NWCA Division I Coaches Poll

Penn State unanimous No. 1 after beating Iowa in battle of Big Ten unbeatens

Manheim, Pennsylvania – Penn State stands alone as the last Division I unbeaten after the host Nittany Lions topped rival Iowa in a No. 1 vs. No. 2 matchup in front of a sold-out crowd of 15,998 at the Bryce Jordan Center. Penn State comes in as the unanimous No. 1 in the latest NWCA Division I Wrestling Coaches Poll on Tuesday.

Penn State (11-0) won six out of 10 bouts in the dual that tied the record for the largest indoor dual meet crowd, a record set at Penn State against Iowa in 2018. Iowa remained No. 2.

Iowa State (12-2) moved up to No. 3 after sweeping Oklahoma and Oklahoma State at home. The Cyclones topped then-No. 10 Cowboys 18-11 and the Sooners 25-12. Ohio State made the big leap in the top 10 this week. The Buckeyes (11-1) moved up to No. 4 after beating then-No. 3 Michigan 23-15 and then-No. 22 Michigan State 36-3. Michigan slid three spots to No. 6, while Cornell remained at No. 5 after EIWA wins over Army West Point and Columbia.

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No. 1 Penn State, No. 2 Iowa remain unbeaten heading into Friday’s Big Ten clash

Manheim, Pennsylvania – Penn State and Iowa both passed conferences tests this past week that kept them atop the most recent NWCA Division I Wrestling Coaches Poll released Tuesday.

Penn State’s Bryce Jordan Center hosted the 8th largest dual crowd in NCAA wrestling history and the Nittany Lion faithful came away pleased as top-ranked Penn State (10-0) won eight out of 10 bouts to blast third-ranked Michigan 30-8.

Nearly 800 miles due west, second-ranked Iowa improved to 12-0 after thumping No. 11 Nebraska 33-6 in front of a sellout crowd of 14,905 at Iowa’s Carver-Hawkeye Arena. The two best-drawing schools will tangle this Friday at 8:30 Eastern at the Bryce Jordan Center.

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Big Ten powers remain undefeated and atop nation’s Top 25

Manheim, Pennsylvania – The top three teams in the nation are a combined 25-0 this season in dual meets and all three are from the Big Ten. Penn State (8-0), Iowa (10-0) and Michigan (7-0) came in 1-2-3 in the most recent NWCA Division I Wrestling Coaches Poll released on Tuesday.

With Penn State idle, Iowa topped then-No. 11 Northwestern 27-9 at sold-out Carver-Hawkeye Arena. Michigan beat a pair of ranked teams, winning 25-10 in front of a nearly 5,000 fans at then-No. 21 Michigan State’s Jenison Fieldhouse on Friday and then topping then-No. 14 Wisconsin 27-6.

It also sets the stage for a gigantic No. 1 Penn State vs. No. 3 Michigan matchup this coming Friday in University Park at the Bryce Jordan Center.

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Cornell sits atop first NWCA Mid-Major Top 20

Manheim, Pennsylvania – Cornell, fresh off a pair of top-ten wins last week, sits atop of the first Mid-Major Top 20 ranking released by the National Wrestling Coaches Association on Friday.

Cornell is one of three Ivy League teams in the Top 20. The conference alignment is based around school’s all-sports structure, and not any affiliate relationships with conferences that bear the names of the five “power conferences” (ACC, Big Ten, Big 12, SEC, and Pac-12).

North Dakota State, Northern Iowa, and South Dakota State, affiliate members of the Big 12, come in ranked behind Cornell. North Dakota State and South Dakota State are all-sports members of the Summit League. Northern Iowa is a member of the Missouri Valley Conference. Lehigh, from the Patriot League, rounds out the top five. Patriot League schools, like the Ivy, compete within the 17-team Eastern Intercollegiate Wrestling Association, the country’s oldest wrestling conference.

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Cornell vaults into Top 10 as dual season picks up speed

Manheim, Pennsylvania – Wins over Arizona State and Virginia Tech buoyed Cornell six spots as the Big Red were one of the nation’s biggest movers as the first NWCA Division I Coaches Poll of 2023 was released on Tuesday.

