Ranked wins by Lehigh, Wisconsin create shifts in NWCA Div. I Coaches Poll

Manheim, Pennsylvania – With 75 of the 81 teams in action over the past week, there was bound to be shifts in the rankings. Ranked wins by Lehigh and Wisconsin created some movement in the most recent NWCA Division I Men’s Wrestling Coaches Poll released on Tuesday.

Lehigh (2-3) beat then-No. 9 Cornell 17-16 in one of the biggest dual rivalries in the EIWA. The win pushed the Mountain Hawks up six spots to No. 16, while the Big Red (4-3) slid five spots to No. 14 this week.

The top eight teams remained the same this week, with Iowa the big winner for the week. The third-ranked Hawkeyes improved to 7-0, opening up their Big Ten dual schedule with wins over No. 6 Nebraska 22-10 and then-No. 10 Minnesota 22-9 on Monday night.

Top-ranked Penn State (4-0) remained unbeaten in dominating fashion, not allowing a takedown in a 46-0 win over Indiana. The Nittany Lions extended their dual meet win streak to 48 in a row.

Second-ranked Missouri stayed unbeaten, moving to 7-0 after shutting out then-No. 18 Stanford 39-0. Fourth-ranked Iowa State beat the snow and Utah Valley 44-3 to move to 9-1. Oklahoma State (7-0) also picked up two ranked wins after heading east. The Cowboys beat No. 15 Pittsburgh 31-6 and then-No. 20 West Virginia 29-9.

No. 7 Ohio State pounded Illinois 36-6 to improve to 9-1. With Cornell losing, Minnesota moved up one spot to No. 9 despite the Monday loss to Iowa. South Dakota State moved into the Top 10 for the first time in school history after a pair of weekend wins at the Virginia Duals in Hampton, Virginia. The Jackrabbits shutout Kent State 50-0 before beating then-No. 16 Navy 30-13.

Wisconsin (6-1) picked up a win at the Virginia Duals over No. 19 Oklahoma to return to the rankings this week at No. 22. Oklahoma also beat then-No. 16 Navy 24-11.

Cal Poly (4-1) re-entered the Top 25 after weekend wins over Air Force, American and Northern Colorado.

Methodology: The NWCA Division I Men’s 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

January 16, 2024

Rank/Team (First)/Record/Points/Conf./Previous

1 Penn State (14) (4-0) 350 Big Ten 1

2 Missouri (7-0) 335 Big 12 2

3 Iowa (7-0) 323 Big Ten 3

4 Iowa State (9-1) 303 Big 12 4

5 Oklahoma State (7-0) 293 Big 12 5

6 Nebraska (5-1) 277 Big Ten 6

7 Ohio State (9-1) 265 Big Ten 7

8 NC State (10-2) 253 ACC 8

9 Minnesota (5-1) 229 Big Ten 10

10 South Dakota State (6-2) 217 Big 12 11

11 Michigan (4-1) 209 Big Ten 12

12 Virginia Tech (4-3) 185 ACC 13

13 Rutgers (9-1) 178 Big Ten 14

14 Cornell (4-3) 174 EIWA 9

15 Pittsburgh (7-4) 160 ACC 15

16 Oregon State (4-2) 122 Pac-12 17

17 Lehigh (2-3) 115 EIWA 23

18 Navy (6-2) 92 EIWA 16

19 Oklahoma (5-3) 88 Big 12 19

20 Stanford (5-2) 79 Pac-12 18

21 West Virginia (8-2) 72 Big 12 20

22 Wisconsin (6-1) 62 Big Ten NR

23 Northern Iowa (3-4) 35 Big 12 24

24 Arizona State (2-3) 34 Pac-12 22

25 Cal Poly (4-1) 24 Pac-12 NR

Others Receiving Votes: Appalachian State 19, Indiana 18, Maryland 16, Penn 7, Little Rock 5, Campbell 3, Michigan State 3, North Carolina 3, Illinois 2.

Dropped out: No. 21 Indiana (3-2), No. 25 Appalachian State (2-1).