Quartet of Mountaineer Wrestlers Ranked in Second Coaches Ranking

The NCAA has announced the second coaches ranking for the 2021 NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships. The latest ranking features four WVU grapplers. The first coaches rankings were released Wednesday, Feb. 11.

The coaches rankings are determined by a vote of 14 coaches in each weight class with two head coaches from each conference. For ranking purposes, coaches may only consider a wrestler that has been designated as a starter at a respective weight class. For the second ranking, wrestlers must have three Division I matches in the weight class to be considered with at least one within the last 30 days.  For the final coaches ranking that will be utilized during the at-large selection and seeding process, wrestlers will need a minimum of four Division I matches in the weight class.

The coaches ranking is one of several criteria that will be evaluated by the NCAA Division I Wrestling Committee during the at-large selection and seeding along with head-to-head competition, quality wins, conference tournament placement, results versus common opponents and win percentage.

125: Killian Cardinale: No. 22 (No. 24 in Feb. 11th ranking).

133: Ryan Sullivan: No. 16 (No. 19 in Feb. 11th ranking).

165: Peyton Hall: No. 20 (No. 21 in Feb. 11th ranking).

197: Noah Adams: No. 6 (No. 4 in Feb. 11th ranking).

The Mountaineers finished the regular season ranked No. 22 in the final Dual Meet Rankings by InterMat and FloWrestling.

The Mountaineers finished the regular season ranked No. 22 in the final Dual Meet Rankings by Intermat and FloWrestling! #HailWV pic.twitter.com/cgDKrAVtRB

— WVU Wrestling (@WVUWrestling) February 25, 2021

Looking ahead, West Virginia travels to Tulsa, Oklahoma, for the 2021 Big 12 Wrestling Championship on March 6-7. The action starts Saturday with preliminary and quarterfinal rounds set for a noon ET start.

The semifinals and consolation quarterfinals will take place at 6 p.m. ET that evening. The consolation semifinals, as well as the third- and fifth-place matches will start at 11 a.m. ET on Sunday, with the championship matches set for 6 p.m. ET.

The first three sessions of the championship will be distributed on Big 12 Now on ESPN+, the conference’s digital platform, while the championship matches will be televised live on ESPN2. All matches from the championship also will be available on the ESPN App.