KANSAS CITY, Mo. – The University of Providence wrestling program held steady at No. 6 in the latest NAIA wrestling polls. The rankings are voted on by coaches from around the country.
The Argos, 6-2 in duals, haven’t taken to the mats since the Reno Tournament of Champions on Dec. 17. UP finished 14th out of 33 teams in the tournament.
Adrian Lyons-Lopez remained the highest-ranked individual wrestler for coach Caleb Schaeffer, No. 4 in the 174-pound weight class. Lyons-Lopez earned the Cascade Collegiate Conference’s wrestler of the week earlier this season. Shonn Roberts is ranked fifth at 149 pounds, while Casey Dobson (eighth at 157), Randy Keesler (eighth at 184), Mathew Hopkins (ninth at 285), Tyler Webley (ninth at 184) and Isaac Wilson (10th at 125) are all ranked in the top 10 of their respective weight classes.
John Hensley was voted No. 15 in the 197-pound weight class to round out the Argo individual wrestlers.
Schaeffer and the Argos welcome No. 13 Southern Oregon to the McLaughlin Center on Tuesday evening.
Tyson Thivierge’s MSU-Northern squad climbed three spots, from No. 13 to No. 10, in the latest polls. The Lights are 5-1 overall and completed the 2017 portion of their schedule at the Reno Tournament of Champions.
Former Forsyth standout Brandon Weber dropped from the No. 1 ranking at 157 pounds. Weber now sits behind Lindsey Wilson’s Cam Tessari in the weight class.
The Lights boast six wrestlers ranked in the individual polls, with Weber the highest grappler per NAIA coaches. His brother, Matt, is No. 7 at 141 pounds, while Isaac Bartel is fifth at 197. Andrew Bartel (ninth at 165), Nick Kunz (11th at 125) and Steeler French (15th at 184) round out the individual rankings for Thivierge.
Northern welcomes SOU to Armory Gymnasium on Thursday. The Lights travel to the Dickinson State Duals the following weekend.
The NAIA Top 20 Coaches Poll can be found below. To view the individually-ranked wrestlers, please click here.
