Top five in NWCA Div. I Coaches poll remain unbeaten; No. 1 Penn State wins its 64th in a row

Manheim, Pennsylvania – With every postseason eligible Division I men’s wrestling program having competed in at least one dual meet, the five remaining unbeaten teams are still sitting in the top five spots of the most recent NWCA Division I Men’s Wrestling Coaches Poll released on Tuesday.

Top-ranked Penn State continues to ride its program-record win streak into the Big Ten season. The Nittany Lions (8-0) defeated No. 7 Nebraska 31-7 in Lincoln over the weekend to win for the 64th straight dual meet. In the loss, Nebraska set a home wrestling attendance record with 6,661 fans at the Devaney Center. Nebraska’s Ridge Lovett knocked off Penn State’s Shayne Van Ness 10-2 at 149 pounds, while Penn State’s Tyler Kasak defeated Nebraska’s Antrell Taylor in a pair of top-five matchups.

Second-ranked Iowa (8-0) kept pace with a 24-9 win over then-No. 9 Illinois. Drake Ayala picked off Illinois’ Lucas Byrd in a top-five matchup at 133 pounds.

Third-ranked Oklahoma State improved to 9-0 with a 30-12 win over visiting West Virginia. Fourth-ranked Ohio State (11-0) bounced Purdue 34-10, while fifth-ranked Northern Iowa (9-0) handled Arizona State 33-10.

Other ranked matchups this past week: No. 8 Minnesota beat then-No. 15 Michigan 25-10, then-No. 23 West Virginia beat then-No. 20 Oklahoma 22-13 in Norman, while unranked Navy picked off then-No. 21 Lehigh 21-15. West Virginia (8-4) moved up to No. 20 this week, while Oklahoma slid to 22nd and Lehigh to 25th.

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

January 21, 2025

Rank/Team (First)/Record/Points/Conference/Previous

1 Penn State (16) (8-0) 400 Big Ten 1

2 Iowa (8-0) 379 Big Ten 2

3 Oklahoma State (9-0) 373 Big 12 3

4 Ohio State (11-0) 347 Big Ten 4

5 Northern Iowa (9-0) 334 Big 12 5

6 NC State (8-1) 317 ACC 6

7 Nebraska (6-2) 303 Big Ten 7

8 Minnesota (5-1) 294 Big Ten 8

9 Cornell (3-1) 261 Ivy League 10

10 Illinois (7-2) 257 Big Ten 9

11 Virginia Tech (4-2) 232 ACC 11

12 South Dakota State (10-3) 227 Big 12 12

13 Iowa State (7-3) 209 Big 12 13

14 Rutgers (10-3) 193 Big Ten 14

15 Pittsburgh (8-2) 165 ACC 16

16 Stanford (6-2) 150 ACC 17

17 Little Rock (13-2) 149 Pac-12 18

18 Michigan (4-2) 141 Big Ten 15

19 North Carolina (6-4) 119 ACC 19

20 West Virginia (8-4) 76 Big 12 22t

21 Army West Point (6-1) 72 EIWA 22t

22 Oklahoma (6-2) 69 Big 12 20

23 Missouri (3-7) 39 Big 12 24

24 Indiana (5-2) 38 Big Ten 25

25 Lehigh (2-4) 19 EIWA 21

Others Receiving Votes: Maryland 10, Arizona State 8, Navy 7, Penn 7, Utah Valley 1, Northern Colorado 1, Virginia 1, Wyoming 1.

Dropped Out: None