Penn State begins the new NCAA wrestling season ranked No. 1 in NWCA Div. I Coaches Poll

Manheim, Pennsylvania - Penn State, winners of six of the last seven contested NCAA Division I national championships, starts the year where it left off last season, a unanimous No. 1 as the NWCA released its first Division I Coaches Poll of the season on Tuesday.

The Nittany Lions finished last season 16-0 and the only undefeated team in Division I. The Big Ten has five teams overall in the Top 10 with Iowa starting off the year second, Michigan sixth, Ohio State eighth and Nebraska ninth. The Hawkeyes are coming off a 15-1 dual meet season.

Overall, nine of the 14 current Big Ten schools start the year in the Top 25.

The ACC has two teams in the top five to start the season, led by third-ranked NC State. The Wolfpack ended last season 14-1. Rival Virginia Tech starts the year ranked fifth after a 10-3 season. Fourth-ranked Missouri leads a field of five Big 12 schools in the rankings to start the season. Iowa State also starts the year in the Top 10. The Cyclones went 16-3 last season.

Oklahoma State and South Dakota State also sit in the Top 15. The Cowboys start the year at No. 11, while South Dakota State starts the year ranked 12th, tying its highest ranking in school history. The Jackrabbits were previously ranked No. 12 for five weeks during the 2017-18 season.

Cornell is one of three EIWA teams ranked in the Top 25. The Big Red start the season at No. 7, followed by No. 19 Lehigh and No. 22 Penn.

Arizona State starts the year at No. 13 and is the top Pac-12 squad to start the Sun Devils’ final year in the conference. Oregon State begins the year tied for 20th with Oklahoma of the Big 12.

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 Wrestling Coaches Poll

Preseason - October 31, 2023

Rank Team (First) 22-23

Record Points Conf. Final

Poll Rank 22-23

1 Penn State (14) (16-0) 350 Big Ten 1

2 Iowa (15-1) 311 Big Ten 2

3 NC State (14-1) 296 ACC 3

4 Missouri (8-3) 294 Big 12 9

5 Virginia Tech (10-3) 281 ACC 10

6 Michigan (11-4) 276 Big Ten 11

7 Cornell (12-3) 274 EIWA 8

8 Ohio State (13-3) 262 Big Ten 6

9 Nebraska (12-3) 256 Big Ten 4

10 Iowa State (16-3) 251 Big 12 5

11 Oklahoma State (14-3) 222 Big 12 7

12 South Dakota State (12-4) 172 Big 12 14

13 Arizona State (7-5) 171 Pac-12 19

14 Minnesota (12-3) 163 Big Ten 12

15 Rutgers (10-7) 138 Big Ten 22

16 Pittsburgh (10-4) 134 ACC 15

17 Northern Iowa (7-5) 120 Big 12 16

18 Wisconsin (8-8) 93 Big Ten 17

19 Lehigh (9-9) 62 EIWA NR

20 (tie) Oklahoma (9-8) 52 Big 12 NR

20 (tie) Oregon State (8-7) 52 Pac-12 NR

22 Penn (9-5) 43 EIWA 24

23 Illinois (6-7) 41 Big Ten 21

24 Northwestern (7-3) 36 Big Ten 13

25 North Carolina (6-9) 32 ACC NR

Others Receiving Votes: Appalachian State 19, Lock Haven 19, Purdue 17, West Virginia 17, Michigan State 15, Stanford 15, North Dakota State 14, Maryland 11, Campbell 9, Cal Poly 8, Indiana 8, Air Force 7, Columbia 6, Northern Colorado 3.