Penn State moves to No. 1 in NWCA Division I Coaches Poll
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by Jason Bryant, NWCA
Manheim, Pa. – A victory over No. 6 Virginia Tech coupled with Oklahoma State’s loss to Iowa on Saturday has vaulted Penn State to the top spot in the USA Today/NWCA Division I Coaches Poll released on Tuesday.
The Nittany Lions (2-0) also earned a 50-0 win over Lock Haven during the week. Coach Cael Sanderson’s teams won four straight NCAA Division I championships from 2011-2014.
With 42,287 witnessing the action at Kinnick Stadium in Iowa City, the buzz around the wrestling world centered around Iowa’s 18-16 win over then-No. 1 Oklahoma State. The dual was wrestled outdoors prior to Iowa’s football game against Minnesota and set an NCAA record for attendance. The win vaulted Iowa to No. 2, while the loss slid Oklahoma State to No. 4. Michigan, with three weekend victories, stayed third.
No new teams entered the Top 25 this week, but there was some movement inside the top 10 as the Northeast Duals provided nearly a dozen duals between ranked teams.
Nebraska (2-0) moved up three spots after beating then No. 7 Lehigh and No. 20 Oregon State in Troy. N.Y. The Huskers check in at No. 7 this week, while Lehigh fell to No. 10 behind Cornell and Missouri.
Oklahoma (3-0) moved up eight spots from No. 22 to No. 14 after three weekend wins, including one over then No. 17 Rutgers. Virginia moved up three spots to break into the top 20 after a weekend win over then-No. 15 Old Dominion 21-16. ODU dropped six spots to No. 21.
Rank Team (First) Record Points Conference Previous
1 Penn State (10) 2-0 297 Big Ten 2
2 Iowa (1) 1-0 284 Big Ten 4
3 Michigan (1) 3-0 269 Big Ten 3
4 Oklahoma State 0-1 265 Big 12 1
5 Ohio State 1-0 258 Big Ten 5
6 Virginia Tech 1-1 234 ACC 6
7 Nebraska 2-0 233 Big Ten 10
8 Cornell 0-0 214 EIWA 8
9 Missouri 0-0 198 MAC 9
10 Lehigh 2-1 189 EIWA 7
11 Illinois 5-0 184 Big Ten 11
12 N.C. State 3-0 181 ACC 12
13 Wisconsin 1-0 142 Big Ten 14
14 Oklahoma 3-0 116 Big 12 22
15 Rutgers 5-1 124 Big Ten 17
16 North Carolina 2-1 117 ACC 13
17 Iowa State 2-1 106 Big 12 18
18 Oregon State 2-1 96 Pac-12 20
19 Minnesota 3-3 76 Big Ten 16
20 Virginia 4-2 74 ACC 23
21 Old Dominion 0-1 69 MAC 15
22 Ohio 3-0 66 MAC 21
23 West Virginia 4-2 49 Big 12 19
24 Central Michigan 2-0 37 MAC 24
25 Northern Iowa 1-2 7 MAC 25
Dropped out: None
Others Receiving Votes: Stanford 6, Arizona State 2, Edinboro 2, Pittsburgh 2, Rider 2, South Dakota State 1
The Nittany Lions (2-0) also earned a 50-0 win over Lock Haven during the week. Coach Cael Sanderson’s teams won four straight NCAA Division I championships from 2011-2014.
With 42,287 witnessing the action at Kinnick Stadium in Iowa City, the buzz around the wrestling world centered around Iowa’s 18-16 win over then-No. 1 Oklahoma State. The dual was wrestled outdoors prior to Iowa’s football game against Minnesota and set an NCAA record for attendance. The win vaulted Iowa to No. 2, while the loss slid Oklahoma State to No. 4. Michigan, with three weekend victories, stayed third.
No new teams entered the Top 25 this week, but there was some movement inside the top 10 as the Northeast Duals provided nearly a dozen duals between ranked teams.
Nebraska (2-0) moved up three spots after beating then No. 7 Lehigh and No. 20 Oregon State in Troy. N.Y. The Huskers check in at No. 7 this week, while Lehigh fell to No. 10 behind Cornell and Missouri.
Oklahoma (3-0) moved up eight spots from No. 22 to No. 14 after three weekend wins, including one over then No. 17 Rutgers. Virginia moved up three spots to break into the top 20 after a weekend win over then-No. 15 Old Dominion 21-16. ODU dropped six spots to No. 21.
Rank Team (First) Record Points Conference Previous
1 Penn State (10) 2-0 297 Big Ten 2
2 Iowa (1) 1-0 284 Big Ten 4
3 Michigan (1) 3-0 269 Big Ten 3
4 Oklahoma State 0-1 265 Big 12 1
5 Ohio State 1-0 258 Big Ten 5
6 Virginia Tech 1-1 234 ACC 6
7 Nebraska 2-0 233 Big Ten 10
8 Cornell 0-0 214 EIWA 8
9 Missouri 0-0 198 MAC 9
10 Lehigh 2-1 189 EIWA 7
11 Illinois 5-0 184 Big Ten 11
12 N.C. State 3-0 181 ACC 12
13 Wisconsin 1-0 142 Big Ten 14
14 Oklahoma 3-0 116 Big 12 22
15 Rutgers 5-1 124 Big Ten 17
16 North Carolina 2-1 117 ACC 13
17 Iowa State 2-1 106 Big 12 18
18 Oregon State 2-1 96 Pac-12 20
19 Minnesota 3-3 76 Big Ten 16
20 Virginia 4-2 74 ACC 23
21 Old Dominion 0-1 69 MAC 15
22 Ohio 3-0 66 MAC 21
23 West Virginia 4-2 49 Big 12 19
24 Central Michigan 2-0 37 MAC 24
25 Northern Iowa 1-2 7 MAC 25
Dropped out: None
Others Receiving Votes: Stanford 6, Arizona State 2, Edinboro 2, Pittsburgh 2, Rider 2, South Dakota State 1
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