The Eagles received 41 points in the team poll as their eighth-place selection is the highest preseason ranking in program history. Defending national champion Penn State is the favorite with 108.5 points while Iowa, Oklahoma State, Minnesota, and Cornell round out the top-five.

"These rankings are a testament to what has evolved with this program over the last several years," remarked Head Coach Teague Moore. "I am pleased with the progress so far this preseason and I am excited to see our development this year as we work our way toward EIWAs and the NCAA Championships."

Individually, senior Ryan Flores, the national runner-up last season at heavyweight, is ranked No. 2 at his weight class. Flores finished the 2010-11 season with a 26-6 record en route to All-America honors as well as Academic All-America recognition. He posted 11 victories over ranked opponents with eight of those wins opponents ranked in the top-five. Flores also recorded 10 falls last season, the fourth-most in single-season program history.

Classmate Ganbayar Sanjaa is slotted at No. 4 at 157 lbs. The 2011 All-American came in fourth last year at NCAAs after posting a 26-8 record during the season, which included 17-3 mark in dual meets. His 17 dual victories were the third-most single-season dual meet wins in AU history. Sanjaa also earned Academic All-America honors last season.

Junior Daniel Mitchell is ranked No. 7 at 197 lbs. after finishing the 2010-11 campaign with a 33-9 record. A NCAA qualifier and Academic All-American a year ago, Mitchell's 33 victories are tied for the second-most single-season wins in program history. He has placed in the top-four in each of the last two seasons at the EIWA Championships, including a third-place result last year.

Redshirt senior Matt Mariacher rounds out AU's ranked wrestlers at No. 9 in the preseason rankings at 141 lbs. Mariacher matched Mitchell with an identical 33-9 record last season and also captured the EIWA title at his weight class. He qualified for nationals last year and was honored as an Academic All-American. Mariacher has posted 77 career wins as an Eagle, 10th-most in program history.  

American is coming off a program-record fifth-place finish at last year's NCAA Championships. The Eagles earned three All-Americans along with a NWCA-record six Academic All-Americans. AU will kick off the 2011-12 season on Saturday, November 12 at the Brockport/Oklahoma Gold Invitational in Brockport, N.Y.