Iowa State, South Dakota State make significant jumps in short week of competition

Manheim, Pennsylvania - A couple of decades-long losing streaks came to an end last week in a limited week of action across Division I men’s wrestling. As a result, there was a significant shakeup in the top 10 as the most recent NWCA Division I Men’s Wrestling Coaches Poll was released on Tuesday.
 
With a worldwide audience on ESPN, Iowa State’s 20-14 win over then-No. 3 Iowa vaulted the Cyclones (2-0) up to No. 3, while the Hawkeyes (5-2) slid down one spot to No. 4. It was Iowa State’s first win over Iowa since December 5, 2004, ending a 20-match losing skid. The match drew 12,292 fans despite the massive winter storm that dropped a foot of snow on Ames. It was the 10th-largest wrestling crowd all time at Hilton Coliseum.
 
A lengthier losing streak—at least time-wise—came to an end in Minneapolis on Tuesday prior to Thanksgiving, as then-No. 16 South Dakota State beat then-No. 7 Minnesota 18-14, giving the Jackrabbits the school’s first win over the Golden Gophers since November 27, 1974. The streak only numbered 13, since South Dakota State was a Division II program until 2002-03. The schools had met 10 times since SDSU reclassified.
 
The Jackrabbits (2-0) come in this week ranked No. 8, the highest in school history as a Division I program and the highest since the program’s previous high ranking of No. 10, set for two weeks during the 2023-24 season. Minnesota (4-2) slid to No. 11 after the loss.
 
The only other ranked Division I dual action saw No. 10 NC State beat Appalachian State 21-14 in Boone, North Carolina, and then-No. 23 Wisconsin edged Bucknell 19-15 at Stoughton High School, 30 miles outside Madison.
 
This week’s head-to-head ranked matchups: No. 22 Little Rock takes on No. 11 Minnesota in Mequon, Wisconsin, on Thursday; No. 20 Pittsburgh visits No. 14 Lehigh on Friday; and No. 6 Nebraska faces former Big 12 rival No. 12 Missouri on Friday in suburban St. Louis. Sunday has a pair of ranked matchups, with Lehigh heading across the Keystone State to face top-ranked Penn State, while No. 13 Rutgers heads south to take on No. 13 NC State in Fuquay-Varina, North Carolina.
 
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 points 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.