Manheim, Pennsylvania – The final week of regular season action in college wrestling saw plenty of fireworks. Penn State extended its win streak to 71 in a row while old rival Oklahoma State and Iowa got reacquainted in iconic Carver-Hawkeye Arena. When everything finally shook out, the Nittany Lions finished the season where they began and Iowa reclaimed the No. 2 spot in the final NWCA Division I Men's Wrestling Coaches Poll of the 2024-25 season released on Tuesday.
Penn State (15-0) beat American 50-3 in Rec Hall and finished the season averaging 9,007 fans across seven home dates. It's the second-highest mark for average attendance in school history behind the 2022-23 season, which drew an average of 9,224.
Penn State's 71-match win streak will enter next season as the sixth longest in college wrestling history. NAIA Grand View holds the collegiate record with 117 in a row, while Division II St. Cloud State holds the NCAA record at 77 straight. Oklahoma State won 76 in a row from 1937-1951, which is tops among current Division I schools.
Iowa finished 14-1 after a 21-16 win in the final Division I dual meet of the season on Sunday night in Iowa City in front of a sold-out Carver-Hawkeye Arena crowd of 14,847. The loss was the first of the season for Oklahoma State, which finished third in the poll and 13-1 on the season.
Northern Iowa finished fourth, capping a 14-1 season with a 28-12 win at Wisconsin. It's the highest regular-season finish in the NWCA Coaches Poll in school history.
The Big Ten held the next three spots, with Nebraska (11-3), Minnesota (10-2) and Ohio State (13-3) closing out the season in the Top 10. The ACC ended with a three-way split for the regular season title as then-No. 10 Virginia Tech picked off then-No. 7 NC State 21-10 in front of a record crowd of 6,104 at Cassell Coliseum in Blacksburg, Virginia. Both teams, along with North Carolina, finished 5-1 in conference duals to share the title.
Virginia Tech finished eighth in this week's poll, followed by NC State at No. 9. Ivy League regular season champion Cornell (11-1) finished No. 10.
Methodology: 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 points 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.
NWCA Division I Men's Wrestling Coaches Poll
February 25, 2025
| Rank |
Team (First) |
Record |
Points |
Conf. |
Previous |
| 1 |
Penn State (16) |
(15-0) |
400 |
Big Ten |
1 |
| 2 |
Iowa |
(14-1) |
383 |
Big Ten |
3 |
| 3 |
Oklahoma State |
(13-1) |
367 |
Big 12 |
2 |
| 4 |
Northern Iowa |
(14-1) |
354 |
Big 12 |
4 |
| 5 |
Nebraska |
(11-3) |
333 |
Big Ten |
5 |
| 6 |
Minnesota |
(10-2) |
320 |
Big Ten |
6 |
| 7 |
Ohio State |
(13-3) |
300 |
Big Ten |
8 |
| 8 |
Virginia Tech |
(9-2) |
279 |
ACC |
10 |
| 9 |
NC State |
(11-2) |
268 |
ACC |
7 |
| 10 |
Cornell |
(11-1) |
252 |
Ivy |
9 |
| 11 |
Rutgers |
(14-5) |
233 |
Big Ten |
11 |
| 12 |
Iowa State |
(12-5) |
232 |
Big 12 |
12 |
| 13 |
South Dakota State |
(14-4) |
217 |
Big 12 |
13 |
| 14 |
Illinois |
(9-4) |
196 |
Big Ten |
14 |
| 15 |
Little Rock |
(17-3) |
181 |
Pac-12 |
15 |
| 16 |
North Carolina |
(9-6) |
147 |
ACC |
16 |
| 17 |
Pittsburgh |
(10-6) |
145 |
ACC |
18 |
| 18 |
Stanford |
(10-5) |
135 |
ACC |
17 |
| 19 |
Michigan |
(7-5) |
114 |
Big Ten |
19 |
| 20 |
Oklahoma |
(8-4) |
94 |
Big 12 |
20 |
| 21 |
Lehigh |
(7-4) |
79 |
EIWA |
21 |
| 22 |
Indiana |
(8-5) |
57 |
Big Ten |
22 |
| 23 |
Army West Point |
(8-3) |
47 |
EIWA |
23 |
| 24 |
West Virginia |
(10-7) |
23 |
Big 12 |
24 |
| 25 |
Missouri |
(5-10) |
16 |
Big 12 |
25 |
Others Receiving Votes: Penn 9, Wyoming 8, Campbell 6, Navy 2, Oregon State 2, Northern Colorado 1.
Dropped Out: None.
NWCA Division I Men's Wrestling Coaches Poll Publication Dates
Mid-Major Publication Dates
Feb. 26
Questions related to historical polls can be sent to Jason Bryant at jason@bryantwrestling.com
