Men's Wrestling | 1/2/2020 2:25:00 PM

    CULVER CITY, Calif. – As the calendar flips into a new decade, Coach Danny Irwin's rising West Liberty University mat squad continues to generate plenty of buzz in the NCAA Division II wrestling world.
    The Hilltoppers slotted in at No. 5 and four WLU grapplers earned national rankings in their respective weight classes on Wednesday when TheOpenMat.com national wrestling website released its latest set of NCAA Division II team and individual power rankings.
    Senior All-American Darius Bunch is the nation's No. 1-ranked 141-pounder while fellow senior Logan Kemp – a 2-time NCAA Division II national qualifier – checks in at No. 2 in the 197-pound national rankings.
    Sophomore All-American Cole Laya once again ranks near the top of the charts in a highly-competitive 125-pound division, checking in at No. 4 with an impressive 11-1 mark.
    True freshman Zane Lanham earned the first national ranking of his career when The Open Mat rated him at No. 14 in the 184-pound division. Lanham was the only freshman listed among the nation's top 16 wrestlers at 184 pounds.
    West Liberty's four nationally-ranked wrestlers posted a combined 40-7 (.851) mark on the mat during the first semester.
    Defending national champion St. Cloud State was a runaway leader in the power rankings with 86.5 quality points. Pitt-Johnstown was a distant second at 59.5 with Nebraska-Kearney holding down the No. 3 spot with 51.5 points. McKendree (Ill.) amassed 49 quality points to squeeze past the Hilltoppers for No. 4.
    West Liberty's 46 points made the Hilltoppers the highest-ranked team from Super Region 3, barely edging out perennial power and MEC rival Notre Dame (Ohio), which was sixth with 43 points. Tiffin was close behind with 42.5 points while Lindenwood, Ashland and Colorado School of Mines rounded out the Top 10.
    The Hilltopper mat squad ends its holiday break on Saturday when the team travels to North Manchester, Ind. to compete in the Spartan Mat Classic.
  Team                                                         Pts        Pvs
  1. St. Cloud State                                 86.5           1
  2. Pitt-Johnstown                                 59.5           2
  3. Nebraska-Kearney                           51.5           4
  4. McKendree                                          49           6
  5. WEST LIBERTY                                     46           5
  6. Notre Dame (Ohio)                             43           7
  7. Tiffin                                                  42.5         15
  8. Lindenwood                                     29.5           3
  9. Ashland                                                29           8
(tie) Colorado School of Mines                29         17
11. Adams State                                        28           9
12. Upper Iowa                                         27         10
13. Central Oklahoma                           26.5         UR
14. Limestone                                            26         20
15. MSU-Mankato                                 25.5         14
16. Mercyhurst                                      20.5         21
(tie) Drury                                               20.5         25
18. Kutztown                                          19.5         13
(tie) Newman                                         19.5         22
20. East Stroudsburg                                19         18
(tie) Newberry                                           19         19
22. Maryville                                          16.5         12
23. UNC-Pembroke                                   15         10
24. San Francisco State                         13.5         24
25. Emmanuel                                        12.5         23