Oct. 8, 2009

NORFOLK, Va. - Four Old Dominion University wrestlers are ranked in the Amateur Wrestling News Pre-Season Rankings, released Wednesday. Junior James Nicholson headlined the foursome, ranking No. 5 in the nation in the 125-pound weight class.

Nicholson, a 2007-08 All-American, went 36-4 last season and won the Colonial Athletic Association crown at 125-pounds. He also qualified for the NCAA Tournament for the second straight season.

Senior Jesse Strawn was also ranked in the top-10, placing No. 9 in the 197-pound weight class. Strawn went 36-13 last season and qualified for the NCAA Tournament. He finished third at the CAA Tournament, posting a 3-1 record. His 36 wins were tied for the second most on the team.

Senior's Chris Brown and Kyle Hutter were also ranked. Brown is No. 14 at 165-pounds after winning the CAA Tournament last season, while Hutter is No. 17 at 133-pounds after finishing second in the conference a year ago. Both Brown and Hutter were NCAA qualifiers.

Additionally, all four wrestlers and senior Eric Decker are ranked in the WIN Magazine Preseason Division I Tournament Power Index weight-by-weight rankings. As a team, ODU is ranked in a tie for 35th nationally. Nicholson, Brown and Strawn are all ranked in the top-10 in their weight classes.

-ODU-