Hawkeyes, Cyclones perched atop WIN preseason rankings

It's no surprise that the University of Iowa and Iowa State University are the top two teams in Wrestling Insider Newsmagazine's  preseason NCAA Division I wrestling rankings.

The Hawkeyes are attempting for a third national team title. Last year's national tournament in St. Louis wasn't the most polished performance from Coach Tom Brands' crew, but they were able to get the job done. My No. 1 mark for a great team is being able to win when you aren't at your best. Perfect example.

Iowa has seven All-Americans, returning for this season including five from the 2009 national tournament. Brent Metcalf is top-ranked at 149 pounds and Phill Keddy (184) is second behind Ohio State's Mike Pucillo. Ryan Morningstar (165), Jay Borschel (174) and Dan erekson (Hwt.) are all ranked fourth. Chad Beatty is eighth at 197, while 2008 133-pound NCAA finalist Joey Slaton is 18th at 141.

Attention all wrestlers and coaches. Soon this will be coming at you.

Erekson and Slaton are question marks, however. Erekson suffered a muscle injury to his arm and will miss time. Supposedly, the injury is similar to one suffered by another Iowa athlete, who was able to return in six weeks, so it may not be as long as originally expected. Slaton is in the midst of a legal issue where he was cited and released for fifth-degree theft at Paul's Discount in Iowa City. His status is not immediately known.

Iowa is deep at 141 with 2008 national qualifier Dan LeClere vying for that spot along with four-time Iowa state finalist and two-time champion Montell Marion, who spent time training at the U.S. Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs, Colo. The bigger question would be whofills in for Erekson and how they perform. It will likely be Blake Rasing, a New Hampton prep, and time will tell.

Iowa State is led by top-ranked duo Jake Varner at 197 and Nick Gallick at 141. Varner is the defending national champ at 197. Also ranked are Nick Fanthorpe (8th at 133), Mitch Mueller (9th at 149), Jon Reader (5th at 165), Duke Burk (20th at 174), Jerome Ward (13th at 184) and David Zabriskie (5th at Hwt.).

The Cyclones have had a history of peaking at the Big 12 tournament, but falling short at the national tournament. First-year head coach Kevin Jackson appears to be well liked by the wrestlers and has produced some excitement within the program. We'll see if Jackson can get them over the hump come March.

University of Northern Iowa was tied for 45th. National qualifiers Trenton Washington (19th at 141) and Christian Brantley (10th at Hwt) are the only Panthers ranked for head coach Brad Penrith.

Two names familiar to Iowa wrestling fans appear in the rankings as well. James Nicholson and Justin Kerber earned a spot on the list. Nicholson, a junior, is a former Des Moines Roosevelt state champion. He was a national qualifier last year and is ranked 8th at 125. Kerber, a two-time state champion for Emmetsburg/A-R, is ranked 14th for Cornell at 165 pounds. He's down two weight classes for the Big red. He was a national qualifier last year at 184.