No. 1 Penn State wins 51st dual in a row, Oklahoma State up to third in NWCA Div. I Coaches Poll

Manheim, Pennsylvania – Three of the four remaining unbeaten men’s teams in Division I are sitting in the top three spots in the most recent dual meet rankings. Penn State remained No. 1, while Iowa and Oklahoma State settled into new positions in the most recent NWCA Division I Men’s Wrestling Coaches Poll released on Tuesday.

The Nittany Lions improved to 7-0 on the season with a 42-6 road win at Maryland. The win is the 51st straight dual win for Penn State, which is the sixth-longest win streak in major college wrestling history and the 13th-longest across all divisions.

Missouri slid from the ranks of the unbeaten as the Tigers fell to then-No. 14 Cornell 20-16 in Ithaca. The loss was Missouri’s first of the season and dropped the Tigers three spots to No. 5 this week. Cornell’s win vaulted the Big Red (7-3) into the Top 10 at No. 9 this week.

Iowa improved to 10-0 and returned to No. 2 after big wins over Illinois and Northwestern. Oklahoma State (10-0) rose to third after picking off then-No. 4 Iowa State 21-12 in Stillwater over the weekend. The Cowboys also bested Northern Iowa. Iowa State remained fourth after beating No. 18 Oklahoma over the weekend. Nebraska won a pair of duals, including a 28-9 win over then-No. 21 Wisconsin to remain sixth. Ohio State (12-1) got some late heroics from heavyweight Nick Feldman to upend then-No. 11 Michigan 20-19 in front of a packed Covelli Center in Columbus. NC State (11-2) beat No. 19 Pittsburgh 31-6 and remained at No. 8.

Cornell’s rise shifted Minnesota down to No. 10 despite the Gophers 20-12 win at then-No. 13 Rutgers on Saturday.

Cornell wasn’t the only team to make a big jump this week. Little Rock split duals over the weekend, beating then-No. 16 Oregon State, but falling to then-No. 17 Stanford. The Trojans moved up five spots to No. 20 this week, one spot ahead of Oregon State. Northern Iowa moved up four spots to No. 18 after splitting duals in Oklahoma. The Panthers fell to Oklahoma State 22-12, but beat then-No. 18 Oklahoma 20-12.

Michigan State’s win over then-No. 21 Wisconsin vaulted the Spartans (8-3) into the Top 25 for the first time this season. Arizona State (3-4) re-entered the poll at No. 24. Wisconsin and Navy fell out of the poll this week.

NOTE: The NWCA Division I Mid-Major Men’s Wrestling Coaches Poll will be released Thursday, February 1.

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 30, 2024

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

1 Penn State (14) (7-0) 350 Big Ten 1

2 Iowa (10-0) 333 Big Ten 3

3 Oklahoma State (10-0) 319 Big 12 5

4 Iowa State (10-2) 290 Big 12 4

5 Missouri (8-1) 285 Big 12 2

6 Nebraska (9-1) 285 Big Ten 6

7 Ohio State (12-1) 272 Big Ten 7

8 NC State (11-2) 252 ACC 8

9 Cornell (7-3) 235 EIWA 14

10 Minnesota (6-2) 224 Big Ten 9

11 South Dakota State (9-2) 215 Big 12 10

12 Michigan (5-3) 201 Big Ten 11

13 Virginia Tech (5-3) 182 ACC 12

14 Rutgers (10-3) 179 Big Ten 13

15 Lehigh (4-3) 152 EIWA 15

16 Stanford (8-2) 125 Pac-12 17

17 West Virginia (9-3) 99 Big 12 20

18 Northern Iowa (4-5) 95 Big 12 22

19 Pittsburgh (7-6) 90 ACC 19

20 Little Rock (11-5) 70 Pac-12 25

21 Oregon State (5-4) 64 Pac-12 16

22 Oklahoma (5-5) 50 Big 12 18

23 Cal Poly (5-2) 42 Pac-12 24

24 Arizona State (3-4) 29 Pac-12 NR

25 Michigan State (8-3) 26 Big Ten NR

Others Receiving Votes: Wisconsin 25, Indiana, 24, Appalachian State 18, Campbell 9, Penn 5, Navy 4, Northern Illinois 1.

Dropped out: No. 21 Wisconsin (6-4), No. 23 Navy (6-5).