Duke Duo in FloWrestling Preseason Top 20

DURHAM, N.C.—A pair of Blue Devils landed in FloWrestling's preseason polls heading into the 2016-17 season. Senior Jake Faust headlines the duo at No. 8 in the 165-pound class, while Mitch Finesilver was tabbed ninth at 149.

Faust, the top-ranked ACC wrestler by FloWrestling, returns for the Blue Devils after earning his first NCAA Championship berth in 2016. He enters his final season with Duke sporting a 49-27 career record and 6-2 mark against ACC foes. Faust finished last season 19-10 overall and was an outstanding 5-2 against top 20 opponents.

The Bellville, Ohio native went 4-1 against his ACC opponents in 2015-16, including a crucial upset of No. 9 John Michael Staudenmayer to help Duke defeat the No. 13 Tar Heels. He defeated a ranked Jim Wilson of Stanford three times and also beat 12th-ranked David McFadden of Virginia Tech.

Off the mat, Faust has done outstanding work in earning NWCA Scholar All-America honors and garnered the team's Academic Achievement award. This past summer he was selected to travel to India for the ACE Student-Athlete Civic Engagement Program.

Finesilver, a two-time NCAA qualifier, is expected to redshirt this season. This past season he finished one win shy of earning All-America honors after beating sixth-seed Jason Tsirtsis to land in contention for All-America status as a top eight finisher. He is an impressive 40-18 in his two seasons and was 14-1 in duals last season.

A native of Greenwood, Colo., Finesilver finished fifth at the Southern Scuffle and captured All-ACC recognition with a runner-up finish at the ACC Championships. He is expected to return for Duke in the 2017-18 campaign.

Duke kicks off the 2016-17 season Nov. 6 at the Hokie Open. The Blue Devils host Wisconsin Nov. 18 for the home opener. Opening bout is 7 p.m.

Flo Wrestling Preseason Rankings

149 – No. 9 Mitch Finesilver

165 – No. 8 Jake Faust