Manheim, Pennsylvania – Heading into this weekend's matchup in the Big 12, Northern Iowa and South Dakota State are atop the most recent NWCA Division I Men's Wrestling Mid-Major Top 20 released on Thursday.
Northern Iowa defeated South Dakota State last month in the finals of the NWCA National Duals. The teams will square up on Sunday in Brookings. Lehigh slid one spot to third, while Columbia made the biggest jump, leaping from No. 16 to No. 6 after its weekend win over Cornell.
Oregon State came in fourth ahead of fifth-ranked Wyoming. Drexel and Penn's athletic facilities sit a half mile from one another in Philadelphia, while the two schools sit five points apart in the poll, with Drexel checking in at No. 8, followed by the Quakers. Lock Haven rounds out the Top 10.
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 not full members in all-sports conferences considered the "Power 4."
NWCA Division I Men's Wrestling Mid-Major Coaches Poll
FEBRUARY 5, 2026
| Rank |
Team (First) |
Record |
Points |
Conference |
All-Sports |
Previous |
| 1 |
Northern Iowa (4) |
(9-6) |
117 |
Big 12 |
Missouri Valley |
1 |
| 2 |
South Dakota State (1) |
(12-3) |
115 |
Big 12 |
Summit |
3 |
| 3 |
Lehigh (1) |
(8-6) |
107 |
EIWA |
Patriot |
2 |
| 4 |
Oregon State |
(6-1) |
103 |
Pac-12 |
Pac-12 |
5 |
| 5 |
Wyoming |
(4-5) |
94 |
Big 12 |
Mountain West |
7 |
| 6 |
Columbia |
(9-3) |
80 |
Ivy League |
Ivy League |
16 |
| 7 |
Cornell |
(5-6) |
78 |
Ivy League |
Ivy League |
3 |
| 8 |
Drexel |
(12-3) |
75 |
EIWA |
CAA |
8 |
| 9 |
Penn |
(6-1) |
70 |
Ivy League |
Ivy League |
6 |
| 10 |
Lock Haven |
(10-3) |
66 |
MAC |
PSAC (Division II) |
9 |
| 11 |
Navy |
(5-4) |
56 |
EIWA |
Patriot |
9 |
| 12t |
Rider |
(9-5) |
51 |
MAC |
MAAC |
13 |
| 12t |
SIU Edwardsville |
(8-1) |
51 |
MAC |
Ohio Valley |
12 |
| 14 |
Utah Valley |
(3-6) |
43 |
Big 12 |
WAC |
11 |
| 15 |
Army West Point |
(2-5) |
31 |
EIWA |
Patriot |
15 |
| 16 |
Cal Poly |
(4-4) |
20 |
Pac-12 |
Big West |
14 |
| 17 |
Central Michigan |
(7-5) |
15 |
MAC |
MAC |
19 |
| 18 |
Northern Illinois |
(7-6) |
14 |
MAC |
MAC |
17 |
| 19 |
North Dakota State |
(6-7) |
13 |
Big 12 |
Summit |
NR |
| 20 |
Little Rock |
(3-9) |
12 |
Pac-12 |
Ohio Valley |
NR |
Others Receiving Votes: Appalachian State 10, Bucknell 9, Harvard 7, Clarion 6, Princeton 6, Ohio 4, Kent State 3, George Mason 2, The Citadel 2.
Questions related to historical polls can be sent to Jason Bryant at jason@bryantwrestling.com
