INDIANAPOLIS, IN – The NCAA has the third coaches ranking and second Ratings Percentage Index (RPI) for the 2024 NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships, as well as the NCAA Championships allocations for this year’s upcoming conference tournaments.
(Pictured above: Alejandro Herrera-Rondon, left, and Cam Pine.)
Two Golden Eagles–Alejandro Herrera-Rondon (157 pounds) and Cam Pine (184)–were featured in the rankings.
The coaches ranking and RPI are two of several criteria that will be evaluated by the NCAA Division I Wrestling Committee during the at-large selection and seeding process along with head-to-head competition, quality wins, conference tournament placement, results versus common opponents and win percentage.
Herrera-Rondon (Coaches: 33 / RPI: 27) has a 17-6 overall record this season but has not competed since February 1 against Lock Haven. That match against the Bald Eagles ran his win streak up to six in a row, with five of them coming with bonus points attached.
Pine (Coaches: 33 / RPI: 23) has continued to impress in his first season at 184 pounds, finishing the regular season with a 21-5 record. The senior has won nine straight matches and is 12-1 overall since the start of the 2024 calendar year.
In addition to the newest ranking release, each qualifying tournament was awarded pre-allocations to the national tournament based on regular season performance by conference wrestlers through February 26. The pre-allocations were determined by using a sliding scale of the three standards, win percentage, coaches’ rank, and RPI ranking; while never going below the base of .700 winning percentage, top 30 coaches’ ranking and top 30 RPI ranking until reaching the maximum of 29 wrestlers per weight class.
For each wrestler that reached the threshold in at least two of the three categories, his conference tournament was awarded a qualifying spot in that weight class. Each conference is awarded a minimum of one automatic qualification per weight class, which will go to the tournament champion, even if they did not have any wrestlers reach at least two of the three thresholds. NCAA championship spots for each qualifying event will be awarded at conference tournaments based solely on place-finish.
After all the conference tournaments have concluded, the NCAA Division I Wrestling Committee will meet in-person to select the remaining 47 at-large qualifiers, which will be announced on March 12, while brackets and seeding will be announced on NCAA.com at 8 p.m. on March 13. All weight classes will consist of 33 wrestlers.
Here are the weight class allocations for the Mid-American Conference (MAC) Championships, scheduled next weekend at Kent State:
125 – 2
133 – 1
141 – 1
149 – 3
157 – 5
165 – 1
174 – 2
184 – 2
197 – 2
285 – 3
TOTAL – 22
Copyright © 2024 EYT Media Group, Inc. All rights reserved. Any copying, redistribution or retransmission of the contents of this service without the express written consent of EYT Media Group, Inc. is expressly prohibited.