Cornell opened up the new year topping then-No. 3 Arizona State 19-12 in a neutral site dual in Austin, Texas. The Big Red followed by heading into the sold-out Moss Arts Center in Blacksburg, Virginia, and picking off then-No. 8 Virginia Tech 22-12.

Unbeaten Penn State (8-0) and Iowa (9-0) remained atop of the poll for the eighth straight poll in the 2022-23 regular season. The Nittany Lions topped then-No. 11 Wisconsin in Madison, while Iowa got past pesky Illinois 25-19 at home before topping Purdue 37-6 on the road.

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Collegiate Duals reconfigure Top 25 as 2022 comes to a close

Manheim, Pennsylvania – Penn State and NC State remained undefeated and won their respective pools as nine of the nation’s Top 25 teams took part in the Journeymen Collegiate Duals in New Orleans on Monday and Tuesday. Penn State remained No. 1 in the most recent NWCA Division I Wrestling Coaches Poll released Thursday. The Nittany Lions close out 2022 with a 7-0 record, followed by second-ranked Iowa, which also closed out the dual portion of 2020 at 7-0.

The biggest upset to come out of the event from a team perspective was then-No. 22 Northern Iowa upending No. 3 Ohio State 19-13. Northern Iowa fell to NC State 27-12 later in the event, but the Panthers (2-1) jumped nine spots to No. 13 this week. Arizona State (2-0) moved up to third, while Iowa State (7-2) leaped to fourth despite its loss to top-ranked Penn State. Individually, the event saw a number of stellar matchups, including the growing log-jam of results at 197 pounds and NCAA champion Aaron Brooks of Penn State falling to Iowa State’s Marcus Coleman at 184 pounds.

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Penn State, Iowa remain unbeaten and atop NWCA Division I Coaches Poll

Manheim, Pennsylvania – The nation’s top six remained unchanged, and Virginia Tech’s win over Missouri reshuffled the bottom half of the Top 10 as the most recent NWCA Division I Wrestling Coaches Poll was released on Tuesday.

Penn State remained unbeaten after beating visiting Oregon State 31-3 before another sold-out Rec Hall crowd on Sunday. Iowa improved to 7-0 with a 27-12 victory on the road at Chattanooga and remained second in the poll. Penn State did pick up an additional first-place vote this week, giving the Nittany Lions 13 of the possible 14 first-place votes.

Third-ranked Ohio State improved to 4-0 with a 32-6 win against Kent State. Virginia Tech (1-1) moved up to No. 8 after the Hokies edged then-No. 7 Missouri 17-15 before 2,892 fans in Cassell Coliseum in Blacksburg, Virginia. Missouri (2-2) slid to No. 10, one spot behind unbeaten Minnesota, which won three duals over the weekend – including two over-ranked teams. The Gophers beat No. 15 North Dakota State 24-9 in Fargo before heading west to top then-No. 24 Cal Poly 22-12 and Lindenwood 49-6.

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Iowa stops Iowa State in Cy-Hawk dual; Minnesota moves into Top 10 after win at Oklahoma State

Manheim, Pennsylvania – One of the most spirited rivalries in college wrestling didn’t disappoint as a sold-out Carver-Hawkeye Arena saw second-ranked Iowa top then-No. 7 Iowa State 18-15 in the annual Cy-Hawk dual on Sunday.

Iowa remained second in the most recent NWCA Division I Coaches Poll released on Tuesday. The 14,905 was another sellout crowd for the host Hawkeyes and the dual was tied for 20th all-time in dual meet attendance. Historically, the Hawkeyes and Cyclones have drawn well. Of the 102 all-time dual meets to draw over 10,000 fans, Iowa-Iowa State duals account for 41 of them. On the mat, Iowa was buoyed by the return of three-time national champion Spencer Lee to the lineup at 125 pounds and the home debut of All-American transfer Real Woods at 141 pounds.

Top-ranked Penn State (3-0) stayed atop the poll after weekend wins at Rider (37-3) and Lehigh (24-12). The wins may have been bittersweet for the Nittany Lion faithful as returning NCAA champion Max Dean dropped both his weekend bouts – first to Rider’s Ethan Laird in sudden victory and then to former teammate and Penn State transfer Michael Beard.

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