Manheim, Pennsylvania – Returning national team champion Penn State, riding an NCAA record 86 match win streak, opens the season as the unanimous No. 1 in the NWCA Division I Men's Wrestling Coaches Poll presented by Theraworx.
The Nittany Lions ended last season undefeated in duals, sporting a 15-0 record and won the school's fifth straight NCAA Division I team title. Oklahoma State comes in second, followed by Nebraska, Iowa, and Virginia Tech.
Five of the Top 10 features Big Ten squads, with Ohio State starting the season sixth, and Minnesota at No. 8. The Big 12 has three in the Top 10, with No. 9 Iowa State and No. 10 Missouri joining second-ranked Oklahoma State. Stanford starts out seventh and is one of two ACC teams in the Top 10, joined by fifth-ranked Virginia Tech.
The first dual meet of the season takes place on Saturday, October 31 as Hofstra hosts Sacred Heart.
Ranked teams in action on the opening weekend: No. 9 Iowa State hosts Bucknell, No. 17 Oklahoma hosts Division II Northeastern State, No. 14 Michigan travels to VMI and No. 18 Wyoming hosts Western Wyoming Community College on Sunday.
No. 10 Missouri will host three schools from Missouri on Monday – Division II Central Missouri and Maryville, and NAIA Central Methodist.
Methodology: The NWCA Division I Men's Wrestling Coaches Poll presented by Theraworx 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 PRESENTED BY THERAWORX
PRESEASON
| Rank |
Team (First) |
2025-26 Record |
Points |
Conference |
2025-26
Final Poll |
| 1 |
Penn State (16) |
(15-0) |
400 |
Big Ten |
1 |
| 2 |
Oklahoma State |
(15-1) |
382 |
Big 12 |
3 |
| 3 |
Nebraska |
(13-6) |
362 |
Big Ten |
5 |
| 4 |
Iowa |
(12-6) |
344 |
Big Ten |
7 |
| 5 |
Virginia Tech |
(11-3) |
338 |
ACC |
6 |
| 6 |
Ohio State |
(18-1) |
322 |
Big Ten |
2 |
| 7 |
Stanford |
(7-6) |
312 |
ACC |
18 |
| 8 |
Minnesota |
(11-5) |
265 |
Big Ten |
9 |
| 9 |
Iowa State |
(12-2) |
249 |
Big 12 |
4 |
| 10 |
Missouri |
(12-8) |
248 |
Big 12 |
14 |
| 11 |
Cornell |
(9-7) |
213 |
Ivy League |
NR |
| 12 |
Lehigh |
(11-7) |
192 |
EIWA |
25 |
| 13 |
Arizona State |
(5-11) |
166 |
Big 12 |
NR |
| 14 |
Michigan |
(9-6) |
165 |
Big Ten |
12 |
| 15 |
NC State |
(15-4) |
157 |
ACC |
8 |
| 16 |
North Carolina |
(9-5) |
156 |
ACC |
15 |
| 17 |
Oklahoma |
(9-6) |
135 |
Big 12 |
23 |
| 18 |
Wyoming |
(8-5) |
124 |
Big 12 |
22 |
| 19 |
Illinois |
(12-5) |
123 |
Big Ten |
10 |
| 20 |
Rutgers |
(14-5) |
117 |
Big Ten |
11 |
| 21 |
Northern Iowa |
(11-8) |
92 |
Big 12 |
17 |
| 22 |
Pittsburgh |
(11-4) |
86 |
ACC |
13 |
| 23 |
West Virginia |
(11-5) |
60 |
Big 12 |
16 |
| 24 |
Penn |
(7-4) |
32 |
Ivy League |
NR |
| 25 |
Princeton |
(4-11) |
25 |
Ivy League |
NR |
Others Receiving Votes: Little Rock 17, Indiana 16, Purdue 14, Columbia 13, Navy 13, Air Force 10, Oregon State 9, South Dakota State 9, North Dakota State 8, Army West Point 7, Northern Illinois 5, SIU Edwardsville 4, Wisconsin 4, Bucknell 3, Cal Poly 2, Lock Haven 1.
2026-27 Division I Men's Wrestling Coaches Poll Release Dates
Nov. 3, Nov. 10, Nov. 17, Nov. 24
Dec. 1, Dec. 8, Dec. 15, Dec. 22
Jan. 5, Jan. 12, Jan. 19, Jan. 26
Feb. 2, Feb. 9, Feb. 16, Feb. 23
2026-27 Division I Mid-Major Men's Wrestling Coaches Poll Release Dates
Dec. 23
Jan. 6, Jan. 20
Feb. 10, Feb. 24
