Penn State goes wire-to-wire as No. 1 in NWCA Coaches Poll, finishes as only undefeated Div. I team

Manheim, Pennsylvania -- The final week of regular season action in college wrestling saw plenty of fireworks. Penn State extended its win streak to 71 in a row while old rival Oklahoma State and Iowa got reacquainted in iconic Carver-Hawkeye Arena. When everything finally shook out, the Nittany Lions finished the season where they began and Iowa reclaimed the No. 2 spot in the final NWCA Division I Men’s Wrestling Coaches Poll of the 2024-25 season released on Tuesday.

Penn State (15-0) beat American 50-3 in Rec Hall and finished the season averaging 9,007 fans across seven home dates. It’s the second-highest mark for average attendance in school history behind the 2022-23 season, which drew an average of 9,224.

Penn State’s 71-match win streak will enter next season as the sixth longest in college wrestling history. NAIA Grand View holds the collegiate record with 117 in a row, while Division II St. Cloud State holds the NCAA record at 77 straight. Oklahoma State won 76 in a row from 1937-1951, which is tops among current Division I schools.

Iowa finished 14-1 after a 21-16 win in the final Division I dual meet of the season on Sunday night in Iowa City in front of a sold-out Carver-Hawkeye Arena crowd of 14,847. The loss was the first of the season for Oklahoma State, which finished third in the poll and 13-1 on the season.

Northern Iowa finished fourth, capping a 14-1 season with a 28-12 win at Wisconsin. It’s the highest regular-season finish in the NWCA Coaches Poll in school history.

The Big Ten held the next three spots, with Nebraska (11-3), Minnesota (10-2) and Ohio State (13-3) closing out the season in the Top 10. The ACC ended with a three-way split for the regular season title as then-No. 10 Virginia Tech picked off then-No. 7 NC State 21-10 in front of a record crowd of 6,104 at Cassell Coliseum in Blacksburg, Virginia. Both teams, along with North Carolina, finished 5-1 in conference duals to share the title.

Virginia Tech finished eighth in this week’s poll, followed by NC State at No. 9. Ivy League regular season champion Cornell (11-1) finished No. 10.

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 25, 2025

Rank/Team (First)/Record/Points/Conf./Previous

1 Penn State (16) (15-0) 400 Big Ten 1

2 Iowa (14-1) 383 Big Ten 3

3 Oklahoma State (13-1) 367 Big 12 2

4 Northern Iowa (14-1) 354 Big 12 4

5 Nebraska (11-3) 333 Big Ten 5

6 Minnesota (10-2) 320 Big Ten 6

7 Ohio State (13-3) 300 Big Ten 8

8 Virginia Tech (9-2) 279 ACC 10

9 NC State (11-2) 268 ACC 7

10 Cornell (11-1) 252 Ivy 9

11 Rutgers (14-5) 233 Big Ten 11

12 Iowa State (12-5) 232 Big 12 12

13 South Dakota State (14-4) 217 Big 12 13

14 Illinois (9-4) 196 Big Ten 14

15 Little Rock (17-3) 181 Pac-12 15

16 North Carolina (9-6) 147 ACC 16

17 Pittsburgh (10-6) 145 ACC 18

18 Stanford (10-5) 135 ACC 17

19 Michigan (7-5) 114 Big Ten 19

20 Oklahoma (8-4) 94 Big 12 20

21 Lehigh (7-4) 79 EIWA 21

22 Indiana (8-5) 57 Big Ten 22

23 Army West Point (8-3) 47 EIWA 23

24 West Virginia (10-7) 23 Big 12 24

25 Missouri (5-10) 16 Big 12 25

Others Receiving Votes: Penn 9, Wyoming 8, Campbell 6, Navy 2, Oregon State 2, Northern Colorado 1.

Dropped Out: None.