INDIANAPOLIS --- The NCAA has announced the first coaches' rankings for the NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships in 2024. Three Golden Eagle wrestlers – Alejandro Herrera-Rondon (29th - 157), John Worthing (32nd - 174) and Cam Pine (30th - 184) were all featured in the initial rankings release.
 
The coaches' rankings are determined by a vote of 14 coaches in each weight class with two head coaches from each of the seven conferences. For ranking purposes, coaches may only consider a wrestler that 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.
 
Herrera-Rondon come in at 29th at 157 pounds in the first ranking. The redshirt sophomore owns a 15-6 Division I record and has been on a roll as of late, winning four straight matches and five straight dual matches. He reached the quarterfinal round of the Southern Scuffle earlier this month, and is one of five Mid-American Conference (MAC) 157-pounders in the ranking.
 
Worthing is tied with Northern Colorado's Travis Mastrogiovanni for 32nd in the 174-pound rankings, and he has also won four straight matches dating back to his time at the Southern Scuffle. A 2023 NCAA qualifier that went 2-2 at the Big Dance a year ago, he is one of three MAC wrestlers featured at his weight.
 
Pine comes in at 30th in the 184-pound rankings and is one of two MAC wrestlers on the list.  A finalist at the Southern Scuffle, he has won eight of his last night matches, and was named the MAC East Co-Wrestler of the Week for Jan. 16. His wins have come against strong competition as well, with Pine owning victories over Little Rock's Triston Wills and Bucknell's Mikey Bartush among others.