CLINTON, S.C. – In the second edition of the National Wrestling Coaches Association (NWCA) rankings, unveiled on Thursday afternoon, the Presbyterian College women's wrestling squad has been bumped up to the #6 position after beginning the year at the #8 spot. On the doorstep of top five status only three dates into the 2022-23 schedule, the Blue Hose have already made waves thanks to two strong showings at the Princeton Open and Eagle Madness tournaments last week, hence the two-rung climb to #6 behind 35 total points.
Rewarding PC for their well-rounded opening to the fall, the NWCA recognized the four individual championships taken by the blue and white already which leads to the 6
th-place jolt in the rankings. Presbyterian is included on the short list of eight programs in the poll to have at least four wrestlers ranked in their weight class' top eight, with
Samantha Miller (101),
Ainslie Lane (116),
Sierra Marie Miller (130), and
Paige Wehrmeister (136) all inside their division's five best performers at this point in the year.
With only a small sample size, the Blue Hose have backed up the preseason hype in multi-team action by putting together a total of nine top-four showings between five different competitors. Four of those five will bring a national ranking with them to the team's next dual on Sunday evening, a head-to-head versus Limestone in Gaffney. After dominating the Saints 40-18 one year back, PC will get the in-state battle started at 5:00 p.m. on Nov. 20.
Backed by a 6-1 record to kick off her junior campaign,
Samantha Miller rolls in at the #5 spot in the 101-lb. grouping after gaining runner-up status last Saturday at Life University's Eagle Madness. The Parkersburg, West Virginia native exploded out of the gate with six consecutive W's (claiming 1
st in her class at the Princeton Open 11 days ago), one of four roster members that scooped up a win in PC's dual against reigning NAIA national champion Life.
One of two 4
th-place wrestlers in their class by Thursday's rankings, Lane has begun the fall '22 slate with four individual wins next to just a single loss. Taking the bronze prize at the Princeton Open in the 116-lb. group, the senior segued that into a one-on-one victory when battling Life last weekend. A native of Bixby, Oklahoma, Ainslie will enter Sunday's tilt with Limestone as the victor in her last three outings.
The highest-ranked wrestler on the squad in the infant stages of the campaign,
Sierra Marie Miller sits at #3 among all 130-lb. challengers, trailing only King and McKendree (who rank 2
nd and 4
th respectively in the team rankings). A sophomore from Wardensville, West Virginia, Miller responded to a 1
st-place title at the Princeton Open with a 4
th-place finish in Marietta five days ago. Overall, the second-year standout has gathered seven W's out of 10 matches.
The final piece of PC's quartet of ranked individuals, freshman
Paige Wehrmeister has made headlines around the NWCA off the back of a perfect start to her debut year. Undefeated through eight matches in the 136-lb. class, the first-year star opens up her career with a 4
th-place national ranking thanks to a pair of championships in New Jersey and Georgia. Going 4-0 at the Princeton Open and 3-0 at Eagle Madness – with a head-to-head W against the Running Eagles for good measure – the Chesterfield, Missouri product has captured all but one of her wins by a 10-0 technical fall, building a reputation as one of the best freshman wrestlers in the nation.
The entire NWCA poll can be found below:
1. North Central (97 pts., 11 individuals ranked)
2. King (85 pts., 12 individuals ranked)
3. Colorado Mesa (77 pts., 10 individuals ranked)
4. McKendree (70 pts., 5 individuals ranked)
5. Augsburg (51 pts., 5 individuals ranked)
6. Presbyterian (35 pts., 4 individuals ranked)
7. Simon Fraser (34 pts., 3 individuals ranked)
8. Tiffin (25 pts, 4 individuals ranked)
9. Lindenwood (16 pts., 2 individuals ranked)
10. Lock Haven (15 pts., 2 individuals ranked)
T-11. Gannon (13 pts., 3 individuals ranked)
T-11. East Stroudsburg (13 pts., 2 individuals ranked)
13. Texas Woman's (12 pts., 1 individual ranked)
14. UW-Stevens Points (11 pts., 2 individuals ranked)
T-15. New Jersey City (10 pts., 3 individuals ranked)
T-15. Sacred Heart (10 pts., 4 individuals ranked)
17. Adrian (8 pts., 2 individuals ranked)
18. Northern Michigan (7 pts., 1 individual ranked)
T-19. Emmanuel (6 pts., 1 individual ranked)
T-19. Albion (6 pts., 1 individual ranked)
