Lehigh breaks back into NWCA Division I Coaches Poll after five-match win streak
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by Jason Bryant, NWCA
Manheim, Pennsylvania – Lehigh has been the streakiest team in Division I wrestling this season. The injury-riddled Mountain Hawks jumped back into the Top 25 in the most recent NWCA Division I Wrestling Coaches Poll released on Tuesday after winning five duals in a row after starting the year with seven straight losses.
Lehigh (5-7) started the year ranked No. 6 and with a combination of a brutal schedule and as many as six starters out of the lineup, it made for a rough first semester. After weekend wins over American and Navy, Lehigh returns to the Top 25 for the first time since January 1. Virginia (11-6) also moved into the Top 25 for the first time in two years after weekend wins over VMI and Ohio.
Penn State (7-0) won its 52nd dual in a row with a sluggish 25-6 win over No. 9 Nebraska at sold-out Rec Hall. The dual was highlighted by top-ranked Jason Nolf of Penn State picking off second-ranked Tyler Berger at 157 pounds. Third-ranked Oklahoma State ventured east and picked up wins over West Virginia 40-3 and then-No. 14 Pittsburgh 36-9. The Cowboys improved to 9-0 while the loss was Pittsburgh’s first of the season, dropping the Panthers to 8-1.
No. 4 Iowa drew 8,500 fans despite the weather and defeated then-No. 20 Rutgers 30-9 at Carver-Hawkeye Arena. The big result there was at 133 pounds where Austin DeSanto of Iowa upended Nick Suriano 6-4. Fifth-ranked Missouri extended its win streak to 33 in a row with a pair of wins over the weekend. The Tigers (13-0) beat No. 14 Northern Iowa 29-12 and Central Michigan 32-15. Missouri also leads all Division I schools with 13 dual wins on the season.
No. 6 Michigan improved to 8-0 after a pair of Big Ten victories. The Wolverines beat rival Michigan State 30-10 before they dispatched then-No. 18 Purdue 23-9. Seventh-ranked Minnesota (10-2) also won a pair of Big Ten duals, topping then-No. 19 Illinois 26-15 and Northwestern 29-12. No. 8 N.C. State beat Drexel 25-16, while Nebraska wasn’t totally shut down over the weekend. The Huskers (8-3) beat Maryland 37-6. Tenth-ranked Cornell (6-2) bounced back from last week’s loss to Lehigh by topping Columbia 30-10. The win was Cornell’s 84th in a row against Ivy League competition.
In the Big 12, Wyoming moved up to No. 11, the program’s highest ranking in the NWCA Division I Coaches Poll since February 21, 2012, when the Cowboys also were ranked 11th. The Cowboys improved to 11-3 with a 33-3 win over Air Force. Also in the Big 12, Iowa State moved up to No. 15 after beating West Virginia and Rider. In other ranked action, Northern Iowa topped Air Force 29-9, Purdue beat Indiana and Arizona State topped Oregon State.
Wisconsin slid three spots to No. 14 after falling to unranked Northwestern 25-18. Utah Valley fell out of the Top 25 after getting trampled by Fresno State 26-10.
Princeton (4-4) moved up one spot to No. 21, the highest in program history.
The NWCA Division I Wrestling Coaches Poll is voted on by two coaches from each Division I wrestling conference. Each first-place vote is worth 25 points, 24 points for a second-place vote, 23 for a third-place vote and so on through to one point for a 25th-place vote.
Others Receiving Votes: Lock Haven 19, Utah Valley 15, Oklahoma 11, Northwestern 4, Campbell 3, Old Dominion 3, Army West Point 2
Dropped Out: No. 23 Utah Valley, No. 24 Lock Haven
Lehigh (5-7) started the year ranked No. 6 and with a combination of a brutal schedule and as many as six starters out of the lineup, it made for a rough first semester. After weekend wins over American and Navy, Lehigh returns to the Top 25 for the first time since January 1. Virginia (11-6) also moved into the Top 25 for the first time in two years after weekend wins over VMI and Ohio.
Penn State (7-0) won its 52nd dual in a row with a sluggish 25-6 win over No. 9 Nebraska at sold-out Rec Hall. The dual was highlighted by top-ranked Jason Nolf of Penn State picking off second-ranked Tyler Berger at 157 pounds. Third-ranked Oklahoma State ventured east and picked up wins over West Virginia 40-3 and then-No. 14 Pittsburgh 36-9. The Cowboys improved to 9-0 while the loss was Pittsburgh’s first of the season, dropping the Panthers to 8-1.
