NCAA Rankings 2017-18

197: Ben Darmstadt And Deliver

There's no easy way to explain how we decided upon the top seven rankings this week, but perhaps this chart can help.

Finding a consistent set of criteria that could be fairly applied proved difficult. We started with best wins, so Ben Darmstadt and Willie Miklus got the top two spots, with the tie-breaker going to Darmstadt for having better losses. Darmstadt has also avenged his lone loss to Frank Mattiace this season. 

Jared Haught, Preston Weigel, Michael Macchiavello, and Kollin Moore are all essentially equal when it comes to best wins (one top seven win apiece), so we broke the tie using head-to-head where possible, putting Weigel ahead of Macchiavello and Macch ahead of Moore. Haught got the nod over Weigel for having the more recent "elite" win and far more total matches. Shakur Rasheed comes in just below #3 through #6 in both the wins and losses categories.

The top tier of 197 is separated by microscopically thin margins, so your milage may vary. 

Elsewhere, Kevin Beazley drops a spot after his loss to Central Michigan's Jordan Atienza, and Pat Brucki moves into the top 20 thanks to his win over Frank Mattiace. Mattiace, however, stays at #9 thanks to his strong body of work this season, which includes a win over new #1 Ben Darmstadt.

Want to get in touch with the rankers? Follow Christian and Andrew on Twitter @CPyles8 and @SpeyWrestle or email: Christian.pyles@flosports.tv or andrew.spey@flosports.tv