Big Ten competition continues to spark movement in Top 25
by Jason Bryant, NWCA
The nation's last four unbeaten teams in Division I still occupy the top four spots as Penn State, Iowa, N.C. State and Missouri continued their strong seasons. Penn State (10-0) won two duals, 46-4 over Northwestern and 24-10 over then-No. 7 Nebraska. Penn State's win at Northwestern was highlighted by Zain Retherford's 15-5 major decision over 2014 NCAA Division I champion Jason Tsirtsis at 149 pounds.
Iowa (11-0) rolled past Wisconsin 31-3, while N.C. State won its 17th dual of the season in smashing No. 17 Virginia 35-7. The Wolfpack win streak is the second-longest current active in Division I, followed by No. 4 Missouri (9-0), which claimed its 36th and 37th dual wins in a row with victories over Central Michigan and Eastern Michigan.
Oklahoma State (6-2) holds steady at No. 5. The Cowboys topped a pair of ranked teams, Pittsburgh and West Virginia, on an Eastern swing. Coach John Smith's team won 19 of 20 individual bouts in the two matches.
Lehigh (10-1), Oklahoma (8-2), Michigan (7-1), Ohio State (6-2) and Virginia Tech (9-2) round out the top 10.
Ohio State continued to make the Big Ten dual meet season interesting as the Buckeyes unleashed 2015 NCAA All-American and 2015 freestyle World champion Kyle Snyder into the lineup at heavyweight. Snyder's major decision over Collin Jensen would lift the Buckeyes past Nebraska on Sunday. Nebraska fell four spots to No. 11.
Minnesota (6-6) re-entered the Top 25 after a one-week hiatus. The Golden Gophers evened their record after a 17-16 win over then-No. 6 Rutgers in Minneapolis on Sunday.
Kent State (10-3) broke into the Top 25 for the first time this season. The Golden Flashes upended MAC rival Ohio over the weekend.
Dropped out: No. 21 Ohio, No. 24 West Virginia Others Receiving Votes: Ohio 11, Arizona State 10, West Virginia 10, Stanford 5, Wisconsin 4, Chattanooga 3, Bucknell 1 |
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