No. 4 Iowa drew 8,500 fans despite the weather and defeated then-No. 20 Rutgers 30-9 at Carver-Hawkeye Arena. The big result there was at 133 pounds where Austin DeSanto of Iowa upended Nick Suriano 6-4. Fifth-ranked Missouri extended its win streak to 33 in a row with a pair of wins over the weekend. The Tigers (13-0) beat No. 14 Northern Iowa 29-12 and Central Michigan 32-15. Missouri also leads all Division I schools with 13 dual wins on the season.
No. 6 Michigan improved to 8-0 after a pair of Big Ten victories. The Wolverines beat rival Michigan State 30-10 before they dispatched then-No. 18 Purdue 23-9. Seventh-ranked Minnesota (10-2) also won a pair of Big Ten duals, topping then-No. 19 Illinois 26-15 and Northwestern 29-12. No. 8 N.C. State beat Drexel 25-16, while Nebraska wasn’t totally shut down over the weekend. The Huskers (8-3) beat Maryland 37-6. Tenth-ranked Cornell (6-2) bounced back from last week’s loss to Lehigh by topping Columbia 30-10. The win was Cornell’s 84th in a row against Ivy League competition.
In the Big 12, Wyoming moved up to No. 11, the program’s highest ranking in the NWCA Division I Coaches Poll since February 21, 2012, when the Cowboys also were ranked 11th. The Cowboys improved to 11-3 with a 33-3 win over Air Force. Also in the Big 12, Iowa State moved up to No. 15 after beating West Virginia and Rider. In other ranked action, Northern Iowa topped Air Force 29-9, Purdue beat Indiana and Arizona State topped Oregon State.
Wisconsin slid three spots to No. 14 after falling to unranked Northwestern 25-18. Utah Valley fell out of the Top 25 after getting trampled by Fresno State 26-10.
Princeton (4-4) moved up one spot to No. 21, the highest in program history.
The NWCA Division I Wrestling Coaches Poll is voted on by two coaches from each Division I wrestling conference. Each first-place vote is worth 25 points, 24 points for a second-place vote, 23 for a third-place vote and so on through to one point for a 25th-place vote.
NWCA Division I Wrestling Coaches Poll – January 22, 2019
|
Rank |
Team (First) |
Record |
Points |
Conference |
Previous |
|
1 |
Penn State (16) |
7-0 |
400 |
Big Ten |
1 |
|
2 |
Ohio State |
7-0 |
382 |
Big Ten |
2 |
|
3 |
Oklahoma State |
9-0 |
370 |
Big 12 |
3 |
|
4 |
Iowa |
8-0 |
349 |
Big Ten |
4 |
|
5 |
Missouri |
13-0 |
336 |
MAC |
5 |
|
6 |
Michigan |
8-0 |
323 |
Big Ten |
6 |
|
7 |
Minnesota |
10-2 |
301 |
Big Ten |
7 |
|
8 |
NC State |
12-2 |
284 |
ACC |
8 |
|
9 |
Nebraska |
8-3 |
268 |
Big Ten |
9 |
|
10 |
Cornell |
6-2 |
250 |
EIWA |
10 |
|
11 |
Wyoming |
11-3 |
232 |
Big 12 |
12 |
|
12 |
Virginia Tech |
5-2 |
214 |
ACC |
13 |
|
13 |
Pittsburgh |
8-1 |
213 |
ACC |
14 |
|
14 |
Wisconsin |
6-4 |
201 |
Big Ten |
11 |
|
15 |
Iowa State |
6-1 |
183 |
Big 12 |
16 |
|
16 |
Northern Iowa |
3-4 |
154 |
Big 12 |
15 |
|
17 |
North Carolina |
7-5 |
134 |
ACC |
17 |
|
18 |
Rutgers |
7-4 |
107 |
Big Ten |
20 |
|
19 |
Purdue |
5-5 |
105 |
Big Ten |
18 |
|
20 |
Illinois |
2-3 |
97 |
Big Ten |
19 |
|
21 |
Princeton |
4-4 |
81 |
EIWA |
22 |
|
22 |
Stanford |
5-0 |
58 |
Pac-12 |
25 |
|
23 |
Arizona State |
4-6 |
47 |
Pac-12 |
21 |
|
24 |
Lehigh |
5-7 |
29 |
EIWA |
NR |
|
25 |
Virginia |
11-6 |
25 |
ACC |
NR |
Others Receiving Votes: Lock Haven 19, Utah Valley 15, Oklahoma 11, Northwestern 4, Campbell 3, Old Dominion 3, Army West Point 2
Dropped Out: No. 23 Utah Valley, No. 24 Lock Haven
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