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EIGHT JACKS APPEAR IN COACHES’ RANKINGS
1/29/2026 12:10:00 PM | Wrestling
INDIANAPOLIS —The NCAA released the first set of coaches' rankings for the 2026 NCAA Championships on Thursday. Eight of SDSU's starters appear in the rankings, with five in the top-20 of their weight classes.Â
Bennett Berge is the highest-ranked Jackrabbit at No. 5 at 197 pounds, while Julian Tagg (11th at 141 pounds), Moses Espinoza-Owens (14th at 174 pounds), Cael Swensen (15th at 157 pounds) and Brady Roark (19th at 125 pounds) round out the other top-20 Jackrabbits.Â
Elsewhere, Marcus Espinoza-Owens (28th at 165 pounds), Luke Rasmussen (24th at 285 pounds) and Alek Martin (26th at 149 pounds) all appear in the rankings in the top-30 of their weight classes.
The coaches' rankings are determined by a vote of three coaches in each weight class. For ranking purposes, coaches may only consider a wrestler who 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.
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.
A full description of the entire selection process for the 2026 Division I Wrestling Championships is available at ncaa.org.
The 2026 NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships take place March 19-21 at Rocket Arena in Cleveland, marking the third time the city will host.
Jan. 29th Coaches Rankings:
125: Brady Roark - No. 19
141: Julian Tagg - No. 11
149: Alek Martin - No. 26
157: Cael Swensen - No. 15
165: Marcus Espinoza-Owens - No. 28
174: Moses Espinoza-Owens - No. 14
197: Bennett Berge - No. 5
285: Luke Rasmussen - No. 24 Â
-GoJacks.com-
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Players Mentioned
197
/ Wrestling
165
/ Wrestling
174
/ Wrestling
149
/ Wrestling
285
/ Wrestling
125
/ Wrestling
157
/ Wrestling
141
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