Northwestern University Athletics
Team, Individuals Highly-Ranked in Preseason Polls
10/16/2018 2:26:00 PM | Wrestling
EVANSTON, Ill. – Northwestern continued to receive national attention with the release of NCAA preseason rankings from Intermat, FloWrestling, and The Open Mat.
NU comes in at 16th in the nation according to The Open Mat and InterMat. The 'Cats are one of 11 Big Ten teams in the Interman top-25, five of which are in the top seven. Northwestern will face nine ranked programs over the course of the upcoming campaign, including all but one of its conference dual opponents.
Several Wildcats also received recognition in the individual Intermat rankings, as five NU wrestlers were chosen as one of the top-15 in their respective weight classes, including two in the top six.
Sebastian Rivera leads the way with a No. 3 ranking at 125, where he will look to repeat his All-American performance from last year. The redshirt sophomore went 12-2 in the dual season and picked up three ranked wins at the NCAA championships en route to finishing sixth.
Ryan Deakin is slotted at No. 6 in the nation after moving up from 149 to 157 in the offseason. Deakin led the team with 32 victories in 2017-18 and did not give up a back point the entire season.
At 133, Colin Valdiviez is ranked No. 18 as he enters his sophomore campaign. The Missouri native qualified for the NCAA Championships last season and picked up two wins at the tournament.
Finally, two seniors are ranked for the 'Cats as they enter their final year of competition in Evanston. Conan Jennings is No. 13 in the heavyweight division, and Johnny Sebastian comes in at No. 14 at 174.
The five, who were also each ranked by W.I.N. Magazine last month, are joined by two more NU grapplers in the FloWrestling rankings. In addition to Rivera, Deakin, Valdiviez, Jennings and Sebastian, Yahya Thomas and Zack Chakonis were both named to the top-20 in their respective weight classes. Thomas is ranked No. 20 at 141 as he begins his first season of full competition after wrestling unattached a year ago, while Chakonis received the No. 19 spot at 197 after placing in his first career appearance at the Big Ten Championships last campaign.
Northwestern will begin its season with a trip to North Dakota State on November 4. The Wildcats will make their return to the new Welsh-Ryan Arena on Nov. 18 with the squad's home opener against Virginia Tech, ranked just ahead of NU at No. 14 by Open Mat.
NU comes in at 16th in the nation according to The Open Mat and InterMat. The 'Cats are one of 11 Big Ten teams in the Interman top-25, five of which are in the top seven. Northwestern will face nine ranked programs over the course of the upcoming campaign, including all but one of its conference dual opponents.
Several Wildcats also received recognition in the individual Intermat rankings, as five NU wrestlers were chosen as one of the top-15 in their respective weight classes, including two in the top six.
Sebastian Rivera leads the way with a No. 3 ranking at 125, where he will look to repeat his All-American performance from last year. The redshirt sophomore went 12-2 in the dual season and picked up three ranked wins at the NCAA championships en route to finishing sixth.
Ryan Deakin is slotted at No. 6 in the nation after moving up from 149 to 157 in the offseason. Deakin led the team with 32 victories in 2017-18 and did not give up a back point the entire season.
At 133, Colin Valdiviez is ranked No. 18 as he enters his sophomore campaign. The Missouri native qualified for the NCAA Championships last season and picked up two wins at the tournament.
Finally, two seniors are ranked for the 'Cats as they enter their final year of competition in Evanston. Conan Jennings is No. 13 in the heavyweight division, and Johnny Sebastian comes in at No. 14 at 174.
The five, who were also each ranked by W.I.N. Magazine last month, are joined by two more NU grapplers in the FloWrestling rankings. In addition to Rivera, Deakin, Valdiviez, Jennings and Sebastian, Yahya Thomas and Zack Chakonis were both named to the top-20 in their respective weight classes. Thomas is ranked No. 20 at 141 as he begins his first season of full competition after wrestling unattached a year ago, while Chakonis received the No. 19 spot at 197 after placing in his first career appearance at the Big Ten Championships last campaign.
Northwestern will begin its season with a trip to North Dakota State on November 4. The Wildcats will make their return to the new Welsh-Ryan Arena on Nov. 18 with the squad's home opener against Virginia Tech, ranked just ahead of NU at No. 14 by Open Mat.
••••••
Be the first to know what's going on with the 'Cats -- Follow @NU_Sports on Twitter, become a fan of Northwestern Athletics on Facebook, check us out on Instagram, visit our Social Media page and download our mobile app from the Apple Store and Google Play! To get involved with the #B1GCats, become a season-ticket holder or join the Wildcat Fund!
Players Mentioned
/ Wrestling
/ Wrestling
/ Wrestling
/ Wrestling
/ Wrestling
/ Wrestling
/ Wrestling
Wrestling - Four 'Cats Earn Bonus Points as Northwestern Downs Maryland in Big Ten Opener (1/9/26)
Saturday, January 10
Wrestling - 'Cats Take Down Wisconsin, 27-11, on Senior Night (2/14/25)
Saturday, February 15
Wrestling - Seven 'Cats Claim Victory in 27-12 Win Over Michigan State (2/8/25)
Saturday, February 08
Wrestling - 'Cats Tame Mustangs, Take Down Cal Poly 29-14 (12/19/24)
Friday, December 20
