Manheim, Pennsylvania – A trio of Big 12 affiliates completed the regular season atop the final NWCA Division I Men's Wrestling Mid-Major Top 20 released on Thursday.
Northern Iowa finished atop of the poll for the second straight season. The Panthers (11-8) came in ahead of second-ranked South Dakota State (12-5) and third-ranked Wyoming (8-5). Lehigh was fourth, while Oregon State finished fifth.
The Ivy League saw four of its six teams in the Top 20, with regular-season league champion Columbia checking in at No. 6, followed by Cornell and Penn. Princeton came in at No.18.
Methodology: The NWCA Division I Men's Wrestling Mid-Major Coaches Poll is voted on by one coach from Division I wrestling conferences with mid-major representation. Each first-place vote is worth 20 points, 19 points for a second-place vote, 18 for a third-place vote, and so on through to one point for a 20th-place vote. The poll is based on dual meet results and represents schools that are in not full members in all-sports conferences considered the "Power 4."
NWCA Division I Men's Wrestling Mid-Major Coaches Poll
FEBRUARY 26, 2026
| Rank |
Team (First) |
Record |
Points |
Conference |
All-Sports |
Previous |
| 1 |
Northern Iowa (6) |
(11-8) |
120 |
Big 12 |
Missouri Valley |
1 |
| 2 |
South Dakota State |
(12-5) |
108 |
Big 12 |
Summit |
2 |
| 3 |
Wyoming |
(8-5) |
103 |
Big 12 |
Mountain West |
5 |
| 4 |
Lehigh |
(11-7) |
101 |
EIWA |
Patriot |
3 |
| 5 |
Oregon State |
(7-2) |
100 |
Pac-12 |
Pac-12 |
4 |
| 6 |
Columbia |
(12-3) |
95 |
Ivy League |
Ivy League |
6 |
| 7 |
Cornell |
(9-7) |
87 |
Ivy League |
Ivy League |
7 |
| 8 |
Penn |
(7-4) |
69 |
Ivy League |
Ivy League |
9 |
| 9 |
Rider |
(12-6) |
56 |
MAC |
CAA |
12 |
| 10 |
SIU Edwardsville |
(10-2) |
54 |
MAC |
Ohio Valley |
12 |
| 11 |
Lock Haven |
(13-5) |
53 |
MAC |
PSAC (Division II) |
10 |
| 12 |
Navy |
(6-5) |
46 |
EIWA |
Patriot |
11 |
| 13 |
Drexel |
(13-7) |
40 |
EIWA |
CAA |
8 |
| 14 |
Army West Point |
(5-5) |
39 |
EIWA |
Patriot |
15 |
| 15 |
North Dakota State |
(8-9) |
33 |
Big 12 |
Summit |
19 |
| 16 |
Utah Valley |
(5-8) |
28 |
Big 12 |
WAC |
14 |
| 17 |
Northern Illinois |
(9-7) |
21 |
MAC |
MAC |
18 |
| 18 |
Princeton |
(4-11) |
18 |
Ivy League |
Ivy League |
NR |
| 19 |
Little Rock |
(5-10) |
17 |
Pac-12 |
Ohio Valley |
20 |
| 20t |
Chattanooga |
(10-5) |
11 |
SoCon |
SoCon |
NR |
| 20t |
Bucknell |
(8-12) |
11 |
EIWA |
Patriot |
NR |
| 20t |
Central Michigan |
(10-7) |
11 |
MAC |
MAC |
17 |
Others Receiving Votes: Appalachian State 10, Cal Poly 7, Ohio 3, American 2, George Mason 1, The Citadel 1.
