Manheim, Pa. – Penn State received all 16 first-place votes in the NWCA Division I Wrestling Coaches Poll to start the 2018-19 season at No. 1, the NWCA announced Wednesday. In addition to the Nittany Lions, the Big Ten Conference has four of the top-five teams in No. 2 Ohio State, No. 3 Iowa and No. 5 Michigan.
Penn State is coming off its seventh NCAA championship in the last eight years, while also wrapping up its third straight undefeated campaign. PSU head coach Cael Sanderson’s squad returns past NCAA Division I champions Jason Nolf, Vincenzo Joseph, Mark Hall, and Bo Nickal. Entering his 10th year as head coach in Happy Valley, Sanderson is aiming to extend the Nittany Lions’ school-record 45-dual winning streak when they open the season against Kent State at home on November 11.
Overall, the 11 of the Big Ten’s 14 schools are in the top 25 to start the season. Among the top-five squads, Ohio State returns a host of All-Americans including past NCAA champion Myles Martin. Bolstered by returning NCAA and Big Ten 125-pound champion Spencer Lee, Iowa is expected to contend for Big Ten and NCAA team championships. The Hawkeyes also will put a formidable dual team on the mat.
Four of the six ACC schools are in the top 25, with NC State coming in at No. 8, while Virginia Tech checks in at No. 11. Tobacco Road rivals North Carolina and Duke, who makes its first-ever appearance in the NWCA Division I Wrestling Coaches Poll, are listed back-to-back at Nos. 23 and No. 24, respectively.
Sixth-ranked Lehigh and ninth-ranked Cornell are the lone schools represented from the EIWA. Four conferences have a single team included on the poll: No. 7 Missouri (MAC), No. 20 Lock Haven (EWL), No. 10 Arizona State (Pac-12), No. 25 Appalachian State (Southern Conference).
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 for a third-place vote and so on through to one point for a 25th-place vote.
| Rank | Team (First) | 17-18 Rec. | Points | Conference | Final Dual Rank 17-18 |
| 1 | Penn State (16) | 14-0 | 400 | Big Ten | 1 |
| 2 | Ohio State | 14-1 | 376 | Big Ten | 2 |
| 3 | Iowa | 12-3 | 365 | Big Ten | 7 |
| 4 | Oklahoma State | 13-2 | 353 | Big 12 | 5 |
| 5 | Michigan | 11-3 | 331 | Big Ten | 4 |
| 6 | Lehigh | 12-3 | 305 | EIWA | 8 |
| 7 | Missouri | 19-0 | 298 | MAC | 3 |
| 8 | NC State | 15-2 | 295 | ACC | 6 |
| 9 | Cornell | 13-2 | 259 | EIWA | 11 |
| 10 | Arizona State | 11-3 | 254 | Pac-12 | 9 |
| 11 | Virginia Tech | 14-3 | 245 | ACC | 10 |
| 12 | Nebraska | 10-4 | 230 | Big Ten | 13 |
| 13 | Minnesota | 10-8 | 203 | Big Ten | 18 |
| 14 | Northern Iowa | 6-5 | 201 | Big 12 | 15 |
| 15 | Illinois | 7-4 | 167 | Big Ten | 16 |
| 16 | Rutgers | 8-7 | 148 | Big Ten | 19 |
| 17 | Northwestern | 11-4 | 132 | Big Ten | 17 |
| 18 | Purdue | 9-7 | 114 | Big Ten | 21 |
| 19 | Wisconsin | 7-5 | 102 | Big Ten | 22 |
| 20 (tie) | South Dakota State | 13-2 | 85 | Big 12 | 12 |
| 20 (tie) | Lock Haven | 12-4 | 85 | EWL | 23 |
| 22 | Wyoming | 13-3 | 72 | Big 12 | 14 |
| 23 | North Carolina | 9-11 | 71 | ACC | 24 |
| 24 | Duke | 7-7 | 17 | ACC | NR |
| 25 | Appalachian State | 9-4 | 16 | SoCon | NR |
Others Receiving Votes: Stanford 15, Maryland 11, Drexel 9, Pittsburgh 8, North Dakota State 6, Iowa State 4, Rider 4, Utah Valley 4, Virginia 4, Binghamton 3, Clarion 3, Army West Point 1, Central Michigan 1, Kent State 1, Old Dominion 1, Princeton 1.