INDIANAPOLIS – A new set of national team and individual rankings have been released as Great Midwest Athletic Conference Wrestling Athlete of the Week honors were announced on Thursday.
 
The National Wrestling Coaches Association and InterMat produced its second rankings of the 2019-20 season. Tiffin and Findlay are among the nation’s top 25 with the Dragons tied for 19th (with Fort Hays State) and the Oilers breaking through in a tie for 24th (with Bellarmine).
 
Findlay senior Devin Rogers is currently ranked sixth at 149 pounds and Tiffin’s two-time conference athlete of the week Bryan LaVearn is holding strong at 157 pounds ranked 12th for the second straight time.
 
The weight class at 174 pounds is represented by Tiffin’s Hayden Bronne at No. 7 and Findlay’s Nate Vandermeer in ninth. Alderson Broaddus features Gino Sita at No. 7 at 184 pounds.
 
Defending national champion Nick Mason of Tiffin is currently in fourth at 197 pounds.

Teams continue to prepare for the Great Midwest Championship duals that will be held at Findlay's Malcom Athletic Center on January 24-25 of the new calendar year.
 
Wrestling Athlete of the Week
Derek Gross
Tiffin
Junior
165 pounds
Norwalk, OH (Norwalk St. Paul HS)
 
The 19th-ranked Dragons roared their way to a team title at the Ohio Northern Invitational as Gross led the way in his respective weight class.
 
Tiffin has staked claim too four of the five athlete of the week awards this season. Gross joined teammates Bryan LaVearn and Christopher Donathan as previous winners.
 
Gross got the championship with a pin over Ohio Northern in 2:30. Prior to that, he had a pin over Defiance in 2:54, a forfeit win over Adrian, a punishing 19-3 score over Trine, and a 5-3 win over Heidelberg.
 
Gross was one of five Tiffin individual champions along with two runner-ups as the Dragons won the 13 team Ohio Northern Invitational with a total of 200 points, 49 points ahead of runner-up Ohio Northern.