Takedown Report

Illinois’ Byrd New No. 1 at 133 in WIN’s Jan. 13 Rankings

NEWTON, Iowa — Lucas Byrd of Illinois has taken over the top spot at 133 pounds in WIN Magazine’s Jan. 13 national rankings presented by Cliff Keen Athletic.
Byrd, a senior, moved up from the No. 2 spot after the previous No. 1-ranked wrestler at 133 — Ryan Crookham of Lehigh — suffered an injury last weekend. A school spokesperson said the Mountain Hawk would miss the upcoming dual with Navy and was unsure how long Crookham would be out of action. This new ranking now sets up an upcoming battle between Byrd and Iowa’s No. 2 Drake Ayala when the Big Ten teams meet this Friday in Iowa City, where Iowa — ranked No. 2 in WIN’s Dual-Team rankings and No. 3 in WIN’s Tournament Power Index — will entertain the Illini, which ranks No. 12 in the dual rankings and No. 7 in WIN’s TPI.
Penn State remains the top-ranked team in both team rankings and features three top-ranked wrestlers: Tyler Kasak (157), Mitchell Mesenbrink (165) and Carter Starocci. Oklahoma State, scheduled to wrestle Monday night against NC State, is ranked No. 3 in dual competition and No. 2 in WIN’s TPI.
WIN’s TPI projects where teams are expected to place in this season’s NCAA Championships in March, based on individual rankings at this point in the season. The following is a breakdown of those individual TPI points per ranking: 20 for 1st, … more at … https://www.win-magazine.com/2025/01/13/illinois-byrd-new-no-1-at-133-in-wins-jan-13-rankings/

January 23, 2025 - Posted by The TakeDown Report | Uncategorized | ncaa, news, sports