Penn State is unanimous No. 1 and Utah Valley is in the Top 25 for first time ever in new NWCA Div. I Coaches Poll

Manheim, Pennsylvania -- Sold out Rec Hall was the place to be on Saturday night as No. 1 Penn State remained unbeaten with a 19-18 victory over No. 2 Ohio State. Even without the services of returning NCAA champion Jason Nolf at 157 pounds, the Nittany Lions pulled out the victory and earned a share of the Big Ten regular season title. The win was sparked by the performance of Penn State 197-pounder Anthony Cassar, who upset top-ranked and previously unbeaten Kollin Moore.

The team victory solidified Penn State’s standing as the nation’s No. 1 team as they garnered all 16 first-place votes in the USA Today/NWCA Division I Coaches Poll released on Tuesday. The Nittany Lions improved to 12-0 and join third-ranked Missouri (13-0) as the nation’s last two unbeaten teams in Division I.

Ohio State (12-1) remained second this week.

Utah Valley University, which launched its Division I wrestling program in 2003, moved into the Top 25 for the first time in school history. The Wolverines improved to 8-3 on the season and knocked off traditional Big 12 power Oklahoma by criteria.

The top 15 teams stayed put as only minor shifts within the Big Ten caused movement. Wyoming from the Big 12 made the biggest move this week, jumping five spots to No. 17. The Cowboys improved to 10-4 after a win over visiting Oklahoma.

In ranked action this past week, No. 4 Michigan (9-2) topped No. 15 Nebraska 24-10, while No. 5 Oklahoma State (10-2) also beat No. 23 Northern Iowa 24-10. Seventh-ranked Iowa improved to 11-2 after a 34-7 win over then-No. 18 Minnesota and a 33-2 win over then-No. 17 Northwestern. Virginia Tech (13-2) remained unbeaten in the ACC with a home win over then-No. 25 North Carolina 21-9.

No. 10 Cornell (9-2) survived a scare from No. 23 Lock Haven, but the Big Red pulled out a 20-18 road win. No. 14 Illinois improved to 7-3 after weekend wins over unranked Indiana and then-No. 19 Rutgers.

Rider fell out of the Top 25 after falling to a pair of unranked teams -- Clarion 18-17 and Drexel 18-14.

The USA Today/NWCA Division I Wrestling Coaches Poll is voted on by two coaches from each Division I wrestling conference. Points are 25 for each first-place vote, 24 for second, 23 for third all the way to a 25th-place vote is one point.

Future Poll Dates: February 13, February 20, February, 27.

Rank	Team (First)	Record	Points	Conference	Previous
1	Penn State (16)	12-0	400	Big Ten	1
2	Ohio State	12-1	381	Big Ten	2
3	Missouri	17-0	371	MAC	3
4	Michigan	9-2	349	Big Ten	4
5	Oklahoma State	10-2	333	Big 12	5
6	NC State	13-1	316	ACC	6
7	Iowa	11-2	314	Big Ten	7
8	Arizona State	10-2	287	Pac-12	8
9	Virginia Tech	13-2	273	ACC	9
10	Cornell	9-2	252	EIWA	10
11	Lehigh	9-3	237	EIWA	11
12	South Dakota State	11-2	231	Big 12	12
13	Northern Iowa	5-4	203	Big 12	13
14	Illinois	7-3	195	Big Ten	14
15	Nebraska	8-4	172	Big Ten	15
16	Central Michigan	7-4	161	MAC	16
17	Wyoming	10-4	127	Big 12	22
18	Rutgers	6-6	107	Big Ten	19
19	Northwestern	8-4	103	Big Ten	17
20	Wisconsin	6-2	98	Big Ten	20
21	Minnesota	7-8	95	Big Ten	18
22	Purdue	8-6	60	Big Ten	24
23	Lock Haven	11-3	49	EWL	23
24	North Carolina	8-9	34	ACC	25
25	Utah Valley	8-3	19	Big 12	NR

 
Others Receiving Votes: Rider 11, Drexel 8, Appalachian State 6, Navy 4, Edinboro 3, American 1
Dropped out: No. 21 Rider.