MANHEIM, Pa. - McKendree University men's wrestling moved up three spots in the latest National Wrestling Coaches Association NCAA Division II rankings, earning the No. 3 national rank to finish off 2021. The Bearcats boast five ranked individuals, including the top wrestler in the 125-pound class in redshirt sophomore Christian Mejia (Elkhart, Indiana). To kick off the new year, No. 3 McKendree travels to Louisville to compete in the National Duals Mat Mayhem, hosted by the National Wrestling Coaches Association on January 6-7. 

McKendree jumped three places in the latest NCAA Division II national rankings, moving from its position at No. 6 in the first two polls up to third in the country with 70 points and five ranked wrestlers. The ranked wrestlers for the Bearcats kick off with a top-ranking in the 125 class with Mejia, who comes off a first place finish at the 42nd Midwest Classic hosted by UIndy. In the outing, Mejia went 5-0 with 20.0 points earned for his team. He won all his matches by decision, including over current No.3 Joe Arroyo (UW-Parkside) and a 10-6 victory in the first-place bout against current No.7 Colorado Mesa's Dawson Collins.

Redshirt freshman Cory Peterson holds the number four spot in the 165-pound class after a claiming a second-place finish during the Bearcats latest competition, the Midwest Classic. Junior Joshua Jones takes the number six spot in the 174 class while Daniel Filipek, a graduate student for the Bearcats, ranks third in the 184 class.

Redshirt freshman Ian Kuehl made the biggest jump in the weight class ranks, moving from 12th to second in the 285-lb. class after a top finish at UIndy's Midwest Classic on December 18-19. Kuehl earned a 5-0 record with 22.0 points behind four wins via decision and a pin victory in the first-place match. Kuehl collected a pair of ranked wins in the tournament, defeating the current No.4 Weston Hunt (Colorado School of Mines) and current No.3 Jacob Robb of Mercyhurst. 

NCAA Division II Rankings:
1st | Central Oklahoma | 104 points, 7 ranked individuals
2nd | St. Cloud State | 86 points, 8 ranked individuals
3rd | McKendree | 70 points, 5 ranked individuals
4th | West Liberty | 67 points, 6 ranked individuals
5th | Nebraska-Kearney | 62 points, 7 ranked individuals

Individual Ranks
125 lb. | Christian Mejia | 1st
165 lb. | Cory Peterson | 4th
174 lb. | Joshua Jones | 6th
184 lb. | Daniel Filipek | 3rd
285 lb. | Ian Kuehl | 2nd
                                                                                      
NWCA National Duals (Louisville, Ky.)
The Bearcats will enter the national competition looking to build upon the finish at the last multi-duals meet (2020), where they finished in second place behind St. Cloud State after a hard fought 17-16 loss in the championship match (Recap). Most recently, McKendree finished fifth in the country's largest Division II tournament, the Midwest Classic, where the Bearcats amassed 86.5 points with two top finishers.

NATIONAL DUALS EVENT DETAILS
Dates: January 6-7, 2022
Location: Louisville, KY 
Venue: Kentucky International Convention Center (221 S 4th St, Louisville, KY 40202) 
Ticket Sales: Online Link
Brackets (Trackwrestling): Men's
Watch Live (Flowrestling): Online Link 
Event Program: View/Download
Additional Info: Event Page

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