Central enters top-10 national wrestling dual rankings

PELLA — After starting the dual season 2-0, the Central College wrestling team jumped into the National Wrestling Coaches Association Division III dual rankings at No. 10 Thursday.

The NWCA releases both a tournament and a dual team national rankings and this is the first week of the dual top-25. Central is not ranked in the tournament poll.

Additionally, four Dutch wrestlers are ranked in their individual weight classes. Gage Linahon (junior, 197 pounds, Newton) leads the way in eighth. Peyton Hammerich (senior, 184 pounds, Princeton, Ill.) is ninth, Brock Beck (junior, 133 pounds, Grinnell) is 12th and Rob Areyano (fifth year, 149 pounds, Selma, Calif.) is 13th.

Linahon (6-1) finished third at the Pointer Open on the opening weekend of the season. He’s 1-1 against ranked opponents on the season, defeating No. 10 Jared Voss of Coe College and falling to No. 6 Beau Yineman of the University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh.

Hammerich (6-1) took second place at the Pointer Open, winning twice by fall. He lost the title match to a top-five wrestler in NCAA Division II. He pinned No. 12 Tristan Westphal of Coe College in a dual in his only ranked matchup of the year.

Beck (10-3) won all three of his matches at the Millikin Open to win the individual crown. He also had a second-place effort at the Pointer Open, losing to the top-ranked wrestler in Division III, Robbie Precin (North Central College [Ill.]) in the final. He also finished second at the MSOE Invitational, falling in the final to the No. 4 wrestler in NJCAA, Elon Rodriguez of Triton College (Ill.). His only other loss was No. 11 Alex Friddle of Coe College.

Areyano (4-1) won the individual title at the Millikin Open in November. His only loss is to No. 12 Riley Wright of Coe College.

Central hosts Nebraska Wesleyan University Wednesday night for a 6:30 p.m. dual.