Manheim, Pennsylvania – The final week of dual meet action will feature a clash between two of wrestling’s powerhouses, while the nation’s top-ranked team looks to extend its historic win streak.
Penn State improved to 14-0 with weekend victories over No. 8 Ohio State (27-13) and No. 13 Illinois (39-9), pushing its win streak to 70 straight duals, a new Big Ten record. The Nittany Lions, who also secured the Big Ten regular-season title, will conclude their regular season against American University on Friday at Rec Hall.
Second-ranked Oklahoma State (13-0) heads north to Carver-Hawkeye Arena for a showdown with third-ranked Iowa (13-1) in what will be the final dual meet of the Division I men’s wrestling regular season.
Iowa swept a pair of weekend opponents, defeating No. 6 Minnesota (23-11) and Northwestern (37-3).
The top 10 teams remained unchanged heading into the final week.
Fourth-ranked Northern Iowa set a McLeod Center attendance record in a spirited 26-10 win over then-No. 14 Iowa State on Sunday. The 7,348 fans in attendance marked the largest crowd in the venue’s history, surpassing the 7,332 who watched UNI’s men’s basketball team host Illinois State 15 years ago.
Iowa State did pick up one ranked win over the weekend. The Cyclones beat then-No. 11 South Dakota State 20-15 on Friday.
Fifth-ranked Nebraska (10-3) dominated then-No. 21 Indiana (39-2), while No. 7 NC State defeated No. 17 Stanford (27-13) to set up a season-ending dual against rival Virginia Tech. The 10th-ranked Hokies (9-2) rolled to a 28-9 win over No. 18 Pittsburgh.
Ninth-ranked Cornell (10-1) capped off a successful western swing with a 25-12 victory over Arizona State.
Methodology: The NWCA Division I Wrestling Coaches Poll is voted on by two coaches from each Division I wrestling conference. Each first-place vote is worth 25 points, 24 points for a second-place vote, 23 points for a third-place vote, and so on, through to one point for a 25th-place vote. The poll is based on dual meet results.
NWCA Division I Men's Wrestling Coaches Poll
February 18, 2025
Rank/Team (First)/Record/Points/Conference/Previous
1 Penn State (16) (14-0) 400 Big Ten 1
2 Oklahoma State (13-0) 379 Big 12 2
3 Iowa (13-1) 372 Big Ten 3
4 Northern Iowa (13-1) 350 Big 12 4
5 Nebraska (10-3) 328 Big Ten 5
6 Minnesota (10-2) 316 Big Ten 6
7 NC State (11-1) 305 ACC 7
8 Ohio State (13-3) 296 Big Ten 8
9 Cornell (10-1) 261 Ivy 9
10 Virginia Tech (8-2) 247 ACC 10
11 Rutgers (13-5) 224 Big Ten 12
12 Iowa State (11-5) 220 Big 12 14
13 South Dakota State (13-4) 214 Big 12 11
14 Illinois (9-4) 212 Big Ten 13
15 Little Rock (17-3) 171 Pac-12 15
16 North Carolina (8-5) 162 ACC 16
17 Stanford (10-4) 151 ACC 17
18 Pittsburgh (9-6) 138 ACC 18
19 Michigan (6-5) 104 Big Ten 19
20 Oklahoma (8-4) 89 Big 12 20
21 Lehigh (6-4) 72 EIWA 22
22 Indiana (7-5) 50 Big Ten 21
23 Army West Point (7-3) 41 EIWA 24
24 West Virginia (9-7) 31 Big 12 23
25 Missouri (5-9) 21 Big 12 25
Others Receiving Votes: Wyoming 19, Penn 15, Maryland 6, Northern Colorado 3, Navy 2, Appalachian State 1.
Dropped Out: None.
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