Manheim, PA – The National Wrestling Coaches Association (NWCA) has released its first NCAA Women's Coaches Poll for the upcoming 2025–26 season. This season will be highlighted by the inaugural NCAA Women's Wrestling Championships, set to take place March 6–7 in Coralville, Iowa, at Xtream Arena. Women's wrestling marks the NCAA's 91st championship sport. You can find more info at the NCAA's site by
clicking here.
In the team poll, picking up where they left off after winning the NCWWC title a year ago, the Iowa Hawkeyes sit atop the preseason poll with 109 points and all 10 of their wrestlers ranked. McKendree starts the year in second with 88 points, followed closely by North Central College's 84. Grand Valley State (77) and Presbyterian (57) round out the top five.
The poll is a Tournament Power Index (TPI) ranking and not based on a team's dual-meet strength. TPI point totals are determined by individual rankings directly correlated to placement points. The top team totals will be lower than the actual NCAA tournament scores, as the poll does not include bonus or advancement points. [1st = 16, 2nd = 12, 3rd = 10, 4th = 9, 5th = 7, 6th = 6, 7th = 4, 8th = 3, 9th = 2, 10th = 1]
As mentioned earlier, Iowa leads the nation with 10 ranked wrestlers. North Central follows with nine, Grand Valley State with eight, while McKendree and Presbyterian each have seven. Leading the nation with three top-ranked individuals are Iowa and McKendree, while Otterbein, Aurora, Grand Valley State, and North Central each have one wrestler ranked No. 1 in their respective weight classes.
TOP RANKED INDIVIDUALS | Individual National Rankings | Individual Regional Rankings
103 Olivia Shore - Otterbien
110 Ava Bayless - Iowa
117 Yu Sakamoto - McKendree
124 Shelby Moore - McKendree
131 Alexis Janiak - Aurora
138 Katerina Lange - Grand Valley State
145 Bella Mir - North Central
160 Kennedy Blades - Iowa
180 Kylie Welker - Iowa
207 Tristan Kelly - McKendree
TOURNAMENT TOP 25 | PDF DOWNLOAD
| Rank |
Team |
Total Pts. |
Regional |
| 1 |
Iowa |
109 |
5 |
| 2 |
McKendree |
88 |
6 |
| 3 |
North Central |
84 |
4 |
| 4 |
Grand Valley State |
77 |
4 |
| 5 |
Presbyterian |
57 |
3 |
| 6 |
Colorado Mesa |
42 |
6 |
| 7 |
Fort Hays State |
25 |
6 |
| 8 |
Aurora |
22 |
4 |
| 9 |
Otterbein |
16 |
4 |
| 10 |
East Stroudsburg |
15 |
2 |
| 10 |
Emmanuel (GA) |
15 |
3 |
| 10 |
Wartburg |
15 |
5 |
| 13 |
West Liberty |
13 |
2 |
| 14 |
William Jewell |
12 |
6 |
| 15 |
Elmira |
11 |
1 |
| 15 |
Quincy |
11 |
5 |
| 17 |
Adrian |
9 |
4 |
| 17 |
Chadron State |
9 |
6 |
| 17 |
Simpson (IA) |
9 |
5 |
| 17 |
Tiffin |
9 |
4 |
| 21 |
Gannon |
8 |
2 |
| 22 |
Dubuque |
7 |
5 |
| 22 |
Northern Michigan |
7 |
4 |
| 24 |
Augustana (IL) |
6 |
5 |
| 25 |
Lindenwood |
5 |
6 |
TOURNAMENT POLL METHODOLOGY: THIS IS A TOURNAMENT POWER INDEX RANKING; THE POLL IS NOT BASED ON A TEAM'S DUAL STRENGTH. TPI POINT TOTALS ARE BROKEN DOWN BY INDIVIDUAL RANKINGS DIRECTLY CORRELATED TO PLACEMENT POINTS AT THE NCAA TOURNAMENT: 1ST=16PTS, 2ND=12PTS, 3RD=10PTS, 4TH=9PTS, 5TH=7PTS, 6TH=6PTS, 7TH=4PTS, 8TH=3PTS, 9TH=2PTS, 10TH=1PT. THE TOP TEAM POINT TOTALS WILL BE LOWER THAN THE FINAL ACTUAL NCAA TOURNAMENT POINTS BECAUSE THIS POLL DOES NOT INCLUDE BONUS POINTS OR ADVANCEMENT POINTS.
Ranking Committee
Region 1: Cody Griswold, Elmira & Paulina Biega, Sacred Heart
Region 2: Cindy Calixto, Alvernia & Anibal Nieves, East Stroundsburg
Region 3: Jessica Casperson, Southern Virginia & Breonnah Neal, Frostburg State
Region 4: Cliff Cushard, Adrian & Joe Norton, North Central
Region 5: Clarissa Chun, Iowa & Jake Wozniak, UW-Stevens Point
Region 6: Travis Mercado, Colorado Mesa & Frank Yattoni, Lindenwood
