The UW-Platteville wrestling team is ranked 25th in the nation, according to the Brute-Adidas National Wrestling Coaches Association Division III pre-season ranking.
Coach Chris Walter returns 13 lettermen from last year's club that went 4-2 in the tough Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference. Three of those returners qualified for the NCAA III national championships, and all three are ranked in their weight classes.
Zach Chambers (Sr., Mineral Point) and Ryan Rozek (Sr., Plymouth) are ranked fifth at 141 and 285, respectively, and Ryan Higgins (So., Oconomowoc) is eighth at 149.
Chambers went 28-8 last year, winning his second WIAC individual title. He has a career mark of 76-12. Rozek placed third in the WIAC and earned a wild-card entry to the national championships. He was was 29-14 on the season. Higgins won conference, advanced to nationals and finished 31-8 overall.
Augsburg (Minn.) earned the top team ranking, while Wartburg was second and UW-La Crosse third. UW-Stevens Point (15th) and UW-Whitewater (22nd) also earned top-25 standings.
The Pioneer wrestle-offs, to determine the lineup spots, are Sat. Nov. 4 at 6 p.m. in Williams Fieldhouse. UWP begins its season the following Saturday, Nov. 11, at the Lakeland Duals in Sheboygan.
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