College News - Huskies Gain #18 Ranking

Jan. 17, 2001

Huskies Gain #18 Ranking in NCAA Division II Poll

St. Cloud, Minn. -- The St. Cloud State University wrestling team has moved up to 18th in the latest NCAA Division II wrestling poll, which was released this week by the Division II Wrestling Coaches' Association. The Huskies were previously unranked in the national poll, while Nebraska-Omaha retained its #1 spot in the poll.

SCSU posted 31 poll points, while UNO tallied 159 points. Other NCC teams ranked included #3 NDSU (143), #6 SDSU (123), #8 MSU, Mankato (101) and #16 Northern Colorado (33). Of note, SCSU most recently gained a 22-17 dual match win over Northern Colorado on Jan. 11.

SCSU (3-1 overall and 1-0 NCC) will travel to the NCAA Division II Duals on Jan. 19-20 at South Dakota State University in Brookings, S.D. At the tournament, SCSU will be led by senior Luke Wren (Dassel), who gained a number two ranking at 197-pounds in the latest poll. Wren currently owns a 5-1 record this season after transferring in from Adams State College after the semester break.

Sophomore heavyweight Dustin Darveaux (Pipestone) is ranked sixth in the nation at the Division II level and currently owns a 24-6 record this season. The Huskies other top ranked grappler is sophomore Matt Neumueller (Medford, Wis.), who owns a 22-8 record at 157 pounds this season and is ranked fifth in the nation among Division II wrestlers.

SCSU will open the Division II Duals tournament with a match against #7 ranked Central Missouri State. A total of seven of the nation's top 10 ranked teams will be participating at the Division II Duals this weekend.