Manheim, Pennsylvania – The first NWCA Division I Men's Wrestling Coaches Poll of the new year was released Tuesday following a limited holiday slate that featured only a handful of duals involving ranked teams.
Second-ranked Ohio State remained unbeaten with a 41-3 win over then-No. 23 Oregon State. Third-ranked Iowa State picked up a ranked victory, edging then-No. 24 Stanford 20-18 in California. No. 6 Nebraska earned a 30-6 win over then-No. 16 Northern Iowa, while eighth-ranked South Dakota State improved to 4-0 with a 24-14 victory against Arizona State in Sioux Falls.
Those four duals accounted for the only competition involving Top 25 teams during the previous rankings period, as the majority of the poll was idle ahead of the start of the January conference schedule.
Several ranked teams return to the mat this week as the schedule ramps up following the holiday break. Third-ranked Iowa State heads west to face Arizona State on Tuesday before traveling to North Dakota State on Sunday.
Friday features a pair of ranked matchups, with No. 7 Virginia Tech visiting 14th-ranked Pittsburgh and 18th-ranked Wisconsin traveling to face fourth-ranked Iowa.
Saturday's slate includes No. 22 Cornell at 22nd-ranked Lehigh, along with 11th-ranked Minnesota visiting 10th-ranked Illinois and 16th-ranked Rutgers heading to State College to face top-ranked Penn State.
Sunday closes the week with No. 23 Indiana visiting second-ranked Ohio State and 15th-ranked Oklahoma traveling to face fifth-ranked Oklahoma State.
No. 8 South Dakota State and No. 17 Northern Iowa headline the NWCA National Duals Division I bracket. They'll be joined by joined by Bloomsburg, Campbell, Central Michigan, CSU Bakersfield, Drexel, Harvard, Northern Illinois and Ohio.
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 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
JANUARY 6, 2026
| Rank |
Team (First) |
Record |
Points |
Conference |
Previous |
| 1 |
Penn State (14) |
(6-0) |
398 |
Big Ten |
1 |
| 2 |
Ohio State (2) |
(11-0) |
386 |
Big Ten |
2 |
| 3 |
Iowa State |
(4-1) |
367 |
Big 12 |
3 |
| 4 |
Iowa |
(7-2) |
349 |
Big Ten |
4 |
| 5 |
Oklahoma State |
(8-1) |
338 |
Big 12 |
5 |
| 6 |
Nebraska |
(7-3) |
317 |
Big Ten |
6 |
| 7 |
Virginia Tech |
(4-2) |
294 |
ACC |
7 |
| 8 |
South Dakota State |
(4-0) |
285 |
Big 12 |
8 |
| 9 |
NC State |
(8-3) |
260 |
ACC |
9 |
| 10 |
Illinois |
(7-2) |
257 |
Big Ten |
10 |
| 11 |
Minnesota |
(6-2) |
251 |
Big Ten |
11 |
| 12 |
Michigan |
(4-2) |
203 |
Big Ten |
12 |
| 13 |
North Carolina |
(7-1) |
196 |
ACC |
13 |
| 14 |
Pittsburgh |
(7-1) |
186 |
ACC |
14 |
| 15 |
Oklahoma |
(6-1) |
184 |
Big 12 |
15 |
| 16 |
Rutgers |
(6-2) |
154 |
Big Ten |
17 |
| 17 |
Northern Iowa |
(3-4) |
141 |
Big 12 |
16 |
| 18 |
Wisconsin |
(8-0) |
132 |
Big Ten |
19 |
| 19 |
Missouri |
(6-6) |
115 |
Big 12 |
18 |
| 20 |
Cornell |
(1-3) |
103 |
Ivy League |
20 |
| 21 |
West Virginia |
(5-2) |
77 |
Big 12 |
21 |
| 22 |
Lehigh |
(3-6) |
52 |
EIWA |
22 |
| 23 |
Indiana |
(5-1) |
50 |
Big Ten |
25 |
| 24 |
Stanford |
(2-4) |
34 |
ACC |
24 |
| 25 |
Oregon State |
(2-1) |
30 |
Pac-12 |
23 |
Others Receiving Votes: Drexel 12, Penn 12, Central Michigan 4, Purdue 4, Wyoming 4, Utah Valley 3, Columbia 2.
Dropped Out: None
2025-26 Division I Men's Wrestling Coaches Poll Release Dates
Jan. 13, Jan. 20, Jan. 27
Feb. 3, Feb. 10, Feb. 17, Feb. 24
2025-26 Division I Mid-Major Men's Wrestling Coaches Poll Release Dates
Jan. 7, Jan. 21
Feb. 11, Feb. 25
