BRIDGEPORT, W.Va. – The coaches around the Mountain East Conference have voted and Notre Dame College was placed fourth, with 21 points, in the preseason poll.
La'Ron Parks will be one to watch this year as he is ranked No. 6 at heavyweight across all of NCAA Division II. (
MEC Release |
NCAA Rankings)
Notre Dame starts the 2023-24 season with a trip to Alliance, Ohio for the Mount Union Invite, on Nov. 4, and the first MEC dual will take place against Frostburg State, on Nov. 11. The Falcons will host their first home dual on Jan. 5, versus Gannon, one of four home meets this season.
Last year, all four wrestlers placed in the top four of their respective weight classes. Leading the way,
Parker Moore (141 lbs.) and
Marvelous Rutledge (197) both earned second place. As a team, NDC recorded 86.5 points and took fourth place.
The Falcons return all seven wrestlers who competed at the MEC Championships last season. Moore,
Matthew Kaufmann (149),
Melvin Patterson (165),
Hank Carey (174),
Thomas Schmitt (184), Rutledge and Parks will be back and competing for those spots. The 2024 MEC Tournament will take place on Jan. 27, hosted by West Liberty.
La'Ron Parks had a solid season in 2022-23. He went 3-1 at the MEC Tournament, taking third place by defeating Wheeling's Zach Kuneff. At the Super Region III Tournament, the native of Euclid, Ohio held an impressive 4-1 record against tough competition, taking third place by defeating Tiffin's Clayton Ours in the third-place match. He qualified for the NCAA Division II Tournament and was ranked No. 10 at 285 lbs. by the National Wrestling Coaches Association (NWCA) at the end of the year.
| Wrestling Preseason Poll |
| Rank |
Team |
Points |
| 1. |
West Liberty (6) |
36 |
| 2. |
Glenville State (1) |
31 |
| 3. |
Fairmont State |
25 |
| 4. |
Notre Dame |
21 |
| 5. |
Frostburg State |
12 |
| 6. |
Davis & Elkins |
11 |
|
Wheeling |
11 |
( ) indicates first-place votes
