BUIES CREEK, N.C. – Featuring six Campbell student-athletes, the NCAA has announced the first coaches' ranking for the 2023 NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships.
At 125 pounds,
Anthony Molton is ranked No. 25, while
Domenic Zaccone comes in at No. 29 at 133.
Shannon Hanna is ranked No. 32 at 141, with 184 pounder
Caleb Hopkins ranked No. 28.
Levi Hopkins is also No. 29 at 197, while heavyweight
Taye Ghadiali rounds out the list for the Camels at No. 13.
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.
Molton is 5-5 on the season at 125 pounds, with three wins over nationally ranked opponents, including a 6-4 decision over No. 8 Matt Ramos from Purdue in Campbell's win over the Boilermakers in the Purdue Duals. The redshirt junior, having won five of his last seven outings, also topped No. 11 Joey Prata from Oklahoma, 9-8, and No. 14 Jake Ferri from Kent State, 8-6, at last weekend's Virginia Duals.
At 10-3 on the season, Zaccone has won six straight bouts, including a pair of wins at the Purdue Duals. An Orland Park, Ill. native, Zaccone defeated Nebraska's Alex Thomsen 4-1 in his last matchup. The 2022 NCAA qualifier also placed third at 133 in the Army Black Knight Invitational in November.
At 141 pounds, Hanna is 11-8 overall, matching up against eight nationally ranked opponents already this season, including a 4-2 decision over No. 33 Kal Miller, helping Campbell top No. 23 Maryland at last weekend's Virginia Duals. Hanna, another 2022 NCAA qualifier, went 3-0 at the Purdue Duals, including a 14-5 major decision over Drexel's Jordan Soriano.
A two-time NCAA qualifier,
Caleb Hopkins has matched up with six nationally ranked opponents so far in 2022-23, going 5-5 overall, all is dual settings. Hopkins started his Southern Conference slate with a 2-1 decision over Gardner-Webb's Jha'Quan Anderson, extending his career league record to 15-0.
Levi Hopkins follows at 197 pounds, going 10-8 on the season. He defeated No. 11 Jaxon Smith 8-6 at the Virginia Duals in the win over the nationally ranked Terrapins, the first victory over a ranked individual for the Palmer, Alaska native this season.
The highest ranked Camel in the initial coaches' panel, Ghadiali has fashioned a 14-3 record on the year. The redshirt junior from Warren, Mich. owns a 13-match winning streak this season that includes victories over two ranked foes, including No. 30 Jaron Smith of Maryland, 3-2, and No. 26 Zach Knighton-Ward from Hofstra, 9-4. The two-time NCAA qualifier's decision over Knighton-Ward sealed the heavyweight bracket win at the Army Black Knight Invite, going 4-0 in the event.
The Camels have sent at least six qualifiers to the NCAA Championships in each of the last four seasons.
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.
A full description of the entire selection process for the 2023 Division I Wrestling Championships is available at ncaa.org.
The 2023 NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships take place March 16-18 at BOK Center in Tulsa as the event returns to Oklahoma for the first time since being held in Oklahoma City in 2014.
NCAA DIVISION I WRESTLING COACHES RANK — THROUGH MATCHES OF JAN. 15
125:
Anthony Molton | No. 25
133:
Domenic Zaccone | No. 29
141:
Shannon Hanna | No. 32
184:
Caleb Hopkins | No. 28
197:
Levi Hopkins | No. 29
HWT:
Taye Ghadiali | No. 13
