MINNEAPOLIS – The Minnesota wrestling program continues to climb in the national rankings, moving up to fourth in the latest NWCA/USA Today Division I Team Coaches Poll after scoring a pair of wins over ranked opponents over the weekend.
The Gophers (12-3 overall, 3-0 Big Ten) topped No. 23 Purdue 26-15 last Friday before closing out the weekend with a 21-16 win over 15th-ranked Illinois on Sunday. Minnesota’s three remaining home duals this season are all against nationally ranked programs including No. 3 Wisconsin this Sunday at the Sports Pavilion. The Badgers narrowly defeated the Gophers earlier this year at National Duals in Cedar Falls, Iowa.
Penn State has been credited as the nation’s new top team, clinching the No. 1 ranking this weekend as the Nittany Lions hold a perfect 13-0 record. They’ll be in Minneapolis on Feb. 13 for a Big Ten showdown with Minnesota, which currently sits atop the Big Ten with a 3-0 conference record. The Gophers close out the regular season with a Big Ten finale against No. 8 Iowa at Williams Arena on Feb. 20.
Cornell (No. 2) and Oklahoma State (5) close out the top five while Virginia Tech, Missouri, Iowa, Rutgers and Boise State close out the top ten, respectively.
USA TODAY-NWCA Division I Top 25
Jan. 25, 2011
Rank | School | Record | Points | Last week |
1 | Penn State | 13-0 | 275 | 2 |
2 | Cornell | 5-1 | 263 | 1 |
3 | Wisconsin | 9-1-1 | 247 | 4 |
4 | Minnesota | 11-3 | 226 | 5 |
5 | Oklahoma State | 8-2-1 | 224 | 6 |
6 | Virginia Tech | 14-4 | 211 | 3 |
7 | Missouri | 14-5 | 206 | 7 |
8 | Iowa | 9-0-1 | 199 | 8 |
9 | Rutgers | 18-1 | 192 | 14 |
10 | Boise State | 6-2-1 | 181 | 9 |
11 | Oklahoma | 10-1 | 173 | 10 |
12 | Lehigh | 10-5 | 156 | 17 |
13 | Michigan | 7-2 | 154 | 11 |
14 | Illinois | 3-3-1 | 120 | 15 |
15 | Iowa State | 6-7 | 102 | 12 |
16 | Nebraska | 10-3 | 101 | 16 |
17 | Kent State | 10-5 | 98 | 18 |
18 | Northwestern | 15-1 | 84 | 19 |
19 | American | 11-4 | 77 | 20 |
20 | Oregon State | 8-4-2 | 72 | 13 |
21 | Central Michigan | 4-7 | 63 | 21 |
22 | Cal Poly | 6-1 | 47 | 24 |
23 | Pittsburgh | 8-6 | 43 | 22 |
24 | Purdue | 5-6-1 | 40 | 23 |
25 | Wyoming | 7-4 | 14 | 25 |
Others receiving votes: Arizona State, Hofstra, and Virginia.