Numerous Statesmen Ranked in Fourth Poll
Oskaloosa–The William Penn men’s wrestling team continues to have a solid presence nationally as the NAIA released its fourth set of polls Thursday.
WPU is unofficially tied for 35th in the country with 20 points, while Grand View remains #1 with 212 points. Life (Ga.) (176), Lindsey Wilson (Ky.) (164), Reinhardt (Ga.) (135), and Indiana Tech (92) round out the top five.
Joe Eads (Jr., Morrison, Ill., Biology) is still considered a major player at 149 pounds as he is fifth in the NAIA. Teammates Ray Lugo (Fr., Hollywood, Fla., Exercise Science), at 197 pounds, and Branson Bottorff (Fr., Mackinaw, Ill., Mechanical Engineering), at 285 pounds, join Eads in the national ranking with both being ranked 20th at their respective weights.
The navy and gold find themselves in sixth place in the Heart of America Athletic Conference with 87 points. Grand View (224) is first in the Heart and Missouri Valley (172.5) is a fairly distant second.
Eads headlines a crew of eight individuals in the league rating, holding the #3 spot at his weight. Lugo and Bottorff are fourth, while Nadhelo Charles-Pierre (Sr., Miramar, Fla., Sports Management) is fifth at 125 pounds.
Kirkland Crocker (Sr., Tampa, Fla.) is sixth at 133 pounds, while 157-pounder Cameron Hargrove (Fr., Bolingbrook, Ill., Undecided) and 165-pounder Steven Skewes (Fr., Duchesne, Utah, Exercise Science) are both seventh. Darian Diaz (Fr., Pembroke Pines, Fla., Sociology) completes the poll with an eighth-place ranking at 141 pounds.
