NC State moves to No. 2, Ohio State jumps to No. 5 in NWCA Div. I Coaches Poll
by Jason Bryant, NWCA
Manheim, Pennsylvania – Two dominating performances from NC State and a solid road victory by Ohio State highlighted action this past week and it caused some movement in the most recent NWCA Division I Men's Wrestling Coaches Poll released on Tuesday.
NC State blasted then-No. 25 Purdue 37-3 and Bloomsburg 45-4 to improve to 4-0 on the season and move up to No. 2 in the rankings for the second time in school history and for the first time since the final regular season poll in 2016.
Ohio State (2-0) opened up its dual schedule with a solid 24-12 win over then-No. 5 Virginia Tech in Blacksburg and then shutout Edinboro 53-0 to close out the weekend. The Buckeyes jumped three spots to fifth, while the Hokies (1-1) essentially traded spots, coming in at No. 8 this week.
Only two other top-10 teams were in dual action over the weekend. Ninth-ranked Nebraska (2-0) topped visiting Campbell 37-4 and No. 10 Iowa State (2-0) shutout Davidson 50-0 in Ames.
Top-ranked Penn State was idle in dual competition, as was Iowa, which slid to third this week. Missouri hosted a tournament at home and stayed put at fourth.
The highest ranked team after Virginia Tech to fall this week was Arizona State, which split duals at Wranglemania in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. North Carolina topped the Sun Devils 22-16 and also beat then-No. 23 Lock Haven 23-18. North Carolina also beat Buffalo and the Tar Heels moved back into the Top 25 at No. 22 after falling out last week.
Navy swept a home quad, shutting out VMI and the resurrected program at Morgan State as well as then-No. 16 Pittsburgh 21-16. The Midshipmen moved into the rankings this week at No. 19. Pittsburgh slid to No. 23.
West Virginia moved into the Top 25 after opening its dual season with wins at home over Cleveland State, Kent State and Duke.
Also, No. 11 Oklahoma State beat Bucknell 38-6 and No. 21 Oklahoma beat Central Michigan 29-11.
Schedule Note: The Coaches Poll originally scheduled for December 18 has been moved to Thursday, December 21 to facilitate the competition at the Journeymen Collegiate Duals in Nashville, Tennessee on December 18-19, 2023.
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. Teams who are not competing this season are not included in the voting process.
NWCA Division I Men's Wrestling Coaches Poll
November 14, 2023
Rank/Team (First)/Record/Points/Conf./Previous
1 Penn State (14) (0-0) 350 Big Ten 1
2 NC State (4-0) 314 ACC 3
3 Iowa (1-0) 309 Big Ten 2
4 Missouri (0-0) 304 Big 12 4
5 Ohio State (2-0) 285 Big Ten 8
6 Michigan (0-0) 282 Big Ten 6
7 Cornell (0-0) 270 EIWA 7
8 Virginia Tech (1-1) 255 ACC 5
9 Nebraska (2-0) 252 Big Ten 9
10 Iowa State (2-0) 237 Big 12 10
11 Oklahoma State (1-0) 217 Big 12 11
12 South Dakota State (0-0) 188 Big 12 12
13 Rutgers (2-0) 178 Big Ten 14
14 Minnesota (0-0) 161 Big Ten 15
15 Northern Iowa (0-0) 140 Big 12 17
16 Oregon State (3-0) 127 Pac-12 18
17 Lehigh (0-0) 102 EIWA 20
18 Wisconsin (1-0) 94 Big Ten 19
19 Navy (4-0) 87 EIWA NR
20 Oklahoma (1-0) 84 Big 12 21
21 Arizona State (1-1) 72 Pac-12 13
22 North Carolina (4-1) 56 ACC NR
23 Pittsburgh (2-1) 55 ACC 16
24 West Virginia (3-0) 26 Big 12 NR
25 Penn (0-0) 24 EIWA 22
Others Receiving Votes: Maryland 19, Northwestern 13, Indiana 11, Campbell 10, Stanford 9, Purdue, 8, Northern Colorado 5, Cal Poly 2, Army West Point 2, Lock Haven 1, Columbia 1.
Dropped out: No. 23 Lock Haven (0-2), No. 24 Northwestern (0-0), No. 25 Purdue (1-1).