Penn State, riding a 71-match dual meet win streak, opens up the season ranked No. 1

Manheim, Pennsylvania – The National Wrestling Coaches Association has released its preseason Division I Men’s Wrestling Coaches Poll, with NCAA champion Penn State opening the year as the nation’s No. 1 team. The Nittany Lions received all 16 first-place votes after finishing last season 15-0 in duals and capturing their 12th national title under head coach Cael Sanderson and 13th overall.

Nebraska, last year’s NCAA runner-up, starts at No. 2, followed by Iowa, Ohio State, and Oklahoma State. The top 10 also includes Iowa State, NC State, Lehigh, Minnesota, and Virginia Tech, representing four different conferences.

The Big Ten Conference once again leads all leagues with eight teams ranked in the preseason Top 25, including seven in the top 15. The Big 12 also places eight programs in the poll, highlighted by Oklahoma State at No. 5 and Iowa State at No. 6. The ACC follows with five, while the EIWA has two teams and both the Ivy League and Pac-12 claim one apiece.

Historically Streaking
Penn State returns nine All-Americans and its 71-match win streak is the longest in the NCAA’s Division I era (since 1973) and is the sixth longest in college wrestling history regardless of division. Oklahoma State holds the major college record of 76, set from 1937-1951.

The NCAA record is 77 in a row, set by Division II St. Cloud State from 2017-2022. NAIA Grand View has the all-time collegiate streak at 117 in a row, set from 2013-2022.
 
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.