In the realm of wrestling, the NCAA has recently unveiled the latest coaches’ ranking and the inaugural Ratings Percentage Index (RPI) for the looming 2024 NCAA Division I Wrestling Championship. This is one of the major determining factors in the highly anticipated event in Kansas City this March. But the recent list has created a bizarre situation.
The coaches’ rankings are computed through a vote-cast system, which will be done by 14 coaches in each weight class. They include two head coaches from each of the seven conferences that will be held. The wrestler must match the specific criteria that are considered. On the other hand, RPI has its own factors to grade the wrestlers. However, the two criteria have made the entire scenario somewhat confusing.
RPI standings shake up wrestler rankings
According to the second coaches ranking and first Ratings Percentage Index (RPI) for the 2024 NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships, no athlete has claimed the top spot in both parameters till now. The news came on the official Twitter page of USA Wrestling with the caption, “The @NCAA has announced its second coaches ranking and its first Ratings Percentage Index (RPI) for the 2024 NCAA Div. I Championships…No athlete is No. 1 in the RPI and Coaches Ranking at this time.” The wrestlers’ list put out taking into consideration the coaches’ ranking and RPI has caused ripples and shakeups.
The @NCAA has announced its second coaches ranking and its first Ratings Percentage Index (RPI) for the 2024 NCAA Div. I Championships. Both are used to determine the field for the NCAAs in Kansas City in March. No athlete is No. 1 in the RPI and Coaches Ranking at this time.
— USA Wrestling (@USAWrestling) February 15, 2024
In the coaches’ rank, Missouri’s Keegan O’Toole at 165 pounds, and Penn State’s Carter Starocci at 174 pounds lead the pack. At 125 pounds, Purdue’s Matt Ramos secured the first spot in the coaches’ rank but second in RPI.
On the other hand, 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. But they secured second spots in the coaches’ rank. With the two criteria making waves in the wrestling realm, let us take a look at how these work.
RPI and coaches rank vital for the upcoming championship
In the case of coaches rank, only wrestlers who are designated as starters at a weight class will be considered. Wrestlers must have eight Division I matches in their designated weight class for this purpose and at least one of those should have happened within the last 30 days. On the other hand, RPI is a calculation that revolves around three factors.
The factors are, winning percentage, opponent winning percentage (strength of schedule), and opponent’s opponent winning percentage (opponent’s strength of schedule). This parameter counts only those matches that have been played against Division I opponents at the designated weight class. Apart from that, a wrestler should have an appearance in at least 15 matches to be ranked under this parameter.
The coaches’ ranking and RPI are two vital parameters that will be evaluated by the NCAA Division I Wrestling Committee during the at-large selection and seeding process during the upcoming championship. The event is going to take place from March 21–23 at the T-Mobile Center. It remains to be seen how the new system will affect it in the coming days.
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