INDIANAPOLIS — The NCAA has announced the second coaches ranking and first Ratings Percentage Index (RPI) for the 2024 NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships.

The coaches' rankings are determined by a vote of 14 coaches in each weight class with two head coaches from each of the seven conferences. For ranking purposes, coaches may only consider a wrestler that has been designated as a starter at a respective weight class. Wrestlers must have eight Division I matches in the weight class to be considered with at least one within the last 30 days.

The RPI is a calculation that consists of three factors: winning percentage, opponent winning percentage (strength of schedule) and opponent's opponent winning percentage (opponent's strength of schedule). Only matches against Division I opponents at the designated weight class count towards the RPI and a wrestler needs to have wrestled 15 matches to be ranked.

In the coaches rank, of the 10 weight classes two are led by former national champions in Missouri's Keegan O'Toole at 165 pounds, Penn State's Carter Starocci at 174 pounds. The pair has a combined five national titles led by Starocci with three.

Currently no wrestlers sit atop both the coaches rank and RPI in their respective weight class.  With many wrestlers still looking to reach the 15-match threshold to earn an RPI, the top of those rankings looks a little different than the coaches' rank.

At 125 pounds, Purdue's Matt Ramos sits first in the coaches rank and second in RPI.  Jesse Mendez of Ohio State, Caleb Henson of Virginia Tech and Dustin Plott of Oklahoma State are the top-ranked wrestlers in the RPI in their respective weight classes while being ranked second in the coaches rank.

The coaches ranking and RPI are two of several criteria that will be evaluated by the NCAA Division I Wrestling Committee during the at-large selection and seeding process along with head-to-head competition, quality wins, conference tournament placement, results versus common opponents and win percentage.

A full description of the entire selection process for the 2024 Division I Wrestling Championships is available at ncaa.org.

The 2024 NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships take place March 21-23 at T-Mobile Center in Kansas City as the event returns to the city for the first time since 2003.
 
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