Big 12 Championships | NCAA Championships | NCAA Coaches Panel Rankings

INDIANAPOLIS (Jan. 20, 2017) -- The NCAA released Friday morning the first coaches’ panel rankings for the 2016-17 season. The rankings are one of the tools used as part of the selection process to determine the qualifiers for the 2017 NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships. This year’s championships are scheduled for March 16-18 at the Scott Trade Center in St. Louis, Mo.

Junior All-American Bryce Meredith leads UW as the eighth ranked wrestler (141 pounds) followed by redshirt sophomore Branson Ashworth ranked 13th at 165 pounds. Senior Drew Templeman is 14th at 125, while junior Archie Colgan is ranked 17th (157 pounds). Senior Cole Mendenhall rounds out the Pokes as the 20th-ranked wrestler at 149 pounds.

Wrestlers in each weight class are measured by winning percentage, rating percentage index (RPI) and coaches’ rankings to earn spots in their qualifying conference tournaments for the 2017 NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships. The coaches’ rankings are compiled by a vote of coaches representing each qualifying tournament. For ranking purposes, coaches may only consider a wrestler that has been designated as a starter at a respective weight class. In order to be eligible for the rankings, wrestlers must have participated in at least five matches against Division I opponents in the weight class and have wrestled within the last 30 days.

Wt. – Name (Coaches Rank)

125: Drew Templeman (14th)

141: Bryce Meredith (8th)

149: Cole Mendenhall (20th)

157: Archie Colgan (17th)

165: Branson Ashworth (13th)