Manheim, Pennsylvania – Three of the four remaining unbeaten men's teams in Division I are sitting in the top three spots in the most recent dual meet rankings. Penn State remained No. 1, while Iowa and Oklahoma State settled into new positions in the most recent NWCA Division I Men's Wrestling Coaches Poll released on Tuesday.
The Nittany Lions improved to 7-0 on the season with a 42-6 road win at Maryland. The win is the 51
st straight dual win for Penn State, which is the sixth-longest win streak in major college wrestling history and the 13
th-longest across all divisions.
Missouri slid from the ranks of the unbeaten as the Tigers fell to then-No. 14 Cornell 20-16 in Ithaca. The loss was Missouri's first of the season and dropped the Tigers three spots to No. 5 this week, tied with Nebraska. Cornell's win vaulted the Big Red (7-3) into the Top 10 at No. 9 this week.
Iowa improved to 10-0 and returned to No. 2 after big wins over Illinois and Northwestern. Oklahoma State (10-0) rose to third after picking off then-No. 4 Iowa State 21-12 in Stillwater over the weekend. The Cowboys also bested Northern Iowa. Iowa State remained fourth after beating No. 18 Oklahoma over the weekend. Nebraska won a pair of duals, including a 28-9 win over then-No. 21 Wisconsin and reaches the top five, tied with Missouri. Ohio State (12-1) got some late heroics from heavyweight Nick Feldman to upend then-No. 11 Michigan 20-19 in front of a packed Covelli Center in Columbus. NC State (11-2) beat No. 19 Pittsburgh 31-6 and remained at No. 8.
Cornell's rise shifted Minnesota down to No. 10 despite the Gophers 20-12 win at then-No. 13 Rutgers on Saturday.
Cornell wasn't the only team to make a big jump this week. Little Rock split duals over the weekend, beating then-No. 16 Oregon State, but falling to then-No. 17 Stanford. The Trojans moved up five spots to No. 20 this week, one spot ahead of Oregon State. Northern Iowa moved up four spots to No. 18 after splitting duals in Oklahoma. The Panthers fell to Oklahoma State 22-12, but beat then-No. 18 Oklahoma 20-12.
Michigan State's win over then-No. 21 Wisconsin vaulted the Spartans (8-3) into the Top 25 for the first time this season. Arizona State (3-4) re-entered the poll at No. 24. Wisconsin and Navy fell out of the poll this week.
NOTE: The NWCA Division I Mid-Major Men's Wrestling Coaches Poll will be released Thursday, February 1.
Methodology: The NWCA Division I Men's 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. The poll is based on dual meet results. Teams who are not competing this season are not included in the voting process.
NWCA Division I Men's Wrestling Coaches Poll
January 30, 2024
| Rank |
Team (First) |
Record |
Points |
Conf. |
Previous |
| 1 |
Penn State (14) |
(7-0) |
350 |
Big Ten |
1 |
| 2 |
Iowa |
(10-0) |
333 |
Big Ten |
3 |
| 3 |
Oklahoma State |
(10-0) |
319 |
Big 12 |
5 |
| 4 |
Iowa State |
(10-2) |
290 |
Big 12 |
4 |
| 5 (tie) |
Missouri |
(8-1) |
285 |
Big 12 |
2 |
| 5 (tie) |
Nebraska |
(9-1) |
285 |
Big Ten |
6 |
| 7 |
Ohio State |
(12-1) |
272 |
Big Ten |
7 |
| 8 |
NC State |
(11-2) |
252 |
ACC |
8 |
| 9 |
Cornell |
(7-3) |
235 |
EIWA |
14 |
| 10 |
Minnesota |
(6-2) |
224 |
Big Ten |
9 |
| 11 |
South Dakota State |
(9-2) |
215 |
Big 12 |
10 |
| 12 |
Michigan |
(5-3) |
201 |
Big Ten |
11 |
| 13 |
Virginia Tech |
(5-3) |
182 |
ACC |
12 |
| 14 |
Rutgers |
(10-3) |
179 |
Big Ten |
13 |
| 15 |
Lehigh |
(4-3) |
152 |
EIWA |
15 |
| 16 |
Stanford |
(8-2) |
125 |
Pac-12 |
17 |
| 17 |
West Virginia |
(9-3) |
99 |
Big 12 |
20 |
| 18 |
Northern Iowa |
(4-5) |
95 |
Big 12 |
22 |
| 19 |
Pittsburgh |
(7-6) |
90 |
ACC |
19 |
| 20 |
Little Rock |
(11-5) |
70 |
Pac-12 |
25 |
| 21 |
Oregon State |
(5-4) |
64 |
Pac-12 |
16 |
| 22 |
Oklahoma |
(5-5) |
50 |
Big 12 |
18 |
| 23 |
Cal Poly |
(5-2) |
42 |
Pac-12 |
24 |
| 24 |
Arizona State |
(3-4) |
29 |
Pac-12 |
NR |
| 25 |
Michigan State |
(8-3) |
26 |
Big Ten |
NR |
Others Receiving Votes: Wisconsin 25, Indiana, 24, Appalachian State 18, Campbell 9, Penn 5, Navy 4, Northern Illinois 1.
Dropped out: No. 21 Wisconsin (6-4), No. 23 Navy (6-5).
For questions about historical polls, contact Jason Bryant at jason@bryantwrestling.com
Upcoming NWCA Division I Coaches Poll Publication Dates
Feb. 6, Feb. 13, Feb. 20, Feb. 27
Mid-Major Publication Dates
Feb. 1, Feb. 15, Feb. 29
