Ohio State's win over Arizona State mixes up Top 10 in first NWCA Div. I coaches poll of 2020

Manheim, Pennsylvania – Ohio State's 17-16 triumph over then-No. 4 Arizona State in a rare Monday night dual in Columbus kicked off the new year with a flurry as the first NWCA Division I Wrestling Coaches Poll of 2020 was released on Tuesday.

Iowa remained a unanimous No. 1 and was idle in dual meet competition over the break, but the Hawkeyes set a tournament record for points in winning the title at the 57th Ken Kraft Midlands Championships to close out 2019.

There were over 30 duals involving ranked teams since the final poll of 2019, but in large, the rankings didn't see anything major. Up top, Nebraska (5-0) remained second, followed by Penn State (3-1). With Arizona State's loss, Virginia Tech (5-0) moved up a spot to No. 4. The Hokies picked up a pair of wins over the break, beating Chattanooga at home and then-No. 24 Central Michigan on the road.

Ohio State (3-1) leap-frogged Arizona State and NC State to land at No. 5. NC State (7-0) stayed at No. 6, while ASU slid three spots to No. 7. Wisconsin, (7-1),

Oklahoma State (4-1) and Pittsburgh (5-1) remained 8-9-10 to close out the Top 10.
Minnesota, Cornell and North Carolina all picked up four wins over the break, although Cornell and Minnesota also lost duals along the way. Lehigh (4-3) swept the South Beach Duals, going 3-0 with wins over Minnesota, Missouri and Duke. Minnesota (5-3) beat Cornell, Duke and Old Dominion at the South Beach Duals and also topped South Dakota State before Christmas. North Carolina spoiled the Division I home debut of Little Rock and then swept the West Point Duals, beating Wyoming, American and host Army West Point in a quad that featured four head coaches who wrestled at Oklahoma State.

Cornell beat Missouri, Michigan State, South Dakota State and Wyoming at the South Beach Duals. Other duals of note saw Princeton top Rider, Oregon State beat Michigan and Northern Illinois beat Central Michigan.

Rutgers (6-0) moved into the Top 25 for the first time this season.

Methodology: 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 poll is based on dual meet results.

NWCA Division I Coaches Poll
January 7, 2020

1	Iowa (14)	(4-0)	350	Big Ten	1
2	Nebraska	(5-0)	328	Big Ten	2
3	Penn State	(3-1)	314	Big Ten	3
4	Virginia Tech	(5-0)	302	ACC	5
5	Ohio State	(3-1)	290	Big Ten	7
6	NC State	(7-0)	284	ACC	6
7	Arizona State	(5-0)	282	Pac-12	4
8	Wisconsin	(7-1)	251	Big Ten	8
9	Oklahoma State	(4-1)	245	Big 12	9
10	Pittsburgh	(5-1)	217	ACC	10
11	Iowa State	(2-1)	201	Big 12	11
12	Princeton	(2-2)	196	EIWA	12
13	Northwestern	(2-1)	183	Big Ten	13
14	Lehigh	(4-3)	165	EIWA	14
15	Minnesota	(5-3)	140	Big Ten	15
16	Northern Iowa	(1-2)	133	Big 12	16
17	North Carolina	(7-1)	130	ACC	17
18	Purdue	(7-1)	106	Big Ten	18
19	Cornell	(4-3)	105	EIWA	18
20	Army West Point	(6-2)	69	EIWA	21
21	Missouri	(5-4)	68	MAC	19
22	Virginia	(3-1)	54	ACC	23
23	Stanford	(4-1)	39	Pac-12	25 (tie)
24	Rutgers	(6-0)	29	Big Ten	NR
25	Michigan	(1-2)	13	Big Ten	22

Others Receiving Votes: Central Michigan 12, Illinois 11, Campbell 8, Rider 8, Oregon State 5, Lock Haven 4, Northern Illinois 4, Wyoming 4
Dropped Out: No. 24 Central Michigan, No. 25 (tie) Rider