NORMAN – The NCAA announced the first coaches’ ranking for the 2024 NCAA Championships on Monday. Six Sooners were included in the initial rankings, with three slotted inside the top 15 of their respective weight class.
Willie McDougald (No. 15 at 149), Jared Hill (No. 28 at 157), Cael Carlson (No. 29 at 165), Tate Picklo (No. 25 at 174), Stephen Buchanan (No. 2 at 197) and Josh Heindselman (No. 13 at 285) represent Oklahoma in the initial list.
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.
Buchanan leads the Sooner contingent with a second-place showing in the 197-pound coaches’ rankings. A senior from Loyola, Wis., and a three-time NCAA qualifier at Wyoming, Buchanan has compiled a 17-0 record so far this season which includes a team-high seven victories by technical fall.
OU 141-pounder Mosha Schwartz, who has missed time due to injury, is 4-1 against Division I competition this season and has not wrestled a match since Dec. 3, making him ineligible for the initial set of rankings. Schwartz, a two-time NCAA qualifier, has two wins against wrestlers ranked inside the top 30 at 141 pounds.
The coaches’ ranking is one 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, Ratings Percentage Index (RPI), conference tournament placement, results versus common opponents and win percentage.
The next coaches’ rankings are slated to be released Feb. 19. The NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships will be held March 21-23 in Kansas City, Missouri.
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