NAIA Coaches Poll – No. 1

Kanas City, MO - UC moved up from two spots from tenth to eighth in the first regular-season NAIA Coaches' Poll. Led by eight individuals ranked in the top-20 of their respective weight classes, as announced Friday afternoon by the national office.

Aaron Johnson leads the way for UC remaining in second place in 285. Johnson has not competed yet this year for the Patriots because he had the honor of representing Jamaica in the United World Wrestling under 23 World Championships.

Austin Franco jumps up 10 spots landing in sixth place in 125. Franco currently holds a 7-1 record, with a first-place finish at the Patriot Open in 125. In the championship match, he went against previously sixth-ranked Koby Milner from Reinhardt and won in an 11-6 decision.

Bryce Nickel dropped two spots and landed in sixth place in 141. Nickel holds a 9-2 record, with a first-place finish at the Patriot Open and a fifth-place finish at the Life Open in 141 weight class. To win the championship at the Patriot Open Nickel faced 14^th-ranked Kyle Kantola from Indiana Tech. Nickel got the sudden victory with a takedown, 4-2.  At the Life Open, Nickel went head-to-head with previously sixth-ranked Shea Ruffridge, where he suffered a lost, that led to the fifth-place match. Nickel won that match by injury default.

Gabe Jacobs moved up two spots to tenth place in 197. Jacobs holds a 9-2 record, with third-place finish at the Patriot Open and fourth-place finish at the Grand View Open. At the Patriot Open, Jacobs faced two ranked opponents. He suffered a semifinal lost to previous third-ranked Daulton Mayer from Thomas More, then won against previously 11^th-ranked Jacob Henderson from Reinhardt. At the Grand View Open, Jacobs won by fall over previously 20^th-ranked Desirgeon Keys from Lincoln.

Jarod Swank remained in the 11^th spot in 174. Swank holds a 5-5 record. At the Patriot Open he started the day 2-0 before getting hurt. Then at the Life Open, Swank got a fall over Dante Cooper from Keiser and a major decision win over Isaiha Casto from West Virginia Tech.

Jacob McNutt moved up three spots to 14^th in 165. McNutt holds a 4-1 record, with a second-place finish at the Patriot Open. In the championship match McNutt went against previous eighth-ranked Elliott Rodgers from Marian, where he lost in a 4-2 decision.

Gage Hudson fell three spots to 15^th in 133. Hudson holds a 6-3 record, with a second-place finish at the Patriot Open. Hudson would get two major decisions on his way to the championship match. Then in the championship match Hudson would lose by fall.

Chasen Brown dropped four spots to 18^th in 149. Brown has a 10-2 record with a third-place finish at the Patriot Open and a fifth-place finish at the Grand View Open. At the Patriot Open, Brown would get two major decisions over Mike Loney. At the Grand View Open, Browns only loss would come from previous fifth-ranked Trevor Anderson from Grand View.

In the Mid-South Conference there are three more Patriots ranked in the top-10 in their respective weight classes. DeVaughn Sapien is in at seventh in 125 with a record of 5-3. O'Brian Black is in sixth at 157 with a record of 7-3. While Dylan Preston is in eighth at 165 with a record of 5-6.
 
The Patriots open the month of December with their first home dual scheduled for Wednesday, December 8^th in a matchup against Midway University at 7 pm.

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