WILKES-BARRE -- Wilkes University men's wrestling standouts junior Ryan Santiago (Bethlehem, PA/Liberty) and senior Jaryn Hartranft (Catasauqua, PA/Catasauqua) are ranked in both the regional and national rankings by three different organizations/websites after eight weeks of competition this season.
 
Santiago, wrestling at 141-pounds, is ranked 17th nationally by The Open Mat. He is listed as a Contender according to the latest D3wrestle.com rankings. Santiago is also ranked sixth in the latest National Wrestling Coaches Association (NWCA) Regionally rankings. For the season, Santiago owns an 11-2 overall record taking first place at the Ned McGinley Invitational and two second place finishes at the Wilkes Invitational and Blue Jay Classic. Of his 11 wins, eight have come with extra points including four falls, two technical falls and two major decisions.
 
Hartranft, wrestling at 157-pounds, is ranked 16th nationally by The Open Mat. He is listed as a Contender in the latest D3wrestle.com poll and third regionally in the NWCA Regional Rankings as of December 31. Hartranft is 15-5 overall this season with a first place finish at the Ned McGinley Invitational, second place at the Blue Jay Classic and fourth place at the Wilkes Invitational. Of his 15 wins, 11 have come with extra points including three falls, a team-best five technical falls and three major decisions.
 
Other Colonels earning a spot in the regional rankings include Connor Kerwin (Totowa, NJ/Passaic Valley) (133/8^th), Joshua Wilkins (Mount Laurel, NJ/Holy Cross) (174/7^th) and Trevor Gitski (Alburtis, PA/Emmaus) (285/8^th).
 
Wilkes returns to the mat tomorrow (Friday) for day one of the 2026 Budd Whitehill Duals hosted by Lycoming College. The Colonels have three matches on day one against Ithaca College (9:00 a.m.), No. 11 University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire (12:00 p.m.) and No. 4 The College of New Jersey (TCNJ) (3:00 p.m.). Action will continue Saturday at 9:00 a.m. with Championship grouping starting at 1:30 p.m.