(INDIANAPOLIS, IN, Dec 31) – The McKendree University men's wrestling team was officially ranked fifth in the NCAA DII Wrestling Coaches Association Top 25 for the final poll of the 2018 calendar year.
 
The Bearcats were ranked fourth in the NCAA DII Wrestling Coaches Association Top 25 Preseason Poll previously posted on November 30 this year and have remained in the top five after stellar performances at the Battle of the Rockies Open, where three Bearcats (Nick Foster (Belleville, IL/Belleville West), Isaiah Kemper (Evansville, Ind./Central), and Nate Smalling (Belleville, Ill./Belleville West)) took home first place finishes, and at the Midwest Classic where McKendree took home the team title.
 
Men's wrestling will be back in action Friday, January 4 when the Bearcats travel to Louisville, KY to participate in the National Wrestling Coaches Association (NWCA) National Duals.