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February 17 Poll

National Wrestling Coaches Association

Penn State once again unanimous No. 1 after big win over Ohio State; Nittany Lions win 85th straight, set new indoor attendance record

Manheim, Pennsylvania –With a dominant 36-5 win over second-ranked Ohio State on Friday, top-ranked Penn State extended its dual meet win streak to 85 in a row and set a new indoor dual meet attendance record, putting 16,006 fans inside the Bryce Jordan Center.
 
The Nittany Lions improved to 14-0 and are a unanimous No. 1 heading into the final week of the regular season as the most recent NWCA Division I Men's Wrestling Coaches Poll was released on Tuesday. Penn State is the lone unbeaten team left in Division I men's wrestling this season.
 
Ohio State rebounded with a 29-16 win over Maryland. Third-ranked Oklahoma State battled to a 19-12 win over No. 6 Virginia Tech in Blacksburg, while Iowa State went 2-0 with a 32-7 win over then-No. 18 West Virginia and a 28-6 victory over then-No. 15 Northern Iowa.
 
Nebraska picked up two ranked wins, beating then-No. 11 Illinois 28-11 and then-No. 20 Indiana 34-5. Iowa won 19-17 over then-No. 10 Michigan and also topped Purdue 32-6. NC State defeated Duke 32-7, and Minnesota beat Michigan State 37-6.
 
Rutgers went 2-0, beating Michigan State 29-9 and Princeton 24-9. West Virginia earned a 23-13 win over Northern Iowa. Missouri beat then-No. 16 Oklahoma 23-14, while Wyoming added two wins with victories over Northern Colorado 25-10 and then-No. 16 Oklahoma 24-10.
 
Lehigh went 2-0 with wins over Penn 24-14 and Bucknell 24-16. Wisconsin knocked off then-No. 10 Michigan 19-17, and Stanford beat then-No. 12 Pittsburgh 21-12. Oregon State closed the week with a 20-11 win over North Dakota State.
 
Ranked teams are back in action this week, beginning with 11th-ranked Rutgers at Hofstra on Wednesday. Friday's schedule includes No. 20 Stanford at 12th-ranked North Carolina, Virginia at No. 15 Pittsburgh, and Duke at sixth-ranked Virginia Tech. Saturday features No. 17 West Virginia at Lock Haven, plus No. 5 Nebraska at Utah Valley.
 
Sunday's slate includes 16th-ranked Wisconsin at Northern Iowa, No. 14 Missouri at fourth-ranked Iowa State, and a ranked matchup with No. 7 Iowa at third-ranked Oklahoma State.
 
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
FEBRUARY 17, 2026

 
Rank Team (First) Record Points Conference Previous
1 Penn State (16) (14-0) 400 Big Ten 1
2 Ohio State (18-1) 384 Big Ten 2
3 Oklahoma State (14-1) 368 Big 12 3
4 Iowa State (11-2) 350 Big 12 4
5 Nebraska (12-6) 328 Big Ten 5
6 Virginia Tech (10-3) 313 ACC 6
7 Iowa (12-5) 311 Big Ten 7
8 NC State (14-4) 291 ACC 8
9 Minnesota (11-5) 267 Big Ten 9
10 Illinois (12-5) 249 Big Ten 11
11 Rutgers (13-5) 226 Big Ten 14
12 North Carolina (9-4) 201 ACC 13
13 Michigan (8-6) 200 Big Ten 10
14 Missouri (12-7) 181 Big 12 17
15 Pittsburgh (10-4) 173 ACC 12
16 Wisconsin (12-4) 152 Big Ten 21
17 West Virginia (10-5) 146 Big 12 18
18 Northern Iowa (10-8) 118 Big 12 15
19 South Dakota State (12-4) 117 Big 12 19
20 Stanford (6-6) 93 ACC 23
21 Indiana (8-5) 75 Big Ten 20
22 Lehigh (11-6) 69 EIWA 22
23 Wyoming (8-5) 66 Big 12 24
24 Oklahoma (9-6) 62 Big 12 16
25 Oregon State (7-2) 28 Pac-12 25
 
Others Receiving Votes: Columbia 14, Rider 14, Lock Haven 4.

Dropped Out: None.
 
2025-26 Division I Men's Wrestling Coaches Poll Release Dates
Feb. 24
 
2025-26 Division I Mid-Major Men's Wrestling Coaches Poll Release Dates
Feb. 25 
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