Manheim, Pennsylvania – Traditional Ivy League power Cornell is No. 1 in the first NWCA Division I Men's Wrestling Mid-Major Coaches Poll of the season, released on Wednesday.
The Big Red (7-3) are fresh off a home victory over previously unbeaten Missouri. The win vaulted Cornell, which tallied four of the five possible first-place votes, into the nation's Top 10 and No. 1 in the Mid-Major poll. South Dakota State (9-2), which picked up the other first-place vote, came in ranked second, followed by Lehigh, Little Rock and Northern Iowa.
Cornell, South Dakota State, Lehigh and Northern Iowa are regulars to the Mid-Major Top 20 since the NWCA introduced the poll in 2017. Little Rock, on the other hand, hasn't been. The Trojans (11-5), affiliates in the Pac-12 and all-sports members of the Ohio Valley Conference, are off to the best start in the program's short five-year history.
Another Pac-12 affiliate, Cal Poly, checks in sixth, followed by Campbell, Navy, Appalachian State and Penn. Campbell and App State are wrestling affiliates of the Southern Conference.
Methodology: The NWCA Division I Men's Wrestling Mid-Major Coaches Poll is voted on by one coach from Division I wrestling conferences with mid-major representation. Each first-place vote is worth 20 points, 19 points for a second-place vote, 18 for a third-place vote, and so on through to one point for a 20th-place vote. The poll is based on dual meet results and represents schools that are in not full members in all-sports conferences considered the "Power 4/5."
NWCA Division I Men's Wrestling Mid-Major Coaches Poll
January 31, 2024
| Rank |
Team (First) |
Record |
Points |
Conf. |
All-Sports |
| 1 |
Cornell (4) |
(7-3) |
99 |
EIWA |
Ivy League |
| 2 |
South Dakota State (1) |
(9-2) |
95 |
Big 12 |
Summit |
| 3 |
Lehigh |
(4-3) |
89 |
EIWA |
Patriot |
| 4 |
Little Rock |
(11-5) |
76 |
Pac-12 |
Ohio Valley |
| 5 |
Northern Iowa |
(4-5) |
73 |
Big 12 |
Missouri Valley |
| 6 |
Cal Poly |
(5-2) |
70 |
Pac-12 |
Big West |
| 7 |
Campbell |
(7-3) |
67 |
SoCon |
CAA |
| 8 |
Navy |
(6-5) |
62 |
EIWA |
Patriot |
| 9 |
Appalachian State |
(4-1) |
61 |
SoCon |
Sun Belt |
| 10 |
Penn |
(2-4) |
51 |
EIWA |
Ivy League |
| 11 |
Army West Point |
(5-3) |
46 |
EIWA |
Patriot |
| 12 |
Binghamton |
(6-3) |
32 |
EIWA |
America East |
| 13 |
Wyoming |
(6-5) |
31 |
Big 12 |
Mountain West |
| 14 |
Northern Illinois |
(10-2) |
30 |
MAC |
MAC |
| 15 |
Northern Colorado |
(8-5) |
22 |
Big 12 |
Big Sky |
| 16 |
North Dakota State |
(3-7) |
21 |
Big 12 |
Summit |
| 17 |
Bucknell |
(7-4) |
19 |
EIWA |
Patriot |
| 18 |
Air Force |
(3-5) |
15 |
Big 12 |
Mountain West |
| 19 (tie) |
Princeton |
(3-3) |
14 |
EIWA |
Ivy League |
| 19 (tie) |
Rider |
(5-5) |
14 |
MAC |
MAAC |
Others Receiving Votes: Chattanooga 13, Clarion 13, Lock Haven 10, Ohio 10, Hofstra 8, George Mason 4, Harvard 4, Central Michigan 1.
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. 14, Feb. 28
