rankings for each weight class, with Tuesday's rankings the first of four in the season. The final rankings will be one of the tools used as part of the selection process to determine the qualifiers for the 2018 NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships. This year's event is March 15-17 at Quicken Loans Arena in Cleveland, Ohio.
Sebastian, Sliga, and Jennings are seeking their second-straight trip to the NCAA Championships, while Rivera, Valdiviez, and Deakin are vying to reach the Championships in their first varsity season.
Rivera has amassed an 18-1 record in his first season wrestling for the Purple and White, with his only setback coming at the hands of #2 Nick Suriano (Rutgers). He leads the 'Cats with five technical falls and has outscored his opponents, 220-54, this season.
After wrestling unattached for the first event of the season, Valdiviez has been an indelible contributor in the NU lineup. He posted a 12-6 decision over #20 Dylan Duncan (Illinois) in Northwestern's dual (Jan. 17) to help vault himself into the Intermat rankings.
Deakin, who also sports a No. 4 ranking from Intermat, owns a 22-3 record and an unblemished, 8-0 mark in dual competition. His only three losses this season have come to top-seven opponents and has dominated his competition, thanks to a team-high five pins.
Sebastian started the season strong, topping #15 Ryan Christensen (Wisconsin) at the Michigan State Open (Nov. 5) for his first ranked win of the campaign. Including two additional wins against Christensen this season, Sebastian has the second-most wins for the #B1GCats this year at 18.
Sliga has posted a 13-8 mark to start his last season in Evanston and is second on the squad with four technical falls. He dominated #20 Michael Fagg-Daves (Rider) via technical fall at the Keystone Classic (Nov. 19) and has been ranked as high as No. 16 by Intermat.
Jennings, who came one win away from All-America status last season, is fifth on the team with 15 wins and tied for second with four wins by pin. He has been a solid contributor on the dual front, contributing 23 points to NU's team score so far this season.
Wrestlers in each weight class will be measured by winning percentage, rating percentage index (RPI) and coaches' rankings to earn spots in their qualifying tournaments for the 2018 NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships. The coaches' rankings are compiled by a vote of coaches representing each qualifying tournament.
For ranking purposes, coaches may only consider a wrestler that has been designated as a starter at a respective weight class. To be eligible for the rankings, wrestlers must have participated in at least five matches against Division I opponents in the weight class and have wrestled within the last 30 days.
Chicago's Big Ten Team, ranked 20th in the nation in the most recent NWCA/USA TODAY Coaches Poll, will host the #18 Nebraska Cornhuskers at historic Patten Gymnasium at 7 p.m. on Friday, Jan. 19. Tickets are available by calling (888) GO-PURPLE or by visiting NUsports.com.
The NU representatives are the following:
- Redshirt first-year Sebastian Rivera (125) – 9th
- First-year Colin Valdiviez (133) – 23rd
- Redshirt first-year Ryan Deakin (149) – 4th
- Redshirt junior Johnny Sebastian (174) – 16th
- Redshirt senior Mitch Sliga (184) – 26th
- Redshirt junior Conan Jennings (285) – 20th
The NCAA releases the top-33 rankings for each weight class, with Tuesday's rankings the first of four in the season. The final rankings will be one of the tools used as part of the selection process to determine the qualifiers for the 2018 NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships. This year's event is March 15-17 at Quicken Loans Arena in Cleveland, Ohio.
Sebastian, Sliga, and Jennings are seeking their second-straight trip to the NCAA Championships, while Rivera, Valdiviez, and Deakin are vying to reach the Championships in their first varsity season.
Rivera has amassed an 18-1 record in his first season wrestling for the Purple and White, with his only setback coming at the hands of #2 Nick Suriano (Rutgers). He leads the 'Cats with five technical falls and has outscored his opponents, 220-54, this season.
After wrestling unattached for the first event of the season, Valdiviez has been an indelible contributor in the NU lineup. He posted a 12-6 decision over #20 Dylan Duncan (Illinois) in Northwestern's dual (Jan. 17) to help vault himself into the Intermat rankings.
Deakin, who also sports a No. 4 ranking from Intermat, owns a 22-3 record and an unblemished, 8-0 mark in dual competition. His only three losses this season have come to top-seven opponents and has dominated his competition, thanks to a team-high five pins.
Sebastian started the season strong, topping #15 Ryan Christensen (Wisconsin) at the Michigan State Open (Nov. 5) for his first ranked win of the campaign. Including two additional wins against Christensen this season, Sebastian has the second-most wins for the #B1GCats this year at 18.
Sliga has posted a 13-8 mark to start his last season in Evanston and is second on the squad with four technical falls. He dominated #20 Michael Fagg-Daves (Rider) via technical fall at the Keystone Classic (Nov. 19) and has been ranked as high as No. 16 by Intermat.
Jennings, who came one win away from All-America status last season, is fifth on the team with 15 wins and tied for second with four wins by pin. He has been a solid contributor on the dual front, contributing 23 points to NU's team score so far this season.
Wrestlers in each weight class will be measured by winning percentage, rating percentage index (RPI) and coaches' rankings to earn spots in their qualifying tournaments for the 2018 NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships. The coaches' rankings are compiled by a vote of coaches representing each qualifying tournament.
For ranking purposes, coaches may only consider a wrestler that has been designated as a starter at a respective weight class. To be eligible for the rankings, wrestlers must have participated in at least five matches against Division I opponents in the weight class and have wrestled within the last 30 days.
Chicago's Big Ten Team, ranked 20th in the nation in the most recent NWCA/USA TODAY Coaches Poll, will host the #18 Nebraska Cornhuskers at historic Patten Gymnasium at 7 p.m. on Friday, Jan. 19. Tickets are available by calling (888) GO-PURPLE or by visiting NUsports.com.