Penn State enters season ranked No. 1, sits atop NWCA Division I Coaches Poll for 33rd straight time
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by Gary Abbott, USA Wrestling
Manheim, Pennsylvania -- Penn State, winners of the last four NCAA Division I team championships and eight of the last nine, opens up the 2019-20 college wrestling season ranked No. 1, and atop the NWCA Division I Coaches Pol for the 33rd straight week. The Nittany Lions went 14-0 in 2018-19 and start a third consecutive season ranked No. 1 in the nation.
The preseason dual meet poll, released Tuesday by the National Wrestling Coaches Association, includes six Big Ten teams in the Top 10 as Penn State is followed by No. 2 Iowa, No. 3 Ohio State, No. 5 Nebraska, No. 6 Wisconsin and No. 7 Wisconsin.
Penn State and fourth-ranked Oklahoma State were the only two Division I teams to go unbeaten in dual competition in 2018-19. Penn State is riding the fifth-best dual meet win streak in major college history at 52 dual wins in a row. The record among Division I schools is 76, set by Oklahoma State from 1937-1951. Penn State's last loss was February 15, 2015 to Oklahoma State. The longest current active win streak is in the NAIA, where Grand View has won 72 duals in a row. The all-time collegiate record is 92 dual wins in a row, set by NJCAA member SUNY-Dehli, which set the mark across five seasons from 1979-83.
Oklahoma State is the lone Big 12 team in the Top 10, while No. 8 Arizona State represents the Pac-12, Missouri the Mid-American Conference at No. 9 and NC State the ACC at No. 10.
This year, the Division I wrestling world sees a few changes as three programs enter the Division I wrestling landscape: Little Rock (Pac-12), Long Island University (EIWA) and Presbyterian (SoCon). This brings the number of Division I programs to 79, with Cal Baptist in its second year transitioning from Division II. The Eastern Wrestling League was absorbed by the Mid-American Conference, creating a 15-team league that spans from Missouri to New York.
The Big Ten again dominates the poll, with eight of its 14 teams represented. The Big 12 and the ACC each have five schools represented, while the EIWA and MAC have three apiece. Arizona State is the Pac-12's only ranked team.
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.
The preseason dual meet poll, released Tuesday by the National Wrestling Coaches Association, includes six Big Ten teams in the Top 10 as Penn State is followed by No. 2 Iowa, No. 3 Ohio State, No. 5 Nebraska, No. 6 Wisconsin and No. 7 Wisconsin.
Penn State and fourth-ranked Oklahoma State were the only two Division I teams to go unbeaten in dual competition in 2018-19. Penn State is riding the fifth-best dual meet win streak in major college history at 52 dual wins in a row. The record among Division I schools is 76, set by Oklahoma State from 1937-1951. Penn State's last loss was February 15, 2015 to Oklahoma State. The longest current active win streak is in the NAIA, where Grand View has won 72 duals in a row. The all-time collegiate record is 92 dual wins in a row, set by NJCAA member SUNY-Dehli, which set the mark across five seasons from 1979-83.
Oklahoma State is the lone Big 12 team in the Top 10, while No. 8 Arizona State represents the Pac-12, Missouri the Mid-American Conference at No. 9 and NC State the ACC at No. 10.
This year, the Division I wrestling world sees a few changes as three programs enter the Division I wrestling landscape: Little Rock (Pac-12), Long Island University (EIWA) and Presbyterian (SoCon). This brings the number of Division I programs to 79, with Cal Baptist in its second year transitioning from Division II. The Eastern Wrestling League was absorbed by the Mid-American Conference, creating a 15-team league that spans from Missouri to New York.
The Big Ten again dominates the poll, with eight of its 14 teams represented. The Big 12 and the ACC each have five schools represented, while the EIWA and MAC have three apiece. Arizona State is the Pac-12's only ranked team.
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.
|
Rank |
Team (First) |
18-19 Rec. |
Points |
Conf. |
18-19 Final Dual |
|
1 |
Penn State (12) |
(14-0) |
348 |
Big Ten |
1 |
|
2 |
Iowa (2) |
(14-1) |
337 |
Big Ten |
3 |
|
3 |
Ohio State |
(12-2) |
314 |
Big Ten |
6 |
|
4 |
Oklahoma State |
(15-0) |
295 |
Big 12 |
2 |
|
5 |
Nebraska |
(12-5) |
263 |
Big Ten |
7 |
|
6 |
Wisconsin |
(9-6) |
257 |
Big Ten |
17 |
|
7 |
Minnesota |
(14-3) |
254 |
Big Ten |
8 |
|
8 |
Arizona State |
(6-10) |
243 |
Pac-12 |
NR |
|
9 |
Missouri |
(16-1) |
235 |
MAC |
5 |
|
10 |
NC State |
(16-3) |
222 |
ACC |
10 |
|
11 |
Lehigh |
(9-9) |
211 |
EIWA |
20 |
|
12 |
Iowa State |
(10-4) |
204 |
Big 12 |
15 |
|
13 |
Northern Iowa |
(7-5) |
159 |
Big 12 |
14 |
|
14 |
Pittsburgh |
(13-3) |
141 |
ACC |
16 |
|
15 |
Princeton |
(9-6) |
131 |
EIWA |
19 |
|
16 |
Virginia Tech |
(9-5) |
125 |
ACC |
1 |
|
17 |
North Carolina |
(12-7) |
115 |
ACC |
12 |
|
18 |
Cornell |
(13-3) |
113 |
EIWA |
9 |
|
19 |
Michigan |
(13-1) |
105 |
Big Ten |
4 |
|
20 |
Northwestern |
(5-10) |
86 |
Big Ten |
NR |
|
21 |
Oklahoma |
(10-6) |
77 |
Big 12 |
NR |
|
22 |
Wyoming |
(16-4) |
76 |
Big 12 |
11 |
|
23 |
Lock Haven |
(10-3) |
47 |
MAC |
21 |
|
24 |
Virginia |
(12-10) |
39 |
ACC |
22 |
|
25 |
Old Dominion |
(9-7) |
33 |
MAC |
NR |
Others Receiving Votes: Rutgers (12-6) 28, Campbell (7-1) 25, Stanford (9-4) 14, Utah Valley (10-14) 11, Army West Point (8-3) 8, Illinois (2-9) 7, North Dakota State (10-6) 7, Buffalo (12-5) 6, Fresno State (9-8) 6, Purdue (7-10) 5, Michigan State (10-8) 2, Binghamton (10-3) 1
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