Men's Wrestling | 11/4/2019 4:33:00 PM

    BRIDGEPORT, W.Va. – The West Liberty University wrestling team is one of three nationally-ranked squads expected to challenge for the inaugural Mountain East Conference wrestling championship.
    The MEC coaches released the results of their preseason balloting Monday afternoon with two-time national champion Notre Dame (Ohio) at No. 1 followed closely by UNC-Pembroke and Coach Danny Irwin's Hilltoppers.
    The Falcons, coming off a fourth-place finish at last year's NCAA Division II Nationals in Cleveland, received 5 first-place votes and 25 points in the poll. Ranked No. 5 in the preseason NWCA National Top 25, Notre Dame enters the season with nationally-ranked wrestlers in six of the 10 weight classes.
    UNC-Pembroke, competing as an affiliate MEC member in several sports, was No. 2 with 19 points, just one point ahead of the Black and Gold. The North Carolina school has four nationally-ranked wrestlers and checked in at No. 21 in the national Top 25.
    Coach Irwin's Hilltoppers were ranked No. 12 nationally. They feature a trio of nationally-ranked wrestlers with returning All-Americans Cole Laya (125) and Darius Bunch (141) ranked No. 3 in the preseason while 2-time national qualifier Logan Kemp is the nation's No. 7-ranked 197-pounder.
    Rounding out the first MEC preseason wrestling poll are Fairmont State (11), Urbana (9) and Davis & Elkins (8).
    It will all be decided at West Liberty on Feb. 1 when the Hilltoppers host the inaugural Mountain East Conference championships.
    Coach Irwin takes the wraps off his 2019-20 WLU wrestling squad on Wednesday when the Black and Gold open at home against WVU Tech. First match in the non-conference dual is set for 7 p.m. at the ASRC.
  1. Notre Dame (5)               25
2. UNC-Pembroke (1)         19
3. WEST LIBERTY                18
4. Fairmont State                11
5. Urbana                             9
6. Davis & Elkins                  8